Monday, March 31, 2008

Fun with time lapse

Check out these three videos and relive a bit of your youth...





Saturday, March 29, 2008

Better late than never...

For those of you who remember this post, will remember how bummed I was about the store no longer stocking the charms for our monthly LIDiversary ritual. Josh and I have been driving around* the last couple of weekends to different malls, to see if different places stocked them. Lo and behold I finally found one today that had some so I spent a ton small fortune and got enough for the next few LIDiversaries. So these charms are for our 17 and 18 month LIDiversaries...better late than never, right? I got a special one for our 19th LIDiversary, but you'll all just have to wait a couple of weeks to see that one. That's not to say that all of them are special in their own way... ;)

I was going to start on the "Family" bracelet first, but I haven't exactly gotten a lot of responses yet from my family, so I've started on the "Friends"** bracelet instead. It's not like I have to rush to get these done with another 2-3 years to go, so whatever.

The piano keys are for Catherine who teaches piano in the evenings, so she felt that those would best suit her. The comedy and tragedy masks are for Cari who is an incredible actress (in her spare time), and I'm not just saying that. I've seen her in one play so far, and look forward to more in the future. :)


*On a side note, while we were driving to the mall today, I think we both had an epiphany and settled on "Little Maple's" name. So much so, that Josh missed the exit to the mall. :P
(No, we're not saying what it is, and we can't be bribed...)

**About a month or so ago, I sent out an email to people I've met through this process and I asked them to choose charms. This bracelet, like the "Family" bracelet will eventually be going to "Little Maple". In the meantime, though, I'll be wearing it. (I'm actually wearing it right now...shhh).

That being said, if I have met you and you didn't receive the email, let me know and I'll send it to you. ;)

Friday, March 21, 2008

Here a birthday, there a birthday...

personalized greetings

Today is my SIL's "29th" birthday as well as Zubin's first birthday!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Le Chaim/18 months (continued)

Last week we 'celebrated' our 18 month LIDiversary as usual. The following day I had to go to a jewellery store (dangerous place for me) to get my engagement ring re-appraised for the insurance company and get a stone in my eternity band re-set since it was loose.

The jeweller took a look at my eternity band and fixed it right away and then looked at my engagement ring. He noticed that one of the baguettes was loose. I had no idea. It was so loose that he could wiggle it with his finger. I'm SO glad that I got that letter from the insurance company or I probably would have lost that stone.

While the jeweller was in the back, I took a look at what he had in his cases and I saw something that really caught my eye. My mom was with me and I had her come over to look at it. I wasn't positive what the symbol was, but I knew I had seen it before...

*Longevity - front view









*Happiness - back view








I love the detail in the charm. Not only is it a gold heart which is symbolic to me (people used to say that my late father had a heart of gold). The wording is special for our 18 month LIDiversary, and I love that it has, what looks like, brickwork on the back (which is supposed to be representative of the Great Wall of China). The charm was made in China, has the Chinese hallmarks and is 22K gold.

*My friend, E (AKA Spitgirl who occasionally writes on the blog and runs the "Little Maple Project" in the sidebar), translated the words for me.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Happy birthday, Shawn!

















Hope your birthday is as special as you are! We miss you guys!

When's June getting here?! :)

Now everyone else reading this, go here and wish him a happy birthday!

What are you waiting for?

Go on...

Saturday, March 15, 2008

True Blue?

(Posted by Josh)
















If any of you have seen the movie “Forrest Gump” you’ll remember the scene where Forrest runs repeatedly across the US from Atlantic to Pacific coasts until halfway through the Arizona desert, he slows down, stops and declares to his disciples that he’s tired and he wants to go home. An epiphany! His run was over…enough is enough.

I came to the end of my race two nights ago when I was watching TV with Mère d'érable (Mother Maple). I have been a marketing professional for almost 15 years and I have managed to filter out the “truths” in media. Simple truths are that dogs chase cats, cats chase mice and mice scurry into perfectly formed arched doorways.

