Forty by Forty (40x40) - Day 40

In 40 days, I turn 40 years old. Although I'm not especially bothered by turning 40 (if any birthday was hard, it was either #18 or #39), I kind of thought it'd be fun to try and do 40 things (a thing a day) on and before the 'big day'. I'm going to send my thirties off in as big a style as I can...

So what will I strive to do? Well, I can't travel too much (my ability to drive has been impeded) and I won't be doing anything crazy (like bungee jumping or skydiving) so in the grand scheme of awesome, it may only register as a “6” - perhaps even just a “5” - but it'll be my 5 and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

You can follow along here on Barefoot Deliberations or find me on Instagram or Twitter. I will also be posting publicly on Facebook (I will specifically open up the 40x40 Facebook status updates and will Tweet  links to them). The notable exception is the one item which stipulates "24 hours with no Facebook, Instagram or Twitter". I likely will still blog about it though - not totally decided!

Here, in a not yet determined order, are the first five things of the 40 things I aim to complete...

1. Finish & share my 40x40 list!
2. Sign my organ donor card!
3. Make a duct tape wallet for TroubleMaker (aka Brennan, who, with each year, outgrows his toddler moniker)
4. Store away our winter clothing & footwear
5. Make a kid summer "bucket list"!

Exciting, I know! Can't you just wait to follow along? Each Wednesday, I'll post the next five things on my list.

A memory from 1988

This post is about nothing but a memory. I couldn't think of anything clever for a title.

While putting my short guy to bed, I remembered something from junior high. Like when I was in grade eight, junior high. That's a very long time ago (math was never my strong suit, as my memory will kind of reveal).

When I was in junior high, I wrote and edited our school newspaper. I actually even won an award for it (likely my only 'academic' award until I won a scholarship and bursary for academic performance during college). My Mom made a big deal about the award ceremony and insisted I go (only 'geeks' went to awards night - I may have written for the paper but I was not in any way a geek). None the less, we went.

But that's not what my memory is about. Not at all, although it is newspaper related.

For filler, I wrote a review column. After seeing the new Robin Williams movie (sometime in October of that year), I reviewed and rated it for that weeks edition. I remember rating it really high - it was really good - and I remember writing something to the effect of "when Robin Williams is left to his own, he shines brilliantly." Although I don't remember if my 'star' rating was out of five or ten, I do know I gave it one number down (so either a 4/5 or a 9/10).

The day or so after the edition was released, two boys -both in grade 9 and both of whom, I thought were quite cute, stopped me in the hallway.

"Why," they both asked in unison, "did you only give it 9 stars?"

Blushing and not being particularly quick on my feet, I could only give the most truthful (and humiliating for an 8th grade girl to give a 9th grade boy) answer.

"Because I had an extra large pop and I had to really go pee and the movie just wouldn't end!"

And that's the memory I uncovered tonight.

Move home and let Mom sort it out

There have been very few (if any) days in my adult life where I thought moving home and letting my Mom take care of everything was a good idea.

Today, I believe this may be the best solution (not really, kind of).

Being a parent is hard. Being a grown up is hard. Having to cook 300 days a year is hard (I'm allowing for a lot of take-out/restaurant meals). Cleaning the house is hard (because it just keeps getting dirty). Cleaning windows is hard. Home maintenance is hard. Working is hard.

I want to be that kid that spends hours in the basement playing "Office" with my siblings. I want to be the kid who plays endlessly in the dirt surrounding our acreage with my brother's Tonka trucks and the homemade trucks my Grandpa made us. I want to play Barbies with my sister. I want to write stories. I want to come home from school and have my Mom smiling with homemade cookies for a snack the yummy smell of dinner cooking in the oven.

I'll even weed the garden and spend 3/4 of the summer shelling peas. Oh, how we spent our summers shelling peas (and taking the ends of green beans and picking raspberries and digging carrots and dusting the cauliflower and broccoli with toxins to kill bugs). Heck, I'll even take my elderly Grandmother shopping every single Saturday (without complaint) and I promise I won't die of embarrassment  when she farts in every isle.

I want fresh sheets on my beds, clean laundry in my drawers and a hug from my Mom telling me tomorrow would be a better day. My life wasn't a Normal Rockwell painting but there are days now where I reflect on my childhood with longing and desire. I was always in such a hurry to grow up that now that I have, I think young me was a total moron. Being a grown up is damn hard and it isn't nearly as much fun as I expected it to be.

Sure, I have a job (sort of) and it pays well and I can buy "things" I want but I can't buy everything I want because, you know, I have to eat (and feed my own little TroubleMaker) and make house payments and pay bills and save for TroubleMaker's university education. I can't bunk off my responsibilities and because I'm not independently wealthy, I've actually travelled less as an adult then I did as a teenager.

Then one has to factor in the whole "getting old" stuff. How things hurt now that didn't before and how the ground keeps getting further and further away from me (and it's not because I'm growing taller). My neck and back are aching and my sight and hearing's fading for crying out loud - this grown up thing is stupid.

