Dare #38

Welcome back to the work week! If you are a Canadian you are looking forward to this week, especially Thursday which is Canada day! Woo hoo! Parade, fireworks and Canadian pride, I don't know what else is better.

Dare #38

Have a barbecue supper one day this week.

Well I sure had an action packed weekend, how about you?

Friday night I came home from work and got right down to business. I made supper and helped Ryan tape the basement before heading out to a book club meeting.

Too much taping!

We covered Twlight this time and out of the 3 past book club meetings this was the one that we had the most to talk about. We actually talked about the book for 2 hours straight! It made me look forward to Eclipse coming out this week! Ahhh Yay!

Saturday I woke up early (stupid sleep schedule) and got started on making squares for the the surprise birthday party that night. I made nanimo, white chocolate raspberry and lemon squares. At 11 I headed over to Stacy's where she was hosting a baby shower for Hollie! Hollie is expecting twin girls very shorty, how exciting is that? The bad news, this is the award I received because my gift was the seventh one opened.....

So, not going to happen soon and from the look of the 3 other pregnant ladies in that room I am definitely not the next one! ha ha!

Stacy did such a great job hosting...fabulous food, great visiting and look at the adorable favors she made for everyone!

I finally got to give Hollie her baby blankets that I had made for her but more details and picture on that later this week.

Saturday afternoon/night was Ryan's Uncle Charles surprise 40th birthday party.

Ryan's mom and Aunt's did an great job organizing the party. There was such a great turn out and a bunch of our friends were there so we got to sit and visit!

Shower food in the morning and party food that evening, so yummy but I don't want to look at the scale today!

Sunday I spent the day finishing the last coat of paint. I am so sick of painting but the room looks awesome and it was well worth all the work. I can't wait to see the cupboards on Tuesday.

I hope you all have a great week!

xo

Phew....What a week!

Is it just me or does it feel as though this week has dragged on? Maybe it's been the yucky, rainy weather or maybe it has been my lack of sleep that has made the days drag on. Either way I am glad that it is Friday and my weekend is almost here!

There have been a few highlights this week. One in particular not so fun!

You see, on Wednesday when I was minding my own business at my desk at the farm I turned around to look out the window and comment on the crazy truck driver that was obviously driving, WAY to fast. Then the realization came to me like a ton of bricks. There was no truck. Why was the office suddenly shaking and swaying? Butterflies started to flutter in my stomach when I realized it was an earthquake. Quickly, taking note of the direction of my other co-workers, Claire and Jill, I headed for the door but not before stopping in the door frame for protection. What seemed like hours was only 20-30 seconds. Jill and I were facing each other in the frame and I can remember staring into her eyes in silence both of us full of fear. Things calmed down but for the rest of the afternoon I was still a little shook up. I kept checking news websites looking for answers and finally one was found. A strong earthquake centered in Val-Des-Bois Quebec hit at 1:41 PM measuring in at 5.0 on the Ritcher scale.

Bridge in Val-Des-Bois after earthquake

As I always say, I am so lucky to live and work where I do. I could not imagine being in a high rise building or in a big crowd in a moment when disaster strikes. While my small town, innocent mind thought it was a truck other's in downtown Ottawa had first thoughts of a terrorist attack. When I went home that afternoon picture frames had fallen off of shelves and one wall of the old part of my house had a crack (which was a weak wall to begin with) in the drywall. I couldn't imagine living in an area where earthquakes are a regular occurrence and it has brought reality to what the people of Haiti might have experienced. It will be a story that will be told over and over again.

The crack in my dining room wall

On a happier note, that evening I got to go out for supper with these lovely ladies. (Jill on the left, Rebekka in the middle and me) We got to have a great meal while chatting and reminiscing about old memories and new things happening.

At The Ranch in Guelph


Other then that my mind is set on one thing, PAINT

Paint, paint, and more paint. Ryan and I will be spending all of our free time painting the basement to try to finally get it finished! The bar cupboards come on Tuesday next week, yay!

