Friend Makin' Monday - Survey Says!

Amber over at aefilkins is hosting Friend Makin' Mondays and I love that this week she has a survey for us to do...apparently she did last week too but I never even got around to reading much last week nevermind posting! So here goes...

1. Favorite website
- Facebook and Blogger top my list of favourites!

2. Favorite color
- Blue

3. Facebook? {Post a link or share your name if you want some new Facebook friends!}
- Yeppers - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=542510235

4. Favorite Christmas song?
- Walking in a Winter Wonderland

5. Christmas tree: Real or fake?
- Fake

6. Hottest celebrity?
- Matthew McCaughne-hey hey lol

7. Favorite restaurant?
- Olive Garden...YUM

8. Favorite magazine?
- People...though I do love me some Cosmo too!

9. Favorite thing to drink around the holidays?
- Rum and egg nog is definitely a favourite...or coconut rum and hot chocolate! YUM.

10. Favorite Christmas movie.
- Hmmm, not sure I have one...I love them all! But especially the Christmas kiddie shows they air on tv right around Christmas...they remind me of my childhood.

That was fun! Hope you all enjoyed reading my answers!

Always a Whirlwind

My mom has been down to visit and stay with us 3 times in the past three months and i couldn't love it more...the only thing is it's always such a quick visit with so much packed into each and everyday that sometimes i feel like i can't even breath we move so fast lol. This time she was in from a Wednesday night to a Saturday morning...and yes I still worked this week...so crazy busy!

She's a shopaholic so most of our time is spent in malls and of course Walmart...but i can't complain cause most every time she buys me something nice! She spoils the boy rotten...but we've managed to set boundaries...he still managed to get a $50 DS game out of her...not that i mind too much but she was looking to more spend about $20 on him...so $50 was a bit of a shock...but even i can't resist those puppy dog eyes he gives me some days...so i can't imagine how hard it is for her not to give in...which is why she does!

Wow is this post ever turning into a rambling mess...i haven't had much sleep the last few days...the boyfriend and i of course took advantage of free babysitting and went to the movies last night...so much fun!!!

This afternoon the boy and i have plans to rearrange the living room (the boyfriend is out with a friend) and put up our tree...then later this evening we'll decorate...rum and egg nog for the adults and just egg nog for the boy...perhaps we'll even light a fire in the fireplace....ah i love the holidays!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I feel like...

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever...

That could be because...well...I haven't! lol.

Not much on my mind...not much time to get out what's on my mind if I did have something on my mind. My mom is coming for her 3rd visit in 2 months tomorrow. She's having some health issues and because she lives up in the tiniest little town up north has to keep coming here for specialist appointments.

Other than that...not much to report. I am done shopping for the boy...but must start checking some others off my list very soon. I think I may even give in and let the boy set the tree up this weekend...he's only been asking the entire month of November!

It may not feel like the Christmas season here since we don't have snow yet...or I should say again...we did have some in early October...quite a bit actually...but that all melted a few days later and so far there has been no more to speak of. The boy is dying to get out on his sled...but I can wait a few more weeks before the white stuff comes!

Oh and last but not least, I have a question...for those of you that play along with Wordless Wednesday...I have a really cute shot I'd like to share with you tomorrow...but I don't know what the etiquette is...do I link up somewhere...give someone props in my post??? What's the deal???

Friend Makin' Mondays - Recipes

Amber is hosting Friend Makin' Mondays today over on her blog...check her out!

This week we've been asked to share a favourite recipe...so here goes...this recipe isn't exactly a favourite since the boyfriend just made it for me for the first time about 2 weeks ago...but it will be my new favourite this winter season...the boy loved it too!

Cheeseburger Stew

1 lb ground beef
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp chopped green pepper
1 Tbsp beef bouillon granules (or beef Oxo cube)
½ tsp salt
2½ cups milk
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, then drain off the excess fat. Stir in the potatoes, celery, onion, beef bouillon granules, salt, and 1½ cups of water. Cover and cook until the veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.

Blend ½ cup of the milk with the flour and add this to the saucepan along with the rest of the milk. Cook, stirring often, until the stew is well thickened. Stir in the cheese until it melts.

Sprinkle a little more shredded cheese on top, if you like. We had ours with nice crusty bread rolls.

My New Favourite Pastime

It all started last weekend when the boy was sick with a fever and we were trapped indoors for 4 full days! As you can imagine the 3 of us eventually started getting on one anothers nerves...

So I decided that each afternoon we'd all go our seperate ways and keep ourselves entertained ALONE (and hopefully quiet time) for 45 minutes to an hour...since I've been really wanting to get back into reading that's what I'd do with my time. The boy usually wanted to hang on the computer while the boyfriend played the Playstation.

