And the winners are.......

Well ladies, here is what you have been waiting 15 days for....Colton and I drew names this morning and here are the results..
The winners of my baking are:
Anna Doerksen ( Wpg)
Georgia Ronald ( Brandon)

Congratulations ladies! I'll be getting in touch with you both some time today!

Day #15

Gluten Free Chex-Mix Brittle
I figured I could end off my little baking journey with a treat for me. : )
Well ladies, here we are, day 15. I feel like this year went so fast, unlike last year where I thought I would never reach day 15! I hope I have inspried all of you to dig out those dusty recipes and get bakin'. Thank you once again for all your lovely and funny comments. It meant alot that you wanted to check to see what I was doing everyday...kept me motivated that's for sure!: )
Barb, if you are ever in doubt about anything..just freeze it! lol : )

This stuff is stinkin' delicious!

8 cups Chex cereal (GF Chex cereal is now on the market in most places-plain or honey)
1 cup peanuts
300 ml sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla.
I made mine in a large roaster but you can use a deep 9x13 pan too and do it in two batches.
Grease your pan and mix all of the ingredients together until everything is evenly coated in pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 12 minutes. Once cooked, place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet to cool for 1 hour. Once cooled, break into bits or chunks and store in air-tight container in fridge for up to 7 days...but i guarantee that it won't last that long! : 0

Day #14

Colton's Sugar Cookies
Tomorrow is Colton's snack/show-and-tell day at Preschool, so he is taking cookies that he decorated, for his class. You can never go wrong with sugar cookies.
I am hoping that my last day of baking will turn out..fingers crossed.
I am not giving the recipe for this cookie b/c it is a family recipe that has been passed down a few generations..sorry, but i know everyone has a good sugar cookie recipe crammed in their recipe box. Right? : )

Day #14 - Part 1

Well ladies...here we are at the end of 'our' baking journey. Tomorrow is ' draw for the baking day'...so if you feel the need to take the day off of work and sit by your computer all day, waiting in anticipation to see your name pop-up on my blog..just send me your boss' number and I can call him/her and explain why you are not at work. I'm sure they would understand...
Thank you so much for all your feed-back and comments ladies, it has been a fun 15 days. I will announce the winner tomorrow with my last baking post (sniff sniff)....i was thinking of maybe not posting tomorrow until 10:00 pm to keep you all in suspense. Then I remembered that alot of you know where i live, so I figured for my own safety I will announce as soon as humanly possible tomorrow. Good luck ladies! I am quite excited to see who wins. Shall I post a video of me doing the draw so you know it's legit? : )
I will be posting todays baking in a bit..just need to put icing on them once the kids are all napping.

The Jar - I will be reaching my skinny little fingers into here tomorrow and picking out a winner....No, wait, I will draw 2 names tomorrow! WHAT?! 2 NAMES?! I know, I know...it is unthinkable that I would be able to do draw 2 names, but you all have been so great this time around and left so many good comments that i figured I would make 2 lucky winners! Good luck!

Day #13

Toffee Tarts
Ok, yes, I admit to going on a bit of a caramel/toffee rampage this year..but i am not going to apologize for it!
These are one of my favorite Christmas treats. One of my aunts used to make these every Christmas and that is the first thing my little fingers would reach for on the 'treat table'. These are delicious..the tart is a shortbread and then the inside is MacIntosh toffee and cream. MacIntosh Toffee bars are hard to find, but they now have a bag of individually wrapped ones. One bag is equal to one bar. Superstore and Co-op carries the bag of candy toffee.

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 1 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla

Mix like shortbread. Form into balls. Press into small tart tins. Bake at 300 degrees for 18 to 25 minutes or less.
Filling: Melt 3 toffee bars (or 3 bags of indiv. wrapped) and 1/2 cup cream in microwave. Pour into cooked tarts shells once cooled. Top with pecans.
Yes Barb, these freeze well. : )

Day # 12

Salted Chocolate-Covered Caramels

Have you ever tasted Purdy's Chocolates? ....the Himalayan Pink Salt ones? If not, you are missing out on one of the tastiest things..EVER! When I go to the mall, that is usually my reward at the end of my shopping excursion. I march on into Purdy's, pay $1.00 for a little chocolate and then i go on my merry way with a chocolate smile on my face.
Welllllll... these little chocolato's are the closest thing to Purdy's and I can eat as many as I want! They are delicious! I used melted milk choc. chips and individually wrapped MacIntosh toffee for mine. (b/c I ate all the left over caramels the other night while making the upside-down muffins. shhhhhh!
You can't get any easier than this and they look great place on a tray full of dainties.

1 pkg of Kraft Caramels
5 squares of Baker's Premium 70 % Cocao Dark Chocolate, melted
1 Tbsp sea salt

Inser toothpick into 1 caramel; dip in chocolate. Shake gently to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining caramels.
Sprinkle immediately with salt. Let stand until firm.

* I let mine set in the fridge...and i may have over done it on the salt...on purpose. Nothing goes together better than salt and caramel!

Day # 11

Surprise Cookies
Super easy to whip up and a cute little cookie. Colton was so excited to find a marshmellow in the middle of his cookie!

Cookies
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk ( I used buttermilk)
1 tsp vanilla
15 large marshmellows, halved crosswise
Frosting
3 cups icing sugar
6 tbsp butter, room temp
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp whole ( I used buttermilk)
3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cookies: sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into bowl.
Put butter and sugar into medium bowl and mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
Using cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2-inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmellow half on top of each cookie. Bake until marshmellows begin to melt, 2 minutes or more. Let cool completely on wire rack.
Make frosting: Put icing sugar in medium bowl. Melt butter with cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to icing sugar. Whick in milk and vanilla.
Spread about 1 tbsp of frosting on top of each cooled cookie, enough to cover marshmellow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight container at room temp for 2 days. Freezes well.

Day #10

Mini Upside-Down Turtle Muffins
I really don't know where to start with these little gems...besides the fact that I ate 1/2 bag of caramels while making these..they are decadent! This picture doesn't do them justice! You rip one open and caramel oozes out of them....I am weak in the knees.

*This recipe calls for you to use a regular size muffin trays but I used my mini muffin tray and just cut the caramels in half. *

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 chopped pecans
24 individually wrapped Kraft caramels, unwrapped
pecan halves

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray bottom, sides and tops of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray.
In heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring frequently; cool slightly. Stir in buttermilk, brown sugar, vanilla and egg.
In large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and chopped pecans. Stir in choc. mixture, just until combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Push 1 caramel into center of batter in each muffin cup.
Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted along the edge of the muffin, comes out clean. Cool 1 minute. Turn muffin pan upside-down on cookie sheet to remove muffins. Immediately place another caramel (or 1/2 of one) on bottom of each muffin. Leaving muffins upside-down on cookie sheet, return to oven about 1 minute or until caramel is soft enough to add pecan halves.
Place 3 pecans on caramel on each muffin. Cool until caramel is slightly firm before serving, about 10 minutes. Serve warm if desired.
*If these don't have you smacking your lips..there's something wrong with you! * : )

Day #9

Mini Chocolate Meringues

HELLO! I am not a huge Chocolate fan, but these are FAB-U-LOUS! These are mini meringues and they are perfect to just pop in your mouth. They take 2 hours to cook but well worth the wait.

