Tony’s Chili

On the menu for Supper tonight:

Tony’s Chili.

1 pound Ground Beef

2 Onions (chopped)

1 can crushed tomatoes

2 cans mushrooms (don’t drain)

3 Multi coloured Bell Peppers ( chopped)

2 cans red Kidney Beans ( drained and washed)

1 bottle of Chili Sauce

1 tsp of Chili powder ( or to taste)

Fry up the ground beef in pot, and drain off any grease. Throw in chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, crushed tomatoes and Chili sauce.

Drain and wash the kidney beans and then add them and the Chili powder as well.

Bring to a boil on stove top and let simmer for roughly an hour, but the longer it summers on low the better it tastes.

I usually put it on low for about 3 hours. It brings out all the flavours.

I also usually serve it with garlic bread.

Side note: This Chili is also really good with a dollop of Sour Cream on top and used as a dip for Tostito Scoops.

Disney Disney Disney

This Thursdays Thoughts, run deep into the realm of Disney.

Our favourite Mouse turn 90 this year, after first appearing in the animated cartoon”SteamBoat Willie”, back on Nov. 18th 1928.

Mickey and his friends have been around for decades, and have always put a smile on everyone’s face. From Steamboat Willie to The Newest Mickey Shows on the family channel for younger generations to love and adore.

Every season that comes and goes, there is always something to find Mickey Mouse involved in, and we cant get enough.

Next month is October, and I am excited to share my own Disney DIY for a Mickey Halloween in my little corner of the world.

All photos were found on Wikipedia, no copyright infringement intend.

Remembering 9/11

Today’s story is remembering the day the world came to my town.

Gander, Newfoundland.

I was just beginning Grade 10 at the time, and lived a sheltered enough life, so I didn’t even know the Twin Towers existed until they were gone.

This Tuesday started out like any other. I got up and went to school. I went to my regular class, and when I got home for lunch, my Dad was just coming home from his Morning at his office, as he is a United Church Minister.At that time he was one of two Ministers at Fraser Road United. He sat down to the kitchen table telling mom and me and my sisters about what was going on, and that a plane had just crashed into one of the towers. I ate my lunch in quiet, not really conceiving what was taking place down in the States. My naive grade 10 mind just thought ” ok, something bad is happening, but at least its not here.”

At this time the buses were on strike, so my father had to drop me back to school after lunch, and went on his merry way. Walking into Gander Collegiate, there are 3 TVs, one in each corner of the main lobby, and they are usually on the town community channel, but today they were all tuned into the news, for obvious reasons. That was when I first started to realize something unusual was going on.

The second thing I found unusual was when I got to my theatre class, it was what everyone was talking about, and the windows in the class where shaking more than usual from airplane traffic.

Now, living in Gander Newfoundland, we would always find the windows shake, or at the very least the noise from planes over head, on a constant daily basis, you really get used to it. Not this day, it was one right after the other.

My last class, was Writing, with my home room teacher Mr. Soper. We had a half normal class, until towards the end when the Principal came on the P.A. System to explain to us the severity of what was going on, and partially what would happen next. We left school early that day, and by the time I was downstairs and closing in on the door, I remember one teacher getting distinctly frustrated and someone saying get the hell out of the school. I was freaked out by the time I got to my dads car.

I went home that afternoon and Babysat my two sisters for the next 4 days, while my parents went and did everything they could to help at the Airport and then at the Church. I spent that evening and anytime my parents weren’t home, trying to watch the news, because when they did come home, they wanted us to take a break from watching it all.

I remember one day I did get to go over to the church and help out a bit and I got to meet some very memorable people. I didn’t get to help out at the school though. In hindsight, I knew my parents needed me at home to help them with my younger siblings, so that they could go and help as many people as they possibly could in such a trying time.

I remember the following days once the planes left, and we went back to school, and I was interviewed by CBC news in my Media class along with other people.

I am proud of what my town did that day and in the days to come following one of the most horrific, tragic times in our recent history.

My main wish from all of this is that we remember, so that a tragedy like this NEVER happens again.

The Mom Voice

This Monday morning has been a bless and a curse.

