Scraps of My Life

Another Recipe

2006-10-09T11:05:00.000-03:00

I have been in a food rut... I usually enjoy trying new dishes, giving my family something different every night, etc. But for the the last month or so, I have been in a rut... I haven't perused the internet for interesting recipes, my cookbooks have sat on the shelf unopened and my family have been eating old faithful favourites for so long now that they are probably not favourites anymore. I needed a boost! I was mentioning that to a friend last Thursday after she was telling me what she was cooking for dinner that night...sounded fab! Anyway, on Saturday, waiting in my inbox were 5 or 6 recipes she had emailed me that she had recently tried, or was going to try soon...just to motivate me! So here is one of those that I am going to try for dinner tonight... Thanks Meg for such a suitable prompt for me today!

Beef Parmesan with Garlic Angel Hair Pasta
Submitted By: Lorrie
Allrecipes.com

*****
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour
Yields: 4 servings

"If you love garlic, try tossing angel hair pasta with garlic, butter, Parmesan and parsley. Use this as a base for sauteed beef cube steak breaded with Parmesan and baked with onions, bell peppers and mozzarella."

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds beef cube steak
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
1 green bell pepper, sliced in rings
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12 ounces angel hair pasta
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cut cube steak into serving size pieces. Coat meat with the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, and saute 1 teaspoon of the garlic for 3 minutes. Quick fry (brown quickly on both sides) meat. Place meat in a casserole baking dish, slightly overlapping edges. Place onion rings and peppers on top of meat, and pour marinara sauce over all.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Sprinkle mozzarella over meat and leave in the oven till bubbly.
Boil pasta al dente. Drain, and toss in butter and 1 teaspoon garlic. For a stronger garlic taste, season with garlic powder. Top with grated parmesan and parsley for color. Serve meat and sauce atop a mound of pasta! HINT: make the meat ahead of time, and refrigerate over night, the acid in the tomato sauce will tenderize the meat even more. If you do this, save the mozzarella till the last minute.

Nutrition facts (per serving)
Calories (kcal) 989
Protein 60g
Cals from Protein 24%
Total Fat 46.4g
Cals from Fat 42%
Carbohydrates 81.8g
Cals from Carbohydrates 33%
Fiber 7.1g
Cholesterol 156mg
Sodium 1916mg

A recipe

2006-10-02T14:16:00.000-03:00

Today's Prompt:
It's October, which means fall here in the Northern Hemisphere. Here are a bunch of "autumn" words to get you started.

My chosen word is CRANBERRY.

I really like cranberries. One of my favourite snacks is Ocean Spray's Crasins. I also like bread pudding..its one of my favourite childhood desserts. I have warm memories of going to my grandmother's home and smelling the cinammon-y, sugary smell of freshly baked bread pudding coming from her kitchen. I found this cranberry bread pudding recipe on Ocean Spray's website which I am going to try soon. Thought I'd share it in case someone else likes cranberries and bread pudding as much as I do!

Cranberry Bread Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups toasted whole wheat bread cubes, packed
2 cups Ocean Spray® Cran•Raspberry® Raspberry Cranberry Juice Drink
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Sweetened Dried Cranberries
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional, for topping
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish or pudding pan. Pour bread cubes in prepared pan; set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and pour cranberry mixture over bread cubes. Let sit 15 minutes.

Bake pudding for 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 10 servings.

I will sleep well tonight because...

2006-09-30T23:03:00.000-03:00

... my kids are tucked in and are sleeping peacefully
... my house is semi tidy (as close to tidy as it is going to get with 2 energetic boys:)
... I am blessed to live in a relatively crime free part of the world
... I know that my life is in God's hands and that His plans are perfect

As I was writing this list (which could be a lot longer because I am blessed in so many ways) I started thinking all the people in the world who will not have a good night sleep for a number of reasons... I take so much for granted. This was a good reminder to be thankful for all that I have been blessed with.

Let it go!

2006-09-29T20:46:00.000-03:00

Okay girls, breathe in.......breathe out........

Your prompt is "release". Take that word however you like, and write.

Wow, I needed this prompt today...

On Tuesday, I LOST MY CELL PHONE! I remember having it when I left home to pick up M from school, I don't remember anything after that. It is not at home, not in the car, not at the school. The only thing I can imagine is that I placed it on top pf the car to strap M in to his car seat and never took it off. Anyway for the rest of the week I have been MAD! Mad at myself for being careless, mad because I really liked the phone which was virtually child proof (rubberised coating), mad because it was a surprise, no special occasion gift from my dh only about 4 months ago, mad because it was also my MP3 player, mad because it contained all my phone #'s which I was now depending on b/c remember, my computer crashed a couple of weeks ago and I haven't had time to update the address book on the new computer, I was just MAD. I was losing sleep over this until last night I finally said "THIS IS CRAZY! IT IS ONLY A PHONE!" I committed to let it go and get over it. Then I get this prompt this morning which reminded me to RELEASE the phone! I do feel much better! I am breathing in.......breathing out........

Room Makeover

2006-09-28T11:06:00.000-03:00

It's been awhile since I have blogged... you know what it is like when life gets in the way of you doing what you want to do! This month has been a busy one.. one of change, new chapters being written in our lives. Micaiah started school last week and although we have had a few teary days, he loves it! I now have my mornings alone with Eli... for the first time Eli and I have one on one time ... he is lots of fun. I also have a little time to myself during Eli's nap time... wow, I can actually sit down and have a little peace! Our computer died earlier this month and DH suggested switching to a mac... I was hesitant but now a week after having it...I am in LOVE!

