Top Ten Tuesday - Top Pick Me Ups!

I am not a huge fan of winter....especially since moving to Calgary because people...it is COLD!  This morning it was -27°C.  I have a car starter but I feel guilty letting it idle too long so I left for work before it was warm.  I have a 30 minute commute and it never got warm.  My hands and feet were numb by the time I got there.  Ugh.

So what does that have to do with my Top Ten list?  Well, I definitely need the occasional pick me up when winter is in full force or I might go CRAZY (or crazy-er as Dewey would say).  Some of my pick me ups cost money but others are completely free.  Next time you are feeling down try one of these suggestions out & hopefully it will have you feeling better in no time.

1. Go for coffee/tea with a friend - It's amazing how revitalizing reconnecting with a friend can be.  We are all busy but it can take as little as an hour to meet a friend for coffee.  It's amazing how much better and more grounded you'll feel after a good chat. 
2. Go for a walk - Okay, you're not going to do this when it's -27 but any other time it works great.  There's something about a good walk that clears your head and lets you think.  I have figured out some of my toughest conundrums on a good walk.
3. Have a soak in a hot bath - I know, I know, we're all moms who are overworked and under appreciated but taking a bit of time to yourself is worth it.  The hubs can watch the kids for a while.  Lock the bathroom door, though, or you'll have rubber duckies in your bath for sure!
4. Read a chick lit book (or other mindless reading) - While reading to learn can be great, when you need a pick me up reading a book for fun fits the bill.
5. Call a friend you haven't talked to in a while - I have so many friends that I love dearly that I never talk to.  I get busy and so do they and next thing you know it's been a year since we've chatted.  Pick up the phone!  It'll be totally worth it and you will feel great all day.
6. Help someone else - Nothing feels better than helping others.  Some ideas......shovel your neighbors sidewalk, buy the person behind you at Starbucks a coffee, put change in an expired parking meter, etc.  You will make their day and yours too!
7. Go read your favorite bloggers - I love taking time out and catching up on blogs I love.  If I'm down, I like to go to some of the funnier ones.  Laughing along at someone else's story of child angst always makes me feel better.
8. Go get a massage - I have to start doing this one more.  Massages are covered (up to a certain amount) by my health insurance and yet I did not get one single massage last year.  Stupid, huh?  Gotta fix that this year.
9. Hang out with your child/children doing something they love - Let's face it.  Our children are much easier on us when we are letting them do something they want to do.  For me & Evan our go to activity is baking.  He loves it.  The other day in the car he said to me "Mommy, you make the best cookies every time!"
10. Eat some chocolate - Because really....chocolate makes everything better!

What are your favorite pick me ups?

This post is linked up at Oh Amanda for Top Ten Tuesday!

Read more...

Monday Mingle - January 31, 2011

Today's Questions:

1. What is one food or drink that you cannot live without?
2. Are you a foodie? Do you love to cook or are you a food blogger?
3. What is your one easy family friendly recipe or amazing supersecret recipe that you are known for?  

In the mingle I mentioned Italian Sausage Pasta bake.  You can find the recipe here.

Head over to Eighty MPH Mom to see more Monday Mingle fun!

Read more...

Date Night!

If you're like me you are super busy, running here and there at a million miles an hour wondering "What else do I have to do & what have I forgotten?"

Unfortunately the first thing to go is often time with your significant other.  There's always something that needs doing or something that money needs to be spent on so date nights can get pushed out into oblivion.

Believe me.....

I know!

BUT.....I also know that connecting with your significant other is worth it.  If you two aren't happy than eventually no one else in the household will be either.  I know that date night can't fix every situation but it is a start.

So just do it......plan a date night with your special someone even if it's just movie & popcorn after the kids go to bed!

Pic - Stilton cheesecake from NOtaBLE in Calgary.....Divine!

What is your favorite date night?

Read more...

365 Day Photo Project - Week 4

Week 4 has come and gone.  Here are the pictures I took:

Jan 21 - Library Love

Jan 22 - Ikea ice cream ROCKS

Jan 23 - Sugar snap peas are yummy!

Jan 24 - Blogging, blogging, blogging

Jan 25 - A little pbskids.org time before bed

Jan 26 - It was practically Spring in Calgary today

Jan 27 - Friday afternoon pick me up!

Participating in the 365 Day Project link ups at:

Read more...

Merry Mumblings...

Just a few things that I keep forgetting to mention.....

You can now find some of my writing over at Kids In Cowtown. My first article is about Community Supported Agriculture.  I would love to hear your opinion of it!

