Did I say that out loud?

Tank's Surgery

2012-01-13T19:38:00.013-05:00

Tank had his first surgery when he was 21 months old. I shared a bit about that day here. He had his adenoids de-bulked and tubes inserted into his ear drums (Myringotomy). No doubt, it was a rough day. Unfortunately, his second surgery this past week was much worse. He had his adenoids de-bulked again (apparently they can grow back!), new tubes inserted into his ear drums, and his tonsils removed

I'll be honest, I was not prepared for how difficult the healing process would be after a tonsillectomy. It was heart wrenching to watch our baby boy suffer so intensely. Plus, going through this with a child too young to reason with, or explain what's happening, or tell him it's going to be ok, made it even worse.

Let's start from the beginning.....

With his surgery at 10am, I was sure that the fasting was going to be an issue. This boy likes to eat! But with all the commotion of admitting, meeting with nurses and taking vitals he didn't seem to notice. This was a blessing.

Check out his face in the second pic. The blood pressure cuff was inflated.

We soon headed upstairs to the pre-op waiting room. I vividly remember this room from last time. I remember the sick and panicky feeling I had as soon as we set foot inside. I remember we waited for over an hour, which didn't help the panic. This time I was prepared to wait and already knew the worst part would be the separation when they took him into the operating room. I tried not to imagine how scared he would be or picture his crying face or hear his

voice calling out for me. Even now I can't keep my composure writing about it.

When it was time for him to go the nurse asked if he would like to go "for a ride in the wagon". They have a red wagon that's used to ~~lure~~ bring children into the OR. He willingly climbed in and buckled up. It's hard not to feel guilty knowing exactly what was going to happen to him when he has no idea. One of the added pains of doing this with a child too young to explain this too.

It was one hour later they called me up to the recovery room on the fifth floor. Only one of us was allowed to go and the nurse had given us this big speech about understanding what being in the recovery room would be like and to be sure whichever one of us went could handle it. I had gone last year and was quite sure I would be fine. I'm a farm girl after all!

I rushed up to the fifth floor and to my weeping, disoriented, hurting little man. He looked rough and didn't seem to know I was there. He kept calling for "mama". I would turn his head so he would see it was me, he would relax and lay his head down against me, and then five seconds later he would cry out for me and we'd go through the whole thing again.

Soon the surgeon arrived and started telling me how the procedure had gone. She talked about the fine details of the after care and how to handle the situation if bleeding should occur. It was around this time that another child was wheeled into recovery. She was making inhuman noises and had medical equipment coming out of everywhere. It was then I noticed the man next to us

who had bags of blood hanging off his bed. Then things got a little fuzzy..... I could see the doctor's lips moving but I couldn't hear her any more. I felt very hot and could feel my legs going. I quickly sat down in the rocking chair to catch myself. The nurse took Tank and forced my head between my knee's. Cold wet clothes and ice packs were flying everywhere. Tank was screaming bloody murder, and I was so embarrassed I thought I might die.

I'm mortified to report that both Tank and I were wheeled back to his hospital room on a stretcher.

For the first 5-6 hours Tank was eating freezies, playing with his toys, and seemed to be in a manageable amount of pain. I thought, no problem, we can handle this.

Then 6pm hit. The pain got so intense he refused to swallow - even his own saliva. He drooled, and cried, and was extremely restless. He went back and forth between Andy and I, refused to drink anything or take his meds without a fight. It was horrible.

Things did not improve as the night went on. By morning he was croupy and his throat was dry. This is bad. It was a long and difficult day of forcing liquids into him. The doctor left it up to us whether we wanted to stay another night or head home. We thought he would do better at home, and so we were discharged.

I'm happy to report that we were correct. Soon after we got home Tank took his meds willingly, had a drink, and even ate some yogurt. We were thrilled. He's had a few bouts of refusing to swallow since we've been home. This is not fun for anyone involved, but we're getting through it. It stinks having to wake him multiple times a night but we know we have to stay ahead of the pain.

A side effect neither Andy or I had expected is Tanks voice sounds different. Just slightly different and likely not many other's will notice it, but we do.

We are currently on day 5 and the recovery time is a full two weeks. I sincerely hope we are through the worst of it though I've heard nightmares about days 7-10 when the wound scabs up and begins to pull.

Hopefully he's too young to remember any of this, but I can promise you his mama and daddy will remember every bit of it!

So in love....

2011-12-13T18:52:00.007-05:00

...with this place! You may recall we visited the cottage back in September and I shared a bit about that in this post. It's a special place with special people.

It doesn't get much better than campfires, smores, hot chocolate with marshmallows, playing in the leaves, and hide & seek in the dark...which I have a sneaky suspicion the adults enjoyed more than the kid's! It's strangely amusing scaring the daylights out of kids!

What? Just me?

I grew up on a farm in northern Ontario, and some of the simple pleasures I enjoyed as a child are not a part of my kids every day lives. Things like wide open spaces to run, play and explore. Don't get me wrong, my kids have very blessed lives, but there's something about country living that will always be near and dear to me. Whether it's visiting my family on the farm, or a weekend at the cottage. It feels like home.

I think these folks might have something to do with that too....

My little lumber Jack!

Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-19T21:02:00.000-04:00

This years trip to the pumpkin patch was much less eventful than last years. For starters, I actually brought home pumpkins! It was a couple weeks back and the hubs was away with the good camera. All I had was my ipod camera so the pictures aren't as nice as most years.

Of course I tried to capture the annual shot of the kids on the hay bails (apparently I missed a year)....

2008

2010

2011

Then it was off to find the perfect pumpkins!

I told Sassy if she could carry this one to the truck, she could take it home.

I'm happy to report we took home normal sized pumpkins and they adorn our front step.

They also had the haunted house set up inside the barn. Tank was very interested in all the freaky witches and skulls hanging from the rafters. While repeating "too scary!" he moved from one to other examining the ugly faces. Sassy L, not to be shamed by her little brother's bravery, followed at a distance. And it was all I could do to not reach out and tickle up her back like a spider. I'm cruel that way.

So that was it. Nothing overly special. Yet immensely special because of the tradition and the memories we made with each other. A lesson I'm trying to get through my thick skull lately is how I need to relax and just enjoy time with my kids. Because it won't be long before they don't want to go to the pumpkin patch with mom anymore. What a sad day that will be...

Blonde Brownies

2011-10-16T16:16:00.008-04:00

These brownies are quick, easy and they feed a crowd. I needed something to bring in to work to help celebrate with a friend who's welcoming a new baby. I didn't have a lot of time and needed it to be ingredients I always have on hand. Enter blonde brownies!

Ingredients:

1 cup golden crisco

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (opt)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 (325 if your oven is hot).

Beat together crisco and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into wet ingredients along with chocolate chips.

Press into a 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake!

Enjoy!

Memories Made

2011-09-15T21:28:00.008-04:00

Last weekend we were lucky enough to spend the weekend at my Aunt and Uncles new cottage up north. It's totally amazing, and....well, up north which made it extra perfect to me.

There was smores and campfire, eating outside and playing in the water. But the most memorable thing for my kidlets was their first fishing experience. Uncle Evan delivered big time on this adventure.

Of course Tank needed no encouragement what-so-ever to jump into the boat and hit the water....

Sassy L was a completely different story. She repeatedly asked questions like "Can the boat tip? How does it float? What if sinks? Are you sure there aren't holes in it?" Once we coaxed her into the boat the questions turned into frantic statements "We're moving! It's tipping! Don't stand up! Slow down! I'm gonna fall in! Why do bad things happen to good people?!"

Then we started up the boat and pushed off shore.

My poor child...I've never seen a kid so cautious and worrisome. Of course like many things in the past, once she calmed the heck down she realized she was enjoying herself. We found a quiet spot, cast in our lines, and waited for the fish to bite. That seemed to distract her.

And looky here, she even caught her very first fish! (Well, Evan caught it and she helped reel it in, but that counts right?) Evan tried to convince her to kiss her fish...

In the end, she decided she liked fishing and would like to do it again soon!

It was one of those weekends you think - we'll remember that one forever. A big thank you to my aunt and uncle, and E&L for their wonderful hospitality!

Oh, one more things to share. Here's a video of Tank fishing...

How can it be? My baby is three!

2011-09-03T21:31:00.008-04:00

To wrap up our family "birthday season", it was Tanks birthday last week. Today we celebrated with my parents who are here visiting for the weekend. My mom is very artistic, so I saved this little mission for her....

Didn't she do an amazing job?!

Tank loves McQueen, and was definitely fascinated by this cake. He kept say "It's McQueen?!" It was as much a question as a statement. He wasn't sure whether to eat it or play with it! Don't worry, he got over that quickly. In not time had red and black lips covered in icing.

And so we embark on another year. A year that will hopefully bring potty training, less temper tantrums, and lets go big and hope for no antibiotics! (I know....unlikely.) I can hardly fathom that this time next year I will be preparing to send my ~~baby~~ big boy to JK. Yikes!

For tonight, we tucked him into his lightening McQueen bed, sang 'Jesus Loves Me' and hope he'll sleep past 7am....

First snuggles with grandma 3 years ago...

Sweet D, you are so loved!!

10 Years...

2011-08-12T22:40:00.003-04:00

I'm a couple weeks late on this, but on July 28th the hubs and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.

Over the years I've posted for our seventh, eighth and ninth anniversaries. I enjoyed going back and reading them again this year. It's strange to think that we've been married for 10 years. I don't know why.

A few random facts about us:

We started dating when we were 15 and 16 years old. (I'm older, if you were wondering...)

The best man at our wedding (Jeremy) was the son of the best man at my parents wedding.

Andy's father was the photographer at my parents wedding. (That's not really about us per say, but a weird family connection none the less.)

We're not so much "honey" or "sweetie" or "love-muffin" kinda people. We often refer to each other as "dude". I sometimes get "Lady" or "Wife" when he's trying to mess with me.

We both love to watch hockey and are die hard Leafs fans.

We can quote Friends like it all happened to us. Actually, we're a little like Chandler and Monica...or some may say a lot like them.

We don't really have "a song", but there have been a few songs over the years that really hit home with both of us. Brad Paisley's "I thought I loved you then" is definitely one of those songs.

After 10 years of marriage and fifteen years together I still love this man with all my heart! I honestly can't imagine what my life would be like without him in it. He keeps me centered, grounded, and makes me a better person.

Here's a picture from 1996...

Fifteen years and a couple kids later....

I've never thought of life in 10 year increments until this moment. Here's the next 10 years....dude!

Second Times a Charm! Or Should I Say Pretty Pink Earrings....

2011-08-04T23:22:00.004-04:00

I came home today to this note....

Cute right? The only thing is, we tried this once before. She wanted to get her ears pierced for her birthday 2 months ago, but chickened out at the last minute. Since then she's mentioned a few times that she still wants to get her ears pierced. I told her she needs to be really sure this time. I guess she figured putting it in writing was a firm demonstration of how serious she was. Plus, she had that look in her eye. When Sassy L makes her mind up about something, it usually happens.

So, I obliged and off we went to the mall. At the jewelry store the nice lady informed us that she could pierce her ears tonight, but that she was the only one in so they would have to be done one at time. I had promised Sassy L that we would find somewhere that did them both at the same time. I was seven when I got my ears pierced and that was back before anyone thought of doing them both at the same time. My mother tells me I almost walked out with one ear pierced. I would not let them near me after they did the first one. I believe some serious bribery was involved to get the second ear pierced.

I asked Sassy L if she was brave enough to do them one at a time. She quickly nodded her head.... 'No'. Then the lady jumped in saying 'oh come on sweetie, it doesn't hurt at all!', which I thought was cruel because as I recall it does hurt. I had been fairly honest with her that it would hurt a little.

With a little encouragement (and lies from the sales lady) she was back to her resolved self and we headed off to pick out earrings. She picked out these sweet little pink "diamond" studs. They were perfect for her! And she bravely climbed up into the chair. I'll let you watch the rest for yourself...

Needless to say, I am very proud of my girl! Not one single tear! She can't stop staring at them in the mirror. And I can't stop staring at her and wondering how the heck she got so old....

My Mother....

2011-07-12T21:36:00.006-04:00

My mother has this habit of minimizing things. From experience, it can sound a little like this:

"Oh, by the way, a 600 lb cow fell on your dad last Sunday. He spent some time in the hospital, but he's fine."

Or

"Your brother had a little chimney fire at their place the other night. Luckily the fire department got their before the whole house went up. Did I not mention this last time we talked?"

Or

"So it turns out the electric cattle fence will knock a grown man unconscious if they touch it. Oh, who found this out? Your father."

In unrelated news, it's possible my father is accident prone.

The most recent example went a little like this "I took a little tumble off the step. I seem to have landed on my arm, but I think it's fine."

If you looked through the pictures from the last post, you will have seen what my mother's arm actually looked like. Let's refresh our memories, shall we?

Despite her saying it was ... you guessed it.... "fine", I could tell she was hurting. The first night we drugged her up good with advil and tylenol so she could sleep. Some people may have considered a trip to emerg....but not my mother. After all, it's "fine".

