Guest Post: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

My friend, Kristin from Meringue Bake Shop wanted to share a recipe with my readers. She thought it would be fun and easy since Halloween is coming up this weekend. It's something that you can do with your kiddos Saturday morning, or you can take these to a Halloween Party, Saturday night!

"Halloween is my second favorite holiday (Christmas holds the #1 spot). It jump-starts the holiday season, gives us our first feelings of fall and there is pumpkin everywhere! I love baking with squash, pumpkin, zucchini, and butternut. Mmmm... Those flavors always feel right this time of the year."

As you may, or may not know I bake cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. So when I have a chance to bake for coworkers, friends, family, or myself, I like to try different things. So I search the web, check out some of my favorite foodie blogs, and collect ideas and recipes to try. I noticed some buzz around Whoopie Pies so I thought I’d give them a try again. According to Wikipedia, Whoopie Pies got their start in the Amish community and their name came about when the husbands would shout “Whoopie!” when they received one of these treats in their lunch boxes. I had made some Banana Whoopie Pies during the Spring this year but since it’s fall and I’m craving pumpkin and spices, I decided to bake some Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

These are really fun to make, very easy and kid-friendly. And might I say, VERY tasty! Only a few ingredients are needed. And the bake time is short. Perfect for when you have only a little time available or have little helpers with short attention spans.

I tried a few recipes and this one is my favorite with a few modifications. I found this recipe on Bakespace. Bakespace is a recipe exchange and social network site for people who love food, cooking and baking.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, molasses and vanilla in large bowl to blend.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin puree. Mixture will look curdled but that’s ok. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk, beating until just combined.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart, leaving enough room for dough to spread. I use a cookie scoop that holds 1 tbsp. It’s a lot less messy to use when having kitchen help from small hands.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool completely on wire racks before filling.

Maple Syrup Cream Cheese Filling:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 tsp of maple extract (opt, to taste)

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined and fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and maple extract (if using) and beat until smooth.

To assemble:
Take a cooled cookie and using a butter knife, spread a thick amount of filling to the flat side. Grab another cookie and with flat side sandwich together. Press ever so slightly to get some of the filling to pop out the sides. You should be able to see the filling when looking down at the pie. If you want to get fancy, you can also put the filling into a plastic zipper bag, cut a 1/2” hole in one corner and pipe a big glob onto the flat side of the cookie.

Once all the pies are assembled, take a plate and pour out some Halloween sprinkles, sugars, non-pareils, quins, etc. Holding the pie vertically, roll the edges on the plate picking up the sprinkles along the way. Viola!

Yum!

If you don’t like pumpkin or are allergic, you can make the original version. I used this recipe. To make them more "Halloweenie", add some orange food coloring to the filling.

Have fun and Happy Halloween!

Angry Toddler Growing Up Via Costume

We've had several variations of Halloween costumes throughout Angry Toddler's short life. We've gone from the oh my he's soo cute, to this year, his choice, sigh. I used to agonize over his costume. I would jump on the computer in July, and have his costume ready, months in advance. This year, well, we went to Target. I chose several things in his size, and said, PICK! He pretty much picked what I thought he would.

But let's take a little tour of costumes past and present:

And this year, he's Jango Fett!

What and who is a Jango Fett? I know, most people are not Star Wars Freaks like the boys in my family.

Jango Fett was a renowned human bounty hunter, assassin, mercenary, and the "father" of Boba Fett, a genetic clone of his, whom he raised as a son. A Human from Concord Dawn, Fett was adopted by Mandalorian warriors following the murder of his parents and the disappearance of his older sister Arla in 58 BBY. Years later, he would go on to lead them through much of the Mandalorian Civil War. After being imprisoned by Jedi, Jango was responsible for destroying the Death Watch, a Mandalorian group who killed Jango's mentor, Jaster Mereel.

Jango Fett information from the Wookieepedia.

Orange County Fare: Pumpkin Muffins

I'm a member of the Junior League of Orange County, CA. We had a new cookbook come out last month, Orange County Fare. I was finally able to get my hands on a hardbound copy of it, a few weeks ago at a general meeting. This is the second recipe that I've made from the cookbook. I made the Raspberry Oatmeal Bars last year, when I received the recipe as a preview.

I made a complete mess in our kitchen as usual. I could not locate any of the proper tools. We do have some cooking utensils. I had to improvise, but they turned out AWESOME! I made Angry Husband try the first one. He's my test dummy...I mean victim...I mean taster. He said they were very good, but sweet.

