A New Friend

You have to check this out!

Stuart Brown describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear playing with sled dogs in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay.

Thanks to Pregnant Stephanie for sharing the pics. and to Doglove for sending me the background information. Just incredible. After watching Sharkwater (which depicts the incredible greed and cruelty of man and explains the inexcusable way in which this is going to affect the entire world's future), this did my heart good.

{BTW, if you haven't watched the Sharkwater movie - you need to.}

Thankful Thursday - Photogs and Event Planners

It's Thankful Thursday time!

Regularly making note of the things you are thankful for can increase your general happiness by 25%! I think that is partially because it makes you focus on the good for a moment, instead of getting caught up in the bad. I also think that when you put good stuff out there...it tends to come back to you. So here is my list of things that I am Thankful for this week...

1) The I ♥ Faces blog. I'm not even sure how I came across this site now. It was one of those things where you click on a link, from a link, from a link and there you go. It is so much fun and right up my alley. I just love having a challenge to do every week. It really inspires me to get taking more photos. Plus, the "Fix It Friday" challenge is fun, too. I love working on the computer in Photoshop. I could take pictures, and play with them, all day long. Fun!

2) The Digital Pro Talk blog. I found out about this blog through, one of my hero's, Scott Kelby. He mentioned it in one of his books as being a cool site to check out. Scott is completely right about everything he ever says so, of course, I had to go see what it was all about. Well, it's like a free course in photography - on-line. I have no idea how David Ziser finds the time to put out such informative and interesting posts every day, but I'm sure glad he does. I've already learned a ton. I just wish I had about a month of free time to just sit and read all his back "issues". I have a lot of catching up to do!

3) The beautiful day we had on Tuesday. Colie and I went on a huge walk and it was just lovely. I even got a bit sunburned. Not that getting sunburned is a good thing, but the fact that it could happen (because it was warm and sunny enough) was good. Very good. We walked and walked and walked. My legs were tired the next day. C'mon summer!

4) That I discovered one of my favourite photographers has a website, and a blog, and she even twitters. I came across some of her work in a photography book I've had for awhile. Every time I saw one of her photos I would say, "Hey, that is so cool" and I'd look up the name of the photographer. It was always her. She's got such a great style that I just love. It just occurred to me the other day that she may be on-line and, indeed she is! So, now, I get to see more of her work and more often. So cool.

5) That I've just been let into the "Jammie Night" clique. The coolest clique on the block. Hosted by the coolest chick on the block (other than me). Thanks Shan for hosting such fabulous events and with such style. {You and I like a theme, don't we?}. Thanks for inviting me.

What are you Thankful for this Thursday?

Eight Things Meme.

This is a little meme that my friend Widney Woman tagged me for awhile ago. If I've tagged you, or if you just wanna' play along, let me and WW know so we can both see your answers. Here goes...

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to:

1. The heat and sunshine of the summer.

2. Getting some good glass for my camera - and eventually getting a new camera.

3. Fitting into my old, pre-baby, clothes.

4. Getting the books that are on their way in the mail as we speak.

5. Heading back to horse-riding lessons with the girls (I love the horsies).

6. Riding a bike again (I haven't been riding in, literally, years).

7. All the great first that are to come with Colie, especially hearing her first laugh, her first words, watching her sit up, roll over, and crawl for the first time. But, not walking...that's getting too big. She needs to stay my baby.

8. The future...it feels kind of exciting right now.



8 Things I'll do Today:

1. Take care of the baby.

2. Drink coffee.

3. Blog and read blogs

4. Work-out

5. Take pictures

6. Laundry

7. Hopefully cook something veggie for dinner

8. Take Jamie to the doctor's (I think she is having trouble hearing well)



8 Shows I Watch on T.V.:

1. I am so excited to say Rescue Me!! It's been off the air for so long due to the writer's strike and whatever the hell else was holding it up. I just love that show and "Tommy" looks really good. I think he's been working out in the off-season and, sigh, I just love his strawberry blonde hair (not normally a great thing on men, but he wears it well). I'm loving Michael J. Fox's character on there, too! Only 4 episodes?? Really? That's too bad.

