Stuck in Amazement

Photo - op with Sadie

Miranda wrangled me into a photo op with Sadie.... and then it turned ... manly?

Oh man what eye liner and news paper can do

It's been a while... yet again.

It has been quite a while since my last post.
So here is the last little while crammed into a smallish post for now :)

I will start after my little cutest niece Sadie was born. She has me wrapped around her little fingers already. I love her to bits and to spoil her seems to be what I am meant to do. I love being the auntie. I get to play, wake her up and dress her, give her baths, and when she cries she can visit her mommy or daddy. When she farts or poops (which I never knew little babies could have such gas...) anyways, mom can take over. I like this deal so far.

Besides that change in my life, I am getting ready to go back to school (finally).
I have been accepted into the LPN nursing program at the university here for September.
Boy oh boy it is coming so quick! Scarily quick. I am excited and so nervous at the same time. I haven't been in school in 5 years now and now I wonder if I will remember what I had learned
and if I can be as good a student as I was back then. I am hoping so!

Just by telling friends and co-workers that I am in the program I feel so very supported. Everyone I talk to seems to be such an encouragement. I hear from nurses and co workers that they are proud of me and so excited that I will get to be a nurse soon! I never realized how much people did care what I did for my work, or what I would do in my life. People actually care! I am somewhat overcome with how many people have been rooting for me for these past couple years working in the hospital. It's exciting, nerve wracking, but encouraging.

Now here comes the hardest year of my life yet (probably). I am finally going forward somewhere.

Happy Birthday Sadie!!!

Here are some pictures from the BIG DAY!!! (From early this morning... 2:42 am)
Miranda had been in labor since early the morning before, and Sadie is finally making her grand appearance!

Tony in scrubs ready to hold Miranda's hand in the OR and see his new girl.

Baby was a bit blue to start but that is ok now.

Sadie and her daddy.

Doting dad.

And here she is! Sadie Alexa wide eyed and wonderful! All 7 pounds and 14 ounces of her.

Happy Birthday my little niece!

Wareniki!!!

Today I was in the mood to make something yummy that I could share with Miranda later on.
Wareniki it is!!! It's another of my grandmas recipes which is awesome in my opinion.
Wareniki is the Mennonite equivalent to a perogie. Fillings can be anything from cottage cheese, to potato and onion to fruit (like the plum ones I just made)
My favorites have always been Plum. Yum Plum.

Easy recipe, just time consuming.

The Dough is simply 3cups flour 1tsp salt mixed.
Then add your boiled cup of milk, 3 egg whites whisked a bit, and 2 tbsp. oil.
And you mix it all together and form in a ball of dough.

Plums from the freezer...

Roll it out quite thin and you are almost there!!

and 2/3 cup sugar + 2tbsp flour mixed. (one tsp. per square 3x3)

Pinch sides and ta da!

Now all you gotta do is boil them for 10 min. and of course make the sauce.
It's just not the same without the sauce!

oh and I put some aside for my expecting sister :) Double recipe for this house that's for sure.

The Sauce the sauce. Rue up the 1/2 cup margerine + 2 tbsp. flour in a saucepan.
Add your milk. Dash a salt, dash a sugar and dun dun dun.... killer sauce.
(My mama showed me the sugar salt bit (for fruit ones), but without it is my grandmas original bit :P )

It sounds odd but it's the best. I love them to bits.. well until they are gone.

Some call them dessert wareniki or other names but to me they are the best ones of the bunch!

B

I am on letter B of my itunes library.
I tried it a while ago but then my computer crashed and it all starts at square one again. Oh well.

I am going through my music and rating it and deleting the junky songs. So far I am about 272 of 3700. Letter B! Maybe if I do a letter every day (or so) I will get through it in a month or two.

Right now I am listening to The Beach Boys
Sloop John B
and now

Wouldn't It Be Nice?

Beach Boys always remind me of when we went camping on the island with the family. Just plug the cassette in the player and *sigh*

But there are a couple BB songs that remind me of Full House..... hehehe

Goodnight/Morning! I am going to bed.

I leave you with the song now playing...

Baking Day

Today was Baking Day for Aria. I was planning on making some buns and muffins for Miranda and Tony since baby is on her way shortly, but I am thinking I will have to make more later since they are being eaten too easily right now.
So to start it off, I needed a zweiback recipe (double bun in High German says my recipe book)
It's a huge favorite in my family, and a rarity when I make them so needless to say I need to make more later for Miranda's family.

Anyways, I was searching through my great grandmothers cook book and having a fun time searching. It's the 1960's version of the book and it's great. On the recipe the check means my great grandma tried and liked this version so I thought I would take a chance and try it too.

Worked like a charm, and It was so simple too (as buns go).

I also found another oldie of a cook book in the cupboard and found advertisements like this:

even found some coupons (too bad it expired before I was born) and news paper clippings from 1960 something.

So off I go! One part of the recipe told me to blend.... On automatic I reached for my egg beater.... and I think I could have heard my great grandmother turn in her grave. I thought, no wait, and used my spoons instead.

kneading kneading kneading to my tunes, it was good stuff.

Next.

"To Die For Blueberry Muffins" which really are the best ones I've made. As soon as I finished I wanted another one... So bad yet so good!

I will have to post later some of the helpful butchering tips also in the recipe book, as well as recipes for hmmm head cheese, tongue, and sausages (after fixin the intestines of course!) Yikes.
I like the heritage of it though. I wouldn't eat it, but to read the stories of my great great grandparents time is neat. (It brings the geek out of me! :D )