Bediels & Co.

Chop! Chop!

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 19:57:00 +0000

We would like to thank everyone so much for all the love and support we received during our latest fundraiser.

A Grand Total of $1,352 was raised for the Canadian Cancer Society, and a lot of hair for Locks for Love.

Who's Hair? From left to right: Paty, Amelia, Jen, and Jen (from a previous hair cut)

Here are a few Before and After photos:

Again, thank you so much for all of the generous donations we received.

xo
Jen, Paty and Amelia

Enough Talk...

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:25:00 +0000

If you know me, you know that I am the type of person who says they are going to do something... And then says they are going to do something... And then says they are going to do something... And then writes it down on a list of things to do.

Eventually, most of it gets done... It just takes an incredible amount of list making to accomplish my goals.

The lists floating around my house can get pretty annoying sometimes, as there are usually 3 going at time. One in the car, one in the kitchen, and one that I can never find.

It's SO great... (a little bit of sarcasm inserted here)

I'll admit, it is pretty satisfying when you complete something and you are able to cross 3 things off your list...

Not so satisfying however, when your Husband points out that you are, in fact, crossing off the same item 3 times, on 3 different lists.

Who asked him, anyway?

I didn't realize I had such a problem until my friend Sue Jean pointed out that she spotted one of my lists written on a ripped up pizza box. I thought it was genius by the way, but she thought it was weird and bought me a box of note paper.

As a "professional" List maker, which I will now call myself, I have developed categories that I use on a daily basis.

Feel free to use them if you wish.

The Important Stuff
Raise $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society

Write a blog post about hair chopping fundraiser

Find someone to cut your hair for free (preferably a professional)

Solicit donations from all your closest friends who are going to pretend they never read this part. :)

The Daily stuff

Make beds

empty dishwasher

Make dinner

Go to stupid work

The Fun Stuff

Bake Cookies

Go to HomeSense

Crank the tunes and pretend you're a Rockstar

The Necessary Stuff

Grocery Shopping

Wash Bathrooms

Vacuum

Laundry

The "I Have Absolutely NO Intention of Doing This" Stuff

Wash floors

Clean closet

Clean out storage room

Clean Garage

The "Holy Crap it's Almost 5pm and I Need Things to Cross off My List" Stuff

~~Write List~~

~~Have a shower~~

~~Email someone. Anyone.~~

~~Look for something edible in the fridge for dinner.~~

~~Hope your husband doesn't read this list.~~

On August 31, 2012, I made a commitment to raise $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society in Honour of Mr. Shin and Lynne Ferris.

And every day since then, it has been at the top of my Important list.

We are almost half way to our goal of $10,000. From wedding cakes, to dessert tables, cookie favours and bake sales.

For months, I have been talking about chopping my hair for the next fundraiser, and talking about chopping my hair, and talking about chopping my hair.

My 4.5 year old Daughter joined in, and so did my Mom.

So enough talk. here we are. Ready to chop, chop, chop.

Short.

We are aiming for the first week of April for our haircut. No shaved heads, but it will be short. I promise.

The money we raise from pledges will go to the Canadian Cancer Society.

And the hair will be donated to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization which provides hair pieces for financially underprivileged children dealing with long term hair loss.

To pledge us online, please click here Or contact one of us.

If you wish to donate a haircut (or 3), or know someone who would be willing, please let us know.

Please note: we really would prefer a professional, so that excludes most of my friends and family. :)

Thank you for your support!

IF I COULD... {For Mr. Shin and Lynne}

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:10:00 +0000

If I could
Jack Johnson

To listen to this song Click Here

A brand new baby was born yesterday

Just in time

Papa cried, baby cried

Said "Your tears are like mine"

I heard some words

from a friend on the phone

that didn't sound so good

The doctor gave him two weeks to live

I'd give him more if I could

You know that I would now

If only I could

You know that I would now

If only I could

Down the middle drops one more

Grain of sand

They say that

New life makes losing life easier to understand

Words are kind

They helped ease the mind

I'll miss my old friend

And though you gotta go

We'll keep a piece of your soul

One goes out

One comes in

You know that I would now

If only I could

You know that I would now

If only I could

There are 10,000 reasons for this post.

Here are two {For Mr. Shin & Lynne}

Although they would never meet, Mr. Shin and Lynne would share two things in common.

They both had amazing Daughters (which, coincidentally I consider two of my very best friends)...

Mr. Shin (with his Daughter Sue Jean)

Lynne (with her Daughter Mel, and her Husband Bruce)

And secondly, they shared something that no one ever wants to have in common.

Cancer.

When I heard about the Cancer, I hoped and I prayed For a miracle for the two of them. It sickened me that I couldn't do anything but watch, as my friends painfully witnessed their parents fight the biggest battle of their lives.

The fight for their Life.

I continued to pray for a Miracle, but it would never come.

Mel and Sue Jean's parents slowly faded away and began losing their battle to the horrendous disease.

It simply wasn't fair.

On November 19, 2010 I received this email from Lynne. At the time, she didn't know that she also had Cancer.

"I am forwarding this on behalf of my nephew Ryan who is riding for his Dad Wayne (Bruce's Brother) who is valiantly fighting bowel, colon and liver cancer. Anyone who has been through this or knows someone who has (nearly everyone you talk to, it seems) understands the Fight is tough. Wayne and Jean's both boys (Kyle, too) have a very nasty lesson in Life, reality check as you will, and have matured greatly during this time. They have both stepped up to the plate to help Wayne in every way they can. If you feel inclined, please donate. I know myself how much demand there is for our hard earned money for Charities, and don't feel sorry if you are unable to donate."

Thanks,

Lynne and Bruce

One year after this email, on the evening of December 11, 2011, Lynne passed away.

And sadly on February 19, 2012 just two short months later, Mr. Shin would also lose his battle to Cancer.

"And though you gotta go

We'll keep a piece of your soul"

-Jack Johnson

There are 10,000 reasons for this post.

