Happy New Year

Here we go into another year. Kind of makes you wonder what we are in for! I usually don't make resolutions. This year is going to be different and I am going to blog it all so I have to be accountable!
I am going to be doing a 3 month no shopping starting tomorrow. I am not happy with how shopping has become a past time of mine. Its not that I spend a lot, but it does all add up. I want to fill my time up with other activities and get a rush from them, not from a great "deal" I found. So no shopping for anything that is not essential and no going into any stores. I am purging myself of it all. Okay, I think I am starting to hyperventilate.......
My second resolution is to get back to my low carb lifestyle. I am a carb addict and I need to purge those carbs! I feel way better when I am limiting my carb intake and the fact that I was gestational diabetic on insulin drastically increases my odds of becoming a diabetic. Add to that, that both my Father and Grandfather were diabetic and the odds are not in my favour. I want to avoid that if I can.
My third resolution is kind of a combination of the other two. I am trying hard to cook more from scratch and more raw foods. After having the twins, it was so crazy here that we relied on processed foods a lot. We just had too to survive. I am not happy with us eating it though and want it out of our lives. It is horrible for us and costs way more than eating healthy. So eat better and save money, works for me!
So that's it.. not much else except maybe trying to finish the book "understanding exposure" and actually "getting" it without having my head explode!
I am turning 40 in 6 months. I hate, hate HATE that. I never thought age would bother me, but lately the fact that this is coming up almost makes me have a panic attack. It really gives me a horrible feeling :( I am determined to go into my 40's better than I went into my 30's. I am hoping these resolutions will help with that.

Merry Christmas

It has been a wonderful Christmas. I had so much fun watching it all through the eyes of my little ones. My twins were old enough this year to "get" some of it, and to enjoy it. They loved opening presents! Kristin is young enough to still believe in the magic of Christmas and Santa.
I received a wonderful present, a macro lens. I am anticipating tons of fun with that! I feel very blessed to have had my family to spend this day with. I know there are lots of people that are not so lucky. We have not lost sight of the true meaning of this day.
Yesterday afternoon I had a call from a local store to tell me I had won a contest they were hosting. I won a $2000 travel voucher to a local travel agency. I think the fun part of it, is being able to dream about where I can go now :)
I hope you all had as a wonderful day and felt the peace and love of this special holiday.

Cookies

I love baking. I don't have many opportunities to do much right now but I wanted to make a few cookies to give to friends this Christmas. Nothing says Christmas to me like Gingerbread (or gingersnaps)

Someone posted the recipe on a forum I go too. They are good and great for dunking. Here is the recipe.

Gingersnaps

Hard margarine (or butter), softened 3/4 cup 175 mL

Granulated sugar 1 cup 250 mL

Large egg 1 1

Fancy (mild) molasses 1/2 cup 125 mL

All-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups 625 mL

Baking soda 2 tsp. 10 mL

Ground ginger 2 tsp. 10 mL

Ground cinnamon 1 tsp. 5 mL

Salt 1/2 tsp. 2 mL

Granulated sugar, approximately 1/4 cup 60 mL

Cream margarine and first amount of sugar in large bowl. Add egg. Beatwell. Add molasses. Beat until smooth.Combine next 5 ingredients in medium bowl.

Add to margarine mixture in2 additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains.

Rollinto 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls.Roll each ball in second amount of sugar in small bowl until coated.Arrange about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on greased cookie sheets.

Bake in 350ºF(175ºC) oven for about 10 minutes until just firm. Let stand on cookie sheetsfor about 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

Makes about7 1/2 dozen (90) cookies.1 cookie: 45 Calories; 1.7 g Total Fat (1.1 g Mono, 0.2 g Poly, 0.4 g Sat); 2 mg Cholesterol;7 g Carbohydrate; trace Fibre; 0 g Protein; 62 mg SodiumReprinted from Most Loved Cookies © Company's Coming Publishing Limited

Truck Light Parade

Kristin and I met up with her friend and her friends Mom (who happens to be my friend ) to watch the truck light parade. It was a wet evening but that certainly did not dampen the kids spirits any! The parade was fun. Lots of noise!

