Happy 1year anniversary to Kailey!

 

 

Tomorrow (May 1st) Marks the one year anniversary of Kailey job at Solutions. She is off for the weekend so I sent her some chocolate covered strawberries from Edible Arrangements today. We just wanted to mark this day, its an important milestone and we are very proud of her.  Since she has been there she has seen 3 managers come and go. She is one of the longest lasting employees at this branch, and I think that says a lot about who she is.

Technically this is Kailey's second job, she had one at the age of 14. However that place didn't turn out to be the best place for her to work. The one thing that I am so thankful for with Solutions is that every manager that has come into the position has very much liked and respected Kailey for who she is. Each one of them had seen the potential in her, and all of them had taken their knowledge and taught Kailey had to be a great employee. She has had the best guidance possible, with each co-worker providing her with confidence and support.

When Kailey had turned 15 she had been very shy, not really insecure...just shy and people may have found her in a working environment maybe hard to approach. All she needed was some guidance, and experience. With knowing that, we had her register at the Cambridge Hospital as a volunteer. It was the best decision we made for her as parents. She blossomed. She gained much faith in herself. She grew tremendously.

Eventually she managed to develop courage and certainty in herself, she had the ability to provide a confident leadership in a company.

Thankfully Solutions gave her a shot, they interviewed her and she got the job. They saw her potential and they wanted her.

The first manager worked closely with her, providing structure and direction. The other employees were kind, and patient. It just proves how wonderful of an employee she is when the district managers know her by name and tell her directly how much they like her. She's a straight shooter, like her dad. She speaks her mind and handles situations incredibly maturely. She never lets her  emotions get the best of her. The self control she demonstrates is admirable, along with her capacity to maintain professionalism in any situation.

Her dad and I are so proud of her, she is the hardest working 18 year old we know. School comes first, then work and next her family and friends.

We are so happy to see her off this weekend for some fun with friends. She has had a busy year, and has worked very hard. That gives us reason to celebrate. Congratulations baby girl...one whole year at your first real job is a true reason to be proud.

Tonight when I lay my head down to sleep, I will be giving thanks for my girl. My amazing, beautiful, smart talented daughter who we love beyond words.

Until tomorrow chummies, good night and god bless~

!00 Things I want to Teach My Daughter..#96 Real life is always better than online~

Real life is always better than online~

I don't think I can stress this enough, and I know you know that! Thankfully you have never been one to put your life on social media and try to make it look more impressive than it already is. I am grateful for that....thank you for knowing better.
I hope and pray that you continue on your journey with this continued confident self respect. I know you understand that those who continuously put their lives on line through social media are doing so for attention. I do not mean those who use instagram or the occasional facebook update, that's expected in todays generation. Honestly there is nothing wrong with that. Its normal and healthy to use those outlets. My concern is related to those who chat for hours online, online gaming and any addictions related to life online.

Please promise to never find yourself in a relationship where your love interest is addicted to anything online. My precious girl you will never come first if you settle for someone like that. Playing online games is not the same as someone addicted to them. Those who don't follow through with promises, jobs, relationship agreements and goals due to their online enslavement.
You will never be able to compete with the electronic brain, especially if he doesn't have a mind of his own.
Social consequences are a very real part of gaming addiction. Addicted gamers spend so much time playing that their personal relationships get neglected and sometimes disappear altogether.  The strain on a relationship is draining, its not worth it.
Now lets look at the other side of the internet. There are so many good things that have come out of google. The internet has made our world somewhat smaller, because you can look up anything and find out so much about what ever it is you are interested in. I mean, lets say you want to check out a National Park in British Columbia. It takes 2 seconds to do a search and find out so much about it.
Just remember Kailey, there is nothing better than seeing those things for yourself. NEVER rely on the internet and google search to bring you the information you are seeking. Travel the world, see it yourself. Promise me you will not shorthand yourself with the convenience of mass information at the tip of your fingers.
Just so that I don't get any hate mail regarding those who use social media, online games or the internet as a relaxing tool to unwind from a long day. I want to make it clear that unwinding online after a long day of work is a lot different from missing work because of an online addiction. I for one am the first to get caught up on Youtube catching up on my Youtubers.
Pinterest is another obsession in my life. My dear Kailey let me leave you with this, live your best life. Always be up for adventure, take pictures and explore this world...its a gift. Keep Social media at a safe arm's length, especially when you become a wife and mother. I do firmly believe parents these days have it a lot harder, we all have a form of addiction when it comes to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the other vises we have to battle daily. Take me seriously when I say to not document your whole life and share it online. Keep some parts of your life guarded, because I promise you do not want regrets. Once you upload something to the internet you know its there forever. Forever is a very long time darling~
Well chummies,  there's not much more to say...this is my opinion, and my advice to share with my daughter.
With that said, until tomorrow good night and god bless~

Happy Tuesday & who is Italy Bound?

