Pay It Forward Contest Prizes Are NOT On Their Way!

A couple of Pay It Forward Prizes are not on their way! If, for any reason, you need to return these, have a fabulous return policy! Also, I haven't read these yet, so would LOVE to hear a review!

My apologies guys!  I ordered two of the books from Better World Books, and the plan was to ship them directly to you.  This company has got to be the most f**ked company!  Once I make sure everything is ironed out with this company (ie. the books have been returned and likewise the money) I will find a new company to order through!  Please check out my post on Monday for the details of this ordeal, and very possibly my new cuss-o-meter, which I will likely overheat to the point of combustion.  Doesn't that sound like fun??? I'm glad.  Because I CERTAINLY need to get it off my chest!!!  I'm struggling with my warm and fuzzy pay it forward feelings right now.  But, no worries, I'm sure it will pass, and I will be thrilled once you get your gifts and gush over how totally awesome they were!  lol  

The Shack is for Ronda!!
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!

Same Kind Of Different As Me is for  Melissa

A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.

An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.

A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.

A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.

It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.

Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

Redeeming Love is for The Nice One

I have read this one and it remains my ALL -TIME favorite book!

California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.

Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.

Then she meets Michael Hosea.

A man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything, Michael Hosea obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation until, despite her resistance her frozen heart begins to thaw. But with her unexpected softening come overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she can no longer deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael Hosea does…the One who will never let her go.

A powerful retelling of the book of Hosea, Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.

I'm still waiting for information from "The Nice One".  As soon as I get your info I'll get it shipped to you.

Have a great day all!

Friday's Foto Fiesta

Just for the record, I totally know that Carrie spells everything with a PH, but that's, like FOUR extra letters!  Notice I'm not counting how many letters I just used telling you why I'm such a rebel, or going against the grain and typing the number 4 instead of typing it ALL out like that.

I'm a bit of a loser.  But a winner all the same!  I got TWO awards yesterday!  I will display my loot and award others on Monday!

My photos today are of my middle daughter, whom I think has gotten the short end of the memory stick!  You've all seen plenty of my little one and lots of my eldest freak of nature.  Now to show you Cassie, my gentle spirit.

She got her hair cut short and dyed pink for the "St. Valentine's Day Hair Massacre". We donated her beautiful blond locks to kids with cancer.

Then the razor came out. Oh. My. Lord.

Now her shiny hair is coming back.  She can almost do a pony tail.  She looks like a girl again!!! Wahooooo!

Thanks for coming over! Stop in again sometime, won't you?

Pay It Forward Contest Winners!

First Winner: The Nice One I feel really bad, but I don't even know her name!!!
Second Winner: Melissa from Mel's Tid Bits
Third Winner: Ronda from Ronda's Rants

I think it should be mandatory for these fine winners to add me to their blog roll! Don't you think that's only fair? (Except that me and Ronda go way back! Like, what Ronda? A whole month probably!)

Go to my profile and you can connect with my email address to send me your mailing addresses! I will be announcing the prizes in the next couple of days! (I know I initially said Friday, but I forgot that is Candid Carrie's big Foto day!!! I can't miss THAT!)

Congratulations to our fine winners! Be sure to stop over and say hello! And be sure to watch their site, because then you get another chance to win!

And for today's winners, remember this:

HERE ARE THE RULES: The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and pay it forward.This is how it works... I am going to agree to send something fun, cute, & nice to 3 blog owners who post a comment. In turn, those three will post this information and pick 3 people they want to send something to and so on. If you are interested in participating, be one of the 3 blog owners to leave a comment! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. Just a gift that will make the person smile. There are no cost restraints, but don't go crazy! You have to promise that you will then post about this on your blog, link to me, and then send something to three people who sign up to play along through your blog. I hope people like this idea. It's a small way to bring a smile to someone's face!
It feels fantastic to win! And I should know.

Wednesday's Writer's Workshop - C/O Mama's Losin' It! AND The Long Awaited Pay It Forward Contest!

I wish ..... I could be as generous as Ronda from Ronda's Rants with my Pay It Forward Contest, but I just can't!!!  But any WIN or FREE GIFT is good right??