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
pinch of cream of tartar (I did 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
Put egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heat proof bowl and set over simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 3 to 3.5 minutes. Take egg mixture off the heat and transfer to another bowl, beat, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, between 8-10 minutes. Add vanilla; mix until combined.
Sift cocoa over meringe, and fold so that streaks of cocoa remain.
Transfer to piping bag. Pipe 1 1/4 inch cookies onto baking sheets lined in parchment paper, spacing 1-inch apart.
Bake cookies until they can be lifted off parchement easily, about 2 hours. ( mine were done after 1 1/2 hrs). Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temp. up to 2 days.

Day #8

Toblerone Shortbread

Yes, TOBLERONE SHORTBREAD! Nothing more to say..they are as good as they sound. If I were to recommend you make one thing this Christmas, this would be it!

2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 bars (100g each) Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate, chopped into little chunks

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Sift flour and cornstarch together and then gradually add to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate.
Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Day #7

Classic Hot Fudge Sauce
I am not a chocaholic...I am more a caramelaholic. But, this hot fudge sauce over ice cream is quite delicious. I also drizzled this chocolate over my caramel peacan cookies.

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp orange-flavored liqueur or 1 tsp orange extract, if desired

In heavy saucepan, heat milk, chocolate chips and sugar to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly: remove from heat.
Stir in butter and liqueur until sauce is smooth and creamy. Serve warm. Store covered in refridgerator up to 4 weeks. Reheat slightly before serving if desired.
VARIATIONS:
Classic Fudge Sauce - Omit liqueur and add 1 tsp vanilla
Irish Cream Fudge Sauce - Substitute 2 tbsp irish cream liqueur for the orange liqueur
Raspberry-Chocolate Fudge Sauce - Substitute 2 tbsp raspberry-flavored liqueur for the orange liqueur

Day #6

Holiday Eggnog Bars
 Ok, so the smell that wofts through your house when these are baking is undescribeable! My house smelled so good and it smelled like Christmas!

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
5 egg yolks
1 1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp rum or 1 tsp rum extract
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan with foil, leaving foil overhanging at 2 opposite sides of pan.(handles to help lift out)
In small bowl, mix butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the flour. Press to bottom of pan and bake 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees. In small bowl, beat egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until thick. Gradually beat in whipping cream, rum and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Pour over partially baked crust.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until custard is set and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack, about 1 hour.
Sprinkle top of bars with remaining 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Use foil to lift out of pan. Store covered in refridgerator.

Day # 5

Hugs Cookies

These were such a big hit last year I figured I would make them again. These cookies are a huge hit with all ages. Colton helped me put 'his' chocolates on top.


1 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together first 5 ingredients and then slowly add flour and salt. Form into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar (if desired). Bake at 350 degrees until bottom is light golden brown. Once removed from oven and removed to a cooling rack, place a Hershey Hug on top and let set. If you move these cookies around the Hugs will slide around so let the cookies and Hugs set for 10-15 minutes.
Freezes well.

Day #4

Divine Caramel Sauce

THIS.IS.MY.WEAKNESS! I could have sat here and eaten a whole jar with a big spoon. This is what I drizzled over my Caramel Peacan Cookies...actually, i would drizzle this stuff on anything. Yes, it is that good!

1 cup corn syrup
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine ( come on people, use the butter..so much better with butter)
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream

In heavy saucepan, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and butter to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in whipping cream; heat to a boil. Cool about 30 minutes. Serve warm. Store covered in refridgerator up to 2 months. Reheat slightly before serving.

* To store mine, I actually used sealer jars and sealed them to preserve just a little longer...it's gonna be a long winter. And I like to know that if I get stranded in my house for days and days b/c of a freak snow storm and I run out of food, that there is always caramel sauce I could live on. : )

Day #3

Caramel Pecan Cookies

2/3 cup pecan halves, toasted
1 bag of sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
24 pecan halves, toasted
1 bag(10oz) caramels, unwrapped
2 tbsp whipping cream
2/3 cup semi-sweet choc. chips
coarse salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In food processor, place 2/3 cup pecans. Cover; process until finely ground.(or you can buy the ground pecans from the store) In large bowl, beat ground pecans, cookie mix, butter and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until soft dough forms.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Place 1 pecan half on top of each ball.
Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool completely.
In microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and whipping cream uncovered on HIGH 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. In small microwavable bowl, microwave choc. chips uncovered on HIGH for 1 minute, stirring once, until softened and chips can be stirred smooth. Drizzle caramel mixture and chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Day # 2

Day #2 - Turtle Squares

Bottom Layer:
1 cup hard butter
1 3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped peacans

Filling:
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup hard butter
2 tbsp corn syrup

Topping:
2/3 cup semi-sweet or milk choc. chips
2 tbsp hard butter

Bottom Layer:
Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add next 6 ingredients. Stir together well. Press into greased 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 for about 15 minutes.
Filling:
Measure all 4 ingredients into heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir. Bring to a boil. Boil slowly, stirring continually, for 5 minutes. This burns easily on the bottom. Remove from heat. Beat slowly with spoon for 2 minutes, until mixture shows signs of thickening a bit. Do not overbeat or it will be too hard upon cooling. Spread over bottom layer. Cool.
Topping:
Melt chips and butter in small saucepan on lowest heat, stirring often. Spread over cooled filling. Cut into squares.

15 Days of Baking..Part II

Well, here it is...my second year of doing 15 days of baking. I feel a little more organized this year than I did last year(which is a good thing). Last year was a little wreckless and unorganized and not thought out and was a last minute idea.
I will be posting all 15 days on here with the recipe. If there are a few days without a recipe, that means it is a family recipe which I will not be sharing. (we can't give every little thing away, right?) Hope you enjoy the next 15 days.

Contest Rules:
Every time you comment on my baking pictures(FB or my blog) over the next 15 days, your name will be put into a jar and at the end of the 15 days I will draw a name. Whoever's name I draw will be the lucky winner of a sample of all 15 days worth of baking. Enjoy!
Ok..deep breathe....here we gooooooooooo.....