Seriously, it's not really that bad but I'm certainly willing to go to my Mom's for a few days and just lay on her couch and let her serve take care of me.

Menu Plan Monday: July 28 to August 3, 2013

Can someone please explain to me just HOW we got to the end of July? It's AUGUST on Thursday, that means we're only a month or two away from snow?!?!?

Family Picnic: 2003 (I'm not in the picture, so stop looking)

Every August Long Weekend since +/- 1948, my Dad's family got together for a barbecue. That weekend is my Dad's birthday (August 4) - I think it was an Aunt's birthday too... His immediate family always got together with the extended family (on my paternal grandfather's side, there were nine children) and celebrated. Being the good French Roman Catholic family that they were, you can begin to imagine the magnitude of this event... Anyway, up until a decade or so ago, the tradition carried on. As the 'first' generation got too old, some of the second tried to continue the tradition (but weren't particularly successful) and a few years ago, my brother and cousin tried but it's all but died now (we're the third generation).

However, I still like to celebrate my Dad's birthday so we've done a couple family bbq's since. I think the last one was when Dad turned 65 (sorry Dad) and that was two years ago so it seemed like it was time again. This time, unlike Dad's 65th, I gave my siblings a choice. :) Did I mention I'm the bossy one?

I can't begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to chicken and ribs

Sunday: Lasagna (the one I was supposed to make the other night but didn't)
Monday: Chicken Fajitas (reminds me: I need to take chicken out)
Tuesday: Swiss Steak with egg noodles and frozen veg (Freezer meal)
Wednesday: Sweet and Sour Chicken Stirfry served over fried rice (I will use this sauce)
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Taco Dip Supper served with tortilla chips
Saturday: Potluck Family BBQ! (we're doing Frog's BBQ Sauce Chicken and Baby Back Ribs)

*On links that take you back to my blog, scroll down to to find the recipes later in the blog post*

Linking up with the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. Thanks for stopping in and have a fantastic week!

Frog's BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup corn syrup
10 drops liquid smoke
7 drops Worcestershire Sauce
1/8 cup minced onion
Generous "sprinkles" of each of the following seasoning:
Parsley
Season Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

Memories of Little Miss B - the ghosts in the mansion

This week was the first time ever that I'd been here, in the house or our condominium, without Tsarina when my husband wasn't here. Although this may not seem like a big deal, it was.

Looking less than impressed

One of Tsarina's bad habits was to yowl. When my husband was gone (he lived in a different city (for work) for almost six years) her behaviour was frequently terrible. She'd meow at all hours of the day and night, frequently, continuously and very, very loud. It was times like that where I could have cheerfully chucked her outside (she was strictly a house cat) and let her fend for herself. In her 13.5 years, she always made plays to escape: when I'd open the door and tell her to get the he-double hockey sticks out, she'd hide. 

Mysteriously, when I'd go out of town and my husband was home with her, she never said a word. Ever. 

In the end,  I chalked it up to her being a 'teenager'; at the time, she would have been the cat equivalent to being a teenager and as we all know, it's a child's mission to continuously drive their parents insane. 

The house seemed very quiet and empty with out my other half and our little princess. Every single time I went to check the mail, I looked up at her cat stand, expecting to see her. Almost every night as I prepared to turn in, I started to try and feed her. It was weird and unnerving and it made me sad. She should be here, she should, and it's not fair that she's not.

I love you, Miss B. Be good.

Memories of Little Miss B - The Kitchen

Oh Tsarina, my darling princess, I miss you. It's been just over a week since you passed away and we've unplugged and cleaned out your fountain. Your crate is still in the Jeep and your cat stand is still in the studio. I don't walk past and reach to scratch you as much this week as I did the first week you were gone.

Last Thursday, I was making dinner, like I usually do but you weren't here to 'help'. Meaning, you weren't driving me crazy with your crazy LOUD meow (I wish I had a video of you meowing - how is it in 13.5 years, I never got a video of your chatter?), the meow, I learned, was a call for me to put down the cooking implements and come play with you.

The kitchen was very hot and I was breaking out into a sweat but I resisted going to open the kitchen window. I knew as soon as I touched the blind, I'd hear the familiar "THUMP" that indicated you'd jumped off the cat stand and were making your way to the soon to be opened window. Before I'd get the window open, you'd be pushing on my arm, trying to get it out of the way so you could take your rightful perch, mashed up against the screen, catching a breeze, spying the birds that dared fly by or howling at the neighbours like we'd abandoned you.

I took a deep breath, pulled up the blind and slid the window open. Then my tears started again. Oh, baby girl, why is this so hard? I had a good cry and went and visited your cat stand. I took the fur laden blanket from the second level and snuggled it close to my face, just wanting to have one more night with you on my pillow, making me wheeze.

But I made it through. Just like I did yesterday when I opened a can of tuna for my lunch. For the first time in all the years you've been my girl, I poured the water from the tuna down the drain. Max was hiding under the table, I know he used to share the tune juice with you, I don't think he'd have wanted it though, it was always more 'your thing' than his.

