Blogging Through My School Years: Grade 3

You can find Kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 here.

Grade three was definitely one of my favorite years of school, all thanks to an amazing teacher; Mrs. Dalton. You could tell she was passionate about teaching, which she then passed on down to her students, making school all that much better. She would make us all little presents for each holiday. Little bookmarks and candy cane deer for Christmas. It’s the little touches that count!

It was my first year in a portable. For some reason, we thought this was so cool. Having class practically outside? Yes, please! In the warmer months, we’d often leave the door open and since my desk was right next to it, I’d get to see all sorts of exciting (to a third grader) things going on outside. There used to be a seagull that liked to hang out on our steps. My desk group and I named him Gully. Yeah, we’re that awesome.
Our favorite game to play at recess was to lie on our stomachs and peer under the portable, and then either play Bloody Mary or Baby Blue. Thinking back on this, I realize how odd I was as a kid!

Mrs. Dalton had some sort of reward system that involved Post-It notes. I don’t remember the specifics of it, but I believe we called it the “Sticky System”. You’d get a sticky for misbehaving, and if you reached a certain amount (I believe three) you got a pink one. Once you reached pink, you’d lose your reward for the week and get a note sent home. The rewards were typically candy and pencils, and it was pretty much the best thing ever. Since I like to talk a lot (seriously, I never shut up at school), I always had at least one sticky on my desk. I never got in enough trouble to lose my reward though!

I also developed my first crush this year: Ryan Campbell. He was everything a third girl dreamed of: blond hair, blue eyes, good looking and funny. Except you know what? That’s all I remember about him now. Guess it was never meant to be!

Ten on Tuesday

#24

1. What television character do you identify with?
For the longest time, it was Grace from Will & Grace.
I see a little bit of Charlotte from Sex and the City in me too.

2. Describe your morning routine.
Wake up, drink some coffee and read blogs while still in my pajamas. Eat breakfast if I’m hungry. After about 45 minutes, I start getting ready for work.

3. How do you do lunch? Bring from home or dine out? Same thing every day or mix it up?
I’m pretty lucky in  that I get to eat lunch at work. Whatever I make for the kids, I eat as well. When I’m at home, it’s whatever I feel like eating. I rarely go out to eat for lunch.

4. What is one moment that, although seemingly trivial at the time, changed your life?
I can’t think of any trivial moments, but I can think of plenty of bigger moments: Any of the moves throughout my life, meeting Stephen, meeting and breaking up with one of my best friends.

5. Name your top three beauty products.
I’ve recently been introduced to USANA, and while it is a bit expensive, I adore their skin products. (I received mine as a gift)
The Sense Basic Pack (Daily Cleanser, Toner, Daytime protective emulsion and Night renewal crème)
That counts for 4 right there!

6. What do you do when you’re alone in the car?
I don’t drive. I know, shocking! So I’m not often alone in anyone’s car.

7. What is the ideal city for you to live in? If you can, take this survey (< that’s a link) and tell us the results. Do you agree with them?
I’m a city girl, through and through. The closer I live to downtown, the better. (I currently live downtown) My (realistic) dream city is Vancouver, followed closely by Toronto and Montreal. I took the survey above, and my top three (US city) results were: Little Rock, Arkansas, Portland, Oregon and Baltimore, Maryland. I don’t agree with Little Rock, but I may be able to live in Portland and Baltimore. I’d need to visit first! The top three that made the list that I actually agree with are: San Francisco, San Diego California, and Nashville, Tennessee.
I made Stephen take the survey as well, and we matched up quite well!

8. Are you waiting for something?
I’m waiting for certain financial things to straighten themselves out. Stephen and I making changes (cutting cable for a few months, switching internet providers, cutting back on our cell phone plans), so I’m waiting for them to all fall into place and take effect.

9. What was the last shocking news you heard?
My sister and her boyfriend are looking into buying a house together! She’s never coming back to live in Calgary now…

10. What are three things you wouldn’t do for a million dollars?
-Have sex with someone
-Hurt/kill a person or animal
-Take off my clothes in front of people

Tubby Dog

Back when Stephen and I first started dating, he introduced me to the wonderful world of Tubby Dog. He described it to me as a place that served hot dogs with unusual toppings. I’m actually not a big fan of hot dogs, but when he told me what his boss’s wife’s favorite toppings were, I had to go check this place out for myself.
I’m glad I went, because this is now one of my favorite places to get a hot dog!
Let’s just start off by talking about how awesome this place is. There’s always some sort of cartoon/movie/tv show playing on a projection screen on the back wall and some pinball machines located along the side. The place is decorated in retro hot dog paraphernalia, giving the place a kitschy vibe that you can’t help but love.

