You are probably thinking that I kind of missed a generation – and you are right. Did I say things that my mom said to me to my boys? I have to admit that I did – at least one of them.

 The Canadian Living magazine did find some answers and I thought the information was interesting enough to share:

“Hold your breath to get rid of your hiccups”

That is true. There have always been a good number of suggestions on how to cure this annoying thing, caused by spasms of your diaphragm. It was suggested to quickly drink cold water or standing on your head. But apparently -holding your breath really does work.

“Don’t go outside with wet hair -you will catch a cold”

That statement is not true. Simply because being cold will not actually cause you to catch a cold. You really need to come in contact with the virus first – so apparently you could roll around naked in the snow and you would not catch a cold

 ”Drinking coffee will stunt your growth”

That again is false. Coffee should definitely not be given to youngsters -simply because of the effects caffeine has on the heart rate, increased anxiety, possible stomach aches and difficulty to sleep. I think those are reasons enough

 ”Don’t sit on cold surface, it will give you hemorrhoids”

Another false one. That is because true cause for getting those very uncomfortable hemorrhoids is straining, which causes lining of the intestines to be forced out. Constipation and childbirth are common causes -not sitting on cold surface

 ” Don’t sit too close to the TV, it will ruin your eyes”

Another false one -apparently children have an amazing ability to adapt to blurred vision without experiencing eye strain. That as I’d, if you are noticing that your child is sitting too close to the TV all the time, it may be a sign that check up with the optometrist and possibly a pair of glasses is needed.

 ”Stay out of the shower during thunderstorm”

Personally, I don’t recall my mom saying that one, but if yours did, she was right. While showers do not actually attract lightening, if it does strike the plumbing system, it can be conducted into the tub or shower.

“Drink your milk if you want strong bones”

Oh yes -this one is definitely true. It’s calcium and some good protein that milk will give you. In short, if you are not getting enough calcium, your body will take it out of your bones.

There are a lot more saying moms have – and some definitely deserve translation. Check out:

Mother’s Day Wisdom - and have a good laugh!

On that note – mom was right about lot of things and showing love and appreciation on Mother’s Day (and every other day as well) is definitely the right thing to do!

Happy Mother’s Day and lots of love to all wonderful moms out there!

I am sharing my discoveries – and once I make my decision, I will update all of you.

First – a few Lilac facts:

• Lilacs bloom the best in a full sun and thrive in cold climates. In fact, without the winter chills, many of them refuse to bloom.
• For warmer locations, there are a number of varieties available on the market, such as “California Rose”, “Lavender Lady” or “Angel White”
• In fall, large buds become evident as leaves drop, hinting at the upcoming spring show of blooms.
• If you need to prune your lilac, delay the trimming until after bloom so that you don’t remove these blossoms-to-be.
• To prune: snip spent blooms immediately after the blooming time. This is the time to do pruning – to shape your lilac the way you want it to look.
• You can rejuvenate old, weak lilac shrub by trimming out weak, dead and overly large branches. Make cuts near ground level. Young, vigorous shoots will take their places.
• If you find a powdery mildew – which is the most common disease of lilacs, it may indicate poor air circulation or a lack of sun. To prevent this, make sure you plant your lilacs in a full sun.

Here are a few lilac varieties:

The most common lilac is Syringa Vulgaris – vigorous, easy to grow shrub that often reaches the height of 10 feet. It does spread a bit so if you are thinking about filling a smaller space, this may not be the one to use.

Syringa Vulgaris

Sensation Lilac has bi-coloured blooms and is consider quite unique among lilacs

Sensation Lilac

Beauty of Moscow – great variety if you are planning to use in bouquets. Multiple flower spikes on one stem make it a perfect variety to use for including in your home decor.

Beauty of Moscow

Charles Joly is a variety that will give you the most beautiful shades of unusual (for a lilac) wine-red colours

Charles Joly

President Lincoln is the one that will give you the closest to blue colour you can hope for in lilacs

President Lincoln

Boomerang Lilac is a smaller variety with a great advantage: after the spring blooms, it continues to flower on and off throughout the summer

Boomerang Lilac

Without a doubt, lilacs will bring both beauty and fragrance to spring garden. So far – the boomerang lilac is on top of my list. Mainly because it is listed as smaller variety (and my garden is starting to run out of space to plant anything large in it) but also because it is to blooms more than once.

