It's been a slow week

Not much going on in this neck of the woods. I bought some New (smaller) Gap Jeans (because the jeans I've been wearing are so big on me, I'm now able to take them off without undoing the button and zipper on them...) on eBay last week for $13.27 + s/h ($8.49 to Canada), and I'm waiting to receive those. See, I told you it was a slow week.

I found a little Italian shop that sells every kind of pasta you could imagine, and their prices aren't too bad either. I've never seen what ziti looks like before. I didn't realize it was like a Penne but longer, very interesting. I just got some Penne Rigate x2, Fusili, and some Linguini, but I'm tempted to go back for more. ;) I still have some of my spaghetti sauce in the freezer from when I made that.

Question... very random, I know... but why can't they sell ground sausage like they sell ground beef? You know... Without that sausage casing? I hate that casing. It's such a humbug. I want a poud of Italian Sausage without the casing. Is that too much to ask? Or are they not allowed to call it "Sausage" without the casing? bah.

I should end my musings for the day... I'm not making much sense anyway. ;) I think I'm just hungry. :)

Speaking of... Special K and Corn Pops cereals are so different in Canada. I'll have to take pictures sometime... its freaky. The end.

Added @ 10:15am:
WooHoo! My sister in law, Brandi, just called me and wants me to come baby-stuff shopping with her. (I keep calling it Baby Shopping, and it confuses my husband, because no real babies are for sale anywhere...) Anyway, that'll happen probably around 11, and I need to dry my hair and finish some laundry before she gets here. :) She's about 8 months and 2.5 weeks pregnant... She doesn't know if she's having a boy or a girl, but my new neice or nephew is definitely healthy. She and her Husband George were married in Mexico last January (2006). :) yay!

It is Official.

The Canadian Visa office in Buffalo, NY has received my immigration application this morning. :)

Label/Receipt Number: 7005 3110 0002 2004 3222
Status: Delivered

Your item was delivered at 9:50 AM on April 5, 2007 in BUFFALO, NY 14203.

YAY! The end.

STICK A FORK IN ME!

WOOHOO!

I just got back from the picture place AND the post office... Thanks to a lovely surprise in my bank account from Mom, I was able to get my pictures taken and get my Immigration packet finished and sent out! :-D

I sent it to Mom, and she'll send it to Buffalo for me, but the hard part is FINALLY OVER! Sing praises... or something.

You really have NO clue how happy I am to announce this. :-D

YAY!

The end. :-D

Immigration...

I'm about 99% finished with my Immigration. FINALLY. All I need is to take pictures, and get 4 passport type pics into my immigration packet, then I can send it in!

They say 30% of the applications are completed within 18 months... :( And the rest could take up to 36 months. So sucks... BUT I'm finally done with it.

I may have to re-do my police certificates, but who knows, hopefully not. With rent due soon, I hope I'll be able to submit my papers quickly, but I'm so excited to be FINALLY done with everything! YAY!

Maybe I'll be in the 30% who is able to get processed in a year and a half! That time should just fly by. Cross your fingers for me!

I made Spaghetti Sauce!

I'm becoming a good cook! (Well, good enough!) I haven't killed anyone or anything with my cooking yet either. I made a lovely spaghetti sauce from almost scratch last night, and I'm quite looking forward to leftovers tonight... even though its 9pm lol and I haven't started making them yet.

Anyway, I browned some ground beef, cooked it with onions, and put it in the crock pot. I then added 3 jars of spaghetti sauce, 2 green peppers, 1 red pepper (super cheap at the market!), mushrooms, Hubby added some spices... I added a few cloves of garlic, and some celery seed (Celery is unusually expensive right now, I suppose we can thank the California frosts from last fall for that). Then I added some special ingredients... some grated carrot, and brown sugar, totally amazing. I let it cook basically all day, on high for maybe 3 hours, and on low & the "keep warm" setting for about 3-4 hours. We then made some garlic bread, and had a lovely meal. We get to have it again tonight! Woohoo! We had grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, and we ate kind of a lot of it, so I'm still full a little from that, so that's the excuse for tonight's late dinner... I dunno what the excuse is for all the other late night dinners we eat... It happens a lot in our house though.

