weeks 10 & 11

As promised, here are some pictures from my photo a day project for the year.
Week 10...

Week 11:

And our carbon fast...

Wednesday, April 1st: Travel light. Think before you drive: cycle, walk to school/work, carpool with colleagues, use public transit.

not quite as planned

It has been a while since I've posted some of my photo a day layouts. I picked up 3 weeks worth of pictures yesterday and was trying to get the journalling copied over to my little cards today. I had good intentions of getting more done this afternoon but things were just not falling into place.

First, I took away Nathaniel's tv privileges for today. This means that instead of getting an hour of quiet time to blog or scrapbook during Jesse's nap, I have Nathaniel to entertain.

Second, and I am certainly not complaining about this, I received both of my magazine subscriptions today. I was quite excited and envisioned some time today to peruse my favorite topics.

Third, I got a call from the school at noon asking to come pick up Abigail who was complaining about a sore tummy. It wasn't hopeless at this point. I figured Abigail would just crash all afternoon. But it is a tough one when your sick child wants to watch tv and your middle child isn't allowed to.

And to top it off, your toddler decides to take an hour and a half to fall asleep for his nap.

Finally at 2, Jesse was asleep, Abigail was upstairs watching tv, and feeling much better, and Nathaniel had the playdough out so I could finally get supper made. So, things did not turn out the way I had planned. But here I am now. Andrew is cleaning up supper, the kids are playing downstairs and I am nice and relaxed from a massage I had late this afternoon (a gift certificate from...I think my birthday last year).

So, I will try to get the pages from weeks 10-13 posted tomorrow. But, you know...I really can't make any promises. Things happen.

But I can give you today's carbon fast challenge.

Tuesday, March 31st: Ask your electricity and gas suppliers if they have a green or renewable energy plan. Make the switch to a green plan today. Bonus: Switch to Bullfrog Power, when supplies 100% renewable energy. (http://www.bullfrogpower.com/)

comfort food

This may sound strange coming from a white blonde girl, but Chinese dumplings are a kind of comfort food for me. Now to really understand how this is possible, I need to tell you a little bit about myself. When I was 20, I lived in Taiwan for a year. I headed there with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and the SALT program geared for young adults interested in doing overseas service for a year. I had previously travelled to China for 6 weeks with my highschool and was very interested in Asian culture. I had no idea how foreign I would feel. I pulled out my journal from my time there and this is part of an entry from my 5th day in Taiwan...

Wed. July 10/94 "It's evening now. I don't know what city we are in right now. (I was being shown the south part of the island) I have decided that I do not like spending time in groups here. For the soul reason that everybody is speaking Chinese and I don't have a clue what is going on. This is when I feel the most lonely. My compulsion to cry is certainly not over. I wasn't prepared to be homesick or to feel like such a foreigner. I didn't think it would be this difficult. Today when I was sitting at a train station I felt like the entire room of people was staring at me. It can get quite humorous when people stare at me and walk into things or bump into people. But generally the novelty of being noticed has warn off. I wish I could find some sudden comfort when I feel my throat start to close up and my eyes become moist. My one retreat is sleeping. It calms me and I don't have to think about how difficult things are. I am not over jet lag or I just find all of this exhausting. I feel like I am upsetting my hosts...."

Thankfully things got much easier and I had an incredible experience living in the Taiwanese culture. In the beginning I remember feeling a great deal of relief when I would visit one particular family. My placement in Taipei, Taiwan was at the church to teach English. The church's only paid staff, Glendy, was the church secretary and we spent a lot of time together. In those first few weeks she often took me to her home for lunch and I would spend a few hours there while she rested. Glendy lived with her elderly parents and her mother reminded me so much of my Oma that I loved being in her calm and comforting presence. She physically reminded me of my Russian born Oma, the smell of their house vaguely reminded me of my Oma's house and Glendy's mother's English name was Sara. Yep, you guessed it...my Oma's name is Sara.