We have been doing some thinking and planning for renovating our house... I have a number of things on my wish list... a proper dining area, a bigger kitchen to incorporate a pantry and breakfast nook, a laundry room (as a opposed to the laundry area I presently have), a bathroom near the pool so wet feet don't have to walk through the house (which usually happens right after I clean the kitchen and bathroom floors! LOL), a playroom (so I can take back the serenity of my living room!) I probably won't get everything on my list but it is nice to dream. Thus I am answering Tuesdays DSP prompt...

If you could have a designer come into a room of your house and redecorate it for you, which room would it be and what would you ask them for?

We currently have a sunroom off of our kitchen that overlooks the pool area. It would make a fantastic dining area or playroom (items on my wish list) but it right now is my laundry/ storage/ clutter/ junk room... it is a disaster no matter how much decluttering and reorganising I try to do. I would love to have a designer come and make some sense of it, figure out if there is a better way to store stuff and still be able to use the room for something. Maybe one day my wish will come true.. if so I will be sure to post before and after pictures!

School days

2006-08-23T15:19:00.000-03:00

Wow it's been a while since I have updated this blog! I have been swamped with concert planning. One more week until the choir arrives! Everything is coming together... yipee! And unbelievably in the middle of this Eli will be turning one on Sunday! I have managed "miraculously" to pull together a little family only party for Saturday which I am looking forward to. It has given me a little escape from all the concert planning. I can't wait until it is all over and my life gets back to a "normal" routine! Hope all my blog pals are doing well.. I miss "talking" to you all!! I have a few minutes so I thought I'd answer todays prompt...

What did you study in school, or what was a favorite subject?Did you receive your education somewhere other than school?

After highschool, I attended the Bermuda College where I obtained an Associates Degree in Arts and Science with a concentration in Psychology. I left there and went to Word of Life Bible Institute in upstate NY for 2 years where I obtained a diploma in Biblical studies and youth ministries. After that break from traditional academics, I found myself at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario Canada. There I studied Psychology and obtained my Bachelor of Arts Degree. I left university having no clue what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and ended up working in the training department in a Bank. I worked very closely with the HR department and realised that that was where I was meant to be. So I worked full time and studied for my professional designation in HR through the Society of Human Resource Managers in the US. I sat and passed the level one exam (Professional in HR designation) and 2 years later sat and passed the level 2 exam (Senior Professional in HR). A year later I got pregnant and decided to become a SAHM! My training in psychology and managing people definitly did not prepare me for the antics of my 2 1/2 year old!!! Maybe one day I'll be back to the corporate world but right now I really don't miss it... motherhood has been the most rewarding job that I have ever had!

Here's the invitation I made for Eli's little party we'll be having this weekend! I can't believe my baby is one already... where does the time go? Hope to get back to regular blogging soon but for the meantime, take care and God bless!

Busy Busy Busy

2006-08-09T14:40:00.000-03:00

Boy do I hate that word... I love to be doing things but I hate to be busy... I don't cope well when things get too stressful... I feel like I am in one of those hampster rings right now... running and accomplishing litte of nothing! I have missed posting and keeping up with the dsp blog prompts.. there have been some good ones! I miss reading the blogs of all my web pals! My house looks like hurricane force winds just blew through it!

What am I busy doing you ask? Well on top of my normal life of being a SAHM to to lively boys and wife to a wonderful husband, I decided to take on a project.. you know when someone asks you to be involved with something and you are genuinely excited about it and you think you will have all the time in the world and then it gets down to crunch time and you start asking how you allowed yourself to get roped in to this!

On September 2nd, my church will be hosting the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir for a concert. It is being held at our National Sports Centre and we are expecting 8-10 thousand people (which is huge for an island of only 60,000 people). And yours truly accepted the responsibility of event coordinator... WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?! especially since we did the same thing in 2004 and I had the same role... I AM REALLY A SLOW LEARNER!!!!! Anyway as much as I gripe and complain, I am having a lot of fun... there is so much involved in bringing together an event of this magnitude especially on an island where next to nothing is available locally. We have to ship in all of the staging, lighting and sound equipment! Right now I am trying to coordinate all of the volunteers who are assisting... we have close to 100 volunteers and are praying for more. I feel like we are months behind in our prep but I know, as these things always seem to, it will all come together over the next few weeks.

This is a fantastic ministry opportunity for our church... so many will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ though this event... and the music is phenomenal!

So I will be scarce over the next few weeks... but I will try to catch up as often as I can... keep me and this event in your prayers. Peace!

Survivior?!

2006-07-24T21:14:00.000-03:00

Do you think you could ever be on the TV reality show, Survivor? If so-why?
What do you think would be your weakness's, strengths? If not-why?

I haven't really watched Survivor much since the very first episode. I really enjoyed analysing the team dynamics (I was a HR professional before motherhood). I however would probably not do too well on the show... I probably don't have the physical stamina at this point in my life. I do enjoy the outdoors and although I enjoy the comforts of life, I am willing to give them up for a little while. I am a very competitive person, so I would enjoy the game, but probably more the team aspect than individually trying to outsmart everyone. I tend to be very loyal once I have formed relationships so the thought of the "cutthroat" behavior usually displayed and necessary to win would be difficult for me to both give and receive.

