Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Blasted SNOW!!!





Yes, these pictures were taken over the past 3 days!!! Insane. How can people think that Climate Change is a myth?! It's almost the end of April, people!!! I'm so fed up with snow I could spit nails!!


The winds are so strong, which makes driving even worse... Drifting snow is a whole different driving condition, if you've never lived in the prairies!!

This was how it looked out my front step THIS MORNING (after 3 days of constant snow and drift)... This was after Jason had already shoveled the stoop!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Ok, so I lied...

I didn't really have a post ready to go... I had all kinds of good intentions on getting that done!! I swear! There's only a handful of people who read this blog anyway... That would be Katy, Julie, Christy & sometimes Lindsay... Thanks for your patronage!

It's late, and I'm super tired. I was checking up on blogs, and figured I should just add something to let you guys know I haven't forgotten about posting! I'm going to play the "I've got 3 kids" card, and I'll go one more by saying "2 of them compete for my time on the computer!"... I'm beginning to understand how my mum felt when we'd ask to use the car (for work or whatever), and leave her stranded w/ no vehicle... Even though it was hers, and she worked hard to keep it on the road. Come to think of it... I understand a great deal more about my mother, now that I've got 3 kids of my own (just like she did)!! I'm sorry mum. I was a rotten kid lots of the time, and I didn't cut you any slack or empathize! Too bad wisdom comes so late in the game...

Seriously. I'm off to bed. I'm exhausted. I really only came on here to send a quick email... Once again, I've gotten myself distracted with nonsense!

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

ani difranco 7-14-2007 All A This

In the meantime... enjoy this song!!!

Anticipate

I am going to post soon-- very soon... maybe a journal-type post... or a birthday wish list.... something!! Right now, and shitty diaper is calling my name. Joy.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happy Naw Ruz!!!... and Easter!



Today is Naw Ruz (Baha'i New Year), as well as Good Friday... so we decided to do some egg dying with the kids this morning. Fiona and her friend Kylie, Kieran and Jason made some really interesting designs on their eggs using rubber bands, cooking oil, crayons and melted wax!!




Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Good Cookie Recipe

I actually got this off of a pkg of Western Family Butterscotch Chips! This is my way of sharing the recipe, and keeping it on file in case my empty bag goes missing! lol

3/4 c margarine
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg butterscotch pudding
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c water
2 c quick oats
1 c butterscotch chocolate chips

* Cream together margarine & sugars until fluffy.
* sift flour and baking soda into separate bowl.
*Beat in eggs, vanilla and pudding.
*Mix flour mixture into cookie batter (using beaters).
*Beat in water.
Add oats and chips

Scoop into tsp size dollops on baking sheet. Bake 12 min @ 350F

A great substitute is using a different pudding and/or chips (ie. vanilla pudding and chocolate chips...) Next time, I'm going to try to use chocolate pudding, chips and orange extract instead of vanilla!!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

This Week's Culinary Efforts

The following meals were all prepared this week! I used KraftCanada.com constantly!! I'm a big fan of their recipes which use stuff that I usually have in my cupboards, and that don't have a lot of prep time!!!

This was my own creation... it was pasta with Cheddar Cheese soup and Cheese Whiz added. I put Stove-Top Stuffing on top and green onions. Sour cream mixed in with this casserole would have made it more moist.


This was from the Kraft Canada website. It's called Crustless Bacon & Cheese Quiche. I'm really trying to use up stuff that I have w/o having to do groceries. Budget cuts and all. So eggs are a good way of getting protein w/o having to cook meat! Although, there is bacon in there. Not the healthiest meal, but a good comfort food! It would be great for company at brunch or breakfast, too!


My own version of Kraft's Cheesy Volcano Meatballs. I didn't make it very Italian like the recipe. This is more my meatloaf that I make, but in muffin shapes. The kids like it b/c it's portion sized, and I call them "Jumbo Meatballs"! A big hit in our house! I use stuffing, egg, italian dressing, bbq sauce, onions, garlic.

I made this last night. It's called Easy Chinese Stirfry. It tasted good, but I's prefer a more peanutty sauce or something more gingery. The recipe calls for the Sweet Onion Vinaigrette. The kids liked it- sans legumes! lol

Saturday, March 15, 2008

BLOG SPAMMERS... Virus links

If you get a comment from someone that seems unfamiliar, and all it says is "Warning! Click here"... it's an attempt to have you download a virus. The blog is bogus, that the poster comments from!!! DO NOT CLICK IT! Delete the post.

Katrina

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Glorious Spring Weather and Geocaching


The kids with their caching finds, at the most Northern entrance into Edmonton!

Fiona and Kieran trailing behind Jason, looking for a cache in the uber muddy trail!! This was one of the Winter '08 Cache & Release (CAR08), caches. They are activated on geocaching.com at 6pm Friday evening, and the event ends Saturday (tonight) around 5pm, I think? All the cachers meet up, and get prizes for the most caches found, most FTF's (First to Find) etc.

The big puddle on the trail behind our house!! Kieran had a blast playing here for a very long time!! Jason took a great video, that is too big to post here. I'll have to put it on YouTube or Google Video...

Friday, March 07, 2008

Domesticitiy (is that a word??)





