This, that and other things

Do you have regrets? I think we all do. One of mine is not being blessed with the ability to draw. I've always envied those that can. I know, I know.. there's other things I can do that artists probably can't but drawing has always had such a pull on me. I can't even doodle or draw stick men worth crap.
Crap.

We introduced the monsters mutts to a new dog park. Surprise, surprise.. I thought the male dog was going to mark his territory everywhere but he held back. Harumphh If you know anything about West Highland White Terriers you know they believe they are the size of Great Danes. It's nothing for Bear to walk in the middle of five or ten big big dogs and say, 'Hey wazzup, fellers?'
So his behavior really was baffling, maybe it's a one time deal? I'll take him again and he'll rule I'm sure.

My hubby's work always takes him out of town,the current shift is 24 days out, 4 days in. No biggy, been doing this for 17 years now so I'm quite accustomed. To my space, my time, my whatever I want to do. When he comes back, it's a re-adjustment but give it a day and we're back in our rhythm. This time however, he kept me up ALL night the first night. Snoring. Three alarm clocks ticking in some sort of weird 2 am hypnotic song. ( why 3 alarm clocks you ask? good question, I don't have the foggiest) A dog walking all over the bed looking for his own space that's been invaded, stepping all over my hair. OUCH damn it!
I moved to the couch downstairs and slept for all of an hour. UGH. The following two nights now I've decided to sleep in my daughter's room. (she's moved out)  So I cleared some of her crap stuff and carved a wee bit of space for me. (have you seen her room? O M G is all I have to say )  Slept ALL night long,both nights. But lo and behold, it comes at a cost. I'm having these weird off the wall dreams. It really is disconcerting. But I have to weigh the pros and cons and I choose freaky weird dreams to no sleep.
Him? He's just grinning, says he's sleeping like a baby. Bite me, honey.

I got a tan today. Yes! Colour on my face from the heat of the sun bouncing off the white of the snow.
It was a beautiful day. To cap it off, winning the gold in hockey didn't hurt none. However,I actually got a big lump in my throat watching the U.S.A. team, they were so dejected, my heart went out to them. :-(
BUT it WAS so sweet to end the 2010 Olympics on a high note like that.

My heart also goes out to my daughter's girlfriend. The earthquake in Chile hit right at home. Carla's father's missing, the tsunami hit there with waves 9 feet high, that town below sea level. Her Auntie's town is washed away but she finally heard from her today. In two weeks if she's not heard word of her dad, she's heading out to Chile to try to find him. Such upset and sadness.

I'm upstairs listening to Jillian Michaels putting two girls through their paces downstairs. I do her workouts, I know what they are going through. I admire them, you wouldn't catch me doing that @ 9 in the PM. Screw that. I'm an early morning no later than mid afternoon kinda work out gal. Kudos to those two crazies though.

So... how was YOUR weekend?


Addendum:
Carla's dad has been found! Not sure of anything else but he's alive! Thank you to the powers that be.

I believe

 

I Believe

 

 

...breakfast would taste better at times if someone was there to make it for me.

...in the restorative power of a good book.

...in quality not quantity, like... toilet paper 

...waking up at 4 am isn't all it's cracked up to be.

...in a good belly laugh a day. Better than an apple to chase the doc away.

...a shopping spree @ Lululemon's will go a long way to chasing the blues away. :-)

...in answering to a higher power

...I'm going to go have a massage soon.

...in cheese

...what goes around comes around

...beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, I think some of the Beholders might be visually impaired.

...in being a bitch. But learn the definition of it. There's a marked difference between bitch and nasty.

...I'm going to tan today. I'm looking like I'm at the end of a long miserable winter.


...I need a new haircut.

What do you believe?

Show me the colour!

 Yesterday is where it belongs, in the past. Today's a new day. And it's a beautiful one at that. Had to take off my coat at the dog park, it was too warm. Yessss you read that right TOO warm! Why hello heat. :-)

Today's packing even made me laugh. To brighten an already lovely day, I went in search of colour.
After I fixed my 'duh' moment..

