I love music and I love dance. If it were possible to have both in the churches and organizations I have been involved with in my life, I would have been in the thick of it! As it is, I have had to mostly live those dreams through the visions of others. If I could have been involved in any kind of choir growing up, this is the kind I would have loved to be in!
Declan has been home all week for spring break. I'm sure I can speak for other Mothers when I say that it may be a break for the kids, but it sure isn't a break for the parents! Thank goodness for Nana and Papa who came and took Declan away from Sunday night until Tuesday! So far, Declan has gone to his Grandparents, swimming with friends, bike riding, had a nintendo challenge with some buddies, and eaten me out of house and home. It has been nice having him at home and being able to sleep in a little later in the morning, but honestly, I'm ready for him to go back to school!
I have trouble thinking of new things to do with the kids. There isn't that much that you can do here in Lethbridge that doesn't cost something. Trips to the park are always good (weather permitting) and the library sometimes has things that the kids can do, but other than that, I haven't found a lot for this time of year. In the summer, there's lots. The YMCA hosts a kids club right outside our house all summer long. It goes from 9-5 Monday to Friday and the kids really enjoy it! They play games, do crafts, learn songs, etc. It keeps them busy and they can come and go as they please which is also nice. It's also free! Yay! That will be the one thing I miss about living here, the park and the activities available to Declan in the summer. Ah well, I guess that means I'll have to be a little more creative when that time comes.
Here's to Monday and school being back in session!
Today is my sister Jobina's birthday. Normally I don't announce people's birthdays, but somehow this time I felt like I should. Jobina is two years younger than me. When we were kids, I felt like we couldn't be more opposite. She was very girly. She loved to play with dolls (still does, only now she has a partner in crime, her daughter, Trinity!), she loved to dress up in fancy princess type clothes. I felt like she was so tiny in comparison to me and I was extremely protective of her. Now, that's not to say that I didn't fight with her, oh yes, we fought. But no one else better lay a hand on her or I would come running!
My favorite memories of Jobina are:
1. Taking a tape recorder and recording ourselves singing the latest commercials from the TV.
2. Making waffles and fruit and feeding our kids breakfast at my house.
3. Watching her sleep when she was little and being amazed how soft her hands were when she slept.
4. Listening to her sing praise and worship songs to her children before she tucks them in for the night.
5. Talking on the phone until our batteries died and we HAD to hang up!
6. Having Jobina in town when I moved to Lethbridge. I was totally sick with the flu and she drove with me in the moving truck to Lethbridge so I wouldn't be alone with my bucket!
My sister is incredibly patient, kind, the best bargain shopper I have ever met and a wonderful encouragement to me. I thank God every day that we have such a great releationship. I never thought it would happen. I look forward to every phone call and email that comes from her. My life would not be the same without her in it.
Happy Birthday Jobina! I hope you have a fantastic day with your kids and your husband! You deserve every good thing that happens to you. I only wish I was there to help you celebrate!
The other day Declan and his friend Eric were sitting down to eat with John, Rowan and myself. We got on the topic of age and Declan says to John..."what age are you anyway? 61? 50?" I couldn't help but laugh. John is 43...tee hee... I asked Declan how old he thought I was and he said, "33"...yep, that's how old I am. I just wish I could teach him to say that I'm only 29...
I bug John alot about his age. So much in fact that I felt it only fair to ask him if I could tell all you bloggers about this little conversation before I posted it. I didn't want him to be upset. He consented so here I go.
John works crazy hours. He's also an insomniac. Because of this and other pressures that he feels, he has times where he looks and acts older than he is. I think this is something that happens to all of us at some point or another. It's interesting how outside pressure can put age on a person. I'm sure all of us at some point have seen a person and thought, they have lived a lot of life in their years, just by looking at their face. Then the question becomes, what makes a person stay young looking? It can be genetic to a point, but there's more to it than that. Habits are definately a factor. We all know smoking, drinking alcohol, not consuming enough water can age us. But what else keeps us young? So here's your question for the day...
