i apologize for my absence here. it hasn't been intentional. i'll admit, we've been busy around here, adjusting to some new developments, dealing with some Asher stuff, and generally enjoying ourselves.

we got ourselves memberships for the Y, and we've been taking full advantage of that. blithe and bram are enrolled in classes (creative dance and tae kwon do, respectively) and swimming lessons, i've been enjoying yoga, and we've all been going swimming a couple times a week. it's actually been really nice. we feel great, we're getting along better, we have more energy, we cope with stress better... it's fantastic!!

the kids are all back at school, which is great. they're doing fairly well, too, so that's really nice.

i've begun pursuing a dream i've had for a long time: last month, i did the make-up for a production of Tuesdays With Morrie. truly, an amazing, life-changing experience. i learned a lot, grew in some friendships, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. in fact, i have actually joined another production, doing make-up and other backstage stuff, for next May. that's going to be a lot of fun, too. SQUEEE!!!! i can't wait!!!! :D

so that's our lives around here lately... but now that you're caught up, i want to post about something else, actually...

our local hydro company has recently made the switch to time of use billing. basically, that means that certain times of the day are cheaper than other times. the idea is to lower energy consumption by making peak-times (like, the middle of the day) less attractive from a financial stand-point.

it works.

blerg.

as soon as it kicked in on October 1, i became super strict about lights. and i've picked up a few extra tidbits along the way:

• crockpots. instead of turning on the oven which sucks more energy than i care to think about, thank-you very much, i just throw the makings of stew into the slow cooker and walk away, knowing that in a few hours, i'll have yummy food and a lower hydro bill.
• vacuum less. yup. i'm blaming TOU on my lack of vacuuming. you'll buy that, right? (wink)
• wash dishes by - gulp! - hand. but you know what??? it uses way less water, plus doesn't require as much hydro to heat the water in the first place (electric water heater. ugh. but better than gas, i suppose) but it also... wait for it... gets my dishes cleaner than the dishwasher! and faster! i know! shockingly, this only occurred to me the other day. i was just running the dishwasher every night to save hydro. never occurred to me that i can wash the dishes during the day and save money. haha
• minimizing time on the computer during the day. which is an ironic statement as i'm writing this at 11:30 in the morning. but i've found that, in addition to lowering my hydro usage, i'm also getting more done around the house, and i'm spending more time connecting with people in real life, which is actually more meaningful, anyway. (again, the irony of writing this on a blog is not lost on me.) another benefit to less screen time: my memory is coming back and my attention span is getting a bit longer (insert "ooh! something shiny!" joke here)
• read more books. you know, those blocks of paper with stuff written all over them? yeah! those things! apparently they're called books!!! :P and i've actually been reading some!! HAHA!!!! ok, i read fairly often anyway. but now i have an actual reason: it's economical. (or maybe i'm just trying to justify my addiction. don't judge me!!!!!!!!!) (ahem. {composes self})

and it's funny, even by doing these small things... somehow... i lowered my hydro bill by almost $30!!! 

and in case you're wondering...

i've been doing laundry during the day.

not every day. but given how tired i am in the evenings, i just can't stay up late at night to do laundry. so i've kept doing it during the day, but cut back on hydro usage in other areas, and yes, managed to lower my hydro bill. significantly. {happy dance}

muffin recipe!!!

... which, granted, i haven't tried yet. haven't even tasted them, to be perfectly honest. but they just sound so good!! so i got the recipe from a friend, and i'm really just gonna cut and paste here, and then i'll review the muffins when i make them. k? good. here we go:

Zu-Key-Ni Dill Muffins TNT
Taken from TASTE OF HOME August 2001

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar 
2 T. Baking powder
1 T. Dill weed
2 t. salt
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Add zucchini and stir until coated. Combine the eggs, milk and oil; stir into zucchini mixture just until moistened. Filled greased or paper-lined muffins cups two-thirds full. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: about two dozen.


thanks, pam! i can't wait to make these!! 

you mean you can MAKE granola bars?!

well, that's odd, because i was under the impression that they just come from the store.

sadly, i'm not joking.

having been raised in a fairly large city, i was always taught that food comes from the store. no, seriously. i remember class trips when i was younger, and we were learning about where food comes from, and we went to the grocery store. a big chain store, too. yeah. so you can imagine my surprise when i learned that you grow peanuts and you grow garlic and you can make cottage cheese... and sadly, the list goes on.

and how pathetic is this... i've been baking just about everything from scratch lately - muffins, pie crust, tortillas, cookies, macaroons, you name it, i've made it - and yet this morning - just 15 scant minutes ago, in fact! - i had another one of those moments when i stood in shock for a moment and thought, "WHA-?! you can make those?!?!"

it's true.

and "those," gentle readers, are... wait for it...

granola bars.

ok, ok, i've been wanting to make them for a long time now. you can even find a few posts about them on this very blog. but, um... how can i put this... uh... {looks away}i've never made them before.

i know, i know. pathetic, right?

well, no more, gentle readers! because as of this very morning, i,

heather,

have made

{cue 2001: Space Odyssey music}

GRANOLA BARS!!

and yes, i'm going to give you the recipe. and yes, i actually have pictures this time!! :) (i was planning this post whilst i baked... usually i don't, hence the lack of pics on this site. haha)

so, here you go, my friends: i give you

CHEWY GRANOLA BARS

2 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

1/2 cup Rice Krispies (or nameless equivalent)

1/4 cup coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

simplest directions ever: preheat the oven to 350F. 

mix all the ingredients together until combined. press the mixture into an 8x8 pan.

