Screen-Free Tuesdays Spawns My First Small Giveaway

It's a new tradition in our house.  (Can you call it a tradition after one time?)

It's so easy to get into an electronic rut in the wintertime.  The kids fell into habit with the Wii, PCs, PS2 and TV.  Tired of the daily battle over who's watching/playing what, I exercised my dictatorial powers and decreed Tuesdays to be Screen Free.  Nothing with a screen is to be used on Tuesday.  This covers gameboys, PCs, tvs and all game systems.

Now, what to do?

Ah, there's the rub.

Well, I happened to be recovering from a virus so I spent the day dabbling at my housework and resting  (right after I remembered it was screen-free and pulled myself away from the PC.)  I think I might have gotten more done than on days when I'm perfectly fine but "taking breaks" on the internet!  When the kids got home, my youngest and I tried our hands at the new Battleship game.

It's really a little advanced for him, but he wanted to try.  After an hour he decided it just wasn't for him.  While I made dinner the boys played with action figures and cars.  After dinner everyone played a few rounds of Triominoes before doing homework, having baths and heading to bed.









You should know I've been on a kids' games losing streak for ages now.  I have never once won a round of Monopoly Junior against my five year old.  No, I do not stack the odds in his favour.

 I have lost every game of Mousetrap against these guys (you really cannot cheat to lose in that, either!)


  And in recent months, I haven't been able to beat my husband at a game of cards either!  (Though I did break that streak in December.)  Wouldn't you know that the first round of Triominoes was won by my five year old?  Of course it was!  He had no idea what he was doing, but he sure won!  I did, however, win the second round.  Luckily we weren't keeping score because the numbers might not have been in my favour.

The final verdict on screen-free Tuesday:  it was enjoyed by all.  The kids were already making plans for next Tuesday.

Now for that giveaway.  Up for grabs to those who follow and comment on this post is one coupon good for $10 off a Hasbro, Parker Brothers,  Milton Bradley and/or Cranium board game.  The coupon is only good in Canada so this is a giveaway just for Canadians!

Winner will be selected and coupon mailed on Monday, February 1st, 2010.  That will give the winner two months to use the coupon! 

Read more...

Use for stale (rancid) brown rice found!

Any whole grain will go rancid, meaning the oils in the grain get strong and off-smelling.  It will give the grain itself a nasty flavour.  I don't think it's bad for you and won't make you sick, but it does not taste good.  It tastes awful actually.

In the interests of frugality, I knew there had to be a use for rancid rice whether it was an art project or small animal food. 

You can make a heating pad using rice grains.  Take an old, but not holey (unless you sew the holes shut), clean sock and fill it with rice grains.  Either sew or tie the open end shut.  Heat the rice filled sock in the microwave for 90 seconds.  There, you have a heating pad to apply to muscle aches or to use as a kitten warmer as I currently am.

You can freeze the same rice sock to use for first aid applications.  Reuse it indefinitely.

Here is an article on how to make a rice sock:  http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/article/make-a-rice-sock-086423/ 

Here is a very comprehensive article on the benefits of brown rice:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128

Read more...

I thought my days of mixing formula were over...

but here I am taking care of two babies.  And it's hard to bottle feed two at once.  It's hard to clean two bums simultaneously.  It's hard to keep one from scratching the other's eyes out when they sleep next to each other. 

My husband brought home two babies on New Year's Eve.  Two baby kittens, that is!

They are roughly four weeks old, going on five.  My husband works for a company that manufactures wind towers.  These kittens were in an area where large steel plates (think tonnes) are stored.  Just as he was about to move some of this plate, a coworker heard a sound.  It was the sound of two tiny kittens mewling.  Since it was a holiday weekend, everything was going to be closed up tight and the mother, if she hadn't intentionally abandoned them, would have no way to get back to them.  The temperature was well below 0C and nights substantially below.  My husband couldn't leave them to freeze.

They were hungry and cold after a day in a box of rags in subzero temperatures.  We syringe fed them watered down wet cat food as they likely never had solid food before and they are quite wobbly still.  As soon as I could get to a pet supply store we purchased a nurser and formula.  Isn't this bottle just the cutest thing?

Cute, yes, but not quite so cute as Steven and Simon:

They're standing on top of the barrier I made to turn my living room into a kitten playpen. It's not safe for them to wander around the house.  I do cage the kittens during naps and at night, they are out of the cage during feedings and after for play time.  Obviously, the barricade isn't working so well. It only took two days for them to overcome it! As long as I'm in the living room, they will stay there.  I have become mom so far as these two guys are concerned.  They'll follow along as I walk, climb my pants' legs when I sit, and crawl up on my shoulder to sleep after they've finished their bottle:

(Try to ignore the folded clothes behind me on the couch.  It's amazing how much time these guys actually require in caring for them.  I truly feel like I have a baby or two in the house.  Though I don't mean to diminish the work of human childcare at all.  I'm only comparing the two. )
 
I (we) have fostered cats and kittens for the past five years for the Animal Assistance Society of Niagara.  We socialize them and get them ready for adoption into forever homes.  There are three fosters with us now in addition to Simon and Steven.  The baby brothers will also be available for adoption once they've been neutered. 

