Spilled Milk

I finally tried a pickle and peanut butter sandwich today. It wasn't half bad, I'd have it again.

We're coming up to a long holiday weekend in Canada, with Monday being a Civic holiday. A lot of people will have the day off, but the grocery stores and shopping malls will be open. The banks and government offices will be closed.

We plan to spend the day tomorrow at Canada's Wonderland with my mom and my sister's family, a family outing. The kids are looking forward to it. We'll likely be walking from 10 am to 10 pm, so maybe I won't go for my walk today. At the grocery store this morning, I noticed this older lady in a houndstooth patterned skirt and a matching handbag. I had to compliment her and ask if she bought the outfit at the same time. She thanked me and she said that she actually hadn't. Then her milk bag sprung a leak on the checkout counter.

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Magically Moist Chicken

One of my sisters found this quick and easy recipe from the Ivillage website. Her 10-year-old loved it.

Magically Moist Chicken:

In less than a half an hour, you'll have a new chicken main dish on the table. Perfect for busy weeknights!

Serving: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Hellmann's or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1-1/4 cups Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush chicken on all sides with mayonnaise.

In large plastic bag or bowl add bread crumbs. Add chicken, one piece at a time; toss to coat. On rack in broiler pan or on foil-lined baking sheet, arrange chicken.

Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is golden and thoroughly cooked.



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Bruno is so bad

Lissa has started up a creative art meme, check my sidebar for details if you would like to participate. It's going to be a lot of fun.

One of my sisters (the fun one in her forties with a grown son, nonetheless) is going to the American Idol concert tonight and they are all excited. She told me:

'I got my nails painted blue black today with silver glitter. Have all my silver jewellery ready with blue glowsticks for all 6 of us. Have a blue tshirt with black writing and sparkles to wear. all ready, now to get ready on time. '

Can you guess she's an Adam Lambert fan? We got tickets to go to the concert when it gets here in a few weeks, can't wait.

We made another macaroni and cheese pie with more cheese this time as the one last night got all eaten up! L went to see the new movie 'Bruno' with a bunch of friends last night and they walked out, it was so bad/offensive. Don't know which one of them chose that one. I guess they had all seen Harry Potter.

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Someday

I'm sharing some photos from my garden today, hope you like them. On my walk, I noticed 3 pretty young girls working for a landscaping company, mowing the grass and trimming the lawns. Was it my imagination, or did these yards look so much better than the others, so neatly groomed. Do girls do a better job? (-:

L and I just made a macaroni and cheese pie, one of K's favourites. We also sorted her clothes closet as we have an upcoming charity pickup. It's a good once a year idea, I think. Suddenly, she can find things! K is still hanging on to his old Pokemon card collection and his Nintendo 64 game system. He says 'someday, they'll be worth a fortune!'

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The truth about tea and your health -

'While this may be good news for tea drinkers, it should be noted that the health benefits of drinking tea are nullified when milk is added to tea.' - oops!

Irie Jerked Shepherd's Pie

Pulled lamb on turned cornmeal with jerk shepherd's pie, mint, raisin and bird pepper marmalade and green salad.



Here are some interesting Jamaican recipes I received via an email:
(don't miss my News stories at the end!)


'The RADA/Ministry of Agriculture lunch held last month received rave reviews from the prime minister himself, Bruce Golding. We gave you a taste last week of the oxtail ravioli and bring you today the recipe for the pulled lamb on turned cornmeal porridge with jerked shepherd's pie mint, raisin and bird pepper marmalade and green salad courtesy of our friends at Round Hill Hotel & Villas. Enjoy!'


Pulled lamb on turned cornmeal with jerk shepherd's pie, mint, raisin and bird pepper marmalade and green salad.
Pulled Lamb on turned Cornmeal Porridge with Jerked Shepherd's Pie Mint, Raisin and Bird Pepper Marmalade and Green Salad

Preparing the Lamb

Ingredients:
2 ozs wet jerk seasoning
1 oz fresh rosemary on stems
1 oz thyme on stems
500 ml red wine
1 head of garlic - cleaned, pegged and crushed
1 local lamb shoulder (approx 4 kg) bone in kg Meirpoix (carrots, onions, celery and bouquet garni)
2 lt beef stock
Bacon fat

Method:
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients prior to the lamb shoulder to create a marinade.
Place the lamb in the marinade covering as much as possible. Cover and place in a refrigerated area for at least 24 hours, turning from time to time.
When ready to prepare, heat the bacon fat (vegetable oil can act as a substitute if desired) in large braising pan of just sufficient size to fit the lamb shoulder.

