Something in Your Teeth

It was such a beautiful day on Saturday I decided to take the family out for a bike ride and hang out in a park, enjoying the sun.

I read a book.

My son brought his laptop and surfed the web on the free Wi-Fi.  

Max hung out with us looking dignified.

Actually, if a dog could have a sexy pose, this would be it.

Uh . . .  Max . . .  you got something in your teeth.

It's still there. . . . it looks like a blade of grass.

To the left.

Umm . . . STILL there . . . 

Never mind.

Cupcake Creation

I stopped by my friends house this week to check out her cupcake creations.

She made these sesame street characters for a bake sale at her daughters school.

Pretty cute hey?

They kinda remind me of the little green aliens at Pizza Planet from Toy Story that stare upward, expectantly, waiting to be "picked".

ooohhh - The Claw . . . .

zucchini

When I was little my older brother and I decided that the zuchini sitting in the fridge would make a pretty good baseball bat.

We used a crumpled up piece of paper as a ball.

My brother was the pitcher and I was first up to bat.

He threw hard.

I swung.

The zuchini snapped in half.

In a moment of sibling comeraderie, we placed the two halves of the zuchini back together in the fridge.

We never said anything and my mother never mentioned anything about the broken zuchini.

30-60-90

I'm going to be turning thirty next week and I've decided that it would be nice if I could live to be ninety.  Just old enough to have lived a good long life, and not too old to feel like I've missed the bus to heaven and am left forgotten down on earth.

Plus ninety divides very nicely by three.  This means I am currently ending my first phase in life and am entering into the second phase.

So rather than share a random musing, I thought I would try and spend the next few days, before my BIG day sharing a little more about me.

Here goes.

See that scar across the bridge of my nose?  I'll tell you how it got there and how I spent most of the entire first period of my life thinking I was tough.

When I was a little girl, about three or so, I slipped and hit my head on a brick.  My mom tells me that when she took me to the hospital it took THREE nurses just to hold me down so I could get stitches.  My, what a strong little girl I was!

 See?  I told you I was tough. 

Here's the kicker though.  A few years ago I found out that when my mom told me I had fallen on a brick, she was referring to a Duplo brick.

You know there's a big difference between a brick made of hardened clay and a oversized cheap plastic brick that is decorated in primary colors.  

Waskisiu Wanderings

We spent Saturday afternoon checking out the shops in Waskisiu.

We walked by this repair shop.  I always love when vehicles are up on the hoist.

Especially when its a pretty blue van.  I think it looks vintage.  Circa 1980 perhaps.

 Uh oh, I was born in 79, does this make me vintage?

The End of A Weekend

I just got back from a weekend at Waskisiu with two girlfriends.  Last weekend it was Moose Jaw, the weekend before that it was Tisdale . . . I'm really liking this month of roadtrips!

Well, before we headed back to Saskatoon we went to Salacia Spa at the Elk Ridge Hotel.

Before we had our treatment, we were required to fill out a lengthy two page form.  It's filled with all sorts of questions like:  describe you skin: is it dry or oily?  Or: what is your daily skin care regime?  Or:  Would you like some Grey Poupon?    

Just kidding.

But really, I always have some difficulties filling out forms.  I tend to make them more complicated then they really are.  For example, when you are filling out a check list and you have a box, do you mark it with a check mark, or mark it with an X?  I really don't know.

When it came to describing my "goals" of my skin care from my facial I was stumped.   Really, what kind of goal or objective do you need for a facial?  Umm . . . to feel good and have clean skin?  I decided the write: luminescent.  I thought that the objective of luminescent is slightly subjective and if they were at all analytical like me, it would drive them nuts.  Plus, I was slightly curious on the outcome.

Here I am, luminescent skin and all.

Farm Town

Lately I've been spending all my time on Facebook playing Farm Town.  

In Farm Town you are given a square of land and you can plant all sorts of crops: grapes, potatoes, watermelon, even coffee.  You need to plow the land, plant the seeds, and then after a day or two or three your crops are ready for harvesting.  When you harvest you get money, and if you hire someone else who is playing the game you will get even MORE money.  

