Tara Taree

Rain rain..finally we get some Was starting to miss it.

Made pizza pops and pizza and other stuffed things great for snacking on

This morning tried out making more yeast dough since the yeast seems to be
good for a change
Usually they make you spend a ton of money and you bring home dead yeast.
This time it worked and for once it was fun cooking and chopping.

Hubby got his liver fried with onions and garlic.
 I made really chippy fries and falafel as I sat asking myself....
self?....what is there more that I can do?
I got a new potato peeler and I love how it works
especially on carrots.
 All I have to do is keep peeling till the carrot disappears into a great salad.

Any way there will be stuff to freeze for snacking for the big boys.
You know what to do with left over stew??
Stuff it into dough and the kids love it.

Being busy helps a lot to not get bored. It's like multi tasking
Watching the Olympics,chopping, painting, and knitting
all in between stuff, while dough is rising.

 I just love yeast dough when it works.
The stove keeps the house warm from the drafts.

When we were young my husband would come home and make himself a batch of dough
and he sat waiting for bread to come out of the oven while studying.
In those days we always had good yeast though. It bubbled like crazy.
I guess he found making bread was a good reason to stay awake at night.

Today we are like Maxine
 We stay up all night and then get mad at the alarm clock in the morning
but like she says we can't break it cause it's in the phone. lol

Hope you are all having a nice New Year so far.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Frosty Outside

Have been busy cooking and painting and knitting.
Hope to put something new on the blog soon.
xoxoxoxox
 

SMAC Mimetics

Ottawa researchers find

 http://www.ddw-online.com/therapeutics/p149034-smac-mimetics:-a-new-class-of-targeted-agents-that-activate-apoptotic-cell-death-and-block-pro-survival-signalling-in-cancer-cells-fall-11.html


I sent the link and they removed it so I sent another one to look up to read.
Anyway if they take it off again just look up SMAC MIMETIC.

Ottawa researchers say they’ve found a combination of experimental therapies that kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue.
The researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) combined a therapy that targets cancer-causing genes, called SMAC Mimetics, with a live virus or non-viral immune stimulators to create a new tumour-killing therapy.
“I firmly believe that it’s not a matter of ‘if’ this will help cancer patients — but ‘when’ this therapy becomes a standard of care,” researcher Robert Korneluk said in a press release. “The results of our combination exceeded expectations — and furthermore, no harm was done to the surrounding healthy tissue when we eradicated tumours.”
In some cases, tumours required 10,000-times less virus to kill a cancer cell when a SMAC mimetic was added, the study found.
Korneluk said the next step will be using the therapy in clinical trials as soon as possible.
The research was published Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

More Thinking

I am trying out new pattern designs and so far this is what I got.
I am using 275 stitches in a round.
I think it would make someone a nice skirt once it is done and very warm.lol
But it won't be a skirt. After the reindeer, will come a maple leaf design and then it should be long enough to try doing a yoke and a neck line. Then some plain white sleeves.


It is taking its' sweet time so I will not be worried about it. Just taking my time.
In the mean time I made a nice stew adding chopped up steak and a few Italian sausages in Bearnaise sauce. I added shredded cabbage carrots onion garlic and broccoli and then the TV said Cabbage and broccoli is imported from India. India ....where they say has food shortage .
Does it make sense?
And then where is our broccoli and cabbage?

Then we complain about the price of food and environment pollution.
I personally want to eat food from my own country and would appreciate stores buying from our own farmers.Shopping local farmers markets is a pain in the ass but I think it is worth the trip and the main stores like Safeway Save On Super store and Walmart will lose out. Safeway and Save on have a union. It should say something about this to ensure business is not lost from customers having to shop elsewhere for local food.
Now that I am paying attention to where food comes from it begins to upset me to see so much economic dysfunction by people who were trained in the financial field and should know how to cut costs. We elect a government who should know how to do this.
The newspapers are not much better They simply attribute this to company costs but it would be cheaper if they took out packaging which goes into the dump  and if the food was grown locally and processed locally so it doesn't have to be shipped.

I remember New Brunswick once dumping their potatoes into the ocean rather than giving them to those in need like to the homeless and other charities or maybe cows goats and pigs, which could have done better with it.
 They said we couldn't sell them so we dumped them. Such waste.
Then when they have a drought or a flood or something else and lose money the government has to bail them out but they help no one.

People don't see the need to speak out but this is why we have reporters to ask these questions.
This is why they are in the news business to dig this sort of stuff up but instead all we hear on the news is about drugs and shootings over a table eating poison food from somewhere else taking for granted our government and FDA is protecting us. Are they?
\
People dont want hormones and vaccines in their meat and eggs and vegetables so the best places to ensure this does not happen is to grow it locally so it is within easy access to the local people and food management can be controlled locally where it is supposed to be by the people who buy and eat it.

It makes a lot more sense and worked before all these big businesses walked in and took over.

I guess I should not say these things as someone from a big business will get mad and no one wants to upset them but should they not be thinking about this as well if they really care about what they do? It is their own families who ingest this food or do the owners grow it locally on their own properties lol.

Never a dull moment in this world.
I am trying to stay away from the TV these days as it is nothing but death and war but the news slips in between and then all the work you do trying to stay away from endless political arguments, floods the room again via TV.

I had a cousin who accused me of being spoiled rotten She said I dont work and dont know how hard it is out in the world to survive.She is living the single free life.
I told her she doesnt know how hard it is to stay home either, give birth, sit worrying about kids and husbands because this is not a 9-5 job.
She comes home and her meal is prepared she eats and goes to bed or watches tv or plays with her flowers and cats.

