quick little update...

The move is finally over. I cleaned the apartment yesterday and now i just need to go back to take out some screws and nails, and hand in my keys.

The new house is quiet and wonderful and sooo much more spacious than my 2bdr apt, but boy is it incredibly messy! lol. Trying to merge two 'houses' is rather a daunting task, and there are boxes absolutely everywhere! Until yesterday there were 2 small bookshelves in our main floor bathroom which made using it pretty much impossible, unless you were a contortionist!

But everything is slowly coming along..if we're not working, or busy being a parent, we're unpacking!...and right now i'm heading off to work...hope to put up some pictures of our chaos for the next post! lol.

workin' and movin'!!

**I am in the midst of moving. Lots and lots of packing and moving..trying to just have furniture left when we get the truck on saturday! And i've been working a LOT this week too..I am just gonna go to bed now and start again tomorrow...i just keep reminding myself that it'll all be over soon and we'll all be happily living together.**

An Experiment with Spaetzle.

Tonight i decided to get a little creative with dinner. I had a bag of dried German Spaetzle noodles in there that have been crying out at me to do something with them. Originally i was just going to make a beef stew for dinner, but it's just so darn hot and humid that I couldn't imagine simmering a stew for hours...EWWW.
So I google'd "what to do with spaetzle" and found that most dishes involves meat like beef and some kind of creamy mushroom sauce..and well the man doesn't like mushrooms. So i decided to go back to the stew idea and get creative.
SO i fried up 1/3 of a chopped vidalia onion in some olive oil, threw in 1/2 lb of stewing beef cut up and a bunch of spices..when that was done i put in almost 2 cups of beef stock and then half a large can of herbed diced tomatoes..simmered that for a while and then thickened it up with a bisto/cornstarch combo..(NOTE: the spaetzle was cooking in the salted pot of water while i worked with the 'stew' combo)..drain the spaetzle, dish it up and top with the 'stew' combo.

The girls LOVED it, I loved it, and so did the man! YAY!!!

husband and wife, by Leah Stewart ((review))

'husband and wife' is Leah Stewart's third novel. It received some great advance praise, so I was very excited to read it when HarperCollins offered it. I thought that, it might be somewhat comforting as my marriage had broken down too. The story follows main character Sarah, 35 year old mom of 2, as she finds out that her husband of 4 years latest novel 'Infidelity' is partially based on his own personal experience.

This book was very well written. Leah's writing style pulled me through all 344 pages, but i never did get that connection or enjoyment that i was hoping for. I just have a feeling of overall impartiality. Great writing but just lack of depth in plot.



*i received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review from HarperCollins Publishers*

Bubbles! (and not the chimp!)

Here's Little Orange enjoying some sunny bubbly fun on our balcony this morning...might be the last time she goes out there...
(we've decided that monday will be the last night here at the apt--so that the packing/moving goes a LOT faster/easier)

Single Digits!! :D

Yup, this is the chalkboard countdown as of today! We're in single digits now. The truck is booked for next Saturday morning! and that will be it...leftover furniture and last minute items only. :D

WOOT WOOT!

Hermie: Who is in Charge Anyway? DVD ((review))

Tonight my daughters and I sat down to watch Max Lucado's 'Hermie & Friends: Who is in Charge Anyway?' It's the 15th dvd in the Hermie series, but the first one that we've watched. We instantly loved the bright and colourful animation, and how easy to love the characters are. We also loved the message in the story of Freddie the flea and his quest to find out what is special about him, and how God has a plan for every one of us! Even though it was our first time watching a Hermie video we found that the various flashbacks of the other characters and their 'special' memories gave us the chance to learn about the other characters a bit better.
Both my 9 and 5 yr old daughters gave this 1/2 hr video 2 thumbs up..we'll be watching it again for sure!

**I received this DVD for free thanks to Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program in exchange for my unbiased review. You may or may not enjoy this dvd as much as we did.**

a trip to the dr...sigh.

So today i had to go back to the dr to see how my bloodwork and blood pressure was doing...if you recall back the birth control i went on cause havoc with my body.
The blood pressure is still elevated, but now it seems to have gotten stuck with some poor eating habits and the lack of running..which have consequently ended up with me gaining 25 lbs in only 5 months...GASP! I KNOW! So no wonder i have been feeling like complete and utter crud!! So i need to go back in 2 mo with a MUCH better lifestyle going on! (which she said involved no sodium/no caffeine/no junk/no alcohol?! what is left i ask?! lol)
THEN, like things could get worse...i ask her about the pain i've been having in my wrist lately...she pushes on where i say hurts..i instantly burst into tears with intense frickin pain..not nice i say!! not nice! she says 'oh boy, off to xray you go!' but says that it's likely the nerve and the tendonitis back, so put the brace back on and ice and ibuprofen...NO! not again! NOOOO! it's the hand i USE!! sigh.
(so anyways, the xrays came back like expected..normal..therefore i wear the annoying positioning brace)

Nora Roberts--"Savor the Moment"(REVIEW)

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts is a magical story of friendship, love and family. It's the third installment in the Bride Quartet, a series of 4 books about friends who work, play and love together.
Until i read this book, I had never experienced a Nora Roberts book. *gasp* i know! She has penned over 190 novels! But after reading all 339 pages in only 4 days, I know that I NEED to go back to read 'Vision in White' and 'Bed of Roses', and absolutely can't wait for the finale in 'Happy Ever After'.
Because i had no expectations for this book or any preconceived notions it was so easy to just get lost in the romance. Characters Laurel and Del have such a magical connection, that make it sweet and fun to read. Nora Roberts knows just how to capture the reader with her amazing storytelling, it's no wonder she's America's most popular novelist(New Yorker)! I will certainly be back for more.