Makes 18 to 24

Ingredients for muffins:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned pumpkin
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Ingredients for Orange Glaze:
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the muffins pans for 15 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze
Combine the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, and orange zest in a small bowl, stir to mix well. Place waxed paper under the muffins on the wire rack. Spoon the glaze over the cooled muffins, letting the excess run down the sides. Garnish with additional walnuts before the glaze becomes firm.

Disclosure: This recipe is from the Junior League of Orange County's Cookbook, Orange County Fare. I'm a member of the JLOCC. My opinions and rants have nothing to do with the JLOCC, but they have a pretty swell cookbook that I paid for, with my very own checkbook. Oh yea, that's right, I wrote a check.

The Saga of my Hair

I give up, yet again. I try to grow out my hair a little bit, and then I get annoyed with it. I have naturally curly hair. BUT, it's curly at the bottom. And it also gets puffy on top. My hair is complete drama. And, I admit I'm lazy. I like to put some hair goop in it, and go. So I made an appointment with my hair dude, Richard, and cut it off again. I need to get my roots colored too, anyone want to loan me some money for my color? My birthday is coming up next month!

Oh, and I did a whrrl story about my haircut. You can see it HERE!

Wordless Wednesday: Dia de los Muertos at Disneyland

El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. This display was located in Frontierland at Disneyland.

Halloween Decorations

I'm a total slacker, as always. I asked Angry Husband to get my decorations down from the rafters weeks ago, and he did. I'm busy and overwhelmed. I finally went through my house and added some "Halloween" touches to it.

Most of my goodies are picture frames and candle holders. I bought WAY too many candle holders when I was young, pre-child, and had money to throw away. At least, I can decorate with the candle holders once a year.

After seeing Kelly's post with all her picture frames, I decided to purchase some cute Halloween ones myself. I went to TJ Maxx and found a bunch of great frames for $4.99-$7.99. They were difference shapes and sizes.

So I'll share my pictures now...I have more decorations in my tote, but alas I might put them out later this week. Seriously, Halloween has come way too fast this year. I might have to start organizing for Christmas next week.

Sunday Afternoon Car Shows

Yesterday, my parents took Angry Toddler to a car show at our local Ford dealership. Actually, they had a car entered in the show. My first car, well technically my second, was a 1966 Ford Mustang. This was my car, since the first car I had was a hand-me-down. When I was in high school, my parents were very involved in the car show scene. I got dragged to them every weekend. They have a 1956 Ford Thunderbird also. Well, they still have my their Mustang. They occasionally put the Mustang in shows still. The car show was hosted by the Orange County Mustang Club. I headed over there for a little bit and took some pictures, cause that's what I do. Of course, I did not take any full pictures of our car. Cause I'm lame like that and the sun was beaming on it, creating havoc with my camera.

My dad told me to take a picture of this car. I think he's a tad obsessed.

Shiny new cars. Aren't they pretty! Just a little advertising for the dealership.

Angry Toddler and my parent's car. He's "Jango Fett".

Target practice?

Angry Toddler was "shooting" at this.

And at the end of the day, I picked Angry Toddler from my mom's house. He shouted this from the backseat, "Momma, I won twenty bucks in the costume contest. You need to take me to Target and buy me some toys." Ahhh, I'm soo proud! He won first place! But seriously, proper English child, it's twenty dollars!

The Pumpkin Patch, Then and Now

We've gone to a local Pumpkin Patch with my best friend, Stacey, and her daughter, Stella, since the kids were about a year and a half old. Angry Toddler and Stella are two months apart. Looking at the pictures, you would think there was a bigger age difference between them, but there's not. Stella just has extremely long legs. You can't tell from this year's picture, but she's several inches taller than angry Toddler. I took a million pictures last week when we went to the Pumpkin Patch. But I really, there are million "patch" pictures on the blogs this week. I thought I would you show you our little tradition. Oh, and Stacey and I compared the kiddos from that time.

2006-The kids would not sit still. They wanted to explore everything. They loved the train ride.
2007-The kids were umm, bitchy. They refused the train ride and cried.
2008-The did not want to sit still, again. They did not want to be bothered with pictures. They wanted us to buy every pumpkin. They rode the train, but wanted to climb out.
2009-The kids posed for our pictures. They wanted to ride the train. They wanted to ride the train, multiple times. They sat together, without us.

THEN

NOW

Canned Pumpkin Shortage

In my attempt to be a better wife, yea right, I want to bake some things this weekend. I have several recipes that are "Fall" themed. Many of them require canned pumpkin. Well it's buzzing around that there's a huge canned pumpkin shortage. Yikes! Of course, things like this always happen when I'm involved. I try and attempt to bake, and my ingredients are being held captive.
So wish me luck! I'm going to try and scout out some canned pumpkin today, another other random things on my to-do list.

