me and my canon

building babies

2012-01-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

I love reading the paper - love the weekend Globe and Mail - I can't sit and read the whole thing in one session, but I like pouring through it on a Saturday/Sunday and catching up. I went to a conference in 2009 and met this guy who said the best thing he ever started doing was reading the paper every day. Now I tried to do that but I just can't keep up - the Globe is huge and I'm totally a slow reader - getting through the weekend one is enough... in any case... I tend to keep articles that I went to spend more time on and now I want to share one with you from Jan 7.

They profiled building babies - building better babies. I'm torn on what to think about this article. Wait, that's a lie. I think it is wrong. There it is. Wrong. But there is a piece of me on the fence about a few things.

What's the story - basically scientists can now profile DNA and take away elements that might (might) lead to disease or disability (disability only in the minds of some... what... what am I talking about - watch this video about autism - it is shocking and it has changed my mind about a lot of things) What this means is parents can get faulty parts of DNA removed so children don't get specific diseases, abnormalities, etc and at some point down the road - can work on things like height and all kinds of other things - engineering perfection - hardly - but it feels like that is the intent.

Tell us how you really feel - well... I kind of think all of the shit we are getting as humans is caused by us - and I mean human kind when I say us - no one wants a disease and no one sets out to get a disease - but we are consuming so much more - we are pumping harmful things into our environments - have these diseases always existed - likely not - have we caused some of them from the foods we eat and lifestyles that we live - I think, yes.

This has taken me ages to write tonight. I've come back to this post over and over again because I'm so - arg and rrrrrr and blah. Some will say this is prevention and prevention is what the medical system aims for - we want to stop things before they happen and again - no one wants to be sick, but I just don't feel good about this.

When I was given the chance to test if the guys had down syndrome or other chromosome diseases I said no - because I would love them no matter what. Now for parents who live with disease with their children they would likely love to take that away for their children and give them a "normal" life but my worry in this, that when we extract something from our DNA what are we doing - will we create something worse - I don't think we've done enough homework to understand what we are messing around with and maybe the scientists will say we have done enough homework.

I could go on and on about this, but I'm totally bagged and I feel like this deserves more of my brain cells to make a proper argument. Let me know what you think - I'm quite interested on the opinions around this.

I'll close with this - I feel like a better parent after watching just a minute of that damned Toddlers and Tiaras - what the hell is that - why is that popular - why are we sexualizing our children - WHY? SIGH!!!!!!

crepe fest-e-val

2012-01-25T01:25:00.000-08:00

That's about 60 crepes :)

And that's it folks - xo

Love to you!

oh the adventures

2012-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Prince George. It was super windy...

That is the snow being blown across the road - little did I know how much this exact spot in the road was going to play a role in my day.

PG was the same as always I had some errands to run and a meeting and then I turned around and came back. So in the photo you can see that the hill crests up ahead - so I'm driving back for another meeting and find this...

I'm looking at it as I come over the hill and then I see what I don't really want to see - someone inside. So I pull over and check on him. He looks okay and then he says help has been called he'll just wait by his car. So I'm like.. oh ok and I head back to my car. And then I see him crouching to get out of the wind because you see - this was the very same spot that I'd taken the picture in the morning showing how windy it was... so I get out again and say - hey - why don't you sit in my car. He finally agrees. He is freezing - his hands look like ice.

After about 15 minutes three cop cars show up - lights ablazin', one with sirens - and then he goes on his merry way. So while he is sitting in the car he tells me that he came over the crest of the hill touch the edge of a snow drift - and there was a big one on the road there and then with the wind it just flip his car on its roof. It was madness. He said that he slowed down. And then... while we are sitting there a Telus van comes up and he asks to use their phone because he wasn't sure if the first person that stopped and said they'd call 911 actually had and I had no cell service. So he hops into the telus truck and calls and as he does this a green mini van comes up to me and she is livid. She shouts at me - tell that idiot to slow down - he passed a bunch of us - as if I'm the freakin' police or something... and seriously - he isn't going to be driving anywhere fast now.... if he was speeding I'm sure he learned his lesson... I felt awful enough for the guy - his car is hooped and I honestly think if he hit that drift the right (wrong) way the wind would have tossed his little KIA...

Anyways - so that was my big adventure for the day.

And now... off to make crepes.

meeting

2012-01-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

I'm awaiting the start of meeting - shockingly I'm all ready for it.

So I'm working on catching up on some reading and came across this...

I am unspeakably affluent –
rich with ideas, with resources, with love.

There’s so little I need to consume —
and infinite ways to contribute.

I can be a philanthropist, without spending a dime.

I can raise my own brilliance barometer
simply by charging what I’m actually worth.

I just thought this was very great and had to share it with you!

We can all be great - we really can.

Temperature shift

2012-01-22T16:26:00.001-08:00

At lunch it was minus 10, at 3:30 it was minus 5 and now it is minus 1 - madness and just a few days ago it was minus a billion... stupid weather...

Now to figure out what to do for dinner and this evening... maybe cookies... we'll see if my helpers are up for it...

xo

update - helpers were completely uninterested in cookie making and since I'm still a bit under the weather I decided against it - I've finished three toques and plan to just keep working on them as I have time and clean up all the yarn - tomorrow is Monday... 16 days and counting tomorrow - 16 days - I can hardly believe it - carmen, how did you pack for your long trips.. ? anyone else have suggestions...

crochet recipe

2012-01-22T12:09:00.000-08:00

First - I know - they aren't called recipes - but my brain calls them recipes just the same.

I've decided to make toques with the yarn my grandmother never used. Hit a rough spot yesterday when I found a slipper she'd made - but never made the second one. A few tears... then moved on... there is piles of yarn - in every colour you can think of - so I'm making toques and if you want one - just let me know - you can post a note and I'll gladly make you one. I'm just going to keep making them and then drop them off to the homeless shelter or wherever...

Anyways... so I'm following the 'recipe' in the book I have and I get to a point in it that I'm thinking - gees - this is a big toque but maybe the edges get softened and it will all work out... sadly... no and so I finished this toque and have plans to now market them to the smart car people as car covers :) Let the laughter begin! Turns out that the 'recipe' is for giants - I took 20 stitches off and now have toques that fit my head - nearly finished the second one - I'll post it tonight... and seriously - if you want a toque - I'm totally into making one and mailing it to you -you'll be helping me celebrate my grandma's love of making stuff for other people and also helping me clean up since the yarn takes up a pile of space.

xo - love to you!

saturday

2012-01-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

Chest cold + plus fever = an afternoon of James Bond

Blah.

last night didn't happen

2012-01-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

I went for a run - and I kept on running. The best part of running is listening to my body go - hey - this feels pretty good - look how far you've come - it wasn't that long ago that I absolutely dreaded running and just wanted to find an excuse to not go. Last night I put in 8km - longest run in a while and then did TRX (what's TRX?) Actually I broke up the run - I did 5 km, TRX for 30 minutes and then another 3 km - I just didn't want to go home last night.

Sadly I pulled a muscle in my back last night, which I knew I'd done and will now ease off on back exercises for a while - definitely don't want to make that worse. On top of that I'm getting a chest infection - I've got this raspy sound when I exhale hard - it is gross, but I'm going to be just fine and need to remain upbeat and positive because nothing good comes from being sad and down.

Well I just needed a break from what I'm working on and I'll now get back to work - putting a bid package together. I'm thinking of just sending in - of course your event should be in Quesnel - you'd be stupid to run it anywhere else :) - ok not so much...

xo love to you!

a run

2012-01-19T17:03:00.001-08:00

Yep - I need a run - a long, run.

More tonight.

xo

Stay warm - it finally warmed up to minus 28 today... that's right - that's the "warmest" it got today... apparently a tropical heat wave will descend upon us next week - plus seven - too good to be true says me :)

for goodness sake

2012-01-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

First - brrrrrrrrrr - minus a billion continues...

Second - is government stupid? (ok - stop shouting yes) Why does government like to work on projects that are absolutely useless - why isn't more time spent on attending to the needs of important issues. When you think of Los Angeles - and granted - I'm pretty far removed from LA - I think of pollution issues, I think of drug and alcohol, homelessness, Hollywood, film making, gangs - plenty of things to keep politicians busy... but what is being worked on right now... and I have to thank my buddy Matt for telling me about this...

They have got a motion in place that requires... hold on... you might need to sit down so you don't fall down when you start laughing...

That Actors in adult movies will be required to wear condoms under an ordinance granted final approval yesterday in LA.

Why do they need to care...

Here's the logic...

That while major porn film companies test their employees every 30 days, that that simply isn't enough and they are trying to protect (literally) the workers. That this measure will reduce the many cases of HIV reported in the film industry - point of fact - the last case noted by major industry was in 2004.

Ok - so stop working on some bull shit non-issue - and who the hell is going to police that - is this some stupid employment plan - 'good morning evil angel productions, because of our new bylaw you are also required to have a rubber checker employee at every production, the employee will need to pass out rubbers and also make sure that the rubber is a secure position throughout the entire filming period - while this will cost you more money we don't care because you make gobs of money from all the porn lovers in the world and since we can't tax you more we are going to make you help our city and state by forcing you to employ more people'

GARBAGE!

Get back to work! If this is your top priority you must be the best city in the world and since you aren't - then you should really get your heads out of your asses and get back to issues that matter to the tax payers!

And for me - well this issue makes me think of plenty of other counter intuitive measures and issues that have come up over the years and hope that all politicians will look to this one example and say - hey maybe we should pick five priority projects and solve those problems - and then work on the next five and the next five and once we get to utopia we can start chasing the issue of porn employees not wrapping their junk with a trojan.

We must be the change! We must be the positive change!

omg

2012-01-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ok - I need to vent.

This morning didn't start out well... I slept really really poorly and nearly fell on the floor - multiple times... guess I was trying to walking around the house. Then Kyle wakes me up at 6 with - why are you sleeping on the couch... fine... so I'll stop sleeping on the couch... fine...

It is cold here - and I'm a big boob now and the cold just gets to me - I'm sitting nearly on a heater as I write this to you - so since the cold gets me I tell the kids to please get ready with all their winter stuff. Michael looks like he is ready for early fall with a little hoodie and some little gloves and Kyle doesn't get dressed at all - insert laughter - of course I wasn't really in a laughing mood this morning and so then I show them (again) where all the winter stuff is and then I dress Michael because he is pre-occupied with other things plus I keep getting - it can't be that cold - 'mmmoommmm' - right - I parked my vehicle inside last night - something I've NEVER done... NEVER... anyways - Michael is ready - I pack his snow pants so he can wear them after school and then Kyle wonders over and ... do you remember when Joey and Chandler got in a fight and Joey's retaliation was to put on all of Chandlers clothes - commando style - well that's kind of how Kyle looked plus he was wearing snowmobile goggles - awesome... and finally we leave the house and then I get this... -wow it is cold... gawd!

Anyways - I can sit here and laugh about it now but I really came on here this morning for was to complain about Tim Hortons - I needed to pick up some stuff at the top of the hill for the office and realized that nothing was open so I stopped and grabbed some tea at horny tim's and guess what... they are changing the sizes - so now you can get extra small (the old small), small (the old medium), medium (the old large), large (the old extra large) and extra large - the new 24 oz coffee... really - oh, and we aren't going to charge you more for the sizes (yet) but really - why do they need to do that - you can already get a refill for a reduced price - am I missing something - have the other coffee companies already done this and because I pretty much only go to horny tim's and starhumps that I just don't know any better... anyways - be forewarned - when you go to order your extra large steep tea double double you will be signing up for a lot more than you probably bargained for - :)

And now to do some work and prep for some fun stuff happening over the next two weeks!

Happy Monday :)

xo

ps. and no word of a lie Kyle's cough which finally left - came back, Michael wasn't feeling good and I took as much cold fx you can take to keep all the pool koodies off of me... stupid dumb pool water... I gave Kyle some herbal stuff to go to school with and am hoping that Michael will rebound... blah...

pardon?

2012-01-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Ok - so I flicked on the Golden Globes and have now flicked them back off - if Bridesmaids is up for any kind of awards I definitely DO NOT need to watch any further... that's ridiculous - if films from the previous year suck that bad they should go back previous years to see if there were other ones that were over looked...

sheesh!

the damned pool

2012-01-15T21:29:00.000-08:00

Since Bali is getting ever closer I figured I'd better get some swimming in and see if I remember what I'm supposed to do - I've been in the past year, but never really get to swim - not that I did tonight either, but we'll get to that.

So first of all, I test drove one of my new size 10 bathing suits and wanted to cry because it totally fit - I mean totally fit - freakin' hooray - it was actually baggy in spots, but I need it a 10 for the 'girls' - they need size 10 space... but seriously - ok - anyway - little excited... so I walk over to the pool - not the usual sprint and ease into the water as to not allow people to see me - I took my time with the guys and then we played and went from the bath water pool to the cold pool (stupid) but that's what the guys wanted... so then we play and swim for about 45 minutes and then they want to jump off the diving board - sure - give 'er - Michael flings himself off - hooray... Kyle stands like he is going to dive with his hands in a prayer position in front of him. Instead of diving he kind of goes off sideways and does a bit of an odd landing into the water... he comes up fine and then he is covered in blood on his face.

Given my life long experiences with blood I don't panic but it does bug me that he is bleeding - he didn't land on his face... anyways - he swims over to me and I tell him he is bleeding - he says he is fine and then it pours out of him... awesome - so I pull him up and out of the pool and the lifeguards take him to get cleaned up and checked out... while I wait for King of the Dive...

And then we are standing in the first aid room while they stop his nose from bleeding in about the roughest way I've ever seen but he is fine and then I remember the last time we were there - last time it was me sitting in the chair because Kyle had kicked me in the face and I'd bled all over the place... sigh.

