Not What I Was Expecting

I am showing you last year's Santa photo compared to today's experience. Quite a night and day difference wouldn't you say? Last year's Santa was friendly and handsome. This year's was bloated and creepy. The photo today was completely over-exposed too. Mrs Claus had a smoker's hack and was a bit gruff. If you were going to get your pictures done at Sevenoaks, I'd recommend you find another mall!

Parenting Error #1068

Just chalk up another poor parenting moment in my career as mum.

Nathan came home from school yesterday in a bit of a funk. There had been an assembly at school that day and they had announced all the students who had gotten on either the honor roll or effort roll. Nathan told me that his name wasn't called and he was pretty confused about why! Understandable. I told him that I didn't understand either and decided to pull out his report card to double check his grades. As I re-read the accompanying notice with the report I saw that indeed he did NOT get on the honor roll. They take the grades from the four core academic subjects ONLY ..... not the other courses such as fine arts or PE. Ugh. So indeed Nathan needed 13 pts to reach honor roll and only got 12 points.

I had to tell him I made an awful mistake and I was ever so sorry.

Definitely not a good feeling....poor kid.

Food and Music

Each Christmas our church puts on a big musical production that is run over two seperate week-ends. The amount of planning and work is enormous and takes many volunteers. For the past few years, my friend Jillian and I have taken a shift helping out in the kitchen. An easy choice as we both love food :) It's great fun to arrange the desserts on the plates and sneak 'samples' as well.

Oh dear...I should have moved those finger cloths from the foreground. We had to constantly wipe our sticky fingers. No licking them off!

Yum....look at all those desserts. Well done Jill....you are a fabulous kitchen goddess! We had a great time and there were even some leftovers to take home when the night was over. We'll be back next year!

As for the musical aspect of this post, have any of you heard 'Celtic Woman'? If not you must! Perhaps beautiful, angelic singing is not your cup of tea but it makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Truly lovely. I bought their Christmas CD today and it's utterly gorgeous. Anyhow...go and check out their website for a sample. They are often shown on PBS during their pledge drives.

I'm Weary

Sigh.....I'm tired. It's been a long week. Work has been slow and slow days seem to suck the life right out of me. I thrive in a busy atmosphere....I love the sense of accomplishment I get.
Each day has seemed so long this week. Today was my first day off since Sunday and I did use it wisely. I took the entire morning to clean all three bathrooms thoroughly, dust, tidy, do three loads of laundry and vacuum the house. It looked so nice with the sun streaming through the back windows. Shiny and fresh. It doesn't take long for that look to go away though......five hours of the boys being home and it's all hodge-podge. Sigh.
I had the joy of laying in the dentist chair for 45 minutes this afternoon. I didn't think I was nervous but after he was done with my filling I realized that my whole body had been tensed up the entire time. I felt very stiff as I climbed out of the chair. I supposed I have some deep rooted (ha ha...get it?)fear about him hitting a nerve as he is drilling or something crazy like that. Anyhow, I must give credit to my children who sat in the waiting room the entire time and were as good as gold. The receptionist told me they were excellent. So it's good to know that bribes work :) I had told them that if they were good I'd let them each pick out some ice cream. I didn't take into account that I would look like a freak with a half frozen face so I bypassed the embarrassment and called Keith to get him to stop by the store on his way home from work. The bright spot in my day was that Bryer's (our favorite brand) was on sale. And you all know how much I love a sale! Now it's time to try out that ice cream, cuddle up on the couch with Keith and watch Survivor.

How to Enjoy a Snowy Saturday ~ Kid Style

You first start out the day with yummy pancakes on the griddle made by the finest cook.

Then you partake of the pancakes and do your best to look unphotogenic.

Then you get your assistant to dress you in your snow gear.

And finally you head outside with your family and enjoy every moment of the crisp wonderful snow!

Gotta Have It!

I don't often make peanut butter cookies even though we all like them very much. The main reason is that I cannot put them in the kids' school lunches due to 'rules and regulations'. I totally understand this of course.....there are some wicked allergies out there. But today I had a fresh BIG jar of peanut butter in the cupboard as we had just been to Costco recently. We go through it so very quickly since my oldest surely wishes he could mainline it. These turned out perfectly! Slightly crisp and slightly chewy....mmmmmmmmmm!
Come on over for a sample!!!!

