Redeeming Muffins: Tale of a Grump and a Failure.

I’m not someone who has terribly many grumpy days because I tend to be the perpetual optimist. Some days, however, my cheerful disposition fails me and I allow myself to wallow in self-pity. Here’s my recent tale of woe.

Well, it all started yesterday, actually. I got groceries that included a fresh supply of coffee, but at home later, the coffee was nowhere to be found! This was incredibly irritating to me and I diligently searched every nook and cranny where I could have absent-mindedly placed it. No luck. I even retraced my steps from the truck to the house to see if it had fallen while I was carrying groceries in. Nope. I figure it must have fallen out of my cart in the Costco parking lot, while I quickly wheeled to my truck??? It’s the best explanation I can think of. I checked my receipt and, yes, I did purchase coffee. Grrr….

This morning I woke up with an incredibly sore/stiff neck. I can’t think of anything I did to put it “out”. Maybe I slept on it wrong??? I don’t know. Anyway, it doesn’t feel good. I have one of those therapeutic neck wrap things that you stick in the microwave to heat up, but do you think I could find it anywhere??? I looked everywhere in the house that I thought it might be, but had no luck.  So, the sore neck is having its way with me. When I haul Jett on my hip, it accentuates the soreness. Grrr….

Mitch left early this morning to help friends of our move into their new house and Jett and I were invited to join them for BBQ lunch at their new place. I’m someone who doesn’t like to show up empty-handed to something like that, so I decided to use up the ripe bananas on my counter and make some muffins. Jett decided not to nap as long as I would’ve liked him too, though, so that complicated matters. I plunked him into his high chair and gave him cheerios and his milk. Then I set the laptop in front of him so he could watch himself in our home video compilations. (He prefers watching himself to watching TV :) – so vain). The videos are only about a minute and a half each though, so as I added ingredients and mixed batter, I had to run in between and start videos for Jett.

I got the muffins in the oven and felt quite proud of myself. Jett and I went outside to go check on a cow that Mitch had thought might be calving, and to get some fresh air. I set the timer on the oven, but I didn’t take a watch with me (stupid). You can guess what happened next. My internal clock is obviously a lot slower than the one on my oven because when we got back into the house, the timer was going off and the muffins smelt DONE. More than done, actually, they were totally burnt. Not something I would bring to a friend. GRRRR…..

I felt so frustrated; I just let out a yell. Not at anyone or anything in particular, just a yell. It felt good to let it out, but then I realized that my kitchen window was open and my mother in law was working in her flowerbeds not far away. Oops. I hope she didn’t think I was yelling at Jett. I wasn’t. Arghh…

So, we went to have lunch with our friends at their new house sans muffins. It didn’t matter to anyone else, I’m sure, but I was irked. Lunch was nice, even though it did rain on us.

As I drove home afterwards, I was listening to NewsTalk radio and they were talking about the devastation caused by all of those tornadoes in the States as well as the many people who lost their homes to fire in Slave Lake. Wow. Now THAT is a bad day. I guess I needed a little perspective.

When I got home, I cleaned my bowls that were still soaking in the sink and I made a new batch of muffins. They turned out great.

I pray that the Lord would bring relief and comfort to those experiencing unimaginable hardship in their lives right now.

"Knees off the dinner table, please."

We are blessed to own a camper trailer that stays on a lot we lease out at Candle Lake. It has become a haven for us to get away from life’s demands and, now is a great family-time destination. We were able to get out there during May long weekend, and if this get-away was any indication, I think the lake might just be one of Jett’s favorite places in the world. (mine, too)

I’ve compiled a short list of ten things I learned this weekend at Candle Lake. (and some pics, of course)

     1.    Jetty LOVES other kids.

I’ve actually known this for a while, but it was once again confirmed to me as I watched Jett make many new friends on the beach. He might be somewhat entertained by adults, but he is fascinated with other kids. It really stirs my heart and causes me to hope that the Lord will bless Mitch and I with more children. If Jett is an only child, he will be showered with all of our love and affection, but I feel as though he’ll be somewhat short-changed.

     2.    All the other toys on the beach are MUCH better than the ones Jett has.

Perhaps, this has to do with being a very social little boy, but time and time again, Jett would wander along the beach, trying to “borrow” other kids’ toys even though he had a wagon full of his own toys!