So, how is this connected to Chinese dumplings you are wondering? Glendy and I would go to her home for lunch and often we would have Chinese dumplings. I loved them but I remember Glendy complaining about having to have dumplings again! Hey, they were easy. You would just visit the street vendor that was making handmade dumplings, you'd buy a few boxes and instant lunch.

So that is my Chinese dumpling story and one reason why I felt like making them this weekend.

Here is the recipe that I used. I did not steam my dumplings, but boiled them for 2 minutes. I served them with a simple soysauce and sesame oil (just a tad) dip.

Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings - from foodtv.com
Ingredients
1/2 pound firm tofu
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded Napa cabbage
2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bowl of water, plus additional water for steamer
35 to 40 small wonton wrappers
Non-stick vegetable spray, for the steamer
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Cut the tofu in half horizontally and lay between layers of paper towels. Place on a plate, top with another plate, and place a weight on top (a 14-ounce can of vegetables works well). Let stand 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cut the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrots, cabbage, red pepper, scallions, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, egg, salt, and pepper. Lightly stir to combine.
To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the tofu mixture in the center of the wrapper. Shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.
Using a steaming apparatus of your choice, bring 1/4 to 1/2-inch of water to a simmer over medium heat. Spray the steamer's surface lightly with the non-stick vegetable spray to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings as will fit into a steamer, without touching each other. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Remove the dumplings from the steamer to a heatproof platter and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all dumplings are cooked.
The ones that tore a bit when I was folding I saved to make potstickers. I simply heated a pan with some olive oil and placed the dumplings flat. When the bottom got brown, I added 1/4 cup of water and immediately covered the pan. This steamed the dumplings. When the water was evaporated, approximately 3-4 minutes, I removed them. Andrew preferred these. I preferred the boiled kind. For the kids, I made a mashed potato/cheddar cheese filling, cooled it in the fridge and used the wonton skins to make homemade perogies. I boiled them for 2 minutes and all three kids loved them!
And for Week 5 of our carbon fast...
Monday, March 30th: Take a shower instead of a bath. Look into getting a more efficient shower with a "low-flow" shower head.

day trip

It is always in the spring, when all the exams are over, that we start heading out again as a family. It is perfect timing actually. The weather is beautiful and Andrew and I love heading out for little trips with the kids. We received another beautiful day today to enjoy (the weather had predicted rain a few days ago) and we decided to head to St. Jacobs for the morning.

Here are the three munchkins. This is what they are watching...

A horse auction at the Stockyards. Jesse was loving it. He now has to choose whether horses are on the top of his favorites list. I was hearing all about "Neigh" when we left the market.

Jesse is now napping for the afternoon and Nathaniel is getting a long overdue haircut.

And our carbon fast challenge:

Saturday, March 28th: Only use your washing machine when you have a full load. Run your washing machine at 30-40 degrees C. Run at max. spin to reduce drying times and avoid using a tumble drier.

Oh what a beautiful morning

Oh what a beautiful day! The weather here is absolutely springlike today. I am so glad I planned ahead and did my grocery shopping yesterday so this morning was spent in the glorious outdoors and not in the aisles of the grocery store. The boys and I took a quick walk to the park yesterday, but things were pretty wet that we just did a lot of duck and geese watching. Jesse is now contemplating if his favorite thing in the world (trucks) have been replaced with ducks. It is a tough decision for a toddler.