(you can click on any of these pics and it will open up bigger)




I love this one :)

Ornamental Snow

We had a cold spell hit us here, feels like -10 with the wind chill 60km winds and about 6 inches of snow. We seldom get snow, maybe a few days a year and our temps are also very seldom below freezing. Basically it shuts our city down when it gets like this, and because none of us are prepared/experienced to drive in it, it is better that we stay off the roads anyways!

When the kids went down for their naps I went out to take pics. I had no gloves and no winter jacket, so it wasn't long before my fingers and toes were numb and my battery was dead in the camera. I was suprised how quick the cold, sapped the battery.

I am sure the neighbors are completely convinced I am nuts.

I played around with textures a bit with these ones. I am not sure if I like them or not. It was interesting though.

>







Our poor little humming birds were looking for some food. Not many flowers to be found now. We made sure their feeder was full, and I will also make sure it gets thawed out a couple times a day.

Socks

I have a friend who has quite the sock collection. Today I was wearing my new (well newer) socks and they made me think of her. I know she will laugh when she see's this post :)

The path less travelled

While I was waiting in the airport with my Mother inlaw, I saw the neatest clouds out the window. The were layered and looked like waves. I was hoping that they would stay that way until I could get outside and get some pictures. They didn't last long enough for me to do that so I went looking for something else.

I had been wanting to get a picture of this particular tree for a long time, this day seemed like the right time :)

I love oak trees, well all trees, but oak are so interesting without leaves.

Ponies

A friend and I went for a drive looking for something interesting to take pictures of. Shouldn't be that hard to do, right?
We passed by a field that had a pony in it and when we parked we realized that there were actually three ponies, some goats, a sheep and some chickens all right there. Jackpot!
They were all very friendly and I just wanted to pick the ponies up and carry them home! Gosh they were cute!

Coloring?

Today my twins decided to come up with a new use for crayons. Apparently they don't taste too bad! It was only a matter of a minute or two from when I saw them coloring nicely, too when I found them like this. L had it embedded in her teeth, that was fun to get out of her mouth. H was doing a Hitler impersonation.
One for the scrapbook! Is it bed time yet!?

Rumaging around at a rumage sale

Today our bookkeeper was having a larger rummage sale at a church. She runs a animal rescue called "cats cradle" and does fundraisers like this to help the kitties.
Well far be it from me to miss helping out some animals, and doing a little shopping along the way never hurt either!
I got some little things for my kids stockings, a cat bed and toys for our two cats, a lovely scarf for my Mother a puzzle for my Mother in law... It is all hidden at the moment from my oldest daughters prying eyes.
I saw the most beautiful decanter, I am not actually sure what it would be called. It is a wonderful cut glass container with a very ornate zinc top. It looks like it would be for coffee or tea? It is made in Italy and I fell in love with it. I walked back to it a few times and hummed and hawed but decided I didn't need it. I am truly trying to watch money right now. My Step Sister was with me and saw how much I loved it so she grabbed it for me and insists that it is my Christmas present :)
I did splurge and bought myself a purse ( I should be blushing right now!) I DO have a bit of a purse obsession!

Friendship

I am posting another video. This one is something that makes me cry everytime I watch it. It is SO beautiful. I have seen it many times, but for anyone that hasn't you have to watch it :) It is amazing.

A wish

I was so touched by this story. Imagine what a difference we could make, if we all tried!

Sunny Sunday

My Sunday started off with very little sleep. My twins have gone through a couple of nights of waking up every few hours. I am not sure what is going on, but will be happy when it stops!

When I did get up, I was called by the RCMP and told that I was being subpoened. Ugh! I was a witness to a drunk driving incident a few months ago and now, some how it is going to court. Not sure how, as the person was found behind the wheel by the police.

