Pier 1 Peppermint Candle Knock offs

I went to Pier 1 on the weekend. It's one of my favourite places to shop any time of the year for gifts and for myself.  They had these really nice "peppermint candles. They were red and white stripes and would match my upstairs Christmas decor perfectly.  They were really pretty, but they were priced at $15 and $25 and scented. I couldn't justify that cost for something I'm going to burn and I don't like the heavy scents. So, I thought I could make my own.  How hard can that be?

I always have lots of Ikea candles around.  They burn beautifully, are unscented and cheap. The little ones are about a $1 a piece and the large ones are about $4. I had red glitter still on hand from the ornament project and what good crafter doesn't have lots of glue and tape on hand?

I took some painters masking tape and wrapped  it around the candles.  I wasn't too particular about placement.  I just tried to make it even.

I painted the white parts with Mod Podge.  I used Mod Podge because it works as good as glue, and it was easier to get my brush in the top of the bottle.  I didn't feel like squeezing out the Tacky Glue into a bowl or fussing with it.  Mod Podge was quick and easy.

After I painted the candles with MP I put out a piece of parchment paper about as big as the bigger candle. I poured out some red glitter and rolled both candles in the glitter. 

While the glue and glitter sets up a bit, I folded the paper into a point and poured the left over glitter back into the container.

Then I carefully pulled the tape off over my garbage can so I didn't have any clean up afterward.

And voila! Unscented red and white striped Christmas candles for less than $10.  They actually cost me nothing because I had everything on hand.  And the whole thing took about 10 minutes!

Aren't they cute?!

Laurie's Promised No Fail, No Fuss Shortbread Cookies

I am no baker! True facts.  Hubs and Dot will tell you I make a great banana bread and killer butter tarts but that's it.  Everything else is hit and miss. Mostly miss.  (see my recent cake fiascos).  It is holiday season and time to create some yummy sweet treats in the kitchen.  Christmas isn't Christmas without shortbread (or so says Hubs) so I was on the hunt for an easy no fuss shortbread recipe.  I don't have the patience for rolling and cutting and all that "stuff".  A twitter friend sent me this recipe:

1lb butter

3cups flour
1cup icing sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla.
beat  together until  like whipped cream.  Spoon on greased sheet. bake at 350F for  approx. 15 mins. Melts in your mouth!

Looks simple enough.  How hard can it be? I will give it a try.

Yesterday I planned to make the cookies but it was one of those days when everything that could get in the way of me getting in the kitchen did.  It went like this:

My plan for the day was simple:

Late start = sleep in :D
Make breakfast
Pack lunch for Jess
Drop Jess at school
Get nails done
Bake Shortbread cookies
Pick Jess up from school
Make dinner
Wrap gifts

Here’s how  it actually went:
Late start = wake up EARLIER than usual
Make breakfast
Take out butter for cookies to soften
Pack lunch for Jess
Drop Jess at school
Get nails done (and here’s where it went off track)
Bring Jessica’s packed lunch TO her at school
Put on Christmas music
Butter is not ready.
Clear off island
Take stuff from the island upstairs
Spot wreath that needs to be completed for gift this weekend. Finish that.
Hands covered in glitter and glue so I have to wash my hands
Sink in kitchen has dirty dishes in it. Wash hands anyway
Unload dishwasher
Reload dishwasher
Take stuff from island to basement
Throw on a load of laundry. Need a basket for the stuff in the dryer. OH.. cat boxes need changing.
Change cat boxes. Take out to porch. Oh.. it’s warm out here today. I’ll set up my Yule offering.
Set up Yule offering on the porch and hang the last few decorations for the porch.
Mail man arrives so I read the Christmas cards. Put them on the display.
Take the empty laundry basket to the basement for the dried load. Oh wait… that’s still upstairs.
While I’m up there, I grab the Christmas gifts I need to wrap for this weekend.
Now I’m hungry… cuz it’s noon!

The afternoon carried on in similar fashion and I never did actually get the cookies done.  I did make a glorious pork tenderloin recipe for dinner though!

To be sure nothing got in my way of baking the cookies, I made sure my kitchen was clean and tidy before I went to bed so it was all ready to go first thing in the morning.   After dropping my daughter off at school and enjoying my coffee and breakfast, I started gathering up my ingredients and making my mise en place (fancy words Hubs using meaning getting everything measured and ready and nearby the work area). 

The recipe is simple with only a few ingredients.  I put the softened butter in the mixing bowl. I mixed all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and added them slowly to the butter and vanilla mixture.  When it looked like whipped cream I figured it was ready.  

 I dropped them on a parchment lined baking pan using 2 teaspoons. Easy enough. They looked a bit messy. I wasn't sure if I should flatten them or leave them be. So I left them alone.  I have a gas convection oven and I was worried about burning the cookies so I watched them closely.  The instructions say bake for 15 minutes.  At 10 minutes they were starting to brown around the edges so I took them out of the oven then.  I let them cool a bit on the pan, then moved them to a rack. 

Feeling confident now, I dropped another tray full of cookies.  This time I added little bits of candy cane to the cookies.  The next batch, I topped with a semi-sweet chocolate chip.  Look!

Don't they look yummy?  They ARE! They are fluffy and light and yuuuumeeee. 

So here's what I learned while trying this recipe:

The batter looks more like butter cream icing then whipped cream.

These cookies are super easy, and truly fool proof.  Just, mix, drop and bake.

10 minutes was enough in my oven.

The dough that was scooped and smoothed rather than dropped by 2 spoon method were nicer looking when cooked.  I tried rolling them like meatballs, but my hands are way too hot.

