solutions

And so... I clean... and be a grown up and bake.

So I just finished making banana bread (which I actually don't enjoy) and now I'm going to make rice krispies... and then I don't know what I'll do... too early for bed, too late for some baking projects...

Ah... maybe a glass of wine... maybe.... plus singing...  just like back in university when 'binder use to find me belting out bette midler like a moron... now there is a throw back for you... do you remember that... I remember you catching me once when we lived with kelly and liz... just one of those nights...

love to you - kisses and smooches ;)

ROAR

Max destroyed my frog wallet tonight (ESPE) - not happy - not happy one little bit...

and what is wrong with the freakin' weather - plus FOUR and now it is MINUS eight - I'm getting too old for this!

And... I want a cleaning fairy - I really really want that - I want the hoarding people (not that it is even close to that bad) to come over and just purge and... and - well I'm just disliking being a grown up tonight... blah!

interesting

A facebook intern has mapped friendship connections... see the pictures and read his post here...
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=469716398919

and in the comedy corner

"Mom, want to play a game?"

Ok

"What starts with the letter 'g'?"

Got any more clues?

"nope - it starts with g"

goat, grape, glove, godzilla

"no"

sure, that there aren't any more clues

"it is blue"

it is blue and starts with the letter g

"yes"

ok... it isn't grape

"it isn't grape"

hmmmmmm

At this point he looks at me like I'm the slow kid and says,

"Mom - look...."

And so he turns over this card with the picture of the thing that starts with g that is blue and says...

"See it is a blue surf board"

AWESOME!

tea

Lucky me I got some new teas....

I got some mistletoe tea - from Steeped - the new tea shop in Downtown Quesnel and some all nut (with a little apple) tea from David's tea.

They are yummy - little bit of honey and it is all good :)

Now off to have a cup...

(yes, this quick post means that I had a crappy day and frankly I have nothing to really say that is positive or uplifting.. oh wait - I do have one thing - heyyyyyy stupid people - a cappuccino is not a fancy italian word for regular coffee, if you ever go back to starbucks (doubt it) ask for a tall (small), grande (medium), venti (large) coffee.... kah-fee... - I watched a grown man get mad - very mad - because there was foam in his cappuccino and what the hell was it doing in there...  for five cents! mad people - go home and be mad there - leave your anger and hate for the world somewhere else - your anger does nothing for you except shorten your life expectancy - if you wore a smile you'd live longer and be a joy to be with... and hey - if you'd have smiled at the starbucks lady instead of being a total douche bag she would probably have made you another drink to make your day but instead she did nothing because you were an asshole!)

northern bc dinosaur

Tonight I headed out to Nazko to pick up the boys and came around the corner to this beauty.

If' I'd been to busy to notice this guy I would nearly have driven under him in my CRV - he was a beast!

And now off to watch some hockey.

PS - Tuesday night - another meteor shower - after 10pm until dawn - get out and enjoy it - 

what else kept us busy tonight...

Here are the guys getting ready to help out with an experiment chocolate.

I've been reading about cake pops (bakerella) online and at the library and thought

we'd give it a try tonight... so first... we made a cake... white - no yokes...

And here is the yummy cake baking in the oven

So then...  and I know how stupid this is going to sound - you bust the crap

out of your cake after it has cooled completely... then you mix the cake crumble with a 1/2 a can of frosting

Ok - so you mix that up and then you form balls - now mine were about a tablespoon each and that was wayyyyyy too much - it could be half that and be quite enjoyable at that size... but this being an experiment - I didn't know any better.... so they stay in the freeze for about 15-20 minutes to really cool off

So then I dipped each one in chocolate - I really wanted to do white chocolate but didn't have enough 

then I topped each one with a tree

And this is a half eaten one - I actually couldn't stomach much more because they are super sweet and it is midnight and that was enough... I'll definitely make them again - half the size and likely with a chocolate cake... maybe tomorrow nights adventure... 

Good night my loves! love and kisses to you!

WHAT

Who thought that adapting "Time of My Life" was a good idea - I know - by writing this I'm showing that I'm not up on my much music - but what the freakin' heck!  That just makes me mad and want to throw things at the tv.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Alright... need to find something else to do that doesn't include much music... or at least until that song ends... I mean really... really....

