The story of my husbands amazing (almost) exploding apendage

So, my husband is an NDT which means hes a Non-Destructive Testing Inspector. He works with Radioactive X-Ray equiptment to inspect welds on pipelines for Natural Gas and Oil. Right now, he is a level 1 which means that hes basicly an aprentice... to be this we moved to Alberta from BC, he worked for a couple of different companies, had to take all kinds of courses (that cost all kinds of moolah) took his level 1 course & his government exam (which had an obseen failure rate and was an obseen amount of money just to take) He was at the top of his class and passed his govnt exam... he has spent two LONG winters working like a mad man banking hours up north (10 hours away from home, hardley seing his wifey) Soooooooo this all leads up to NOW... he is in Calgary for the next three weeks taking his course to qualify him to take his level 2 exam which once he passes means that he will be able to run his own truck (aka: the goal) This course is way more intense than the level 1 and has a 90% fail rate AND the govnt has changed the final exam and the instructor has informed Jo-Ben's class that since the exam has been "improved" the fail rate has gone up 230%. yikes. SO needless to say, hes stressed. Hes staying in Calgary for the next three weeks so that he can minimize driving time and maximize study time. I guess last night around midnight his foot started hurting... Jo-Ben has a very high pain tolerance (and I'm not tooting his horn here because him his adoring wife) Its quite freakish actually... you should hear some stories from his mom... Well, two years ago we were living in Vancouver and we had a few friends over for dinner... I remember Jo-Ben was helping me with dishes and started to complain that his foot hurt- I thought that he was just complaining because he wanted to get out of dishes- but within mins he was rolling on the floor realing in pain. It was bad. within the hour his foot had swollen up like a balloon- it was quite scarey. We rushed him to a walk in clinic knowing that the emerg would be a LONG wait. By the time we got to the walk in clinic his foot literally looked like it was going to explode. (Que Amanda freaking out) The Dr. at the walk in saw him and basicly had NO idea what was going on... could be gout, flesh eating desises, a blod clot, an inflamed joint.... NO IDEA> so he gave him some Advil and sent us to the emerg. Great. We sat in emerg for most of the night (about 7 hours) and wouldn't you know it as soon as Jo-Ben's name was called the pain started to go away and the swelling went down... by the time we got into a room and a Dr. came in to see him it was back to normal. It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen... So last night around midnight Jo-Ben's foot started hurting again and bang- starts swelling up... I got a voice mail from the emergency room around 7 this morning saying not to worry but his foot was doing that weird painful swelling thing again... yeah right... don't worry?!? Its almost 11am and I haven't talked to him, I have no idea how he is doing and oh yeah, he has an exam in that really intense course that hes taking scheduled for this morning. A calculus exam that determines our future taken on no sleep with an extremely painful possibly exploding foot.... not a good combo. Anyways, that's whats going on in my life right now.
Update: I just talked to him (11:10) and hes not in major pain anymore, the swelling went down and wouldnt you know it, it was right before he got in to finally see the Dr. in emerg. ughhhhh. so FRUSTERATING. So, hes been up all night and is heading to class right now. wow, what a night/day for my poor hubby. :(

Desert Pizza

We had some friends over for dinner and for desert I made a desert pizza, Jo-Ben told me that I should have taken pics of my masterpiece but I hardly had any time- It was devoured in mere minuets. Basically my version of desert pizza is taking a tube of cookie dough and spreading it out into a giant cookie on a 12" pizza pan & baking it up till golden (about 15-20 mins)While it is cooling I mix a pkg of cream cheese and a tub of cool whip. Spread that on the completely cooled giant cookie. At this point you can top with whatever you have, I did Strawberries & Marshmellows and then drizzled the whole thing with melted white chocolate. Refrigerate till you are ready for desert and cut up into wedges with a pizza wheel. Its a really fast, fun & easy desert- and its really versatile because you can switch up the toppings to anything you want/have on hand.

So, I thought my desert pizza was pretty good but then I saw THIS grilled desert pizza online this morning and I am WOWED...
http://www.cleanhomejournal.com/view.aspx?pid=277

It looks awesome and perfect for the bbq season- I think it would be especially good with grilled stone fruit like nectarines and peaches as well as the strawberries and pineapples & topped with toasted coconut rather than drizzled with chocolate- yum. I am so going to try this one out the next nice day we are grilling. The nice thing is is that people can top it with whatever fruit they like- you could even get a couple of different jams or preserves so each person could even choose their 'pizza sauces'... or how about a banana split version taking a premade pizza crust, spreading it with nutella as the 'pizza sauce' and topped with pineapple, banana & strawberries and chopped roasted peanuts & throwing THAT on the bbq- amazing... oh man, desert pizzas here we come. :)

my transcendant songlist

This post is a reply to my friend Andrews most recent post. :) Music has always been pretty prevalent in my life... My Dad loves music and I probably know every song ever by Bob Seager, The Cars, Conway Twitty & Elvis just to name a few because of him... I remember driving with him in his car with the windows down in the summer time to some camping trip or another belting out Beach Boys tunes and my Mom's big black truck was always tuned to 650 AM or had a Meatloaf or Supertramp tape stuck in the tape deck... When I was a teenager I started listening to music that was "cool" (I DO know every word to 'Mo Money, Mo Problems' by Puff Daddy when he was Puff Daddy and not P-whatever he is now) Entering into adulthood Ive found music that is important to me, speaks to me and moves me along that I like no matter how cool or uncool they are, songs that have pushed me through and for that I am eternally grateful. Here's my list:

