It may be unorthodox...

My kids pick out their birthday presents. They first tell me what they want, I go and do the scouting, and when I know where I am going to purchase it from, the kids come with me and we buy it. Why you ask? Because I would rather they have exactly what they want for their birthday, than a "surprise". And when you have children, like mine, who collect certain things, the possibilities are endless. Ethan and his Lego... Bella and her Webkinz... I can't keep up. So when they ask for these items, I bring them with me to pick out what they want. As I said, it may be unorthodox, but it works for my family!

Ciao all.

Simple Scrapping...

 

Using up scraps. I have not stepped into a scrap stores in months. I really haven't had the need to... But now I am getting down to the barest of bare essentials. I think it is time for a trip and to stock up.

Ciao all.

LOST no more...

I watched the series finale on Sunday night - all 4.5 hours of it. I was grateful for the re-cap show - there were a lot of situations/characters I had forgotten about. It was good to freshen up before the finale. Am I satisfied with the finale? Yes, I am. I like personal stories - not technical stories. I believe the writers did a really good job pulling all the story lines together and bringing them all to a close. A nice close. So often you are left with such a void - especially when you have committed your time and energy to a program and they don't end it satisfactorily. So that was good. Do I understand it all? I don't know. Marc and I have had several conversations in these last 24 hours. Was the island ever real? Did the people all die in the plane crash and the island was their "purgatory" to work out the sins of their lives and come to terms and be ready to move on? Were the flashbacks actually their real lives and the side flashes the lives they should have lived or wanted to have lived (Jack being a father and successful surgeon; James being a cop and doing something good with his life; Jin and Sun not being married but being together in the States doing work for Sun's father; Locke having a finance who loved him for who he was; etc. etc.). What did all the characters represent? The others? The other others? Were they just more examples of good/evil; right/wrong; manifestations of struggles each character had in their lives... Why were we introduced to so many "non essential" characters - Ethan; Rousseau; Ben's daughter; Michael and Walt (BTW - where did they end up?? I can't figure that one out...); the African priest (who I cannot remember the name of for the life of me!); the Spanish cop (name??); the Russian gal who comes to protect/save Jacob and then dies - what purpose did these people serve? And where did they go? Or is it like Christian said to Jack - the people in the church were bonded to him spiritually. They were all connected and meant to be together and needed each other before they could move on (but WHY were Boone and Shannon in the church?? HOW were they bonded to Jack?? That does not make any sense to me...). Anyway, I like a show that makes me think. So goodbye LOST. I will buy you on dvd and watch again, and maybe figure you out.

Ciao all.

Stupid me...

I have wrenched my back, but good. Oh boy.

I have NEVER had any issues with my body. I am lucky - I don't have a bad back; I don't have bad knees; I don't have aches or pains of any type. But I REALLY did a number on my back this morning and it was my fault.

I went to the nursery this morning nice and early and bought plants and potting soil. Three huge bags of potting soil. I got them into the trunk okay and then got home where Marc could unload them for me. I was crouching down and I pulled a bag of soil and twisted at the same time. All of a sudden my back, right down at my tail bone, just started to scream! I stood up immediately because I knew I would not be able to get up if I did not move right that very second. I stood there in the backyard and just stood still for a moment trying to assess what had just happened. Then my back froze. My muscles all began to spasm and I could not believe the pain! What have I done?? I can't bend! Do you know how much you have to bend to do things?? I can't move lower than about waist high right now! Seriously I am panicking... I can't go to work like this tomorrow! HOW would I sit at my desk all day? Work on the computer? Lift my client files?? The thought of that alone is making me want to cry... I have taken a handful of Advil and I am praying that my muscles will relax enough tomorrow for me to be able to first get into the car (again, the thought is making me scream...) and then get to the massage therapist. I don't think labour hurt this much! Mommy....

Ciao all.

Trying to get inspired...