Generally, people just hang out at the marketplace waiting for someone to hire them.  There are people from all over the world in the marketplace.  I've been to some marketplaces where people from Australia or places in Europe, or people are talking in another language, I think its Spanish, but unfortunately, No hablo espanol.  Gotta love Google Translate, hey?!

This is what a farm might look like.  Mines way better though, I like to make fancy patterns with the crops, like a checkerboard.  I think I may have an addiction.

In Farm Town my name is Farmer Becky and my Farm name is Farmer Beckys Farm.  Gosh, I am so creative sometimes.

Now that I have been playing Farm Town I have been checking out the real farms when I am driving on the highways in Saskatchewan.

Here is a farm on the way to Tisdale.  I like how the barn has faded paint and the little shelter for the animals is all weathered looking.  I think it looks quaint sitting up on the hill, overlooking the highway.

Here are some silos we passed on the drive up to Moose Jaw.  I like how they are all shiny and new and neat and orderly.  If I had silos on my farm, this is what they would look like.

Here is some land.  From my vast farming experience I'd say it looks like the land hasn't been plowed yet.  

In Farm Town you need to individually plow and then seed each square of land.  It can be quite tedious, especially when you are a "Mighty Farmer" like me and have a very large plot of land. Did you know that in real life you can both plow AND seed at the same time.  Wow - I am jealous.

Here is a pretty red barn.  Can you see the bug guts smeared on the windshield?  I still haven't gotten it off since my last roadtrip.  

Hello Subaru

While I took Max for a walk at the dog park.  I parked my White Subaru beside a Green Subaru so they could get to know each other a little bit.

My White  Subaru was kind of shy when it first met the Green Subaru and didn't really know what to talk about.  It's a lot like me when I first meet people.

But by the time Max and I came back from our walk, the two Subarus were the best of friends.

And I promised my Subaru that I would introduce it to the other Subarus at the dog park.

May Long

While everyone made plans to ditch the city and head out to the lake, I decided to relax and do nothing.

 . . . .

but then something happened

. . . .

I bought this:

Its a Nikon D90 with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105 mm lens.  Sounds fancy hey?  I have no idea what all those letters and numbers mean, all I know is that I have wanted to buy this camera for a long, long while.  I think she's beautiful.

I decided to get out of the city for the day.  It was so spontaneous, I love it!

Can you guess where we went?

Here's another hint:

Yep, we drove to Moose Jaw.  On the drive there we cranked the music and listened to Kings of Leon - why haven't I listened to them before?  I love their music.

We spent the morning at Wakamow Valley (I call it Whack a Mole Valley).

And then we had to stop at the Chocolate Moose Fudge Factory to have some gelato and order some Pumpkin Fudge.

After that we walked around this little pond hidden within a park downtown.  We saw geese and ducks and chatted to other tourists.  It was very special.

And then we soaked in the Hot Springs for a while before heading back on the road.  And I came home tired, and exhausted, and utterly happy.

Off the Shelf (The Bookshelf That Is)

I recently finished reading The Shack and Messy Spirituality.  I really had no intention of reading these two books together, during the same week, at the same time, its just how it worked out.  I'm the kind of girl who likes to read one book at a time.  You could say I'm a monogamabilbiophile (I just made that word up, it means:  the practice of only loving one book at a time . . . I also just made that definition up).

As I was perusing the books at Costco, I noticed The Shack, but I was too hasty and judged the book by its front cover (isn't that a no-no?).  I honestly thought The Shack was a Dean Koontz/Stephen King-ish type book that involved a scary story line about a mysterious shack in the desolate woods, death incarnate, and some zombies or too.  I've got a pretty active imagination, hey?!

Here is the front cover of the book, what do you think the book is about?

Okay, on second glance, it looks like a remote shack at about Christmas time with some heavenly hosts singing in the sky. . . or something along those lines, definitely not zombies though.  

I had passed by this book, until I overheard a woman tell her friend that it was a good book, so I thought I'd give it a chance.

I am usually a voracious reader and can often finish a book in a weekend, or even a day.  These two books, however, caused me to slow down.  I read a bit every evening or so, and allowed the ideas to simmer somewhere in my head throughout the day.

