What's been cookin

I would like to introduce you to my lovely bunny pitcher that (according to the stamp on the bottom) was made in Italy. Mom thought it was lovely and HAD to get him for me last EAster. I can see the appeal - he's really quite handsome. Don't you think??
























Before you form any opinions, perhaps I should show you another perspective. Bunny is a little too heavy and doesnt' quite pour right for water or juice of any kind...but gravy! Heck yeah! He makes one heckuva great gravy boat! :D Seeeee! (Bwhhaaaaaaaaaagh - *insert hurling noises here*)













I especially like how it dribbles off of his chin like that! Thanks Mom - He rawks!! :D I really do like him - gravy barfing aside...I do think, though, that I will retire him to a life of decorative means only. he he.

On another note...I've developed a love affair with eggs benedict! DH LOVES it, so I had to learn. Turns out - I have gotten quite good at it...my arteries, however, are not amused!

I've made a couple more cakes recently, too.

1st was a bowling ball cake for Mom's frine Alonzo (not sure how to spell that - but he's as cool as his name :)

Mom thought the cake looked like a ghost...I couldn't disagree - but the bowlers loved it!! :)

Next on the list is a Thomas the Train cake. He was dairy free - and a ton of fun!

The next fun thing was so fun and so silly, I can't believe I hadn't tried it in the last 13ish years. Oldest kiddo was helping me make pizza (while I baked a cake) and wanted to make purple pizza dough. I think I shocked her when I said yes cuz the look on her face was priceless! :) I was out of purple, but we used blue instead...it was totally weird...but great too! :)

And that's all for now! :)

better...but still off.

I found a background I like, and I'm ok with the fonts etc...but it still doesn't feel right. Oh well - maybe I'll get a huge amount of free time some day soon and will be able to fix it - he he.

I broke my blog!!!

I thought I wanted to change my background and...and...I BROKE IT!!! :( Everything is wrong, the width's are all off...nothing lines up - the fonts suck...I never should have touched it! What was I thinking?! ... :(

Miss Sydney Clair Ann Bustard

I HAVE A BRAND NEW NIECE!!!!! It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Miss Sydney (A.K.S Squidney) Claire Bustard - born January 17th, 2011 at 7:03am (Alberta time) and weighed just over 7lbs. She' s soo squeezy cute and I wish I lived closer to my sis so that I could squeeze the chubby right out of her cheeks! :) She looks so much like my sis did when she was born, it's not even funny! Oh - and even cooler...Check this out!!! :D
She was born with her 2 bottom teeth!!! How cool is that?! My sis was born with her 2 bottom teeth too! :) She's only 5 days old in this pic...and just in case you didn't notice yet...look up to the top pic and check out the legendary "Craig Bum-chin" :) I soo can't wait to meet her. Living this far away from her sucks! :(

Darn you snow storm! Darn you to bits!!!

It's snowing like a sonofagun outside...I just heard the plow go by...again! Normally - no big, cept tomorrow I'm supposed to be getting together with my sistah (from anotha-mistah) hood to scrap. Yup - just me and my gal-pals for a full day of scrappin...but it's not workin out like I had hoped. Our driveway is humungous and I'll have to plow...which is no easy task and can't be done in less then 2 hours...AND I have to deliver a cake at 9am (I-know! I-know! no more cakes!!) In my defense, though, this one was ordered before I gave it up and the Mom had to cancel cuz poor kiddo wound up in the hospital! No way could I say no! So - I just finished my Thomas the Tank engine cake...and haven't even started getting ready for the crop tomorrow...and the kitchen is trashed and I'll still have to plow and shovel and dig us out tomorrow...all before I can go scrappin. *sigh* did I mention that I forgot to send the e-mail with the directions to deliver the cake to my home e-mail?? so I also have to go into the office in the morning to get the stinkin address to be able to deliver it in the first darn place!! What is wrong with me??!! Oh yeah - and kiddo's violin lessons were moved from Sunday morning to tomorrow at 5:30...so unless I can find someone to take her for me...I'll have to leave the crop - take her to lessons...run her home and go back. (insert HUGE pout here!!)

Thank goodness the gang has seen me at my worst, and I won't need to make any effort at all to look pretty tomorrow. :) As long as I am showered and dressed - everything else is relative!

ugh - now...off to bed to try to get about 5 hours sleep before I have to get up and start my day. I miss sleeping in. :(

Crochet Constipation...

Ok - this post started out as a general blab fest of the unfinished crochet projects that I have on the go...but since then, I've realized that the picture is much worse then I originally realized...I do have a ton of projects on the go cuz I get side tracked very easily...but aside from the original 9ish I started wtih...I managed to find a few more.

1st is a multi colored afghan that I'm LOVING!!! I'm really excited to finish it. The trouble, though...the more I get done...the bigger each row gets and the longer it takes to finish each row!

I'm hoping it will help chip away at my HUGE yarn stash! (admitting I have a problem is my first step - eep!)

• Then theres... The doll I started for Maddie ages ago...she needs hair, a top lip, and 2 buttons. Procrastinate much??!