I had just spent a gruelling 1/2 hour cleaning when I sat down at my computer to check and see if I had any more comment love in Blog Land.  I was seriously craving some chocolate, but didn't have the energy to comb my hair and go to the store.

When SUDDENLY.....

My daughter comes in with a package that had just arrived!!

Ooh lala!  Look what I got!!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! What an amazing gift! Ronda ordered through the Thanksgiving Coffee Co. and it includes two packages of coffee, two packages of hot chocolate, two boxes of chocolate and writing paper and envelope, and of course, the fantastic basket it came in! I say again, WOW! (And yes, I already dipped into the chocolate, and it is FANTASTIC!)

So, I am going ahead with my Pay It Forward contest! I had planned on doing it today anyway, but it is such an awesome bonus to be able to show you what I got!! How perfect is that??

Okay, I admit, I can't be as generous as Ronda. I have thought of a couple of gifts that I will send out and they will be announced later on.

What you need to do is leave some bloggy comment love, and while I don't have a fancy random generator thingy, I do have a bowl, paper, and a pen, and little four year old hands who will pick out numbers. If the numbers chosen are where you came in with your comment, well then, my friend, easy as that, you are the winner! There will be three in total.

Hopefully you will continue this by hosting this contest on your site. You will choose three winners, those winners will choose three winners and those winners will ... Do I really need to explain this to you incredibly intelligent people? I think not.

So again, thank you to Mama Kat for hosting this "I wish..." Wednesday.

Thank you SO MUCH to Ronda for her generosity on this day when I so needed it!

Thank you to my Blog Friends who will bring me full circle with this Pay It Forward Contest!

Good luck!!!

Winners will be posted tomorrow! Gifts will be announced Friday!

I Almost Killed My Brother....

Oh, don't look at me like that.  It wasn't intentional.

I don't think.

It just would have been a nice little side bonus.

I feel it is necessary to post this today.  Perhaps my mom has forgotten some of the trauma we caused.  I think she has locked deep into her subconscious the times it would have been easier to go to some foreign country with a one-way ticket.

So, Mom, this memory is for you.

I like to think I was a perfect little sister.  Well, maybe except this (see number 1).

My brother, however, was a little difficult.  Okay.  He was a lot difficult.

For the duration of this memory we are going to refer to my brother as "Buddy"**.

I was around 14.  I was downstairs in my childhood home playing pool with my friend and listening to music on the jukebox.  

Buddy was working nights at the time.  After he finished work, instead of coming home to sleep, he went to his girlfriend's house.  He came home at around 7:00pm.  He decided that he wanted to catch a couple of hours sleep before his next shift.  (Like the whole world needs to stop in the early evening because he NOW wants some sleep.  Not all day when the house was empty and quiet...)  His bedroom was right by the pool table/jukebox.

You know where this is going, don't you?

Buddy walked right over to the jukebox and turned it off.  Not down.  But off.  

Did he ask me first?  No. 

Did he nicely tell me that he was beat and needed some quiet for a little while?  Nope. 

(In all honesty, would that have helped?  Probably not.)

I did what any self-respecting, friend-is-watching, person would have done.  I turned it back on. I did, however, turn it down, which I thought was incredibly nice of me.

He turned it back off.  I think he swore at this point.

I turned it back on.

He turned it off.  Swore at me.  And he took the key so I couldn't turn it back on again.

Again, remember that I am self-respecting and have a friend watching.  I went and got my ghetto-blaster.  I kept the music very quiet.  I find it odd that he didn't demand that we quit playing pool.  But he never did.  It was the music he had a problem with.  It was '80s music people!  Come on!  Who wouldn't totally LOVE that?  (Heather?)

So, right about now, he decides he's going to hurt me.  Really bad.

My friend who was all of 4'10" and 80 pounds has gone into hiding upstairs in my bedroom. But I didn't notice her absence, as I had started running around the pool table, trying to stay kitty-corner from Norman Bates.  Oops, I mean Buddy.

At one point, he caught me, and my jaw ended up smoked against the corner of the pool table. 

I wasn't impressed.  

I ran, and was again directly across from him.

I could see the veins poking out of his forehead.  I knew that if he caught me again, I was probably going to need an ambulance.  Soooooo, I decided at that point it was kill or be killed.