Other than that we had a quiet day - made lasagna, stayed warm, played games, watched cousins play hockey and hang out with my cousin who I haven't seen in a few years, watched a movie, and hung out. Back to work on Monday and then I'm on the road working in Lillooet for a couple of days.

xo - I hope everyone else's weekends had less blood in it but all the fun :) love to you!

minus 4

2012-01-14T20:55:00.000-08:00

It snowed most of today and right now we are at minus 4 - I wish it would stay but I plotted up north from us and Dawson Creek is already at -20 and Mackenzie is at minus 13 - so it is coming... I'm figuring by 2am we will be into the negative teens and then be into the terrible nonsense of the minus 20 somethings tomorrow... blah!

Ok - so there is your weather update. I'm thinking I might need a bath to soak out some sore muscles...
I hope everyone is warm and enjoying a great weekend!

xo

the wart

2012-01-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

Last night we went through the third and most difficult application of the freezing on to the damned wart. It was definitely on its way out, but it bugged Kyle last night. It bugged him to the point that he couldn't fall asleep. He said it hurt and that he just couldn't sleep. So I let him read and then after an hour of no sleep I said that was enough and went to check on the wart. I could see that a smaller upstart one had gone on its own and the beastly one was definitely looking dead.. and so I took it off. Kyle initially didn't want me to - he was upset - how could I do that - it wasn't ready - but it absolutely was and off it came. And yes, I totally gagged when I did it - but I guess that is what mom's are for - dealing with the gore and then being emotionally scarred over it .. :)

And then sleep came - hooray - and now the wart is gone-ola!

What else - well it is Saturday and I'm going to the gym.

Want to do a quick quiz to see what kind of tea you should drink to make you feel better... check out David's tea Dosha quiz. It is explains what Dosha is and then describes teas that will bring you balance. I don't have a David's tea in town, but we do have a great tea shop that has similar kinds - so if you are like me you can probably find similar teas - or just wait until you are in towns that have David's tea - PG actually has one and it is somewhere I regularly stop.

Have a great Saturday!

xo

early

2012-01-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got to shake the Premier's hand. She is a good speaker and she had super cute heels (really, she did). That's about all the good things I can say about yesterday - other than going to winner's and buying some cute yoga shorts - a first for me.

Here is what I don't like - I don't like that we are only thinking about the short term. That we aren't thinking about fifty or one hundred or hundreds of years of human life and that we are not focusing on innovation and intelligence. A direct quote from the speech yesterday was excitement over mining and how people will have stable jobs for 10 years and it wasn't like it was just matter-of-factly said - it was hopping, skipping, jumping let's get are GD'n MF'ing cheerleading gear on and do a cheer for 10 years of work - WHAT! WHAT! What the hell kind of planning is that?

We must all be the change. We must have a culture of innovation and be really thinking about how to live smart.

China's middle class is going to explode - 180 cities the size of Vancouver will be built and lived in by rural Chinese in the next 15 years - 15 years - that's 300 million people migrating from their rural homes to large cities looking for the american life - with more, more, more (ok - it's a Canadian life too) and the mining and forestry companies are jumping up and down (pompoms in hand) because China can't support that kind of development they need Canada - they need us to strip everything off the face of BC and especially Northern BC and send it to China so they can build... great... so what happens when it is all gone. Minerals do not re-grow themselves. Oil and gas does not replenish itself, trees take time to grow - like 80 years of time - we are going to ship everything we have to a developing nation and then be have-not, have-nothing and be migrating ourselves to China, India and Russia.

And one more thing - for all the people pissed off about Enbridge - you should really, really, really do your homework - this is only one of many, many pipelines being proposed. I'm still trying to figure out why Enbridge is having problems when the others aren't but it really isn't the only one that is going to cut across BC and out to the ocean to make giant profits for corporations and leave our province rich while they are here and operating and penniless and without resources when they leave - again - LONG TERM PLANNING! All levels of government need to be thinking this way. Let's have a future for ourselves and our children and their children and so on.

Very long, loud sigh!

End rant... for now - we'll see how today goes.

busy, busy

2012-01-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

And so the count down rolls into under 30 days and I can't even believe it. I'm still trying to figure out what to pack and yes... I know there was an earthquake in Indonesia - it was in a different part of the islands there and yes, I realize that I'm going to a part of the world where this could happen again.. but that's ok.. if we decide to live life that way we would never go anywhere... and I'm not living in a box...

I'm working on a scarf tonight and just hanging out. I made soup last night that was pretty spicy, so I added a few more ingredients tonight and while it is still spicy it was good - more seafood and some mushrooms.

Recipe:
1800 ml (two no sodium added chicken stock) chicken stock
2 small red chillies, sliced (I, not knowing my chiles, used these small red peppers - apparently not red chillies)
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 lb shrimp, cleaned, tailed
2 cups baby spinach
1 scallion, thinly sliced (green onion)

Simmer stock with chillies, ginger and fish sauce, 10 minutes.
Whisk in peanut butter.
Add shrimp and cook shrimp, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat.
To serve, fill bowls with baby spinach. Ladle soup over and garnish with scallion.

I didn't have the spinach so I served it without.
Tonight I added a few scallops, and some mushrooms.
Still spicy tonight, but yummy - keeping the colds away :)

And now back to crocheting and probably a movie...

xo my loves - i hope you are well

warts

2012-01-06T00:08:00.000-08:00

Ok - let's count to 40.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - god- you have to stop right now - right now!

Then the tears- the tears and yelps and stops

This is the absolute shit part of being a parent.

Kyle has had a plantar's wart for months, but going to the doctor's office every couple of days wasn't working out and now I've got the super strength home kit and am hoping it will work. Tonight's exercise caused the wart to go black - wicked - but then I noticed it is spreading.. rrrrrrrrrrr.

So now we are going to do another 40 second stint tomorrow and then compound W the shit out of it for a week and hope that works... it would be lovely to fix his feet.

What else... well I finished the 2012 calendars, got them printed and they go in the mail tomorrow.
I'm working on my own personal one that I need to have printed for next week and then I'm working on a special one too.

I've been busy running to meetings this week and next week is more of the same - going to PG for a one day workshop, plus lots of other random meetings.

And that's about it for me today - I'm back at the gym and running and I've had a good week for exercise... and I can definitely see the difference in my energy levels - so onward and upward on that whole front... things just don't work without the exercise component.

xo - my loves - xo

birthday

2012-01-04T23:07:00.000-08:00

Michael turned 6 today. Sigh - I can't believe how big he is getting and that he is his own little person... I ended up getting to take them out for dinner tonight - an unexpected good thing. He is hopefully having a party on Sunday - we will see what his friends decide to do - he got a few gifts to open tonight - something he'd really wanted was a bath robe and I finally managed to find one... it is pretty posh... and he tried to wear it to bed. (I know, I know - who asks for a bath robe... )

I'm hoping that the weather goes back to winter again and that we get some snow - I'd like to go cross country skiing this weekend but right now... well it doesn't feel like there will be any snow. It rained hard here tonight and has been unbelievably warm - usually January is wicked cold so I'm not super upset about some warm weather, but that's enough... bring back winter... please.

I gave away most of my scrapbooking stuff today - I've got some paper and a few stickers left - I was happy to see it go to a home were everything will be well used and used up.

I'm going to head to bed early - Kyle got up in the middle of the night and I didn't sleep very well after that. He walks in - half asleep - and says - I'm cold and I'm sleeping in your blankets. I laughed - pushy at 4am... who does that...

So glad it is nearly the weekend - can't wait to have this week over... can't wait!

hugs and kisses to you - lots - take more if you need more :)

10 on Tuesday

2012-01-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Ten on Tuesday is hosted by Chelsea over at Roots and Rings and I was reminded to do it when I read Carmen's at My Life in a Nutshell

1. What did you get for Christmas?
Love, happiness and joy

2. Have you taken down your Christmas decorations?
Decorations are down - tree is still standing... it is going out tonight though

3. What did you do for New Years Eve?
I carefully inspected the inside of my eye lids

4. Do you like accents?
Yes - I could watch Braveheart everyday and never get sick of it... never ;)

5. What kind of television do you have?
Um - it is big and flat - there is one - it is not well used... but the kids like their shows... ok - and I love food network

6. Did you make any changes at the beginning of 2012?
I started something amazing and no - that doesn't mean the steve jobs book

7. What’s the last book you read and do you recommend it?
I'm reading Steve Jobs biography and love it - recommended! My brother says he even talked to Steve Jobs who apparently actually took some of the tech calls from home...

8. Do you stay current on celebrity gossip?
Nope - don't care - but much like everyone else on the planet I can't seem to avoid it because someone how some idiot who makes millions of dollars for acting in a movie or singing a song trumps all of the things in the world that actually need attention - that's going to change though... change is in the air

9. Do you know the words to Bohemian Rhapsody? Gangstas Paradise? Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?
Yes to all three - I know plenty of songs... I love Lady Antebellum right now!

10. What is your favorite education television show?

I'm going to say that Food Network is educational - and really - I love most of it...

work

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm at work early this morning. Got up and just got out the door - ate breakfast and am having tea... no caffeine :)

This morning the weather is so dismal that I'm going to have to my fluorescent lights on all day.. blah - I loathe them!

Ok - and now to get to work and read a document and clean up my desk and start figuring out how I'm going to leave this place for a month. (Hooray)

xo - have a great day at work! xo

hello 2012

2012-01-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

First of all - goodbye 2011 - thank you for teaching me many, many, many valuable things, thank you! I'm so glad to close out 2011 and just move on to 2012.

I have so much to look forward to in 2012 - I mean it really seems like a never ending list. I'm heading to Bali in February, Japan in the spring - still booking, Iqaluit in September and then lots of trips to Vancouver and the rest of BC and hopefully a trip to Calgary...

Resolutions - well I've never been one to really make one - weight loss continues and now it is more about maintenance and toning than anything else. I plan to go to some TRX classes throughout January to help with that. I'm dropping caffeine - or rather - largely dropping caffeine - I can now see what it is doing to me - I finally caught the pattern and now I'm going to stop doing that to myself... I just needed to see the pattern.

2012 is a year for joy and happiness - it is a year of moving forward and starting new projects and living.

We only get so many days on this earth - the rock collector continues to advise me that there are only about 350 ish of them left... and then a few will be left behind... regardless of that nonsense we all may get hundreds/thousands or ... who knows... but let's enjoy every day.

My sincere and best wishes to you for 2012 and for every day and year as we all go forward!

worry

2011-12-27T06:06:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Tahirih, a brilliant artist (link on her name goes to her "almost daily blog") posted this on Facebook last night and I just wanted to re-share it here... it is something good to help us all when we begin to worry - ok - maybe it is just something for me because I am such a worry wart :)

It is possible to be happy and joyful most of the time. You just have to look at little children and see their natural joy. You may say that little children are free and don't have anything to worry about, but you are free too! You are free to choose worry or to choose joy, and whatever you choose will attract exactly that. Worry attracts more worry. Joy attracts more joy.

Rhonda Byrne

______________________

Ok - and - I love the biography on Steve Jobs - I'm hooked - I just want to power read the whole thing - I haven't done much reading in a few weeks and was surprised that I got so taken by the book. We are also going to read 'Hugo' which I've heard great things about - the guys are interested, but we've yet to start it as we've read a couple of other books - oh, and Kyle is totally power reading his books right now - he is finishing his Beast Quest books in two days or less of bedtime reading... it is great to see him enjoying books :)

And there must be a train accident in the works as the horn is blaring - I mean he is honking the crap out of it ... maybe it is an animal... I know - I should totally be a reporter for the news with that kind of captivating information...

xo

more photos and little to say

2011-12-26T18:58:00.001-08:00

Can't sleep. Off to clean.

xo

Christmas

2011-12-25T19:56:00.000-08:00

1 turkey dinner
2 potted plants
3 types of potatoes
4 times I wished I was somewhere far away
5 times that Michael said God Bless at dinner
6 types of chocolate
7 Skype calls
8 shots of Carolyn's
9 gifts from my parents
10 the number of minutes I had to myself throughout the day
11 times my mom complained about my grandma (ok that's an understatement)
12 times grandma complained about the stairs (there are two stairs... TWO - I don't want to get old)

Firsts
1. I got medium sized clothes for Christmas that fit - I know - I can't frickin' believe it - I'm wearing large and just recently bought a medium shirt for a trip in the new year but was surprised just the same
2. My parents actually stayed for the day - they didn't go and visit other people, they stayed at the house and while they just hung out, it was nice - I didn't have to think about what time they were going to get back and timing dinner - dinner just happened and it was great
3. My grandma was actually in a good mood - she was nice and thankful and - well it was unusual and nice... the rock collector still complained though and then at the end of the day said that she couldn't believe how bitchy she was... and my dad and I just looked at each other knowingly and with the same 'whatever' face..
4. I pawned off nearly all of the 15 lb turkey to everyone else and have little left over... amen - since the guys will definitely not eat it - saved enough for lunch tomorrow and that's about it... :)

Turkey dinner couldn't have gone off much better than it did - I'm actually surprised at the ease of dinner and how it just came together - I know -I've done it a lot - probably my 30 or 40th turkey but it just went really well and the bird was done nicely. Plus I actually made good gravy and that can totally be a miss for me...