I am in that funk again -not feeling creative in any way. No decorating. No designing. Nothing. I have a lot on my mind. So many things I want to/need to do around the house. Our yard is first and foremost in my mind. I need a landscaper. I have decided that. I just can't do what I want done and I really don't know how to pull all my ideas together... And Marc does not have the time. I need the front boulevard re-sodded. I want a big planter built around the tree in the boulevard. I need the pathetic bits of grass known as my "front yard" pulled and pea gravel put down (nothing really grows in the front!). I need the front garden re-done - plants that have colour but are very low maintenance, and new retaining wall built for the plants. And this is only the front yard. We then move to the back yard where we need to level the entire thing and build a big deck. Hard work. Not just for one man to do. And of course this all takes $$$. Not really wanting to spend $$$...

From the yard I then move to the actual outside of the house. It needs painting. The deck and back fence need to be re-done. The railings on the porch and all the fascia need to be done. And I want all the exterior doors painted a deep barn red. More $$$.

Oh, but that is not all. We have had a contractor in for a quote on framing the basement. First step. Too much $$$.

Lots going on. Lots of airy fairy ideas - but nothing concrete. I think that is why I am in a funk.

I need sleep.

Ciao all.

Think Pink...

Party foods, that is. The menu for Bella's pink cupcake party:

Pink popcorn
Strawberries dipped in pink chocolate
Pink Lady apple slices
Mini bagels and pink cream cheese
Mini strawberry jam sandwiches
Pink lemonade
Pink strawberry milk

Of course, all eaten on pink plates with pink cups and pink straws.

And the party favours - pink cupcake lip gloss in little pink Chinese take out containers.

Pink enough?? Girls...

Ciao all.

Party Invitations

 

Here is what the upcoming party invitations look like - a big pink "cupcake" (although, I think it looks like a muffin... ha haa). The details are on the reverse. Pretty cute, if I do say so myself. You know, more and more I am looking forward to this party. AND I found the sweetest little pink Chinese take out boxes to put the little lip glosses in as party favours. Come on. Y'all know how much I love it when all the details click and come together.

Ciao.

How my mind works...

Miss Bella came to me a few weeks ago and said she would like to have a "Pinkalicious" party for her upcoming 7th birthday next month. Okay. If you have read the book, the little girl turns pink from eating too many luscious pink cupcakes. Hmmm... DO I want 7 little girls in MY house making pink cupcakes?? NO. Where can they make cupcakes?? Here:



Brilliant. Frostings Cupcakery does an hour and a half workshop with the girls and teaches them how to professionally decorate their cupcakes. And then the girls get to eat them!! And I can bring food/snacks and have the party at the cupcakery! I am going to bring pink foods for the girls to eat (FYI - the only REAL pink food is the dragon fruit! All others are shades of red...) and bring pink plates and napkins and pink balloons and streamers. I have made pink cupcake invitations (which I will post a pic of later on) and I was thinking about buying the girls pink cupcake flavoured lip balm, like Bonnie Bell, as their little treat. So it is all set. Bella will have a Pinkalicious party and I will have a clean house. You know that makes me happy!

Ciao all.

Here I go again...

Round two - P90. I did this last September for 90 days and ended up losing close to 30 pounds. Yup. I dropped 4 dress sizes and 1 shoe size (go figure!). Pretty good start. But I am not there yet. We leave for Italy in three months and I need to get rid of at least another 20 pounds before eating gelato and pizza all day long! So yesterday was day 1 of the workout. I am feeling like crap right now. I think if I cut off my legs it would hurt less... But the program works. No matter how much I HATE it - and oh, I do!! - I can't deny it. It works. Moving works. It burns the fat. Eating less works. Not eating past 7pm works. And I am not talking about starving myself. I eat. But the key is that I eat only what I make - nothing processed. And I try to focus on consuming lean meats and fish and lots of fruits and veggies and nuts and cheese. Sunday is my "free" day where I can have treats and such. It helps when I hit Wednesday, for example, and all I can think of is a bowl of ice cream... Mmmm... I digress. So we will see where this will lead. By the end of July I will let y'all know what the scale says.

