5QF ~ January 27

It's a cold, snowy day 'round these parts. Sam and Julie both feel sick today so I kept them home from school. My house is a disaster and I'm so far behind on my laundry.

I was planning on vlogging today, but I have a cold and my face is puffy. And my hair is a hot mess.

Trust me. You don't want to see me today.

So, today I'm just going to do my Five Question Friday old skool style and type it out.

Ready?

Let's go.

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1. Do you swim in the winter?

No. I don't like the chill I get when I go outside after swimming. I don't take the time to dry my hair before I leave and it freezes on the way to the car.

When I win the lottery and have an indoor pool in my house, you betcha I'll be swimming every day. Be nice to me and I'll invite you to join me.

:-)

2. Do you love or hate winter?

I think I'm pretty clear on this. I despise winter on a level you cannot imagine.

Only 52 days until Spring...

3. Do you put makeup/actual clothes on when you know you're going to be home all day with just family?

I don't wear makeup at all. I have been considering starting because I'm getting older and wrinkles are appearing, and my skin isn't as nice as it was when I was younger. I need some 911 assistance.

As for actual clothes, yes. I get dressed every morning. I am not one to lounge around in my pjs. It makes me feel gross. Even if I'm sick, like today, I will still get dressed.

4. How old were you when you had your first alcoholic beverage?

I was sixteen. I went to a bush party with several coworkers that were older than me and I started drinking beer. I had absolutely no tolerance and no one told me when to stop. I eventually passed out for about 45 minutes. I was still drunk when my friends dropped me off at home the next morning. I remember sitting on my front porch for almost an hour trying to find my keys in my purse. I told my mother I was sick and she took care of me all day. The guilt became overwhelming and I admitted that I was hung over.

She grounded me for two years.

Two years.

I wish I was lying.

I was allowed to go to the movies, the mall or out to dinner with friends, but I wasn't allowed to go to any parties for two years.

She's a tough cookie, my Mama.

5. How many ill calls in a 12 month period do you think are acceptable?

Oh I could go on about this all day long. It really bothers me when someone takes a lot of time off work. I don't like having to cover someone else's workload on top of mine, and I can't stand having to wait to get something from someone else who's off all the time.

I've worked with people who felt it was a challenge to work two weeks in a row without missing any days.

We get 40 hours of paid leave per year, which is 5 days. I think exceeding that amount of time would be considered excessive.

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That's it! Hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

Head on over to Mama M's blog My Little Life to join in on the fun!

It's Been A Good Day

My day started out a little on the rough side. I've caught Ian's cold and my head feels too heavy for my body. And I'm a bit cranky.

This morning we took Sam and Jules to school, then Ian dropped Jordan, Matthew and me off at my Mama's to visit for a bit while he went to an appointment. We had so much to talk about that I don't think we covered everything! I haven't been to visit in over a week and it felt so good to be with her again.

We got some good news today too. I'm not sure when I can talk about it but I will as soon as I can. I hate when bloggers do that. If you're going to tell me you have good news, either tell me now or keep it to your dang self. Right? Right.

Ian and I took the littles to the mall in the afternoon which gave me an opportunity to pop in here.

*my apologies to the dude sitting on the bench...I don't know how to photoshop or blur you out. But rest assured you look fab-u-lous SNAP.*

I spent 25 glorious minutes in there. I looked at everything I wanted to look at and priced out a few things I'd like to add to my sewing arsenal someday.

I passed by a bin of pre-cut fabric and saw this:

SO CUTE!

We are a Veggie Tales family and I thought I could make a pillow each for Jordan and Matthew. We'll see. I couldn't pass it up at only $3! I tend to buy fabric when it's on sale and then just add it to my collection without making anything because I really don't know what I'm doing. I really should take a sewing class or two.

So there you have it. We got some great news today, I visited my Mama and Fabricland. All the makings of a great day.

Tomorrow is Five Question Friday and I think I feel a vlog coming on...

What I Look Like When I Try To Sew

I think I've made my love of Pinterest pretty clear. If you aren't on it then there is something wrong with you.