1. Jason Maraz
pretty much anything by him- he just has such a great voice and unique style & his songs remind me of my husband. I particularly love the song 'I'm Yours'

2. Jack Johnson
same goes for this guy- anything he puts out there makes me smile & reminds me of lazy surf days in Costa Rica mostly the On and On album and the Brushfire Fairytales Album

3. Cold Play
Their early stuff reminds me so much of a time in my life where I was searching especially the Live 2003 Album. My all time favorite Cold Play song would have to be 'Till Kingdom Comes' at the end of their X&Y Album

4. Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Album will always bring me back to being in high school and I still love all the songs on that record

5. The I Am Sam Soundtrack
Jo-Ben and I both love the Beatles and this soundtrack has artists doing some amazing Beatles covers. I especially love Sarah Mclachlan's version of Blackbird... nothing can beat original Beatles but this stuff is pretty awesome

6. The Arcade Fire
Love all their stuff- reminds me of tree planting... but only the good times :) Fave song: 'Neighborhood #1 Tunnels'

7. Death Cab for Cutie
my sisters all time favorite band of all time ever... shes obsessed to put it mildly. (I never thought she would get out of that Blink 182 phase....seriously ask her any lyric to any Blink 182 song... but then along came these guys and am I ever glad) I really like them too... I love their album Transatlanticism & I love the songs 'We Looked Like Giants' and 'The Sound of Settling' in particular. The lead singer is also in this band called the Postal Service which I adore

8. Feist
Anything she does I am in love with. Fave songs, 'I Feel it All', 'Lonely', 'Secret Heart' and 'The Limit to Your Love'

9. Imogen Heap
This band makes me feel weird and crazy but I love them and when I listen to them it reminds me of my sister and driving around Vancouver, I especially like 'Hide & Seek'

10. Sufjan Stevens
Hes just amazing... love all his stuff. His records are the kind that I can just put in and listen to all the way through and love every min of it. I love his song 'To Be Alone with You'... and all of the others :)

11. Lifehouse
another band who's stuff I always love all of... they also remind me of high school. Fave tune: 'Simon'

some random songs that I also love:
Keep Breathing- Ingrid Michaelson
Living Room- Tegan & Sarah
Apologize- One Republic
She Will be Loved- Maroon Five
Cold Water- Damien Rice
Everlong (acoustic)- Foo Fighters
Let Myself Fall- Rosie Thomas
Push- Sarah Mclachlen
Into the Fire- Thirteen Senses
Electrical Storm- Joseph Arthur
This Years Love- David Gray
Naked As We Came- Iron & Wine

Those are some songs that are important to me... whats your transcendent song list?

just stuff

Ive stumbled on some fun things today:

1. This blog: http://1000wordsphotography.typepad.com/allie/
I heart the photography, fonts & creativity

2. http://www.playlist.com/
coming soon to a blog near you thanks to the blog above!

3. http://www.ikeahacker.blogspot.com/
amazing... my mind is exploding with ideas

