Wish List: Super Extra Gravity

This amazing Swedish band met as teenagers and in 1992 struck out to find fame and fortune in the third largest city in Sweden, Malmo. Who are they? The Cardigans of course!

I was first introduced to this band via 1996's First Band On The Moon. Since then I have grown to appreciate all of their music. They're not out in the spotlight, but certainly deserve a spot on my Christmas Wish List! Why not yours?

I've already had a sampling of Super Extra Gravity and am again blown away by Nina Perrson's vocals. She's not angelic by any means and that's what I like about her, there is a roughness behind the beauty.

Thanks for reading.

PS: Tomorrow (or the next day, depending on when I get a chance ;-D) I'll be writing about manifestation and tithing, both very interesting topics, especially as the holiday season descends upon us...

Coftea

No, the title is not a misspelled word – I just made it up! I made an amazing discovery today and I dubbed it ‘coftea’.

I brewed coffee and tea together in the coffeemaker this morning and woke up to an amazingly rich aroma!

Instead of simply sprinkling cinnamon over my ground coffee beans, I placed a Gingerbread Spice Holiday Tea bags over top of them. So instead of just having a ‘hint’ of cinnamon, I had a blast of holiday cheer!

Now I know the purists out there are screaming fowl and that’s fine. For those of you willing to walk on the wild side with me, pick up a box of Gingerbread Spice Holiday Tea on your next grocery store trip and test out my discovery for yourself!

Gingerbread Spice Holiday Tea is made by Celestial Seasonings and you can find more information about it by clicking this link: www.celestialseasonings.com/products/holiday-teas/gingerbread-spice.html.

Happy Holiday Season!

The Business Of Pets

If you want to go into business and you're wondering where the money is, look no further than the family pet.

People spend BILLIONS on their pets every year, its incrediable. More money is spent on pets than on kids. People spend a lot on their kids too, don't get me wrong, but Fido and Fluffy are the real spoiled ones in this society!

Today over my morning coffe, I read about a couple who started a business peddling Pet Insurance because they had learned from past experience that paying to keep the family pet healthy is costly. The company name is Fetch and I bet they're raking in the dough... A basic policy is $300US per year - that's more than most HUMAN Life Insurance policies!

If you want to learn more about protecting your beloved family pet, Petplan - Medical Insurance for Canadian Pets has plenty of information regarding why you should insure your pet and you can get a quote right then and there.

To insure our cat, Baby, a 12 year old Tabby, the monthly fee is $20 - worth it? That depends on you and your opinion.

Thanks for reading!

Heart Outside

This morning over the morning paper and coffee, I read of a baby boy in Miami who had been born with his heart on the outside of his chest. (Full Article Here: http://stage-v2.wtopnews.com/?sid=984090&nid=106)

I had to re-read the headline....what?! Incredible!

But the boy will live a very normal life and no complications are expected. The only thing he will have to 'suffer' through, is no rough contact sports later in life.

Well! We always think we have it tough. Our days are long (especially when your toddler has started asking 'why?' after every comment...'Because why?' is her actual line. And your newborn has a horrendous crying fit every evening just when you're ready to go to sleep.) We're house-bound because the weather is cold. We have no adult conversation. And it takes us all day to read the daily newspaper, because we're constantly interrupted by someone wanting a book read for the umpteenth time.

But our lives, especially mine, are not tough! If your family is healthy and happy, you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food in your tummy - I'd say life is pretty darn good.

Be thankful, or try to be. See the glass for being half-full instead of half-empty. Be happy! I try to be... ;-)

Thanks for reading...

FREE Knitting Patterns!

Do you or does someone you know knit?

I just found http://www.helloyarn.com/freepatterns.htm by mere luck. The pirate mittens are great!

Recipes and Cooking

I do love to cook! And finding new and exciting recipes is a passion. There are quite a few websites that are great for finding new recipes as well as new information and techniques.

Cooking.com is one of those websites!


Another great resource is sendmerecipes.com! Really fabulous program that delivers new and exciting recipes to your desktop everyday. Not to mention loads of free eCookbooks and other exciting stuff!


I hope you enjoy these little tidbits! ;-)

Thanks for reading and Happy Tuesday!

Wish List: Steve Berry

From now until Christmas I will be posting reviews of items I have on my Christmas Wish List.

First up - all books by author Steve Berry!

The Templar Legacy is an excellent 'Dan Brown'-type of caper! A work of fiction based on fact regarding The Knights of Templar. Lots of twists and turns - a great book to enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate for those long, snowy, winter nights!




I have not read his other books, however if The Templar Legacy is any indication, they'll be good reads as well.

The Amber Room


The Third Secret


The Romanov Prophecy


Thanks for reading!

Testing the add image icon...with a picture of the family - Papa Bear, Mama Bear and the two cubs!

Holiday Recipe Blog: Artichoke Dip with Pretzels

Favourite Recipe For Holiday Gatherings

Everyone should have at least one recipe they can make easily and bring to a gathering. This is one of mine:

Simple And Yummy Onion Dip

1 package Dry Onion Soup Mix
500ml Sour Cream
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix together and let stand in the refrigerator for 8 hours or over night.

