Tales From the Fairy Blogmother

what's cooking wednesday - breakfast bars

2009-11-10T22:36:00.003-05:00

The recipe for these breakfast bars was printed in this year's Milk calendar which just came with my latest issue of Canadian Living. I thought these would be a great easy to eat on the run breakfast snack that would help up my fibre intake in the morning.

picture tomorrow

Morning Glory Breakfast Bars

2 cups bran cereal
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup milk
3/4 cup drained canned crushed pineapple
1/2 cup plain yogurt (not fat free)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup liquid honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 13 X 9 inch pan with tinfoil, leaving a 2 inch over hang at each end. Lightly butter foil.

In a bowl combine bran cereal, carrots, milk, pineapple and yogurt. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Whisk egg and honey into milk mixture. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until just moistened.

Spread into prepared pan, smoothing out the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Recipe Notes: Well Mike was not a fan, but my guinea pig - ML and I both liked them. They are super moist and it doesn't really seem like you're eating a lot of fibre. Mike wasn't a fan, but that's fine.... more for me. The only small adjustment I'd make is to up the cinnamon. I like a stronger cinnamon taste.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

family fun night - board games

2009-11-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

We haven't had an organized family fun night in a while now. What with the busy schedules and the kids taking turns being sick, it just hasn't happened. So Friday night seemed a good night for game night. Abby wanted to play Disney Scene It, like she always does, but I decided to veto that in favour of Five Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed. We actually got this last Christmas and hadn't yet played a single game. I'm not sure why not.

Now the box makes some pretty bold claims about how easy it is to get started. I admit I was skeptical, but it was true. The instructions were easy to read and simple to follow. Which is great when you're playing a game with little ones.

The game itself is fairly straight forward, you move your man around the board collecting tokens while adding monkeys to the bed. After each turn you get to press the red button on the bed post once. When the bed pops up, if your monkeys fall off the bed you have to take them back. To win you need to have all four tokens and four monkeys standing on the bed.

You know what was really great about this game? It was easy enough for Maya to play on her own. Usually when we play a board game Maya gets stuck "helping" either Mike or I. She was just over the moon to have a man of her own on the board. Abby helped her with counting out her spaces when it came time to move her man, but all other aspects of the game she could manage on her own. Call me a sappy Mom, but it was a nice "big girl" moment for my little My-Pie.

Of course you know the big attraction of the game is that little red button on the bedpost. Both girls just loved it when the bed would pop sending monkeys scattering across the table. This game was great because it was enjoyable for both a 7 year old and a 3 year old. It's not easy to find a game like that.

We were really rolling with a theme this weekend because Saturday found Grandma Sandi over for a little super Scrabble.

And Maya was, once again, the helper.

But she's such a good helper.

I didn't hold out much hope for winning because Grandma Sandi is a kick ass player. So I was pretty impressed with myself when she only beat me by 2 points. Especially with tiles like those.

Hope your weekend was just as fun!

knowing me, knowing you - november

2009-11-08T23:36:00.000-05:00

It's that time again... time for that monthly interview project I started - Knowing Me, Knowing You.

1. What's your strategy for gift giving this Christmas?

I think much like a lot of people this holiday season, we'll be cutting back. More of our gifts will be handmade and there will be more gifts of time this year. I've had fun this past year with the scrabble nights, the dinners and the family fun nights we've had with the Grandparents. And I have some other cool ideas up my sleeve that I can't tell you about here because of all the family lurking about.

2. How do you feel about the holiday newsletter?

Mike and I love receiving newsletters, but we've never sent one before. Now we're toying with the idea of writing one up this year. Thing is we're pretty boring folk. Whatever would I write about?

3. What's your favourite board game?

Well I'm down with just about any kind of board game. Or cards. Cards are good too. It is such a cheap night of entertainment in my opinion. I really love Scrabble, but I think probably my favourite game is Balderdash. Oh the laughs we have had at our kitchen table playing it. I think I need to organize a Balderdash night quick!

4. What's your favourite cold weather comfort dish?

I really love the casseroles and the pasta dishes we seem to eat more of over the winter, but by far my favourite cold weather comfort food is soup. There is just something so intensely satisfying about a hot bowl of soup and some fresh crusty bread on a cold night.

