My Not so Famous, Famous Pea Soup

Ok, for those of you who have asked, here is my pea soup recipe. So Simple, So delicious.

Ingredients:

1 bag Yellow Peas (or green, or black eyed, whatever floats your boat)

1 onion

2 Ham hocks (or pork chops, ham or any other type of pork you like)

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Follow the instructions on the bag for soaking your peas, most peas like to be soaked overnight, but some also have a quick blanching method as well. Strain, rinse and add to slow cooker

2. Add chopped onion

3. Add Ham

4. Cover with water and add some salt-

5. Cook on low if you plan to be out of the house for more then 8 hours, or on high if you want to eat within 5-6 hours. (be prepared to be blown away with the delicious smell)

6. When it is finished cooking you will have to pull apart the ham (I use a fork and just flatten it up against the pot, it is extremely tender), or if you've used a ham hock, or bone in pork chop, take the complete hock/chop out of the crock pot and remove the meat from the bone and discard the fat- carefull, it will want to fall appart. Put the meat back in the slow cooker.

7. Taste it, add salt to taste.

**note if it looks like you're running out of liquid, just add more water.

I like to serve it with coarsely ground black pepper and bread or crackers of some sort. It is fantastically hearty, healthy and delicious. I love meals that have few ingredients and taste superb!

Oh yes, and as you may have noticed, I store my soup in mason jars in the freezer for those cold winter days when I just need a hug of goodness. Quick reminder, when you are freezing in glass jars, do not fill them all the way to the top, leave room for the freezing process (expansion). Also another note about freezing in mason jars, they go directly from the my lunch bag into the microwave at lunch, all I need is a spoon. Oh ya, don't put the metal lid in the microwave!

Enjoy!

M.

Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & Life Together (Thomas Nelson Inc.)

A marriage of 20 years has guts to spill, stories to tell and lessons to teach. Mark Driscoll and his wife Grace have done just that in their new book Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together. Of course this book is not a detailed account of their sex life, as many I am sure are hoping, instead it is a book that shares the truth about what can happen in a marriage, what can end a marriage, what totally messes up a marriage and what can be done to start healing in a marriage.

This book is a heavy read, every page is packed with punch and opportunities to better your own marriage, sex life, and life. It’s a page turner, arming you with information that your mother forgot to tell you. We all waltz into marriage with our own ideas of what it is. Usually it’s an idea that a marketing company, an author, a TV producer or someone in our lives has given us.

If you are married you’ve probably been hit square between the eyes with an eye opening reality, about 3 months into your marriage, that this might not be exactly what you signed up for. Everyone else’s marriage seems to be fine, you figure yours will be too, someday it will measure up and be okay, or you concede defeat and grin and bear it. This book is a tool to change your marriage from a grin and bear it to a marriage filled with joy, great sex, and real communication.

It doesn’t just stop there, it is packed full of questions, that as Christians, we’ve all asked ourselves; Can we do that?! You know the stuff that you wouldn’t dare ask your mother, you’re too embarrassed to ask a friend and you certainly wouldn’t want your pastor to find out you’ve tried a few of them. Mark and Grace bring a biblical perspective to the questions you thought you’d never hear a pastor answer honestly, thoughtfully and prayerfully.

The final chapter is chalked so full of quality life changing tools that it, in itself, could be a stand alone book.

This book will change your life if you let it. It can be read and shelved, or it can be read and applied. Depending on which you choose your life and marriage will be better for having just read it.

Advanced Reader's Copy of the book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson

Check them out here: http://pastormark.tv/

Holiday Shmoliday.

So Christmas is approaching like a train on a one way track. Am I ready you ask? nope. But does that actually matter, have I ever been ready for Christmas when it sneaks up on me every year on the 25th of December. Again, nope.

But this year it seems as though my holiday cheer is hiding from me. I can't seem to get into it. My heart isn't quite bubbling as it usually is when there are but 10 days until Christmas. Am I getting too old? Is my house not "Christmassy" enough? Have I not spend enough money? None of the above, yet for some reason, it just doesn't feel like Christmas yet.

I've been listening to carols, singing along, spending time with family and friends and still, it just feels like the holidays are so far away.

The only thing which feels remotely like Christmas is that I had my annual mini meltdown yesterday, and the day before. Yes annual, my Hubby reminded me that I have one every year. Just for that I am thinking of bringing on the full fledged melt-down-o-rama on his hinny* this year, like a hammer... ok so I won't- but it could be a new Christmas tradition :)

So I am feeling the overwhelming sensations about Christmas, but where is the joy? the ridiculous giddyness, the fun stuff? Maybe I need a drink. Maybe I need more time. Maybe I need to think about all of the fun Christmas was when I was 7. Or maybe I need to just enjoy the journey and know that even though it feels different, it is still the most wonderful time of the year.

*hinny |ˈhinē|

noun ( pl. -nies)the offspring of a female donkey and a male horse.(we use to this as a nice way of saying ASS- hence the donkey reference, I had no idea- but use the word all the time- dang it, ya learn something new everyday jackass**)
** Now this got me thinking and look what I found: First of all a Jackass is a male donkey, so I'm thinking a female donkey could be a Jillass. I'm probably wrong, but I digress - look what I found:
Jackass in Geography- oh my goodness, I love the internet.

• Jackass Aeropark, an airport
• Jackass Ski Bowl, ski resort, now Silver Mountain (Idaho)
• Jackass Mountain, an infamous stretch of the Cariboo Road through the Fraser Canyon in British Columbia, Canada
• Jackass Flats, Nevada, former nuclear-test site
• Jackass Lane, a street in Anchorage, Alaska whose name was changed in the 1980s due to frequent street sign thefts

Alrighty, now I'm feeling more festive. Live long and prosper!M.

