Snow Hiking, Books, and Pumpkin Pie

I realize my blog has been dormant for about three weeks!  I've been insanely busy at work and putting in a lot of overtime between taking on additional projects, initiating process improvement activities, collecting outcome data, committee meetings, presenting in-services and case studies, and serving as a clinical instructor.  Despite the long hours, though, these extra projects help make my job more meaningful and allow me to feel involved in engaged in my company.  I'm also beginning to shift my focus from inpatient orthopedics to critical care and I'm excited to see where this new focus will take me!  

 Besides work, I've been busy with my volunteer position as a Girls on the Run coach.  My girls are getting ready to run their end-of-the-season 5K in the first annual Jingle Bell Run in Santa Fe!  They have worked so hard this season and I can't wait to watch each one of them cross the finish line on December 6th.

 We took Kua up to the mountains this weekend to get some exercise and she was absolutely THRILLED to run and romp in the fluffy snow.  We got another dusting of snow tonight in Santa Fe and we're keeping our fingers crossed for another winter storm or two to kick off the ski season.



Speaking of dogs, I just finished a fabulous book about the lives and perceptions of dogs: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, by Alexandra Horowitz.  Jaycob is probably tired of hearing me talk about this book so much, but I couldn't put it down and I feel like I can better understand Kua and her perspectives after reading it.  This is a must-read for all dog-owners.  And..... Finishing this book already puts me at my goal to read 52 books in 2014!  Woo hoo!  My complete list of books read so far is on the right, and with five remaining weeks in the year, these are the following books I hope to get through:
The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood
MaddAddam, by Margaret Atwood
The Dinner, by Herman Koch
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers
Leaving Time, by Jodi Picoult


In other news, we're excited for another potluck-style "Friendsgiving" celebration this Thursday!  I feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of friends in Santa Fe and I'm looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving together.  I'm trying out a new pumpkin pie recipe from my favorite blog.  Wish me luck!
The BEST Pumpkin Pie Recipe from The Brown Eyed Baker


This weekend I tried a new recipe I found on Pinterest for Crock Pot Mac and Cheese. It was delicious!  Here's the basic recipe I used:  Slow Cooked Macaroni and Cheese from Moms with Crock Pots.  I added turkey sausage and green chile (of course), plus some bread crumbs on top.  I'm happy to be getting more use out of my crock pot this year.

 Stay tuned later this week for info about the 2014 Holiday Running Streak!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pacific Northwest Bachelorette Party

Image
I just returned home from a memorable weekend in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, celebrating my sister, Katie, who is getting married in just a few short weeks.  Four years ago she, as my Maid of Honor, planned the most unforgettable and fun-filled bachelorette weekend for me:  San Francisco and Sonoma Bachelorette , and now it was my turn to do the same for her!  We gathered together a group of twelve women from Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Manchester, Santa Fe, Denver, and Seattle to celebrate the Bride to Be.  I wanted to have some organized, pre-planned group activities, but also plenty of down time for games, lounging, and drinking wine.  While we wanted most of the weekend to be spent at a cozy cabin overlooking the serene water of Puget Sound, we wanted one exciting night out on the town, and I think we achieved that balance.  Here's the breakdown of our weekend events: 1)  Night Out in Capitol Hill We arrived...
Read more

High Altitude Baking: Coffee Cake

Image
Happy January!  I have two weeks left of my maternity leave and I'm trying to make the most of it by spending lots of quality time with Baby Ady before she starts daycare.  It's going by so fast!  While I'm home I've been using my crock pot a lot, working on some yarn projects, taking long walks with Ady and Kua, reading, and doing some baking.  I have struggled with high altitude baking since moving to Santa Fe 5 1/2 years ago.  Cookies turn out okay, but I usually have to make some adjustments with cakes, and my breads are often mushy in the middle and crispy on the ends.  I can get by okay with a few of my favorite recipes that I have practiced multiple times, but it's often hit or miss.  For Christmas, my secret santa got me this amazing cook book, Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes, that explains the chemistry behind high altitude baking and gives suggestions for adjustments to make at various altitudes.  Ingenious!  ...
Read more

My Bachelorette Party: San Francisco and Sonoma

Image
I have the best Maid of Honor in the world!   Between grad school, work, and preparing to move into a new apartment, she miraculously found time to plan THE BEST bachelorette party ever (and 3 time zones away, I might add).  I had such a fabulous time being surrounded by (and loved and adored by!) all my best friends for four days. The weekend started at 4:30 a.m. Thursday when my Santa Fe friends and I drove to Albuquerque (a 50 mile trip made possible by Panera breakfast) to catch our early flight to the Bay Area.  After a 2 1/2 trip (complete with Bloody Maries, Tequilla Sunrises, Coffees with Baileys, gossip and a few bridal magazines) we landed in Oakland!  One of my dear bridesmaids from Chicago who had arrived a few days earlier picked us up and we headed into San Francisco.  We met up with the other gals, checked in early to our hotel (Parc 55 Wyndahm in Union Square) and set out to explore the city by foot.  Som...
Read more