Kingdom of Heaven

So I just finished watching Kingdom of Heaven and I must admit it was pretty good. Mama Maria got it for me for Christmas and I just finally got the chance to see it the whole way through. I would recommend it only to people who don't mind lots of gory blood spurting scenes.

Merry Christmas

Next Year...

So Emma and Steve came over for family dinner last night and it turns out that Em and I are going to be in the same class come January. We're both taking "Accounting I" on Monday nights (I am also taking Business Math on Wednesday Nights - woot). I think it will be a lot of fun being in the same class as Emma. We had such a blast working together a few months back when she was helping me out at work.
On a side note she mentioned that she was a bit frustrated because everyone calls her "Emma Cherry" now - not just plain "Emma" - I just smiled and nodded because everyone calls me "Sarah Cherry" rarely is it ever "Sarah". I think it has a lot to do with the last name. It's just a FUN last name - like "Snowball" (I've noticed that a lot of people do the same to Rachel). I dare say that this is something my dear sister-in-law will just need to get used to. Personally, I don't mind it kind of makes me smile when I hear "Sarah Cherry!" shouted across the church or living room or where ever we are - because at least you know who I am. HAHA!

My Christmas/New Years Schedule

• December 16, 2006 - Becca comes home for Christmas Break
• December 18 - 22, 2006 - work
• December 23, 2006 - Clean house because Anna's a clean FREAK!
• December 24, 2006 - Anna comes home for Christmas Break - Open Presents!
• December 25, 2006 - Go to Naylors for Christmas Dinner
• December 26, 2006 - Boxing Day feast at home
• December 27 - 28, 2006 - Relax
• December 29, 2006 - Anna goes back to PRBI
• December 30, 2006 - Relax
• December 31, 2006 - Naylors Annual New Years Party
• January 1, 2007 - Sleep
• January 2, 2007 - Go back to work :(

Oh so productive...

So after weeks of procrastination and lack of doing much of anything I was incredibly productive yesterday.

1. I wrote my final exam and am now offically done school - for this semester
2. I went to work and worked late - past 2:30pm (so it wasn't so late but it was late for me)
3. I finished ALL my Christmas shopping - in only 3 hours of contastnt shopping/driving
4. I baked Gingerbread men
5. I made my boss a Christmas Basket

That may not seem like super productivity to you but to me that is very good.

By the by - The guy sitting next to me in my exam cursed through the whole thing. I have never realized just how sensitive I am to that. The occasional expletive I have no problem with. I have been known to swear every so often myself. But this guy every couple minutes would, in a loud whisper, call out the f-bomb and or the s-bomb. He was so aggravated and I don't get why. I know it was a final exam but it was only on the last half of the course and we were allowed to have cheat sheets (looseleaf paper, handwritten, both side) and my prof. told us what sections we needed to study. The test was in HTML and Access and she gave us all the HTML codes - Seriously this guy had NO reason to be freaking out so bad. Some people really need to learn to control themselves.

*sigh* whatever...it's over now.

Uh oh...

So my boss comes back Saturday - Just in time for the Sunday Staff Christmas Party - from a two week vacation in Cabo - and I have successfully toasted both her desk and my own.
It's too cold to work at my desk so I have been using hers but that doesn't mean that I cleaned up the mess off my desk before moving - she is forever telling me that my desk is a mess so I don't think that she will take to k indly to the fact that her desk is covered in stuff now too.
Hey I have an idea maybe I should stop fooling around on the internet and actually do some work!

HAha

Snow, Snow Go AWAY!!!

I am SO sick of the SNOW!! - I live in BC because I LOVE the rain - the snow I hate - I'm so glad that it is almost over.

Here are some pics that I took to show just how much snow we've had in the last few days.

Hey who wants to have a BBQ?

What your Step!

Would you like to take a seat?

Anyone want to go for a drive?

I wonder what's hiding under all that snow!

In a Land Far Far Away...

Many unforgettable characters appeared for a single evening in celebration of Lady Maia's 23 Birthday!

The Magnificent Lady Maia the one who brought us all together.

Malificent and Empress Fariane

Malificent and Alice

Little Red Riding Hood











Gandolf the Grey Wizard












A Samurai









A Tree Guardian all the Way from Middle Earth









The Tooth Fairy









Wendy and Jason the Argonaut









Beauty and the Beast

Paul Bunyan and Cinderella

The Expedia Gnome!

Got a little angry....

Hip-hip-hooray for Crazy fun parties!

So - Who are you going to be...

Yesterday Maia asked me 'Who' I was going to be for her fairytale birthday party and at that point I had no real anwer - but now I do.

I am going to be...drumroll please...Fariane - Empress of Flanaria - insert stunned silence here

Okay so none of you know who that is which is fine because I made her up - haha

A few years ago I wrote a short sci-fi/fantasy novel and Fariane was my heroine.

Now I'm really excited about your party Maia - I was kind of dreading it before - you know trying to dress up all pretty and stuff can be hard for some people but now if I look weird it's because I'm the ruler of an inter-galactic Empire from far far away - haha!

