Fried rice

I'm making fried rice today, L and I realized we like it with light soy sauce, but K likes it with dark soy sauce. He's a picky eater, although he's eating a lot more these days. So dark soya sauce wins. I also have some trout fillets to bake.

I'm trying to sort out all K's school notes, in case we missed something important for his exams next week. Going through other people's stuff is not really me, but I'm learning that it's sometimes necessary although he's pretty organized.

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Busy Day

Had a busy day today running errands. I think I got a lot done, but tomorrow always brings more chores. K and I are studying tonight, once he gets in the mood. My car is beeping that it's due for regular maintenance, among other things. L reports having a fantastic day, she did well on her French oral exam, which sounded difficult. She'll be practically bilingual by the time she leaves high school if she continues with her French.

I'm glad I made it to the gym, it made me more energetic. I seem to have a bug bite on the back of my neck, signs of summer.

My bank's fees are going up quite a bit,it may be time to switch to a more competitive institution. I've been a customer forever, it's hard to make a change, but the time may be right.

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Indian cuisine

Went for a walk with a friend today. We spotted a pretty cardinal bird on the path. L joined us for lunch as she has an exam study day today. We ate too much as usual at 'The Host' Indian cuisine. I keep telling myself I won't go for seconds and I always do. The food is so rich, though. It's a nicely decorated restaurant with window views. So I don't think L and I are having much for dinner tonight.

Britains Got Talent 2008 - Charlie Green

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABJTFV6aQH4&feature=related

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As easy as a gift card

It started off a bit cool but has turned into a beautiful day. Went to my step class as usual and felt pretty energized during and after, although I would've preferred to be shopping. I got L two gifts for some upcoming parties, I let the girl at the Mac cosmetics counter choose the gifts for me, I just gave her an idea what the colouring of the girls were and how much I wanted to spend. Almost as easy as a gift card, and they get gift receipts included in case they want to do an exchange. The girl suggested eyeliner, lip gloss and eye shadow combinations for each girl. She even put a little post-it note that said 'blue eyes' and 'brown eyes' in each bag so I would remember which was which! L's part in all this is to decide whether her friends would actually like to receive makeup.

The price of gas is out of this world. $1.29 per litre.

This video is hilarious:

Britain's Got Talent - Michael Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA2B5X0LhMY

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Christmas on Main St.

It's Christmas on Main St. It's all candy canes and fake snow. I thought I was dreaming for a while there. They must be filming a movie, evidenced by all the trucks parked on a side street, plus tons of film crew and cameras. I decided to squeeze in a late evening walk as I wanted to make a bank machine deposit. I got a froster and walked for about an hour. It feels like early fall today, with a brisk wind.

Tuesday and it's cold outside

Didn't go to the gym today, too focussed on K's test review sheets. There's not a lot of time to prepare for his exams next week. There wasn't much time for review over the past few months as he was always busy with new work. I think L will have some time to help him with some music theory tonight as today is her last day of school before her own exams and she has a few study days.

The summer is already starting to look busy, I'm trying to plan a few barbecues and L has a bunch of sweet 16 parties coming up. K needs to see if his suit still fits as he's invited to a fancy batmitzvah in a few weeks.

The Cerebral Palsy charity truck is coming by this week and I found 9 garbage bags of stuff to donate. M and L tend to clutter the house, I think, they hate to throw stuff away. K is more like me.

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Free Run Eggs

Well, I bought a box of free run omega-3 eggs today. They cost $1 more, but I read that free run chickens may lay better tasting eggs as they are happier, being allowed to roam freely in the barn. There is no difference in the nutrient value. I probably will go back to the regular omega-3 eggs, but I like to try things at least once.

I also bought some Renee gourmet sauces, lemon pepper, and honey garlic to try on some shrimp and some stir fry beef respectively in the next few days. Today, I made meat sauce with baby shell pasta. My current favourite spaghetti sauce is President's Choice Memories of Napoli. I use Patak's mild curry paste when I want an Indian flavour. So, I guess my cooking style relies a lot on bottled sauces!

