Chocolate Delights

 

Kelvin was out of town last weekend at a conference. While the kids and I had a couple of outings (including out to eat, which is a rarity in these parts!), we had a lot of at-home, reading and cooking time (Niall is now into cooking as well).  I am a big mint fan and found a  recipe for homemade peppermint patties.

We had to make and then chill the balls/patties, before melting chocolate and dipping them. 

Like with most of my (our) baking projects, the results are not always pretty, but they are tasty! 

With the leftover chocolate, the kids also wanted to dip strawberries, which were eaten very quickly!

Homemade Peppermint Patties

• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

• 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint extract

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 2 teaspoons shortening

• 
  

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

2. Combine condensed milk and peppermint extract in a large mixing bowl; beat in enough confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticky.

3. Form peppermint mixture into 1-inch balls and place on waxed paper; flatten with fingers to form patties. Let patties dry at room temperature for two hours, turning once.

4. Stir chocolate and shortening in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted; remove from heat. Dip patties, one at a time, into chocolate by laying them on the tines of a fork and lowering the fork into the chocolate mixture; tap the fork on the edge of the pan to shake off excess. Slide the patties back onto the waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator until set.

Dueling PIanos

 

Kelvin treated me for my birthday month to an evening out at Blue Lake Casino to see the West Coast Dueling Pianos this past weekend. His parents were here to watch kids, and I invited a few friends (unfortunately Karen got shingles and missed it!) to join us at  VIP table-- Lauren, Shannon, Josh and Kay were our guests (Shannon just had a birthday last week also).

I'd seen dueling pianos once before (at a bar in Florida, I think!), but had not been recently.  The duo (Dave and Laura I think) took audience recommendations (with cash) and played tons of pop songs throughout the night, which had audience members singing along and dancing. 

Kelvin got both a Dr. Dre song and the Backstreet Boys' "I want it that way," sung, and apparently he mentioned his "wife's birthday," which prompted the lead pianist/singer to call me up on stage for a public "Happy Birthday" (actually my worst nightmare). 

Even though I was incredibly sleep deprived from my previous night on call, it was a fun couple of hours on a Saturday night listening to (fun) live music, which (even though I'm not always the most up on pop culture) I actually recognized :).  Happy Birthday (month) to me! 

Post-Election Hope (?)

The election results this year didn't come as a surprise, even though they are incredibly devastating.  I've been pretty preoccupied and overwhelmed with work changes lately, and had mostly tuned out social media, polls, and the news. I did not yet dare to hope for the best (as I did in 2016 when I felt so incredibly shocked, horrified, and completely gutted at the results).  I was extremely sad and disappointed again this year with the voting choices of half of this country, whose moral worldview I don't understand nor recognize, even though I know these people are fellow Christians, co-workers, neighbors, family, and possibly (?) friends. Kamala Harris ran an incredible campaign in her short time (107 days!) as a candidate, and would have made an amazing president.

                

This post-election Wednesday, I didn't cry and despair as I did eight years ago.  I was weirdly detached and numb,  feeling incredibly cynical about the goodness of people, America, and our future. I'm trying to remember that the sun will still rise, and there will be more elections, but this country is not headed in a direction that I can support or embrace with conservatives and white nationalists pushing their dangerous agenda (even though "the economy" may have driven people to hold their noses and vote for an odious figure). Trump will not be around forever (and there are worse dictators in countries across the world), even though the impact (damage) of electing him (twice) will last a long time and will hurt many, many people (including many of his own supporters), particularly women, children, and working families. I can't control the political leanings of people who have gone off the deep end.  I can only still try to do good in the small corner of my world and treat others kindly, despite a leader and administration bent on doing the opposite, and despite being heartbroken that so many people remain complicit allies.  

Here are some words I found helpful in finding hope again, which is really in short supply these days for more than one reason.

Shared by a friend (from Susan Brison's Aftermath)

"One hopes for a bearable future, in spite of all the inductive evidence to the contrary... So one makes a wager, in which nothing is certain and the odds change daily, and sets about willing to believe that life, for all its unfathomable horror, still holds some undiscovered pleasures. And one remakes oneself by finding meaning in a life of caring for and being sustained by others..."

And from historian Howard Zinn:

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

If anyone has more hope to share, send it my way!

Hatchery Run '24

We did another Sunday Family Run at Blue Lake Hatchery this weekend. The weather was perfect after some days of rain, and even Niall (at the last minute) agreed to do two miles, after finding out that the Larsons (besides Zane) were all in and the Spellmeyers were also racing.

Feeding the little fishies at the hatchery 

Friends Lucas and Mateo also joined!

My race inspiration!

    

We ran (Kelvin with Niall in a stroller which is hard) two miles in 2022, and I ran four miles alone in 2023 (in 35:34).  I decided again to do the longer race, given I'm in somewhat better shape this year after last month's half marathon, although my milage per week has definitely been low the last few weeks, in part due to the weather and lots of work /schedule changes as well as irritating post-run shin pain. 

Ready, Set, GO!

Iver was super excited to take on friend and rival Olivia, who just eked him out at the finish the last time they raced here in 2022 (even though he claimed he had a bum knee from his last soccer game the day before). Kelvin stuck with Niall to keep him motivated, but I'm pretty sure Iver would have smoked him in a footrace, too (I actually missed the finish as I was hanging with non-running Zane, who had to use the bathroom!)! Check out the two-mile times of our friends, especially the kiddos! (official results here). 

12 Iver V                  M09   15:22   1399

15 Olivia S                F09   16:23   1476

18 Jon L                   M09   17:13   684

20 Ivan L                  M06   17:35   687

21 Jenna L                 F38   17:37   685

22 Kira L                  F08   17:42   686

23 Sean L                  M42   17:43   683

28 Pat S                   M39   18:15   1478

31 Niall V                 M06   19:01   1401

32 Kelvin V                M42   19:02   1400

Coming in strong in his ~7.6-minute miles! 

Olivia, cool in shades

Jenna & Ivan 

Niall, time-checking instead of running!

I felt pretty good in the 4-mile race, even after a 8-mile run for exercise yesterday which (again!) gave me shin splints. 

Even though I always look like I'm barely moving in the end-of-race photos, I ran (three minutes) faster than I did last year!

27 Tara V                F42   32:38   Bib# 651

Post-race smiles (& snacks)! 

Even though running is not the sport I would have chosen for myself in midlife (or chosen for my kids), here we are!  Running with others makes it way more fun! 

All (but one) in costume!

 Halloween- "Bah Humbug!" I usually say, when people at work ask why I haven't dressed up. 

Even Kelvin dressed up this year, to match his clinic's Harry Potter theme (Niall was excited, as we just started reading Harry Potter book 1).

Being made up after AM patients... (because he didn't want to scare his peds patients).

         He-who-shall-not-be-named (Voldemort)!

(and his make-up artist)

The kids picked their own costumes. Niall was a ninja (who had to leave his swords at home for the school's Halloween parade).

Iver had two pumpkin masks-- a scary one and a non-scary one for school; however, he learned that he doesn't actually love wearing a masks while trick-or-treating.

The kids had a fun day at school and scored big trick-or-treating with friends (Shannon and Sarah/Tito, their kids) in Little Pond.    Until next year!