To Go, Or Not To Go?

That is the question going through my mind.

I have gotten the opportunity to go down to Florida for US thanksgiving to see my wonderful friends from Florida, Michigan and hopefully Guatemala! Alejandra and Olivia, our translators from Guatemala, are hoping to be able to come down to Florida if they can get their visas. My dilemma is I don't know weather or not to go... Your sitting there going "Why the heck doesn't she want to go!?" and to be honest, I don't know, I do want to go, so badly... But there is something holding me back. I have my puppy now, but I'm sure someone would look after her, and there is the money aspect, but someone has offered to pay my flight. And I mean there is the time thing... With my nannying job now I don't know if I could take that time off... But I would LOVE TO GO. And I mean, If I am down there already, why not go to Guatemala again? I am so close already.

Hmmm, what do you guys think? What should I do!?

Vegan (Or Not) White Chocolate Pumpkin Bars

I got this off of a fellow blogger and it was DELICIOUS! I just needed to share it. It is so easy to make and satisfies any sweet craving its chocolatey and caramelly and sweet and dense yet light. The perfect end or even beginning to a day. 

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 ounces vegan "butter" (such as Earth Balance), softened to room temperature (or for non-vegan, use 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature)

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 cups vegan white chocolate chips (or use regular)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and mist with non-stick spray (or butter, or grease).

Mix together butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, salt and pumpkin pie spice.

Mix until combined.

Fold in white chocolate chips.

Smooth batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until set but still a bit soft in the middle.

A New Home?

I am looking at moving.

My house is a 4 room 550sqf small, but okay for me house. The landlords are great and my puppy has a friend to play with. Plus the price is defiantly right. The down side is: it is further away from town, it is super small and with friends or if I am thinking long term, it is uncomfortable, also, it does not have a window in the bedroom, which is sad.

The other house is huge (to me) at 2 bedrooms, an office, living room, kitchen, bathroom and 1190sqf. Wow! It is close to town (and 3 great friends! plus!) so I could walk pretty easy, it is big (duh!) so i would have excess room. I love that it is modern and clean and bright (and has a bath tub!!). BUT... with every amazing thing, comes a price... this one is $200 extra.

So, is it worth it? I don't know.... Your opinion?

Here are some pictures - As you can see, Lots of light and room! Perfect.

I spent a lot of today in the garden with my mom Julie. We started outside getting rid of all the dill weeds. Here in the prairies, dill spreads like wild fire if you don't do anything with it. So we pulled pup all the dill in the garden and all the weeds and got our garden looking pretty =) Later on we went down to a garden in the valley we share with Auntie Lori and got some veggies to make supper with tonight, I love fresh vegetables don't you?

I found the coolest invention today as well, a muffin top pan. Yes, that's right. I pan that cooks only muffin TOPS! They are the best part anyways right? My mom and I got it out and started baking, we made Saskatoon Berry Muffins, Banana Muffins, and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. They were all so good. It took a couple tries to perfect how to use the muffin top pan but we did it. 

For anyone wondering, to use a muffin top pan you need to be sure of a couple things - 

- Make the oven temperature 25'F to 50'F lower than your directions say

- Cut the time down by 1/3 or so

- Make sure you fill the muffin top tray all the way to the top of the indents to get the best results. 

Happy Muffin Top Making!!

Today we remember 9/11 but that didn't stop the weather from being gorgeous, it is 32'C and blue skies for as far as you can see. You can see the wheat swaying in the wind and hear the birds chirping. This is a wonderful place. Full of love and potential.

I'm sitting here thinking about all the tragedy around the world, the famine in Africa, the children in America being abused and kidnapped, the mothers who cannot afford to have their children, not only financially but physically and emotionally. The world keeps going. It doesn't stop for anything does it? Each day we get a night and then another morning no matter the circumstances that may surround you. At least that is a stability people can count on.

I would love to do something to help the world, but what can I do? What will you do?

The epitome of peace

Well...

I didn't get the job of Nannying for that family I was talking about apparently. i just never heard back from them. Oh well.
I did find another job though. I am Nannying for a family whos' father works out of the city and mom works shift work, so I have 2 days on, 2 nights on, then 4 days off. It's a weird schedule, but it works out. I am only staying with this family until January though when I move to another family whom I had agreed to start for earlier.
There are two kids, 1 and 3, who are so adorable and fun. The oldest is a boy and is so busy but polite and sweet. The little one is a girl who is just a pot of cute. I am really looking forward to learning more about them and having some great time with them!

A Special Job, Just For Me

Today I got a phone call.

I have been looking for a job nannying for quite a few months now, I finally got that special call, I have a job!
There have been many families that have contacted me with interest in me being their nanny and up until now they have been too far away, not willing to pay what I am asking or I just didn't feel the connection with the family that I find critical.

I am now working 2 days a week (which is pretty perfect for me) nannying for one little boy during the day and then his two older sisters after school. It is everything I could ask for, the family is sweet and easy going, they are near to me and they don't care about anything other then good care for their kids. I am very excited about this. I cannot wait to do crafts and activities with this little boy!! The twist is, he is starting potty training!
Wish me luck = )

Journey

Today was the beginning of a journey for my new puppy Bailey and I. We traveled half way across Canada to visit my dad. We will be here for 9 days. I was very nervous for the whole last week about putting Bailey in her crate for 5 hours alone under the plane. I was scared she would be scared and crying and just hate it. But as far as I know she seems happy here and it seems like she didn't have a very big problem with flying.

I am so excited to be here and see my family. I haven't seen my brother for around 9 months and i hear he has just sprouted up and turned into a little man in the time I have been gone, it will be interesting to see!
My mom and dad have always been my best support. They will hold me up though everything and anything I try to do. I know that hey love me beyond the world and I love them back!

I started today at 5 am and running to the airport and getting everything set up and not getting here till 12 30pm. It has been a long, long day but I know that the next week and some will be well worth it! I am sure ready for a good nights sleep!

Just The Beginning

This summer I had the most amazing 5 weeks of my life. I spent it in Guatemala on an internship at a Mal-Nutrition center (see my other blog - http://twisteroffate.blogspot.com/) Wow. It was fantastic. Now I am home getting settled and starting a new chapter in my life. This year I am sure will be full of new experiences, new people, new worries yet hopefully holding on the the old relationships I have with my friends and family. They are the most important to me. When I got back home this summer one of the first questions anyone would ask me is "Ella, When are you going back!?" or "Do you think you will be back soon?" And up until this moment, I honestly couldn't tell them. I didn't know. Would I love to go back. YES! One of my greatest friends are there and the woman who were so good to me are there. I love it there. And yet why I couldn't bring myself to just tell all the people that asked "YES! I am going as soon as I can!" is still a mystery. In fact, there still is a little part of me that is reluctant to say that... I don't know why though.

That is the point of this blog, for me to look deeper into myself and be able to answer questions like that, It is my hope that I will be able to know myself in a more entire way, to learn what it is exactly that I want.

I Got A Puppy

I got a puppy! I am so excited to have her with me. I was in Vancouver and saw a puppy on the bus with a man and I responded how most people would "AWWEE! What a cute puppy!" He looked at me and replied "Yea, She needs a new a home, do you want her?" Umm how do you reply to something like that? I ended up getting his number and going to visit them the next day... and well... she's mine now! When I got her he had been calling her Brodi, and I felt like she needed a more "girly" name but I wanted to keep the same sounds so I chose Bailey. I now have a lovely little German Shepard pup :)
Here's a picture -