Family Time

Because Chris' granddad passed away in the dead of winter, burial services were delayed until the spring. Friday of last week, Chris and I made the trek back over to Truro and joined his family for the service at the cemetary. The simple service hopefully brought some closure for everyone. We ended up staying in NS for the weekend, overnight at his Nannie's Friday and Saturday night, returning last night. When we added a visit with his Grammie at the nursing home in Stellarton, and a visit with his aunt in River John, it was just about 11:00pm before we made it back to the 'hood. To say that I'm tired would be an understatement, but I was glad to be there for Chris, and it was really nice to have so much family time.

Fortunately, the only real 'sad' moment of the weekend was the graveside service. We will forever miss Big Charlie, but he will live on in our hearts, and his spirit was with us as we drove around the town he so dearly loved. It still doesn't quite seem real that he's gone, and I know my own feelings are completely paling in comparison to those of Chris and the rest of the Wilkinsons. Watch over us all, Big Charlie...we love you...xo.

It had been a long time since we'd last been around to visit Chris' Grammie (his mom's mom). Staunchly firm in her beliefs, her biggest concern was when Chris and I were going to 'tie the knot'. If she asked once, she asked 25 times - even offering us $100 to go toward the wedding, and another $50 toward the ring. As we hugged her to say good-bye she looked me in the eyes, and said, "I can't get nothing out of him!". I grinned, and said, "Neither can I!".

Chris' Aunt Denise (his mom's sister) lives in River John. We opted to drive the Sunrise Trail to head for home, and as her place is on the route home, we stopped in for a surprise visit. She has a lovely home right by the river, and we ended up staying a little later than planned, in awe of the many hummingbirds flitting about, as well as a cute little groundhog that came to visit.

We took pictures. I'll come back to add them in the post when I have a chance. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, filled with fun times and family time.

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

Hallelujah, Lee takes it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, my momentary doubt of last night was unfounded. Mr. Lee DeWyze is your next American Idol. Congratulations to you Lee!!! Make American proud! To celebrate, please give a listen to his stellar version of Hallelujah:

Leaving stuff unsaid...

Ok so I decided to pop into my "Drafts" folder the other day to see how many forgotten posts have been started but left to sit and go moldy, and there are quite a few. One of these days I shall revisit the folder and revisit the old moldy posts, and you'll be in for hours of thought-provoking and witty prose. Riiiiight ;).

One of the reasons why I decided to start a blog was to have a venue to compose my thoughts, as I've always been better at 'thinking something through' when I write it out. I also keep up the blogging because I love to write, and it forces me to practice proper punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, etc. I'm constantly editing what I've posted, and it bothers me to no end when I discover a typo after it's been up for the world to see (yeah, a little Type A - don't judge!). What I wouldn't give for someone to 'find' me on the Interwebs, read my blog and want me to make a movie out of my life, a la Julie Powell. That, or to be offered a deal to write a book, or, better still, offered to pay me to blog! ;). A girl can dream, but I digress...

Mostly, this little corner of the www serves as a virtual journal to recount my daily comings and goings, so I have something to look back on at future times. Periodically I find myself going back over the years on the blog to see what I was doing on that very day the last year, and 2 and 3 years prior to that. I am a bit censored on this though so maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking that this portal really is there to mark my time in history? Maybe I should have initiated it more annonymously? But, I am who I am. I'm not ashamed of the words I've written...and for some of my more 'censor-worthy' musings I've left them to sit in Drafts -- where they may never move from, or may someday find their way 'online' should I see fit later on... So, I suppose it does serve it's purpose for me.

I'm so glad you're all here with me along the way. Thanks for reading :). Stick around, would ya?

The return of the roses...

Bonjour my lovelies! Haven't you missed my routine Bachelor/ette commentaries? We're back with a brand new season! This time we have Ali Fedotowsky, who had been my ultimate pick for wimpy Jake last season. I really look forward to what this season is going to bring, though I must admit I'm a touch skeptical with her "giving up everything to be here", including her job and her apartment, especially after her career came first last year. What REALLY happened to her job? Did she quit, or did she lose it?