I picked up that bright yellow number 1 pool ball.  I pulled my arm back.  I threw that thing so hard that had any scouts been watching, I probably would have found myself recruited to the Dodgers!!  (Probably as a back-up, but STILL, what an accomplishment!)

He ducked, and I missed his head by THAT MUCH!!

And then I ran.  Screaming "He's gonna kill me!!!  HELP ME!!!" 

I ran to my room and threw my back against the door and the bottoms of my feet against my dresser and continued to scream.  (It was at this point that I found my friend - we'll just call her "Penny"** - hiding under my blankets.)

Oh, crap!  I couldn't hold him off much longer!  He's almost in.....

I'm still screaming...

Mom and Dad got home just in time. 

**The names in this memory have not been changed, because, to be honest, I really don't care about protecting anyone.  Besides, they don't read my blog anyway.

You've endured two very long posts in a row.  I promise tomorrow will be shorter!!!  It might even be the Pay It Forward contest.....

Regardless, stay tuned.  You never know when I will talk about beets on ceilings or asses through walls.

I Don't Think That I Should Tell My Mom.....

You see, our boat has been costing us a fortune in gas, hauling, and entertaining.  

The first misconception people have about our ski boat is that it is free to run.

The second misconception is that we bought it for them. Their entertainment.

The third is that this boat is their way to a nice child free afternoon while we haul around everyone's kids, both on and behind the boat.

The fourth, I may have already mentioned but it's worthy of another shout out, is that it is free.

WRONG!

With gas prices sky rocketing like they are, I have been asking Leon to leave the boat at home while he goes to the lake.  I think I remember saying something along the lines of this:

"If you can grow a spine and tell people NO when they ask to be entertained, well then by all means take it.  If not, then don't."  

To me, it's just that simple.  

Our boat, with a good day's use, costs us around $150 plus oil, hauling, insurance, ETC, daily.  This is not cheap.  In fact, it makes me downright cranky to even think about it.  

Leon would tell you that I'm cranky (although his word would be a LITTLE BIT HARSHER) anyway, so what's new? 

And I think he's a bit of a shit, so we're even.

No worries.  He was a shit when we met and I married him anyway, so, no, there's no trouble in paradise.  We just are the way we are.

I digress....

Sooooo, Leon took the boat today over to the place where we bought it and traded it in.  He was sick of me wanting to leave the boat at home, because then, what's the point in having it?  

I suggested a sea-doo.  

That way, when we are expected to entertain the general population, it won't cost us as much.  

I know.  I'm a genius.  (I feel like I say this a lot to you people.  I'm really sorry about that. Once you start to believe it, let me know, and I'll lighten up a little bit.)

We now have a Sea-Doo, albeit a used and abused one, sitting in our garage.  

This is where I cringe .... He also got a quad.  Just one for now, but you know that's gonna change.  I'm not quite as needy as my man is when it comes to toys, so mine will come later.  

I'm totally cool with that.

So now I get to tell my mom about a wild and crazy new motorized water toy .... AND a new motorized land toy.

She is going to freak!

I probably shouldn't go into the injury and death stats that these machines are known for when I tell her, should I?

Oh, wait .... She reads my blog.

Hi Mom!

Oh, and that Pay It Forward contest?  Not today..... Check back tomorrow!

*** Oh, and a side note.  I pre-posted this one, so by the time you read it we will have had it out to the lake.  It. Doesn't. Work.

And it's goin' back for repairs and/or a different trade.  Me. A girl.  Going to do business in this crazy man's world of toys.
Wish me luck.

 

Anyway, here are some pictures from our weekend!

Ringo



Leon & Asia

Leon, Asia & Cassie

Liv

Cassie flying off the Sea-Doo!!!

Introducing...

One Word Wednesday .... On Saturday

I stole this from "Eat Your Veggie's" because I thought it would be an interesting idea for a day when I was having trouble putting more than one word together, which happens fairly often!