Eli's first hair cut

2006-07-23T21:47:00.000-03:00

I was trying to hold on until Eli turned one to give him his first hair cut, but when dh started calling him Kramer (from Seinfeld), I knew it was time...

Trust Me

2006-07-22T09:19:00.000-03:00

Here is another page for my art journal. I had a rough week, but putting this together helped me to unwind, refocus and renew.

you can also view it here

The Best Advice...

2006-07-21T14:45:00.000-03:00

What is the best advice you ever received? What was the situation, and did the advice help?

The best advice I recived while I was pregnant was from a coworker who had kids. You never know what to expect once the baby is born. You think that once the baby arrives you are going to have a perfect little life.. maybe a little sleep deprived...but you will have a wonderful baby to dress up in cute little clothes and blankets, and cuddle and play with...errr...thanks to this wonderful lady all these myths were dispelled for me... all she said was.. the first 3 months suck... but they do end! She said it honestly, truthfully, not trying to discourage or scare me but I often thought back on her words after I had been up a cazillion times in the night and was changing the 5th nappy in 1 hour, with cracked and bleeding nipples, looking at this tiny helpless being who I wasn't sure I even liked yet... and remembered that it would end... just knowing that helped get me through those not so fun days. Now does any one have any advice to get me through the seemingly neverending 2 year old phase?!?!?!

The 3 stage proposal.

2006-07-20T15:48:00.000-03:00

How were you proposed to? And did you like your proposal, if you could choose one , what would you like to have happened?

I love to tell the story of how dh and I met and married. Our story started a long time ago. I met him at a camp when we were about 7 (although he doesn't remember me). We met again at college (there is only one college on the island) but I was dating someone else so we were merely aquaintances. (He says he tried talking to me but I brushed him off... I don't remember that). About 5 years later, the year both of us returned to the island after being overseas at university, we met again at a Bible conference. Upon seeing him, it felt like I was being reaquainted with a close old friend which was weird because we had never really been friends, just knew each other enough to say hello. Over the next 3 years we were friends. I was not really intersted in a relationship and neither was he. I had just come out of a couple crazy relationships during my university years so I had decided to spend sometime just figuring out who I was and what I wanted. We would chat on the phone every couple of months and he asked me out to the movies or dinner a few times over the 3 years. Then on September 25th 2000, we went on one of these dinner dates and as I sat across from him, something had changed... there was chemistry there that hadn't existed before... after that date were were pretty much inseperable! On November 23rd (Thanksgiving day), we were talking on the phone and he started talking about "when we get married...this and that". I stopped him saying..."when we get married?!?.. you haven't even asked me to marry you yet".. so right there on the phone he asked me to marry him! He asked me not to tell my parents because he wanted to ask my dad for my hand in marriage. Once he did that we started to look at a ring for the "official engagement"... which I thought for sure would be on Christmas Day... boy was I disappointed. I guess he could tell I was disappointed because the next night he proposed... we were watching television at his house and I felt him move off the couch... when I looked over, he was on one knee holding the ring. Not as romantic as I had imagined but I was excited! But wait there's more. On my birthday in February, we had planned to go to dinner. It was a Saturday and about a month before he told me he had to work on that day (he never works on Saturdays...)The day before my b'day he said he would have to work right up until dinner time so he wouldn't be able to pick me up... it would be better if I met him at his work. Not my ideal birthday night out but oh well! He said he would meet me in the car park at the agreed time. When I got there, he wasn't in the car park...I not being a very patient person was getting more and more irritated. Finally he comes running over to the car to say he wasn't quite ready, but I should come in and wait for him...now I am fuming but trying to keep my composure... he at that time worked at the Bermuda Aquarium. We walked in and there in front of their huge ceiling to floor fish tank was a table set for 2 complete with flowers, candles, cloth napkins, the works. He had cooked dinner for me (which was what he was doing all day) and we had the most romantic dinner I could ever dream of... This was how he was planning to propose to me but since I was so impatient he decided to give me the ring when he did. I felt so bad because he had had this planned for months! So if I could do it again, my romantic night in front of the fish tank, would have ended in the proposal! We married that year on November 10th.

Who's been reading my Blog!?!

2006-07-18T22:59:00.000-03:00

I've had a busy couple of days so I haven't answered any of the scrapblog prompts. But I have been able to squeeze in sometime to do some scrapping! You can take a peek later in this entry. But first here is a story I want to share:

On Sunday I went to church. Our pastor began to speak and the first thing I thought was... he's been reading my blog!!?!?! If you look at my entries for Thursday and Saturday you will see that they are about my commitment to
1.Be thankful everyday for what I have even when I think it is not enough... God gives me all that I need.
2. Look outside of my little world and see the needs of those around me, whether that be the person next door, in the next parish, or in another country on the other side of the world.
3. Live simply... not be on a mission to acquire things just to say I have the best this or the latest that.
4. Look for ways everyday to make someone else's life better, make our world better.
I couldn't believe it but this was exactly what the pastor was speaking on. His text was James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I was so encouraged, I knew God used him just to speak to me. I emailed him later in the day to share about how I was encouraged and I attached my Art Journal page (see Saturday's entry) and he wants to share it with our congregation. This is exciting to me because when I started digiscrapping earlier this year I was also searching on how I can best serve the LORD... I thought it would be cool if I could one day use my love for scrapbooking and graphic design for the LORD. It has come in a way that I least expected!