Yesterday, I made Honey Garlic Ribs for supper and an Asian Noodle Salad!! It was quite easy, and I have Recipezaar to thank! :)

This is my copy of the recipe, as I don't have a computer in my kitchen!! That God-awful mustard colour, is the colour of my counters. I hate them... as well as my entire kitchen. But, I'm reminded, that even though I fork over $200/mo in condo fees... it's MY kitchen.



Ribs marinating.

Ribs ready for the oven after 5 hrs of marinating.

This wasn't the absolute LAST step. I had to drain all that juice/fat, then add the rest of the marinade on top, and bake for another 20min or so ;)

They were delicious. The sauce is a bit rich, but the meat tasted amazing!



The Asian Noodle Salad

* 1/4 c soy sauce
* 1/4 c seasoned rice vinegar
* 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
* 1 tsp minced garlic
* 1/4 c sliced green onions (scallions)
* 1 c grated carrot
& cooked noodles of your choice!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Rosheen in Motion

Reading Rainbow


I was inspired by Julie's blog to post about all the reading material that is on my waiting list!! I have started numerous books over the past year, with good intentions to finish them! Sadly, I haven't finished a book since reading "Sweetness in the Belly" by Camilla Gibb!

The photo above, should be in chronological order by which I started reading them!! "The Good Earth" being the longest dust collector on my list! I started this book after seeing it on the best seller's list at Chapters. I love reading about Chinese history, preferably non-fiction. This is a fictitious novel, written in the earlier part of the 1900's. The writing style is not comfortable for me to read... a lot of those old words used, like "thou" "tis" etc. I have had a hard time getting through it, and even visualizing the backdrop. Had I not been to China, I don't know if I'd have an accurate visual in my mind!

The second book "The Glass Castle" was an impulsive buy at Costco. I have read about half of it, and have enjoyed the story so far. I just kept putting it down for longer stretches, and never got back to the story!! It's not a long book, or a hard read. My time for reading just hasn't been plentiful over the past year!

"The Twentieth Wife" was also a Costco purchase. I am trying to branch out and read from different cultures, rather than just China! I'm not sure what it is about this book, but I have had a hard time getting into it, and sticking with it! I plan to get back to it eventually!

Next on the list is "Middlesex". I originally thought it was a historical read by an immigrant family from the UK, based on the cover and the name! haha I was wrong. I had heard great things about this book, and thought it might be a nice change from what I tend to read. It's intersting, but again... it wasn't keeping my interest! I will finish this one, eventually, as well!! LOL

"What is the What" is about a man from Sudan who escapes the fighting and makes his way to America as a refugee. It's technically a novel, only b/c the man who wrote it cannot tell with certainty the exact details of his life during those times. It is, however, based on a true story. The author is not the person the story is about, as he is simply the "writer". I read good reviews about this in a magazine, and that's why I picked it up.

"Kabul Beauty School" was my Valentine's present from Jason. He knows I like to read biographical books about other cultures etc. Which is why he picked this one up for me. I'm currently reading this one, and am about half way through. It's not bad, but a bit of a fluff piece in my opinion! I don't really care to hear about perm solution details and exactly HOW the author taught these things to the women of Kabul. I understand overcoming language barriers, but the author gives too many details about this sort of thing (explaining foils, colouring hair etc). It's a light read, and it's a true story. So I'm sticking with it.

I'd really like to read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (the author of The Kite Runner)! I'm anxiously awaiting this book on paperback!!!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Mild Weather


Kieran & Fiona breaking in their Newt Suits and rubber boots!!

Into the Wild - Trailer

The trailer for the film previously mentioned on my blog... Been a couple of weeks since I saw it, and I still can't get it out of my head.

Eddie Vedder Rise

Not much of a video, but the music is what's important here...

Into The Wild

Excellent film. I highly recommend it!

This song is stuck in my head, from the movie's soundtrack. Eddie Vedder does the whole sndtrk-- which is also amazing.



RISE

Such is the way of the world
You can never know
Just where to put all your faith
And how will it grow

Gonna rise up
Burning black holes in dark memories
Gonna rise up
Turning mistakes into gold

Such is the passage of time
Too fast to fold
Suddenly swallowed by signs
Low and behold

Gonna rise up
Find my direction magnetically
Gonna rise up
Throw down my ace in the hole"

Eddie Vedder


Friday, February 15, 2008

A year later- mourning the loss of my hair






This is the progression of my haircuts over the past year...























































This is how it looks now... on a good day!

I have to say, I've had some good haircuts. My cut at Aveda (when I finally got a stylist that knew what I was after, named Gillian), was great... but expensive. I went to The Guilded Pear. Lindsay H. did a great job. However, it's a good 35 min west and south of here! Too far! I then went to Lavish. I'm satisfied, but it's just not quite the way I'm wanting it to be...

Friday, February 08, 2008

The weenie/marshmallow Roast!

Jason prepping the fire!


















Jason helping Kieran get that hot-dog roasted up just right!













Fiona's hotdog is gone! Hot chocolate in the thermos! Yum!
Posted by Picasa

More Pictures from our Winter adventure in Hawrelak Park




Posted by Picasa

Geocaching in Hawrelak Park


I don't know if you can see the camouflaged bucket in the tree to the right of Jason-- that's what he's after! He's been wanting to get this cache for a long time, but it's only accessible in the winter, when the pond is frozen over. After a long week of of -48C temps, we figured it was a good time!





The loot!










Kieran feeding Rosheen some snow while we wait for Dad to put the geocached back in the tree.







Posted by Picasa