Tales from a Charity Bake Sale Kitchen!

I am not Suzy Home Maker! Those who know me well know this as a fact and for those who don’t…well I guess you do now. My Mom could very well change her name to Suzy. She seems SO organized in the kitchen, somehow when she is done it is cleaner than when she began. (That whole cleaning as you go thing hasn’t quite registered for me).

Strangely I do enjoy my time in the kitchen, I am not as hopeless as I sound (as long as I am not rushed and preferably am alone). I feel confident having company for dinner and them not leaving hungry, and my husband has certainly not lost weight since we united in marriage (sorry Seb). I can cook and bake (and I’d like to say I’m not bad at it), but it just isn’t always pretty (and my surroundings when I am complete, also not pretty). I can make a delicious cake and have my guest laugh at the outside beauty. Why are people so judgmental anyway?

So Holland Home Leisure is hosting a bake sale and all of the Suzy Home Makers of the staff filled the sign up sheet in record time. Relatives (also named Suzy), and friends also quickly joined the pack. So what do I do? Pretend to those around me, that I too am a Suzy.

They will not be there to witness the head to toe icing, the chocolate on the walls, and the stress in my eyes. I warned my husband to stay clear, unless I quickly decided I needed his help, he then may be in trouble for being so far away, and I prepared to impress those who know me well with my baking ability, and was determined to raise money for a great cause!

I baked until 11:30pm last night, making 12 quarts of Caramel popcorn which tastes and looks wonderful, and is wrapped up in pretty bags with ribbon. On my way to being a Suzy!

This morning, I awoke to my biggest challenge, 30 cupcakes and mini cakes …oh boy!

I dug through the cupboards and found “the gun”! The item I unwrapped at my Bridal shower not having a clue what it was (insert awkward thank you and minimal eye contact) from the long lost relative who clearly is not aware my name is Liana and not Suzy. Well, I was about to find out the use of the weapon, an icing distributor (yes, I made up the name). I had not applied icing in any other manner than a knife, and it had never been that good looking, so I was a little nervous to say the least.

The actual baking portion went very smooth, no serious splatters with the beaters, only a small amount of chocolate on the walls, nothing that couldn’t be easily wiped down. I took them out and let them cool and then literally stood there and stared at them for 5 minutes pondering my next move, and then I took another 10 minutes trying to assemble the so called icing distributor and put icing inside of it. Phew, I am ready to frost…but how?

One of my first attempts!

Two hours later (a few grumbles about Suzy), and I stood back and took in my glorious masterpieces. OK, that may be stretching the truth… but I bet you anything my Momma will be proud! I feel great for being able to support such a good cause, and maybe set the bar for future attempts at operating the icing gun/distributor (haven’t decided which name I like better).

I think I got the swirl down!

Thank you to all of my fellow staff members and friends and relatives who showed off there baking ability to support our Splash for CF bake sale! Everything looks great (cakes, breads, squares, brownies, cookies, rice krispie squares, cupcakes and much more) and it is making me hungry just looking at it all!

See you all tomorrow, bright and early at the County Fair Mall!

Talk soon,

Liana (middle name temporarily Suzy) vandenHof-Rhodenizer

Homemade Strawberry-lime Popsicle

Who else can barely believe it is the end of July? This summer is flying by! HHL is preparing for August, which includes our end of the Season Sale August 19^th and 20^th! It feels like all of the pools just opened, so here’s hoping everyone is still swimming in September! We had our mid-summer marketing meeting today, and I am excited for some changes at HHL coming this fall. So, keep your eye out for a new website, social media upgrades and some fun promotions!

Thought I would share an awesome recipe for homemade popsicles, we made them in our new Zoku Quick Pop maker (yes, I caved and bought it!), but they can be made in any popsicle mold that you have! We had them for desert and it was nice, light and refreshing, and it was great to know exactly which ingredients were used!

