I'm baaaaack!

Wow, so it's been quite a while since I've updated my blog!  A lot has happened since my last post! 

I have decided to take more of a blogging approach to my writing, after all, this is a blog!  So, from now on, I will be writing more on my thoughts and ideas, and daily events, as well as other stuff I find interesting and just have to share with you!

So...yesterday was my baby's first birthday!  Everyone always says "they grow so fast" and it is definately true!  I see newborns and get all teary eyed, (but then think of my 6 year old as he is throwing a tantrum and I snap right out of it!!!)

Also yesterday, and I am under strict instruction to inform everybody that my oldest son, Dylan, has his first loose tooth!  He has been waiting and constantly checking his teeth for this to happen!

I quit my job a couple weeks ago and decided to go back to school.  I am attending a community college and am studying Executive Office Administration!  Basically, I want to get a job that will allow me to wear nice clothes!

School is going great so far, it is my third week and I have already had exams and assignments.  My lowes mark so far has been 95% !!!  Now that I am getting high marks, I would like to keep it that way, and my overall goal is to graduate with honors!  HA good luck!!!  naw, if I do that would be great, but I don't want to pressure myself too much.

Other than that...not too much has changed, but when it does, I will be sure to update you!  I am sorry I haven't posted in a while, and I will try to be more on the ball with this blogging stuff!

In celebration of Chris Cornell's Birthday, here's one of my favourite CC songs (originally done by Michael Jackson)

Chris Cornell - Billie Jean  <-----(Click to watch video)

This day in history - July 20

July 20, 1871: British Columbia becomes part of the Confederation of Canada as the sixth province!!  Yay BC!  Welcome!!!

1903:  Ford Motor Company Ships it's first car!

1957:  American Acress, Donna Dixon was born, wife to Dan Aykroyd.  Happy Birthday Donna!  ** I have actually had the pleasure of meeting Donna and even went jet skiing together at one of their Summer homes in Ontario!

1969: After making the first lunar landing, astronaut Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission, becomes the first person to set foot on the Moon!

1964:  Birth of Musician, Chris Cornell!  Happy Birthday Chris!

Shreddies Inukshuks

My son is fascinated with Inukshuks!  He gets so excited when we see them along the highway on top of rock cuts!  He is going to have so much fun making and eating these Shreddies Inukshuks!

PREP TIME: 30 min.
TOTAL TIME: 30 min.
MAKES: 1, 24 Shreddies and approx. 2 Tbsp. chocolate icing (32 g)

INGREDIENTS

Post Shreddies Cereal
Prepared chocolate icing
Fruit leather or pretzel sticks

DIRECTIONS

SELECT 24 whole Shreddies for each Inukshuk.

STACK 6 Shreddies for each leg, using a dab of chocolate icing in between to hold the stacks. Stand legs about 1/2-inch apart.

STACK 5 Shreddies, using a dab of chocolate icing in between; centre body over top of both legs.

STACK 3 Shreddies over a piece of fruit leather (approx. 2-inches long x 1/2-inch wide) using icing to stick Shreddies to fruit leather to make arms. If desired, instead of fruit leather, use 2 straight pretzel sticks to support Shreddies. Attach arms to body using icing.

STACK remaining 4 Shreddies to form head, using icing to hold the Shreddies together.

REPEAT to make desired number of Inukshuks.


TIPS & SUGGESTIONS
Make Ahead:
Inukshuks can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Variation:
Instead of chocolate icing, use smooth peanut butter.

To make smaller Inukshuks, use 20 Shreddies. Each leg: 5 Shreddies; body: 4 Shreddies; arms: 3 Shreddies; head: 3 Shreddies

FREE Maynard's Candy for Canadians!

The Blush Berries Film Heist is now LIVE! For your chance to get a free sample, click on the link to catch as many strawberry-flavoured Maynards Blush Berries as you can before they ruin the Swedish Fish Film Festival legacy.
Limit of one free sample per person. 2500 samples available per week for 2 weeks. Offer expires the earlier of July 13, 2011 or when all weekly samples have been given away. Must be 18 or older. Offer available only in Canada.