bake it for 18 to 20 minutes.

let it cool for 10 minutes, and score into bars. then let it set completely, and cut into bars.

seriously, it's that easy. i'm not even joking.

now, there was one glitch in the following of this recipe: somehow, i am out of chocolate chips. i didn't realize that until i got to that line in the recipe. (note to self: pull out ingredients before starting the recipe.) so instead of choco chips, i chopped up an apple and added a little bit (less than 1/2 tsp) of cinnamon. to be honest, i don't know how much i used. the 1/2 tsp spoon was the one i grabbed, and i didn't fill it because cinnamon can be pretty strong sometimes, and i didn't want to overpower the rest of the goodness.

and i as was typing that last sentence the timer beeped and so i pulled the pan out of the oven. and wow!! it looks and smells amazing!! kind of like apple crisp, actually, thanks to my handy-dandy last-minute, semi-panicked substitution. {wink}

ok, a couple tips before you make these: 

1. score the bars after they've cooled for 10 minutes. seriously. use the timer on the oven if you have to, but make sure it cools for at least 10 minutes.
2. let the bars set completely before cutting and removing them from the pan. if they haven't set, they'll fall apart. so wait patiently.
3. once you remove them from the pan, wrap them in cling wrap. this will help them to keep their shape and stay fresh. 
4. this is not a "make in the morning before the kids go to school" recipe. trust me on this one. make these the night before, so you can be sure they're completely ready for the lunch rush in the morning. (that being said, the bars had not completely set when i put them in the kids' lunches today. but i wrapped them up tight - the bars, not the kids - and gave strict instructions that they are to be eaten at second nutrition break. again, the bars, not the kids. here's hoping the bars will be ready by then. {crosses fingers})
5. another thing you could try: score the bars after 10 minutes. wait another 15 or so... then cut them up, wrap them individually in cling wrap, and put them in the freezer for a while. this helps.

they still smell divine. between the bars and my coffee, this house smells like heaven right now. {choir of angels} asher is already begging for a granola bar. it's actually getting a little frustrating. haha but that might be because he's asking in a 4-year-old voice what i'm asking in my head. {wink}

later...
k, i just had one of these bars, and WOW!!!! they're AMAZING!!!! they are chewy, not crunchy, so they're sticky on your fingers, but who cares?! also, next time i might use a little less brown sugar, like 1/3 cup instead of half. with the honey in there, it gets to be a bit too sweet... but then again, i prefer salty over sweet, so maybe it's just me.

in fact, i'm pretty sure it is just me, because asher had one, too, and he said it was really good. but he also said it was a little sticky. i have a recipe for crunchy granola bars, so i might try those next. but these are really good, and i highly recommend them... say... 4 out of 5 yummy sounds. :)

(ps - i'll post pics later... blogger's acting up this morning and won't let me post pics. boourns!!)

best. bread. ever.

well, from a machine, anyway.

i have to share this recipe with you because it's just that awesome. it's beautiful. i could honestly eat the entire loaf by myself. with nothing on it. just straight bread. ok, maybe some honey, or cheese, or tons and tons of butter... or lots of ham or roast beef and cheese, or as a toasted tomato sandwich or... oh, wow, i'm actually drooling. excuse me for just a moment. {wipes chin} k, i'm back now.

anyhoo, i suppose you'd like the recipe for this wonder, wouldn't you? well, brace yourselves, gentle readers, because here it is:

Honey Oat Bread

1 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp oil
3 cups bread flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast

put the ingredients into the breadmaker. i set it on "grain" with regular crust (as opposed to dark), and it turned out perfectly.

with this recipe, there is a little room for creativity. instead of using oatmeal, you can use granola. i've done this in the past, and it was lovely. however, since granola (at least the stuff i have) contains almonds, it's not school -friendly. so today, i decided to try something a little different again, and used 12-grain cereal. WOW!!!! it's so good!

and yes, i wanted to post pics, but um... yeah... the bread's all gone now. {sheepish grin} so you'll just have to take my word on this... it was wonderful!

best. wreck. ever!!!!!!!

it's my birthday in 5 days. my mom is here right now, but she won't be on tuesday (the 22nd... my birthday... hint hint), so she and the kids made me a b-day cake today.

and i have to say....

best. cake. ever!!!

 after i blew out the candles, blithe said, "wow! it smells like smoke in here!!!" um... i'm not that old... i'm turning 33. not 133!!!

 the proud wreckorators. note that the bottom of the cake is square, and the top is round. and note the crazy angles of some of the candles. 

there it is, in all it's wrecky glory. including, "mome" instead of "mommy." {sniff} it's just... just... so beautiful! {wipes tears}

could i be more proud?? could i be any happier???

nope.

'cause the kidley-winks made me my very own wreck for my birthday. i have the best. kids. ever. 

oh! it just occured to me that some readers might not know why i'd be so excited about a hideous, misspelled cake. check out this website, Cake Wrecks, and you'll understand. :)

DIY haircuts... unless they're "not" DIY

well, blithe and i were sitting on the couch this evening watching iCarly or something, and i looked over at her and thought, hey, her bangs look shorter in one spot. so i says to her, i says,

"hey, your bangs look shorter in one spot."

"wha-?!" she asks, "incredulously." (by the way, you're going to see a lot of quotation marks in this post. you'll understand as we go on.)

