Jill's World

Power to the Purple. Do It For Daron.

2012-02-03T09:16:00.001-05:00

February is “Power to the Purple” month. The Do It For Daron Campaign is encouraging everyone to share this video to raise awareness for youth mental health.

On February 7th, wear purple in memory of Daron and all of the other kids who thought they had no where to turn. Wear it to raise awareness.

Talk. Talk to teens. Talk to anyone who needs help. And if you need help, find someone to talk to.

Nobody is alone. Someone is always there.

Please visit DIFD for more information.

It’s Thursday? Let’s go random.

2012-02-02T11:46:00.001-05:00

I’ve set up camp at my mom’s these days. With my dad still in ICU, and us unsure about what each day will bring for him, I decided to hang with Mom as much as possible. But I’m starting to miss my own bed. And Dad was doing well yesterday. So last night, I said to Mom, “I think it’s about time I move back home.” Her eyes about popped out of her head. “NO!” she exclaimed. I was confused. “Really? I thought you’d be okay with it.” She shook her head, looking a little horrified. “Where would we put all of your furniture???” I sighed. “Mom, I meant move back to my place, not move back here permanently!”
I’m pretty sure I should be insulted by the look of relief that crossed her face.
That being said, there does seem to be a bit of a history in our extended family of grown, adult “children” moving back in with their parents. So I guess I could understand her concern.

I’ve neglected my place pretty badly since Christmas. It needs to be cleaned in the worst way, and I need to re-stock the fridge before I “move back in”.
I also need to clean my fish tank. The slime is building, and the fish aren’t really visible anymore. I go in once a day to feed them, and I’m always relieved to see they’re still swimming. Told you guys I have gangster fish.
Oh, and another reason I haven’t really bothered moving back to my place yet? The TV is on the fritz. Again. Remember how I used to say I had to wiggle some chords when it decided to go all herky-jerky? Well, the last time I did that, I yoinked the chord right out of the end attached to the satellite dish. So all I can watch there are DVDs. *sigh*
Zip.ca and I are about to fall out. I zipped the first season of Prison Break a long time ago and put it at the top of my list. They keep skipping it and shipping me other DVDs instead. All well and good, because I zipped them too, but what I really want right now is Prison Break. Seriously, Zip.ca? Is Season 1 of Prison Break THAT popular right now?!

I would be switching to Netflix in a heartbeat. But that would require me getting Internet at my place. Which would mean I’d have to leave the Dark Ages. And I’m just not sure I’m ready for such a big step.
The best part of my life in the past three weeks? Watching the All Star Draft on TSN, and when they asked Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators, after being drafted first overall by Team Alfredsson, if teammate Jason Spezza would be mad that he got picked before him, or happy for him. Karlsson said, very clearly, very distinctly: “No, Spezza’s PISSED.”

I think even my dad would’ve got a kick out of that.

Eat Chili, Get Skinny? It can work. I swear.

2012-02-01T12:39:00.001-05:00

Well, I’m still around.

Still in limbo, and still not quite in the right frame of mind to blog.

But there has been something on my mind. And that is the fact that if I continue “stress-eating” as I have been for the past three weeks, there is a very good chance I’m not going to fit into that bridesmaid dress next Saturday.

I need to focus on eating better for the next week and a half – and beyond! I need to get back to doing what works for me.

And what has been one of my main keys to success since I embarked on this current weight-loss adventure last August?

The Women’s World Magazine Fat Flush Soup!!

Guys, trust me…if you like Chili, you’ll love this soup. My mom discovered it in her copy of the magazine last fall, and we’ve been eating it ever since.

Here’s the recipe:

Women’s World Fat Flush Soup
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 ¼ lbs. Lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded & chopped
8 oz. Mushrooms, chopped
1 14 oz. Can crushed tomatoes
1 32 oz. Bottle reduced sodium tomato or vegetable juice
1 14 oz. Can beans, rinsed and drained (Kidney)
1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
1/8 Tsp. Cayenne (to taste)
¼ cup each fresh cilantro and parsley, chopped (I used parsley flakes, and I skip the cilantro)

In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautee meat until cooked through. Drain and set aside. Sautee onions, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms until soft.

Stir in remaining ingredients, except cilantro and parsley. Cover & simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro & parsley. Cover & simmer for 10 minutes longer. Store soup in fridge up to 5 days. Also freezes well. Makes 16 cups.

1 serving = 3 cups.
Calories 315
Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 65.8 mg, Sodium 1185 mg, Fiber 8 g, Protein 31 g, Carbs 30 g

I love Chili, so this soup tastes amazing to me. It’s thick and hearty and oh-so-yummy; perfect for this chilly winter days! And the serving size?! 3 cups?! That’s a LOT of soup! I usually only eat about half of that for lunch or supper.

My only issue with it is that I’m not a huge fan of mushrooms, but I’m trying to teach myself to eat them. That being said, I’ve started dreading eating the soup, only because of the mushrooms. So the next pot I make, I’m going to try subbing sliced carrots instead of the mushrooms.

There is also a whole diet plan to go with the soup, which I have not been following carefully. I’ve only been having a bowl of this once every few days.

(Ha! I’m a big, fat liar. I don’t think I've eaten it once in the past three weeks, but I intend to get back at it!)

But my mom and I both swear that on the days when we eat the soup, we lose weight.

It’s like magic.

I don’t have the magazine article handy with the rest of the diet details, but I did find a post on MyFitnessPal which you can look up here.

Here are the basics:

1. A protein-rich breakfast
2. 2 daily servings of soup
3. Fat-flushing snacks

Breakfast – choose one daily
•Eggs: 2 eggs plus ½ cup mixed veggies
•Fat Flush Body Protein smoothie:
In blender, mix
1 scoop Fat Flush Body Protein
8-10 oz. water
1 –1 ½ cups frozen or fresh berries
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds or chia
Ice cubes (optional)
•Greek Yogurt: 1 ½ cups each fat-free Greek yogurt and berries

Lunch – enjoy daily
1 serving Fat Flush Soup

Dinner – enjoy daily
1 serving Fat Flush Soup

Snacks – choose two daily
•Unlimited veggies with salsa
•Garden salad with 1 tsp. olive oil and fresh lemon or vinegar to taste
•1 hard-boiled egg
•1 piece fruit

Anyways, I’ve mentioned this soup to a few of my friends, and have been asked for the recipe time and time again, so I thought I would share it with you!

If you decide try it, let me know if you enjoy it! :)

The Day the Dress Didn’t Fit

2012-01-19T10:31:00.001-05:00

I’ve talked quite a bit about my weight-loss goals here on the blog, and as you may recall, the kick-in-the-ass that I desperately needed came in the form of bridesmaid dresses.

For some crazy reason, I keep ordering dresses that don’t fit me, vowing to lose weight to fit into them. My sister has suggested this is a fabulous way to keep me on track – as long as I have a wedding to be in about every 6 months, I should drop 100 lbs. before you know it!! (ha-ha, yeah right)

First, I ordered a dress for my friend Lindsay’s wedding that was too small. I had 9 months to work on losing weight to fit into it. It wouldn’t be easy – losing weight never is – but it was very, realistically, doable.

Then – THEN! – I ordered an even smaller dress for Luke & Amanda’s wedding. And I only had a month-and-a-half to figure that one out.

Plus, Christmas was thrown into the middle of it.

No idea what I was thinking. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Two weeks ago, I was scheduled to go try on my dress for Luke & Amanda’s wedding. And that day, I think I actually had a panic attack over it. In my head, I was imagining this little Oriental woman who runs the store shrieking at me, “Oh nooo! It no fit! You say it ft!!! You say you lose weight!!!!! You bad, bad person!!!”

In my imagination, she turned into a very fiery, angry little dragon who told me she could not fix my dress, that I was too big, and that I should have never ordered such a small size.

And then I couldn’t breathe. For real.

Thank God for those deep Yoga breaths Amanda has been teaching me.

I just had a gut feeling. I knew that dress wasn’t going to fit. Maybe if I’d been a little more careful over the holidays, maybe if I’d been more faithful in eating my fat-burning soup, maybe if I’d gone for a walk now and then instead of staying plunked in front of the TV so much…

So it was no damn surprise when I slipped on the dress, tugged a little at the zipper, and realized there was no way in hell it was ever going to zip up.

The pleasant part? That little fiery dragon that had come to life in my mind was actually a total sweetheart.

I came out of that dressing room with fear in my eyes, and I said, “It doesn’t fit. I can’t zip it up.”

She turned me around, assessed the damage, and then started crying, “It’s okay! I fix it! No problem, no problem! It’s okay!”

And the little magic-worker didn’t let me down. I have no idea how much she had to let that dress out, but when I went to try it on Monday, it fit.

Zipped up like a charm.

But the weight-loss project is not over – I hope to continue to lose weight until I reach my goal (still about 30 lbs. away from it) – and if I happened to lose some more of those pounds and inches in the weeks to come, I’ll only be more comfortable in my dress on Luke & Amanda’s big day.

I still have hopes that by the time Lindsay & Ryan’s wedding rolls around, they’ll need to take my dress in.

That would be a first for me.

That’s the new goal.

WWTKW: Easing back into it.

2012-01-18T11:02:00.001-05:00

I’m still here.

As some of you know, the past week or so has been an absolute rollercoaster for my family. My dad’s health and survival has been our main focus; our main concern. Between sitting around a hospital waiting for news, and sitting around home worrying, you tend to forget about the outside world. We were living in our own terrible little bubble. I’ve heard the words “one day at a time” more often than I can count.

But yesterday, with Dad stable in ICU, I returned to work – as I told my boss Sue, when she asked if I was sure I was ready, “Well I can’t take the rest of my life off!” - and then I started thinking about the blog again. Not that I ever really forgot about it; I just wasn’t in the right frame of my mind to even think about posting. I’m still not sure I am. This feeling of being in limbo is grating on the nerves; I feel on edge and uneasy all the time.

But life goes on. So today, I’m going to attempt to ease back into it with one of my ol’ favourite linky parties – We Want to Know Wednesday, hosted by Mamarazzi, Crazymama, and Queso.

Here are this week’s questions:

{1} Which of the following phrases characterizes how you live your life?
    a. You only live once
    b. test the water before jumping in
    c. stability is the key to life
{2} What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh?
{3} Who is the last person you hugged?
{4} What song always makes you happy when you hear it?
{5} What's the first thing you thought about this morning?

My answers:

{1} Which of the following phrases characterizes how you live your life?
    a. You only live once
    b. test the water before jumping in
    c. stability is the key to life

While I’d like to think I’m a., I think I’m more a combination of b. & c. I like to test the waters before jumping in, and I like stability. I’m the “I HATE CHANGE” girl. That being said, I think if an opportunity presents itself, one should take it. Regrets are a terrible thing to have to live with. Last year at this time, I was in Cuba, and it was a trip I really couldn’t afford, but after losing two cousins the summer before, the “you only live once” mantra was in play, big time.

{2} What were you doing the last time you had a really good laugh? This takes me back to Sunday evening, when my sister, her husband, and their kids were at my mom’s for dinner. My 3-year-old niece Danica decided to “put on a show” for us, and made us all squish on to the couch together while she told us some story about a little brother going into the bush and finding some bears, and then “they kicked him out!” We were laughing so hard at her silly little story, and she was giggling uncontrollably - the next thing you knew, she’d peed her pants…and that only made us laugh harder! Thank God for kids to keep smiles on our faces!

{3} Who is the last person you hugged? Well…last week was a huggy kind of week. But honestly, I think the last person I hugged was my cousin Heather.

{4} What song always makes you happy when you hear it? That’s almost too hard to pick…over the holidays, it was Bieber’s “Mistletoe”. In general, I’d have to say “Jesse’s Girl” by Rick Springfield. And I also just start beaming when I hear the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow”. That’s my jam right there!

{5} What's the first thing you thought about this morning? How nice it was to beat the Leafs last night!

Well, there. I did it. That wasn’t so hard after all. ;)

Many thanks to all who sent emails, Facebook messages, phoned, and visited last week. The support of family and friends at such a difficult time truly makes these days a little easier to get through! xoxo

TAG!!!

2012-01-05T11:24:00.001-05:00

Last week, while I was on a self-imposed I’m-on-holidays-so-I’m-ignoring-the-blog break, I DID get a little note from Lena at Mom2MemphisAndRuby to let me know she was playing a game of Tag, and I was IT!!

I just can’t turn down a good game of tag. ;)

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." Legitimately tag 11 people!!

Random Stuff About Me

I don’t even think about cookies when they’re stored in the freezer in the basement. But where they’re upstairs, in the cookie jar? I can’t seem to think about anything.else.
I have recently become a BIG fan of Tetley Rooibos Vanilla tea.
I still sleep with a giant stuffed dog that I got for Christmas at least 10 years ago. His name is Zwillian.
I print off recipes that I find on-line, take them home, file them away, and hardly ever make any of them.
I always say Spaghetti is my favourite food, but the truth is, I would never order it in a restaurant because it always pales in comparison to Mom’s. So, MOM’S Spaghetti is my favourite food. And she would tell you she does nothing special. Go figure.
I thought Twilight, The Hunger Games, and The Vampire Diaries were all hooey, and would’ve told anyone in the world that I would never, ever like them. And now I love them all.
Can’t say the same for Harry Potter, though. That’s one bandwagon I just could never get on, no matter how hard I tried.
I lost my favourite ring two weeks before Christmas, but somehow had this feeling that it wasn’t lost forever. I didn’t even really worry about it; I just knew it would turn up. You should’ve seen the “I knew it” smile on my face when I slipped my hand into the pocket of my old grey hoodie one evening last week and pulled it out. I have no idea how it got there.
I voted 150 times for Ottawa Senators players to make it to the NHL All-Star game this year. 30 times per email address, 5 email addresses. I’m sure some people voted more than me, but I felt pretty dedicated. We’ll find out today if our hard work paid off!
I’m currently obsessed with Scentsy.
I’ve spent more money in the past year on nail polish than I ever have before in my life.

Questions From Lena

1. What was your favorite holiday memory this year? As it is almost every year, The Coconut Song on Christmas Eve at Patti & Randy’s. Followed closely by Silent Night at church played by Rolly and Jared on guitar, and Christmas morning hearing my nephew whisper, “There are some HUGE presents!” when he first saw what Santa had left beneath the tree.

2. If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be & why? I think it would’ve been really cool to meet Elvis. He’s my parents’ favourite singer, and we heard a lot of him growing up. I didn’t develop a true appreciation for him until my late teens, but since then, I’ve read up enough to think it would’ve been really fun (maybe a little scary?) to sit and have a conversation with The King. (After seeing him perform live, of course.)

3. What's your favorite fast food/ take-out order? When it comes to fast food, I’m a Mickey D’s girl. Love me my Big Mac.

4. What is your worst habit? Picking my lips. It’s been a nervous habit since I was a kid, and most of the time, I don’t even realize I’m doing it.

5. What is your least favorite household chore? Unloading the dishwasher. If I can, I leave it full of clean dishes for days…

6. What is the last thing you bought for yourself? The Vampire Diaries Season 2 on DVD.

7. If you could change your name... what would it be? I used to think I wanted to be called Allison. But now I don’t think I’d change it. I don’t know too many Jillians. I love my name!

8. Have you ever had any supernatural encounters? No, I don’t think so - aside from a few little “signs” from family members that have passed on, and an amazing psychic reading. But as I mentioned yesterday, I would love to encounter a vampire…a nice one, like Stefan or Edward. :)

9. What is the ONE blog you MUST read every day? She doesn’t post every day, but I never, ever skip over anything from MODG. Guaranteed to be entertained. Check her out.

10. Share your favorite joke! Oh geez, I can’t remember jokes very well! I laugh at something, and then I forget! And I’m terrible for trying to tell a joke and then forgetting the punchline.

11. Best advice you've given or received about blogging is... I don’t think I’m really in a position to share advice since, after six years, I really don’t feel like I know the ropes when it comes to blogging. But the best advice I’ve received was to write about what I want and not try to copy anyone else’s style.

My Questions For You

What is your one promise to yourself, or resolution for 2012?
If you could be anybody in the world – celebrity, rock star, author, ANYONE – who would you be?
What is your favourite recipe to make? (Please share how to make it, or link it up if it’s somewhere on the Internet!)
Do you have a sport that you love to watch? If so, what is it and what’s your favourite team?
If you could have the ability to expertly play any instrument in the world, what would you choose to play?
Why did you start blogging?
If you knew you could only have one last meal, what would you choose to eat? Your last supper, so to speak?
Who is your hero, and why?
If you could bring back any old TV show that no longer airs, which one would you bring back?
You’re a superhero. What’s your power?
Team Edward, Team Jacob, or screw that silly vampire crap?

The 11 People I've Tagged

Jodie at Ramblings of a Fabulous Brunette
Vandy J at The Testosterone Three And Me
Nicole at Life’s A Beach
Nay at Cover to Cover…And Everything In Between
Beth at Living a Goddess Life
Nathan at Life & Everything Else In Between
Lindsay at A Small Town Kind of Life
Shannon at Shannon’s Blog
Stacy at Blogging with Stacy
Stacie at Park Avenue
Sharon at Sharon’s 101 List

TAG!! YOU’RE IT!! :)

2012: Let’s Make It Happen.

2012-01-04T10:30:00.001-05:00

I’m not really one for resolutions. I kind of make the same one every year.

“Lose weight.”

How boring. And predictable. And typical.

And never-ending.

So frig the resolutions, you guys already know that I’m in the midst of that battle.

But. BUT!

There are things I’d like to see happen in 2012. It’s a new year, and it’s fun to look ahead and think, I’d like to see that happen in 2012.

So, like my Christmas Wish List, things might get a little crazy here. Okay, maybe really crazy.

But just go with it. Use your imaginations.

1. I’m fresh off seeing the flick New Year’s Eve, so this one is the first that comes to mind. But Ashton Kutcher needs to cut his damn hair and get rid of the beard, if he hasn’t already.

That’s enough looking like a scruffy bum, Ashton. Back to your sexy self, please.

2. I’m dreaming of new wheels. My car is old. It’s a 1997 Rav 4 that looks a lot like this:

And you know what? It has served me well. I bought it second-hand from my aunt & uncle in 2004, and for the past 8 years, it has been almost trouble-free. I will probably never own another vehicle that treats me as well as this one has.

That being said…It’s time. My goal for the next few months is to whittle away the bit of debt I have left and use my line of credit as a down payment on a new car. Hopefully in the Spring/Summer.

3. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been spending a lot of time with the Salvatore Brothers. And 2011 was a big year for Edward Cullen and I. I also spent some time with the True Blood vamps.

So in 2012, I want to meet a vampire. I’m starting to think they might really be out there.

4. Sure. While we’re at it, throw in a couple of werewolves too.

(I have no idea who Alcide is, but I’m figuring I’ll probably run into him somewhere along the way.)

5. In 2012, I need to move out of the Dark Ages and get a PVR. I mean, this is ridiculous. I used to have to go to my mom’s to set the VCR if I was going to miss a show, and now her TV in the basement isn’t working, so I don’t even have ancient recording capabilities anymore.

I had a little meltdown about this on the weekend, when my mom was pressing me as to why I’d want to waste money on a PVR. My meltdown went something like this: “BECAUSE, Mom! If I have something on in the evenings and I have to miss a show, then I NEVER GET TO SEE IT!!! Unless I watch it on the Internet, but that’s hard too because I don’t have Internet at my house!! Bad enough that I used to have to run around finding a VCR, and now I don’t even have THAT!! AGHHHHH!!!”

My meltdown was met with unsympathetic rolls of the eyes. Yeah, I know. First-World Problems, right.

But I need a PVR in 2012.

6. I’m thinking it would be great if I could somehow lure Chris Neil away from his wife & children in 2012 so that he could finally be my real boyfriend instead of my pretend boyfriend.

I’M JUST KIDDING MOM!!!!

7. This year, I’d like to finally find out who these people are and why the hell they’re famous.

Seriously. What did the Kardashians do to become so flippin’ famous?!

I just don’t get it.

8. 2012 is the year when I’m finally going to write something.

It’s 2012…Really?!

2012-01-03T12:04:00.001-05:00

Whoa.

Where did my holidays go?!?

For reals, people. That felt like the quickest week off in the history of the WORLD.