Oh, here's more articles about the canned pumpkin shortage:
Washington Times
LA Times
Saveur

And Libby's has some awesome recipes on their site, if you can get yourself a can of the Holy Grail, canned Pumpkin.

*UPDATE: I found some canned pumpkin this weekend at a local grocery store. It's starting to show up here in Orange County. But there was only a small amount.

The Boots

Angry Toddler and I went to dinner with my parents last night. He was a busy little bee, which in real life, I would tell you, he was obnoxious. Luckily, we just went to a casual place, Wahoo's, to be exact. My dad wanted to watch the Angels' game, and well, I wanted to eat. After dinner, we headed to the pet store, where Angry Toddler wanted to bring home several cats and dogs. We settled on some fancy dog treats for Bruiser and Wolfie.

We saw that the outdoor ice skating rink was almost open. Angry Toddler wanted to go skate. I already have a visual of this event in my head. My visual consists of me with holes in my jeans and covering Angry Toddler with lots of bandaids.

But then, he wanted to go to Nordstrom. My dad gave my mom that look, and she shrugged. Angry Toddler has been going to the mall since he was a baby. He loves Nordstrom.

Well, of course, he couldn't miss these shiny and yet, beautiful Batman Rainboots. Aren't they pretty? Nana and Papa gave in. They bought him the boots. I was trying to ignore the whole situation while looking at purses. And FYI, there were no good purses. Angry Toddler proudly marched around Nordstrom with the boots, and we were on our way.


I got the third degree from Angry Husband this morning about leaving the boots out. Umm, he should know our child better. If I would have hid the boots, Angry Toddler would have thrown a fit looking for them. So Angry Toddler went to preschool in his shorts and rainboots. Of course, he was the coolest kid in class. Angry Husband brought his tennis shoes for later. And even better, it's supposed to be 85 degrees today.

P.S. I'm not really a sports fan, but YAY! The Angels Won!!!

How I Edit My Photos

I have a little secret to share with everyone. Yes, I use a Nikon D60 DSLR camera. I love this camera, but it's the smaller DSLR version. I used to have a D70 and I use a D80 at work. But really my secret is....the I shoot in program or automatic. I know, I know...all this fancy equipment and I don't utilize it. Really, I don't have time to mess with my camera. I have way too many things going on. I should probably take a class or something. Everyone I know who's in the photography biz, uses Canon. I have nothing against Canon, but we use Nikon's at work, so that's why I use Nikon at home.

But how do I do all these really awesome things with my camera? Well they are awesome to me! I usually have a third person with me, when I'm out and about with Angry Toddler. He's just moving way too fast, and I can't take that many pictures when it's just the two of us. So I'm able to focus more on the picture, and what I want from it. I also take pictures when I'm by myself. All my Wordless Wednesday Disney Pictures, were mostly taken when it was just my mom and I on a recent trip to Disneyland. I was able to focus on the awesomeness of Disneyland; the lights, the buildings, the food, and of course the characters.

I use an online program, called Picnik, to edit my photos. It is free, but you can upgrade your membership to have more options. I have an upgraded membership. I'm going to show you some cool stuff that I did with Picnik. If you read my blog enough, you see that I like to round the corners of my photos. That is actually a frame from Picnik.

The Original Photo

Playing With Some Colors.

Using Some Halloween Techniques.

Seriously this is so easy to use. Plus it does not edit the original photo. You can always go back to the original. I love it. And my favorite part, since it's not computer software, you can edit your photos from any computer with Internet access.

Late Night TV Watching

I was up late last night, because I had a soda way too late. I had to watch "Glee", of course. I'm quite obsessed with that show. I know that I'm not the only one, because everyone was talking about it on Twitter last night. I was on the couch, and Angry Toddler was snoring in my ear. I was too involved with Glee to move him.

After Glee was over, my TV automatically popped over to "Toddlers and Tiaras". Yes, I DVR it. I like a good trainwreck every now and then. That's why I watch this show. I usually don't have time to watch it, before it somehow gets deleted, but I was up. I think this was the most obnoxious episode ever. Parents were throwing a fit, because their daughters weren't doing the moves and gestures that they wanted them too. The Pageant Moms were getting pissed if another mom helped their child. Everyone was just plain ole' bitchy. They (the moms) say that they all do this because their daughters want to, and if they (the daughters) want to quit, they can. But these moms, and even some dads looked like they were WAY too involved in all of this. $900-$1500 for a dress? Yea, it makes me thankful that I have a boy, and we don't do "activities" like this.