Blend the following (until liquid)

1 ½ cups fresh strawberries (hulled and sliced)

3 tbsp sugar (amount depends on how sweet the berries already are)

1 tsp or slightly more of lime zest

½ cup water

We layered them with pink lemonade. Pour strawberry mixture a 1/3 of the way up the mold, freeze fully, and then pour lemonade to the 2/3 mark. Freeze that portion fully and then fill the mold with the strawberry mixture.

The quick pop maker freezes the popsicles in less than 10 min, so it is much easier to do the layered effect. If you find it too time consuming to layer, make some all-strawberry and some all pink lemonade if you wish! Who says you can’t eat two?

They were by far the best fruit popsicles I have ever had! So fresh and full of flavor! The lime zest gave it a great kick and they smelled delightful! What a fun project to do with the kids. See how long the layers take to freeze, do certain types of liquids freeze faster than others?

Look closely to see the layers, next time we will have to use two drastically different colours!

Enjoy a nice cool treat on a hot day! Let me know how yours turned out, and if you know any other great flavors I should try!!

Talk soon,

Liana vandenHof-Rhodenizer

Hot Hot Hot

With the weather we have all been dreaming for now upon us, of course we are all complaining about being too warm! I guess it is impossible for us to stay 100% satisfied for any amount of time!

For those of us lucky enough to beat the heat in AC during the work day, we complain about being inside and missing out on the sun! For those who are in the heat all day long (Such as our AWESOME crew members), they are delighted to walk into the nice cool store after their long days.

During our time off we must be creative with how we stay cool! Swimming, running through the sprinklers, coming to work slightly early to enjoy the AC, grocery shopping the frozen food’s isle and my favorite, enjoying a nice “cool treat”!

Here at HHL it is common for us to decide as a group to have a slushie day, iced capp day, and anything else that is not only tasty but cool (Mind you Brian has expanded this to include poutine days- we will miss his great influences in food choice!).

Has anyone heard of the new Zuko homemade Popsicle makers? I am beyond tempted to purchase one, and my daughter and husband are not holding me back! They have so many awesome recipes both in their book and on their website and the unit itself freezes the “pops” in less than 10 minutes! How handy is that? Plus they give you directions on how you can make picture perfect pops so you can show off to all of your summer company! Check it out http://www.zokuhome.com/pages/products-quickpop-maker

So, we are very sad to say this is Brian’s last week here at HHL, no more poutine days for us! As much as we would all love him to stay, we can’t very well hold him back from Med School, can we? Congratulation’s Brian, we will miss you and please don’t forget about your HHL family! We will remember your amazing sense of humor, hard work ethic and your positive attitude daily! Good luck with all that is to come!

Talk soon and stay cool!!

-Liana vandenHof-Rhodenizer

P.S. Remember we are doing all of your baking for you this week, so come see us at the County Fair Mall this Saturday at 9am, and support the Splash for CF Bake Sale!

Holland Home Leisure’s Splash for CF Yard Sale!

The Holland Home Leisure staff, families, and friends have been digging through their closets, attics, basements, and garages and donating lots of wonderful items to be sold at:

Holland Home Leisure’s Splash for CF Yard Sale!

Sunday August 21, 2011 starting at 9:00am

 8794 Commercial Street, New Minas

Calling all Yard Sale Gurus!

Come on out and have a look at all of the gently used items to see what treasures you may find to purchase! The proceeds from the sales of all of these items will go to the Splash for CF (cystic fibrosis) Campaign.

For anyone who would like to rent a table and sell your own treasures, tables may be rented for $10 each.  All proceeds from table rentals go to Splash for CF. Call us at 681-3030 to book your table today (ask for Cathy or Katie, or email cathy@hollandhomeleisure.com!

To learn more about the Splash for CF Campaign click on the link: http://splashforcfca.ning.com/

So, if you are looking for the perfect location to have an end of the season yard sale, call us today and book your table! Raffle tickets will also be on sale for the stained glass bench! One ticket for $2.00, or three tickets for $5.00!