What keeps you young?
That's right all you bloggers out there...I am officially making an album. The producer I work with offered me a contract and as such, I am crazy busy trying to write songs whenever Declan is out playing and Rowan is down for a nap! I'm amazed at how quickly some songs come. Sometimes all it takes is a sentence or a feeling to get me writing.
The songs that will be on the album are things I have written on my own. As most of you know, my Aunt Stace and I have written some songs together and I really prayed about putting them on the album. I feel like God is leading me in a different direction and so I'm going solo on this one. I would eventually like to incorporate some of those songs on an album because they are beautiful songs....just not for this album.
I start recording on Wednesday of this week. I'm working with a secular producer which is going to bring some challenges to the mix. My prayer is that God will place a wall of angels around me and this project. I know that satan is going to try his level best to mess things up. I also know that this whole experience is directed by God and He will decide how this all ends up. So if you are of a praying nature, please pray for me and my family during this process. We need protection from the barbs that satan will throw in an attempt to push me off course.
I will continue to blog about my progress on this from time to time. Stay tuned!
I went to Medicine Hat yesterday to sing at Christian Women's Club. My Mom came and picked me up in the morning so that John could have our car (he was home with our kids). We had a great ride to Medicine Hat, had lunch at a really cool little place called "The Prickly Pear" and went shopping. After shopping we went to see my friend Julie who used some hair extensions I had bought and did a fantastic job on my hair. My Dad said it was like being in a time warp seeing me with long hair - he hadn't seen that since I was in grade 3! Then we got all dolled up and went to Christian Women's Club. I sang "Anyway" by Martina McBride and "Let my lifesong sing" by Casting Crowns. It was great! Everyone liked it even though I lost my breath part way through the Martina McBride song (That girl has some lungs!!!). They were even asking when my album would be finished so they could buy one! Very cool! A wonderful lady called Elaine (not my Mom) spoke and moved the entire crowd with her story. We went out for coffee at Tim Horton's where I sang the Cherry Pepsi commercial from 1981 for all my Mom's friends (long story there) and then went home. I got to sleep in a giant bed all by myself - it was heaven. Today Mom and I went to Bible Study together, then out for lunch at the "Zucchini Blossom" which is a fabulous little place with the best Panini, soup and Italian Soda I have ever had! Then we packed up and my wonderful Mom took me home.
This was the first time I had been completely alone with my Parents in years! Usually there are kids running around or husband in tow. It's a totally different experience when it's just me. I felt spoiled rotten, completely loved, utterly cared for, and totally welcome! It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. It reminded me how blessed I am to have my Parents. They have my back. They support me, they are fierce in their loyalty to me, they love me and are proud of me. They want the best for me and pray for me daily. They are wonderful examples of God at work. They share their spiritual growth with me that I may grow as well. They celebrate when I succeed and they are the first ones on their knees praying for me when I'm falling. They won't pick up the pieces for me, but they'll be my best cheering section when I'm working to pick myself up. I LOVE MY PARENTS!!!!!!
Today in bible study we were talking about God's faithfulness and how He shows that to us. I was thinking about how even when I travel the wrong road, God decides where that road ends up and what the outcome will be. He also knows who to put on that road to help me on my journey. He hand picked my Parents for me. I am so grateful to Him for the two people He chose. He knew who I needed and He provided abundantly!
Dad...Mom....thank you!!!!!! You are exactly what I want and need in a set of parents and I thank God each and every day for you!!! I may be an adult, but there are still days I just need to be a child. You allow me to do that and I love you for it. Thank you....I love you!
This was a HUGE hit in our house today. Hope you enjoy it!
