Canadian Rhapsody

Messy Mom Monday Vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:48:00 +0000

guess who’s back. back again.

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:46:00 +0000

I know I’ve popped back in a couple of times saying that I’m going to start posting more regularly again (even once a week would be an accomplishment at this point), and I’m sorry I haven’t kept that promise.

Things in our personal life have gotten pretty busy between moving to a new house, taking care of two little boys at home for some extra income, and some other ‘projects’ I’ve been working on (more on that tomorrow), all with a husband who is away a lot for work.

The other reason I’ve been missing around here is a bit harder to explain. Blogging seemed to lose some of it’s lustre for a while and it took some soul searching to figure out where (and if) I wanted this blog to go in the future. Mostly, it was because of the following reasons:

One, some of the bigger bloggers seem to think that just because people regularly visit their blog they want to hear them judging other people, and criticizing the way others do things. I’m not saying that I don’t sometimes have the judgies pop up when I see people doing things a certain way, but to put it on your blog or twitter is another thing. My first instinct was to step away from blogging because I don’t want to be part of a community that does that, but as I’ve thought about it more over the past few months, I’ve come to realize that it shouldn’t matter what others do. I should blog for me and be happy knowing that I behave differently.

Another reason is that I took a job doing corporate blogging for a company, and besides the stress of posting three times a day over there, posting according to someone else’s editorial calendar and topics can make blogging pretty blah. Preparing to get the house on the market and then packing it up for the move ended up being overwhelming with Craig away so much, so (to much relief) that job had to go, but it still took a little while to get my blogging mojo back.

All of that to say that I’ve been working through some problems with my attitude about blogging, and I’m back with hopefully more authenticity, more real-life, every day posts, and of course lots of new projects as we make this new house our home.

See you tomorrow with some updates about our first big project!

Holiday Baking: Ginger Crinkles

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:37:00 +0000

Now that we’re {mostly} unpacked in our new place, I’ve started menu planning again and am gearing up for the holiday season with some Christmas baking. I’ve got a cookie exchange on Thursday with my Mom & Tots group, so I decided to do something pretty basic but {hopefully!} unique.

This can be one of those recipes that turns out differently in every kitchen. Mine always end up with little cracks all over the top, and with a nice crust over a chewy centre, but I know my mom is never able to get ginger cookies to crackle with most recipes.

Enjoy!

Ginger Crinkles

¾ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 T grated fresh ginger*

½ t ground cinnamon

½ t ground cloves

¼ t salt

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup coarse sugar

¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

**If you choose to use crystallized ginger in the sugar mixture, decrease the grated fresh ginger in the dough to 2 teaspoons**

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, fresh ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and molasses. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

Shape dough into 1-inch round balls. In a small bowl, combine the coarse sugar and, if desired, the crystallized ginger. Roll balls in sugar mixture to coat. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set and tops are crackled. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Makes 48 cookies.

If you want to make these cookies ahead of time, prepare, bake and cool cookies as directed. Layer cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Big News!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:06:00 +0000

After what seems like MONTHS of hard work and a bazillion showings, we’ve sold our condo and bought a new house. The whole process wasn’t without a few hiccups, but at the end of the day we’re happy to be moving into someplace new!

First, here are some pictures of our current condo, since I don’t think I’ve ever posted a full house tour before!

The Details:

Our Condo was 797 square feet, had only 3 rooms (the living room/kitchen, and the two bedrooms), and the only windows were one each in the two bedrooms. The living room had a giant 3 panel sliding glass door that lets in a lot of light though. We had one designated parking spot and a small patio out back that we had our BBQ and patio set on. Storage was limited to the laundry room (which also houses the water heater and is only about 4x4 feet!), the bedroom closets and our small outdoor storage room (3x3) that we were required to put our trash into and cannot lock. So, it’s basically pointless.

The pluses of our condo were having 2 full bathrooms, including an ensuite; a ‘walk through’ closet and a gas fireplace. And that’s about it.

Our new place has about 1602 square feet plus the unfinished basement which we are planning on finishing this spring, hopefully bringing the square footage to about 2100. There are 4 bedrooms, a fabulous kitchen, dining room and living room, 3 bathrooms (including another ensuite for us that has a giant tub), a garage, a nice well kept lot, and lots of storage space. The driveway has room for 4 cars (I can park my car behind Craig’s pickup even), and once the basement is done we’ll have tons of room for hosting our small group and entertaining, both of which are important for Craig and I.

We have some great friends living very close by the new house and closer to Craig’s work (by about 5-10 minutes), but it’s still in our town, which we love. Anyways, here are some photos of the main floor of the new place. We’re still unpacking and arranging the upstairs.

Outside:

The Foyer and Stairwell:

The Living Room:

The Dining Room:

The Kitchen:

We haven’t done any painting yet, and I have yet to put up any window coverings beyond the white blinds that came with the house down here.

I’ll be back soon with the list of projects/renovations we’ll be doing around here, as well as with a tour of the upper level.

road trippin’: the deets

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:35:00 +0000

Ok, I have returned.

The reason we were travelling down to the US in the first place was because of our friends, Cale and Victoria. They were getting married in Cedar Falls, IA, and since flights were pretty pricey, we decided that we’d borrow a trailer (from my MIL’s friends) and make a road trip out of it.

On the first leg our our journey, we travelled down through Michigan and visited our friend Chris. He was one of Craig’s groomsmen at our wedding and lives about 40 minutes north of Grand Rapids.