Anyway, I'm just proud of myself.

The End.

The epitome of the Hawaiian Canadian

A while ago, my husband and I went to Pizza Hut for dinner. We wanted the pizza(s) to last until lunch for the next day, so we each got a Large of our own choosing.

Pizza Hut has specialty pizzas, and so we decided to try them. My husband got the Canadian, and I got the Hawaiian. It's the perfect order. :) The fellow behind the counter thought it was a riot when we told him I grew up in Hawaii, and the hubby was a Canadian. :)

Canadian comes with: Pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms and 100% mozzarella cheese.
Hawaiian comes with: Ham, pineapple and extra 100% mozzarella cheese.

Oddly enough, I liked the Hawaiian pizzas better in the US. The "Canadian bacon" I used to order was like thinly sliced round bits of hammy goodness... the ham I get here is little strips of ham! Like lunchmeat ham, but thicker... who would have thought that you couldn't even order "Canadian Bacon" in Canada! sheesh! Here's a pic for a better idea. I do miss the round canadian bacon from the states...

Man, now I want some pizza!

I don't like the word "Blog"

So, from now on, I'll call this my online journal... granted a journal should be more personal and private, but hopefully none of that stuff will find its way here.

As you may or may not know by now, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There's a program for the 12-18 year old young women, and I was recently asked to be the 2nd councelor of the Young Women's program. This is quite exciting for me. I never finished my laurel's project, so this will be the perfect opportunity for me to do so... after I've been in the program a year that is.

There are, however, a lot of activities at the Stake Center (Centre here in Canada lol), and I wish I had my Jeep so I could easier attend them... or give other people rides. We're also getting a new church building in maybe 2 weeks, and its further away than the temporary building we meet at now. There's got to be a way for me to get my Jeep back here legally. :( I miss it so much. Not to mention all the stuff that's stuck in Buffalo. :(

Maybe if I pray hard enough for it, an answer will come. I'd really love to have my Jeep back by the time Girl's Camp rolls around in July. :) So very exciting. I'm glad, happy, and eager to be of use to the young women in our Branch in this way. :)

T.V.

So very strange, how one little thing in your life changes, and it has the capacity to affect every aspect of your life.

Not necissarily by my choice, we've been without Cable since October 2006. Granted, my husband (being the loving man that he is... and also due to the fact that he's a big geek and I love him...), he gets the shows that I do love, and sends them to our game console, so we are able to watch them on our normal tv. I absolutely love this freedom. This must be what it feels like having TiVo.

I'm no longer tied to my tv on Thursday nights! I've been glued to the tv on Thursdays for my MUST SEE TV fix for like 13 years... and if not thursday nights, I always recorded it (Friends through ER... or whatever else was on NBC from 8-11pm on thursdays), and watched it the next day after school (back when I was in school).

Anyway, I absolutely adore my husband for making this so much easier for me. I do sometimes miss channel surfing, and running across the random TLC, HGTV, or A&E program that is just SOOooOoO interesting that I MUST stop surfing to watch it. But over all, I'm so glad that I still get to watch my favorite shows. (Desperate Housewives, Prison Break (for both of us), Men In Trees, Grey's Anatomy, My Name is Earl (we both like this show), and of course, 13 years and running strong, my hallowed ER.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to 100% ween myself from the relaxation, de-stressification (is that even a word?) and enjoyment of tv watching, but this process makes it easier, and for that I would like to tell my husband Thank You, and let him know how much I love and appreciate everything he does for me... Even if its "only" getting me my tv shows. It makes me happy, and I'm so thankful for him.

Business is BOOMING!

What a week! We've sure been busy with our little eBay venture this week, Monday I shipped out 10 packages, Tuesday was 4, and today is 3. One of today's items are five lipsticks that I had NO intention of selling. I listed them at $40.00 each, thinking "That'll be high enough, that no one will be crazy enough to purchase them at that price". I originally had 6, but one was purchased last week, and that blew me away. Today, I wake up to find someone purchased the remaining 5! Needless to say, business is going well! We may even be able to get all our bills paid! If only every week could be like this! hehe!

