My Flog for February 17 - And A Whole Lotta Nuttin'

I know you'll all feel bad for me when I tell you I had to go to work today. After all, I only get 4 days off a week, and to have to take one of these days and spend it working was absolutely horrid. But I did. Up so early, and, unlike the muffin you will read about shortly, I was risen but not shining. Before I went to work, I made some Bisquick tea buns (I should say I burned the bottom of some Bisquick tea buns,) and cleaned Kitty's litter box. Then it was off to the Sky Train station.h

Work wasn't too busy, so we sort of slacked off. I still looked at it as my day off, just that I had to spend it at the store and get paid for being there. My manager called in the afternoon and said she was just sitting around all day doing nothing, and I said, 'Yeah, I'm not doing much either." She just laughed. She probably thought I was kidding. I wasn't. However, before she left yesterday, sick as a dog and feeling like she was dying, she forgot (or didn't care about) her bike locked up in the alley beside the store. Which wasn't a really big deal,
until a guy from the set of Once Upon A Time came in, and said it was in the way of the film crew, as that was where the next scenes were going to be shot. The guy offered to drive up and get her key, unlock her bike and bring it either back to her house, or into the store. She wasn't fussy about giving a stranger the key to her lock, so I said I would come up with him and get her key and take the bike inside the store, and she was okay with that.

It was only after, I realized that though she didn't trust her bike key with a stranger, she didn't mind me riding in his car to get the key. Guess she's got her priorities straight. Oh well, it's all for the cause, and who knows, maybe I'll get my name in the credits if there is a Bike Mover category.

It wasn't a very busy day customer-wise either. Another guy came in and asked if we had boxes of popsicle sticks. I said no, but we had packs of them. He asked how many were in a pack.

I answered, "Enough that you'd say 'Oh Crap' if you dropped them on the floor."

By the way, there were 150 and they cost $1.49. Less than 1 cent each. Just in case you're interested. Which you probably aren't.

The only other interesting thing from today was the van parked across the road.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Some kind of soup from Steveston Bakery, I have no idea what it was, but it was really good. I think it may have had cauliflower in it, no, come to think of it, it was corn something or other - I knew what it was when I ordered it, but now I really can't remember. Also a Rise and Shine Muffin. I like the sound of that one. I said to the cashier, "I've been risen and shining for hours, but I'd still like that muffin." And it was really good. I think it had carrot and raisins in it - so there you go, tons of veggies and fruit today.
• Dinner - KFC - Who the heck wants to cook at 7:30 on a Friday night? Not me. I don't believe anyone should have to work on Friday, anyway. I had to work today, and it sucked big time.
• Snacks - Orange Pop, Hot Chocolate, a little Bisquick tea bun, and a few crappy Sponge Bob Hallowe'en candy.

My Flog for February 16 + Did You Miss Me? Cos I'm Back Now....

I guess I could fill in yesterday's blanks. For Lunch, my buddy and I shared a foot-long Egg Salad Sub from Subway, and I also had a coffee and a Chocolate Chip cookie. For Dinner, I had Chicken Noodle Soup and a Yogurt from Tim Horton's. And Pauline and I each had a toasted English Muffin and Hot Chocolate (well, she had Tea, but then she's English, so what else would she have?) So even though I had freedom of choice and lots of places to choose from, I remained a good girl with the vision of a huge bathing suit looming in the near future.

I had two days of marvelous, actually. Went to Steveston to pick up my cheque, then did all the stuff I planned (see yesterday's half flog), plus walked for ages and ages,  and then went to the Gateway Theatre to see Theatre Newfoundland Labrador's production of Tempting Providence. It was fantastic, if you get the chance to see it, don't miss out. I've never seen a sheet transform into so many things - plus the acting was incredible, the story was wonderful. 

After the play, I went to Pauline's for a sleepover as planned, and I had a big bed all to myself - and a good night's sleep. I know Howard was here hugging my pillow, but that's okay. Tonight he can hug me - when I get around going to bed!

This morning, after (imagine this) a coffee served to me while I was still in bed, Pauline dropped me off at Shannon's and we spent the day together, lunched at a really nice cafe - soup, and CAKE - we shared a big ball of Carrot Cake and Chocolate Volcano Cake -

looks yummy, doesn't it now?

also very yummy

Even Dominik liked the chocolate cake! Yes, we did indeed share with the little guy...

- and thrift store shopped. I stayed long enough to see the boys after school, then transitted home. The only rotten part of the whole thing was getting the phone call to go to work tomorrow. Rats. But I said yes, because I'm dependable and you can count on me, yessiree. (Insert naughty word here.) 