Now onto the food…
I got the Cap’n Dog, which is basically a hot dog topped with peanut butter, jam and Captain Crunch. Each month features a new cereal (this month was Lucky Charms), but I prefer to keep it classic. Now, I know what you’re thinking! It looks disgusting, and I thought the exact same thing when I first tried it out. Truth is, it’s good. I’d never recreate this at home, but it’s my regular at Tubby Dog. I’ve actually converted a few other people to Cap’n Dog lovers!
I can’t remember the name of Stephen’s, but it’s basically a poutine on a hot dog. For those of you who may not know what a poutine is, it’s french fries covered in cheese curds and grave. So good! There was also a healthy dose of onions on top of this bad boy! Stephen loved it.
This is Tubby Dog’s take on onion rings, which they’ve dubbed T-Rings. I have no idea what’s in the batter, but they’ve got a little bit of a kick to them. They’re also huge! This one here is slightly bigger than the palm of my hand. Stephen and I can never eat all of them, we usually have one or two each.

If you’re ever in Calgary, Stephen and I will definitely take you to Tubby Dog! If you live here in Calgary, let me know if you want to make a date to go! Don’t worry, there’s also a lot of “regular” toppings, so you don’t have to be as adventurous as Stephen and I. I will make you try a bite of my Cap’n Dog though.

Baking Week #3

Usually when I decide to bake, it’s because I’ve been browsing the internet and have stumbled across one too many yummy looking recipes. On March 14, the internet informed me that it was Pi Day. I wasn’t actually planning on baking a pie, but I couldn’t get pies out of my head and came up with the perfect pie to make: peanut butter, chocolate and banana pie. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I ended up not being able to get to the grocery store to get the necessary ingredients. Looks like my Pi Day pie would have to wait. Tuesday of that week, I ended up getting off work unusually early (2:30pm). I took full advantage of the opportunity and made myself a pie!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Banana Pie
I read a couple of recipes online for this, but since it is such an easy recipe, I never wrote one down. Listed below is what went into my pie, with my notes in Italic. This is a no bake pie. I only count this as baking because I baked the pie crust.

(Printable Recipe)

For the crust:
22 Graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar (I forgot to add the sugar, but it didn’t make a difference.)
1/4 melted butter
Preheat oven to 350F.
1. Crush graham crackers (use blender, food processor or put them in a bag and smash).
2. Mix in butter and sugar. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool before filling.
Side note: I compared prices for premade graham cracker crust and graham crackers. It’s definitely much cheaper to just make the crust yourself, not to mention it’s pretty easy.

Filling:
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy PB. Stephen and I are big PB lovers, so next time I’ll bump it up to at least 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1 3.9 oz box instant chocolate pudding and pie filling
1 3/4 cup milk
2 bananas
2 tbsp peanut butter

1. Mix together pudding and milk for one minute, set aside.
2. Melt peanut butter and chocolate chip in microwave, in 30 second intervals. Pour over pie shell. Cool and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Slice bananas and layer on bottom of pie shell (atop the PB and chocolate chip layer.)

4. Pour pudding over top, smooth out and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until set.
5. Melt the remaining peanut butter, and drizzle on top of the pie just before serving.
(I started off trying to make the drizzles pretty, but then I decided to forget that and pile on lots of PB!)

Stephen and I devoured this pie much quicker than I’d like to admit to! This will definitely be a repeat performance.

Two Years

A little over two years ago, I met Stephen for the first time. On our first date, he cooked me a three course meal. About a week later (two years ago today), we decided to officially become a couple. Since then, things have been amazing.

Growing up, I always joked that I’d need to marry a chef, because I can’t cook to save my life. Then Stephen waltzed into my life, and I know there couldn’t have been a better match. Before him, I wasn’t much of a baker, but he saw that I was interested and encouraged my passion. Now we’re the perfect duo in the kitchen, and whenever a holiday comes along, he cooks for me and I bake for him. 
  I couldn’t dream of a more patient, caring and loving partner. Sure, we have our moments where everything is less than rosy, but all of the other moments in our relationship more than make up for them. Honestly, how on earth he puts up with me and my antics, I’ll never know. Just makes me love him more!

