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!
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More Pictures from our Winter adventure in Hawrelak Park




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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.







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Sunday, January 27, 2008

Rosheen's First Birthday!


Rosheen turned 1 on January 23! I can't believe it's already been a year since she was born. Even after having 3 kids, I still can't believe how fast the time goes. Rosheen is walking now- even trying to say things. She's got Mama & Dada down pat, and even points to us when she's shouting our names at the top of her lungs! lol Jason's parents were here this past week for her birthday. They just left yesterday morning and are now home in Manitoba. Bobbie, Jason's mum, also celebrated her birthday this week! I'll keep the # a secret ;) Here are some pictures from Rosheen's birthday!





















Saturday, January 26, 2008

Some of my cards

I have posted just a couple of pics of the cards I've made recently. I have pictures of other cards as well, but we've just had a file retrieval done and I have no idea where they are at the moment!


I made this one for Rosheen's birthday.






















This one was for my MIL for her b-day.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Christmas in Alberta with the Connell's


Me, Rosheen, (brother) James, (dad) Pat, (mother) Hazel, (brother) Shaun, Jason, Kieran & Fiona

Ok, so I've really neglected my blog... People probably don't even check this anymore! lol I have to say, that Facebook seems to eat my time... but I'm not on there as much as I used to be. It's good for meeting people and seeing what everyone is up to... but then, it looses it's lustre.



My parents were here for Christmas; the first one ever in Edmonton and the first one with my family since 2002 (when Fiona was only 2 mos old)! Thanks to my brother, who paid for their flight here ;) The kids had a great time- and I'm pretty sure my mum and dad enjoyed themselves as well!! I've got pictures to prove it!




















































































Jason even got out Geocaching with my dad and the kids, on a gorgeous day! We had just gotten a nice hoar frost a few days prior, followed by some sticky and fluffy snow... A very scenic combination!!!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Autumn in Edmonton



Well, we've had a mix of weather so far this fall! We've been as low as -3C and as high as 20C! The weather can't seem to make up it's mind! The past 2 weekends have been gorgeous, but we have also been busy with visiting, geocaching and holiday celebrations! Yesterday afternoon, we finally got out to take some family pictures with the tripod! My plan is to send some good ones out (or a good one) with the Christmas cards! So, I'm keeping the gooders to myself! Here are a sample of our autumn photos!



















Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Fiona's First Day at School


Yesterday was Fiona's first day at school. Well, technically, it was an orientation day! Friday is the first full (or half) day without parents present. Fiona loved it. She had loads of fun and is excited to go back on Friday. I never had any worries about how she would do on her first day. Maybe, that's why I wasn't that emotional about it. I knew, and know that she is ready for this step. She's always been a very social girl, who loves to meet new friends and try new things. I hope she hangs on to this forever, and stands her ground as a strong female. My brain is already rushing ahead to high school, and praying that she marches to her own beat and doesn't get sucked into all the negative behaviours of peers around her. Perhaps, this fear is a result of working in group homes for several years. I have to remember: Not ALL teenagers are up to something mischievous! :)

Here are some photos from her first day...