Wow! It's Been Awhile!

Hi Everyone! Wow, it ahs been so busy around here, I haven`t even had a chance to breath.  So while I had a break of sorts, I did a little photoshoot with my little big model, YaYa.  I have so much fun doing these, and the kids always look so good. I love my camera!  Once or twice a year, I pick a spot or 2 and we take some cool pics, so here she is.  And at the bottom, is little Bananah, like the headband I made her

                                                                     Little Bananah

Off to Swim (in the freezing cold lake)

So today is day 3 of swimming lessons, of which we have yet to go to.  Tuesday we missed because we had to pick up Mad Dad, and yesterday it was far too cold to let my little angels go in the lake.  Supernan gave it a try, but there were kids coming out of the lake with blue lips and putting fall coats on standing by a fire to warm up.  I'm not afraid to get cold, mind you, but there is a limit, and that was it.  The sun is shining today, so let's hope that we have a nice day for swimming today.

Wish us luck!

Have a great day!

Marshmallow Molds at Hungry Happenings

Wow, I just stumbled up on a fantastic new blog, as I happened to see a post for marshmallow molds, my curiosity was piqued.  This is what it is:

You know all those little sand toys you can get, imagine the possibilities!  Check her out here.  Believe me, you won't regret it.

Have a good day all.

West Edmonton Mall, It's Got it All!

So this is how I spent my weekend, swimming (aka, trying to stay afloat in waves), chasing Elmo and swimming again, swimming, and watching street performers.  To sum it up, I had a ling, exciting weekend.  I met my cousin and her family in Edmonton.  On friday we went to West Edmonton Mall, took the kids to the World Water Park, and the Sea life Caverns (super cool, I got to pet baby stingrays!).  The kids had a blast on the water-slides, and Supernan loved the waves, Chaos, not so much, and their cousin tank had so much fun running around with his cousins, it was so nice to see.  We went for a nice family dinner at the Red Robin restaurant, where I thought I ordered the healthiest thing on the menu that wasn't a salad, turns out though, that my wrap was 1100 calories. YIKES! But it was well worth it, mmmmmmmm Whiskey River Chicken.  Saturday we went to Telus World of Science, where the boys all ran around, smelling farts and sliding on tongues and driving Mars Rovers and stuff.  We all had so much fun there, and the highlight (not for Supernan of course, he's much too mature) was seeing ELMO.  Yes, the one and only!  The babies were so excited they were almost crying with joy. The rest of the day was spent shopping, yay for mama!  I picked out my bridesmaid dress for my cousins wedding, with her help.  It's very flattering, a little sexy and makes me feel like Kim Kardashian.  Now to lose the 20 pounds to look like her, just kidding, I am happy with where I'm at.

Saturday night we went to my fav restaurant, OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE! I love steak! and I love their steak!  We went swimming in the hotel after supper, which was somewhat short lived,  due to the 15 9 and 10 year old floor hockey boys that hijacked the pool.  But we had fun anyways.

Sunday I took the kids for Denny's, mmmmmm, my second favorite restaurant, lol.  Then we went down to Sir Winston Churchill Square to watch the Street Performers Festival.  The heat, my goodness!.  But it was ok, cause at Edmonton City Hall, there is a really nice wading pool with showering waterfalls to cool off in.  Supernan was enthralled with the break-dancers and Chaos got snapped dancing along.

Needless to say, we were all pretty pooped by the time we got home on Sunday.  But, no rest for the weary, swimming lessons started on Monday at Hanmore Lake, and I managed to get both boys in at the same time, yay!  Golf today, before we pick up Mad Dad, and back to swimming this week.  I will try to keep posting this week, but if I don't, you understand, running back and forth to the lake is kinda time consuming.  Then next week, Supernan is in hockey camp all week.  Then I am headed to Saskatoon for a week to visit my fam.

So until next time, keep enjoying the beautiful weather and sunshine!

Cakes and Crunches

Busy household, that's what we have had.  Who knew that with 1 less child, I would be even busier than usual, lol.  Where to start? I can't remember if I told you al that YaYa has gone to Nova Scotia to visit family and help with Aunt J's new bebe.  She is gone for a month, and my house is not the same without her.  She is having fun though, I am happy to report, she has been swimming and playing with her cousins and just enjoying the family time.

So while she has been gone, we have been spending afternoons at our local library, doing the "Summer Splash" story time.  Chaos is too young do actually participate, but he has fun listening to the stories.  And I have been checking out books constantly on cake making.  Supernan started golf lessons on Tuesday, he is truly enjoying it.  And swimming lessons start on Monday at Hanmore Lake.  BTW, if you get a chance to come to the "Lakeland" area in Alberta, we have a ton of lakes for you to visit, swimming and fishing galore!

And as for me, I have been making cakes, birthdays mostly, but I am starting the flowers for A's wedding cake.  I am slightly nervous about it, but I have total faith that I can do a spectacular job.  As for the crunches, I have totally contradicted myself by making cakes and then working out, lol.  But at least I am not eating all the cakes that I make.  I feel fitter and better!

I would love some comments, and to know what you are up to.