Click here to play the game on Facebook.

$0.05 Coca Cola CANADA DAY ONLY!!!

Make sure to stop by Mac's on Canada Day to get a 414ml bottle of Coke for only 5 cents (plus taxes).   You will need a printable coupon for this deal, so click here to print one.  The red and white bottle will be so festive for Canada Day!!!

Happy Birthday Canada!

H A P P Y     B I R T H D A Y     C A N A D A !

Sorry!!!

I took a bit of a blogging break due to some personal matters, but will be posting very soon with awesome deals and great stories! Thanks for checking in, and please check back often!

Kinder Eggs are banned in the US??? Huh...

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Friday Apr. 22, 2011 9:03 PM ET

To Canadian kids, Kinder Surprise eggs are a tasty chocolate treat with a fun little toy inside. But to Americans, they're contraband.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency issued a notice this week to remind Americans travelling outside the country for Easter that they are not permitted to bring home Kinder eggs. And if they do, the treats will be confiscated.
Kinder Surprise eggs are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large chicken egg, and are packaged in a white and orange foil wrapper. Within the egg is an oval-shaped plastic capsule that contains a toy, such as a mini animal or tiny puzzle. The egg contains a constantly rotating selection of toys, says the Kinder Surprise manufacturer, the Ferrero Group.
But the eggs are banned in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration because they are classified as "a confectionery product with a non-nutritive object imbedded in it." The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the toys within the eggs fail to meet their small parts requirements for children less than three years of age.
Health Canada has deemed the toys, which are difficult for small children to take apart without the help of an adult, safe.
Though they're sold everywhere in Canada. Europe, Australia and parts of Latin America, Kinder Surprise eggs have been banned in the U.S. since 1997.
Yet even 14 years after that ban was put into place, U.S. authorities still have to periodically remind Americans – usually around Easter and Christmas -- that if they pick up the eggs on their travels, they will not be allowed to bring them home.
Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 25,000 Kinder Surprise eggs in around 1,700 incidents, the CBP says.
"While there are some commercial-sized seizures that occur, most Kinder Eggs are seized in personal baggage or at mail and express consignment facilities," the agency said in new release.

Why Treat Head Lice When You Can PREVENT it!

Zippity Doo’s™children’s hair care products, mild enough
for daily use, provide health benefits to the
hair and scalp while helping prevent lice infestation.

*** CHECK OUT THE CONTEST UNDER "REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS"

Brad's Deals - For USA customers

I have recently discovered Brad's Deals, and am so excited to share it with you!  here is a link to Brad's deals printable coupons, there is an AMAZING selection of printables for almost every store you can imagine!  Target, Kohls, Bed Bath and Beyond!!!  so, stock up your paper and check your ink, I have a feeling you will all be printing like crazy!  Have fun!!!

http://www.bradsdeals.com/printable-coupons

They have coupon codes, online shopping deals, a search engine to search for coupons you want, I am giddy!!!  "Thou Shal Not Pay Retail"!!!

Update on "lucky" the missing bear from B.C. * FOUND* !!!

