Snowmamas SnowFun in Park City

December 28, 2011 By

To say these last weeks have been crazed would be an understatement.

There was the Snowmamas Summit early-December at Park City Mountain Resort. To see the fun article I wrote about how I would spend 72 hours in Park City, be sure to go here.

We cowboy karaoked at Cisero’s wherein it was confirmed if you do not sing, dance or at least drink you have NO BUSINESS performing. Fortunately my talents lie elsewhere like careening down Gorgoza Park’s suicidal tubing hill.

We also race down the alpine coaster and were among the first to try Park City Mountain Resort’s brand spankin’ new Flying Eagle Zip line. I’m really excited about this addition because it’s a great starter zipline for my kids to try in March (there is a 42″ minimum height requirement).

Maggie and I were the first of the Snowmamas to test it out and the ending is a bit startling (and loud), hence our expressions.
In case you were wondering: startling + me = a bad mix.

I skied the first day with the group but it was my first time on skis since my knee surgery and I woke up sore the next day. I opted to skip out and explore Park City, starting on Main Street and then hiking up Daly Canyon as I passed numerous historic mining sites. When the plowed road turned to deeper snow, I thought, “This could end badly.”
That is not the first time I’ve ever harbored that sentiment.

Fortunately, it was a glorious hike and great to have some much-needed alone time at a haunt only known to the locals.

Jamie called me during my hike.

Him: How’s it going?
Me: Good. Knee was a bit sore so I opted out of skiing today.
Him: That’s good. So, what are you doing?
Me: Going snow hiking.
Him: It is just me or does that not make any sense?
Me: It’s just you. So, what are you doing?
Him: It’s been snowing non-stop in Denver so the kids and I were going to go sledding.
Me: You mean that kid with the busted arm?
Him: (Ignoring me): It took me about a half hour to bundle them up in their ski clothes. I then had to climb up into the rafters in the garage to grab the sled. Bode was down below and told me to drop it down so he could catch it.
Him: You mean that kid with the busted arm?
Him: (Ignoring me): So I dropped it down, he grabbed it, hurt his arm even more so we didn’t go sledding after all.

It’s kind of worrisome when I (the one hiking with the sore knee)am the only one making sense in this family.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family travel, Humor, Jamie, Utah

Christmas Card Love

December 24, 2011 By

Chaos, travels and budget prevented me from sending our annual Christmas newsletter. But if we had, it would have looked something like this.

Which is only a little bit better than this Puerto Rican mayor’s card that went viral last week.


Huh?

But definitely no worse than the card my brother Pat sent.

A coincidence it’s from the Johnsons?

On a MUCH different note, l recently read about the Fosters who have been making a holiday video in lieu of Christmas cards (watch past Christmas videos posted on the sidebar). It’s just simply charming. The talented husband works in video production so if you’re in Arizona, I’d look them up. I know it’s been a lean year for them financially.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/32954901 w=400&h=225]

Jingle Bells – Christmas Video Greeting 2011 from Jared Foster on Vimeo.

For a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the production process (two days hard at work), go here.

And last but not least, the Kelser family Christmas video. Had to chuckle at the parody of the annoying Target lady but I love that the ENTIRE extended family got involved (no way I could convince Jamie’s family to do this; they already think I’m that crazy Target lady).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5NdkINAGgM]

But I’m thinking we need to step it up next year for our Christmas cards.

If 2012 doesn’t swallow us whole (see top photo).

Merry Christmas!

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: holidays

Naughty or Nice? You decide!

December 21, 2011 By

The Food

We’ve crammed a lot in the past two weeks, including baking and delivering all of these goodies to our friends and neighbors (offerings included Christmas French vanilla cake pops, caramel toffee squares, Almond Rocha and whipped shortbread).

We’ve done this for several years now and when my neighbor Monica opened the door, she exclaimed, “I really like this Johnson family tradition!)
She’s not the only one (7,000 calories later).

The Nice Hadley

Hadley has been participating in her class choir after school to perform Christmas carols at a local retirement home. She had a lot of fun singing, dancing and kickin’ it with the boys (see bottom right corner).

But what I was most proud of her for was the way she worked the room afterward, meeting and delighting the seniors. The girl knows how to work it when she wants to.

I had a memorable chat with a sharp-as-a-whip, respectful, funny 95-year-old man, Cliff. He was a college professor for a number of years and has been a guest columnist for the Denver Post this past year. We made a great connection and Bode and I plan to start visiting him regularly to play board games (Bode is obsessed).

With board games, not Cliff. But guaranteed, Cliff isn’t going to be the kind of guy to let him win.

The Bad Hadley

Hadley and Bode get along really well most of the time. Except for when they don’t. They both value their personal space so last week, each of them wrote messages on the white boards in their rooms, banning the other from entering.

Bode’s said something along the lines of “No Hadley.”

Keep in mind the kindergartner’s writing abilities are a bit limited.

Hadley, on the other hand, wrote a soliloquy about why Bode should not enter her room. Ever the artist, she also illustrated it.

Me: “Is that a picture of you KICKING BODE?!!!”
Her: “Yes, I’m kicking him out of my room.”
Me: “Maybe that’s not very nice.”