Well, I wanted to share my new layouts here but blogger doesn't seem to want to upload them right now so here is a link to them in my DSP gallery. Take a look and tell me what you think...I want to keep learning through this process.

Water Baby

Dad's Graduation

Making a Difference- Art Journal Layout

2006-07-15T01:57:00.000-03:00

I decided to do a layout based on my response to yesterday's prompt...again it is a page for the Art Journal Challenge...Enjoy!

Check it out here

Making a difference

2006-07-14T21:23:00.000-03:00

Today's prompt: Take a stand! What do you believe strongly in or against? Take up your place in a virtual picket line or climb up on your soapbox and preach!

I went to the Cheesecake Factory on a recent trip to the US and was horrified by the portion sizes that they serve...the portion sizes in most restaurants are more that necessary, but I think the Cheesecake Factory tops the charts of all the places I have been. All I could think about while I was eating my "enough for 3 people- appetizer portion- caesar salad" is that in the west we are so affluent to the point that we are insensitive to the needs of most of the world. We throw so much away... we take so much for granted... when there are so many with out. This made me think, and to reaffirm the way I try to live my life:

I commit to do the following and to teach my children the same:
1. Be thankful everyday for what I have even when I think it is not enough... God gives me all that I need.
2. Look outside of my little world and see the needs of those around me, whether that be the person next door, in the next parish, or in another country on the other side of the world.
3. Live simply... not be on a mission to acquire things just to say I have the best this or the latest that.
4. Look for ways everyday to make someone else's life better, make our world better.

If we all give more of ourselves we can make a difference. Will you join me?

Mom there's an elephant under my bed!

2006-07-13T20:25:00.000-03:00

Dr. Doolittle had a Pushme-Pullyou. What sort of weird creature would you like to have as a pet?

Well, I don't consider this a weird creature but it would be very weird to have as a pet. I would love to have an elephant as a pet... I LOVE elephants! I fell in love with elephants when I visited my mother's homeland- Sri Lanka when I was 12... we visited an elephant orphanage, where they rescue elephants from the wild whose mothers have been killed and raise them and then release the back to the wild. To me they are such majestic beings, regal but playful, tough but tender! I have elephant figurines around my house (not many because I hate knick knacks- more things to dust!) and I even had elephants on my wedding invitations...

So if I could have an elephant, that is just what I would do!

Conflict

2006-07-12T02:57:00.000-03:00

Today's prompt: Okay, girls, let's go deep today....Is the inner you aligned with the outer you?

I killed two birds with one stone... the answer to this prompt is in my DSP gallery in response to Meg and Bethy's Art Journal Challenge Here it is below...

Summery Weekend

2006-07-10T10:16:00.000-03:00

Today's Prompt from Meg: I'm going to give you a few words related to summer. Choose two or three and use them as your prompt!
Sunny, warm, picnics, outdoors, sunshine, hot, sticky, sweltering, insects, bugs, camping, swimming, lakes, boating, summer, corn, carnivals, festivals, parades, beach, fun, celebrate, biking, hiking, campfires, pools, outdoors, watermelon, sand castles, ice cream.

This is the perfect prompt to tell you about my weekend. It was one of those perfect sunny summer weekends. Our Saturday day began early. My parents had to take friends that were visiting to the airport for an early departure so they stopped by our house at 7:30am on their way back home. The kids woke up shortly after they arrived so they took all of us to breakfast at a hotel nearby. It was a buffet breakfast outdoors by the pool. What a gorgeous setting... and the kids behaved like angels.

After breakfast, a quick stop home and then were off to Shelly Bay where DH was playing cricket with some friends. Across the way from the cricket field, the school that Micaiah will be going to in September were having a picinic and had invited all the incoming students and families to join them. After watching the cricket gamefor a little while...which was moving along very slowly (it is beyond me why they enjoy standing in the sweltering heat all day hitting a little red ball with a bat and then running up and down)... I took the kids over to the beach to meet up with the school group. It was very warm and by then we were hot and sticky so we enjoyed a swim in the ocean. It's great to see families enjoying the sunshine...boating, building sand castles.. we had lots of fun! After lunch we went back to the cricket field where Dh was still in the sweltering heat but by now was batting (and making a fair number of runs). We watched for a little while then I took the kids home for a nap. It was a perfect summer day.

On Sunday Eli was feeling miserable (teething) so I kept him home from church. Micaiah went to church with DH who was the worship leader. Micaiah ended up sitting by himself for most of the service and was so well behaved! (When I am there he is usually climbing all over the pews and making so much noise I have to take him out) So we celebrated his good behaviour with a trip to the ice cream shoppe in the afternoon.

My Miracle

2006-07-05T10:32:00.000-03:00

Yesterday's Prompt:For those of us that stayed up too late watching fireworks, tell us about it! Or whatever you did to celebrate Independence day! For the rest of you, share a glimpse into your life. I firmly believe that something memorable happens every day, even if it's just a funny passing comment from someone you've never talked to before. Look through your day and find a moment that you would like to look back on!