• Breakfast - Scrambled Egg on Toast, Coffee - thanks to Pauline and her wonderful B&B!
• Lunch - Pea Soup, Mocha, and a few bites of yummy cakes - Carrot and Chocolate Volcano
• Dinner - Cheerios (back home again!)
• Snacks - 2 Hershey's chocolates, not the big ones, or even the Hallowe'en ones, but the ones that look like mini bars, only about 1 1/2 inches long. No room in them for calories.

I am thinking about going upstairs to make muffins. If I do, rest assured I will be doing a quality control test, because I have a rumbly tumbly, and who can sleep with a rumbly tumbly? It would probably even drown out Howard's snoring.

My Half Flog for February 15

• Breakfast - Toast, 1 pancake, and coffee - toast and coffee when I got up at 5:23 so I could grab the last of the early morning brew, and a pancake and coffee when I went upstairs at 6:45 to surprise the son and the grandkids with a pancake breakfast - and fresh  coffee. The surprisees were very happy, and Chris subtracted his way through a whopping 14 pieces of pancake.
• Lunch - debatable. I'm leaving the house at noon, so I'm not sure if I'll eat before I leave, which is very doubtful, or pick up a coffee and muffin at Timmys on the way, which is somewhat likely, or if I'll just wait until I get to Steveston, which is the most probable.
• Dinner - No idea. I know I'll be in Richmond, so I imagine I'll pick up something to eat somewhere.
• Snacks - ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

I know this flog is a bit strange, but I have an adventure booked for today. I'm going to Steveston to pick up my cheque (payday is a lot better that Valentines Day), and I'm going to meet my pal Marina for coffee and a possible something to eat. Then I'm going to bus uptown and get my Simply Knitting magazine from Indigo Spirit book store, and then I'm going to get my hairs cut. And finally - I'm going to meet Pauline and we are going to The Gateway Theatre to see this -
https://www.gatewaytheatre.com/whatsonm3.html
- and I am SO happy!

Now, after this, which I know will be wonderful, assuming I can still understand what is being said and maybe act as translator at times, I am going to Pauline's house for a sleepover. It will be too late for me to come home on bus/skytrain. I'm not that brave to be wandering around King George skytrain station late at night, as I could either be mistaken for a (what the kids call) a crackhead looking for a handout, or a hooker. And although I do crochet sometimes, I don't do it often enough to earn the title of hooker. But I am usually happy.

And back to normal tomorrow. And that's okay, because I love my normal too!

My Flog for February 14

I do believe this was Valentines Day, and Facebook confirms it. Kudoos to all the gals who got roses and chocolate. The closest thing I got to roses, was I rose out of bed at 5 o'clock this morning. And I bought myself a Hot Chocolate when I got to work. Actually, I didn't buy it, it was my buy 6 and get the 7th one free one, so that was a little gift, I would think.

Another gift for the day was a beautiful sunny blue-skied afternoon. Even though they are rare in February, just when you really really need one, one comes along.

Doing the commute thingie gives me lots of time to think, and sometimes that isn't a good thing. This evening on the way home, I pondered over the beginning of Sky Train. Just think of it. A few years (or more) ago, some guys (probably) sat down and talked about a really fast moving train, speeding overhead (at the King George Station, it's 51 steps up in the air, and Surrey Central, it's about twice that many,) and delivering hundreds -no thousands - of commuters to their jobs every day. A train that would take me, for example, from King George to 22nd Street Station in about 20 minutes. I have no idea how long it would take to drive a car (or truck) there, but I assume it would be way more that 20 minutes, as this train track has no stop lights -

Sky Train tracks in Burnaby - no pics from my route, unfortunately

.

- and its very own bridge over the Fraser River.

Now this bridge is narrow. Just wide enough for two trains to pass without scratching each other's paint. If you are on the river side, don't look downwards out the window, or you will see just how high the bridge is, and that may not be a good idea, especially if you're not too fussy about bridges. However, I can just imagine these guys planning all this out, the speed of the train, the narrowness of the bridge, the height of the track.

So one of them says, ``Well, I`ll build it, and you can drive it.``

And the other replies, ``No way am I driving it. Hey, let`s make it electric, and control it from a safe place somewhere, on solid ground. That would be way cool, just like the remote control dune buggy I got for my 10th birthday.`

And so the Sky Train was born. And now hundreds (or thousands) of people every day speed through the sky in a tin can with no driver.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee. 
• Lunch - Oh what a lunch. Let`s see. I started with an Orange, then progressed to a bit of Gingerbread Cake and a Pudding 
• Dinner - Cheeseburger, a Coke, and a few Fries. For some reason I was ravenous and my tummy still hurts. Wonder why.
• Snack - a Valentine Cupcake, thanks to Nikkie and her Valentine surprise for me

• 
  

My Flog for February 13

It's almost 9:30 pm, and I do have some more Stuff to do before bedtime, although I'd rather not. I finally finished a very long scarf for a customer who wants it tomorrow, but I don't think she'll be pleased with it, as it's a big narrower than she requested. Fingers crossed. Personally I think it's ugly, but she chose the colours, and there's only so much you can do with stripes and tassels.