Please click our logo below to visit our store.

Happy Birthday to my Mother In Law

It's hubby's mom's birthday on Sunday (25th of Feb.) She'll be 49. I've been volunteering at her office lately, in hopes they can find a way to pay me, and maybe when I finally get immigrated, they'll be able to hire me on full time. I'd love that.

Today we went to Tailgate Charlie's for lunch, and it was pretty fun. Who would have thought that a bunch of Insurance Adjusters could be so hilarious? Was it the fact they all had alcohol with their lunch? Or are they always this funny? I guess I'll find out if I do continue to work/volunteer (or whatever you want to call it) there. I had the nacho platter and I added chicken for a balanced meal, it was quite tasty and I'm surprised I was able to finish it. We then went back to the office for a most delicious ice cream cake from Sweet Paradise (bakery & deli). It was amazing, and well worth the money the office paid.

They really really like me though, and they ALL keep saying "man we've gotta start paying you!" I just keep saying "okay! fine with me!" I'm even catching on to the insurance lingo. Very spiffy. =) If nothing else, it'll be some excellent Canadian experience for my resume!

Communion Sweet.

On February 17, 2007, we had the opportunity to attend the first holy communion of Alex Roque. He is Brandi's step son. (Brandi being my husband's sister). He's our step-nephew, if such a thing exists, but we had a lovely time at the reception. It was a very huge ordeal, with a big cake/bible, and mini cakes with sparkly crosses, and some of the most amazing food I've had in a long time. A fun time was had by all, and it was a nice chance to hang out with friends and family.

I made perogies!

I made home made perogies (pierogies) on Wednesday (yes, that was Valentine's day... I had nothing better going on. :) )  And I will just say, that I'm pretty darn impressed with myself.  I'm not even Ukrainian, and I did a good job!  My mother in law loved them.  I don't think the hubby did, but he says "I never said I didn't like them!" in a rather defiant manner... I still don't know how he feels about them.  Anyway, here's the recipe I used.

http://www.recipezaar.com/11550
Ukrainian Perogies, for Beginners
48 perogies - 32 min 30 min prep

Dough
2 cups flour
1/2 cup milk, warm
1/2 cup potatoes, well mashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Filling (I used this one... next time I'm leaving out the onions and adding more cheese ;) )
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup butter
2-3 cooked potatoes, mashed
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Alternate Filling
2-3 cups cottage cheese, drained (or use dry curd)
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 egg
salt and pepper (taste before adding egg!)


---------Dough--------------.
Mix dough ingredients together.
You may have to add more liquid or flour to make the dough soft and somewhat sticky.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead more flour into dough- just enough to make it easier to handle. The dough will be slightly sticky. Do not over-knead. Place dough in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minuets.
--------------Filling-----------
Cook onion in butter. Mix with potatoes, and add cheese while the mixture is still hot. Let filling cool before using (place in fridge.) If you are using the alternate filling, simply mix those ingredients together.
-----------Manufacturing-------- (My method of manufacturing needs work)
Set a large pot of water to boil. Form walnut-sized balls of the filling. Roll out dough on floured surface fairly thinly (3 millimeters, or 0.125 inch). You will probably need to add flour as you roll. Cut out circles approxamitely 7 1/2 centimeters (3 inches) in diameter (a wider-mouthed glass should do fine.) Press scraps into a ball. Place filling ball in center of dough circle. If the dough has a less-floury side, keep that side up. Fold dough over ball, and pinch edges to form a half circle.
To prevent perogies with"horns", I pinch at the top ("90degree mark") of the perogy first, then pinch at the 180 and degree edges, working up to the 90 degree mark.
You can cheat pinching the perogies by smearing water on the filling side of the dough at the edges, and keep your fingers floured when you pinch (on the non-filling side.) In order to prevent perogies from drying out, keep finished perogies on a floured surface, and cover with a floured clean dishcloth.
Place several perogies in boiling water. Stir once, gently with a slotted spoon. Perogies are done when they float for a minute (this will take 2-3 minutes). Melt about 1/2 cup of butter or margarine in microwave. Rescue and drain the perogies with the slotted spoon. Place in a bowl, drizzle with some melted butter, and gently shake to distribute the butter. Cook, drain, and drizzle the other perogies in the same manner.