I called mom tonight to see how the arm was doing. She said "oh, it's got some good color too it now", and promised to send me a picture after we got off the phone. I'm not sure if this is related to her minimizing how bad it looks, or if words simply couldn't describe it.

Here's what it looks like tonight....

My mother may minimize things. But she is one of the toughest ladies I know!! I guess having six brother's will do that to ya!

Vines 2011!

2011-07-11T17:34:00.002-04:00

The Vines gathered, as we do every year, for the July long weekend. This year there was 14 great grandchildren under the age of 6!! It was chaotic and wonderful all at the same time! And it all started with these six people...

It seems like I have very little time to write blogs these days, but I wanted to share some of these pictures before a months gone by....

Sweet Pac-man...Who's kid is this, I wonder?Cousins telling secrets...
Jump E!

Grandma and "Gabby A"BFF'S!Sisters...Mom took a little tumble, and her arm paid the price...Our family nurses gave mom's arm a good look over and thankfully didn't think anything was broken, but she certainly did a number on it!

We had a great long weekend, and summer is definitely in full swing. I can already tell it's going to fly by and we'll be shopping for backpacks and lunch bags before we know it! But for today, bring on the freezies and sprinklers!

Birthday Fun!!

2011-06-15T21:32:00.008-04:00

Sassy L is 6 years old today! She had her birthday party with school friends last Saturday, but I always want to do something special on the actual day. I'm funny that way.

For months shes been talking about getting her ears pierced. I've explained to her how such a thing is done, and that it will hurt for a short time. She thought about it for quite some time and decided she was going to do it. She was going to get her ears pierced! She wanted "pink diamond earrings".

Then yesterday happened.....

Background: she's been having some tummy troubles of late (that's likely an understatement, but I won't go into the details). Our doctor suggested food allergy testing, which was scheduled for yesterday. I don't know what I thought it was going to be like, but it was worse than I had imagined. They put a drop of liquid on her skin, and proceed to pierce her skin, and then wait to see how she reacts. Lather, rinse, repeat another 25 times and you'll be in the ballpark of what she went through yesterday. Tack on another round of blood work (making that three rounds in the past month).

I likely don't have to explain why the thought of more piercing did not sit well with her just one short day after the allergy testing.

So, no "pink diamond earrings", but we did stop on the way home yesterday and pick up something else...

Meet "Blueberry" the (you guessed it) blue Siamese fighting fish.

Sassy is more than tickled with the new addition to her room. She told me today, "he's like a friend who doesn't have to go home at night!".

We started today out with her favourite breakfast, pancakes with chocolate chips! And opened her presents. You'll notice we're in a very "Tangled" place right now.

...and a new dress which of course she wore to school today!

I picked her up late this afternoon, we ate a quick supper, and off to see Kung Fo Panda 2.

I tucked in a very tired six year old girl tonight. How can she be six? I suppose every year will feel like this as the time continues to fly by. But for tonight, I am thinking back to this very hour six years ago when I finally got to touch my baby girl for the first time.

There's nothing quite like your first...

Mini Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

2011-06-09T18:24:00.007-04:00

Peanut butter cups are definitely high on my list of favourite treats. I am in love with the new PC brand mini peanut butter melts!

I decided to create a cookie recipe that these babies could be the star of! They turned out quite well!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mini peanut butter melts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325F.
Cream together butter, peanut butter, and both sugars for 2-3 minutes.
Beat in egg and vanilla.

Whisk dry ingredients together and add to wet. Stir until just combined.
Gently stir in peanut butter melts (how cute are they?!).

Drop on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy (preferably with a tall glass of milk)!

Maple Bran Muffins (No sugar added!)

2011-06-07T19:47:00.004-04:00

These have no sugar what-so-ever and are still perfectly sweetened, thanks to maple syrup. I love muffins, and they are always a winner with Tank. I added a very small amount of mini chocolate chips to a couple. Sassy L is all over them if I call them "Chocolate Chip Muffins". I'll just keep the "bran" part to myself.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (175 mL) natural wheat bran
1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
1/2 cup (125 mL) Ontario Maple Syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
1-1/4 cup (325 mL) whole wheat flour
3 tsp (15 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2mL) salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped walnuts or pecans (opt)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Combine bran, milk and maple syrup and let stand for 10 minutes. Mix in egg and oil.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour into wet mixture. Stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into greased muffin tins.
Bake for 16-18 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).

Lovely Blog Award

2011-05-18T20:30:00.002-04:00

I've received this lovely blog award from Joy, over at Joy of Desserts. If you are a dessert fan, like me, you should definitely check out her blog. It's a great place to find fun and delicious recipes, and share some your favourites with the blog world.

Thank you so much for this lovely award, Joy.

Rules for accepting the award:
1. Post linking back to the person that gave you the award
2. Share 7 random things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered blogs (15's a lot, so I'm going for 7)
4. Drop them a note and tell them about it.

Ok, here goes....7 random things about me:

1. I just got an iPod touch, and I love, love, love it!!
2. I once drove through a stop sign without stopping when my navigator instructed me "straight through the stop sign". (In my defense, I was 16 and had never driven on a paved road..let alone one with signage and road rules. Gotta love growing up on a farm!)
3. I dream of one day going to Buddy Valastro's (Cake Boss) Bakery and getting a cannoli!
4. At work, I have a slinky. I play with it unconsciously whenever I'm thinking. (It must drive people crazy, but I can't help it.)
5. In two months I will celebrate being married to the man of my dreams for 10 years!
6. I only buy Skippy peanut butter.
7. I've watched Tangled at least 8 times since last Saturday. (Sassy has been home sick all week, and it's been the movie of choice.)

Five of my favourite new bloggy friends (ok, it's weird that 3 of them are 'Sara' or 'Sarah'):

1. Shannon over at Shannon Vine Photography (super duper talented photographer starting her own business)
2. Sarah over at Memories Through a Lense
3. Sara over at Simply Sara.
4. Sara over at From the Desk of Sara
5. Tessa, The Cookin' Chemist
6. Michelle at Dreaming of White Chocolate
7. Jaime at PJ's Pastry Shoppe

Another One Bites The Dust!

2011-05-04T21:39:00.004-04:00

This front tooth has been dangling for a while. Hanging lower than the other front tooth, and shifted off to one side. Ew, gross!

Sassy L didn't like the idea of the hubs or I pulling the tooth. She's a teeny bit like her mother, and like's to be in control of things. She understood that it was time for the tooth to come out, so she decided to pull it out herself! And so she did.

Way to go girl!

Maple Syrup Ice Cream

2011-04-28T18:15:00.001-04:00

One word: Yum-o! This ice cream is so creamy and decadent. You only need a little scoop to satisfy that sweet maple-y craving. Which is good because this recipe is certainly not low cal. Though, next time I'm going to try it with all whole milk and see how it turns out. I bet it will still be awesome.

What a great way to kick off ice cream season. I'm told some people only eat ice cream in the summer months. I don't understand such things since for me ice cream is a year round addiction. In college my bff and I once drove through a blizzard to get a blizzard. True story. We actually called Dairy Queen and begged them to stay open until we got there. They were pretty sure we were kidding. You should've seen their faces when we showed up at Dairy Queen at 10pm, during a blizzard in northern Ontario. Not one of our better decisions, but you know how crazy people are in their college years.

Anywho.....

This recipe requires a bit of standing over the stove stirring, but in the end, it's totally worth it!

Maple Syrup Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup pure maple syrup, amber if possible (3/4 cup if you prefer a milder maple taste)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (opt)

Preparation:
Bring the heavy cream and milk to a simmer in a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk (or beat) together maple syrup, cornstarch, and egg yolks for 2-3 minutes.

Pour about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat this 3 or 4 times to slowly bring the temperature of the egg mixture up, without cooking the eggs.

Then pour the syrup mixture into the remaining cream in the saucepan. Heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until hot and thickened slightly. Do not boil. A good way to test if it's done is to do the "wooden spoon test". Check to see if the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. And if when you run your finger down the back of the spoon it looks like this.... (I learned this one from Anna Olson.)

Strain into a large mixing bowl. Cool the mixture somewhat. Whisk in the vanilla, and then chill thoroughly in the fridge. I chilled mine overnight.

Freeze in your ice cream machine. Add the pecans near the end of freezing time. I didn't add pecans this time because I wanted the smooth, creamy texture to dominate. If I did add pecans to this ice cream I would probably candy them in maple syrup, as I did my maple glazed sweet potatoes.

Enjoy!

Brownie White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2011-04-26T21:22:00.006-04:00

I got this recipe from a co-worker of mine, and it's quickly become one of my most trusted cookie recipes. They always turn out great! They are best made with white chocolate chunks - which I usually get by raiding the grocery store for white chocolate Easter bunnies after Easter weekend.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine (I use Blue Bonnet margarine for these)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2/3 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1lb white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Cream together the margarine and sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Mix in vanilla and cocoa.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the chocolate mixture.

Fold in the white chocolate chunks.

Of course you'll need to taste the batter to make sure they are edible. No? Just me?

Drop dough by the tablespoon full onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes (they should seem a little underdone).

Let the cookies set up on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes and then move onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Candied Pecans

2011-04-19T21:30:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year. What time of year, you ask? The time of year when I put maple syrup on everything! This is one of my favourite ways to spice up a sweet potato dish. Plus, it's a great way to get your kids to eat them.

Like many of my cooking recipes, this can easily be adjusted to your liking. I will tell you what I did.

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Candied Pecans
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup (divided in two equal portions)
2 Tbsp rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Candied Pecan ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions for sweet potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Toss together in a large plastic storage bag: sweet potatoes, oil, 1/8 cup the maple syrup, rosemary and salt. Pour out onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 25 minutes (or until tender), turning once about half way through. About 5 minutes before they are finished cooking, drizzle the remaining maple syrup over them. You can do this after they are finished cooking too. No harm, no foul.

Directions for candied pecans:
Drizzle the 3 Tbsp of syrup over the pecans and toss them on a greased baking sheet. (You could easily toss them on the sweet potato baking sheet when they are about 6-8 minutes from being done. I wasn't on my game tonight as far as cooking times, so I did the pecans separately.)
Bake the pecans for 6-8 minutes. Be careful not the burn them (which can happen quickly). This isn't one of those things you put in the oven and wonder off to change the laundry.

Toss the candied pecans with the sweet potatoes.

Enjoy!!

Maple Syrup, Healthy? And How Can I Get Some?!

2011-04-11T18:47:00.022-04:00

I grew up eating maple syrup. I mean the real stuff. On our family farm in northern Ontario, we have thousands of maple tree's, and for generations "The Vine Brothers" have produced maple syrup.

Some of my favourite childhood memories are during maple syrup season; the amazing smell when you opened the door of the sugar shack, or grandma packing up lunch so we could have a "picnic" in the shack, or getting to taste the fresh warm maple syrup, or proudly bringing my friends back to the sugar bush to see how syrup was made.

It all started over 50 years ago with my great grandfather, then my grandfather and his brothers, and now my dad and brothers have taken it over. A lot has changed over the years. I shared a bit about this in a post a couple years back.

(Picture by Roger P. Mulligan)

One thing I didn't appreciate about maple syrup until very recently, is the health benefits associated to it. It's an amazing natural sweetener. It contains fewer calories and a higher concentrate of minerals than honey. For example, it's an excellent source of manganese and zinc with are important allies in the immune system.

The trace mineral manganese is an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses. And the zinc supplied by maple syrup, in addition to acting as an antioxidant, has other functions that can decrease the progression of atherosclerosis.

You can read more about the benefits of maple syrup here, including how it supports the reproductive health of men. True story.

Moving on...

A delightful new addition to the Vines Maple Syrup family is our homemade maple butter. This stuff is pure gold. It's made solely from our maple syrup, with nothing else is added to it. My favourite is putting it on a warm biscuit or piece of toast.

For years we were not able to advertise our maple syrup because we simply didn't make enough to go around. We had a waiting list. That was then. That was when a good year was 150-175 gallons. So far this year, Vine Brother's have made 900 gallons, and we're still boiling like crazy! So we find ourselves in new territory. We actually want to publicize our maple syrup. I am hoping to get a website set up soon. But this may take time.

For now, if you are interested in ordering maple syrup, email me at vinebrothersmaplesyrup@gmail.com and we'll do our best to get you some syrup.

Two shipping options:
1) It can always be shipped directly to you. This will cost extra.
2) If we get enough orders in a specific region (ie. Southern Ontario) we can arrange for a shipment to that region. Depending on where the region is, this may cost extra.

Price list for Maple Syrup:
$55 for 4L
$35 for 2L
$20 for 1L
$12.00 for 500ml
$7.00 for 250ml

Price list for Maple Butter
$8 for 250 grams
$15 for 500 grams

Lava Cakes

2011-04-07T17:17:00.004-04:00

Do I really need to say anymore than this? I mean look at the ooey gooey goodness!

