Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Wow, Another Year Came and Gone

Is it just me or is it that as you get older birthdays seem to come quicker and quicker, yet when you are younger they don't come quick enough?

I'm 27.... what the heck happened during 26?!

Thanks for all the birthday love!!!
Sooo I tried to celebrate all weekend...

We were in a ball tournament this weekend, won our first game Friday night and lost the other 2 on Saturday!

Friday night I ended up having one too many on an empty stomach, but still had fun and managed to skip a hangover... oh wait I always skip those...

Saturday, M ended up getting me an ice cream cake - delicious!!

Sunday we went shopping, M got his new golf clubs. Of course he had to break them in, so off he went with N, J and his son. So K and I decided that we would hangout as well, since the boys abandoned us!

I also managed to watch the movie Just Go With It this weekend! It was pretty good!!

Yesterday, I woke up to find that M had left me a card and gift on my phone before he left for work! The card had me in tears and the gift was perfect!! He got me a spa pedicure and I am in NEED! Then later on I get a phone call saying flowers are being delivered... M ordered flowers for me as well!! Love that man!!

We had dinner at the farm and then parted ways, as M had fire practice and I had girls night!!

So there you have what I have been up to all weekend!!

Now I hope to get caught up on the MTV awards... oh and can I mention I LOVE Jay Z?

I am hoping everyone on the East coast is doing alright with minimal damage!


Monday, August 29, 2011

Birthdays Come Once a Year

And my once a year is TODAY!!!



Sooo I will be back tomorrow!!


Friday, August 26, 2011

Finally Friday

Yup, skipped Thursday again, but fear not, I will tell ya what I was up to!!

I had an appointment to take my SUV into get the cruise control fixed. K decided to come with me. While we were waiting for them to diagnose it, we decided to take a shopping break instead of sitting around waiting. However, there was not much around! We stopped in the bell store and then hit up good old zellers! I am definitely not one of Zellers biggest fans and cannot wait for them all to be converted to TARGET!!! Hell ya!! But that won't be happening for a while. Anyways... I ended up buying a new plastic plate set and a new pair of white strappy sandals. And I actually took a quick picture with my phone (excuse the quality) for you all to see:



Believe it or not, they are actually comfy!!!

We grabbed some lunch and headed back to find out that they need to order a part, so I will have to bring it back. Luckily it is all covered!! K and I headed to costco and then home. We ended up going for dinner as well later on!

I forgot to mention that Wednesday night we had some intense storms!! Pretty much all of Southern Ontario had a tornado watch all day on Wednesday, but the storm came that night. It was crazy!!! Turns out that an F1 tornado touched down in the city I work in, which is only 25 minutes away from my house! The damage here is mostly trees ripped out of the ground, or split and hydro lines... but still crazy!!! You can check out some pictures here.

Oh and I will be starting a new book!!! K lent me the book "Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffen!!!
On to my weekend plans, which I am linking up with My Happy House.

We are hosting a ball tournament all weekend!!

Friday:
Work
6:45 Play ball

Saturday:
Hopefully get to Winner's big sale at some point
Play Ball!! (we don't have the schedule this far ahead yet)

Sunday:
Probably Play Ball!

That is all I have go soo far!!! Looks like it is going to be a fantastic weekend!!!

I hope everyone stays safe, especially those on the east coast...

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Reflection: Control, Comparison and Feelings


