I'm back...!

You know how it happens, you get busy...life happens. You think of writing something and something else more important grabs you...like your 3 kids! Then there is the phase of "I don't want to write...just leave me alone..no one cares...why do I bother?"  Then there are times, usually around the wee hours of the morning, you wake cause you need to pee, and once you settle back under your blankets, you start to think of ideas...a post! You tell yourself, "I will remember this in the morning...!" But you don't! You have a vague memory...about life, the sound of the crickets outside your window, but you just can't put all the ideas together! So you don't! You get up and proceed to make coffee and feed the cat, that has been serenading you since 5AM!

But now, it's the middle of Summer...months have flown by and currently finding that ALONE time is non existent...with 3 kids home...all day...every day! Even having a shower guarantees NO alone time.  They still come in the bathroom with questions or complaints about their siblings...!

Even with stating all the above, I do find more time to read(outside, early in the morning)...I love reading!! I have recently gone over all my books and downsized! There are some treasures that I will always cherish and others I have donated to a Woman's Shelter. Awhile ago, I was watching Nigella Lawson, now I can't recall the episode...but beside her was a book...I paused the show and read the title, making a note of it in my phone, I added it to my reading list through a bookstore app. See, I have lists, things that interest me, things I NEED to have.  The list builds up until my Birthday or Christmas.  That is when I get gift cards.  I then send my wish list to the shopping bag...

One of those books, that Nigella had...was Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking. Colwin's writing had me from the beginning.  I was hooked, laughing through various excerpts! Especially the bit about her never having a microwave.....!!

We recently took down cupboards and I decided I didn't want or need the microwave. The idea for not needing it, was planted in my head by Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault, who on Face book, mentioned that she was redoing the kitchen and was eliminating the microwave. That got  me thinking, do we ever use ours? Ours was mostly used for storage. When I read Colwin's mention of the microwave...I knew I was on the right track!

With the need to know more about Colwin, I thought I found her on Twitter...it was then I realized that she had died! She died in 1992, suddenly at the age of 48. I was devastated! She was dead!! No more juicy, descriptive words would flow from her pen, or keyboard.....what was written, was written, that was it! Knowing this, I have taken my time with her book. I just finished Home Cooking, and quietly ordered the follow up, More Home Cooking!

I would like to get back to Twitter for a moment...various people have asked me, "why Twitter? What is it with Twitter, what's the fascination...?" To me...I love Twitter. There is a connection with other people, all over the world. I can reach various people, whom I would normally not have reached! I have received personal msgs from "famous" people. And today...after finishing Colwin's book and tweeting about it, I had a brief chat with "R"...who I'm assuming is Colwin's daughter, Rosa! She mentioned that Colwin loved hanging around on a deck, which I was doing while reading and waiting for my Banana Butterscotch Muffins to finish baking! "R" also mentioned the "fish head soup"! Through the magic of Twitter...the gaps closed in, and I was connected to Colwin...only for a brief moment. That is the power of Twitter...connecting people in a way that Face book cannot.

All the above is the reason that there is a spark in my creativity...it has been ignited!! And I will try to be on here more often.....

Domino effects of my life! It all started because of Lucy Maud Montgomery!!

Yesterday...being November 30th was Lucy Maud Montgomery's Birthday! She would have been 141 years old. I started thinking about her and the impact she had on my life. Her books brought to life my desire to see Prince Edward Island. If it weren't for her, I don't think that I would have travelled and lived for a period of time on the fairest island of all...

It is a domino effect...all the choices and chances I took, led me to where I am today. And the instigator was Lucy Maud Montgomery. Have you ever taken a step back and looked at your life? Wondered how you got to where you are? I did that yesterday and this is what I got....

It all started with Anne of Green Gables! Especially when Kevin Sullivan and the CBC created the TV Movie of AGG!! I was captive. I wanted to BE THERE!! I was seduced by the landscape and of finding my Gilbert. Weren't we all? Family trips were planned during the Summer and it was there, on that ferry ride to the island, that I knew I was meant to live on PEI. Of course I was younger and still in high school...but my love and desire grew. After a rocky start at choosing a college/university, I decided and was accepted at the University of Prince Edward Island!! I spent a few years growing and becoming a better version of me. I found myself!

Unfortunately...after graduation I went home...and quickly found a job, had to repay THAT student loan!! That job led me to finding and reconnecting with an old friend...who is now my Husband! So because of LMM...I am now an educated, married woman with 3 kids and is trying to pursue her creative side(daily)! I have also introduced Hubby and the kids to PEI!! And we all want to live there!! One day we will...baby steps!

But I am, where I am today, because of Lucy Maud Montgomery and her creation of Anne of Green Gables! After several rejections on her novel and tossing it away in a hat box...she rediscovered it and tried one more time at publication...and that was it!! Can you imagine if she didn't try again...!! Where would I be!?  What about the others who have been influenced by her....where would we all be?