After a few days there, we travelled on to Iowa, with an overnight stop in Utica, IL so we weren’t driving too long of stretches for Emily. Friday to Sunday we were celebrating with the Robinson family and enjoyed a delicious Mexican fiesta for the rehearsal dinner.

Next, we travelled back to Illinois so we could spend some time in Chicago. We stayed in a RV park near Yorkville, IL, and when we were driving in there both Craig and I had the first impression of “this is where horror movies take place”. It was seriously creepy. Luckily we were spending as little time in/at the trailer as possible already at this point, so we just made sure we were locked up tight at night and Craig kept a knife by the bed (he couldn’t bring a gun across the border…lol). We tried deep dish pizza for the first time (meh.) and visited our first Trader Joe’s (amazing.) our first night out.

In Chicago we visited the Shedd Aquarium then walked along the waterfront to the Navy Pier. Emily LOVED the fish and dolphins at the aquarium and we even dressed her up as a penguin at one point. At the pier, we ate dinner, enjoyed some Starbucks (I think we stopped there about 10 times over the course of the trip…it was vacation, right?) and took a ride on the ferris wheel, where I took a bunch of great photos of my family and the Chicago skyline.

Once we were done in Chicago, we travelled straight through Indiana and Iowa to Grove City, PA. We’d heard there was some tax free shopping in that state, so we visited the outlets and bought a bunch of Christmas presents and part of a new wardrobe for myself (I’ve lost 15lbs, woot woot!).

After 2 nights in PA, we made the relatively short (after 10 days of driving) trip home to Collingwood. At this point Emily is a veteran road tripper and on the 7-8 hour drive home, I think we only ever heard her cry once; that was after 8pm when she was needing bedtime. The rest of the time she naps or plays with her toys and books, or I sit in the back and we play games.

Originally, we were planning to travel on from PA to New York City for a few days, then on up the East Coast through Massachusetts and then back through Vermont and New York.

BUT.

Our first evening in Chicago (our second night in the trailer) we were getting Emily ready for bed and noticed all sorts of red splotches around her belly button and under her arms. She had been playing on the ground at the campsite so I wondered at first if there were bug bites or something, so I rubbed some cream on them and finished getting her ready.

The next morning the splotches around her belly button had gone away, but her chest and under her arms were almost solid red. I bought some hydrocortisone cream at Target and tried that, but the next morning it was even worse, so we decided to take her to a doctor at the local clinic. After lots of head scratching the doctor thought she had hives and we answered all sorts of questions about any new things Emily had been in contact with. We told her about Em crawling around at the campsite, and the doctor agreed it could be something there. We had bathed her that night after she was crawling around, but it still could have irritated her or she breathed something in. Thank God for Craig’s Blue Cross coverage through the military, because all we had to pay for was the $13 prescription for Prednisilone, which we’ll submit for our money back.

That day, we travelled on to Utica, and while we were there, we washed all of our clothing and the sheets with her detergent (soap nuts), and that day (Friday) she had her best day yet, with freshly cleaned clothing and on the prednisilone. We thought we had figured it out and she would get better over a couple of days, but still, every morning when we woke up she would be covered with hives, and over the course of the day while we were away from the trailer she would get better. If she wore clothing that hadn’t been in the trailer, she had her best days. We soon realized that something about the trailer was making her sick and made the decision to come home early as subjecting her to 10 extra days in the trailer (and constant ‘allergic’ reactions) would have been a bad idea.

Our best guess is that there is mold or something growing in the trailer, as part of the linoleum floor against one wall is buckled from water leaking in at some point and who knows what is growing under there.

All in all we had a great trip together as a family, and I’m excited for future vacations because Craig has promised me a trip to New York City just the two of us!

road trippin’

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:35:00 +0000

I know you’re surprised I’m posting. I’m kind of surprised I found the motivation to post myself, but I do want to get back here more regularly. At some point…

Anyway, we had planned to road trip through the US from the 13th to the 30th of September, but had to come back 10 days early. Here are some of my favourite photos from the trip, and I’ll be back tomorrow with some writings about why we were there in the first place and why we came home early.

ask for feedback

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:27:00 +0000

Out of all the suggestions for working smart, this one is probably my favourite and most closely tied to my personal work style.

If you’re just stopping in now, I’ve been looking at 4 work smart rules I found at the JustJobs Academy!

1. Don’t suck at your job.
2. Don’t suck at email.
3. Take notes.
4. Ask for feedback

I’ve always been more of an introvert by nature, so those weeks leading up to our yearly performance evaluations were TORTURE as I imagined all of the things they might say. Once the meetings were over I was always walking on a cloud because feedback (good and suggestions for improvement) not only made me feel better about the job I was doing, but also gave me structure for how I could continue my job the next year.

One problem was that my boss wasn’t really one to tell you if you were doing a really good (or bad) job and we were given a lot of free reign with our programs so feedback was hard to come by. Knowing my own work style, it would have been important to go in early on and ask for more standards that I could compare myself to, and therefore create more room for feedback.

I don’t think asking for feedback just improves your current job; it also seems to show your employer that you’re serious about meeting the standards they set and will probably suggest to them that you could handle more.

How important is feedback to you?

This week I’ve been looking at some work smart rules in an effort to better prepare myself for going back to work part time this fall. I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

take notes

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Today is Rule #3 of the JustJobs Academy’s Work Smart list.

