Music Moves Me

I was excited to find this blog hop dedicated to music :)  
I am a huge fan of music, I much prefer to listen to the radio than watch tv.  I have spent the last few days working in the computer with a long eclectic list of songs playing on YouTube in the background...songs that move me or make me want to move I love them all!
 
But at the moment I am really digging the Canadian guys ...The Tragically Hip...The Trews... Andrew Hunter & the Gathers...and my girls all time fav Justin Bieber lol

Ahhh Monday already?

Oh what an exhausting weekend.  I have been fighting some kind of sickness all weekend...you know that icky feeling you get just before something kicks the crap out of you... I am not sick yet...nor do I plan to be ---I DO NOT Have time for sickness!  lol
It was my weekend to work which puts me on a 13 day stretch (because I got called in on my "weekend off" ) and I had 2 cake orders to do...a huge mess of a house (thank you mother nature I just love snow days *roll of the eyes*) and some unexpected hate mail from Wayne's ex just to stir the pot....I got hardly any sleep all weekend.
But I got it all done (except for the house)and today I look forward to cuddling up with Ava on the couch and snoozing while she watches some cartoons. 

A birthday cake

A baby shower cake

I really hope to get back into a routine this week...with NO snow days.
My goal is to get the house in shape room by room  for our (Wayne & I) birthday party on Saturday....while juggling my everyday lists of  "must-do's"  and still enjoy some time blogging.

Paying homage to some East Coast Talent- Dirty Money - Andrew Hunter & The Gatherers

I stumbled across Andrew Hunter by accident one night while Wayne & I  were out on a "date".  We had gone to see a small band he had made friends with on a construction site while working out of town.  As we were waiting for them to do their set I was captivated by Andrew's voice.  I hung on his every smooth lyric and although it was a chilly night in my port city inside this pub was as cozy and as close to Hawaii as you could feel. 
Wayne & I were heading back to the car and I couldn't shake the tune from my head.  I had to go back and buy this up and coming artists CD.

From that chilly fall night in 2006 and til this chilly night in 2011  I am still every bit in love with my $8 CD as I was that night.  It is my ultimate relaxation.  Gotta love a good ol' Canadian boy.

{This song is from a newer album but I still enjoy the thought behind the lyrics.}

The Winner of the Roundabout Cupcake Sleeves! IS......

...because we had entries on both the blog post & Facebook I wrote every entry on paper and had Ainsley pull a name at Random.

The Winner of the Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves IS....

We love the Roundabout Cupcake Sleeves! What a super cute idea! Thanks Tish! From Abby's Edibles

By Tricia on Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves ROCK!!! on 1/21/11

Congratulations Tricia!  http://www.roundaboutsleeves.com/ would now like you to pick which of their 70+ designs you would to claim as your prize

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm Thankful for

...sleeping in
...extra  cuddles & lovin's
...good winter tires & wipers
...snow plows and a strong hardworking man (not hard on the eyes either)
...quality time beading with my lil ladies

First snowfall of the season December ... 2010



snow today Jan 27, 2011



Library Thursday

Today was yet another Snow Day :o
It didn't seem too bad when I pulled out of the driveway but by the time I drove 5 minutes to the bank and 2 more to the library there were drifts EVERYWHERE.
We were already late for program so I told the girls to scoop up a craft and find 1 book each (the usual rule that we never follow LOL) and race me to check out because the weather was getting worse by the second.
This week's theme is Puzzles.

Craft today was Design Your own Puzzle.

You could do this by using a picture you already have and cutting it into puzzle pieces and putting it back together or you could use the page provided and draw your own picture.

We honestly didn't stay long enough to read the themed books or even catch what the titles were..but we are hoping to make it back on Saturday for the mini concert they are having with Zany Lane.

But we did bring home a couple really good ones :)

Princess Story Collection (Ainsley's choice)
Pocahontas (Ava's choice- it's french LOL)
Pocket Rocks by Sheree Fitch (I love her and she's from NB) 

Wordless Wednesday ~Whoopsie!~

Perfectly cute lunch bag...gets a little wet

Very thoughtful Mom hangs it to dry out ...

very thoughtful Mom is also very FORGETFUL at times ....Whooops!

