Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Around 2am last night (this morning) I suddenly awoke and my right hand was drawn to my engagement ring. My eyes still closed and in the dark I felt the ring which was strangely different. I knew instantly that the diamond was gone. I took my ring off and put it in a box and then laid awake for at least 30 minutes thinking about all the places I could have lost it and when I saw it last.

Although I am usually a home body, on Monday nights I go to dance and so I could have lost the diamond anywhere in that studio as my arms were swing around for two and a half hours.... and sparkly things on the floor is a pretty common occurrence.

Oh, and when I came home from dance last night, I had hand watered the front garden. Of course I did. Hand waving all over dirt and leaves and whatever else...

We still tried to look around the house this morning, but I've pretty much accepted the fact that it is gone. After sharing my story with some friend it seems somewhat common for many of them to have lost the whole ring, so just losing a diamond I guess isn't as bad? Still I won't be able to replace the stone anytime soon and a wedding ring without an engagement ring looks a little lonely doesn't it?

And I still think it's really weird how I snapped awake to realize it was gone. The whole thing has kinda put me in a downer mood all day.

Time is on My Side

Today is a day I feel sorry (just a little bit) for my husband - an avid watch collector - as he has a big task ahead of him.  As well, he also inherited several clocks from his father that are special to him and  I won't touch them.

So, the daylight savings job has gotten easier for me as I used to be the one that would go around the whole house and reset all the clocks. But now, thanks to digital devices I no longer have to set several as they are automatically updated and my watch is updated by satellite which leaves me with about 5 clocks to change. Jp on the other hand (watch humour, LOL) will take several days to work through his watch and wall clock collection. Fine by me, I have lots of other things to do with my time (more watch humour)

Do you have lots of clocks to adjust today? 

Remember the Cheese

On Thursday I wanted to go out for dinner. We hadn't been out for a while and it was the night before payday and I had been craving sushi all day. I made the suggestion to Jp, and he immediately said "Subway". Right then and there the interest in sushi was gone (it's okay - we can't usually get out of a sushi restaurant for under $50 anyway). Then he mentioned Five Guys so I agreed. I knew that since he was driving we'd probably end there anyway. The nearest Five Guys is about a 40 minute drive but hey, we were out of the house and having a conversation and there wasn't any traffic.

We ordered our hot dogs with grilled mushrooms and onions and shelled our peanuts waiting in anticipation for our yummy hot dogs and fries-that-taste-so-good-but-aren't-good-for-you when the manager came over and asked how we're doing. Uh-oh, something was up.

Apparently our dogs jumped off the spatula and they had to make some more, he apologized and gave us some fries to keep us happy. No big deal, he handled it perfectly.

Everything was too delicious, except after we finished eating our hotdogs Jp remembered that we also usually ordered cheese on our hotdogs to make them even better. Dang! We only get to go to Five Guys about twice a year. Next time we'll remember the cheese.

Wet and cold and hungry

So I'm sitting in my living room around 7:30 last night when I hear the lid of my mailbox open. Odd, I think for a Friday night, and then a moment later I hear another clunk in my front yard so I fly the door open, and what do I see? Two bears in my yard! The big one grunts at me as it runs. In my carport are wet bear footprints all over the floor. They had knocked over an empty garbage container (if there's anything in them, they are locked up in a room at the end of my carport.

About 10:30 I hear some noises outside and go to investigate. Jp tells me it's nothing, just the neighbour's car doors but I decide to peak out my front window and what do I see?? Yup, the two bears again. The little  one hopped the fence, sat on the top rail for a bit and then slipped down bum first before disappearing in the neighbour's yard. Then I felt really sad for them. I think the little one, who's fur was very wet from the heavy rain was tired. It's probably tired and very hungry. I hope they're able to find some food soon - just not people food.

Jp thinks they should be killed, but I just can't agree with him. They're not doing anything wrong. They come to our neighbourhoods because many of us are sloppy and lazy and there's often something to eat in a container outside our houses. People don't pick up the apples from their trees and so the bears have to scavenge for meals - maybe even the odd stray cat? I don't know. If people were more diligent and there was no food to be found, I'm pretty sure the bears would look elsewhere. As usual, humans create the problem and the animals pay for it.