Times are a changing...

So as we all know, time comes and goes, and things change- or not. Well not enough has been changing around here in terms of mullah, denaro, cents, bills, bucks, $$. So I have decided to revamp our personal finances. I have used Dave Ramsey's financial peace university before, and it was amazing (I shouldn't even use the word 'was', because it 'IS' amazing, I am just not the most amazing person at follow through). I am planning to beg, beg, beg our church to put it on again, so that I can go through the 12 weeks and start over again- but in the mean time, I am planning to 'git my own arse in gear and start (start shouldn't be the word to use, it should be continue, but as I said, my follow through sometimes sucks) asap!

Baby Step 1. 1000$ in your saving account for emergencies- had that, loved it, grew it, love it more, grew more, big bundle in savings account- then car died. Used emergency fund to buy new car. Now emergency fund is looking a little pathetic- so GOAL number 1, get it back there and FAST!

I understand why he does this, this is so you are not using your credit cards if you do have an emergency, and seriously, how many emergencies do you actually have when you have an emergency fund? let me just tell you out of experience, a lot less than when you don't have an emergency fund.

So that is what I am up to at the moment- now Dave says I should sell so much stuff in the house that the dog and the kids think they are next... I've never sold anything on ebay- maybe I ought to try that... I'm going on a junk hunt to see what I've got around my house to sell...

Anyone ever used ebay and loved it? how about craigslist? I am all for suggestions!

Well, I'm going on a junk hunt (my junk someone else's treasures, right?) I've also got some paintings to sell, if I wasn't so emotionally attached to everything I paint, argh! I'm cutting the apron strings, be prepared, you will see paintings of mine up for sale... get your chequebooks ready!

This girl is getting her arse back in gear.

Ciao!

M.

Pics as Promised!

So here are some pictures to show you just what I've been up to lately! The Mr. and I are celebrating 10 years together this year (yay!!)- so I decided to make him a beautiful sign. On this sign I placed all of the cities that we've lived in together and the KM they are away from us right now- in our home in Sainte- Julie QC (remind me to tell you how it feels to be the only English speaking member if the community sometime!)

Anyway Enjoy!

List:
Spray paint- whatever you can find- get creative and layer colours- oh and I never waited for any of them to completely dry before spraying on another colour.

Wood: again- whatever you can find- I used old wooden baseboards ( from my basement) some old trim and some really rough stuff from out behind the shed :) get creative! I cut some with my handy saw- others I broke!

I then painted on each board with acrylic tole painting paints- easy enough to find at the dollar store!

Next was to get them all attached together- I measured just how big it was going to be from top to bottom when placed in the order I liked- then cut 2 small 1x2s to fit- layered the painted pieces on top and with a nail gun- popped 'er all into place! Finished it off with some little round hangy things and some wire!

Et Voila! Ready for inspection and enjoyment!

Happy creating!
M.

All Things Beautiful

Alright, so lately I have been working with my hands- a good thing, it keeps my mind busy and out of trouble.

My sister-in-law decided that she was going to start taking ugly things and making them beautiful. I think to myself, well I have some ugly things that could be made beautiful, lets see what I can do (Danger!!). Danger is right, I have officially been bitten by the bug of reducing (actually accumulating what others have reduced), reusing, and recycling. Taking the old and making it beautiful and sparkly new. Did I mention I was probably a crow in another life, I have serious issues with things that sparkle, shine, glisten, reflect light, this list could go on but let me sum it up by saying, well...I've got an issue with just about anything that might possibly be beautiful- but I digress.

All of that to say, I am thoroughly enjoying this new disease and I can't wait to post some of my projects, but just beware- it is an addictive hobby- buying something for 15$ and making it look like you spent a million- well ok, not a million, but at least 100$. Just remember you've been warned...

Happy Reducing, Reusing and Recycling,

M.

Up to my Earballs.

So I am up to my earballs in what seems to be everything today. I can't quite make it all come together, the shower is calling my name, the clock is ticking and it is snowing big fat blizzard like happy snowflakes out my office window. I can't contain the excitement, it reminds of Christmas, which isn't for another 300 some odd days, but those snowflakes still make me mad with happiness. Which in turn, spurs on my not so sporadic episodes of procrastination. Hmmm- I know what to do, I also know how to do, but apparently I only get motivated when approached with the 'Why?' do it. Why go buy dog food? (this one is easy, if I don't, Timothy, my 100 pound pooch will ultimately starve- and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for being so damned lazy. But seriously, why in the world would a dog food company not make a 100 lbs. bag of dog food? Other than the fact I wouldn't be able to carry it to the car, I still ask, why? Why 8 lbs. bags? Seriously? Why?) Again, back to the why, why should I get out of my comfy chair and start my day? Why should I shower, I just showered yesterday, and seriously how dirty can I get going from my car to the office and back again?! So why...

I guess the reason would have to be, because if I don't the world as I know it will stop ticking. The clocks will stop, I will ultimately start to stink to the point that even I won't be able to be in a room with myself... but my trusty 100 lbs. pooch, whom I will ultimately get my butt out of this chair to go buy dog for for, will be there for me. He will understand and perhaps even appreciate my stink. So on that note, I guess I better go get some dog food, so he doesn't starve to death and start to ask myself why?!

Why did I write this blog, you may ask? Because I am procrastinating from actually doing what I need to do... That's why! Whatever you do, don't get bogged down with the why... it is a vicious circle- get out while you can... oh and don't forget to shower!

And by the way, of you don't know what earballs are, those are what you are up to when you have so much work to do - can't think straight!

Cheerio!
M.