The kids went off to school fine, but my nerves are worse than if it was the first day of kindergarten.

For future reference I refer to my children on social media as 1,2 and 3.

A little back story, 2 and 3 have had to get a hug,kiss, and high five from me as part of their routine everyday in school last year. It is what calmed their anxiety and got them ready to face the day in school. Now they needed to do this about 3 times before I left them at the school. Comforting for them, nerve wrecking for me. I would love to be the parent that just drops them off outside and rushed off to my day, but unfortunately that is not the case. For whatever reasons their separation anxiety piqued last year in the new school, and it as that way all year.

Fast forward to this year, where I spent the last two weeks of summer vacation explaining to them that I can only give the hug,kiss,and high five once and then they would have to go on. Their merry ways and I would be outside the school waiting for them at the end of the day.

So this morning, I dropped 2 and 3 off at school and their father dropped 1 off at the middle school. 3 went on to her classroom fine. Now, this is the first time 2 has had to go upstairs in the school and find his way to his classroom on his own. He also had to wade through a whole hallway of new kindergarteners and their parents. 2 was a little tears eyed as he walked away from me, but he held his head high and disappeared into the crowd.

This is where my mom nerves kick in. I don’t know if he got upstairs, I don’t know if he found his locker, and I certainly don’t know if he is ok in his classroom right now. I did the exact thing I said I wouldn’t o this morning and I stood and waited there for 5 mins, while no kid came back to me.

Now I know a lot of you may think I am crazy, and I am sure everything will be fine and he will come out of the school fine this afternoon.

BUT…. The little mom voice is sitting in the corner in the back of my head, wondering all day if he is ok. Another side note, 2 is also in the process of being diagnosed with ADHD or something else. Last year he threw tantrum after tantrum about being afraid of going to school, not wanting to go on the bus, and has gone so far as to hide under the bed crying because I was being a horrible mom trying to make him go to school.

The school as been so helpful this past year, helping me get him into the routine of being left in school, even if it did take a whole month of me dropping him off crying in the office and sneaking away. Those days were long and agonizing, because I would leave him there crying, after a morning off struggling, and then he would have a great day in school, and come home happy go lucky.

So, this is why I have the fears I have this year. This is only his second day in school, and last Friday I was able to take him up to his classroom, and help him find his locker.

Now I will putter around the house and make myself busy to keep my mind off it until it is time to pick him up the afternoon, where he will be fine, and he will tell me all about his day, and I will be so proud of him.

That is my mom rant for today. Expect another post tomorrow 🙂

UPDATE: Everything went fine, and my mom nerves were unfounded. They all had a great day.

Back to School

This year has to be one of the most interesting years for struggling to get everything together before the kids go back to school on Sept. 7th. I have 3 children in school, Grades 6, 2, and 1. This is the massive list of school supplies I had to pick up to have them prepared to go back to school.

1 Ruler
1 Protractor
1 Highlighter
1 Package of loose leaf paper
2 Binders (1 inch)
2 sets of headphones
2 packages of colouring leads
2 packages of plastic spoons
2 Packages of plastic straws
3 Pencil cases
3 Book Bags
3 Lunch Bags
4 Pairs of scissors
4 Pairs of Sneakers
5 packages of crayons (24 pack)
6 boxes of pencils
6 boxes of tissues
10 white erasers
10 Binder dividers
14 large glue sticks
24 Exercise Books (non coiled)
34 duo tangs

New clothing for each child because they are growing like I don’t know what. I did not buy excessive clothing just because I wanted them to have something new for the first day of school. They needed it. Sometime between June and now, my oldest managed to grow about 3 inches taller and out of ever single pair of pants he owned, and the same goes for my middle child. So not only did I have to buy one suit of new clothing for school, I basically had to outfit their wardrobes all over again, so they would have clothing that fit them. They aren’t going to get away with wear shorts all the time soon.
Also, somehow between June and now, every sock this house has managed to fly away. So I had to buy a pack of 10 pairs of socks each.

Now like a lot of you out there, I did not just pick up and go, and I certainly did not buy name brand where I didn’t have to. The whole of my shopping was done between Walmart, Rossy, and the Dollar store. Yes I broke myself buying everything my children need for the school year, and yes these next two weeks are going to be tight around here, but one thing is for sure….

