Whirlwind

Downtown Vancouver

2011-08-01T13:16:00.004-07:00

I know that I have shared photos of heading into downtown Vancouver before, but taking photos of beautiful things never gets old for me, so I took some more to share on my way down to see Katy Perry in concert.

It also documents the fact that there was yet another day this summer without rain, even though it was a bit clouded over. (Having said that, it is actually NOT raining right this very minute. The sun is shining brightly. I knew it would this week. We are leaving on vacation this week and I have had this theory that it is going to be sunny and hot here while we are away on our beach vacation. Isn't that always how things work?! Yes!)

Condos near the stadiums. Rumour has it that THE Michael Buble owns one of the penthouses around here, as well as his mansion in West Vancouver.

"W" for "Woodwards". Woodwards used to be a downtown department store. The stores are long gone but the "W" has remained and has been the beacon for what builders have turned into the "Woodwards District". Their website is pretty interesting to look through if you have a few minutes.

Michael! Are you up there?! Tee hee.

The revolving building there is called Harbour Centre. The top of the building is a revolving restaurant and below that is office space and further below is the downtown campus of SFU, the university I went to (in Burnaby) many years ago. I did take one course at the downtown campus, so I did spend a semester of my academic life in that building. It felt less "school" and more "office job" to be honest, which was pretty fun for someone who has never had an office job and probably never will.

Brownie points for anyone who can name this building with the greenish-blue top? Do YOU know what it is?

I hope you enjoyed your mini tour of entering downtown Vancouver. See you in about two weeks time!

XO, Lynda

Katy Perry!

2011-07-29T10:01:00.006-07:00

I like Katy Perry (her songs are catchy...she's cute, spunky and fun - what's not to like?), but had not originally got tickets when we heard she was coming. We can't go to everything...right? But, when we heard that they opened up another section on either side of the stage and tickets were a good price, we decided 'WHY NOT'?! ...So, we went and made a family night of it.

Not everyone in our family was thrilled with it. My son really did not want to go (Yes, he realizes how fortunate he is to go to concerts and have a really wonderful life. He just thought it would be too girly!...Remember he is twelve years old, turning thirteen years old next week...), but he 'took one for the team' as long as we did not tag him as being there on Facebook. You won't tell him I told you he went will you? Good. Thank you. It will be our little secret...

Notice both candies on her chest here above...

Ooops! Wardrobe malfunction! She lost a "candy"!

Is it just me or does something about this outfit remind you of a Disney Princess too?

I like how the dancer beside her looks like she's either going to start pecking the floor like a chicken or lift off in flight!

So dramatic. This is how I'd like to travel at all times, please. Second thought, I might get weird looks when I go into Walmart...

Do not try this at home....No, kids, she is not sitting on the other dancer. Or, at least I don't think she is... (Ouch!)

See how colourful it was!

If I had to pick one photo to sum up the whole show in a single photo, it would be this one. Bright, colourful, and fun! It was like the game Candyland coming to life!

Gum drop bathing suit? Maybe I should have gotten this for my next beach vacation?!

Katy Perry and Kitty Purry.

I like cats but not when they are bigger than me. Can you imagine the size of its' litter box? Yikes.

What a great show!

Mascara Overload

2011-07-26T12:06:00.002-07:00

I never really thought that I was an obsessive person. I know that I have joked here before about my addiction to Mary Jane-style shoes (I really try not to buy that style now on purpose!). However, while cleaning out my makeup drawer the other day, I think my mind has been changed... My obsession has gone from shoes to mascara!

I seem to have a "little issue" with mascara?! How many mascara does one person need? Sixteen...or is it seventeen? I lost count?! I think that's a bit excessive. My stubby eyelashes and I need an intervention.

In all fairness, some are from a set of mascara found at Sephora because I was trying to find the perfect brand for me. Mascara can tend to be pricey, but believe it or not, my FAVOURITE brand is the very affordable Maybelline Lash Stiletto... We joke around here that they are the only stilettos I can wear. (There, I just saved you about $300 in mascara. You're welcome!)

Interesting that the addiction has gone from Mary Jane shoes to stiletto (mascara)! HAHA!

Do you think Dr. Drew can help?

Everything's coming up ROSES...

2011-07-25T11:40:00.007-07:00

...And hydrangeas!

I thought it was about time for another garden update.

Ages ago, I gave you a garden tour. That was when we actually had a spring and summer here in BC. This year's weather has not been so cooperative. Our spring and summer have felt more like autumn and winter! There have not been many 'gardening-inspiring' days. At least this year our grass is actually green, rather than a lovely shade of yellowish straw...

Anywho, we were miraculously gifted a lovely weekend of sunshine, so using the weather wisely (it has already clouded over and feels a bit breezy today!), we quickly decided to plant some new rose bushes (six to be exact!) in our back yard garden, to join the other roses we have growing around our house.

These beautiful red roses are growing in the front of our house.

Maybe the lower temperatures and rain has been good for something...?

(Pink rose bush in the back yard)

Even the weeds look happier! ;)

Here's a little bit of sunshine on the side of the house!

(Some of the roses on this bush have pink outlines on their buds - so pretty!)

I have never seen the hydrangeas look so colourful either!

(These were given to me by my late grandparents. What a lovely way to remember them.)

It appears that our garden is not at all complaining about the weather this year...

...Neither should I since I have cover from the elements.

Just wait until it is hot and sunny, and I will be complaining that I am melting...

My twin

2011-07-21T17:26:00.006-07:00

My twin sister Lisa and I just celebrated another birthday last week and after a long week of celebrating, I thought it was high time that I posted about it!

One really coincidental and twin-y thing that Lisa and I did for years is that we often got each other the exact same birthday card! Isn't that kind of freaky? Of all the cards available, it is weird. I now go out of my way to find something really unique so that we can hopefully get each other a different card to go with our gift. Not that it does not make for a really good story that twins buy each other the same card, it is a bit of entertainment for me to pick something that I do not think she will pick for me. It is harder than you can imagine! Of course the gifts we give each other are often VERY similar. This year was no different, without knowing what the other was giving, we both gave each other books and jewellery! I also gave her some nail polish and she wrote me a very beautiful poem and framed it. We even 'gift' alike!

The poem Lisa wrote is so thoughtful and meaningful and she has given me permission to share it.

My twin

We were created together
In unison
We shared a womb
and came into this world
Together.
You and I.
My twin.
I have never known a day without you
and hope I never will.

Over the years,
We have fought and argued,
screamed and cried.
Loved.
Talked.
Shared.
Held secrets.
We love and care about each other's children
like they are our own.
Our children love and care about each other,
as if they were siblings.
We have done our job well.

Please hold my hand and walk with me now.
I need you more than ever
By my side.
Together, we will jump, fly and build a masterpiece.
We are more than just sisters.
We are twins.

Thank you, Lisa! I am fortunate to share my life with you. Wishing you the happiest birthday and the most wonderful year ahead. You deserve it.

XO, Love your twin, Lynn

For all you tea grannies out there

2011-07-13T20:45:00.005-07:00

This summer I am really (as in really - no, for real this time) watching what I eat and drink. ...I am sure a few of you are wondering about the campfire s'mores that I posted about last week. I promise there has not been any other marshallows sacrificed since the first weekend of July. I pinky swear.

I hear it is good idea to put it out to the universe when you want something. So here goes:

"HELLO UNIVERSE. IT IS ME, LYNDA. I WOULD LIKE TO LOSE WEIGHT AND GET INTO BETTER SHAPE. THANK YOU."

There. Hopefully the internet emails the universe and we'll be all good.

Although I am being selective about what I chow down upon, one thing that I am allowing myself to enjoy still is all of my decaf teas. Thankfully I have a few to choose from.

Wish me luck!

Nicki Minaj in concert!

2011-07-10T10:08:00.004-07:00

Nicki Minaj was another headliner on the Femme Fatale Tour where we saw Britney Spears in concert. In all honesty, my daughter was more excited about seeing Nicki than Britney, and besides the good deal on Groupon, she was the reason we went together.

Nicki Minaj did not disappoint. I won't lie and tell you that I knew all of her songs (or really know who she was until I Google searched her), however I did not need to in order to enjoy her in concert. She's a pretty good performer who gets the crowd going and knows how to keep attention.

Don't tell Britney, but I think I may have liked Nicki's concert, just a tad bit more.

Campfire S'mores!

2011-07-07T16:43:00.006-07:00

When I was a really young girl we used to go camping every summer. One of my favourite parts of camping, besides swimming in the lake and meeting new friends to hang out with, was sitting around the campfire. There's something magical about the crackle of the fire, the warmth on your face and being one with nature under the stars. It was fun to sing songs, tell stories and, of course, roast marshmallows.

It wasn't until I was much older that I learned about S'mores. Ooey gooey delicious and sugary s'mores. These days they are a camping staple. Two graham crackers, a square of chocolate and a roasted marshmallow squashed together in heavenly goodness. They're so good you want s'more! Hence, the name.