Comforts Foods....

COMFORT FOOD! We all have own comfort food. Something that brings pleasure and reassurance on bad days, cold days, dark days or even a day where you just need to smile with your tummy! I have a few comfort foods...but the simplest for me is MASHED POTATOES! Although for me, they have to be done properly.... with butter, a little milk and sea salt!!

It is soo satisfying...smashing them carefully, getting out all your frustrations and stresses of the day! I have had times where all I want for dinner is a bowl of mashed potatoes. Eating with a big spoon, curled up on the couch! Comfort! Heavenly!

Its reassuring somehow. Maybe its from my childhood...mashed potatoes were a common side dish. Even with my paternal grandparents...although they were old school and it was a PLAIN mash. Sigh.
Some days I will dress up my potatoes with a glove of garlic and other times I will top them with spring onions or chives...!! YUM!

Today I had about half a cup of leftover mashed potatoes from last nights dinner! AND I must say...I am proud that there were any leftovers...potatoes are my weakness!! The old me would have just shoveled them in my mouth with delight! But Christmas is coming...gotta start cutting back! Its all about balance!

I also had a small portion of pork tenderloin leftover. I warmed them up slowly and started to think greek(ish)!! I quickly chopped cucumber, and did a rough chop of feta and olives. So in my bowl my creation of yummy flavours formed....potatoes, sliced pork and chunks of cucumber, olives and feta! It was heaven in a bowl!! Why had I never thought of this before....!? 

So...question of the day! What are your comfort foods....

Tooth Fairy business sucks.....!!

We have three kids...that's a lot of teeth to lose!
End result...I would have been fired years ago!
Then again, it's not all my fault...I have kids who have short term memory. They don't always remember to put the tooth under their pillow! And the way things are going...I don't remember to remind them to do it!! Sometimes I remember...but I don't have the toonie(that's two dollars, Canadian)...so I don't remind them! Sometimes too, they lose the tooth at school and we just all forget about it!  I can do soo many things...I can bake/cook...refurbish...write...garden...fix the odd thing in the house, BUT to remember to be the Tooth Fairy!? Nah!!

Just recently my 10yo lost his molar...at school!! He left it at school for about a week! Of course the Tooth Fairy wasn't going to come...she needs the tooth under the pillow! Eventually he brought it home and left it in the hall...for a few days! Now Hubby has a phobia of teeth! He eventually saw the tooth and not sure what it was, picked it up...and proceeded to freak out!! I heard him while I was upstairs! It's great to have a relationship with him...so many laughs!

Eventually.... the tooth made it under the pillow!!

AND because I felt soo bad for the kid...the Fairy left five dollars! Well...OK, there is more to the story!! I forgot that he placed the tooth under his pillow!! It wasn't till morning that I heard the heavy footsteps...and him muttering "she isn't real...she's fake. My tooth is gone and there is no toonie! It's crap!" Right away I questioned him like a good Mother does, "did you look everywhere? Under your bed? Did you even make your bed this morning? Just go have your shower for now, I'll look later! She wouldn't do that to you!"

Once I heard him in the shower, I grabbed the only money I had...a five dollar bill...and went quickly downstairs and made his bed and left the money on the comforter. Later I told him what I found! He was excited! I just looked at him and said "see...you have to really look for something, just don't glance at things and assume..!"

Being a Fairy is hard work!! You have to remember the TOOTH!! You have to have the CASH! Who carries cash anymore?? Everything is debit/credit! You have to slide your arm under the pillow carefully! You have to remember where the squeaky floor boards are! If the bedroom door creaks! And make sure there are no toys on the floor! Some kids are excited and sleep lightly, in hopes of seeing the Tooth Fairy! Once...forgetting my Daughter's tooth, I sat up at 6:30AM knowing that I forgot! Grabbing the toonie, I walked past her bedroom door and threw the coin on the floor!! When my Daughter woke up and saw the coin, she said, "Wow the Fairy must have been tired! She left the tooth and the coin is on the floor!"

Yeah....she was!!

One man's garbage is another man's treasure!

Am I the only one who gets totally excited when garbage day comes? Usually the night before, people put their "trash" curbside...hoping it all gets taken! Here in our town, we have rules and limits...it can be quite extreme...I never truly know what is acceptable!! But this week...I hit the jack pot!! A neighbour who use to live a couple doors down, has moved! Back in August he told me, "in 6 days I am moving to death!" I didn't know how to reply. Looking puzzled and lost for words, I waited for him to explain! Turns out he is going to a retirement home...!! I felt terrible for him...and the conversation was left there...!

