My Little Mr. Martha Stewart & A Note About Blogger

The other day I returned home from running some errands.

While I was gone, my 10 year old mixed up some cookie dough all by himself.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough.

He used a recipe{from Martha Stewart}.

He measured out ingredients.

He cracked eggs.

Used the kitchen aid mixer.

Added another egg & some more flour when he thought it didn't look right.

{Isn't he a daredevil?}

 He cleaned up the mess.

Washed the dishes by hand.

Waited for me to get home to use the oven.

 Some day he will make some lucky lady a very happy girl.

And his kids will love him.

BLOGGER makes me want to cry.

Last week I wasn't able to link to parties for a few days.

This week I cannot comment on some blogs.

I keep getting asked to sign in to blogger.

Then my comment comes up as anonymous, and I am asked to sign in again.

It just keeps going around and I can't sign in.

This is super upsetting to me since I cannot give comments to my blogospere friends.
If you haven't seen a comment from me lately....this is why. {Sad face}

I have started researching about this problem...I have read that others are having similar issues.

I researched a little and it seems that the problem doesn't happen with pop-up comment boxes...only with those embedded in the page.

So I changed comments on my blog to a pop-up box.

It was also suggested to change to google chrome as a browser.

Does anyone have any advice?

I blog for fun and it's sad to have to spend hours researching this problem.

I hope the people at blogger are working on it.

This post is linked to this great party:

10 Things I Hope My 9 Year Old Son Will LOVE Come Christmas Morning....

I hope my 9 yr. old doesn't take a look at this post between now and Christmas!

I am trusting he will be too busy!

Santa shopping is all done here.

Here is what he chose for Mr. Tyler.

He chose things he hopes he will enjoy...to play with, read and have fun.

Simple & basic.

No fancy schmancy clothes for him...clothes are not his thing.

{Clothes are bought for him when he needs them.}

No expensive electronics.

No thousands of dollars spent on Christmas.

These are his stocking stuffers and gifts.

What does not fit into the large knitted sock will rest under the sock.

1. Whimpy Kid Stuff.

Tyler loves Whimpy Kid. He saw the movie and he has already read the 4th and latest book in the series. Santa thought Tyler might like the Wimpy Kid T-shirt...where you can add your own words in the bubble. Tyler loves bookmarks. And a pencil case for his desk.

2. Boys Love Facts Books....Guinness World Book of Records 2011 & Ripley's Believe It or Not.

Fascinating boy stuff. These will keep Tyler busy for hours.

3. Blokus. A fun strategy game. Lots of people we know have this game and love it.

4. Professor Noggins Games.

We love Professor Noggins games at our house. Fun trivia that can be played without having to read a whole bunch of rules.

5. A Sound Machine.
Every 9 yr. old boy needs a sound machine. This one farts, burps and screams. What more can I say? {Chapters $9.99}.

6. A Good Book.

Tyler pointed this book out to me while we were browsing in Chapters as the next book he wanted to read.

7. Peanuts Stuff.
Tyler loves Peanuts. Especially Linus & Snoopy. {Hallmark Store}.

8. Silly & Fun Stuff.

Slinkys are a Tyler approved toy. {Until the dog gets it and then it doesn't work so great.}

9. A Doodle Pad.

My kids love to doodle. Especially in restaurants...if mom can remember to put some of these sheets in her purse to take along.

10. Some Good Canadian Red Mittens & Candy.

These red mittens were made popular during the 2010 Winter Olympics. The 2011 version is just as nice in Tyler's opinion. {Is anyone else reminded of a Laura Ingalls Christmas with red mittens and a peppermint candy?}

And Santa's workshop has the gifts all wrapped up and hidden away.

I am sure that Santa' assistant {A.K.A. Dad} will want to tuck a video game in there somewhere.

There is the temptation to go out and buy something really big for Christmas.

But we remind our children that they are very blessed with everything that they have.

And Christmas is really not about the stuff.

My day today...

...trying to get these rascals to be semi-serious for about 10 seconds for our annual Christmas card photo shoot.

A Striking Contrast.....

It's Monday morning and I just got home from walking the dogs.

I came upstairs to start to gather laundry.

I couldn't help but notice this striking contrast...

Here we have Exhibit A: My daughter's room.

Bed made.

Clothes put away.

Room looks neat & tidy.

