Monday, July 21, 2008

Menu Plan Monday - 10 Day DO Challenge

On Cindy's Porch - she has posted a 10 day Challenge - to not spend money, and still "Do" stuff and shop at home first.

Like don't buy gas for the last 10 days of July! Don't buy food - instead use what you have in your cupboards, fridge and pantry instead. Will you take the challenge?

I won't make it to the end of the month - that's for sure.... as I'm in dire need of salads right now - and we'll be driving all around the town too because we need to get places but I will cut back!



Since it is Monday I guess a menu plan should be in order.

M21 - Chicken bits and salad (m's choice - so she could watch Star Wars)
T22 - Pasta with a noodles and veggies.
W23 - Tacos w/leftover turkey or pork - salad
T24 - Heading out so something quick
F25 - Homemade Pizza
S26 - Leftover meat and rice stirfry
S27 - Something concocted from the pantry!


If this is up your alley feel free to view more menus for this week here

Friday, July 18, 2008

Oh Gosh! *big ole red blush*

I just received an award! Woohoo! I've never won anything before either!! AmyDe at Ignore Me - It's Easier nominated me for this very important and very prestigious award.


Is this where I offer the oscar speech?? Gosh I hate speech writing!

Gosh, Thank you, you're too sweet!!

Well hello and welcome to my old friends and new! I'm truly honoured to be recognized! *blush* I spend a great deal of time blogging about my crafting activities, the things that happen in my life and just trying to understand the strange and crazy notions I have rumbling around my brain here from time to time! I use my blog as a sounding board sometimes - usually hoping for feedback - and sometimes just to put the thoughts out of my head!! I spend much of my time crafting because my wonderful children let me, its therapeutic and relaxing!- but we also do some wonderful stuff together. My ventures in crafting eventually lead to my kids doing the same, they see mummy do things and eventually they will enlist my help to try too! My life takes on different notions at various times.... for example right now I'm working on a mostly Home-made Christmas - the idea struck me as the Christmas buying season ended last year - so I got a leaping start by commencing my activities on January 1st! (Family and friends reading - if you have a special request, get it in soon, cause I'm boogie-ing! I'm also working to regain control of my house from the toy clutter monster, lose some weight (some 40 odd pounds) and just generally be healthier. With a splash of frugality thrown in for good measure!

I treasure those that read my blog, even if it is only from time to time! I can't pick out 7 people in particular that make an impact on my life just because I'd be afraid of leaving folks out and some of you don't have blogs. If you read and

Speaking of each and every one of you - now I get to pass the award along:

N - of A Prince and a Princess. You taught me how to digi and now my scrapbooking is slowly getting up to date where before I was buried with no hope of digging out! You've inspired me in a way that you'll never know! You offered a shoulder to cry on when I was first learning the art of breastfeeding and not succeeding very well and again later when my life turned upside down!

GlueStickGirl - of the moments in between. You've inspired me with your scrapbooking and paper cutting prowess (though I could never get there!) You taught me much about listening to my heart and following my instincts when it comes to my girls, and helped hold my hand in the early panicked days when breastfeeding just wasn't working and again later when my life turned upside down!

Milli - of Southern Charm and a Little Yarn - mother of Sweet Teas Soakers. You held my hand as I walked through the most difficult days of my life and then proceeded to inspire me in so many directions at once with your knitting and crafting and energetic ideas.

Drea - who doesn't have a blog - but was there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, and a just the idea of being propped up when I couldn't stand anymore.

Mum - who doesn't have a blog - but is always there to offer advice and a shoulder to cry on, to guide me back in the right direction when I stray too far on my crazy adventures and simply share a laugh whenever I need it!

Sassy - or maybe it's realredfoxx this week! You're always there to offer the sisterly advice I need from raising my kids to friendship troubles!

Many others out there in the Blogosphere! LOL! Who inspire me to create and enjoy the things I have!


Thanks to all of you who keep me on my feet, laughing, crying, smiling and inspiring! And the many more on the days when inertia takes over so bad!

So please - just a few tiny "rules"

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.
6. Write an acceptance speech in the style of the Academy Awards, thanking everybody's mother, father, sister, brother, aunties and uncles and kitchen staff at your favorite restaurant!

I'll keep you posted!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

10 Yrs and No Card!

Dh and I celebrated our 10th anniversary today! If you look back 10 yrs ago it was a Wednesday (yes we're cheap!) and most of our friends were either Retired or in school so the middle of July in the middle of the week was an awesome day to get married.

As it turned out it was a hot sticky day in Toronto. It rained in the early afternoon and we worried it would rain for the wedding but it stopped, and I got the day I always wanted. Everything fresh and clean after a rain storm. It made taking pictures difficult, dodging the slow drying puddles, but that's okay since we didn't get many pics done (yes horribly cheap!) And it was incredibly hot but beautiful!

Tomorrow marks my 10 yr anniversary here too! In the lovely sunny south!

As for the card, well we don't do big things for our anniversary short of going out for dinner and having a lovely evening. So the money we didn't spend on cards, we spent on a yummy appetizer, instead - I figured we could eat our Hallmark Greetings instead! (Hot Crab Dip, if you were curious!)

So Happy Tin Anniversary today.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Menu Plan Monday (7/14/08)

I'm feeling accomplished after a week of eating Dinners at home and having a successful menu where dh and I gave and took on the cooking. It didn't seem like such drudgery, and the attitude of the toddler definitely played into the "I WANT TO STAY HOME!" part of this! I put a check () after each meal we ate home last week... which seemed to help keep us on top of things.


