[talk: The Time is NOW]

A friend of mine had a great challenge ... to find a WORD to describe what you want out of 2009. At least, that's how I interpreted it *smile*.

The word came instantly: NOW. The concept being that tomorrow is too late.

Too many times I say, "tomorrow". And I'm someone who isn't really known for not getting things done - but due to the massive list of things I WANT to do, something always seem to have to wait until tomorrow.

But "NOW" doesn't mean feeling guilty tomorrow for what I didn't do today. No, NOW means using NOW the best that I can. Maybe it means staying up late and completing a song that I've been working on, or maybe it means going to bed early just to make sure that I get the necessary sleep I need to be a good mom the next day. NOW means not making excuses for things I'm afraid to start. Or finish. NOW means that I don't have regrets about wasting the time that God gave me NOW to use. And if it's used to host, clean, sing, play, go out, work out, read, meet new people ... it doesn't matter. As long as the NOW counted.

So - this word has lit a fire under me. There are so many, many things that I'm going to be doing this year that are because of NOW. And I'll get into that in another post ... But because I've named it and called it what it is - it makes me more aware of it.

NOW. And today - was good *smile*.

How 'bout you? Does this ring a bell for you too?

[organize & make: Meal Planning & Teriyaki Chicken]

Ok ... so - it's back to normal around here ... except that nothing is EVER normal. If we had a week that every single day was reliable, I would die of a coronary. Seriously.

We always go to my in-laws on Monday nights ... but that didn't happen and I didn't find out until late morning - which meant I didn't have time to grocery shop and plan. UGH. So it was pizza last night - and my 2 year old sobbed and sobbed ... all he wanted was grapes. Oh brother.

And on Thursday my hubby gets his wisdom teeth taken out, so today I purchased pudding and jello mixes, sorbet, vanilla ice cream and Popsicles. I'm a tad worried about Friday. He's a man ... he could become pathetic *grin*. He said to me last night, "Imagine knowing that in a few days you're going to be in pain." Um. Dude. I've given birth ... YOU imagine being a ticking time bomb waiting for the most unbearable pain you could ever imagine. Don't mess with me *wink*.

But I got it together and dinner is in the oven on low heat, cooking for 2.5 hours ... smells YUMMY already.

That leads me to this week's menu plan. A WEIRD menu plan.

Monday - not even worth mentioning.
Tuesday - roast beef, oven roasted yams, potatoes, red peppers, carrots & onions. Multigrain baguette & salad with tomatoes.
Wednesday - Whole grain fresh fettuccine, red tomato sauce, veggies & dip.
Thursday - Teriyaki Chicken (recipe to follow), brown rice, steamed broccoli.
Friday - Chicken & Spinach lasagna (pre-bought), salad.
Saturday - Ham & Pineapple pizza ... if we're home.

Hope this post finds you and your home in peace.

OH! And the recipe ... I'm not sure where I got this from but I usually use it when I make fried rice with egg and such, so I dice the chicken rather than use the breasts ... it's super yummy - and EXTREMELY hot (heat hot, not spicy hot). So be careful ... and enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken (for 2 chicken breasts)

2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger (fresh - I keep mine frozen in a ziplock for easy use)
5 tsp honey
1 tbsp cooking sherry (or the real stuff *wink*)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced (or pressed ... )

Directions:

- mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.
- in a non-stick frying pan, cook chicken (diced or breasts) until half cooked.
- pour half of the mixture over chicken and continue cooking. Keep adding sauce until all the sauce is used and becomes evaporated and sticky. Or, if you prefer, reserve some sauce to pour over - but I find that the chicken is adequately coated and extra sauce isn't necessary.

Enjoy! Let me know if you tried it ... would love to hear from you!

[digiscrap: 2009 is Shaping Up Nicely!!]

OHHHHH - sooo much to tell - so much happening in 2009!!

But first, can I tell you how giddy I am about tonight? What am I doing? Oh - well - I'm home ALONE tonight *grin*. Is that mean? Selfish? Honestly - I don't care *grin*. It's been 17 days IN A ROW that we've had something on. This is my night to get in my jammies and digiscrap my brains out ... My hubby is playing two hockey games tonight. He asked, "Is that ok?" OK??? GO for it *grin*!!

