Things that make me truly HAPPY

Shopping here...

For these things....

I am a true Italian. I am very proud of my heritage. And I am very loyal to my food. Nothing makes me happier than when I can get to Bosa Foods downtown and shop like an Italian, with other Italians! I was like a kid in a candy store... I came home with proscuitto and genoa salami; calabrese buns and biscotti.... REAL boconccini that melt in your mouth... Pasta by the truck load. And of course pastries. Beautiful pastries.... drool... AND I had the best pannini for lunch - grilled veggies with fresh mozarella. To die for!! And to top off the shopping trip, I finally found the chocolate cookies that I used to eat in Italy for breakfast! Bosa carries the line - so I bought two huge bags! I am sure it was quite a pathetic sight - I nearly cried.... But I have been looking for these specific cookies for 7 yrs now. It was like finding the Holy Grail! I also bought the most wonderful pizza - just fresh tomatoe sauce and basil and some mozza cheese. Delicious!! I am sure tomorrow my gut will kill me, but tonight we are going to eat outside and pretend we are in my hometown of Campobasso, and be Italian!!

Ciao all.

Fashion Thursday

The weather is fine and that means it is time for t-shirts!! I adore t-shirts. My selection today all comes from the GAP. That is where I basically get all of my clothing. They seem to fit me best, and don't shrink up. I have a long body so I need a long tee - not a WIDE tee, a long one. There is a difference, and the majority of manufacturers don't see this. But GAP does. White is my all time fav. I have at least 6 white tees. Then come graphics. Super fun for summer. I am really into retro tees right now - I have a few that are replicas from old bands like the Beatles and the Doors and the Rolling Stones. Fun. Go out and find yourself a good tee!! And then buy one in every colour, just for good measure!!

Ciao all.

So what is REALLY wrong with me??

I have this:

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is generally classified as a "functional" disorder. This refers to a "disorder of functioning" where the body's normal activities in terms of the movement of the intestines, the sensitivity of the nerves of the intestines, or the way in which the brain controls some of these functions is impaired. However, there are no structural abnormalities that can be seen by endoscopy, x-ray, or blood tests. Thus it is identified by the characteristics of the symptoms and infrequently, when needed, limited tests.

Irritable bowel syndrome is understood as disorder with many aspects. In people with IBS, symptoms result from what appears to be a disturbance in the interaction between the gut or intestines, the brain, and the autonomic nervous system that alters regulation of bowel motility (motor function) or sensory function.

Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a change in bowel pattern, such as loose or more frequent bowel movements or diarrhea, and/or hard or less frequent bowel movements or constipation.

It started last summer. I was always getting sick, no matter what I ate. Everything made my gut hurt and then, well... It got to the point where I would lay on the bathroom floor and cry and tell Marc to prepare my funeral arrangements because I was SURE I would not come out alive. So I saw my doctor. He said it was stress. He told me to lose weight and then come back in 6 months. I started watching what I ate. I stopped eating sugar and carbs and anything made with white flour. I stopped eating anything "manufactured". I upped my intake of veggies and protein. I only drink water or 1% milk (with my Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal in the morning). Guess what, I still have episodes!! Just had another one tonight, and for dinner I ate steamed broccoli and chicken. And I drank water! And that was enough to send my gut into hysterics. I think it is time for medication. I am tired of living like this. I have done my bit, and although it is better, it is still not "normal". Gotta love the challenges life gives you..

Ciao all. I have a bottle of Tums I need to crack open...

Monday Morning, again

Where did the weekend go? Do you ever stop and think how fast time really does pass? I had a busy weekend, but not a productive weekend. I don't like those. My nieces stayed with us for Saturday and spent the night. Wow, managing 4 children is not my bag. I like my 2. Thank you very much. It was double the work/mess everywhere. And man do 4 children pack away the food!! Quite the eye opener.

Marc finally got around to buying the stain for the front porch and for our fences. But now we need at least 24 hrs with good weather and no rain. A little tricky to find here in BC. I wanted all of this done before Bella's party on Sunday, but that won't be happening. It is my further test on patience, and how I sorely lack it... And I got my interior paint colours all picked out. Marc has a week of holidays starting next Monday, so I will be keeping him plenty busy around here. He is going to be my house boy while I go to the firm more days and try to catch up. I like this little role reversal, for a short time!