It is still very, very strange to do things like open the door and not have to rush to close it (so you don't make an escape attempt). The number of times I started to tell TroubleMaker "CLOSE THE DOOR!" only to realize he can stand with the door open all day, save for during mosquito season, because you aren't going to be playing to get out of it. After nine years in this house, your dad and I realized the other night we can actually put in the screen in the front storm door. We both agreed that having you would be better but it's the little things that we'd just adapted too that are going to be the strangest to get used to doing.

I love you, Little Miss B. Be good.


This is my way of dealing with the very emotional loss of our darling Bengal, Tsarina Jasmine (HappyKatz cattery). She passed away April 15, 2013 after a brief, but difficult and debilitating battle with intestinal cancer. She was my surrogate child for eight years (before and after the arrival of our son), for me, losing her, is like losing a child. I appreciate not everyone will understand my attachment and dedication to her. If you don't get it, please move on. I'm in no mood to deal with morons passing judgement on my life.

Memories of Little Miss B

It's been less than twenty four hours since you died in my arms and I wish, oh how I wish, that today I felt better than yesterday. I find peace in the knowledge that although I don't feel a whole lot better, I do know you do. Your pain is gone, the suffering is over, and for that, I am overwhelmingly thankful. Being able to have a few more days with you, to care for you, to bring you comfort, to let you be where you were always happiest, is a memory I will always cherish. I don't want to remember you sick and frail, so I want to remember who you were for the nearly 14 years you were our little girl.

You are gone and you're not coming back. And that sucks. And it hurts and it brings tears to my eyes every single time I think of it. You won't ever come home but you are always here. Everywhere I look, I see you.

I went to the bathroom today. Alone. It has happened before, but not very often since you came home to live with us in 1999 (and even more infrequently after your baby (human) brother was born in 2008). I looked at the wall where you always rubbed your cheeks before you swirled right, then left, trying to solicit scratches and a gentle tail tug. The dark little mark is still there and although we usually wash the walls and wipe them away every couple months, I touched it today knowing that if I clean it away, it will never come back. I think it's okay right where it is.

Then I saw the drinking cup. Oh, God, how you drove me nuts with that when TroubleMaker was a baby. I'd no more get him to sleep and you'd go into the bathroom looking for a drink and knock it into the sink. BANG! And the baby would wake up! Finally, we broke that habit by keeping the en suite door closed... That is, until we realized something was wrong a week and a half ago. Then I was so desperate to get you to drink, I cupped water in my hand and encouraged you to drink; even if it was 3 in the morning. After we found out that you were going to die, I would have done anything to have you drink from that sink.

And the toothbrushes! Do you remember when we picked you up from Grammy's after Daddy and I went to Texas? I left my travelling toothbrush out and came up to the room to find you chewing on it. That's when we figured out you liked to brush your own teeth.

Everything in that small bathroom reminded me of you. Toilet paper – how many rolls did you unravel in your years with us? But your favourite thing was to BITE the rolls and claw just enough holes in them that they were often left unusable. Oh, you silly girl, I'd say...

This house, and the house before, has you imprinted all over it and that's what's making this even harder on me, on us, your family.

Your cat stand; I keep find myself wandering over to it, ready to give you a pet and ask you how you're feeling. I'm waiting to hear you jump down and start meowing at me because I forgot to put your food out. I keep waiting to hear all the sounds I'm used to. You were the most talkative cat anyone had ever met. I'll never forget when we were in the condo – the neighbours asking us, gently of course, if you were okay because you'd sit in the window when we took Max out for a walk and MEOW at the top of your lungs. It always made us laugh and when we moved, the same thing would happen. It was so you... Neighbours would try and talk to you through the window (to calm you down) and you'd only meow louder...

The fountain was running last night, neither your Dad or I can bear to unplug it. It's hard enough having you gone, unplugging your fountain just... Well, it will stay on a few more days.

When we got home last night, we left your crate in the Jeep. I think your Dad and I thought it might just stave off some of the sadness we were both feeling.

But in this house, filled with everything you, it will be a long time before the sad is all gone.  I love you, little girl. Sleep easy.

This is my way of dealing with the very emotional loss of our darling Bengal, Tsarina Jasmine (HappyKatz cattery). She passed away April 15, 2013 after a brief, but difficult and debilitating battle with intestinal cancer. She was my surrogate child for eight years (before and after the arrival of our son), for me, losing her, is like losing a child. I appreciate not everyone will understand my attachment and dedication to her. If you don't get it, please move on. I'm in no mood to deal with morons passing judgement on my life.

So many things, so little time... The Sandbox Saga

I am feeling inspired and very random. I have a to-do list a mile long and no plans to actually complete any of it... I'm tired and excited and a lot worn out. Visions of great and amazing things to do to my home and yard dance in my head - driving me a little crazy because I don't quite know how I can get it all done.

This weekend I want to build a sandbox. I've drawn a plan, calculated the sand we'll need and I've marked off the area in the yard where the sandbox will be built. I'm -->thisclose<-- to building it.