Remove the lamb from the marinade and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.

Strain the marinade through a fine strainer and bring to the boil in a separate sauce pan.
When the fat is hot seal the lamb quickly on all sides to give colour and seal in the juices.
When complete remove the lamb and place on a warm platter.

Add the meirpoix to the pan and sauté for colour and to soften the vegetables slightly.
Add the stock and reserved marinade and bring to the boil.

Add the lamb leg and bring back to a simmer; cover and place in the centre of an oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Allow to braise for approx 3 hours or until a needle can be sunk deep in the joint.
When cooked, remove the meat and allow to cool.
Strain the cooking liquid, bring back to the boil and reduce to a syrupy consistency. Strain again and set aside.

When cool pull the meat from the bone, dividing into two containers. The larger pieces of meat should be set aside in one bowl for the pulled lamb and the smaller pieces for the shepherd's pie. At the end clean the bone and add to the smaller pieces.
Take the larger pieces and pull or slice into longer strands of meat similar to thin rope of strings. Cover and set aside.

Take the smaller pieces of meat and grind or chop finely. Add to the reserved lamb braising sauce and cook down until all is thoroughly combined but still with some saucy element (not too dry). Add the season, adding salt and hot pepper as needed to enhance the flavour. Set aside in a cool place.

Tropical Fruit BBQ Sauce (makes 1 litre)
Ingredients:
1 large ripe mango, peel and deseed
6 guava, remove seeds and add to mango
1 small pineapple, peel, core and chop fruit, add to the above
1lb red onion, peel and chop
1 head garlic, peel
2oz fresh ginger, peel
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, deseed
8oz Orange juice
4oz Lime juice
4oz Grapefruit juice
8oz Sugar cane vinegar
Blend all of the above in a blender and place in a large thick bottom saucepan
8oz golden syrup
8oz tomato paste
1oz Dry English mustard
1/2oz ground black pepper
1/2oz cumin
1/2oz tumeric
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 1 hour, re-blend and strain Arrow root (tumeric).
Season and thicken as needed.

Mint, Raisin and Bird Pepper Marmalade - 10 portions (Best made and reserved)
Ingredients:
4 oz raisins
2oz Appleton Extra Rum
Add 4oz water, heat the water and add the rum and raisin
Allow to soak for several hours
4oz brown sugar, melt the sugar in a thick bottom pan
4oz cane vinegar
4oz honey
2 limes
Combine all the above ingredients and allow to cook to a syrup.
1 bird pepper, chop finely and add.
1lb sugar loaf pineapple flesh, dice the flesh in brunoise, add and allow the mixture to cook down to a loose texture.
Add the soaked raisins and liquid.
1/2 oz fresh mint
Chop mint and mix in after removing from the heat
and cooling slightly. Season to taste.

Turned Cornmeal Porridge
Ingredients:
2 oz butter
2 oz onions
1/2 head garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 Bay leaf
1 whole Scotch bonnet - pricked
Coconut milk
Salt and pepper
Parsley - chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying

Method:
Add butter to a thick bottom pan.
Sweat onions with the herbs and garlic.
Add coconut milk and and bring to a simmer.
Allow flavours to combine and remove Bay leaf and Scotch bonnet
Whisk in the cornmeal, cook until firm and add parsley.
Turn out in a shallow dish and cool.
When cool cut out into two-inch circles.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown the cornmeal on both sides.
Set aside in a warm place until ready for service.

Finishing
Take 1lb of yellow yam, scrub and roast slowly over an open fire or in the oven.
When soft, peel and chop finely.
Blend with 4 oz of hard butter and season with salt pepper and ground nutmeg.

Take 4 X 4 oz Ramekins, small cups or serving bowls.
Heat the jerked lamb and divide into the bowls filling them 3/4 full.

