Chocolate Factory ;)

 

Oh hey everyone! It's just Emma! Thought you would all like to see these! (I made collages since there were so many!) Sorry about the wait! Love you people. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! :)

               

 

 

Merry Christmas from the Polischuk Family

Merry Christmas

 

Sending lots of love to our family near and far! Yeah to the excitement and celebrations today, we are having a blast at our place and hope that you are too.

 

 Kids bring such a joy and thrill to the holidays.  Graham and I are LOVING IT!!!!!!  Obviously the girls are loving it too.   Last night we left our note for Santa and also got to watch videos he sent for each of the girls (portablenorthpole), it was pretty awesome to see their faces.  Santa knew so much about them and even had pictures.  Amelia watched her video twice - such fun!

 

 

Christmas morning started early, because our mornings always do.  We've moved slow and steady through our toys and now are camped out in our king bed watching one of our new movies before we get ready to head off to Grandpa Ed's place this afternoon. Stella is sleeping, I am blogging and the big guy and Mia are laying heads together watching 'The Little Mermaid'.  We've done some colouring, some bow n arrow shooting, dressed Minnie Mouse for every occasion and each girl is sporting her new plastic bling...oh the joy!  Stella has also been wearing her apron all morning (she needed one for baking because Mia had one).

 



 

 

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay

Close by me for ever, and love thee I pray.

Bless all the dear children in your tender care,

And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

~ Lyrics from Away in a Manger

The reason we celebrate the season, Jesus Christ. We want to have our thoughts turn to Him amidst the presents and yummy good, hopefully you do too. Hugs and much love!!!! 

We are all so richly blessed.

Love the Polischuks  Graham, Jenny, Amelia & Stella



Brush up on your math: 1+1=3

Attention family members,
Suzie and Calorado would like to share some pictures with you...
Can you guess our news?

On May 19th 2014, a permanent guest will be joining us in our new home. 

The ring on the left did not come in time for the proposal in Mexico. Calorado, with the help of his mother and father and family to be, was looking for a replacement ring in the Calgary airport. The one on the right is the ring that Calorado and his mother and father stumbled upon. The next day, Suzie passed by the store the ring was displayed in. She pointed at the exact ring that had already been purchased as a replacement, and said (jokingly!) "If you want to marry me, you're going to have to buy me a diamond that big!" This brought a smile to Calorado's face.  And on November 4, in Mexico on the beach under the night sky, Suzie said yes.

At this time, Calorado has started a new job apprenticing as an electrician for Tarpon Energy Services while continuing to pursue a career as a Fire Fighter. He works in his free time at the County of Grande Prairie as a paid on-call Fire Fighter. 

Suzie is still working in the Intensive Care Unit in Grande Prairie.  Luckily, she has had no morning sickness, just an abundance of fatigue and narcolepsy on her night shifts. She will continue working as long as possible until the time comes for Baby to arrive.

Growing by Two Feet

Just a quick note to officially let all of the family know that our little family is growing by TWO FEET coming June 2014. We are totally thrilled and feel very blessed to add a fourth to our crazy crew. I have spent lots of mornings cozied up on the playroom floor while the kids play around me and I try to catch a few winks of sleep and fight off morning sickness. But we are finally getting past that stage and my energy is starting to pick up. My house almost looks normal again and the littles are eating more than just sandwiches for lunch. Ha. We have also been blessed with many tender mercies such as Joe suddenly learning to sleep through the night so that mamma can get extra sleep and a big four year old who loves to help and watch her little brothers. She has been so ambitious to even fold a basket of laundry, and even though it's not perfect, it usually gets put away that way anyways. She also unloaded our dishwasher this morning. Seriously, best four year old or what? Anyways, though we update our family blog quite often, it's nice to post on here and keep things going! We would love to hear from the rest of the family and love keeping up to date with everyone on here!

Lots of love,

The Stannix Fam

CHOCOLATE SUCCESS

Chocolate making was such fun and a great success.  We had 19 people here.  We could have had more fondant because the dipping went so quickly.  Garth went to the store and got some fruit jellies, pretzels etc.   They are really good dipped! 

Janene showed us how to make chocolate from scratch and we tried making maraschino chocolates.  Thanks Janene, so fun and interesting. 