Ok, not really. But seriously, you need to check it out.

Every so often I come across something that makes me laugh really, really hard.

Look at this.

This was me after drinking three glasses of wine while trying to applique a pillowcase for Julie's friend for Christmas.

Too funny.

Ok.. go sign up!

Tuesday's Treats ~ Skor Squares

It feels like forever since I posted about something I baked. October of 2010 in fact! Between working and being exhausted from being pregnant, I had to put my baking hobby on the back burner for awhile.

But I'm baaaccckkkk.... Or rather, easing back into things slowly.

One of my easiest go-to recipes are for Skor Squares. Quick prep time, quick baking time, and everyone loves them. I've made them for baby showers, bible studies, pick-me-ups for people, as an olive branch to my neighbours...

And now you can make them too!

You'll Need:

1 box of Ritz crackers (225 g box)
1 package of Skor Bits
1 can of condensed milk

Preheat your oven to 350.

Crush the entire box of the Ritz crackers and pour into a large bowl. Add the whole package of Skor chips and the can of condensed milk.

Mix until thoroughly blended.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and bake for 20 minutes.

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Yes, it really is that easy and there's absolutely no way you can make a mistake. And they are so delicious.

Cleaning A Glass Stove Top

Remember how I used to complain about my oven beeping all the time whenever I turned it on?

I used to want to punch it.

It once took me 2 1/2 hours to cook five pork chops, and then they ended up almost getting burned because the temperature shot up from 350 to 425 without anyone touching it.

We had to stop using it several months ago when it started heating up all on its own. The burners worked fine, but we used the toaster oven, microwave, and crock pot for everything else.

So, all that to say, we recently got a new oven. And I love it. I'm not one to get attached to appliances, but I'll admit.. I've hugged this one a few times.

I've long wanted one with a glass stove top. Ian always said no, not as long as we had small children because he was afraid one of them would touch it and burn their little hands. I always said that children could be taught not to touch.

But I got one :-)

Have I mentioned I love it? I did? Oh, well I'm probably going to be saying it again at some point in this post. Be prepared.

But as much as I love it, it makes me so nervous. I'm afraid of the stove top getting scratched or cracked. I won't let anyone else clean it but me. I'm kind of a beast when it comes to it. My mother-in-law gave me some tips on how to clean it and gave me some Vim and scrub brushes to use. While it does most of the trick, there is still some residual stuff left behind at times.

Yesterday I made spaghetti for dinner and had a boil over. Normally I lay a wooden spoon over the top of the pot to prevent this from happening, but Jordan had taken it from the drawer and I couldn't find it.

So, even after cleaning my stove top with Vim, the scrub brush and a whole lot of elbow grease, this is what I was left with.

I was getting stressed out and started to get really nervous. Why wasn't it coming off? Was it going to look like this forever?

Then I remembered back to when my sweet friend Jen sent me over to my beloved Pinterest to check out a this link she'd found that explained how to clean your stove top.

I figured that today was a great day to give it a go. I took pictures so you can feel like you were right there with me.

:-)

First I liberally sprinkled baking soda all over the top of my stove.

Then I soaked two dish towels in a bowl full of hot, soapy water. I squeezed out the excess water and placed the towels over the top of the stove. Apparently this was only to take fifteen minutes, so I set my timer and went to do something else.

When the timer went off I practically ran to rip off the towels and rejoice in my brand new looking stove top.

It didn't work.

Not ready to give up just yet, I repeated all the steps again.

When the timer went off again, I returned to the stove and gently moved the towel around, using the baking soda as a scrub. When I peeled off the towels, it looked better but not perfect.

Out came the Vim and scrub brush again. I was expecting to have to use a lot more elbow grease, but the rest of it came up pretty quickly. A quick wipe with a clean, dry cloth and this is what I was left with.

Doesn't it look great?! I love it!!

I have walked by and admired it about a dozen times now. It looks like new.