Scoop some of the mashed yam and place on top to cover the meat and seal the bowl - don't overwork or smooth down too much.

Place the ramekins on tray and place in a hot oven to brown and heat through.

Heat a portion of the barbecue sauce and add the pulled lamb meat to it. Heat thoroughly and allow the lamb to become coated with the sauce.

Prepare the salad of your choice and dress as desired, place in the centre of the plate.

Place the cornmeal cake to the left of the salad and top with the pulled lamb, drizzle with a little extra sauce. Place a spoonful of the marmalade next to the cornmeal cake.

Place the heated pie to the right of the salad ensuring that the yam has browned sufficiently.
Serve and enjoy!

- Recipes courtesy of Round Hill

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Knowing Me

Today, I'm answering these questions for a fun meme that LazyKing did. Enjoy and feel free to answer them too.

- Do you do dance crazy when no one is looking?
Yes, sometimes even when people are looking

- Do you like to sing in the shower?
No, not lately.

-Whats your favorite colour?
Blue

- Do you like baths or showers?
showers

- Do you blow dry your hair? or just let it dry on its own, or towel dry?
I blow dry my hair

- At the beach would you rather play in the sand, or play in the water?
Play in the water

- Do you think people should eat the fish they catch, or just let them go?
Well, it depends...if they are endangered or if they're for eating.

- Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste?
I wet the toothbrush

- Pen or pencil?
either one

- Have you thrown up in a car?
Not lately

- Date someone older?
Yes.. depends how much older

- One place you could travel right now?
Banff, Canada

- Are you afraid of the dark?
No, maybe

- What was the last drink you drank?
coffee with cream

- Do you prefer hugs or kisses?
hugs

- What is your favorite word?
Be careful!

- Are you a heavy or light sleeper?
A light sleeper

Dental Surgery after Retinal Laser Surgery

The eye specialist called early this Saturday morning at 8:51 am to say that 'dental surgery shouldn't affect K's eye', so he can have either IV sedation or General Anaesthesia. I make note of these things on my blog as a kind of record, because you forget the details over time. Then I called the wisdom teeth doctor (oral and maxillofacial surgeon) and asked the secretary to make a note of this and that we're going ahead with our scheduled summer appointment and IV sedation. I remembered K was pretty brave during his retinal surgery last October, so this should be a piece of cake. General Anaesthesia knocks you out and you need a good 3 hours to fully recover, so that's the good side of sedation where you stay awake.

I'm impressed at the prompt response from the eye specialist, as they are so busy with all the urgent cases, where it takes months to get any appointment.

L is now stressing about her course choices for Grade 12. At the moment, she is really unclear on what path she should take. She tends to wait until the last minute to make up her mind. University applications start in December. It's time to do some good research on the universities, what they offer, the grades they expect.

We have plans to go to a barbecue this evening, although the forecast calls for rain.

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A life changing moment?

I went for a walk with my girlfriend this morning, under dark rainclouds which cleared up. She keeps telling me to try a pickle and peanut butter sandwich because it's really delicious. I think I will try it. She also recommended black apricots...so I'll have to look for those.

K and I went to see the wisdom tooth surgeon for a consultation. Because he had laser surgery to correct a retinal tear in his eye last year, the doctor will only administer General Anaesthesia in a hospital where his blood pressure can be monitored properly. The alternative is to have IV sedation during the removal of the teeth. This means there would be no pain, but he would be awake to hear the drilling, etc. I think we're going to try this option. With a hospital procedure, we have to wait until the fall as it's busy. We have to apply to the ministry for approval and he would miss at least a week of school. He still recommended us to check with the eye specialist in any case.

I mentioned to the doctor that K's not 'academic' and he was very nice. He goes 'What do you mean you're not academic? What do you like to do?' K mutters 'Maybe tennis'. The doctor explains 'Well, very few people end up making a living from that'. He goes on 'If you want to drive a nice car, you're going to need a good job'. He was hitting all the right buttons. Afterward K says to me 'Who does he think he is? What does he know?' So I explained that he's likely a very rich and qualified man. K says thoughtfully 'You're right, he's even more skilled than the braces doctor as he's actually cutting into people's mouths.' Maybe this was a life changing moment? (-:

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Some like it hot

I'd like to see this new movie when it opens, it's called 'The Time Traveler's Wife' starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. It's Romance and Science Fiction based on the novel of the same name. I like both of those actors.

