Buying Things for Others Makes Me Happy

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..especially when it’s not my money

Every year in the library we host a book fair and all the profits go to buying more books for the library and to support the curriculum across different grades and subjects. I had a nice sum of money from the last two book fairs to spend. Routinely the company that runs the fairs sends me catalogues and flyers of all the products that they sell. When I see something that I think would benefit a class or a specialty teacher I pass it on to see if there is any interest.

Today I actually found the time to order everything that a number of teachers expressed an interest in and the best part is that I still have more than half of my credits left. I’m looking forward to approaching more staff to help me spend the rest of the money. I love children’s books and I know it will feel like my birthday when this order comes in. So far half the order will stay in the library and the rest will go into different classrooms.

I have students that are library helpers and they love helping me unpack new books. Next week when this order comes in I’ll have a group of very happy children.

Yesterday I went to a meeting for girls’ soccer and track and field. The good news is that extra-curricular sports are back in the TDSB and I’ve volunteered to coach soccer again. So on days when I’m not coaching Girls on the Run, I’ll be out with the soccer team. Luckily I have some parents that are eager to help me coach the girls and their expertise and dedication are greatly appreciated.

The third reason to be happy today is that the temperatures went into the double digits today and I was able to wear my spring jacket. We had our best day so far for Girls on the Run until the rain started but we were able to get in most of the run before we had to head back inside. It looks like the rain is going to stay with us for a few days and unfortunately we’re being threatened wit a winter storm warning. Really???????

Anyway, new books, warmer temperatures (even if only for a day) and bringing back extra-curricular sports are in my Happiness File today.

Cheers!

My Happiness File – Day 5

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..spending the entire day with my husband brought many happy moments today

Today was my first day off the detox cleanse and I was able to enjoy my first coffee in four days. Heavenly!

My husband took the day off work today so that we could spend the day together. After our walk this morning and enjoying the first solid food I had in over three days we got into the car and went for a day trip north of the city. We had a great time checking out the Apple Factory and buying a few vegetables and some specialty items for our Irish dinner on Sunday and then we made our way to Spirit Tree where we had a nice lunch. I’ll write more about our experience in my next post.

After lunch we started driving around looking for the Cheltenham Bad Lands. K set his GPS on his new phone and off we went. We got so lost. I’m sure we drove 20 k in the wrong direction before we turned around. We did eventually find it. For the rest of the afternoon we found our surroundings pretty uninspiring. The one thing that did amaze us was how much snow was still on the ground just 30 k north of Toronto.

On our way home we decided to stop at the movie theatre and take in a show. We ended up seeing Zero Dark 30. I really liked it and I didn’t think I would. Before the show started I made K set his phone so I could play the interactive pre show on-screen game. I came in second and won a slice of pizza that I will probably never redeem. Made me happy anyway.

All in all it was a great day.

My Happiness File – Day 1 Continued

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. now that the day is coming to an end I can complete my list

Earlier today I introduced ‘My Happiness File’ and I posted one thing that had made me happy. Since the idea is to post at least three things that you are grateful for or happy about I need to beef up my list.

Today was a very satisfying day. Here’s what made me happy.

2. I’m always happy when new people come to my site and make a comment and I’m doubly happy when they answer a question that I post. Today I was introduced to Erica at Gratitude Equation. It’s a lovely site with quotes, challenges and reflections about happiness and gratitude. You should check it out.

3. The weather was beautiful and my husband and I got out to a favourite organic market in the Junction. We’ve decided to try a 3 day juice fast (more about that later) and everything we needed we were able to purchase today. I love it when things come together when working towards a goal.

4. I saw a recipe recently on Lattes and Leggings that I wanted to make. Pasta with Kale, Beans and Turkey Sausage I made a few changes to the recipe. I replaced the recommended pasta with 1/2 the amount of Kamut pasta (gluten free, low GI), doubled the amount of turkey sausage, increased the amount of kale by 50% and replaced the mascarpone cheese with cooking cream cheese. I found myself singing and dancing while cooking dinner. I was in a happy place. The recipe makes enough to serve 4 and with a salad possibly more. My husband loved it and that makes me happy as well. Good thing because we have at least one more meal in the freezer.

5. We got out for our evening walk again tonight. I love how my legs feel lighter and my pants fit comfortably. Being able to walk quickly and without pain makes me happy and makes me feel good.

Did anything make you happy today?

Eating Out, Food Poisoning and March Break

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. health wise it’s been a difficult weekI

It all started with a sore throat last weekend and then it became a full blown head cold by Monday. A friend of mine was supply teaching at my school and she suggested that I take off a morning so that I could sleep in and get the rest I needed to recover. She offered to come in and teach my library classes. I took her up on her offer Wednesday morning.