1. Don’t suck at your job.
2. Don’t suck at email.
3. Take notes.
4. Ask for feedback.

Do you remember those agendas they would hand out on the first day of school in elementary and high school (I think I may have even gotten them in university too)? I used to look through them at the end of the school year and feel bad about how much paper was wasted because I had MAYBE written on two or three of the pages. I’ve just never been a planner that way, and because my (pre-baby) memory has always been pretty good, a lot of the time I didn’t need one.

Once I started working though, it started to become obvious that writing down not only my own programs, events and appointments was important, but everyone else’s as well. Not only could I then make sure I didn’t schedule something when someone else needed the meeting area, or the drill hall, but I could also see at a glance what was happening that month and shape my programs around it.

Staff meetings are rife with note taking possibilities. Ours were always a chance to brainstorm together and there was a good possibility other coworkers would have a contact for me or an idea for an event. Every month our boss would report to us any feedback she’d been getting from our clients and from the head honcho’s on the base, and I THRIVED on hearing what I could do better. I’m sure the boss also appreciated that I wasn’t coming up afterwards asking for clarification or about something she’d already answered in the meeting!

Writing something down when someone is speaking (and looking up at them occasionally to indicate that its what they’re saying that you’re documenting!) can be beneficial in more ways than one. Your boss (or clients, etc.) will feel more listened to and respected if they see that you’re wanting to remember what they say!

Do you take a lot of notes at work?

This week I’ve been looking at some work smart rules in an effort to better prepare myself for going back to work part time this fall. I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

don’t suck at email

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m taking a look at some of the Work Smart rules posted at the JustJobs Academy, and today is rule 2 of the week:

1. Don’t Suck at your Job
2. Don’t Suck at Email
3. Take Notes
4. Ask for Feedback

I remember the initial weeks working at my last job and feeling overwhelmed when I started to receive the influx of emails that are unavoidable working on a large base. I needed a system.

Microsoft Outlook was a foreign concept to me having only used Hotmail and Gmail in the past, but it was relatively easy to learn the ins and outs and start making the most of its features.

First, I created folders for my different events and programs and then created filters (based on sender email or subject line) to direct incoming email into these folders. Having mail automatically sorted as it came in made it easy to identify urgent messages, spam, and mail from new senders. Most of the base mail I could typically ignore, so having it out of my inbox kept things uncluttered.

Another great feature that I loved was the ability to request read receipts and to set an automated vacation response. Knowing when someone had read an email I’d sent was invaluable when I needed a response and could then give them a call if I hadn’t heard back. The value of the vacation responder is kind of obvious; it’s nice when people know that you’re away and can’t respond at the moment instead of them waiting for a few weeks wondering!

As time went on, I started getting messages saying that my inbox was getting too full, so I created offline files on my computer (that show up in the bottom of the folder pane in Outlook) and every month or so, I began moving all of my emails that were over a month old into the offline files. I could still easily search through the old emails, but they took up space on my hard drive instead of my inbox allotment.

No matter what your job is at work, they need to know that when you are sent an email (or letter, or phone call) that you will respond in a timely matter, and in an appropriate way. I’ve learned for sure that spelling and grammar is important while emailing at work (so no LOLs either), but emails that are straight to the point and provide all of the relevant information are important too. Don’t blabber.

A signature was always a big time saver too. It was easy to create one and afterwards whenever I opened up a new email, it was automatically at the bottom, ready to be sent! At one point I even had separate signatures for in-office emails (which needed no contact info) and ones that I sent off base, but over time I realized it was just an extra step and soon everyone was receiving the whole big signature for their perusal (or not).

The workplace can be so technologically based these days, and emails are often your first impression. A well composed email can say a lot about you whether you want it to or not!

Next up is all about taking notes (and where I go on and on about my love affair with my day planner). Check back!

This week I’ve been looking at some work smart rules in an effort to better prepare myself for going back to work part time this fall. I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

don’t suck at your job

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 02:53:00 +0000

I know we all know the kind.

The people who seem to coast through at work doing the bare minimum and relying on other people to finish their tasks and for some reason or another they are never fired. It can be maddening to be working your butt off at your job and have a colleague do half the work you do for the same money (or more if they have seniority).

But do you know what? Working hard will have its rewards and there are things you can do to make sure you are noticed at work and that your name comes up next time there’s a promotion.

The JustJobs Academy has a list of 20 rules that you should follow to ‘work smart’ and be successful at your job, and over the next few days, I’m going to be commenting on four of them and how I’ve been successful (or not) at achieving them in the past.

1. Don’t suck at your job.
2. Don’t suck at email.
3. Take notes.
4. Ask for feedback.

Today as you can probably already surmise, is ‘Don’t Suck at your Job’, and as I mentioned above, I’ve worked with a lot of less than desirable co-workers. Doing a crappy job at work doesn’t just affect the work completed, it also affects your coworkers who will have to pick up your slack.

Below, I’m just listing some things I’ve found helpful at work:

1. On some sort of consistent basis, do something above and beyond the scope of your job to show your bosses that you have potential to do MORE.

2. Try and quickly master whatever technologies are used so that you will become the go-to person when people have a question. Whatever can help people notice when you’re not there!

3. Pay attention for feedback your bosses are giving to other employees, not just yourself. If you can learn what they want before they have to critique you, they’ll notice!

