Home Again

Yup. I'm back home. I started my first day back at work with a conference call at 7:00 and it was not a nice one. I guess that's why it's called work. Talk about being blindsided!

My vacation was great. I wasn't cold once while I was away. It was so nice to be in the warmth, and after looking at the forecast, it looks like it will be a few more weeks before I get to be warm again although it's not bad out there today.

My last day in San Antonio included the Battle of the Flowers parade which was about 2 1/2 hours long. We had front row seats on the shady side of the street and it was fabulous! Then we came home and prepped for a dinner party that night. The food was awesome and the people were great. After everyone left I was thirsty and had a couple of glasses of iced tea. In the US, they don't sweeten their iced tea, so don't forget to ask next time you go there. I took the remainder of my last glass to bed with me and went to lay down to sleep. But I couldn't. Maybe it was the excitement/worry of waking up at 6:15am to get ready for the airport, or the fact that I forgot the iced tea had caffeine! But I couldn't sleep.....

I did get up on time, had some coffee and had a pretty good travelling day home.

It's nice to get away. Especially in the winter.

How was your week? What did I miss?

Texas again

yay! I got to see a cool storm last night, lots of lightening and thunder. But my first thought was thinking about my dog, Jazz, who is so afraid. But then I remembered that she's not anywhere near the storm. The sad new is that 10 people died in last night's storm in Texas.

Today it was a beautiful sunny day, completely perfect weather, and the perfect temperature. We went to Fredricksburg which is an old German town and then to Luckenback after tasting wines at two different wineries.

Tomorrow is NIOSA which means Night In Old San Antonio as it's fiesta this week.

Take care,

Texas!

Seaworld was awesome! Man they know how to put on a show! I'll tell you more when I return.

But guess what? Although it's warm - it's rained all Sunday and today! Bah! I didn't fly for a day to be in the rain....but it don't matter as much - I'm on vacation, my hosts are awesome and it's nice and warm. And they have roses in their garden. And doves in the backyard. And birds that sing all the time. In fact, that's all you hear - birds. Not all the noises I get at my house!

And they've got DishTV - I'm watching the DIY network - hoping to see an episode of Knitty Gritty, but I think I'll be downtown by then. I know, it's not about TV... but I'm on Vacation!

Hope y'all are doing well. Holla!

I'm leavin' on an airplane....

Bye everyone, I'm going to San Antonio Texas for a one week vacation. I'm escaping all the Vancouver rain and I'm going to warm up in the sun and 27 degree weather.

Don't have too much fun without me!

The Secret?

Dear Oprah,

Now that it's been 3 months since you showed the world The Secret, how's it going?

After millions of copies have been sold, and millions of people testifying to its greatness, tell me - how many people have been promoted? Has the sale of luxury cars and homes increased exponentially? Has the divorce rate dropped? How many home businesses were started? And, has there been a dramatic increase in tourism?

What? I don't understand. But all these people had to do was buy the book or DVD and think about what they wanted and because of the Law of Attraction, they'd get what they wanted. It happened to the people you showed. You even devoted 2 full episodes to The Secret.

But did you think that people would buy into your endorsement and The Secret and that they would quit their cancer treatment to heal themselves? It happened. And you had to do another show to clarify your opinion of The Secret. You were very supportive in the first two shows, but by the third show, you said it was "just a tool". How does that make your viewers feel?

First, it was the greatest thing since sliced bread and then you said, "I want to say it's a tool. It is not the answer to everything. It is not the answer to atrocities or every tragedy. It is just one law. Not the only law. And certainly, certainly, certainly not a get-rich-quick scheme. The law of attraction is a tool that can help you decide what you want your life to be, and then begin to help you focus on making the best choices through action to create that life."

Don't you feel that you mislead your viewers just a tad way back in January? Sure you can change your mind, but you influenced millions of people to spend the money on the book or DVD, and now, you're not as supportive. And the book is still on the best seller lists.