8.) I've learned- 
that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

13.) I've learned- 
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
14.) I've learned- 
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I skipped at head to these lessons because they are hitting close to home right now. I have decided to incorporate the three of them, as they all sort of relate!
I have learned how easy it is to be disappointed with various things happening in life. I have also struggled for control of my feelings and attitude, but I will be honest, there are days where I still struggle! Sometimes it is just easier to be upset over the things you cannot control in life, but at the same time, it doesn't change the fact or make you feel any better. Finding a positive attitude to tend to the negative things happening is not an easy task. You need to dig deep and find a new perspective. You may lose yourself in the process, but you'll come back with new knowledge.
As many things are out of our control in life, bad things happen, shit luck pops up here and there, it is our job to react in the right way. However, there is no right way. But we are in control of our behavior. So, if your zipper breaks on a winter day, it is your job to quick fix it - find some pins to pin it shut, rely on the back up buttons, etc. until you can find a better solution. Sure, you could sit in the cold and cry about it, but chances are that your jacket will not fix itself. Never be afraid to ask for help either. We need to take the responsible route for our own actions and feelings. I know how hard it is to find that route, and then to stay on route for the duration, and sometimes you pop off road for a while, but either way you find yourself taking the high route, because overall it is easier. It is easier then sitting around and moping, yes - something shitty might have happened, but instead of being debbie downer, you have accepted the fact that it is happened and heck it might happen again. Life offers no guarantees!
But in order to ask someone for help or understanding, or even just to listen, you need to be willing to let the ghost out of the closet. You need to be prepared that the situation then becomes out of YOUR control. You need to be able to accept the risks of confiding in someone. We would all like to say that we don't judge people, but deep down inside, we are not built that way. You need to be able to accept the judgement and pray that it does not come back to haunt you. We have all been burned in life at some point and we all have secrets. Who all holds your secrets? Can you really trust them? There is no real way of knowing that until you just step blindly and pray it works out for the best.
You should not pretend like you know what one has gone through or demote someones struggles because you have been through it yourself. Every situation is different. You may offer advice on how you were getting through, but you have no right to tell someone how to feel. Chances are that whatever that person is dealing with is HARD and you have no right to downgrade it. We are all built differently, what one person considers a struggle might be easy for you, yet what you struggle with might be easy for someone else. Everyone needs support in different ways. Find the best way to support the person struggling.
As simple as it is to compare yourself to how easy you think someone else has it, the truth is you do not know how many secrets one person holds, or how many struggles they are balancing and chances are that there is a reason you do not know that persons secrets/struggles because you are too busy comparing. Life is not about keeping track. For some sick reason, maybe it makes you feel better knowing other peoples struggles, as they would make your own feel so minuscule. But that is not a fair comparison. You are responsible for yourself and comparing ones life experiences to anothers does not change any of the facts, if anything it makes you weaker because you cannot accept yourself for who YOU are and what YOU have faced.
But the reality of it is: WE ALL STRUGGLE at one point or another, in various sizes. We all have choices on the way we feel and react, but sometimes you need to dig deep to find the best choice. There will always be a challenge when it comes to finding control for your feelings. Cut back on the comparisons, it will not put you any further ahead in life. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I Heart Faces - Photo Challenges, Tutorials and Tips

Photo Challange: Pet Week


Lily as a puppy!! It was sooo hard to pick just one picture!!!

That's My Tuesday!!

Well I guess technically it should be called That's my Weekend, because I am about to recap it for ya!

Friday night M had baseball, lost by just a few runs again with only 9 players, I bet if they had 10 they could have won!

Saturday morning was exciting because it was time to pick up my new Pontiac Torrent!!! Did I mention that I am loving it soo far? I haven't taken pics yet - soon I promise! We also got my necklace fixed while we were in the city. Jazzy got her foot stuck and ripped it off my neck, which broke the chain! Luckily M had gotten a lifetime warranty on it and they just gave me a new chain!! We also stopped at Costco to pick up a few things. We made it home by 2:00, packed the new SUV up and headed to the lake for Seafood fest! As you know I am allergic, but M enjoyed it and I had myself a delicious steak!! May of also gotten into a few of these:

(picture found here)

Loving the new Key Lime Cherry Palm Bay!! (- maybe a little too much)

We ended up getting a wicked thunderstorm, so we all huddled into the gazebo tents and sat around with good company, wine, beer and coolers!! The night ended a bit messy, but in all good fun!

Sunday morning the weather was still hit and miss, raining, clouding over and then clear patches, so M and I decided we would head home. We worked on a few things around the house, I had a quick nap, showered and then we headed out for dinner with N, K and little G! We went to The Keg for dinner! I had not been there for a VERY long time!! It was still just as great! They ended up bringing me the wrong plate, brought me back the right one and gave me a complimentary dessert! You bet I got the chocolate cake to go!! Oh and if you're ever there get the twice baked potato - AMAZING!! N is a firefighter in the city, so we stopped by the fire hall and got a quick tour! N and M went routing around in the trucks, checking out all the gear... M was surprised how different things were from the county v.s. city.

Monday morning, M had left me chocolate cake on his pillow with a fork before he left for work! So I enjoyed breakfast in bed!!! Yummy!!! I got some laundry done, headed out with K for the day. We went to her classroom,cleaned it up and got it ready for September. Then we headed into town for some lunch and then we started plant shopping! I had found some zebra grass for the patio at a greenhouse, but by the time we got there, they had sold it!

(picture found here)

So we popped out to a nursery just outside of the village and luckily they had some and they were on SALE!!! You know me and a SALE!!! I also ended up getting a PeeGee Hydrangea:

found here

which was on sale as well!! I got some really great deals!!!

We had dinner, took the dogs for a walk and then settled in for girl's night!! We even got to enjoy some of J's baby shower cake!!

I went home, cut all the cats nails and headed to bed!!