The person who gave me the recipe suggested piping them from a pastry bag with a large tip.  This recipe would work beautifully in a piping bag or cookie press.

The dough was easier to work with when it was kept chilled between oven batches, but if kept in the fridge for longer than 10ish minutes it was too hard to scoop.

I kept 2 spoons in the fridge and that made it super easy to work the dough.

This one really was easy peasy. I got 5 1/2 dozen cookies from this recipe.  Dots gave it a good report.  Hubs will try later tonight (and I'll update).  I'm told that they need to rest a few days and will then be even better.  Give them a try!

Life Isn't Always Funny nor Light.

When I started this blog, it was meant to be about the funny side of life.  I meant to use it as a place to push my preceived limitations (and hopefully yours too) and to laugh at myself in the process.  One of the things I love about myself is my ability to know when to laugh it off. Especially since moving into the wide world of crafting!  In this photoshop world everything can be made to appear perfect.  I have found that following simple recipes, even to the letter doesn't guarantee a good outcome.  I've also learned that craft tutorials sometimes seem easier than they are.  My favourite discovery is that the picture in my head doesn't always translate to the project - and that's OK!

Where I am today though, is more deeply personal and sensitive.  Maybe it's better kept to myself.  But I'm not very good at being quiet, especially when being quiet is part of the problem.  Like most families, we have our problems.  Not within the core though.  Hubs and I are rock solid.  We have a love story like no other.  We, as a couple, are unwavering.  But it certainly doesn't stop outsiders from trying!  In 19 years, we've been challenged by outside problems.  Someday I'll write a book (because how hard can that be? LOL) but for now, suffice it to say that not many gave us any hope of staying together or for him making me happy.  Some have tried very hard, repeatedly, to cause a break up.  Well, try as they did, it didn't and won't happen.  We are the real thing.  We are forever. 

 

We are more than a couple, Hubs and me. We are parents, and children, and siblings.  We are part of a bigger whole.  And that's where today's post comes from.  There has been a big elephant in the room for too long and it's long since time that somebody spoke about it.  Pretending it isn't there won't make it go away.  Shining a light on it, likely won't help much either.  But, typing it out helps me vent my feelings.  And sharing it publically, could help someone else, and by some stroke of a miracle, the right person could read this and pull his/her head out of .... well out of the dark.

Back in September 2009 I posted the follow bit on my Facebook page.  The subject of the post took personal offence. What he needed to do was take notice! However, here we are some 2 years later and we're still dealing with addiction in the family and the addict still thinks he controls things.  Well take note Addict. While it may appear on the surface that nothing has changed, rest assured, everything is about to change.  Because as they say, if nothing changes, nothing changes. 

 

So here is what I wrote 2 years ago:

Over the last few days I have learned a great many things. Among other things, I have learned just how dark the dark side of society is. I have learned just how relentless addiction is. I have learned how very strong and resilient I am. I have learned that when love is pure, it can not and will not be destroyed.

Addiction shatters lives. Addiction shatters families…. but it will NOT shatter mine.

Addicts are manipulative. They will lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, play, control, and use whoever and whatever they can to get what they want. Addicts will wipe out whatever stands between them and their vice and they don’t care who they hurt in the process. I don’t believe that they are unaware of the pain they cause, but I do believe that they are not capable of caring.

Addiction is a disease, but it is not an excuse. It is not an excuse for tearing apart a family. It is not an excuse for stealing from an employer. It is not an excuse for hurting the very people who are trying to help you. It is not an excuse for attacking people and blaming them for your mistakes. Addiction is not an excuse for using people and casting them aside when they’ve given you all they can and there’s no more to give.

I am not an addict. But I am the victim of one and as such, I know the pain the addict’s actions cause. I can tell you this with certainty: This too shall pass and I will not be broken. My family will not be destroyed. LOVE conquers all and I now know my own strength.

I knew the moment I first laid eyes on Fraser that he is my “one”. He is my lobster (thank you Phoebe). He is my forever love. He is the first cut… and yes it was the deepest. He was impossible to get over when life separated him from me for the better part of 13 years. My heart yearned for him every day. Fate crossed our paths several times over the years before finally bringing him back to me forever over 17 years ago. A love like ours can not and will not be broken. We will survive this, whole and stronger than ever. No matter where the journey takes us, it takes US together. We are a pair, a team, a couple. We are in this together for the long haul – as we vowed, for better and for worse.

When I became a mother, I experienced a love like no other; a love deeper than any I ever could know. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my child. I expect no less from Fraser. He is a good father - the best actually. Everything he does, he does from a place of love. He is a kind and gentle giant. He is passionate. He is intelligent beyond measure. He is soft and tough. If he is on your side, if he is your hero, your partner, your brother, your uncle, your cousin, your father, your son, your friend, then you are truly blessed. He will fight for you, support you, defend you, love you with a passion greater than words can describe. I am more blessed than all of you combined, for he is my husband, my partner in life.

No matter what trials and challenges life has thrown at us, we have survived – and believe me, we have had more than our fair share. When the dust settles on this latest challenge, we will still be together, closer and better than ever, because we have a love that is stronger than steel. I will give him the room he needs to be the father he needs to be, to support his child getting life back on track. I will support him through the hard parts, as I have always done, as he has done for me. No matter how hard it gets, I will be by his side, as he has always been for me. I know that as bad as it has been, the worst may be yet to come. I pray that in fact, the worst is behind us. But it matters not, for whatever is ahead of us, it is my lips he kisses last at night, and first in the morning – every day – and that will never change.