(These are just a few):

As of today, I am a proud supporter of the Canadian Cancer Society, and my goal is to raise $10,000 (through various events)for the 10,000 reasons for this post. The money raised will go to Cancer Research to honour those who have lost their lives to Cancer, and those who have fought and survived this terrible disease.

It is for Mr. Shin and Lynne Ferris. For my Grandma Hardy, Grandma Elsie, Doug Nairn, Holden Clarke, Mrs. Peterson, and Gord Aitchison. It is for Salimah's Mom. For my Uncle Marco, Sue Shearer, Duncan Mckim, Grandma Martyn and Aunt Barb. For Laura, for Heather, and for my Auntie Marion. It's for Wayne Ferris, for Amanda (Easy Peasy Organic) and Sukaina (Sips and Spoonfuls) and to Paula (vanilla bean baker) who started Frosting for the cause last year to raise an incredible amount of funds for Cancer Research herself.

Want to join me?
1.) You can help by spreading the word.

2.) To Donate, Please Click Here

3.) Or how about baking a batch of cookies for your colleagues for donation? :) It's pretty fun!

Or Banana Bread?

Or Cupcakes?
(Also pretty fun!)

Stay tuned for a Bake Sale near you.

There are 10,000 reasons for this post... What are yours?

It's Love Day

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:45:00 +0000

What is Love??

Love is Laughter. Belly Aching Laughter.

Love is 6:00 family dance time. Music. Husband. Kids. And lots of silly dancing.

Love is singing to your wife and kids (even when out of tune).

It's getting up in the night with a sick child to let the other one sleep.

Love is a phone call in the middle of the day just to see how you're doing.

It's a Sunday drive. Coffee, music, and lots of conversation.

Love is having the ice scraped off your car on a cold Winter's day.

It's laughing when you feel like complete garbage.

Love is jumping on the bed.

Love is Sunday Banana pancakes.

It's taking a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong (for the weekend) to take your wife shopping, when you hate shopping.

Love is taste-testing one thousand recipes until you finally get it right.

What does Love mean to you?

Happy Love Day!

Hot Cocoa Holiday Packs

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:20:00 +0000

I've been dying to make homemade Marshmallows for some time now, and I thought it would be the perfect time of year. I also made Hot Cocoa and packaged it all together in some cute little gable boxes.

Peppermint Marshmallows

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

With a Gingerbread Snowflake

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season!

Jen

Spreading Holiday Cheer (Flight Attendant Style)

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome aboard.

14 years ago, I started working as a Flight Attendant for Air Canada. Amazing how fast the time has flown by.

During the holidays, I like to leave a little cookie "greeting" for my friends to find in their mail folders. Something a little more edible than a Greeting card. ...Although sometimes when you are stuck on an airplane, a greeting card can sound pretty delicious... :)

This year they will be receiving a F/A Jen cookie. (I promise I look more feminine in real life... Well, at least I hope I do.

For those of you traveling over the holidays, may you have safe travels!

For those staying close to home, may you enjoy your time with family and loved ones.

Happy Holidays!

Jen

Letter From Santa {and a Giveaway}

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:21:00 +0000

After my last post about my favourite kids products, I had a kind email from Anna-Maria (founder of MimiTENS) telling me of a wonderful little project she undertook.

Anna-Maria has written a letter (from Santa) and has been kind enough to mail the letters to many Children. She has asked me if I would be willing to offer the same to my readers.

If you are interested in receiving a letter from Santa for your little ones, feel free to print this one off or email me your mailing address and I will pop one in the mail for your little kidlets. (This letter is also available in French)

December 1, 2011

Dear children,

Thank you for your letters. I love to hear from

each and every one of you.

Many lovely kids have asked me what I would

like for Christmas.

How considerate of you!

You know, I had to think about it for a moment

because I have everything that I need.

But there are some things that I could use your

help with.

Here is my list.

From the North Pole, I have noticed a few

things. I am sad to say that many families are

having a hard time this year. All around the

world, there are lots of parents who are worried.

Can you help me cheer them up?

Tell your parents that you love them. It always

makes their hearts warm.

Give them extra hugs

over the holidays.

Let them know that spending

time with your family is special to you.

Your kind words are very powerful.

Here is another way you can help me. Do you

have any toys that you are not playing with

anymore?

Would you consider cleaning them up

and bringing them to your church, your school

or a local charity? Your old toys just might

make someone else very happy.

Also, it would save me and the elves a lot of work making new

ones.

You could really make a nice difference.

The best part of being Santa Claus is sharing

with others.

I also really like coming home after

a long night of work to see Mrs. Claus, the elves,

my friends and family. In many ways, my

family is just like yours.

Please remember that, children. We are all

powerful stars. Now be good to each other. That

is when you shine the brightest.

With love,

Santa Claus

Also, In the spirit of Christmas I will be having a little giveaway for one pair of Children's MimiTENS since I love them so much.

You will have 4 chances to win

1) "Like" MimiTENS on facebook and come back here to tell me you did so.

2) Check out MimiTENS website and tell me which pair of fabulous mitts you would get, if you won.

3) Share this contest on Facebook (with a link to this contest) and come back here to tell me you did.

4) Tweet this giveaway (including @bedielsAndCo) and come back here to tell me you did so.

*Please note that only comments on this blog post will count for the contest. Each comment entitles you to one entry so please leave a separate comment for each entry.

Contest closes on December 18th and the winner will be chosen by Random.org

We will do our very best to have the winners Mitts before Christmas if ordered by December 19th.

Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

Contest is open to Canadian and US residents. The MimiTENS mitts will be provided by MimiTENS and Bediels & Co.

Gifts for Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:14:00 +0000

We have recently welcomed two new babies into the family. So exciting!

With Christmas fast approaching I thought it would be suitable to post a few of my favourite baby products, for those new Mom's out there, and for those of you looking to buy baby gifts (Just click on the title, or picture to link directly to the website).