My thanks to everyone who came and especially to those who helped clean up afterwards.  I especially thank Jenny for once again getting us organized.  Without her being the catalyst, this would not have happened. 

Thanks Emma for taking pictures.  We look forward to them being posted!  Without Emma we wouldn't have much of a pictorial record of our gatherings. 

Love to all,
Gramma & Grampa

Chocolate Making UPDATE

Just a few updates for our CHOCOLATE MAKING:

Monday November 11th @ Gramma & Grandpa's

* Location is now Gramma and Grandpa's, more central!
* Start time 9 am...obviously this will not be possible for everyone but if you are up for it some of us will be at Gramma's for then.
* Bring aprons if you have.
* Be prepared to wear hair nets (we have bought a ton) no one wants a hair in their chocolate ew!
* Bring boxes for chocolates if you can!!!  I went through our stash and we do have some but not enough for all of the chocolates we'll likely be making. Dollar stores are the best places to hit, think mini pot of gold size, sandwich container size....they are supper decadent chocolates so about 10 or 12 is the amount I like to give away in each box. Bring Tupperware/Ziploc containers if you can't find any boxes.
* No kiddos, littles, miniatures (nursing babes only) - while we do adore them it really is an adult activity. Hands will be covered in expensive chocolate or rolling fondant and most surfaces will have chocolates drying on cardboard trays...it is just not contusive to having little children around.
* There will be a cost; the Bernard Callebaut chocolate is from an industrial supplier that other chocolate making friends use.  To make sure we have enough for the crowd coming I am planning to get 3 bags which will be about $350...we will divide it up based on how many people end up coming.  Right now 18 people have said they will be there at some point in the day!!!



Doesn't this picture just scream yummy?!

This should be a blast guys, I for one CAN NOT WAIT!!!  This is something that Gramma and Grandpa use to do in the 60s, 70s and it really is an art.  We are lucky to have them with us and that they are willing to share their skills!  Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Hugs ~ Jenny

SUPER COOL : Jackson Soufflé / Ocean Pancakes / German Pancakes

SUPER COOL & EASY Breakfast



 



Turn on oven to 400 degrees.  Cut up a 1/2 cube of butter into pieces and put it in a 9x13 casserole dish.  (The recipe I have calls for 3/4 cube but seriously, I want to slow down artery clogging as much as possible and it still tastes great.
Put butter in the oven to melt while the oven heats up and you mix the ingredients.  Be sure to check on it so it doesn’t burn.

In a bowl, beat six eggs.
Add 1 c. flour gradually and mix ‘til smooth.
Add 1 c. milk and beat together ‘til kind of frothy.
Add 1/2 tsp. salt.

Take out melted butter from oven and pour mixture into the butter. 
Return to oven quickly and set the timer for 20 minutes.
It will puff up like nobody’s business.
After 15-20 minutes, take it out and serve with syrup, powdered sugar, strawberries, whatever.

I keep the oven light turned on so the girls can watch the batter puff up. Such fun!!! Enjoy

~ Jenny

Hello Everyone!  It's been a long time since I posted anything on this blog...

Well, I have a few things I'd like to share that I found on Pinterest.  These have all been tested and approved in my kitchen! 

This is one of my favourites... it has a real good flavour!  I make gravy with the drippings and serve it over mashed potatoes.  I put the leftover chicken in freezer bags, about 2 cups in each bag.  

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

4 or 5 chicken breasts

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken breasts with all the spices.  Add chicken stock. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks.  

You might already do this, but I buy the family packs of hamburger and as soon as I get home from the store, I fry it up.  Some with garlic, some without.  I then divide it in freezer bags.  This saves a lot of time preparing meals and can be used in many, many recipes.  I wish I had done this years ago...

Here are some of my homemade things:

Goo Gone - use equal amounts of oil (vegetable, canola, olive, etc) and baking soda.  I keep mine in a jar.  

 Febreeze - 1/8 cup Downey fabric softener, 2 Tbsp baking soda and hot water from the tap. This stuff works great and the smell lasts way longer that store-bought.  This stuff is over $7 a bottle in the store.  Crazy!!