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Kwanzan continued

Well, M went to look at the Kwanzan Japanese Cherry trees at the garden centre and they all sold yesterday! So I should've made my mind up if I really wanted them. I have another type of cherry tree in my front yard and I get seedlings of those from time to time. I stuck one in the backyard so we'll see what happens. I told M to be careful not to mow it over as he's prone to do.

It is an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, t-shirt type of day.

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Kwanzan Japanese Cherry

We all went to the mall for a few hours. L did some shopping at Bluenotes, her favourite clothing store. K had to consolidate some EB games gift cards. M thinks he might barbecue some burgers today. I'm all cooked out. I'll bake some fish tomorrow.

K's working on some culminating school projects this weekend. He got his exam schedule and I'm trying not to stress over the outcome. I always think of the worst case scenarios. L has a tennis lesson and a round robin then she's working later today.

The grass is so green and pretty at this time of year. Our grass usually goes brown in the summer although I will do the occasional watering. I keep thinking that Kwanzan Japanese Cherry tree at the garden centre would look so perfect in the back yard. Hmm. They'll even deliver for $40 if necessary. I forgot to check on their warrantees, if any.


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Piano tuner

Well, I'm stuck at home today with no car. So I was able to get the piano tuner over and he did a wonderful job as usual. (From what I can tell). He told me he has perfect pitch which I've also heard of. It means you have a naturally good ear for the sound of musical notes. He also said his daughter reached the Grade 10 RCM level of piano playing, never managed to take the exam, and hasn't touched the piano in the 3 years since. Makes you wonder what it's all for. If you want to teach it, maybe it makes sense to go through all the rigorous exams. Playing just for fun is another idea.

Well, I also got a bit of housework and cooking done and now I think I'll go for a walk. Maybe I can get to the gardening store to check out the trees!

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$450

Took K to the dentist for his regular checkup this morning. Kids today like going to the dentist, I never did.

Looking forward to the summery weather in the forecast for this weekend! I even got myself a new pair of flip flops. I also got K a new bottle of Tea Tree Oil shampoo that he seems to like using. A hairdresser had recommended it for his hair, I forget why. It's maddening that I forgot the 20% coupon, and he also has a discount student card, but of course he wasn't there to use it. And it's a $16 bottle of shampoo. I'll tell him to use it carefully!

M and I ate sushi for lunch then we found a body shop nearby to fix my car bumper. That will be $450, but other places might even charge more. And I don't have a car until Saturday evening. The good part is it took us an hour to walk home, so that was today's exercise, and the weather is a lot nicer than yesterday, lots of sunshine.

L is going to a team dinner after school today. She got invited to yet another sweet 16 party.


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Fender bender

Here are some pictures from L's spa party.



Busy day today running all kinds of errands. K has a dental checkup in the morning.

I had a note from the lawn company saying that they can use pesticides this year as the law takes effect in 2009.

The mason came yesterday and fixed our decorative wall, so that's a good thing. The bad thing is that a lady and I backed into each other at the busy garden centre yesterday and my bumper loosened a bit on one side. Hope it won't be too expensive to fix. The lady said she had no damage. And I didn't even find a tree I liked at that place.

The good news is that friends of ours on the verge of divorce have decided to reconcile.

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Human-animal embryos

It's nice and sunny today, although a bit windy.

I was at my local Mac's Milk convenience store this morning and noticed it looked a bit different behind the counter. I asked the manager and he said they have to cover up the cigarettes now, and I do remember reading about that.

The guy is here today fixing the decorative wall in front of the house.

I had to make a doctor appointment to renew my blood pressure medication prescription. I have an existing prescription but I had been doubling up on it as recommended by the doctor. Now the insurance company thinks I'm using it faster than I should be, so I have to get a prescription for the proper daily dose. Who knew?

There's a story below about human-animal embryos that makes me cringe. All in the name of science.

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Projects

K has a lot of projects due in the coming weeks, so at the moment he's doing some French. I got the dictionary out, that should help. It was Science and Math earlier in the day.