Well, not being American or living in the US, we didn't celebrate Independance Day. Maybe one day our tiny island will no longer belong to Great Britian and we too will be able to celebrate independance. This was to be my topic on Tuesday but time did not permit... one day I'll share my thoughts on the current debate on whether or not Bermuda should seek independance.

Yesterday I started to blog.. got distracted and never came back... some days are crazy! What I wanted to share is that I went to the Dr. on Tuesday and the swelling on my retina has completely cleared. He said that though the condition is common, the way mine presented is unusual... appearing so rapidly and then disappearing sooner than they would have anticipated. I believe in the power of praying to a living God who is able to heal. It's my miracle! A moment (6 weeks) that I will look back on.

Summer…

2006-07-03T14:53:00.000-03:00

Today's challenge? Write a poem!!
A Haiku, a limerick, prose poetry, Shakespearean sonnet, whatever you like!

Okay, here is my attempt at writing poetry in response to Meg's challenge. Like I said in the forum... don't expect greatness, it's my first poem (since school days which feels like 100 years ago:)

Beach Days

Summer…
Waves crashing over tiny feet
Castles on the sand
Sea gulls flying overhead
Swooping down for fishy prey
Music playing
Getting closer
Everyone enjoys an icy cold treat
Licking fingers
Licking lips
Back to the water
Splashing
Swimming
Hoping this never ends
Summer

Inspiration

2006-07-01T23:45:00.000-03:00

Prompt:What inspires you?

I am inspired to do many things but today I was inspired to scrap! I was inspired by the purchase of a new kit. Today I made my first page since my vision problem began. My vision is back about 95% so I thought it safe to spend sometime doing what I love, what I have missed for over a month. I am thankful though because the doctor said it would be 3- 6 months! I praise God it hasn't taken that long... He answered my prayer! So last night I purchased a kit About a Boy by Marcee Duggar from the DSP store, and I couldn't wait to use it. Everyone is asleep, the house is quiet and I am scrapping! I just began digital scrapbooking in January (I have never paper scrapped) so I am a newbie... purchased PSE 4.0 in February and I have been teaching myself the program and how to scrap for the past few months (one of these days I will have time to take some dsp classes- a goal before the end of the year!). I was amazed tonight at how much I had forgotten in a month. I will have to jump back in with both feet! Here is the page I created. It is a scraplift of a page by a DSP member. Please tell me what you think... suggestions for making it better...I need to learn and grow!

The journalling reads: Someone commented on this picture saying, “That mom must love to clean!” The truth is I hate to clean, but more important to me than a clean house is that you be allowed to be a kid. You should be free to roll in the mud, or paint yourself blue... that’s what childhood is all about. Everyone tells me that these times will go by far too fast so I will try not to worry about the muddy footprints on the carpet or the dirt stains on your clothes. Together we will live and have fun!

A Healthier Me!

2006-06-29T19:47:00.000-03:00

Today's Prompt: What do you do for exercise? Do you have any goals, favourite exercise activities?

I am not naturally an active person... I was the kid who always got picked last in gym because I was not the athletic type. I hated sports because I grew up thinking I was no good at it. I wasn't really taught the importance of exercise. So as a result, exercise is a real challenge for me. After I got married I gained about 25 pounds in about a year... everyone said it was contentment... it depressed me. Since university I've had spurts of activeness, I've joined gyms, taken aerobics classes (which have always caused me stress because I am really uncoordinated!), taken up kickboxing, bike riding, walking, jogging, hired a personal trainer (in the days before kids when I had time and money!) When I do put my mind to losing weight I generally do... I gave myself 1 year to get to my pre-pregnancy weight after the birth of my 1st child. By Micaiah's first birthday I was at my goal... then a month later I was pregnant again.. oh well! So I decided to set the same goal this time. Eli turned 10 months this week so I have 2 months to lose 10 more pounds. 3 weeks ago I decided to get serious. I now have a different outlook... that exercise is not only about losing weight but being healthy.. I want to live out the rest of my life as healthy as I can be. With that in mind I have started eating better, and I along with some friends are going walking (mixed with a little running) a few times a week (this means I have to be up at 5am ugh!) I want this time for this to be a lifestlye change, not "I reached my goal now I can stop my regime". Here's to better health!

ROTFL

2006-06-28T15:43:00.000-03:00

Today's Prompt: The last time I laughed really hard...

There are so many silly things that make me laugh. I really enjoy a good "laughing-till-I'm-crying" laugh. My kids make me laugh all the time... like one time not to long ago I was doing something for Micaiah (aged 2)...can't remember what it was but it was something simple like tying his shoe laces and he apparantly thought I did a job at it because he shouted out "Good Boy Mommy!" I laughed so hard! Now he says it all the time just to be silly! I had a good laughing night a couple of weeks ago... we had a dinner party for dh's birthday. We had 2 other married couples over. One of the husbands is a real story teller complete with actions and sound effects and he was on a roll, telling us stories about their kids, his MIL's cooking etc... I was truly rolling on the floor laughing that night!

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

2006-06-27T11:17:00.000-03:00

Today's prompt was a quiz... I'm not a coffe drinker anymore :( I love coffee but since my first pregnancy I am ultrasensitive to the caffine... if I drink a cup of coffe at 10am it will keep me up all night... I've tried decaf but I figure if I can't get the real thing, why bother! Anyway, here's what type of coffee they figure me to be...