It's been a long day, but one thing that's helping is the sun rising earlier in the mornings. I get to Richmond long after daylight happens now, so am not so apt to doze all the way in. In fact this morning, I started to read another bus book - which was crappy, so I won't waste my time reading any more of it. Value Village, here it comes. When I can get a driver to deliver my stash of unwantables, that is. Who knows, I may have an ugly scarf to donate also - if the gal decides she doesn't want it after all. (Reminder to self: DO NOT, and I mean, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT, take on any more customer knitting needs.)

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Salmon Sandwich -minus the bones, of course, it's horrible having big long salmon bones in your sandwich, and having them trying to escape down your throat before you can hawk them up - I hope Steve didn't get too many in his sandwich. Howard wouldn't take any chances, and just had a couple of salmon steaks - he'd rather take out his own bones, I suppose. Probably did a better job of it, too. And a Pudding (boneless, thank heavens.) And a Ginger Ale - the kind made with Real Ginger.
• Dinner - Salmon Cakes - just like Fish Cakes, only with Salmon, which as we all know, isn't really a fish, as North Atlantic Cod is the only real Fish. However, the Salmon Cakes, which Nikkie started and Steve finished, were a real treat. And a piece of Gingerbread.
• Snacks - Hot Chocolate (I had one yesterday, too and forgot to write it down. I'm usually very good at not forgetting. And an Orange.

My Flog for February 12

Back to work today, so of course I'm in a rotten mood, knowing there are 2 more days to go. In fact, if I were 4 years old, I would probably have looked like this

.... but since I'm a lot older than that, I had to pretend I was happy and glad to be helpful ... although, in retrospect, I may have scared away a few customers.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Cream of Corn Soup - spicy, as in burning lips and tongue, which sent me to the cafe for a San Pelligrino
• Dinner - Fried Salmon - so delicious, oven baked fries and onion rings, Lemon Pie - well, that's all gone now, thank heavens. A Lemon Pie has never lasted so long.
• Snacks - A piece of Lemon Loaf, and a Vanilla Pudding

My Flog for February 11

For the first time in my married life, when I crawled out of bed this morning after sleeping in until 5:45, mainly because I had to pee, but also because I figured I should put the coffee on, Howard decided to also get up to pee, THEN GO BACK TO BED. When I asked him how come he went back to bed, he said it was Saturday, and there was nothing to do.

When I think of the thousands of mornings I got up sooo early because he woke me up and started coffee - when I had nothing to do only enjoy a morning lie-in ... well, I'd rather not think about it.

Anyhow, I stayed up - and he got back up - and I resumed knitting the blasted scarf I need to have done by Tuesday. Only had it half done.

The morning turned into a big bag of fun, actually. I had two little artists taking turns, snacking and painting.

Lizzie doing her artistic impression of a rainbow ....

... while Chris enjoys his yogurt....

... and Chris doing a montage of his favourite things ...

... while Lizzie chows down on Gingerbread Cake.

Meanwhile, somebody else was not getting much knitting done. Hopefully we won't need to have a 24 hour marathon.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Bacon and Bean Soup - I found one lonely little baggie of it in the freezer while I was hunting meat for tonight's dinner. Didn't find anything suitable, but did find something yummy for tomorrow night
• Dinner - Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Coleslaw, and Tomato
• Snacks - one little bite of Gingerbread (it was really good) and one little bite of Pineapple Fruit Cake (not so good, although Howard appeared to like it, which is fine, as that means he can eat it all) - just two little bites of Quality Control, really, and tons of coffee, to the point where I am sloshing when I walk, most of an Orange, a bite of Banana - I share with Lizzie, she shares with me - and since I found the candy jar with the leftover Hallowe'en candies in it, three candies. Can't wait for next Hallowe'en, as the only candies left are the crappy ones - no chocolate ones at all.

Well, here are Lizzie (the youngest gal) and me (the oldest one) just sitting here at the kitchen table while she doesn't eat her grilled cheese sandwich. She's only been sitting her for the past hour or so, and I think she has probably two bites gone. And that would be two little teeny bites. 

Scarf knitting went really well today, but I got no walking in, which is probably for the best as my blasted knee is starting to hurt again. I sure hope it's just a temporary glitch in the old system, so maybe a few days of rest (at work) will help. 

My Flog for February 10 + Recipes for Pulled Pork and Terrific Coleslaw Dressing

My surprise for Howard's dinner didn't work out exactly had I planned it, as he decided to stay home from work today, so he spent all day smelling it cooking (which wasn't a bad thing, as it actually smelled really good.) I emailed Steve the following menu, and he called me to tell my how upset he was that he had to work all day with dinner on his mind -

Entree:

Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Fresh Kaiser Buns - slow cooked pork, spice rubbed and simmered in a rich BBQ sauce

Oven Baked Irish Nachos - fries topped with grated cheese, tomato chunks, and green onions

Pineapple Coleslaw - finely chopped cabbage and grated carrot, with crushed pineapple, green onions, and home made dressing

Dessert: Warm Blueberry Cottage Pudding with Brown Sugar Sauce

Drool all day and come home hungry!

