I heart these…

This morning I was out and about town shopping.  While wandering through the aisles of some of my favourite stores I realized how some of the most trivial items are near and dear to my heart.

For instance, Dollar stores.  Okay, so that’s not an item per say, but I do love them so.  And not just any Dollar store will do, only one of the TRUE dollar stores, where everything within is actually and always ONE dollar.  This is where the trivial stuff comes in, because nearly everything in the dollar store is trivial AND because I have some kind of fetish for stationary, wrapping paper, stickers, hair accessories, kitchen wares and storage solutions.  The simple fact that I can get these thrill inducing items for ONE DOLLAR it makes me excited in an unnatural way.  Check out the finds from today:

New tumblers for the kitchen 1$ for 2, a Plate to use when photographing my recipes here on my blog (or as a serving tray when needed) 1$. a Valentine hair clip for my daughter to wear to preschool on the big day. She is so excited, Valentines day falls on a Wednesday this year and Paige doesn’t usually attend school on Wednesdays. I had to ask the owner if we could switch a day of the week so she could be at school on a Wednesday. I had no idea Paige loved Valentines day so much… so I bought stuff to make valentines and this clip for her.

You may have seen these before but they are a special facial sponge, that also lightly exfoliates. They usually go by the brand name ‘Buf Puf’ but I only ever see them at liquidation stores or dollar stores. Whenever I see them I buy a few. They make my face so soft and exfoliate without completely sandblasting the first layer of skin off. I recommend getting the ones that don’t have the soap ‘built in’ and use your own cleanser, they last longer that way. Great, that secret is out of the bag, now I’m probably never going to be able to find them again.

So we are in agreement, these things are small, inconsequential but nice and cheap (cheap is cool doncha know). I also took my gift card to my favourite clothing store and bought a BAG FULL of clothes. Mostly new t shirts (that aren’t green) and a  pair of navy blue jeans, funky jeans.  There were a pair of snazzy Capri’s there that I wanted so badly but quantity won out over quality today.  I am hoping to be able to get back there soon to buy them because It’s so hard to find things in plus-petite sizes, which is why they will probably be gone by the time I get back there.  I was seriously tempted to dip into the ‘new camera fund’… but there will always be another perfect pair of capris… somewhere. I hope.

That’s all for now, I think I may have to do a small Nolan update tomorrow. There is so much new with that kid right now that I need to write it down or I’ll forget it. The blog is as good a place as any! Until then, ~jen

Bearing Gifts.

I just got my parcel in the mail from this patch swap.  I am so lucky!  It contained a Gorgeous embroidered Pink Squirrel from Cathy and a very intricate blue bird from Kristin.  Last but certainly not least, Faun included some iron on patches featuring her artwork.  All together it made for quite an impressive package. 
Like a dorkus, I forgot to write my name on the fancy envelopes I put my patches into… so one recipient has had to do a little ‘Nancy Drewing’ to find me.  Oops!  I’m glad to know that they will be going to homes that appreciate them.  And now I wish I’d done a better job…

If you Have ever wondered what my Dog was like.

Down the Tubes.

I just read an article on line about a new internet service called ‘Tubes’ It allows you to upload and share large files of any kind.  You can also keep your files private and secure and share with only the people you choose.  It sounds wonderful to me and I’m signing up as I type.

Try it out- especially if you are always trying to find ways of transferring those large files to your neighbors.  I recently worked on a project for my friend Laurie and the files were too large for a CD to they had to be transferred onto DVD- which they have misplaced.  This will be the cure for that!! 

I’m so excited, can you tell???

~jen

a few more points of interest

On my last trip to the grocery store I was unable to purchase recycled toilet tissue.  I bought my favourite old standby "Kleenex" brand.  Now I have the sensation, every time I go, that I’m wiping myself with a comforter.  Ya, it’s just a tad thicker- but I don’t need to use nearly as much.  Makes a person want to rethink the recylced tissue thing.  But only for a few seconds.

Somone recently changed the time on my new, large kitchen clock to match the later and incorrect time on my other kitchen clock.  It’s a good thing I’m not so strong with a hand clock so I don’t look at them much, cause that would have really screwed me up big time.  The way it was I probably stared at them for a full minute just to decide that they were both set at the exact same time.  After a quick look at my computer clock (My Old faithful) I reset the new kitchen clock again.