Until tomorrow, Have a great day and enjoy the summer!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.  My kids love that song, but only in the morning and afternoon.  Supernan has declared that he wants sun all day and rain all night, just so my garden will grow.  How thoughtful.  I, on the other hand, am sick of rain.  Don't get me wrong, I love rain, in moderation.  I'm not talking about B.C. rain, or Seattle rain.  That never bothered me when I lived in that area.  I'm talking the constant, wind whipping, thunder shaking lightning storms that we get on a regular basis here in Smoky Lake.  Judging by it's name, you would expect a serene lake area, but no, we could in fact be called the windy town.  I have never experienced so much wind with the rain, as I have since we moved here.  Like batten down the hatches and put all your stuff away, and hope your trees don't fall on your roof wind and rain.  OY!

 That little complaint over with, it's good to be back.  I will be getting back into the swing of things slowly, getting my sewing area back into a normal state of affairs.  And start projects again.  I can't wait.  As I'm sure you can't either (sick of my drivel yet?).

It may take a little bit of time, so bare with me as I get going.  Hopefully I can have some more interesting stuff for you to see soon.

Until tomorrow, Enjoy the summer sun (or rain or whatever you are experiencing at the moment)!

Still Sick

My weekend consisted of a trip to the hospital, 5 hours of sleep and a very unhappy family.  Supernan was struck with not only with a bad case of tonsillitis and an ear infection, but on top of that, he also had to fight a bad viral infection.  My poor little man was barely awake all weekend, short of me having to wake him for medicine, my room was frozen, trying to keep his fever down.  And I owe a big thanx to YaYa, for she was a big help with my little Chaos, mostly.  I do have to say though, that the arguments between a 2 year old and a 12 year old are really quite amusing.

Today is Supernan's kindergarten graduation, and my little man was supposed to be the MC for the little service his class is doing, unfortunately, he won't be attending, so when he gets better, I think I may have a little grad ceremony here for him, why not?

Until later, have a good day and enjoy the sun!

Sick Kids

Sleep has escaped me for the last 2 nights.  When I was 20, I could go days with little sleep.  However, 3 kids and 10 years later, not so much.  Supernan has been sick, between him having tonsillitis and having his asthma act up as a result, that has translated to a very long couple days for me.  So, for today, that is my excuse for not having  clever post with some wicked awesome quips and so on.

Going back to sleep with my little man, see you in a few days.

Walking With Dinosaurs

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wonder through the age when terrible beasts roamed the earth?  Today Supernan and I are going to find out.  Just outside the town of Gibbons, Alberta, the terrible beasts roam among naturally grown trees and other indigenous plants.

Mechanical dinosaurs that is.  Is it  awesome?  You bet!!!!!  Do you have a junior paleontologist on our hands?  If you do, then this place comes highly recommended.  Follow the trails yourself and explore what the dinosaurs lived like, as well as learn about some of the plants and animals that are still around from the dino age, or have a guide take you and learn even more.  I can guarantee your little one will come away with a whole new outlook of the "beasts".

Does this sound like an excerpt from a flyer?  Sorry, I am just really excited that we have something like this in our neck of the woods.  We usually travel to Drumheller, Alberta, but it's quite a haul, and so it really is a pleasure, me being a super geek, to have this park this close.  Yes when I was younger I had a super wealth of knowledge about dinosaurs, and played dinosaurs with my brothers so often that I thought I might want to dig for dinos when I got older.  Alas I can no longer wonder where my boys get it from, lol.

So today, I am going to enjoy the weather and enjoy 16 kinders and grade 1's and walk with the dinosaurs.

You enjoy your day as well.

Sleepin' In

Have you ever woken up and went "aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh", cause you literally have 25 min to get you and 3 kids ready and out the door?  Well that is my morning, so while I'm sure I could come up with something other than a sweet hello and good morning, I have to run and get out the door.  This working while Mad Dad is working thing is going to be a little more challenging than I thought.  In the meantime, I am looking for unique wedding favor ideas.  My cuz is getting hitched in 2 months time and has asked for my help, any ideas from my friends out there?

Later, Enjoy your day.

Wow, Where Has the Time Gone?

It's June, and not just June, but the end of June.  How did I miss the last 3 months?  The last time I chatted with you was in April I believe.  Alright, I know how, I have been Crazy busy, and unfortunately, it hasn't really been with stuff that I wanted to be doing, like actual work, as in 3 jobs (1 semi full time and 2 part time positions).  I think I took on a little too much at 1 time, cause I totally exhausted myself.  However, as summer begins, OFFICIALLY TODAY, boo-ya!!!! I have some good news for everyone, I'm back.  My jobs are done as of Friday, and my life can resume some normalcy.  The kids are looking forward to a fantastic summer, with me 2 weeks at a time (Mad Dad is going away to work {insert sad face}), and I think we are going to try some camping as well on the weeks that Mad Dad is home, which is a bonus for the kidlets, cause we will actually have tome to do so.

So what have I been up to, you ask? Well, besides work, work and more work, I have been selling cakes! Oh yes, I apparently have a knack for it and have had requests for my creations.  Look at me go!  I have a few more to do this summer, and it will end with a wedding cake in August, YAY!!!!!!

And while I have your attention, I want to direct you over to Donna at Funky Junk Interiors.  To start with, I want to tell you, she is an amazingly creative lady from B.C, Canada (holla), who I would love to have come spruce up my yard with some of her creations (but alas, I live to far away, lol).  Anyhoo, Donna is having a wonderful giveaway this week.  A Silhouette!!!!  Yes you heard me correctly, for the week of June 21 to the 29, you can enter for this fabulous machine.  She also has a fantastic review of it on the post.  So head on over, check out the giveaway and dont forget to stay awhile and see exactly what she is about.  Wonderful!