weekend

So, I had another long weekend this past weekend. I picked my mom up from the airport in Calgary on Saturday afternoon & we went straight to one of our favorite places... the Superstore!! :) After some intense grocery shopping we headed back to Three Hills and after unpacking the car, giving Mom the grand tour of the house & meeting my pup Joey the two of us headed out for a late dinner at the nice resteraunt here in town & a personaly guided tour of the town of Three Hills (if you come to visit me you might just get one too!) . We got home quite late and after a little chatting hit the sack. Jo-Ben returned from his week out of town in the wee hours of the morning (I think around 3 am). We all slept in and work up around 10 the next morning and devoured some fabulous fresh bran muffins, coffee and friut. It was a pretty miserable day outside weather wise so we just kinda hung out inside for the morning and had tea, chatted, played with the pup, etc. In the afternoon we prepared an early dinner/late lunch together (garden salad, fresh bread, roasted potatos, red peppers and cauliflower & some amazing steaks with my secret marinade) My auntie Debby and uncle Peter came to visit as they were in the area for a wedding and visiting friends and we had a great meal all together... sort of a quazi minni Thiessen fam gath (hey, Ill take whatever I can get!) Jo-Ben and some of his friends had their first outdoor game of the season in Red Deer so he had to leave for that (none of us were prepared to stand in the pouring rain and cheer him on- sorry babe!!! majority rules!) I gave another tour of Three Hills & took my mom, aunt and uncle to ssee my work. It was pretty cool showing my uncle what I do since he is a builder and I work in construction... showing him how we do stuff out here was fun. I also got to show him the old cars that the guys are restoring in the shop out back (some Cobras and Mustangs) as well as their multitude of quads... Ill never forget the look on my uncles face and my favorite line "I like this place..." hahaha he was like a kid in a candy store. My Mom and aunt were more interested in our coffee maker. :) After seeing Tres Hills we went back home for some yerba mate (of course) and had a nice visit. I am SO glad that they came- very cool. Just wish the weather was nicer!! It sort of cleared up in the evening but it was still cold. Mom and I braved it though and walked "downtown" to rent a movie and out to the Greek restaurant for some appys. Went back to my house and watched a couple of movies together- it was really fun to just hang out like we would if I lived back in BC or she lived out here. The next morning we got up and after a quick bite headed into the city for some lunch. We ate at this great Vietnamese restaurant & I got to have my fave: Vietnamese iced coffee- soooooo good. Its basically just equal parts espresso and sweetened condensed milk poured over ice but its delish. After lunch we went to Ikea and both spent way too much money :) poor Jo-Ben was plopping onto every bed and chair he could find... not his favorite way to spend an afternoon, oh well! We brought my mom to the airport and she had a little time before her flight so we had a Starbucks and then sent her on her way... all in all it was a GREAT visit. I am so glad that I was able to spend some time with her and show her around our little town. I really wish the weather would have been nicer though... literally the min we drove over the crest of a hill on the way home and saw Three Hills in view the clouds parted and the sun came out & today is a beautiful warm sunny day... oh well, that just means mom will have to come visit really soon so that she can see everything again when its sunny and nice out! ;) Hope you all had a great weekend- its back to work for me today!! CIAO!

My moms coming to visit me today! YAY!

Babaw that crazy Mexican

I'm posting a pic of my Babaw Milligan (Jo-Ben's grandma) because its amazing. Shes pretty much the best grandma you could ever hope to have. You should all be insanely jealous that she isn't yours. :) I figure since my family is posting this pic of her on Facebook I can post it on my blog too.

Joey

So, I made a collage of my puppy- I'm one of 'those' dog owners aren't I? Shoot!

Recipes

I had a mad craving for scones last night so I called up my Mom and got her awesome recipe for them (she has many but there is one that I like in particular) They are SO delicious... They call for fruit in them but I prefer them made plain and eaten with lots of fruity jam and a dollop of creme fresh. They are also really good drizzled with a thinned out icing.

Simple Sour Cream Fruit Scones

4 C Flour
1 C Sugar
3 tsp BP
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Salt
1 C Butter
1 Egg
1 C Sour Cream
(1 C dried fruit, frozen blueberries, fresh diced apples, or whatever you prefer)

Sift dry ingredients together and cut in butter. Mix together until a crumbly consistency. Mix in sour cream and egg until just moistened. Make sure you have a sticky batter, if it isn't add a little more sour cream (never hurt anybody!) Divide in half and form two flattened rounds on a cookie sheet (I used two round shallow cake pans) Now, my Mom's recipe said to bake at 350 for 12-15 mins until golden but mine took about a half hour. Bake until just slightly golden (you don't want them to dry out but you want the inside to be soft and moist and the edges to be crumbly) Cool for 10 mins and cut each round into 6-8 wedges. Drizzle with a thinned out icing, lots of butter & jam, creme fresh, or my sister's favorite combo: Mom's Strawberry freezer jam and cheddar cheese. No matter which way you eat them (I had a plain wedge while driving to work this morning) they are pretty amazing... very soft & moist and slightly crumbly with just the right amount of sweetness. I will post some pictures later!

While browsing food blogs today I found this link to this blog:

http://therecipegirl.blogspot.com/2008/05/oven-roasted-cauliflower-with-garlic.html
She is featuring a recipe for roasted Cauliflower... I kid you not, about 4 or 5 months ago I had my Bosses and their wives over for dinner and I made this EXACT side dish (minus the green onions) its pretty much EXACT. So weird. I was inspired by Bob from the cooking show the Surreal Gourmet (don't particularly like the show but I took this away from it so there ya go!) Anyways, he was doing this show where he was making food to look like other food (one of my favorite things in life) and he made this roasted cauliflower and put it in old fashioned popcorn containers and it looked like pop corn! So I took his version of roasted cauliflower and adapted it & made it my own and for a while there I could NOT stop eating it... & my bosses loved it so I know its not just me. Anyways, I was stunned- this recipe is pretty much the exact way I make it down to the lemon juice and grated parm and everything... we must be psychic twins or something! hahaha. Its a really good way of making cauliflower and tastes NOTHING like you have ever tasted cauliflower to taste like so make it!!


http://www.cookworm.com/2008/05/21/pineapple-basil-granita/
Also saw this recipe & it looks amazing so I had to post it... Ive made a watermelon grapefruit granita and a mango mint granita but I have never thought of combining pineapple and basil... I just might try it :)

Pineapple Basil Granita from cookworm.com, doesnt it look delish?!

