trick or treat and a stupid dog

So we are getting ready to go trick or treat - the clones are ready to go... and Kyle is holding Max and then he isn't and Max is running away - so I drop everything and go off after him.  He eventually makes his own way back to our house - ass - we go to about 10 houses - because seriously - they don't need much and we mostly just go to visit family and not to go to strangers houses and then we get home and - where is my wallet....

Right... gone... so I walk around thinking I've left it on the truck and when we drove off it fell off - so I walked out through a few corners from the house - no luck - came back - looped around the house - searched the driveway, road - on and on and then I come in the house to help with bed time - and then go back out to look again - another lap - I'm thinking out which cards need to be replaced soonest and do one more sweep and there it is on the lawn.. nothing missing - just sitting there...

And so ends another Halloween.

because I'm sure you need a laugh...

Alittle Halloweiner Jib Jab

halloweiner

Bake sale Thursday morning - so I'm up late getting the requested 'werewolf' cupcakes complete - Kyle found them on YouTube and so we all watched the video and then I made them... they actually turned out pretty nice and apparently yummy - didn't try one...

And tonight we carved pumpkins - I was at work all day in PG and got back late - got home to the innards removed and pumpkins ready to carve - so that was a nice surprise - so we decided to take on a bit of a challenge this year... something different....

Any guesses :)

We are taking it easy tomorrow - I'm bagged and need rest or I'm going to fall apart - the writing is on the wall for that.. so we will get some rest, some candy, and enjoy the day... maybe even take in some fireworks tomorrow night... 

love to you and hope everyone has a safe weekend :)

xxoo

jam sandwiches

Sodium benzoate
Potassium benzoate

Both of these are preservatives

Both of these are added to jam to increase shelf life


I'm up late and annoyed by a ham commercial - the little girl has a jam sandwich every day because her mom won't make her ham sandwiches because ham has preservatives... but what's that - the company has a product that doesn't have preservatives so now they can have give her ham sandwiches...

What pisses me off is that I'm going to have to pay more for healthy foods that don't have preservatives which is crap!  Don't preservatives cost money - if you give me the raw goods with out the shit in it wouldn't that be cheaper - doesn't that mean one less piece of machinery needs to add stuff and less people are involved in a simplified process and so there is savings and that means the consumer might save something - not a freakin' chance -

Why am I up so late.. well it is bake sale day tomorrow and Kyle wanted werewolf cupcakes... and they took time... and I had to work late tonight... long week here - working nights - and now with my brief vent out I guess I'll try to sleep... I guess.

just a quick...

HOORAY

I've been working for hours on something that I really wanted to get completed.
And I did it... now for some sleep... some well earned sleep...

a good product

Benylin makes a great vapour plug-in.  You (very carefully) insert a thin tab into a electrical plug-in and it scents a room with the smell of vapour rub.  It is great.  No mess on your skin or the kids - no fear of someone getting the rub somewhere it shouldn't be... it gets plugged in at night and then runs over night... great - bestest thing!  Love this product - plus it actually smells up our living room and I love that smell... so now my living room smells like vapour rub and Michael likes it in his room - as he has a mild cold right now.

I bought this at Shopper's Drug Mart.

blinded by pure awesomeness

We went to Nazko today and my dad - inspired by some tv show made a cake

Wow - right - I mean - looks pretty awesome - extra awesome...

And then.. something from the VERY unexpected file :)

That's right... the inside is green, then a orange layer of icing, then pink, then a purple layer of icing and then blue... WILD!!!!

And that's my dad - wild and crazy :)

and so... I did it!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Here are some lovely green tomatoes that my parents lovingly grew out in Nazko this summer...

Alright - so the tomatoes are cut into 1/2 inch slices - and then they sit for 15 minutes - after being sprinkled with salt and pepper... if you like that.. so they drain a bit... but these green ones didn't have much to drain... 

Once they've drained then it is time for coating them - dipped in milk (1/2 cup), then flour (1/2 cup), then eggs (2 beaten) and then 3/4 cup bread crumbs and then they get ready for cooking... 

And then into some oil for frying - I didn't use as much as the recipe said - it suggested that a 1/2 inch of oil be in the bottom of the pain - I definitely didn't need that - they cooked for 5 minutes on each side

And here they are - all ready for my tummy :)

They go ok with ranch dressing... but only ok - maybe it is that my ranch dressing sucks right now...