Some days that's all i'm going to have to say.....hoping every one has had a good day. My day was great! Kailey finished her final exam for her class, Braden is done school for the summer. We had an afternoon with the three of us at home so we decided to go to the movies. We went to a matinee and saw the movie Furious 7, and it was such a good movie.

 I am trying to spend as much time as I can with the kids as come September Kailey will be off to University, I am aware of how much she is going to grow and change once she is off in school.

Really..once our kids leave for school, they don't typically come back to us. After school finishes, they hopefully have career's lined up and find the perfect living accommodations. It's  an exciting time, and its also a shift in our family life.
After our movie, I had a phone call to make. Then I met Heather for a drink to celebrate her birthday. She told me her daughter Shannon is off to Italy on Friday for 3 weeks.

 How amazing is that!! Shannon is in school to become a teacher, and through her program she has the opportunity to teach at a grade school in Italy for 2 weeks. They have a program at their school were they teach about Canada. They learn English, and the Canadian student teachers come up with a curriculum to teach the students about our Canadian culture. She then gets to travel for week, such a wonderful opportunity.
 I sent her a text wishing her a wonderful time, and I suggested she try to get to Capri Italy while she is there. It is by far one of my most favorite places in the world. There is nothing like sipping on Lemoncello walking the streets of Sorrento or Capri.

 Its so weird to have our children at this stage of life. I mean its just a matter of time until they are working in their selected fields, and eventually married with children. *sigh*
After my drink with Heather I came home and begged Paul to walk the dogs with me. It was close to 10pm so it was late. But it was such a nice night out. He had done a six mile run this evening, so he wasn't thrilled about going on a walk. He did it...because he loves me! *smiles*
Well that's my day in a nutshell chummies~
Until tomorrow good night and god bless xo

Just a little chili and jar of Apple pie

Typically Sunday's we have family dinner. We really enjoy those dinners, and its important. I actually made a dinner that I normally would have made in the fall. But first let me share with you this small gem I pulled off for dessert.

~Apple Pie In A Jar~

I have a infatuation with desserts in a jar, so just bare with me while I try different ones each week. Hopefully I inspire some of you to do the same :)

Ingredients:

• ready made pie crusts: 4
• sugar: ¼ cup
• cornstarch: 2 tablespoons
• cinnamon: 1 tablespoon
• apples: 2½ cups sliced or diced
• canning jars: 12 four-ounce jars

Heat Oven to 350 Degrees F

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and apples in a medium bowl.

Fill each pie crust with the apple cinnamon mixture, and make sure you add a little of the mixture’s juice to each jar.

Top with another piece of pie crust trimmed to fit the top of the jar. Poke holes in the center of the top crust with a fork, or with small cake-decorating punches

Top each jar with foil and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the top crust just starts turning a light golden brown.

That's it!! So easy...they were pretty good too. Not my favorite. But if you are looking for a quick easy neat little dessert i'd try it. Maybe add some vanilla ice cream. I also used Granny Smith apples. Which I did like.
Below is a picture of dinner...I made some homemade chili, yes chili...in spring! Crazy...I know, a total fall dinner..it was delicious and they whole family loved it.
Another successful Sunday family dinner...I swear its my favorite night of the week~

Until tomorrow chummie's...good night and god bless~

Tis' the season Friends....thats right!! Prom Season!!

