Sisterlines Space in Time

Farewell Catherine....

2012-01-27T06:50:00.002-05:00

Last night was Marg Helgenberger who plays Catherine Willows last show on CSI. As far as the show goes, she is accepting a job with the FBI. According the Hollywood Reporter she is hopefully going to do some movies, and maybe a new TV series and she would like to do a musical comedy (who knew!) It will be interesting to see how the show is without her. I was a little leery when Ted Danson came on board this fall, but I really like his character. I just found out today (maybe this is old news to some of you) that Elisabeth Shue is going to be coming on as a regular! I love Elisabeth Shue. One of my favourite movies she is in is Adventures in Babysitting - what a hoot - and who could forget Cocktail with Tom Cruise! Her character sketch sounds interesting, so we'll see. According to People they say "Shue's character will be the team's newest CSI who arrives shortly after taking an anger management course - and viewers will discover she has a history with D.B. Russell, whom her character worked with in Seattle."
Sounds interesting.
And a little funny for you!

Also...today is Day 5 - things are going okay so far!
Chow for now.
Jacqui

Hanna

2012-01-26T06:33:00.002-05:00

Well today is Day Four - so far so good. I have not wavered off the eating path, and although I have not done a whole lot of "moving", I have done 100 sit ups each day. I will increase the exercise as I go along....but it takes a while to get the couch potato off the couch! Which is a great segue into my next item!! We watched the movie Hanna last night. It was pretty good. The overview was, "a 16 year old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives".
Saoirse Ronan played the role of Hanna - and she reminded me of a young Tammy Frisa! ( she is a girl I went to school with)
Eric Bana played Hanna's dad
Cate Blanchett had the role of the "ruthless intelligence agent"
It was an entertaining movie for sure, although I am glad I didn't spend the money to see it in the theater.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

So far so good....sorta..

2012-01-25T07:12:00.002-05:00

Well I am now on day three of the program.....I'm doing okay eating wise so far....and on Day one I did 100 sit ups..but then Day two I had a wicked migraine. I'm quite certain it was a combo of this crazy weather we are having cause the barometric pressure triggers my migraines and kicks the crap out of me....and that fact that I am probably going through some pretty heavy duty sugar withdrawal!
So I pretty much stayed in bed all day yesterday, trying to keep the room as dark as possible.
Here's to a better day today.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Today is Day one...

2012-01-23T06:43:00.003-05:00

So I have been nattering about this for a couple of months now and today is the day. I am going back on my program and I am going to get this weight off. I decided the year that I turned 40, that was my year. I was gonna do things for myself and be conscious of my health and weight...and I did a great job. I lost 50 pounds and was feeling really good. Then my son got sick and was in the hospital and thinking about me and my needs and wants....went straight to the back burner. Thankfully, he got better and was released from the hospital, but it took a good year for him to get back to normal. A good year of me worrying about him and not being concerned about what was happening to me. So, all the weight, plus more, just piled right back on.
I'm tired of looking and feeling the way I do. I wanted to be skinny for my little sister's wedding and I didn't even get anywhere close. I love looking at her wedding pictures...but am disgusted to look at the ones that I am in.
I have heard and read people talk about your body shape, pear or apple. I always thought I was a pear, but this picture that I found clearly shows that I am an apple. Not sure if I am a Golden Delicious or a Granny Smith, but apple for sure!
So I am starting today. I'm not going to share my weight with you...cause well...that is just way too depressing....But I will try and remember to share the loss with you each week. I know it's not all about the weight - it's more about inches and losing fat and getting lean....I get that...but at the beginning...when you have a large amount of weight to lose, it's the scale that gives you the incentive. So here's to Day One! I hope to do a bit more "moving" this time when I am trying to lose weight. I lost all the weight before, purely by eating the right things - but I found my skin was a little saggy, so I am hoping if I incorporate some movement into the eating right, my skin will tighten up for me and not be hanging. God knows I can't afford plastic surgery to lop off all the saggy skin....when I get there!
If any of you are on this same journey - Good luck - I know how hard it is.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Alcatraz

2012-01-20T07:28:00.004-05:00

A new show started last week I think, called Alcatraz. The previews for it looked pretty interesting so I thought I would watch a couple of episodes and see what I thought. I think I'm gonna like it! It's very different from anything else that is on television right now.
The cast is great as well.
Sam Neill plays Emerson Hauser - I have liked him since he played Dr. Grant in the Jurassic Park movies - and he was pretty good in that vampire movie Daybreakers too! I think he is gonna be a bad guy......time will tell
Parminda Nagra plays Lucy Banerjee - remember her from her E.R. days?? - I think she is a good character, but I'm not sure.....
Jorge Garcia plays Dr. Diego Soto - I'm so glad he is in another show. I loved him as Hurley in LOST!!
Robert Forster plays Ray Archer - I can't remember all the stuff that I have seen him in, but I know I like him as an actor.
Sarah Jones plays the main character and I don't know if I have seen her in anything before, but I think I am gonna like her.
I like the chemistry she has going with Dr. Soto.
Basically the overview of the show is in March of 1963 Alcatraz was closed because of rising costs etc. They transferred all the inmates to other prisons.......but that's not what happened....and now, 30 years later, the inmates are coming back and starting their crimes again.....BUT they look exactly like they did 30 years ago...so we need to know where they went....how they got there....how they are getting back....and who is behind it all.
It's going to be in interesting show!! right up my alley!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Manners..

2012-01-12T09:00:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's a new year already. I have been crazy busy ----- work, taking the kids to sporting events etc, so I have not been able to post for a while. I hope to post some Christmas pics and some volleyball pics in the very near future.
I saw this commercial on television the other day and I LOVED it.
There are some commercials that just make me shake my head - and some others that make me shed a tear - this one was a combo of a tear and a smile!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - unfortunately - I can't find the info to embed it here on my page, so you will have to click on the link to watch it.
http://www.values.com/inspirational-stories-tv-spots/95-Crosswalk
Enjoy,
Chow for now,
Jacqui

A Thousand Years

2011-12-30T06:57:00.002-05:00

My lovely daughter got me the Breaking Dawn Soundtrack for Christmas. My son and I went to see the movie one night when we were Christmas shopping. It was sooooooooo good. I cannot wait to see the second part - I don't like to wish time away, because life it much to short....but I hope the time goes fast!! I don't think they should make us wait a year - that is just mean.
One of my favourite songs on the soundtrack is called A Thousand Years. It is very pretty and I can see it being a big choice of wedding songs in 2012.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Tree Party

2011-12-19T06:23:00.005-05:00

On Friday, the nursing home where my Granny lives had their annual Tree Party. This is where all the residents come out to the main room and they have some live entertainment and then Santa comes and all the residents get a present from Santa. I wasn't too happy when they scheduled the tree party this year...for some reason they scheduled it on a Friday from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. Makes it kind of hard to get there when you are working. Mom was unable to be there cause she was working, so I juggled a few things around and was able to get there with Jade and Joel in tow. Mom picked up a sparking lights necklace so Granny could wear it during the festivities!!!! She had it on for most of the time, but then made me take it home with me, saying "it's too fancy for me!" (she cracks me up!) The fella they had for entertainment this year, I believe his name was Bill Warral (might have been Bob - but I know his last name was Warral) Well what do you know...I just googled him and yep, his name was Bill! He was awesome. He could play the piano beautifully. He sang some songs and we all sang along, he sang some Christmas tunes and he told a few little jokes as well. He had Granny laughing a few times, which was nice to see cause sometimes she will lean over to you and say "I wish he/she would just shut up!" He asked if anyone had requests and one of the fellas asked if he could play Cheek to Cheek. So Bill asked him if he was going to dance. He said "of course". So up he got with Margaret, one of the activity directors at the nursing home and then the other activity director, Lynn also danced with him. He was so cute. He sang the whole song and danced as well. I brought a tear to my eye just watching how much fun he was having. I asked Granny who he was, but she did not know his name, but she said, "he sure does have fun though!" Then they announced Santa's arrival. It was so cute to see how excited Granny got when she saw Santa for the first time. She was smiling, and saying "here he comes", it was adorable. He came in with a bunch of helpers and handed out gifts to all the residents. At first we got another Beryl's present...but soon got that rectified. Granny got her present and got right down to business! Shortly after that we took Granny back to her room and visited a little bit. They have started construction on the nursing home and she enjoys watching all the work outside her window. I told her to make sure she pulls the blinds when they are out there or she might be giving them an eyeful some morning!!!! All in all it was a good day. She looks great, and I even got her smiling in some pictures this time. I just love her so much! If you are lucky like me to have a Granny, take time to go visit her or give her a call or give her a hug. Even a few minutes of your time will make a world of difference to her. Chow for now, Jacqui

Great loss....Rest in Peace Rachel Cunningham

2011-12-16T07:16:00.003-05:00

Our small local community lost a young member on Wednesday evening. Rachel Cunningham was diagnosed with a brain tumor a year ago and she lost her battle. She passed away peacefully in the arms of her sister, with her parents by her side. Our small community is very saddened by the passing of Rachel as everyone has been very supportive and fighting for her this past year. She was a great athlete, a great friend, a beautiful girl, with a heart of gold and she will be missed. I'll be honest, along with being sad, I get so angry when things like this happen. Why her? Why when she was so young and had such an exciting life ahead of her. My mom and I have talked about this before, and she said something to me that I try to remember in times like this. She worked with a fellow named Bill Raithby, who was a very sweet man. She asked him the same question one day, when a very young person had passed away. Bill's response to her was, "Do you think God wants to be surrounded by only old people?" So I try to remember this....even though it's hard. Take time today to hug the ones ya love....and make sure you let them know you do. Life is too short not to. Chow for now, Jacqui

Stamping Spencer

2011-11-23T08:27:00.002-05:00

I am so proud of my Mom!!! She has gone gangbusters on getting her Christmas cards made this year....me...well...I still have one done!!! I am such a procrastinator!!! I stopped by yesterday after work with my Big Shot to give her a hand with the backgrounds of some of her cards and this little guy wanted to help!!! When Courtney was home, she named him Spencer! We are not sure where he came from, he just showed up at the farm one day. It's quite obvious that he was handled before he showed at the farm, because he loves people and starts to purr like a little motor boat as soon as you pick him up. He hasn't stolen the stamping sponges like my cat Shadow does (well not yet anyway) but he certainly wanted to get in the thick of things! Chow for now, Jacqui

Good watchin'

2011-11-22T08:13:00.003-05:00

I've been pretty slow to post this last little while. We have been very busy lately, and have had a few things go wrong that have taken up time and money that we really didn't have to spare. The dryer died last week - it just didn't want to spin anymore....and of course this was after I had stripped all the bedding and washed it all......thankfully it was a breezy day and the wind was blowing towards the "odoriferous" farm across the way instead of blowing it's nasty stench our way. Then I broke my dish for my Scentsy warmer - I was vacuuming and the cord caught the dish and flipped it over and it smashed on the floor - I KNEW cleaning was bad for you!!!!! ha ha. Joel had a club volleyball tournament this past weekend, so we were there all day Saturday, and I have been having an issue with my back that I just think I might have to go see the doctor about. It's been bugging for about 6 weeks now..I think that's long enough. I tried ice, heat, massage, stretching and meds. Nothing seems to work, so I think a doctor visit might be my next step. We decided to watch a movie this weekend and the pick of the day was Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I was surprised at how good it was. It is actually the prequel to all the other Planet of the Apes movies - basically tells you how and why the apes started taking over. The special effects were awesome - and that one ape - scary looking thing. I was watching Ellen last week - quickly zipping through my PVR'd episodes to get to the chat's with the celebrities and she had Dylan McDermott on the show. He is in the new show American Horror Story. It's supposed to be the scariest show on television. I had no plans to watch it, and then Ellen and Dylan were talking and she made mention that he was naked quite a bit in the show - so I thought hhhmmm maybe it's worth checking out!!!! haha - so I watched the first episode - wowsers - creepy - scary - looks interesting. Jessica Lange is in it as well - and man she looks old in this one. She's a great actress though. The thing I find most unusual - it's written by Ryan Murphy - who is the same fella that writes Glee. And let me tell ya.....this is not at all like Glee - not in any way, shape or form...nope...nadaa....not at all. Okay - best get back to work. Thanks for checkin' in. Chow for now, Jacqui

Missing Poppa and a Silver Medal

2011-11-18T06:41:00.003-05:00

There are moments in life when you wish you could bring someone down from Heaven. Spend the day with them just one more time, give them one more hug, kiss them goodby or hear their voice again. One more chance to say I LOVE YOU. Yesterday was that day for me. It's been 14 years since my Poppa past away. Some days it seems like 14 years and other days it seems like it was only yesterday. I owe so much to him and I miss him like crazy. Love you Poppa.