As for my Tuesday - I am working!!

This weekend we have the big ball tournament in the village and will be hosting again!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!


Friday, August 19, 2011

Said Goodbye and Waiting to Say Hello!!!

Said goodbye to my car yesterday officially!!! Everything went through!!! The car is gone!!!

I may have broke out into a song...

I also may have felt like this commercial as soon as I got the cheque:



So I am car-less, stuck driving M's Explorer - which hates me... did I mention that thing hates me?

So knowing how unpractical driving around the Explorer is.. I knew we would need to find a new car soon!!

I found the PERFECT one!!! Set up an appointment to go see it Wednesday night, called Wednesday afternoon and the person on the phone said it was sold - gone - not available... Did I mention it was a great deal? I mean FANTASTIC deal? No? Well it was!! I was upset - without even seeing it in person, it was perfect... Okay I will admit I was PISSED. So back to the drawing board... we were trying to find a vehicle that would be around the same price as what we sold ours for and I was having no luck!! That car was IT!!

So M called the dealership and asked to speak to our salesman and sure enough...

HE PUT IT ASIDE FOR US & MARKED IT SOLD!!!!

We went and checked it out, drove it, FELL HEAD OVER HEELS!!! Okay I did, but but M really liked it too.... all he could keep saying was that "It's not a truck..." However, practical Mike realized that a truck is not a necessity at this time...

WE BOUGHT A PONTIAC TORRENT!!!! Wanna see a pic or two?!


(these are the dealers pictures - obviously they are NOT photographers - not that I am, but I will take some better ones when I get it)

She is fully loaded: Leather heated power seats, sunroof, LOADS of room, cruise control, roof rack, etc...

IN LOVE!!!

The color is still to be determined.. it is like a black cherry/purple metallic - every time we look at the car it seems a different color!!

M and I are pretty pumped!! It is a dream come true - selling the caliber and buying a new one... I hope our dreams continue to come true!!! 

We get to pick it up TOMORROW morning!!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

It's Almost Time....

It is almost time to say goodbye to:


Kijiji: 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT Hatchback

I have potentially sold the car!!! It will be leaving tomorrow!!

So we will be down to one vehicle for a little while, until we find our new one!! So instead of blogging properly today I am scrolling autotrader and kijiji!!



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Weekend Recap

It was actually a pretty fantastic weekend to recap!!!

Friday - Where shall I begin? How about when my boss called me into his office and told me how fantastic I am and that he is giving a SWEET raise?! Um Ok!!! Oh and it was Mike's birthday! I also got to leave work early!We had the Rehearsal Dinner for Nicole's wedding!! It went great!! Mike had baseball, it was a really close game!! 32-30 - we lost by 2!!! Good try boys!!

Saturday - NICOLE'S WEDDING DAY!!! Up bright and early to get our hair done!! I ended up forgetting the pictures, but it turned out pretty awesome anyways, except my hair dresser wasn't the nicest and didn't use enough hairspray for my liking on a hot/humid day.

Then I got my make-up done and guess what girls.... I am no longer a fake eyelash virgin!!! Yup I took one for the team and loved it!!! They looked soo good, I might have to do it again and again!!

The wedding was fantastic, and the pictures were pretty good too... wanna see some? (these are all pics from my camera!)

Picture I took of the rings and N's shoes!!
Wedding party shot!!
The Girls

M & I



Of course there are soooo many more... but there is a sneak peak!!

My speech was excellent!!! I might post it later this week... we will see!

Oh and on Saturday was my Grandma's 90th Birthday!!! Unfortunately I missed it!!

Sunday was my Sister's birthday!!! M and I ended up relaxing most of the day on Sunday. We were exhausted!!!

I must say... I have 2 weeks left in August and I hope to use them to relax and enjoy the rest of summer!!

Another thing that happened, which just might affect the big ol' blog is - my laptop died... either my video card/screen broke. Luckily, it is still under warranty!! So I am stuck using my old laptop... which I hate! I will hopefully have it back in a week!!

Oh Ya... remember how I may have mentioned a mouse... well guess what.... it is GONE!!! Just as I predicted... Without going into to much graphic detail... not only did the trap catch it (as in one)... the cats made sure it was dead as well!

Monday - I accomplished a lot around the house! I washed the floors, did laundry, dealth with some personal stuff, vacuumed and trimmed the dogs hair. I also made a salsa dip for Girl's night, which I hosted!!

Want some more good news? I have a lady coming to look at my car tonight!!! I PRAY she wants to buy it!!! Please keep your fingers crossed!!

Oh and some Tail Wagging Tuesday:



Gracie on the beach!!

