What's on the plate tonight!

Mmmm.. Thought I would share what we are having for dinner tonight. It's yummy, has a fast prep and can be changed up by using different veggies.

Pork chops with mushroom sauce and veggies over Jasmine rice

2lbs boneless pork chops
1/2 chopped yellow onion
3 stalks sliced celery
2 cloves garlic
1 medium green pepper chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 can mushroom soup (I use low sodium for Babybee)
1/2 cup water, chicken broth or milk

Saute onions and celery in a deep pan with olive oil for about 2 minutes, reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms, garlic and green peppers. Cook until mushrooms are slightly golden and set aside in small bowl. Using the same pan brown the pork chops on both sides and season with white pepper. Once browned, continue to cook for 5 minutes, flipping once half way through. Add cooked veggies and mushroom soup and 1/2 liquid of choice. Thoroughly blend soup with liquid then cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Serve hot over rice, potatoes or your favorite pasta! Mix things up by alternating the veggies and type of cream soup used:)

Yes, got the Cricut AND a photo printer!!!! Uh-oh:)

After one night's use I was warned that I needed new colour ink for the printer, and believe it or not I haven't even tried the Cricut yet :( I cannot wait to start babybee's scrapbook, or the family scrapbook/photo album.... I went NUTS with photos of babybee:) I have been amped to finally have memories of her in actual print instead of bytes on the computer! Wow, I realized I need more frames now, too:)

She's got 12 teeth now, and has been *challenging* lately! She really has no understanding of the word "no" or "please do not touch that" or "that is not yours, please put it back". It's hard to teach her these things when she is only 15 months old, but big enough to climb onto the furniture and reach all the things she should otherwise not be able to! I am fairly certain she also grew another inch :S YIKES!

I will get organized and get my recipes up, and photos, and crafty stuff too. It's been really hard to get the time for those sorts of things. Too many hours at work and not enough time at home! Wish I could stay home, but without the fob I wouldn't be able to buy paper and cricut cartridges, LOL:)

I bought a Cricut:)

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Babybee's allergic reaction

I can't believe I forgot to post about Babybee having a latent reaction to the penicillin!! I had already stopped dosing, when I realized she had no more symptoms of an ear infection, and she had been off of it for 2 whole days, when she developed a rash and fever. I thought she was reacting to pineapple, which is new to her (she hated it when I gave it to her around 11 months). I decided after 2 days of fevers that I would take her to the walk in clinic to be sure that she didn't have meningitis (common after infections and such). The doctor (who I thought was Ben Stiller at first; he really, really looked like him) said it was likely the penicillin and that sometimes the reaction takes several days to occur. Hmmmmmmm..... odd that she has an allergy to it considering I took it for almost 4 years straight as a kid/young teen. No record of it in my family either:S Anyways, all is well now and she is doing great, just teething again.

The work week!

So, I did in fact do fabulous at work this week. And the machines haven't been so clean in over a year! They cannot tell me that the operator cannot find time to clean them. I mean, we are talking about equipment that is worth several hundred thousands of dollars. At the VERY least the moving parts should be cleaned and lubricated every week (though I did so every day). I did have to do things in small increments because you cannot do everything at once because the valves and cylinders would go into overdrive (best word I could think of right now), and that would cause other issues.

It was certainly the first time I have been happy since returning in December. I am not looking forward to going back to powder prep, but hopefully now that I have more than proven myself, and proven that fact that I know the machines inside out and backwards with my eyes closed, they will realize they need to give me my job back. I haven't run the machines in almost 1 1/2 years, and the only hiccup was getting the computers up and running on the first morning. Otherwise, all the change-overs went smoothly and I had no issues with the new daily order system.

On a great note, I got 3 hours of OT too! I am going to use the extra cash to treat myself to a full hour massage just before my vacation on the May long:)

The day today!

So, all in all it wasn't too bad. Was a bit bored at work, but managed to keep myself busy enough that no hair pulling was required. We'll have to see about tomorrow;) Turns out that they want me to run some machines next week while the other operator is on holidays. The same job which they unjustly yanked from me because I was on mat leave and they did not think it fair to move the incompetent person who was only supposed to take over until I got back!!! No, not fair, and yes quite illegal, but I was too tired to argue. Not to mention, family comes first and that includes bringing home the bacon regardless of being treated improperly. Sooooo, I am going to prove just how big a mistake they made by running circles around said workers average numbers and quality:)

Baby is doing well. Still grumpy mind you, but she has moments of joy while playing. The poor girl's other ear still hasn't drained:( If it isn't better in 2 days, I will get some ear drops for her. No side effects from the penicillin either. Boy is she cute:) Daddy got a video of her "sweeping" the kitchen floor today. It was great, and made me realize that I need to clear the kitchen counters a bit more. (she almost knocked a few things down)

I am hoping to get some crafty stuff done this weekend, though I don't have high hopes on that. I was supposed to have 8 hours to myself on the weekend, but as usual, I got hosed on that. (while daddybee got to do 27 holes of golf, and visit his buddy's). Hmmmm, something is wrong with this picture. Pretty soon, babybee will be a bit more capable of entertaining herself. Bubbles on the patio should be a big hit while I craft at the kitchen table:) Need to get the garden planted too. It's really important to me to teach baby early, that growing food is fun and healthy!