It was because of this subject, that I stopped being a viewer. I am using those weekday hours more productively, and that is my secret.

Today the May issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived. After buying a stack of magazines yesterday I asked myself if I would have picked up this issue, and the answer was 'no'. Perhaps because I've been subscribing to MSL for 11 or 12 years - before she was a household name, and before we were inundated with similar magazines. But as I said in my previous post, I really don't think I'll renew in October.

To prepare for this weekend's trip, JP and I hit the downtown Chapters and I picked up several magazines, including Bust(which I regularly buy) and Marie Claire Idees (which I snap up the moment I see it) but also a British craft magazine and one called Needle Pulling Thread which I liked for the projects but also because it was Canadian.

On the way home we stopped to pick up groceries and JP found this milk for me. I love orange - orange the colour, orange the fruit, orange the smell, orange flavoured chocolate etc. So I had to taste this - and it was very yummy, even he liked it. But I think it would also be a great ingredient - orange flavoured milk in sugar cookies or a white cake - yum, a subtle flavour. I think it would be excellent. And I checked their website and no recipes use this item. Shame on them!

My only concern? Milk that doesn't expire for 6 weeks! Eeek!

Here's the finished Lovebird Boa Scarf.... I know the outfit doesn't go together, I should have re-dressed my 'model'!

Yesterday I went through my closet to pick out clothes for my trip. It's hard to remember what I wear in 22 + degree weather, but I tried on lots of stuff and think I have everything set for next weekend. I went into a couple of stores to see if I could add anything to my wardrobe, but I was surprised to find lots of muted tones for spring. Not our usual pinks and blues, but olives and mulberry colours. I'll wait to buy stuff there. I've got a pile of clothes that I can look at and think about before I pack them in my suitcase and perhaps I won't have one of those travel moments where I wished I brought something else, or have a "why did I think this would look good?" moment. Although I find out some of my mistakes after I've seen myself in a photo.

Last night we went to a corporate even at the Kerrisdale Arena. I was really impressed, they did a really good job with the food and the drinks and decorations and entertainment which was all put together by the wife of the owner. Except the only thing was this: total driving time = 4 hours, party = 3.5 hours. Well I can't complain too much because I slept for the last 1/2 an hour of the trip, so I guess it was equal after all.

I had planned a pretty outfit including my ruby suede shoes, but then JP asked me if I was going to be comfortable and since I couldn't guarantee that I would be okay standing in heels for a long time (I"m so out of practice) that I switched to my Blundstone boots, which meant changing my dressier top as well. At first I was a little sad that I couldn't dress up more, and a bit grumpy with JP. But we ended up standing (on a cold concrete floor) through the whole event and at the very end one over exuberant drunk girl was sloshing beer all over me, which wasn't so bad with my leather boots but would have been a freak out if they were my suede shoes. So glad I had on comfy shoes. I'm not ready to clean out my closet of heels just yet though. I guess I'm still in denial and hope that I can still wear them sometime.

Well it's a sunny afternoon so JP and I are off, heading out the door. It's a mystery to me. He likes to create adventures. I'll let you know where we ended up. No calls for my bike yet, and we're not going to stay home waiting.

Big Girl Tea

In the mornings, JP makes himself a cup of coffee and me a cup of tea. Now he's known for his very rich diet, so something he's created will never be approved by Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. In particular is his recipe for tea, for years he's called it Big Girl Tea. That's orange pekoe tea, plus lots of 18% cream and lots of sugar. I use it as a meal replacement, and only limit myself to one per day(okay, maybe two - it's very yummy).

I am super stoked about the new issue of Crochet Me, have you seen it? I want to make EVERY ONE of the patterns including the amigurmi dodo and the umbrella covers. Very cool. And, it's become so popular that the site is running slowing and they're working hard to upgrade their website. What a problem to have!