It's a little too early to judge the boys too deeply, but here are some of my preliminary thoughts on episode 1:

-Hey "Shooter", tell me, has your 'story' helped you nab the ladies in the past? No? Really? I'da never guessed. MORON!
-To the dude in the cowboy boots: KNOW your subject before you open your mouth to speak. Which bachelorette did exit the limo in the cowboy boots, anyway?
-The brown-haired lawyer and the little dude with no neck and the messed up suit collar both gave me the creeeeeeps.
-Is Kasey hearing impaired?
-Roberto is FINE, and I adore his dimple.
-I can't fathom why Chris L didn't tell her that his mother passed away...wrong foot to start out on, buddy - wrong.
-Jonathan = Tom-Cruise-post-freakish-Scientology-phase? Or is it just me?
-Hunter isn't cute to look at, but he's 'cute' -and I loved his serenade with the ukulele.
-Hmmm....is the pro-wrestler a potential "Wesley"??? Maaybe. Cue the drama! We all love it!

The sneak peek teaser detailing what this season is going to bring will surely make Monday nights a little brighter ;).

Whatcha all think??

And it's now all down to two...

The night is here -- it's now a showdown between better and best, and Crystal and Lee. I'm going to do my very, very best to remain impartial. I promise ;). Here is a play by play of my thoughts, as I heard them, start to finish:

Lee, "The Boxer" - Fabulous beginning. I adore Lee singing this song, and I had as many goosebumps, if not more, as I did when I first heard him sing it. He sang it well, and he performed it well. And to quote Simon, if that was a "kiss on the cheek", I cannot WAIT to hear one that'll reach my lips.
Crystal, "Me and Bobby McGee" - Again, a strong beginning for Crystal. She had amazing stage presence, and engaged the audience. Did I love it more than Lee? No. And that might be because he doesn't scream. I'm not going to compromise on that thought, either.

Lee, "Everybody Cries" - He sang it wonderfully, but, I have to admit, it wasn't my favourite Lee DeWyze song.
Crystal, "Black Velvet" - I think she over-sang it. I didn't like it. Obviously, I am off the kilter of the judges' thoughts. Maybe if I was there? It would be different? If the commentaries thus far are anything to do with it, they're sealing the fate of Crystal's win, though.

Lee, "Beautiful Day" - I hate to have to admit this, but this wasn't good, and it wasn't as strong as he needed to be to end the night and leave a final impression...nerves? Quite likely. He will undoubtedly go far in his career, and he will have hit albums. When it comes to AI on the final night to showcase himself he started high, and ended low, which could be the deciding factor between first and second :(.
Crystal, "Up to the Mountain" -She did a beautiful job of this song - and for the most part, the screaming seemed to 'work'. I wasn't a huge fan of her first and second songs, but that was amazing. And, there you have it folks, against what I believed before tuning into the show, I think you have your winner right there.

Tune in tomorrow night to see if I'm right.

Simon, I shall miss you terribly - I may not even watch again.

I *heart* long weekends

You know it's been a beautiful weekend when there's zero blogging going on. Enjoy the weekend, did I? Guilty as charged. While I'm in desperate need for some toothpicks to pry my eyelids open from lack of sleep, and a tad shaky from potential caffeine OD in an effort to stay awake, here I sit with an attempt to recount the past few days' events. I'll have to do short form on account of the whole tired thing, and lack of time to concentrate on the post itself since I only have time to blog on my 15 minute break at work:

-Friday night, Chris & I headed in town to pick up some painting supplies and a movie.
-Saturday we painted the skirting on the mini home, and then we got ready to head to Ebenezer to celebrate Krissy's birthday. It was a grand time, indeed. It was decided that Chris would be the driver, and it was under the condition that if he was to drive, I was to be in no shape to drive. So I obliged by the consumption of an entire bottle of Pinot Grigio ;). There was food, fun, laughs, and even a game or two of Chubby Bunny. All in all, a great time.
-Sunday was mostly a write-off day on account of the wine consumption...*ahem*. Chris took off dune buggying and I rested. We grabbed a movie and had a chillaxin' kind of Sunday night.
-Holiday Monday Chris & I took off on an adventure day, driving the country roads and stopping for a few pics. We ended up in St Peters for supper at Rick's Fish 'n Chips. By the time we arrived home, it was dark. It was a great way to spend a day. Thanks hunny! I miss our adventures...was so glad to do this again with you!