Guess I should go put the rest of the laundry in the dryer, finish the dishes, pack babybee's daycare bag and get her refridgerated stuff ready for tomorrow. Then to bed early for me. DaddyBee stayed home with the little monkey today to be on the safe side (in case of a fever) and went to work late this afternoon. Should be home around 11pm, but I hope I am sound asleep by then! Fingers crossed on that one.

YAY~~~ and not so yay:(

Claire created a new blog for us, to show off our crafts and sell them! Finally, because they are stockpiling and the hubby's are not too happy about it (at least they shouldn't be:)). Hopefully this works right...

http://jlbandcrw.blogspot.com/

And now the bad news. Babybee has her first ear infection. I say first because given my history, it is bound to be a repeat offender! She spiked a fever in minutes and when I got home from work yesterday I knew exactly what was going on. So I quickly showered (started with a bath for Babybee and I) then DaddyBee called the doctor, who wasn't in bc she was delivering a baby, so off to the walk-in. The doctor on hand.... the one who gave us the good news 2 years ago that we would be parents!!:) He is sooooo great! So Babybee is on amoxil and tylenol and advil:( No side effects so far. I hope for a quick recovery for the little bee.

Painting easter eggs!!

Yup, like I said, we painted easter eggs. I wasn't sure if Babybee would understand, but she took to it like nothing:) She made a beautiful multi-scribbled egg that will be breakfast tomorrow morning. I hope to get some pictures up very soon. This blog needs photos, desperately!

Babybee's pain:(

As a Mommy, my first concern is baby's well being. The past couple of weeks have been tough. She started teething, and then it seemed to subside, but it is back full-throttle! Stupid, stupid, stupid molars!!!! She seems to be in constant pain, and the teething tablets only work for so long before she is crying again:( last Tuesday she got her shots, too. That was a hard one for us both, her especially. I have never heard her cry like that before. There was real pain in her voice, and she looked at me with tear-filled eyes... eyes that asked, "Why are you hurting me Mommy?" Yes, I cried. A lot! My poor little darling, sweet baby, I am sorry. I held her close, sang and rocked her as much as I could while the nurse gave her 4 needles, in the arms. I am fairly certain I kept saying sorry to her as well.

On a happy note, she made all of the nurses giggle after. She ran room to room, making "scary" noises and playing in every toy bin:)

I also noticed her first freckle!!!! And today, when I came home from work, DaddyBee showed me her new thing!! If you give her a tube of lotion, she will open the cap, close the cap and rub her hands together!! How friggin' cute is THAT?! What a doll:)

It's been a while!

Oh, so little time and so little sleep, yet still soooo much to do:( BabyBee is teething, or so I think, and she has been awake all night for 7 of the past 9 nights. I am burning the candle at both ends, and still working a full 40 hrs a week. Something has to give. Good news is that spring is here, and hopefully I can get some raised plant beds and soil in by April 3rd. Ah yes, more to do. Still need to replace the sliding doors in the dining room so that I can grow some tomatoes, stawberries, peppers and herbs on the deck. Thinking of doing vertical planters for those.

I haven't had any time to do crafting at all, and I have a mountain of beautiful paper staring at me in the face. Thought of a wonderful project to launch on etsy.com, but still need to talk to DaddyBee about minding Babybee for a whole day on the weekend to start it. I searched the net high and low, and no one else seems to be doing it yet, so fingers crossed my imagination may actually pay off. My ultimate goal is to do it full time, but that may be a while yet:S Any ideas for a catchy etsy name would be helpful.

Really need to work on my niece's birthday gift, almost done, but not quite there yet. Still have to do a very vigorous and thorough spring cleaning. That's a scary thought.

Babybee has her 1 yr shots on the 23rd. Yes, it's late, but not overly so. 2 months to the day, actually:( What a way to celebrate a "birthday", huh!? I sure hope she doesn't react badly to them. I can't remember if it's 3 or 4 needles this time. DaddyBee conveniently scheduled them so that he didn't have to do it. Can't blame him too much, I cry every time, like a whiny little girl. I hate seeing my little banana bug in pain. yes, that's the new nickname, though I avoid saying it around her bc she looks everywhere for bananas!!!! And since we ran out 2 days ago, I don't want to get her started.

