Mommy & Sarah Day

So I woke up yesterday morning thinking that it had been a long time since I had kept Sarah home from day home just to have a Mommy & Sarah day. She has been a bit of a DRAMA queen lately...and I suspect that has lots to do with not getting enough one on one time with me. So I decided to fix that...

We started the day at McDonald's for breakfast and a long playtime in the Playplace. Sarah had the whole place to herself...it was wonderful...I chased her around and she wanted me to "catch" her as she came down the slide. Super fun!!!

After breakfast...we headed over to Laugh 'N' Learn so that Sarah could "spend" her birthday gift cards from Uncle Arnie and Auntie Patty. Little Miss Independent quickly gravitated to the Groovy Girls Dolls looking for a...PRINCESS. Really did you expect something different?!? Right now, Sarah is obsessed with anything princess or dragon...to the point she keeps asking me to return her Halloween costume and get the Dragon instead. I think this all started during summer vacation when we were reading her favorite book "The Paper Bag Princess" by Robert Munch.

After a trip to Micheal's...for some odds and ends, we had lunch at home. I have always wanted to try the Muffin Tin lunch idea...but since I'm not a SAHM the opportunity rarely presents itself. But today was the day. Here is my attempt:

 The flower cup filled with chocolate milk (my attempt to get Sarah to drink more milk), and the green silicone mold is from Wilton. I love the silicone trays...they make awesome cakes and are dishwasher safe...how
great is that!

So clockwise...Green apple slices with a blueberry filled toothpick to make the flower center, flower toasts, tulip shaped black forest ham cut outs (that was an oops...I grabbed the wrong cookie cutter), cheddar cheese slices (real Cheddar not processed cheese), snap peas and strawberry yogurt! As you can see, I barely had time to get a picture taken as Sarah was gung ho to get eating the Flower Box Lunch.

This is my lunch...left over BBQ chicken, some left over mixed green salad with tomatoes, green onion, cucumber and some Raspberry Vinaigrette from Kraft that is surprising decent. Still not better than homemade. 

Lunch was obviously a hit...she ate absolutely everything. I have to admit that the muffin tin lunch is a super easy way to figure out a preschool portion. Sarah ate everything and wasn't hungry an hour later. I'm definitely going to be trying this again.

After lunch, we attempted a nap with no success. Sarah was too excited for after nap as she knew we were leaving to go meet my parents in Red Deer. We headed to Red Deer and of course, Princess Ariana had to come along to meet Gramma and Papa.


I think it's so amazing that my three year old can recognize my parents vehicles from a distance...I passed a Blue F350...almost identical to my dad's...Sarah pipes up from the backseat..."That's not Papa's truck...there's no silver thing on the front)...meaning that the truck I passed didn't have a great big bush bumper on the front of it like my dad's. CRAZY!!


Anyways, the end of Mommy & Sarah day was a nice supper with Gramma and Papa...and a return trip to Edmonton with an added passenger: DOC!!! It is good to have our dog home from his summer vacation...but I wasn't quite ready for him to be home yet. I noticed that his end of summer sheding has begun.


Gotta go call the groomer...

30 Before 30...Wine List

So I started the 30 before 30 list after being inspired by a friend...one of my 30 is to try 15 different wines. Well, I've made a pretty big dent in the 15...so much so that my friend Shar suggested that I might have to make it 30 wines by 30...

1. Sledgehammer 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ~ This is one that I have had before...but love it and had to include it on my list. They also make a very nice Zinfandel. My former sister-in-law Wanda-Lee introduced me to this Brand.

2. Jackson Triggs - Silver Series 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Got to keep some of the 15 (or 30) Canadian.

3. Cannonball 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Nice, but did not enjoy it enough to be a repeat.

4. See Ya Later Ranch 2008 Pinot 3 ~ Not really sure where this one came from...it appeared in our cooler after the family reunion.

5. Wolf Blass Yellow Label 2009 Chardonnay ~ Kent's sister Sophie brought this bottle with her to the family reunion and I had a glass. Not a favorite of mine.

6. Meditrina (6) ~ This is a really nice blend of Syrah, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir from Sokol Blosser in Oregon. Love it!!!

7. Lodi 337 Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Kent's mom Connie brought this wine as a hostess gift when she stayed with us for Sarah's birthday. I really enjoyed this one...Lodi also has 181 Merlot...which I am keeping my eyes peeled for to try.

8. Recline Ridge 2006 Shuswap Serenade ~ I absolutely love this white wine from the winery on the way to my parent's place in Blind Bay! I found this bottle in a box in my basement...I enjoyed every last drop!!

9. Woodbridge By Robert Mondavi 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon ~ Again an old favorite...but still really good!

10. Carmen Gran Reserva Naipo Alto 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon ~ This is beautiful wine from Chile. I will definitely be buying another bottle of this. My next door neighbour and I each had a glass of this during dinner on Sunday. Yum!




There have been a couple of other glass while I was traveling but I forgot to take pictures...oh well that just means I get to try a couple more...