5. What is your favourite new show this season?

I am really loving Modern Family. If you're not watching it.... well you're just missing out. It is perfectly cast and so very funny. Uncle Dave thinks it's a cross between The Office and Arrested Development and I have to agree.

So now the rules, they're pretty simple. Post your answers to these questions on your own blog in the next few days. Remember to link back here in your post and sign the Mr. Linky too, so we can all see what you have to say. Please make sure you link to your actual KMKY post and not your blog's front page. Any front page links will be deleted. And most importantly, have fun! Have suggestions for next months questions? Leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know.

putting me in my place since 2002

2009-11-05T23:06:00.003-05:00

Abby and I were walking back home last Saturday night after crashing the Mommy Project's evening of wine and visiting with her family when I stopped, dead in my tracks, just a few feet from her driveway.

Why did you stop? The ever logical Abby asked me.

Well I had stopped because I'd heard loud, very likely drunken voices, coming from the little street that runs behind our house. I just wasn't sure if I was hearing angry drunken voices or just your run of the mill drunken voices. I'm not really sure why it mattered, except it was getting late on Halloween night, the streets were deserted, but pumpkins still glowed from front porches.... at the time it seemed like information I should have while walking home in the dark with a seven year old.

What I told Abby was this..... Oh I was just trying to hear those people talking.

Well that's inappropriate.

Really?! My seven year just told me I was inappropriate? Are you kidding?

It's inappropriate? I asked her.

Yes, it's inappropriate to listen to other people's secrets. We should just walk home and not listen.

And so we did.

wordless wednesday - a girl & her horse

2009-11-04T22:34:00.001-05:00

How about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wednesday - pepper steak

2009-11-03T23:10:00.002-05:00

This recipe is on my meal plan for this week. It's new to us, so I'm not sure how it will go over. I'm betting that the girls hate it though....

I'll let you know how it works out.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Ingredients

2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
garlic powder to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 6 to 8 hours.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

papa's big night

2009-11-02T22:28:00.002-05:00

So this past weekend promised to be very busy and full of all sorts of fun things. Then My-Pie got sick which sort of threw a wrench in the monkey works. Luckily my Mom was nice enough to stay with her Friday night so I didn't have to miss Papa receiving his award at the fair's Appreciation Night.

This year Papa was selected as one of two people to receive their life membership pins. It's a big honour and I was so proud to be amongst our friends and family sharing Papa's special moment with him.

Papa has a gift for saying the right thing at the right time and Friday night was no exception. His acceptance speech was sweet, sincere and brought a not so smallish lump to my throat. Abby was completely thrilled that the lady who gave Papa his award mentioned her (and the giant pumpkins she and Papa grow for the fair) by name.

Mike did very well in his capacity as Second Vice President. He introduced the invited dignitaries and the current board of directors. He must have read and reread his list a thousand times. It must of paid off because there was no stumbles.

Congratulations Papa on receiving your life membership.....

it's well deserved.

winner winner

2009-11-01T21:36:00.003-05:00

So it was nice of me to promise you all a giveaway and then never mention it again. I have to admit that end of the post was poorly organized. Never fear, my faithful readers. I promised to give away a gift card and give it away I shall. So I wrote down all your names (The Mommy Project gets 2 entries because she is a Twitter fiend. Seriously, pop onto Twitter at 11ish and you'll find us using it as our own personal IM). So I threw all you lovely Canadian ladies who commented via here or facebook or Twitter into a bowl, had my lovely assistant draw out a name and the winner is.....

The lovely Heather P.

Congrats Heazer. I'll ~~try to remember to~~ give this ~~and your pizza pan I've had for 2 months~~ to you next time we hook up. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks.

So what's up next for me?

How about a little virtual book club?

disclaimer: The kind folks at Indigo Books (via the ever helpful Sam at MS&L) have supplied me with a selection of current novels to read to kick off my own little virtual book club

Now my question to you is what should I read first?

1) The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown.

Okay here's the thing I've seen the DaVinci Code. Which creeped me out a little bit. I don't do well with religious/torture type stuff. That thing he strapped on his leg was enough for me to bail on it. Mike convinced me to watch the rest, but I couldn't get that image out of my head for ages. Overall I enjoyed the movie, though. I have book version sitting on my shelf, with about 67 others that are waiting to be read. I am curious to see how his writing differs from the story telling of the movie.

