Life on a schedule?

I've been considering putting the kids and I on a schedule.  If you know me well, you're thinking "I thought those kids were already pretty scheduled!"  True enough.  I'm a schedule person - I can't seem to help myself.  I like to know what's coming up and what to look forward to.  I'm sure it's leftovers from my teaching days, but I need order!!
Anyways, back to what I was saying ... I'm thinking a weekly schedule kind of an idea.  I haven't done a lot of this yet and I find that the days stretch out ahead of me and all blend together and I find I don't enjoy them when they are all the same.  Wake up - eat breakfast - get cleaned up - play - lunch - clean up etc etc
So our weeks would be relatively the same, but with lots of wiggle-room.  We might have bible study on Tuesdays, gymnastics on Thursdays, arts&crafts on Saturdays, playdates on Fridays ...
So here's my question: is this ridiculous?  Or does everybody do this?  Do I just need to relax or should we just do what works for us?  Any parents of toddlers out there with some input?!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made some of these the other day.  Oh man, are they ever good.  And I have no idea why I made them because I am really trying hard to watch what I eat.  (And by that I mean I let myself eat one a day rather than one dozen a day!)  But I seem to have this crazy obsession with pumpkin in the fall and I want to use it in everything!  I've also made pumpkin spice muffins and I'm going to make pumpkin cornbread to go with chili over the weekend.  Anyways, if you're interested, here's the link:

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/10/white-chocolate-pumpkin-spice-cookies/

You won't regret it.  Well, maybe you will :)

Kara turns three!

This morning we had our purple party extravaganza to celebrate Kara turning "fee".

We all wore purple clothes:

Curtis wanted to know why we invited Katy Perry, but I know he thought it was hot :)

We ate purple food:

Lunch was hamburgers in purple buns, purple french fries, purple milkshakes and purple cupcakes to top it all off!

Our friends even got in on the theme and bought Kara some beautiful purple gifts!  We bought Kara her own cooking tools and I made her a purple apron.  She was thrilled!

In all, a great purple success.  I can hardly believe we have been blessed with this girl for three years.  Where does the time go?  So thankful for her in our lives.

Finally ...

I've been trying to figure out why I have been avoiding this blog like the plague!  And I think (after weeks of serious contemplation!) that I was dreading it because it has been so long since I've written anything.  It felt like I would have to go back to where I left off and update everyone on exactly what we've been doing for 3 1/2 months!  And that was a project that I just couldn't manage the thought of.  So instead, I will just pick up from today and pretend like I never missed a beat.  And that way I will start writing again, and it won't seem so daunting, and you can stop hassling me to write something (you know who you are!!).

I did want to tell you about one big milestone that we hit in the last few months.  My son turned one.  We had a lovely lego party with some friends in town to celebrate his big day.

I have a lot of fun coming up with birthday party themes and ideas.  Kara's birthday party is tomorrow and she has chosen to have a purple party.  At first I thought that would be a dud, but it's actually great and there are tons of things we are going to do with the purple theme.  I promise, pictures of that party to follow (probably tomorrow) and not in 3 months :)

Jonas on the move ... sort of

Jonas will be 10 months old at the end of June but he is still not crawling.  You've got to feel a bit sorry from him because he's had absolutely no help from us.  I remember when Kara was starting to move around, I would get on the floor with her and help her arms and legs to move the right way and I would crawl for her to show her how it was done.

Kara in June 2009

But Jonas gets none of that.  When I see him starting to rock on his hands and knees I think "oh no, he's almost crawling!"  And that means a whole lot more work for me!!
But even though he's not officially crawling, he is moving around.  He has figured out how to push himself around on his tummy on the slide-y hardwood floors.  He pushes himself backwards and then finds himself stuck under furniture because he couldn't see where he was going.

If we could get him to go forwards instead, he would mop up his drool puddles as he goes, but because he goes backwards, there is a lovely little slug trail to show us where he has gone!

And finally, he has been doing lots of acrobats in his crib lately too because we've been finding him in all sorts of strange positions when we go to get him.  After his morning nap today, this is how I found him.  I was wondering why he was fussing so much in there!

Jonas sitting facing the corner of his crib, one arm out of his sleepsack, hunched over his stuffed bear, sound asleep.

Cookies please

So I've tried my absolute hardest to prevent Kara from having the same sweet tooth that Curtis has ... but I think I need to suck in my pride and admit defeat ... even if not gracefully.

Today Kara woke up from her nap and asked for a cookie for her snack.  I told her that she could have some watermelon first and that if she was still hungry, she could have a cookie.  Well, she wolfed the watermelon down and then said she was ready for her cookie.  I reminded her she could only have one.  And then the conversation went like this:

Kara:  I think I should have two puz I'm two Mom.

Me:  No Kara, only one.

Kara:  Dad, my friend, could I have two cookies please?!