Next step – visiting a few garden centres and taking a look at what there is available on the market.I will either make my decision very shortly or plan to add lilac in the fall – there is nothing wrong with fall planting and I believe it would reward me with those beautiful , fragrant blooms next spring!

Hope you have enjoyed this information and as always, I welcome your comments and suggestions!

I have made chicken soup thousands of times in my life and really – there is no need to follow a strict recipe. For example – I often make chicken soup from bones and leftover meat after making roast chicken. And I will check out what vegetables are in the fridge and use them as well. I add potatoes, mushrooms and of course – good egg noodles.

Here is the process I follow:

1. These pictures were taken when I had a leftover roasted chicken – first I took off all nice meat pieces. You can leave the smaller pieces on the bones – they will make the stock better. Put all the bones into a large pot, filled with cold water and seasoned with only salt and ground black pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for about 1-1/2 hours.

2. The nice meat pieces from the chicken I cut up and saved to add to the soup later

3. Once the stock is done simmering, you will need to strained it to remove all the bones and little pieces you wouldn’t want to eat. Then start adding vegetables – first, I chopped up an onion.

4. I like cutting up baby carrots to add – they are nice and sweet and easy to cut into little pieces

5. Celery is a must for chicken soup – it really adds a very nice flavor. Again – cut into small pieces and add to the stock

6. Another definite must – garlic – and lots of it. I used 4 cloves, finely chopped

7. Potatoes are a choice you can make – I like adding them, especially golden variety which I believe stay nice a firm. Chop into small pieces and add to the stock

8. I let the vegetables simmer for about 15 minutes and then added good homemade egg noodles. I buy these at a local market and I know that they are free of chemicals which i definitely prefer. Once the noodles soften by continuing to simmer the soup. you can add seasonings. I usually use a bit of marjoram, basil and oregano. Adding salt and pepper is something that individuals can ad when you serve it – that is a matter of choice.

Good chicken soup is a great thing to have and you can easily make a large pot, cool it down and freeze in sealed containers – either as individual servings or a larger ones. Let it defrost in your refrigerator – that will ensure that vegetables will not feel overcooked. And do not hesitate to add other ingredients – in the past, I have added leftover frozen vegetables mixes and definitely some mushrooms.

And consider serving nice, warm, fresh out of the oven biscuits – now here is a great dinner!

Hope you have enjoyed this recipe – and that you will send me your comments. suggestions and experiences. I love getting your input and love the idea of sharing!

For those of you who are not comfortable making cakes, check out one of my previous posts on why cakes fail – I am sure it will help you!

Upside Down Pineapple Cake

Ingredients:

Pineapple Base:

• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 12 canned pineapple rings
• 12 maraschino cherries

Cake:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan (I use non-stick baking spray)

2. Make pineapple base by melting 1/2 cup of butter in a medium pan over low heat. Add brown sugar and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Pour into prepared pan, drain pineapple rings and fit them into the bottom of your baking pan. Place one cherry into a centre of each ring and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and nutmeg.

4. In a large bowl, beat together softened butter, sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Use electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes and scrape sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs and beat until combined. On a low speed, beat in the flour mixture. Pour in milk and beat again until combined. Then beat in the remaining flour and vanilla.

5. Spread the mixture carefully over pineapple pieces in your baking pan.

6. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

7. If you try to invert the cake too soon, it will stick to the pan. Place a serving tray over the pan and carefully invert. If any pineapple pieces stick to the pan, gently replace them on the cake top.

8. This cake is great served warm with either yogurt, whipping cream or vanilla ice cream! And it is best stored at room temperature for up to 3 days – but don’t worry – it won’t last that long!

If you would like to try another upside down cake – check out the Cranberry Upside Down Cake Recipe or Banana Caramel Upside Down Cake Recipe

Hope you have enjoyed this recipe – please send me your comments and experiences – I love sharing with all of you!

The first thing I would recommend doing is to prepare Spring Gardening Checklist – noting everything you need to and want to do.

Spring seems to be arriving sooner this year , it has been a long time since I was able to start cleaning up my garden so early- getting rid of all the dead leaves and flowers left from last season. But it is all turning green out there – this is what my lilies and yuccas look like today:

I will post progress pictures and hope that my yuccas will bloom this year! When you look at this pictures, you will probably be able to tell that I like to have an easy to care for garden. Once you clean it up, you really don’t have to do much other. I do add a few annuals – especially after the lilies are done blooming – just to have more colour in the flower beds. Another thing I really want to do this year is to pay more attention growing herbs – I will be posting my update on that subject soon.