Over the next few days you will *hopefully* see a new, redesigned Merry With Children site appear.  It should not cause any issues for you but if you do see an hiccups please let me know!

I am putting together a blogger meetup in Calgary for February.  If you are a blogger & live in or near Calgary, please leave me a comment with your contact info so that I can keep you in the loop!

Also, if you are in Calgary, mark your calendar for Twestival on March 24th.  It is still very much in planning stages but it should be a fun event that raises money for charity.  I will post more info as it becomes available.

That's all for me tonight....gotta go play with my new toy....

I finally broke down and bought an iPhone.  Woot!

How is your Thursday?

Read more...

What's Cooking Wednesday - Lettuce Wraps

I'm always looking for a kid friendly recipe to make when Will & Nicole are here. This definitely fits the bill. I adapted this recipe a bit because Nicole has a shellfish allergy so I couldn't use oyster sauce.  I also doubled the recipe to feed my starving tween stepson and I wanted leftovers. The recipe below reflects the changes & the doubling. 

Lettuce Wraps 

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

2 pounds ground turkey

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 large onion diced small

3 small garlic cloves, minced

1 piece fresh ginger, minced (mine was 2" X 2" piece)

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 can water chestnuts, drained and diced

6 Tbsp white wine or Chinese cooking wine

8 Tbsp reduced salt soy sauce

2 Tbsp Satay peanut sauce

3 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 head iceberg or butter lettuce, cored and rinsed. Loosen the leaves, this will be your wrap

Chop all your veggies first because this recipe comes together pretty fast.

Mix together the soy sauce, peanut sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a large skillet or stirfry pan over medium high heat.  Add oil.  Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and ginger.  Cook for a minute to heat it up.  Add the ground turkey.  Cook until the turkey is done.

Add the bell pepper and water chestnuts.  Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the white wine.  Cook for another minute and then add the sauce.  Stir and reduce for 3 or four minutes so sauce will thicken.  

Serve on the iceberg leaves with peanut sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes: Everyone LOVED these. The iceberg lettuce breaks a bit easy.  I think I will use butter lettuce next time as it is a bit more structurally stable.

Make sure to head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday.

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday - My Handsome Little Man

Handome little booger!

Sporting his 3D glasses

This post is linked at 5 Minutes for Mom, Slice O' Heaven, A Lot of Loves and My Organized Chaos

Read more...

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Food Blogs I Love

1. Chasing Tomatoes - You've seen me try tons of Karen's recipes here.  She's the full meal deal....healthy food with a good dose of baked goods! Oh and did I mention the great photography? Yep!  You can also catch her on Twitter at @scatteredmom and on her other blog Notes from the Cookie Jar.
2. Pioneer Woman Cooks - I know, I know, Pioneer Woman doesn't need any more publicity. I'm sure you ALL know about her.  But for reals....her recipes rock!
3. A Southern Fairytale - This is one of the food blogs I've just recently found.  I love reading the posts and the wonderful pictures.  She even taught me all about Soup Swap.  I just wish I were going to Blissdom so that I could meet her!  You can find her on twitter at @sthrnfairytale
4. Sweetnicks - Cate has been "eating clean" and has lost quite a bit of herself over the past 6 months.  Think weight loss might put a cramp in her food blogger style?  Nope.  There are still lots of recipes, they're just a bit healthier (and all the old less healthy recipes are still in the archives!).
5. Dinner With Julie - Julie is a food celeb in Calgary but not sure the rest of you have had a chance to meet her.  Her blog is a great find.  Lots of recipes, great pictures and quite often a food related give away.  Plus she gets to rub elbows with lots of food mega-stars (think Anthony Bourdain).  You can also find Julie on Twitter at @dinnerwithjulie
6. Chocolate and Ginger - While not a purely food blog, you should definitely check it out for the beautiful photography and recipes.  Also, definitely check out her posts on her trip to Paris.  It makes me want to go there NOW.  If only!
7. Patent and the Pantry - Another Calgary food blogger.  We have such a great blogger community here! Maybe one day I'll get to meet some of them....gotta get on that.  More great pics and great recipes (I'm running out of new and inventive ways of saying that!).  You can find her on Twitter at @gwendolynmr
8. Smitten Kitchen - I know, another food blogger who is super popular but how would you NOT include Deb in any food blogger list?  Oh and did I mention she has the cutest little boy ever (well other than Evan of course)?  Yep! 

Okay, I know it's not 10 but I got started late on this post.  I'll owe you 2 next time!

Who are your favorite food bloggers?  I'm always looking for more to follow!  Please dish (pun intended)!


Check out other Top Ten Tuesday posts over at Oh Amanda!

