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!