After hearing all about "gucks" from Jesse yesterday, I knew another trip to the park was in order. This time there was no big brother getting bored and asking to go home, so we could linger and stare as long as we wanted. So, after doing the school and preschool drop off, we zipped home, grabbed a snack and my trusty little Canon PowerShot and hit the sidewalk. As we turned the corner I spotted the first crocuses of the season and knew I needed to get a photo. Spring really is here! And I will keep telling myself that when the rain and possible snow arrive this weekend.
Our first stop at the park was the lake to do our duck/geese viewing. Most of the ducks were resting on the grass with their beaks tucked into their feathers. Not too exciting for my Jesse. We walked around the lake and found more geese that were active in the water and nibbling the grass on the banks.
After this we spent the rest of our morning at the playground. Jesse is nothing like his brother and was content in the swing for a few pushes and then he was "All Done". In the days of Nathaniel as a toddler, he could have spent the rest of the morning swinging away.
We then hit all the major highlights of the park. Bouncy bridge, slides, tunnels...

Jesse is not quite ready to go it alone so in this picture I was getting the "there's no way I'm going down that one alone" look. Okay, we moved on.

All in all, a wonderful morning spent with my little guy.

And our carbon fast challenge for today.
Friday, March 27th: Use paper, tissue, toilet paper, and wood that is recycled or has been accredited by the Forest Stewartship Council-this ensures it has come from responsibly managed sustainable forests or confirms that it is recycled (http://www.fsccanada.org/)

bird's eye view

One problem when you are the family photographer is that you don't appear in the photos as often. I am thankful that Andrew is interested in photography and has a natural ability to take a good photo, but I am the one that is home, snapping the photos and spending the time choosing which photos get developed. So, I often have to consciously take the camera off from around my neck and pass it to Andrew saying "Now take some of me."
On Tuesday I was unaware that Andrew was overhead taking a picture of the process...getting the kids to gather around the celebratory cupcakes we made for Andrew passing his exams. I'm so glad he did. This is about our everyday life. Me laying on the floor of the bedroom, setting up the shot and trying to get an okay light for the photo. This is why I choose the bedroom, it has the best natural light and there was no harsh light pouring in because of the time of day. Although I have to say it wasn't the ideal light.

Here is the photo of the kids gathering around our freshly baked strawberry cupcakes.

Here is a close up of the most delicious strawberry cupcakes ever.

And here is the recipe if you are interested. And I have to say that if you enjoy eating cupcakes even a little bit, then you should be interested. I ate the last one last night and was a little sad they were gone.

Strawberry Cupcakes - makes 34 from MarthaStewart.com
(I easily halved the recipe and came out with 12 large and 6 mini)

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour (not self rising)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg white (when I halved this I just used 2 eggs)
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups finely chopped strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk/vanilla and ending with dry. Stir chopped strawberries into batter. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filing each full.
3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centres come out clean, about 20 minutes. When cupcakes are cool, frost. Frosted cupcakes willl keep, covered and refridgerated, for up to 2 days.
For the frosting I made up the same recipe I used for the pink cupcakes posted below. Use a standard buttercream frosting and instead of milk or cream, thin with thawed, strained raspberries. You could also try it with frozen strawberries. My frozen raspberries were just handier.
Edit: my mother-in-law just made these cupcakes and instead of fresh strawberries in the batter, used frozen.

And our carbon fast...
Thursday, March 26th: Switch off lights when you leave a room. Encourage your office or school to do the same.

circle of love

When I was growing up I remember my mom having a ring with all of our family's birth stones. Did your mom have one of these? Well, I guess this could be considered a more modern version of this kind of jewellry. I came across these beautiful necklaces on Etsy.com (one of the best websites for handmade items) and wanted one right away. I am not a jewellry wearer. I only wear my wedding ring and years back I told Andrew I did not want an engagement ring. Seriously. Still don't regret that decision a bit. But, I loved this simple design and had one custom made with all of my family's names handstamped onto the ring. If you are interested in this piece, called circle of love, or other handstamped items, you can check them out here.