2. American Idol (I'm routing for Danny).

3. Man Versus Wild with Bear Grylls (that guy is amazing).

4. Jon and Kate plus Eight.

5. All the Gordon Ramsey shows (Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, The F-Word...although, they ate a horse on the F-Word. The woman even went out to the field to pick the horse she wanted killed. Oh dear lord, what is the world coming to? Next we'll be eating kittens).

6. Well, anything/everything on The Food Network, really. If I just had The Food Network, Showcase, and TLC I'd be good.

7. CSI and CSI Miami (I can't get into the N.Y. one. Way too far-fetched). I think that George Eads, who plays Nick Stokes on CSI, is a really good and under-rated actor actually. He's moved me to tears a few times on that show.

8. Dexter and True Blood: these are both excellent shows that I've gone on about before. But, sadly, neither is on the air right now so I'll just lump them here together.



8 Things I wish I Could Do:

1. Win the lottery

2. Sing

3. Knit

4. Drive a stick

5. Keep having babies so I always have one around

6. Take *the* most amazing pictures

7. Get more organized

8. Have a week away with just hubby and I once a year without worrying about the girls.



8 People I Tag:

1. Laughing Leah Loves Lilies

2. Ellyphant

3. Tales From the Fairy Blogmother

4. Pregnant Stephanie

5. Gohn Crazy

6. Wave the Stick

7. Midwest Moms

8. And You!

Tofu Tuesdays: Baked Tofu Nuggets

Here is a quick, very easy, and child-friendly tofu recipe for you. The adults may even like it, but I'd suggest adding some (a lot) more spices to the coating mix or maybe making up some really yummy grown-up style dip to go with it.

Baked Tofu Nuggets*

Ingredients:

16-oz tub extra firm tofu (I found that one of the more common to find plastic packages of it is more than enough)
1 tbsp light olive oil
2 tbsp cornmeal
2 tbsp whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tbsp nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F (that "setting" is way too hot in my oven...I used 375F). Lightly oil a nonstick baking sheet


2. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch-thick slices crosswise to get 6 slabs. Blot well between clean tea towels or several layers of paper towels. Cut each slab crosswise into 4 sections to get 1/2-by 2-inch nuggets.


3. In a large mixing bowl, gently toss the tofu with the oil until evenly coated.


4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large plastic freezer bag or produce bag and shake to combine. Add the tofu and shake gently until evenly coated (I found this didn't work very well at all for me and I had to press the coating onto each side of each nugget).


5. Arrange in a single layer in the prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes, then turn carefully and bake another 10 minutes, or until golden and firm. Serve with sauce (lots of yummy plum sauce for the kiddies would be good. The nuggets definitely need the sauce).

Verdicts:

Maddie and Jamie both gave it the thumbs up as they started to eat, but they tired of the bland taste fairly quickly. We only had ketchup for dipping sauce (Dave put a relish-thingy on his...pictured above) and I think if we had something better to dip them in, they would have liked them much more. Dave wasn't a huge fan. He said, "They're ok". But, this isn't exactly food you'd feed to company. I ate the most of everyone. They were very bland, I must admit, but not at all offensive so...it's all in the dip for this one.

For more Meatless Meal ideas you can check out the home of Tofu Tuesdays by clicking on the cute little block of tofu below!

Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy

*Recipe from the Nava Atlas book, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook.

Reflection: Colie Swinging

It's time once again for the i ♥ faces photography challenge. This week's theme is "Reflection".

Now this isn't the picture of someone sitting all thoughtful and contemplating the meaning of life, kinda' reflection - this is, literally, a picture of a reflection.

I think we all saw enough of my face in last week's "Self-Portrait" challenge so this week's model is little Miss Nicole. This is a picture of her in her baby swing. There is a mirror (and a mobile) right above the swing.





If you look closely you can see part of me peeking out from under the swing to snap the shot. There wasn't much room to hide under there, I'll tell you!

For more entries into this week's photography challenge go HERE.

Thanks!!
:)

Fix-It-Friday: Cooing Baby

I am loving the I Heart Faces website! I had so much fun working on my first photo challenge and now, today, is my first attempt at "Fix-it-Friday". I would like to do a bit more with the photo (put a cool overlay on it, or something to minimize the contrast with the background a bit) but I think I'm probably just about out of time. My little coo-ing one has been napping for awhile now, so she's due to wake up. So, here is what I've done...