At home you have the kids the pets, the old people, the house and volunteer work which takes up 18 hours a day with no pay.
Then you have jobs which have no security so you dont know where the next paycheck is coming from or when the check will clear. Bills don't care about your problems and families still have to be fed and clothed.
Saving for a rainy day just doesnt work for most people today because every day is rainy lol

Things sure have changed. People make so may laws that it is impossible to live anymore, so many
decide they will bow out and make life simpler and just collect government benefits and from charities. They end up with a better life style than most folk who dont want to do this and keep up the so called "good fight".
But these people are losing every day. I don't know how our kids will be able to do it once everything is stolen from them by uncouth politicans and business people. Just to stay alive is becoming
difficult and this is where the big pharmaceutical companies come in and gobble up.
No one is looking for actual cures to what ails us.Just what they call maintenance.
They rather chop the leg than grow a cartilage.
 If they can grow an ear, they can grow an ear drum.
They can grow a liver or pancreas to keep you alive to 70 at least. They can grow blood cells and strong blood cells can kill cancer, over whelm it, so it shrivels and dies.Blood cells are soldiers just like cancer cells.
We all have cancer.

It takes someone with morals ethics and values to even care but the world hates these words and then wonder why their ships are sinking?

We used to have this farming family who owned lots of land around here.Well the Father died and the family  took over and sold out to contractors. All the land for cows sheep and food has houses on them.
It has become what could be described as a future slum.
One has to think why such a powerful family, who could have done so much good, sold out.
So in the end it is not about doing good.

It becomes scary when doing good takes second place to money, when money is not worth the paper it is printed on. When you sell something to get nothing, this is not good business because everything else we do from that point on is worth nothing because you sold out to get nothing and so have nothing to work with.

It can become very complicated and gives you a massive head ache thinking about it.
Easier to knit paint carpenter engineer etc... than to sit thinking about thinkers who are not thinking about doing good.
In the end it is the little things that you do that counts.

See how the drug people are winning? They grow on crown land, pay no taxes,and feed chemicals to the trusting, to create addicts and more business and therefore more demands for government to legalize drugs. Then it is easy to over power government because they become the good guys supplying a demand and thus enslaving a society.

And so many do not see this so we have a runaway train happening right now.
The good timers, are so hell bent about doing it their way and not according to the survival plan given to us for free
in the 10 Commandments , that develop hated words such as morals ethics and values.
These words are not fun.People have to grow up and under drug influence, this never happens.

I guess there always has to be a genesis and then there has to be a crucial end to again build from innocence and purity and good ness until hopefully, one day, we get it right.

Have a good one
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Nice Weather Girls and Purse

This is a Nice Purse commercial but it makes you think a little.

OMG!!!

Enjoy.

xoxoxoxox

Warm Kitchens

During all this time I finished a vest It is quite large . I still havent found a pattern where they make things fit NORMAL people. They are either for tiny size 9 people or babies or over sized.
It is quite disappointing to do a size large or even XL and then find out all this work is for a size large( size 10 )person. To me this is not a large. Men especially need much bigger bulkier sizes.
The men wearing them in the picture they give you, are not size 10. lol

Today was another cooking day.
Went back to crock potting making delicious soups and stews.
Just replenished another pot with steaklets corn tomatoes potatoes carrots and some other stuff.

It is delicious with a spoon of yogurt. I could eat a whole pot by myself so I resist by cooking and leaving the kitchen and letting people help themselves. lol

Then I did the Lahmajoon or Armenian Pizza.
Its mince meat with finely chopped green peppers garlic onion parsley tomatoes plus 1 can of tom. paste, cumin coriander salt black pepper cayenne, basil , olive oil and lemon juice.
It is supposed to look like liver worst once everything is chopped up but since I do it by hand it never is lol
I guess you can put it through a blender or chopper on fine chop.

You spread this on pita bread which you tear in halves. I get about  60 pieces of pizza this way.
I put them between layers of parchment paper and into zip lock bags to freeze. I get about 3 big bags to freeze. They go very quickly as they are very addictive once you begin eating them.

They are quick to make in the oven or the microwave and you can even add a bit of parmesan or some other cheese to it. Today people put lots of other stuff on them like eggplants zuccini eggs...
before cooking them which are then rolled up to eat.

When I think about it, this is a very healthy, non fattening meal to eat and for the price, you can't feed
60 people in one day, cheaper and like I said , this is addictive food.
You can't just have one piece.
It lingers in your nostrils and mouth for a long time lol

So if you are allowed to have International food fests as a school fund raiser or in a church or at a cook out, you are sure to make some change on this pizza.
 It goes about as fast as tacos do.

Well since the boys are in the mood I have another batch of mince meat defrosting waiting to be fried with onions garlic and shredded carrots to stuff  into either yeast dough made for French bread or simple dough made out of baking powder. or even the dough sheets they sell already made to roll and  stuff in and then deep fry  in vegetable oil as egg rolls. They freeze well but usually dont last long as they are found almost immediately by the house fridge raiders.

My favorite stuffings are like the one above or with mince meat onion garlic and rice or with
shredded cabbage steamed with shredded carrots onions and garlic.
I have half a cabbage left over so I can use it to stuff some egg rolls.

The thing about this sort of cooking is that you can make a lot so you don't have to sit waiting for people to ask for snacks They just go and help themselves at their leisure.

While you are cooking, the kitchen smells fill the air with aroma my men notice right away as they walk in through the front door and head straight for the pots. lol

After the chill of the air outside, inside it is warm and inviting and not only for the guys but for my achy bones as well.



Have a great day

Jugglin February

Hi!

Picassa has made it so difficult to use that I need to take all my pics out of it and
save to desk top or some other place.

In the mean time I have been busy and now feel like doing what my garden child
is doing. I guess its time to pop a few Centrum to get the old body back and pumping.
It's either that or give in and take a nap lol

It is amazing what a few vitamins can do for you. Get your iron level up there again. lol

I left my knitting for a while Have two pieces to finish but don't seem to have the inclination.

I got myself a whistling kettle. Something I've been eying for a few years, some plastic
containers for food storage and a pair of fleecy pants since I am in love with these pants.
Life is for comfort as they say.

Our mountains don't seem to have snow this year . Only one has opened for skiing and it's January already. They try to put the artificial snow but it is not really enough to be satisfying to the true
boarders and skiers.