Yesterday was also a good day though! Our Junior boys volleyball team won the silver medal at WOSSA!!!! And..Our Junior and Senior girls basketball teams won medals as well. The Junior's won Gold and the Seniors won Silver. Our little school keeps getting better and better all the time!

Chow for now,

Jacqui

Love you through it....

2011-11-10T07:08:00.001-05:00

I have always liked Martina McBride, she is beautiful and has the voice of an angel. Someone shared this video on Facebook with me today, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Hug those ya love,
Chow for now,
Jacqui

The Spiking Sharks Strike Gold!

2011-11-07T08:31:00.002-05:00

Oh my gosh! What an exciting day yesterday was. It was not so exciting at 4:00 AM when my alarm went off and I had to get up to drive Joel to Woodbridge for a volleyball tournament, but since 4:00 AM is my usual getting out of bed time for work, I was okay.....I just don't usually do it on a Sunday. We headed off for Woodbridge at about 5:30 AM with our healthy snacks, lots of Gatorade, knee pads, shorts and shoes! We got to the school at 8:00 (only an hour to spare!!) I'd rather arrive early than be rushing to get there. The tournament started at 9:00 AM and we played the second game. The tournament format was a little different than we are used to...we usually play 2 games against each team in the pool - but this tournament was a best 2 out of 3 games........every one went to the third game except for one! The boys came out on top of each game they played!!! It was so exciting. They went into the Gold medal match playing a team from Guelph. The Guelph team took us a nasty 25 - 12 the first game...not a good showing from our guys, but they came back and won the second game 25 - 22, which forced that third rubber match. The rubber match is always a 15 point game, where the winner must win by 2 points. Guess what the final score was...........15 - 13. Man oh man. That one was hard on the fans!!!!! We were within a point all along the game. It was very exciting and lots of fun when they ended up victorious! Great job boys! See ya at practice tonight! Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Halloween and the closing of a chapter....

2011-10-31T06:29:00.005-04:00

Well, today is Halloween. It has been so long since I have dressed up. I think the last time I dressed up I wore my pajamas to work!! I don't think I was anyone in particular - but hey, how many times in your life do you get to wear flannel pajamas and fuzzy slippers to work...and get away with it! I think every Friday should be pajama day...or maybe every Monday and then you wouldn't have to get up so early...just roll right out of bed into the car and into work! My kids are pretty much out of the dressing up phase. I thought they might dress up for school - NMDHS staff and students are pretty "into" stuff like that. I was surprised last year by the number of teachers who actually dressed up. It's nice to see them involved like that. We had a busy weekend so maybe if we hadn't of been, they would have come up with something for today..who knows. If you decide to go out trick-or-treating tonight - be safe and have fun! I love some of the designs and pictures people have been putting on pumpkins in the last decade. I remember scooping out the mush with Granny and Poppa and then baking the seeds to eat (I just make a stop at the Bulk Barn for pumpkin seeds now.....). Then we would make a face - but it was just your basic triangle eyes, triangle nose and funky mouth; nothing like some of these fancy pumpkins you see around now. Like Edward and Bella
And this cute little kitty cat.
And the cute kitty when he's all grown up!
And a personal favourite..... E.T.
Man oh man I wish I could carve a pumpkin to look like this!

Today also marks the closing of a chapter for me. Today is the last day that I will be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I was unable to fulfill this month's requirements, so today I am finished. I truly do love Stampin' Up!'s products. They are of the finest quality and I will continue to buy their paper and stamps through other demonstrators. I have met some of the nicest people through Stampin' Up! Not only did I get a chance to meet and talk with Shelli Gardner - the founder of Stampin' Up! a couple of times, I met my BFF and some of my closest friends, through little pieces of wood and rubber! I don't think I will ever stop stamping and creating. I find it therapeutic and I like to make cards and things for people. I am looking forward to a new chapter in the paper crafting world...I'll fill you in on that at a later date. So for now, I say farewell as a demonstrator and thank you to everyone who had workshops and attended my classes. (fyi..the classes are not over!)
Have a safe and Happy Halloween
Jacqui

The Walking Dead....finally...

2011-10-18T06:40:00.003-04:00

Well the kids and I have been waiting since last year for the second season of The Walking Dead to come on. The Season 2 premiere was on Sunday night - and wouldn't ya know it....my express vu has not been working since Friday - I don't know what the heck is up with it - but if it's not working when I get home today - Bell will be getting an irate phone call from me. I did manage to find the episode online though - so we watched it last night - oh my gosh - what a way to start the season. Even though it's a gross zombie show - I look forward to seeing it every week! I like all the characters, they are all unique in their own way. I have a busy few days coming up!!!! Jactopia is here!!! (well it will be on Thursday). This is my annual get together with my stamping friends. I'm especially excited for this year cause my very good friend Jenn is home from BC so she can come too! I'm so looking forward to some downtime from work, I have been very very busy for the last 6 months and I love to stamp with my girls to get my mojo goin'! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post after the event! Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Thanksgiving...

2011-10-09T15:48:00.002-04:00

I always love this time of year. The colours are so rich and vibrant. The days are pleasant enough to be outside, but cool down so sleeping is not a problem at night. The only thing about this time of the year is knowing that soon, the snow will be flying again and everything will be white and drab.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful family and friends. I am very blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. Even if I don't call as often as I should, or write/email as often as I should or visit as often as I should, please know you are in my thoughts often and I'd be very sad if you were not in my life.
I hope you are all taking some time today and this weekend to spend it with friends and family and to remember all of the wonderful things you are thankful for.
Have a super day, and I hope Mr. Bean is not cooking your turkey!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Autumn harvest!

2011-10-06T06:35:00.003-04:00

Well I don't know if you remember seeing these pictures of my raspberries before, but they have started to bear some raspberries. I was not holding out much hope for them because not all of them survived - I transplanted them from my mom's so transplanting is always iffy - but some of them have held on and they are giving us some raspberries. I think I'm gonna have to get some more from mom in the spring, but for now we have a tasty little treat. (little being the operative word!) I'm excited for all the shows to be starting up again. I was looking forward to the premiere of the new show Terra Nova - and so far - I have not been disappointed. http://youtu.be/X6aNEIZwPFc (check out this preview) it's a cool story line and I can't wait to see how the story and the characters develop along the way. If you haven't watched it yet - you should give it a shot. I'm liking it. Steven Lang is in it...he plays a good bad guy - remember - bad guy in Avatar.... but I'm not really sure in this show yet. I think he's a good guy -but I also think he has a lot of secrets. I think he's a good character though. Just a quick post for today, I am swamped at work and I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel last week....but I'm pretty sure it got snuffed out yesterday. Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday to my BFF, Vicki

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone has friends, even best friends, but do they really know how much they mean to you? Even though you don't live just down the road or just around the corner from them they are always with you. Never take them for granted, and never forget to tell them how much they mean to you and how much you love them. I like this poem written by Annie Hall and I wanted to share it today to wish my best friend in the whole world a very happy birthday.

Through Thick and Thin
I could skip a heartbeat, and I would survive,
I could be in a car crash, and still be alive.
The clouds could fall out of the sky,
The oceans could disappear, and all turn dry.

These things in life are all bad I know,
but there's far worse things,
just though you should know.

Life would no be the same without someone like you,
You're there when I need you to help me through.
Through the good times and through the bad,
Be them happy, or be them sad.

I don't have to be with you, to know you're there,
We don't have to see each other, to know that we care.
We could be apart for years upon end,
and still remain the best of friends.

Life goes on, and people change,
And through it all, our friendship shall remain the same.
That's such as a life, and how things come to be.
Just thought you should know,
HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME.

I love you Vick, have a happy birthday. Chow for now. Jacqui

Western Fair 2011

2011-09-20T11:33:00.006-04:00

It's been a few years since I've been to Western Fair. I think the last time was when Courtney was still showing her sheep in 4-H....that was a while ago...she's an old married woman now!!!! Actually, not an old married woman...she's only been married for 9 days! My work gets deals on things in and around London some times so this time they had tickets for Western Fair. So I scooped up 4 tickets and then planned on going on the last day of the fair because that's when Brian, Jade's boyfriend, was driving in the Demolition Derby. It was fun to watch. Partly cause I knew someone who was racing and partly cause Joe used to work for the Hell Drivers so he got to see a few familiar faces as well. They had a competition at the beginning of the derby for the best looking car - they narrowed it down to 3 and then the audience had to cheer for the best looking car. Brian's car won!!!! So he got a trophy for that before even getting hit by anyone! Then they all came in and they park around the outside with their tail ends pointing at each other - that's how they start - then they do the ready set go thingy and then they can start smashing each other! Brian got a few good hits into a few cars...but we were especially glad when he smashed into one particular car and pretty much rendered it useless....there's a story behind why we were so happy...but it's not my story to tell...just chalk it up to we were really glad he kicked the orange cars A**!!!! If you look really close at this picture - you can see Jade's name pained on the roof! click on it to get a bigger picture and there is an arrow pointing to her name! Then he toured around a bit - but got hung up on another car and no one hit him to jar him loose so he got counted down and was done. I think there is probably proper demolition derby lingo to go along with this....but I don't know it...so you are stuck with my uneducated rendition! We were proud of him though. He did great! I hope to get to see him again this season. When I got the pamphlet about the fair in amongst all the junk mail/flyer's we get - there was a thing called Vine to Vine or I think they called it Living Vines. I wanted to see it - so we walked all over the bloody place...good thing NONE of the people who had the "fair" shirts on....or the "police" uniforms on...knew where the heck the North park was.......but Joe managed to find it and they were very cool. They were standing in amongst trees and things and then they would move...and then they walked around the place. She saw Joe wanting a picture so she kept slinking down closer to him! It was pretty cool. You can see in some of these pictures the girls face and how they would go up against a pole or something and look like vines climbing the pole - it was neat! Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday Bob!!

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

One of the great things about Facebook is you can get in touch with old friends and make new friends. I have made a new friend on Facebook in the last little while. Not just someone who "friended" me on Facebook, but someone who I now consider my new friend! He is a friend of my sister, Courtney. She met him while participating in Music Mania - this awesome musical show put on in Stouffville. He made a comment about one of Courtney's comments on Facebook one day...I in turn made a comment on his comment and that is where our friendship began!! We started chit chatting back and forth and this past weekend at Courtney's wedding I met him in person! His name is Bob Jones and it is his birthday today. I just wanted to use today's post to wish him a happy birthday and I hope today is full of health and happiness for him. Happy Birthday Bob!! Chow for now, Jacqui

Some more pictures from the big day!

2011-09-15T07:46:00.006-04:00

I promise not to be as long winded as yesterday, but I wanted to share some more pictures from Courtney's wedding. I got a whole bunch of pictures, because I took some and Diana took some and Jade was a little paparazzi girl and took a whole bunch!!! Thanks Jade! So here are some more with just a few comments!

This was after the wedding ceremony and after all the family pictures were taken, Ciji and Johnathon started taking pictures of the bride and groom and the wedding party. I can't wait to see what they came up with. They are awesome photographers.

