A friend asked for a cookie recipe for a cookie exchange which reminded me that I still hadn't written my Christmas baking blog, and here we are at T minus 1.5 weeks until Christmas! So without further ado, commence the Christmas baking!!
One Cup Cookies
Like the title says, basically these cookies are one cup of everything. This is a very versatile base that you can add whatever elements that you want. My friend requested no chocolate chip cookies…. so please omit the chocolate chips, add some nuts or as Nanna does, use the broken up Score bar bits for a toffee taste instead! (Tip: You can find them already broken up at the Bulk Barn)
· 1 cup brown sugar
· 1 cup white sugar
· 1 cup butter, softened
· 1 cup peanut butter (Tip: you can omit the peanut butter by adding a few Tbsp of milk for moisture)
· 2 eggs
· 1 cup rolled oats
· 1 1/2 cups flour
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1 cup coconut
· 1 cup cranraisins
· 1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs. Add peanut butter until well mixed. Add dry ingredients, mix well. Drop spoonfuls onto a no stick cookie sheet and cook until the edges are just golden (*edited*about 10-14 minutes). The middle should still look a bit gooey. Let rest for a few minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.
Really me,
The Baker
Nik
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Burn'em ALL!
The suffragettes had it right!* Let's burn all the bras!!! Clearly these medieval torture devices, created by men, are the final straw holding women back from truly being independent! They're holding us back, not holding us up!
Ladies, I know you all have one! That bra that you paid an excess amount of money for. Couldn't be bothered to try it on, and now it sits on the bottom of the pile for months on end. One day in the distant future you see it sitting there. You think "I haven't worn this one in a while". So you pull it out of its drawer, put it on. It feels new again. The girls are perky, and life is good. Until…..
You get yourself ready for work, drop the kids off, make your way to work. And just about the time you sit down, turn on your computer, check your e-mail, you're starting to shrug your shoulders trying to get the straps back in place. By the time 10am rolls around you're pulling the back down, trying to adjust the strap tension. Your girls are falling out of the cups creating the horrid double boob your cup runneth over look, the underwire has come out of its protective casing and is now jabbing you in your chest bone. AHHHH!
You start wondering if you can get away with taking it off. Is my shirt thick enough? How cold is it in here? Did I leave that sweater in the car? Will it match with my outfit? Maybe I could use some tape…
If it weren't for my uncle J traumatizing me early in life I would never wear a bra! I distinctly remember being in the car with my aunt and uncle, I think I was going over to babysit. My uncle made some crack about headlights being on. What? *Head tilt* Nothing in my 13 year old repertoire about headlights. My aunt looked at me and laughed. Never heard that one before? Can I tell you how absolutely mortified I was when she told me what it meant? As soon as I got home I trashed all my bras that had no padding, and went out shopping for new bras with padding, and the dreaded underwire.
For that reason I am now sitting in my office shrugging my shoulders, pulling the straps and trying to get the girls back in the cups where they belong. If something doesn't give soon, I'm putting my sweater on and taking the f*cker off!!!
Really me,
The feminist
Nik
*History lesson time. The suffragettes never actually burned bras. Unfortunately the male press at the time decided to use footage of the draft card burning, and called it a bra burning to make fun of the feminist movement. The closest you can get was a rally in 1968 in which women were protesting the Miss America Pageant. They threw girdles, high heels and cosmetics into the "freedom can" but there was no burning. Read more on the subject.
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/burnbra.asp
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mythsofwomenshistory/a/bra_burning.htm
Ladies, I know you all have one! That bra that you paid an excess amount of money for. Couldn't be bothered to try it on, and now it sits on the bottom of the pile for months on end. One day in the distant future you see it sitting there. You think "I haven't worn this one in a while". So you pull it out of its drawer, put it on. It feels new again. The girls are perky, and life is good. Until…..
You get yourself ready for work, drop the kids off, make your way to work. And just about the time you sit down, turn on your computer, check your e-mail, you're starting to shrug your shoulders trying to get the straps back in place. By the time 10am rolls around you're pulling the back down, trying to adjust the strap tension. Your girls are falling out of the cups creating the horrid double boob your cup runneth over look, the underwire has come out of its protective casing and is now jabbing you in your chest bone. AHHHH!
You start wondering if you can get away with taking it off. Is my shirt thick enough? How cold is it in here? Did I leave that sweater in the car? Will it match with my outfit? Maybe I could use some tape…
If it weren't for my uncle J traumatizing me early in life I would never wear a bra! I distinctly remember being in the car with my aunt and uncle, I think I was going over to babysit. My uncle made some crack about headlights being on. What? *Head tilt* Nothing in my 13 year old repertoire about headlights. My aunt looked at me and laughed. Never heard that one before? Can I tell you how absolutely mortified I was when she told me what it meant? As soon as I got home I trashed all my bras that had no padding, and went out shopping for new bras with padding, and the dreaded underwire.
For that reason I am now sitting in my office shrugging my shoulders, pulling the straps and trying to get the girls back in the cups where they belong. If something doesn't give soon, I'm putting my sweater on and taking the f*cker off!!!
Really me,
The feminist
Nik
*History lesson time. The suffragettes never actually burned bras. Unfortunately the male press at the time decided to use footage of the draft card burning, and called it a bra burning to make fun of the feminist movement. The closest you can get was a rally in 1968 in which women were protesting the Miss America Pageant. They threw girdles, high heels and cosmetics into the "freedom can" but there was no burning. Read more on the subject.
http://www.snopes.com/history/american/burnbra.asp
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mythsofwomenshistory/a/bra_burning.htm
Friday, December 10, 2010
The quietest place in the house
Thursday is flyer day. It is also a crazy running around day. I have to leave work at 4:30, pick Demi up at my aunt's then go pick up K from work at 5. To top it off I had to put the chicken in the oven to cook, so I quickly stopped off at home to turn the oven on, throw in the chicken, pet the dog and run out of the house before picking up Demi.
When we all finally get home, the dog finished licking us to death, and I get the sides started for dinner, I'm exhausted! Demi is at my feet asking for "Cheese? Cheese? Cheese?" and K announces he's going up to change. Great! I'm stuck here in my too tight fitting work clothes cooking dinner with a hungry child hanging off my leg.
When K came back downstairs, I announced I was going to change also.
"Upstairs!" Demi cries triumphantly behind me. Sigh
In case you didn't know, there is no privacy with a 2 year old. You sit on the computer they want to be on your lap, you go get dressed and they're pounding on the door… the other day she actually figured out how to turn the handle! Damn it! You go pee, and they want in to brush their teeth. Even showers become a family ordeal! You look at the flyers and there they are pulling apart the Future Shop flyer which puts your husband in a bad mood because of course it has to be one of the only ones he cares to look at along with Best Buy and maybe Canadian Tire. But I digress….
"No baby, you stay downstairs with Daddy while momma….. goes to the bathroom! Yes, that's right I need to go to the bathroom. Right, ok daddy?!"
I quickly riffle through the paper and pull out my favorite flyers and make a dash to the stairs. I close the bedroom door behind me (not that that does any good anymore) quickly get changed into track pants and a t-shirt. I then lock myself in the bathroom, sit on the toilet lid and pull out the flyers. I managed to get a good 10 mins of uninterrupted peace and quiet so I could look through Walmart, Zellers, ToysRUs and the like.
Now I know why my dad takes the paper into the bathroom with him!
Really me,
Bathroom reading momma
Nik
When we all finally get home, the dog finished licking us to death, and I get the sides started for dinner, I'm exhausted! Demi is at my feet asking for "Cheese? Cheese? Cheese?" and K announces he's going up to change. Great! I'm stuck here in my too tight fitting work clothes cooking dinner with a hungry child hanging off my leg.
When K came back downstairs, I announced I was going to change also.
"Upstairs!" Demi cries triumphantly behind me. Sigh
In case you didn't know, there is no privacy with a 2 year old. You sit on the computer they want to be on your lap, you go get dressed and they're pounding on the door… the other day she actually figured out how to turn the handle! Damn it! You go pee, and they want in to brush their teeth. Even showers become a family ordeal! You look at the flyers and there they are pulling apart the Future Shop flyer which puts your husband in a bad mood because of course it has to be one of the only ones he cares to look at along with Best Buy and maybe Canadian Tire. But I digress….
"No baby, you stay downstairs with Daddy while momma….. goes to the bathroom! Yes, that's right I need to go to the bathroom. Right, ok daddy?!"
I quickly riffle through the paper and pull out my favorite flyers and make a dash to the stairs. I close the bedroom door behind me (not that that does any good anymore) quickly get changed into track pants and a t-shirt. I then lock myself in the bathroom, sit on the toilet lid and pull out the flyers. I managed to get a good 10 mins of uninterrupted peace and quiet so I could look through Walmart, Zellers, ToysRUs and the like.
Now I know why my dad takes the paper into the bathroom with him!
Really me,
Bathroom reading momma
Nik
Monday, November 29, 2010
To the US and back in 60 mins...Happy Birthday Demi!
We planned a day trip to Niagara Falls for Demis' 2nd birthday. The first stop was Bird Kingdom. The drive to Niagara was horrible!!! The weather was not nice at all. We borrowed by dad's GPS, and it took about 2 hours to get there. When we finally got into the city the weather had cleared. We're driving down a street, and we see Bird Kingdom, but not the entry. The GPS tells us to turn right, then left. HA! We end up in the US customs parking lot. The arms only open to enter, and it has a big NO EXIT sign. So I say to K, I'm sure there's a way out up there. You know, like Windows always asks you again "Are you sure you want to go to the US? YES NO" So we go the only way we can. Apparently the border does not work like Windows, you don't get any second chances!!! We end up crossing the Rainbow Bridge!! EEEP!
We pull off to the side of the rows, and this old dude comes out of the building. K opens the door and says "Hi sir, we didn't mean to come over here, but there was nowhere to turn around" The old dude yells at K to get back in the car. Tells him " It's Irrelevant!" and to get back in line. OK scary guy! So we get in line. We have no ID except our driver's license and Demis' health card. We finally get to the booth and tell the guy we just wanted to turn around we DO NOT want into the country. He was pretty nice and basically tells us that we're here now, and we have to go through the process. SIGH. Poor Demi is DONE being in her seat. Which was a good thing I suppose, because they confiscate the car and keys!! We all have to get out and go up to talk to immigration. I AM NOT HAPPY! K is trying to keep me quiet before I run my mouth and get us thrown into jail or worse! We go up to immigration and wait 20 or so minutes before we get called in to talk to some other old guy. He asks us where we were born, what our status is, if we have any ID for Demi (I didn't think to give them her health card). We answer all his questions, and he tells us that even though we don't have the required ID, he is going to let us into the country today! (Not to mention we could very well be kidnapping a child with no ID, but you know, whatev) YAY.... Not. I politely say "No offense sir, but I really don't want to be in your country, I want to go back to Canada!" That could be said nicely, right?! So he tells us to take a U-turn at the lights, pay the toll and go back home.
