Thursday, March 22, 2007
Meals on the go...
No one really ever has time to slave in the kitchen, do they? No one really likes to spend hours preparing healthy yet delicious meals for their family, do they? I do love cooking and I do love making sure our meals are yummy and nutritious, but like many women, I don't have heaps of time to spare. I've devised a way to ensure that I have supper on the table for 6PM and that they are healthy meals. I also make sure the prep time is no longer than an hour and that everything is from scratch. It kind of freaks me out to read the ingredients in some ready-made store bought food items.
Tonight's supper:
Garden greens
Romaine lettuce, baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower florets, grape tomatoes. Toss together. Prep time: 5 min.
Hot Potato Salad
4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered. Put in large pot to boil. Once tender, drain water. Add 2 tbsp. mayonnaise, salt, black pepper, garlic powder (I'm very liberal with the garlic). While piping hot, add one egg and mix together. The egg will cook since the potatoes are really hot still. The result is a very creamy potato salad. I also add fresh oregano and parsley from my greenhouse. Chop finely and add to potato salad.
Prep time: 5 min., Cooking time: 20 min.
Baked Chicken
Preheat oven to 375. On a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil. Coat chicken pieces in olive oil and sprinkle salt and black pepper. Add chopped oregano over top. Bake in oven for 40 min.
Prep time: 5 min., Cook time: 40 min.
Fresh Berry Yogurt Parfait
In glass tumblers or parfait dishes, add a spoonful of yogurt. I used Yoplait strawberry yogurt. Slice banana and add on top of yogurt. I put 10 slices per dish. Add another layer of yogurt. Add fresh blueberries and then another layer of yogurt. Add fresh raspberries to top off the parfait. It's a delicious and nutritious dessert :) The raspberries are from our garden. We had tons and tons from last summer and I froze a bunch of containers of raspberries so we could have them year-round. The blueberries were from an old German couple, whom I lovingly call Oma and Opa. I froze the berries too and take them out whenever I need them.
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 0 min.
There you have it...an easy, quick supper. You can do it in an hour if you multi-task. A lot of the things can be done at the same time.
and then there was one...
You may recall me telling you that we have three cats and one dog. Well, we now have one cat and one dog. Nala disappeared last summer. She was a very old cat and we think she may have just gone into the woods on her own to die. She was a solitary and independent feline and the intrusion of her quiet home was probably too much for her to take.
For years it had just been Hubby and Nala living in the house. Suddenly, I entered the picture. Nala didn't mind me. I gave her a lot of attention and love. I even spent my evenings pulling burrs out of her matted hair. She slept with me, followed me around the house, and just enjoyed the company. Then, the students arrived. I don't think Nala liked the presence of teenage boys. It became loud and the house was constantly busier all the time. There was always excitement. The introduction of the kittens into our household was probably the thing that pushed Nala off the edge. There were now teenagers in the house and two little kittens who wanted attention. One evening, in the middle of a rainstorm, Nala disappeared out the window. I saw her a few months ago, in the winter. I was driving up the laneway, and there she was! We exchanged a glance and a moment and then she sauntered off towards the barn. I haven't seen her since.
Now, Fred and George (our two female kittens) just love attention and they even sleep with us in our bed. They run to the kitchen every morning when Hubby makes the morning coffee. George has recently discovered the outside world, and has been missing for almost five days now. I went to the barn yesterday to see if I could find her. I saw a lot of little paw prints, but no cat. I know the saying goes, "If you love something, let it go- If it returns to you then it's yours forever..." (okay, I'm paraphrasing here). It still makes me feel sad that the kitten has left. I think the thing I worry about is that there are so many wild animals and large birds that could have eaten her. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that George returns safely.
Fred (George's litter mate) and Chance (our canine baby love) will never leave us. I'm sure of this. They're both too clingy and loving...plus, they know they've got a good life here!
For years it had just been Hubby and Nala living in the house. Suddenly, I entered the picture. Nala didn't mind me. I gave her a lot of attention and love. I even spent my evenings pulling burrs out of her matted hair. She slept with me, followed me around the house, and just enjoyed the company. Then, the students arrived. I don't think Nala liked the presence of teenage boys. It became loud and the house was constantly busier all the time. There was always excitement. The introduction of the kittens into our household was probably the thing that pushed Nala off the edge. There were now teenagers in the house and two little kittens who wanted attention. One evening, in the middle of a rainstorm, Nala disappeared out the window. I saw her a few months ago, in the winter. I was driving up the laneway, and there she was! We exchanged a glance and a moment and then she sauntered off towards the barn. I haven't seen her since.