So what was I up to, you ask?

Well. I ate some food. Okay, maybe a lot of food. Blew the diet right to shit. And tomorrow I go to see if my dress for Luke & Amanda’s wedding fits. HA! Wish me luck on that one. I’m gonna need it.

I sang The Coconut Song on Christmas Eve with the family. And as usual, we were awesome. Don’t believe me? Check it:

I call this “The Year of the Solo”.

We opened presents.

And Santa was good to all of us. I didn’t get everything on my Wish List (I know, I was shocked too) but I did score a new blender (which will be handy to make myself diety shakes for the next month while I’m no longer actually allowed to eat food), a tea pot, my boots, a few of my book club selections for the upcoming year, The Big Bang Theory Season 2 on DVD, and a Scentsy warmer which I absolutely love. PLUS all the stocking goodies, which included nail polish, socks, tea, a new scarf, and many other goodies.

Truly, I am blessed.

I baby-sat my niece and nephew, and they helped me cross off an item on my 101 List - “Make a gingerbread house with Caden & Danica”.

I’m not sure it was actually edible afterwards. It kind of got licked. Like, a lot. But they had fun. And they didn’t even seem to care when I gave up trying to fix it after the roof caved in for the 10th time.

I went shopping. I bought myself some new duds, and I also picked up Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries on DVD. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Damon & Stefan…

I ALSO bought the movie Crazy Stupid Love and totally re-fell-in-love with Ryan Gosling.

Holy mother of pearl.

I rang in 2012 with a great group of friends at Krista & Kyle’s New Year’s Eve wedding, and it was a BLAST!!

Kinda wish they’d get married every New Year’s Eve…

I hosted two dinners at my place over the holidays – one was on Boxing Day (finally got my turkey!), and one was my sister’s birthday dinner on New Year’s Day.

I’m sure I’m missing stuff, too. But that’s what happens when you a take a week-long bloggy break. It all becomes a blur.

And then…just like that…the week off was over. I took down my Christmas tree yesterday. Saddest day ever. And back to work today.

I miss being able to sleep in and do whatever I want. I miss Justin Bieber singing “Mistletoe”. I miss my tree.

And there was so much I wanted to do that didn’t happen. I wanted to make a 100o-piece puzzle (it was on my 101 List, too), but it still sits in the box. I wanted to go see the movie New Year’s Eve – actually BEFORE New Year’s Eve – but that didn’t happen either because of snow. (Going to see it tonight, though.) I wanted to build a snowman. I wanted to eat at my friend Stacy’s sister-in-law’s restaurant. I wanted to go for walks in the snow, and read more books, and watch more movies.

*sigh*

It’s all over. Not enough time to do it all.

That being said…

It was a pretty awesome Christmas. Wonderful memories.

Welcome, 2012.

***

Linking up today for Talk To Us Tuesday with Impulsive Addict and Shawn! My apologies for being such a bad blogger – I haven’t been around to visit anyone much in the past few weeks. I promise to be better in the days to come!! :)

2011 Review Extravaganza: Part 4

2011-12-30T15:45:00.001-05:00

Okay, so…I’ve been entirely MIA. That seems to happen this time of year…Too much fun stuff going on!! But I haven’t forgotten about the final installment of the 2011 Review Extravaganza! Today I’ll be featuring October, November & December.

Please visit Emmymom, CA Girl, Emilisq, Grumpy Grateful Mom, Impulsive Addict, Janette of Johanson Journey, MiMi Living in France, or Runner Mom – all are lovely hosts of this 2011 Recap-a-thon!!

Part 1 can be found here.

Part 2 can be found here.

Part 3 can be found here.

***

In October, I reflected on all I have to be grateful for by posting My Thanksgiving List.

And then I had just about the longest day of my life waiting for my new furniture to arrive!!

October also brought my family wonderful news when my brother proposed to his girlfriend, Amanda. We’re now looking forward to a wedding just around the corner, on February 11th!

Also in October, I posted my #NoMoreBullies tribute, and confessed to finally falling in love with Bryan Berard. This post is one I’m very proud of, as it garnered attention from the Do It For Daron campaign, the Royal Ottawa Hospital, and CBC’s Battle of the Blades, via Twitter. It drew more hits in one day than any of my previous posts. Thank you all for reading!

I kicked off the month of November with a Halloween recap. I had a BUNCH of adorable little “spooks” at my front door!

And what comes right after Halloween? Well, Christmas, of course. I got started early by posting my way-too-crazy Christmas Wish List.

Before I knew it, I was in the midst of Twilight Hype as my friends and I started counting down the days to the midnight premiere of Breaking Dawn.

AND THEN I MET CHRIS NEIL!!!! I know you may have seen this picture floating around here from time to time, but just in case you missed it…here it is again.

(I put this picture in a frame and gave it to my mom for Christmas. Told her it was a picture of me and my boyfriend for her coffee table. And then she reminded me AGAIN that he’s a married man. And I AGAIN had to remind her that I don’t think Chris Neil’s marriage is being jeopardized by me pretending he’s my boyfriend…Seriously.)

By the end of the month, I was lamenting, as usual, my single girl status. Because apparently I need a boy to tell me to bring my snow tires with me when I go to get them changed. And I also need one to put Christmas lights up for me.

And then came December. I celebrated the beginning of my favourite time of year by giving you a tour of my house, all decked out for Christmas.

Here, I managed to incorporate reindeer into the Nativity Scene…

I also posted about a Festive weekend and what I got in the Favourite Things Christmas Swap.

I tried my hand at baking, and realized that I should always listen to Mom. Because Mother knows best!

I reminisced on some pretty epic parties…

And we celebrated my niece’s 3rd birthday!

I took part in the Accessorize Me Swap and absolutely loved what I received!

And then, just like that…it was Christmas!

I haven’t had a chance to do my Christmas recap yet…but I thought I’d share with you some snaps of the holiday fun I’ve been up to in the past week.

It’s been a good Christmas…and I’ll be back soon to post about all the shenanigans.

But for now, there’s movies to watch and more food to eat…and probably a couch that’s calling my name for a nap…

See y’all in 2012!! :)

Imma Be Under the Mistletoe

2011-12-23T14:15:00.001-05:00

IT’S FINALLY THE EVE OF CHRISTMAS EVE!!

This will likely be my last time blogging before the big day, so I’d just like to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas & all the best to you and yours in 2012.

Be safe, be merry, be BRIGHT!!! :)

Okay…so up until today, it’s been a Bieberific Christmas for me – I’ve been listening to his CD a lot, and I think I’ve watched him on every TV special that I possibly can.

But truthfully? By tomorrow night, I won’t be singing “Mistletoe”. I’ll be singing this…

I hope you have an equally fun, rip-roaring Christmas Eve & holiday season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :)

2011 Review Extravaganza: Part 3

2011-12-23T13:57:00.001-05:00

Friday! That means it’s time for the July-August-September installment of the 2011 Review Extravaganza!

Please visit Emmymom, CA Girl, Emilisq, Grumpy Grateful Mom, Impulsive Addict, Janette of Johanson Journey, MiMi Living in France, or Runner Mom – all are lovely hosts of this 2011 Recap-a-thon!!

Part 1 can be found here.

Part 2 can be found here.

***

July has always been one of my favourite months of the year. This year, I kicked off the month by sharing a kabillion pictures, showing off how great my Canada Day Weekend was!

Then I whined about being single. AGAIN. This time I bashed the whole Internet dating crap. (And no, I haven’t tried it since!!!)

I took a moment on July 26th to reflect on the first anniversary of my cousin Jeff’s passing.

And then, two days later, I celebrated my 28th birthday by sharing with you the tale of my best birthday present ever.

Yes. Wade Redden was DEFINITELY my best birthday present EVER!!!

In early August, I recapped the weekend of birthday celebrations. It was tons of fun and completely made up for the fact that last year my birthday was spent amidst aching sadness.

On August 8th, I wrote another post looking back on one year ago, when my cousin Troy passed away.

I took a week’s vacation of doing nothing other than bumming around home. I went for a walk one day and decided to show my readers around my town! Of course, one of biggest “claims to fame” is our giant Elvis…

On August 15th, we welcomed another new baby to the family when my cousin Dillon was born!!

I told you all about how I almost killed my fish. I started my diet. (Yes, the one I’m still working on! Woo hoo! I’ve actually stuck with this one more than a week!) And I FINALLY (after only about six years of blogging) reached 50 followers and celebrated by throwing my very first GIVEAWAY!! :)

I finally discovered The Hunger Games – I became completely swept up in the series, reading all 3 books in about a 2-week span - and I also fell in love with The Help.

It was also in August that I kicked off the 4-part “Meet the Flyers” series leading up to the GOFL Final Weekend Showdown, starting with the Coach, Albie, Bakeshop, & Tron. Moving into September, I continued on to introduce you to Timmy Ball Player, Gerv and Micksburg; Coon, Hatty and Mo; Shab, Toad, and my own little brother. These posts garnered me favourable reviews from most of the players, although they weren’t too thrilled that I posted some of their mustache pics…

(Sorry, boys. I just had to do it again.)

I checked in on the Labour Day Monday to share that I DIDN’T EAT ANY FAIR FOOD and to brag about my adorable baby cousins.

I wrote another Single Girl Files post, this time talking about standards. Hey, mine might be too high, but at least it prevents me from dating Ichabod Crane.

I commemorated the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 by sharing my “Where were you?” story.

And it’s hard to believe – because it feels like it was only a few weeks ago – but CBC’s Battle of the Blades premiered it’s new season, and I threw my support behind David Pelletier and Tessa Bonhomme. (You’ll find out in October that I quickly switched allegiances. I’m fickle like that.)

Mainly, I just thought David was hot. (Still do.)

***

Wow. Those were some action-packed months!! Next Friday I will be posting my final Year in Review post…Stay tuned! :)

A Little Festive Q&A

2011-12-21T09:47:00.001-05:00

I go to my parents’ place every morning for breakfast before going to work. (And for those of you who are thinking, “HER MOTHER MAKES HER BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING!?!?” – Reeeelax. It’s a friggin bowl of Special K) – and this morning, I showed up about 10 minutes earlier than my usual time.

She looked at me a little baffled. “Did you remember today is garbage day?”

“Yeah. I put it out.”

“Oh…well…you’re really early…”

“I know. It’s almost friggin Christmas, I can’t sleep.”

She burst out laughing and wondered aloud what she’s going to do with me, her giant, excited kid who still gets as wound up over Christmas as I did when I was five years old.

*sigh*

FOUR DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

How about we celebrate with a little Festive Q&A, shall we? I’ve seen this on several of the blogs I follow, and I ripped it off directly from Jodie at Ramblings of a Fabulous Brunette. (Go visit her, she’s awesome!)

Here we go…

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, unless it’s too awkward to be wrapped – then I go gift bag.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I’ve never done the real tree thing…I have an artificial hand-me-down from my mother!

3. When do you put up the tree? When we were kids, my mom used to make us wait until around my dad’s birthday, which is December 10th. But I love Christmas decorations, so I try to get mine up late November.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually after New Year’s…January 2nd-3rd. I haaaate taking down the tree. Don’t even want to think about it!

5. Do you like eggnog? I seem to be in a minority, but…yeah, I really do. I love it. I was going to buy a carton of it last week because I love it so much, but I read the nutritional information first and put it back on the shelf. This diet can’t afford 8 g of fat per cup…It will be an eggnog-less Christmas this year!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The year we got our first computer was pretty cool. And for some reason, the year I got my pink Puffalump stands out. I slept with that thing for years…

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, but I’m still looking for the “perfect” one…I bought one from Avon a few years ago, it’s a white Christmas tree with three angels amongst the branches, and then Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and some animals at the foot of the tree. I also bought a very small one in Cuba last winter.

8. Hardest person to buy for? I struggle with good Christmas present ideas. Buying “couples presents” for my siblings and their significant others isn’t easy. (Especially when they give me ideas like “a two-man bicycle”.) Dad was especially hard this year, too.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Caden & Danica. He’s 6. She’s 3. They love toys, movies, clothes…the only problem is making sure none of the rest of the family buys them the same thing!!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Definitely mail! I love getting fun mail, and I love sending out my cards!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can’t really think of anything. When we were kids, one of our relatives used to give us presents, and I always ended up getting clothes that didn’t fit me. (But it’s the thought that counts! Plus, I was a large child…maybe it was a hint to lose some weight, even back then…?)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf and Miracle on 34th Street.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try to start in early November. This year, I did some on-line, then completed it in early December at the stores.

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can recall…

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Oh God…what DON’T I like to eat at Christmas? The snacks at Patti’s on Christmas Eve, especially the bacon-wrapped waterchestnuts. The Wifebeater and sticky buns Christmas morning. Turkey dinner. All of it. The cookies. Oh sweet Lord, I’m salivating…

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I go with coloured on my tree. I like clear too, though, and I’m thinking of switching it up next year.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love a lot of Christmas songs…especially “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley, “Merry Christmas Baby” by Bruce Springsteen, “O Holy Night” by Martina McBride…and of course, the Bieb’s “Mistletoe” and “Home This Christmas”.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I complain about it, because once the rest of the fam has departed to go off to their other parties and I’m home with Mom & Dad, it’s kind of boring. I whine about how everyone else gets multiple turkeys, and I have to wait for mine til Boxing Day. Boo hoo, wah wah. But truthfully, I don’t mind laying low Christmas Day. I don’t even mind it when my mom makes me watch A Conversation with the Prime Minister! haha!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yep!!!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? I have a white, sparkly star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. We never had one of those “open one gift on Christmas Eve” traditions. Always had to wait til the morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I can’t think of anything. Other than the Scrooges. Just be friggin’ merry & bright, already! It’s Christmas!!!

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I don’t really have a favourite ornament, theme, or color – I have a bit of everything at my place, and I love it all! I have a lot of snowmen, so I guess I could say they are a favourite of mine.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? My own house, a Mustang convertible, Sens season tickets, and a husband. Not too much to ask. ;)

The Calm Before the Christmas Storm…

2011-12-20T09:47:00.001-05:00

It’s Christmas Week.

And I know some of you are gonna want to crawl right up into your computer screens, reach out and slap me, but…

I’m ready.

Pretty much TOTALLY ready.

Last night, I finished the wrapping. The decorating is long done. The baking is all stored in the freezer, waiting for me to fill the tins to take with me to holiday parties.

I’ve listened to Bieber so much that I almost know the words to “Drummer Boy” off by heart. That’s right. I can rap. (Even the Busta Rhymes parts.)

I’ve dropped my Angel Tree gift off at the Family Centre. I got my “Christmas hair do” on Saturday.

My house is clean. I did laundry last night, so all of my best Christmas socks are ready for the weekend. (Well, that and the rest of my good clothes.)

And the holiday specials and movies that I really wanted to see have all been viewed. The only one left to go is Miracle on 34th Street, and I always watch it Christmas Eve day.

I have some last-minute grocery shopping to do, which I always save for Christmas Eve day as well. Just some snacks and fun foods to have around the house for the holidays. And truthfully, I’m not buying as much as I usually do because…well…the diet, y’know.

Seriously. I’m almost kind of bored this week.

It’s the calm before the Christmas storm…

But it’s kind of nice. I’m enjoying the fact that I have time in the evenings to do Yoga or go for a walk or do an exercise video. I have time to watch whatever special or movie my little heart desires. I have time to just lie on the couch and sip peppermint tea or hot chocolate, look at the Christmas tree, and think of all I have to be thankful for this time of year…

I keep thinking I must be forgetting something…I’m never this prepared. There’s usually some kind of last-minute scramble this week.

But literally, the only thing I can think of that I have left to do is paint my nails. And I’m holding off til later in the week to make sure they’re nice and “fresh”.

I’m not likely to get this fancy, but I’d LOVE to have nails like this!!!

So very, totally, amazingly ready. Knock on wood.

Now if only I could make it snow…

***

Linking up today’s post with the lovely ladies of Talk to Us Tuesday…hosted by Impulsive Addict & Shawn!!

Accessorize Me Swap + Fun-Filled Festive Weekend!

2011-12-19T10:31:00.001-05:00

Wow! What a busy weekend THAT was!

But before I dive into all the Christmassy fun, I wanted to share with you the package of goodies I received in the mail last week!

A while back, one of my favourite fellow bloggers, Lena @ Mom2MemphisAndRuby, announced that she was going to hold an “Accessorize Me” Swap, and I jumped at the chance to take part!

I was paired up with Lisa @ Organized Chaos, and I had a blast choosing pieces to send her. (You can read her post about what she got here.) I was a little worried when, over two weeks after mailing Lisa’s package, she hadn’t received it yet…I was afraid it was lost in the mail somewhere, especially after I received hers and mine still hadn’t turned up.

Luckily, Lisa thought to check her front door last week and found it wedged there! Phewf!!

This is the package I received:

I was so thrilled with what she sent me. Everything was so lovely and unique!

I especially loved the long, dangling necklace and matching earrings.

This bracelet is just perfect for Christmas! It even matches my current nail polish! haha! (OPI’s “Wocka Wocka” from the Muppet collection!)

And I love that Lisa made this necklace & memory coil bracelet herself. The little charm on the necklace, along with the bird, says “LAUGH” – I think it suits me to a “T”!! :)

Thank you so much, Lisa! You did a fantastic job choosing these beautiful pieces. I love everything you sent me and can’t wait to wear them!! You were a GREAT Swap partner! xo

Thanks also to Lena for hosting such a fun Swap! :) Looking forward to the next one!

Now…onto the holiday festivities of the weekend!

Friday evening, after picking up some groceries and making some Frosting Fudge, I headed over to Luke & Amanda’s with a plate of goodies. We watched the Sens beat the Pens (Woo hoo!!) and had a great night chatting and snacking!

Saturday was a crazy-busy one. I got up early to start cleaning my house, then had to leave by 10:30 to go to my hair appointment. A few hours later, I was back home to finish the cleaning and get my food ready to head off to my annual Friends’ Pot Luck & Decoration Exchange at Sara & Graham’s. We had a blast! I somehow managed to forget my camera at home, though (after I juiced up the batteries and everything! dammit!) so I’m stealing some pics from Stacy’s blog. :)

That’s me with the decorations I received in the exchange. Love them!

Big smiles from our littlest party guests, Charlotte & Maddy

As you guys *may* have heard, my current “impossible crush” is Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil. So imagine my delight when Evan showed up at our party sporting a Chris Neil sweater!

It took a few seconds to click, though, in my brain, that Evan is a Leafs fan, and was sporting the sweater because we were supposed to be wearing Ugly Sweaters to this party.

Ha. Funny.

Anyways, after Evan discarded his “ugly sweater” I put it on and pretended it was mine. And it was the most wonderful thing I’ve worn since my Wade Redden sweater…

I told “Santa” yesterday that I’d like Neil’s name and number on the Heritage jersey he’s getting me for Christmas. And then “Santa” told me not to hold my breath. *sigh*

Yesterday was again jam-packed with all things fun & festive. It was our Christmas Pageant at church, and I, once again, got to be an angel. (I end up being an angel I think every year…)

Following the Pageant, I invited the congregation over to my house for snacks, sweets, coffee, tea & juice. For a few hours, my home was bursting at the seams as people milled about snacking & socializing, while the kids settled in front of the TV to watch Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

I also received a pleasant surprise when my Uncle Elson & Aunt Nora showed up unexpectedly! It was so nice visiting with them and catching up, as they just returned from a cruise.

So that’s it…The last weekend before Christmas, in the books!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

So this is the week when I start finding it difficult to sleep at night; when my eyes start popping open too early in the mornings. When my mind is filled with the thoughts of the movies I still have left to watch; the good food that is going to be around (that I’m going to try to avoid at all costs); the presents that will be opened; the family gatherings that warm my heart; the Coconut Song on Christmas Eve…

It’s all coming barreling at us, full-speed ahead…

I.can’t.wait.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011 Review Extravaganza: Part 2

2011-12-16T08:56:00.001-05:00

It’s time for the April-May-June portion of the 2011 Review Extravaganza!

Please visit Emmymom, CA Girl, Emilisq, Grumpy Grateful Mom, Impulsive Addict, Janette of Johanson Journey, MiMi Living in France, or Runner Mom – all are lovely hosts of this 2011 Recap-a-thon!!