They were quite yummy. We usually eat them with sauteed onions and sour cream.  Some people like them with bacon. My MIL likes hers with ketchup.

The End.

Snow Day!

Tuesday February 13th, it snowed like there was no tomorrow! So that made Wednesday a Snow Day! It was my first actual snow day since I'd moved up to Canada, the library was closed and everything! No one went to work, or school, except for the people at Tim Horton's. They are some loyal employes.

I hadn't seen that much snow, probably since I was a wee lass, and my siblings tried to burry me in it because of its abundance. No hard feelings though, I honestly don't remember the alleged pain. I only remember it was a sunday, and everyone else got yelled at, I got rushed to the hospital, and then I got popsicles or ice cream or something like that.

Anyway... :) I almost made a snow angel, but I didn't have snow pants, and the snow was soaking through my two layers of pants as it was. Enjoy my galavanting! You'd think I'd never seen snow before. Bless Jon's heart, he must have shoveled about 8 times from Monday to Thursday. :)

Welcome to ME!

I've been inspired by Amy to create this space. I don't like the word "blog" it makes it sound like something I tried making for dinner, and it didn't turn out right. I'd rather call it an online journal. Hopefully it will be a place I can post pictures, and ramblings, whatever is on my mind really. If the Hubby has anything to say, I'll allow it, but mostly this will be from my point of view. The End. (Or perhaps, it is only the beginning.) Enjoy!

Kahuku High School Class of 1996!

Just in case you somehow missed it, head on over to: http://www.classreport.com/usa/hi/kahuku/khs/1996/

Create an account, log in, and say hi!
Alohas!
~Shelley

(This blog was copied from my myspace blog which I no longer use.)

Such a klutz!

Every week, I've got another cut or bruise. I swear, I'm the klutziest person around! I'm worse than Teri Hatcher's character on Desperate Housewives! Its awful!

Yesterday, while I was carrying laundry from the semi-upstairs (a whopping 6 stair-steps from the basement where we live), back down so I could fold it, I completely whacked my hand against the wall and now my pointer finger knuckle on my right hand has a cut on it. :( Sadness.

It stings like a paper cut. I put one of those dumb little square Band-Aids on it last night, and I wake up to find the Band-Aid has shifted, and my cut is totally exposed, stings like the devil, and its red all over. :-s

Not fun.

So, I re-cover it, like a good little girl scout should (although I never was a girl scout... *shrug*), and cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide (I'm afraid of putting rubbing alcohol on cuts... stings way too much), and put a new little square Band-Aid over it, and hopefully I'm on the way to recovery.

Last week, I was also a doofus. I was cutting a little piece of paper, with these super sharp titanium scissors, and I guess I slipped or something, and I ended up cutting my hand! I have a cute little "V" scar there now, Its about a fourth of an inch long, on the palm of my hand, but man that hurt too! I don't do it on purpose either... I'm just a klutz.

I'm always walking into doorways, or stubbing my toe on *something*. I'm such a dork, and I just thought I'd tell the world. :)

The end.
~shelley

(copied from my myspace blog... it still holds true btw... I'm still a klutz.)

Luke Perry

Current mood: calm

Why do I keep dreaming about Luke Perry? I don't even LIKE him!

