May...my the time is flying!

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time can go by, while we think the days are dragging along.  The start of 2013 (as I've said before) has not started out the best, and as much as we move on and forward, something keeps pulling me back.  This month I may find closure as we lay my grandmother to rest in her final resting place, in a beautiful country cemetery, beside her infant daughter that was a twin to my aunt which she lost when she was only days old.  We will do this, surrounded only by family before completing a celebration of her life in the local legion with our communities around us.

But, the weather has warmed up nicely here, and I'm enjoying the warmer weather which also brings FOOTBALL to our house - three times a week.  Curt is coaching the senior team this year, Cameron is playing for him.  And little mighty mouse Caleb is playing for the junior team.  Here are a couple of shots one of the other moms took at practice last week...

This one is Caleb tackling his friend Brady...

And to put mighty mouse in perspective, Caleb is number 49 on the left of the photo...

And both teams won their first games this past weekend so we are hoping for a great season.  I'm sure pictures of the senior team will be coming - the junior coach was snapping away as the seniors played after the juniors.

And the playground fundraising continues....two major things this month - it is the last month to order from Regal (Camden East Playground Fundraiser) and have a large percentage of the purchase amount come to us as a donation, this will end on the 31st.  And we have partnered with the Children's Ministries from the local church and will be hosting a Talent(less) Show, Silent Auction and BBQ on May 31st in the village of Camden East.  If you are looking for something to do that Friday night, come out and see what we have been up to!  And if you would like to come and lend your talent to the show, or have something you would like to donate to the silent auction, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.  Email us if you would like more details at:  curt underscore reb at hotmail dot com

I so needed to read this...

 There are days when I'm home with my boys, that I wish I was at work - and days at work that I wish I was at home, with my boys.  Talk about conflicting emotions!  But, I have a friend who sent me a link and I totally understand where this Dad is coming from.  To read what I'm talking about visit this blog entry by a Dad - To the Parents of small children...

I have tried a number of times to "freeze time" in my  mind.  The last time my youngest was super sick and all he wanted to do was curl up with Mom and snuggle for hours, I at that time was more worried about what I was feeding everyone for supper or that the laundry was done in the dryer and had to be folded and put away RIGHT NOW.  I did sit, we ate grilled cheese for supper and I had to turn the dryer on again for a few minutes the next day to get the wrinkles out of everything.  Now that both my boys are older I try to find little pockets of time to do things with them...I know they won't remember the big things but I hope the little things hang in there.

And I'm not the only one today...I just spied this on my reader feed...Love Notes From the Littles so it must just be the time of year or the weather or something....

April Fool's...

Every year I'm "the fool"...literally.  I always think, this year will be different, this year my family will do something to make me feel special on my birthday....well, I need to learn to not expect anything. I also understand that at times, money is a factor and I completely understand that, my DH did make me dinner but I thought my boys might be at an age where they talked Daddy into helping make cupcakes or something.  But enough of a pity party, I'm a year older and I'm determined to enjoy this year as much as I can, taking time for myself as I see fit and needed.  The first step was booking holidays for a week in May, with nothing planned but time for me!  No work, the kids are in school and my husband is working a few days in the middle of that week as well.

Easter Sunday

Other than the "Easter" mice eating the chocolate eggs I had stored in the basement, this morning was beautiful, the kids are having sugar for breakfast which should make church later an interesting adventure!

Enjoy your time with family and friends today.

Easter Weekend

 

Just popping in to wish everyone a Hoppy Easter!  Today started with a lovely Good Friday walk with our local parish which was just what I needed, fresh air, beautiful scripture and a wonderful start to the long weekend.
Home to make a quiche for supper and some cupcakes for the potluck tomorrow.  Tomorrow is a potluck and dramatic performance at the church in the evening - Cameron is in the production so we will be headed there.  Sunday is morning worship and then supper at my in-laws.

I hope everyone gets to have a relaxing weekend as well...a stitching update is coming soon!  Working on a couple of gifts that once gifted can be shared.

And I've always believed in a higher being, but this year seems to be pulling me closer to Him.  So this Easter...

 

The sleepy colors of winter
Fade fast in the dawn of spring.
The joy of Easter's promise,
Delivers sweet reason to sing

Refreshed from her snowy slumber,
Mother Earth exalts her worth.
In a colorful burst of glory,
She blazons her wondrous rebirth

Renew your spirit, refresh your soul,
Rejoice with all humankind.
Celebrate life everlasting.
Peace and wonder are yours to find.

