Rain Rain Go Away...

Well, as you can see by looking out my window, it was a rainy day today.  A bit of a bummer for sure, but it was nice too.  We got to hang out at home in our PJ's, and we haven't done that in a long time.  And I do love hangin out in my jammers.

Well, we made the best of it.  We started our day with a nice pot of coffee, some toast, some cereal, some eggs.  Over all, a nice classic breakfast.

Then I did some Facebooking and Geoff played his game (Civilization 5) and the kids watched some TV.  Eventually Geoff went in for his shower and the kids and I did some colouring.  I love to colour!  It's very relaxing I think.  Anyway, after the colouring and the shower (oh and Anna's bath), John made us lunch.  It was a tasty lunch of plain pasta with butter, salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash.  Yes it was a boring lunch but you have to remember, he's eight and just learning to cook things for us.

So, after lunch we made our way downstairs to watch a movie.  We decided on Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers.  We let the kids watch The Fellowship of the Ring a few weeks ago and they both really enjoyed it.  So, naturally we decided on the second installment.  John really liked it, Anna...not so much.  She got bored with it and decided to come up stairs and rest on the couch and watch something she liked.

So, while the kids were watching shows I made supper.  We were having some guests over so I thought I should make something special.  Something comforting on a rainy day.  I decided on a roast beef dinner with potatoes, carrots, corn and gravy.  Doesn't get much more comforting than that, eh?

Well, with supper done, the kids went to play, me and my bud Joanne sat at the table and chatted and Geoff (my bitch) and Troy (Joanne's bitch) went to Toys R Us for some Christmas shopping.

So, over all I have to say.  I had a really good rainy day.  So, rain rain go away and come again another day, please.

-ElizaSpring

Who doesn't like free groceries?

Click on the words "The Great Canadian Grocery Giveaway" to enter the contest:
The Great Canadian Grocery Giveaway | Meat and Poultry | Butcher | Maple Leaf Foods
 Good Luck!

Finally got to do something "Mom"

My daughter is in skating in Riverview.  Her class is from 6:00pm til 6:45.  Until today I've had to work til 7pm, well my new shift has started and it allows me to have Monday's off.  So tonight it felt so good to be able to watch her skate.  I was even going to do up her skates for her, but her father took over (go figure eh?).  She is so good at skating and I finally got to tell her.  Then I jammed her hand in the car door!  I just had to ruin the moment, didn't I?

I can't wait til next Monday now, this time I'm going to do up her skates, and not jam her hand in the door!

-Elisa

I am a working mother now

So much has taken place since my last post.  Where should I begin?  Hmm..Okay I know where to start.

So my last post was about egg poaching, in July!  Since July have finished with the babysitting thing, only because it just wasn't paying the bills.  I would've babysat forever if I thought I wouldn't go bankrupt.  Anyway, we've done lots of camping this past summer, I finished babysitting in September, started a new job in the begining of October and sent my kids to a babysitter.

So, this job of mine. I am a Classified Ads Sales/Obituary Specialist with Brunswick News.  I have really been enjoying my new job.  It is, for sure, a challenge.  I'm not so happy with the hours, but I have to start somewhere.  I mean it takes time to work my way up to president of the company.  I think the biggest challenge, since getting this job, hasn't been for me, it's been for Geoff.  I have to work till 7pm each night which means Geoff has to take the kids to all their activities.  My poor kids, some nights, are getting a slice of bread and butter for supper.  However, they are doing okay.  It has been a huge adjustment for everyone. 

I will keep up the blogging about the whole "working mother" thing.  I personally don't like sending my kids to a sitter and going out to work.  I feel my place is at home with them.  Doing homework, making homemade treats, making sure there is a decent meal on the table before scurrying off to evening activities.  I will update you on my continued struggle. 

Have an awsome and blessed day!

-Elisa

Egg Poaching Pt. 2

So yesterday I wrote about poaching an egg in a bag.  Today I'll show you how I did it the traditional way (kinda).

 THE THINGS YOU WILL NEED

Eggs, a pot of simmering water (enough water to cover the eggs) & garnish (I used salt & pepper, again)

Crack eggs into individual bowls such as ramekins etc...I put all my eggs into one bowl cause I hate to do dishes.

Next dip the side of the bowl into the simmering pot of water to pour the eggs into the water.

Allow the eggs to cook for 2 -4 mins, the yolks will be runny.  If you want your yolk firmer allow eggs to cook a bit longer.

When your eggs are cooked use a slotted spoon to remove eggs from water.  Garnish and serve!  This way of cooking was also a hit.

And this is how I enjoyed my poached eggs!

Adventures in Egg Poaching Pt. 1

Image via Wikipedia

WARNING!  The eggs I made today look nothing like this.  Sorry!









So I asked my son this morning what he wanted for breakfast.  He said eggs, I asked him "well how do you want them?  Fried, scrambled, boiled or poached?"  With a screwed up look on his face he says "what are poached eggs?"  And that is how this began.

It has been years since I've eaten or even made poached eggs, so I decided I better do a little research.  I fired up the laptop and typed in "poached eggs".  Well you can just imagine how many hits I got.  So, I read a few and did things my own way.

The first way I tried it was the "bag" method.