Today is Isabella's last ballet class for summer break. Yeah. While it is sweet and all, it is highly annoying for someone as anal as I am. A bunch of 4yr old girls running around and not paying attention and always saying, "Mom, watch me!!" is enough to make me start drinking. Ya. But of course Isabella is already asking when she can go back to ballet... So I guess I will be looking at programs for the Fall, and maybe convincing my mom to take her instead of me!!

I am off and running. Have a happy Monday all.

Ciao

Around the house Thursday

I am working at home today. I have an estate to probate, and I have to get this done. So, sorry - no Fashion Thursday today. You can all admire Miss Izzy B's "princess dress" for your fashion inspiration today!! hee hee Hey, she likes it!! That is all that matters in the end!!

And here is my new sunshade. I will be taking advantage of this today. We are already at 17 degrees and it is not even lunch yet. I think our high today will be around 25 degrees. Nice... Especially now that I have somewhere to hide outside!!

Soon that grass area will be gone also. We are decking the rest of the yard. The sunshade will then move from the patio to the deck and be a permanent fixture. Onward and upward.

Have a good day all!

Ciao

My scrappiness...

What I have been up to as of late:

Isabella at Easter - caught in the act of egg hunting. I played around with the picture in Photoshop and I like the effect. Something different to focus on in the layout. All papers by Scenic Route.

Ethan at Easter. Again, all about the thrill of the egg hunt. Scenic Route again.



Finally, One Little Word is doing a challenge for you to create something around ONE word. The first word is "GO". So this is my layout - "Go be crazy... You are only 4 once...". Very appropriate for Miss Izzy B. There are days when I truly believe she is a monkey.

Ciao all.

What is up with me??

So I seem to be on this suit kick of late. Last week I bought a brushed cotton jacket and skirt in black, of course. I thought that would have been the end of it. Ummm, no. Today I went to Jacob's and bought a new pant suit. I totally adore it. It is pinstripped - blue and white. Very spring/summer. But then I had to buy some accessories because I don't have ANY costume/decorative jewlery at all - being the good Italian I am!! Hee hee So I went a bit crazy buying bracelets. Lucite is totally hot, so I bought these huge, chunky lucite bobble bracelets, and then these silver and blue crystal things... I am happy with the suit, I just am not happy with how I get an idea in my head and then it seems to consume me. What is up with that?? And it is getting worse the older I get. I was not so impatient when I was a child, or even a teen. But now, look out!! Marc has learned over these 13 years of marriage that when I say, "I was thinking about..." it really means "I thought about this already last week and I have already found what I want and tomorrow I am going to buy it, so don't be surprised when you come home to find it". I guess I should be happy. It could have been worse. I did stop off at Urban Barn on my way home and found a sidetable that was ohhhh soooo pretty and would fit perfectly in my alcove in the dining room... But I did not come home with it!! Yet...

Ciao all.

Sunday Stuff and the long weekend

Well, the weekend is really over for me. Marc was away Friday and Saturday for a camp for his Ventures, leaving me at home with the children.... The Ventures need to pre-qualify in order to do their super activity this summer and so they went canoeing. Now, we should have at least 3 boys qualifying for their Duke of Edinburgh Award. Pretty big stuff. Pretty important. But a lot of planning and time away from home for Marc... But I did manage to get something done without Marc here. I bought a gorgeous sunshade/gazebo for the back yard and had it delivered yesterday. I have been wanting one for two years now. Last October I was about to buy one and then Marc said no. But I got an AMAZING deal on the one I bought (12 feet x 12 feet with mosquito netting and curtains and solar pannels in the roof so I can buy solar lights in the future) so I did it while Marc was gone! hee hee Last night we started assembling it. I say started. I am not tall enough or strong enough to get these pieces together, so tomorrow I will have to enlist the help of some other large men to finish off the gazebo. Just in time, too, for Bella's party in two weeks. Yeah. As for the rest of the yard plans, they are now on hold until the weather improves and until I can hire a crew to build the back deck. I am going to deck the entire back yard and excavate out the bottom portion and fill it with pea gravel and build a shed in that part. Nothing is growing on the bottom part of the yard. The slope is too much and all the water runs down and forms a muck pit. Pretty useless. Plus, I am not a grass kind of gal. My kids aren't into grass either. So if I build a huge deck, I can have an outdoor living room and buy a small pool for the kids to play in. I have it all set out in my mind. Now to get the idea to become reality... Always something new.

Have a good rest of the weekend all. We are off to the in-laws for dinner now. Ciao.

Around my house.

This is what I have been up to lately.

Hanging my train station clock on my front porch. I love the end result. Totally what I was looking for.