Ten on Tuesday

#23

1. When you were a senior in high school, what career did you think you’d choose? Did you? Why or why not?
I’ve always known that I should work with kids. By grade 12, I was really wanting to become a teacher…as of right now, I’m not, I’m a nanny. There’s still time though!

2. What one thing about the “real world” did you find most surprising once you were on your own?
By the time I moved away from home, I feel like I was quite prepared for “the real world”. I haven’t been surprised by anything…yet.

3. Name 3 things you think your closest friends DON’T like about you.
Why do I have to focus on negative things? If my friends really truly didn’t like something about me, they would tell me. We like to keep it real.

4. In order to sleep, do you need background noise or absolute quiet?
I used to need absolute quiet. When I moved in with Stephen and his roommate, I started sleeping with the fan on to block out the late night noise (Stephen and the roomie are night owls, due to working late). When Stephen and I moved out on our own, into our current condo, I continued sleeping with the fan. Stephen’s still a night owl, and the way our tiny condo is situated, our TV is literally right outside our bedroom doors (which are french doors), so even if Stephen is being quiet, quite a bit of noise still gets in. How’s that for a long winded response?

5. Why do you choose to reside in your current city? Yes, you have a choice
My whole family lives here, so that’s why I’ve stayed longer than I would really like. Stephen and I both love Vancouver, so I’m hoping that when we save up enough money, we can eventually make the move there. That could still be a few years away though.

6. Are you close to your parents?
I’d say that I’m pretty close with them! We have a pretty good relationship.

7. What is your favorite fiction book? Poem? Blog?
I don’t have just one favorite book, I have a list about a mile long!
I’ve never had a favorite poem, but ever since reading it in Jr. High, The Tell-tale Heart has stuck in my mind.
As for blogs…I can’t settle on just one. But, if I only have time to read one blog and I’m too impatient to wait, I’ll check to see if Bakerella has updated.

8. Do you enjoy cooking or is it a chore?
Cooking for myself is definitely a chore…and I cook for myself about 65% of the time. When I have the time, I actually kind of like cooking for Stephen and I!

9. Be honest. What one thing would (the majority of) your blog readers be shocked to find out about you?
Probably that I can be socially awkward at times. I get nervous about meeting new people (ok, who doesn’t?), and I feel like I fool. Doesn’t always happen though.

10. If you were given your own national holiday, what would you require people to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Day of You? Would there be a parade? Greeting cards?
Crepes for breakfast. Lasagna for lunch. Perogies and french fries for dinner, and ice cream, cheesecake and cupcakes for dessert!!
There won’t be a parade, because everyone will be too busy staying home and cooking & baking all day with their families! Greeting cards will have to be homemade, and everyone will receive flowers from their loved ones! It would be such a happy day!!

101 in 1001: Update

Original List here.

In progress:
2. Try 3 New Foods: Tried my first one last weekend! Stephen and I both realized that we had never tried Okra, so we gave frozen Okra a whirl. Our verdict? Slimy and gross. I still want to try fresh Okra to see if I feel the same way about it.

Completed:
14. Make dinner 4 different times. (I rarely cook a full meal that turns out, and can be repeated. To fulfill this task, I had to find 4 meals that I’d make again.)
Meals were: Lasagna, Lazy Cabbage Rolls, Chilli, and Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.)

16. Host a dinner party: Our combined Fiesta birthday, complete with Taco bar!

90. Go knife shopping with Stephen to find one that suits my needs: Stephen pointed out to me that we bought new knives in January that suit my needs! He’s always talking about how important it is to have a good knife that you feel comfortable with, and now we have at least 4.

If you’re interested in the Chilli or Chicken and Sausage Gumbo recipes (both for the slow cooker), let me know, and I’ll email them to you!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

By now we all know that I’m a nanny. Right? Good. Sometimes these kids come up with the funniest things, and I can’t help but laugh whenever I think back on the conversation with them. Here’s a few to brighten your day:

C-Bear: Our old nanny used to feed us sticks, mud and stop signs.
A: You weren’t even born yet!
Me: These vegetables seem a bit yummier now, don’t they?
**********

J: You’ve got tata’s!
Me: WHAT? Where did you learn that?
J: Daddy. Mommy has tata’s, A and C-Bear have titi’s and boys have mimi’s.
**********

J: What kind of hair does God have?
Me: Well, in the pictures that I’ve seen, he has long white hair.
J: No! God has a faux-hawk.
*********

J: How do people get to Heaven?
Me: (Busy trying to prepare lunch and wanting to avoid a conversation about life/death with a 4 year old) I don’t know.
J: Maybe they take a space ship and then jump real high!
**********

J: When I was 3, I used to live in the middle of the ocean.
Me: No you didn’t.
J: Yes I did.
Me: No! You’ve only ever lived in this house and I was your nanny when you were three, so I know better than that.
J: You were in the ocean too.

