what's cooking wednesday

Well it's time for you all to tell me what you've been cooking up in your kitchens. It was too hot to cook or even eat in here yesterday, but the good news is our air was fixed today. Bad news, it's only a temporary fix. Looks like the blogmother needs a whole new central air system. sigh!




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 monday

Here's what today has going against it...

I have my lady days, so I've been snappy-ish (with Mike) with a side order of weepy.
Our central air is not working. Are you kidding me? It's a kabillion degrees outside. Freakin' hot is not something you want to add to the above cocktail.
I couldn't sleep for the life of me last night. I finally fell asleep sometime after 3am. My alarm goes off at 5:30am. You do the math on that and then see above. Oh and that little nap I thought I'd get after work. Didn't happen because the internet we canceled when we got our new internet... yeah they didn't actually cancel it, according to the bill I got in the mail today, so we lost about an hour on the phone straightening it out.

So this is it Monday. I am officially breaking up with you! It's over.

will she or won't she

So school.... only a week left of summer vacation. Abby is decidedly against the end of summer vacation which means the beginning of school which means the beginning of grade three which bites for her because she realizes the higher the grade the less art work you do and it would be just great if she could go back to kindergarten because they do artwork all the time there Mom and she does really want to be an artist and now that grade three is happening well she's just going to have to go to art school! Sheesh! But that's not what this post is about, nope we're going to talk about Maya today.

Maya starts school about a week after Abby. For a long time I was worried about Maya starting school, I knew she was ready educationally speaking, I wasn't sure she was ready socially speaking. Then everything just got easier with her. She was better socially, more confident and actually willing to talk to people and not hide behind my skirts. Even T mentioned to me recently that she seemed like a happier kid and she was. Was. There's been some regression in the past little bit - lots of baby talk, finger sucking and my favourite, the crying at every little thing, Oh my gosh the crying. She tells me she's nervous about school and while she hasn't said she doesn't want to go, I know she'd jump at that option if it was offered to her. For the first time I think there is a good chance that when that bus pulls up she'll won't get on it. I know once she gets to school she'll love it, maybe even more than Abby did, but I think she's very much like her Dad with her need to obsess and worry about the unknown.

Then again it's Maya so you never know she could just scamper up the steps with nary a look back. She's a riddle that one.

the ongoing food revolution - the lunch version

It's back to school time... wannna talk back to school lunches? One of my bloggy BFFs The Scattered Mom sure does and she's having a party with prizes!!



School lunches throw me for a bit of a loop. Our school is on the balanced day program where the kids get two 40 minute nutrition/recess breaks. There was a real learning curve when Abby started school. but now that she's headed into grade three I think we've got it figured out. For Abby anyway.

Now we have Maya starting school and I feel like I'm starting all over again. Maya is a very picky eater and she would happily go without food rather than try something she's already decided she doesn't like. She's lived on peanut butter sandwiches pretty much her entire life and that phase is about to come to an abrupt end because peanut butter is a no no at our school. Now what?

She recently started eating grilled cheese, so that will be making an appearance. Yep, my kids love cold grilled cheese. Luckily she likes yogurt, but only the kind that has two flavours in the same container. She likes KD, the kind that has the cauliflower in it. She doesn't eat cheese or lunch meat or any meat at all really or granola bars or muffins. She will eat gold fish crackers, rice crackers and rice cakes.

Abby will typically have a sandwich, either ham or a grilled cheese. Just last night at dinner she asked if she could have grilled chicken on a *multi-grain* wrap with some ranch dressing in her lunch this year. She also likes granola bars either the ones I make or the high fibre ones, blueberry or corn muffins, biscuits, goldfish, homemade cookies, cheese and crackers and cheese strings. Occasionally she'll take a juice, but she has a refillable water bottle at school and prefers to drink water.

Our school used to have pizza day once a week and sub day once a month. There will be changes to those this coming year with what the schools will now be allowed to offer for lunch. Schools will be required to have a food committee and a log book will have to be kept regarding what we offered the students on which date. Food being offered to the kids will have to fall within certain nutrition guidelines, so for example pizza will be allowed, but only on whole wheat crust and either veggie or plain cheese. I'm not sure if sub days will make the cut.

