How Time Flies!

My goodness it doesn't seem like it's been over a month since my last post! I guess life just has a way of keeping you busy until before you know it, so much time has passed that you can't remember what even happened.
Lets see... what has happened since I blogged last....
Oh! My precious little cousin from the west coast and her mama and grandpa came for a visit! She's always a blast. Shy at first but cute as a button, and once she gets used to you, boy, no stopping her! We had so much fun, her and Jaydee and I while she was home. I've determined that when I have children, though, that I'm having a couple years in between them. A 3 year old and a 4 year old are one major handful. I wouldn't trade them for anything though, I love them just the way they are.
My favourite part of the little Miss' visit was when we were at church one Sunday and our Pastor Steve was praying and thanked God for bringing them safely from B.C. to New Brunswick and she looked wide eyed at me, and then at her mama and in a very theatrical whisper goes "He knows who we ARE!" I've  never had to stifle a laugh during prayer before, but my stars she was too funny!
Hmmm... what else... Oh, I know. Hurricane Arthur blew through. And of course I live in the area that was hardest hit. But we pulled through :) We only went 3 days without power but others have gone 8+ days without it. All good though. We're tough here in Carleton County haha!
I received my first letter from Raja a couple of weeks ago :) Since he is only 4 his Teacher wrote it for him.
He says his Parents are Abdul Xhaleg (father) who is 33 and Sumi (mother) who is 28.
If he could visit anywhere he would visit America just to visit. He wants to be a Pilot when he grows up.

Dear Sponsor (I seriously love the writing on this letter! So neat and pretty!)
At first love & greetings to you. He is doing well. He thanked you for your support. He likes song(s). He likes apple(s). What season do you like?
Please pray for his studies

He's sweet and I can't wait to get to know him.

There has also been a new addition to my Compassion family! Another little boy named Luckson. Luckson is 5 and lives in Haiti. Let me tell you, he is the most adorable little man I've ever seen!
See for yourself:

I discovered this precious surprise when I opened My Compassion by mistake last night and decided since I was there I would check up for any updates on my little ones and to my surprise there were 4 names in the drop down menu instead of 3. I had a brunette moment for a minute before I remembered I signed up to be a Volunteer Advocate for Compassion and said that I would correspond with more children. I'm already in love though. This was a great decision to make, I can tell!
Anyways! I'm off to clean! babysitting our friends pups next week so I want to get all my housework done before I take off for a week :)
take care all!
xo
Lisa

Introducing Dushandan!

Dushandan showed up on my Compassion yesterday so I can share his picture with you all. I'm so excited to start corresponding with this darling!

So there he is, folks. My cute little Dushandan with his pants on backwards. Isn't he precious? I know we're going to get along great!

Thats all for now! I'll hopefully be on later on this afternoon with a longer post

xo
Lisa

3 Must Be My Lucky Number

It seems with Compassion I either have 1 little one, or 3 haha. For the longest time I had my three boys, Robert,  Joel and Loukmane, but because of financial reasons I had to give up Joel and Loukmane, even though it broke my heart to do so. But now since I figured stuff out, sold a bunch of junk I didn't need (lol) worked hard and saved hard, I was able to sponsor financially again, and so I picked Raja, who I introduced you to last week I believe. Then I had mentioned a while ago to a lady I know that I was hoping to sponsor a little boy specifically with the same birthdate as Jaydee to teach him about other parts of the world like a good cousin/auntie. And so last week shortly after I picked up Raja's sponsorship, Dushandan fell into my lap.
Dushandan was born October 14, 2007. Making him 2 years older than Jaydee. He lives in Sri Lanka with his mama and daddy.. and, like me when I was his age, loves hide and seek. He's a sweet little fellow and I am SUPER excited to get to know him. I don't have his picture on my computer currently, but when I do I will upload a copy here so you all can see his adorable little face and his pants on backwards xD.
With the addition of Raja and Dushandan to my Compassion family and my signing up to become an advocate for Compassion, I felt my organization skills needed to be improved to keep everything in line. So now I have a "Compassion Corner" in my room. A temporary set up until I find a better place for everything. Four blue binders, three bibles and a bunch of Compassion Advocacy papers/materials are all neatly stored on one of my night tables. Each binder is labelled on the side for maximum organization (haaha) Letters, Colouring Pages,Paper and Extras.
I spent $2 at the dollarama and bought two colouring books, came home and ripped (gently) all the pages out and placed them individually into page protectors and placed them in one big binder, which became the "Colouring Pages" binder (self explanatory, Lisa.. duhh haha)
My letters binder is pretty self explanatory too, but I'm bored, so read on. In the front flap thinger I have the letters/cards/whatever waiting to be sent. All nice and pretty and not getting lost (yay me!) Then, I have Robert's bio card and picture in a page protector, marking the start of his section where all the letters and pictures I have (found) from him are each in their own page protector waiting to be read again.
At the End of Robert's section is a divider, and then little Raja's bio card. I'm trying to keep better track of what I send/tell my kids so I don't repeat myself too much, so I'm starting to photocopy everything I send. So since I haven't yet received a letter from Raja the first thing you'll see is a copy of my first letter to him :)
Flip the page and you'll see the same process repeated for my sweet Dushandan.
Then at the end of the binder, you will find the letters written by my darlings Joel and Loukmane who I miss so dearly.
My extras binder holds all of the stickers/postcards I have purchased to send to my boys, just waiting to be selected and mailed:)
See! Organization. Wasn't so hard to do :) Now if I can just remember to keep it that way....
Off to Halifax this weekend for the Walmart Walk for Miracles! I'm so pumped to be going. I loved going the last two years, but this year the one manager at Walmart that I honestly truly get along with/understand and like.. is taking us. SO. PUMPED!

I would like to end this post with a request. There is a terrible tragedy going on this moment in Moncton, a city about 2 1/2 hours away from me. Three RCMP officers have been shot and killed, and two more seriously injured by one man. He is still at large and as I sit here and type I have the police scanner app on my tablet going, tuned in to their manhunt. Please, please pray that this disturbed young man is caught before any more blood is shed.

xo
Lisa

Oh Damn!

I just blew my stove up! Well.. almost... not quite.. but I did make a filament blow up, or explode.. or however you call it. Talk about a heart attack! Holy crow! Thank God for having a friend over who knows what he is doing inside of a kitchen (thanks love, owe ya!)
I was heating up the stove to make my faavourite Hassleback Garlic Cheesey Bread and all a sudden my oven went POOF! and there was a tiny little flame inside it. I thought I was about to burn my basement down. So it's upstairs stove for now when I want to cook. Oh well. A nice fancy new stove to use, I can deal with it I think. Just nobody tell my father, kay? I'm not ready to be murdered yet.
So that was my adventure in the kitchen for tonight! What a rush.
Told Jaydee about Raja yesterday. At first he was sad because he hasn't "met him  before" but when I told him we got to write letters and colour him pictures, he was a little bit excited for that. I can't wait to get Raja's packet and first letter. I'm sure that will make my boy SO excited!
 He had his first day off school today. Sort of.. he went to school for a half day of orientation. I almost cried. My baby is growing up! :( He even knows how to drive a 4 wheeler better than me.. which is sad lol
But anyways! Thought you would like to hear of my crazy adventure in the kitchen tonight, now i'm off to finish my bread and go to bed, cause I'm a wee bit sleepy.
Night lovies!
xo
Lisa

Sponsorship!

Hey all!
So! This week I decided I would like to do something with Jaydee that would me more... meaningful I guess... than just playing and spending time with him. So I decided we would sponsor a little boy together. I wanted to pick someone with the same birthday as him if possible, but if not just a boy that was the same age as him roughly so they could talk about what it was like being that age in a different country to each other (through me of course lol.)
I have looked at pictures and read mini biographies of SO many darling little boys (and a couple girls) this week my heart just wants to break. After a lot of going through and re going through profiles, I FINALLY decided on a little one to sponsor.
                                                          Everybody.... meet Raja!

 

He is 4 years old and from Bangladesh :) He also was born just 4 days before Jaydee. I'm so stoked to tell Jaydee about Raja tomorrow. I'm hoping he gets as excited as I am about this! I can't wait to see how Jaydee and Raja learn from each other and see how they grow up. 

It was a difficult decision picking Raja though. Not because he isn't cute, because he's friggen adorable! I mean, look at that face! But because there are sooo many other adorable little faces to pick from.. like this one...

I won't lie, I almost picked Miguel.. Look at that smile! he's darling. 

Then there is this face.. 

Little Isaac. He looks so sad. My heart broke right in two for him. Both of these sweethearts (and many many more) are available for sponsorship still if you're considering sponsoring. Its a great cause. :)
Thats all for tonight folks!
xo 

Lisa

Catching Up!

I've been racking my brains these last couple of days, trying to remember what I've made since my last post, and honestly I mainly stuck to tried-and-true recipies. I did try out a couple new ones though!! 
This one for Blueberry Sweet Rolls with a Lemon Glaze were soooo yummy!! here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Rolls

• 2 and 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 package Red Star Platinum Yeast or any instant yeast* (1 packet = 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (cow's milk - I used skim)
• 2.5 Tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

Filling

• 1 and 1/3 cups (225g) frozen* blueberries, not thawed
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sweet Lemon Glaze

• Juice from 1 large lemon*
• 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar (or more)
• 1-2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) half-and-half (or heavy cream or milk)

Directions:

