Day 8: Sun

What a great subject on a sunny February day We were running around, picking stuff up for our new puppy, waiting for the breeder to call us to say she was home. With nothing left to do but wait, and two sleepy bugs in my backseat, I pulled off the highway and sat in my car to read for a bit. The long afternoon sunshine was beautiful, out in the country, away from the noise of the city:

Day 9: Front door

We have 3 doors leading into our house: a glass door for the sunporch, a screen door, and our storm door. It’s a lot to bump and shove open when your hands are full and your keys are at the bottom of your purse!

Day 10: Self-portrait

A little puppy had a rough night, and I wanted a nap. I bribed my kids to sleep with a pyjama/movie night so that Gracie and I could do this:

Day 11: Makes you happy

I love to cook. I love to try new recipes and ideas. Some are great, some are disasters. And most of them, my kids won’t eat

So, when I find two recipes that turn out fabulously, AND my kids gobble them up? Well, that makes me happy indeed!

Day 11: Inside my closet

With Leith always on the road, there is always a significant absence of clothing in our house. When all the clothes are actually washed, folded and put away (!!) and I see these empty hangers, it makes me miss him even more…

86. Dinner with my parents

87. A full grocery cart

88. Carrying sleeping children from the car to their beds (…although I did smack Kit-kat’s head on the door frame – ouch!)

89. Slow-cooker suppers that make the house smell so delicious!

90. Listening to them recite movie lines while they’re playing

91. Strawberries, blueberries, bananas, almond butter

92. Surprise kisses and hugs

93. Painting our nails together

94. Crazy, grown-up, complex statements coming out of little mouths

95. Fuzzy, wiggly puppy kisses

96. Reiki zen self-care time

97. Heartfelt conversations with my husband, being on the same page as each other

98. Hours-long text conversations with my mom And goofy dog names

99. Having him home for a couple of nights in a row, in the middle of a two-week single parenting stretch

100. A new puppy to love and learn with!

101. Long rays of afternoon sunshine

102. Cuddling together on the couch

103. Watching them try hard to set a good example for the puppy

104. When they stop being upset long enough to breathe, use words, and try to explain

105. A first night home with no crate accidents

106. Watching the sun rise between the trees outside our window

107. Weeknight dinners with mom & dad, and tasty homemade soup

108. Falling asleep between my two girls, texting my husband, with a puppy sleeping on the floor beside us and the furnace humming

I missed one day in the challenge: A Stranger. We didn’t go anywhere that we would see a stranger, other than to Bikram…and I felt awkward about snapping photos of my fellow yogis in the change room

Instead, I swapped it out for a later photo in the challenge. We won’t be home for Day 24, so I snapped a photo for that one instead:

When we moved to The Acreage, I swore up and down that we would not have any concealed cupboards in our bathrooms. I was tired of my toiletry-hoarding. Instead, we have an open shelf in each bathroom, and an open shelf with baskets under each sink. All of them are full of stuff I hoard and never use…ah, well.

Day 5: 10am

This one happened  by complete fluke! I hadn’t looked at the day’s challenge, but happened to be taking photos when I was making these delicious banana flatbreads at 10am. Score!

Day 6: Dinner

There is too much yummy food in my life some days! Dinner didn’t even make it to presentation stage – it was so tasty, we just nom’d it right off the pans:

Coconut chicken and, baked zucchini fries with tangy onion dip! Yum, yum, yum!!

Day 7: Button

Because there is always an alternative option in life. Don’t sit there and lament your life when you are in control of it. Push the button; change.

2 – Only drinking 1L of water today means that I am super dehydrated and can only think about getting something to drink. Unfortunately, the last thing I feel like doing is peeing for the rest of the night. So. Torn.

3 – Having a nice, big cup of coffee at 5pm means I am super wired at 3am. It seemed like such a good idea…I was feeling foggy, I had an open can of coconut milk…then BAM! Wide a-freakin’-wake.

So, what mistakes have you made lately??

66. Family date night – a regular effort we make now when Leith is home, to spend time all together

67. Pull-through parking stalls

68. Waking up to the smell of chocolate chip pancakes

69. Rubbing her back when her tummy is upset

70. Listening to them chatter excitedly about their new babysitter

71. Snowman families and rosy cheeks

72. Speaker-phone calls at bedtime, watching them kiss and hug the phone goodnight

73. Sweaty blonde curls stuck to their foreheads while they sleep

74. Bubble baths

75. Walking through our forest trails

76. When they choose carrot and rep pepper sticks for snack; teaching them healthy habits from an early age

77. Free healthcare

78. Every single day that I get to spend with my bugz, instead of at a job

79. Glitter everywhere – evidence of their playtime

80. Listening to their imaginations run wild all over the house

81. How C-boo “reads” her favourite stories out loud

82. Emails from Sku

83. Hot water

84. Injuries that heal themselves with stretching and movement

85. Mommy-daughters date days!

Digging into apple nachos for supper!