But I didn’t interfere. A couple of days later, she erased the picture on her own and I praised her for it.

Me: “I’m proud that you removed that picture. It’s not nice to even joke about things like that.”
Her: “But I wasn’t joking.”

Jury is still out if she made Santa’s “nice” list this year.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor

Bring Us Some Figgy Pudding (However the Crap It’s Made)

December 20, 2011 By

If there is anything my family does well, it is making…and eating food. Not just quality but also quantity.

Our Christmas menu is embarrassingly (and deliciously) expansive. On Sunday we planned out our menu and I RAVED about the Figgy Pudding my sister-in-law Tammy made last year. Because it was out-of-this-world amazing, I volunteered to make it with a disclaimer.

Me: “It’s not something I would have EVER tried. I mean, what is Figgy Pudding made out of? Prunes? Dates?”

Them: “Errr, figs.”

Blame it on the blonde.

============

But here’s the funny thing about it all: IT WAS ACTUALLY DATE PUDDING! So maybe I’m not so blonde and off-kilter as I thought. Seriously, try this. I don’t EVER eat dates but it was so delicious.

Sticky Date Pudding
From the Dalvay by the Sea Inn
Pudding
1 3/4 c. packed pitted dates – about 10 ounces
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3 large eggs
Coarsely chop dates. Place in saucepan and simmer uncovered in water about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. Let foaming mixture stand for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In another separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time and beat well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour batter into a buttered and floured baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water in larger pan to reach halfway up side of smaller pan. Bake at 375 degrees about 70 min. (or more), until an inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool slightly to a warm temperature.


Toffee Sauce

3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce slightly to a warm temperature.
Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve with warm sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Foodie, holidays, Humor Tagged With:

The Christmas Mystery of the Missing Dinosaur Egg

December 19, 2011 By

My family has had quite a year of multiple hospital visits (heart surgery, anyone?) and ongoing misfortunes that would render even Murphy (as in the “Law”) speechless.

I resolved to kick 2011 to the curb by doing my holiday shopping and preparations early so I could feel like I had at least something under control.

Oh, how wrong I was.

To support our elementary school, I decided to have my kids purchase gifts for each other at the two-day traveling holiday toy store. The idea was to send them to school with money and let them pick out a gift for each other.

Sound easy? Apparently The Easy Button does not exist for Murphy’s Law.

My son Bode goes to morning kindergarten. The toy shop was in the afternoon. No problem, I just brought him back to school and had him pick out his sister Hadley’s gift. He ignored my suggestions of jewelery and went straight for a dinosaur egg that hatches in water

Gotta give the boy credit: he’s looking for a win-win gift.

However the other problem was that Hadley had the money for both presents and she had not yet done her shopping. The nice volunteer assured us they would set Bode’s gift to the side, ring it up with her purchases and then discreetly put Bode’s gift to his sister in his teacher Mrs. C’s** box for him to later bring home.

I forgot about it until last week when I was putting the finishing touches on all our presents and realized Bode had never received the gift.

I called the school secretary Mrs. M.** and explained the case of the missing dinosaur egg. She promised she would call Mrs. C. and also gave me the name of the volunteer who ran the toy store.

Not even 15 minutes later, Secretary M. called back.

“We found out what happened,” she said in her best sleuth voice. Turns out instead of delivering the dinosaur egg to Mrs. C.’s box, the volunteer had put it in the same bag as Hadley’s gift to her brother.

As Hadley was riding on the bus home from school, she found it. Knowing it wasn’t hers, she gave it to the eager boy sitting next to her.

Now this is where the story gets really suspicious. The boy to whom she gave the dinosaur egg just happened to be Mrs. C.’s son.

Coincidence or conspiracy?

Mrs. C. came home that day to find the dinosaur hatched in a glass of water. Her son divulged Hadley gave it to him and she thought nothing of it. Until she received the phone call from me.

I was relaying the escapade to my husband Jamie later that day and he queried, “How many of JeffCo’s tax dollars were wasted from all the time it took to chase that dinosaur egg down?”

I’m part of the blame for the $20 million deficit.

In the end, Secretary M. was extremely remorseful. “I’m really sorry. There’s not much we can do about it at this point. The Egg has been opened.”

That’s school code for “The Mission Has Been Compromised.”

But let it be known that I’m onto them.

**Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Or guilty.

Filed Under: Bode, Favorite Posts, Hadley, holidays, Humor Tagged With:

How Bob made a liar out of me

December 15, 2011 By

I need to preface this post by saying Jamie is an upstanding, honest guy.

Usually.

But apparently he has weaknesses, as was recently evidenced when a certain massage chain started calling him in November. Only they weren’t calling him, they were asking Bob. Jamie repeatedly told them Bob did not live here but it was our phone number and our address in the computer under Bob Johnson. And a load of pre-paid massages.

Shortly before Jamie’s birthday, they called him again telling him that he (a.k.a. Bob) hadn’t had a massage in months and his credits were about to expire.

Jamie explained the mix-up but the therapist didn’t care who took them. “Well, someone needs to use these up by the end of the year.”