And for our carbon fast...
Wednesday, March 25th: Find out what energy saving or climate change activities are going on in your local area by contacting your local authority or community groups.

a loud distraction

This is what was in the front of our house around 11:30 this morning. Jesse was happily eating his lunch and his truck radar clicked in when he heard the faint sound of large, noisy vehicles approaching the house. Let's just say he did not finish his lunch. So, the boys stood and watched from the mudroom window as the neighbour's tree was cut down branch by branch. Jesse was not impressed when it was time to get ready for his nap, although lucky for him, he could view the action while I changed his diaper. I cranked his fan when it was time to sleep and shockingly he fell asleep to the sound of the wood chipper. Now the trucks are gone...must be a lunch break.

Also, GREAT NEWS....Andrew found out this morning that he passed the second part of his acupuncture exam!!! So excited and so very proud of him. YEAH!!!

And for our carbon fast....
Tuesday, March 24th: Eat no meat today and try to cut down on the amount of meat you eat each week. (As a vegetarian of over 15 years, I wholeheartedly support this one. Vegetarian food is so yummy, so try starting with one to two veggie nights a week. Think of all the cool cuisines you can experience in your home. And as a parent of young children, don't feel you can't do because you are afraid your children won't eat it. Persevere. My kids love tofu, chickpeas and have no clue they are eating veggie meat.)

family time

It was one of those weekends that fly by and I think back (okay it was only yesterday) and have a hard time remembering what we did. I guess not a whole lot of anything. Nathaniel had a fever all weekend and I was dragging myself around too. I actually napped yesterday afternoon. This is always a hard choice for me to make. To nap or not to nap. Napping won over. I then had to deal with feeling groggy and having a headache afterwards. And it is usually hard for me to fall asleep at night. I got an awesome book from a friend which actually factored into my having a nap. This was my thinking...if I nap I can stay up later and read this new amazing book. (I'll share the book another time). It was worth it!

But here is what we did yesterday after supper. Andrew went outside with the kids while I tidied up the kitchen and family room. Then I headed out with the camera of course. It was still cool (around 4 degrees) but the sun made it pleasant.

Jesse insisted on being lifted up into the tree. But when he stood their his feet were squished so he kept complaining about them. Of course when we took him down he cried because he wanted back up. I love the picture I got from some of the happier moments of him being a tree climber/percher.

Nathaniel was figuring out the skateboard and rolling himself around the driveway. Hmm...future mechanic?
Abigail does not appear to be cold (this is normal for her) and was trying to figure out how to skip while crossing her arms.



Thankfully for me she loves having her picture taken and will happily pose for me.

Here is Andrew chilling.

Then the kids bolted down the street.

And to get Jesse to head back home I had to make a running race. This is to avoid the full out tantrum that usually happens when the word inside is mentioned. But I was freezing cold at this point and was thinking to myself that I should have put on my winter coat.

Here is today's carbon fast challenge. We are into week 4 people! Woo hoo!

Monday, March 23rd: Insulate your hot water tank with an insulation jacket.

give your stuff away

Here is today's carbon fast challenge...
Saturday, March 21st: Give away unwanted stuff to neighbours or thrift stores.

Now, this is a big one for me. Sometimes I want to scream and run to people's doors, ring the doorbell and give them a lecture when I see the nice stuff destined for the landfill. I can feel myself getting all heated up right now. Can you tell this is a huge pet peeve of mine? So, please, please PLEASE, make the effort to designate a place in your home, maybe somewhere in the basement, ours is the front hall where we store our Chariot/bike carrier, and make a pile of all the stuff you can either give away or drive to your local thrift store. Trust me, they need it more than the garage collectors. And it really doesn't need to be a big deal. It is really about making a lifestyle change and soon you won't even notice the little bit of effort needed to really make a difference. And one more request...if you are driving your stuff somewhere, drive past that Value Village place and try giving it to a place that is not out for a profit but will put the money back into the community. Okay, that's all I'll say about that. Thanks for listening to me rant.

welcome spring

The weather certainly is unspring like in southern Ontario and the snow flying in the air yesterday afternoon didn't convince us either, but I do not want to complain. We had amazing weather the rest of March Break and things are looking up. After a busy few days for Abigail and Nathaniel in St. Catharines early in the week, we have stayed pretty mellow around here for the last 2 days. We've had friends come in to play both mornings and Abigail is out with the neighbour girls enjoying a cooking class at our local grocery store. It is good for Abigail and Nathaniel to have some space from each other. They can get along wonderfully if they both agree on what they are playing. But lately I find that not happening as often as it did say a year ago. So, the cooking class came at a great time.

