Empanadas

The other day Laura wanted me to make empanadas for supper. So we googled a recipe that seemed do-able and started cooking! The recipe was for a Chilean empanada so the filling consisted of ground pork, fried onions, cumin, garlic, hard boiled eggs, and salt & pepper. We also made a jamaican jerk chicken filling with black beans, corn, yellow peppers, onion, and rice! Mmmmm they were so good we made more a couple of days later! This time we also made jalapeno poppers with the leftover dough. It's so nice having someone else think up meals and help execute them!

Snowshoeing

Weekends

A couple of weekends ago, it had been such nice weather that we decided to borrow some snow shoes from the school and go Snowshoeing. There's nowhere interesting to go out here, so we drove to St. Pierre and explored the forest! It was a very nice family outting and a bit of exercise (oww my bum). Afterwards we headed over to my parents' house for dinner and pictures of Cuba. Of course we enjoyed receiving our loot! I got some Cuban coffee beans, a seashell mobile (hangy thing) that was hand painted, and a wooden hand carved frog key chain. The coffee is fabulous by the way!
(Pictures to be posted later)

This last weekend, I went with my friend Cindy to Winnipeg after work. She was dropping her kids off at their dad's and wanted some company for afterwards! We first headed for dinner at ummmm...uh oh....Mooshoo's...LOL I forgot the name...anyhow it's like the freakin 'Gong Show' in there. It's just like Palatal but bigger, noisier, and someone is always banging the gong in appreciation for the guys who fry your food! After dinner we did some light shopping....I managed to find myself two T-shirts ($6.99 each) and one for Ike ($14) at Tommy Hilfiger. I never shop in there but she dragged me in and I was glad for it...those shirts are soooo soft. Afterwards she took me to the Marble Slab Creamery. Oh la la! They make all of their own ice cream there so it's FRESH! What you do is....you choose your ice cream flavor then you choose what you want mixed in it (fruit, cookies, chocolate, gummy bears, marshmallows, nuts, coconut, famous chocolate bars, brownies, sprinkles, .....). Then they spoon it onto this yummy waffle cone that they made there! Soooo delish! I will have to take you there next time Jackie!

Pictures gratefully donated by Google! :) I forgot my camera!

Obsessed?

When I start a new project that interests me, I dive in head first! I fully immerse myself in it...Thinking about how to perfect it or where to look next. At work I am constantly thinking about the how's, and the what's, and where I am going to go next. After work I delve into the project, usually my crafts or the computer, and I don't stop until I hear complaints about hunger! At night I dream about the areas of my project that bother me...you know the parts you just can't quite figure out what to do with next. I have in fact become obsessed with this ancestry research...last night I dreamed about a man coming home after being away for so long...The day before I had paid a small fee to do some research on a UK archive website and found a census from 1901...of course some things piqued my curiosity...like the fact that Great great great grandpa Copus was missing as Head of household on the sheet....and the fact that they were raising a granddaughter but her last name did not match any of those in the household....Probably explains the weird dreams. I just can't let it go! Sigh...Eventually I will, and then a new obsession will enter my life...but for now...The past really does haunt me.

Oh and correction on the last post....Grandma informs me that the name was Margorie and not Mayone, that was a transcription error on the website, and that would be Grandma Duchak's older sister.

Discoveries

Before I got distracted by lipstick man I had planned on sharing some of my discoveries with all of you! A short while ago my mother-in-law signed up for some online ancestry research website to do some research of her own family history for an upcoming reunion. I must've shown more interest than I thought because she gave me her username and password so I could dabble a little bit. Wow, did I ever find some cool stuff...of course I will need to double check some names and stuff with grandma and grandpa but I'm 90% sure that I've traced the right family!
First I found grandma Duchak's parents...There isn't much to go on as I can only look up Canadian records and they're the ones who immigrated here in the early 1900's from England. I discovered that her father was in the military during WWI and have an actual copy of his 'attestation papers'. I also have a copy of the ship's manifest with his name on it and exactly where he boarded the "Pomeranian" and where he landed before arriving in Winnipeg. I then Googled for more information on the steam ship, which also gave great history as to who owned it and how long it ran before a German sub sank it with a torpedo (and yes I used google as a verb). I also have a copy of a Winnipeg census from 1911, which included the name Mayone their daughter (grandma Duchak?).
Then I dug deep and found grandpa Duchak's parents...They too were the ones to immigrate here in 1901 from Austria. I couldn't find as much information on them but still managed to discover a copy of his 'attestation papers' for WWI, and a copy of MooseJaw's census from 1916 which listed 7 children including grandpa.
I am currently trying to find public information websites for overseas to see if I can go further back or even get some birth or marriage records for either of these....It is difficult though especially when the Austrian one is in german!

Weird Day

Seeing as I've been lazy with my posts I had already thought up one for today. However, something happened at work which is waaaay more interesting than what I had originally planned!
We have a "new" guy at work (he's been here for 2 months now) and he's not working out so well. He doesn't talk at all (no good mornings or careful that pan is hot or see you tomorrows), he doesn't listen (we have told him certain things over and over and over and over again and it's the same stupid things), he doesn't look for things to do (we even make lists to help know what to do for prep and clean up), he's mega slow on deliveries, and he just stands in the way and stands (he's also a bigger boy...like tall and big). We are thoroughly frustrated as we didn't want just a dishwasher!
Today he went and got himself a hot chocolate. Tina, my co-worker, noticed that there was lipstick on the cup so she said, "Oh do you want a clean cup? That one is dirty." "No, that's ok...it's mine" he answered. "Are you sure? Wait....that's YOUR lipstick????!!" "Yeah" "You're wearing lipstick?" "Yep" and then he walked away....Once he was on a delivery the girls told me this and we just about pee'd ourselves....I can't believe it! It's not like it was a shimmery baby pink either....it was mauve...a darkish mauve...how could I have not noticed that ON him?! We couldn't even look him in the eyes for the rest of the day! It's not even like he's goth....it's not like he was making out with his wife before work...Most men wouldn't even dare to touch tinted chapstick! There's some bizarros here in Altona!

Jack's Specialty!

Oh wow I am terrible at blogging on a regular basis...Sorry fans! I'll pull a Jack and post some random pics from this past year to keep you entertained for the day! I hope you appreciate them because they take me all day to upload...stupid dial-up. :)

Before Charlie was born I had started a special sewing project as a gift for him! I think that I mentioned this in an earlier blog but couldn't show pics just in case the surprise would be blown. The puppy took me two days to make...he was easier than I thought and I was eager to finish him so that I could play with him! :) The blanket took me ALOT longer due to the fact that the material was difficult to work with. It kept stretching in all the wrong ways and made the squares difficult to line up just right. Not to mention the stupid blanket binding (ribbon sewn around the perimeter of the blanket to cover the unfinished edges)...I tried following the very vague directions which didn't make much sense and fought to make the corners even and tight...in the end I just had to tell myself that it IS a homemade blanket and that it doesn't need to be PERFECT! It still turned out very cute...However, next time I'll make sure to check the material's stretch before purchasing.

Close-up of super soft puppy I made for Charlie. I have to admit that I had a hard time giving him up...he was just so cute and cuddly. I even got a high five from my dad, at Christmas, once they realized that he wasn't store bought!

Occasionally Ike and I will have a bath together....I know it's a weird thing to share with you guys BUT I always find it hilarious how pruny his hands get as compared to mine and this is what I really wanted to share! Even his palms are wrinkly!

My kitty loves to play in our chairs! Silly Momma!