I bought a pair of silicone potholders as I could never find new fabric potholders with liners. I like them so far, they do work.

I have a couple of people that have shown interest in my Craigslist posting. Let's hope that at least one of them shows up and makes me a reasonable offer! It's kind of fun but you do have to be patient. This lady I know says she buys a lot from Craigslist and when she was re-doing her kitchen, she sold her old cabinets for $900 on Craigslist. Someone came and took them away. Some people find it easier to just take their stuff to the dump. There is also Freecycle where you can give and get stuff for free.

It was pouring rain this morning when I took L for a haircut and eyebrow waxing. I also picked up a few groceries. One of the employees (could've been the owner) told me that the cooler summer has delayed the Ontario fruit and vegetable crop. Some of the vegetables (such as green beans) like it cooler, so they are ready, but corn, peaches...they like it hot.


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Man Rules

The Man Rules
At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down

Finally , the guys' side of the story.
( must admit, it's pretty good.)
We always hear " the rules "
From the female side.

Now here are the rules from the male side.


These are our rules!
Please note.. these are all numbered "1 "
ON PURPOSE!

1.Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down.
You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are..
Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one

1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done.
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colours, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A colour. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve or Chartreuse is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine.. Really

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as FOOTBALL or
motor sports

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can -to give them a bigger laugh

Self-Serve checkout

I notice all the stores are encouraging us to use their 'self checkout' lines. In fact, they seem to have more of those, and just one or two actual cashier lines. I miss them, as I'm lazy and would rather not have to think about the paying process. Even in some restaurants, they bring you a machine to enter your own payment information. It's not that I can't do it, I'm just not mechanically inclined and tend to avoid anything automated in general. I'm ok with computers and bank machines! Oh, and I do pay at the pump for my gas. I've put air in my own car tires, but I think because I don't do it often enough, I find the process a bit awkward. I wonder if there are a lot of people like me or do people actually prefer self-serve?

I seem to be spending the day watering the grass. It'll probably rain tomorrow (or later today)! It does take a long time moving the hose around if you don't have a sprinker system. I like to use a sprinkler hose as I think I can better control the coverage. I just took K to the orthodontist for an emergency 'power elastic' repair. The doctor was pleased to hear we have an appointment for wisdom tooth surgery.

We're having barbecued Italian sausages on buns for tonight's supper. We were supposed to have those on Sunday night, but we ended up eating out at a new Chinese restaurant we found.

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Facts on Foods That Speed Up Metabolism - There's no magic to these articles, they always recommend the healthy foods!

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A Hike

I went for a long walk with a friend this morning, so three hours later, I'm now exhausted on a hot day. She seems to do this a lot, so I'm guessing she's a lot fitter than I am. We took this 'shortcut' which involved climbing up a 2 foot (or higher) embankment and jumping down it on the way back. Well, we stopped into a few stores, running a few errands, so that took some of the time. The Costco photoshop is now doing these photobooks and one of the employees had a personal sample on display. He even showed us how easy it is to produce, using the 'layout' section of their online software. These personalized photobooks look like a mini magazine and would make great gifts (baby, wedding, vacation photobooks).

I got some new duvet covers at Ikea yesterday, so today seemed like a good time to wash some of the bedsheets. The kids and I are going over to see my mom and the cousins for a few hours. Gosh, I'm so tired.

I had to re-post an item on Craigslist, the previous posting expired and I think I just have to be patient. I've had a couple of fruitless inquiries thus far.

Unwinding in the Summer

The kids plan to go see the new Harry Potter movie with some friends later today. Maybe I'll finally get to go to the Ikea store.

We decided to supervise L's driving (to attend a birthday party) last night, but M let her drive home on the highway and it further boosted her confidence. In the past couple of years, the birthday parties have included both boys and girls.

K still loves the Disney movie 'Oliver and Company'. I pursuaded him to watch the original 'Oliver' (Twist) movie (1968) last night and we loved it. It brought back many memories for me, because I remembered seeing it as a child. The 'Dodger' character Jack Wild passed away in 2002 at about 50 years old. The 'Fagin' character Ron Moody is still alive at about 85 years old.