I have not been camping for quite some time, but recently we bought a portable firepit/campfire complete with roasting utensils. We fired it up the other evening with our friends just as the sun went down on a beautiful summer night. We told stories and sat around the campfire for hours roasting marshmallows. Sorry, there are no photos of the s'mores. We all ate them too fast.

"They grow up so fast"

2011-07-05T16:45:00.009-07:00

...Everyone tells you this as a new parent. Every other parent of older children works in a way to mention that, "They grow up so fast!"

Many others remind you that, "Time flies!"

As a young mother, caught in the trenches of late night feedings, a teething baby and a young toddler, I had no concept of time, let alone what my name was. What the heck did they mean? I don't think I fully understood what these knowing parents were talking about. Until now.

Time does fly. They DO grow up so fast.

A moment ago it was the summer of 1998 and my ankles were swollen and my lower back was killing me and I was trying to stay cool with a cold washcloth in the basement of my in-laws' townhouse. That July was the hottest one ever. Or so it felt like it. I was waiting to give birth to my second child, a sweet son, while I watched my three and a half year old delightful daughter play with Barbies on the floor in front of me. I had no idea what I was getting into. No one ever does.

All of a sudden it is thirteen years later. THIRTEEN YEARS. How is that even possible? My then baby is now a young man. He is nearly a teenager. He will be next month. He just finished elementary school. ...I blinked and time just passed. Perhaps some of this time is mentally blocked by sleep deprivation and the chaos that is parenthood? Chaos that I would do over again in a heart beat because 1. Now I sort of know what I am doing and 2. Nothing makes me happier than my children and being their mom.

The fact that time just flies by (it really, truly does) hit me the other day while I was watching my son at his Grade 7 Leaving Ceremony. He was "graduating" from a school where he has attended for eight years...nine if you count the pre-school. In September both of my children will be in high school. This seems insane. High school? Weren't we just toilet training them? Like yesterday?

Those experienced, knowing parents that tell you, "They grow up so fast!" are certainly not lying. They are warning you. Time travels faster than I can count the years that I have been a mother.

From now on my best advice to new parents out there is going to be to remember this sage advice/warning, because despite all of the craziness of being a parent and the days when you are not sure if you can make it - physically or mentally...you will get there...and extremely fast. Lightning speed fast.

Then they will be teenagers, ready to go to high school and you'll take photos and look through the lens and wonder who this person is? The one smiling and squinting in the sunlight? The one that looks like an adult? He cannot possibly be yours, can he? You'll wonder if in that lightning fast time, if you did a good enough job?

One can hope.

Now that he is growing up, I want my son to know that the whole world is available to him and that we believe in him. We know that he can achieve whatever it is that he sets his mind to and we are very proud of him. He brings us so much joy and laughter.

He's growing up so fast and we love him more and more each day. We enjoy the young man that he is turning into and the good choices he is beginning to make on his own.

He has taught me to be more patient, loving, helpful and understanding - invaluable lessons for a mother and teacher.

Perhaps a bit of my disbelief over how quickly the years have passed is not so much the fact that my children are growing up and that times does race by... Maybe, just maybe, it means that I have to face facts that I am getting older too?

Time does fly.

Britney Spears Concert!

2011-07-04T14:56:00.007-07:00

If you had told me a few years ago that I would be going to see Britney Spears in concert, I probably would have laughed at you. Hardy har har. GOOD ONE!

In all fairness, if you had asked Britney the same thing back then, she probably would have also laughed hysterically and then cried from all the laughing.

BUT! Alas, we have some good news! Everyone likes a comeback. Me especially.

Ms. Spears hit some hard times in the recent past and had her reputation smeared (speared?!) across the media. Poor young woman. Life's hard enough without the whole world making fun of you.

Lo and behold she got her cr*p together and with the help of her family and a new album, she is back on tour and entertaining the masses. She looks good too! (...Well, besides the painted on abs...but that was only because my seats were really good and my camera lens was even better that I even knew this...)

Thank you to a special deal found on Groupon, I saw her "Femme Fatale" concert with my daughter last Friday night (Happy Canada Day!) here at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Despite the fact that her show is very likely lip synced and her dance moves pale in comparison to her phenomenal dancers (mine would too!!!), she put on a REALLY creative and entertaining show! It was dramatic, theatrical and exciting! Her concert was like seeing "Britney the Musical" and she rocked it out. I was like a proud parent watching her and watching the crowd loving her.

Way to go, Britney! You get the last laugh, girlfriend.

Happy Summer!

2011-06-25T19:39:00.003-07:00

Things have been CRAZY this month with the end of the school year. I will be returning with some sort of regularity soon, once I start my summer holidays!

See you then!

PS My son (our baby!) is finishing elementary school next week and is on to high school in the new school year...where does time go?

Talking Dog

2011-05-29T10:07:00.002-07:00

This video has made me giggle all weekend. You have to see it. Especially if you like bacon.

Fascinated by Princess Beatrice's fascinator

2011-05-17T18:08:00.008-07:00

Since the Royal Wedding, I cannot stop talking about Princess Beatrice's hat.

Her fascinator was fascinating alright. It was something for the history books, that one. Her hat got as much attention as the newlyweds and Pippa. Now, I am certain that Beatrice is a lovely young woman. I am not making fun of her at all. Quite the opposite, actually. I have read that she is a good student and is very charitable. In fact, this very chapeau has been donated by the princess to raise money for Unicef and last I checked, the latest bid on eBay was over £18,000! Impressive.

My hat's off to you, Princess Beatrice.

Or on...

(Fascinator cut-out courtesy of oh happy day! You can make yourself one and save THOUSANDS!)

Edited to add: Princess Beatrice's fascinator ended up selling for a whopping £81,101! AMAZING!

Hole-y Cup!

2011-05-15T10:46:00.011-07:00

I came home from work one day and walked through the door smelling paint. Paint? At first my heart skipped a beat because maybe, FINALLY, the wall by the stairs had been magically painted by elves while I was at work. The same wall that over Christmas, just after it had been professionally painted in a gorgeous new colour, had an unfortunate and still somewhat mysterious incident occur to it…

On Christmas Eve I was home with our children getting ready to go out for dinner with my husband’s family and from upstairs I heard a sound… It sounded a bit like “THACK, OOOF, THUD”!

I remember thinking:

Did someone just fall down the stairs? ? It wouldn’t be the first time around here – although we tend to fall up the stairs because we are extra talented like that….

Did the cat just slide into the wall or miss the window sill? Oh, that cat!

I also remember calling out to ask if everyone was okay. Our children are not babies (12 and 15 years old at the time) and hardly need me to be in constant supervision anymore…no one is going to eat a Lego piece or unlock the front door and play in traffic, but being the only adult in the house, I considered it my duty to inquire. I could hear both of them quietly talking to each other (whispering?!) and it was my daughter, QUEEN OF RESPONSIBILITY who called back, “Everything’s fine!”

My son is notorious for kicking the soccer ball in the house, so I decided in my mind that the noise that I heard was the soccer ball hitting the door again and now my daughter was “reminding him about our rules”... I went back to getting ready to go out for Christmas Eve dinner.

Soon after this my husband came home, quickly changed, and we all loaded up the car with presents and left for the evening.

We had a lovely dinner, loads of food, gifts and merriment. The next few days were much of the same as we celebrated Christmas with my family, Boxing Day and my nephew Brendan’s birthday on December 27^th. Eat, sleep, repeat…

It wasn’t until after Brendan’s birthday party that we came home and my husband asked our son to clean up the basement, where he plays X-box and watches TV, that I noticed THE WALL. It took some time though. I offered to help clean up downstairs. We buzzed around that room, tidying up, washing up tables, putting things away in their proper places, and cleaning the floor. Finally, we were done and the family room never looked so good.

I turned and went out the door, noticing a new plaid cushion for our son’s gaming chair that was propped up against the wall toward the bottom of the stairs. He had just gotten it as part of a gift from his uncle. I grabbed the cushion from the stairs, not yet knowing that it was there to hide the evidence from the Christmas Eve Catastrophe and made my way back into the family room. It all happened in slow motion. I turned back around to leave the family room and go upstairs and THEN I SAW THE WALL.

I am not even sure what I said. I felt faint. My reaction was a mixture of “WHAT? WHO? WHEN? Whhhhhyyyyyyyy?"...Instantly my son started panicking and trying to answer, “THIS is WHY we didn’t tell YOU!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!” I tried not to yell. I dare you to see a hole in your wall after three days of your family pulling the wool over your eyes and try not to yell. It’s practically impossible!

He then spent the next few minutes trying to explain that on Christmas Eve, he had went to run up the stairs, slipped and slid into the wall and his knee went through the wall. They knew I would be upset about it and were worried to tell me. Instead, they had called dad and asked for his advice. No one wanted to ruin Christmas, or have to explain what they had been doing … (I think they did not want to be asked why he was racing so fast from the room? Was it his knee? Was it the soccer ball? SIGH. The story still does not fully add up...)