I have so much GRATITUDE to be able to say this.

I am not complaining because I have 3 beautiful children who are able to go to school in September. We live in a Province and Country where it is safe for them to get an education. I was able to provided for my 3 beautiful children what they need to give them the best start of the new year. Just the thought that I am able to be here and have 3 children to take care of and provide for makes me grateful for this life.

I am so lucky that I can send my children to a school where I know the teachers and staff, and I can trust that my children are taken care of from the moment I drop them off at the door, till the time I pick them up in the afternoon.

I appreciate everything the teacher do on a daily basis. They are the real MVPs here.
I certainly don’t look at it has the teachers fault for all the things my children need on the list for school. The Teachers are helping me mould my children into well behaved human beings and to be come the best that they can be. If that means 4 packs of crayons for one kid, then heck yeah. 16 exercise books, sure. It’s all for a great purpose.

And that’s my Thursday Rant. Have a great day everyone.

It’s ok to cry…

Some days can be overwhelming.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days you may feel like you’ve hit a brick wall.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days everyone just knows the right buttons to push.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days can be the best days of your life.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days you can make a mountain out of a mole hill.

It’s ok to cry.

Some days the littlest thing can throw everything out of whack.

It’s ok to cry.

If you ever feel the emotions of everyday life getting to be too much, its ok to just let the tears flow. The important thing is that you don’t let whatever negativity that is affecting you get you down. Wipe the tears from your eyes and know that this moment isn’t forever, and things will get better. Don’t keep your emotions bottled up to fester and rot. That is only going to hurt you. If you need to talk to someone to talk thing through, by all means, find that someone, but if you cant find anyone contact me. I’ll listen. We all need someone we can turn to.

Monday Motivational

Just Be Yourself.

If they don’t like you for that, then they aren’t worth it.

Just worry about being you, and don’t waste your time trying to be something you aren’t.

People are going to like you, and there will be people who will not like you. Surround yourself with the ones who do, and don’t give energy to the ones who don’t.

Protect your energy from negative people… you are worth so much more than you give yourself credit for.

Have an Amazing week everyone. 🙂

Disney Top 5 Fave Animated Movies

Disney has always been apart of my life, some of my earliest memories are of getting Disney VHS tapes ( yes way before blu ray or digital downloads). I believe my first VHS was “The Little Mermaid”, and I must have watched that a million times or more. I have several Disney Funko pops, mostly Beauty and the Beast, and I am growing my now updated blu ray collection with the Disney Movie Club.

If you check out my Pinterest boards, I have one specifically designated for my Disney dream home, which one day will happen, because I use my Pinterest has a form of a vision board.

If you were to take a trip inside my brain, 90% of the time, there is a Disney quote or song going off in there. I try to bring the magic of Disney into every aspect of my life because it bring me back to cozier times. Majesty And Magic of Disney lights up my heart even on the darkest of days. Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I spend countless hours with “The Lion King”, and can practically speak the whole script from memory.

So having said all of that here is my list of top 5 Disney Animated Movies of all time:

5: Frozen

This movie was released in 2013, and has won an academy award, a Golden Globe,a BAFTA award, A Blimp award,critics choice award, Japan Academy award, and a PGA Producer of the year award in Animated theatrical motion pictures. These were amassed between 2014 and 2015.

This movie was a story of true love, but not the usual kind. This true love came from Sisterhood, and was a refreshing taste after so many Disney movies priding themselves on the Prince finding the Princess or vice versa.

4:Beauty and the Beast

This Disney Classic was brought to the big screen in 1991. This movie has one one academy award and 2 golden globes. It has gone on to have a sequel, broadway musical, and a live action rendition in 2017.

This movie bring the magic of adventure and fairytale creatures to life. This is one of many fairytale stories Disney rewrote and made kid friendly. I cannot put my finger on what I like most about this movie, but the artistry, characters, and music come together so magnificently. This is truly a classic that can be rewatched over and over again.