L just finished her tennis tournament, it was amusing to see her warming up in the back yard this morning before she headed out. She seems to be in such good spirits these days, lots of singing going on in the house. Everyone needs the summer to just unwind.

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Future Plans

K got a much-needed haircut after about 3 months today. He participated in his first tennis tournament and enjoyed it. He didn't win his singles match, but gave it a good fight and he says they won the doubles match. He did notice that his hair wasn't in his face most of the time like it normally is.

L is off to a birthday dinner party this evening and we're debating whether she should drive herself to the event. My friend's daughter has had her licence for a few months now, and is now driving all over town by herself.

M and I went to the hardware store looking for a new rubber hose and hose reel. The thing is, they had a 'spin the wheel and save' event, so he got 20% off his first purchase which was a pack of nails. Then we went back to purchase the rest of the stuff and he only spun 10%. That's the luck of the draw! I wanted to go to Ikea after, but we ran into some family friends and they invited us over to their house nearby for a quick drink. Their kids have left the nest, and the couple still both work full time. They are handy and renovate their house in their spare time.

The visit made me think that we should try to plan for where we want to be living, what we want to be doing, at that stage of life. (Say, less than 10 years from now!) The lady's sister lost her husband earlier this year to a sudden heart attack. He was in his late fifties. She said her sister is quite depressed although she's always been quite an independent person. She goes off to her job during the day, but it's when she gets home that the loneliness starts. We take so much for granted, but I don't think there's any way to plan for events like this. I have trouble even if I have to plan a vacation for next year, it seems so far away.

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Jamaican Jerk Sauce

Here is a recipe for what seems to be an authentic Jerk Sauce, as requested by Japra:

1 lb Scotch bonnet peppers
1 small onion, chopped
3 stalks escallion, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp whole pimento (allspice)berries
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce

In a food processor, or blender, puree all ingredients until the sauce is coarse,
yet pourable

Makes about 4 to 5 cups. Handle scotch bonnet peppers with care as they are very hot. Wear rubber gloves when seeding or chopping them. Wash hands thoroughly after handling. (I would adjust these to taste). I heard that the freshest ingredients guarantee the best sauce.

Pottinger, L (2002) The Real Jerk. Vancouver, BC: Arsenal Pulp Press



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Cascading baskets

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Well, it was time to get my hair cut and coloured today. I asked my hairdresser to do 'light brown' and we loved this shade, so it's a keeper. I started out with 'dark brown', then 'medium brown', so it has been a 12 week evolution.

Everyone seems to be loving the new Harry Potter movie, especially if you are a Harry Potter fan. One of my sisters told me that her 15 year old daughter has read the first 5 books to her 7 year old brother and once they finish the current one, they will take him to see the movie.

It was hot this afternoon, but I admired the flowers on my walk. Some people have lovely arrangements cascading out of their baskets. I finally started watering the grass.

Suicide Clinic

The gym was crowded this morning, almost off-putting. But the main thing is that I did my exercise class. I was guarding my step and just turned away for a second, only to find another lady about to take it over. Huh! Maddening.

In the afternoon, I baked some chicken breasts (boned, skins on) in some Jamaican jerk sauce. I made a fresh salad, some roasted broccoli, some baba ghanoush eggplant dip, and some rice. Then I peeled a couple of cantaloupes that my mom told me were sweet and in season. She was right. I also peeled some strips of sweet red peppers, mostly for myself as I think it's just me that likes them. Whew! that took at least 2 hours.

K tells me the new Harry Potter movie is opening today.


Here is some interesting news:

He was 85, she was 74. After 54 years of marriage, they decided to end their own lives at a suicide clinic in Zurich. He was almost blind, losing his hearing while she had been given weeks to live, stricken with terminal cancer. 'English conductor, wife end lives at suicide clinic' After reading this news story, it didn't seem wrong, what they decided to do, it almost seemed to make sense. What do you think?