Anyways, IT WAS JUST A WALL. No one was injured. Walls can be fixed. AND REPAINTED. I tried to find the funny in it. Notice that it is now the middle of May? It took me this long.

Last month, we finally had the wall fixed properly but we have yet to get the matching paint colour to get it back to looking the way it did before the incident.

When I walked through the front door last week and smelled paint, I was excited, thinking that we can be done with the wall already and the whole story would be but a memory to laugh about years from now at family parties. (Maybe even next Christmas Eve?)…But, no such luck.

I looked down the stairs and it was as it has been for about a month…plaster and new drywall. Ugh. No elves to be seen.

But, where was the paint smell coming from?

Almost instantly, before I had even taken my coat off, the phone rang. It was my husband, talking so fast, I barely could understand him when he asked me, “Did you see what I made?”

Oh, goodness me.

“No. But, I smell it,” I offered, facing the reality that my wall will never be the same again.

“GO LOOK IN THE GARAGE.”

Enter Lord Stanley.

For all of you hockey fans out there, you’ll recognize this as a replica of the Stanley Cup. I recognize it as my chip bowl on steroids.

He may not have painted the wall yet, but hey, we are the proud owners of a Stanley Cup. YAY!

I really hope that it brings luck and success to the Vancouver Canucks as they play against San Jose in the Stanley Cup semi-finals starting tonight.

I also wonder if I throw it across the room, what kind of hole it would make in the wall?!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T17:47:00.003-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I have much to be grateful for in my life but my greatest pleasure is being a mom. Despite being exhausted and the challenges that arise, I could not imagine (nor do I want to) my life without children.

They are bright spots in my life.

I am also grateful for having my very own loving mom. Thank you, Joyce. You're a keeper.

Wills and Kate

2011-04-29T18:35:00.010-07:00

(Westminster Abbey - where Wills and Kate's wedding took place)

In honour of the Royal Wedding of William and Kate, I thought I would post some of my photos taken during a family vacation to London, England at the end of the summer 2007.

We were fortunate to be able to take a tour of Buckingham Palace. The palace is open for tourists for several weeks each year while the Queen is away in Scotland at Balmoral Castle. Tourists are not able to view the private living quarters, but are able to tour through the estate rooms, some of which house the most impressive artwork of the world, making them more like sophisticated art galleries. At the end of the tour, you are let out into the back gardens and are able to walk around and enjoy the ambience of the regal setting.

Someone else should have told my (then) nine year old son how fortunate it was to have this opportunity (he was not listening to me). Telling him that we were going to a PALACE! to view the QUEEN'S! HOUSE! and her ROYAL! possessions, was like explaining to him that he had to play princess dress-up for the rest of the day. He was NOT impressed. He saw the security line before we entered the palace and this usually well behaved child became all at once a whiny, boneless pile of goo. He forgot how to walk. He felt ill. He moaned. I very nearly gave up waiting and left the palace. It took every ounce of my depleting patience to keep my cool.

I did not want the London Time's headline to be "Canadian Mum Goes Mad At Palace". Blimey, that would have been embarrassing. Instead, we did what every good parent does in a similar situation. We negotiated. We offered 'you do this, and you get that'...I think it was for ice cream or something else as wonderfully appealing to a nine year old boy on a summer day.

It worked. Our son, the prince, stood upright, managed to walk inside the palace without causing a commotion, put the guided tour headset on, turned up the volume to hear the tour guide AND...HE WAS HOOKED. You have never seen such an interested and focused child. EVER. He loved it. He would listen for a moment, take one earbud out to excitedly tell me something about what he had just learned.... And, I wanted to cheer and kill him all in one fell swoop. I was glad that he was enjoying this piece of history and this possibly ONCE IN A LIFETIME experience, but for goodness sakes, couldn't he have just cooperated from the start?! CHILDREN.

Now the whole thing just makes me laugh and makes a memorable story, I suppose. I also know where the term "Royal Pain in the - - -" comes from!

(Outside Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard - this is where Wills and Kate entered on their horse and carriage after the wedding!)

(Canadian "tourists" enjoying the palace's back garden!)

(A little history about the Abbey)

(Back Palace steps as we exited to the gardens and the conservatory to the right of the photo...Cameras are not allowed inside of Buckingham Palace)

(Buckingham Palace steps)

(The cavalry)

(Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace - this is exactly where Wills and Kate entered in their carriage as he saluted en route to the wedding lunch)

(I call this one the "Money Shot" - The Eye and Big Ben!)

(No trip to London is complete without a ride on a double decker bus!)

(RCMP?)

(Westminster Abbey)

(The entrance to Buckingham Palace)

(The Eye)

Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks

2011-04-28T17:23:00.016-07:00

Stevie Nicks kicked off the "Heart and Soul" concert last Friday night at Rogers Arena.

I was impressed by:

1. How good she still sounded.

2. How good she still looked.

3. What a great storyteller and songwriter she is.

4. Her ability to make you feel like you were sitting in a room alone with her. Her songs are intimate and she has the ability to make you feel like she is telling YOU her stories. (That's fascinating to me.)

5. Her honesty and genuineness that came across.

6. And, her ability not to blink. ;)

Next up, it was Rod's turn! After a short intermission, this was put around the stage...No, not the old guys...the train curtain...

Then, finally it was time! Rod's band entered first...

Every last good looking and well-dressed one!

Rod showed up in slice of tangerine. I know I always have something to say about everything and in particular about what Rod wears on stage, but seriously, who dresses him? I want that job. (Mr. Stewart, call me!)

Rod sang a few of his songs solo and then Stevie joined him on stage for a few songs...

At least he matched the backdrop.

HA! Stevie blinked! Maybe she also disliked the colour of his suit so much that she HAD to close her eyes?

Rod removed his jacket and then sang me a slow love song..........I mean, the audience a slow love song...

His back up singer/dancers gave him a run for his money! They're excellent! I think they were cheering for the fact that he had now taken off the matching (to his tie) blue suit jacket.

THEN. THIS. HAPPENED.

Rod came out dressed as Barney the Dinosaur, asking the audience, "What do you think of my suit?!" ....People CHEERED. I believe we call that "enabling".

Rod, no wonder you never saw my sign. You must not be able to see.

P.S. But, I still love you.

Yes, I brought it!

2011-04-25T14:47:00.005-07:00

The downfall about having a crush on a much older man, means I don't think he could see that far? ...Far being Row 7 on the floor! The lights are really bright at the front of the stage. Rod did not seem to be able to see out beyond the lights of the crowd in front on the floor, the way he was able to see the audience to the sides of the stadium. Note to self if there's another concert: Sit to side of stage.

Oh well! Toward the end of the show, I noticed some of the women in his band were nudging each other and getting a little giggle over the sign, so I hope they mentioned it to him.

It was also quite a hit with the people that sat around me who were determined to help me get Rod to see it! It was to no avail, but at least I tried! I would have regretted it, like last time...

Mother knows best!

2011-04-22T10:30:00.005-07:00

I tend to talk ALOT about Rod Stewart. I cannot help it. I love me some Rod. I am such a Rod Stewart fan that I have decided to sit on my own at his concert tonight because no one else that I know was willing (crazy enough) to pay what it cost to sit up close to him. (I am thankfully meeting some other Rockin' Rod-lover friends there who are going AND I will have many people around me, so I am hardly alone.)

The tickets were, shall we say, a tad pricey. In fact, my mom heard what I was paying for my ticket and had some things to say about it. So, if you are wondering where I am sitting tonight, I will be the one holding the sign in front of the stage that says,

"Rod, for the price of my ticket, my mom said I should get to sit in your lap! Who are WE to argue with MY MOM?"

At the very least, it should get a smile out of Mr. Stewart.

Honouring Poppa

2011-04-17T18:43:00.003-07:00

My late grandfather George (affectionally known as Poppa) was honoured in a post humous ceremony today for 50 years as a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and as a respected Canadian veteran. A large number of our family was able to attend the ceremony and we were so fortunate to all be called upon to accept the medal and pin on his behalf.

I hope he knows how very proud we are of him and how much he was loved.

Colonel Canuck is in the house!

2011-04-16T13:41:00.004-07:00

As the Vancouver Canucks had their second playoff win against the Chicago Blackhawks last night, it was even more timely for Colonel Canuck to show his face in this blade to blade battle!

Our friend Glenn (aka Colonel Canuck) was followed by a Global TV film crew throughout the streets of Vancouver and where he works/plays/lives in New Westminster, as part of their Stanley Cup playoff segment called the "The Stanley Show". The results are entertaining, to say the least!

For all you DIEHARD Canuck fans and Colonel Canuck updates - feel free to add Willy Canuck as a friend on Facebook.

Go Canucks Go!