#1 Beaba Babycook

The Beaba Baby cook is an all-in-one steamer, blender, warmer and defroster used for making baby food.

Small, practical and easy to use. As the steamer doubles as a blender, so there is very little clean-up afterwards. I honestly love this little gadget so much!!

Available at Williams-Sonoma (Williams-Sonoma has a video to demonstrate how the babycook works).

#2 Baby Cubes

After pureeing food, I stored them in these baby cubes. They are available in 3 different sizes (I only purchased the 70ml containers, but I feel like the 30ml would be so, super- cute).

These storage containers are fantastic for so many things, so even if you aren't making your own baby food they are still great little containers:

*Snacks (Cheerios, raisins, cherry tomatoes)

*Salad dressings

*individually portioned powder baby cereal

*Pacifier case -I know they make pacifier cases, but I lose everything.. One pack of baby cubes provides me with 8 pacifier cases :)

*Piping tips

*Couplers

*Hair pins

*Elastics

#3 Bloom Fresco Loft- High Chair

I'll be honest. This chair is a little pricey, {but in my opinion} worth every penny. Especially if you plan on having more than one child. My only regret with this high chair is not buying it sooner.

#4 Boon Benders

These utensils are great. They bend, making it easier for baby to get food into their tiny little mouths.

#5 Loopa Bowl

This bowl is so fun. Not only is it spill proof, it will keep your children entertained.

#6 Safe Sippy- Sippy Cup

I love that this sippy cup doesn't leak! Easy to clean, and best of all, it's stainless steal.

We had a lot of teething pain in our household, so the following were our favourite teething products:

#7 Sophie the Giraffe

There is a reason this little guy has been around for so long... babies love him!

#8 Vulli Vanilla Teething Ring

Another Vulli product that my kids Loved was this Sophie teething ring. I loved it too because it was so compact and easy to pack.

#9 RaZ-Berry Teether

Multi-textured and made entirely of silicone. Another popular teether in our house!

#10 MimiTENS

Children's mittens with long stretch cuffs that keep them from falling off. Need I say more?

#11 Baby JaR snuggle-ette blanket

A small snuggle blanket for baby made of minky. So soft and cuddly.

#12 Triple Paste Diaper Cream

When my daughter was born she had the absolute worst diaper rash. We tried (what seemed like) every diaper rash cream available in Canada, including a Doctor prescribed cream, and nothing worked.

We finally discovered Triple Paste, and in my opinion it is the BEST diaper cream there is.

Unfortunately, it is not available in Canada, but you can have it shipped (which is what we did).

#13 Formula dispenser

For those planning on formula feeding, these are really handy. Just pack your baby bottles filled with water (I usually heated the water bottles before leaving the house and placed them in a travel bag). When needed, add your powder formula to the bottle. So much easier than packing pre-made formula bottles and having to worry about keeping them cold and then heating them up. A lot less waste as well.

#14 Tooth fairy Pillow

A couple of years ago, my Sister-in-Law and I went to the One of a Kind show in Toronto. This is where I first discovered P i ' l o and I fell in love with everything.

I didn't know what to buy because everything was so beautiful, and I left the show without a single thing.

There is nothing worse that Non-buyers Remorse. That's what I call it when you wish you bought something and didn't. At least with buyers remorse you can return the item if you later discover you didn't really like it.

On Christmas morning, my Sister-in-Law surprised me with this adorable Tooth Fairy pillow from pi'lo which she purchased after I left the show (isn't she the sweetest?!)...

This adorable little pillow has a small pocket where you can store the tiny little tooth and keep it safe for the tooth fairy.

I have a few other favourites, but now it's your turn. what are your favourite baby products?

Happy Holiday Shopping and thanks for stopping by!

Kookie. Kookie. Kookie.

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:27:00 +0000

The past couple of weeks, it feels as though our house has been filled with every germ imaginable.

Fevers, Ear infections, Sinus infections, Laryngitis, Vomiting and Pneumonia. And of course... Very. Little. Sleep.

I knew the kids were beginning to feel better when they started asking for cookies again... Or should I say, I realized how sick they were when they stopped asking for them in the first place.

Either way... they were finally on the mend. And I was overjoyed to fulfill their request for cookies.

I'm going to tell you a secret.

My two little Kidlets LOOOVE Cookies!

I am not sure if I should be proud, or embarrassed to tell you this, but the THIRD word my Son learned to say was Cookie.

Yes. His third word...

Our mornings usually commence something like this:

Sam wakes in the morning and runs out to the kitchen with a huge grin on his face. He bends down in front of the oven, points to it and says Kookie. Kookie. Kookie.

One night after he realized I had turned on the oven to bake salmon (and not cookies), he dropped to the floor and cried.

And I realized I may have a problem on my hands.

My Sister-in-Law {Zarine} said it best:
"Jen, that boy may look like his Daddy, but the kid is all yours"

She's right!

I didn't tell her this, but after I pulled the salmon out of the oven that night, I dropped to the floor and cried too... I also, really wanted cookies for dinner.

I love having freshly baked cookies in the house, but I can't bake an entire batch without having them disappear into my belly.

So, this is my solution.

I make a batch cookies. Portion it onto a cookie sheet. Freeze for approximately 15 minutes until the cookies are semi-frozen. Transfer the cookies into a Ziplock bag and return them to the freezer.

Bingo Bango.

You can now have freshly baked cookies in no time. They may still end up in your tummy but just not all at once.

Unexpected guests? No problem. pull out half a dozen cookies. Thaw for 15 minutes and bake.

So go ahead. Pour yourself a glass of milk. Grab a cookie. Eat. Laugh. Love. And Enjoy!

Happy Tuesday! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Are you sleeping? It's my one year BLOGiversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:03:00 +0000

On October 30th, I celebrated my first year BLOGiversary.

Holy Moly. A WHOLE year.

When I first started this blog, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to keep it up. What on earth was I going to write about?

Then I realized.