     3.    I despise hearing foul language on the beach.

Last summer, we often went to the lake during the week so that we could give our employees the weekend off. The weekday crowd is much quieter and more reserved than the weekend crowd, we learned this weekend! There was a group of guys sitting behind us on the beach; they were probably 18-19 years old. Jett loved to watch them, and they got a kick out of his intent staring. So, obviously they knew that there were kids on the beach (dozens, actually). Why, then, do they think it’s okay to tarnish the air with their ugly four-letter, unintelligent words??? I am thankful that Jett is not yet at the age when he will repeat everything he hears. If he was, I would have marched up to those not-so-tough-as-they-think-they-are guys and given them a piece of my mind!

     4.    Sand is tasty. Food caked in sand, delicious.

One of the first things Jett did on the beach was shove a fist full of sand straight into his mouth. He made a face and spit most of it out, but for some unknown reason, tasted it again periodically throughout the day. Am I missing something here??? I HATE the feeling of sand gritting in my teeth. So, what can he find so appealing? He had some snacks to eat and of course he would not sit still on my lap to eat them. There is far too much exploring and playing to do! He dropped his snacks in the sand so that they were completely coated. This wasn’t a problem though; he finished the whole thing. I wonder if sand is a good source of roughage for the digestive system?

     5.    The cold water is no deterrent.

The weather was beautiful and hot at Candle (at least until Monday) but the lake is huge, and I’m sure the ice has only been off of the lake for a few weeks. What I’m trying to say is, the water was NOT warm! This didn’t stop Jett from walking straight into the lake, falling on his face, but then getting up like it was no big deal and splashing ecstatically. His little lips got so blue, but he didn’t want to waste time warming up in mommy’s towel.  No sir, my boy’s a little fish. (A shark, actually. His swim shirt has a shark fin on the hood)

     6.    The beach is not for napping or relaxing.

It used to be that Mitch and I would relax on the beach for hours. He would nap and I would read. Ahhhhhhh…. But those days are gone. Jett doesn’t stop going until we pry him away from the beach and he is definitely not at the stage where we can just let him go to play on his own. I suppose Mitch and I could take turns chasing the little guy while the other relaxes but, truthfully, this weekend we were having too much fun with him to sit for too long.

     7.    Any garbage on the beach is fair game.

We are lucky to have a private beach that is kept very clean, but if there is any garbage left behind by some inconsiderate person, Jett will find it. Of course as I try to steer him away from it, he only wants it more. It’s the “forbidden fruit” phenomenon, I suppose. Mommy doesn’t want me to have it, therefore it must be the greatest thing ever. Blechhh! Just put your garbage in the can, people!

     8.    The slide remains fun, even when you go again and again and again…

There is a small play center for the kids on the beach and it is a well-loved destination. Jett loves slides, as we have previously noted on trips to other parks. Jett can climb the stairs himself and he even goes down the slide by himself (feet first, on his belly) with no one to catch him at the bottom. He’s not completely independent, though. I do follow him up the stairs in case he gets side-tracked and wants to exit the top platform via an edge that does not possess a slide.  It is delightfully obvious how much Jett enjoys going down the slide, and it’s delightfully obvious again and again on the dozed consecutive times he slides down. :)

     9.    The beach does not grow old.

It could be that we just didn’t wait long enough to find the maximum amount of time Jett can last on the beach, but we were out there for at least 3 consecutive hours and he showed no signs of being done. Then, he displays his obvious displeasure at being taken away from his play time, even though his blue lips reveal that it is, in fact, time to warm the boy up.

     10. Food tastes better at the lake.

Generally, at the lake, we eat a large breakfast in the morning, snacks throughout the day, then a larger dinner in the evening. Of course, we barbeque; that’s a given. Sunday evening’s menu included BBQ chicken breasts, grilled shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob and asparagus.  We had no salad, so we cut up orange, yellow, and red peppers as well as sugar snap peas to fill our fresh vegetable requirement for the meal. :) D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. Jett enjoyed it, too, although we committed the rookie blunder of forgetting to bring him a booster seat to keep him contained while he ate. Oops. This left him free to stand and pace the bench as he ate off of his plate on the table, just like mommy and daddy. He was in his glory, but our furniture and clothing took the hit off his grubby little hands. Next time, we’ll remember the seat. He got a kick out of trying to climb ON to the table several times during each meal. “Knees OFF of the table, please!”- I found myself repeating many times. I think I have to work on my stern face.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I think we all love the lake.