Both of these authors are presenting a view of a relationship that challenges our traditional views.  The Shack challenges our assumptions of how we view God, while Messy Spirituality challenges our views of how we see ourselves in this relationship.  The Shack also shows how our pain, losses and tragedies in life can really trap us and keep us in bondage, and how by changing our perspective we can gain freedom from that bondage.  Similarly, Messy Spirituality frees us from striving for an image of who we think we need to be in order to obtain Gods love.  

It was interesting reading both books at the same time they both set out to challenge prevalent assumptions of how we see God or how we relate to Him and they both conveyed a God who just wants us in His love.  And really, who wouldn't want to be in a relationship with someone who will always love us more that we could ever love back? 

Patent Pending

What do you do when you are holding an ice cream cone, but want to take pictures?

TA-DAH!!

Oh, I'm so creative sometimes.

Spring? Spring? Hello? Hello?? You There??

Keo's

I went out to Keo's for supper last week with a friend.

I ordered Phad Thai.  If you have never had Phad Thai before - go to Keo's and try some, it is simply delicious.

This is called Miang Kam.  You pick your ingredients from the plate, add a bit of sauce and then use the lettuce as a wrap.  You could choose: tomatoes, fresh lime, peanuts, shaved coconut, onion, ginger root, and some other unidentifieable ingredients.  It wasn't what we expected it to be, but, hey - its always interesting trying out something new. 

If you have never been to Keo's (its on Broadway) you are missing out, they have a really great menu of Thai food, and it is definitely one of my favorite Broadway restaurants.

It's Hard to Believe Snow is in the Forecast

A Simple Saturday

Today I was feeling rather lazy and I didn't really feel like leaving the house.

So after leaving the house and picking up next weeks groceries and my son from his sleepover (shouldn't they be called awakeovers?), I decided to putter around the kitchen putting my groceries away and taking the time to clean and chop up all the veggies I had bought.

This week I'm making something I call Vegetarian Chili.  It's basically a mish-mash of vegetables and beans and chili powder, its super easy to make and my son asked for thirds the last time I made it- yessss! It's delicious and healthy, what could be better?

I decided to check on my son.  He appears to be sleeping although he could be faking.

Nope, not faking, he really is sleeping.  

Hmmm, I'm slightly jealous, must be nice to be able to have a nap at high noon.  And what were they doing at that sleepover?  That poor Mom.

This is the Handy Scraper from The Pampered Chef.  I love using it when I'm doing a lot of chopping, it makes transferring all those vegetables so easy and quick.

And this is what my dog Max is doing this fine Saturday afternoon. 

 Hmm, again, slightly jealous, having a nap, on MY bed.

Back to the veggies. 

I use to buy the pre-washed lettuce in the bags because I thought I would have no excuses to not eat my veggies.  But they never lasted much longer than a few days and I always ended throwing the lettuce into the garbage. 

I've started to buy the "regular" lettuce.  After washing the lettuce I chop half up and leave the lettuce in a bag which I will then use for my wraps and sandwiches in my lunches.  The other half I stuck in a Tupperware Fridgesmart Container.  These Fridgesmart Containers are amazing at keeping produce and extending their life.  

I went to check on the boys again.  Now my son is in MY bed, the dog must have scampered off to the couch.

This is pretty much the result.  The tomatoes in the green bowl are going to be used in a recipe called Pastor Ryans Mexican Lasagna.  It's delicious, but I can't make it yet because I need to scour the grocery stores of Saskatoon looking for Salsa Verde.  

The other bowls contain all the vegetables I will be using for the Vegetarian Chili.  I've separated them out because they will require different amounts of time saute-ing (not sure how to add the accent acute to that word) in the skillet.

I think I might have gone a little over board on the vegetable chopping today.  No worries though, once I've sauted all the veggies I can use them as a base for a variety of vegetable-twisted recipes.

Here's the boys again.  Now they are BOTH in my bed.  

Looks like they've had the right idea all along, I think I'm going to join them.

Tittles and Diacritics

Today I learnt that an "I" can't really be an i, and a "J" can't really be a j without its tittle.

What's a tittle you ask?  (and even if you don't ask, I'm going to tell you).

A tittle is the small dot above the i and the j, it's used as punctuation or as a diacritic.

And this is what a diacritic is:

Who knew these funny symbols had a name?  I think they give so much character to the letter.  