But thankfully my day looked up from there, Kristin and I met up with some friends and she had a nice play date. It was sunny and we enjoyed being outside at the park. I got to take a few pictures, that always makes my day :)

I have been tagged (twice)

A loooooonnngg time ago jen from "stay at home mom to three, what about me" tagged me and I never got around to tagging anyone else. Just the other day I was tagged again from Gingerlouise.
The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Here are my six...
1. I like mayo on my hotdogs. I have been told many times, that is weird!
2. I love to read. I don't have as much time for it now, but I still always have a book on the go.
3. I have a serious coke zero problem!
4. I hate getting older. I am having a real problem with it! I wish I was 21 again!
5. I like tequila. :) (with icetea or in a margarita)
6. I would like to go to Italy.

okay. I don't know that many people with Blogs so if I tag you and you don't want to do this, I wont be upset. I know how busy everyone's lives are.
1. thoughts from a country mouse.
2. hill upon hill.
3. Life in colour.
4. Clane Gessel Photography
5. One Yarn after another
I dont have anyone for #6....

Bread Alternative

A little while back I mentioned how I grind my flax meal and make muffins from it, with protein powder instead of flour. It is very low carb because it is extremely high in fibre. Well, the last time I went to make muffins I discovered that I had only a few muffin papers. So necessity being the mother of all invention, I put the rest of the mix in a bread pan and made it into bread. And I love it! Now I can have a sandwich, or french toast (with sugar free syrup of course) etc etc. It had opened up a whole new low carb avenue for me.
I needs to be cut fairly thin, as it is quite dense. I got a whopping 34 slices out of this loaf.

It is sliced at about 1/3 of an inch. The only down fall is how expensive this is too make. This is a triple batch of the muffin mix and took 12 eggs! Eek. So it is a good thing I can cut it so thin! But the two loaves will go a long way for me.

Fog

There are many things that I love about living on an island. Being surrounded by the ocean is wonderful. We are never more than a few minutes drive from a beach and of course we see it out our window everyday. But tonight one of my most favourite reasons was happening. The fog rolled in and it was thick as the proverbial pea soup. Then we heard the fog horn. Usually I hear it in the wee small hours of the morning, I love laying in bed and hearing it. Such a mournful sound.
We seldom hear it but when I do it makes me think of bye gone days and sailing ships. Vessels coming and going with no GPS navigation system! We always seem to have a lot of air current here, so that blows the fog away pretty quickly and all too quickly it is silent again.

Some very wet days

We have been having some typical West Coast weather. Rain, and by rain I don't mean a few drops or even showers.. it has been a deluge of water. Two days worth so far. If you have spent any time on the West Coast you know what I am talking about. Water runs down roads, the wipers on the car just part the water on the windshield, not wipe it off. Yesterday after taking my daughter too school, I looked like I had just had a shower in my clothes.

I have a bucket that I use for cleaning, just outside the front door it has at least 4 inches of water in it now.

After telling my twins that it was good weather for ducks, they have started quacking :)

I heard we might be getting some wind with this, another typical West Coast pleasure. Of course after days of rain, trees start coming down when we get heavy wind. Oh well, it's how we keep so green and pretty here and we can't stop it anyway so we might as well look on the bright side.

Growing

I really enjoy growing things. I say "things" because, if it has a seed I will try and grow it!
Sometime ago I came across a clearance bin of tins that had been for Mothers day. It was Mothers day message plant. I bought it because it was cheap, lol and because I wanted to see what it would grow. Well when I opened the tin, there was the HUGE bean in it. I don't know what it is but I have never seen a bean this big. (If anyone reading this know, please let me know)I added water as instructed and it very quickly grew. It would be nice to know what it is going to be, but I guess that would take some of the surprise from it. Maybe it is Jacks bean! In case you can't see it closely, it has "trust" engraved in the side of the seed.

Kristin and I were in a dollar type store recently and she asked if she could get something. She picked out a egg that was supposed to grow. I was hesitant, but it was cheap enough, so I let her. We added the water and after a few hours the egg started cracking. Eventually the top had all cracked off and lo and behold there is another HUGE bean inside. It too quickly started sprouting. This one had, "I love Canada" on the side of it. I was surprised to see that it was put together by a local business. I plan on buying a few of these to give to my nieces.