Tomorrow morning, I have a bit to share about emailing and Microsoft Outlook. Make sure you come back and check it out!

This week I’ve been looking at some work smart rules in an effort to better prepare myself for going back to work part time this fall. I hope you’ve enjoyed them!

ch-ch-ch-changes

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Around these parts, we’ve got lots of new things happening, and I’ve been bad about updating the blog with what’s going on.

For the past 2 months or so, we’ve been working on getting our condo ready to go on the market as we’re feeling ready to upgrade into something bigger. Two bedrooms is all fine and dandy for our small family of three, but with almost no storage beyond average sized closets for our clothes, a really small kitchen and sharing 2 walls and the ceiling with neighbours, we’re ready to stretch out a little bit in our own space.

Craig and I have been going over the budget lately and have decided that while we will have no problems carrying a bigger mortgage on his income alone, it wouldn’t leave much room for saving for vacations, upgrades to the home, and other fun stuff like that. With that in mind, I’ve started looking for something part time that will bring in a little money every month and we have some prospects both around town and online that we’re excited about.

I’m a little apprehensive about Emily starting daycare a couple of days a week (if needed), but I also know that more socialization with kids her own age and older can only be beneficial. As long as I’m not paying someone else to practically raise my kid, you know?

Anyways, all this to say, job hunting (and job keeping) have been on my mind a lot lately and I wanted to share some of my experiences in making yourself an indispensible employee.

Starting tomorrow!

one

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Today, my sweet, beautiful girl, you turn one.

And I know you don’t know what that means just yet, but to your mama it means the world. I have had you as mine for 365 days (plus 285 days in my belly) and I can’t believe I have been so completely and utterly blessed.

You bring such joy and meaning to your Daddy and I’s life, and EVERY time you smile it is sure to improve a bad day. Your Daddy can’t wait to come home every night to see you and is extra happy that you’ve started standing at the front door at that time of day.

Today we celebrated all of the wonderful things you have brought to our life and at your party yesterday, we welcomed all of our family and friends to celebrate with us.

You did so well at your birthday party, even though you didn’t have ANY naps until 4pm, and you were cuddled and loved by a million and one people. You were a rock star.

You’re still content to crawl everywhere instead of walking, and in fact you no prefer crawling to cruising along the couch and standing to play with things. Mama’s going to have to start going for walks with you just to encourage you to continue to strengthen those muscles!

I’ll share more about all of the special details of your birthday soon, but today I just want to sit and remember you.

You were born at 9:49 pm and you came into the world with your fist by your head, ready to stick it out and conquer the world. Your first sounds (more like yelling at us for removing you from your warm cocoon actually) were blissful to our ears, and signalled to us that you were as perfect as could be physically.

We were blessed with a petite little 6lb 10z girl, even though you were 5 days over due, but for someone so small, you’ve always captured a lot of attention.

The newborn stage seemed to pass by quickly for you, as you were packing on 2.5lbs a month and had reached 12lbs by your 2 month shots. It’s no surprise you were such a little porker when you were eating every 2-3 hours for the first 6 months of life.

You’ve always been a little ahead of the curve in your understanding of concepts, linguistically, and in understanding how those important toys work, but my girl? You’ve taken your sweet time with those physical developments.

Rolling? Not til 4 months and even after that you were never a ‘roller’.
Crawling? This one came even later at 10 months.

Your mama knows you well though. I know you love to watch people and understand how things work, and you’ve been content to sit and watch the world go by your whole life thus far.

Even as a newborn you refused to do much napping in favour of watching sunshine on walls and watching your mama work on her domesticity. Soon enough you were six months old and refusing naps in favour of sitting and playing with your toys. My guess would be that for the past 6 months you’ve averaged about 1.5 hours a day napping and that’s if I’m lucky!

We decided to do the baby led solids route with you and boy are we glad that we did! Not only did I not have to worry about all of that steaming/baking and pureeing, but we also saved money on all of those jars and baby cereals. We waited until you started showing interest and reaching for food and allowed you to have large soft chunks that you could hold in your fist and gnaw on. You got your first two teeth at 6 months which helped you get bites of the food off and into your belly.

It wasn’t too soon before you started eating everything you could get your hands on, and since then there are few things that you have refused (sweet potatoes in any form unless disguised in something else, comes to mind). Sometime soon we will introduce things like honey (waited until now because of the botulism risk) and maybe even seafood.

You love to clap and wave at everyone, and have an ever expanding vocabulary. Your favourite words lately have been puppy, bye bye and yesh (although I’m not sure if the last one is actually any sort of acknowledgement, though to your credit you say it after I ask you questions!).

In the coming months I know we are going to have a walking, talking drama queen on our hands and I am looking forward to every minute of it.

Thank you for coming into our lives 12 months ago today and for making us parents.

We love you,

Mama.

no-guilt gluten free bread

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:17:00 +0000

I’ve finally found a diet that works for my eating habits and my needs, and have enjoyed the initial successes. I’m planning on posting more about the diet in the coming weeks as the pounds continue to peel off, but in the mean time I wanted to share a recipe with you all.

The main premise of the diet that I am on is that you can’t have starches or sugars, which comprise a large portions of the foods we eat these days. Initially I thought this would be a struggle for me, but it turns out protein and veggies are pretty filling and can be manipulated into healthy treats!