The dog hasn’t had any messy accidents due to the chick peas… but she did have an accident… not sure if it’s related to the chick peas or my heavy sleeping.

Ken has been a busy bee lately and I’m so proud of him.  He’s managed to fix our broken toilet tank (thank goodness we caught that one in time!), steam cleaned all the carpets in the house, fixed a bunch of other little things in the house and last but not least, he brought home a brand new computer.  Well, not BRAND new but ‘new to us’.  A woman at Ken’s work had this computer with a fried motherboard and she was unable to get some info off the hard drive.  In exchange for us getting all of her files off the system, she gave us the computer!  We just happened to have a perfectly good motherboard hanging around too.  After we did a little bit of presto change-o of hard drives and installing of operating systems, I networked the two computers through our router (thanks Vonage!) and now we are a 2 computer household.  It sure is nice, now Paige can play her online games and I can browse blogs.  So much for getting anything done around the house.  Nolan just loves to sit here and watch Blue’s clues, Dora and Diego podcasts- whatever works I say.

Speaking of Nolan, the new words and phrases are coming with a fury now.  He came running into the computer room the other day saying "Guess what Mom, Guess what?".  I asked him "What??" and he just repeated "guess what?" over and over and over.  For once I had act together and grabbed the camera to get this video- I had to prompt him to repeat the guess what part but you can see how gosh darn cute it is:

See what I was talking about??

There has been so many new things to talk about when it comes to Nolan I feel like I’ve been neglecting to talk about Paige but she’s really just the same. She’s still very picky about her clothing and doesn’t like to let me do (maybe ‘touch’ would be a better word) her hair. She’s been starting to have those lighting fast meltdowns like she did before Nolan was born. I’ve given her fair warning that time-outs are in her future should the crazy freak outs continue. Tonight she was on the cusp of freaking out on me because she was demanding that she start kindergarten, ‘right now!!!’. After dishing out a bit of attitude I asked her if she wanted a time out because I was more than ready to oblige her. She replied that she was ‘Talking to herself’. I told her if she’s going to ‘talk to herself’ like that she better make sure it’s in another room so I don’t hear it. So far so good.

In a moment of weakness I bid on an outfit for Paige through ebay.  I don’t know what came into me, but there you have it… It’s cute isn’t it??  At least she is charging a decent shipping price.  I really want to purchase some Warm Vanilla sugar perfume for myself but it’s difficult to find on ebay- Anybody in the U.S. care to pick me up some??

On that note, I should go and hit the sack- Hubby will be home from night shift early and it doesn’t allow for any sleep in time.

Hugs and lubbypup kisses,

~jen

Plate o’ banana cookies

  Plate o’ banana cookies 
  Originally uploaded by island artist.

After talking to my sister the other day I was inspired (by her) to try my hand at changing an old faithful recipe.  The pumpkin cookie recipe to be exact.  Jes thought it would be tasty to try banana instead of the pumpkin, and I agreed!!
So last night I got busy after supper and gave it a whirl.  I pulled out some frozen overripe bananas and let them thaw earlier in the day so they were ready to rumble.  There was a lot of liquid in the bag so I drained that off and added a half of a fresh banana to make up the moisture.  I just squished it all toghether in the bag.  Easy.

Here is the rest of the Recipe, if you like Banana bread, you’ll LOVE this.  These cookies taste like little mini banana breads.

Big Banana Bear paws (my sisters name)
Ingredients:
1C White sugar  (I used half C sugar half splenda)
1 Egg
3/4 C shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2C All purpose flour
1 tsp. Each- Baking powder AND Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt (which I skip if I use salted butter or Margarine)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Cup over rip bananas (the more ripe the better!)
1/4 C chopped walnuts (optional but gooood)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, egg shortening and vanilla.  Sift together flour, baking soda baking poweder, salt and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture.  Stir in Banana, and nuts.  Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10-15 minutes in preheated oven.
4. Try to leave some for the rest of the family.

Suzanne has the theme of kids snacks this week for the recipe exchange so this will be my entry… Enjoy.
Don’t say I never gave ya nothin’.

~jen

Got so much to say…

Paige’s latest snow portrait
Originally uploaded by island artist.