Day 1 - Raspberry-Orange Thumbprints

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
powdered sugar, if desired
1/4 cup raspberry jam (or other favorite flavour)

 In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy; add sugar, beating until blended. Add egg, orange peel and vanilla; beat until blended. On low speed, beat in flour and salt until blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refridgerate for 1 hour.
 Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On cookie sheet, place balls 2-inches apart. Press thumb into center of each cookie to make indentation, but do not press all the way to the cookie sheet.
 Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Quickly remake indentation with end of wooden spoon. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Fill each thumbprint with a dollop of jam.

Scarves!

I love scarves..I wear them all winter. Found this little video lastnight and thought it was informative for you scarf enthusiasts.
http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/25-ways-to-wear-a-scarf--video-.html

My new friends...as of Dec.1.

One month from today I will be embarking on my '15 Days of Baking'..EEEEEEKK! I have my baking list narrowed down to 20 recipes (no, i will not do 20 days!) and I need to decide for sure what recipes I will be doing before Dec.1 is upon us. I have had to put Christmas shopping at the top of my list b/c once this baking thing starts my energy level will be at '0' by 6:00 pm each night. So Christmas shopping needs to be done or almost done by Dec.1!

My new best friends..for 15 days!

I am very excited that I actually have a mixer to use this year. I tell you, my right bicep was HUGE from using my hand mixer for 15 days in a row last year!

INCENTIVE OF THE YEAR...(drum roll please!)
I will be posting pictures like I did last year...buuuuuut this year I will enter your name into a hat everytime you comment on a picture, and at the end of my 15 days I will pick a name out of the hat and that person will receive a sample of all my baking!

Prep Time

Well, the time has come to start thinking about what I will do for my '15 days of baking' this year. I have been sifting through some of my recipe books and I recently inherited some vintage recipe books from a great aunt and they are full of great old-time, tried-and-true recipes.
 I'm trying to decide if I should make it 16 days instead of 15 days and do half of the days Gluten Free and the other half regular baking....The thought of this makes me a little nervous b/c GF baking is a bigger challenge than regular baking and alot more expensive. I am super excited about starting this baking adventure again but it also involves getting up at 5:30-6:00 each morning to do my prep before all the kids get here each day....but the lack of sleep pays off when i can look into my freezer and see it full. : )

My goal is to start my baking Dec. 1.....

I had made a little note of how much of each major ingredient I used last year during my baking spree and I now know where the 3 sets of 'love-handles' came from!!

I used:
- 8 pds of butter (That is what Colton weighed at birth(plus 4 oz.)..this would explain where love handle 1&2 came from!)
- 22 cups of sugar (GULP! hello love handle #3)
- 15 lbs of flour - which would explain why I can no longer eat flour!
- 2 large bags of icing sugar - I can justify this..what is a cookie or cupcake without icing..SERIOUSLY!

Do any of you out there have any good baking recipes you would like me to try..or a recipe that you are a little hesitant to try but would love to see - if you send me a recipe and I decide to make it, I will send you the finished product as a 'thank you'. : )

Why? How? When?

Well, we are about to embark on a new stage in life on Thursday...time to start Preschool! I am a little nervous but I know it will be good for both of us. Thursday morning is Colton's first day and it will only be for an hour just to get them comfortable and to get to know his teacher etc. I am allowed to stay 'just in case' it doesn't go so well. Colton is talking pretty brave right now but I know that when Thursday comes he will be wrapped around my leg. Praying for patience and that I will have a brave little boy come Thursday.

These last couple weeks have been so exhausting! Who knew that a 4 year old could ask so many questions in 5 minutes! Colton has been so inquisitive about everything the last couple weeks and I am running out of answers and have found myself going onto 'Google' to try and answer his questions. He keeps me on my toes all day and I'm exhausted by the time he goes to bed each night. I am trying to have patience with each and every question b/c i realize that this is how he learns and I'm sure we all did it to our parents when we were this age. There have been some very awkward and embarassing questions along with questions that you would expect to come out of an 8 yr olds mouth. He is so observent and curious and I have to be 'on' at all times b/c i never know what will come out of his mouth. Love my boy to pieces and so thankful for a happy, healthy and curious little boy.

Here's an example of some of the questions/observations that Colton has said:
"why are some people different colors?"
"why aren't all taxicabs the same color?"
"where does that lady go if she misses the bus?" (referring to a lady standing at the bus stop)
"I think that kid needs to take a nap, right mom?" (screaming/crying kid in Superstore)

Time Flies

I was given this little article not to long ago from my aunt and the article dated back to 1989. I thought it was pretty interesting and I'd like to know how much these numbers have changed from then to now...

The average persons spends.......
- 7 years in the bathroom
- 6 years eating
- 4 years cleaning house
- 5 years waiting in lines
- 2 years trying to return phone calls to people who aren't there to receive them.
- 3 years preparing meals
- 1 year searching for misplaced things.
- 8 months opening junk mail
- 6 months sitting at red lights

Jen, just stop talking!

Anyone who knows me knows that I can be opinionated and I usually speak my mind. Believe it or not though, there are times when I do know enough to keep my mouth shut...but that really doesn't happen very often and I usually make up for it later. : P
There are those moments that as soon as you open your mouth you think, 'why am I saying this?' or 'why did i just say that?!' DOH!
I had a few 'smack- myself- in -the- head -b/c -of -my- opinion' moments this weekend and a few ' why- can't -I- just- keep- my- thoughts -and -feelings- to- myself -for -once'! I did that today..said something i shouldn't have and as soon as it was said I wished I could take it back..but i couldn't.
People learn very quickly with me that if you don't want an honest opinion...don't ask Jen!
 Sooooo, my conclusion and lesson learned from this weekend is, "Jen, just stop talking....just smile and nod, insert your foot into your mouth and no one gets hurt!"

A good 'ole laugh with good 'ole friends

 Ahhhh..sigh. I have just returned from a wonderful weekend full of long-lost and forever friends. I needed a good girl weekend and I REALLY needed a night to laugh uncontrolably and leave all problems and issues at home.
 I headed to Portage for the weekend and had a fabulous time. Saturday night I arranged for a handful of us girls to get together to catch up and have a child-free evening full of delicious food and lots of laughs and giggles.
 I forgot how good it feels to spend an evening laughing....'tears rolling down your face, can't talk b/c your mouth is frozen in a perma-grin' kinda laughing. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I had done 100 crunches my stomach was so sore and my eyes were blood shot from all the crying I had done (happy tears of course!). I love to laugh...I love to laugh until I cry, especially when i can do it with wonderful friends! : )

Thanks for an awesome evening out Michelle, Cheryl, Brandy, Sally, Anna and Raema! I can't wait to see everyone else's pictures! : )
Raema is missing from our photo b/c she had to go home to her newborn baby. : (

Who needs a knife when you can use your fork?!

