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 )

What's Your Favorite _____________?

1. Favorite hobby?
Baking

2. Favorite tv show?

3. Favorite restaurant food?
Most things chicken - and spicy!

4. Favorite thing to shop for?
Coats

5. Favorite animal?
Tigers


6.
Favorite song?


Death Cab For Cutie - Bixby Canyon Bridge

7. Favorite word?
Bungalow

8. Recent favorite youtube video?


9. Favorite movie?

Pride and Prejudice

10. Favorite childhood memory?

Hide and Seek at the farm house


And like my sister, my images are from weheartit

Wanna play along? Answer the 10q's with photos and link to it in the comments of this post :)
1. Favorite hobby?
2. Favorite tv show?
3. Favorite restaurant food?
4. Favorite thing to shop for?
5. Favorite animal?
6. Favorite song?
7. Favorite word?
8. Recent favorite youtube video?
9. Favorite movie?
10. Favorite childhood memory?

Worries of the week

Tomorrow is my Monday, and I am thinking it will be a doozey of a week. I am a little nervous about how it will turn out.
Wednesday the new Emergency area will be opening, and I expect it to be somewhat chaos filled - why?
Moving all patients, all staff not knowing the area well, and of course curious patients that might just have a 'sudden onset illness' or 'boo boos' just to check it out on the first day..... whoo hoo!..... not.
Why must I care? ER is where I work, I will be one of those staff who barely knows where they are going, working with new people, in an area 3x the size of the one I am used to, new systems, new everything. I am a tad worried but I know it will go on whether I am worried or not.

Plus, I am not sure I will have the day off on Saturday for my cousins wedding. I booked it off a while ago, though I am not sure since this new ER opening + I work lead hand + they (the bosses) tend to be slightly forgetful.

So there are the worries of my week, though I am not even going to think of what to wear to the wedding if I pull in all my favors and get the day off....That's another issue right there. ah.

Anyways, I just have to keep going and take it one step at a time. I am truly thankful God is with me with all these steps I will take this week.

Well well well who is a mac now...

I never thought I would see the day I would own a mac. Let alone a macbook! I seemed to be a jinx whenever I was around them. In school mine would be the one that freezes, mine would shut down, and be royally screwed up.
I thought PC all the way.... until my laptop was having a brutal time -- viruses that the computer guy I had couldn't fix without deleting everything and reinstalling windows... and then the back light went kaput and I couldn't see my screen. I have had enough.I did love my laptop before... before it got worse and worse and worse - and of course this all happens the month after my warranty expires...I have to admit though, I wasn't as careful with that laptop.You see, I had this super uber awesome warranty. I could do anything to it and it would be covered by the warranty, as long as it was accidental. So in turn I think it took a beating, unintentional of course, but still a pretty rough go at life as a laptop.
It lasted plane rides, stuffed in a suitcase for 3 months, stuffed with as much junk as possible in my carry on, tripped over, and I paid for it. It probably would have lasted longer if I didn't batter it as much. Though secretly I wanted it to pack it in earlier and get a whole new laptop for free under the warranty.
oh well.So no more viruses, no more light problems, no more scratches, no more mouse issues, and no more windows.
Hopefully this thing does the job right (and I don't screw it up)
So here's to macs (and photo booth). Everyone who's been near a mac should do photo booth...

Easter! (from last week?)


I am actually posting on my blog!
Last weekend was Easter (Happy Easter by the way) and it was busy and wonderful! The family was over - the whole family including Tony and Miranda (+ unpopped baby), my grandma, and two of the cousins came as well. It was a blustery day that day and a very Springish one as well. Stormy one minute and sunny the next.... oh boy! I really do love spring.

Anyways, started off that weekend with Paska making. I have never made it before and it worked out perfectly (the second try..... after finding I had less than half the flour... but that's another story). My grandma is recovering from minor surgery so she wasn't able to make bread this time (which is a tradition for her) so I stepped up and found a good recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook.
(^making paska on Friday morning)
Saturday came with Miranda and Tony (+baby) + decorating eggs in the morning. It was lovely. Coffee sitting beside me as I went haha. Miranda and Mik also went after some sugar cookies with icing. (Miranda made them earlier...and they were delicious mind you.... and now I need that recipe...), and I went after my breads with some icing and 'hunderds and millions' (no Paska is complete without 'hundereds and millions' says my mother).
(^yummy chick cookies (minus the eyes... opps))
(^Paska decorating above + final product)
(^colouring eggs with my sisters + only a few of the finished ones)
(^dun dun dun... the menu of the mega meal)

After that it was time to set the table and have Easter lunch with everyone there and The Food was fantastic. Good job mama!
(^An essence of Easter? hahaha)

So with a huge monster meal in our bellies, the cousins - Matt and Katie, along with Miranda, Mikaela, and myself, we went to the nearby park on a walk. It was a blast! To top it off we were at the farthest end of the park from home and we could see the rain coming in. It was getting very dark and windy, we started back for home. It wasn't long before the winds were gusting and the rain reached us! Pouring and blowing the rain in our faces and soaking us fully. Matt, the chilvrious one, ran all the way to the house and hopped in his truck trying to find us between short cuts. With no avail he ended up home without us. But we had made it - soaked but throughlly happy. The crazy weather added up to a very fun day :)
Can't wait for next year when there is a new one to have fun with as well.