Read more...

Monday Mingle Vlog - January 24, 2011

This weeks questions are:

1. If you could “undo” one thing in life, what would it be?
2. For MPH, do you say miles per hour or mile per hour?
3. Do you say potato as po-TAY-to or po-TAH-toh and tomato as to-MAY-to or to-MAH-to? How do you say coupon?

Head over to Eighty MPH Mom to see everyone else's Monday Mingle....we would all love it if you joined in!

Read more...

Soup Swap

Until this month I had never even heard of Soup Swap.  Now, I am DEFINITELY planning one for next year.  So anyone in Calgary that is reading this....get ready because next year we're having one!

The lovely Rachel at A Southern Fairy Tale is hosting a virtual soup swap for those of us that are a little behind.  So check out some of my favorite soup recipes below & go visit Rachel for even more virtual Soup Swap fun.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Just posted this week and SUPER YUMMY!

Taco Soup - Oh so easy & made with ingredients you have in the pantry.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup - My hubby's favorite.  So good even my Mother In Law uses this recipe now (and that's saying something!).

If you want to get into the Soup Swap spirit even more.....drop a bag full of soup off at your local food bank (in Calgary most grocery stores have a food bank drop off as well).

So who's in for the Soup Swap next year?

Read more...

365 Day Photo Project - Week 3

Clockwise from top left.

Jan 14 - Christmas Lights in January
Jan 15 - Me & Evan....aren't we cute?
Jan 16 - Hiding behind the curtains
Jan 17 - My MacBook Pro....my most prized possession
Jan 18 - Hitching a ride on Daddy's leg
Jan 19 - The new additions....Evan's new pillow pets. He's so excited!
Jan 20 - Who knew that igloos were made with marshmallows that you "lick & stick" (so says Evan)

I love making sure I take a picture for every day.....except when I forget.  I know a lot of people are using this project to improve their photography skills but I need way more time to do that.  It's just not happening!

Edit: I'm adding one more picture so that I am on the same schedule as the blogs I link up to.  So here's the picture for Jan 21st.

I mainly added it today because I got picked as one of the Top 5 by The Daily Wyatt.  Cool, huh?

And as always, I would love it if you would follow me on Facebook or Google Friend Connect (right side of blog for both).  If you are following me on GFC or Facebook & I'm not currently following you, leave me a note and I'll remedy the situation!

Read more...

Do You Practice Yoga?

I don't but I really, really want to.  I've had a punch card at a local yoga studio forever but I haven't used it (not even once).


I'm a bit afraid.


That I won't do it right


that they'll laugh at me


that I'll fall on my face.  Eeep!


Today I went to a Wellness luncheon at work where Jacki spoke about stress relief.  She talked a bit about yoga, showed us some moves we could do at our desk/in our office, talked about meditation & breathing and introduced the concept of Ayurevda.  It was so cool.  Now I'm totally pumped to do more.

I'm even signed up to get info on her next retreat!

So, tell me, do you do yoga, meditation, etc?  I would love to know how you got into it & what you think!

Read more...

What's Cooking Wednesday - Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can tomatoes with chilis or spicy tomatoes (see note)
1 can black beans drained
4 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cups hot water
1 cup niblet corn
3 Tbsp corn meal

Garnishes:
Corn tortillas cut into strips - toasted in a skillet with butter (yum!) until crispy
Sour Cream
Shredded cheese
Diced Red Onions
Avocado
Hot Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix spices in a small bowl.  Spritz chicken breasts with olive oil.  Sprinkle with a bit of the spice mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes or until done through.  Shred chicken with two forks.

Heat olive oil in a large pot.  Add onions, bell peppers and garlic.  Cook until onion is tender.  Sprinkle with remainder of spice mixture.  Add shredded chicken.  Stir to combine.

Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Mix cornmeal with a bit of water and add to the soup.  Stir.  Add corn.  Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.  Taste soup and add salt if needed or chili powder if it needs more kick.

Remove soup from heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.  Top with garnishes & enjoy!

Recipe Notes: I used the tomatoes above instead of Rotel since you can NOT find Rotel in Canada.  This is such a great recipe. I moved the tortilla strips to a garnish because I ate this soup for lunch two days this week with NO GARNISH.  I know!  Pioneer Woman would NOT be impressed.

Head over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday - Making Mars Bar Cookies on Jammie Day

Linked up at 5 Minutes for Mom, A Lot of Loves and My Organized Chaos.

While you're here......

