S'More Clusters & My Birthday!

   I've come to the ripe old age of 32 today! I'm not feeling sad or anything, getting older can be exciting (just spend time with a a child from the age of 3-7 and you'll learn that getting older is extremely exciting!)  :)
   
   We're having a birthday party tonight too, which is something to look forward to! It's a semi-surprise party....I said something like this to my husband, "Adam, I want to throw myself a birthday party this year". Him, "why?". Me, "well, I'm always throwing parties for the kids, and I want to throw one for myself. Plus it's a good excuse to get all our friends together". Him, "Oh....ok". 
 
   Then, because I hadn't said much about it (I was planning it in my mind, and had invited a few people), he started to try to secretly plan it for me. So sweet. Anyway, having me only partly know what is going on is just making me feel a little antsy. I like to plan, I like to prepare, but I'm learning to let go....sort of. My husband came home from work yesterday to my three tiered cookie stand loaded with desserts. "Uh, did you make these today?", he asked.....

    Yes, the answer was yes. I had baked for a good part of the day for my party, just in case. I figure whatever is leftover can be sent home with guests as party favours! 

   Anywho, let's get to today's treat! It's soooooooo simple to make! It's sooooooo tasty. It's soooooooo some other third thing. 

   If you don't already know this, (one of ) my favourite things is s'mores. Real, campfire s'mores are my most fav, but any combo of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers just floats my boat.

    So for my birthday, I'm sharing a s'more recipe that is among my favourites!   

S'More Clusters


Ingredients: 

• 2 Cups chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
• 2 Cups mini marshmallows
• 1 3/4 Cups sweetened graham cereal (I use Sally's "Honey Graham Bliss" cereal, but "Golden Grahams" are the same and will work too)

Method:

1. Lay a piece of wax or parchment paper down onto a cookie sheet if you need these clusters pronto, or just lay it out onto the counter if you have a few hours to let them cool (it can take 3-4 hours on the counter top to cool as long as your house isn't too hot!)  
2. Either in a microwave safe bowl, or in a metal bowl, warm the chocolate until melted. In the micro (with the microwave safe bowl) that means zapping at 45-60 second intervals and mixing in between until the chocolate is lump-free and glossy. On the stove you bring a pot of water to a simmer, then place a metal bowl over the boiling water (the bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the water), place the chocolate chips into the bowl, and stir until the chocolate melts and is lump-free and glossy
3. Once the chocolate is melted (if you used the stove to warm, remove the chocolate from the pot of simmer water), just dump the mallows and cereal into the bowl and mix until everything is coated in chocolate
4. Scoop either a heaping tablespoon, or if you have a medium sized scoop from The Pampered Chef (or similar) use that to drop clusters onto the prepared parchment or wax paper
5. Let cool (in fridge if using a baking sheet), or on the counter until the chocolate has re-hardened

Seriously......just melt, dump & stir, scoop and cool. That's the recap of the method! It couldn't be easier! Well, you could skip the scooping and cooling part and just eat it warm out of the bowl, but that's a serious stomachache waiting to happen, so I wouldn't do that (unless you have friends with you who will share the "burden"!)  :) 

   So, today in a spirit of deep gratitude, I want to share some things from this past year of my life that have made me realize a little more about myself, about what I am capable of, and about how blessed I am. I think it's good to re-cap and see how things have changed, to see what you've accomplished, and to feel fulfilled, but also to see where you want to push harder and grow more.