The blessing of the Lord
be upon you...
Psalms 129:8

* * * * *


May the glory
and the promise
of this joyous time of year
Bring peace
and happiness to you
and those you hold most dear,

And may Christ,
Our Risen Saviour,
always be there by your side
To bless you
most abundantly
and be your loving guide.

"The Best Ever Blueberry Muffins" as long as you like doing dishes!

I need to get back to my blog, little snippets of life for everyone to see.  

It has been a very hard year so far...my kids have been sick with a variety of things but the hardest part was losing my beloved Grandma at the end of January.  She is the one who took the time to teach me how to sew, knit, cross stitch and bake.  I can remember going to her house after school and helping mix up batch after batch of cookie dough - and getting to sample both the dough and the final product.

On weekends I have been attempting to bake more.  I'm sure my waistline won't be impressed but it makes me feel closer to Grandma for even an hour while I'm stirring and baking.  Here is the one I tackled this weekend.  I have cut and pasted it below, but here is the direct link to the post I pulled it from:  A Cook's Quest

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

 

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe Source: Modified slightly from my friend Anisha who got it originally from Cook's Illustrated

**Cook's note-These muffins can be flavored with any variety of fruits and toppings.  Using the muffin recipe as a base for any flavor you like!**

Edited 12/24/11--Add your butter gradually if you decide to do the streusel topping.  More or less may be needed depending on the humidity in your area to create a nice crumbly topping.  If you find it is too soft add more flour to achieve the consistency you need.

Sugar Topping

1/3 cup (21/3 ounces) sugar 
1½ teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Streusel Topping
3 T white sugar
3 T brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
5 T melted butter

Muffins
2 cups (or less if you are me!) fresh blueberries, picked over
1 1/8 cups  plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 1/2 cups  unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

If topping with lemon sugar, stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined; set aside.


  If topping the muffins with streusel, combine ingredients until it is the size of peas and set aside.


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. If your oven cooks on the hot side normally, reduce the heat.  Some people have commented that 425 was too hot.  I would recommend getting a thermometer for your oven if you aren't sure.  

Prepare standard muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or liners. Bring 1 cup blueberries, water,  and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing the berries with your potato masher or fork several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced by about half.  This will take about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and well combined. Slowly mix in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)

Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar or streusel evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

All I have to say is they were amazing, but I'm not sure the number of dishes I needed to wash after the final product was done was worth it...glad I have a dishwasher for the majority of them! 

Bring it on

I've be lax in posting, only because I've always been told if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.

My year hasn't gotten off to a great start.  My beloved Grandma Nash passed away the 27th of January, I spent most of that weekend in the hospital, holding her hand and making her as comfortable as possible.  I felt blessed to hear her say, "Goodbye, my love" one last time.  I was not with her when she passed but by myself in a hotel room, where I was spending the night before a flight out for a week away at a work conference the next morning.

The Wednesday of the week I was away, my Dad had a knee replacement, all went fine and he is slowly gaining mobility.  My boys were home with their Dad, but I felt bad that my husband had to deal with this while I was away.

I arrived home to a huge snowstorm, took me an hour to clear the rental off!  See the photo attached.

Caleb came down with strep throat two weeks ago and did a round of antibiotics...and today we were back at the doctors and now we are battling croup and bronchitis.

....things can only get better from here....

Part 4, done.

Still working away on my houses SAL, finished up the fourth part tonight.

2013 goals

Everyone is posting about goals for the new year, my only goal is to enjoy my family and friends more, and worry less about the little things!

The end of summer

I finished up summer tonight, only fall and winter to go!

NaBloPoMo 2012...fail.

I made it to half a month and then everything fell apart.  But, it did make me realise that I do love to blog and I should make it a priority to blog more. 

And, I've also been working on my Pinterest boards, and by that I mean actually doing, making and tasting pins I've created.  Yesterday was The Dishy Decorator: Cinnamon Roll Casserole - http://pinterest.com/pin/260716265899918614  which was awesome, and even better today warmed up with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

So, I know most of my followers are fellow cross stitch friends, but you may see more variety thrown in as I work/strive to focus on new things and my family.  I promise to still share my stitching, but it is only a part of my life, not the whole thing.  And to any new followers...WELCOME!

Lazy Sunday

Well, of course doing nothing means....going to church, making a Sunday supper for 8 (homemade buns, potatoes, roast pork, corn and brownies for dessert),  laundry and then maybe some rest...