Love

mom

My only worry was that Howard would complain about wasting a fine piece of pork by shredding it for sandwiches. But I had that taken care off. If he complained, I would give his share to the cat. As well as that, though, there was the fear that an unknown recipe just wouldn't work out the way it was supposed to, and the cat would end up with it anyway. Then we would order pizza.

Today was a pretty productive day, even though I didn't walk a hundred miles (or 72 steps) like I did yesterday. I did 1 1/2 laundries, made sugar cookie dough for the kids Valentine Day cookies for school, made a gingerbread cake for DH and whoever else wants any, and there's a pineapple cake in the oven right now, hopefully baking, plus the rest of the stuff on the menu. Add on a bit of dishes, a bit of tidying, and a bit of knitting - and now I'm sitting and tapping and almost fall-asleeping.

Far from bedtime though.

Now, one may think that all this baking is playing havoc with my diet, and one would be right. Even with all the walking I've been doing, I haven't lost not one single pound this month - and there is still half a lemon pie left, so you know I haven't eaten it all. Yet. I have 19 more days to go. Once again my big mouth (tapping fingers?) will have gotten me into trouble.

And the dinner turned out great, so much so that I am posting the recipe for the pulled pork and the coleslaw dressing, as one should share great things with Great People. (I'm assuming if you're reading my Flog, you're a Great Person. To prove the greatness of dinner, Steve is flat on his bed unable to move, he figures for the rest of the night. And Howard never had one complaint at all. Which is the same as a hundred compliments.

http://tamarlosesit.blogspot.com/p/pulled-pork-sandwiches-and-coleslaw.html

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - 1 slice of French Toast, an Orange
• Dinner - half a Pulled Pork sandwich, Coleslaw, Cheesy Fries, and a SMALL piece of Blueberry Pudding with a SMALL bit of Sauce
• Snacks - Cranberry Juice, Yogurt

I'm pretty sure I won't be able to eat anything else tonight, so I can safely post this now. Burp.

My Flog for February 9 - Too Bad The Pedometer Only Measures Up To 99,999 Anythings

Up real early this morning, after yesterday's unbelievably long sleep-in (7:30). The plan today was to knit, watch Sanctuary, go to Safeway and Pricesmart to get stuff for tonight's dinner, and get home in time to cook it. However, as we all know, the best laid plans of mice and men (and Tamar) go aft astray.

I left at 8:30, with my trusty little buggy tagging along at my heels. All was good, a bit of rain, but that's no problem for a west-coaster/Newfie cross like me. We followed the same route as yesterday, but this time walked through Holland Park to King George. It may have been a gray day, but it was still beautiful.

How stately is that?

intricate design

Even on a gray day, there's colour aplenty

Bonny Purple Heather

Peace in the midst of a city

So, through the park and across the street to Pricesmart, first stop of the morning, to pick up some basic stuff that is less expensive there than the same stuff at Safeway. Unfortunately, Pricesmart is on the opposite side of the street from Safeway, and it's in the middle of quite a long block, so after shopping there, I had to retrace my steps way back to the crosswalk, then walk up the other side of the road to Safeway. One doesn't jaywalk across King George Boulevard tugging a half-full (or is it half-empty? Hmmmm...) buggy. At least, I don't.

Safeway done, then Zellers for a couple of thingies, one of them being a Pedometer, so I can follow Cliff's instructions ( https://www.facebook.com/notes/cliff-pike/a-very-sad-day/10150550533381169  )and figure out how much walking I've been doing. I was going to wear it home, but I had nothing to open the package with. My phone may have a camera, and a calculator, and the ability to call people all over the world from my pocket (Hi Penny! Hi Roxie!) but unfortunately, it doesn't have a box cutter, so I'll just have to get it ready to go before my next expedition.

Nearing home (via a viable shortcut) I walk by this fence, which is so beautiful in the winter, as the greenery is mostly gone, leaving all the branches and vines growing through the wires. This picture doesn't do it justice.

What Mother Nature can do - cover a metal fence with twisted branches and leaves - and 

what some  ....  assholes seems appropriate ... can do - 

And talking about assholes, which is a word I don't believe I spoke out loud until I was in my 50's because I think it's an ugly word, but have discovered many of the 2 legged ones over the past few years - this guy seems to think the world is his parking lot.

Not a lot of room for someone dragging a fifty pound grocery buggy to get around, right? So I took a pic, and wrote a note to leave under his wiper:

Thanks a lot for making it easy for strollers and grocery buggies to get by.

