Simple Recipes for Busy Living
“I marry you because no matter what the question, we are each other’s answer.” ~ Peter McWilliams
“Love is a portion of the soul itself, and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise.” ~ Victor Hugo
“When one has once fully entered the realm of love, the world -no matter how imperfect- becomes rich and beautiful, it consists solely of opportunities for love.” ~ Soren Kierkegaard
~ To many, many more wonderful years with you Stuart.
The lilacs are in full bloom at the University of Guelph’s Arboretum. What a beautiful display of colour, not to mention the wonderful aroma they produce! As we strolled down the paths, I wanted to take it all in. Nature is so often under appreciated, and I wanted to be sure to open all of my senses to it’s absolute loveliness…
These very same lilac buses are featured in many of our wedding photos, from June 1, 2002. Being there among them yesterday brought back such happy memories…
Not long ago, I mentioned that I haven’t got any recent pictures of Liam sleeping…until now! I got these shots about 15 minutes ago at the dinner table, as we were having one of our typical early weekend dinners. Liam fell fast asleep mid-bite. I guess all the fresh air he got earlier in the garden playing with our neighbours daughter wore him right out!
Sometimes, I only wish sleep came so easily for me!
Ok, this t.v. show “Me, My House and I” is simply fantastic! Brigitte Gall is my new heroine!
The show follows actress/comedienne Brigitte Gall as she remodels, renovates and restores her century home in the Ottawa area. It’s very informative, with clever how-to’s and advice. It’s also very silly and completely hilarious!!!
Check out the show on WTN (Women’s Television Network) at 10:00 a.m. weekdays, or visit the show’s web-site for more information. A real highlight of my day!
Seems I have been rather negligent about putting recipes on my blog lately…I guess I’ve had other things on my mind. At any rate, here’s one that I think everyone loves. I grabbed a picture off the web of a 7-layer salad which looks very much like the one I make. I didn’t have the gusto today to “whip one up” just for the photo! 
I am however, making one later in the week for a pot-luck brunch…
This is the prettiest and best tasting salad!!! It’s easy to make and is a great summer dish to take to a barbeque or potluck dinner. I improvise slightly by using turkey bacon instead of pork bacon. I must admit, I have never actually counted the layers, as there are always ways to “jazz it up” by adding this and that…you can add more layers if you like by throwing in the extra things you have in your veggie crisper!
Seven Layer Salad
1 Bag of Salad Greens
1 1/2 cups Frozen Peas, Thawed
1 can Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 TBSP. White Sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt (to taste)
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 Cup Turkey Bacon bits (optional)
4 Hard Boiled Eggs, quartered (optional)
Arrange salad greens in a see-through salad bowl. Layer peas, then water chestnuts, onions and then the red pepper.
Mix together Mayo, sugar, and seasoning salt to taste. Top red pepper layer with the dressing. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of salad. Top with bacon bits and eggs.
We don’t really know that much more about baby’s gender than we did at this time yesterday…the ultrasound technician seemed to think that the baby *might* be a girl, since she didn’t see a little penis, and did get a view of the genital area…maybe the baby was feeling bashful and was hiding it!?!
I am going to *hope* we get a girl, knowing though that it could very easily turn out to be a boy. However, as cliche as it sounds, as long as it is healthy, who cares!
Baby girls dressed in flowered pink pinafore’s with matching sun hats are awfully cute though, aren’t they?!?
Today we hope to find out the gender of our baby. I am so excited, I can hardly wait! Stuart thinks’s its like sneaking a peek at a Chirstmas present. I call it wanting to be prepared! Besides, with Liam we waited to find out, and I figure it is a surprise whether we know now or later.
The ultrasound is this afternoon, and I know time will crawl until then…I’m just so eager to know what we’re having. I hope baby co-operates!
So far, My Mom has a “strong feeling” it’s a girl, Stuart’s Mom thinks it’s a boy, Stuart says girl as well, and now I am totally confused because I felt Liam was a girl, and was way off…I figure our odds are about 50-50, so someone’s gotta be right
Stay tuned…
I received this wonderful children’s book as a graduation gift when I graduated from York University in 2000. Liam noticed it’s bright cover, and pulled it off the shelf the other day so we read it together. What a great book for all ages…
And I thought one baby was a lot of work!!!
Being a Mom myself now, makes me realise all of the sacrifices and hard work my own Mother endured raising my Brother Michael and I. I am so thankful to have her as my Mother and friend. She is such a kind, thoughtful person and has always been such an inspiration to me and others with her positive outlook on life, and helpful advice whenever it was needed.
Speaking of being a Mom, Liam re-discovered popsicles yesterday…as you can see from the pictures, he certainly enjoyed them!
Today is Mother’s Day. I plan to be asolutely pampered, with breakfast in bed, followed by with a day at the spa, then I will finish the day with a meal personally prepared by world-class chef…uh, wait, no…that’s not *my* life! That’s my fantasy Mother’s Day!!! I think it will be a bit more low key than that. We’ll go to the garden centre, pick out a few new plants for the garden and just hang out and do some yard work…there’ll likely be a few diaper changes, maybe the odd temper tantrum (by my son…and who knows, maybe me as well!) and a lot of playtime with Liam.