Have a great day!!!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Happy Birthday HUBBY!!!

Today is my hubby's birthday, so I am giving him a super special blog birthday shout out!!!


Happy Birthday Mike!!

28 years, 28 wishes!
I hope to help make all your wishes come true!!

LOVE YOU!!!

DIY Project Revealed!!!

Are you ready? Did you have any guesses before hand on what I might have done?

Well it had something to do with the mudroom. I had mentioned before that I wanted to make valances for the windows, but what I failed to mention was the need for curtains!! Unfortunately, I did not buy enough fabric to do exactly what I wanted and I couldn't just go back and get more because I bought them on the state side!  I haven't even touched that fabric yet, aside from washing it.

So I just happened to have some roman shades that were in the room before. They were yellow, which obviously did not match my new color scheme.

 I was going to buy some new ones until my inner creative flare started to itch. I wanted to recover them! So with a few key strokes and google, I came across this site. However, I did not exactly follow her steps.

I decided to reduce/reuse/recycle. I took old white bed sheets from our old queen bed (that is in our guest room). I had M help me measure and cut the sheets to work with my roman shade. I left about 2 inches on each side of the roman shade, room for hemming and gluing!! I ended up having to double up the sheets to try to prevent the color coming through, but either way when the sun shines through you can still see hints of yellow, but I'm not overly concerned about it because they will be rolled up when we have company. So I hemmed the two sheets together and then ironed them.

Then with M's help, we laid out the roman shade facing up and put the sheet on top of it - this will be the side that shows. We ran a string of glue along the top edge and stuck the fabric snug to the plastic of the roman shade. We then flipped the roman shade revealing the back, pulled the fabric snug and ran glue down the sides, folding the fabric into it on each side. Then I folded the corners in on the bottom, rolled it upwards and glued it in place as well. We waited a few minutes to let the glue set and then hung it up!!


We did the exact same thing to the other one as well obviously, since they are hanging on double doors!!

Now the true test... how will it gather?


PERFECT!!! We totally rocked this DIY project!!! M did admit afterwards that he thought I was crazy for trying this, but was very impressed with how it turned out!!!

Now I just have valances to make and then Velcro on to the plastic pieces!!

Voila... DIY Roman Shades Covers!!! Easy-peasy!!!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Thoughts on Thursday

- I was planning on revealing my surprise DIY, went to take pictures and all... but the sun was just not co-operating!! I could have waited until later, but oh yeh - I am working today, so that doesn't work either! I am hoping tomorrow! I might schedule the post tonight if I have time - tonight we are going out for dinner for M's birthday, since we can't do it tomorrow night. Tomorrow night is N's rehearsal dinner and M has baseball afterwards!

- This mornings commute was a little hectic! I have been taking the back roads to work lately just because the highway has construction and I like to take the scenic route. It is NEVER busy - until the highway is shut down because someone walked into the middle of it and died.... yup, so all of those people who are used to taking the highway and not country roads are forced out of their comfort and think that they are the only cars on the road. Especially at 4 way stops - they think if they DO NOT STOP, the sign is null and void... and then I would have been the second dead one on the road... GEEZ people... I get your morning routine was altered, but that does not mean that you don't need to follow the rules!!

- I am sooo excited for my bestie to be getting married on Saturday!!! But I am also excited because that is the last wedding of the summer, which means my summer pretty much starts then!!!

- Tomorrow there just may be 2 posts, one dedicated to my hubby for his birthday and one dedicated to my DIY project I've been promising!

- I MUST paint my toenails tonight to match my dress for the wedding!! MUST!

- I worked away in my closet last night trying to fix the havoc Mike caused when he went to put clothes away... Have I mentioned that I have a system in my closet? All the clothes MUST face the same way, with the hangers going the same way, and then it goes by style in colors. It obviously sounds more complicated than it is. So I showed M AGAIN last night the system. He tries, I get it - straight men just aren't built that way.  

I am also going to link up with Goodnight Moon and Sarah Elizabeth for Song Link Up!! I am going to post 2 songs that I am loving this week:

Demi Lovato - Skyscraper

and


Brandi Carlile - The Story!

Hope you all have a great day ;)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Dear Mouse/What I am Loving

Dear Mouse In The House:

I just wanted to let YOU know that I know you are around, in fact, I saw you last night behind the stove. Just in case you missed the memo at the front door... we have THREE cats... yup 3 of them (and 2 dogs) and they also know your presence. Watch out for the little white one... he is brave, in fact you may recall that he is the one that dove in after you last night. You might have got away this time, but your day will come...