Now, Fred and George (our two female kittens) just love attention and they even sleep with us in our bed. They run to the kitchen every morning when Hubby makes the morning coffee. George has recently discovered the outside world, and has been missing for almost five days now. I went to the barn yesterday to see if I could find her. I saw a lot of little paw prints, but no cat. I know the saying goes, "If you love something, let it go- If it returns to you then it's yours forever..." (okay, I'm paraphrasing here). It still makes me feel sad that the kitten has left. I think the thing I worry about is that there are so many wild animals and large birds that could have eaten her. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that George returns safely.
Fred (George's litter mate) and Chance (our canine baby love) will never leave us. I'm sure of this. They're both too clingy and loving...plus, they know they've got a good life here!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Dear Kenny,
I am your Auntie C. I know we haven't met yet and I promise I'll get over there to meet you soon. I just wanted you to know how happy you have made all of us. I cried when I got the phone call that you were finally born. I am so very happy for your mommy and daddy. You are the first grandchild on both sides of your family and the first great-grandchild on your dad's side. Everyone loves you so much and you are only four days old!
You are a sweet baby, and I have fallen in love with those cute cheeks of yours! It's amazing how a little baby can change the lives of everyone around him/her. You coming into the world just makes me realize more and more how beautiful life is. I'm sad that you never got the chance to meet your great-grandfathers, as they were both wonderful, kind men. Whenever I think of them, I remember the good times when we were very young and they used to spoil us and play with us. I'm also sad you never had a chance to meet your Tita Zen before she died. You would have loved her!
As I get older, I see how short life is and how every generation has so much to pass onto the next. I just want to let you know that your Uncle J and I will always be here for you whenever you need us. We love you and your mom and dad so much. I can't wait to see you grow and change and develop a character of your own.
See you soon :)
Auntie C (but your dad wants you to call me Tita Tin-Tin...you don't have to call me that though. Seriously!)
PRECIOUS!!!
You are a sweet baby, and I have fallen in love with those cute cheeks of yours! It's amazing how a little baby can change the lives of everyone around him/her. You coming into the world just makes me realize more and more how beautiful life is. I'm sad that you never got the chance to meet your great-grandfathers, as they were both wonderful, kind men. Whenever I think of them, I remember the good times when we were very young and they used to spoil us and play with us. I'm also sad you never had a chance to meet your Tita Zen before she died. You would have loved her!
As I get older, I see how short life is and how every generation has so much to pass onto the next. I just want to let you know that your Uncle J and I will always be here for you whenever you need us. We love you and your mom and dad so much. I can't wait to see you grow and change and develop a character of your own.
See you soon :)
Auntie C (but your dad wants you to call me Tita Tin-Tin...you don't have to call me that though. Seriously!)
PRECIOUS!!!
I just had to include this photo of your mom the day before she had you. She's so cute!!!
Book Meme
I got this from Dina, who got this from Jill.
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) READ IT
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) READ IT
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) READ IT
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) READ IT
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) READ IT
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) READ IT
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) READ IT (AGAIN AND AGAIN!)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) READ IT
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) READ IT
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) READ IT
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) READ IT
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling) READ IT
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) READ IT
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling) READ IT
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) READ IT
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) READ IT
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) READ IT
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) READ IT
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) TRIED TO READ IT
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) READ IT
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) READ IT
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) READ IT
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) READ IT
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) READ IT
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) READ IT
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) READ IT
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) READ IT
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible READ IT (MOST OF IT)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) READ IT
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) READ IT
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) READ IT
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) READ IT
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) READ IT
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens) READ IT
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) READ IT
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) READ IT
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) READ IT
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) READ IT
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) READ IT
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) READ IT
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) READ IT
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) READ IT
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) READ IT
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) READ IT
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) READ IT
76. Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence) READ IT
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) READ IT
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) READ IT
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) READ IT
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) READ IT
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) READ IT
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) READ IT
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) READ IT
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) READ IT
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) READ IT
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) READ IT
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) READ IT
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) READ IT
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) READ IT
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) READ IT
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) READ IT (AGAIN AND AGAIN!)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) READ IT
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) READ IT
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) READ IT
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) READ IT
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling) READ IT
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) READ IT
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling) READ IT
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) READ IT
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) READ IT
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) READ IT
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) READ IT
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) TRIED TO READ IT
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) READ IT
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) READ IT
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) READ IT
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) READ IT
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) READ IT
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) READ IT
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) READ IT
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) READ IT
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible READ IT (MOST OF IT)
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) READ IT
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) READ IT
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) READ IT
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) READ IT
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) READ IT
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens) READ IT
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) READ IT
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) READ IT
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) READ IT
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) READ IT
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) READ IT
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) READ IT
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) READ IT
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) READ IT
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) READ IT
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) READ IT
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) READ IT
76. Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence) READ IT
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) READ IT
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) READ IT
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) READ IT
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) READ IT
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) READ IT
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) READ IT
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) READ IT
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) READ IT
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Introducing...
our nephew, Kenneth Griffey Franklin Thomas Lee. He was born on March 16th, 2007 and weighed 7 lbs., 10 oz. (My brother wanted to name his first born after his favourite baseball player)
These last photos were taken of little Kenny going home from the hospital. It's amazing how much he's changed already in just one day! What a cute little face!