I had never had tamarind until recently. I can't say I am partial to it, however, it had seeds :) It is a seed pod and from what I have read the insides are used more often in baking or candy making. So perhaps I am not eating it correctly and I would like it if cooked. Its kind of odd looking,


SO I threw a few into a container of water and they got all yucky and gelatinous.

I cleaned them off and put them back in some water, I am hoping to get the chance to plant them this week. I also have a pomegranate in the fridge I will plant. I have grown those seeds and they make a lovely plant. Then there is the mandarin oranges coming, I have grown lots of citrus plants. They have the most wonderful shiny leaves.

Halloween night

We got together with some friends for trick or treating. This is my oldest daughters best friends family. They also have a younger daughter that my twins like playing with. We had fun and the kids looked adorable. I couldn't get very many "good" pictures because, frankly trying to keep two, 2yr olds still for any length of time is hard lol.
They got lots of candy. My oldest is the only one that will have any. She gets pretty crazy on sugar, so we opted for a one day "candy" day. She can eat all she likes but as of tonight, anything left goes "bye, bye".
Needless to say she is a sight to behold right now!
I guess I should add that mine are the Giraffe, Panda and the Butterfly!

She likes rock n roll

I have a confession. I LOVE AC/DC. They are my guilty pleasure (well one of them) They have been my favourite band since I was 12. I have "you shook me" as my ringtone on my Blackberry (Which is my fav song of theirs). At a place I used to hang out at when I was "younger" and "wilder", the DJ used to put the song on as soon as I arrived. These days I am pretty much a closet listener because it is in direct contrast with my Mommy image lol. Not that I am trying to portray myself as something I am not. It usually just doesn't "fit" anymore. Which I guess is just silly. I heard their concerts are a real mix of age, children and Grandparent.
I have waited with much anticipation for the release of their new album. There was the odd song played on the radio stations. Anyway, I got the album tonight and was not disappointed.
They will be in concert near us soon. Unfortunately the concert sold out in 11 minutes (I believe that was what I was told)
I haven't given up on winning tickets to see this tour. At their age I don't think they will be doing many more tours.... :(

ps. She likes rock n roll (the title to this post) is one of their new songs :)

A cozy Bed

This morning after I changed the sheets and was making up my bed, I was thinking about how cozy it looked. I always make my bed. The rest of the room could be a mess but the bed is made! There is something very restful about a made bed.
A freshly made bed just begs to be crawled into! So cozy. I love a bed with crisp fresh heavy cotton sheets for most of the year, especially if the sheets have been hung to dry on the line. Aaahhh.. In the winter warm thick flannel sheets with a thick down duvet is the making of sweet dreams. I love quilts. I love handmade quilts. Oh, to travel through Amish country with a purse full of money and leave with a trunk full of their beautiful quilts. I have made one quilt by hand. It was for my oldest daughters first birthday. It wasn't a very detailed design, but I gave lots of attention to detail, and I hope it is something she will treasure forever. I have made some very elaborate squares by hand that are all diamonds sewed intricately together. I would like to make another quilt, a big one this time. I think I will do the top by machine for durability and the actual quilting by hand. Yes another great project for someone that has no time, lol.
Maybe beds appeal so much to me right now because crawling into one and sleeping until I am completely rested seems like it would be bliss...I dream of a vacation where I could sleep for a while week, as much as I want. Well and take pictures too :)


The lovely bed pictures were found here,
http://www.myhomeideas.com

Orchids

I love orchids. I have grown them for quite a few years and used to belong to a orchid club. That was before having kids! Anyway, I downsized my orchid collection years ago because of having so little time or space to grow them. The past couple years I have added a few here and there. I have been fortunate to get some at our local grocery store after they had finished blooming for only $5 a piece. It is a lot of fun to bring them back to a healthy state (usually they are one step from death, having bloomed for so long)and watch them grow and eventually bloom. It is always interesting to see what they will look like.
This is a picture of a few of my collection,

I have a small green house that I can keep them in 3 seasons of the year. I don't have a heated one so I must bring them in when it gets colder but being in the west our weather is great for a long time. The definitely benefit from the mild weather.

The picture at the very top is one of my "bargain orchids" that is blooming for me right now. :)