Test your resolve

Definition of a resolution: “A firm decision to do or not to do something”.

I love the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve as the race towards Christmas is over and we now have a new year to look forward to. What do we want to accomplish in the new year? What do we want to do more of and what did not work in the year gone by?

I will be reading 52 books in the next 52 weeks and here are some that are based on a one year challenge.

Remember the book “Julie and Julia” by Julie Powell. Julie decided to cook every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Childs’ cook book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and that she wanted to do it in one year. It became a bestselling book and also a major motion movie starring Meryl Streep as Julia Childs. Documenting the journey became Julie Powell’s way of doing something that she was in control of.

The following are all ideas that eventually became bestselling books:

“The 100-mile Diet, a year of local eating” by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon is a book about a couple who decided to only eat food that was grown within 100 miles of where they lived. They documented the successes and the challenges that resulted from this and wrote a book about the experiment.

“Not Buying It” by Judith Levine is a book about not spending anything for a year except necessities. The rules were to only spend money on things like food, utilities and toiletries. They renewed their library card before starting and borrowing books and movies became a much loved activity. Gifts were home made, they cancelled the cable and were grateful when company brought wine for dinner. They lost weight, saved money and really got a renewed appreciation of the thrill of buying new socks and a new book once the year has passed.

“So we sold our house and ran away to the South Pacific” by Gordon Cope – also a one year dream/challenge. Mr. Cope and his wife quit their jobs in Calgary and sold their house in order to live in the South Pacific for a year. This was followed up by spending a year in France and England which also turned into books.

“365 Nights: A Memoir Of Intimacy” by Charla Muller. On the eve of her husband’s birthday, Charla told him that his present was going to be sex with her every day for a year. “I never wanted him to look back and ask himself: "Now, what was it Charla bought me for my 40th?" she says. When I came up with the idea of daily sex for a year, I thought I'd hit the jackpot. What man wouldn't think that was the best present ever?

So maybe I will combine all of the above, cook more, continue to support the local economy, travel and have more sex! Sounds like a great beginning to 2012 to me! Happy New Year!

Sometimes it’s hard to be Merry!

When I look at the calendar I know it is Christmas soon but this year I am
having a hard time getting in the mood. I love the idea of Christmas but I feel that every year we get further and further away from the true meaning of Christmas. I only feel annoyance when I try to negotiate the jam packed aisles in the stores and if I hear 'Jingle Bells" one more time I might cry.

How much can we possibly cram into December? In addition to going to work and taking kids to regularly scheduled activities there are now also Christmas concerts in every child's grade, baking, gift shopping and wrapping, company parties for you and your spouse and tree decorating. Some people even manage to write Christmas cards to everyone they know and to mail parcels to faraway lands.

All I want for Christmas is for my family to be together, to have turkey and to get the almond hidden in the Danish rice pudding that we have for dessert. That’s it, that’s all I want…. and world peace of course!

I will put up a tree today that my friend guilted me into buying last night and I will decorate it today with my daughter’s help. I will buy gifts for everyone but really on the inside I feel for and pray for all the people I know who are just trying to get through this time of year.

Several people with financial problems, a former tenant who broke her back when she slipped in the bath tub, a neighbor battling cancer and a friend trying to decide if she should leave her husband or stay for the sake of the kids.

This year I will make an effort to get to Church for a Christmas service (I am also very annoyed that it is not called Christmas anymore, don’t wish me a happy holiday o.k. - its CHRISTMAS) and maybe I will find what I am looking for there.

I will count my blessings on Christmas Eve and be grateful for all the things that are not for sale like LOVE, FRIENDS, HEALTH and FAMILY.

Keeping my money in Canada - update

Yesterday I went shopping at “Roots” with a friend who shops there every Christmas as she has started a tradition of sending clothing from this Canadian brand store to her family in the States. I was impressed by her commitment to promoting Canadian products which is something I really believe in.

While my friend shopped I looked around and tried to find an item actually made in Canada but eventually I had to give up. I was approached by a very friendly clerk and I asked her questions about the products in the store. She told me that nothing is the store was actually made in Canada any longer which I found to be such an irony. Here is a store that only sells Canadian brand items and nothing is actually made here!

