Excellent long weekend and some new pics

The weekend was awesome. We ate way too much food and paid dearly for it. The spread was at Michelle's house. I made an apple pie and cut up Kailee's salad ingredients as my contribution to the meal. Terence realized what was in pie dough and vowed to never eat it again lol. So I'll be making my pie dough out of olive oil or butter from now on instead of lard.

Everyone in the family seems to be doing fine, except for Stewart, he was "sick" all weekend. Kailee and Stewart got a new puppy and supposedly it kept him up all night, causing him to be ill for two days.... WTF is he going to do when the baby comes along???

I downloaded all of the camera's pictures and have uploaded my favourites to flickr. I'll post some highlights of the pic spread shortly.

Easter weekend and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

It's Good Friday today, so everything is closed (which sucks) but I get to spend the day with Terence (which is awesome). We don't really have much planned this weekend except dinner on Sunday with the family. The cool part is we both get Easter Monday off as well! I might have to go into the TIC office to straighten out the Blueberry books on Monday though (bleh). I really hope it doesn't take too long.

I think today will consist of cleaning up, some laundry and

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!

The recipe I'll be using is as follows:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ingredients:

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup mashed ripe banana(2 to 3 medium)
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup HERSHEY'S Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan.

2. Combine all ingredients except small chocolate chips and walnuts in large bowl; blend well on medium speed of mixer. Stir in small chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

The recipe comes straight off of the Hershey's website

Tasty Banana Bread nomnomnom lol

Final Fantasy 12 is done!

I finally finished FF12. It was a very good ending and made me wish there was more. I'll probably still do the rest of my hunts just to get the final trophies but for all intensive purposes, the game is done. I won't spoil the ending for anyone else (I hate it when people do that :# )

On another gaming note, a new update came out for FFXI. Which I think I'll be thoroughly ignoring... They didn't really fix anything with the jobs, in fact, they broke it more! I swear they're retarded, they gave samurai another tp ability and gave thf a weaker version of an ability they already have, but it shares a timer with the stronger version.... um yeah that was a really good idea... Now I'll never use that ability, EVER. Gee thanks SE.

What a crazy week!

Last week was nuts but very good. I got lots done and feel good about everything except the condition of the house. It's a disaster area, I got some of it cleaned up this weekend but it's still messy.

My new job is going very good! I really like the people here. I know a few from my work at the bank. The next few weeks are going to be a bit haywirey as it's year end and I'm still learning the ins and outs of the books here but I think it'll go pretty good. Might not be the smoothest year-end ever seen, but it'll get done.

Carmelly kitten got fixed on Friday. She was really groggy and tired for the rest of Friday and most of Saturday, but she perked up and is now back to her little playful self. She can go outside and run free now too! She had grand fun with her sister outside watching the birds and chippy run around at the feeder. I don't think it will be long before she's in the feeder just like her siblings. They are going to teach her so many bad things lol.

I made a chicken and rice dish in the slow cooker on Sunday. It wasn't all that great. I don't think I'm even going to put up the recipe for it. I'll find another one that's more tasty. I still have to put up the chili recipe. I'll do that when I get home for lunch today.

Chili recipe and warm weather

I made Chili on Sunday again. It was awesome! Terence says he loves slow-cooker sundays :) I'm glad that he enjoys my cooking. In the grand scheme of things, the slow cooker is easy to do and it's awesome for us. No preservatives or extra crap, just good fresh food. I hope it improves his blood pressure.

We went to Walmart this weekend with Kevin and stopped at their little BP checker in the pharmacy. Terence's was 146/90something... I'll admit that mine was a bit high too (136/87) but holy crap! that's high! I got reading online and blood pressure is supposed to fluctuate during the day so little spikes is ok after eating and during excercise or stress but not all the time. I'll make sure he gets lots of sleep and excercise before we donate blood in april/may. If his pressure is still high, I'm making him see a doctor.

The snow is melting! I was gorgeous on Sunday when I went to the grocery store. Beautiful sunshine and warmth pouring down from the sky. The wind is still a bit cool but I think winter is releasing it's cold cold grip from the land. The cats and dog are very glad. Grizzy went out for a good hour or so, Mephit was in and out all day and Marbles was out all afternoon (which is REALLY rare). Carmel was just itching to escape, but we kept a close eye on her. She can start exploring after Friday when she gets snipped.