Baking Week #2

I believe every home baker needs a good chocolate chip cookie recipe in their arsenal. (I also believe they should have a go to banana bread recipe and a few others, but that’s another post) Ever since I started getting serious about baking, I had been on the hunt for my perfect go-to recipe. I had bookmarked a few, and tried a few others out. In between experiments, I had gone back to a certain recipe a few times without even realizing it. When showing off a new recipe to Stephen one night, he pointed out to me that I had already found my go-to recipe. It’s the one my family requested from me most often. I baked 5 dozen of them at Christmas time, and everyone raved over them. I was expecting to settle on a recipe with a secret ingredient in it, but instead, I had found my go-to recipe when I hadn’t even noticed! Best part of it? They’re super easy to make, and I can take a few liberties with the ingredients based on what I have on hand.

Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
(My notes in Italic.)

(Printable Recipe)

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark brown sugar (I often use light brown, as it’s what I usually have on hand)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup softened butter (Butter is expensive with the amount of baking I do, so I often make it with margarine. Please don’t use shortening, I find that it takes away from the overall taste.)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 300F
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. (This helps incorporate air into the flour mixture, contributing to excellent cookies! This step is worth it.)
2. In large bowl, beat sugars. Add in butter and mix to form a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. Fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips. (This is when I turn off the beaters or Kitchen Aid, and go at it with a wooden spoon so that I don’t over mix it. If I’m doubling the recipe, I’ll often use clean hands to finish the mixing. Don’t over mix!)
4. Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
{Side note: I baked these at work, so I wasn’t using any of my own pans. I actually prefer using darker baking sheets, but it’s all a matter of personal opinion.}

I apparently decided not to take a picture of the finished product, but you’ve seen enough chocolate chip cookies to be able to fill in the blanks. These cookies never last long, so I’m usually baking them at least once a week.

This Little Piggy Went to Market…

I realized that I never posted a picture of our new addition, Tigger! Yes, this little mop of hair is our guinea pig. I believe she’s what’s called a Silkie Guinea Pig, but I’m not 100% sure. When we first picked her up, her hair was longer than this, we gave her a bit of a hair cut to keep it more manageable. Whenever I see her scurrying along, I giggle because she looks like a scurrying mop! When I first posted pictures to facebook, someone asked if I had put a wig on Piglet, ha!

Of course I had to include a picture of Piglet. I’ve been bringing her to sit on the couch with me while reading blogs, and her favorite thing to do is hide out underneath my laptop! She doesn’t get to stay under long though, since it gets warm there.
Tigger has definitely become Stephen’s baby. He’s the one who grooms her and she occasionally sits on his computer desk with him while he plays his games. Stephen didn’t seem to take to Piglet the same way that I did, so it’s really cute to see him loving Tigger!

Ten on Tuesday

#22

Disclosure: I don’t know anything about zombies. I was once walking downtown, minding my own business, when I looked up and saw a group of zombies. I started looking around to make sure other people were seeing what I was, because HOLY HECK THERE IS A GROUP OF ZOMBIES ACROSS THE STREET!!! (Totally worthy of a caps attack.) I found out later in the day that it was the Zombie Walk, so no, I wasn’t going crazy. True story.
That being said, I am fully qualified to answer these zombie questions because I once ready Cell by Stephen King, which is basically about cell phone zombies. Oh! I also saw Zombieland.

1. Quick! Zombies are coming!! What do you do?
Pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming, then when I find out that I’m not, run away crying like a baby.

2. Whew, that was a close one. …I think your phone is ringing. Oh, it’s your best friend! She thinks she’s been bitten by a zombie. What advice do you give her?
I tell her to lock herself up in a room somewhere. No use going out and infecting others.

3. You realize it’s time to leave your current location because it’s clearly not safe anymore. Are you going to move at night or day? Defend your reasoning.
Move by night. That’s how the people did it in the book I read.

4. During your relocation, you come across a weapon superstore. My, that’s convenient. What kind of weaponry do you choose?
Anything that’s light and easy to carry. Maybe a gun.

