31 Days: Days 28 - 31 - FINALLY IT'S OVER!

Well, this experiment of recapping every day for a full month has proven about as interesting as Sunday morning television. So to everyone who used to think this blog has inklings of coolness - I apologize! I will now get back to my regular programming: interesting articles on natural health and eco-friendly living, mixed with yummy recipes and fun DIY tutorials. I am hoping with being on mat-leave that I can really make something of this blog (during Oliver's naps of course) so I thank you in advance for your support!

Jessica!

On Day 28 I had the privilege of celebrating my friend Jessica's 23rd birthday. Her Youtube channel, featuring weight loss tips, fashion advice and every day rants and raves, has been getting extremely popular and I'd suggest you check it out. She's one hilarious girl so it was a blast to have her drive to town for her birthday, and get together with other great people. We began by eating at Moxie's Classic Grill downtown. I do have friends who work there, so I will watch my words, but I will say that it's certainly more of a hotspot for men, or women who like women... The dresses are short and the average hair-and-makeup time for the servers was hovering around 3 hours I would say. In their defense the food is awesome and I ordered (hilariously) a lobster & brie panini with a roasted red pepper soup. Then we went bowling at Palasad and, while I started out with 2 or 3 strikes in a row much to everyone's amazement, I ended up losing horribly. My only redeeming moment was a sweet reverse granny shot to take down one remaining pin.

The Real Kat Von D

On the 29th we celebrated Halloween at Chris and Bethany's house. I cannot believe I don't have a photo to show for it, but I was Kat Von D of LA Ink fame and Calvin was a lifeguard - in other words, he wore his old work uniform and blew a whistle every once in a while. I have to say Bethany pulled out a sweet costume by dressing up as a cavewoman. She also lit her house with only candles, played scary music on satellite radio and had Chris scare everyone upon arriving by sitting on the porch in a creepy get up and face paint. I brought some Bloody Eyeball Juice to share with everyone - recipe below.

Yesterday was the 30th and the day was pretty standard as far as Sundays go. We attended church and heard an incredible message on serving God our best, not our leftovers. Then had lunch at Calvin's parents' house (tuna on crackers, a quick one), picked up some apples and cider at Appleland, went back to the church so Calvin could play with his floor hockey team, then had a turkey dinner complete with apple crisp. We finished the night by watching home movies and the hockey game (a sad loss for the Leafs).

Today is a total write off, so I finish my 31 day challenge by saying today I am moping around the house because... I am sick! After all the oil of oregano, vitamin D and probiotics the cold-bug got me. I will say, I can tell I'm fighting it off like a champ, and I wouldn't say I'm down and out the way some people get when they're sick, so if you still trust me - tune in soon for a blog about natural ways to fight cold and flu.

I will finish with my Bloody Eyeball Juice recipe. If you're attending a halloween party I suggest making a batch:

Ingredients:
- a basket of concord grapes, or, 1 L grape juice
- mulling spices, your choice (I suggest cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and nutmeg - whole is best but use ground if you need to)
- vodka

Directions:
1. Wash and de-stem the grapes and place them in a large pot.
2. Add mulling spices. If using whole, I recommend 1 cinnamon stick, 5 allspice berries, 10 cardamom pods and 2 nutmeg nuts. If ground, try about 1 tsp of each. You can add more to taste. Keep at a low boil for half an hour, the whole time using the back of a fork to crush and mash the grapes. Try to extract as much juice as possible.
3. Turn off the heat and place a strainer, or a funnel with a coffee filter over it, on top of your pitcher of choice. Strain the mixture into the pitcher being careful to catch the spices and grape skins/seeds. Use the fork to really force it through and get as much juice as possible. Leave straining for as long as you're willing - more time equals more juice. (Add storebought grape juice, apple juice, or water to equal out 1 L if you're short)
4. Add 500ml of vodka. I used absolut acai-berry flavour.
5. Serve over ice. For extra spookiness, leave out a few grapes from the boiling process, then skin them to look like slimey eyeballs, and float them in the final brew.