Through all of this, I have tried to maintain my brighter-side attitude. It wasn’t automatic. It was too easy to slip into anger and resentment. It was too easy to question why us? Why now? Why, when we have both already endured so much, separately and together, all our lives. Why are we being asked to endure still more. And then it hit me, in the quiet of the night that I am truly grateful for the opportunity to see just what we are capable of. Grateful to see that no matter what life throws at us we can cope because we have each other.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn that I am the woman my mother created me to be. I am the mother I was destined to be. I am the wife I have always desired to be. I am the business woman the Universe asked me to be. I am the person I dreamed I would be. I am stronger than I ever thought I would need to be. I am smarter than any challenge cast my way. I am resilient and tenacious. I am loving and I am loved. I am brave. I am blessed. I am… who I was meant to be and I will not be broken.

Today, I'm writing to say that the sentiment of that post has not changed.  My anger has passed, but the meaning of the post remains the same.  Hubs and I are happier than ever.  We have the life I dreamed of, and the one Hubs promissed me.  We have an amazing 16 year old daughter that we are extremely proud of.  And we continue to work together to deal with the issue of addiction. 

What I most want readers to understand is that I have educated myself about the problems and the sickness of addiction.  I know the difference between supporting and enabling.  But that's easy for me, I'm not the biological parent.  I have detached myself from the addict and his addiction, and his behaviour.  Again, easy for me because I'm not the biological parent.  I know without doubt, that if I were the biological parent it wouldn't be so easy to do the hard stuff.  It's not that easy to be detached either.  Addiction affects us all, and the addict is blind to the pain he causes.  Couples with less tenacity than ours would have crumbled under the strain a long time ago. 

What I know for sure now, is that if WE continue to do what WE have always done, WE are going to get the same results WE have always gotten.  So something has got to change.  Those closest to the addict say he 'appears' to have changed.  Those not yet detached continue to hang on to the hope that they have done the right things and that the change that was needed is happening.  I am less convinced, but no less hopeful. 

Addict, if you're reading this, know this: 

1. Your mother and father love you more than you know.
2. Your behaviour and addiction has caused a lot of hurt, but it can all be fixed. It starts with you getting clean. Go to a meeting.  Ask for help.  Help is there. Just ask.
3. While you consider me your enemy, one day you will learn I am, and always have been, your greatest ally. 
4. There is a better life waiting for you, but you need help to find it.  You can't do it alone!
5. Your trusted safety nets are folded up and put away.  Enough is enough.  It's time for change. You may not want to change, but trust me, change IS coming. 

 

Readers, if you're still reading, thank you.  I know it's wordy... for me, it's a release and I appreciate your participation in my healing.

Custom Christmas Ornaments

How hard could that be?  I came across this blog post with the title "All that Glitters...MINUS THE MESS".  She had me at "glitter". 

I was off to my local craft store and picked up a pack of glass ornaments, and one plastic just to try.  I already have tons of glitter at home.  All I needed was the Pledge.  It took over a week of looking everywhere for Pledge before I finally gave up and just bought Mop & Glo Triple Action Floor Shine Cleaner.  It's all that I could find and some other bloggers have listed it as the product they used. 

Let me tell you, Hubs almost had a heart attack when he saw Mop & Glo come in the house.  Once I explained it was for crafting and not for use on or brand new hardwood floors he was calmer. 

First I tried it with the plastic ornament.  I put about a tablespoon or so of Mop & Glo in the ornament and swirled it around carefully trying not to make any bubbles. I could see that I was missing spots and try as I might, it just wasn't working with this "careful" approach.  Being that I'm quite impatient, and meticulous is not a word I like (especially for crafts), I got a rag, covered the opening and shook the heck out of the ornament.  I tipped it upside down, let the excess drain back into the original bottle and voila! NO bubbles! Fingers crossed there were no missed spots!

I poured in about a tablespoon of glitter using a paper Dixie Cup to pour without a mess, repeated the shaking until everything was covered in glitter.  Opps, I mean, I covered the top with a rag and shook the ornament until the inside was completly covered in glitter.  I tipped it over a clean Dixie Cup to catch any excess glitter.  Then I repeated the same steps with the glass ornament (using the recaptured glitter from the first try).  First carefully swirling the Mop & Glo, then a somewhat gentle shake to be sure, drop in glitter, shake and leave to dry over night.

The results were pretty spectacular but when I held both ornaments up to light, the glitter coating was fairly thin and not quite what I was hoping for.  I figured I'd test the process and see what happens.  I repeated the process with both ornaments.  First the plastic. I expected that as soon as I poured in more liquid the first coat would be destroyed, but SURPRISE! I was wrong.  It did run a bit, but I shoke it up, added more glitter, dumped out the excess and left it to dry. This time the recovered glitter was wet but it was a minimal waste. I suspect I could have used it for the other ornament's second coat, but I used fresh Mop & Glo and glitter instead. 

Now let me tell you, I was so confident and excited after the beauty results on the plastic ornament, that I expected the glass to just be a complete repeat.  However, it was anything but.  As soon as the second load of Mop & Glo went in, my heart sank! The first coat of glitter washed away.  I swirled and shook and hoped it would fix, but it was just a big, fat, wet glitter mess!  I dumped out the liquid, along with almost all of the glitter. Not wanting to just give up, I added in fresh glitter and shook it around.  The results were the same as the day before.  I threw in more glitter, but none of it stuck.  I took the wet glittery mop & glo stuff and poured it back in, gave it a shake, and now it was all just a colossal mess!   

I should have snapped some pictures to show you, but I wanted to clean up the mess before it dried.  Luckily, it cleaned up fine with some soap and water.  There's still a little bit of red glitter around the very edge of the neck, but you can't see that when the hanger thingy is on.  So I will use the 4 glass ornaments for something else, and exchange the rest for plastic ornaments. 