However, since it was still raining, and the only writing implement I had was a washable marker, I imagine by the time I walked two steps away, the note was just a blob of blue stained paper. 

And - because my excursion took almost 4 hours, it was way too late to do my slow cooker recipe for dinner, so that had to be postponed for tomorrow night's dinner. When Howard got home to sit with the rugrats, Nikkie and I walked to Walmart to buy even more stuff, plus the jug of milk we needed... and a heart cookie cutter. I decided to try out my new pedometer - and you can imagine my surprise when I saw the number of steps it took me to walk for over an hour - a big whopping 71. Wow. Either my steps are longer than I thought they were, or the bloody thing isn't working properly.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - the last of the Chicken Veggie soup
• Dinner - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (made with Homemade Bread - and boy, were they ever good! Nothing like cardboardy white bread Grilled Cheese, let me tell ya!), a few French Fries, and Lemon Pie
• Snacks - An Oatmeal Raisin Cookie fresh from Safeway's bakery, Diet Pepsi

Do you realize that today, I walked past 2 Tim Hortons, an A&W, a Burger King, and 2 McDonald's? And that was just the fast food places. But even though I was tempted, I darkened neither door. Just came home and ate my cookie. And my Lemon Pie.

My Flog for February 8

It's been a looooong day, and I could go to sleep right now if I went to bed, even in it's only 7:30. However, I can't. I have a loyal readership waiting for my words, and a nagging customer waiting for a scarf. She actually called while we were eating dinner to see if I had it done (I don't know why the hell I gave her my cell number.) I  said it was more than half done and I would have it finished by the 15th like I said. She said her daughter needed it by the 14th. I said I'd try my best. So after I post this, guess what I'll be doing? At the very least, knitting until the first half is done. (Oops, did I tell a fib? Oh dear.)

As you all know, I DO have very busy days, and today was no exception. I left about 10:30 to walk to Safeway, as I can buy Bread and Roll Mix there and I wanted to bake bread. Didn't know it was pouring rain, though, until I opened the door to leave, but went anyway. Took my umbrella and plastic bags instead of cloth grocery bags. I decided to walk a different route, as I'm getting tired of the sights and noisy traffic of King George, so I headed up 134th Street, planning to turn on 104 Avenue, where Safeway is located, just on the other side of Surrey Central Mall. This actually would have turned out quite well, as this way has most of its uphill early on the walk, leaving a lot of almost level and actually downhill just before the store. If it worked out that way, of course.

I came to Holland Park, which so far I've only seen from the King George side, and saw some terrific cedars with terrific roots. And you know me - I've got my handy dandy phone camera, so I gotta share.

It's a cedar tree!

It looks like they may be alive - I can just imagine them slithering...

explanation below....

I did get a few more pics, but don't want to bore you to death. I have to make sure Howard doesn't see this little cedar grove, though, or they may end up as canoes.

So I walk through the park, and come out on a side road behind the brand new library, which was good because Safeway is on the other side of the library. I did notice the signs saying Sidewalk Closed, but you can never go by signs. You can usually walk there anyway, there just may be a bit of gravel or maybe a sawhorse or two you can walk around. So I didn't bother crossing the street. However, when I got nearer, I saw that there was no way to travel that way - the sidewalk wasn't only closed, it was covered with those honking big cement triangular prism thingies. So that was okay - I figured I'd just go through the library, and come out on the King George side, and go from there. But - remember I said the 'new' library? Yeah, the other three sides were enclosed in gravel pits, no kidding. Only one exit - and it happened to be the entrance I came through. However, there was one beautiful moment on the way back -

The first Cherry Blossoms of the season, tucked away in a sheltered spot. 

So then it was around the corner, to a path which actually did lead to the back parking lot of Safeway, even if I had to skitter down a dead grass and dead leaf slope to get there. Me and buggy, what adventures we have!

So. Safeway was just a hunting, gathering and paying expedition, then back on the street. Figured I'd walk down King George to Holland Park, cut through the park, and walk back the same way I came. Thought it would be nice change to talk to Penny, my sister-in-law, on the way, so I called her, and we did indeed have a nice chat. However, as I was chatting, I was also trying to figure out the path that would take me to 134th Street, and as there were no signs, and I couldn't see the road from the middle of the park, it was just a sort of intuitiony zigzaggy way I chose. And after about 5 minutes (or more) of walking, I actually found myself back on King George again. (Sorry for the foul language, Penny.)

Anyway, to make this long story over, I did find the proper street, and did manage to stumble home. On the way I passed a road construction crew -

Stop! Stop! Sto....oh oh, too late!

I don't know if he was supposed to stop on the pylon, but if he was, he did a really good job of it.

After I got home, I started my bread, made the meatballs, and made a Lemon Pie. Then it was an early dinner, as Steve had school tonight and had to head out to Burnaby. Then Howard and I walked to the corner store - and now I'm utterly pooped.