Getting that extra rest really did help and I started to feel better. My cold is pretty much done. On Thursday my husband took me out for dinner. We went to a new restaurant where the menu was completely unfamiliar to me. There was a lot of pork and sausages on the menu but there were some healthier options or so I thought. I ended up ordering an arugula salad with mushrooms and a small grilled steak. To drink I had a mineral water with a wedge of lime.

The food was delicious but soon after I finished my meal I started to feel sick again. At first I thought that my cold was coming back but it was worse than that. I started running a fever, I had a headache and I ached all over. Once I got home I knew that I probably had a case of food poisoning. After being home for about an hour and a half I was violently ill. I never throw up. In fact the last time I did vomit happened over 30 years ago when I was pregnant with the twins and suffered from a bout of food poisoning.

I felt immediately better after losing my dinner but I wasn’t 100% so I went to bed. Later in the evening I woke up and I realized that I was dehydrated. I took some water and went back to bed. In the morning I didn’t feel too bad so I decided to go to work.

I probably should have taken the day off but because it was the day before March Break I knew that the board could insist that I get a doctors note to say that I was ill. Without a note they could dock me a day’s pay. When I got to school I had a terrible headache. I found some Tylenol and it did help. I had no appetite. I had a coffee and 3 small cookies. I couldn’t even eat lunch.

By dinner tonight I was looking forward to comfort food and my husband made a mashed cauliflower, chicken marsala and a vegetable succotash. It was perfect. After dinner we did our 3.6k walk. I think I’m on the mend.

Tomorrow we’re planning on getting out the bikes and going for a nice long ride. Do you have a March Break or Spring Break? What kind of things are you planning to do?

Welll I thought I had sent this off yesterday but apparently it’s been sitting here in a draft. I thought I had solved this problem but I guess not.

Update: I didn’t get out for that bike ride but we did go to High Park with the dogs and I got some great shots that I will post later.

Cheers!

A Trip to the Market

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. not just any market….the St. Lawrence Market

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a very raspy voice. I lay in bed for a spell and read while my husband and the dog went for a walk. When I finally emerged from the bedroom it was going on 10:00. I took a Tylenol, made myself a cup of coffee and K whipped up some eggs for us.

After we cleared up the dishes I started to feel better and in a low whisper (my voice wasn’t back to normal) I asked my husband if he still wanted to make a trip to the St. Lawrence Market. He was game and seeing that it was going on noon the market would probably be less busy.

Well if it was less busy it must have been horrible earlier in the day. The place was swarming with people. We walked around to take in the sights and compare some prices but we soon realized that we were hungry. I guess our morning eggs didn’t stay with us for very long and we knew that shopping when you’re hungry is not a good idea.

It was so crowded that we were feeling somewhat claustrophobic and finding a place to sit down to eat was next to impossible. We left the market and walked up Front Street and found a restaurant where we could sit and have a leisurely lunch. It was also easier to make healthy choices. We both ordered salads with a protein and tea. After our meal we shared a cookie. We were both shocked when we saw how big the cookie was. I’m glad we shared it but I really thought it was going to be half the size. I guess I could have eaten half of my half but that old European custom of cleaning your plate won out.

When we went back to the market we bought a capon to roast for Sunday dinner and lots of fresh green vegetables. One big change we’ve made in our eating habits is to include a lot more leafy green vegetables that are high in anti-oxidants. Some of the vegetables we bought included kale, dandelion leaves, romaine and arugula.

Even though it started off bitterly cold this morning you know spring can’t be too far off when tulips appear in the markets. I bought 3 bunches. Nothing lifts my spirits faster than fresh cut flowers.

When we got home I went out again to purchase the things we couldn’t get at the market. For dinner we had a kale salad and oven roasted chicken breast. No dessert.

I arranged the flowers into 3 separate bouquets and placed them around the house. The buds are still pretty tight but in the next day or so they should open up nicely.

As the day comes to an end my throat is still sore and raspy. I think I’ll make myself a hot tea with honey and lemon and read some more of my book. Hopefully I’ll feel somewhat better tomorrow. No plans as of yet but if the weather is nice I’d like to get out for a walk again. I’m missing my walks.

Cheers!

What a Difference a Day Can Make

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. temperatures were holding steady around the 0 degree (freezing) mark

It was a lovely balmy day and the ice and snow on the sidewalks and roads are now melting away at an alarming rate. By tomorrow we should have a slushy mesh as the temperatures rise to six degrees (well above freezing).