In Abbottsford we see only a few high snow peaked mountains, with tons of snow and of course Mt Baker in Washington State. It would not be a good sign if that mountain went bare in the summer.
It never does.

The new washing machine we bought has no parts available. I wonder what kind of companies we have today that sell such expensive things but no parts when they break down and then they want you to buy insurance and this means an added expense, still with no parts to be had.
In the mean time the old clunkers keep on clunking away slow but sure and work the way they are supposed to.
I guess things will have to go back to the way they were cause people will just stop buying new technology full of head aches.

Yesterday we had sunny weather which brought the spirits up and today the sun came out again.
Maybe our winter here in BC is over.
I wanted to put something for people to see on the net but I've done nothing except cook meals and so have nothing to show.
I've been mostly on the road with hubby and the scenery is  all the same, news is all the same.

Sochi will be interesting to see with every one walking around with a personal body guard so to speak lol I don't think I'd want to go out there if I was an athlete.

Hope every one has begun a fabulous New Year.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
What do you call a Lepraucaun covered in cement?

        A wee hard man.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
O'Leary. - See they've found a cure for Arthitis
O'Gill - About time
O'Leary - Aye. They take your bones out.
Not only do you feel better but a lot more relaxed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The government has our backs against the wall too long says O 'Tool
Aye says Murphy.
Time to turn around and fight!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 easy lessons on how to teach an Irish Gig.
1) serve plenty of alcohol
2) shut the toilets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paddy asks O'Tool
Now that we won the lottery, what do we do about the beggin letters?
O'Tool answers : Just keep sendin them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
xoxoxoxoxox

Frosty January Cooking

Well was unable to post cause blogger had an error and it is still not fixed.

 I thought it had to do with the weather but a week is too long to have blogger fix the problem.

I think I am not the only one with problems.

In the meantime I was busy with recipes cooking up a storm for sit down

dinners which are quite enjoyable but it sure takes a lot of time for the cooking,

the pots and pans the counter cleanings etc.. till the table is finally set to eat.

We are just not used to so called "NORMAL" living cause it really takes a stay at home person to do this killer job. lol 

You also have to be in a good mood or the recipe is slopped together and doesn't come out right.

Either that or you have to be a professional chef who knows his stuff.

Me not being a cook at heart, made it even moreso a trial but I did it. lol

I finally got myself a new toy in a pasta machine at London Drugs. It's manual but it makes

5 different kind of pasta and I like the idea of putting lots of herbs into fresh pasta to cook right away.

It even comes with a stand for noodle drying.This was the only store that had it on the shelf. I know cause I wasted a lot of time and gas trying to find a store which advertised that it had it and didn't

So I made ricotta canneloni with spinach, covered in a really tasty sauce. It had oregano,black pepper, basil, garlic and cayenne in it.

If course my husband said he liked it but it wasn;t his kind of food cause it had no meat in it.

This always dampens my spirit to want to try different recipes with the kind of men I am surrounded by.

Some wives are lucky to have people around them who like to try different things but not my guys.

Once you are used to fish and chips as they say.

I remember  once this man came to a chefs house for dinner and this woman really cooked up a storm of delicious mouth watering dishes. The guy ate and said it's good but not as good as my wifes' cooking. Knowing his wife does not cook, the chefs' curiousity was aroused and she began picking the mnd of his guest to find out what was wrong with the food he was given to eat.

Finally it became clear that the reason was, that his wife always burnt the food and her husband was used to eating it that way.

So unless the food had a burnt taste, it was not good. lol

We sure had a storm that came in from the Pacific ocean last night. It did a lot of swirling like what we interpret as hurricanes, coming into the Gulf Coast on the weather network. It poured and it is still pouring and the wind blew hard and broke a big branch off a Douglas fir.other than that it warmed up.

We had some pretty chilly weather last week.

Usually we dress like the Aussis do in shorts and fleecies and flip flops but lately it needs warmer clothing, gloves hats and winter boots to keep your feet warm.

I hate it when my son plays soccer at night when it gets real frosty. He always comes home coughing.

Well glad to be able to put up a post finally

It still shows error so I don't know what the problem is.

Maybe blogger needs an upgrade??

Gemma Wiseman wrote that all we have to do is up load the pics to Picassa web albums but they only allow you one gigabite and then you have to pay or delete pictures from the blog. So this means you have to sit and play games again. People need to say no and not do it. Why offer a service if everything needs to be paid for. I lost so much stuff already with this computer program playing.
It takes years to collect info and then poof it's all gone.
Keep pics on their disks is an option or maybe have them printed as pictures which is really the best. You don't need all the photos just the good ones.

Did you know the old technology is coming back in style because people are finding out the new one is not good, doesn't last?

xoxoxoxoxoxo

New Baby Rearing...modern times.

Beautiful New Year!

This is soo beautiful . Hope you enjoy it.

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 The weather in BC is frosty but so much better than all the snow people are trying to dig themselves out of in the interior. By night fall it went up to 5 degrees celsius.

The stores are not so full so it is nicer to shop.

Today I got myself a mortar and pistle,something I've been looking at for years and a wok.
I am in the mood to wok my meat and vegetables Its easy and fast and you eat your vegetable semi raw.
Its also great for sea food. Do a little comme si comme ca and voila!

When we got back home we opened up a bottle of Chardonnay from France and enjoyed it with camembert on vegetable thins.
It went down so well and you dont need to drink more than a few small glasses. Good for the heart as they say.
 My husband is watching BBC and I am tired of listening to nothing but violence.
So I went to watch Steven Segal on TV. At least the good guys win there. lol
Freedom, individualism and not stories about 10 year olds being trained to kill and given 10 wives to procreate an army and more meat to kill rather than to educate to become civil good people.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The moon is getting closer to becoming a half moon I watch it every day as the skies are clear.