I now always ask the question “where is this made?” and have found a lot of surprises along the way. I have found tooth paste, deodorant and shampoo which is made in Canada and I have now switch to these brands.

I bought a coat for my son which proudly displayed the Canadian flag but upon closer inspection I found that the coat was designed in Canada but not made here. He also needed a couple of undershirts and they were made in Canada by Stanfield's in Nova Scotia.

I found carpet at Home Depot which was made in Canada and it was on sale at a really great price.

I spent a lot of time at Fruits & Passion which is a fragrance and body care company with stores in most malls throughout Canada.

So this year everyone on my list will be getting Stanfield's underwear and Fruits & Passion body care items for Christmas and my money will stay in Canada!

Teach your kids to cook

Fake Lasagne

This recipe only requires 10 minutes of preparation and then into the oven it goes for 50 minutes. This gives you lots of time to get settled at home after work, help the kids with homework or just put your feet up and wait for the timer to announce that dinner is ready. I usually serve this with a salad or bread.

This is also one of the first recipes my teen-agers learned to cook as it is easy and the results are very impressive. Don’t forget to teach your kids to cook and get comfortable in the kitchen. Turning groceries into a meal is a very important life lesson.

Cost of this meal is about $12 and there is plenty for 5 people (cost of fast food for a family of 5 - $38)

675g lean ground beef
1 small onion
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup salsa
½ cup each of grated cheddar cheese and grated mozzarella cheese
12 pieces of oven ready lasagne noodles
2/3 cup of water
More cheese as topping

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Brown meat in a tablespoon of Canola oil at medium heat and add the chopped onion. Brown for a few minutes until meat is no longer pink. Add the can of chilies, the soup, salsa and cheeses and stir until well blended.

Layer in a rectangular lasagne pan in this order, 1/3 lasagne noodles and 1/3 sauce. Do this 2 more times. Drizzle water all over and top with more grated cheese if you wish.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in hot oven. Set timer for 50 minutes. When done, take it out of the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

You can contact me at ullameredith@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions.

Buying Canadian made when possible

It takes awhile to get used to asking the question “is this made in Canada”? and I forgot several times and only thought of it after I had left the store.

I was sitting at the Quick Lube in Okotoks when I remembered my Canada First commitment and asked the guy if this was a Canadian or an American franchise. To my surprise it was not only a Canadian owned business but not a franchise. The oil filter was made in Mexico and the attendant didn’t know where the oil came from but I certainly hope that it is local! How much of the oil from the Fort McMurray area stays in Canada and how much is exported? I don’t know anything about engine oil but considering how many vehicles are on the roads there must be a lot of oil changes happening every day. Is there an engine oil on the market with local oil and how would I know? Maybe we should develop a brand of engine oil called “Canada First Lube” so there will be no guessing where it is from.

A lot of my groceries are already fairly local but wanted to check out some of the other items we use on a regular basis. I found we have two kinds of tooth paste in the house, one made in Canada and one made in the US. The same goes for deodorant and shampoo, Canadian made products are easy to find you just have to get used to pick up an item and look at the label to see where it is made. I didn’t experience any problems with quality so I will continue to choose Canadian made when I can.

Would it hurt our economy if we all started to buy Canadian when possible? Do we sell a lot more to the United States than we import? Considering the difference in the size of our countries I guess it would be logical to assume that we sell more than we import but is that true?

I also purchased four new tires last week but I don’t think they are made in Canada but I bought them at Canadian Tire – does that count?

If you have answers to my questions, please e-mail me at ullameredith@gmail.com

Canada First!

I have been trying to be a locavore for awhile now and I guess the desire to eat and shop locally is now expanding into trying to support our economy. Maybe it is just a natural progression to expand the local from my community to my country.

