I guess really the title of this blog post shouldn't be "Christmas Baking #1" because there is no baking involved, just microwaving but Christmas Microwaving sounds dumb. . .
Fantasy Fudge
3/4 c margarine or butter
3 c sugar
2/3 c evaporated milk
1 pkg (8 oz) Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces
1 jar (7 oz) Marshmallow Creme
1 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped nuts
Microwave margarine 4 quart microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well.
Microwave on HIGH 3 minutes; stir. Microwave 2 minutes longer or until mixture begins to boil; mix well. Microwave 3 minutes, stir. Microwave 2 1/2 minutes longer. Let stand 2 minutes.
Stir in chocolate until melted. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla; mix well. Stir in nuts. Pour into greased 9x13 inch pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares.
Makes about 4 dozen candies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
10 Years
I’m not sure what to say about the past 10 years with Scott. Well really I’ve known him for 12 years but Nov 10, 2009 was our 10th wedding anniversary. We’ve had some good times and we’ve had some bad times and sometimes it was really bad and sometimes it was really good. I don’t want to make this into a blog post about how great my marriage is because if I was brutally honest it’s not great all the time and I really hate reading about only the good things in people’s lives so I’m assuming that a) someone is reading this and b) they don’t want to read only good things either and c) that if I were to try and do a post about the last 10 years it would be horrifically long and therefore d) no one would read it.
Here’s some wedding pics, just to remind myself and for your enjoyment.
Here’s some wedding pics, just to remind myself and for your enjoyment.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Grandpa Hinman
We just spent the last week down at my parents house in Cardston. My grandfather passed away on Oct 16 and Scott's employers were kind enough to let him take the entire week off with only 15 min notice. They may not pay the most but they are good to their employees in other ways so I can't really complain, well except for the money but that's a whole nother post!
My mom's dad, Willard Cook Hinman was 93 years old and really didn't have much to live for. His wife passed away almost 10 years ago and he was mostly deaf and blind and had a hard time getting around. He'd lived a good life and (I believe) was as ready to pass as one can be. He will be missed but I get great comfort in knowing that he is with my grandma and all his other relatives that have already gone ahead.
One of my favorite memories of grandpa was playing cards. We would go over to his house and play Hearts (but not on Sunday), King's Corner or Rook to name a few. We also always got in a game of Rummikub. Grandpa was a fierce competitor with a good sense of humor so the games were always lots of fun!
Grandpa and his son in law (my dad)
Grandpa and 3 of his 5 children, taken the weekend of his 93rd birthday celebration
My mom's dad, Willard Cook Hinman was 93 years old and really didn't have much to live for. His wife passed away almost 10 years ago and he was mostly deaf and blind and had a hard time getting around. He'd lived a good life and (I believe) was as ready to pass as one can be. He will be missed but I get great comfort in knowing that he is with my grandma and all his other relatives that have already gone ahead.
One of my favorite memories of grandpa was playing cards. We would go over to his house and play Hearts (but not on Sunday), King's Corner or Rook to name a few. We also always got in a game of Rummikub. Grandpa was a fierce competitor with a good sense of humor so the games were always lots of fun!
Grandpa and his son in law (my dad)
Grandpa and 3 of his 5 children, taken the weekend of his 93rd birthday celebration
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Blog for Scott
I've been waiting a really really long time to post this. . . Scott is officially a Professional Engineer as recognized by the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists & Geophysicists of Alberta. It's been a really long road to get here and it hasn't been easy but can I get a WAHOO for Scott C Shaw, PEng? What this means is that our life will go on as normal and Scott will keep working for Walters, Chambers & Associates but now he will have his own stamp which means more responsibility and liability.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
11 Step Program
Saw this on someone else's blog and had to stop myself from LOL. (It's 121 am and the house is quiet so I don't want to wake anyone.) Yeah I know I should be in bed but I'm not.
Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11-step program first!
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their:
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel:
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound). Playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner.)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and put-together.
Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.
Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice.) If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.
Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required.) Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11-step program first!
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their:
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel:
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound). Playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner.)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and put-together.
Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.
Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice.) If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.
Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required.) Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A Quote and a Yummy Recipe
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor. Thanks to Sharalee for the quote.
And thanks to Heather Austin for the yummy recipe! These cookies should come with a WARNING: ADDICTIVE on them. I made them and then proceeded to eat at least half the batch within the hour.
PB & Oat Drop Cookies
2 c sugar
1/4 c butter (i used margarine)
1/2 c Milk
Cook on stove for 2 min then add
3/4 c peanut butter (I used smooth but crunchy would be good too)
3 c oats
Stir until well mixed then drop on wax paper until set.
And thanks to Heather Austin for the yummy recipe! These cookies should come with a WARNING: ADDICTIVE on them. I made them and then proceeded to eat at least half the batch within the hour.
PB & Oat Drop Cookies
2 c sugar
1/4 c butter (i used margarine)
1/2 c Milk
Cook on stove for 2 min then add
3/4 c peanut butter (I used smooth but crunchy would be good too)
3 c oats
Stir until well mixed then drop on wax paper until set.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
5 Things
I stole this from Catherine (I really don’t know that I could come up with any original posts if left to my own) ... and I am only using obscure answers so hopefully you won't feel i am re-hashing stuff you already know ...
