It's Recipe Wednesday- Candy Corn Bark

If you are like me, I am a sucker for candy bark, and usually it is the Christmas peppermint kind, but I ran across this recipe for Halloween and couldn't resist sharing it with y'all :)  Whether you are having a party or just feel like making it for your crew at home, by all means, GO FOR IT!!! I know I will be making it, how can you resist Oreo cookies, white chocolate, pretzels, and candy corns...my mouth is watering just thinking of it! You could also use the little ghost or pumpkin shaped sprinkles, or even the new Candy Corn Oreo's and then milk chocolate.  Let me know if you add your own spin on it that the rest of us simply must know about down in the comments.  But make sure you have your sweet tooth ready, because I would imagine this is gonna be rich and yummy!


INGREDIENTS:
16 Halloween-colored chocolate sandwich cookies, chopped
1 1/2 cups broken small pretzels
1 1/2 pounds white chocolate, broken into squares
2 cups candy corn
orange and brown sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:
1. Spread the cookies and pretzels evenly onto a lightly greased small baking sheet. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from the heat while there are still a few chunks, and stir until smooth. White chocolate burns easily.
2. Drizzle chocolate with a spoon over the goodies in the pan, spreading the top flat to coat evenly. Top with candy corn and sprinkles. Let cool until firm. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

The Rhinovirus has arrived - Aaachooooo!

Tis the season I suppose, but I don't have to embrace it with open arms!!! I love the fall weather, the cool mornings followed by the warm afternoons, and reading one of our all time favorite books, The Flea's Sneeze pictured to the right, but not the sickness! We officially have our first round of the Human Rhinovirus AKA the common cold.  There are 99 recognized types of Human rhinoviruses that differ according to their surface proteins. They are among the smallest viruses, love to proliferate (multiply) in temperatures between 91-95 degrees F, are contracted from aerosols of respiratory droplets and from contaminated surfaces like phones and doorknobs, including direct person-to-person contact. There is no place on the face of the earth to hide from the human rhinoviruses because they occur worldwide and are the primary cause of common colds. Symptoms include sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and cough; sometimes accompanied by muscle aches, fatigue, headache, muscle weakness, or loss of appetite.  There are no "shots" like the flu shot to try and avoid the colds, and fall-winter are peak season :(  The start of school, as well as the fact that more people are spending time indoors due to weather are the reasons for the spike in the fall, thus continues till spring arrives.  Of course, there is that "summer cold" that sneaks in and takes hold of your family, but for some reason it just doesn't seem so bad in the summer...to me at least.

So what are the best strategies to fight this little enemy?  Lots of tissues, lots of liquids, and lots of rest!!! I am not a doctor, so I won't give any medical advice beyond that, but obviously a fever, difficulties breathing, and what not would be signs that a visit to the doctor may be in order.  Which brings me to my next point...It is so hard to decide when and when not to go be seen by the doctor.  I have called today to speak to the nurse about little Luke, and it is very difficult even for them to determine whether it will be a worthwhile trip, or they will tell you to keep treating the symptoms, which you were already doing.  But if you are like me, it makes you crazy wondering.  I don't want to seem like the paranoid parent, but I don't want to seem too lax and all the sudden we are in a real dangerous situation because I let it go too long!  We are in the wait, watch, and see stage at this point.  Now, just waiting to see who else gets it in the house, and my throat feels swollen, so it very well could be me.  After all, he has been coughing and sneezing on me, and I am the chief nose wiper around here. What else can I do, smile and just move on...


Remember, I am not a doctor, just a writer, so seek professional medical advice if necessary :)

The 411 on the Brazillian Blowout Keratin Treatment

If many of you are like me, the idea of wash and wear hair is not such a good idea.  My hair is just curly/wavy enough to create a birds nest if I don't blow it dry and use a big curling iron or straightener.  I try to use curly hair gels or mousse to quickly create the volume full curly look, but my curls go which ever way they want and it often is not the way I would prefer.  Then of course, once I have the gel or mousse in it, there is no turning back and I am destined for haystack or scarecrow hair as I fondly refer to it :/  And I have so graciously given my daughter Lily the same hair. The kind that goes all squirrelly even if you have taken the time to dry and straighten it.  Lets put it this way, it would not be a good move for us to live in Seattle or London, as we would need to wear a baseball cap all the time to go out in public.  But I have since found a product that the celebrities use to create and keep their hair smooth and under control, even on those rainy humid days.  It is called the Brazillian Blowout Keratin Treatment, but after finding this wonderful treatment to finally control our crazy hair...I saw the price and almost choked.  That is when my search for a do it yourself treatment began.

After looking online, which is my favorite place to shop by the way; I found a product on Amazon that had great reviews, was a bit more than I wanted to spend, but would supply multiple treatments for both Lily and I.  I decided to go for it, and it was so worth it!!! The salon price can range from $250.00 to upward of $500.00 for one treatment, and I got the whole bottle of solution for $200.00.  What I realized is, although the solution is pricey, it is the time taken to perform this long process.  It takes about 3 hours to complete all the steps required, but well worth it.  And you will need someone to help, unless you are an expert in straightening your hair from the root out in the back.  My neighbor helped me straighten the back, and you have to run the hair through the flat iron 4 to 5 times per small section.  Which by the way is the last stage of this lengthy process.  Washing with clarifying shampoo is first, then comes the free blow drying, followed by the application of the solution in small sections with a color application brush (or I used this huge toothbrush),  blow drying it straight with a flat or round brush, then the flat iron. All said, it was worth the effort, and should last about 3 months.  So, here is my before and after pictures...OK so the first is a little exaggerated, but the final product is so worth it!!! And whether you go to the salon, or do it yourself, you will not be sorry :)  I am so smiling and moving on after this little hair smoothing process!