So now, I'm going to either knit and watch Sanctuary, or go to bed.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Chicken Veggie Soup (rescued from the freezer), crackers (Saltine crackers - this was something I ate, not something I am), Yogurt
• Dinner - Waikiki Meat Balls, Fried Rice, and a piece of Lemon Pie (Yum Yum) (I think I'll soon have to go bathing suit shopping....)
• Snacks - a slice of homemade bread and jam

My Flog for February 7

Day 3 at work, now I'm all set to have 4 day offs. I have some plans made, but not too many. A bit of housework (maybe), a lot of knitting, since I have a stripey scarf to do for a customer before the middle of the month and am not even halfway through it yet, and not sure what else. Maybe a bit of walking, who knows. Depends on the weather and my mood.

Well, last night after dinner, I baked a Mincemeat Bundt Cake. Or should I say, I partly baked it, as I discovered this morning there was a small circle near the bottom that was still raw. Only slightly baked. I had it in the oven 15 minutes more than the recipe said, and my toothpick came out clean, and the top bounced back when I pressed on it, but nevertheless, still a raw piece. However, it still got really good reviews from the big boys, so I will make it again, only next time I'm going to put the batter in a rectangle dish (probably 9" x 13") so I can make sure it is fully cooked. Link to recipe below.

Looks kinda cooked, doesn't it?

Looks very yummy, half gone already - but do you see the little uncooked bit near the bottom?
http://www.canadianliving.com/food/mincemeat_bundt_cake.php

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Egg Salad Flatbread and two cookies from Subway, Cranberry Juice
• Dinner - Dressed Up Goulash - with added Pasta Sauce and Cheese (guess somebody was listening after all. It was a LOT better tonight. Wonder how it will taste tomorrow?)
• Snacks - A piece of cake, a glass of milk, a yogurt and an iced mocha

My bus ride home tonight was very disconcerting. The gal sitting across from me (we were sitting in the wheelchair area) started out by tapping her right leg - tap tap tap tap etc for what seemed like 3 - 4 minutes, then changed to her left leg. Tap tap tap. Then she started swaying her left foot side to side for about the same amount of time - then her right foot - then both feet together. Then back to tapping, this time on both legs, faster and faster. She kept on doing this for the 45 minutes she was on the bus, and I'll tell you, that was another reason I was glad when the bus pulled up to the Skytrain station. Because even though I was listening to my MP3 player, and trying to ignore her, ignoring her was a very difficult thing to do. I'm not sure if she had OCD, Tourettes, or was simply doing some kind of weird Asian exercise routine.

Reminds me of and old British saying - Nothing as queer as folks.
(Comes from an old Welsh phrase: "There’s nowt so queer as folk" and basically taken to mean "There is nothing as strange as people" refined further to "it takes all sorts".

That guy John is just a nutcase...
I guess there's nowt so queer as folk.)

My Flog for February 6

Had a terrific gift this morning - now isn't that a wonderful way to start the day? 

It was a very busy day at work, we must have done at least 1000 ruffle yarn demos (well, maybe that's a tad exaggerated.) The bus/train ride home went well, really good connections, and dinner was all ready when I got here. I feel a lot more energetic, and think maybe it's the extra daylight hours. Or the multi-vitamins. Or just being filled with awe at the beautiful sunrise this morning.

Anyway, now I am waiting for a cake to bake in the oven, a new recipe for a Mincemeat Bundt Cake that I found online. (Yeah, yeah, I know, the Mincemeat I bought before Christmas to make Mincemeat Tarts never got used. And since the best before date was almost 2 weeks ago, I figured I should use it. Smelled okay, no green spots, and it's going in a 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes, so it should be okay. Right?)

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee - a 5 o'clock breakfast that lasted until noon. No wonder I was so hungry when Pauline brought the Soup/Sandwich dealie for lunch
• Lunch - Half a Lentil Soup, Half an Egg Sandwich, Pudding
• Dinner - Goulash - Thanks, Howard for making dinner, even if it was a bit dry. Since there were tons left over, I suggest another can of Spaghetti Sauce and a bunch of cheese grated over the top for tomorrow's dinner. Cos I'm not cooking after work.  Just sayin'.
• Snacks - I was going to have a Peanut Butter Cookie, but I think someone ate it, Yogurt, 1 Hersheys Kiss I found in the bottom of my bag while looking for a pen, and a Baileys w/Milk as I tap

My Flog for February 5 - Rats!

This morning, even though the grass was white with frost (weather was foggy and hovering around 0 degrees), we noticed the strawberry plants had really sucked up the sun and rain over the past weeks - and TA DA -

New growth - just look at the size of these leaves! A wee walk around the house and I found this -

New growth on this bush. Not sure what the bush is called, but the lighter green is definitely new growth. And then I saw this -

I don't see much hope for the tree stump, but there's a bit of green stuff around it. And surrounding everything - the aforementioned frosted grass.