1. Where is your cell phone? Dead
2. Where is your significant other? Home
3. Your hair color? Uhhhhh…
4. Your mother? Generous
5. Your father? Awesome
6. Your favorite thing? Slushes
7. Your dream last night? Nil
8. Your dream/goal? Comfort
9. The room you’re in? Office
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? Spiders
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Acreage
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you’re not? Skinny
15. One of your wish-list items? Car
16. Where you grew up? Edmonton
17. The last thing you did? Eat
18. What are you wearing? Scrubs
19. Your TV? Big
20. Your pet? Mastiff
21. Your computer? Mac
22. Your mood? Tired
23. Missing someone? Grampa
24. Your car? Minivan
25. Something you’re not wearing? Socks
26. Favorite store? Nope
27. Your summer? Hot
28. Love someone? YES
29. Your favorite color? Black
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Forget
32. Who do you want to tag?  Everyone

If you want to do this, you just go right ahead.  It's harder than it looks!

Again .... Don't forget about the Pay It Forward contest for next week!

Friday's Foto Fiesta

Shoutin' out to Carrie from Candid Carrie for her love of photography and all of her hard work and direction!  Go on over and check her out!

Cassie dressed her sister up to match!  It was so cute!  The frightening thing, though, is the attitude that the 4 year old is already developing!  We are in soooo much trouble!

Check in on Monday for the Pay It Forward contest!!!  Or maybe Tuesday.  But for sure by Friday!!!  

My Final Post

It started so innocently, really. I was merely looking for a lost library book when it happened.


My daughter's closet.



I tried so hard to just toss everything back in, they way she had it.


But ..... I. JUST. COULDN'T. DO. IT!



She is sooo going to kill me when she gets home from camp!



And, you know, I never did find that darned library book!

And so I bid you all farewell!

Okay, you all totally know I'm kidding, right?

You'll be back tomorrow, right?

How Fast Life Can Change...

I noticed a friend of mine commenting on a no longer mutual friend's (but that's a post for another day) facebook picture yesterday. It brought to mind Whack-job's step sister. So, of course, I searched for her on Facebook, and alas, there she was. I sent her a little message just to say hello and ask how she was. Shauna was a year younger than us, and to be honest, didn't hang out with us. I think she figured out Whack-job much sooner than some of us did.

I do have a point to make.

I don't know if you know facebook very well, but when you search for someone you get a whole list of possibilities. I knew the first one was her right away. BUT, what I didn't notice were a couple of group pages listed underneath. I only saw it after I left her a message.

Suddenly I am seeing "Support Group for Shauna ----", "Fundraiser for Shauna ----".

That worried me.

I opened up those groups and found out that this old friend's sister was in a mountain biking accident and is now paralyzed from the chest down, with little use of her fingers to boot.

She has twin girls who will be two this month.

She will be in the hospital for 6-12 months.

Paralyzed.

I've been thinking about her all day.

It makes me want to dance with my kids.

Walk around the lake to feed the ducks.

Go and have one smokin' game of soccer.

Ride my bike.

Pinch Olivia's little bum.

Dance. With Leon. The way we used to.

What would you be sure to do?


Side note: Liv and I did indeed go and feed the ducks tonight!

...And don't forget about the "Pay It Forward" contest for next week!

Pay It Forward Contest

Okay, there will be a post next week, announcing the Pay It Forward Contest. I'm not going to tell you which day. You're going to have to come on over daily to find out. I will pick three people who will win a prize. If you win, you will in turn do the same for others.

Ronda, from Ronda's Rants, hosted this contest and I was one of the lucky winners!

Keep checking in! You don't want to miss out, do you?

Well?

Back To School Shopping. Need I Say More?

If there is anything on this planet that could possibly make me want to take a header off the highest bridge, shopping would be it. Actually, I compare normal shopping to stubbing my toe or getting my eyebrows waxed. Shopping with kids makes me steer my car toward that previously mentioned bridge.

I'm an embarrassment to my gender. I know. And I apologize.

But I'm happy report, two kids down, one to go.

"No clothes to my name Cassie" came away with two shirts, three pants, undies and a cool vest/jacket.

"Woohoo! Look at me going off to Kindergarten Olivia" came away with about a million things. Her size is so cheap. I'm talking $3 shorts and shirts. And yes, Mom, she did get one outfit that I spent a whopping $25 on. Oh, and a hat! It looks so cute on her.

We got groceries galore, then I quite happily (NOT) spent 30 minutes in line to pay for my loot. As we got closer to the till, I sent Cassie back with our ice cream, because there is NO WAY I am buying ice cream from a store that can't hire more than one cashier. She came back with fresh, frozen ice cream that was WAY more expensive than the ones I sent her away with. I guess I didn't win that hand after all.