5. As you leave, an old lady on the side of the street begs you to help her. Do you? Why or why not?
NO! She’s secretly a zombie!!

6. Good choice, you’re clearly a good person to have around in a zombie apocalypse. Oh hey, there’s a wifi signal here! You can’t stay long but this is your chance to gather some Intel on the current situation. What’s the first website you check?
Twitter. It’s where I get all of my news updates. You’d better believe that Twitter would be on fire during a zombie apocalypse.

7. SHH! What was that noise?!
It’s just another zombie. No big deal by now.

8. I think it’s time to get out of here. I hope you have a plan. Where are you going now?
I’m going to try and find my friends and family, to see if they’ve been turned into zombies.

9. Wait a minute, that looks like a bite mark on your arm… You may be infected too! Will you tell other people?
No way! Uninfected people might try to kill me. I’d only tell someone who I truly thought could help me out.

10. How does this story end?
Well, since I got bitten by a zombie, I clearly turned into one and took over the world.

A Glimpse Into Our Conversations, Part 2

Last night, just before I went to bed, Stephen and I were talking.

Me: You’re my best friend.
Stephen: I thought Rebekka was your best friend?
Me: No, you’re my best friend. You can have more than one.
Stephen: Oh well. You’re…a really good friend. *cringes* Just joking,  just joking!
I don’t have any friends, so you have to be  my best friend.
Me: So I win by default?!?!
That’s…oddly comforting…
Stephen: At least it’s comforting.

We amuse ourselves to no end around here! Stephen made me write down this conversation to share with my blog friends. And to think, he used to think that I’d never have anything to write about when I started a blog!

Fun With Google Analytics

I love reading about how people stumbled upon my blog, and Google Analytics offers up some hilarious Google searches. Google searches are in bold, my answers are right after.
(Note: Spelling mistakes are not my own. Unless it’s in the answer, then that’s all me baby!)

When is ben and jerry’s boston cream pie coming out?
I have no idea, but let me know when you figure it out, ok? We can have an ice cream date and try it together!

I am craving cupcakes. 
Me too. All day every day. Hence the name of my blog.

Mommy bloggers who love dessert.
I’m not a mommy blogger, but I love dessert. Wait, do fur babies count? Guinea Pigs can count as fur babies right? So therefore, I am a mommy blogger who loves dessert. Let’s be friends!

i havnt had a cigarette for 13 days but come a satarday im really cravig a drink and ciggarette.
You’ve made it 13 days, don’t give up now! If Stephen can do it, then so can you! But if you really must, you can indulge in one drink. Don’t drink and drive though, ok?

homeade mustache for fiesta.
I didn’t make mine, my mom bought them  for me at the dollar store. 5 for $1! You can’t go wrong with that.

Burlap curtains.
We went over this already, I don’t like burlap. You won’t be finding any burlap curtains on this blog!

Calgary Mormon nanny.
I’m a nanny, who lives in Calgary and who used to be Mormon. Does that count?

Angela Brunney cupcakes.
Who is this Angela Brunney, and are her cupcakes better than mine??

Cure for hiccups.
Kyla Roma helped me out with this one, 1 tbsp of vinegar. Last time I had the hiccups, all I did was measure the vinegar out and my hiccups went away. That’s how effective it is!

Baking Week #1

I’m hoping to make this a weekly feature on my blog, but you’ll have to forgive me if it doesn’t work out that way.
Disclaimer: While I do love to bake, I am by no means an expert. I’m still new to this and still produce my share of failures. I just want to be able to share what little bit of knowledge I do have with others and show them that baking isn’t scary!

This week we’re going to ease into baking with a peek at my baking pans and my favorite baking blogs.
I was recently asked (in a comment here on my blog) how many baking tins I own. Being the crazy person I am, I took them all out, counted them and took a picture. I make no apologies. Here’s the list:
1 square brownie tin
2 muffin tins
3 loaf pans
4 mini loaf pans
3 spring form pans
1 Bundt cake pan
1 giant cupcake pan
2 cookie sheets
3 pie plates

This list doesn’t include anything else that pertains to baking. I have decorating bags, icing tips, spatulas, cookie cutters, sprinkles, extracts, etc… But that isn’t stopping me, I want more.

Now for my favorite baking blogs. Some of these I just read for inspiration, others I actually take recipes from. I’m always looking for new ones, so feel free to recommend any not listed!

