Well folks, I'm back. My computer is finally fixed which I am thrilled about even if I'm vaguely dissatisfied about the transaction. I'm slowly getting it back to the way I had it, lots of downloading and installing going on right now.
Oh boy have I missed you guys. Yes, I did have ML's laptop while mine was in the shop, but I just couldn't blog from it because none of my stuff was on it. No saved passwords, no picture files, just none of my tools of the bloggy trade. Add to that my increasing unstable internet connection. Our mortgage is finally settled so the call goes out to the internet lady this week. Cannot wait for faster cheaper internet service. Yay!
It seems to me that I've been away so long I need to re-introduce myself..... So hi. I'm Shannon, but you can call me Shan or Shanny. I've got two little girls who call me Mommy, Mom or Mama depending on their mood and a husband of almost 14 years who likes to call me Lou.
In addition I feel it's important to know that...
I devour chick lit. I mean I love to read, almost anything, but if I crack a Meg Cabot, Emily Giffin, Sophie Kinsella or a Jennifer Weiner I just can't put it down until I'm finished. Where as The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown took me a month to get through. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin I was done in less than a week.
I don't like it when people call Mike, Mikey. He couldn't care less at all, but it bugs me. I have no idea why.
My Mom gave me a digital photo frame and I tried to convince her to keep it for herself. She gave it to me anyway and now I'm really glad she did. I LOVE it. The girls have been huddled around it all day.
Watched Alice in Wonderland this evening with the girls, I can't be the only one who thought Johnny Depp looked like Madonna in it, can I? Also don't really get the Johnny Depp appeal. Sames goes for Jessica Alba.
My number one celebrity girl crush - Jennifer Aniston, no question.
Also I harbour a very serious crush on Jason Bateman. Oh yes I do. That's grown up Jason Bateman, not Hogan's Family Jason Bateman.
And now you know.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
survivor
So we recently hosted a Survivor themed birthday party for Abby's little chums. It was great fun and I highly recommend it as a party theme. I think this is one of those big childhood memories Abby's is going to take with her into adulthood. We did take lots of pictures, but they include kids other than my own and since some folks ain't down with publishing their lives on the internet, I've got none to share with you, but trust me they are awesome and if you're lucky enough to be in my facebook posse then you've already seen them.
So how did we pull off a Survivor Party?
Here's how....
ML had the genius idea of picking up "buffs" for the teams. She showed up here on party day with orange and blue banadanas. We had divided the kids into teams with some input from the birthday girl. So ML labeled each one and helped the kids put them on.
As the guests arrived Abby handed out plastic leis I had picked up at the dollar store to serve as immunity necklaces, that way no one could get voted out of the party. Once the kids were outfitted in their buffs and immunity necklaces the kids got together with their tribe to come up with a tribe name and cheer. Then we started the challenges.
The challenges were fun, some we came up with ahead of time, others came to us on the fly. We did coconut bowling, which the kids loved so much we ended up making it a best two out of three event. I picked up bottles of bubbles at the dollar store to serve as pins.... also the kids got to take a bottle home with them afterward. At the grocery store I grabbed two coconuts to serve as the ball. Each tribe member got to "roll" two coconuts the length of our deck to knock over as many pins as they could. Mike and I did our best to pick out coconuts that were far from round, just to make it fun. That game got high marks from the tribes.
To be fair I think that one was our most survivor-esque challenge, the rest were typical games you'd see at a family reunion. We did a bean bag toss, threw a frisbee at a target, had a water relay race where they had to get water from one bucket to another... and the buckets were at opposite sides of the yard... and they only had a small cup.... and the cup had a hole in it. That was fun. We did an egg in spoon race an different variations of balloon races, one they had to hold the balloon between their knees, another race they had to hold it between two tribe members.
We broke the games up with two breaks, one for lunch about an hour in (it was a three hour party) and one for cupcakes about an hour later. I made volcano cupcakes, which was way easier than it sounds. I baked and iced cupcakes and then topped them with an upside down sugar cone I had cut the pointy end off about a quarter of the way down. I tinted a bit of icing orange and then warmed it for 30 seconds in the microwave so I could drizzle it down the sides of the sugar cone just like flowing lava.
