Time at home

It's been a while since I updated! The truth is, I've just been so busy that I haven't had a moment to sit, reflect, and be inspired to write anything.

We had a nice christmas with the opportunity to visit with both sides of the family. Evelyn was able to actually 'bond' with Cory's parents this time around, and spent most of christmas eve leading papa around the house so he could get some real insight into how it is she spends her time.

In fact, papa spent so much time in Evelyn's kitchen heating bottles, pouring coffee, and checking the timer that he had little time to do much else.

We checked out the Chagall for Children exhibit at the Children's Museam and I don't know who liked it more! It's completely interactive, and provides the opportunity to compose music, weave, complete paintings, and apply Chagall-y techniques to your own photo! Very cool.

Do you see a resemblance?

I don't like mondays

This morning was a perfect example of why things like this happen.

Luckily I have just a little more self control and have resolved all of today's issues and it's only 3:00 pm.

For lunch, I had an expired yogurt mixed in a bowl with Special K. If you never hear from me again, at least you'll know why.

A protrait of beauty

Hands free

I've freed myself from the restrictions of the traditional purse and moved on to something that says "HEY - I'M ALL ABOUT FUNCTION". It's a wallet, it's a camera bag, it holds my lunch AND Evelyn's necessities....."

agua

We are all sick and my throat feels like the desert. Cory and I had NO energy last night to entertain Evelyn, so we went to the mall and let her run around looking at everything.

Her favourite store was Sport Check - where she actually took a pair of children's ski's, sat on top of them, and tried to ride them like a sled. Cory was so excited - but then slightly disappointed when he learned that the smallest size ski boot is a 12. Evelyn is a 5. Now, I can't recall how kid sizes work so I have no solid estimate on how long it will take her to get to a 12 - but looking at the boot, I would say at least 2 years.

At least we'll know what to get her for christmas the year her feet are a size 12.

Shamed by my own hypocrisy

And you can't even see the cowboy boots in this picture.

See http://theroostersbeak.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-rule-of-thumb-when-dressing-baby.html

Well put...

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
~ Edgar Allen Poe~

There's nothing quite as appetizing as this...

So. Cory is upstairs putting Evelyn to bed and I decide to take a moment to download pictures from the new and improved camera. I hear this bang bang bang on the door that makes me kind of afraid to go and look to see who it is - because you know, we have a doorbell and IT didn't ring. SO I peek around the corner and see the neighbour's dog, so figure it's safe to answer the door.

It IS the neighbour. Standing out there, at the god-forsaken hour of 9pm, wielding two zip lock bags in each of which resides a thawed bloody roast.

"Want to buy some meat? A friend of mine got a deal! Catch is...you can't refreeze it".

Ummm yeah. I want to buy some meat. I also want want to spend the next week glued to the toilet with my head in a bucket puking my guts out.

Catching up

It's been a while since I've found the time or the inclination to write anything semi-personal on this blog. The truth is - it's been a crazy few months! We're busy trying to complete (most of) the main floor before Christmas. While there is still a lot of work to do, we can now see it coming together - which is very rewarding. (Maybe next summer we'll do the basement? Or maybe we'll buy a few thousand trees and plant them at the farm? So much to do).

My personal journey to become a complete person continues (as it does, because the moment you stop trying is the moment you become less complete). It's amazing, when you get into the habit, how clearly you can reflect on yourself, your life, your actions, your reactions - and the insight it gives you into other people.

My new job is fantastic. I really enjoy it (for now? that can change so fast). I appreciate the fact that I can walk to work in the morning, have enough to do to keep me busy all day, and get to delve into new avenues of communication.

The weekend flew by as usual. Thanks for the coffee/cake/talk B.

Encounters with nature at work

A few inspired moments I had whilst walking between the two offices....

Getting into the spirit of things...

As usual, we had a spectacular weekend, one thing aside. The wallpaper has beaten my spirit into a sticky and gooey pulp.

A tongue

Evelyn has recently become obsessed with her tongue - seeing how far she can stick it out, touching it, licking her lips, and running it all over her mouth full of teeth.

We are enjoying my favourite season (meaning halloween) and getting 'into' the spookiness of it all.

We have way too many house projects on the go - and I predict another 6 months of hell before we actually get anywhere close to livable.

I am now an employee of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. I am the 'Communication Materials Producer' and this includes everything from website design and copy, advertising, graphic design, promotional materials, information packages, educational materials etc etc etc.

A heart-warming surprise

The best kind of friend is one you've had your whole life.

The trouble with time

It's hard to believe that I can hardly find the time to download my photos, sort through them, publish some, and write about what I've been up to. It's really hard to believe - but that is the way it is.

We spent Thanksgiving in Havelock at Cory's brother/sister-in-laws cottage. The weather WAS the quintessence of an indian summer and permeated this kind of a notion that you never, ever want to leave this place. That you'd like to freeze this moment in time forever, and just relive it again and again.

