Hurricane and the boys

Hey kids! So - have ya already busted up any resolutions? hehehe...

Well - here we are on a Saturday night - first of 09. The wife - still sniffly - not too bad though. The kid - fine. Overtired from hours and hours with Bing and Bong - sleepovers and such. But - fine. Me - yep - groovin' along nicely. Grabbed a flick for tonight... Eagle Eye. Lookin' forward to it.

Today - Hurricane and I took the boys to Toronto to plunk 'em on a train headed for home. Back to Quebec. We had such a great time with them here over the holidays. Sad to see 'em leave.

The wife and Hurricane - sittin in front of the tube bein' really critical of the new crop of overtly gay guy designers and the girl designers with dry stringy hair on the show TOP DESIGNER. LOL! I tell ya - these two are fierce when it comes to that sorta stuff. Just slays me. hehehehe

Anyway - nothin' else to report right now. Hittin the gym tomorrow - I'm sure there'll be somethin' entertaining there. Always is.

And now - off to the movies. Gonna fix me up a cocktail and settle my arse into the comfy chair for the next hour and a half. Ahhhhhhh..... love it.

Cheers.

Happy 2009

Hey there - Scrubbie here wishin ya'll a very happy New Year!!!!!

The wife, the kid, Hurricane Rona and her boys are all here. We all stood to toast the new year. Sucked back some sparklin' grape juice ( cant get all liquored up - kids and all...).

But here it is 11 minutes into 09 and just had to shout out to ya'll.

Cheers kids.

Cya later alligator.

Hooray for the Flu Shot! My cold in the nose didn't last long at all. Still a few coughs here and there and I gotta tell ya - Scrubbie feels like some big fella at the gym took my chest for a round or two with the boxing gloves on... but overall - not too bad at all. The wife - still in the throws of it all though. Poor thing.

The kid - in the engine room with Bing and Bong. Yep - another sleepover. I know what yer thinkin'... "does he ever NOT have a sleepover?"

I told ya about jonesin' for Banana Bread - I made some. Made 4 mini loaves actually. The kid and his punk pals polished off two of them already. I managed a slice in there though. So did the wife.

Well kiddies - 2008 is fast comin' to a close. Whoosh... that's all I gotta say about it. Helluva year though, eh? One of the highlights for me - the whole bloggin' thing. It's a whole lotta fun puttin' some of my happy-pill inspired thoughts to screen and lettin' ya'll in on it. Your response - it's been great gang. Thanks oodles. I 'preciate all the feedback. I think in 09 - I'll open up the mailbag and provide the Scrubbie answers to questions that I get about this and that. So - go ahead - ask me somethin. Opinions, thoughts, advice - sure - I'll take it all and put it here. hehehehe. Be warned though.

Expecting another half dozen inches of snow to fall tonight. Should make for a groovy morning tomorrow. hehehehe. I'll have to hit the local trading post and pick up a few supplies for the New Years Eve festivities here at the igloo tomorrow night. Apparently - the local city hall is opening it's doors to the public and havin' a showing of the movie Kung Fu Panda tomorrow. Think we might hit that. Depends on how wifey-poo is feelin' probably. 'Course, she might appreciate a bit of a quiet afternoon for nap-time. (Ain't nap time the best time! We call 'em "afternoon sheets". They are the BEST! Nothin' beats the feeling of "afternoon sheets".)

Hey - the bro-in-law and I were at the gym this aft - gettin' in the last gut busting for 2008. Guess who was there? Yep - naked guy. This time though - with clothes on. Thank Gawd. Well... there was one little catch. Naked guy was wearin those spandexish shorts that show off a guy's religion. Blech. As bro-in-law noted: "those should be illegal". Couldn't agree with ya more JR.

Anyway - time to wrap up what I do believe should be the last posting for the year for me and for you.

I, and the whole Scrubbie clan, wish ya'll a really wonderful and totally Scrubbie New Year.

Like the tree this year? Purty, ain't it.

Cheers ya'll.

The thing. The low-down. The scoop. The whole kit-n-kaboodle. COUGH COUGH

Oh goodness... I've got a code in da nose. Hmmmm? I said... I've got a code in da nose. sniffle sniffle. Please excuse me during this posting... cough, cough.

So - how was everybuddy's Christmas? Santa good to ya I hope. Sure was to me. It was a COUGH COUGH cooking Christmas for Scrubbie. Mini loaf pan, mini muffin pan, new fry pans, egg poacher, triple steamer - ahhhh - Scrubbie loves AH-CHOO cookin stuff. Now - I have got a hankerin' for some banana bread and a hot cuppa tea. COUGH COUGH.

'Course - just gotta drag my arse up to do it. The wife? Oh - no - she can't make that stuff either - she's got the cold too. COUGH COUGH. You think my hacking is bad - nothin' compared to the wife. Sounds like a seal farm at the igloo here.