Private Property

(first: three posts in one day? is that even allowed?!)

So, I have decided that I would like to make my blog private. If you would like to continue reading my blog please email me at amandabarkey@gmail.com and I will add you to my address list. I am going to go private after the weekend.

Cheers!

America's most expensive burger

a post dedicated to my husband as I am sure he would love to sink his teeth into one of these!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/20/americas-most-expensive-b_n_102707.html

When Jo-Ben is away...

I usually eat very differently when hes out of town. Last night, as I was tackling the 'chore list' (the very lengthily list of things to get done around the house before my mom comes for her visit... Iv'e broken it down into about 5 things to do each day to make it a litte less daunting & last night I mostly tackled the kitchen) I decided to clean out the fridge of old left overs, etc. I realized, while I was throwing out left over roast & chicken pot pie from a few weeks ago, that when Jo-Ben is around I make big family style dinners, meat and potato type of deals... but when hes gone I eat VERY differently, a bowl of cereal for dinner perhaps? or take last night... crackers and cheese, yup... that was my supper. They were fancy crackers mind you and a few different types of cheeses but never the less it was crackers and cheese. I rarely eat meat when hes not around and the stove doesn't usually get turned on unless its for an omelet or a fritatta. So, today, I was browsing the food blogs that I like and I am particularly inspired by the blog "shutterbean" The food in her latest post looks AMAZING- so simple. Definitely "Amanda" style food. So check out her latest post & check out her other posts too- her photos are fabulous. Have a good day you all!!! (and if your names are Anglea or Heather and you are related to me, post some pics please!!! I'm dyin' here!!!)

pictures on my memory card

Just a post of pictures for your viewing/laughing enjoyment!

My sister's future sister-in-law Courtney, moi & the bride to be, my sister, on our wedding shopping adventure in Metro Town when I was out to visit a few weeks ago!

Me playing soft ball for my work's team... this picture is of me playing ball for the first time EVER, thats right people... ever played t-ball or anything growing up... a little intimidating :)
This is a pic of me after I hit my first ball... I even got on base!
Sitting in the dug out with some of the construction guys and gals... can you see my new pink and black glove sitting beside me? My husband is the best, he chose it for me.
An amazing sunset a few nights ago, pic taken off of our back deck & down the alley... sure isnt Costa Rica but if we squinted a little it almost felt like we were there!

Whats new with me...

Well,
This weekend was very relaxing and allot of fun... not a typical May long weekend full of camping and such (wish SO BADLY that I could have been in Princeton ATVing, BBQing and whooping it up with my entire fam, can't wait for the pics to come up on Angela's blog, hint hint) but there was BBQ here in Alberta, oh there was BBQ... and lots of sun and time spent outside in it.

Friday night Jo-Ben and I along with some friends of ours headed out to Olds for a 'Bliztown' run (that's for you Rebecca) Man, you know that you live in rural Alberta when you have to drive 30 mins for a DQ treat. Anyways, it was lovely... Jo-Ben sure knows the way to my heart :)

Saturday we slept in and then after slowly getting ready (sorry Jo-Ben!) we packed up some stuff and the dog and headed into Red Deer where we met up with some friends (Chris and his wife & boys, see blog link in side bar... and his brother Andrew, also see link in side bar!) Saw Prince Caspian which at times was cheesy but mostly good... the boys loved it and lets just say the little boys wern't the only ones to jump during a few parts (ahem) We brought some Steaks in a cooler which I had thrown into a zip lock bag in my super secret fabulous marinade the night before & Jo-Ben, Andrew and I headed over to Andrew and Chris's other brother Matt & his wife Ashlea's house for some BBQ and to see their one week old babe Elijah Simon... pretty much the curtest baby I have ever seen...& I'm so proud of his mom and dad! We also got to give them a sweet baby present which was a print on canvas of one of my brother in law Josh's art pieces(you can view some of them on his blog which is in my side bar)... we have this one in our dining room and gave the same one to our friends:
I think they really liked it... I really want this piece too... but alas its sold.
So, after much steak and icey beverage ingesting, baby holding, story telling and laughing we headed back to Andrews house for an overnighter complete with chocolates on the pillows, what a host!

Sunday morning we went to their church, Streams, in Red Deer... we had been once before but it was kind of an odd Sunday so we decided to try it out again and wouldnt you know it, this week there was a guest speaker... its kind of funny because Jo-Ben and I have been looking for a church out here since last summer and lietteraly every time we have tried a church there has been a guest speaker or a special service on to some extent... its getting a little frusterating. Really cool church from what I have seen though, a really great sence of community and genuine caring & the guest speaker was awesome- really spoke truth into my life. After church went out for lunch with some young people from the church, I had an AMAZING lunch... it was a grilled chicken and shrimp salad with a mango and strawberry salsa and a creamy chili-lime dressing- very refreshing & SO GOOD> I think I am going to try to recreate it this weekend. Really nice getting to know some people from around there too.

