Monday, January 31, 2011

done!

That's it the move is done, we are now in a three bedroom apartment in the building I'm the caretaker in!!! I'm pooped, the other apartment is clean and the keys have been handed in (though they charged me $60.00 for extra cleaning) anyhow, it's done!! Now for the painters o come in and finish painting and we can settle in and unpack everything.It is very nice to have a bedroom again. I don't wish to move again for a VERY long time!!

We didn't do our "new" recipe last week because it was a crazy week, maybe I'll do two this week we'll see ;-). So for our random act of kindness this weekend I went to Tim's and randomly paid for the order of the car behind me. I drove away with a happy heart even though itt was not someone I knew it's fun to randomly do nice things for strangers!

Now for the silly things we say to our kids............ Why is there a slurpee in a glove??? Yup I actually asked that this week!!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

chaos

there is utter chaos in my house right now!!! We are set to move in 6 days..........6 DAYS!!! Now because I'm the caretaker I know some of the secrets, so most of our stuff is already over there in a storage room! However I still have the kids rooms and the kitchen to pack, as we speak the hubby is out getting some boxes and the fridge is defrosting! I want this move to be as painless as possiable, pretty much just have to move the furiture over there. We don't have much in the way of furiture anyhow, no sofa to speak of, we do have a futon (it SUCKS!!) so pretty much our bedroom furiture (beds and dressers) and our t.v, our computer desk and the kitchen table it shouldn't take long .

I have been reading this blog and she has been doing project 31, 31 random acts of kindess. She has inspired me!! So as a random act of kindess today I threw someone's laundry into the dryer with a dryer sheet and started it!! I hope it brightens thier day. This was a total unplanned act so I did not have my camara with me, infact I had to go back up to my apartment and write a note and then put it in the laundry basket. The kids were there with me and the LOVED it, maybe this will inspire them :-) I hope to do more random acts of kindness and would gladly take some suggestions!!!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

this weeks recipes

To check out the recipe I used, read more

Apple and Pear Pie
Crust from Jessica Appelgren's Huckleberry Peace Pie, Filling adapted from Diana's Desserts, and Crumble mixture from YumSugar

Crust
[Note: I cut this in half and used a crumble topping instead.]
2 cups butter
2-2/3 cups flour
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt

1. Chill the butter in the freezer for 10 minutes so that’s it’s really cold.
2. Pour the flour over the butter on a large work surface, covering the butter so that it won’t stick to your rolling pin.
3. Roll the butter out flat, collect the mixture with a scraper, and re-roll it two or three times.
4. Make a hole in the middle of the mixture and add the water and salt, cutting the liquid into the mix with the scraper until you have a workable dough.
5. Roll the dough out flat one more time, cut it in half, and place in the freezer.

Filling
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 - 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
5 firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp of lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, stir together the filling ingredients, mixing till well-combined.

Crumble Topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup golden brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Mix the butter and flour with the fork until it is textured like breadcrumbs.
2. Add sugars and cinnamon to mixture and mix well.
3. If it is too dry, use the leftover liquid from the apple/pear mixture to help.

Assemble

1. Roll one piece of pie crust into a 12-inch round and gently lay it into the pie pan.
2. Spoon in filling. Do not add all of the extra liquid.
3. Evenly put the crumble mixture over the apples.
4. Bake pie in a preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until the top is brown and filling is bubble.
This pie was so good, exepct I'm the only one eating it and I don't need a whole pie by myself :-)

Today we had tacos............I know whats new about this well it's a recipe I recently came across in my Mother's stash of recipes from when we were younger, I made these in grade 8 cooking class ( a few years ago ;-) ) I LOVE them!!! Every part opf them is home made!! so here's the recipe:

Soft taco shells,
250 ml. flour 125 ml. cornmeal
1ml. salt 375 ml cold water
1 egg beaten 1 chili powder
mix all ingrediants together to make a runny dough, spoon them into a hot pan (I used a table top grill) spread themo out so they cover the bottom of the pan totally and evenlly ( they should be fairly thin) allow to cook, do not flip ( they will cook all the way through)


meanwhile.....

Filling
50 ml. chopped onion 1 clove garlic crushed
15. ml oil 1 ml salt
5 ml chili powder 400 grams hamburger
125 ml tomato sauce

in a frying pan brown hamgurger with oil, onion and garlic. Add salt and chili powder. Once throughly cooked at the tomato sauce.

Done now top with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy.............Freeze any extra taco shells. SO yummy........... I had three ;-).We will be having these again!!!


Last week we had two exicting things happen first Tony turned 11, I think this yaer I'll try something different for each kids birthday, in my post I'm gonna do the things I love about you ( in Tony's case 11 things I love about you!)