Another truth that my brain has been able to block out until two nights ago is that every product promoted in popular media that involves a bodily function below the neck is coloured blue. Underarm sweat #1, #2 anything involving women or babies. Above the neck is basically white. Shaving cream, women’s make-up, Dove soap and shampoo. Why do men bleed white when they cut themselves using an inferior razor?

Start at the top and work your way down. Everything that may emerge from the human body for good and bad reasons is blue. If a child had a blue “pee”, like one often sees on TV, he would be starring in the next “X Files” movie.

Do you want to see blue pee in real life? Add Methylene blue to your friend’s drink. In low doses it’s used as a diagnostic tool for patients with kidney trouble.

Another truth that struck me is why do women have the urge to ride horses, jump into swimming pools or perform complex gymnastic manoeuvres when their Aunt Flow comes to town? My understanding as a “man of the world” is that a guy’s place during this time is in the pub (or at least that is the safest place to be). While I am at the pub, I’ll assume my blushing bride is doing needlepoint and reading poetry just like all ladies do to pass those magical days. Rumours of emptying Baskin-Robbins or tearing the door off the fridge are urban legends.



































Additionally, why do butterflies, unicorns and skin-tight white jeans make this time happy for women? I’m thinking if I was to have any procedures done south of the “Mason Dixon line”, the last thing I would be doing is bouncing on a horse or leaping on the uneven bars like Mary Lou Retton.

Seek the truth…it’s blue.

Friday, March 14, 2008

For K2








(Check out the bottle.)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

So it’s 18 Months. To Life! Le Chaim!















(Josh posting)

For those of you who don’t know, “chai” (pronounce the “ch” like Loch Ness, not chocolate) is a combination of two Hebrew characters that mean “life” and the number “18”.

Did I think I would be buying the “18” cake? Nope. Am I sad? Nope. I think of it as a very long train trip and I am simply waiting for the train to get to the station. Oy what a wait!

To add a little pizzazz to the LIDiversary, I told Mère de l'érable (Maple’s Mom) that I would get a picture cake with the characters on the top. I am wowed by this cake. It looks too good to eat.

This LIDiversary is kind of tough as we crash into Purim and Passover within a month of each other. To perk things up, I have provided some entertainment and a picture of the cake to drool over.

WHEE!


















I've been looking for one of these for a LONG time, but every time I go into a store, they're sold out.

Case in point, I went into Walmart this weekend and as I was walking towards the electronics aisle, someone was LITERALLY one step in front of me and got to it before I did.

Then I called up a local Best Buy and I was told they had three left in stock and I asked them to hold one for me, but they refused because that wasn't a "guaranteed" sale. They said "someone could walk in and buy it". I told them I was ten minutes away and I was on my way in and I was willing to give them my credit card number over the phone (isn't that a guaranteed sale?!) Anyways, they refused to do that, but we rushed over to the store. As I rushed over to the aisle, again, someone snatched it off the shelf. *($&#@(*!

I called around to a few other places to find out if they had any in stock, including other Walmarts, and they said "no, but we should be getting some in this week. You need to call us three times a day to find out if we have any." Umm, ex-squeeze me?! Bacon powder? I think not.

Josh, being the rockin' hubby that he is, surprised me last night. Yesterday on his lunch hour, he went out to an EB Games, found one, and bought it for me.

While I was doing the bloggy thang, he snuck it into the house and when I was coming upstairs I found it in the den with a note on it. WOO...or should I say, Wii!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Wet willy...

Exciting news!

...well, maybe I'm the only one that would be excited by this, but Bath and Body Works is coming to Canada! Yes, I know, things like this amuse me...but it's one of my all-time favourite stores. I always hit it when we go in to Buffalo and visit her and I always come out with at least two or three bags of stuff.

Anyways, I got an email from B&BW this morning about one of their upcoming sales, and on a lark I decided to call up and find out if they had any news about store openings. I had heard the last time I was in a store when I interrogated politely inquired if they were opening any stores in Canada and the clerk said she had heard rumblings that they *might* open some either this year or next.

The person I talked to this morning said she was told they are opening five stores in Canada THIS fall. WOO! She couldn't tell me where, apparently that's "top secret" information...but I pressed her for a bit of information. I asked her if she knew if any would be opening in Toronto.