Hmm found this colourful arrangement. Supper's going to be yummy

Aww poor lil caterpillar stuck in a bag but a very colourful critter nevertheless

Who says Yoga has to be boring? My lil Poppet is always fun to do yoga with xo

Ahh the orchid Bella bought me for my birthday. I might not have kids to mother anymore but I got this baby. Pretty

What do you do when you don't have a paintbrush, why you finger paint of course. My lil spitfire and I had a grand time of it, painted a purdy picture for her Momma

Painting my nails always gives me a boost. When I had nails that is, before starting to pack. sniff

Putting a wee bit o' colour in my tea when it tastes bland always perks me up. Even if I am Scottish  ;-)

Bitchy Karma, Oh My!

I knew for years I was dealing with somewhat of a narcissistic, pathological liar type of personality. No those are not fighting words, they are the bare bones truth of the matter.
Contrary to what you might believe, I'm more mad at myself than anyone else. I'm smarter than that, I know I am. But I have this empathetic nature, this belief that somewhere underneath lies a decent person.
The saying goes 'Can't see the forest for the trees' BUT I have the ability to see those trees and the whole damn bloody forest to boot.I wanted to believe there was a purpose to being in the midst of it all. Continuing on with the metaphor, I've left that forest a while back. Without regrets. End of what should of been walked away from years ago. When I was warned by all and sunder.

It's amazing the effects it's had on myself, my surroundings and my family. But every once in a while I get my face shoved back in that damn mess and today is one of those days.
Honestly? My kids lied to me growing up but on a need to save their lives basis. To cover their asses for fear of having Mom's Law slap them in the rear end. Nothing's scarier, my girls tell me, than a 5'2" madder than hell french woman gunning for you.

One of my ALL TIME things that disgusts me the most is being lied to. I h a t e the toxicity of lies, the ones that are crafted, the blatant ones, ones that harm others for personal gain to the liar. Still to this day I'm finding out how extensive it went. Well no, let's rephrase that. While it's no surprise to find out yet another lie some of them piss me off more than others. Today's pissed me right off.
Geezus get the HELL off my planet of awareness will you? Again folks, believe me when I say I'm WAY more mad at myself. Fool me once, shame on you and all that jazz..
But then again, I have to remember I'm dealing with a narcissistic type character. Nothing is their fault, they didn't do anything wrong, they don't lie and on and on and never ending on blah blah blah.

I'll work through today's lie, tomorrow's bullshit and future crap that may arise but I hardly think it can be easy for the opposite parties involved. Given the swamp of lies drawn over the years, tripping over their vines has to be a daily occurrence. One doesn't get tired of falling face down in that crap all the time? Oh wait, sorry I forgot, it's not their fault.

The bitch is, karma can be a real one.
:-)

Caution: Major Idiot at large.

How do you tell Spring is on our doorstep? The birds? The strength of the sun, the date on the calendar?
Me? The drivers on the road.
This particular one today deserves to hit the ditch on some country road somewhere and stay there for a while contemplating his complete and utter stupidity. I don't wish him harm, on the contrary. Just reflection time. He fails on multiple levels in brains and human decency.

Let me point out, it's not cool to cut in front of me to the point where I have to slam my brakes on. And that smirk you gave as I passed you on the other side (you were going 10 under the posted ) didn't showcase your brilliance any.
But when you passed & pulled in FRONT of me on the OTHER side of the road thus eliminating ALL doubts..? Well now, as the song states, " I see your true colours." Ugly ugly little peon of a waste of space.
Do you feel more manly bullying drivers on the road, or women in particular? With a VAN no less! Shit it wasn't even a muscle car or hummer or anything resembling a 'cool' vehicle. Not that it gives you the right if you did, but ya know.. mistaken sense of importance and all associated with a spiffy set of wheels.
Let me guess, you hate your job, you hate where you live, your wife is undoubtedly beyond your intelligence level, ( we'll chalk it up to you druggin' and draggin' her to the alter ) and you probably have a really small waste of time penis. Condolences, asshole.
Well not really, I'm just trying to be the bigger person at the moment.