After the second break we had about 30 minutes or so left in the party, so we made it "free play" time. We had them play freeze tag, but they played as their tribes. So one tribe member from each team was it and they could only tag the opposite team. We played a few rounds of that, then we threw in some wax museum, duck duck goose and hot potato.
It was a very simple party to throw and it didn't break the bank either. I think I spent $40 at the dollar store for supplies and than included "loot bags" which weren't actually loot bags. I picked up artist canvases that came with acrylic paints and brushes and the best part... they had a jungle scene already printed on them. So it was kind of like a coloring page, but on a canvas stretched over a frame. The kids took home a painting, a bottle of bubbles from bowling and some of my famous chocolate chip cookies.
I could definitely see having another Survivor party next year since we had ideas for games we didn't use, like puzzle building races (25 piece puzzles in a brown paper bag, no picture to work from), bug or worm eating contest using gummy worms/bugs, scavenger hunt and an obstacle course. I'll have to pay close attention to the challenges on the next season of survivor to see if there is anything we can use.
Abby was thrilled with the entire event, declaring it the best party ever! I had such fun with the whole thing, ML was awesome as our very own Jeff Probst of the party. It was just the best.
So how did we pull off a Survivor Party?
Here's how....
ML had the genius idea of picking up "buffs" for the teams. She showed up here on party day with orange and blue banadanas. We had divided the kids into teams with some input from the birthday girl. So ML labeled each one and helped the kids put them on.
As the guests arrived Abby handed out plastic leis I had picked up at the dollar store to serve as immunity necklaces, that way no one could get voted out of the party. Once the kids were outfitted in their buffs and immunity necklaces the kids got together with their tribe to come up with a tribe name and cheer. Then we started the challenges.
The challenges were fun, some we came up with ahead of time, others came to us on the fly. We did coconut bowling, which the kids loved so much we ended up making it a best two out of three event. I picked up bottles of bubbles at the dollar store to serve as pins.... also the kids got to take a bottle home with them afterward. At the grocery store I grabbed two coconuts to serve as the ball. Each tribe member got to "roll" two coconuts the length of our deck to knock over as many pins as they could. Mike and I did our best to pick out coconuts that were far from round, just to make it fun. That game got high marks from the tribes.
To be fair I think that one was our most survivor-esque challenge, the rest were typical games you'd see at a family reunion. We did a bean bag toss, threw a frisbee at a target, had a water relay race where they had to get water from one bucket to another... and the buckets were at opposite sides of the yard... and they only had a small cup.... and the cup had a hole in it. That was fun. We did an egg in spoon race an different variations of balloon races, one they had to hold the balloon between their knees, another race they had to hold it between two tribe members.
We broke the games up with two breaks, one for lunch about an hour in (it was a three hour party) and one for cupcakes about an hour later. I made volcano cupcakes, which was way easier than it sounds. I baked and iced cupcakes and then topped them with an upside down sugar cone I had cut the pointy end off about a quarter of the way down. I tinted a bit of icing orange and then warmed it for 30 seconds in the microwave so I could drizzle it down the sides of the sugar cone just like flowing lava.
After the second break we had about 30 minutes or so left in the party, so we made it "free play" time. We had them play freeze tag, but they played as their tribes. So one tribe member from each team was it and they could only tag the opposite team. We played a few rounds of that, then we threw in some wax museum, duck duck goose and hot potato.
It was a very simple party to throw and it didn't break the bank either. I think I spent $40 at the dollar store for supplies and than included "loot bags" which weren't actually loot bags. I picked up artist canvases that came with acrylic paints and brushes and the best part... they had a jungle scene already printed on them. So it was kind of like a coloring page, but on a canvas stretched over a frame. The kids took home a painting, a bottle of bubbles from bowling and some of my famous chocolate chip cookies.
I could definitely see having another Survivor party next year since we had ideas for games we didn't use, like puzzle building races (25 piece puzzles in a brown paper bag, no picture to work from), bug or worm eating contest using gummy worms/bugs, scavenger hunt and an obstacle course. I'll have to pay close attention to the challenges on the next season of survivor to see if there is anything we can use.