It would be awesome if you would:

Like my Facebook Fan Page

 Follow me on Google Friend Connect (see right sidebar on my blog)

Vote for Evan's picture in the Bowe's Photography photo contest (we are REALLY behind)....first go "Like" Bowes Photography on Facebook, then find Evan's picture (look for Merry Spooner Kuchle or click here) and "like" it.  I know, I know, it's a lot of steps but I'll really appreciate it!

Read more...

Kinda Like Prom.....

There was a place to take pictures at the New Year's Eve party....aren't we cute?  Just like prom...only with my husband instead of some skeevy teenager.  :)

Read more...

Monday Mingle Vlog - January 17, 2011

I haven't been vlogging lately but I thought I should give it another shot.  I'm joining the Monday Mingle over at Eighty MPH Mom.



Today's questions are:

1. How do you feel about doing fun challenges for Monday Mingle every once in a while?  Like take a video of yourself trying to blow the shell off a hardboiled egg (just an example).
2. Who is one of your heros and why do they inspire you?
3. What was the best TV sitcom ever?

Hop on over to Eighty MPH Mom to watch other Monday Mingle vlogs & find other awesome bloggers to follow!

Read more...

Meal Planning Re-Up

Well, I have really stunk at meal planning the last few months.  The holidays and Dewey's band practice/work schedule has thrown a real wrench into things.  I have to get back on the band wagon, though, because I am starting lunch-time bootcamp again & I need leftovers for lunch!

I have a freezer full of chicken thighs, ground turkey and ground beef so I want to use at least some of that in this weeks meal plan.


Sunday - Chicken Tortilla Soup from Pioneer Woman Cooks
Monday - Oven Braised Beef and Beer with mashed potatoes
Tuesday - Lettuce Wraps from Pioneer Woman Cooks
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Indian Coconut Curry Chicken with Apples  with steamed rice and broccoli
Saturday - undecided....we have the kids so there's no telling what we'll be up to!

With my love of new recipes, I forget about the ones we've already tried and loved.  That's why Oven Braised Beef with Beer and Indian Coconut Curry Chicken are back on the menu!

What are you cooking this week?

Read more...

Let's Get Moving!

If you remember, I listed "keep moving in 2011 for better health" as one of my 2011 goals.  So far I haven't been doing very well on this goal.  It's been -20C or lower for the last week in Calgary which is FREAKING COLD!  It is not conducive to getting outside and doing anything (especially not for me because weather this cold is still foreign to me).

Thankfully all that will change on Monday because my favorite bootcamp is starting!  I've worked with Clary, the guy that runs it, for years and he is amazing. I really like it because if I miss he gives me a really hard time.  It's amazing how much easier it is to stick to something when you know you're going to get in crap if you don't!

I never thought I would say that I enjoyed working out but I do enjoy bootcamp.  I think it's because we change up what we do so much and I don't even have to think.....just do.  If I leave my workout up to me, I usually end up giving up early or half assing everything.  Not good.

Well, enough about me....what do you like to do to get moving?  When it's not so cold I really like to shovel the driveway (crazy, huh?).  I also like snowshoeing though I don't do it very often.  I would love to find more winter time activities!

Read more...

5 Question Friday

1.  What movie could you watch over and over again and not get tired of?  Definitely Shawshank Redemption.  I haven’t watched it in forever but I’ve probably seen it 30 times.  I love that movie! 

2.  What's your biggest pet peeve right now?  I have a ton of pet peeves.  I think lately they mostly revolve around driving because it’s winter and let’s face it, most people don’t know how to drive in the winter!  Just this morning, a car pulled out in front of someone to turn left, slid on the ice and blocked traffic until the light turned.  Awesome 

3.  If you had to describe your best friend in five words or less, what would you say? Hmmm….it’s hard because I don’t have just one “best friend”.  I have lots of great friends though.  I would say most of my friends are: Fun, Loyal, Caring and Awesome!

4.  If you did not have to worry about money or go to school what would you do for a living?  I would love to start my own business though I’m not sure what kind of business I would start.  This is actually something I think about a LOT because I sometimes think that “there must be something more” but I have no idea what my life’s passion is.  I love my family & Evan but I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a stay at home mom.  I would love to have a job where I got to spend more time with him for sure. 

5.  What is your one "splurge" item that you will always buy, no matter the cost?  Starbucks!  I know, I know it’s expensive and I would have a bajillion dollars if I would just cut out my foufou coffee habit but I just can’t do it.  I refuse.  I have cut back by using the espresso machine at work to make lattes at least a few days a week but I still drink a LOT of Starbucks!

I’m participating in 5 Question Friday at My Little Life!

Read more...

