Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween



Haunted Hatley Castle, Victoria, B.C.

Hatley Castle in Victoria was built in 1908 for James Dunsmuir, a former Premier and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. The house stayed in the Dunsmuir family until 1930, however once it was sold, a family of spirits moved in with the new tenants. The first sightings were of the son, who had died in the great war. He was seen by his sister, walking along the edge of the pond beside the castle. When Hatley Castle was transformed into a military academy, the spirit of Mrs. Dunsmuir began to appear. She has been known to drag young cadets out of their beds, pulling them to the floor in the middle of the night. Could this be her attempt to prevent her son's fate from befalling them?

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Grandpa's Birthday




My Grandpa Peterson's Birthday is October 31st, 1927. That makes him 80! We had a big party at Montana's Cookhouse last Saturday night to celebrate. I had so much fun visiting with my 4 Aunts, 5 Uncles, and a number of cousin's. Happy Birthday Grandpa!





Major Events of 1927

Trotsky, Zinoviev and followers expelled from Communist Party in USSR. Stalin takes full control.

Charles Lindbergh makes first solo non-stop trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris.

First full-length "talkie" movie, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson.

Mae West sentenced to 10 days in prison for obscenity.

First trans-Atlantic telephone call, from New York to London.

Australian Parliament moves to Canberra.

Ford produces the last Model T.

Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 60 home-runs in a season.

Carving of Mount Rushmore begins.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Halloween Party

Apparently while I was sleeping, my Mom & Dad had some transformation thing happen to them and some friends. It looks like they had fun!




Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Mom's Carved the First Pumpkin for Halloween!

My Mom carved the first pumpkin of a series today for Halloween. Didn't scare me in the least. Pumpkins are cool!


Saturday, October 20, 2007

First Skate

Yesterday, I went skating for the first time with Reece and Mom. It was fun! I didn't wear skates, but I still loved being out on the ice. I laugh when someone pushes me really fast!




Thursday, October 18, 2007

Balloon!

My new word this week is "Balloon". I can say it pretty good now, and this is my new friend Dora, who I drag around the house with me everywhere. Mom says she'll have to take her to get more air soon. (I know my Dad has a joke for that somewhere)

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Survivorman


One of my Mom's favorite things to watch on Discovery Channel is Survivorman. If you haven't seen it, it's a must watch!
In the year 2000 Les Stroud took a few small cameras out into the wilderness of Northern Ontario, Canada and spent a week surviving alone without food, water, equipment or camera crew. He single-handedly created, produced, wrote, filmed, hosted, edited and wrote the theme music for these first two original, one-hour pilots for what would eventually become the series Survivorman. He remains the only producer in the history of television to produce an internationally broadcast series entirely written, videotaped and hosted alone.


Check out Les Stroud's Site in "Jade's Faves" for info on new episodes and his Blog with detailed accounts of his experiences.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

CARAMEL COVERED APPLES




MAKES 5 CARAMEL APPLES

40 - Caramel cubes (I prefer the Borden Brand)
5 - Apples (I like Macintosh apples)
1 - Tablespoon of water
5 - Wooden sticks
1 - Wax paper

PREPARATION

Wash and dry the apples thoroughly. Remove stems and Insert the wooden sticks into the stem hole until about half the stick is in the apple. In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the caramels with the water, stirring constantly until smooth. Now dip the apples into the hot caramel sauce, coating the apple completely. Place on greased, wax paper.

STORAGE & SERVING

Store your caramel covered apples in the refrigerator.

Before serving, remove them from the refrigerator and allow them to stand for about fifteen minutes. We like to serve our caramel covered apples on a large black platter and use extra caramels as a garnish.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Storms on the Island Early This Year




Several parts of Vancouver Island were hit with power outages Tuesday morning as the first major storm of the fall season bore down on the British Columbia coast.

Environment Canada was warning residents that winds of 50 to 110 km/h were expected for exposed areas of the coast, from Victoria to the Queen Charlotte Islands and the north coast.

Remember Last Year!
My Mom is going to make sure we aren't caught off-guard this year when the power goes out. Some precautions are; making sure your chimney is clear of build up before you need to light a fire. Stocking up on water if you are on a well, as the pump won't work if the power is out. Fill the propane tank on your barbecue, as it may be the only way to cook or get hot water. Keep flashlights charged, your phone hard-wired, and candles ready. It's getting darker sooner these days. And purchase a couple of new board games or novels to pass the time. Television and computers are sometimes a missed source of entertainment.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Thawing your Thanksgiving Turkey




Turkey Basics: Safe Defrosting
"The Big Thaw"

Turkeys must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. While frozen, a turkey is safe indefinitely. However, if the turkey is allowed to thaw at a temperature above 40 ºF, any harmful bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to grow again unless proper thawing methods are used.

A package of frozen meat or poultry thawing on the counter longer than 2 hours is not safe. Even though the center of the package may still be frozen, the outer layer of the food is in the "danger zone," between 40 and 140 ºF -- a temperature range where harmful bacteria multiply rapidly.

Thawing frozen Turkey

Immediately after grocery store checkout, take the frozen turkey home and store it in the freezer until ready to use. Frozen turkeys should not be thawed on the back porch, in the car trunk, in the basement or on the kitchen counter.

Refrigerator Thawing

When thawing a turkey in the refrigerator, there are several variables to take into account:

* Plan ahead: allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F.

Refrigerator Thawing Times

(Whole turkey)

* 8 to 12 pounds..........1 to 2 days
* 12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
* 16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
* 20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days

Monday, October 01, 2007

Paint Me a Picture


My Mom added a cool paint program on the left side of this page. Just run your mouse arrow over the space and you're painting! Click the left mouse button to change colors, and right click to print your painting!
It's Fun!