Happy Friday

If you are planning on partying this weekend, you gotta try this out!!

Skittles Vodka - how awesome does that sound??  I think it would be a neat thing to try out at your next "Girls Night In" or something...I am soo tempted.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Maddy: I want a baby of my own
Me: Oh really...
Maddy: I want one of Hollie's babies - she has two, she can give me one

***Call Hollie to see if she is good with this plan***

Hollie: Hello?
Me: Maddy has something to ask you...
Maddy: Can I have one of your babies?
Hollie: (laughs) Which one would you like?
Maddy: The one that laughs at me
Hollie: Kaylee?
Maddy: Yeah!!  Can I?
Hollie: Well I don't know, won't Jessica be sad?
Maddy: Nope...Mommy will get diapers so we can change her bum and food
Hollie: (trying to keep her laughter at a minimum) Well I don't think I am ready to give Kaylee up yet?
Maddy: Ok...(thinking)...I change my mind...I'll take Cameron (Hollie's nephew)


If it was only that easy!! LOL

A Blog-Worthy Pic

My darling brother-in-law has been somewhat disappointed that he has not made my blog yet...I told him I captured a picture of him at Maddy's birthday and that he would make the blog, but that picture wasn't blog-worthy, and I KNOW it probably killed him when he was reading my blog that day and didn't see himself in the pics.  This is the next best thing I could provide for him - a blog dedicated to my brother-in-law - BUTTER!!

This picture was taken this past week when they were on a cruise for a friend's wedding.  I stole this picture from my neice's facebook and when I first saw the picture, I thought it looked liked something that was taken from Titanic or something (ok maybe it was because I knew it was on a cruise)...but it looked like something from back in that era with the piano in the picture (don't laugh, it's hard to explain on here) - So Butter, hope you enjoy your blog! 
Might I add that this "little" girl is my neice and she is only 11 years old...if I didn't know them, I would think she looked AT LEAST 18 years old in this picture.  Very nice Miss Kaitlyn!

Prayers Needed

This weekend was filled with bad news around our neck of the woods and we are in great need of some prayers.

My best friend Josee and her husband Evan are sitting in a hospital right now in Montreal, trying to keep their baby boy Liam in for at least another 5 weeks...you see, she is only 19 weeks and she had started to dilate - as in she was 7 cm dilated.  Eeek!  Once they realized what was happening she was sent via ambulance to Montreal and had a surgery that we are hoping will keep him in until at least 24 weeks.  Right now, his chances of survival are not good if he comes out - he's only 1/2 pound.  So we are wishing, hoping and praying that all works out for Liam and for Josee and Evan.  It breaks my heart that they are so far away and I can't do anything but they may be transferred close to home this week so let's hope!
Update: Josee and Evan are back at home and she is recovering at her Mom's...she is on strict bed rest until little Liam is born. 


Another friend's husband has suffered a stroke and in kidney failure and also needs your prayers.  He is only 29 years old and his wife is also expecting a baby in the Fall.
Update: He is doing well considering - his blood pressure has been stable and they hope to be going home this weekend but will have to keep going for dialysis for the kidneys...they are also searching for answers as to why this happened, but on the good side, they say that he did not suffer a stroke! 


Another family in our community also needs some prayers...while vacationing in Cuba she experienced some pretty bad headaches, upon arriving back in Canada, seeing a doctor, they found a brain tumour behind her eye and was taken into emergency surgery.  I have heard since that the surgery went well and it's a waiting game now.
Update: Her husband posted on his Facebook that would like to thank everyone for their generosity and support during this hard time - she is recovering well and is a fighter.
So you can see that we had a pretty hard weekend of hearing all this news and even though some may not be as close to me as others, their family and friends need all the love, prayers and support.  


Let's hope we get good news this week!  Happy Monday!

I Spy BINGO

Last night - Hubby came home and literally went straight to bed....at 7:00 pm - because he had been on the road to Montreal at 1:00 am the morning before...so last night I had to keep my 4 year old quiet while Daddy slept.

This is what we did before watching One Tree Hill...I SPY BINGO!

Maddy setting the game up

My BINGO Card

My Winning Bingo Card

Maddy with her winning card (minus the boutons)

We have a container full of chocolates and candy for prizes when we play - this was her reward for winning - a chocolate heart!!

 

TFSA

Yesterday I opened a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA).  I have always wanted to have some sort of Savings account and on my 101 list, one of my things was #39 - Start a Savings Account for Maddy...well I am considering this it!

I am not very good with money and investments but I know investments are good.  I spoke with a rep from my bank this morning and the best option for me was to start a TFSA.  Basically its an account that I put money into, it gets interest and I can withdraw whenever I want...I didn't even have to go into a branch to do it, just through my online banking!  BONUS!!

Right now I will only contribute monthly what I can afford and once my income tax cheques are done in May, I hope to take that amount and put it into my savings account.  So exciting.  The best thing to me is that they aren't charging me no fees or anything unless I want to transfer my investment over to another bank.  I can do it all through online banking...when I want to withdraw it, I just transfer the money from the savings account to my chequing account and then it takes 2 business days for the money to come into my account!  