Today, I put my motorcycle in the newspaper to sell it. I hate waiting all day for the phone to ring, it takes away the fun of having a day off. Let's cross our fingers and hope that it sells really fast.

Dollar Store Goodies (I'm not ashamed)

I stopped in at my local dollar store yesterday and found some neat goodies.

I bought this placemat because I think it
will make a great knitting needle roll ($2)

Then I found these acrylic flower napkin rings, they are so
pretty aren't they? ($1 each)

I just love these napkins. They don't really go with anything, but I really liked them.
I only bought two of them. Maybe I'll use them for a purse or purse liner ? ($1 each)

And then these dishcloths. I liked the green and the stitching on them.
Maybe they won't make their way to the sink ($2)

And finally, my favourite piece - I just love this acordian file, complete with gros-grain ribbon. It was only $4. Four dollars, I said! I've seen similar pieces at Russell+Hazel for $60+. I know it's not the same quality, but I'm okay with that at the moment. (BTW, if you like the stuff at Russell+Hazel and you are Canadian, watch out. By the time you pay the exchange and the shipping, and then get a COD on your package for GST and Duty, it's really not worth it for us!)

(Total = $14.00) Coolio.

Orange County Wives

Yesterday I mowed the lawns. I find it quite amazing that just by mowing the lawn, the yard looks so much better - even if my flowerbeds are still in a partial state of weeds and old winter growth. It's the same in reverse though, now that I think of it. I could have my perimeter gardens in perfect shape, but if the lawn is unkempt the whole thing is off. Like an unmade bed.

I worked for about 2 hours and then a giant cloud covered the sun and it was cold, so I went in. This morning there was frost on some of the neighbourhood roofs, and it seems to be kinda chilly all day. I think I'll stay in today too. I've always got something to do.

Did you watch The Soprano's this week? I found the scene where they're playing Monopoly, just before the fight, a bit long. Did you?

Tomorrow, I'll watch "Real Lives of Orange County Wives" - that's pretty much my only crap TV (we don't count The Office, Scrubs or 30 Rock, do we?). Can you believe some of those Oranage County people? Money does not equal glamour or even manners. And what's with throwing the dog in the pool? They fight over who's going to wash the dog, which no one wants to do, so they throw him in the pool. Do you think chlorine is good for a poodle's coat? Do you think he'll smell better, without soap/shampoo? I don't. I hope he shakes all over their bed! Or the mom with multiple episodes of skin cancer - yet has a really tanned daughter?

It's like a car wreck. I can't help but look at this silly show.

Keyboard Splash

After working around computers for over 20 years, I finally did it. I tipped over my water onto my keyboard. I can't believe it happened. I'm just glad it was clean water and not sticky cola or sugary coffee. I turned the keyboard upside down, immediately unplugged it and then (here's where I'm proud of myself) took pictures of the keyboard. (see the water on it?)


I'm not a genius, I just have a good memory and for some reason, about a year ago, I watched a tutorial on how to clean your keyboard. The best tip I took away from the video was to take a picture of it before you disassemble. I know, you think "I know my keyboard" or "I'll remember" or "I'll take them off in order so I can put them back in order". But let me tell you, taking a photo was the smartest thing I did this morning.


The other little interesting fact was that I had cleaned out the cupboards under the bathroom sink and found several Q-tip boxes plus some no-name ones. JP didn't like the no-name quality, so I scooped them for my craft room. That was just a couple of days ago. So when the great keyboard flood of '07 occurred, I was ready.


All keys were popped off with a letter opener and the base of the keyboard plus the sides of they keys were cleaned with about 100 swabs. All keys were easily replaced by referring to the three pictures I took.


I just need to fix my "enter" key which seems to stick a bit in the 'down' position, but that's it. It's good to go, and even seems to type better at the moment. I'm just wondering if any water was able to get deeper into the keyboard and in about a day or so, it'll all quit. You know, just before a big deadline.