Chef Kyle had a suggestion for dinner and wanted baked potatoes with stuffing - so this morning I baked potatoes, took out the insides, mashed them - re-stuff the potatoes and topped them with stuffing - they were definitely a hit - so - woohoo for Kyle. So we had regular mashed potatoes, herb and garlic cream cheese yams, and the baked potato stuffing addition

Michael had little interest in dinner but loved the trays with meat and cheese - plus sides of cranberry sauce for the sausage - I know - he puts that s&%# on everything :)

I did have a meltdown - it happened while I was cleaning up for the 10th time of the day - after dinner - I just got sad and cried - it was all good - no one was helping anyhow so I just cried and moved on... yes, today was a tough, tough day... but we survived it ....

And now the guys are going to go to bed soon and then I'm going to have a little bit of punch and just hang out with the fireplace and just unwind from a busy day.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and can't wait to hear about what everyone else did and all the great things that came from your day.

xo - love to you!

photos...

Baked potatoes with stuffing... carb loading at its finest

Christmas eve

2011-12-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well the advent calendars are all wrapped up - Michael got yoda and Kyle got a Christmas lego guy - kind of looks like santa. Those lego advent calendars were totally worth it! I can't believe how much came with them and we got Chewbacca - woohoo!

So we are about to venture to the grocery store as I've waited to the last day to get a turkey because I don't have a freezer and had nowhere to put the bird... so we are about to go out and with any luck most people will take their time getting there this morning... right...

Anyways - I managed to sleep last night and don't feel like such a zombie today. Oh and the tooth fairy came to our house last night - Kyle lost his top incisor while they were on the trip to the coast. Kyle has one more tooth to go and then he has a complete grown up set... sigh.

Alright - well I'm sure I'll have adventures to share and would love to hear how everyone is spending today and tomorrow. Best wishes to everyone... take your time, a deep breath and little bit of your favourite liqueur can't hurt. :)

Love you!

Blah

2011-12-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

I'm still pissed about the form - gawd!

My 1.5 hours of sleep is catching up with me right now... crud - oh well - only a few more hours to go...

Now that the form failed I've got some clean up to do and then I'm thinking I'm going to call it... because no one is here and there is nothing going on - and the one investment issue - well I dealt with that this morning and won't need to check on it again until after the weekend...

Sigh - ok - going to clean up... enough blogging and procrastinating - blah.

I hate online forms

2011-12-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

I just spent another hour of my life that I'm never going to get back filling out a damned online form for reporting and once I finished it and saved it and went into final reporting the F*$#ing thing cleared the form - of F&$*ING COURSE!

ROAR

10 from Tuesday on Friday...

2011-12-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

This again comes from Roots and Rings

1. What is your favorite online-only store?
Definitely Etsy... while I get that this isn't technically "a" store - it is millions of stores... I just think it is the one I've used the most that I can't just go and visit downtown.

2. Do you enjoy wrapping gifts?
Um... yes - mostly... glad I did it early this year not that I had much to wrap, but it just

3. What is the temperature in your city today?
Minus 2

4. What time do you eat dinner?
Is evening too vague? If the kids are home it is usually 6pm ish - if they aren't home... well it is whenever I feel like it...

5. Will you be making New Years Resolutions?
Absolutely not

6. How old is your oldest pair of shoes that you still wear?
I have a pair of boots that I've had since high school - so they would be nearly 20 years old - and they are still good.

7. Do you have any restaurant phone numbers saved in your phone?
Yes - for sure - it just makes life easier - I have quite a few from vancouver and lots from Quesnel

8. What is your favorite and least favorite letter to write in cursive?
I don't have any favourites or least favourites - I like writing

9. Do you know any good riddles?
Nope - I'm kind of slow - S-L-O-W

10. How do you feel about snow?
Um - I love it and everyone who reads here must know that from the wicked igloo, turned wicked snow fort :)

still no sleep

2011-12-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

Alright so it is 6am and I'm watching the morning news and I totally went out this morning...

Here's Walmart at 5am - I was one of three happy shoppers and 20 miserable staff... almost everyone in the store working was just mad and couldn't care less about anything.. I didn't stay long and was told to have a good night when I left - I laughed and said I'd try once I got through my day... this was also not so funny for staff at 5am... oh well.

Of course - I was hamming it up in Walmart at 5am - of course.

This is the loop from Bouchie Lake to Downtown - you can barely see it but there is a truck in the right hand side of this shot - I'm sure more than one retard was in this vehicle and tore through the loop - doing donuts. Then the jackasses decided they'd done enough and tried to get out of the loop and totally got high centred - bwahahahahaha - it was a great laugh at 4:30am...

And now... well now I'm going to go to work... I've already been up for 6 hours... sigh... hoping to sleep tonight. I guess I'll see how it goes... I'm pretty sure I'm going to need some coffee today.

xo my loves - hope your day goes well :)

a brief hiatus and now - no sleep

2011-12-23T03:26:00.000-08:00

The water was rising, there was water in the house - where can I get to before the house is completely submerged, I can feel the water at my feet - where are the guys - panic - absolute panic - and then I wake up and that was it for sleep tonight... I shook away the panic about 30 minutes ago - I've been up since 1:30.

So now I'm wrapping presents, I've vacuumed, done laundry, cleaned the kitchen, put out christmas ornaments, and am actually thinking about driving to Walmart because it is open and there won't be very many people there and I'll be able to grab the few things I need and be gone... sigh.. what a night.

What else - well I was going to load some photos tonight but my computer isn't cooperating and, frankly, I have no patience to fix it tonight.

Anyways, my loves, I hope you are getting sleep and are all ready for the holiday season.
My love to you! xo

Best snow day EVER

2011-12-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

The kids left for Vancouver this morning - so that was sad.

I decided to hit the gym this morning and get in a 5km run - and I was reminded how important it is to go regularly - I was sucking - I walked about 10 of the 50 minutes I was running - which was shocking because I can usually run that - and run it WAY faster... in any case - lesson learned - I need to keep at it and get back into shape... sigh...

So 5km down what next - well I went and read the paper with some fruit and then thought - well now what... I drove home and thought - wouldn't it be great when the kids come home that there is a cool snow fort... right - snow fort...

What started as a little fort... well... have a look...

Here's the thing - I didn't want to shovel the driveway. Not at all - the snow is heavy and I just wasn't into it. And then the idea of the snow fort came and it gave me a way to solve my driveway problem. So I used the snow from the drive way to build the fort.

AWESOME!

Sadly - it pissed rain all afternoon - this took about three hours and the last hour was in the rain, but then it really started raining. The igloo is still standing (now) - hoping that it will cool off a bit and then the igloo will stay put... I totally wanted to build another fort but my arms were saying NO - that's enough for today.

At the half way mark I should have changed clothes - might have avoided getting frost bite. I had frost bite on my legs and tummy... and my neck. And now I'm going to bake some more cookies... and do some chores...

I hope you are having a great weekend.

xoxo

Nothing says Christmas like Chewy Peanut Butter sugar cookies

2011-12-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

This was an experiment for me - I've made piles of sugar cookies but wanted to make peanut butter flavoured sugar cookies - the regular recipe for peanut butter cookies is no good for rolling out... ha ha - rolling out... we'll get to that...

Recipe.. ah - well I've never tried to flavour my sugar cookies... so it initially went like this...

1 cup margarine or butter

1 cup peanut butter

2 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

5 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

Now while this recipe worked - it was crumbly and not sticking together well - so what should I have done - well either had less peanut butter and more margarine/butter or less flour... lesson learned - so what to do now... well I added more peanut butter and a little bit of soy milk to get everything less crumbly and something I could roll out... roll out... right... enter my brand new rolling pin

Yep - a bottle of blush - yeah for having extra wine in the house that can do double duty

Hello chewy peanut butter sugar cookies

My recipe made 60 cookies. I usually get about 150 out of it but the Chewbacca cutter is kind of big - it is wicked awesome - you can buy your own cutters at Williams Sonoma in South Granville (Vancouver) if you feel compelled.

And now to help that rolling pin out and use it for what it is meant for.

Oh - and it's raining - damned weather

snow day

2011-12-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

So I thought we got a lot of snow yesterday - I was wrong. More came today - lots more... and it is heavy, terrible wet snow... BLAH. I shovelled enough of a path to get the car out this morning and am waiting to see what the weather actually does tomorrow and then carry on with the shovelling.

I'm tired.

Photos later... back to stuff.

- Fast forward 3.5 hours... no word of a lie I went and got ready to cook - put on the apron and then for some reason came into the living and sat down on the couch and then I woke up 30 minutes ago... so I really really was tired... totally blew my afternoon of cooking.. alright - so I'm going to get to it...

xo

snow

2011-12-15T23:37:00.000-08:00

5 inches (or more) snowed in Quesnel last night and tonight we are tap for a similar amount. The driveway at the new place is considerably longer and wider than the old place and so tonight I went out and cleared it - it was great fun and good exercise - which I desperately needed - so hooray for that! I sang and then about 30 minutes in realized I'd become the nights entertainment for my neighbours - they were standing in their driveway watching me run around and sing - since I was running up and down the drive way to really get a work out in... my arms are singing a wee bit but other ways - it was great.

My dad's surgery went fine - he looks like he was in a hell of a hockey match (and lost) but he is ok. They cut out a triangle piece of his eye lid and now we wait on the results from the latest piece and see if they got it all. My parents are retarded - instead of spending one night away - they get up at 2am to drive to Kamloops - have surgery - drive home - wouldn't want to get a friend to dog sit and just spend one night away... nah... let's test how are bodies will hold up against stress and surgery and try that out... sorry - I'll stop ranting.

The kids are off to the coast on Saturday - seeing their family - which is great. I hope they have a fantastic time! I miss them already. I missed them before they walked out the door. Sigh.

Tomorrow is one of my staff's last day - she's been with me for nearly three years - sad to see her go - but she is going on mat leave and it is great for her and her family. What else... not much - planning to do some baking tomorrow night - need to share the cookie love with some of my local friends.

Good night my loves - it is Friday tomorrow - hooray! Definitely been a long week.
xo + xo * x2

shower

2011-12-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

I've installed new shower heads in both bathrooms because the old ones sucked. The one in the master bedroom was bugging me though - I hadn't really used it (ok - hadn't used it) because I just didn't feel like I installed it the best way and then I tried again tonight and adjusted one small thing and now it works wicked great - I decided to wash away the days stress and then go back to crochet.

And now - back to crotcheting :)

hugs and kisses to you

what's that... the fraggles are on - woohoo!

slippers and nonsense, oh and youtube

2011-12-14T23:08:00.000-08:00

Blah -

Ok and now that that is out... crocheting (or crotcheting) is something I've done for years - many many years and now I'm working on a fancier pair of slippers and have just taken them completely apart - roar - but that's ok - I'm getting in great practice on stitches and counting

YouTube... Michael and Kyle performed in their school christmas play this afternoon - no christmas music - or rather traditional-ish christmas music - we shared them with my parents tonight and now - if you feel like seeing them.. they are here...

Kyle playing xylophone http://youtu.be/pCxmE-iy0Jo
Kyle playing the triangle http://youtu.be/bHj2jZkb0cM
Michael dancing (ish) http://youtu.be/u13R4eGeMOs
Michael singing http://youtu.be/VL-MDNMmIPU

And now because I'm pissy about the slippers and just feeling kind of down in general I'm going to answer another quiz tonight and then I'm going to try and work on the slippers again... FFS

And just as fast as I wanted to do a quiz I've changed my mind and am just going to go to sleep - or at least lie there and wonder and think - my jaw is torture right now and I need to deal with that...

xo - my love to you - xo

10 on Tuesday

2011-12-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm on my lunch break and decided to blog... I cleaned my office today and have grants that I'm working on... plus reporting... this again comes from Roots and Rings

1. How do you eat your eggs?
I like eggs poached over easy... my Dad makes them best and my roommate from college- but I'll pretty much eat eggs anyway... omelettes are great too... especially well made omelettes :) ok - wait - I don't really like hard cooked poached eggs... I'll eat hard cooked eggs but for some reason those babies poached just doesn't work for me

2. Do you volunteer?
A little - not as much as I should though - and sometimes I feel like I volunteer for my work since they don't pay me for the time I put in... lol

3. What’s your favorite brand of jeans?
Um... sorry - I don't care about brand for jeans...

4. What was your child’s first word? Or what was your first word?
The kids first words were hi and hot and I actually don't know what mine was - probably was politics

5. Can you french braid?
Yes and use to do it all the time

6. Do you prefer wide rule, college rule, or blank paper?
Blank paper is fine - college rule also works...

7. Is there a specific treat do you always make during the holidays?
Yes - booby cookies, caramel popcorn and sugar cookies - this year I'm adding chewbacca peanut butter cookies

8. Do you have a KitchenAid mixer? Do you want one?
Nope - they cost WAY too much and I'm happy with my little mixer and using my muscles :)

9. What kind of computer do you use?
Mac - and I've converted my entire office...

10. Favorite Christmas movie?
Wasn't this a question last week... Christmas Vacation - for sure... and I really like Elf - plus Michael loves the Grinch (Jim Carrey)

ornament fundraiser

2011-12-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

Alright friends - Kyle and Michael and I are making Christmas ornaments as a fundraiser for their school and the PAC (parent advisory committee) They are $2.00 each and all proceeds are going to the school. Photos are below - these ship really easily as they fold down in size. If you want specific colours I can accommodate pretty much anything - I have piles of scrapbook paper and rather than toss all the paper I figured we could do something to help out.

Shipping to anywhere in Canada - and I'll cover the postage - unless you want a giant shipment... but if you just want a few then I'll cover you. I will also ship them as gifts to others - if you want... you can pay through paypal and if you are interested then email me. If you order by Friday they should make it to most points in Canada before Christmas arrives... of course I can't guarantee anything once Canada Post gets them - but orders placed tonight will be shipped tomorrow :) If you are interested...

