lost in translation

last week we found ourselves unexpectedly in canada.

the occasion was sad, but good to see family and friends. aaron always loves going home so much.

i know there is much ribbing that goes on in america of all things canadian. being married to a canadian, we have a rib sensitive household and sometimes even i want to scream, enough with the canadian jokes!

it's like being left handed. believe me, i've heard them all. your joke will not be unique or funny, thanks. it grows tiresome.

aaron has a large family, so we customarily see many faces when we visit, but this time we saw a lot of very extended family. many he had never even met. i share this tidbit to demonstrate that my circle of canadians was widely expanded last week.

and i was surprised at how much they bagged on the american accent! for the most part, they love america, but they sure think they know the best way to say things. most of the people didn't know i was american and i only overheard conversations, so in no way were they being disrespectful. i found myself giggling at most of it.

here is a few gems:
pasta vs. paasta (long a)
mazda vs. maazda (long a)
a comment about how we say milk. couldn't figure that one out.
in-sur-ence vs. IN-surence ( i was corrected on this one).
various other ditties were noted.

all the encounters were made up of, 'can you believe they say it that way? sheesh.' i was so amused.

speaking of oddities, they call their bar donuts, long johns. i believe i've discussed that on this blog before. aaron tried to convince me everyone called them that, but i stopped him in his tracks. a snapshot from a 7-11 proved my point. you would not see this in america. no way.

i also saw ketchup flavored chips and pickle doritos.

oh boy.

we're not in kansas anymore, toto.

it's good to be back!

cookie funny

as a self proclaimed cookie monster, i couldn't help but laugh when i saw this.

look at the panic in his googly eyes.

i've felt that before.
hope you have a good friday.

just shocking

i'm sharing another recipe with you.

it's shockingly delicious.

a pancake recipe.

pancakes are my favorite.

i like them in the morning.

at night.

when it's raining.

when i don't have many groceries.

when i don't have much time to cook.

when i have a day off.

when i don't have a meeting before church.

when i don't want dinner food for dinner.

when i'm awake.

when i'm asleep.

i want pancakes most of the time.

i'm always on the hunt for a new recipe.

i also have a bone to pick with pancake recipe creators. stop with the crazy ingredients and even nuttier mixing methods. i bought malt powder for one recipe and it was disappointing. now i have malt powder in the cupboard and i don't like malt. does anyone need malt powder? also, some of the instructions in recipes are ridiculous. how careful you have to be with the egg whites and how to whisk them just so. i'm not making a souffle here, people!

which brings me to my latest find. ingredients you have on hand and the instructions say 'wisk until smooth'. i love it!

i made them on monday morning and they are amazing! soft and a bit spongy. i can't wait to make them again!

1.5 C flour
3.5 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 T white sugar
1 1/4 C milk
1 egg
3 T butter, melted

mix dry ingredients in a bowl. mix wet ingredients in a bowl. mix dry and wet, whisk until smooth. pour on a medium hot, buttered griddle. gobble up.

couldn't get any easier!!

if you're feeling guilty about feeding this to your family, slap a little peanut butter on it before the syrup and you've got protein. serve with a side of eggs and it's double trouble!

enjoy!

sunday adventure

we were enjoying dinner at a friend's house on sunday evening when we saw a cute little dog standing on their back porch, peering in through the window. when we approached him he jumped over the wall and ran down the hill, deeper into their backyard. with their fenced backyard, there was no way for the dog to get out, but to head back up. unsure if he could do that, a few of us went outside to try and help.

he was not to be helped.

we left him alone, figuring he could run back up the hill. the sun set and we saw him on the porch again, but apparently he was so disoriented that he couldn't figure out how to get to the front yard and ran down the hill yet again.

enter night time, about 1opm, and we hear constant barking.

the little guy wanted out.

various attempts to catch him included flashlights, cat food, scare tactics and turkey. finally he came over to me and i grabbed him and took him to the house.

once inside, i fed him the rest of the turkey and we were friends for life.

he was unbelievably dirty and covered in thorns from the trees, so a bath was desperately needed.

emails to neighbors went out and a posting on craigslist went up.

isn't he just a doll?

bath time in the kitchen sink.

you never really know how an animal will react to a bath and we weren't sure if he was going to bite or scratch. he couldn't have been nicer. once we started scrubbing him he leaned over and kept licking my arm. what a sweetie!

we took him in the bathroom to shake his water off then towel dried him and tried to pick out more thorns. he let me hold him in all these funky positions. what a good dog!

aaron was in love and wanted to take him home, but i had a feeling he'd be returned to his owners the next day. sure enough, while on a walk, he got loose and bounded into a nearby yard and was home!

the neighbors said his name is sammy. adorable! i'm hoping to go visit him next time we're in the area.

L or R, either one

recently we went to the chinese buffet by our house.

a delicious hidden gem.

however, we got quite a laugh from a small misspelling...

flogleg, anyone?

although we didn't try any, we're pretty sure it should read, 'frog leg'.

good times.

day 2

i made it through one whole day of only fruits and veggies.

heavens, this is hard.

this experiment is giving me new insight into the mind v. body struggle. i am craving my normal foods. last night i couldn't get a bowl of golden grahams off the brain. i think i have a tiny glimpse into how a food addict feels. i wasn't hungry, my body did not need it, yet i couldn't stop thinking about it. i wanted to feel that satisfaction.

this morning i was hungry when i woke up and i can't say i'm the most cheerful person right now. however, they say the first 3 days are the hardest. i can do this.

tonight i'm making a sweet potato and bok choy soup, so maybe that will fill me up. it would be divine with a hunk of bread!!

anyway, i'm still here and breathing.