And it scares me.

I'm a real, live grownup. I own my home and I'm free to whatever I want to it. This scares me a bit. A lot.

I think it scares my husband even more. He likes my vision - he just doesn't like being the one has to execute it.

We aren't "handy", really, we can figure out just about anything we set our mind too but sometimes the attempt takes a couple of trips to the home store to buy parts. Twice.

Our latest endeavour is my wish to give our son a sandbox. I've got it drawn (in three dimensions even), calculated the board feet, planned a lid (as our neighbour has seven cats) and started to dig out the area. My husband even purchased a wheel-barrow so that we move sand and dirt as needed.

The weather forecast is agreeable, we have the desire.. Will it result in a sandbox?

Christmas Countdown Day 4: A little outdoor decor!

In the day of the inflatable Christmas lawn ornament, I'd like to open your mind to a bit of an alternative... These lawn ornaments were again inspired by my husband's time spent in Arizona over Christmas.

The second year in our house, we decided to make a couple of wood silhouettes for ornamentation in our front flower beds. We got several sheets of oriented strand-board from my former place of work and I got to work with our jigsaw, drill and staple gun! I laid the sheet out on our two saw horses and used a set square to draw out the design. I then cut it out with the jigsaw. In order to mount the lights, I drilled holes, spaced relatively evenly along the perimeter of the tree shape. I picked up some outdoor paint (and I actually got this green at a miss tint price because the clerk couldn't get the shade right) and painted it with three coats.  I used LED Christmas lights and put the bulb through the predrilled hole and used our staple gun to staple the cord in place. I cut out a support piece for the back and affixed it to the tree with three large hinges. We've since added grooves to the support and we thread twine through and tie them down on garden stakes... Between the wind and the neigbour's cats, we've had to restring both the tree and the snowman twice (to replace broken bulbs)!

I made the snowman in a similar fashion, but measured out the circles of his body with a pencil tied to a string. His hat is a foam sheet cut out and cemented to a piece of cardboard! After six years, his hat is a little weathered but it keeps the snow off his head!

With a simple string of incandescent bulbs along our house, our simple little bungalow comes alive with a little bit Christmas cheer!

Thanks for stopping by today - hope to see you tomorrow for Day Three!

Christmas Countdown: Day 5 Baked Delights!

I love to bake... Some of my best childhood memories surround baking and the homemade cookies that were in my lunch kit daily. Christmas meant cookies at our house - and homemade chocolates. When I was six, my mom worked part time in a craft store so cake decorating, chocolate making and Christmas crafts were part of the fantastic memory building every child needs! Some might say I go a little overboard... Considering I didn't actually start making cookies until I met my husband (I decided cookies were far too much effort for such a small reward), I have gotten rather efficient at making them! Over the years, I've narrowed down my Christmas baking to a few key things... Whipped shortbread, Pippakarka and Ginger Sparklers are the top "must haves" in our house... Although I'm quite certain that my husband would not protest if I only made ginger sparklers... I don't know when I first made them for him - I think it was after we moved to our house (maybe that first Christmas here) but he ate himself silly on them. They are his favourite cookie (after my chocolate chocolate chip cookie) but because I only make them at Christmas, they get scooped up quickly! Pippakarka is Swedish for gingerbread - it is a traditional recipe from my maternal grandmother. Although it really isn't anyone's favourite, it just doesn't seem like Christmas to me if I don't make a batch! The whipped shortbread was a recipe I got from a dear friend. My husband likes shortbread but prefers a buttery one instead of the lighter, cookier version I grew up making. I'm excited to share these with you - I hope you and your family enjoy them just as much as we do!

Whipped Shortbread
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Add all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixed until well blended. Continue to beat for five minutes. Roll into small balls and depress with 1/2 a maraschino cherry or depress slightly with fork tines and sprinkle with coloured sugar. Bake at 375 degrees Farhenheit for 10 minutes or until golden.

Pippakarka
1 cup white or brown sugar
1 cup margarine
1 cup Roger's Golden Syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 cups flour

Mix well and cover. Let stand over night. Roll on lightly floured surface and cut with cutters or glass. Bake at 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes or less.

Ginger Sparklers
3/4 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Beat first four ingredients until light and fluffy. Blend in remaining ingredients. Shape into small balls and roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.


Thank you for stopping in today - we'll see you again tomorrow for Day 4!

Christmas Countdown: Day 8 - The Perfect Bow!

I love ribbon. I love making bows with ribbon. To me, decorating with bows are simple and easy and oh so elegant! Below is a helpful guide so you too can decorate with bows! Add them to your tree, banister, wreaths, presents!















Materials:
Wired ribbon (I used 12’ (about 3 metres) of ribbon to make the bow illustrated)
Florists wire (24 gauge) on paddle
Scissors
Wire snips









Cutting your bow
1.Decide how big/full you want your bow

2.Snip this length, allowing ½ to 1” extra for overlap

3.Cut three of this length (illustration used 20” for this)

4.Cut two more – one inch (1”) shorter (2 @ 19”)


5.Cut one more – one inch (1”) shorter than the previous (18”)

6.Cut nosing – 4 to 7” (depends on how you wrap it)

7.Cut tails – decide on how much hang you want on one side, cut 2x (leave one long piece)



Putting it all together

1.Pick up first long loop, overlap and fold loop in half to mark centre point. Pinch centre point in with overlap (accordion the pinch).








