Just Me & My Cheesy Monkey

Today we visited with Uncle Steve, Scott's brother, while he was in town. It was a nice afternoon hanging out with family. But did you notice how I didn't say 'nice quiet afternoon'. That's because there were a lot of cousins to keep the afternoon fun and full of life. Scott's Aunty Linda's triplet granddaughters were over at Grandma & Grandpa Schaffrick's. So it was a full house with Travis, the triplets, Mary, Alicia & Caitlyn and of course little Jackson. They were all very well behaved and played so well together. But Uncle Steve was a little overwhelmed so he took a little nap. Or at least I think that's why he fell asleep...





Uncle Steve also gave Jackson a cute little monkey for Easter. Jackson and his 'Cheesy Monkey' were having a little snuggle before bed, so we snapped a few shots off to share with you all.
Thank You Uncle Steve for the new little friend for Jackson!

Have you heard 'The Secret'?

You may have heard of this book on Oprah or maybe from a friend or even in an ad on TV. I had heard of it a few years ago and never really looked into it any further than a quick glance at the uninspiring cover as I am a guilty 'cover reader', if it appeals to me, I'll read it, if not, no second look:(
But as I was perusing my 'friends' titles in their goodreads.com picks, I came across this book yet again. So I hopped over to the local library website and found that it was a minimum 15 person wait for the book, but the dvd was available right away. A hold was placed and within days the library was calling that I could pick it up.
As I watched this short 91 minute film, I was filled with such positive energy and peace. From 'The Secret' I received the message that I can have all I have ever imagined if I just ask for it, believe it, then receive it. Life is based on the law of attraction. All your thoughts, be they positive or negative, attract the same type of energy in your life.
I am not trying to be preachy, only sharing what I have learned. But let me leave you with a few quotations to inspire you to seek 'The Secret' for yourself. You may find, like myself, that you can't judge a book by it's cover...

'All that we are is the result
of what we have thought.'
Buddha

'Imagination is everything.
It is the preview of
Life's coming attractions.'
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

'Whatever the mind of man can conceive,
It can achieve.'
W. Clement Stone (1902-2002)

Firefighter in Training

Since Daddy was not able to make it to Rookie Training at the firehall last night...he sent the best stand-in he could find...
Meet new recruit Action Jackson Schaffrick.
Complete with his own fire outfit. Regulation firetruck shirt, fire coat, fire pants, firetruck shoes, fire duckie mascot, and of course, black rookie hat.
Just too cute for words...

Neither Hair Nor There...

So as you can tell from the pictures...I have bangs again...And I cut my hair shorter than it has been in a long time. I'm not sure how I feel about the length right now, but it will take time. Either that or it will grow out. But the bangs are good. They cover up my big forehead and frame my very round punkin' head. Tell me what you think..the lines are open. I can take it, be honest...

Lazy Sunday

It was perfect spring weather for a lazy Sunday afternoon walk. So Jackson was bundled into his stroller and off we went for a stroll around the neighbourhood. We were greeted with a nice, light, crisp wind at our backs and a little sunshine trying to peek through the overcast sky above. Looks like a little rain coming our way, but only enough to help the bright spring flowers poke their heads out of the winter hardened flowerbeds. Can't wait for spring to finally be here!

Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake, Baker Joanne

Wednesday I was in a baking mood. Actually, the mood started when my overly proud husband told his co-workers of his wife's great homemade baking and I was volunteered to make some goodies for the night crew. Luckily for Scott I have a passion for mixing it up with the dough and love to share my pastries and sweets with all who will enjoy them. So I pulled out some recipes I have been wanting to try and jumped right into the flour bin.
Since having Jackson, I have found that I have a harder time getting a full batch of baking complete. But that day I had a very good baby who was just content to sit in his bouncy chair and watch Mommy make a mess around the kitchen. And with the help of my multitude of favourite kitchen appliances, I was able to create three different goodies in record time.



As I told Scott that day, I love my Kitchen Aid Professional Mixer. It's been a while since I last pulled it out of the pantry cupboard to assist me in making my yummy treats. Of course me being pregnant most of last year and not being able to move that mixer around on my own was probably the main reason. Wow! I forgot how heavy that thing is! But worth it's weight in time-saving and wrist-saving gold.



Scott was also making his own delicious creations for this month's firehall meeting. He had three crockpots going with fixings for pulled pork sandwiches. Which means he had three electrical outlets occupied in the kitchen. So I had to get creative in order to find outlets for my breadmaker and mixer. And of course the laptop too! That's where most of the recipes I drool over are stored until I can find time to make them. Here are the recipes I made...
-Pink Icing Cookies(inspired by the Cakespy)
-Best, Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Clone of a Cinnabon (Scott's sister Susan gave me this recipe)
They are super yummy and come highly recommended. And not just from Scott & my tummies! Don't worry though, all this baking is not just for us. I plan to share a lot with friends and family. So if you see us heading towards you with a cookie tin, lucky you! If not, sorry maybe next time but the recipes are here for you to try making them yourself. Enjoy!



Oh, here's another quick and easy recipe I made last week for homemade granola bars. Scott usually gets a granola bar in his lunches for work. And I decided that I would try to make my own just for the heck of it. You can switch up the fruit/nuts/fillings to your own taste. I use a combo of these two recipes after searching through so many on the internet. But they're both so simple to adapt to your liking and you can usually find all the ingredients at home if you have a pantry with the basic baking staples.
S'more Granola Bars
Quickie Granola Bars

5, 6, Pick Up Sticks

It's that time of year again when the buds are starting to peek out of the branches on the cherry trees and we wait for the wind to be just right for orchard bonfires. Today was one of those 'just right' days when the prunings were gathered from the previous years harvested trees to burn in order to make room for the coming year's fruit.


It was a family affair with three generations pitching in and lending a hand to get the work done. From the littlest hands picking up the twigs and leaves to the more experienced farmers using the rakes to move the large branches. All efforts are needed and appreciated to keep this family run orchard running smoothly.

You Gotta Wear Shades

Living in the beautiful sunny south, one must be prepared for the bright shiny days of sun. So with all the excursions we have been taking with the little J-Man, we have noticed that he has been getting a lot of glare during both our walks outside and his favourite rides in the car. The solution to our solar stickler was the search for sunglasses for daddy’s little dude.

Now it's not like you can walk into any store and find baby sized shades at any time of year and of course it has to be the right colour according to dad, purple just won't do... Black is always the colour of choice, but we found one better than your basic primary while on our most recent trip to K-town. As soon as the sales associate led us to their display of baby shades, Scott was instantly drawn to the first pair I picked up. It didn’t matter if they fit quite yet or what the price because they were camo print and that was enough for daddy. Search over sunglasses found! We ended up getting two pairs of shades because they were on sale and I know we will end up losing or breaking a pair before the summer is over. The second pair are also adjustable with a Velcro band to hold them in place so more room to grow for the little potato head. And so today we tried out the new camo shades complete with matching sweater and blanket during our afternoon walk. And as Daddy says, “Jackson looks bad a**!”