I hope you have a great weekend!

xo

Making The Old New...

Have I mentioned before how that I have an awful habit of being cheap, stingy, frugal? Well I do. There are some things in life I am not willing to spend money on! Example; coffee from Tim Hortons (it's the Canadian version of Dunkin' Donuts for my American readers). Why pay for coffee when you can get a cup of hot water for free? I can almost hear Jill laughing at me from across the office......

O.K, O.K that might be a bad example but it does show you how cheap I can really be. And no, it is not a joke, I actually do this (bowing my head in shame). There are things I am willing to spend money on....friends, family, food and quality furniture that is going to last me my whole life.

Which brings me to a project that I wanted to get accomplished before our pool party 2 weeks ago.

I had this forest green wicker furniture that my parents left at the house for me or in other words, they didn't want anymore. It was still in great shape to sit on but it went from a nice shade of dark green to ugly, peeling, warn green.

I was so sick of looking at it and even more sick of standing up and whipping paint chips off my butt!

One week I saw that exterior spray paint was on sale at a hardware store and if you were around in that moment you could actually see the light bulb above my head.

I went out and picked up 5 cans of white exterior spray paint. Ryan and I sprayed those chairs and matching table until we were high with fumes (but that is an entirely different post, ha!). Let me tell you, it was NOT an easy task! My index finger was soooo sore from holding the button for so long! It was all worth it though. The furniture went from this:

And this...

To this.....

Drum roll please......

I just love it! It looks so "cottagey" and relaxing. Those cushions my mom bought years ago and never used. I found them when looking through all the stuff that was left at the house.

I looked online to find how much a rocker chair in wicker would be and it was $199.00 for one chair!! Ya, my mouth is hanging open in shock too! Instead I spent $5.49 on spray paint or $27.45! Much better! Eventually the chairs will break and I will have to invest in another set but for now spray paint works for me!

xo

Dare #37

Good bye weekend and hello work week!! I have no idea why I am so chipper this morning. I was up at 3:30 am! Ah! I did go back to bed until 5:00 am but once the alarm went off I jumped out of bed and got ready with lots of enthusiasm...which is so not me, not a morning person!

Maybe it is just because I am excited for the week ahead or maybe it is because it is the first day of summer today!

Happy Summer!!

Here is your dare this week:

Dare # 37

Listen to your favorite summer time song!

Mine is, Summer Nights by Rascall Flatts.

What is yours?

I did kind of complete dare #36. I didn't buy an ice cream or Popsicle but I did buy a slush puppy. It was on a very hot night and it was a cool treat!

Still working on the whole flossing thing. I have to say even though I hate doing it is actually getting better. My gums are really happy and it has kind of added it's self into my nightly routine.

I hope everyone had a great, relaxing weekend.

Have a great week!

xo

Happy Father's Day!

Dad and I at my University Graduation-2007

Dad,

Thank you for being my friend,
my rock,
my therapist,
and my hero.

Happy Father's Day!

I love you!

xo

Needing a T.V Repair Man

I am desperately needing a T.V repair man! This problem has been happening for over 2 years now. Does anyone know the number of a good company that would be able to help?

You see every time I turn on my T.V it's on this channel.......

O.k, o.k I don't really need a t.v repair man but I am counting down the days till I have a second T.V so I won't have to watch sports highlights over and over again.

So, Ryan is leaving this weekend for a bachelor party. Although I am going to miss having him around I have to confess that secretly, I am excited about having the T.V all to myself! I know it's awful but the girlie shows that I never get to watch are just calling my name! What not to wear, Real Housewives, Toddlers and Tiaras (Don't Judge me!)...The possibilities are endless! ha ha

I hope you all have a great weekend!

xo

101 things in 1001 days update!