As long as I can remember I have always cut stuff on my plate with my fork. I know, there's a knife sitting right there.....blah blah blah. Actually, my dad, brothers and myself still cut things with our forks to this day. People call me out on it all the time but i really don't know I'm doing it...farm girls aren't supposed to be refined..are they? 

 My youngest brother Tyson came up with this BRILLIANT idea to invent a fork with a knife built into the side of it so it's all one utensil(smart, eh?). So, every time we get together we always joke about this little invention and how useful it would be and how we could make millions with it. 

 Well, I was wandering around the mall this afternoon out of sheer boredom and stumbled upon this little trinket in Paper Roots. I let out a little squeal and immediately called Tyson to break the news to him...

Sorry Tyson... I guess you will have to start on your milk invention and hopefully no one beats you to it! : )

For those of you who use your fork as knife, isn't this brilliant?!

The Wuzzles!

I have been overcome with a bad case of boredom since I arrived home from my little long weekend trip to Oxbow/ Portage. Colton stayed at Grandpa and Grandma's for a weeks vacation, so I am bored out of my tree. My dayhome kids are either on holidays or sick, so my week has opened up to...well, I guess you could say boredom. I am trying to think of things to do that I can't normally do with Colton. Do you think I could come up with anything fun for me to do? NO! So I took a little trip to the VV Boutique (Value Village) and wandered around there for a bit watching people frantically searching for western garb for Stampede this wknd and fighting politely over who gets the last cowboy hat in the store. I could have sat there all day with a smile on my face watching people politely step in front of each other to get the last of something good. There were a few savages rooting thru the ugly-and-only-wear-for-Stampede shirts and pants. And then there were the on-lookers wishing they had the nerve to get in there and rummage with the rest of them. Me, I stood back and watched in amazement and confirmed in my head why I have not been to the Stampede in 4 years and have no intentions of going for a long time.
Anyhoo....the point of this post is to show you what I stumbled upon that just about brought tears to my eyes. I caught a glimpse of something orange and plastic sitting on a top shelf, so i stood on my tip-toes and reached way back and picked up this intriguing item. It was a plastic Wuzzles lunch kit! Exactly like the one that I used to use from K-grade 3! I couldn't believe my eyes! It is in MINT condition and comes with a thermos that looks like it has NEVER been used! I was ecstatic and grinning from ear to ear. Unknown to me there was an older lady watching me and she came up after a moment and said, "That lunch kit means something to you, doesn't it?"  I just about burst into tears (not sure why?) and said, "This is the exact lunch kit that I used to use when I was in Kindergarten!" She smiled and said, "You know you need to buy that right?" I just smiled and toddled off to find another treasure.
Maybe tomorrow when I am looking for something to do I will pack my little lunch kit with a lunch and head to the park and enjoy a 'Wuzzle-filled' afternoon with my orange lunch kit and thermos.

On rainy days

This is what I have been busy with on our lovely rainy days. They look great and they add a punch of color to any room/space. 

Loves and Insecurities...

This is a post all about me...and all that I offer and do or have done...

1. My biggest fear(s) are snakes and water. I have mentioned my snake fear before and it is an extreme fear. Growing up on a farm infested with them you would think that I would be used to them. I think my fear started when I was little and I watched my Uncle Kelvin pour salt on one and it literally shed it's skin on the spot. TRAUMATIZED!
Water..growing up on the prairies there are very few bodies of water. The thought of going on a cruise makes me very anxious. I will likely never go on a  vacation cruise just b/c I am terrified of sinking and a whale eating me (childish I know, but that is me). Hopping out of a boat in deep water to swim makes me panic b/c i don't know what is swimming underneath me. Watching whales/fish on t.v. makes me shiver b/c they are so big and I don't know how to swim. Those of you who enjoy whale watching...you are crazy! It is rare for me to go into a body of water higher than my waist.

2. I am a people watcher. I went to a hockey game this winter and i couldn't tell you who won the game..I was far too busy watching people. I have put myself in a few situations b/c I don't realizing that I am sitting there with a smirk or a sad look on my face.

3. I LOVE babies! Babies, babies, babies!

4. My dream job would be to work in a hospital cheering up sick kids or rocking/comforting crying and sick babies. I love to see happy children and to know that I can help comfort them.

5. I believe in disciplining my children. This is a very touchy subject for me b/c I am very passionate about it and  I will stick to my guns and argue it to the death! If you don't want an honest answer when it comes to discipline...don't ask me questions b/c I may tell you something you don't want to hear. I can't watch Super Nanny b/c it makes me furious..

6. I love to sing!  I grew up going to church every Sunday and sitting beside my Grandma(who has a beautiful voice) who taught me how to harmonize and sing. This is something that I will cherish forever and forever be thankful for. It is a gift that I have been blessed with.

7. My left lung has collapsed twice and I have had part of it removed. Humidity and I don't get along very well. So, my dream of moving to Fiji will never become a reality..sniff sniff

8. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on April 25, 2007. He was 8lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long. He was named Colton Reese Taylor and he is my pride and joy! He brings a smile to my face everyday. He is compassionate, caring and determined and tells me everyday that he loves me.

9. I run a dayhome which allows me to raise my own child and to have the joy of helping mold other children as well.

10. I don't have alot of close friends, but the ones I do have I cherish and love like family!

11. I dream of one day opening my own little bakery/coffee shop...needing to win the lottery first though.

12. I enjoy true war movies. I could watch Band of Brothers over and over again.

13. I am obsessed with baskets. My house is full of them and they keep me organized.

14. Summer + garage sales = happy Jen

15. I'm handy and crafty.

I may add to this list later but for now..this is me! Is there something unique about you that I don't know about?

Emotional Trainwreck

As a rule, I am not an emotional person. Sure there are things that make me tear up like a heart felt story or something that really upsets me like unneeded or unwanted drama. But, all in all I can hold it together quite well.  

 It has been a long week and I am tired today, but I am holding it together b/c the weekend is here. I had a couple minutes this morning so I sat down to catch up on my PVR. So, I turned on American Idol (closet AI fan) and settled in to watch who would be on the final 2 next week. This episode was about the final 3 contestants going to their home towns (first time in 3 months). For some reason I found myself tearing up over watching these kids go home and seeing all the community support for them. Well....let the water works begin! I was crying like a little baby! If the contestants started to cry I cried even harder. I had tears rolling down my cheeks and I am thinking to myself, "I am ridiculous, who cries over American Idol?"  Me, obviously! 

 I remember the first time I watched the movie 'P.S I Love You'. I was sitting by myself one evening watching the movie and I started to cry about 15 minutes in and I started to sob and sob. I'm talking gut wrenching sobs! Jeff walks in the door and I am curled up in a ball on the couch and sobbing my eyes out! My nose is running, I can't hardly talk and I was shaking. He just stood there for a second with a horrified look on his face and then said, " What is wrong with you? Are you ok?" I sobbed out an answer, "Yessss,(sniff) I'm just watching a sad movie." (cue the loud honking sound of me blowing my nose). 