After the only cashier in the city FINALLY rang through all my stuff, I handed her my credit card, which thankfully had a rare but thankful negative balance on it. The rest I had no intention of paying for now. She tells me that it is an invalid card. Invalid? INVALID??? My ass it's invalid! Either it wouldn't swipe properly, or she's just a moron.

So, crap. There I am, trying to figure out how I am going to manage, gracefully, guessing which account to use with my debit card, while all 117 people behind me in line looked on. I don't think they noticed the look of horror or embarrassment. I swiped my card and pushed buttons, then nonchalantly put that card back in my wallet, so that I could feign surprise, just in case I picked the wrong account. Wrong account! Hahaha. Like there could BE a right one!

Now we're in the red. And payday is next week. Shit.

So I'm home from Walmart, in not even close to the mood I left home with, $400 poorer. Some may be thinking 'Wow! She's fabulous! Back to school clothes for two, PLUS groceries and shampoo for $400!'

While I know deep down that I must truly be awesome, I just can't seem to celebrate it, because, I repeat:

We're in the red. And payday is next week.

Shit.

Phew! Another Peaceful Week.

I'm okay at this point if my mom wants to slay me for saying this.

We dropped Asia off at camp tonight.

Ahhhhh. Peace.

Asia is the sassy, back-talking, drama queen, absolute and total definition of a teenage girl. You know at the point where we say the aliens have taken over? Well, the aliens either never took over and she just is who she is, or they took her when she was about two. I'm beginning to think that nice Asia will never return.

This is Asia's first co-ed camp at Meadowlodge. Her second co-ed camp this year. Last camp she came home with a boyfriend. Conveniently they broke up just as she is about to enter into co-ed camp #2. Coincidence? I think not.

I wonder why they do co-ed camp at this level? Why not when they are six and seven. No. Let's save it for when they are 14-17 and their hormones rule their entire selves.

Is it just me, or is that not smart?

I do, however, have one thing to be thankful for. It's not that her best friend is going to be there. It's not that she has a couple of cousins there to keep her in line, or at least let things work their way down the old grapevine to my delusional ears.

Nope.

It's this

I have some questions for you....

1. How do some people get their driver's license?

2. Why does Leon keep switching the toilet paper roll on me?

3. Why does the mood in our house have to depend on Asia's?

4. Why do I feel guilty about phoning bylaw on a neighbour whose dog barks ALL NIGHT LONG two, soon to be three, nights in a row?

5. Why won't God just let Melissa have a baby already??!

6. How on earth do lazy, no good people keep their jobs?

7. How do they get them in the first place?

8. Why does it take 30-45 minutes to get through a "fast food" drive through?

9. How come some people get to live in FANTASTIC places, and I'm stuck here?

10. Why can't I think of anything to say? That's just so odd. Perhaps I'm coming down with something...

My favorite - 2007

A Cow-ardly Death 
2007 Darwin Award Nominee 
Confirmed True by Darwin

(19 April 2007, Phnom Penh, Cambodia) Unwanted amorous advaces on a heifer resulted in a man's death at the hooves of the violated bovine. Sounds of a scuffle culminated in the discovery of his naked body lying beneath the frightened family cow. Injuries to the head and genital area were consistent with being kicked to death. Why did he do it? The man's divorce had become final 10 days prior to his fateful final fling. In the divorce, and also a previous divorce, his ex-wives cited his insatiable desire as the cause of the dissolution. Police concluded that the man died in a rape gone wrong. They do not plan to take action against the cow, which appeared to have been acting in self-defense. Original Submission. Darwin says, "Hesitantly accepted into the archive. Too common?" Reader Comments: "Where's the beef?" "If he must, then sheep are smaller." "A different way of 'getting the milk for free.'" "That man loves his beef." "cow - boy" "No bull."

Foto Fiesta with Candid Carrie!!!!!!

I've decided this week to post a before and after picture of my brother, because I'm just so darned impressed by what he has done!





Down 180 pounds. Pretty darned awesome!!! Way to go Terry!

Cute ... not smart.

My eldest, Asia, is a bit naive.  Okay, she's a lot naive.  I love this general innocence, don't get me wrong.  It's just sometimes a little, oh, I don't know, embarrassing.  