31 Days: Days 25, 26 and 27

On Tuesday I had my first long period of time away from Oliver. I set Calvin up with some fresh mom's milk in bottles and took off to my parents' house for a day of canning. I came home in the afternoon to a happy baby, with pickles in hand.

Yesterday I spent some time with my in-laws. We ate halibut, potatoes, beans and salad. Then my friend Brittanie came over for the evening - with Starbucks!

Today I'm doing things around the house and most definitely watching the Office with Calvin!

31 Days: Day 24

We've just come back from the cottage and it was an incredible time! My favourite moments were the breakfast consisting of a full loaf of toast, a dozen fried eggs, a wheel of smoked gouda & a lb of cheese. Topped off with Fire Roasted Coffee, of course; and, going for a fall walk with Oliver & Nova (Ren & Meg's dog).

So today is going to be a lazy one (gotta recover from that uber-relaxing weekend?) - I am going to tidy up a bit, maybe walk some magazines back to the library, and hopefully do some crafts with Ashley. Now that I know what type of squash I have on my hands (kabocha) I'm going to bake it up for dinner since Cal won't be here (work and band photo shoot - sad).

Enjoy my earlier post about 20 ways to eat pumpkin... other than pie!

Make It Monday: 20 Ways to Eat Pumpkin!

Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone but we still have plenty of time to feast on delicious pumpkin. If you're getting tired of the classic pie form, why not try something new! 

For your reading pleasure I've devised a list of 20 ways to eat a pumpkin. Enjoy!

(click any photo to take you to its recipe)

Roasted pumpkin tossed with fussili in a white sauce
Pumpkin soup with toasted pepitas
Pumpkin seed cookies

Pumpkin mudslides made with kaluha
Pumpkin seed granola
Pumpkin oatmeal

Pumpkin ice cream sandwiches

Pumpkin white hot chocolate

Pumpkin pancakes

Pumpkin butter brownies
Baked pumpkin "fries"

Pumpkin smoothie

Pumpkin cream cheese on a bagel

Pumpkin beer (Great Lakes Beer makes a great ale - I had it at Chancey Smith's last year, now called Gambrinus)
Pumpkin loaf french toast

Pumpkin bread
Pumpkin scones

Pumpkin salad dressing

Pumpkin salad

And lastly, pumpkin-raisin muffins.


What's your favourite way to eat pumpkin?

How to Knit

One last post before I head up north.
What a great video:

ROSE'S GLUTEN FREE BAKING 2011 !!!

It's that time again... when my mom and I roll up our sleeves and get covered in rice flour and chocolate chips!

This year we are offering gluten-free baking for the holidays at an affordable price. We'd like orders to be in by December 1st so start deciding now. If you want pick up/delivery earlier, let us know and we can arrange something. We are offering:

• Buttery shortbread
• Coconut lemon bars
  
  
• Peanut butter chip squares
• Skor toffee bars
• Caramel nut bars
• Christmas fudge
• Candy cane brownies
• Hazelnut sandies
• Sugar cookies
• Santa's thumbprints
• Ginger molasses cookies
•  Peanut butter marshmallow cups - $7.50 per tray
• Rum balls
  
   - $9 per tray
• Lemon poppyseed loaf - $7.50 per loaf
• Cranberry-orange drizzle loaf - $7.50 per loaf
• Pecan tarts - $9 per tray
• Boozy Christmas cake - $12 per cake

They are $8 per tray unless specified, and they are perfectly DELICIOUS.

What an amazing thing to have in your home for a party when you know someone with Celiac will be attending, or to have in your freezer for those moments when a friend drops by and needs a gluten-free treat to go with their coffee. Great for kids lunches, or to send with your child to a friend's birthday party if they can't have the cake. Also make a great gift! Or just something to cuddle as you watch Christmas movies (I recommend the caramel nut bars as a cuddling partner - they've always done the trick for me).