Where in the World Wednesday!

Today’s theme is famous people from your area.

I'm from Saint John, New Brunswick Canada (just above Maine, USA) and some of the most famous people from my area are :
 Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984), Hollywood actor, best remembered for his startling role in "Mrs. Miniver" - a war time classic. Walter was born and raised in Saint John, N.B.

 Donald Sutherland (1934-) Hollywood actor original from Saint John, N.B. Star of hundreds of TV and movie productions such as "Casanova", "Eye of the Needle", "Klute", "M.A.S.H.", "The Dirty Dozen" and the Academy award-winning "Ordinary People."

Dr. Wallace Turnbull (1870-1954), invented the variable pitch propeller, and built the world's first wind tunnel, which revolutionized the aviation industry. He was considered a genius of aeronautical engineering and inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame in 1977. He was a resident of Rothesay, N.B.

Nathan Cummings (1896-1985), founder of the National Tea Company (Consolidated Foods of Chicago). Business interest included, Electrolux, Sara Lee, Fuller Brush and General Dynamics.

Stompin' Tom Connors - Charles Thomas Connors
Born - February 9th, 1936 Saint John, New Brunswick
Everyone of his songs stick in your head and I'm sure you haven't never sang one of them without noticing. His song (THE HOCKEY SONG) is played at least once at ever NHL hockey game that is played here in Canada.















Everyone is invited to join us to blog hop and to share where you are from, it will be fun to meet bloggers from all over the world! Where in the World are you?
Please join your Hosts Simply Stacie who lives in Nova Scotia, Canada and Just Married with Coupons who lives in Rhode Island, US on a fun blog hop adventure around the world. Tell us as anything you would like, what country, state, city or region you are from, lets have fun!

Today’s theme is famous people from your area. Ellen Page, star of the movie Juno, is from Halifax, NS. This movie was great!
How to Join Us:

-Follow Your Hosts Simply Stacie & Just Married with Coupons
-Leave us a comment to let us know so we can follow you back & Tell Us Where in the World you are?
-Follow as many people as you like & Let them know Where in the World you are?
-If someone follows you, make sure to follow them back!
-Feel free to grab the button and post on your blog and help us spread the word.
-Have fun meeting new people from all over the world!
ADD YOUR BLOG *AND* LOCATION FOR FUN!

Ainsley's colourful Valentines

This year for Ainsley's class we wanted to do something a little different. So after seeing this post on Frugral Family Fun I knew we HAD to do heart shaped recycled crayons :)

So I went to the Dollarama in search for a heart shaped baking pan and found this silicon mold

...and because I can't ever walk into a dollar store and ONLY spend one dollar I also spotted these Princess & Spiderman Silly Bands (they are ALL about the Silly Bands right now lol)

I already had a package of glitter paper in my scrapbooking supplies (ask how many scrapbooks I've finished...I dare ya! lol)  and it is conveniently all pink and red (I knew it would be really cute to use someday)  so with this we're going to use our heart cookie cutter as a stencil to make the cards....but what we are stumped on is a catchy Valentine rhyme or message....What should we write on the cards besides the usual ol'faithful  BE MINE??

 

 

I was thinking something "colourful" (because of the crayons)  would be cute...but what ??  Any suggestions???

For her Teacher and TA,  we bought a couple of cute containers and plan to fill them with this great hot chocolate mix I found on Lovin My Little Ladies  ...we thought their cards would stay something like " Teacher you warm my heart!  Happy Valentines Day!" ...but we're open to suggestions on that one too :)

Are you doing Valentines this year?  What are your plans, craft ideas etc?

WooHOO !! 100 followers That Is Exciting!

Thank you to all of my new friends!  Passing the 100 mark is a pretty exciting milestone and I could not have done it with out ALL of YOU !  
Reading all of your wonderful blogs and linking up with the tremendous amount of Blog Hops is what has inspired me to start my own and follow through with it :)
I am enjoying every minute with my family and love sharing the moments with people who can relate...and watching you all enjoy your families too! 

I now have a Facebook page which can be more interactive.  If you would like to join me there you can find me at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Lots-of-FUN-with-my-FaMiLy/184290314933429

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

I have started a 100+ Reading Challenge ...why not the girls too??