Alright, until tomorrow(?) Happy First Day of Summer!

DELETED!

Just a quick note, as I run out the door.  My email and blog was recently hacked.  I am not quite sure what was sent out, but I know I am not thrilled with it.  Also, my blog was temporarily deleted this morning too.  So if this in any way affects you, please let me know.

Have a happy Saturday, enjoy the weather (sorry for the snow Kimbo).

Later dudes!

A Day Off!!!!! Finally..........

So I finally have an actual day off, not just  day that I don't have to leave my house at 7 am.  So let's see what's on the agenda for today, shall we?

I have already done 2 loads of laundry, and went through all of the kids spring and summer clothes.  Don't worry, I'm not gonna jinx us all by putting away the winter clothes quite yet, I just have 2 MASSIVE containers of clothes for the 3 of them, I thought since they are still on spring break and I am not working, that we would see what fits and get rid of what doesn't.  It will also curb my enthusiasm for shopping, and buying them things that they already have.  I am on my way to finally wash the winter off my van, and out of it.  Then it's lunch time.

 Then because I have the best kids in the world, it's time for easter crafting.  Supernan told me that I was the BEST craft mamma in the world.  Now I know in real life it's not true (I have fun, but not always super together and creative), But when he said that, I was on top of the world.  Because in his eyes, it's true! And that makes me feel like a million bucks!

That's what I am doing on my "day off".  Is it 100% worth it? With comments like that, you betcha.

On a side note, sorry for the lack of actual pics, I am still having an internal debate on where to go with this.

Anyways, until tomorrow, Enjoy your day, Enjoy your family, and Enjoy the sun, I hope it's out for you too.  I know I certainly will!

A Toast to Time Management

I am toast, I m exhausted.  Kudos to all the working mothers who work, and then come home to work again.  When I was younger I had the energy of a toddler and had no problem working more than 1 job.  Now however, I am so tired, I can't even be clever.  The words get a mixed up in my head and I end up sounded like a highly medicated senior.  See what I mean, still not clever.  

In an earnest attempt at something, although I am not quite sure what, I figured it would be a good idea to jump right back into the workforce, while still trying to maintain my household how I want, and adding some continuing education from home.  What a mess! Oh and making a feeble  attempt at keeping my blog going, and interesting?

I will prevail, I just need to get my bearings and learn to time manage a little bit better.

So now that I am done with my rant, I would love to hear what all my blog land friends have been up to.  Drop me a line, cause I feel a little lonely since I can't post every day.

Until tomorrow, Enjoy your day, Enjoy your Family and Happy April 5th!

A Recollection Of Favs

Happy April Fools All!  Now normally we try to get up and play a nice trick on the kids, this year though, we forgot, it has been crazy hectic here in the Chaos household.  So I figured this morning, I would recollect my favorite April Fools tricks by friends and families.

1: Shortly after my friend's boy was born, her and her husband decided they would wait a while to have more.  Since he always played tricks on her, and never looked at the calendar, she decided to pull one over on him.  She found the perfect blue marker, the same color as the blue on a positive pregnancy test.  Low and behold, I don't think I have ever seen a more scared look on the face of a man.  Priceless.

2:  This one can be a bit messy, but funny too.  Saran wrap on the toilet seat.  Enough said.

And finally, 3:  Performed by me as a child.  I offered my grandfather some ice cream, and of course he accepted.  So off in to the kitchen I went, scooped together (and made it look real) some butter, plopped in a spoon and handed it over.  Now the fact that I was like 6 may have helped, but he actually started to eat it, and then everyone had a good laugh over it.  Priceless!

That's all for today, so until tomorrow, Enjoy your family, Enjoy your day, and Have fun with all of your trickery!  

Off For the Day, So Check This Out

Good morning my lovelies.  I am headed ti the city fir the day, so I wanted to leave you with a link to something fantastic.  I love my Cricut, and have recently seen A
LOT about the .  I was thinking that I don't want to have to go out and buy yet another machine, so when Kimbo posted this, I was in heaven.  Super glad that
I am not the only one.

Check out what at A Girl and a Glue Gun. Stay for her fabtastic tutorials and other fun things.

Until tomorrow, Enjoy your day, Enjoy your family and Happy Thursday.

Day 3 Back In..... And Some Childishness

Ok, so this is a little weird for me, so you may hear about it more than you want, lol, but I have to say it.  I knew the time was coming, when I would have to go back to work.

I have been thinking about what I want to do when I grow up a lot. (Still don't feel grown up all the time)  Chaos is 2 now, and will start school in a mere 3 more years.  And I will be faced with what to do with my time.  There is a lot that I can think of that I need to catch up on, I don't know if it can wait for 3 years though.

We live in a somewhat remote-er (yes it's a word) area and the closest school is at least an hour away, so that involves a lot of driving and planning around schedules.

I can do it, I just dread the thoughts of it.  I am complaining I know, there a million women who do it, and I commend each and every one of them. And perhaps I am a wee bit spoiled.  But every time I think about leaving my home to work, I think about the time I am  going to miss, the school functions, the games, the after school functions and activities.  It makes me sad,and then I can't even think about what I want to do when I grow up.

Any words of advice? I sure could use it.  (BTW, my job right now is a temporary one until the industry picks up)

Ok I am done complaining for now.

Maybe you wan to hear something good..... and funny?  Deal! Since I have been spaced in my own little world as of late, how about a couple jokes? From the mouths of my children.