This is a picture of my Mum and her sister, Aunt Donna and her husband Uncle Ron. I have not seen them in quite a while. They have not changed much at all! I was glad they were able to come to the wedding. I didn't get to chat with them as much as I would have liked, but I did get a bit of a chat in.
This is one of Courtney's bridesmaids, Sam. She is pregnant and I think it was a long and tiring day for her. I like this picture of her getting some rest. She, as well as everyone else, looked beautiful that day.
This is pretty much the "look" that Courtney gives to Diana any time she talks!!!!! She calls Diana the "crazy" sister . ( which I would tend to agree with!)
Here is a nice picture of us...a bit of a different angle so you can't see how large I am...good Lord...pictures tell the tale..don't they.
I can't believe I didn't put any pictures of Jay's family on yesterdays post! He did come from somewhere! Here is a picture of Jay's parents, Tom and Shelley.
This shows all the fellas! They look pretty sharp. I think they are contemplating how long it was going to take to get the pictures done so they could dip into the cocktails!
This was Jay's dance with his mom.
This was a memorial that Courtney and Jay had sitting at the entrance to the reception. Sharon, Courtney's matron of honour painted the scene on the paper. The memorial was for all those people who have passed and who were missed at the wedding. It was a beautiful tribute.
This is the poem that was on the one side of the memorial.
This is the list of people who were being remembered.
Here's a good picture of me and Diana at our table! Thanks Jade for taking this one!
Another little kiss with the bride and groom.
Here is Jay's sister Stacey and her husband Charlie.
These pretty glasses were at Courtney and Jay's place setting.
The Fox cousins - minus representation from the Babinsky's and the Hasketts!
Courtney's dance with Dad.

I love this picture. This is when Courtney came around the corner of the aisle where she could see Jay and he could see her. You can see the love she has for him in her face.
A cute picture of Courtney of Diana when we were setting things up at the Winery.
Aunt Gloria and Dad. I'm sure Dad was making a smart alec comment to Aunt Gloria. When Ciji (the photographer) asked him to stand with his sister he said...."my sister - I've never met her before in my life"!! Typical Dad comment!
Diana pretending she was gonna eat her wedding favour!
All the Britton Clan!
I hope you enjoyed today's pictures!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Whirlwind visit and the "Royal" Wedding!!

2011-09-14T06:28:00.014-04:00

Day One: Well this is gonna be a long one. Partly cause I haven't blogged in so long and partly cause I have lots to say and show you! Diana came home for Courtney's wedding. Mom and I headed out at about 9:00 AM on Wednesday, the 7th, to head to the Detroit airport. Diana's flight was not due to arrive until 4:10 PM, but we didn't want to have any issues at the border and we figured we would rather wait in our around the airport so we could pick Diana up on time, instead of her having to wait for us and be wondering if we remembered she was coming in today! We made a stop at Meijer, which was good for me cause I managed to get two new pairs of running shoes for cheaper than I would have had to pay for one pair here. They are Dr. Scholl's shoes and they are so comfy! I need to get out walking so these will help for sure. We also had lunch at Meijer too. We both had a breast and a wing of chicken, a choice of one side, a bun and a huge honkin drink and together it was less than $10!! I love Meijer. I'm gonna take the kids shopping there this month. Then we headed on to the airport. We arrived at about 1:10 PM so we had a little bit of a wait, but Mum and I love to people watch so it was all good! We sat down in the baggage claim area, as there were more seats there and we could people watch good down there! Finally we headed up to the area where Diana would be coming in. We were sitting on a bench that was kind of hidden by this big pillar so Mum would keep peeking around the corner of the pillar. Then all of a sudden she jumped up and ran, saying "she's here, she's here" all the while waving a Kit Kat chocolate bar!! (Diana cannot get some of the same chocolates and treats in Arizona as we have here - so when she comes home - we fill her up!) So we got her bags and got in the car and headed home. We stopped in at Cracker Barrel for a delicious supper and then shortly after we were back in Canada. Mum and Diana dropped me off at my place and they headed home to get some sleep. Day Two: This was the only day that was really a "free" day. One of Diana's friends from high school came over for a visit. It was a short visit, but fun just the same. She brought over some Tim Horton's and some home made tarts - so we liked her even more!!!! We went in to have a quick visit with Granny, as the next day we were going to be heading to Stouffville to hang with Courtney. Granny looks great and was excited to see Diana. She even introduced her to her table mates, which is something she has never done for any of us! Then off to Bender's Foodland to grab some food and snacks, then back home to BBQ some good Fox beef (steaks) for supper! We finished up supper and then headed to my place, as my dear friend Kim was coming over for a visit. She actually ended up being there before we got there! We had a great visit with Kim and then she left and I took Diana back home to Mum's to get some sleep. Day Three: Diana and I headed for Stouffville. We left about 9:00 AM as we were planning on going out for lunch with Courtney. She had asked if we could come up the Friday before the wedding to have some "sister" time before the big day. We stopped in London at a few places as Diana was looking for a specific item for Courtney and Jay's wedding present. She did not manage to find it, but told Courtney and Jay what she was going to get them and they thought it was a cool idea. So Diana will ship it to them when she gets back home. We ran into some traffic on the way to Stouffville...bumper to bumper...and some JACK A** in a little red rocket who though he owned the road and could cut people off at will.....he got a nice view of both my fingers....I won't share which ones! We made to Courtney's safe and sound and then we headed into Markham to have lunch. Courtney took us to the hotel we were staying in and we dropped off our stuff and then went to Kelsey's for lunch. As we were waiting for our order, Diana pulled out 3 little bags from her purse and we each had to pick one. Then we all opened them at the same time and she got us these adorable "Sisters" bracelets. They are made by Brighton, which makes wicked silver jewellery. Then she pulled out presents that Mum had got each of us as well. We opened them and oh my gosh, they were these beautiful bracelets. Each one was different and they were beautiful. I didn't have any gifts to share, but Courtney had asked me to bring something "blue" to put on her garter. So me....being the "creative" (that's short for smart ass) person that I am...I brought a few "blue" items for her to chose from! She got a chuckle, but ended up choosing the 3 blue brads that spelled the word "FOX"! Mum attached them to her garter. We then headed back to Courtney's as she had to pick up her friend Bethany at the train station and we had some last minute things to wrap up at the Winery before the big day and before the rehearsal. We helped Courtney set up the beautiful lanterns that a close friend Mary Walker painted for them and to set out the caramel chocolate apples that were their wedding favours. The Winery looked beautiful. The building itself is very pretty, but out back it looked so pretty with the big droopy willow trees and overlooking the vineyard. We got everything all set and then we returned for the rehearsal later on. Day Four: We got up early and met Mum and Dad in the hotel restaurant for our complimentary breakfast..(I should have paid money and got a real breakfast). Then Mum was off with Courtney to the hair/makeup salon and Diana, Dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. We both had some Internet work to do, so we went to our hotel rooms, and Dad off to his. Later we got back together for lunch, but we couldn't find Dad, so we lunched without him. We went to a place called Frankie Tomatoe's which was awesome. It was an Italian buffet...and very tasty. We headed back to the hotel where I caught up with my hubby and kids and we all got ready for the wedding! Diana and I drove back to Courtney's with Dad cause his vehicle had to be there to deliver the bride! So he dropped us at the Winery and went back to Courtney's to dress. We took another look to make sure everything was still good inside the Winery and everything looked great. The guys showed up early to get some pictures taken (they cleaned up pretty good). Then we headed to the seats and got comfy! Then the music started - I saw Dad bringing Mum to her seat ...and well then the tears started!!! I'm such a mush ball. But Mum and Dad looked AMAZING! Dad looked quite dashing in his suit and Mum looked beautiful in her new dress. Then of course when Courtney came down the aisle with Dad...she looked absolutely beautiful. She looked like a princess (hence the reference to the "royal" wedding in my title). It was very special because Courtney recorded herself singing "Songbird" and she walked down the aisle with Dad to that song. I MUST get a copy of her singing! The minister was awesome. She spun the whole ceremony around music and love and it was just awesome. Pictures were taken at the Winery. Ciji followed Courtney around all day and Johnathan followed Jay around all day, so I cannot wait to see the fantastic pictures. They took their engagement pictures as well and they were wonderful. We headed inside the Winery for some cocktails and dinner. The room looked beautiful. The speeches were wonderful....more tears were shed there. The dance started and people started partying! Courtney's wedding present to Jay, was she got his favourite band, Casey Roberts and the Jazz Revolution to come and play for an hour at the reception. Jay was very surprised and overwhelmed. We left around midnight to go back to the hotel and get some sleep (we got lost - but I'm not gonna share that story with you). Day Five: We headed home from Stouffville. My hubby left really early to go home and get the dog out of the kennel he put her in for the night. So Diana, Jade, Joel and I headed to Cora's for breakfast. We had a huge breakfast there and started heading home. When we got to Woodstock we texted a friend, Tami Coyle, to let her know we were in Woodstock for like may 30 minutes! So we stopped at Fritzie's got some Poutine and Tami came there for a quick visit. We left Woodstock and then got back home. Shared all our pictures with one another and then Diana went back to Mum and Dad's for another nights sleep before heading back to Detroit in the morning. Day Six: Mum and Diana came over at about 11:30 and we headed back to Detroit. We had an hour and fifteen minute wait at the border, but other than that it was a pretty uneventful trip there. Diana's flight was on time, so she headed into the security gates a little before 5:00. It's always bittersweet when she comes home. It is great to see her and we have a lot of laughs, but it is so hard when she goes back to Arizona again. I never know when I will see her again. We talk almost every day, whether it be through email or texting or Facebook, but it is not the same as the real thing. I love her so much as really do wish she lived closer. Mum and I headed back home. Our trip home was pretty uneventful as well, although there was a warehouse or something on fire as we were coming down I94 so all the rubberneckers were checking it out and driving slower, causing a bit of a back log. But the border was quick on the way back. We zipped into the Hiawatha Casino for supper and to spend our $20 gambling. I was unsuccessful at winning! But it's still fun to try. Then we were back home and I went to bed....only to get up at 4:00 AM and head into work....and here I sit... on my lunch break.....wishing I was still on vacation!!! It was a whirlwind trip and I put alot of kms on the vehicles, but it was a good time all around. Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Chow for now, Jacqui

Send off for my boss.....

2011-08-30T06:21:00.006-04:00

My last post mentioned that my boss was leaving the organization to go on to a new exciting opportunity with a local up and coming company. I'm very happy for him and wish him the best, but I also and very sad to see him go. I organized a send off for him from the department on Thursday evening, which was a fun time and we had a great turn out as well. He was shocked by how many people showed up to wish him well. Why is it that the "good ones" never know how "good" they are?? We "decorated his office" on Friday morning as well. I wanted to have an "off campus" event for him as well, which would allow me to invite different people - people who used to work with Al, but have moved on over the years. So I organized a surprise party for him on the Saturday. A colleague offered up his house to hold the event, which worked great. My boss's wife and my friend's wife grew up in the same town and my boss and my friend play hockey and hang out together outside of work, so getting them over to the house was not as hard as it could have been. We just organized everything with his wife and the premise of the event was a social BBQ with their friends. Luckily, he had no clue...not until he saw a few cars he recognized from work - yeah the ones with personalized licence plates... oh well he was still surprised. We had a great turn out and I'm quite certain everyone had a good time. I made this card for our departmental send off. It has multiple pages so there was lots of room for people to sign the card. I made these two little guys to put the gift cards we got for him. I made this card to give to him with his gift on Saturday evening. I thought being a guy he would like this one. I also made him a book of memories and put a bunch of pictures inside as well as I had people write little stories or send me little stories and then I printed them off and tacked them in the book. Do you know how hard it is to get guys to write in a memory book? It's like pulling teeth! But it was pretty full so that's the main thing. I also got him a t-shirt, designed by me and airbrushed by Trevor this awesome airbrush artist that we see at the Grand Bend Flea Market. This is a personal joke between Al and us. Quite often when we would do something for him...instead of saying thank you, he would say Muchos "Grassy Ass" hence the shirt. And since we work at the hospital - the blue H. Our extension at work for the Help Desk is 44357 which actually spells 4-HELP, so across the back 4-HELP is airbrushed as well. We also got him a booze bucket!!! Which was full of all kinds of stuff: red wine, white wine, Kahlua, Vodka, Rum, Crown Royal, Baileys, Strawberry Daiquiri's, Tequila, Heineken, Bud Light Lime, Coors Light, Bud Light, peanuts, popcorn and chocolate!!!! It was fun to plan and it was fun to see everyone outside of work. It was a nice chance to relax and get to know people a little better in a non-work environment. Best wishes Al, you will be missed more than you will ever know. Chow for now, Jacqui

Emotional Rollercoaster Day......

