Strawberry Limeade cake recipe

I've had a few requests for the strawberry limeade cake recipe so I'll do my best to come up with one. Probably a good idea so I have it for future use .
 I just used a box of white cake mix and added a cup of limeade instead of a cup of water. I also grated lime zest into the mix and added the called for eggs and oil. I then scooped a cup of the mix out, and added strawberry jello powder to it. Not a whole box, just enough to give it a pink color and give it a strawberry taste. I also melted some strawberry lime jelly I make and added a couple tbls of that to the pink mix, but you can leave that out. Pour your lime cake mix into a greased pan and then swirl your strawberry mix into it. Bake according to box directions.
I made a filling and then a meringue top, but you don't need to do both if you don't want to. If you are layering your cake and want a nice filling, make a cream cheese, icing sugar, butter icing. (I am assuming that anyone asking for this already can come up with a basic cream cheese icing. ) I then added some of my melted strawberry lime jelly, lime zest and several finely chopped strawberries. You can use regular strawberry jam as well. mix into filling until you have desired consistency and flavor. It is so yummy!
When your cake is out and cool, you can put a layer of this between your cake or use it as a nice icing. I made a simple meringue topping, of egg whites, sugar, and keylime flavor I picked up at Scoop n' Save last time I was in B.C.
 Scoop n' Save is an amazing baking supplies store in Langley. They have every awesome flavor you could imagine. I haven't found a similar store in Calgary yet, but I'm sure there is one somewhere.
 You could add a bit of fresh squeeze lime juice and lime zest to get a nice flavor as well. I am not including meringue directions, because I am assuming everyone knows how to make meringue. Google it of you don't. Also added a touch of green food coloring on kids request. When meringue is stiff, top it on your cooled cake and swirl with a knife to make nice peaks. I then put the whole thing back in the oven at 350 for  maybe five minutes. Keep your eye on it! Only cook it long enough to brown the top slightly.
 I just want to add that when you make a meringue topping don't do it until shortly before you serve it, because it won't look nice hours later, and don't put it in the fridge before you serve it. It will sweat and melt. Of coarse you will have to  refrigerate your leftovers, to keep it from bacteria growth.
 I was going to add a picture but it turns out I deleted it. Good luck with the recipe, it really is quite simple, although maybe not incredibly specific. If anyone has further questions you can message or email me.

Spring and Possibilities

It seems as if spring as finally arrived in Calgary. We have been teased a little over the past month with all the chinooks, but it is April now, so I am starting to feel safe. The weather is consistently warming up for longer periods of time, and I am starting to see small signs of growth: little pieces of green grass beneath all the brown, tiny buds on my lilac bushes, even the occasional lady bug or butterfly. The white jack rabbits that run rampant are starting to turn brown again, and the snow melts quickly after it falls. I can't help but feel hopeful after such a long winter.

Violet throwing rocks in the river

  I love all the sunshine we get here. The kids are outside every day now, and I also try to be. I am eager to explore and go on more hikes. We seem to find a new park or path every week now. The pathway system out here is so fantastic. We found a really great one today that ran along the river and under a train bridge and then over the river beside another train bridge. Leif was in pure heaven when two different trains crossed over opposite bridges. We were about 200 meters away from the first bridge when we heard the train start to cross. I have never seen Leif run so fast for such a distance, to get to that bridge. That boy is totally train obsessed.

I am looking forward to going for a run this week on some of these new found paths. It's supposed to be 14 degrees on Tuesday. How lovely is that?!

muddy-footed children, after tromping down by the river

 If I am feeling grumpy or irritable, getting outside in the sunshine just blows it all away, especially if I can run. Is there really anyone who doesn't enjoy getting outdoors on a beautiful day.