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Olive
Olive who?
Olive YOU silly!

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Alison
Alison who?
Alison to  my favorite song!

Why did the teddy bear stop eating?
Cause he was stuffed!  (Bwah hah hah hah)

Why wouldn't the skeleton cross the road?
He didn't have the guts! (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

Alright, enough of this foolishness, until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and happy Life!

Good Morning, On To Day 2!

Hellllllooooooooooooo!!!!! Wow is all that I can say.  I have been out of the workforce for far too long.  It was fun, but was I ever exhausted when I came home.  It shocked me!

And what a role reversal here on the home front.  I came home to supper made (almost), the house was spotless and the cupboards had been reorganized and everything.  Apparently Mad is is taking his stay at home dad duties very seriously.

And now on to a comment I received, more of question.  How do you sew a perogy?  Lol, I was wondering who would get that.  I started with a white nit material that was already a tube (way easy for me), and sewed a thick lining in the back 2 inches so the perogy stays straight on the kids.  Then I made a rounded front and stuffed it full.  Basically if you were looking at the kids from the side, they would look like they were wearing perogies.  They are turning out very cute.  When I am done, I will upload a pic.

So again, it's off to work.  Until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy you family and happy Tuesday!

My First Day of Work

I feel like a teenager, like I'm 14 and going t my very first job.  Oy!  Let me tell you why...... I haven't worked in like 6 years.  I have had the distinct pleasure of being a stay at home mom.  I love it, unfortunately, circumstances right now don't allow for that.  So......  Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work I go.

See ya all tomorrow am, I will tell you all about my first day!

Until then, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and Happy Spring!

Good Morning!

Hello all, and welcome to Friday!  Still having mounds of troubles with my picture uploading, so if you wan to check out some pics, please feel free to browse cashncarry.shutterfly.com  I have some wonderful family pics up there and i am in the process of adding some more recent ones.

I spent the day yesterday at the Edmonton Home and Garden Show, Fantastic!  I was there helping with a fundraiser to build a new playground in our community, raffling of some pretty major prizes, ie, a 2012 Denali (1st prize).  I got to see Frankie Flowers (from Cityline) And H got to meet him, gush!  Today I am missing Brian Baeumler, sad.  We had a great time and had the opportunity to start rasing quite a bit of the money needed for the playground.

Still in the process of redoing my room, hopefully it doesn't take too long, I am itching to get back at my projects and start some new ones for summer, if it ever comes here in Alberta.

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and I hope you get a chance to check out some of those pics.

Hello? Anyone Still Here?

For all my faithful friends out there, who have been patiently waiting for me, THANK YOU!  It has been a crazy hectic, busy month or so.  At the end of hockey season, things kinda seem to go sideways, I guess cause everything ends around the same time.  We had a Super successful tournament, in which we raised over $2000.00 for the kids team.  Fantastic, Thanks to everyone who helped out!  We had our last game in a town called Bon Accord this past Sunday.  It was a loss for us, but the kids had a blast playing, which is what's really important.  They were all a little sad that there was no more games or practices.  Fortunately we live in a small community, so they still get to play together all summer.

YaYa passed her babysitters course, and has started a few babysitting jobs.  I am really proud of her.  She has a little kit prepared that she can keep notes and information about the kids that she watches, like allergies, bed times, etc.  Very mature!

Both big kids got their report cards, and I am happy to say they are doing fantastic! They absolutely love the school they are in and it shows when we have parent teacher interviews and get their report cards.

Chaos is chaotic, since he turned 2, he has decided that it would be in his best interest to take the terrible 2's as far as he can, lol.  It's awesome, sort of.  But he is healthy and happy, so I can't complain.

As for me, I have been busy chauffeuring and chasing and cooking and planning and................ I have barely had time to think, but I picked up where I left off with sewing.  I don't have anything to show you, as I have been busy sewing for a little girl in our community who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  She is a little girl from our play group and as a group, we put together a package for her and her family that they can use while she is in the hospital and after she comes home.  And I have also started sewing perogies.  Yes you heard me correctly, perogies.  (Another tidbit of information is that our town and community is predominantly Ukrainian)  The year end dance for the Ukrainian Dance Group is one that includes 3 little kids dancing as perogies, and I am honored that I was asked to create their costumes.

I decided to move the kids toys back up to their rooms, since they don't use the playroom downstairs.  (They mostly just go down, grab a dozen toys and bring them up anyways)  Which means that I get a grown up room for myself.  Currently, it has a soft puzzle floor, and posters of McQueen and Shrek on the walls.  I moved the toys yesterday, and will be working on it as much as I can before spring break.  I plan to put a nice carpet in and paint the walls in a grown-up color and add a couple of desks for my sewing machines and scrapbooking stuff.  A room to myself, wow, I really can't wait, it will be a welcome change from digging everything out to plop on the kitchen table and clean everything up for meal time.

Anyhoo, that's what's new with us, and now that hockey is done, I will be back.  Daily, except Sundays of course.  Can't wait to start going on with normal life and keeping you all informed, lol.

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, I was fortunate enough to win another giveaway.  This time it's from The Sewing Dork .  She was giving away a vintage pattern from her collection and I was picked!!!  I can't wait to see my pattern!

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and happy Thursday!

I'm Still Here, Sort Of.....