Part 1 can be found here.

***

So. We kicked off the month of April with a little more hatred headed in Carrie Underwood’s direction. I mean, the biznitch called our Mikey fat on Ellen. STILL NOT COOL, CARRIE!!!!

Also in April, I tried to take my nephew to the movies, and it was a major FAIL on my part. Poor Caden. He’s probably still traumatized from the experience. (Or maybe that’s just me.)

I finally did get to take the child to the movies over Easter weekend, and I recapped it all right here. Apparently, I ate some chocolate too.

And I wrote some more Single Girl Files posts regarding Friday Night Depression Club and why I need a man around the house.

By the end of the month, I was all caught up in the Royal Wedding, and on Will & Kate’s big day, I celebrated their love with 10 Things I Love!

Moving into May…I shared with you a picture of Channing Tatum that had me drooling. No need to click a link. It gives me great pleasure to post it again!

I got a litter of puppies in May. (Not real ones, don’t worry.) And I cooked my first turkey.

Hand up a turkey’s ass…smile, smile, joy, joy!

I also seemed to talk a lot about cutting the grass.

The best thing about May? THE WORLD DIDN’T END. Phewf. (And we also discovered that after a few drinks, Shania Twain’s “Up” is my brother’s favourite song. Weird.)

Along came June, and we kicked that month off with a last-minute ticket to the Kid Rock concert, which was awesome!! (Thanks again, Vikki & Mark!)

Also in June, I shared a post about some of the Heirlooms & Treasures I inherited from my grandmother.

And I told you about a guy I had a crush on in college. (Yep. We really did call him The Captain of Heat.)

On June 21st, my cousin Ryla was born, thus inspiring the Baby Name Game post, which is still one of my favourites to go back and read. It also generated one of the longest comment threads I’ve ever had on this blog!

Sweet Baby Ryla

I can’t believe it was in June that we had The Great Flood of 2011, which washed out a huge gap in the highway near our town and left Lindsay, Ryan & I stranded on the wrong side of it! What a night that was… Doesn’t feel like it was that long ago!! (The road was finally repaired by September.)

Yes. This is really what the road looked like after the wash-out.

Not even joking.

As June drew to a close, I looked forward to our community’s annual Canada Day bash, and I shared pictures of what a blast it was the year before!

***

Seriously, I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone. While going through my posts, I was like, “WHAT?! I thought Kid Rock was way later in the summer…” Feels like only yesterday that I wrote some of those posts!!

Stay tuned next week for the July-August-September recap! :)

Miss D is 3!!!

2011-12-15T09:05:00.001-05:00

On this unseasonably warm December 15th, our family will celebrate.

Because this little one…

…is turning 3!!

Happy Birthday to the little girl with the big smile and the infectious giggle. To the one who can make us laugh with one of her ferocious scowls, or with her twisted renditions of the ABC’s (who needs EFGHIJKLMNOP anyways? easier to skip ‘em) and Twinkle Twinkle (“Twinkle twinkle little star, whatcha doin’ in the sky?”); to the girl who loves to torment her big brother by stealing his trucks; to the girl who loves nail polish, lipstick, and the colour pink.

Can’t wait to celebrate tonight with her and the rest of the family, when we’ll get together for pizza and cake, and some guaranteed entertainment from this monkey!

Happy Birthday, Danica!!! xoxoxo

WWTKW: Let’s Get Ready to PARTY!!!

2011-12-14T10:37:00.001-05:00

It’s We Want to Know Wednesday, and as we’re now just 11 days away from Christmas, what better topic to discuss than PARTIES?!? I’m sure we’ve all been enjoying our fair share this holiday season, and we still have the big day coming up, and then New Year’s Eve – the best party night of the year!!

Linking up with Queso and Crazymama while Mamarazzi is on break.

This week’s questions are:

1. Are you a party person? Or do you prefer an intimate gathering with just a few friends?
2. Would you rather be a guest at a party or the hostess with the mostess?
3. What is your favorite party food or drink? (I'd love to see the recipe!)
4. What is the best party you've ever been to?
5. What is your favorite party game?

My answers:

1. Are you a party person? Or do you prefer an intimate gathering with just a few friends? Oh, I’m a party person. Or, at least, I used to be. Back before I became an old lady who preferred to get into the jams and hit the couch at 8:30 on a Friday or Saturday evening. Back before I started a diet that doesn’t really permit alcoholic calories. *sigh* I also enjoy a smaller gathering, as well, and look forward to spending time with my friends! I just sometimes miss the good ol’ wild drunken days, ya know?

2. Would you rather be a guest at a party or the hostess with the mostess? I like to be both. When I’m in the right frame of mind, I really enjoy organizing a party and having people over. But I also enjoy the stress-free delights of being a guest.

3. What is your favorite party food or drink? (I'd love to see the recipe!) Oh, party food. One of my biggest nemeses. Coming up to Christmas Eve, I’m just thinking of the spread around Patti’s island…I think every last bit of it is my favourite. The variety of sausage bites and mustards, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, spinach dip, nacho dip…it’s absolutely mouth-watering.

I usually take a cheese ball, which my friend Sara introduced to me several years ago, and it has become a family favourite!

Sara’s Famous Cheese Ball

2/3 C miracle whip
4 C mild cheddar cheese (grated)
8oz pkg cream cheese
1 tsp worchesire sauce
pinch of onion and garlic (you can use onion and garlic powder)
1/2 C chopped olives
parsley flakes
Mix everything together, shape into a ball and roll in parsley flakes before serving! Best if made one day ahead.
(sometimes I add bacon to it too)

4. What is the best party you've ever been to? Oh God. That’s almost impossible to answer. It feels like I’ve been to some pretty legendary parties over the years. There are some people in our town who know how to throw an epic party… And pretty much every Christmas Eve for the past 30 years has been amazeballs.

*update* I just realized I said “every Christmas Eve for the past 30 years”. I am only 28 years old. I have no idea where I was going with that. But yeah. They’re a lot of fun. ;)

One party that comes to mind was our Canada Day Committee Party a few years ago at Mark & Vikki’s. What a wild, fun night that was…

SHOTS!!!

How people looked after the shots.

Note the colour of the hot tub water after several drinks were spilled in it. And the number of people in a 4-man hot tub. Yikes.

And then there was the Murder Mystery cast party at my place a few years ago.

I was in bed by midnight that night, but before I passed out, I got pictures of Lynn with her sweater zipped RIGHT up…

Steph with a can opener in her pants…

Aaaand Troy after he farted.

Oh yes, that was also the night I spilled my drink on my couch. And then I Swiffered it.

Just Swiffering the floor here…I couldn’t find the picture of me cleaning the couch…

Almost makes me want to do it again. Except that I have new couches now, and there can be no spilling or Swiffering…

5. What is your favorite party game? I’m not a big fan of party games. In fact, 98% of the time, I hate party games. Just ask my friend Erin how much I love playing Boxhead. HATE IT!!!!

That being said, we’ve had some fun nights playing Kings. And I also like a good game of poker. But otherwise…I usually pass on the party games.

I prefer to spend the time drinking. And dancing.

Or both.

And now, after all this…I really want to PARTY!!!!!!!

The Trials & Tribulations of Christmas Baking

2011-12-13T10:08:00.001-05:00

Ah, Christmastime. The perfect time of year to practice being a “Domestic Goddess”.

Decorating and crafting and, of course…baking.

Prior to this year, my “Christmas baking” has basically consisted of melting chocolate, mixing it together with things like nuts or chunks of cookie or peanut butter, then swirling it back together on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet and cooling it to make bark.

Tough stuff.

This year, though, I tried my hand at making some cookies and truffles, too. I found some recipes on-line that I wanted to try that were different from my mom’s traditional Christmas treats (why attempt to duplicate what she already does so well, right?), bought all the ingredients, and discovered that…well…

They’re not as good as Mom’s. Of course.

So far, I have made:

Oreo Truffles

Festive Candy Bark

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cranberry Bark

Chocolate Cookie Fudge

And so far, this is what I’ve learned:

When my mother insists flour should be stored in an air-tight container and not just left in the bag in a cupboard, she isn’t telling lies. You don’t even want to know how I found that one out… (And fear not. No cookies fell victim to this faux-pas. Thank God. That woulda been gross.)
When buying pistachios for baking, make sure you don’t buy the ones that are salt-and-pepper seasoned. My Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cranberry Bark did fall victim to this faux-pas, and thus, is gross and nobody’s allowed to eat it but me. (haha!)
When my mother tells me, despite the recipe instructions, that a heaping tablespoon is too big a size for shortbread, I should listen. The White Chocolate Cranberry shortbread cookies are massive and too rich. The Toblerone shortbread cookies are smaller, and pressed down with a fork as she told me to do; thus, much more enjoyable.
When my mother tells me the shortbread recipe on the Kraft website sucks and I should just use hers, I should probably obey. My shortbread pales terribly in comparison to hers.
Crushing candy canes is a little harder than it sounds. I will probably be finding candy cane smithereens in my kitchen for weeks…

So…yeah. I’ve had my challenges in the kitchen in the past week. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve learned a lot of valuable tips that they just don’t tell you in the recipes; that apparently only someone as wise as my mother in the kitchen would know. Or at least someone who bakes more than once or twice a year would know.

And probably the biggest lesson of all?

Listen to Mom.

Now, with all of this baking going on, you should know that Bieber’s Under the Mistletoe album has been in steady rotation at my place. And originally, I thought “Mistletoe” was my favourite song on the CD. It’s still a heavy favourite, but my absolute #1 new favourite Christmas song – straight from his CD – is this collaboration with The Band Perry.

LOVE! this song. Trust me, Bieber haters…give it a chance…you might change your mind! :)

Have you all been busy in the kitchen? What are your favourite holiday treats to make? And what’s your favourite Christmas song/album to listen to while working away?

Happy Baking!!!

***

Linking today’s post up with Impulsive Addict and Shawn for Talk To Us Tuesday!!

Favourite Things Christmas Swap & Festive Weekend Recap

2011-12-12T11:08:00.001-05:00

Finally.

I’m FINALLY getting around to posting about what I received in the Favourite Things Canadian Christmas Swap!

A long time ago, fellow blogger (and great gal that I know IRL) Ashley at The Johnstons sent me an email to give me a heads-up that a few of the bloggers she follows were organizing a Christmas Swap for Canadians. It’s one of the unfortunate things about being Canadian in the blog world…quite often we get left out of Swaps because of shipping costs.

So Leigh at All You Need is Love and Lindsey at A Running Tale decided to remedy that by putting together a Canadians-ONLY Christmas Swap! And you can BET I was in!

Late in November, I shipped off my parcel to Brittany at My. Daily. Randomness (you can see her post about the Swap here), and I was thrilled when, not long after, my package from Taren showed up at the post office.

I ripped into that box quickly!

And this is what I found…

What an awesome little bundle of Christmas loot!

Taren sent me a beautiful red Christmas ornament, an apple-cinnamon candle, a notebook and notecards monogrammed with a “J”, a beautiful shade of red nailpolish called “Madison Avenue”, a Debbie Macomber Christmas novel, and some Quality Street chocolates and Christmas Mini Eggs.

I loved every little bit of it! The candle was burning in my kitchen all weekend while I did some Christmas baking, and I’ve already polished off those chocolates. The Christmas ornament is hanging up, and I can’t wait to use my notebook and notecards. I was thrilled with the red polish – I looooove nail polish! – and I painted my nails with it (topped with some China Glaze Platinum Pieces crackle) on Friday evening before heading out to our Christmas Potluck Book Club meeting. The book, which I’ve started reading, made me giggle because I sent the EXACT SAME BOOK to my partner!! Too funny!!

Thank you so much, Taren! Wishing you a Merry Christmas & all the joy of the holiday season! :)

On to the rest of the weekend…and what a busy weekend it was!

As I mentioned, Friday evening was my Book Club’s Christmas Pot Luck meeting at Lindsay’s, where we had lots of yummy food and chatted about the book we had just read, Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. I think I can speak for all of the ladies when I say we had a great evening!

Saturday was a busy one. I got up and headed straight to Shawville to finish up my Christmas shopping, and then rushed home to spend the afternoon doing some Christmas baking and preparing for my dad’s “birthday party”. As usual, Dad insisted he didn’t want any kind of birthday celebration, so instead I invited my family over for homemade pizza, and my mom brought Dad’s cake…We partied in his honour anyways!

Then my sister and brother-in-law hustled the kids off to get ready for the Parade of Lights, as they were on our church’s Sunday School float.

Great job, guys!!! :)

The parade was one of the best we’ve ever had, and we had lots of fun watching the floats pass by. The only thing we were missing was a little snow. Oh, and those mugs of hot chocolate and Bailey’s I had intended to provide! (The one thing I forgot on my shopping list was the Bailey’s!)

Yzerman (aka “Wizerman”) waiting for the parade to start

Luke, Caleb & Allysha waiting for the parade to start

Here we go!!!

Ryan & Lindsay

Amanda

It was a fun night! Luke & Amanda stayed after the parade to watch a movie. Saturday night, in bed by 11:00 PM…I was pooped!

Sunday brought more of the same – after church, I did some more baking, had dinner with my mom, and then watched Love, Actually last night.

Oh, how I love festive weekends!

The one thing that sucked about this weekend?

Too.much.food.

The scale was not kind to me this morning.

Back on the dieting wagon this morning.

*sigh*

2011 Review Extravaganza: Part 1

2011-12-09T08:50:00.001-05:00

I’m very excited to be taking part in the 2011 Review Extravaganza!

Please visit Emmymom, CA Girl, Emilisq, Grumpy Grateful Mom, Impulsive Addict, Janette of Johanson Journey, MiMi Living in France, or Runner Mom – all are lovely hosts of this 2011 Recap-a-thon, and if you decide to take part, there are prizes to be won!! Go check one - or all!! - of them out, and get all the details!!

***

I remember on New Year’s Eve 2010 making a drunken threat to 2011 on Facebook:

“Dear 2011: If you’re not better than 2010, I’m gonna kick your ass.”

Yeah. 2010 was a bad year. A really bad year.

And when I woke up on New Year’s Day, January 1st 2011, I felt as though my threat had fallen on deaf ears.

On New Year’s Day, my mom announced that she was taking my grandmother to the hospital. She had grown increasingly sluggish and weak during the holidays, and it was time for her to get checked out. So 2011 didn’t get off to the greatest start, as my grandma was entered into the Intensive Care unit at the local hospital.

Despite Grandma’s failing health, I did have something to look forward to: CUBA, BABY! Assured by my mom and the doctors that Grandma was getting better and not to worry, I flew with a big group of friends to Cuba on January 14th. We spent a week enjoying the sun, the beach, the ocean, the drinks, and we were there to see Kerry & Jeff get married…

What a fabulous trip! I was able to cross so much off my 101 List while in Cuba!! It was my first time South, and I can’t wait to go back someday.

I also launched my Single Girl Files idea in January, and I’ve had so much fun writing these posts all year long! (Even if it does emphasize the fact that a year later, I’m STILL single…whatever…)

By February 2011, I came down with a really strange illness…one I didn’t think possible for me to catch. Yes, that’s right. I had suddenly fallen victim to this little thing called BIEBER FEVER.

Seriously. When I go back to my February posts, they’re almost all about the Biebs. What was up with THAT?!?

(Okay, okay, I still think he’s the shizz and I love him to death. So what if I listen to “Under the Mistletoe” 20 times a day. Get over it.)

I also apparently wanted to shoot laser beams of death out of my eyeballs at Carrie Underwood after she lured our hunky hockey superstar, Mike Fisher, away to Nashville. STILL NOT COOL, CARRIE!!!!

Mike’s departure from Ottawa marked the beginning of a significant re-build for my beloved Senators. (It wasn’t a good year for the Sens…at all.)

And by March? Well, by then I seemed to be all wrapped up in American Idol and Survivor. I became a big fan of James Durbin on Idol, and of Grant on Survivor. And most of my March posts revolved around them…

Of course, neither of them won. *sigh*

March also brought wonderful news when my friend Lindsay got engaged and asked me to be her Maid of Honour! Linds & Ryan’s wedding on May 12, 2012 will I’m sure be a highlight of next year’s re-cap!!

And of course, what would March be without a romp around Gavan’s to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day, decked out all in green??

Unfortunately, March closed on a very sad note for my family, when my grandmother passed away in hospital on March 27, 2011 at the age of 95. Through the tears and the farewells to our family’s matriarch, we could be grateful that we had her with us for so long, and up until the holidays, she had been in great health. Truly a remarkable woman. We all miss her dearly!

***

So that’s my first installment in the 2011 Review Extravaganza! Stay tuned next Friday for the recap of April, May, and June…

It’s a “skinny day”.

2011-12-08T11:39:00.001-05:00

If there’s one thing about dieting – or making a “lifestyle change”, as I try to call it - that I’ve realized, it’s this: Some days, it feels like I’m making no progress at all.

I call those my “fat days”. Those are the days that I look in the mirror and think, “I don’t look any different. The scales say I’m losing weight, but look at all this flab that’s left to go! I’m never going to look the way I want to look…”

There are days when I try on old clothes that used to fit, and I’m still not quite there, and it’s discouraging.

And there are days when I slip up. I eat, more than I should. I have a chocolate or woof down half a bag of pretzels (which is wayyy more than the “recommended serving size”!!) I indulge in something that I regret afterwards. I’ve been carefully planning my “treats” for the most part, to avoid the guilt, but on the odd day, I lose control. The willpower fades.

I try to stop myself before I shove something in my mouth, and try to figure out the calories I’m about to ingest. I ask myself, “Are you hungry? Do you really want this?” But sometimes, before I can answer those questions, I have shoved the food in my mouth and it’s too late.

The “fat days” suck. They make me want to regress to my old ways, to abandon exercise and healthy foods, to say, “To hell with it all. I love food too much for this shit.”

The good news is that there are also “skinny days” to counteract the “fat” ones.

Today is one of those blissful skinny days.

When I stepped on the scales this morning, I had officially hit the 30 lbs. lost mark. (I have not updated my ticker yet, since I try to only do that on Tuesdays…we’ll see if I can pull through the weekend and maintain that! Pray for me, people!!)

There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a lower number each time I step on that scale. It’s definitely motivating. After having gone through a month-long plateau, it seemed, where I didn’t lose much at all, to see that number dropping again is so…gratifying. It makes me think, “Hey, I can keep eating carrot sticks and kiwis if that’s what’s going to happen! To hell with the poutines and cheeseburgers!”

I knew December would be a challenge, with potlucks and Christmas parties and cookies and sweets abound, but so far, I’m still losing. Eight days into December, and I’ve managed to keep it under control. Granted, I haven’t been to very many of those potlucks and parties yet, but still…I’m doing okay. I’m watching portions, I’m figuring out my calories, and I’m keeping track.

I truly think the best part of the “skinny day”, though, is feeling like my clothes are so loose they might fall off. That’s exactly how my work pants feel today. So loose and baggy that it’s probably not even acceptable to be wearing them in a work environment. They’re down-right sloppy-looking.

But to be honest? I don’t want to move to the smaller pair waiting in my closet yet. I want to enjoy this feeling of walking around in super-loose-fitting clothing, feeling like I have to keep hiking my pants up, feeling as though I could spin them right around me if I wanted to.

Clearly, this isn’t me…but I can do that with my pants today.

I haven’t felt that in a really long time. It brings a smile to my face.

On the “skinny days”, I feel like I walk taller, I feel like I sit up straighter, I feel almost graceful.

Almost.

I have to ground myself on the “skinny days”.

You’re not there yet, Jill. You still have a lot of work to do. Get your head out of the clouds; don’t slap yourself on the back too hard. You’ve got a long way to go.

And I do. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal weight. Things aren’t going to get easier. It’s going to take even more dedication, more willpower, more exercise to accomplish my goals.

The battle is never going to be over.

But the “skinny days”?

The “skinny days” make it seem like anything’s possible.

WWTKW: The Countdown to Christmas Continues…

2011-12-07T11:59:00.001-05:00

One week into December, what ELSE do we have to talk about around here but Christmas? It’s definitely the #1 topic on my list! It seems only natural that this the direction the We Want to Know Wednesday questions have taken this week as well.

Go visit Crazymama and Queso to join in the fun while Mamarazzi is on break!

