{from now on...}

{start it with some humor}

why a new blog?

• bigger photo size.
• slightly different color scheme.
• a new year, a new blog.
• i'm just trying to flummox* you all.
• why not?

so hold on tight and hope you'll enjoy this new adventure with me. :)

* i'm going to be practising new words on my blog in order to expand my vocabulary. i'll be filing the words i want to learn under the label "word of the day".

flummox • \FLUM-uks\  • verb

  : confuse

 Examples:

 Ruth was flummoxed by the angry outburst and wild accusations that greeted her mild complaint.

{1-1-11}

 bye bye old national geographic wall calendar.

 hello new "pathways" wall calendar.

i love new beginnings.

so you can probably guess i love it when the year changes. the air is full of anticipation and excitement to see what the new year will bring. you can take inventory of the past year and remember all that happened.

we've been watching old home videos. the things you forget if you don't take videos or photos! how precious those memories are. i wish i didn't forget any of it. well, maybe the bad hairdos could disappear from memory, but then again, even that is fun to laugh at.

i don't know about you but i love getting a new wall calendar and a daytimer each year. i love writing down birthdays on them and plans for the new year. no messes yet. everything is nice and new.

it's so nice to decorate the house for christmas but it's just as nice to clean it all up after christmas. reorganize things. declutter. have something new in the house.

so happy twenty eleven everyone!

let's make it the best year yet.  

another attempt at facepainting today. it's still a struggle for me. it's so ackward to paint on a face. challenging for sure. it's funny how you look at some things and think "oh yeah, i could do that" but once you try, you realize it's not as easy as it looks. humbling. :) it's hard for me to find patience to learn things. i'm supposed to know right away how to do something. good luck with that, right? :) 

you can't probably tell from the picture but i used sparkly blue eyeshadow under the paint.

ps. i just had to do a posting today. how often do you get to write down a date like today's? :) 

{hello 2011!}

 who's ready for 2011?

are you making any resolutions?

what did you like about 2010?

what are you hoping from 2011?

if you want to end your year with a good note, may i suggest this movie. i thought it was quite entertaining. i do wish though that angelina jolie's new year's resolution would be to gain some weight. it hurts to see how she's just skin and bones. i wish 2011 will bring her health and wellness. 

{last minute blogging before christmas}

 the cutest snowflakes ever!

yesterday we headed to the west edmonton mall after picking up sienna's cousin to go with us. sienna and her cousin had fun at the galaxyland amusement park. i think they went for rides and played there for five hours! :)the mall was packed with last minute shoppers. it felt good not to have to buy anything. jay and i took turns at the mall but i honestly didn't see anything i wanted to buy. even for myself. :) it feels good when christmas isn't about stuff.

mind you, i loved getting a laptop for my birthday. :D

people waiting to get pictures with santa.

today is christmas eve but our celebrations don't start until tomorrow so i'm still vacuuming and baking today. lanttulaatikkoakin pitäisi ennättää tehdä. we let sienna open one of her gifts today (kind of for a finnish tradition but not really).

wishing you all merry christmas and all the best for 2011! if you don't celebrate christmas, then i'll wish you happy whatever you do celebrate plus all the best for 2011. :)

Picture a stable in Judea.

Picture a sacred, silent night.

And can you hear

The angels near

And see the star so brigth?

Picture the little baby Jesus.

Think of his life and words so dear.

Sing praise to him;

Remember him,

As you picture Christmas this year.

(by patricia kelsey graham)

(wise men image via google image search) 

{candy cane lane}

 yesterday, at midnight... oops! i mean right after an early supper, we went for a drive to candy cane lane. it's just a regular edmonton neighborhood except that it's known for people who really enjoy decorating their yards for christmas. 

i love the christmas lights everywhere. the winter days are so short and half of the time you feel like it's midnight. any additional lights are more than welcome in my humble opinion. sienna loves to see all the lights while we're driving about. makes a boring drive in the dark a bit more enjoyable. sometimes we say "merry christmas" or "ho ho ho" every time we see christmas lights.   

 these massive fir trees were my favorite. shooting white lights kept falling down all over the trees. and the wee tiny tree couldn't have had any more lights on it. :)

 on the way home we stopped at the temple to quickly snap few pictures. 

 then i'll end this posting with a little mystery. who can guess what these pictures are about? :)

{cinnamon, apples, veggies, maple syrup... :P}

one of my favorite things about winter is that you can make all sorts of delicious food in the oven. yesterday i tried this new recipe and we all enjoyed it so of course i'm sharing it with you all. you know me. :)

i think this would make a perfect potato/vegetable dish for your christmas table since it has cinnamon and cranberries etc.

Preparation time: 20 min.

Cooking time: 1 hour.

 

Festive Roast Vegetables

3 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 8 wedges

2 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces

1 cup (250 mL) whole baby carrots

1 cup (250 mL) rutabaga, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces

1 medium parsnip, peeled, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces

1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges

1 red pepper, sliced

1 cup (250 mL) CAMPBELL'S® Ready to Use 25% Less Sodium Beef Broth

1/3 cup (75 mL) maple syrup

3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil

1/3 cup (75 mL) sweetened, dried cranberries

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
Preparation:

Combine all ingredients well in large mixing bowl. Place mixture into shallow 13" x 9" (34 x 22 cm) baking dish.

 

Bake at 400°F (200°C), stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender – about 1 hour. Remove from oven and stir mixture well.

Additional Information:

Tip: Just after baking, stir mixture gently and broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to turn golden brown and caramelize.

Feel free to create new flavour combinations by using other vegetables – explore your market for locally grown produce. Just keep the overall quantity of vegetables the same, and replace them with ones that would cook in the same amount of time.

(recipe via campbells.com)

i didn't put rosemary in it as we're not big fans of it. i used chicken broth instead of beef broth. i also found that the apples got mushy when baked as long as the rest of it. i'd suggest adding the apples (and probably the red pepper too) in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

delicious! :P

(image via google image search)