Maybe the Pledge and glass work better, but here in Canada I could not find Pledge.  But I did make it work. Here is my finished piece.

To make No Mess Custom Glitter Ornaments:

You will need:

• clear, plastic ornaments
• Mop & Glo Triple Action Floor Cleaner
• Glitter.  I used fine glitter, but other glitter would likely work. 

Instructions:

1. Remove the hanger and cap from the ornament.
2. Drop in about a tablespoon or so of Mop & Glo liquid.
3. Swirl carefully or just shake the heck out of it. Be sure to cover the opening first. Either way you do it, be sure the entire inside is coated.
4. Pour excess liquid back into original bottle.
5. Drop in about a tablespoon of glitter using a small funnel or paper cup.
6. Cover the opening and shake until the interior is fully coated. 
7. Pour out any excess glitter and retain for later use.
8. Let dry overnight.
9. Repeat the process until the amount of coverage you like is achieved.
10. When fully dry, carefully return the hook and cap and enjoy!  You can add embellishment to the outside of your ornament, but they are pretty spectacular just as they are.

In the Kitchen

I've been quite busy these last few days, focussed on the running project and on Halloween.  Ok, I'll be honest. Really, I'm spending too much time hunting around Pinterest.  I can get lost in there like a toddler in a corn maze!  There is SO much to see and do there!  Crafts, recipes, decorating.  Everything! But, I digress.

I did manage to try a new recipe this week.  I made this Italian Sausage and Potato Casserole  OMG! It was SO easy and it was so good!  I made it exactly as directed and it was a breeze.  Even I couldn't screw this up!  My daughter didn't like it but she doesn't like tomatoes and apparently she's gone off sausage now too.  But, Hubs LOVED it.  He's usually pretty critical (kind, but critical) but this time, he had very little to say but he did make a lot of loving noises while eating it!  He even went back for seconds!  What a compliment.   I served it with some nice fresh chunky bread to soak up the juice.

Hubs said this was a great "stick to your ribs" meal and he'd eat it again.  Seconds AND a request for cooking it again = huge success!  You should try it!

Since I am in training for a half marathon run in February, I am trying to eat healthier.  The above recipe might not have been a "low fat" meal, but it was yummy and filling enough to have a small portion.  I'm still on the low-fat-is-bland-and-gross team.  But I'm trying.  Smaller portions is a good place to start.

So tonight I'm making Sage Apple Pork Burgers with Caramelized Onions from Canadian Living.  Sounds fancy but it really couldn't be easier.  I'm not sure if this is "low fat" or "healthy", but at least it's not fried, not processed and it's new.  I served it with a nice big salad and light dressing so it's better than what we normally eat and that's good enough for me.

I made the patties ahead of time just because.  I pressed the patties between sheets of parchment paper, wrapped the stack in plastic wrap and left them in the fridge for about 3 hours.  I did cook up a small one to taste right away just because the mixture smelled SO good.  The sample I made right away was not nearly as tasty as the ones that sat for a bit.  I think it was mainly that the flavours had time to come together (I'm sure there's a technical term, but I don't know it).  It might have also been because the sample was fried in a small frying pan and the dinner ones were grilled on a cast iron grill pan.  I can also say the carmelized onions were a must have!

I forgot to take photos of my casserole. But here are my burgers cooking on the indoor grill pan.  Actually Hubs cooked them.  I think he was afraid I'd set off the smoke alarm and truth be told, HE is our official Grill Master. 

Here's our dinner.  A nice mixed green salad with a little vinagerette dressing and some carmelized onions to compliment it.  Please notice the grill marks.  Hubs did them :D  Doesn't that look more healthy than a big ole beef burger on a bun?

*********************************

On to challenge two for the day. 

I notice on Pinterest that there is a repin of a repin of a repin.... and so you can see the same one thing 10,000 times.  This week the one thing that keeps coming up is a 2 ingredient pumpkin cake.  It caught my attention after repin 9, 065 because my daughter has a weird passion for pumpkin doughnuts from Tim Horton's.  It's weird because she's a child that generally doesn't like a lot of stuff so for Jess and Pumpkin to be joined by "likes" is very very weird.  Anyway, I am trying to get her to eat different things and especially to get more fibre in to her.  I don't now all the benefits of pumpkin or if it's lost in canned puree'd pumpkin.  But this 2 ingredient cake intriqued me and made me think "how hard can that be?"  So for sure I have to try it, and blog it! Right?

The one pin I kept seeing repeatedly was for muffins over at Sweet Verbena's blog.  So I did my own search for recipes and some say "canned pumpkin" stressing NOT pie filling, and some say "canned pumpkin" and some say "pie filling".  At my local grocery store I could only find pie filling.  I checked the ingredients because apparently the difference between pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling is that the puree is "pure" and the filling has "stuff" in it.

I selected E.D. Smith Pumpkin Pie Filling and Betty Crocker Golden Cake Mix.  The pie filling contains pumpkins, sugar, vegetable oil, salt, spices (contains wheat flour), colour.

There is a recipe on Allrecipes.com and lots of reviews.  Many people were adding eggs and water and other stuff.  In the end, I decided to just go for it as it is and see what happens.  That's kind of the whole point of my blog.  We'll see what my foodie husband has to say about the recipe.  He's the one that never follows a recipe exactly as written.

Having read the reviews, I decided to use my stand mixer because I expected it to be super thick.  It was thick but a hand mixer would have worked fine.  Another reviewer said that it didn't rise, and that it didn't change its shape at all.  So I was expecting a gloopy mess.  But then I remembered, I'm using pie filling and that's different.  I have to tell you, it looked kind of gross in the bowl, but it smelled amazing! 