However, when I pass you on said country road and you're in the ditch contemplating why the universe has it in for you, I'll stop and spell it out for you. Then I'll flash you a Colgate bright smile and be on my way.
Yeah, I'll fail at being the bigger person in that instance but I'm human enough to take pleasure in karma balancing the scales. And I'll atone for it at some point during the day. ( sigh, can ya guess I'm a good Catholic girl?! )

And how am I supposed to not worry for my daughters driving on the roads with idiots like him behind the wheel?
AARRGGHH

February's Random Thoughts #2

Apparently I have a lot of random thoughts this month.

● 5 hours with the world's crankiest baby = Advil, alcohol, coffee and chocolate. In that exact order.

● It's official. The inside of my jeep smells like a damn farm in the midst of fertilizing. Ewww

● Went swimming the other day with my lil Boo. I had her floating on her back going around in circles. It struck me how high the level of trust has to be, apparently I rate right up there. :-)
And WHO takes money in the pool?? I found a loonie in the shallow end, what were you going to do? Feed the imaginary wave meter?

● Caught my eldest singing country under her breath. Shhh keep it on the down low, she'll need therapy if she finds out.

● Took her in the infrared sauna, her glasses were off and a hairpin held her bangs away from her face. I turned to say something and was yanked back 20 years at super sonic speed. OMG, she looked exactly like she did at 3. Geezus what a moment...

● Says I to eldest daughter ' Wine isn't considered alcohol to a frenchman you know.'
Without missing a beat she smirked, 'I know Mom,it's your plasma'
Smart ass. lol

● Why is 'Mommy day', as my youngest calls it, spent running around with her and a to do list? It makes me laugh but to her it's a day spent with Mommy nevertheless. Hey, I'll take it anyway I can get it. :-)

● LOVE what this teacher does. She staples Burger King applications to failed math tests. We need more like her in our education systems :-) Kudos!

● Why oh Why oh Why doesn't Costco have an express lane??!?

● Moving. Not for diehard Pack Rats, they can't afford the boxes.


And what's on YOUR mind lately?

Boxes of all sizes, rolls of tape and a sharpie. Ready, set, GO!

The packing has begun. YUCK
I need music and I need it LOUD to get into this dreaded task.Give me 15 minutes into it though and I'm off and running. A virtual steam roller. The baby's room is done, I won't even show you what's in the closet. Boxes, boxes, boxes...

Here's the downstairs stuff in the living room. I haven't even touched on the stuff in the basement. Percentage wise, I swear my daughter and granddaughter hold 60% of the stuff we have to haul out. And they don't even live here anymore. I am, however, a handy storage facility free of charge!

I think one of my dogs has some issues that need tissues. This is Bear. He doesn't adapt well to change. Here's the proof. ...Big baby.

My daughter scored a sweet living room table for this move. She also inherited the problem of popping that glass and cleaning it. I tried to steam clean it not to long ago. It was a huge failure. I turned it upside down, DUH what was I thinking??! And ended up with these water marks the daylight so clearly defines. Have fun with that , Bella. :-P

All in all I think I had a productive first day. You may be SURE I'm dragging my youngest to come handle her room. I won't even take a picture of it, I wouldn't embarrass her like that. Suffice it to say it should be declared a disaster zone.
I wish her luck in wading through and boxing it all up. Muahaha

But for now, I celebrate the success of my day with the following and bid you all a great rest of the day. Slainte!

Jack Frost'ed up everything

I don't know what it was about today but exercise didn't want to factor in. I wanted to go back to bed, I wanted to eat all day, I wanted to just be a great big slug. So I fought it. Damn winter. If ya can't beat it, join it. UGH

 

These 'icicles' look locked and loaded.

