Do you BELIEVE in YOUR HOROSCOPE!?

I VOWED when 2013 came in I would make changes....make this YEAR the BEST yet!! Take chances! Basically get off that fence, that we all sometimes sit on comfortably. Not to be passive! Dream BIG cause you never know....and JUST LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!! No regrets!! That is what I am trying to do!!

I want to do this with EXERCISE too...(sigh...that can be hard, to be motivated)....but since Hubby won the trip at work, I am REALLY FOCUSED......we LEAVE in April for St. Lucia...you know, St. Lucia...FULL OF BEACHES and OCEAN!! Which has me totally scared, CAUSE I HAVE to WEAR a BATHING SUIT!! I know....I shouldn't worry about what others think, but I cant HELP IT!! AND I know, Hubby LOVES me for ME and thinks that I am SEXY....so that should be all that matters....right! I hear it...I believe it...but somewhere deep down in me I lack that confidence! So....for the past three weeks, I have been  toning my tummy and various areas!!! The only CRUSHING part is that Easter is coming up and those DARN CADBURY MINI EGGS are EVERYWHERE....come on!!!! I must say though.....lately I have been strong and have RESISTED the URGE to GRAB them!! ((applause now....))

Then came the PART to DREAM BIG! For ME to be ME. I am Mommy to three and a Wife, a Daughter, Sister and a Granddaughter and a GOOD FRIEND in GENERAL( I hope)....but I want to be ME and do what I LOVE...which is CREATING!! I LOVE to BAKE/COOK and REFURBISH! Why not try to get MY stuff out there.....SHOWCASE my TALENTS(maybe TALENTS is too strong of a word, but its what I believe)!! Thinking about all this and reading my Horoscope(DAILY) it started to coincide! When I started to doubt something, I read my Horoscope and it would reassure me.....it told me to take it easy, or to listen to my inner voice! I was never one to believe in Horoscopes...but now, I am thinking this Horoscope business is on to something!!

So I am taking that CHANCE, creating a FaceBook Page, showcasing my TALENTS, offering my SERVICES, using Twitter(connecting with people with similar interests) and just GETTING MYSELF out there!! I have had some success! And a LITTLE SUCCESS is better than NONE at all!! Right!!? At least at the end of the day, when its all said and done, I can tell my KIDS that I tried, I got off that fence!! I sought my DREAMS!! Its all about Baby Steps and READING your HOROSCOPE!!

**Just thinking though, when it comes to that trip and wearing a BATHING SUIT!! I think I will be FINE, its an ALL INCLUSIVE CLUB....therefore I will be HAPPILY SIPPING MANY DRINKS, perhaps TOO MANY to care any more what YOU think of me in a BATHING SUIT!! Problem SOLVED!

UPDATED to ALMOST PERFECTION, Triple Chocolate Cookie Balls!!!

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE COOKIE BALLS@Sherry Watton

Preheat Oven to 350

½ cup Butter(softened)

½ cup Brown Sugar and ½ cup White Sugar

½ cup of Cocoa

2 eggs

2 cups of Flour(just the regular All-Purpose Flour)

2tsp Baking Powder

½ cup of Mini Chocolate Chips(I like Semi Sweet! I use Mini Chips, for little kids, you get more chips in a bite)

Cream the Butter and the Sugars, once well blended, add the Cocoa, cream again, then add the eggs and cream again…..NICE AND CREAMY!!!

In another bowl have the flour and B. Powder mixed together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. When its almost thoroughly mixed, I add the Chocolate Chips. Mix it all, it will get hard to mix after awhile, all thick and NICE!! Then I make balls…grab some and roll it in your hands(to stop the sticking to your fingers(if it happens at all) I dust my fingers with  Cocoa Powder). I make 30 Balls…(TimBit size)but  if YOU want BIGGER balls…you want bigger Balls…just remember to adjust your time for BAKING. I have adjusted my baking time to 8 minutes…I still want them soft, like brownie consistency …..then let them cool. If you have a WIRE RACK, great, if not its OK! Wire racks will allow the melted chocolate to drip through.

CHOCOLATE COATING: In the microwave(cause I have that button to melt chocolate) 1 cup of Mini Chocolate Chips(in a Ziploc Bag), then add 1tbsp of Veg. Oil, for glossiness…smush it all together, so its well incorporated.

OR: Melt the chocolate chips & oil in a small pot, just on low heat, stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn!!