My first bizarro Luke Perry dream was maybe 8-10 months ago, in this dream he had killed someone and wanted me to be the accomplice, so he had me help burry this body... but instead of using dirt, the dumbass makes me get my sister's hand-me-down clothes (there's LOTS of them too) to burry the body with... so we're piling clothes on, and we don't get caught... till the next day, they come looking for my sister, she has NO idea what's going on, and so then they question ME, and I tell them Luke Perry made me do it. :-|

http://www.5in9.com/graphics/luke_perry_s1.jpg

On April 8th, i woke up dreaming that Luke was trying to kill these huge spiders in the kitchen, but they were EVERYWHERE, and when you killed one, like 10 more would come out and be really mad at you! So he's getting attacked, bitten like crazy, then he falls out the kitchen window on to the roof covering the backyard patio, falls off, and dies.

Maybe I won't dream about him anymore... I doubt that though... he's supposed to still be in jail from my last dream ;) lol

Yes, i have issues, I know this.

Currently Listening : Nasty Little Thoughts By Stroke 9
Release date: By 07 September, 1999

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPIPHANY:
Dudes. I think I figured out why I think Luke Perry is evil. He was in that jail show on HBO called "OZ"! He was a criminal!!! :-o
Added June 9th 2005

Update:
6/8/2007 I no longer have these dreams, thank heaven!

Old Rants

(I'm deleting the content from hawaiianshells.net so I'm putting it here)

OH MY LANTA!?!! Does it EVER stop??? (If you're curious at what I'm talking about, please refer to the rant of 9/12/2002). Ok, so my whole silent treatment thing was working quite well I think. Even church was a help for this whole process... November 10, 2002, a new Vista, CA Single's Ward was formed, and yay!! no more Carlsbad! (which means YAY! no more dealing with or seeing people that piss me off).

I was backstabbed about 5 months ago, and the people doing the stabbing haven't bothered to explain a SINGLE thing to me, or even bother apologizing or ANYTHING! So I figure neither one of them care all that much about my friendship. I should just say screw it, forget it, and get over it. But I can't! Recent events haven't allowed me to burry these things. About a month ago, someone gave my sister a bag of stuff to give to me... it was free stuff that one of the back stabbers got from their work for free and thought I'd enjoy... I might have enjoyed them if they weren't from a backstabbing type source. I feel if I use them or appreciate them at all, that I'd be accepting that as some kind of lame apology. Which does not work for me.

This is coming out now because I went to a friend's house for dinner, and apparently they had invited her as well. They must have forgotten that there is "bad blood" between us. Anyway, I've never been so uncomfortable in my ENTIRE life. Especially because the free gifts this person got from work... I gave them to someone else (who was also there for dinner) for a wedding present... Yay, fun for Shelley! :-| NOT!

Anyway, after the backstabber and her friend leave, I got into it with the person I re-gifted the stuff to. She told me that it was very "bad form" for me to have given her that stuff...

Like i care. More later ~

I've recently been annoyed at life in general. I know I shouldn't be, but I haven't had much of a choice lately. Certain turns of events have recently caused me to "Trust NO ONE" I used to be quite the loving individual, anyone could get along quite well with me, (this was of course post shy days). Now I question everything, and my trust REALLY has to be earned in order to have it bestowed upon a recipient. I'm not suggesting that my trust is some highly valued thing, but it's not something I'd mess around with, i if wasn't me... I'm the type of person who takes relationships and friendships VERY seriously. I also hold grudges. I'm very VERY good at giving the silent treatment. Of course I don't do it unless it's deserved, that, I take seriously. I've recently been betrayed and backstabbed, whether it was by accident or on purpose, I will probably never know but I'm still bitter. Some of my most favorite people agree with me, and feel that I'm founded in feeling this way. One of my friends lets me borrow her bat when things need a good pounding ;-) it's great. I'm one of the most loyal, kind, loving people I know... I haven't met many people like me... I'm told all the time that I'm one of a kind... I like to keep it that way :-D

Anyway, I guess this is my "rant" page. If things piss me off, they get posted here, because I'm paying good money to have this site hosted, and domain names registered. If you somehow find your name on this page, YOU can pay for it, then I might consider a revision. Don't hold your breath though ;-)

Moral of this rant: Don't Piss me Off.