I have been checking things out and here are a few things that I really like to add to my garden this year:

Trailing Pansies:

These trailing pansies, called “Plentifall” are the first-ever cascading pansies. And they can be put in early, since they are pretty resistant to cold weather, should winter have another blast.

Phantom Petunias:

Simply beautiful is all I can say about this variety of petunia – a definite attraction in any garden, either in a planter of hanging basket. Thinking about pairing it with black sweet potato vine.

Raspberry Moon Caladium:

This is a great way to add colour to any garden without wondering about the plant blooming.

Purple Peepers:

How cute are these guys? Nicknamed Purple Peepers, this plant is Blackberry Punch Calibrachoa and I love the look of them!

Charmed Velvet Shamrock:

Called “Charmed Velvet Oxalis” it is the perfect plant to add to flower beds or planters for beautiful contrast

One of the best ways to have an easy to care for garden is to plan adding perennials – they do well taking care of themselves!

Hope you enjoyed reading this information and please feel free to add comments and suggestions – I am sure you all have some favorite plants that work well with your garden!

1. Soothe a Jellyfish Sting Fast:

Steadily pour a can of cola over the affected area. The high acid of the beverage will help to deactivate unfired nematocysts (stingers left by the tentacles) That will prevent further injection of venom into the skin and reduce the severity of symptoms until you are able to seek medical treatment.

2. Clean corrosion From Car Battery Terminals:

Harsh cold weather can rust  car battery posts, pouring a can of cola over the terminals will ensure that your car starts right up. After you pour the cola over terminals, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub with a wire brush. To finish, wipe leftover residue with a damp paper towel and tighten the battery cable ends.The fizzing bubbles and acid work together to eat away at the corrosion.

3. Remove Bloodstains From Clothing:

It is best to do this before the stains set in – pour a generous amount of cola over the spot and let sit for about 5 minutes, then launder as usual. The carbonic acid seeps into the fabric fibres and loosens blood particles so they easily dissolve in the wash.

4. Pest Proof Your Garden:

Use leftover cola to deter snail and slugs from your garden. Fill wide, shallow jar lids with the cola and place them strategically around your plants. The creepy crawly creatures will be attracted to the sugary scent. And once they slither into the lid for a sip, the acid content of the cola will poison them.

5. Keep Drains Running Smoothly:

When you get a drain cleaner from the store, you are not only paying a good dollar for it, it is also containing chemicals (sulfuric acid and lye) that can wear and damage old pipes. A safer, more cost-effective way to reduce clogs is to pour a 2 litre bottle of cola down your drain and let it sit for about an hour. Then run hot water for about 1 minute to flush and repeat this process once a month, As the cola travels through the pipes, the combination of effervescence and phosphoric acid in the it scrubs the residue to prevent blockages.

6. Make a Great Barbecue Sauce:

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of ketchup with 1 cup of cola and stir until thick. You can double this recipe of you need larger quantity of sauce. Brush onto meat , grill and that’s that.

7. Give Compost Bin an Instant Boost:

If you compost pile looks like it could use a boost, you can give it a jump start. To speed up the breakdown, give your bin a doze of 1 litre flat cola every two weeks. If you have a small bin, reduce the cola to just a can. the cola will enhance the compost’s acidity while the sugar in the beverage will increase organic matter of the soil.

8. Erase Smudges From Sunglasses:

Do you have sunglasses that have lenses covered with dirty fingerprints? You can simply pour a few drops of cola onto a paper napkin or towel and wipe the lenses. The citric acid in the cola loosens dirt and grime for spotless, finger-print feww eyewear. Then just go over the lenses with a clean napkin dampened with water to remove any residue.

9. Make Skunk Odor Disappear:

It can happen to anyone – your dog decides to chase a cute looking creature with white striped on its back – and you end up with a problem. You can always use the proven tomato juice, but what if you don’t have it on hand? Pour a can of cola directly onto your dog and massage it into the fur. Keep him outside for about 30 minutes to allow the cola’s acids to break down mercaptan (the odor-causing substance). Then shampoo and rinser as usual. Just one word of caution – use this method on darker coat dogs since cola colouring can be hard to get out of lighter animal fur.