So here goes the 11 things I love about you:
1. How you really don't care what your wearing as long as it covers your good.
2. How you can be friends with EVERYONE.
3. How you make friends EVERYWHERE.
4. How smart you are, you know everything, if we need to remeber something just tell Tony he remembers everything.
5. How you need to know how everuthing works.
6. How you know any vechicle just by looking at it ( i.e. when I took the car in to atuopac ti be assed, I didn't know what the car next to us was but you did!)
7. How prtective you are over your borther and sisters, I'm sure you'd jump in the way of a car to protect them.
8. How you have taken the new responsablities we have given you and run with them.
9. How you would give the shirt off your back to someone who needs it.
10. How your always the first to try something new.
and last but not least #11 how you choose me to be your mom!!!

I love you bud, I'm so proud to call you my son!!

The other exciting thingt that happened last week is the birth of my new nephew born January 14, at 1:40 a.m. ( just an hour and forty minutes after Tony's birthday eneded) he weighed 7 lbs 1 oz. and his name is Trayten Colby. He is the sweetest little guy. I am now the proud auntie of three nephews ( though one of them I NEVER get to see)




Lastly let me leave you with what I saw when I opened my fridge today:

I had to have J'naya redo it with a permanet maker because the pencil wouldn't show up in the picture!! I think this egg has found a forever home :-) ( it says "pick him" -> )

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I used to wonder


I used to wonder .......
- how did Ashton's Dad go about life with his child growing up close to him and yet so far away.
- how was every second weekend okay with him?
- if there was a pain worse then losing a child?
- if a friend will always be trust worthy.
- how often one person can cry themselves to sleep EVERY night

Now I don't wonder about those things anymore cause I know,
- Ashton's Dad lived life without her in it everyday because he had to ( his own choice I might add)
- There is pain worse then losing a child........being rejected by one who you love so much you would GLADLY claw out your own eyeballs, or tear off your own skin......if only you knew she was safety tucked into her bed in your home. Or have the chance to give her a hug.
-there is no one person you can completely trust in some way they will hurt you so it's better to stay safe and "hide" then dare open up your heart and trust again.
- forever!!

Now I wonder......................
- will it ever hurt less?
- will I ever see that beautiful face again?
- why didn't I cherise the moments spent with her?
- how do "friends" sleep at night, after all the damage they have caused?
- will I ever be able to fix this?
I wonder!

Friday, January 7, 2011

so silly things we say

Jeff says "whose pear is this??"
Brycen "it's mine!"
Jeff" oh I thought it was J's"
Brycen"nope mine, I chopped it like a chef."

Can we say Jeff watches WAY too much food network!!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

new recipes

we made the first of what I hope will be many new recipes for 2011. This one was homemade beef ravioli with homemade Alfredo sauce was it ever good!!!

Jeff gave it an 8, the kids gave it a 5 and I'd go with a 10( but i love pasta)

this is what it looked like I know ravioli should be square but I don't have a square cookie cutter and everyone was hungry so we went with round!!

THIS is the recipe for the Alfredo sauce, and THIS is the recipe for the filling, and THIS is the pasta recipe I used. We will be having this again!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

all done for another year!!

Well christmas is done for another year it's a little sad to see it go but kind of good too!!! :-) Anyhow the gatherings are done and the gifts are un wrapped and things are put away. Though I'm not a "resaltions" kind of person I did say last year I wanted to "forgive" myself for Mackenzie's death. This is where I am at right now, the one comment made to me when we lost Mackenzie (it doesn't matter what it was) I haved talked to the person who made the comment and all is forgiven and I feel GREAT about it. I know it wasn't my fault. I don't have him here right now and I miss him. However I did have him for 9 months and I have some meomories. So I am licky I got to have him at all. I could never had have him and that would have been worse.

So for this year my "goals" are to lose at least 10 pounds, and to try a new recipe every week. I hope this all works out for us!!!

So today as I was coming home to check on the kids, I meet a man holding a 3 foot elf in his arms. he told me him and the elf were getting divorced I asked him "why she's cute" he then promtly handed her to me and said here have her. Of course I couldn't resist playing a prank on the children. I stood her up and knocked on the door and disappeared into the stairwell ( which is right next to our apartment door) I then "watched" as Tony came to the door I could hear him at the door but didn't opnen it right away. Then he went back to the living room. Of coruse I knoked again and this time he slowly opened the door, then went back into the apartment, I could here talking and again the door slowly opened and out popped Brycen he got on his knees and talked to the elf then picked her up and took her into the apartment!!! It was the funniest thing I had a good laugh!!

This leads me to something I'm gonna start on my blog it will be called "the dumb things I have to say to the kids"

1. "Brycen don't stand on the elf."

Since this follows my post do I have to say anymore??