17 and Baking: She bakes lovely things and takes even lovelier pictures. I feel like we should be friends!
52 Kitchen Adventures: Brand new blog added to my Google Reader. Not all of the posts are baking related, but I love that she is using unusual ingredients.
Annie’s Eats: Again, not limited to just baking, but you’ll find some great ideas on her blog!
Bake at 350: I love looking at the pretty pictures of pretty cookies!
Bakerella: When I grow up, I want to be Bakerella. She’s my biggest source of inspiration. She’s also writing a book. Guess who’s going to buy it when it comes out?
Buns In My Oven: Another blog that’s not entirely devoted to baking, but I never fail to get hungry when reading this blog.
How to Eat a Cupcake: She provided me with my go to banana espresso muffin recipe. I eat them for breakfast.
Joy The Baker: I love Joy! I wish I lived closer so I could attend one of her classes.
Not Without Salt: Gorgeous pictures that will make you want to bake, guaranteed.
Pioneer Woman: More cooking than baking, but I really couldn’t forget to include her! She also gives away Kitchen Aid stand mixers like they’re candy. (I wish I could give away even one!)
Recipe Girl: Again, not just baking, but there’s a few recipes I’m dying to try out!
Savory Sweet Life: Her banner says exactly what I love about her: Everyday recipes from an everyday home cook!
Smitten Kitchen: Another one of those blogs where I never fail to walk away hungry. Her baby also happens to be ridiculously adorable.
Sweetopia: Purely an inspiration blog for me, I haven’t yet dabbled in cookie decorating. Check out the blog though, you won’t be sorry you did.
The Red Deer: I originally found this blog because she baked a cupcake for every letter of the alphabet. Clearly we need to be friends. She’s currently doing 20 Sweets in 20 Weeks.

Next week I hope to start posting recipes for my favorite go to baked goods.
I’d like some feedback though: What do you want to see? Anything you don’t want to see? Could you even care less about this?

Blogging Through My School Years: Grade 2

You can find kindergarten and grade one here.

I believe we moved over the summer, so I was starting grade two in a brand new school. Who’s the Boss seemed to be pretty popular this year (even though I just looked it up and it came out in 1984…). The main characters in the show are Tony and Angela. Guess who was in a class with a kid named Tony? Yeah, me! We got made fun of quite a bit because of this. Despite that, I still love the show, and suddenly have an urge to watch it again…

One of my first days in class, I sat behind a girl who had just come back from vacation with an awful sunburn; she even lifted up her shirt to show me! Whenever I think of sunburns now, I can’t help but think of that incredibly odd moment. Apparently lifting up your shirt to show off your sunburn is an excellent way to make friends, because we became friends, naturally!

My most vivid memory of grade two however, is of a boy named Gabriel. Gabriel had an awful temper. So awful that I still shudder when I think about it. Our teacher was a saint for putting up with him! He often pushed his desk around and flipped over chairs when we wasn’t pleased with something, which made sitting behind him a rather scary thing to do. He never had an eraser, so he thought the proper thing to do would be to lick his finger and then rub the mistake out, which resulted in a lot of holes, and a not so happy teacher. Whenever the teacher tried to correct this behavior, Gabriel threw a temper tantrum. I bet every kid in my grade two class has such fond memories of those moments!

Ten On Tuesday

#21

1. Of your current hobbies, which would you choose to spend more time, money, and effort on? Why?
I bet you’re all expecting me to say baking, aren’t you? Well I’m not. Assuming that I’m suddenly going to be gifted with the extra money for this hobby, I’d say crafting. I love to craft, but I’m seriously lacking in the supplies department. There are quite a few basic things that I need to stock up on and with this extra money, I’d do it! But if I have to use my own money, well then all of my hobbies are being put on the back burner right now. We’re on a tight budget.

2. List the two other hobbies/habitual activies (not chores) besides the one listed above that you regularly do now and didn’t choose in question one.
Baking and Blogging.

3. Why are you spending time on the above two hobbies/habitual activities at all if you really wanted to spend your time on the first one you chose?  …or to put it another way, what are these two hobbies/habitual activities fullfilling that the first one doesn’t if you don’t want to put all your effort into the first hobby?
I don’t think anyone needs to devote all of their time and energy to just one hobby. I personally need some variety and wouldn’t even mind if I had a few more hobbies!

