Monday Loves and Likes

Loving that the Strawberry season if finally here! When I was young my Mother, sister and I would go every year with ice cream buckets in hand off to Westham Island in Ladner BC to go berry picking. The farm that we use to go to and my family knew do not produce strawberries any more I think they do potato now a days. I remember the owners of the farm telling us that if my sister and I didn't come back with red (from the strawberries) all over our faces from eating them she would send us back out. Of course as kids we were more than happy to oblige her.So it was one for the bucket and one to eat! :)  Now a days we go to Emma Lea's Farm. 

 

Just remember when going to pick strawberries have at least one or two very sunny days before you go get them :) Then you get the nicest, yummies and sweeties berries!

Happy Berry Picking and the best part Eating!!

Carrot Raisin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

 

Ingredients

1½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 cup carrot

2/3 cup crushed pineapple drained leaving some moisture in it

½ cup raisins

Directions

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and add oil, eggs, carrot and pineapple and mix. Lastly add the raisins. Don’t over mix. Spoon mix into greased muffin pan and bake for around 25 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Makes 12.     

Cream Cheese Icing

1 package of cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

 In a bowl cream together the cream cheese and the butter until creamy.  Mix in the vanilla and then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Keep refrigerated after placing on muffins.

Lifes Little Questions

Through a friend I was led to a woman's blog who has cancer. She found a lump in her breast back in January of this year and has expressed what she is and has gone through on her blog. Her cancer is an aggressive type that was driven by the estrogen in her body. So she has had both breasts removed and she is also getting a full hysterectomy done. She did a guest write up telling her story on hugsforstrength.com  Her story is amazing and brave like most people with cancer are. She is only 36 and has 4 young children.

Her story got me thinking. What would I do, how I would feel if this fate was mine. How would I tell my children, family, and friends.Would I be as brave as she has been. To have your whole sense of being as a woman taken away from you (breasts, ovaries, uterus, cervix and fallopian tubes) so that you can live. It would have to be done but she has decided ("for many reasons") not get reconstruction of her breasts done. She states that "once you have cancer, sometimes things that were important to you before no longer are."  I wonder if I would feel the same way. I have quite large breast. I am not all about looks as people that know me know but I don't know if I could live life the same way without them. I know my husband would be there for me whatever I chose but to go though that would be very life altering.

I wish only the best for the women out there suffering with this horrible disease. I hope that I never have to make the tough decisions that they are faced with every day.

Hopefully one day they will find a cure.

Monday Loves and Likes

I Like this video. Sisterhood by Kate Wilson  Her slam poetry is from the heart and is poignantly stated. It talks to me on a few levels. One, of how I felt/was growing up and in some ways I still am to this day. Two hoping and searching for ways that my daughter and son don't have to go through problems/complexes of their own be it body or mind. I want them to feel secure in who they are and what they can do in life. The world is theirs to create a life in and I hope it is a happy and healthy one.

Monday Loves and Likes

Saw this video today and thought it was really cool :) totally liked it. Hope you do too.

Dog drinking X-ray

Weekend Walk

As is on a lot of weekends at our house we try to get out. Even if it's just for a walk around the neighborhood. This Saturday we went around the block to the local school so my son could play on the equipment.

On our way over we came across the new construction starting at a house (that is used by the parks board for meetings) that burned down a while back. They are going to be making a newer bigger meeting house for groups in the area. Can't wait to see what it is going to look like.

What kid doesn't like big trucks and excavators. So I took a picture for my son :)

It seems they had their sports day at the school on Friday so there were some remnant of what went on. 

these were all, as a sight read, done by Div 5 from Cliff Drive Elementary

I thought this one was quite unique

From what I could read this said "The Very Hungry Cup Cakepillar " I love children's imaginations

Loved the work on this one :) GO Canucks GO!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was off to the swings, slides and teeter toter!

Its funny my son has to go on each one of them :)

My daughter wanted to join in on the fun but she is a little to small yet :)

After at the fun we headed back home for some hot chocolate and snacks. I know what you are thinking hot chocolate in June??? I make up hot chocolate for my son and then mix it with a WHOLE lot of milk. What he gets is more chocolate milk. For some reason he has to have it after nearly every walk we go on right now. Ah what doesn't hurt you right :) It's just nice to get out and spend some family time in the sunshine.

Monday Loves and Likes

There are a lot of things that I am coming across and thinking about lately that I love or like so I thought I would start a weekly Monday post of those things.



 So here we go :)

Now I can't start this of without starting with my #1 thing that I LOVE!  My Family :)

My Daughter

My Son

My Hubby :)

and I can't forget Buster our dog

There is a First for Everything

I tried my hand at embroidery. See I was motivated by a contest that Prudent Baby was having on their blog Called Use Your Words. The Prize for this contest I would LOVE to win!! It's a  Brother Project Runway Limited Edition LB-6800PRW Sewing and Embroidery Machine! Will I win? Who knows but it was fun trying :) Below is my entry.

I embroidered the last line from the story "Guess How Much I Love You" by Sam McBratney.  It's one of our favorite books. Now when he goes to sleep I can read him the line from the book :) I know it's not perfect but I didn't really want it that way. I just wrote the words with chalk in my own handwriting. I thought that it's more from me that way.
 I think I will do more embroidery in the future. If I win the machine I will defiantly be doing more but I think doing it by hand has a very nice quality :)

How do you think I did for the first time?