This time last year I was preparing for my daughters Prom. It seems these days Prom is much like a wedding. The preparation is extensive, time consuming and expensive. Even though the months leading up to this special day was at times beyond challenging in the end it was all very much worth it. If this is your year, the year your daughter or son is graduating highschool. Please keep in mind how important this night may be to your child.
  Many teens today feel that prom is a rite of passage and a high school milestone. Prom signifies the end of a high school career, more so than graduation. It's typically the last school function they will share, as what follows is friends leaving and moving to different cities and towns. Many of your son or daughters friends will not be heading in the same direction as your child. They may all be going to different Universities, colleges or possibly heading back to redo some highschool courses. Kids suffer a lot of stress during these times, maintaining their grades inorder to be accepted into their program of choice. Maybe teens feel the pressures of picking a program, and not knowing exactly what it is they want to do for future career choices. I guess Go crazy one last time before reality hits, and choices need to be made.
As for us parents, we have more worries about Prom night. We have to worry about excessive drinking, drug use, car accidents, rape, pressure and even low self-esteem issues that prom can spur.
For me, I felt leading up to Prom it was so important to keep communication open with my teen. We discussed every topic mentioned above. For weeks, we would have discussions around safety with drinking, drugs and sex. Typically a Prom will consist of a whole weekend of parties. Our group of kids usually go camping for the weekend. Obviously that was more nerve wearing than Prom night. The thought of our daughter sharing a tent with boys, and drunk friends was terrifying. We did our best, we gave her all of the information over and over again, praying that she was respecting and understanding all of our concerns.
We don't know everything, and we are certainly not perfect. I am sure there is much we don't know about our children's Prom nights. Nor...do I really want to know. But I can say with certainty that both of my kids went to their Prom's and both came home from the experience with happy memories to last a life time. At the end of this whole ordeal, bottom line is their safety, and its up to you as a parent to make the right choices. Try to respect them and their choices as well, do not judge or criticise their resolutions.
If they come home all in one piece with funny stories to share and an experience of a lifetime, let them be. Those are their reflections, their own adventure. As long as you have spent all your time and energy trying to provide them with all the information they need for a safe night, then your job is done.
Lets go back to the whole self-esteem issue I mentioned. Once spring hits the school, prom tickets are being made, venues are being sought and dresses are being searched. We have the rumors of who is going to ask whom to the Prom. We see cupcakes decorated with four simple letters P-R-O-M?.

 Banners spread amongst highschool hallways with questions of possible dates for Prom. The pressure is on, in todays growing need of sensualisation and social media coverage. These poor young men are put to the test to come up with the most inventive way to ask one simple question "Will you go to Prom with me?"
Even though the crushing competition is on for these young men, the girls are being judged on how well of a job "their" guy did. We as adults know this is just ridiculous. Being the mother of a young lady who was asked to prom I made it clear to her to be sensitive to the young mans feelings. Be thoughtful of your response and remember this whole "Promposal" is not an easy thing for a young man to do. Any effort he puts into this is to be appreciated. Regardless of the attempt, be kind and be thankful.

Last year was the first time I had ever heard of the whole "Promposal" ritual. My understanding is that it has always been a thing in the United States, but its only been the past few years that the Canadian kids have picked it up as part of their teenage culture. Honestly, I do like it. I think its a great way to teach young men about "romance" or more likely how important it is too put in an effort to make a young lady happy. It was so neat to hear how some of these young men teamed up together and helped eachother out with ideas and the execution of a proposal.

 How they spoke with other girls in their class, or the friends of potential date to see what she would like. Many had asked their siblings or parents for help to come up with a real cool way to Prom-pose.
My daughter even had some girl friends who Promposed to the guy. Which again I think is fantastic. Why not? Equal rights for women right?

Anyways, typically there is a Prom theme. Remember in that movie "Never Been Kissed" with Drew Barrymore. The graduating class was trying to come up with a prom theme, they were throwing out ideas. Some schools go extreme, check out the couple pictures below.

                                                         (Paris themed Prom)
These Prom themes are pretty extreme. They are beautiful, but in my opinion not necessary. The amount of money that goes into Prom is outstanding. I'm not sure if the extra's such as lighting and themed based decorations is a good idea. Although its beautiful, and the pictures are very pretty...its not always in the best interest of those attending to put their money towards this.

                                                                (Frozen themed night)

Our kids rented a very nice hall, they had a few decorations along with a photo booth for take away photo's. The tables looked elegant, the atmosphere was perfect. Overall it was a great night.
Please be prepared to have a budget once you start planning your son or daughters perfect prom night. Be upfront with your teen, give them the budget amount and work with them towards the best possible outcome. All the parties need to be happy, and if you start early enough with your planning and money saving then you will find this event should be a success.
Over all friends, be patient with your child. Please keep communication up front, open and honest. Keep in mind how important this night will be to them.
Well until tomorrow good night and god bless~

Have a wonderful weekend my Lovelies

Potatoe and chicken loaded casserole

Hello Lovelies,

 

     So tonight I tried a new recipe. The family really liked it, I didn't love it. Thought I would share it here for you. I think maybe if I would have served it with some ranch dressing rather than sour cream it might have been better. It is worth a try though, easy recipe and low cost too.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed

6-8 medium skin on red potatoes, cut in cubes

⅓ c olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp hot sauce

2 c fiesta blend cheese

1 c crumbled bacon

1 c diced green onion

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a 9X13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce.
4. Add the cubed potatoes and chicken and stir to coat.
5. Carefully scoop the potatoes and chicken into the prepared baking dish.