3:The Little Mermaid

This movie made is debut in 1989, and has also won many awards for its great musical number and wonderful talent. It has gone on to have a sequel and a prequel. It has gone on to have a broadway musical, and has sang the way into millions of peoples hearts through out the years. When it first arrived, I was very young, and I believe like many other little girls at the time, the princess theme appealed to me most, or maybe it was the colourful fact of people swimming underwater. I know has a grew older, it became more about connecting with a teenager who’s father didn’t understand her. Now I sit back like so many other parents and laugh at a 16 yr old princess who thought she knew it all, and can sympathize with King Triton on a very emotional level, lol.

2:Aladdin

Aladdin came to theatres in 1992, and like the rest has won awards and has done the broadway thing very successfully. It had a tv series run for 3 season, and now has its own live action rendition coming to life in 2019.

This is an absolute amazing story with a great moral in the end. The Genie tells Aladdin to just “Be Yourself”, and that’s all Jasmine needed. She loved him for who he was on the inside, not the title of Prince Ali. Now I also know that if he hadn’t of lied and made the wish to be a Prince, He would have never seen her again, because that opportunity would not have presented itself. I grew up wanting a pet like Rajah the Tiger, and Abu the Monkey. I will never forget what Robin Williams brought to the big screen with bringing the Genie to life with his endless humour.

1. The Lion King

Now for the one and only, The Lion King. This is my all time fave animated movie. This movie has brought me so much joy over the years since its release in 1994. It has its own Broadway musical, countless awards, and like Aladdin, a live action on the way.

This movie has had a prequel and sequel, With The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, and The Lion King 1/2, which was the first movie told from the point of view of Timon and Pumbaa. The two lively comic relief characters also went on to have their own spin off show.

This movie shows the timeline and life of Simba(Voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick), and how he goes from a naive little cub and grows into taking his place has King of the Pride Lands. He has to over throw his villainous uncle Scar( voiced by Jermey Irons), who chases him out of the Pride Lands after convincing cub Simba that he is the reason for his fathers death.

I love everything about this movie and have probably watched it over a million times through the years. This is my all time fave because from the colour scheme to the characters majestic qualities, this movie never gets old. The songs are catchy and I always find myself humming a tune or using a quote from this movie on the daily.

“The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it”

Rafiki the Baboon.

Rafiki is the baboon you see at the beginning of the movie holding up baby Simba. He is seen through the movie has being a close companion of Mufasa, Simba, and the lions of the Pride Lands. He is considered the Advisor to Mufasa and all future KIngs. This quote sums up all of his wisdom. Bad things happen, learn what you can and keep moving forward.

I must add at the end of this, the Honourable Mention here would have to be Pixar’s Brave. It is one of the first, if not the first movie I can recall have nothing to do with a princess finding her prince in the end. I love how this movie brings together the tale of a a mother and daughter’s bond growing stronger through adversity. Yes I did shed a few tears at the end of this one.

In Conclusion, Disney has so many many memorable movies and this list is just 5 of my favourite animated ones. What movies did you grow up with? What one do you remember seeing and have take hold of you?.

Have an Amazing week everyone, and much love for taking the time to read my post, Thank you.

New Beginnings

Now I can clearly see the direction in which I am choosing to take this website.

For the month of August, there may not be many posts, as I redesign and revamp this whole blog, to become more that what it is, and a better than I could ever have imagined.

I hope you all can bare with me while this changes come into affect, and my dream is that you will be able to enjoy this website as much as I do come September.

Thank you for your time, and there will be more updates to come.

For now please check out my facebook page : Crystal Now ,

Or any of my social media pages: Twitter: @cburt2023

Instagram: @cburt2023

Sunday

Sunday, Sunday, lovely Sunday. The rain is pouring, the air is heavy and thick with humidity, and the sound of thunder is anticipated any moment now.

I sit here scrolling through my twitter feed, coffee in hand. Taking in this slow day, in all it glory. There aren’t many slow days in this house, and this moment won’t be forever. Soon a child will come calling for food, or screaming because a sibling looked at them the wrong way. For now though, I soak up this momentary peace, ever so fleeting.

I know there is a list a mile long of house work that can be done, but you won’t see me doing any of it today..

It will still be there tomorrow.