 So there are a few different topics I want to write about, but I don't want to make this too long and boring, so maybe I'll have to be choosy. Firstly we are hoping to move back to B.C this summer. We don't know if it will happen or not as it is contingent on Christopher getting a job in B.C. We do love Calgary and find it much more pleasant than we anticipated when we first moved here, but most of my family is in B.C. Particularly, my parents who are getting older and having health issues. I would like to spend as much time near them as I can, and would like my children too as well, so they can maintain strong memories of them. I expect and hope to be near so I can care for them in the coming years as well. Christopher has applied for a job in the federal prison system as a counselor at several different prisons in B.C. We won't hear anything until the end of April, and hopefully no later. He applies for jobs here as well, because his current job is temporary and kind of sucks.

today, down by the river

 Another reason we hope to go back to B.C is for my education. I found the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and have fallen in love. There is a campus here, as well as in Vancouver and on the island. I went to a open house for the school a couple of months ago and it got me so excited. I feel as if this school as been created specifically for me. I love food and I love nutrition. It's perfect. It is a ten month very intensive course, and there is an evening option which is perfect for me because I can continue to homeschool my children and get my studying done in the day. They are holding a spot for me at the campus here until the end of April. I need to register then, and can transfer to whichever B.C campus if we move. Another reason I am hoping we move is because in B.C they offer full student loans for the program. Here they don't offer student loans and the grants are only for up to $1800. School with books and everything is just over $7000 and there are a multitude of different payment options. However, with our current income, none of those options are feasible. I need a miracle! If we stay here I will have to find another way, maybe a part time job.

trying to get close to one of the many natural springs

Violet is giving Leif a bite of her dirty candy that
she's been holding in her grubby fingers for the past
20 minutes.

 Going back to school is so important to my mental well being. While I love being a stay at home mom, and spending everyday, all day with my children, and having very little life outside of my home, (sarcasm) I need to feel like I have something to offer and share with others that is my own. I want to work and earn an income. I want to make friends with like minded people and most of all I want to be useful. I think of all those people, many in just my family, with health problems that I could help. Also, I need this separation, and I know there are people that think this is selfish, that think I should feel completely full and satisfied with motherhood and wifedom, but it isn't the whole story. Of course my family comes first. One reason I love this career choice is if I am a nutrition consultant, I can schedule my own hours and continue to educate my children at home, and I will be happy. My self-confidence will improve and I will have more to offer to my family's well being as well as others.

 In B.C I can put Violet into preschool, which would be very nice for everyone. I don't have that option here. The homeschooling system we worked with in B.C was preferable to the one we do here. This one is much more independent, and there are fewer opportunities for the girls to interact with other children. The program we worked with before was very community like. There were constant activities for the girls and opportunities for them to make friends and see the same kids on a regular basis. I don't even have the option here for homeschooling Leif, as there is no gov't funding for kindergarten.

muddy little feet

Well that is a brief synopsis of what is going on with us right now.

So before I get into what I want to talk about, I just want to say that my intention is never to sound like a know it all. I am not. I also don't want to sound like a braggart. I am not a super athlete. I'm actually not athletic at all. I'm just a wanna be. Don't ever ask me to play a sport. I will duck when balls fly in my direction. I barely passed P.E. in high school. I enjoy fitness simply because it makes me feel good. It gives me energy, and makes me feel strong and I hope it keeps me young. I want to share what I love in hopes that others will try and love it also.
 I am going to write about Tabata. I don't know how many people have heard of it. It is something I never heard of until November when I started doing classes at the gym. So, in Tabata you do 8 intervals of 20 second high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Say you do jump squats for 20 seconds, get a 10 second rest, and repeat 8 times, then go on to the next exercise. The teachers at the gym I go to alternate between cardio, and strength training. You would think 20 seconds isn't too difficult, but by the 3rd or 4th round it gets very challenging. At the same time it is manageable to push yourself through 20 seconds. The first time I did it I was sore all over for 5 days. I walked like I had ridden a horse, and had to hold the railing coming up and down the stairs, and I was coming into this in okay shape as well. I loved the sore muscle pain. It isn't so bad now, but I frequently have sore body parts for several days after. Recently I had a teacher who talked about some movie called "The 300". I've never seen it, but she taught us some 7minute 300 routine. We did a warm up then did 25 squats, 15 push ups, 25 sit ups, 25 split lunges and 15 burpees. We had 20 seconds to complete each set, then went onto the next whether we had completed it or not. There was no 10 second brake until we finished all of it, then we continued on doing the routine for 7 minutes. At the end we should have completed 300, give or take a few. 7 minutes! That is it for such a high intensity workout. We actually did it for an hour, with several cardio breaks in between, so it was more like 900. So much fun though, and you feel so great and wobbly after. My legs shake a bit sometimes. Here is a link to the finer details of what Tabata is: http://www.tabataprotocol.com
I highly recommend it if you want to get in good shape fast, and you like to have fun and feel great.