2011-08-26T08:53:00.003-04:00

Well first off I am happy cause it is my hubby's birthday today! Unfortunately he has to work today, so he can't kick back and relax for today, but I'm sure he will relax when he gets home from work.
Also, one of my very dear friends, Rob Jesson, is celebrating his birthday today too! I am so glad that he came to work at the same place I work at. We became fast friends and I'm am blessed to call him my friend.
But today I am sad too. Today is my boss, Al Uniac's last day at LHSC. I have worked with Al for 13 years and I am very sad to see him leave. He has a very unique leadership method and he will be missed. I worked along side Al for many years as a colleague and the last few years he was my boss. He is a great man, a wonderful boss, a great husband and a good friend. I am going to miss him (more than he will ever know). I am excited for him too though, because he is leaving to start a new opportunity, that I am certain he will excel at, so I wish him all the best.
So...I'm happy, sad, excited, and nervous of the unknown around work.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-08-25T07:02:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful mom today! I hope you have the best day ever. I love that we live close together now, so we can spend more time together. I cherish every day we get to spend with each other. I love you. Jacqui

BFF weekend

2011-08-19T11:50:00.006-04:00

Wow it's been 10 days since my last post! I have been a busy girl. My BFF Vicki came down from Kingston with her son John for a few days. It was great to see her. She's having some stress lately so I am so happy that she feels comfortable enough to come to my place for some much needed R & R. I love her so much and love the time we get to spend together. I was anxious to see how the weekend was going to turn out because she brought her little 9 week old shitzu, Sydney with her when she came. I was hoping Charlie didn't think Vicki brought her a chew toy! The first day was a little tense - but my noon the next day everyone was getting along great. We have not had the opportunity for Charlie to have too much socialization with other dogs since we got her. So this was a test! I was proud of her. She played like a puppy which was hilarious - cause she is a little larger than Sydney. I think Sydney decided that since she had to do what Charlie wanted, she was going to dominate something, so she decided that should be Runt! Here is Runt making a run for it! Nibs just looked on. We went back to the Grand Bend Flea Market and here Sydney got her picture taken by a fire hydrant and got to ride (actually just sit) in the antique Ferris wheel! We took a trip to the beach as well where Sydney helped John dig a hole in the sand. It was cute to watch her watching John dig, and then all of a sudden she went over and started to help him! She's a good little pup and took time to smell the flowers on her vacation! I bought Charlie a bone when we were at the Flea Market, but I didn't' give it to her until Sydney was gone home as I didn't want to cause any problems between the two. I wanted to get a picture of Sydney with it though!! I think they will be friends now! Charlie also got to play a bit. She loves to play tug-0-war and she will run full tilt at you when she sees that thing! Joel likes to make her jump to get it. Joel also spent a little quiet time with Sydney. All in all it was a good few days and I hope my BFF found a bit of peace while she was here. Chow for now, Jacqui

Bitchin' Bachelorette Bash!!

2011-08-09T06:04:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, my little sisters friends planned a Bachelorette party for her. It was going to be a weekend event! My mom and I decided to attend just the dinner part of the weekend. I don't know about mom, but some of the events they had planned, I did not think the old body could handle! So we decided to just grab a hotel room, attend the dinner and then have a mother daughter night away! We arrived at the hotel around 12:30 pm. The view out of our hotel room was amazing! There were two weddings planned for that afternoon as well, so we were able to sit in our air conditioned room (well once we figured out how to work the thing!) and watch the weddings. They were both very different. The first one the girls wore long, very wispy looking, light purple dresses. The bride was very thin and had a very form fitting dress. Their flowers were white. The second one, the girls wore royal blue dresses - short dresses with yellow shoes and the flowers were yellow and red. This bride was a bigger girl and to be honest her choice of dress was not one that I would have chosen for someone of her size. It was kind of cool when she walked down the aisle though - they got just to where the people were sitting and then the music changed and they kind of boogied down the aisle. Cute idea - but from where we were sitting - neither one of them looked like the boogying type....but hey - it was her wedding so who am I to pick it apart! Then we got ready to go out for dinner with the girls. We headed downstairs to see all the decorations and "trinkets" that Courtney had received the night before! Courtney was required to wear the bachelorette veil - which was not complete without a few condoms hanging on it! We also heard of some of the shenanigans that happened Friday night. (Friday night was the pink penis headband evening!) All I can say is....why do random men think it's okay to walk around naked??? Our dinner was delicious - we ate at Milestones at Masonville Mall. I had never been there before. The last time I was in that location - it was a Reuben and Wongs! After dinner mom and I did some window shopping and then headed back to our room...but the girls....were headed to do some pole dancing! We got back to the hotel and I was Facebooking with some friends and then Tim decided to come and visit - well we told him he should and he should bring us some snacks!! So he showed up at our door with chips, popcorn and cookies!!! He stayed for about 2 hours and we chatted and laughed. I love listening to his stories. They are always so funny an so animated. I wish we hung out more! I've decided though - if I ever decide to go on a trip somewhere - he is coming with me! Sunday morning we were waiting around for the girls to go out and do breakfast, but things were a little rough and seeing, let alone eating, a full plate of food that morning was not something they were looking forward to! So mom and I left them to slowly crawl to the cars and drive home and we headed out to Cora's for breakfast. We had never ate at Cora's before, but were told it was delicious - IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT - it was very tasty. I will definitely return! Mom and I then went to Scrappin' Great Deals so she could pick up some Copic markers and then we headed home. I had a stupid migraine started so climbed into bed pretty much as soon as I got there, but all in all it was a fun weekend. Chow for now, Jacqui

The "Weight" of life....

2011-08-05T06:29:00.004-04:00

Well I'm pretty bummed out with myself. Last September, I decided I was gonna get on the weight loss train and get skinny before my little sisters wedding. Well...her wedding is in 5 weeks...and here I sit, the heaviest I have ever been and feeling like crap. Why does losing weight have to be so bloody hard? It certainly is not hard putting the weight on. I was surfing the web yesterday and I came across some pictures and I guess I am not the only one struggling with my weight. I had such a huge crush on Val Kilmer when I was in high school. Oh my gosh when he played Nick Rivers in the movie Top Secret!!!! He was just so "dreamy" and I'm not sure if he was singing in the movie or if it was voiced over, but it looked like he was singing - and well if you know me.......a guy who can sing.....**insert sound of racing heart here!*** Then when he played Madmartigan in the movie Willow. He had the long hair and looked so tough and rugged....Willow was a great movie by the way! And I must admit I think my all time favourite was when he played Iceman in the movie Top Gun. Not only did he have his shirt off a number of times...but when he did....he was playing VOLLEYBALL - once again for you who know me......a guy who can play volleyball......***insert racing heart beat here too**! But then......this was a recent picture I found of him. Yikes.... Maybe we should hook up and check out a weight watchers meeting together. But.....on a positive note......my Kobo fund is up to $17!!! yay! Chow for now, Jacqui

Kobo fund!!!!

2011-08-04T08:30:00.002-04:00

Well I have decided to get a Kobo Touch e-Reader. My good friend Rob has one and he loves it. I love to read and I have come to grips with the fact that I am never gonna have a house where I have a library with bookshelves from floor to ceiling, so instead of spending money on books to read and then store in a box....I am gonna save my pennies to get an e-Reader. That way I can still have all my books and I can carry them around with me every day if I want to! Now I just have to find someplace that wants to buy my books. Now don't get me wrong, there will be some books I keep - forever - the Twilight books for sure! So I have warned the family, that I have started my Kobo fund - so I am showing no mercy when it comes to doing the laundry. If it's in a pocket - it's MINE!!!! (of course I made this announcement after my son informed me he washed $25 the day before!!!) So I have my little container - that no one knows where it is or what it looks like - loose change seems to disappear around my place! And so far...I have $2 in the fund!!! I told my friend Rob that I was starting a fund and he tossed me a loonie to start off the fund!!!! Chow for now, Jacqui

Pillars of the Earth

2011-08-03T07:18:00.004-04:00

I read this book and LOVED it. I could not put it down. It is not the type of book that I usually read but it was awesome. I might have to look up some more Ken Follet books to read. I think there is one that is set in the same town and the same area but a whole bunch of years later, so will have to see if I can find that one. So since I had finished the book I decided to watch the 8 part mini-series. It was well done. A few minor things different than the book, but all in all it was well done. There were alot of years to go through which I can imagine was very hard to do in 8 hours. My suggestion - read the book first - then watch the show. This is Tom Builder. I liked that Rufus Sewell - the fella who played Tom Builder was a nice character in this show. He quite often plays mean men and it was nice to see him in a nice role for a change. This is Prior Philip. His acting style kind of reminded me of Tom Hanks a few times during the show. This is Ellen. I really liked her character - strong woman, not afraid to stand up for what she believes. This is Jack, Ellen's son. Thought to be a bit slow...but as it turns out...he is brilliant when it comes to working with stone and mechanics. This is Aliana. She too was a very strong woman and stood up for what she believed in and held true to her promise to her father. This is Waleran Bigod - or in real life Ian McShane. Most times, I love Ian McShane's work...and well I liked his work in this one as well - but he was such an evil man - and being a man of the church and being evil made it even worse. He did a great job as the character - but I like him much better when he plays a nice character! This....is William Hamleigh....he is evil beyond evil. I hated his character in the book and the person they got to play him did a really good job of getting that evil across in his character. I was happy the way the book ended for William!
Chow for now, Jacqui

Life in the country...

2011-07-30T14:32:00.005-04:00

I love living in the country. It was one of the best moves I ever made moving out of the city. Sure in the city there is the convenience of walking to the store, getting fast food, zipping out quick when you run out of milk and the people.....but none of that even comes close to living in the country. I've got a garden planted that is doing quite well considering the crappy soil conditions I started with and the weather this summer. We had a good supply of strawberries for the month of June and some radishes as well. We are now enjoying, peas, beans, cucumbers and my beets are ready to be pickled!!!My first tomato is just about ready to pluck off the vine as well. I was standing out looking at the garden the other night and I felt the wind (I thought) rustle my hair, but then there was a squawk. Well it turned out to be barn swallows performing some sort of air attack formation above me. They have babies in the drive shed, but it is not that close to the garden and they were zooming at my head. It was scary. I don't know if they would actually hit me or not, but I ducked every time and didn't give them a chance to find out! Here is a video of Joel, and you can see how close they get to your head! They are fast little buggers too! This is the reason they are dive bombing!! Aren't they cute? I think they alternate their seating so I think there are either 4 or 6 in the nest. Friday my sunflowers were finally out in full bloom. Check this out! Maybe that's why the birds were dive bombing me....they want me to stay away from the flowers that are gonna give them seeds soon! Have a great long weekend. Chow for now, Jacqui

Been a while...

2011-07-29T06:26:00.005-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted. We are just so crazy busy at work, I just can't seem to find the time. And then when I go home, it is so danged hot...I just try and sit and not move. I think air conditioners are going on my Christmas list!!! Ha, not that I'll need them at Christmas...but you know what I mean. Last night we decided to watch the movie The Lincoln Lawyer. I have been wanting to watch it for a while cause well.. Matthew McConaughey...need I say more!
I really enjoyed this movie. I didn't realize it was a book - written by Michael Connelly. I might just have to have a read! I knew Matthew was in the movie, but I didn't realize all the others that were. It was a great cast. William H. Macy, Oh my gosh - remember when he was on ER...he sure didn't look like this! I love his acting though. Great, great actor.
Marisa Tomei, I really like Marisa's character in this movie. She is beautiful as ever. Remember her in My Cousin Vinny! John Leguizamo, I've always liked John - he was on ER for a stint as well, but I think my favourite character he has played was that short little fella in Moulin Rouge! Trace Adkins, How cool is this!!! I didn't know our country boy Trace was in the movie. Man oh man he is a big man! Michael Pare, I used to have the biggest crush on this guy!!!! Remember the movie Eddie and the Cruisers!!!!!
Ryan Phillippe, played a very good role as an ASS. Francis Fisher, Oh my gosh - remember her from Edge of Night!!! Josh Lucas He's always a cutie! and Bryan Cranston. It always makes me laugh to see him in a movie now.....He will always be Malcolm's dad - but with his Breaking Bad show - he has certainly broke out into different characters.
If you're looking for a movie to watch tonight....pick this one up!
Chow for now
Jacqui

Gardening....

