White Bread and Bambi

 I had the best of intentions. I started out making whole wheat cinnamon buns with a recipe I found in my inbox. I thought they could be "healthy" cinnamon buns. I got skeptical looks from some unnamed man while I was making the dough and when I saw the final result, I realized the yield was far too small to satisfy my family. So, I broke out the tried and true Purity White Bread recipe and went to town. This recipe makes about five loaves or anything else you want it to make. I grew up eating this homemade bread (Thanks Mom). I made a pan and a half of cinnamon buns, 8 regular buns and a loaf. I also made the 8 whole wheat buns (pictured at the bottom) and then the next day the boys wanted pizza so I made pizza dough using The Frugal Girl's recipe. Easy. I was already in bread making mode. The pizza took less time than takeout and was wayyy better.

 I want it known that I froze most of this and we did not just go hog wild eating bread until we popped. Well, we popped a little, but I will still have lots of yummy bread next week too. Sunday we spent picnicking and lounging in the park. The weather has really warmed up and it was great to spend the day outdoors as a family. Later as we were lounging the deer came by on their nightly stroll. I usually miss them because as soon as they hear my screen door open, and my camera beeping and buzzing as it goes on, they run away. This time I let them pass without my accosting and then I made use of my zoom lens. I will remember this technique in future. It's such a funny paradox to see these beautiful wild creatures in our urban environment. You never get used to it, no matter how many times you see a wild animal, it is still a bit of a surprise. I was glad to capture these two beauties.

Lovely, languishing long weekend

This is our first attempt at homemade paper. Not bad eh? That spot is glitter, which makes our paper fancier. I think I will try pressed and dried flowers next. I will also wait until a hotter day comes along because the paper took a long time to dry. I will also blend my pulp more and find a larger container to fit my screens into. All in all though, a great use for my confidential financial statements. We actually had time to do crafts this long weekend, because we didn't over schedule it. We had time to do laundry, organize, do crafts, go to the pool, a festival in the park and above all, relax! I think doing little things around home, puttering if you will, is highly underrated. Around here, we still have cool spring temperatures, especially at night, so camping at this time of year seems somewhat premature for me. I especially don't care to go in the rain, so when it rained yesterday, I was more than glad to watch movies on Netflix and chill out. My bathroom is exceedingly clean and I am happy. Not to mention the gas and stress we saved by staying home this long weekend. We felt refreshed and ready to get back to school and work this morning and we are looking forward to our test run camping trip next month. My laundry still did not get folded, but, well... what can I say... It was a holiday!

Luxury!

There is a place for frugality and a place for the extras in life! I had my very first professional mani-pedi yesterday, thanks to a Groupon deal. It was a pretty sweet experience! Though not an expense I could justify regularly, for a once in a while treat, I definitely can see myself repeating the experience. The massage pedi chairs in the salon were an added delight while I soaked and had a chocolate cookie, I felt like a pampered lady who lunches. I have been pretty spoiled lately, I was also a winner of steak and lobster for two recently and we certainly enjoyed that little extra! All of this royal treatment is making it pretty difficult to get my laundry and dishes done, though and so, instead of doing that I am writing a post and trying to conjure up my magic wand that will somehow make the laundry pile disappear. So far, no luck. I recently scored at Value Village too, so all this pampering hasn't changed me all that much, I guess. I found a yogurt maker that makes a liter of yogurt overnight. All I have to do is plug it in, no heating or incubating, such a bonus. I just poured in the milk and starter and left it overnight. It made excellent yogurt! I also found a paper making kit, which is something I have had in the mental file for some time. I still would like to find more screens or find a way to make them so that I can make more than one sheet of paper at a time. I was thinking dried lavender would be lovely in home made paper, so I can't wait to try it. I pulled out my Jillian Micheals yoga DVD the other day and while it was not an easy work out, I think I can handle it if I close my drapes so no one can see how silly I look while I do yoga in my underwear. There are not enough hours in the day lately and I was feeling like a hamster in a wheel. The spa treatment could not have come at a better time. I was wishing my mom could have been there in the chair next to me. Nobody works harder than she does.

Well, I guess the moral of this post is: Take care of yourselves, ladies.

If you don't, who will?

Spring Inspiration!

I want to make a skirt like this. I want to make home made twinkies like this. I love this blog. Thank you. That is all.

200 posts! Wow!

In celebration of my 200th post... Here she is, Miss Peaches, or princess Peach as I like to call her! She is our Pagoda, or Bearded Dragon, or just beardie as they are commonly known. What a fun pet. She is a little high maintenance as I suppose all lizards are, what with the temperatures and habitat having to be just so, but since we can't have a dog or a cat, a lizard is a fine substitute. You can cuddle her, feed her and she is quite clean. She eats mostly salad, meal worms and crickets. So far, she has seemed to come out of brumation which is the lizard kind of hibernation where they sleep and hardly eat a thing. This scared me until I read up on it a bit more.

As for me, I have been working a few days a week and I am enjoying it. Simon has been busy with Karate and soccer and Seb is currently travelling back and forth between Alberta and B.C. We eat a lot lighter when he is a way, mostly veggies and pasta. I did pull all my pork in the crock pot and we have been packing it for lunches, so good! I still love my crock pot for sport nights. The last evening was a rainy one, we came home to creamy mushroom risotto that cooked while we practiced in the rainy field. It was a welcome hot meal!
Spring organizing is on the brain, but so far, between running to work and and school and activities, it hasn't happened. I did buy some new shorts for everyone at Value Village and got some great deals. Now, I just have to fill up a bag or two and drop it off to them and we will get our clothes down to a manageable level again. I plan to store the winter clothes and get rid of stuff we have had too many years. I think three years is a good time limit to start turning over our sweaters. We have so many!

Sewing madness

 The other day I pulled out the old sewing machine with that trusty zig zag stitch. In truth, that's practically the only stitch that works properly. If you only have one stitch to work with, zig zag is where it's at! I salvaged a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee. This is an all too common occurrence with boys, as they are always on their knees in the dirt!. They also, ALWAYS have rocks in their pockets, which is a good reason to check your machine when you hear that familiar thumpety-thump sound during the wash cycle.

I am hoping to make myself a pair of shorts as well, but of course I haven't gotten around to it yet. I also made two matching pillow cases, from thrifted Fairly oddparents fabric and an old top sheet for the back and took in a XXL top which I snatched off the clearance rack at Walmart. I figured three bucks was worth the two seams up the sides. So, it was a great sewing day, done all in a rush of an inspired, obsessive, caffeineated state of mind. I then found another stash in my closet of thrifted fabric...maybe I'll get a skirt? Who knows?

Swingin' into Spring

Full steam ahead! The sports begin and work is picking up so I can tell Spring is going to be busy! April? What April, I have no idea how the time goes so fast. In a nutshell,  here's what I have been up to.
1. We got a bearded dragon. She is so cute, we named her Peaches. She is a little high maintenance but otherwise a lovely pet.
2. Karate testing andtournament in Oliver. Blue Belt, here we come (in about 15 minutes, actually, I am literally stealing blogging time.)
3. Soccer has begun! Oh the joy! The first game, well, was a loss but the learning experience is what matters.

Also, I have been working quite a lot at my new job and it's been refreshing to have all new people, activities and the promise of what is to come over the next few months. My herbs are beginning to bloom,

I plan to take a page from the Tightwad Gazette and reuse my milk jugs as mini green houses and dto hopefully keep Mr. Squirrel from eating my delicous herbs.
Well, gotta run (literally). ZOOOOM!