Sisterlines Space in Time

Crazy Cupcakes

2012-03-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

A while ago my little sister Courtney made some cupcakes for her colleagues at work ( I think it was). They were so stinkin' cute. They were little turkeys! Aren't these adorable? Then she made some more later and they were little sheep. Check out how cute these are. So I went on the hunt to add some "suggestions" to her cupcake portfolio!!!!!
Here are some of the creations I found!!
Owls
Peeking Monsters
Popcorn
Toadstools
Green Monster
Hedgehog
Angry Birds
Indiana Jones
Lawn mower
More sheep (these guys remind me of the ones on that mattress commercial)
Hamburgers
Rainbows
Witches
Little pots - aren't these cute!!!!
Chow for now
Jacqui

Cookie Monster

2012-03-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while Joe will start snooping through the cupboards. I’m not sure if he is looking for something specifically or if he is just seeing what we have. The other day he was rummaging around in the cupboard and he came across some Butterscotch chips. He loves butterscotch and caramel – I think he would put it on everything if he could. This past weekend whenever Jade was in the kitchen he would come down questioning whether she was going to make her dad some cookies and put butterscotch chips in them……well this did not encourage her to make any! So I decided I would make some…not sure if I wanted to treat him…..or just get him to shut up…but I made some…I even doubled the butterscotch chips!!!!

Maybe this will keep him quiet and keep him from rummaging through the cupboards for a while!!!

Chow for now,

Jacqui

Fancy Tarts!

2012-03-07T06:19:00.003-05:00

A while back my older sister Diana posted a blog entry about how she was making tarts and how she was using our Granny’s tart tins to make them. I gave her a hard time and told her I could make fancy tarts too if I had those fancy tin tart shells! Well…honestly – I am not a good pastry maker. I’ll toot my own horn and say I am a pretty good baker and cook, but my pastry needs work. A couple of weeks after Diana’s post, my Mom asked me to come by after work cause she had a few things for me. I had no idea what she could possibly have for me, so I went over there very curious.

When I got there she handed me a bag. I started to open the bag and I’m sure my smile was huge!!! Look what was inside!!!

So I finally got around to making some tarts using the tins. Like I said, my pastry needs work, but here they are all ready for the filling. Here they are in the oven ready to cook and here they are all cooked!

My family loves these tarts. They are a recipe from my Great Aunt Thelma.

Chow for now,

Jacqui

Footloose old and new...

2012-03-06T07:53:00.006-05:00

The other night we decided to watch the original Footloose move with Kevin Bacon and then watch the new 2011 Footloose movie. It was actually quite interesting to watch them back to back cause it gave us a chance to see how close or how different they were.

I remember the first time I saw the movie Footloose. Mom, Courtney and I went to the Shipka Drive-In to watch it and we had a big jumbo jar of cheese balls…and I remember Courtney ate so many of them she threw up! Not a real fond memory for Courtney I am sure, but it’s funny how you can remember what you were doing when you see certain movies or hear certain songs.

Kevin Bacon played Ren in the original and Kenny Wormald played in the 2011 version. Although Kenny did okay – I liked Kevin Bacon a lot better. Sometimes you just can’t improve on the original. Here is what Kevin Bacon looks like now.

Lori Singer played Ariel in the original and Julianne Hough played in the 2011 version. Julianne is much prettier than Lori Singer, and she can certainly dance circles around her for sure. Here is what Lori Singer looks like now

Chris Penn played Willard in the original and Miles Teller played in the 2011 version. Both of these guys were awesome. I loved how Chris Penn made Willard seem a bit simple, but a good loyal friend, and he looked great in his overalls! Miles did a great job of playing Willard as well. He had some very funny lines in the movie. Sadly Chris Penn passed away in 2006 from heart disease at the age of 40. Miles has some scars on his face that we were wondering about and I found that he was in a very serious car accident where some friends were killed and the scars are from that.

John Lithgow played Rev. Shaw Moore in the original and Dennis Quaid played in the 2011 version. I love Dennis Quaid….but he was not a convincing preacher. John Lithgow could NOT be improved upon in this role. Here is what John Lithgow looks like now.

Dianne Weist played Mrs. Moore in the original and Andie McDowell played her in the 2011 version. Although her character did not have a lot of screen time in the movie, when she was on, it was usually in a critical moment. Dianne Weist was much more convincing as a preacher’s wife than Andie McDowell was. Not to say her performance was bad, but just not as convincing. Here is what Dianne Weist looks like now.