4. Ready John 3:16 in the bible… In what way does this passage affect you?  What are your feelings towards these words, positively or negatively?
I already know this passage, practically by heart. It used to be my favorite scripture, but lately, I’m taking a break from everything church related. Not something I’m really too interested in getting into on my blog, because religion is such a tricky subject to talk about.

5. M&M’s: nuts, no nuts, or peanut butter?
Apparently I’m the only person in the world who didn’t know about peanut butter M&M’s. I’m crying over this travesty. Since I didn’t know about it, I’ll have to say no nuts.
(I am trying to convince Stephen to go buy me some peanut butter M&M’s now though.)

6. Putting away the feeling of pride being a bad thing; what secretly/openly are you proud about yourself?
My baking. Even though I’m constantly worried about people not liking it, I’m still proud of the fact that my family and friends all love my baking, even when I produce some failures. They’re all incredibly supportive.

7. Given one room in the house to do with what you want, not changing the actual size of the room and with all the money you would need, what would you do, and be specific?  (this can range from bouncy floor,walls & ceilings; to hard wood floor with wood paneling and purple ceiling with a chair; to nothing)
Well since I have to do this with a room in my apartment (and not in a future house), I’m picking our bedroom. I’d pick out a brand new King size bed and mattress, a new down comforter, new sheets and pillows. I’d also pick out a new dresser and book shelf, new art work and buy some things to help organize my closet. I feel like our bedroom needs the most work right now.

8. What’s the next movie you’re going to see?  Not what you’d LIKE to GO see, but the next movie you realistically are going to watch.
Probably the original Dirty Dancing, on DVD. Unless I happen to turn on the TV and find another appealing movie.

9. Use the keyboard only and make your best smiley/funny/cool face –> like this! 8^)
The only smiley face I make are: :) :(
I guess I’m not that cool.

10. What makes you cry? What makes you pray? What makes you laugh?
This list would seriously be a million miles long. I cry when I’m happy, I cry when I’m sad. I cry at the drop of a dime, seriously. I laugh at jokes, funny shows, when Stephen is being goofy, I just love to laugh.
As for praying…well, I probably don’t pray enough.

Things That Make Me Sad.

Every time I see a commercial, or read a blog post about someone using any one of these, the baker in me cringes and cries, all that the same time. Maybe you guys will give me heck for even posting this, but I want everyone to know the things that make me sad:

This is my number one offender. I cannot stand pancakes from a mix (sorry Mom). It doesn’t matter what kind of pancake mix you use, I just don’t like it. I’ll eat it to be polite, but it doesn’t mean I’m enjoying it. It doesn’t take that much extra effort to make pancakes from scratch. Trust me, it’s worth the “work”. 
This one is new to me, I actually just discovered it today: Betty Crocker’s Cupcake Icing.  I just don’t get it. Icing in a can? Really? If you’re no good at using icing in a pastry bag, I doubt this will be any easier. Homemade icing is much tastier anyway.
This is the part where you’ll probably expect me to post a picture of boxed cake mix and store bought icing but…I’m trying very hard to restrain myself. I did grow up on the stuff, but I’d much rather put in the “extra work” (in quotations because I honestly don’t think it’s that much extra work for a basic cake) and make it all from scratch.

The pièce de résistance? Dr. Oetker’s Shaker products.
 All you do is add milk and shake. I don’t care how hard you to try to convince me, this isn’t baking.
These are the things I could come up with off the top of my head. I’ve probably left some things out, but after reading a blog post (I won’t mention which blog, because I have absolutely nothing against her!) I just had to get this out there, and one little Tweet wouldn’t have satisfied me.

(All images found via Google Image Search)

Library Books

On Monday, Stephen and I had a rare day off together. After running some errands, I convinced him to come to the library with me. In the almost 2 years we’ve been dating, this has never happened. Stephen reads, but I can’t ever convince him to come to the library with me. Here’s a peek at what we both picked out.

My picks, from left to right: Big Fat Cookies by Elinor Klivans, Cookie Craft by Valerie Peterson & Janice Fryer, Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult and Second Glance by Jodi Picoult.

Andi and I have been talk about Jodi Picoult books quite a bit lately, and since I’ve only ever read My Sister’s Keeper (long before the movie), I figured I’d give it a try. I’m currently reading Salem Falls, and so far, so good! As for the two recipe books, would you really expect anything different from me? The next couple of weeks will probably involve a lot of recipes being copied down!

Stephen’s  picks, from left to right: Fix-It Magic by Joey Green, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith and Waiter Rant, by The Waiter.