It is winter and we still have a few fruit flies flying around and boy do they bite!
We have no idea where they are coming from.
I have a vest I knitted before Christmas and now have just the last few things to finish on it before sewing it up.
I can't wait to see the end result This one will be large. I hate it when I do something and then find out the large is really a medium. If I want the large I have to make it larger than xl.
Other wise it is for children.
Well have a nice evening and sleep well.


xoxoxoxoxox

New Sound of Music

This is so interesting
Someones imagination just went wild and one doesn't even need
 real fingers to play this instrument.

The day is dull and rainy.
My husband treated me to Chinese food so we had a wonderful afternoon
and came home to a dark gloomy house to be greeted by mans best friends
 as if we'd been away for a year. lol

Now the lights are on and after pee time outside,   every one is happy.

Nice ending to a week.

Hope you are still enjoying the holidays.
xoxoxoxoxo

Happy First Day of the New Year!

Well Here we are, in the long time awaited New Year!

How I wish I could be with these horses enjoying the snow.
This is a good day to live on a farm.

Apparently New York said they will stop buggy rides and if they do
this would be very sad.
Its always nice to see a civilized society where animals are
 protected and included in mans' every day life.
We enjoy our neighbors's rooster crowing during the day.

We celebrated with the rest of the world. Got a few phone calls from
 people who did the same thing as we did, stayed home to relax and
take a breather.
My son went out to party with his girl friend.

I made samosas which we enjoyed and I guess so called left overs will be
enjoyed today.

People blew fire crackers outside and after  fair amount of barking, the dogs
all ran into our bedroom for moral  support.
One jumped on the bed and began to shake and the other made himself
comfortable beside the bed.


I hope you all had a wonderful safe evening and remember to
make life an every day celebration.

Have a good one.
xoxoxox


 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well we are all stocked up for New Year but the young
people are all going
down town to street party so we old folk will be home alone.
The sky train will probably be running all night and the police will be
also working hard to keep drinking and driving under control

We would love a society without police but it seems we need them
more and more.
Apart from all the snacks that we got,
New Year is usually all sea food in our house.

This year I have a roast beef marinating 48 hours.
I plan to still make the wine leaves and samosas and roast potatoes
but the salmon will have to wait as well as the Coquilles St Jacques
shrimp, calamari, sushi. I wanted to get octopus but it was all from Asia
so I didn't.Maybe I'll find some in another store from Canada or the US.

They had beautiful ocean perch I couldn't resist so I will fry it tonight.
They also have beautiful carp but no one eats it cause it's a bottom cleaner
 and although our lakes are all clean, the pollution is at the bottom and
eaten by fish. This won't change for another 200 years.
 My Mom made carp with tomato sauce.
First she put flour on slices ( we just cut through the whole fish to make about 6 portions,
or you can also cut the fish in half lengthwise and then cut 1 1/2 inch slices from each side
 which made about 12 slices) and fried it, then she fried onions and
made a nice tomato sauce.
She would place the fish pieces in pyrex and cover the fish slices and bake at 350.
Then we let it cool and put it  into the fridge for when we needed it .
It is delicious cold .

We still have fondue, ham to glaze with melted butter honey and corn syrup
and a pork roast with garlic and rosemary but this
 will be too much for just 2 people. So we will just have to make smaller meals
 for when we have more people to eat and hope for the best.

Living on the west coast takes some getting used to .
We always celebrate at midnight
by opening the TV for the count down from New York but here its at 9 PM not midnight.

By the time it is midnight here, no one is awake to celebrate and the TV doesn't  do
 much with the celebrations they have on Vancouver Island.
The best is from Hong Kong NY and
then they show bits from Australia and other countries.
It works for us cause we say Happy New Year at 9 pm and we can go to bed and
the kids can go out or party at home.

I hope every one has a splendid day tomorrow.
I will drink a toast to all my friends on A Lady's Life
so no one will be forgotten.
Hope the New Year is a better year for peace, love, prosperity,
health and friendship world wide.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

xoxoxoxox





 

Irrisistable Bear

This is Bear.
He is a Shiranian, a mix of Shitzu and Pomeranian.

He is such a friendly little pup. He tried to play with my old dogs but they were not in play mood.
They are set in their ways and Bear looked into Beaus eyes so lovingly to try to entice him to play but Beau just slowly wagged his tail to say ya ya ok kid I know. I luv you too but go find a toy or something lol
. Tanya would have nothing to do with him and strutted around with her don't bug me nose up in the air. lol

I made two outfits. One for my Tanya and then another one for Bear and this was his Christmas gift.
Beau didn't get a gift because he went under the tree and sniffed his out and opened the box to pull one chewy out, so we had to hide the gift but he still got a chewy as did the other dogs on Christmas Eve.

Bear did too much partying and he got ill in the middle of the night and the kids were worried sick over him.
I gave him yogurt to calm his stomach which he immediately threw up but I told the kids he still has some good bacteria in him and to give him another spoonful in a few hours.

By morning he was back to his usual jovial self, bouncing around happily, tail wagging a mile a minute and full of kisses.
He has so much character that it is hard not to fall in love with this pup.
Once he was soo happy to see me, he just ran all the way up my body to kiss. I thought gosh, its a good thing he is friendly cause if he wasn't that was some fast move to get into someones' face and totally unexpected. He has absolutely no fear.

Thing is, with this dog , it is  also very hard to see his face but when he was sick his nose jutted out and he looked so miserable, you had to feel for him. Poor little guy.

His Mama is so very proud of her baby. She loves him to bits and outfitted him in Santas' hat and rings with bells on all 4 paws. He looked so cute and jingled every where he went.
It didn't take him long to undress lol

I managed to take a relatively good shot of him to share.
 He is just one adorable little dog.
xoxoxoxox

 ==========================

 Dear Treelanders:

With the holidays upon us I would like to share a personal experience with you about drinking and driving. As you know some of us have had our brushes with the authorities from time to time on the way home after a “social event” out with friends.
Well, last night I was out for an evening with friends/clients and had a few to many cocktails, followed by some nice red wine. Feeling a bit “happy”, I still had enough sense to know that…I may be over the limit. That’s when I did something I’ve never done before… I took a cab home!
Sure enough, on the way home there was a police road block, but since I was in a cab they waved it past. Thankfully I arrived home safely without incident.
This was a real relief and surprise because I had never driven a cab before. I don’t know where I got it and now that it’s in my garage I don’t know what to do with it..
Drive safely this holiday season!
 xoxoxox

Happy Holidays

A priest says to his friend, the rabbi, that he has a perfect way of eating for free in restaurants. “I go in at well past 9 o’clock in the evening, eat several courses slowly, linger over coffee, port and a cigar. Come 2 o’clock, as they are clearing everything away, I just keep sitting there until eventually a waiter comes up and asks me to pay. Then I say: ‘I’ve already paid your colleague who has left.’ Because I am a man of the cloth, they take my word for it, and I leave.”