"Cooing Baby" Before:



And my version...

"Cooing Baby After"

The differences are subtle, I suppose. What I did was (obviously) change the orientation of the photo, crop it a bit, clear up some of the facial blemishes, alter the contrast a bit, add the very tiniest bit of a smile with the Distort/Liquify tool, brighten the whites of the eyes and increase the overall sharpness of the eyes, and add a warming "photo" filter. Oh, and I added a little frame and mat just to show you how nice the photo of this cute little kiddo (not mine) would look hanging on the wall. ;-)

I used Photoshop Elements 5.

To see other people's fixes on this photo head on over to the I Heart Faces Website right HERE.

I Heart Self-Portraits!

Hi everyone! This is my very first week participating in the I Heart Faces photo challenge. This week the theme is "Self-Portraiture" (thank Gawd my braces are finally off!).

There are two categories for this week’s theme:
• Kids Category – the photo must be of you and a child (or children)
• Adults Category – show us your face…and your face ONLY!
For both categories, you must take the photo and you must be holding the camera when you take it (you can’t use a tripod or anything else to hold the camera for you.)

I decided to try and get a shot for both!

Here is my entry for the Adults Category:




Oh, hey! Look at that. You can't even see my teeth in this shot, so it wouldn't have mattered if my braces were still on anyway. The photo was taken in the vanity mirror of our truck. I sat in the parking lot snapping away photos of myself while Davey was in buying groceries. I think all the other shoppers must have thought I was crazy. But, it was very overcast and rainy outside my window...so it made for kind of nice lighting. :-)

I hope you like it!
For more fun photos just head on over to the I Heart Faces website.
Thanks!

I Heart Self-Portraits with Colie!

Okay kids...this is my first time participating in a "I Heart Faces" challenge so don't be too rough on me, kay? This week's theme is "Self-Portraiture" either by yourself or with a kiddie. I decided to try and get a shot for both categories.

Here are the rules:

Kids Category: A portrait of You and one (or all) of your children or You and a child you know.
For this challenge, you have to take the photo and you have to be holding the camera. You cannot use a tripod to help you. (This should be fun!)

And here is my entry!



I hope you like it! I took it in vanity mirror of our truck. Colie was sleeping in the back so I got Davey to turn her car seat around once we were parked so I could snap some shots with her in them. I was worried she would wake up and cry before I got the picture. Can you tell? ;-)

Just for fun, I decided to make the visor black and white in Photoshop and I just left the image of the two of us in the mirror in color. I thought it put the emphasis more on us and helped make the visor itself a bit less distracting.

For more fun photos be sure to check out the I Heart Faces site.

Thanks and until next time...
-Cheese!

C'mon, C'mon!

Just to explain the music for today...

"Rescue Me" is on again (finally) tonight!!!

Yay!

Oh, and Michael J. Fox will be guest starring for a few episodes as Tommy's x-wife, Janet's new boyfriend.

Friday High Five

My Fairy BlogMother always discovers the funnest things. Is "funnest" a word? Anyway, this time it is a little project where you share your list of five things (anything!) on Friday. It is hosted by Angel Eyes Adventures and is aptly named Friday High Five. So, this week I've decided to join them with my first High Five...

My Five Favourite T.v. Shows of All Time:

{Okay, first I have to give a dishonourable mention to "Reality T.V.". I just could not bring myself to put any one particular show on my list as a Top Five, all-time, favourite. That would just be embarrassing. But, at the same time, I just have to admit that I do watch me a lot of reality television. I like American Idol (I even voted for Taylor Hicks). I usually watch Big Brother, and I normally catch Survivor, too. I also like all the similar kind of shows on the Food Network: Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, The Next Food Network Star. So, as sad as it is, I have to give mindless t.v. its props. It's all good...in a bad sorta' way.}

And now onto the shows that really deserve a position on my very first Friday High Five.