Ian googled ways to clean a glass stove top and one suggestion said to wait until the "hot surface" light goes off, then wipe up any spills with a damp cloth before they have a chance to set. I think I'll be trying that next time to avoid this stress! A couple of people suggested a product called Bar Keepers Friend but I'm not sure we'll sell it here in Canada. Worth a try to look!

Do you have any special tips or tricks you use?

Counting Mine {136 - 150}

Today was my first day back in church after being away for two months. Well, if you don't count Christmas Eve, but that was at a different church.

Why the long break? Lots of reasons, none of them really worthy of such a long time away. I think that at some level was a little freaked out at what happened the last time I was there. I didn't really go into detail about it, but I mentioned it in November.

It was so good to be back today, and to see so many of the faces I love so much. I collected lots and lots of hugs :) Matthew went into the nursery for the first time and did really well. It felt weird to be empty handed in the sanctuary!

Back at home, I was preparing lunch and I asked Jordan how her Sunday school class went, and she told me how much God loves her.

Precious.

It's a good, good, day.

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136} that sweet, tired feeling after a day out in the sun
137} the first warm day after a long, cold winter
138} swimming in the dark
139} magazine day
140} baby skin
141} irish accents
142} watching tv in bed
143} seeing my big boy cuddling my little boy
144} holding a sleeping baby
145} baking something new that Ian loves
146} how my mother's front door is always open
147} spring
148} people watching in the mall
149} ironing Ian's shirts
150} Ian's hand on my lower back as we enter a room
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If you are counting your own blessings and blogging about them, will you leave me a comment with the link to your blog, or share them with me at katieb38@hotmail.com? I'd love to know how you are being blessed through your journey!

Counting Mine {1-15}
Counting Mine {16-30}
Counting Mine {31-45}
Counting Mine {46-60}
Counting Mine {61-75}
Counting Mine {76-90
Counting Mine {91-105}
Counting Mine {106-120}
Counting Mine {121-135}

Saturday Afternoon Sewing Project: Toddler Apron

I've been wanting to sew something for awhile now but the idea of pulling out my sewing machine and ironing board and setting everything up seemed like too much trouble.

I tend to lose track of time when I sew, which is not a good idea when I have little ones to watch.

But today seemed like a perfect, slow day to pull out my stuff and choose a project. Ian said he'd take over all Matthew's care so I could relax and enjoy myself.

I love that man.

My initial plan was to make a diaper wipe case thing that has a pocket for a few diapers and a pocket for the wipes. But once I got into my tote full of fabrics, I decided to make Jordan an apron instead.

I love aprons. Julie and I have each have a gorgeous apron from The Hip Hostess and we feel like we're all that when we wear them. I thought Jordan would enjoy having one for herself so she can be like us in the kitchen.

This is the fabric I chose:

Sew pretty. (Haha...see what I did there?)

Oh, I guess I should warn you... if you sew extremely well, you might just keel over and die at how I do things. Just love me anyway.

I had an old apron that Sam and Julie used to wear way back in the day that is all stained and grody now. I pressed it and used it as my pattern.

Don't groan. It worked.

I pinned the apron to my fabric and cut around it, leaving enough to hem.

Then I cut four pieces to make into the ties. Two for her waist, two for her neck.

I think the waist ties were 20 inches and the neck ties were 12 inches. But I could be mistaken. I'm very hungry right now and my focus on my belly.

I folded each strap in half, pressed it, then opened it.

Each side was folded into the centre point and pressed again.

And press...

And then folded, pinned together and sewn closed.

I set those aside and then hemmed all around the apron part.

Sew, sew, sew...

Voila!

Jordan is a happy gal.

There are some small imperfections but I'm pleased with it. I know what to do better or differently next time.

Usually when I sew something, all I see are the mistakes. I've made the decision to try new things and to be ok if they don't turn out perfectly. I admire other people's baking/cooking/sewing skills and have spent so much time trying to be like those people, and I just end up feeling like a failure.

So done with that!

I've made the decision to try new things, and to be ok if they don't turn out. I need to stop being jealous of the skills of others, and enjoy the gifts and skills that God gave me.

And that's how things are going to roll around here from now on.

Happy Saturday!