• There's the pass the pig game for Soph...missin 1 of 2 pigs.
  

• Mamma and baby turtles...Totally cute - Momma turtle is pretty big, but only her head and legs are stuffed. The shell is left hollow cuz you stuff her with her eggs that are stuffed wtih baby turtles!! Totally cute. Momma is done...gotta get babies and eggs finished.



• an owl hat for Ava (kiddo from daycare) So far it's still a ball of yarn, waiting to become something.



• A Monster hat for Nolee (kiddo from daycare) - matches the state of previous itme
• A wolf I started for Maddie, then got fed up with the darn pattern - grr. Body is done...that's all, so it looks more like a drum stick then a wolf! lol


• A "Rasberry Beret" I started for Mom...that more closely resembles a toilet seat cover - ugh! So far, I have decided to frog it and recover the yarn...but I'm not completely decided...
  Hmmm...I think that's it?? (scratch head) No matter how you look at it, you'd think I'd just jump in and finish something but nope - not me! lol
  

Oh - did I mention that;

• I also have to whip up a birthday present for my niece?? Ok - I don't HAVE to...but I reeeely want to! Her birthday is in like less then 2 weeks. I picked up the pattern tonight, though. he he Hey - I already took the first step - I admit that I have a problem! ;)


• OH - and I just remembered...that doll I'm almost done for Maddie?? Yup - started a 2nd one for Soph...so far, she's a body and head with (I think) 1 nearly complete let.

What was I thinking when I picked up another hobby?? :S I think maybe I had better finish some of the items on my list before I a) get more patterns b)get more yarn c)start something new...I really hope my beret stops looking like a toilet seat cover. :(

Aint nuthin "Golden" bout Ron Weasley Red

DD (she's 8) has an obsession with hightlights. Before school I put some in and they were super cute. They wore off pretty fast, though, and she picked out a new color - very very red! I said only a few small ones...but they were sooooo carrot top red, they kinda consumed her head. They looked pretty cute, until they faded to a nasty brassy/peroxide color and the roots started to show - then, it was not awesome! Before Christmas, I got a temporary color to help blend everything together...it would have worked very well, except that kiddo washed her hair with body wash immediately following our dye-job and most of the color was gone first night. In desperation, I figured enough is enough...I bought a box of permanent "Golden Brown" which matches her natural color. I put the color in her hair at 7:30 and by 8:00 was rinsing it out...I was immediately afraid! Her roots were the prettiest shade of peach/strawberry blonde! AUGH! WTH is "Golden" in THAT??! I rinsed and rinsed, knowing full well that the dammage had been done! It's a lovely color...but it'll only be a couple days until the roots start to show. Darn you vanity! Darn you to bits!!!

Goin Spud Thump'n

Tonight, the UNB Varsity Reds "R GOIN SPUD THUMP'N"! Wanna know how I know? Well...I have a 12 foot long benner to prove it. Kiddo had a poster contest at school so we dove in - paint brushes and all. The girls did most of the work - I traced in the words with pencil and they did the rest. I think it turned out great! The bummer was that it was supposed to be a vote...but then on Friday (after kiddo took in hers) they decided to chose with a draw. oh well...we still have a terrific banner to take to the game.


Update:


Just got back from the game and I'm beat! lol the girls has a blast! I didn't get to see much of the game from behind the banner, but what I did get to see was pretty good. Our original seat was in the nosebleed section - waaaaay up at the top of section 12-13. We had an entire row to ourselves until some family with a zillion children showed up late and took them all! BAH! it made holding up the banner a little more of a challenge, but we pulled it off. I didn't realize just how big our banner was until I walked to the other side of the aitken center to take a picture...
Ok - it still looks small...but if you look reeeely close - it's at the center of the pic, just before the net. Oh - and Sophia was the favorite fan for her poster and got a free party pizza (which she ate most of - all by herself - before the end of the game!) I have never seen a kid so excited over pizza! lol
for the last part of the game we got to hang with a good friend and her punk. They have amazing seats and the kids thought it was AWESOME! (and so did their Mom :)



so the game went into overtime, and the v-reds won 2 to 1. Now both my punks are hooked on hockey and are asking when the next game is! Good Grief! I hope they don't want another poster! :) I'm really glad they had fun. I had a blast too :)

"What's so funny about that?"

Youngest kiddo has violin lessons every Sunday morning at 11:00. We go to the Charlotte street art center. A terrific old building downtown. It used to be a school some 100ish years ago and has more character and charm then you can shake a stick at!

This morning, we arrived at 10:50. A sign was posted on the front door that said;

"Historical repairs are being conducted in the front foyer and entrance from Friday, January 7th until Sunday January 9th.

During this time, please use the side entrance of the building. Thank you for your patience. "

Kiddo asked me to read the sign to her, and then we turned around and walked towards the side entrance. As we walked through the snowy path...

S: Historical repairs?

Me: Yes - that's why we have to use the side entrance.

S: (scrunches face up and looks confused) What's so funny about that??

...Wait for it...you'll get it in a sec. ;)

Today is AWESOME!!!