Ok - I'll stop complaining... for right now.

it made me laugh

today

December 8 - TODAY - is my lovely sister's birthday!
She has had an exciting year and the year ahead looks to be amazing.  Happy Birthday to you my lovely dear sister and best wishes for the most fantastic year ahead with your beautiful little baby!

LOVE YOU!

ps. I'm also so glad that the hole in my pants was able to get you laughing :)  fantastic... that must have been the reason why that whole situation happened - to ensure that I could provide you with a laugh for your birthday - since I couldn't get my shit together to get you anything else...

because I'm classy like that

Tonight I went to Safeway to grab some chow for dinner - so we toured Safeway - and I ended up running through twice because I forgot something the first time... and during my second run through I realize I'm wearing my yoga pants backwards - now it isn't that big a deal because really - they are black all the way around and there isn't a difference between the front and back.. ok - so maybe there is... but let's just play along and say that that is ok...

Alright - so I get home - we get settled and I go into the bathroom to turn my pants around and then I remember why I'd tucked these pants away - you see I dug them out tonight and just tossed them on - and forgot... forgot that there was a good size hole in the front  of them... ahhhhh but that was on the back tonight while I did grocery shopping - AWESOME!

Yes, that's right - some good old classy april ass was showcased at our local safeway tonight... woohoo!
good times... good times :)

the power of the internet

More than a year ago I listened to this... http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic#p/c/F125407272F3C1A4/6/oIr8-f2OWhs - it is a cover of Single Ladies (Beyonce) that Pomplamoose did - I liked it because it was something different... and then tonight as I sat watching 'You've Got Mail' a Hyundai commercial comes on and start thinking - man that is a similar style to Pomplamoose... and sure enough, it is them... great work, Pomplamoose!  You guys are awesome and I hope to hear more of your great re-mixes.

Watch the Pomplamoose Hyundai commercial here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c7YR2eJq_4

Onward and sideways - love to you!

Death cannot stop true love, it can only delay it for a while

weekend lowlights... (if that's a word)

Word to the wise... if you get ill from spiders, mold or nasty comments from me - stop reading here... please... 

Yes... this is me actually giving you a break in space to stop those with weak constitutions and opportunity to not view the items below - although if you want to see the photos of the kids being cute at the parade you are going to have scroll past these nasty photos... alright - so fine.. I'm hoping then that you simply closed the page down - rather than carried on reading... or whatever...

One of the local restaurants has started to incorporate penicillin into their orders.

Now this actually made me more antsy then the disgusting burger.. this is a box of decorations, direct from China - this is a spider - and yes - it is alive... because I totally poked it.  It didn't move far, but it made me think about our consumerism yet again and how that endless shopping can go wrong - terribly wrong... 

So, boys and girls, what did we learn this weekend...

1. that preparing meals at home is smarter than eating out

2. that you should really wash all the stuff that comes from china (on one of my recent field trips for work I met a person who regularly ships stuff overseas - they explained that everything - EVERYTHING - that comes over to Canada from China is fumigated and if it hasnt been fumigated it won't be let into the port... fumigated... I wonder if that is on the label)

3. that having cameras on cell phones is totally valuable! 

weekend highlights

Kyle - hamming it up :)

The boys at the Santa Parade - road in style with the Mayor 

The light up for the footbridge - it is pretty amazing!

 Fireworks off the roof at Granville's in Downtown Quesnel

And then today... we found a tree at Moose Meadows Farm

And then we put some ornaments on it... here is my favorite one... 

this morning

Michael wanted to share some cookies this morning with his class... so here he is at the Quesnel bakery picking out his treats this morning.  I'm pretty sure we will make a trip there tomorrow since we couldn't get what he wanted this morning - what else but one of their yummy long johns - then the boys will be in the christmas parade - so more photos tomorrow night.

Love to you!  xxoo

coffee

Alright friends, family, hot sexy people who frequent this site... I see you... :)  I'm in search of the best coffee maker.  I have a four-potter that we used for camping and I also have my "high-tech" kitchen sieve process for making coffee... what is the best way to make coffee...

We have a Keurig at work (Ferguson) - he doesn't work very well - sometimes he likes to make three cups of coffee instead of the one we asked for - little crazy... but he fits in... plus we have the regular, unleaded 12 cupper that most offices have...

Does anyone have the Tassimo?