It was interesting to see how they made the movie a bit more modern – instead of racing tractors, they raced school buses at a derby race track. You could also see the changing faces of our cultures as time goes on as well. In the original movie there were no African American characters and in the 2011 version there were many African American characters.

Some parts of the movie were word-for-word what was in the original and other parts were the same actions, but were done by different characters.

All in all the remake was well done – I’m glad they didn’t destroy it – but I still must say I liked the original best. Kevin Bacon has been and will always be one of my favourites!

Chow for now,

Jacqui

Tour of Lambton College

2012-03-02T06:30:00.003-05:00

So Parent Night started at 6PM. I wanted to make sure we were there in lots of time, just in case I had trouble finding the place, so we left home about 4:30PM. I was pretty sure I knew where London Road was, but was not exactly sure of the location of Lambton College. Well, heck, it's right there. I drive almost by i (kinda sorta) when we go to Lambton Mall! It is actually in a very convenient spot if the kids at the school are looking for some work while they are going to school. It is right across the street from the mall and the movie theatre - what more could any student want!?? I kept threatening Jade that I was gonna embarrass her all night - it's one of my secret pleasures!!! but I think I did okay! She wouldn't let me do a cartwheel down the hall! (wish is probably a good thing.....cause with all the weight I am carrying around right now....my wrists would probably crumble under the pressure of my arse being up in the air). So we went into the room prepared for the presentation and there was a young man and a young woman who greeted you as you walked in...I must say.....if a choice of colleges was made on how the young man looked.....I'd be going back to Lambton!!!! He was such a nice looking guy and pleasant and knowledgeable. He answered every question we had and was very willing to help. He was a cutie patootie for sure! And he told me to call him when we left! (actually.....if I were to tell the truth....he told everyone that the number on the back of the book would get to his office so he could help or direct our call to the specific person we needed to speak with!) When the presentation started we heard from the cutie - his name was Justin - and he spoke just about the college experience and why some people choose Lambton. I knew it was a smaller school, but I wasn't sure how small. They have 3400 students - which for a college is quite small. But, that has it's benefits as well - smaller class size, more one on one and the chance to get to know people a little better than just being "student 49762". He spoke about residence and the food plan which sounds like a good deal. Then Mickey got up and talked about the parents role when their kids go off to college. He let us know that when they go there, they are now considered adults - which means according to privacy laws, we cannot call the school to see if they are attending classes etc. They will not give out any information about them at all. He also spoke about his office which is for counselling - for whatever the kids may need. It's nice to know they have somewhere to go and someone to talk to if they need that. Karen spoke about her department which is employment services. There are a number of jobs available at the school and these are paid jobs while you are attending the college. There are two types - work study and EBAT - Work study you have a job during the school year and EBAT (employment between academic terms) you work during the summer. She also told us about the Grad Report, which is a survey that is done 6 months after you graduate from your program, you provide feedback to the college so they can see how successful the school is in preparing their students for the "real" world. They proudly display that Lambton College graduates have a 96% satisfaction rate with employers. Meaning the employers are happy with their work and what they learned to get them ready and working in their chosen career. A young woman told her story of how she chose Lambton College and it was interesting to hear that she went through 5 years of University and still was not happy with her choices and picked Lambton because of it's smaller size. We then had a tour of the school, which really is a nice small, community type atmosphere. There is a fitness centre, which provides free membership to students, a book store to get hooked up with all of Lambton College's swag. There are opportunities to play lots of inter-mural sports (even dodge ball!!) and right now the varsity sports are basketball and soccer. These sports change as the interest of the students changes. We toured the residence, which used to be a hotel. Each room is for two people with their own bathroom, fridge, and microwave. Wifi is available in residence as well as all through the college. There are large common rooms and large study areas in residence and throughout the college. The student lounge has nice comfy couches with big pillows. It is just before you go down to the Lion's Den which is the "pub" area. There is laundry at the college as well as a kitchen where you can make a home cooked meal if you want. I was also pleased to find out that Lambton guarantees a percentage of students who take one course in hopes to get into another course. So for those people who take Pre-Health Nursing - they guarantee 60% of those students will get into the BScN program. This was nice to hear. It's nice that they want their students to succeed, not just get their money and throw them to the wolves. So all in all, I like the school. I think it would be a good fit for Jade and it's easy to get to! (not too far from home). But we have another school to tour as well, so we'll see after we tour that one.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Off to Lambton College