Am I a 2 year old?
I know I shouldn’t be writing this while fuming, but I can’t help it. It’s the best way I know to get it out. I guess I have Ben to thank for that now. I should have been writing more of this stuff down all throughout my life! Anyway… This truly sux how it has to be like this… but it does.

My mother and I just do not get along. Oh, but of course if you see it from her point of view, we do. I honestly believe that she thinks everything is fine. All is well. It’s sooooo not. I honestly am jealous of everyone who has a close tight relationship with his or her parents. I know you might not see me as being neglected or anything, but I’m just saying that things are NOT perfect, and could be better. So why write a venting page? A few reasons: 1. It’s my page so I get to, and 2. Because I’m not happy with how things are. I’ve even tried talking to her. NOTHING works. She insults me almost daily, and I’m supposed to be happy about her, our relationship, and myself? I think not. How could I? She makes me miserable on a daily basis. She doesn’t even realize it. Well I think she kind of does, but something in her can’t make her stop

I’ve told her a few times now that I don’t need a mother anymore. She must think that I do, because she tells me what to do with my life daily. She says I’m too fat, I’m not eating right, that I’d be happier if I were thinner! Heck no! I am beginning to realize that everything she’s told me growing up is some kind of compensation for how she was raised, or things she knows now, and doesn’t want me or any of her children in the same situation. Drama! I am even beginning to love myself! Can you imagine that? I’m pretty dang cool too! I’ve got a few references that think the same if you wanna call them up. Just email me, and I’ll give you their #’s. My sister Paula emailed me in August or September 2000, and she totally explained our mother’s problem. I think I should just copy and paste the whole email in here, since my mom could care less about my website, I figure she’ll never visit it, so I’m cool. If she does ever see this, I hope it helps her see things more so from my point of view, and love me anyway.

Here’s the Email:
Subject: holy too much information, batman!
Body: Okay, I think this will interest you:
Shhh... The reason mom's so psychotic about us was revealed to me on Sunday. You know how she's always getting on us for not exercising, and how she says we MUST be eating the latest healty foods, and taking thirty million vitamins a day? Well it's cause she feels totally guilty about how she raised us and about how she grew up. She was totally telling me about when she was a chubster and how she wishes she knew then what she knows now about nutrition and stuff because then her life would be totally different. A little obsessed, if you ask me. Well that's why she's always saying junk to us. She thinks she can save our lives by giving us the information she never had as a young'in or never had when we were young'ins. When she was saying this stuff, I figured it out and was like "Aha!"
Don't tell her I was telling you this, k? So basically whenever she's giving out advice (every minute) remember that she's just sad about her own life and it'll all make sense. She tries, but it's just too much advice sometimes.


Word Paula! I Love you to Death!!! I don’t know where I’d be in this world without you. Your strength and wisdom (beyond my own) serve as a guide and inspiration to me. And I thank you for it. I Love you! (now where are my tissues???)

Anyway, I’m 22, but I still act like a rebellious teenager. But I think that all of us do, especially when there’s someone constantly standing over us, telling us exactly what to do all of the time! DUH I’m going to rebel! Could you SEE that one coming? Hope so! There’s more to come too though. As of now, I’ve graduated from college, and I moved back home for a little while. I tell myself it’s because of the free rent. And it mostly is. But I do have to admit that I have missed the little activities that I have not been around for. Like weddings, baby showers, even (eeesh) family reunions, and other family-related things that I just haven’t been around for. I’m glad I’ve had the chance to once again partake of them. It’s been fun. Even though the bridal showers always make me feel bad, cause I’m not married… but screw them… I’m only 22!!! Jamie’s going to be 24 in February though… So she gets it worse… heh heh heh (evil laugh).

SOOOO, I’ve wanted to move to San Diego for so long. I think I’m going to do it, as soon as I get the opportunity to. I need this. I need it for me. I’ll still have my computer though. So you need to make sure you keep in touch with me. Hey, sign my guest book ok? That way I’ll be able to take you everywhere… Tom Cruise signed it! You should too! :-)

So that’s the plan as of now. If you can’t stand the heat…(or cold of utah and my mother), Move to San Diego! Wish me Luck!