What about the old school pots?  I'm thinking of getting an old steep model from the antique shop (percolator).

Thoughts? Suggestions...

december

12:08 - it is officially December

I know - you are equally as excited as I am


Magic Erasers
A few years ago I spent some time assessing the Magic Erasers and couldn't find what the ingredient was that caused everything to be cleaned with such ease.  I have still not figured this out - however - the last time I used them it took the skin off my fingers.

And the answer is....
Magic Erasers have a melamine foam and no formaldehyde - I found a story about a child that had rubbed it on his arms and face and it burned him - so note to self - don't try to remove make up with Magic Erasers... was sooo going to try that tonight... so I guess that explains why my finger tips were a mess after the last use - it is probably the first time that I've used an entire eraser in one day... maybe that over use did it... so what is the good news story here - well it means that I should do less house work and relax more... ok, so maybe that isn't the moral of the story, but sit back for a moment, and let's discuss how we can make that work :)

xxoo - happy December

work

Tonight I'm working - brought home a pile of it - it is going ok.  I needed a break so I'm taking one, plus I can't sit on the floor anymore as it is killing my back.  I had this great set up on the floor, but it is no longer great and it is just causing everything to ache.

It is windy here tonight and also warming up when it was supposed to cool right off tonight - forecast said minus 10 and it is a balmy zero - bikini weather around these parts after that last few weeks of nonsense minus 20's and colder.

Alright - I guess that is a long enough break... better finish this job up.
xxoo

sunday

It is postsecret Sunday - in case you aren't part of the following - every Sunday new postcards are posted over at POST SECRET - people mail in postcards and share a secret with the viewers of the site and with the people that buy the books.

Go Riders Go

there has to be a smarter way

I regularly read American news on CNN, which I know is more propaganda than real news, but tonight I read the following:

Black Friday problems

It is a sad state that we feel we have to consume so much.  That we need to spend more than we can afford and hurt people to spend.   Oprah had a great article in her magazine this month on spending - noting that if you can't pay off what you are buying for Christmas by January you should be re-thinking what you are buying.  It also spoke to how we all want to be generous and go above and beyond for our family and friends, but at what cost to you emotionally later when the ends aren't meeting.

I think it is important to remember that we have family and friends because of our personalities - who we are - and while it is nice to give and receive gifts I think it is more important to give yourself - share a skill that you have, spend time with someone - I would gladly accept a hand cleaning the house versus a box of chocolates  or anything.  I've asked my family to stop buying gifts for us "grown ups" and if they want to buy stuff for the guys ok, but to take it easy - spending time with someone is far more valuable than any one gift - or hand me down stuff that would otherwise go unused - case in point my aunty mary would spend all kinds of time with me and share stories and gave me little knick knack things she had collected or she would do my nails... she has been gone for a number of years but I remember these fond moments over any gift exchange.  And please - when you end up shopping this year remember to stay smiling - there are stupid people everywhere and between rushing around and parking and crazy people and all the other day to day nonsense things can get out of control - sit back - take an extra sip of coffee and remember that you aren't one of the stupid people and that you have control of yourself and that smiles are free and your good behavior can be a beacon for others.  xxoo

drinks

While I totally and completely love the soy peppermint mochas at Starbucks it isn't practical to have one every day.  I was in Vancouver this weekend and had something that I knew I could make at home and be just as good and get my peppermint fill without the syrup calories (like I'm counting those lately - ha)

Step 1 - buy Candy Cane lanes tea - it is only available in the season so stock up on this to get you through the year and your favorite hot chocolate mix

Step 2 - make your favorite hot chocolate at home and once you've got it stirred up add a tea bag.  Now since it is too hot to drink anyway - let it steep for 2 minutes or longer - then you will have a yummy peppermint hot chocolate - feel free to add chocolate shavings on top or whip cream - if you are into that :)

love you - happy saturday

dr oz

He has this great show on tonight about foods to avoid, vitamins to avoid...

Strawberries - USDA found 50 different residues on strawberries - (pesticides)
So instead - soak in 2 minutes in water before rinsing - cleans up lots of the urk

Apples - USDA found over 40 different residues on apples (pesticides) plus apples are waxed and wax doesn't come off - apples aren't supposed to be shiny
So peel apples

Spinach -USDA found more than 40 different residues
Washing isn't enough - pick organic or get frozen spinach - the wash and blanch before freezing - taking off 90% of the pesticides

Peaches - USDA found more than 60 different residues on peaches - soft skinned fruit is tougher to wash, pesticides can absorb through - organic alternatives will be enough - so how do you clean these fruit...