Writing all my thoughts down here (for you to read), could save my poor Husband from listening to my useless thoughts at 11 p.m. when he is trying to sleep.

Good thought, right? No. Not really, because truthfully I still pester him when he's trying to sleep at night. I can't help it. Night-time is when all my thoughts come to me.

It usually goes something like this...

Me: "Hey Mike, are you sleeping?"

Mike: "Huh? Trying to."

Me: "I just thought of something.. blah, blah, blah"

Mike: "uh huh"

Me:"Okay, Goodnight!" "Oh wait, I just thought of something else. blah,
blah, blah"

Mike: "uh"

Me:"Okay, Goodnight!" "Oh, one more thing, I promise. Blah, blah."

Mike: No answer.

Me:"Okay, I swear, this is the last thing. blah, blah, Wait. Are you sleeping?
Mike! Are you sleeping??"

Mike: "Why don't you write it down and we'll talk about it in the morning."

Me: "Uh, cause I'm going to be too tired in the morning, silly!"

That's usually how it goes.

So, the other night, I was thinking about my a blogiversary and how I was in need of a giveaway. At midnight (of course) I asked my Husband:

Me: "Pssst, you sleeping? Mike, are you sleeping? Can I give away
a Kitchenaid for my one year blogiversary?"

Mike: "I guess, If you want to give away your Kitchenaid, you can. But
I can't imagine anyone would want a used one"...

Me: "Umm, Does that mean you aren't going to sponsor my giveaway?"

Mike: "Good night, Jennifer"

Me: "Should I write it down and we'll discuss it in the morning?"

Crumb. That wasn't the answer I was looking for. By changing ONE single word... a simple "a" to "your", he managed to completely ruin my giveaway.

So I had two options.

1) Give you my used and very much loved KitchenAid (since my Husband wasn't going to sponsor my giveaway with a new one)

or

2) Sponsor my own giveaway with something I could afford.

So I had to turn to option B. I know. It stinks.

And, I'm so sorry guys. I love you, but there is no way I could give away my beloved Kitchenaid... even though she is nearly 10 years old, I simply love her too much! And truthfully, I know you wouldn't want it. Alright, if we are being honest, I am afraid you would.

After so much time preparing this dessert table, I didn't even get a decent photo.
(I could have at least removed the saran wrap, right?)

Before I get to the giveaway though, I would like to thank all of you so much for visiting my blog over the past year. For reading my ramblings, leaving comments, and inspiring me. I never imagined I would meet so many wonderful people and enjoy blogging as much as I have, so thank you!

Okay, back to the contest. Since a new appliance was out of the question, I figured I would give back to the those who have helped me make it through my Red Eye flights since returning to work.

Click on picture to take you to starbucks.ca

Plus, I thought you could use a latte or two for all the late night baking parties you will be having in preparation for Christmas, right. Think of all the latte's you can have with this

$50 Starbucks gift card
Contest now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!

~~Okay, down to the Nitty-Gritty.~~

~~To enter this contest:~~

~~1) Leave me a comment. For fun, tell me what you will order at Starbucks if you win this contest.~~

~~2) For an extra entry "Like" me on facebook, and come back here to tell me you did. If you already "like" my facebook page, leave me a comment on this blog post telling me.~~

~~3) For an extra entry, share this giveaway with your friends on Facebook (with a link back to this post) and come back here to let me know you did.~~

~~4) For an extra entry Tweet about this giveaway including a link back to this page and @bedielsAndCo and leave me a comment here to let me know you did.~~

~~Please note, that only comments on this blog post will qualify for the contest. :)~~

~~Contest will close at midnight on Monday November 14th and the winner will be chosen using Random.org.~~

~~That's it. 4 chances to win!~~

~~Please note: This gift card will be provided by me (or my Husband if I ask him when he's sleepy enough). Starbucks does not in anyway sponsor this post.~~

~~Contest open to Canadian and US Residents.~~

~~Good luck!~~
:)

Thank you to everyone who entered the Starbucks gift card giveaway. The winner, chosen by Random.org was #3 (my Mom). My Mom graciously gave her prize up for another lucky winner.

The official winner is
theBrainrunner

theBrainrunner said...

Venti soy Caramel Machiato extra shot of expresso

November 7, 2011 9:18 PM

Congratulations, Mike! Enjoy your Venti soy Caramel Machiato extra shot of espresso (or two)! :)

Please email me your address so that I can send out your prize.

Dear November

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0000

Let me start off by saying that so far...

I love you.

The mild temperatures reminding me of summer. Reminding me of the many, many hours I spent tending to my gardens.

Weeding.

Trimming.

Watering.

Talking to my flowers, and just plain loving my beautiful gardens.

Lush green grass, bountiful flowers, and a veggie garden that would make a grown man cry.

Are you crying yet??

My Friend Andrea, a fellow blogger, wrote about her veggies from her garden and secretly I felt...

Pity.

I mean really. Who wants a beautiful veggie garden that produces TONS and TONS of Beautiful, Fresh, Delicious veggies that you can just go out and pick whenever you want... when you can have this...

I mean, Seriously people. Wouldn't you rather have my tomato plant?

Tell me this isn't GORGEOUS!

Okay, Okay... I'll admit, I didn't pity Andrea...

I pitied my garden. I wanted to have beautiful veggies like she did.

A few years ago, my Sister-in-Law lived with us and we used to accuse her of killing our plants. I don't know why, we just did cause it was fun.

Then she moved out.

And our plants continued to die.

I am starting to think it may have something to do with me... (even this beautiful orchid has slowly started to die)

In my own defense, I have to say that I have asked for an electric edger and a leaf blower for my Birthday for as long as I can remember.

I mean, you need tools to have a nice looking garden, right?

My Husband laughs and tells me that an edger and leaf blower are not going to grow better tomatoes.

Is this true?

Nah. That's Absurd!

Right?

Oh... P.S.

I'm also not good with pet fish.

Just sayin'...