Campaign Fail

2011-04-13T08:29:00.003-07:00

It's election time here in BC and that means every political party is calling and calling...oh, the endless phone calling to get voter support. When they are not calling by phone, they are pounding the pavement and my front door. They are kissing my babies and stomping on my daffodils. Not really, but you get the point. The campaigning is relentless and seemingly endless.

I know that they have to get the word out. It just annoys me that they seem to be calling over and over. A friend's mother joked with me recently that one politician has called her so many times that her husband is starting to think she is having an affair! Hilarious.

Anywaysss...when you have not been feeling well already and you are watching PVR'd re-runs of Glee, you'd like to be left alone. Last night was no different. When they called this time, I took matters into my own hands and serenaded a-not-to-be-mentioned-nameless-political-party with "Don't Stop Believing". You should know that I am no singer. I am also sick.

Think angry cat meets nails on a chalkboard.

I don't think they will call back any time soon...... Do you?

But, they just might show up at my door with a slushie if I don't go out and vote.

Vancouver Canucks Bandwagon - Stop #1

2011-04-11T20:22:00.010-07:00

Using Rebecca Black's song "Friday" as a parody for the basis of their song "Game Day", some local hockey fans have made an entertaining music video to support the Vancouver Canucks.

Hopefully this kind of fan support will be what they need to succeed in the Playoffs!

Goooooo Canucks!

Edited to add: I have just come across this video that claims to be the anthem for the Vancouver Canucks playoff run!

Let's hope for all involved that we hear this a lot! It's Vancouver's time!

Spit happens was not available

2011-04-09T09:54:00.006-07:00

For a new addition to our large extended family, we spotted these humourous baby shirts (I just had to retype that because in some wacky Freudian slip way, I typed shirts without an 'r'! YIKES!) when we were on vacation.

The baby is too small to fit these yet, but if his sweet mommy allows it, I will post a photo of him modelling them here!

Who doesn't look excellent in a tuxedo? ;)

It's A Sign

2011-04-06T21:12:00.004-07:00

How true is this? I found it over here. It was important, so I found a way to post it here.

I have often thought about how funny it would be to walk down a busy street holding a sign that read, "IT'S A SIGN!"

Get it? It's a sign. Tee hee.

So, anyways, like the sign says - stop making excuses and find a way. (I guess that means I am back to riding my exercise bike ASAP!)

Twelve Days!

2011-04-05T18:23:00.003-07:00

Well, that's a wrap! Twelve days is how long my Shellac (or gel nail polish) manicure lasted. I suppose that's better than how long nail polish usually lasts me when I have a professional manicure. More than 50% longer. Statistically, that's amazing. However, now that it's gone, I have to admit, I wish it had lasted even longer. It was lovely having nice nails with no fuss or muss for nearly two weeks.

Here's how it went down. On Saturday (day #9, for those keeping track at home), I broke a bit of one of my nails at the top. Oh, horrors! Some of the gel polish chipped off with it. Since it was barely noticeable, being such a light colour, I left it and just filed it smooth. Choosing a light colour was not planned for this reason, but it worked for that, as well as the fact that I could barely notice my nails growing. Clever. Light polish was smart for this experiment.

I started noticing that bottom of my nail polish felt like it was lifting up or coming loose over the last few days. It was nearly IMPOSSIBLE for me to leave it alone. I soooooo badly wanted to lift my nail underneath it and peel it off. I resisted, in the name of science. However, today as I was typing after school, I noticed that one nail had finally chipped and lifted itself - so I figured TIME WAS UP.

The gel polish came off VERY easily! It was lifting off (as I had felt/thought for the past three days) and I literally just peeled it off. (See Exhibit A above).

No harsh chemicals needed! No tinfoil finger wraps necessary! (Thank goodness!)

Sigh. No more Shellac nail polish.

They tried to get revenge all morning, while I regretted not videotaping the whole thing

2011-04-01T17:56:00.006-07:00

In my classroom I have a container of different equipment to use for daily physical activity. It is great for when we do not have time in the Gym or when we are looking for a quick activity to do to keep everybody moving. There’s everything from skipping ropes to playground balls. There are also these really pretty neon coloured tulle scarves that the girls tend to gravitate toward because they are fun to throw them up in the air and twirl around with.

This year my friend Carolyn and I have also used them for games of tail tag (tucking them into the back of pants and then students run around trying to get “tails” away from someone else). Students seem to love this game and it keeps them running around until they are breathless, trying to accumulate as many brightly coloured “tails” as possible without losing any of theirs.

I had not thought about these scarves for a few months. It’s been awhile since they have been used because of the winter weather and basketball season, but today I had a great NEW idea for their use!

Seeing that it was April’s Fool’s Day, I realized, in a pinch, that these tulle scarves would make an EXCELLENT prop for a prank on our students! Please imagine for a moment that you are a young, lively, sporty BOY in this class, and you will see where I am going with this. Add to that, the fact that these scarves are in bold hues of pink, orange and lime green!

We started by totally pumping up the fact that IN GYM TODAY we would be playing THE BEST GAME EVER.

“Dr. Dodge ball?” they wondered aloud.

“Something BETTER!” we answered.

“Hockey?” they asked.

“EVEN BETTER!” we promised.

…Even better than hockey? (Is that even possible?) They were certainly PAYING ATTENTION now. I could hear the wheels moving in their intrigued brains.

I went on to tell them all that, “I know that the girls will really LIKE what we are doing today in the Gym, but sorry girls, THE BOYS are going to LOVE this!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see boys already doing those knowing nods to each other. Boy code for ‘OH YEAH’! It was game on and we still had about a half an hour until Gym time. (Sometimes I think I should have been a saleswoman, or have a career in advertising. I could sell ice cream to children at the North Pole.)

High on my abilities to pump up my crowd of eight and nine year olds, I asked for a helper to grab the large net bag of scarves.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! They were all CERTAIN that we were playing tail tag.

“Of course it is SOMETHING EVEN BETTER,” I reminded them.

By 10:00 am, it was amazing that the classes walked and not RAN all the way to the Gym!

After a quick warm up, I started handing out the scarves to all of the students while Carolyn stood in the middle of the circle, ready to demonstrate what to do and provide an extremely entertaining explanation of how we were SO EXCITED about this NEW UNIT that we would be doing in Gym all the way UNTIL THE END OF JUNE!

With a straight face she explained that throughout the whole final term we would be working on this new unit and on and on and on…. It took every ounce of me not to fall down laughing as I passed out the scarves, specifically handing out the most vibrantly coloured ones to the boys, knowing full well that during tail tag, boys avoid the pink scarves like the plague. However, the boys were still so riveted to this NEW lesson, no one even batted an eyelash at the fact that they were being handed a hot pink scarf.

I think I even heard one of them squeal, “Goody!”, as I passed him his scarf. He was so ready for this NEW GAME!

Carolyn showed them how this was different from tail tag. These needed to be tucked into the front waistband of our pants…and hang down kind of like a skirt!

I saw a few boys do sideways glances at each other, kind of unsure, but way too respectful to dare say anything to us. Carolyn told them not to worry, that we would sew some of the scarves into skirts over the weekend so that they would be MUCH better for next week and not fall out. I agreed, complimenting her on that WONDEFUL idea!

Eyes bulged. No one said a word.

She continued by explaining that for now, so that we make sure they do not fall out, we had to test them.

I had to turn around and face the wall at this point because I now had tears streaming down my face with the sheer hilarity of what ensued.

All I can say is that Billy Elliot himself would have been so proud.

Carolyn began by doing ballet movements and they all followed along gracefully, just to make sure that their skirt/scarf did not fall out.

She then asked them to find a place along the wall, where, with holding on with one hand, they all practiced their (unknown to them) ballet warm-ups. Knees were bending, heads were bobbing, and scarves...errr...skirts were blowing in the breeze of their movements. Within moments we had them flying around the Gym, flapping arms better than Natalie Portman in Black Swan.

It wasn’t until we asked them to practice their best swirls, twirls, leaps, bounds and prancing on their tip toes, the Gym a sea of neon coloured tulle, that I overheard one of the boys whisper with great disdain, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, “Ballet! They are making us do ballet!”

Knowing that we could not make them endure much more of their gorgeous tutus and fanciful dance positions, we called them all back to the centre and asked for volunteers to showcase their best moves.

We clapped and cheered as several students tore up the dance floor.

“All of you who just shared your moves get A’s!” Carolyn announced. ......“The rest of you, all of YOU (she pointed around the crowd) get F’s!”

The crowd grew silent. Faces fell.

“F for April FOOL'S Day!” she yelled! …As the crowd went wild!

You have never in your life seen such a large group of relieved little boys! There was high fiving and group hugs, and a whole bunch of "I knew its”, but it was more like “Thank goodness”!

The girls on the other hand, I think they are still in the Gym crying over the fact that ballet class has been cancelled.

HAPPY APRIL'S FOOL'S DAY! Did you fool or get fooled?