Sprucing up my little sitting area on my front porch. I found these cushions and thought they would be the perfect little accent. Adds colour without being overpowering.



Hanging lanterns that are meant for inside outside. I saw this idea in Canadian Living years ago, and it stuck with me. It took me a long time to find these coach house lanterns, but I am like a dog to a bone. Once the idea is in my head, I do not rest until I have found it. Again, totally loving how this turned out. And it is so very pretty at night when the candles are lit...

Planting geraniums. I have begun my pots. I have three huge ones like this on my back patio. And I have two small pots with geraniums on my front steps. The fill is Lobelia (sp?) which should begin to bloom soon and then grow and spill over the edges.

And finally, planting boxwoods in my giant cast iron urns to grow and begin to shape. I love topiaries. So I thought I would try my hand at shaping my own. This will be interesting. It is starting to take shape. Kind of... This is my first attempt at shaping the ball. This is also 3 weeks growth. Time to shape again.

Ciao all.

Fashion Thursday

Okay, something MUST be wrong with me... I have the total urge to SEW! I mean fabric sew, not sew on my scrapbook layouts!! What the heck is going on?? My friend Cheryl was here and we were talking about community projects. Of course, I immediately thought of a project Crystal posted on her blog a few months ago about making skirts for girls in Africa. What a brilliant idea!! So now I have it in my little head that I want my women's group to do a project like this, but I want the end results to benefit our community directly first, before we move it out of province/country. I have been nosing around on the internet for ideas/patterns and now I want to sew! Crazy. So I guess today my theme for Fashion Thursday is for YOU to create your own work of fashion and show it off!! I found a skirt I would like to try for Miss Izzy B... Who knows what will come of this. But I am excited to have a new project to work on for the weekend!

Ciao all.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

My day yesterday was too full to be able to post here. But it was amazing. So I wanted to say I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. My children and my hubby spoiled me. They bought me new earings - 24k gold diamond cut hoops. I *adore* them!! They made me breakfast AND cleaned up to my standards!! Melted my heart!! And then my mom came over and I cooked her dinner - we had pork roast and asparagus and couscous. Delicious. It was a lovely day. And it made me grateful for my family and all that I have.

My sister spent her Mother's Day at Maya's 4th birthday party. She sent me the pics this morning. I cried. I cried like I have not cried in a very long time. I cried for my friend who was taken from us 7 months ago... I cried for a little girl who turned 4 without her mommy beside her. But most of all I cried because Manj would be soooo proud to see what a gorgeous, sweet, fun girl Maya is turning into! Happy Mother's Day to you my dear friend!! I don't believe that death negates our titles - our roles as parents... I just believe that now it has to be done on a different level. Carry on my friend. Your job is far from over!

Ciao all.

Facebook??

I am soooo not into this!! I started this blog a year and a half ago. I have put time and energy into this thing, and now Facebook is the "it" thing. You know what, I don't give a crap. That Facebook site gives me a friggin' headache. And what is with all the cryptic messages people post and leave?? Why the hell do people refer to themselves in the third person?? How pompous is that?? I viewed it. I don't like it. I want to cancel my profile that has been set up, and I can't even figure out how to do that??!! Life is too busy to keep up all these added things. My blog is just fine for me. People wanna look at it - great. Ya don't - great. And I am soooo not into trying to find people from my past. That is not me. I don't look back. I look forward. I know where I came from. I know how I got to where I am today. I don't need to re-live the "glory days". They weren't all that glorious. And I already took that stroll down amnesia lane when I went back to GP to teach Law 12 in March. That's enough nostalgia for one decade thanks. Have a happy day. I have birthday invitations to design.

Ciao

Fashion Thursday

It is that time again!! And this week I am focusing on outdoor fashion - and in particular, outdoor clocks. I have purchased an old antique train station clock that I am going to hang on my front porch. I am thrilled with it. It looks similar to the picture I have posted. Now, I am not sure how this obsession started. My grandfather was a station master for CP Rail. I have been around trains and stations all my life. I never really thought anything of it, until one day it hit me - those station clocks would look beyond COOL hanging on my porch!! So began the hunt. My clock came from Potter's. I love it. I will take pics when it is up. So I guess my moral for today is take risks and use an object that is not necessarily meant for the purpose your are using it for! You could be pleasantly surprised!

Ciao all.

My dream

To build my final home here:

www.highpointestates.ca

It is not about living in the British Properties anymore. Or living in West Vancouver. Or even living in White Rock Beach. The well to do now are migrating to South Langley, and they are demanding the highest quality and the best life-style the "valley" can offer. Well, they have succeeded. Let's just say that starting prices are just under a cool million (for half an acre of land and the house) and then go up from there.

