The holy grail...

...is actually a cast iron stew pot. Seriously. I have spent far too much time searching for one with little success. I have found them in antique shops but so far they've all been false grails. No lids, cracks, oversized (guess that one was to feed the 5000) or some other problem that tells me it is not the true grail and to purchase said grail would end up with some old knight claiming "She chose poorly", as I turn into dust and blow away.

A new cast iron stewpot is elusive as Bigfoot and Nessie. Hell they probably have them all which is why I can't find them. And I don't want one covered in enamel in "Fashion Colours!" I want black. Scarey, witchy, heavy black. But not scarey or witchy 'cause this is the grail right?

How am I supposed to cook on an open hearth in an 1810 Inn with Corning Ware? it just doesn't work.

I have my cast iron roll pan. I have my wooden spoon. I have my *doubles as a murder weapon* fork. Can I please get a pot?

If I see that bunny, he's stew!

Ok, I can't blame the easter bunny. I'd like to but I can't. Fact is various and sundry well meaning people, including family gave my girls enough chocolate and candies that I'm pretty sure they could power most of Canada if we could find a way to turn insanity into electricity.

And alright I didn't have the stuff properly hidden yesterday (as in, not at all) Well, its hidden now. I never again want to have to peel the Drama Queen off the ceiling. She was the worst. At least if you told Littlest Princess she couldn't have anymore candy, she'd cry and pout but NOT HAVE ANYMORE.

Drama Queen would lick the jelly beans then announce, "My germs are on it now." In defence, I ate quite a few jellybeans.

The sacrifices a mother makes.

She was spun and completely not herself, active yes, she always is but she was full on looney. Running full till around the house and even falling didn't stop her. Tears, dramatics, demands for ice and then *zooom* she was off like the Flash but without the red spandex longjohns.

Bed didn't slow her down, I'm surprised her bed is in one piece. The wall of my bedroom is not by the way. She and her nutty sister managed to bash the top of the canopy into the wall hard enough to dent the wall.

So. no more sugar. Ever as far as I'm concerned. Ok, eventually I may lighten up about that (like tomorrow) but after yesterdays visit by the Tazmainian Devil, forget it.

Awaay we go....

Just me, no we. And its only to Windsor. And only till Thursday. But still! St Paddy's with me lil sis!

****Blog pause while I run a bath for my Drama Queen. She's not feeling well. The dramatics as she feels better could win her an Oscar.******

Alright done. Yes we have been a house of illness (No repute, just illness) the past few days. The Littest got it Monday. Tossed all over Daddy (giggle) who I will say was wonderful, cleaned them both off, passed her to me, cleaned her nighttable and got the pjs out of the drawer...of course that drawer was open..and then he headed off to his football game. About a half hour after my dear Crypt Keeper left I realised I did not hear the washing machine. Checked in the basement to find all the sick covered clothes and blankets lying on the floor waiting to be discovered..when? In a couple of days when I did laundry I guess? Yucko.

Crypt Keeper himself got it on Wednesday night and stayed home from work on Thursday which means either he was really sick or the world was ending.

I went out Thursday night (he was better by then, a day of Xbox does wonders for a guy) to a Funkabelly party. Good times. But driving to and through Toronto was notso fun. Lots of police, fire and EMS out that night. Often all together in one place. Sad.

So anyway the Drama Queen came down with it on Saturday night. Mummy was up alot that night. Finally knowing I had 2 hours before I had to get up and make bread for coffee hour at church I woke CK up. He dealt with her from then till I got back from church.

Drama Queen is better today. Still sore in the tum but stuff is stayingdown now knock wood.

I hope my shoes arrive today. The highest heels I've ever bought. And just because Lil Sis always has on such killer shoes. And now? She's looking for flats, she's broken her foot *again* Unbelievable. Thats twice now? And at least her 4th time on crutches. I think her feet are trying to catch up to her 5 broken arms. Seriously.

Food for thought

Well not really. But I read today asking people what their favourite international food is. All kinds of answers popped up. Mexican, Thai, Turish, German, American, Italian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and...sushi.

Um.

That would be Japanese food right? And there is soooo much more out there than just sushi. Yes I love sushi and sashimi, wanted to name my youngest Sashimi but it got veto'd.

But geez, how about ramen soup? Easy peasy and delicious. How about curry? Less spicey than the Indian one. Donburi? Bowl of rice with stuff...meat, egg, veggies, whatever on top

Tenpura? Deep fried everything...ok, veggies and shrimp.

Okonomiyaki? Its like an omlette crossed with a pancake..on cabbage..with stuf cooked in it. Ok, I know but its really yummy.