5) Friends: I was in my final year of university when this show came out. I'll always remember watching the very first episode and knowing then (as many people did) that, hey, this is going to be a pretty good show. I also thought, hey, who is this Jennifer Anistan girl. She's really good. I thought she stole the show, even though Courtney Cox was the big star at the time. I loved the whole Ross/Rachel storyline (well, I did up until near the end when it just got stupid). "You're over me? When were you, under me?" I still watch it in re-runs and laugh even though I've seen ever episode a gagillion times. And, one day, I hope the "Rachel" hairdo comes back in style so I can get it.

4) Dexter: This is such a good show. Okay, the topic may seem a bit, um, dark, but it is so well written. Ever single episode plays like a season finale and I'm always on the edge of my seat. Michael C. Hall's acting is just incredible. I mean, he has to be good to make such an evil character likable. I even find myself rooting for the guy! Incredible. Did you know that he is married to his sister in real life? Wait--I mean, in real life he is married to the woman who plays his sister on the show. The other way around would be too creepy...even for Dexter.

3) The Sopranos: Here's another show that managed to make it's lead, and quite horrible, character likable. What can I say? Everyone has seen Sopranos, right? So, you already know why it is so good and why it ranks as number three on my list. If not, you really need to go out and rent every episode of it on DVD, take a week's holidays, and watch them all back to back. Because, you will. It's that good. But, why'd they have to kill Adrianna? I really wanted her to end up alive. I wanted her to be his downfall. Ah well. No happy ending for me. No real ending for anyone. Is there more to come?

2) Rescue Me: Since this is my current favourite, and I'm completely obsessed with it, it was hard to give it only the number two spot. The show is fantastic. It's that amazing combination of grab your heart and rip it out of your chest have you bawling in tears drama, with laugh out loud until your sides hurt comedy that I just love. And, firefighters. Rahr. You've just got to love Tommy in all his gear. Again, he is definitely a flawed character but the excellent writing and fantastic acting - both on the part of Denis Leary - give the Tommy Gavin character likability. Lovability, really. Okay, I'll admit it - he is on my other Top Five list (you know...the list of celebrities that you are allowed to be with - if you ever actually had such an opportunity - even though you are currently involved. Like on "Friends". Yah, that list). Plus, the soundtrack is excellent. They make very good use of music to help convey the emotions of the show. I hear Denis listens to tons of songs while driving around in his truck to, personally, pick out the best ones for the show. Well, he does a great job of that, too. The Rescue Me soundtrack is the most played music on my Ipod. Here is my favourite quote about the show, "The best actor, playing the best character, in the best show", U.S.A. Today. That about sums it up.

and...

1) Moonlighting: the only show that could take first place for me. I loved, loved, loved this show when it was out. I thought that Maddie Hayes was the coolest woman ever. She was beautiful, and independent, and smart, and spunky. Plus, she had the most fabulous house. I so wanted to be her when I grew-up. And that whole romance between her and David (Bruce Willis) was done so well. It was funny, and sweet, and touching, and maddening - all at once. Oh, and then there was that whole lover's triangle thing with Maddie, David, and Sam (Mark Harmon). I think Miss Dipesto said it best when she looked at them and sighed, "Hunk Sandwich". Great characters, great writing, another great soundtrack and the only show I know of that did self-referential so well. A classic. And, you can get it on DVD now, too. So, if you missed it the first time around (oh...20 years ago. My GAWD. Time flies!!) you may want to pick it up. You know I did!

For more Friday High Five fun just head on over to Angela's!

Thankful Thursday - Getting Flashy!

Hey Kids! It's time once again for Thankful Thursday and if I've finally figured out this whole "schedule your blog posts" thing...I should be out right on time with this one. If so, Shan may just fall right off her computer chair!

Thankful Thursday started as a result of an e-mail message I received one day from the folks at "Wondertime" which explained:

According to research in "Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier", regularly writing down what you're grateful for can increase your level of happiness by about 25 percent. (So can a chocolate martini, but we couldn't find that in the self-help aisle.)

Making a conscious note of the things I have to be grateful for has always been important to me and if that is going to raise my happiness by 25% to boot, then so be it! :)

If you would like to join me in this Thankful Thursday then please write up your Thankful Thursday post (it doesn't matter how many things you list...be it 10, or 5, or 3, or just 1 very special thing) and then sign Mr. Linky below so I can go check out your post, too.

So, here we go...