Off we go with our little US stamp on a scrap piece of paper. Hand it to the officer at the door, and we get our car back. Everything in it, though they didn't bother to lock the doors. Thanks! We get back in the car, make our U-turn and wait in line to greatfully pay the $3.25 to get back into Canada. We cross the Rainbow Bridge, Demi is in the back seat saying "Birds? Birds?" We think we're home free.
Nay nay. We get to the Canadian customs. Bird Kingdom's sign is right beside us... so close we can almost smell the stinky bird poop... and it was stinky! Just our luck we get an even crotchetier old Canadian man. He asks for our ID. We pass him our license and this time I remember her health card. He asks for more ID. We tell him for the, what? 3rd time today that this was all a big accident due to our stupid GPS. We did not want to go to the states. I enthusiastically point to Bird Kingdom and say "We just wanted to go THERE!" He looks at K and gives him the Lightman. He says that our driver's license only shows that we can drive in Canada. SIGH. We have to go talk to Canadian Immigration.
SIGH. BIG OL FREAKING SIGH! We pull into a parking spot where the official is flagging us down. This time at least we get to keep our keys and lock the doors! We go into the building, and are seen right away. The official reads the note the old guy gave us. Looks at us, then asks for our story for the fourth time. We repeat the story yet again. He asks us where we were born, we tell him Markham, Scarborough and North York. He shakes his head, hands us our ID and says "Have a nice day folks".
WOOO HOOO! We're free! The lesson of this story. DO NOT ACCIDENTLY CROSS THE RAINBOW BRIDGE! Break all traffic laws, beg, plead, or pay somebody on the Canadian side to open the gate that says NO EXIT. Oh, and don't listen to the GPS!!!
The day got better from there, thank goodness.
Played a little skee ball, went on the Skywheel which Demi LOVED
Then off to dinner at the Rainforest Café. 
We finished the night off by taking a tour of the CAA Festival of Lights, then headed home. Demi fell asleep in the car, and mommy and daddy had a nice quiet ride back. And now Demi and I can officially say we've been to the US, even if it was under duress and only lasted a hour. I should have taken advantage of the free pass and looked up the nearest Target so we could get our stroller for cheap! Oh well.
Really me,
Directionally challenged (must be another pregnancy side effect),
Nik
We pull off to the side of the rows, and this old dude comes out of the building. K opens the door and says "Hi sir, we didn't mean to come over here, but there was nowhere to turn around" The old dude yells at K to get back in the car. Tells him " It's Irrelevant!" and to get back in line. OK scary guy! So we get in line. We have no ID except our driver's license and Demis' health card. We finally get to the booth and tell the guy we just wanted to turn around we DO NOT want into the country. He was pretty nice and basically tells us that we're here now, and we have to go through the process. SIGH. Poor Demi is DONE being in her seat. Which was a good thing I suppose, because they confiscate the car and keys!! We all have to get out and go up to talk to immigration. I AM NOT HAPPY! K is trying to keep me quiet before I run my mouth and get us thrown into jail or worse! We go up to immigration and wait 20 or so minutes before we get called in to talk to some other old guy. He asks us where we were born, what our status is, if we have any ID for Demi (I didn't think to give them her health card). We answer all his questions, and he tells us that even though we don't have the required ID, he is going to let us into the country today! (Not to mention we could very well be kidnapping a child with no ID, but you know, whatev) YAY.... Not. I politely say "No offense sir, but I really don't want to be in your country, I want to go back to Canada!" That could be said nicely, right?! So he tells us to take a U-turn at the lights, pay the toll and go back home.
Off we go with our little US stamp on a scrap piece of paper. Hand it to the officer at the door, and we get our car back. Everything in it, though they didn't bother to lock the doors. Thanks! We get back in the car, make our U-turn and wait in line to greatfully pay the $3.25 to get back into Canada. We cross the Rainbow Bridge, Demi is in the back seat saying "Birds? Birds?" We think we're home free.
Nay nay. We get to the Canadian customs. Bird Kingdom's sign is right beside us... so close we can almost smell the stinky bird poop... and it was stinky! Just our luck we get an even crotchetier old Canadian man. He asks for our ID. We pass him our license and this time I remember her health card. He asks for more ID. We tell him for the, what? 3rd time today that this was all a big accident due to our stupid GPS. We did not want to go to the states. I enthusiastically point to Bird Kingdom and say "We just wanted to go THERE!" He looks at K and gives him the Lightman. He says that our driver's license only shows that we can drive in Canada. SIGH. We have to go talk to Canadian Immigration.
SIGH. BIG OL FREAKING SIGH! We pull into a parking spot where the official is flagging us down. This time at least we get to keep our keys and lock the doors! We go into the building, and are seen right away. The official reads the note the old guy gave us. Looks at us, then asks for our story for the fourth time. We repeat the story yet again. He asks us where we were born, we tell him Markham, Scarborough and North York. He shakes his head, hands us our ID and says "Have a nice day folks".
WOOO HOOO! We're free! The lesson of this story. DO NOT ACCIDENTLY CROSS THE RAINBOW BRIDGE! Break all traffic laws, beg, plead, or pay somebody on the Canadian side to open the gate that says NO EXIT. Oh, and don't listen to the GPS!!!
The day got better from there, thank goodness.
We got to see the birds
Played a little skee ball, went on the Skywheel which Demi LOVED Then off to dinner at the Rainforest Café. We finished the night off by taking a tour of the CAA Festival of Lights, then headed home. Demi fell asleep in the car, and mommy and daddy had a nice quiet ride back. And now Demi and I can officially say we've been to the US, even if it was under duress and only lasted a hour. I should have taken advantage of the free pass and looked up the nearest Target so we could get our stroller for cheap! Oh well.Really me,
Directionally challenged (must be another pregnancy side effect),
Nik
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The worst thing he could say.
I had one of those mornings.
I was woken up prematurely from a typical 2nd trimester sex dream. For any of you who have never been pregnant… this is probably one of the best parts of pregnancy, you can have an orgasm in you sleep! Like when does that ever happen?! It's either due to a sex dream…or in my friend's case a really good bowl of wonton soup. Sex and food dreams rule the second trimester.
So I say to K, "You wouldn't be up for a quickie would you?"
His reply "Well it would have to be really quick." WAH WAH Fail!
What man confronted with sex says that?! Apparently the man I married.
Needless to say, the dream was definitely better than reality, I waved him off to go do his morning routine because heaven forbid anything should throw him off his timetable!
Every morning as I get dressed I go between wanting to show off the belly… and still wanting to not look pregnant. This morning I went for showing the belly off with the option of hiding it (ya, cause in my head I hide it really well!). I put on my maternity dress pants, and a form fitting black shirt. I put my makeup on, a little bronzer, brush my hair, look in the mirror and think 'I'm having a good day'.
I go downstairs, look in the full length mirror at my cute little belly and decide that today is a good day for a belly picture! When K comes downstairs I ask him to take a picture for me. I ask him if my hair is ok, is my shirt ok, how's my posture? He says everything is good. He takes a few pictures, and goes off to make his lunch. I get to work downloading the pictures to post on FB of course!
That's when it happened… The pictures were horrible!!
I thought I looked like this
Really me,
Hormonally challenged
Nik
I was woken up prematurely from a typical 2nd trimester sex dream. For any of you who have never been pregnant… this is probably one of the best parts of pregnancy, you can have an orgasm in you sleep! Like when does that ever happen?! It's either due to a sex dream…or in my friend's case a really good bowl of wonton soup. Sex and food dreams rule the second trimester.
So I say to K, "You wouldn't be up for a quickie would you?"
His reply "Well it would have to be really quick." WAH WAH Fail!
What man confronted with sex says that?! Apparently the man I married.
Needless to say, the dream was definitely better than reality, I waved him off to go do his morning routine because heaven forbid anything should throw him off his timetable!
Every morning as I get dressed I go between wanting to show off the belly… and still wanting to not look pregnant. This morning I went for showing the belly off with the option of hiding it (ya, cause in my head I hide it really well!). I put on my maternity dress pants, and a form fitting black shirt. I put my makeup on, a little bronzer, brush my hair, look in the mirror and think 'I'm having a good day'.
I go downstairs, look in the full length mirror at my cute little belly and decide that today is a good day for a belly picture! When K comes downstairs I ask him to take a picture for me. I ask him if my hair is ok, is my shirt ok, how's my posture? He says everything is good. He takes a few pictures, and goes off to make his lunch. I get to work downloading the pictures to post on FB of course!
That's when it happened… The pictures were horrible!!
I thought I looked like this
When I really looked like this!
I know you know what I'm talking about. You get all dressed up, do your makeup, your hair, you're feeling good, you're flirting with people..... then you see pictures of yourself from that day. EEEEKK! Double chin, hair flying all over the place, wrinkles in my clothes… cause those better not be rolls! I lose it.
"OMG I look horrible! You were going to let me leave the house looking like this?! No wonder you didn't want sex this morning, I wouldn't touch me either!"
That's when he says the worst possible thing he could have said.
"Baby, you look beautiful."
WHAT?! I am telling you that I look horrible in these pictures, and you're telling me I look beautiful. You're either lying to me or you have really really bad taste in women. If this is beautiful, how ugly do I look on bad days?! Sigh.
I blame my meltdowns solely on the pregnancy hormones. I know this to be true because I got into the car to drive to work and felt like dancing. Then again how could you not want to do a polka when Stereo Love is playing.
Really me,
Hormonally challenged
Nik
Monday, November 22, 2010
Back by Popular Demand
Ha ha, ya, in my imagination maybe. But I am back. There has been a lot going on since I left. And there are a whole bunch of things that are going to happen very shortly!
Weddings!!.....
You know, little things like Demi is turning 2 this weekend!!...
Christmas....
Weddings!!.....
Oh, and WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BABY!