And since, I was still up. I watched two episodes of "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant". I just watched all these women, in awe. Seriously, how could you not know. I'm sorry, but I knew I was definitely pregnant at four weeks. And even though, I was chunky, and had lost over fifteen pounds during my pregnancy, there was no doubt I was pregnant. The one woman came into the hospital and complained of pains. The baby slid down her pant leg. I think that was one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen. Yet, I keep watching.

Oh, yea, I have a ton of stuff on my DVR, but I sacrificed some of my usual programs for this. Now I know why I don't stay up late and watch random stuff on TV. Because it's just plain random.

What's Open Twenty Four Hours?

With the sick season coming on strong right now, it might be nice to know a few places locally...that are open twenty-four hours a day..

I experienced this last week. I went to the urgent care at 8am. I had a prescription to fill after. Every pharmacy that the doctor wanted to fax the prescription to, was open at 10am. I had to be at work before 10am. Luckily, I remembered one pharmacy that was open 24 hours, a day.

So if you don't have kids, and if you do...have this list handy!

Local Resources

1. 24 Hour Pharmacies
2. 24 Hour Grocery Stores
3. Drive-Thru Pharmacies
4. Grocery Stores that Deliver
5. Food Places that Deliver

Phone Numbers (Put In Your Cellphone Too)

1. 911
2. Doctor and/or Pediatrician
3. Poison Control
4. Local Hospitals (Some Hospitals are very busy right now, you might want to call ahead)
5. Pharmacy
6. Dentist
7. Veterinarian (Animal Emergencies)
8. AAA or Towing Company
9. Mechanic
10. A List of Babysitters for Emergencies

Photo from Google Images.

Wordless Wednesday: Disneyland HalloweenTime Cupcake

I Am A Scary Mom

Yea, that's right, another contest. I will be back to my regular random blogging tomorrow. So today, you get three tiny posts from me.

My pal, Jill, aka Scary Mommy, is holding a little contest. She wants people to blog about being a "scary mommy". I've always told Jill that we make a great pair, Scary Mommy and Angry Julie.

I entered her little contest with my post from September, "I Was That Mom". She wants my readers to go and leave some comments on her post, on why I deserve to win!

So go here and make a comment about why I deserve to win the scary mommy award!!

A Little Bloggy Quote for the Day

"Think of blogging like charity…you do it because you want to, not because you expect anything back."

Trisha Haas
Founder of MomDot

Vote for Me! Disneyland VIP Experience!

I submitted my best Disneyland Memory to the women at Just Spotted for their giveaway. I was picked to be in the top fifteen!!! So go to Just Spotted and vote for me!!!

Vote Here!!!

Oh, and my memory was about going to Disneyland on Halloween last year. We went with Angry Husband's Extended Family. We were there with his aunt, cousins, their kids, and his grandma. We had three generations present and we stayed the entire day! What an awesome Disney and Halloween Memory!

and if I win, I get to take my family on a VIP Experience at Disneyland!

The Written, or Typed Word

I try to not have my blog about sunshine, rainbows, and magical unicorns all the time. It's actually ironic because of my blog name. I try and make my blog a happy place. I'm not trying to be fake, but really I really don't want to dwell on the crap in my life. I will post about my struggles with Angry Toddler, my ADD, and some of my vents. But I usually think before I actually hit that "post" button. I have deleted several posts, because I might offend someone, or I think that someone in my real life will read my rants and know that I'm talking about them.

Seriously, I wish I could be anonymous. One of my bloggy friends, Mrs. Newlywed, is an anonymous blogger. She gets crap all the time about not revealing her identity. I admire her though, because she is anonymous, can write what she wants to, and hit that "post" button. She has told me that she does think before she hits "post". What would happen if her boss read the post? She also said that if any of her IRL (in real life friends) found her blog, they would automatically know it was her, and she would be ok with that. I don't think I could be anonymous, because I'm loud, obnoxious, and would let it slip out somehow. So that's why I monitor what I write. But I do have bad days. Believe me, I wouldn't be Angy Julie.

Because of my job, I can't be as honest and open as I would like to be. Another thing is I actually have morals and integrity, most of the time. So on the surface, this is a "mommy blog". I used to cringe when I've heard that term in reference to my blog. But really, I'm embracing it now. I am a mom. At work, I'm an employee. I work for "the man". I wear a uniform forty hours a week. When I'm on "Julie Time", I try and embrace all things girly. So who cares if I blog about my kid? Why does it matter to you? I don't understand why everyone has to judge people based on their blog niche. Does that make my blog any less important? I started this blog as a place to put my thoughts down, and people could comment if they wanted. I simply amazed on how my blog has evolved in the past two years, and I'm still proud about what I write.