Things from Portland

Here are some of the items Jp brought back for me from his trip to Portland, Oregon (I still can't believe it's only a 5 hour drive from Vancouver-always thought it was farther):

1) This book bag from the well-known and very large Powell's Books:

He said he would've needed about 4 days in that store - which is pretty crazy when most people can do Disneyland in three!

2) Fabulously delicious coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

We did not save any of this, we drank it while it was fresh and tasty and boy howdy was it good! Holler Mountain was the coffee we had, roasted only 4 days prior.

3) He told me this was a Honey Badger, but I know it's a Wolverine:

If you're not familiar with a Honey Badger, then you must watch this informative video:

And just as a point of curiousity, when I googled "Wolverine" the majority of the searches turned up Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and hardly anything for the actually animal. My how things change over time don't they? 

4) And see this cast iron skillet? It's actually only 2 inches across

 - it's a spoon rest, isn't it cute?

It's actually from Cabela's which is in Washington state. Just seeing if you're still with me. 

5) And then a whole bunch of treats  - like Chex Mix because we don't have as many flavours here as there are available in the US and big bags of chips for cheap!

The same goes for Baked Beans, and peanut butter: 

Food Time

I have to admit that Jp is quite a good cook, he's definitely the King of Breakfast (along with the King of Sandwiches) This is what I had for dinner (well only 1 plate, of course):

and who needs to go to McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin when you can have this?

Leatherman Tools are for the dogs!

Okay, they aren't really. But last week Jp and the kid went down to Portland and took a tour of the Leatherman factory. They treated the boys really nicely and even gave us the sweetest toy for Eco. Yes in our house, even the dog has a Leatherman tool!

I actually don't want her to play with it too much because I wanted to keep it, but alas, one cannot keep everything. Besides it has a great squeaker and dogs are like kids - they can have a bucket full of old toys, but they like the new ones the best!

Look at her little ears flapping as she runs:

And here she is, flying through the air: 

My Thinking Place

For some reason I come up with the craziest George Carlin type of questions in the bathroom. Perhaps because I am the least distracted in there without TV or music or even a window. I'm just standing there flossing my teeth or putting on make up when things occur to me.

Sometimes I've gone over recent events and the come out of the bathroom to ask him about something someone said, or an inconsistency to their story but other times I have questions and I really should write them down. Like this one, why is that as people get older they lose pigment in their hair turning it white, but then they'll have hair growing out of strange places that's black? That's a really weird question isn't it?

My husband's begun to fear when I suddenly come out of the bathroom, often still with a toothbrush or floss in my hands and ask him a "how come" question. Sometimes I have to remember the question all the way through my shower - that can be a tough one too. Here's an article about why we have our best ideas in the shower. And here's another one on creativity.

I wonder where old Sherlock Holmes best place to think was?  Probably everywhere!

My saturday

So yesterday I'm feeling all smug at what I accomplished so I say to JP, "Today I painted the front and back door, gardened and did laundry. What did you do?"
(thinking I'd put him in his place, and feeling quiet superior -big EGO!)

And he replied "Fed the machine the did all that"
(he did make me breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday)

Well. Not exactly the answer I was looking for. But definitely a correct one that's for sure.

Well folks, I finally did it.

My husband is notoriously very hard to shop for. He has a very particular taste and he shops all the time. Usually he's "been there, done that" and after being with him for many years I have basically given up trying to buy him gifts.

But this Father's Day I did it!

Yup, I finally found a gift that he didn't have, nor did he even think of (thanks CityLine -Fashion Friday)

This is  the  ultimate luxury my friends - check out these shoe laces!

This is a collection of 3 sets of coloured laces, one pocket square and one flower label pin. I went conservative and picked the "Wall Street" collection - but you can go wild with the hipster collection.

Since Jp has a beautiful collection of dress socks filled with fabulous colours and designs -  I thought "what is better than to dressing up his shoes?" The company is called Stolen Riches (love the name too) - and I recommend the next time you're looking for a gift for the guy who has everything - this might be your solution.