I’ve honestly been trying to get on the computer to blog all day but there hasn’t been a moment that was uninterrupted until right now.  This post ain’t going to be pretty, as a matter of fact it’s going to be in point form otherwise it will never get written.  I like to get things down here on the blog as a matter of keeping track of the goings on around this place.  You’d be surprised how often I have to look through my archives to find out when something happened.  I can’t be the only one who does that!  So here goes, in no particular order,

My dog likes chick peas, she ate half of a large can.  I’m hoping I don’t find any ‘chick pea surprise’s on my carpet in the next few days.

Nolan came up to me and told me ‘Poop’ quite matter-of-factly about three times.  After checking his diaper and chiding him for ‘trickin on me’ I sent him on his way.  He came back 2 minutes later smelling to high heaven and telling me again ‘Poop Mama!’.  I’ll be darned, the kid was trying to tell me he had to poop!!  Get out the Potty, Nolan’s gotta poop!!  I’ve always said that a kid will let you know when they are ready, apparently he’s ready… and so am I,  I think.

while we are talking about Nolan, He’s been a total cling on lately.  He’s at the stage when I have to be within eyesight of him or he loses it.  It feels as if I spend the entire day with him hanging off my pant leg screaming for something that will forever remain a mystery.  I do remember this stage with Paige, I then coined the term Rotten Toddler Syndrome.  It passed and I thought it was just a stage, but Paige seems to be picking up cues from Nolan lately.  What’s a mom to do??  I sit back with a coffee and a smile and read some blogs, that’s what.

I’ve been back at cooking again lately.  I made a KILLER lasagna yesterday.  It’s the recipe out of the latest Kraft Kitchens magazine.  The best part is that you don’t have to cook the noodles before hand.  It turned a labour intensive (but delicious) food into a breeze to prepare.  Try it now, thank me later.  Today while I was shopping for a few things I forgot during my major shopping trip, I found some ‘Bag & Season’ packages in the discontinued section.  I tried the pork chop one tonight and WOWZERS, it was tasty.  I mixed it with the garlic Mashed potatoes (also from the KK magazine) and I have to say it was a hit, Nolan gorged himself, and we won’t talk about me…

Paige has been quite the little arteest lately, and I have a stack of drawings that I want to put up here on the blog.  MUST WRITE IT IN MY DAYTIMER.  I really want to share some of them, they are so clever and her eye for detail just blows me away.  I think she’s picking up a lot of good stuff from Preschool this time around.  She so excited to go, and she talks about all of the fun things her teachers did for her that day and some of the not so fun things she experienced with the other kids (tough lessons but must be learned).  I’m really proud of her lately, she’s been helping me around the house without any complaints (well, maybe one or two) and sometimes I even catch her cleaning up without a word from me.  The girl is not even five yet people!  At least I’m doing something right, not sure what, but when I figure it out I’ll blog about it.

Some of you may or may not know, we are going to Disney land at the end of July.  My in laws are treating the entire family.  Ken and I have been sent on a wild goose chase to find the best ‘deal’  for the trip, I’ve been hunting around on line but don’t know what i should be looking at.  Have any of you guys been there and have any advice for us??  Thanks in Advance.

Okay, that should be all for now,
Take care folks,

~jen

 

Ohhhh Ooohhhh Oooohhhh

Apple has just announced it’s newest bit of technological PORN. 
I can’t stand it, one more new thing to crave… What is apple trying to do to me???

Let me introduce (assuming you haven’t seen or heard of this before) The iPhone.

seriously, if you click the link they give you a tour of how it works… it’s bloody amazing.
and I want one.
Dammit.

~jen

Chantelle and the Mystery infection

Chantelle and the Mystery infection
Originally uploaded by island artist.

This is my chance to mention a little girl, one of Paige’s friends, Chantelle. Last week she came down with a nasty, and let me repeat, NASTY infection. She has spent nearly two weeks in hospital on IV antibiotics and the doctors still don’t know the root of the infection.
Please keep her in your thoughts and send your prayers her way… she’s been getting better but the prognosis is another 4 to 6 weeks of treatment (depending on the final diagnosis).
No worries Laurie, we’ll get you through your hospital ‘time off’ with lots of food and good coffee.
Take care and keep the thoughts positive and we’ll see you both home soon!

~jen

Me and My Lubbypup

My creation
Originally uploaded by island artist.

Nolan’s newest word has completely charmed the pants off me. My kids have been having the sniffles and coughing lately so I brought out the ecchinacea lolly pops that I bought on sale a while ago. Nolan has since started asking for ‘Lubbypups’ about 4 or 5 times a day.
It’s so cute I can’t stand it!

~jen