simple things

this week i did my first wine tour with friends in niagara on the lake.

it was lovely.

the first photo gives you a hint of which winery we toured...

linking up here today:

two rabbits and a goat: design project

the other day i mentioned that i have an idea for christmas

that you can be a part of it.

i'm sure you would like a christmas card to send to family and friends this year, 

and i would like to buy some rabbits and goats from the 

mcc 'christmas giving' campaign.

two rabbits for a palestinian family cost $25.

one goat for a family in kenya costs $35.

photos are from the mcc website

"Rabbits, goats, poultry and fish can change a family’s life.  From Asia to Africa and the Middle East, animal projects help families earn money and put more food on the table. In Gaza City, Palestine,  Noor Al-Abid and her family are raising and selling rabbits. Noor’s family started with four females and one male rabbit. Just a year later, the family has 25 rabbits. Rabbits are especially valued for protein, and income from selling the animals helps families buy vegetables, bread and oil for cooking and heating." (MCC giving catalogue)

so, here's the deal.

i would love to design a photo christmas card for you for $30.

$10 from each design will go towards helping families in need.

if i get more than 6 orders (which would cover the rabbits and goats),

i would love to donate that towards a children's club 

for HIV-positive children in uganda ($60).

some custom designs from last year:

if you're interested in this,

leave a comment or send me an email 

and i can fill you in on the details.

if you know others who might appreciate a design 

and being involved in this project,

please share this with them!

giveaway winner

i'm really excited about this giveaway.
big thanks to everyone who joined in...

i would love to do a design for each of you who entered.  

but i guess that would take the fun out of winning, right?!

so the winner of the 'something to smile about...' design giveaway is

{SARAH}

can't wait to get going on a christmas design for you of your family.

thanks so much for entering and please send me your photos!

if you're wondering how the winner was chosen:
i listed all those who entered, 
and entered the number into this website 
which gave me a random number for the winner!

~

here is the design i did for my family christmas card last year:

have you thought about what you're going to do this year?

well i have an idea...

and i'll share it with you all later this week.  

see you then!

hot taco rice

before i get to my first recipe post ever,

i want to remind you of the design giveaway i'm doing.

please check it out here.

anyone can enter - you just have to join and leave a comment!

it closes tomorrow at midnight!

this is a favourite recipe around here and with guests.

it came from my sister who discovered it in a church recipe book.

i just had a look and couldn't find my copy of it, 

so here's my adapted version:

hot taco rice:

1lb ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken...)

1 chopped onion

1 cup of tomato sauce

1/2 cup of salsa (or so)

1 bouillon cube

1 can of beans (no salt added)

1 can of corn

toppings:

chopped peppers

grated cheese

green onion

olives

lettuce

sour cream

tortilla chips

(whatever else you would put on tacos)

serve on:

(brown) rice

in a skillet or large frying pan, brown the meat with onion and drain the fat.  

add all the other ingredients to meat, 

heat to boil and then simmer on low for 20 minutes.

prepare your rice and toppings

serve in a bowl with rice, then meat mixture and allow guests to top as they like.  

no need for a fork, as you can use the chips to scoop!  

delicious.

for the those i've given this recipe to:

can you comment if i missed anything?

thanks!

linking up with the simple things today

favourite things friday

great to see you back for another week of favourite things.

here are a few of my discoveries!

• ben and jerry's if i had a million flavours ice cream - wow!  possibly my new favourite.  was just enjoying some for dessert.  i had to cut myself off so there would be some more left for another day...  
• dance through the decades in style

• more fall craft ideas 

and i just want to share one more thing:

i love the school my girls go to.

"JFC is the place to be!"

today i got to watch emery and her classdo a skit in an assembly.

the theme of these assemblies is PRIDE.

today's was introducing 'P' which is for 'participating

in making the school a better place'.

great message.

then another class got up to lead the school song,

which was written by one of the teachers.

it was to the tune of jackson 5's 'ABC' song and it was fantastic.

the words were so positive and encouraging 

and it was amazing to see all (okay, most of) the teachers 

and students singing along with enthusiasm.

you know i shed a tear...

enjoy your weekend and i hope to see you soon!