Simple Recipes for Busy Living
We spent most of our day today in Dundas visiting Stuart’s Mom and Brother. Stuart’s Mom is an excellent gardener, and we relaxed outdoors enjoying the beginning of the spring blossoms and blooms in her yard…Liam played happily with Chloe, their Cairn Terrier, and we also enjoyed a walk around the neighbourhood…what a beautiful spring day!
As they get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to photograph sleeping children. For starters, the flash required for photography in dark places would likely wake them up, and by the time parents of toddlers actually get their children down for the night, about the last thing on their minds is “hey, let’s get out the camera and chance waking them.” Needless to say, I took this precious picture of my Sleeping Beauty when he was about 5 months old, and haven’t attempted to take any pictures of him mid-slumber since then.
Tonight as Liam was falling asleep beside us, with his head on my pillow, I looked at his beautiful little smiling face, and whispered “I love you”, and to my heart’s delight, he answered back “Ub-boo.” I am not sure if he even knows what those words mean when I say them to him, but hearing them back from him for the first time tonight made my heart melt. I think they were the best words I have heard in my whole life…
To continue yesterday’s post, I am pleased to report that the little dog which we found, has been returned to his grateful owners by staff at the Guelph Humane Society…sometimes, when good things like this happen, it makes it all worthwhile!
Coming home from a trip Downtown today, we had to make a sudden stop on Edinburgh Road, when a small white dog ran out in front of the car in front of us. Luckily, the car ahead of us was able to stop in time and avoid hitting the little fellow. He continued on his way and ran happily into the park, and I suggested that we pull in to the parking lot to ensure he had an owner close by. Of course, as luck would have it, there was no owner in sight, so we figured he must have escaped…
To make a long story short, we couldn’t walk away and allow the little dog to endanger his life by running into traffic again, so Stuart managed to catch him with the help of a woman who was walking her dog, and brought him back to the car. We took the little guy up to the Guelph Humane Society where he was left in hopes his owner will come to collect him.
How this dog managed to escape from his owners, or why, we’ll probably never know, but hopefully this story will have a happy ending, instead of what was very nearly a very tragic one…I am hoping to hear that he was claimed this afternoon by his relieved owners.
To Be Continued…
Earth Day passed this year without me even noticing (gulp) In years past, I celebrated this day by planting trees, collecting garbage in my neighbourhood, working at environmental demonstration “booths”or at the very least, gardening, but this year, I really, honestly, completely *forgot* all about it, until now.
Perhaps this says something about our society in general. I checked out the Coming Events section of the newspaper the other day (before I forgot about Earth Day!) and there was only one event listed within our community to celebrate our beautiful planet…sad, but true. Then again, I can’t really say too much seeing I lost track of it…
I think so many of us (myself included) take this earth for granted. We pollute our environment in so many ways, yet there are simple and effective things we can all do to help the earth to begin to heal. Maybe, we should all try to make every day Earth Day?
Ten Tips To Help Our Planet:
Use your car less often by choosing to bike, walk or carpool to work
Reduce, re-use, re-cycle and compost everything you can!
Use energy efficient light bulbs
Plant a vegetable garden or buy local produce
Eat less meat
Plant trees, shrubs and a garden
Don’t litter, but provide a good example and try to pick up litter when you see it in your neighbourhood
Use cold water when possible to wash your clothes
Wear a sweater and turn down the heat in the winter, and use the A/C sparingly in the summer months
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, scrubbing veggies, doing dishes…etc.
(Many of these tips will also save you money!)
As a child, I watched Sesame Street daily. I loved the Muppets (and still do!) and think Jim Henson was so much ahead of his time in his progressive children’s programming.
I have to say however, that one particular skit involving Ernie and Bert in Egypt was enough to send me running for my “Mummy!” It absolutely terrified me…
And you know, after watching it again just now for the first time in years…it still freaks me out just a little! >:-)
Perhaps I am stating the obvious here, but it seems to be a commonality amongst all children that they like sweets. It appears that Liam is no exception. I recently made the mistake of introducing him to “just a small taste” of one of my worst eating habits…doughnuts! He simply fell in love with them, possibly even more than I!
The grocery store which we frequent (mosty because I don’t seem to be able to get my act together enough to make a list once a week, therefore we end up there multiple times weekly instead) has a wonderful bakery section, featuring fresh baked goodies. Liam has caught on to Mommy’s bad habit, and now asks politely as soon as we enter the store for “nuduts”…translation:doughnuts. Last week when we got home from our grocery shopping trip, Liam searched through each bag of groceries until he found the one which contained the treat I had bought to “share.” By the time I found him, he had devoured no less than half of it!
I have also noticed that any time I go through a drive-through window, whether it is Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s or the Instant Teller at our bank, the little voice in the back seat pipes up…”nuduts?” with keen interest.
As he gets older, I am not sure that his fondness for sweets will fade away, if anything, it will likley intensify. I am going to have to think up clever tactics in order to distract him in the grocery store, and while doing my banking. Too many nuduts aren’t good for you 
Today, we got our first glimpse of our baby to be! It was a short ultrasound which only lasted about 10 minutes, as it was just to “date” the pregnancy (I found out I am 14 weeks, 3 days) right around what we thought actually…
It brought back all of the memories and emotions from when I saw Liam for the first time via ultrasound, and despite the obvious signs and symptoms of the pregnancy such as fatigue, nausea and the “bump”, it made our baby feel that much more real.
It is such an astounding thing really. I don’t know anything about this little person sharing my body, yet I feel such a connection to him or her, and a sense of protectiveness and love. It excites and amazes me that in the near future, this same little being will be calling me “Mama.”
~How wonderful!
This is just too wierd!!! I was looking around the web tonight for recipes, and I came across this cooking blog, whatcatate.com
The funny thing is the name for starters, oddly similar to the name of my own blog, with similar content, only I think hers is ALL recipes. The other thing I found cool, is the author’s name is also Catherine!!!
Anyways, it has some really nice looking recipes, and great pictures of them so you know what the finished product is *supposed* to look like. Someday soon, I too will cook again!