  

Yeah, stuck my tongue on one of these as a child. No repeats ever.

  

Ol Man Winter can't kill ALL the colour. Yay! 

  

Enough said. 

  

I likes curvy things.

  

Don't know why I took this, I just liked the composition of it.

  

 Oh the red strokes, tempered and strong.

  

 I like the way I can peer through the white and see the pines in it's whole almost.

  

A lone strand of spiderweb, the spider long gone.

  

Trying ever so desperately to hang on through the last onslaughts of winter.

 

                                                 ohhh the weight of it all...


Addendum:
I worked out, I did I did! I had an argument with myself and self gave me a kick in the butt. I left the HOT tub, complete with a good book and a whiskey & coke to sweat for 40 minutes.  Cardio and weight training with weight loss yoga.
My subconscious can now go piss off.
Pat.me.on.the.back.

Dinner is served

 What do you do when you're out of store bought bread? Why you make your own.This bad boy is a scrumptious rye bread made by yours truly.

To compliment the bread, I made a tasty Udon soup. Low cal and healthy my friends.
The sushi isn't home made, (I wasn't that adventurous, sheesh). but I do love sushi.

Last but not least, a star in it's own right, dessert. A wee bit of chocolate ( read the packaging, it's good for you AND it's organic. Yayyy!  ) 

With a steaming hot cup of Olive Garden coffee. It's got a sweetness I like for the rare times I have coffee after supper. Chef presented me with the coffee last time I was there. This is a present I had NO trouble accepting. :-)

                                

I have to hide the bread, hubby's going back up on the pipeline tomorrow morning. I so wouldn't put it past him to swipe the loaf along with the butter and hightail it outta here!

                                                    
                          

It's Okay!

It's Okay to yell at someone in traffic hour. Just balance the scales before you get home. Let someone cut merge in. 

It's Okay to fluff in the car.. Just roll down your window long before you pick up your passenger. ha ha 

It's Okay to admit you are less than perfect. Perfection has it's place and we're not it.

It's Okay give your child that apple at the grocery store. If it helps prevent a meltdown, I don't consider it stealing. I consider it helping me stay longer ergo I will spend more.

It's Okay to walk over to the idiot lady yanking the two year old's arm out of her socket and telling her to stop. However, take your hands off her arm. Even if you're thisclose to yanking her arm out of it's socket, fight the feeling. Walk away.

It's Okay to lie to the waitress in front of your adult children. Yes, it's my daughter's birthday today and I know you give free dessert. Oh yummyyy , thanks! 

It's Okay to tear a strip off your hubby during the 'time of the month'. Hey if he doesn't know by now what time it is and he says something absolutely eye rolling then ya gets what ya gots coming,baby. (just make sure you offer some sort of apology after, and hell NO, you're not getting THAT kind of apology,sweetheart, keep wishin'.)

It's Okay to want to silence most some teenagers. They're loud and obnoxious annoying. We were never like that. ;-) 

It's Okay to hate Valentine's Day. I do. It's overblown and puts way to much pressure on singles and couples alike. (Bring me home flowers for NO reason on some random day,not because it's the day. I promise you it'll mean more then. Hubby's a hellova lucky guy eh?! )

It's Okay to think call display is the greatest invention ever. Enough said. 

So... Is it all okay in your world? :-)

Approach with caution- Mess in progress

The time has come... almost. 

Where I am from it is a big day. A tradition if you will. 

But this isn't Quebec and it's not July 1st. And we're not moving into a rental.