Stephen and I both love random bits of knowledge. Did you know that if you sprinkle NoSalt on a wood log before burning, the flame will burn pink? What guy wouldn’t love a book with Zombies in the title? As for Waiter Rant, because Stephen works in the Restaurant industry, he was naturally drawn to it. I’m only hoping that I can become a speed reader so that I can burn through not only my library picks, but Stephen’s as well. He picked some good ones!

Thursday Thoughts

• I had Monday and Tuesday off (as well as Saturday and Sunday)…and I accomplished absolutely nothing. I was sick the entire time. Frustrating because I was just sick the weekend before. All of my plans for starting a baking feature this week went right out the window. I’ll work on it this weekend.
• Can I just talk about the weather quickly? It’s been gorgeous here! 10C (50F) the past couple of days. I approve.
• We added another guinea pig to our home. I was worried that Piglet wasn’t getting enough interaction and exercise, and since guinea pigs are very social critters, I thought it would be best if she had a friend. I do take Piglet out to play lots, but she needs time with another Piggy as well. We found a guinea pig on Kijiji, so we went and adopted her last night. She’s a long haired guinea pig, and super cute. Stephen named her Tigger. Piglet and Tigger are still getting used to each other and trying to establish who the boss is. To be honest? It looks like my shy skittish Piglet is going to end up being the boss! Who would’ve thought?
• I don’t understand the burlap craze in the blogging world (and beyond) right now. Burlap curtains, table runners, lamp shades, pillows and even jewelry. No thank you. Let’s move on.
• I’m currently obsessed with pretty packaging materials. Feel free to send baker’s twine, stamps and Japanese masking tape my way. ASAP.
• Are my cell phone pictures annoying you? I used to have a proper camera, until someone broke it (not going to mention names…). I haven’t replaced it since, and I am desperately missing it. A new camera needs to be my next big purchase…but we’re on a strict budget around here for a while longer.
• I wrote this on Twitter not too long ago:
   Hayley responded saying that we have to go. And you know what guys? I’m actually considering it. Call me crazy if you have to. I think it would be so fun to round up a few crafty bloggers and get them to come along as well. Know what else? I talked to Stephen about this, and he might be on board! Non-scrapbookers are encouraged to come, and if we were to go to the Greek Isles, he would come in heart beat. I may even just invite my whole crazy family! I need to start saving money. And if it doesn’t work out? I’ll have some money saved up for another vacation!
  Um, now that I’ve written this out, I’m starting to feel crazy.
• Got a question for me? Ask me anything right here on my Formspring page.

Ten on Tuesday

Twenty.

1. If you were given an hour to use a $200 Amazon gift card, what would you buy?
I’d buy myself some of the cookbooks I’ve been wanting. (If you’re curious, clicking the links will take you to the cookbooks, in order of how much I want them. There’s 4.)
That’s probably going to account for about half of my gift card, so I’ll use the rest to buy myself storage for all of my craft stuff. Oh, and ribbon. I’m obsessed with ribbon lately.

2. Are there any fairly common foods that you’ve never had?
I honestly can’t think of anything, but I hadn’t had lamb until recently. That’s the closest answer I could come up with.

3. What was your favorite way to use your imagination as a kid?
I loved rounding up my sisters and various other friends, and putting on little performances in our backyard. Once, we found Romeo & Juliet play books at a garage sale, so a friend and I often put on performances of the balcony scene.

4. What’s your favorite state? Why?
Georgia, because I was born there!

5. If it was our culture to have our parents choose our spouses, do you think yours would make a good choice?
I definitely think that my parents would have the best of intentions and try their hardest to pick someone I’m compatible with, but I honestly think no one can pick your spouse better than you can.

6. What’s your favorite herb?
Lavender. It’s so dreamy. (Why yes, I did just describe an herb as dreamy!) I want to run through fields of lavender.

7. If you could have dinner with one celebrity, who would you choose?
Jake Gyllenhaal. Helloooo lover!

8. What’s your favorite Disney movie?
I’m in love with pretty much every Disney movie…I don’t think I can narrow it down to just one!
True fact: In high school, my friends and I made our own Disney music CDs and would sing to them every chance we could. We were just that awesome.

9. If you had to listen to the same song over and over for 24 hours, what song would you choose?
Time of My Life by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes.
I have a ridiculous urge to watch Dirty Dancing now.
Also? I totally just burst out singing this song, which made Stephen cringe.

10. How do you order your steak?
Medium rare.