So it has been a little while since my last post, ad I really have tried thought about posting the last week (or more) but I have been swamped and sick and swamped again.  I have the good fortune of all 3 of my children having birthday in the span of 10 days, which is super fun, but I am honestly caked out by the end of it.  Then we have Valentines Day, Happy belated by the way, which generally leads to crafts and helping out in classrooms.  And to boot, I don't know if I have mentioned that I am the manager of Supernan's hockey team, but I am.  And I am knee deep in tournament planning.  Which is this Saturday.  I never knew exactly how much work goes into these things, even at the level we are.  Wow!  So that being said, I haven't had a lot of computer time, unless you count the 3 days that I slept while I was SICK!  But I actually did sleep, so no computer.  So, for all my loyal friends who have been waiting patiently for some infinite wisdom from me, I'm sorry, but you're just gonna have to wait a little longer.  I am going to be slightly tied up for about 3 more weeks, and then I can start to thaw from my ice time.

Until the next time, enjoy your day (week), enjoy your family and stay warm!!!

I Officially Have a 12 Year Old :(

So today is YaYa's 12th Birthday.  I am super pumped, because I love birthdays, mine, my kids, my hubands, basically anyone I can remember, I LOVE them.   (Sorry, sometimes I forget).  But today I came to a realization.  I have a 12 year old.  Which puts me in  a sad mood for 2 reasons.

Number 1 is kinda selfish, I am old enough to have a 12 year old,which means in 4 years I will have a driver, and in 6 I will have an adult.  And that makes me feel way older than my 30 years.

Number 2, I have a 12 year old, which means my baby girl is technically old enough to get a job (in Alberta she can work for 2 hours a day, not past 10), she is legally old enough to babysit and be responsible for other peoples children.  She is old enough (with my consent to pierce her face,she doesn't have my consent, lol).  In 7 months she will be in JR High.  And She will soon be old enough to start wearing makeup (1 more year at least), and getting crushes and getting her heart broken.

To all those parents out there with girls, older or younger, I have to say, this is not something that you can prepare for.  I have been thinking about this for a while and each time, I cry.  I love my girl, I am glad that I only had 1 to go through this with.  It is a special time, her growing up, but I am not prepared for it.

All I can think of is my itty bitty, running around with spaghetti on her head, reading and loving Minnie Mouse.  My little fashionista who used to dress however she wanted and looked cool doing it.  Little dresses and skirts and sparkly shoes and pigtails and braids.  Learning to talk and learning to walk.  Making friends with everyone that she met (senior citizens in restaurants mostly).

Each day she is getting closer to not being my little girl and wanting to be more independent.  Until that day finally comes though, she will stay under my mamma bird wing, and forever be my baby girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BIG GIRL YAYA!!!!! I love you more than you could possibly ever imagine!!!!

Beans and Corn Bread and a Rant

As promised, a couple days late, here is the recipes for the beans and cornbread.  They turned out fantastic!  BTW, the party was a HUGE hit. The kids ran around like mad, and when it was time for a story (Mad Dad set up wood around a red flood light) the kids all sat around the "fire" and helped me read one of their favorite stories.

Baked Beans

3 cups dry pinto beans, soaked (at least 4 hours)

4 cups chopped onions

2 Tbsp olive oil

1.5 - 2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1.5 tsp dry mustard

6 - 8 medium cloves garlic, minced

6 tbsp dry white wine (optional)

6 - 8 tbsp cider vinegar (to taste)

3 - 4 tbsp molasses (to taste)

2 cups grated mild cheese (optional)

lots of black pepper

crushed red pepper, to taste

3 medium sized tart apples, cut into medium sized chunks

4 medium sized ripe tomatoes, chopped

 

place the presoaked beans in a kettle and cover them with plenty of water. bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, partially cover, and cook slowly until tender  (1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours), checking the water level during cooking.  drain off any excess when the beans are done (this can be saved for soup stock).

begin cooking the onions in olive oil in a medium sized skillet.  add salt, chili powder, cumin and mustard, and saute over medium heat for about 8 - 10 minutes.  add garlic, and saute for another 5 minutes or so.  add this saute to the cooked beans, along with all remaining ingredients.

preheat oven to 350.  mix the beans well and transfer to a deep casserole or a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. cover tightly with foil, and bake 1 hour.

Corn Bread

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1. 
     
• 1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture.
• • 1. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm.

Hope you all enjoy these recipes, we sure did.

Now since my computer id working, how about a little Meditation Monday.  Todays topic, proper clothing for yoga.  Until I started doing yoga regularly, I thought stores that sold their clothing at outrageous prices for a pair of glorified sweatpants were a huge rip off!  My mind has been changed and I believe they are worth every penny of the brand name.  Ultimately I'm cheap, I try not to spend too much on my clothes especially.  I have 3 kids that need a new wardrobe every 3 months it seems.  I do what I can, and there are definitely hand me downs for Chaos and Supernan, from friends, and I try to repurpose what I can, and make stuff when I can.  YaYa does not like the stuff that I make all the time, she is far too "fashion conscious (in her mind)" to wear the uncool stuff that I spend hours working on for her.  Anyways, enough of my rant, with everything else that I have to worry about spending money on, expensive clothes for myself is not high on the list.  However, when it comes to doing yoga, there is something to be said for actual quality.  Like I said, I have 3 kids, I had 3 c-sections, and the mummy tummy to prove it (I try, but it wont go away) and it is particularly uncomfortable when you have to adjust your clothing constantly in a class.  Case in point, last weeks class, in between sun salutations and mountain pose we were not given a breath to adjust, our form or our clothing.  It's not such a pretty site to see my butt hanging out because my "yoga" pants have slipped down and folded under said mummy tummy and are literally hanging at the BOTTOM of my tailbone.  Basically what I am trying to say, is if you are going to invest your time and your body, invest in some proper clothes!  Lol, or might end up like me.

