A Day in the Life of a Canadian Girl

Am I Back?

2006-12-12T03:02:00.000-05:00

Well, I kind of dropped off the face of the planet last year. I got engaged and it seems that I had no time for anything! Who knew that planning a wedding and a honeymoon could be so much work! But things have settled down now (well almost, Christmas is around the corner) so maybe I can keep up with my blog. I have a few minor things to update but I would basically like to keep the same format... posting about life and my favourite recipes!

Me, Myself and I

2005-09-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

Not much has happened in this last week, which is good. After all of the people laid off at work, schedule changes, training, inspections, etc it was nice to have a somewhat normal week at work. But it was slow. Which makes for a long day and long week.
Last weekend I went to a local apple festival. It was a beautiful day and I bought some of my favourite candles, 3 lbs of apples, gourdes and a kick-ass apple peeler/corder/cutter. It works great! I used it on the 3 lbs of apples and made 2 apple crisps... one small one for home, a large one for work. I should have bought more apples!
Here is the recipe that I use:

Apple Crisp
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 quarts peeled, cored and sliced apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, cinnamon,
nutmeg and brown sugar. Cut butter into mixture until crumbly.
Sprinkle apple slices with crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender.

Makes a 9x13 pan.

The S.O. is away up north for two nights so I have the place to myself until Sunday afternoon. I think I will take the dog to the groomers, pick up some sushi for supper and some snacks for later and maybe a movie. Exactly the weekend I need.
I am still suffering from that rash and my allergist appointment is just over a week away. I have been spacing out my predisone to make it last. But I have to be drug free for 4 days before I go. IT WILL BE HELL I am sure. I finally found a few conditions that it could be so I will show them to the doctor and see what he has to say. The last one I found really sounds like it could be it. It is called Atopic Dermatitis, which is a type of eczema. As long as I can find out what it definitely is, that is all that matters!

The Axe Fell

2005-09-15T11:28:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. The weekend was a right off as I was feeling really rough with the rash/allergic reaction I am having. I actually didn't leave the house all weekend. I saw my family doctor Monday and got put back on Prednisone (thank god!) and she is supposed to set up an appointment for me to see an allergist. I haven't heard anything yet and if I don't hear my tomorrow, I will call her. My biggest fear is that I will run out of Prednisone before I see the allergist and I will be right back in the beginning.

Things at work were very bad Monday and Tuesday. The axe fell with several hundred people across the province losing their job in our division. We lost one full time and 2 occasional people from our department. The f/t was going to retire next year anyway and the package she receieved was unbelievable. If she would have left last year she would have gotten nothing. One occasional had been with us 20 years but this was a second job for her and she was ok with it. The third was pretty upset as she had a f/t job in another department and worked with us occasionally. Her entire department got let go. But losing the people also means that we can't fill their shifts. So we still have the same amount of work with less people to do it. As sad as I am for everyone, the selfish side of me is happy that I still have mine. I love my job and the prospect of finding another like the one I have was terrifing. It is not a common job.

On top of all the job losses, it was announced that we are receiving an analyzer from another department and will now be responsible for all that testing. I am actually looking forward to it. It will be something new to learn (which I always think is a good idea) and I have already put my name in for the training responsibility. Everyone else is busy with committees and job duties and I don't have anything I my plate and I think that I am ready. I have been there over 2 years now and I don't think me being added some responsibility is too much to ask for. I mentioned this to my boss and he actually said that my name has been already put out there to be a trainer between the other department's supervisor, himself, and their boss, our manager. Made me feel kind of good! And our band new set of analyzers are coming next month. Ths will be a longer process as it has to be shipped in, set up, calibrated and patient verified. And of course everyone has to be trained. We also have our lab accreditation and safety audit. All of this is happening at the same time within an 8 week period. It will be sterssful and very busy but if we can get through these next 8 weeks, we can get through anything! Rumour has it that after the 8 weeks everyone has to get reorganized, there may be job losses again. I know that it could be me but after speaking with my boss, their thoughts are that they want to keep us young scarce skilled workers. That would leave me safe. I guess I will find out for sure in 8 weeks.

