The joy of Christmas puddings....and other updates....

Tonight I have time to blog..... I've been a bit short on time lately. Since our house went on the market there have been 2 Open Houses at our place so we have been cleaning like maniacals for those, as well as buying fresh flowers for the table (thanks for the reminder Rayael!) and doing a tidy up every morning before leaving for work. Now for some friends, like Vicki, this might be a normal occurence. But we, like many families, make every effort to 'clean as we go' but the likely event of slept-in mornings often leads to neglect in the household tidiness department. BUT NOT THIS MONTH! Everything has been spotless. Yet, as of the mo', no bites on the house. Not a worry, we are having so much fun (insert - I am ecstatic) at the re-designing of our new kitchen in the new place, that we're not thinking too much about that yet.

Yesterday was a zoo - I had 5 places to be in, and some almost at the same time that as a result I didn't make it to all of them, and the ones I did get to in time I had to leave early. But right now I have time to blog. Because I - as we 'speak' - am cooking my Christmas pudding. Please indulge me for a minute while I divulge the joy of Christmas pudding.

This is one of those Christmas traditions that I have decided to keep going. My grandma always made 2 puddings; both back in September. That was also my plan but time got the best of me and here we are beginning of November. Oh well.... you see the fruit and the brandy in the pudding definitely improve with age, which is why Harrods claims their puddings have been made 6 months previous to you purchasing them. They are dark, they are rich, and a medium one will feed your whole family plus visitors. But what makes them divine in my opinion is the presentation. I remember my grandparents bringing the pudding to the table, pouring brandy on top of it and then setting it aflame. This brought applause and delight to me, and is something as of late I have wanted to re-create. My grandma always served it with her homemade nutmeg sauce or brandy butter. I have never googled the recipe for brandy butter but I can make sauce so the nutmeg won out.

Here is the illogical part however - it appears that out of my family of four - you guessed it - I am the only one who likes it! So I am essentially, cooking a Christmas pudding entirely for myself. And the aroma of ginger and nutmeg is filling my kitchen as I type. Everyone else is asleep in bed but I am revelling in the spices and fruit-aroma that are making their way to my computer desk. They are however, starting to get mixed up with the lingering smells from the French Onion Soup I made earlier this afternoon. Hmmmm... may be time for some Febreeze.....

Celebrity Sightings

Ok so of course I knew my Jack Leyton story would be overshadowed but who knew how by how much! My handsome brother-in-law Mike beats mine hands down. He was staying at a swanky hotel in Saskatoon (as put up by the Palm people) and was asked to wait at the end of the corridor while some people walked by the intersecting hallway.

Yes, Mike had to pause in his footsteps to allow the passage of the ROLLING STONES to their elevator. Story goes that as Mike waited they passed by and Mick said "Thanks Man". Thanks Man. WOW. And because Mike is the gracious dude that he is, he politely waited and can now tell his children (soon to be born son) that he and Mick were THIS CLOSE ........

House update - first open house yesterday - 20 people came through which the realtor said was a good turnout. We'll see if it pans out to anything. Meanwhile we are still cleaning it daily in case we get that all-of-a-sudden-we-want-to-view-your-home call. Mum returns from Calgary tomorrow. It will be great to see her again; the kids missed her a bunch.

And last but not least - my friend Jeni is a rock 'n roll superstar. TELEVISED no less! Yes, we deeked out of church after the worship last night and raced back to my house to watch her in all of her stardom as she and the Heartbeats jammed out on MuchMusic and we dined on pita, artichoke dip, carrots and dried ribs. I know, strange combination but I haven't done groceries yet. It was a grand time. Once the viewing had ceased we moved on to some great female rock duets. But I'll let her tell you about that ........

Can't Sleep......'coz of the house......

I'm awake. It's 2:33am and I've been awake since 1am. I am never awake. Well, at night I mean - I hit the pillow and every day of my adult life someone has had to kick me out of bed to be sure I woke up the next morning. But tonight I'm awake. Truth be told, I fell asleep before 10pm and for those who know me well that will be an absolute shock. 1am seems to be the time I GO to sleep usually.

But here's the deal - as of last Wednesday I believed I was heading to work only to return at the end of the day to a normal life. But Darrell asked me to look at a house he saw earlier in the day, as there was a chance to purchase it before it hit MLS. Now here we are 5 days later and we've made an offer that's been accepted. I move in 4 weeks - AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH ! And not just move, but move into a house that we are doing some major (Darrell thinks minor!) renovations to, including putting a 1 bedroom suite into the basement. We've done this before and I do prefer my situation now where we don't have a suite but longer term, well let's just say financially we should be quite a bit ahead in a few years. HOPEfully.

So - if I don't see or call most of you in the next little while, be assured the love isn't gone. I'm just hanging around liquor stores waiting for the daily discard of cardboard boxes. Peace Out.

Just saw.......

Just walking to my van for my lunch hour and who should walk by me? Jack Leyton. YES, yes the leader of the NDP. I guess he's doing something on campus today; I hadn't heard about it. And I guess his views haven't made too many enemies because the only guy accompanying him was some UVIC student media dude.

Sorry - I know it's not exactly a Jennifer Aniston sighting but it's all I've got.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Haven't posted for a week I think. Been very busy around here. First off we had the big Ignition event at the Save-on-Foods arena. Will Graham (yes, THAT family) was speaking and Salvador, Joy Williams & Tree 63 (loved them) were performing. 4,500 packed into the arena and with the hundreds that went forward at the end, 264 new committments were made. Awesome. Tiring but awesome.

Then this past weekend my homegirl rockstar Jeni, and her band Counting Heartbeats, had a concert at a club downtown and a whole bunch of her friends (mostly from church!) went down to see her. Good fun, some loud rock and roll and girlfriends (and guys, sorry lads.....) got to hang out and chill for the night. Supper at Cactus Club and got home at 2am.

Then, mass excitement at our house as my brother and sister-in-law and 2 beautiful nieces came to visit. This was only the 3rd time the four kids (ours and theirs) were all in the same room together. And, as Tania pointed out, it was the first time our girls (Brooklyn & Chloe) actually 'played' together. Before Chloe had been too young so to watch them pushing babies around the house was adorable. And to hear Chloe say "Hi Daddy" (to my brother - how whacked is that?) in her high, squeaky voice was too sweet for words.

Well, I'm going for a bike ride with the kids around the neighbourhood and then to the McCullochs for Thanksgiving dinner - thanks Marie!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I trust you found many things to thank God for, and people in your life who make life worth living.

The Skinny of it .....

Good news for me is, skinny jeans (which I hate!) are really popular once again, so boot cut jeans (which I love!) all seem to be on sale.

Ok, ok, so what's the big deal with skinny jeans? Why would I loathe a pair of denim quite so much? Here's the thing - not only is it a bit odd to be experiencing a trend for the 2nd time (wore the 'drainpipes' as they were called when I was 15) but I honestly believe they could be the most unflattering pair of pants on the market.

Think of this - all of us have curves - male, female - in the buttocks area. Unless you are wearing a long top, the skinny jean produces a stick like leg leading up to a - you guessed it - bump. It's not flattering. So ok, you choose to wear a long top. Well now, the top from the armpit down to the mid-thigh is producing a wider general width of your body because of this extra length it needs to reach. If you don't believe me, I can send pictures.

So I will stick with the boot cut. Having said all that, Oliver - you look fantastic in yours. Possibly the only one.......

And on a very positive note, Joel & Tania and my 2 nieces Tatum and Chloe are coming to visit this w/end from Calgary. Can't wait to see you guys!