The "Go Fish" Birthday Party

I was so excited about this party. Melanna helped me with theme ideas, games and some food ideas, but for the most part the ideas were my own. So imagine my disappointment when (for the third time in a row) the forecast turned UGLY and was calling for RAIN!!! So I regrouped and quickly turned as many of my activities into indoor activities. I will be making a few returns over the next week or so for stuff that we didn't or couldn't use...like the super cute whale shaped pool!!!


This is the fish cake that Kent, Connie (Kent's mom, Jennifer (my cousin) and I made the night before Sarah's birthday. We definitely over-estimated the size of the cake. Kent, Sarah and I ate birthday cake for days...on the upside...it was very delicious!!! The buttercream is homemade as was the cookies&creme filling, the scales were punched out of Wilton Sugar Sheets using an EK Success Oval Paper Punch from Stampin UP!

Here is some of the food...from left to right...gummy and hard candy fish from Bulk Barn, fruit tray, watermelon fish cut using a cookie cutter (tip: cut the watermelon slices a bit thinner than the depth of the cookie cutter...but too thin is no good either!), Fish Mix (munchie mix with goldfish mixed in), veggie tray.








What you can't see is fish sticks, french fries, and chicken dip its that formed the rest of our meal. Everyone had a blast. We didn't have much for leftovers...which is always a good thing.

As it turns out...I didn't get a photo of the loot bags...but they were white medium sized gift bags from Micheals...that my cousin Jennifer, stamped some fish on using a jumbo wheel stamp from Stampin UP!, then we put a homemade chocolate dolphin sucker, some fish stickers, a fish shaped water squirter, a crab or whale windup toy, and/or a set of dollar store neckles/braclets...oh...and a dollar store fish board book.

Here are the fish shaped sugar cookies that I made. Melanna supplied the wonderful sugar cookie recipe!!! These were a hit with the big kids too!!

Overall the party was a huge success even though it rained off and on all day. For crafts and activies, we taped up some Crayola Color Wonder paper on the wall and let the kids go to town with the Color Wonder markers and paints...crazy I know!! I had also ran off some fishy colouring pages which were a big hit. The kids also had fun "fishing" in the living room, with some plastic rods and magnetic fish (again...no picture! Next year I will try harder to get more pictures I promise!)

Big & Little Curtis, Sarah with Gramma

The best part of the whole day was when my mom "Gramma" showed up!! Sarah wasn't expecting my mom as my parents were out at the house in BC. Gramma rang the doorbell...and well Sarah couldn't believe it...think superexcited three year old..."Gramma Gramma Gramma" and a giant hug at the door. What a great surprise! That was probably my favorite part of the whole day...Sarah got a Gramma fix and I got a mom fix!

But next year...I think we are going swimming...I've decided to give up on hosting Sarah's birthday party outdoors. :(

Long Weekend Camping Fun

So I've been MIA for a bit...life is just busy sometimes. We spent the long weekend camping at Kent's family reunion which was a blast...then we escaped for some much needed family time. We happened to find a jewel of a campground complete with a large playground and a spray park. Which was perfect for the gorgeous weather we were blessed with over the extra three days we were camping.
Our camping adventure got started with the installation of a brand new hitch...now I'm not much for mechanically inclined things but this is a great hitch...it can slide up to 8 inches back to make parking and backing up wayyyy easier!
Then we headed out to the farm to pick up the trailer which needed a minor overhaul since it had been sitting out there for two years. Thank goodness Kent was home (because of the rain) and I was working. He did a fantastic job scrubbing and de-yuckifying the trailer!
So Kent got everything running and tested - everything was working great! The fridge was even working! Amen!
We planned to leave Friday at some point cause I was working out of town Thursday...not an overnight trip but far enough that it would be too late to head out Thursday night and the festivities at the reunion didn't start till Friday anyways. So when I got home from work Thursday - we went to get the last of the groceries we would need. We got home and Kent started out to the trailer with the first of the fridge stuff...the next thing I hear is "Kim come out here!"  I'm thinking "that doesn't sound good". I get out there and the fridge has stopped working. Let me explain something that though the course of getting a trailer (which has a fridge) and getting divorced (my ex took both the biggish coolers) ...I got rid of my big cooler...why store something you never use! Doh...that's not the first time that thinking has come back to bite me!!!
So what to do? We really want to go camping but the no cooler and no fridge dilemma is a problem...did I mention that is already 1045pm???
Solution: a trip to Walmart! Good thing Sarah is still wide awake from the cookie the "nice" women at the grocery store gave her...sometimes I really dislike the cookie club! So off we go to get a cooler.
We get the cooler, get the rest of everything loaded in the morning and off we go in a somewhat glorified tent on wheels...I guess a little better we had running water and a flush toilet...that's my kind of camping.
It was a great drive out...including a stop in Mundare (which has the World's Largest Sausage), the reunion was a blast...lots of Kent's cousins have kids around Sarah's age so she had lots of kids to play with. I got to meet Kent's lovely sister Sophie, whom Sarah now thinks is the best thing since sliced bread. They had a great time...and Sophie doesn't live too far from my parents so I'm sure we will get a visit in soon.
The rest of the trip was great...we made daily trips to town for ice and supplies since I only was planning on being gone until Monday night...we needed to restock.
We spent most mornings hangout at the playground, then after lunch headed over to the spray park for some fun and to cool off! Kent and I both managed to get sunburned the last morning...mine has only stopped hurting today. Ouch!!!