 Or there are the times you laugh so hard you cry. I am one of those people and it has brought about a few embarassing moments for me and others around me. You know those people that snort when they laugh? Well, that is me when I get laughing hard and I can't help it or stop. I don't laugh that hard very often but when I do people actually stop to stare! There are times I get laughing so hard I can't breathe, I can't see because of the tears and I can't wipe the smile off my face or stop crossing my legs b/c of the urge to pee.(I know I'm not the only one, so don't judge me for saying it out loud!)

I love watching people that are having a good laugh. It puts a smile on my face to think that they found something that funny to laugh at and I secretly wish I could be laughing with them.

I love a good laugh and we all need a good laugh once in awhile. Have you had a good gut wrenching laugh lately? I haven't and I think it is about time to go out and find one!

Baby Cuddles

Jeff's sister Jen and her fiance Donald welcomed a beautiful little boy into the world this morning at 3:28am. Griffin Thomas Humphrey weighed in at 7lbs 8oz and 22 inches long. Congratulations to Jen and Donald! So wishing I was in Halifax today for some new-baby-cuddles. Wishing Jen and Donald all the joy that a little one brings and we look forward to meeting Griffin in the fall. Just a little FYI ..i love babies, and I have no intentions of sharing him once I get him in my arms! : )

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

for babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby cause babies don't keep.

This poem hung in our farm house where I grew up until I moved out when I was 17. I memorized this little poem at a young age and I have never forgotten it. Now that I am a mother I can appreciate what this poem says and it is so true! Never feel guilty for cuddling your baby or holding it too much. Once they get to that independent age you have to fight for a cuddle! 

Razor or Weed Wacker?

Things have seemed rather caotic these last couple weeks and I feel like I am falling behind in everything..laundry, ironing, cleaning, organizing and me! Life has been busy but I'm not sure with what though. Summer is finally around the corner and there is so much to do. 

I hate to admit it but Mother's Day weekend was anything but relaxing but I accomplished alot. My house has been driving me crazy for a good 2 weeks b/c i have been surface cleaning and spot cleaning, which I hate doing but haven't had the time or the energy to do a proper job. So, on Sunday, Jeff took Colton out for the day and I set in to do some serious work in my house. It felt good to do a good scrub throughout the house and get things crossed off my very long list and to get my house back in order.

I thoroughly enjoyed a hot stone massage on Saturday. I am trying to remember why I stopped getting massages and i can't come up with a good reason so i figured it needs to become a monthly thing for me. 

 Saturday was also the maiden voyage for Colton's new kite! It has been sitting in a box in the entry way for awhile now and we figured we would give it a try on Saturday. It ended up not being windy enough but it was fun just watching Colton and seeing how excited he was to get his kite off the ground.

 Me...I have been putting myself on the back burner lately..I came to the realization that it is time to take some 'me time'  and I'm going to start that time with shaving my hairy legs! Yikes! I forgot how bad I am in the winter for maintaining my legs (too much information, i know, but I know I'm not the only one out there!) Summer is upon us and i have no excuses and no reason to walk around looking like a hairy mammoth so i need to get in the habit...again. Pathetic, i know! Do I hear an 'Amen' from all the other hairy ladies out there?! 

 Looking forward to getting out more now that summer is here and getting my daily dose of Vitamin D and working on my tan! Summer puts everyone in such a better mood and that makes me happy. That whole grumpy- b/c- of- the- weather is another blog post that I will save for later.

We are really looking forward to having Jeff's dad here mid June for 2 weeks...I may or may-not have started a little 'honey-do' list for him while he is here...he will be rewarded with food. : ) In all seriousness, it will be so nice to have some east-coast company here finally.

Well my daily duties are calling me (no i don't mean shaving my legs) so I gotta run for now! Get out and enjoy your day my friends!

Edmonton or Bust!

We had been planning Colton's 4th Birthday for the last 2 months. Our plan was to head to Edmonton and take him to the Water Park at West Edmonton Mall. Jeff has only ever been to Edmonton once and never to West Ed so we figured we would all enjoy it. We asked some family members to join but no one was able to make it except for my parents.
Mom and Dad arrived in Calgary Thursday evening and we headed to Edmonton on Friday morning. Colton started to come down with a head cold Thursday morning but we thought it was just your regular cold and we figured a little humidity from the water park would knock the cold right out of him...NOT! By the time we checked into our hotel room Friday afternoon it was clear that we would probably not be going swimming at the waterpark. He was so plugged up that everytime he tried to breathe or sniff, he would gag. We figured we would play it by ear as to how Saturday would go, whether we did anything or not. Friday night was the longest night EVER! Colton woke up every 20 minutes-1/2 hour b/c he couldn't breathe, he was gagging and he didn't want to sleep sitting up. There was more than one occassion that night that I looked at the little coffeemaker sitting on the table and thought about brewing a pot, seeing as how I obviously wasn't gonna get any sleep. Finally 6:30am rolled around and we were both exhausted...we staggered down the hall to G&G's room and they took Colton so I could get some sleep. Staggered back to bed at 7:00am and fell asleep...8:00am..KNOCK KNOCK..'HOUSEKEEPING'! WHAT?SERIOUSLY?! I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or go out and give the chambermaids a serious tongue lashing! I opted to stay in bed and whimper to myself  b/c I didn't have the energy to get out of bed or chew someone out right then..but I thought 'so help me if I see those ladies in the hallway they would hear it from me!' I did run into the cleaners in the hallway and they both looked very grumpy, so I figured I would let this one go..I wasn't in the mood to argue and I figured they would throw me in laundry bag and send me down a laundry shoot..so I walked by and smiled politely.

 Mom and Dad offered to keep Colton at the hotel to rest for the day and told Jeff and I to head out for a bit for a break. We hit up West Ed Mall to do some shopping. We headed back to the hotel in the afternoon and Colton was still looking peakish and was still pretty plugged up. We headed out to dinner at Eastside Mario's where I was informed that absolutely nothing on their menu was gluten free..not even their garden salad! I had to sit there and watch Jeff devour his bacon carbonara that was 'the best he had ever had'. Everyone else enjoyed a delicious meal and I sat there picking at my plate of lettuce.