    First, I was in a show this past year with the Belleville Theatre Guild. I didn't intend to be in the show, I was just going to help with choreography, but (long story short) I ended up in the cast and am really proud of the work we did. Of course I am biased about it because I was in it, but we really worked so hard, and it was a beautiful show. Being in the show helped me semi-conquer a deep fear of failure. I (for as long as I can remember) have avoided doing many things because I was afraid I would be terrible at it. But I was suddenly in this show, singing in a role just outside of my vocal range (I am usually an alto), and felt so worried that I couldn't do it. Or if I managed I would crap out half-way through the run of the show. But I decided to "Rachel Berry" it. Rachel Berry is from the show "Glee" and as I watched this show and how confident Rachel was, I somehow built up a mental confidence and talked myself into being fully able to do this role I had been given. And I did it! I got the vocals, my voice didn't crap out during the run, I wasn't so nervous during performances that my voice was a wreck, and I did it! I honestly feel like that gave me a new confidence, a belief in myself that maybe some things are not out of my reach, and that I don't always need to be afraid of failing! I know I will still fail any many things in my life, but I feel more willing to try now that I've done this show. 

   Also, speaking of the show, it pushed me to accomplish a goal I have had for years, and years, and years!!! Doing the splits!!! I have honestly been trying for so long and have wanted to be able to do the splits since I was a kid, but couldn't quite get there. Then, I'm in this show and the director (who I was sharing choreography with because there was 10 dance numbers in this show!) says, "and then you'll do the splits". I was like, "what? Huh?....I can't really do the splits....", and she said, "well, then do the jazz splits" (a cheater split, really), and I thought, "this is it". This is a chance to really try to get my splits! And I was crazy determined to do it! I did stretches for my splits every day, for at least 15-20 minutes. I even bought a video from some physiotherapist (with a crazy annoying voice!) with new stretches to help me...and that's what did it. The stretches with the annoying voice guy pushed me (and my muscles) just that little bit further, and I got it! I got my splits!!! It took years, then literally 5 months of really focused stretching, but I got them! Woo hoo!  :)      

Me in "The Drowsy Chaperone" this past Spring. The picture of me doing the splits is the only one I have from the show, and it's a screen-grab from a video, so it's not the best picture. The other beautiful photos are from Greg Pinchin Photography.

   This year I also (through my new confidence) managed to fly to Europe and back without having a panic attack or barfing, or crying, or any of my usual flying reactions! I honestly got on the plane, talking to myself "you can do this. You can fight nerves, you did it for the run of the show, you can fly in a plane"....and I did! I actually (gasp) kind of enjoyed it! And, while we're on Europe, I got to go to Europe! I've actually been before, but this was really different. I got to go as an adult & with my husband. We visited family (I love knowing more about heritage and history), visited some beautiful places, ate some amazing food, and really enjoyed the trip! I feel so blessed to have been able to go!       

A shot of us in the airport on the way to Europe and on the way home. Also an in-plane shot of Iceland as we flew over it!

 
   Lastly, I feel like this year has helped me grow as a visual artist. I feel like I've put more time in practicing my painting, and I am feeling more confident about it. It probably looks the same as ever, but I sense a change in what I can do, in how I do it. Painting (although I always enjoyed it) was also often a struggle. I felt like I couldn't put down what I was imagining. But this past few months I've been feeling more calm in it, if that makes sense. I think being in Europe helped somehow. I got to see close up some of my favourite artists work, I got to see how from close up, a lot of their paintings were just colours, but not a whole picture. You step back and suddenly there is an amazing impressionist painting. I can get stuck looking too closely at my paintings, and have learned to step back and see the whole picture.  

3 of my newest paintings

   
   That's it! (haha, that's it!) That was a short story for goodness sake! At least it was a short story with pictures! :)  If you read along, thank-you! If not, no worries! This blog is a place where I share recipes, DIY ideas, thoughts on raising kids and thoughts on autism. But, it's also a place where I share my heart. It doesn't matter so much to me if people read it, it matters to me that I just got it out. I want to be able to look back at this post and remember this year (I've got a pretty rotten memory!), and to remember on low days how blessed I am! 

   To anyone else who shares this birthday (Will Smith, Barbara Walters, Tyler Mills {this last guy isn't famous, he's a friend from my childhood}), happy birthday to you too!!! 


xoxoxo