5 and 6 pointed stars - 5 for single colour, 6 for multi colour - for some reason the multicolour or patterned ones just don't look the same as a five pointed star

Easy to store away for next Christmas - you just move the bell up the rope and it opens/closes.

knee

2011-12-09T00:00:00.001-08:00

So Kyle and Michael and I are making Christmas ornaments as a fundraiser for the school. I'm waiting on confirmation that we are allowed to do this but I've already got some orders... I'll post photos next week once we have a green light from the school. Anyways - we just wanted to do something to give back to the school since there hasn't really been much fundraising this year and usually we've done quite a bit by now.

What else?

My right knee is swollen - only slightly - but it hurts a lot - like enough to curse here but I'm withholding my profanity - saving up for a good case of turrets.

We went for dinner tonight with the kids aunt - it was lots of fun. Then we went to crap-o-rama - blah - but I needed some bells for the ornaments so that was good and they actually had the ones I was looking for.

More whining... well I'm cold... I can't seem to warm up - that matched with my swollen knee is quite delightful

Ok - I am going to carry on building the ornaments - they are kind of like an origami wreath - we've made about a dozen so far and have orders for another 5 more right now... I'd love to see us donate a couple hundred bucks to the school - but that may be way out to lunch... we'll see what happens with the green light and then I'll get my little salesmen on it...

And before I close this show out tonight I'll end with this...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL!

WE LOVE YOU!

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to Mel
Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you
You live in the zoo
You look like a monkey
And.. you smell like one too

We love you! LOTS!

blah

2011-12-07T11:55:00.001-08:00

basal cell carcinoma

This is what my dad has been diagnosed with. It is on his eye lid and he has a second surgery next week.
The rock collector told us about it but was so nonchalant and asshole about that I kind of wrote it off and just figured I'd catch up with my dad at another time and see what the hell was really going on.

Today I took my chance - given that I had many extra treats I stopped by the shop with a coffee and treats and asked. He confirmed that they received a letter noting the cancer and that he needed to have more of his eyelid removed until they got it all. This is a form of skin cancer. He may lose his entire lower lid and possibly the top lid since there is a lump there as well that they didn't check. He was calm. I was calm. Then I left... and was less than calm.

So - yes, I'm sad - but really out of all the cancers this is the least harmful - or so it sounds. It sounds like they just cut it out and make sure there isn't anymore and then you are good to go. I know I'm simplifying it but I need to - it is overwhelming and I cried as I drove away and cry as I write this - but I really needed to just get this out of my system. What bugs me is that he is now complaining about eye pain - like his eye ball - I asked if he was just anxious to which he mocked me. I probably shouldn't have said anything about anxiety but I know he has it - I know I get it from him as I do a lot of similar things to him.

And now I'll get back to work - I have stuff do before I head away for the weekend.

Hugs and kisses to you.
xoxoxo

Tuesday 10

2011-12-06T23:03:00.001-08:00

And since I'm nowhere near sleep... here is my Tuesday Ten - questions offered up by Roots & Rings

1. What are 3 things that are on your Christmas wishlist?
I have no items on my wish list - I have everything

The kids on the other hand seem to want everything.. sigh :)

2. What’s your favorite Christmas song?
That is tough - I have many - my top three are 'Baby It's Cold Outside' from Elf, 'All I want for Christmas is you' - specifically the version from Love Actually, and Carol of the Bells (any version - just plain love it) oh wait and then God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies with Sarah MacLachlan

3. Do you have a favorite band or singer that sings it especially awesome?
Ok - I answered that above like a keener

4. Have you heard about the website goodreads?
Nope (this question kind of sucked... instead I will take the opportunity to complain again that I have yet to receive a response to joining pinterest... I love that site... love it - thank you, Carmen! )

5. What are 3 books you want to read?
I'm reading David Suzuki's latest book, and I'd like to read the Tar Sands and Jack Layton's book

6. Do you hunt deer?
Well I used to - haven't in ages - unless this is a question about a PS3 or Wii game and then my answer is no.

7. Have you started Christmas shopping? Are you completely finished?
I didn't really christmas shop this year - there will be a few gifts... not much this year - Christmas is not about gifts and should be about our family and friends.

8. Did you shop on Black Friday? What was the best deal you got?
Well some shops in Quesnel celebrated Black Friday but I didn't participate - it was moonlight madness in Downtown Quesnel and did pick up one special thing... ok - so I shopped.

9. What’s one holiday tradition your family has?
Hmm... no answer... our new tradition... hmmm... I'll think about that - my personal tradition is sneaking creme de menthe into drinks on Christmas day - this is to cope though and not so much about the holiday...

10. How many blogs do you read? Do you subscribe/unsubscribe often or do you purge every once in a while?
Honestly... I read two consistently and then browse many others

Ok - maybe I'll try and sleep

Good grief - why did I just look at the side bar - seriously - it's minus 12 in Quesnel - blah - brrrrr.

mmm baking...

2011-12-06T22:21:00.001-08:00

Tonight I baked.

First - I made my mom's butter tart recipe, modified with my grandma's touches.

Grandma had many steps when making butter tarts and it was largely about the end product being better than an average butter tart. She cleaned her raisins (grapes) every time. So I soak the raisins in warm water for 10 minutes (at least) - rehydrating the raisins and cleaning off any yucky stuff.

So that's three cups of raisins and yes, I used 1 cup of green grapes and 2 cups of red grapes (raisins)

Then you clean them

'Cause - you see that little stem - those suck to eat and they get stuck in your teeth - so I pick off all the extra bits to try and make an enjoyable experience...

So this is a double batch for 30 tarts (I totally over filled my batch though and they exploded - but I don't really care about that - they are still super yummy...)

1 cup of margarine or butter

3 cups of raisins

4 cups of brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp white vinegar (yes, this is optional - but I think it makes the tart extra special)

See - totally exploded - but then you don't have boring tart shell and you just have yummy goodness

Oh and then I made 200 cookies :)

On being old -

Just because I want to rent a copy of Sleepless in Seattle does not mean I deserve a funny look or being told that - sure, we had it - 12 years ago - pardon - how about a little go f*&$ yourself - how about that...

On dying -

Laughter doesn't cure everything but it sure helps - hearing the stories today, albeit brief, was both gut wrenching and heart warming... they had love - they understood each other and even in their last minutes together on this earth she was able to communicate the way she always had... hearing her talk choked me up but I held it together until later tonight

he passed away

2011-12-06T10:14:00.001-08:00

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

A friend's husband passed away last night after a battle with cancer.

He was diagnosed at the start of summer.

Be kind to each other and give those around you hugs and kisses today. We never know when it is all going to be taken away from us and we should celebrate every day we get.

My love to you - many hugs and many kisses.

some photos

2011-12-05T21:46:00.001-08:00

Still sick - ended up taking today off - or rather - part of today off... my doctor reminded me that I am allowed to ask for help and suggested that I should have stopped by this weekend in emergency to get some help.... next time.. I'm sure...

And now I have do some work... ain't no rest for the wicked

Here is me and Nicholas and Sprocket (yes, from the Fraggles)

Nicholas napping while we walk around Farmers Market

(I also like this photo because I can see how different I look in this photo... and I didn't set it up or adjust it - Mel took it and I am sharing it - it was also interesting to pack Nicholas as he is about 25 lbs (26.6) and after an hour of walking I don't know how I managed to get around and be even kind of comfortable when I was carrying so much more than 26.6 lbs...)

One of the most fantastic sunsets I've seen in Northern BC - it was spectacular!

Our 2011 tree - simple - lovely

Good night my loves - kisses and hugs - two for you!

and because I'm feeling terrible and can't sleep

2011-12-04T23:41:00.001-08:00

I know.. this is supposed to be a Tuesday thing but I'm sick and don't want to lie down to feel worse... so... here's ten on Sunday... :)

1. Do you wear glasses, contacts, or are you one of those perfect eyed people?
Perfect eyes - however, when I was a kid I wanted glasses, wanted them so bad that I faked exams to fail just to get glasses... and I still don't know why I wanted glasses...

2. What is the next item you are going to purchase?
Probably tea...

3. Have you ever watched Judge Judy or any other real court show?
Yes - I have watched Judge Judy - it is lame - lame.

4. How do you feel about fake nails?
Fake nails suck - I completely appreciate the fact that some people need to wear them so they have nails at all because they chew them off otherwise... but getting fake nails for Paula's wedding was awful - they looked pretty - yes - they held up pretty well... - they failed to tell me that a chemical reaction was going to occur on my hand and that it was gonna HURT - so - sorry - but fake nails are just not me.

5. What is your favorite sport to watch?
This is a tough question. I don't watch a lot of sports on tv - but if it is tv - well it is definitely hockey - if it is watching it on the sidelines or in a stadium - well you can pretty much name the sport and I'm interested - never thought I'd like baseball and once you are sitting, eating a hotdog and seeing the green and wow - it was awesome.

6. If you could create your own Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor, what would it be and what would it be named?
Sadly - I wouldn't invent ice cream... but for a funny name... well - how about 'lick it good' and I guess the flavour would be peanut butter banana... ;)

7. Do you have any scars?
Yes - numerous - emotional and physical

8. Does your pet’s name fit them? Is there a more appropriate name?
No pets

9. What is your favorite television show theme song?
Greatest American Hero - believe it or not - I'm walking on air...

10. What was your favorite activity on the playground?
I really liked this spinning thing that you held both your hands on a bar and then ran in a circle and launched yourself over top of other people in the circle - there would be three people in the circle - I liked this until one day I lost my grip and bit it and then was the cushion for a rather large student - people came running to see if I'd died - I got up and walked away while the other girl (who landed on me) broke her tailbone

the flu

2011-12-04T22:58:00.001-08:00

And so I guess I've had the flu - it seems to be departing - thankfully. I'm still not 100% but I don't feel as rough as Friday/Saturday.

I'm hoping to get a run in tomorrow but I'm not sure if/how that will happen. I'm probably expecting too much to try and get in a run, but I'd sure like to get to the gym.

The kids are good - we had a fun day - made christmas ornaments, put the tree up, ended up going to PG for a few hours and having lunch and doing a little shopping and coming home... it was whirl wind but good - we haven't been to PG in ages and Kyle had been complaining about going... ok - and now for some photos...

Blah... should not have said this thing was departing... blah - blah - triple blah!

Lyla Rose Vintage Luxe Headband PDF Pattern by SnazzieDrawers

2011-12-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

Lyla Rose Vintage Luxe Headband PDF Pattern by SnazzieDrawers

Just thought this was super cute

on losing pounds over night

2011-12-03T14:18:00.001-08:00

Wow - last night sucked... not only was I barfing and sleeping with a garbage can, Nicholas was also up a lot... blah! I've just gotten over it today and just decided I wasn't going to mope around about it. I went and just walked around - had some lunch and got groceries and some other supplies.

Mel headed back to cow-town today and it took them 7 hours to get to Jasper - so that sucks... but they are doing ok - long day!

And now... well I'm going to watch some Old School while working on a few things and hope that the nausea goes away... blah.

8pm update - still sick - slept - but remain sick - thinking about going to the store to by some drugs.
Mel is in Red Deer and still hasn't made it home - that is more than 13 hours they've been on the road... blah - long day. Anyways - nothing else - I'm lame - can't believe how much I've been sleeping and how crappy I still feel... dumb stupid flu-ish lameness...

xo

to bed

2011-12-02T23:55:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling kind of crappy all night and now I'm wishing I had gravol or something to just let me sleep and not feel like this. Stress + life and now I'm feeling awful. I hope this goes away overnight - tomorrow I have little planned but was pondering a few things which won't be possible if I'm feeling how I am right now... blah.

Ok - good night my loves - hope you are well and have great things planned for the weekend - xo

vent

2011-12-02T14:11:00.001-08:00

I think I just wanted to write the word vent... I have nothing worth writing - just that there is a volcano in my stomach and eating did nothing to help it - and I would go home and lay down except that my parents are going to be there in two hours and I have NO interest in talking to them either since I'm such an asshole and don't care about their feelings or concerns or - and this is only one of many things causing the volcanic situation... mumble grumble gurgle burp

SIGH

ramble:

I won $5 on a scratch ticket - I spent that money on a lotto max ticket - I'm putting it out there to win tonight!

Today is December 2 - today is my best friend from elementary schools birthday - he would be 36 today - I lost touch with him years ago - I hope he has a great day today. For some reason I remember birthdays - that and license plates...

I need to work on budget so that is what I'm doing next

Someone in our building can't flush the toilet properly I want to beat them up with a rake

I am sad

I am happy

I am lost

I am found

nearly december

2011-11-24T23:52:00.001-08:00

Tonight I spent most of the evening preparing my 2011 photo books. I managed to put three together this evening and have one more that I'll work on this weekend. Tonight was going to be a running night - but, alas, it wasn't in the cards - and tomorrow I'm absolutely swamped at work and won't get to go to the gym at lunch - blah...

It is a busy weekend in Quesnel - tomorrow night is moonlight madness and there are super great deals downtown. Then Saturday is the Christmas Farmer's Market - hooray - a really great time to just browse and catch up with people. I'm not really getting into the Christmas buying thing this year - I'd really rather spend time with people than buy a bunch of stuff. Take note friends and family - this means you - I will send cards, hopefully cookies... but that's about it this year... Christmas should be about family and friends and celebrating everything we have, celebrating each other - and so our Christmas will be quiet - I say that and fully anticipate that in about 26 days I'll get the phone call that Christmas should be at my place this year and don't I mind everyone coming over and my answer to that will be - why, of course - as long as you cook while I have my special coffee all day... if that works for you... then by all means... I know - you are shaking your head - of course I'll cook - I didn't get to cook at thanksgiving - how could I miss the other turkey holiday...