Yakitori... chicken on sticks..like kabobs. But really now yakitori is anything bbq'd on a stick. We had some lovely ones in Kyoto..and bff and I had a great night one time in a yakitori pub stuffing ourselves and drinking hot saki.

Everything was great..except that stuff...can't remember the name now. Mostly rotten beans eaten with a raw egg and mustard. For breakfast no less. Yeah.

At least I didn't get pulled over.

I got an order for superhero capes. Kiddies ones. Conveinently from the local kiddie art school. She had 30 partly made, and needed 50 more. Done by tomorrow. (This was last Friday)

So she's got them. I even managed to iron them for her. And I even spaced it out so I wasn't going frantic last night. All I did last night was sew the collars with the helpful velcro bit onto 12 capes.

Its a good thing too. A dance friend had a b-day party last night. Didn't stay long, Crypt Keeper didn't want to go so he stayed home with the girls. Told him to pick me up at 10, figured any later the girls couldn't have woken up enough to get in the car.

So between 7(ish) and 10pm and a generous friend I had about 4-5 glasses of wine. Not at all a normal occurance for me. I couldn't even thread my own sewing machine.

I think it took me 20 minutes to get the thread through the needle. It was hysterical. I giggled away to myself the entire time...of course, that might have been the wine.

Hopefully, nobody checks those seams too closely.:)

My sewing machine.

I was just reading The Pioneer Woman..who we all know rocks amazingly and I would love to do half the stuff she pulls off. She posted about her Ga-Ga. (Her grandmother)

Ok, its been more than a year. But I'm still sitting here a big weepy mess. As I said when I got that letter, the extra cash is nice but I'd rather have Granny. Granny telling me I've ruined my hair, Granny telling my stick thin cousin its a good thing she's getting married because she's getting hippy. Granny showing me how to crochet once again and doing half a scarf while "going slowly so I can see".

I make stuff. Alot of stuff, costumes, baby blankets, banners for churchs, stoles for minsters, more costumes, clothes for my kids, aprons, stuff for the local kiddie art school. And I do it all on her sewing machine. She bought it the year she moved to Canada, with my mum, uncle and aunt in tow. My other uncle was born here in Canada.

I got the machine about 10 or so years ago. She couldn't lift it out of its desk anymore. Believe me, its a heavy sucker too. I think it would sew through concrete if I needed it to.

I love my sewing mchine, but I'd rather have Granny.

Boring, then fun, then really really cold.

We got called to be extras on a for a movie. Called on Thursday, be there at 2pm Friday. Okaaaay.

So frankly the day was spent waiting in the common room at the museum village. It took forever. Finally after 5pm we find out its a night shoot. Seriously? I would have kept my kids home for naps and dinner and arrived later.

Eventually we did go stand in the snow. Its an 1812 movie, hence the use of the village. The building we were filming beside is actually the Inn but for our purposes it was our house. And it was a-burning! Hot time in the old town tonight for sure.

Interesting stuff. They had a large globe shaped lantern inside the inn. It was covered in red tissue. Beside it they had a smoke machine. The drive shed (where the carriages are kept) just behindand to the side of the inn also had a smoke machine in it. The door was open a crack to let the smoke billow. Behind the inn out of view really was a bonfire. And in front of the camera was a pipe, upside down L shape. It burned too, flammable liquid was pumped into it. Also they were burning a wooden sign post, or sort of anyway, they painted it with the liquid.

We had to run to the right of a tree by the inn, why we were running back towards the burning home I hve no clue, perhaps we were going to roast marshmallows... Anyway then we would veer left and run past the camera. We did this many time. Dry run, take one, needs to tighten up, take tow, need to get the horse (yes a horse! and he did not like the smoke and flames let me tell you) , ned to tget the horse moving faster, then shots of the the family staring sadly at their burning home. \

The family shot, they didn't use all the extras of course (Not the Duggars family here) but they did use myself, the Little Princess, friend MJ, her granddaughter who is 12 and one man from the cast. I don't think the Princess was needed, she could have left with the Drama Queen who went off with G-ma. Simply because they told me to cuddle both children to me. So me, with my arm around a 12 year old and my 3 year old in front of us..filmed from behind? I truely don't think she was even seen.

It was night, it was cold and we were in granny boots. My feet froze. I enjoyed it but I think next time, I'd like a nice night in July.

Then I went off to a Valentines night at the bellydance studio...still wearing a million layers I put on for filming. As a result I pulled off my jeans so I could dance and ended up in knee length exercise pants with black and orange tights. Knees down, Wicked Witch of the East. And we ewren't bellydancing, it was pole dancing (skipped that) and a sexay chair dance... You can't be sexaaaay in those tights. But you get a lotta laughs.