I’m not a big toast or sandwich person, but I do love some warm, fresh bread, or a crusty loaf of french bread. The recipe below contains no gluten or sugar.

Oat Bran Bread

4 Eggs, separated
6 Tbsp Oat Bran
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
4 Tbsp Skim Milk Powder (instant)
1 tsp Splenda
Dash of Salt
Herbs and spices to taste (I used dill this time, but Rosemary would be yummy!)

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

In a large bowl beat egg whites until peaks form, then on slow speed slowly incorporate the egg yolks.

Continue mixing while adding in the dry ingredients a little at a time, then mix for another minute or two.

Pour into a loaf pan or other small oven safe dish (I used a small round corningware dish).

Cook for 25 minutes or until browned on top. Let cool slightly before slicing.

Yum!

The eggs give it that light and airy crumb of my favourite breads, and I can have 2 slices a day during this phase of my diet. I wouldn’t use this as a sandwich bread, but it’s great when you’re just craving a slice of bread!

pinnable me: birthday bits

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:30:00 +0000

I’ve been drooling over images on Pinterest lately (like everyone else in the blogosphere) and wanted to post a couple of my favourites when I saw that Stef at Paw Prints & Pastry Bags has a weekly feature.

With Emily’s birthday coming up next month, I’ve been ~~in denial~~ slowly accumulating ideas and starting to buy what I need to cook and diy a great day for our girl, so my pins today are all ideas I’ve seen that I’m hoping to implement.

Don’t these cupcake liner flowers look cute? And hopefully easy?!?!

Craig and I both grew up having strawberry shortcake for our birthday cakes (maybe it has something to do with both being born in July?), so we want to continue the tradition for Emily. I’m loving the idea of these Mason Jar Cupcakes, but I might change it a little to make it a layered shortcake. Yum!

I decided quite a while ago that I wanted Emily in a pettiskirt for her birthday. Or at least for the pictures! I’ll let you in on my vision SOON!

I also want to somehow display my favourite of her first year photos, and I’m undecided about which of the following two options (or heck, I may throw another couple options in down the road!) I like better. Photos arranged on a wall in the shape of a number, or photos strung in a frame…

The first I would do in the shape of a 1 (obviously), and I would use colour photos for the majority. The second option, I would use a nice white frame and cute (polka dot?) ribbon covered clothes pegs to hang the photos. Again, in colour. Which idea do you like better?

Lastly, I thought these cake pops were so adorable, although I’m thinking this one will take a big time investment!

Watermelon cake pops anyone?

beach bum

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 04:34:00 +0000

We travelled to Southampton today to go sailing with my Dad and Brother, but the lake was too flat to push the sails, so we made the decision to go to Sauble for a beach day instead.

Emily LOVES the water, so going to beach is a natural (albeit chillier) extension of her bath time, only at the beach she is surrounded by other kiddies.

I think we tuckered the poor girl out with all of that swimming as she slept the whole way home!

Oh! And here’s a glimpse at Emily’s newest ‘trick’. Blowing kisses (and typical little girl chatter!).

final lap

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Dear, sweet Emily.

Today your 11 month ‘birthday’ hit me like a ton of bricks and came out of nowhere. I spent a disproportionate amount of the day tearing up as I looked through ‘old’ photos of you and then was pulled away by the sound of your chatting away with yourself on the floor. Who knew that babies growing up held so much duality for Mamas. I am SO proud of everything you’ve done and accomplished this past month, and I’m getting giddy at the thought of you walking and celebrating your birthday in a few short weeks.

As of late you’ve taken great enjoyment from surprising people when you respond to their ‘hi’s’ and bye-byes with words and gestures. You say Mama with confidence now. A couple of times I think you’ve said a few more words, but they’re not used with much regularity yet, so I don’t want to publicize and jinx it. You understand many more words than you know; for instance when I say ‘where’s your (ok, the neighbour’s) puppy, Emily?’, you crane your head to look out the window or crawl up to the sliding door and bang on it, where the puppy always comes to visit you. You get excited when I tell you it’s bath time and when we’re in the bathroom, you start throwing your bath toys over the edge into the bath as it fills up; what a help!

You love to point at everything, and find it hi-larious when we point back at you. You also love to get into EVERYTHING and seem to have selective hearing because often you don’t seem to hear me when I say NO! and just continue on playing with what you shouldn’t. Other times, you’ll stop and look at me, and then AVERT YOUR EYES while continuing to misbehave. Oy vey we’ve got some fun times ahead of us don’t we!

I measured you on our scale the other day and it was just kissing the 20lb mark. I have to say that I’m surprised at the way your weight gain has slowed down the past few months, although I guess with all of the movin’ you’ve been doing it’s not without cause. You love to crawl and cruise and shake your booty to music, and are still not at the point of walking, but I think it’s an issue of confidence as you stand without holding on to anything while playing with toys and you’ll walk with us holding on to only one hand. You also popped a new tooth through on Canada Day (have you reached any of your milestones on a day other than a holiday yet child?) and it was the first one that didn’t interrupt your sleep or disposition.

Some of your big new experiences this month were related to food. First, we took you strawberry picking in June, and needless to say, you weren’t very helpful getting the berries in the basket! I had dressed you in an outfit that I didn’t mind getting stained, but I forgot to dress myself that way, and had trouble getting you out of the field and onto the wagon without getting covered! Ah, the wagon ride! You were SO cute riding along and pointing at things.