And here we have my two hard working boys. They went outside post-haste after school today to 'play' in the snow. Lucky for me that they consider shovelling the driveway as playing!!!! It's great when the tykes can become more and more helpful around the house. PS. I don't usually dress them as twins but when you come across a great deal on a winter jacket you just have to get one for each :)

It's Time

Boasting

First Keith.
Now Nathan.
I just couldn't keep it to myself! This is Nathan's first year of letter grades on his report card. I am so proud of him because he made the honor roll for the first term of 4th grade!
Not to leave out Chad, I can tell you that his report card was excellent. He is way beyond the expected level in reading and keeping focused on his work.

Way to go boys!!!!

Good Morning!

Last night as Keith and I were getting ready for bed I told him that in the morning I expect breakfast. Specifically, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, peppers, cheese all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. I was totally joking of course. Keith has Fridays off and it's the one day a week he doesn't have to get up super early. He's a night owl and doesn't do mornings well....so it's his weekly indulgence.

So here I am up getting ready for work this morning...just got out of the shower and I hear rummaging around in my kitchen. What the heck?

I dash out all dripping wet in my towel to find Mr. Sleepyhead standing at the stove cooking breakfast for me! I was gob-smacked! Keith! I said....I was only kidding last night. He told me he was doing it because he loves me.

Awwww....what a gem.

So we all had breakfast together as a family today. It was wonderful!

More of the Same

I tried a new recipe tonight called 'Teriyaki Chicken Salad'. Very good! It was nice to have a bit of a summery meal in November. If anyone would like the recipe it's in Company's Coming 'Pasta'. Page 22 to be precise. Or you can email me directly and I'll send you a copy!

My portion above and the 'man of the house''s plate below.

Eats

Let's move onto my favorite blog subject, shall we? Yummy food.

This is the most delicious salad that was contributed to our meal on Saturday night. Thanks Aretha!!!

This was dinner tonight. Nothing fancy and yes, I know I should have made a salad to go with it. I got lazy.

And....these are the BEST oranges I've tasted in years. Not sure if it was pure fluke....but they are perfectly sweet and tender. Just like a real Christmas orange should taste like!

As to enjoy all this nosh, Keith and I have embarked on a weight lifting regimen. We have done this particular program in the past with wonderful results so we are expecting great things! We've taken measurements for the 'before' data and hope to find less of us in six weeks. I'll keep you posted!

Christmas in November...for Me!

A few weeks ago Keith asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Spying an excellent opportunity to get a long awaited task completed, I told him all I wanted was to get our new bathroom fan installed. First of all who the heck builds houses without bathroom fans! I have endured a damp bathroom ever since we moved here 1 year ago. Yes, it does help to open the window while one is having a shower but in winter that is pure torture! Anyhow....last spring we finally bought a fan and it sat in our basement waiting to be installed. And it sat and waited for a LONG time. I love Keith very much but he is a procrastinator. When he does a project he does it very well....attention to detail and he doesn't cut corners. But getting him started on a project is rather challenging. I hear this is a common trait among perfectionists! I like to get things done.....even if they are done half-arsed...I like to know it's DONE! We are so opposite, it's not even funny. Anyhow...it's been completed and I am very thankful to Keith and his buddy from work who did this for me today!



Keith told me that balancing his fat body (his words) on those skinny little rafter was very painful! Thanks for not falling through the ceiling Keith!

There is my new fan in all it's splendor. Whisk away the damp, my new friend!

And the lovely switch....I tried it....it works beautifully!

Kinda Funny

To keep Chad busy one day last week, I told him that he should start making his Christmas list. He asked me if there really was a Santa, so I threw it back at him and said: What do you think?

He said: MOM! You always say that!

Ha....I like to evade those tricky questions :)

Anyhow...back to the story. After he was done I reviewed it and noticed that he second item listed was 'nuts'.

Oh really?

'Chad...why do you have nuts on your Christmas list?'

'I want nuts so I can plant them in the backyard and get trees and then I can get a tree fort...so can you make sure they are acorns?'

My Boys and I

Keith is looking fine in his dress uniform and we are very cold. This was taken just after the Rememberance Day ceremonies today at the Cenotaph.

Wedding Day

Yesterday Keith and I had the honor of attending the wedding of my very first friend ever! I believe Gillian and I met when we were a mere four years old. She was great fun to grow up with....a very spirited and mischieveous girl who could always make me laugh. I don't know her new husband very well yet but from what I've seen at the wedding I believe he is a sincere, hard working individual who loves Gillian very much. I wish them all the best as they start their new lives together!