After work last night, 4 of us went out and had maragritas and food. We blew off some steam, openly talked and tried to keep a positive outlook on the whole picture. It was exactly what we all needed and we had a great time. It is a fairly common occurance to go out Wednesdays but since we hadn't in awhile, this one was quite therapeutic.

You Betcha

2005-09-10T01:31:00.000-04:00

Ever feel like just chucking everything out the window and saying:
?

Uugh

2005-09-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

So two days after I finished my steroids for the rash, it came back. I left work early yesterday as I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday where she should give me another prescription and send me off to an allergist. WTF is going on?!? I had plans all day tomorrow so I had to cancel those and I have nothing going on Sunday so it looks like a weekend on the couch for me.

We have a meeting at work with our manager on Tuesday. We are assuming that it will be the announcemnet on what is going to happen to our division. Hey, I don't care who buys us, just as long we all have a job. We think the layoffs will be management only. Someone needs to run the lab right? And if some lab personnel are let go, we figure the ones close to retirement will take a package.

The S.O. has been on contract for 3 years and as soon as he heard about my job, he got pretty worried. Wouldn't that be wonderful if we were both out of a job? But I think I am safe and he has an interview for a full time position! He is so excited as am I! He has applied every year to get hired full time and has never been given an interview. He says it is a really good sign and from what he has heard, the "interview" is just a formality. So hopefully he will know next week! Keep your fingers crossed! He wanted to get full time before he proposed to me. Maybe his will mean we can finally get married. I'm not getting any younger. ;)

Chicken With White Wine & Stuffing

2005-09-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

He is one of my favourite yet simple dishes. The S.O. loves this and I like it because of the wine and cheese. What could be a better combination than that?

Chicken With White Wine & Stuffing

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups pre-shredded Italian blend cheese (I like Sargentto)
1 can mushroom soup
1 box chicken flavoured stuffing
1/4 cup melted butter

Place chicken in a 8.5x11 baking dish.
Cover chicken evenly with shredded cheese.
Mix soup and wine together and pour over chicken and cheese.
Mix melted butter with the stuffing and sprinkle evenly over top.
Bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more.

Bits and Snippets

2005-09-06T12:21:00.000-04:00

So no major or earth shattering news so here is just some pieces of several small pieces of news:

We stopped by a friend's place on Saturday on our way to Costco. I think we "caught" them as it took him a long time to get to the door and he was looking a little disheveled. But it turned out they were going too so we waited for them to get ready and we all went together. After dropping $200 we went to Jack Astor's for a yummy lunch. We parted ways after that and the S.O. and went to pick some verticle blinds for our patio doors. We have been here since October and we still have nothing covering them. I think it is about time. I am ordering them today.

My rash is 95% gone! Thank goodness for steroids! My colour is back and the itching is gone. But the predisone did have two side effects: I lost my appetite (which isn't a bad thing really) and I was starting to get irritable. I only was given enough for 5 days so today is my last dose. Thank goodness and I hope it never returns!

My company that I work for is selling off the division I work for. At first I was pretty nervous about what would happen but everyone will think this is good news as we will finally get some attention given to us. We have been put on the back burner for a long time and kind of forgotten about but now we will be able to get our new equipment and systems, some of which is already in the works. There will be layoffs but everyone seems to think it will be lower and middle management, not the lab personnel. We are what keeps the lab going and we are getting our first set of new analyzers next month, several hundred thousand dollars worth. But if there are a few of us that has to leave, I think a few of us will be taking early retirement packages.