It was a bit thicker than regular cake batter.  I didn't want to grease the pan, so I used parchment paper.  That certainly makes for easy clean up and removal from the pan. 

This is how it went in to the oven

Here is how it came out

So you can see, it didn't move around much, and it didn't rise like a regular cake, but it dit rise a bit.  I followed the regular cooking instructions on the cake mix box and it came out beautifully.  Hubs came home and said the house smelled good.  He thought the cake was just a golden cake.  He didn't know there was pumpkin in it because I hid the can before he saw it and decided he wouldn't try it.  

The recipe suggests a cream cheese frosting but Hubs doesn't like cream cheese. So plain, white Betty Crocker icing it is. 

Over all, Hubs said it was good, but he's not a fan of the pumpkin flavour.  He certainly ate his peice fast enough! 

It's a little like spice cake.  It's very very moist, but doesn't taste as dense as it looks. It has a very slight spice cake/pumpkin flavour to it.  I think my daughter will like it. As for a 2 ingredient cake, it was truly 2 ingredients, plus the icing.  If you like pumpkin you'll love this cake.  Fingers crossed, daughter likes it. 

Running for My Life

This blog is about to take a huge change in direction.  I will still post my (mis)adventures in to the world of crafting or cooking or whatever other silly idea enters my head.  But I think I may have just registered for the mother of all "how hard can it be"s.

Let me give you some history.  In spring of 2009 we went on what was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip to Walt Disney World in Florida.  While we were there I noticed an unusual amount of women wearing tiaras, tutus and medals with the castle on it.  I was intrigued and soon found out that these women had participated in what is called Disney's Princess Half Marathon ("The Run").  I made a quiet personal promise that "someday" I too would wear a tiara, tutu and medal from the event. 

Little did I know that hubs was blown away by WDW and when we got an opportunity to return for Christmas 2009 we jumped at it.  Not only did we go on that trip, while there we learned about Disney's Best Kept Secret. 

Fast forward a little and by happenstance our 2012 trip coincides with the half marathon.  I looked in to it and the minimum speed for the race is a 16 minute mile.  That seemed do-able.  I am, by no means, a person of low expectations but I sometimes have to be a realist.  I am 48 years old.  I weigh somewhere in the neighbourhood of 240lbs (I don't have scales so I don't know for sure).  I haven't worked out in over a year.  Sometimes climbing the stairs winds me and I have asthma.  However, I am also a mom to one daughter and I want to be a better example.  More than that, I want to shed this weight and be free of it.  The weight is mostly the result of bad eating habits and low activity, but it's cause is all emotional.  I've been working on the emotional cause(s) and that's for another post. 

So on Saturday just past, I registered my daughter and I as a mother/daughter team in the half marathon.  It wasn't cheap! In the end it was a non-refundable $384.  I don't have to run, I can walk it. But it's still 13.1 miles to do in less than 3.5 hours.... and survive.  I have 121 days until race day to train and I've already put off starting by 2 days!  I did go to the doctor yesterday and discussed it with him.  He said there is no reason I can't or shouldn't do it.  So all that is standing in my way is me.

What I want to do, is time my current comfortable walking pace to see if I already meet the base requirement or if I have to work to even get there.  My confidence would be greatly boosted if I'm already comfortable with a 16 minute mile pace, but I suspect I'm not.  Still, I've got to get on with the training and since the weather here right now is pretty rainy and cold I will have to rely on our elliptical trainer.

So here I go, training for a mother/daughter 1/2 marathon in 121 days because, really, how hard can THAT be?

Friday October 28, 2011

Second Mile done! Yeah Me! 

I honestly felt yesterday like I wanted to do another mile on the elliptical.  But ... I had plans for the day and didn't have time during the day to do it.  I think that's why I wanted to... because I knew I wasn't going to ;)

Today was a no-excuse day and I was going to do a mile!  I have to be honest.  I didn't "want" to.  I just had to.  What I mean is, I don't feel any kind of yearning desire kind of want for the daily workout.  But I DO have a yearning desire kind of want feeling for being able to complete The Run and not die during or after.  The two are connected, but the want is for the big picture, not the babysteps. 

So right now, that's where the challenge is, on the babysteps. I guess this is where I've failed in weight loss attempts before.  I've made goals, but never met them.  They seemed realistic at the time, but clearly they weren't! This is what I was thinking about while I walked my mile today.  This goal has an accountability date.  Feb 26, 2012.  The run date is hub's birthday coincidently.  This goal is clear to me.  I want the medal.  I want to cross the finish line under my own power.  In the process, I HOPE to shed pounds and uncover the woman I believe is living inside my skin.  But I WANT - with a burning, yearning desire - to have that medal for completing The Run. 

I think I finally get this goal setting thing.  Sure, there's some accountability in that I paid $192 for my entry (the rest was for my daughter's ("Dot's") entry).  I told the Hubs and our friends/travel companions I wanted to do this, we booked our joint vacations around The Run date and I convinced my friend, Kara, and Dots to do it with me, and I've announced it here, on Twitter and on Facebook.  That is SOME accountability (as in Wilbur is SOME pig from Charlotte's Web).  My thinking on that though is, none of that matters.  If I can't do it, Hubs loves me enough to forgive me and the rest, will get over it or forget about it.  Even I don't really care about the money, or the failure if I don't do it.  But I know myself well enough to know that come Race Day, I will be in WDW (it's all booked) and I will see lots of women later in the day with their medals proudly around their necks and THAT will kill me if I don't have one.  And therein lies my accountability.  This goal I WANT to achieve more than I've ever wanted anything and I know how bad not achieving it for lack of effort will make me feel.  Knowing that feeling was enough to get me on the elliptical today to complete one more mile.