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy your family, and happy doing whatever your day brings you.

Today's The Day, Just Picture It

Today is the boys birthday party!!!!!  I have spent weeks planning a fun cowboy party for 20+ kids between the ages of 2 and 7.  Yes I rented a hall (not expensive, I  just believe they need to run around like mad), and spent countless hours, conned Mad Dad (and his awesome art skills) into making swinging saloon doors, from cardboard, made a Laffin Saloon sign, from cardboard, packaged oodles of rattlesnake eggs and mustaches, the beans are cooking, the cake is crumb coated and we are waiting for 4:00.  The boys are super pumped!

So now it is Fotography Friday and I am still having troubles with my computer, so in the interest of preserving imagination, I am going to ask you to picture what I just described, you can do it.  Tomorrow (providing my computer cooperates) I will redirect you to a site to see the pics from the party (added from a friends computer) and I will also post the recipes for the beans and cornbread we are serving today.

So until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and HAPPY PARTYING!!!!!

So until tomorrow,

My Craft of The Week

So when I said I haven't been crafting much, that wasn't entirely truthful, I just can't show you what I have been up to.  I joined the craft swap at Strumpets Crumpets and have been hard at work thinking for my partner, but I can't show you, because it is a surprise for her, so after she get s her presie, then I will share.

I figured that since today was a good day for my computer, I would do a quick post to share, unfortunately, I have nothing to share today.  We had an uneventful couple of days, that had me doing laundry, cleaning, organizing, and baking for the birthday. Btw, I found a fantastic cornbread recipe that I will share on Saturday.

I have been reading a lot of the book called "Too Big For Diapers" in which Ernie (form Bert and Ernie) gets a potty and becomes too big for diapers, Chaos can practically read the book by himself at this point.

Thats me week in a nut shell.

Until tomorrow, Enjoy your day, enjoy your family and Make It a Happy day for you.

We Have A Working Computer, For Now

So today is the day my computer has decided to work!  Yay, because I have so much to tell you.  Sort of.

Today is going to start with a funny Quote from my niece, which brings back the innocence of childhood, and made me bust a gut laughing.  I wasn't there to hear her say this, but I really wish I had been.  Has anyone heard the song "One Night Stand"? It goes sorta like this, "All I ever wanted was a one night stand".  To start, my niece is very into pop music, she sings and dances and just generally enjoys it.  So when the family was all together, and the kids were finished listening to music, and everyone was sitting down to dinner, she had to ask, "I don't get it, why would he only want one night stand, doesn't everybody need TWO night stands?". It makes you believe in the innocence of youth right?  I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had a hockey game on Sunday, our little team played their hearts out, but lost 11-9.  It was a really good game.  Supernan scored 4 goals!!!  And I had the pleasure of taking cupcakes for both teams, because as the manager, I booked a hockey game on his birthday, a mistake I was not allowed to live down, but he did forgive me when I made root beer cupcakes for his whole team.

That being said, we played in a town called Redwater, home of Canada's tallest OIL DERRICK!  Yes that is there claim to fame, and rightfully so, as they are directly on the route to Fort Mac.  Besides having the derrick, it is a very nice little town, they have a beautiful new arena and some very nice parks.  And a Subway, which is a nice welcome change.  They have a huge town wide garage sale every year, and a really nice outdoor pool that kids can take lessons at in the summer.  (Sorry, no pics, my computer isn't working that well).

I have been super busy planning the boys birthday party, and am super pumped for it on Friday.  My kids have opted to donate to the Royal Alex NICU instead of presents this year (they were both there after they were born), so we will have the pleasure of spending an afternoon with friends, partying, and helping babies too.  I love it!!!!!

That's the post for now, I haven't been doing too much crafting lately, I kind went on hiatus, and am just working on crafting stuff for the boys birthday party, saloon signs, swinging door, etc.  With any luck I will be able to show lots of pics when the party is done.

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and happy doing whatever it is you're doing today!

I Am Still Here! And I Won!!!

So my computer still has a mind of it's own, and may at any minute start malfunctioning, and unfortunately no one has ever heard of this problem before, therefore it is making it hard to get it fixed.  That being said, no pics, simply for the fact that I can not necessarily get them onto the computer properly.  So instead, heres what I'm going to do, I am going to, to the best of my ability, continue to do posts, some crafts and cooking, recipes, etc.  And for the time being you will just have to imagine that I am an awesome photographer who has taken amazing pictures for your viewing pleasure.

As an example, imagine a pic of Chaos running around pretending to be a T-rex, which is his new thing, little arms and all.  Supernan on the ice as my little hockey superstar, arms up after scoring another goal.

And YaYa building tunnels and caves in the snow (without the destructive force of the BOYS to render them useless).  We  have had some amazing weather here in AB, which sure beats the freezing north weather we have had recently.  That awesome weather has made the light snow sticky enough to make an entire yard full of tunnels and caves.  Hope the visual works for you.

