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'. : )
Friday, October 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
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)
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)
Monday, August 22, 2011
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
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
Sunday, August 14, 2011
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!"
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. : (
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! : )
Raema is missing from our photo b/c she had to go home to her newborn baby. : (
Thursday, July 7, 2011
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?!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
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.
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.
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