She said "Is the West Edmonton Mall in Toronto?"

I replied "No, that's in Alberta, that's a few provinces away, why?"

She stumbled over her words and said "Oh, umm, a customer called in this morning and said that he heard it on the radio that a store was opening there."

I said "Oh, that's too bad, you wouldn't know if any are in Toronto then..."

She said "There will probably be one, and when we open in Canada we will be changing our shipping policy, so you can order online and we will deliver." (Right now they only deliver to U.S. addresses.) I'm just hoping their prices will be the same...

Gotta love persistence... ;)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Friday, March 07, 2008

Do you believe in signs?

Ok, this might sound really 'out there' to some of you, but I wanted to post about this especially today. I've been having a bit of a tough time leading up to today, I do every year, but when it falls on the EXACT day, it makes it a little tougher. Too many memories...

Twenty-two years ago today my father passed away (also on a Friday, also the start of March break, also in the middle of a snowstorm...lots of coincidences, but that's besides the point).

Anyway, every time there's an 'anniversary' of my father's passing, my grandmother's passing or my grandfather's passing (my mom's parents), I always see these birds first thing in the morning and today was no exception. I was passing the den window and I saw two of them sitting on my fence and they were staring right at me. It was almost like they were 'checking in on me' and making sure I was ok today, and seeing that I was they quickly flew away.

Later this morning my mom and I went out for breakfast and as she was pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant, one was on the hydro wire and flew away as soon as she parked the car.

Later still, we went to visit my brother and nephew, Z, and as we were driving along the street that leads to their house we saw another one that flew away as we drove up.

I don't know why, but it freaks me out a little when I see them.

Backtracking a little, I never knew the name of the birds until one day (several years ago) Josh and I went into a gallery and they had an exhibit on birds. Wouldn't you know, they're called Mourning Doves...

What do you make of that?

Thursday, March 06, 2008

I'm a sheep...(again this year)

Last year I found this site through her blog and joined the "Ultimate Blog Party".

Got all that?

Anyways, I'm going to join in again, it was interesting...so for those of you who are new to my blog, take some time and look around. Grab a drink and if you spill it, clean it up yourself, what do I look like a maid!?

What's that smell?! Part trois...

Ok, everything's fine, BUT we had ANOTHER gas leak today.

Yup.

Completely separate from the one earlier today in the kitchen.

Can you believe it?

The one in the kitchen was taken care of around 2:30 and I went to work. I had to take the afternoon off work because they gave a range of time they would come to take care of it between 2:00 and 6:00.

I came home around 5:30 and I walked to the front door and I smelled an overpowering stench of gas. I thought for one G-d awful moment that our house was full of gas, but thankfully it was on the outside of the house.

Josh called up Enbridge and placed an emergency call and they said they would send someone out A.S.A.P. Now keep in mind this is a GAS LEAK. Kind of important, no? So we waited in the house since it was safe (lights were off, etc)...and we waited...and we waited...

Josh called again at 6:30 and again, they said they were going to send someone out A.S.A.P. Umm, I'm glad it's not THEIR house that has the leak...

We waited some more and then I got on the phone and put on my poor, pathetic voice (yeah, I know, I played it up, but who cares). I whined, pleaded and said I didn't feel safe in my house, and again they said they would send someone out A.S.A.P. Another 30 minutes passed by and finally someone came by. So all tolled we had to wait an HOUR AND A HALF for someone to tend to our gas leak. Grrr.

Anyways, this leak started from the register on the outside of the house, they completely replaced it and we weren't charged a cent for the call or the replacement of the parts. Not really the point, but it's a nice 'value added'. They really do need to work on their customer service and their attention to things like...gas leaks.

I had the guy run all around our house with his metre and make sure there were NO other leaks anywhere else in the house (both before AND after he replaced the register). I'm really getting tired of this...

What's that smell?! Part deux...

Yesterday we had our furnace serviced and while the guy from Direct Energy was here, we wanted him to check out something in our kitchen, but I'll get back to that in a minute.