5 things i was doing 5 years ago:
1. getting paid for working at a job I hated
2. looking for an inexpensive house so Scott could have a garage and I could have a dog
3. aquasizing like a maniac
4. hating where I was emotionally
5. hating where I was physically
5 things on my to-do list for this weekend:
1. clean up backyard
2. plant lilies
3. work on tan (see #1, 2 & 5)
4. go to church
5. plant garden
5 things i would do with a million dollars (after becoming debt free):
1. buy a new house
2. invest for retirement
3. go back to school
4. hire a maid
5. buy a vacation house
5 places i have lived:
1. Delton – aka the almost hood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2. #11, 1960 N Canyon Rd Provo UT
3. #15, 1960 N Canyon Rd Provo UT
4. 149 Hayward Crescent – aka my cousin April’s basement
5. 9525 77 Ave – basement suite where the upper neighbors where this lovely older pot-smoking couple
5 jobs i've held (at least for a little while):
1. Sales Rep – Reitmans
2. Meat slicer at the Cardston IGA Deli
3. Tour Guide for the Cardston Historical Society – probably the worst paid most fun and still super boring job ever
4. Concessions staff at the Cardston Carriage House Theatre
5. Payroll Clerk for Capital Health
5 years from now i will:
1. Be DEBT FREE – ha I’m laughing even thinking about it
2. Have another child
3. Be healthier – hopefully have lost some weight
4. Have gone on a cruise
5. Have taken some university classes
Huh this was harder than I thought – maybe I should’ve put that in 5 years I will have improved my memory? LOL
5 things i was doing 5 years ago:
1. getting paid for working at a job I hated
2. looking for an inexpensive house so Scott could have a garage and I could have a dog
3. aquasizing like a maniac
4. hating where I was emotionally
5. hating where I was physically
5 things on my to-do list for this weekend:
1. clean up backyard
2. plant lilies
3. work on tan (see #1, 2 & 5)
4. go to church
5. plant garden
5 things i would do with a million dollars (after becoming debt free):
1. buy a new house
2. invest for retirement
3. go back to school
4. hire a maid
5. buy a vacation house
5 places i have lived:
1. Delton – aka the almost hood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
2. #11, 1960 N Canyon Rd Provo UT
3. #15, 1960 N Canyon Rd Provo UT
4. 149 Hayward Crescent – aka my cousin April’s basement
5. 9525 77 Ave – basement suite where the upper neighbors where this lovely older pot-smoking couple
5 jobs i've held (at least for a little while):
1. Sales Rep – Reitmans
2. Meat slicer at the Cardston IGA Deli
3. Tour Guide for the Cardston Historical Society – probably the worst paid most fun and still super boring job ever
4. Concessions staff at the Cardston Carriage House Theatre
5. Payroll Clerk for Capital Health
5 years from now i will:
1. Be DEBT FREE – ha I’m laughing even thinking about it
2. Have another child
3. Be healthier – hopefully have lost some weight
4. Have gone on a cruise
5. Have taken some university classes
Huh this was harder than I thought – maybe I should’ve put that in 5 years I will have improved my memory? LOL
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Belly Dancing
For fun this past 2 months a couple friends and I took a beginner belly dance course through Metro Community College. We had a riot! Our teacher, Tracy aka Geela, was awesome and a total riot! I think it's safe to say that we had a blast! I want to take the class over again in September, it's a really good work out and I'm pretty sure I haven't laughed so hard in I don't even know when.
Here's the video of our performance at the Hafla. There were so many amazing performers there, I'm sure we were the worst!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbPCTxI1ZR8
Big thanks go out to Tracy and the other students for making this class so enjoyable and to Scott for watching Kellan (and occasionally Ruby, Aubrey and Iylah) so I could attend.
Here's the video of our performance at the Hafla. There were so many amazing performers there, I'm sure we were the worst!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbPCTxI1ZR8
Big thanks go out to Tracy and the other students for making this class so enjoyable and to Scott for watching Kellan (and occasionally Ruby, Aubrey and Iylah) so I could attend.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Five Questions
A fellow blogger and former room mate offered to interview people who read her blog - 5 questions just for me! Here they are with my answers. I am also offering the same to anyone who asks for them in the comments and/or sends me an email. And, as promised - I will play nice ... Nothing too personal!
1. Tell us about your siblings ...
Ada is 18 mos younger than me. She is married to Joe and lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta. She loves to read and is very much a homebody. Ada is lots of fun to hang out with and is one of my best friends.
Spencer is 4.5 years younger than me. He is married to Kelsey (nee Leavitt) and has two daughters, Ella approx 4 weeks and Sophie, 2 years. Don’t know much about Spencer anymore. He works for an alarm company and currently lives in Lethbridge but moves around a lot.