Dr Oz suggested the following:
Home solution to wash pesticides off

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 cup juice lemon
mix - done - then pour in spray bottle and then you can taste it... then you can spray your fruit/veggies to clean off

He has a pretty good website - learn more cool stuff at www.doctoroz.com 

ahoy

In an effort to convey information and to start a new trend....

So telephones were invited in the east coast - with lots of mariners - and they greeted each other with Ahoy - Edison turned this into hello - why is this important information...

I'm suggesting that for Thursday Nov 25 - we all answer the phone with Ahoy - if nothing else we will create smiles, which leads to happiness and joy :)

love ya!

airport

I'm at YVR - with FRRREEEE internet!  AWESOME.

I had to return my car rental at 1pm so I'm here super early and just hanging out.  I stuff everything in my carry on - so I've got my computer, and a magazine.  It is cold in the airport - but it was hot in the far end of the airport and in a classic April slowday move I lost my boarding pass as soon as I came through security. I'm not really sure what the heck I did with it - I'm actually thinking security didn't hand it back to me - but whatever... they were able to issue me a new one.

So I guess I'm going to sit here and read and just be one with all the other travellers until the flight gets here... love to you - hope your Tuesday is going fantastic!

i'm an aunti

Well my friends - it is official - I am an aunti - my sister had her baby yesterday afternoon - she is doing ok - sounds like things could have gone better and she is DEFINITELY a trooper.  Mr. Nicholas Joseph - came in at 10 lbs and 3 ounces - naturally - without drugs... MADNESS!  So send your good thoughts for a healthy recovery to my sister and a heroes medal for doing such a great job!  Congrats Mel - you are awesome!

Love you!

And what am I doing now... well I'm going to bed - after doing some reading and catching up on some filing.  xxoo

babies...

No - she has fought the battle through the night and it sounds like progress is finally being made - about 30 minutes ago they were getting ready to move her into labour and delivery... hooray!

PS - Freakin' minus 22 right now - WHAT!!!!!!!

colder... what

And now it is minus 16... and cooling quickly...

I also want to advise Shaw and the other media that I'm ok with them running commercials for the Jake Gyllenhaal movie on repeat - in fact, there are a number of shows that can be deleted from the schedule in exchange for Jake's commercials.

Merci beaucoup

No new news on Mel... two hours of nothing... hopefully I'll get a late hour update... hate to bug her because she might actually be trying to sleep

old

I'm getting to old for this crappy, cold weather... I mean really - minus 14 and it isn't even that late.
Max can't even go outside - he went out tonight and pulled one of those passing out goat moves... he put one foot up, then took a step, then lifted a different leg because he was cold and then just plotted over into the snow and didn't know what to do... it was sad and pathetic... so we took him in ... plus it is only minus 14 and we know that it is going to get a heck of a lot colder than that.

Mel was re-induced this afternoon and things are picking up tonight - she is having contractions every 15 minutes or so and more than one... but it looks to be a long night... poor Mel... everyone please send your good thoughts her way... she'll need them to stay strong through the next hours.

and...

Hey - and if you can see the sky where you are - the meteor shower is going.. so get out and enjoy it... wish we had an open sky.... freakin' winter...

What the heck is up with this negative 10-15 crap!  and inches and inches of snow - my parents got more than a foot - TODAY - in less than 24 hours.  BAHHHHHH!

no announcements

So my sister was induced this afternoon - and now she is sitting in the hospital waiting... trying to be patient.  It sounds like they will re-induce her tomorrow if things aren't moving along.  She's had a few "good" contractions, but nothing consistent.

As soon as I know though... I'll post something.  I told her to call me in on my cell for the birth - if she feels like it - then I can cheer her on from afar... be even better if she could skype me in - :)

aunti april

Hells yes!  My sister is getting induced tomorrow - HOOORAY!!!!!!!

craft

WTF

SNOW - weather change - negatives ALL WEEK!  FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Ok - my readers - I like the north - I like the range in weather because we get really nice and hot in the summer and really nice snow - but man I hate the shift.  I'm cold already and we haven't even had any really cold weather yet... upside... well it means that I should use the fire place... which can lead to s'more consuming and just nice evenings with wine and lovely-ness....