Since we're first time homeowners, we're more than a bit stupid green when it comes to certain things. For instance, since we bought the house in late summer, the humidifier was switched to 'summer' and we didn't know it had to be switched to 'winter'...hell, we didn't even KNOW there was a winter setting on it. Oops. Yes, we ARE that dumb apparently. We switched it over to the winter setting the day before he got there so he wouldn't know how moronic we are...only you get to know that. ;)

Other than that, everything was in tip-top condition with the furnace and since it's only a year and a half old, that's GOOD news.

If you remember this post, well I have a bit of an update about it. We had a gas leak the first day that we owned the house and it was capped...

or so we thought.

(The picture looks rude, doesn't it? But it's a defunct gas pipe from a long gone stove.)

Yes, girls and boy, we've had a slow running gas leak for the past six months. Doesn't that give you the warm and fuzzies? The gas leak wasn't coming from the water tank this time, THIS leak is coming from the pipe behind the stove. Apparently the old owners, at some point, had a gas stove and never properly capped the pipe.

Oh yeah, did I mention that they used to run a daycare in the house? Nice, huh? Gas leak...kids...good combo (not to mention that when we bought the house none of the smoke detectors had any batteries in them, nor did the hard-wired smoke detector work. It was hard-wired to the burglar alarm and they never used it...they never had the code for it).

Anyways, it's a VERY small gas leak, because we have a metre right outside the kitchen and it never picked up the gas...but we faintly smelled it. We've had Direct Energy in before and they never smelled it when they were in, so they said it was always 'something else'. Yeah, ok. Finally this guy did the 'soap and water' test...where he rubbed some soap and water on the pipe and it bubbled to show where the leak was coming from. Not exactly scientific, but at least it worked, and proved we weren't going crazy. :P

Gee, you can't TELL that it's not a professional job by just looking at it and tell that it needs to be capped properly? Shithead. Good thing it wasn't his house that was in danger of blowing up...

So now they're supposed to come today between 2:00 and 6:00...lovely. At least it will FINALLY be dealt with.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

For Johnny...

Why do I get the feeling that IF Johnny had a cat, it would look something like this...?

(Though I know, he's probably thinking that's just a waste of good meat.) ;)

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

FINALLY!

2006 referrals are starting to stream in. It's about time. Let's just hope it doesn't take *nearly* as much time for the CCAA to get through 2006 as it took for 2005. ;)

Congrats to the moms and dads who are about to see their children's faces for the first time.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Bullet train...

* I can't seem to upload my pictures to Photobucket without them being sideways, is this happening to anyone else?

* The picture I was going to upload was of the loonie/toonie jar, but I wasn't going to give a tally after I got an interesting comment from li'l miss or mister anonymous last month. By the way, not that it's ANY of your business anonymous, but we DO give to charity...it's just that this money is for OUR daughter (not that I have to explain it to you), so kindly find the door and don't come back. :)

* When I figure out why Photobucket is acting goofy, I'll post the pic. Well now it's not acting as goofy...it was weird though.

* It's kind of ironic that they made the remark about charity, when the post was about buying tickets for the Heart and Stroke lottery...gee, doesn't that money go towards a charity?! :P

* I've gone through all my archives and taken out any reference to the amounts that we collect each month since it bothers you...whoever you are. At least next time, have the cajones to sign your name. ;)

* It probably wasn't the best idea, anyways, to give the tally on an open blog each month.

* WHATEVER! :)

* We're going to replace our living room/dining room floor in the summer and I can't wait! Yes, we just moved into the house in September, but we (ok, more me) really want to get rid of the parquet flooring and put down hardwood. We looked at samples yesterday and we're leaning towards merbau or possibly cherry. I'll post pictures...eventually.

* I really need a vacation and June simply cannot come soon enough. We almost ended up with a surprise trip to Montreal in April for Josh's job, but that got scuttled in the end. Oh well.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Happy birthday, Lisa!

It's Lisa's birthday today, go wish her a happy birthday!

You better go quickly, she leaves for China in five days. ;)