The accent acute and the accent grave look angry.  (Why am I writing this backwards you ask?  Because I learned about these in French, who happen to say things backwards and for some reason I say accent egg-u)

The cedilla looks very exotic.

The accent circumflex and the tilde look like mustaches.

And that folks, is the end of the todays lesson.

A Year in Review

Since its the end of the year for university students, I thought I'd look back at things that have happened to me since I finished taking classes full-time last year.

Here are some experiences which I would have never guessed would happen to me this year:

I rode a horse on my birthday.  I also threw myself a birthday party (which I never do): we went bowling.  

I went on a road trip to Banff and Calgary with two friends from school and had a really good time.

I discovered that Chinese cooking can be more potent than pepper spray.  Quick- open the window -ACK!

I planned a suprise 30th birthday party for a good friend of mine.  It was so fun planning and sneaking around!  I also learnt I am a horrible liar.  (This is why I could never play poker).

I  went to a surprise 40th birthday party- complete with gag walker.  Those 40 year olds really know how to have a fun time!

I figured out, a little to late that what I really love doing is synthetic chemistry. 

I started a blog and have realized I love blogging: writing blogs, reading other peoples blogs and taking pictures, for my blog.

I have realized the importance of authenticity and being true to yourself.

Thoughts from my Trip

I love road trips and driving on the highway.  I'm not sure if its the endless highway, the passing landscape, the open sky above me, or simply following along the yellow lines, but I always come away with a deeper understanding of something.

While I happen to love road trips, I absolutely hate passing.  However, I really don't like following other cars, they slow me down, and I like to be in front, ahead of the pack.  This means it is necessary for me to pass from time to time.  

Now, when it comes time for me to pass, I start to worry.  What if a car hits me headlong?  What if I can't pass before a car reaches me?  What if I get stuck passing when the solid line comes?  What if I misjudge the speed of the oncoming car?  What if I floor the accelerator and my car doesn't pick up fast enough?  Phew, it begins to wear me out.  I have let a few bad experiences govern my emotions, which now makes me feel worried and anxious the moment I realize I am bearing down on some car.  I could be kilometers away and spot a vehicle far ahead, and the worry and anxiety will begin.

So as I was driving I realized that it was pointless to start worrying the minute I spotted a car far off in the distance.  So I stopped.  I just wouldn't look at how far the car was away or how fast I was approaching it.  Instead I looked out the window at the sky and the clouds and the trees and the fields and the farmhouses.  I cranked the radio and sang my heart out.  I enjoyed the present, being in the moment.  Because as soon as it came time for me to pass a car something different always happened.  Sometimes the cars would slow down and turn off the highway.  Sometimes I got lucky and passed a few vehicles at a time.  Sometimes there was a lot of oncoming traffic and I would have to wait awhile before I could pass.  At one point I realized that a semi was barreling towards me on my side of the highway and there was no way it was going to be able to pass in time.  So I just slowed down and pulled off towards the side of the road.  And later I realized, in a detached sort of way, that I had just encountered my worst situation and I realized that at that moment I didn't panic or worry, I just reacted and kept driving.

And then I realized that I don't just worry about passing cars, I worry about everything.  What will I do this year?  Should I move?  If I do, will I find a good place to rent?  Where should I go this summer?  But really, even if any of these decisions will be made, they aren't happening now, because they are in the future.  Worrying and trying to plan for things in the future can be futile, especially when I won't know what my circumstances or situation will be when it is time to make a decision.  It seems so obvious, now.  So I think I'd rather live more in the moment and enjoy all the little details which make me happy, because when I am worrying my mind is elsewhere and I can barely see the little joys within my day.

LMAO

Okay, I have a confession:

When I first started texting I had to learn a whole new language:  LOL, JK, BRB, TTYL

I get it: LOL means laughing out loud, BRB means be right back.

Maybe I selectively have some sort of dyslexia, but for some reason, in my mind I thought LMAO was lame-0.  I'd always send my friend some text that I thought was kinda funny, and she'd reply: Lmao. 

 In in my mind I would think: huh, I thought it was kinda funny, its not lame at all.  After several relies of Lmao, I started to send fewer and fewer texts.  

I think it took about a year of me thinking my texts were lame, before I finally checked out the Urban Dictionary and found out the real meaning. . . turns out I was kinda funny after all.