Signs of a Farmer....

The other day, Jett cried when I took him out of the barn and it hit me, I think we might have an up and coming little farmer on our hands. Only time will tell if my sweet boy actually decides to follow in his father’s footsteps, but if it’s possible to have any tell-tale signs this early in life, he’s got them. Great Grandma Schultz can hopefully breathe easier now knowing that this 5^th generation just might keep the Schultz Family Farm legacy alive.

Here are some signs I’ve observed:

1.     He doesn’t care when he steps in poop.

2.     He will touch (inspect) anything.

3.     He loves the cows and is not scared of them.

4.     He is not deterred by the smell.

5.     He’s a meat and potatoes kind of guy. (sweet potatoes, anyway)

6.     He’s fascinated by tractors and other machinery; especially the big wheels!

7.     At 12 months, Jett makes a “baaaa” sound for sheep and a “mooooo” sound for cows.

8.     He’s not afraid to be messy and get a little dirt underneath his fingernails.

9.     He spits into the dirt. (drool, actually :) but close enough)

10. Our dog, Captain, is at his side as he wanders the farmyard.

11. He wipes his nose on his sleeve.

12. He would definitely rather be outside than inside.

I’ve made a little video for you and taken a few pics as evidence that my boy is a budding young farm lad. Enjoy!

Saturday = Family Day.. At least for this week :)

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and Mitch had the afternoon off, so we decided to go in to Saskatoon and go for a walk along the river. I absolutely LOVE what the city is doing to spruce up the river walk. It’s not happening as quickly as maybe it should, but what they have done has given a major facelift to the river area. If you want to check it out, click on this link: Saskatoon River Landing.

We plopped Jett into his stroller, and trekked through the gorgeous tall trees as the breeze blew against our faces. There was a wedding party taking pictures by the gazebo, so of course I made Mitch choose a route that would take us close enough to get a peek at the bride. You’re pretty much guaranteed to see wedding parties down by the Bessborough every Saturday from now until the end of summer. I don’t blame them. It’s a beautiful spot. In fact, Mitch and I had some of our wedding pics taken down there. Here’s one of my favorites.

Oh... younger, skinnier, blonder version of me :) - Six years ago!

Near the spray park, the concession stand is already open for the season! They have a decent array of ice cream flavors to choose from. It’s competition for the Bus, I’m sure. As ice cream connoisseurs, Mitch and I make it our business to know where all reputable ice cream stops are located. On that note, Saskatoon also now has a Cold Stone Creamery just off of Spadina, attached to a new downtown Tim Horton’s location. It’s worth it to spend $5 on a small (but oh so tasty) ice cream every now and then.

We walked past the Broadway Bridge to a fenced in dock-like area. I think maybe the Saskatoon river cruise boat boards or stops there??? I would like to go on it someday. Anyway, It was a perfect little area to unleash our little mover. He loved exploring the fence, the locks and of course, the garbage can.

The stroller makes a good foot rest. 

Not our best picture, but it'll do. :)

"Let me go, mommy! I've got more 'inspecting' to do!" 

After our river walk excursion, we went for dinner at Alexander’s. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in the city and I even worked there and saw food prepared! It’s good food, and I can honestly vouch for it! They have, in my opinion, the best spinach salad of anywhere else I’ve tried. They make their dressing from scratch and trust me, it is just the right mix of goodness to satisfy the palate. Mitch had their special, Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin, and it was delicious also! What did Jett have to eat, you ask??? - A little bit of everything from both our plates. He really liked the grilled chicken that I had on top of my salad, as well as the fat french fries off of daddy’s plate. He ate some carrots and cucumbers, too, so don’t worry, our boy is not malnourished! He behaved like a champ… but he definitely won the staring contest with the couple behind us. Luckily, I don’t think they minded.

We also made a stop at Superstore, but that was about all that our little trooper could handle. We were a little late getting home for our 7:30pm bedtime, but I guess we make exceptions on family dates. :)