In the Storm of the Decade

Well, "they" say the Maritimes is experiencing the storm of the decade just now. It is blowing a gale outside with two storms systems meeting over head. It reminds me of the storms from my childhood.

I have the batteries in our "sound machines". My husband has us addicted to them! He travels for a living and needs white noise to help block out the hotel sounds. Now he uses them at home, and if you walk into our house in the middle of the night it sounds like a perfect storm is happening no matter the weather! LOL

This is my Christmas tree, 2010. It was a perfect tree. Slim with odd branches sticking out and little holes here and there. I hate perfect trees! :)

AND the thing actually GREW! LOL We put it up the last weekend of November. I was nervous and threatening to buy a fake tree, but the kids won the day. We have moved our woodstove to our livingroom so that we can enjoy the fire more as we are "upstairs" people (I live in a split-entry).

With the stove right in our living room, I thought the tree would probably burst into flames from sheer dryness. But instead it GREW. If you look closely at the picture the little green buds at the top of the tree are new growth. TOTALLY weird and a first for us!

This is another corner of our livingroom with my antique quilt and skis. On the bookshelf sits most of my antique "Henty" book collection. Just as a revival of Henty's books was becoming popular, my friend was at a second hard bookstore in a large (for the Maritimes) city. They had a TON of antique Hentys. She called and told me, and I asked, "How much?". They were asking between $8-10 a book. I told her to get me 12 books. In her dialogue with the owner she was going on and on about how she couldn't believe he had so many Hentys and what great prices and conditions they were in - many in dust jackets. The next day she went back in to look again. EVERY BOOK was priced at $40 a piece. Guess he googled the books and found out what we already knew...we had found a STEAL!

I found the Nativity Scene that I wanted. I was looking for a traditional style and was at the point of going into our local Catholic store to see if they carried what I had envisioned in my head. One day I was wandering through Wal-mart, I spotted this grouping AND for only $2 a piece. Now I just have to built my creche for next year.

Well, now it is 2010.

Hard to believe! This Christmas season was fairly calm ~ all things taken into consideration! It was a sad season, however. We attended two funerals the week of Christmas (a friend who died of cancer and Rick's great aunt), and had another friend lost her 27 year old son to the H1N1 virus, but I was unable to attend that funeral. He was her only son.

It is very sad.

Life is full of unexpected blessings and unprepared for trials.

Makes me want to living this thought to its fullest:

"If you haven't got all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have, that you don't want." Unknown

Blessings to you,

Carolee

As We Head into this New Year - 2010

"Help me this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity, charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation, diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike faith in God.

In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work, study, physical exercise, eating and sleep which I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me to be right.

And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit."

From Forward Day By Day, Anglican Cycle of Prayer

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Here's a great recipe!

• 2 level tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk (I used 3/4 cup skim-canned milk/3/4 cup water)
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (+ a pinch for sprinkling later)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups strong coffee (brewed using 2 tbs per 1 cup of water)
• 2 tablespoons Coffeemate creamer
• 4 to 8 teaspoons of granulated sugar (I used 2 pks. of sweetener)
• Nutmeg (optional)

Begin brewing coffee.

In a blender combine the milk, pumpkin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla (or wisk in bowl very well). Microwave on med/high until the milk begins to froth slightly.

For each serving: Pour 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug. Add 1 generous tablespoon of Coffeemate creamer. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then add 1 cup of brewed coffee. Add 2 to 4 teaspoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your drink, I added 3 tsps.) Top off with a touch more ‘pumpkin milk’ then sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Serve immediately.

Because I'm sick, I added some canned whip cream to the top...it made me feel better!!!

Heart of Life is STILL Good...

This I choose to believe:


Blessings,

Carolee

Exactly...

Yummy Soup

I have been trying to cook more. So far so good! :-) This is a great soup recipe. I am using Canadian measurements for the soup size...but it is easily convertible to US. As it is not a cream soup, but is very good for you.

Very yummy

~~~~~~~~~~

Mushroom Soup

5 to 6 cups of sliced white mushrooms

1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/3 cup finely chopped carrots

1/3 cup finely chopped celery

2 medium onions

1 1/4 cup diced fresh broccoli

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 tsp ground thyme

900 mL NN Brand Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

(This is a touch less than a quart, but if yours comes in a quart size, use it.)

1/4 chopped fresh chives

4 Tbsp fat-free sour cream

1 tsp pepper

salt to taste

Heat the olive oil on medium and add carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

Add broccoli, bay leaf, thyme, pepper, and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until veggies are complete tender, about 12-15 minutes. Blend the chives and sour cream together and set in the fridge.

Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup in a blender very well. Add the salt to taste.

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream & chives on the top.

This is nice served with a chicken, Caesar salad.

Cheers,

Carolee

Summer time...finally

Summer has finally decided to show up in New Brunswick, Canada. Usually by now, I'm complaining about the heat and humidity. I even installed a new window in my diningroom so that I could put a 12,000 BTU air-conditioner in our livingroom/diningroom space to keep me cool and in a less murderess state.

This year we have hardly had it on! Even when I am cleaning....

And cleaning/organizing I am!!!

Why is it that when I clean, really clean...you know, the deep haul-everything-out-of-the- closets-and-reorganize type of cleaning...that my house gets dirtier! :-) I have almost finished my upstairs (split entry style house). Now that I have wiped-down, organized, and filled the back of my van with ten thousand little bags of things to take here and there, I can dust, vacuum, wash floors and be done with this level. Well, "finished" is a relative word. I need to have the carpets cleaned, and I still haven't finished painting my entryway!!!

Next, I will move onto the basement level. That is where organization is really needed. I HAVE to get at my storage areas and dejunk. I need to organize my school room and sell stuff I don't use and won't use again! I need to touch-up some painting, de-clutter the science closet, and, and, and....

Makes me tired just thinking about it!

Why does it never end? I seems to me that I do this every year! LOL

~~~~~~~~~~

My laptop took a turn for the worse three weeks ago, and I'm at a loss. It has all my pictures on it. It has my "port" for downloading my pictures. It has every blog, email address, etc. on it.