(A serious note: No malice was intended and no harm was done. We know our students very well and knew that this would be a really suitable joke for them in particular.)

Today's Lesson: Introduction to Art History (or Making an Impression)

2011-03-30T18:13:00.006-07:00

Recreation of Claude Monet's Water Lilies, 1897

One of my daughter's latest independent projects in her Social Studies Art Enriched course was to learn about a 19th or early 20th century artist and recreate one of their famous works of art.

I have always loved Claude Monet, so I showed her a few of his paintings online and told her what I knew about him. Thanks to Wikipedia, we both know A LOT more now. Not surprisingly, she was blown away by his paintings. She was drawn to his garden artwork, especially his beautiful Water Lilies series that he painted later on in life.

I have been fortunate enough to see some of Monet's beautiful paintings up close while traveling to Paris with friends, one of whom was an Art History major, and it was incredible to see art through her eyes. It helped me appreciate the significance of the pieces and as I grow older, I am even more able to understand how profound it was for her to see the artwork that she studied so much about from afar. There is nothing like hands-on, or in this case, eyes-on, learning.

Now, it was a whole other thing to be able to share this with my daughter and see it through her eyes. It is my hope to be able to appreciate these works of art in person with my daughter, who is becoming a true artist in her own right. The Internet is an amazing resource, but nothing beats personal experience.

...And, who knows, maybe one day, a century from now, someone will be admiring her work and will be telling their friends and family about her? Isn't that an amazing thought? ...I guess you never really know? ...What I do know is that they certainly will not be discussing my terrible stick man drawings and me.

I would like to thank the Academy!

2011-03-29T18:21:00.002-07:00

How FREAKING awesome is this?!?!?!

I got home today and read this email:

Whirlwind has been nominated for the Ninjamatics 2011 Canadian Weblog Awards in the Best Written, Humour, and Life categories.

The 2011 Canadian Weblog Awards are a juried competition with nominations open in 36 categories between January 1st and October 31st, 2011. The nominees shortlist will be announced on December 1st, 2011, and the winners will be announced on January 1, 2012.

Congratulations, and good luck!

Schmutzie (aka Elan Morgan)

Professional Blogger, Designer, and Content Creator/Curator

1. A big thank you for the nominations... Mom? Dad? ;)

2. A BIG THANK YOU to Ninjamatics and Schmutizie! Anything to do with ninjas HAS TO BE COOL. Way to go for putting Canada's blogging mark on the map.

3. It's an honour just to be nominated. There's a huge amount of talented Canadians out there. Check out the other nominees for yourself. Good stuff, eh?

PS I apologize about the word, "eh"...I was trying to be all stereotypically Canadian, however the word "eh" bothers me about as much as the word (cringe) "panties" (shiver) does. Next time I will just post a picture of a maple leaf. ...So much easier on the ears and the gag refluxes.

YAY FOR AWARDS! AND YAY FOR THE WORD "UNDERWEAR"!

I got SHELLACKED

2011-03-24T20:21:00.006-07:00

Well, Shellac nails, that is! Have you heard of it?

Shellac is a brand name (and from what I have learned there are other brands available) for a type of nail polish, which is more like a gel, but goes on like a polish.

That's not the most interesting part. The thing that hooked me was that this gel polish claims to last 2-3 weeks without chipping, smudging or flaking! I have read about a woman claiming that her Shellac nails have lasted for FIVE weeks! Considering I have never had a manicure last more than FIVE DAYS, I had to find out for myself.

I have not seen anything like this here in BC, but since I was in Seattle the past two days, I decided to look into it and have it done there. With a bit more research, I have found a few local salons that claim to do this process, so time will tell, if I will want it done again.

The process was really no different than any other manicure I have had except for your hands are put under the UV lighting dryers after every coat. The amazing thing was that when I left (the whole process took 30 minutes) my nails were completely dry! There was no wait time.

Shellac nails also require acetone (vs. non-acetone) nail polish remover to eventually remove the shellac. I will let you know how that goes and if my fingers survive the ten minute soak in a toxic chemical. I have seen photos of a salon who put the solvent on to cotton balls, placed the saturated cotton on the fingernails and then wrapped the fingertips with aluminum foil for several minutes. Boy, that's about as pretty as a preparing lamb shanks. ...It takes to pains to beautiful...but at least you'll be able to double as cable TV antenna, if you get bored!

So, today is DAY #1. I am treating this like a fashion/science experiment. I wonder how long it will last? I will keep you posted on my little project.

Pawn Stars

2011-03-22T10:12:00.004-07:00

Have you ever seen the show Pawn Stars on History Channel?

It's a reality-based television show that follows the operation of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. The shop is in the older part of the downtown Las Vegas Strip (read: not so flashy, quite seedy).

Since we had a car, we decided to visit it when we were in Las Vegas. For those of you who know Las Vegas, it is near the Stratosphere. In fact, when the GPS unit was not that helpful, I remembered seeing the Stratosphere in some of the outdoor shots of the show and knew it had to be somewhere around there. It was! ...And, we found it! My next career is going to be in private investigating. ;)

(From the back of the shop, looking toward the front. The shop is narrow, but long.)

The shop is open 24 hours a day and once we found the neighbourhood it is in, it was easy to find. Follow the traffic. EVERYONE and their baby and their grandmother wants in to see the shop! We heard that there can easily be one hundred people waiting in line to get inside. It was interesting what a wide range of audience they have based on those who were parking their cars, like us, to get a closer look and take some photos. It was all sorts of people and ages.

One thing that I did not know was that Chumlee has a bit of a cult-like following and his own product line! I ♥ Chumlee souvenirs were everywhere inside! No, I did not buy a Chumlee t-shirt. But, I did dare George to buy and wear one...

I would have liked to have seen "The Old Man", but since we visited the shop on a Saturday, we missed him. Apparently "the boys" as they were called in the shop, like to keep somewhat regular business hours, so IF you do want to see them or make a pawn deal directly with them and not their staff, and you are in the Las Vegas area, you can see in them Monday to Friday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm at 713 Las Vegas Boulevard South.

It was really interesting to look inside the shop (smaller than I imagined) and see some of the items that they have featured on some of their shows. If you have not seen a show, it airs Mondays on History at 10/9c.

We return to our regular broadcasting via Las Vegas!

2011-03-19T11:19:00.015-07:00

I have yet to tell you about our anniversary trip to Las Vegas last month. I know "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", but, did you know that there is a new little saying, "What happens in Vegas, shows up on the internet"??? ...So who am I to end that trend? Besides, "The Hangover" kind of put an end to the first motto anyway...

We arrived at our hotel on a warm sunny Friday afternoon in Las Vegas, after leaving a freezing cold Vancouver Airport that morning. Just to see the golden orb in the sky would have been enough to keep me happy all weekend. But, no, it just kept on getting better.

First of all, our rental car was upgraded. From ho-hum economy car to THIS :

AWESOME!

I have never had a reaction to a car before, but when we were finding it in the rental car parking lot, not knowing at all what it was going to be, I think I squealed when I saw it. I don't think I have squealed...since....well, ever.

Hold on, I take that back. I have been touched by Michael Buble (he put his arm around me when I met him - I am not even kidding! WHO JOKES ABOUT THAT?!) and there may or may not have been some squealing then. That was overshadowed by the fact that I kept thinking in my brain, 'why the heck did I choose to wear wear flip flops with yoga pants and look like LAZY Sporty Spice TODAY? Argh. THAT fashion faux pas has never happened again...unless after a pedicure... My sincerest apologies, Michael.

Like Buble, the car was dreamy and head turning, but rather than sing, it hummed. I thought it was an extremely fun car and totally set the tone for the entire trip.

Then, as the icing on the cupcake we were treated like royalty at our hotel. This was our penthouse suite, need I say more? Forget squealing when I saw it, I nearly fainted. I almost never came home. NOW you know why I haven't blogged in nearly a month!

Here's a tour (I left out the toilet ROOM and closet):

Hallway to walk-in closet, toilet/bidet room and make up/dressing area. There was a telephone next to the wall by the toilet...I found out why when I called out to George one time and realized that when he was in the other room, he was too far away to hear me.

Shower, whirlpool tub and vanities (TV on wall to far right, because of course you cannot brush your teeth without watching HGTV.)

At the end of the bed was one of those TV's that rises up from the cabinet when you click the remote. I thought that it was extra cool and it reminded me of the one that Sharon and Ozzy had in their bedroom when I watched The Osbournes show a few years ago.

This suite was beautiful, and very functional. This was in the dining room area, but also had several empty drawers for storage. A nice feature, if I was truly moving in. I asked if I could, but everyone laughed at me, thinking I was joking.

The bedroom (with the TV down). Yes, the bed and TV console are "blinged out" in true Las Vegas fashion.