I'd really like to just float away for Christmas - that is one of the most anxious days of the year for me and just thinking about that day caught me off guard this afternoon and then I reminded myself that everything would be great and fantastic and that fear was only holding me back from moving forward... and so my head space cleared and I went back onto finance issues in the office.

My sister arrives tomorrow - her life is a bit of a chernobyl scene right now - but really - I think we've all been there... ok - maybe it is only a few of us... anyways - she is in McBride tonight and driving to us tomorrow.

Alright my loves - that's about it for me tonight - I think I'm just going to finish my last photo book tonight rather than waiting.. and do some laundry and whatever else.

xoxo

The power of vulnerability

2011-11-23T23:32:00.000-08:00

Have 20 minutes? This has done a few laps on Facebook and twitter, but I wanted to share it here.
It will be worth your 20 minutes... you will learn something or rekindle a thought you once had.

xo

the complexity

2011-11-23T21:21:00.001-08:00

And so - here I sit - down 45 lbs since July and down over 80 lbs since my heaviest point in life and I feel a bit lost in it. You see, I still see my fat version wondering around, April 1.0 - it is quite odd to hear that I look different. Don't get me wrong - I feel better, I'm wearing clothes that I couldn't have gotten into in grade 12 - I still have a goal that I personally want to reach and so I'm trying to carry on - after a one month hiatus and no loss or gain and more of a month of re-distribution I'm back on the training trail.

What has come to me over the past few weeks is that I have to get past being that bigger person - that I need to re-focus my attention to how I look and feel today, April 2.0 :) I actually throw away clothes that get big now - because there is no way that I'm allowing myself to have a moment of - well just put on the big pants today - it can't happen. I can definitely see how it would be easy to gain the weight back because if I keep thinking that I look the same then if I gain weight there is part of my brain that would say well then I'd just feel the same... it is such a mind game.

And so I am working forward. Many goals, dreams and great things ahead and the road is paved with hope.

my love to you tonight - xo plus an extra smooch, ok - two :)

ps - spiders are stupid - especially ones that hide in boxes and then launch themselves at you and hang out on you like you are some kind of spider resting place - gawd

government

2011-11-22T22:58:00.001-08:00

Michael - floating and splashing in the tub - "mom, what is government"

Right... right - because there is an easy answer to that... hmmm... so I start with - you know Aunty Dawn's neighbour, she is part of government, she is the Mayor.

"hmmmmm - so she is the government"

Well no - she is part of government, there are lots of parts of government

There is an expression on his face that says I'm totally not connecting this for him.

And so I say the following.. government is like a cake - there are layers - there are three layers on the cake and then the candles on top are me and you and everyone else that isn't in government.

Government is like cake. What kind of cake.

No - I did not answer with sarcasm or anything like - well it is 'ass cake' - I just said there are lots of layers to it and the cake is supposed to work together to stay together and then the candles don't fall off and we get to live great lives because all the layers are yummy and good.

"ok"

Sigh - government... what's next... world politics ... probably...

xo - my loves - xo

Stop eating crappy food!

2011-11-22T12:09:00.001-08:00

The below link has a list of foods from companies that use wood to bind the food together. Please - think about what you are putting in your mouth - your body will thank you!

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/15-food-companies-that-serve-you-wood/

This makes me crazy - this list... I mean - really - Aunt Jemima's syrup - really - glad I switched to Maple Syrup - the real kind that actually came from a tree... look at the list - I'm sure you'll find one product that you've consumed.

rrrrrrrrrrr

Ok - off to lunch - hoping to find non-wood filler food....

ahhhh

2011-11-22T11:33:00.001-08:00

I just felt like screaming somewhere...

that is all...

Photos

2011-11-22T00:44:00.001-08:00

i like this photo because when i briefly look at it - i think it looks like there is a heart in the tree

(please note - i am also crazy and seeing things... )

here is the cute owl that Michael and I made... and is now sleeping in his room

Courage for all of us who need it this morning

2011-11-21T10:07:00.001-08:00

Good morning my loves - I thought I'd share a poem I read recently (excerpt) because I know some of my readers need it this morning. Hearing - this too will pass - can be so unhelpful when a hug is all that is needed - hugs to you this morning - love to you this morning!

In Life

"In life there are people that will hurt us and cause us pain,
but we must learn to forgive and forget and not hold grudges.

In life there are mistakes we will make,
but we must learn from our wrongs and grow from them.

In life there are regrets we will have to live with,
but we must learn to leave the past behind and realize it is something we can't change.

In life there are people we will loose forever and can't have back,
but we must learn to let go & move on.

In life there are going to be obstacles that will cause interference,
but we must learn to overcome these challenges and grow stronger.

In life there are fears that will hold us back from what we want,
but we must learn to fight them with the courage from within."

The poem answered

In life there are people that will hurt us and cause us pain,
this does not mean it is ok to hurt them - we can not kill them because none of us want to go to jail and really - that doesn't solve anything

In life there are mistakes we will make,
and we absolutely learn from our mistakes - sometimes it just takes us a really long time to see the mistake and then to try and change direction in a manner that doesn't cause everything to fall down

In life there are regrets we will have to live with,
sigh - there are no regrets - you see - this is just more mistakes and we learn from mistakes - what a shit poem - what have I started your Monday out with... good grief - maybe you should just ignore that shit and remember that even in your lowest moment someone is thinking about you and someone loves you - even if you don't think there is anyone

In life there are people we will lose (not loose - dumb ass) forever and can't have back,
what the hell kind of uplifting statement is that - gawd, you know what - go out and kick ass today - kick it like your a rock star - because you can ! YOU CAN! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise - KICK ASS - take names and for those you can't kick in the ass today make a list so you can catch up with their sorry asses and kick them tomorrow

In life there are going to be obstacles that will cause interference,
yes - in hockey - and that will only get you two minutes - so just push those obstacles out of your way - push them down like you mean it - remember that time that you used your "big girl" or "big boy" voice - use it - use it and sing it - take your two minutes and move forward

In life there are fears that hold us back from what we want -
FEAR - we are all afraid - of what... don't be afraid - don't be afraid because we only get one chance at this life and we need to live every minute of it - fear will only make you fat and happy with the non-life that you have - don't let yourself sit there - LIVE! - don't hear yourself say - I wish I could do that - do it - move forward - be strong - and why - why - BECAUSE YOU CAN! I know it - I know that everyone reading this can - and now let's go and kick some ass and have a great MONDAY!

xo

teaching

2011-11-16T07:09:00.001-08:00

I get to teach for the next two days on social media and design - hooray! Plus I get to work on next years magazine - hooray again! We've been nominated for another award for the magazine and I can't say thank you enough to the team that put it together and all the photographers that helped it be successful!

I will mail you a copy if you email me your mailing address - and yes, of course my kids are in it - but only in one picture this year... email me at acheng@quesnelinfo.com and it will be yours - plus I will send you a couple of other small things..

Yesterday was super emotional and I'm hoping the roller coaster has stopped.

Ok - now off to wrap up lunches, make some breakfast and take on the world!

love to you! xo

Photos

2011-11-14T20:43:00.001-08:00

My first snow angel of the winter

Michael's craft from Sunday - yes... it is totally an airplane and his name is West

A shower head that I installed

The guys, my brother and the clown car - the convertible clown car!

Crafty Sunday

2011-11-13T23:41:00.001-08:00

Well today we picked up a few supplies and made some crafts - definitely been inspired to get on the craft wagon after seeing Carmen's great stuff (and yes - this is another plug for her stuff... go - look - go - now...)

Michael made an airplane out of socks and some glue and some popsicle sticks... and I made an owl... out of socks... (like the bunny from last year, except puffier). Michael decided that the owl was also his and he is sleeping with it as I write.

What else? Well Michael loves cheddar cheese bagels - that kid could eat them at every meal - I mean - EVERY MEAL! He also broke out with some mini blisters from a bandaid - so I'm not sure if that means he has an allergy or if something was under the bandaid that caused him to break out... blah - but he is ok - and it only pains him a little - it pains me as well because I hate to see him in pain ... blah...

Kyle is great - loving his new digs - mostly. We are all adjusting - no tv has been a painful thing for them but they are getting use to it - and frankly, I love it. I don't miss anything - ok - I'm a liar - I miss food network - but that's all.

My brother was here last night - blew through town as he bought a clown car (aka smart car) in vancouver and drove it through to Quesnel last night and out to Prince Rupert today.

Good night my loves - xo

sharing

2011-11-12T09:12:00.001-08:00

So Carmen is being crafty and I wanted to share her link...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/carmeninanutshell

Yes, you should go and check it out
Yes, you should buy one of her cute creations

ps. Apparently my request for 10 days of no snow fell on deaf ears... it is snowing...

the sky

2011-11-11T20:49:00.001-08:00

My BC readers will be well aware that there is some weird weather happening right now. It is blustery in spots, snowing, raining and here - it is cloudy and cool, but not snowing... (please wait another 10 days - please).

And since I'm nearly finished organizing my crap I decided to bust out the camera and shoot some sky tonight...

The sky was moving too much to capture clear images... but I did manage to get this creepy one... (and no I did not photoshop this one)

Ok - wait - a little more.
I have kept a lot of stuff - Grandma passed away and I got piles of stuff... I decided to photograph what I really loved and move on from it - it is doing nothing other than take up space - I don't use it so why am I keeping it - just to feel close to her - but I can do that through photography.. and so I did... here are some things...

Grandma's curler basket and glass for the curling pins

Here hair was still on the curlers... it was heart wrenching to throw away... but it is time and no one is ever going to use these...

Hugs and smooches to you tonight - all my love - xo

Two things

2011-11-11T16:43:00.001-08:00

Two things happened yesterday. Two things that I wasn't 100% sure were even possible.

1. I weighed in and for the first time in the history of me having a drivers license I was under the lied weight that I've had on there for 18 years. It is shocking. Once I figured out that I was actually under I sat there dumbfounded - how could it be. I've been as much as 80 lbs over the weight listed on my driver's license... granted - that is at the height of being pregnant with Kyle, but Kyle only weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and I gained WAY more than that with him.

2. I went to get a dress for a special event I'm going to and... hold on to your seats... my goal was to be able to (in my words) pour myself into a size 12 dress - while this might not seem like a lofty goal it was huge for me - the "girls" had never EVER fit into dresses of this size - not as long as I've had them... and so... here I stood trying on a dress and it fit and ... it was a size 10... a 10... a ten - I'm knocking on single digits door and truth be told I have a size 8 pair of pants now... that fit!

So despite everything else in life right now the weight loss continues - which I'm grateful for. Truth be told I still have weight I want to lose - I would love to be down about 15-20 lbs more - which now actually seems attainable.

Other than that... well I'm ok, kids are good and life has thrown fantastic days - I mean - FANTASTIC days and days where I wish I could crawl back under the covers and see if a few hours under the blankets will make a difference.

My love to you - xo

good luck lighting that

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

So I went to City Hall tonight and didn't want to leave the guys in the hall alone... so I made them stand in the girls washroom - enter the following the conversation.

Kyle ---- Michael, Miiichhaeellll - can you believe this?

Michael --- What? (genuinely concerned)

Kyle --- I can't believe they sell this stuff in bathrooms, I mean what does that need to be in here for?

general nodding from Michael and then another... what?

Kyle ---- Look - they are selling cigarettes in here. That's disgusting. Disgusting.

Michael --- shaking his head - really, that's what that is.

Kyle --- yes, and those are the things other ones are the ones you light them with.

movember

2011-11-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Gary is growing a moustache! Help show your support for men's health, specifically prostate cancer by donating today - every little bit helps.

In 2010 119,000 men across Canada participated in raising funds to support research on prostate cancer, raising over $22.3 million. Go GUYS Go!

Click here to help Gary's campaign

seriously!

2011-11-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

Ok - look - they should have put a WAY better disclaimer on the movie the Notebook - seriously - I cry and cry and cry and then cry some more - GAWD! (I know - how is it that I'm only seeing this movie now - well I just never saw it and then had the chance and still didn't watch it and then tonight - well I flicked it on and ... well - I watched it...

Honestly - it isn't a great film but the story is so gut wrenching - sheesh.

Ok - well I have some more unpacking I'd like to get through...

We are ok - we are managing.

my love to you.
xo

Need a laugh

2011-10-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

Go here...

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/GTD5K45QgiHDMLnDHMku

Happy Halloween!

holy tired, batman

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm not really sleeping well lately. What tends to happen is I drift off around 12:50 and then I wake up - feeling quite refreshed - look at the time on my phone and see that it is 1am... or just after 1am and then Michael gets up. He hasn't slept through the night in about a week. He has a cold and is miserable in the night, but pretty good during the day - last night was just uncomfortable (mostly for me) because we slept on the couch and he pushed me off twice - so I'm tired and sore this morning. He is still sleeping beside me - just glad that he got some sleep.

My long time readers and friends know that I've been dealing with some personal stuff lately. I remain uninterested in airing my laundry on my blog - even though I've been airing everything else on here for more than seven years and many years before than when I had the CFTR website and wrote rants and raves which one day became a "blog" because someone decided that was what it was called. Needless to say things are in upheaval at the moment and I will likely be taking a bit of a break from blogging through this, but that is only due to a limited internet feed in my evenings as I move on with things - literally and physically. I believe that most of my friends and I are connected on Facebook and if you would like more information or my new coordinates I'll private message them to you.

