Labor Day long weekend!

Well, I wish I could say we are going away for the long weekend. B/c it would be so nice to go on a little getaway...BUT we have a lot of shit to do around our house and yard. Excuse my language..but it gets to the point where you're so sick of it, all you can bear to call it is 'shit'.


Our bathroom (which I originally thought was only a $3000 reno, Jared informs me was more like $7000 haha whoops) has been "finished" for over a month now. You know that post where I put pics up saying, still a few loose ends to tie up...Ya it's still like that. No door, hence having to announce to the whole household that you're going pee/showering/bathing (lucky for me, during the day it's usually just me and the kids!). The apron for the tub is still not on (because we have not yet got someone to hook up the jacuzzi tub. We don't have the crown moulding around the roof, nor baseboards. I'm ready for it to be done.


You think that's a lot of work...well seeing as Jared does NOT get days off anymore, and tends to work until 9 every day, we have a lot of work to squeeze into his time off. Our backyard has loads and loads of empty boxes from the wedding (that now thanks to the dog, are not all in one piece). Our garage is a disaster area...with loads and loads of recycling to take back, and a truckful of donations for the salvation army..


PLUS we go to the Rider game Sunday (so I guess we get a little day trip). But my parents are moving my sister to Lethbridge this weekend, so Sara is babysitting for us..and we will be returning right after the game. But seeing as this is the Labor Day Classic, we have to leave here by 9:30 at the latest to be in Regina for 12 and get to Mosaic Stadium for the game at 2.


Ooohh and we will be ordering our bedroom furniture soon! I am so excited to have nice furniture, not hand me downs, and not anything cheap. We are spending a fair bit of coin in order to have something nice. You can check out the website at http://www.auntiefannys.com/ We are getting the Aurora collection in a dark stain. So the one you see there is the style we're getting, but not even close to the stain...so it gives it a very different look.


Also if anyone would like a Tupperware or Epicure catalogue..let me know!

And here just b/c I love to put pics up when I blog:

One of the chinese lions we had at the dance! They were so amazing!

Me and my dads walking up the aisle. My stepdad, Darrell (on the left), me of course, and my dad Robert.

Orange Ginger Pork Chops

1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup Prepared chicken broth
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Brown Sugar, packed
1 Garlic clove, minced

2 tsp cooking oil
4 boneless pork chops

10 oz can mandarin orange segments (drained)
2 Tbsp chopped pickled ginger slices, drained

2 Tbsp sliced green onion

Combine first 5 ingredients in medium bowl, set aside.

Heat oil on medium heat, add pork chops. Cook for about 2 min per side until browned. Transfer chops to plate and reduce heat to medium low. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to frying pan. Stir gently.

Add orange segments and ginger. Stir gently. Add chops. Cook uncovered for about 5 min, turning chops halfway through, until desired doneness and sauce is boiling and thickened. Remove to large serving dish.

Sprinkle with green onion.

Our supper last night:
Orange Ginger Pork chops, Pasta Primavera , Rice and Wine for the adults.

Pasta Primavera

For those that don't know, I LOVE cookbooks!! With the wedding, and my bridal shower, and me splurging on them, I've got a few new ones. I have had so much fun trying new recipes.

This pasta dish is taken from: Company's Coming, 30 minute weekday meals
Very quick an easy recipe. Adding Chicken to this dish would make it a full meal! So Yummy!

Rotini (or other spiral pasta) --3 cups

Homogenized milk --1 1/2 cups
All purpose flour -- 2 tbsp

Cooking Oil -- 2 tsp
Garlic Cloves, minced -- 2

Frozen California vegetable mix, thawed -- 2 cups
Sliced Green onion -- 1/4 cup
Pepper --1/2 tsp

Grated Parmesan Cheese --2 tbsp

Cherry tomatoes, halved -- 6 oz
Chopped fresh basil -- 1 tbsp

Grated Parmesan Cheese 1 Tbsp

Cook pasta in boiling water with a pinch of salt. Cook until tender but firm. Drain and return it to pot, covering it to keep it warm.

Heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic. Heat and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant

Add next 3 ingredients. Stir. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring once, until vegetables are heated through. Stir flour mixture. Add to vegetables. Heat and stir for about 2 min until sauce is boiling and thickened. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover. Simmer for 5 min, stirring occasionally.

Add first amount of parmesan cheese. Stir and remove from heat, add to pasta.

Add tomato and basil. Toss gently. Remove to large serving dish.

sprinkle with second amount of parmesan cheese.

--As you can tell, I did not use the cherry tomatoes. My sister really dislikes them, so I chose to leave them out for this recipe.

Summer is over?

I can't believe it is the end of summer already, where has the time gone. Jared and I went out for an evening drive last week with the kids. Mostly, Jared just is getting excited for hunting season!