2011-07-20T06:57:00.006-04:00

For those of you who know me - I love to garden. I wish my soil was a bit easier to deal with here on the farm, but there are ways to fix that. I was excited to have a spot to have a veggie garden, as there is nothing better than fresh tomatoes from your very own garden. The harvest started with strawberries and radishes. We had a great season of strawberries, I picked nearly an ice cream pail full every day for the month of June! The radishes were good - but I always forget to pace my planting of them and we have so many all at once and then we can't eat them all up - and they don't freeze well! Right now we are enjoying peas and yellow beans! I couldn't find any green bean seeds this year - and to be honest I like yellow ones better anyway - so I only planted yellow beans. They didn't come up as well as I had hoped, but we will get enough to have a few feeds and maybe a couple of bags in the freezer as well. I'm anxiously awaiting the beets to be ready so I can make up some pickled beets! They are a favourite in our house. And the first tomato is always a treat too! Especially with some bacon on a sandwich! And when my cucumbers come on I will be able to put a slice of cucumber on my sandwich too! My Mom and Dad have a bunch of ever-bearing raspberry bushes, so I got some from them to transplant to my place. They are called ever-bearing, because once they start to produce berries, they continue to do so until frost! I'm looking forward to the first berry off those plants as well. I worked on my flower beds as well this spring. I transplanted some Chinese lantern plants from my mom's - which is kind of funny cause I gave her the first ones that she had at her place - they look nice - but do tend to take over a little bit.... these are the beds at the back of the house - so they get lots of shade and the hostas love it! They have come up big this season. In my front bed This is when I planted the petunias! I have a few hostas and I planted some marigolds and some wave petunias. I have planted some chives in between the petunias as well although they are kind of hard to see amongst the purple and pink flowers. Hope you enjoyed my quick garden tour! Chow for now, Jacqui

Some more movie reviews!!!

2011-07-19T06:27:00.003-04:00

I've watched a few movies in the last few days - it's too bloody hot to do anything else...so I sit my fat arse down on the couch - with the fan blowing directly on me and pop in a video! Although I did go to the theatre to see some!! Which was wonderful with the air conditioning pumping into the room!!! Joel (my son) treated me to the movies!!! We went to see Transformers, Dark Side of the Moon. It was awesome. I love love love the Transformer movies. Shia Lebouf is great and it was nice to see Patrick Dempsey outside the box of McDreamy. The funny Asian fella from the Hangover movies was in it as well, which made Joel laugh out loud. I still can't believe that man is a doctor. We also watched Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I have been wanting to watch this one for a while and it was good. Cute little story with some action on the side! We also watched Soul Surfer. WOW...this was a really good movie. It is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton who was well on her way to becoming a professional surfer when her arm was bitten off by a shark. She still reached her goal of becoming a professional surfer, but the story of how she got there was very emotional and inspirational. Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid played her parents in the show. I've always liked Dennis Quaid and this movie did not disappoint. I like Helen Hunt as well, but I wish she would have left her face alone. She looked way better in the movie Twister, than she did in this one. Why do people have to be so vain? Anyhow, I hope you enjoy my movie review and if you get a chance to watch them - I would say ENJOY!! Chow for now, Jacqui

Concord Crush shower card

2011-07-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine at work asked me to make a shower card for her to give to another friend. The colours were a deep deep purple, so I used concord crush. It's kind of hard to see the colour in the picture. I like the way this one turned out - I love using this little dress for shower cards. Thinking of making cards....I better get started on Courtney's wedding thank yous! Chow for now Jacqui

Butterflies

2011-07-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

I made this book when I was up at my BFF's place in the spring. I see all these cool little books and things on the Internet and on other people's blogs and I want to try them.....usually I'll share the instructions with my friend Kim and then we will plug away at working on them.......She ALWAYS finishes hers....me....not so much!!! I have good intentions...but sometimes I just can't finish it.... I have many an unfinished project in my stamp room! Bad I know.!! But I did finish this one....well finished as in making...but not finish as in adding pictures etc. It was kinda fun to do though! Chow for now, Jacqui

The Last page.....

2011-07-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well this brings us to the last page of the scrapbook I made for my friend Rob to give to his partner Curtis for his 50th birthday. I had so much fun making it. Rob gives me all of his pictures when he comes home from his trips! I have made them a calendar for the last 3 years now I think and I use their pictures for each month! Here is the last layout in the book. It's simple and only a single pager - and apparently Curtis's favourite place in the world! I also made this journal so people could write comments or something in when they came to his party. I just scooped up a book from the dollar store and then covered it. I like the way it turned out. Chow for now, Jacqui

Buildings and more buildings....

2011-07-15T06:08:00.002-04:00

One of the layouts I did for my friends book was with a mess of pictures they had taken of different buildings and structures along their travels. I got these printed small as well because there were lots and lots of them. Chow for now. Jacqui

Eatin' and Drinkin'

2011-07-13T06:30:00.003-04:00

It seems that's what I have been doing alot of lately, with Courtney's stag and doe this past weekend and two showers! So I thought I would share with you the eating layout I did for Rob and Curtis's book. They have traveled to so many places, they actually just got back from another cruise, and many of the pictures they show me involve food! I got the pictures printed off small - I think 3 X 5. This way I could put more on the page. I like the way this layout turned out. Chow for now, Jacqui

Check out these beauties!!

2011-07-12T06:34:00.005-04:00

When we moved from Woodstock to Sylvan I brought some of my plants with me. I have some plants that have sentimental value to me. I won't go into a big long explanation about it, because I'm certain I have in a previous post! I wanted to show you though - how beautiful my lilies look this year! I transplanted them and they were rough last year - I wasn't sure they were gonna make it, but look at them!! They look awesome. Here are some day lilies as well. I didn't plant them, they came with the place!! But they are out in full bloom as well. We saw a couple of movies recently. One was Unknown with Liam Neeson. This was pretty good. It didn't have the outcome I thought it was going to. I thought I had it all figured out - but I didn't! So I guess it was good in that respect - it had me guessing right till the end. We also saw Water for Elephants. This was a very good movie. I like Reese Witherspoon and although I am a die hard Twilight fan, it was nice to Robert Pattinson doing a character other than Edward. I really enjoyed this one. I have not read the book, but it is on my list of "to read". Chow for now, Jacqui

New Family Members!!

2011-07-11T07:48:00.004-04:00

The other day we woke up to 4 tiny baby kitties on our porch. We have a house cat, who never goes outside and who is fixed, so we knew they weren't hers! There is a stray/barn cat that hangs around our place. It is a tabby coloured cat that we named Toby. Well...I think maybe Toby was a Tobette or a Tanya!!! The kittens are the cutest things ever! Joe doesn't want us to pet them - he just wants them to go away...but seriously...how can you resist? When I got home from work on Friday, it was the first time I saw them. They were all huddled up together in the corner of the porch. So I got a little box and put an old blanket in it and let them lay in it. Then I gave them a little plate full of food. It is quite comical cause they are all trying to be so tough and hissing and stuff - but you can totally pick them all up and they start purring when you do. There is one tabby one, two black/brown/orange/white ones (we call them the twins), and then a black one. The tabby one was trying to be the big tough guy...she how the ears are flat!! One of the twins we call Runt. She is so tiny compared to the other 3. She follows us everywhere. It's so cute. She and Charlie are becoming fast friends. I am so proud of Charlie for not EATING her! Charlie is actually afraid of her a little bit. She does fine until Runt gets underneath her and then she jumps! We need to come up with names for the other three. We were thinking Bicardi, Smirnoff and something else - but then figured everyone would figure we were a bunch of drunks!! Then we thought Transformer names......but teeny tiny kitties don't really look like Ironhide! So we went with Runt for the one - and am not sure on the others. We are having fun with them though. ......warning....next part is a bit morbid......I was driving home the other day and a bird flew out of the ditch and my car hit it....I didn't think any more of it - til I got home and it was kinda stuck in my car......so in the great big circle of life.......baby kitties had a pretty good meal yesterday! Chow for now Jacqui

A great day!

2011-07-08T06:19:00.002-04:00

Well yesterday was a great day! I had the day off work, which is always the start to a good day, but the reason was my hubby needed to have a procedure done. We got over to the hospital at 0630 and we were done and on our way home by 0845. And the good news is .....everything is normal and he is cancer free!!!!! So that was definitely a great start to the day! Then we had to go to Woodstock to pay $$ to our mechanic for keeping our vehicles safe and on the road. We have not been able to get Charlie into the van or car since we got her, which has been frustrating cause we want to take her in to Parkhill to meet Granny at the nursing home and we want to take her to the beach too. So we thought we'd give it a shot. So I put her leash on and walked her around the yard a little bit and then I walked her over to the van. It took a little bit of coaching to get her into the van the first time, but Joe was inside and calling her and finally she went in. So we got to take Charlie with us on our road trip to Woodstock! So we swung around to visit Jade! She was excited cause she has been missing Charlie since she went to Woodstock to work for the summer. Then we had a visit with Joe's sister. We then went and paid our mechanic and as a special treat - we went to Fritzies for lunch! Man oh man - I certainly miss that place since we moved! We then headed home and Charlie slept pretty much all the way home! So all in all it was a successful road trip and a great great day! So here's wishing you a super day today. Chow for now, Jacqui

Cruise layout

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here is another layout from my friends book. I thought it was fitting to post a cruise layout since that is where they are right now. I am so jealous...Oh well - they send me emails and lots of pictures while they are away, so I live vicariously through them! Plus doing it this way - I don't have to suffer through Montezuma's Revenge!!! lol I love this picture of Curtis with his life preserver on. If any of you have cruised before you know that as soon as you get on the boat they make you do through this drill. When you are there it's kind of like - "come on, seriously" - but if you ever have any doubt - go back and watch the movie Titanic - it can happen! Chow for now, Jacqui

My Baby Sister....

2011-07-06T07:34:00.003-04:00

Well she is not so much of a baby anymore....she is getting married this year. Their stag and doe is this weekend and I can't wait to go and celebrate with them.
It's being held at our family farm so that will be fun as well. Give some of the city folk a new experience!!!!
They recently got some engagement pictures taken and oh my gosh they are awesome. They looked like they had so much fun getting them done. There are a couple that I can just imagine what was going on in their heads while they were getting them taken!
Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure!

I love this one! On the blog, I think they posted a caption with regards to this being their "vampire" pic!!!! I've been catching up on True Blood episodes and so that caption made me laugh - I can totally picture them all of a sudden smiling and having their fangs come out!!
Chow for now,
Jacqui
P.S. - isn't my little sister BEEEEE-UUUUUU-TEEEEEE-FUL?? - Jay's okay too!! lol

Penguins!

2011-07-05T06:21:00.002-04:00

Not the hockey kind or the Happy Feet kind..but the real kind! My friend went to an island on one of their trips and there were penguins by the thousands! Here is the layout I did for his penguin pictures!

Chow for now,
Jacqui

Camping layout

2011-07-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

I certainly could not have made a scrapbook for Rob and Curtis without putting in a camping layout. They go on many camping trips throughout the summer. I have had the pleasure of camping beside them once when we visited the Pinery Provincial Park on the same weekend. It was so cool to see all their little things that make their camping site unique and like home. They put a little candle or solar light at the end of their "driveway" on their site, and they always have a Canadian flag flying somewhere and there is always a welcome mat and a place for their doggie to rest his weary head.