I was always intimidated by lava cakes because I assumed they would be tricky. Then I came across this recipe in my Michael Smith cookbook, and it looked so simple. Plus, it's gluten free, which I am always on the look out for (since one of my best friends is a celiac).

I made these ones in my muffin tin, but I think it would be better to go with a bigger size ramekin. The muffin tin moulds are quite small, so it can be difficult to not overcook. The first time I made these I overcooked them. Ya know what? They were still delicious. They just didn't have the "lava" center. So don't be afraid to give them a try. It may take a time or two to figure out the timing in your oven, but believe me, it's a hardship you will survive.

Ingredients:
8 oz (about 1 1/3 cup) top quality bittersweet chocolate chips
½ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
4 eggs
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Butter for greasing ramekins
White sugar for sprinkling on greased ramekins
Desired garnish (berries, ice cream)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, gently stirring until the butter and chocolate melt together. Or in the microwave (that's what I do). Remove from the heat and sift in the cocoa powder, stirring until smooth.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the brown sugar and vanilla until they are thick and smooth.

Pour in the melted chocolate and stir until smooth.

Rub the inside of 6-8 ramekins or muffin moulds with butter to make a thick film. Lightly sprinkle each with sugar and shake to coat the inside, shaking out any excess. Evenly divide the cake batter among the ramekins.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the batter rises, the tops are cracked and the insides are still a bit gooey, no more than 10 minutes.

Cool for a few minutes; the cakes will shrink a bit and pull away from the sides. If necessary, run a paring knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen them. Carefully invert onto a place. Serve with desired garnish.

Once again I say....

Enjoy!

Where's Waldo? Nap time addition....

2011-04-02T21:47:00.004-04:00

We recently moved Tank into a "big boy bed". Even though he was ridiculously too big for his crib, we didn't make the move because he was happy to sleep in the crib still, he never tried to get out, and it was nice to know he wasn't wondering the halls at night.

The move to the big boy bed went incredibly smoothly. He doesn't come out of his room at night, and waits until we come and get him in the morning. But who really knows what goes on behind that closed door?

Today, he settled in nicely for his afternoon nap. Of course wanting some "night night" time with both Mommy and Daddy. Anything to prolong going to sleep. We tucked him in, sang a few songs, and kissed him "night night".

About an hour and half later Andy went up to wake him. We have room darkening shades, plus a dark sheet, hanging over Tank's window. It can be really bright in there, especially through the summer months. After Andy's eye's adjusted somewhat, he started lifting the piles of blankets to find Tank.

He lifted the fleece Maple Leafs blanket.....

....nothing.

He lifted the snuggle blanket that Tank's cousin and Nana made for him...

.....nothing.

He began scanning the floor.....

......nothing.

And then he spotted him....

Sleeping on his change table.

Not blanket. No pillow.

I like how he went through the motions of getting out a diaper and diaper cream. It's a decent climb up, and he's a foot too long for the change table, but that didn't seem to bother him one bit.

My oh my, I love this boy.

BFF's!

2011-03-31T06:38:00.000-04:00

This boy....

...loves our vacuum cleaner! Here they are watching Cars together. All they need is some popcorn and it's a party.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

2011-03-29T18:00:00.007-04:00

If you haven't noticed, I'm in a cookie dough "place" right now. Last week I made the ultimate cupcake: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. They were pretty fantastic! I had some frozen cookie dough balls left over from that adventure, so what was I to do? I mean really...the cookie dough balls practically rolled themselves in chocolate...

My mind is now racing with all the different variations of these I want to try. Peanut butter cookie dough dipped in chocolate. Chocolate cookie dough dipped in white chocolate. Oh yea...this is only the beginning. Expect to see other variations in posts to come.

Below is the cookie dough recipe and directions I used this time (repeat from cupcake post):

1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (for dipping).

Directions:

To make the cookie dough, combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Shape into balls and freeze on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

When you are ready to dip the cookie dough balls, melt the 2 cups of chocolate. (You might need more. I'm guessing at the amount since I didn't have a full cookie dough recipe.) I usually melt chocolate chips in the microwave, in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.

Drop the cookie dough balls into the melted chocolate, and coat them completely.

Put them on a plate or cookie sheet to set.

These definitely got the approval of Sassy L, and Tank.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Butter Cream Frosting

2011-03-25T07:18:00.003-04:00

That's right!! Chocolate chip cookie dough inside a cupcake! It's as good as it sounds. ~~If I make them again~~ ...ahem, I mean when I make these again, I will do it over two nights. Make the cookie dough the day before and freeze it in balls, then tackle the cupcakes the second night. These took me all evening to finish. Of course part of that was realizing, at 9pm, that I didn't have enough icing sugar, and making a trip to Sobeys in my PJ's and barn boots to get it. I have no shame.

Anywho.....moving along to the delicious details...

Ingredients:

For the cookie dough:
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cookie dough, combine the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Beat in the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a 1.5 tbsp scoop, shape the dough into balls. Chill while making the cupcake batter. Alternatively, as I mentioned above, freeze them on a parchment lined baking sheet overnight.

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners (24 total). Cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk (I did three dry ingredients and two milk additions). Mix each addition until just incorporated. Blend in the vanilla.

Using a 3 tbsp scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with the cupcake batter.

Place a cookie dough ball on the top center of each cupcake.

They will puff up and spread quite a bit in the oven so try not to fill them as full as I did.

Bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

To make the frosting, combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the salt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips!

L.O.V.E. Love these!!

Enjoy!

Blueberry Pie

2011-03-22T21:00:00.000-04:00

Blueberry pie is one of my all time favourites! Especially when I get my hands on some fresh picked northern blueberries. They are tiny but pack a punch of flavour that you can't beat.

Ingredients:

1 batch pie crust
4-5 cups blueberries, washed
1 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp flour
2 Tbps water (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all the ingredients of the filling together in a bowl.

You want the filling to coat the berries and be somewhat moist. If it's not sticking to the berries, add the optional 2 Tbsp of water.

My pie crust post has the step by step instructions for crust. I usually roll out the bottom crust and get it in the pie plate, then mix up the blueberry filling and pour it in.

Roll out the top crust and cover the pie with it. Pinch together the top and bottom crust all the way around, so the filling doesn't overflow when it boils. Mine still finds ways to break through, so your best bet is to cook the pie on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 1 hour or until the filling has boiled and the top crust is lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Pie Crust

2011-03-21T21:00:00.008-04:00

I use the old pie crust recipe from the Crisco box. It works for me, so I refused to change it after they did.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Crisco (vegetable shortening)
1 egg
2 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp vinegar

Directions:

Measure the 2 cups of flour into a large bowl. Add salt and whisk together.
Cut in the Crisco using either a pastry cutter, or two knives, until mixture is crumbly.

Whisk together egg, water and vinegar, and pour over mixture.

Stir together. I use a fork, and then switch to my hands to form a ball. If the dough is still crumbly, add a little more water. You want it to come together into a smooth ball. Let the crust rest while you prepare your pie filling. Many pie crust recipes say to use chilled Crisco, and then chill the dough for a time after it's prepared. I don't do either. I find the crust more difficult to work with when it's chilled. But no judgment here if that's how you want to do it.

The hardest part of pie crust is rolling it out and getting it into the pie plate. Can I get an "amen"? I flour the rolling surface, and then use saran wrap on top of the crust (see picture below). This keeps the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and tearing.

After the rolling process you will want to use a spatula and slide it under the edges of the crust to make sure no part of it is sticking to the counter. Here's a nifty trick my husband came up with...he didn't enjoy watching me have a breakdown in the kitchen after my counter to pie plate transfer failed miserably. After you've carefully loosened the crust from the counter top, hold the pie plate just off the edge of the counter. Make sure it's lower than the counter top. Using your spatula, slide the crust off the edge of the counter top and into the pie plate. Tada!

Fill the pie with the fruit and/or berries of your choice. Here's my blueberry and strawberry pie recipes.

Repeat the rolling, loosening, sliding technique with the top crust. Pinch around the edges to seal in the filling. Most of my double crust fruit pies are baked at 350 for 1 hour. You want the filling to boil, so it will thicken.

Enjoy!

Ina's Italian Wedding Soup

2011-03-19T15:47:00.000-04:00

We're almost out of "soup season", but I have been meaning to post this one for a while now. You know how I love Ina's recipes! Every time I pick up her Back to the Basics cookbook, it opens to this recipe because I've made it over and over. It's hearty, rich in flavour, and really does hold it's own as a meal.

Before I get into this recipe, I must brag a little about my hubby. Over the past year, he has taken up making chicken stock. At one point, I had 13 cups of chicken stock in my freezer. And now that I know the difference it makes using homemade chicken stock vs store bought, I don't ever want to go back. So, I say all that to say, part of why this soup is so delicious is the homemade chicken stock. Try making your own sometime, you'll see what I mean.

Back to the soup. Ina's recipe has you making your own meatballs. I often take a shortcut and buy ready-made Italian meatballs instead. You want them to be Italian flavoured. It is definitely better with the homemade meatballs. I just don't always have the time. I will give you the entire recipe though, meatballs and all!

For the meatballs:

* 3/4 pound ground chicken
* 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
* 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
* 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
* 3 tablespoons milk
* 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
*

For the soup:

* 2 tablespoons good olive oil
* 1 cup minced yellow onion
* 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
* 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
* 10 cups homemade chicken stock
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
* 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
* 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Stock

2011-03-19T15:33:00.000-04:00

We use the recipe in Ina's Back to the Basics cookbook as a starting point. It's scaled for 3 (5-pound) roasting chickens. We normally make stock after we've roasted one chicken, so I scaled it back and adjusted it somewhat.

Ingredients

* 1 (5-pound) roasting chicken
* 1 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
* 2 carrots, unpeeled and halved
* 2 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds
* 4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in half, optional
* 7 sprigs fresh parsley
* 5 sprigs fresh thyme
* 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
* 5 sprigs fresh dill
* 1/2 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
* 1 tablespoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Roast the chicken as desired, pick the meat off and retain the bones and carcus. Throw everything in a very large pot and cover it with water.
Bring to a boil. Turn down to med-low and let it simmer for several hours. Taste it after about an hour and adjust the salt/pepper if necessary. If it's really plain, throw in some poultry seasoning.
Strain the mixture through a colander and let the stock cool overnight.
The next day, remove the surface fat and use immediately or freeze in desired portions. (Can be frozen for up to 3 months.)

Mint Chocolate Brownie Delights

2011-03-17T17:56:00.005-04:00

Happy St. Patty's day everyone! I don't usually get to excited about this "holiday", but this year I decided to make a festive treat. Mostly because I look for any excuse to bake. I got the idea for these from Snow White at Finding Joy In My Kitchen. She has some great recipe's, meal ideas, and menu plans over there!

Like many of my recipes, you can adjust as needed (for a 9x9 pan, or a 9x13). I made 9x9 because that's what brownie mix I had. Oops, gave away the magic, the brownie base came from a box. But you could easily use this Michael Smith Triple Chocolate Brownie recipe, and then just 1 and a half times the filling and topping to match.

Base:
1 batch of your favourite brownies (I added mint chocolate chips into the batter)

Bake and cool completely.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar
4 Tbsp soft or melted butter
2 Tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp mint extract
green food colouring

Mix together to desired consistency, add more milk if necessary. You want it fairly thick though, so give it time to come together before you add more liquid or you'll get into the vicious cycle of more liquid, more powdered sugar.

Spread over cooled brownies. This was a little tricky because of how sticky the icing was. I actually sprayed the back of my spoon with cooking spray to help ease the spreading.

Topping:
1 cup melted chocolate chips

Pour over filling and let it set.

Enjoy!

Michigan and Chocolate Butterscotch Ripple Bars

2011-03-02T18:31:00.010-05:00

We spent last weekend in Michigan. There was a memorial pheasant hunt to honour Jeremy. It was pretty special seeing so many of his friends, from all different walks of life, coming together to do something they (and Jer) loved so much. I think Vee described it best with the word bittersweet.

The boys hunted the morning away, and we all joined them at the farm for lunch. There was much visiting, sharing memories (hunting stories), and keeping warm around the fire. One of the most bittersweet parts of the weekend was meeting Jeremy's new baby son. He's incredible, of course.

Many of us met Saturday evening and had dinner together as well. I volunteered to make some goodies for dessert. One of the recipes I chose was these Butterscotch Ripple Bars. They are ooey, gooey, chewy, and sugar coma inducing.

I also made Ina's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars and Mint Oreo Crunchies. There was only about 25 of us, so I may have gone a little overboard (as I sometimes do).

Ingredients:

1 package butterscotch chips
1 (300 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups oats
1/3 cups cocoa

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13 baking pan.
Melt butterscotch chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter together in a pot on the stove.
Beat together brown sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla.
Combine flour, oats, and cocoa. Stir into wet mixture.
Put a layer of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the pan (a little more than half).
Pour the butterscotch mixture over that.
Top with remaining chocolate mixture. I drop teaspoons full over the top. Then swirl it a bit.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy!