NOW, snip the tip of the Ziploc Bag and drizzle/zig zag over the Balls!! OR, if using a pot to melt the chocolate, use a spoon and drizzle the chocolate over the cookies…..then after add some sprinkles or whatever you have…or nothing at all!! Mostly I do the sprinkles for the kids.  Put in the FRIDGE to HARDEN for an hour….roughly!! ENJOY!

A month without CABLE!!

Its been a month now without CABLE!! I know..... I can hear you gasp as you place your hand to your mouth and I can read your thoughts...how is she doing that?? Three kids...no cable?? A Hubby who loves Sports....no cable?? I'd have to admit...at  first I thought I was missing out on something! I did have the shakes, more so at night, when the kids and Hubby were in bed......I would just sit there...starring at the TV...hoping it would come back!! BUT actually...I started to watch movies that we had bought years ago....and never watched! They sat on the shelf, all neatly wrapped!!  Why is it that we buy movies and never watch them? I realized that we bought them cause they were on sale! Such a waste!!! However, I did get caught up!! Some of which are NOT even worth the sale price!! PLUS I watched favourites....I would throw in Persuasion and make a pot of tea, grab my magazines and just enjoy the QUIET evening!!

IN reality....I don't miss it!! I am over it!! I broke up with television....it no longer holds me prisoner!!
Anything I really want, I can get on the Internet! Hubby even watches games on the computer! So why was I paying BIG BUCKS for CABLE!? I know the kids watched their shows.....and at first for them it was hard. BUT now.....they are doing other things...living, playing and being creative....what a NOVEL IDEA!! They don't even ask for certain shows! And don't worry, on rainy days....they still have their FAVOURITE DVDS!

So in CONCLUSION.....anyone can really give up CABLE!! Think of the life I have just gained by cancelling cable!! I am making my OWN LIFE, creating a HISTORY, rather than watching a MADE UP LIFE on TV!! I know its not all made up.....there are some educational aspects to TV....but I get that from the Newspaper, Radio and Internet!! Plus my BANK ACCOUNT is getting FATTER!! I am sure that Gail Vaz-Oxlade(Till Debt Do Us Part) would approve!

COMMON COURTESY! CITYLINE has it!! NIGELLA LAWSON too!!

I suppose I started tweeting/emailing a certain show back in January, to find out when Nigella Lawson was coming to Canada. I knew from research, OK...from reading tweets and following people(like a mad woman) that her NEW book was coming out on February 12th...NIGELLISSIMA. Nigella even tweeted me that she was coming in FEBRUARY!! I was trying to find if TICKETS were available, or if she was doing any of the TALK SHOWS(in the Toronto area) that I had enquired with....NO REPLIES!! REPEATEDLY I tried...no RESPONSE!!

Today's RANT is why on EARTH would you list a TAB for "CONTACT US" if YOU DON'T REPLY!! NOTHING!! OK...... maybe I was at the point where I was becoming OBSESSIVE......I wanted to FIND TWO TICKETS(if possible) for myself and my Son, who is 7 and adores Nigella!! We saw Jamie Oliver last October, and Josh(my son) had so much fun!! Why not try for Nigellla!!!??  NO RESPONSE!!! I would have been satisfied with the common "glad to receive your feedback/enquiries, in a few business days we'll try to respond." BUT I GOT NOTHING!! NOTHING!!

Then about a WEEK before her arrival to TORONTO....I emailed another show, one that for some reason,  I didn't think would have her, don't ask me why, I don't know...I just assumed(and you know what they say about ASSUMING). I emailed the show, after I heard that they were giving away Nigella's new book! I got a response....A REAL RESPONSE.... I was shocked, seeing it sit in my IN BOX!!! It was from CITYLINE! They responded and gave me as much information as they could...actually we shared a few emails back and forth!! CITYLINE took the time, I know it must be hard to REPLY to ALL enquiries...and I am sure that some are missed......but they HELPED me when I needed it!! Perhaps they took pity on me and my Son(who knows), but they included me, and MAILED me, NIGELLA'S NEW BOOK!! I was was very grateful and excited and so was my Son....more so when the book arrived in the mail.

I just wanted to give a SHOUT OUT to CITYLINE! Thank you for taking the time in replying to my MESSAGE....it MEANT A LOT! I have become a FAITHFUL VIEWER!! I have always enjoyed the show before.....but now I feel closer to those around it, they embraced me as a "friend"! CITYLINE is CONNECTED with its VIEWERS!!