2.Using florists wire, wrap 2x around pinch, pulling very snug to secure (DO NOT CUT WIRE)

3.Repeat step #1 with next 20” piece, place immediately below first wrapped loop and wrap 1x snuggly with wire

4.Repeat with final 20” piece and place below second wrapped loop and wrap 1x snuggly. Wrap all three loops once or twice and pull tight. DO NOT CUT WIRE









5.Pick up first medium loop (19” piece) and repeat step one. Lay this pinch atop the foundation bow layer. Wrap wire around 1x.





6.Repeat with second medium loop and wrap 2x around, pulling snugly.







7.Pick up small loop piece (18” piece) and repeat step one. Lay this pinch atop the middle layer. Wrap 2x to secure.







8.Pick up tails and fold in half. Place below all loop and secure.






9.Cut about 8” of wire from florist wire paddle and set paddle aside.






10. Take nosing and loop around middle of bow. Leave it loose and overlap at back of bow.









Using wire, loop around and secure nosing. Form a loop in the wire and secure to itself (for the hanger)









11. Fluff up the bow and viola! The perfect bow!





With a little practice, you'll be whipping up bows like a pro - and the best part, no special machine or special ribbon needed! Enjoy and happy crafting! Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Day 7!


All images used with permission. All images copyright Blackstone Images

Christmas Countdown: Day 9 - Quick and Easy Gift Ideas!

'Twas a week before Christmas and all through the shops, people were running and searching for props; the perfect gift for a mom or a dad, all were searching, searching like mad!


Today, I've got a guest post! Chris Lee works as an online researcher alongside his undergrad study, and has written this festive on behalf of Vistaprint. Take it away, Chris!
So, Christmas is nearly upon us. If (like me) you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet, hopefully this post will give you a few ideas!

The Classics:
Wine and/or chocolate. I was tempted to call this section “fallback options” because these can seem like last resort gifts, but, as with any gift, if you put in the thought and match the gift to the personality and tastes of the recipient, they will be well received and appreciated. Try to figure out what cuisine the recipient enjoys eating and use the taste guide to select an appropriate wine, for example.

Gizmos and gadgets:
Ideal for a teenage audience, but also applicable elsewhere. Most gadget sites will have a “gift finder” or similar service which will allow you to enter variables such as recipients age, desired budget, whether or not to include mature gifts, etc. This can be a great way to find gifts you may otherwise not have considered, although try not to get too distracted and end up buying a selection of fun-but-useless gadgets for yourself!

Home-made gifts:
An old favourite. There’s perhaps nothing better than receiving a hand-crafted gift from a friend or relative. Knowing that they spent time planning and making a unique gift for you is a truly delightful feeling. This is especially fun for children, as they will take great pride in the items they make. Though this category can include almost anything, a few popular suggestions are home-made chocolates, mulled wine, photo frames, storage containers, and ornaments.

Personalised gifts:
Similar to the above, except someone else makes them for you! These days the internet is brimming with sites allowing you to make personalised mugs, calendars, t-shirts, mouse mats, etc. The personal touch on these traditional gifts will be popular whatever the occasion, but Christmas is the perfect time. Seeing a precious memory captured and printed onto an everyday item will lift the spirits of the recipient every time they see the gift.

Thanks for sharing, Chris! One thing I'd like you to know is we've actually been Vistaprint Canada customers for the past three years. We do an annual calendar of TroubleMaker (the pictures are from calendar's past) and the past three, we've ordered from Vistaprint! I was so happy when I was approached to host this post because I can honestly say Vistaprint products and customer service are fantastic!




Need another idea? How about tapping in to that "home made gift" idea? Have 10 minutes, a sewing machine and some fabric? Why not whip up one of these cozy, fuzzy pillow cases! I'll have more pictures and a bit of a tutorial later in the week! Thanks for stopping by and thank you Chris and Vistaprint for sharing some great Christmas gift ideas!

Christmas Countdown: Day 10 - Luminaries!

I love luminaries. I hadn't really had much "experience" with them before meeting my husband, but I came to appreciate their simple beauty quickly once he started telling me about the Christmas he spent with his parents in Yuma, Arizona. His parents had sold up here in Canada and were wintering in Arizona. Arizona, I've been told, doesn't have snow like we do. For me, this would seem contrary to Christmas, however non-snow places have adapted! One of the things my husband reminisces about the luminaries is how they lit up the park where his parents lived. Luminary comes from the French and refers to a celestial body of light. It seems fitting to think of the little paper bags illuminated with flickering lights!