Abby was thrilled with the entire event, declaring it the best party ever! I had such fun with the whole thing, ML was awesome as our very own Jeff Probst of the party. It was just the best.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
weekend wrap up
My gosh what a busy weekend this was.
We had our strawberry social dinner at the church Saturday evening and it was hotter than blazes. It's never fun to sweat while you eat.
The pool was between 78 and 82 over the weekend. Abby spent about 7 hours in the pool on Saturday. We forced her to get out for dinner, but she was right back in after we got home.
Maya was in the pool for about 4 hours, only because Mike put her in the pool wrong. Oh yes folks there is a process. She has to sit on the side for a moment with her feet in before Abby lifts her the rest of the way in. Mike tried to lift her over the edge and right on in. Oh goodness the tears.
My Mom agreed to watch the kids Saturday night while we went to an anniversary party. My Mom never does anything by little bits, so a simple night of babysitting turned into a backyard camping excursion. After we put up the Taj Mahal of tents I had to have another shower because oh my gosh the sweating! So Mike and I took off for a night of drinks and visiting with friends and left Granny and TLP with four kids under the age of 8 in a tent in our backyard.... what could go wrong?
From all accounts it was a pretty okay night, until the "incident" in which Granny almost broke her nose when she tripped over one of the tent tie down ropes..... with MyPie in her arms..... I think it's safe to say Granny was happy to have the almost broken nose since Maya escaped unscathed.
So after all the swimming, sun and playing Maya was toast by Sunday morning. She wouldn't sing with the choir. Wouldn't go up front for story time and Papa was taking care of story time this morning. She wouldn't go out for Sunday school and asked to go home before service was even over. So I brought her home and she crashed on the couch for the afternoon.
Waking her up was a chore and a half and she still wasn't herself. So I made the decision to skip our family father's day dinner and stay home with her sitting on top of me. Mike and Abby went without us and had a terrific time and I was sorry I missed out on the fun, but not sorry for all the MyPie cuddle time.
And how was your weekend?
We had our strawberry social dinner at the church Saturday evening and it was hotter than blazes. It's never fun to sweat while you eat.
The pool was between 78 and 82 over the weekend. Abby spent about 7 hours in the pool on Saturday. We forced her to get out for dinner, but she was right back in after we got home.
Maya was in the pool for about 4 hours, only because Mike put her in the pool wrong. Oh yes folks there is a process. She has to sit on the side for a moment with her feet in before Abby lifts her the rest of the way in. Mike tried to lift her over the edge and right on in. Oh goodness the tears.
My Mom agreed to watch the kids Saturday night while we went to an anniversary party. My Mom never does anything by little bits, so a simple night of babysitting turned into a backyard camping excursion. After we put up the Taj Mahal of tents I had to have another shower because oh my gosh the sweating! So Mike and I took off for a night of drinks and visiting with friends and left Granny and TLP with four kids under the age of 8 in a tent in our backyard.... what could go wrong?
From all accounts it was a pretty okay night, until the "incident" in which Granny almost broke her nose when she tripped over one of the tent tie down ropes..... with MyPie in her arms..... I think it's safe to say Granny was happy to have the almost broken nose since Maya escaped unscathed.
So after all the swimming, sun and playing Maya was toast by Sunday morning. She wouldn't sing with the choir. Wouldn't go up front for story time and Papa was taking care of story time this morning. She wouldn't go out for Sunday school and asked to go home before service was even over. So I brought her home and she crashed on the couch for the afternoon.
Waking her up was a chore and a half and she still wasn't herself. So I made the decision to skip our family father's day dinner and stay home with her sitting on top of me. Mike and Abby went without us and had a terrific time and I was sorry I missed out on the fun, but not sorry for all the MyPie cuddle time.
And how was your weekend?
Saturday, June 19, 2010
apparently i can't be trusted
I often stop what I am doing outside to come in and take care of something inside, these are almost always kid related interuptions and sometimes I don't always get back to what I was doing in the first place. Now that's not always a big deal.... unless it rains.
Things I have forgotten outside only to have it rain before I get back to it/them are...