Yay! No more Candace! Rib recipe and repotting

Muahahahahah! I'm done at the bank and my gods it feels good. I'll miss some of the people that I served but that's about it. Even the good bye card the staff gave me is only half-assed and bland. I was so not meant to work with those people. It's done and time to move on though. NGFC has it's share of problems too, but nothing compared to what was going on at BMO.

As promised in my last post, here is the rib recipe that I used. I was right, every bite was lip-smacking, finger-licking awesome.

Sweet and Sour Ribs

3 lbs Ribs
1/4 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. water
1/2 c. vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all the ingredients except the ribs in a sauce pan on medium heat, mix thoroughly and allow to thicken. Cut ribs into 3 of 4 bone sections, lay flat in the crockpot and cover with sauce. I made two batches of sauce and it may have been a bit much. I might try making like, one and a half batches next time.

I transplanted the rubber tree, now just for the Grape ivy. I can't decide whether to put it in a new pot or put it in it's old pot with new dirt. I'll figure something out though.

book book book :)

Hehehe I just ordered 6 books for $5! I love free gift cards :) I ordered two cat books by Erin Hunter, two books of the Drizzt books for Terence by R. A. Salvatore, an older book I've been looking for called Factoring Humanity and a gardening book they had on sale. It's scheduled to arrive in two weeks or less (probably less, chapters is awesome for shipping fast)

As for where I got the free gift card? My last cashout for bravo points at work was for a blender and $50 at chapters :) Still haven't used the blender yet though. I might have to pick up some fruit and make a smoothie or a milkshake this afternoon. I have to go in to pick up the stuff for slowcooker sunday tomorrow! Going to make ribs mmm mmmmm tasty! I'll post the recipe I plan on using later on tomorrow.

So tired...

The past few days has been really hard on me. Monday went well at the doctor and physio's place. My follow up appt went very well. Dr. Fidler says the methotrexate seems to be holding well. I've been off the prednisone for over a week now. I still get little twinges here and there but I think this might work for a while. I didn't shop much, just bought some books and some planting materials.

My new job is awesome! This is going to be so easy :) I'm even able to teach my teachers stuff like how to search on the computer and accpacc lol. I really like Laurie as a teacher, Evangeline is a bit of a flake and very slow but I guess it won't matter in a few weeks as I'll be replacing both of them. Teddy seems to remind me lots of Annabelle heh, but maybe a little more easy to tame. Hopefully, I can keep her on track with spending, the budget there is way bigger than PAL's ever was so it should be ok.

Only 6 more days with Candace! I'm so glad! ;)

transplanting and growth

I transplanted the Ficus Benjamina and the German Ivy. Both seem to be doing well. I lost the plant that I got from the restaurant, the frost was too much for it. The hibiscus seems to be doing better, it's got some new growth coming. Hopefully, it's adjusted to being by the heater and it'll be ok. I think I'll transplant the grape ivy next. It's still in it's original pot from 6 years ago and probably is in dire need of some new dirt. Other than that, all the plants are doing very well, lots of new growth on the polkas and datura. I think I'll post some pics of the datura on the ubc website. Mom seems to think it's not a datura like she originally thought. Maybe they can confirm one way or another and if it's not, help me identify it.

Lunar Eclipse and ngfc new job!

Last night was a very nice show. A lunar eclipse on a full moon. We didn't get to see much of a blood moon though. It must have been cloudy around us. An article I found on NASA's website details what causes a blood moon or Hunter's moon as it's called in some parts of the world.

NASA article on Blood Moon

I found out when the next total solar eclipse is for North America, lol August of 2017. Terence said we could go but it's so long into the future that I'll just put it into the back of my head and forget about it for a little while at least. It would be a neat family trip to take into the states. It's also right around Gencon time so that would be convenient if we're still going to that for our vacations.

I got my job at the NGFC! It's $20 per hour for my probation and $22 after that. I'm very excited about it, I start on Tuesday. It will be good to get away from Candace. I've had enough of her bullshit. I do have to ask Teddy about Gencon in August though. I'd imagine it will be fine. I will offer to work some Fridays to make up for the hours. I think if I ask for Wednesday to Monday off, that's not too much to ask for (only three days when you take into account I get Fridays off)

T4s, Deer and Family Day

Mom's T4s are done. (one more thing off my long list of crap to do) Yay! I brought them up to Dryden today and had a nice visit with the family. We went to Tacotime for a bite to eat and poor Kailee didn't eat much lol. Her morning sickness is more like all-day sickness.