"did you cut your bangs or something?" now, to be clear, i'm not upset. i used to do the same thing. heck, i still cut my own hair! so i understand, i really do. i just think it's amusing because while she is following in my shoes with the DIY haircut... she hasn't picked up the importance of a mirror. haha

"um... no..." she replies, avoiding my gaze and messing up her bangs.  awful suspicious, don't you think? {wink}

we keep this up for a moment, and i change my FB status to "so, girlie got A- in drama, but can't lie to save her life. don't tell me you didn't cut your bangs... i'm looking right at you!!! ROFL"

and then it was bedtime. so, upstairs we go. the kidley-winks get themselves into their jammies and i go into her room. we sing along with justin bieber (apparently, it should be him. who knew?!) and then she says, "i didn't cut my bangs, mom."

hmm... interesting... i wasn't saying anything about it... funny she should bring it up, don't you think??? {wink}

"oh, i know," i "reassured" her, "'mom, remember this afternoon when it was staticky so i wet it? yeah, well, i think... i mean, i know that, um, yeah. as my hair dried, it shrank. but just in that one spot. yeah. that's what happened. yup. it shrank. that sounds good.'" and we laughed.

"i don't know," she exclaims, laughing. "maybe it was invisible aliens who sneaked in here and cut my bangs!"

invisible aliens?!?!?!?!


i'm so proud. because that is a story i can get behind. and i did. {wink} here's how it went down, according to me, with some laughing input from girlie:

so, i was sitting in my room, on my bed, you know, right here, and i was singing along with justin bieber, 'cause he's, like, soooo awesome and i love him but who doesn't really i mean come on look at those eyes squeeee!!!! ahem... anyhoo... so i'm sitting here, just minding my own business, and then this alien spaceship, this, like, flying saucer thing, swoops down into my room, with all the lights and stuff, and these little green alien martian people came out and pinned me down on my bed and cut off some of my bangs because they were doing some DNA experiments or something i don't know because i couldn't really talk for some reason i think they drugged me or something and that's why you didn't hear anything even though you were right across the hall. so yeah, then the alien guys climbed back up into their ship and there were the lights and the smoke and then they were gone... with my bangs!!!!! i mean, really, can you believe that?!?!?!?!

that, gentle readers, is the story your children need to memorize. if they pull that out when they think they're in trouble, you're just gonna have to laugh and let it go, because really, if they're going to pull that story off, and they're going to be the kid who had aliens invading their bedroom and cut their hair or whatever... yeah. just stand back, smile, and say, "kid, that was fan. freaking. tastic."

and so, blithe, on this night when, for the first time in your entire life you came up with a most ridiculous explanation for something i wasn't even upset about in the first place, i applaud you. i am so proud. but next time, you need to believe it, then it might be somewhat plausible. at least to someone on tv or something. {wink}

SNOW CREAM!!!!!!!

well, it is yet another snow day around here. that's right, the last day of school before march break, and we get a snow storm. i'm not joking.

and so... what do you do when school is cancelled and you're exhausted and low on funds and low on groceries and therefore also low on snackables? you find an easy recipe online and open the back door. {wink}

i looked up a recipe online, and since there were four ingredients, and there's four of us, we each had to remember one ingredient:
blithe: 1 cup sugar
bram: 1 tbsp vanilla
asher: 2 cups milk (although when i asked him what he was supposed to remember, he said, "2." "two what?" i asked. "too much!" so helpful. thanks. haha)
me: 3L (1 gallon) snow

basically, mix it all together in a bowl. dish it out. enjoy. :)

the verdict? from the mouths of babes....

this makes my mouff freezing!

this tastes good!

this tastes like outside!

this makes my taste buds freeze!

dat's why it is snow!

diss makes me shiver why it's so good!

and i would add, it tastes like christmas. you know... if christmas was, um... edible?? is that right? somehow i don't think so... please tell me you know what i mean, though. haha

that all means it's good. :)

gotta love snow days!!!!

i asked God for a ministry. i told Him i want to make a difference in people's lives...

and He answered me.

because that's what He does.

so i listened?!?! and said, "ok"?!?!?!

{shakes head}

here's what happened:

so, i woke up this morning, totally not feeling it. i don't quite know how to explain "it," but i wasn't feeling it. gosh, mornings like that are just swell, aren't they? {rolls eyes}

but i got girlie off to the bus (the boys had spent the night with their dad) and i sat down on the couch with my handy-dandy notebook. (the power chord for my laptop is dead - at least i hope it's just the power chord :S )and i turned on the tv. i decided to watch a christian show that i never watch, but for some reason, i watched today. the guest was a man who rescues children from the sex trade in cambodia. and then i started thinking/praying, God, i want a ministry. doesn't have to be something like that, but i want something. just give me something to do. and the man made a really good point that we often think we need all kinds of education and training and what-not to do something for God, but we really don't. He'll put us where He wants us.

so i turned off the tv, and i actually found a great verse for this morning. i took it as my theme verse o' the day:

i cry out to God Most High,
to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.
Psalm 57:2

and then i pulled out my journal and prayed (yes, i write out my prayers. otherwise, i get too distracted and ooh! look! something shiny!!!..... k, i'm back, what was i talking about? ah, yes. i get distracted easily. why was i telling you that?? right. i was praying).

so, i ask, God Most High, give me a purpose. give me a ministry. give me something to do that will make a difference in people's lives.


He answers... wait for it..., clean the house.


i'm not even joking.

when i complained rolled my eyes argued asked piously for some clarification, i said, no, i wanted something that would make a difference. who would this possibly minister to?