1. Bake the potatoes and chicken for 55-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through, crispy, and browned on the outside.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon (about half a pound).
3. Once the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked, remove from the oven.
4. Top the cooked potatoes with the the cheese, bacon, and green onion.
5. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
6. Enjoy and you can serve with sour cream or ranch dressing, if desired.

Well it was a pretty uneventful day, hoping your day was wonderful~

Until tomorrow good night and god bless~

Preventing Caregiver Burnout~

I have been a full time caregiver for 20 years, some may call it just being a mommy. Basically that's how I see it as well...except my mommy duties have been much more complex over the years. Looking back through those years, I can now see all the oversights I have made. Many of those mistakes have been of my own negligence. Due to these misjudged decisions, the one who has suffered is myself.
Today I am tired, I am exhausted and I am doing everything I can in my life to find my strength and pull myself together.
If you by chance are reading this, and you are a caregiver...please keep reading and please take my advice seriously. Do not make the same mistakes that I have made.
Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't hesitate to accept it either.

I suppose when I was a twenty year old mother of a medically fragile child, my biggest concern was his health and recovery. I put it all on me.
Every part of his recovery,his happiness and his life I felt was my responsibility. I can finally admit, my reasons were simple...I had felt so at fault for his injury that I forever had to bear the pain of his rebuilding. I won't even begin to tell you about the lost nights of sleep that I had prayed and begged for the roles to be traded. Oh how I wanted to take his pain away, and because I couldn't do that..the next best thing was to throw myself into the midst of everything. Stay busy..
Redeem myself~
and that's exactly what I did.
Reminiscing back to the days in the beginning, I wouldn't even let Paul do much. There had always been an element of guilt. A feeling that it wasn't Paul's fault why should he be sentenced to a life that required him to submit his wants and needs to fully take on the role of a caregiver.
As tiring as it was, he resumed his life at work and I quit my part time job and gave up on my wanted career as an ECE teacher. I was now going to be a full time stay at home mom, with a part time nursing, physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, speech therapist and nutritionist position.
Looking back, this advice that I am about to give you..I sadly did not take. Because of this, today I am paying for it. Whether or not I made all the right choices we will never know. Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if I would have returned to work. How would things be different today if I would have hired a full time nurse?! The problems we have today...I wonder if they'd even exist?
I don't look back often, It was a choice for me to stay home. I don't really regret it, I have had a wonderful life being available to my kids. Homemade dinners, attending gymnastics, hockey, ringette, drums and guitar lessons. I was blessed to be home, but I burnt out...and if I would have known back then what I know now, I would have had more help.
So here it is friends,
One of the first important things anyone should do when thrown into a traumatic life situation is develop a team of supporters.
1. The Manager
Usually this person's role is too manage, direct and supervise. The manager is the one who keeps you in check. Makes you step back and see the big picture. Its so important to manage all the appointments, all the doctor appts, therapy appts and everything else that is of importance. He or she can be available for attending some of these meetings and take notes and pay attention while you speak with the professionals. This person may also offer support if you are getting bad or upsetting information.
I was fortunate, my husband was always available for appts. He didn't attend all the therapy clinics. I guess if I could change anything about that it would be to have others help out with the therapy. I was always the one who took him, and at times he resented me for that.
2. The Record Keeper
This person is the one who keeps you on track. She would be someone to remind you of your appointments. I do remember once I had Kailey, it became a bit more challenging. Not only did I have to worry about getting Braden to his appointments but now I had to worry about what Kailey was going to be doing for the day. I had to find child care for her, be sure someone could take her too and from school. What would I do for dinner? It would have been SO nice to have someone take control of that. Thankfully my mom pretty much did this role, I was blessed to have my parents around for Kailey. Usually my mom would have some dinner made for us. If you are reading this and you ever find yourself supporting a family member or friend during a difficult time, make food. Bring them meals..there is NO time for worrying about dinners when you have a sick child. I wish I would have had more support with that. It was just my mom, I am blessed to have had her. We would have been so screwed without her.
3. The Social Networker. So you can stay in touch with others.