The rabbi is impressed, and says: “Let’s try it together this evening.”

So the priest books them into a restaurant and come2 o’clock they are both still quietly sitting there after a very full meal. Sure enough, a waiter comes over and asks them to pay. The priest just says: “I’ve already paid your colleague who has left.”

And the rabbi adds: “And we are still waiting for the change!”

================================================================

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve.
We began with our presents after midnight.
Santa had visited by then and we finished around 3 am
Then till 6 am we had to chat and play with our toys.

The night just whizzed by.

My husband bought the above cake at one of the Save on Foods
on King George  cause I told him this was one of the best places to buy cakes.

Of course my husband left it to the last moment and there were only three left by the time he got there.
Anyway it was a light and fluffy cheesecake and we enjoyed it.

My supper came out really good with lamb and duck, stuffed wine leaves, glazed carrots , broccoli
mashed potatoes Eggplant spread, fried mushrooms, and tempura zucchini and sweet potatoes, a dish with sliced tomatoes, cheese onions and
cucumbers. I learned not to make salad people have problems with marinades.

My sons' girl friend spent the holiday with us and she was nothing but a pure delight.
We miss not having a girl in our family.

I hope you had a wonderful Eve as well and enjoyed your friends and family
This is the best thing in the world to have around you at this special time of the year.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo




 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 
A big "Thank You" to each and everyone of you, for any impact you had on my life this year. Especially for all the e-mails I received.......without you, I'm sure that 2013 would have been extremely boring.

From my side I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas Season filled with Loving Wishes and Beautiful Thoughts.

May 2014 mark the beginning of a Tidal Wave of Love,Happiness and Bright Futures.

And to those who need someone special, may you find that true love.

To those who need money, may your finances overflow

To those who need caring, may you find a good heart

To those who need friends, I am still here for you..
Thanks for being my friend!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE BEST IN 2014

xoxoxox

   

Christmas Life.

Ginger bread and sugar plums all under the tree.
It takes so much work to dress up the tree and to get the toys to join in
the celebration.


















I often wonder why people throw all the toys away because they can
 always be a part of the Christmas spirit to keep child hood in the air.

Like my son, reflected on the gray dog in the back ground and said I remember this dog.
I used to like it.

And the pink Easter bunny appeared on our car roof one day in a basket.
My son never figured out how the Easter Bunny found our car in the parking lot. lol
I don't remember how I got it there without my son seeing me put it there.

When you look at each and every thing it has a history and fond memories which makes it special.

I hope you have treasures at home to celebrate Christmas with.

Mary and Joseph I got a few Christmases ago from my son and so this statue is very special
to him and for me because he gave it to me. I love to display it and look at it knowing where it came from.

Once, a long time ago, we found a kitten on the busy street. It was still very tiny.
So I put it into a brown bag and when we got it home I causally gave it to my oldest son and said here put this into the fridge.

He took the bag and as he was walking to the fridge, he felt the bag moving and a tiny meow.
He stopped and began to examine the bag and as he opened it his eyes grew wide in delight
to see a tiny kitten there. Well he was so happy and we began to take care of it giving it milk and pablum. A kitty got a home that day. Presentation makes all the difference.

xoxoxoxox




 

Ugly Sweaters

The mantle display is nice to look at. and with the candles burning at night,
 it makes it even nicer.

Today we have lots of snow It is wet sticky and heavy
so I guess it will melt soon enough if it doesn't turn to ice tonight.
The big dog loved it and the little dog ran out, got cold feet and
 bolted back into the house.

Was fun to go to work today lol
Soo much traffic every where.

Today was ugly sweater day so the kids were trying to wear Christmas sweaters
to be in style.lol
I don't know why Christmas sweaters are called ugly They are for Christmas only
and so I think they are nice.

I think the top one is very nice Imagine having to make all those squares. Lots of work there. Well have a good one. xoxoxoxoxoxox

Brewin Tea For Santa

The tea is brewin for ol Santa. I hope the snow man doesn't melt.

I don't have any children here but the old children are all
sitting beside the tree looking to see what is under it.

Little by little wrapped things are showing up under it.
Usually I don't put anything until Christmas Eve because I buy during the year
and wrap them and then sit and wait. By the time Christmas comes I forget what is in the packages so it is interesting for me as well.
But this year is different.
My son was the first who was earnest and happy to put things under the tree.
He says he wants it to be a good Christmas this year, so now I have to prepare things
to make it special.
This is the first year the dogs will have presents.
and his girl friend.

I still have to finish making the train as I think they gave up on their project already.
They like what I displayed already.

I found a crochet ginger bread house and I think I will try to make it after Christmas for next year.
This way we don't have to play with icing and its easy to put away.
I find that it  doesn't glue properly and you have to sit playing and waiting till it dries enough to continue.
I also thought to make the porcelain clay and then using that to make the gingerbread house This way it will stay forever. I can make whole villages and it will be special cause its all home made.

I know . Easier to buy. I say that as well but when you make things they get history.
One day when I am blind as a bat people can say she used to be good at this stuff and that's good enough for me.

Have a great day! No jokes today.
xoxoxoxoxoxox




 

Busy Elves

We visited different malls and Santa is working hard with his elves
trying to avoid a Christmas rush , getting all the orders in from good children.