1/2 lb cleaned large shrimp
1/2 lb scallops
2 tbsp olive oil divided
1/3 cup tomato pesto or regular pesto, divided ( I used Classico Sundried Tomato Pesto but I will include a recipe for tomato pesto in this post)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic (I used two and it was more than enough)
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1 28-oz can plum tomatoes with juices
3/4 lb whole wheat or regular linguine or spaghetti (I used a mixture of whole wheat and white spaghetti)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1. In a large bowl combine shrimp and scallops with 1 tbsp oil and half of the pesto.
2. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onion, garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook gently for a few minutes without browning.
3. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, breaking up tomatoes as you stir. (You can puree the sauce at this point if you wish)
4. Grill seafood just until almost cooked. Add seafood to tomato sauce and combine gently. (I just cooked the seafood right in the sauce. It saves you a step and a pan. It turned out great)
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of boiling water until tender but firm. Drain well.
6. Toss pasta with sauce. Add salt and pepper. Top each serving with approx 1 tsp pesto or to taste. (I just tossed the remaining pesto in the sauce and it was great. I don't think you need to put it on each serving unless you think it looks pretty)
Tomato Pesto (I didn't use this recipe because I thought sundried tomato would be better. I think I was right. But just in case you want it, here it is...)
In a food processor, chop 2 peeled cloves of garlic. Add 2 cups of packed fresh basil leaves and 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts. Chop. Add 1/4 cup v-8 or tomato juice and 1/2 tsp pepper and puree. Makes about 1/2 cup pesto.
Well folks, the sukiaki was not a hit in the Treleaven house. John doesn't like mushrooms or bean sprouts, so I was 0 for 2 there. The kids are not into veggies they can see (although Rowan probably would have loved it if she'd given it half a chance). I like it, but it's a huge recipe. I wouldn't make it for one. Basically here is what you do...
Thinly slice some onion. Put it in a pot. Next layer spinach, mushroom, carrots, bean sprouts. Add beef broth, soya sauce, sugar and dry sherry. Cook for 10 minutes. Then add very thinly sliced raw beef and cooked rice vermicelli noodles. Cook 5 more minutes. Serve.
Very easy and I suppose you could make the recipe smaller. I ended up with 12 cups left over. If you want to know the ratios, it was 1 large onion, 1.5 cups spinach, 1.5 cups mushroom, 1 carrot grated, 1.5 cups bean sprouts. 3 cups beef broth, 3 tablespoons soya sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoons dry sherry. 1 pound beef and 90g rice vermicelli.
It's a very pretty dish, sorry I didn't take a picture. As I said, I liked it but the family was definately not into it.
On the up side, I got to go out with the girls tonight which I haven't done in ages. We played "Name that Tune" at our favorite pool hall and came in 2nd place! We got extra points for doing jumping jacks when they played "Jumping Jack Flash". It was a riot and a great time was had by all. Now I have to set my clock ahead and pray that I wake up in time to drive John to work tomorrow so that I can take the kids to church! We have a great african choir coming to our church tomorrow and I can't wait to hear them. Apparently they opened for Alisha Keys on her last tour.
Hope everyone's having a great night!
In exactly two hours, my house will be full of little kids! I am watching my neighbor's two children today. I don't normally offer to do stuff like that, but I really like these kids so I figured, why not? I thought I would do some cooking while they're here. Here's what I'm making today...
Potatoe Bacon Soup
Mushroom and Potatoe Chowder
Beef Sukiaki
Chocolate Banana Muffins with Chocolate chips
If you would like the recipes to any of these, let me know! I kind of like putting recipes on my blog. The soups and muffins I have made before. The Sukiaki is a new thing. We're going to have it for supper tonight. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Have a great day!
I was asked how I'm quitting smoking so I thought I should go into a little more detail. I have heard of many things you can buy to help you quit smoking. Pills, accupuncture, the patch, hypnosis, herbs, vitamins, inhalers...there's all kinds of ways to quit. For myself, I find cold turkey to be fairly good. As long as I'm busy, I don't find that my cravings are that bad. Evenings are the worst. There's not a lot to do. I have figured that part out though. On facebook there is a live Scramble game (very much like Boggle) and so I play that until I'm falling asleep in the middle of a game and then I go to sleep. That has worked the best because it keeps my brain and my hands busy.