Hallelujah!

2011-02-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

This is fantastic! Tears me up, for sure. Definitely worth 4 minutes of your time...

12 Layer Cake!!

2011-02-24T20:56:00.001-05:00

This was fun! My folks were down last weekend, and mom and I were looking for a challenge on Saturday afternoon. We found this recipe on one of my favourite baking blogs, Bakerella.

It wasn't difficult to make, just time consuming. It really does need to be eaten fairly soon, for optimum taste. I would say within 24 hours, and invite a crowd!

Ingredients
The Smith Family's 12-Layer Cake

* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter , at room temperature
* 2 1/2 cups sugar
* 6 large eggs , at room temperature
* 3 cups milk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 cups sugar
* 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder , preferably Dutch process
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut up
* 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* Pecan halves, for garnish (opt)

Directions
Position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375°. Lightly butter four 8 1/2- to 9-inch cake pans (you will bake the cakes in three batches) and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper. Flour the pans and tap out the excess.

To make the layers, sift together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the mixture one more time, and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle blade on high speed until light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl and be sure the mixture is well-blended. On low speed, add the flour in 3 additions, alternating with 2 additions of the milk, beginning and ending with the flour, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Using a scant cup for each layer, spread the batter evenly in the pans. It will make a thin layer.

Staggering the pans on the racks so they are at least 2 inches from each other and the sides of the oven and not directly over each other, bake the layers until they feel firm when pressed in the centers and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans, about 12 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Invert the layers onto cake racks, remove the parchment paper, and cool completely. Wash and prepare the pans. Repeat the procedure until all 12 layers have been baked and cooled.

To make the icing, bring the sugar, cocoa, butter and evaporated milk to a full boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the icing has thickened slightly (it will resemble chocolate syrup but will thicken as it cools), about 3 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Let the icing cool until thick enough to spread, but still pourable.

Place a layer of cake on a wire rack set over a jelly-roll pan. Spread 5-6 tablespoons of the icing, letting the excess run down the sides. Stack the remaining cakes, icing each layer.

Pour the remaining icing over the top of the cake. If you wish, smooth the icing on the edges to cover the sides. Place pecan halves around the top perimeter of the cake. Let stand until the glaze sets. (The cake is best served the day it is made. To store, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

Recommended technique: If you buy inexpensive aluminum foil cake pans at the grocery store (they can be saved for another time as well), you will be able to knock out layers in no time. And no washing between baking!

Off To The Dentist.

2011-02-11T18:12:00.000-05:00

Sassy L loves the dentist! She was positively giddy about our appointment this past week. She even drew the dentist a Valentine's card to bring along. She told the dental hygienist all about losing her two front teeth, and smiled big to show her new "big girl teeth".

She got her teeth flossed and cleaned.

She was all business when they were doing the fluoride treatment. The hygienist explained that she should not swallow any of the fluoride, and they would put "Mr. Sucky" (the suction tube) in her mouth to help her with that. Let me know tell ya, she did not flinch the entire time!

Then the dentist came to examine her teeth. And he said the four words that have long struck fear in my heart.... "you have a cavity". Except this time the dentist wasn't talking to me.

I wish he was.

Sassy L has no idea what will be involved in repairing her cavity. This is something we'll have to start preparing her for soon. The poor girl, she was even excited about making an appointment to return to the dentist in just a few weeks.

I have a feeling this appointment will put a swift end to her love for the dentist....

(Sorry about the picture quality - they were taken on my Blackberry)

Maple Pecan Pie

2011-01-27T21:39:00.003-05:00

It's maple-y, pecan-y goodness!! What's not to like?! I got this recipe from one of my favourite baking blogs, alpineberry.

I totally wussed out and used the store bought crust this time. There was actually a bit too much filling, so I'd recommend home made and using a 10inch plate.

Ingredients for filling:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Whisk brown sugar and eggs in a medium bowl.
Whisk in corn syrup and maple syrup.
Stir in melted butter, vanilla and salt.
Stir in chopped pecans, and pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake until the sites of the filling a slightly puffed but the center is still "sunken", about 35-40 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Mint Oreo Crunchies - No Bake

2011-01-20T21:42:00.001-05:00

I got this recipe from Snow White (over at Finding Joy In My Kitchen), and it has quickly become a family favourite. I get requests to make these for hunt camp most years now. Which is ok with me because they are so quick and easy.

This recipe will make 80-90 large cookies, but it can easily be cut in half.

Ingredients:

1 bag mint chocolate chips
2 1/2 bags (or 5.5 C) dark chocolate chips
1 package Oreo cookies
4 cups Rice Krispies

Directions:
Roughly chop of the Oreo cookies, and measure out your Rise Krispies.

Melt all the chocolate chips together (I do this in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Once most of the chips are melted, you can usually just stir them for a bit and the warmth will melt the remaining chips, without scalding them). If you can't find mint chocolate chips (I usually can at Sobeys) you can use normal chocolate chips instead and add 1 tsp of mint extract to it.

Stir the cookies and Rice Krispies into the melted chocolate.

Using a spoon, drop cookies onto a sprayed or lined cookie sheet. Let them set.

Enjoy!

Changed My World...

2011-01-13T18:17:00.007-05:00

The past two months have been filled with sadness, grief, and loss. Throw in a husband very ill with pneumonia and 5 combined bouts of pink eye, and you've got my November, December, and January.

Almost....

Mixed in with all that, I was able to witness one of the single most amazing events ever. The birth of my nephew! How perfect is he?!

I'm not sure my amazing brother and sister-in-law will ever understand what that experience did for my aching heart. To see a child come into the world, you cannot be unaffected. Especially a sweet baby who you already love before you even meet him. I know he's not my own, by he still changed my world!

If you want to see some "real" pictures of Pac-man, head over to my Sis's photography blog.

Help!

2011-01-06T21:20:00.007-05:00

When Jeremy died suddenly in November, he left behind his beautiful and pregnant wife Veronica, daughter Faith, son Caleb, and unborn son Carter. These are some very difficult days.... and that's officially the understatement of the year!

A sweet friend of Veronica's, and fellow blogger from Pennies on a Platters makes a small amount of money from one of the advertisements on her blog. It's based solely on how many 'hits' she gets on her blog every month. She has decided to dedicate the profits made from the month of January to Veronica and the kids. Pretty amazing eh?! All you have to do is visit Pennies on a Platter and wait for the page to fully load.

After blogger from Mama Still Wears Gucci heard about this, she joined up as well. If you click on her ads, it will raise even more! AND..if you click on “The Big Deal on BlogHer” ad and take 45 seconds to register, you will raise three more dollars. It adds up!

You can visit these blogs as many times as you like!

Ready. Set. Go!

Trying

2010-12-18T11:52:00.005-05:00

I took the kids the see Santa this morning. I know it's not the reason for the season, but their little hearts need some festive joy (and I'm not so much delivering it). Enter Santa.

Alright, so it's not the worlds best Santa moment, but it was still good to go. Sassy L was beyond mesmerized by him, and told him she wants hair bands, make up, and envelopes for Christmas. Envelopes? I guess another trip to Walmart is in order.

Stuck

2010-12-04T19:29:00.001-05:00

I wish I had something else to write about, but I don't. I stare at the 'Publish Post' button and wonder if I'll ever click it again. There's only one thing I have on my heart and mind, but I have no idea how to talk about it. I've never really had this problem before. Of course, I've never watched my husband carry the ashes of his best friend to the grave. Or watched a pregnant wife say good-bye to the love of her life, or 2 small children say good-bye their daddy. It's so completely unfair.

So many people I love are suffering so much, and I'm helpless to make any of it better.

I feel unworthy to write about Jeremy, yet he's all I really think about. Or some extension of him; like his wife, children, and unborn baby. His parents, his sisters, his grandparents, his friends, or his favorite pie. That's right... pie. I tell ya, sometimes it's the weirdest things that sneak up and slap you in the face with sadness.

Or anger...

I'm mad that I didn't go over to the youth rally this year, like I was suppose to, to spend time with Jer and Veronica. It would've been the last time I saw Jeremy. Instead, the last time I saw him was at grandpa's funeral last year. He was standing at the back of the church, with his head bowed, crying. When I walked back to him, he opened his arms and hugged me tight. He told me he loved me, and he was very sorry. (He was always a tender guy... for a "mans man", of course.)

If anyone had told me the next funeral I would attend would be Jeremy's, I would never have believed it. I still don't believe it. How do you mourn something that doesn't seem real? I sure don't know.

What do I know?
I know I should not take my husband for granted. He may wish I would after my text-a-thon during his hunting weekend (checking up on him).

I know I should tell my brothers that I love them more often. This is not how my family rolls, so it could be met with confused stares or grunting noises.

I know I should be thankful that I truly have everything I could ever need in my life. Right now, I mostly feel guilty about that. Why am I so lucky?

I know I should spend more time playing with my children, and less time on my laptop. (It's 11pm when I'm writing this. I'm off the hook this time.)

I know I should take every opportunity I can to spend time with friends, because you just never know...

So... what now? In the words of my sweet friend April (who happens to be Jeremy's sister):
"Breath deep, and keep on going." She's a smart lady...

Toothless...

2010-11-23T21:27:00.004-05:00

My sweet and sassy daughter had her first loose tooth for at least 2 weeks. She's a sensitive soul and feared the pain that pulling the tooth out may cause her. She would let us wiggle and jiggle it a bit, but pursed those lips tight if we tried to get a grip on it.

Finally, with much convincing and bribery involving the tooth fairy, she let her daddy pull out her tooth.

Of course, she had to check out the damages!

...and call Grandma!

No more than one week later her second front tooth was out (she was a little more ambitious about it the second time around). The tooth fairy is hoping for a little break now. It's definitely eating into ~~my Timmy's fund~~ .. ahem... I mean, her fairy dust fund.

Joined In Heart...

2010-11-12T08:20:00.007-05:00

Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the fellowship of kindred minds
is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne
we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
our comforts and our cares.

We share each others woes,
our mutual burdens bear;
and often for each other flows
the sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain; but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.

Jeremy, there are few hymns that I don't hear your voice in - especially 'My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less" and "There Is A God".

You always knew how to make people laugh.

You were a cherished friend to my husband.

And wow, could you throw a baseball!

Jeremy, I already miss you. You'd be so proud of your Vee. She's so strong, but we know her pain is great. I promise we will be there for her, and your precious Faith, Caleb, and Carter. Whatever they need.

Keep singing....

Obituary
News paper article

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...

2010-11-07T20:55:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't know, my sister-in-law Shannon is an amazing photographer! You'll notice her handy work in our family photo's down the right side of my blog. See what I mean? She's extremely talented.

Back in June we were lucky enough to have a family photo shoot. Unfortunately, Tank was sick that day (as he was so many days back then), and his pictures did not turn out. Shannon was gracious enough to do a some re-takes of him over Thanksgiving weekend. I just got the CD today, with the picture's she took. Of course, they are fantastic! I thought I'd share some, along with some from June. Enjoy!

Along with Shannon's Blog, you can see more of her work on facebook.

All images © copyright Shannon Vine Photography

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

2010-11-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

I love rhubarb! In pies, crumbles, muffins...you name it! I adapted this one from an Edna Staebler recipe. I'm pretty sure it was out of this book, but she has lots of good books and recipes. Thanks to my neighbour for introducing me to her cooking and baking.

Ingredients:
* 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
* 1/2 cups shortening
* 1 egg
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1 tsp vanilla or almond flavouring
* 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 or 3 cups rhubarb, cut into small pieces

Topping:
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 cup chopped nuts (opt)

Directions:
* Preheat oven to 350F.
* Cream together sugar and shortening. Beat in egg.
* Stir in the sour cream with the flavouring.
* Sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together into the creamed mixture and blend thoroughly. Stir in the rhubarb.
* Spread in a 9x9 or larger pan (I used a round). Sprinkle with topping mixture, and baking for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick insterted in center comes out clean. Serve warm. (If you use frozen rhubarb, cook for 10-15 minutes longer.)

Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T22:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you had a fun and spooky day.

Our day started out with some Halloween inspired pancakes. At least that was the plan.

They look more like Christmas inspired pancakes, because my attempts at colouring things orange continue to fail. As soon as I saw the colour of the pancakes I remembered last years pumpkin cupcakes with pink icing. Oh well. Sassy L was thrilled. She thinks all occasions (including a Saturday) should be celebrated with pancakes.

We carved our pumpkin up yesterday. Sassy L drew the face and I cut it out...exactly as she drew it! She was watching me like a hawk. But just look at how proud she is.

And finally it was time! I don't know if it's just my five year old, but I was answering the question "how much longer til trick or treating?" all day long. It was a relief to finally get going.

Tank didn't hold up for too long, and in comparison to other years, Sassy L didn't either. We barely got off our street this year before L was crying and begging to come home due to the frigid temperatures. Nothing a cup of hot chocolate couldn't cure.

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T21:07:00.002-04:00

It's been such a busy fall, I'm just now doing some of my usual fall activities. One of them being a visit to the pumpkin patch. It was a memorable time for sure, but not exactly for the reasons I'd hoped.