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable

At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty

You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it

Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

The Story behind the name

2006-06-26T17:50:00.000-03:00

Tell us about the reasons you gave your child the name you did...

MICAIAH JOSEPH
I wanted my son to have a bible name but something off the beaten track... a little different... but also not to wierd. Sometime after we were married we had a visiting pastor at our church and the text he used from the Bible was 1 Kings 22... the story of a prophet. I don't remember what the focus of his message was but my dh and I both looked at each other when we came across the name "Micaiah" and said this would be a cool name for a son. So that was decided before I even concieved that our first born son would be Micaiah (mi-kai-uh) which means "who is like Jehovah?" Micaiah's middle name is Joseph (after his dad and great grandfather)

ELI JOSHUA
We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl the second time we were pregnant, but I was covinced I was having a girl...so I didn't think too much about boys names. Right at the end I thought I should pick out some boys names. We went back and forth over several names but again we wanted something from the Bible. I'm not sure who thought of Eli first but it was probably the only name dh and I completely agreed on. It means "ascended". Eli's middle name is Joshua (because I wanted another "J" name.)

Distorted Vision

2006-06-23T21:16:00.000-03:00

Wow, after almost a month, I am back! On May 19th I woke up, started my day and started to notice that my vision was a little wierd... I also had a headache so I figured I was tired and after some rest I would be fine. The nest day was Saturday and my DH took the kids out so I could rest but my vision continued to get worse over the weekend. By Sunday night I knew that there was something very wrong with my left eye. I called the eye specialist on Monday morning and they couldn't give me an appointment until the next morning. I was beginning to get scared, but just prayed that all would be well. I had Lasik surgery 6 years ago to correct my nearsightedness and astigmatism and I had had no problems since. Tuesday came and I went for my appointement. At first the Dr. couldn't see anything unusual but after I insisted that I wasn't going crazy, he did some more investigation and was able to see some swelling on my retina. He wanted me to come back that afternoon to see his colleague. After seeing the next dr. they both agreed that I needed to see a retinal specialist but there was not one available on the island.. I would have to go out to the Lahey Clinic near Boston. I was numb when I left the office.. they couldn't tell me anything, like if this was permanent, if I needed surgery, what was causing the swelling etc. I got to the parking lot and cried. My faith in God was being tested and when I realised this, I started to feel his peace. The next few days were spent making appointments, flight and hotel arrangements and organising my two little ones who I would be leaving behind for the first time for so long.. Thankfully my parents were able to move into our house for the week to take care of them. My husband and I left for Boston, still not knowing what would happen once I got to see the dr. My appointment was for the day after we arrived. That seemed like the longest night of my life. I was up at 5 that morning, my stomach in knots, but also feeling the a sense of calm that everything would be fine. As soon as I saw the dr. I was given a sense of relief. He told me that it wasn't uncommon, it was a condition called central serous chorioretinopathy... a long way of saying swelling on my retina which was making my vision distorted. It seems that it usually happens to people in their 30's and is caused by stress... what stress do I have?!! I ONLY spend my days chasing an infant and a toddler around!! The good news was that I didn't need surgery, the not so good news (for a very impatient person) was that it would take 3- 6 months for my vision to be restored. Well praises to God, it is about 1 month later and my vision is back about 90% already! I have been able to resume normal activities and although it isn't perfect, my vision is more than adequate. I still need to limit my computer usage so I probably won't be scrapping for awhile, but I will hopefully updating this blog regularly. Since I didn't need to have surgery and was released from the hospital the same day as my appointement and we hadn't expected to be back home until 4 days later, my DH surprised me by taking me to Boston for 3 nights... we stayed at a hotel in Copely Square and just had a wonderful time together. It was the first time we had spent that much time alone together since before kids! It was much needed! I missed the kids and probably would have changed my flight and gone home right after the appointment but thankfully my dh was able to convince me to stay and enjoy the break we had been blessed with! I thank God for this whole experience and the peace that he gave me through out.

Best Vacation

2006-05-20T10:07:00.000-03:00

What was your favorite vacation/holiday you ever took and why....

My favourite mini vacation was a weekend getway to NYC for Valentines Day/ My 30th birthday (a few days after valentines). This was bk (before kids) so we could just jump up and go with out a care in the world. My dh planned the whole weekend, from dinner at a romantic little Italian restuarant, to iceskating at Rockefeller Plaza (well I should say trying to ice skate), to a broadway show... It was wonderful... and guess what, Micaiah was born 9 months later! LOL!!!

Word of the Day

The word of the day is BREAK: This morning, after breakfast Joe said he would take the boys out for the morning... as they were getting ready to go, I heard Micaiah say "Is Mommy coming?" Joe answered no and Micaiah's reply was. "Mommy needs a break!" So off I go to lie down with a cup of tea and a book for my break!!!

The world of make believe

2006-05-20T09:46:00.000-03:00

What aspect of play do you miss most about childhood? ...

My favourite things to do as a child were to dress up and pretend. I would spend hours lining up my dolls and stuffed animals in front of my chalkboard and pretend to be a teacher, or dressing in my mom's old nursing uniforms and playing with her stethoscope. I would get lost in different worlds, have all sorts of imaginary friends...

I am trying to encourage this type of play in my kids... playing that makes them think outside the box. Today there are so many toys and electronics that limit imagination and creativity. I give my children household items(safe of course!) to play with and see what they make of them. I am trying not to fall in the trap of buying every new thing out there that promises to make your child brilliant!