Sunday night and most of Monday we just lazed about at home... Jo-Ben went back up north for a week on Monday afternoon and I started my cleaning frenzy. My mom is coming to visit this coming weekend so my house, car, dog, etc. needs to be organized, scrubbed, polished, etc. It may not look bad to the untrained eye but if Adina saw the state of all of those things she just might keel over and die... this is no exaggeration. I am planning a fun weekend for us complete with a dinner out in Calgary on Saturday night, out for brunch & pedicures on Sunday, a BBQ with my aunt and uncle who are also going to be in town, possibly going to Red Deer to watch Jo-Ben's very first game of the outdoor season & most likely shopppppping. We might even be able to enjoy our new patio which may or may not get poured this week. I am also planning on making a chocolate cake that I saw this morning on one of my favorite food blogs, confessions of a foodie bride (see side bar!) It looks AMAZING and with all this light BBQ fare I think we deserve a chocolate cake, no? So, lots happening out here. With Jo-Ben gone this week I will have lots of time to myself which is much needed after a weekend like we just had and the one coming up (& no distractions, other than the pup, while I am cleaning!)... I do miss the guy tons though, its always weird to have him be away weather its 5 days, 5 weeks or 5 months... just isn't the same. I am also making some visual changes to my Blog layout so bear with me as it is under construction.

OH! also, my pup Joey has an ear infection... not fun. Hes not in immense pain but his ear really stinks and he has major wax build up which they are taking care of at the Vet right now. He has also all of a sudden developed this weird thing where (very early) in the morning he has been barking to be let out of his crate to go do his business outside... I usually try to ignore him but when it gets really loud I give in and let him outside where he immediately hunches over and goes #2 (too much info?!) Its only been last night and the night before but very strange that its a habit that has all of a sudden come out of nowhere... any thoughts? I think it might have to do with his ear possibly bugging him and waking him up & then he realizes he has to go. ughhhh... well at least he makes up for it in cuteness. :)

Greatest News Ever...

90210 is BACK!

90210 has got to be one of my favorite shows of all time- its epic. I am still watching reruns to this day. Anyways, as I was perusing people.com this morning checking out the latest fashion dos & don'ts of the celebs & the latest news (Brangalina are having twins!) I saw this video http://www.people.com/people/videos/0,,20200217,00.html
I think my heart skipped a beat when I first saw the caption "Meet The Cast of the New 90210!" & btw Aunt Becky from Full House is playing the mom?! When did she get old enough to play the mom?! Weird but cool- I think the new series is going to be like The OC so I'm pretty pumped.
Oh man, this is shaping up to be a lame post. Well, at least I know my sister will enjoy it :)

Its been a beautiful past few days out here in Tres Hills (high 20s low 30s) & the forecast for this weekend looks amazing so we are in for some fun in the sun. Not too sure what we are doing- we were going to stay at home and work on the yard but now we have a new plan for the patio/fire pit area which involves us doing like no work so we don't have to worry about it which means our weekend is freed up- some of our friends out here will be camping so we may join them for a night or two but its all still up in the air... whatever happens there will sure to be BBQ & lots of playing outside. Whatever all you bloggers find yourselves doing, I hope you have a terrific long weekend everyone!!!

Yesterday

Yesterday was hard.
I knew it would be so I put up my walls and put on a brave face but the pain, although a numb aching, was still undeniably there. It was my first mothers day and I was childless. I did have a fur baby to take care of and the special boys in my life that I take care of who often feel like my kids (my husband, the guys he coaches in futsol at the college, my brother in law) and although there were many distractions cooking & baking and cleaning up for them, my mind kept turning to that aching emptiness, that feeling of longing. Longing for the touch I will never feel, the sounds I will never hear and the smells I will never smell. As hard as yesterday was I pushed though... I held my friends week old baby girl for as long as I could bear it, savoring her preciousness, hoping I wouldn't burst into tears in front of all of those unknowing people & wishing that I was holding my own... I cuddled my puppy wishing that his soft curves and deep sleepy breathing was that of my baby... There was an undeniable unavoidable void that simply cannot be filled. A friend of mine, who is going through the same pain as I am, wrote in a recent post that she feels like its unfair that there is a term for a wife who's husband has died (widow) or a parent less child (orphan) but there is nothing to call us... a babyless mamma? And speaking of terms, who ever came up with the term "losing a baby" I didn't lose anything, I didn't irresponsibly misplace anything... I would have done & did ANYTHING to hold onto those babies with every fiber of my being.... anything. I am growing through all of this which I suppose is a good thing- I have open eyes to some things that most people are just ignorant about- I will never ask a woman how far along she is if she looks pregnant, I wont ask a woman that I don't know on or near mothers day if she is a mother, how many kids she has or if she has any special plans for mothers day and I am more sensitive to names and terms that we have or don't have. So, yesterday as I honored and thought of the mothers, grandmothers, aunts and mother figures in my life (who are all amazing by the way- I am a very lucky girl) I also remembered women who are trying desperately to become mothers, mothers who have "lost" their babies and children and find themselves babyless mammas like myself & my precious babies in heaven who I will never again hold in my arms but always in my heart.