I dragged the kids along to the grocery store before heading to the pumpkin patch. They were antsy and needed to burn some energy. Big D had gotten up very early, for him, and was dangerously close to nap time. As if that wasn't unfortunate enough, he had a diaper explosion right after we arrived and I didn't have the diaper bag (don't ask me how I can forget something like that after this many years of carting one around).

Having already promised big fun at the pumpkin patch, we had to stay a little longer. Plus, I really wanted some pumpkins! So, we got ourselves a pumpkin wagon, which Big D promptly climbed into. This is how he rolls. Big sister jumped in and offered to pull him...

Such a cute and fun moment to catch on camera. What you don't see is that the pumpkin queen is heading in our direction to give me a lecture for allowing my child to ride in such an unsafe means of transport. Just look at how far he could fall? Um....
(To be fair, I realize she is just being cautious given we're on their property and all.)

Next up, an attempt to re-create this picture, taken at the exact same place, two years earlier:

Oh well, it was a nice idea anyways....

Refusing to be discouraged, we headed for the head-cut-out thing (I don't know what else you call them?), and low and behold...

Moving on to the spooky haunted house... Sassy L wouldn't have set foot in here last year. Look how brave! Of course the minute that floating head starting talking, she was outta there.

You can't read it, but the sign on the witch says 'Do Not Touch'...

For our final activity (Tank is getting fairly ripe by this point), the kids ran through the pumpkins.

If you have children, you probably know, you can never stay long enough at places like this. The kids could stay there all day. I started giving the warning that it was time to go. Tank, being soiled and passed the point of needing a nap, throws himself on the ground and gives everyone a demonstration of his two hear old self. Seriously, this kid can throw a tantrum with the best of 'em. It's mortifying.

I quickly scooped him up and headed for the van, calling for L to follow. It was a kicking, screaming, flailing spectacle. It wasn't until I was half way home, that I realized it....

I had gone through all that, and brought home no pumpkins.

Thanksgiving Weekend up North

2010-10-23T21:36:00.007-04:00

Better late than never, I suppose.

Thanksgiving weekend is always spent up north. It's the perfect time of year...well, except for it being hunting season and the men never being around. But I'm not bitter....

I didn't take nearly as many scenic picture's as I usually do. Surprisingly, they are mostly of the children. We took a little trip to the Soo, and visited Bellevue Park. It was really beautiful. As was the farm. Here are some shots from the weekend:

Alfalfa getting ready to feed the ducks.

The girls "hanging' around...
...quite literally.
A picnic by the lake.I just think this one is funny...
My kiddo's love their time up north.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

What am I Thankful For?

2010-10-13T21:40:00.004-04:00

What am I thankful for? There's probably too many things to name here. Today, I am thankful that I work for a good company, have a great boss and excellent co-workers who are understanding about me being a mom first. After a few days of scheduled vacation, I was suppose to return to work today. But I didn't. My daughter was up most of the night in excruciating pain due to an ear infection. So I spent the day tending to her.

I struggle a great deal with the balance of home and work. With our children being so young, they still require so much from us. And even though we have amazing day care, there's some things only moms and dads are for (like snuggling up on the couch with then when they are sick and watching Blues Clues 4 times over, or waiting in line for 90 minutes at the walk-in clinic). And even though I know they are my first priority, I still wrestle with the guilt of missing work and not fulfilling my responsibilities there. I will likely struggle with this for many years to come, but I would be crazy to wish these years go any faster than they already are.

As often happens, when I sit and really consider the things that are weighing me down, I realize how fortunate I am. I love my job. I have been very blessed by the people I'm surrounded by, and the opportunities I have been given. Though I will always be a mom first, I'm happy to be a "tech-y in the healthcare world" after that. Maybe we'll discover a way for people to be in two places at once. That would solve a lot of my problems...

In unrelated news, I'm hoping to do a post dedicated to our thanksgiving weekend up north. It was truly beautiful up there! There are lots of reds and oranges in the leaves this year. And no moon the first night we were home, so the stars were incredible! More on that later...

Triple Chocolate Brownies

2010-09-12T21:30:00.001-04:00

My hubby bought me my first Michael Smith cookbook for my birthday this summer. I have watched him, for years, on the food network. I really enjoy his recipes because he uses "normal" ingredients. You know what I mean right? Things you can pronounce, and have in your house on a regular basis. And let me tell you - I'll be sure to have the ingredients for these brownies on hand.

They are super dense, moist, chewy, and intensely chocolaty. All the things I am looking for in homemade brownies. Well... almost. I admit (mostly because the photographic evidence is rather telling), I sprinkled mini M&M's on top.

Triple Chocolate Brownies
(Adapted from Michael Smith)

8oz dark chocolate
1 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
4 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup M&M's for sprinkling on top (opt)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Melt chocolate and butter together (double boiler of microwave), stirring frequently. Whisk until smooth.
While chocolate cools slightly, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
Add eggs, sugar, and vanilla to chocolate and mix thoroughly.
Stir in flour mixture and chocolate chips until just incorporated.
Pour batter into a buttered and floured 9x13 pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Tada!
Just looking at the pictures again makes me want a glass of milk....

And Then He Was Two!

2010-09-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

It's been a super busy summer around our parts, and I'm way behind on my blogging. Oh well. Among the events of the summer, Tank turned two years old!

It's been a rough year for the big guy (and mom and dad), so it was really nice to celebrate his birthday with all that behind us. Since his surgery, and one post surgery infection, he's been healthy as a horse. What a relief!

To celebrate, we had a family picnic on his actual birthday. I had the day off work. We packed a picnic, and went here:

We also gave him his gift. A plasma car! I was pretty excited about it. It's a mechanical marvel that takes advantage of the endless source of energy - kid-power! (So says the website) It has no pedals, batteries, gears, or electrical parts. It's self propelled, so long as the kid keeps steering! It's seriously cool, and has been a big hit with my car-loving boy!

Along with our little family time, we got to celebrated with the Macs. Nana made this amazing train cake. Isn't it cool?!

Tank sure thought so.

And as an added bonus, he even got birthday kisses from his cousin! That's better than the birthday spankings we used to get (anyone else grow up with those?).

Of course, I find it impossible to believe my baby is two. Every mother says it, and every mother means it. How can the time go so quickly?

One last Happy Birthday to my little man. You've come so far since this day...

Conversations with my girl...

2010-08-28T20:52:00.006-04:00

Today, my sweet girl got in trouble. Sometimes it happens; even to the most darling-est of daughters. She was tormenting her brother. A habit that, I'm quite sure, will not die quickly. After a stern talking to from her father she came to find me in the kitchen.

I should also say, Sassy L went to VBS (vacation bible school) last week, and has been quoting different things she learned from it. For example, on the way home from swimming she told me "Nana did not come here just because." (Nana was over babysitting this past week) I asked "To our house?" And she said "No Mom, Nana did not come here just because. God sent her. Just like God sent me to VBS." At this same VBS, she learned about Jesus dying for our sins.

Ok, back to the original story. She comes to find me in the kitchen, a little teary eyed from getting in trouble (she is quite a sensitive soul). She wraps her arms around my waste, burying her face in my stomach. Once she's composed herself enough, she looks up at me and says "Mom, does Jesus die every time I sin?" I said, "No sweetie, he only died one time, for all of our sins". To which she says, "Than why do I keep sinning?".

Oh. My. Word.

I just picked that girl up and hugged her tight!

Who Is This Girl?!

2010-08-15T21:22:00.005-04:00

My daughter is .... how shall I say this nicely.... a wuss! She stubs her toe, she limps or a week; she gets a a hang-nail, she empties the box of band-aids; she's even complained that the crumbs that dropped from her sandwich hurt her knee.

No. Joke.

Well then, how does she explain this?!

Just when you think you know your kids, they totally surprise you!

Sassy L, my niece M.Rae, and I recently spent the day at Marineland. We left Tank at home. With his new found health, has come a renewed level of energy. Energy for such things as temper tantrums and non-stop babbling. He will no longer tolerate being in a stroller for very long, and certainly wouldn't walk with us. He's one of those kids that makes me understand why people put their kids on a leash.

So it was a girls day out! And a great one. Sassy L totally blew me away with her love for the rides. I was really nervous taking her on the first roller coaster, but she insisted she wanted to go. While waiting in line, I had an inner conversations that went a little like this: "you're the adult here, you know better than this, she thinks she wants to go, but she's going to freak. out." She was pretty quiet during the ride, but I was just relieved she wasn't weeping uncontrollably. The minute her feet hit the ground she say to me "I want to go again!" I couldn't believe it!

Here's a few more pics from the day...

Emily's Ginormous Ice Cream Sandwich "Cake"

2010-08-07T18:05:00.005-04:00

My birthday was mid-week last week, and we didn't plan to celebrate on the actual day. However, my daughter could not live without a birthday cake. So, I figured if that was going to happen, I'd better get baking. :)

Side note - I actually did get a birthday cake made for me by my good friend, at work, B. A delicious blueberry crumble cake. However, since it was at work Sassy L wasn't a part of it, so that wasn't going to be good enough for her.

Here's what I did: I made up my favourite chocolate chip cookie dough, and pressed it into two nine inch round pans. I doubled the baking time I would use for a pan of individual cookies, and they were perfect. Enter ice cream!

I think it turned out pretty well, and couldn't resist this picture....

Also, I know ginormous isn't a real word. I like to make up my own vocabulary sometimes.

Boat Day 2010!

2010-08-01T21:56:00.008-04:00

For the last few summers we have been lucky enough to spend a day at my aunt and uncles boat. It's such a special treat for adult and child alike! And this year, there were lots of both. There were 8 adults, and 4 kids on-board may-tee! (I can't pull off the pirate talk)

Tank was not so sure about the boat at first. Once we got moving he settled right down.

Here's some shots of us enjoying the boat ride out to the beach.

What are they watching?
This guy!
Little H was having a blast with Dad!
Playing in the water.Back on land, and watching the geese and ducks.Good food, great friends and family, and the weather held up nicely. A big thank you to my aunt and uncle for treating us to such a special day!

Nine Years!

2010-07-28T21:41:00.004-04:00

...and still lovin'!

Seems like I don't have time to blog these days, but wanted to take a second to wish my hubs a happy nine year anniversary. Oh! And 30th birthday! It's been a big month...

Photo by Shannon Vine

Life is good.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies

2010-07-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

6 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 c chunky peanut butter
1/2 c sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla1 c flour
1/4 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 c chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8 x 8" pan

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Beat in the sugars until combined.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

Stir in the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips, stirring until combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30- 32 minutes. Cool completely before cutting (yea right!).

Enjoy!!

Family Reunion of 2010 - The Year Of The Toque

2010-07-04T12:14:00.013-04:00

Another Canada Day; another awesome Vine Family reunion. This year was cold. We still spent time at the beach - we just wore toques and sweaters.

Last year we had 5 new great grandchildren at the reunion. This year two more baby girls joined us, and two more babies are on the way. There are twelve total great-grandchildren (all under the age of 5; eight under the age of 2). Meal times are pretty much complete chaos, as you can imagine. Here is a shot of some of the kids. The three littlest are missing.

We lost one...
Hey! Where did everyone go?

Here's the highlights:

We laughed...
We cried....
We shared food...
We tea'd....
We played with cousins...

And ducks...
We got new head injuries (man, those scalps really bleed!)...

We caught some zzzzz's....

We said good-bye til next year...

Four More Sleeps....

2010-06-26T21:35:00.001-04:00

Healing. Part Two.

2010-06-22T23:10:00.001-04:00

Today was one of those days a parent never forgets. I walked my 21 month old down the long hallway of a hospital, heading for an operating room, and handed him off to a total stranger (she was a nurse, I'm at least a little bit picky).

Being separated from your children for perfectly natural reasons can be difficult, but being separated from your child while they have surgery, is one of the most unsettling things I've ever experienced.

The day started out poorly; Tank woke up at 5:30am and wanted his bottle. Because he would be under general anesthesia he was not allowed to eat or drink after midnight. This was not well received.
He was the second surgery of the day. I thought that would ensure we'd be on time (I mean, how far behind can you get with one surgery), but I was wrong. He was 45 minutes late going in, which brought our total time waiting at the hospital up to 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was painful. Tank actually did remarkably well - this is him before the surgery. (Sorry for the poor quality pictures in this post - they were taken on my phone)

Before Tank went in, the anesthesiologist came and talked with us. He explained what he would do, and how he would monitor him through the entire surgery. He explained how they would put in a breathing tube, and the machine would breath for him until he started to breath on his own - at which time I needed a machine to breath for me until I started breathing on my own again. I guess I'm new at this, but I did not know there would be a breathing tube.

And then it was time. Only one us was allowed to walk him down to the operating room. My husband is a good man, and just knew I'd fall apart if I couldn't go to the farthest point possible with him. Turns out, I still needed some tissues.