My babysat my niece for 8 hours on Saturday while my sister and BIL were in town for a baseball tourney. It was so fun! She is a great baby and is happy to play by herself. She is finally sitting up on her own now. Last month she just decided to do it. That was it. She is just over 10 months old now. She is definitely not in a rush to crawl and walk I think. :) We had lunch, snacks and a couple of naps and she was happy all day. My sister stopped in a few times between games and our folks came down to watch a few so they stopped by for a bit. It was a great day.
My niece looks so much like my dad. Our family definitely has the stronger family resemblance.

Posting pics through Blogger is really starting to piss me off. After I upload them and click to insert, nothing happens. No link gets inserted into my post. I don't know what is happening but it is getting frustrating. I have tried all weekend to post 12 pics on my other blog and I have only gotten to 6. I think I will just have to link them from my online photo hosting site. Stupid Blogger!

Going, Going...

2005-09-02T23:15:00.000-04:00

But not gone yet.
My doctor has no idea either what the rash could be from either. She gave me a script for Prednisone (steroid) and although she said it probably won't help until tomorrow, I can feel relief already thank goodness.
If I still have it in 5 days she is sending me to an allergist. I last time I itched was over 7 hours ago. Hopefully this is a good sign. And rash on my back seems to be going away.
But... I think I have had a slight fever on and off and my facial colouring shocked me. I look almost grey. Even the S.O. commented on it. But I feel ok. I hope it is just me fighting whatever it is that I have. Or me taking the Prednisone.
We will see what happens tomorrow.

Please Scratch My Back With Something Sharp

2005-08-31T12:17:00.000-04:00

I am going slightly nuts.
I have had a rash on my back and shoulders since last Wednesday. It wasn't until last Friday that I figured that it was probably coming from the new scrubs I just bought. I washed only the pants and not the tops, hence no rash on my legs. The scrubs were treated with teflon to make them water resistant. I thought I was having a reaction to them. Yesterday it got really bad and was spreading down my arms (these are short sleeve) and legs, but I had washed the pants. I washed all of them again and my bedsheets and it is still getting worse. Maybe it isn't from the clothes. I guess I had better call the doctor. I actually woke up at 5am in agony as it was iching so bad. I took allery medication and nothing. Like I said, I think I am going nuts.

Got a call last night at work from my sister and I was asked to babysit my neice on Saturday! Yippee! My BIL is in a baseball tournement here in town and my sister would like to have the afternoon off to watch the tourney. And she knows how much I love to spend time with my neice and I don't get to see her as frequently as I would like. So far that is all I have planned for the long weekend. How about you guys? Any plans?

What do you think of the video player? Yea or nay? It is causing slow downs or freezing? Have any requests that you would like to see?

Died This Day

2005-08-28T22:50:00.000-04:00

I got an email from my mom today. She forwarded me an article that was in the Toronto's Globe & Mail which was forwarded to her by my grandmother's cousin. Grandma passed away last year but many of her cousins still keep in contact with my mom. This is the article that was sent to me. One of the men mentioned was my grandmother's brother who served in the Canadian Navy. He didn't make it to his 18th birthday.

Died This Day
59 RCN sailors, 1944
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Served aboard HMCS Alberni, commissioned in Esquimalt, B.C., in February of 1941.

The corvette performed rigorous convoy-escort duties back and forth across the Atlantic and in home waters before being sent to Britain to support the invasion of Normandy in June of 1944. The ship was torpedoed southeast of the Isle of Wight by the German submarine U-480 and sank in less than a minute. Fifty-nine of her ship's company, most of whom had just been ''piped to dinner'' and were trapped below decks, lost their lives. Three officers and 28 ratings were rescued by two motor-torpedo boats returning from Normandy. U-480 was later hunted and sunk by the Royal Navy frigates Duckworth and Rowley in February of 1945. Newspaper Article

This is my great uncle Dick who died on the HMS Alberni at the age of 17. He was the youngest child of my great grandparents and I know his death was extremely hard on my family.

My grandmother had another brother who served in Canada's Airforce and was a highly decorated pilot.