Hoping you all had a grand weekend :)

Happy Anniversary Pac-Man!

Today marks the 30th Anniversary for Pac-Man. To celebrate, Google has created a google doodle. An INGENIOUS play for Google! This "doodle" allows you to actually play a game of Pac-Man on their site. Go to Google.com....Insert coin. NOW - but be quick, when Google celebrates they only have the celebration for that one day*.

Don't miss out on all the fun.

I can imagine the levels of productivity around the world taking a nose dive this afternoon.

Happy Day to Pac-Man....and Happy Friday to y'all :)

GET BACK TO WORK!

*Update: Google is having the game last all weekend long!! :)

Meet Paco*

We have a new "pet". It's an outdoor pet. Our cats "accept" him, probably because they have no other choice. We won't be introducing him to the inside walls of our domain though, as he is a raccoon. Chris has named him Paco. It looks like Paco the Trailer Park Coon has made his video debut on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBebTt6PX14

(I tried to embed the video but kept getting errors)

Paco's been comin' round to our house semi-regularly. He apparently enjoys bird seed - a lot. He harrasses the heck out of Bosco, who is supremely offended when another animal is within the range of his domain. He huffs and puffs, springing back and forth between the living room and kitchen windows, peering out at Paco, giving him the stink eye.

Paco was missing at the birdfeed buffet for a few nights, but has returned, quickly depleting our stock of feed. I think Chris was really worried about his absence. He buys the birdfeed so I'm all "whatev". Bon appetit, Paco.

*Photo courtesy of Chris Wilkinson.

I *heart* Lee

So now our Top 3 are in a standoff to see who will make it to the bitter end, and the final two. I was glad to hear two songs from each tonight.

And Round 1, Contestant's Choice:
Casey - Ok, It's Alright By Me - It was alright. But that was about it. He's still pretty, but he's starting to sound the same...you know what happens when they all start sounding the same...
Crystal - Come to My Window - nice touch with the harp, girl! A good, solid Crystal Bowersox performance.
Lee - Simple Man - I knew he was going to kill this song when I heard what he was going to sing. And he did. Ladies and gentleman,.....your next American Idol! Have I told you lately that I love him? He reminds me of an ex-boyfriend. Only hotter. And cooler. A lot cooler.

Round 2, The Judges Choose:
Casey - Daughters - Well, it was good, but it was no Lee.
Crystal - Maybe I'm Amazed - why does screeching = 'good singing' (in the eyes of the judges)?? I love her; I know she can sing, but I just can't handle the screeching. Maybe if I saw it live I'd be more appreciative? Maybe I'm just so Lee-biased?
Lee - Hallelujah - I literally squealed out loud when I heard the announced choice for him...and I had goosebumps before he even strummed a chord... and tears in my eyes when he hit his last. Without question he was the best of the night. Feck, I had goosebumps just hearing the commentaries. BRAVO!

BTW, Casey will not be joining Crystal next week as she steps aside to see Lee crowned the winner.

Grasping at grateful

Some days life can get to a person. Small inconveniences or annoyances can grate on one's nerves. A laugh. A voice. A smell. The temperature in your surroundings. Seeing others play when you're working...

I'm having one of those kind of days so I feel it necessary to compose a list of things I'm grateful for. Sometimes we need a little remindin'...