{1} What is your favorite cookie to eat?
{2} Have you ever done a cookie exchange?
{3} How are you doing on your holiday shopping?
{4} What is your holiday shopping style? (A little at a time, or power shopper? Early in the season or last minute? Online or part of the crowd?)
And a random seasonal 3 part question...
{5} Light displays...do you put them on your house? What is your style and your fave kind to see?

Here are my answers:

{1} What is your favorite cookie to eat? My mom’s Christmas shortbread. Last year she RUINED them by putting dried fruit in them (I like them only with cherries and slivered almonds) – I hope I emphasized how DISAPPOINTED I was so that she doesn’t make the same mistake again!! (And yes…I’m well aware if I keep that up, there may be no Christmas baking at all for me this year…)

Couldn’t find a picture that looked like Mom’s, but these are similar – Mom’s have red & green pieces of cherry in them…

I also love Grandma’s sugar cookies with the icing and sprinkles on top. It’s a good thing Grandma taught Mom how to make them just right. It wouldn’t be Christmas without them!

{2} Have you ever done a cookie exchange? No, I haven’t but they sound like fun!

{3} How are you doing on your holiday shopping? ALMOST DONE! Phewf. I still have a few little things to pick up, including a gift for our Friends Potluck Decoration Exchange, but I’m done all the big stuff, and the stocking stuffers.

{4} What is your holiday shopping style? (A little at a time, or power shopper? Early in the season or last minute? Online or part of the crowd?) A little bit of everything…I do a bit here and there but usually have one big power shopping session in the midst (like I did last Saturday)…Not too early, but I like to be done by early December, for the most part…And I do a lot online if I can, but I usually need to hit some stores too. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the stores as long as I don’t have a long list and a time crunch. I also love to go on Christmas Eve to Shawville, to the little stores there, to pick up a few last-minute odds and ends. It’s usually really busy, but everyone’s so merry and cheerful!

And a random seasonal 3 part question...
{5} Light displays...do you put them on your house? What is your style and your fave kind to see? I WISH I had an awesome light display, but as you may recall, it’s not easy to get lights up around my place. So I make do with what I can put up myself and what I can force my brother and brother-in-law to do. This year, it’s pretty pathetic. I’d LIKE to have lots of lights and colours, well done, straight…My dad always said if you can’t put them up right, don’t put them up at all. He’d probably shoot me if he could see that big tree between my house and the church…and the gap of lights that are burnt out on my little tree. The good news is that my snowman is still standing and lit. Small victories.

Let’s Talk…Christmas. Boots. Stuff. Whatever.

2011-12-06T11:48:00.001-05:00

Feeling a little random this Tuesday. Lots of things floating through my brains. So let’s just go with it, shall we?

Linking it up for Talk To Us Tuesday, the no-rules, just-talk weekly meme hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn.

So we’ll start with the Christmas shopping. I got mine ALMOST ALL DONE on Saturday. Woooo hooooooooooo!! Only my dad left to shop for – he, the man who hates getting presents, is kind of tricky. Otherwise, I think I’ve got it. Including stocking stuffers. And lots of baking supplies. BIG accomplishment. God bless WalMart.
You know what else I bought on Saturday? A present for my mom to give me. And that would be BOOTS. Yes, I finally got a flippin’ pair of boots, praise the Lord. The boot shopping was making me frustrated and sweaty, and Brenda had to keep telling me to relax, so I was quite delighted when I finally found a pair of boots at Aldo, marked down from $70 to $59.95, and sitting on a 30% off rack. Super. Let’s do this. So when an Aldo girl finally asks if she can help me, I hold out my boot of choice, and say, “Can I try these in a 9?” And she kind of smiles, and says, “Actually, that’s a child’s boot.” “A CHILD’S BOOT?! ARE YOU FRIGGIN’ KIDDING ME?!?” There was nothing to indicate that this was a child’s boot. It was black and stylish and no sign of Dora or Disney Princesses anywhere. What kind of children shop at Aldo anyways?!?
She may have sensed that I was about to explode in a red-faced, sweaty, frustrated mess, so she quickly said, “Yes, but they’re made big, I’m a size 9 and I fit in the size 8 in a child’s boot, so if you’d like to try an 8?” Yes, please, get me an effin’ 8. And wonder of wonders, they fit. And they were cool. And I like them. And Brenda liked them. And my mother liked that with all the discounts, they were less than $50. Everybody wins. Let’s all just forget that I bought kids boots, OK?
Breaking Dawn Part 1, Round 2 = equally as fun as Round 1. And I liked Jacob a lot more after watching it the second time. I was also pleased that I didn’t have a crazy Twi-Hard beside me this time. There was a pair of feet that kept dangling down right beside me from the row above that I found mildly distracting, but at least they didn’t smell bad. Sharon, unfortunately, got a couple of chatterboxes beside her. We might have to go see it again. (KIDDING, MOM. I’m KIDDING!!)
Anybody notice something, over there, on the sidebar? ----> See my weight tracker?? See how it’s creeping ever-so-close to 30 lbs. lost? This delights me in ways you cannot imagine. I’m feeling so damned good about losing weight. I dug out a box of old clothes marked “Too Small” on Sunday. And…well…many of them are still too small. But we’re getting there.
I was so excited when I got home last night to find that my package from Taren in the Favourite Things Christmas Swap hosted by Leigh and Lindsey had arrived! I’ll devote a post to it later this week. Thanks Taren, I loved my box of goodies!
I watched parts of How the Grinch Stole Christmas last night on TV. The Jim Carrey version. I had only seen it once before, when it first came out, and I thought it sucked. I thought I might have changed my mind over the years…but nope. Still my least-favourite Christmas movie that I’ve ever seen. But I love the cartoon.
Thus far, I’ve watched A Christmas Carol (also the Jim Carrey version), Home Alone, and Four Christmases, as well as “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” on TV. I’m dying to watch Elf, but I keep putting it off because it’s my favourite and I want to save it.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a Yoga DVD, because I’ve really been enjoying my Wednesday night Yoga classes with my soon-to-be sister-in-law Amanda. I figured if I could do a Yoga DVD at home once or twice a week, it might help me get more bendy and into the Yoga thing. The night I got it in the mail from Amazon, I put it on and huffed and puffed through 10 minutes, got mad and shut it off. I hated it and thought, “Well, I guess I can’t do Yoga unless I have Amanda.” Last night, I gave the DVD another shot, and it turns out I actually really liked it. Looked like a tool, I’m sure, but it wasn’t as horrible as I thought. Definitely more pleasant than that bitch Jillian Michaels and her stupid 30 Day Shred.

Okay! So that’s the Tuesday mish-mash that is my brain today. Hope you enjoyed. :)

Friday Confessions: On Breaking Dawn (again), Christmas dedication, and Chocolate Advent Calendars

2011-12-02T12:31:00.001-05:00

Ah, another weekend is upon us. So of course, we can’t start the weekend off without a little Friday ‘fessin up, can we?

Linking up with Housewife Eclectic while Mamarazzi is taking a blog break.

I confess…that I’m going to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 again tonight. And I alllllmost had that fact hidden from my family. Until I mentioned going to the movies the other night when Luke & Amanda were at Mom’s for supper, and Amanda said, “What movie are you going to see?” I sheepishly confessed that we were going to see Breaking Dawn again, and got totally blasted by my mom and brother. They just don’t understand.

I confess…that I’m really dedicated to Christmas. Like, really dedicated. How dedicated am I? Well, I have a door between my living room and dining room with 15 little panes of glass in it. Every year, I take a few days to cut out snowflakes to stick on them. Last night, I cut out all 15 of those snowflakes in one hour-and-a-half sitting, which resulted in a blister on my thumb from the scissors. Christmas better thank me for being so damned dedicated.

I confess…that I get competitive with my snowflakes. The first one is usually pretty crappy, because I always forget how to make them, but then I start one-upping myself with each new snowflake created. Until I developed the blister. They kind of got crappy again after that.

Okay…so…mine aren’t this good. Not even close.

I confess…that the perfect remedy to a sort-of-glum morning is Chez 106.1 playing “Start Me Up” by the Stones. Perked me right up. Thanks, Chez.

I confess…that I was ecstatically happy last night when our Zumba instructor let us just dance instead of using the damned sticks. God, I hated those things.

I confess…that I made a grocery and Christmas shopping list last night, and it appears this weekend I’m going to spend more money on chocolate to make cookie bark, fudge, and other Christmas treats than on anything else. To give away, not to eat myself. Don’t worry.

I confess…that it was another snowy morning in my little slip-on Skechers. Cold, wet feet don’t help start the day off the greatest. So yes. Boots are also on the list of “things to buy this weekend.” And Santa is going to refund me for them, so bonus!

I confess…that yesterday wasn’t the best day of my life. But to prove that small things mean the world: My friend and co-worker Jared came back from Christmas shopping yesterday and presented his sister Lindsay (also my friend and co-worker) with a Chocolate Advent Calendar. I have had one of these every year of my life I think, but this year I never picked one up. Upon realizing yesterday was December 1st and I had no calendar, I consoled myself by thinking, “Hey, you can’t eat chocolate anyways. NO, not even a teeny-tiny square.” As it turns out, Lindsay already had a calendar, so she offered this one to me. And just like that, my heart grew two sizes too big. (Thanks, Linds & Jared!)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit! :)

Gettin’ in the spirit with a Christmas House Tour

2011-12-01T10:10:00.001-05:00

It’s DECEMBER!!!!!

One of my favourite times of year!

While it seems like everyone’s been hyped up on Christmas Spirit way early this year, I still sort of consider the 1st of December as the OFFICIAL beginning of the Holiday Season.

That being said, my decorations went up last weekend, as well as my Christmas lights outside. I just couldn’t wait for December.

I love decorating for Christmas. It’s one of my favourite things to do. So when I realized I had some spare time last Saturday evening, I dug out all of my boxes of decorations, and proceeded to Christmasify my house.

Now I feel like I’m ready for all of the Holiday specials and movies, for the egg nog and cookies (if I can find some sort of low-fat variety…), for the Christmas music and parties.

I thought it would be appropriate to kick off December by sharing some photos of my favourite decorations, and ones that have special meaning.

The tour starts here, at my front door…

This is the wreath that hangs on my front door. My Aunt Brenda makes beautiful wreaths, and last year, she surprised me by letting me choose one as a gift from her. This is the one I picked. I love it! It was damaged a bit in a wind storm last winter, but I think it still looks amazing.

Anyone remember my reindeer decoration debacle? You would think I’d avoid all outdoor decorations after that… BUT I don’t have many options for lights at my place (and I lack the manpower to put them up), so I bravely purchased this little snowman for my front stoop and assembled him all by myself. I think he’s cute. I just hope he doesn’t lose his head and end up convulsing on my front lawn like the deer did…

Moving in to the front hall, there’s a Walt Disney Wall Hanging, which the Hamilton Family brought back for me from their last trip to Disney World. (You might not be able to tell, but the snowman is wearing Mickey Mouse Ears). I have no idea how to properly hang this, so I used push pins. This wall looks awfully bare after Christmas is over and it comes down!

This Santa sings “Get Ready For This” and shakes his booty. I gave him to my grandma a few years ago for Christmas. It had become increasingly difficult to buy a 90-something-year-old woman Christmas gifts, so I usually ended up getting her something silly to make her laugh. When she passed away last Spring, I re-inherited Santa. After my niece and nephew dragged him around my place on Sunday, making him sing and dance REPEATEDLY, I realized how loud and annoying he is. I’m sure Grandma just loved him… ;)

This is my key rack in the front hall. A few little decorations on top, and then hanging from the pegs (aside from keys) is the Christmas ball my friend Sharon taught us to make at our craft day this past weekend, and the Star ornament my friend Lindsay gave me a few years ago.

This is the little stand in my living room. It holds my Snowman Advent Calendar (which I had yet to put the right number of days to countdown on it apparently…) – and for the first time, this is my only Advent calendar. No chocolate for me this year. :( The trio of Snowmen is one of my favourite decorations. I bought it last year. The two little candles are my two of my most loved scents – Vanilla and Cinnamon. And that little ornament to the left of the picture is Elvis, holding a guitar in front of a Christmas tree. With a push of a button, he sings “Blue Christmas”. LOVE!!!

In another corner of the living room, I tried something new this year. I filled that giant vase with leftover Christmas balls, and instead of putting away all of the pictures, I left them out and added just a few other little knick-knacks – snowmen tealight holders, and the little ceramic Nativity Scene that I bought in Cuba. In the Holiday basket is a Christmas blanket, the TV remotes, and a few Christmas movies (as well as Friends and a Yoga DVD…) and that big snowman was one that I bought at Canadian Tire last year on sale. (I do have a thing for snowmen, in case you haven’t noticed yet…)

This was intended to be my “O Holy Night” table – the reminder of the real reason for the season. I bought the “O Holy Night” tile from Lindsay at the Onslow School craft show a few weeks ago, and the little Christmas Tree Nativity Scene lights up. It’s one of my favourite decorations. I have no idea how those reindeer ended up prancing through the “O Holy Night” table, though…I’m assuming they were flying through the sky the night Baby Jesus was born??? Right???

My tree! It’s my mom’s tree, she used to put it up in her basement, but passed it on to me when I moved out and couldn’t afford to get one of my own. I go with a red, gold, silver, Ottawa Senators theme. Multi-coloured lights. And the glass block “gift” that lights up beneath the tree? My momma made that for me, too. :)

This pic was taken without the flash to show the twinkly lights, as well as the super-cute snowman in front of my TV that I got at our Friends’ Pot Luck Decoration Exchange last year. (Many of my decorations are from past Pot Lucks with friends!) That TV will be showing lots of Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone, The Family Stone, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Frosty the Snowman in the next few weeks!!!

This is the little hall between my living room and dining room. The three-foot-tall Santa was the gift I won at the Mountainview Christmas Party last Friday night! I LOVE him!! (PLUS, he makes me think of Justin Timberlake singing “D*ck in a Box”. HA!) On the ledge of the mirror is a little decoration that belonged to my grandma that my mom was going to sell this past summer in a yard sale. I snagged it. It was something that I clearly recognized as Grandma’s, and couldn’t bear to see it go. Also, that reflection in the mirror is another Santa decoration that belonged to Grandma. I think my mom might have actually made him years ago…? Not sure, I’ll have to ask her.

Into the dining room we go – This is my Grandma’s dining room set, her green table cloth, and her Christmas runner (which I believe was made by my mom’s cousin, Lorraine). The tealight tree centrepiece was a gift from my friend Sara, and I added a few snowmen of course!

Grandma is present in many places in my house, but none more so than this corner. In fact, I call it “Grandma’s Corner”. Her ironing board, which my Aunt Nora painted, is hanging on the wall there, along with a collection of pictures of Grandma. That little stand is from her place as well. I put her ceramic Christmas tree – the only Christmas tree I ever remember Grandma having – on that stand. I just look at this corner and I think of her. I hope to have my mom and her siblings over for Christmas tea someday this month so that they can sit at Grandma’s table and look around at all of the decorations from her house.

I don’t have a whole lot of decorations in my kitchen – a few red bows on the cupboard handles, a Snowman cookie jar, a few Christmas magnets on the fridge – but this year, I added this sign that I bought from my friend Josee at the Onslow School Craft Fair a few weeks ago. Josee’s signs are so nice! Love them! I had to take down my 2010 calendar to put it there, but I guess it was time to say goodbye to 2010 once and for all. ;)

Last but not least, we have the dogs. They’ve found a home hanging in this credenza that Sue gave to me on the wall in the dining room. I wanted to decorate for the dogs – I thought they needed a little Christmas spirit too – but after trying different decorations up there, the only thing I left was the little glass Christmas tree. Anyone have any suggestions on how I could make their living quarters a little more Christmassy?? Maybe just tie a few ribbons and bows around them??

So that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my Christmas House Tour! What are some of your favourite decorations? Do you go with a theme for your tree? Share your Christmas decorating tips & treasures in the comment section.

It’s DECEMBER, baby! :)

***

Today I’m taking part in a Blog Hop!

Go visit Lena @ Mom2MemphisAndRuby if you’d like to join in the fun!!

WWTKW: The Job Front Edition

2011-11-30T12:16:00.001-05:00

It’s rainy. I have a touch of a cold. All in all? Not the best Wednesday in the history of the world.

Thank goodness it’s “We Want To Know Wednesday”. At least you have something to read here other than my whining.

Linking it up this week with hostesses Queso and Crazymama.

This week’s questions are all about jobs:

1. What is the worst job you have ever had?
2. Have you ever been fired?
3. What would your dream job be?
4. What did you want to be when you "grew up"?
5. How old were you when you got your first job?

Here are my answers:

1. What is the worst job you have ever had? I’ve had five jobs in my life, including baby-sitting. And I don’t know that I can call any of them terrible. I hated waitressing, but loved the people I worked with. After college, I got a job as an Office Assistant at an accountant’s office, and while I didn’t hate the work, I hated everything else about it. Literally cried every morning because I hated going to the city and feeling all alone there. Plus, my boss was a hard-nosed bitch who tried to cover it up with sweetness and smiles while making me feel like crap. So I’d say that was my worst.

2. Have you ever been fired? No. They’ve always ended on my terms, and the process of “quitting” is not something I enjoy. When I quit my job as a waitress, I called my boss in tears because I didn’t want her to be mad at me. When I quit my job at the accountant’s office, I broke out in hives for a week because I was so worried about telling them. And then I cried.

3. What would your dream job be? Honestly? Stay-at-home Mom and part-time writer. That’s the dream. But I have no babies to stay at home with (nor a wealthy husband to support us), and I think I’ve had writer’s block for five years, other than what I write here on the blog. So I think what I’m doing right now - working in the office at Mountainview Turf - pretty much is the dream job. I enjoy office work (for the most part), I’m five minutes from home, I’m surrounded by beautiful sod fields, in an office with giant windows, and I work for people that I consider friends and we can have a lot of fun here. Truly, not much to complain about!

4. What did you want to be when you "grew up"? When I was in Grade One, we did a class video about “what we wanted to be when we grew up” (because we were the Grads of 2000), and in that I said I wanted to be a doctor. A DOCTOR. What the hell?! Not sure where that came from, because I don’t ever remember thinking, “Yeah, I want to be a doctor, they’re cool.” I used to love playing “office” as a kid – we had an old rotary phone, and I used to sit at the coffee table in my little brown rocking chair with the phone and scribble on papers and staple things. There are pictures to prove it somewhere… And as a teen, I wanted to be a journalist.

5. How old were you when you got your first job? Not including babysitting (I think I started that around age 12), I think I was 14 when I started waitressing at our local restaurant on weekends and summers.

Feel like joining in on the We Want to Know Wednesday fun?? Then go link up!! :)

The Single Girl Files: Reason #682 why Jill needs a man. And while we’re at it, Reason #683, too.

2011-11-29T10:53:00.001-05:00

Remember when I told you, via a Single Girl Files post, that I really needed a man because I didn’t own a hammer and I didn’t know how to fix things?

Well. Apparently, I need one around for other reasons too.

Case in point: Saturday morning, I had an appointment at the local garage to have my winter tires put on. My mom had called and made the appointment for me earlier in the week, then called to let me know I had to have my car there by 9 AM Saturday morning. Because I had plans to go with Lindsay to pick up my bridesmaid dress in Arnprior at 9 AM, I made arrangements with her to pick me up at the garage at 8 AM. It wasn’t open yet, so I just left my keys under the mat for them.

I hopped in her Jeep and off we went. It was a wonderful morning. I was able to try on my dress (IT FRIGGIN’ FIT!!!!), and then we went out for breakfast (Eggs Benedict…deep-fried homefries…mmmmm…IT MIGHT NO LONGER FIT!!!!).

This is the sneak peek of the dress Linds posted on her blog yesterday. As you can see, I’m going to have a hard time looking tall and skinny next to REBEKKA!!!

We were headed back to take the Ferry home around 11:30 AM when Lindsay, very casually, said to me, “So…you said you they were putting your winter tires on for you today?”

“Yep.”

“Well…were your tires already there?”

“Oh…ummm…”

That’s right. I had taken my car and parked it in the garage lot, and left them my keys.

But I didn’t take my winter tires.

Crap.