This is an important role. We did not have anyone to fill this, although we did ask family to call eachother and keep everyone updated. There was no social media back then, thank god...and in the very beginning we didn't have email.
Exhaustion is a very common problem when you have a child with an illness. After a long day at the hospital, the last thing you want to do is read emails and messages and respond. My advice is to find someone you can trust and have them play this role. We did rely on my parents to contact others, but honestly if you wanted to see how things were you'd to have been at the hospital. It didn't really end either once we left the hospital, we were admitted repeatedly over the years. Therefore, it made it very difficult to keep in touch with others and keep them informed. If they wanted to know they had to contact us. I wish I would have had someone like this in my circle. I guess then I wouldn't have so much regret today.
4. The De-Clutter. To keep your house maintained.
Another very important role, and thank you again to my parents for keeping my house clean and laundry done every time we were admitted back into hospital. The one nice thing about having my parents so close was that whenever Braden was admitted into the hospital I was never behind on laundry and house cleaning. My parents did it all. I suppose if I would have had more support my parents could have been there more for us, thank goodness we were blessed enough that Paul and I could be together much of our time. The lack of energy after a day at an appointment or over night stay due to tests is overwhelming. Honestly the last thing on my mind at the end of the day was how clean my home was. Sometimes I was embarrassed, stressed and ever so devastated with state of my life, I at times had no control in my own world. Its a scary place to be, and when you feel like you can't even direct your home it can cause such duress. If you find in a similar situation please seek out someone who can be your de-clutter person. Having a messing, disorganized home during an already chaotic mess can cause further stress. Once a week, find someone who can tidy, fold laundry or organize a meal plan. Its amazing how much just a few hours a week can help out someone who's in need.
5. The Distractor~ Someone to remind you to take care of yourself.
This is probably the most important one. Again if you know of someone who is living a life in which all of their time is consumed with a sick, ailing or physically challenged family member please take some time to spend with them. Encourage them to get out, they need to take time for themselves. Find some information on the importance of their own health and well being. I remember when I first realized I needed to stay fit. Remain active, join the gym. How am I suppose to care for someone else who relies on me when I am not even able to care for myself. Once I started running way back in the day...I was feeling much better about myself. Even mentally it helped me, 1/2 hour a day of physical activity can do wonders. Please incorporate this person into your life. Find this friend who can gently encourage you to step away and care about you. Even if you could commit yourself to one afternoon a week where you can stay and care for her child or relative, it would give her the much needed time to rejuvenate and regroup. Also, be sure they care for their own mental health. If you notice they are showing signs of depression or anxiety...remind them to get some help. Find a therapist who can help them with their worries.

Trying to balance all these systems in ones life can be challenging. Overwhelming life changes can paralyze you, so if I can leave you with anything taken from my own experiences it is this;
"Let them know you care, remind them to care for themselves first. Be a leader, take control and help out where needed. Let them know its ok to trust you, that you want to take from their very tired hands some of the burden they have been carrying. Do not be sensitive, many of us have lost much control and that can be scary. Find ways to keep them in control, be caring of that. Do not put expectations on them, it will only cause further pain and feelings of defeat. Be gentle, kind and understanding. Please remind them that they matter, and that someday this too shall pass~
Until tomorrow my friends good night and god bless~

Ollie and Ella at the spa

Today was spa day for Oliver & Ella. Those two lucky little ones get pampered beyond pampering. Its such a good feeling when they are finished, and come back in all trimmed up and sparkling clean. They also always smell so good.

When I had gotten Oliver 5 years ago, I didn't realize that these little dogs needed to be groomed so frequently. I had never had a dog with hair before, they've all had fur. The difference is with hair its just like our own hair, it gets dirty and oily. So then you have to wash them more frequently. I didn't know that so poor Ollie went for sometime without having his first bath. Eventually I got the hang of it, and we got ourselves into a good routine of bathing. I didn't ever really want to take him to a groomer, I was so nervous about it. I absolutely hated the thought of leaving him. He is so attached to me, I had anxiety of leaving him with someone I didn't really know. So I sortof learned how to trim him myself. I watched Youtube video's, bought some clippers and off I went.

