Movember

Have you heard of Movember?

'Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men's health.' Here is the Canada website. Well, I know it's the end of the month, but I just found out about it!

M went to a Grey Cup (Canadian Football) party last night. A friend of his has one every year (just the boys kind of thing) and he finally had the time to attend this year.

The Amazing Race is down to the last 3 contestants, with the exciting season finale next week. L had a seasonal gingerbread latte from Starbucks with non-fat milk, only 140 calories, she said it was delicious. It does have added sugar though.

One of my nephews turns 18 today, whew!

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Masai Figurines

M and I went to a Christmas Craft Sale at the church yesterday morning. We bought these 3 hand-carved wooden Masai figurines from a Kenya mission. The money goes toward their school in Kenya. The figurines are only about 3 or 4 inches tall so they don't take up a lot of room and we thought M's mother would like them as a Christmas present. So, if she doesn't like that bird with spiky legs that I already found for her, we've improved our chances of success! M also got a delicious assortment of cookies from the large bake sale.

Afterwards, we had a lovely brunch with another family. The couple is interesting and lively, so we had a great time. It helps that they also have 3 teenage girls, so our kids were kept entertained.

There is an interesting article below concerning Roma immigrants to Canada and how they are challenging local educators. It's worth a read.

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Spelt Flour

We're meeting another family for brunch this morning. I hope to stop in on the church Christmas craft sale, just to have a look. The kids have tennis lessons, then L is attending another party in the evening. She tries to keep Sundays free for just homework. It's a good idea for K as well.

At our restaurant dinner last night, I had a 'spelt linguine primavera' (pasta with vegetables). I had never heard of spelt flour before. It tastes a bit like whole wheat, and is considered slightly more nutritious, with more protein and a bit less calories than whole wheat flour. It has been cultivated for hundreds of years.

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Yummy

I made a pork roast yesterday and also roasted a butternut squash flavoured with cinnamon and brown sugar. Then I forced myself to dust and clean, thinking that I will be setting up the Christmas decorations soon. I packed most of the fall decorations away and even got some of the Christmas ones out. I decided which box of cards I will mail out this year. L wants a new, salon quality hair straightener for Christmas, but I am unsure which are the best brands.

My friend sent me this peanut butter and shortbread recipe that she tasted at a friend's house. She declared them 'yummy'!

We're meeting friends for dinner tonight. L is going to a friend's party. I've started wrapping some gifts. It's a stressful season because your regular routine things still have to get done, right?

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Happy AmericanThanksgiving

It's a big holiday in the U.S. today, best wishes to all for a safe and happy holiday. We have to wait until Christmas before we start over-eating again! Maybe I should bake some squash today to help with the celebrations!

Yesterday, I went to see my blood pressure specialist for a checkup and I've been given the all clear and she doesn't need to see me anymore unless things change. This is a good thing.

Adam Lambert is all over the news and I'm having trouble keeping up with all his TV and radio appearances after his controversial AMA performance. He did a wonderful show on the CBS Early Show after ABC's Good Morning America cancelled his appearance as they were concerned about viewer complaints. His official website crashed about 20 minutes after he announced that his new music video was online. My sister thinks the real reason was that the moderators could not handle the volume of comments as people fight back and forth. This whole thing is unbelievable. I hope he survives this and safely. His new CD is doing really well.

Check out the genius marketing strategy video below. I think it means that if you don't have a Facebook account yet, you need to get with the times, as it has moved into the business world.

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Getting the friendly facts about fats

Flu Mask

I heard that if your cellphone, ipod or whatever, is accidentally immersed in water, you can put it in the middle of a bag of rice and it will remove the moisture from the insides and repair your device. That sounds worth a try. And now, for the joke of the day:

In case we run out of masks

during the flu H1N1 season,
here is a ‘homemade’ mask you

can make yourself. It is even

compatible with the wearing of glasses.

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Beef Stir Fry with Chili Garlic Sauce

I had luck with a quick beef stir fry yesterday and thought I'd share the recipe. I had a 2 pound beef sirloin tip roast and decided to cut it into small strips for stir frying. It was a tender cut of beef, which may be part of the secret. I'll call this:

Beef stir fry with chili garlic sauce

2 lbs beef sirloin tip, cut into thin strips
1 inch of fresh ginger, sliced into thin strips
2 tbs soy sauce (or to taste)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbs oyster sauce
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp corn starch
2-4 tbs canola oil

Mix all the ingredients together except the canola oil.

Heat half the oil in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add half the beef mixture and stir fry constantly for about 5 minutes. I've learned it's not good to overcrowd the pan. Neither is it good to overcook the beef. Empty the now saucy contents into a serving dish. Heat the other half of the oil in the saucepan. Now stir fry the rest of the beef mixture for about 5 minutes. Empty into the serving dish. You're done!

We had it with steamed white rice and some mixed vegetables.

I think the chili garlic sauce sounds hotter than it is, and brings a lot of flavour to the dish.



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