Mike's ipod - this one was just recently. I was cutting the grass while the kids were at choir practice and was just finishing up when they got home. I took the ipod off and left it on the table on the deck and then it rained. I'm really pretty dang lucky it still works.
My book - I grabbed a "waiting to be read hardcover" off my shelf and took it out to the pool. I tossed it on my lawnchair, but never actually got to sit down and read it. I usually skim the pool while the kids swim, since they stir up all the skimmable stuff while they're in there. In the end they were done swimming before I was done skimming. I left the book on the lawn chair and then it rained. I'm currently drying it out,
My camera - yep my "fancy" "new" one. I had it out there taking pictures of the kids in the pool. I left it on the slide when I was done with it and had forgotten about it by the time the kids were done swimming. I remembered 45 seconds after the torrential downpour started. I'm lucky it still works.
Our cordless phone - I was on the deck talking to my Mom and I forgot the handset out there and then... say it with me.... it rained. The phone only kind of survived the ordeal. Now it only works as a speakerphone..... kinda.... you can hear the call, but they can't hear you. Luckily we had two more handsets.
So I'm sure you can appreciate Mike's concern now that I'm in charge of ML's laptop.
Things I have forgotten outside only to have it rain before I get back to it/them are...
Mike's ipod - this one was just recently. I was cutting the grass while the kids were at choir practice and was just finishing up when they got home. I took the ipod off and left it on the table on the deck and then it rained. I'm really pretty dang lucky it still works.
My book - I grabbed a "waiting to be read hardcover" off my shelf and took it out to the pool. I tossed it on my lawnchair, but never actually got to sit down and read it. I usually skim the pool while the kids swim, since they stir up all the skimmable stuff while they're in there. In the end they were done swimming before I was done skimming. I left the book on the lawn chair and then it rained. I'm currently drying it out,
My camera - yep my "fancy" "new" one. I had it out there taking pictures of the kids in the pool. I left it on the slide when I was done with it and had forgotten about it by the time the kids were done swimming. I remembered 45 seconds after the torrential downpour started. I'm lucky it still works.
Our cordless phone - I was on the deck talking to my Mom and I forgot the handset out there and then... say it with me.... it rained. The phone only kind of survived the ordeal. Now it only works as a speakerphone..... kinda.... you can hear the call, but they can't hear you. Luckily we had two more handsets.
So I'm sure you can appreciate Mike's concern now that I'm in charge of ML's laptop.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Dear Abby
Well last week you turned 8 and I'm still not quite sure how that happened. And I know everybody says that about their kids. I'm sure Granny is wondering how I got to be cough thirty-seven cough. It's just not that your 8 and time went by so fast, but that I can barely remember what my life looked like before you. As much as it seems like the past eight years have passed in a blink it also feels you've been here, taking up this giant piece of my heart forever. I mean, I had your Dad and he's pretty great company, but everything just became more after you pushed your way, bum first*, into our family. More fun, more sweet, more laughter, more love... just more.
I feel a real shift with you now. We're clearly entering the next stage. The little kid stuff is behind us. You're a tween and it's something we're both going to have to adjust to. I'm going to do my best to be patient with you and I hope you can do the same for me. This may be your first time being a tween, but it's my first time being a Mom to a tween. So far I think we're doing a good job navigating the murky waters. I'm not looking for you to grow up too quick, but think I you need to know what to expect as we get there. I've been pretty proud of both of us and the conversations we've had. You're asking some great and thoughtful questions which at times can be very funny in their innocence. For me, I'm managing to answer them and appear like a grown up at the same time.
I am endlessly proud of the person you are becoming. You have a huge heart and you love big with it. You're always looking to see the best in people, even when they may not deserve it... in my opinion anyway. You're also sensitive. I know of at least one Carrie Underwood song that brings tears to your eyes. The helium balloon you let go of a year ago still upsets you because it was a gift from someone you love and you lost it. It doesn't help that a year later that damn balloon is still stuck in that tree across the street. The one you can see from your bedroom window, an endless reminder that you let someone down... even though you didn't. You're giving and helpful, whether it be helping with dishes after coffee at church or collecting canned goods instead of birthday gifts. You're a great big sister and I know you'll "mother" Maya above and byond the call of duty when she heads off to school next September.