One day, I will be there. One day...

13 Years

Where has the time gone!! Today is mine and Marc's 13th wedding anniversary!! Yeah for us!! On our wedding day, it was hot and sunny... We had sunburns on our faces from doing our wedding pictures down at White Rock beach! It was a beautiful day... And it has been an amazing 13 years. I love you Marc. More today than yesterday. Happy Anniversary!!

Sunday Decorating

Kat took pity on me and sent me another Skribblz for my great room. And here is the finished product. Marc did not abandon me this time around and we were able to get this up and looking perfect in seriously a matter of minutes. Marc set the laser level up and off we went. Voila. I love it. Really adds that little punch I was looking for. I so enjoy these types of decorating projects. Now, of course, I am not satisfied with my ceramic collection and I am thinking it is time for a change... Hmmm, looks I am off to Liberty tomorrow for some inspiration. See what comes of that!!


In other news it is time for me to start planning Miss Izzy B's 4th birthday party. Her birthday is June 3, but really that only leaves me 3 weeks to get it all planned and invitations out and do whatever else I want done to this house (THAT is the key issue!!) before the guests arrive. Nothing like the pressure I put on myself and Marc for perfection. Nothing like it... I wanted the new floors in and painting done, but really - it is NOT going to get done. Let alone the new deck in the back yard... That will be our summer project. Maybe by Ethan's birthday in September all these things will be done!! Maybe. I am buying another fridge for the garage this week (Yeah!! An Italian's best friend!!) and a new barbeque. Ours has had it. And it is too small. We need a big beast to be able to cook the amounts of food I need to feed my entire family at these wing-dings. And of course it is time for me to contact the talented Marina and decided on a cake. And while I am on that train of thought, I need to call Tammy and get the invitations made. She is one seriously talented digi gal!! I have a very cool idea for the invitations in my head, but I am not sure it will translate, so I need Tammy. She comes to my rescue yet again. For all of my talents, this digi stuff is NOT for me!!

Have a good night all.

Ciao.

A Conversation with my Little Genius

Isabella: "Mom, do you know that North America and South America are continents?"
Me: "Yes Bella."
Isabella: "And Syrup too".
Me: "What Bella?"
Isabella: "You know, Syrup?!"
Me: "Oh, you mean Europe!"
Isabella: "Ya that what I said Mom. You gotta listen."

New Shoe Love

Check these out - Anyi Lu. Too fun!! And only $460 US a pair!! hee hee

Fashion Thursday

Today's fashion focus is paper! Yes, it is a fashion!! My company that I totally *heart* and always have on hand is Scenic Route. The above images are their "Newport" collection and "Laurel" collection. I like papers that are preppy and a bit different. I don't like overly bright colours, but I do like some pizazz. I also like the fact that you can chop up the SR papers and then use them as embellishments. Helps it go farther!

I want to tell you a little secret. About a year ago I had it in my head that I wanted to design paper. I was tired of paying anywhere from $1.50 to $3 for ONE sheet of patterned paper. And I was tired of the companies - they were all the same!! All the products looked the same!! But I quickly realized that I don't have the head for this business. I am not on top of the latest and greatest. Honestly, I could care less who is the new "IT" company for the month in the scrapping world!! But now things are changing. I have had a few meetings with some very talented and very enthusiastic woman, who actually don't scrap at all BUT have the background in business and in graphic design... There may be hope yet!!

Ciao all.

Wednesday again...

Marc and I have a joke between us that there are only 3 days in the week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It seems just as you catch up, the week is over again. It is already Wednesday which means Friday is around the corner and the weekend flies by, then you are at Monday again... And on this Wednesday, I don't really have much to say. Other than yesterday I stepped on a bag of what looked like drugs outside my firm in New West. That was interesting. The gals and I went for lunch and when we were walking back to the firm, I stepped up on the curb and heard this "crunch". I looked down and there was a bio-hazzard bag (gag!!) filled with a needle and a little bottle and these little "rocks". I freaked. Then one of the crim lawyers came out and picked up the bag using kleenex and called the police. They never confirmed what it was - they just said they would dispose of it properly. These things only happen to me. I don't know why really. I seem to be the one that attracts the crazies; or walks into situations that are strange; or rides the Skytrain and it catches on fire... Weird things. Oh well. I guess I can't say that my life is boring!! I am off to watch LOST now. Have a good night all!!