Word of the Day

Friday's word was PIZZA... I love it when, after I have had a rough day with the boys and I am just about to start dinner, my dh comes home and says "lets order pizza tonight!". (even though it later gave me heartburn!:0)

Words of the Day

2006-05-18T19:59:00.000-03:00

List your five favorite words and tell us why you love them...

I've been struggling with this one all day... I really don't think I have any favourite words so I thought I'd give you some words that helped make my day special today:

1. Quiet Time: This is what I call the time I spend alone in the morning reading the Bible and praying. I have been a Christian for a long time, but it has only been recently that I have done this with any regularity. It has made such a difference in my life. I don't know why it took me so long. It is still a struggle to get out of bed at 5:30am which is my goal, but once I am up and have had this time I am ready to face whatever comes my way during the day. I guess it is my breakfast for the soul.

2. Mommy: I couldn't wait to be called this and even though sometimes I get tired of hearing it called repeatedly( especially when it is whined ie "Mommy, Eli's hitting me"), I love to be called Mommy- I can't wait till Eli is old enough to call me Mommy. Hopefully he won't make me wait until he is 18 months like his brother did. I couldn't believe that Micaiah said Elmo before he said Mommy!

3. Rain: This morning it was pouring with rain... the hard driving rain which makes it impossible to see anything outside. In Bermuda, because the island is so small (21 sq miles), we have a 1 car per household law. (I can hear your gasps!:) So most families will have one or more mopeds or motorcycles which is the case in ours. My husband has a motorcycle which he travels to work on each day. On rainy days like today, we all pile in the car and take Daddy to work- which means we also have to pick him up. I always enjoy the extra family time that the drive allows! And Micaiah sees it as a treat- he asked me all day " Is it time to pick up daddy from work yet?"

4. Books: Because it was a rainy day, we didn't get to go on our normal everyday excursions- walk around the neighbourhood, a trip to the park, digging in the back yard. But Micaiah, Eli and I did get to cuddle and read tons and tons of books today (well Eli did more squirming and crawling away than cuddling but it was still fun!)

5. Violin: This is one of my hidden talents (well its been hidden for about 3 years). I played the violin since primary (elementary) school, took a break during my college years and picked it up again about 5 years ago. 2 years later I got pregnant and during my pregnancy my fingers got so swollen and stiff that I couldn't play. Once I had the baby I just couldn't find the time and into the closet it went... well almost three years and another baby later, I finally pulled it out today. This was prompted by a violin in one of the books during our marathon reading session. Micaiah's eyes lit up when I told him that I had a violin. I promised him that after dinner and baths I would pull it out and show him how I play it! We had so much fun. He couldn't believe I was playing twinkle twinkle little star for him.... Oh I have missed out on so much, I should have been playing for him since he was a baby. So my commitment to myself is to begin practicing again, even if my only audience from now on is my kids and my repertoire consists only of kiddy music!

This was fun... maybe I'll add a word a day to my blog and who knows, soon I may have a favourite.

Comfort Food

2006-05-17T14:26:00.000-03:00

write about a favorite comfort food...

CHOCOLATE (Cadbury's Dairy Milk is my favourite with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups a close second).
Pralines & Cream ice cream with hot fudge topping
warm molten CHOCOLATE cake
peanut butter (with a spoon right out of the jar)
warm CHOCOLATE chip cookies
warm Apple pie and vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce
Hot CHOCOLATE

Now I am craving chocolate!!! I often wonder why the foods that are good for us: vegetables etc... don't bring much comfort... I have never wanted to sit down in front of the tv eating a big bowl of carrot sticks LOL. My mom doesn't like chocolate ( what is wrong with her?!?!?) so she never gave me chocolate, never made chocolate cake, cookies etc... so I grew up thinking I didn't like chocolate either... I'm not sure when I realised that I do actually LOVE chocolate but I have surely made up for those chocolate free years of my life!

My husband went to the store with my 2 year old the other day and I asked him to bring me back a Cadbury's Dairy Milk. So he picked up one for me and a Snickers for himself. Micaiah (whose entire experience with chocolate has been maybe one hershey's kiss and an easter egg ) asked all the way home if he could have some "choc-O-late". When they got home the pestering continued so DH gave in and gave him a piece of MY chocolate (notice, MINE, not HIS) chocolate. A couple minutes later we look over and he's sitting there...mouth still full...so we ask him what's wrong.... "I don't like choc-O-late" he said with the biggest look of disappointment on his face... poor kid! oh well, more for me LOL!

My Mother's Day

2006-05-16T21:07:00.000-03:00

I had a wonderful mothers day. It was such a beautiful sunny day, we went to the beach after church with a picnic. Micaiah begged to swimming although the water was freezing! I put Eli in the water for the first time.. he was not impressed! We'll have to try it again when the water gets warmer.

My SIL babysat the boys that evening and DH and I met some friends for dinner.

It was a great day!

Well, I am a bit brain dead right now... my internet was down since Friday night and I have spent the last 2 hours answering emails and checking DSP... Ill have to write more tomorrow.

Top Ten Wohoo!

2006-05-12T23:30:00.000-03:00

Just had to brag a bit.... I placed 8th overall in the NKOTB Contest!!! I learned sooooo much!