Evelyn enjoyed the rocky terrain of the Canadian Shield, the ride across the lake in the pontoon and the exploration of the uninhibited island lush with wild cranberries. She was so excited to first hear, and then see the woodpecker causing a ruckus and listening to the crickets later in the evening.

Watching her delight in nature and the opportunity to share it with her family was remarkable. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....quissets...shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" [translation: Shhhhhhh.........crickets....shhhhhhhhhhh].

As an aside, I stayed up too late last night watching part of the Courtney Love biography. What a life she's had. Pretty interesting - and she's got a lot more nerve/courage than I'll ever have. Anyway...it prompted me to google Frances Bean to see what she's been up to...I came across an interview in which she mentioned her love for Mariah Carey. MARIAH CAREY! Oh the humanity. I know. I know - everyone is entitled to their preferences.

Evelyn in the wild, yet again

Millions of peaches...

I like the drop dangling from her chin.

Packing up the past

I've been busy over the last week helping my mom pack and coordinate her move from the house in which she raised her family [the house I grew up in].

I was talking to someone the other day who said she didn't believe in a hell - but rather that hell is life on earth - and in this life, you will pay for your wrongs and be rewarded for your rights accordingly. Really, in a nutshell, the general principle of Karma - you reap what you sew.

I guess I need to accpet that each individual is responsible for one's own life. And that I can't fix people - especially those who aren't fully ready to admit to themselves that they are broken.

It's a damn good thing...

...that my mom smokes menthol. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have smoked yesterday.

So hard to say no to cheap chocolate

I am sitting here at my desk waiting for some feedback before I can continue with work. All I can think about are the 50 cent chocolate bars in the office kitchen, and why there is no 'cent' symbol on my keyboard. I realize these days, most things cost at least ONE $, and that the 'cent' key probably wouldn't be used all that often, but come on, it just doesn't LOOK the same when I spell out 'cent'.

Apparantly there IS a keyboard shortcut for 'cent' but it isn't working for me.

So - today I hate that fact that I don't have access to a 'cent' symbol, and the fact that a lot of people abuse IM acronyms to the point of ridiculous. Because I mean...really, if you laughed your ass off that many times in the span of one IM conversation you'd be so busy trying to put it back on, you wouldn't have time to type.

Thanks Opal

Evelyn is only now fully appreciative of her one toothed, short armed, extra soft monster friend. She likes to show him that she has more teeth than he does.

Thanks Opal for a friendly pal to cuddle with.

Flashback

When I was 15 or 16 years old my father quit drinking. To aid him in the process, he consumed substantial amounts of red kool-aid (sugar helps combat withdrawal symptoms). One day, while mixing up a fresh batch, I was looking at the back of the kool-aid package. There, right in front of my eyes, was an offer to good to resist. If I could collect 1200 Kool-aid points, I could send away for a free Super-Grover wrist watch. Given the amount of Kool-aid being consumed in our home, I figured I could collect the points in no time. Well I diligently cut out the UPC codes and stored them in an envelope until the very fine day my points totaled the correct amount. I sent in my order, and came home each day in great anticipation of my Super-Grover wrist watch.

3 months went by and I hadn't heard anything.

I called the 1.800 number on the back of the package, and, after much discussion, was told there were no more Super-Grover wrist watches to be had. I was sent a consolation gift of a red plastic smiling Kool-aid Pitcher and 4 glasses.

Yes, I know I was a teenager and too old to want a Super-Grover wrist watch. But I really did want it.

You do it to yourself, you do.

- JUST Radiohead -

And carpet removal begins. We still have to do Evelyn's room, the stairwell, and half the living room. While this marks a very exciting milestone in our home renovations - it also opens up a new world of projects. We now need to patch a few areas of hardwood, and find 5 or 6 oversized iron vent covers/grilles for the floor. We also need to remove the ugly wall unit that came with the house from the living room, and repair/paint that wall. Then, we can put up the baseboards/trim throughout most of the main floor (there were CARPET, yes, I said carpet, baseboards when we moved in).

OH - and Cory still needs to finish taking down the old partial fence, and fix the landscaping to the side of the driveway.