We got official word to the completion date of our house. Now I have to start getting organized. Gulp! I'm so discombobulated as of late. I'm going to see the house this weekend, that should be enough to kick my ass in gear. AND my hubby will have help moving that insanely heavy treadmill and that beast of a gun cabinet. One weighs an excuse-me-do-I-look-like-a-fork-lift-to-you pounds, the other just shy of excuse-me-do-I-look-like-a-sumo-wrestler-to-you pounds. For the first time ever I don't have to lift, strain, grunt,hurt or rip my arms out of their natural habitat for this move. I'm stupid giddy at the thought. Yeah!

A new house, a new area, a small town feel. Time to slow down. ( harummpff yeah yeah I know, the bets are on as to how long it'll take me before I get bored and start nosing around for a job )

Space to create culinary masterpieces on a wide kitchen island,(a new kitchen is so inspiring)  a home gym complete with a kickboxing corner , an infrared sauna, why hello babyyyy, his and her bathrooms, (contain your envy people muahahah) a lot of space for my lil spitfire to rule and dominate her empire run around when she comes to visit.

I will also have access to a brand new recreation facility at 1/4 of the cost, (Alberta advantage, it's not about what you know but who you know. I say this with both gratitude and frustration) 4 acres of fenced land for the monsters mutts to run around going ape shit in and the absolute pleasure of discovering brand new little coffee and breakfast haunts. :-)

I can add more but by now you're probably sticking your tongue out at me. Or in some cases flipping me the bird. ;-)

The number of times I've moved? Just with hubby and I it will be our 11th or 12th move in the 23 years we've been married. Hey not bad, I have a girlfriend who's on her 35th move in just about the same amount of time. So I consider me fairly lucky. As a child we moved around A LOT though so this isn't foreign territory, it's just been a lifelong event in Jamie's world. But the times are fewer and farther in-between. It's just reached a point where I hate the sheer amount of work it entails. That being said, time for me to get at it.

Now... where in the beegeezus is my packing tape and markers?!? 

My drug of choice

I. SAW. THE. SUN.
If you live in my neck of the woods, you understand my awe and wonder of today.
Today was a such a GOOD day.
The sun came out to play, and so did I.
Since the new year I can count on one hand missing a couple of digits how many times the sun's been out.

People, I don't suffer seasonally affected disorder easily. And I type that testily and with a growl.
 It's been, by far, the worst year ever for it.
Do you know what the sun is to me?

It's my drug of choice. It's what helps level me out, well along with food, exercise, water blah blah blah all that healthy jazz stuff I do.

I went to the dog park with the monsters mutts,snagged my daughter and grand baby along the way. Pit stop at Timmy's ( cause you know, it's a long walk around the park in the snow and well it's Canadian eh! ) and off we went.

Hellooooo Sun! 

My lil spitfire of a beauty had a great time chasing those monsters mutts. Had a great time making me follow her through some pretty low lying brush, giggling as the branches whipped me in the face. Had fun making me "RUN NAMMIEEE RUNNNNN' after her. But ohhhhh the heat of the sun,beautiful,warm..ish, healing.

I needed that fix.
Still smiling here :-)
Now... hurry hurry Spring, I'm waiting waiting waiting for your arrival.

P.S.
A shout out to one of my bestest gal plas Mary, aka Magoo, for knowing me to a frikken 'T'.
She knows when I'm in the grips of this crap and doesn't take it to heart. Eternally grateful for that Magoo. She knows just how much to reach out, how much room to give and when it's time to give me the proverbial smack down.

So.. What made you smile today?

P.P.S.
Correction: Mary knowing me made two 'happys' today.
Bonus  :-)

I believe...

...Cabin fever is running rampant. I notice it's not only me presenting symptoms. 

...Sundays are not a day of rest, the laundry sees to that.

...An old dog can learn new tricks. It just takes a bit more time. 

...My dad. 'When it rains, it pours' he's always maintained. 

...Most people are good, but a few leave you shaking your head in wonder.

...entertainment comes in many forms. You fall, I laugh, I'm entertained. 

...in the zen moment of a really good cup of coffee. 

...I will ignore the housework for just one more day. Pffftttt

...the magic of a child's belly laugh.