My kids lunches aren't perfect, but the get a little bit better all the time and it's those little changes that eventually add up to something big.

how was your friday

Today was....

work
grocery shopping
quick chat in the cereal aisle with an old friend
pretzel buns
spending too much on groceries
quick bite of dinner
finishing up some volunteer work at the fair
two great friends lending a hand
wicked fast horses barrel racing
tuck the kinds into bed
two episodes of diners, drive ins and dives.
finish blog post
upstairs to crawl into bed
attempt to watch tv and fail miserably

what's cooking wednesday - chili

Dudes, I know I promised you What's Cooking Wednesday would be back on Wednesday, but then I laid down on the couch to watch The Office - one of my favorite episodes - when Phyllis and Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration get married - and then I fell asleep. So my apologies. My plan was to post it as soon as I got home from work, but I got sidetracked baking/decorating a cake (hope you LOVE it Tracy), trying out my new chicken roaster and hanging out with a friend who needed a friend.

But I did promise you a recipe so, here it is....

Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
2 medium zucchini, chopped
8 stalks chopped celery
4 medium onions, chopped
4 peppers, chopped red, green or orange
2 cups chopped carrots
2 28oz cans of diced tomatoes
3 cans of mushrooms
1 can tomato soup
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Brown meat & drain well. Place all the ingredients in a large roasting pan and mix well. Cover and bake in the oven at 350 for about 2 hours.

Recipe Notes: This makes a huge amount of chili. It was a handy go to meal to have in the fridge the week we were off. We had it over salad (mmm "taco" salad), over whole wheat noodles and sometimes just in a bowl with some toast. The only changes I made were to use fresh mushrooms instead of the canned ones because canned 'shrooms are ick! and I dumped it all in my crock pot, so I didn't heat up my kitchen. Mike complains I do that enough already with all the cakes I've been baking lately. And this very delicious chili is a mere 1 point per cup! Good deal, huh?




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

happy happy birthday

So yeah, yesterday was not my best day. And, thanks everybody for the kind words. Things always seem better in the light of a new day. Which doesn't really mean that everything was solved and made right over night, but I feel better able to manage it all. My house is clean, my kids were dolls and I spent the evening volunteering at the fairgrounds hanging artwork in the school fair building. All things that make my heart happy.

Another thing that makes my heart happy.... friends. Today is my dear friend ML's birthday. You all know what a true blessing I consider Robin, my oldest bestest friend... would you hate me if I told you I have another one just like her? I like to call ML an old new friend. You see I've known ML for lots of years and her husband for even longer than that. We live in a ridiculously small village, it's almost impossible for us not to know each other.

Somewhere there was shift and I couldn't even pinpoint when it occurred. Was it when Mike and I started giving our time to the Parent's Council at Abby's school. ML was co-chair when we joined. She was co-chair - with Michael - this past school year. Was it when they gave us a hand with a fair function Mike was helping to organize? We would have been sunk if ML & T hadn't been able to help us out. Was it when we made them dinner as thanks for their help? Was it when Mike showed up at the farm to give T a hand when he knew T needed it? Was it when ML & I started walking together once a week. FYI those walking dates have since turned into GLEE! watching while knitting dates. I'm not sure. Maybe one of those things naturally led to the other and here we are with new best friends. Whatever it was I'm glad it brought us to this.

Like Robin, ML is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She is never stingy with the hugs and she loves my girls to bits. She's never too tired to put on her nurse hat and give me medical advice. She's popped by the house to check on a potential case of fifth's disease (it wasn't), sprains (they weren't), chicken pox (it was) and more I can't think of now. We've shared dim sum, a spa day, lunches, jammie movie nights, many volunteer hours, shopping trips and a laugh filled weekend in Toronto. She encourages me and believes in me, even when I don't. She loves to just pop in (easy when you're just down the street... are you listening to me Robin... down the street there's houses for sale there.... you too Karen!) and doesn't mind (or judge) if the house looks like we let goats live in here. She folds my laundry and washes my dishes (by hand the last time she was here!). Even better she has a really great husband who's a really great fit with my husband. And for the cherry on top... ML & Robin.... like peas and carrots. What more could a girl ask for?