I'll tell you more about the other fosters in another post.

I suppose you might be wondering about their names.  My husband works in Stevensville.  The kittens were found next to steel plate from Seimon's Steel.  I couldn't call a kitty "Seimon" (which sounds just like "semen") so Simon it is!  How do I tell them apart?  Well, Simon has a redder face than Steven.  It just so happens that my husband has an Uncle Simon, who when he grows one, sports a red mustache!  I need all the help I can get when it comes to memory assists.

Read more...

Turkey Leftovers?

Turkey leftovers are good for about 4 days in the refrigerator.  After that, they need to go.  Anytime I have more than I think can be used in that time-frame, I dice it and freeze in 2 cup portions for using in recipes like the ones in this blog post.

There are so many things you can do with turkey leftovers.  Aside from the standard cold turkey sandwiches, which I love, you might like to try a casserole. 

Take a look at my Chicken Vegetable Cobbler. Use leftover turkey instead.  There are a few variations on this, and they're all quite easy.  You need meat, thickened sauce, frozen mixed vegetables, and a topper.  Cook 30 or so minutes at 350F.  (Some might take longer than 30 minutes.  Choose from any of the following:

I use a 2 quart casserole and the quantities listed:

Meat:
1 cup to 2 cups cut up, just depends on what I have

chicken
turkey
beef

Thickened sauce:
1 1/2 cups to 2 cups

leftover gravy
canned soup (cream of mushroom, cream of celery, cream of chicken)
canned gravy (turns out to be lighter and lower in sodium than canned cream soups!)
thickened broth (broth + cornstarch mixed thoroughly.)

Topper:
1 recipe/1 can/1 mix or about 1 1/2 cups

refrigerated canned biscuit dough or croissant dough (these are the highest-in-fat choices)
Boxed mix of stuffing (here's a lazy resourceful tip:  mix the stuffing + water (omit margarine) in the package that the stuffing comes in.  Fork it on top of the casserole right out of the bag, toss the bag.  No washing up.)
Leftover or instant mashed potatoes
Leftover mashed sweet potatoes
Homemade drop or rolled biscuits (recipe for this is in my Chicken Vegetable Cobbler post)
boxed corn muffin mix (follow instructions on mix and drop by spoonful on top of casserole)

Frozen mixed vegetables:
1 1/2 cups

Standard or,
peas and carrots
broccoli blends are too strong for this casserole
You can use canned, but I find them too soft, salty, and sweet.

This casserole comes together in just a few minutes, bakes in 30-45 and really hits the spot on a cold day.  Leftovers are great for lunch! 

Read more...

Ch-ch-changes

I've finally gotten around to rearranging this blog.  It's something I've wanted to do for over a year and well, there, I've done it.  I can cross it off my list. 

The photo in the header is from Dufferin Islands in Niagara Falls, Ontario.  We spent a few afternoons hiking and picnicking there with the kids this summer. Dufferin Islands are just down the road from the Falls.  It's a nice escape from the busyness of the tourists in Niagara Falls. Also, it's free to park there, so if you don't mind the mile walk to the falls from there, you can save your $20-some and park at the islands. 

I have a few more changes to make, but in the meantime, please let me know if anything's not working. 

Read more...

Good, Bad, and Wickedly Ugly Christmas Trees 2009

More samplings from the Worldwide Christmas Tree Contest 2009.

If you're naughty en espana, glow-eyed cat will leave lumps of something-that-looks-like-coal-but-isn't under your tree:


The tree is not bad. All of the rest of it adds up to years and years of therapy
for some unfortunate child/children...

Is this even done yet? Nonetheless, a little too artsy-fartsy for me.

This tree is pretty unremarkable, but the picture kind of freaks me out. You're busted, Santa!
I knew you existed!

"Mommy, why is Santa's head coming out of the tree?"
Kind of looks like the tree shat a village, too...

I've got Eric Clapton in my head. It's all white, it's all white, it's all white. . .
Damn! That's bright! Sun hats and pom poms? Only yellow lights? Like piddle on snow...

Random feathers and a teeny sunflower on top. What the hell?

I'm sure someone likes this.
I don't.

Frig! More feathers. Again: what the hell??? Oh and look, it's a half-and-half tree:

I'm not sure what you had to go through to create this, but yep, I like it. PS: nice pile of rocks, there. I see you're also raising boy children. One day I'll share all the rock piles I find in my house, too.