But, then, she hates to read.  She hates the whole learning thing in school.  Thank goodness that's only a small part of her education.  The rest is physical education, boys, cheerleading, sports, boys, friends, and boys.  So I guess I really shouldn't be surprised.

I think it's because she doesn't read that she is just not so swift sometimes.  

For example:

I picked her up from her friend's house last night, and on our way home I said something in my usual witty way.  She didn't get it.  So, I repeated myself, making sure she caught how totally clever I was.

She. still. didn't. get. it.

So I said, "Boy, Asia, you sure missed the smart bus, didn't you?"

What did my daughter do?  

She looked around for the bus.  She looked for the frigging bus!  "I don't see a bus."

Gawd!  Is she for real???

I guess this really should have been our first clue.

My Personal Favorite from 2008

Chemistry Went To Her Head 
2008 Darwin Award Nominee 
Confirmed True by Darwin

(2 February 2008, Bulgaria) It was a cold but sunny February afternoon. Lidia, a biology teacher from Sofia, was driving two friends home from a memorial service. Suddenly the vehicle stopped. Bystanders saw all three occupants dash from the car to a nearby manhole, and start pouring down liquids and powders from various bottles and jars. Apparently, the biology teacher had been performing chemistry experiments in her free time, and had some leftover noxious chemicals. It is still not entirely clear what the chemicals were, but two of the bottles were labelled diethyl ether and methanol, both highly flammable substances. The former is also used as a sedative, so one explanation for their actions is that they felt dizzy from the ether vapors and thought it was a good idea to pour them in the sewer. As it turns out, a good idea it definitely was not. The cocktail of flammable substances in the enclosed space of the sewer caused an explosion so powerful that it launched the manhole cover into the air, decapitating the (briefly) surprised Lidia. Left without a head on her shoulders, she decided it was time to kick the bucket. The other two people were not left unharmed, but were alive. They were taken to the hospital with burns on their faces. They may not regain their eyesight, but hopefully will be able to speak clearly enough to tell their children that tossing random chemicals down the drain is not as wise as it might at first appear.

Another day. Another diet.

So, this isn't going so well.  The more I think about how I should be eating better, the more I crave the crap that has brought me to this point.  

Am I totally stupid?

I am foregoing a get together with someone I haven't seen in years because of the way I look.

I hang my head and hope people I see won't recognize me.

I see a picture of myself and am horrified.

And then I go and get something to eat.

I suppose that is emotional eating, though I have always been more of a boredom eater.  Too many nights alone while my kids and husband slept.  I am so determined to have a couple of childless hours at the end of each day that I have sabotaged myself.

I'm too young to be fat.  

Fat is for Baba's.  Kids don't like to sit on bony laps.

Fat is for round little babies.  Their dimpled knees and elbows are so cute on them. That look doesn't work so well for me.

I'm mad that I have "let myself go".  How do I "get myself back"?

How do I find time to get to the gym?  To plan menus.  

How do I do this, and still blog?

My kids are floored when they see pictures of me from only six or so years ago. I told them that I could look almost like that again, if I tried. "Would you like that?" They hooted and hollered and cheered, that yes, they would love that. "Go for it, Mom!"

Go for it, indeed.

Great.  Now I want chocolate.

I Guess It Had To Happen Eventually...

I photographed a wedding this weekend.  In my contract I allow for lab errors and equipment malfunction.  Thank God.  The pictures aren't horrible, but they certainly aren't GREAT.  

I have three flashes.  None of which would work. 

I have three sets of rechargeable batteries.  None of which worked.

I had to rely on my pop-up.  Which means I could not set my camera to the settings I have come to depend on.

I had to rely on my pop-up for the reception.  Those quick moments with tears or laughter or hugs.  The look passed between the new husband and wife.  Lost. Pop-ups just don't work like that.  They need time to do the disco ball thing. You know what I mean.  That annoying flashing that causes epileptics to go into full blown seizures right before your eyes.  

I had to rely on my pop-up for the dance.  The oh-so-dark dance.  More instantaneous moves and action galore.  

I. Missed. It. All.  Well, I shouldn't say ALL, necessarily, but the ones I got were blurry.  Ugh!

Take a look at a couple of okay ones, though.