K's party yesterday went well, in spite of the fact that he had a couple of last minute cancellations. He got very generous gifts, I thought. He'll be able to buy a lot of stuff from EB games. The movie place is always insanely crowded on weekends, but we had a good party hostess. The cake was delicious and his photo came out nicely on it, complete with the driver's licence background. Considering the movie was 'Speedracer', it fit nicely with the theme. The party hostess was so concerned that the cake was bruised in the refrigerator by some careless employee she gave us about 30 free tokens to use in the video arcade to apologize. We gave her a tip at the end and she was confused. So that must mean she never gets tipped?


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Good luck?

I went for a walk this morning and decided to look in on a moving sale in progress. I didn't find anything, but I decided to ask the owner of the residence how long he had been living in the area and he told me '21 years', and that the house was now too big for them. He would be in his early sixties I would guess. That's life, and I can see us doing that in another 10 plus years. Which makes me think that we shouldn't accumulate too much, because in the end, what's it for? Then in started to rain quite heavily towards the end of my walk. So I've been out in the rain for the second day in a row, I hope that means good luck!

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Weird dream

I had a weird dream last night. What I remember is that the doctor and done a blood test on me and accidentally found out I had Montezuma's curse (or some silly name like that). One of its main symptoms was an irrationally miserable personality. I woke up thinking 'Oh, how interesting, that explains why I'm such a miserable person!'
I must be stressed.

L's party is well under way. We popped in at the Nail place to see all 12 girls smiling and M reported them happy and chatting about their nails and toes when he went to pay the bill. They are walking home. The weather suddenly cleared up just before the party and became nice and sunny. So we will barbecue homemade burgers instead of ordering pizza.

K and I worked for a bit in the rain this morning at the community garden, but it didn't last long. They do an amazing job measuring out the 60 plots (10 feet by 20feet each) on a small piece of government land, complete with walking paths in-between the plots. Next week it will be ready for the gardeners. The co-ordinator told me they give priority to people who need to grow their own food for financial reasons. After that, they can allocate plots to others who are interested in growing their own food. K and I sorted through the old stakes from last year to see which ones could be re-used and then carried them to the various plots for staking. There were about 10 volunteers, they may get more on sunny days.

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Victoria Day long weekend

It's another busy weekend, nice to have a long one with Monday off (Victoria Day). K is off school today and L is half day. Tomorrow morning K and I are going to work in a community garden, putting stakes in the ground with wooden mallets. He needs some volunteer hours for school. L is having a nail spa party in the afternoon, with 12 girls back at our house later on for pizza. On Sunday, K is having a movie party in the afternoon at the cinema with 11 friends. We got him a photo cake with a driver's licence background. L is working Sunday and Monday as well. Everyone in the household has a different schedule. Lots of homework this weekend too. I bought 4 striploin steaks for the barbecue this evening.

L's school actually had an 'arts' show last night, I thought it was just going to be fine art displays. It lasted 3 hours. So it consisted of fine art, drama and music, including an awards presentation. It was a delicious wine and cheese party as well.

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Lose the fat

I heard on the radio this morning that Ima Pigg was suing her parents for naming her. So was Gonda Lier and Chanda Lier.

Got a haircut today, then stopped by the T&T Chinese supermarket afterwards. I was looking for some seaweed packets that Kyle discovered at school. They were collecting money for the earthquake relief effort going on in China. I saw whole chickens for sale including the head. That was unsettling, the frog's legs don't bother me, as it's only the legs. I did get some nice, fresh fruit and vegetables.

We're going to an art show tonight at L's school. She has some of her work on display. We've been seeing a nutritionist as she'd like to lose a bit of weight in a healthy manner. We discovered our diet is about 30% fat and it should be around 10%. So the burgers, pizza, cookies, and candy sort to have to take a back seat. Really, anything that we enjoy eating. I think we have to change our 'fat' mindset and re-learn what we think of as delicious. Another 'no no' is granola bars. They are a handy snack that is full of fat. So, I'm looking for more whole grain, low fat crackers instead. Sometimes fruit and vegetables aren't enough to satisfy, especially when you have an early dinner. I should probably make a lot more chicken and fish. M and K could use a few nutrition lessons, I've been preaching for years. K's favourite restaurant is still McDonald's. Although McDonald's does have a lot of healthy options that we never try. I like that they give nutrition breakdowns on all their products, usually right on the wrapper.