After dinner Jeff and I decided to take Colton to the Hospital in Stony Plain, where we were staying. Took about an hour to get in to Emergency and we were put in a little room that was obviously used for putting on casts. Everytime Jeff looked at the cast saw he would shiver and go all pale (funny to watch). We did have the pleasure of hearing all the goings-on of all the other patients nearby. One gentleman down the hall had a major problem with flatulence and it got to the point where it was no longer funny after 2.5 hrs and we were feeling sorry for his neighbors who were probably smelling it! lol Almost 2.5 hours later a nurse came by and asked if the Dr. had been in yet. Jeff and I are sitting there half on the floor and trying to hold each other up b/c we were so tired and Colton is trying to sleep on our laps, we gave the nurse a very tired look and both said 'nope, no Dr.'. Not 5 minutes later this little Dr. came speeding in and informed us that he had no idea that this room existed! EXCUSE ME?! Why would we be put in this room if the Dr. didn't know it was there. Oh well, we received a RX for Colton and we were on our way. Of course all the pharmacies were closed for the night so I knew i was in for another sleepless night. Sunday morning finally rolled around and 6:30 had us pitter- pattering down the hall to G&G's room again so i could get some sleep. I was so happy to be heading home on Sunday afternoon. A HUGE thanks to mom and dad for being there this past weekend, we couldn't have survived without you both!

We did have a little party for Colton(who was feeling much better) on Monday and our friend Delayne came by for hotdogs and present opening. Happy Birthday to my precious Colton!!

Picky Eaters

 We LOVE meatloaf in our house, so I made it a new mission to try and 'healthify' this favorite. I have 2 boys that know every excuse in thebook as to why they can't eat their vegetables. I make it a habit to steam/puree vegetables to hide in meals. The other night I made a crockpot full of ribs and added a cup of puree sweet potatoes to the sauce....they were delicious and the ribs were devoured. Ryan, if you are reading my blog here's a little FYI for ya - there was pureed sweet potatoes in your ribs the other night...hehe

This meatloaf contains 1/2 cup cooked quinoa(mixed into hamburger), 3 servings of vegetables(broccolli, carrots and celery), 3 tbsp real bacon bits chopped up fine and 1/2 cup pureed sweet potato(mixed into sauce on top of meatloaf)

                                                     Quinoa Meatloaf
Mix hamburger as usual with desired spices, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (1/2 cup uncooked quinoa in 1 cup chicken broth), dash of GF worchestershire sauce (is there anyone that can pronounce this word properly?), salt & pepper and bread crumbs (for those of you gluten ingesting folks(sniff sniff). Once hamburger is mixed well, pat it flat onto wax paper and make it into a rectangularish shape.

 Saute desired vegetables (carrots, broccolli and celery cut up quite fine) and then place on bottom half of hamburger pattie. I add 3 tbsp of real bacon bits on top of the veggies to unhealthify it. If you are like me, I hate touching raw meat so I find the easier, cleaner way to roll it up. Use the wax paper to make your hamburger into a tight log and then pat the ends in so the veggies don't fall out.

For my topping I use 1/2 cup sweet potato puree, 1/4 cup ketchup, big squirt of mustard and 1 heaping tbsp brown sugar (which could really be made into 2 tbsp by the time I'm done with it) and drizzle over meatloaf.

Dinner....is served!

Monday's Indulgence

Jiffy Drops (aka haystacks or coconut peaks)

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup milk

Bring the above ingredients to a boil over medium heat and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and pour over the following ingredients:

4 tsp cocoa

1 cup coconut

3 cup oatmeal

Mix all the above together and drop by the teaspoonful onto waxpaper and let set for 5 minutes..then DIG IN!!

These are my all-time favorite cookie. So simple to make yet so delicious! These jiffy drops were my 'Monday Indulgence'...and they are gluten free!

Simple Appreciation

It has come to my attention while perusing through FB each day that there are alot of people out there that need to learn about appreciation and thankfullness. Status after status is about how much the husband or kids annoy you and family situations that you can't deal with. Let me start off by saying that this kind of stuff should not be aired on FB. How would you feel if your husband or even your kids wrote something everyday about what you had done that embarassed/annoyed them? How would you feel if that status was turned around to portray your negative flaws each day?
Be thankful for the husband that loves you unconditionally, the kids that you were BLESSED with and the job that you have that keeps a roof over your head and allows for the luxuries of life. Take pleasure and appreciate  the little things that family/friends and work gives you.The simple things like a smile from your husband or a little pair of arms wrapping around your leg giving you a hug, a boss that says 'nice job' and a family that does not judge you for the mistakes that you make. What if one or all of these things that annoy you were taken away...would they really seem that annoying if you look back....how would you feel? Appreciate the little things in life and the little moments that you are blessed to have.

I know that there are days where I am frustrated with my day, the weather, the kids or family situations, but have a filter when it comes to airing your family situations or annoyances to the public. A negative attitude just keeps you negative and attracts negative attention. Your life can't be that negative all the time can it? Really?

The Wheels on the Bus...

The other day Colton and I were invited to join our dear friend downtown for lunch. So Colton and I hoped on the bus for a little adventure and headed to meet up with our friend on her lunch break. Colton (like most kids) has no filter when it comes to commenting on whatever he sees. The ride downtown was entertaining and he was pointing out everything he saw  and commenting about people on the bus. We made it downtown without any real embarassment and enjoyed our lunch followed by a walk around the mall.
 We caught the bus again and headed home. Colton was more comfortable this time around and he was also getting tired by this point...here are some of the things that came out of his mouth on the way home...

" Mom, can I touch that guys hair?" - referring to the poor man sitting in front of us who turned around and laughed.
" Why is that lady sleeping on the bus - does she live on the bus?"
" That man shouldn't sleep on the bus, he needs to go home to bed"
" I'll ring the doorbell when it's time for me to get off the bus"
" That lady needs to run faster or she will miss the bus"

Thankfully, people were finding the humor in the innocence of Colton's observations and we made it home without any confrontations! : ) However, we did have to sit down once we got home and go over a few rules about riding the bus and that it is rude to point at people...: )

Brefast(as Jeff would call it)

I told Colton lastnight as I went to kiss him good night, that in the morning him and I would have pancakes and choc. milk for 'brefast'. His sleepy little face lit up like a Christmas tree and he said, "oh mom, I love pancakes!"

So this morning, like clock work, he came in to wake me up. He snuggled in under the covers with me and informed me that it was pancake time. He snuggled in a little closer and I felt something cold against my arm, so I looked under the covers and here he had the new bottle of pancake syrup under the covers with us! So we both headed downstairs, with pancake syrup in tow, to enjoy our (gluten free) pancakes..and were they ever delicious! 

This was my plate of pancakes....

This was Colton's...we were joined by his colorful treasure that hasn't left his side since yesterday afternoon.

GF GOODNESS!