Crash and burn

Well, I was editing my last post and blogger crashed and I lost it. I was going to repeat it, but then saw Megan's questionairre and thought I should take a look at myself:

A Little Bit About Me
1.MY FAVORITE BREAKFAST IS? Feta-spinach omlette
2. THE MOVIE I'VE WATCHED MOST? While I haven't watched it in years, I'd have to confess to Dirty Dancing.
3. SPEND MY LEISURE TIME WITH? Leisure time? What is this thing they call leisure time?
4. IF I COULD HAVE ANY CAR IN THE WORLD,WHAT WOULD IT BE? A black Landrover
5.FAVORITE HOUSEHOLD CHORE? Ummmm. Yaaaaaaaa.
6. WHEN I WAS A KID I DREAMED OF BECOMING? A mobster.
7. FAVORITE COLORS? Depends on it's use. Black for clothes....
9. WHEN I DIE, I'D RATHER BE CREMATED OR BURIED? Cremated
10. IF I COULD REPEAT UNIVERSITY, I'D TAKE? the same.
11. THINGS I CAN'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT? A hat.
12. FIRST THING I BOUGHT WITH MY FIRSTSALARY? My first pair of purple, eight-hole Docs.
13. I'D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS? Protector of justice, advocate of improvement.
14. IF A BOOK WAS MADE INTO A MOVIE,WOULD YOU STILL BOTHER TO READ THE BOOK? The question should be would I bother to see the movie. Most often, the answer is NO.
15. SPECIALTY IN COOKING? I dunno - I make pretty much anything and it tastes gooooooood.
16. FIRST CRUSH? Joe Piazo, grade 2.
17. FAVORITE HANG-OUT? Key West.
18. BEST PLACE TO SHOP? Winners.
19. DO YOU LIKE TO WATCH PLAYS? If they are under 2 hours.
20. FAVORITE PLACE IN YOUR HOUSE? Evelyn's room.
21. BEST GIFT YOU'VE GIVEN? My time, to my family and friends.
22. WEIRDEST GIFT YOU RECEIVED? Cory. HA HA HA HA.
23. GIFT THAT YOU WANT TO RECEIVE AS OF THIS MOMENT? 3 weeks in a remote location.
24. WHAT TIME IS IT? 11:15 A.M
25. HOW MANY DIFFERENT CITIES HAVE YOU LIVED IN? 2, how dull.
YAHOO OR MSN? msn!!!
27. LEFT OR RIGHT? Right
28. BLACK OR WHITE? Black
29. BLACK OR BLUE PEN? Black pen
30. SANDALS OR SHOES? soft mocs
31. COLGATE OR CREST? Crest.
32. FLOSS OR TOOTHPICK? Floss
34. ROBOCOP OR RAMBO? No thanks
35. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate
36. COKE OR PEPSI? Gingerale
37. FAVOURITE TV SHOW? Seinfeld (yes, still)
38. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Renee.
LAST PERSON WHO TXTED YOU? Cory
40. LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU LAUGH? Evelyn
41. LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU CRY? My sister
42. LAST TIME YOU CRIED? February 2006
43. YOU SEE ME ALWAYS EATING? That's right.

The weekend

I managed to post a few pictures just now before heading off to bed. Check them out at Flikr photos.

Here is one of the cabin from the hill. Not the clearest shot - but you get the general idea.

Return to Civilization

After 4 days at the cabin, it's hard to motivate yourself to pack everything up and head home. Especially when the weather is at that perfect balance between summer and fall and your 17-month-old daughter is twirling around in a field - giggling and shrieking with delight.

I'll try to post some pictures and captions tonight!

Wisestock 2006

Jai Gibson is an ex-cop turned painter and poet committed to bringing about social change and and the continual betterment of the human spirit [my words]. He is the founder of the Black Lab Studio and currently operates a 'community center' and 'peace farm' in Newcastle Ontario.

Labour Day Weekend marks the largest event to date, an all weekend concert and artisic display hosted at the 'community center' [Lockhart schoolhouse].

Newcastle is about 20 minutes from the cabin/tree farm. We'll be up there this weekend, and will be checking out Wisestock as well! I half thought of getting together some of my creative writing to 'perform' at the event, but I'm just not that organized!

All about me

I took a 'strengths finding test' at my new place of employment. Here are my top 5 strengths:

Input
You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information-words, facts, books, and quotations-or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don't feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It's interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

Intellection
You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the "muscles" of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person's feelings. The exact focus will depend on your other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of Intellection does not dictate what you are thinking about; it simply describes that you like to think. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective.
In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

Learner
You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered-this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences-yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the "getting there."

Restorative
You love to solve problems. Whereas some are dismayed when they encounter yet another breakdown, you can be energized by it. You enjoy the challenge of analyzing the symptoms, identifying what is wrong, and finding the solution. You may prefer practical problems or conceptual ones or personal ones. You may seek out specific kinds of problems that you have met many times before and that you are confident you can fix. Or you may feel the greatest push when faced with complex and unfamiliar problems. Your exact preferences are determined by your other themes and experiences. But what is certain is that you enjoy bringing things back to life. It is a wonderful feeling to identify the undermining factor(s), eradicate them, and restore something to its true glory. Intuitively, you know that without your intervention, this thing-this
machine, this technique, this person, this company-might have ceased to function. You fixed it, resuscitated it, rekindled its vitality. Phrasing it the way you might, you saved it.