Today is a Great day!!! :D If I were a dancing gal, I'd be on my desk right now, doin a littls soft-shoe! But I don't dance - I jiggle and trip - so instead, I'm just gonna smile Reeeeeely big and tell everyone that today is an AWESOME day! :D

Death of a Turkey Dinner...

My Mother(who is not a Pospolita) decided to host a Pospolita Christmas Dinner this year - Incredibly thoughtful, but the idea of 8 children + 8 Adults all crammed into my Moms very breakable home was scary for me! The truth, though, is that we hadn't been together as a Family in over 2 years and I reeeeeeely wanted it to happen. Since most everything in my home is worthless (he he) I decided to host it at our place instead. Mom lives next door - it wasn't a tough sell, especially since the "Pospolita Ranch" is way more kiddo friendly. The sad part is that the ranch is also waaaay messier then Moms place so the Clean-athon began. I cleaned and dug and purged and packed and sorted and organized for 3 days straight! I worked morning and night to get everything as spic n' span as is possible.

Everything was on track until... *DUNH-DUNH-DUNH* (insert horror flic - something bad is about to happen-sound effect here) the water pump started acting up. I ignored it - it was late on Saturday night and I was in the cleaning zone.

Sunday morning - It was a bright and sunny day...and the water pump was still acting up...and I was hunting for a roasting pan that would hold a 40lb turkey. Not an easy task, I assure you. I managed to barrow on from a fellow gal-pal though, and (as mentioned in my previous post) it fit like post-buffet skinny jeans. We had a few issues with smoke due to sweet potatoe spill over in the bottom of the stove...but basically, we were on track. Mom was coming over at 2:00 to help set tables etc...

and then...*DUNH-DUNH-DUNH* (*insert horror flick - something bad is going to happen - sound effect here*)

DH checks on the pump and determines that we have a serious problem. The neighbor had recently dug a trench through our side yard to install a drain in her basement - which had flooded so badly that she lost power. For whatever reason, since they dug the trench...we were now having problems with our well which lies only a short distance from where they dug...AND...Dad pointed out the "puddle-ish thing" at the bottom of the yard where the well sits. (*see pic *) AUGH!!!!! Behold, my 2011 J-Walker!!

We tried like crazy (without water) to pull it off, but the closer we came to the time of our Turkey Dinner, the more we realized that it wasn't a good plan. You see - if you had to pee...you had to wait for DH to run downstairs and turn on the breaker to the pump...if you needed water - same thing.

Plus...when the breaker is on...the ground was like a huge soppy sponge...filling with water that was gushing out through the surface...and when he turned it off - it was a sink hole! And so...our Pospolita Turkey Dinner plans died with out well...

We called the guys who dug for our neighbors...the showed up - did nothing...we had to make our own arrangements. The problem likely would have occurred eventually anyway - but they were definately part of moving things along - grr!

This morning, Dad made a couple of calls. (*mental note for 2011 - make friends with an escavator owner-operator and bake for him alot!*)

and the dig began...

See that little white line over his boot?? That would be our villain. A jet like stream of water, equivalent to that of a high powered nerf squirt gun.

The elbow off of the well cover sprung a leak and had been running for goodness knows how long (sitting 8+ feet below ground).

Thankfully, Dad made another call (*mental note - make friends with old-school plumber/well guy and bake for him alot!*) By 5:00 today, the hole was covered over and we now have lots of running water! :) We also have lots and lots of turkey, though...and not "rain date" has been set for our Pospolita Turkey Dinner.

So far, 2011 has been a bit of a drip! :S

Excuse me but your bird is HUGE!

I am still not sure what made me concent, but I let DH pick out our Christmas Turkey this year. It may have had something to do with the 16 person Turkey Dinner that was planned - but I'm still giving my head a shake over the shere ostrich like size of the darn thing! I did learn something, though. Finding a roasting pan big enough for a 40+lb turkey is kinda like trying to find a live unicorn! The barrowed pan in the picture fits him, much like skinny jeans fit me! (There is definate spillage...but I'm in them!) Mr. Turkey was spillin over the edges of the pan...but he was "in" for all intents and purposes. :)

Oh - and the pan in the picture measures 12"x16"...and yes my kitchen sink is green. :S

Off with his head!!!

Mr. Snowman has been leaning for a couple days...and today...He lost his head! :(

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

It has been 2011 for 2 minutes now, and I'm happy to report that no J-Walkers were harmed today! :) How was your New Years?? Have you made any resolutions? I'm making 1 this year...and only 1. Wanna know what it is?? It's simple - My resolution for 2011 is to Chill the heck out and take better care of me. That's it. I guess it's not really as simple as it sounds, cuz it includes things like making time to have fun with the girls cuz that's more important then a spotless home or errands of any kind, and nobody is going to die if everything isn't perfect...and I need to accept that (although I'm not happy about it) I am human and can not do everything at once...or by myself. And for all of these reasons, my resolution is to chill the heck out and take care of myself. Simple...and it's all I'm expecting from 2011...cuz at the end of the day, it's goign to turn out exactly as it means to anyway - regardless of how frantic i allow myslef to be.

What resolutions did you make??