I'm absolutely sure that if I had not been home, she could probably have had as many cookies as she wanted because she knows how to work her dad.  But thankfully, I was here.  

And as my heart nearly burst with the joy and laughter of her lovely two-ness, I handed her 1 1/2 cookies :)

Black Bean Couscous Salad

The first time I made this recipe, it was on the occasion of having my first vegetarian friend over for a girls lunch.  I was nervous and didn't have any experience cooking vegetarian meals (which sounds so silly now, but I really was worked up about it!)  This salad fit the bill because it was really easy and didn't have any weird ingredients in it.  Needless to say, I loved it and have made it regularly since then.  It works great for a potluck salad because it makes tons.  And it was my gateway meal into the realm of vegetarian cuisine which has opened up a whole new world to us. 

Hope you like it :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fork & Spoon

Tonight we were all sitting around the table and all of a sudden Kara starts singing a made-up song (this in itself is not abnormal!) and the words went like this:

Jesus died on a fork and spoon, Jesus died on the cross
Jesus died on a fork and spoon, Jesus died on the cross.

What??  Then we looked at her plate and she had made her fork and spoon into a cross.

Amazing.

However, after this little ditty went on for 10+ minutes, we were getting tired of hearing the story and asked her to please be quiet and finish her supper.  So the song ended like this:

Jesus died on a fork and spoon
And that's the end of my sermon.

Needless to say, we were all in tears ... laughing tears, amazed tears and also Good Friday grief tears from the story told by a two year old.

My loves ...

I can't help it ... I'm in love :)

Easter ponderings around our home

With Easter quickly approaching, we've been talking to Kara more about why we celebrate Easter and that Jesus died but now He's alive again.  We've been going to the lenten services at church too, and even though Kara is quite squirmy and you would think that she's not taking anything in, she hears EVERYTHING that is said.  Last week, the Scripture reading was about Jesus being beaten before being crucified.  Kara was on my lap and all of a sudden she looks at me and says "they spit on Jesus?"  So I whispered in her ear that Jesus was very good and nice but that some people didn't like him and they hit him and spit on him.  She looked very confused, but then said "tell it to me again", so I told her again.  She sat and took it in for awhile, and then suddenly she turns to me, puts her hand on my forehead and says "I bless you in God and I spit on you, Amen".  It was the sweetest blessing I've ever heard :)

We've also been listening to some of our Easter music.  Kara's most favourite song (well, for this week anyways) is called Sunday by Tree63.  You can listen to it here.  She runs around inside and outside singing "Sunday ... Hallelujah ... it's not far away".  She's also making up her own Easter songs that go something like "I forgive you, Jesus died, He's alive again, Life is a Highway".  They are a sweet, sweet song to Jesus I am sure.

I have been blessed by the song Sunday lately, not just thinking about Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but basically all of my days.  Feeling like some days are just Friday days for me, but the hope that fills me knowing that Sunday is coming (maybe a new day, maybe spring, maybe Easter, maybe heaven ... different things to me on different days) brings an energy to my step when I need it and a smile to my otherwise scowly face.

And what is Jonas doing while Kara is talking?  Lots of sleeping through the nights (Hallelujah!) and eating everything we put in front of him.  His only talking so far is "ba ba ba" and it might be the only thing he has a chance to get in with his sister anyways!  We've been enjoying the spring-like weather and have pulled out the bike trailer and both kids love it.  So looking like lots of stroller rides and bike rides this year - all good exercise for parents that have gotten a little bit round over the winter!

And a couple more pictures ...

New summer hats - getting ready for our beach holiday in August

Baking helpers for Banana Oatmeal Craisin cookies

Too many evenings home alone

One of the biggest downsides to the season of Lent is that I spend an awful lot of time at home alone with the kids.  Because we don't have cable, I am often looking for a project to do to fill my time in the evenings.  (Please note - this does not always mean I have tons of extra time on my hands!  Neither does it mean that I would be happy to take on some of your work!  I guess I just ignore the work that needs to be done in my own home and do something a bit more fun instead.)  However, this past week, Curtis was out every night so I really needed something to do.  This is what I came up with.

A handy-dandy crayon travel kit so that we don't have to tote ziploc bags to church anymore.  They are much cuter and just tie up with a ribbon.  I got the idea here.  I can't say I'm in love with sewing yet,  but I am loving all these homemade projects that my kids get!

Before & After

When we started looking for a house to buy in Drumheller (summer 2008), the pickings were slim and what was available made me get weepy and certainly not from joy!  We finally decided on the one we are in now, but it wasn't anything we were really excited about ... at first.  The more we thought about it and dreamed about it, we realized it had a lot of potential.  And so, after 2 1/2 years, we have reached the near-end of our enormous "to do" renovation list and are ready to share some photos.  When we look back at how it was, we really have worked hard (and by we, I'm liberally applying that one flesh principle again) to get it to how it is today.  In addition to these pictures, we re-shingled the roof and installed all new windows.  This summer, we want to landscape the front yard.  Wow ... I guess the list never really ends!