Ya, that's pretty much what's been on my mind lately. How the heck am I going to manage with another little person running around. I've barely made it in to the 'terrible twos' and now what have I gone and done?! Our little princess who was so quiet and played by herself, has now developed an attitude to rival my own! (Is it any wonder really?!)
But who am I kidding, she is still the sweetest thing since Splenda! She is now talking up a storm, and most of the time we get what she's saying. She can count to 10, and she can almost say all of the ABCs. Those darn LMNOP always throw her off! And now she will get to be a big sister!
So I look forward to writing some more entries, and keeping on top of the game. Look for some Christmas recipes and crafts to come, some more 30 min meals, and some more sarcasm as usual.
Really me,
Knocked up
Nik
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I'm a Foodie
I love all kinds of food. I love Indian, Chinese, Italian, French, Thai, junk food, fresh food... I haven't met a food I don't like. I pride myself on visiting the restaurants featured on Restaurant Makeover.
But do you know what I really love?
It's not fancy, it's not cultural, it's not anywhere close to being good for you...
I love the little crispies that are left in the casserole dish after you make some shake'n bake chicken!
I'll even do the dishes if it means I get to pick the bottom of the pan.
Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I know you look at them covered in the jellifying (is that even a word?) chicken fat. They're crispy, salty little bits of goodness.
That reminds me of my family's favorite story about me and my cooking. When I was 10 or 11 I was a latch key kid, at least for a few hours. My dad worked as a caretaker, and my step mom worked the afternoon shift at a nursing home. I was in charge of making dinner. Now before you call CAS, "making dinner" entailed taking the prepped food out of the fridge, turning on the oven and putting it in. My step mom would leave me a note telling me when the meat had to go in, when the potatoes had to go in and at what temperature.
One night we had shake'n bake... my dad loved shake'n bake. I took the chicken out of the fridge, turned on the oven and threw everything in. If you've ever had shake'n bake before you know how yummy crispy the skin is. Well on this particular night the skin was excellent! My dad and I would always take the skin off and set it aside to keep it for our final bite. Well it was soo good that night, that my dad distracted me and stole my prized piece of skin.
Later that night my step mom came home and was cleaning up the kitchen and was washing the dishes. As she was washing the chicken pan she noticed that there was something on the edges that wouldn't come off. Putting two and two together she checked the garbage can to confirm her theory. Then she calls out
"Nicole, what did you do with the plastic wrap I had on the casserole dish??"
You see where this is going?
That's right, I neglected to take the plastic wrap off the casserole dish before I put it in the oven. Mmmmm crispy plastic chicken!
I have not lived that down to this day. Needless to say all future meals were wrapped with tin foil. But in my defense the note didn't say anything about removing the plastic wrap!
Really me,
Just following directions
Nik
But do you know what I really love?
It's not fancy, it's not cultural, it's not anywhere close to being good for you...
I love the little crispies that are left in the casserole dish after you make some shake'n bake chicken!
I'll even do the dishes if it means I get to pick the bottom of the pan.
Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. I know you look at them covered in the jellifying (is that even a word?) chicken fat. They're crispy, salty little bits of goodness.
That reminds me of my family's favorite story about me and my cooking. When I was 10 or 11 I was a latch key kid, at least for a few hours. My dad worked as a caretaker, and my step mom worked the afternoon shift at a nursing home. I was in charge of making dinner. Now before you call CAS, "making dinner" entailed taking the prepped food out of the fridge, turning on the oven and putting it in. My step mom would leave me a note telling me when the meat had to go in, when the potatoes had to go in and at what temperature.
One night we had shake'n bake... my dad loved shake'n bake. I took the chicken out of the fridge, turned on the oven and threw everything in. If you've ever had shake'n bake before you know how yummy crispy the skin is. Well on this particular night the skin was excellent! My dad and I would always take the skin off and set it aside to keep it for our final bite. Well it was soo good that night, that my dad distracted me and stole my prized piece of skin.
Later that night my step mom came home and was cleaning up the kitchen and was washing the dishes. As she was washing the chicken pan she noticed that there was something on the edges that wouldn't come off. Putting two and two together she checked the garbage can to confirm her theory. Then she calls out
"Nicole, what did you do with the plastic wrap I had on the casserole dish??"
You see where this is going?
That's right, I neglected to take the plastic wrap off the casserole dish before I put it in the oven. Mmmmm crispy plastic chicken!
I have not lived that down to this day. Needless to say all future meals were wrapped with tin foil. But in my defense the note didn't say anything about removing the plastic wrap!
Really me,
Just following directions
Nik
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Farmville Live in 3D
I used to spend hours on line playing Farmville. In case you've been stuck in the closet for the last 2 years or so... or you're like my husband and you never jumped on the Facebook wagon, Farmville is an online game where you run your own farm. You have to plant different vegetables, pick them, plow the land and plant again. Yes, I was addicted. Much like I was addicted to Sims a few years back. I have an addictive personality apparently.
I know there are a lot of you out there *coughmysisterinlawcough* who have also fallen prey to the game along with many others. The good news is that if you are dedicated enough to check in to Farmville every 2-6-8 hours to harvest your crop, you are dedicated enough to try Farmville Live in 3D.
Last year I had a little garden 4x6 ish. It was good... this year I went for better. We extended the garden by another 4ish feet. Next year, we may just go for broke! The garden was easy to build, all you need is some old 4x4s or railroad ties, or some kind of trim. We used some old used wood my grandparents had lying around. The other important part is something to keep the dirt away from the wood, otherwise the wood will eventually rot. We bought some rubber pond liner which also helped to keep the dirt from falling through the fence on 2 sides. This is what we started with after the edition this year.
This year we planted 2 tomato plants, 2 pickling cucumber plants, 1 zucchini, 2 rows beans (green and yellow), a row of carrots, a green pepper, a butternut squash and Demi's Birdhouse gourd also went into the garden. As usual my tomato plants blew up and became monsters, my zucchini is huge and my cucumbers are out of control! And let me tell you this is so much more rewarding than Farmville cause at least you get to eat what you grow! Take a look for yourself.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and zuchini (I thought I gave them lots of room, but they're monster size!
Carrots & beans
Butternut squash back left, pepper middle, birdhouse gourd up front
Nik's Farm
For any of you who don't necessarily have the room for the garden, you can grow anything in a pot! And the dollar store has some really nice pots ;)
Really me,
The Gardener
Nik
I know there are a lot of you out there *coughmysisterinlawcough* who have also fallen prey to the game along with many others. The good news is that if you are dedicated enough to check in to Farmville every 2-6-8 hours to harvest your crop, you are dedicated enough to try Farmville Live in 3D.
Last year I had a little garden 4x6 ish. It was good... this year I went for better. We extended the garden by another 4ish feet. Next year, we may just go for broke! The garden was easy to build, all you need is some old 4x4s or railroad ties, or some kind of trim. We used some old used wood my grandparents had lying around. The other important part is something to keep the dirt away from the wood, otherwise the wood will eventually rot. We bought some rubber pond liner which also helped to keep the dirt from falling through the fence on 2 sides. This is what we started with after the edition this year.
This year we planted 2 tomato plants, 2 pickling cucumber plants, 1 zucchini, 2 rows beans (green and yellow), a row of carrots, a green pepper, a butternut squash and Demi's Birdhouse gourd also went into the garden. As usual my tomato plants blew up and became monsters, my zucchini is huge and my cucumbers are out of control! And let me tell you this is so much more rewarding than Farmville cause at least you get to eat what you grow! Take a look for yourself.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and zuchini (I thought I gave them lots of room, but they're monster size!
Carrots & beans
Butternut squash back left, pepper middle, birdhouse gourd up front
Nik's Farm
For any of you who don't necessarily have the room for the garden, you can grow anything in a pot! And the dollar store has some really nice pots ;)
Really me,
The Gardener
Nik
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Dirty Little Secret
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's not something we like to admit to, but it is the truth.
Ready....
.....
Girls poop too.
That's right I said it. My BFF will be very upset now. She once lived with a guy for over 3 years and she had convinced him that she didn't poop. She would either wait for himto go to work, or she would 'take a shower'. For one the sound of the water muffled any possible pooping sounds, and the smell from her girly shampoos and body washes would mask any odor. She let me in on her little secret when I started seriously seeing my now husband. Clearly she was magic and not prone to any horrible afflictions of Man. The epitome of femininity!
I myself have been known to leave work because I was 'feeling sick' just so I could go home and avoid the workplace bathroom.
Men, on the other hand, have no problems with pooping. In fact some will announce the deed before they take off to the bathroom with a newspaper under their arm.
"Gotta go drop the kids off at the pool"
or
"Dropping the Browns off at the Super Bowl"
Were common phrases from some of my male co-workers.
Ya, thanks, I really needed to know that. Like it wasn't obvious enough when you were away from your desk for 15 mins. What the heck do they do in there!?
When I worked at the Toronto Islands the guys would come up and use the bathroom in the office. I used to keep a bottle of cucumber mellon body spray in my cubby to freshen up after work. Sure enough the guys would use it as their air freshener. To this day I associate cucumber mellon with stinky poop smell.
For the last 3 years I have avoided using a public washroom. I almost broke my streak when K went in for his knee surgery a few weeks ago. We were due at the hospital by 6:45 which totally upset my morning routine. The coffee I had when I got to the hospital didn't help. Shortly after they took K in I walk/ran to the car, clinching the whole way. Luckily home was only a 5min drive!
But we can't always make it home, sometimes public bathrooms are the only option. So here are some tips I've picked up along the way for any of you 'none poopers' out there who would like to remain anonymous.
The Fly By
This is the act of scouting out the bathroom before going in for a poop. Go in and make sure that nobody else is in there, 'check your makeup'. If a stall is occupied come back again later.
A Safe Haven
This is a bathroom that is rarely used, and out of the way of the general population. An abandoned floor, the bathroom nobody knows about, even a handicapped washroom can work well as a safe haven.
The Bird's Nest
This technique involves laying a few sheets of toilet paper on top of the water. It has a a couple of advantages. It helps to mask any plopping, dribbling or splashing sounds. Secondly it protects you from the dreaded 'poo-dew', the results of your poop slashing your bottom with nasty toilet water.
Camo-Cough
If you've forgotten to use the bird's nest or you think some other sounds may escape, a timely cough will help to cover the unwanted sound.
Really me,
President of PA
Nik
Ready....
.....
Girls poop too.