Thank you Cathy for organizing this event with the help of the Splash for CF Fundraising Team!

See you all there,

Liana vandenHof-Rhodenizer

Environmental Factors of Pool Care:

  Now that we are into the thick of the pool season again, I thought it would be a good idea to go over some commonly unknown environmental issues that effect pool users. The chemistry, filtration and circulation of the pool are all equally important in maintaining a safe, healthy and enjoyable pool experience and you’ve got those mastered with a little help from your friends at HHL. Now it’s five o-clock on a Saturday, you’ve done everything right; you’ve shocked the pool a few days ago, you keep your chlorine/bromine loaded in the pool and you are on a weekly algaecide of some kind, but the pool has gone cloudy! You have guests coming in a couple hours for a BBQ and you don’t know what you’ve done wrong. Do the pool gods hate you? No, but sometimes ‘Mother Nature’ has some surprises in store for you and your pool.

Rain and Thunderstorms:

The most common of the environmental contaminants that effects all out-door pool owners is the addition of rain water to the pool. Rain water has many negative effects on the chemistry of your pool water. Let’s start with the pH and total alkalinity: The pH of the rain we tend to get here in the Maritimes is quite low, meaning the water tends to be more acidic in nature. Acid rain will constantly drive down both the pools pH and its total alkalinity which can cause inefficient sanitization of the water, itchy skin and overall discomfort for those who use the pool, as well as wearing out your pool equipment years before it should. Rain water contamination is usually something we can fix up without any trouble, just bring in your 1 liter water sample to either of our locations and we can adjust the pH and TA very easily. The most important thing to remember when you consider the rains effect, is that it is cumulative, meaning the more it rains and the longer you put off balancing the pool, the worse it is going to get. Holland Home Leisure recommends bringing in a sample monthly, or after any sustained heavy rainfall.

Thunderstorms, like normal rainfall also tend to significantly drop the pools pH and total alkalinity, and this should be dealt with as described above. However, thunderstorms also introduce large amounts of nitrogen gas into the atmosphere that eventually falls to the ground (and into your clear pool!) Nitrogen is a problem in pools because it and chlorine get along very well with each other. So well so, that the day after a storm the chlorine in the pool has been totally used up and now you don’t have any sanitizer left to fight off the bacteria and algae present in the pool. Many pool owners will usually wake up the next day to find a cloudy pool, but don’t worry, this also a fairly easily treated problem. To treat the pool after a thunderstorm all you have to do is shock/oxidize the water. Shocking the pool will release all of that nitrogen gas and used chlorine from the water, allowing the chlorine in the pool to once again do its job.

Dirt Pollen and Debris:

Another common contaminant pool owners will face is the introduction of dirt, pollen and organic debris that blow into the pool. Pollen, dirt and dust tend to either settle on the surface of the water, or end up as a fine dust at the bottom of the pool. For pools in high pollen areas clarifying products such as Kwik-Clear, Polysheen, Clarifying Tabs and Pool Refresh can be used to either aid the filter in removing the pollen through coagulation (making the pollen larger,) or by eating away at it with the use of an enzyme. These contaminants are impossible to fully remove from the water, but keeping on top of your pools maintenance (weekly brushing and vacuuming) will keep these in check and ensure your pool stays clear and enjoyable. 

Algae:

            If you ask any pool owner they will tell you that they have either had an algae bloom or, know of someone who has. The problem with algae is that it is always present in water and is impossible to eliminate fully. Algae spores can also travel through the air and be introduced from water that hasn’t come in contact with the pool. Small amounts of algae diluted throughout a pool is not a problem, it is when the algae blooms, or attaches itself to a surface that it becomes an issue. On a hot day it takes a matter of a few hours for algae to bloom if there isn’t any chlorine/bromine present to fight it. To prevent algae growth in your pool make sure that you are keeping your chlorine levels at 1-3 ppm (or bromine levels at 2-4 ppm,) at all times, shock your pool weekly, and use a weekly algaecide like Banish. If you are on the Synergy System make sure that you are keeping your initiator at the proper level. Weekly pool brushing will also keep the algae from forming colonies on the surfaces of your pool. To treat for algae blooms drop off a water sample to Holland Home Leisure and we will instruct you on how to proceed.