We were leery of giving you strawberries before a year, but I didn’t want you to miss out on eating fresh Ontario strawberries, so we took a chance figuring you hadn’t had any food sensitivities so far!

On that same note, a couple of weeks ago you had your first taste of peanut butter when we had some asian noodle salad with peanut butter in the dressing and you gobbled it up! Mama kept her eye on you the rest of the night, paranoid that you’d suddenly stop breathing, but you came out OK and seem to like peanut butter as much as your Daddy does! I haven’t given you a PB sandwich yet, as I’m saving that one for your Daddy since he’s out of town.

We’ve moved a couple more of your baby toys to storage since you weren’t using them very much anymore and we need lots of open space to sell this place!

You seem to have a way with people, and on MANY occasions strangers have wanted to hold you when you’ve given them one of your smiles and said ‘hiya’. I’m still warming up to the idea, but it brings my mama heart joy whenever people say nice things about you. I don’t blame them though, you are SERIOUSLY the cutest baby ever. Not that I’m biased or anything.

Daddy, I don’t need your help!

I’m wracking my brain trying to think of anything new that you’ve done this month, and the only other thing that’s rising to the surface right now is a new quirk you have with eating (and playing with toys for that matter). You want to share everything. If you’re eating something, after a few bites you push it toward our mouths and try and feed it to us, mush and baby drool included. On one occasion you even crawled up to me and shoved something in my mouth before I could catch you, and imagine my surprise that it wasn’t even food! (I think it was a piece of paper, that girl still loves to shred anything she can get her hands on!).

Your personality continues to shine through more and more, and your Dad and I are looking forward to seeing how you develop in the future. Your little words, hugs and smiles mean the world to us.

Love, Mama

to my hubby on father’s day

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:21:00 +0000

We knew, the day we walked down the aisle, that one day we would be making room in our little family for more, but did we know it would feel like this?

The first moments that we held her, and we felt that joy (and fear!) that descends over a new parent’s heart as they stare in wonder at the little person they are now responsible for, did you know how much your heart would grow?

I could not have imagined how much I would love our little girl, and how much joy it would bring me to see the two of you together. The way she smiles for you, and the little ‘heel clicks’ that she does whenever you walk in the door melt my heart.

She is the single greatest gift you have ever given me, and I hope you feel the same way. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to share this journey into parenthood with you, and I am excited to see what the future holds for all of us.

For such a small girl, she sure has you wrapped around her little finger!

Thank you for being such a wonderful father and husband this past year and being a true partner to me as we adjust to the role of parents.

I love you!

Jen

10 months

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:38:00 +0000

Oh Emily!

What a busy month it has been for you! It has been a whirlwind of crawling, dancing, cruising, and strawberry-eating, and we’re feeling less and less like we have a baby in the house and more like we’re parenting a toddler. I’m not sure I’m ready for that!

You’re really getting the hang of your words now and will say bye and wave your hand whenever you catch sight of yourself in a mirror or when your Daddy or I say it to you. You’re still a little stage shy about speaking in front of other people, but you’re slowly becoming accustomed to using your words even when people are watching.

You finally got in your 4th tooth (about a month after the 3rd one) and you’re now biting through (and on, ouch!) things like a champ. We’ve reached the stage now that besides certain highly allergenic foods and most processed, chemical filled ones, you’re eating everything we’re eating and without too much fuss on our part. I think that’s quite an accomplishment for a 10 month old! You drink pear juice when you’re feeling constipated, but otherwise you’re still just drinking water from a sippy when not nursing. We took the plunge and let you try a strawberry a few weeks ago and they’ve quickly become your favourite fruit. Mama found some nice, small (meaning sweeter typically), organic ones at the store and you kept smacking your lips for more!

You’re also becoming quite the devious little munchkin. Any time you can get your hands on a box of tissues or something shiny or paper, you’ll have it torn apart in no time. More than once I’ve walked into the living room and found you surrounded by a downy layer of tissues and an empty box.

With the arrival of the warmer weather, we’ve been spending our time picnicking on blankets, cooling off in your pool, and camping with Daddy. You quickly proved how adeptly you could find your way off the blanket and to the dirt and grass at the side, which of course ended up straight in your mouth!

You’ve been pulling up on furniture for a while, but soon after a get together with your friend Eva, you started crawling like a champ and you cruise around the furniture non-stop.

I’m sure there’s much more than you learned to do this month that I am forgetting about, but this is already 5 days late, and you’re not leaving me much time for blogging lately!

We cannot wait to see what the next few months bring, and are waiting with baited breaths for when you will take those first few steps on your own. We’ll be heading to the strawberry patch soon, and I’m hoping you’ll be standing on your own then so we can get some great shots of you eating berries right off the plant.

Love you,

Mama

blessed

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Tonight, Emily awoke at 1:30 wanting to nurse. Most times lately that would be mildly frustrating as I’ve come to appreciate the nights where I get a full nights sleep as she sleeps longer stretches as she gets older. But tonight, as I cuddled her in the half-darkness of her room, she reached up her hand and wrapped her fingers around my thumb, and I realized then how small she still is. I pulled her in closer and stroked her hair, looking to see if she’d closed her eyes yet and I found her staring up at me. So much love and trust are held in those eyes. The eyes that slowly opened as we shaded them in the moments after we welcomed her into this world. Eyes that dance with joy every time she smiles and look almost closed because of those chubby, kissable cheeks.