You should also know that I have quit Pepsi as well. For those of you who don't know, this was another serious addiction for me. I have not had any pepsi type product in 4 days. You'd think I'd be losing a ton of weight but I'm more than making up for those lost calories with food! Eventually it will all even out. I'm even getting to the point where water tastes good to me! I started out always flavoring my water with lemon juice. No sugar, just lemon juice. I still like that but I'm okay drinking straight water now.
So that's where I am. Now I'm off to clean my bathtub and make porcupines for supper.
Have a great day everyone!
I decided to make homemade French Onion Soup for supper today. I found a really easy recipe and it was a huge hit! Here's the recipe for all you fellow onion soup lovers out there! This makes 8 servings.
1. Heat 2 tsp EVOO in large pot on med-high heat. Add 3 lbs of thinly sliced onions. Stir ONLY when onions begin to brown. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes or until onions are tender and evenly browned.
2. Add 1 cup of chicken or beef stock (I used chicken for this part). Bring to a boil and simmer until stock has evaporated (about 15 minutes). Add 1.5 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and cook for a few minutes longer.
3. Add 8 cups of beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. To prepare croutons for soup, arrange french bread sliced 1 inch thick in a single layer on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp EVOO, 1 clove garlic, a pinch of dried thyme, salt and pepper. Brush on top of the bread. Bake in a preheated 400 (F) degree oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned (this step took 5 minutes in my oven).
5. To serve, ladle soup into ovenproof onion soup bowls. Place a crouton on each. Sprinkle evenly with a mixture of mozza and parm cheese (do this to your own tastes). Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!! I know we did!
Tomorrow night...porcupines...yumm!!
That's right blog people...I have quit smoking!!! I have become the queen of all anti smoking nazis and the pain in my husband's butt. I have been a smoker for 17 years. Long enough to know better. It finally dawned on me that I'm spending money on something stupid. That money could be going to other, more useful things. I told John that he should quit too. He said he would "try". We'll see how that goes. Either way, there is no smoking anywhere in this house anymore. Consequence to smoking in the house? Everything that's precious to you gets thrown out in the snow.
I have discovered that when I'm not smoking, I'm much more productive. My house is beautifully clean. In fact, I'm starting to work on extra things like washing walls, cleaning curtains, and shampooing my carpet. It keeps me busy and then I don't think about smoking. I can also tell you that nicotine fits can last up to an hour before you start to feel better again. It's very hard to have will power for that long. No wonder so many people fail at quitting. But as I said to my hubby, we are far too stubborn not to succeed when we put our minds to something.
I think I'm going to go clean my fridge now...and then the basement...and I might see if my neighbor wants some help cleaning her house...
I love watching my kids interact. As per my last post, Rowan has had trouble sleeping the last little while. On the advice of my Sister and my Mom, I thought I would introduce her to a new stuffed animal who she could sleep with. Declan agreed to let her sleep with this stuffed duck he got from Nana for Easter a few years ago. This worked beautifully! She slept through the night last night! Hooray!
Declan is wonderful at sharing his things with Rowan. Much more than I did at that age, so I know he didn't get the gift of giving from me! It makes his day when he shares something and it helps make her day a little easier. What a great big brother!
Now don't get me wrong, Declan and Rowan definately have their differences of opinion. It usually has to do with a certain red chair in our living room which both think belongs to them. On the up side, these fights never last long and are usually followed by many hugs, kisses, and wrestling moves. Rowan wouldn't trade her big brother for all the tea in China. Declan is who she goes to when she's upset. She'll sit beside him, or ask him to pick her up (which he does willingly). He is her comfort right now. If only we could stuff him, she'd have a perfect lovey for bedtime. Being that Declan probably won't agree to being stuffed, the duck will just have to do.