He replied, the kids.


sigh. totally not what i was hoping for. i'll be honest, i wanted something glamourous like a call to india or working with street kids in a big city or something...

nope.

clean the house.

nice.

well, i bargained replied graciously and with the piety of mother theresa, because i know it's what You want me to do, i'll do it. just... give me joy while i do it. thanks.


sigh.

so right now, there's a load of bedding in the washer, and another waiting to go. i'm about to fold some laundry i did yesterday, load up the dishwasher, collect the garbage, and then try to find the play room floor. and maybe the end of the couch. and maybe, while i'm making a pot of coffee, i'll find at least some of the kitchen counter.

and you know... i'm actually feeling pretty good about this. like God actually has given me joy to do this job. cool! :)

Philippians 2: 5-11

getting myself un-dis-organized

so, over the last few months, like, since i started working in november, i've gotten a little disorganized.

ok, a lot disorganized.

well! that all stops today.

i'm working on a filing system for bills. a binder with two sections:

1. paid
2. awaiting $$

because i can't pay a bill if i don't have money... see how that works?

the other thing i'm working on is re-instating the weekly menu. and when i plan the menu, i don't just plan suppers. nope. i plan everything we eat for the week.

• breakfast
• lunch (including school lunches)
• snack
• supper

this way, if i need to make, say, muffins for breakfast or bread for sandwiches, i know ahead of time and i can make it the night before.

the other thing this allows is for budgeting and variety in our meals. i always find that spend at least half again as much on groceries when i don't plan the menu, and we end up eating the same things over and over. which isn't always a bad thing, since i am a pretty good cook, but i am capable of making a lot of different things, and most of those... never get made. :( so this way, i can make more of the foods we enjoy for a lot less money. 

and let's not forget the calendar!!

for christmas i got the Cake Wrecks calendar (SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!), and it's got plenty of room for writing down, well, everything!!!!

• my work schedule
• school project due dates
• library book return dates
• appointments
• pay day
• bills due
• play dates

you get the idea, i'm sure. basically, if we're doing it, or we should be doing it, it goes on the calendar.

i may also include specific tasks to be done around the house. things like, "wash bedding and towels" or "baking day" or "organize so-and-so's bedroom."

and yes, i'm going to have a baking/cooking day. i figure, if i do it on saturdays, then we'll have good snacks for the week and the kidley-winks can help me! muffins for breakfasts, cookies or granola bars for snacks, and any suppers i can make ahead of time for thursdays or other busy days.

anyway, that's the plan for now. the way i see it, if i work on one disorganized part of my life at a time, i should be completely organized by the time i'm 80 or so. that's my goal, at least. {wink}

i'm making up another soup "recipe" :)

last night for supper, we had perogies with bacon. i would have fried up some onions, too, but i thought i was all out. {tears}

i only used about 2/3 of the package of bacon last night. the rest i threw into the freezer, to be used later for some as-yet-unspecified culinary concoction.

well, gentle readers, that "unspecified culinary concoction" is now specified.

huzzah!!!

it's cold, it's snowy, it's a day at home. and i wanted to cook. but i find that i run out of ideas for supper by late afternoon, and i end up staring into the fridge, freezer, pantry, and contemplating take-out. (last night i dreamed little caesar's closed and we were unable to get cheap pizza!! the horror...) so i have decided to go back to weekly menu planning and slow cooking (er...cooking slowly? blerg!). so this afternoon, when i started working on lunch...

i came up with supper.

i ran over to the freezer and pulled out the leftover bacon from last night. after a little cheer, i tossed it into the pan with... you guessed it... bacon fat!!! what was food like before some genius mind realized that bacon fat is amazing?!?!? couldn't have been very good, i don't think. but that's just me. and i love bacon. a lot. it's just so... so... bacony... {drools all over keyboard}

{puts out drool-induced electrical fire on keyboard}

and... we're back.

where were we? ah, yes. bacon.

so, i began frying up the remaining bacon, which i had actually cut into smaller pieces last night. so that's going on the stove, and i decided to go potato hunting in my kitchen. and in the process, i found...

onions!!!!


again, i heart onions. they just fill a dish with flavour, and yet they're so simple and easy and versatile and yum-tastic.

especially when they're fried in bacon fat. {wink}

i was going to use them for a soup creation, but as i was looking at the bacon and onions there in the pan, i started thinking... stew? pasta? a different soup?

in the end, i went with my original idea. and here's what i threw together:

Mexican Lentil and Bacon Soup


so, like i said, i used 1/3 lb of bacon, cut into smaller pieces, and fried in bacon fat with 1 diced onion. while cooking, i added a little bit of mexican flavour. el yum!

i poured the bacon and onion into the slow cooker, being (somewhat) careful to not dump in copious amounts of liquid beauty fat. i then added some diced tomatoes, and mixed it all together.

pour in some lentils. the amount? um... i don't know... a cup... ish??? till it looked right. let's go with that.

mix it all together.

at this point, i threw in some mexican seasoning and a touch of cumin.

throw in some frozen spinach, and some chicken broth, and a little bit of water, and...

voila!!

i'll post later with the results... but it smells pretty good already!