   Tonight I actually ran the 2.5km downhill to the gym, barely got into the class on time. It fills up really fast, so unfortunately I got stuck in the front. Then I ran the 2.5km uphill and home. I need to fit running in where I can since I am in training for a couple of half marathons coming up. One is in May and one the end of June. I don't want to give up the class for running time, so I have to squeeze it in where I can. I get a short, fast run there, and a much more tired, hill run home. So grateful for the extra hour of sunshine in the evening.
 Again, if you are one of the few people who reads my blog, please don't think I am bragging. I am nothing special. My intent is to show that if a regular person like myself, who has spent most of her life an out of shape schlub can do this then anyone can. Get excited about fitness!
 I would like to know if anyone has tried this workout before and what they think of it, and I would also like to encourage everyone to try it at least once. It only takes 7 or 8 minutes and you can work up from there.

One of my favorite pictures from several years ago.

I miss that sweet little baby girl. She is still sweet
but I miss the baby.

Some days, usually sunny Saturdays, I get a particular ache deep down. I miss people, times gone past, and favorite places. I thought time would help fade those feelings, but it hasn't. Sometimes it is so bad that I feel nauseas. Silly, I know. I do enjoy many things about Calgary. This part of the province is very beautiful. I've also met some great people here, but it still does not feel like home to me. It's been six months, shouldn't I be more adjusted. It's such a feeling of displacement, and I worry that if we move back to B.C eventually,  it won't feel like home there either. How do people move all over the place. I do like change, and get bored easily, but leaving people behind is always so heartbreaking, and I hate to keep putting my children through it. I get easily attached to people and have such a hard time letting them go. This seems to be something that many people do though. Maybe it is why I had very few serious relationships before Christopher.

 One of my very dearest friends lives in Texas. I haven't seen my darling Beth for over 7 years I think. We talk on the phone every few months and send FB messages back and forth. Truthfully though, it has been terrible not being able to be there for her during the difficult times. She is a strong, brave woman who has been through a lot. Maybe one day we will be able to afford trips back and forth to see each other.

 When I think of my relationship with Beth, I think of my Nana and her cousin. My Nana had a cousin who lived in the old country, as she used to say. They wrote letters their entire lives and became very dear friends. When Nana was in her sixties she finally went to Scotland and met this cousin, and it was as if they had always been together. I love relationships like that and I think they are rare. That is how it is with Beth and myself, I think. Like Anne and Diane from Green Gables:)

 Anyway, I just had to get my little bit of heartache out. There are others that I miss terribly, and most of them know who they are. I look forward to the reunions, even if they do cause me some tears. I am an overly sensitive and incredibly emotional person. Sometimes I wish I wasn't, but that is how it is.

I want to sell you on the joys of running

I had mud splatters all up my legs that are not visible in this picture.
I just love how my children have to hop into any picture that is being taken.

I want to sell you on the joys of running. I do this every few months, usually after I have a really great run. If you happen to drive by me while I am running you will see I am smiling. Smiling because I feel strong and free. Even if I am not a fast runner, I am still a happy runner. I love the fresh air and the beautiful sunshine. I don't even mind a little rain and snow. I love the chance to see a sunset and watch the moon rise. To witness the seasons changing, and smell the wet grass, or dry leaves. Maybe this sounds cheesy, but when I run I see things I would miss if I were driving. Even in my own neighborhood I get to admire other peoples gardens and yard decor. In B.C I loved running in the late spring when all the cherry blossoms were falling. They smell like changing weather and give me a thrill for the warm season that is to come. I will miss those sweet pink and white trees this year. Their season is so short.
 Alberta has it's own beauty as well. I look forward to experiencing spring here, as the weather warms and things start to grow again, turning green for the short while before the summer heat dries everything up. I look forward to having more light in the evening to allow for longer runs. I love the Bow river and the paths that wind all along it. It makes for such a scenic, traffic free run. It is so nice to get away from cars, and intersections. I usually turn my music off when I get down to the river paths. I wish I had Colleen here to run with. I miss her most when I am running, and frequently think back to our many runs together. I get lonely on my long runs and wish I had someone to push me along, and share the experience with.
 Today my run was spectacular because it was 12 degrees out, sunny and quite windy. I got to run 2km downhill, which meant I got to run 2km back uphill coming home. I finally got to run across the little bridge and follow the path through Bowmont park. I have been wanting to run at Bowmont park since I first discovered it in the late fall. The weather hasn't been suitable to run there yet, and it turns out the conditions today were rather sloppy. With the snow melting so rapidly there were little lakes all over the place. I jumped over some and ran through many. I ran across the miniature train track when it was the only way to avoid wading past my ankles. I moved out of the way of cars passing through the park to avoid getting sprayed, and I ran through, melting, slushy snow. My feet sunk into the mud multiple times. Throughout all this I also paused to take many pictures, therefore it was not a run I would time, but it was a great run, and I want to share some of the pictures I took on my little adventure.