Saturday Stuff

Joey!

My computer is being so crazy right now but I have managed to upload a bunch of pics anyways... we will see how the rest of this post goes!
So, its Saturday morning- we just has some friends over for breakfast... it was pretty simple- pancakes and coffee but ever since I made these coconut spice pancakes adapted from the blog Cumin & Coriander (in my side bar) I have been trying out putting spices in my regular pancake recipes and they have turned out fabulous- Today I make my tried and true pancake recipe from my Betty Crocker cook book but I eyeballed in about a tsp of each of Ginger, Cardamon & Cinnamon and it just gave them a little boost of flava flave... delish. Jo-Ben is over at his friends watching some hockey game and I am sitting here posting (avoiding doing my Saturday house cleaning) Last night we went out to a lake about 20 mins from here and took Joey to where our friends are camping in their new trailer for the weekend & joined them for a camp fire and smores- there were about 4 0r 5 other small dogs there and Joey had a hay day. Hes so good with other dogs and kids... loves to play but is also very submissive too. Hes also really good at playing on his own- the other day he was playing fetch with himself... really funny to watch. SO glad that it is BBQing weather out- we have had a few this week (even braved the rain a couple of nights ago for some bbq goodness) We finally got rain after not seeing any around here since like November... we got an inch and a half in 24 hours- CRAZY! Its a beautiful weekend though- had some bbq prawn & pepper kabobs on the deck last night & I think its hamburgers for tonight... Even Joey is enjoying the deck. He loves laying out there in the sun or just running back and forth on the deck. When we finally get our yard done and fenced hes going to go nuts out there!
Ive posted some pics below for your viewing enjoyment!

Jo-Ben & Joey in the back alley... the odds of getting him to do his buisness outside are about 50-50 at present. Love the look on Jo-Ben's face.

Our basement under construction- we are building a suite down there. Here is the separate entrance and the soon to be living area.
The kitchen & access to the upstairs on the left of the pic, one of the bedrooms on the right side of the pic. The sink will go right below the window with the fridge to the left and the kitchen will be an L shape with the range on the right hand wall so there will be lots of counter space on the right hand side of the sink.
The view of the two big bedrooms in the back of the suite with the bathroom on the right and the laundry room also on the right closest to where I am standing. The kitchen & dining area is on the left.
The bottom of the stairs (I'm standing in our entryway) They had to cut out the wall to get our tub into the basement bathroom- you can sort of see it in this pic.

This is right next to the living area- its an office or could be used as a small bedroom- we are putting in a small closet/crawl space area.

This is right next to the office- its the pantry which we are going to put a small door in the back of so that we can use the small storage area under the stairs for ourselves & lock it up! Beside the pantry is the linen closet.

Joey stretching.

This is in the front entry for the basement- the front coat & shoe closet with a door in the back of it to get into the furnace room.

This is a view from the kitchen/dining area of the living area and then office.

Our friends came to visit us from Lethbridge with their 1 1/2 year old son- Joey and him had a great time... I think Joey thought he was a puppy too.

This is what Joey looks like right now because I put him on the chair... he doesn't understand how hard it is to have a sleepy puppy on your arm & to type at the same time!

Our new mirror that Jo-Ben put up.

Some pretty flowers that my mom sent me- shes a good mom. :)

Well, this is my view at the moment... you don't even want to see the rest of the kitchen. So I better get goin & start cleanin! Happy Saturday everyone!!!

pouting Joey heehee :)

Art Love

I was browsing etsy (my fave online shop for arts and crafts) and found these two artists whos prints I ADORE. Here are their links:

Raydel Photography:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5371593
Fine Art Photography by Irene Suchocki:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5064563

Check em out and feel free to snap me up a little sumthin sumthin and send it my way! Just kidding- unless your Jo-Ben, then I'm TOTALLY SERIOUS :)

Monday Monday

I ordered this jewlery stand...from Urban Outfitters online and its coming today!

I'm pretty darn excited about it. I have been looking for a stand to keep all of my earrings on so they don't end up piled and tangled in my drawer and I think this stand is so cute so I ordered it. There are so many cool things on their website so check it out! www.urbanoutfitters.ca I also ordered something cool for my sister for her birthday or wedding- can't decide what to give it to her for but when I saw it I knew that she had to have it... I can't post it on here though cause she reads this- what, do you think I was born yesterday Rebecca?! Our good friend James and his girlfriend Cori-lynn are coming out to visit us today and are staying for the week, Jo-Ben is excited to have his buddy around to help him with the yard (hehe) and I am excited to have people around to cook for & host! Its going to be a busy week but hopefully allot of fun. Joeys going to get so much attention hes not going to know what to do with himself! I hope it doesn't ruin our housebreaking routine... he was kinda thrown off this weekend because there were so many people around I think. I am making this sweet and sour braised brisket that I saw on Good Deal with Dave Lieberman which I prepped yesterday... the roast cooks on a low heat all day until it falls apart with a fork, I'm pretty pumped for it. Here is a link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_35262,00.html

Anyways, back to work... oh Monday.