2012-03-01T06:47:00.003-05:00

Well tonight is our tour of Lambton College. We had originally planned on going on the 23rd of February, but they are having a parent night tonight so we changed our tour date to tonight. I'm curious to hear what they have to say. They certainly seem more interested in getting the kids to come to their school. A lot more than when I applied to colleges. I don't remember anyone ever calling the house to say they would be my personal "contact" at the school and I could contact them at any time if I had any questions about the program I was accepted for or other programs that the school offers. I'm looking forward to being "amazed" tonight!
I'll touch base tomorrow to let you know how it goes.....we'll see if......Jade decides to.....
chow for now
Jacqui

This one is for my Mum!

2012-02-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I saw this picture on Pinterest (which I am quickly becoming addicted to), and when I first looked at it, I didn't think I understood it because of a language barrier....but then.....I got it.
I was telling Mum about it this weekend when we were driving to Chatham for Joel's volleyball tournament and we got laughing about how cute this little segment on Sesame Street was. We both love that show. I wish the kids of today watched it instead of all these cartoons with people with weird looking faces and stuff - just seems odd to me - but then I guess....Snuffleupagus probably seems weird to them!! But here is your friendly neighbourhood Grover!!
Chow for now.
Jacqui

Victory is bittersweet.....

2012-02-27T06:35:00.002-05:00

The Spiking Sharks traveled to Chatham this weekend to participate in another club tournament. The goal of every tournament is to win..of course..but this time, we were successful. They boys played well, they played together and I think they had fun. Even Todd was pretty calm this weekend!! Unfortunately, Joel rolled his ankle in the semi-final round, so he was not able to play in the gold medal match, but he worked hard all day to get them to the gold match. I'm proud of the boys and they should be proud of themselves as well. They worked hard and it shows. I really am enjoying this club experience. All of the boys are great. They all get along well and they have fun when they are together. And all of the parents are great too. We do not have one "rotten apple" so that is awesome! Here is a picture of the boys lining up to receive their medals, and here is the shot of them after they got them!! Way to go Sharks!!!

Today is day 36 of my weigh loss journey, the beginning of week 6, and I am happy to say I am down 13 pounds all together. I was a little worried about this week as I ate out twice this week and that usually is a hard thing to control, but I made the best choices possible, and it worked out fine!
Chow for now
Jacqui

Babys, babys, babys....

2012-02-24T06:43:00.004-05:00

I guess it's either baby lambs or baby people season! One of my friends at work is gonna be a grandma in April and another friend is gonna be a grandma in September!!!! A different friend asked me to make a baby card for the first friend!!!! So I came up with this. The picture really does not do it justice - it's very sparkly in real life, and I just took the shot quick cause I needed to get to bed. The girl she is giving it to is having a boy and they have used greens and very neutral tones in the nursery.
We are off to Chatham tomorrow for another Spiking Sharks Club Volleyball tournament! I hope the boys do well. As always, the coach is expecting us to win - which we should do, but we have maybe one guy out unless he gets cleared to play after his concussion and my Joel was coughing up a storm this morning...so I hope it's just a cough and not too much more.
Chow for now.
Jacqui

Rest in Peace Mr. Kennedy

2012-02-23T06:34:00.002-05:00

This week we lost another good one to cancer. Man oh man I hate that disease. I remember sitting in science class and watching Mr. Kennedy teach. He was one of those teachers that really cared about the students and truly wanted to see everyone do well. He made his classes interesting and most of all fun. I forgot how musical he was until I saw this video, but then again, I should have clued in cause he helped Mrs. Schram with the choir for all those years when the NMDHS choir travelled and won competitions. Thanks to Facebook, I came across this video of him on guitar along with Megan Vamos as they lead the Strathroy United Church children and congregation in the Negro Spiritual "This Little Light of Mine".
Rest in Peace, Roger, you will be missed by many.
Jacqui

Long Weekend...

2012-02-21T07:09:00.002-05:00

Well I had big plans for my long weekend. I was going to do some cleaning and some purging. I know it's not spring yet, but I thought I would get a jump on the spring cleaning.....well.....I didn't get as much done as I wanted to. I did some baking...made cheesecake, donut muffins, cinnamon buns and a batch of bacon and potato chowder. I got the kids down to Grog's and MacPherson's to put their resumes in, in hopes of getting a job, and I got my grocery shopping done. So I figured we deserved to watch a couple of movies!
We watched In Time which has Justin Timberlake. It was quite good - a different concept than any other movie I have seen before. We also watched A Dolphin Tale. What a good movie. I love animal movies to begin with, and this one was based on a true story. The cast was great as well. Kris Kristofferson, Harry Conick Jr., Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. All star cast, for a really good movie. Laughs and tears too!
Here's hoping this short week feels short...they usually feel longer than a normal week!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Another one.....