365 Day Photo Project - Week 2

I'm going to start posting my photos once per week on Friday.  Normally the photos will be the previous Friday through Thursday of the current week.  Since I already posted last Friday's picture, I left it out of this weeks collage.  Next week will be right, I promise!

The days go from top left to bottom right: Saturday - My fridge gallery, Sunday - Evan's jammy day with cookies no less!, Monday - My messy, messy desk, Tuesday - I *heart* preschool crafts!, Wednesday - Happiness is jammie pants after work, Thursday - Evan's pop-eyed monster.

Since I decided to take part in the 365 Day Photo Project, I've run into tons of people who are doing it.  If you are, let me know so that I can follow your pictures!

Read more...

What's Cooking Wednesday - Mars Bar Cookies

I love Mars bars (if you are in the US....these are more like Milky Way bars than the Mars bars we had....i.e. no almonds just nougat & caramel) but all the mini Halloween ones in our house were going to be the death of me!  I decided to experiment with a cookie recipe to get rid of them.  Wow...I had no idea they would be this good!

Mars Bar Cookies

Adapted from this recipe

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
20 mini mars bars, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until blended. Combine flour, soda and salt in a small bowl. Slowly add to the butter mixture beating well. Stir in chopped mars bars. Drop by tablespoons onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes for soft gooey cookies or up to 14 minutes for crispier cookies. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 40 cookies.

Recipe Notes:  I found the cookies a bit salty so I might decrease the salt in these next time.  Dewey thought they were perfect and dubbed them the "best cookies you've ever made!"  The cookie on the left was baked for about 8 minutes and the one on the right was baked longer.  The caramel in the "more done" cookie starts to taste almost more like toffee.  They taste a lot different.  I would suggest baking some of each!

Pop over to Shan's to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Card Tree

Most of our Christmas cards.  I hate to take them down! What do you do with your Christmas cards after Christmas?

Linked up for Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom, A Lot of Loves and My Organized Chaos!

Read more...

Top Ten Tuesday - My Favorite iPod/iPhone Apps

I really, really, really want an iPhone.  I mean....really! Unfortunately, I have to carry a Blackberry for work so no iPhone for me.  Instead I make do with a Generation 4 iPod Touch.  It's like a iPhone lite.  Sort of.  Except the camera kind of sucks but I digress.

The coolest thing about iPhones and new iPods are the great apps you can download for them.  Here are my ten favorite apps right now.  I've included their current prices in the Apple App Store as well.

1.  Instagram - Free -  This is my favorite app that I didn't use for the first 3 months after I downloaded it.  I just didn't understand what it did.  Since I figured it out I love it.  Basically it is a photo sharing site where you follow people like on Facebook or Twitter.  You take pictures of various things in your life & it posts to Instagram.  People can follow your pictures & you can follow theirs.  I've been using it to take most of the pictures for my 365 Day Photo Project.  There are also a few filters you can use to make your pictures look cooler.

This pic was taken with Instagram.

2.  Hipstamatic - $1.99 - This is another camera app.  It is similar to Instagram without the sharing.  It uses the camera in your iPod/iPhone but applies filters to it to make it look like your photo was taken with an older camera/film.  It gives a cool look to your pictures.

This picture was taken with Hipstamatic

3.  Diptic - 1.99 - One last photo app...Diptic allows you to take all your iPhone/iPod pictures and turn them into awesome collages that can then be shared.  Diptic makes it easy to make great looking collages with just a few clicks which is essential when you are trying to do this on such a small screen!

A Diptic Collage

4.  Facebook - Free - Not sure if you're as addicted to Facebook as I am but I love the mobile app.  You can do all the "big" functions as the full Facebook like update status, upload a picture & read other people's statuses.  Definitely worth the download for those times that you have a few minutes to kill where there's Wifi!

5.  Twitter - Free - I've tried a few different Twitter iPod/iPhone apps but I keep coming back to the "real" twitter.  I'm not sure it's the best but it gets the job done.

6.  Talking Tom Cat - Free -  A great toddler/preschool diversion app!  You talk to the talking tom cat & he repeats what you said back at you in a funny voice.  To an adult this may sound boring but to a preschooler it is high comedy!  It can keep Evan quiet for 20 minutes!

7.  Train Conducter USA 2 - $0.99 - One of my favorite games.  This is one of those games that tests how fast you can get the right train on the right track without any crashes.  It will make you CRAZY but you can't stop playing.  It will give you an eye twitch in no time flat!

8.  Fruit Ninja - $0.99 - One of the few games that both Evan and I like to play.  It has a harder mode with bombs and such but also a "Zen" mode where you are timed but it's much more....well.....zen.  Your finger swipe is a ninja sword swipe that cuts fruit.  You try to cut more than one piece of fruit per swipe.  More fruit equals more points.  