Chow for now,
Jacqui

The Camel Ride

2011-07-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here is another double layout from my friends book. They recently visited India where they went on a two day camel trip. I guess they took a 2 hour jeep ride out into the middle of no where then they got on camels and road another couple of hours. They slept under the stars in the desert in India. I must say they are braver than I would be.

Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Canada Day to all my friends and families and all my online friends who happen to follow or come across my blog today! I'm very happy and proud to live in Canada (although after the display by some of the citizens in BC after the Stanley Cup......I'm glad I don't call BC home.....). In spite of sometimes having long wait times, which can be frustrating when you are not feeling well or when you have a sick child, our health care is very good. I work in the Information Technology Services area of a very large health care institution and I used to work as an RN. I have seen the organization from both sides of the fence and although we may moan and groan and complain....at the end of the day, we are very lucky to have the health care system we do. Canada has some beautiful places. Take Lake Louise - now you cannot look at that picture and not see beauty. I remember visiting there with my Granny and Poppa on one of our summer road trips. I remember taking one of those funky car/snowmobile machines to travel on the glaciers. I remember a place, I think it was called Call of the Wild, where we used to go and visit. You would go inside and it was dark and then when you walked by a spot the section would light up behind the glass and there was a life size display of an animals habitat or something like that. I tried to find some pictures of it, but have not had any luck. And what about this gem? The CN Tower. I have been there a couple of times. Once with school I think it was in Grade 6 - and the funny thing is I found some old school work and one of my projects was to write a journal about our trip - and we had to put in there what the best part of the trip was - and I wrote that the best part was that a certain boy was on the trip with me!!! ha ha - I got a kick out of that one! Recently my friend Kim and I got real close to the CN Tower as we were making our way up to my BFF's place for our annual Victopia road trip and got turned around on the 4-O- something and so we got a little closer to the tower than we usually do! I like it since they have put the lights on it that change - it is a very pretty site. What about Canada's Wonderland! How fun it is - all the rides and the "mountain"! How about the 1000 Islands?? We took a boat cruise through some of them with my BFF a few summers ago - it's just beautiful - and peaceful to float along on the boat and look at some of the beautiful and unique houses built on some of the islands. I thought this one was very cool. Saskatchewan has some beautiful prairies, Quebec has it's majestic charm, and what about the beauty of Eastern Canada, like Newfoundland. I have never been East and it is definitely on my bucket list. Anyhow, enough of my blithering today. I hope you enjoy your Canada Day and if you are out celebrating, please remember to celebrate not only the birth of Canada, but the rights and freedoms you have in this great country. Chow for now, Jacqui

Ceremony and Dogs

2011-06-29T06:18:00.003-04:00

Here are another two single layouts. The one shows pictures of my friends ceremony and the other shows pictures of their two dogs. Oscar was their first dog, but he has passed away. Boris is their new dog. I really like the way this page turned out. I used one of the Pet Packs for designer paper. Chow for now, Jacqui

Friends and Family Layout

2011-06-28T06:32:00.003-04:00

Most of the layouts I did for my friends book were two page layouts, but there were a few 1 pagers in there too! Here are a couple of one pagers. I titled one of them Friends and one of them Family, so they kind of go together - although the layouts are totally different. Chow for now, Jacqui

The Bus Trip with Mom!!!

2011-06-27T06:46:00.007-04:00

I went with my Mom on a bus trip on Saturday. What fun we had! We were travelling to Bright to the Walters Family Dinner Theatre. We started out with Mom picking me up at my place around 6:30. We needed to be ready for the first pick up in Strathroy at 7:30 AM. We got there, and soon after John came with the bus. We all piled on the bus and headed for our next pick up spot in Ilderton. Once we picked up the passengers in Ilderton, we then headed to London to pick up the last bunch of people who would be travelling with us. We had some extra time, so we made a stop at the Trails End Flea Market. It was fun to stop here. I had not been there in quite some time and the fresh fruit and veggies were awesome. I like to buy local and this is a great time of year to do so. I scooped up some yummy tomatoes and some pepperettes and some cheese curds. I sat and chatted with a former teacher of my daughters and it was great to see her. She actually sold me a product that is supposed to get smells out of stuff - so I am gonna give a squirt to Joe's next load of pig stinky clothes from work and see how we make out! These little guys were for sale at the market as well. How cute are they? We then left the market and headed for Bright, which was the location of our show! What a beautiful location. This is the house of the Walters Family. Here is the pond out in their yard. This is another building on the premises. This is the nice big sign heading into the theater. And the is the nice porch out front. We had a great meal - so of course I took a quick picture of it. Here is mom chatting it up with some of the passengers from the bus. Even the bathrooms were cute! We had a super day and I had lots of fun travelling with my mom and Ilderton Tours. Chow for now, Jacqui

Candids....

2011-06-24T06:44:00.002-04:00

This layout was fun to do. I gathered up a bunch of pictures were Rob and Curtis are having fun, or making funny faces. I used my big punch to make the strip along the side and then placed black underneath for an accent. I had a little dinosaur rub on that I thought would look fun on the page since he was green too! I used my printer to print a verse on a piece of designer paper and then I matted it with black and put it on the page. It reads "The best kind of friend is one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had". I matted a couple of pictures with black for accents as well and then used 3 large green brads for accent on the one side. Chow for now, Jacqui

Remember when....

2011-06-23T07:29:00.003-04:00

I love that song by Alan Jackson, so I used the title as one of the layout titles for my friends scrapbook. He gave me a bunch of older pictures, so I thought the title was fitting! He also gave me his Track and Field little thingy so I put that on the page too! Chow for now, Jacqui

Finally....the scrapbook!

2011-06-22T07:04:00.003-04:00

I mentioned a while back that I was working on a scrapbook for a friend. Well the party has past and the book was delivered so I can now share with you the pages that I did for the book. I am gonna space out showing you the pictures.....gotta milk it for all it's worth!!! Anyhow, the book was a huge success and everyone enjoyed looking at the pictures. Here is the cover of the scrapbook and the first page. Chow for now, Jacqui

Spread the Word to End the Word

2011-06-17T06:27:00.002-04:00

This is an awesome clip one of my dear friends shared with me on Facebook today. This is such an important message to get out to EVERYONE. I have family members who have some developmental delays and ya know what? They are no different than you or me. They laugh when they find something funny, they cry when they are sad or when they are hurt. They have dreams and aspirations, just like you and me. And, just like you and me, they do not like it when they are put down or ridiculed simply because people are ignorant.
Recently at one of the country music award ceremonies, Darius Rucker sang with a number of people who participated in the ACM's Lifting Lives Camp. This camp is designed to improve the lives of people through the power of music. This clip says it all.
On an episode of Glee this season, Sue Sylvester, who just happens to be the meanest person alive, had a tragedy strike her family and her sister died. (on the show - not in real life). Her sister had Down's Syndrome. Her sister had always been her hero and she learned so much from her about acceptance being comfortable in your own skin. There is another girl who plays on the show, Becky, who also has Down Syndrome and in the episode Sue kicks her off the cheer leading team because seeing her is too painful and it reminds her of her sister too much. By the end of the episode Sue's humanity starts to shine through again and she brings Becky back on the squad realizing her beautiful spirit and the fact that it will be great to remember her sister every day.
So for today, sit back, watch these videos and just......Think about it.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Cute kids...

2011-06-14T07:07:00.002-04:00

Jade showed me these videos and I just had to share them with you. Embedding was turned off so I couldn't put them right here, but if you click on the link you will be able to watch them! First off, when Ellen has a guest on her show that makes her laugh, it is just hilarious. This little one is cute as a button. http://youtu.be/4kYWgbv0Nng The little poetry girl is cute too. Very passionate. http://youtu.be/RUeLjNvjz9E
I almost posted this, but I couldn't post something without a picture!!
So here is my strawberry patch early in the spring.
Here is my garden, just after I planted it.
And here....are the first few berries from my strawberry harvest! Chow for now, Jacqui

Movie weekend!

2011-06-13T06:23:00.003-04:00

Well Saturday was spent with Mom and Courtney finishing Courtney's invitations! We had fun. I can't show you what they look like until I receive mine in the mail - then I will know Courtney is ready to show them to people! They turned out great though. There were a couple of tense "stuffing" moments - but all in all it was a success! We saw a few movies this weekend and I was pleased that they were all good. I hate when you get all built up to watch a movie and it sucks when you watch it. Not so with these three. The first one we watched was The Adjustment Bureau. It had Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. I wasn't sure if I was gonna 'get' this movie when I saw the trailer, but I really really enjoyed it. The second one we watched was Paul. I have been looking forward to seeing this one since the first time I saw the trailer for it. I was not disappointed. It was hilarious. I was surprised at the amount of language in it though - cause I thought it would be more for the kids, but it was still funny. The third one was I Am Number Four. The kids had seen this one before, but I had not seen it yet so I thought I would see how it was. I was curious to see it because I saw Alex Pettyfer in Alex Rider: Stormbreaker and he was pretty good - I was curious to see how he has matured with his acting......AND.....he is dating Diana Agron (Quinn from Glee!!) in real life so I wanted to see how they acted together. It was a good movie! Kevin Durand played another "mean" role in this movie. He always plays mean guys - he was in LOST (the fella that came down to shoot all the people on the island), he was in Legion, 3:10 to Yuma, and Robin Hood to name a few. Gotta like him though - He's CANADIAN!!! I really did enjoy this movie. Lots of action and a good story line - I hope they do a sequel! Chow for now, Jacqui

Last bunch of ovarian cards

2011-06-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here are the last two cards I did for the Run for Ovarian cancer. I think this one is my favourite - I did a bunch of these ones. I just love the way the yellow daisy/sunflower turned out.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Ovarian cards..

2011-06-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here are two more cards I did. I scooped up the ribbon at the M store. I think it adds a nice touch.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

More Run for Ovarian cancer cards

2011-06-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here are another couple of cards for the Run for Ovarian cancer. The sentiment on this one reads, We do not remember the days we remember the moments.

The sentiment on this one reads, May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
I'm glad I stamped these when I was at Vicki's. She had a whole bunch of nice sentiments to add to the cards.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Run for Ovarian Cancer cards...

2011-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

When I was up in Kingston in the spring at my BFF's place I was working on some cards for the Run for Ovarian cancer. One of my friends at work was helping organize the event and she asked for any donations we could come up with.....so of course I thought cards. The run also had a special meaning for large number of us at work, as one of our colleagues passed away earlier in the year and she had ovarian cancer. The run logo or image is a sunflower so I thought I would do some cards with sunflowers on them. I wanted to keep them relatively simple as well. Here are a couple I did - (I'm gonna stretch them out over a few days - cause I haven't been doing much stamping of late...) This one is a little hard to read, but the sentiment reads Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle. I wanted the cards to be inspirational as well. I put flower soft in the middle of the flower and used embossing folders for the texture.
And this sentiment says, May you live a long life full of gladness and health.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Ines!!

2011-06-02T10:13:00.002-04:00

Today is our beautiful German friend, Ines' birthday!! Wishing you lots of love and happiness for today and always. We miss you much and hope to see you again soon.
Luv the Lines'
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Dad - late on here - but on time for him!

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

My Dad celebrated his birthday on the 23rd of May. I was actually on time getting him his card this year - and wouldn't you know it....I forgot to take a picture of it. I used Lovely As A Tree (one of my favs) and it was pretty if I do say so myself!!! I did manage to get a couple of pictures of him when he was helping a couple of the new baby lambs drink from their mamma! How cute are these guys! Chow for now, Jacqui

Canadian Happy New Year

2011-05-31T06:46:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine shared this with me this week. It's funny. '

Chow for now
Jacqui

Busy, busy, busy......