And so Bob did. Or at least Jamie did in his name. Yep, that’s right people. For Jamie’s 41st birthday, he treated himself to a massage (or in his words, “a birthday miracle”). When he arrived at his appointment, he hung out in the waiting room for a while when the therapist called his name. And then called it again. Suddenly, Jamie tuned in. They were calling for Bob. “That’s ME!!!!” he said not-so convincingly.

I thought this little trespass was behind us until that same massage chain called me last week asking for (who else) Bob.

“Bob isn’t available,” I carefully said.
“Well, tell him there is a problem with the appointment he made on Saturday. His favorite therapist Cara isn’t available.”
“Oh.”
“So, what should we do? Switch him to another therapist?”
“Um, I’m not sure.”
“Well, if we don’t hear back from Bob we’ll assume that’s OK.”
“Sounds good.”

Looks like the real Bob will be in for a little surprise when he shows up for his appointment this weekend.

And I didn’t even get a massage out of it.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Humor, Jamie

Snowman Blasphemy

December 14, 2011 By

One of my favorite parts of Christmastime is introducing my kids to all of my favorite holiday shows. On Saturday, I was working on my laptop while distractedly watching “Frosty Returns” with the kids.

Someone on the television broke into an off-key song.

“He’s a terrible singer,” I observed.

Hadley (totally offended): “You’re talking about FROSTY.”

Good thing it wasn’t Santa.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Hadley, Humor

Why Pinterest is my new obsession (and I want it to be yours)

December 13, 2011 By

Despite the fact I’m familiar with many of the cutting-edge social media technologies, I am often hesitant to adopt them because I’m already too busy with blogging, Twitter, Facebook and my iPhone.

However, my latest obsession Pinterest.com has surpassed them all.

And believe me, that’s really saying something.

I’ve gone from being a bored cook to being constantly inspired to try the onslaught of new, fabulous recipes. The endless barrage of crafts and styles motivate me to action and I am completely addicted to the holiday section where I have found a collection of the most innovative, creative and delicious offerings on the Web that are updated every second.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself here. If you’re CLICK HERE TO READ ON AT MILEHIGHMAMAS.COM

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Uncategorized

The fire and my family’s giving tree

December 12, 2011 By

On Saturday, there was a huge fire at my childhood home. My dad was in the garage and had climbed up into the rafters to retrieve their Christmas decorations.

Something you should know about my parents: they’ve lived in that house for 43 years. My mom used to be a successful gift shop/restaurant owner and threw weddings as a side business so our house is literally chocked to the hilt with many of her treasures.

As Dad climbed up in the rafters, he used a halogen light. He made several trips into the house and forgot about the light. It didn’t take long for the decorations to ignite. Our neighbor first saw the fire, called 911 and raced over to my parent’s.

The garage was completely charred in a matter of minutes.

Three fire trucks, police and EMTs were on the scene. My niece lives on the other side of town and could see the plume of smoke from several miles away, with flames two stories high (that likely flared when the gas blew).

As many of you know, my mom is in poor health and the EMTs ushered my parents off to a neighbor’s. Nothing was salvageable: their cars, skis, bikes, skates, lawn mower, generator, extensive collection of tools and many, many irreplaceable decorations that have been in our family for years.

Though devastated and understandably rattled, my parents were unharmed and the house was untouched. They will likely spend the next several months recovering from this disaster. But there was also a miracle and it can be attributed to a tree.

In the backyard, there was a large, dead 30-feet tall pine tree adjacent to the garage. Two weeks ago, hurricane-strength 149 km/h winds pummeled Calgary, knocking the tree down. Last week, my brother Pat and my dad cut up the tree to use as firewood.

If that tree had not been removed, its dead pine needles would have instantly ignited and the rest of my parent’s yard, and then their house would have gone up in flames. It is very likely my dad would not have been able to get my mom out in time.

This time of year, I can’t help but think of the meaning behind the Christmas tree. It is a symbol of hope, of life and of light beyond what our mortal vision can grasp.


And somehow in these charred remains of what could have been a tragedy, the symbol of the evergreen’s everlasting life has never resonated more.

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: Family, issues

They Say It’s *His* Birthday!

December 9, 2011 By

Today is Jamie’s birthday.

Since No. 41 is considerably less climactic than 40, our celebrations have been relatively low-key. He has a youth temple trip tonight so we celebrated yesterday at The Keg Steakhouse. I was thrilled when this top-notch Canadian chain opened in Denver a couple of years ago.


Because if there’s anything my fellow cow-townies know, it’s good beef.

(Insider tip: Sign up for their email list and you’ll receive a coupon for a free steak dinner during your birthday month).

Jamie and I were originally going to do a date night to see a movie and then go to dinner but when that fell through, we opted to bring the kids along.

Mostly because it was cheaper to bring them to the restaurant than pay for a sitter.

Children = opportunity cost.

Happy birthday to my handsome, loving, hilarious and hard-working Pumpkin Man!

XOXOX

© Crazy Bloggin’ Canuck–A Denver Mom’s Blog
Filed Under: birthday, Jamie
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