On a lighter note, this farmer is producing multicoloured carrots (purple, red, yellow and white, as well as orange) and even has a website where you can order online. Here's the story:
'Carrots in all the colours of the rainbow'

Peameal Bacon Sandwich

A few of my blog friends were inquiring about peameal bacon and I stumbled upon this Toronto food blog that describes it aptly, complete with delicious pictures. Peameal bacon is made from pork loin, trimmed of fat, cured not smoked. Apparently it used to be rolled in peameal but is now rolled in cornmeal which is more readily available. We usually just have it fried with bread and minus the trimmings.

Last night, K pestered L into driving him to the mall, just the two of them! L said he was over the moon. They went shopping, tried clothes on and he bought a new muscle shirt and baseball cap. For him, I think a lot of it was the thrill of how they got there, so independently. Strange how he seemed to be more excited about the whole thing than she was. She's a very confident driver and she got perfect marks on the parking part of the test. Well, last night was her first 'solo' driving trip.

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New Thermostat

We had a new thermostat installed today. Our old one was acting up and it's really ancient compared to this new programmable 'touch-screen' version. Luckily, it comes with a manual. We're also having our furnace and air-conditioner serviced as it's been years.

L is officially added to our car insurance policy, and K wants her to take him to the mall sometime soon, without any parents. It should be ok.

There is a lot of construction and repair work going on around town. Everyone has to take advantage of the good weather. A few people were sealing their asphalt driveways today. A neighbour is having all new windows put in. It was strange talking to him as he looked out his frameless upstairs window.

A lady at the Farmer's Market yesterday mentioned it was 45C in Las Vegas, and M mentioned that Texas is not much better. I'd rather have the cooler than normal summer that we're having. It is also helping the more than 20 day old garbage strike in the metro area of Toronto.

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Today's Thoughts

On Friday night, M, K and I went to the local Ribfest with a couple of friends. It was crowded on a perfect summer night. That meant long lineups for the prize-winning ribs. But they were all delicious, with fries, beans, coleslaw, cornbread and corn on the cob. K noticed there were no lineups and plenty of tables after 9 pm, so that might have been a good time to come. There were live bands on site making plenty of noise.

Last night M went with a friend to a local bar to watch some kind of fighting match on satellite TV. He said they had standing room only but they had a great time cheering along with the rest of the crowd at certain moments. It was $8 for a beer, so these bars make good money.

M and I walked over to the Farmer's Market this morning. We got some pastries and strawberries to take home, and split a peameal bacon on a bun. We ended up stopping on Main Street for cups of coffee. L is off on a day's outing with some of her work friends. I've started stressing that she'll be off to university in little more than a year, how empty the house will be. Well, K will still be around for at least another 4 years. This book I'm reading mentioned that some people will cope by getting a puppy, new hobbies, new jobs. I know friends that did just that. But there is some kind of grieving process that you have to go through first. Hmm.

Well, I'm going to bake some chicken, roast some cauliflower and make a salad for today's meal.

New Scandinavian Cooking

I was browsing through the TV channels and came upon this cooking show called New Scandinavian Cooking. The host was a Norwegian Chef called Andreas Viestad. He was making some delicious looking recipes and at the same time it felt like a travel show. My knowledge of Scandinavian food is limited to Ikea meatballs with lingonberry sauce (a favourite) and if you don't own a Scandinavian cookbook, this website seems to be a handy reference complete with recipes. The series is also hosted by Claus Meyer, from Denmark and Tina Nordstrom of Sweden.

A couple of hours were spent putting 3 year old photographs into an album. I thought it would take much longer. I had to print them off an online website that is threatening to delete my albums unless I make a minimum yearly purchase. There are still a bunch of albums left to print off. I have them all on CD, but I had selected the better ones and captioned and stored them online. One of these days, I may have a good system in place, although technology keeps changing so rapidly.

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Yves Veggie Cuisine

My girlfriend told me about this soy product called Yve's Veggie Cuisine 'meatless ground round original' and said that her 17 year old daughter thought it was real meat. I'm tried one of the recipes (bolognese) on the website and M and I couldn't tell that it wasn't meat!

Oh, L passed her driving test today! We are thrilled to bits and she is already suggesting the purchase of her new car! Apparently Ford has really good deals. In a year, she has to pass another test to have a full licence as there are certain restrictions on this licence. Now we have to add her to our insurance policy before she can take one of our cars out alone.

