Go-Kart Sledding

The kids had a blast this morning (and the Moms too!) getting pulled on sleds behind a go-kart. We're hoping to get out some more to enjoy the dump of snow we've been having!Josh and ChantelElaynaJosh, Chantel, and ElaynaAdriena was a great little babysitter for AlyssaElayna & Josh getting pulled by Aunty Laura, Adriena & ChantelThe kids all piled together and Josh drove so the Moms could have a turn!

Ice Cream Cake Recipe

I had two requests for this recipe so here it is:

1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package (4 serving size) JELL-O instant pudding mix, any flavor
3 1/2 cups (1 L) cool whip whipped topping, thawed
1 packaged chocolate, graham cracker, or vanilla crumb crust.

Prepare crust and press into pan (springform pan works best for removal of sides when ready to cut). Spread sauce on crust if using (see below).

Pour milk in bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk until well blended (1-2 mins). Let stand 5 mins or until slightly thickened.

Fold whipped topping and extra ingredients (see below) into pudding mixture. Spoon into crust.

Freeze pie until firm, about 6 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Variations:
Rocky Road: Use chocolate crumb crust and chocolate pudding mix. Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows, and nuts to filling.

Chocolate bars: Crush chocolate bars of choice and fold into filling mixture and sprinkle on top of cake (eg. Skor, Oreo, Reese's, M&M's, etc).

One more tip: Spread a layer of chocolate or butterscotch sauce between crust and filling layers.

ENJOY! Serves 12.

one of those days . . .

Although this pic wasn't taken today, it kinda describes the kids today - lots of meltdowns and misbehaving. It probably doesn't help that we've all got a bit of the sniffles too. They had early naps (by request, that's how tired they were) and then by late afternoon they were all over tired again and bouncing off walls. I got a workout cleaning crayon off the girls bedroom wall (too bad I painted it last month, otherwise I would have left it like last time), and had my patience tested a LOT today. But in the middle of it all, there was still some laughs and calmer moments - and I definitely enjoyed when they were all napping at the same time.

I attended a presentation on early literacy yesterday which I really enjoyed. It really highlighted the areas the girls were excelling in and showed me some activities and ideas on how to work on their literacy skills. I had already been seeing a big improvement in their letter recognition lately (thanks to the Word Whammer we got for Chantel's birthday) and Elayna has really started getting better at writing letters lately. She still hasn't written her whole name out but has written "OPA" and a bunch of other letters. She likes to ask what letter spells something and then tries to write it. We also got a list of good internet sites for games and activities for kids and the girls have tried a few. I find it frustrating to find good ones for Chantel since she doesn't have control of the mouse yet but Elayna is doing quite well with it.

Brad's been busy over the past week taking out tile and replacing drywall in the bathroom upstairs in order to get it ready for a new tub surround (gotta get it done before the surgery!) and I've been busy getting the downstairs bedroom cleared out (I moved all the cabinets to the garage by myself) to get it ready for a boarder moving in with us this weekend. So I haven't been touching my sewing machine much except to make a new cover for a high chair for our church nursery - much easier since I already made one for ours, all I had to do was trace and cut since it's the same size. Hopefully next week will be back to normal around here.

Our sweet baby

Alyssa is a very affectionate baby and her newest trick is kisses! She loves to give them in that great way baby's do - with her tongue sticking out.

Chicken Pillows Recipe

1 pound chicken breast meat, boned and cubed
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 pkg phyllo pastry (find this in the freezer section, and thaw out)

Combine all ingredients, except butter and pastry. Marinate overnight. Cut pastry sheets in quarters. Wrap chicken pieces in pastry brushed with melted butter to resemble bite size pillows (start on one end, start rolling up the chicken, fold over the sides, and continue rolling till end). Once they're all on the baking tray, brush tops of pastry with remaining butter.

Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Or freeze unbaked on trays and bake as needed at 400F for 20 minutes from frozen. Serve with tzatziki dip or plum sauce.

been spending some time in the kitchen . . .

I've been taking a forced break from the sewing room to get some food ready for tonight. When you have a Mom that used to be a caterer, you learn a few recipes along the way.

Teriyaki beef kabobs, cheese spread, meatballs, rocky road ice cream cake, and chicken pillows.

Health update

Just an update on our health issues:

-Brad's been scheduled for surgery to fix his hernia and is going to be off work for three works. Thankfully we have insurance for this and that it's winter and not the busy summer months at his job.

-Elayna has an appointment scheduled with a specialist to get tubes put in her ears. Antibiotics did not clear up the fluid and she still doesn't have her full hearing. It's frustrating but after two months, we've adjusted to her louder singing and having to get in the room with her when we're calling her for something.

-Alyssa has had a 100% turn-around with her congestion. I used a health store product called Coryzalia the last time she had a bad cold. It's pre-measured doses three times a day for five days. It's especially recommended for repeating colds. It seems to have done the trick!

baking cookies

Well I let the girls bake cookies this morning. They decided on smarties and mini marshmallow cookies and away we went. They did mostly everything but use the beaters (Elayna even did a great job on cracking the egg) and when we were done, they wanted to keep going with lots more ideas on what to make. I guess I'll have to add aprons to my sewing list for them this year and encourage this helpfulness in the kitchen (might come in handy as they get older).

Alyssa just discovered puff snacks for toddlers and she could literally live off of them - she loves them that much! (and the Heinz brand is on sale at Safeway this week so I bought 3 of the 4 flavours for her - should last a little while).

happy birthday to me!

Just had to share the beautiful flowers my hubby came home with today for my birthday.

girls "New Year" gifts

Well, I meant to finish these bible covers for the girls for Christmas but it didn't happen - so I'm calling them New Year's gifts instead. They came with a new bible inside for each of them since their old ones were looking a little rough. And the best part? I got to use up some more fabric from my stash - slowly the pile will shrink. I'm trying to avoid buying fabric for awhile and using up what I already have, and see how long I can go without renewing my Fabricland membership.

my biggest clothing purchase off Ebay

I love Ebay. I've bought my double stroller off there, lots of kids clothes, some clothes for myself (especially maternity!), Boyds Bear blanket and pillow, our comforter for our bed (which we got for a third of the price as the same one at the Bay - and we still love it five years later), gifts for people, FABRIC!!, Sunday shoes and dresses for the girls, etc, etc. I love finding things for a better deal than the stores, and being able to avoid the malls. I buy some things second hand in good condition, but a lot of things brand new.

So I came accross this auction for size 5 girls clothes - 6 complete outfits (3 that included a matching jacket), and a size 6 fancy dress (that we'll be saving for Elayna's Christmas concert next year). I received the big box yesterday and am very pleased with the quality of all these new (and good brand names) items (tags still attached). All of the clothes have room to grow but she can wear some of them now already (she's just outgrowing size 4 but not quite a size 5 yet). I'll be putting some aside for September when she starts kindergarten (which will be nice for the back-to-school budget). I would definitely buy in bulk like this again! It saved on shipping and I'm done for awhile with her!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Thought I'd squeeze in a post before the first day of the new year is up. We had a fun time last night at some friend's celebrating the stroke of midnight while our babes all stayed home and slept. Then today we went toboganning for the first time with our kids and they LOVED it! Even Alyssa - she was letting out big laughs as she watched the girls go down. She even went down once with Chantel and me (strapped to me in a carrier). We went toboganning at a hill just off the highway (thanks to Jen's quick eye) and even had a fire with hot chocolate after. Then we headed to friends for dinner and games. It was a fun filled family day and a great way to start the New Year!

Alison, Chantel, and Elayna getting ready for another ride down the hill!


Enjoying the campfire.


Alyssa relaxing on our (Star Trek?) sled.