Laundry Detergent (concentrated recipe) - 1/2 cup Borax, 1/2 cup Super Washing Soda, 1/2 cup Blue Dawn dish soap and 4 cups boiling water.  Put ingredients in a gallon milk jug.  Swirl until all is dissolved.  When cool, fill with cold water until about 3/4 full.  I use 1/4 cup per load in my HE machine.  Give the jug a shake before each use as the baking soda may settle.  I was a true Tide fan, but I find this stuff works just as good.  You will find the Borax and Washing Soda in the laundry isle.  

Fabric Softener -  This step is optional.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of scent booster in 1 cup of hot water (from the tap).  Let it sit while you combine the other ingredients.  Stir occasionally. 

 Put 1 cup of Baking Soda in a large bowl (I put mine in the sink).  VERY SLOWLY add 6 cups of vinegar. The chemical reaction will make it bubble up. Pour the vinegar and baking soda in a gallon jug and add the scent booster and give it a shake.  Give the jug a few shakes before each use as the baking soda will settle.  I use just under 1/2 cup per load.

Tub/Shower cleaner -  Put 1 cup of hot vinegar and 1 cup of Blue Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle.  Shake before use.  Spray the tub and shower and let sit for 5 min or longer.  Use a wet rag and go over the tub/shower.  Then rinse.  I use the hand held shower (this works awesome).  The vinegar smell was overwhelming at first.  This makes the bathroom sparkle!  This is the best tub cleaner ever.... I will never buy store bought tub cleaner again!!

Stove Top Cleaner -  Generously sprinkle baking soda over the stove top.  Get a small towel or rag in hot, soapy water.  Place the soggy wet rag on the stove top and leave it for about 15 min.  Then use the rag in a circular motion and scrub the stove top.  Rinse with warm clean water.  This works great!  

Anyway, that's all for now.  I hope you find this useful!  

Love to all,

Roxanne

CROCK POT POTATO SOUP

So, since I have had to work full time this whole month, it has forced me to get creative with menu planning.  I found a recipe for potato soup in a crock pot on Pinterest that we tried today and it turned out just loverly!  Below is my version:

1 bag frozen hash browns
1/2 large onion diced
1 box chicken stock
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp garlic pepper
3-4 florets cauliflouer broken into teeny/tiny pieces

Combine in crock pot and cook on low setting for 5 hours.  Half an hour before serving, add one container of cream cheese and one package of bacon bits. 

This was a very thick, filling meal and perfect for a crisp fall day when you just feel the need for homemade soup but aren't home to make soup.  The cauliflouer and bacon bits are my personal addition for the males in my house.   We just had toast with it.   The leftovers are so thick, I think I will have to dilute them a bit!

Enjoy,
Auntie Charlene

(maybe Auntie Roxanne will share some of her favorite Pinterest finds)

Fall Chocolate Dipping November Long Weekend

Hey hey family remember seeing these...or eating these homemade chocolates????

 

Monday November 11th @ Jenny's House

in Fort Saskatchewan

 

Mark your calendars and let Jenny or Grandma know if you are interested in joining.  It is an all day activity and is an adult only kind of thing BUT the end result is worth it all!!

 

 



WORTH A TRY

Last week when Grampa and I came home from Lethbridge and Pincher Creek, we came through Black Diamond.  Auntie Erna told us about a place called Marv's where they have great burgers made with beef from around the area and NO FILLERS.  They also have neat memorabilia like a Wurlitzer Juke Box and other stuff -- and have jars of penny candy!!  That's something I haven't seen since my school days at Bentley.

We did stop.  So fun - Grampa played about 5 old tunes on the juke box.  We each had a hamburger and shared a milkshake.  Marv has done research on some famous people finding out what they liked on their burgers.  So he has some named after them "The Big Bopper", The Marilyn Monroe, the Elvis Burger.

We found out that Elvis liked grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  Just make your peanut butter and banana sandwich, butter the outside and fry it just like making grilled cheese sandwiches.  We made them at home.  SO GOOD!  Definitely worth a try!

Love and hugs,
Gramma & Grampa

We have another baby joining the crew!