Here is some deer frollicking (spelling??) in the field
a crop with an old barn in the background

A moose!!! I wish I had a better zoom lens on my camera, I intend to buy one ASAP. I was pretty dang excited to see it though.

Dominic and his new best friend, Bella. They are attached at the hip. They play rough, but they play!!

Things are slowly coming together in our house. I have our new china cabinet all set up and looking gorgeous! I am so excited to finally have one of these!

Paige still refuses to walk. She is now getting very good at pushing things along and walking all over the house like that, but no independent walking happening yet.

Dominic is getting excited to go to play school this fall! We will be going down to Minot next week and getting all his school clothes, etc, etc. and Same with Paige..except her new clothes aren't so much for school. haha.

Bella got bit by a wasp yesterday. Her poor little cheek was swollen right up and drooping. I felt so bad for her. Poor little thing.

Jared has , as usual, been working like crazy. Hopefully he is getting this weekend off, so he can come to the labor day game with me. We have season tickets but he can never get a day off...This is the one game he really wants to go to though..Bombers VS Riders...hahaha I'm super stoked.

Before we know it Christmas is going to be here. And then March, and that's our honeymoon!!! YAY!!! haha

Well it is time to get back to the laundry and dishes.

Kandi & Barret's Wedding

August 18, 2007 was a beautiful day in Wolseley, SK:

Trying to catch the poor innocent fishies

The arrangement, not a very good pic, but you get the idea

Leaving the church

Rain rain go away!

I can't believe how fast time flies. It's just unbelievable!! We just got back yesterday from Kandi and Barret's wedding, unfortunately my battery in my camera died and I can't find the charger at the moment, so no pics from it yet!

But here are some other ones: This is my dad's mustang, we used this as our wedding vehicle. It is such an amazing car.

We haven't done a whole lot this week, Jared had the whole week off was supposed to finish things but of course didn't. Instead we went and helped out at my gramma's farm. Chainsawed up a bunch of trees that had fallen over, and tore down her deck (while we were gone to the wedding, others came and put up a new deck for her too). So pretty much that took up our whole week. Don't get me wrong I am always happy to help others out, especially my grandparents...I just wish we woulda accomplished more in our own house seeing as there is a lot to do.

We bought a new china cabinet with some of our wedding money, it is solid oak, from this amazing little store in Regina called Cadillac Oak. I am so glad to have it, b/c we got a lot of expensive glassware for the wedding and had no where to put it!

We are also in the process of ordering a Solid Oak Bedroom outfit (also with our wedding money). I am really excited about that, it will be nice to have a matching bedroom set.

Here is our little man, Dominic driving his (well actually his sisters) floating car.

and Paige much more amused with the dog dish that she can fit perfectly in. Only problem: once she climbs into it she can't get out. So we were constantly taking her out, then she'd go right back in. Priceless.
With Jared back to work today, I am left with a laundry room full of laundry, a miserable day outside, no vehicle and a lot of gifts to find homes for. Needless to say, I shouldn't get bored today.

Together as one --August 11, 2007

Our wedding is over already! It was so incredible. You know when you plan things, you get scared they won't happen the way you planned them and be disappointed. So Jared and I said to each other "we will plan for things to go NOT as planned"...well we didn't have to! Everything went so smoothly and just as we had planned!! I couldn't be happier with the way things went!

We had so much help from so many people, and "thank you" doesn't seem to cover how grateful we are! I am so proud to call myself Crystal Maffenbeier. Jared's mom and dad , Tracy and Ron, welcomed me to the family and did such an awesome job of it, I pretty much bawled all the way through everyone's speech's.

I do not have the proffesional pics back yet. However, one of our close family friends Angie Peach took some AMAZING photo's and edited them..so I am choosing to post them. Also, if you go onto facebook, you will also see other awesome photo's that others took! I promise to upload pics as soon as I get my hands on them!!



In order left to right : My stepsister Jacine, Stepbrother Josh, Stepdad Darrell with Dominic, Jared and I , my mom with Paige, my brother Lance, my sister Amber and my sister Mallory. I just LOVE this photo!!!

We are all so happy to be united as one family!

We just got home today, and I have my work cut out for me for the next week.

Next wedding: Barrett and Kandi, August 18, 2007. I look forward to attending their wedding, and helping as much as they helped at ours!

Traveller

Well the busy-ness has begun. Went down to Minot and got my dad yesterday. I am so glad he his back. He was gone for 7 weeks. Back with one week to spare for the wedding.

While in Minot we got all the pop for the reception. I think it should be enough anyways!

I head to Regina tomorrow for my stagette and to get some last minute stuff for the wedding. I can't believe that one week from today, we will be packing up to go up to Kenosee. It's just amazing.

I don't have much to blog about today. I have to catch up on my "color of the year" challenges. Haven't had any inspiration lately, maybe today I will.

But I should go and order all my liquor! Have a great weekend everyone!