And on another note... winter is definitely here. My hands started to feel all scratchy last night - so it won't be long now. (They are the first things to go as the weather dries out.) What will be different - well I finally found something for my hands that is saving them... picked it up from my hair salon that also offers spa treatments. I went in for my feet (which are completely cured now - thanks to the fabulous girl working that day) and she suggested a product and presto change-o my feet got better - that was four months ago and they are still great. Used a little bit on my hands and it totally worked yesterday. If anyone is interested in product information I can post it - it is just in a box this morning and I'm feeling lazy and not rushing to dig it out for the blog this morning.

Alright - well I need to start making lunches and maybe even watch some news.
My love to you. xo

those spots

2011-10-23T22:33:00.001-07:00

"Mom, what are these bumps?"

I wasn't really paying attention.... where?

"Here..."

He is pointing at his chest and before I can say a word he says,

"They are nibbles, right."

I try to hold my laugh and cough instead.

No, babe - those are nipples.

"Nipples, ni-pppllles (he says it slowly), nipples - ok."

Good times.
Good times.

Flu and head update

2011-10-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

Michael totally rebounded - threw up and then just hung out. Today he was back to his little old self and just carried on. I absolutely hate throwing up and it completely wears me out so it is great that he can just come back from a lousy day.

Kyle... well he is ok - no concussion side effects to report, however, he now seems to have an ankle issue - that he bruised the front side of his ankle as it is bugging him to lean forward, he bruised up his shin, he has a good sized bruise on his butt and another bigger one on his back and his head is still swollen - sigh. He is happy though and feeling good - so I guess we just watch and wait and carry on.

We had an entertaining afternoon with a visit to some friends - kids had a great time.

The weather is pushing towards winter here - we keep getting reports of snow and bad weather, but it doesn't show up - today was very nice for a few hours (managed to squeak in a run this morning - in the fog) and then in the late afternoon a wind storm came through, taking many of the remaining leaves.

I hope we get at least two more weeks of snow free conditions but I'm not holding my breath on it.
Anyways my loves - I'm calling it a night - going to watch a little Good Will Hunting and sleep, how do you like them apples :)

xo xo

sigh

2011-10-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Last night Kyle decided to fall down stairs (6-8) at the after school house - he bumped his head something fierce - think the size of the palm of your hand dinosaur egg (his words) (unless you have giant boy hands and.. well think of a 6 oz steak) - said he tripped and then promptly bit it.

Hospital checked him out and said to just watch and wait. He ate dinner and didn't have any side effects other than pain in his head (so far) and then this morning I noticed a giant bruise on his back... so he definitely caught himself in the back too.

Anyways - so he is doing fine.

This morning also brought unexpected things as we were driving to after school (because it is a non-instructional day here) Michael decided to throw up in the car - it was fantastic. So Kyle went to after school care for the day and Michael and I came home... of course I have grants due today. So I'm trying to work on that and take calls and .... blah blah blah.

More later.. gotta get back to the grants.

away

2011-10-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

So I'm heading away on another work trip. I'm nausea.

sigh

I don't really have anything valuable to offer tonight.

More in a few days.

xo my loves - xo

Could it really be 25 years..

2011-10-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

This is from Entertainment Weekly and I had to share it with you this morning.

crunchy rice krispy chicken

2011-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight dinner took exceptionally long to make - for our usual routine - but it turned out to be a hit!
And what on earth did we have? Well I decided to let the fabulous Tyler Florence inspire one dish and then we tried one from Rice Krispies website...

Butternut squash mac & cheese
Now I added a different pasta - he said use shells - I used brown rice pasta that comes in shapes and is organic (ok - as organic as that can be since it travelled from far away to get to my house... but I digress)
It was super easy - Tyler's book for kids recipes is awesome! Ok and how is this for easy... 1/2 of my 4 lb butternut squash - baked in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper - 50 minutes at 400 - then once it is good and cooked you use one half (about 2 lbs - ish) and put that in the blender (or food processor if you are lucky enough to have one) with 1 cup of milk (supposed to be whole milk, but I had skim milk) - then you blend the crap out of it - I let it run for more than a minute. Ok so then you mix the butternut squash smoothie with the pasta (use a spatula) and then you can put it in a baking dish and put cheese on top and bake it at 350 until the cheese melts - he suggested putting on a cup of cheese - he suggested monterey jack and again I just used cheddar. I cheated this part because the kids had been waiting too long for dinner - so I just put it in a bowl and grated cheese on top - the heat of everything melted the cheese.. shocking...

Kyle said it was wicked awesome - Michael... well the grated cheese wasn't enough to convince him to eat it - he did try it though and that was good.

Ok - so then there was the chicken - that - according to Kyle - was the best chicken fingers he has ever had... and they were super simple.

For this recipe - I cut up two chicken breasts (hey mom, do you know how tall I am? no, sweetheart, how tall are you - I'm as tall as grandma's breast - wicked... frickin' wicked). I cut it in the middle of the breast (whatever that's called - so you end up with four pieces) and then into smaller pieces. Then you dip them in an egg wash - 2 egg whites and 1 tbsp of water, then you dredge them in 2 1/2 cups of rice krispies, 1 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, pepper, 1 tsp seasoning salt (mix up the dredging stuff and yes, break up the rice krispies a little, but you want some of them to keep shape - so it is not meant to be a powder that you dredge them in) - tonight I had the rice krispy stuff on a piece of wax paper than I just rolled the chicken on it. Then this goes in the oven - I cooked them at 400 for 10 minutes a side - the online recipe says 450... me thinks that is too high... but maybe they are in a different climate... or something...

Our happy BC squash

The other part of dinner - zucchini and portobello mushrooms

The chicken and squash cooking together - having fun

One side of the squash carved out

Milk and squash making out

There is no cheese at this point - this is just happy squash and milk

While this kind of looks like a painful face - this is him telling me it is the best chicken EVER

Ye olde thumbs up for yummy chicken :)

Good night friends - xo

Oh and tomorrow Kyle turns nine! I know... madness and also fantastic! Hooray for turning nine!

damn tuesday

2011-10-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

This morning started out wicked awesome. I made it to school early with the guys and then get flagged by a parent that said - gees your tire is sure flat. (enter the f-word - quietly) And so I drop everybody off and deal with it like everything else... and 16 minutes later I was back on the road. (Yes, that is a new record and I could have probably shaved time off if I hadn't been trying to be careful and not cover my tan pants in tire dirt and brake crap.)

Long day.

But we did manage to make cookies tonight.

1 cup of margarine, 3/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar - mix together - or use the wooden spoon like it is a knife and stab the crap out of it like Michael tried to do.

And then he got into mixing... hooray.

Add 1 tsp of baking soda - mix some more.

Add one egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla (or a little more if you are like me and like vanilla)

Then add in 1 1/2 cup (ish) of chocolate chips - we used semi sweet and white ones tonight.

Then add 2 1/2 cups of flour until everything is all happy and blended together.

And then - you too - can have yummy cookies like us.

Oven temp 375, bake for 10-12 minutes

And where is Kyle in all these photos... well tonight he decided he didn't want to eat what was for dinner and was pissy about everything at dinner - so he sat out for a while and missed making cookies... he did, however, get a few cookies later after he got over the dinner issue.

Kyle also learned a valuable less about bike helmets today. A girl in her class has just about lost her face and most of her teeth because she went biking without a helmet and hit a bump. I was shocked at how much damage she had, how many stitches and teeth gone - it was like something out of a Stephen King novel. This should also be a lesson for all the grown ups too - she will heal - us old people don't heal as well... wear a helmet. Do it! This has been a public service announcement brought to you by the letters G, F and Y.

Night friends - xo

turkey monday

2011-10-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Today is for thanks.

I want to thank my grandmother for driving with me to Nazko and sharing with me the following story... I will add the thanksgiving dinner that my mom made was good - the pumpkin pie was great (totally treated after my run) and that my run was fantastic. The first 5 km went so smoothly - I was shocked. I made it 5.4 km in 36 minutes, but at the turn my joints began to take offence to the gravel road and were outraged that we had to return on the same path. In the end I completed 10.8km in 80 minutes... so you can see that there was a delay in the return, but it was good - it was better than good. (Oh and it was plus 2 and cold... but my body warmed up after about 4 km... phew)

My grandmother shared with me how she met my grandfather today and while I think I've read about it before (as she has a journal about her life) she didn't go into the kind of detail that she went into today. Her brother Freddie was badly injured in the war and, in her words, he was kicked so hard in the back that he got cancer from it, cancer that would kill him. Freddie was returned home to England and she went to see him everyday in the hospital as his parents didn't - so every day she would spend a minimum of 25 minutes talking to him and the other soldiers who had been paralyzed by fighting in the war. One of the orderlies working on the floor was my grandfather - Steve - (I actually asked her - could she tell me the story of how she and my grandfather met and she gave me this look and then I said - tell me how you and Steve met and then she started). She eventually took a job in the same hospital - different ward and so she could visit more often and also see Steve in passing. And then one day, as they did every day, she arrived to say the 'our father's' prayer. Steve walked in and told her it was no good. He was already gone. Freddie had died. (I know - how awful - her war stories are shocking and I'm so glad we live in a country that is so peaceful and that I've never had to even think about a bomb going off or hitting my home or my country... but I digress)

So my grandmother went home and told her family that her brother had died. She returned to the hospital and my fantastic grandfather says to her... gees, you look awful. She told me this with a laugh - she said she will never forget him saying that to her. He followed this up with an invitation to a dance. What I didn't know is that my grandfather was an amazing dancer - amazing - she said that the two of them use to lead the dances. She loved him so much. And friends - this story is going to get a hell of a lot sadder... so hold on to your seats - I'm not sure how I held it together in the car.

She talked about his "awful" comment and that the dancing sealed the deal - it was love at first sight, in her mind, and she talks about her loss and how life has never been the same - it made my heart ache for her. I can see her sadness and he has been gone for over 20 years, close to 30.

So how does this story end. She told me about a trip they'd planned across Canada. That he'd always wanted to do it and even though he'd been sick he wanted to go. He told her to plan the trip - all the stops - and so she picked out funky places to stop and rest and sights to see and she spoke of the fantastic places in Canada that they just picked there way through. A giant Ukrainian easter egg outside of Edmonton, Winnipeg (probably saw the dirty hoe... ok - that's for my 'Corner Gas' fans), Lake Superior, Ottawa, Quebec City, Sydney and onto Nova Scotia. She had wanted to see a fort that was opening - and in the car, they'd had a fight because Steve was adamant that they get to Hawkesbury Nova Scotia - that that was where he wanted to stop. Now since she was planning the trip she was a bit miffed at the entire situation... but at the end of the discussion she agreed to carry on and forgo the fort. As they drove closer to Hawkesbury my grandfather said to her that he couldn't drive any further - his last words - and he drove the truck (double clutch) into the ditch. He died. And she tried to save him. She took him out of the truck and tried to do CPR on the side of the road. She said that she thinks he was gone before he left the truck - looking back. A vehicle stopped and asked if they could help and she told him to get an ambulance to come. Another vehicle stopped - it was a nurse - who promptly told my grandmother that she was doing CPR incorrectly and took over - telling my grandmother to count. And so she counted. The next car that stopped was actually the town coroner who waited for the ambulance to arrive - but the paramedics didn't know CPR and so the nurse stayed with them. My grandma said they did this because they don't like people dying on the sides of the road in Nova Scotia.

And so she went to the hospital and they did an autopsy and the police officer that spoke with her asked where she was staying that night. She said she'd stay at the hotel and then she found out why it was important to be in Hawkesbury - you see, my grandfather, Steve, had booked a room - there was one already waiting for her - they had arrived on their wedding anniversary and he'd arranged for a special room with champagne.

My heart broke in the car.

The pain is on her face. She laughs about the trials and tribulations of it all and she says that all she can do now is laugh about the harsh parts of life, because crying isn't worth anything. She is 86 years and I feel so much closer to her today. She spoke for three hours about life and harsh realities.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but the moments that take our breaths away. I have a new appreciation for this quote - I am thankful for every minute my grandmother spoke and brought me closer to her life. Thankful.

xo my loves - xo and sweet dreams
let us be thankful every day

hello sushi

2011-10-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today was good
Today was fun
Tomorrow is gonna suck

Alright - so it isn't poetry... so I'm not excited about driving out tomorrow and I don't really care about turkey dinner this year - first time I haven't cooked it in 15 years - so I'm pretty much anti-turkey day right now... blah...

Ok - so let's move on - onward and upward

First some photos from today.. and then my Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend...

Thanksgiving weekend - let's all be thankful for everything we do have in life. Even with the difficult times and the stresses of life we all have many things to be thankful for. I know I'm thankful! xo

And to be as untraditional as possible - we went with sushi tonight - had a late start so it is sushi leftovers for the drive to nazko (boooo) and post run celebration food (yeah!)

Egg

Cucumber

Avocado

Prepping imitation crab for california rolls

Prepped crab

Something new.. lettuce and zucchini...

BBQ salmon

Rice prepping

And onto the first roll...

Avocado, zucchini, lettuce, shrimp

(something different)

About 2 heaping tablespoons of prepared sushi rice

Pressed out with wet hands

California roll

Michael's roll - no nori - this is rice, BBQ salmon, and egg

Rolls - ready for cutting

Time to cut up and test

Boxed and ready for tomorrow

Mmmm - sushi

wow - that totally kicked me in the junk

2011-10-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Today we went and watched the last of the salmon in the creek. (Photos later) We also went for a run and I am quite surprised at the change in my endurance and speed. Michael wasn't into it at all today, but even when he was I was keeping up and feeling good - a far cry from where I was in July.