But lately, I'm seeing people write things on blogs, forums, and twitter that make me cringe. I'm a total voyeur, and read everything that I can, when I have time. Just because I haven't commented on your blog, newsletter, post, or tweet...doesn't mean I haven't read it. Most of the time I read things from my phone. It's easier, but it's pretty hard to comment from. When I'm on my computer, everything auto-logs and it's easier to comment more frequently. What I am really rambling about is the nastiness, the curse words, and overall rudeness that I'm seeing online more frequently. Really, do people think that they can just type things out, and not offend people. Do people care anymore? Is it all for drama and blog traffic? I actually made this comment to my husband the other day, "does this person kiss their children with this mouth?" I'm not that conservative, but seriously. I even saw something similar on an online mom show the other day. I was amazed, because this person works with PR Firms, yet she doesn't present a very good image if you saw this show.

What I am really saying is, people, you might want to think before typing something out, e-mailing, commenting, tweeting, posting on a forum, producing a Internet based show, and/or a video online. People do remember this. At least I do. You might have written this four months ago, but if it impacted me enough, I will remember.

I give a great phone conversation though, ask anyone. I can talk all day long. I do have opinions on anything and everything. But I won't always write these opinions down. I actually tend to "vomit" my information all over myself, if you ask me in person though. It's a really bad character flaw for me. I can't help it.

*I'm including some links for topics relating to this matter, cause I'm random like that.

Loralee's Looney Tunes-It's Never Too Late for Civility
Ben Shapiro from Townhall Dot Com-Meghan McCain's Big Bust

Costume Hunting

We had a exciting Friday night as a family. What did we do? We went to Target. I've been a total slacker this year and did not get on the ball for Angry Toddler's Halloween Costume. Usually, I organize his costume July-ish. No joke! One of my main reasons is that Angry Toddler kept changing his mind about costumes. He's sooo picky. Why can't my son be something simple like Peter Pan?

We headed towards the Halloween section. Gosh, it was slightly picked over. I heard two women flipping out at an employee about the lack of traditional candy corn. I laughed, then had to butt in as usual. I said, "Umm yea, the good candy corn is usually gone in early September."

We headed towards the costume section for kids. Unfortunately everything that Angry Toddler wanted was for much bigger kids. I had to kept telling him, you are not tall enough for this. I finally just grabbed anything I could find in his size and let him pick. Of course, it was Star Wars related. I gave a little hint in the photo above. He's not going to be Darth Vader, but someone else from Star Wars.

Angry Toddler was very excited by all the decorations. I was not too impressed. I was trying to look for some new stuff for our house. I did not find anything that I had to have.

Oh, and as usual we made it into the toy section. You would think Angry Husband would know by now. You AVOID the toy section!

P.S. I don't sew, so no crafty costumes. Unless, I commission one of my crafty friends. Maybe next year.

Confessions of an Asthma Mom

Earlier this week, I posted about Angry Toddler getting sick in his carseat. On Monday, Angry Husband kept Angry Toddler home from preschool. He said that he was coughing, had a runny nose, and felt "pukey". Angry Husband started our usual protocol. Angry Toddler has had several febrile seizures since he was a little under a year and a half. The kid can't control his temperature and it skyrockets within minutes. We can never predict when his temperature will rise and he show virtually no symptoms.

He went to school on Tuesday, as he felt a little better. Yet, he had a little wheeze and cough. I decided to give him a breathing treatment with his nebulizer. He used to fight the treatments as a baby, but he's ok with them now. On Wednesday, I dropped him off and one of his friends ran up to him. The kid had those dark circles under his eyes, the wet barky cough, and a runny nose. I walked right past the kid's mom on the way in. Umm thanks lady, my kid has allergies and asthma. You're soo awesome for bringing your sick kid into preschool. I gave the teacher "that look". She moved the kid away from Angry Toddler.

On Thursday, he was still a little wheezy so I gave him another breathing treatment in the morning, Of course, the temperature was really hot outside. The drastic change in temperatures also effects his asthma and allergies. Angry Husband picked Angry Toddler up from school. Angry Toddler's teacher advised AH that he had not taken a nap for two days, and that he was not eating, at all. Well, when Angry Toddler doesn't eat, we know that there is a problem. This kid eats like a fourteen year old. He has a huge appetite. Plus, his behavior was downright awful. There's nothing worse than a sick asthmatic kid doped up on steroids from the nebulizer, who also has ADHD. I decided that we needed to take him to the doctor the next morning. The doctor's office was already closed, so I had to wait for it to open on Friday morning.