9.  Cake Doodle - $0.99 - Evan plays Cake Doodle more than ANY other iPod game hands down.  He absolutely loves it.  It starts with a recipe & you drag each ingredient to the bowl.  On some of the ingredients you have to "do" something with it......you chop the butter, crack the egg, etc.  You then mix it, pick a shape for the cake, bake it, decorate it & then eat it.  Evan plays it over and over.

10.  Pictureka - $1.99 - Play through the "Adventure" mode & you go through increasingly difficult levels of picture find games.  You have one big picture that you can scroll through right to left.  You are given a number of things to find.  As you find them, you are given more things to find.  Oh, and did I mention that there's a time?  Yep there is.  The only negative to this app is that it doesn't let you save your progress.  If you run out of time you have to start all over.  I've gotten all the way through & I find myself going back to play it again and again because it's different each time.

What are your favorite apps?  I would love to know!

Important info! One thing to note....in this world of apps, there has been something called "In-App Purchases" to cut down on App piracy.  This means that you can buy extra stuff from within an app.  That's all well in good as long as the person buying it and paying for it KNOWS they are which may not be the case if your 2 year old is playing with your iPod/iPhone.  Here is a tutorial on how to turn this ability OFF.  Do it now......no really.  Evan managed to charge $10 in In-App Purchases to my account before I figured this out.  You're welcome.  :)

This Top Ten Tuesday post is linked up over at Oh Amanda!

Read more...

Knowing Me, Knowing You - January 2011 Edition

Another month, another "get to know your favorite blogger" interview hosted by Shan at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother.


1.  You have $5 Million to spend in 5 days and you can't spend it on yourself or your family.  What do you spend it on?

I would give $1M to Greg Mortinesen to build schools.  You may remember him from my post on his book Three Cups of Tea.

I would give $1M to the University of Alabama (my alma mater) to set up a scholarship fund to send underprivileged kids to University.  It would NOT be completely based on grades but more based on background and achievement in and out of the classroom.

Hmmm.....for the other $3M I might have a Dragon's Den-esque "contest" for the money.  I think there are soooo many people with wonderful ideas out there who never get the chance to make their dream come true.  It would be awesome to be able to do that.

2.  What's your favorite type of food?


I must admit that I love the food of my youth....Southern food.  Deep fried?  Check! BBQ?  You bet! My favorite thing to eat when I go home is called a piglet at Carlot BBQ (restaurant in my hometown).  It's french fries (crinkle cut!) with pulled pork and grated cheese on top.  You then drown that with bbq sauce.  Yum-O!

It's a really good thing that I don't eat like that more often!


3.  What's the best concert you've ever attended?


Hands down it is the Tom Petty concert I went to 2 or 3 years ago.  The reason I liked it so much is because he sang ALL his hits.  You were singing along with every single song.  It was sooooo much fun.  I have seen other iconic acts where they refuse to sing any of their old stuff & it really leaves a bad taste in your mouth.  Not Tom Petty.  He had the BEST show ever.

4.  What sports do you like?

College football all the way.  I went to the University of Alabama which is one of the THE original football schools.  I still follow the Crimson Tide from Calgary even though they don't show the games on TV up here very often.  Roll Tide!

Any other sports....meh.

5.  Who is your favorite cartoon character of all time?


I have no idea.....  I always liked the Smurfs and Hello Kitty.  Otherwise I am totally drawing a blank!  Edited to add:  I finally remembered!  My favorite cartoon character is Marvin the Martian.  He rocks!

Want to join in the fun?  Just answer the questions above on your blog (or if you don't have a blog, in my comments) and link up over at Tales from the Fairy Blogmother.

Read more...

Stepping Away from Weight Micro Management

Weight....


It seems to be all we women talk about.  We spend so much time determining what we need to eat, can't eat, want to eat, wish we could eat.....oh and don't forget about how much we need to exercise to make up for what we ate.


It's really beginning to get to me.  "Why?" you ask....


The main reason is because much of this discussion is being had by women who don't need to lose weight (including me)!  I know that people who are overweight should try to lose weight for health reasons BUT any doctor will tell you that if you are in a healthy weight range you will not get major health benefits from losing more weight.

So basically, all this craziness we put ourselves through is for one thing.....


vanity.


Yep, I'm looking in the mirror on this one too.  What are we telling our children, though? We focus so much of our daily attention on micro managing our food intake just so we can fit into a smaller size of jeans.

Is it worth it?