So this week's Menu should shape up like this....

Blue is Lunch, Black is Dinner


T15 - Mac Attack or Noodles, Anniversary Dinner (OUT - goodness I hope not! LOL!)
W16 - Home Moo Moo, and Triple Hipwrecker), Brats, Salad, Fruit
T17 - Boring old Sandwiches, Grilled Chicken, Linguine Alfredo, Salad, and Fruit
F18 - Chicken bits/burgers and Oranges, Homemade Pizza, Salad (Liking the Pilsbury Pizza Crust thing)
S19 - Leftovers, Tacos
S20 - Daddy's Choice or OUT


If this is up your alley feel free to view more menus for this week here

Monday, July 07, 2008

Menu Plan Monday (7/7/08)

For those that linked in *BLUSH* I forgot to update the link to my page....
here is the menu 7/14/08
So after a fun filled weekend with my father in law and trying to dodge the bullet with a cranky 2 yr old in a nice Thai Restaurant, I've decided that I've had enough eating out especially when guests are around just because I like to eat my food and not have to shuffle us (the 2 yr old and I) out of the restaurant halfway through the meal!

So I'm working on getting more organized and have been doing better, but there is always room for improvement. With this in mind, I've watched this site for a while and decided its time to participate and be more accountable! :) ......


So this week's Menu should shape up like this....

M7 - Linguini Vongole
T8 - Pork Tenderloin / Fish, Rice (changed to steak for them and fish for me)
W9 - Pizza *homemade with boboli* because I haven't muster the courage to make my own
T10 - Pasta Alle Floret
F11 - Turkey Burgers w/Salad and Dessert (Tonight - Monday 14th)
S12 - Chicken Rice Stirfry

If this is up your alley feel free to view more menus for this week here

Sunday, July 06, 2008

2006 UFO - Can I Officially Call It Done? Secret #1- Sneaky Peaky!

9-06 - stands for September 2006 - the Official Date this Project was started.

I started this project for Christmas 2006, and promptly set it aside in November that year when there was no way it would be done pre-US-Thanksgiving, my official Christmas mail date. I picked it back up about a month ago and worked on it periodically over the course of a couple weeks......

7-6-08 - The date the project was completed except for the zipper.

Can I call it done now or do I have to really sew in that dreaded zipper?!

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Walking In Wonder at Ft. Mtn

One of the things we love to do on a regular basis as a family is walk. We got our shirts from the Canyon Climbers Club (look for the link in the sidebar!) a week or so ago.... nice shirts. We love nature type trails and spend a reasonable amount of time just walking with the girls looking for mushrooms *to look at not to eat*, enjoying the pleasures that Nature has to offer. This is my favourite picture of the girls taken this weekend at Fort Mountain.

We noticed the Blueberries are almost ripe on the side of the mountain and the Raspberries are certainly on the go! So maybe in a few short weeks we'll be able to go berry picking at the local pick your own farms! Yum can't wait!

Our neighbours will truly love us, as we have a wild Blackberry bush sprouting in our Azalea hedge this year and the girls have been pilfering the berries from it! Good job the neighbors put up the fence between our yard and theirs (the only fence in the 20+yr old neighbourhood!) because now we can grow our planned raspberry bushes right up near the fence next year!! HEE HEE! (I'm kidding but it would be nice!)

Friday, July 04, 2008

Happy Independence Day (July 4)

So if you're reading these as I post you'll notice things appearing above and below.... I'm sneakying some posts in as I go! LOL! I was too lazy to post the last few days!


What's the 4th of July without a few firework shots??? Ya they're puny but hey life goes on!

Just a quiet family event with FIL in the midst. M worked on her Wave the Flag badge, by planning the picnic we had for dinner that night. It wasn't all that festive food-wise but it was good and healthy (except the rootbeer! LOL!)

Poor S slept poorly the night before, and didn't nap all day, and crashed in the car on the way home... to the extent that I striped her naked and just left her to sleep in a fresh dipey. LOL!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Raggy Twins

Question - if you're out there, which one do you like better???


So after finishing the majority of the knitting on my Secret Christmas Project #1 (9-06) I took a little detour while sewing it up and weaving the ends and these two little charmers were born on the end of my hook! I used this pattern for dolly#1 on the left but saw some areas that I could personalize, and ended up with dolly#2 on the right. Not sure which one I like better, though dh likes dolly#1's body and #2's head (when pushed to answer! LOL!) The only identical things on the twins are their arms and legs.

They lack clothes, I should get on that... but I'm more tempted to sew dolly clothes than knit them, which seems really weird to me. I feel the need to make 2 more of these dollies because I think I like these ones too much to part with them! I originally was making them for charity!

So anyway, consider this your introduction to the nameless naked twins. (Clothes and faces to follow! LOL!)


Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Happy Canada Day


It was a quiet Canada Day Tuesday. The girls wore their shirts from Granny and Grandpa, and we hit the park in the late afternoon. It was downright Balmy here for July - and Dry. I managed to finish a pair of red and white shorties for the little one at the end of the day and vowed to make blue pockets with stars on them by the end of the 4th but that never came to fruition. I had to clean for FIL coming!

Anyway.... HAPPY CANADA DAY