Project 52 [week 7]

I remember back in public school in 1988 when Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics. One of our school Olympic activities was to make the Olympic rings out of hula hoops wrapped in streamers. The teachers hung them throughout the school. It looked amazing! I also remember getting a taper candle with a red cup attached to it (from the gas station I think) -- a mini Olympic torch. It stayed in my memory box for many years. I wonder if it's still there? The rush of energy the Olympics brought back then was so strong. That same rush of energy is in the air today as Vancouver hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics, only this time it's golden!

Here are a few pictures I took of my TV during the first week of the Olympics...

[Team Canada at the opening ceremonies]

[Canada's first gold on Canadian soil]

I am...

polishing off a bag of BBQ chips. I should have had dinner but kids come first. Tonight was Karate! Off to find something a little healthier than grease-laden deep fried potatoes (but oh so good as my Homer Simpson tongue hangs out of my mouth drooling).

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had a few bananas hanging around and remembered this cookie recipe passed on by a friend. They are super delicious!

1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups oats (quick cook)
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana (I used 3 bananas)
2 cups chocolate chips (I used about 1/2 a cup less)

Mix flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and oats in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the shortening, brown sugar and white sugar. Add the egg, vanilla and bananas until well mixed. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls (I used generous spoonfuls) onto a cookie sheet (not sure if it needs to be greased - I used a non-stick baking sheet mat) and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.

I am...

enjoying a mix of leftovers I found in the fridge for lunch -- leftover pasta from the other night, some grape tomatoes from a veggie platter, fresh garlic, basil, kosher salt and pepper all tossed together in a little olive oil and warmed on the stove. YUM!

What did you have for lunch today?

Project 52 [week 6]

I'm a few days late but better late than never.

This week is dedicated to the Superbowl. I'm not a football fan but I do enjoy getting together with friends and watching the halftime show. This year we had people over to our house which meant there was a bit of cleaning up to do...

[A little Superbowl betting]

[Lots of hungry fans]

[refilling the ice bucket]

[boys and their beer]

[time to turn on the dishwasher]

Misunderstood

Bella had a granola bar the other day and then wanted another so I let her. As I was giving her the second bar I told her, "This is the last one." A few days later when I asked her what she would like to eat she said, "I want a last one." I couldn't understand what she meant so I asked her to show me. As she pointed at the granola bar box, I remembered what I had said to her the last time she had one. She thought the granola bar was called "Last One".

Too Much Chocolate Cake

My friend Sheba had a friend make her son's cake for his first birthday. It was super yummy so I asked for the recipe. I tried it out for Steve's birthday cake and it was just as delicious as I remembered it! It's super easy to make too. Instead of adding all the oil, I added 3/4 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup of oil as a healthier alternative. I also didn't add chocolate chips as you might have noticed in the picture. A tub and a half of Chocolate Duncan Hines Icing and some sprinkles finished the cake off perfectly!

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

HomeSense and Winners: the rule of thumb

Ok, so you've heard me go on and on about HomeSense, but have I told you about Winners? Well, let me tell you. It's just as wonderful as HomeSense but it also sells brand name clothes, shoes, purses, accessories, toys and a bunch of other stuff!

I stopped by Winners to get Bella some underwear the other day. Oh wait, did I tell you? Yes, the day has come, Bella is transitioning out of diapers and into underwear. Happy happy, joy joy! Let's all do the happy dance because seriously, I've been waiting for six years for this day to come and that day is almost here. Another $35 a month out of the landfills (yes, I know, I could have used cloth diapers) and into my pocket. Wahoo!

Back to my Winners story. I went there the other day and while looking for underwear I came across these candle holders. They were sparkling at me saying buy me, so I did even though I don't really have a place to put them. The rule of thumb when shopping at Winners and HomeSense -- If you see it, buy it because it will likely be gone when you go back. You can always return it later.



So, off I go to pay for them, the cashier oooing and ahhhing over my purchase. I get to my car and realize I left without getting the one thing I went there for, underwear. Doh!

After running back in to get the underwear I thought, HomeSense is in the same plaza so why not just take a little peek. And out I came with this puppy, again sparkling at me saying buy me and since I went with the rule of thumb, out I came with this sunburst circle mirror.



Now to find a spot for it! Oh, and notice where the price tag is? Do you see it? RIGHT ON THE FRONT OF THE MIRROR, grrr! Off to get the Goo Gone.



And did you happen to see the price? Regular $140 for $69.99 -- sweet deal!

Project 52 [week 5]

[future blogger]

[The kids loves these mini cupcakes. They didn't last long.]

[I had a major banana craving this week]

Get Organized: Laundry Room

This is what my laundry room counter looks like on a daily basis -- mounds and mounds of clothes and stuff that just seems to get higher as the week goes on.


And while I'd love to say I'm on top of the folding, I'm not (as you can see). I figure the clothes are going to end up back in the laundry room anyway, a mind-set I need to break. There are just so many other things I would rather be doing than folding and putting away laundry.

My goal this year is to try to get this house organized. It's always on my to-do list and while I do bits here and there to try to get organized, I really want to kick it into high gear. I started awhile back -- first with adding upper cabinets and then with a few little purchases here and there along with this Bygel bar with hanging baskets (sold separately) both from Ikea. I thought it would be a great place to store pens, markers, a pad of paper and all my camera and computer cords that end up sprawled all over the counter in a tangled mess. I finally got a chance to put it up today!

[before the upper cabinets went up]

There is still more organizing to be done in this room like tidying up the inside of the cabinets and maybe adding a self or two above the sink, but we're getting there!

How have you organized your laundry room?