I have slowly and successfully adapted to my new 'not-optional' gluten free diet. Cooking is a breeze and I have discovered some really good recipes that my boys will even eat. Baking on the other hand is a trial. I LOVE to bake and I enjoy a challenge when I know how things are to turn out or what they should look like. Baking GF is like baking blind-folded. You can't just substitute rice flour for regular flour and 'ta-da'! No, it is more like, add these 2 different flours, one starch, some guar or xanthan gum and then hope for a good result.  Baking GF is unpredictable (for me anyways) right now and it is driving me crazy! I like to make everything from scratch if possible and it is rewarding to see it turn out and taste delicious. But baking GF you never know how it will turn out and I am getting to the point where I am tired of baking and everything flopping, so I am quite happy to rip open a box of cake mix and go to town. Thankfully I have a mom who has a love for baking like I do, so she sent me some GF cake mixes from the States. Not sure why we can't get this stuff up here in Canada but i will settle for giving my mom a list each time she heads to Minot. Guess what I'm doing this afternoon.....

I love that the box has GLUTEN FREE written right on the front in big letters. No having to stop and read every ingredient on the label looking for hidden gluten. Thank you Betty Crocker for making my week end with a big smile!

Snow Day

It's been a long winter......and  I am bored. So, here is my little list of things that I like about winter:

1) there are no snakes slithering around in the winter - I am TERRIFIED of snakes...the only reason I don't pass out when I see them is b/c I am afraid that if I faint and fall on the ground that they will crawl all over me..so I just stand there and scream at the top of my lungs and then proceed to curl up in the fetal position and rock back and forth for the rest of the day.  I can't even look a magazine that has pictures of snakes in them. Any books that Colton has with snakes in them...those pages have been ripped out and thrown in the garbage. Terrified...truely, 100% terrified! And I am the kind of person that if there is a snake around, I will be the one that spots it! So I will welcome snow if for that reason only!
2) Two words: Roast Dinner! There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down to a warm, home-cooked roast dinner on a freezing cold winter day like today. Mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, fresh buns and delicious roast beef or pork. That has to be one of my favorite winter meals of all times. I keep the butchers in business in the winter around here. Thankfully I have a brother who raises and butchers pigs, so my freezer is full of 'porky-goodness' this winter. I have a pork roast in the crock-pot as I write this and it will be accompanied by roasted potatoes/carrots, GF gravy and fresh rolls(for the boys).
3) Rosey Cheeks - I love to see Colton all bundled up on a cold day and seeing his red cheeks come through the front door and him saying, " mom, feel my cheeks, they are cooooooolllddd". : )
4) Christmas!
5) Crunchy snow - I love the sound of tires gripping on the snow-packed roads or walking on crisp snow.
6) Snow days - as much as I hate to be couped up inside for days on end, it is nice to have a 'snow day' once in awhile. A day to do nothing and not feel bad about it. A day to sit and watch movies and eat chips and unhealthy snacks. All though the following day is usually spent as a 'sick day' for all the garbage you ate on your 'snow day'...you just can't win, can you? : P
7) Snowmen and snowball fights - There is nothing more fun than spending a beautiful day outside with family and friends and enjoying the childish things that we can do once in awhile. Seeing the faces of  kids as you whip a snowball at them and they look at you like, " Are we allowed to throw one back and not get in trouble?". And who doesn't love building a snowman??!
8) Flannel Sheets! Is there anything better than crawling into a bed that has flannel sheets on it? NOPE!

Well that is my list so far....Today is a 'snow day' here in Calgary ( -35 with the windchill) so I am sitting here with my feet up, watching a movie and eating all the unhealthy snacks I have in the house. Tomorrow will for sure be my 'sick day'...: )
Stay warm my friends!

True Love

 How do you describe the love that you have for your children? NEVER ENDING TRUE LOVE! Followed by warm fuzzies....*sigh*

Did I miss something? Is today Monday?

F - Fighting
R - Rage
I - Irritable
D - Disobedient
A - Agitated
Y - Yelling
 And no, it isn't me feeling all these things! I think my Friday has been mixed up with my Monday's! Today has been out of the ordinary 'loud and coatic'.....this is not how things usually go around here especially on a Friday. Everyone is fighting, grumpy and tears have been flowing since 6:00 this morning and have not stopped. Sigh. But, I was informed by one of my little boys that everyone is allowed a grumpy day sometimes (which is what i usually say if someone is feeling a little 'off'). True.....but why are all 5 of the grumpy days combined into one day and a FRIDAY of all days? Trying to keep everyone calm and out of each others hair today by reading lots of books and setting up little craft stations...I feel like i am working out at Curves today ( do this craft for 3 minutes and move onto the the next one..Switch!) I am actually feeling rather calm today..which is great b/c i would probably be in a time out right now and bawling my eyes out b/c "no one is listening to me!" Wahhhhhhh! : P 
Happy Friday everyone!

Mr. Independant

I got my laugh of the day as i walked into check on Colton lastnight before I went to bed. He is becoming Mr. Independent (which is great) and it is proving to be quite entertaining at times. He decided that he would pick out his own pajama's lastnight and he wanted to put himself to bed too....so we let him and told him that we would be up in a minute to kiss him goodnight. We went up to find him in summer pajama's and a pair of socks pulled up to his knees and he was determined to go to bed like this. Anyone that knows my son, knows that he is a heater at night and putting socks on him is a bad idea because he over heats. Anyways, we put to bed a little boy that was pleased as punch with himself for picking out his sleeping attire. A little bit later I went up to check on him and this is what I found...guess he got over heated with his socks on! : )

I was laughing outloud and try to take a picture and he was out COLD, he didn't even rouse when the flash went off. Needless to say I had to get up around midnight to change him into winter pj's b/c he was cold...can't wait to see what he picks out tonight for pj's. hehe

Oh Colton, I am so in love with you it makes my heart hurt! 

Monday Monday

 A typical Monday around here..everyone tired and cranky and just wanting to spending the day laying around. I decided to put on Planet Earth to see if they would enjoy it...they LOVED it. I am asked at least twice a day if they can watch Planet Earth. Figured this was a little more educational than watching a movie...and something I can sit down to watch with them. So this is what our Mondays look like....

Encouragement

It has been a general census with most people I talk to that this year has not started off so good...me included. I have been telling myself over the last couple weeks that it is all in how you look at it and the attitude you take when dealing with different issues. I think all of us would agree that a little encouragement goes a long way or a good 'talking to' also goes a long way and usually makes you see the real side and snaps us back to reality. Problems don't go away without you dealing with them and the longer you wait to deal with something the harder it is to make it go away or resolve it.
I sat down the other night after a long day and got to thinkin'....Do I encourage my friends and family as much as they encourage me? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself and going out looking for someone to encourage you, why not look for someone that needs encouragement? And why not take your own encouragement to heart?
The last 6 months have brought some dissolved friendships and some rekindled and new friendships, and it's funny how people are brought into your life at the exact time you need a new perspective on life from someone new. Did I come along into someone's life at the right time that needed me? Did I give them the encouragement and support that they needed?
 I recently rekindled a friendship after 12 years with a high school friend( I feel really old having just said that!) and it was like we had been friends all along. Her encouragement and fresh perspective on things have helped me through some rough days and situations. True friends don't make it a one-sided relationship, rather they give AND take from each other to make the friendship work. Encouragement and honesty play a big part in a friendship working.
Just for the record -  I am 'officially' making this ENCOURAGEMENT DAY. Do you know someone who needs a little encouragement?