You're my social butterfly. When you get home from school you're here just long enough to drop your backpack and then you're off to find someone in the neighbourhood to play with. Age doesn't much matter to you, younger or older if they're willing to let you play too then you're in. You're lucky that your bestest friends live on our street and you move very comfortably in between their houses and ours. I'm always happy to hear reports back from their parents that you're a nice guest when you're visiting their houses.
Your enthusiasm for school has cooled a bit, but that's likely more to do with your academic struggles. It's been somewhat of a trying year as you've had three different teachers. Earlier this year we agreed to have you put on an IEP (individual education plan) to help you conquer your reading struggles. I happy to say you've improved your reading level from a 12 to an 18 this term.
You are still madly in love with your riding lessons and continue to enjoy choir. You always have a big smile on your face when you're doing both. You still prefer music and art over any kind of an organized sport, but you have started joining in on the ball hockey and soccer games that the kids play across the street. Now that summer is upon us I expect you'll spend every moment you can in the pool, my little fish. You're looking forward to summer vacation and all the fun that entails and when you head back to school in September you'll be in grade three and out of the "baby" wing, but really you're still my baby. For always.
I can't wait to see what 8 will bring us.
Love Mama xo
*I am your Mother and as such I have earned the right to constantly remind you of your bum first delivery.
I feel a real shift with you now. We're clearly entering the next stage. The little kid stuff is behind us. You're a tween and it's something we're both going to have to adjust to. I'm going to do my best to be patient with you and I hope you can do the same for me. This may be your first time being a tween, but it's my first time being a Mom to a tween. So far I think we're doing a good job navigating the murky waters. I'm not looking for you to grow up too quick, but think I you need to know what to expect as we get there. I've been pretty proud of both of us and the conversations we've had. You're asking some great and thoughtful questions which at times can be very funny in their innocence. For me, I'm managing to answer them and appear like a grown up at the same time.
I am endlessly proud of the person you are becoming. You have a huge heart and you love big with it. You're always looking to see the best in people, even when they may not deserve it... in my opinion anyway. You're also sensitive. I know of at least one Carrie Underwood song that brings tears to your eyes. The helium balloon you let go of a year ago still upsets you because it was a gift from someone you love and you lost it. It doesn't help that a year later that damn balloon is still stuck in that tree across the street. The one you can see from your bedroom window, an endless reminder that you let someone down... even though you didn't. You're giving and helpful, whether it be helping with dishes after coffee at church or collecting canned goods instead of birthday gifts. You're a great big sister and I know you'll "mother" Maya above and byond the call of duty when she heads off to school next September.
You're my social butterfly. When you get home from school you're here just long enough to drop your backpack and then you're off to find someone in the neighbourhood to play with. Age doesn't much matter to you, younger or older if they're willing to let you play too then you're in. You're lucky that your bestest friends live on our street and you move very comfortably in between their houses and ours. I'm always happy to hear reports back from their parents that you're a nice guest when you're visiting their houses.
Your enthusiasm for school has cooled a bit, but that's likely more to do with your academic struggles. It's been somewhat of a trying year as you've had three different teachers. Earlier this year we agreed to have you put on an IEP (individual education plan) to help you conquer your reading struggles. I happy to say you've improved your reading level from a 12 to an 18 this term.
You are still madly in love with your riding lessons and continue to enjoy choir. You always have a big smile on your face when you're doing both. You still prefer music and art over any kind of an organized sport, but you have started joining in on the ball hockey and soccer games that the kids play across the street. Now that summer is upon us I expect you'll spend every moment you can in the pool, my little fish. You're looking forward to summer vacation and all the fun that entails and when you head back to school in September you'll be in grade three and out of the "baby" wing, but really you're still my baby. For always.
I can't wait to see what 8 will bring us.
Love Mama xo
*I am your Mother and as such I have earned the right to constantly remind you of your bum first delivery.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
one less person to update the internet
Oh my gosh folks, I have missed you all so much. Here's the deal.... my computer is broken. I mean really truly broken. I was hopeful it was merely a software issue that had messed up windows, turns out no. My motherboard is fried. And just to make things fun, everyone else in the free world has a ATX motherboard, but we have a "special computer" that doesn't like to be a conformist, so it has a BTX motherboard and BTX motherboards apparently don't grow on trees my friend. So my computer sits in the shop while we wait for a new motherboard to be shipped from the good ole US of A. Conservative estimates say it will take 10 - 14 days before she's back home. So don't expect any posting or commenting from yours truly in that time period.