Ciao all. I need a shower...

Best Gift EVER

From my Ethan - a cook book and a lemon cheesecake that he made! He rocks.

Ciao all.

Happy Mother's Day

Hope you all have a wonderful day and spend it with loved ones.

Ciao

Sixteen years...

May 7, 1994... That was the day we got married. Sixteen years ago. I don't know where all these years have gone? Thank you Marc for being the best husband a woman could want. Thank you for being a wonderful friend. Thank you for being a patient and ever encouraging father. Thank you for making money so I can spend it on shoes and handbags. Thank you for never criticizing me and always loving me for who I am. Thank you for not forcing change upon me, but for supporting me when I knew I had to change. Thank you for making me laugh, especially when I did not want to laugh. Thank you for only making me go through child birth twice. You knew I could not do it again and you were good with that. Thank you for being so intelligent and well read. Thank you for having intelligent conversations with me. Thank you for always sticking up for me and praising me. I love you.

Happy Anniversary.

Three more months...

 

And we will be in Italy!! I can't wait. I thought I would post, here and there, some images from my last trip - to give you a taste of where we are going. This collage is all about Fierenze (Florence) - my absolute FAVOURITE city in all of Italy. Florence just smacks of the 13th century. You can feel the history in the buildings; in the streets; everywhere you turn. It is electrifying. And the Uffizi Gallery will bring you to your knees. The masterpieces - all there for you to view - to soak in. It is an amazing feeling to stand in the Gallery and look at pieces of art that are centuries old. To feel connected to that past and the present and to know that future generations will also feel that connection. It is not something easily explained. You really MUST be in the environment to understand. We don't have that here. We don't have anything close to that here. And don't try to say we do. Yes, Montreal is a good substitute - in a pinch - it has that old world charm... But still, it is not OLD like Italy. Nor does it have Michelangelo's David on display! Please. Don't bother.

Another thing I love about Florence is the shopping. It is all contained along the Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge). You can stroll along the streets and have Gucci and Prada on one side, and shoppes with the most precious hand made jewellery and silks scarves and leather belts and shoes on the other side. And of course loads of wonderful cafes selling desserts and pizza and gelato... Sorry, I am drooling just thinking about it.

I am grateful to be Canadian. I am proud to be Italian.

Ciao.

Once in a lifetime...

These past weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. But now that it is all over, I can say it has been a once in a lifetime experience.

This all started two months ago when we were advised that as part of the celebration for the new LDS Temple being opened here in Langley, our youth would put on a cultural celebration. Celebration is an understatement. It was a musical extravaganza!! It rivaled a Broadway production in the terms of costume design and set design and performers and money spent!!! The task was given to all the youth leaders (which is my hubby - he serves as the 1st Counsellor in the Stake Young Men's Presidency) to learn for themselves the dances and the songs and then help teach their youth. To put this in perspective - we had close to 1700 youth from all over British Columbia and Washington State perform! We rented out the Langley Events Centre and put on a show. And WOW, what a show!! Our youth rocked the house. They were amazing. So talented. So energized. Really very inspiring. AND to put the cherry on top, President Monson (the leader of the LDS church) was here to celebrate with us! And he brought along his Counsellor President Uchtdorf as well. FYI - President Monson is a rock star! Oh ya! He is funny. He is quick. He has the most wonderful spirit of love that just radiates from him. And our youth LOVE him. Ethan was beside himself with joy. He wanted sooo badly to meet President Monson and give him a hug! Oh, Marc DID meet President Monson and shake his hand. I knew that working at the Stake level for the Lord had its perks!! hee hee

So today we get to dedicate our beautiful temple and then say good bye to our wonderful youth and good bye to our beloved President Monson and return to "normal" life. Bitter sweet but necessary. It has been non stop in our house for over 60 days. We are all exhausted. But we would do it again.

Ciao all.