- I'm grateful for the love of my family and my friends.
-I'm grateful for the shelter I have -- though I'd love to get into a prettier, larger house, I DO have a roof over my head that doesn't leak.
-I'm grateful to have a job while so many people out there are looking for gainful employment,
-I'm grateful for comfort fit waistbands. Mr. or Mrs. Reitmans, I LOVE you. Thank you for the ingenious invention. Please don't stop creating these trendy fashions.
-I'm grateful that it was a beautiful sunny day, and I was able to take advantage of it for a few minutes when I took my lunch to the park and ate on the parkbench.
-Seeing my mom's eyesight failing over time, I'm grateful for my own eyesight, and to be able to see the world.

I am grateful.

Sometimes it doesn't look like it or sound like it....but I am.

I hope you're all able to find your own grateful. Happy Tuesday.

Thank GOD it's Monday!

Yeah.

I'm kidding, of COURSE.

Thankfully, I didn't finish the whole wine bottle on the weekend.

Hope you're all coping well with your own Monday "Blues". A weekend update is on it's way, eventually. You know, when Monday stops being a "Monday".

Better left at the movies

Movie songs with the mentorship of Jamie Foxx. If I recall correctly, Jamie was a really good mentor last year. I looked forward to what the Idols were going to bring to the table before it started, but was left feeling a little disappointed. By far, the duets outshone the solo performances of the night.

Lee - "Kiss from a Rose" - it was a song that could have showcased his range. And he did - for the most part. I dunno if it was nerves or the fact that he had to go first...but there were a few moments I went "oy!".
Mike - "Will You Be There" - he BORES me. I very much enjoyed Simon's commentary though. 10 outta 10 for Simon.
Lee & Crystal - "Falling Slowly" - *GOOSEBUMPS*! That was friggin' wicked!
Casey - "Mrs. Robinson" - I enjoyed this song with the strum of the mandolin. I think he did a good job. Not his best ever, but better than lately.
Crystal - "I'm Alright" - She's back! The old Crystal that I came to love has made a recovery. There were a few spots where she screamed that I could have done without though.
Casey & Mike -"To Really Love a Woman" - Lovely job, boys. Lovely -- well, that was until that final note...wow. You both sealed your positions tomorrow night.

Wow -- it's getting tough to pick faves and unfaves...I was scared tonight, after a shaky performance from Lee, but felt a bit more confident when Mike and Casey showcased that n-a-s-t-y note. So, bottom 2: Casey & Mike, with Big Mike FINALLY going home.

Um.....did I just hear both Daughtry AND my BON BON will be on tomorrow's show??!??!! Man I wish I had a DVR. My Chris Daughtry, my Bon Bon and bidding adieu to Big Mike -- gonna be a big night tomorrow night, folks.

The weekend takes forever to get here and passes by in a flash...

So another busy weekend is behind me. Friday night after work Chris and I headed to Chelton. Matt & Nicole are renting a cottage out there for the summer. They graciously cooked a meal for us, and we brought along dessert. It was a lovely evening. We both left sufficiently stuffed. I hope to do that again soon. Thanks guys!

Saturday, after a very long week of work, I completely delighted in the opportunity to sleep in, lounge on the couch in my jammies with a hot cup of coffee and a bit of my favourite tv. After a bit of relaxing I then got to tackling the house. Chris had a bachelor party to attend - which started with an afternoon of paintballing, so I had the afternoon to myself to sparkle up the domain. I even got a new shower curtain and finally put out the new bathmat. Sadly, Zoe has treated the new curtain as a delicacy... (why, why WHY does she feel the need to knaw on plastic?). After the place was spic and span I treated myself to a pedicure, while getting caught up on some tv that I'd missed through the week. Some may call my routine boring, or wasted. In the words of John Lennon, "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted". So, take that!