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Lamb fans

A couple of crows

Here is a shot of some of the infamous cherries




People here are complaining about the weather because their air conditioning has not really had to come on yet. In July, we're supposed to be in heat wave mode. Also, it's rained enough that I haven't once pulled out the water hose. Some nights you have to be outside in a sweatshirt. But the days are nice and sunny and 23C (near 80's F)...so I'm happy and comfortable!

Out on my walk today, a lady stopped me for directions, she had become lost in the neighbourhood!

I took K for his orthodontist checkup today only to find out that he has to have his wisdom teeth removed asap. It seems they've been waiting for a molar to come up so they can finish his braces work but the x-rays show that his wisdom teeth are preventing it from surfacing. It also means an extra year of braces as the molar will come in crooked anyway. Sigh. He's not thrilled at the prospect of getting his wisdom teeth out but at least we have an idea of what to expect since his sister just had hers done. He's only 14.

M says he saw a couple of crows thrashing around in one of the cherry trees, scaring all the smaller birds away and eating the cherries themselves.

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A Great Story

Yesterday afternoon, I watched segments of the Michael Jackson memorial. It was very touching and I was in tears for a lot of the performances and speeches.

I was back at step class this morning after an unplanned 4-week hiatus. I had an appointment one week, a back ailment the next week, and the gym was closed on account of a holiday last week. I usually do some weight training before the class, it was as if I was doing them for the first time this morning...what a difference a few weeks can make. Everything just felt so heavy. The 30-year-old step instructor was a lot of fun, with a great sense of humour. I felt really young for the first half of the class, then as I got tired I became my old self.

My brother-in-law's 79-year-old mother has just moved in with an 86-year-old man. Her husband had passed away several years ago, she then sold her house and moved in with a girlfriend. That worked for awhile, but didn't turn out to be a long-term solution. It turns out that she used to swim with this man at the local community centre and they have been friends for years. His wife had also passed away. So he recently offered that she could come live in his house. She said she could do that on the condition that she paid rent. He assured her that he didn't need rent, but agreed. So she now cooks meals for him and the arrangement sounds to me like a great story! I asked my brother-in-law if he's handsome and he says 'Christine, he's 86-years-old!' So I left it at that.

It's a gorgeous day today and the birds are really enjoying the ripe, red cherries in our yard. I saw one go from branch to branch, choose and pick his cherry, then fly to the ground with the cherry in his mouth, then proceed to eat it most efficiently. M told me he saw the squirrels eating the ones that the birds knocked onto the ground.

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Rudolf Nureyev was an idol of mine, into my early twenties when I would identify myself on my resume as 'an avid balletomane', so I hope I catch this movie on Bravo TV channel when it premieres! He was gay but in those days, it was never public knowledge.

Inch by Inch Tuesday

It appears that Paris has removed her blog. I had my entry all scheduled to go, so here it is anyway. This week's theme was to have been: Sleep. I wish Paris all the best and send her the hugs she so needs.

Her link in the sidebar won't work since she has removed her blog.

This week's effort is a collage of sorts, using construction paper and some craft stars I found. You can click on the picture to see a larger image.

Inspiration

I made this baba ghanoush recipe today, and it was quite simple, tasty and healthy. It's a middle eastern eggplant dip I googled.

L made these cupcakes from a new blog I found, and they are very delicious including the cream cheese frosting.

Tomorrow I hope to try this recipe for Spaghetti with Carbonara, or maybe this one for linguine with shrimp scampi.

Last night I decided to cruise Lilly's bloglist and found 5 blogs for my new bloglist. From those 5 blogs I found another 5 blogs, so I'm all inspired for the next while, with new recipes and self-improvement tips!

Farmer's Market

I walked over to the town's new Farmer's Market this morning. It was a perfect summer's day with a light breeze and lots of sunshine. On the way over, I spotted a little boy who seemed to be taking his first ride on a bicycle with training wheels. His expression said it all...lips pursed, eyes focused downward and a chin filled with determination. I thought, he'll be riding aound on the streets in no time. His mom walked ahead with the family dog.