I have started a 100+ Reading Challenge for 2011  (my list is posted on the left)  ...but now I'm thinking Why not track the books the girls & I read together as well? ...well I do in my Thursday - Library Day posts but why not a condensed list like my own?

I think it will be interesting to see how many different books we have read and which ones we tend to go back to.

If you'd like to join us in the FAMILY FUN  100+ Reading Challenge Please Link up below and let us know where to locate your families list.  I will also try to keep a star (*)  rating next to the titles so we will remember which ones we really enjoyed and might want to go back to.

Library Day

***This is posted a little late lol.  I just found it sitting in draft still ...oops!  I think I meant to include pictures then got distracted***



Thursday mornings are Ava and I library days.  This morning we snuck in a little bit late to the Time for Tots program and Ava dove right in.  I sat and watched. I could not help but notice just how much Ava has progressed/changed in the last couple of months since attending.  We started in October, back then she sat quietly on my lap and just watched as the other children interacted.  She didn't really listen to the story as it was read and could not be bothered with actions of songs.  Now we're in mid-January and she thinks she's the star of the show.  She runs right in and starts singing her heart out.  She has figured out the pattern of activities ....finger plays, ribbons, instruments, book etc.  I can't help but feel proud seeing her do the Hokey-Pokey without assistance and watch her not only interact with the other children but try to welcome & comfort those who are shy like she once was.

The craft table today was the same as last week so we just skipped right on to reading.

Ava spied up an Olivia book (she had recognized "O lib E Ah"  from program a few weeks back) so we sat and read that together just loud enough for her shy friend to hear as well.
Then she ran off and returned with an Iron man book so we read that as well...Ainsley has learned from somewhere (most likely her peers) that some things are "girl stuff"and somethings are "boy stuff" and would probably scoff at Ava's choice but I think that people can enjoy whatever thing people wish...and Iron man wasn't so bad ;)

This week we brought home:
Olivia forms a band - Ian Falconer
Batman versus The Joker -N.T Raymond
Jennifer Jones Won't Leave Me ALONE! - Frieda Wishinsky
Amelia Bedelia and the cat - Herman Parish
The Dog Princess Fairy Tails (Harper Collins Publishers)

It's Sunday morning

Good morning (almost noon)!

I just fired a roast in the slower cooker and thought I'd check some emails and hop in some blogs this morning.
If you looking for some great reviews, giveaways and some really good reads check out Real Mom Reviews
Swingin by Sunday



Who is featuring this week The Thrifty Military  who is also hosting her own hop today called Meet & Follow Sunday



  There's a Great Canadian girl Lise, from Baby Bottom Line,  who has TONS of really cool giveaways on her site and hosts a Sunday hop

 

And the Sunday link up that has helped me find  A LOT of great educational and fun activities for my girls is No Time For Flash Cards  Link and Share.


DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER REALLY GOOD SUNDAY HOPS OR LINK UPS??  OR JUST REALLY GOOD READS I SHOULD CHECK OUT ?  LET ME KNOW :)

HAVE A GREAT SUNDAY EVERYONE!

Ainsley & Ava make Shrimp Alfredo & garlic bread

Front left: pot of spagetti  Right (front) Alfredo (back) shrimp

Ainsley & Ava added shredded cheese over the
french bread spread with garlic butter

Alfredo Sauce
1 1/4cup of chicken broth whisked with 4 tsp of flour on medium heat, stir in 1/3cup of cream cheese til melted and then add 2tbsp of parmesan cheese....constantly stirring.  Season with pepper and /or  garlic powder.  Serve over pasta.
Tastes great on it's own or with:
shrimp, scallops, lobster, chicken, broccoli, mushrooms

It's a very quick and easy supper, ready in 15 mins.
My family LOVES it!

Super Yummy Salmon

Start with 2 salmon fillets..about the same size ...butter both of these with Herb & Garlic cream cheese

Fry up some (boil & drained) spinach with mushrooms

pour this fried mix over one cream cheese fillet

then put sandwich it with the other fillet (cheese side down)
then butter top side and season with a little salt & pepper
Bake at 360* for 45mins

Mmmmm it's so good

Roasted Garlic Potato Wedges

Ainsley loves taking pictures these days and helping in the kitchen so the other night she grabbed the camera and followed me step by step in making Roasted Garlic Potato Wedges.