The only puzzling thing was all the unidentified objects under my keys - lots of dog hair, which is a bit surprising considering they're not in my office that often. Can you imagine what the keyboard would like if I had one of those cats who liked to sleep on or around the computer? Also found under the keys - sawdust. Now I did take a woodworking corner about a year ago, but I don't think I tossed around the sawdust that much, so I 'm not sure how that happened.

My mum's getting better, she's not as sick any more. The doctor's think she may have had a bit of the flu on top of it all. They're supposed to be flying her to Calgary either today or tomorrow for the angiogram and shunt. And then she'll come back home. It's very hard to hear about this all long distance, but I know that if I travelled to visit, there wouldn't be much I could do, especially while she's in transit.

In other news, I remade my bunny head, and still intend to make a body. I kept thinking the other face looked more like a pig, so I'll make new ears and a body for him too. I hope it's not one of those silly little projects that keeps on growing and growing......

I'm going to change his whiskers as well.

We're back to rain today, but the garden has "hit the ground running"! One week ago there was snow on the ground, this morning I see tulip flower buds and the foliage for my mini poppies are coming in strong! It's supposed to dry up Tuesday, so that will be the start of the gardening season for me - get the Tylenol as I'll have a sore back each night once I get started!

Do you get Easter Monday off? I don't. It seems that only government workers and bank employees get today off, is that right?

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny even came to visit me, and look what I got: Cherry car seat covers to match my steering wheel cover! Cool! (excuse the dirty window) Now I'm looking for a cherry ornament to hang from my mirror.

Yesterday, the kid and I went for to the trail along the river, he rode his bike and I walked the dogs. I can't believe I got everything in my little car. When the kid upgrades to a bigger bike, I don't think I'll be able to do it. We walked about 3km, but poor Maxx just couldn't keep up. I'll have to get him a wagon, poor old guy. I'll have to tell you his story one day. After that, we went home, showered and then went to the Mission Raceway Park where they were drag racing and the BMXers were flying through the dirt track. The kid was in heaven. He is so into racing right now. Then we came back home for dinner. I cooked: ham, brussels sprouts (bigger than golf balls), broccoli, and scallop potatoes. For desert we had a cherry cream pie with vanilla ice cream.

Today I made stuffin' muffins - that's where you put stuffing in a muffin cup, top with an egg and bacon and cheese and bake. The boys loved it! We have really yummy alder smoked bacon - I think that's what the boys liked the best. (Can you hear your arteries hardening?)

I made a bunny yesterday, the pattern just called for a head, but I think I'm going to make a body, as the head seems a bit odd on it's own:

Right now I think he's more creepy than cute. I think I need to redo his eyes and nose. Not my best work that's for sure.

I'm working on this scarf using Bernat's Boa. I love the name of the colour "love bird". My parents bred Love Bird's and they never had these colours, but I still like the yarn and the name. Scarf in progress:

My mom's still in the ICU, she's stable, but still sick. After the weekend, I think they'll be transferring her to another ward. I tried to call the travel agent yesterday, but I just missed them, so I'll try again on Monday and see what will happen to my mom's ticket. It's too bad she missed her vacation and that she had to spend Easter in the hospital. I really hope she gets better soon. And I want to visit her. I might make a quick trip to see her before I leave for Texas. I'm so glad my brother and s-i-l have been visiting her.

Here's a picture of the little ducky I made today; I think I'll have to make a rabbit next as my table is getting dominated by chicks:

And here's a picture of my happy dog, Jazz. She loves her bed!

I'm trying to capture picture of some of her other poses because they are the craziest contortions.

The Update.

They're waiting for my mum's condition to stabilize and then they are to fly her to Calgary for an angiogram. The cardiologist told my mum that the Texas trip is off. It's only 15 days away.

I'll call the travel agent on Saturday to see if there's anything that can be done. I may go by myself, unless her condition worsens. I couldn't imagine being away on a trip and receiving horrible news.