Speakin' of igloo - the Great White came up with a warm spell the last couple 'a days. And, rain too. So - the great heaping mounds of fluffy white that was AHCOO lyin' around has melted down quite a bit. Bare roads even! The dog-sled is grinding on the pavement. There are a few communities 'round here that have been whalloped pretty good 'cause of all the rain and melting. Massive flooding. Some people have really really chilly indoor swimmin' holes in their basements.

But - we got more snow on the way - so it won't be too bare for much COUGH COUGH longer.

So - far as Christmas goes - it was great. The kid was up bright and early and came a'runnin' downstairs to check on the haul. The wife sauntered on down shortly thereafter. The deal was the kid couldn't officially "wake us up" until 7am. Last year - it was 4:30 or somethin' rediculous. Put a stop to that pretty quick. Anyway - I was up early and the kid came down shortly thereafter. 'Bout 6:30 - our 12 yr old son decided (miracously) to fire up the shower which, incidentally, is right beside the wife's and my rumpus room. (He asked if he could wake up mom - I said not till 7 - then he thought a shower would be a good idea. hehehe)

Then - the bathroom lights on and off while the pearly whites are gettin' their morning brushing. (No, no - he wasnt COUGH COUGH trying to wake up mom or anything. Goodness, no.)

Finally - the whole fam is up and the cinnamon rolls are toastin' up in the hotbox. Every Christmas - cinnamon buns drizzled with icing sugar and a cuppa tea. And, the unwrapping begins. COUGH COUGH. AHCHOO. Gotta run for more tissues - be right back.

K - I am back.

Scrubbie's fam was Christmas day. The whole looney bunch. The whacky auntie from Florida. The auntie from Brantford (who - by the way - is totally in tune with Scrubbie - if she gets a cut on her finger - mine hurts. I can often call her and ask what she has done to her knee cause mine is aching. Freaky, huh)

Then, it was the out-laws turn on Boxing Day. Scrubbie did a traditional Christmas feast of turkey and the fixins for the gang. Good times.

Hurricane Rona and her boys were a part of the mix too. Got together with them yesterday to have a little gift exchange and a meal. Took all the kids COUGH COUGH to go and see Mr. Jim Carrey in YES MAN. Apart from the fact that it was really packed in the movie house and Scrubbie had to sit way up front in the second row and has a creaky neck today... it was funny funny. AHCHOO.

I did a little photo thingy with Hurricane's boys as a Christmas gift for the 'ol girl. Wanna see?

There ya go. They're good kids.

COUGH COUGH.

Sorry 'bout that.

The wife hates Buckley's. Won't even consider taking it. Can you believe it? I know, I know - it tastes awful. But, it works. Hey - sounds like a tag line, doesn't it?

COUGH.

Oh - did I mention that the wife, the kid and I along with Hurricane and her boys are all doing a bit of volunteer work on New Years Day? Yep - we are serving a hot lunch to the homeless. Well - homeless, less fortunate... whatever. But - should be good. The kid - old enough to get in there and participate, so thought it was a good idea to get some voluteering up and runnin' for the fam. One of those "together" moments.

New Years Eve - Hurricane and the kids are comin' to Scrubbie's igloo for some festivities. We'll go and see the Christmas Light display at our local community park (Waterloo Park festival of lights - for all you googler's) COUGH COUGH. Then, back to the pad for some food and cocktails. Fancy drinks for the kids featuring swords and cherries. Sparkin' grape juice at midnight. Ya know how it is when you got little Scrubs runnin' around the place.

Tonight - the wife and I are in jammies. COUGH COUGH. Sharing a box of tissues. Hot tea in hand. TV. The kid - he and Bing (of Bing and Bong fame) are crashing out in the engine room here. Video games. Tunes. Popcorn. Whale Blubber popsicles. Ya know - real good Canadian treats.

And - there ya go. The whole low-down.

COUGH COUGH.

Alright kids - gotta run. COUGH. All this typing has really made Scrubbie's throat sore - cant type anymore. Catch ya'll later though.

AHCHOO.

Remember - Scrubbie loves ya. *grin.

Merry Christmas

No naked guy. No icky people. No complaints about other drivers. Not even commentary on the whackball family. Nope - not tonight.

Instead - Hopin' ya'll have a really Scrubbie Christmas! It is a special time of year at the Scrubbie pad and the whole Scrubbie fam wishes you and yours the very best.

Cheers - Scrub

PS - knowing that for the next 48 hours or so I will be neck deep in family both local and from afar - me and my valium will be reporting back soon on the events. Gotta make sure the 'ol Duracells are charged and ready for the camera. This is gonna be a doozie. Wish me luck.

PPS - thank Gawd for Happy Pills

PPPS - just realized I said I wasn't gonna do any family digs and I just did. Sheesh - cant stop myself.

PPPPS - for all you internationals who love Canadians... Merry Christmas, eh.