Command
Command leads you to take charge. Unlike some people, you feel no discomfort with imposing your views on others. On the contrary, once your opinion is formed, you need to share it with others. Once your goal is set, you feel restless until you have aligned others with you. You are not frightened by confrontation; rather, you know that confrontation is the first step toward resolution. Whereas others may avoid facing up to life's unpleasantness, you feel compelled to present the facts or the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. You need things to be clear between people and challenge them to be clear-eyed and honest. You push them to take risks. You may even intimidate them. And while some may resent this, labeling you opinionated, they often willingly hand you the reins. People are drawn toward those who take a stance and
ask them to move in a certain direction. Therefore, people will be drawn to you. You have presence. You have Command.

Sign that you're old #54

The home page of the Old Navy website features an outfit identical to the one you wore to the Much Music Video Dance Party in grade 9.

This struck a cord

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.

E. B. White

Late-breaking bucket update

The row along the fence has been steadily decreasing. I can actually see where the fence meets the lawn for most of the yard's perimeter. The remaining buckets contain mostly rock - which we are going to transport to the cabin Labour Day weekend. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hauntings

Last night I was enjoying a few minutes of alone time with the T.V. when I heard the sound of someone moving around on a leather couch from the empty leather couch across from me. This is the third such incident in the last few weeks. I sat there in horror kind of looking around in hopes of finding some explanation, when the noise changed to a scratching sound so I ran upstairs and got into bed with Evelyn and Cory.

Because...you know...obviously if the three of us are upstairs together in one bed then nothing could possible harm us...

Buried alive

So here it is Thursday already, and I haven't really accomplished much of anything. I am utterly exhausted - Evelyn hasn't been sleeping well so I'm not getting a solid sleep, I've been a little under the weather, and I turned down a job I would have really loved because I don't want to sacrifice time spent with my family. I don't regret my decision - but it did break my heart a little because it would have been a FABULOUS opportunity. That's OK - there will other jobs like that later in life.

Last night we went to the Optimist Carnival with Sonia, Timmy, Megs, and Kate. Evelyn went on not one, but two pony rides, and down the big blow up slide. She loves horses - and who knows, if we ever move up to Eniskillen maybe she will have one someday.

Soooooooo versatile

In a moment of desparation yesterday, I cut my own hair. I trimmed my bangs, and some of the layers surrounding my face. Cory looked scared when he stuck his head into the bathroom and saw what I was doing.

It's not really straight or anything - but I think it looks funky. And I'll take funk over perfect and boring any day.

Bleh

Odd that I would wake up on Monday feeling like I drank two bottles of red wine, nauseous, and extremely cranky.

Had I known I would feel like this for no apparant reason, I would have drank two bottles of red wine to make it worth my while (well, maybe one bottle and a half).

I think I need a vacation.

About the buckets

So Cory had Sunday off work and I made it our mission to work on ridding the yard of the row upon rows of buckets.

Cory is a bucket boy. It's the farmer in him. I love the farmer in him, but ironically - the obsession with buckets and trying to grow 15 different things just because he has a seed also drives me insane. I appreciate the fact that his thumb is very green -it's just that, well - it's clutter.

So, we moved most of his experiments into the empty flower bed - and arranged them in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Progress!

Exceeding the maximum weight capacity...only slightly

Cool office. REALLY cool office.

It's neat to work in an old renovated warehouse/factory but MY GOD the air conditioning is on really high and I could use my winter coat and a hot hot cocoa!

Things just keep getting better and better - and after 3 particular incidents that I can pack squarely away in the 'bad luck' category, the good times are finally here and I am loving every minute of it.

A rainy day in Elora...

We recently spent a day in Elora - checking out the rock face and attempting to get a swim in at the Quarry. Alas...the rain had it's own agenda, and we were forced to embark on yet another rain walk. Good thing Evelyn loves them!

Unsettling

There is something very unsettling about deleting all the files off 1Andrea. I know it's my last day of work, and it's not ABOUT leaving...it's about the feeling that never, ever, have I deleted all the files on my hard drive. It just feels like something one doesn't do.

Well I did it. It's done, and so am I.

But will there be silliness?

While I am still excited about my new job, I can't help but wonder...will there be silliness at the new office? If not, I suppose there is always msn. My partner in crime at the office wrote this fantastic piece re: my goodbye lunch (one last trip to our all-you-can-eat soup buffet). It was really too good not to share:


Tomorrow it will definitely be hot,
But you know you want what’s in the pot.

Time to tell Andrea that she is great,
To wish her well and celebrate.

We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, what do you say?
We’ll steal some cheese from the buffet.

Come join us at lunch for a good time,
RSVP to me if you don’t mind.