That's right I said it. My BFF will be very upset now. She once lived with a guy for over 3 years and she had convinced him that she didn't poop. She would either wait for himto go to work, or she would 'take a shower'. For one the sound of the water muffled any possible pooping sounds, and the smell from her girly shampoos and body washes would mask any odor. She let me in on her little secret when I started seriously seeing my now husband. Clearly she was magic and not prone to any horrible afflictions of Man. The epitome of femininity!
I myself have been known to leave work because I was 'feeling sick' just so I could go home and avoid the workplace bathroom.
Men, on the other hand, have no problems with pooping. In fact some will announce the deed before they take off to the bathroom with a newspaper under their arm.
"Gotta go drop the kids off at the pool"
or
"Dropping the Browns off at the Super Bowl"
Were common phrases from some of my male co-workers.
Ya, thanks, I really needed to know that. Like it wasn't obvious enough when you were away from your desk for 15 mins. What the heck do they do in there!?
When I worked at the Toronto Islands the guys would come up and use the bathroom in the office. I used to keep a bottle of cucumber mellon body spray in my cubby to freshen up after work. Sure enough the guys would use it as their air freshener. To this day I associate cucumber mellon with stinky poop smell.
For the last 3 years I have avoided using a public washroom. I almost broke my streak when K went in for his knee surgery a few weeks ago. We were due at the hospital by 6:45 which totally upset my morning routine. The coffee I had when I got to the hospital didn't help. Shortly after they took K in I walk/ran to the car, clinching the whole way. Luckily home was only a 5min drive!
But we can't always make it home, sometimes public bathrooms are the only option. So here are some tips I've picked up along the way for any of you 'none poopers' out there who would like to remain anonymous.
The Fly By
This is the act of scouting out the bathroom before going in for a poop. Go in and make sure that nobody else is in there, 'check your makeup'. If a stall is occupied come back again later.
A Safe Haven
This is a bathroom that is rarely used, and out of the way of the general population. An abandoned floor, the bathroom nobody knows about, even a handicapped washroom can work well as a safe haven.
The Bird's Nest
This technique involves laying a few sheets of toilet paper on top of the water. It has a a couple of advantages. It helps to mask any plopping, dribbling or splashing sounds. Secondly it protects you from the dreaded 'poo-dew', the results of your poop slashing your bottom with nasty toilet water.
Camo-Cough
If you've forgotten to use the bird's nest or you think some other sounds may escape, a timely cough will help to cover the unwanted sound.
Really me,
President of PA
Nik
Thursday, June 17, 2010
My Dad Named His Drill Bit Chuck
"Hand me my Chuck"
"Chuck? Who's Chuck?
"My drill bit... the Chuck."
"You named your drill bit Chuck?"
Clearly I still have a lot to learn. Like drill bits are called chucks. That's how my garden renovation part 2 started this weekend. Actually it started about 2 or 3 hours before that, but it took that long for my dad and I to figure out how we were going to build the box around the air conditioning unit. We're like 2 chiefs my dad and I. I see something in my head, and he sees something completely different. Neither is wrong or better or worse, just different and this can cause some issues. I'm slowly learning how to work with my dad, and when I need to sit back and let the years of experience take over from my fledgling enthusiasm. My great ideas may not translate into a doable project.
I think my dad has the same issue with his father. Both are very headstrong men with their own idea of how to do things. One passing the torch down to the other, and then, as it inevitably happens, your children start to learn tricks of the trade you don't know. But such is life.
This weekend I gave up my bright idea for a doable project, and still ended up with exactly what I saw in my head. A compromise you could say. A melding of two ideas that turned out in the end. I learned some new tricks as I always do working with my elders, and I improved my property in the process. My dad even sacrificed his own home projects to come over and help us. And I'll have you know that it was his birthday weekend. I guess that's where I get my giving nature. Thank you to my dad for this wonderful decorative air conditioning cover!
Before... ugly air conditioner
Forgot to add, this project cost about something like $45, and an hour or so of labor!
Really me,
Apprentice Builder
Nik
"Chuck? Who's Chuck?
"My drill bit... the Chuck."
"You named your drill bit Chuck?"
Clearly I still have a lot to learn. Like drill bits are called chucks. That's how my garden renovation part 2 started this weekend. Actually it started about 2 or 3 hours before that, but it took that long for my dad and I to figure out how we were going to build the box around the air conditioning unit. We're like 2 chiefs my dad and I. I see something in my head, and he sees something completely different. Neither is wrong or better or worse, just different and this can cause some issues. I'm slowly learning how to work with my dad, and when I need to sit back and let the years of experience take over from my fledgling enthusiasm. My great ideas may not translate into a doable project.
I think my dad has the same issue with his father. Both are very headstrong men with their own idea of how to do things. One passing the torch down to the other, and then, as it inevitably happens, your children start to learn tricks of the trade you don't know. But such is life.
This weekend I gave up my bright idea for a doable project, and still ended up with exactly what I saw in my head. A compromise you could say. A melding of two ideas that turned out in the end. I learned some new tricks as I always do working with my elders, and I improved my property in the process. My dad even sacrificed his own home projects to come over and help us. And I'll have you know that it was his birthday weekend. I guess that's where I get my giving nature. Thank you to my dad for this wonderful decorative air conditioning cover!
Before... ugly air conditioner
Forgot to add, this project cost about something like $45, and an hour or so of labor!
Really me,
Apprentice Builder
Nik
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Who's laughing now?
I've recently mentioned to a few people that I don't buy full price meat if I can avoid it. It's usually met with a laugh and a kind of sour looking expression.
"What do you do with it?" they ask.
I portion size what I need to, and I throw it into the freezer to build up my 'If 28 Days Later really happens we'll have food to survive on' supply.
K and I like to go shopping at 8am Sunday morning, as soon as Food Basics opens. For one thing there are no other people shopping at that point. And secondly they are marking down all the meat!
Here is what we bought today.
There is a family pack with 2 chicken halves, 4 packages of wings, 1 package of Angus lean ground beef, 2 packages of chicken breasts, 2 packages of chicken breasts cut into strips, and 1 package of stir fry beef. If you're bad at math like me, that is 11 packages of meat. (I was holding myself back today) Do you want to take a guess at how much that costs?
Regular price I would have paid a whopping $58.55 for all of that meat. That's over half of our bi-weekly shopping budget. But because I bought it for a reduced price I paid $25.55 for everything!
I feel like I'm on that credit card commercial.
"You put that on your credit card?"
"Ya and I save 10% of my purchase"
Smugly "So you saved $2"
"Yup, how much did you save?"
So who's laughing now folks!?
LOL That's right, it's me.
CONTEST ALERT
I promised a contest, so here it is. Tell me how you save money at the grocery store. You must be a follower to enter, and you must leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address. The contest will close next Sunday June 13th at which point a winner will be randomly selected to win a (edited as some don't have Metro/A&P) Cineplex Movie Night admission for 2, 2 regular drinks, and one regular popcorn. Also valid at Famous Players and Galaxy Theatres.
Really me,
Bargain shopper
Nik
"What do you do with it?" they ask.
I portion size what I need to, and I throw it into the freezer to build up my 'If 28 Days Later really happens we'll have food to survive on' supply.
K and I like to go shopping at 8am Sunday morning, as soon as Food Basics opens. For one thing there are no other people shopping at that point. And secondly they are marking down all the meat!
Here is what we bought today.
There is a family pack with 2 chicken halves, 4 packages of wings, 1 package of Angus lean ground beef, 2 packages of chicken breasts, 2 packages of chicken breasts cut into strips, and 1 package of stir fry beef. If you're bad at math like me, that is 11 packages of meat. (I was holding myself back today) Do you want to take a guess at how much that costs?
Regular price I would have paid a whopping $58.55 for all of that meat. That's over half of our bi-weekly shopping budget. But because I bought it for a reduced price I paid $25.55 for everything!
I feel like I'm on that credit card commercial.
"You put that on your credit card?"
"Ya and I save 10% of my purchase"
Smugly "So you saved $2"
"Yup, how much did you save?"
So who's laughing now folks!?
LOL That's right, it's me.
CONTEST ALERT
I promised a contest, so here it is. Tell me how you save money at the grocery store. You must be a follower to enter, and you must leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address. The contest will close next Sunday June 13th at which point a winner will be randomly selected to win a (edited as some don't have Metro/A&P) Cineplex Movie Night admission for 2, 2 regular drinks, and one regular popcorn. Also valid at Famous Players and Galaxy Theatres.
Really me,
Bargain shopper
Nik
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
28 Years Ago Today
My mother, several weeks over due woke up to start her day. Usually she would go for a walk with her dad in the morning, but this morning she had a Dr's appointment. Not long after she awoke, still lying in bed, her water broke. When she looked down she realized there was blood in the waters. Not knowing what to do she got up and ran into the bathroom, in the best place she could think of. The bathtub. She called for my dad.
I can only imagine how scary that was. My dad called my nanna, and nanna shot down the street to come and help. Now my mother's standing in the bathtub bleeding, my dad is freaking out, and nanna is cleaning up the 'mess'. Nobody thought to call an ambulance. So my mother, having been raised by the tidiest woman ever, was worried about messing up the car seat. So she grabbed a towel, stuck it between her legs, hopped in the car with my dad and they drove to the hospital.
When they arrived, the staff whisked my mother away while my dad stayed in admitting to register her. They placed a fetal heart monitor on her belly and quickly discovered I was in distress. "We're going to have to do a c-section" they told her. And my father was nowhere to be seen. This is where things get fuzzy for everybody.
They took my mom in, she remembers tasting onions before going under and worrying that it wouldn't work. They preformed an emergency c-section with my dad and nanna waiting in the waiting room, my mother all alone. If I ask my dad, he doesn't remember much, nanna says I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck, not breathing. My mother nearly died from blood loss. They came to find out that my mother had placenta previa, often fatal when not caught. But we were both fighters.
Here I sit today, strong, determined, stubborn some might say, always fighting for the under dog. I wonder where that attitude came from. My mother still wears her scars proudly.
So on my birthday I want to thank my mom and dad for making me who I am. For fighting and being brave, and for taking care of me.
Really me,
Nik
I can only imagine how scary that was. My dad called my nanna, and nanna shot down the street to come and help. Now my mother's standing in the bathtub bleeding, my dad is freaking out, and nanna is cleaning up the 'mess'. Nobody thought to call an ambulance. So my mother, having been raised by the tidiest woman ever, was worried about messing up the car seat. So she grabbed a towel, stuck it between her legs, hopped in the car with my dad and they drove to the hospital.