We had lunch at the house and played outside and had fun. Then at 2pm I decided to have some new tea that I bought - green tea with lemon grass and peppermint - now it said soothing.... I didn't realize that meant kick you in the junk you're gonna lie down and be knocked out by this tea. I was on Skype with my brother drinking the tea and then as soon as I got off the phone we put in a movie and I outright crashed. I woke up after two hours and felt like a train had hit me.

So I'm getting over the effects of being knocked out for a few hours - we ended up going outside and playing football for a few minutes - taught Michael to do a dance when he caught the ball... yes, I know it is only for touchdown's but I think it is an important skill - you should see some of the moves that kid has - he 'moves like jagger'...

Ok - photos tonight - hugs to you! Hope your turkey sunday is going well - we head to Nazko for the day tomorrow - yawn - I mean, woohoo... nope I mean yawn.. ah but I'm treating myself to a 13km run tomorrow... yeah baby - that's right - I'm getting my parents to drop me off at the school and I'm running back to the house... a bit of a test for me... my barkerville rush relay leg (up and down mountains) was 12.2 and I did it in 2 hours - it was an embarrassing finish for time but I was pleased to finish because the hills were brutal. I don't really know how long it will take me, but I'm going to go and have fun.

xo

some photos

2011-10-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

Just a sampling of photos from the past two weeks - some of my favourites from the road.

Went to PG today to get some more tricks for the office. Long day.
Tired. Emotional. And I'll leave it there.

xo

my disneyland

2011-10-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

I had a case of the blog, blog, blog, blog stop... but I'm back.

I was pretty busy out east and just never seemed to find the time to blog... but I did take a lot of photos and they are below. Highlights - well I got my certification, we won an award (a medal) and I went to Ottawa (yeah, I did - and it was AWESOME!)

So here I am getting my certificate. It was pretty great. I'm working on additional training and have more work to do, but I'm pretty happy to have gotten this far and having finished something.

Here I am picking up our medal for best interactive media campaign in Canada ... yeah baby!

Yep - I was very very excited for our team and organization! Still am!

Here is the beauty they tried to confiscate from me at the airport - apparently it could be used as a weapon. They were right - had they tried to take it away I would have tried to stuff it down their throat.

And then there was Ottawa...

Speaker of the Senate entrance (right hand side of the main parliament building)

Yep - at the Public Entrance sign... under the bell tower

Of course I'm sharing a beaver shot with you :)

The walkway between the centennial flame and the bell tower

I'm milling about - waiting on the bell... waiting to hear it one more time before I leave a place I've wanted to see my entire life... waiting, waiting...

'miss' says the police officer

he's been watching me from the car - I probably look suspicious - people don't tend to hang out as long as I have ... must be a terrorist... damn it... sooo caught...

um yes

'where are you from'

gawd, what did i do, is there a no loitering sign... damn it...

British Columbia

'well, that's about as far away from here as you can get in Canada'

yes, mr.officer, sir, it is

Yes

'so, would you like your picture taken with me'

seriously... seriously...

Um, yes, of course!

I love that I help pay for parliament and police officers that like their photos taken with crazy tourists like me... yeah tax dollars - hooray!

Me and the Centennial Flame - being here was the most ethnically diverse place I've been - there were so many different people - wandering the site or taking photos... only one person that I noticed spending the kind of time I spent there... and he kept getting me to take pictures of him and his family.. it was fun.

Fantastic Parliament!

I was sooo excited when I finally got here and then cried as I drove by to try and find parking, cried some more when I walked onto the site and then cried as I walked back to my car after two hours of wandering and being so struck by it all - it was very tough to leave a place that I'd always wanted to be at.. but I left... and I'll return.. one day.

The sunset on my way back to Peterborough... this was before I got lost... but I found my way again.. life is never boring with me...

I'm off to PG in the morning get some computer gear - home in the afternoon and hoping that we will get a good fall day and some outside time.

Love to you - kisses and hugs xo

friday

2011-09-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today was a long day. The course material was not great - one low point included the prof introducing a you tube clip - this lengthy opening was followed by loading time and then... get this - the clip was him... seriously - he couldn't just talk to us... he was there... sheesh! Maybe I should start paying half of my course fees up front and then say I'll pay the other half if I actually get to learn something - or maybe tip the teachers that actually engage the class... I don't know... long day

Tonight we checked a Louisiana restaurant - it wasn't great - we were all pretty disappointed and on top of that we all had to wear our coats because they wouldn't shut the door we were sitting near... so we all froze and weren't happy... and then I left and came back to the bed and breakfast. Tomorrow is going to be another long day and I'm pretty tired tonight - so I'm going to close with some photos and send you my love and kisses. good night.

This is the view from the patio I had lunch on - I had this amazing soup - it was great. All while working on a file for work. Hooray for technology!

A beautiful bloom on the deck of the patio.

Leaves on the deck of the patio.

And the clock tower from Downtown Peterborough. I managed to check out a couple of shops at lunch today, but spent most of my time at the patio - taking in the sights of Peterborough and enjoying that yummy soup.

Good night my loves. Many more photos tomorrow... many many!

peterborough

2011-09-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

The view from my fantastic bed and breakfast - living way outside the usual for me. The hotel everyone else is at was booked up months ago and I looked around and finally found this... it is a pretty suite and fantastic. Angel's Rest Bed & Breakfast - definitely recommend it - it is beautiful and... it has also kept me away from the hotel and I'm actually quite enjoying the peace and quiet - no drinking, no gossiping, no anything... might keep doing this based on this trip...

Yesterday I did a brief core circuit in Calgary before I took off to Toronto and really wanted to get out and run tonight. I picked up a trail guide and it seemed very simple. There was a 5.5 km loop around a lake in the downtown core that actually ran near the place I'm staying at - so off I went... and here are some of the sights...

I like the ducks in this one.

And then there was this fence. I spent enough time looking at the map for the trail today to know that things were really going wrong on my run when I found this fence. It did not open. What appears to be a gate on the left hand side of this photo - is not - and so... I climbed it - I crammed my foot into the edges of it and then did a pull up onto the top of those concrete pillars and then tossed myself on the other side - trying not to impale myself on the tops - as they were sharp and pointy. Oh and this was in a cemetery - yep - you see the entire trail was SUPER poorly signed - the trail I was taking that was in the guide book and seemed popular according to the guide had zero signs but what I knew was that I had to stay on the edge of the lake. Well the cemetery is on the lake (actually a very beautiful cemetery and yes I can say that with some authority - I've seen three). It was well treed and the sun hit the area very nicely as I ran threw.

So what was supposed to be 5.5 turned into 8.2 - which I didn't prepare for - brought no water, no gels, because I'd usually use a gel for that distance... but it all worked out - I don't feel sore at all tonight and just felt really good about getting out to see Peterborough.

The downtown core is nice, lots of interesting shops, lots of brick and beautiful clock tower, they have all the big box stuff too. The downtown sits just off all the trail networks and it is just a very pretty place, especially now as the leaves are turning and falling.

Well - day two of my course starts in nine hours - so I should probably get some sleep. xo ~ sweet dreams

(Mel - ps - I feel better - thank you for the advise - I think you were absolutely right!)

toronto and the 401

2011-09-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

On the way into Toronto. It was beautiful.

Then we hit turbulence - again - and it dropped the plane a bit and thought they might ask us to all lean to the left to try and correct the situation.. but the pilots had it all in hand and it was fine... :)

We arrived in Toronto and four us carpooled to Peterborough - initially in the sun with rainbows and then in the rain - pretty much the last hour - I'm excited to see this place in daylight.

And here is the 401 - not as bad as I'd expected. It was definitely slow going, but once we got to the outside of the city we cruised along...

Then we saw this beauty - it actually arched across the whole sky.

More photos tomorrow - hoping to get out for a run in the morning and maybe a walk in the afternoon - depends on how the classes go... and then hopefully a splash of adventure this weekend...

Note: angry toronto residents - you don't need to be angry - life is too short - just because my luggage happened to be in your way for two seconds doesn't mean that I was trying to hurt you or cause you any more discomfort in your life - I'm sorry that you have to be so angry and feel like you need to take it out on everyone around you... (see how I didn't even curse - I totally wanted to curse one lady out this afternoon but she actually looked like she had enough pain in her life and didn't need more and just needed somewhere to vent... )

Well it is late here and I'm settled into my cute little place - that I will have photos of in daylight - xoxo - love to you.

for five cents

2011-09-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Um - yeah - four hours on the couch - that sucked. I had a terrifying nightmare that really scared me in the middle of that four hour stint and now I'm up.. we need to be at the airport in about 90 minutes and there is baby stuff to do between now and then.

More sleep tonight... I hope...

xo

better

2011-09-28T02:02:00.000-07:00

Today I felt awful half the day - I don't really know what turned the tide on whatever is wrong with me but by late afternoon I was on the mend and then I took Nicholas out for a walk and things got better.

And here we are - out on the trail - living it up! It was fun - he got a bit cranky half way but I just packed him and pushed the stroller. Wanna see something kind of fun... well fun for me... this is how much he and I have both changed in six months...

Kind of funny that I happened to wear the same running shirt tonight... I couldn't really believe it tonight as I downloaded all my photos to Mel how much we've changed. Mel and I gabbed for hours tonight - it was fantastic and makes me desperately sad that we don't live closer together. I couldn't sleep tonight - the wind is blowing and my mind is all over the place. I fly to Toronto tomorrow and then drive the 401 in rush - wicked - but it will all be great... and then I'll have more photos to share and things to be thankful for.

Ok - so tonight I'm going to end with new photos and wish all of you sweet dreams, wherever you are - xoxoxo - love you!

definitely not magic monday

2011-09-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I flew out during the wind today from Vancouver to Calgary - lucky me - I passed out in take off and woke up over Calgary where it was equally blustery and bumpy. We went out to dinner with Carmen (mel and me) and of course I spent time playing with my cute nephew Nicholas who has grown so much and is quite the character - photos tomorrow - I'd share photos tonight but I'm so damned barfy tonight that I've gone and bought gravol and now have it on board and am just waiting for it to kick in and let me rest. I thought I was getting better and maybe it is just the travel and the lack of proper eating that is causing me the grief... back to the shakes in the morning and some tea... definitely need to find some good tea.

Mel had some cute presents for me when I arrived - so that was great - need to find a dress for the event... turns out the dress that I was planning to wear is too big (hadn't tried it on to check) and I definitely need something that looks nice - so hopefully find something tomorrow.

Alright my loves - good night to you - sleep tight - xxoo

crud

2011-09-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

I'm totally sick. I should have been taking cold fx or something every day for a week before I started travelling. Last night I started to freeze and now I'm hot and can hardly swallow and of course, my neck has been hurting for two days - but I'm pretty sure that is yoga related and not being sick.

Anyways - not much to report. I have to be tradeshow ready in an hour so I'm going to work on feeling better and go from there....

xo

Friday

2011-09-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I'd be doing as awful as I am this morning. I leave the office for the funeral in 90 minutes.
And that's all I have to say about that.

And I should totally be working... dang.

Alright - I'll work - need to pull a cheque run together, maybe that will keep me focused (HA). Paula did you read that... that accounting might keep me focused - good grief... I've totally lost it...

xxoo - hugs greatly appreciated today.

Thursday

2011-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well I feel like I blew a tire tonight - I've put in a couple of five k's in this week and couldn't generate enough to do more than 3.5 tonight. sigh. Enough of that though.

I will share some highlights from parenting - or rather.. low lights..

An open letter from Kyle... (lord)

I'm sorry for calling *lateesha* a swear word. I'm sorry because it's prollbly (god, can't they teach them how to spell) her hurt feelings. I will never use f, a, b word (um - holy shit) again. But (love that he put but) she was calling me things and making fun of me and that's why I said it.

*names changed to protect the innocent/evil

Um - yeah - so f, a, b... really... turns out he called her a bitch - a word I hardly ever use - I mean - I'm guilty for saying the others but I really try not to around them (well most of the time). And so I bust out a story for Kyle... you see - back in the day in a little room of our house called cold storage (we left all the canning and the freezer - and sadly the place I had sex for the first time - sorry Mel - it's freakin' sad and GOD - I'm such a loser for that... seriously it sucked but whatever - first time, first time.. - ok I'll carry on) and me and my brother were standing in there shouting at each other - we were probably eight and ten - and we were having fun and then one of us says 'bun of a snitch' - really - we didn't curse... but this outburst led to more rallying of close to swears - and maybe we even said it and then the door flew open and my Dad snapped - I mean - F&$#ing snapped - who the hell did we think we were, what the hell did we think we were doing - the wrath of my dad is something NO ONE wants - he came completely unglued - he shouted - how dare we say such things about our mother (son of a bitch... see how that was insulting to mom - except we totally weren't insulting mom) and so we had to apologize and apologize ... probably spent a full day in our rooms without food/water for that routine. (Well I would have spent the day without food or water - Steve started hoarding non-perishable food in his room (top drawer) for just such an occasion and I hadn't figured that out.)

Bottom line - I told Kyle grandpa would be SUPER mad if he heard about this and he'd probably never take you hunting - 'nough said.

And now - I'm going to clean up and pack - I leave for Van pretty quick and want to make sure everything is in order.

Oh - and today's shake of the day - one cup soy, protein powder, 3/4 banana, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 4 ice cubes... it was ok - when I'm craving carbs I turn to a banana with peanut butter on it - I'd probably reduce the peanut butter if I do this in the future. And now - back to packing. Totally need two bags - damn near need one for shoes... such a girlie girl now.

wednesday

2011-09-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a long day.

And so - rather than vent and whine and complain I'm going to share a short recipe.