So I quickly called my mom on my cell, and said, “So…does Mark have my tires at the garage?” (Hoping, against hope, that maybe he stored them for me for the summer or something? Because I’m sure that’s a normal thing for a garage to do, right?)

“WELL HE DOES NOW!” she exclaimed.

Turns out, Mother had waited and waited for me to stop in and get my winter tires out of their garage, and when I didn’t appear, she loaded them up and took them over herself. She then proceeded to tell Mark, “My daughter needs a man. She apparently didn’t realize that she had to actually bring her tires for you to put on!”

And of course, uproarious laughter ensued.

Woopsies.

Gimme a break. I’m a girl. My mom told me I had to have the car there at 9 AM, but she never told me I had to take the tires with me!!!!

Totally her fault.

*sigh*

Oh, and while we’re at it. Another reason I need a man? I have a brother. And a brother-in-law. And neither of them are overly co-operative when I ask them to help me put up Christmas lights.

On Sunday, we were celebrating my soon-to-be sister-in-law’s birthday at my place. PERFECT chance for the boys to put up my lights. I had put net lights on the little tree at the front door already, and even assembled and connected the little snowman I had bought too. That was a big accomplishment.

But I had also bought red lights to go on the big spruce tree between my house and the church next door. We did that a few years ago and they looked so nice, but last year I left it too late and never got them up. I think I also had mowed the extension chord or something. (What? You’re supposed to take lights down before summer time? Who knew…) Anyways…I got a new extension chord, new lights…All I needed were the men to put them up. And I had two of them sitting right there in my living room.

Excellent opportunity.

Holy smokes, you’d think I’d asked them to do some really hard, terrible job. Like open-heart surgery or something. They weren’t overly enthusiastic about it. And they were mad at me because I didn’t have a good ladder for them to use.

Um, hello? This is me, remember? The girl who didn’t even own a hammer. Now you magically expect me to have a nice ladder in my possession? Sure.

They found this rickety old wooden ladder in my garage, and leaned it precariously against the tree, and then they just kind of tossed the lights on haphazardly.

I’m not complaining. They look fine. I’m happy they are up. My deepest thanks to Luke and Chris for obliging me.

But if I had a man to boss around, he would’ve spent a lot more time making it just right. And he hopefully would’ve come with a good ladder, too.

Now. There is some good news, folks. I have made progress.

I actually do own a hammer now. I bought a whole tool set a few weeks ago at Canadian Tire. A pink one. Because that’s the kind of tools girls use.

The bad news? I forgot to buy nails.

Hammers are kind of useless without nails, I’ve discovered.

I also bought a set of shelves that I was going to put up ALL BY MYSELF with my BRAND NEW PINK TOOL KIT and I was so excited about it.

Until I read the instructions, and it said I needed a drill. My pink tool kit came with a hammer, a tape measure, a screwdriver, an exacto knife, pliers, scissors, and a bunch of little do-dads that I have no idea what they are for.

No drill.

F me.

***

Once again, linking today’s Single Girl Files post up with Talk To Us Tuesday, hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn. What are you talking about today? Be sure to join in the fun and link up!

Friday Confessions: Christmas Parties, No Booze, and Bieber or Elvis. It’s a dilemma.

2011-11-25T10:54:00.001-05:00

I haven’t done any Friday confessing for a while, so I think it’s time to purge. Get all the deep, dark secrets (or just the silly stuff) out before the weekend begins. Ready?

Linking up with Housewife Eclectic, who is taking over Friday Confessions while Mamarazzi is on a bloggy break.

I confess…that all the hard work you guys did yesterday in helping me choose a new pair of boots was very much appreciated. I ended up settling on the first pair, only to find out that they don’t have it available in my size. Awesome.

I confess…that some days, I hate Sears. Don’t even ask me about my couch cushion situation.

I confess…that I’m wildly excited to dig out my Christmas decorations and put up my Christmas tree this weekend. Can’t.WAIT.

If only I had a fireplace…*sigh*

I confess…that I did not enjoy using the toning sticks at Zumba last night. I sweat my ass off, and that’s obviously a good thing, but I felt entirely uncoordinated, and kept hitting myself in the head with the sticks. PLUS, they felt like they weighed about 25 lbs. each instead of 2.5 lbs. by the time I was done. Mothereffers.

I definitely didn’t like them as much as this chick.

I confess…I’m a little worried about the company Christmas party tonight. Christmas parties are very hard on the diet. Thinking of the spread we had last year already has me drooling. It’s going to be a challenge. But I might as well get used to it, right? The month of December is only going to get more difficult.

I confess…that giving up the booze is not a big deal for me. Truthfully, I’d rather allocate those valuable calories towards yummy food. I’m trading my rum & cokes for dessert tonight. So sue me.

I confess…that I was super excited to package up my gifts for the “Favourite Things” Christmas Blog Swap hosted by Leigh and Lindsay, and the “Accessorize Me” Blog Swap hosted by Lena @ Mom2MemphisAndRuby last night. I’m sending them out in the mail today. Really hoping Brittany & Lisa like them!! My very first blog swaps!!

I confess…that I’m having a hard time deciding what to listen to while putting up the Christmas Tree tomorrow. Bieber or Elvis Christmas duets. I realize that this is a conundrum that a normal person does not have.

I confess…that I already have plans to go see Breaking Dawn Part 1 again. I’m excited. Almost as excited as I was the first time.

I confess…that I spend an abnormal amount of time looking at the picture of Chris Neil and I. You guys probably have, too, since I posted it three times this week. Sorry. But I don’t often have my arms around a hot hockey player. It was a special moment.

And, just because I can, here it is, one more time:

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

The one where you guys tell me what boots to pick. Because I don’t friggin’ know.

2011-11-24T11:48:00.001-05:00

Hi, Bloggy pals. I have a job for you today. Up for the challenge? I hope so. Because I need help.

My mom wants me to pick out a pair of boots for her to buy me for Christmas. (For those of you keeping track, NO, boots were NOT on my Wish List. But I guess I kind of need them more than a set of knives or a Tassimo. I guess. But not more than I need The Big Bang Theory, Season 2. Or The Vampire Diaries seasons, which I have added to the list since then.)

(PS – to my sister, Kara, who keeps emailing me asking for my Christmas list…have you not read the Wish List post? Excellent ideas can be found there. Go. Shop.)

Anyways. Yes, the boots. I need help. I’m going to post pictures of the boots that caught my eye on the Sears website, and you tell me which ones you like. Please & thank you.

Contestant #1 ($79.99)

I’m not sure if I can wear a boot like this. It’s kind of fancy, with all the buckles. And I’ve never owned a high boot before. But if I had to pick a high boot (which I think I maybe might want), this one appeals to me.

Contestant #2 ($99.99)

A little shorter, and I like the fur trim. But they’re suede, and I don’t know if I have the patience to care for a pair of suede boots. They’re high maintenance.

Contestant #3

I love these stylish mukluks, with all the fur, especially the furry balls. HA! No. These are not a contestant, they just make me laugh.

Contestant #4 ($49.99)

Hmm…Also suede-y looking, so high maintenance, but I like that they’re not too tall, not too short, and again that fur trim catches my eye. Disappointed that there are no furry balls, though.

Contestant #5 ($69.99)

I picked these out, but now I don’t think I like them. They’re not suede-y, so that’s a plus, but I think they kind of look like witch boots.

Contestant #6 ($159.99)

I love these. LOVE these. But they cost way more than I would ever want my mother to spend on boots for me. Plus, I think I need black boots, and I think these only come in brown. *sigh*

Contestant # 7 ($49.99)

Hmm…I like the slouchy look of these. But the issue with high boots is that I have fat calves, and I have no idea if these would fit. But I think these are a very strong contestant for the high boots. No issues with suede here.

Contestant #8 ($69.99)

I kind of love these, except for the laces. I have no patience for laces. Plus, these are called “Military style” and I’m not sure if I’m a Military style kind of girl.

Contestant #9 ($129.99)

Are you sick of looking at boots yet? Me too. But I like the black one on the far right. However, it’s suede, so I have those aforementioned suede issues. It’s pretty cool for a high boot. As long as the calves fit.

Contestant #10 ($99.99)

Okay, I really don’t know if I want a high boot or a short boot, but these are probably my favourite of the short boot selections. The only thing is I think these are very similar to the last pair of boots I got, back in my College days. Maybe I should be looking for something a little more mature than the College boots?

Alrighty. So now that I’ve provided you with all that helpful insight (ha! I don’t know if I want short, mid, or tall, black or brown, laces or not, suede-y or not…) PLEASE pick for me. Or make other suggestions. I truly have no idea what I want.

Now, I do have some good news…According to the Payless website, THEY STILL CARRY MY FAVOURITE SHOES! The exact same ones that I busted up on Saturday night! The exact same ones that I bought 3 or 4 years ago! Wahooooooooo! I’m going to maybe buy 3 pairs. They’re only $19.99, so clearly, very high quality. ;)

My shoe loves.

And now, in closing, to celebrate American Thanksgiving, I’m going to share with you something I’ve been very thankful for this week.

Oh, get over it. I didn’t post the picture yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American Bloggy Friends! Enjoy your turkey lurkey! :)

Snowy Wednesday Randomness

2011-11-23T10:31:00.001-05:00

It’s “We Want to Know Wednesday”, but I’m not doing it because I’m jealous. All the questions are about Thanksgiving – naturally – and I’m a little huffy that our Thanksgiving was over a month ago.

WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST HAVE TWO THANKSGIVINGS?!? Geez.

I want a holiday this week. And I’m not getting one. Bah.

So instead, here’s some of the random floating through my brain this morning. (I’m going to try not to mention that hockey player I had my arm around on Saturday night, but…I make no promises.)

It snowed last night. Our very first snow of the year. You guys know I love snow. I woke to the sound of a snowplow going by my house at about 5:30 this morning, so you best believe I hopped right out of bed, cracked the blinds, and watched the pretty white stuff falling in the street light. Beauty.

Everyone has a favourite pair of shoes, right? I know I do. Or did. There wasn’t really anything much special about them, but they were just nice black loafer-style shoes that I got four or five years ago from Payless. Comfy, and went with almost anything. Well…Saturday night, after I met you-know-who, I blew the shit right out of my shoe. We were walking towards the next bar we were going to, and I kind of accidentally stumbled off the side walk (trust me, just a stumble, I wasn’t being a drunken fool), and however my foot landed, I could just feel my entire shoe explode. I walked around in it for awhile before taking it off and discovering the sole was hanging on to the rest of the shoe literally by a thread. It was a good thing I had the happy thoughts of you-know-who and his muscular back in my head, or I would’ve had the sads BIG time.
Sticking with the footwear topic…My mom has been bugging me for a week to pick a pair of boots out of the Sears catalogue for her to order me for Christmas this year. I’ve been putting it off because I don’t know what I want. I haven’t bought a pair of boots for 8 years. I was in College the last time I got a pair of boots. Yes, I am Canadian. Yes, I live in the tundra. But I usually just skip around in my shoes all winter long. The very shoes that I busted the shit out of on Saturday night.
Needless to say, this morning, when I ventured out in my very non-snow-proof slip-on Skechers, I was wishing I’d listened to my mother’s demands to pick out a damn pair of boots. Jill has very cold, wet feet this morning…Brrrr.

Not meant for Canadian winters…

I’m starting to panic that I have no time to put up my Christmas tree this weekend. And I NEED to put up my Christmas tree this weekend. Life cannot progress until my house is decorated. I need my house to look Christmassy, STAT.
So glad I didn’t have far to go in the snow this morning. I’m not getting my snow tires put on until Saturday, so I did a wee bit of skidding around on my way to work this morning. A blessing that I only have a five-minute drive in…
I love Bieber’s Christmas album. Especially when he raps in “The Little Drummer Boy”.

You know how sometimes you hit a song on the radio that you haven’t heard in a million years, and you just remember all the words and it makes you feel amazing? Sam Roberts, on my radio this morning, singing “Hard Road”. We had an incredible duet.
I watched Water For Elephants last night, and if anything, it made Rob Pattinson even sexier to me. As if Edward Cullen could get any sexier. He got to smile and laugh a lot more than we’re used to. Mmmmmmmmmm….

Have I mentioned how jealous I am that our American friends get to have turkey tomorrow and I do not? Have I also mentioned that American Thanksgiving throws a monkey wrench in the Y&R scheduling? Like, no more Y&R this week, and just when I was so happy to have Billy back? Dammit.

American Thanksgiving makes me want to watch ALL the Friends Thanksgiving episodes. One right after the other.

The snow is going to melt tomorrow. Because it’s going up to +11 this weekend and it’s going to rain. What is UP with this weird, balmy, November weather?!

Okay. I think that’s all I’ve got for today…

Off to minimize this window so that I can look at my desktop picture again…The picture of me and you-know-whooooooo!!!!

The Single Girl Files: Great Expectations

2011-11-22T10:52:00.002-05:00

Remember yesterday, when I told you about how I met Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil this past weekend?

No?

Oh, here, let me show you the picture again to remind you.

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Yeah. I kind of can’t get enough of that picture. It’s actually my new desktop on my computer at work, and I find myself minimizing windows during the day just to gaze at it… to re-live the moment…

*sigh*

But. BUT!

My Chris Neil meeting has reminded me of something my friend Sara once told me. Something that I laugh about to this day, but deep down, it still makes me feel slightly uneasy. Slightly worried for myself.

It was after we had gone to see Superman Returns in theatres – back in ‘06. I left the theatre drooling over Brandon Routh, who played good ol’ Clark Kent in the flick.

Yum.

So we left the theatre and I was doing my usual schoolgirl babbling. You know, the kind of babbling that a 20-something probably shouldn’t do, but I do it anyways. “Oh my gosh, he’s so hot. I love that guy who played Superman. Did you SEE his muscles? He’s my new favourite.” Something along those lines.

Which led Sara to finally confess to me that she was worried about me ever finding a man in real life.

“Jill, you’re in love with Superman now. How are all of the normal guys ever going to compare?!”

And therein lies one of my biggest problems with finding a man.

Great Expectations.

I have Hollywood/Superstar crushes. Movie stars, TV stars, rock stars, hockey stars. Vampires. Werewolves. And…well…yeah. Superman, too.

One of my all-time faves, Josh Hartnett

I would give anything for a James Marsden-type of guy

My latest craze…Damon & Stefan Salvatore…

The very first rock star I fell in love with…Edwin

Ah…Edward…Sweet & Deadly Edward

Everyone’s favourite little puppy dog…Jacob :)

Always has been, always will be my #1…Wade Redden

And the newest hockey player crush…Chris Neil

These are just a few of my favourite things…!!!

You get the picture. Guys with crazy-good-looks, big muscles, star qualities, sexy smiles, great hair, beautiful eyes, amazing voices, athletic abilities, and sometimes, yes…even superhero powers.

All of the normal boys? They kind of just pale in comparison.

I’ve only known a few guys in real life who came close to meeting these high standards. And we all know that guys like that are kiiiiinda outta my league.

So what’s a girl like me supposed to do? I don’t have star qualities. I’m a lumpy, over-weight, crazyperson (clearly), now in my late-twenties (ack!), with nothing remarkable about me.

And yet, I have a penchant for the “unattainable”.

You see, most women are able to separate the real from the fictional. They know that Edward is the sexiest vampire alive (followed closely by Stefan and Damon, natch), but they still love their average ol’ husbands, no problem.

(My apologies for calling your hubbies average, ladies. You know what I mean.)

I, on the other hand, will look at a guy, and wrinkle up my nose. “Well…I don’t know if his back would be nearly as muscular as Chris Neil’s, so no can do…”

Really and truly. I have serious issues here.

My friends tell me all the time that when I find “The One”, that I’ll forget about all of this silly hooey. That even though he might not quite match up to the great expectations I have, he will be mine, and I will love him, even if his back isn’t as muscular as Chris Neil’s.

But for now, I’m still living in this fantasy world, where my future husband can play guitar, be an NHL-star, have lots of money, the perfect body, and the best smile in the world.

Hey…it could happen.

***

Linking today’s Single Girl Files post up with Talk to Us Tuesday hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn. What are you talking about today? It can be about anything at all – no rules! Link it up! :)

***

Just about the best damn weekend EVER.

2011-11-21T10:34:00.001-05:00

Judging by what I’m seeing on other people’s blogs and Facebook statuses this morning, a lot of people think they had an awesome weekend.

Nobody seems thrilled to start off another week, because the weekend was just that good.

Well, I’m sorry to break this to all of you who think you had the best weekends ever, but…

Mine was better.

Seriously.

(Unless you got married or had a baby. Those would be the only two things that could trump the excitement of my weekend. In that case…Congratulations.)

So, I know that my mom and my friend Stacy and everyone else who hates Twilight will cringe at this but, really? How could a weekend start out ANY BETTER than with the Breaking Dawn Part 1 midnight premiere on Thursday night???

Edward makes everything better.

Despite all my worries and concerns about how Thursday evening would go, it all went off pretty much without a hitch. No issues getting the tickets (apparently all you really have to do is say, “Hi, I pre-ordered tickets on-line, here’s my credit card, please believe me”…and they do); a delicious supper at Montana’s with my Twi-buddies Britt, Sharon & Lindsay; a waker-upper at Starbucks (where Sharon commended me on my pro ordering of my Venti-Skinny-Peppermint-Mocha-No-Whip…I’m a Starbucks newbie and wasn’t sure I could pull it off without screwing it up)…Then off to wait in a not-too-long line up, and they let us into the theatre earlier than expected, which was a much more comfortable place to sit and wait for the vampire/werewolf hotness to begin.

And ohhhhhhhhhhhhh the hotness!!

It was wonderful. I think maybe my favourite movie thus far in the series. The wedding…the honeymoon…the vampire sex (or at least the PG-13 version we got)…Bella’s life-sucking pregnancy…the birth of a vampire-human hybrid baby…

It was everything I could’ve hoped for. And more.

I will probably go see it again in theatres. I loved it that much.

The only small issue I had was that I somehow got stuck beside the stereotypical “Twi-Hard”. A thirty-something woman sitting by herself, talking on her cell for like TWO HOURS before the movie started, and whoever she was talking to must’ve also been a Twi-Hard because that was all she talked about. The whole time. And referred to the cast as if they were on a first-name basis (OK, so, like I do with the hockey players, but whatever. NOT the same.)

She was just very very excited to see Rob and Kristen and Taylor and all the gang, apparently.

Needless to say, once the movie started, she went into SUPER-annoying mode. Huffing over the squealy teens at the start (“Geez! You’d think Rob himself had just walked in the room or something!”), fanning herself with her hands at the romantic parts, singing along to the wedding version of Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth”, clapping, vocalizing her disappointment when certain scenes didn’t meet her lofty expectations (like the love scene - “WELL! That was anti-climactic!”…I’m sorry, dear, but did you not catch the PG-13 rating?!)

I had to block her out. She was driving me bananas.

But other than that? It was wonderful. Even the cheesy wolf telepathy scene (which brought more laughter than I’m sure was intended) couldn’t ruin it for me.

Did I mention the wedding? The honeymoon? Bella waking up covered in feathers? The baby?

It was pretty near perfect.

By the time I crawled into bed after 3 AM, I was still buzzing with excitement, and didn’t think I’d be able to sleep. I was wrong. When my head hit the pillow, I drifted off quickly, and was so glad I had the following day off work.

I spent Friday lounging around, feeling kind of hung over even though I don’t think the two Pickle Caesars I had at Montana’s the night before could’ve made me feel hung over. Oh, and I finished Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries. Yes, I was on vampire overload. I think I need to buy the seasons of The Vampire Diaries rather than just Zipping them. Because now that Stefan and Damon are in my life, I need to keep them forever. Swoooooon.

Friday evening, I joined a group of friends at Cafe 349 in Shawville for a baby shower for our friend Priscilla, who is due in December. We had a great evening chatting, eating, and showering Priscilla with gifts and good wishes. I can’t wait for Baby B to arrive! Priscilla and her husband Chad have not found out what they are having, and have also kept their names a secret, so it will be very exciting to hear all the details when the baby comes. :)

On Saturday I did some shopping and got some of my Christmas lights up outside, then spent the afternoon resting up for my friend Krista’s Bachelorette. Krista and her fiance Kyle are getting married on New Year’s Eve, so the ladies decided to take her out on a party bus tour for one last rip before she becomes a “Mrs.”.