When they arrived, the staff whisked my mother away while my dad stayed in admitting to register her. They placed a fetal heart monitor on her belly and quickly discovered I was in distress. "We're going to have to do a c-section" they told her. And my father was nowhere to be seen. This is where things get fuzzy for everybody.
They took my mom in, she remembers tasting onions before going under and worrying that it wouldn't work. They preformed an emergency c-section with my dad and nanna waiting in the waiting room, my mother all alone. If I ask my dad, he doesn't remember much, nanna says I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck, not breathing. My mother nearly died from blood loss. They came to find out that my mother had placenta previa, often fatal when not caught. But we were both fighters.
Here I sit today, strong, determined, stubborn some might say, always fighting for the under dog. I wonder where that attitude came from. My mother still wears her scars proudly.
So on my birthday I want to thank my mom and dad for making me who I am. For fighting and being brave, and for taking care of me.
Really me,
Nik
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Stay off the Road 4pm Tomorrow
I have my G2 driver's test tomorrow. Yes, I'm 27 and I still don't have my license. I got my G1 when I was 18, but I lived in the city, didn't have a car and I was scared to take the driving test. So I let it expire. Stupid of me really.
I've been trying not to think of it all week, but it kept creeping into my mind. K is going for surgery June 9th, he will be unable to drive for 2 weeks while he's recovering, so really getting my license wasn't an option. You'd think that at 27 (28 next week gulp!) I'd be more self assured, but nope! When you're a teen you're cocky, you think you know everything and nothing can touch you. 10 years later, that's not the case anymore.
So I spent an hour in the shower tonight.
Shaving.
Everything.
I heard somewhere that if you feel good in your underwear you'll have more confidence in yourself.
Who am I kidding! I shaved in case I needed to have a quickie in the back seat with the instructor. Anything to avoid parallel parking! If I get a woman I may be screwed. Then again, I am pretty adventurous.
I've also planned to wear a cute summer dress. Nothing overtly sexy. It just shows off my breast...er best assets. I am so screwed if I get a woman. She will know right away what I was up to. Oh God let it be a horny man!
Really me,
Apprentice Driver
Nik
I've been trying not to think of it all week, but it kept creeping into my mind. K is going for surgery June 9th, he will be unable to drive for 2 weeks while he's recovering, so really getting my license wasn't an option. You'd think that at 27 (28 next week gulp!) I'd be more self assured, but nope! When you're a teen you're cocky, you think you know everything and nothing can touch you. 10 years later, that's not the case anymore.
So I spent an hour in the shower tonight.
Shaving.
Everything.
I heard somewhere that if you feel good in your underwear you'll have more confidence in yourself.
Who am I kidding! I shaved in case I needed to have a quickie in the back seat with the instructor. Anything to avoid parallel parking! If I get a woman I may be screwed. Then again, I am pretty adventurous.
I've also planned to wear a cute summer dress. Nothing overtly sexy. It just shows off my breast...er best assets. I am so screwed if I get a woman. She will know right away what I was up to. Oh God let it be a horny man!
Really me,
Apprentice Driver
Nik
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Patio Project
This weekend I embarked on the small task (or at least that's what I thought at the time) of making our patio a bit bigger. With our budget being what it is, we've been waiting to get a good deal on patio stones. Well that chance came along when my grandfather B was remodeling his front walk up. He had about 16 2x2 patio stones that he no longer needed. In fact he wanted to get rid of them ASAP. Free fit right into our budget so thank you very much grandma and grandpa B.
I started on Saturday around 9am. Since my hubby hurt his knee a little while ago, it was pretty much me and my grandpa L doing the work. I started with 6 patio stones at the bottom of our deck stairs. It was functional enough, but not very pretty.
I started by taking up the stones that were already there, and measured from the 3 existing stones to the fence to make sure that we had enough room for the 2x2 stones since we didn't have a stone cutter. I had to move two of the stones back to make sure the rest would fit. That was quite the task itself. Then we had to dig up the sod and some dirt in the area that the patio was going. My grandpa B had some left over sand from putting his steps down so we went over there to pick up some of that. Can you say heavy! Although the correct way to do the patio would be to dig down about a foot of dirt and replace it with the sand and crushed rock... since it was so heavy, we cheated a bit and only put down about an inch. Shhhh don't tell.
We got the area as level as possible then K came in and helped with the pounding down of the sand and crushed stone. We used a 4 foot level taking measurements on the horizontal, vertical and diagonal to make sure that the stones would sit level and to make sure that we were grading away from the house. (which essentially means the patio slopes slightly away from the house so no water should sit against the foundation) Not every stone went down without a hitch. Yes there was some cussing, especially when my fingers got squished under a stone. But we managed to make a pretty decent patio if I do say so myself. I also have some extra dirt for my garden extension. (that's next week's project) We finished up around 5pm, and let me tell you I can feel every shovel full! I could barely pick up Demi today.
Without further ado, here is our new absolutely free patio. Another big thank you to nanna and grandpa L for their help. A thank you to grandma and grandpa B for the supplies and to my hubby for helping me to keep the cussing to a minimum.
Really me,
The paver
Nik
I started on Saturday around 9am. Since my hubby hurt his knee a little while ago, it was pretty much me and my grandpa L doing the work. I started with 6 patio stones at the bottom of our deck stairs. It was functional enough, but not very pretty.
I started by taking up the stones that were already there, and measured from the 3 existing stones to the fence to make sure that we had enough room for the 2x2 stones since we didn't have a stone cutter. I had to move two of the stones back to make sure the rest would fit. That was quite the task itself. Then we had to dig up the sod and some dirt in the area that the patio was going. My grandpa B had some left over sand from putting his steps down so we went over there to pick up some of that. Can you say heavy! Although the correct way to do the patio would be to dig down about a foot of dirt and replace it with the sand and crushed rock... since it was so heavy, we cheated a bit and only put down about an inch. Shhhh don't tell.
We got the area as level as possible then K came in and helped with the pounding down of the sand and crushed stone. We used a 4 foot level taking measurements on the horizontal, vertical and diagonal to make sure that the stones would sit level and to make sure that we were grading away from the house. (which essentially means the patio slopes slightly away from the house so no water should sit against the foundation) Not every stone went down without a hitch. Yes there was some cussing, especially when my fingers got squished under a stone. But we managed to make a pretty decent patio if I do say so myself. I also have some extra dirt for my garden extension. (that's next week's project) We finished up around 5pm, and let me tell you I can feel every shovel full! I could barely pick up Demi today.
Without further ado, here is our new absolutely free patio. Another big thank you to nanna and grandpa L for their help. A thank you to grandma and grandpa B for the supplies and to my hubby for helping me to keep the cussing to a minimum.
Really me,
The paver
Nik
Monday, May 3, 2010
Descendents of Amazons
We have some very strong women in my family. My nanna, my mother, my aunt J, and myself. We can fix things, make things pretty, sniff out the deals, and put a project together. I guess you could call us tom boys, but I much perfer AMAZONS! lol I’m the one who owns the power tools and knows how to use them. On my mother’s side my nanna rules the roost. And I like the ‘strong woman’ role and think it will be great for Demi as she grows up.
All the boys on my dad’s side, and his father for that matter are involved with plumbing, carpentry, electricity, metal working, etc. There’s lots of useful knowledge flowing. My nanna was a farm girl, when life really was tough. I was never really a girly girl, so I would go with my grandfather to watch him work on busted pipes. I’d ‘assist’ whenever I could with any kind of home renovation. I learned to be intuitive, and I learned how to pass them a tool in the correct way so they didn’t have to fumble. I learned to garden, and how to fix things with nothing but a shoe string, and to make things out of nothing.
Now as an adult I do a lot of my home renovations myself. What I don’t know, I look up. I’ve wired a new circuit into the main circuit breaker, framed, drywalled and mudded a playroom for Demi, made and installed a diaper sprayer in the bathroom, and I can clean house too when I’m so inclined. But there are still things I don’t know how to do.
This weekend, for example, my dad came over to fix my outside tap. As he was soldering I thought to myself. I’m going to have to do this for Demi one day. One day K and I are going to be the ‘all knowing’ parents helping our kids with their new house. They’re going to have to know how to do things like change a tire (which I also recently learned how to do), change a light switch or outlet, how to cook, how to clean, when to plant in the spring etc. etc. etc.
That means that K and I better pay close attention to our elders so we can pass these traits down because empowering our children is vitally important in our eyes.
Some things we’d like our kids to know:
How to crochet
How to make preserves
How to cook a meal from scratch
How to change a tire
How to change a light switch / outlet
How to bargain
The value of measuring twice and cutting once
How to repair a hole in drywall
Now for some audience participation… I know there are some lurkers out there, and I’m just saying there may *wink wink* be a giveaway coming up and you have to be a follower to enter. So join now and tell me what family traits/values/life lessons do you want to pass down to your children?
Really me,
Nik of all trades
All the boys on my dad’s side, and his father for that matter are involved with plumbing, carpentry, electricity, metal working, etc. There’s lots of useful knowledge flowing. My nanna was a farm girl, when life really was tough. I was never really a girly girl, so I would go with my grandfather to watch him work on busted pipes. I’d ‘assist’ whenever I could with any kind of home renovation. I learned to be intuitive, and I learned how to pass them a tool in the correct way so they didn’t have to fumble. I learned to garden, and how to fix things with nothing but a shoe string, and to make things out of nothing.
Now as an adult I do a lot of my home renovations myself. What I don’t know, I look up. I’ve wired a new circuit into the main circuit breaker, framed, drywalled and mudded a playroom for Demi, made and installed a diaper sprayer in the bathroom, and I can clean house too when I’m so inclined. But there are still things I don’t know how to do.
This weekend, for example, my dad came over to fix my outside tap. As he was soldering I thought to myself. I’m going to have to do this for Demi one day. One day K and I are going to be the ‘all knowing’ parents helping our kids with their new house. They’re going to have to know how to do things like change a tire (which I also recently learned how to do), change a light switch or outlet, how to cook, how to clean, when to plant in the spring etc. etc. etc.
That means that K and I better pay close attention to our elders so we can pass these traits down because empowering our children is vitally important in our eyes.