1) I am very thankful that Dave and the girls made it back from their trip to the States safe and sound. I am a huge worrier and having them on the road for that long (about 5 hours there and back) kept my stomach in knots all day long. They went to see his sister, but since little Colie doesn't have her passport yet (or birth certificate) us two girls just stayed home. I worried - she slept, and ate, and cooed.

2) I was so happy to see them all walk back through the door that I almost forgot about the special package Davey was bringing home for me. My new flash! Well, those who know what they are talking about call it a "strobe" so I'll have to pretend like I know what I'm talking about and call it a strobe, too (or, is it a "speedlight"?). I have already read the entire manual that came with it, but it was kind of like reading about rocket science...in a foreign language...after having had about 2 bottles of wine. Hopefully one day I'll figure out how to use my new toy properly. She sure is a beaut. and I'm very thankful to have it!

3) I continue to be very grateful that spring has arrived. You know how I love the sun and the heat. It is supposed to be about 18 degrees and sunny tomorrow. Three months from now you'd find me complaining about 18 degrees but right now, after a long and very cold/snowy winter, it's like heaven. Colie and I will be going on one big 'ol hike, I'll tell you. I think Davey may even be taking me to the golf course to hit some balls and work on my swing. I can't wait!

4) Purple Onion. I love, love, love purple onion and now that I am trying to eat more healthy food I'm having a lot more salads. The very best salads in the world are the ones Dave makes for me. I'm not sure why, but his salads are always so much better than mine. And, the very best thing about a salad is lots of purple onion on top. You can call it "red onion" if you like, but they are really, actually, purple so that's just what I'm going to continue to call them. That...and yummy!

5) Dave! I've probably said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again but I am always very, very, grateful for my Davey. He is just the best for so many reasons. The fact that he brings me home toys from the States, he brings me coffees from Timmies all the time (even though he hates coffee and the only reason he has for stopping in is me), and he makes me the very best salads in the whole world. He has also given me my three beautiful daughters and this whole beautiful life we have together. And, not only that, he continues to support me, my dreams, my goals, whole-heartedly. Actually, he not only supports me...he gets excited for me! He is just the greatest guy in the whole world and I love him to bits. You're alright, baby. ;-)

Remember to sign Mr. Linky below and connect me directly to your Thankful Thursday post (not just your blog). I'd be ever so Thankful!! :)

Wordless Wednesday - Here Comes the Tooth Fairy!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun click HERE! :)

Tofu Tuesday - Homemade Seitan

When you are trying to become a vegetarian it is important to try out lots of different "meat alternatives". After all, woman can not live on tofu alone. So, you've got your beans and your grains, your tofu and your tempeh. What else? Well, there is this other thing called "seitan". Ya, just a horrible name, isn't it? Doesn't it make you just want to run out and try some?

Yes, I'd like some seitan, please, with a side order of hospitalization.

I completely understand how you feel, because I've been totally afraid to try the stuff myself. But, recently I decided to get over my fear and try it already. I mean, other people have ingested the stuff and lived to tell the tale, right? So I got my package of ready-made seitan (which came already prepared and marinated in its own sauce) at the health food store and I mixed it up in a stir-fry of veggies.

And, you know what? It was good. No, really. I'm serious. Even Dave and the girls liked it and it didn't have to be all small and hidden (the way I usually have to prepare tofu for them) in order for them to like it. It had a nice, meaty, texture and the sauce tasted great. Wow. This was fantastic news. Fantastic until I re-read the label on the package and discovered that it had actually expired almost a year ago.

So now, we all just sat and waited for the dreaded "burps" to come on. But, I mean, it's wheat gluten. How does wheat gluten go bad? It was in a sealed package. In the fridge. But, sure enough, there was that horrible expiry date glaring at us (I glanced at it in the store and it registered in my brain as being about to expire in a couple of weeks...not that it had already expired 11 and a half months ago). Luckily, the evening passed, and the morning came, and none of us were any worse for wear. However, I decided the best way to make sure my seitan is fresh from now on is to make my own. There are many recipes around for homemade seitan. This one is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's famous book, "Vegan with a Vengeance".



Ingredients:

2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup cold water or vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a Microplane grater
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Broth:
12 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy sauce

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together vital wheat gluten flour, nutritional yeast, and all-purpose flour. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients through the lemon zest.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a firm spatula. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until spongy and elastic. Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes. In the meantime, stir together the ingredients for the broth in a large saucepot (do not boil the broth at this point).