The dining area. I made sure to sit here and finish some leftovers. In fact, I made a point of sitting on every seat in the entire suite, because I could. ;)

This photo does not do justice to the chandelier. It was lovely. As were ALL of the windows in the suite. All drapes and sheers were opened and closed by a switch. Of course they were. Oh, and you know that sign you hang on the hotel door for privacy or to clean the room? We pressed a button by the door on what looked like a light switch panel, that showed a small light to the side of the outside door, indicating what our preference was. Oh la la, fancy. I believe this is what Charlie Sheen means when he screeches, "Duh! Winning!"

Speaking of sitting on all the chairs in the suite, that meant even taking a seat in both of those chairs by the window. I sat in one for a few minutes will watching TV and then quickly slid over to the other chair. Not sure what was more strange, the fact that I did that, or the look on George's face...? He of course, staked claim to that chaise lounge part of the couch. Don't worry, I made him move so I could try it out. He had to offer me some M&M's to get me to move.

The bar area. If I had had a party here, this is where the action would have happened. I could have mixed you a martini here! Instead, the one of TWO fridges beneath the countertop held nothing more exciting than bottled water. Sorry to spoil the dream for you.

The foyer/front entrance. The marble floor was gorgeous, and that lamp on the desk was not half bad either. Too bad my luggage was already full. (Mirage Management: That WAS a JOKE. Offers to move in: SERIOUS.)

Can you see why I was serious? This place was seriously AMAZING. Over 1200 sq. feet of amazing. As if I did not love everything about the place, I also loved the tables in the middle of the living room. Again, so functional, yet stylish. They were three separate pieces that came apart. I am sure they doubled as stools too. I won't confirm or deny that I tried sitting on them though.

Actually, come to think of it, I think there should be yet ANOTHER motto for Las Vegas. It should be "Whoever happens to come to Vegas, ends up wanting to stay in Vegas!

I love upgrades and Las Vegas! How about you?

Love, Lynda

What YOU can do

2011-03-14T11:42:00.005-07:00

Everyone is devastated about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and it is easy to feel helpless.

I just wanted to remind you that there is something that we can all do to help. We can donate money to relief funds.

Here are a few easy ways to help:

1. Give 200 of your airmiles reward points to donate $25.00 to the Canadian Red Cross. Such a simple, yet clever idea!

2. Give through your iTunes account. Apple and the American Red Cross have teamed up and Apple says that 100 percent of the funds donated will go directly to the Red Cross. The iTunes Store is accepting donations of $5, $10, $50, $100 and $200.

3. Donate directly to the The American Red Cross OR The Canadian Red Cross. If you would prefer to call you can contact your local Red Cross office by dialing 1-800-418-1111. Donations can also be made online via smartphone, or by texting REDCROSS or ROUGE to 30333 for a $5 donation.

Vacations!

2011-02-18T09:46:00.003-08:00

I love vacations! Okay, this is probably one of those - 'WHO DOESN'T, NIMROD?!' statements, but at this moment I am writing this as I sit (rather patiently, I may add) at the airport!

I have taken some leave time to go away and celebrate our (I just typed "my" and had to delete it!) 17th. wedding anniversary! Speaking of patience, George must have LOADS. ;)

I promise a full update when I return.

Until then, let's all play nicely and get along. Have a LOVELY weekend!

Love,

Lynda

What's mine is yours

2011-02-15T20:10:00.003-08:00

Have you ever made cream cheese frosting? It's delicious. It would really suit carrot cake or any denser cake or cupcake. It was supposed to be for our Red Velvet cupcakes, but we all know how THAT turned out.

It also tasted amazing on our Purple Passion cakes. It's so good, that I nearly used it as salad dressing today.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. light cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups icing sugar

- Sift icing sugar, place in separate bowl.

- In another bowl, beat cream cheese and butter or margarine on high until creamy. Add vanilla.

- Then, add the icing sugar slowly in batches.

- Get spoon. EAT. I mean, frost...

I love to share baking recipes, but that's it for me for the next few months. I am needing to get ready for a tropical vacation this summer and baking AND EATING said treats is NOT going to help. So, this is it. ...The only recipe I will be sharing is fat-free, calorie wise celery dips. MMMMMmmmmm...celery. I bet cream cheese frosting would...OH NEVER MIND.

Love,

Lynda

Purple Passion

2011-02-14T19:45:00.006-08:00

For Valentine's Day, I wanted to make my valentines some heart shaped, Red Velvet cakes. After finding what looked like an excellent Red Velvet recipe online, I baked it only to find it to be extremely oily, even after leaving it in the oven for a few extra minutes, past the necessary baking time. Nothing would take the greasiness away.

I went back to the drawing board and decided to re-make them, with the idea to lower the level of vegetable oil or possibly using butter instead of oil with this new batch. There was only one problem, I was now out of red food colouring.

I did not want to go out again to get more ingredients, so I thought that if I could not make RED velvet, I would, instead, use the next best colour that I had available to me in my cupboard.

...HELLO PURPLE!

Still not thrilled with the amount of oil and/or possible amount of butter, I decided to change up the recipe completely. I started thinking that the only thing that really makes the red velvet any different than a chocolate cake was the addition of red food colouring and extra oil. Ugh. There's the grease again. All "velvet" means in this recipe is clogged arteries. So, I decided to make a simple vanilla cake recipe and add two teaspoons of purple food colouring.

I decided to call them "Purple Passion"! ...Move over Red Velvet, Purple Passion is the new cupcake in town!

Why haven't I thought to do this with cupcakes or cakes or even cookies before? Kids would LOVE these. We add colour to icing, but why don't we add colour to doughs - imagine pink or red coloured, heart shaped sugar cookies? Robin's egg blue cupcakes for spring time? The possibilities are endless. And delicious.

I love this idea. Don't you? You are welcome to use it, if you promise to let me know and/or share!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Lynda

PS I forgot to mention that I made cream cheese frosting...I will have to post how to make it another day! It's AMAZING.

Going bananas over YOU

2011-02-11T17:26:00.005-08:00

In the spirit of loving and giving, I wanted to pass this along to you because I love creative and simple do-it-yourself projects. Here's something for all of you for Valentine's Day - a healthy, very inexpensive treat that you can all use. You're welcome.

Happy Weekend!

Love,

Lynda

Fashion designer in our midst

2011-02-09T18:44:00.008-08:00

Don't you just love this? I love it. I think the material is beautiful. I love the colours and the bright, bold pattern.

I also love that my daughter made this skirt! (That's her there in the last photo, making it hang straight enough to take a photo.) I know this just makes me a boasting, proud parent, but come on now...how many of us could sew their own clothes AND make them look so stylish AND do so in your teens? Not me, that's for sure. I am impressed. The only thing I have sewn that has not fallen apart is a sock poppet. ...Oh, but hold on, that was just a sock with a hole in it that I was too lazy to sew up, so I used it for the mouth. Sorry, wrong story.

I love that my daughter has such talents. I cannot wait to wear one of her creations!

Love,

Lynda

The Force

2011-02-08T18:57:00.004-08:00

You may have seen this already, but really, it's good enough to watch again and again...

It makes me giggle, every single time. I love commercials that make me laugh.

Laughter is something I also enjoy. Maybe it's because I have no choice to laugh at MYSELF all the time? ;)

May the force be with you.

Love,

Lynda

Mama said there'd be days like this...

2011-02-07T19:03:00.003-08:00

...And, this one was a good one!

As promised! The cupcake news is in and they were a HUGE success!

EXHIBIT A – Birthday Girl and teaching partner extraordinaire, one Ms. Carolyn F!

I am lucky enough to really enjoy my job and the people that I work with. I love teaching. Sure, the actual work and the day can be exhausting a lot of the time. You parents know what it’s like with 1, 2 or maybe 4 children to look after. Try working in a classroom full of children who you need to 1. keep on task, 2. teach them something appropriate and 3. inspire and allow them to enjoy themselves enough so that they continue to want to be life long learners. …Now I have your attention.

Teaching is not for sissies.

For those people that say it is different from parenting (or easier - hahaha - I have heard that one before!), I disagree. I have two children of my own and I use many of my “mom skills” at school and many of my “teacher tricks” at home. I know what it is like to be both and I know that my job has differences from being a mom, except that there is an incredible sense of responsibility, even more so, when you are caring for, teaching and looking out for OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN. It’s true that my class may listen to me better than my own do at most times, but there is always that one (or two – or ten!) that have you earning every single penny and then some. Teaching is not unlike parenting in that you are completely in charge of the students who are in your class that school year. I don't take either (teaching or parenting) lightly.

Which brings me back to the party…today’s surprise birthday party was for my good friend and teaching partner Carolyn. Believe it or not, our classes (made up 43 eight year olds), who do everything together, got together on their own and planned her this most amazing surprise birthday party – complete with decorations, food, dancing and music. They first asked me if they could plan the party for her birthday (we keep track of everyone's birthday on our Calendar) and when I agreed and we decided upon a time, they instantly went to work. They had sign-up sheets for duties, called each other to make plans, they sorted out music, made cards, created decorations, bought gifts and rallied their parents to supply food and drinks (for allergy reasons, I offered to bake the cupcakes). The party was WONDERFUL. You really cannot teach the kinds of things I saw happening and that took place. This is something that they will likely remember when they are old, like me, and tell their children about.