Girls Night Out

I ventured out to an uptown patio on Friday to enjoy a girls night out.

The occassion?

A birthday party for a 'new friend'. The invitation? "Please bring along whoever you'd like. Your friends are my friends." And so I did.

(I really liked the invitation to friends. The idea that you value your friends so much that everyone that is an extension of that person is valued as well. There are no fears, no lines, so insecurities.)

So there we all are -- a group of mostly mothers hanging out on the patio, drinking. I had enjoyed two vodka-infused beverages prior to leaving. And, as we sat there talking, I enjoyed two more.

Later - as we walked to the car and I was flipping and flopping all over in my sandals my friend said "Are you drunk?" And I just walked along taking in the night and watching all the misguided youth smoking outside of the bars with a big smile on my face thinking Yes. Yes I kind of am.

Needless to say...

Nothing out of the ordinary ended up happening on Monday. And believe me - I was keeping my eyes peeled for ANYTHING that seemed like the teeniest tiniest opportunity of which I could take advantage and add some excitement to the week.

I gave my notice at work, and the response to this was less than positive - much much less. I don't understand - it's a business, not a cult (or is it?). This negative reaction has made the past few days at work unreasonably stressful. But, surprisingly enough, I am very happy and excited about my new career opportunity and really can't wait to begin.

In fact, all of the sudden I've been empowered by a new energy and creativity which has resulted in some 'fresh' graphic design and ideas for projects at home.

This is a boring post.

There are no dead rabbits in my yard. But we have found two dead chipmunks on our property, and one down the street. For a little while, I felt like I was in one of those low-budget sci-fi movies where something has 'landed' or 'surfaced' in the small town and it's residents are finding bizarre clues indicating that something is going terribly, terribly wrong. And this IS kind of like that...let me back-track.

On the north side of our house, exists a garden lush with hostas and hydrangenias. In between the foilage, a family of chipmunks had dug their den and made their home. We'd often seen them cutting across our backyard and dodging onto our elderly neighbour Helen's property. One night, while outside supervising Evelyn's meanderings, we ran into Helen on her driveway. She was holding a large container of peanuts, and calling to the chipmunks and feeding them - practically out of her hand.

Evelyn delighted in this- and Helen went on to say that she regularly fed the chipmunks and they were quite tame etc etc. So here is this old lady. Living alone, taking pleasure in feeding her furry little friends.

Then.

She sprayed her lawn with toxic herbicides and pesticides.

I think you can figure out the rest.

On my toes...

My horoscope says:

Stay on your toes -- a prime opportunity is about to appear in the middle of all this craziness, but you have to be fast. This once-in-a-lifetime chance will call upon all your resources, but it'll be worth it.

Surely today will be an exiting day, then.

Quality Control

Evelyn likes to inspect Cory's work. Here she is counting the screws...

"One, two, six! One..."

Endless buckets...

Some of you have heard me rant about the endless row of buckets (containing various species of plants and minerals) that seem to have found a permanent home in the back yard.

Here it is, in all it's glory....














Most of this material is for our gardens. However, we have to finish fence to dig the gardens to plant the plants to use the rocks to put the buckets away (sung to the tune to "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly").

Fence is looking SNAZZY...

Another reason why I love my husband...

Last night, approx 10:15 pm. We are laying in bed, drifting off to sleep, when I feel Cory jab me in the shoulder...

Me: Did you just poke me?

Cory: I did. I was just seeing if you were still here, I thought you may have passed on.

Me: What would you do if I did?

Cory: I'd collect the insurance money, put an apartment in the basement and rent it out, work part time, and raise our daughter.

Me: Hmmmm.

Cory: You don't like the sounds of that?

Me: I've just resolved to never die.

Cory: Well I'm sure I'll die before you. And you know, I hope I do, because then I'll never have to deal with the pain of losing you.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Scarred for life...

I've committed my first heinous act as a mother and quite possibly scarred my daughter for life.

Evelyn's attention span is improving each day. Lately, she's been able to watch larger portions of movies, and finds great pleasure in the funny voices, music, and movement. In particular, she's developed a fondness for Madagascar. While I think it's a great film, and have enjoyed it's silly innuendos directed at adult audiences, I was ready to add another option to our film library.

I picked Shrek.

She wasn't ready.

She stared in ABSOLUTE terror at the TV, and, while on the brink of tears, couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from the great beast for what felt like an eternity (but was about 20 seconds). Then, she actually left the room.

I never want to see that look on her face again.

The movie has been 'put away' until such a time when it's more age appropriate. Although, I don't know that I'll have the courage to show it to her again.

My rule of thumb when dressing baby girls...

If it would look ridiculous on you, chances are it looks ridiculous on them...

That being said, everyone has their own idea of what ridiculous looks like. Most people at work think my eject shoes are ridiculous.