Roll the dough into a log shape about 10 inches long and cut it into 6 pieces of roughly equal size. Place the pieces in the broth. It is important that the broth be very cold when you add the dough, which makes for a nicer texture and ensures that the seitan doesn't fall apart. Partially cover the pot (leave a little space for steam to escape) and bring the broth to a boil.
When the broth has come to a boil, set the heat to low and gently simmer for an hour, turning the pieces every now and again.

Turn off the heat and let the broth and seitan cool for at least 30 minutes. This will produce a firmer seitan. It is best to let everything cool completely before removing the seitan from the broth.

What you do next depends on the recipe you are using. If storing the seitan for later use, slice it into bite-size chunks, put it into a sealable container, and cover with broth. Seal the container and place it in the fridge for up to five days.



See, homemade seitan that is fresh and tasty. Not so scary after all is it? Well, not unless you are a celiac.

For more Meatless Meal ideas, just click on the sweet little block of Tofu below.



Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy
Have a great day!

Fit Mommy Monday - Xtreme-ly Outta Shape.

It's Monday morning, that means its time for challenges and check-ins again. I have to say that this week has been a bit hard because 1) Dave brought home two huge bags of potato chips, including my nemesis "Sour Cream and Onion" 2) That darn Easter Rabbit came to our house and dropped chocolates all over the floor. I mean all over!

I've tried to be good. I never got myself a bowl of chips. But, when Dave offered me some - put them right in front of me - well, I'm weak. Weak I tell you! And, I've also had some of those chocolate eggs (but, really, only about 5-ish so that isn't so bad).

I watched Posh Spice being interviewed one time and she was asked if she ever, like, eats a chocolate bar or some cookies and she quickly replied, "No. Never". Jeez. Sucks for her. She's really too skinny, anyway.

Okay...here we go....

Last Week's Goal:

"This week's goal: 3 days of dvd workouts and one fat-burning session on the treadmill."

Check-in:

I did do 3 dvd workouts and the last one was kickboxing so it, i feel, combined both the "dvd" part of the deal with the "fat-burning" part of the deal. I must admit, I did not touch the treadmill. It's downstairs and it was too cold down there. Plus, it's not even plugged in. ;-)

This week's Challenge:

I am so out of shape. The three dvd's I did were Jari Love's "Ripped Slim and Lean"

and Minna Lessig's "Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom"

and Amy Bento's "Kickbox Xtreme".

I didn't realize that the kickboxing one is 80 minutes long and that you are free to stop at any point and go to the cool down so I kept going, and going, and going until Dave pulled back into the driveway (he was gone for one hour and I thought I'd be long since finished by the time he got back...so he could then have the t.v. to watch The Masters). So, that was an hour of kickboxing and I could barely even lift my leg to kick anymore by the end of it. My foot even cramped up!! The weight lifting ones are fine because you can choose your weight. Whatever you can do with proper form, while still exhausting your muscles. But, the cardio...man, I'm brutal! So, it isn't even about fitting back into my pants anymore...I really need to get into better shape!

So, back to the point..

This week's Challenge:

5 days of work-outs, whatever they may be, including at least 3 cardio sessions!

This is pretty ambitious considering Dave is back to work, I have an ortho. appointment, and little Colie still likes to be held whenever she is awake, so I'll be happy with 3 cardio sessions - but I'm going to try for the 5 days so I can get in some muscle stuff, too.

(No weigh-in to report. I haven't been near a scale).

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hop you have a wonderful day with your families. My girls woke up plenty early, as usual, and went about the house on their hunt for Easter goodies. That silly Easter Bunny left foot-prints all over our house again! He even left them on the chairs and the couch and even on my blanket! That's okay, though. I don't really mind. After all...he always brings the girls so much nice stuff! Chocolates and candies and this year even some Hannah Montana socks and Hannah Montana underwear! Fantastic! How does he know the girls love Hannah Montana?

So, the girls are all excited about their loot, and about their day, but right now I think they are even more excited about something else!