I think I'll have a chai tea too. OH! And maybe give myself a pedicure. OOOOOh - how EXCITING!!

On a different note, I'm INSANELY PUMPED about the fact that I'm going to (drum roll please) AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND in May!! WHOO HOO!! How did I pull that one off? My folks are going and invited me to come along. I'll have a week in Sydney and a week in Auckland with my family. My hubby and boys are staying home ... fifteen days I'll have on my own. Not sure how pumped I'll be by day 5 - BUT - it's a chance of a lifetime and I'm soooo excited to go!

AND my hubby was asked to be a groomsman at our friend's wedding in LONDON in September!! September is a busy month for my hubby at work, but we think we can go for 4 or 5 days. Maybe even catch a flight to Paris for the night ... our friend told us we could get one for maybe $40CDN. CRAZY. I can't even imagine!!

So - this year is looking good so far. I love having things to look forward to ... and I love to document them once they've happened. I'm actually on digipage number 28 of our cruise right now ... I'll post them when I'm totally done. Maybe I'll finish them tonight *fingers crossed*!

Ok - enough about me ... how are YOU?? Seems to be a bit silent out there *grin* ... are you all vacationing without a PC? *shudder*. Would love to know if 2009 is shapin' up nicely for you too. If you stop by, drop me a note ... maybe let me know if there's something in particular you're looking for in my posts? Recipes? Digiscrap? Random banter *grin*?

Whatever the case, I wish you a glorious day and hope that you're taking a moment for yourself today. And for now, here are some of my recent digipages ... enjoy.

click images to enlarge

[vacation: Mattias Tries Skiing

Well, today I opted to not ski and stay indoors with Josiah. Everyone else in the clan has gone to watch Mattias at his final ski lesson. He was SO cute yesterday, and actually went from the t-bar "bunny" run to the top of the mountain.

He wanted to go up the "big" chair lift - and so we did. We went "up into the clouds" and once we were at the top, Mattias wasn't so sure about coming down. But he did really well - and the mountain was pretty empty which was good.

Half way down, though, Tias had had enough. He was tired, and really, we should've known better than to take him on a 45min run on his 2nd day of skiing. He survived, but there were a lot of tears near the end, and my poor husband had to ski-for-two.

Here are some pics from the last couple of days...

[talk: Bye Bye 2008]

I'm away with my family and finally got the Internet running. Is there anything more calming than big windows overlooking the ski hills and the fireplace roaring ... and the sheer quiet of it all? My hubby's outside skiing with Mattias while my parents spectate ... and I'm all cozied up while Josiah has his nap.

I'm finding myself SO behind with all that's been happening around here. There is so much to tell - but I think I'll go in order ...

First: New Years Eve.

Oh my WORD. How much FUN did we have??? Nineteen people bustling about, preparing their contributions for the fondue. We had the BIGGEST table ever - and eight fondue pots. There was steak, chicken, prawns, meatballs ... and there was beer batter for zucchini, onion rings, mushrooms and cheese. I made a bunch of dipping sauces including chipotle (you know, the kind you get with yam fries), honey mustard, Japanese steak sauce, plum and teriyaki. SO yummy. And it only took a day to fumigate the stench out of our home *grin*.

The most entertaining thing that happened? Well, that would be the annual hockey game with "mini" sticks. There was far too much testosterone in our basement, and simply too many people ... so it was inevitable that this would happen.

I was upstairs putting our boys to bed when I heard yet another rip-roaring rendition of "Praise God To Whom All Blessings Flow." I KNEW something had happened, and quickly ran downstairs. The guys were trying to keep me from seeing the damage ... and when I finally did, I just looked around the room as they all stared at me, and walked back upstairs.

Ah well, it's totally fixable. And these guys are good for it. But they had to think I was a BIT upset, otherwise they would've just kept going ... soooo - it made for a monumental moment at our New Years party ... ha!

Then, it was Josiah's birthday on New Years Day ... and now we're away. So, many more pics to post later.

Hope you were able to ring in the New Year with those you love. I know, for us, it was simply fantastic.