crossing over the bridge

the path is flooded. The whole park was like this

Few things bring me more joy then a great run. It hasn't always been this way, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I started running five years ago with the intention of learning to love it and although it took time it eventually happened. Not every run will be a great run, but as long as I do not get injured in the process I will never say "I wish I didn't go for a run today" and that should be the same for everybody.

Over the past month or so I have read several emotionally difficult books. They put me in a certain mindset, that is hard to get out of. I feel  very involved in what I read, especially if it is non fiction or historical fiction. These are my favorite types of books. I don't know why, but I really enjoy reading books about suffering, loss and hardship. Maybe "enjoy" is the wrong word. I gain knowledge and perspective from these stories. I feel it is important to know about what people go through in different cultures and times. We are very blessed to live where and when we do and we should never take that for granted. I know people who don't like to watch the news or read these types of books because they are too depressing. Maybe it makes them feel guilty. I find it very important to know about what goes on outside of our little space, and around the rest of the world.
  I am an exceptionally sensitive person. I form attachments easily and am effected by others suffering. I have a hard time reading something that involves personal misery or distress and then detaching myself from it. As a result of this, my dreams and daily thoughts are effected by what I have read and my poor husband receives less intimacy from me. It is not intentional, but how can you read about the holocaust and then go have sex. That aside, I don't read graphic violence. You can get a point across without being graphic. Several years ago I tried to read "Night" by Elie Wiesel and found it much too violent, bitter and hateful. It made me physically sick, and caused nightmares, so I put it down. Instead I read " Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. Both books are written by Holocaust survivors, but from very different perspectives. I highly recommend reading "Man's Search for Meaning."
  Several days ago I finished reading Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat. It is one of the most heart wrenching books I have ever read. I really think everyone should read this book. It is so important that we know what goes on in Iran and other countries. The things that are happening in this book take place in the 80's but are still happening now. Nothing has improved over there. This is relevant to our times. When I read about people complaining about our freedoms as Canadians and Americans being taken away it really irritates me. These people need to open their eyes to the rest of the world and realize how incredibly blessed they are to live where they do. Our countries may not be perfect but they are pretty close. Please, please read Prisoner of Tehran if you haven't already and share your thoughts with me. These people really have been invisible to the rest of the world, and they deserve to be recognized.

Ride to Conquer Cancer and pretty necklaces

My dear friend Colleen is doing the Ride to Conquer Cancer at the end of June this year. It is a incredibly difficult bike ride from Vancouver B.C, or maybe Surrey to Seattle Washington. It takes two days. The funds raised for the ride go towards the Canadian Cancer Foundation, and the ride raises a lot of cancer awareness. Chris did the ride several years in a row in honor of his father William Barber who passed away from brain cancer. Anyways, Colleen is doing the ride this year on behalf of her brother in law Rueban. Here is a link to Rueban's amazing and inspiring blog.
 I would like to help my friend Colleen with her fundraising efforts because she is so dear to me and because cancer stinks. I was thinking I could make and sell stuff to raise money for her. In particular there are these really cute necklaces I make. I thought I would just put it out there and see what the interest would be.

 I call them mother necklaces but you don't have to be a mother to wear them. Miete has one. I made some for a few of my sisters and friends at Christmas. For mothers I put the same number of beads as they have children. The one on the left was for my sister Jacquie who just had her seventh. I could use any color of beads and make them with gold colored wire as well. They would make a fantastic mothers day gift. I am going to sell them for $10 a piece. So I thought I would just post this to see what the interest is. I have no problem shipping as well. Here is a link to Colleen's donation site.

And here is a picture of Colleen.