2012-02-17T06:29:00.003-05:00

When I had my kids I thought the spacing between their birth dates was pretty cool. You know how when you go in to the doctors office for that first "I think I'm pregnant" appointment and they ask you the date of the first day of your last period....well when I was pregnant with Joel the date of the first day of my last period was actually Jade's birthday, which I thought was kind of cool. Then when Joel was born, he was born at exactly 21 months and 12 hours apart from his sister. Jade was born on April 8th at 10:45 AM and Joel was born on January 8th at 10:45 PM. That's just been a kind of cool little tidbit for their births. But now......Jade is gearing up for leaving the nest and going to college. We are still waiting for responses back from two of the schools, which should be coming soon because they have to let the kids know by March 1st. I hope she picks Lambton. It's a bit of a smaller school and it seems to have the same principals and goals for making the kids succeed as NMDHS does. I think I am prepared for Jade to go off to college and start her own life and "come into her own" so to speak. She has been away quite a bit in the last couple of years; Germany for 23 days, then working in Woodstock for the remainder of the summer and then last summer she was in Woodstock all summer, I think she came home twice, and this school year a couple of weekends a month she is in Woodstock working. So she has kind of eased me into her being away. But yesterday, Joel (my baby) comes home with College books because he has to pick his courses for Grade 11 and he has to make sure they are courses that he needs for the career choice he is making. I'm not sure I thought this through. I'll only get 2 more years with Joel in the house and then my nest will be empty. What will I do with all my free time. Will I stamp? Will I read? Or will I sit and wonder if the kids are okay away from home. I'm sure they will make good choices as they move into their own little worlds....but I'm not sure I'm prepared for not knowing what they are doing and where they are every minute of the day! I don't think I am an overprotective mom, or a mom that hovers, but I do like to be kept in the loop and I'm not sure I'm mentally ready for all this change!
I feel like I am still coming to terms with the fact that my "baby making" chapter is done. Don't get me wrong, I really don't want another baby - but just knowing that it is never going to happen again was a big thing to grasp. So the thoughts of my babies going off into the big scary world is making me think. I'm not really stressing yet....there is still lots of time for that! But I'm not sure I like all these chapters of my life slamming shut on me!
I guess I'll just have to spend the rest of my time getting all the quality time and hugs I can! I don't tell them too often cause I don't want their "heads to swell" (ha ha) but I am truly very proud of my kids and I love them more than they will ever know. They are good kids - I am very lucky.
I just don't know where the time went for them to go from this to this.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

I'm Goin' Down......

2012-02-16T06:21:00.003-05:00

A number of years ago, when we were attending my little sister Courtney's graduation from The University of Windsor, as Granny was walking across the street, I think her feet got tangled up and she fell. As she started to fall, she hollered, "I'm goin' down", and then she laid there on the street giggling. The poor police man who was directing traffic, must have been thinking to himself, "holy crap that lady just fell, oh man I have to stop all these cars". So as he was frantically getting cars to stop, we got Granny up and she seemed to be okay....only later did we find out that she broke her elbow, but she didn't complain at all...took a couple of Advil and enjoyed Courtney's graduation. Well this morning, I stepped off my step and down I went. We had rain over night as well as this morning and our lane way slopes down toward where my car gets parked and I stepped on the "right (er wrong)" spot and down I went. I don't know how Granny had time to holler "I'm goin' down" cause it was so darn quick that I was down and sliding through the ice and mud. So I had to go back in change my clothes before heading off to work. I'm hoping the rest of my day goes better than my morning went. I smashed my knee off the ground, so hopefully it won't swell, but other than that I am okay. I needed one of these signs this morning!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2012-02-14T06:16:00.002-05:00

When I got up this morning there was a vase of carnations on the table with a handwritten card from my hubby. I love carnations - they have got to be my favourite cut flower. They last so long, they are awesome. They were white carnations with purple edges and purple is my favourite colour so it was a nice surprise at 4AM when I was sitting at the table eating my breakfast.
February is also Heart month. We, as women, must be aware of the warning signs of heart attacks, as that is the number one killer of women. So in honour of Heart Awareness Month I am sharing this video with you...even though it's funny (and is has that Cutie Patootie, Colin Egglesfield in it) it's a good video to watch. Enjoy your valentines day!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Tower Heist