But last Monday...when I was home from work with the boy and the boyfriend was at work...the boy came in and snuggled up to me...and we read...him with his "Captain Underpants" book and me with my current read "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Wiener (great book...not at all as the title suggests lol...I'm actually re-reading because I loved it so much the first time...many years ago...)...and we read for close to 2 hours!!!

Today we had a relaxing day at home (yesterday was very busy with the parade taking up most of the day...we went extra early to get good parking)...I decided to read a bit this afternoon and again the boy came to snuggle and read his book.

I love that he loves to read as much as I do!

He's Making his List and Checking it Twice

Have your kids written their letter to Santa yet? Or have you written yours? The boy is soooooooooooo excited about Christmas this year...I mean he gets excited every year...but this is definitely the first year he's asked (okay begged) that we put the tree up...I believe his asking began the day after Halloween!

I haven't done it yet...and we'll likely end up waiting until the first weekend in December as per usual...strictly because I've rearranged my living room since last Christmas and am still trying to figure out where a tree would look best.

This weekend we'll head off to the Santa Claus Parade (the weather forecast looks marvelous!) and the boy will get to give his letter to the mail carriers...that's his most favourite part of the whole parade!

I really do love Christmas...but I hate that it's in the dead of Winter...thankfully our weather has been great the past week or so...

It seems I haven't had much time to blog lately...or maybe just not much to say...life is keeping me busy. I hope you all are doing well and getting into the holiday spirit!

Not the Swine Flu but a Cold

So after all the paranoia of what in the world does my boy have (thanks to the dreaded swine flu)...he was seen by a doctor today and we were told he has a common cold. Here we sit home one more day because his cough sounds horrible...any other year when the kids get a cold and have a cough that comes and goes, off they go to school...because quite honestly if we all kept our kids home at the first sign of a cold they'd be out of school all winter!

But because he had a 3 day (though mostly low grade) fever and then developed a cough the school and daycare asked that I keep him out until I knew what it was for sure. Not to mention my paranoid mother who had me convinced he was on his death bed (insert eye roll here)...gotta love her but she always thinks the worst!

So, I'm thankful for the day off from work and the chance to spend some mommy and me time with my boy. This week is also a short week because us Canadians have Wednesday off for Remembrance Day. So we'll go back to school and work tomorrow and then have a holiday...what more could I ask for?!

Oh and thanks to all you wonderful bloggy friends...I realized that internet explorer was what was preventing me from visiting a good majority of your blogs...so this morning I downloaded Firefox and all is back to normal...and I am very happy about that!!!!

Hope you all had great weekends.

You know the boy is sick when...

He has no appetite...my child eats every minute of every day! He opened a bag of chips from his Halloween stash and took one...bit into it and said he wasn't hungry...what the???

He had a bit of a cough last night and this morning...but nothing that really concerned me...but when the boyfriend picked him up at daycare this afternoon he immediately started feeling sick and now the fever is here...ugh.

The boy hardly ever gets sick...so being the worrywart I am I foresee a pretty sleepless night ahead of us! I sure hope he gets better soon!

So Frustrated!

Blogger started acting up for me about a week ago now...at first I thought maybe it was my computer at work...then when it didn't work at home I nearly lost it...

I can get on to most of your blogs...but some of my very favourites...well I can't. It appears that your blogs will load but then immediately they freeze and I get a "this website is not responding error". It's making me so frustrated because I love to keep up with all of you.

So please don't think I'm ignoring you...the 4 that I can think of off the top of my head are:

Yaya (yaya stuff)
Ter (with an angel on my shoulder)
Melissa (outnumbered 3 to 1)
Jenn (another online mom)

If you're reading this update me!!!! Or become my friend on FB and update me there lol.

Friend Makin' Mondays - Halloween Candy

This week Amber is asking the question - What's your favourite Halloween candy?

The candy for me that takes the No. 1 spot is most definitely Reeses Peanut Butter cups...but sadly my boy didn't get a single one this year....boooooooooo!!! He did get some Reeses Pieces and I managed to sneak a bag or 2 of those out of his stash last night...lol.



Next up...I love me some Mars bars...thankfully there were a few of those given out this year...and my boy doesn't really like them so they are all MINE!


This year...I've developed a bit of a love for Sour Patch kids...I loved the Fuzzy Peaches as a teen but had kind of gotten away from the chewy candy in recent years...but sour = yummy this year.

And last but not least...we most certainly got more chips this year than in past years...and I'm lovin' it. I'm more of a salt lover than a sweet lover most days anyway lol. My favourite chips are all dressed...and the boy got lots and lots of those...

So yes...when all is said and done...I will be the size of a house...but I won't be the only one since the boyfriend has eaten his fair share of candy in the past 2 days...