I also thought I would let you know that you will not be seeking food from my cupboards... no way in... sorry, our cupboards are backed!! You will be stuck eating dog food and cat food and just so you know, they don't like to share!

You may also want to tell your friends that this property really isn't a good one to hang out in or around and that includes the back shop... You should have seen what happened to Mr. Chipmunk... My sewing room has moved just so you know. I will also give you fair warning that traps have been set and repellents will be bought.

I might also mention how NOT IMPRESSED I was last night when you went to scurry around - I almost took my head off with the ceiling fan when I jumped up on the couch. NOT COOL mouse... NOT COOL!

So in case you missed the message... GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, you are NOT welcome. Consider yourself warned and tell your friends!!

Thanks!

Now on to some of the things I am LOVING...

I am loving my 3 cats... they are the ones that let me know something was up, as all 3 of them had a corner of the stove!!


I love that my best friend is getting married on Saturday!!! I am sooo excited for her!! I finished making her slide show last night and now I just need to finish my speech!! I also need to paint my toe nails!!

I love my husband of course!!! His birthday is on FRIDAY!!!

Oh I need your advice:

I love the following hair do's for the wedding, which one do you think I should get?

A)Very sweet look

B)wedding hair
C)Hair and Makeup

(all picture can be found HERE)

I also love this outdoor space:

dream outdoor space
(Found HERE)

I think that this dessert looks FANTASTIC!!!
cookies and cream bar brownie pie.
Wondering what it is? Cookies and Cream bar Brownie Pie!!! Um can you say YUM? Recipe is HERE!!

I also think that this outfit is ADORABLE!!!

Want it too? You can find it on my Pinterest!!

Wanna find me on Pinterest? HERE I am!!

What are you loving today?

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Holiday Recap Cont'd

So shall I finish up the rest of my week?

Wednesday we came home and headed to baseball. Another loss, but it was close!

Thursday the sewing room was relocated, much to hubby's liking!! I had it out in the hobby shop. I went out there to work on a project (details coming soon) and discovered that there had been some mice chilling out there at some point. I didn't see any, just their evidence... luckily no damage, but enough to make me move out!

So my sewing room has been moved in the house, to a bedroom upstairs. We will just store the bed until we need it. I must say though, I am LOVING having it in the house and feel that it might get used a bit more often!! My scrap booking is still out in the shop. I may leave it there, because either way traps are down and hopefully the mice will decide that this place isn't soo cool after all!

Friday I spent the day with Nicole aka the Bride to Be on Saturday!!! I am sooo excited for her!!! We spent the day doing wedding stuff and I made it home just in time to head into town for dinner! Mike had a ball game on Friday night and their team actually won!

Saturday morning we headed to a friends house to help move some furniture and we took a few pieces for ourselves and took the rest out to the flying club, as they were having a big yard sale! Then S and I headed to Stratford so I could check out a furniture store. It had great deals!!! I know where I will be going when I need new furniture!!

Saturday afternoon we went over to N and K's for Cole's Memorial. They had a private service in their backyard that was beautiful, emotional and touching. Baby Cole was born still in June. His life has touched soo many people and N and K's strength has flooded the hearts of everyone around them. Please remember how precious life is and do not take life for granted because there are no guarantees.

Sunday we worked around the house and finished up the surprise DIY project that I will telling you all about later this week!!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Back From Holidays!!

Oh there is sooo much to catch you all up on!! I had a very busy weekend, followed by a semi-busy week.

So, I will let you know that the weddings on Friday were great!!!

Here is a picture of M and I:

Saturday morning we packed up our hotel room and headed down for brunch before checking out. While we were at breakfast, the best part of the weekend happened for me... two baby fawns came up to the screened in patio and were frolicking and playing around. They were within feet of our table, just munching away. You know me, I LOVE nature and deer and all wildlife. It honestly made my day/weekend. Just to be able to take 10 minutes and watch these beautiful young deer just reminded me once again how precious and peaceful life can be. I will be honest, they were very calming and gave me chance to take in a moment and reflect on my life in the present.

Over this past week, I have been trying to slow life down and take it all step by step and moment for moment. It has been peaceful and relaxing. A lot of changes have been going on around us and are coming up. Life is BUSY!!! So bear with me.

M and I headed to the lake on Sunday and stayed down on the boat until Wednesday! It was also peaceful and relaxing, being with M and the dogs out on the water, all together. It is easy to find yourself and clear your head and just let go of everything. We had a great trip!!!


More to come on the rest of the week!!!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Dear Month Of August:


Since July sucked soo much, heres to hope August comes through for me!

Thanks Sara for sharing this!!

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