I changed it up a little today in that I slowed down the pace so it felt "easier" and I completed the mile faster because I didn't have to stop to rest!  YEAH ME!!!

Creamy Chicken and Spinach

I have a recipe repetoire of about 4 dishes.  My husband is one of those people who will throw together this and that oh, and some of this and it's always amazing (almost always).  Our daughter doesn't like a lot of stuff, but I've recently learned that her palate is changing to be more adventuresome.  And I'm bored with my teeny tiny repetoire.

So tonight's dinner is a Canadian Living inspired idea.  You can find the recipe here.

It was super easy to pull together, but it was bland.  I needed a bit more salt and we added fresh grated parmasan cheese.  It got gloopy quite quickly and was not very good the next day as leftover.  Maybe I'm not cut out for cooking.  But, I shall keep trying.

Let There Be Light

Here is my craft room work space.  It's not quite set up yet, but I'm getting there.  I have been working at my table, but the only light in the room comes from behind me.  As you can see from the lamp shadow on the wall, it makes the space very hard to work in, especially after dark.  It needed another light, but my darling husband is very busy and I'll wait forever waiting for him to install one. 

When we first moved in, this corner was supposed to be a reading nook but when circumstances forced us to make this room an additional sleeping space, I turned that corner into my crafting space.

But the hook for a hanging pendant light was still in the ceiling.  When I was cleaning up the space a few weeks ago, I found a new swag light kit and after an evening of frustrated crafting in shadow yesterday, I decided to put the kit together.  I mean, really, how hard could THAT be? :D

I followed the instructions - which were super simple (basically strip the wire, tie a knot, wrap the ends around the screws, tighten and done. I attached a shade I had in a closet, and VOILA! LIGHT (insert angel songs here).

This was a super easy, job that took a total of 5 minutes start to finish! Soon I will decorate the shade to jazz it up, but for now I'm just happy to be able to see while I work!

Photo Transfer

I am looking for specific art for my master bedroom.  I want the room to be masculine and old world looking, but modern. I know, its complicated.  What I really have my heart set on are crowns and maps. While looking for the perfect images, I came across many blog sites teaching how to transfer images to canvas and wood using "gel medium".  WOW! There's no end to the things I can create with THAT technique.  So as I research it more, I discover that you can (apparently) use a multitude of products to actually do the transfer.

Not wanting to go to the store stupid uneducated I was waiting until I felt more confident before venturing off to the art store to get supplies.  But I'm impatient too.  I had a little bit of time on my hands today and I have a bottle of Mod Podge on hand and a few dollar store art canvas.  My research shows that this is a reversible project, in that, if it doesn't work, a new coat of gesso or paint, and the canvas is good as new as if it never happened.  Ha ha! Fool proof! My favourite kind of craft.

I was so excited to give it a shot, that I forgot to take some pictures, but here's how it goes:

I searched trusty old Google for Crown and found a perfect beauty over here at, of all places, a tattoo flash site.  Anyway...

I printed it on my ink jet printer, cut it to size so there wasn't a lot of extra paper because when it's dry, I have to rub off all the paper. 

I coated my canvas with a decent coat of Mod Podge. Not too much, just enough to coat the entire canvas. Even though my graphic doesn't cover the whole canvas, I want the entire canvas to have a uniform sheen. 

I placed my graphic on the canvas ink side down.  If using a text graphic, make sure to flip it to mirror image first!

Then I took my ruler and GENTLY scraped over the entire canvas starting in the center and working up, then down, then across from one side to the other.  That scrapes out any air bubbles, lumps, lines, bumps and other imperfections and it makes sure the graphic is adhered well to the canvas.

Now we wait for the mod podge to dry. Tick tock (this is where the magic of video would come in handy). So while I wait for it to dry, here's how it looks right now:

When the canvas is totally dry, you gently spray the paper backing with water and rub off the back layer of paper.  The ink part is supposed to stay adhered to the canvas.  How hard can it be right?

Well... remember before when I said this was fail proof, because if it didn't work, I could start over as if it never happened?  Good thing it's that kind of craft, because it totally didn't work!  That's what I get for being impatient!  But It wasn't clear on the interweb (as we call it around here for fun) if MP was a good medium for this.  I can now tell you emphatically, it is NOT the right product for this project.  It's great for many many things...but this is not one of them.  Let me show you what happened:

So it's been sprayed with water, and I started rubbing, and as you can see, the ink ran.







The more I rubbed to remove the paper, the more the ink ran, and eventually disappeared.

I can see the potential here, so I'm going to go find the proper medium to do this project.  It's going to be exactly what I have been looking for.  So now I know what not to do!

What I learned: 

1. While Mod Podge is a fantastic product with tons of possibilities, this is not one of them.
2. I used a stretched canvas.  With the amount of rubbing that had to be done, a flat canvas, or loose canvas will be better. 
3. Ink jet printing is not suitable for this project.  It has to be laser printing.
4. With the right medium, this is going to be a fantastic project with tons of possibilities. 

So now I'm off to the art store to find the gel medium, as soon as I send my files to Staples for printing on the laser printer!

Fool Proof White Cake Challenge

Part of the reason we renovated our kitchen was to allow DH and I to actually share the kitchen.  He loves to cook on weekends, and I am in charge of that chore during the week.  Trouble is, I have a very small repertoire of meals I can cook.  So I promised (threatened) to expand my horizons and talents.

To support the cause my darling hubby bought "us" a beautiful Kitchenaid Stand Mixer around Mother's Day.  It remained in the box until the kitchen was finished and then it went into it's little garage until today :) 

Look at that bad girl!  She's so pretty! 