...organic is worth the cost. 

...I'd like to tar and feather some people. Starting with dead beat 'dads'. ( I use that term loosely) 

...I haven't seen the Northern Lights this winter. Huh.. weird.

What do you believe?

February's random thoughts

● Having a two year old take her favorite 'binkey', arranging it just so on you and falling sleep while you rub her back is the ultimate, bar none.

● For the chef is due who was willing to part with a recipe, I thank you. I won't manage to make it exactly like him but I appreciate him ten fold for parting with it.

● Working out in the evening really zaps a morning person. But then again, slept like a baby afterwards. Or is it because of my cold? Starve a fever, suffer through exercise when sick. Whatever, it was hard 7:30 at night. BLAH

● New found respect for my daughter who works out even later than that. 

● Those woods this weekend with the moss covered trees, I loved the visual aspect of being taken to another realm.

● I love the patience my husband shows me while I discover my new hobby. Men truly get better with age in more ways than one. :-)

● A few years ago, I heard from an old school friend. He wanted to thank me for the friendship I had given him. Wasn't hard, he was such a nice person. Yet the kids teased him mercilessly for his weight. I hated that time period and it looks like some things never change. sigh

● I HEART weight loss yoga. I like anything form of exercise that can make me hurt in new places. 

● Can I tell you how much I HATE the Facebook 'copy and paste if you have a mother/sister/father/aunt /second cousin twice removed and if you do this right now you'll really be cool and click on 'like me' because I have to show everyone how popular I am blah blah blah'. It drives me bonkers.People, we're not in high school anymore so cut that stupid shit out. Or take it over to My Space or where ever it is crap like that resides. GEEZUS

● Yeah! Just checked the weather network for the next 14 days. It's not going to be cold enough to freeze the brass you know what off a bull. Now this kinda weather I can swallow, thank you very much. 

● I really like the dogs after they've been clipped and their daggers nails cut. They look pretty. :-)

So... What random thoughts are running through your mind?

Rain and fog but NO SNOW!

  Went away for the weekend to the coast. Lousy weather overall, came back with a loverly sinus cold but that didn't deter us from doing anything. I don't think I could do long without the sun but still managed to see some pretty cool stuff. I LOVED getting away from the cold and mountains of friggen snow even if it meant rain and fog.

                                  


                                This was the weather for our weekend. UGH

 

But we did some beach combing  anyway.

  

Came across a whole lot of these.

  

That set out every day to do this. A few oyster traps.

  

Try scraping that off the bottom of boats. Algae and zebra mussels.

  

Mother Nature and the Tide having a bit of fun. You think if that bird comes over and perches the log will tip?

  

Ahh, that's what I call sunning and preening oneself. Show offs.

  

Rock bling.

  

Bella, X-Files, ya?!  

  

The Islanders have a cute sense of humor. 

  

This carving reminded me of my youngest and her daughter. :-)

  

This reminded me of my eldest daughter. She likes the colour purple. Looks blue but wasn't.

  

I found hubby's next DIY project, yeah! Ha 

  

 Ate some really good food. Chowder, yum.

  

But I didn't eat that. Bloody thing crawled off my plate and crawled on hubby's steak, I swear!

 

Didn't eat that either although some people do. Ew

Drank some of these. Islanders free pour I tell you. Ha Ha 

  

Needed some of this after drinking some of that above.

                                   

                                  How's this for an entrance to a graveyard? Creepy

 

  

Lord of the Rings Forest? 

Almost ethereal.

  

You are in a different world when standing in these woods.

  

 Land cousin to that X-Files thing. How big do you think it's mouth can open?

  

Hubby couldn't operate the camera so I took a self picture. If you zoom you can see my reflection bottom left of the droplet. ;-)

 

And there you have it, folks. My weekend on the coast spent in the fog and rain. Had fun in spite of the crappy weather. 

And for my peeps, the rest of the pictures are on facebook.