Happy birthday ML!

*what's cooking wednesday will return tomorrow

other than that everything's good

I hesitate to even put this out there because by tomorrow it is very likely that none of it will be true, but right at this very moment I feel overwhelmed, unappreciated, unheard, exhausted, under valued and taken advantage of. My temper is short and my patience long gone. I had to apologize to my kids tonight and the lump in my throat just may choke me. I'm thinking it's probably best I call today done, head up to bed and try to have a better tomorrow.

family fun fair

Recently our church held their first family fun fair. We had plans to go, but they were somewhat derailed. I give big thanks to my Michael for getting everything back on track. It meant a whole lot to me. Love that guy!

Anyway the folks that worked on it put together a nice little event. It was hotter than hades, but we still managed to have fun....




The girls played games and then got to collect a goodie bag at the end.




They waited in line for face painting, balloon animals, and temporary hair dye.



She wanted a dolphin.



MyPie wanted a butterfly.



Abby wanted red hair. Maya didn't want them coming near her.



Then this guy showed up on his old timey bike.



Abby looked for a needle in a haystack. No real needles, but there was lots of candy and whistles hidden in there. Yay for the candy, boo for the whistles!



And MyPie got to shoot a water cannon.

Big kudos for the volunteers who put that all together. Can you imagine something like that was happening in my 'hood and I managed not to volunteer myself. Shocking! It was super awesome to attend something like that as a guest! Mike & I also won big at the silent auction, Scoring ourselves gift certificates for 2 restaurants and another one for an evening of bowling with the kiddos.

knowing me, knowing you - august 2010

Wow I am way late with KMKY this month as my good friend The Widney Woman reminded me this afternoon. I've been on holidays all this week, so I shouldn't have any excuse except I have no idea where this week even went. We didn't "do" anything, but Mike and I were rarely in the same place at the same time. Mike could either be found at the fairgrounds or at the farm most of this week. We did manage to have lunch together for our anniversary. We both went to the movies, but separately - me with ML (we missed Robin!!) and him with the Abster. We were both at the parade.... but not together.... the kids and I waved at him from the curb as he steered the float down the parade route. It's been a week of near misses.

1. What is your favourite kind of pie?

No question - apple. Other pies are okay, but apple is the best! Oh and never ever ever pumpkin. Blech! Just like nuts in baking, pumpkin pie is from the devil.

2. What kind of wedding did you have. I am making the broad assumption here that you are married, if you're not.. what was the last wedding like that you went to.

A medium sized church wedding - we have a medium sized church so the place was packed and it was a gazillion degrees. Six adults and three kids in the wedding party not counting Mike and I. Followed by a buffet style dinner, some funny/touching speeches and then we danced our faces off. It was a great day and I would do it all again... only, you know, different.

3. Ever been too a 3D movie?

They are all the rage right now, aren't they? ML and I hit up Step Up 3D earlier this week. It was my first 3D movie, not counting Captain Eo with Michael Jackson that I saw at Epcot center in the 80's. I was actually very impressed with the use of 3D within the Step Up storyline. Mike had a Daddy/daughter date with the Abster later in the week to see Cats & Dogs in 3D which he deemed the worst movie ever. (Of course he never takes the Dukes of Hazzard remake into consideration when he's throwing that statement around because that truly is the worst movie ever put to film and I've seen Glitter, Showgirls and Gigli (no disrespect to Kevin Smith) so I feel qualified to make that judgement). Anyway he disliked it very much, said the 3D effects were almost non-exsistent, but Abby loved it. Of course she also thought the "sausage dress" looked fabulous on me so her opinion must be considered suspect. Wow.... what was the question again?

4. What is the worst movie ever made?

Listen very closely because this cannot be overstated - The worst movie ever made is The Dukes of Hazzard. When I was growing up that show was family friendly the remake was not. I could go on, but it's only going to angry up my blood.