UPDATE #1: i just sampled the broth. if it tastes this good when it's done cooking, i would take a bullet for this soup. it's just. that. good. will update with final results later. :)

perfect imperfection

what an incredible morning!

this morning, i got up at 7:00. i only hit snooze twice (i've set it for 6:42 to allow me to do just that... yes, i know, i'm a genius). i came downstairs and made myself a small pot of coffee and got dressed. then blithe got up, then the boys got up. ok, granted, blithe woke bram up because she wanted to play with his charlie stuffie, and i suspect asher woke up from the ensuing shrieking, but they quickly decided to get along and play nicely. blithe reminded bram about the "no tv in the morning" rule, and miraculously, he didn't complain.

my coffee was ready, so i poured some into my favourite (read: biggest) mug, which i then placed on the (ahem) clear and clean kitchen counter.

and i asked the kids to bring me their lunchbags.

blithe? check. bram? check. (and quickly, which is shocking, when you consider they have the combined attention span of a doorknob. haha ah, ADHD, how you make our lives interesting!) asher?... asher??... asher, sweetie, where's your lunchbag?? ok, blithe and bram, can you please help asher find his backpack? thank-you.

they divided up the house, each kid getting a zone to search. blithe took the upstairs (i'm choosing to ignore the fact that his backpack is never upstairs... but all her justin bieber stuff is... and again, attention span? what's that???). long story short, i found asher's backpack... on the couch. in the open. right there. but, when i gave it to him, he thanked me so sweetly, and he insisted on getting out his lunchbag himself.

and i stood there, watching him, as he unzipped the bag and pulled out his lunchbag and took it to the kitchen and put it on the chair.

and i was amazed.

he's growing up so fast. he's getting to be so independent. he's more mature every day. he's so quickly becoming his own little person.

it's so beautiful.

then i made the kids' lunches as litter-less-ly as possible (they have a competition at school this week: the class that has the most litterless lunches gets a pizza party. hey, whatever works, right?), using some of the containers i picked up at the superstore for $2 a pack ($2 for a pack of 6, and i got 3 different sized sets). i gave the kids their choice of fruit; blithe and bram each wanted an apple, asher chose a banana.

but while we were discussing the fruit, they all stood together in the kitchen, in their little cluster of three... and i looked and them, and i just thought,

wow. they really are amazing people. they're so beautiful and sweet and perfectly imperfect.

it's amazing what you find in your kitchen in seven minutes...

it's no secret that i hate housework. and i mean,

i.

hate.

housework.

well, it's not so much doing it that bothers me. it's the unendingness of it all. i can clean off the counters right now, but by tonight, they'll be covered with stuff again. and laundry. seriously, when is someone going to invent perma-clean clothes????????

ugh.

a few years ago, i gave FlyLady a whirl (the link is on the sidebar). and found it to be just as overwhelming as the mess in my house. so that was a no-go.

but, a friend suggested it again a few weeks ago, so i decided to sign up again. and yes, it took me a while to figure out how to wade through all those emails (and WOW! there are a lot!), which ones to read and which ones to delete unread. but now that i've figured that out, i'm actually not so overwhelmed by it all.

(and please ignore the irony that i can tackle the clutter in my inbox but want to cry when i look at my coffee table.)

anyhoo...

the other day, she issued a challenge: clean up. do it all, toss stuff, put stuff away, wipe stuff down. everything.

for seven minutes.

that's right.

seven minutes.

"bah!" i thought, trapped in some semi-dickensian (time-)warped frame of mind, "seven minutes! i can't clean the house in seven minutes!! humbug!!"

but then i thought... you know... it's only seven minutes... maybe i'll try it...

and prove FlyLady wrong...

because we all know you can't get anything accomplished in seven minutes.

and so, i set off to the black hole pile of clutter kitchen to do some tidying and cleaning. again, thinking, "seriously, seven minutes?? bah! humbug!!" and i set the timer on the stove.

and do you want to know what i did in that seven minutes??

i put away the remaining pantry stuff from christmas that had not previously fit in the pantry. but it fits now... other than the case of KD, so, admittedly, that's still on the floor.

i put all kinds of stuff into recycling.

i almost threw up a bit when i looked in my mini compostainer.

i found several forks.

i found a couple spoons.

i found parts of the floor i'd forgotten were there.

i found out what colour my counter is.

i found my breadmaker.

ok, the breadmaker wasn't lost. i knew where it was. but i couldn't get to it. but now i can!!!

turns out, you can accomplish quite a bit in seven minutes! who knew!!!

ok, probably a lot of you. i'm sure this is some centuries-old strategy and i'm just ridiculously slow in learning it.

and now i have a new housework mantra:

it doesn't need to be perfect; it just needs to be done.

so my plan for today is:

• seven minutes cleaning the kitchen.
• seven minutes tidying the living room.
• seven minutes looking for the dining room table.
• seven minutes in the bathroom.

and i may, perhaps, if i have time (i have to work at 3:30), do the challenge from one day last week: the 27-item fling. basically, you get a garbage bag (or item from your declutter kit, haha), and get rid of 27 things. could be 27 flyers. could be 27 pieces of clothing that are too small. could be 27 toys the kids don't play with anymore. could be 27 mini chocolate bar wrappers. could be 27 miscellaneous items of various shapes and sizes and degrees of decomposition. just get rid of 27 things from the house. if they're donate-able, then toss them in your vehicle and take them straight to the nearest Goodwill or BFM or whatever. if they're garbage, take them outside. if they're recyclable, recycle them. but just get rid of them.

who knows?? by the end of this week, i just might find my floor... at least, i hope so. 

well, i don't know about yours, but our christmas was... wow.

back in early november, i received an email from a dear, dear friend:

Dear Heather

The Christmas season is fast approaching and while the season is one of love, joy, peace and hope, it can also be a season of stress when you have children and want to give them that magical Christmas morning experience.