2) The Year of The Flood by Margaret Atwood.

I have read very little Margaret Atwood, but have enjoyed what I have read. I recently read an interview in a magazine with Ms. Atwood that piqued my interest about this book.

3) Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls.

I cannot tell you how much I loved her first book, The Glass Castle. I could not put it down and when I was done I made Michael read it just so I would have someone in the house to discuss it with. In fact I received these books earlier this week and Grandma Sandi already dove into Half Broke Horses on her babysitting day here before the girls woke up. A few dozen pages in and she's already raving about it. And when Granny was here watching a sick Maya for me, she was strongly tempted to pick it up as well, but her patient was too demanding.

So those are my choices.... what do you think? Have you read any of these? Are you currently reading any? Do you want to read along with me?

spooky

2009-10-31T23:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight was Halloween and Abby has been over the moon excited about this for weeks. Ever since she decided she was going to be "a bat, but not a baseball bat. Just a regular bat. Like a vampire bat." And Maya, well she decided on a fairy and then she got sick. Horribly sick, poor little thing. Good news was she was so under the weather she didn't even care she was missing out on the trick or treating. Also she's still a bit to young to have any idea what she was missing out on.

So Maya hung out with Grandma Sandi in her jammies while we wandered the village with The Mommy Project and her crew. The girls were a tad excited.

From the right that's the Abster as a vampire (she decided to change the bat thing up and left the wings at home and wore the cape), Maddie as Hannah Montana, Jamie as Gabrielle from HSM and little Colie as Dipsy.

The wind was wicked and a touch bitter tonight. I even went so far as to pull out the scarf and stash a pair of mitts in my pocket. We weren't out very long before Abby declared herself too cold to continue.

I think, hands down, the highlight of her costume was the vampire teeth and the can of black hairspray/pain that Granny picked up for her. She's already lobbying hard for skipping tomorrow night's bath so she can wear her "black" hair to school. Any guesses who's going to win that one?

This year we went with a pirate theme with the pumpkins.

I carved the ship.

Mike carved the skull. Not bad, huh?

Overall it was a pretty quiet night. We didn't have anywhere near the kids we normally do. I'm not sure if it was actual sickness or the threat of sickness that was keeping everyone home. After heading home to warm up for a bit Abby and I ventured back over to The Mommy Project's house where we burst in on her and her house guests and invited ourselves in for the party. Lucky her my date for cards with ML and crew got canceled (but I still kept her company while one of her guys trick or treated, the other was home sick on the couch). Leaving me free to invite myself over. Two pop ins this week, I'm not sure how she puts up with me.

you capture - fall

2009-10-29T23:10:00.003-04:00

This week's you capture prompt was fall. So enjoy the pictures I snapped while My-Pie and I took a stroll around the neighbourhood.

Guess what.... that's The Mommy Project's tree.

you capture hosted by...

parenting fail

2009-10-28T23:36:00.003-04:00

A long time ago I told Abby that the icing sugar on her pancakes was actually pixie dust to avoid a meltdown at the restaurant we were having breakfast at. not long ago we were out for breakfast with the kids and when Abby ordered pancakes the waitress asked if she'd like icing sugar on them. Abby had idea what she was talking about so I turned to The Abster and asked if she'd like pixie dust on her pancakes. She said she did and when the waitress walked away she said to me...

I know that's not really pixie dust on my pancakes.

Why don't you think it's pixie dust?

Because after I eat it I can't fly.

So first off, she's figuring me out. I'm either going to have to knock it off with the little "white lies" or get better at it.

Secondly and more alarming... she's trying to fly?! I can only hope it involved standing on the ground and flapping her arms really hard.

Yeah, I'm awesome!

what's cooking wednesday - frittata

2009-10-27T23:11:00.003-04:00

Tonight seemed like a good night for a frittata. Never mind that I had never actually made one before.

Bacon & Green Onion Frittata

6 strips of bacon, chopped
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fresh parsley
10 eggs
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder

In a 10 inch cast iron or oven proof non-stick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about six minutes. Drain off fat. Sprinkle green onions and parsley over bacon in the skillet.

Whisk together eggs, cheese, milk and baking powder until light and frothy; pour over bacon mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven until set and golden brown, 35-40 minutes.

Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a spatula around and under the frittata, invert onto plate and serve.

Recipes: Well this was a really big hit, with a couple of minor changes. I left out the parsley and only chopped up two green onions, way less that 3/4 cup. Just that little bit was enough for my picky eaters. As it was Maya refused to eat dinner at all, which is par for the course. She'd much rather skip a meal than try anything new. Abby was reluctant to try it because of the green onion, but I told her that it the green was made from tinkerbell's hat. She's at the age where she doesn't really believe me when I tell her these things, but she's still young enough that she's not ready to admit it to me yet. So we played the game and she ate the frittata, tinkerbell's hat and all, and really enjoyed it. I loved the parmesan in this too. Very nice flavour that wasn't too overpowering. This is definitely going into rotation.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

jenga photo shoot

2009-10-26T22:26:00.003-04:00

Last week before Uncle Dave and his pal Julio headed back up North, Abby talked them both into a game of Jenga. Turns out Uncle Dave had never played Jenga before and I think he was surprised to find out how much fun it was. And hanging with photogs means someone is always snapping pictures.

I love this picture of Abby. Every now and then I'll catch her sitting like this. Julio snapped these and I love his record of that morning playing Jenga. I love the way he edited the pictures. He's such a talented guy, you have no idea.

And then he shot this...... which I love more than I can say. Maya is such a complex little girl with such huge emotions and this one photo perfectly sums up my three year old My-Pie. It might not be true a year or six years from now, but it is a completely perfect representation of this point in her life.

And despite the look of utter disgust on her face, I smile every time I look at it.

always - a review

2009-10-25T23:06:00.001-04:00

disclaimer - I was provided with a free package of Always Flexi-Style to try out in exchange for an honest review of the product. I also received a $10 LaSenza gift card.

First off I have to say, for the record, I am not a panty liner girl.

Oh no. Wait, what I meant to say first was a warning to any and all boys that may be reading.... this is a post about lady days and lady business so.... nothing to see here, let's move along.

Okay, so where was I? Oh yes..... so not a panty liner girl. I mean I just didn't see the point of them. They are impossibly thin and never stayed where they are supposed to. So when I was contacted about trying out the new Always Flexi-Style my first instinct was to offer up a big thanks, but no thanks. Because as much as I don't have a huge issue with accepting products for review it has to be something I or my family would use or be interested in. So I started to type up my - I appreciate the offer, but - email when I had second thoughts. You see I didn't think the Always maxi pad I reviewed a while back was going to be a big deal either, but it was. Huge! So I thought, let's give it a try. See if the Always folks can wow me again.

And they did. While the panty liner is still impossible thin, this one actually stayed where I stuck it. It's like it became one with my underwear. And, bonus, with it's thin flexible edges that fold it easily fits many different types of undies, from thongs to granny panties. I'm going to have to take their word on the thong part, my unmentionables drawer leans toward the granny panty variety. Actually I love the boy shorts, but grab the briefs during the lady days.

And speaking of my lady days, the Always Flexi-style was perfect for the tail end of them. You know when a tampon is completely out of the question and a regular maxi pad just seems like overkill, but if you're daring and go with just your underwear.... well, we ladies know that's how you end up with "period panties". The ones that only see the light of day once a month or... you know... if you fall behind on the laundry. I will be adding the Always Flexi -Style to my lady days regime. The Always Flexi-Style are now available across Canada at $3.99 for a pack of 50.

Before I wind this up, I bet you're curious about what my underwear choice says about me..... yeah, I knew you were. Apparently by wearing boy shorts I am telling the world that I am a hip and sporty girl. Well I'm not so sure about the sporty part, but I'm definitely hippy. Wait... what? I don't think that's what they meant. I'm also independent and fun. Yeah, fun! I'm definitely fun. And I would choose a day at the beach over a day at the mall. Yeah... not so much. I do enjoy a good day at the mall.

What about my thong wearing friends? Well they're stylish, sexy and confident. And my bikini brief buddies (I'm a 50/50 boy shorts/bikini briefs kinda girl) - we like routine and the comfort of doing what works for us. Well I'd give a big hell ya to that. We enjoy fashion, but value practicality. Yep, sounds about right.