Ho Hum

2005-08-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

So not much is really new.
I got my test results, probably before the study people did. I work at the lab that has the contract to do this study so I looked it up. Shhhh, don't tell anyone. You might find the next part boring (or interesting!) so feel free to skim if you want to.
Anyway, all my liver function tests are normal but ALP was a little high, but still within normal range. Urine tests all good, CBC what I expected (low hemoglobin, high platlets which is normal for me) but my tolerance test is off.
When I was at the study office, they did a quick finger prick to see where my fasting was. My glucose was 6.2, that's a litle high. When I saw that blood tests for fasting was a 5.4 I realized that portable testers and instrument testing can be off as as much as 20%. The instrument result would be more accurate. They took a sample 30 minutes after I had the sugar drink and it jumped high, just like it should. It was 9.4 but I am wondering if that it too high? 9.4 is pretty high. They then took a sample at 2 hours. It should fall near or below the fasting. It was 6.4. That's a little high and didn't fall to where it should. Now to be a true IGT, the 2 hour should be >7.4 but to be nomal is should be close or below the fasting so I am not sure where I fit in and what the study's criteria are. They might use a different set of standards. Anyway, that is what I know so far. Pretty normal but it also looks like a slight IGT.

Today is Swiss Chalet day at work. We are all ordering from there for supper. Funny how food can make everyone excited.

Our new instumentation is coming in 2 months. That is not a lot of time to prepare. We can see major shift and staff changes. All I hope for is that I don't lose any hours.

I have to work Saturday, it's my turn. But it won't be busy so I can have my long lunch. And that is all I have going for the weekend. Well, that and cleaning too. How exciting!

More Blog Changes

2005-08-23T12:28:00.000-04:00

A few chanes to note:
I have added in the word verification feature so combat the spamming. I hope you all don't mind typing in a few extra letters after your post. And if you do, you are just too lazy!
I added a new poll. If you would like another specific category added, just holler. I will try to accommodate you. But I think I have all the main ones covered. And no, I am not adding Swiss yodeling as a category!

Diabetes Study

2005-08-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

Well I think I have recovered from camping but the S.O. hasn't. Seems that he picked up a head cold so of course he is really grumpy and thinking that it is much worse than it is. Why are men big babies when they are sick?
We had a major storm go through just north of the campsite before we got there but the site just got a lot of rain and wind. Glad we didn't go any earlier! But there were confirmed tornadoes that touched down in the Fergus area. Tornadoes are a definite rarety around this part of Ontario.

I have signed up for a Diabetes drug study and have my first appointment tomorrow. It is a double blind study so no one will know if I get a drug or placebo. They are trying to determine if drug therapy can help lower your chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes even before you are diagnosed with it. I have a family history on my dad's side and I could stand to lose a few pounds so I was admitted to the study. They first screen you by blood tests to see if you have an impaired glucose tolerance. If it is positive there is a really good chance that you will develop diabetes in the next 5 years. If it is negative, you can still be a part of the study, but it is a side study where there is no medication involved and they monitor you. The study lasts for 5 years but you can opt out any time. Should be interesting and I can find out what my chances will be in developing diabetes. You can read all about the study on the CANOE website or here.

I had my first dentist apointment in three years yesterday. I lost my benefits when I got this new job and when I finally got benefits again, going to the dentist was one of the first things I wanted to do. I had a really good cleaning (I hate that part) and now they have digital x-rays. She took the pictures and they came up immediately on the computer screen. When the dentist and hygenist talked about certain teeth, I could look at them and see what they were talking about. I have just one cavity and she has to do some major refilling and some have come out and one even came out and chipping the inside and side of a back molar. I have deep pits in my molars and had a lot filled to prevent cavities. That is what mainly fell out. They set up 3 appointments for these in November. Ahhh what fun! But I really like my new dentist. She is young (mid to late 30's) and very nice. Good thing as I will be seeing a lot of her.