Sunday was Momma's Day. Chris' mother had advised she'd be in Nova Scotia for the day, so Chris offered to make a special meal for my mother. He did it all himself - how awesome! He really is thoughtful like that. Thanks hunny...xo. In a surprise turn of events (get this, a check on a Facebook status to lead Chris to realize his mother was actually home by supper time), it turned out that we not only had Mummy joining us at the dinner table, but his Mom and Dad too. I was initially a little panicked - I always feel this need to impress his mother. She treats Chris in such high regard I really want to (and hope that I do) live up to her expectations of a proper 'mate' for her son. So, I would have preferred to have had a teensy bit more notice to allow preparations for the added people. We didn't really have that allowance, and I was slightly stressed, but it turned out fine. We all squeezed in around the small table, sans leaf, and enjoyed supper, complete with a delicious dessert.

To all my mother friends - whether you're the mom to a fur baby or flesh baby (or mommy-to-be!), I hope you all had a special day of your own on Sunday. xoxo.

And, to my own momma....thanks Mom, for being my hero and my best friend. You're an amazing person, and words cannot fully express just what you mean to me. Happy Mother's Day ....xoxoxo.

Mother's Day Every Day

This has got to be one of the sweetest stories I've read in a really long time, and with Mother's Day just around the corner, it feels very fitting to share:

Eulalia Corrigan is never given enough time to miss her children.

They pop up at her door night after night, every single day of the year.

The 88-year-old mother of 13 unwittingly gave birth to quite a batch of frequent future visitors during her long, loving marriage to Herbert Corrigan. Eulalia, who grew up in Bideford, P.E.I., went on to live on a mixed farm in Pleasant Grove with her husband where she churned butter and cared for her bountiful brood.

When Herbert was moved to the Beach Grove Home in Charlottetown in 2004, Eulalia would visit daily without fail. Her children would also take turns popping in on Pop at the nursing home.

With Herbert’s death in 2006 leaving Eulalia crushed, her children saw the need to keep her company.

“Well, Mom was awful lonely when Dad died,’’ Bernie Corrigan said in explaining why she and her siblings made a pact to pound a regular path to mom’s home.

So day after day after day, for the past four years, Eulalia has been opening her door to the welcoming sight of one of her children coming to pay a scheduled visit — yes, literally a scheduled visit.

The names of her 11 children currently living on P.E.I. — one, Elayne Kirkwood, lives in B.C. and another, Herbie Corrigan lives in New Brunswick — appear on a monthly schedule with each assigned a day to visit mom.

If there is a time conflict, the siblings simply trade a day among themselves.

A typical visit consists of arriving with dinner for Eulalia, some television viewing, and conversation.

Talk, notes Eulalia, naturally centres on family life with plenty of fond reminiscing about the late Herbert Corrigan.

“They were crazy about their father,’’ she said.

Eulalia is filled with warm appreciation for being on the receiving end of so much love and attention from her children.

“Oh it means everything in the world to me. Oh I really enjoy it. I just watch for them to come.’’Still active (she has her own treadmill and exercise bike) but hard of hearing, Eulalia knows she is one pampered mom. Her neighbours regularly remark on her good fortune of having a daily visit from one of her children.

“It’s Mother’s Day every day,’’ she said, gushing with pride. “They’re great family. I couldn’t say a word bad.’’

Source: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=339080&sc=98

Happy Hump

I'm breathing.

And counting to 10 - slowly.

And, reciting the Serenity Prayer.

***********
And, the weekend cannot get here quick enough...

Croonin' through 5

Man I'm pooped. However. Mr. Harry is pretty cute, so I should be able to stay up for another 60 minutes while the top 5 play a little old school Sinatra (seriously - it took three attempts just to make that a cohesive sentence) with the help of none other than Harry Connick Jr.

Aaron - "Fly Me to the Moon" - He totally looks like Dermot Mulroney with his new "look" tonight. As for the song...could he not tone down the twang a little bit for a classic? Though, I suppose that made it 'his'...nevertheless, I hated it (Seriously, Ellen didn't hear any country? SERIOUSLY?).
Casey - "Blue Skies" - well, he looked totally delicious tonight, didn't he? I'm going to try to let how nice he looked lessen how bad he sounded...and hope perhaps the voters hated Aaron more than they hated him.
Crystal - "Summer Wind" - She did a lovely job; redemption for last week.
Mike - "The Way You Look Tonight" - it was what it was; it was more his 'element' I guess, so therefore he did well. He's still not my favourite; just sayin'.
Lee -"That's Life" - I love how he involved Harry by sitting at the piano at the beginning. Very showman. Not only did he sing, but he performed! He was fantastic - best of the night! Oh, and did I mention that I love him? I'm in love. He's awesome, and I think he really is our next American Idol.