Super Power

2006-05-12T21:36:00.000-03:00

What superpower would you like to have?

Before I get into the superpower stuff...look...look---> I have a slide show thingamajig!!! and I did it all by myself!!! When Meg posted the instructions in the forum I didn't even read them, I just told myself, I'll never understand all that hmtl stuff... so no pretty slider thingy for me :( Well today I said" Rusheika, you have turned into your mother who couldn't operate the VCR!" I could just imagine Micaiah in a couple of years saying, "Mom, you can't do that?! it's sooo easy! What is wrong with you" (oh my how things come back to smack you in the face!) SO I sat down, took some time to read, took a deep breath and voila... I have a slide show Yeah!!! Next I'll have to learn how to make my page look more personalised... babysteps!

So, I feel like a super hero already! But if I could have a superpower, it would be to be able to get to anywhere in the world instantly... there are so many places I would love to see- an African Safari, the Pyramids in Egypt, the country of my moms birth- Sri Lanka... I would love to see friends and family who live overseas when ever I want... And I would love to be able to go shopping at my favourite shops that we don't have in Bermuda... The Gap, Old Navy, Target, Banana Republic, Bed Bath & Beyond, Bath & Body Works... oh the list goes on and on... I need to get off this island soon for some shopping therapy...

A day off

2006-05-11T15:47:00.000-03:00

What would I do with a day off... I actually took a sick day last week. Since I am a stay at home mom, that meant my dh had to stay at home from work to watch the kids... I had such bad sore throat I couldn't even talk. I slept almost all day.. it was the most sleep I had had in 2 1/2 years... I stayed in bed so long my back was hurting! Even a mom is entitled to one sick day in her career!!! This day off didn't come with out frustration though. Not from the kids (they were angels). Not from dh- he was fantastic. No, it was from dh employer... they have this crazy rule (which we didn't know until 2 days after he got back to work)... that if you take a day off as a dependant sick day you have to produce a doctors certificate for the sick dependant...EVEN FOR ONE DAY!!! Of course I hadn't gone to the doctor for a sore throat... so of course the doctors office said they wouldn't give me a doctors note until I came in to see the doctor... but 3 days later I no longer had the sore throat.. and I wasn't going to pay $25 for a doctors visit when I was no longer sick, just to justify that I had been sick... how was he going to know that anyway? He might as well just take my word over the phone and write me the note, right! So I really didn't get an easy day off after all... although I did manage to talk the doctor into writing me the note! I guess I won't be taking anymore sick days anytime soon!

... thanks for letting me vent... I have been waiting a week to tell someone that story....But anyway, that wasn't the prompt was it?!

If I could take tomorrow off of work, I'd...

1. wake up at the crack of dawn (as not to waste even one minute of a day all to myself)
2. spend quality, unrushed time with the Lord, reading my bible and praying
3. have a good HOT cup of tea, sitting down, sipping it slowly without fear of little hands knocking it off the table or out of my hand,
4. go clothes shopping all by myself... trying on as many things as I want (maybe even some purple stuff), not having to worry about little ones escaping under the changing room door,
5. go visit with my grandmother who has Alzheimer's and I don't get to see all that often. I'd sit with her and chat about what ever she remembered and cared to talk about. I'd feed her lunch and brush her hair and remember all the good times I had with my grandparents as a child.
6. go for a long walk, ending up at the beach where I would sit and take in the awesome beauty of God's creation
7. be back home in time to tuck my little ones into bed and tell them how much I missed them.

That's what I'd do with a day off!

Colours

2006-05-10T22:04:00.000-03:00

What colors are you drawn to? Which ones depress you? Are there any that you love but don't surround yourself with or wear? Why?

Well it's day 3 of my blog! Todays prompt is on colours- I've been giving this some thought throughout the day.. looking around my world to see what colours move me. My favourite colour has always been purple but I am not really sure why. I don't wear alot of purple. I have 1 purple wall in my house- a contrasting wall in my dining room- I had to convince Joe (dh) for months to trust me enough that it would look fine with the other 3 celadon walls. Now green is a colour that calms me. Blue reminds me of the ocean which I love. Yellow gives me energy... I want to paint my kitchen yellow... to me it is such a happy warm colour, which is what I want my kitchen to be... happy and warm, a place for all to gather. Brown--- the colour of my sons skin (well the colour of mine too!) but I love to look at their soft skin.. I call Micaiah my milk chocolate and Eli my caramel... I adore them! Red reminds me of strength and power and also of the blood of Christ that has made me clean... pure white! ( I must pull out my wordless book about the Gospel of Christ to show to Micaiah... he knows his colours now so he may start to understand the book.) So back to purple... still not sure why it is my favourite!

GlassHalf Full?

2006-05-09T14:51:00.000-03:00

I tend to be an optimistic person, most days anyway!

Today I am optimistic that...

I'm going to faithfully update this blog on a regular basis
My 2 year old WILL outgrow this terrible 2 phase
I will find more time to scrap
I will shine my sink today (www.flylady.com)
I will be able to take a short nap now while the kids are sleeping!

my first post

2006-05-08T23:14:00.000-03:00

I am not usually one put my thoughts down on paper. But since being introduced to scrapbooking earlier this year, I've had the desire to improve my journalling skills. So here goes...

welcome to scraps of my life... stay tuned for stories of my life!!