Quick Updates

2005-08-18T10:18:00.000-04:00

Ok, first off, the Def Leppard concert kicked ass! They put on a show like it was 1987 again! Joe sounded amazing and moved around the stage like he owned it. Joe, Viv and Rick S we on cue all night and all had amazing solos. Rick A played those drums like it was nobody's business.
Here is the set that they performed:

# Action
# Let's Get Rocked
# Women
# Foolin'
# Hysteria
# Promises
# No Matter What
# Love Bites
# Armageddon It
# Two Steps Behind
# Gods Of War
# Rock On
# Rocket
# Photograph
# Animal
# Rock Of Ages
--------------------------------
# Bringin' On The Heartbreak
# Pour Some Sugar On Me

18 songs that blew me away. Myself, and most of the crowd were up dancing and singing for all of them. The 18 year wait was worth it!

Today is a day off. But I have chores to do. I have to pick up my scrub pants that I am having hemmed, go grocery shopping for our camping weekend, laundry, clean up the back yard and pack all the camping essentials. We will be leaving when I am done work on Friday. We will be home Sunday. And it is supposed to rain all weekend. I hope they are wrong. At least there will be three trailers there that we can hang out in if it does decide to rain.

Pour Some Sugar on Me Joe!

2005-08-16T11:23:00.000-04:00

So tonight is the Def Leppard concert and I am so excited! I have waited a long time (18 years!) to see them and tonight is the night! I will be able to get up and close with Joe Elliott. Mmmm...

Not much else is new. My work uniforms came in on Friday and the pants are too long so I have to get them hemmed. 6 pairs. But at least they were free! Thank you work allowance!

Camping is still a go for Friday night to Sunday. I got to keep my day shift, even after all the drama (see previous post). She was cool about it with me and said I could keep it. She and FSIL have history and I got caught in the middle. She even mentioned that it had nothing to do with me. So I am safe. :)

It's All a Soap Opera

2005-08-15T08:05:00.000-04:00

It was another busy weekend from us.
Saturday we went to the wedding from hell. The ceremony was short yet meaningful and went off without a hitch. We had a few hours before the reception so most of us went over to my FSIL for drinks and munchies. It was a coworker of ours that was getting married. The reception was unbelievable. Our group (there were 12 of us) were very out of place. It was trailer park vs. the indian reserve. We saw no manners, ettiquite or couth at all. My friend isn't like that so I have no idea where it came from. We all left early.

Sunday we went to visit my parents as it was my dad's birthday on Friday. My sister wasn't there as she was shopping in Erie with a friend for the weekend. My BIL and neice weren't there as I guess BIL was tired as Paige was up all night. I think she knew mommy was away. :)

As most of you know, I work with FSIL. She helped me get my job that I have today. I honestly like everyone I work with and I get along with everyone. But FSIL and a coworker don't get along. And sometimes I get caught in the middle. Like right now.
I guess the coworker asked months ago for this Friday's day shift if FSIL didn't need it. She did at the time but situations changed and she forgot about this coworker asking for it. Fast forward a few months and I see FSIL name on the schedule for this Friday. I ask if we could switch (we are going camping and we would like an extra night) and she says sure. All is fine until coworker sees Friday that it is switched. She is not happy. So she emails FSIL over the weekend and tears a strip into her about it. I heard the email and it was really nasty. First, just relax. It is just a shift. 2. Act professional and talk about it at work. It was an honest mistake as FSIL forgot about the request and of course, I had no idea about it. If she really wants it that bad, she can have it. Sheesh. I am sure she will go running to the supervisor today. Excessive drama don't you think?

Lazy Eh?

2005-08-11T23:26:00.000-04:00

I got this from Jennifer's Blog.

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Lazy Sailor.

Where You Lived: North Africa.

How You Died: Consumption.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

I Am Popular!

2005-08-09T23:19:00.000-04:00

Holy crap! As of April, I have had exactly 1500 visitors at this exact moment!
I would like to thank all the little people for making this possible... ;-)

More Reunions

2005-08-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

So The Man and I had another family reunion this weekend. This one was for his mom's side of the family in Owen Sound. What a hoot! That family is so much fun and sometimes just nuts!