I can't remember where I read this...but somewhere in blogland I read about people having themes to their pictures each year. One year might be lots of pics in a photo booth. Another year may be jumping pictures...so, today I got my kids jumping. Jesse never did get the timing with the other kids, but they had fun jumping for the camera.

And for those of us who were not lucky to travel south for March Break, I have a Caribbean inspired recipe for you. Mango Lime Bread.
This is what you'll need...
Some mangoes...
a lime...
and the recipe below. It is a different combination and I really enjoyed the mango, ginger and lime flavours together. All 3 kids enjoyed it as did Andrew. However, Andrew did say he preferred my banana bread. So, for those of you interested in baking something a bit different...I hope you like it. I found the recipe here but adapted it to my liking. Here is my version.

Fresh Mango Lime Bread

3 large eggs
1/2 cup flavorless oil such as canola or safflower oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 to 1 1/4 cup diced mangos from 1 - 2 large peeled and pitted mango
1 cup grated apple from 1 peeled Royal Gala apple
grated zest of 1/2 lime

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
Whisk the eggs, oil and applesauce together.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
Rub the brown sugar between your palms into the bowl, breaking up any lumps, then stir it in. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, switch to a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon and mix until blended- the batter will be very thick (really more like a dough than a batter) and not easily mixed, but persevere, it will soon come together. Stir in the mango, apples and zest. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake the bread for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. If the bread looks as if it’s getting too brown as it bakes, cover loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the sides of the pan and unmolding. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

And for our carbon fast today...
Friday, March 20th: Fill your kettle only with as much water as you need in order to save water and energy.

And finally....Happy Birthday Dan! Wish we were closer to celebrate with you. Enjoy your birthday amongst your beautiful mountains.

two bears

While Nathaniel and Abigail were visiting cousins in St. Catharines, Jesse had his own playmate on Monday. I love getting together with my friend Natasha, and Jesse was equally thrilled to have Clare come for a visit too.

So, Jesse bear and Clare bear were enjoying themselves while their mommy's chatted. Clare was enjoying the freedom of exploring so many toys. Jesse was awed by this new little girl in our house. Once he was warmed up to her, Jesse couldn't stop touching Clare's face...pointing at her nose, at her beautiful blue eyes.

< It was such a fun day having them both for a visit.

And for those who missed my explanation a few weeks ago...Our church is challenging us to do a Carbon Fast during the Lenten season. I thought it would be great to extend that challenge to all of you. So, here is yesterday and today's challenge.
Wednesday, March 18th: Buy that's being grown or produced locally using local shops and farmers' markers where possible. For those living in the Waterloo Region you can visit www.foodlink-waterlooregion.ca for more information. Bonus: Grow some of your own food. You don't even need a garden-grow herbs, fruits, and vegetables in pots (window sill or garden), or join others in your community to cultivate gardens together.

Thursday, March 19th: What comes in and out of your home? Reflect on what you have bought and consumed recently and challenge yourself on your consumption habits. Do you need everything you buy?

the three amigos

I wanted to share some pictures from our family birthday celebration that we hosted on Sunday. Andrew's family came over to celebrate Nathaniel, Helmut and Andrew's birthdays. The last time we were all together was at Christmas so it was really nice for everyone, especially the cousins, to have lots of playtime. We usually don't go this long between visits, but winter is usually the exception with the busyness of exams.

When everyone arrived, the kids and adults headed to the backyard to enjoy the glorious day outside. There was lots of playing, craft making and swinging.

Here is Karis enjoying the swings.

