mmmmm...shortbreads

So, my friend Holly asked if I would share "my" shortbread recipe (hee hee..it's not really "mine"!!) and blog about it.

I oblige.. (in a hillbilly kind of way)

Put the butter in your mixer.
A whole pound.
(I can feel my hips growing as I write)

WHIP IT.
(I said whip it, whip it!) A LOT. Like, go and fold some laundry, check your facebook, pay some bills, call a friend kind of whip it.
(It needs to go from yellow to white)

Oh yeah. Preheat your oven. 325* (on mine)
Add in your cornstarch and icing sugar. And a pinch of salt. Mix those yummy dry ingredients in...
Mix in your flour one cup at a time. (That would make 3 times for anyone that isn't so great at math). Don't forget your vanilla.
Now, if you are spoiled blessed like I am, than take out your Wolfgang Puck Cookie Press. (If you aren't than you will need some kind of spoons or something). Put them evenly onto your cookie sheets.
Huh? Oh. Don't forget about tonights' supper. You might be very hungry while cooking the shortbreads--especially if you aren't allowed to eat them!!!
Put them in the oven. I'd say 12-15 minutes. But watch them. If they start to brown--get them out!!! They burn very easy!!
Watch out. They are very slippery. (don't let your child eat them off the floor either...unless of course they get to them before you do)
Pack them all up and give them away to your friends. (or eat them...but I guarantee one won't suffice, so you might be 'paying' for it come January --when you need new clothes and a treadmill!)


Whipped Shortbreads

1 pound butter

1 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

pinch salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Happy Halloween

Would you like fries with that?

For those who know me well, you will know that I don't handle mess very well. I can do dirt okay. But mess? Sends me over the top. I literally have a very hard time functioning in it. Stems back to somewhere in my lineage. (seriously!) That, coupled with a neat-freak mom, leads to a tad whacko ME!!

If I think back to my (really good!) childhood I can remember a very clean house. I remember Saturday mornings being allotted for cleaning and baking. I remember the living room being the "good" room that no one played in.

I also remember being the only kid to bring in super cool chocolates on a stick that my mom made!

I remember trading my homemade butter tarts for oreos. because everyone wanted my moms butter tarts.

I remember homemade 'professionally' decorated birthday cakes.

I remember swimming parties for my whole class with lots of homemade food.

And this is what I want my kids to remember. (among many things!!)

Yes, their mom was a tad neurotic.

And that: even

though her kitchen being like this hurt her head.

That having her kids bring in these for the funfair:

(cupcake hamburgers & blueberry muffins)

it was all worth it!!

We've been....

basking in HIS warmth.

CANADA eh??

(Did I mention mens AND womens hockey won GOLD!!!!!!!!!)---Oh wait, I've just started.

Most of you know that we have just finished the 2010 olympics. In CANADA.

It has been posted and played practically everywhere, 24 hours of the day for the past 17 days. It would be hard not to notice.

For those 'die-hard' fans like myself, having the Olympic games hosted in my very own country was license to put my entire life on hold for 17 days.

Seriously.

There were day-long t.v. marathons followed by keep-your-eyes-open-with-toothpicks- (because it's 1:00 AM and you haven't been to bed before midnight in 12 nights and there are 5 nights to go).

I had bouts of depression followed by moments of joy.

I woke up my children by screaming at the t.v.

Oh yeah. I'm one of those.

And I enjoyed every.last.minute.

Having the games in Canada was exhilarating. The apparel for the games was for sale before Christmas, and by the time the games began, many of the stores were sold out. One day, while I was talking to my wonderful sister-in-law, I mentioned how I had been wearing "Canadian apparel" for years. She agreed.

I don't purchase clothes often. Actually, very, very seldom. In most cases my "new" clothes come on Christmas morning via my beloved husband.

There is one clause in that statement though.

I am a sucka for "Canada" wear.

And so, I give you, as many pictures as I can find, of me in my favourite clothing option!!

Look close. It DOES say Canada.

That is a "C". Promise. Oh how I miss this sweater.

Click to enlarge. Canada AGAIN!!

I'm the one in the middle beside the guy with the funky blue shirt.

That's me with the "Canada" shirt on.

Once again.

Even my kids are affected!!

Okay, so this one isn't quite as noticeable. That little white ring on my shorts is a symbol with a flag. The butt says...."Canada" (stumped ya eh?)

It's a sickness. I know. But I feel super blessed to live in a FREE COUNTRY: full of love, respect, friends and family.

I love you Canada!!!

and again...

You will all be quite bored by the end of all of these renovations. (or already are!!) We live, eat, sleep and breathe them right now, so you can imagine there is little else going on around here.

We purchased this house brand new almost 5 years ago. It is definitely a cookie cutter house, with builder supplied, basic, purchase-the-package-this-is-what-you-get kind of house. But we love it. Slowly, we have begun to make it our "home".

Those of you who have "built" a house, whether cookie cutter or custom, you know there are tons of little things you don't notice because of the wide arrange of decisions you need to make. There are some things that just slip through the cracks.

In our case, one of the things was our front entrance light.

Once we noticed what we were allotted with, we laughed until we cried. We thought it very funny that a company would build a brand new home and give it this itty bitty tiny light when you first walk in.

If you look very close. (click on pic) Take a peak at how ridiculous it actually is.

So, after 5 years of laughing and saying "we really need to change that thing". We did it.

And, obviously, our families motto is "Go big, or go home"!!

and it continues....

We are in full fledge renovation mode now. Yuck. You can imagine, as an organizing junkie and perfectionist freak, this stage does not sit well with me. To be honest, I don't even mind the dirt. I can handle that. Having 3 smaller children, you have to be able to handle dirt. (We all know that as soon as you wash the kitchen floor, someone spills orange juice.)

The disarray and chaos though...I am having a very difficult time with.

Like...the fact that my living room furniture is squeezed into my kitchen.

Or that my closet buckets and linen supplies are smushed up into the top of Aliahs closet.

That the rest of my closet contents lay strewn amongst my sheets and a pile of tools and who-knows-what-else!

That I have no railings going down and dirty plywood steps.

(He looks as about impressed as I am!!)

I wish it didn't bother me so much. I mean, I WAS the one asking for a change. And, in the end, it is going to be really.very.great! But now, while we live through it, I am having a ridiculously hard time.
Silly. I know.
One very late night this week, as my husband worked away at all the little, essential jobs, I aimlessly walked around wondering what I could do. I hate that feeling. I didn't know where to start, didn't have CONTROL of anything. (I have issues people, issues!!) So...I decided I would christen our subfloors.

When the kids woke up the next morning, and stood around reading all the magic marker scribbled across the entire floors, inquiring "why on earth would you colour all over the floor mom? " and " what does that say mom? What does persevere mean?"

my 2yo spoke up...
"Bad momma. Bad. Paper onwy. No cowor on fwoor. Paper onwy."

oh...we're here.

We've basically been doing just about anything you can think of.

Except blogging.

We've been ripping up carpet.

(THANK YA JESUS!!)

And cleaning REALLY. DIRTY. tops-of-cupboards.

Eew. Grosse.

Dealing with messy, disorganized closets.

And taking joy in the little things.

Like my favourite 2yo and 3 yo.

And brand new gifted appliances!!

And all the people that fill our lives with love.

Could someone please tell my first born to come home from Grandmas so I can get a picture of her?????!!!

So, that's how 2010 has been shaping up with us.

Stay tuned for "after" pictures of all the hard work we have been doing.

What's new with you??