Here we have Exhibit B: My son's room.

{Sigh}

Yeah.

A room only a mother could love.

The Back-to-Schooling Begins. Step 1: The Wardrobe Weed Out.

In our house, the back-to-school prep always starts in the childrens' bedrooms.

I go through the clothes.

I start with the shirts.

I retire the stained, the ripped, the too-small and the just plain ugly.

Next I move on to the bottoms.

I leave the shorts out until the end of September.

And here's how we save money.

We don't buy any back to school clothes for the boy.

And the reason is simple: he doesn't ask for any.

He is a 9 yr. old boy. He doesn't give two hoots about clothes or fashion.

So we buy stuff for him when he needs it.

He is such an easy boy.

And while I sort out his wardrobe, my daughter works on her closet.

Her birthday is in August, so her need for new fashion for school get combined with birthday gifts.

She is happy with 2-3 new pairs of jean. New flats for her feet.

A few new tops.

This year she also had a little list for shopping at MAC and Sephora

She is going into Grade 9 afterall.

The back-to-schooling list for tomorrow includes:

Clean & Organized Study Spaces.

How do you start to get ready for back to school?

the story of the disconnection of the grade 8 brain....

Intriguing title, isn't it?

My daughter will want to kill me when she reads this. She won't think this is very funny.

On an ordinary school day, my oldest arrives home around 3pm. My son, although 4 years younger, does not finish school until around 4 pm. So on this particular day, when my daughter arrives home from school, we decide to take our 4 legged little girls for a walk, but we decide to drive to Tyler's school and use his school as our starting point. This makes it easier as when we get back from our walk, as we meet Tyler at his classroom. The 2 children and the 2 dogs pile into the car and we start for home. But Tyler needs new runners, so I decide to make a quick stop at the sports store at the mall. Hunter chooses to sit in the car with the dogs, and I expect to be not more than 20 minutes. Just before I get out of the car, Hunter asks if she can listen to the radio while we are shopping. I leave the radio on for her.

Tyler and I head into the sports store. He is not a big shopper and he quickly narrows down his choices to 2 pairs of runners that he would like to try on. He tries on the first pair and runs around the store to see how they feel. This always cracks me up. Then he tries on the second pair and takes another lap around the store to see how they feel. He decides that he likes the first pair the best and just as as we are boxing up the first pair to go to the counter....in walks Hunter.

She announces to me, "I was bored, so I decided to come in. But don't worry Mom, 'cause I locked the dogs in the car."

While I was blissfully unaware, my daughter's grade 8 brain had suddenly disconnected itself.

I hear myself squeak out, "But Hunter, where are the car keys?"

Her blue eyes blink at me. "Huh?"

"Hunter, you wanted to listen to the radio. The keys are in the ignition!!"

Big blue eyes look at me. "Oh." "Ooooooh".

Yes. Ooooooh.

I tell the sales clerk that we will be back to  pay for the runners. I rush out to the car to confirm with my eyes what my brain is telling me. The keys are hanging from the ignition.  And just when I am fighting the brain fog to figure out what to do.... I hear it.

Bawling. Tyler is bawling.

A big, loud fog horn bawl. It echoes across the parking lot.

He is worried that the dogs will die of thirst or starvation before we get them out. His green eyes are puddled with tears. I assure him that the dogs will be fine...we did leave the windows down about 2 inches....plenty for fresh air. But not plenty for an arm to slip through.

My husband is in Cleveland for work. He will not be home for 2 more days.Our extra set of keys are with him. I know that we can call the automobile association to get a tow truck, but sometimes it can take hours. I go into the mall to get 2 wire coat hangers, but I have never tried this trick before. I really don't know what I am doing, but I have long heard stories of how bent coat hangers can save the day. This is the part where my brain disconnects. I try the old trick of trying to get the coat hanger wrapped around the hook thingy for the lock on the door. I really don't know what I was thinking. It doesn't work, of course. I call the car dealership where we get our car serviced and tell them about my predicament. Now, back in my little hometown, they would have sent out a cute back shop boy with a master key to come to your rescue. However, this is the big city....they don't do things like that...they are too busy.

Hmmm.