Miranda was warming up her pitching arm with Andrew. He made the comment that "Boy does she have a good arm." Here is Andrew playing catcher.

After our Mexican themed supper (we had bbq chicken and shrimp fajitas), the gifts and cards were opened.

Nathaniel had been browsing the Playmobil catalogue and picked out this crane after I gave the go ahead to purchase it for him. He was thrilled and commented "It's what I always wanted!"

And here are the birthday boys. Check out Nathaniel's anticipation!

And some of the cupcakes that I made for the celebration. I made sooo many! I headed to Andrew's work and dropped off 2 dozen yesterday. There is just something about cupcakes that make life happier. The pretty pink icing is just a straight forward buttercream icing thinned with thawed, strained raspberries. I really liked the chocolate cupcake recipe and found it here.
The recipe is called super soft chocolate cupcakes...and they were...so soft! I halved the recipe.

playing

catch up with the carbon fast.
Monday, March 16th: Check your house for drafts. Then seal up gaps in windows and doors to keep more heat in. These steps won't take too much time and will pay for themselves as you save money on fuel bills.

Tuesday, March 17th: Double up errands-do shopping on your way home from work, school or somewhere else you have to go today. Share lifts with friends to try to do all your errands together.

Off I go to play with Jesse. He is exploring the old stereo in our guest room. Nathaniel and Abigail are playing in St. Catharines with their cousins. They're home tomorrow. I think Jesse is appreciating this special time with just mommy, but he has been asking for "Abba" and "Nana". This morning he went tiptoeing into Abigail's room whispering "Abba". It was so cute. One more day and your playmates will be home.

prepping

We are hosting Andrew's family tomorrow for a birthday extravaganza. It is a great motivator to clean away the layers of dust and vacuum all the bits off the carpet. I am about to get serious with baking. There will be lots of cupcakes coming out of my kitchen today.

So, for those who are earth minded and are still challenging themselves to lessen their carbon footprint...here is today's challenge.
Saturday, March 14th: Avoid buying products that have lots of packaging. Choose loose products and buy refillable containers when possible.

what I see

When I was looking through these photos from last year's Thanksgiving, a few things came to mind. Andrew loves being around people. He is definitely the extrovert in our relationship. He could visit all weekend and be recharged to keep going the next day. His family is extremely important to him. Despite being extremely busy with work and studies, his family is always in the forefront of his thoughts. He loves having fun with his siblings and they share so many fond and funny memories growing up together.
Andrew is a risk taker. He loves physically challenging his body and enjoys activities where he feels that rush of pushing his body to the limit. I love that our children have this role model as they also express themselves through physical activity.

Andrew has amazing support in his family and friends. They have walked with him during all his ups and downs.
Today we celebrate him and all the amazing things he has brought to our lives. We love his determination, humour, kindness and love that he shows his family, friends and colleagues everyday. Happy Birthday Andrew!

Friday, March 13th: Reuse and recycle your waste and compost your food waste to reduce the garbage destined for landfills.

sleep deprived

Ah sleep. Is it fair to say that I have been sleep deprived for almost 7 years? Am I being a complainer? I have always been a person that needs lots of sleep. My mom can attest to that. So, when Abigail came along and challenged my 8-9 hours of continuous sleep I struggled. I often napped with her in the afternoons. When Nathaniel was born I had 2 months when both kids slept. And with Jesse, well there was no chance of taking a nap. But oh do I want one today! Jesse was starting to sleep through the night about a month ago and by that I mean we got 3 consecutive nights where he would fall asleep at 8pm and wake up around 5 am. He hasn't done 3 nights in a row since. I these past few nights I am wondering what is up! Last night he woke up at 2:30 and Andrew went in and got him back to sleep. I was in there at 3 again and he didn't fall back asleep until after 4:30. I probably got back to sleep at close to 5. I am amazed by how well I do get through the day and without caffeine I might add.
So, as I caught Jesse falling asleep for his afternoon nap, I knew that this was a picture I had to capture. His blonde hair highlighted by the sun, his feet pushed into the crib sides and his sweet pouty mouth.
That mouth that I remember focusing on when I first saw his face.
Oh sweet boy...would you just sleep through the night already!