I pulled out all the ingredients needed for this fool proof recipe and got started.  Yes, that's sour cream you see there.  I'm thinking it's a bit weird, at this point too, but we shall see after the taste test.

So I measured carefully and added the dry ingredients.  That part was easy... except the flour made a mess and my laptop was too close to where I was working so I think a bit of flour might now call my keyboard home.  Sigh. 

Then the butter.  I have a full pound softened and ready to use.  The recipe calls for 2/3 cups butter.  I look at the package and there are markings for measurements but not 2/3 cup.   Hmmmm guess I'll have to put it in a measuring bowl then. 

The rest of the mixing goes pretty smoothly.  The finished batter, looks like cake batter from a box, smells like cake, so into the oven they go.  The pans looked a little full and I was worried they would overflow in the oven.  They didn't.  As they cooked, they started to smell like box cake. 

So far, this challenge was pretty easy!  If the taste is good I would do it again from scratch.  One, it costs less, two, it limits the additives in our diet (some of which I have a sensitivity to). 

The icing is home made too.  An old-fashioned butter cream frosting.  That was super easy, especially with my new best friend doing all the work. 

I will update this post after dinner with a finished product picture and taste results.  In the meantime, here's the recipe for you:

No Fail White Cake Mix

·    3 cups all-purpose flour

·    1 tbsp baking powder

·    ½ tsp baking soda

·    2 cups sugar

·    ¾ tsp salt

·    2/3 cup butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces

·    3 large eggs

·    ½ cup full fat sour cream

·    1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

·    1 cup 2% milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two round 9x2-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with a round of parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add sugar and salt and mix on low speed until ingredients are well blended, about 2 minutes. Add softened butter and beat on slow speed until the mixture is a sandy, crumbly consistency and everything is well combined.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla whisk until smooth. Add half of the milk and whisk to blend. Gradually pour this mixture into the flour mixture while mixing at low speed for 5-10 seconds. Pour in remaining milk and continue beating at medium speed until the dry ingredients are just incorporated and batter appears smooth. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix for another 5 seconds. Do not over mix.

 

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake 30-35 minutes.

Or spoon batter into paper lined muffin tray and bake 15-20 minutes.

Recipe Courtesy of Steven and Chris on CBC

Things I learned:

1. Using my laptop to store and use recipes is not wise.  Either I have to put my laptop further away, or I need to print my recipes for use.
2. Measure the butter while still hard and cut into cubes before softening.  
3. Use the convection feature on my oven for even baking.
4. Find the cake tester and have it ready before the timer goes off :)

*Edit after test taste:

Husband (who has had made-from-scratch cake before) says it's VERY good.  That's a good thing for me because he doesn't use the word "very" with "good" very often. He scored it an 8 out of 10 because he didn't like the plain-ness of the vanilla.

My first impression was that I did not like it at all.  The texture is strange, but then I've only ever had commercial made or box cakes.  As a plain vanilla cake it's a bit boring.  On second taste, it would be yummy if I had a nice Tim Horton's coffee to go along with it.  It would probably be better with chocolate icing, or maybe with some orange zest or served as on the tv show with lots of fresh fruit. 

The texture sort of reminds me of pound cake but not quite.  I think I might have been afraid of over mixing it, and didn't mix it enough.  So all in all, the flavour is good.  Hubby liked it and that's something.  I'll try it again, but next time I will change the icing, and mix the batter a little more, AND I will have coffee ready to have with it.

If you try it, let me know what you think and what you did different, if anything.

The Autumn Wreath

One of my favourite bloggers is Thrifty Decor Chick.  She is a great writer, a talented decorator and a true inspiration.  When I'm searching for DIY decor things, I go to her blog before I even go to Google.  I found this lovely entry when I was looking for inspiration for an inexpensive and easy to store, but big enough to see from the street door wreath.

I never think of the Dollar Store for craft supplies.  I should, but I didn't.  Until I started reading DIY blogs.  I took my dear daughter to guitar lessons and had 30 minutes to kill. Lucky for me, the Dollar Store is right beside the music store.  I was pleasantly surprised to find everything I would need to complete my own autumn wreath. 

This one, was actually quite easy compared to the Christmas ball wreath that I copied from a retail display.  Here's how it went:

I had a left over piece of black foam core that I uncovered when I finally finished clearing, cleaning and organizing my craft room. 

I used a cake plate to trace the inner circle. Then I tied a string to a pen and pinned it to the center of the inner circle. I stretched it out and traced a circle to make the outer ring. Then I cut it with a sharp knife.  Don't stress over trying to make it perfect.  No one will ever see it. 

The supplies I picked up from my new favourite craft supply store needed to be cut apart and sorted.  I borrowed DH's wire cutters but I will have to get my own.

I used my trusty hot glue gun to glue everything down.  The trick here was to not fuss about it. Just stick it down.  I had 3 shades of orange/red and 1 pile of green/brown.  I used the biggest orange ones first, then filled in randomly with the others.  It was so difficult to be random!  I thought it looked like a hot mess!  But I propped it up on my peg board, stepped back and looked at it from a distance.  It's so much different when you're not looking at your project from 2 feet away.  Then I placed the green leaves where they needed to go to break up some of the orange, without looking to contrived. 

I tried placing the "berries" on too, but they just didn't look right.  I've never seen berries on a maple tree so I decided to leave them off. (They were part of the wire garland thing I bought at the Dollar Store).  Besides that, berries seem more winter to me than autumn. 