Bigger and bigger

Whew. This is hard. I want to rant, I want to say " Look at yourself. You are acting like a child. Maybe you are a crappy friend."

But with each breath I take each day I work towards becoming a bigger and better person. Sometimes this involves brutal honesty with myself, or with others, but at times like this, it means just realizing it's not worth MY effort and simply walking away.

There are no words to describe something this delightful...

Pictures

Some vacation photos are available here:

My Flikr photos

Mrs. Sweet and the Case of the Stolen Car

That's right.

I'm Mrs. Sweet. Cory and I were married in a small outdoor ceremony on July 3 with Evelyn, and our two friends (and their two daughters) attending.

It was very simple - reflective of us and the life we aspire to live. Hey - we even found about 2 hours to ourselves a few days later during which we drank a bottle of red and watched the fire flys.

I'll be posting photos with captions/details later.

One of my coworkers was kind enough to remind me about Sweetums - an old Muppets character - of whom I had completely forgotten.




Also - Sunday night, in a frantic attempt to unpack and get organized for the week, I left my bag (I refuse to say purse to this very end) and car keys sitting in my car! Surprise surprise when at 2:50am the police notified us that the car had been stolen, retrieved, and an arrest made.

How EMBARRASING for me to explain how they came across a set of keys.

The damages are being assessed - I have no idea where it stands.

Bones and Carrots

Last night Evelyn and I were playing with her Giant Animal Wood Knob Puzzle. The following conversation ensued:

E: (pointing to the dog) Wuff Wuff

Me: That's right! The dog says wuff wuff! And look, the dog is chewing on a bone.

E: (pointing to the bunny) Bunnn neeeee!

Me: Good Job! That's the bunny rabbit!

E: (pointing to the bunny's carrot) Bone?

Me: (basking in my daughter's obvious genius evidenced by her ability to correlate the dog's bone to the bunny's carrot) That's a carrot! The bunny eats a carrot, and the dog eats a bone.

I'm so proud!

Returning July 10th...

It's vacation time! We're heading to the cabin, which we'll use as home base. We have some friends coming up to camp, some day trips planned to some of the many great places in the area.

I'll update you with pictures and wild tales of exotic endeavers upon my return.

Have a good week!

Another wedding...

An outdoor wedding at a cottage on Lake Belwood. Check out who was for dinner! Hate to say it - but pork sure tastes good when he's cooked like that!

The wedding was nice - hot as hell - in a gorgeous setting. I've always wanted to live on water.

Something about it - aside from it's refreshing qualities and the myriad of pass times it offers. It's pristine movement has a calming effect on me.

More later!

Fleeting memory

Exactly how long is it going to take me to remember to dial the area code for local calls?

The world's youngest linguist

Everyone has constantly said how advanced Evelyn is - cognitively, not physically. My theory was always that people simply forget what children are like at specific ages.

Lately, however, she seems to hold an intelligence significantly higher than those of her peers. That being said, she is still a little wobbly on her feet!

My theory is that children her age (almost 15 months) typically have a higher aptitude in either the cognitive or physical stream.

Evelyn is regularly stringing two words together now, and constantly identifying objects we didn't know she knew about.

Sleepy head

I woke up late. I left late. I got to work, and frantically drank half a cup of coffee to try and clear my groggy mind. Then, Cory msn'ed me. It appears as if the car seat was still in my car! So there he is, on a rainy, gloomy day stranded at home with Evelyn. So I hauled my butt out of the office again and home to remedy the situation.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. What a day.

The uses of texting

I am just about to start my car this morning to leave for work when my cell phone vibrates. It's a text from Cory, asking "Are you still here? I need to poo".

He'd brought Evelyn into our bed at 6:30 am and she was still sound asleep. We can't leave her alone in there for fear she'll roll off the bed onto the floor. And we'd certainly, never EVER wake her up.

Lucky for him I was still there.

I never thought we'd use technology for that purpose.

Never any rest

Always when I think I've reached a point, a day, an hour (maybe?) with no drama in my life something pops up and makes me want to run screaming out of wherever I am, leaving a trail of hair that I've ripped piece by piece from my head.

General Apathy

I'm so sick of editing powerpoint presentations that I can barely force myself to move from one slide to the next applying silly animations and trying to make them interesting.

That's really all I have to say.

Oh.

And that last night I drank a bottle of wine and hung out in a hot tub and complained about my life.

What a pair of asses!

The 'Frickin Lion Safari

Actually, it's the African Lion Safari, but when my nephew was little he used to say, "We're going to the frickin lion safari!" and I still laugh every time I say or hear African Lion Safari.

We went with friends yesterday. What an amazing time. Even at 14 months, Evelyn loved the entire day and wasn't too tired or overwhelmed by all the action. We took the tour bus through the game reserve (awesome new bus with giant windows) and it was no where near full so the girls could play and move from one side to the other to get a better view of the animals.