And for Thursday, March 12th: Defrost your fridge and freezer to maintain efficiency. Allowing space for air to circulate will also help them to run more efficiently.

weeks 8 and 9

Yes, I am still taking a picture everyday. I'm surprised at how easy it has been. It challenges me to look at our everyday routine and try and capture it with my camera. The kids haven't made any comments about me taking pictures. I think they are used to it. I did take a lot of pictures before starting my photo a day challenge.
Here is week 8.


Here is week 9.


And for our carbon fast followers...
Wednesday, March 11th: Investigate how you can better insulate your home. In some cases this can be subsidized by the government.

our visitor

Look what was prowling around our neighbourhood this morning at 10 am. Great! He must have a friend because our house smelled like skunk when I hustled the boys inside. Andrew and I have been pretty sure that we have a skunk living under our backshed. It really worries me when I see them during the day. And it is way too early for them to have babies that they are protecting. Anyone have any suggestions?

Here are two layouts that I finished. I hate that I was agonizing over the placement of the swirls on the page below. Enough already.

And the carbon fast...

Tuesday, March 10: Lock windows and close curtains to keep the cold out and the heat in. Bonus: Line your curtains to reduce heat loss.

"You're driving me crazy!"

Yesterday Nathaniel got a taste of computer games when he sat with Abigail and played some Dora and Diego games. He has been asking to get on the computer since lunch was over. I had to stall him and explain that I needed to be on the computer too. Well, he was not interested in waiting and exclaimed "Mom, I'm not waiting anymore. You're driving me crazy!" Well, he is happy watching Little Bear right now. I hope to finish up another scrapbook layout while he explores the world of computer games.
Here is Jesse's first birthday layout. It was inspired by a layout by Jamie Waters. Not the best photo quality, but you can click on the photo to see it better.

And we are into Week 2 of the carbon fast...

Monday, March 9th: Book a REEP home energy audit at 519-744-9799 (this is for KW folks; you'll need to check out your own local contacts if you are not in the area). Completing the upgrades could save you 28% annually on heating costs. For the Waterloo region you can find information at www.reepwaterlooregion.ca/prog_ecoenergy.php

we're almost there

Andrew's last exam for the winter is this afternoon. He should be there soon and has his practical acupuncture exam at 2:25. So, again, send all your positive thoughts and prayers his way. Abigail wrote this note for her Daddy and I couldn't resist sharing it here. Of course it will also be my photo for today. I have to say that I am super excited that this intense study time is almost over. Yesterday I was really feeling it. The introvert in me was screaming for some quiet alone time. I was lucky and got a little scrapbooking time. It has been around a month since I scrapbooked, so it was great to be creative. I hope to finish my layout this afternoon and get it posted here soon.

I missed yesterday's carbon fast challenge, so here it is.

Saturday, March 7th: Aim to reduce your food waste to a third by eating leftovers and shopping more carefully-using a list and planning your meals.

You have Sundays off.

And here is the cookie recipe I promised. If you enjoy chocolate and mint together, you will love this one.
Andes Mint Cookies ( You need 3 packages of Andes mints for one batch. You'll have some chocolates leftover.)
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. water
Melt in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and then add:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, stirring until completely melted.
Cool for 10 minutes. Pour into a mixing bowl and beat in 2 eggs.
Add:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix together and chill for about 45 minutes. Roll into balls (1-1 1/2 inches big), flatten slightly, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. You want the cookies to be slightly soft.
When cookies come out of the oven, place an Andes mint on top of each cookie and allow to melt for a few minutes. Swirl the melted chocolate like icing. Allow to cool.