So I stepped back and looked at it a few times and placed the sunflowers on the way they go traditionally.  That 2 here, 1 there asymetrical placement. I liked it, but I didn't love it.  I was trying to not take it all too seriously.  I wanted it to be random, not perfect.  I also didn't want it to look like a DIY project but I didn't want it to look like a factory made wreath either.  It's SO hard to not fuss over it.  I just kept reminding myself that if it was horrible, it was ONLY $10 spent.  So I left it for a bit and cooked dinner.  I came back to it and tried a bit of ribbon. It was too much.  Then I remembered I had some rafia.  I first tried weaving it all around.  Yuk.  Tried a bow, too predictable.  While I was fussing with the rafia though, a few strands fell on the table, and were lying just under the wreath. What a wonderful accident.  It was just the little pop of something it needed.  So I glued it down, added the ribbon for hanging, and Voila!  My autumn wreath!

Not bad for $10.71

Social Networking IRL

I was invited to attend a "tweet up".  I'm new to the Twitter world and had no idea what a tweet up was.  But I was intriqued.  Plus, for many years, I worked in a very social industry and since "retiring" I have been quite isolated - by choice.  So really, how hard could it be to walk in to a public place and join a group of strangers? I mean, gosh, I did that for more than 5 years in my previous vocation.  Well it was harder than I thought. 

The back story here, is that I was shy as a child.  No strike that.  I wasn't shy.  I actually was the exact opposite of shy (whatever that is).  Some would say desparate for attention.  However, what I really wanted to be, was invisible.  Being invisible, meant no rejection, no abandonment, no heartache.  But it also meant, no life.

When I became a mother, I didn't want my child to be introverted or shy.  Early on she showed me that she had the desire to be known and get to know others. I taught her how to make uncomfortable situations comfortable.  I taught her how to put others at ease. I taught her how to be a good friend.  She was an easy student.  When she was 2 I left (got fired from) my job as a law clerk.  For the next 8 years I was mostly a stay at home mother.  I loved it, but I was more invisible in this role, than I had ever been in my life before.  The internet provided some respite from the isolation.  By day I was a fantastic mom and by night, I was an online social butterfly.  Then I found this little franchise business that was a ladies fitness center pretending to be a social club... or maybe it was the other way around.  Anyway...

So for the next 2 years, I spent several hours a few days a week in the center of the "circuit" entertaining ("coaching") the ladies ("members").  Now I was truly the center of attention. I was a star!  I had found my calling!  I'm a leo after all.  So when the opportunity to buy one came up I leapt at it.  The next 3 years were day and night work.  Even when I was home, I was thinking, planning, marketing, praying, eating, drinking, sleeping "that place I'm not allowed to name by confidentiality agreement".  In the end, a dispute with the landlord left me no choice but to close the doors.  It often feels like a failure, but there are so many lessons learned, and positives that came out of it.  I still struggle with that, but I spent the better part of the past year licking my wounds and making peace with it. 

I have spent a lot of time in my own head this past year.  Looking for the silver lining.  Hanging on to the good parts.  Drowning out the bad.  I've also avoided seeing people and going places.  I was afraid to run in to someone who knew me.  Someone who might say something nasty, or hold me accountable for what couldn't be helped.  But with the aniversary of the closing quickly approaching, I realized that it's been a year since then, I did the very best I could, I touched a lot of lives, many touched my life!  I gave away so much of myself and sacrificed a lot to make it succeed, including time with my family. 

During this past summer we gutted (and I mean gut-ted) our main floor.  I LOVE my new kitchen.  I mean just look at it!  

 

We went from this, 

to THIS!

From this,

TO THIS!

Who wouldn't love that kitchen? 

And that brings me to the point of this rambling blog.  I am SO happy to be at home, cooking, cleaning, mothering, crafting, learning, growing.  I joke that I'm living the June Cleaver life.  But what's wrong with that?  I have enjoyed every minute of my days at home with my daughter.  I also enjoyed the 5 (post-baby) years I worked outside the home.  In that other itty bitty ugly kitchen, I wasn't inspired to do much.  So I did what was needed.  In my new beautiful kitchen, I am inspired. I want to cook, and bake, and experiment.  I want to present my family with dinner every night.  I am proud of my home.  I enjoy cleaning it (ok, not really, but it's got to be done and I may as well pretend to like it).  I enjoy making sure my husband knows I appreciate the hard work he does to provide us with all the opportunities he does.  I love being available to my daughter for everything she needs.  I am really happy as I am, but is it enough?  I think it's enough for me and I guess that's all that really matters.  But I attended my first social gathering in over a year today, and of course I have to make it a challenge, by making it a group of strangers and virtual friends. 

Having been out of the social scene for so long it was easy to say yes to the invite, but oh so hard to follow through.  As I'm driving to the location today, I'm wondering why I'm putting myself through this. But I stuck to it, and I went.  As my darling daughter says "I can do this".  I walk in, find the group, immediately see some faces I know (phew) and some very friendly people introduce themselves and make me feel instantly welcome.  So it was simply a social gathering, but all of the women I met handed me a business card and had some kind of business.  And then came the question "so what do you do?".  Argh.  What DO I do?  I don't actually DO anything. Yesterday, I was thrilled with that.  Tonight, I'm questioning if that's "enough".  Now, don't get me wrong.  No one made me feel that way, but me.  Everyone was gracious and friendly.  No one appeared to judge me.  But, the question instantly filled me with guilt over my "failed" business and lack of drive in my current days. 

I had a great day today.  I met some very nice people and enjoyed getting to know them.  I will go to others.  But I'm going to have to come to terms with how I view the role I've chosen in this life and I'm left wondering: what is it that makes me question my place in the world, when I'm happy with my homemaker life?