The Fairy Blogmother's little girl (well, I guess she isn't so little anymore...she is 6 1/2, you know) got to be a Guest Writer on her blog! So, my girls would like to do some guest blogging of their own.

Well, alrighty!

First up...my little Jamie James...

Jamie and Mom lv eht other wen we hag eht other and Madlin 6 Jamie 4 Ncol0 lcs the zoo Jamie lcs jrafs.

(that says, "Jamie and Mom love each other when we hug each other and Mailyn is 6 and Jamie is 4 and Nicole likes the zoo and Jamie likes giraffes).

Thanks Jamie, baby.

Okay. Now we have our second guest blogger for the day...my big girl, Miss Madilyn Mae.

halo .me and my mom do fun stuff too getr. I LOVE MY MOM so mush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhh...

now that's a nice Easter treat for Mommy.

:)

Happy Easter!!

{Oh, jeez...before you go...you have to pop over to Laughing Leah Loves Lillies blog and check out her Easter funnies. I was really "LOL", especially at the last one!!}

Thankful Thursday - Two Grandmas.

It would seem that Thursdays are an especially busy day around my place. So much so that I haven't been very good about posting my Thankful Thursday posts! I am still very grateful for many, many, things but I just haven't been able to tell you about them. So, I'm going to try out this little "Post date and time" thingy-ma-bobber in blogger and see if I can't get my Thankful Thursday posts out on time, and as regularly scheduled, that way!

{edited to add: well, that didn't work. Seems I switched the "day" and the "month"}

Btw-
this whole project started as the result of an e-mail I received one day from Wondertime magazine which said:


According to research in "Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier", regularly writing down what you're grateful for can increase your level of happiness by about 25 percent. (So can a chocolate martini, but we couldn't find that in the self-help aisle.)

A 25 percent increase in my own personal happiness?! Sounded good to me. Shan over at Tales from the Fairy Blogmother challenged me to make Thankful Thursday a weekly event but, being the excellent and outstanding (keener) blogger that she is, she has been posting her lists of gratitude far more often that I have. I'm going to try and change that.


So, let's get to it already!


1) I am thankful that the big chunk of change that we laid down for cloth diapers was not in vain. I was really worried that they just would not work out and Dave would have the opportunity to give me the big "I told you so" lecture. But, they are great! They don't leak any more than "landfill diapers" do (in fact, I think they are better), and they are definitely better at handling the big, explosive, kinda' poops. Plus, they are better for the environment. Better for baby's skin. And, most important of all...they are darn cute. {my review on them all will be coming up soon...}

2) I am thankful that it is now April which means winter is gone, baby! I'm not a fan of winter. I do not do well in the cold. At all. There have already been a few really, really, nice days where you could walk around outside in just a light jacket. Love it! Bring on the heat.

3) I am grateful for my sweet baby who is now, consistently, sleeping through the night. I feed her one last time before bed and she is pretty much good to go (to sleep!) until about 6 in the morning. So nice!

4) I am grateful that my mom has agreed to come up on Saturdays (while Dave and the girls are at ballet class) to sit and hold the little, cuddle-bug, Nicole Lily-Pie which allows me a block of a couple of hours to get stuff done around the house. Now, 2 hours per week is not enough to get this place in order (I usually just get all the laundry taken downstairs, clean up the kitchen and one bathroom, clean out bun-bun's cage, and that's about it), but it sure helps. Thanks Mom!


5) I am grateful that Dave's mom loves to take the girls on little outings. They have been many fun places together and it looks like Disney on Ice is becoming one of their regular trips. They've been before, but I'm not sure if they had seats this good! Right by the ice! Way to go Grandma K and thanks!




What are you Thankful for this Thursday?



Please sign Mr. Linky below so we can go check-out your list. I'd be very grateful! ;-)

Fit Mommy Monday - Goals and Check-ins.

Well, I got some good news and I got some bad news. I'll start with the bad news first. I weighed myself on the scale at our family doctor's office last Wednesday when I took Nicolie in for the second part of her vaccine. Now, this is a different scale so I'm trying not to flip out about it too much, but it wasn't good. At my ob/gyn's I was 132. After a week of no junk and Jari Love workouts (on the family doctor's scale) I was 135. Yep. 135. So, that means I have 17 pounds to loose instead of 14. Really, 14 seemed bad enough...but it was closer to 10 than 20. 17 sounds like a whole lot more. And, not only that but I've retaken all my measurements and it would seem that my waist is actually 1/2 an inch bigger than it was a week ago. Was I sucking it in before or something? So sad.