5. Are you all set for back to school?

I think we are. The kids have backpacks, lunch bags, indoor shoes, and clothes. There is still some special "help out the class" stuff we have to pick up for MyPie - ziploc bags, kleenex and play doh, but other than that we're good to go.




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.

you capture - kitchen

I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen the past couple of weeks. On top of the everyday cooking required of a family of four. I've also made two birthday cakes, 2 sets of birthday cupcakes, some cookies and some granola bars. So the You Capture prompt of kitchen was very timely!














You Capture hosted by...

wordless wednesday - little lady

what's cooking wednesday

Today Mike and I celebrated our 14th anniversary. I consider myself very lucky that I get to share this life with him. I love him like crazy, but I also like him very much too. Today was a very busy day for Michael. He had farming to do and then there was a "quick" meeting at the fairgrounds. One I hoped would be quick enough to allow us to watch a movie last night, but we all know how those "quick" little meetings go. It was too late for a movie, but we did finish up the last two episodes of the British Office we've been working on this week. So funny. So awkward. So uncomfortable... but in a good way.

We did manage to sneak away by ourselves for lunch. Where I had one of the best burgers I've ever eaten in my life. And Mike's fish and chips looked so great I actually tried it myself and I don't do fish. Then we wandered down the plaza and bought ourselves a new bbq gadget. I spent the rest of the day cooking up whatever I could find in my fridge. So now I have homemade burgers, grilled chicken breasts and a huge pot of 1 point chili (currently cooking away in the slow cooker. I'll share the recipe next week after we've given it a taste). Dinner is done for the week my friends.

What have you been cooking 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

i'm the lucky one

A few weeks ago my amazingly wonderful friend Robin celebrated a milestone birthday -- I'm sure she'd prefer if I just didn't bring it up, but the pictures will tell the whole story anyway -- she turned 40. The big four-oh. Not that she looks it though. Not even close.



I've mentioned Robin and how much she means to me countless times on this blog, but it really cannot be overstated. She is one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting in my entire life. She sees and believes the very best in me. She supports me in everything and loves me despite my flaws. She has seen me through the best and the worst that life has handed me since I met her. She's cried with me and laughed with me. We've killed endless (long distance) hours on the phone. Thank goodness she's a local call now. We've shared dinners and secrets and afternoons and evenings. We've argued over who's turn it is to decide which movie to see and which restaurant to eat at after and who's turn it is to pick up the cheque. She is, without a doubt, a true sister of my heart and I am forever grateful for the forces that brought us together.

It was my great pleasure to create the cake for Robin's very special birthday celebration. I agonized for days over how I wanted it to look. I really didn't have any idea, beyond the message I wanted that cake to convey. The ladybug is a very emotionally charged symbol for Robin and I wanted that to be the focus without being overwhelming. I finally settled on this.....



A simple little garden-ish idea with icing transfer daisies and that one tiny little ladybug dotting the eye. Likely nobody else would have given it much thought, but Robin zeroed right in on it. It was perfect.



Again - happy birthday my sweetest friend. Every day I know you is truly a gift.

wordless wenesday - rainbow cupcakes

what's cooking wednesday

Time once again for y'all to let me know what you've been cooking up in your kitchens!




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

he sure does

We were on our way home the other night when.....

Abby: Daddy, we should use the movie coupon and go to the movies.
Mike: What movie coupon?
Abby: The one I gave you.
Mike: I don't remember. Which movie is it for?
Abby: The one I gave you for Father's Day. I made it in a coupon book at church. It said good for one movie.
Mike: Oh yeah I remember.
Abby: But it's just for me and you. No Mommy and no Maya. I want to see Cats and Dogs.
Mike: So you're going to pay for you and I to go to the movies?
Abby: No! I don't have any money. I'm just going to take you. You have to pay.
Mike: Oh, so you're going to drive us there?
Abby: No! I don't have a license. You're going drive us there, I'm just going to take you.
Mike: But I get to pick which movie we see.
Abby: Well I want to see Cats and Dogs in 3D, so that's what we're going to see.
Mike: And this is a gift for me?
Abby: Yep. Do you love it?

my list of awesome #3

Hearing your favourite song on the radio.