Looking for a better suggestion.  And yes, I'm the only weirdo in my house that likes them - Kyle tried them and choked it down in an effort to get Michael to try it... but then gagged and said he couldn't do it - Andy tried it to - he made an equally pleased face...  oh well - more for me :)

hooray

I'm making fried green tomatoes... so happy my parents were getting rid of the green ones today.... can't wait... photos to follow :)

a new fav

A new tea shop opened in Quesnel - Steeped - they are right across the street from my office - they have a cute set up and lots of great tea ... and so as a result of them - I have a new favorite tea (ok - my all time fav is never going to change - it is candy cane lane - and they only put it out at christmas... so I stock up for the year when it comes out... )


Kyoto Cherry
This wonderfully flavored organic green tea is created using a traditional Japanese Sencha green tea and flavored with Montmorency cherry and subtle rose. This tea was created to honor "the spirit of the season" in Japan, when the cherry trees are in full bloom, and delicate smells of the new season cherry blossoms float throughout the Kyoto cultural center. The cup is bright emerald green, fresh and smooth, and boasts excellent depth and body. This tea delivers a wildly exotic character!


With a tsp(ish) of honey - it pretty much makes my day :)


Alright - and speaking of tea - I think I'm going to do that and have a bath 

awesome

"hey mom"

hi

"wow - your hair looks great"

really, you think so

"yes, it looks just like willy wonka"

freakin' awesome!

alright... so much for the new hair cut :)

guess who's bored...

Alright... so please play along... this was spurred by the cup from the previous post...

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

Careful, the beverage you’re about to enjoy is extremely hot

totally doing this...

From Hello Adorable - being promoted by Starbucks on facebook

http://www.helloadorable.com/blogs/helloadorable/how-make-your-significant-others-day-361

hi ho

The guys are in bed - well mostly - I've got some work to do... so I'm watching Lord of the Rings (one of the top five standby background fillers - watched Iron Man the other night... and Ratatouille - couldn't sleep).  I've had an allergic reaction to something two nights in a row - my eyes fill it up and get scratchy - runny nose - stupid... anyway - such is life...

Max is sick - tonight he wouldn't leave the front door - just sat there and then started shaking - freaked me out 'cause I thought he was going to bite me.  Then after a couple hours he followed me upstairs and plunked himself down on the couch and passed out.  Maybe he is just growing, but he has me a bit freaked out.  It is one thing for him to have another home and something totally different for him to die... he is definitely off tonight... I'm just wondering if he ate something - the dog eats everything...

Alright - well I better get to it... just got shouted at by the boys to turn off lord of the rings - the music is bugging them... sheesh... alright - forth standby.. Love Guru... I guess.... we'll see - maybe I'll just flick on Iron Man again... gotta love Apple TV :)

birthday sunday

Today we took Kyle and a bunch of his buddies to the farm - we left late, then things weren't really as planned and then we got back here just as parents were coming to pick up kids - but the kids had fun and that was all that mattered.  The kids learned about electrified fences, peacocks, tractor rides and more.

We made a Star Wars cake - a ship - it had just enough cake for everyone.  This is great because I hate having piles of cake left over that no one eats.  I've made gigantic cakes in the past and everyone eats a tiny square and then there are piles left over. We also made some more of the Star Wars cookies - and they were a hit...

I'd planned to have my parents around but they arrived at the farm and then left in a few minutes - lucky for me one of the great people I work with came with her son and helped me out all day... it was super helpful!  My parents came back to the house and then hung out while Kyle opened a raft of gifts.  I gotta say that the gift thing bugged me - it was too much.  The kids pretty much get what they want - ok - except chocolate every request... - but there are piles of gifts here - and it makes me think that maybe next year will be different...  what was very cool was seeing Kyle put together a lego project - he struggled and struggled with it and then realized he'd skipped a page and then made this wicked black shark - it is awesome - it is one of the coolest lego products I've seen...  he also got a lego model car (thank you, aunti paula) and I can't wait to see him put that together.