Something I am going to start shortly in the future, for the travelers in you, is profiling places we visit here in Alberta.  We don't go too many places in the winter, mainly to Edmonton and local towns (for hockey), and when I can get pics up, I will, but I will for sure tell you where we were and a little bit about the town or city, something special.

I am keeping up with my New Years Resolutions, and at the very least emailing people, which has also rekindled lost (just been a really long time since we talked) friendships.  I have not lost any weight (according to the scale) but my jeans are fitting a little better again, my flexibility is coming back (think popping my shoulders to get into an inverted pose YAY FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!), and my endurance is WAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY up, in that I can run 10-15 min on the treadmill before collapsing in in a heavy lump (just kidding, it's getting easier).

The boys birthdays are this weekend, but we will be having their party next weekend so Mad Dad can be home.  Be prepared to hear about that.  It's a cowboy theme and for the first time I am prepared way ahead of time, I love it.  Supernan is Super pumped about it.

And finally, I WON!!! I follow Tattoo Tales blog, she has beautiful original artwork (and check out her etsy shop too).  Anyways, she was having a valentines giveaway for some valentines postcards and an 8x10 print and I won it!!!!!!!  I am soooooo excited! I can not wait to receive my valentines and share the love with my friends!

I will try again tomorrow to put up a somewhat normal post, a recipe.  But no promises, if my computer likes me tomorrow I will.

Until tomorrow, Enjoy your life, Enjoy your family and Happy You!

computer.still.not.working

sorry.guys.my.computer.is.still.on.the.outs,so.in.the.interest.of.saving.me.and.you.some.fustrations.and.since.i.have.to.wait.until.the.weekend.to.take.it.in,i.am.going.to.leave.my.posts.untili.have.a.computer.again.hopefully.it.will.be.soon.

Computer.Not.Working

Its.Monday.and.I.woke.up.to.my.computer.space.delete.and.tab.buttons.and.capslock.NOTWORKING.WOrking.on.the.problem.today.but.will.not.do.my.regular.post.due.to.the.fact.that.it.would.suck.lemons.Quick.update.I.lost.5.pounds.since.I.started.back.with.my.workout.regimen.YAY!I.beat.my.plateau.See.you.tomorrow.m
.

4 GOALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the late post all, but my superstar had an early game this morning.  My superstar scored 4 goals!!!!!!! Ok, Ok I know he's not likely headed for the NHL anytime soon, he's only in pre-novice, but I am SUPER DUPER UBER proud of him.  He scored 2 actual goals, 1 that got waved off, and 1 in the shootout!  

So I'm a little late with the recipe, today it is straight from the newest edition of the Martha Stewart Living magazine, mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Tandoori Marinated Chicken with Cucumber, Lime and Chilies

1 whole Chicken
{1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp whole coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds} or if you can find a tandoori seasoning together, use that instead.
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
3 tbsp vege (or EVOO) oil
1/2 tsp turmeric (omit if using tandoori season)
1/2 cup greek plain yogurt
coarse salt

If using the raw ingredients, toast cumin, coriander and fennel in a skillet over med heat until fragrant (2 min), then grind into a fine powder.
Puree onion, garlic and ginger.  Heat oil in a skillet over med high heat.  Add onion mix and fry until translucent (5 min).  Stir in spice mixture (or at this point add your store bought mix 3tsp) and turmeric.  Let cool.
Stir yogurt into mixture and add salt to taste.
Place chicken breast side up and tuck wings under, on a rimmed baking sheet.  tie legs together.  Pat chicken dry with paper towel.
Gently separate skin from breast and rub some of the yogurt mixture underneath, and on the top of the skin.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, Preheat oven to 450 .  Uncover chicken and season with salt.  Reduce oven to 400.  Roast chicken for 30 min, remove from oven and tent loosely with foil.  Return to oven, rotating sheet.  Roast until juices run clear and an instant thermometer reads 165 when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (about 30 min).
Remove from oven and let rest 10 min before serving with cucumbers, lime wedges, and chillies.

This is what we are having for supper tomorrow.  So I will tell you how we like it and you can tell me if you like it.

Until tomorrow, Enjoy your day, Enjoy your family and Happy cooking.

Does Anyone Actually Read Me?

So I am having an identity crisis when it comes to my blog.  I was uploading pics to show, and it occurred to me that I can count on one hand how many comments I have received and short of 4 people I know religiously reading, who btw I talk to everyday, I don't think I'm as popular as I believe I am.

So here it is, I want to know what you think.  If no one out there is interested in listening to me, I won't do this anymore. If you are, Let me know and I will continue, but I need to know, mainly because if I am going to continue to add recipes or do tutorials, I want to know that they are being well received and worth my time and effort.

I'm sorry that this may sound like a rant or play for attention, but I am under the weather and would prefer not to stress myself out for nothing.

So it's in your hands, do you still want to read me?

Man Cave Decor

So before I left for my holiday, I promised everyone pics of what I was so busy sewing and doing before the holiday.  Todays pic is going to come with a tutorial and a huge thank you from the Plaid website.

My husband and I decided not to buy gifts for each other (as we do every year only to be set up for failure).  I enjoy giving gifts!!  I enjoy taking the time to make or pick out something special that I know the receiver will love.  So to keep my costs down, I decided to make Mad a useful piece of art for his rock out section of our basement.  Currently he owns 3 electric & 1 acoustic guitar, 1 electric & 1 acoustic bass, plus the kids have electric guitars.  He also only has a space that is about 6' x 9' to house all this, plus a set of drums and all the equipment that goes with it.

