Happy Birthday to Me

I'm fairly new at the blogging thing but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to go a month between posts. 

Oops.

I've recently (as in today) started planning my soon to be 2 year olds birthday party. We call him EV1. As in Electric Vehicle One. If you are a car geek you will get it. Did I mention that I was married to a mechanic? Not your typical "I like big trucks" grease monkey. He's your above average "I can fix anything" technology loving Diagnostic Technician. *feel free to swoon* I may be biased but he's pretty great. He's also the brain behind our three sons unique nicknames.
Back to the point of this post. 

EV1's 2nd Birthday. I don't have any girls and I am a huge princess. It should come as no surprise then that I have decided to rebel against dump trucks and trains and superheroes and dinosaurs. I've done all of those things in the past and I will do all of those things in the future. This is the last birthday where EV1 cannot speak his mind and vote on the birthday theme. This is the last birthday that I, the Mom, will have total control and I am going to take advantage of it. Instead of the aforementioned shenanigans I usually do I am having a potluck garden party. You heard me. Is it madness? Are there fairies? Yes. & No.
I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do this yet. I'm not sure if this is going to be a total hit or a big flop.
Thankfully I live in Beautiful British Columbia and I have perfect spring weather (unless it pours). I also have the advantage of a yard full of flowers and grass. Which is a big deal for someone who is used to cramped apartments that afford breathtaking views of dirty back alleys and dumpsters.
My big thought for this party is Keep It Simple. Keep It Green.
If you have ever hosted a party then you know that this isn't the easiest thing to do. I could run down to the dollar store and pick up cheap decorations and favors. I have done that in the past. I will probably do it in the future. But NOT this time. This time I'm going to have decorations that I can reuse. Possibly purchased, possibly second hand, possibly made, possibly stolen. I don't know. I'll keep you (all 28 views of you) posted.
Hopefully next time I have fabulous pictures.
Hopefully pinterest doesn't eat my soul.

Wish me luck.

Marsha's Cauliflower Cheese Soup

I've recently decided to attempt at eating healthy. Since then I have new found respect for people who do this all the time. I've only been at it for a little over three days and everything seems to be a power struggle. Suddenly those buns at the bakery mock my very existence while the pastries call out to me. My hearing has become more acute and I can glean an ice cream trucks sweet siren song from six blocks away.
Of course I might be overreacting.
As if to compound my suffering we spent a fabulous day at the Granville Island Public Market. Food beyond belief! What a treasure. I could go on and on about it and our glorious time there today but this post is about Cauliflower Soup.
I don't know if Cauliflower soup fits into my eating healthy routine but after resisting all kinds of temptation today I thought I earned it. Let me tell you this cauliflower soup is beyond amazing. I was visiting a friend in January and she made this soup for supper. Besides tasting wonderful I also enjoyed the best company while I ate it. Her little girl made me giggle all night as I devoured bowl after bowl. I call it Marsha's Cauliflower Cheese Soup* or if you want your kids to eat it Call it Marsha's C.C. Soup. Which is what I do. If they ask what C.C. stands for make something silly up such as Marsha's Crazy Cat Soup or Marsha's Capital Captains Soup. That's usually my fail safe when I don't want them to know that I'm feeding them something potentially disgusting (liver*) or healthy (cauliflower).
Without further ado:

Marsha's C.C. Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 small sweet onion chopped
900ml container of chicken or vegetable broth

1 head of roughly chopped cauliflower

salt and pepper to taste

2 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup flour

2 cups + shredded cheese to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in pot. Add onions and sauté until tender. Stir in broth and cauliflower. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce head. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
In a separate bowl mix milk and flour until smooth. Add mixture to pot and stir occasionally on medium heat until it boils and thickens.
Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted adding more cheese to taste.
If you so choose blend until smooth or serve immediately with love.

Accept all gracious compliments as your guests (or kids) wolf down soup. 

Enjoy!

*disclaimer: i name all my recipes after the friend or family member that supplied them and there is no liver in this soup*

laziness and puddles in the kitchen

I decided to start a blog and then I realized that writing blog posts is very difficult. It turns out that the way I speak in my head and out loud do not translate very well to paper errr...internet. Hopefully I don't hang myself with my tongue as it out distances my brain for all the world to see.

Lately I've been running away from my pinterest board and my to do list. I have curtains to sew, furniture to refinish, clothing to alter, a garden to tend, letters to write, and painting to do. BUT... Well, you see, I kind of  don't want to do any of that. My husband calls it the one sock syndrome (knitters will get it).  Instead I'd rather read books, play games, party with my kids, lay in the sun and watch grass grow.

Oh sure I get things done. Sort of. Not really.

As if to highlight this laziness fact my leaky tap has filled my sink and began overflowing in the kitchen whilst I write this post. Yup. I'm super lazy. There I've named the beast. Sloth is my deadly sin. Procrastination my crutch.

Part of me feels bad but the other part of me says "You didn't get enough sleep last night. You have clogged sinuses. It's too nice outside to be indoors. It's too hot to work in the garden. It's better to just lay here. Enjoy it!"

However the part that feels bad is quickly catching up to the part that feels lazy. This week is almost over but it's never too late to start. Right? 
Maybe next week.