It was going to be more of a surprise (initially) but after a few conversations with your mom, we decided that perhaps we should share our plans with you in order to alleviate some of the holiday stresses you are feeling.   So here it is:   This year Christmas is on us.   My family, including my parents,  would like to give you guys Christmas.   The plan right now is new pajamas for each child, a new outfit for each child, warm hats and mittens for each, and some new toys for each child.   Plus a bin of dry goods for your cupboards, a gift card for the grocery store (and a few things for you but those can be kept secret!).   Your mom has given me some great ideas for each kiddo (she was my spy on the weekend lol), but if you know something special they are "asking Santa for" or a specific request please let me know.   We were planning to drop the gifts off at your moms (either wrapped or unwrapped depending on if you wanted to see them first or not) and then you can give them to the kids from you.   My children know they are helping shop for some fabulous kids to help them have a great Christmas, but they don't know it's your kids (because they do play once in a while and I didn't want my kids to mention something, albeit innocently and make yours uncomfortable).

Let me know if I'm on the right track.   I'm sorry to blow the secret, and I was planning to just be "santa's elf" but after talking to your mom I didn't want you to be stressed out leading up to Christmas.   I hope that this helps!   I can't think of a family who deserves a little love more than you guys.   You are an amazing mom and you've raised three wonderful, loving, happy children.   And I couldn't be more proud to be your friend.

Merry Christmas! xo

can you believe that?!?! when i read that email, i bawled. an amazing gift from a wonderful friend for my incredible children.

i didn't have to worry about a single gift for the kids. (mind you, i went along thinking for over a month that i didn't have to buy anything, la dee dah, i have no shopping to do so yes, i'm ready for christmas, are you?, and then it occurred to me a couple weeks ago that i needed to buy stuff for my parents, brother, his girlfriend, my grandmother... yeah. insert mad dash to the mall in london and voila! most of that shopping done under budget and in a couple hours. yes, i'm just. that. good. HAHA!!)

christmas morning was, well, unbelievable. the kids got everything on their wishlists. blithe got all things justin bieber, bram got all things lego, and asher got all things elmo. blithe also got an easy bake oven and a lalaloopsy doll, and the boys got some transformers, too.

and the thing is... they were so grateful!! that afternoon, bram was playing with his lego while i wrote a note to my aunt, and he looked up at me and said,

"mommy, i'm really thankful for everything i have."

have you ever heard something so wonderful???

well, i have. that night, as blithe was saying her prayers, she thanked God for all the gifts we got, "because I know they came from you. how did you know i wanted a singing justin bieber doll and an easy bake oven?? well, i suppose you know everything, so of course you would know that, right?"

yesterday, we were driving home from church, and blithe said to me,

"mommy, i'm really thankful for everything you and nana and bampa bought us."

i said, "sweetie, i only gave you a couple things. nana and bampa only gave you a few things. most of those gifts you received yesterday weren't from me or nana and bampa."

and her jaw dropped.

she's been a bit unsure about santa this year, not sure if she still believes or not. but yeah. i'm pretty sure she believes now.

(in case you haven't realized, the kids don't know about this gift to us. i had told blithe that santa is the spirit of giving at christmas, and that's what i'm sticking with. all this stuff... yeah. it's from santa.)

surprise, surprise, i've taken up a new hobby

so, yesterday, asher and i went a-shopping. we were in search of a scarf for him, because, well, it's cold out now, and well, he doesn't have a scarf.

seems logical enough.

did you know that wal-mart doesn't have scarves for wee lads???

or at least none that i could find.

but what i did find...

was yarn!!

and knitting needles!!!

now, i used to knit a little bit, way back when blithe was a baby. and i've been wanting to get back to it lately, because, you know... i don't have enough on my plate lately. haha

anyway, asher loved the idea of a handmade scarf, so he helped me to pick out some yarn for himself and for bram (blithe already has a scarf), and i grabbed some needles, and off we went.

when i came home, i looked up knitting instructions on youtube. so now i've learned to tie a slip know (haha, yes, i needed to start there, apparently), cast on, and do the basic knit stitch. awesome!!!

so far, i am 5 or 6 rows into the scarf, and i'm loving every second of it!! it's very soothing and calming, since it's so repetitive and quiet. i'd forgotten how much i love knitting!!

when i'm done the scarf, i'll post a picture of it so you can marvel at my knitty genius. :)

snow day = kitchen day!!

the menu for today:

breakfast: oatmeal chocolate chip muffins. yes, from a mix, but they were yummy!

lunch: split pea soup. (see recipe below)

snack: peanut butter nuggets. (see recipe below)

supper: probably potato pancakes. le yum!

i made the muffins myself, and added a bit of cinnamon, as i mentioned in my previous post. they were good!! i also made the soup on my own, but it would have been very easy for blithe to help with it. probably not the boys, but definitely blithe. the PB nuggets will be made by the kids and me, though mostly them. the potato pancakes, i will likely make those myself. here are the recipes:

Split Pea Soup with veggies
split peas. i don't know how much. just throw them into the pot.
chicken broth. i just poured until it covered the peas.
water. added just a little bit, not much. enough to make it about an inch higher than the peas
some chopped carrots.
half a small onion, chopped.
garlic, salt

seriously, toss it all into a pot, turn on the stove, and walk away. easy peasy. once it's done cooking, use a hand blender to... um... blend it. and then enjoy. it will be nice and thick (but not too thick). it's good with crackers, though i suspect croutons would be even better.

Peanut Butter Nuggets (from allrecipes.com)
2/3 cup crushed cornflakes (or rice krispies... because that's what i have on hand)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey

1. mix 1/2 cup corn flakes, coconut, peanut butter and honey together.
2. shape into small balls and roll them in remaining cornflakes.