I'm writing this from my best gal pal ML's laptop which she has loaned me for the weekend. Isn't she the best? Of course she expects me to hand it back over to her tomorrow, something that will be hard to do because I've enjoyed my time with the laptop muchly. My plan has been to wait for the boxing day sales and see if I could score myself a deal on a laptop... after this weekend it's going to be hard to wait. There is something pretty awesome about internetting from the couch while you watch TV.... my laptop sisters and brothers out there know what I'm talking about.
I'm annoyed that I am without my internet/computer home base. I have so much to share with you, but I can't get the pictures uploaded. Well I guess I could upload them to ML's laptop, but I figured she doesn't need anymore of my life taking up hard drive space. I am dying to tell you about Abby's Survivor birthday party which was so much fun, I highly recommend it as a theme. The volcano cupcakes I made were uber cute, if I do say so myself. For the second year in a row Abby collected canned goods instead of gifts. She wants to start keeping track of how much stuff she takes down to the local agency we donate it to, so this year's donation is 43 items. After we counted up the total she looked at me and said - I'm so glad I'm a nice person - Me too sweet girl, me too.
I'm going to try and get some scheduled posts up tomorrow before I hand ML's baby back over and if you're of the praying sort offer up a few that the fancy ass motherboard I require will get here super quick.
I'm writing this from my best gal pal ML's laptop which she has loaned me for the weekend. Isn't she the best? Of course she expects me to hand it back over to her tomorrow, something that will be hard to do because I've enjoyed my time with the laptop muchly. My plan has been to wait for the boxing day sales and see if I could score myself a deal on a laptop... after this weekend it's going to be hard to wait. There is something pretty awesome about internetting from the couch while you watch TV.... my laptop sisters and brothers out there know what I'm talking about.
I'm annoyed that I am without my internet/computer home base. I have so much to share with you, but I can't get the pictures uploaded. Well I guess I could upload them to ML's laptop, but I figured she doesn't need anymore of my life taking up hard drive space. I am dying to tell you about Abby's Survivor birthday party which was so much fun, I highly recommend it as a theme. The volcano cupcakes I made were uber cute, if I do say so myself. For the second year in a row Abby collected canned goods instead of gifts. She wants to start keeping track of how much stuff she takes down to the local agency we donate it to, so this year's donation is 43 items. After we counted up the total she looked at me and said - I'm so glad I'm a nice person - Me too sweet girl, me too.
I'm going to try and get some scheduled posts up tomorrow before I hand ML's baby back over and if you're of the praying sort offer up a few that the fancy ass motherboard I require will get here super quick.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
what's cooking wednesday
Dudes! I thought I just broke my computer. Oh boy was that scary. Here I was minding my own business and tweeting with my very dear friend, the former Mommy Project when it went into power saving mode. Okay, so that was weird. I tried to get the monitor to turn back on, but no dice. So I restarted the whole dang thing and I kept getting a blue screen that said windows would not open because there could be potential damage. So I tried starting it in safe mode and it wouldn't do that. Almost two hours and a kajillion restarts later I finally managed to restore it and get windows to open up. What should I do now? Any techie type people out there have any advice?
It mentioned on that scary blue screen that the issue may be due to a software or hardware installation problem. I haven't added any hardware, but I did download some new software for Abby's Tag Reading system. Also now that I've restore it to a point that's a couple of days old now, it's telling me I have Windows updates to install.... should I install them? Oh I hope I actually fixed it. It's hard to say when you have no idea what you're doing. Say a prayer for me.
Would you believe I did have sort of a pseudo recipe for you tonight, but now it's well past my bedtime and I'm too tired to upload pictures and write a delightfully witty (HA! I'm so funny) post about cupcakes, but I'm still game to see what you're cooking.
What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?
What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.