1101 Riverside Drive East when we moved in

Painted the exterior of the house, the doors, added new lights and numbers.

The back - this is the entrance that we use everyday.

Ripped out the old deck, built a new one, added landscaping around the yard.

Added a pergola to the deck

Kitchen before

Kitchen/living room before

Kitchen/living room after.  Not visible is the living area (couches etc).
This was by far our most extensive project and took so much work!  We're glad to have it done!

Jonas' room before

Jonas' room after

Kara's room before

Kara's room after

Master bedroom before

Master bedroom after - just finished this last week!

Proud to say that all the work was done ourselves (with some help from good friends for the exterior paint, bathroom window and shingles) except for some electrical work.  Not only is Curtis ridiculously good looking :) but he can sure make a house look lovely!

Easter bags

My latest project has been to make these cute little easter bags for my kids.  I thought it looked liked an easy project, but it ended up having lots of little finnicky parts - I was so thankful to have the help of my sewing friend, Kirstin!  I'm pleased with how they turned out.  They even have a divider and a pocket on the inside and close with a snap.  Sorry, I'm not taking orders :)

Bonus picture:  Oh Jonas, I love you so much!!!

Top Chef Drumheller

So for my birthday this year, Curtis gave me a card that read something like this:

You and two friends are invited to compete in a Top Chef competition here in Drumheller.  

Bring your own sous-chef, apron and favourite knives.  

Intriguing to say the least :)  Well, last night was the Top Chef extravaganza and it was a blast!  It turns out that Curtis had hired a professional chef to meet us at the foods lab at the high school and he made us (with some help from the Drumheller amateur chefs!) a 5 course gourmet dinner that was better than any food we have tasted at any restaurant here in Drumheller.  (I know that may seem like an extreme statement, but it's really true!)

Menu

amuse bouche:  thai spring roll, mango rice wafer and mixed greens

starter:  chicken tikka massala with raita and fragrant spiced basmati rice

palate cleanser: symphony of melons & vodka

main:  beef tenderloin with mushroom potatoes and drizzled with a bordelais sauce

dessert: flambe a la banane, mixed berries and vanilla frozen yogurt

Once everyone had arrived, the evening started with a briefing from our chef (Rakesh) and then we started on the long job of prepping the meal.  Boys were in charge of proteins and girls did the vegetables.  The prep was the longest part of the evening, but it sure made it easier for the rest of the nights' cooking.

Brad & Shar came ready to work!

Curtis wearing his "just call me Martha" apron!

Chopping, dicing, julienning

Brad & Murray prepping the beef tenderloin

Check out my sweet knife skills :)

One small tray (of about a dozen!) of prepped food

Once all the prep work was finished, we started putting the courses together.  For the amuse-bouche we made a chicken, carrot and cabbage stuffed spring roll and then deep fried it.  The mango rice wafer was lettuce, mango and sweet chili sauce wrapped in rice paper.

Curtis & Murray cooking chicken for the spring rolls

The amuse bouche place nearly assembled

For the starter, our chef made the rice ahead of time because of time constraints and it was so delicious and fragrant.  Putting together the chicken tikka massala was surprisingly simple.

Chicken tikka massala with basmati rice in a little chip bowl kind of thing.
Not shown: raita (yogurt with cucumber, tomato and red onion to cool the heat of the chicken)

After the first two courses, it was already 9:30pm and we were full!  But we valiantly forged ahead as we have never been ones to let food get the better of us!!  We took a short break for our symphony of melons and vodka - just diced melons (canteloupe, honeydew and watermelon) and then frozen and added to vodka with a touch of mint.  Delicious.

The Drumheller Top Chefs

Onto our main.  The boys spent a lot of time prepping our mushroom potatoes which actually turned out to be potatoes in the shape of tiny mushrooms!  And Kirstin prepped the carrots which were a beautiful tear drop shape.  We learned that plate-ing was an important part of each course!

Everyone working together to plate the main while I supervised!

Melt in your mouth beef tenderloin with bacon wrapped asparagus

By this time it is 10:30pm - we were all wishing that we had worn maternity pants - and we still had the dessert!  We coated the bananas in cinnamon and brown sugar, sauteed them in a ridiculous amount of butter and then added flaming brandy.  Yum!

Trying to do the fancy pan toss with a really heavy pan - not working so well

Our chef Rakesh ending our evening with pyrotechnics by setting the bananas on fire

I'm happy to report that even though it was called Top Chef, no one got kicked off the show and everyone learned some new skills that we may or may not put to use in our own kitchens.  At the very least, now we know that the boys know how to make more than just grilled cheese :)  I would highly recommend an evening like this and I think Rakesh is available for hire!

Thanks Curtis for one of the funnest nights I've had in a long time.  You know me - and what I like - well.  I love you!