Sunset

Here's a lovely little photo of the sunset taken from the upstairs window just moments ago...AT 3:40 IN THE AFTERNOON!

Santa, you better be bringing vitamin D supplements.

Snowy day inside

I spent the morning reading about Nellie McClung and her plight for woman’s suffrage, equality and prohibition…and then I spent the afternoon in the kitchen baking cookies and drinking from a box of wine…something just feels wrong here.

What is also wrong is the cookie. The Cowboy Cookie recipe I once labeled “awesome” was not all I remembered it to be, so I had to make three variations before I had a cookie I’m not embarrassed to bring to the cookie exchange.

Here’s the recipe to save yourself some trouble should you want to make a decent Christmassy oatmeal cookie.

1cup margarine

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cups rolled outs

1 cup red and green m&m’s

Cream margarine and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Mix remaining ingredients in seperate bowl then combine with the sugar mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes at 350.

And if you want to make this a heartier, healthier, barley-farmer friendlier cookie…use barley flour and/or barley flakes instead of boring old all-purpose flour and rolled oats.

Northern Classic

Well the Northern Classic was a success. The home team won (4-2), over 5,700 fans were in the stands, and the weather conditions were pretty much perfect for outdoor ice. Here are a few pics from the night - they didn't turn out very good, but you'll get the drift.

 

Hockey History

Tonight Fort McMurray will make hockey history, by hosting the first ever outdoor junior hockey game. They will also break the AJHL hockey attendance record with 5000 cheering fans watching the game between the Fort McMurray Oil Barrons and the Drayton Valley Thunder.

This is big deal up here. The $10 tickets sold out in 54 minutes, and this week they’ve been selling online for $150. Crazy! I wasn’t fast enough to get tickets, so I’m volunteering my way in instead. And of course, at the last minute Special K was handed a pair or VIP tickets, so we both get to go! Except he'll probably get to spend more time in the beer tent.

Fireman Calendars

The 2^nd annual Fort McMurray firefighter calendars are now available. And yes, Steven flexed enough and made the cut – he is officially Mr. September 2011. While this is somewhat disturbing for me, as I will never be able to think of September or hot firemen in the same way, it is all for a good cause - and the teasing he is going to get from his friends will be priceless.

Calendars are $20 each with proceeds going to Muscular Dystrophy. If you want one, I’d be happy to send you one or have Steven deliver next time he’s in your neighbourhood. But put your orders in soon - last year they sold out before Christmas. They also beat the Edmonton and Calgary FD in sales, and this year they hope to beat Vancouver. So help a brother out and get yourself a calendar!

Dream Home

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this year’s Oil Barron’s Dream Home. Not that it isn’t a nice house or anything…it just isn’t quite what you’d picture a ‘dream home’ to look like, is it? It looks more like an average house you’d find in a Calgary suburb. But hey, that’s what $1.2 million buys you in Ft. Mac!

Halloween!

I love everything about halloween...except the SAW movies, those are waaay too creepy. We had a few people over for a lovely dinner of brains, baby poop and rotting flesh then we went to the Knights Rugby Halloween Party fundraiser down at Mac Island. There were so many great costumes and it was a Much Music video dance party - just like high school! Last night I thoroughly enjoyed scaring the trick or treaters - I didn't keep track, but we probably had about 100 kids. And now it's Nov.1...official day of eating all the leftover candy.