Some things we’d like our kids to know:
How to crochet
How to make preserves
How to cook a meal from scratch
How to change a tire
How to change a light switch / outlet
How to bargain
The value of measuring twice and cutting once
How to repair a hole in drywall
Now for some audience participation… I know there are some lurkers out there, and I’m just saying there may *wink wink* be a giveaway coming up and you have to be a follower to enter. So join now and tell me what family traits/values/life lessons do you want to pass down to your children?
Really me,
Nik of all trades
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pops!
Summer is coming, and our little ones are growing up so quickly. Being a healthy mom I'm always on the lookout for interesting ideas to let Demi have her treats, but keep the experience as healthy as possible. I came across a great book called "Pops!" by Krystina Castella. The book has recipes for young and old. K and I have been indulging in some really great cheesecake pops... not that I need any more help with my waist line.
The book contains some really great recipes, and provides a great base for any creative health conscious mom. One of Demi's favorite treats so far is a one of my own recipes taken from the Peanut butter and Jelly recipe from the book.... ok, apparently I wasn't reading carefully because I just noticed that one of her substitutions is banana! (though she does it differently than me.)
Of course every new hobby requires my prerequisite trip to my favorite store to stock up on supplies. The Dollar Store! As the book will tell you anything can be used as a popsicle mold. I purchased some actual popsicle containers, but ended up having to drill holes in the plastic sticks because they were just slipping right out minus the popsicle!
By popular demand I'm going to share my peanut butter and banana pop recipe, and the recipe for the cheesecake pops.
Peanut Butter Banana Pops
1/2 peanut butter
1/2 yogurt
1/2 milk2tbs honey
Mix in a blender
1/2 - 1 banana cut into small cubes. Fill your pop molds with the peanut butter mixture. Place in the freezer for 1 hr.
Remove the pops from the freezer and insert your banana pieces. The peanut butter mixture should be thick enough to suspend the banana throughout the pop. Freeze overnight (or a good 6 hours)You can make this a PB & J pop by using fruit juice (we used Bolthouse 50/50 veggie berry flavor). Fill 1/2 of the pop mold with fruit juice, let freeze for 1-2 hrs. Fill the remaining space with your PB mixture.
Cheesecake pops
(these work best in a silicon mold or in a paper cup so you can cut it off)
1 cup fruit reduction (we used strawberry)8oz cream cheese room temperature
1cup heavy cream (I used 2%)
1/2 sugar
vanilla
Crust
10 graham crackers6tbs sugar4 tbs unsalted butter melted
In your cup evenly distribute the fruit reduction (makes 8 6oz pops). Freeze for 2 hours.
Mix cream cheese, cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove the cups and evenly distribute cream cheese mixture. Insert sticks. Freeze for 3 hours. Mix crust ingredients. If the mixture is not sticking together easily you may want to ad some water 1 tbs at a time. Press the crust into the pop molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours.Of course you can ad fruit to the cheesecake mixture as well, or use chocolate cookie crumbs.
I used cardboard with a slit cut into it as a brace to hold the popsicle sticks in place.
*Disclaimer: Children should always be supervised when eating popsicles as they can be a chocking hazard, and the sticks can be dangerous if they are running with them in their mouth.*
Sesame Street silicone ice cube trays make excellent Elmo pops!
Enjoy!
Really me,
Coolest mommy on the block!
Nik
The book contains some really great recipes, and provides a great base for any creative health conscious mom. One of Demi's favorite treats so far is a one of my own recipes taken from the Peanut butter and Jelly recipe from the book.... ok, apparently I wasn't reading carefully because I just noticed that one of her substitutions is banana! (though she does it differently than me.)
Of course every new hobby requires my prerequisite trip to my favorite store to stock up on supplies. The Dollar Store! As the book will tell you anything can be used as a popsicle mold. I purchased some actual popsicle containers, but ended up having to drill holes in the plastic sticks because they were just slipping right out minus the popsicle!
By popular demand I'm going to share my peanut butter and banana pop recipe, and the recipe for the cheesecake pops.
Peanut Butter Banana Pops
1/2 peanut butter
1/2 yogurt
1/2 milk2tbs honey
Mix in a blender
1/2 - 1 banana cut into small cubes. Fill your pop molds with the peanut butter mixture. Place in the freezer for 1 hr.
Remove the pops from the freezer and insert your banana pieces. The peanut butter mixture should be thick enough to suspend the banana throughout the pop. Freeze overnight (or a good 6 hours)You can make this a PB & J pop by using fruit juice (we used Bolthouse 50/50 veggie berry flavor). Fill 1/2 of the pop mold with fruit juice, let freeze for 1-2 hrs. Fill the remaining space with your PB mixture.
Cheesecake pops
(these work best in a silicon mold or in a paper cup so you can cut it off)
1 cup fruit reduction (we used strawberry)8oz cream cheese room temperature
1cup heavy cream (I used 2%)
1/2 sugar
vanilla
Crust
10 graham crackers6tbs sugar4 tbs unsalted butter melted
In your cup evenly distribute the fruit reduction (makes 8 6oz pops). Freeze for 2 hours.
Mix cream cheese, cream, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove the cups and evenly distribute cream cheese mixture. Insert sticks. Freeze for 3 hours. Mix crust ingredients. If the mixture is not sticking together easily you may want to ad some water 1 tbs at a time. Press the crust into the pop molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours.Of course you can ad fruit to the cheesecake mixture as well, or use chocolate cookie crumbs.
I used cardboard with a slit cut into it as a brace to hold the popsicle sticks in place.
*Disclaimer: Children should always be supervised when eating popsicles as they can be a chocking hazard, and the sticks can be dangerous if they are running with them in their mouth.*Sesame Street silicone ice cube trays make excellent Elmo pops!
Enjoy!
Really me,
Coolest mommy on the block!
Nik
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
My Daughter Has 2 Dadas
It’s like a little competition between parents. Is your precious little bundle of joy going to say mama or dada first? When your partner’s not around you hold up your child’s favorite toy.
“Do you want your toy… say mama. MA MA. You can do it. mama…. ma ma…. ma…..ma…. mama”
It’s been my experience that dada wins out. It just seems to come a little easier to their budding vocabulary. Demi (as she was aptly nicknamed by my CB girls) said dada first. And trust me, I tried!
For one glorious week around 8 months old, I was mama. Everything was mama. Mama this, mama that. It was great! And then mama went into a little vault in her head. Fast forward to 16 months old, and still no mama! Only on the very rare occasion when she is over tired, grumpy, or maybe teething, possibly hurt, will I ever hear the long drawn out cry.
“MMMMMMAAAAAAMMMMAAAAA!!!!”
We look at pictures and it’s “dada”.
I get home from work and she yells “Dada!”
I go to the bathroom and she pounds on the door yelling “DADA”
Really me,
Dada #2
Nik
“Do you want your toy… say mama. MA MA. You can do it. mama…. ma ma…. ma…..ma…. mama”
It’s been my experience that dada wins out. It just seems to come a little easier to their budding vocabulary. Demi (as she was aptly nicknamed by my CB girls) said dada first. And trust me, I tried!
For one glorious week around 8 months old, I was mama. Everything was mama. Mama this, mama that. It was great! And then mama went into a little vault in her head. Fast forward to 16 months old, and still no mama! Only on the very rare occasion when she is over tired, grumpy, or maybe teething, possibly hurt, will I ever hear the long drawn out cry.
“MMMMMMAAAAAAMMMMAAAAA!!!!”
We look at pictures and it’s “dada”.
I get home from work and she yells “Dada!”
I go to the bathroom and she pounds on the door yelling “DADA”
Really me,
Dada #2
Nik
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
30 Minute Meals III
Ok, so this one isn’t quite 30 minutes, it’s more like 40, but it’s still really simple, tasty and healthy. In fact it's probably something a spouse or an older child could throw the last few touches on, and throw in the oven so dinner is waiting when YOU get home! (S I'm looking in your direction ;) )
Fajita Chicken Casserole (one pot wonder!)
You’ll need:
1 chicken breast per person
Chicken Broth
Brown Minute Rice (for two people 1 c is plenty)
Salsa
Cheddar cheese (used to top each chicken breast, so you don’t need a lot)
Fajita seasoning
Beans (1/2 can well drained of any kind you like)
Peppers, julienned
Sour cream
Night Before:
1. Grate cheese
2. In a large casserole dish layer rice, beans, peppers. Place chicken breasts on top of the rice. Top the chicken with salsa and grated cheese.
3. Cover and store in the fridge. (it is very important to make sure there is no liquid in the container or the rice will suck it up and ‘cook’ before it’s time.)
Dinner Time:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix the required amount of chicken stock with ½ package of fajita seasoning.
3. Pour into the casserole dish.
4. Cook for about 40 mins or until chicken juice runs clear.
5. Top with sour cream, enjoy!
Since there’s nothing else required after you throw the dish in the oven you can use the spare time to hang out with your family, do some house chores, surf the web etc.
Fajita Chicken Casserole (one pot wonder!)
You’ll need:
1 chicken breast per person
Chicken Broth
Brown Minute Rice (for two people 1 c is plenty)
Salsa
Cheddar cheese (used to top each chicken breast, so you don’t need a lot)
Fajita seasoning
Beans (1/2 can well drained of any kind you like)
Peppers, julienned
Sour cream
Night Before:
1. Grate cheese
2. In a large casserole dish layer rice, beans, peppers. Place chicken breasts on top of the rice. Top the chicken with salsa and grated cheese.
3. Cover and store in the fridge. (it is very important to make sure there is no liquid in the container or the rice will suck it up and ‘cook’ before it’s time.)
Dinner Time:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Mix the required amount of chicken stock with ½ package of fajita seasoning.
3. Pour into the casserole dish.
4. Cook for about 40 mins or until chicken juice runs clear.
5. Top with sour cream, enjoy!
Since there’s nothing else required after you throw the dish in the oven you can use the spare time to hang out with your family, do some house chores, surf the web etc.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
So Far...
So far this week I have had
Ants in my pants
Birds in my soffit
and
Raccoons in my attic
I think nature is mad at me, you think?
Really me,
Really?
Nik
Ants in my pants
Birds in my soffit
and
Raccoons in my attic
I think nature is mad at me, you think?
Really me,
Really?
Nik
Ants in my Pants
I have ants in my office today. Nasty little brown ants. EVERYWHERE!
My predecessor had some ketchup packets in the bottom drawer of the desk, well one leaked and attracted an army of ants.