I Have Been Remiss...

I haven't posted in awhile...though it has not been as long as since Tyson last posted-Haha. I feel like a lot has happened since the last time I posted anything such as...
I went to see a VERY funny movie with some great friends (Stranger than fiction is hilarious)
I spent some time in the prayer room...and God slapped me around a bit (He likes to do that to me)
I applied for a Program at a different College (I don't know if I got in yet)
I found out that I got the 3rd highest score on my midterm in my Advanced Business Computers class (imagine how I could have done if I hadn't been the first person to leave-Haha)
Maia turned 23 years old (Now she's as old as me-haha)
I lost power at work and had to go home early - I bought the ingredients for a new brownie only to find out that my house didn't have power either (Dumb-dumb)
I got kinda freaked out because I swear there was someone walking around the house during the power outage when there really shouldn't have been - I wasn't the only one who heard it - needless to say I didn't sleep that night
Power didn't come on again till 6:15am the next day (I totally shouldn't complain some people still don't have power)
We still don't have Internet because of the power outage
I got asked to help with Sunday school (and I said I would because I can't say no to Susanna)
My boss asked me to work on Saturday - today (and I said yes because what else am I going to do today-haha)
I made the new brownies and the icing turned into more of a custard and so they're not so much a brownie as a dessert
I made a disgusting batch of bad brownies (I burned that recipe-yuck yuck yuck)
I've been out for various lunches and dinners and had some interesting conversations about what is wrong with the world and kids today
My boss quit her 'new job' and will be back working with me full-time after Christmas

I think that's it...yup - that's pretty lame

24/7 Prayer Day 5

YAY!!! My car is fixed - the part came in without a problem yesterday - however...the guy told me it would be $120 so I brought $120 with me - it actually cost $121.20 - They didn't take debit and I have taken all my credit cards out of my purse so I won't 'over spend' - luckily he accepted the $120 and told me not to worry about the $1.20 - It so silly - if I was driving my car I would have had money because I always keep change for the parking meters at UCFV but I was driving mom's car I didn't have any change - I felt SO Lame. "Sorry but I don't have $1.20" insert lame girl giggle...Actually I didn't say that I told him I'd be right back I had to find the $1.20 - I was going to pull cash out of the machine on campus (it would have cost me $2.00 to get the cash in fees but you gotta do what you gotta do). Anyways, he told me not to worry about it and I got the part.

I then picked up mom from church - then we picked up Stephen and he replaced the ignition in less than an hour.

I now have two keys for my car. "Two keys?" you ask "Yes, two keys." One key for the door and one key for the ignition. Thankfully they look different and so I won't be messing up my door locks or ignition.

After my car got fixed we (Mom, Steve, Emma and myself) went to Montana's for Mom's Birthday Dinner. You may remember that Mom's Birthday was last week - yes apparantely Mom's birthday gets to last for weeks on end. What was cool is that Anna and Rebecca (who are at PRBI) sent Mom a cheque to cover the cost of the restaurant Birthday Dinner as their gift to her. Wednesdays are unlimited ribs and Steve ate something like 4 plates full. (Shocking I know - Steve eat a lot no...never).

Hopefully, I will actually get to the Prayer Room today...

24/7 Prayer Day 4 (AKA Broken Car Day 3)

So I got a call from UCFV and the part is in and hopefully it will be the right one. It is going to cost twice as much as the part was originally supposed to but it is still cheaper than going out and buying it myself.

Hopefully - Stephen will have time to replace the ignition today - but if not then hopefully he will have time in the near future.

We're supposed to go for mom's birthday dinner tonight so today may not be the best day to fix my car but we shall see.

It's funny that since the first day of 24/7 I haven't been able to get back to the actually room but God has been speaking very clearly to me.

24/7 Prayer Day 3 (AKA Broken Car Day 2)

My brother called me this morning and asked for the phone numbers he needed to call my mechanic and UCFV. (I was worried about phone calls and my dearest brother who did not know about my concern decided to take care of it myself). - I was worried about the calls simply because I am a girl and my car is a car and no matter how liberated a girl I am I am still a girl and I'm not sure exactly how to answer every question that mechanically inclined men will ask about my car problem.

Stephen arranged for the part to be sent to UCFV and I would pick it up from there after work. Unfortunately, the part that was sent was the ignition switch - which mentioned in the previous post is NOT broken. It was funny because the guy showed me the part that was sent and I was able to say with authority that that was NOT what I needed. So we got the right part ordered - hopefully.

24/7 Prayer Day 2 (AKA Broken Car Day 1)

As I got into my car to go to the church for a stint in the 24/7 Prayer Room my car decided to break. My lovely brother came over and deduced that the ignition is broken but the ignition switch is fine.

As I cried my tears of distress my mother told me that I should save my tears for my sick children and husband who is 3 hours late coming home. Seeing as these things aare fictional and my car trouble is real I - understandable I believe - did not appreciate this advice. Though I did stop crying - I don't usually cry it was just SO frustrating that it should break again - now - just when I think I am getting ahead.