2011-05-17T07:22:00.004-04:00

and still busy. I have been so busy at work, and scrap booking (nothing I can show you yet though) and stamping ( also nothing I can show you yet!), but I have been busy. I pretty much have the scrapbook done for my friend, just a few more finishing touches and I will be able to give it to him. Then on to invitation making!!!!!! I'm so honoured my little sister asked me to help her make her invitations! I hope they live up to her expectations! So since I don't have any stamping or scrapping pictures to share, I'll share some pictures of Charlie!!!! Jade loves to take pictures of her - I think we probably have around 2000 or so now....and we have only had her since January 1. Here she is with her Kong bone. She loves to play fetch and chase balls, bones, whatever you throw! Look how pretty she is standing there.
Waiting and waiting for that bone to be tossed. Here she is smelling the "flowers" - even though they are weeds! I think she and Jade are playing hide and seek here and it's Charlie's turn to count.....98....99....100....Ready or not, here I come.
This is her place to lay while we are eating supper. Just at the top of the steps....I'm pretty sure she just heard the fridge door open!
Hope you enjoyed my pics of my girl!
Chow for now
Jacqui

Happy Mother's Day....

2011-05-08T10:12:00.003-04:00

to all the important women in my life. First my Mom. I loved hanging out with her on Friday night when we went out for dinner and went on a short little jaunt to get some dirt for our gardens! We had lots of laughs and some great food!!! Thanks again for the good times mom! Second, my Granny. She is 92 years young and I love her to pieces. She is the reason I am the way I am, and the reason I have what I have today. She has supported me and stuck by me through everything, and for that I love her unconditionally. Third, my sister Diana. She is a wonderful Mom. She gave up one career to be at home with her son, only to find out that the career she could have at home was much more rewarding. I love her so much and wish she lived closer. Fourth, my sister Courtney. She is not a mom yet, but I know when it happens, she will be a wonderful mother.....lets just get this wedding out of the way first!! And last but not least, my best friend Vicki. She is an awesome mom. She loves unconditionally and is there for her son, no matter what. She is involved in all of his activities, both at school and extra-curricular and my life was blessed when she came into it. So to all you Mom's (and mom's to be) I love you all and wish you a very Happy Mother's Day. Luv ya, Chow for now, Jacqui

Still here.....

2011-05-03T06:39:00.005-04:00

Well that bat is gone now. It stuck around for about 3 days and then it left. I still think it was an odd place for it to be "hanging" out. Oh well..what do I know. This past weekend I worked on a scrapbook for a friend. I can't show you any of the layouts until my friend gets it cause that would not be fair! The rest of the family was in and out most of the weekend so I got prime scrapbooking time to myself!! It was great. I just put on some movies and started working away. I started out with Toy Story 3!! What a cute little movie. I really liked the original Toy Story and I remember watching it with the kids when they were little and then Joel needed the Buzz and Woody's....good times! I have seen bits and pieces of Toy Story 2, and I watched this one cause it was on while I was scrapbooking. It was really very good. I even cried a little bit at the end. It's sometimes sad when a chapter of your life closes.
Then The Losers was on. I love this movie. It's action packed and the chemistry of the actors was just really fun. Best part...when Jensen starts singing "Don't Stop Believin". Then The Fast and The Furious Tokyo Drift was on.....so that got me to thinking....I should catch up on my Vin Diesel movies. So I popped in the original Fast and Furious and then I watched 2 Fast and 2 Furious and then we watched Tokyo Drift (which I totally forgot that Vin Diesel was in ). I still need to watch Fast and Furious #4 and I can't wait until Fast Five comes out. The addition of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is gonna be awesome...I can't wait for the fight scene between him and Vin!! I also watched the movie Easy A cause it was on while I was scrapbooking. It was a cute movie too. Kind of shows you how bad rumors and spreading rumors can be. It was nice to see Lisa Kudrow in a role other than Phoebe - although she still had some Phoebe characteristics. It was also nice to see the fella that played James in Twilight - he has been in a lot of shows...cute too!!!! Oh yeah, I watched The Princess Bride too! Now I didn't actually "watch" them all cause I was scrapbooking, but they were on and I listened and looked up from my work every once in a while. I can't wait to give the scrapbook to my friend and then I can show you the layouts! Chow for now, Jacqui

PDC goes Twilight.......

2011-04-27T09:04:00.002-04:00

Well I missed the birth of the goslings...I guess on Thursday, the 21st she had a couple that had hatched under her wing, and was waiting for the rest. I came into work on Monday to do some things and I came with my camera in tow so I could get some good shots.....and there was nothing there. So she hatched them all and took them all down to the river that runs behind our offices. I'll keep my fingers for next year, or maybe when they get a bit bigger they will be trucking around back on the bank of the river behind the office. So today when I came into work, I parked my car in my usual spot in the parking garage, (which is on Perth Drive hence the name PDC) and as I was walking toward the stairwell door, I saw this "splotch" on the wall - it looked like a big chunk of mud - but I thought why would there be mud in there and that high on the wall....so I got a big closer and look at what it was!!!! A Bat!!!! not sure what it means that it is there and it is daytime...but I am gonna keep my distance from him either way! I know bats are good to get rid of bugs and stuff...but man they are UGLY!!!!! Even though... I think I might name him Edward (after the dude from Twilight....not you Dad!!!! if you are reading this!) Chow for now Jacqui

Remembering Poppa

2011-04-20T07:07:00.002-04:00

Today would have been my Poppa's birthday. I think of him often and I wonder if he were still here if he and Granny would still be living in their house in Parkhill, or if they would be sharing a room at the nursing home. He was so much fun and we spent so much time with him and Granny, I don't have many memories where they are not included.
I miss you Poppa,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Uncle Mel.

2011-04-19T06:39:00.002-04:00

Well...his birthday was actually yesterday, but I wasn't around a computer to get his picture and card uploaded. We celebrated his birthday on the 9th of April when we celebrated Granny's and Jade's and Aunt Brenda's too! We have a lot of April birthdays in our family. I love this picture of Uncle Mel and my Mom. This is the card I whipped up for him. I have had this Harley paper kicking around for a while now...I'm glad I finally got to put it to some use. Chow for now. Jacqui

Back Again!!

2011-04-13T09:04:00.003-04:00

This is the third year in a row that Lucy and Drake have decided to nest in our large planter that is on the side of our parking garage structure. Apparently geese partner for life and they always return to their nesting place each year. Last year the eggs hatched when I was away for a few days, so I hope she can hold on until I get back to work on Tuesday. I bring them a margarine container full of corn every day! They gobble it up happily - although they hiss at me when I come near them. There are 5 eggs in the nest that I can see - I'm not sure if there are more buried deeper or not. Chow for now Jacqui

Happy Birthday Granny

2011-04-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

My Granny turns 92 today! We had our family birthday party for her this past weekend. She is having some knee pain and so they have switched up her meds a bit, so she was a little out of sorts, but it was good to spend time with her. This is the card I made for her. She loved it!
She looks great.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Country Strong

2011-04-11T06:43:00.002-04:00

We watched the movie Country Strong. I was impressed. I had heard Gwyneth Paltrow sing on Glee and she wasn't too bad on that show - but then when I saw her on the Grammy's YIKES...it was ugly....so I was hoping the movie and the singing in the movie would be good....and thankfully I was happy. It was a good movie. I was surprised by the ending, I was not expecting that. But I still liked it. Tim McGraw did a great job of acting, as usual and Gwyneth did a great job as well. I very much liked Garrett Hedlund who played Bo. His deep voice reminds me a bit of Kris Kristofferson when he sings.
I would recommend seeing this one if you haven't yet. Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday Diana

2011-04-10T10:19:00.004-04:00

Today is my older sister Diana's birthday. I wish we lived closer so I could spend today with her, but this will have to do! She is a wonderful sister and I love her to pieces. I just thought I would share a few pictures - through the years!!! I just love this picture!! I'm not really sure where it was taken, but I just think it's cute! This one was definitely taken at the house we used to live in with Granny and Poppa. Look how cute we were!!! We quite often had outfits that were the same, but different colours!!! We totally look like we just got caught doing something.....maybe peeking at presents! Check this one out...and it was long before Twilight was popular! This one was taken a few years ago when Diana came home when our Granny was ill. This was taken at about 5:00 AM..after a long stamping night ....but it was a good night full of laughter!
Love ya sis, Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday Jade

2011-04-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today is my beautiful daughter's 17th birthday. It's hard to believe that she is 17 already. She asked me last night if it made me feel old knowing that she was turning 17. I don't know that I feel old - I just wonder where the heck the time went. We were watching old videos a few weeks back and it's almost impossible to believe that it was the same person. I remember when she looked like that and when she did all those funny things in the video - but how is it that she looks the way she does now? All grown up and mature? When did all that happen? You wake up one morning and you have teenagers. It's crazy! Anyhow, I hope my teenager has a great day and a wonderful birthday. I made her a cheesecake instead of a cake with decorations (that was her choice). I hid it though cause I didn't want anyone to eat any of it until her actual birthday! Here is the card I made her for her birthday. I liked the way it turned out. Happy Birthday Jade, I love you, Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday Aunt Brenda

2011-04-07T18:57:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Brenda!!!!!!

I know it's late, cause her birthday was on the 5th of April, but I wanted to wish my Aunt Brenda a happy birthday.I am going to see her this weekend so will be able to do so in person too, but I wanted to put her picture up on here with the card that I made for her so you all could see it.

Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Courtney....revisited!

2011-04-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

My little sister celebrated her birthday on the 30th of March and luckily she came by for a visit this weekend so I could hand deliver her card. She is a music teacher and is a very musically talented woman, so I had to use this image for her card!...(and she grew up on the farm...so the cowboy boots were a nice touch!) Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday Jay - revisited....

2011-04-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

My little sister Courtney's fiance's birthday was on the 28th of March. I wished him Happy Birthday on here, but did not have his card whipped up yet......(of course.......procrastination is my middle name!!) But I knew my sister was going to be coming for a visit today - so I was a cheapo and saved the stamp and gave her the cards in person! I whipped up this card - using More Mustard - which I don't use that much - but like the way it turned out. Chow for now, Jacqui

Greetings From Canada.....

2011-04-01T06:43:00.002-04:00

Last summer my daughter went to Germany for a few weeks to stay with Ines, the girl from Germany who stayed with us for a few weeks. She had a great time and we hope that Ines will come back to visit us some day soon. I know she is very busy with school but we hope she knows our door is always open and she is welcome to stay with us anytime she is in the area! Jade is sending her a package so I whipped up this little card to go with the package! Chow for now, Jacqui

My Charlie....

2011-03-31T07:23:00.004-04:00

I haven't had the chance to do any stamping in the last little while - or do get the pictures taken so I can post them on here, so I thought I would show you a few fun pictures of my dog Charlie. This is what she looks like when she is crashing on Jade's bed with her! She loves to sleep on Jade's bed. She likes to rest her head on pillows. So this day when she rested her head....Jade covered her with her bright pink blanket! Jade put sunglasses on her and she actually sat there with them on for quite a while! This is Charlie after a nice bath in the tub!

Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Courtney!!

2011-03-30T06:06:00.002-04:00

Today is my little sister Courtney's birthday. She is such a beautiful person, I just love her to pieces. She is getting married this year and I can hardly wait to see how beautiful she will be as a bride! Luv ya sis! Chow for now, Jacqui

R.I.P. Terry Sumsion

2011-03-29T06:22:00.002-04:00

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Sumsion. He was a local country music talent and he will be missed.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Jay!!

2011-03-28T06:20:00.004-04:00

Today is my soon to be brother-in-law's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Jay! I hope your day is filled with lots of fun and excitement!!! Yesterday was Charlies birthday! She turned 2. She got some raw bacon and a nice big marrow bone for a birthday treat. She's such a pretty girl! It's hard to believe she went from that tiny baby pup to this in 2 years! Well...the Grandma thing didn't go off as planned. Jade got the baby during her parenting class which is 3rd period, so she had the baby during her 4th period class. The baby started fussing during the 4th period class, but it would not recognize Jade's chip to have the computer recognize that Jade was taking care of the baby. So she had to find her parenting teacher to reprogram the baby. She found the teacher, the baby was reprogrammed (supposedly) and off she went. We took the baby over to see Granny and it was funny cause everyone thought it was a real baby. But she didn't make any noises. So we figured the teacher must have turned the baby off. There were no noises from the baby all night Friday, all day Saturday and all day Sunday...and then WHAMOO 4:30 AM this morning - the baby starts screaming. Wow - they are loud. So...she has to take it back in to school today and hopefully will be able to have it again this weekend. Typical kids...nothing happens when or how it is supposed to! Happy Monday. Chow for now Jacqui

Becoming a Grandma.....

