Viking Warrior Queen

My darlings.
Today is a day of rain. I am looking after the twins and at the moment they are once again in the tub with dinosaurs. I don't go out much with the "twins." The two of them together is a challenge.
So, what do I do on the days I look after the terrible twosome? I bake. I baked strawberry-oatmeal muffins and dark chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips. Not for me--I'm not really a big muffin or cookie fan. I bake for the kids lunches. I don't buy packaged goods, if we have any baked goods in the house they have to be homemade. So thus, I am baking today.
Gym this am--a full spin class finally! The regular instructor is sick.
When the big girls arrive home from school, we will go out thrifting again, looking for more Halloween costume supplies. If we fail, Auntie T said she'd send her carpet bag and bowler hat on the bus. We just may need it! Time is of the essence. Friday night there is a movie/Halloween party at Tabs school that all my girls and their cousins will attend. Mistaya is volunteering. I may dress up like a Viking warrior Queen--I've got the costume.
Tomorrow night a viola concert at the Minstrel Cafe--a friend of Miranda's from France. Looking forward to the outing. Tonight? I'd like to get out...not sure what I'll get up to though. I am on a tighter budget since I took over the finances. Oh, the power is rather nice...I was able to report to Peter that he spends up to $80 a month on campus lunches--that even  surpassed my Starbucks fixes.
Too many people have the swine flu--bring on the vaccination! The BC Government is so slow about this--flu season will be gone by the time I can get a shot.

World's Most Delicious and Healthy Brownies Ever!

I just baked some brownies. They are the most delicious and nutritious I have ever made.

Stop the Press! I swear these are too good to be true.

Melissa's Miracle Brownies

1/3 cup butter

1 cup chocochips

1/4 cup agave syrup(same plant that tequila is made from)

1/4 cup honey

1 egg beaten

3/4 cup pureed pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 whole wheat flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 chopped walnuts

heat butter, choco chips until melted. Add syrup and honey, stir in pumpkin, vanilla, cocoa.  Beat egg and blend into choco mixture. 

Mix b. powder, salt and flour. Add to wet ingredients.

Bake in a greased pan for 25 min at 350 o.

Pics are from yesterday. We went to the park after Tab's piano lesson.

Tonight Spring Fair time. We'll pick up Mist's bud Ashley and arrive at the school for 5 PM. Peter is at graduation ceremonies for the ED. students at UBC O.

Weather is dreamy. 

We went to "Up" last night as a family. It was cute. I laughed and the Pip laughed. She laughed at some parts that weren't supposed to be funny, but she didn't know that. Like when the giant bird was limping because it was hurt. She thought it was limping to be silly.

I am determined to take one year off between degrees to devote to publishing my children's books. My Peter series is too good to sit on another moment!

Pippity Poppity-Poo

My little Pip. She is so clever. She made a sculpture with her Lego blocks of "Saraus Rock"--an unusual rock formation from the "Land Before Time" movies. And while playing with play dough, she rolled a small piece of black play dough, put it on the butt of her plastic "Clifford" dog and said "Poop goes the weasel!"

Tabs made ginger cookies last night. I suggested a recipe had I made up but had not tested yet. The ingenious little baker came to me, hands gooey, "Are you sure it's only 1/2 cup of flour? It's too sticky to roll into little balls." I instructed her to gradually add more flour until she could roll the dough into balls. They are delicious--she saved me the biggest one, she said. When I asked her this morning how much flour she used she said, "I had to use 4 cups Mom!"

Mist back at school today. She wanted her hair cut so she could make a grand entrance. Unfortunately, her personal fashion stylist (me) was too sick to make the appointment happen.

Feeling significantly better this afternoon. Fever only slight. Put myself on antibiotics for the bronchitis. 

Just writing my two papers I have left for my current class. Enjoying my professor more. He is feeling healthy finally and a little of his wit and passion is showing through. You know, in fiction, sentence fragments are encouraged. Interesting ways of saying words....but it hasn't crossed over into reporting yet. I wish it would. It is so much more fun writing in cryptic fragments.

So, as my health returns, so does the pressure. The pressure to live my life to its fullest. But I will start with just being Zen. I already had a blizzard from DQ so what's next?