I have a cat. How is my cat related to luminaries? Well, technically, she isn't but she taught us long, long ago that we could not have candles anywhere in the house. With her penchant to knock things over, I knew we could never have "real" luminaries in our house... But, my friends, I have finally figured out a practical use for those silly "flameless" candles! I picked up a package of 10 flameless candles a few weeks ago for about $8! Add a bag of plain paper craft bags, a piece of scrapbook paper, rice and a fancy paper punch and I was in business! The bags I bought were a little tall, so I cut about 2" off the top. I used a craft knife to cut out the shapes from the scrapbook paper and I punched out six snowflakes with my craft punch (bought on sale for 40% less AND an additional 20% off coupon). I adhered the cutouts with double sided tape, opened the bag and poured in about a 1/2 cup of rice (for weight). Dropped in my candle and voila!

I made six of them and TroubleMaker made one. They light the stairwell to our main floor and look so pretty! I am very pleased with how well they turned out and just how incredibly simple and elegant they are. I love the idea of doing a bunch for outside but given I live in a North-Central Alberta, I'm not sure my little paper luminaries would withstand the typical Alberta winter. Until such a time that we can winter in the Southern United States, I think our stairwell is just the perfect home!

Thank you for sharing Day 10 with me - tomorrow, I'm excited to be hosting my first guest post! Please come back and get some ideas for personal and simple Christmas gifts! Tis the season for Link Parties so I'm sharing!

Christmas Countdown: Day 11 - Handmade Cards!

Christmas cards... I remember the front door of our home being covered in Christmas cards - each card was taped to the door as it arrived. It's a tradition I've continued in our house... But as we become more environmentally aware, the number of cards we receive are less and less. It's ok with me (as I even decided to not bother stressing out about doing cards this year) but I like the idea of making my own cards. So TroubleMaker and I have been doing just that! He loves stickers, cutting up bits of paper and lots of glue! Making cards for his friends and practicing his letter B's has filled many evenings recently (since the studio is at 95%)!


A while back I purchased a BIG book of 12x12 Christmas scrapbook paper and we've been using pages and pages of it. I will admit, i used to be of the mindset "buy it and save it!", however, I've recently come to realize that there is very little point in keeping things to use one day... Today is as good a day as any to use up the stores of craft supplies I have!



I like dimension - I think using texture and volume help add dynamic interest and so I employed some simple paper folding to create the pointsetta.






















I wanted to make another card but something light and fun. Penguins, the Christmas icons that shouldn't be, are TroubleMaker's favourite and I can't wait for him to see this card (I made it after he went to bed). I think I'll tuck it in his backpack when he goes for his sleepover with his Gran later this week!






Paper + glue + laughter = a fabulous Christmas activity! Thanks for stopping by today - hope to see you again tomorrow!

Countdown: Day 12 - Gingerbread Cupcakes!

Barefoot Deliberations Christmas Countdown Introduction!
What I’m doing isn’t new – all over the web are blogs and websites filled with countdowns… I just know, since having TroubleMaker, Christmas has taken on renewed importance for me. And since I love all things festive, I decided to do a countdown here too. I hope you enjoy the next twelve days as I share with you some of my crafty ambitions, family traditions, decorating tips and yummy, tummy tickling recipes! I’m also excited to share with you a Guest post – check back for that on Friday, December 16th!

Day 12 - Gingerbread Cupcakes!
When you think of Christmas, what comes to mind? The one smell I always associate with Christmas and the holiday season is gingerbread… Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves – it all spells HoHoHo in my books! I’ll be sharing a couple of our family traditional recipes but today, I’m sharing a new (and good) discovery! Back in November, I picked up a magazine at TroubleMaker’s behest – on the cover – a graham cracker train. Throughout the pages of the magazine were crafts and recipes all related to the festive season. As with most of the magazines I pick up, I dog eared the pages of the recipes and crafts I liked. More often than not, I find them again six months after the event but this time, I remembered to look at it.















When I came to the page that housed today’s feature recipe, I couldn’t remember why I marked it – shared on the page was a full 8.5 x 11" picture of a piece for chocolate cake – and since discovering Mrs. Searle’s chocolate cake recipe in 2008, I have no need to search any longer… Tucked up on the corner of the page was an unsuspecting recipe for Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing. A small photo accompanied the picture – it wasn’t inspiring but the mounds of maple icing made it hard to resist! Saturday afternoon, I tackled the recipe as TroubleMaker relaxed in the bath (one day, I will reverse that trend – he can bake while I relax in the tub).

It went together well and mixed up light and fluffy. The recipe was like none I’ve worked with before – it didn’t pour like a typical cake batter – it was thick and – well, gelatinous. I used a rubber spatula to “spoon” it into the muffin liners – it kind of glopped out but it was simple and quick to fill the twelve cups with no mess (that made me very happy). I popped them in the oven and waited. I also resisted all temptation to open the oven door. Normally, I’m not superstitious about that but because my mother in law would be sampling these delights, it was especially important to me that they turn out perfect! I even followed the recipe when it said "cool ten minutes in the pan then cool completely on a wire wrack". I have to admit that with the frosting, I just tossed it together - I used a little more cream cheese, more confectioner's sugar and a little less maple syrup. I suppose many years of cooking and baking has allowed me to judge by sight how much of this and that to add!