My brother suggested that I call my mechanic to price out the cost of the repair and call UCFV to see if I could get the part cheap from them. For some reason internally I REALLY did not want to make these phone calls in the morning.

I did call my boss that night and tell her that I would be very late for work but would eventually arrive.

As I was lying in bed that night God gave me His own advice - Grow up! Here I was upset that my car needed to be fixed it's nothing to be worried about - we already have a solution to the problem - just deal with it!

24/7 Prayer at FLEFC - Day 1

So yesterday a bunch of us 'young adults' set up the 24/7 prayer room at FLEFC - the prayer room will be open from November 5 - 11/06. I have included some photos of what the prayer room currently looks like because it will likely be tranformed by God and His 'Watchmen' over the next week and it will be pretty cool to see how much it has been changed.

Happy Birthday Mom!

It's my Mom's Birthday Today - Hip-hip-hooray Mama Maria! She's turning 31* this year - I wish I had a picture of her to post with this but she has this nasty habit of burning all photos that happen to feature her smiling face. Haha

The plan for her birthday was to make her breakfast in bed but I made the mistake of giving her a choice between breakfast and sleep - she chose sleep. (Who didn't see that coming?)

I was also going to make her a birthday cake yesterday but she elected to have me make a cheesecake instead - which I did (what the birthday girl wants the birthday girl gets).

I am taking her to Petticoat Junction today to get her hair done - she didn't over rule that - yet.

I was going to take her to The Keg for dinner tonight but she would prefer to go on another day - Tuesday November 14, 2006 (only 11 days after her birthday).

All this and she doesn't think she is demanding...haha!

Hopefully she will enjoy her Birthday LOTS!

* This number is fictitious

_ _ _ _ and Cheese Party 2006!!

The atmosphere was perfect...

The food - cheese - was delicious...

Our hostesses were radiant...

An impromtu drumming session...

Great fun with friends...

Does anyone recognize the guy in this picture? I can't quite remember his name...

Baked Fun-Tina Cranberry Melts

So this is what I made for the super wonderful Wine and Cheese party tonight. I think it tastes super yummy but that's just my humble opinion.

Servings: 24
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 16 mins


Ingredients:

2 8-ounce cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 ounces Fontina, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or ham,(I made it with prosciutto and I would recommend a little more than 2 ounces)
diced 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Press contents of one can of crescent roll dough onto parchment paper to form a 9 x 12-inch rectangle, taking care to seal seams of dough.

Top dough with Fontina, prosciutto or ham, dried cranberries, 1/2 of the rosemary and sugar.

On another sheet of parchment, press remaining can of dough into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle. Using parchment paper, transfer dough to cover cheese mixture. Carefully peel away parchment paper. Press seams closed. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary.

Bake for 12 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes.

To serve, cut into 12 squares and then cut each square in half diagonally to make 24 pieces.

New Camera!!!

So for those who know and those who don't...a few months ago my digital camera died suddenly (right before my sister's grad ceremony very upsetting). Anyway, today I finally went out and got myself a new one and I am so psyched - it's an HP R725 - it's 6.2 MP and has a lithium-ion rechargeable battery (which was a must for me). It is now charging and I can't wait to see what it can do.

Fudge Swirl Squares

So for "Guess Who's Coming to Lunch" at church on Sunday I made Fudge Swirl Square. They turned about pretty good. I think it took me a total of 1 hour to make them and that's including the 40 minute bake time. Unfortunately the 40 minute bake time probably should have been more of a 30-35 minute bake time. My oven is always hotter than it's supposed to be - so even though I cut the heat by 50 degrees the squares still burnt a little. Despite that they were still very yummy! Below is the recipe - its pretty straight forward - definitely use unsweetened chocolate though - I almost didn't and it would have been WAY too sweet if I had opted for semi- sweet.


Fudge swirl bars with cream cheese, chocolate, butter, and pecans. Scroll down to see more brownies and bars.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
4 eggs, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

PREPARATION:
Butter and lightly flour a 13x9-inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350°.
In a medium heavy saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate. Using a wire whisk, beat in 2 cups of the sugar and 3 of the eggs until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, salt, chopped pecans or walnuts, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Spread batter in prepared pan.
In another bowl with mixer on low speed, beat cream cheese with remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining egg, and remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until well blended. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat for 2 minutes, scraping bowl from time to times. Spoon mixture in dollops over the chocolate batter. With the end of a butter knife, swirl the cream cheese batter over the surface, blending it into the chocolate layer a bit. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack then cut into bars. Makes about 3 dozen. Store these bars, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Since I know that you all care SO much...I thought I'd let you know that I went to bed at 6:00pm last night...I was just SO tired and had had too many late nights. I wasn't even sure that I would be able to sleep through the night but I did and I feel much better now. I whole heartedly suggest to anyone that if their schedules would allow to try going to sleep really early one day. Everything looks so much better after a goodnight's sleep.