We left Saturday morning. We were driving BIL up with us so after we arrived we took the dog to the kennel and I think we made it up there in about 3 hours. We met the rest of his family at the park where the reunion was to be held. There was volleyball and bocci ball before supper. Supper was a wonderful potluck and everyone loved my rhubarb strwberry pie :). After the clean up we went to a cousin's cottage right on the bay so many people went swimming. There was a campfire with leftover hotdogs while we watched the sun set over the bay. The wind was calm and it a pleasent temperature all night. It was unbelievably relaxing.

Sunday was the traditional golf tournament. I don't play (never have) so me and the MIL drove to Port Elgin to a scrapbook store. When we got back we also went to the mall and Wal-Mart to do a little shopping. It was quite fun. SIL and her family didn't golf this year so they went to Sauble Beach. They said it was a perfect day out there.

We had leftovers for dinner and were on the road by 5:30... which is a very late start for us. I was so tired on the way home that I couldn't fall asleep. I was overtired. It was an early night for everyone I think. But it was a fun and relaxing weekend and everyone had a great time.

Today I had to be in Ingersoll by 10am to pick up the dog from the kennel. They are in New Hampshire right now picking up more dogs for adoption. They get them from track there, bring them back here where they are fixed and get a full vet check up. Everytime I go out there I want to bring home 3 more with me. They are all so cute and happy to see people not to mention so sweet with a great disposition. They have volunteers that go out to the farm twice a day to feed them and take them out for a run and exercise so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss them. I would love to volunteer but with my schedule and being 30 minutes away I don't think it would be possible. Their website is temporarily down but when it gets back up I will post a link so you can see all the wonderful dogs that are waiting for their forever home.

Paige is Swimming!

2005-08-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe with a little help from my sister. :)
My neice just started her first swimming lessons yesterday and she loves it. She loves her bath time and another aunt of hers (my BIL's sister) has a pool and whenever she has been in it, she just splashes away and laughs with delight. Too cute!

I think it is good to gets kids used to the water at a young age. There is nothing that scares me more is to see kids scared of the water or even older kids that have no idea how to swim. The should make it part of their education. I took swimming lessons for years and could of taken the lifeguard test and I have seen my fair share of accidents and near misses. Scarey.

Recover

2005-08-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

So it is the day after the party and I am in recovery mode.
After a really good night's sleep we got up and finished the clearing up. We gathered all of the empties and I realized how much was consumed. We had about 35 people and surprisingly not a lot of food leftover. Most people had gone by 8:00pm due to kids' bedtimes but we had a few stay to the end. Which was good as I wanted the night to last a little longer than 8:00pm! But by 1:30am none of us could keep our eyes open, a sign to call it a night. But it was great being outside all day and sitting under the stars at night with lots of candles and lanterns lit. It really did feel like a holiday weekend! But that also means going back to work tomorrow!

The slush recipe was a hit. Three of us polished off the entire batch. I may have had more than the others. ;-)

Slush Recipe

2005-07-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

Here is a recipe that I am making for the BBQ. It is a staple among my group of friends during the summer months. Watch out though. It packs a punch.

4 cups of steeped tea (use 2 tea bags)
7 cups of boiling water
2 cups of white sugar
12 oz unsweetened orange juice (don't add water)
12 oz of pink lemonade (don't add water)
2 cups of lemon gin or whatever booze you want
FREEZE

Scoop into glass and pour wink over the slush to taste.

No Rest for the Wicked

2005-07-29T10:21:00.000-04:00

I had the day off yeaterday. I usually get every fourth Thursday off when I work Saturdays. If I didn't I would be into O/T and you know how most companies try to avoid that. So I did most of my errands.

I first went to Costco to get a few digital pictures developed. I am way behind in my scrapbooking just because I couldn't drag my ass there and get it done. I am making 3 albums that need to be done before Christmas so I have to hussle.