I called my husband
Me: I have ants!
Him: Where
Me: Everywhere!
Him: That’s no good.
Me: I had to come outside because the ants were taking over and we didn’t have any ant spray so I sprayed Glade on them and now my office smells like Glade and I think the ants are having a party.
Him:…
Me: How am I supposed to work like this, they’re under my feet, and if I work there all day they’ll crawl up my chair or up my leg and into my underpants. Then I’ll have ants in my pants!
Him: You won’t have ants in your pants.
Me: How do you know? You don’t have ants, I do. And the ants are going to take over the world… you know they say they’ll outlive us all.
Him: Isn’t that cockroaches?
Me: They’re all bugs, it applies.
I think this is going to scar me for life… I was already scarred as a child when some brilliant adult told me about bed bugs. I would not sleep without my underwear for fear that they would crawl in my vajayjay and make it their home. I still always sleep in my underwear… always. ANYWHO
My husband was of little help. All he cared about was feeding the baby her lunch! Pshaw!
Now I’m sitting cross legged in my chair trying to avoid the ants, breathing in the toxic Glade fumes freezing my butt off because the window is open to aerate the room and swatting the occasional ant off the top of my desk
Can you say GROSS!!!
Really me,
Nik
My predecessor had some ketchup packets in the bottom drawer of the desk, well one leaked and attracted an army of ants.
I called my husband
Me: I have ants!
Him: Where
Me: Everywhere!
Him: That’s no good.
Me: I had to come outside because the ants were taking over and we didn’t have any ant spray so I sprayed Glade on them and now my office smells like Glade and I think the ants are having a party.
Him:…
Me: How am I supposed to work like this, they’re under my feet, and if I work there all day they’ll crawl up my chair or up my leg and into my underpants. Then I’ll have ants in my pants!
Him: You won’t have ants in your pants.
Me: How do you know? You don’t have ants, I do. And the ants are going to take over the world… you know they say they’ll outlive us all.
Him: Isn’t that cockroaches?
Me: They’re all bugs, it applies.
I think this is going to scar me for life… I was already scarred as a child when some brilliant adult told me about bed bugs. I would not sleep without my underwear for fear that they would crawl in my vajayjay and make it their home. I still always sleep in my underwear… always. ANYWHO
My husband was of little help. All he cared about was feeding the baby her lunch! Pshaw!
Now I’m sitting cross legged in my chair trying to avoid the ants, breathing in the toxic Glade fumes freezing my butt off because the window is open to aerate the room and swatting the occasional ant off the top of my desk
Can you say GROSS!!!
Really me,
Nik
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
30 Minute Meals II
In contrast to the first 30 min meal, this one is all about assembly. This is a quick meal I like to serve in the cooler months when you need something good and hearty. Most of the meal is assembly.
“Chicken A La King” with Rice
You’ll Need:
Brown Instant Rice
Chicken stock
TenderFlake patty shells (one per person is the proper portion size…we have been known to eat 2 each)
Campbell’s Soup (they used to have an A La King soup, but we can’t find it anymore so we use Smokey Bacon Chowder, or Chicken and Corn. What you’re looking for is a creamy soup with chicken and veggies)
Night Before
EDITED:
There are no steps for the night before. I just realized that the box says cook from frozen.
Dinner Time
1. Place the patty shells on a cookie sheet and cook as per box directions
2. In a small pot heat up the soup.
3. In a medium pot cook rice according to package directions using chicken stock instead of water.
4. Layer rice on the plate, patty shell on top and pour the soup over everything.
This recipe reminds me of a salmon dish my grandmother used to make on Fridays. She would make a roux, add a tin of salmon, some peas and serve it over a flaky pastry. This one will keep you nice and warm on a cool night.
Really me,
The Chef
Nik
“Chicken A La King” with Rice
You’ll Need:
Brown Instant Rice
Chicken stock
TenderFlake patty shells (one per person is the proper portion size…we have been known to eat 2 each)
Campbell’s Soup (they used to have an A La King soup, but we can’t find it anymore so we use Smokey Bacon Chowder, or Chicken and Corn. What you’re looking for is a creamy soup with chicken and veggies)
Night Before
EDITED:
There are no steps for the night before. I just realized that the box says cook from frozen.
Dinner Time
1. Place the patty shells on a cookie sheet and cook as per box directions
2. In a small pot heat up the soup.
3. In a medium pot cook rice according to package directions using chicken stock instead of water.
4. Layer rice on the plate, patty shell on top and pour the soup over everything.
This recipe reminds me of a salmon dish my grandmother used to make on Fridays. She would make a roux, add a tin of salmon, some peas and serve it over a flaky pastry. This one will keep you nice and warm on a cool night.
Really me,
The Chef
Nik
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Let it Grow Let it Grow Let it Grow
Spring has sprung again. The sun is going down later, and rising earlier. The birds are singing, the bugs are buzzing (ick!). And I am planning my garden for this year. Even though C is only 16 months old I thought this was a good time to give her a little gardening lesson, and put her in charge of her own living object. I went to Dollarama and picked up these neat little plants in a cup.
The little cup comes with a peat moss pellet, 3 seeds (they have several plant options available) and a peat moss cup so that you can re-plant your seedlings outside. All you have to do is remove the seeds, pour some water over the peat moss pellet and once it expands plant your seeds. As we went through all the step I explained everything to C.
"This is the bed your flowers will live in. Push the seeds into their bed and cover them up to keep them warm. We have to give them enough water to grow big and tall, but not too much so they drown. We put the cups on the window ledge because flowers love the sun. etc."
You may even think that that is too much for a 16 month old to understand, but I can assure you that on some basic level they are understanding what you're saying. I'm sure of this because every morning we come downstairs and I ask her where her flowers are. She goes running into the kitchen, up to the window ledge and with a big smile on her face she yells;
"Der dey is!" (For anybody who doesn't understand toddler talk, that translates to 'there they is'... we're working on grammar next.)
We water them when the dirt feels dry using a water bottle with a pin prick in the cap. This allows C to hold the bottle and 'pour' it, but it also lets mommy monitor the amount going in ;)
Here's my princess with her 10 day old sunflowers... we're still waiting on the bird house gourd.
Really me,
The gardener's assistant
Nik
The little cup comes with a peat moss pellet, 3 seeds (they have several plant options available) and a peat moss cup so that you can re-plant your seedlings outside. All you have to do is remove the seeds, pour some water over the peat moss pellet and once it expands plant your seeds. As we went through all the step I explained everything to C.
"This is the bed your flowers will live in. Push the seeds into their bed and cover them up to keep them warm. We have to give them enough water to grow big and tall, but not too much so they drown. We put the cups on the window ledge because flowers love the sun. etc."
You may even think that that is too much for a 16 month old to understand, but I can assure you that on some basic level they are understanding what you're saying. I'm sure of this because every morning we come downstairs and I ask her where her flowers are. She goes running into the kitchen, up to the window ledge and with a big smile on her face she yells;
"Der dey is!" (For anybody who doesn't understand toddler talk, that translates to 'there they is'... we're working on grammar next.)
We water them when the dirt feels dry using a water bottle with a pin prick in the cap. This allows C to hold the bottle and 'pour' it, but it also lets mommy monitor the amount going in ;)
Here's my princess with her 10 day old sunflowers... we're still waiting on the bird house gourd.
Really me,
The gardener's assistant
Nik
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
30 Minute Meals I
I’m no Rachel Ray, who could compete with that butt anyways (or at least that’s what my husband says). But I have come to master some pretty simple 30 minute meals since going back to work. Since food, and particularly healthy, quick, budget friendly food always seems to be such a challenge, I thought I would share.
What makes my meals 30 minute meals is a bit of prep work the night before. My husband will do up the dishes and I’ll prep for the next day’s dinner.
One of my favorites is chicken fingers and fries with a side of coleslaw. For this meal I use some homemade food and some pre-packaged food.
You’ll need:
1 chicken breast per person (frugal tip: use dark meat to save money, and if you de-bone it yourself it’s also a lot cheaper)
1 med. sweet potato per person (or a bag of sweet potato fries will work in a pinch. And yes, you can do the recipe with regular potatoes, but they’re not quite as nutritious.)
Bag of premade coleslaw & dressing
½ c Italian Bread Crumbs
1 c Cereal crushed (cheerios, rice krispies, cornflakes, special K, any neutral cereal will work)
Butter (1/4c will do 2 and a bit breasts)
The Night Before:
1. Crush up about 1 cup of your cereal and mix with ½ c bread crumbs and 2 tbs flour.
Melt your butter in the microwave. Cut chicken into strips.
2. Coat the chicken strips in the butter, then place them into the cereal mixture. Coat well.
3. Place them on a baking sheet, cover and put them in the fridge. (Time saver: you can make a large batch when you have more time. Freeze them on a cookie sheet then transfer portion sizes to a freezer bag so they are ready and on hand when you need them!)
4. Cut sweet potato into wedges or strips. Place them on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until they are fork tender.
5. Let the potatoes cool (silly me, burnt my hand the first time). Place them in a bowl, dress with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix until they are all well coated. (You can use any spice of your choosing to dress these up even more. We like Cajun spice.)
Dinner Time:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place chicken fingers and potatoes on a large cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. (Kitchen Tip: parchment paper helps the sweet potato to crisp up).
3. Cook for 25 minutes turning once at 15mins.
4. Open your bag of coleslaw, add the dressing and serve!
Yes, you could use store bought chicken fingers and store bought fries. What I’m trying to avoid is the huge amount of sodium found in pre-packaged food. Homemade = healthier.
Really me,
The Chef
Nik
What makes my meals 30 minute meals is a bit of prep work the night before. My husband will do up the dishes and I’ll prep for the next day’s dinner.
One of my favorites is chicken fingers and fries with a side of coleslaw. For this meal I use some homemade food and some pre-packaged food.
You’ll need:
1 chicken breast per person (frugal tip: use dark meat to save money, and if you de-bone it yourself it’s also a lot cheaper)
1 med. sweet potato per person (or a bag of sweet potato fries will work in a pinch. And yes, you can do the recipe with regular potatoes, but they’re not quite as nutritious.)
Bag of premade coleslaw & dressing
½ c Italian Bread Crumbs
1 c Cereal crushed (cheerios, rice krispies, cornflakes, special K, any neutral cereal will work)
Butter (1/4c will do 2 and a bit breasts)
The Night Before:
1. Crush up about 1 cup of your cereal and mix with ½ c bread crumbs and 2 tbs flour.
Melt your butter in the microwave. Cut chicken into strips.