-Craig M.

Holland Home Leisure

Thank you Craig for giving us some great pointers on pool care! Craig is one of our chemistry experts here at HHL and has worked full time in both locations! -Liana Rhodenizer

A great Saturday!

I had the pleasure of selling a hot tub to a great couple on Saturday! They seemed so excited to be adding a hot tub to their daily lives, they came in prepared and asked all of the right questions. I could tell they had done their research at home and had a great idea of exactly what they were looking for in a tub.

           

They made it very clear to me that this tub was for them, as a couple, something I always encourage while doing a presentation. They wanted their dream tub, their time away from a busy life, and they had been dreaming about it for years. Their two teenagers sat quietly and talked amongst themselves about how excited they were, and hoped in and out of the models picking their favorite (which they ended up gettingJ)! The couple sat in all of the models on the floor, and in each one closed their eyes and pictured how it would feel after a long days work. They picked their favorite seats and made their decision based on comfort and versatility.

By the end of the presentation, I was excited for them! I could tell this was a huge decision for them and they left 100% confident they picked the right one! They came back later in the day and told me they were getting dressed up and going out to dinner and wine tasting to celebrate and to thank me again for all my help.

I can not wait for their delivery date and to hear all about their 1^st soak in their new Beachcomber Hot Tub.

I left work smiling, it was so great to see a family leave so happy and excited for their purchase. Naturally, I too had to go out for supper to celebrate!

Talk soon guys,

Liana vandenHof-Rhodenizer

P.S. Don't forget about the Splash for CF Bake Sale on July 30th at the County Fair Mall!

Water Workouts

So everyone has heard that swimming is a great way to exercise, but who knew that you can get bathing suit ready while wearing a bathing suit! Online there are some great sites to show you simple and easy water work outs that take 20 minutes or less!

If you are anything like me, working out is something of a chore, so being able to do it outside while staying cool in the water is right up my alley!

Here are a few simple activities you can try in the pool that won’t take all day and can be lots of fun! Teach the kids a few moves and it will almost seem like more fun than work!

Water Squats: Well we all know squats are the furthest thing from fun, but the water alternative definitely seems more appealing to me. I never have been a fan of squatting in a public gym! J Basic rules apply to the water: knees hip distance apart and behind the toes. Act like you are sitting down. Now for the fun part…standing back up! The water resistance will not only make it more of a challenge but also more beneficial (make sure to clench those bum muscles when you stand back up, charming I know). To make this more fun, try to jump up and raise your arms at the same time. I can’t guarantee this will look graceful and coordinated but it will be well worth the effort!

Water Jogging is actually done best where you can not reach the bottom. Bring out a flutter board far enough that you just can’t reach. Then jog on the spot with your feet never actually touching. No harsh weight on your knees and ankles and all of the same benefit!

There are many ways to do stretching and strength building exercises in the pool. You can incorporate your favorite standing yoga poses and try them in the water. You can also use the side of the pool for support and do leg lifts. Try holding yourself up with your arms on the side of the pool and kicking!

Enjoy your water workouts! Involve the family, and get the exercise you need while having fun!

Talk soon guys,

-Liana vandenHof-Rhondenizer

Lifting kids also equals a great workout!

Raffle and Bake Sale Details!

Drop into either Holland Home Leisure location and show your support for Cystic Fibrosis. We are giving away a beautiful concrete stained glass bench in a raffle, with all proceeds going to Splash for CF! The draw for the bench will be made on September 6^th, 2011 and the tickets are $2 a piece or three tickets for $5 dollars! WOW, that’s a great deal for a bench that retails for over $275.