**I received this book free of charge from Penguin Canada, in exchange for my un-biased review. You may or may not like this book as much as i did.**

Our Apartment

Well today the countdown on the chalkboard says "22 more sleeps till the move"...which is rather scary because in 22 sleeps that is when i'm supposed to be moving the FURNITURE over..most of the other stuff needs to be at the new place by then so i don't kill the moving helpers!
SO before i started the packing insanity i really wanted to stop and take a moment to put together a post to remember my apartment. The place where i put life back together, got strong, and moved on. It has been one amazing year i tell ya! AMAZING.
So without further ado...here is my home.


1)This is what you see when you come in the door..family photos, beautiful art on the right made by a wonderful friend, the cool nesting ottoman that a friend gave me, and our piano where my girls play me such awesome music like 'viva la vida'! lol.


2) and here is the rest of the living room and a view of the dining room..this was the home to many awesome nights of watching Big Brother, and Glee, or other fun little girlie nights! The coffeetable has my laptop on it, and that is where i do all my working/blogging/facebooking! :D My entertainment center would NOT be complete without my little Hoops&Yoyo bobbleheads, or my fabulous Salty n Pep shakers from Lipton! lol. OR my easter island head! :D Oh, and incase you wonder what is in the big wardrobe/cabinet it's a whole crapload of boardgames! Let me know if you wanna come over and play(at the new house of course!)


3) Here's the little 'hallway' to the bathroom and bedrooms..it's home of the massive dollhouse, which never seems to get played with enough for my liking. lol. The drapes were highly necessary due to the girls being able to see the livingroom from their bed, and well if they're in bed, they should be sleeping, not spying. lol.


4) Here is my rather colourful bathroom..you can't see the art on the walls here, but i did a post on them because my girls painted them for it specifically..lots of hot pink/black/lime here! and it's a girl-infested space so there are products everywhere! and yes there is t.p on my counter..the 5 yr old can't reach the roll on the wall. lol.


5) My room! I love my bed. I love ikea. I love wrought iron. I love my pillowtop bed. I love the candle star lantern in the window. I LOVE that quilt...it's starting to get a tad ratty but it's not going anywhere YET..there is a NEW wonderful comforter UNDER the bed, but i found that it was a tad HOT so it'll come back out in the winter. No, i haven't read the books on the bookshelf, it's a work in progress...a REALLY LONG work in progress because i haven't read a book from my shelf in QUITE a while due to the review books that have been coming in constantly! eek. What you can't see here is the closet that is FULL of storage stuff, or that at the end of my bed i have a tv that never gets watched, and also an overflowing laundry hamper..i really must get on that! lol.


6) and on to the girls room! It is NEVER this tidy. So i HAD to document THAT! lol. They LOVE to read(hence the crazy full bookshelf)..i love the art that hangs on their door. They made them at a friends birthday party. Best idea ever.
As much as the space was a tad small for them(there is so much not seen here..like 2 ikea trofast shelving units, etc), i will miss this room and the ease of putting them to bed at the same time, in the same room, hearing the same bedtime cd, etc etc..they'll be in separate rooms at the new house! eek.


7) shot 1 of my kitchen, and front door area...here you can see my homeless keurig(blogged about last month i believe! lol), and my crazy collection of teas, and my wonderful kitchenaid(boring white, but who can argue when it was $75 on kijiji, and it's the awesome model where the bowl goes up and down! lol)..it doesn't get used NEARLY enough bless it's soul. :( What you can't quite see here is the love for RED kitchenwares..i have a red kitchenaid kettle, a red kitchenaid cast iron pot/baker/what's it name?!, a red henley teapot, a fabulous set of red kitchenaid pots n pans, the retro red clock is at the new house, etc etc etc..sigh. I LOVE KITCHENS!


8) other way view of kitchen..and creating area(formerly known as scrapbooking area).. I love that crazy metal table that another cool friend gave me(then i put fabric around it to hide all the storage units under it, etc)..and i love my Hatley apron that is hanging on the left side..and well, there isn't much to say about this shot i don't think..just wanted to document it..

And wow, i just realized that was it. The END. This is my apartment. Our home for ALMOST 1 yr now. As much as i loved living here(with the quiet, and the BIG windows, etc)..i am really looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life...only 22 more sleeps. :D

yes, i'm M.I.A...

I am currently out of commission with a BRUTAL sinus infection/sore throat :(

But i will be back as soon as humanly possible!