While he was in surgery, we went and got breakfast. A little side note - the hospital where Tank had his surgery, is one of the hospitals that has AGFA Healthcare's software (this is the company I work for), and a site I have traveled to for business purposes. I couldn't resist:

The surgery was not very long - within 40 minutes Tank was back in my arms. Wailing, in pain, and scared out of his mind, but back in my arms. Again, only one of us was allowed to go to recovery, where he had to stay for 30 - 45 minutes after coming out of anesthesia. He would settle for a while, but as soon as a nurse came near him he'd start bawling again. This continued for the rest of the day. Here he is about an hour after the surgery:

It was an afternoon of fluids in, fluids out. He refused to go to sleep - probably since the last time he did, he woke up feeling miserable, disoriented, and in pain. So, the longer we stayed, the more miserable and tired he got. Finally they told us we could go home (we were there from 7:15am - 3:00 pm). This was his last fight to keep his eyes open on the car ride home....

You know what else (besides a nap) works wonders to make you feel better - chicken noodle soup! It was amazing how he perked up when we arrived home, and he got some "food" (mostly liquid, as that's all he's allowed) in his tum-tum.

I can't tell you how glad I am to be on this end of today. The surgery is over. Tank is on the mend. He is fast asleep in his bed. Huh - it's a good day, I guess.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and emails.

And Then She Was Five!

2010-06-19T21:05:00.001-04:00

Just a quick shout out to my sweet big girl, who is now five! I am a couple days late, but couldn't have her birthday go by without wishing her a happy birthday.

Last Tuesday Sassy L turned 5 years old! We ~~survived~~ ... I mean, she enjoyed her first birthday party with her friends from school. I was a little overwhelmed by eight 5 year old's running wild, but L had a blast and that's what really matter's.

Since her day would be full, I decided to get up and make her favourite breakfast; pancakes! We enjoyed a little family time celebrating with her.

I just can't believe she's five! Happy birthday sweet girl!

Healing.

2010-06-16T20:45:00.009-04:00

Over the past 6 months I've posted about Tank's recurring illnesses. He's been suffering from chronic ear infections, and has been on antibiotics for most of the last 6 months.

After 4 long months of waiting, we finally had our appointment at the ear, nose and throat specialist. She looked in each ears. She looked at his throat. With her eyebrows raised, she said "Would surgery next week work for you?".

Everything started to happen very quickly after that. Pre-op examinations, forms to sign, pre-surgery instructions, requisitions for blood work and urine sample (oh boy).

I was at a loss for how I would get a urine sample from a baby in diapers, but you should see these .... contraptions (that's the best word I can think to describe it) they have for just such a purpose. I'll leave it at that...

The urine sample was a walk in the park compared to the blood drawing. Physically restraining your child while someone inflicts pain on him (and you can't explain what's happening), is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Though, I will say, they sure do recover quickly.

So, it's surgery next Tuesday. They will be removing his adenoids and putting tubes in his ears. The doc told me his tonsils are massive and there's a good chance she will have to go back in for them, but she won't take them out til he's at least 2.

I left the specialist's office feeling very relieved. My worst fear was going in there and having them say to me 'let's just wait and see if it improves on it's own as he grows'. I didn't have to advocate or push at all.

Now that a day has passed, I'm more in a nervous place. Thinking about my baby being put under anesthesia. I worry they won't let me stay with him until they put him under. Plus, he has to fast - no food or drink after midnight the night before the surgery. That's going to be rough. In case you hadn't guessed by his size (and nickname), the boy likes to eat!

But ultimately, I am happy with this course of action, and believe it is necessary to bring our boy back to normal health. I feel very lucky that it's happening so quickly, and he doesn't have to suffer much longer.

I Do!

2010-06-13T18:59:00.000-04:00

Somehow a week has gone by and I still haven't blogged about the wedding of the summer! It doesn't get much better than watching your best friend marry the man of her dreams.

Time seems to be something I lack these days - so I'm going to do my best to summarize, and hit the highlights. Here we go....

We set all the tables.
We hung a million red paper balls.

We pinned up the lights, and pushed in the chairs.
We saw the grounds keeper's tractor go through the bridge, and hid it from the bride for hours.

We rehearsed in the rain.
We imagined how amazing it would all be.
We celebrated the day to come.

We ate cookie dough and chips.
We watched Sex and the City.
We painted our nails (more accurately, Andrea painted everyone's nails).

We slept...

We sipped coffee and ate Ina Scones!
We got our hair and make up done.

We finally dressed.
We wrote a message to Craig, in blue, on Caley's buttocks (What? She needed something blue, and her bridesmaids delivered!)

Flower girl

Ring Bearer

We took a limo ride.
We watched someone hang out the top of the limo and scream our way to the wedding location.
We walked the path and over the bridge (no one fell...we had tall heels and the bridge was steep)
We watched Craig and Caley become husband and wife.

Above picture by grooms sister

We took pictures.
We took off our heels! :)
We got inside before the rain started.

We ate.
We laughed.
We danced.
The Cramp's and Horsman's should be proud. All their hard work paid off, and I don't just mean the preparations for this special day. But pouring themselves into these two amazing people who are now setting out on their own life journey.

Above picture by grooms sister

Congratulations Craig and Caley!!

Ina's Decadent Chocolate Cake, and Lost

2010-05-24T12:23:00.010-04:00

Last night was the series finale of Lost (single tear), and I wanted to make something themed. I got the idea from Andy's cousin (and Ina, of course) to make a chocolate cake, and write 'LOST' across the top of it in white icing. It looks like the 'face of the show', or whatever you call that. I had big plans to write 'LOST' in big letters and then characters names around the edges.

All of that was before big D came down with his 5th ear infection of the year. I suppose we should've known it was coming, he'd been off antibiotics for 3 weeks (the longest he's been off them in 2010). So, he was completely miserable, with a high fever, and major ear ache(s). Though this did not completely deter me from my plans, it did push them back several hours so I didn't start the cake until 3 hours before show time. Though the cake turned our pretty awesome, I did not get the time I wanted to decorate it. So, I took the easy road and just used some white chocolate chips to spell 'Lost' (as my guests were coming in the front door).

This cake is really easy, and quick, and so so moist and decadent! Thank you Ina! So far I haven't made a bad recipe from her cookbooks.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake (From Ina's At Home cookbook)

Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans2 cups sugar3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows).
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl.
In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Directions:
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

Beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Pour yourself a big glass of milk, and enjoy!!

Sweet Chariots! (Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing)

2010-05-20T20:04:00.002-04:00

For a while now I've wanted to try my hand at decorating sugar cookies. Like really decorating them; unlike the usual slathering of icing, so they hardly resemble whatever shape they were suppose to be. Don't get me wrong....those are delicious too! But, I wanted to see if I could step up my game.

A co-worker of mine is expecting his first child (well, his wife is). We wanted to celebrate a little. I say 'a little' because this guy; we'll call him Gentle Giant cuz he's very tall....though he thinks he's normal sized...it's cute. Anywho, GG is a very quiet fella, and we didn't want to make a spectacle causing him to actually hate us rather than be pleasantly surprised. I digress...

So, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make some themed sugar cookies. I went with baby carriages/chariots and little feet. I got some good pointers for icing and decorating the cookies at Bake at 350. She is a very talented decorator of desserts!

Alas, I am no artist. They turned out OK, I guess. Of course, I'm very particular, and after a few hours; when I could no longer feel my fingers due to numbness (which was better than the prior burning sensation), well...I got lazier and less careful.

Another co-worker of mine, B, made some cookies for the occasion as well. We were all set. Cookies galore, gift card for Baby's R Us, the element of surprise. Then we checked our mail. GG's wife was getting induced three weeks early, and he would obviously not be coming to work. Babies, they love to mess with a good plan.

So, B used the cookies to ~~bribe~~, I mean ~~lure~~, I mean reward people for sponsoring him for Bike for Heart.

Sugar Cookies (from Joy Of Baking)

Ingredients:

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fully (2-3 minutes).
Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
Stir in flour mixture until a dough ball forms.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate an hour.

Preheat oven to 350.
Roll dough out, on a lightly floured surface, to 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into desired shapes with a lightly floured cookie cutter, and place on cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and let cookies sit on the pan a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Let cookies cool completely before icing.

Royal Icing (also from Joy of Baking)

Ingredients:

4 cups (440 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons (30 grams) meringue powder
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup (120 - 180 ml) warm water
Food Coloring

Directions:
Beat the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder until combined. Add the water and beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7 minutes). If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered sugar or water.

To cover or 'flood' the entire surface of the cookie with icing, the proper consistency is when you lift the beater, the ribbon of icing that falls back into the bowl remains on the surface of the icing for a few seconds before disappearing.

The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

I borrowed my neighbors piping bags and tips, and outlined the cookies first. Once that was dry, I thinned the icing with some water and 'flooded' inside the outlined area. It dried up nice and smooth. I just needed to do a smoother job with the outlining next time.

Good luck! :)

Ina's Cranberry Orange Scones

2010-05-16T09:34:00.004-04:00

I have posted a scone recipe before. I wasn't sure I'd top it, because those scones are pretty stinkin' delicious. But this recipe may have done it.

For Mother's Day my hubby gave me an Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) cookbook. She is one of my all time favourite chefs, and recipe writers. She writes a lot of every day recipes. You know, the kind you actually understand the ingredient list for.
I set to making Ina's Cranberry Orange Scones this morning. The recipe used 4 cups of flour - and since it's just me and the kids this morning, I figured we didn't need 20 scones. So, I halved the recipe, and they still wouldn't all fit on one pan. Calling all neighbors!

Ingredients:

4 cups plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cold heavy cream1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy! Combine the dried cranberries and 1/4 cup of flour, add to the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough 3/4-inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn't stick. Flour a 3-inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, and drizzle over the scones.

Look! Heart shaped! :) Enjoy!

Honest Scrap Award

2010-05-06T21:56:00.000-04:00

Sweet Vee left a little treat for me on her blog....an Honest Scrap award. Didn't I say she was sweet?!

So, here's the deal. I have to share ten random things about myself and then pass this award on to ten of my favorite bloggers. Ten things about me?

Here we go....

1. My mom wanted to name me Eliza Jane. (Thank you Dad for saving me from that!)

2. I put ketchup on anything, but I don't like tomatoes.

3. I arm wrestled a guy at work for the last chocolate candy cane donut...(we eventually called it a draw, and shared the donut).

4. I love thunderstorms!

5. My favourite blizzard is French Silk Pie.

6. I've been with my husband since grade 11 (he was in grade 10). Yes, that really happens! :)

7. I have a phobia of balloons.

8. I have 27 first cousins.

9. I'm currently watching How I Met Your Mother, and loving it! Next up, Big Bang Theory!

10. I used to have 2 cats named after Charlie Brown characters (Lucy and Linus).

Now, ten of my favourite bloggers:

1. Lucy at Lucy's Life and Lucy's Kitchen
2. Be @ "The Journey"
3. Vee @ Everyday Kings (I know Vee already got one, but she is one of my fave's!)
4. Evan (and his photo blog, love it!)
5. Strands in old Duder's Head
6. The Way The Cookie Crumbles (Tamara is just starting out her blog.)
7. Faith and Folly
8. Finding Joy In My Kitchen
9. Alpineberry
10. No Magic Here

Recent Convo's with My Girl

2010-04-26T20:51:00.007-04:00

Convo #1 (She calls me up to her room, an hour after she went to bed):
Sassy L (tearfully): Mommy, I'm going miss you when I'm a parent!
Mom: Um...what? A parent?
Sassy L: It just makes me sad, that when I'm a parent, I won't live in the same house as you anymore.
...and I'll have to marry a boy!

Convo #2: (in the car, on a road trip)
Sassy L: Mommy, I need to poop.
Mom: Can you hold it?
(It's quiet for a few seconds)
Sassy L: I don't think I can reach....

Convo #3 (at dinner tonight)
Sassy L: I'm going to draw Evan a birthday card, with fish, and pie, and heaven.
Mom: Heaven?
Sassy L: Yea, people dressed up in gold dresses and tiara's.

Convo #4: (talking about Niagara Falls)
Daddy: Niagara Falls is HUGE, it's bigger than our whole house!
Sassy L: Is it bigger than Papa?
Daddy: You mean bigger than Papa's house?
Sassy L: No, bigger than Papa!

I Love this girl!

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

2010-04-21T20:55:00.000-04:00

source

On my favourite bloggy bakers is "alpineberry". She has so many great recipe's I want to try. Though, some of them, I need to be feeling ambitious for.

My niece spent her spring break with us last week, and her and I went to making these. We certainly did not use the batter, in place of milk, for dipping an oreo or two along the way. Definitely not! But if we had...I bet it would've been delicious...and we'd be glad we didn't get raw egg poisoning (or whatever it is that makes mom's say "you can't eat that, it has raw egg in it!").

Unfortunately, I did not think to take photo's along the way, but these may just be my all time favourite cupcakes! I wish I had a shot of one, broken apart, so you could see the chunks of oreo nestled inside. Seriously, yum-o!

Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
(24 cupcakes)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces (2 sticks/16 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened at room temp
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 fl oz) whole milk, at room temp
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed Oreo cookies

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 24 standard sized (3.5-4 oz) cupcake wells with paper liners.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies.

Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake wells. Bake at 350F until cupcakes are golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 minutes then gently remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting
(enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes)

4 ounces (1 stick / 8tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temp
2 to 2.5 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons whole milk

Enjoy!

Freedom Is...

2010-04-18T15:18:00.008-04:00

I'm currently reading a book called "Sex God", but Rob Bell. It's about exploring the connections between sexuality and spirituality. Before you run away (I can hear my mother hyperventilating right now), I promise, I am not going to talk about sex.

Rob talks about lust, but not necessarily lust for another person, lust for anything (money, power, material objects, food etc). Whatever it is that makes you say "If I only had...", think about that while you read these excerpt's from Rob's book:

"Lust promises what it can't deliver.

Lust comes from a deep lack of satisfaction with life. This is why we have to slow down and reflect on our lives before we'll ever begin to sort out the significance of this. Lust often starts with a thought, somewhere in our head or heart: "If I only had.... then I'd be...."

When we are not at peace, when we are not content, when we are not in a good place, our radar gets turned on. We're looking. Searching. And we're sensory creatures, so it won't be long before something, or somebody, catches our attention.

And it always revolves around the "If", doesn't it? If I just...

The idea creeps into our head and heart, that we are lacking, that we are incomplete, that this craving in front of us is the answer. The "if" means we have become attached to the idea that we are missing something and that we can be satisfied by whatever it is we have in our sites. There's a hole, a space, a gap, and we are on the search. And we may not even realize it. When we are in the right place, the right space - content and at peace- then we are not on the search anymore, and our radar gets turned off."

...skipping ahead a little .... (stay with me)

"Lust is always built on a lie. And so for you and me to be free from lust, we have to begin by understanding the lie, and where it comes from and why it can be so alluring.

Think of the head space we give to things and people we want. It's easy for our thoughts to be dominated by a craving. We're in a meeting, we're taking a walk, we're studying, we're doing jobs around the house, and the whole time our mind is miles away, trying to figure out how to get it.

It takes ahold of us.

We are not free.

Lust is slavery."

...skip a little more (almost there)...

"Often freedom is seen as the ability to do whatever we want. But freedom isn't being able to do whatever we crave. Freedom is going without whatever we crave and being fine with it."

The Non-Baker's Dessert

2010-04-17T16:01:00.006-04:00

It's simple. It has very few ingredients. It's not technically baking. It's perfect for the non-baker who still has a sweet tooth. Also, good for a last minute dessert. It's.....

Chocolate Quesadillas!

(source)

Ingredients to make one: (this is a pretty forgiving recipe, so adjust as you want)
- 1 flour tortilla
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 to 2 tsp cinnamon sugar
- 1 tsp butter or margarine
- powdered sugar (optional)

Turn the skillet on medium. Lightly butter one side of the tortilla.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar over half the tortilla (on the opposite side you buttered).
Fold the tortilla in half, enclosing the chocolate-y goodness. Put it in the skillet. Brown each side.
Remove from skillet. Cut in quarters with a pizza cutter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Tada!

Re-Balancing

2010-04-15T20:56:00.003-04:00

Whenever life throws change your way, so begins the act of re-balancing. I am trudging my way through this process now. A few weeks back I posted about decisions. I suppose it's kind of mean to write such an ambiguous post (I'm sure it kept my 3 readers up all night).

Anywho, the short story is I've started a new role at my job (same company). This was a difficult decision for me (hence the post about decisions). I've been a software developer for nine years, and I love it. My new role will have more managerial duties. I am clinging to the (perhaps delusional) belief that I will still get to do some technical, development work.

I'm currently in the overwhelmed, under-confident stage of the game. Of course, it's only been a week. It's going to be really interesting, for me, to see how this new role fits me. It wasn't something I was necessarily aspiring for, but sometimes the things that find you, are the ones most meant to be. Sounds nice...I'll let ya know in a couple months if it's true in this case.

In the meantime, I am finding my new normal. I'm very focused on work because there's so much new and different going on for me, and I really want to do a good job. At the same time, I'm trying to find the right balance between work and family life. One of the most difficult tasks for a working mom (or dad), I suppose. In my head, I know family always comes first, but sometimes finding that perfect balance is much like being on a teeter totter (or like an elephant on a beach ball...I like that picture... though, I suppose it makes me the elephant. Huh.).

Easter Weekend - Belated

2010-04-10T18:30:00.007-04:00

I had hoped to get an Easter weekend post up before another weekend had come and gone, but life had other plans. Anyways....

We had an awesome weekend. My folks made the voyage to "the south". As always, it was great to have them here. There's just something about having your parents visit you, at your own home! It was, probably, the warmest Easter weekend ever (25 degrees on Saturday). We spent a great deal of time outside. Here are some pics from our weekend.(Decorating Easter Eggs with Grandma)

On Sunday we met up with the MacKenzie crew, and attempted to get a photo of all the MacKenzie grandchildren...this is the best we could do (with a 4 month old, two 1 year olds, a 4 year old, a 5 year old, and 13 year old - this isn't half bad):

(The girls hunting for Easter eggs in Nana's back yard.)

My Quest to Make the Perfect Butter Tart

2010-03-23T18:26:00.009-04:00

I grew up very spoiled when it came to butter tarts. My great-aunt, who lived across the road from us, made The. Best. Butter Tarts. She was famous for them, and a riot would ensue if she did not bring them to our monthly church potluck (Christians are very serious about their butter tarts :)).

For years now, I have been on a quest to make the perfect butter tart. A couple of my motivations for this are 1) I want to eat them. Obviously. 2) They are my dad's favourite, and I love making them for him when he comes to visit.

I have attempted recipe after recipe in search of the perfect butter tart. My dad and I agree on two very important requirements for a butter tart to be perfect. One, it must have a runny center. Two, it must have a butter, flakey crust (alright, that's kind of three requirements).

Unfortunately, I am not here to tell you that I have the recipe for the perfect butter tart. I think pastry is one of those things that has to "fit you". What works for one person, in one kitchen, can be a total flop for the person down the road. So, I'll just show you how my most recent attempt turned out. It is definitely one of my more successful attempts, but still needs work.

In this batch, the tart shell was not deep enough. In the last batch, the shell was too deep and you basically took a bite of the tart, and then drank the center out of it. And the shell was not strong enough to hold all the filling and there was much leakage. If I can get the shell the right size, I think I might stick with this crust recipe.

Tart Crust (Short Crust Pastry recipe from Joy Of Baking)

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon (14 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.54 cm) pieces
1/8 to 1/4 cup (30 - 60 ml) ice water

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl (I don't have a food processor so I did it by hand).
Cut in chilled butter with a pastry cutter or two knives.
Slowly stir in water and work with your hands until it forms a ball.
Chill for about an hour to let the gluten in the flour relax.
Turn dough out on flat surface and roll to desired thickness (mine was probably about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. You want them to be study enough to hold the filling without leaking).Cut into 12 - 4 inch rounds, and place gently in muffin tin cups.Cover and refrigerate while making the filling.

Tart Filling (not sure where I got this, but its the one I've stuck with throughout all my trials)

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 c. melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Fill the prepared tart shells 2/3 full.
Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.

Creamy Vanilla Raspberry Pavlova

2010-03-21T09:00:00.004-04:00

One of my very dear friends is a Celiac, and exists in a world where there is no gluten. Ouch! That would really hit me where it hurts....desserts! Have you ever tried to bake without flour? It's tricky business. I was able to acquire a really good flour-less peanut butter cookie recipe, and that's my default gluten-free choice. Until now.

This recipe comes from Kraft. I'll admit, this is my third go of it. Meringues and I don't always see eye to eye. So, the first two times were perfecting the cooking time and temperature in my oven. I was sure this time would go smoothly and the result would be a beautiful, white, not-cracked meringue. Well, you can see from the first picture....that did not happen.

I had baked cookies, at 350F, just before putting in the meringue. I needed the oven temperature to come down to 225F, so I turned the oven off and opened the door. When I believed it was cooled enough, I put the meringue in and turned on one of the two dials required to turn on my oven. There really is no excuse. I've been using this oven for 3 1/2 years. Add to that, I didn't even notice the oven wasn't on until the timer went and I went to check it...and hour and half later. So, long story short, I was up til midnight, the meringue was in the oven for 3 1/2 hours, and it's a lightly browned, cracked mess. The thing I love about this recipe, it still tastes amazing!

Creamy Vanilla Raspberry Pavlova
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 pkg. (1 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding
1-1/2 cups cold fat-free milk
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions:
HEAT oven to 225ºF.

BEAT egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl with mixer on high speed 5 min. or until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

SPREAD into 10-inch circle on parchment-covered baking sheet, indenting center slightly. Bake 1-1/2 hours. Cool.

MEANWHILE, beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in COOL WHIP. Refrigerate 15 min. Place meringue on plate; fill center with pudding mixture. Top with berries and powdered sugar.

The Thing About Decisions...

2010-03-13T22:21:00.006-05:00

The thing about decisions....

they can be very difficult to make;

they often come with big changes;

it may mean leaving something you know for something you don't know;

it may feel like there is no right answer.

The thing about decisions....eventually, you have to decide.

My Weightloss Journey: Part 2

2010-03-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

I've written about my weight loss journey before. It seems like one of those things that doesn't go away. At least for me. When I finished my previous post I was 4lbs away from my official pre-pregnancy weight. I was able to lose those 4lbs, and while I was pleased with accomplishing this, I still did not feel the way I hoped. The way I did before the pregnancy. It seems the second pregnancy had left me shaped a little...differently.... funny how pregnancy does that?! And so, as time passed, I realized I still did not feel like "me".

One thing I've learned about myself, in terms of weight loss, it is not a switch I can turn on and off. I cannot just say to myself "Self, tomorrow you will start losing weight". The process, for me, is 90% mental, and therefore requires some mental preparations. So, I began to evaluate the reasons I wanted to lose more weight, what I believed would be my greatest obstacles, and how I would deal with them as they arose.

If you're curious (which you probably are not), the two biggest reasons I wanted to lose more weight are:

Like most women (who are honest with themselves), I want to feel beautiful. Now, I know I'm no Rachel McAdams, but what I mean is, I want to be the best version of me that I can. This is certainly not limited to my physical attributes; that's just what I'm talking about today. I want to look in the mirror and like what I see. Can anyone put a price on that?

I needed to have that sense of freedom I had experienced before. Like, when I get up in the morning, I did not want to agonize over what to put on because I'm not comfortable in any of my clothes. Since I know what it feels like not to feel that way, it's hard to settle for anything less. It's incredibly freeing to take one of the biggest struggles you have, and put it in it's place.

What I believed would be biggest obstacles:

Telling myself (more like tricking myself into believing) that my reasons for wanting to lose the weight are not that important. Lying to myself about how much it means to me to get back to that place of freedom, comfort and joy.

Well...food, of course. But food is not nearly the obstacle it could be if I am prepared to fight for what I know is important to me. (My reasons listed above.)

How would I deal with the obstacles as they come:

This is closely tied to outlining the reasons why I wanted to lose the weight. Then, as my mind tries to play tricks on me, I can easily re-visit my reasons and know that they are more important than any cookie, or ice cream, or whatever it may be that is tempting me to go off course.

This is strictly a food tactic: I automate a lot of my meals. Meaning, I have a few selected options for my meals (especially breakfast and lunch) and I choose from them. Rather than having to struggle to find something that will fit my calorie range every single meal, I have automated options that already fit, and just choose from them. It works great for me!

Ok, what was I saying before I got off track with all my bullet-ed lists. Right, so 90% mental (I really am...). I went through a lot of this preparation last fall, and after Christmas I kicked off my weight loss plan; I wanted to lose more 10lbs.

As of this Monday morning, I have lost 12lbs! I am the lightest I have ever been in my adult life, and for the first time I can remember, I am not considered "overweight" according to the BMI. Now, I don't put a lot of stock into the BMI, and it certainly wasn't in my reasons for wanting to lose weight, but I've always been aware that I'm considered "overweight" by it. Who wants that?!

And so ends "Part 2"...more like part 20.... of my weight loss journey. And let me just say, there really isn't a price on being comfortable in your own skin. Until next time....

Should I Be Worried?

2010-03-04T21:09:00.009-05:00

Should I be worried that Sassy L brought this book home, from the school library, today:

This coming after one of our "deep conversations" that went a little like this:

L: "Mom, do you know what the most important thing about being a parent is?"
Mom: "hmmm, why don't you tell me"
L: "Telling kids the rules. Because if you don't tell kids the rules, they will be bad...........like *D. He's not a good listener like me. He's kinda bad."