*these cookies can be put in the fridge to firm up.
**these cookies freeze well.
***yield: 2 dozen

UPDATE: the kids loved making these, and we all loved eating them!! we rolled them in icing sugar instead of rice krispies, and they were wonderful!!


Old-Fashioned Potato Pancakes (from allrecipes.com)
3 cups shredded peeled potatoes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cups grated onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp minced fresh parsley. (obviously, you would need more if you're using dried... which is what i have)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Rinse potatoes in cold water; drain thoroughly. in a bowl, mix potatoes, eggs, onion, flour, parsley, salt and pepper. pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle. fry 5-6 minutes on each side or until potatoes are tender and pancakes are golden brown.
*yield 2 servings
**i usually shred 3 to 4 potatoes and then just eyeball the quantities from there. always turns out deliciously! :)
***mmm... potato pancakes with syrup... le drool!!!

SNOW DAY!!!!!!

that's right, folks, winter has officially arrived in our area. we have gotten so much snow that school is cancelled today!!! so here's the plan for the day:

the kids and i are going to do some papercrafting, and we'll read a bit. i'm about to make some muffins. the kids will probably go outside to play for a little while, and when they come in, we'll have hot chocolate. and i might make some soup today. i'm thinking... carrot? or maybe skip the soup and make stew? dunno yet. i'll let you know what i decide.

i'm going to keep updating this post as the day goes on, to keep you abreast of the minutiae of the day here. because, if you're honest with yourself, you know you're dying to know. haha

UPDATE #1: the muffins were yummy. oatmeal chocolate chip. sure, i used a mix and didn't make them from scratch, but they're still yummy. and i added cinnamon, which adds a little something extra. delightful! :) as for the soup... blithe has specifically requested split pea soup, which she is going to help make. can't wait!

UPDATE #2: the soup is cooking, and it smells wonderful. {blissed out smile} but you know i'm all about handy household hints, so here's one for you: if you decide to make split pea soup, and you decide to turn the container with the peas upside down, make sure the container is shut tight first... or just don't turn it over. that would work, too... i guess. but anyhoozle... the kids have played outside. bram is the proud creator of not one, not two, but three snow angels. they all came in, bright-eyed and rosy cheeked. oh! and runny-nosed. can't forget that one! haha

at some point this afternoon, i plan to brave the out-of-doors and shovel the driveway. but i have discovered the advantage to living across from a field: blowing snow. which, contrary to what you might be thinking, is actually rather handy on days like today. you see, even though the snow is whipping around and getting dumped on us today... it just blows right past my driveway!!! so i will only need to shovel a few inches, instead of a couple ashers-worth of snow (snow piled as high as two ashers). so that's pretty handy, if you ask me. {wink}

on a side note, i must remember to either find or purchase a snow brush for the truck. because i can't find it. the truck, i mean. asher looked out the window this morning and said, "we have a white car now!" and bram changed her name to "whiter." yup. lots of snow today.

ok, maybe winter isn't so bad. (wait! who wrote that???)

before i continue on to this post, i want you to check out our weather forecast for the next couple days. (click on "our weather forecast." it takes you to the weather channel's page for our town.) notice all the snow. it started last night, just lightly. but today... yup. lots of snow. the roads aren't pretty (and coincidentally, my truck's front end isn't pretty anymore, either. stupid guardrails). they're very slippery and messy and all-around nasty. if you live in this area and don't absolutely need to go out, don't.

which leads to the point of this post:

those things about winter that are wonderful and remind me of the little blessings in my life:

• warm coffee in my favourite christmas mug. it's a giant mug covered with candy canes, etc. it is also ideal for hot chocolate.
• hot chocolate with the kidley-winks. a rare treat, but a fun one. 
• de-icing windshield washer fluid. which reminds me: i need to put de-icing windshield washer fluid in the truck.
• staying inside, snuggled on the couch, and enjoying the sounds of the kidley-winks playing.
• the smells of soups, chilis, casseroles and breads emanating from the kitchen
• the look of the snow in the backyard
• the sights and sounds of the kidley-winks playing in the snow
• christmas parties. 'nuff said. 
• hot apple cider. preferable mulled with all those lovely things like cinnamon, cloves, orange slices... mmm....
• comfy cozy slippers. espcially leopard-print comfy cozy slippers.
• yoga pants and my pink, over-sized coconut joe sweatshirt. (quite a picture i paint, no?)

and one other thing. this afternoon, i went out to the shed to get the shovels. as it happens, they were buried under 50 lbs or so of carpet and underpad. and it was wedged between all of that and a pile of boxes. nice. anyhoo, as i was swearing grunting and pulling and trying desperately to not pull all that carpeting on top of myself, my neighbour came outside and asked if i'd like him to shovel the driveway for me. he's out there right now, not so much "shoveling" as "blowing" the snow.

so, ok. i'll admit. there are some wonderful things about winter.

and cherish this post. come february, i won't be so keen on finding blessings. by then, i'll be cursing the snow and the cold and the ice and the lack of sunshine and being stuck inside all day... ugh. but for now, i'm choosing the focus on the good things.

now, please pass the vitamin D supplements. 

best. product. ever.

ok, so we all know that i love to cook. love it. and i'm learning to {mumble, mumble, mumble}.

what's that? you didn't understand me there?

sigh.

ok, fine. i'm learning to enjoy baking, too.


there, i said it. sigh.

and so, in that vein, i am learning to appreciate certain products that i never fully appreciated before. and one of those products is

Europe's Best frozen berries. honestly. i lurv these things.

now, usually, i prefer the raspberries. because raspberries rock. but, the kids prefer the mix, so that is what i end up buying, nine times out of ten.

why do i love these so much, you ask? well, gentle reader, let me tell you!!