It wasn't too bad, lol...sometimes I did a hack job and he came out looking like a mongrel. Poor lil' Ollie.

But then Ella came into the picture and with her being a little girl...I didn't want her looking scruffy. She's such a cute girl, if I would have tried to do her hair...poor thing would have come out looking like a rag-a-muffin. I had to do something...

One day when I was walking the dogs a van had drove by and I noticed the logo on the side.

~ Touch of Love~ Mobile Pet Grooming

 

Oh my god...there's my answer.

What could be better than having my babies groomed right in my own driveway. Perfect.

No restlessness about leaving them without me around. I know groomers prefer to do their work without owners being close. Dogs are like children, when the parents are around they act up...so although I wanted to be near, I knew its better for all parties concerned that I don't stay with them while they are being pampered.

Marta is the owner and groomer of her company Touch Of Love, and she is amazing. I told her upfront that I am nervous about having them groomed. I mentioned how I would love to peek in on them while they are getting all pretty, and she was more than accommodating. She seemed more than pleased to have me in her van, I was welcomed to stay the whole time if I wanted. It was so nice to just pop in whenever I felt worried about how they are doing. Although neither dog likes to be groomed, they both really like Marta. They are always happy to see her, and show no signs of fear when she comes to the door. Ella however today realized why Marta was here and ran upstairs once she said her hello's. Lol...that made it easy to choose which one would go first.

 

Look who had to go first. I know he doesn't look happy and he probably isn't but honestly he really likes Marta. Once he is finished getting all handsome, when he comes in the house he is always so happy.

He is waiting patiently for his bath...

Just a pic of the inside of the pet grooming mobile van. She literally has the best set up possible. Inside this van there is even running water, hydro and electricity. She has a drying system, grooming table and all the necessary equipment needed for a safe and adorable haircut.

This is the van in my driveway..it seriously is the best possible solution for any pup-parent who may be worried when leaving their littles with someone who they don't know. On a bit of a side note friends, promise me one thing...you will never ever take your dog to be groomed at Petsmart. They have the worst reputation and truly have had so many injuries to pets that they shouldn't be allowed to groom anymore. My parents dog sit and they have many many clients. We have spoken to numerous people who have had terrible experiences with Petsmart.

Here is my baby boy all sparkling clean, look how proud he is. He knows he looks handsome. After their grooming sessions they both are always exhausted. So shortly after this pic was taken, he crashed. Oh my god he's so cute I love him~

Ella Bean wasn't as impressed. Sadly she hates to be groomed. She doesn't like to be touched, even by me. If she has a problem with her hair, maybe a piece of poop tangled in...she gets so weird. When I try to remove it, she gets so upset. Afterwards she runs upstairs and hides, where ever we are she will leave and not come back for a long time. She is a very sensitive little girl. I tried to get a cute picture of her after her grooming but she wanted nothing to do with it.
You can totally tell in her pic that she is upset, didn't want to pose for the camera. Poor girl.

Well friends, that's about it. If you live in our area and need a really good groomer please check out Marta. I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised. She is wonderful and does a fantastic job~
Until tomorrow good night and god bless~

http://www.touchlove.ca/

S'mores in a jar...and Sunday Family dinners~

How was your weekend Friends? I had a wonderful weekend. On Sunday we had my parents for dinner. We try to have dinners with them every Sunday, lately it seems to be going every other Sunday as life is busy. Eventually we'll be doing some weekends together at the cottage, I am looking forward to those summer days again real soon.
Speaking of the cottage, Hubby went there today. We have a new neighbour who is renting the cottage beside us. He is living there full time, I believe for a year. Anyways, nice enough guy. But he has this monstrous sized dog that doesn't really strike me as too friendly. If you know me, then you know that I love dogs...ALL dogs. So I don't want to hold it against this beauty of a bear dog, but honestly I do believe if he got ahold of one of my little ones he'd ruin them. It certainly wouldn't be due to him coming over to our property I know it would be an accidental death because my own 5 pound savage ran over to his property.  Back to Paul heading down to the cottage, he went down there to put up a small 1.5 foot safety fence. Literally the smallest fence I ever did see, but so darn practical. Not only will it stop them from taking off into our neighbours backyard, but it will stop them from visiting ALL the neighbours. SO often we lose Ella, she saunters on over to someone walking past our place. It scares us to death because she would literally go with anyone. She loves people and it scares the hell out of me. Scares me because I know she would go with anyone.