Holly is 6 years younger than me. She is married to Ryan Layton and lives in Woking, AB which is about 30 min north of Grande Prairie, AB. Holly and Ryan have a cocker spaniel, Koona who is a princess! One of Holly’s nicknames is Holly Homemaker because she can cook really well and her house is usually clean. Holly and I always have a blast hanging out and going on road trips to Cardston. She is also one of my best friends!
2. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
I know this might sound super lame but I am really proud of myself for surviving pregnancy. I didn’t have an especially hard pregnancy but it was scary not having any control over what was going on inside of me. Included with the surviving pregnancy would be giving birth without drugs. I wanted drugs but I was too far along in the process when I got to the hospital.
3. What personal (not physical) quality that you possess is your favourite?
This is a hard one. The only one that comes to mind is that I’m stubborn but that’s usually not a good quality. Okay I came back to this one. . . My personal quality that is my favorite is I like to laugh.
4. How is your life different today from what you thought it would be when you were 18?
It might be shorter to write how my life is the same – pretty much nothing is the same as I thought it would be except I am married. I thought I would get married young and proceed to re-populate the earth and live happily ever after. That makes it sound like I’m not happy, some days I’m not but for the most part I’m satisfied.
5. You are free from all obligations for one week - what do you do with it?
I would be a total bum! I would sleep in, read, have a nap, maybe watch tv, do some baking, read some more and nap some more. I might shower or I might just stay in my pjs all week. Heck I might shower and then just put clean pj’s on!
1. Tell us about your siblings ...
Ada is 18 mos younger than me. She is married to Joe and lives in Grande Prairie, Alberta. She loves to read and is very much a homebody. Ada is lots of fun to hang out with and is one of my best friends.
Spencer is 4.5 years younger than me. He is married to Kelsey (nee Leavitt) and has two daughters, Ella approx 4 weeks and Sophie, 2 years. Don’t know much about Spencer anymore. He works for an alarm company and currently lives in Lethbridge but moves around a lot.
Holly is 6 years younger than me. She is married to Ryan Layton and lives in Woking, AB which is about 30 min north of Grande Prairie, AB. Holly and Ryan have a cocker spaniel, Koona who is a princess! One of Holly’s nicknames is Holly Homemaker because she can cook really well and her house is usually clean. Holly and I always have a blast hanging out and going on road trips to Cardston. She is also one of my best friends!
2. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
I know this might sound super lame but I am really proud of myself for surviving pregnancy. I didn’t have an especially hard pregnancy but it was scary not having any control over what was going on inside of me. Included with the surviving pregnancy would be giving birth without drugs. I wanted drugs but I was too far along in the process when I got to the hospital.
3. What personal (not physical) quality that you possess is your favourite?
This is a hard one. The only one that comes to mind is that I’m stubborn but that’s usually not a good quality. Okay I came back to this one. . . My personal quality that is my favorite is I like to laugh.
4. How is your life different today from what you thought it would be when you were 18?
It might be shorter to write how my life is the same – pretty much nothing is the same as I thought it would be except I am married. I thought I would get married young and proceed to re-populate the earth and live happily ever after. That makes it sound like I’m not happy, some days I’m not but for the most part I’m satisfied.
5. You are free from all obligations for one week - what do you do with it?
I would be a total bum! I would sleep in, read, have a nap, maybe watch tv, do some baking, read some more and nap some more. I might shower or I might just stay in my pjs all week. Heck I might shower and then just put clean pj’s on!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Kellan's First Professional Hair Cut
While we were up in Grande Prairie a couple weeks ago, my sister Holly made us appointments to get out hair cut. Scott and I both needed a cut and we decided that we'd get Kellan's cut too. Kellan has had numerous hair cuts from Scott and I but we decided that we should get his professionally done instead of us just trying to get him to sit still long enough in the bathtub. We should've known it wouldn't go well. Luckily the hair dresser was very quick so he did manage to get quite a bit trimmed off. She wasn't quite fast enough or maybe she just was afraid that she'd cut his ears but he still needs a trim over his ears.
Kellan is 2!!
It is so hard for me to believe it's been 2 whole years since Kellan has come into our lives! He has brought such joy to our lives. We can't imagine life without him. Here's some pics from the last 2 years.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Don't ya hate it when. . .
So anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to read and that I LOVE my dog, Sasha. I mean my very first post on here was about Sasha. So needless to say I was very excited when I saw that Oprah's new book club book was a book about dogs. Having been burned once before reading one of O's book club books, I really would not recommend The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet, I was also slightly leery at the same time. Since we don't have any extra money to be going out buying books when the public library here is pretty well stocked, I put the book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski on hold. So months go by and eventually I see the book on the Best Sellers shelf at the library which means that I can get it out for a week. I spend the next week with the book glued to my hand and still don't finish it. I then have to wait about another month before I get high enough on the hold list to actually get the book for my allotted 3 week stint from the EPL. Luckily for me this time frame falls during the recent Christmas break so since Scott was off work I became slacker mom and read like crazy! So before this already long story gets any longer I'm just going to say I really hate it when you read a book but you're not quite sure how it ends. Did the main character die? Did the bad guy die? Did everyone live happily every after? If you like books with endings like this I have two book recommendations for you - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and also The Giver.
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