I'm making a few crochet Easter chicks and bunnies, and that's about it for now.

Earlier this week we had snow. Yesterday it reached 26 degrees in some areas. Right now it's 18 degrees. I'm so glad it's sunny today, although I'm not gardening. Yet.

Did anyone have Hot Cross Buns for breakie? It used to be a Good Friday tradition.

I'm in a bit of a daze today. My mum was rushed to the hospital last night and is in the ICU. She lives by herself so I'm glad she was able to call 911. My brother has been super - he's looked after her doggie (the cute schnauzer I've posted about), cleaned up her house, and cancelled her appointments, plus kept me posted as she lives in another province. He runs his own business so taking time out to do all this can cost him money and delay his projects - so I'm really grateful for all that he's doing. Thanks bro. His wife is a doctor and she's also taken the time to check on my mum while doing rounds, etc. Thanks sis. It's so nice that they are there to look after things and let me know, otherwise, I'd probably be on a plane right now rushing out there.

I'm sure she's sad about being in the hospital, plus being in the hospital over Easter.


Our trip to Texas is only 16 days away, and I don't think my mum will be able to fly. We were supposed to go together, but it's 'up in the air' at the moment. Get well soon mum.


I finished a stole, which I knitted with Bernat Boa. The pattern called for 3 balls, which is what I bought. I didn't have the needles they recommended so I used a larger size. I was so afraid I'd run out. But I used precisely 2 balls. So now I have an extra one - which is odd, considering I used much larger needles - I could have skipped that second ball. However, I'm not too grumpy as the good news is that I got all the Boa yarn on sale for 97 cents a ball, so I guess I can't complain - plus I love the colour a lot! It looks better than this, but here's a sample - it's called Mallard:

This is a picture from the Bernat website:

Have a good Easter long weekend.

Every thing's back to normal - weather wise - today. Sunny, but it's chilly. This morning when I walked the dogs, I wish I hadn't put away my gloves. I did pull on my winter coat, jammed my face into the stand up collar and we walked really fast. It was zero degrees and it was windy. Brr. I don't really think the dogs cared, they just like the walks!

Only 18 more days until my Texas vacation - so looking forward to the sunny warm days. Sitting by the pool sipping a G & T !

In between projects at the moment, although my order of Boa yarn arrived from Mary Maxim - 97 cents a skein, I couldn't resist. I've got lots of little projects planned - except none will be worn until next winter. I can live with it - don't worry.

Anyone flown lately? I'm trying to find the perfect project for the airplane. Maybe socks on bamboo needles?

I'm not kidding... it's snowing

This is not an April Fool's joke.... I woke up this morning to snow! In Vancouver? In April? What about that perfect daffodil I took a picture of yesterday? And all the other pretty flowers in the garden - the magnolia, the grape hyacinth, the hyancinth and the primula? All under snow.

And yesterday's daffodil, now looks like this:

Today JP has to drive an hour to the kid's school as he's helping with a field trip to ScienceWorld. aiyee. I hope the weather and traffic improve by then or that will not be a fun bus ride! He called me after he'd been on the road for a bit and asked me if he left a brown bad in a fridge drawer. He did. And I felt bad for him for leaving some of his lunch - then he told me it was my lunch! How sweet!

Top view of the flower arrangement he brought home for me on Friday night because he knew I had a tough day:

April Showers

I managed to get a good walk with the dogs this morning before the rain came. We had fairly good weather last week, so I guess I'm not too upset about the rain today, besides it gave me time to clean out some cabinets in the bathroom - I've got 6 bottles of shampoo, I guess I won't need any until 2008!

I'm feeling rather springy, and looking for some Easter projects, but not finding anything inspiring, so last night I made this little chickie, with a pattern from my head:

Do you think I should give him feet?

Also, I wanted to share this photo of a perfect daffodil in my garden: