Lamppostings

Finding and creating adventures in everyday life.

Monthly Archives: October 2011


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Thankful Thursday – October 27, 2011

It’s been a bit of a rough day. Nothing earth shattering, but enough to mess up my plans & throw me off my game. The joys of modern conveniences, when something goes wrong, we realise how much we rely on them.

Today I am thankful for these modern marvels. They work most of the time & make life so easy in so many ways. Vehicles, computers, cell phones, the interwebs. When used with wisdom, they make my life better, give me more time for things that really matter & help me build relationships with people near & far.

And then, there’s Autumn & these fellas, more thankful than I can possibly express…


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Tasty Tuesday – Crescent Rolls & Acorns

Just a couple of tasty treats to share with you today.

First is a homemade chicken salad wrapped in crescent rolls. They were quite tasty – Colin & the boys really liked them. Let’s face it, you can pretty much wrap anything in a crescent roll, bake it & it’s going to be fabulous! I saw the recipe on Pinterest, you can find it here.

My second fun treat, I also saw on Pinterest. It looked so easy & super fun. I actually combined two similar recipes – they are here & here. They were super easy to make, tasted good (chocolate & nilla wafers – what’s not to love?), and were so fun to look at. I used writing icing to attach the chocolate to the wafers, though next time I’ll probably just use frosting or nutella instead.

What tasty treats have you been making lately?


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Make It Monday – Light Edition

Didn’t get up to too much crafting this week. My house is much more conducive to creativity now though so hopefully the week ahead will yield lots of pretty, fun things.

I whipped up a pair of earrings & created an artist trading card. I’ve also been finalizing what I’ll be making for Christmas presents, but most of those things I won’t be able to share until after the holidays. I spent some time a couple of weeks ago cleaning out my craft supply area – it happens to be in the garage as we don’t have space for it in the house. It was so good to sort through stuff & figure out what I have & what I need. It’s so much easier for me to be creative when I’m also organised.

Here’s my earrings…

…and my artist trading card.

What are you creating lately?


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Secondhand Sunday – Merry Mushrooms

A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend the day with my Mom. It was a lovely birthday present. We went to some thrift & vintage stores – one of my favourite things to do. We also had a yummy lunch. We both found some gems, but my favourite find was a set of Merry Mushroom dishes from Sears Roebuck & Co from 1977 & 1978. It’s actually two sets & neither is complete, but there are enough of both to make a set. It was only $8! So much fun.

I love the 70s feel & design on these dishes. Truly a great find for me. I’m excited to have a fun Fall Tea Party using these dishes.


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Fashion on Friday – October 21, 2011

Well, the world didn’t end, again. At least not yet. New Zealand made it through, so I think we might be ok. Though, to be honest, the end of the world sometimes doesn’t seem like such a bad thing when you think about what’s waiting for us. But that’s a topic for another time.

Today it’s all about fashion. Here’s a round-up of recently worn outfits. I gotta say, I’m not really feeling it lately. I need to get back into my groove.

Shrug: Torrid
Dress: Old Navy
Leggings: Target
Shoes: Torrid
Brooch: Vintage

Cardigan: Walmart
Jeans: Ross
Shoes: Ross
Necklace: DIY – beads, ribbon, & two vintage clip on earrings

Shirt: Walmart
Vest: Old Navy
Skirt: Alloy
Shoes: Target
Earrings: ?


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Words on Wednesday – I Yam What I Yam

I Yam What I Yam!

There I go quoting Popeye again. Actually, that’s a first for me. I admire Popeye’s self-acceptance. I wish I was more like Popeye. I do love spinach!

If I ever thought that competition, comparison & feelings of inadequacy would end as I got older, I have long since been disappointed. I look at my boys & my heart is already breaking a bit for the things that I know that they will have to go through as they are in more & more social situations. Not only is it part of growing up, it’s a part of life. There are different pressures, different things that we feel like we have to live up to, but it never really stops.

Which  brings me to where I am at the moment. I’m in this precarious place where I am feeling more comfortable in my skin, in my position, in my place while at the same time wanting to change, to grow – to be better. It’s a constant tug of war – the pull of more, bigger (or smaller), nicer & newer. Sometimes I look around my house & despair – it’s never completely tidy or clean, it often feels too small, I long for just one more room. Then I take a moment, look again & I see the many books that my boys are enjoying & learning to read, the two or three craft projects that are in process on the dining room table, the cushions off the sofa that moments ago were a fort that Jude was hiding in. Our house is a reflection of who we are & what stage of life we are in. Sure, I could do a bit better about tidying up & cleaning – it’s something that I struggle with, but as clean & tidy as our house can be, there will be lots of books, craft supplies & kid stuff around.

I feel the same way personally. There are times when I long for more, to be able to devote more time to developing me. To go back to school, to be working for a non-profit, to do more volunteering. But my life is a reflection of the stage that I am at. I am blessed to be a stay at home Mom & for me, it’s an honour & a responsibility. At my last birthday party, my husband, Colin, prayed for our food & prayed for me at the same time. I hid it well, but I was in tears when he finished. He prayed for me to know that I was in the right place, doing the right thing at this stage of my life.  Things change, they change fast. The boys are growing up, & my role with them will evolve. My time commitments will change too. I imagine at some point, I will have time to devote to more things outside my family. I wonder what that will look like.

Right now though, I am here. I am what I am. I don’t believe that I should put everything on hold while I stay at home with the boys. That’s not what I want them to see and learn. I want them to see me learning, doing, serving, but I also want them to feel my devotion to them.

I think this applies to whatever situation you find yourself in. Whether you are a working parent, a single person, waiting to have children – know what you are called to be right now & be present, be who you are supposed to be. Change happens, it’s constant, so what you are supposed to be will evolve. This too shall pass. Enjoy the good times & learn through the tough times. I’m enjoying & learning a lot these days.


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Tasty Tuesday – October 12-18, 2011

It’s Tasty Tuesday! Here’s a round-up of new recipes I tried this week.

OK, so I’ve never made rice krispy treats. How did this happen? The situation was rectified this week though. Jude & I made the treats & they were good. Super simple recipe:

Rice Krispy Treats

5 c. Rice Krispies
1/4 c. butter
7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

Melt butter in 3 quart saucepan. Add marshmallow creme and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until marshmallow creme and butter are well blended. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies and stir until well coated with mixture.
Press warm marshmallow treat mixture lightly into a buttered 13 x 9 inch pan. Cut into squares when cool. Yield 24 (2 inch) squares.

We added some Fall/Halloween sprinkles & used mini muffin tins to form the treats. So easy & so yummy! This definitely won’t be the last time we make these.

I’m a big fan of Sausage Balls so when I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try. The addition of cream cheese? Genius!

I was also looking for something quick & easy that the boys would enjoy. I found this recipe on a packet of crescent rolls. I am so excited that Safeway is carrying nitrate-free hot dogs now – they taste great.

Crescent Roll Hot Dogs

INGREDIENTS:

8 hot dogs
4 slices (3/4 oz each) American cheese, each cut into 6 strips
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375°F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.
Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.
Bake at 375°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I used grated cheese & it worked great.

Finally, I made a crustless quiche for breakfast today. Actually, it will be breakfast for the rest of the week! Again, an easy recipe with lots of options.

quick quiche

4 oz light cream cheese, softened
8 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cooked bacon
1 cup frozen broccoli, chopped (thawed and squeeze out excess moisture)
10 oz frozen spinach, chopped (thawed and squeeze out excess moisture)
5 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups cheese of your choice

blend cream cheese, eggs and milk together well (there will still be some chunks of cream cheese) stir in remaining ingredients. pout into two greased quiche or pie pans. bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

I basically had none of those ingredients on hand so I used spinach & ham. Turned out great!


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Make It Monday – Mason Jar Sewing Kit

I’m starting several new series here on Be Your Own Adventure. One of them is Make it Monday. Whether it’s a DIY project I find on Pinterest or something creative I come up with myself, I’ll be sharing a few of the things that I am up to lately. Of course, with Christmas only 10 weeks away, I won’t be able to share everything that I am working on.

This week I finally got around to making a mason jar sewing kit. I’ve been in need of a pin cushion for ages, but didn’t want to buy one, I wanted to make one for myself. I came across the mason jar sewing kit idea on Pinterest & thought it looked pretty simple & of course, I love jars! The extra storage space is a big plus too.

I tried the Marth Stewart tutorial twice, I couldn’t get it to work either time. The lid wouldn’t fit on. I was ready to give up & said so to Jude (my four year old). He promptly told me I couldn’t give up. Nothing would do then but to look for another tutorial. I found this one, and it worked!

Take a gander…

And just an FYI, hot glue is very hot & will give you a blister! Drat.


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For the Love of the Foods of Fall

As the weather cools, my desire to actually cook is re-emerging. It’s nice. I feel healthier in the Fall & Winter as I tend to take more care in cooking. I made two recipes recently that I found on Pinterest. My love of Pinterest is well-documented. I even got my Mom hooked up to Pinterest last night.

I made Hasselback potatoes a couple of weeks ago & they were so good! Took way longer to cook than the recipe said, but well worth the wait.

Hasselback Potato

I also made slow cooker beef stew for dinner tonight. Super simple recipe & so very good. Beef stew is one of my favourites & this recipe did not disappoint. The wine added some lovely depth to the flavour. It meant opening a bottle of wine at 9 am, but never fear, I didn’t spend the day relaxing with a glass in hand.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I am working on several changes to my blog, but thought I needed to keep posting despite my tech-savvy slowness.