When I got to the Market, I noticed they had set up on some vacant town land which backs onto a few houses. I couldn't help thinking that the residents must not be happy with this new invasion of their privacy. This lady was lounging on what was her back porch..ooh. It wouldn't help that they had a band there playing country music all day. It is strawberry season, so lots of strawberries were on sale from local farms and they do taste so much fresher than from the large supermarkets. Wouldn't you know, I bought a basket of huge purple plums that were imported from the U.S. because the local plums are not yet ready. Well, at least they put it in a bio-degradeable plastic bag! I also bought delicious pastries brought in from a bakery (chocolate chip muffin, blueberry muffin, plain croissant, cherry turnover, almond croissant).

M was glued to the TV set for most of the day, watching the Wimbledon tennis final where Federer finally won after a marathon match against Roddick. He just left with K to play a game of tennis. L went to work early this morning and has an afternoon tennis lesson. I'm baking a chicken in the oven (smells so good) and trying that new salsa recipe I got. I didn't have any green peppers, so I put in an extra tomato and am going to locate my blender.

I just heard on the news of a deadly monorail crash in Disneyworld, Florida of all places.

Happy 4th of July

To all the Americans out there!

Here's a cute video of a 3 year old girl dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller

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Homemade Salsa

I saw these pretty flowers in the supermarket the other day and impulsively took a photo. I like spider chrysanthemums if that's what they are.

L is invited to a pool party this afternoon, lucky her. She got a great report card and deserves to celebrate. She was at the dentist earlier today for a cleaning. I'm baking pork spareribs today. K is complaining that he's out of clean shorts... either he needs more shorts or I'm not doing laundry often enough or maybe he should start doing laundry! Either way, he's off to tennis in an outfit that doesn't perfectly match, which is important to him.

Our friend just sent a recipe for a delicious jar of homemade salsa that she makes:

Juice from 2 limes

1 large tomato

1/2 green pepper (seeded)

1 jalapeno pepper

1/2 medium sized onion

1 clove of garlic (minced)

handful of coriander

1 tablespoon of vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

Chop the tomato, peppers, onion. Put everything in a blender and voila! you have salsa. You can vary the ingredients depending on taste. Refrigerate.

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It's July

Yesterday was a busy day, it was M's birthday as well as a public holiday in honour of Canada Day. We met up with 2 other families for lunch (not really birthday related) at a restaurant then went back to the hosting family's house for a little while. Their daughter is off to Paris for a month to gain a French high school credit.

Afterward, we rushed off to meet M's brother, his nephew, nephew's girlfriend, and his mom at yet another restaurant for dinner (his brother's treat). At Christmas, this nephew had introduced us to a new girlfriend. It was interesting to see that he had his previous long-time girlfriend back in tow. Well, they're only 18! I brought a birthday cake along and gave it to the waitress. After the meal, she brought the cake out, all lit up, with about 10 assorted waiters and waitresses to help sing 'Happy Birthday'. So M was happy with all the attention on his special day! Not to mention, the chocolate fudge cake was delicious.

This morning, I went for a walk. My next door neighbour was doing some weeding and commented that our lawn was looking a lot more weed-free than hers. I gave her the name of our lawn service and told her they use some kind of organic weed killer. She said she was going to give them a call. This afternoon, I did some weeding myself, then I baked some chicken legs and roasted some broccoli and potatoes for today's meal. I read that a cup of cherries is only 90 calories and packed with more nutrients than blueberries, so I had a cup of those.

Well, I'm going to check that all the house calendars have been moved over to July!

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Fashionably 40+

Watch for these 2 guys

I got the following in a recent email:


THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU ...

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR MOTHER YOUR SISTER

OR YOUR DAUGHTER ..

The strangest thing happened to me this weekend.

I was sitting at a local outdoor cafe having lunch by myself and two men

came and sat down at my table. I gave them the death look, but they just

casually stayed at my table and wouldn't leave me alone. I shined up my

ring on my married finger, then placed my hand on the table. I hinted to

them that I was married and that I was not interested in them.

They got the hint and left, but thankfully the whole thing was captured on

the Cafe's camera. I'm sending you this picture as a warning ... just in case

they try and pick you up too.

Honestly, some men think they are God's gift to women.

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