We put our tree up high on a table where I put the gingerbread  houses and
the statue of Mary Joseph and the baby. Now we can say we are celebrating the birthday known as Christ  mass.

Last night my husband and I sat by the tree. He was in a good mood so he played his guitar and I tried my best at the piano playing jingle bells.
I used to have a good voice but since they put a tube into my throat from my sons C section they must have done something to my vocal chords cause I can't sing anymore.
I was not able to talk for a week after that ordeal so now I miss it.

I enjoyed being able to sing all the hymns around this time of year .
I remembered my Motherinlaws bow tie cookies. She made them around Christmas to give all the kids.  I found a web site with a recipe, which also seems to promote mystery books. I think they are offering a free book. It's called

Mystery lovers kitchen

http://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/2013/12/Angel-Wings-Italian-Bow-Tie-Cookies-Cleo-Coyle.html

The cookies are easy to make and tasty. You fry them as opposed to baking them.
----------------------------------------------------------
Another recipe for Almond cookies :

1 cup butter, softened
3 1/2 cups plain flour
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
40 whole blanched almonds

Cream the butter and sift together the flour and sugar. Fold the mixture into the butter and stir in the almond extract. Knead gently and set to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Pinch off lumps of dough about 1 inch in diameter and roll them into balls. Flatten them slightly and press a whole almond into the top of each one.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes or until they just start to color golden. Cool and then store in an airtight container. Makes about 40 cookies.

xoxoxoxoxo

Men! Gotta Love Em And So Serious Too lol

Men are so funny  .. I had to laugh...


Jay Leno went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date
that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date
experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the
prize! She said it was midwinter, snowing and quite cold. The guy had
taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah.

It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and had
never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful, until they
were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the
mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had
that extra latte!! They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest
room and in the middle of nowhere!

Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while.
Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a
point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the
road, or it would be the front seat of his car.

They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants
down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she
let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion
stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real
gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the
relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.

Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she
bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were
firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles
immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the
icy metal.

It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem, due to the
extreme cold.

Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she
answered her date's concerns about 'what is taking so long?' with a reply
that indeed, she was 'freezing her butt off' and in need of some
assistance!

He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and
then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She
too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves,
they assessed her dilemma. Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was,
they also were faced with a real problem.

Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the
grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the
predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only
one way to get her free.

So, as she looked the other way, her first time date proceeded to unzip
his pants and pee her butt off the fender.

As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize
hands down. Or perhaps that should be 'pants down'. And you thought your
first date was embarrassing.

Jay Leno's comment:
"This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off."

Oh and how did the first date turn out? He became her husband and was
sitting next to her on the Leno show. If you laughed at this pass it on.

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

Two women friends had gone for a girls' night out.
Both were very faithful and loving wives, however They had gotten
over-enthusiastic on the Bacardi Breezers.

Incredibly drunk and walking home they needed to pee, so they stopped
in the cemetery.

One of them had nothing to wipe with so she thought She would take off
her panties and use them.

Her friend however was wearing a rather expensive Pair of panties and
did not want to ruin them.

She was lucky enough to squat down next to a grave That had a wreath
with a ribbon on it, so she Proceeded to wipe with that.

After the girls did their business, they proceeded to Go home.

The next day, the husband of one of the women was concerned that his
normally sweet and innocent wife was still in bed hung over, So he
phoned the other husband and said:
"These girl nights have got to stop! I'm starting to suspect the worst.
My wife came home with no panties!!"

 "That's nothing," said the other husband, "Mine came back with a card
stuck to her ass that said.....

'From all of us at the Fire Station.
 We'll never forget you.'"

Have a great Day!!

xoxoxoxoxo

Lifes' Blessings

Last night I did another doggy sweater so now
there are two, for two dogs, to be put under the tree.
I might make a bear face for the second one since the dog
it is for is named Bear. lol  Right now it is a simple brown
 with white trim just like the one I made before.

The days just seem to fly by and it is the 12th already.

Another day to think about what to cook.More dishes to wash...
All things I just love to do.
It is so much easier to go to work than to sit and make plans at home.lol

I think it would be nice to have a robot walking around doing the daily house chores.

The beds would be made , the dusting, the vacuuming, the toilets.

That's already a big help right there. 

 

One of the parks here has a Christmas train for the kids every year.

 I think this is a great idea for family outings.

If my kids were still small I would venture out for sure to have a ride on it.

I like to shop at night these days because the city lit up all the streets

with all kind of lights and this gives you a warm feeling.

 

I used to like going to the zoo and we pass by it all the time and I always tell my husband

one of these days we should stop and visit for old times sake.

 

Kids are the most wonderful gifts for parents. No treasure is worth the price of one child.

I would not have liked to miss one day of my childrens' upbringing and I was a very lucky Mom

to have been able to be given the chance to do so.

Very blessed indeed.

Have a good one

 xoxoxoxoxoxo

 ---------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst in China, an American man is very sexually promiscuous and
does not use a condom the entire time he is there. 

A week after arriving back home in the States, he wakes one morning to

find his penis covered with bright green and purple spots.  Horrified, he
immediately goes to see a doctor. The doctor, never having seen
anything like this before, orders some tests and tells the man to
return in two days for the results.

The man returns a couple of days later and the doctor says, "I've
got bad news for you, you've contracted Mongolian VD.  It's very
rare and almost unheard of here in the US,  we know very little about it." 

The man looks a little perplexed and says, "Well, give me a shot or

something and fix me up, Doc". 

The doctor answers, "I'm sorry, there's no known cure.
We're going to have to amputate your penis."

The man screams in horror, "Absolutely not!  I want a second opinion!!!". 

The doctor replies, "Well, it's your choice..  Go ahead, if you want, but
surgery is your only option."

The next day, the man seeks out a Chinese doctor, figuring that
he'll know more about the disease.  The Chinese doctor examines his
penis and proclaims,

"Ah, yes, Mongolian VD.  Vewy ware disease."