2. Coat the chicken strips in the butter, then place them into the cereal mixture. Coat well.
3. Place them on a baking sheet, cover and put them in the fridge. (Time saver: you can make a large batch when you have more time. Freeze them on a cookie sheet then transfer portion sizes to a freezer bag so they are ready and on hand when you need them!)
4. Cut sweet potato into wedges or strips. Place them on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until they are fork tender.
5. Let the potatoes cool (silly me, burnt my hand the first time). Place them in a bowl, dress with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix until they are all well coated. (You can use any spice of your choosing to dress these up even more. We like Cajun spice.)
Dinner Time:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place chicken fingers and potatoes on a large cookie sheet topped with parchment paper. (Kitchen Tip: parchment paper helps the sweet potato to crisp up).
3. Cook for 25 minutes turning once at 15mins.
4. Open your bag of coleslaw, add the dressing and serve!
Yes, you could use store bought chicken fingers and store bought fries. What I’m trying to avoid is the huge amount of sodium found in pre-packaged food. Homemade = healthier.
Really me,
The Chef
Nik
Monday, March 29, 2010
Spreadsheet A-Holic
Hello, my name is Nik and I am addicted to spreadsheets.
If I could I would live my whole life out on a spreadsheet. You can run macros that will carry out your demands in a split second. You can color co-ordinate your headings and totals, make life pretty! You can list and sort your life. Find a name/phone number in one click. Heck you can throw in a reset button and go back to where you started if things get messed up! What a life!
Of course have my personal finances on a spreadsheet. I love to manipulate the numbers. What if I won the lottery… *type type type* and voila I’m a millionaire! Look at all the left over money at the end of the week that I have to play with. Millions in savings, a car fund, a huge savings account for C, money to pay off all the bills, trips galor. Best of all, no grocery budget! Wouldn’t that be nice?
At work I have to calculate the price of pool liners, there is a whole sequence Length x Width x multiplier + base price = Y , then you have to calculate the pro-rated rate Y x X% = Z and then they want to know the taxes (((Z x 5%) + (Z x 8% )) + Z). Is all that scary high school math flooding back? (work within the brackets first!) I can’t be bothered doing that by hand on a calculator. It would take me weeks to come up with one quote. Heaven forbid I made a typo! This is why I love spreadsheets. I type in
=l x w and the pro-rata percent, POOF I have a glorious answer in seconds. It even calculates the taxes for me.
You know, there is a formula for just about anything! K asked me if I could help him with his lotto spreadsheet. He he! I was overjoyed. It was the sexiest thing he’s asked me in months! He wanted to know if it was possible for the spreadsheet to count only odd numbers. Ha! Like that’s any match for a spreadsheet wizard like me!
I kept track of C’s poopy diapers, pee diapers, feedings, naps and all kind of things on my little spreadsheets. I made up a calorie calculator/meal planning spreadsheet to help keep track of our weight loss goals. And when it was slow at work before I left on mat leave I created the mother of all EI calculators on a precious spreadsheet!!
Oh god, I think I need to get a life.
Really me,
Spreadsheet A-holic
Nik
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Nice Things
Like many people today I am Frugal. Always have been, always will be. I come from a long line of frugal people. My Nanna being the grandmother of all things frugal. Tack that on to being really good at materializing what she wants, and you have one heck of a lady! Many many many things in my house, and double that in hers have come from garage sales, church bazaars, the side of the road, or a garbage pile.
When my grandparents had their catering truck I would tag along during the summer. One day were were doing a call at a warehouse. Having sharp eyes like my Nanna, I spotted a bean bag chair near the garbage bin. "Nanna pull over!" I yelled. What 14 year old wouldn't want a wicked cool blag bean bag chair for free. I had to beg them to let me take it, and remind them how many items they picked up behind these warehouses... why couldn't I have one! Sure enough we kicked around the bean bag to make sure there were no holes. 13 years later and I still own it.
Last weekend K and I were driving to breakfast on Saturday morning. There was some slight drizzle as we drove down the back streets. When out of the corner of my eye I spot a rolled up carpet. Just what we need for our newly painted entertainment room! "K" I said, "Can we come back from breakfast this way and grab that carpet?" He looks at me, only slightly disgusted "But it's raining" he says, "It's in the garbage for a reason" Then looking to see if he's getting through to me "It's probably got a disgusting stain"
I look at him, lower lip in the pout position.
"Why don't you ever let me have nice things!"
Really me,
The garbage picker
Nik
When my grandparents had their catering truck I would tag along during the summer. One day were were doing a call at a warehouse. Having sharp eyes like my Nanna, I spotted a bean bag chair near the garbage bin. "Nanna pull over!" I yelled. What 14 year old wouldn't want a wicked cool blag bean bag chair for free. I had to beg them to let me take it, and remind them how many items they picked up behind these warehouses... why couldn't I have one! Sure enough we kicked around the bean bag to make sure there were no holes. 13 years later and I still own it.
Last weekend K and I were driving to breakfast on Saturday morning. There was some slight drizzle as we drove down the back streets. When out of the corner of my eye I spot a rolled up carpet. Just what we need for our newly painted entertainment room! "K" I said, "Can we come back from breakfast this way and grab that carpet?" He looks at me, only slightly disgusted "But it's raining" he says, "It's in the garbage for a reason" Then looking to see if he's getting through to me "It's probably got a disgusting stain"
I look at him, lower lip in the pout position.
"Why don't you ever let me have nice things!"
Really me,
The garbage picker
Nik
Saturday, March 20, 2010
What Are We Laughing At?!
Now it may just be that I'm PMSing, but I've got a real beef with sitcoms. I don't often watch shows like 'Two and a Half Men', 'King of Queens', 'Everybody Loves Raymond' or 'According to Jim' and the like, but I have on occasion caught bits and pieces that remind me why I don't watch these shows. Watching them makes me sick to my stomach. Sure they toss out some funny lines... they're comedies you might say, but really? What kind of post feminist garbage are we watching?
I'm putting on my feminist hat, boys, watch out!
The plots of these shows rarely change. Man comes up with a plan, does something he knows will piss his wife off, lies to his wife attempting to cover up what he did, wife finds out, couple argues, he apologizes, maybe gives her some flowers and she jumps in bed with him. Really? Oh, and I forgot to mention, for the most part the men are overweight, balding, lazy bums with wives who are petite, pretty and apparently dumb! Right, cause that's how life works!
The woman is portrayed as a wishy washy, emotional, PMSing, roller coaster ride often becoming irrational over 'trivial' (or not so trivial) matters. Or at least that's how her husband would describe her. But because it is billed as a comedy we all seem to just let it go. It's just a joke.
I don't want to pin it all on the sitcoms, the dramas aren't that much better. Let's take one of my favorite night time soaps 'Melrose Place'. A powerful, intelligent go getter like Amanda would make an excellent likable character... if only she was a man. Being that she's a woman who won't stop until she has what she wants, she's a bitch. How many times have you seen that scenario duplicated at your own place of work?
But how rooted do you think the lessons in these sitcoms become? So routed in fact that I started my blog by stating "it may just be that I'm PMSing" which would indicated that somehow I am less able to think rationally because I'm menstruating. I know this is not a concept they teach in school. I know my mother never taught me that, and yet, there it is at the very beginning of my feminist rant! Imagine my horror. I was going to erase it and start again, but I think it proves my point rather perfectly. Couldn't have planned it better if I tried.
My household operates a little less 'traditionally' than some. My husband does the laundry and the dishes, he's by far the better one when it comes to playing with C. And I do the majority of the house repairs, I own the power tools and come up with the budget. We share in the household chores for the most part. Even still, I obviously have bought into at least one notion that these sitcoms are selling. I am a woman who is menstruating, therefore I must be irrational because I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Right?!
If this is the way we are portraying relationships and women, it's no wonder the divorce rate is so high. Men can't be trusted, and women are emotional wrecks!
The next time you turn on the TV to sit down and veg out, think about what influences you're letting deep into your subconscious... and into that of any children who may be close at hand. If you think about it, it's scary.
Really me,
The Feminist
Nik
I'm putting on my feminist hat, boys, watch out!
The plots of these shows rarely change. Man comes up with a plan, does something he knows will piss his wife off, lies to his wife attempting to cover up what he did, wife finds out, couple argues, he apologizes, maybe gives her some flowers and she jumps in bed with him. Really? Oh, and I forgot to mention, for the most part the men are overweight, balding, lazy bums with wives who are petite, pretty and apparently dumb! Right, cause that's how life works!
The woman is portrayed as a wishy washy, emotional, PMSing, roller coaster ride often becoming irrational over 'trivial' (or not so trivial) matters. Or at least that's how her husband would describe her. But because it is billed as a comedy we all seem to just let it go. It's just a joke.
I don't want to pin it all on the sitcoms, the dramas aren't that much better. Let's take one of my favorite night time soaps 'Melrose Place'. A powerful, intelligent go getter like Amanda would make an excellent likable character... if only she was a man. Being that she's a woman who won't stop until she has what she wants, she's a bitch. How many times have you seen that scenario duplicated at your own place of work?
But how rooted do you think the lessons in these sitcoms become? So routed in fact that I started my blog by stating "it may just be that I'm PMSing" which would indicated that somehow I am less able to think rationally because I'm menstruating. I know this is not a concept they teach in school. I know my mother never taught me that, and yet, there it is at the very beginning of my feminist rant! Imagine my horror. I was going to erase it and start again, but I think it proves my point rather perfectly. Couldn't have planned it better if I tried.
My household operates a little less 'traditionally' than some. My husband does the laundry and the dishes, he's by far the better one when it comes to playing with C. And I do the majority of the house repairs, I own the power tools and come up with the budget. We share in the household chores for the most part. Even still, I obviously have bought into at least one notion that these sitcoms are selling. I am a woman who is menstruating, therefore I must be irrational because I'm making a big deal out of nothing. Right?!
If this is the way we are portraying relationships and women, it's no wonder the divorce rate is so high. Men can't be trusted, and women are emotional wrecks!
The next time you turn on the TV to sit down and veg out, think about what influences you're letting deep into your subconscious... and into that of any children who may be close at hand. If you think about it, it's scary.
Really me,
The Feminist
Nik
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