10. Turn Wilted Grass Green Fast:

This happens all the time – kid’s pool left sitting on the lawn or any other object that will result in grass under it to wilt. To help the grass blades bounce back to life, combine a can of cola, cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of dish soap in a spray bottle. Shake well to blend the ingredients and then thoroughly spray the faded spot. The high level of carbon dioxide give the lawn much needed food and water. Meanwhile, the ammonia enriches soil with nitrogen to promote speedy plant growth and the dish soap softens the soil to allow the roots to absorb the nutrients.

For detailed information about Coca-Cola, visit:

Coca-Cola Website

I hope you have enjoyed this information – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and much appreciated

And as I am pretty sure you may not entirely believe me or that do not understand why that day is so bad –  either – I am sharing what I found out:

• There were 12+1 at the Last Supper – the 13th guest at the table being Judas….
• In Britain – Fridays were the days for public hangings and apparently, there was 13 steps leading to the noose
• Christians considered Friday as the day Christ was crucified by the Romans
• Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit on a Friday and later also died on Friday
• The aura that surrounds Friday the 13th goes back to Friday, October 13th, 1307.On that day,  Pope of the Church of Rome, together with the King of France  carried out a secret death warrant against “The Knights Templar” The Templars were terminated as heretics and never again held the power they had before. Their grand master Jacque DeMoleywas captured, tortured and crucified.
• The six day of the week and the number 13 have bad reputation that goes back to the ancient times – but consider that in 2012, there will be the occurrence of Friday the 13th 3 times – and it will be thirteen weeks apart!

And – the legend has it that this superstition should not be ignored:

As it was 100 years ago in Britain, where they tried to overturn the superstition that ships should not sail on Friday the 13th. The British government commissioned a special ship and named it HMS Friday. They layed her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday, hired a man by the name of Jim Friday to be her captain. She sailed on her maiden voyage on a Friday – and it was never heard from again…..

Here are a few more superstitions – just in case you need them:

• Never make your bed on Friday the 13th – you will have bad dreams
• Never cut your nails on Friday the 13th – you will have lots of sorrow

• Don’t start a trip on Friday the 13th – it will end with a misfortune
• Don’t ever let 13 people sit at dinner on Friday the 13th – one will die within a year if you let that happen
• And – if you have 13 letters in your name, there isn’t much that you can hope for: consider: Jack The Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy,……..

But really – if you wanted to find something about any date, any day etc. combination – I bet it could be done!

Hope you enjoyed this information – have a happy Friday the 13th and feel free to add to this anytime!

You are probably thinking more about colouring eggs than to making them to eat – but I am thinking that Deveiled Eggs may just be the thing to have around for your holiday dinner as an appetizer. It is one of our family’s favourite and this is the recipe I use:

Easter Deviled Eggs:

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• salt to taste
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• paprika, for garnish

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.
2. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat.
3. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove from hot water, cool and peel.
5. Cut eggs in half.
6. Remove yolks and place in a medium bowl.
7. Mash together with celery, onion, mayonnaise, salt and hot pepper sauce.
8. Stuff the egg white halves with the egg yolk mixture.
9. Sprinkle eggs with paprika.
10. Chill covered in the refrigerator until serving.

Hope you have enjoyed this recipe -please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and much appreciated!

Colourful Easter eggs are not only fun to make, especially if you involve your children, they also add to your home decor and Easter decorating nicely. Using them to place around a bowl of fresh flowers or placing pretty Easter egg on each dinner plate will make your festive decorating easy.

You can get very creative colouring your easter eggs. Some techniques are more complicated than others – but there really are very simple and easy ways to create a nice selection of colourful eggs. Here are few techniques, complete with instructions, that I hope will be helpful to you.

If you print this article, it’ll make it easy to have it with you while you make your Easter eggs with your kids. We’ll be creating 3 types of effects: marble, crayon and sponge styles of Easter eggs.

I’ve also created a list of Easter egg decorating tips that I’ve picked up over the years at the end of the article, if you’ve got any more tips then please leave me a note in the comments!