This past Tuesday morning, I dropped off Big D at his daycare. I knew I would be a few minutes discussing some things with his care provider, so I told Sassy she could come in with me. Some mornings Big D kicks his boots off and disappears into the playroom before I'm gone. Some mornings he clings to my neck and cries. This was one of those mornings. When Sassy L and I got back to the car, and I was buckling her in, I noticed these big crocodile tears running down her cheeks. I asked her why she was crying, and she said: "When *D is sad, it makes me sad."

Yes, I'm pretty confident she loves her brother a great deal...even if some days she thinks of selling him...

*Obviously she used his real name.

I Believe.

2010-02-15T21:40:00.000-05:00

The winter Olympics will always take me back to 2002 when 4 friends decided why not drive 60 hours to watch team Canada compete, for Gold, at the Olympics. It was the trip of a lifetime, and each and every Olympics allows me to relive it.

It's amazing to me, thinking back, how it all came together. S 2E's folks letting us borrow their van for the drive. We simply looked up Churches Of Christ in Salt Lake City, and emailed the preacher to see if anyone would be willing to keep 4 crazy Canadian's for a couple days. The minister himself opened his home to us.

And the hockey; it was the best hockey I've ever seen, perhaps will ever see. Lemieux, Fleur, Kariya, Shanahan, Sakic, Lindros, Iginla, Niedermayer, Jagr (saw him against C.R); the list goes on and on.

The first game was against the Czech Republic, and ended in a 3:3 tie. This is Jagr warming up.

The second game we saw was a 2:1 victory against Finland.

Both games were wildly exciting. The atmosphere inside the arena was incredible! It was a sea of red and white...we were no exception:

When we weren't screaming fans at the arena, we did some touring around. Just being in Salt Lake City, while the Olympics were happening, was an experience of itself. The whole city was on fire with patriotism. We met people from other countries, and lots of other Canadians; including Walter Gretzky, Don Cherry, Ron McClean, Bob McKenzie, the drummer from Bare Naked Ladies.Then there was these guys; Salt Lake cops. Dr.We convinced them that, in Canada, our police officers road on horseback, and only used bow and arrow. He even asked if he could hold one of their guns. Of course they said no, but agreed to make them visible for a picture, so we could show our friends what police carrying guns looked like.....
Tonight, we watch the first men's hockey game, Canada vs Norway. I'm excited to start the journey for Olympic gold, once more. And how special would it be to win on Canadian soil. Go Canada Go!

Cherry, Chocolate, and Buttermilk Scones

2010-02-07T10:11:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I posted a recipe. It's been all sickness and Lost lately. We've had a lovely weekend at home; no where to go, nothing major to do; it's been great! So, I thought a little treat for breakfast was in order.
This is another recipe from my friend, B, and they've quickly become a family (and friend) favourite of ours. Thanks B!

Cherry, Chocolate and Buttermilk Scones

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (or more)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (I just use 2 cups all purpose)
1/4 sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (I usually put less cherries and more chocolate chips)
2/3 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Combine first sugar and cinnamon in bowl and set aside (for dipping scones in before cooking).
Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest.
Cut butter into dry ingredients. Add cherries and chocolate and stir gently.
Stir in buttermilk until it forms a ball. I usually pour it out onto the counter and use my hands to form a ball.
Pat into a 1 inch thick disc. Cut into wedges and roll in cinnamon sugar.
Bake 16-18 minutes, or until lightly browned.

4 8 15 16 23 42

2010-02-02T12:57:00.007-05:00

**Spoiler alert...don't read this if you haven't watched all 5 season's of Lost (and hope to some day).

The final season of Lost premiere's tonight! I love Lost because I never know what's going to happen next. And, after the end of last season, I am totally baffled! And so, so excited to see where they are going.

It would seem from the very few, last minute, previews they have released that The Incident worked and the losties plane will land in LAX, as scheduled. And then what?!

Who is Lock, really? And is he going after Richard next?

What role will Ben play, going forward?

How will the Losties get back to the island...again...and will they have any memory of being there before, or what happened in the first 5 seasons of the show?!

Will all the people that died, on the island, really be alive and well (or not well, depending on what state they were in on the plane, originally)?

So many questions, and I have no doubt this season will bring more. Hopefully it will bring some answers too! And hopefully we won't be disappointed in the end.

If you haven't seen any of the previews yet, check 'em out. Just keep watching, it shows a bunch; one after another.

And now for a little lost fan fun!
Ladies, are you Sawyer fans...Or Jack?To be fair, gentlemen, who's your leading lady?
Kate?

Juliet?
Claire?
I hope everyone enjoys the premiere, and the ride of season six!! Catch ya on the flip side....of the nuclear warhead detonation!

5 signs I should have stayed in bed this morning...

2010-01-31T22:56:00.005-05:00

1) I concussed myself while blow drying my hair. The cord caught on one of the vanity drawer knobs and when I quickly lifted the blow dryer above my head, it caught, and slammed down into my head. Enter concussion. Or at least clutching of my head and a few choice words....

2) Tim Horton's did not have my cranberry blueberry bran muffin.

3) Andy put his fist through a glass pane of his parents front door, leaving a nice jagged cut on the back of his hand, and much shattered glass on the floor. He's such a punk! :-) Actually, it was mostly an accident, though he did punch at the glass, there was no intent to injure himself or the door. Sassy L was doing the I-am-going-to-pee-my-pants-if-you-don't-open-the-door-soon dance behind him, and its a very stubborn door. Anywho, lesson learned.

4) We spent another 4 hours in the hospital with Tank. He had a fever, starting vomiting (which, on the bright side, got us in quicker), and wasn't breathing well. They did a couple rounds of Ventolin masks to help clear up his bronchial's, another chest x-ray, and checked his ears out for good measure. Turns out both ears were "fire engine red" and infected, which explained the fever. The chest x-ray showed the pneumonia was cleared up (small victories), and his breathing issues are now coming from "bronchial spams" or bronchialitis. So, tonight we started our third round of antibiotic (finally a different kind) in 6 weeks. Yikes!! It's crazy to me that he just finished his last round 6 days ago and his ears were that bad....time for tubes! (I took some pics at emerg on my phone, maybe I'll get to them later....Tank did look pretty cute in his blue hospital gown.)

5) Since we spent so much time in emerg, we didn't get home til 9:45 pm...on a school/work night. Sassy L could be especially sassy tomorrow....I know I will be.

Go Leafs Go!

2010-01-30T21:35:00.004-05:00

In my house, we cheer for the Leafs. For better or worse... (it's been a lot of the the worse lately). This probably has a lot to do with my upbringing, and something about if I don't cheer for the Leafs I sleep in the barn. That may be how it started, but now I'm an honest and true Leafs fan, and this shot warms a hockey-mom-wanna-be's heart:

Serenity Now!

2010-01-19T15:49:00.003-05:00

Music is a big part of my life. It has a profound effect on me; right down to my core. Especially piano music. I probably listen to this song 3-5 times a day...every day (when I'm at work, that is. Coincidence, I think not). It's my 'serenity now' music. You know, the music that calms you.

Recently, at work, my headphones have been wonky (official term for not always functioning as they should). They have to be plugged in just the right way. Apparently today, they were not. Unbeknownst to me, my entire isle got to listen to my 'Serenity Now' music....a couple times.....before one of my co-workers came over, grinning at me and asked "whatcha listening to"? It was playing in my headphones, and also out of the tower speakers. Luckily, I work with nice people, a couple of which actually asked what song it was because they enjoyed it as well.

Everyone should have a serenity now song...you can borrow mine if you like it.

Not Again.... Updated

2010-01-18T08:52:00.003-05:00

*Update: Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is his ears are not infected. The bad news is he has pneumonia. He was really not impressed with the chest x-ray involved in diagnosing him. I can't really blame him, chest x-rays for kids are terrible!

This kid has sick all winter, and I think he's making it 4 ear infections in 6 months....off to the doc to find out. And hopefully get referred to the ear, nose and throat specialist. Sigh...

Guilty Pleasures

2010-01-15T08:00:00.005-05:00

A while back Vee did a post called Guilty Pleasures. It got me thinking of some of my guilty pleasures. Here goes:

1. Tim Horton's coffee: I know it is not fiscally responsible to buy coffee. I've set goals for myself to stop buying it, and it sticks for a couple weeks....and then, slowly but surely I find myself back in the Timmy's drive thru. I love Tim Horton's coffee, and I love starting my day with one.

2. Blizzards: While we are talking edibles, Blizzards are right up there. They are the first thing I go for when I want to indulge...and these are a major indulgence! But so, so delicious right?! mmmm, french silk pie blizzard! With a Tostito's and cheese dip chaser!

3. Twilight: I love the Twilight books. I like the movie's well enough too; New Moon was pretty great. Anyways, fall of 2009 was when I became a Twilight Junky. I read them twice....consecutively. It's a sickness, really! I spoiled my niece this Christmas with a New Moon blanket, and an Edward T-Shirt. I live vicariously through her since I can't bring myself to wear an Edward T-shirt of my own....maybe Alice....
4. Reading recipe books and blogs: I love baking, and I'm warming up to cooking. I love reading recipe's and imagining how delicious they will be. Especially desserts! I'm my own worst enemy, really. I want to have a healthy lifestyle, but baking is one my relaxation techniques.

5. Party In The USA, by Miley Cyrus: Yep...I love this song! And so does Sassy L. We listen to it almost every day, and dance around the kitchen. We also enjoy "Can I Have This Dance" from High School Musical 3...true story.

Watching You...

2010-01-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Drivin’ through town just my boy and me
With a Happy Meal in his booster seat
Knowin’ that he couldn’t have the toy ‘til his nuggets were gone.
A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath.
His fries went a flyin’, and his orange drink covered his lap
Well, then my four year old said a four letter word
It started with “S” and I was concerned
So I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to talk like that?”

He said, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got ~~cowboy~~ hunting boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you."

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-Doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”

He said, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We like fixin’ things and holding momma’s hand
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do; so I’ve been watching you"
With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug.
Said, “My little bear is growin’ up.”
And he said, “But when I’m big I’ll still know what to do.”

"‘Cause I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
By then I’ll be strong as superman
We’ll be just alike, hey, won’t we dad
When I can do everything you do.
‘cause I’ve been watchin’ you."

Artist/Band: Atkins Rodney Lyrics for
Song: Watching You Lyrics for
Album: If You're Going Through Hell

Holidays In Review

2010-01-06T21:35:00.001-05:00

It's been a busy holiday season....too busy for blogging evidently. We had an amazing, blessed holiday season. Here's the highlights:

We kicked off the holidays by traveling north to visit my family. We had the most brilliant winter traveling days ever. Both the trip up and back, we didn't see a flake of snow! A huge blessing when you consider we travel through the snow belt, and into the great white north. It was plenty cold though, but the kids still enjoyed playing outside. I believe the snow machine rides were a highlight for these kiddies.

(Vine Cousins)

Of course illness doesn't seem to care if it's Christmas or not, and big D was sick the entire time we were up north. As sick as I've ever seen him, actually. We finally took him into the emergency room, where he was diagnoses with bi-lateral ear infections.

His fever was the scariest part, and it took 2 full days of antibiotics before we saw any improvement. So, unfortunately for my family, who doesn't see our kids a whole lot, big D was a bear a lot of the time.

My favourite part of the holidays this year, was our very first Christmas morning at home. Just the 4 of us. On Christmas eve we all went out to the Winter Wonderland light show at the park. Christmas morning was all I hoped for. It was so fun to watch the kids (mostly L) opening each present with such anticipation and excitement. Big D mostly wanted to play with wrapping paper and steal Christmas balls off the tree to hit with his mini stick.

(L coming downstairs and seeing what Santa left her)

We then headed over to celebrate with the MacKenzie's. In MacKenzie tradition, we enjoyed an amazing southern Christmas breakfast of ham, grits, biscuits, cinnamon apples, and more. And then more fun for the kids, presents! Oh, and my niece, sister-in-law, and I went to see New Moon....again. It love it!

New years eve was also a night to remember. Some of our closest friends came over and we rang in the new year together. Tons of food, Rockband, a team Canada hockey game, and best of all, no kids! It doesn't get much better than that.

So, happy new years everyone! Many blessings in 2010.

The Invisible Women...

2009-12-09T20:32:00.005-05:00

My mom sent this to me yesterday, and it really stuck with me. I already emailed it to a few gals, but wanted to share it through my blog too. Enjoy!

One Day....

2009-11-23T14:09:00.005-05:00

Recently, I've been struck by an old desire. When I was 15 years old, I took piano lessons, and it did something to me. I connected with it. I was changed by it....and I've hardly done it since. For 15 years I've been saying "One day....". And now I'm ready for my "one day" to be today. Of course, it's not that simple....mostly because I do not own a piano. Kind of important, I'm told.
I do have a small keyboard. This has allowed me to pull out some of the old music I used play and get my fingers moving again. It sounds rough, I expected that; but also, sounded a little like music. Maybe I still have it.

I guess you could call it an early New Years resolution. I hope that 2010 can be the year I get back to playing piano. Maybe even be able to find a used one to buy.

What about you? What is it that has you telling yourself "One day...."?