I don't think so any more.  I like eating the same thing my family eats.  I like eating dessert.  I don't overeat that often.  I am well within the healthy weight range (145 pounds and 5 foot 7").  I am not a model and I do have cellulite that I would prefer not to have.  Regardless, I am going to cut myself some slack.  I am going to enjoy life while trying to eat healthy & exercise.  I am NOT going to micro manage my life to lose 10 vanity pounds that will only stay off if I continue to micro manage for life.

So why this whole rant?  I just want you to look at yourself & ask "Am I driving myself crazy for true health reasons?"  If so, go for it....if not...maybe you should give yourself a break!

Life is just too short!

So what do you think?




I'm going to start posting my 365 Day Photo Project photos once per week on Fridays but you can still check them out daily on Instamatic (on iPhone or iPod...my username is Merry120) or here on Flickr.

Read more...

Creative Pay It Forward Challenge

My bloggy friend Julie from Thoughts of a Smother Mother issued this challenge on Facebook the other day.  I've seen it a couple of times since on other people's status' too.  I put it on mine but only got one taker so I thought I would challenge you, my fine readers, as well!




I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment to this post.  The item will be sent to you sometime in 2011.




HERE'S THE CATCH: You must in turn promise to post this (to your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc) and send something you made to the first 5 people who leave a comment to your post. 




The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011!


Not so hard, right?  


Just leave a comment and the first 5 commenters (which will bring my actual total to 6 but that's ok).  Please leave me an email address so that I can email you for your address.




365 Day Photo Project 

Sunrise in Calgary

Read more...

Paying It Forward One Day at a Time

So one of my goals this year (though I seem to have left it off my goals list) is to bring back some kindness in my community.  I think we've lost our willingness to be kind to each other somewhere along the way.  Kindness starts at home but sometimes it's easier to start with kindness to strangers....none of that baggage of expectations or history you know?


Anyway....this morning I was in line at Starbucks (which I did NOT make a goal to cut back on b/c I don't make resolutions I can't keep).  I had a card for a free coffee for my birthday so I used it for my drink.  When the barista came back with my coffee I asked how much the order for the car behind me was.

She said "$4.23".

I handed her a $5, said "Thank you" and drove away.

As I turned the corner,  I saw the lady in the car behind me hand money to the barista & wave at the car behind her.  She had bought his coffee.

Funny thing is.....I didn't spend any more this morning than normal but I made someone's day a little brighter.  Though I bet buying the next guy's coffee actually made her happier than getting hers for free.

Because giving feels BETTER than getting.  It really does.

How can you be kind to someone & make their day a little brighter tomorrow?  I dare you to find a way. Please come back & tell us about it in the comments if you do!


365 Photo Project:

Coffee with a friend rocks!

Read more...

What's Cooking Wednesday - Baked Ham

Sometimes I feel like I have been sick since November!  I'm down with yet another cold/flu but I keep telling myself that this is IT, the last one for winter, no.....really!  Regardless, here's a recipe for you though I am slacking on the picture.  Sorry!


World's Easiest Baked Ham:

- Smoked bone in half ham (fully cooked but with bone)
- 1 can of coke
-1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar (depends on size of ham)
- 2 - 3 Tbsp grainy mustard (")
- 3 - 4 Tbsp apple juice (enough to make a thin-ish paste)

Recipe Notes:  Just to be clear....this is using a fully cooked, smoked bone in ham NOT a raw ham!  Since we have a small family, I cut the ham in half.  I cook half now & then freeze the other half to cook later.  If you have a big family (really big) you can cook the whole thing.

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place ham cut side down in a large oven proof pot.  Pour in Coke.  Cover pot with lid or aluminum foil.  Bake for ~2 hours.

Mix brown sugar, mustard and juice into a thin-ish paste.  Take ham out of the oven, pour out most of the coke (leave about 1/2 inch), and brush mixture on the ham.  Recover and put ham back in the oven for another 30 - 45 minutes.  Let rest for a bit before cutting.  Serve.

Leftovers & the ham bone can be used to make Crockpot Split Pea soup (which is what I did) or Ham Tetrazinni.  This is a very inexpensive way to make dinners for the whole week.  I bought my ham at Costco for ~$20.  We cut the ham in half.  We cooked half for dinner Sunday night and froze the other half.  I then made Split Pea Soup for supper last night.  Half of that went in the freezer.  So for a $10 half of ham we got 2 dinners, tons of leftovers and a dinner of soup in the freezer.

Visit Shan over at The Fairy Blogmother to see what else is cooking this Wednesday!