Aileen Donnelly

Lucky, the missing bear whose safe return came with a hefty reward, has returned home thanks to a Vancouver resident who offered up an identical stuffed toy.
Langley, B.C., father Gregory Gron had plastered his neighbourhood with posters offering a $1,000 reward for the return of his four-year-old daughter Victoria’s beloved plush teddy bear, after he realized he drove away with the toy left on top of his car.
Lucky and Victoria had been inseparable since she was six months old and with its scruffy fur and stitched bottom, the bear was one of a kind, Mr. Gron said.
The father spent hours searching every garbage can and interviewing local businesses before a security guard told Mr. Gron he had seen a car stop and snatch the toy off the road.
Distraught, Mr. Gron and his wife turned to their pediatrician to decide how to break the news to their daughter. The doctor suggested they tell her Lucky was on vacation. Mr. Gron then launched an exhaustive campaign for the return of the stuffed toy.
Wednesday, his unusual efforts paid off after a resident of Vancouver’s North Shore called Mr. Gron to offer an identical bear in slightly better condition. Mr. Gron wouldn’t reveal any information about the person who gave him the new bear, but said both agreed the $1,000 reward should be donated to the Red Cross for earthquake relief in Japan.
Meanwhile, Victoria is happy with her slightly refurbished Lucky and hasn’t noticed the difference.
“She has taken a liking to him. He’s an identical carbon copy of Lucky,” Mr. Gron said. “We explained to her that he was on a trip and came back all cleaned up.”
Mr. Gron said that since he posted the reward, some people have criticized him for going to such extreme lengths to protect his daughter from the inevitable pain of losing a favourite toy. While he agrees a $1,000 reward for a teddy bear seems outrageous, Mr. Gron said he was willing to do anything to reunite Victoria with her beloved bear.
“Yes, she will lose things in the future. Yes, she’s going to lose best friends. Yes, she’s going to have hard times,” he said. “But, I guess I’m trying to preserve her innocence as long as I can.”

National Post, with files from Tamsin McMahon

Tim Horton's Canada to raise prices again

Starting next week, April 11, Tim Horton's restaurants across Canada will once again be raising their prices.  It is estimated that a large coffee will go up 7 cents, bringing it to $1.59.  No other prices have been confirmed/released yet.

With the price of gas here in Ontario today being $131.9 I don't question their motives, as well the cost of sugar has gone up 40% and the cost of wheat has doubled!

Nobody likes price increases, obviously, personally I feel $1.59 for a cup of coffee is pretty steep (I wonder how much the tea is going up! lol, get it?  STEEP!!)  Sometimes the coffee tastes like crap too, other times it's great, but...supply and demand, sure we can all brew a cup of Timmy's coffee at home, but really, who has time??

How do you feel about this price increase?

Greek Lemon and Rice Soup Recipe

I am SO happy I found this recipe!  My husband and I used to go to a little Greek restaurant once and a while, and we would both order the soup to start.  It was Greek Lemon soup.  I will never forget the first time I tasted it, it was love at first bite!  The soup was so creamy and delicious, I've never tasted anything like it.  I searched high and low for a soup similar but was unsuccessful, until now, thanks to http://www.cooks.com/ I found a recipe that tastes exactly like the soup I used to eat at Leoni's Restaurant.

This soup is SO easy to make, I was ecstatic when I made it, I felt like I should be doing more work, and honestly didn't believe it would taste the same, but it did!!

This recipe yielded me only 2 bowls, so if you want more than that, I recommend doubling.

You must try this, I know you will love it!!

Enjoy!!

3 c. chicken broth
2 to 3 oz. uncooked regular rice
2 eggs
3 tbsp. lemon juice
Dash of salt
Dash of white pepper   (Black is fine too!)

 

In 2-quart saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat, add rice, cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. In small bowl, beat eggs and lemon juice. Stirring constantly, add 1 cup of hot soup, a little at a time. Stir mixture into soup in pan and heat. Do not boil! Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4. NOTE: 2 oz. rice makes thinner soup; 3 oz. rice makes thick soup. Weight instead of measurement gives the option of using medium grain rice.

$1000 Reward for the return of a teddy bear in B.C. Canada

A Langley, B.C., father is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of his daughter's missing teddy bear.
Gregory Gorn said he lost his four-year-old daughter's bear, named Lucky, last week after he put it on the roof of his car while he was strapping his daughter into the vehicle..
He said he drove away from the strip mall near 196th Street and Fraser Highway off without first retrieving the stuffed toy from the roof.
"She could have kept [it] until her adult years," said Gorn. "It would have been her first childhood toy that she really deeply cared about. That's why I am going through great lengths."
Gorn said his daughter cries her self to sleep ever since he lost Lucky.
The bear is described as beige, with a black nose, grey tummy and is about 40 centimetres tall.
Gorn asked that anyone who can return the stuffed toy to call 604-716-6664.

                                                    HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BEAR??????