Parents of the Grand kind..

 I was going through some pictures the other day and I came across this one of my Grandpa and Grandma Taylor. This is one of my favorite pictures of them, taken at Darren and Tami's wedding. It got me thinking about how wonderful it is to grow up with loving and caring grandparents that will give you memories that last a life-time. My memories are of fresh bread, milk carton blocks, chocolate cake, macaroni and cheese, always wishing I could whistle like my grandma, grandpa always having a funny joke or story to tell us and he always has some change in his pocket to give you to put in your piggy bank. So thankful that I can still go home to Oxbow and stop in to see G&G to have a little visit...bread-making day is the best day to visit! : ) Love my grandpa and grandma!

Colton LOVES his grandpa and grandma and I know he already has fun memories of grandpa and grandma that he will never forget. Colton associates grandpa with trucks, combines, four-wheelers, going for icecream everyday and  for being a big tough guy. Grandma tends to bring out the goofy and funny side in Colton. Giggles are never-ending when grandma and Colton are together. There is always some sort of fun trinket in Grandma's purse or a sweet treat in the cupboard to snack on when mommy isn't around! I hope Colton grows up to appreciate his 'Drandpa and Dramma' and realize how much fun they are and the memories you will always have b/c of them.

Sunday Sunday

 We spent some time outside today enjoying the beautiful day. Colton wanted to build a snowman so this was the outcome....with a few additions made later by Colton.

Saturday's Kitchen

 Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups - These fruit roll-ups bring back alot of memories from Elementary School. The Jones Boys always had these in their lunches and I remember on a number of occassions trying to trade my lunch for a roll-up. They were such a tasty snack! I got my hands on a dehydrator and I have made a couple batches of fruit roll-ups. This one will take 11-12 hrs... my kitchen smells so good right now. Today i decided on a raspberry/blackberry roll-up.

 These are Gluten Free Potato/bacon and cheese perogies. Guess what I'll be having for supper tonight?!

 MY OWN BREAD! Made my first GF loaf of bread and it turned out better than I thought. I am actually eating a piece of toasted fresh bread lathered in peanut butter while I do my bloggin'...mmmm

Homemade Chicken Broth -  Store bought chicken broth is full of gluten so I have had to resort to making my own to have in the fridge.

This has been my Saturday so far. It is such a beautiful day out today so I cracked open all the windows and started cooking.  I don't get many days like this so i figured I would take advantage of the quiet day and get the fridge/freezer filled again.

A Thankful Heart

Today is a downer day for me...stressed out about things piling up one after another before the previous thing is taken care of and it just seems never ending. I do not handle stress well and I tend to shut down and shove it all to the back of my head and then it all comes to a front all at the same time...like today. I felt the need to sit down and write out what I am thankful for..


Jen's Thankful List
I am thankful for:
- knowing that I have a God that I can pray to whenever I need him and he can comfort me and give me strength to move on when things are tough and guide me in the direction I am to go.
- I have the most wonderful man in my life that I wouldn't trade for anything. He knows my good and bad sides but yet loves me unconditionally. He knows how to make me laugh or smile on a bad day and he knows when to sit silent if i need time to think or to be alone for awhile.
- I have a very happy and healthy son that is the sunshine in my everyday. He loves me and tells me that about 100x's throughout my day. Nothing beats those little arms wrapping around my neck at bedtime and him planting a big slobbery kiss on my lips and looking into my eyes and saying, " I love you mommy"..usually followed by another kiss. Melts my heart.
- I have two wonderful families that I can turn to whenever I need them. Understanding, accepting and non-judgmental.
- And for my dear friends who are there to listen on days like today. Thank you friends..you know who you are!
- A job that allows me to stay home with Colton and to be able to watch him grow up and to see all the funny stages he goes through..i would not trade these last 4 years for anything.
- Jeff doing so well at his job and you can see it in his eyes and the content look he has on his face when he comes home every night.
- my health! there could have been so much more that could have been wrong with me, but there wasn't and I am thankful that it is something that I myself can deal with and try to improve.

Wow! This was harder to do than I thought. I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face just looking at my little list and thinking how blessed I really am.
Be thankful for all the little things in your life that you take for granted. In the end, material things won't make you happy or get you anywhere, but the love of your family and friends and knowing that there is a God that loves you will get you everywhere.
Thinking of the Hansen family today that is doing one of the toughest things that a family will ever have to do...laying a loved one to rest.

Test #1

This past weekend Jeff, Colton and I went on a little road trip to Edmonton. Jeff and I had his work Christmas Party to attend so Colton got to go on one of his first sleep-overs and spend some time getting to know some cousins. BIG thanks to Angela and Christopher for taking Colton for the night!
I was very hesitant and nervous about this whole Christmas dinner thing. I wasn't sure if I would get lost in the shuffle seeing as there were 400+ people all having dinner. Jeff had sent in a request for a gluten-free meal a couple weeks ahead of time. As the meals were being served, I had a plate set in front of me and the meal was covered in gravy! I politely let the server know that I had requested a gluten-free meal for Jennifer Taylor. He quickly removes my plate and comes back with the exact same thing! I looked at him, smiled and said, "Could I get a meal without gravy please?" He looks at me with a look of disgust and marches off and returns AGAIN with a plate and the meal is literally SWIMMING in gravy! I was sooo hungry and embarassed that this was beginning to cause a little commotion with the waiter and the people at our table. Can't say as I really enjoyed the dinner, but the dessert was really good! I got thinking later, I doubt that I was the only one requesting a specific meal in a room of 400+ people! Seeing as how Celiacs Disease effects 1 in every 133 people, there should have been at least 4 other GF meals to serve. Should I have gone up to the microphone and asked that the Gluten-Free meal people raise your hands...was there a GF table set up that I was not aware of? hehe.(me just being cheeky)
 Thankfully I had packed a whole gluten-free meal from home just in case this happened..so I waited until everyone was finished eating and I headed up to the hotel room to INHALE my own food. I read a very informative GF book recently and the author suggested going into the kitchen yourself and meeting the cook and making your meal demands known. Those of you that know me, could you see me marching into the kitchen to tell a chef how to do his job?! ...me neither! : )