Exhausting Weekend

This was a very busy weekend for me. It started on Thursday when I made vanilla cupcakes with coffee icing for Jp's birthday on Friday. Friday we went out for breakfast and then ran around for some errands including a trip to the butcher (and hour round trip)  for some delicious tender steaks - a couple New Yorks and a couple Rib Eyes (with the caps on).  Next we went to pick up his son (an hour and a half round trip)  and then it was time to get dinner started - dinner was Rosemary Roasted Nugget Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, Brussels Sprouts and the steaks cooked on the grill. That was a lot of things to figure the timing for but I did it.

Saturday we joked that he was just ordinary and we could treat him crappy because it was just a normal day. But on Sunday it was father's day so he was treated special again - Happy  Father's Day! More cooking - Eggs Benedict with homemade Hollandaise Sauce on crumpets with ham. Then I did laundry and ironing and put on the summer quilt and summer bedding. Then it was time for dinner - parmesan and breaded basa filets with rice and peas. The boys ate very well this weekend.

Including a medium bag of homemade oatmeal and cranberry cookies  - their only crime was that they were too close to a teenager late at night. It's a good thing he's skinny. But I wonder how his tummy could hold that much oatmeal...

Phew, I'm glad that weekend's over with. Now I can go back to my normal Cinderella life...ha, ha  just kidding!!!

Rewinding the Past

Have you ever pieced through an event and realized that you had all the clues all along but just didn't realize it or that things aren't always as they seem?

Case # 1 - There is orange hair on the street. There is an orange cat who lives on the street. The first time I saw it, I assumed that cat had gotten into a fight with another cat or possibly even a coyote, but he was still around so I assumed he survived. Even my neighbours though that "Mr. Trouble" was the source of the hair and worried about him too.

Then yesterday as Eco and I walked up the street,  I saw the orange hair all over a neighbour's yard and on the street. I figured that cat must have gotten into trouble again, BUT, on our return, that neighbour's dog was on the front balcony - and it was then that it all made sense.

They have a big chow like dog who sheds in sheets of fur. That orange hair on their lawn was not a street cat's, but their shedding dog's hair. And it was then that I realized it had been windy earlier in the day and the hair had tumbled around the neighbourhood. No cats were harmed at all.

Case # 2 - Yesterday, I pulled the pillow out of Eco's bed to wash it and saw some bark in her crate. It then occurred to me that she hadn't slept in her bed the last several days. And then I remember Jp telling me that while I was out on Tuesday night Eco had been coughing. That followed a play date earlier that day where she had chewed on a wooden stick with another dog. I then realized that she must have had some wood in her throat or perhaps stomach, which caused her to choke and cough which caused her to vomit in her bed which is why she had been avoiding her bed all week. Unfortunately I didn't realize this until Saturday or I would've washed her bedding Tuesday night.

Not quite ready to call myself Sherlock Holmes just yet? But I'm working on it.

Do you like solving these kinds of things? Want to see more ? Try reading The Science of Deduction

Boxing Day 2012. Today it'll be a nice, quiet day. I don't plan on doing too much in the kitchen, not sure what we'll have for dinner yet.There should be enough leftovers that I can be lazy. However, knowing me, I say that now but by 4pm I'm whipping something crazy up!

Christmas Day was good. We both did a very good job on presents for each other. And my family did a very nice job of picking out items for me as well. Thankfully I don't have family that runs through the mall at the last minute grabbing something that might be in their price range - my family thoughtfully picks out items for me, which I very much love.

One of my favorite gifts from Jp is this deer head: 

Now I'm sure many of you wonder why the heck I'd want that but I think it's beautiful done in white, on a white wall. It is very well done and I love it. And I don't know how he found it so easily -  I had been looking for a while and either they were not available or not in my price range. This one has a bit of "glittery flocking" on it - which doesn't necessarily sound nice, but it is. It gives just the right amount of texture and reflects some light back.

I hope you received the presents you wanted and that your gifts were thoughtfully chosen for you as well. What was your favourite gift? 

It never gets old

Recently we stopped into the only Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop in the Vancouver area, and Jp bought me this cute little cup:

what makes it even cuter as after you drink your coffee, you find a little joke - a donut in the bottom!

Ah ha ha - it never get's old ...

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-

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...the donut and the joke ! 

Curious coincidences?

