Random Tuesday Thoughts, Ice time?

Mornings, aren't my strong point lately. I think it has a lot to do with how dark it still is when we are getting up in the morning. 623am shouldn't still be dark but it is, I want me some more zzzzzzzzzies.

yes I said zeeeeessss not Zeds, that's what the kids say, I had the zeds culture shocked out of me in New England. It's very hard to spell your name to Americans when you say Zed.

Wii fitplus and I spent some quality time together lastnight I went over my target of 265 calorie burn. It's taking me an hour but it's getting done.  I'm highly frustrated that I can't find those 20balls while doing the free island bike ride. I WILL get there.

Homework went well lastnight, knocking on the wood! (what? susposed to use my hand? that might explain the headache) AJ completed all his math before supper, and then read extra for his reading. YAY!

I ran in to 4 people in the grocerystore yesterday, I guess it's time I started recognizing the locals?  only 6.5yrs later?

I was out to the dentist last week so didn't post. It was Tuesday, next appointment is on a Wednesday. But my hygenist was very happy with my clean teeth, hopefully may will be even easier.  oh I got a new "prize" one of those tiny tuff kind of toothbrushes, finally I can get behind my wisdom tooth that's not happy with the way I've been treating it.


Boys! wow they eat a lot. Sunday night AJ had 2 large homemade waffles, an egg, syrup and then 4 slices of toast? where does that go? really he's got a tiny belly, where did it go?

Odd occurrence yesterday, I made 4 beds! It totally freaked me out. I usually insist everyone else make their own beds. I'm a little concerned. I'm sure it

I don't usually like Hockey but was chatting with a friend today, she was telling me her daughter was going to get to see a team practice.  It remindedme how much I like watching Live Hockey. There is something about the sound of the skates on the ice and the swish of the puck as it flies through the air.  I should probably take the boys out to a local game.

OK I must go save my Starfleet there is talk of battle and loss of ships. ACK! anyone got any hydrogen out there?

Maybe I'd get some ice fix if I went skating instead. 

Monday's are Hard, but January is over.

Welcome to another Monday, the first Monday of February. Anyone else wondering about that ground hog? hmm or are you all just wondering how the hell did my January go for HASAY! 
Did you know it's now Month 17 over there? I've not been participating for 17months but boy are there some great participants, doing well and continuing the challenge to live well and healthy. 2010 is here, I've committed to working out every day of the week minus 2days. I found the weekends very hard to fit in my Wiifitplus but I'm almost >this< close to  getting me all those 20balloons in 1 island ride, they aren't easy.  I like that the game continues off where you left off but you've stopped. The kids are challenging me now. My AJ is got me beat in the obstacle course and MJ's got the ball drop almost cracked and TJ's all set on the marching band. The problem of course is now I've got to pass them too. So for the month of January's days worked out I've got the dedication going on, but the weight has gone up. The wii says I'm obese. It doesn't exactly make me want to continue but I must. The biggest obstacle at the moment is my eating. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat. I have been eating too much and it's showing. I'm working my goal for February, which is continue the Wiifitplus, and work on lowing my eating. I've got to I can't continue like this... If you need to read up some great January progress, go click that link and look at some real motivation. Come on March! :)

Grade4 Social Studies Project, Mom Assistance Required.

OK I was sitting here wondering oh wondering what you'd like to read, or what I'd like to post so here it is... ShortBreads.
AJ's School project this month was assigned with a preview in December. They asked them to include a recipe that reflected our ancestral back ground. A food that is used during holidays or special events. Christmas is a special even. They didn't have to send the food, but my boy AJ? he loves to bake with me, and show off his baking skills. He listens the most and has the most interest in doing it the way I would.  The others? they like to "improvise" or suggest other ways of doing it.

(sorry it's kind of blurry, imagine you ate it already)

This recipe comes from my Mom's Christmas cooking book (read:scribbler full of hand written recipes that she's narrated over the phone to me various times). I have this one written on the back of an envelope, that a friend Lauren sent me in 2001 for Christmas. We met as a Baby group. Our Babies? AJ and her J are now 8! so we continue to email, and get Christmas cards YAY!! and compete in the ever popular game of Lexulous on FB (I know it's a huge tangent but I do that)
The envelope is very loved, and full of splotches of fat from the butter, or even dried on Shortbread splatter, but it's perfect. I keep it inside my Christmas cook book that I also love and use the most for the holidays.
So with out further a due <---- really does it spell like that?)
"The envelope please...:
1lb of Butter (2 cups, or 454g) ah I know you are sooooooo impressed right?)
1tsp of vanilla*

1 Cup of icing sugar (confectioners sugar/powdered sugar, it all depends where you live what you call it)
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 Cup of cornstarch, (I know? who knew that those boxes with the rooster had more then 1cup in them, but they do.)
2inches of salt.
<--uncooked on tray
ok get out your huge mixer, yep the more power the better (insert toolman argh argh argh here, it's power tools for in home bakers)
Cream together the Butter, as fluffy as you can make it, keep it going... yep fluffy, creamy, whip it... whip it good..oops tangent
Then the vanilla, the 1 cup of icing sugar, keep whipping.
Now put that baby on FULL speed whip, put in the mixture of salt, cornstarch and flour about 1/2 cup at a time. Wipe down your shirt it's probablly full of flour if you put the mix in while the beaters are still spinning. when you get to about the last cup of flour mix? make sure the sides of the bowl are scraped down and everything is together, and add in the rest, wait wait wait, yep it looks like either good or crumbly, if it's gooey? you are about done, and then 1TBSP at a time-ish roll all the dough into balls. Our last batch made 57cookies. I think someone may have rolled them a bit bigger  in hopes he could get the bigger cookies for himself? maybe. Bake these at 350 for 20-25minutes. They will look done at about 18minutes and you can take them out but they will crumble. Keep watching. I suspect it's a "feel" thing. I wonder though how my ancestors did it without a 350F setting? I have seen other shortbread recipes made completely differently so I can't say these would be an original recipe, more of a work in progress? in 100+years, Im sure someone will come up with something different.
The cookies are then either thumb printed or pressed. We press them with a angel press I got from my mother one Christmas in my stocking. I love that press. We took a picture of the press, sent in the cookies in and picture of AJ mixing and pressing his cookies. He received an A+ for his work.

*I use that artificial vanilla and it's fine, and keeps longer, and no one is off swigging it, another tangent.... I had a babysitter that told me she worked in a store  as a teen and had to monitor which customers were buying how much vanilla extract, I totally sucked up that story at 12yrsold, my Mom had 5 kids, I went to school she watched the babies, yes i was responsible...just couldn't be at school and home babysitting too.