We may teach them about harvest and outer space and multiplication and technology and structures and our country…. But, sometimes we just have to stop and think about the days like this, where I gave up complete control and let them organize this special event and watched them cooperate, plan, write, read, problem solve, time manage and ENJOY. And yet, it was probably the most learning and one of the best lessons WE all had.

I love my job.

Love,

Lynda

Tea Party

2011-02-06T11:42:00.005-08:00

Fancy a cup of tea?

The above photo is my tea drawer at home. I love tea. Can you tell?

Don’t get me wrong; I love a good cup of coffee in the morning to wake me up, as I am getting ready for work, or on the weekend as I lie in bed watching nonsense on TV. However, throughout the day or in the evening, I find a hot cup of tea so settling. I even have a small tea cupboard at work and my own kettle in my classroom. A good cup of tea for me can make even the most challenging day easier to handle.

I love discovering new teas, bringing home teas from different places that I have visited and receiving teas from places that friends have traveled to. I have teas from Harrods in London, Dean and Deluca in New York City and Alice in Wonderland teas from Disneyland in California at the moment. I am certainly enjoying them all.

Okay, I am going to leave you now and put the kettle on. All this tea talk makes me want a cup. Care to join me? I’m having Bengal Spice…or maybe I Love Lemon…? What are you having?

Love,

Lynda

Baking!

2011-02-05T17:46:00.006-08:00

You didn't think I'd be a mom of two and stay married for this long and not be able to turn on the oven did you? Okay, okayyyy, I will admit, as wonderful as that sounds, I am not even sure it's possible. If it was, I can assure you, I'd be the one to know! HAHA! So, I over the years I learned to push the "BAKE" button and set the oven to 350 degrees and with a little preparation - VOILA! a whole lotta love can be ready in about twenty - thirty minutes.

I may not be much of a chef, however, I can say, with confidence that I am a baker. I love to bake. I think I got this from my mom who is an excellent baker. My husband likely married me because of HER peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies alone. Growing up in a household with Greek parents, the only peanut butter he saw was smothered between two pieces of white toast. However, HIS mom can make the world's most delicious moussaka with her eyes closed. We all have our gifts.

I just spent the last few hours baking for a surprise party! I am not telling you who they are for, but I will tell you that it is a really special person that I just love being around. Stay tuned...I will let you know more when they find out!

I love baking and I love surprising people with the fact that I can make something sweet that a.) does not burn the house down (because we all know that story!) and b.) looks and tastes delicious.

What do you think?

Love,

Lynda

You are worthy

2011-02-04T17:32:00.005-08:00

I love happening across people, places and things that make me think and help to shape who I am. Enter Dr. Brene Brown and her research storytelling. I promise you that her video is worth all of the twenty minutes and then some. I encourage you to watch it. You are worthy.

Love,

Lynda

PS Happy WEEKEND! I love weekends too, don't you?!

Whatcha cooking good looking?

2011-02-03T18:35:00.003-08:00

One thing I really love is that my husband can cook! I suppose this is one HUGE perk (and result) of marrying into a family in the restaurant business?!?! (It also makes up for the fact that he is still learning to change the toilet paper roll in the bathroom.)

I can count on two hands how many meals I have had to prepare in the past seventeen years. Of those, I think that maybeeeee one was both edible AND delicious. Thank you, for that, Costco chicken potpie. Although, I am not sure that reheating something in the oven should be considered “cooking”?! (If it is, I can totally cook like Gordon Ramsey!)

He also makes all of our lunches for the day (Please note: I mean my husband, not Ramsey). In fact, this morning, I brought my packed lunch into my work’s staffroom, put it in the fridge and at lunchtime pulled it out, thinking it was some sort of salad he’d whipped up and instead pulled out a boiling hot thermos of soup that I had left chilling in the fridge. Ooops.

Anyways, yada yada lucky beotch etc, my meals are made for me, including coffee brought to me almost every morning.

Oh right, he serves too.

I love husbands who can cook. ...WHO DOESN'T?!

Love,

Lynda

Fun for all ages

2011-02-02T19:16:00.012-08:00

As promised, I said that I would you let you know how we figured out how to get everyone together in one place at the same time. Quite simply....it was to.....THROW A PARTY!

Our daughter's Sweet 16th Birthday Party was just the perfect occasion to get everyone together, but then we had to come up with an idea for our 100+ family and close friends to DO at the party. Of course there is always eating (so we looked after that) and then we decided we wanted some really family-friendly fun for all ages.

After some thought, we decided to have a dance party! We booked a DJ, who helped us dance the night away (there's nothing sweeter than seeing both Grandmas on the dance floor keeping up with the teenagers!). We also had such a wonderful time at the wedding where they had a photo booth that we decided to book a photo booth for this party. Nothing could have prepared us for the insanity that ensued.

Nothing.

We found out that a little "something something" happens to even the meekest person when they step inside a photo booth. It's like that curtain gets pulled, the flash goes off and there is some sort of transformation that takes place. Whatever it is, it was hilarious! It seems to capture the energy and enthusiasm in everyone. (....Perhaps it was also the fact that I never told them that I would have access to EVERY SINGLE PHOTO?!?!?!?! ...Perhaps.)

Helllllllllooooooooo BLACKMAIL! ;)

All kidding aside, it was a huge success and the entire party was FUN. Just as we had hoped.

I love fun for all ages - and even more specifically, I love parties...and photo booths.

Love,

Lynda

PS For those who'd like the copies of their photos, I also love chocolate.

Family

2011-02-01T18:50:00.005-08:00

For the month of February, I have decided to write about what I love.

I was inspired by a friend's, and then my sister's, daily Facebook profile status dedicated to gratitude. Each day they post three things that they are grateful for.

I love this idea. I appreciate the positivity of it. There's enough negativity in the world and focusing on the things that make us happy is so important - and healthy. I appreciate reading someone else's good news and it reminds me to be grateful for all that I have in my life.

So, without being all up in your face "Oprah style", I have decided to dedicate the next twenty eight days to write about what I love....

I love my family. Most of you can relate to how busy it is to be a full time working parent of two children (mine are 12 years and 16 years old now!). Like all of us, my life is full of schedules and deadlines and homework and bells ringing (the last part is because I am teacher...not because I have completely gone coco loco). My "free time" is spent making sure someone is reading (and understanding) "Romeo and Juliet" or getting someone off to soccer practice on time. However, I would not change it for anything.

As crazy and hectic as life gets, being a mom is the best thing that ever happened to me. I love the unconditional love and the (sometimes brutal) honesty and always having someone to spend time with. I am not even sure that I know what lonely or bored feels like. (Not that I want to.) Sure, I would like a few moments to catch my breath now and then (some days more than others), but I love having family to come home to and be with.

I also have a large extended family of some really great people! Yes, YOU AND YOU. I don't get to spend as much time with everyone as I would like to, but, everyone has a busy life.

HOWEVER, tomorrow I will share something else that I love and it will include a way that we were able to get the whole family together IN ONE PLACE...AT THE SAME TIME! ...

Stay tuned!

Love,

Lynda

My Year in Profile Statuses, 2010

2010-12-22T11:45:00.004-08:00

(Double click inside of the blue rectangle to enlarge)

It's been 'quite' the year! May next year hold fun-filled memories for us all...

Season's Greetings!

2010-12-20T12:21:00.004-08:00

I did not send out cards this year...

Soooo, here's wishing you all a very ROCKIN' Christmas and ROLLIN' New Year!

All our best wishes for peace, love and joy from my family to yours.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-11T17:40:00.005-08:00

Everywhere you go...

Recently I was shopping in downtown Seattle. Even the Space Needle was decked out for the season.

And, you know, nothing says "MERRY CHRISTMAS" like decorated PIGS...!

Tree missing from a forest near you.

The star at Macy's.

Downtown Winter Wonderland. The only wonder was how you could make it out alive through the crowds of shoppers?

Shopping district. Green is for GOOOOO shopping!

White twinkle lights always makes a traffic jam seem less annoying.

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

It's a Mystery

2010-11-15T20:25:00.001-08:00

How the heck did the Scooby Doo and the gang’s Mystery Machine (it’s mean, it’s green, it’s the Mystery Machine!) end up in my neighbourhood? I saw it parked at the super market and wondered if the guy at the meat counter could be Old Man Jenkins? I’m not about to try to peel off his mask…JINKIES! No thank you!

Rooby ROooooOOOOO!

Honey, honey!

