Ode to hummus

I love hummus!

Chickpeas blended with tahini, garlic, lemon juice

Yummy

Dipping veggies, crackers, cheese and even my fingers 

Mixed on hot pasta is oh so delicious

Flavours ranging from roasted red pepper to my favourite pine nuts and extra garlic

Mmmmm

So good

Day or night

But never for breakfast

I love hummus

Nettalk

So I decided to try and save some $$ on my phone bill by switching to Nettalk (www.nettalk.ca).  My Dad has been using it here in Canada and when he is in Florida.  Recently, after my sister Aimee moved, she switched.

It isn't perfect.  Sometimes the person sounds like they are in a tunnel or under water, 1-800# sometimes don't work when dialling out, or sometimes incoming calls don't get through... But I use my cell most often.  I wouldn't have a home phone if the kids didn't need it.

It cost about $60 and you can purchase it at Staples.  Aimee used the phone # they gave her.  Brand new house=brand new phone #, made sense.  I did not want a new number.  I chose to pay an extra $30(non refundable) to have my original number ported.  They tell you it can take up to 30 days.  I was told by Rogers that my phone would be canceled once it had been ported by Nettalk.  It took 30 days 

Here's the thing with Nettalk: you can not get a human to actually speak to ( this is my first problem with them).  There is a 1-8?? # online that gets you to a message that gives you either an American phone# or a Canadian #.  I called the number and it tells me to go online and submit a ticket explaining my problem.  I did this at least 5 times!!

The reason I did was because: my number was ported yet when I hooked up the Nettalk anyone calling got dead air.  Then it progressed to me not being able to call out and no one could call in!  Yet then call forwarding to my cell worked, after clicking this option via their website.  My children had no phone to call out on while waiting for me to get home! 

I repeatedly filled out a "ticket" and never got an actual response except one phone call/message( to my cell) stating they would call back in 20 minutes...they never did.  

Some of my messages were definitely verging on crazy lady...but I wanted to get there attention and I wanted them to know how frustrated I was!  

They have lots of help videos online so I accused them of being too busy filming dump videos, that they couldn't email or call me to help.  Come on, one of the videos basically told you what buttons to press in order to check voicemail.  Really a video of a guy that says  "press this number and that number to access voicemail"

Ok I might of said that in my field, working with children, if I gave the service that they were giving me, it would equal injured or dead children! 

So I decided to unplug everything then plugged it all back in...

Guess what?  It is now working?!?!?

Ahhhhhhh was the frustration worth it?  I will probably save up to $400 this year...

PS this past weekend Noelle hooked it up, using their (Nettalk) number and it worked!

What he's wearing

Isn't he adorable?!  This is B all dressed up for hockey.  He has to wear dress pants and shirt with a tie.  

This hockey thing must be pretty important to him because this is a kid who wouldn't even wear anything with a collar or buttons.  Sorry I should say won't wear them or even jeans.  T shirts and sports pants for him.

Doesn't he look happy?! 

I told him for Christmas all I want is for him to wear this outfit and Daph and I will get all dressed up and go out to dinner.

He agreed.  I can't wait! Just have to decide where.

Party Pumpkin

So at our house we can not decorate for Halloween until after D's birthday, which is this coming Saturday.  So we did go to Miller's Pumpkin Patch this weekend ( bountiful crop of pumpkins this year!) so I decided to do this with my pumpkin:

It's a party pumpkin!

Exacto knives, lighters and hot melted wax, some of the things I let my kids play with!!  Well not exactly but all of them were needed for this Pinterst idea.

Exacto to take of crayon wrappers.

Lighter to melt the crayons and let them drip over the pumpkin.  Daph had a hard time holding the lighter in the ON position so we switched to the blow dryer.  It worked but then sprayed melted wax all over the kitchen floor and the fridge.  That was fun to clean up;( So maybe the next time I would do it outside.

Party

On

Pumpkin!

A Thankful Thanksgiving

Ironic that my Grateful Gal falls on Thanksgivng.

 

Today I am thankful for ALL that I have been through in my life.  Every event has brought me to who I am now.  I am thankful for every thought that has entered my mind.  They are my energy and they have brought me to this moment.

 

The freedom to think and take action, I am so grateful for.  Unimaginable that others do not have this ability.

 

So very thankful.

I am really a banana not an apple

Ok so this is one of my stand by muffin/loaf recipes.  It started as a banana bread recipe but I am not a fan of the banana so it has become an applesauce muffin/loaf recipe:)

1/2 cup butter

1/2cup of white sugar

1/2cup brown sugar

2 eggs

11/2cups applesauce (or 3 of the small applesauces you pack for your kids lunch)

(Or you CAN use bananas which you would need 3-4 bananas)

1 3/4 flour (I use whole wheat)

1tsp baking soda

1/2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp salt

Shake or two of cinnamon if doing the applesauce version

1cup of chocolate chips

Grease pan or muffin tins.  Heat oven to 350F

Cream butter and sugars.  Beat in eggs.  Add applesauce or bananas.

Other bowl: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt (and cinnamon if making applesauce version).

Add wet to dry then chocolate chips.

If making a loaf bake for 45 minutes uncovered and then 15 minutes covered with tin  foil or for muffins bake 25 minutes.

Honestly I mix everything in one bowl.

Enjoy!

Never going to use nail polish again on my nails!

So almost a year age for Daphne's birthday, I got her some jewel nail "stickers" and last weekend we finally used them!

Well she let me use two stickers, one for each pinkie:) but I will buy these the next time I have " an event" to go to.  They were so easy to put on and so far they have stayed on for the week.  You can use them on toes too.  The brand I used was KISS.

Spectacular!!!