2011-03-25T06:48:00.003-04:00

Well, today I become a Grandma....well only until Monday morning, but we are to help our kids make it "real". My daughter is taking a parenting course in high school.......not because we are worried that she will "need" to, but because she is thinking of going into nursing and they say that is a good elective course to have. So.....today, she brings home one of the parenting babies for the weekend. She has to make a baby book and figure out all the pricing for what she would need etc. I'm not sure of all the details of the project yet, but will be taking some pictures this weekend for sure....I'll try and get one at 3:00 AM when the baby is screaming and Jade is trying to figure out what it needs!!! I think she is still trying to figure out a name for the baby...I told her to name it Gidgit..but she didn't care for that!!!! (ah the kids these days!) We hope to get a chance to get a picture of the baby with Jade, me, my mom and my Granny - so we can show the 5 generations! I'm curious to see how she makes out for the weekend....I think her biggest challenge is gonna be keeping it away from the dog!!!! Chow for now, Jacqui

V Season Finale

2011-03-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh the Season 2 season finale of V was on Tuesday night. It was a good one. I can't wait for Season 3 to start. I like that they are bringing people in from the original show into this one. You don't see Anna looking like this very often.....she plays a really good MEAN WOMAN (lizard woman)! And I can't wait for The Walking Dead to come back. I think it is set to come back in October....that's a long ways away! Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

2011-03-17T07:19:00.003-04:00

Are you wearing green??? I am!!!! I have my green cords and my green sweater on.....apparently the weather is to be warm today, so I might be sweating...but I am being green!!!! We are meeting for lunch today with a bunch of the girls from work to celebrate a birthday for one of the girls. Her birthday actually fell on the 10th of March, but we had a farewell luncheon that day so could not make a lunch date for her actual birthday so today is the day we are going. I whipped up this card for her. Hopefully she will like it. On the inside there is a little ditty that says "Friends are the family you choose for yourself. Chow for now. Jacqui

Card orders..

2011-03-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

I like it when people at work (or from where ever) ask me to make cards. It's a fun challenge to get them to tell me a little bit about the person I am making the card for and then see if I managed to capture something they will like. I was asked to make a card for a girl at work, whose friend is celebrating her 50th soon. She said she has curly grey hair and is creative and a bit of a Diva. This is the card I came up with....I hope she likes it. Chow for now. Jacqui

Happy Birthday Paul

2011-03-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

One of the son's of the fella my hubby works for is having a birthday today. He is the cutest little guy I have seen in a long time and he just makes my hubby smile. I whipped up this card for him the other day. I hope he likes it. Happy Birthday Paul! Chow for now, Jacqui

Happy Birthday Kim!!!

2011-03-14T07:30:00.002-04:00

One of my dear friends celebrates her birthday today. Kim Pargeter!!!! I hope she has the day off to enjoy herself and do whatever she wants! I made her this card and have put it in the mail..so I know it's gonna be late getting to her, but it WAS made before her birthday!!! Have a great day Kim, Luv ya, Chow for now Jacqui

Sarah's Key

2011-03-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

I finished this book the other day. It is definitely a must read. Although the story is a very sad one. It is something that we all need to be more familiar with. I have Jewish friends and it disturbs me deeply that there are people on this earth that are trying to get people to believe the horror that was thrust upon these people did not happen. It DID happen and we need to REMEMBER it; not because it was an honorable moment in history, but we need to make sure IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. I don't claim to like everyone I meet, but surely we can all learn to live in this world without killing each other. Chow for now, Jacqui

Farewell Don

2011-03-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of things happening at my work lately, and not necessarily for the good (not as far as we can see any way) People are being moved around, some are being laid off. Some have started looking in other places to work, so we have had a few "farewell teas" in the past little while. We have another one coming up this week. One of the fellas in our department is leaving to go and work at TD. I'm happy that he is going forth with something he wants to do, however, I am bummed he is leaving cause he is a really great guy. He was my golf partner one year at our departmental golf tournament - you can't break a bond like that !! ha ha (I'm sure after seeing my golfing skill he was wishing he could beat me over the head with his club!) So I was asked to make a card that the department could sign to say farewell. I don't make a lot of cards for men, so it was a bit of a challenge, but I tweaked an idea from a card I on my computer (I do not know the name of the person who I was inspired by - whoever you are - THANKS!) So this is what I came up with - so far the people in the department who have signed it, like it....so that is a good thing. Chow for now. Jacqui

50th birthday card

2011-03-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was asked by a friend at work to make a 50th birthday card for one of her colleagues. This girl is quite the Diva, and is well known for always making sure her hair is just perfect. So I whipped up this card for them to all sign and give to her. I added a bit more bling before I gave it to her. I gave her a little gem for an earring and another little gem for a belly button ring. I also put some glaze pen on her lips to make them shine and on her eyes as well. I like the way the card turned out, hopefully she did too! Chow for now, Jacqui

Celtic Thunder Heritage!!!!!

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well you can imagine how surprised I was when I found out that my guys, Celtic Thunder, have a new show coming out! It is called Celtic Thunder Heritage. I watched it on PBS the other night and I PVR'd it and I protected it too - so the kids can't delete it!!!! I really enjoyed this show. Even though they sang some of the same songs from one of their other shows, they were songs I liked, so I enjoyed seeing them again. When the PBS people were interviewing them, they indicated that they are going back to their roots. This is great news. Although I enjoyed their take on some of the pop songs, they truly are a Celtic group and it just gives me goosebumps to hear them sing those type of songs.
Chow for now
Jacqui

Happy Birthday Bob!!

2011-03-08T06:34:00.002-05:00

Well...let me start out by saying that I am ok!!!! My Mom called me last night to make sure I was okay cause I had not updated my blog in so long. The kids have been sick and I have been busy with work and busy around the house, but I'm okay, although I think I might be gearing up for round two of sickness. It knocked me down for 3 days already and Jade has been feeling crappy since last Tuesday and now Joel is barking and sneezing all over the place too. I just wish the warm weather would get here so we could get rid of all these nasty bugs. On Friday it was the son of my husband's boss's birthday. He turned 10. So I whipped him up this card. They are pig farmers.........hence the pigs!!! Chow for now, Jacqui

Mom and Dad's Anniversary....

2011-02-24T07:06:00.002-05:00

Well I finally got around to posting my mom and dad's anniversary card! Their anniversary was on the 30th of January, and I actually managed to get the card to them relatively close to the date....before the next one anyway!!!!! I am just getting around to posting it today. I used my Cricut to cut out the heart and I used my computer to print the words on the labels. I have made a couple of cards like this in the past, but I really like the layout and the "not standard size" card, and since my parents are the best...they deserved a nice card! Love you mom and dad! Chow for now, Jacqui

Blue Jays....

2011-02-23T06:45:00.004-05:00

I looked out the kitchen window above the sink when I was doing dishes the other day and I saw some colour in one of the trees out back. I took a closer look and realized it was a blue jay! It's kind of hard to see him, but he's kind of right in the center of the tree. Blue jays I think are one of my favourite birds. I know they can be nasty to other birds, but I think they are so pretty. I remember doing a project when I was a kid on blue jays. My Granny used to keep pictures of EVERYTHING in boxes. She would go through old magazines and catalogues and cut out pictures. That way if we ever needed a picture of something we had them. I remember sitting with her going through the box of "birds" to find pictures of blue jays. I think I got something like 49/50 on that project too! Anyhow, we had a bunch of blue jays that lived in our trees when we lived in Woodstock, as well as cardinals, but this was the first blue jay I have seen here. I can't wait until spring when I can get the feeders out and get more birds coming to our yard. I want to plant some butterfly bushes as well so they will come to the yard too! On Valentines day, my hubby surprised me with a new bird house. (check out my cat Shadow licking her lips thinking of what is gonna live in there!!)I think the holes are too small for blue jays, but I can't wait to see what decides to live there! Chow for now Jacqui

Stamping this weekend

2011-02-22T08:09:00.004-05:00

My mom came over and surprised me on Sunday! She came over to stamp with me! It's been a while since we stamped together so it was a fun afternoon! She brought some things to finish up and I worked on a card I was asked to make for my daughter. A friend of hers has a birthday on Wednesday so she asked me to make a card for her. This is the card I whipped up.
This is the inside of the card. Jade's friends name is Grace

Then today when I got to work, one of my friends sent me this little video - which I think should be our new work motto!!
Chow for now
Jacqui

Valentines......

2011-02-16T06:45:00.003-05:00

As always I'm a couple days late and a couple dollars short!!! Believe it or not, I had great intentions for Valentines Day. I started colouring some images to make into cards......and yep......the images are still sitting on my table. Being sick for a few days contributed a bit to doing absolutely nothing, and then when I got back to work...we have had meeting after meeting after meeting. Yesterday I had one from 11:00 - 12:30 and then one right after from 12:30 - 4:30.....Problem with that is I work 6:00 AM - 2:00 PM...so 11:00 is my lunch break....which I obviously didn't get......and 2:00 PM is my departure time...which I obviously didn't get either. On a positive note though it was a productive meeting, so that is good. There is nothing worse than having a meeting and getting NOWHERE. Meetings can be tiring too and then an hour drive home..so I was pooped out when I got home, so I caught up on a couple of my shows! I caught my PVR'd episode of Hawaii 50 and The Defenders. I am really liking Hawaii 50. The characters have a great chemistry. The Defenders is fun too. I wondered how long it would take for them to get Dan Akroyd on the show with Jim Belushi...well it took till the last episode I saw!! Then I crawled into bed with my book (The House at Riverton) that I am almost done and fell asleep quite early! Probably a good thing..we have volleyball and basketball practice tonight...gearing up for our WOSSA qualifying matches on Thursday and Friday. Chow for now. Jacqui

The Grammy's

2011-02-15T07:17:00.004-05:00

Well, Jade and I started watching the Grammy's the other night and then we decided to PVR it so we could fast forward through all the WEIRDO's. Honestly where do these people come from?
The tribute to Aretha Franklin was well done. The performers voices were amazing. Christina must give a big thank you to Jennifer Hudson for picking her up when she fell. Then what the heck was up with Lady Gaga's shoulders and head? I think she might have been auditioning for a Star Trek movie. She has a great voice - why does she have to be so odd? I didn't even know the next few stars - I have seen some of them on Ellen cause she gets all kinds on there...but why do we have to call someone B.O.B....isn't that just Bob? Yeah and not sure I'd be crowd surfing at the Grammy's....Seriously I could have done without the Bieber/Usher combo...but it was AWESOME to see Will and Jada Smith in the crowd watching their son Jaden on stage performing. I was proud to see that Lady Antebellum stuck to their standards and wore what they always wear (and did so with Class) and they sounded great - so far all the other performances sounded like crap....maybe it's cause the country singers can actually sing and they can do performances without all the techno bull shi**. Okay the Ce Lo Green performance where the guy looked like a Muppet.....that was waaaay odd. And although I liked Gwyneth when she performed this song on Glee - she was not in great music form for this performance and that black skin tight outfit - looked hideous. I'll be honest I don't understand the big hype for Eminem. As far as I'm concerned he is an angry child who should really learn to smile. I was glad to see that Lady A won I think 3 awards.... it's great to see the normal country people winning things over these weirdos and wack jobs....I was looking forward to seeing Bob Dylan....although I think it was more entertaining to watch the guys he was playing with than to actually watch him. Believe it or not, Mick Jagger's performance was pretty good and I think he was probably okay and didn't need to use the defibrillator back stage. I was glad to see Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand on stage together again, although it would have been nice to hear them sing together again. Barbara's voice was beautiful as always.
So my thoughts on the whole Grammy's thing....I enjoyed it most when they panned the crowd and you could see people singing along with the songs, like when they zoomed in on Nicole Kidman singing to Teenage Dream, and for next year....I think they should just let the cast of Glee sing all the songs - cause they do a MUCH BETTER JOB THAN THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS!!
Chow for now
Jacqui