So, it being Sunday once again, my hubby gave me a ride to work. As we neared the highest point of the Alex Fraser bridge, he said, "Well, there's the camera, if you want to take pictures." I know just about every time we go over the bridge, the views are so amazing, whether there is sun, or cloud, or fog - and I always say, "Hey, pull over and stop so I can get some pics."  He never does though. (You're not allowed to stop on the bridge - if you run out of gas you get a whopping big fine and there is a tow truck just a-waiting to drag you out in an expensive kind of way.)

So I say, "It's no good taking pics when the truck is moving, they won't come out." And to prove him wrong, and me right, I took the damn pictures. Here they are.

At the highest point of the bridge, a nice view of the windshield wiper.

The camera tried really hard, but just couldn't capture what was in my eyes

Snow capped mountains in the distance

• Breakfast - Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Soup, Pineapple, 2 Peanut Butter Cookies
• Dinner - Ribs, Fries, Dressing
• Snacks - Pudding, Yogurt, Hot Chocolate

And now,  to finish off the evening, I'm babysitting the 'girls' while Steve cleans their home -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhdtgG5Te6Q - Who says friends can only have two legs?

My Flog for February 4 - Words, Pictures, Laughs, and Song - What More Could You Ask For?

Last day off, I don't think I really want to go back to work tomorrow, but I really do need a rest. Hopefully I won't be greeted with tons of boxes and line-ups of customers. 

Today, after cleaning our room - which just entailed making the bed, picking up some 'stuff' (such as pieces of yarn and underwear) off the floor, vacuuming (which caused me to dust, as the filter somehow was floating loose inside the canister, so when I turned the damn thing on, a cloud of dust ballooned out into the air. Not satisfied with that layer of fine particles floating in the air and settling on all my 'stuff,' I turned it on again only to have the same thing happen), dusting (damn the vacuum cleaner) - I went cookie-making, and if I had had the chance to count them before they started to disappear, I would have. I know I made 56 peanut butter cookies, and not quite so many chocolate chip ones. I had to eat several of them just for quality control purposes. Pleased to say they all met and exceeded requirements. 

After all this was done, Howard and I took Chris and Lizzie to Ladner to Neil and Shannon's. This meant bus, skytrain, bus, and walk. 

on the bus

We had a really nice visit ...

...with Dominik, sampling my Chocolate Chip Cookies...

...and Clayton, the video game expert...

...and Tanner, the artist...

...and watching YouTube with Neil - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evq8wnvTC3M - Robin Williams' intro on The Actor's Studio, so FUNNY -  and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebUt-OFR0vE - a Buddy Whatsisname and The Other Fellers song that will help all the mainlanders understand Newfie language a bit better.

We left at 7:30 to do the reverse trip - in the cold and dark. Brrr. I also put on about 33 pounds on the way there and on the way back, as Lizzie's little legs found it hard to keep up and got soooo tired, so I ended up being her mode of transportation part of the way. Not uphill though. It's hard enough getting me uphill. 

"Hey, son, am I walking too fast for you?"

"No, daddy, I'M walking too fast for me."

(Read that somewhere years ago. For some strange reason it stuck in my mind.)

• Breakfast - I know you think I'm going to say Toast and Coffee, but I'm not. We had pancakes and coffee instead. Lizzie had 1, Chris had 2, and I had 3 (pancakes, not coffees)
• Lunch - Soup, Bread
• Dinner - Macaroni and Cheese, Tomato - we had dinner at Neil and Shannon's, thanks Shannon!
• Snacks - A few (ahem) cookies, and a few (ahem) Hershey Kisses.

My Flog for February 3

Day 3 off, and yes, it was a housework day, from about 10 this morning to 3 this afternoon. Five hours of work with half an hour non-paid for lunch. (But then the five hours was unpaid too - rats. Oh well.) No cooking today, as we got Colonel Saunders to fry us up a batch of chicken for dinner.

For those of us who are prone to breaking glasses (Sharon comes to mind), bet you can't do this -

Bet I could never do it again, either....

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Soup, Bread, Pudding, Cranberry Juice
• Dinner - KFC - chicken, fries, and coleslaw
• Snacks - a piece of Apple Pie - had to try it, since both the big boys did and didn't get acute stomach cramps (that I know of), Apple, Banana, and 3 Baileys Chocolate Liqueurs - now, how could I resist that, Chocolate AND Baileys? Huh?

My Flog for February 2 -

I so wanted to be a groundhog today and crawl back into bed after breakfast, but I didn't. When Howard gets up and leaves that bloody lamp on, which is usually directed to my face, it sort of takes the sleep right out of my eyes. Oh well, up at 5:30 (I did stay in bed about half an hour more, really really trying to get back to dreamland, but no luck, so I stayed up, watched Sanctuary and finished my little sweater.)