And that is all from the land of whiny-whinersons :)

what's cooking

Wednesday night - make no plans - it is Leonid night - a really good meteor shower! At least 20 an hour, but usually there is more - one year it was -20 when I watched it and there were probably 60 or more in a hour - you couldn't keep up with the number screaming across the sky.

Today we made raspberry streudel muffins, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, moo shu pork (a new recipe for me), almond jello with fruit, beef/pork and broccoli - oh and I'm going to make an overnight french toast - I'm testing this now so I'm not testing over the holidays and disappointing everyone with a failure breakfast - figured I could do something on a Monday and just be a regular failure :)  I'm not a fan of french toast so this is a big deal for me to even try something like this.

I'm busy this week - too busy - and it looks like it isn't going to let up until December... and then it should be good again..

Alright my loves - I'm going to see what kind of trouble I can get into tonight - love ya!

oh and I totally loved How to train your dragon - what a great kids movie - most will know that I'm partial to dragons (hereditary - lmao) but beyond that it had a good story and moral and I know that this puts me behind 'cause I'm only just seeing it now and it has been out for a while, but I thought I'd mention it... alright... off to find chaos :)

snow update

So it did snow in town a little last night - I mean a very very very little... but it meant that Michael got to throw a few small snowballs and Max got to see what snow is...

how about a little crafty...

I'm in the process of getting my office/craft/art space back in order and decided to print off some simple 'things to get done' list cards - I just printed them off on card stock so they are a little more hearty and picked an uplifting colour... what next... hmmmmmm

If you want a copy to print off on your printer email me at aakcheng at gmail dot com and I'll gladly send the pdf to you

il neige

Well it is trying - it is cold and it is lightly raining tonight - so the snow should be hitting the ground later tonight.  I'm kind of looking forward to it - just come and let us get us to it...

I was surprised to hear the woman that killed a four year old got 2.5 years in prison.  I recognize that she will (may) have guilt the rest of her life for the crime she committed, but that seems pretty light.  And to hear that she is going to appeal the decision - I can't say I'm surprised, but really.. really... I certainly hope that the detective work was complete and that she won't get off on this on a technicality - like the "i"s weren't dotted on this one.

Alright back to snow watch 2010...

snow

Well the sky looks like snow is coming... but no flakes yet.

Today we went to the paramedics lunch - they don't have a christmas party and instead have a big lunch on Remembrance Day. The kids ate a classic lunch of brownies, fruit, cake, crepes and more brownies - mmmmmm....  oh, and cookies :)

So I think I'm going to spend the rest of the day cleaning up and making soup or doing something in the kitchen.  I also want to do a run through of Michael's room and try to de-clutter.  We went to Wal-Mart this afternoon and it seemed like everyone in town was there - it was like Christmas shopping kicked off there today and people were really going to town.  We picked up some stuffing for our new project - which I'm trying to fix so I can take photos and share.

Alright - and there is a brief mid-lazy-day update :)
xxoo

because I know you'll care

It is freakin' MINUS FIVE here tonight - brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Yet another important announcement  :)

Thank you for reading here - xxoo - smooches

fyi

Australia is not in Asia - just thought I'd pass on that important information.

piiiisssssssssssed

And for the third time this year my debit card has been compromised and I'm put in the great position of having to leave everything at the register and call my bank and find out what the hell is going on!  FFS

I'm pissed at my bank because the previous two times should have been a big enough sign to get me a new card number but... NOOOOO - I keep all that and get stuck - some stupid business in Q-town is under investigation for keeping customer information - well I can name all the places I went to yesterday and I go to all those places - ALLLLL THE TIME - so why on earth has this happened again

Alright - I just totally needed to vent and now need to figure out what to cook for dinner since I was at the grocery store buying it when the rug got pulled out from under me on that... how I love the look from them.. um your card is rejected - says it is stolen - well why don't you f$%#ING shout it - oh wait - you did - awesome - ROAR!

destructo dog

Tonight we went out... and when we got home our dear little friend was sitting at the door... the clue with him is that he doesn't follow us upstairs... ah... so what did you do...