The good thing about the warmer temperatures today was that the roads had cleared enough to make driving doable and bearable. I drove downtown to meet up with my daughter, A and her partner, J to check out the Junction Flea Market. We’re not quite sure why it was held in the Queen West area when the Junction is north and further west but the Great Hall housed the affair and the turn out was good.

After a coffee, a few Asian dumplings and purchasing a couple of old record albums, some flowers and a vase we headed north to the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario). The girls wanted to see the Evan Penny show and today was the last day.

While we were there I discovered a great lookout from the fourth floor and took a few shots of the city from an angle I’ve never seen before.

To the left is OCAD, the university of art and design and in the middle is the CN Tower.

An Old Fashion Christmas Market

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. Toronto hosted a great Christmas Market at the Distillery

The Christmas Market at night. Photo courtesy of http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297349897629_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x

One of my fondest memories of Christmas occurred when I was 11 years old. My father had a good year in real estate and decided to take the family on a three week vacation to Germany over the Christmas holidays to reconnect with family and friends that we hadn’t seen in almost 10 years.

My mother’s side of the family lived close to Frankfurt and we were treated to an evening at the Christmas Market in Frankfurt. It was magical. I remember that it was cold and there was a light covering of snow on the ground. I was in awe of the lights, sounds and smells. The entire event was hosted outside with vendors selling their wares from small wooden stalls. The treat that I savoured the most that evening was a small pink, green, or white confection made from coconut and sugar. To this day I can still taste the wonderful sweetness of those Kokosflocken. I’ve never been able to replicate those exact candies but I have sought them out, especially this time of year. I think I’ve come close to finding them but it’s never been the same.

Yesterday, my husband and I braved the cold and grey weather and made our way to the Distillery District in Toronto where Lowe’s was hosting this years Christmas Market. It was as magical as the one I remembered as a child. There were bier gardens, mulled wine stands and vendors selling everything from old fashion European ornaments, traditional German and Dutch Christmas baking to whimsical winter hats and mittens and children’s books. Of course Santa was on hand to have pictures taken with the kids and there were guest choirs singing classic Christmas songs. And if that wasn’t enough at the far end of the market there were rides for the whole family to enjoy.

After walking around for about an hour it started to rain and it came down hard. We quickly made our way to The Mill Street Brew Pub and stood in line with a mass of people who were also trying to escape the wet weather. We managed to put our name on the waiting list to be seated and to our surprise we were paged after only waiting for about 10 minutes, if that.

K and I enjoyed a lovely lunch together in the warmth of this very popular restaurant and we watched the rain come down from the window next to our table. It rained off and on all day but it didn’t stop the crowds from wandering around the market. My friend L, was there much later and it was still crowded after 5:00. I look forward to going again next year. Maybe I’ll go in the evening so I can enjoy the lights. The only other thing that would have made it perfect would have been a light dusting of snow and a bag of pink and green kokosflocken.

One happy husband, after a warm, healthy meal.

Spreading a Little Joy

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….I decided to save my rant for another day

One of my new followers inspired me to write about events that bring me joy or in her words ‘what delights’ me. Earlier today I started writing about political issues that I feel passionate about but after my delightful afternoon with my husband I decided to put that piece on hold and share with you some of the happier events that I’ve attended in the last two weeks.

My youngest daughter has been working with a friend to promote their blogs and businesses. Earlier in the year I wrote about the stamp making workshop that they hosted. This time around they created a workshop around creative Christmas wrapping and featured numerous ideas for creating your own ties, tags, embellishments and paper. As always they were highly organized and personable and offered their eager clients all the materials they would need to experiment with. My daughter also made some delicious shortbread to serve with a variety of teas.

The group enjoyed the evening so much that the owners of the art store where the event was held allowed us to stay an extra half hour to finish our projects. Some of the things people made were package toppers, tags, bows, tree ornaments and stamped paper. Unfortunately the battery in my camera gave out and I didn’t get any pictures of the finished projects.

The next day my book club had their annual Christmas dinner. Since the book we were discussing was Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts and was set in Berlin, we decided on a German theme. I was in charge of dessert so I brought a tray of German stollen and other festive cookies and chocolates. I posted a review of the book earlier in the year. In the Garden of Beasts: A Book Review On average the group gave the book a rating of 4 out of 5, much higher than what we gave his last book, Devil in the White City.

