The Never-Ending Search

So here is an update on the whole house hunt…we have attempted to buy 3 different houses:

House #1 – A cute little house.  Needed some work, and a good scrub.  Put in an offer. It was countered, and we accepted the counter.  Then, it fell through at the bank.

House #2 – A semi-detached foreclosure, but very clean and nothing to do.  Put in an offer, and waited for a while.  They countered higher than we wanted to pay, so we walked away.

House #3 – A nice little split level house, very clean, but needed some things replaced.  We put in an offer, but so did two others.  We were the lowest offer.

So, it feels as though this house hunt will never end!  We’re looking in Chateauguay, Mercier, Lery, Beauharnois, St. Martine, and anywhere else that is nearby. 

Oh, and another update!  I had a job interview this morning at a preschool.  One reason for blogging right now is because I’m just waiting for a phone call!! They said I’d know this afternoon because the job starts Monday!  So prayers and fingers crossed!!  I’ll keep you posted!

Another thing!  Brian and I both got Blackberries!  So if you have a Blackberry, shoot me an email with your PIN, and we can chat!  :)

Also, now that I have this awesome new computer, I can upload that video of Bow that I tried to do a couple weeks ago!  So here’s Bow, truly being himself!  (Please ignore me!  I sound so weird! lol)

Mmmmm…. :)

So we haven't’ been up to a whole lot lately.  Brian’s been working a lot (he had to work all weekend!  Boo!), and we’ve still been looking for a place to live and a job for me.  I’ll keep you updated on both! 

However, I have been doing a little cooking here and there….

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

These are the easiest cookies to make ever!  All you need is a box of strawberry cake mix, half a cup of vegetable oil, two eggs, and half a bag of mini chocolate chips.

Mix, and roll into balls. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes and then….

Ian was such a great helper, and we had fun!   Not to mention the cookies were super cute and yummy!  Shout out and thank you to (Twin) Kasey Forste for the recipe!!

 

Homemade Corn Chowder

I have to thank Brian’s Aunt Carol in Glen’s Falls for this one!  I helped her make it when she was here a few weeks ago, but I was nervous to do it on my own!  All you need is some leftover corn on the cob, water, cream, an onion, bacon, and salt, pepper, and herbs to taste.

Cut all of the corn off of the cobs. 

Then, boil the cobs as you would a bone to make a stock.  Cook some bacon well done so that it crumbles.  Save the grease to cook your diced onion in it.

  Take out the cobs and add the corn and sautéed onions and simmer.  Remove about half the corn and run it through a food processor.  Put it back in the soup and add the cream.   Last, crumble the bacon into the soup!

 

It had great flavor…was a little thinner than I would have liked, but it’s kind of a guessing game until you get it right!

I have decided that once I get my own kitchen, I want to blog a little more about my cooking adventures…bc it really is an adventure most of the time! lol  If you try one of my recipes, I’d love to hear about it!!

The Nation's Capital

Okay! So we're having a pop quiz!!

What city is the capital of Canada???

Umm.....mmmmm....???

Well, here's a hint, it's in....


Still don't know? Well that's okay because I didn't know either! lol It's OTTAWA!

Brian and I went to Ottawa on Saturday afternoon to meet up with a friend of his from New York, Ryan. Well, Ryan's girlfriend is from there, and they were in town for the weekend. So we trecked the two hour drive over there and took in a few sights and had dinner with them. Here are a few of the things we saw:


This is the hotel the Queen stays in when she visits...and yes, I mean the Queen of England! Little known fact outside of Canada: It is still actually owned by the British! The Queen is on all of the money and everything! It's wild!


The Peace Flame - each of the crests stand for the different provinces


This is the Parliament building. Fun side note - The Parliament Library is behind this, and during the war of 1812, the Americans actually burned it to the ground (right before then came back and burned our white house)!!


I can't remember which, but another government building.

Finally Together :)

Excuse me for being a bit delayed on posting since I've been in Canada!

My little, Caroline, and I left last Friday and ended up driving all the way to Glen's Falls, NY in one day to Brian's Aunt Carol and Uncle Frank's house. I have to say that the wonderful Miss Caroline Jackson is, hands down, the best road trip partner ever! It didn't even feel like we'd been in the car anywhere near 17 hours! Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania got a little boring, but we managed. The views during the rest of the trip made up for it!


We also really wished that Syracuse was on the way so we could stop at Syracuse University, where Alpha Gamma Delta was founded in 1904!!


The next day, we did some shopping, and Brian showed us around Saratoga Springs, NY. It's a very picturesque, historic town. It's famous for it's horse race track as well. Of course, Caroline and I managed to find some great red, buff, and green decor around town!!


Also, Saratoga Springs has a Caroline Street (well known for its bars! lol).


Caroline's flight left bright and early on Sunday morning, and Brian and I left for Canada later on that day. I have to say that it is a very strange concept for me to have my car in Canada; it's never left Georgia before now! lol Anyway, Brian started work on Monday, and we've just been doing little things since I got here. We've been meeting with a realtor, who was a friend of Brian's growing up, and we looked at a few condos. There were two we really liked, however, we found out today that they only allow small pets. In case you haven't met Bowman, he's the size of small livestock! lol Today, the realtor called and had found a new listing of a house. We went to see it, and are going back tomorrow so I'll keep you posted! We'll see!

The rest of the day, I successfully navigated myself around Chateauguay and spent the rest of they day relaxing with Bow. I happened to take him out right at sunset and here are some pics I snapped while out there!





He loves playing with his frisbee, but he was in an especially playful mood tonight!





And, a video to come bc I can't figure it out yet!!

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is the hardest part of leaving. I love you guys.

The Date is Set!

I now have T-minus 8 days before I am transplanted to the frozen tundra, aka Canada! One of my littles, Caroline, is going to drive with me (we'll miss you Lauren!), and she's flying back out of Albany, NY. The trip will take about 17 hours in 2 days, and then I will be about another 3 hours from my final destination, Chateauguay, QC! Brian will meet me for the final leg of the journey so I won't have to cross the border alone (or get lost trying to read the French street signs!).
I'm really excited, but kinda freaking out at the same time, so please keep me in your thoughts next week as I embark on my Canadian adventure!! :)

Step One

Brian moved today: the first step in our move to Canada. He took most of our things in a U-Haul, so I'm sleeping in my bed from when I was a little girl! Hopefully, I'll be with him soon!
I'm a little overwhelmed, not only because Brian left, but because it's becoming real that we're actually moving to Quebec. I'm just ready for it all to begin now...can I please press the fast forward button so this inbetween stage can be over??