Pictures tomorrow - I've got work to do tonight and I want a bath before I get into that.. oh and did I mention that I'm totally tired and would really just like to go to bed and sleep for more than eight hours in a row...  night night

hoover, naw, we named him Max

And tonight - in a new adventure with the dumbest dog ever - after a long week of destroying and eating garbage - the owners of said dog have pretty much "baby" proofed their house now - and so it came with a bit of surprise tonight to see that said little pooch wasn't feeling good.  He lurched and threw up directly on my couch... and what's this... what do we see... a freakin' marble!  He ate a GD'en marble, folks.

And so there is our life - cleaning up throw up from our dog and cat... AWESOME - two hands up!

Tomorrow is the big birthday party - we are going to take them to the farm and play there for the afternoon - come back here for some good old fashion Star Wars cake - woohoo...

Good night my loves - good night :)

Dream no small dreams

Every time I post I go back out and read it and make sure there are no major errors - on this evening I'm sad to report that I also noticed the weather and it says MINUS THREE... and to that my friends, all I have to say is

boo

boooo

So I've been sick pretty much since my last post.  It was awful and I got very little sleep last night as a result.  I stayed home today - it was that bad... and my email isn't working so I couldn't even do email... so that was for the best - I really just needed rest... didn't really get that - but I'm calling it an early night and heading to bed... c'est la vie...

xxoo

what's it like to be pathetic

My coffee maker went the way of the dodo and it hasn't been replaced... and so creativity stepped in this morning and used the following "device"... yes - you are looking at my strainer, and a stainless steel bowl 

And yes, it worked - wasn't hot by the time I got a cup - but... well it was still coffee....

And from the cool file... I got these very awesome star wars cookie cutters in the states - it is probably the best thing I've bought this year... AWESOME!  The guys helped make the dough and then taste tested them - wicked fun!  

Hooray for another day off - I totally needed it... now if my back and side pain would let me sleep through the night... ahhh... so much fun getting old.

Dog

Dog for sale FREE!  To a good home.

Tonight is the last night that I want to pick up destroyed garbage - the dog is insane.  INSANE!
I took the guys to watch Andy play hockey tonight - something I haven't done in years - I left at 8pm - I was home at 9pm and there it was - everything - everywhere.   This is not the first time - he can't control himself - we don't like leaving him at home because he is so crazy.

So that's it - we've had a family meeting and it is time for Max to find a new home.  It sucks - but this is stupid and he deserves a family that can pay more attention to him and we can't keep living like this.

He is fixed, and we've spent a fortune on him but we are just going to give him to whoever wants him.  As long as it is a home where he we will be loved and played with he is yours.  I realize that hearing about him destroying garbage might not be that appealing to someone else but I know he would be a smart dog if someone had more time to give him.  Right now he barely even gets our weekends and gets very little time during the week.

Half pomerian, half maltese - mostly cute - especially when he wants to be.

a site to check out for my big city friends

So we went to PG for the day and just hung out.  Despite my a-hole attitude for half the day it all turned around and we survived and came home.  I'm still feeling tired from the trip and I'm also caught back up in my office chaos - my assistant decided to move on and gave me a letter to that end on Thursday - so I'm dealing with that - and trying to figure out what is the next smart steps... I'll keep plugging away at it.

What else.. well I thought I'd share a great site that I've been using for a while... it is called groupon.com - it is only available in large centres - so my Vancouver and Calgary friends can totally benefit and those of us that visit can also benefit.  It is very simple for us people - the users - you just sign up for the city you want and then you get emails with huge discounts - I mean - half off on healthy living stuff (massage/wax/hair/etc), restaurants and more.  I used this while I was travelling because I thought I might have free time to use some of the coupons - I was wrong... usually the coupons are good for a long time - like up to a year on some of them and some of the deals have been really good - half off on a spa treatment is always great... and you don't have to do anything other than sign up and then pay for the coupon - so buy things you know you will use...

ah... cold season - hello

And so Kyle becomes the first to get sick... he isn't too bad - he has a pretty nasty sounding cough - and while this afternoon and early evening he remained upbeat about going to school tomorrow - tonight he is saying he'd rather not... so tomorrow looks like a mom and son day in the office - as Andy and I both work tomorrow - and my one meeting may be cancelled.. well - one of two... but the other one is ok if Kyle is there...

It is turkey weekend - amen - and we bought a 15 lb'er which we'll cook up on Sunday night... I think... quiet this year - we are going to go to PG on Saturday - if Kyle is ok enough to travel - and with any luck get our skates all sharpened this weekend and go skating next week in the evening.