A week later another group of friends got together for another annual Christmas dinner. We lovingly call ourselves the “Over the Hilltop’ gang because we worked together at Hilltop Middle School over 15 years ago and continue to meet three or four times a year. My friend L hosted the party and cooked the entire dinner. What a lovely gift. Again the food was amazing, the company warm and joyous and presents were exchanged.

The Sunday before this last dinner my husband and I treated our daughter, A, and her partner to a day of wine touring and dinner. We managed to visit 6 wineries, each unique in its own way. The winery that intrigued me most was the one called Organized Crime. The owner explained to us that years ago in the area there were two orders of Mennonites, a traditional ‘old’ order and a more modern order. The traditional order didn’t like that the other order played music during their services so in the dark of night they got in their buggies and stole the organ from the modern church. Hence the name ‘Organ’ized Crime.

The day before the wine tour I found myself at a fantastic craft show in the city. The crafters were all local and predominately young, although there were a few people there closer to my age. The crafts were original and beautifully made and displayed. The show was held in the Great Hall and in two other stores, all in the same block on Queen St. W.. I spent hours browsing and buying.

Today K and I attended the Toronto Christmas Market but I think I will save this experience for tomorrow’s post. Till then, cheers!

Friday Drabble: Ikea

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Mama Cormier

A drabble is a very short story of exactly 100 words. Feel free to join in and write your own drabbles on Fridays and tag them with “friday drabble” and on Twitter with the hashtag #fridaydrabble.

Ikea

Did I need two new coffee mugs? Could I’ve lived without those rye crackers? Who needs, not one but two new bud vases?

What is it about merchandise at Ikea that makes it so appealing? Is it the price, the design, or maybe the strange name that each item carries?

In one week I’ve made three trips to Ikea. Did I really need any of the items that I ended up purchasing? Maybe one.

The new desk for my library was delivered today. It sits in eight boxes waiting to be assembled. Ugh! Time to get out the Allen key.

Walking, Junction Farmers’ Market and More Canning

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. one by one farmers’ markets are shutting down for the season

The day started with the a cool breeze and sunshine. My husband and I decided to check out the farmers’ market in the Junction. We had never been there and it would be our only opportunity to pay it a visit. The market was due to close later today.

As soon as Frances saw us preparing to leave she assumed we were going for our usual walk. We couldn’t disappoint her so we bundled up and fastened her into her Buddy belt. We ended up doing the usual route and gave her a good workout before heading back to the house. By the time we returned we decided that our plan to bike to the market wasn’t doable because the market was only open for another hour and a half.

So we took the car. The day progressively became cloudier and cooler. Parking in the Junction wasn’t a problem but we did have to ask someone where the market was located. Luckily we were close.

Caught on camera at the Junction Farmers’ Market

The market proved to be interesting. It wasn’t huge but it had some interesting vendors. We bought spinach, pears, vegetarian samosas, pepper jelly, radish relish, humus and homemade crackers.

We walked back to the car and unloaded our purchases and then walked to The Bean Cafe. We enjoyed a couple of cappuccinos and I must admit we each enjoyed a vegan oatmeal pumpkin cookie. (picture below)

On our way home we picked up our daughter, G, who needed to do some work at our house. She told us about the pumpkin butter she had made and it inspired me to do something with the leftover squash I had cooked last weekend.

K quickly found a recipe on line for squash butter. Actually there are quite a few. The one I chose is pretty close to the one my daughter used, the exception being that it called for any winter squash. Now when my sister brought me the squash she had no idea what the variety was. She called it horse squash because it grew in the horse pasture on their farm.

After researching the different varieties of winter squash I’ve decided that the squash my sister gifted me was a kabocha squash.

Here’s the link for the recipe that I altered slightly.

Maple Squash Butter

Kabocha Squash Maple Butter

6 cups of cooked squash (any type works but the orange varieties have a nicer colour)

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. vanilla

juice from 1 lemon

zest from the lemon

1. Puree the squash with an immersion blender.

2. Place it in a large pot and add the remaining ingredients.

3. Cook it for 20 minutes, stirring often, or until it reaches the consistency you like.

4. Taste and add more sweetner (syrup, sugar or brown sugar) if you like it sweeter.

5. Place in sterilized jars and seal. I didn’t put this in a waterbath. These jars will need to be refrigerated and used up within 3 weeks or you can freeze them.

My finished product isn’t very pretty. When you add the spices to the light yellow flesh of the kabocha squash it turns a pea soup greenish colour. Squashes with an orange flesh might be more appealing but then my husband said that pumpkin pie isn’t exactly ‘pretty’ either. However, it has a wonder flavour and would be great on toast and we dipped apple slices into it. Yummy!