Now here’s where the really, really exciting stuff happened. The stuff that transformed this weekend from a GREAT one to an EPIC one.

Our first stop on the party bus was the Crazy Horse bar & grill in Kanata. And shortly after arriving, I was scouting around because so many people tell me, “You need to go to the city to meet guys – the Crazy Horse would be a great place to go, lots of guys there!”

Um. Yeah. Sure. Lots of guys. But as I scanned the room, there weren’t too many who appealed to me. In fact, I could only find one table of guys, seated behind us, that I thought were my kind of guys. The rest were all kind of goofy-looking. With big belt buckles. Meh.

Not long after, I noticed the Bride-to-Be and several of the ladies over chatting up my table of hot guys. Krista had a list of things she needed to accomplish during the evening, and I figured she was over there getting something checked off her list. Sure enough, she got her picture taken with some of them, then came over to our table and said, “There! Good thing we added ‘Meet a Sens Player’ to my list!” Then I noticed they had scribbled it on to the bottom of her list of tasks to complete.

I was confused. “Meet a Sens player? Who?!” (Did I mention I’d forgotten my glasses at home?)

“That’s Chris Neil sitting over there!” Krista told me.

Chris Neil! One of my all-time favourite Senators players!

I was soooo disappointed. I didn’t even realize it was him – if I had, I’d have totally joined them when they went over to meet him. But Krista told me he hadn’t been overly friendly, and I figured he just wanted to be left alone, so I declined her demands that I go back over there with her.

But eventually word had spread that Chris Neil was in the house, and the next thing you know, a big group of the ladies who were with us made their way over to his table. Krista told me to go then, with the rest of them, but I was sooo not even a little bit drunk and worried about pissing him off, so I said no. But Krista wasn’t going to let it go, though. She ended up grabbing me by the wrist and DRAGGING me over to his table, telling everyone to move out of the way so that she could get to him.

“Excuse me, Chris Neil, but this is my friend Jillian and she is the biggest Sens fan I know, would you pleeeeeeeeease get up and get a picture taken with her?”

Meanwhile, I’m standing there shaking my head and mouthing, “I’m so sorry, Chris Neil. I’m so sorry.”

She had to beg him a couple of times before he finally shuffled out of his booth and put his arm around me and said, “Hey.” And then I put my arm around him too, and ohmygodmuscleybackofheaven.

Indeed, this was the 2nd best night of my life – after the night I met Wade Redden, of course – but luckily, this time I found my voice. I wasn’t a complete mute.

However, all I kept saying was, “I’m so sorry, Chris Neil. I’m so sorry.”

Yes, I called him “Chris Neil”. Every time.

And he just kept chuckling and saying, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

Krista and I got our picture taken with him (thank GOD Ashley had her camera handy because I had left mine behind at the table!) and after I looked at the picture, I totally didn’t regret it. I did feel kind of bad that now that he was out of his booth, he had to get his picture taken with approximately 25 other girls…and stand on an injured ankle (the reason he wasn’t out west with the rest of the team)…but oh well. ;)

The picture was totally worth it.

And also, I realized I could crop Krista out – not because I don’t LOVE her – I do love her and I will be forever eternally grateful to her for introducing me to Chris Neil!!! – but when I crop her out, it makes it easier to pretend it’s just me, posing with my hot muscular hockey player boyfriend…

See what I mean?

And YES I KNOW he’s married and has kids and I think from what he told some of the girls that night that he has another one on the way very soon…

Whatever. I CAN STILL PRETEND!!!!!

Here are some of the other sneak-pictures I took of him from a distance:

Wade WHO?!?!

(KIDDING!! JUST KIDDING!!)

Epic weekend. Simply epic.

Don’t even try to compare. You know you can’t. ;)

Breaking Dawn. TONIGHT!!!

2011-11-17T10:50:00.001-05:00

Yes. One more post about Breaking Dawn.

Actually, there will probably be one more after this. The re-cap.

But to the Twi-haters, it’s not going to last much longer. Promise.

My own mother told me, after reading yesterday’s post, “I can’t wait for this Twilight stuff to be over so you can write about normal things again.”

Well, Mother. You’ll have to wait another few days.

BECAUSE TONIGHT IS THE BREAKING DAWN MIDNIGHT PREMIERE!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

When I arrived at work this morning, I promptly put on my New Moon Burger King Crown that Jared & Holly got me a few years ago. It has been sitting on my desk ever since, waiting for this perfect opportunity to wear it.

Sharon, one of my Twi-buddies coming to the movie with me tonight, told me I’m not allowed to wear it to the movies or she’ll leave me on the side of the road.

But seriously. When ELSE am I going to get to wear my Edward Crown?!?

She’s lucky it gives me hat-head, or else I’d never take it off all day.

Anyways. So we’re going to the movie tonight. And it’s all I can think about.

But as many of you know, I’m a bit of a worry-wart. So along with the giddy excitement, here are a few of the things that are niggling at me today:

The tickets: We have pre-ordered tickets on-line from the theatre we are going to. I have never done this before, so I’m worried about it. I had hoped they’d email me the tickets, or give me a tracking number, or something, but all I got was an email back telling me my tickets could be picked up at the theatre box office or automated box office with the credit card used to make the purchase. I have no clue how this works. Do I just say, “Hi, I ordered tickets, here’s my credit card, please somehow believe me” ?? I’m confuzzled.
The midnight crazies: I’ve never done a midnight premiere before, and after reading many of the posts linked up to yesterday’s Ultimate Twilight Fan Link Up, I noticed that several of them said they don’t go to the midnight premieres because the crazy Twi-hards squeal and talk throughout the whole thing. I’m not very patient with people talking during movies at any time – definitely not when it’s with Twilight. I keep telling myself to soak up and enjoy the experience tonight, and not to worry about the crazies. If I have to go see it again at a quieter time, I will.
How early should I be there?: I have no idea how this works tonight – in particular, how early we need to be there to line up. We know we have the tickets, but we want to make sure we have good seats, and that we all get to sit together. Our plan is to have dinner first, and then go line-up. My thought is that being at the theatre by 9 – three hours before showtime – should be enough. Anyone have any advice? Is that sufficient?
Falling asleep: This wasn’t even a question in my mind until last night. I was like, “Oh, I’ll be so super stoked about the whole thing that I won’t even be thinking about sleep!” But then last night, I thought I was all wound up, and put on Eclipse to watch…and then fell asleep about 10 minutes into it. At around 8:30 PM. I didn’t wake up til the credits were rolling, two hours later. I CAN’T FALL ASLEEP AT THE MOVIE TONIGHT!!!! Luckily, Sharon has recommended going to Starbucks to load up on some espresso shots that will hopefully carry us through, along with the giddy excitement of the evening. Hopefully this will work!

And that’s about it. Otherwise, just totally excited to be going tonight. To be one of the first to see the movie. To have fun with my friends.

And to drool over Edward.

Um. YES.

It’s gonna be a blast! :)

The ULTIMATE Twilight Fan Link Up!!!!!!

2011-11-16T10:25:00.001-05:00

TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!! SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!

Well, I guess technically Friday at 12:01 AM, but by tomorrow I should be delirious with excitement and pretty well useless, other than to think about and talk about Breaking Dawn.

Sharon, Lindsay, Brittany & I are heading out for dinner after work/school, and then over to the theatre to wait in line with the rest of the midnight premiere crazies. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet, but…

I.CANNOT.WAIT!!!!!

So in honour of all the Twilight excitement here on the blog this week, I decided to take part in this fun vamp-themed linky party, hosted by Star and Tara. (Thanks for drawing my attention to this, Lena!!)

1. Are you going to see Breaking Dawn at the midnight release? Yes!!!! This is my first midnight movie premiere, and I can’t wait to be there for the hype and share it with my Twi-crazy friends!

2. Scene you're most looking forward to in Breaking Dawn? Umm…the love scene? That one we keep hearing about, the one we’ve been waiting years for?? Yes. Definitely. OH, and the wedding…. And that honeymoon scene in the water, by the waterfall, that I keep seeing sneak peeks of. And if there’s going to be a birth, I’m sooo looking forward to that. So…basically…yeah…all of it!!!

3. Team Edward or Jacob? TEAM EDWARD all the way!! (Although I have developed a fondness for Jacob. I disliked him in the books, but Taylor Lautner’s such a little hottie, how could you not love him on-screen?! And yes. I know I’m too old to call Taylor Lautner a little hottie. Whatever. I’m not the only pervy old lady that likes him.)

4. Favorite book in the Saga? I think I’d have to say the one that started it all, the very first book, Twilight. I enjoyed them all, but I remember reading Breaking Dawn, and sort of missing the innocent Edward-sneaking-into-Bella’s-room-to-watch-her-sleep sweetness. (And yes, I do realize that might sound more creepy than sweet to some people.)All of that star-crossed vampire-human teen love was what started it all and drew me in.

5. Favorite character in the series and why? Edward. I love Edward. I want my own Edward. It’s all about Edward. Always Edward.

Rob Pattinson almost ruined it for me at first, because while reading the books, I had pictured Shane West as Edward. But it took about 2 minutes for me to get used to him. ;)

6. Why do you love Twilight? I really don’t know if I can nail it down to just one thing. I was a late-comer to Twi-Mania. The first movie was already in theatres before I even picked up one of the books. I swore it was not my thing; that I knew I was going to hate it.

And then, next thing you know, I’ve read the book faster than any book I’ve ever read before in my life. I read all of the other books in a whirlwind haze of vampire addiction, and then saw Twilight when it came out on DVD. New Moon and Eclipse were both seen in theatres within the first few days of release. I actually saw New Moon twice in theatres.

So what is that hooked me? What made me fall in love? I think the idea of hopeless romanticism. I mean, how could it ever possibly work out for a human teenage girl and 100-something-year-old vampire? It’s like a crazy dream come true.

Plus, Edward. I mean, really. How could you not love him?

7. Are the books or movies better? Books are always better than the movies. But I’ve enjoyed the flicks as well. I think they’ve done a very good job bringing the story to life on the big screen.

8. What do you dislike about the series? Well, at one time I would’ve said Jacob. That pesky little dog got in the way a lot for me when I was reading the books, and I just wanted him to shoo!!! But, as I mentioned, the movies have given me a greater appreciation for him. ;)

I guess I dislike how Bella was stringing both Edward and Jacob along, especially in Eclipse. “Edward, I love you, I’ll marry you.” “Oh, Jacob! Don’t go! Kiss me!” Blech. Don’t be so damn wishy-washy, Bella!

That, and I hate that they replaced Rachelle Lefevre in the role of Victoria after she portrayed her so well in the first two movies, with Bryce Dallas Howard in Eclipse. That didn’t work for me, at all.

9. Your craziest fan moment. I don’t think I can compare to some of the wild stuff the Twi-Hards do. Probably my craziest moment (thus far) was taking a day off work to see New Moon at noon the day it was released. (I apparently had never heard of midnight premieres back then!) Britt and I got to the theatre around 10 AM and joined a bunch of others already lining up at the doors. It was cold and rainy, but we didn’t care. When the theatre staff finally opened the doors to let us in (earlier than they were supposed to), we mad-dashed to get the seats we wanted – last row, centre. I felt like a kid again!

10. Do you have a Twilight collection? I own all the books, and also the Official Illustrated Guide, which my friend Sharon gave me for my birthday. I bought a few of the People magazine special editions and stuff like that too. An Edward bookmark. And I have all of the movies and soundtracks, of course. But I don’t think it’s that extreme. No posters of Edward on my ceiling or Edward dolls in my closet! haha!

OH WAIT! I do have a little Edward and Bella Christmas ornament that Lindsay gave me for Christmas last year! My 2-year-old niece Danica likes to play with it and asks me, “Who dis boy and girl?” haha!

Ahhhhhh!!!! I can’t believe that we’re less than two days away now!!

Seriously. I’m not sure if it’s normal for a 28-year-old to be this excited about it, but I don’t even care at this point.

This is going to be NUTS!!!!! :)

(Okay, so I don’t really believe this. Stefan and Damon kinda rock, too.)

Let’s Talk…Umm…Breaking Dawn…Again!

2011-11-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

Word of bloggy warning: We might be on Vampire Overload this week.

I’m sorry to those of you who could care less about Team Edward or Team Jacob or about the upcoming Cullen-Swan nuptials or the inevitable birth of a vampire-human hybrid baby.

(eeeeeee! just thinking about it makes me giddy!)

But it’s Breaking Dawn Part 1 premiere week, so what the heck else am I supposed to talk about for this week’s edition of Talk To Us Tuesday, with the lovely hostesses Impulsive Addict and Shawn??

But first – before I dive into the vampire stuff…

They lost. :(

Bryan Berard & Marie-France Dubreuil ended up in the shadow of David Pelletier and Tessa Bonhomme on last night’s finale of Battle of the Blades, when the former Olympic Gold Medalists (his came in ‘02 in pairs figure skating, hers in ‘10 in women’s hockey) garnered the majority of the fan vote to take home the title and the $100,000 for the charities of their choice.

Kind of ironic, since David & Tessa were the team I originally pledged allegiance to. But then I jumped ship after one episode when I found out Bryan and Marie-France were skating for D.I.F.D, an Ottawa-based youth-driven charity that is near and dear to the hearts of many in our area. Since then, I had been throwing as many votes their way as I could each week in hopes that they would win.

In the end, though, the wildly popular David & Tessa took home the crown, with Bryan & Marie-France landing in second (and a prize of $35,000 for D.I.F.D), and Boyd & Tanith ending up in third place.

Unfortunately, it was a rather anti-climactic finale for me. I had been so hopeful that Bryan & Marie-France would win. However, kudos to all of the hockey players and figure skaters who took part, raising awareness for many important charities and causes, and for showing that it’s okay for big tough guys to strap on a pair of figure skates and show their emotional side.

I think it was Brad May last night who said, “Hey, when you’re playing hockey, you’re with your buddies, high-fiving. When you’re figure skating, you get to hold a pretty girl in your arms and twirl her over your head. Who’s having more fun here?”

I know I’ve been having fun watching them for the past two months, and I’m going to miss it!

(If anyone is interested in learning more about D.I.F.D and the campaign to raise awareness for youth mental health issues, please visit here.)

Okay. So.

Back to the vampires. And the wolves.

THREE DAYS!!!!

I’m going to my very first midnight movie premiere, and I seriously cannot wait. It’s so funny to think that when Twilight first hit theatres, I had never heard of it or the books before, and I was rolling my eyes at the silly teen vampire flick, vowing to totally boycott it.

And that Edward guy the little girls were all going gaga over? God. What a doofus.

How quickly things can change.

I mean, seriously. How could you not be Team Edward?

(or, at the very least, Team Jacob? The little wolf & his pack have grown on me…)

Four books and three movies later, I’m ready. Bring on the first part of the finale. I will be there, lined up, with the other Twilight fans, waiting to be one of the first to see Edward & Bella get married, to see their very first love scene, and to witness the fall-out after she becomes pregnant with their child – a part-human, part-vampire baby.

For reals, people. This is going to be JUICY!!!!

Stay tuned for probably more vampire talk tomorrow. I’m sorry, that’s all I’ve got this week. ;)

Monday EXCITEMENT

2011-11-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

I’m all whirly and twirly with excitement today.

Two reasons.

First of all, we are now only four – count ‘em, FOUR – days away from the Breaking Dawn Part 1 midnight premiere!!

Eeeeeek!! I.can’t.wait.

And secondly, tonight is the finale of Season 3 of Battle of the Blades. Tonight, we will find out which one of the final 3 couples will win it.

Will it be Tanith and Boyd…?

Or maybe Tessa and David…?

I KNOW I will be crossing my fingers for Bryan and Marie-France!

I was able to catch last night’s episode when it aired at 1o PM, and I voted throughout the show, many times, for Bryan and Marie-France. I loved the song choice for their original skate. In honour of the Richardson family and the charity they are skating for, Do It For Daron, on the one-year anniversary of Daron Richardson’s death, they appropriately skated to Avril Lavigne’s current hit, “Wish You Were Here”. Literally brought tears to my eyes.

I was slightly disappointed, though, when they chose their “Sk8er Boi” performance as their reprise skate. It was my least favourite program of theirs, and I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to do two Avril songs on finale night. I was hoping for another chance to see them do the Elvis skate that officially turned me into a BB fan, of course. ;)

That being said, they were excellent once again. I will be glued to my TV tonight to see who is crowned the champions of Season 3, and who will take home the big prize for their charitites.

Good Luck Bryan and Marie-France!!

We can’t abolish Christmas. I NEED TOO MUCH STUFF.

2011-11-10T10:51:00.001-05:00

*Warning: The following post is going to make me sound like a selfish, bratty little shit. I apologize in advance. I don’t really think I am a selfish, bratty little shit, but…yeah…some days, I guess I am. Today is one of them.*

This morning over breakfast, my mother gave me her annual pitch to abolish Christmas. She has done this every year, I think, since we were old enough to know that Santa & his elves hadn’t been working hard to make our wishes and dreams come true in the North Pole all year long. That, in fact, the magic beneath the tree on Christmas morning was all because of her. And that all of that magic ends up costing a pretty penny.

Every year, my mom says, “I think we should really cut back this year. We all get too much, and Christmas should really be for the kids.”

And I throw a mini tantrum.

Yes. I know. Spoiled Rotten.

I totally understand the reasoning for my family wanting to cut back at Christmas. My sister and her husband have two kids now. My brother is getting married in the New Year.

And…well…as we all know, I have no money.

I should be clicking my heels with glee that my mom wants us to draw names instead of buying for everyone, and that only the kids should get stockings.

Here is my issue. I AM STILL A KID, DAMMIT!!!

Also, I have The Wish List going. There are things I need. If we abolish Christmas – or if I only get one present - what am I going to do?!?!

I know what you’re thinking. “OK, Jill, seriously? You are so forgetting the reason for the season. Family and love and world peace and Baby Jesus.”

Yeah yeah, sure sure. I know all of that. I haven’t forgotten.

But there’s THE WISH LIST, people!

And so, without further ado…all that my little heart desires this holiday season:

A Tassimo. All the cool kids have one. I NEED ONE TOO.

A blender. This would be very practical, since everytime I want to make hummus, I have to go to my mom’s to use her food processor. I think this would do the trick, and also I could start making smoothies. This would be beneficial to my health.

A bread maker. Okay, maybe this is dumb, since I’m not eating much bread these days due to my “healthy eating ways”. BUT if I could make my OWN bread with whole grains and healthy things like seeds and berries, wouldn’t that be cool? I’ve been dying for one of these for a while now. Please, Santa??

This is the tea pot and brewing basket from Epicure Selections. I almost ordered it from my lovely Epicure rep, Vicky, yesterday, but held off. I’m a new tea addict, and I think every tea addict should have a tea pot and a brewing basket. I don’t even know how it works, but I neeeeeed it.

Knives. Good ones. And I really want ones with dimples in them. I will feel more like a professional chef if I have fancier knives. It will be much easier to cut my healthy fruits and vegetables up with. So, also beneficial to my health.

Okay. Enough with the kitchen stuff, I’m not even supposed to be thinking about food. I WANT THE SENS NEW HERITAGE SWEATER. It is, by far, the coolest sweater they have, and I wish they would wear it all the time. Love.

The Big Bang Theory, Season 2. Because I already have Season 1, and I want all the Seasons. I need to have Sheldon in my life forever and ever.

Nail polish. Another of my new addictions. Specifically, I want O.P.I. nail polish. I have collected many different brands and colours over the past few months, but I have no O.P.I. And apparently, I’m missing out.

An electric fireplace for my living room. I’ve always wanted one, but didn’t know where I would put it. I have recently determined the perfect spot for it, and now I find myself browsing Canadian Tire flyers for deals. It would be easier if one just magically showed up on Christmas Eve, no?

I also want an area rug for my living room. I think this one is cool, and it would match my new furniture. (My furniture is blue, not white. But I think it would work).

So, as you can see, clearly I’m not asking for junk and gadgets that will lose their novelty. I am asking for necessities. I cannot live without all of the above items. They are must-haves. And the reason why Christmas cannot be abolished this year.

Oh, and also, I need someone to paint my house for me, a new car, and a husband. Just little things like that.

*sigh*

I know.