Just when I am weighing my options{Call tow truck. Wait for tow truck. Walk home. Call tow truck from home}, a few parking stalls over, my cute boy does arrive.... in the form of a red Ford truck. He gets out of his truck and asks us, "Did you guys lock yourselves out of your car?".  Before I can even say yes, he is over taking the coat hanger out of my hands. He see the red crying eyes of my nine year old and says, "Don't cry Buddy! We'll get the door open!". I feel instantly grateful to this young man. I can also tell by the look in his eyes that he is determined to get our car open for us. He tells us that he has locked himself out of his car lots of times and he always gets the door open. Great! We are being helped by a cute MacGuyver. After 40 minutes of fiddling, he finally gets enough pressure on the lock button with the coat hanger and we hear the 'click' of the doors unlocking. I have never wanted to hug and kiss a complete stranger so much in my entire life. My children get to see a good samaritan in action.

I thank him profusely for taking the time to help us. I ask him for his mailing address so I can mail him a thank you. We leave, waving to our hero, and start to head home. Suddenly, I have a thought.  I run in quickly to grab a movie gift card for our hero at the grocery store, but by the time we get back to the mall, he is gone. He spent more time helping us than he spent in the mall.

So I mailed the gift card to our hero.

I hope he likes it.

And here's a picture of our pretty little girls when we got home. They don't look any worse for the wear.

the lake of shining faces...

When Matthew was bringing Anne home to Green Gables for the very first time, she poured her heart out to him about all her wishes and dreams for the future, whilst charmingly describing all the pastoral beauties of PEI that her eyes could see. The first lake she saw on her way to the farm, she named the "The Lake of Shining Waters"..simply for it's beauty and the way it made her feel.

I will always refer to this day as the "Lake of Shining Faces".

On a bright, sunny Saturday, we took our boat out for the very first time. And by very first time, I mean the very first time our family took a boat out on a lake. Ever.

My husband was so very excited. He has wanted a boat for a long time. He got up really early on this day to take the boat for it's first trial. I thought it a good idea to stay home with the children in case things did not go well. He wasn't gone from the house for very long when the phone rang. I could hear and feel the happiness in his voice as he told me that he got the boat into the lake with no problems and it was a beautiful day to be on the water. He knows how I hate highway driving, and he offered to drive an hour back to pick up the rest of his family. I told him to just enjoy himself. But when he called 2 more times to tell me how gorgeous it was....I quickly packed up the kids and drove the hour to meet him at the marina to take our first ever family tour.

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Everyone looks so happy!

We had an amazing day. We took a 3 hour tour of the lake. Ate a picnic lunch in the middle of the big blue ripples. We watched other boats and the odd water skiier.  We saw lots of lakeside cottages and a church camp. The marina was busy with lots of other boaters taking their crafts out on the water.  We really couldn't have asked for a better day. I don't know who was more thrilled.....Ron or the kids.

And it leaves me feeling really good about all the future lakes of shining faces.

what's happening around here?

I had a scrapbook date with a friend at her house.  Hunter got to tag along.

She enjoyed many hours of cuddling with this sweet little six week old boy.

Momma was able to get some scrapbooking done.

Hunter gained some little baby skills.

I was so happy for her to have this experience because we don't see tiny babies very often.

For a lot of households, spring brings a nice break from winter activities before the summer activities start.

Not in our house however.

Welcome to spring hockey.

It compresses the same number of games of winter into half the time.

And my two boys show how much they hate this schedule by the sad looks on their faces.

I spent 'National Scrapbook Day' doing the appropriate activity.

My project was our little trip to Colorado.

I will share when it's finished...and that will be soon I hope.

I really love scrapbooking mini albums.

There is such satisfaction in a  project that can be tackled and completed in a day or two.

I made this new dish for my family one night for supper.

(I'm from the Maritimes, and we say 'supper'. Dinner is lunch.)

This recipe was snipped from an issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

It was called Chicken Chili and it looked so good.

But it fell flat in flavour.

Peanut butter.  Coconut milk. Chili powder. Cayenne powder.

Fresh cilantro.

All the right ingredients, yet the taste was not there.

Ron didn't find it appetizing.

Hunter tried to fix it with more spices.

Tyler wasn't interested.

It got a thumbs down and into the garbage it went.

Darn tootin'.

Here I am working a bingo for the skating club.

I am sitting in the big uppity-up chair of the bingo chairperson.

It sounds like a special job, but really it's not.

It just means you get to arrive early, count more money, and leave later than everybody else.