PPPPPS - all these P's are makin' me gotta go wee. Gotta go. Wee. Seriously. Gotta go.

You won't believe me... but it's true.

I am a mean, horrible and terrible person.

Now, now - I know you can't believe that. You have come to know me as nothing short of a saint. But, you see, there is a dark side as well. Allow me to explain.

In my 42 years of life here on this planet - there have been many incidents that have lead me to the shocking statement just made. More on that in a moment...

First: Snow, snow, snow. No, I am not singing that famous song from the train scene from Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS. I am referring to the plethora of fluffy white that is gracing our fair countryside here in the Great White. (In honour of my Bro-In-Law, JR - I am talking about the storms. He LOVES talking about storms.) We had a whollop of a storm the day before yesterday. 19 centimeters of the stuff floated down from heaven. Today, another one. And yet another on it's way for Christmas Eve. Kids - that is a lot of shovelling.

And - I gotta hitch up the dogs to the sled and make my way to the Big City - Toronto - today. Hurricane Rona's two youngsters are comin' in via the train today into Toronto and Scrubbie here is afraid for their lives should Hurricane try to make the trek herself. So, Scrub's gonna take Hurricane up there to retrieve the punks.

Second: Christmas shopping. Yep - we celebrate Christmas. Not "Holiday Seasons" - Christmas. Sheesh. The shopping - done. To all Scrubbie's family and friends - if it ain't bought now - you ain't gettin' it. Simple as that. Besides, most of the retail stores here in the Great White - including the ones in our fair community here - don't take buttons in exchange for items. They all want cash. Hmph.

Now - back to Mean, Horrible and Terrible.

As a youngster - I tore the wings off flies.

I have used a magnifying glass with the power of the sun to see what would happen to an ant.

I have fed beer to the dog.

I blamed broken lamps on my brother.

I was involved with an incident at home where 32 gallons of water and a whole tank full of fish came crashing down onto the living room floor. My poor mother.

I have lied.

Cheated.

Stolen.

Smoked silly stuff.

Drank underage.

Pre-marital carnal relations. Naturally.

Tried to teach my young child that the big red truck that goes whizzing by when there is a fire somewhere is called a Kitty-Kat - imagining how funny that would be when he hits kindergarten.

Yes - I have basically broken every rule there is. The ten commandments - more of a challenge, really.

And, since hitting the tender age of 40 - have decided that I don't really like people. They generally drive me nuts. (Let's face it - when you go out shopping and such - don't ya just look around and wonder how on earth some of those whack-balls survive on a daily basis? Some of them MUST need a reminder just to breathe.)

But - what really takes the cake... what is the cherry on top... what is the definitive reason that your beloved Scrubbie, whose fabulous pectoral muscles are the envy of all, is really and truly a most horrible, terrible and just plain 'ol nasty example of the human race
...













Fillings for Christmas.

Yep - Scrubbie took the kid to the dentist at Christmas time.

giggle, giggle.

Grab yer pencils and start jotting this down...

With just a few minutes to spare 'fore headin' out into the tundra to take the kid to Monday night Soccer - thought I throw a few letters up on the good 'ol Scrubbie board to say hey.

Nope - have not done the recipe pages yet - but here's something to get you started:

English Toffee

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of butter - not margarine - BUTTER. Real, deelishush, fattening, creamy butter. Combine that with 3 and 1/3 cup of white sugar - not Splenda - real, deelishush... well, you get the idea. Medium to med/high heat should do 'er. Stir. Stir some more. Once all melted, drop in a tablespoon of corn syrup and 3 tablespoons of water. Stir like a witch on halloween night. Keep stirrin'. Get that puppy bubblin'. Watch it start to turn golden. Frothy. More golden. Feel your mouth start to water. Be sure to hum or sing somethin' happy while doing this or it wont turn out. Honest. Now - somewhere in that drawer filled with those weird utensils you hardly ever use but wouldnt throw out has to be a candy thermometer. Keep diggin' - it's in there. Good. Now - make sure you keep this batch of golden goodness goin' till it hits 300 degrees. Not 299. 300. Throw a sheet of parchment paper in a cookie tray. Then real careful like - pour out this sugary goodness onto that tray. Ya - that's it. Oh ya baby. Use a spatula to get out every last bit of ooze. (Note - you dont really NEED a spatula - but by using it - you get to have your first taste of the toffee cause it hardens and cools on the spatula REAL QUICK) Let 'er sit for a while. A good while. It needs to cool and harden. Then - crack that sheet of heaven up into delish shards. Go ahead. DO IT.

Now - if you not on the naughty list yet - melt some chocolate and just dip some of those shards into that chocolate. You know you want to.

I know - I know - this is too good to be true. But, have I ever lead you astray? No. Of course not.

Damn - just talkin about it... Scrubbie needs a cold shower.

Gotta run boys and girls. The kid's gotta be on the field in half an hour. Later gater.