 

Stupid Canadian Laws

Fort Qu'Appelle, Quebec: This is one of the more unbelievable laws I came across. Did you know that in Fort Qu'Appelle Quebec it is illegal for a teen to walk downtown main street with his shoes untied? Its true. Who comes up with these laws? 

Anywhere In Canada: Get this, it is illegal anywhere in Canada to pay for a 26 cent item in all pennies. The limit is 25 cents. If you are paying for your item in nickels, then its illegal to pay for it in nickels if its over $5. Its also illegal to pay for something over $10 dollars in all dimes. Wild! 

Canada's Radio Stations: Did you know that Canadian law states that every 5th song on the radio must be by a Canadian born citizen? Well believe it or not it is true! 

"Very Old" Alberta Law: In Alberta back in the day, it was the law when a prisoner was released from jail that he would be given a gun and horse to ride out of town or city. 

Ontario Provincial Law: Through out Ontario the average speed limit is 80 km/h for cars, BUT bicyclists have the right of way. 

Anywhere In Canada: No one in Canada is allowed by Canadian law to watch or listen to encrypted broadcast which is not licensed by the Canadian Government. This basically means that its illegal to use US satellite systems like "Direct TV". 

New Brunswick: I don't know how true this one is but supposedly its illegal to buy cigarettes for minors (Under 19), but you can supply them with cigarettes as long as its not in public places. I know here where I live in Alberta, its illegal period to give cigarettes to children and teens. 

London, Ontario: Here's a law I found that kind of surprised me. In London, Ontario it is against thecity by-law to allow your grass in your front yard to grow any taller then an inch and a half. If you do, the city will come by and cut it for you then give you a fine for $200. 

Crazy!

Friday's Foto Fiesta

Thanks once again Carrie from Candid Carrie for hosting this fine event!

This is a picture of my oldest, who is now 14, totally captivated by my Dad blowing raspberries! I love the way she is looking at him!    I highly recommend clicking on this one to see the bigger picture.  You can practically see his lips moving, and her eyes are priceless!

My Dad is the very best, and he's a pretty darned fantastic Grampa too!!

Such good intentions....

Okay, so I had good intentions to use some of my free time tonight to consider my list of 25 and hopefully get them on here.  It turns out by the time I got my stuff done, I was just sitting down at the computer and got a message from my family, who went camping this morning.  Asia tried to start a camp fire, with fuel, and it exploded in her face.  They ended up at the hospital in the town close by, and she got a needle in the butt and couple of tylenol 3's, polysporin and bandages.  Her eyebrows are almost gone, her eyelashes are next to nothing, her nose hairs are singed, as are her bangs.  She has a couple of open blisters on her chin, and her neck and chest are covered in polysporin and burn cloths.  And they're home.

So, my list will have to wait until tomorrow.  We're heading out for the day tomorrow to the lake and we'll see how her burns are then.

Have a great Wednesday!

Things aren't rolling quite right these days...

Does your husband read your blog? Mine does. He gets up in the morning, grabs his coffee and heads to the computer to see what's going on in our lives these days.

I lie.

My husband doesn't drink coffee. Nor does he read my blog. Willingly.

I make him sit beside me while I READ TO HIM from my latest blog entry, lest he misses a vital word, meaning he would also miss the point of the whole entry!!! I foolishly read to him from my post last week on the random stupid thing about myself. You'll remember, it was about the way I like things to roll.

Since then, I have had to change the toilet paper SEVERAL TIMES PER DAY! In three different bathrooms. While he chuckles. It makes me hope that he'll snore that night so that I can plug his nose and listen to him choke on his tongue. (If you have never done that to your snoring husband, I highly recommend it!!)

But then today he packed up my kids to take them camping for three days.

So all is forgiven.

My husband ROCKS! (and rolls - toilet paper rolls, that is!)

I spent the evening with Heath....

It was fantastic.  Just me and Heath.  Oh, and my husband and a million other movie-goers were there too.  I, like so many others, first fell for Heath while watching "A Knight's Tale".  Oh. My. Stars.  Now, his last. The Dark Knight.

I waited in line for popcorn and drinks for 45 minutes.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I missed the first 25 minutes of the movie, which were thankfully mainly previews.  I was not happy.  