As I was browsing the instructions on how to use modge podge (yep needed instructions, cause I kinda sucked at it), I got distracted by the project tutorials on the website.  For anyone who knows, thats not really hard to believe.  That aside, I found a tutorial for a rocked out coat rack with a pic of a guitar on it.  The wheels stared turning, I loved it.  We don't need another coat rack, but I immediately thought I could giant size it and turn it into a guitar rack.

So I apologize that I only have 1 pic of the finished product, but we only had 1 camera on which I could take pics.  Mad also likes to take pics and look at the ones that I have taken of the kidlets all day.  So unfortunately I couldn't take step by step pics, and I had to wait until Christmas to take a finished pic so as not to arouse suspicion.  I will however provide you with the best instructions and measurements that I can.

So here goes.
Material:
sanded plywood, 4'x3'
2x4 cut to 3'
12" wide mdf board cut to 12" squares, 3 pieces
(the above material I had on hand)
2 guitar wall hangers, $13.00 each
coat hook, $1.00 ($ store)
Long wood screws, on hand
washers, on hand
burgundy and black spray paint, $3.00 each
silver paint, on hand
poster of a guitar made, $18.00

total: $51.00

A little more than I wanted to spend, but I still have some paint I can use for another project, aka a second one that Mad requested.  Not bad for a totally awesome way to get the guitars and cords off the floor and give him some more space.

Instructions:
To start I spray painted the plywood burgundy, red according to him because burgundy is far to feminine for him, and the 2x4 black.  I let it dry and then added a second coat to both.  Also, because I could only find a brass coat hanger, I spray painted that black as well.  Meanwhile, I cut my poster to fit the 12"x12" mdf board and modge podged it on (see why I needed the instructions).  After that was dry, I pre-drilled holes for my screws, and attached the mdf pics to the plywood (here is where I used the washers for a more industrial look).  I measured where I wanted them and it was about 4" from the left and right, with a space of 1.5" in between the pics, and they were 3" down from the top of the plywood.  After that was done, I painted the 2x4 silver and wiped it off immediately to leave a worn look.  When that was dry, I pre-drilled 3 holes to attach it to the plywood.  Then I attached the 2 guitar hangers (about 2" infrom either side) and added the coat hanger in the middle.  Then I attached the 2x4 to the plywood, and voila, DONE! Super simple, and with drying time, it only took me an afternoon, which was also spent doing laundry and cooking and other general cleaning in between.  The best part, he loved it and requested another one!

So here it is

Like it, I love it!

Until tomorrow when you finally get to see my pics, enjoy your day, enjoy your family and happy crafting!

Maya Angelou

"Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass."-Maya Angelou


Maya Angelou has got to be by far my favorite person to read, she got me through some pretty rough times in my life, and pushed me forward when I thought I was done.  The following quotes are a couple that I have kept with me for years, and I hope you enjoy them as well.


If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.
Maya Angelou 


We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.
Maya Angelou 


I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou


And my personal all time favorite:


I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse
to be reduced by it.
 Maya Angelou


Not much inspiration from me, but in bad times these all got me through my life and whenever I get stressed out, I always remember these.


Until tomorrow, Enjoy your day, Enjoy your family, and Enjoy Life.

Side Note

I was checking out some of the blogs that I follow, and I came across this giveaway at Whimsy Couture.  It is from Forty Toes Clothing on Etsy, or her blog, Forty Toes.  She has some super duper cute items for sale on her Etsy shop, adorable little girls clothes.  Please check it out!

Super Duper Cool & Easy Tie Up Scarf Purse for a Picky Tween (or Teen)

So when I was in Cape Breton, an Ardene's store was closing out and had EVERYTHING on sale for $1.00 the last 2 hours.   I was fortunate enough to be there at that time.  I had a super hard time not stocking up on hundreds of items, that I could later find use for, but I had to remember that whatever I bought, I had to bring back, and seeing as how I already had to buy another duffle bag to bring stuff back (yes, I bought another back to bring things home), I figured that maybe I would only grab a couple things.  So that's what I did, I picked up some super cute fingerless gloves (my addiction), and a cute pink beaded necklace for YaYa, however, no pic, because it broke the next day.  I didn't feel too bad, cause it was only $1.00. And I also picked up 5 super cute square scarves.

Now I really like the look of wearing scarves, but I can't do it for very long, it bothers me and gives me an icky feeling on my neck (ICKY).  So I did actually buy them to make stuff with.  Before Christmas, I stumbled upon a Knotted Bag tutorial on the Martha Stewart website.  (I love Martha)  I made a couple for my nieces, and they were a huge hit.  I took it a step further and sewed the handles together instead of tying them so it was permanent (both girls have little sisters who like to play with their stuff).

So here goes, like I said, easy and cheap.

Grab yourself a square scarf, or big silk handkerchief, you can find lots of cool ones everywhere, including the $ store or second hand stores.

Step 1: Tie a knot in all for corners (about a quarter of the way down, I would give exact measurements but it depends on the size of your scarf) You can eyeball it an decide how much room you want in your bag and how big you want your handles.

Step 2:  Sew 2 straps together at the top, you will lose your triangle.  Repeat with the other side.  (you could hand sew or machine sew)

VOILA!!!!! Easy peasy lemon squeezie!

Makes a great quick for tweens, teens and everyone else.

Until tomorrow,  Enjoy your day, enjoy your family and happy crafting!