Now I have to use the desktop. I'm unfamiliar with it and I have to go buy one of those thingies to download pictures from my memory stick...thus no pictures until I do.

~~~~~~~~~~

But, it is sunny and breezy after WEEKS of rain when a bright cloud was quickly becoming the "new sun"....so I'll take it!

Cheers,

Carolee

Love of a Child....

What a moving song. Every once and a while my teens find a great one! Makes me cry for some reason.



Here are the lyrics if you want to read along....

There's a picture on my kitchen wall
Looks like Jesus and his friends involved
There's a party getting started in the yard
There's a couple getting steamy in the car parked in the drive
Was I too young to see this with my eyes?

By the pool last night, apparently
The chemicals weren't mixed properly
You hit your head and then forgot your name
And then you woke up at the bottom by the drain
And now your altitude and memory's a shame

What about taking this empty cup and filling it up
With a little bit more of innocence
I haven't had enough, it's probably because when you're young
It's okay to be easily ignored
I like to believe it was all about love for a child

And when the house was left in shambles
Who was there to handle all the broken bits of glass
Was it mom who put my dad out on his ass or the other way around
Well I'm far too old to care about that now

What about taking this empty cup and filling it up
With a little bit more of innocence
I haven't had enough, it's probably because when you're young
It's okay to be easily ignored
I'd like to believe it was all about love for a child

It's kinda nice to work the floor since the divorce
I've been enjoying both my Christmases and my birthday cakes
And taking drugs and making love at far too young an age
And they never check to see my grades
What a fool I'd be to start complaining now

What about taking this empty cup and filling it up
With a little bit more of innocence
I haven't had enough, it's probably because when you're young
It's okay to be easily ignored
I'd love to believe it's all about love for a child

It was all about love...

Pretty in Pink

My basket of petunias are beautiful this year! I don't know what I'm doing right, but it is just full of blossoms. I don't have a green thumb. I don't really have a black one either. Somewhere in between, I guess. :D

I buy whatever plants I like and stick them in the ground or a pot. I pay slight attention to sun/shade issues and will sometimes remember to look at the height of the mature plant. But for the most part my gardening is a hit and miss type of adventure. When something does well, I have no idea why. Worse...when something is NOT doing well, I don't know what I did. Too much sun/shade? Too much water? Not enough? Not enough fertilizer? Too much? And so on.

But it all come together for now in this basket of pink petunias.

Hanging just outside my deck door, they hide my pop bottle recycling can, and make me smile.

Cheers,

Carolee

Random Ramblings

Summer has officially started here. I am sleeping in on occasion and staying up late. I'm outside more, cooking less and BBQing more. And also, on the computer less. Less blogging. Less blog reading. Less emailing. It happens to me every year. So although I won't be quitting or taking a bloggy break...entries will be shorter, more random...and probably less thought provoking. I'll open an "idea" file and put my wonderfully deep, penetrating questions there so that I will have something to blog about come fall! ;-)

So...on to the random....

~~~~~~~~~~

What a cold rather rainy spring we have had here in eastern Canada this year.

The farmers are beginning to complain.

I love the coolness just fine!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

My "next tasks" list is enormous! I honestly don't know why I start them. I can never finish all I want to do. NEVER. AND I seem to be always waiting for one thing to happen so that I can accomplish other tasks that can't be done until that first task is finished. For example, Andrew (#2 son, age 20) has been "threatening" to move out on his own. :D He is currently sleeping in what is suppose to be my craft storage room. In order to REALLY organize my school room, I want to move all my craft stuff to the storage/craft room...can't do that until Andrew moves and frees it up!

See...

But until then, I have many more tasks on the list.

I also have a couple of GOALS. First I want to stay home more. It seems I am running a lot lately and nothing that is meaningful to me is getting done at home. That has got to stop. I'm really going to have a look at my schedule this summer and plan the school year with purpose! Also, I want to find some new recipes and get back to cooking more. I have fallen into the habit of quick meals or cheap fast food far too often. It seems easier, especially when Rick is away, to drive through Tim's and get 4 chicken wrap for $8 then to cook. But even though it is cheap, and not that bad for you, it is not what I want my kids remembering about "growing up" in our home.

~~~~~~~~~~

Today I put on fake nails (told you the post would be random). Years before "fake" nails became popular, I had them. My nails are thin, peal-y, and can bend in both directions. They are just gross. So I keep them chewed off short. They are great for working.

But I LOVE the look for french nails. I will no longer pay the price of getting them done professionally, but occasionally I buy the Walmart kind and glue them on. I like how they look...but I always wonder...HOW DO YOU DO ANYTHING WITH THEM ON!!! Suddenly typing is far harder...so is cleaning the toilet, washing the dishes...just about everything is more difficult. And to those of you who wear them...how do you use with washroom with them on? Seriously....

~~~~~~~~~~

Cheers

Carolee