And now if you've made it this far, thanks so much! To reward you I'm offering up that $10 gift card to LaSenza that I mentioned in the disclaimer, so you can buy yourself a pair of panties in your preferred style. And by you I mean my Canadian friends. All I ask is that you leave me a comment either here or on facebook for my "fans" (and by fans I mean my dearest friends and family) or tweet about this post and let me know about it to get yourself another entry.

Good Luck!

can you feel the love

2009-10-24T23:45:00.002-04:00

Tonight I overheard the following conversation between Maya, the well known drama queen, and big sister.

Maya: My sister hates me!
Abby: I don't hate you, it's just sometimes you're annoying.

you capture - technology

2009-10-22T23:50:00.002-04:00

This week's you cature prompt was technology and I have to admit I was far from hyped up about it when I read that. I couldn't think of anything more boring that taking pictures of my cell phone (which is not an iPhone). Turns out it was more fun than I thought.

I know it's a horse, and not technology as such, but can you imagine the technological break through that occurred when bridles, halters and removable lead lines were invented? Abby is now taking private riding lessons at a new stable, this is Moose, he was just hanging out waiting for the next class.

you capture, hosted by...

wordless wednesday - back in the saddle

2009-10-21T23:11:00.002-04:00

How about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wedneday - that time again

2009-10-20T23:27:00.002-04:00

Well it doesn't happen all that often, but this week is it. I am being kind to myself and taking the week off from WCW. I was totally exhausted tonight and actually fell asleep on the couch when Mike thought I was putting the kids to bed. Oops. By the time he realized what had happened it was only 15 minutes past bedtime, so that wasn't too bad.

I think I just had a horrible sleep last night. We received notification yesterday that there is a respiratory outbreak at Abby's school. Mike was at a meeting so I spent time on the phone with The Mommy Project (we also tweeted... a lot), ML's fabulous husband and oldest son and my beautiful Robin trying to make the best decision for The Abster. At this time it is not an H1N1 outbreak, but when 10% of the school's population is out sick the Public Health Department starts to take notice. Robin and I talked it around in circles before I finally came to the conclusion that it was likely "best" to send her to school. There is just so much information from so many outlets it gets hard to figure out who's shooting it to you the straightest.

Even though I made the decision and Mike and I were both in agreement about it I continued to torture myself by running over the entire thing from every possible angle a kajillion times. I'm sure it wasn't condusive to a restful night's sleep.

Anyway, while I'm catching up on my sleep feel free to browse the other WCW entries or click the WCW link over there in the sidebar and wander through past posts.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

sunday photo walk

2009-10-18T23:12:00.003-04:00

My brother and a friend of his are here spending the night. They both have a heavy interest in photography (in addition his pal is a chef, who's food is out of this world beautiful) with the cameras to back it up. So I felt a little out of my league when they invited me on a photo walk this afternoon. Me with my point shoot, granted it's somewhat of a fancy point and shoot, but they have the serious hardware.

I find since I've been taking more pictures I look at my surroundings differently. Wondering what kind of shot I could frame. Today I didn't shoot very much at all. Uncle Dave and I were too busy filling his friend in on the history of our little village with a few dozen personal anecdotes thrown in. So we chatted and I listened and watched. Paid attention to what they were paying attention too and resisted the urge to hoist my camera whenever they hoisted theirs. I did manage a couple of shots I really love though......

even if it did have to be pointed out to me.....

It was a lovely moment. I can honestly say I haven't ever been so close to a butterfly in the wild before. Of course it goes without saying that as lovely as my are pictures something tells me his were much nicer...

Ahhh camera envy, it went well with my iPhone envy. The boys had both on them today.

friday high five - fall

2009-10-16T17:53:00.000-04:00

Fall is, by far, my favourite season. Which seems odd when you factor in all the anxiety inducing "holidays" I deal with (back to school & Halloween). So for this week's Friday High Five:

My Five Favourite Things About Fall.....

1. I love the shift in my cooking. I make more soups, stews and casseroles. More comfort food. By the end of summer I am ready to be done with the grilling.

2. The weather. I mean summer is great. I love being in the pool with the kids, but there is nothing like a crisp and cool fall day. Although I'm sure The Mommy Project would heartily disagree.