So often lately I find myself pulled between loving the stage she’s at now, looking forward to the new things she will soon learn, and yearning for the ‘old days’ of her infancy. When I look back on how petite and delicate she was when she was born, I feel a yearning start within me to be in that place again, but tonight for the the first time in a while I felt a peace about the fact that that time might not come again for a while. We have such a big responsibility to our little girl that we need to focus on right now, letting her know that she is loved and cared for, that she is unique and God created her for a purpose. How do you really explain to a little child that a new sibling is adding to your family, not replacing them when so much of your time is taken up by the new baby? Each day I have at home alone with Emily is a time for me to begin cultivating in her a love for beauty, and people, and learning, and I need to savour these moments when she looks up and all she sees is me.

Perhaps someday soon it will be time again to welcome another child into our lives, and my heart dances with joy with the thought, but whether that day come in one year, or five, or never, we will celebrate each day with and for this beautiful little girl we have been given.

We are so truly blessed.

little fish

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Yesterday we woke up to a stinking hot day outside, and after spending the morning inside with no air conditioning here at our condo, we needed some fresh air in the shade. Emily’s Grandma gave her an inflatable pool a few weeks ago, so we set it up in the backyard and had some fun with her bath toys in the cool water!

We don’t have a access to a hose outside, and our patio door is currently blocked by the couch, so I had to carry pitchers of water around from the front of the house to fill the pool. Needless to say, I didn’t fill to pool very much!

At one point she was on her hands and knees then got her feet underneath her and tried to stand up. Funniest thing ever. I don’t think she’s very close to standing without pulling herself up yet, but she sure did try! The video is too long to post on here, otherwise I would share it!

We were lucky to have Craig come home early yesterday, so he joined us outside for a little while. The weather while we were out there peaked at 33C, almost 40C with the humidity (about 87.5F and 101F respectively). That’s hot around here for May!

I hope everyone was able to stay cool during yesterday’s heat wave, and enjoyed the sunshine after WEEKS of rain.

wee one wednesday: a babe in the woods

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 25 May 2011 07:01:00 +0000

We got the chance to go camping over the long weekend, and had a great time together despite the rain!

Emily was a champ about it and slept better than the two of us in our (too small for our bigger family) tent. It is a backpacking tent designed for 2, which if you know tents, means it is a tight fit for two adults. We sleep on a double air mattress in there, so you can imagine the lack of space when you add a 9 month old and rainy nights (meaning DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH THE SIDES OF THE TENT!?!!).

I laugh at this photo because the perspective makes her feet look massive, but really the girl has undersized size 2 feet! And her Mama may have had her wearing sandals that are a bit too big (they’re size 6-12 months) for her little tootsies.

We had the brilliant idea to bring her clip-on high chair with us and clip it onto the picnic table at the campsite, which gave us some reprieve from trying to keep her corralled on a blanket or in her stroller. I had remembered a plastic table cloth so she was able to feed herself just like she normally does all weekend.

The second you set the girl down on a blanket lately, she makes a beeline for the grass or dirt at the edge of it. Mostly she just plays with it, but I know she’ll be trying to eat it if left to her own devices for too long, so I’m constantly moving her back to the centre of the blanket.

We walked along the beaches while we were away camping, and Em had her first experience with sand, but I hadn’t remembered the camera so we’ll have to stage it again sometime in the near future. She just poked at it with her finger and lightly pinched at it, but come summertime I’m sure she’ll be digging away at it while (hopefully!) waddling around.

I also missed documenting our first outing for sushi as a family (she just had chicken fried rice, don’t worry!), but seeing as Craig and I both seem to like sushi (we knew it before but hadn’t shared it with each other…), we’ll be making it a more regular occurrence!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!

9 months

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Sat, 14 May 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Sweet girl,

We went into this month thinking it might be the one that you slow down a bit and savour the new skills you’ve developed, but instead you seem to have jumped ahead in leaps and bounds. Can’t you slow down just a little bit? Mama is having a hard time keeping up with the fact that her baby is changing into a toddler!

What have you been up to this month? Well beyond starting to show us your mischievous side, you’ve officially muttered a Mama, hi, a Dada or two and most recently, seem to have figured out when it’s appropriate to say buh bye. You’re still a little shy and distracted when people are waving in your face, but you shine when you’re beaming and chatting with yourself in the mirror! You so impressed the ladies in the nursery at church with your words, asking for Mama while I’m gone, break my heart!

This month we saw the first inklings of some making strange as your new teeth have put you in a bit of a sucky mood at times. Anytime you are hurting or tired you just want to be in your mama’s arms and I won’t complain at all!

Your diet recently has begun to take on more of a pattern, with fruits, toast and yogurt making up breakfasts; cheese, meat and veggies for lunch; and the same with fruit for dinner. We simply hand you big chunks that you bite off and chew up on your own, or we break it into little pieces on your tray to help you work on your pincer grasp (which you’re stellar at by the way). The only things you eat off a spoon these days are applesauce and yogurt, and the occasional bowl of soup. Anytime you see us with a plate of our own, you make sure you’re right there so you can try and snatch whatever is in sight. You drink your water from a cup or through a straw, and lately you take a couple sips from the cup then try and stick your hand in there to play. Always a silly girl.