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My quick beef stir fry

It's raining a bit and I sort of knew it as I woke up with a pain in my hip and the usual fatigue. Forced my way through step class and the pain subsided, a testament to the benefits of exercise. K gets all congested in the humidity as well, he's on his nasonex rhinitis spray this week.

I popped into the garden centre to take a quick look at the trees for sale. They're expensive and big. I think I'll wait until the fall and see what deals are out there as I'm not really in a hurry.

Well, I'm doing a beef stir fry today, with my favourite stir fry sauce of the moment. I just buy the sauce at the grocery store and mix it into the meat as a marinade, really simple. The trick I've found is to stir fry small slices of beef for a few minutes in small batches. At the end, I remove all the beef from the pan and stir in a cup of water mixed with about a tablespoon of corn starch. As soon as the mixture starts to bubble, I have a gravy to pour over the meat. I find that top sirloin works well for this.

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Pink trees, pink building

Took some gorgeous spring pictures this morning of this pink building with pink trees (crabapples?) blossoming all around it. Hope to get those uploaded later.
I've decided I want to plant a tree where the swing set was in the backyard, maybe I'll just get another honey locust. They are a smaller shade tree native to the area and don't need raking in the fall. It's nice to see the birds visiting, the existing trees that I planted about 10 years ago are getting to a nice size and they love them.

We're having baked pork chops for dinner today and I made myself a whole wheat pita pizza for lunch with thinly sliced onions and green peppers. Yummy!

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A superficial attraction

We went to dinner at Swiss Chalet last night with M's mother. They were giving all the mothers single long stemmed roses in a variety of colours and we also received a 'card' with some coupons for future use. That was a nice touch and they were busy, like all the other restaurants yesterday. Mother's Day is a big thing.

I think my mom spent a part of her day at a gambling casino in Florida. She really enjoys that. One of my sisters that lives there has a stress fracture just above her left wrist and she's left-handed. So she's in a soft cast and very helpless at the moment. The cause is just over-use. I heard that my cousin's wedding reception went well. The food was excellent, they did a Polynesian theme as far as the decorating went, complete with 'Polynesian' dancers. Some guests came all the way from England. The groom made a romantic speech, declaring he had fallen in love with his bride at first sight. The bride and audience were touched. (L thought that indicated a superficial attraction.) The reception was held on his actual 40th birthday.

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Happy Mother's Day

Not feeling very energetic today, unfortunately. L had 2 friends over yesterday from 5.30pm until 11.30pm and they are still not finished with their project. It's some drama project worth 20% of their mark. This sort of thing is draining on the parents as well because we provide dinner and snacks and it's really like having a little party. K sent me a touching powerpoint presentation for my Mother's Day present via email. It was very thoughtful, with instructions not to open before Mother's Day. He's very proud of it.

A wedding in the family

It's a beautiful, sunny morning. A cousin of mine is having his wedding reception at home in Miami, Florida today. My mom, brother and one of my sisters will be there. They were married May 3rd in another part of the country, I guess where his wife's family lives. The couple actually live in California now. My cousin married late in life, he's about 40 years old if I remember correctly. I hope to see lots of pictures, who doesn't love a wedding?

Recordable Greeting Cards

There was a pretty Cardinal bird on my back patio this morning, we don't usually get those, mostly the mourning doves or robins.

I ended up at Hallmark looking for those recordable greeting cards and they are all sold out in Canada. They didn't realize they would be so popular. We just got M's mom a card that plays music instead.

Went for a walk and lunch with a friend. It's a gorgeous sunny day, we are having a good spring season. I also got a lot of candy to do loot bags for K's upcoming movie birthday party.

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Duck-billed Platypus

Well, the guy from the alarm company came right on time to replace our battery so it's all done, and we'll be billed $200 or thereabouts. He was nice enough to show me how to do it and tell me where I could purchase them, we just have to remember to call the alarm company before we tamper with the box, as they'll think it's a break-in. These batteries should last a good 5 years or more, though.

I saw on TV that Hallmark is making these recordable Mother's Day cards, may be a good idea for M to get one of those for his mom as she likes cards, and recordable is even better for a more personal touch. She really needs absolutely nothing gift-wise.