2012-02-13T06:56:00.004-05:00

We watched a movie yesterday called Tower Heist. The write up says, " When a group of hard working guys find out they've fallen victim to a wealthy business man's Ponzi scheme, they conspire to rob his high-rise residence." It was pretty good. I thought the cast would make for a pretty good movie. And it did.
Ben Stiller - he's a great comedy actor
Eddie Murphy - always love a movie with Eddie Murphy - especially when he gets all excited and talks really fast!
Casey Affleck - I haven't seen much of him before - but he was pretty good too
Alan Alda - Always a good actor - from way back in the MASH days to his more recent ER days
Matthew Broderick - he will always be Ferris Bueller - no matter what other roles he plays - he will always be Ferris
Judd Hirsch - had some Taxi flashbacks!
Tea Leoni - I really like Tea Leoni - I like her voice - it's kinda deep - kinda raspy - She is (maybe not anymore) married to David Duchovny (Fox Mulder from the X-Files) - they make a good pair I think!
Michael Pena - I have seen him in lots of stuff, but had to look up his name - but he was funny in this one
Gabourey Sidibe - this is the same girl who played the role Precious. I have yet to see that movie, but I hear it is very good.
Chow for now
Jacqui

Family

2012-02-10T06:45:00.002-05:00

I have decided that I am going to start going into the nursing home on Thursday nights to go to Hymn Sing with Granny. She never misses it, so I thought she might enjoy it if I went to sing with her. So last night I went in and she was in her room. The nurses were doing some things for her and she had a bit of an issue with her appliance so she had her nightie on already. I asked her if she was going to go out for Hymn Sing and she said "oh I can't go in my nightie". So I found her a house coat, got it on her and out we went! She takes a little notepad with her and writes down all the Hymns that we sing and then Tim, the fella who leads the Hymn sing, always asks her how many we have sung. The record is 17. We only sang 14 last night. While we were sitting there, I saw someone come to the door and it was Aunt Donna! I have not seen her since my little sister Courtney's wedding, so it was nice to see her. (this is a shot of her and Mom at Courtney's wedding - I love this picture) Granny has been missing her, so I am glad she came for a visit. She joined in the Hymn Sing with us as well. When the Hymn Sing was all done, we went into the dining room and sat and talked for a while. We had a good visit. I left around 9PM and Granny was worried that the nurses would be mad she was up so late. I mentioned it to the girls and they all said the same thing - "A visit is worth more than us getting her to bed at a certain time". Granny wasn't tired, so we just kept on chatting. She looks great. She had a bit of a spell the other day, but I think it was related to an infection she has brewing, but they have her on antibiotics so that seems to have calmed things down. I showed her some pictures of the lambs from the farm and she really wants to see a little black one! I might just have to kidnap one from the farm and throw it in the car and take it in to see her!
The residents at the home get excited when you take a dog in there, can you imagine what they would do if they saw a baby lamb!!!!
I heard that Courtney is coming home this weekend - so maybe I'll get a little sister time in while Mom and Aunt Donna are getting a little sister time!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Worries..

2012-02-09T06:50:00.002-05:00

Ya know, we all spend countless energy worrying about things. My dad always says to me, why worry about the things you can't do anything about. (you know like the weather, dying, the end of the world, stuff like that). As much as it is easy to say that and to try not to worry about things, we still do. It's hard not to. I worry about my kids - will they succeed and reach all their goals and dreams? Did I do enough to help them get there? Will I lose weight? Will I be able to pay the bills this month? Then I saw this video, and I thought to myself - man - instead of worrying all the time I need to start to be thankful for things. Thankful for the wonderful parents I have, thankful for the wonderful family I have, thankful that for the most part we are all healthy, and thankful that we live in a Country that allows us basic freedoms.
Chow for now
Jacqui

Something Borrowed...