But, on to the good news...

you can't suck in your butt and my hip measurement is now a full inch smaller than it was a week ago, and so is my thigh! A full inch off my thigh! Thank goodness for that bit of news. That's enough to keep me going.

Last week's goal: 3 days of Jari

Check-ins: I got 2 days of Jari done

{Excuse: my back was sore on Saturday - i think there may be too many dead-lifts in her video to do it all the time - and I had company on Sunday}.

This week's goal: 3 days of dvd workouts and one fat-burning session on the treadmill.

And why this is all worth it...

I love my little Nicole Lily-Pie. Did you hear that she has started to sleep through the night? Yep. All night. Friday and Saturday. And just one wake-up last night around 2 am.

Knowing Me - Knowing You / The April Edition.

Time again for the monthly interview project started by Shan over at Tales from the Fairy Blogmother. Here are my answers, and once you've done your own be sure to head over to Shan's blog and sign Mr. Linky so we can all see them.

1. Who does the grocery shopping in your family? That depends on the time of year. In the summer (when Dave is working more) it is usually me. In the winter (when Dave is working less) it is usually Dave. Sometimes we even go wild and head out together. Getting the grocery shopping organized (like, with a plan and a list) is one of those things I keep thinking I'm going to do. One of these days. I'll probably get to that about the same time as when I come up with a proper, working, system for all the laundry.

2. Are you watching American Idol? If so, who are you picking to win it? Yes. I have watched most of the seasons of AI. The best year was the one when Taylor Hicks won. I just loved watching Taylor. He was so much fun. Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol! And, this year, I'm picking Danny to win. I know Adam has a lot of fans, but I just prefer the sound of Danny's voice. I also prefer a man who wears less make-up than I do. But, that's just me...

3. What is your favourite type of fruit? Hmmm... I love fruit, so that is a tough one. I'd probably have to say bananas because I eat them every day. I love my Balkan-style plain yogurt with just a touch of honey and a banana chopped up inside. Then again I also love some good watermelon in the summer, and nice, tasty, grapes, oh...and fresh plums and peaches...so good. I also love me some cantaloupe or honeydew cut in half, seeds scraped out (to make a bowl), and filled with vanilla ice-cream. drool.

4. Are you a night owl or a morning person? Let's see...what does Dave's caller I.D. say when I call him? Oh ya, "Night Owl". Well, I guess if that is my nickname it's probably safe to say I am a confirmed creature of the night. I hate mornings. I can't seem to ever open my right eye until I've been awake for a good 10 minutes. I cannot speak until I've had some coffee. And, I don't find Dave skipping around and singing the least bit entertaining at any time before 9 am. And, yes, Dave is a morning person. Should make for an interesting ever after.

5. Speaking of bed -- when you're sleeping do you have your socks on or do you take them off? Well, I wouldn't wear socks that I've had on my feet all day to bed. That is just icky. But, sometimes I will wear socks that I've just put on into bed to keep my tootsies warm. We turn the heat down really low at night (like, 61 degrees) so when I first get into bed it is super cold. But, then the duvet, the man, and the baby heat things up so I usually wake up and pull them off at some point during the night.

And that's it for this month! Thanks Shan.

Fooled Ya'!!

Okay...

another quick one here. I may have just a moment to share with you the evil April Fools joke I pulled on my poor little girls.

Hey Girls! We're having cupcakes for dinner!

(Cupcakes were really little Shepherd's Pies with coloured mashed potatoes on top to look like icing. Jamie took a bite and said, "Mommy, these cupcakes are icky". Once I explained that they weren't really cupcakes, but meat and potatoes she was able to eat them but, boy, was she mad at me. "You tricked me!" she said while giving me her best scowly face. I was killing myself laughing. Mean Mommy!!)

Okay, I'll make it up to you! You can have spaghetti with meatballs for dessert.

These were really mini-angel food cakes with icing for spaghetti, and jam for the sauce, and little round chocolates for the meatballs.

The girls thought that was a much better trick.