Tonight we were almost home when Keith Urban starting singing about wanting to kiss the girls. Next thing you know Maya's asking Mike to turn up the music and we're taking a trip "around the block" so the girls can continue their back seat concert tour.

Keith Urban's never had back up singers so awesome!

world's coolest babysitter

Earlier this week Mike and I had a meeting we had to attend. There were no Grandparents available for babysitting, so we asked ML to come watch the girls. She was a huge hit because she showed up and did this.....



and this.....

you capture - summer

I think this is our last year with this pool. It's been perfect for our family for the past four years, but now it's time to upgrade.... to what, I'm not sure. A bigger version of what we already have or do we make the leap and buy an actual above ground pool? I keep going back and forth on the whole thing, as does Michael. But until we're forced to make a decision we'll just keep enjoying what we've got!






After two bouts of swimmer's ear this summer, I figured ear plugs were a good idea.







you capture, hosted by:

wordless wednesday - salted caramel cupcakes

what's cooking wednesday

It's that time of the week again. Time for you to tell all of us what you've been cooking 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

my list of awesome #2

This year for my birthday Mike got me The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. Neil is the guy behind the website 1000awesomethings.com. The premise is pretty self explanatory, I think. I also think it would be a pretty great list to make. So keep an eye out for my own list of awesome things to pop up every now and then

#2 - Climbing into your very own bed.

As much as I wish I could figure out a way to eliminate the need for sleep, there is nothing quite like crawling into your bed at the end of the evening. My pillows are perfectly broken in, my blankets are artfully ruffled, the room is suitably dark and the fan is supplying some soothing white noise.

It's just awesome!

defies all logical explanation

While Mike has been a very active volunteer at the fair the past few years my contribution has mainly been taking care of the home front while he's busy with fair business. In this past year I've ramped up my involvement a lot. A lot. I took on the huge job of prize tabulation for the school fair at Mike's suggestion that I would be good at it. He was right, I'm pretty good at it and I actually enjoy it very much. Who knew data input could be so much fun.

From there it was only a small step for me to attend my first fair meeting.... school fair, of course. I enjoyed that as well. And now I'm doing other stuff too. I went to a work bee last week. Oh and get this... I'm getting all bossy with the School Fair Manager (I know, shocking, right?) .... also known around here as Papa. Throwing out a lot of statements that start with... Couldn't we, I think we should, Why don't we and many variations of the same. It's really kind of weird, because normally I would go in and just quietly do whatever Mike was doing and maybe say those sorts of things to Mike... on the way home... when there was no one else around... because I'm a scaredy cat like that. Even though it's Papa I still probably would have done that, but here's the thing, Papa works tremendously hard to pull this School Fair thing together. You really have no idea. It's so much work. So if I can see way to help him work less or even make the work we have to do easier, then I just can't seem to keep my mouth shut these days. Perhaps it's the Mama Bear coming out in me... I gotta take care of my own.

Then the topic of facebook and twitter came up. Now you all know I big red puffy heart social media so when Mike suggested I would be good at that too..... I jumped in, with both feet, right in the deep end. So now I tweet and facebook on behalf of the fair.... are you following me on both? You should consider it. At some point it was suggested that perhaps I could live tweet the fair and then that turned into a twitter giveaway in which I would tweet a clue about my location and the first person to find me there would win a prize. So now I'm doing that. Can you imagine?

I was telling my friend, T, about it and her response to me was..... isn't that your worst nightmare, meeting total strangers? And I was all.... I know, right? Because it is. It so is. I'm bad at small talk and I hate talking to people I don't know. It makes me so nervous in an "OMG I'm going to puke" kinda way. Here's the deal though.... I don't feel nervous about it at all. Nope, I'm so stinkin' excited about it I can't even stand it.

It's a weird experience. I find myself working on these projects and they aren't little by any stretch of the imagination and I'll stop and wonder... when did I become this person? This person that sits in meetings and voices opinions to people she hardly knows. This person who's pushing for change in a committee she's only been a part of for 5 seconds. This person who's excited about putting herself out there to meet total strangers all weekend long. I really have no idea where she came from, but I think it's pretty great she's here.