Back on March 22 (umm...wow doesn't that feel like just yesterday!) I did my usual dare. This post was dare #25 and I wanted it to be a really good one. I had heard on the radio about people doing "101 things in 1001 days" and I thought that I should make some long and short term goals for myself. My biggest challenge was actually thinking of 101 things to do! I wanted them to be reachable goals but still have some that would challenge me. Finally, about a week of editing the list I was able to share it with all my blog friends!

That was almost 3 months ago (wow again) and I have completed a few things on my list! Which, P.S I'm kind of proud of that fact because a lot of the time I come up with these genius plans in my head and they never happen! But anyhoo, like I said I have actually completed a few things on my list.

#56- Have a pool party

This one I just completed last weekend and it was a blast! It was a lot of time and work but it was all worth it to have most of our friends in one place at one time. Ryan and I feel so guilty that we don't use our pool enough but seeing friends and their families using it makes us extremely happy. Like I said on Monday, can't wait till next year!

#73- Get electrical work finished in the upstairs of the house.

This one might seem odd to some people. Who cares about electrical and don't I already have lights upstairs? Well let me elaborate. 3 years ago when I decided I was going to renovate my old home stead I began with the upstairs. The house is divided in two sections. Section 1 that is the original house built in 1912 and the other section (section 2) that was an addition my parents built in the 70's (Disco anyone?). Section 2 was never fully completed because my parents ran out of money when building and when they did have the money it was never high on the priority list. So, it was never primed, painted, or proper trim. I wanted to bring back the originality of the old part of the house so I stripped paint off of wood and then bought trim that would match section 1's old wood work to second 2's. The only problem, history has a habit of repeating itself and I ran out of money to do the electrical (go figure eh?) That is why it was important to me to get it done. Do you know how many times I stuck my finger in that stupid open electrical box when turning on the light in the bathroom? What a shock! OUCH! I am glad it is finished and now I can say besides furniture the upstairs of the house is now completed. It's amazing what some simple white light switches will do to finish the look of a place!

#79- Make a homemade baby shower gift

Not only did I make 1 but I made 3 homemade baby shower gifts. I have recently learnt about my love of sewing. It is so relaxing to sit and watch t.v while completing a project. I would love to show you a picture of all the items that I have made but I want it to be a surprise! (Hi Hollie) I will share with you all on how to make this baby shower gift once I have already given it as a present.

As most of my readers will already know that I am still working on #22- Floss everyday for a month. I am half way there and still haven't missed a day yet. Which is actually a miracle considering how much I LOATHE flossing.

I feel this girls pain!

So, there you have it! Everything I have completed so far. There are more that I am working on but will share once I have completed them. I hope I don't give up but a lot of the time I lose motivation. I'll just have to stay determined, some how!

xo

Dare # 36

Wow, what a weekend! It was a weekend full of activity but before I share that with you here is this week's dare....

Dare #36

Buy a Popsicle or freezie sometime this week and eat it. Nothing says summer then cooling of with a nice cold treat.

So, like I said it was a super busy weekend. It all started on Friday which I ended up taking off. Ryan and I were hosting a pool party on Saturday and I spent all Friday shopping for the food and making the snacks.

On Saturday I woke up to the POURING rain! I was so discouraged. In a few hours people were suppose to be coming to enjoy the pool and it looked like a thunder storm was on it's way.

In the hopes of nice weather we continued to set it all up and finish the last details. The food was ready, the pool was ready and it was still raining.

About 1 hour before everyone arrived is when we saw our last drop of rain. The sun started to come out and dried everything up. It ended up being PERFECT.

We had such a blast. There was a driving contest, Texas horseshoes, basketball and lots of swimming. Many of our friends have kids and it was so great seeing the pool being used by little ones. There was lots of snack food, drinks, and later a BBQ. Also an awesome pool party themed cake made by Stacy (Hi Stacy!). Did I mention the weather ended up being awesome? I think I even got a bit of a tan.