So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html
I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday
It mentioned on that scary blue screen that the issue may be due to a software or hardware installation problem. I haven't added any hardware, but I did download some new software for Abby's Tag Reading system. Also now that I've restore it to a point that's a couple of days old now, it's telling me I have Windows updates to install.... should I install them? Oh I hope I actually fixed it. It's hard to say when you have no idea what you're doing. Say a prayer for me.
Would you believe I did have sort of a pseudo recipe for you tonight, but now it's well past my bedtime and I'm too tired to upload pictures and write a delightfully witty (HA! I'm so funny) post about cupcakes, but I'm still game to see what you're cooking.
What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?
What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.
So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html
I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday
Monday, June 07, 2010
knowing me, knowing you - june 2010
Time once again for the monthly interview project, knowing me, knowing you. Please play along on your own blog, in the comments or on facebook.
1. Do you often have out of town guests?
Not very often. A few times a year we manage to convince Uncle Dave and Auntie Mel to come and spend a few days with us. And my Mom was spending the night with the girls once a month, but she seems to have slacked off in that regard. The 19th Mom, what do you say?
2. What kind of an overnight guest set up do you have?
Well I'd like to tell you that we have a lovely guest suite with it's own bath, but in reality Uncle Dave and Aunt Mel make do with an air mattress on the floor of the toy room. They've also been known to bring their own tent and "camp" in our backyard. I'm not sure what that says about out accommodations. As for my Mom she usually couches it or bunks in with one of the girls.
3. Cupcake or cake?
Cupcakes are cute, don't get me wrong, but I really prefer a piece of cake.
4. Iced tea or lemonade?
Always iced tea. I think I want lemonade, but I'm always vaguely disappointed after I drink some. It's never exactly what I'm expecting it to be.
5. When you get into bed for the night do you go right to sleep or do you read, internet or watch TV before lights out?
It's not very often I get into bed and go right to sleep. If I'm in bed before Mike I'll likely turn on the TV and find an episode of the Office or Diners, Drive ins and Dives. More often than not the TV will still be on when Mike comes to bed, but I'll be out like a light. If Mike's already in bed I'll read for a bit, usually I don't get too much past a few pages before I drift off and drop my book. I am planning a lap top purchase for later this year, so I'm sure I'll be adding some in bed internetting to the mix as well.
So now the rules, they're pretty simple. Post your answers to these questions on your own blog in the next few days. Remember to link back here in your post and sign the Mr. Linky too, so we can all see what you have to say. Please make sure you link to your actual KMKY post and not your blog's front page. Any front page links will be deleted. And most importantly, have fun! Have suggestions for next months questions? Leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know.
1. Do you often have out of town guests?
Not very often. A few times a year we manage to convince Uncle Dave and Auntie Mel to come and spend a few days with us. And my Mom was spending the night with the girls once a month, but she seems to have slacked off in that regard. The 19th Mom, what do you say?
2. What kind of an overnight guest set up do you have?
Well I'd like to tell you that we have a lovely guest suite with it's own bath, but in reality Uncle Dave and Aunt Mel make do with an air mattress on the floor of the toy room. They've also been known to bring their own tent and "camp" in our backyard. I'm not sure what that says about out accommodations. As for my Mom she usually couches it or bunks in with one of the girls.
3. Cupcake or cake?
Cupcakes are cute, don't get me wrong, but I really prefer a piece of cake.
4. Iced tea or lemonade?
Always iced tea. I think I want lemonade, but I'm always vaguely disappointed after I drink some. It's never exactly what I'm expecting it to be.
5. When you get into bed for the night do you go right to sleep or do you read, internet or watch TV before lights out?
It's not very often I get into bed and go right to sleep. If I'm in bed before Mike I'll likely turn on the TV and find an episode of the Office or Diners, Drive ins and Dives. More often than not the TV will still be on when Mike comes to bed, but I'll be out like a light. If Mike's already in bed I'll read for a bit, usually I don't get too much past a few pages before I drift off and drop my book. I am planning a lap top purchase for later this year, so I'm sure I'll be adding some in bed internetting to the mix as well.