We came home in time to start getting everything ready for Sarah's GO Fish birthday party on Sunday...I will post more about that next time...along with pictures.

You can also keep your eyes peeled for a progress update on my 30by30 list.

30 Before 30

I decided the other day that I should create a list of 30 things that I wanted to before I turn 30. The list is still under construction...I'm having a hard time coming up with 30 things I want to accomplish. As of today...I only have 143 days to get all these accomplished. There are only 109 days left...as of July 23, 2011.
There are only 62 days left...as of September 8, 2011.

1. Set Up A blog....complete.
2. Post once per week...work in progress. Getting a bit better...Still working on this.
3. Finish my black and green hunter star quilt. Haven't touched this yet. No progress has been made.
4. Lose 30 pounds. I'm down about 5...so on my way. No comment.
5. Spend 30 minutes playing with Sarah everyday. Getting better at this...it should get easier now. This was a great idea...especially now that Playschool has started.
6. Finish my cappucino quilt.Haven't touched this yet. Nothing yet.
7. Book my birthday trip to Vegas...this is not looking good...too many bills...never enough money. ???
8. Pay myself $30 a week into my saving account....see number #7. ???
9. Take at least one picture of Sarah every week. I've got the camera sitting on the counter, and have taken some pics with my iPhone when I have left the camera at home. LOL...I seem to take clusters of photos but I think I have met the once a week goal!
10. Connect with 6 lost friends...this is going better. I have connected with two old friends. More to come in August...friends I miss you. :(
11. Finish setting up my office. ...haven't made much progress on this front either. We sorted a bunch of boxes and now all that's left is to de-cutter my desk.
12. Set up my craft area...since this one is dependant on #11...it's stalled too.
13. Start & Finish a quilt from my stash. This one is iffy...I made 3 baby blankets from my stash...not really sure if that qualifies but I used some fabric out of my stash...so I think it should.
14. Read a classic. I purchased Anna Karenina...and am slowly working my way through it. I am still on the exact same page as before.
15. Buy myself something sparkly for my birthday....see #7. ???
16. Take a tour of a winery. Mom and I will discuss this one tomorrow...its almost summer vacation so this one is definitely doable. Didn't get this one done...but I've still got 62 days.
17. Try 15 different types/brands of wine.Now here is one that I have made some progress on. I will comment on in a separate post. This has morphed into 30 different wines by 30..see the post here.
18. Watch all 6 Star Wars movies....good thing I still have 109 days to get this one done. I'm thinking we just need to schedule a marathon weekend.
19. Have a date night once a month....this requires someone to date. So it is being changed into Have a Mommy Night once a month -- this means...I get to get a sitter and go do something entirely for me. Back to date night...still working on this one.
20. Make Sarah's birthday invites....This one I completely failed on. Work, life, and Canada Post all got in the way.
21. Mail/Deliver Sarah's Birthday Day invites.....This one I completely failed on. Work, life, and Canada Post all got in the way.
22. Set up an RESP for Sarah. I am going to try to do this one on Monday...the plan is to take the money out of her piggy bank to open it. Need to get coin rollers to roll all the coins in it. Missed that bank appointment...need to book another one. 
23. Turn my cellphone off for an entire day. Accomplished!!! I turned my cell off while we were out camping during the Canada Day long weekend. It felt soooo good. Have done this several times now...the family much appreciates have my undivided attention.
24. Take Sarah to the Calgary Zoo...the plan for this one is on our way back from summer vacation. Accomplished...watch for a Zoo post.
25. Make a meal entirely from scratch....this one will wait for a day that I have had the chance to visit the farmer's markert. Thought I had this one done...until I realized that I used a baguette from Costco to make my crustinis...drat!!!
26. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. I have discovered this one to be easier than I thought it would be. Using a water bottle makes it easy...so does not drinking pop. Bought a stainless steel water bottle...love it!
27. Make homemade popcicles. this has been designated a summer vacation task. Done!! Sarah and I made popcicles with our ZOKU popcicle maker...now have like a million ideas to try.
28. Go on a picnic....again summer vacation or something to do with friends. We hit Jacker Parker spray park two weekends ago...it was an awesome last minute picnic that was perfect!
29. Fly a kite...summer vacation. There is either too much or not enough wind!!!
30. Workout three times a week....not making any progress on this one. I'm getting maybe one workout in a week...grr.

The Beginning

I have been inspired by a close friend to start a blog...I never have time to journal or catch the crazy moments of our family life except in those quick posts to Facebook about the sometimes crazy things my two year old says. So here goes nothing...