The wedding and reception was held at the Semiahoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine, WA. It was a gorgeous setting. Unfortunately the lighting was not quite right for my dinky camera. Twilight makes it a bit difficult!

Gillian's daughter looked just like a fairy princess. Completely sweet and a 'spirited' girl just like her mom! I didn't get a photo of her son but he was very handsome in his suit.

Yum

Homemade cream of broccoli soup and crunchy drop biscuits....that'll cure what ails you! In my case a hefty dose of PMS. Sigh......they don't call it the curse for nothing!

Welcome Baby Clodagh Niamh!!!!

I am so very excited to share with you all that our dear friends Darryl, Sinead and Ceara welcomed a sweet baby girl into their family today! She weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz and came after a short but intense labour. We think she's beautiful!

Too bad there isn't some way we could cuddle that baby over the miles....

Away Part II

We wanted to take the guys to Panera Bread since we had been there last June and had enjoyed it so much. We had a late afternoon snack which ended up being a very good idea because we didn't eat that evening until after 9pm!

We had been told by a mutual friend that 'P.F. Chang's' was a great place for Chinese food. So we arrived around 6:30pm to find the place jam-packed. I think it's always a good sign when there is a huge line up to get a table. It was an hour wait for a pager and then another 45 min or more once you received your pager! We decided to go to a movie first and then come back for a later dinner. We went to see 'Dan in Real Life'. It was really good!

Back to the restaurant. I truly could not describe the amazing flavours of the food. The lighting was horrible so I didn't take any pictures but we ordered lettuce wraps, Lo Mein with shrimp, Kung Pao chicken and broccoli and ginger chicken. Just utterly delicious food....I've never had anything like it at all. It's the kind of amazing meal that you can't stop thinking about....yes, that good! We can't wait to go back!!!!

The next day after Keith and I shared a grilled paninni at Panera for lunch we stopped for a treat at Cold Stone Creamery. He had never been there before so he had to experience it! We shared this bowl of 'Coffee Lovers Only'. It was coffee icecream, almonds and a crushed up Heath bar. Oh my! So so so good!
It was a bit cold for ice cream but completely worth it!
On the road again. After hitting the Prime Outlets in the afternoon we pointed the car north and headed home. Thanks for driving us Roger! You and your navigator Kori did a great job carting us all over the place. We stopped for dinner in Burlington at Johnny Carino's. Really tasty Italian food. The bread they serve before your meal is out of this world! Keith and I shared a spicy pasta dish that was delicious. Like I said...we ate well on our trip!
We ended up sitting in the border line-up for 45 minutes. I guess it could have been worse. We breezed through without paying duty but the guard was a bit cranky. Perhaps it was because Roger forgot to roll down his window?!

The kids were super happy to see us. Chad told me us to never ever leave him again for TWO WHOLE DAYS! Somethings never change.....he has always been that way. It's nice to be needed...and it's good to be home!

Away

We just got in last night from a little trip down to Seattle with Kori & Roger. We had so much fun! Actually, our first choice was a few nights at Harrison Hot Springs but when we tried to book, we discovered that the hotel was full. A little disappointing but since we had already arranged sitters we had to go somewhere!

Since we do enjoy a good shopping excursion AND since the dollar is so high, Seattle was the next logical choice. And I must mention that we have husbands who like to shop too! Lucky us. I should have worn my pedometer. It would have been very interesting to see how many steps we took each day. It wasn't a relaxing holiday in that regard. My feet were quite tired by the end of the trip. But perhaps all that walking helped even a small amount in putting a dent into the caloric intake of our mini-holiday. We had some of the most fabulous food!

Our hotel room came with a free breakfast. It was okay. The second morning I got a LONG BLACK hair in my scrambled eggs. Trauma! Thankfully it was the first forkful and I hadn't eaten any of it yet. GAG.

We actually ran into my aunt from Richmond at the hotel. She was also on a shopping trip with her sisters! What a small world.

The bargain were far and wide. I got clothes for the kids for practically free and other assorted odds and sods. I did get a few things for myself and Keith found what he was looking for too.....good deals all around.

I admit that one of the things I was most looking forward to was the famous fish tacos that Kori had blogged about a month or so ago. I am very pleased to report that they were just as delicious as I had hoped! Goodness....fish tacos....where have you been all my life???? I just need to clarify that Keith and I shared that plate...even though I could have eaten two :)