Wish me luck.

Half a Month

Well, I made it farther into November than I thought I would.  I missed posting yesterday (Nov 16) but this week has been Crazy (yes, with a capital c).  So, one day missed but I'm moving forward. 

After the crazy week, last night was a lovely evening at the neighbours with a couple of glasses wine and some great conversation.

Today includes lots of fun things like muffin making, laundry and then the Kingston Santa parade at 5pm.  The family will be on the Novelis float again this year, I'll try to get some photos.

Happy Saturday!

REGAL Fundraising....

I posted about the second fundraiser here for the playground in our tiny community and it is up and in full swing .  If you are interested in supporting us, you can shop on our personalized website www.smcplay.shopregal.ca which will then ship directly to you in 7 - 10 business days!  This is a great place to go for those "gag" gifts for Christmas as well as everyday greeting cards and wrapping paper.  On the site you can shop all of the current catalogs not just the Christmas one.

To those that have supported us in the past, we thank you. And if you have any questions about this current fundraiser, please feel free to email me at curt_reb at hotmail.com 

FOR THE LOVE OF PLAYING!

Wonderful Weekend Away

Each year, the second weekend in November is reserved for my Mom and I to attend the Knowledge and Needles Retreat at the Timber House.  This is my Christmas present from my parents...and I love it! 

My Mom drives to mine, we pack my stuff into the car and make the hour drive to Brighton.  And then, let the stitching begin!

 Here was my view for most of the weekend (moving from my left to my right) as I attempted to have a NUMB BUM and by doing so, accomplished a lot of stitching!

  The lady on the end of the couch in the photo below is my lovely Mom...

 Saturday afternoon my Mom went for a short walk through the park between the resort and the beach (she walked the beach as well) and then returned, handed me my coat and told me to bring my camera.  My Dad does metal works as a hobby and she found some that she wanted me to capture to give him some new ideas.  I've already put an order in for an owl...

 Our friend from Georgian Bay wants the flamingo....

 And a couple of these at the cottage would not go a miss....

Saturday evening was a meal at our hostesses home, with her husband (and friends) as chef(s).

Here is the menu....and photos of the dishes listed.

 It was a lovely meal, thank you again Dan!

One of the stitchers (Sharon) is working on creating 60....yes 60 ornaments for a club she belongs to, she brought what she had done....look at all these lovely snowflakes!

This one was my favourite....

And I did get stitching done!  To see where I was before I left, visit this post.

I finished my Lizzie Kate HO HO HO in a row

 And put a huge dent in my summer seasonal mandala!

 I love the colours in this one and the little sun peeking out is my favourite part...and now I'm thinking I should have done fall and winter and left this one to last.

Others in attendance that have also posted about this retreat are:  Ann, Bonnie, Dani (she has a great picture of Lianne and I on there) and Christin

Top of the world...

HELLO WORLD!  Those were the words my boys were shouting from the top of the crazy chair our friend Jim made in Georgian Bay.  On a track and rollers, they slide this monster out closer to the Bay during the summer months and pull it back into the protection of the woods for the fall and winter.

This thing is  HUGE, well, you can see how big it is  - four adults and two kids can sit comfortably across the front, with room to spare.
From left to right:  my husband, Cameron, myself, Caleb, my Mom and my Dad.

 We had a beautiful long weekend in September with our friends Sheila and Smitty in their beautiful home and cottage, which shares the same property.

50th Anniversary/Birthday

I'm working late tonight, but for a good reason.  Tonight, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the day the "Grand Theatre" was saved by the local community as it was scheduled to be turned into a parking garage!

It is a free event, so anyone close if you want to come and check it out - please do!

http://kingstongrand.ca/learning-event/celebrating-50-years

Lest we forget

Just a reminder to pay respects to our past and present troops...

I love this song, makes me proud to be Canadian every time I hear it... I also drive "The Highway of Heroes" on a pretty regular basis...

Will you remember to give your Pittance of Time?

Art

For new readers of this blog, I work at the Grand Theatre in Kingston Ontario.  We currently have a production happening in our small theatre space called SPIN.  A local artist installed an art piece that I thought I would share.

A much needed break

Every year, the second weekend of November, my Mom and I pack the car and head off for a weekend of stitching, laughing and eating with an amazing group of friends.  Today is the day that "retreat" starts and we are away until Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait!  If you want to see past weekends, check out these posts...Retreat 2007, Retreat 2008,  Retreat 2009, and I can't seem to find 2010, or last year...oh well, it is a great weekend and I will be sure to take some pictures this year to share at the start of the week (or, I could just steal them from Dani again -LOL, at least I admit with I steal them!)