Reality check

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Today I spent 10 minutes trying to wipe off hair dye from my face, only to realize it wasn't hair dye. The marks were age spots... (I wish I were joking)

Before going back to work tomorrow, I was really, {REALLY} hoping to lose 10 pounds, but the extra month off, really wasn't good for my waistline.

Once I realized I couldn't lose 10 pounds overnight, I thought I would at least colour my hair. Makes sense, right?

Now, I am not a hairdresser. This was confirmed a couple of weeks ago when I tried to cut my Son's hair. All I can say is thank goodness he is only one, and will not remember the whole ordeal.

Now having made this confession, I would kindly ask that you please not tell my Grandmother.

Why the secret from my Grandma? Well, I think she may believe I'm a hairdresser.

When I was a teenager, I took a semester off from High School and moved to Mexico to live with my Grandparents. The plan was to brush up on my Spanish, (and learn to read and write) but when I arrived, my Grandma gave me two options.

Option #1) I could enroll in school as planned
or
Option #2) I could take private Spanish lessons and use the remaining time to travel.

Duh... There was really, only one logical choice.

I absolutely insisted I go to school.

Okay, that's a lie! I chose option #2. I figured I could practice my "Dos Cervezas Por Favor" at the resorts.

So, I got a tutor. And my Spanish really suffered as I became good friends with my Spanish teacher. We spent most of my class time at the local coffee house drinking coffee and chatting about her boyfriend. (Come to think of it, maybe we weren't really good friends as I was still paying her for Spanish lessons and her coffee).. Great.

Okay, back to my lack of hairdressing skills...

My Grandmother thought it would be fun for me to join some classes in between our travel adventures so that I could make some friends and have some fun. So I joined hair dressing school... (Why hairdressing and not baking you ask? Because her Nephew owned a hairdressing school.) So my hairdressing really suffered as I made some friends and we spent most of the class at the local coffee house drinking coffee and chatting about their boyfriends.

Do you see a pattern?
I do like coffee.

So, now you know. I dye my hair and I have age spots. I blog about hairdressing but throw in some baby shower cookies and cupcakes.

I am sitting in my kitchen eating a pear, pretending it's a cupcake. Yet still, in all likely hood, my uniform still isn't going to fit me tomorrow.

That's it. End of Story.

Happy Grey's Anatomy night. Do you watch?

Annie- Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:03:00 +0000

A few years ago, my Mother was diagnosed with 2 Brain Aneurysms. This is the story of her journey.

For Part 1 of this Story click Here
For Part 2 of this Story click Here
For Part 3 of this Story click Here

She was amazing.

My Mom fully recovered from her first surgery with very minor consequences; One (strangely enough) being her loss of smell, which eventually would slightly return.

She regained full use of her eye which surprised everyone, including the surgeons.

In between her two surgeries, my Mom returned to work. During this time, my Husband and I found out we were expecting our first baby.

We showed up unannounced to surprise my Mom with this cake I had baked, And without saying a word, we watched and waited for her reaction.

It was amazing and definitely the best way to break the news to our families.

My Mom's second surgery date arrived and she made it through the surgery amazingly well. There were a few scares for us during her recovery such as slurred speech and loss of balance, and at the time I feared it could be a stroke. Thankfully, it wasn't.

2 Brain Surgeries. No major consequences.
BRAIN ANEURYSM SURVIVOR, And I thank my lucky stars everyday!

During my Mom's surgeries, my Brother George had done a tremendous amount of reading about Brain Aneurysms, and insisted I ask my Doctor to be screened. (Brain Aneurysms being hereditary, more common in women, and my few episodes of migraines during my pregnancy).

I thought I would humour him (and my super-overly worried Mom) and I mentioned it to my Obstetrician during my next visit. To be honest, I truly thought the Doctor would think it was crazy, but instead, he immediately booked me for an MRI to be screened.

Friday March 28th, 2008
Week 27
Day 187 of Pregnancy
I find myself laying in an MRI machine, not worried of the results, but terrified that I am having an MRI while pregnant and unnecessarily exposing the baby to a lot of unknowns.

A couple of weeks passed and thankfully I hadn't heard anything from the Doctor. No news is good news! I call my Brother and my Mom and tell them everything is fine, and joke that they will need to find something else to worry about.

My Husband (Mike) and I loved our Obstetrician (Mike came to every single Doctor's appointment with me during the pregnancy) and we spent most of the appointments laughing and joking with our Doctor.

Wednesday April 16th, 2008
Week 30
Day 206

On our way in to the doctor's office, Mike and I were laughing and joking around about a conference he wanted to attend 2 weeks before my due date. I thought he was crazy but I agreed we would leave it up to the advice of our doctor.

Me:

"Mike wants to go away to a conference 2 weeks before the baby is due. Please tell him he can't go {Laughing}...

Dr:

"Mike, You can't go"..

Me:

"ha ha, told you so!"

Mike:

{Laughing} "Really? You really think it's pushing it if I go that weekend, even though it's 2 weeks before the baby"?

Dr:

"Yes! Mike, you can't go, because we have the baby scheduled for a c-section on June 10th".

Me:

"Really?" {Confused}

Mike:

"What"? {Also Confused}

Dr:

"Jen, we got the results to your MRI and you have a Brain Aneurysm, like your Mom".

To be Continued...

(Please note: Although I did make the cake in this post, the design is not my own. It is a replica of one I saw on Cake Central. Thank you for visiting)

One Month

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:20:00 +0000

On September 1st, my Maternity leave officially ended, and I was scheduled to return to work (after a year off). I was so sad the year had gone by so quickly.

On August 31, I received a call that my training had been cancelled and I was to be off for one more month.

Talk about winning the jackpot!

Don't get me wrong. I love my job.

But I love being home with the kids even more!

How often are we fortunate enough to get a call from work saying "Stay home for the month, Relax, Enjoy Your kids"

Okay, perhaps the phone call wasn't exactly like that; But Hey... I'll take the month!

Wouldn't you?

Please note: This wedding cake design is NOT my own. Thanks for stopping by!