They also have several shows and a huge splash park with a toddlers only area. Evelyn would have stayed in there all day.

I highly recommend going - although I am afraid of places like that on Saturdays and Sundays (thus I took a Monday off work).

As it turns out...

Gelato made from dandelion root taste just like coffee (and is in fact, often used as a coffee substitute). DELICIOUS. Who knew?

Back in the game

Happy day! My old, abused, twice washed, countlessly dropped and duct- taped together cell phone has retired! It held out, for the most part (I had to turn it on and apply pressure to the battery each time I wanted to use it) until I was eligible for my free hardware upgrade.

It's cool.

Dandelion Gelato

What are you doing this weekend?

I'll be taking Evleyn, and Cory's mom to the 8th Annual Dandelion Festival at Waterloo Park. I am pretty excited, and slightly frightened at the thought of sampling some of the food stuffs that will be featured.

I keep thinking...are these 'free range' dandelions grown in a nice open field in the country? Or were they taken from the school yard two block down from my house where everyone takes their dogs to do their business?

The wonderful world of bubs

Not only does Evelyn marvel at the birds, try to catch the bunnies, and want to eat the peanuts that our neighbour Helen puts out for the chipmunks - she has become fascinated with bugs of all shapes and sizes.

When we go for a walk (and a walk now consists of me holding her hand and we walk up and down the sidewalk - long gone are the days when I could strap her into her stroller and move at a pace that would let me burn off some energy) she crouches down and points at the ants and says 'bubs' , 'bubs' and then she squishes them with her finger. She's also taken to picking up lady 'bubs' and bringing them up to her lips as if she is going to eat them, and then laughing as she squeezes the living daylights out of them.

Well no kidding...

Pretty Women Make Men Stupid (d'oh)

My arachnophobia reaches an all time high

As if my experience with the 'return of the 5 legged beast' last week wasn't traumatic enough...

After work today, I was getting into my car with my coworker Adrian (to whom I was giving a ride). I plunk down in the driver's seat and put my keys in the ignition when I spy something that looks almost like, but more hideous than this:

http://www.ojibway.ca/spider13.jpg

So I freak and jump out of the car and leave Adrian in there to try and kill it. He finally finds a pair of gloves to squish it with and it JUMPS at him. IT JUMPS, and we lose it.

Now I am literally afraid to get into my car. We have Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders in Ontario. What if it is poisonous? What if my house is infested with poisonous spiders?

I'm not exactly sure where my fear came from - lots of people don't like spiders, but to fear them, to the degree that I do (I still have goosebumps from my most recent experience) is another story.

I have one memory of being camping with my family in Northern Ontario and waking up in the tent and seeing a huge black spider in the corner and my parents telling me to just close my eyes and go back to sleep - but who knows, no one will substantiate my story, perhaps it was just a nightmare.

Big Words, Little Girl

Are 14 month olds supposed to have words like purple, turtle, apple, stinky, all done, and thank-you? I'm sure they are, but now I truly understand how all parents can think that their kids are the smartest ones around.

Moving on to more important things...

Last weekend, I was playing with Evelyn in her bedroom when, out of the corner of my eye, I spied the great 8-legged beast travelling at break-neck speed across the curved portion on her bedroom ceiling.

I have a problem with spiders. And I have a big problem with killing spiders that are above me because of an uncontrollable fear that it will fall on me - dead or alive.

Anyway, I muster up the courage to squish it with a washcloth, and only make partial contact with it's sickly little body before it falls. And I can't find it.

Then the unthinkable happened. I was putting Evelyn down for a nap later that day and THE THING CRAWLS UP THE WALL outta nowhere on it's 5 remaining legs.

It didn't get away that time. But, I am scarred for life.

A Tragic Event

A school bus full of passengers has been forced off the road by what appears to be a giant foot. Several passengers were thrown from the bus and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The Perils of Parenting

This post was inspired by "Age of euphemisms" at www.dooce.com

A penis is a penis. It's not a pickle, a peanut, a weiner, or a PP. It's not a Twinkie, or any other frosted dessert. It goes to follow that a vagina is a vagina - plain and simple. In fact, after having Evelyn, I made Cory practise saying vagina until it could escape his mouth as naturally as any other word.

I am always dumbfounded when parents encourage children to nickname their body parts - partly because I am completely anal, and partly because of the definition of the word itself. To me, nicknames are used as a term of endearment or ridicule - and who wants to associate either of those with a child's sexual organ (regardless of whether or not they know that their Twinkie is really a penis)?

Renovations and Make Work Projects

Here is the tiled table top. It still needs to be grouted!















Here's Cory working on the fence.