About 5 times in the past week, I've rescued something before the situation became worse -first there was our portable dishwasher that started to zap at the wall outlet, I was across the hall at the time, so I raced over and pulled to melting plug from the wall - it appears the outlet had shorted out. Jp had to cut off the old plug on the dishwasher (which by the way is 40 years old - can you believe that?), replace the wall outlet and replaced the circuit breaker in the box just to be safe. But what if we were in the yard, or even at the other end of the house, could it have started a fire?

A day or so later I awoke when the fan in the bedroom made a noise like to motor seized and the fan stopped oscillating. I hopped out of bed to turn it off. Would it have whirred until it burst into flames?

A day or so after that, the dishwasher (again, poor thing is getting a bad rap) was running and something smelled like it was melting, I opened the door and found a spatula that had fallen through the racks and had melted in 2 spots on the bottom drying element. No further harm was done.

Yesterday we were sitting having a nice family brunch when the light in the fish tank started to short out, so I hopped off my chair and dove under the table to unplug the aquarium light, and then removed the stinking hood from the aquarium so our whole house wouldn't smell. No more lights for the poor fish (gee, anyone want a free fishtank, I've been told I must get rid of them.. ) The boys think this could have been a house fire, but I think all the water in the tank would have helped to stop it from going further - although I might've had some cooked fish....

And then today, I was inside and heard a stellar jay squawking - as they always do - but then something didn't sound right so I went outside to find a very guilty looking cat hovering over an adolescent jay. He lost most of his wing feathers and had some bleeding but I think he could recover. I had put box out for him with some food and water, but a couple of hours later, it's  since disappeared - I'm pretty sure my neighbour took over it's care as she too, didn't want the cats to attack this poor little birdie again.

Gee,  5 things that I that prevented from becoming worse. Are they only coincidences? Or is there a bigger message? What do you believe?

Parchment Paper

Years ago, parchment paper used to be hard to come by, in fact I remember paying around $15 for a box of it, so early in our relationship when Jp discovered it, I stopped him one day for using it for EVERYTHING because it was expensive. However, thanks to Martha Stewart and a Food Network and hundreds of bakers out there, parchment paper is quite reasonable, and I no longer covet it for extra special projects.

Jp on the other hand, loves to remind me of the fact that I once protected it and limited it's usage. I have double checked with other cooks and bakers and they confirmed that yes indeed, it was once an expensive kitchen staple.

Do you remember when it was really expensive? 

Costco Hot Dogs

Jp's been spending some extra time with our nephew lately and so the other day he picked the nephew and The Kidd and started driving, he never tells us where we're going and The Kidd knows not to guess, but when he pulled into the Costco parking lot the nephew thought they were going shopping. Wrong. The were going for the hot dogs and sundaes, and after their meal they got up to leave and the nephew says "did we just come here to eat?" and The Kidd said "yup, get used to it" LOL.

Jp likes dancing to the beat of his own drum! His son is used to dad doing things a bit differently. And I think he likes it too.

I guess most people don't got to Costco just for dinner? 
Have you? 

Photo credit: link here

More Props for the Shop

I've been busy knitting and crocheting this weekend making some more baby photo props, here are two elfin hats :

I'm not entirely happy with these. I think I need to go back and practice changing colours in the round in crochet, so I consider them prototypes for now. ( see my last post, I did much better with the knitted one didn't I?) Also, I'm not sure if the stronger colours or the softer colours will look better in a baby photograph. The lavender one was made with a white sparkly yarn but it seems to look grey in the photo which I don't really like.  More research to be done!

I also made this bunny hat, which I'd also like to remake, perhaps with longer, better shaped ears:

I hate to a be Debby Downer, but I think they need to be near perfect if they are  going to be showcased next to someone's precious little newborn. I have lots more ideas of things to try - the only things slowing me down is my day job and my carpal tunnel, both a wee bit hard to ignore.

*********

It's been quiet around here since Jp had laser eye surgery earlier last week - this time he's not healing as fast and has also experienced some pain. Basically I just leave him alone because he's a wee bit grump (typical sick male, right ladies?). I did learn something though, this morning I asked him if he wanted breakfast and he said he didn't so I made myself some toast and eggs and then returned to the bedroom where I put my plate on my side of the bed, I then returned to the kitchen to put some things away and then went back to the bedroom to eat my breakfast in the comfort of the bed. But when I returned, the plate was empty and guess who was licking his lips? Gee it's not the dog I have to worry about, it's the husband!!!