First - take out blender - very good - I'm proud of you for getting that far -

mine is permanently on the counter

Then pour in one cup of your favourite white liquid - milk, soy, almond milk - this is soy

One pear - cut up a little and skinned (cored - of course - unless you like all that stuff in your drink)

Some protein powder - vanilla flavour (I say some because every pack of that stuff is totally different)

1 tsp-tbsp cinnamon

3-4 ice cubes

Then blend the crap out of it - 30-60 seconds

Pour into glass of choice

Voila - c'est fini!

I have extra pears right now, so that's why they are hitting the mix... Michael loves pears so I bought a box, but he hasn't gotten into them as much as I thought he would.

It is pouring here tonight - supposed to rain for a few days - love listening to it rain.

good night my loves - good night and sweet dreams

monkey see, monkey do

2011-09-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well my dear friend Carmen, over at My Life in a Nutshell, has started posting a Tuesday feed and I thought I'd follow along - for one week anyway... just for fun and because I didn't really have much else to say - other than I had a kick ass meeting last night followed by some sad news about my aunt passing away.

And now...

Today it's Twenty-Six on Tuesday (the alphabet series) (yes - it is Wednesday, but I was busy last night) and thanks to Chelsea for hosting! (And technically - this is 25 because the L one is missing...)

Age: 34

Bed Size: Queen

Chore that you hate: Don't really have one that I hate... I don't mind chores

Dogs: Not any more

Essential start to your day: Computer

Favorite Color: Red

Gold or Silver: Silver

Height: 5'8"

Instruments you play: Flute, clarinet (a little), oboe (my love), piccolo, learned bassoon but haven't played in years (like 20), a little piano and trying to learn guitar

Job Title: Super sexy economic development officer (no, really - it's on my cards)

Kids: 2 cute ones

Mother’s Name: Rock collector

Nicknames: Ape, ape of the jungle, others that have swears in them :) - ok maybe those aren't nicknames

Overnight hospital stays: I've done a few - two surgeries, plus kids - 6 total nights in the hospital

Pet peeve: People who obsessively use 'like' (not the Facebook one... but that is annoying too)

Quote from a movie: "What you need is a champion."

Right or left handed: Left

Siblings: Brother (middle) and beautiful younger sister who I get to see in a few days (woohoo)

Time you wake up: between 6 and 7 (sometimes before 6 - depends on the morning)

Underwear: Yes - a little bit of everything

Vegetable you hate: I don't know if I 'hate' any vegetables

What makes you run late: The kids needing to go to the bathroom as we are trying to run out the door

X-Rays you’ve had: Neck, back, shoulders, left hand, head (jaw/teeth), hips, all kinds of ultrasounds and one CT Scan (liver/kidneys/the downstairs - all that fun stuff)

Yummy food that you make: lots...
Zoo Animal: I like giraffes and moose - I like learning about all the animals and agree with 'binders' comment that I like zoos when they treat the animals well and it is about awareness

xo - have a great 'hump' day...

not a little, or small, or minor

2011-09-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Under the category of best sign EVER - I give you...

Not kidding - this is totally on the side of the road at the "really big slide" just outside of Lillooet (between Lillooet and Lytton) - love it!

Marble Canyon - north of Lillooet

To give you some scale of the canyon - it is a beautiful area - NASA is also doing testing on the lakes that are in the valley - it is pretty neat stuff

So yes, this means I made it home for a few days and then I'm back on the road starting next weekend for two weeks.

Not much else for tonight - long day of driving (more than 700 km) and I'm going to be like a vegetable for the remainder of the evening.

Hugs and smooches to you! xo

photos

2011-09-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

Ok - I had to share photos - and I'm procrastinating on some other work I need to do... sharing with you is so much better than doing work.

The guys - getting ready for another day of school - Kyle decided to get dressed up for Thursday (I say dressed up because you can't see his pants - he went to all this effort to look cute and then throws on a pair of camo pants - I laughed pretty hard... but he likes it and that is all that matters --- Michael went with more of a rambo option.

The guys in blue are selling super duper blenders - they are actually quite amazing! And they make a funny team - they even gave me some pointers - like don't be nice to people when they come up to your booth and just want your swag (stuff we all get) - so I started asking people to sing a song about Quesnel in exchange for a bag - one lady busted out an african hymn - so - I got entertained too.

The show was very busy yesterday - people could hardly fit in the aisles.

Mr Rob Feenie - I was able to take this from my booth and if you look at the previous photo you can see that I was a bit of a distance from the stage (that white square is the stage in the above photo) - yeah for a big lens :)

one more day

2011-09-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

So I'm heading for a run right now but wanted to update you very briefly. The tradeshow has been busy - the weather has helped with that. I did manage to squeak in some time to visit with Paula last night (yeah) and we reminisced about life and how things can sometimes dramatically change in just 11 years (seriously - did I just say 'just' 11 years... getting old...)

It is raining this morning and I'm just going to hit the treadmill and see where I go this morning - I really need a core day, but we'll see. Sorry about the lack of photos - last night I got lost (how unlike me) on my way back from Langley. Just took the wrong turn - three times - and then finally found a cross street that I recognized and was able to correct my course.

Our new magazine made it to the show - it is pretty exciting to see it in print - it is also overwhelming to have a project finished and hold it in your hands. Of course for me there is also the - man I wish I'd designed that a little different, but it is only a few pages that I look at and think that - that's good in a 32 page piece. All in all it is good, our team did some great work and I'm proud of everyone that contributed to the project. I'll post a link to the web version next week.

Alright - I'm delaying running - better get going... love to you. xxoxxooo

update - man - that run was killing me - I just wasn't there this morning - took me a mile to get into it - then did another mile and a bit and then biked out two more miles... two hours until I have to stand at the booth for six more hours... yeah! And then I have to clean up - hoping to distribute most of my stuff today - I know I'll be able to hand out the rest of the Quesnel bags and I wisely didn't take all of the new magazines into the show and have been taking in a box as I needed them - so there is really only one large box to pack out plus supplies... and then hit repeat for next weekend when I'm at APEX in Burnaby.

away

2011-09-17T04:05:00.000-07:00

I'm at the Eat Fraser Valley Food Network tradeshow this weekend and - you guessed it - I'm unable to sleep right now. I'm working the show alone which is making for some challenges and I'm definitely not happy that I'm not featuring anything - it makes it very slow. I was supposed to be showcasing a product with a local company, but that fell through Friday morning... but that's ok - I've made two good contacts today and likely one of those will make this show worth our time.

My hotel room is giant - it even has laundry - it is wild. I'd definitely stay with Sandman again. In all my years of travelling for work, this is the first time I've stayed with them and I've been very impressed - ok... except for this... upon arrival I walk in with all the crap in the free world (really it was three bags) and a crazy looking guy is at the front desk getting coffee and chatting - apparently to no one other than himself. Once he sees me his attention changes and he starts asking what I'm doing at the hotel and how are things are - you know - run of the mill crazy shit. The night clerk is in shock - he whispers to me - ignore him - and all I can think is - yeah - cause ignoring him is going to work. He continues to ask why I have so much stuff - I said I decided to run away from home and made it as far as Abbotsford. He laughs. He is a crazy person that I can see has a switch. I don't laugh. Then he keeps talking away and says that he was just released from prison after doing 12 years - wicked - love Abbotsford. The small crowd in the lobby now seem to be interested and start asking him questions and the night clerk is taking his sweet freakin' time checking me - and re-checking me in and all I can think of is how many steps to the elevator - please can't I just go lie down... no.... the clock ticks forward and I stand there with all my crap waiting... 'why 12 years' - I killed someone - f&*^ check, please... gawd! - and then he goes into a long story about how he did it, why he did, beating up prison guards and other people and on and on and on. In the middle of the story he decides he's shared enough and starts to walk out - but the crowd wants to know more because they are STUPID and then I exit, stage right.

Inside the elevator my blonde hair causes me to forget how to get an elevator moving - stupid key needs to be swiped before you can go and I can't get it to swipe - I'm looking and looking and nothing is working and ... no panic.. (that was later) don't panic, it is ok and then after three minutes of standing there I press a button hoping that the elevator gods will just let me in and realize - I'd done whatever I needed to do (hold card over card reader not swipe) up I went. End scene.

And now - I'm waiting for the gym to open in two hours so I can go and run. I will try and sleep but it is elusive - long day tomorrow, long day Sunday and then drive home on Monday.... I'll post photos from the show tomorrow night.

My love to you - xo

ps. I was so sad to hear about the beluga dying. We were there only a few months ago celebrating the whales and everything at the aquarium - a very sad day. I know - it is a whale - but it just pulls at my heart to see that happen.

what's that... stay home from work you say (a delayed post)

2011-09-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

My staff has definitely influenced me because over the past eight years with my job I have rarely taken sick time. I would rather bring it to the office and share it around like a jerk. My staff have been sick and I'm the first one to be on them saying- look - you don't need to be here - things can wait - I want healthy, happy staff - go home... and so... in that vein I'm keeping myself home today because if my staff were as sick as I am this morning I'd send them home... shocking - a truly shocking revelation for me... (update - this lasted until I finished writing and then totally went to work for the morning... I'm such a jerk)

Side note - while I was at school yesterday morning one of the teachers says - oh yes, it is that time of year, all the germs ru nning around again (yes, she meant real germs and was not calling the kids germs... at least not in this instance) - my daughter was so sick this morning, but I just gave her tylenol and sent her in. To this I said nothing and knew from that second on that Michael and Kyle will likely both have colds by the end of the month - as this was Michael's teacher and kindergarten tends to be all hands on. (insert expletive)

Jen - did you like that I totally kept spelling kindergarten like a moron the other day. I've left it that way so other people can mock me for incorrectly spelling things. The way I was spelling it makes me imagine this great garden somewhere with kinder surprises, something akin to Willy Wonka's factory, and you just sit there eating chocolate and making little dumb prizes that get tossed.

Michael and Kyle got hair cuts today. Michael looks like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory - I'll post pictures tomorrow - it is pretty funny. Of course, Sheldon is totally my favourite so it's all good.

burns, cold and life - oh my

2011-09-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

First - Quebec :)

This was on the lawn of the art gallery where a special performance was made for all the officers - I got bored though and went outside to take photos and then walked myself the 2 miles home because I didn't feel like waiting for a ride...

Ceiling art display in gallery

Massive mural in old Quebec - there are many to enjoy

And good old junk highway

Tonight we tried to burn the house down while I was frying onion rings for the boys - I will likely never do that again - it was stupid hot that the oil instantly burned the onion rings and then I decided to try and deep fry my finger and yeah - that totally sucked. It will heal and didn't burn as badly as my last burn. I know - I need silicon wrapped hands in the kitchen..

The cold - well I took the afternoon off - sort of - worked from my bed and slept a bit. Slept through one phone call - so I definitely was conked out for a bit. Today there was a photo shoot in the office and I was disappointed to not be there but knew everything was in good hands. I'm heading to a tradeshow tomorrow - or trying to - still have issues with where the guys are going to stay tomorrow night but the weekend is taken care of. I did manage to squeak in a small run tonight so I'm feeling ok - I wasn't dying during the run and really thought that I could try and sweat this pesky cold out of me. I may even hit yoga before I hit the road tomorrow. Ahhhh yoga. I totally love it now.

Alright - I think I'm going to try and sleep. Maybe. Need to get up early and get packing.

xxoo - love to you!

and yes, Mel, you are a highlight of my trip - definitely! Can't wait to see you.

update...

lmao - ok - so there are lots of highlights - Paula & Makena, Carmen (we are sooo tying one on - or at least part of one), the jacuzzi in my fancy suite (YEAH), and maybe some cool stuff that I'll get to take home and have photos to share... woohoo!!!!

cold

2011-09-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I noticed that I wasn't feeling great but it actually felt like allergies, but by 1pm today I sent myself home fearing I might hand out whatever is attacking my system to the rest of my fantastic staff - one of whom is pregnant and I don't want her sick!

Being sick doesn't really mean you get a break though because today was immunization day. I took Michael for the kindergarten treatment... I love that they think a sticker might make getting jabbed by a needle better. There are four stations - vision, hearing, dental and immunization. I know my plan of attack - deal with the worst last. First we do vision - Michael does the testing so fast they are surprised (totally has my eye sight), hearing - ok when you hear the little sound you put up your hand... good, good, ok - perfect hearing, dental - so has he been to a dentist before - yes - lots - alright.. well thanks for coming... and then we walk into immunization. We are smiles, Michael knows what is coming and he isn't happy about it, but - well what are you going to do - he is dealing with it a million times better than Kyle.

Enter the screamer.

You know those kids that scream at everything and anything and really really scream. This is the kid that arrives and from the moment they sit to the moment they leave it is on. The poor nurse that's with us looks at us like... wow - this couldn't be going worse right now but we try to laugh and just get through. Michael cries for a minute once the shot actually happens but he is brave and pulls through - when we left he even went back and thanked the nurse. Then we went and got slurpees for him and all the after school program kids.

And then I drove myself home and slept. I had alarms set up so that I wouldn't miss picking them up - I didn't have a huge window for sleep - but I squeaked in a few minutes.

It has been a year since Quebec and tonight I was supposed to be boarding a flight to North Carolina. I backed out of NC though and have a trip to Ontario in a few weeks (and I know I will have amazing photos to share from there... the place I'm staying at is on the river and BEAUTIFUL). I thought I'd share some Quebec photos this week to celebrate being there last year - Quebec City is beautiful and well worth the visit! So yes, this means that if you haven't been you should - please note that random making out is common in Quebec City and if you don't like that.. well - then maybe I'm telling you to go to the wrong place - I didn't have anyone to make out with and I still had a good time :)

They also make the best chocolate mint martinis! I mean, you really just can't believe how good they are.

Random acts of dancing

Beautiful streets

Good night my loves, sweet dreams - xo