Doesn't it look good?

Got another huge walk in today, my buggy and I. First to the mall (Surrey Central)  to pick up an extra little present for our 10-year old grandson (something I hope he'll really like), then to a bench to finish taping up the box. I didn't realize Tuck Tape was so noisy when one was ripping it off the roll, and I guess the guy who was almost asleep in the bench behind me didn't enjoy it very much. Oh well, what can one do, when one has to rip, one has to rip. Right? Then to the Post Office (I never saw a Post Office in a Zellers before,) where I believe the Customer Service Representative (clerk?) wasn't very happy in his job. He still took my money and said he would start the package on its way to Manitoba, so hopefully he knows what he's doing. He was helping another person on the phone, tapping away at his computer at the same time, so as I said, I hope he knows what he's doing. For all I know he was talking to his girlfriend and playing Solitaire. After Zellers it was across the street (this time with a Walk Sign) to Price Smart, and another hundred pounds of groceries for my buggy. I don't know why I always buy heavy stuff, like veggies, fruit, and whole grain bread, when Angel Food Cake and white bread and Maltesers would be so much lighter to lug home.

Soup for supper. I must say, I make the best soup in the world now, since I learned how to make stock. However, I can't make it when Howard is home, because he can't believe I cook all these veggies with the bird carcass - carrots, onions, green onions, celery, mushrooms, plus whatever is wilting in the fridge and/or cupboard - and strain them out before I make the actual soup - I always have the fear I will forget to put a pot under the colander when I do this part. I can just see myself trying to make a feasible dinner out of mushy veggies and bones. However, he considers it a waste. I consider it a Wow! That Soup is Delicious moment. The actual soup takes more onions, celery, carrots, cabbage, plus frozen veggies, onion soup mix, tomatoes, and of course, chicken.

And I made an apple pie. It looks to be the most delicious Apple Pie (worthy of capitals) in the world, but I don't know how it turned out inside. Everyone was too full of soup and cheesy bread to have some.

Doesn't it look good?

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Scrambled Eggs with cheese - leftover from the kids' breakfast so don't know how many. Just a little, Cranberry Juice
• Dinner - Soup and two pieces of Garlic Cheesy Bread
• Snacks - Orange, Piece of Apple (which I stole from the Apple Pile for the pie, and which I almost choked on. Bloody Apples. Put the rest in a really hot oven, figured that would teach them a lesson.)

Now the last bitty is a request. Let me know who you are! Please! Either on Facebook, or email me at tamar_vokey@yahoo.com. Thanks. I promise I won't stalk you or send you spam.

My Flog for February 1

Day off! How exciting - let's see, what did I do today?

5 am - noon - got up, made lunch sandwiches for the two big boys, made 3 'batches' of French Toast (2 slices for Steve at 7am, 2 for the kids at 8am, and 1 for their mamma at 9am), finished watching last week's Coronation Street, watched a Sanctuary episode, took back and reknit the second sleeve of a kid's sweater I'm working on, since the second sleeve measured 2" longer than the first and wasn't even finished yet (that's what happens when you watch Coronation Street and knit at the same time), made grilled cheese sandwiches for the gals' lunch, working on 2 loads of laundry - one washed, dried, and folded, the other still in the dryer - basically, just another lazy morning.

Noon - 5pm
Walked to Walmart for essentials (veggies for dinner and soup, eggs, Saran Wrap etc,), walked back dragging a buggy full of heavy stuff, ate 3 Hersey's chocolate kisses (one per mile,)  had a shower, tried to be a smart-ass on FaceBook comments, made dinner, folded the second load of laundry, tidied kitchen, and ate dinner.

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - 2 boiled eggs, yogurt, 1/2 of an orange
• Dinner - Roasted Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies and Stuffing (we're all stuffed now)
• Snacks - Diet Pepsi, 3 Hershey Kisses

All that's left for me today/tonight, whatever, is to clean up after dinner, and pack lunches for the two big boys for tomorrow. I might even get some 'me' time - if so I'll finish the little sweater I'm knitting, and finish packing a box for a very special 10 year old, so I can take it to the mail tomorrow.  I hope you've all noticed the absence of muffins, scones, donuts, etc from my list today. I think I'll make it through the night now!

This losing 5 pounds this month is going to be a piece of cake....cake..mmmmm...cake..

My New Number for February - (picture a sad face here, but boy, that donut was yummy!)

Oh well, no matter how many times I step on the scales, it stays the same. I was going to hold Chris and then divide the number by 2, but I know how smart you all are, and would probably figure something strange was going on. So here we go, the new number in front of me, and the massive supply of donuts, muffins, scones, puddings, and toast behind me (literally behind me....)

160.5 (+2)