View our website here: https://sites.google.com/site/rosesgfbaking/home

31 Days: Days 20 - 23

Today I did a huge clean up around the house - mainly our bedroom and kitchen. Then Oliver and I walked to the library... in the rain! Brutal. I dropped off my registration for the YMCA Fitness Jam '11 and got a new book + 6 magazines for the cottage.

I won't be blogging until the 23rd because I'll be up north with no internet or cell reception so I will update then!

How to make & use a moby wrap for baby - DIY!

31 Days: Day 18 and 19

Yesterday after I finished my house stuff Calvin phoned to say we were headed to Guelph to help out a friend with a delivery. It actually didn't end up happening but somehow I got to spend a few hours with my mom and dad, which was great. When we got home I made fried rice, carrots from the garden & halibut in the skillet. Then I watched way too much Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

Today I got up early to make the one hour walk (with my mom) to mom & baby yoga at Lululemon. I loved it. By the time we got home we needed lunch so she made an impromptu kale & tomato rice-pasta. Then we folded laundry, convinced ourselves not to do any gardening (it's so rainy!), made coffee & filmed a video about homemade moby wraps (coming soon).

Now I'm seriously debating some hot soup even though dinner is soon, and I think we're yet again watching hockey at 7.

Really looking forward to a cottage trip this weekend!

31 Days: Day 15, 16 and 17

On Saturday I... Oh, and I know, people came over for the hockey game. And I baked ginger molasses cookies with Bethany and drank espresso and watched SNL.

Sunday was Oliver's baby dedication at church. After we had all the out of town family (and the in town family) stay for a lunch. It was great - we had make your own sandwiches, salads, pickles, drinks, desserts... Then Calvin, Oliver and I came home and made a pot of famous squash soup for our Thanksgiving dinner at the Medland's. What an incredible night - I loved every second!

Today I had Bethany over (wow, Beth overload!) and we walked 5k with Oliver in his stroller, to the mall to get her an iPhone, then walked back. I made Cal and I some spicy sausage and sweet potato for dinner. And that's that!

31 Days: Days 12, 13 and 14

I'm going to be honest, for the first time I'm opting out of recounting a day because I do not remember the goings-on of Wednesday. I can only assume that I ate oatmeal, walked to the library and watched Survivor. Yesterday I got to hang out a bit with Calvin, then with my mom and sister, and when they left Bethany came over. Not a lonely day at all. In fact, Bethany brought me a salted caramel mocha (my favourite) so it was a great a day as possible.

Today I have a lot of cleaning to do. I'm also hopefully getting together with my friend Megan. And after that I'm going to see the very greatest band on the Earth - the Wedding Party.

So that's my update. Wow, not even half way through the month and already I am certifiably terrible at this 31 days thing!

31 Days: Day 10 and 11

Left to right: Mom, Angela, Dad, Sarah with Oliver, Calvin, me

Monday we had a Thanksgiving meal with my side of the family - 100% gluten free. After that the boys (Dad, Calvin, Oliver) wanted to nap but us girls were excited to go on a fall walk, so we suited up and hit the forest. A much longer walk than expected (mainly because the kids of this generation have not kept the good forest paths clear so we had to trail blaze the whole time) found us on Pond Mills Rd at a community garden. The plots were entirely abandoned (understandably as it's October). Nothing had been watered in weeks, there were knee-high weeds and just scattered junk everywhere. We were 100% no one had been there in a while. So we gleaned it. I managed to harvest 3 different varieties of squash, eggplant, peppers (including hot chilis) and some dried out beans for planting next year. It made me want to look up all of London's community gardens and see which ones need gleaning.

For dinner we used leftover turkey to make curried turkey and apple sandwiches (on Udi's gluten-free bread) and spicy turkey and butternut squash soup. Then we dove head first into a Chopped marathon on Food Network.