At 8am, Friday, I called the doctor's office. I'm sure that the receptionist was not too happy when I called for an appointment that minute that they opened. I was able to get him in for a 10:15 appointment. I was at work, but Angy Husband was on his day off. He said that Angry Toddler looked a little better, but was going to get him checked out. They went to the doctor and she said that it appeared that he was just getting over a cold/virus. He had no signs of bronchitis or an ear infection. She said that we need to take him off all fevr medications, because we need to see if he gets a fever. If he had no fever wthin twenty four hours, he was good. She also told us to get him something for post-nasal drip if he had a runny nose.

Where am I going with this all? You are probably thinking that. Well, I know several people around me that have come down with H1N1. Since Angry Toddler has asthma and lung issues, he could potentially have more problems with it. Because he's been sick for almost a week with all of this, we could not given him any type of flu shot. I was waiting for his doctor to get more of the regular flu vaccine in stock. I started panicing on Thursday night, because some of the H1N1 symptoms show an absence of fever, etc. You just never know. Angry Husband and I both felt a lot better by getting him checked out before the weekend started.

Oh, and as for flu shots. I got one on Thursday. I work with some "interesting people", and they sometimes carry germies. I did not want to be the person to bring home something to my son. And the doctor strongly advised me to get the vaccine. The regular flu shot, not the H1N1. I'm still on the fence about the H1N1.

Some Crafty Moms and Their Sites

Kelly's Korner is doing a carnival celebrating handmade items. Since I'm not crafty at all, ok, well I'm learning. I thought I would post some of my favorites.

1. Allbug Bowtique 2. Tote and Tee 3. Bliss Clothing Co. 4. Eli's Lids 5. Harmonia30 6. bubsie designs 7. Sunnydaytags 8. Sweet Baby James Stitches 9. FlairGirl

Several of the mom's are from my parenting forums that I've been on throughout the years. A few of them I've met. And some of them just have fabulous products that I've bought in the past year.

P.S. If you click the photo, it gets larger.

P.P.S. Sunnydaytags wanted me to let you know that she is offering Angry Julie Monday Readers 10% off if you use the code "Angry Julie Monday". She is leaving for vacation but will be back the week of November 7th, 2009.

Five Seconds of Fame, and Now It's Over

I posted on Tuesday about being in the audience for Dr. Phil. I stood up and spoke, but did not know if I would be edited out or not. Although, Dr. Phil airs at 4pm, here in Southern California, but it airs much earlier in other places. I started getting e-mails and text messages mid-morning, that yes, my five seconds of fame, aired.

I'm not going to post my opinions or arguments about the episode because I pretty much laid them out here, in August. I know that the show was edited, because good editing makes ratings. I knew that when the show aired, there would be lots of discussions and controversy.

I was shaking and stumbling. If you know me in real life, you can tell I was extremely nervous. I have a really bad habit of talking too fast. Maybe that's why I had to take Public Speaking 100, twice in college. I tried to talk slow. Even a friend noticed that I had slowed it down. She said that it was very unlike me, because "I used actual sentences".

My friend Suzanne went with me. She actually drove us. She also got her five seconds of fame. She posted about it here, on her blog. She gave me the idea to take some pictures of myself, from the TV, cause she's good like that.

I watched the drama unfold on Twitter once it started being shown through the U.S. People were speaking out and discussing their opinions. If you do some searches, there are some intense debates going on. Erin, Blue Eyed Bride, did a great post on it yesterday, right after she watched the show. I read some of the comments, and they were all very civil.

Oh, and because I'm a drama ho, like that. I video-taped my TV. Please don't mind my camera action, I'm not a professional videographer. I had to save my five seconds of fame.


Oh, and some friends told me that there was a close-up of me at the end. Yes, those are my usual "looks" that I like to give out. Angry Julie at my finest.

So my final thoughts. I don't think I will make it as a TV Spokesperson. I get very nervous under the lights. And after seeing that, geez, I need to get my highlights done. My hair is way too brown. Oh, and unless I can make $40,000 a month blogging, I guess I better keep my job.

The Muffin Man

On Monday night, Angry Husband went on a rampage in the kitchen. I think he was looking for something in the pantry. Our pantry is poorly designed. It's deep and things go lost. Yea, perhaps he found some expired bread and rolls. Sorry, but sometimes it gets lost.

He removed everything and went through it all. You should see our trash can, gross. After all was said and done, he pulled out a bunch of bread and muffin mixes. He said, "make these". That was on the top of my list at 7pm, after working all day. So what does he do? He starts making chocolate chip muffins. I was laughing. He's usually the cook, so this is nothing new. But I almost wanted to put an apron on him.

Angry Toddler was very excited about the pantry clean-up. He immediately started digging in.

Wordless Wednesday: Disneyland Monorail

For other Wordless Wednesday's Featuring Disney Photographs, you can go here.