The guy says to the doctor, "Yeah, yeah, I already know that, but
what can we do? My American doctor wants to cut off my penis!

The Chinese doctor shakes his head and laughs. "Stupid American docttah,
always want opawate. Make more money dat way.... No need
amputate!". 

 "Oh, thank God!" the man exclaims.

"Yes," says the Chinese doctor,  "Wait two week... Fall off  by itself!"

Crazy Night.

You know when you don't have a schedule to follow,
you lose concept of time.

I finished this doggy coat last night and looked up and it was 2:30 in the morning.
I almost flipped. It took me another 2 hours to stop being happy with myself,
before falling asleep and still later to wake up.
 Small things amuse small minds as they say.
I even have flaps to go around her back legs.

Most of the day I was out with hubby running errands and never once looked at the time.

I wish my knees were able to do sports like skiing or even skating but
 I have to say the only thing that they are good for are taking a sleigh ride
 in fluffy snow, pulled by a rugged ol horse.
I would probably knit a coat for it as well, knowing me.lol

I did find a horse forehead cover pattern and though hmm good to keep
 away flies and yet so beautiful for the horse to wear. But I think it would
 be better sewn out of material.
My friend Teresa would love it for her horses.
 I made 40 things for her when my boys were horseback riding at Langley 204.

Anyway...
I followed no pattern for the above coat and just estimated the size with her body length.
My flowers are again making a debut on this outfit.lol
For shelters though, I don't recommend crocheting. Sewing these things to fit multi
sized dogs
is faster. You could make 20 per day at least.

Here I was swearing off crocheting for a while and here I am being pulled back into it.

Well my pooch will get a present under the tree too now.
 She can't wear her Santa outfit for ever, my son's present to her.
I guess if I wanted to, I could still add more ruffles to it for the girly girl look.

Christmas is a time when family comes together to share peace and love.
Many families will not have that to share as life changes almost as fast as technology.
The only thing we have to keep mankind together is faith that we were put on this planet to learn
to become better people.

I guess that is all one can ask for.
So have a warm peaceful day and be safe out there in blog land.

==============================================
You just gotta love these old Italian guys.

Seven retired Italian  guys were playing poker in the condo
clubhouse when Guido loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his
chest, and drops dead at the table.

Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other six continue

but standing up.

At the end of the game, Giovanni looks around and asks, "So, who's
agonna' tell his wife?"

They cut the cards. Pasquale picks the low card and has to carry
the news. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don't make a bad
situation any worse. "Discreet? I'm the most discreet person you'll ever meet.

Discretion is my middle name. Leave it to me!"

So, Pasquale goes over to the Guido's condo and knocks on the door.

The wife answers through the door and asks what he wants?

Pasquale declares: "Your husband just lost $500 in a poker game and
is afraid to come home."

"Tell him to drop dead!" yells the wife.

"I'll go tell him." says Pasquale.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

My Beauty

I finished this bobble Angel this morning.
I think she is the nicest one I made so far (and 3 D).
This Angel would really be nice as a gift and you could make her skirt longer if you so desired.

I tried finishing her last night but I was too tired to do the wings and halo

Yesterday I made an apple cinnamon cake and I used filo pastry sheets
to fill in layers, with (chopped red pepper, pepperoni, garlic, tomato, mozzarella and cheddar) mixture.
I cut it into pieces as soon as it came out of the oven.
After  it cooled, it was a delicious resemblance of a pizza. Soo tasty.
Who said you need to MAKE dough. lol

My son took our big dog out for a romp in the snow.
He enjoys that and came in smelling fresh and happy.

It is coming down slowly in puffy little flakes this morning.
So peaceful and beautiful to look at.
I think I will enjoy looking at it while I oil my elephant chair for the gingerbread houses.

Beau is kept a watch on so he doesn't help himself to other things in the house.
What a head ache this dog has become.lol

Have a great day!

xoxoxoxoxoxox
 

Hooked on Angels

This is the Dec 8 Angel for my tree.
She was easy to make and did not take much time

I still have to starch them all but maybe I will do this after Christmas

Right now I am just experimenting.
It seems to be my Angel year.

It was not as cold today. The sun was shining.
Tried to steam my floors again but with people walking it's a waste of time so I left it for now.
 If I get up early tomorrow maybe I will do it then.

So now I will enjoy a Christmas movie.

Sleep well y'all.

xoxoxoxox
 

Lacy Angel

This is the new angel I crocheted yesterday
She looks nicer in real life.
She is 4 1/2 inches tall.

It is made in two pieces . The wings are done separately.
I think if two or three different colors was used she would look real nice.
At least her collar would be seen better on pictures.

Well I amaze myself every time I achieve something like this
I never thought I would be able to make things like this.

 

This is my first 3D one She is very small.

Today is still chilly. I got up at 3 am and tried to sleep but to no avail so I got up at 6 am and
began to putter around.

My big old Beau continues to be a nuisance and trouble maker.
You have to watch him all the time or he looks for trouble.

And apart from misplacing my glasses all is well with the world so far today.

Mandela will finally be peacefully laid to rest. He struggled through a long illness.
His life journey was not an easy one but very meaningful for the people of this world.

Well done.

xoxoxoxox

Joy to the world

Christmas is for Children and all the toys come out to play.

I made a little girly sweater for baby about 30 years ago for my first
baby boy and then thought it looks too girly and never finished the sleeves.
So I finished them finally and have to get white ribbons to tie the front with
About time.
For two days I've been busy with gingerbread houses.
My son made one and bought two more kits of a train and 4 little houses.

So I also made 4 little houses and one bigger one, 2 gingerbread men, three Christmas trees,
and a few stars.
It looks so simple to do these things but when you make it from scratch it sure
 is a mess with flour and sugar icing everywhere. This is why I don't like cooking lol
The mess it makes with pots and dishes.

But now I have my own village to decorate, to add to his, on my elephant chair.
It's big enough to put a display on and with a few lights it will look great for Christmas.
I still have the pads to put under the bed sheets from my Mother and these unfolded would make great snow and even mountains can be stapled together. I can even make a tree skirt out of them.