Since receiving Nigella's new book....I have made "Spaghettini with Lemon & Garlic Bread Crumbs", although, being me...I have tweaked the recipe....more so for the kids...to keep everyone HAPPY and added SAUTEED MUSHROOMS on top(with a little extra cheese too)!! It was DELISH!! The KIDS ask for it regularly!!! I'm EXCITED to try out more recipes soon.......

BOTTOM LINE....if you are a TALK SHOW and have a WEBSITE and have a TAB  that says "CONTACT US"......have the decency to REPLY!! Even if its the auto-reply...have something!!! Grrr.....

"Julie and Julia" and SHERRY!!

 Last night was the OSCARS, there was a time that I would be EXCITED to watch them.....NOW married, and three kids, somehow the appeal has been lost! I was craving, after the kids were down for the night, to watch something that I LOVE while browsing through my English Home Magazine.....a little ME time(which can be rare to find). I turned to "Julie and Julia".....I enjoy that film on many levels..... I can relate to both characters!! While watching the movie, I wanted to find my Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2. It was then that I came across my paternal Grandmother's COOK BOOKS!

When my Grandparents house went up for sale, I grabbed the books, notebooks and clippings and thought nothing more of it. I put them in a safe spot, with all my OLD books.... and there they sat. I would walk past them daily! Then when I moved the bookcase(which I do a lot...I have a disease where I  constantly move things) to the living room, I would sit beside these treasures, never fully understanding that they were treasures...my history! As we get older, we regret(or at least I do) not asking those questions that pester me now....where did we come from? How come I have that trait? That look? Why do I write things down while baking/cooking...improving on recipes, altering measurements...THEN I found the answer!!

How do you PRESERVE these OLD NOTEBOOKS!?

I can see clearly  two generations fusing into ONE! I know from my maternal side I got my love for writing/reading and my desire(aka disorder) for cleanliness and moving things(to find a better fit within our home) and refurbishing the OLD into NEW!! Last night I found out, that on my paternal side, I am the same as my Great Grandmother and Grandmother when it comes to cooking/baking. I too, like them(which made me emotional on this discovery) have cookbooks, recipes cut out from newspapers/magazines and hand written notes improving on recipes. Theirs were all tucked away in old, old notebooks! With in all this, there were also pamphlets from the Ontario Department of Agriculture, Women's Institutes Bulletin 252, June 1919. It was ALL on "the preservation of food, home canning!" This was the year that my Grandmother was born ,therefore all this information was my Great-Grandmothers!

These pamphlets let me into a world that I had not known.....they are all about canning fruit, vegetables and MEAT(that kinda scared me....).  It was a time where you made the most of what you had, you did not waste, you shared recipes and you made that bushel of apples stretch far into the next year! Something that I think this generation lacks......don't you agree!?

It was emotional going through these notebooks, old and withered...how do you protect this!? Some are over 90 years old....I was scared to touch them, but smiled as I went page by page, reading cookie recipes from neighbours....at the top of each recipe, if it was not hers, she would write who it was from and sometimes a date. There are X's and check marks on recipes! There were also cut and paste newspaper articles on household tips...how to get your lace white, how to clean brass, when loaning plates(a piece of sticky tape on the back with your name on it ensures a return), substitutes for egg....it goes on and on! And they took the time to read, cut and paste it into their own notebook...and now I have it!!! It made me miss them even more, even though I never met my Great-Grandmother! BUT I always wondered about her, more so now(cause I am older). She came from Liverpool, England....crossed over in 1914 with her siblings! Why did she settle in King City, Ontario...how did she meet her Husband!? All these questions will remain unknown, lost History, my History....and that makes me sad!

Albert Henry and Charlotte Jones...my Great Grandparents!

At least I know I little more now.....on where I came from! Do you?
(AND I know where I get MY NOSE FROM!!)

BRING OUT YOUR BEST CHINA.....its time for a Tea Party!!

 I've heard a few rumblings from various forms of media, about using your best china...bring it out, use it, don't let the dust collect....which got me thinking, why not!? I have been given my Great Grandmothers and Great Aunts China....it sits on my refurbished China Hutch and it is COLLECTING DUST! I should use it!! I rarely use any of it and why don't we?? I know some MIGHT break, but I rather have a GREAT TIME and see my KIDS happy then it just sitting there...collecting dust! USE YOUR BEST CHINA!! YOU WILL CREATE A LIFE TIME OF MEMORIES....BETTER THAN CREATING DUST!!  That's today's MANTRA....