2012-02-07T06:28:00.003-05:00

I watched this movie the other night as it was on TV. It was a cute story and loved the way it turned out. I didn't care for the character, Darcy, that Kate Hudson played in this movie - just cause, well she was a BI***. But I do like Kate Hudson's acting. I loved her in Fool's Gold and in Raising Helen and in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.
The fella who played Dex - Colin Egglesfield - had kind a of Tom Cruise look to him at certain times in the movie.
Ginnifer Goodwin played Rachel. She is so cute. I had never seen her in a show (that I remember anyway) until I started watching Once Upon a Time. But she is a good little actress - and very pretty.
I don't think I have ever seen John Krasinski in anything either - although I saw him on Ellen and was funny! I liked his character too.
It was a nice little feel good movie - I shed some tears and laughed too. Usually the signs of a good movie!
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Proud of my girl!!!!

2012-02-03T06:18:00.002-05:00

Well my little girl is growing up. This past week she applied to college. She has applied at Lambton College in Sarnia, Fanshawe College in London and St. Clair college in Windsor. They are in between semesters right now so she is spending some time in Woodstock with friends until Sunday. So she called me last night to tell me that she got an email from Lambton College and she has got accepted there! (she has to make sure she passes English next semester - but that won't be a problem).
I am so excited for her. I remember applying for colleges wondering what I was gonna do if they all said NO!
Even though it's an exciting time - I'm excited for her to move on and start her own life and make her way in the world - it's a sad time too. I look back on baby pictures and wonder where the time has gone.
Congratulations Jade,
I'm proud of you,
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Deer, deer, deer.......

2012-02-02T06:39:00.004-05:00

Well semester one is officially over. Jade was done her exams on Tuesday and Joel finished his yesterday! Here's hoping their marks were awesome. February 6th starts the beginning of the new semester and starts Jade's last semester of high school. Wow, that's making me feel a little old.
One of Joel's friends decided to have a little get together last night to celebrate exams being over. Joe went to pick him up around midnight and on the way home....they hit a deer. Luckily, neither of them were hurt. My car took a bit of a beating, but it is still functional, so that is the main thing. I need a new headlight and a new left blinker, but I think other than that it will survive. It bums me out though that they couldn't find anyone to help them with the deer cause I really would have liked to have some venison in my freezer. So as I am walking out the door this morning to leave for work...Joe says..."not to be a smart ass, but watch out for the deer." Little does he know that I have run ins with them at least 3 times a week driving to work. I leave at 5AM when it is still dark and they are VERY active at that time of the day. I think he jinxed me......I hadn't even gotten by the first neighbours house and out come 3 deer zipping across the road in front of me. Fortunately I saw them - those shining eyes and their white tails - so I was able to slow down and let them pass. I still beeped my horn at them to let them know I was not impressed and really did not need that jump start to my heart at 5AM.

It's lambing season on my Mom and Dad's farm! I think last count was 24 - but a late night email from Mom indicated a couple more may be coming, so the number might be higher now. They are so cute. Jade and her boyfriend Brian went over to see them yesterday so I made her take the camera so she could get some shots of the babies.

Chow for now,
Jacqui

Whoo-Whoo -Whoo had a Happy Anniversary?

2012-01-31T07:14:00.002-05:00

Well I couldn't post this card yesterday, cause I hadn't delivered it to my Mom and Dad yet. So I will post it today. This is the card that I made for them for their anniversary. I wanted to add some texture, so I made the little roses. I want/need to get better at making those, they look very pretty on cards and projects.
Well, I am officially the Mom of a college applicant!!! College applications had to be submitted by February 1st. Jade sent hers in yesterday. So now we play the waiting game and keep our fingers crossed she gets accepted. I went to Fanshawe College for nursing, but to be honest, I don't remember if I was anxious about whether I was going to be accepted or not. I'm not sure if Jade is anxious or worked up about it or not. She had a bad headache last night so we just kind of vegged on the couch. Watched a couple of episodes of Heartland and I watched a couple episodes of the Vicar of Dibley - what an hilarious show. Dawn French is funny funny lady.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2012-01-30T06:52:00.005-05:00

Today is my Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary. 32 years! Wow. I can almost remember there wedding day like it was yesterday.They got married at the house on the farm, with just close family and friends. We had a nice dinner and then the reception was at the Community Centre in Parkhill and Roger Quick played the music. Fun times!
They still look as awesome as they did 32 years ago!
I love you guys. Have a super day.

Today is Day 8 of my program. Things are going well so far, I lost 5 pounds last week, so that is a good start. I pretty much stayed right on track until Saturday - and I didn't really fall off the track, I just had to make some substitutions and some good choices, and the get right back on the schedule on Sunday. So it's all good.
Chow for now,
Jacqui

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