Read more about TFSA's here. 

Happy V Day

6 years ago this holiday was NOTHING in my life (still isn't really)...I was single and frankly couldn't care less about this holiday, however at the time, most of my friends were also single so it really didn't matter.  It wasn't like I was sitting at home being all depressed...most likely, the girls and I would go out and have fun on our own.  We probably went out for supper and then partied. 

6 years ago, on this day, I started "talking" to my Hubby via e-mail.  He claims that we didn't but I specifically remember emailing him saying Happy Anti-Valentine's Day and talking about how much I hated the holiday.  I don't really know when we consider our "anniversary" but I always say it's around Valentine's Day...how cliché to have an anniversary on Valentine's Day (just as cliché as getting engaged on V Day) - I know...and technically we just started talking...however I have no clue when our "first date" was or anything so we just know that "around Valentine's Day" is our anniversary...how sweet right?? Hahaha!  Happy 6th Anniversary Hun!! (He also added that he doesn't count anything like that...not until you are married...guess I'm out of luck)

Valentine's Day now is still just another day - we don't do gifts...we may do dinner but it's not just us - last year a crew of us went to Lonestar - couples and singles and we had a great time. This year I wasn't so lucky...Sunday was what I thought would be our V Day but instead it consisted of making cupcakes, watching Life As We Know It (which was REALLY good), going for a snowy walk and having fish and chips...OK, it could have been worse - it was quite a nice day - here are pics from Sunday:

Fairy Maddy

After searching HIGH and LOW to find the Valentine's I bought, I did not find them, so we made our own Valentine's for Daycare friends.

A little fresh air

Trying out the new Pogo Stick she got for her birthday

Made 3 dozen of these cupcakes for clients

If you celebrated this weekend, what did you do?

Career Change

Lately, I have been thinking that I want to do something else with my life...well career wise.  I have always wanted to take a correspondence course (it is also on my 101 list) - this way I can get a diploma in another field but doing it at my own pace and in my own home. 

Yesterday I got this feeling all over again...I want to be something else...I don't want to be in admin anymore...however financially speaking, the admin field is the safest bet for me.  I couldn't afford to go back to school to obtain a diploma - I have bills to pay. 

I have been doing some research and I really want to take Massage Therapy.  I always thought about this, but after searching some options, I cannot do this through correspondence and I would have to fork out big bucks to attend Algonquin, not to mention the hours - I like my 8 - 4 hours THANK YOU!

I have also weighted out the options of Diet and Exercise or Fitness field.  At PCDI, I could take I could take Nutrition, Diet and Health Science or I could take Fitness and Exercise.  I could do this at my own pace, in my own home and for the lower cost of $795.00 - interest free monthly payments.  This leads to me thinking though, where would I work afterwards?  Would I just do it for my own well being - to help my friends and stuff with dieting and exercise?  I don't mean to gloat, but I do not need to be on a diet, but I would like to learn how to eat healthier and be in good shape.  Questions - Questions - Questions??

After consulting Hubby about this last night, the conversation lasted 5 minutes with him saying "admin, you are guaranteed work, you just need to find something permanent" - well there went that idea.  But I still like to think of myself as something else other than admin - I wonder if he would be satisified if I took HR or something - that way I am just building up my career in the admin field.

I guess if I was laid off and wanted to take advantage of unemployment, I would then further my schooling to become something else, but as long as I have bills to pay, mouths to feed and luxuries to buy, I will be staying in the administrative field...but for what it's worth, it was a nice thought for the day - afterall I am a jack of all trades (well not really) I am an Office Administrator by day, a Farmer's secretary whenever he needs me, a Cake Maker on demand and the most important job - A MOM - FULL TIME!!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Cake Orders

When I took my cake decorating course last year, I basically wanted to do it just for me - a better idea of how to decorate my own cakes but since then, I have been able to share these cakes with friends and family and taking orders.  I am pretty new at it and have no idea what to charge most of the time...but I feel that it's really not that costly to make them, so I charge $20 for a normal size cake (round or rectangle) and $10 a dozen for cupcakes.  I'm not out to make a fortune, it's a hobby I enjoy doing.  Some day I hope to experiment more with fondant but until then, I am quite happy making my cakes with all buttercream icing.  Check out my Cake Blog.

I have an order for 2 dozen Valentine cupcakes this weekend that I have to prepare and I am doing these - aren't they the cutest:

Then next weekend, I have an order for 2 Twilight cakes...I sorta cheated for this one, most of the Twilight cakes I found were fondant and I know these people would rather icing, so I ordered some edible cake images from Ebay...basically they come all ready for me - all I have to do is make and ice the cake and then put this edible image on and it will blend in with the icing to make the image on the cake...like the ones you order from Loblaws etc...I have to make one round white cake (for the family birthday) and a chocolate rectangle cake (for the friends birthday) - here are the images I ordered:

SAMPLE ONLY - the name will be ABIGAIL (my neice)

SAMPLE ONLY - the name will be ABIGAIL (my neice)

If you are local and would like to order cakes, let me know and I will be happy to do it!!