The house smelled amazing - and the taste - divine! Dense and light and just the right amount of spice truly captured what I think Christmas tastes like (if Christmas had a taste)! They were well received and so perfect to end the tour of the Christmas lights! Try it, it would be a perfect end to Christmas dinner or a yummy treat after an afternoon of tobogganing!

Thanks for stopping in! Come back tomorrow for Day 11!

MPM: Yummy, yummy, yummy!

It's no secret that I love food. I also love trying new recipes! Since adopting my recipe selection criteria, I've found my menu planning to be a far easier and quick endeavor! I wouldn't think that plotting that out would make a difference, but it really has! being able to quickly plan meals and evaluate recipes means I have some free time to try new things.

This week, it was a dessert! Saturday, my mother in law and our very good friend took TroubleMaker out to look at Christmas lights. After, they all came back to our house for hot chocolate. I decided that we needed something "Christmassy" to go with it! I'd seen the recipe in a magazine and decided it would be the perfect fit! Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing! They were DELISH and the perfect expression of Christmas in a tiny white wrapper!

I'll be sharing the recipe, more pictures and our "review" on the recipe tomorrow Tuesday (because I can't add - if I started Monday, it would be the 13 day countdown) when I start the Barefoot Deliberations Twelve Days of Christmas Countdown! I'll be sharing an assortment of Christmas crafts, recipes and decorating ideas! Hope to see you all again soon!

Here is what's in store for us this week! For more great ideas and inspiration, check out the Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday!

December 12 to 17
Monday Pork chops, noodles, corn
Tuesday Beef Stroganoff
Wednesday TBD
Thursday Mexican ChickenFriday Hamburger Casserole
Saturday I'm not Telling! (hehe - sorry Nancy!)
Sunday Quiche & Salad

The Last NaBloPoMa & The First Day of the Holiday Season!

Well, it's been 30 blog posts in 30 days - I wrote every single day - without fail! And only one was technically published late and that was 100% due to Blogger being down last night!

I am proud of my accomplishments - writing everyday and using my writing muscle was incredible! What's the thing about habits? Takes 21 days to build a habit - I wonder if I'll want to keep writing every day... We'll have to see but certainly as our holiday preparations take flight, I'll have lots to write about!




Today, my son was sick - three illnesses in three weeks - but it did give me time to do a bit extra around the house! Like decorate our tree! Although I put it up a few days ago, I'd not sorted through my decorations (which was on my 52 Weeks or Organizing task list, which I can now cross off AND post a successful article to the Org Junkie on Friday). Although our tree has always been an eclectic mix, this year, I started working on a theme - a Nutcracker Christmas! It's early days and having a three and a half year old helping certainly made it interesting!
I also finalized my plans for TroubleMaker's Christmas Countdown calendar! Here is a sneak peak of it and how I've set it up. My husband was the voice of reason - he suggested we not "pre-load" all the trees as TroubleMaker's curiosity and love of candy would likely have all the cones emptied by Day Three! I'm so excited to start this tradition with him tomorrow!

But like all good little kiddies, I need to find my pillow! Thanks for dropping in - NaBloPoMa has been a fantastic event and has allowed me to read many new blogs and share in the excitement and fun and I hope you've enjoyed me too!

We Have a Tree!

I mentioned a few days ago that the tradition in my family was to put our tree up a week before Christmas. Since being on my own, there have been years with no tree, years with a white tree (do not ask - I did not buy it, I did not want it but it was purchased for me and I knew better than to say what the hell was my ex mother in law she thinking?!) and years with the tree up at the beginning of December.

I've noticed there are a number of houses in our neighbourhood with their trees up already. Typically, I don't succumb to pressure but as I walked to work one morning, I was thinking "why don't we put our tree up!" - it's our house, our life and there are no hard and fast rules that expressly forbid trees going up before December 1! This year I also decided to put up only one tree... Our house has two floors - the main level and the garden level (fancy term for "basement"). Primarily, we are downstairs but I've always wanted to put one upstairs. The year TroubleMaker was born, we purchased a small 4' tree to put up because I didn't have the time or energy to put up, decorate and chase a nine month old away from the 7' tree!

Anyway, I decided to put the 7' up downstairs... This wasn't "easy" - in part because I did not organize all the Christmas decorations as I'd planned to last January and because it meant removing, relocating and rearranging the family room to accommodate the tree, TroubleMaker's table and toys.

Seven feet of tree and 500 mini lights later, it is up! The decorating process will take a bit longer as I'm still planning that out!

November 27 and my tree is up! Yay! It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays, even if it was +9 with rain today!

Sprig Toys: A Review of the Sprigwood Eco-Trucks

Let me start off by saying I have no connection to the Sprig Toy company and I have not in any way been endorsed or encouraged to write this review. As I commenced my Christmas shopping, I decided to revisit a product we first bought for our son for his first Christmas in 2008 and I decided I needed to share my thoughts on this great line of creative kid's toys!