After Mom and Dad went to bed, I was watching TV with the lights off and was treated to a wildlife display outside the living room window. Five deer came to the feeder and snacked on the sunflower seeds while I watched in awe. I tried to snap some pictures but am not sure how they will turn out as the lighting was pretty much non-existent. We'll see though, I hope at least one or two turned out. They were very tame and allowed me to get right up close to the glass without spooking much at all. The one doe was very agressive towards the other doe and her fawn. I think there was a bit of a territorial issue going on there.

I forgot my brace for my wrist for sleeping which sucks, but I wonder if the damn thing makes it worse anyways. I don't think it fits quite right. I feel like I'm gripping it in my sleep trying to change the position of it. I'll ask them next week whether or not it needs adjusting.

I'm really getting discouraged at work. For the most part, I just really feel like I don't fit in. I try and try to have conversations with customers and my co-workers and it just never comes out right. I fumble on what to say, I speak too softly and half the time they can't hear me or don't understand. I wish I wasn't so nervous all the time. I really wish I had got that job at the NGFC. Everything happens for a reason though and I'd imagine there's a good one for me not getting it. I just can't think of one right now. Ah well. Maybe a greenhouse will open up and I'll get a job there lol. We all need our dreams though, so I'll keep that one nestled safely in the back of my thoughts where no one can dash it to pieces. Back with my garden and paludarium and my cat sanctuary. Someday...

Tomorrow is lolFamily Day. What a joke of a holiday. I lost my floater so they could create a fake holiday in the middle of the coldest month of the year. I'm so not impressed with the Government on this one. I would have rather worked and picked when I wanted my floater.

Baby....

Yes I'll say it one more time so it can sink in real slow.... Baby... My sister is going to have a baby... Not sure if that's a yay or a OMGWTF thing. We'll see, I'm suspecting it will be a good thing but ya never know.

Found a fun little game online about geography. Link for it is:

Fun with world geography

I think my plant from the restaurant might, and that's a huge might, live. It's growing small root tendrils and some of the leaves have a small amount of greenness still. I'm hoping really lots that it survives. It's a nice little plant and I was very glad when the lady said I could have some.

I did my interview today and it went awesome! I'm so very glad it did. The questions were super easy, and I really liked the people. One of them is Terence's second cousin so that might be a good thing. I get my answer on Friday. ::fingers crossed::

weekend fun and ngfc

The weekend was pretty good. We went to Dryden to pick up Mom's T4s and to have a visit. Saturday night, we went to the Queen St. Station to play pool and listen to the karaoke singers. Mom's friend, Charles, won the karaoke contest (could be because she voted for him 10 times lol) Mom, Dad and Terence had a little too much fun (beer) so I drove home. Kailee and I were the only sober ones as Stewart declined to join us. Sometimes that guy drives me nuts. He phoned my cell, Dad's cell and the house repeatedly after she asked him if he wanted to join us. Why not come with us instead of repeatedly phoning a bazillion times trying to get her to come home. Jealousy is a huge relationship killer, I hope he realizes that. What makes me really laugh, is he's worried about her hanging around her family. What happens if she makes some new friends??? Ah well, enough bitching about Stewart.

Dad, Terence and I went for breakfast on Sunday. I got a new plant from the restaurant :) Unfortunately, I think it may have gotten frostbite on the way into the house as the doors were frozen and we were outside for a good 3 or 4 minutes before we got inside :( We'll see though. I hope at least a small piece lives.

The NGFC called me and requested an interview tomorrow YAYAYAY! I'm so excited and hope hope hope that I get the position.

NGFC, clean up and plants

I called the Nishnawbe-Gamik Friendship Centre and confirmed that they received my application (yay they did, and Teddy sounded very friendly on the phone!) I should know something by the 14th (sweethearts day :D maybe my love will bring me luck) It made me feel so good to hear from her that they were probably interested and that they received it, especially after work. I just really can't be bothered to put effort into BMO any more. Candace just keeps dishing it out left right and centre for the stupidest reasons.

Of course, because I was upset because of work, I went on a bit of a cleaning spree lol. Two loads of laundry and vaccuuming done, I might have to clean out the dresser and the closet just to make me feel good though. It's about the only thing that I appreciate about getting upset, it makes me want to clean! I like the results, just not how they were produced.

I'm going to check all the plants this evening, too. I'll report in later which were watered and which were left.