Keenan Cahill

Monday night when I was watching 90210 on the CW, there was a preview of some news show that was coming on some time this week and it was all about Keenan Cahill and what people DON'T know about him and it made me google him first thing in the morning and blog about him.  If you do not know him, once you see this you will know!! 

His Story:
Keenan Cahill was born in 1995 in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to two parents who would later separate. Keenan was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease at the age of one called MPS Type 6 (see full description below). Keenan underwent a bone marrow transplant in 1997 to slow down the progression of the disease, which required Keenan to live in a isolation for almost one year to prevent infection. Keenan has since had multiple surgeries including a surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Keenan has overcome all of these obstacles to finally achieve two successes. Keenan has entered High School and is currently a freshman, second Keenan has achieved International fame with his YouTube Channel. Keenan initially started his channel as a hobby, but once he performed and recorded “Teenage Dream” and it found its way to Katy Perry, this would no longer be a hobby. Keenan has garnered international recognition for his videos and with his recent appearance on Chelsea Lately it has become a game changer for Keenan. Keenan is living each and every day hoping to show the world that talent no matter how much adversity its presented with will always overcome all obstacles.
MPS VI
MPS VI is a rare inherited lysosomal storage disorder estimated to occur once in every 340,000 live births. As a result of a deficiency of the enzyme N-acetylgalactosamine 4-sulfatase (arylsulfatase B), individuals with MPS VI are unable to breakdown substances known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are found in connective tissue throughout the body. The GAGs accumulate in the lysosomes of cells, leading to multi systemic abnormalities and numerous clinical manifestations including respiratory and cardiovascular complications, gastrointestinal symptoms, joint stiffness and restricted movement, and a loss of vision and hearing. MPS VI is a progressive disease and leads to severe disability and a shortened life span in virtually all cases. There are less than 1,100 people worldwide who have the disease.

Check out more about Keenan on his own website - Keenan's Room - you can even buy t-shirts...haha - this is what they say:

Happy Hump Day!!

The BEST Commercial Ever

Sunday night we gathered at Lindsay's for a Superbowl Party...the girls gathered around the food while the guys hung out on the couches tuned into the TV.  We had no interest in the football game but we did place our bets in the betting game that was going on (Congrats to Priscilla on winning the $60)...anyways towards the end of the game, Lindsay, Jill and I were getting really giddy and it got even worse when this A&W commercial came on...we laughed, said it over and over again and decided that next year's Superbowl party should have helium included...haha!  Enjoy the commercial if you have never seen it and if you have, watch it again and just laugh cuz that's what I did while I searched for it...it's great!!


2 for $4 Mama Burgers Commercial!!

Busy Weekend

I am glad to say that this weekend is over because we had a busy one celebrating Maddy's 4th birthday party with family and friends.  
Friday night I started making all the cupcakes, cakes and getting all the food ready.  Saturday morning I got up and finished the rest of the prep and waited to get to the hall to decorate.  

She had a great time with her friends, everyone ate lots of food and snacks, the kids (and adults) zoomed around the hall in the new Plasma car...the older kids did crafts and played games...it was a great time.

Cupcake Cake

Cupcake Station where there were sprinkles for the kids to add their own!

Cousin Brooke

Friends Jessica and Charlotte

Charlotte

Kaylee

Julia

Maddy blowing out her candles with Raven's help!

Charlotte and her Daddy!

After lunch, Maddy started ripping into all her presents, with a little help from her friends too...she got spoiled as usual...she got her pogo stick she asked for, her Plasma car, a Princess Patio set, lots of Handy Manny toys, Toy Story 3 movie, games and coloring sets, craft sets, stickers, a hobby horse...too much to mention EVERYTHING...but here she is opening presents:

 

Happy 4th Birthday Maddy!

(I am posting this early because I don't blog on weekends)

This weekend, February 6th (also sharing her birthday this year with Superbowl) my baby is turning into a little girl.  She's turning 4 and we will be celebrating tomorrow afternoon with friends and family...it makes me sorta sad, but none the less, extremely happy.

Here are some photos of her in the last 4 years:

Newborn Maddy

Maddy with BFF Hollie

Fighter Maddy with her Pittsburgh Penguin sleepers

Trader Maddy sporting Toronto Maple Leafs dress

Maddy's First Christmas 2007

Maddy with wacky hair ready for bed

Maddy at Easter 2009

Maddy playing in leaves

Pictures taken by friend Leslie

Maddy's 2nd Birthday wearing the same dress her Mommy wore when she was 4 years old...a family heirloom

Maddy and Daddy at Storyland

Rainy Day Maddy

Flowergirl Maddy for Sara and Graham's Wedding - Sept 2009

Maddy at the beach - Summer 2010

Maddy and Julia at her 3rd Birthday Party - 2010

Maddy's Christmas Card Picture - 2010

Princess Maddy - pic taken by Cousin Kaitlyn

Stay tuned for the birthday celebration pictures and stories on Monday morning!!