Dr. Phil and Dooce

Remember I posted about going to the Dr. Phil Show in August here, well the episode is airing tomorrow, Wednesday the 14th of October.

The show is titled "Guilty Moms". It's about working moms vs. stay-at-home moms. Yea, umm guilt, really don't have it. Ironically, most of the stay-at-home moms I know, they are doing some kind of work. Whether it's running a blog, a photography business, an etsy store, or some kind of hard core volunteering.

Oh, and Heather Armstrong from Dooce, was a guest also.

And I may have stood up and said something during the show, hopefully they will edit me out, I'm serious. I was shaking and stuttering, not good at all.

Squirrels in My Pants, What?

We talk about squirrels in the Angry Household way too much. It probably started with my post, Rocky the Squirrel, which my friend, Shannon, still makes fun of.

I told my mom about Rocky the Squirrel, then she begins to tell me that "she" has a pet squirrel, named Pepe. You have to know my mom, because she's a little crazy, and somewhat random at times. It makes sense. So she begins to tell me how there's the squirrel that follows her around her condo complex. She's the HOA Association President, yea, she's bored, and has control issues. Plus, she's kind of gossipy. Gee, I wonder where I get my character traits from? Anyway, Pepe has been around for about two months.

My mom constantly talks about this squirrel like he's a stray cat or dog. She tells me about how he shows up on her porch and she feeds him nuts. Well I was at my mom's house one day, and I finally saw Mr. Pepe. The squirrel approached the screen door, and flung himself at the screen door. He literally climbed half way up it, and puffed up his tail. He was begging for food. So my mom breaks out a can of pricey almonds, because he apparently only likes almonds, and feeds him. The squirrels takes the almonds and disappears. My mom tells me that it happens several times a day. I think someone needs a hobby besides patrolling the condo complex, feeding squirrels, and trolling the mall.

Angry Toddler was watching his DVR'ed shows tonight. Yea, we parent via DVR at night. No judging. It works and well, sometimes you need to get things done. He was watching Phineas and Ferb. This is really one of the only cartoon-type shows that we can stand. And this video, Squirrels in My Pants, comes on. I almost fell out of my chair, but once again, I had a ten minute conversation with my mom today, about Pepe.

P.S. The Angry Family has a small obsession with Star Wars right now. That's a whole other post. I had to mix my mom's squirrel obsession with our Star Wars obsession, cause I'm random like that. And really, you can find pictures of anything and everything on the net.

Photo of Jedi Squirrels from Google. There's a bazillion links to the same picture.
Video from You Tube.

Cleaning the Carseat...1.5 Hours I'll Never Get Back

***Disclaimer: My friend, Lindsay, advised me that I need a disclaimer. This post is about my kid, and his umm puking in his carseat. Really, it's not that graphic. But she would have rather not read the post, right after eating dinner.***

Angry Husband took my car on Friday night to take Angry Toddler to my parent's house. He's been going to my parent's house, every Saturday night for the past month. Angry Husband and I both work on Sundays.

He mentioned something about going to Target. I think Angry Toddler was rambling something about getting a "kid's game" for the Nintendo DS. The DS is actually Angry Husband's but I think it's somehow been taken over by Angry Toddler.

About fifteen minutes after Angry Husband called me. He rambled, "he's puking everywhere, it's gross, ugh". Angry Toddler is known for his puking. Unfortunately. He was a reflux baby, and always had no gag reflux. I called my mom to warn her, and to have her prep by getting towels, and a bath ready.

About an hour later, Angry Husband arrived home. He had removed the carseat from my car and brought it into the garage. Seriously, the smell was AWFUL...I think every inch of that carseat was covered. I love the carseat, a Britax Regent, but seriously, there's like a million parts to it. Angry Husband said that it was flowing like lava out of the kid. Angry Husband also said, that Angry Toddler was coughing and said that he had a fly in his throat, aka phlegm. I wrapped baby wipes around my hands as make-shift gloves, to take it apart. It took me over an hour to dissect it all. I was making gagging motions during this, seriously, it was that bad.

I finally got all the "washable" parts into the machine. I realized that the body of the car seat was still covered in ick. Good times. Seriously, one point five hours later, I was finally done cleaning the carseat. Angry Husband was laughing at me. He knew how long it would to take the cover off the seat. He also knew that I had never taken it apart before.

Last night, I sat down to put it back together. I had pieces everywhere on the floor of the garage. I was on the phone while assembling the carseat, of course. I'm a master multi-tasker. Or maybe, it's the ADHD. But then again, it took me another one point five hours to put it back together.

P.S. This post was sponsored by me, my Britax Snobbery, and my unwillingness to clean up kid vomit.