My bugz go to sleep in their own room every night by 730pm. Sometime before midnight, both will come stumbling confusedly into my bed, half-asleep and missing me.

By 230am, they are sprawled, sweaty, and snoring, and I am sleeping horizontally across the foot of my own bed.

This early morning, C-boo whimpered to me that she was soooo hungry. “Mommy wake up! I HAVE to eat. My tummy is hungry.“

Not wanting a full-on tantrum to develop, I rolled out of bed and acquiesced by getting her half a banana. Of course, her twin sensed he victory, and within 5 minutes both were munching on their prize in my bed.

At 430am.

When they finished, C-boo looked at me and said, “I don’t want to e in your bed. I want to be in my bed. “

Okay kid, off you go. More room for me.

Then Kit-Kat looked at her sister and honest-to-goodness said, “Why are we even in here? Let’s go back to our room.“

They hopped out of my bed and left me here all alone.

Just like that.

After I grew and nursed and loved and nurtured them all these years.

Hmpf.

One of my favourite authors and her family decided to spend a year living only on what was either grown in their neighbourhood, or grown themselves. In the book, they learn to make their own cheese, which I found fascinating! I immediately tried it myself, but then my rennet expired and it took me forever to find more without ordering it online.

I finally found some rennet at the Bosch Kitchen Centre in Edmonton, so today I decided to make the 30-minute mozzarella from the book. It is ridiculously easy, and oh-so-very tasty

From Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; also available from Ricki the Cheese Queen

First, assemble the ingredients:

• 4L of whole milk (quickest if you have it already at room temperature…not cold out of the fridge)
• 1-1/2 tsp citric acid powder, dissolved in 1/4cup cool water
• 1/4tsp liquid rennet, diluted in 1/4cup cool water

Next, slowly heat the milk to 55 degrees F:

Add the citric acid solution, then continue to heat to 88 degrees. The milk will begin to form curds:

Add the diluted rennet solution, stirring in an up-and-down motion. Continue heating to 100 degrees F, then remove from heat.

If the whey is still creamy, continue to heat for a few more minutes…

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the curds to a microwave-safe bowl; sprees the curds with your hands to drain off any extra whey:

Microwave for 60 seconds; knead the curds with your hands (wear kitchen gloves – it’s hot!!) or with a spoon. Microwave two more times for 30-35 seconds each time, kneading in between:

Salt the cheese to taste – I find that 1tsp is plenty. Stretch and pull the warm cheese until it is soft like taffy. If it breaks into chunks, it’s not warm enough yet. ‘Nuke it some more

Gnaw on the whole chunk of cheese while it’s warm, or decide to be classy and roll it into smaller balls to put in the fridge for later. It’s your cheese, your call!

My next cheese foray will be into the land of hard cheeses…before then, I need to find a cheese press. It should be interesting!!

If you are looking for rennet, rumour has it that you can find it in Edmonton at the following places, or online:

• Bosch Kitchen Centre
• Italian Centre
• Planet Organic (unconfirmed)
• Online at www.cheesemaking.com

Trying to find out why I am so very, very tired lately!!

• I started running again – yay!
• I registered for the Footstock 2012 half marathon in June
• I went back to physio for some lovely IMS needles
• I made it to 9 Bikram yoga classes!
• I walked 15.5 hours –> that’s 54.25 miles!
• I made it to 133lbs
• I booked blood work to find out why I am so tired, instead of just ignoring it
• I read Little Bee by Chris Cleave, How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway, and started My Life in France by Julia Child (!!)
• Spent a LOT less time yelling and more time breathing
• We went on several family “dates” all together, since Leith was home until January 29
• I took care of myself first, so that I could give my family the best of me
• I cooked and baked a myriad of tasty meals and snacks from scratch, exploring and expanding my creativity
• I spent a weekend with my oldest, dearest friends celebrating milestones
• I played outside with my bugz in this beautiful weather
• I celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday with our family
• I enjoyed new tea flavours in my mug – a chance to unwind and reflect
• I started counting all the things in my life that I am grateful for
• I spent at least one day a week with friends, letting our kids run wild

And most importantly? I spent most of January as a very, very happy person