Selfish, bratty little shit.

WWTKW: Beautifying, baby.

2011-11-09T12:44:00.001-05:00

It’s “We Want To Know Wednesday”, the Hump Day Q&A hosted by Mamarazzi, Queso, and Crazymama.

This week, the questions are all about beautifying and style. Check it:

{1} What is your "can't go without it" beauty product/cosmetic?
{2} Do you apply make-up before or after doing your hair?
{3} How would you describe your personal style?
{4} How long does it take you to get ready each day?
{5} What is your one pamper, just for you, beauty splurge?

My answers:

{1} What is your "can't go without it" beauty product/cosmetic? My Cover Girl Tru Blend foundation. My friends laughed at me a few weeks ago when I was whining about it running out. I still haven’t replaced it, and I’ve been making due with some mineral foundation that I got in a sample. Not the same. I need to get my Cover Girl.

{2} Do you apply make-up before or after doing your hair? I blowdry and straighten first, then do make-up – if the hair’s going up, I do that after make-up.

{3} How would you describe your personal style? Laid-back, comfy & casual. I wear a uniform to work, so when I get home in the evenings, I quickly throw on yoga pants and baggy tees or sweaters. On weekends, I’m usually in jeans. Comfort is my ultimate goal!

{4} How long does it take you to get ready each day? 45 minutes on a normal day – might take an hour if I’m getting ready for a night out or something. But I’m usually pretty quick.

{5} What is your one pamper, just for you, beauty splurge? Due to my latest addiction to nail polish, that’s definitely got to be in. That and e.l.f. cosmetics, which I’ve just discovered thanks to the advice of some fellow bloggers. LOVE!!!

Let’s Talk…Random Tuesday stuff.

2011-11-08T10:12:00.001-05:00

Going random this week for Talk To Us Tuesday hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn - one of my favourite weekly link-ups because there are NO RULES – JUST TALK!

My friend Stacy and I co-hosted another successful Escape @ Home day on Saturday at my place. Steph from New Leaf Wellness and her team of massage therapists and relaxation service providers showed up at my door bright and early, and then our many friends and family members who had booked appointments arrived throughout the day. It’s always a fun day of relaxing, snacking, and chatting. I enjoyed my hot stones massage and reflexology appointments, and was treated to a Turkish coffee reading on the house! Thanks to all who joined us, we hope you enjoyed your services!
Strangely enough, since then, I’ve had a wonky hip. I know it has nothing to do with my massage on the weekend – but man, do I ever wish I could have one now! It’s this weird twinge. It doesn’t hurt all the time, but when it does flare up, it’s a nagging little pain. I need magic hands to heal it, because my stretching and hot bag have had no effect thus far.
Saturday night, after Escape Day had ended, I had my nephew Caden over for our very first sleepover, just him & I (and Brenda and Britt and Cowan!). Let me tell you, having a 6-year-old around makes life interesting. First, when I asked him how many Pogos he wanted for supper, he told me he could eat 10 to 12 of them. When I laughed, he insisted that’s how many Pogos he could eat. I made three, and Brenda told him if he was still hungry after that, she’d cook him the rest of the box. As it turned out, two was plenty. ;) We then settled in to watch one of my favourite childhood movies, The Sandlot. Caden loved it too and stayed awake for the whole thing, even though my sister had warned me he might fall asleep because he had been up early that day (WHO makes Kindergarten-aged kids play hockey at 7 AM on a Saturday?!?!?) In fact, he then stayed up for the rest of the Sens game, and I think he would have watched all of Angels in the Outfield too if I hadn’t shut it off and told him we’d watch it in the morning. Almost 10:30 before the boy finally went to sleep! He’s an early-riser, so I was dreading him waking me up in the morning, but he didn’t stir until 7:40 AM, and then lay in bed and watched the rest of Angels in the Outfield before getting up to get ready for church. I think Caden and I will have many sleepovers in the future! It was so much fun to have him!
BRYAN BERARD & MARIE-FRANCE DUBREUIL WERE IN THE BOTTOM 3 LAST NIGHT?!?! I was shocked by this. They had the best skate of the night on Sunday on Battle of the Blades, and earned 6.0’s across the board from the judges. I was not impressed when they had to take part in the Monday night skate-off. Fortunately, the judges unanimously voted off Curtis and Elena. So Bryan and Marie-France will go up against David & Tessa and Boyd & Tanith next week in the finale! Good luck to them! I hope they can win this for D.I.F.D.!

All of you Damon fans might be right. I think I might be finally starting to warm up to him. It’s taken almost two discs of Season 1, but he’s growing on me. I might officially be jumping from Team Stefan to Team Damon. (Do these vampires even have teams??)

Apparently they do…

My current most favourite tea is Mulled Apple herbal tea with a touch of sweetner. Mmmmmmm.

My current most favourite nail polish is e.l.f. polish in Smoky Brown. Perfect fall nails!

Today would have been my cousin Troy’s 38th birthday. We all miss him so much and think of him every day. So in his honour, I’m closing today’s post with a verse from Bob Dylan’s song, “Forver Young” – it has made me think of him ever since cousin Kayla introduced it to me, a year ago today.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift.
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung.
May you stay...Forever Young.

Friday Confessions: I love food. And I think I might be Adele’s voice twin.

2011-11-04T11:17:00.001-04:00

Ahhhhh Friday. Sweet, sweet Friday. How I love thee.

But before we kick off the weekend, time to vent…to confess…let it allllll hang out. Linking up with Mamarazzi!

I confess…that Friday office lunches are breaking my heart. I do not want my new eating habits to effect the office staff at all – they shouldn’t have to suffer along with me – therefore, I do not begrudge them their delicious Friday lunches. They’ve been awesome the past few months trying to accomodate me. That being said, last week was BBQ’d hot dogs and potato chips, this week is smoked meat sandwiches…processed, sodium-filled (delicious) bad meats that I just can’t do right now. So I will sit today with my bowl of fat-burning soup, my kiwi, and my fat-free yogurt and look on with lust in my eyes. It hurts my heart.

I confess…that if I keep thinking, “THAT will be my reward when the weddings are over”, then I’m going to put on a ton of weight in the weeks afterward, treating myself. So far, I’ve said this about a Big Mac & fries, poutine, chips & dip, a club sandwich, hamburger steak with fried onions and gravy, theatre popcorn with lots of butter, pizza with thick crust and pepperoni and extra cheese and garlic dipping sauce, cake…any kind of cake…oh, and of course, hot dogs and smoked meat sandwiches. Like, seriously. Just drooled on my desk.

I confess…despite all of this, I have really acquired a taste for healthier foods. Hummus, for one thing. I hated it before, but I love the homemade recipe I’ve found. Fresh mushrooms are another. And just veggies and fruit in general. Maybe I won’t want all that junk at the end of this after all.

I confess…that I couldn’t even write that last part with a straight face.

I confess…that last weekend, I fell off the dieting wagon. Hard. I withheld myself from Friday office lunch, but I then I kind of didn’t pay attention all weekend long, didn’t keep track, and ate whatever I wanted. I was shocked when I stepped on the scales Tuesday morning to discover that I had gained almost 5 pounds. LESSON LEARNED!!!

I confess…that I feel sorry for all of you guys having to read my diet blah blah. I truly am sorry. I’ll try to move on now for the rest of my confessions…

I confess…that, swear to God, I think I’m Adele’s voice twin. When I’m belting “Someone Like You” in my car (and it’s on almost EVERY morning when I drive to work, and again at night when I drive home! LOVE!), you should hear the harmonies. I can hit all those notes just beautifully. Adele and I are magical together.

I confess…that I know some of you are thinking, “Whoa, didn’t she think she was Sheryl Crow before?” Yes, I did. Whatever. Now I’m Adele.

I confess…that I’m trying so hard to be all Zen these days. Deep yoga breathing and herbal tea and stretching and all that jazz. But I still feel like a big ball of stress most days.

I confess…that I feel like I really need a massage. Darn good thing I’m going to have a house full of massage therapists and other relaxation service providers tomorrow for Escape Day. Perfect timing! ;)

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

WWTKW: Post-Halloween Edition

2011-11-02T10:58:00.001-04:00

Halloween has come and gone, so for this week’s “We Want To Know Wedesday”, the lovely hostesses – Mamarazzi, Queso, and Crazymama – are wondering how we spent the spooktacular day.

Here are this week’s questions:

{1} How did you celebrate Halloween? Trick or treating? Adult party? Trunk or treat?
{2} What candy is your favorite/the first thing you steal from the kids?
{3} What kind of candy do you give out, is it your favorite? or something you know you won't be tempted to eat?
{4} How soon after Halloween do you take down decorations and put away costumes?
{5} When do you decorate for the next holiday?

My answers:

{1} How did you celebrate Halloween? Trick or treating? Adult party? Trunk or treat? I spent Halloween at my place with my friend Brenda and her son Cowan, handing out candy to the 165 trick-or-treaters who knocked on my door! In past years, I’ve always gone to the costume party at the local bar on the Saturday night, but I skipped it this year. …And can I just ask…what is Trunk or Treat?!?

{2} What candy is your favorite/the first thing you steal from the kids? I have no kids to steal candy from…but I do have a big bowl of “leftovers” that I’m trying to give away to everybody who comes near my place because I’m on a diet and I CAN’T EAT ANYMORE CANDY!!! But my faves are the mini chocolate bars – pretty much any kind will do, but right now I’m digging the Crispy Crunch – the packages of Maynards gummies (especially the Swedish Berries), and the Rockets. I also love chips, they are my biggest weakness – and that’s the reason why I didn’t buy any this year. ;)

{3} What kind of candy do you give out, is it your favorite? or something you know you won't be tempted to eat? Sort of my favourite, sort of the cheapest I could find, sort of the kind I knew I wouldn’t be tempted to eat…I bought mini chocolate bars, Maynards gummies, and Rockets (I looove these), bags of suckers, Jolly Rancher chewies, Halloween marshmallows, and Double Bubble gum (because they were cheap and I wouldn’t be tempted by any of them). I made up 150 little treat bags out of that candy, then had a bowl of leftovers that I ended up dipping into once the bags ran out for about 15 more kids. It’s pretty expensive giving out candy to 150+, and still wanting the kids to like my house because I give out good stuff!! Ah, the pressure!!

{4} How soon after Halloween do you take down decorations and put away costumes? I put away my Halloween stuff last night – the Jack-o-Lantern is still on my front step, but everything else has been packed away. I only left out my “fall” stuff for another few weeks. But the witches, bats, skeletons, and scarecrows are down and put away the day after.

{5} When do you decorate for the next holiday? I’m itching to get into the Christmas season this year! Can’t wait to decorate…But I usually try to hold off until at least the last week of November. I found boxes of my Christmas stuff when I was putting away the Halloween decorations, and it was all I could do to stop myself from dragging them out!

But before we dive into Christmas…I finally got my pictures uploaded! Here are some pictures of the cutie patooties that showed up on my doorstep Monday night!

Bryce as a box of Timbits (his momma was a Tim Hortons cup but she had to take it off to carry her lil man!!)

Julia as a cupcake and Cameron as a hamburger – cute enough to EAT!! ;)

Hollie & Terry’s twin girls Kaylee & Jessica as strawberries – sooo sweet!!

Miss Maddy as a strawberry – she was more interested in visiting than the candy! haha!

Little sweetie Keira as a pink poodle – I loved when she said “Tank you Jill!”

My niece Danica was George the Monkey but she was pretty tired by the time they got to my place and wouldn’t even look at me! LOL

My nephew Caden as a firefighter – he was lovin’ Halloween this year!!

And, without further ado, the costume I told you all about yesterday…

Cowan as a Men’s Fitness Magazine – he got LOTS of laughs hanging out at my place helping to hand out candy! haha!!

It was such a fun night…can’t wait to do it all again next year!!

Let’s Talk…Random Halloweeny Stuff

2011-11-01T11:53:00.002-04:00

Linking up with Impulsive Addict and Shawn for this week’s edition of “Talk To Us Tuesday”…going random this week, with a Halloweeny theme!

I felt old on Saturday. REALLY old. It was the big Halloween costume party at Gavan’s, and I had absolutely no desire to go. I know part of it is the fact that I’m on a serious crunch diet (ha! you should see how badly I’ve been doing with THAT!) and I knew I couldn’t squander those valuable little calories on rum in my Diet Cokes. And who wants to go hang out at a bar packed with little kids and drink Diet Coke with no rum? Not me, apparently. I also had no inspiration for a costume. So I ended up putting on my jams and watching episodes of The Vampire Diaries. How LAME and OLD can I get?!?!
Speaking of The Vampire Diaries... My friends who love it have been telling me I need to get on-board. Any self-respectin’ Edward lover needs to know about The Vampire Diaries, too, they say. They’ve been telling me that I was for sure going to be a hard-core Damon fan. So far, only two discs into Season 1, I’m definitely a Stefan girl. They tell me to hang on, that I’ll come around on Damon yet. We’ll just have to see about that… All I can say is that if there had been a Stefan hanging around my high school back in the day, I would’ve been racing to get on the school bus every morning…

Speaking of vampires…SEVENTEEN DAYS UNTIL THE BREAKING DAWN PART 1 MIDNIGHT PREMIERE. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

I got to take in the Halloween festivities at Scotiabank Place on Sunday night as the Sens took on the Leafs, because I won tickets from the Team 1200 in a Facebook contest. I knew they were first-level seats, but when I found out I was in Row D, I almost fainted. I’ve never sat that close before in my life. It was such a fun night – Sharon and I grabbed some yummy peppermint mochas at Starbucks, then headed to SBP and found our seats. We were fortunate because while there were a pile of rambunctious Leaf fans in attendance, the ones in our vicinity were pretty tame. I was hoarse by the end of the night from roaring “GO SENS GO” in the endless battle of chants, but it was all worthwhile when the boys in red, black & gold brought home a narrow 3-2 victory. I hardly ever get to see a win at home (I actually often think I’m bad luck when I’m in a seat at SBP), so it was a very special Halloween treat!

I had to Youtube Bryan Berard & Marie-France Dubreuil’s skate on Battle of the Blades yesterday because I missed the Halloween episode Sunday night due to the hockey game. I was, once again, very impressed by their skate, and I was glad to see they made it through again last night. One step closer to winning in honour of D.I.F.D!

Halloween is one of my favourite days of the year. I don’t enter into dressing up – at least not anymore – but I so look forward to seeing all the little spooks at my door! When I was a kid, my parents’ end of town only saw about 30 trick-or-treaters (they get even less now) – but where I’m located downtown, I got about 165 at my door last night! I’m kicking myself for not uploading pics yet to show you, but there were some pretty cute little strawberries, a box of Timbits, a cupcake, a hamburger, a beautiful witch, Jessie from Toy Story, a cow, dinosaurs, super heroes, princesses, a pink poodle, a firefighter, a monkey, and many, MANY more. But definitely one of the biggest highlights was Cowan in his “Men’s Fitness Magazine” costume! I’ll get the pics up later this week to show you how cool it was. He hung out at my place while Brenda and I handed out candy, and often I could hear the parents laughing from the side of the road while their kiddies collected loot. I’d wonder to myself what was so funny, then turn around and realize they could see Cowan standing there! haha! It was a fun night, and I’m so glad all of my friends & family bring their little cuties to see me on Halloween!

You know what’s almost scarier than Halloween? It’s MOVEMBER. That means that many of the men around here are going to be growing icky mustaches. All for a good cause, of course, as they raise money and awareness for prostate cancer, but the staches are just so…blech!! If anyone needs to see the reasons why I so dislike the mustaches, just click here. And here. And here. And here. …Good luck, gentlemen. :)

So the ghosts and goblins will all be packed away for another year, and now the Christmas season can begin!! On my list of things to get ASAP: Justin Bieber’s new Christmas album, which I believe drops today! YES!!!

I know. That’s scary.

Friday Confessions: Life is…busy.

2011-10-28T09:56:00.001-04:00

I’m really not sure whether I’m coming or going…it’s been a busy week, and the weekend isn’t going to hold much rest and relaxation.

But it’s going to be FUN!

Before embarking on all that fun, though…let’s link up with Mamarazzi and confess.

I confess…that I was completely overwhelmed with the attention my little ol’ blog got this week following my #NoMoreBullies (Or, How I fell in love with Bryan Berard) post. Several friends drew my attention to the fact that the link was being passed around on Twitter by many folks and groups, in conjunction with the #NoMoreBullies campaign, as well as D.I.F.D. supporters. When I checked my webpage hits this week, I had more in the past couple of days than ever before. Thank you, all – for reading, and for sharing. Raising awareness for youth mental health is exactly what I aimed to do with that post!

I confess…that as awesome as all of that is, I was a little embarrassed to discover that some people were sending the link to Bryan Berard, telling him to check it out. Eeeeek… I said the guy was meaty-looking with stringy hair! I’m holding out hope that Bryan Berard is likely too busy to bother reading what some fan wrote about him…but in case he did, I hope he knows I meant that in the kindest way possible, and that I truly have become one of his biggest fans. I HEART YOU, BRYAN!!

I confess…that I think I’ve had several small panic attacks when I stop and think about the fact that I ordered a way-too-small bridesmaid dress that I have to fit into in less than four months. Seriously. What was I thinking?!?

I confess…that I thought I had all day tomorrow to lounge around, watch movies, and enjoy a peaceful Saturday before going to see the Pontiac Community Players production of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat Saturday evening in Shawville. But somehow, I kinda forgot that I need to make 5 lbs. of meatballs for our church supper Sunday night, and that I still need to buy and carve a pumpkin. Oh, and I ran out of foundation this morning. So my Saturday just got a little bit busier. I’ll be up bright & early to go shopping. *sigh*

I confess…that when I got an email yesterday to tell me I had won two 100-level tickets to the Sens/Leafs game on Sunday night, I thought it was a hoax. Then I remembered that I actually did enter a contest on Facebook for them via the Team 1200, but never thought I’d actually win.

I confess…that I spent most of yesterday in a conundrum over what to do with the tickets – how to pick them up, and trying to figure out whether or not I could even go to the game. I figured my mother might kill me if I skipped the church supper. But I think we’ve worked out a deal (I’m going early to help set up and work the early shift) – yes, even she agreed it would be a crying shame to win such awesome seats and then give them up! Big thanks to my friend Stacy who has offered to pick up the tix for me! I owe you HUGE!!

I confess…that I might need another weekend to recover from this weekend. And there’s no end in sight, as the next week and weekend will also be crazy-busy. That’s okay, though. All this running around should help me get skinny, right?

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

The water & ice diet begins today. FOR REALS, this time.

2011-10-26T10:17:00.001-04:00

So. You’ve all been following along on my “lose weight to fit into my bridesmaid’s dress for Lindsay’s wedding” project.

You’ve been clapping at the appropriate times, telling me how good I’m doing, cheering me on, and enthusiastically encouraging me with the odd “You can do it girl!”

I love you guys for that.

But this shit just got serious, folks.

Are you ready for this?

My brother is getting married. On February 11th, 2012. (That’s approximately 3 months before Lindsay’s wedding, for those of you keeping track.)

And his fiancée and my friend, Amanda, has asked me to be a bridesmaid.

Sure! Count me in! Whoop!! Super excited!!!!

So we go dress shopping last night, and find the perfect dress, and the sweet little shop owner starts measuring us, and BAM!

It’s Bridesmaid Dress Horror: The Sequel.

These dresses we were ordering were by a different designer than the ones we got for Lindsay’s, and from a different store.

And the sizing was different.

This is where I feel the need to really come clean and start telling you some numbers. Embarrassing as that may be, I’m not sure you can understand my story without me telling you the sizes that I’ve been told I am and the sizes I need to fit into in time for these weddings.

Please don’t point and laugh, okay?

When I was measured on August 22nd for Lindsay’s bridesmaid’s dress, they measured me between a size 20 and 22. 22 was considered plus sized and more expensive. I opted for the size 20 and vowed to lose weight. As you may recall, the sales lady was skeptical, but I assured her I could do it.

Fast-forward a little over two months later. I’m down 19 pounds, but still want to lose a lot more.

And then I go with Amanda and her twin sister Steph to shop for her bridesmaid dresses, and that sales lady measures me between an 18W and 20W. BUT, those numbers are considered plus sized and costs extra, so somehow I agree to order a 16.