So now the rules, they're pretty simple. Post your answers to these questions on your own blog in the next few days. Remember to link back here in your post and sign the Mr. Linky too, so we can all see what you have to say. Please make sure you link to your actual KMKY post and not your blog's front page. Any front page links will be deleted. And most importantly, have fun! Have suggestions for next months questions? Leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
a very random post party wrap up
We had planned on having Abby's party here. Just a "small" backyard barbecue. Well small in this family ends up being about 20 people and that's just with Grandparents, Godparents, Aunts, Uncles and a smattering of cousins. All week the weather report went back and forth between "maybe showers" and "definitely a lot of rain". So we moved the whole she-bang to Papa and Grandma Linda's since they have more indoor entertaining space than we do. Luckily we survived the evening with the odd sprinkling of rain every now and then.
Tinkerbell was the theme of the cake this year. Abby actually wanted all the fairies, but I convinced her that Tinkerbell would be plenty. I had planned on starting on the cake Friday night, but instead spent it cuddled up on the couch watching Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium with the girls. It seemed a better way to spend my time. Of course that meant I was up at 5:30 am the next morning to get started on the cake. It actually came together quite easily as did the cupcakes... because there's no such thing as too much cake.
I am always endlessly grateful that Uncle Dave and Auntie Mel are willing to make the trek for the girl's parties. Especially those times that they can't spend the night. That means they've got at least 4 hours of driving time in one day, but they do it and never complain. And they always come up with some super cool gifts... it was a magic set this time. Abby was thrilled.
The kids pretty much entertained each other, while Maya tried her hardest to keep up. She was the youngest by three years, but she did okay. Of course the real fun was when Papa got out the lawn tractors and let the bigger kids drive them around the backyard. And wouldn't you know it, my kid was one of the bigger kids. All the kids thought this was the greatest thing ever. Although I have my suspicions that Papa was having at least as much (and likely even more) fun riding around with them.
It was all I could have asked for. Just a great relaxed night with my family. The food was excellent and there was too much in the leftovers department. Good thing, so Mike and I can both get back on track with the WW. We had a great time on our vacation and the scale definitely showed that. So while we enjoyed the potato salad, mexican pizza, devilled eggs, meatballs, macaroni salad and burgers it was nice not to bring home a lot of tempting treats.
Now I just have to figure out how to throw a Survivor party for a bunch of 8 year olds next Saturday and we can officially put a cap on the birthday celebrating.
And how was your weekend?
Saturday, June 05, 2010
wasn't that a party
We've been having a great time tonight, celebrating Abby's birthday with family that came from near and far. We ate too much very good food. We talked and laughed and hugged. There was cake and presents and tractor rides. The rain held off in a kinda. sorta, good enough kind of way. It was just the best night with the best people. I wish we could do that every weekend.
I do have pictures to share, but I'm not feeling like testing the limits of my internet connection. Folks, I am beat! I was up at the crack of dawn this am and pretty much ran all day long. I'll leave you with this though... I make one damn cute Tinkerbell cake. Also my family rocks. For real life. I am thankful everyday that these are my people!
I do have pictures to share, but I'm not feeling like testing the limits of my internet connection. Folks, I am beat! I was up at the crack of dawn this am and pretty much ran all day long. I'll leave you with this though... I make one damn cute Tinkerbell cake. Also my family rocks. For real life. I am thankful everyday that these are my people!
Thursday, June 03, 2010
a girl, we had a girl
I just spent the better part of tonight baking and decorating lemon sugar cookies. Turquoise stars for Abby to take to school to share with her classmates. They look adorable.
And now I shall crawl into my bed and tomorrow morning when I wake up I will be the very proud momma of a brand new 8 year old. It seems like just yesterday I was in the operating room listening to my brand new baby cry and asking Mike - Did we have a girl or a boy?
And now I shall crawl into my bed and tomorrow morning when I wake up I will be the very proud momma of a brand new 8 year old. It seems like just yesterday I was in the operating room listening to my brand new baby cry and asking Mike - Did we have a girl or a boy?
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
what's cooking wednesday
It's that time again... if it works tonight that is...... time for you to tell me all what you've got cooking! I hope it something delicious, my menu could do with some sprucing up!
What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?
What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.
So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html
I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday
What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?
What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.
So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html
I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday
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