On the crawling/walking front, you’re still trying to pull yourself up on everything but still back wriggle or army crawl for what you want. We’re enjoying your recent love of stepping around while holding loosely to our fingers, and watching you learn to balance yourself and adjust your stance for what you want to get at more and more each day. The other day I went in when you woke up from a nap and was surprised by this smiling face standing in your crib!!

On Easter morning you woke up with a new tooth sprouting through on the top (what did I say before about you never letting a holiday pass by without a milestone?!?). And speaking of Easter, we can’t forget your first visit from the Easter bunny! You had your basket emptied in about 10 seconds flat, and settled down with Daddy to play on the floor.

We have had such fun with you this month Emily, and are looking forward to the next three as we march together towards your 1st birthday. You are such a smart, inquisitive girl, and I can see I will have quite a handful in the coming years, but I am looking forward to spending all those moments with you and hope we’ll be able to make it work for me to continue to stay home with you so we don’t miss a thing.

But in the mean time, slow down, ok? I forget my camera far too often and am scared I’m going to miss documenting a memory with you.

Love,

Mama

easy fabric flower tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Having a baby girl brings with it lots of pretty dresses and pink EVERYTHING (and worries about those teenage years!) it seems but despite all of this there are still occasions when we’re out in full girly effect and someone will say 'what a cute little boy’ or ‘he’ on occasion. And while I KNOW that she doesn’t look like a boy with her long eyelashes and dainty ways and that sometimes people just aren’t really looking, it makes me cah-razy.

As a result, anytime I can buy or make a cute flower for headbands or her outfits I jump at the opportunity. Most of my purchases have been made at Katie’s Etsy shop, but with all of the fabric and felt, buttons and crocheted flowers I have laying around, I’ve recently started making them as needed when I have an outfit that needs some embellishment.

I LOVE this fabric flower from kelly joy boutique, and while the price is really decent, I wanted to attempt my hand at it first. The seller may make them in a different way from how I’m going to show you, and mine is MUCH simpler that hers, but I think it turned out pretty well!

Materials:

Scrap fabric
Buttons
Needle & Thread
Hot Glue Gun

1. Cut out 5-8 circles of your desired fabric(s). You can use a different fabric for each petal, alternate two, or use one for the whole thing. I went the extra classy route and used a martini glass to trace my circles.

2. Fold the fabric in half and then in half again with the right side of the fabric facing out. Iron the now quartered fabric so that it lays flat.

3. Stitch along the cut end of the folded fabric, ensuring that you start and finish on the same side of the fabric on each petal. Does that make sense? Here’s a photo that hopefully helps clarify.

4. Using a single (well doubled up) strand of thread, stitch through all of the petals in the same way, scrunching them up. Once you have your desired amount of petals, stitch your final petal to your first petal to form a circle, tightening it up.

5. Pick a fun, coordinating button and hot glue it to the centre of your flower. You can pick which side of the flower you’d like to have facing out.

6. Attach it to a headband, a pin to wear as a broach, or to your favourite purse. Enjoy!

Not knowing how it would work out, I decided to try it out on one of my least favourite fabrics and picked a button that matched it’s vintage feel, but I actually really like how it turned out! I think next time I’m going to try it out with the leftover fabric from the car seat cover, or in some pretty hued solids to match her summer outfits.

Menu Plan Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

We really need to get back on the menu planning bandwagon around here. Craig has been working part time since the beginning of March and we’re trying to keep our savings intact and me home on Maternity leave, so keeping the grocery budget down is a great way to start! We’ve been eating out more that we’d like just because 6pm rolls around and I don’t want to cook, and, uh, Craig doesn’t.

Flexibility is key around here as we’re always getting together with friends or Craig is working late and Emily and I are on our own, so I’m not assigning meals to specific days. I’ve shopped for the following meals and will be preparing them day by day as needed, with the exception of the (big!) turkey, which I am cooking on Saturday so we can use the extra meat for meals in the coming weeks. Additionally, on Sundays we often get together with friends for a potluck, so that day is left open for leftovers or get-togethers.

Breakfast Options:

Oatmeal
Waffles
Yogurt & Granola
Cereal
Smoothies

Lunch Options:

Sandwiches
Soup
Grilled Cheese
Salad
Smoothies

Dinners:

Sticky Chicken with Olive Oil & Rosemary Rolls
Taco Salad
Steak with Dry Rub & BBQ Roasted Potatoes
Spicy Mango Chicken Salad
Pizza
Turkey Dinner (for leftovers)

quick breakfast: ham nests

noreply@blogger.com (Jen @ Canadian Rhapsody) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I make these for breakfast on special occasions around these parts and they are always quick and yummy.

Enjoyed with pineapple on Christmas morning!

Ingredients

Ham (the sliced deli kind)
Eggs
Parmesan Cheese
Cream (I use whatever % is on hand)

1. Spray your muffin cups with some cooking spray or give ‘em a rub with a butter wrapper (what, you don’t save them in the freezer?).
2. Line each muffin cup with a slice of ham making sure it comes up all sides like an edible muffin liner.
3. Crack an egg in each one.
4. Measure in a teaspoon or two of parmesan cheese on top, followed by some cream. I usually just eyeball it, making sure not to overflow the cups.
5. Bake at 350*F until the eggs are set (about 20-25 minutes for me, I don’t like runny egg yolks!).

Emily wasn’t yet eating solids (let alone prepared foods like this!) the last time we made these so she was hanging out on the floor in the post-Christmas chaos!