Holland Home Leisure’s staff and their friends and family will be busy baking in the hottest month of the year so you don’t have to! We are hosting a Bake Sale on July 30^th at the County Fair Mall in New Minas from 9am-1pm! We hope to see you there to support Splash for CF and to get some yummy treats! Thank you so much for all of our wonderful volunteers once again! Tickets for the raffle will also be   available for sale during the bake sale! 

YUMMY!

Hope to see you all soon,

Liana vandenHof-Rhondenizer

Keeping Active!!

All of those with children that are now spending their days home from school are well aware of the bored look that comes across their children’s faces in those summer months! Even though it seems there is so much more to do in the summer with the nice weather that has finally arrived, those dreary faces still appear. It amazes me that no matter how many activities you have planned for the day, or whether or not you have gone on a fun outing for the afternoon the second you come in the door there it is, “what can I do Mom?” Finally, I understand Mom the annoyance you endured! My little one is pretty good at entertaining herself mind you, but you must first come up with the idea, and she very well may not pick your first option for entertainment!

So her weekly day at Nan and Papa’s rolls around and instead of the look of boredom they receive the puppy dog face and a polite plea on who will watch her in the pool!

I have recently seen a commercial on TV reminding parents that their children need 60 minutes of physical activity a day! Even though this is information I have always known, I feel like I considered all of the running, jumping and scurrying around to be added up to equal 60 minutes. Now that my little one is getting older, I thought deeper about the concept of a more organized activity being more appropriate during the day.

 I am the type of mom who will eagerly sit down and paint, draw, play with play dough and other various crafts, but I am not always the first one to jump up and encourage throwing or kicking a ball around the yard. (Most likely because this would require coordination that I have yet to develop!) So, there must be activities I can supervise, participate in and encourage…I have come up with a limited list: Walking, skipping rope (which surprisingly enough I can do), Frisbee, and swimming! Slim pickings I realize, so it looks like we will be making more than a weekly trip to the pool!

How are you keeping your kids active this summer??

FYI….Winter is all on you Dad! J I will have hot chocolate ready when you come in from the cold!

-Talk soon everyone!

Liana vandenHof-Rhodenizer

Long weekend or Vacation???

A beautiful weekend by the water was a perfect escape from reality during the July 1^st weekend. Since we have all been back to work for a few days the debate is in full swing…is a long weekend considered a vacation? During the summer in a pool business it sure feels like one!! What’s your opinion? Vacation or extended weekend?

Now that the week is in full swing, our long weekend is a thing of the past and what seems like a distant memory. With that being said, we created some wonderful memories and I thought I would share some of them with you.

Two nights away is a perfect weekend getaway, and we spent those two nights in a beautiful cottage right on the water in the South Shore. This is our second year going to the same cottage and I think it is a wonderful tradition we will most likely keep! Check out http://www.rosewoodonthecove.com/ to rent a beautiful cottage of your own! We spent our time reading, eating, swimming, eating and a wonderful day trip to Heritage Village in Lake Charlotte. Check out http://www.heritagevillage.ca/ for details! We try to always add in one museum or historic attraction to our getaways, and we are always looking for great hands on places to keep all ages entertained! Has anyone else been there? What are your favorite attractions in Nova Scotia?

We are back to work now and our events committee is busy planning the next Splash for CF fundraiser. Next on the list is a bake sale, and I am so happy to be a part of such great staff who are willing to volunteer their time to bake for a great cause! We are also in the middle of planning a raffle with a great giveaway! So stay tuned for details!

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends as much as I enjoyed mine!

-Liana vandenHof-Rhondenizer

Quick stop at Nan and Papa's Pool on the way home

P.S. Opinion’s posted in above blog are that of myself and do not reflect  the opinion of Holland Home Leisure.