Team Spirit, USC

Today on Kelly's Korner, we are discussing our teams. Around here in Southern California, we have The Los Angeles Lakers, The Los Angeles Clippers, The Los Angeles Kings, The Anaheim Ducks, The Los Angeles Dodgers, and The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. We do not have a local football team. But really, I'm not a sports fan type. We occasionally watch some Angels games, and my mom is a die hard Lakers fan.

So who do we cheer on? USC, University of Southern California, The Trojans. In Orange County, where I live, people are HUGE USC fans. It's one of those things, where there are alumna and non-alumna cheering them on. The school that I went to did not have a football team, so I have to be a fan of another school's team.

Every year we get Angry Toddler a new USC football jersey. He's had them since he was a few months old. Angry Toddler's BFF, Stella, is a huge fan too. Her daddy, Stacey's husband, actually went to USC. They are huge fans. Sometimes the USC thing can get a little obnoxious, but Angry Toddler sure loves his USC duds.

We never tailgate or anything like that. But if the game's on, we watch it if we are around. Stacey and I actually talked about taking the kids to a USC game this year. We are total slackers though, and the decent tickets are sold out. Maybe next year.

Newlywed's Next Door also did a post about USC, University of Southern California. She and her husband went there. She's a HUGE fan!

Have You Eaten Your Protein Today?

Yesterday, I was complaining to my best friend, Stacey. I was telling her that I've been having major headaches lately, and just can't over them. We went through what I've eaten for the day. And then I realized the issue, I had barely eaten any protein.

I've been on a new medication for my ADHD the past month. It makes me have virtually have no appetite. This is a good and bad thing. I have my usual habits, caffeine, water, and the occasional snack. I usually have some kind of protein shake or ready made drink for breakfast. But I haven't gone to the store this week to stock up my supplies. I realized that I had only had a banana for breakfast along with some caffeine.

Well after doing some research, I found that caffeine reverses things and makes it worse sometimes. And when you don't have enough protein, the headaches can show up. After talking to Stacey, I found some chicken in the fridge that I had made the night before. Seriously, after about an hour, I felt a 100 times better.

When trying to decide on lunch today, I was at the grocery store deli. I made a beeline for the pasta salad. I then realized, umm, no protein. I decided to get a piece of chicken also. After examining how I feel for the past two days, I realize it's the protein.

I'm so busy right now, and sometimes I take the easy way out. I eat some oatmeal or some pasta and continue on. I'm probably starting to have some vitamin deficiencies from not eating enough protein. I think it's time to go to the health store and stock up on some vitamins and protein drinks.

Here are some articles I found about eating protein:

Eat More Protein from Runner's World
All About Absorption from Experience Life Magazine
Ask the Nutritionist: Getting Enough Protein by Vegetarian Times

Photo from icanhascheezburger.com

Wordless Wednesday: Haunted Mansion

I have a slight obsession with Disneyland. Can you tell? I have so many cool photos that I want to share. I'm probably going to feature Disney photos on Wordless Wednesday for the rest of October. This was taken last week at the Haunted Mansion.

Potato Chip Chicken Nuggets

I'm attempting to learn how to cook. Yes, if you live in my house that's a funny thing. I have a family recipe book, so I'm going to start pulling recipes from there. I thought I would share some of these recipes with my readers. I saw this recipe and thought about how easy it would be to make. The ingredients are pretty simple too.

Ingredients:
2 Cups of Crushed Sour Cream and Onion Flavored Potato Chips.
6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Cut Into 1 1/2 Inch Pieces.
1/3 Cup Melted Butter.
1 Egg.
2 Tablespoons of Milk.

Option Ingredients:
Ketchup, Ranch Dressing, Honey Mustard Dressing, Sweet N Sour Sauce, BBQ Sauce.

Instructions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Crush potato chips fine to make 2 cups and set aside in a large dish. Melt butter to make 1/3 cup and set aside. Rinse off chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towel. With kitchen scissors, cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces and put into bowl. In another bowl beat together 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of milk. Dip chicken pieces into egg mix then into potato crumbs. Place on a cookie sheet. When all pieces are on the cookie sheet, drizzle with melted butter. Bake 15 to 18 minutes at 350 degrees, the nuggets should be golden brown. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

I had Angry Husband help me with some of the prep for this. Instead of cutting the chicken into strips, he kinda cubed it. I think it can be cut either way and it will be fine. After all was said and done, Angry Husband said that the potato chips could have been crushed a little finer. He also said that you could probably use any type of potato chip.

We served the nuggets with french fries, the frozen kind. I'm not bold enough to make french fries quite yet.