Saturday night Ryan and I picked up 99% of the mess and so Sunday we enjoyed a relaxing day at home and a nap on the the couch for 3 hours.

Ryan and I can't wait to have everyone over again next year!

Have a great week!

P.S Flossing still sucks!

xo

'Tis the season of LURVE (AKA LOVE)

You know what I love about summer besides the parties, warm sun, and relaxing long weekends? THE WEDDINGS! Yes I am one of those girls. This year in particular Ryan and I are invited to a total of 6 weddings. While Ryan is rolling his eyes and cringing at the thought of putting on a tie I'm jumping with joy!!

I love weddings!

One of the things I love most about a wedding is getting ready for it! Thinking about and planning what I am going to wear (dress, shoes, bag, jewelry and hair!). Once all of that is picked out the day of routine is pretty extensive. I am not a hardcore "girly girl" because I don't have the chance to be. I can't do my nails because they would just get broken while handling fertilizer bags. I throw on my uniform, tie up my work boots (which actually takes the longest of everything), slap on some deodorant and run a brush through my hair. That is my typical morning routine and takes about 10 minutes for me to get out of bed and to my desk. HOWEVER, when it comes to a wedding I like to get "dolled up".

Here is how a morning would go before a wedding;

-Nails (fingers and toes)

-Bath or shower

-Shaving legs

-Facial mask

-Nice smelling body lotion all over

-Hair

-Makeup

-Get dressed

-Perfume

As you can see, much more extensive then my every day but afterwards I feel pretty/girly which is a nice change from my everyday slobbish appearance.

Me and my date all dressed up!

Another thing that I love about weddings is being able to be nosey! I love to see what the bridesmaids dresses look like, the flowers, the bride, the groom, the decorations, etc. It is all great and I take in every detail. When the wedding is over Ryan and I would be driving home I'll begin to say things like, "Oh, weren't the few orchids in the bouquets gorgeous?" and I'll just get a funny look from beside me like I am crazy. But I know a bride spends lots of time picking out these special details and I like to pay close attention to them.

Beautiful cake table at a wedding from last year.

The food. I have this awful love/hate relationship with food. I love food and especially food that was prepared for me! However, my waistline hates food. But at a wedding you can splurge on your delicious meal and dessert! But it's not over there! Then there is a midnight lunch and sometimes cake! Ahh....yummy food overload!

As corny as it sounds the best part of a wedding is the emotion that it has. It is so full love and happiness that you can't help but be happy as well. I love the look on the grooms face, the brides face and the brides father's face during that ceremonial walk down the aisle. I love the speeches that get told at the reception where people get to express their love for the couple. I love the first dance and the look in the newlyweds eyes as they look at each other!

A moment caught between the bride and groom from a wedding last year.

Basically, I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT WEDDINGS!

This past weekend was the first wedding of the 6 that we were invited to. It was a great wedding and I can't wait for the other 5! I just love wedding season!

Do you like weddings?

xo

Dare #35

Guess who's back? Back again? Shady's back, tell a friend. Guess who's....Oh sorry. This small town girl still rocks out to her fair share of Eminem tunes once in a while. But you get the point, I'M BACK. I wish I had some wonderful story to tell you about the time that I took off and a FABULOUS vacation I took. But I can't. It was actually my computer who took the vacation to get a new screen but we are reunited once again. I have missed blogging and I am looking forward to catching up on my posts!

So without further adieu, this week's dare.

Dare # 35

This week I would like you to go for a swim! That's it! This was inspired by mine and Ryan's upcoming pool party that is taking place this Saturday! The pool is looking nice and refreshing. I can't wait to jump in and enjoy it with friends!

Here are my new sandals as a result of Dare #33! I love them and they have to be the most comfortable sandals that I own, thank you Dr.Scholls! :-)

Here's a little update to let you all know how the flossing is going:

Update:

IT SUCKS! ha ha! I have flossed every day last week but it has been torture! Oh well 3 more weeks to go (and counting)!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

xo