O. My. Gawd.

Imagine how pretty this would be with multi-coloured blinking lights at night:

Let's stop for a minute and think about the implications of placing baby Jesus, the three wise men, Mary, and Joseph in the middle of Santa Land. And do you really need to hang Santa all over the place? I'm not sure if you're trying to say "Die Santa, Die!" or "Jesus Clause is the reason for the season." I'm so confused!

oooooooooh, aaaaaaaaaaah:

How obsessive-compulsive do you have to be to have a giant spill-mat under
a pristine non-shedding tree like this one:
I could like this one. I really could. If only those two green balloons at the bottom didn't look like terribly asymmetrical boobies:

Where to start with this one? We've got the frou-frou explosive topping, the fungus-coloured decorations and is that skinny little tree in the background actually bowing to this eyesore? And that too-small tree skirt makes your tree's ass look fat:

How can you not like this? Though, this might be cheating...

Yellow tree. Pez dispensers. Metalic green bows. I think I'm gonna hurl...


I like recycling. I particularly like that this family took all those useless AOL discs and made lovely family photo ornaments out of them:


I suspect this is a festivus pole disguised as a Christmas tree:

The most frilly, frou-frou, overdecorated, glitzy trees are from central American entrants. This Argentinian walks to the beat of his own drummer:

awwwww:

Just when we were firm in our belief that only American rednecks crafted beer can/bottle Christmas trees, this Brit comes along to prove us wrong.
It seems to be suspended mid air. How'd he do that?

Leave it to a German to design a thoroughly unique, completely practical not-a-tree. After Christmas, burn the tree! I bet it smells fabulous! Love it!

Hannakuh not-a-tree in the Christmas Tree contest. You rebel, you:

Someone got a pom-pom maker for Christmas last year. And, is the valance tied to the top of the tree? Hey, nice plastic on the couch! I have kids. I understand.

I would not have thought this was a Christmas tree, but it's entrant #445 in the World Wide Christmas tree contest. What are these?

\

Same comment as above, but entrant #427:

Kitty: "Go ahead. Get a picture of it now before I sink my claws into it. Mwhaahahahaha"

hmmmmmm...

Mixing up your bible stories, folks:

I could be fair and show you a picture of our Christmas tree. But I won't. You see, I foster cats and kittens. We currently have 5 in residence. A week ago, it was six. The bottom 2 feet of my tree no longer have ornaments. The lights are restrung daily. We did not hang garland this year. Some day, I'll have a Christmas tree without kittens, and then I'll share the tree with you. The first night the tree was up, the next morning we woke to find the youngest kitten in the upper most branches sound asleep. She still thinks it's her tree.

Want to have a laugh about cats and trees? Go read this: A Cat's Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Read more...

Now that you've finished your Christmas baking

I'm going to show you something that will send you out to the store for the supplies to make just one more batch of cookies.

These are fun, lovely and, most importantly, yummerrific!

I'm talking about stained glass window cookies.

(The "windows" are less opaque than they appear in my pictures. Holding them up to light is cool, too!)

I've read the instructions in my cookbook year after year, but have never taken that extra step to make them because I always forget to purchase the hard candies that make the stained glass centers in these cookies.

I love the flavour of these. The dough is just your basic sugar cookie cut-out dough, which I've always thought was bland. The candies give the flavour a nice little kick.

I used Lifesavers and I crushed them and mixed the colours in each "window." Next year, I'll do solid colours and skip crushing them. I hear Jolly Rancher candies work just as well as Lifesavers.

I purchased a mini star cutter and used my son's duckie playdough cutter or cut out shapes from each cookie with a knife. A small cutter is the easiest method.

Basic Sugar Cookie Cutouts recipe

1/2 c butter, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375F.

First beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer (I use my dough hooks and my cheap little hand mixer on medium, using turbo when the mixer starts to struggle and I can do the whole batch with it.) Stir in any remaining flour. (Use your hands. Seriously. Just make sure they and your nails are clean.) Divide the dough in half, cover and chill it for 30 minutes or until it's easy to handle.

Next, on a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time until 1/8" thick. Cut out dough into desired shapes. Then cut smaller shapes out of the cookie centers. Finely crush 3 ounces hard candy if mixing colours. If you're not going to mix colours, don't bother crushing them. Fill each center with some of the candy right to the top edges of the cookies. You can top cookies with coloured sugars if you would like. Bake on a foil lined cookie sheet 7-8 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned.* Allow to cool on the foil completely before removing with a spatula. You don't need to spray the foil, but you may. Store tightly covered.


*For non stained glass sugar cookies, place cutouts on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for the same time/temp. Remove from oven and move cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Decorate as you like.

Read more...