Precious Moments

Because this is what life is all about!  Sometimes it's fun to just camp out in the living room :)

Macaroni and Cheese

This is easily my favorite recipe.  You can't go wrong with cheese!

Ingredients:

·        8 ounces elbow macaroni

·        2 tablespoons butter

·        2 tablespoons flour

·        1 ¼ cups milk

·        Cheddar cheese, grated

·        Dash of salt

·        Dash of white pepper

Directions:

Cook the macaroni, and drain it in a strainer.  Put the macaroni in a buttered casserole dish.  To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the flour to the saucepan.  Stir the flour with a whisk for 2 to 3 minutes until the flour is cooked.  Add the milk to the saucepan.  Stir the milk constantly with a whisk until the sauce thickens.  Melt some of the cheese in the sauce.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper.  Combine the sauce with the macaroni.  Put the remainder of the cheese on top of the macaroni.  Bake the macaroni and cheese at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

Waffles

These waffles are homemade but so easy to make!  Homemade waffles are so much better than the ones out of a box.

Ingredients:

·        4 egg whites

·        4 egg yolks

·        2 cups milk

·        3 cups flour

·        4 teaspoons baking powder

·        1 teaspoon salt

·        1 tablespoon sugar

·        2/3 cup butter (2 sticks of butter cut at the 1/3 mark is 2/3 cup)

Directions:

Put the egg whites in a small bowl.  Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but still moist.  Put the egg yolks in a large bowl.  Beat the egg yolks about 1 minute.  Add the milk to the large bowl.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a separate bowl.  Mix this dry mixture with the egg yolks and milk in the large bowl.  Microwave the butter for 2 minutes, and allow it to cool.  Add the butter to the large bowl, and mix well.  Fold in the egg whites by hand.  Bake the waffles in a preheated waffle baker.  1/3 cup of batter makes 1 waffle.  Makes about 20 waffles.

Family Nurse Pracititioner Boards Preparation

As I prepare for my Family Nurse Practitioner boards, I have found the following resources to be very helpful.  I hope some of these help y'all out!  Keep in mind, I plan to take the AANP boards.

AANP-FNP Test Bundles
-  Save 10% with the discount code SAVE-YEAEZ.
-  Go to http://www.aanp-fnp.com/order_tests.cfm to order the test bundles.
-  You can order 1 test, 2 test, 5 tests, 15 tests, or 30 test.  The 30 test bundle is the best deal.
-  They occasionally have sales, and you can also use the discount code above to save even more with the sales!
-  I bought the 30 test bundle to get me in the mindset of sitting for long periods of time while taking tests.
-  I also love the rationales that are provided for each questions.
-  These tests are supposedly harder than the actual boards.

APEA Board Review by Amelie Hollier
-  I attended her live review in May, and I loved it.  She was very engaging but informative.
-  Search for review locations and dates at http://www.apea.com/
-  The live review is 2.5 days long, and a workbook is provided.  The cost is $475, but you can occasionally save about $50 if you sign up early.
-  The audio CDs cost $420, and the online course costs $475.
-  Several of my classmates have enjoyed listening to the audio CDs.
-  If you go to the live review, you receive a discount on Hollier's publications if you buy them while you are at the review course.  I bought several books that have been helpful.
-  Clinical Guidelines in Primary Care:  A Reference and Review Book by Amelie Hollier and Rhonda Hensley (ISBN-10 1892418169 and ISBN-13 978-1892418166) costs $69.95 on the APEA website.  This book has been extremely helpful during my clinicals, and I anticipate using it often during my practice as an FNP.
-  Adult-Gero and Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Practice Questions by Amelie Hollier (ISBN 978-1-892418-18-0) costs $49.95 on the APEA website.  This book has great test review questions with answers and rationales.

FHEA Board Review by Margaret Fitzgerald
-  I did not attend her review, but several of my classmates did.  They felt it was very beneficial.
-  Search for review locations and dates at http://www.fhea.com/
-  The live review is 2.5 days long, and I believe a workbook is provided.  The cost is $524, but you can save about $75 if you sign up early.
-  The audio CDs cost $446, and the online course costs $299.
-  Several of my classmates have enjoyed listening to the audio CDs.
-  Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination and Practice Preparation by Margaret Fitzgerald (ISBN 9780803621329) costs $64.00 on the FHEA website.  I have not looked at this book yet, but I plan to work on it during the final two weeks before boards.  My classmates who have used this book love it!

I will update this post as I use more resources during my studies!  I hope this post helps all of you future nurse practitioners!

Roast

This is a quick and easy meal, but it's also delicious!

Ingredients:

·         1 roast

·         1 package baby carrots

·         1 package red potatoes

·         1 package Lipton onion soup mix

Directions:

Place the roast, carrots, potatoes, and onion soup in a crockpot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Microwave Fudge

I made this fudge last night, and it was so easy!  Be careful though...it's delicious!

Ingredients:

·         3 cups sugar

·         ¾ cup margarine, melted

·         5 ounces evaporated milk

·         12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

·         10 ounces marshmallow crème

·         2 cups pecans, chopped (optional)

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Melt the margarine using defrost in a large 2 ½ quart glass bowl.  Add the sugar and milk to the margarine.  Stir the mixture and let it sit while chopping pecans.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave it for 10 minutes on medium-high (power level 8).  Be careful when removing the plastic wrap.  Stir the mixture and continue cooking on medium-high for 8 minutes.  The mixture is done if a small drop forms a soft ball in cold water.  Using a big metal spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, vanilla, and nuts.  Use a spoon dipped in hot water to get the marshmallow crème out of the jar.  Stir the marshmallow crème into the chocolate mixture.  Work fast!  Pour the mixture into a buttered 9 × 13 × 2 pan, and let it cool.  Cut into 1 × 1 squares.

Meet Ziggy

This is our dog, Ziggy.

She's a 5-year-old German Shepherd that we adopted in April.  She previously lived with an elderly lady who passed away in the Spring.  I knew I wanted a bigger dog, but I thought I wanted a puppy.  Dustin wanted a smaller dog like a Yorkie, and he definitely didn't want a puppy that might ruin our new house.  Anyway, we compromised and got Ziggy.  She has a heart of gold and has been the perfect dog for our family.  She is very patient with Ryan, and she makes it her life goal to protect him.  When he is outside playing with his friends, she goes with him.  She sleeps on the floor next to his bed every night.  We have all fallen in love with Ziggy.  She waits with me on the driveway for the school bus every day.  The highlight of her day is running to Ryan after he gets off the bus.  Her only fault is that she loves to dig.  My solution was to transplant all my plants to the front yard where she couldn't get them.  Now the backyard is free for her to roam and dig.  I am so thankful we adopted Ziggy.  I couldn't have picked a better furry companion!