The big guy in this picture had a birthday.

Yes.

 That's a Dairy Queen cake.

It's the requested confection for his birthday.

I secretly think he likes this cake because it goes into the freezer downstairs in the storage room.

The storage room located right off the TV room.

This means less walking for a midnight snack while you watch your fav shows or movie.

We got this overnight snowstorm and awoke to this on May 4.

Just when you think spring is here, the black abyss of winter sucks you back into the icy cold.

(But really I have to confess... it was raining and windy when I went to bed....and I slept like a baby because the sounds outside my window of soft rain, wind and then snow reminded me of  the sounds of home in the Maritimes...and I felt strangely comforted in my nice & warm, flannel-sheeted bed.)

I threw Tyler's winter boots away 2 weeks ago thinking we were done with winter and

 they would be too small for next winter.

The boots he hated wearing all winter suddenly became his most prized possession.

Throwing away winter boots in April. Mommy..what were you thinking?

Hunter made this dish for our family while I was at Bingo.

It sure was nice to come home to a wonderful meal.

She made a chicken & olives dish from Martha's new book, "Fresh Flavors Fast".

It was delicious.

This recipe is a keeper.

And so is the daughter who made it.

I have started a little makeover on these yucky-looking stairs.

These are the stairs that go to the downstairs TV/Family room.

The prep work of washing and taping off took longer than the actual painting.

As life interrupts the painting marathon, I am still  working on them.

And after all the hard work on the stairs, I needed a big 'ol brownie.

 So I made a pan of apple brownies.

I love this recipe.

It's basically a brownie blondie recipe with 4 cups of chopped apples.

And cinnamon.

 Lots of cinnamon.

Apple pie spice works nicely too.

And a little drizzle of icing.

 If you are going to take the time to make squares, then you should make a 9x13 pan.

The pan lasts longer and there are lots to pack into lunches.

Except.....well... it really does not  last longer.

It gets eaten just as fast.

despite the cold....

This is the first time, at 8 years old, that Tyler has taken a true interest in the Olympics. I think he has been too young in the past  to really understand, or the big hoopla of the Winter Olympics being in Canada this year makes it too hard to ignore, but he has been following the Olympic Torch make it's way across the country for weeks now. He kept asking me what day the torch would be in our city and could we go. I said "of course", while praying that it was not going to be during a sudden -30 cold snap. The day soon arrived, and the smart mothers took their kids out of school at lunch time to go to the torch relay activities, while the less bright mothers, such as myself, volunteered to chaperone a group of children from my child's classroom to the festivities. Oh well. I gave 2 other children a chance to experience the chance of a lifetime, right? The city put on a fun event, with lots of things to do....such as crazy carpeting, snowboarding, cross country skiing, and hockey skills. The 3 boys I chaperoned were like magnets to the hockey skills event. There were also FREE hot dogs, and  a very LONG line up for FREE hot dogs. What is it with kids & free hot dogs? Nevermind that they just ate lunch....we had to stand in the lineup for FREE hot dogs...the nice, cold 40 minute line up for free hot dogs. To be honest, I could have drove home, made 4 hot dogs and been back to the event faster than waiting in that line-up...I won't deny that the thought crossed my mind. I was not really interested in having a free hot dog, but my inner child could not deny these children their hearts desire. So in the hot dog line up we go. It just so happens just as we were getting to the hot dog table, the torch arrived. I was left standing with 4 hot dogs while 3 children ran closer to see the torch on the stage. I am not sure how I did it, but I managed to take this picture of Tyler waving at the torch with 4 hot dogs in my hands. Then I briefly entertained the thought of sliding those warm dogs in my pockets for hand warmers, because by that time I was chittering & chattering with cold. But this post was supposed to be about Tyler and the magic he had in his little heart for the dream of everything that the Olympic torch embodies. And it is. I think the picture says it all.

Just happy to be there.

a boy and his dogs...

Our little dog Rigley is the most passive little dog. She just lets Tyler carry her around like she is the princess of his castle. Here she is asleep in his arms while he is watching a little TV before bed. I am not really sure who loves who more.

Tyler is having so much fun with the dogs. I can't even begin to tell you how much attention he lavishes on these little girls. He is always playing with them or laying on the floor with them. He decided he should read to them in French so they could be 'bilingual'.