Edit: The plants are doing good. I watered all of them except the String of Pearls, Ficus Alii, the prayer plant and the African Violet.

I figured out the camera!

Yay for new pictures! I got the camera to talk to the laptop properly, turns out I was missing a driver. I inserted the XP home disc and voila! Unfortunately, I think I accidentally deleted the funny video we took of Carmelly kitten making her fun chirpy noise at the dishtowel :(:(:( Ah well, it won't take much to get her to do it again. This time we won't have barkey in the background to be let in lol (dog was barking during the clip making it hard to hear Carmel's fun noise) I'll upload the photos to flickr later for everyone's browsing pleasure!

mmm cookies and repotted plants

We had a good weekend, very productive. I made cookies and repotted the datura and parlour palm. Terence did the dishes and some laundry while I baked and gardened (good deal as far as I'm concerned lol, I enjoyed both of my tasks) I watered all the other plants except for the Ficus Benjamina. One thing I did forget to do was call Mom and let her know we weren't coming to town. I think she knows that now though, considering it's 8pm on sunday...

Terence and I are leveling Pld/Whm, just to 42 for me (for the teleports), and not sure how far for him maybe to 75, maybe not.

so f**king tired of it...

I really can't care less about my job these days. My manager has got to be retarded, either that or she's trying to drive me out. I work my ass off to get referrals and do a good job but of course, that's what I'm supposed to do... I miss one (1), I'll say that again, ONE name during my side-by-side and she goes off on me. I mean right goes off, asking me if I think this is McDonald's and it's just in, serve the customer, out again. How she would expect that kind of stuff from a rookie CSR and it won't be tolerated here, etc, etc. No mention of my 200% referral score, no mention of balancing to $3.00, no mention of anything else other than I missed addressing one person in 10 by their name while she was standing there.

I really can't be bothered any more. It made me incredibly discouraged and really not want to be there. There's an advert in the paper for a part-time bookkeeper. I'm seriously thinking of applying just to get away from her. I just can't win with her, if it's not one thing it's something else. And when she can't find something, she makes up stuff to yell at me for. No one else there likes her. They all think she's crazy and nasty. Ah well, on to other things...

We finished the Wings of the Goddess missions for ffxi, interesting storyline so far. I hope they hurry up and update soon! I think Binbi's going to start leathercraft as his next craft. I've got to update my spreadsheets for crafting. Not all of them are up to date. He's started fishing again, going for the Lu Shang's Rod. I bought a bunch of moat carps for him to help him on his way :)

Testing Embedded Spreadsheets

Gonna try to embed some spreadsheets to see what I can do.


Yay it worked! Tada, here are Magrayne's merits :)



And it's a little bare but a crafting sheet that I'll update later. (updated it, not so bare now ;) )

Cashed out at Netwinner!

Hehehe I had a good day at netwinner yesterday. I won a 1000 point prize and a 5000 prize! They gave me more than enough to cash out for the first time. Now to wait the 60 days for my ecard... Hopefully it arrives in one piece and on time. By the time it gets here, I'll be ready to cash out again lol.

I watered the peace lily yesterday, it was getting droopy. I think I'll repot the parlour palm and the datura. I like the pot they're in but I don't think the parlour palm is having a good time there. Hopefully with a new pot it'll sprout up a bit. If I can keep the cats away from it that is lol.

Plant propagation fun

Almost done with mom's books (yay!) I still have to find those cheques to deposit tomorrow. Can't figure out for the life of me where I put them... I hope I didn't wash them in the laundry :( Ah well, if I did, I did. Nothing I can do about it now.

I watered all the plants Friday except the prayer plant so they should be good for a few days. The angel wing begonia rooted nicely and I now have two of them! With luck and some good care, I'll be able to give Kailee a nice little plant for her birthday in April. I might see if I can find propagation techniques for the Datura just for fun.

I got another email for a fish tank, but no pictures and she wants $300 for it... Which sucks, I'd really like to try making a Paludarium. It might have to wait until after tax season, though. I just don't have the energy right now. Soon though, maybe when I have my garage sale and get extra money from it, I won't feel so queasy about dishing out $300-$500 all at once.

I found out something interesting about Netwinner. They are just now getting to the payouts cashed in for end of September... I'll try to be patient but holy crap that's a long time to wait for a cashout. I'd like to start tracking my balance to see how much I win each day. I know it's not much but hey it doesn't take much to play either.