1. Make the filling first: Combine the frozen blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl. Gently toss around and let sit while you prepare the dough.
2. Make the dough: Set aside 1/2 cup of flour. In a large bowl, toss the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together until evenly dispersed. Set aside.
3. Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. About 115-120F degrees. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I only needed 1/3 cup, but you may need the full 1/2 cup. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.
4. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.
5. Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14x8 inch rectangle. Pour the sugared blueberries on top and gently spread them to cover the dough surface. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 11 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan. I used a pie dish, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 2-3 hours. Here is what I do: heat the oven to 200F degrees. Turn oven off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise. *Do not* refrigerate the rolls at any point during or after rising.
6. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. I covered the rolls with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to avoid heavy browning.
7. Make the glaze: Right before serving, top your blueberry rolls with glaze. Mix all of the glaze ingredients together. If you prefer a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar and then add salt to cut the sweetness, if desired. If you'd like it thinner, add more lemon juice or cream. Pour over sweet rolls.
8. Makes 11 cinnamon rolls. Rolls are best enjoyed the same day, but stay fresh and soft in a covered container for 5 days. Glaze the rolls immediately before serving. The recipe may be made the night before through step 5. Allow the rolls to stay at room temperature before baking.

Overnight instructions: The dough may be made the night before through step 5. Allow the rolls to rise at room temperature for 12 hours. If they rise *too* much overnight, gently press them down a bit before baking the next morning.
*If you replace Red Star Platinum with regular active dry yeast, you rise time may be 50% longer.
*You must use frozen (not fresh) blueberries in this recipe.
*Leave out the lemon juice if you do not prefer lemon glaze. Replace with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

These were seriously amazing! I found the recipe on pinterest (God I love that site!!) and it sent me to here : http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/06/14/blueberry-sweet-rolls-with-lemon-glaze/
I 110% recommend these to everybody! haha I'm 98 3/4 % sure everybody will love them! My family sure did! They were gone within a couple of hours. 

And then there was this one for Pirogi casserole. I made this for a pot luck at work and it was a hit as well :) 
Here's the recipe (also found on pinterest lol) 

Ingredients

• • 9 lasagne noodles, uncooked
  • 4 cup hot mashed potatoes
  • 1/2 cup (1/2 of 250g tub) Philadelphia Herb & Garlic cream cheese spread
  • 6 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 pkg. (80 g) Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Recipe Pieces, divided
  • 2 cup Kraft Double Cheddar shredded cheese, divided
  • 
    

Cook Time30 min.

Prep Time30 min.

Yields12 serv.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Cook noodles as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, combine mashed potatoes, cream cheese spread, onions, 1/2 cup bacon and 1 cup Cheddar.
3. Place 3 noodles in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; cover with 1/3 of the potato mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining bacon and Cheddar; cover.
4. Bake 30 min. or until heated through. Uncover; bake 3 to 5 min. or until Cheddar is lightly browned. Let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.
5. Kraft Kitchens Tip: For a change of pace, substitute cottage cheese for the mashed potatoes.

you can find the recipe here if you want to see pictures :) http://realwomen.phillycanada.com/recipes/542663/Easy-Pierogi-Casserole

definitely use the noodles that have to be cooked first though. I was running low on time so I didn't and while it was still great, it just wasn't up to par. Trying again soon the right way!!

Oh, and I found an addiction to alfredo this winter, so I found this recipe for an Easy Alfredo Sauce (mmm mmm mmm!) but I don't know where I found it to link back to, sorry :(

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 oz grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions
Melt butter in a medium, non stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly. Thin with milk if cooked too long. toss with hot pasta to serve. 


I ordered new glasses last week online from Zenni Optical. Finally got the nerd glasses I've been wanting for ages and they make me look a bit ridiculous haha but thats ok. I'll just use them for bumming around in so I don't break my better looking ones (again) ((leson learned.. don't fall asleep and roll onto your glasses. That usually causes them to break.. oops!))


Alright, I've done enough procrastinating for tonight. Off to do housework ! D:
xo Lisa

passwords....

Don't forget them like I do lol.
I signed out of blogger on my crap top intending to sign back in on my better laptop and I couldn't remember the password. Oops!! But I have it wrote down somewhere safe now, so this shouldn't happen again :)
I don't know about you all, but boy was that a long winter!! I have never been so glad to see the spring haha so much snow!! And so cold too :(
But on a good note, as far as we know my father is in remission :) even though we had a pretty big fight yesterday and im currently crashing at my friends apartment until tonight haha it means I get my daddy for a while longer and that os great news :D
This year, I will again be heading to Halifax, NS to walk in the IWK Walk for Miracles :) my fundraising goal this year is a go big or go home, yet easily achievable $500. But I need everybody's help to reach it!  If you would like to donate to this great cause you can do so at https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2365954
I think the link will work, I hope it does lol
100% of , monies rasied goes directly to the iwk hospital to help purchase life saving equipment :)
And now I am off to go get ready for work. Later lovies!
Xo Lisa