We haven't been on here in quite sometime now, so I figured I had better give everyone an update.  Kristina is pregnant with our fourth child, and it is a BOY.  Our due date is January 23.  We are feeling excited and are looking forward to his arrival. 
 As for the three kiddos , Keisha-Lynne is now in grade 5 and is a popular one in her class, which means we always have her friends knocking on our door (boys included, once they see me they run the other way, not sure why?).
 Austin has started grade 2 and is always awake before the alarm sets off.  He really enjoys riding his bike to and from school. as well as playing the Xbox. He is kind of a gamer nerd.
 Mason has started potty training and is doing great.  He has also been a great helper in the yard following me around copying everything I do and say.  haha.
As for Kristina and I, we had our fourth anniversary in July and prior to that were able to enjoy a trip to Las Vegas. This summer we spent 2 weeks traveling around camping and visiting some family.  Since then we have been very busy in the yard doing landscaping and getting the house ready for a buyer.  We have had our house up for sale since May and have had some action/offers but due to the buyers financing not working out, we are back to square one again. We are looking at buying in Camrose closer to family.

I will try to add some photos.
We will also attempt at updating regularly on the blog.

Love to all,

Jordan & Kristina
Keisha-Lynne, Austin,
                                   
                                                        Our not-so-furry baby Luna

                                              

                                                     First time roasting a marshmallow

                                             Tired of driving during two week camping trip

Mason's first time at build-a-bear, PUPPY FRIES

                                                

Our beloved Tula

 

  As encouraged by Alyson's previous post I thought I would petition you all to have our family in your prayers.  Tula, our pup has had a rough summer and a particularly rough week so we feel that it is her time.  There has been much thought, many tears and prayers of our own.  We will be letting her go on Friday afternoon.   Please include her in your prayers.  She turned 11 years in July and has been wonderful companion to us.  Before our girls, she and her brother Tony were our babies!!!  Now our girls shower her with hugs and pets and adorn her with princess tiaras.  She (they) have truly had an important role in our family and will be forever cherished.

 

 

 

The talented Emma took these pictures for us.

 

Love the Polischuks

I thought an update was needed!

I was checking out/stalking all my friends blogs and FINALLY updated my own. I thought I should post something up here as I find that not many people are posting on here as often. I kind of miss seeing everyone's little peeps and finding out what is new in all the family's lives. SO POST!!! Anywho, here is a little update on what the Bird Fam is up to.

Jon is still plugging away at Humford and really likes it, he has made some ridiculously funny friends and I am very glad that he enjoys going to a job that he likes every day. Makes it much easier to work. I am a busy mama trying to keep up with my two ladies. I do find time to get out in the evenings here and there for appe's with friends or some organ practicing (yikes getting back at it!). Jon and I are still trying to do a date night a week, keeps the spark fresh you know...that or we crash and sleep at like 9 pm. Both are super romantic by the way! We also were crazy busy this summer camping, hanging in the Mac with my family, going to BC and enjoying playdates with friends and cousins.

Jacey turned 5 this summer. She also received her wheelchair this last month and is getting used to it for long distances. It is still a goal to walk and be crawling but she is loving the independance in it. She will be going into Kindergarten this fall in a typical class and riding the busy with about 10 other little peeps. I fear that I will follow it the first week blubbering like a baby the whole time. Poor kid! Separation Anxiety Disorder for the mom, but she still seems like my teeny tiny baby. Although she is a hilariously, spunky big girl now. She did a swim lesson this summer and LOVED it. We are enrolled in an assisted dance program this fall and on the waiting list for horse therapy. Should be fun and busy.

Neely is now 4 months old and is HUGE! She is a real little chunkster and rocking at being a little sister. She coo's constantly and has started to spit/gargle while eating her cereal. She is a very happy and easy baby. A real great sleeper and eater ( I kid you not, I prayed for both these qualities while pregnant after my Jacey experience!). hehe I enrolled her and I in a new moms group and a rhymes and storytimes library group in the am while Jacey is at school so that we can bond and do some of those fun things. Hopefully a swimming class this fall will happen too.

That is about it, all that is happening at our house. Hope that all is well with everyone else and PLEASE PLEASE post something, I miss your faces. The reunion was awesome and great to visit with who could make it. Hopefully next years 3 day'er will rock too! Can't wait. Love you all, The Bird Crew

Reunion Recap

The reunion was fabulous! Thanks to everyone who organized and contributed. Here are some pictures from a favorite photographer!

The babies...

The Games...

The Groups...

The Bigs and the Littles...

Most of our group...

Love,

Addie & Emma