Next I went to the new Linens 'n Things and spent a $10 coupon that was given to me by my SIL. I didn't see anything I absolutely had to spend it on until I saw a BBQ skillet. It is the type that has the handle and small holes so you can cook things like shrimp, veggies, anything small or cut up. It is cost $11.99 so I only had the pay the $2. Good deal.

Next it was to Marks Work Wearhouse. I normally don't buy anything there but I finally got my uniform allowance and went there to order some. I got the scrubs because they were the cheapest so I can get more for my money. We also get a discount on the ticketed price so I ended up buying 6 pairs! I also have to pay for the embroidering of our logo. So between the $150 allowence and the $20 in gift certificates I got this month for donating plasma (that was a first!) I will only have to pay about $10. Free new clothes!

Off to the mall next door. I am trying to find an outfit to wear to a wedding in two weeks and I couldn't find one thing. Seriously. Everything was either totally hideous (clearing out old stock) or the wrong size or not summery. It was very frustrating to say the least. I heard Sears Outlet had some good stuff recently. I live no where near there so maybe I will go there on my way to work.

I had an hour to kill before the Stampin' Up party I was going to so I grabbed the magazine I hadn't finished yet and went to Chapters and had an iced venti non-fat tazo chai. It was nice to sit and relax.

The party was fun but it was mainly geared to new stampers... which I am not. But I made 2 new cards, chatting with the gang and ate some food. They even served fresh lime margarita's! I was a good girl... I only had one and only ordered $60 worth of stuff. Trust me, that's good for me.

Today is a pretty quiet day but the weekend is going to be a doozey!
I work all day Saturday. Then I have to run to Costco and grab enough hamburgers and buns to feed 30+ people on Sunday. We are hosting, what I hope will be a yearly tradition, a BBQ for all of our friends, families and co-workers. I planned this back at the end of May and this was the only day during the entire summer that we could have it. Seriously. Well there we 2 Saturdays free in June but that was less than a months notice for everyone. There would have been a lot more but a lot are out of town because of the holiday. I think I had originally invited 60+ people. I also have to do some cleaning (inside and out) and also clean out the fridge and freezer as I know I will need more room.
I plan on drinking a few so I will have Monday to recover. ;-)

Coke or Pepsi?

2005-07-28T01:53:00.000-04:00

I just added a new section in the sidebar where I have put links to all of the recipes I have previously posted. It will save time scrolling through the archives as some of the recipes were in posts where the recipe wasn't listed in the title. What do you think? I like it but I am thinking about what will happen when I have too many recipes. There must be a way to archive them like regular posts. Anyone have any ideas?

And here is a simple poll for everyone! You can find just under my profile on the left hand side of the page. Each week the poll will be replaced with a new one.
My vote is for Pepsi.

Blueberry Jelly

2005-07-27T01:31:00.000-04:00

My final item that I made with the blueberries is blueberry jelly. If I had made jelly before I would have known that you needed a jelly cloth to strain your fruit. If I would have really read the recipe, I would have known that. And since I was almost finished with the cooking process I didn't have time to try and find one. I did have cheeescloth and that worked ok. I needed 3 cups of juice and when I could only get 2 1/2, I had to really strain the blueberries so a little bit of fine pulp got in. But no worries. I am still callling it jelly! I tried some of the finished product when it was cooled and it tasted great and it set perfectly! Next time I will have to remember to find a jelly cloth.

1 quart fresh OR frozen blueberries
2 cups water
6 cups sugar
1 pouch (3 oz each) liquid fruit pectin

Place blueberries in a large kettle and crush slightly. Add water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
Strain through a jelly bag, reserving 3 cups juice.
Pour juice into a large kettle; gradually stir in sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add pectin; bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Skim foam. Pour hot into sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
YIELD: 12 - 125mL (1/2 cup) jars.

The original recipe was double the ingredients listed but I didn't have enough fruit so I cut the recipe in half.