I am behind on my advent candles
They just need a few branches which have to be collected. Yesterday as we were driving,
someone threw a huge branch outside and I was so tempted to pick it up.
Ones mans' garbage is another mans' treasure.

Santa seems to have visited my tree already with two presents. lol Even Tanya got a Santa outfit to keep her warm and God forbid she takes it off cause my son gets mad. He said she is to wear it to keep warm.
Santa can be very demanding and pushy at times. He is really looking to see if people are naughty or nice. lol

I would really like to make a nativity scene but this would require sticks and its too cold to go out looking for them. Home made is the best cause you can relate to it.

Well hope you are all bundled up and warm It is chilly outside.
xoxoxooxox

Wreaths

Had a very full day yesterday
Started the day making three bells for the tree
Then we went shopping
Then I made my eggplant spread which is very good to eat with toast as an appetiser or on a dish with your turkey.

You bake two eggplants. Skin them. Then you add some olive oil to a pan and fry thinly chopped onions and garlic. Then the eggplant , then add shredded carrots and thinly sliced tomatoes. You keep cooking these , while mixing with a wood spoon. I use a fork to mash everything while they cook.
Then I add black pepper and lemon juice for taste and I love the results.


After that I made sure to buy the small sweet pepper which come in red and orange in a pack.
I decided they would look great stuffed and to serve on guests plates. I stuffed them all with mince meat rice carrots celery garlic, onions (all chopped small) and I added a few chopped tomatoes.
I had enough meat stuffing left for 4 more big peppers.
I covered them all with tomato sauce and added some water and let them steam. My husband loves anything stuffed.
They turned out great.

Then I sat down to make wreaths for the front door I made two from the pine and cedar in my yard.
The flowers I had at home so they virtually cost me nothing this year to make.
Just the wreath without decorations cost 14 dollars at the Superstore and it makes me wonder why people would buy when we have so much stuff lying on the floor waiting to be picked up.
 Anyway this was a nights work and by this time I was already very tired but glad they hung outside on the doors. You see one in the picture  above.

At Superstore as I was going in, the police had a guy on the floor they were cuffing. he was screaming Help me !Help me! I didn't do anything!! I just came to the bank and they are arresting me!!

I asked one employee what was going on and she said he is confused.
He thought he was at a bank.
Since the Olympics, Vancouver escorted all these druggies out to Surrey and now every time you go out someone approaches you to ask for money for gas (they have no car) or to bring your buggy to the cart hut so they can take a looney out of it. ( since pan handling is against the law).  You see more
and more brain fried people and yet people like Mayor Ford in Toronto still stands promoting crack and marijuana. Nothing wrong with it he says I'm just a normal guy.

Well maybe he is a normal guy, I don't know. Are we all crack heads out there?
What's normal these days? When you look at the streets it's pretty scary if this is what's normal.
You don't want to see this spreading.

|Helping them financially is not an option cause it goes back into the problem they have.
I am not sure if the government takes care of their social needs by paying the rent and giving them money or cards to buy food so they don't spend on drugs and alcohol.Good way to control the population. Let them fry their brains and then control their money. The Power hungry  Liberals already got a whiff of how getting votes could be fun. Let the people get what they want and we will control what they need.

Superstore used to give 25.00 dollar cards on 200 dollars worth of goods bought but then the people would spend a dollar of it and take back the money so now they have a point system you collect
to buy goods from the store for free after so much is spent. My husband has enough for 40 dollars worth of goods right now. It's good to keep for a rainy day as they say lol

My son went snow boarding and they gave out annual passes on Grouse so even though they decided
there was not enough snow yet to board, they got their passes and will use them I am sure this year lol I told him on the news they said one boy flew off a cliff on his snow board and killed himself, after he just finished telling me it was the safest mountain to board on. Nothing is safe and you need to wear helmets.
When he got home he loved the wreaths and I even got a kiss for making them.
Then he chastised me for the dirty kitchen
I told him to stop being negative like he always tells me. lol
We could go on for hours discussing what negativity really means. lol

Oh well. The night ended with a power failure at 8:30 and then this morning around 8 another power failure.
I hope this is not becoming a habit. There I go being negative  again. Easy to do when the house gets cold. lol
xoxoxoxoxoxooxo

Oh So Funny

This is so funny and so true.
Happens to me all the time.
Makes you think why do it at all?
Simpler to go for buffet and let them choose but
some people don't even like that. lol

Reminds me of the story of the crane who invited the fox to dinner and served food in long necked vases which of course the fox could not eat much from.
The fox invited the crane for dinner and served food in flat plates which of course
the crane could not eat much from because of his long beak.

Hope you enjoy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginger bread play dough anyone?

http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/2011/12/gingerbread-playdough/

ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp orange extract {optional}

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan whisk together dry ingredients. Next mix in the water, oil, and orange extract and stir until a thick batter is formed. Cook the mixture over low/medium heat until a thick dough forms. Turn out onto parchment paper and knead until smooth. Makes about 2 cups of dough.

The link is great but sometimes they disappear so I put in the ingredients cause they are great for kids
and make great gifts.
xoxoxoxox

Dancer and Prancer Donner and Blitzen

Santas reindeer are warming up to Christmas music.
They are looking forward to Christmas Eve. I am crocheting snow flakes
, bells, and angels to add to my flowers stars and roses I made already.

This Christmas it looks like the tree will have so much stuff on it.
The crochet stuff looks wonderful next to the shiny decorations.
The snowflakes are about one inch so they really look like they just fell from the sky.

All my crocheting really paid off this year.

 I made these in regular wool thread and they came out big like doilies and then with a small hook
and cotton thread, so those came out like snowflakes.
The one on the left I ironed.  It looks flat as a pancake and more like a doily. I won't do that again.

The days go by too fast.
 

 Here is a collage of all the different things I made.
I love the bells the most cause they take 5 min to make.
Then I added the balls under them so they look like they chime.

xoxoxoxoxox