Definition of a locavore: “Someone who exclusively (or at least primarily) eats foods from their local or regional foodshed or a determined radius from their home (commonly either 100 or 250 miles, depending on location). By eating locally, most locavores hope to create a greater connection between themselves and their food sources, resist industrialized and processed foods, and support their local economy. The majority of locavores do not give themselves a strict radius from which to eat, but instead buy as much of their food as they can from farmers, growers, and sellers with whom they have a relationship or whose growing or producing practices appeal they want to support.
Many locavores give themselves several exceptions to their local diet. Commonly excluded items include coffee, chocolate, salt, and/or spices - although locavores tend to try and find local coffee roasters, chocolate producers, and spice importers when they can”.

That is the starting point of thoughtful consumption – to buy local when I can.

I chose local food for freshness reasons but I also shop locally because it sustains the town I live in. I have been reading about Darren Barefoot who is spending a year living Canadian – he buys, eats and consume only Canadian products and services which I think is fascinating as I can see the potential for developing more Canadian products. Thoughtful Consumption means thinking of the origin of the product before buying it and trying to source a local item instead.

What if we had a pool of one million people who were committed to buying Canadian products first? Maybe more companies would be interested in trying to develop and launch products if there was a ready and willing pool of customers and an easy way to contact them. Imagine a registry of Canada First consumers, how about it? Every grocery store would have a local section with all the products kept together to make it easier for the consumer to find the products. If the demand is there the retailer will participate.

So while I wait for one million “Canada First” consumers to sign up on my blog I will try to live as Canadian as I can for the next month.

I will only listen to Canadian music which shouldn’t be difficult as I have all of Leonard Cohen’s music on my i-pod. I also love Jann Arden and Paul Brandt and there is a long list of Canadian artists like Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Sarah McLachlan.

Canadian Television is harder to find but I love HGTV and there are several Canadian hosts like Mike Holmes and Debbie Travis. I can watch Canadian news, cooking shows with Michael Smith and Linda Olson, Rick Mercer Report and of course there is my beloved CBC Radio.

Canadian authors are plentiful and maybe I will discover new authors just because they are local.

I have already sourced lots of local food and I can get red and white wine from Creston, BC. There is lots of local beer in Calgary and I especially love Wild Rose Brewery and they have great food too.

First challenge will be tires for my car – are there any still made in Canada?

The Wealthy Barber Returns

I read David Chilton’s first book “The Wealthy Barber” several years ago and I loved his story with the simple message that you must pay yourself first. YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SAVE 10% OF WHAT YOU EARN - it must be a priority and be the first thing you do when you get paid.

Mr. Chilton’s second book “The Wealthy Barber Returns” is now out and I just finished reading it and it is very good. I found it very informative and I love the humor he injects into this serious financial subject. He starts out by saying that the reason it is so difficult to save is because no one really wants you to which is very true. Almost everyone wants you to spend as much as possible. Your kids, your friends who have weddings in Mexico (remember when everyone’s reception was in a community hall?)” and even real estate agents and mortgage brokers will always ask you how much you qualify for, as if that should determine how much house you buy.

One of the biggest threats to our financial well being is the easy access to lines of credit which are secured by our homes. It undermines our finances as we continue to spend and will never get our home paid off. This becomes an issue later when we start to contemplate working less which we won’t be able to afford, as we now have to pay off the line of credit when we sell the house.

He continues to say that “we want what we already have” but now newer, bigger and fancier which means we will never be satisfied – think houses, cars, appliances, televisions.

Keeping up with the Joneses used to mean that everyone in the same neighborhood wanted the same things. Nowadays friendships are less likely to be anchored in neighborhoods as your friends come from a larger circle like the gym, work, kids school etc. We’re now exposed to the spending habits of people across a much wider income range. We hitch rides in their fancy cars, we marvel at their exotic vacations and are in awe of their son's new $500 hockey stick. It’s hard to overstate the impact that our ‘reference group’ have on our spending decisions. Their lifestyles intoxicate us and with easy credit available it leads us to act richer than we are.

Mr. Chilton suggests that “it’s cheaper to drag your friends down to your level than for you to raise to theirs”. Try saying “I can’t afford it” more often and you might find your friends quickly agreeing that they can’t either!