1. not overly expensive. even on my "budget." and sometimes you'll find them on sale. and yes, they sell them at Shoppers Drug Mart, so i get a 30% discount, which in my books, makes them pretty darn reasonable.

2. frozen means "not packed in sugar and preservatives." that's right, folks, nothing added. just berries and cold. sure, they're not fresh. i understand that. but they're fresh when they get freezed (as opposed to "when they are frozen," which is the state in which i buy them... see the difference? and yes, i invented a word. but i'm a writer, so i'm allowed some creative license with the language, i think. {wink}) so that's good enough for me (except when they're in season, but it's almost december here, so pretty much nothing is in season at the moment).

3. yumminess. again, raspberries FTW ("for the win," for you non-cyber-types). the blackberries are also nice. and the kids love the strawberries and blueberries (pa-tooie!), so it's all good.

4. healthiness. is that a word? who knows. who cares. you know what i mean. and really, do i need to elaborate on this one??

ok, ok, i'll grant that some people will have complaints about frozen berries. specifically, that they get soggy. and yes, ok, i'll admit, that if you're just pulling some berries out of the bag, thawing them and eating them straight up like that, yes. they're going to be soggy and gross. but! to those people, i say...

dude, seriously! diversify!!!

here's a list, totally off the top of my head as i'm writing here, of things you can make with these berries:

• smoothies
• milkshakes (which in this house, are the same thing as smoothies. but bram doesn't like smoothies, but he loves milkshakes. just don't tell him they're the same thing. {wink})
• parfait, a la Europe's Best website.
• parfait, a la heather. which is, in this order from bottom to top: yogurt (vanilla or berry), frozen berries, granola. le yum!
• pies. and really, who doesn't love pie?
• jams
• muffins
• banana bread

need i go on? or are you getting the idea? i sure hope you are.

i also hope you're grabbing your purse and heading out to the grocery store and picking up a bag of these little drops of baking heaven.

and yes, in case you're wondering, they have a bunch of varieties of fruit, not just berries. they also have cranberries, mangoes, peaches, blueberries, etc. and they have veggies, too. asparagus (which is lovely), spinach (a post is forthcoming about that little gem, too), potatoes, and many others.

and also, in case you're wondering, if you click on the links in this post, you will be taken to the Europe's Best website. there you'll find the complete list of products, as well as a whole lot of recipes. and who doesn't love recipes, eh???

birthdays!!!!

yup, i'm in a birthday frame of mind lately.

both the boys have birthdays in early december. and so... we're having a party.

yes. party. singular. as in, only one.

they both wanted to have their party at the bowling alley. bram's best friend has his b-day party there last month, and bram loved it. so, of course, we just have to do that, too.

but... it's kind of expensive. so......

i presented them the option of "plan B"... and thank God, they loved it and are very excited about. here's the new plan:

we're still bowling, but we're doing it at home. we're going to clear out the playroom (as much as possible) and set up two "bowling alleys" using those plastic bowling sets. you know... like this:

so that's part of what we'll be doing. we'll also play some more "classic" games:

and maybe a couple others... musical chairs (sorry, no cutesy picture, since it's just chairs and music), that sort of thing.

and the piece de resistance??

before everyone arrives, the boys are going to help me make cupcakes. i picked up a couple "cupcake mix in a tubes" yesterday.

so that's what we're going to use to make the cupcakes beforehand. they'll bake while the kids are arriving, and then, once they've cooled,

THEY'RE ALL GOING TO DECORATE THEIR OWN CUPCAKES!!!!

i've got chocolate and white cupcakes, chocolate and white icing, and some sprinkles etc. i'll be picking up some more decorating supplies this week, so they'll have quite the selection. i'm really excited about this part of the party. :)

and so are the boys. which is the best part, if you ask me.

i also managed to pick up a couple cases of pop (7Up and A&W root beer), because they were on sale. and i might pick up a couple cheap pizzas on party day, or i'll make some popcorn with fun flavouring, and some chips or something fun like that.

bram is especially excited about the goody bags. he's been nagging me to go to the dollar store to get stuff. "and make sure you get something for the grown-ups, because grown-ups need treats every now and then, too, right, mommy?"

and perhaps you're wondering about decorations. admit it, you were. {wink} well, my friend, i'm waaaay ahead of you. this week, we will be heading to the dollar store for some contruction paper. the boys (and blithe) will be making paper chains to hang up around the house. we'll also get some balloons and hang those around the house, as well. sure, it's nothing fancy, but it's fun, and the boys can help, so they'll love that.

so, there you have it. a double b-day partay for the boys.

can you believe, my little men are going to be 6 and 4???? i'm having a little trouble believing it, but i'm sooooo excited!!!

my very long to-do list for tomorrow

which, technically, would be today, since it's 1:30 in the morning.

ah, sweet simplicity, why dost thou elude me so?

here we go:

1. put away laundry
2. wash bedding? (a mom can dream)
3. go to bank
4. go to another bank
5. hand out resumes
6. work out (for some sanity. and 'cause i want nice abs again. a girl can dream.)
7. try to find the living room and playroom floors
8. make phone calls for church
9. fill out some forms
10. find a letter that has gone missing
11. work on a drama
12. work on a novel (for NaNoWriMo)

somewhere in there, i suppose it would be nice to eat, but again, a girl can dream.

sad but true, this is my day tomorrow. good thing there's coffee.