Update, Survey & Recipe Time!

Well, Summer is officially here. Seems like we just bypassed spring all together and went straight into summertime- thats what it feels like anyways. We have been having a busy weekend full of summertime things so here is a brief update: We have been having a GREAT weekend, on Friday after work Jo-Ben and I drove out to Red Deer with a group of friends and met some of our amazing Red Deer friends at the new theater there (which is incredible btw) and saw Iron Man together... afterwards we went to AppleBees for some late night eats, it was Ironriffic... hahaha I'm awesome, you know it. Saturday morning I work up to my 'fur baby' licking my face and going crazy in my bed, we don't let him sleep with us- he LOVES sleeping in his crate but Jo-Ben thought it was funny to have him wake me up. He was so excited to see me first thing- he sure knows who his mamma is! :) Shortly after we woke up some friends of ours from Lethbridge called us up and told us that they would be in our area later that afternoon so we said come on over! My initial plan for my Saturday was spring cleaning day so what I had planned for the day I had about 3 hours to do which was interesting but I got the house in ship shape pretty fast. It was really good to see our friends even if it was brief, Joey LOVED playing with their son Noah... hes 1 1/2 so hes more Joeys size than any of us and he was playing with Noah like he was another puppy- so cute. After the Stromsmoes left we got all ready for a BBQ that we were throwing that evening- it was a BEAUTIFUL day and we had about a dozen friends over to have the first official BBQ of the summer on our new deck with our new BBQ- it was awesome. We had tons of burgers with all the fixins, my famous guacamole and chips (to honor cinqo de mayo which is tomorrow), hash brown casserole & a huge veggie platter... it was delish. Ooo and I also made some AWESOME blended Mojitos (recipe courtesy of my cousin Sara, I'll post it below) We also had a rousing bocce ball game after dinner in our 'dirt yard' we are planning on putting in sod in a couple of weekends from now but the dirt was actually surprisingly really good for bocce. This morning we slept in and then I made a HUGE brunch just for the two of us of berry smoothies, coffee, minni fritattas, waffles and smokies... yummyyyyy. Now, Jo-Ben is out varnishing some wood outside that he is using to build some benches for our deck and I'm puttering away at the laptop. Jo-Bens got a soccer practice in Red Deer today that he is pretty pumped for and I am going to stay home and do some of that 'Spring cleaning' that I wanted to do yesterday. Pics of the weekend to come!

Also, My bro and sis in law have made is safely to North Carolina and from what I hear are getting settled in their new bungalow- so happy for them.
& our friends Stan & Becky had a beautiful baby girl this morning- Hadessa Faith, blessings on all of them!!! ... Still waiting for the newest Kooman babe. Can't WAIT to meet him or her!!!

So, I have been seeing this on lots of peoples blogs lately and since Heather tagged 'anyone' and I'm super board & wasting time here is my fabulous four survey:

Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Executive Assistant, BCP Contracting
2. Tree Planter, lots of different planting companies
3. Server/Bartender, Moxies Bar & Grill
4.Movie Theater Employee, Town Cinema Centre

Four Movies I've Watched More than Once:
1. The Notebook
2. Braveheart
3. Love Actually
4. Lord of the Rings (all of them)

Four Places I Have Lived:
1. Abbotsford, BC
2. Medicine Hat, AB
3. St. Teresa, Costa Rica
4. Three Hills, AB

Four TV Shows I Watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. The Office
3. Big Brother
4. Survivor

Four Places I Have Been:
1. France
2. Nicaragua
3. Spain
4. Belgium

Four People Who Email Me Regularly:
1. Facebook
2. Kraftfoods
3. Martha Stewart
4. Christ Notes
(wow, no real people... Facebook has officially replaced my email)

Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Key Lime Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis
2. Anything south of the boarder (South American, Mexican) especially Lomos Saltados & Ceviche
3. Vietnamese Hot Pot Soup, Salad Roll & Agadeshi Tofu
4. any and all Sushi

Four Places I Would Love to Visit:
1. Costa Rica
2. South East Asia
3. Brazil
4. Africa (everywhere)

I am also tagging 'anyone' so there ya go... waste some time.