Adopting these 2 little dogs into our family has been a wonderful experience. The kids are learning so much about how to care for and love a pet. Hopefully this adventure in nuturing something purely for love will stay with them as they journey in life.

eight new little feet in our house...

The kids have been wanting a puppy for over a year. The request appeared on the christmas list. It appeared in letters written to Dad during summer vacation. It was the request that would not go away. So on Sunday morning, Ron roused me out of bed early to look at puppies on Kijiji. We viewed some really cute puppies which led to a discussion about breeds. Althought we loved our Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Brandy, we felt a smaller breed would be better for our children. We wanted a dog that they could handle on their own....take for walks, play and feed on their own. We decided a breed that would be 10 to 15 lbs. fully grown, and that did not shed, would best suit our family. Ron began calls and made an appointment to meet with a breeder to look at some Shih-tzu puppies that were 2 months old. We surprised the kids with the announcement that we would be going to look at a puppy.....they were beyond excited.


Little did we know that we would meet 2 completely adorable puppies...sisters from the same litter and the last of a litter of 6 puppies. Our intention was to go home with 1 puppy...but Hunter chose the puppy with a lot of black, while Tyler chose the puppy with a lot of white. Hmmmm. I looked at Ron and asked if we could take both home. He said, "Are you crazy?". I said nothing more, but the next thing I knew, he was doling out money for 2 puppies and we went home with each child holding a little puppy on their lap. Oh happy day!
This little girl that Tyler is holding is a chunky little puppy who likes to sleep a lot. She is also a very laid-back puppy. He chose the name "Rigley" for her, along with a blue collar and leash, as well as an Oilers bandana. She will be completey ready when hockey season starts!

This little girl is quite delicate in build and full of pep. She gets into things quickly and looks for trouble. Hunter named her "Molly" and chose a pink collar and leash for her.

And by the way, the color of the bucket and mop is red.

jumping to conclusions....

See this little boy. Spending a lot a time in his bedroom is not his favorite pastime....he would rather be in the still-cold-from-winter garage shooting pucks with a big runny nose. Or in the family room playing hockey on the beloved Wii. Or just hanging out on his rump..watching TV.

Often, he will quickly go into his room to get something. Or to put something on his body. But not to stay....oh no...the bedroom is just a place to travel to and from.

However, yesterday the siblings got into a scuffle. This involved Big Daddy getting involved....and if you are under sixteen in this house...you really don't want that to happen.

Without further discussion, the siblings were sent to their respective bedrooms. Courtesy of Big Daddy. I stuck to the contents of my laundray basket while this was happening, and listened as feet tromped upstairs.

From Hunter's room I hear nothing. Not a peep. Even though the door is closed, I know that this means that she has flopped on the bed and buried her nose in a book. Not sure how this equals redemption for questionable behaviour with the sibling...but at least the house is peaceful.

From Tyler's room I hear lots of thumping and ta-dumping. A little rabble-rousing taking place perhaps? I also hear a big bang, but no wailing after, so it must be okay in there.Then it turns strangley quiet for a few minutes...to the point where I wonder if I should check to see if there are any unconscious objects in the room, when I hear jumping. Not jumping-off-the -bed jumping or hopscotch-jumping, but rhythmic jumping.Thump...thump...thump....thump. Hmmmm.

Then the phone rings and after the conversation ends, I am off to pick up my friend's 3 children from school and then drive Hunter to skating practice. When I arrive home, the boys have gone to hockey. I totally forget about the jumping....until I walk into his room later and discover a jumping rope askew in the middle of the floor. My mind immediately flashes back to the rhythmic jumping I heard earlier.How he managed to find a jumping rope in the dark reaches of his closet, I am not sure. And how he actually managed to jump rope in that teeny tiny bedroom without smashing anything off the wall, I am not sure.

Was he bored in his bedroom after a time? Yes, I am positively sure.

Why else would jumping rope in the bedroom seem like a good idea?

Happy Birthday Dude......

We had a great little party of just a few of his close friends.....played floor hockey in the school gym followed by cake and fun. My super talented friend made this cake for him.

being a devoted dad....

Lots of learning this winter.

Making new friends.

Early mornings. Friday practices.

Tough games. Hard fought wins. Frustrating losses.

Running a team. Working with coaching staff.

Lots of fun & laughter.

Thanks for being such an amazing dad.