Our bedroom is almost a cozy little den now. I want to replace the blinds with some fun and bright curtains, since the walls are all a latte colour:( Not my choice, and not much to do about it when you are a renter. Good luck buying here though....

Well, off i go. I hope to get some pics of the niece's fairy wands and presents. Sis probably won't have time to do the elaborate cupcakes she wanted, but I may have a trick or two up my sleeve to surprise her too. (her b-day is the 23rd)

GREAT stuff for kids!

I found this http://thesnailstrail.blogspot.com/ as I was looking through another blog. There are so many wonderful people out there sharing great learning tips for parents. Education starts at home, so why not make it fun for everyone!!? :)

My niece's birthday:)

So, my sis www.mooseintoque.blogspot.com is having a fairy themed birthday for her daughter's 5th birthday, and is doing fairy-cakes (cupcakes). Soooo, cute:) We rambled on and on about them today and I came up with an idea to turn cupcakes into lotus flowers using fondant and shimmer powders, and have the fairies sitting inside the flowers on top of the cupcakes. I hope my sis will go for it;) I would love to try my hand at flower forming, and the lotus would be a simple one to start with! I would love to see the look on M~calf's face when she realizes she gets to eat what looks like a real flower!!! Is it sad that I am already thinking of what I can do for Babybee's 2nd birthday? LOL

I also discovered that you can make fondant by simply melting marshmallows and blending them with powdered sugar and flavoring or colouring paste. I would think that it would dry out quicker, but a little shortening should prevent that. Would be fun to try out, and even less expensive than buying fondant pre-made. At least for practicing;)

I also bought the purple and pink candy melts for the fairy wands. Those will be a blast to make! I also entered a contest hosted by http://www.makeandtakes.com/ to win some fairy wings:O Girls really are a lot of fun!!

Tooth #7

Yup, it's finally here and Babybee seems to be happier. She's been eating like she's 10 lately, but today she finally decided to slow down. GOOD! I could do without another growth spurt for a couple of months. She has outgrown almost all of the new sleepers that she got 1 month ago!! and they are 24 month!! Thankfully it will be warming up soon, and won't need to worry about jammies:)

Glad it's the weekend. Going to take Babybee to the energy plex tomorrow and let her jump and leap at her leisure, lol. I hope she sleeps in tomorrow, because 4 hours a night isn't cutting it for me lately. I don't know how I function most days. Good thing Tim gets to sleep until 7 or so each morning. Babybee only occasionally gets up before 6:30, so at least I may get an extra 1.5 hours than normal!

Made the mistake of going to Michaels :)

Yup, and spent very little considering.... Got Babybee some very pretty daisy garland to hang paper lanterns from. And some BIG cardboard butterflies to get crafty with (she stole them from me as soon as she saw them, ran into a corner and tried to hide the fact that she had them, so cute). Some MORE paper. Yes, it is an addiction, but fuck off and leave me alone about it!! Especially when it was originally 24.99, on sale for 9.99 and I got another 20% off my entire purchase!! Glue sticks, scissors, baby yarn (1.49 each for good stuff). Still have to buy a star mold sheet for my niece's birthday. I am making her some candy fairy wands. Not the easiest thing to find.. but I keep looking. Need to finish her wooden butterfly magnets. She spotted them yesterday and has been "searching" for them ever since. She squealed and giggled and vibrated when she saw them. It was a far better reaction than I could ever have anticipated:)

OMG you have to try this!!!!

Okay, I was VERY skeptical on this one, but tried it anyways. Boy am I glad I did!! I did make a couple of changes bc I thought they made sense:)

Microwave "cup" cake

Use a wide shallow mug for best results

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons cake flour (or bread flour)
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
pinch salt
1 Egg (optional, if omitted add 1 tbsp. more milk)
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tablespoons pure canola oil

Mix dry ingredients (I even sifted mine) in mug. Add wet ingredients. Mix well. I added 3 frozen truffles to make it a LAVA "cup" cake. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. It will puff up a lot, but don't stop the cooking! Cool slightly on a rack (or window sill like I did to hurry it up! LOL) I even made a cream cheese frosting in a jiff as well:

1 tsp. cream cheese
1 tsp. milk or cream
3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Blend well, pour over warmish cake:) YUMMY!!!

Please feel free to hate on me for giving you all a reason to enjoy warm cake any time. I can't wait to try this with Babybee when she's bigger (big ass grin here!) Mmmm.... next time I will try it with vanilla ice-cream on top. Then after that some hot fudge, then after that caramel sauce, then after that mint chocolate chips, then after that mini cream eggs, then after that rocky road, then after that.... you get the idea.