Sara & Nat's Blended Mojitos

2 cans Limeaid concentrate

1-2 cups Gin (I like Bombay and only used about a cup)

Ice (enough to make it the slushy consistency that you like)

Mint Leaves (torn, maybe 6 or 7 leaves)

Sugar (to taste, I used about a Tbsp or so)

Make a jug of Limeaid using enough water for one jug (I believe its 4 cans, it'll tell you on the side of the concentrate can) but add two cans of concentrate so that its really strong Limeaid. Pour some Lime aid into a blender with a good amount of ice, the desired amount of Gin, a bunch of mint leaves and a touch of sugar. Blend till smooth & you've got yourself a delicious, refreshing, minty, limey drink! I made about 3 blenderfulls using up all of the ingredients that I had and each jug made about 4 drinks (depending on who's drinking them and how big their glass is!) I also garnished the cup using some fresh lime wedges, next time I think I will rim the glass with lime and sugar and maybe add some lime zest into the drink or on top for garnish... ahhhhh perfecting the Mojito- gotta love summertime!

Compassion

I came upon this image recently. It is the 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning photo taken by Kevin Carter. The photograph shows a famine stricken Sudanese child trying to reach food. Behind her is a vulture waiting for her to die so it can feed upon her. She was crawling towards a UN food camp about a km away.
Kevin Carter, a South Africa photojournalist, committed suicide two months after receiving the Pulitzer Prize. His long time friend, Judith Matloff, stated that Carter would often return from upsetting assignments with bouts of crying, drinking, or using drugs. She says that after he shot his Pulitzer Prize winning photo, he "sat under a tree and cried and chain-smoked" - he couldn't distance himself from the horror he saw.

No one knows what happened to the girl in the picture.
In his suicide note he stated that he was haunted by the vivid memories of killings, corpses, anger, pain, starving and wounded children and trigger-happy madmen.
This world is fallen. All of us suffer. But if you are reading this you have it far better than most. Right now, half the world (about 3 billion people) lives on less than two dollars a day. Because of poverty, over 30,000 children die every day. Every year 2.2 million children die because they are not immunized and 15 million children are orphaned because of HIV/AIDS.
It's easy to live in our comfortable lives, detached from the rest of the world; most of us don't want to fully realize how much suffering is really occurring in the world. They say ignorance is bliss but who benefits from it? Nobody.

A few posts back I wrote about how my husband and I adopted a 'Compassion Child' & after seeing a picture like this I am reminded why.
I struggle with compassion and empathy for our fallen world and pray often for more of it. I pray that I will be more selfless, not consumed with the world that I find myself in and what it has offer me. It is only temporary and moving past me at an enormous rate. There are many people suffering, many people who have not heard about their Savior, Jesus Christ. We should always be motivated to spread the good news to the fallen world & have more compassion.

I hope this post was a wake up call to someone- I know seeing this picture today sure opened my eyes a little wider.

http://www.compassion.ca/

Life stuff

This week was hard.
Jo-Ben went out of town for a few days and during that time I got really sick... If I cant have my mom around when I am feeling down in the dumps I at least want my husband! :( oh well, I got through it and my lovely pup kept me company. He is AWESOME. We finally named him (thanks for the suggestions everyone!) We are calling him Joey. I think its a good name for the little guy because when he runs he sort of hops like a baby kangaroo so Joey it is! He rarely does his business in the house which is amazing, as long as we remember to take him outside regularly and be patient and sit with him for like 10 mins or so he will go outside. Once in a while when we forget to bring him out for a while he will go inside but he is paper trained so its most always on the paper. He never cries at night in his kennel... Ive heard him whine in there when he knows I'm home during the day and I don't let him out right away but that's cause he is so eager to play. He also never does his business in the kennel which is awesome. He doesn't eat allot but for his size I think hes eating enough. The two days he was really nervous around us and his new environment but now hes warming up to us- especially me! -hes a mamma's boy & hes very playful but also very cuddly. He plays fetch and brings things back to us without us even having to say fetch or anything- he could go for hours going back and forth playing fetch with his toys. Ive also never heard him bark- hoping that that stays that way but pretty cirten that it wont! Anyways, we love him to bits. Its so funny, its almost as if we have a new baby... Jo-Ben will call me at work and be like "guess what Joey just did!?" or like when he made it all the way up the deck stairs by himself we were so proud... so silly! Its fun to see him learning new things though. I am SO glad its Friday- no big plans for the weekend other than potential soccer game for Jo-Ben in Red Deer, potential going to movie in Red Deer, spring cleaning the house (we were knda forced into spring cleaning when we had to take all of our stuff out from storage under the stairs in the basement because our basement suite got framed last week so this weekend I am planning on organizing it and putting it and the two closets full of random stuff and putting it all in the attic) BBQ on Saturday afternoon with some friends & potential Bocce Ball tourney... I am going to attempt making my fave burgers from Red Robins the blue cheese burger crossed with the whiskey river bbq burger... ill let ya know how it turns out. I'm also debating making my fave hash brown casserole or a potato salad and a massive veg platter. Hope the weather is good for our first BBQ on the new deck at the new house! The forecast says it should be but its super overcast here today... but you know what they say in Alberta- if you don't like the weather, wait 5 mins. So yeah, looks like this weekend has allot of 'potential' Ill post on Monday and let yall know how it went & I will post some pics of the basement reno too! oooo also my mom is comming out for a visit the last weekend in May- Im so excited!! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend, I'm planning on it!!!