First, she washed 6 or 8 russet potatoes for me to quarter



Then I grated 2 -3 cloves of fresh garlic over them

Then poured 1-2 tbs of veg oil over them

Then seasoned with a little salt,

and oregano

Then shook them all up



and made sure they were all covered well



Pour them into a foil lined baking dish and ake at 350* for

about an hour flippign them around 1/2 way

Ainsley's picture of her plate

Mom's plate

Another snow day :(

Today was yet another snow day in my area....don't get me wrong I love the idea of sleeping in (it's just an idea though...I have 2 early rising girls) but I don't care for snow :(  
Not another 20-40cm anyway (7"- 15")
BUT on the plus side

•  my girls and I stayed in pj's all day
• We had some company and  pizza & donairs for lunch before the weather got too bad
• we played some Pictureka
• we're having a "lazy supper" ....yup you guessed it Chicken fingers & fries again...since it was such a hit last week lol
• Ainsley got to go sliding and make a new friend
• Ava & I cuddled on the couch ...because we don't like the snow
• I confess I slept in a little bit lol

On the down side (sort of lol)

• Wayne didn't get to work
• I didn't get to the bank
• the floors didn't get mopped
• I didn't make it to the baking supply store
• I have to dig out my car before work then drive in less than desirable weather across town for a few hours to get my (probably super cranky because of the weather) client ready for bed

Snow days aren't so terrible I guess but they sure mix up my weekdays all day I have thought it was Saturday lol

Our Village is a Little Different is only 9 GFC followers away ....

Our Village is a Little Different

Is only 9 GFC followers away from hosting a 200 followers giveaway Click HERE to help  :)

Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves ROCK!!!

Have you seen these Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves  yet??I found them and fell in love!  (I mentioned I make cakes right ? lol)
They are the coolest thing I've seen in a long time so I had to contact them and beg to do a review.
My gravelling must have worked because they arrived in my mail box yesterday!

I opened up the simple envelope they came in to find a simple (super-cute) packaging which was designed to minimize waste (it's100% recyclable ..which works for my 2011 goals) and is just the right size to store alongside my other baking gear.
Inside I found a nifty set of instructions that ...get this...HANG from your cabinet door!  This excites me because now if I have to refer to them they won't be covered in icing lol
AND they also included ideas on how to decorate your cupcakes based on your design selection...how thoughtful is that?? 
If you have not seen these already you need to go to their website or Facebook page   and look at the 70 different designs they have featured there....Because Valentines Day is just around the corner I chose the "Candy Hearts" design.
BUT  keep one in mind for yourself BECAUSE Roundabouts cupcake Sleeves was generous enough to offer a 12 pack of sleeves as a giveaway to one of Lots of Fun with my FaMiLy's loyal followers !

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THESE!  They are too cute, they are super easy to use and you'll never have to look at another  "naked cupcake" again ;)

BECAUSE IT's FACEBOOK FRIDAY ... GO TO FACEBOOK  and
-- "like" Lots of Fun with my FaMiLy on Facebook
- "like" Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves on Facebook
SUGGEST US TO YOUR FRIENDS AND 1 COMMENT A DAY WILL COUNT IN THE DRAW ..EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!! THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO US & CANADA :)

Contest Closes 11pm est on January 27th, 2011!  So hurry up & enter AND Don't forget to let your friends in on the FUN!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Marvelous Marble race

When I was a kid we had this awesome set called "Marble Works", Mom bought it through Tupperware.  We played with this all the time watching the marbles race through the mazes we had set up watching to see what section our marble would come through next, always wondering where it would end up.

So this fall, while skimming through a ToysRus flyer, when I noticed a Deluxe Marble Race advertised I knew I had to get it....for the girls of course ;)
So I rushed to the store and bought one for Christmas and because they were such a great price I bought one as a gift for a birthday party as well.
My cousins all LOVED the one we gave as a gift (in October) and it took every ounce of strength in me not to pull ours out of hiding.
Christmas morning Ainsley was super excited that "Santa just knew she HAD to have one".