When I Should be Studying...

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:54:00 +0000

In one short week, I will be returning to work as a Flight Attendant, and my year of Maternity leave will be OVER. (Insert tears, here).

The last year at home has been incredible, and I have truly enjoyed every minute of being home with my kids.

The thought of going back is difficult. I have a lot of mixed feelings about my return.

Nervous.

Scared.

Sad.

Happy.

Don't all Moms feel like that after maternity leave?

Nervous. I have not worked a flight in nearly two years (I worked on the ground while pregnant).

Scared. I may be spending too much time on the computer, and not enough time studying. What if I don't pass my 6 days of exams? Isn't that right, Mom? :)

Sad to be leaving my kids (although, they won't really notice because I will be flying while they are sleeping, and home by the time they are out of bed).

Happy that I passed my medical exam and that I am allowed to return work... (that's a whole other story).

In preparation for my Flight Attendant Exams, I have a tremendous amount of reading to catch up on, along with a couple of work books to complete. And for those of you with kids, you know how difficult it can be to read with 2 little ones running around... (It took me nearly a week to get through one chapter of my manual).

Then, when I do have some time to myself and should be reading, and studying, and preparing myself for my exams (such as right now), I am here. Writing this post, and watching my kids in daycare from my computer.

And posting these little guys.

With short arms

And crazy hair.

And little air bubbles in their icing belly... see them?

(The quickest fix for removing the air bubbles, is to remove the belly cookie from the picture all together!) :)

Happy Wednesday.

I hope your day is a little more productive than mine!

Annie-Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:48:00 +0000

A few years ago, my Mother was diagnosed with 2 Brain Aneurysms. This is the story of her journey.

For Part 1 of this story click Here

For Part 2 of this story click Here

The Code-Blue announcement over the hospital intercom left us frozen in our spots, unable to move.

Doors flung open. Nurses came out from everywhere and headed towards the intensive care unit where my Mom had been taken to.

I wanted to yell.

I {So, Badly} wanted to yell at the nurses to run, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

The clock slowed down and the seconds ticked by. So. Incredibly. Slowly. As we waited for any kind of an update.

At last, the door that led to the ICU, opened again and the nurses slowly trickled their way back out.

"False Alarm, she's fine," the nurse said. The cord was accidentally unplugged when they were getting her in the room.

I wanted to punch her.

One would think that finding out your Mom's heart never actually stopped beating would be a joyous moment. And it definitely was, don't get me wrong. The build up anxiety-stress-fear-worry, of the last few weeks-days-hours-minutes-seconds, left me feeling sick with an incredible urge to vomit. Especially knowing that there was still a growing Brain Aneurysm, and she would undergo a second surgery and go through this hell again.

Over the past month, the larger of my Mom's two Brain Aneurysms had been growing and pressing against her optic nerve. By the time she was admitted to the hospital for her first surgery, she had lost the majority of her eyesight in one eye and was unable to open the eye without physically lifting the eyelid with her hand. A blessing in disguise as it was ultimately what lead to the discovery of the Aneurysms.

The Neurosurgeons were not sure if the damage to her eye was reversible and if my Mom would regain use of her eye again. At this point, we just felt so lucky that she was alive.

During her first Brain surgery, the larger Aneurysm had been clipped and my Mom was scheduled a couple of months later to have the second Aneurysm coiled.

The wait between the two surgeries was hard on all of us, as it literally felt like she had a ticking time bomb in her head. The news that I was pregnant was a little bit of a distraction for my Mom, giving her a {little} something to keep her mind off of the upcoming surgery.

To Be Continued...

The Good Samaritan

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 05:18:00 +0000

Mistakes. Accidents. Catastrophes.

Plain Stupidities happen when your brain is in the clouds and you aren't paying attention.

The rush of life.

I'm guilty of getting caught up in it.

Running late {Story. Of. My. Life.}

Taking on more than I can handle.

Daydreaming while driving and not paying attention to the road.

It left me stranded after my car jumped the curb and blew a tire a few weeks ago.

It wasn't the tire that worried me. Not even the fact that I was extremely late on a day that couldn't spare a minute, in order to accomplish all the tasks on my list.

My concern was that I had just driven around a bend in the road (out of view to the approaching cars).

A concern that there wasn't a shoulder for me to safely pull my car off the road, and that this road was notorious for people speeding around this particular corner. I knew, because I was guilty of being one of those people.

But, my biggest concern was for the safety of my 11 month old Son Sam, who happened to be traveling with me.

I know... Shame on me for not keeping my attention on the road in the first place!

I pulled Sam out of his car seat and moved away from the car, behind a median, and waited.

And watched cars drive by.

With people who either looked at me and saw me on my cell phone holding a baby, or people who didn't even notice I was there. Stranded.

People, caught up in the rush of life.

And I wondered.

What is wrong with us?

But it was obvious. I wasn't the only one caught up in the busyness of life.

Luckily my Husband was on his way to rescue us and thankfully he wasn't far, because I was quickly starting to lose faith in humanity.

I know. I'm so dramatic, right?! But did I mention I was holding a baby on the side of the road, stranded?

Just then, I saw break lights. A car reversed and a man jumped out to see if we were okay.

I thanked him, and told him my Husband would arrive within 10 minutes.

He jumped back in his car and was off.

The car reversed back down the hill and the man jumped out and began directing traffic around my car.

He yelled up the hill "I will stay here until your Husband arrives. That way if anyone gets hit, it will be me and not you and the baby".

Okay, seriously? Did I really say I was losing faith in humanity?

Shame on me.

And he did just that.

Stood at the bottom of the hill (in front of oncoming traffic), putting himself at risk so that my car, my baby, and I were safe.

When I asked him his name (so that I could properly thank him later with a card and perhaps some baked goods) he shrugged his shoulders and said "Don't worry about it. I'm just a retired Grandfather"

Secretly, I think he may have been worried we would send him some of These Cookies

Either way, I am grateful for having been reminded that there are great people in the world, willing to put others before themselves.