3. TV nights with the candles lit and my knitting. I don't seem to bother much with either in the warmer months.

4. The fair, as much work and chaos as it brings into our lives, I still love it.

5. I even like the shorter days. Just kind of brings a slower pace to our lives and that is not a bad thing at all.

you capture - still life

2009-10-15T00:22:00.001-04:00

It's no secret that I have never been a fan of Halloween. People in costumes make me feel very anxious, yes even little kids. I'm not sure why and I realize it's completely irrational, but it's how I feel. Or rather, how I felt. I have noticed that since Abby arrived on the scene, the anxiety I typically feel around fall has lessened significantly each year. (Back to school time, also made me very anxious, even as an adult.) In fact, this year I am actually looking forward to Halloween and we've even decorated. It seemed the perfect subject for this week's you capture prompt - still life.

Our scarecrow, Maya deemed him "scary" the second she met him. He actually hangs out on our front door.

Indian corn. These cobs are particularly swirly and beautiful.

Abby thought it would look a bit more festive with her webkinz, Eagie on the scene. Notice how the squirrels have been helping themselves to a free lunch.

Yep, we're looking pretty festive this year.

you capture, hosted by --

wordless wednesday - mike behind the lens

2009-10-14T23:46:00.001-04:00

How about a little wordless wednesday?

what's cooking wednesday - apple muffins

2009-10-13T22:33:00.002-04:00

So we went apple picking and then I had apples coming out my ears. So I made some pies and some apple butter and I still had a lot of apples left. Hmmm what else to do.... apple muffins. A nice break from the oatmeal chocolate chip ones the girls love.

I'll try for a picture tomorrow...

Apple Cinnamon muffins

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped apple

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the bottoms of a muffin tin or lie with paper baking cups.

Beat milk, oil and egg in a large bowl with a fork or wire whisk. Stir in flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until flour is moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Fold in apples. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Recipe Notes: I didn't make any changes here. A quick and easy recipe that I will certainly add to my lunch treats rotation.

What is What's Cooking Wednesday and how can I play?

What's cooking Wednesday was born out of a desire to get out of that what's for dinner rut. Playing is easy, on Wednesday post a recipe that has been tried and tested by you and then pop over here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. When entering your name also add the name of the recipe in brackets and make sure you link to your What's Cooking Wednesday post and not just your blog's front page. *All front page links will be deleted!* Don't make me be a jerk. And don't forget to link back here, the home of What's Cooking Wednesday.

So for example I would write Shan (Speedy Chicken Stir Fry) in the name section. For the URL section I would post this: http://shanrev.blogspot.com/2007/10/whats-cooking-wednesday-speedy-chicken.html

I'll let you in on a little secret, my WCW recipes are almost never made on a Wednesday. So feel free to cook and photograph whenever you have time and join us posting on Wednesday

happy thanksgiving

2009-10-12T23:17:00.002-04:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends out there. And now I'll wrap up this holiday weekend with what I am thankful for....

My Michael. Even if he wasn't home one single night this past week. He let me nap this afternoon, so I'd say we're even. Also he picked up some corn stalks, hay bales and pumpkins to make our front porch look all Halloweenie.

My girls! They gave me a run for my money at the mall yesterday, but today to make up for it... they played quietly together all day with nary a fight between them. I'm just going to mark that one down on the calendar.

Our parents, somehow I managed to see all of the parents this weekend. A rare occurence indeed.

That we have jobs and a house and our health.

That Abby has finally started making the trek to the bathroom in the middle of the night all by herself.

For The Office marathon that was on this afternoon. Even better there were minimal commercials. And they showed one of my favourite episodes - when Michael ran Meredith over with his car which resulted in the fun run for Rabies. Genius. Although I was disappointed I slept through my other favourite episode, which was Michael's deposition. Even still I watched a lot of The Office today! Awesome Blossom, extra awesome.

What are you thankful for?

i hate technology

2009-10-11T23:39:00.001-04:00

Dudes, it is two thousand and nine. I should be able to easily get my pictures from my phone to the internet. After a kajillion hours I finally figured out how to send them to my online album, but now guess what..... I can't access the online album. And I need these pictures to adequately explain to you my impromptu shoe shopping excursion with Abby. Actually with Abby, Grandma Linda and Maya.... just call us crazy, but it seemed like the right thing to do today. The story is gold, but at the same time it's nothing without the pictures. This would be reason #1256 - why I need an iphone.