Yesterday I got to hang out with Calvin all morning and some of the afternoon because he worked the late shift. Once he left I packed Oliver up for a walk and we didn't get back home until dinner time. I made stuffed squash and garlic noodles and I had a huge helping of apple crisp for dessert. Then Cal's friend came over so I ran a hot bath and let the boys hang out by themselves.

31 Days: Day 7, 8 and 9

Well, on Friday I have absolutely not a clue what I did. I think my mom and sisters came over. We went on a really long walk right? We saw deer. Oliver had his first swing ride and slide ride. Beyond that, hmm? I think I made tacos!

Saturday - I had tea with Ashley and we took Oliver on a long forest walk. We saw my friend the heron named Seb. Then we got beautiful for a wedding. She had a braid, I had curls (only momentarily). Caleb and Leigh-Anne's ceremony at the church was beautiful. Then we went to Cal's parents' house and had looong naps and spent the afternoon being lazy. We ate turkey sausages and salad for dinner then went to the dance at 7:30. It was amazing - Bethany and I did spend most of the night wearing weird hats, and that is okay.

I'll just sum up today as well because I know by the time tomorrow hits I won't remember it. :) Today we went to church and are now home, though strangely aren't eating lunch yet. Calvin is making a turkey with lemons and allspice. We are having Thanksgiving dinner at his parents' house (and then tomorrow will be with my parents).

This year I'm more thankful than I've ever been - for reasons that are mainly obvious, but some are not. I am thankful for the big things like a husband who knows to buy me fair trade roses instead of conventional, and who will remember to tape the Office for me if I'm not going to be home. I am thankful for a healthy, growing son who thinks I'm funny and who smiles when he sees me. I'm thankful for a mom, dad and sisters who are my best friends. I'm thankful that Jillian still loves me even though she lives in Europe, and that Bethany would gladly bring me her own garlic from home because I ran out, and that Ashley has the same feelings on homelessness that I do, and that Jordan laughs at the same SNL skits I do, and that Brittanie would gladly give me a front french braid any time I asked. I'm thankful for Stephanie Ross, Angela Mercer and Stef Joseph who teach me what it means to be an incredible woman. I'm thankful for a warm bed, a jar of dried lentils and a pair of wool slippers to wear around the house. I'm thankful that when I water a tomato seed in the soil it grows into a plant. I'm thankful that my prime minister doesn't want me dead, and that my employer thinks I'm smart and that my heart beats the right number of times per minute.

We are so blessed and it's really special to take this time every year to remember that.

31 Days: Day 6

Highlights...

I voted!
I went to the library of course!
Started learning baby sign!
Made delicious shrimp and mushroom pasta!
Had a Leafs homeopener/Goodbye Dean and Caroline party.
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

31 Days: Day 5

Alright, this is impossible. Some how unless my day involves very significant events I lose all ability to remember how I spent my hours by the next morning.

Yesterday... I know I made cranberry oatmeal for breakfast. I went for a long walk with Calvin and Oliver. Somewhere along the line we had tuna wraps for lunch. We checked the mail*. I drove Calvin to work and stopped at the police station for a criminal records check (I am going to be volunteering as a nutrition educator at the YMCA and would also like to start volunteering in my church's nursery). Then I hung out at my friend Megan's place, on Wortley Rd. Her son Kelan is 2 weeks older than Oliver so they became friends.

We had chai tea and bonded over countless similar experiences. I'm really glad to have her in my life. We walked down to Quarter Master because I had forgotten a bottle of mint chlorophyll in the staff fridge (Iron Man reminded me of this) and I got to visit with the old staff, plus some customers. Upon leaving to try and find my friend Alla I ran into her son who was also looking for her, and we began a journey of searching for her together. Once we did find her I went to the library (Canadian Living: Create, Update, Remake - DIY Projects for You, Your Family and Your Home) walked back to Megan's to get my car - ran into 3 friends working at burger joint extraordinaire, Relish - and then drove to get Cal. Then we went to East Side Mario's for my friend Ashley's 25th birthday. We chatted about mushrooms and baseball and buying condoms in a wheelchair. We forced Ashley to allow a Happy Birthday singing so that we could eat her cake. And I gave her a homemade present - 2 wood log coasters, tied in a grey yarn bracelet. With a homemade card that used rosemary as a tree in the design. After that we went to Calvin's parents' house to pick up a second hand breast pump that Jeff procured for me. (Was so hoping that his receptionist would blast JEFF YOUR BREAST PUMP IS HERE over the PA system - but no luck). Then I got really tired so we came home. I fell asleep reading "The Thrive Diet".