THE THINGS YOU WILL NEED:

Plastic wrap, a coffee mug, eggs

First get a piece of plastic wrap (big enough to hang over the edge of the mug).  Place over top of mug and push down in a bit to make a "nest" for the egg.

 

Next crack an egg into the nest you made in the mug.

 

Very good.  Now, carefully take the corners up and make a "bag" for the egg.  Leave some room at the top.  Oh, before you close it up add a spoon full of water, then secure the top somehow.  I used a twist tie.  

Now you're bag should look like this:

I appologize, I forgot to mention that you will need a pot of water to be simmering on the stove while you're doing everything else.

Okay, now you have a bag of raw egg and a pot of boiled/simmering water.  Hmm...now what do you suppose you should do?  Yes, that's right!  Put the eggs in the water and allow them to cook for 2-5 mins ( I think I over cooked my first ones cause the yolk was solid)

When the eggs are cooked, carefully remove them from the pot

 Open the bag and put on a plate.  Garnish with salt & pepper (or whatever you want).  Then serve!

They must have been okay.  My boy ate them all up and wanted more!

Going Camping? Don't forget...Pt. 2

So here are a few more things you may want if you are planning on taking a camping trip this summer.

1. BBQ, very important if you wanna cook a hotdog or hamburger
2. Propane for the bbq!
3. A camp stove is useful
4. pots & frying pans
5. Utensils
6. We finally broke down 2 years ago and bought a coffee maker to use on our camp stove.
7. I find making a meal plan is useful (so you don't over spend)
8. Grocery list with a budget.
9. Flash lights, lanterns, glow sticks or whatever lights up. It can be pretty dark on your way to the bathroom.
   
10. A quality cooler
11. Camp chairs
12. Something for starting your camp fire
13. Cheap, disposable, table cloth for the picnic table
    

Research! Always ask your friends, who camp, what campgrounds are good. It's always nice to hear what others think of certain areas and campgrounds. Use the internet too, there are so many places out there to camp. Some good, some not so good.

Now, camping isn't for everyone. So if you are a first timer, please don't go out and spend a poop load of money on a tent. You'd be better off looking for a second hand tent (in good shape) and camping equipment. That way if you decide after one summer of camping that you don't like it, then you haven't invested a poop load of money into it.

So, this concludes my camping advice for now. Have a great summer and happy camping.

-ElizaSpring

Just some FYI if you're going to Europe anytime soon

Travelling to Europe?

Passengers travelling to European Union (EU) countries are asked to take note of stringent regulations that apply to the importation of restricted products such as meat and milk products for personal consumption.

Certain meat and milk products are allowed to enter the EU, such as the following:

• Powdered infant formula, infant food and special foods required for medical reasons, provided:
  • The product does not require refrigeration before consumption;
  • it is a packaged registered trademark or proprietary brand product;
  • the packaging is intact.

Passengers wishing to bring other types of meat or milk products into the EU must:

• Obtain, prior to travel, all necessary documentation from official veterinary services of the country from which they are travelling (the documents must state that the goods conform to all requirements for entry into the EU);
• declare all such goods and present related documentation upon arrival at an authorized EU border inspection post for veterinary control.

All meat and milk products that do not conform to applicable regulations will be confiscated and disposed of at the EU border inspection post. Failure to declare meat and milk products may result in a fine or criminal prosecution.

Policies on restricted items vary from one country to another. Passengers should learn about restrictions as they apply to their destination by consulting websites like the following:

• For the U.S.: visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.
• For the U.K.: visit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website.

How I feel about Geoff going to Rome for 2wks

Well here it is, the eve of Geoff going away for 2 weeks. I'm really sad that he's going cause I'm going to miss him terribly. The last time he was gone for that long was back in 2001 when he went to Kansas on business (with a different company). Back then though we didn't have any kids and lived in an apartment in Saint John.

Anyway, I am sad but I'm happy for him at the same time. An opportunity like this doesn't come along everyday. He's been working hard and proving to his company that he's the right person to go (so I guess all the overtime paid off).

The kids aren't really showing any emotions about him going, which I find kinda strange. John does tend to hold things in and then explode later on (gee, wonder who he gets that from?), Anna on the other hand, is so happy-go-lucky that not too much bothers her. Well, we'll see how they are doing tomorrow when we have to leave him at the airport.

Well, I'll let you know how I'm doing on Sunday (5/23/10)

Ciao!

-Elisa

Going Camping? Don't forget...Pt. 1

Okay, so me and my little family have been camping for a very long time. My husband and I started off with a tent in 1999 after we got married. So I guess you could say we were "virgin" campers. So, over the years we've collected lots of things for tent camping to try and make it more comfortable. I thought that I would compile a list for those of you who may be just starting out.

Don't forget...

1. The tent
2. Tent pegs
3. Rubber mallet for pounding the pegs into the ground
4. Tarps! Very essential part of camping. While tenting for 10 years, I think it rained every weekend that we went. Rather than give up on tenting we chose to embrace the rain and avoid wet sleeping bags.
5. Rope for the tarps. Yet another essential if you want to tie the tarp to a tree.
6. Sleeping bags and air mattress.

So, this concludes part 1 of "Going Camping? Don't forget..." I will add more in a few days.

God Bless & Happy Camping

-ElizaSpring