Marble Eggs

You will need:

• Hard boiled eggs
• Store bought dye or food colouring
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (for each color)

How to Make it:

• Mix dye according to package directions
• Add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil to each color you want to marbleize
• Dye eggs as directed on dye package
• When you remove the eggs, the oil will have caused a very nifty marbleized effect

Crayon Coloured Eggs

What You Will Need:

• Crayons
• Boiled eggs
• Neon food coloring and white vinegar (optional)

How to Make It:

1. Be sure that boiled eggs are cool and dry.
2. Place a double folded kitchen towel and place it on the table underneath child’s hands so if the egg slips out it will have a soft cushion to land on.
3. Use crayons to draw designs on the egg.
4. Have kids hold the egg gently so they do not crack the shell.
5. This step is optional but adds a fun effect. If you like, mix 1 Tbsp of white vinegar into a coffee mug of water (filled ¾ full) then add several drops of food coloring.
6. Dip the crayon coloured egg into the dye and let sit for about a minute.
7. Remove and let dry. The dye makes the crayon look brighter, especially if you use neon food colouring!

Sponge Painted Eggs

What You Will Need:

• Hard boiled eggs
• Acrylic craft paints in the colors of your choice
• Household sponge
• Paper towel
• Small bowl of water
• Egg holder or empty egg carton

How to Make It:

1. Soak a household sponge in water, then ring it out completely.
2. Cut the sponge into several different pieces, enough so that you have one for each color.
3. Using a paper plate as a palette, squeeze out small amounts of several different colors of paint.
4. Place an empty egg carton upside down so that you can rest your eggs on it to dry once painted.
5. Hold an egg in your fingers, and with your other hand, dab a sponge into desired paint color.
6. Dab the sponge onto a piece of paper towel. The object is to remove the excess paint, but not completely dry it out.
7. Now dab the sponge directly onto your egg, using any type of random pattern you like. Paint as much of the egg as you can and place it down to dry.
8. Repeat steps four to six for each egg, using different colors.
9. For a coloured background with white sponge marks, simply paint the egg a solid color with a paint brush or with one of your sponges. When dry, sponge on a pattern with white paint.
10. When one side has dried, complete the other side and allow that to dry as well.
11. Place eggs into an egg holder, or fill a bowl with Easter grass and arrange the eggs atop the grass.

More Easter Egg decorating tips and tricks:

• To make pastel paints from primary colors, simply add enough white paint until you have reached the shade you want.
• Use a pair of scissors to round the edge of the sponges. Square edge can make your design look choppy, whereas a rounded edge looks softer.
• Instead of painting the eggs a solid color, you can always dye them with traditional methods, then sponge paint them with white. This is an easy alternative if you don’t have several different paint colors on hand.
• Get creative! Make different shapes by cutting hearts or letters from the sponges. Dollar stores will sometimes have shaped sponges in the kid’s bath section.
• To boil perfect eggs, place into a shallow pan, cover with water and boil gently for three minutes. Turn off heat and cover pan with a tight fitting lid and let sit for 15 minutes. Place pan in sink, carefully drain out hot water and let cold water run over them for several minutes. Turn off water and add several ice cubes and let sit for about 5 minutes more.
• Try different types of food colouring, and for sure – try neon colors!

I hope you enjoy colouring eggs with your children, these days go by quickly! Please send in your comments, suggestions and pictures to share with the rest of us Moms and Grandmoms!

 With Love,

Sweet Surprise

How to Make this Pretty centerpiece:

• Trace the mouth of a paper cup onto paper.
• Draw petals around the circle you traced; each petal should be about 2 inches long.
• Trace this flower shape onto coloured paper and cut it out.
• Pierce the center of the flower with a pencil.
• Cut triangles from this center hole out toward the petal, making sure to stop about an inch from the edge.
• Slide the flower over the cup so that it comes up to the rim.
• Cut off the excess paper at the tips of the triangles, then tape the base to the cup.
• Trace the flower-shape template onto green paper and extend each petal into a point to form a ring of “leaves.”
• Repeat the same process with the leaves and tape beneath the petals.
• Place a small bowl filled with jelly bean in the centre.

Sweet Centerpiece

How to Make this Prettty Centerpiece:

• Center a small glass vase (or a juice glass) inside a larger one.
• Fill the space in between the two vases with an assortment of brightly coloured jelly beans.
• Pour a few inches of water into the inner vase, then set your blooms in place.
• I made this centerpiece last year and used yellow silk tulips. After the holidays, I wrapped it in plastic and stored it on a shelf – and I have a ready to place centerpiece this year!

Enjoy your holidays and send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciasted!

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