It took about two and a half seconds to forget that I was ticked off.  It was that good.  And, yes, Heath, while not looking his best, was still fabulous.  Leon asked if I still thought he was good looking with all the make up on.  Yes.  Yes I did.  We've bonded, and I know what's underneath it.  

I was sad watching his last movie.  I was sad thinking that, if reports are true, that he was such a fabulous method actor that the movie disturbed him.  He was having trouble sleeping.  I'm saddened that his eventual death came about for our entertainment.  It's tragic to think that this fine actor, with such an amazing future, died the way he did.  I find it worse that it was an accident.  

I know, he had his issues with addiction.  I know.  I'm just so sad for him. 

Afterward, I sat there while everyone else poured out of the theatre, anxious to be on their way.  Some would probably go out to Tim Horton's for hot chocolate like Leon and I.  Others, perhaps, were heading out to sneak into another theatre.  Some probably rushed out to relieve babysitters who weren't expecting a near three hour movie.  I was determined to see the "In memory of..." that HAD to be there.  

Credits rolled. Some Christopher Nolan character was named about a million times. Then came the actors. Leon, the whole time, was saying it wouldn't be there. He was only in a few movies. He wasn't that popular.

There it was.  "In memory of Heath Ledger and ........ "  It's probably sad that I don't know who the heck the other guy was.  Seeing that, I was able to close the door on my Heath. 

I won't lie.  There were tears.  

I know.  I'm a loser.

And, so, tonight I said farewell.

I feel it's necessary to let you all know that I assured my husband that if he dies, I'll be sad for him too.lol

Photography Open House

Hi everyone. Welcome and thank you to Candid Carrie for her love of photography and her hard work in showcasing us this week!

I may add the occasional blurb, but for the most part, it will just be pictures for you to look at. If you have any questions on a specific photo, please feel free to ask away!

There are probably a million photos here. Enjoy!

I love candid moments.  Steve had just done something goofy and they had a good laugh!
I LOVE expressive people!  This groom definitely had that down!
Not so much my favorite photo, as my all-time favorite dress!
I love to photograph red.  I know videographers have trouble with it, but still shots rock!
Backlight.  Backlight. Backlight.  
I totally love her bare feet and the off-centre style of the picture.
Believe it or not, this was a "posed candid".  This bride ROCKED!  She could go from serious to loving to laughing all within a second.  And you totally believed it!  It's harder than it looks.

I love the rust stain.  And the little bit of blue graffiti you can see.  My husband thinks I'm nuts.
I was sitting on the beach with my good old telephoto back in the film days.  I love this one!
My favorites are always when the groom is adoring the bride and the bride looks like she doesn't realize he's looking, or else just couldn't care less!!  lol
People love these walking away pictures.  This couple is actually getting married today!  These were their engagement photos.
This couple was known as "The Beautiful People".  You just can't take a bad picture of these guys!  They make my job easy!
Again, one of those posed candids.  They actually did have this moment, but I missed it, so I had them redo it.
This bride was so funny.  As we were hoisting her up into the tree, she asked me if this was the highest I had ever had a bride or if she needed to go higher yet!  lol
Your standard posed wedding photo.  I know they are not all the rage anymore, but I still do some.
My little nutball.
Having a drink with the dog.  Who had the idea first, I wonder??
I wish the yellow line in the road was darker, but alas, what can you do?
Uhhh, flowers.  lol


My middle daughter Cassie.  This was before she shaved her head in a cancer fund-raiser.  It's coming back now.  This was when I was taking one of my photography courses and she was my model.  Next time, I'll have her paint her nails first!
The nutball.  I love the scraped nose and the water dripping off her chin!

My puppy, Ringo.  He is now 180 pounds!
My girls, taken last fall.  (No THEY weren't taken, the picture was.)  I have one of them all doing kiss/fish lips and have it 16x20 on my wall.  Unfortunately I couldn't find it for today!
Just because.
Another posed candid.  This is, of course supposed to look like they are moving - fast.
Another fairly standard photo.
This chauffeur was kind enough to let us climb on his car.  Again, I love red!!!
This was when I first learned what a fine actress she was.  We did a serious picture literally seconds before, and then I just said "laugh" and she nailed it!

I love crazy.  It photographs so well!