So the other night, just recently, while watching Downton Abbey(LOVE that show).....I set up the China and had a Tea Party for ONE! All were in bed! I felt quite English....I knew that my English Ancestors were smiling down! Later that night, I just left the dishes on the counter, to be washed the next morning!

When Katie came down the next morning, she saw the dishes and asked "did you have a tea party?" I smiled and replied YES! She just starred at the pretty cup and saucer. I knew what she wanted!! "How about later today after Josh is in school, we have our own Tea Party!?" Excitedly she went to the hutch and pointed to a cup and saucer that she wanted to use! "I love the gold colours."

Later in the day when it was time for the Tea Party, she came downstairs and showed me her nails. She wanted to have them painted, "to look pretty!"  We got things ready and settled down for our Tea Party....while waiting for the tea to cool, she eagerly said "I've waited all day for this!" She even had her pinky finger up while sipping the tea....it was priceless!!! Next time we will be having finger sandwiches!!


That night.....Josh was upset that he missed out on the Tea Party......so he and Alex brought down the Tea Playset....the boys knocked over the cups, burped and tooted!! It was a different Tea Party from Katie's....but it was ALL FUN!! The things that you learn at a  Tea Party!!! I encourage YOU to have a Tea Party with your kids....you never know what you will learn!!

SWIMSUITS in APRIL!? I'm STILL in Hibernation Mode....

Love story goes like this..... they both met up again(years after school), they have a romantic courtship, marriage and a BEAUTIFUL Honeymoon!!! Buying a house and having kids happen within a few years.....and they live HAPPILY EVER AFTER!! HA!! Not us!!! REWIND........  they meet up again, they have a WILD AFFAIR(not really but don't we all wish?), she gets pregnant....they move in together....she gets pregnant again.....AND then pregnant again and while still pregnant, they get married(Honeymoon consists of a WEEKEND AWAY with the CHILDREN)....third child comes along, then they BUY a HOUSE!! And they live happily ever after!!! 

Now comes the interesting fact......Hubby has never had a chance to see ME in a SWIMSUIT! How did it happen? I don't know! Time goes by quickly...you pop out a few kids....and soon you know you are coming upon NINE YEARS together and NOT ONCE has he seen you in a SWIMSUIT! I KNOW, I've been LUCKY!! LOL!! 

I have nothing against swimming...I like it....but somehow I dodged the suit every time!! I have always felt  uncomfortable in a suit....and now....after three kids....I am FREAKING OUT!!   I don't have those FAMILY  genes, were when you POP OUT a KID, your tummy goes flat again! I love my Family...but if you look at them....we were PASSED on the SKINNY GENES!! 

I HATE all YOU skinny bitches!! LOL!! 

But now, things have changed.......

Hubby won a CONTEST at work!! I knew he had a GOOD chance...but in the back of my mind, I thought he wouldn't win....why raise your HOPES...just in case!? He WON!! He won a TRIP...anywhere!! He won a certain amount of money towards a TRIP!  We had it narrowed down to London, England(of course my CHOICE...) and St. Lucia!! For some reason he would rather lay about on a BEACH  then WALK the streets of London!! I can understand...right now we have tons of SNOW and its COLD! Canadian winters...gotta love them!  So we are LEANING towards St. Lucia and ALL INCLUSIVE!! This will be the HONEYMOON that we NEVER, truly had!!

On so many levels I am NERVOUS.....I need a PASSPORT(do I dye my HAIR back to its NATURAL colour)?! We need to FIND that ALL IMPORTANT BABYSITTER, have the KIDS LOVE the BABYSITTER, arrange times/flights....CUT the ATTACHMENT STRINGS to my KIDS....write a WILL......and MOST IMPORTANTLY........WEAR A BATHING SUIT!! 

In April I am just easing back into EATING HEALTHIER....somehow with Canadian Winters I lag, I bake and HIBERNATE...like a TRUE CANADIAN BEAR! Its NOW February......I have to WAKE up and SHAPE up....I have two months EXACTLY before OUR PLANE takes OFF!!! The next couple of months  SHALL BE INTERESTING for YOU READERS!!! I SADLY must give up my PLEASURES!! Especially... Fresh, Bakery Soft, White Bread......mmmmmm...can YOU smell it NOW!!? 

BUT there is ONE PLEASURE that I WONT GIVE UP!! 

WINE ......after all, there are MANY HEALTH ADVANTAGES to DRINKING WINE....of course with moderation!!