We Have a Traitor in our Midst

Well, not really, but I have always wanted to say that. Actually, what we have is an uninvited and definitely unwanted house guest. In retrospect, there were signs that a stranger lived amongst us. A hole in the rice bag... I should have known that our ever dwindling supply of rice was not a result of spontaneous combustion. Scurrying noises in the walls at night...I knew what those sounds meant, but I denied. Friday night, we could deny no longer. Upon pulling out the oven drawer, we discovered...a mouse. But not just a mouse. A nest as well. We hope the nest was pre-babies and not post.

Papashunga called me down to witness "Man versus Mouse" in the oven drawer arena. This event consisted of my husband crouching his 6'6" frame in front of the oven drawer and chasing the mouse around with his hand. Which was also clutching a paper towel. He claims he was trying to catch it. He also swears that he succeeded but got grossed out when he felt the tiny bones shifting as the creature attempted his escape. And so he released it. My spectator role during this fiasco? Cowering in the corner, hand over mouth, practically wimpering, and generally being a girl. Had there been a chair, I definitely would have climbed on. When the mouse eventually tired of the game, he leapt out of the drawer and scurried back from whence it came. At which point I did in fact squeal. Well, actually, it was more of a scream.

And so, the decision was made. We, in our infinite cruelty, set a trap. I'm not crazy about killing animals, even rodents. But when you decide to move in to my house, drastic measures are taken. We caught him, almost right away. But the next day, there was a hole in the bread bag. And a sizeable amount of bread had been extracted through said hole. Another trap was set. This new mouse had learned our wily ways though. He licked off the peanut butter and escaped, leaving but a few hairs behind. We congratulated him on buying himself another day, and then we adapted. Another trap was set, this time with a raisin. Another mouse was caught. A third trap was set, just to be on the safe side. And also because the walls were not yet silent. Another mouse was caught. Shudder. At what point can you claim infestation?

The walls are now quiet. The bread is secure. The rice is replenished and the oven drawer (along with its contents) has been scoured. The entry portal has been discovered and sealed, with an extra trap thrown down the tunnel for good measure. Within these walls, there now dwells but four occupants. All of them human. If that changes at any point in the future, let's hope it is intentionally.

**It should be noted that during the writing of this entire post, I have had goosebumps.**

Go Canada!

I don't really know the rules on borrowing pics from the internet and reposting them,
but let it be known that that is what happened with this pic.

Daily, I am a proud Canadian. I love my country, the freedoms, the rights, the beauty, the people. These past sixteen days have given me an opportunity to be proud of our Canadian athletes as well. Man, o man, did we ever perform well. And this morning, we won gold in men's hockey, which some might argue is the only event that matters...

This is how we celebrated:

It doesn't get much better than ice cream for breakfast. How did you celebrate?

World Championship Qualifying - Round Two

This past weekend was an exciting weekend in the world of swimming. Well, at least in my world of swimming. I had an opportunity to compete in a longcourse meet (50m pool) and once again attempt to qualify for the 2014 World Masters Championships. One of my team mates captured my 200m Individual Medley event on tape for me. As it turns out, I unexpectedly qualified for World's in the event by two seconds. Two seconds is a long time in the pool, so I was pretty pumped with this result.

I am having difficulty uploading the video, but will check back later and try again!

Happy ValentinesDay

We had a lovely time as a family celebrating love on February 14th this year.
Some beauty flowers were on the table for us when we arrived home, courtesy of Papashunga.

Cake decorating is apparently best done topless. The minis were decked out in their Canada gear in celebration of our national pride and support of our athletes.

Some Valentine creations from the minis.

Our Little Gymnast

Since the fall, Tootie has been attending gymnastics class on Wednesday nights. She loves it. Something about being in perpetual motion, playing on cool equipment and being encouraged to jump and frolic seems to appeal to her. Gee, I wonder why? I'm very proud of her, she has learned bunches of new skills and tries her hardest every time. Way to go Tootie!

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Below is a video of Tootie on the vault. It cannot be viewed on an iPad. 

Panda's Salsa

My sister-in-law, Panda (and yes, we do actually call her that), has an awesome collection of recipes. Every time we go to visit, she feeds us magnificent and deceivingly simple fare. Generous soul that she is, she often shares these awesome recipes with me and I can't resist sharing this one with you. It is the most delicious fresh salsa I have ever had. Bon appetit!

1 mango diced
1 avocado diced
4 medium tomatoes seeded and diced
1 jalapeno minced
1/2c minced fresh cilantro
1/2c red onion chopped finely
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1tsp salt
2tbsp fresh lime juice
3tbsp olive oil

Combine and let sit 30 minutes before serving.

Winter Fun

Today was a beautiful, mild day in our neck of the woods. Not too cold, not too mild. Not too sunny, but not cloudy. We ventured outside for some fresh air and to try out our snowshoes. We have been invited for a snowshoeing adventure next weekend, so I thought some practice was in order. Once the novelty of wearing snowshoes wore off, the kids lasted all of five minutes.
After which, we headed to the backyard for some winter fun. While back there, we had an impromptu visit from a good friend, which prompted us to grab our toboggan and accompany her on her walk as she exercised her dog/horse Newfoundland pup.
Lots of fun!