That’s right.

Size 16. With no “W”.

A size that I have not fit into for years and years in normal clothes, let alone bridal gear that always seems to be sized way smaller than normal clothes.

WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE?!?!??!?!?!

So. Um. Yeah. You know how I’ve joked about only eating sticks and dirt and berries for the past two months?

Now I think I might actually have to do that.

There can be no more cheating. There can be no more nights of going home and deciding, “Meh, I don’t feel like exercising tonight.”

I’m not even sure there can be a Christmas this year.

The good news? If I’m actually successful at this and I lose enough weight to fit in this dress, then the one I ordered for Lindsay’s wedding should be so ginormously big on me that they have enough material to make me two dresses.

Also, the lady at the store last night promised me this dress can be let out to fit a size 18. (Shut up, I know the alteration costs will negate the extra charge for a plus sized dress. I’m trying to ignore that part.)

But the ultimate goal is to not need any alterations. The ultimate goal is to fit into that godforsaken Size 16.

I have three and a half months.

Here we go. I have no choice.

God, I hope I can do this.

Let’s Talk…Scary stuff. And I why I shouldn’t watch it.

2011-10-25T10:23:00.001-04:00

It’s that time of year again.

Halloween is right around the corner, and so I get the urge to watch scary movies.

That being said, I know I should not watch scary movies.

And that’s why I’ve decided to discuss this matter today for Talk To Us Tuesday, hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn.

I enjoy a good scare. Or at least, I think I do. I tend to forget that scary stuff traumatizes me. And after watching it, I have to sleep with a light on for days. Living pretty much by myself doesn’t help. (There, another reason I need a husband: So that I can watch Criminal Minds again.)

As I get older, it seems to get worse. When I was in high school, my friends and I had sleepovers and watched scary movies all the time. They didn’t seem to really bother me back then.

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I can pinpoint the time I realized I shouldn’t be watching creepy horror movies anymore. It was during my college days I believe; the night my friend Sara & I decided to go see the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Bad idea. VERY BAD.

We spent 97% of the movie hiding behind our coats, looking at each other and asking ourselves why the hell we had paid $10.00 (plus popcorn expenses) to do this. It felt like the longest two hours of my life.

Since then, I’ve limited the scary stuff I watch, and usually it’s movies I’ve already seen – favourites of mine include Halloween: H20 (hello, Josh Hartnett), the Scream series, The Sixth Sense, Pet Sematary, Idle Hands (more funny than scary)…stuff like that.

But Saturday evening, after deciding I should watch a fright flick to get in a Halloweeny mood, you know which one I picked?

Ghost.

Whaaaat?! Is that even considered a scary movie?! NO. It’s a romance, for crying out loud!

But as I stood there, debating between The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Scream, I ended up picking Ghost. Because I knew Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg wouldn’t give me nightmares.

How lame am I???

Okay. Gimme a break. I redeemed myself last night. Sort of.

I’ve been reading on a few other blogs about this new show called American Horror Story. It started airing in the United States a few weeks ago. Canada got the premiere last night on CityTV, as a sneak peek for the new digital cable channel coming called FX Canada.

So that means, I have no idea if American Horror Story is going to continue on CityTV, or if I only get one episode. I’m not sure it really matters, because it’s a miracle I survived. I’m not sure I’d be able to tune in again after that debacle.

The reasons I wanted to watch it:

Other bloggers said it was cool. And I always want to be cool.
I liked the names I was hearing for the cast. Connie Britton is one of my faves from my beloved Friday Night Lights. Dylan McDermott is hot. Jessica Lange is larger than life. These are some powerhouse names, people.

3. It’s almost Halloween, and I needed to recover from my lame choice of Ghost the other night.

These are not good enough reasons to scare myself, people.

See, Monday night is laundry night at my house. My basement is dark and cobwebby and creepy, and also the home of my washer and dryer. So I force myself to go down there once a week to do laundry, even though I really don’t want to.

When American Horror Story started, I still had one load of laundry in the dryer. And of course, the show features a very scary basement.

The story revolves around a couple that has just moved to LA with their teenaged daughter to try and save their marriage after the wife, Vivienne (Britton), had a gruesome miscarriage, and shortly thereafter caught her husband, Ben (McDermott), having an affair with a much younger woman. They move into a huge, old Victorian home that comes cheap because of it’s dark past.

You got it. Haunted house.

And a cast of unsettling characters living in their neighbourhood that could send a shiver down your spine: the eccentric neighbour (Lange) whose special needs daughter, Adelaide, keeps showing up telling them, “You’re going to die in there!”; the strange, psychotic boy who is Dr. Ben’s new patient and is making a disturbing friendship with his daughter, Violet; the mysterious housekeeper who magically appears, and seems determined to seduce Ben (creepy, since she’s an old lady, but he somehow only sees her as a sexy young maid); and the scarred peeping tom who hangs out in their backyard amongst the sheets hanging on the line, looking up at the house and smiling strangely.

Did I mention all the really scary stuff happens in the basement?

And that I had a damn load of laundry waiting for me in my basement right after the show ended?

Frig, frig, frig.

When the show ended, I was left with a very disturbed feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I debated leaving the laundry down there.

But then I told myself, “Oh, come on. It’s just a show. Fiction. Be a big girl and go down there and get your laundry.”

So I did. Gold star for me. But of course, while I was down there, I started hearing noises. Bumps and stuff like that. It sounded like someone was walking around upstairs.

Have I mentioned I have an imagination?

I ended up throwing all the laundry in the basket, not bothering to fold it, and raced up to my room. When I went to bed, I kept a light on, of course. And I didn’t sleep very well. At all.

I should’ve just stuck with Ghost.

Has anybody else seen American Horror Story? Thoughts? What are your favourite scary movies?

Or are you like me, and try to avoid it all?

#NoMoreBullies. (Or, How I fell in love with Bryan Berard.)

2011-10-24T12:33:00.002-04:00

Bullying.

It’s in the news. It’s water-cooler-conversation material. It’s all over Facebook. And, like me, many of my fellow bloggers have been focusing on it.

Local radio personality and Ottawa Senators announcer Stuntman Stu, along with his radio show at Majic 100, have started the #NoMoreBullies campaign, encouraging people to write the promise on the palm of their hand to show support.

It’s been on my mind a lot lately, especially after recently finishing reading Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, where she tells the fictional story of a boy who was teased and bullied so mercilessly, that eventually he snaps and opens fire on his classmates at school. The book has made me think so much that I’ve been unable to get into the next book I chose to read. It seems I’m not ready to let the story go yet.

Two weeks ago, an Ottawa teen named Jamie Hubley committed suicide. His parents have related, via local media outlets, some of the awful torment Jamie had been going through, as one of the few openly gay teens at his high school. His father, Ottawa city councillor for Kanata South, Allan Hubley, recently said that Jamie was teased relentlessly for the fact that he liked figure skating better than hockey.

So, in a bittersweet touch, Battle of the Blades – a Canadian show that pairs former hockey players up with world-renowned figure skaters and pits them against each other in an ice dancing competition, with cash prizes for their chosen charities on the line – dedicated last night’s episode in memory of Jamie Hubley.

A month or so ago, at the beginning of the season of Battle of the Blades, I told you all how much I loved David Pelletier, and threw my support behind him and his female hockey playing partner, Tessa Bonhomme.

Shortly after writing that post, I learned that another competitor, Bryan Berard, and his partner Marie-France Dubreuil, would be skating for “Do It For Daron”, an Ottawa-based organization that is working towards raising youth mental health awareness, in honour of Daron Richardson, the daughter of Sens assistant coach Luke Richardson who took her own life almost one year ago at age 14.

D.I.F.D. is a cause that strikes close to home, as the Richardson family has ties to our community. I’ve watched in awe and admiration as several young local women have done amazing things in recent months to raise money and awareness in memory of their friend, Daron. In fact, just this past Friday night, they tied the cause in with the Shawville Jr. B home game, and while I was unable to attend, I hear “D.I.F.D. Night” at the Jr. B game was a HUGE success.

Naturally, because of D.I.F.D., I’ve been throwing my votes each week to Berard, even though I love David Pelletier and originally wanted him to win.

But, as it turns out, Berard is maybe just an acquired taste.

I disliked him in the beginning, on principle. He was drafted first over all a million years ago by the Senators, but refused to play here. So Ottawa traded him to the Islanders in exchange for the #2 pick that year…Wade Redden.

As you might guess, the rest is history. Wade Redden became my favourite player, my knight in shining armour, while I mentally cast Berard as the villain in this scenario – the big bad guy that I disliked with a passion.

Then he was traded to the Leafs. My mortal hockey enemy. Needless to say, my love for Berard did not grow any with this development.

Several years later, one of our young stars at the time, Marian Hossa, was a little careless with his stick in a game against the Leafs, accidentally clipping Berard in the eye. It caused severe damage, and while I would never wish ill will on the man, it was just another negative tie between him and my favourite team. My dislike for Berard continued to fester.

Berard was forced to sit out for several years as he endured surgeries and medical treatments to repair his eye. While many deemed his career to be over, he vowed to return, and did so a few years after the accident, in one of the greatest player comebacks in NHL history. His playing career continued until 2008, when he officially bowed out of hockey.

And then, this year, he shows up on Battle of the Blades. A huge, meaty-looking guy with tattoos up and down his arms, and long, stringy black hair.

Forgive me, but he didn’t exactly turn me on. And if he hadn’t been skating for D.I.F.D., I didn’t think I could ever cast a vote his way.

…Until last night.

Last night, Bryan Berard took to the ice with his partner, dressed formally, his long hair tied back, with his necktie loosened and just hanging around his neck. I wish I could find a picture to show you. It was…very, very sexy…

Better than a picture…just watch it:

They skated to “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” by Elvis Presley, which was the song the fans voted for them. As you may know, I’m a bit of an Elvis fanatic, and that song is one of my all-time favourites.

Just melt my damn heart.

Their skate was flawless…beautiful…It earned them top marks from the judges, and a standing ovation from the audience as they closed out last night’s program.

I thought of Jamie Hubley, the young man who was taunted for being a figure skater. The young man who took his own young life because he couldn’t face another day in this world where people can be so mean.

At that moment, I was so proud of Bryan Berard for doing this. He looks like the anti-figure-skater, but he’s doing this show, and raising awareness for youth mental health, in memory of people like Daron and Jamie, who so badly needed help; needed someone to talk to, to relate to, to understand them.

Last night, I enthusiastically phoned in many votes for Bryan & Marie-France - because of their great cause, and because he has finally made me fall in love with him.

I really, really hope they win.

For Daron. For Jamie.

For every young person who has ever needed help and didn’t know where to turn.

#NoMoreBullies

Back in my favourite jeans. (sort of)

2011-10-20T10:53:00.002-04:00

You know the best part about losing weight? For me, anyways?

Feeling the clothes getting looser. Every day. I love it.

You see, for a very long time, my clothes were not loose. At first, they fit me, kinda. Then they started growing too tight. But I refused to buy a bigger size.

Dammit, I WILL NOT go up a size, I will squeeze myself into these clothes for the rest of my fat friggin’ life if I have to!

By the time I got the wake up call in late August – the “plus-sized bridesmaid dress” wake up call – I was downright uncomfortable in my clothes. Jeans were digging in, none of my shirts concealed the massive muffin top (oh who the hell are we kidding, that cutesy name does not change what it was - a massive, giant spare tire!), and I was not feeling very good about myself. At all.

Something had to be done.

After almost two months of changing my diet to incorporate much smaller portions and much healthier foods, and a renewed promise to exercise more, I’m stalled at 19 pounds lost (why? why can’t I just lose that one more measly pound?!?!) …And I’m feeling much, much better about myself.

I love that my rings are spinning loosely on my fingers. And I love that my jeans are starting to get a little bit baggy.

I’ve been noticing it for a few weeks now. I have to draw the belt in an extra notch now. Some of my pants are starting to look down-right sloppy on me. Last night, I was starting to wonder if maybe – just maybe – it might be time to go down a size?!

*cue the squeals of excitement and glee!!!!!!!*

And that’s when I went searching for my favourite pair of jeans.

They’re a worn-out, faded pair of Bluenotes that I bought about five years ago. At the time I bought them, they were already kind of snug on me, but I loved them. Nothing special to look at, but such comfy jeans.

Here’s a picture of me wearing them at Tub Rave. I think this was in ‘09, so about two years ago. (I thought it was more like ‘08, but Facebook doesn’t lie.)

Not the best photo in the world (I might have had a drink or two. and wearing sunglasses at night, that says it all right there. also, I’m surrounded by skinny little witches in their hot jeans and cool coats while I’m wearing a hot pink sweatshirt, oddly combined with a scarf. whatever.) but you get the idea. It’s about the jeans, people.

So, that was ‘09. I’m thinking it wasn’t long after that they were discarded from my closet. All I know is I could no longer zip them up, so I angrily threw them on the floor of the closet in the spare room, where they could no longer taunt me. Then I piled a bunch of old sweatshirts that I never wear on top of them so that I would never have to see them again.

Yeah, I had to do some digging. But I found them last night. And I was nervous about trying them on again. What if this Loose Pant Syndrome was just a delusion? What if I’m not really losing weight like I think I am? What if the scales have been lying? What if it’s all a figment of my imagination? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Guys?

They fit.

:) :) :)

Okay, I know you’re waiting for a picture to prove it, so this is the part where I tell you they only fit sort of. I could zip ‘em up, but they kinda looked like they were painted on. Not really very comfortable, nor flattering, so I’m not likely going to be strutting around in them this weekend or anything. I’m going to give it a few weeks before I try them again. And then I might take a picture to show you. When I don’t look so much like a sausage.

But the fact that I could zip ‘em up? Without lying down on the bed and holding my breath and sucking in to save my ever-lovin’ life?

Big victory.

I’ll take it.

WWTK Wednesday: Tempers, Movies, and Adventuring we go

2011-10-19T11:35:00.002-04:00

I’ve missed out on We Want to Know Wednesday for a few weeks, but I’m back!! Since I last participated, WWTKW has added a new co-host, Crazymama, who joins Mamarazzi and Queso behind the Wednesday Q&A wheel.

Here are this week’s questions:

{1} When was the last time you lost your temper?
{2} What 3 words best describe you?
{3} What movie could you watch over and over again and never get tired of?
{4} If you could do something dangerous, just once, with no risk, what would you do?
{5} Which is more important intelligence or common sense?

And my answers are…

{1} When was the last time you lost your temper? I honestly don’t remember…At least, I don’t recall any major temper tantrums lately. Oh wait…I lost my temper with my mom on the phone yesterday. I told her I was going to grab some groceries after work, so she gave me a list of stuff she wanted. But wait! I didn’t even snap then! It wasn’t until she asked me to stop in and get some money from her, or get her debit card, to pay for what she wanted. I said, all cool and calm, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get it and you can pay me back later.” And she, ever persistent, said, “Well, if you’d just stop in here and get my card, then it would be paid for already and I wouldn’t have to worry about taking money out for you,” and there…right there…that’s when I said, “MOM! I’M NOT GOING TO PAY FOR THE GROCERIES WITH TWO DIFFERENT DEBIT CARDS!!”

And she said, “Okay. Okay!”

So yeah. I guess you could call that slightly losing my temper. But it wasn’t major. Swear. ;)

{2} What 3 words best describe you? Currently, I think they would be…Happy…Stressed…and Healthier (than I was two months ago! haha!)

{3} What movie could you watch over and over again and never get tired of? Top Gun. Grease. Cocktail. Twilight (or New Moon or Eclipse). 10 Things I Hate About You. Blue Hawaii. I love re-watching movies that I enjoy. It’s why I have such a huge DVD collection. My dad always asks, “What’s the fun in watching a movie when you already know what happens?” Honestly…I don’t have a problem with it!

{4} If you could do something dangerous, just once, with no risk, what would you do? Definitely bungee jumping. I’ve always thought it looked like fun, but I’m so terrified that there will be an accident that I think I’d chicken out at the last minute. Also, if I was super skinny and very active, I’d like to climb some big tall famous mountain. I think the view from the top would be worth it. And with no risk involved, I’m hoping that means I won’t starve or freeze or be eaten by mountain lions. ;) Oh, OH and scuba diving!! I know that’s not technically “dangerous”, but I think I’d be too afraid to do it. Unless I knew I wasn’t going to drown or be eaten by a shark.

*UPDATED* I FORGOT SOMETHING!!! I want to be a Skeleton racer. You know, like at the Winter Olympics. Lie on a sled and hurtle down a mountain of ice head-first. So cool. So badass. THAT’S what I want to do!!!

{5} Which is more important intelligence or common sense? Is it too much to ask for a little of both? I guess common sense is most important, as many allegedly “intelligent” people are severely lacking in street smarts. But I don’t think intelligence should be downplayed, either – it’s better to be smart than stupid, y’all. ;)

I just said “y’all”. I don’t say that in real life. If I did say it out loud, my friend Stacy would probably laugh at me. Just like this weekend, when I said “Awesomesauce” for the first time out loud and she laughed her ass off at me.

Happy Wednesday, everyone :)

Let’s Talk…Tea. And Nail Polish.

2011-10-18T11:13:00.001-04:00

I’ve noticed lately that I’ve developed a fascination for two things: Tea. And nail polish.

Perfect. Topics for this week’s edition of Talk To Us Tuesday, hosted by Impulsive Addict and Shawn!

So we’ll start with the tea. Lately – like, during this past couple of months of non-eating – I’ve realized that tea is what’s filling that empty hole in my heart where food used to be.

(Please, don’t worry. I am still eating, promise. But it’s just not as fun when it’s things like vegetables and low-fat everything.)

Most days, I have a cup of tea mid-morning (where my bag of trail mix or pudding cup or cheese & crackers or chocolate-covered granola bar used to be). I’ve come to look forward to it. A nice, big steaming mug of Orange Pekoe with a packet of sweetner and a drop of milk. Mmmmm. It’s like the little morning break I just need, but I no longer have to have a snack to go with it. Just the tea.

And lately, I’ve started “branching out”. Last week while at the grocery store, I stood in front of the tea options for a good five minutes, choosing some different herbals that I’d never tested out. I ended up selecting Chamomile and Green with a hint of honey-lemon.

It occurred to me after leaving the store that I used to spend that kind of time in front of the chips. Now it’s tea. I’m a tea-fiend. Tea-aholic. Tea-obsessed.

Weird.

I’ve been sipping an herbal in the evenings while I watch TV or read, after exercising, to wind me down. It’s so odd to think that not that long ago, there was no exercise. Just long evenings of watching TV or movies and stuffing my face with Ruffles and dip. That’s what I used to look forward to.

Now it’s my cup of tea.

Tea has become such a big part of my day that when I saw a friend’s status on Facebook about something called David’s Tea, I stopped and read about it. So many different varieties…so many new kinds to try. And now I’m actually considering ordering tea on-line.

Seriously. What is this world coming to?

OK. So I do realize that this tea phenomenon is not such a big deal. I’m not exactly the first person in the world to discover it. Lots of people are tea-obsessed.

I just never really thought I’d be one of them.

And that’s sort of how I feel about my nail polish obsession too.

The nail polish fascination has been going on for a bit longer than the tea fascination. I’m not much of a girly-girl when it comes to beauty products – I didn’t even start wearing make-up until I was in my early-20’s. (Yes. I know. Sad.) But I’ve tried to keep the ol’ toe nails painted for a long time now, so my collection of nail polishes has grown over recent years.

I rarely bothered with the finger nails because it never seemed to last. My nails are always cut short (for guitar playing), and it ticked me off that I’d go to the effort of painting my nails and a day later, they’d already be chipping. Why bother?

But I love looking down and seeing pretty colours on my nails. And yesterday, when my Luxe Box arrived, I added a whole new nail polish possibility to my collection:

China Glaze Crackle Nail Polish in “Platinum Pieces”. SO cool.

Of course, I had to try it immediately. So I put a coat of dark blue nail polish on that I already had, then covered it with the crackle coat…and I must say, it looks pretty cool!

So yes. This has also become a new favourite evening pastime of mine. Painting nails.

It goes along well with sipping tea.

At least I’m no longer obsessing about food, right???

So tell me. What kinds of tea do you love? What colour of nail polishes should I not live without?

Go. Feed the frenzy.