365 Day Photo Project - I almost forgot to post it!

Evan's Halloween ghost is still up after New Year's.  Might as well leave it up until Halloween now!

Read more...

Top Ten Tuesday - My Favorite Christmas Memories of 2010

I know, I know.....enough with the Christmas and New Year's posts but I haven't even posted my Christmas photos yet!  Not sure how many will get posted at this late date.  Regardless, the season seemed to fly right by so I want to try to hold on to it just a little bit longer!






1.  Kevin -  Our Elf on the Shelf was a HUGE hit with Evan and the rest of the family.  There were times when I wished we didn't have to do it every day (usually when I remembered him at 6am) but overall it was a great experience & we will DEFINITELY be visited by him again next year.

2.  The 25 Days of Christmas - I was first introduced to the 25 Days of Christmas by my friend Shan over at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother.  It seemed like a big commitment and a lot of work but, boy, was it worth it.  We did all kinds of things from cutting paper snowflakes (or snowflicks as Evan calls them) to enjoying hot cocoa and a Christmas movie.  We made sure to keep things easy peasy and low stress.

3.  Spending Christmas at Nana & Papa Don's house - It's one of our favorite Christmas traditions.  Lots of food and fun every year.  I'm very lucky to have such great in-laws.

4.  Having time off with Evan - I know this isn't a specific thing but it was so nice to have so many days at home. Evan has a bit of separation anxiety whenever I leave for work.  It was awesome to avoid that discussion for two whole weeks!

5.  Christmas Morning- All the kids loved their Christmas presents but this was the first year that Evan really "got" it.  We didn't read all the tags for him, though, so he thought Santa brought him all his gifts. 

6.  Making Cinnamon Rolls with Evan for the Neighbors - He loved making them and it got him in the giving spirit.

7.  Participating in Helping a Family Recently Out of a Shelter -  Christmas is about giving.  Our group at work always adopts a family but through a miscommunication we didn't adopt a family this year.  Instead I chose to help a family that fell through the cracks because they were in a shelter until right before Christmas.  We gathered together everything they needed to make their new apartment a home.  I was not a huge part of this effort but I did make sure that they had a Christmas tree, lights & ornaments so that the kids would have a Christmas tree for Santa to put a few presents under.

8.  Helping The Bloggess bring Christmas to families who are having trouble this season.  You can read all about it here.  By the end over $40,000 was given to families in need by her readers.  Amazing! *Note: If you don't know The Bloggess....she is less than PC if you are easily offended you might not like her blog.  Just letting you know.*

9.  Packing Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child - I love being able to help children in other parts of the world enjoy Christmas a bit more.  

10.  Celebrating New Year's Eve with My Husband's Band - I must admit that sometimes I get tired of the band practices and the time away from us but it was really great to see the fruits of all their labor.  They ROCKED the party and had everyone on the dance floor all night.

What were you favorite memories from Christmas?  This post has been linked up at Oh Amanda for Top Ten Tuesday.

365 Day Photo Project:

New year, new puzzle.

Read more...

When Did Being Nice Become Out of the Ordinary?

Evan and I were standing in line at Costco with a FULL cart of groceries.  It wasn't super busy but busy enough that all the lines were full.  A man came up behind me holding maybe 4 items.  I told him "You only have a few things so go ahead of me because I have a TON."


He looked at me like I had grown a second head.


"Really?" he asked incredulously.


"Sure!" I said.

I think I made his day.  Have you done a random act of kindness lately?  You should try it.  It doesn't take that much and you just might make someone's day (and it might make yours!).


So what do you think? Has niceness fallen by the wayside?  What's the last nice thing you did for a stranger?

365 Day Photo Project

Evan and I made robot Shrinky Dinks today.  Here's my creation.

Read more...

What Will I Be Doing in 2011?

Growing up we always said "Whatever you are doing on New Year's Day is what you'll be doing the rest of the year."


I sure hope not!


If so, I'll be.....

Getting up at 11:30am (slightly hungover).


Driving to pick up Evan in Strathmore (about 30 minutes from Calgary).


Listening to Evan cry and scream all the way back to Calgary.


Eating at Fat Burger....onion rings are yummy so that might be okay.


Going to Future Shop & Walmart (I hate big box store shopping!)


Purchasing an Xbox which was dead on arrival.  Taking it back to Walmart.....


Playing with Evan......okay I'll definitely be doing this one!



So what did you do today?  Would you want to do it every day for the next year?


365 Day Photo Project - I will post pictures on here most of the time but you can also see my pics on Flickr.  Here's my first one for January 1, 2011.

Learning to eat an Oreo!

Read more...