Enjoy with chips, crackers, and vegetables!

Thanks for reading!

Blankets For Canada Society Inc.
“Warming Canadians”

Can you help provide warmth to someone in need this Holiday Season?

Recent studies indicate that .5% of the Canadian population is homeless. Canada’s population is approximately 32,740,944 therefore approximately 1,637,047 Canadians are homeless. Homelessness affects all people - men, women, and most importantly, children. Of the estimated homeless population, 12% are children.

Blankets for Canada Society Inc. was founded in 1998 by Nancy J. Panting and was based on the Warm Up America program in the United States. The mandate of Blankets For Canada is to serve organizations that care for Canadians who have no shelter and/or are in need of warmth. Blankets are distributed free of charge to these organizations. Blankets made within a community, stay within that community.

Volunteers of all ages are always needed! Would you like to help Blankets For Canada? If so, you can:
- knit or crochet squares
- join squares together to create blankets
- tell Blankets For Canada about organizations that would benefit from receiving blankets
- donate new worsted-weight acrylic yarn *
- donate cash (it takes approximately $25.00 to make one blanket) *
- start a Blankets For Canada chapter in your community

Request For Squares
I am asking all those who knit or crochet to create at least one square and mail it to me. Once I have received 48 squares I will sew them together to create a blanket to bring someone warmth this holiday season! Just spend at least 8 minutes a day crocheting or knitting and soon you will have an 8” x 8” square. Once complete, mail your square to:

Blankets For Canada
C/o: Jody Kierstead
24 Henderson Road NE
Langdon, AB T0J 1X1

Be sure to include your full name and mailing address so that a proper ‘Thank You’ and a picture of the finished blanket can be mailed to you.

To learn more about Blankets For Canada and how you can help please visit their website at www.blankets4canada.ca.

Thank you all in advance for helping someone less fortunate!

* Tax Receipts are issued for donations of $10 or more.

Emma is famous...

...for her flying adventures with her dad. She has the title of 'Youngest Co-Pilot'!
Click here to see the pictures... Click on 'Photo Albums' to the left of the screen, then click on 'Vulcan 2006', then click on 'The Youngest Co-Pilot'. There is Emma as proud as proud can be!

Sparkles and Glue

It's easy to have fun with your toddler, you just have to use your imagination!

Examples:

- I have a big roll of kraft packaging paper. I get Em to lay down on it, then I trace around her and we colour it in and add stickers to it. We usually colour it in the way she is dressed that day, but sometimes we don't, it depends on what she wants to do.

- Yesterday, Grammy gave her a cotton ball with a piece of tape on it. Em stuck it on her bum and hopped around pretending to be a rabbit.

- She created her own set of Christmas tree ornaments this week too by painting wooden cut-outs bought from the Dollar Store and then glueing sparkles on them.

- Cut out pictures from old magazines, then arrange and glue them to a piece of construction paper to create a unique piece of art. Silly faces and landscapes are always fun!

Be creative! Use your imagination! Be silly and spontaneous! Your toddler will thank you!

For more information on crafting and having fun with your kids, go to: http://www.kidcraftsmagazine.com/.

Thanks for reading!

Heart Murmur

One has jaundice; the other has a heart murmur – mon dieu!

We have known about Emma’s heart murmur since she turned one. She was sent to see a specialist at that time and it was determined that her murmur was innocent.

At her two-year check up with Dr. Heeg on October 2, 2006 the murmur was still evident. It hadn’t gotten any worse, but it hadn’t gotten any better either; so off we went yesterday to again see the specialist, Dr. Kelly, a kindly Scottish gentleman with a soft voice.

Again, he determined it is an innocent heart murmur. But this time he explained a bit more as to what type of murmur Emma has.

Dr. Kelly determined that Emma has a Vibratory or Still’s Murmur. This type of murmur is often heard after infancy and is very common. The most interesting feature of this murmur is its ‘musical quality’. How extraordinary that she is even creative in her heart – literally! ;-)

Including Still’s Murmur, common innocent murmurs can be divided into four groups; Vibratory or Still’s Murmur, Pulmonary Flow Murmurs, Venous Hums, and Functional Murmurs.

To put other parents’ minds at ease, it is very common for a child to have a heart murmur. Between 30% and 75% of all children under the age of 18 have been found to have heart murmurs, with most being determined as innocent.

So don’t fret! Do have it checked out, but only worry when worrying is due.

To learn more about heart murmurs, go to Google and search ‘heart murmurs’ or click this link: http://www.childrensmemorial.org/cme/online/article.asp?articleID=154.

Thanks for reading!

We've Moved!

A Stay At Home Mom's View moved from http://thekbfamily.tripod.com/blog/ to http://astayathomemomsview.blogspot.com/ on Tuesday, November 7, 2006.

The old posts at http://thekbfamily.tripod.com/blog/ will remain there for people to read and enjoy, but all new posts will be found at http://astayathomemomsview.blogspot.com/.

I hope you continue to enjoy my posts.

Thanks for reading!