Paul finished the fence, it looks great considering how tacky it truly is. Thankfully it will keep them safe, and that's the important part.

Speak of the little devils...here they are enjoying a bone. Keeps them quiet...for about 5 minutes or so.

 

My parents came for dinner last night, we just had taco's. Quick and easy, but who doesn't love taco's! I wanted to make a different dessert. So I made some S'mores in a jar. If I would have had more time I would have challenged myself a bit more with a really cool dessert. But it was a busy day so I didn't get the chance. I will share with you this dessert, again its easy, quick and absolutely delicious.

Some of the ingredients below...

3.9 oz box of instant chocolate pudding

4-6 whole Graham Crackers

 chocolate chips OR any of your favorite chocolate

½ tub Cool Whip

½ small jar of Marshmallow Creme

½ C mini marshmallows

6 small Mason Jars

Start by prepping the ingredients - mix up the instant chocolate pudding, your favorite chocolate, and break up the graham crackers into pieces (as small or large as you'd like). Then, in a small bowl, combine the whipped topping & the marshmallow creme. It will probably be a little lumpy and that’s totally ok

Once those things are prepped, start filling your jars by putting a ½ -1 inch layer of the broken graham crackers.

On top of the graham crackers, add about 1 Tablespoon of the chocolate pudding & sprinkle with a bit of the dark chocolate pieces.
 

Then, add about 1 Tablespoon of the whipped marshmallow topping mixture. Repeat the layers, finally topping the jar with *toasted marshmallows and another sprinkle of the finely chopped chocolate

For the toasted marshmallows - You just need to broil them, for only a few seconds! Put the mini-marshmallows onto a baking sheet (having them be a little stale or cold can help) and put them in the oven under the broiler. You canNOT walk away…in fact, don’t even look away. I didn’t even close the oven door. I stood there watching for about 10. The moment they start looking a little golden, take them out.

Voila...finished product! Everyone loved them, they were so good!
I did get this recipe from Pinterest, I will leave the link below.

Until tomorrow my friends, good night and god bless~
http://www.momendeavors.com/2014/07/smores-dessert-trifle-in-a-jar.html

Have a wonderful weekend friends...

I will leave you with this...happens all the time to me! Just giving thanks on this beautiful day 🙏🏻

Making homemade bread

Well guess what I did today? I made my first ever home made bread. Actually dinner rolls, regardless they were home made and tasted SO good!!

I of course searched Pinterest to find an easy recipe, I am all about easy.

I do not have any fancy mixers, or even a bread machine so I had to do this with my hand held mixer. I never really had any desires to buy a bread maker in previous years. I guess because the thought of homemade bread in the house all the time would be deadly. We opted out of owning one, but lately I kinda like the idea of different breads. My friends Sue makes her own bread all the time, she makes amazing kinds. SO many different types. At their Christmas open house she always has such an array of cheeses, dips, sausages and breads...Oh its so worth the wait~

 

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment pour in your milk. Add the yeast and let set for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, eggs, butter and salt and mix on low.

 

Some of the ingredients needed...

Easy Pull Apart Dinner Rolls that can be made ahead and frozen. Bake them the day you need them.

Ingredients:

2 c. warm milk (105°-115° )
2 1/4 oz. pkgs. active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups all purpose flour

Stir in the flour slowly on low speed until you have a soft dough. You may need more or less than the 6 cups. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix on low for 3 - 4 minutes until the dough is supple and satiny



It calls for your dough to sit for an hour, covered and in a warm spot
My dough sat for longer than 1 hour, and boy did it rise....




Punch the dough down and make balls of dough about the size of a golf ball or 2 oz.




Place in a greased pan




Let the rolls raise until doubled in size. If desired you can brush with egg whites and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. I did brush in some egg white but I used some Garlic and Herb Sea salt from Epicure!! AMAZING!!  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 18 minutes.



Kailey was doing some school work this afternoon at the diningroom table so I took over two hot, freshly  baked dinner rolls and we had a snack. It was delightful.


Then Braden got home from school and we devoured a few more...he loved them too!




It was so nice to have these rolls with our dinner tonight. What a treat...I am seriously thinking on getting a bread maker after todays success. Maybe then I can try some different Artisan Breads.
Well until tomorrow friends, good night and god bless~