* In the mail was a free infant formula sample from Similac. Not only do I not know how they got my information, but I don't believe it's right to send unwanted samples to new moms. Dr. Sears says you're much more likely to "give up" breastfeeding if you have formula in the house. Think of the nursing relationships that could be saved if we met challenge with support instead of a way out. I understand that some people need formula and it saves lives, but it needs to be a last resort and not an easy decision. I plan to contact them about my discomfort with the situation and I might even drink the stuff myself since it's probably a decent meal replacement and I'm all for saving money :) What do you think?

31 Days: Day 4

I'll admit, this is getting hard. Even 24 hours past is hard to remember, detail for detail. I can only do my best...

Calvin woke up early for work but Ollie and I laid around for a bit. When I was positive that he was content and ready to be alone for a few minutes I propped him up on our bed, where I could see him from the bathroom, and hopped in the shower. Fellow moms will know - this is a great victory. Every shower is a glorious reward. Once we were rip-roarin' ready for the day we bundled up and went for a long walk. We ended up at the library (pretty much always do) only to find out that I was wrong about my on-hold book being ready for pick up (incidentally it is ready today but I don't know if I'll have time to get it). We got home and I finished my grape juice oatmeal and unloaded the dishwasher. Calvin got off work early so he could pick the two of us up around 1 for Oliver's first ever pediatrician appointment. This doctor is incredible - I would recommend her to anyone. He was examined, and weighed (11 lbs, 1 oz - my speed grower) and then we discussed vaccination. His doctor is comfortable with us taking more time to decide although Ontario's recommended schedule begins at 2 months. (See my discussion below.) After that the day becomes a blur. At some point I ate lentils. Calvin and Jordan left to pick up a secondary Rogers box so that we can have cable downstairs on the projector (hello 100" screen for Leafs games!). We watched Glee. We ate acorn squash with tomato manicotti and baked shrimp. And somewhere along the line I fell asleep.

So what do you think about vaccination? I've been thinking about it since the moment my pregnancy test was positive and I still haven't come to a conclusion (not unlike my circumcision dilemma). What I know for sure is that I am opting out of any vaccines for non-life threatening illnesses such as chicken pox and influenza. If a situation arises that these illnesses would become more serious (pox after age 10, a severe strain of flu coming through our area) I would re-open the issue. But then there is the case of DTPT and MMR. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if Oliver contracted any of these things on my watch, at the same time how would I feel if he suffered side effects of the shot? I've been told there are aluminum-free options in Ontario, I will definitely look into that. Some people also recommend a delayed schedule which is interesting to me. I think it would be nice to wait until he's older to go through this stress on his body. If time allows I will try to read Dr. Sears' book on this subject to get better insight. What are the consequences of being unvaccinated in Ontario, especially related to travel and education? If you have an opinion feel free to post below. I know my blog is well-read (the page views are so encouraging - I can't believe how popular this is becoming!) but I don't often receive comments, so I'm encouraging anyone reading this to let me know how you feel on this post.

Thanks my friends!