Here is a picture from the shores of Brighton, which is where we are going for this lovely retreat, this is from the shoreline in front of bed and breakfast.

Stitching update

 Here is what I am working on at the moment, a little mix of everything.

First is HOHOHO Quick It from Lizzie Kate, only because I know I have to do some Christmas stitching as something always comes up that I require something for.

And my Ink Circles four seasons mandalas that I am stitching with my stitching sisters.

Sorry this one is "on its side", but it is a Christmas row by Lizzie Kate - that I will probably get done in time for Christmas ... next year, or the year after.

And last but not least my Country houses SAL, and all the pattern is now out and I'm way behind, but I'm still in love with it so the longer the actual stitching last, the better.  If you want to see what it will look like when I'm done, it is posted here.

Stealing a post....

I was going to write about the wonderful weekend that happened in October - but this morning on my RSS feed was a wonderful post about the exact same weekend with much better pictures.

So, to read all about the weekend, please go give my friend Dani some love over on Dani...Black Belt Stitching Wizard and her post about the Belated Get Together Post.

This is my favourite picture...I'm the one waving...

Personality to spare

This picture is going to be one to blackmail Caleb with in years to come...but shows his personality - this is how he wandered out from his room one morning...

My youngest (Caleb) is a character and a half.  The stuff this kid comes out with makes us all laugh at least once a day.  At the moment, we still have our UK friends living with us so he is starting to pick up on some of their sayings as well.  In the kitchen yesterday, something fell on the floor and Siobhan went to grab it, cursing under her breathe as the dog had knocked it over.  Caleb pipes up - "It's okay Siobhan, just say "Bloody 'ell" like Frank and get it over with!" - we were all in stitches.

Here are a few of the random questions/comments we have gotten in the last week:

- are triplets three babies born at the same time?
- if God created Adam and Eve, why would he bother with the dinosaurs and evolution?
- eating dessert before supper will make me stronger.
-why do I have to brush my teeth in the morning, I already do it before bed?

Caleb, you are the light that shines each day - and I love you to the moon and back....after the bed bugs get you.

Love Mom

Monday

This is all I have to say about today...

Want to see something scary?

Today is Cameron's 10th Birthday....10th - double digits...and he is growing into a beautiful young man. 

Love you to the moon and back.

Here is a post of mostly pictures to show you how much he really has "grown"...he started out at 8lbs 3oz, and now tips the scales at 125!

Here he is now...

Happy Birthday Big Man...Love Mom

The playground story

Last night was the Pampered Chef party to support the local playground.  Thank you to everyone who came out to support this venture.

Here is the background story on "the playground".

On Good Friday, my family decided to join the local church (St. Luke's) for  their annual Easter Village Walk.  Which is basically a walk around the community, stopping at historical sites along the way to tell the story of Easter.  While on this little walk, we came upon the Camden East Playground, in which every child among us raced off to "play on".  Only one problem, almost every piece of equipment was broken or missing.  Our oldest got to the one swing and the second he started to move, my husband (Curt) pulled him off as you could see the bar bending and breaking above his head.

Both Curt and the local minister (John, who is a 30something, father of three himself) decided that something needed to be done.  Curt went to our location township and asked them if anything was being done to make this a safe place for our kids to play again and the answer was, maybe.  So he then asked if nothing was going to be done, could he at least take it upon himself to remove the equipment that was unsafe so no one would get hurt.  They agreed that the equipment could come out. 

Once the ball started rolling, it moved like a freight train!  The community started getting wind of "the guy" clearing the playground and they all starting coming out to help.  While Curt was working on this, the township decided that yes, they really should invest in some new equipment and received a grant from Hydro One to help with the costs (playground equipment is crazy expensive).  So Curt and his band of volunteers took out ALL the equipment, cut down about 9 larger trees and countless amounts of scrub brush and cleared the area for new equipment to be installed.

September 13th was an amazing day with the new equipment installed and then the kids....we didn't know there were so many kids in the community!

 Opening Ceremonies on September 22nd - Camden East - Old Mill Street Playground

My Husband - Curt

 

And things have been busy there ever since, now the rain and the cold have "slowed things down", but I'm sure as soon as the nice weather hits again in the spring, I'll be vacuuming sand out of my car again.