Michael is doing pretty good - he has a runny nose, but he is doing pretty well.

Alright - well the cougher is calling... time to run :)
hugs and smooches and life without colds to you... night

Tired.. but not...

Jet lag is sooo not my thing.

I'm tired and just want to fall asleep but can't - my jaw is terrible - it is stress... I have a little bit...
It is so bad right now though - well I've actually never seen it this bad - I'm a whole tooth off from centre right now and if I want the top and bottom to line up I nearly have to cry to get my jaws to line up... and what is sad is that I know they use to.

I managed to get my laundry done today - so that is great news - cooked a real dinner, and then was sick from it because I'm just not feeling good - but the guys enjoyed it.  I made little mini quiches - which were a hit - plus a shepherds pie that was a little bit sloppy - but good enough... need to find my kitchen groove again - it was nice to be back in the kitchen though - just nice to cook and eat vegetables and not have to worry about what kind of food will be available today... even went grocery shopping - funny how you miss those things... three weeks of no grocery shopping - it was like I had some madness...

Alright - so I'm going to soak in the tub and read the paper... might as well try that out... had tea and that didn't make me sleepy.

made it

Thought you'd like to know :)

Yesterday was SUPER long... super duper... there was fog for 4.5 hours - thick, terrible - fog.. blah - giant honking blah...

I need about 24 hours of sleep - alas I'm going to work tomorrow...

tomorrow, tomorrow

Alright my lovely friends - here is the last of the crazy flights.  Tomorrow morning I'm off to Minneapolis to Vancouver and then I drive home - AMEN - I'll have pics over the next few days - had a busy weekend with tours and site visits... insane really... plus I'm burnt and it is only 60 degrees here which is about 12 degrees... ish... burnt just the same..

Love to you - xxoo - miss you - hugs - smooches - and you know.. some of that too :)

kansas city

Well I definitely felt like Dorothy tonight - what a place - I do feel like I went to another place...
I'm staying with the Marriott and it is wicked - I'm so glad this is the last hotel - it is a studio style so you get a sitting area and... a kitchen and get this... they give you microwavable popcorn - I'm happy.  I love

I was brave tonight and went for a walk - I left nearly three hours ago and just walked back in - I've been trying to assess downtown evening safety and lighting programs, etc.  Cleveland FAILED - they suck at night lights - it is scary and I wouldn't suggest people walk around - Indianapolis - pass - but not with flying colours - they have blocks that are well taken care of and lit and blocks that are creepy and you know it isn't a good idea to go down there... Kansas City - well again - there are blocks that are great and blocks that are definitely not - I walked 25 blocks to go to a jazz club - I got within a block of it - the block had very little light and what's that... oh - look - it is six cops busting some guy - one on the ground, shouting - madness... and so I exited - stage right - and started walking back - I made it about 6 blocks - found a grocery store (a very nice one) and bought some dinner - lame crappy mid-west sushi - which isn't really sushi - but I was hungry and didn't want to sit in a restaurant alone and then walked one more block and could see it was time to stop... so I got a cab and listened to the owner of the cab rip my cabby a new one over the air system - he cursed him out like you wouldn't believe - AWESOME!

What does it look like here... ahhhh - well here are a few pictures...

I got to my hotel right at dusk - so I'll get piles more tomorrow - lots to check out and see... turns out there might be some baseball and nascar in my future.

xxoo - love to you!

kansas

I'm bagged - kaput...

My arms are so sore from dragging my damned bags around today that I could nearly cry.  I know... a few more days till I go home - two more flights - AMEN!  Today's flights were good - more turbulent than the others, but they were comfortable and the crew was nice.

I should also thank the Kansas City airport for free internet.  I'm waiting for a cab and have a bit of a wait ahead of me.

What about Kansas City...

1. While it is called Kansas City it is half in Kansas and half in Missouri - I don't know what part I'm in...
2. They have over 200 water fountains in the city - 2nd to Rome, Italy
3. 2 million people live in the city - that's more than half of BC's population
4. Walt Disney was from Kansas City
5. The McDonald's happy meal was invented in KC

More later - once I finally leave the airport I'm hoping to take some photos and spend some time on my thesis...