Before our son was born, we began shopping at Scholar's Choice - a Canadian educational toy and learning store. Always on the hunt for interesting, sustainable and creative gifts for our nephews and niece, finding this store was an absolute dream. The staff is knowledgeable, helpful and very much know their products. When we were expecting, it was a no brainer for us to return to this store and find toys for our son.

For us, our toy criteria was simple - good playability, encourages creative, imaginative play, Eco-friendly, simple in design, good construction and when ever possible be "sustainable" and comprised of child safe compounds. Although we only ever planned on one child, we wanted durable construction too!

We found the Sprigwood line based on a suggestion of the clerk. The bright yellow construction vehicles not only smell amazing, they were made in Canada, designed in the United States, made of a composite of wood and recycled plastic and the design and moving parts were simple, durable and well thought out. The first vehicle we purchased was one of the Eco-Trucks - the dump truck to be exact.



We've now had this vehicle for three years. It has been loaded, drug around, crashed, buried, pulled around some more, loaded and crashed and played with over and over by every child that sees it! It has held up better than any other toy TroubleMaker has owned! It looks fantastic still - even if it's a little bit worn on the edges - and it smells as good as it did on the day we bought it! It has as many miles on it as it is a much loved toy and had the string my Dad tied on to it the year TroubleMaker was one finally wore through and fell off this past summer! With a Canadian retail price of $19.99, it is affordable and absolutely a step above all the well known "Construction" type trucks on the market.

Since the first summer brought a few arguments on who was going to get to pull the "Good Guck" around ("Guck is how TroubleMaker says "Truck"), we invested in the "Diggin' Dirt" - the Eco Truck Loader.



Now, TroubleMaker had his perfect toys. A digger to unearth every single rock and stick in every campground we camped in during TroubleMaker's second year of life. Dumping the bucket into the waiting dump truck, emptying the truck and starting all over again. It too had a string tied to it and was lugged around on numerous walks. It too survived several enthusiastic two year old children pulling, tugging and digging!

At some point, we also purchased the Baja Scout. An ingenious product that smells as yummy as the trucks with a clever, faceless character sitting in the driver's seat... The best was yet to be learned about the Scout - when you pump the truck, it charges the helmet on the driver and becomes a batteryless flashlight! Hundreds of pumps, crashes and hours of play later, it is an amazing toy with even more play value as TroubleMaker ages! It's a science lesson and a toy all in one!























And not to be forgotten (well, actually, it was) is the Discovery Rig. Another "kid charged" adventure toy! We bought this last spring for TroubleMaker's 3rd birthday... And forgot to give it to him! My husband just found it, hidden, in our garage two weeks ago... I can't wait to get this one out of the box! Now TroubleMaker and I will each have our own flashlight to play with in our fort!



If you are looking for a well made, well thought out toy, the Sprig Toy line is an excellent choice. With a love for the environment, a dedication to producing a quality product with high play value and durable, kid tough construction any of the offerings will put you in good stead!


All images from the Sprig Toy website.

The Week that Would Not End

Last Sunday night, I made a comment on Facebook - something to the effect that if someone had seen my weekend, could they please tell it to come back as I had missed it... I think that was the "jinx" for my entire week. Typically, I am not superstitious. I used to be really superstitious and then I kind of (for lack of a better term) outgrew it. But I am beginning to think sometimes, it is possible for me do jinx myself!

Sunday evening, after making the status update, TroubleMaker started running a fever. We had a bit of a night and woke up in the morning to a crabby, feverish little boy. I stayed home and took care of him - treating the fever and snuggling my baby boy all day. Tuesday was a repeat of Monday. By Wednesday morning, his fever had broken but his throat was still sore. I was going to go to work but then my husband got very ill suddenly and I packed in my going to work day as I knew my honey wasn't in any shape to care for an on the mend little boy!

Thursday morning, it would seem things aligned and I got back into the office. The fires at work had been cooled by a super awesome guy I work with and I could catch up, get my breath and get back on track. By home time, I was getting my head together.

But as I waited for the bus, I started seeing flashes of light and jagged black lines across my eye. As I put TroubleMaker to bed, I was seeing flashing lights. Shortly thereafter, my vision started to cloud. Friday, between meetings and fire dousing, I was trying to get in to see an eye doctor. As my ophthalmologist is out of the country until December and he had no relief in place, I started calling random ones out of the phone book.

As it turns out, most of them don't work Friday's! After calling the regional eye clinic at a local hospital, the suggestion was to try and get into a walk-in clinic and get an emergency referral or go sit and wait 10+ hours in an emergency department...

So after my 2:30, I went to the clinic on Campus... The doctor gave me grief: "why did you wait until 4pm on a Friday for this!" he asked. My pathetic reply was "meetings". With good humour he called the on-call ophthalmologist at the hospital and long story short, if my site deteriorates, I'm to go straight to emergency, if it holds, I have an 8am with the specialist on Monday.

I was very happy to see my bus home tonight and I'm glad to be putting this week to bed!