Still Freezing...

I swear I'm never going to feel warm again. Ever. The poor heater has been working overtime to keep the house warm (and that's with the temp. set at 67) - I think it kicks on every 5-10 minutes. It's insane...the water feature in the back yard is beginning to freeze - that is Liam's excitement at the moment. The pond down the road with all the ducks is frozen over, and let me just tell you - if you haven't seen a duck trying to waddle across a frozen pond, then you must immediately rectify the situation. It's hysterical. They are NOT graceful skaters...then half of them say "to hell with this" and just fly the remaining 12 inches to the bank. If it weren't so damn cold out, I'd have to pull over and watch just for the fun factor ;)

So - back to the other night. After we got home from our Christmas tree trip to frozen-over hell, we headed home to thaw out. As we were pulling into the subdivision, we remembered that it was Santa night. Apparently, Santa goes on a "parade" through several subdivisions (and covers most of the city over a 6 or 7 night span) with the local fire department and police department. Santa, of course, is riding on the back of a fire truck (and I seriously hope he had several layers!). The goal is for the residents to not only bring their kids to see Santa, but to (hopefully) donate canned food and toys/books for the fire department to pass out for the holidays.

I kid you not - we were home about 2 hours (and it took that long to thaw out) before we were suiting up again and heading out into the cold. Liam loved it - he doesn't really remember having the experience in Jacksonville (warmer!). Ceana, well...not-so-much. She's really, really sensitive to loud noises, and being firemen in fire trucks, all the sirens were going at different intervals. She spent most of the time with her hands over her ears.

Meanwhile, Ceana has had this horrible rash between her legs for a few days and we not only couldn't figure out what it was, but it wouldn't go away. Bright red (like those fire trucks)...it didn't seem to bother her, but it bothered me that I couldn't figure out what it was and how to make it go away. Well, let me correct that - it didn't *physically* bother her, but she spent an inordinate amount of time sitting on the floor without her diaper staring at the rash. She didn't like it being there, that's for sure - and it was hysterical watching her, well, watch herself. Anyway. Monday morning I called the doctor's office to see about getting an appointment, and we were lucky to get in that afternoon. Long story short - little girl has a WICKED yeast infection. In fact, the nurse was surprised at a) how bad it was and b) the fact that Ceana wasn't showing any signs of pain or aggravation. So, she now has her own prescription (she's pretty excited that her name is on the box)...oh, and after telling her the trip should be painful - they gave her the H1N1 booster. No nasal available. Shot. In the thigh. She was NOT happy.

Speaking of absolutely freezing, this is the kind of weather where we just like to eat comfort food. Warm, tasty, warm, easy...did I mention warm? Oh. Ok, then. Anywho, one of Phil's favorite recipes is a quick and easy version of Macaroni and Cheese. He loves the flavor and requests it whenever he thinks it's been long enough in between makings ;0) In fact, he has requested to have it this week...The recipe is from the Dinner Doctor cookbook and while it's not the same as my mom's/papaw's recipe, it works in a pinch and is generally well-received. So, here it is:

Home-Style Macaroni and Cheese

Pam spray
8 ounces elbow macaroni
Salt (optional), for cooking the macaroni
1 container (10 ounces) refrigerated Alfredo-style pasta sauce
1 package (3 cups/12 ounces) pre-shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 TB olive oil
1 c. coarse bread crumbs (canned works just fine)

Note: You can also add a pinch of dried mustard (which I do) or a little Worcestershire sauce when adding the Alfredo sauce.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist an 11"x7" (2-quart) glass or ceramic baking dish with Pam and set it aside.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt, if using, and stir in the macaroni. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until al dente, about 8 minutes.

3. Drain the pasta but RESERVE 1 CUP of the pasta cooking water. Shake pasta a few times to remove any water still clinging to the pasta. Transfer the macaroni to the prepared baking dish. Add the pasta sauce, 2 cups of the cheese, and the reserved pasta cooking water, and stir until the ingredients are well combined. Scatter the remaining 1 c. of cheese over the top. Note: It may be easier to mix the ingredients in a different bowl, then put in the baking dish and cover with cheese.

4. In a small bowl, toss the olive oil with the bread crumbs, and then scatter them on top of the cheese. Bake until the macaroni and cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve at once.

So, there you have it. I think, for the most part, we're updated on everything. The Christmas cards just came in the mail yesterday, so I'm hoping to get them done this weekend to send out next week. Hope you're all staying warm!