31 Days: Day 3

Let's see. Yesterday I spent a good part of the morning on a secret project. Sorry if that's not very interesting, or infinitely too interesting. Around lunch I took Oliver on the longest walk of his 2 month long life. We have a few different 45 minute routes that we alternate between - I decided to do all of them. When we got home I made roasted carrots, apples & beets for lunch. Then my mom and sister came over and we made apple cinnamon muffins and learned about making baby food. I did some laundry and dishes while they played with Ollie. Not long after they left Calvin came home and said that his new phone had some in at the store so we packed up and went to the mall. I feel like we basically spent the entire evening at Telus. Once he finally got his phone we picked up groceries, came home, made dinner and watched How I Met Your Mother. Then I finished my semi-snood scarf (yes!) and fell asleep to Anchorman. Around midnight, once I was already sound asleep in bed, Calvin came waltzing in and decided he'd like to spend the next 20 minutes bugging me for no good reason. So I promised him for every minute he kept me awake I would wake him up that much earlier in the morning.

6:10am this morning when Oliver got hungry I decided we'd have a nice loud conversation while nursing, with the bedroom overhead light on full. Sorry Cal :)

31 Days: Day 1 and 2

Wouldn't it be interesting to see how someone else lives their life for a full month? Yes it would, so you can do it here. For the month of October I'll be posting about how each day goes, as best I can remember, and counting on each of you to find it interesting and awe-inspiring. Here goes.

Saturday, October 1
The three of us slept in quite a bit and then got a call from my Grandpa saying he'd like to come visit. We agreed on 3pm (he lives in Niagara Falls) and then I got cleaning. Straightened up all our rooms, collected garbages from the house because pick up day was coming up, and threw in a load of laundry.
Around lunch Calvin left to get gas for the lawn mower. I warmed up a bowl of rice & lentils and had a quiet lunch in the kitchen. I started reading a book (Pastoralia by George Saunders) but then remembered that I am nearly done crocheting a short grey scarf so I got to doing that.
Next thing I knew Grandpa arrived so I gave him a tour of our place (nerve-wracking - the guy is a successful cabinetry and home-building company owner and lives in a nearly-million dollar home himself, with all the best flooring, finishes, etc.). Him and I decided to take Oliver for a walk around the neighbourhood which meant spending practically half an hour just dressing him up in his plaid zip up, blue knit sweater, blue knit hat, grey booties, fuzzy brown blanket... oh and I threw a leather jacket on myself too.
When we got back Oliver was hungry (I was getting there too) so I took him upstairs to feed him while Calvin showed my Grandpa his theater room. They watched a bit of Saving Private Ryan while I made dinner plans with my sister. We met her and my parents downtown for thai food. I ordered the vegetarian shanghai chow mein with wontons to start.
I hadn't packed any diapers so Cal and I couldn't hang out after, we went home and watched the hockey game with Jordan. I fell asleep half way through (not because it was boring, but because I knew I needed a nap if I was going to stay up for SNL). I woke up around 11 to feed Oliver, change him, and be ready for SNL. It was hilarious. When it was over I zombie-walked up to bed.

Sunday, October 2
We woke up bright and early to get ready for church. I think I ate apples and peanut butter and a scrambled egg for breakfast. (Grandpa had brought us fresh Niagara apples and grapes). We went to the 9:30am service and at 10 we slipped out because we had a parenting meeting (mandatory to have your baby dedicated at Gateway). The coordinator told us about the church's vision for supporting parents and teaching about God from a young age. We got a tour of the children's areas and Calvin laughed his head off over a little baby hitting another baby with a rattle. Then we watched the rest of the service on a TV in the cafe. Hung out at the church for a while just visiting with friends. Then we went back to his parents' house and ate turkey burgers. I had a short nap and then Calvin woke me up to drive to Appleland. We were hoping to pick apples and take Oliver on a train ride but it started raining so we just shopped in the market shop. We bought apples, a caramel lollypop, some hot chocolate, apple cider and Cal's dad got a Wayne Gretzky framed photo for his hockey wall. When we got home we made apple crisp (the secret family recipe, I will never tell!) and also made toasted tomato sandwiches for dinner. After eating we put on the movie Hanna but I, again, fell asleep because I'm terrible and can't stay awake through movies. We went home, took out the garbage/recycling and set up the humidifier for Oliver because he's a bit stuffed up.