We have a decorative outside wall that's crumbling in parts due to water damage, so we just re-hired the guy that fixed it 7 years ago. He's still 50% cheaper than the other quotes and seems honest. Actually, I didn't tell M that I just re-hired him, so my blog knows it first!

Think I'll go out for a walk now, as I missed the gym this morning and the sun has come out. We're having baked chicken wings and roasted zucchini and asparagus for dinner. I don't know why I always feel so busy, but I'll fold the laundry later.


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I've always been fascinated by this little known mammal, ever since I saw it in an encyclopedia when I was a little girl:
Scientists map the genetic makeup of the platypus

Low vitamin D levels linked to depression in elderly

New Driver's licence

Well I just got my new driver's licence in the mail, good for another 5 years. I must say I prefer my new picture, maybe their cameras have improved or I'm looking better with age!

And the Fedex truck arrived. Think I'll go for a walk after lunch before the rain starts. My knee's a lot better today.

"Time Management" by Randy Pausch, November 2007

The busy teenage years

It's Jamaican pumpkin soup day today.

L go invited to another Sweet 16 party in June. It's going to be an expensive year for parties. She finally mailed out her own party invitations, now I have to make sure everything goes right.

The kids have a busy weekend. They are both going to friends' houses to work on group projects Friday evening. L is also working later that night. On Saturday she is interviewing for some fun volunteer work this summer, followed by a tennis lesson and maybe some more group project work. K has a lot of year end projects coming up this month, quite stressful (for me anyway). L is recertifying her first aid qualification on Sunday and maybe some more group project work. Hopefully some of us can see M's mother in the evening.

I'm stuck at home waiting for a Fedex delivery I missed yesterday. Hopefully they'll show up early like they usually do. I hate having to miss my step class. Luckily I went for a fast walk with a friend yesterday. She's so active for a 60 year old. I like people that are young at heart. She was telling me that she got her Vespa motorcycle licence last year and how difficult it was, 4 tests in all. Amazing.


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A disconnect

So I finally found solar lanterns that you can just hook onto any old post. I go home to hang them under one of the backyard trees, and my post is gone. M decided to remove it yesterday. He suddenly decided it was getting in the way of his mowing. That post has been sitting there for 10 years. Granted, I stopped hanging stuff on it for a number of reasons, but always had the intention to find the right thing to hang on it. Talk about thinking at cross purposes. For the most part we get along, but every so often there is a disconnect. He has promised to put the post back in the exact same spot.

Mother's Day gifts

We found a nail place for L's party, so that's a relief. She liked the 3rd place we checked out. So now she can finalize her invitations. She seems to have put her back out playing a school tennis match yesterday. She said she was in a 30-point rally with her opponent so it was very exciting although she lost in the end. They actually had an audience.

Meeting a friend for a lunch/walk in a little while, it's a gorgeous day. It will be nice to catch up on her news and share some of mine. I think I'll bake some chicken parts for dinner.

M's boss' mother passed away, so he's going to the viewing this evening.

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The Worst Mother's Day gifts Of All Time

To be there should they need you

It's a lovely Monday morning, bright and sunny. A lady at the gym forgot the passcode on her locker lock and had to have it broken into this morning. Like me, she keeps the code in her handbag in case she forgets it. Guess where the handbag was? Then at the grocery store, there was not much rice left on the shelves! Just the less common varieties.

It's a good day as M received his tax refund in the mail. Turns out our alarm company charges minimum $100 for any visit. They were trying to sell us alarm insurance. So I'm expecting them this week anyway.

I seem to have put my knee out yesterday while edging the garden beds. I was still able to do the elliptical machine this morning though, it just depends which way the weight goes on my knee. I see a lot of weeds growing in the neighbourhood. All the dandelion weeds are blooming. And we're pesticide free now.

L did not like the 2nd spa salon for her birthday party, so I looked at a third place today and think this might be it, it better be! It seems spacious and clean and can hold a lot of people at once. It's also nearby and reasonably priced. The teenage years are a definite challenge. Like the Mother's Day cards say, 'you walk behind them to be there should they need you'.