Bottom 2: Aaron & Casey
Leaving: Hopefully Aaron because I'm not ready to say good-bye to Mr. Pretty yet.

When Tuesday is merely an extension of Monday...

...It was windy last night. And warm. We've moved the bed under the window due to an additional piece of furniture for the room. Point blank, there is no other way to arrange the room. Because it was warm, the window was ajar by approximately 4 inches. The blinds, a heavy plastic, were swaying and clanking in the breeze. Of course it woke me up - multiple times, until the final time I decided to close the window and try to get back to sleep. A short while later I awake (well truth be told I don't know if I was ever into any deep REM sleep anyway) to Chris re-opening the window. It was still windy. The blinds continued to clang.

I rose out of bed feeling as though I hadn't slept at all.

I'm working an earlier shift today on a trade. A trade that I should have thought more about. I was originally scheduled 8:30 til 5 - with my hair appointment falling at 5:30. It kinda worked out perfectly. But, I went ahead and traded -- for a 7:30-4. WTF? I suppose I could shop around for a bit more retail therapy because Lord knows it couldn't hurt. With 3 paydays in April you'd think a girl would have a little bit of extra play money the first week of May, eh? Well, 2 of my major payments are bi-weekly, so no. Add a forgotten car payment and an unpaid (now past due) phone bill and you have me back into overdraft with payday being Friday...of NEXT week...aaand an expensive hair appointment yet to pay for.

Eff word.

If you're looking for me I'll be scrounging around the roadways and ditches looking for spare pennies to add together for a lottery ticket purchase.

The Monday Blues

It's one of "those days"....and Monday, wrapped up all in one. Glorious. I treated myself to a chocolate milkshake at lunch, as well as a little retail therapy. It seemed to help a touch. I picked up a pair of jeans, a light sweater and two t-shirts at Reitmans -- all on sale. And, tonight I'm meeting up with Angela, LA, Maria, and perhaps a few others - those are the only ones I know of for sure. We're grabbing a quick bite at Pizza Delight followed by a movie. We're seeing the Back-Up Plan. I hear it's funny, so it should take the blahs of Monday away. Least I hope so.

We had a fairly busy weekend. Friday night the Moshers came by to watch the hockey game and eat some munchies. It was great to see them, and I have to say, having company come by Friday night is great because it forced me to clean the house (including the laundry!), leaving the rest of my weekend free to me. Well, the house certainly isn't as spic and span as I'd like...but I digress. We didn't watch much of the game, but many laughs were had. Thanks Moshers!

Saturday, Chris & I did a bit of running around, followed by supper out at Boston Pizza. I still had a $50 gift card leftover from Christmas. Our tab came to $48 and change so that took care of that rather nicely. We then just headed home and called it an early night.

Sunday we headed to a few Open Houses. No, don't all go and get your knickers in a knot...we're really not "in the market"...though we'd love to be. We probably have another few years left of being 'hood-ridden, but it's nice to look. It's just too bad that we fell COMPLETELY in love with two different ones (side by side) in Hunter River... To be honest, I'm a little bummed and perhaps that's what's led to my 'case of the Mondays' (aside from the obvious fact that it is Monday). Bah! If we could just win the lottery. I don't ask for a huge pot -- even a couple hundred thousand would be perfect. I wonder if I should be tracing my family tree. Perhaps somewhere in the depths of the South I have a long-lost uncle who has bazillions of dollars in his mattress... Yeah, that's what I thought.

On that note, break's over....back to work.

Happy Monday ya'll. Let's all be thankful that Monday is only 1 day per week :P.