#PrayForLydia Fundraiser Brings Together A Community

Surrounded With Community Support

It was basically one month ago when I met Rob Maxwell face to face for the first time.  We weren't strangers.  We were connected.  We were connected by Twitter but it was more than that.  We had a community connection.  It was an online community connection which started with being in the same area, but became something bigger when Rob decided he needed to do something to show his support for the Herrle family and Lydia Herrle.  You can read more about  #PrayForLydia on this post.  Being a father to a child with Down Syndrome Rob knew that the Herrles would be facing many challenges and wanted to do his part to help.  His idea was to have a fundraiser through his Dairy Queen.  The venue is a vibrant location in our area, and he had ideas on how to raise funds for the Herrle Family.  We both we had wished out first in person meeting was under different circumstances, but we were both hopeful that we could inspire our community to come together.

Happy Canada Day

July 1st was the kick off of the paper ribbon for Lydia campaign.  Dairy Queen's customers were encouraged to buy a ribbon (ribbons provided by Trevor Cherewka, remember to give him a HI-5 next time you see him) with the proceeds from the ribbons supporting the Herrle Family.  What started out as just a couple of ribbons soon turned a store full of paper ribbons patterns.  Rob knew there was more to be done and created a one time Miracle For Lydia Day.

 Word spread quickly and soon Rob had Firefighters, Kitchener Rangers, Face painters, Bands, Local Media Celebrities and more offering to help provide entertainment for the attendees.

It Was A Day Like No Other

The community came in droves!  The lines were long and the smiles were longer.  Everyone was so happy and overwhelmed by the turnout. Whether it was to buy a treat or enter an ice cream eating competition, fun was had by all. The event was a success and Rob said the showing of support was beyond any expectation he had.  Everyone had a story.  Rob was told that someone in Cambridge saw it on the 6pm CTV Kitchener news & drove to his Waterloo location to do their part.
I kept hearing stories that the melted ice cream on everyone's clothing was well worth the laundry that needed to be done that night.

You often hear me cheer about the wonderful community I live in.  I am once again inspired by the overwhelming support that was showed at Miracle For Lydia Day.

How To Keep The Oven Off In The Summer

20 minutes to Dinner

Do you have a vegetable steamer?
Did you know you can fully cook chicken breasts in it?

This is a great way to cook dinner without using the oven!

To make this meal you'll need

• Two Boneless Chicken Breasts
• A vegetable steamer
• Lundenberg Risotto, Creamy Parmesan (in the health food aisle at most grocery stores)
• Olive Oil
• Water
• A large pot (stovetop)
• A yellow pepper (or any veggie you like to eat raw)

Start by filling the water level to low on your steamer, put in chicken breasts & set to cook for 20 minutes

Then make the risotto in the large pot on your stove. Directions are on the side panel of the box, takes about 20 minutes

While the chicken & the risotto are cooking cut up your favorite veggies (or make a side salad).

Once the timer goes off on the steamer remove the chicken breasts & cut up (remember the steamer will be very hot)

Mix the chicken into the risotto & serve with your choice of vegetable.

Guinness Book Of World Records Longest Picnic

As mentioned in an earlier post today I was Picnic-er for the City Of Kitchener's attempt for the Guinness Book Of World Records for Longest Picnic.  This was an event to commemerate Kitchener turning 100

Here is the result





It was a fun time hanging out with @gemini_momma, @fumkeymumkey and @1ofthose2girls (and the family members they had in tow)

As of today the results are unofficial, but the City Of Kitchener will hear back in a few weeks, once all the measurements are made official.



How to make Hot Dogs in a Thermos

Being that today the City of Kitchener is attempting the Guinness Book Of World Record's WORLD'S LONGEST PICNIC, I thought it would be a good idea to share this easy recipie for Thermos Hotdogs, which are a great idea for picnics & day trips.
Although many would say this is a Kid-Friendly recipe, I think adults should prepare & serve because of the boiling water.

• Boil water in a tea kettle
• Put hotdogs in the thermos
• Pour the boiling water into a thermos (be careful of the water splashing)
• Close tightly
• pack buns & condiments
• After you arrive at the destination, pour out the water. REMEMBER IT WILL BE HOT WATER so be careful

VOILA! Steamed hotdogs! 

Retro Dog clipart
from Clker.com

To make things even easier, keep takeout/fast food condiments to bring along!

If you're planning on participating in today's event, head down to the Kitchener Market end and say hi! We'll be the ones in the Tiaras!

The CALL ME MAYBE Craze Continues With Cookie Monster, Jimmy Fallon, The President and More

The Craze Continues

Last month I wrote about Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe Craze.  I had only listed 5, but mentioned that there were tons of others out there.  Most of the others were just knock offs of the ones I listed, so there was no need to post them.

Well Carly Rae's song continues to inspire YouTube fans to come up with new versions of her song/video.  The key is to keep it original.

Whoever came up with the idea of the BarackDub of President Barack Obama singing Call Me Maybe must have known they struck viral video gold






and with the recent release of Magic Mike I'm pretty sure this little number from the Abercrombie fellas will become a HOT commodity.



Then just when you think this has all gone to the dogs ...



... in comes Jimmy Fallon! To top it off he brings in Carly Rae Jespen to sing along with him and The Roots, all while using classroom instruments.



At this point I figured there's no topping the Jimmy Fallon version, but I was wrong again!  Now Sesame Street has made their own version of Call Me Maybe and took it one step further by spoofing the Jimmy Fallon version.  Enter SHARE IT MAYBE





Does Cookie Monster rise to the top of the Call Me Maybe Craze?  What do you think will come down the pipe next?  As long as everyone keeps originality in mind, I don't think this will ever get old!

The Easiest Stir Fry You Will Ever Make

WARNING! I'm not a measuring kind of gal

The only ingredients you will need for this recipe are

• Frozen vegetables
• Meat leftovers (in this case I used steak)
• Quick cook rice (ie Minute Rice)
• Jar of your favorite Teriyaki sauce
• Water

1. Start by bringing a large frying pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan + a bit to a boil
2. Add your frozen vegetables & stir frequently.  Your water will increase as the veggies thaw, which is why you don't want to start with too much liquid
3. Once the vegetables are thawed add enough rice to cover veggies & water. Stir for a few seconds
4. Turn off burner & cover (I have a quick tip for a cover under the image below)
5. While the rice is steaming cut up your choice of fully cooked meat (should take about 5 minutes)
6. Uncover fry pan & stir.  Don't worry if the rice is not fully soft
7. Add meat and about half a jar of teriyaki sauce
8. Turn burner back on high a stir constantly until the rice has absorbed all the liquid

Note: When you first add the sauce it will be very runny, but as you keep frying and the sauce starts to boil it will thicken and the rice and other ingredients will absorb the sauce.

You know the best part? Only one cooking pan and one lid to wash!



Here's a tip : Don't have a lid for your frying pan? Just put another upside down frying pan on top to create a lid!