Personal Essays Workshop

hibernation is OVER!

I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation. I had all-day-"morning"-sickness from Boxing Day 'til a few weeks past Valentine's Day. Then in March both Cassie and I got sick for weeks with that cold/flu thing going around. Add to that a freezing cold - we're talking -20C and -35C with windchill and then a few meters of snow... Wondering if I had cabin fever? You bet!

Now that the cold "snap" has passed and the sun has come out and we are in the melting snow / mud stage, we are a happy lot of people!!!! Every day Cassie looks at me and says "boots!" She then goes to the top of the stairs, points at the door, and says "walk". She's my breath of fresh air! She absolutely LOVES her new wagon, but she also loves just walking.

So all that said, I haven't done much writing, if any. Thank you for continuing to look at this blog and seeing if I have posted anything.... stay tuned. There will be more postings now. :-)

Visual Journaling Workshop!

Spicy Christmas Cookies

I used to be the girl who was out at a fancy restaurant with her boyfriend every Friday. Then I was the girl who was at the Irish pub with her friends every Friday night. Now most Fridays you will find me at home with my husband and daughter. While those who know me well know that I am not domestic, I am trying to be moreso - cooking more meals from scratch, trying to maintain a regular cleaning schedule, trying to make a house a home for my family... you know the changes that happen and the whole priority shift thing that occurs when you have a baby....

Well, this publication makes me smile and laugh. I got published for submitting a recipe to the local paper! I was also 1 of 4 who won a gift card for her recipe! I'm famous in New Brunswick for these cookies. They call them "Kristi's Cookies" over there. I've renamed them for Christmas and I hope you enjoy them!!!

Spicy Christmas Cookies

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. veg. oil

1 egg

1 c. flour

1/2 c. instant oatmeal or rolled oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 c. unsweetened flaked coconut

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 300F.

Mix ingredients in order listed. Stir well.

Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake 15 min. for chewy cookies, 20 min for crispier ones.

Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

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2011 calendar

If you have not yet bought your 2011 calendar, print off this FREE downloadable one!!! My artwork is the month of March. A little December gift from the Creativity Portal, me and 11 other artists to you. Now go deck your halls! :-)

http://www.creativity-portal.com/calendar/2011.html

the lovely blog award

I received the "One Lovely Blog AWARD" from Terra! I am supposed to now pass it on and give a list of blogs I like. When I received the award, I was swamped with editing a book. That deadline over, I now have a little spare time to devote to this fun topic!

SO here is my current list of blogs I peruse. I'm sorry the list is not at 15, but I figured I'd rather quality & honesty over quantity:

• Amy Rubin - I love her art magnets!
• Soul Aperture - amazing photography
• Deltra - my talented artist friend
• Legendbound - my writer friend who makes amazing photo books
• Scribbles -my friend
• Pandave - my blog friend whose writing I always enjoy
• Emmie in Paris - my friend who is living in Paris this year

The fine print:

The rules to getting this award are:

Accept your award and post it on your blog along with a link to the person who has sent it to you. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered. You must contact the person to let them know that you have chosen them to receive the award.

snowy day

I may kick and scream when the cold begins, but then I accept that it. Even when it's perfectly opposite inside & out: -21C outside and 21C inside. And that's not counting windchill! I took this photo in the field behind my parent's house a few years ago. It was a beautiful day with hoar frost on the trees. My parents and I were out for hours, walking a full 40 acres in the snow, taking turns breaking trail. A good memory.