My misadventures in technology

A strange chain of events rendered my home PC inoperable over the Victoria Day weekend. Without getting into too many boring details, it seems that my secondary hard drive was failing, for reasons that may never be known.

Stranger still is that a few other people around the office had similar problems. And the common sentiment is that "a virus can't affect hardware like that!"

Those of you who know me are privy to the fact that ANYTHING ELECTRONIC I BUY breaks shortly after the one year mark.

I hope to be up and running soon and update you all with exciting photos of fence posts, a tiled patio table top to die for, and other random thoughts as I see fit.

The Evolution of Gender Roles and Other Stuff

Over the last 2 or 3 decades, the steadfast roles of mom and dad have undergone an unprecedented transformation. Dads are doing more – a lot more, but so are working moms.

In fact, with both parents working, and 2.5 kids in daycare, and maintaining the home and eating and sleeping, I often wonder what quality of life most people are experiencing.

Where is the real value in that lifestyle?

I know I am lucky. I am truly lucky to be with a man who doesn’t prescribe to the stereotypical idea of ‘the man of the house’. A man who, for instance, gets dinner ready the night before so that he can spend the day focusing on Evelyn, rather than the never-ending lists of things to do around the house.

Where the hell am I going with this?

We’ve chosen a different way. We’ve released ourselves from society’s insatiable desire to consume consume consume. We’ve made decisions that put our family first and give us time to live our lives.

In the end, will it matter that we didn’t have a 50” HD Flat Panel LCD TV in our rec room so I could sit inside on my ass night after night and watch TV? Doubtful.

In the end, will it matter that we chose for me to return to work (as the higher wage earner) and Cory to stay home with Evelyn so that we actually raise our child ourselves and spent meaningful, character building, time together? I’m sure of it.

What rejected crayon colour are you?

Visit http://www.blogthings.com/rejectedcrayonquiz/ to find out.

I am a rather unappetizing:

It happened.

Sunday:

I am in a vile mood as a result of a few events I won't discuss in detail. Evelyn is getting ANOTHER tooth and is attached to me the ENTIRE day. Cory wants to put a post in for the fence and asks "Do you mind if I do this now? Or do you want me to play with Evelyn for a bit?", he then looks at my face and says, "I'll play with Evelyn for a bit". I say "No no no no no no" in a kind of sing song manner and right after Evelyn pipes up with "No no no no no no no" in the exact same pitch and meter in which I spoke it.

Guess what her new favourite word is?

The Artist's Way

When it comes to home renovations and my series of creative/functional projects, I'm the idea person. Everytime the words "You know what we could do..." escape my lips I see Cory's jaw tighten and his body stiffen. It tooks us months and months of heated discussion to come up with a fence design that met both our approval. So when I came home with my latest project (an antique wrought iron patio set sans table top) I conceded to Cory's sentiment that the tiled round top I had in mind was just way too much work and that a square top was the way to go. We've got most of the materials, and now just need to come up with the tile design. We'd like to avoid having to cut tile, so we'll see where that leaves us.

I'll update later with pictures.

The Giving Tree

This is the tree in my yard. I've always had innate appreciation for trees. This could be the tree under which all fairy tale creatures run amok. This tree is Cory's living project -- he has a 5 year plan that is intended make the bulk of the tree smaller so that we can keep it longer (otherwise it'll grow right into the house). I think this tree needs a pet monkey.

Check out The Giving Tree. Although it's not the same without the illustrations (in which the tree visually conveys different emotions at different points).

Slapstick (to the face)

I was in the shower this morning when I started thinking about Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slapstick. I read it over 5 years ago, and although it touched me at the time, it has a different meaning now. It's funny how people you barely know can treat you with more kindness than your own family sometimes.

Of course I've treated people poorly in the past, but I also own up to my mistakes and try to compensate for bad behaviour.

I find it odd how some people react to those of us who REALLY behave in accordance with our own personal morals. They get angry, and wonder what your problem is. I think when you believe in something and apply it to your life, it's something to admire (as long as it isn't destructive to yourself or others).

I'm not sure how I feel about posting pictures of my daughter online. But, I figured a picture of her feet couldn't hurt.

Tropical Curry Delight

I made up the name, but stole the recipe from Cory's mom. It's magically delicious:

- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbs spoon curry
- 2 diced green onions
- 1 can crushed pineapple

Mix it up well. But then:

Cut tortillas into small tringles, and season with oil, thyme, and rosemary. Bake for 10 minutes or so at 350.

Yum.

The Rooster's Beak is Born

I've been thinking about starting a blog for way too long - in fact I have some interesting graphics relating to this blog title that I rigged up while drinking a few glasses of wine 4 apartments ago. I think I'll dig those up and finally put them to use.

I'm a creative writer, at heart, but have been away from it for far too long. If I'm not writing a contemporary masterpiece, then maybe at least I can get back into the swing of writing via this blog.