Friday, March 16, 2007
It's A Boy!!!
Just got a call from my mom. My sister-in-law just delivered a healthy baby boy! Details and pics to be posted as soon as they become available! We're all so thrilled! FINALLY! That baby was hanging in there for a long time past his due date!!
Patience
is clearly a virtue I do not possess. Hubby's office is in an alcove that overlooks the dining room. I don't clean his office because the last time I did, he was unable to find what he was looking for. It is now off limits to me. In order to take care of the issue of people being able to see the lovely state of his office, I wanted to build an ornamental screen to sort of make it look like a separate room.
You should know that Hubby is very skilled at the fine art of woodworking. The only problem is that Hubby is the busiest man I know. I realize he can make just about anything out of wood. His workmanship is beyond compare. He said he'd build a screen with wooden frames to match the decor of our home.
Seeing how busy Hubby is, I went and bought a screen for his office. I know it's not homemade, but like I said, I have a problem with patience. I don't have much of it sometimes. It's something I must work on. I know. 
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The good 'ol days
*sigh* I remember when life seemed so carefree. The only worries we had were trying to figure out how to make our bicycles stop without crashing into something or falling off and whether we'd be allowed to play at our friend's house.
Do you remember how it felt to ride your bike with the wind blowing through your hair? The feeling of being young and invincible...oh, and that baseball card taped to your bike so that it made that cool sound when it hit the spokes of your wheels? Do you remember endless hours of playing hide and go seek in the dark?
Here's a pic of mi famila (quite a few of us missing...many not even born yet). Taken circa early '80s. Can you spot me? I'm the only girl...and the one with the toothpick-like legs and the knobby knees!
Life is good :)
With the warmer weather, fresh air, lots of beautiful sunshine, and birds chirping, it's not difficult to feel energized and rejuvinated. It's March Break and our homestay student is on a ski trip with his friend and his friend's family, so you'd think Hubby and I would finally have some alone time :) Instead, I've volunteered to have our little nieces over. They are the absolute cutest girls ever...and they are SO helpful!
Today, while Hubby's out working, the nieces and I have some chores of our own:
water all the plants in the greenhouse
feed the animals
make an apple crumble
make two kinds of salad, homemade vegetable soup and sandwiches for lunch
wash the container so we can boil the maple syrup
go out and collect all the sap from the maple trees that we've tapped (to make our own maple syrup)
do a few loads of laundry
clean the old couch, since the naughty kittens peed on it! Thank goodness it wasn't the new sofas that they peed on! Bad kittens!!
vacuum
played Karaoke Revolution Party on PS2
play some hockey (the things my nieces get me to do with them! LOL)
re-arrange furniture in the games room
re-arrange furniture in the master bedroom
clean bathroom
answer e-mail queries from ESL students
bank run
post office- mail parcel
think of something to cook for supper! LOL!
I'm curious to see how our maple syrup will turn out. It will be our first attempt at making our own!
Today, while Hubby's out working, the nieces and I have some chores of our own:
go out and collect all the sap from the maple trees that we've tapped (to make our own maple syrup)
vacuum
play some hockey (the things my nieces get me to do with them! LOL)
re-arrange furniture in the games room
re-arrange furniture in the master bedroom
clean bathroom
answer e-mail queries from ESL students
bank run
post office- mail parcel
think of something to cook for supper! LOL!
I'm curious to see how our maple syrup will turn out. It will be our first attempt at making our own!
Monday, March 12, 2007
I'm such a geek! LOL!
I was singing my heart out...just belting out the tunes, when Hubby informed me that I got the lyrics messed up. Impossible!! I had been singing this song this way for the past two decades!! This song is a classic! I sing it when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm cleaning, when I'm out with the girls, when I'm in the shower, when I'm cooking, when I'm driving...
Hubby: Uhh...by the way, it's You make me feel like a natural woman...
Me: Are you sure?
Hubby: Yes.
Me: So, it's not You make me feel like a man should a woman ???
Hubby: Uhh. No.
LOL! Twenty years of singing the song incorrectly. *sigh* Well, don't you think my way makes sense too? ;)
Hubby: Uhh...by the way, it's You make me feel like a natural woman...
Me: Are you sure?
Hubby: Yes.
Me: So, it's not You make me feel like a man should a woman ???
Hubby: Uhh. No.
LOL! Twenty years of singing the song incorrectly. *sigh* Well, don't you think my way makes sense too? ;)
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About the Blog Author
City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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