This Monday night, his Son placed something curb side...and it wasn't till Tuesday morning at 6:30 when I knew I wanted it! Slowly I crept outside...not wanting to be seen as the neighbour that brings your "trash" in. I can just imagine...people wondering and assuming that the insides of my home resemble their home! None the less....sitting curb side was a beautiful chair. Nothing wrong with it! Dated? Maybe! Broken or damaged? Not at all!! I carried it quickly back to the house!! Giddy with excitement, it is now sitting in the kitchen! Hubby was the only one who didn't realize it was new. He thought it was similar to another one......which I found on Kijiji by the way!!

Tuesday night....the Son was back at it again...cleaning things out!! And something caught my eye!! It was getting late and I decided...if its meant to be, it will be there at 4:30 in the morning! It was!! With my jacket on...covering my nightie...I darted like a wild animal...down the sidewalk and over to the pile....it was a chandelier!! Hubby came out and just starred at me! I quickly and quietly whispered, "just seeing if its not too large for our dinning room!" It's not!! It needs some work!! But I'm excited to get to these two things started this weekend!!


Stay tuned for pics....!!
So...what excites you....??

Family Trips lead to tasty meals back home....

This past August our Family trip was to PEI! Yes, I know...again!! But if you've never been there, you don't understand how that small island can cradle you into another world! Do you see what I did there...use the word cradle...the term given by the Mi'kmaq..."the land cradled on the waves"...and it surely is. There is a different pace there....friendlier, more of a focus on what is truly important. This was our fourth trip. Every year we toss around the idea of visiting somewhere else. When it comes time to decide...we instantly fall back into the arms of PEI. Playing in the ocean, you feel as if the island has baptized you! If you are not born on the island, you are not a true islander! Even if you were born on the mainland and were a day old and came across to live on PEI...you are still not an islander(this was told to me by my History Professor)! But as a fisherman told us, we can be an "Islander By Choice"....or as he said, "so you want to be an IBC!"
So....that's what we are! We are IBC'ers!!

We have been home almost 4 weeks...and we all miss the scenery, food and friendly people!
We miss Seafood Chowder! A popular item....and every restaurant has their own spin! We sampled a few and they are all fabulous...it just depends on whether you like it thick and creamy or slightly thinned out! The seafood is amazing...so fresh!! So, this past weekend, slightly homesick...I decided to make a Seafood chowder. It was perfect for a rainy, windy Saturday afternoon!! With no recipe...I stood at the fish counter and saw PEI Mussels! Those babies were going to be in it! As well as salmon and shrimp!! I chose what each kid would eat...you know, I have one or two picky eaters!!

Two hours later...after prepping, washing, chopping, sautéing and allowing all the flavours to marry....it was done!! I would have added a bit of heat...red pepper Chili flakes...but as you know, picky eaters! It was soo simple! I used flavours that I tasted back on the island and some of my own! Some for taste, some for colour!!

Let's just say....bowls were filled twice and very little was leftover for Sunday lunch!

Love how great experiences during family trips lead to tasty meals back home!

September...time for new changes!! Technology!!

Well....after years of carrying around old files/disks  and basically using old, OK...somewhat archaic technology, I have been thrown into a situation. I have been upgraded!! It sounds nice, but if you don't know what to do...like me, you want to run in the opposite direction. I've also had the feeling, OK...perhaps the urge to throw the NEW phone and computer into the wall!! Maybe too...I should have been given the phone first! Get used to it and all it's apps before moving on to a computer...that is cordless! I still can't get certain texts from important peeps!! It's like the phone Gods decided that Julie is not allowed to contact me....why!? Anyone...!? I've been cut off...! And it hurts...!

It takes a special skill to calm me down....Hubby will open a bottle of wine! He will pour me a big glass and send me to the corner. There I will breathe in its woody, fruity tones and I will be hypnotized with its golden shimmer....!! Kids have the naughty corner, and I have the de-stressing corner. Hubby then takes over the idiotic technology and sets it up! Properly...!!! After my return to normalcy...I sit down, breathe and start to write....!! Fingers crossed....!

My biggest issue so far...aside from being upgraded...is that I cannot add photos to this blog! I literally have to upload photos to Facebook, which from there, copy that image and paste it in here! Now with all this new technology...should I be doing that?? It has me wondering if it's time for a change?? Change blog sites!? Do I lose all past posts, photos and readership? I have been struggling with this for the past week!! And I realized, it's September...time for change, routines and slowly falling back into old ones! So...here I am!! What should I do!? What would you do?!

Regrets! That pops into my head! I have no regrets!! Have you ever thought of that? Regrets!? Every path I have chosen, has led me to where I am now! And I am happy! So...no regrets!! With that being said......I think, I'll stay where I am...cause I'm not really ready for another new change!

There's not enough wine in the house for that.....