Grateful for being reminded how quickly things can happen when you get caught up in the rush of life.

So, if even just for this moment... Slow Down & Celebrate Life.

I think I may just do the same.

The Kitchen Reno

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 04:10:00 +0000

After what felt like the longest renovation in the history of renovations, my kitchen has finally reached a point where I feel like it is nearly completed.

Of course, there are always little things that need to be done such as replacing the fridge for a stainless one, properly wiring the television, finishing the lighting and the trim... but, considering what we have gone through, these seem like minor touches.

We were very fortunate through the whole process, as the majority of the renovations were done by family members. Our main contractor was my Cousin, and our Kitchen cupboards were custom built by my very talented Aunt and Uncle.

There are many things that I love about my new kitchen, and a few months ago, I posted one of my favourites Here.

So, here you have it... The Before and After photos.

Before

(This was the kitchen before we moved in)

During

An example of the chaos we lived in.

Yes, I did take a photo with a box of diapers smack in the middle. And if you look really close, you can see a half-dead aloe plant near the back wall.

Walls and cupboards came down. Tile and carpets came up.

After

Eventually, we will replace the fridge (I keep repeating this with hopes that my Husband is reading)

Our newest addition is this custom built hall closet (on the left).

Another view of the closet.

Lighting and trim will need to be finished, and the T.V. will need to be properly wired... (Again, fingers crossed my Husband is reading).

And perhaps a nicer garage door (Just sayin').

Thanks for stopping by!

Annie Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:52:00 +0000

A few years ago, my Mother was diagnosed with 2 Brain Aneurysms. This is the story of our journey.

For Part 1 of this story click Here

The 40 minute drive home from the airport was agonizing. The frightening thoughts that were flowing through my head caused the tears to continually flow down my face.

I was deeply terrified of losing my Mom.

I knew very little about Brain Aneurysms, and I wasn't aware that people could survive them without major consequences. At the time, the only thing I knew was that my Mother would require brain surgery and that alone made me feel nauseated.

I finally made it home.

I sat in the driveway for a few moments listening to the raindrops pound against the car. {Attempting} to pull myself together, I walked in the house and went immediately to bed.

I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning, I drove back to my Mom's house to be with her. To console her and try to make her feel better about her recent diagnosis, but at the end of the day, she was consoling me.

Funny how that works.

The following day (Friday) we went to meet the Neurosurgeon at the hospital to find out their intended course of action with regards to her 2 Brain Aneurysms.

This was real.

After meeting with the surgeon, my Mom was admitted to the hospital immediately. Her surgery was scheduled for Sunday, but as a precautionary measure she would have to remain in the hospital in case of a sudden aneurysm rupture.

The arrival of Sunday was bittersweet. Knowing the risk of surgery was petrifying, but we were relieved she would finally be operated on.

My Mom and I at my wedding. 3 months before the surgery

Unexpected Emergencies filled the operating room, and the surgeons were well beyond their duty day. Finally, at 9:00 pm we watched her being wheeled away on her stretcher. Pit in our stomach and tears in our eyes.

I don't think there is anything more agonizing in the world than waiting when someone is in surgery.

And waiting...

And waiting...

We sat by the door that my Mom was supposed to be coming out from. Every time the door opened, we would peek in as if it would make her come out faster. She was the last scheduled surgery of the evening and it was well past midnight.

She finally came out.

I was shocked when I saw her. The bandage where they had shaved her hair. Her eyes were still closed and there was a lot of swelling in her face.

I'm not sure why I was surprised, but I was.

The surgery was successful, but they were only able to get one of the two aneurysms, which meant we would have to go through this whole ordeal again in the near future.

The surgeon told us my Mom would be taken to the intensive care unit, and we would be able to see her within half an hour.

We felt a sense of relief.

This was short lived, when approximately 15 minutes later we heard

"CODE BLUE, INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. CODE BLUE, INTENSIVE CARE UNIT."

We knew it was my Mom.

To be continued...

For Part 3 of this story click Here

In Preparation for Bake Off

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Mon, 02 May 2011 01:41:00 +0000

After the devastating tragedies which took place in Japan, my friend Sue Jean and I decided to organize an Easter Bake sale to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross-Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami Fund.

The sale took place on Wednesday April 20th at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, targeting the employees of Air Canada.

I can't lie... I was seriously nervous! We had absolutely no idea how many people to expect and this was my first bake sale.

I envisioned the two of us coming home at the end of the day with boxes and boxes full of cookies and squares that hadn't sold.

Still, I set a personal {unrealistic} goal of $1000, and {secretly} I felt a little sorry for our husbands.

You see, Sue Jean and I had decided that if we didn't sell everything, the husbands (Mike & Dave) would either be selling our leftovers to their colleagues, OR they would be purchasing everything themselves at double the asking price.

It made sense. If we had that much left over, we would have no choice but to charge Mike and Dave double to make up for lost sales. :)

In total, we went through 24 pounds of Butter, 22 kilograms of Flour, 15 Kilograms of Sugar, and 7 flats of Eggs.

Incredibly, we managed to sell out of everything 2.5 hours before the end of the sale.

Lucky for Mike and Dave.

We were so busy during the sale that we didn't manage to get any decent pictures...but that's okay... busy is good!

We surpassed our goal and raised a total of

$1461

for the Canadian Red Cross.

I would like to thank the following people for all of their assistance in the planning and execution of our Bake Sale.

Carin Brown and Mike Trauzzi of Air Canada

for all of their hard work with the permits, tables, and set up for the event.

Nathalie Rebelo of Rebelo Photo & Design

for designing and donating posters

I would also like to thank a number of companies for donating baking supplies, allowing us to keep our costs low, and surpass our fundraising goal.

To the Air Canada Employees and our Family and Friends who purchased items from our Bake Sale.

Finally, I would like to thank Dave, Mike and my Mother, for all the work they did to help us out.