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Good voices

Had coffee with my friend this morning. She told me something interesting. Her son is a bit like K when it comes to the schoolwork (they need a lot of help). So on one project they were a bit overwhelmed and decided to use his sister's identical project from 2 years ago. The teacher gave him lower marks, by at least a grade level! I think the marks were based on his perception of the kid!

I got a printout of my blood pressure reading this morning from Shoppers Drug Mart, great idea, I could even show that to my doctor from time to time as it's dated and time stamped. My friend also got me to buy some Ruffles chips on sale for 99c. I usually get them for whatever price as I need it. M and L went to look at another party place nearby as L did not like the place they went to yesterday. It seemed a bit too girlish and I think this age group is ready for real salons now.

I also walked to church this morning, it was windy and coldish but the sun came out eventually. They had a great choir there of 14 people, of which 3 were men, middle-aged and some seniors. They sang their hearts out and it was quite entertaining. Two of the men did a duet and they had good voices.

Oh well, back to math review, etc. K just mailed my Mother's Day card as my mom is out of town.


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Stress Relieving Treatment

L finally made the time to get a haircut today, she's going to get a 'stress relieving treatment with essential oils at chair' to go with it for a few extra dollars. Hopefully she'll like it at this new place as we've been looking for a new hairdresser for her. The places at the mall aren't that great for what they're charging these days. Then M is taking her to check out this party place where she wants to have her 16th birthday party with her friends. Hopefully that will work out and all her friends will be able to make the chosen date.

K and I are studying today, he's not out of the woods yet.

The new 'Sex and the City' movie premieres May 30th, they think it's going to do well this summer.

My sister that lives in California is renovating her house, literally. They just poured their own concrete foundation and the whole family is getting involved. At the end of the day, it will feel very rewarding but undoubtedly it's going to be a lot of hard work.


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Baby Carrots

It seems Mother's Day plans are well under way for many people. A friend of mine and her family will spend this Saturday with the mother-in-law and then the next weekend will be with her mother. This is starting to sound like Christmas. Yes, they alternate these plans every year.

My sister just emailed this to me:

'Baby Carrots

Did you know this? The cocktail carrots that you
buy in grocery
stores come from deformed crooked big carrots. They are
put through a
machine to become small cocktail carrots. After they are
cut to size
they are soaked in large vats of water mixed with chlorine
to preserve
them; the same chlorine you use for your swimming
pools. The reason
for this is because they don't have the
protection of the skin so they
use a good amount of chlorine.
Notice that after you have stored them
in the fridge for a while a
white film forms on them, it's the
chlorine coming to the
surface. At what cost do we risk our health.
Well folks I
think after reading this we will all start making our own
carrot
sticks out of fresh carrots and keep them in the fridge in
water.'



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Chinese Wine Soup

My almost 13 year old niece just joined our family email distribution list and writes the most wonderful emails. She is very well read and it shows in her writing style. Kids grow up in no time!

The thyroid doctor just called, K's latest blood test is normal, so no increase in his medication at this time. Great!

I just read that ginger can reduce joint pain, I hadn't heard that before.

I made one of my favourites today, a chinese wine soup that my grandmother used to make. I fine-tuned the recipe just before an aunt of mine passed away. She gave me the last remaining secrets, I hope. It's simple to make, that's one of the reasons I do it often enough. I think M likes it because he knows it has wine in it.


Wine Soup

1 small whole chicken, skin removed (you can use chicken parts with the bones in)
2 tbs salt
1 cup of ginger root slices
1 tsp sugar
1 cup of chicken stock
enough water in the soup pot to almost cover the chicken
1 cup of port wine (I use Australian EMU 999 port wine)
chinese oyster sauce
steamed white rice to accompany the dish

Bring the first 6 ingredients to a boil, skimming any fat off the top. Simmer, partially covered, for 45 mins. Add 1 cup of port wine. Done! Serve the soup in a bowl with a half a cup of steamed white rice (or more). Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with chinese oyster sauce as a dipping sauce. or you can use soya sauce if that's all you can find. This dish works well with any kind of green vegetables on the side, such as broccoli.


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