And there it is - the garbage can torn apart - now he knows he has been bad and guilt keeps him in the basement for an hour...  good times with pets - good times

and math prevails

Alright - people - if you want to lose weight - here is the trick - eat less calories than you are right now.... that's it - there is nothing else you need to know... a science person has put this very difficult and complex issue to the test by completing the following: he tried the twinkie diet - so he didn't just eat twinkies - although I'm sure that some people will try that - what he did is he decided to eat only 1800 calories a day and most of that caloric intake came from twinkies and twinkie related products... he lost more than 25 lbs this way... and had a positive impact on his other health scores (cholesterol, etc)

So now let's put our thinking caps on - why did he lose weight - not because he ate twinkies, it is MATH!  Math is what conquers the system... it isn't a magic pill, twinkies, more water, more milk... just math...

So I've figured out my problem with weight loss - I suck at math... note to self, must learn to add and subtract more efficiently....

Here is the full article if you care to read it...
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html?hpt=T2

dairy pushers...

Ok - so my second craft attempt is making me squirrelly so I've opted for some web surfing and then some tub time... and then maybe I'll go back to it and try and fix it... rrrrr..

I've got food network on in the background and there it is again.. the dairy people pushing cheese - all you need is cheese... ah, but in this commercial all there is cheese - there looks to be vegetables and meat in the cheese... but it isn't the focus - how terrible that we need to train our children and families to eat food by saturating it with something else - don't taste your vegetables or anything else - dip it in cheese first - that will make it better.

If you can't eat a vegetable without cheese or a sauce - maybe you shouldn't eat that vegetable and you should find some other vegetable that you love... there are lots...

what of the rest of the day?

So we picked some pictures, printed them, put them in frames and actually put them on the wall... AMAZING!

We did arts and crafts - and I'm going to work on one more before you get photos...

We made cookies - and when I say cookies - I mean we made more than 100 and it was great - we had lots of fun!

I'm in the process of finishing a stew - it was too sweet - if stew can be sweet and so I'm trying to mellow the flavour out - it tastes like stew but just a little too sweet...

We bought Max his own official bed - yes, he still lives here... and a new plant for the office

And now we are watching a movie - or the guys are and I'm inbetween projects....

Happy Sunday

i heart youtube

So Kyle has asked me to take on a project today... and I'm nearly finished it (photos later) but I needed to learn something - how to do a ladder stitch - and thanks to a whole pile of people on youtube I was able to figure it out - hooray :)  I'm so not a seamstress but maybe one day I'll be able to do more than a running stitch - I'd love to make a quilt one day, but my brain just doesn't understand instructions for sewing very well... but maybe with youtube I'll get there :)

dinner

"Mom - what are we having for dinner tonight?"

-We are making boo-ree-toes... and you get to pick what goes in it

"Oh, well I want chicken and fries"

-No - burritos - we get to put the filling in

"ok"

2 minutes later

"Mom, what is in those bum thongs"

-pardon - I'm blinking and my brain is trying to catch up with the translation
- do you mean burritos

"yes, the booreethongs"

AWESOME

mr linden

Alright - so this is the third time I've seen him this year..  today I went into our coffee shop - Granvilles and I'm standing next to this tall guy and I'm not paying attention and then I go sit down to get my drink and this guy next to me says - pretty cool to stand in line with Trevor Linden... HA...so then I run out of the shop and get to my office and get the girls and we run back out on the street so we can walk by him and say hello - man, he is good looking... so then he just walked around downtown Quesnel this morning - so one of the other girls in the office ran after him and shook his hand and welcomed him to Quesnel - fun...

I didn't get a picture of him - I remembered about 10 minutes after the fact that my cell phone takes photos.. but he was here today to present to our students at our annual event - Career Leap - so he is guest speaking right now... woohoo :)

baby names

In an effort to aid my sister (days to go on the arrival our new family member) Kyle and Michael decided they wanted to help and suggest some names...

Girls

Donna
April the 2nd (ok that was from me)
Lady J
Merle

Boys

Steve
Jet
Duke
Anakin
Rex

We all always really like Yoda - but understand the complications of naming him that... it could be a wicked middle name though :)

Love you!

And now.. I'd love to hear others suggestions... I'm sure my sister won't mind hearing a few more name suggestions...

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...