Thank you for making our event a success!

The Zucchini was Doomed From the Beginning...

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:23:00 +0000

I made Zucchini bread tonight.

I multiplied the recipe by 4... I didn't have enough Zucchini, so I re-wrote the recipe for 3 loaves.

Ran out of oil. Ran to the store for more. forgot the zucchini.

For some ~~stupid~~ reason, I kept both recipes side by side... and somewhere along the way, I reverted back to the 4 loaf recipe and added 2 extra cups of sugar to...

You see, with lack of sleep, comes lack of brain cells... and I have definitely been lacking both this week.

So now, it's after 1 o'clock in the morning, and I am left with some very ugly... very collapsed zucchini loaves with a crust of sugar on top (that don't even warrant a decent photo ~ so here you have one from my iphone).

On the brighter side of things...Guess what's for breakfast!

Sock Monkey Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:13:00 +0000

My latest cookie adventure involved these Sock Monkey Cookies

Now, from this photo the little guys don't look that bad right?

Well, unfortunately this Photo was taken before things went terribly wrong for us ("us" meaning me and the monkeys).

The icing wasn't drying, and I was *running out of time*.

By Friday morning I was certain these little guys wouldn't be dry in time for delivery (They were for that evening), but I crossed my fingers and carried on. By the afternoon, I thought things were looking up as they seemed dry enough to package... I mean they had been drying for a couple of days.

I packaged all the cookies individually in cellophane bags and tied them with pretty ribbons, and I was pretty happy with them... until I looked down and noticed the red mouth was sweating and the black icing had smudged all over the place.

They looked like The Joker... and I almost cried.

{insert word of choice here}... What. A. DISASTER!

I found out afterwards that the cookies did not need to be packaged. (I know... had I asked in the beginning, the joker face could have been avoided all together!)

But, not having to re-package the monkeys, allowed me to carefully rub off the black and re-draw the mouth.

The bleeding red icing is a whole other story..

Do you have any tricks for working with red icing, and icing that won't dry?

Utensil Organization

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 02:32:00 +0000

When we purchased our house we had the intentions of renovating the kitchen within the year. Of course one year led to another, and {finally} after five years we took the plunge.

The original kitchen was a fairly decent size, but it just did not function well at all. I'm not going to lie, it drove me absolutely bonkers!

What started out as a kitchen reno, quickly turned into a kitchen/living room/dining room renovation. Walls and cupboards came down. Tile and carpets came up.

It was utter chaos, and I was so excited!

It has been over a year since we moved back into the kitchen, and although the renovation has not yet been completed, it is a gazillion times better than it was.

One of my favorite new additions was a 2 level custom cutlery drawer, which I turned into a storage drawer for my baking utensils. Spatulas, piping tips, couplers, brushes, etc. all in one spot.

You don't need a custom drawer to achieve this. There are many companies that make cutlery inserts that you can simply slip inside your existing drawers.

I know it has made my life so much easier!

Posted on I'M LOVIN' IT FRIDAYS!

Frosting for the Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:11:00 +0000

I am so excited to be guest posting for Frosting for the Cause today. Please click Here to come for a visit.

Frosting for the Cause is a 365 day project to raise money and awareness for women's Cancer. Every day, a new blogger bakes cookies or cupcakes, and agrees to donate them to a local Women's Hospice. Additionally each participant also agrees make a personal donation to Cancer research. By the end of the year $9125 will be raised.

I'm so thrilled to be a part of this project. If you're interested in participating, click here for more information. Do it! it's fun, and it's for a great cause!

Annie~part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Bediels & Co. (Jen)) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 20:26:00 +0000

A few years ago, my Mother was diagnosed with 2 Brain Aneurysms. This is the story of her journey.

Tuesday September 4th, 2007.

My mind is racing like crazy.

The opening of the aircraft door is like the gunshot signaling the start of a marathon. The hum of rolling suitcases and the clicking of shoes through the airport terminal fills my head, and I can't think.

Being stuck at work {on an airplane} for the past 12 hours, and having no communication with the outside world, is enough to make you crazy when you have things going on at home. Every second matters when you step off the aircraft.

The race is on. The mad dash through the terminal seems agonizing, as the anticipation of this moment has been consuming me all day.

I need to get out of the airport. I need to make the phone call.

My mother had an appointment earlier that day with a Neurologist, and I desperately needed to hear the diagnosis.

My beautiful Mother, Paty

The symptoms started a few weeks earlier (August 13th) during a family luncheon. A mild, unusual headache would begin around lunchtime and last throughout the day, and in to the next.

An appointment with the Doctor for an evaluation, would turn into many, and the diagnosis would change from one illness to another.

During her initial visit with the Doctor, she was told it was nothing serious. Advil or Tylenol, along with rest should do the trick.

And, the headache continued.

A day later, blurred vision would send my Mother to the hospital. Following a CT scan which returned clear, she was sent home with a prescription for what they called a severe sinus infection.

By now the fear began to set in.

She had Never experienced a sinus infection before, but my Mom was certain it was not her sinuses.

Then came the diagnosis of a Migraine.

New symptoms were beginning to emerge and her vision was slowly becoming compromised. Her left eye was gradually beginning to droop and by the end of the week she was unable to open it.

I began to feel sick, as suddenly there was the realization that there was definitely something, seriously, wrong.

It was now September 4th... 3 weeks since the initial headache began and she was diagnosed with the following. Headache. Sinus infection. Migraine. Optic Neuritis. And now the possibility of MS.

It wasn't until she was referred to an ophthalmologist who saw something wrong neurologically and he immediately sent my Mom for a MRI and a CT scan with contrast dye... and then on to a Neurologist.

I finally make it to my car...

"Mom, what did they say?"

"Well." She said. "I have 2 brain Aneurysms"

Just like that.

My heart fell to the pit of my stomach. I tried to keep my composure while on the phone, but as soon as I hung up, the tears began flowing, uncontrollably down my face.

To be Continued...

For Part 2 of this story click here