The only issue with this set is that it requires focus on instructions...or lots of trial and error if you're a stubborn boy   man....and it comes with a handful of marbles (not ideal for small hands/mouths).  So my girls have been waiting for Mom or Dad to have time to sit and play for awhile & help out.  BUT Mom refuses to play in a messy playroom (so mean I know) and usually they get distracted while "cleaning".

Anyway yesterday was too brutally cold to play outside and I was tired of looking at the messy playroom so we ventured upstairs to clean.  When all was put away I still had lots of time before supper prep so we all sat down to play with the marble race.

While pulling each piece out we matched them to the instruction sheet comparing sizes, shapes & differences.
Then we each took turns building a section from the ground up making sure that our sections intertwined accordingly. Counted sections as we set them up. While I asked tons of questions ...why? why not? what will happen if? etc.
We got one race all set up and we split the coloured marbles amongst us to race. 
I asked why each kid picked the starting spot they did?  Why did they think theirs would be fast?  Where did they think their marble would speed up or slow down? What made them think this?
The kids had great answers and it was fun watching the lil hamsters running in their heads.
I am happy to be able to relive something from my childhood vicariously through my children (and others too...I was watching Noa after school).

I think the Marble Race was a fun way to experience Math & Physics as well as team work. 

100+ Reading Challenge

I was reading a post by a cute little blog I found while looking through links on a blog hop and saw this challenge.  I love to read.  I read almost anything.  So  thought why not keep track this year to see just how many books I can actually read at my "job" and in my "spare time".  The blog actually hosting the Challenge this year is also a neat spot you can find HERE!   

You can track my book list on the left  hand side of my home page.

100+ Reading Challenge

It is my pleasure to present to you the 
100+ Reading Challenge for 2011! 

DETAILS:

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Posting on GoodReads or wherever you post your reviews is good enough.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.

What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.

3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2011. Books started before the 1st do not count. You can join at anytime.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

 231 entries so far... you're next! 

---

Organization with the Littles...hmmmm let me think about this one

Fatima from Fur Lined Toilet Seats is hosting her first ever Linky Party and is searching for great ideas for keeping organized with littles.... I have no posts regarding this topic yet 1.) I'm still fairly new to the Blog Community, 2.) I still really haven't nailed organization for the littles....I am (or like to think I am...or was) organized but my girls just aren't as interested.

I did recently post a Wordless Wednesday picture of their clean playroom...but the reason I took the picture is because it is seldom ever clean!

This is what it looks like today...or on most days :( If you look beyond the mess you can see that I have attempted to keep this place organized by building a toy shelf with separate baskets for their Zhu Zhu pets, Little People, Trains, Pony's etc ....and I have a little drawer in their kitchen area to separate food, dishes & appliances/accessories.  They just don't seem to get put away everyday and then the girls get too overwhelmed with the mess and don't know where to start.



The "brain" of our home though is my "office".  In here (when I can dig out my desk) I organize our schedules, bills, income, meal plans etc.  I have a calender that has EVERYTHING documented on it.  Wayne teases me that it is my life support...but since giving him a quick tutorial on how it works I have caught him referencing it on occasion lol.

AND

I also swear by my dry-erase board in my kitchen.  This is my way of forcing encouraging Wayne to be organized as well.  I update this for him at night if he has appointments or tasks for the following day.  He can also leave messages on this board for me (I work at night and he leaves VERY early in the mornings so we don't get to talk very often without littles interrupting).   Also I have a grocery list always accumulating on the side of it so that when someone finishes something out of the fridge or cupboard they can write it down for me to get on the next grocery trip.  With the amount of people coming and going from this house I can't keep track of everything on my own, so this really helps a lot.

I

 






I had to put a cork board behind my calender because
I was destroying the wall behind it.  I take it down atleast
once a week to update my budget, bills paid & upcoming events.
Above it I have all of my bills in a clip and invitations &
coupons in another.  It's nice to have everything together
where I can find it...or walk Wayne through it over the phone.





I love this board because it's not only magnetic but
it is framed with cork board so you can
 tack coupons on it or business cards etc.