2010-11-14T14:24:00.003-08:00

I recently made a trip to the Honey Bee Centre in Surrey, BC. The Honey Bee Centre is also the proud home of the old Bug lab that used to be housed in New Westminster. Now there are more insects to bug us in one location! In fact, I saw enough tarantulas at the Honey Bee Centre to last me a lifetime, thankyouverymuch. Just their webs alone are going to give me nightmares. Shiverrr.

The Honeybee Centre is an educational facility that shares their knowledge of bees with the public - everything from lifecycles to beekeeping to honey harvesting.

Of course we had to visit their gift shop on the way out. You cannot bring me somewhere with swarms of stinging insects, giant millipedes and frightening arachnids and not offer me the opportunity to make it all better through a dose of retail therapy!

I bought two types of honey and learned that the types of honey sold (blueberry honey, cranberry honey and clover honey – to name a few) depend on where and what the bees have pollinated. Makes sense! If the bees pollinate orange blossoms, then naturally, the honey they produce has a citrus floral taste. (Yes, I think I tasted them all!) My favourite was the creamed clover honey. I also bought the wildflower honey because allegedly it helps with hay fever. Or so they said. We’ll be the itchy, watery-eyed judge of that. (I will keep you posted.)

Anyways, willing to try almost anything when it comes to allergy relief, I went down the aisle to get a jar of wildflower honey. I read the display card explaining that the wildflower honey is made from local bees that pollinate thistles, dandelions, weeds and essentially flowers grown in the wild. It went on to say that they used to call it “Ditch Honey from Langley and Surrey” and could not figure out why no one ever tried it or bought it! Too funny! Somehow I think “Wildflower Honey” will get them a lot more buzzzzzzz-ness.

Poppa (June 1922 - November 2010)

2010-11-03T16:19:00.003-07:00

My whole childhood I would exclaim, like many children do, “When I grow up, I am going to be a ______" …in my case, it was always a lawyer. I think I saw the movie Kramer vs. Kramer to often to count and realized at a young age that being able to talk and argue could pay a lot of bills.

It took my Poppa to burst my bubble one day when I proudly boasted at another family dinner at my parent’s home, that I was going to be a LAWYER…he looked at me with that twinkle that we all saw whether he was stealing our noses or playing with his false teeth, and he said, “Liar? You want to be a LIAR?” I know that he was playing on the words LIAR and LAWYER, but really, he had a point.

To be a good lawyer, you have to be a liar. I could handle getting paid to talk and argue. I already did that for free. I was just not so sure I could live with the “Liar” title my whole life and without realizing it at the time, would not have wanted to disappoint him. Here I thought a lawyer was a credible job because it had the potential for loads of money. I have since learned that credibility comes from whether you can be proud of what you do and have a sense of accomplishment, rather than monetary value.

(Lisa, Poppa, Lynda, June 2009)

(Dion and Poppa, March 2009)

For this reason, I can give some credit to Poppa for becoming a teacher. Which is interesting and perhaps ironic, because when I think of him, I am reminded of everything I learned from him. In this case, the teacher was the student. I was his student, but I am not even sure he knew he was teaching.

It was the quiet teachings where I learned from him. It was the legacies of his devout religious faith, never thrown in your face, just a large part of who he was, his title, his truth, where I have learned the most.

(Jen, Poppa and Jeff, March 2010)

Poppa’s priorities were his faith, his family and his sense of commitment to both, which showed through in his loyalty and sincerity. I never heard him utter a negative word about anyone, or any thing, for that matter, not even about hard times or war, although he fought overseas for three years as a soldier during the Second World War. He had an open heart and could make anyone feel comfortable with a quick joke or a friendly greeting. And, if that didn’t work he was sure to throw some sugar your way to sweeten the deal – a can of pop, baked goods, hard candies… Who wouldn’t be impressed with that?

The love for his family and his beloved late wife, Rosetta was so evident. They were rarely apart during their sixty years of marriage and the last two and half years without her, everyone knows he missed her…a large part of him was lost when she passed away.

(Nana and Poppa, November 2007)

Poppa was a model of what a true family man is and should be.

It was the simple things that I have the fondest memories of with him…. family dinners, celebrations, camping trips, introducing my sister and I to “Pop Rocks” candies (try that with swig of coke!), taking us horse backing riding at Black Mountain, picking berries, watching him make new friends and welcoming new family members…

Yet, as grateful as I am for those memories, I am honoured and incredibly fortunate that he was there for the “big stuff” in my life – graduations, my wedding, and the birth of my children (his great grandchildren!)...

George G, “Poppa”, to all that loved him, you are and will be greatly missed. Thank you for teaching me, and us, about love and life and sharing so many of my life’s special moments. You made them even that much more special by being there.

Sincerely, and with much respect, love and admiration, your granddaughter and grateful “student”,

Lynda

(Dedicated to my mom, Joyce. I did this for you mom, because I love you more than words can say and hope that even in the smallest way, this takes away some of your pain and makes you smile. You have a lot to be proud of. XO, Louloubelle)

The Tale of the Three Pumpkins

2010-10-31T10:19:00.009-07:00

Once upon a time there were three little pumpkins...with dreams of being carved into the MOST frightening jack-o-lanterns in the world....

Soooo... the first one decided that it wanted to be carved into something that all men feared.

Tada! Pumpkin #1 became a sparkly diamond engagement ring! (Nothing's more frightening than the fear of commitment!)

Not wanting to be outdone by Pumpkin #1, the second pumpkin said, "I want to be something feared by parents everywhere!"

Tada! Pumpkin #2 was turned into "Halo Reach" - an unfortunately addicting video game loathed by moms and dads across the land!

Thinking hard, the third wanted to be feared by all!

Tada! Pumpkin #3 became Emile's helmet from "Halo Reach", a deadly character both feared and admired for his deadly ways - feared by men, parents everywhere AND young children. ...Not to mention, it was just a bonus that he is ALSO feared by Covenant (aliens) because of his abilities to scare and demolish...

Pumpkin #1 shone and sparkled and kept men on their toes... quivering with nerves and worries of losing their bachelorhood.

Pumpkins #2 and #3 kept parents, children and aliens shivering...and kept most parents uttering threats to their addicted children of power outages...and cries such as, "If you don't do your homework, you'll never play again!"

The world was in an uproar. The jack-o-lanterns were thrilled with their success.

And the three little feared jack-o-lanterns lived happily every after, knowing their job of being frightfully scary would live long past their carved gourd-ish days.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

THE END.

Lost in Translation

2010-10-30T10:02:00.005-07:00

This week in the land of little people it has been EXTREMELY exciting! Halloween is for children what winning a lottery must feel like to adults! Treats, staying up late, parties, dressing up, music - the fun never ends...until it's done. Imagine then, what it is like working in a classroom with over twenty 7-8 year olds...? It's kind of like trying to keep popping popcorn contained without exploding or a cork on an already shaken bottle of champagne. You get my drift...

As hugely exhausting it is to keep the pot from boiling over, it is also hilariously entertaining to witness such pure joy and I want to share two of my favourite stories from this week. I will spare you the stories about injuries from overzealous little monsters (who are all just fine now, but let's just say I have never had as many students with bumps and bruises as this past week and was NOT surprised that in addition to the week leading up to Halloween night it was also a full moon last week!)...

I was teaching my class a little French Halloween vocabulary booklet as a challenge (which they LOVED) and was just about to start explaining what each word was, when I asked them to please write their NAME where it said "NOM" on the front. "Nom" meaning "name" en francais. With me so far? Good. So they all started writing their names on the cover of the booklet, except for one little boy who just sat there, a confused look on his face and then called out, "But, I don't know how to spell my name in French?!"

Have I mentioned yet that I love my job?

Which brings me to story number two...

Friday was the last school day before Halloween this Sunday. Our school traditionally celebrates with a Halloween assembly of spooktacular choreographed dance performances to songs such as "Thriller" and "Ghostbusters" and so on. That assembly is followed by a Great Pumpkin Walk where everyone wears black and orange. Everyone who walks gets a special ticket for a chance to win a GREAT BIG FAT PUMPKIN. Then, as if that is not BOO-tiful enough there are other various Halloween celebrations in the afternoon.

My class and our partner class of other Grade 3's had planned a Monster Dance Party after lunch, complete with the monster puppets that they had made at home to bring to the party. Since we have the Pumpkin Walk in the morning where everyone wears black and orange, I explained to my class that after lunch they could DRESS UP. Most students went home for lunch on Friday to get ready and this one student in particular left just shortly after noon with her mother to get DRESSED UP...

After lunch my classroom was a ghostly mix of little ghouls and boos all dressed up, just like they'd been asked to. A devil, a ninja, a princess, a witch, a vampire...the list went on. However, you can never quite be sure what they are dressed up as though because, for example, the one who looks like an angel, just MIGHT be the Tooth Fairy, so I have learned over the years that it is better to ask, "So, what's your costume?", just in case. Never assume.

This year was no different, so as I was walking/swaying/fluttering around dressed up in my butterfly wings during the dance party while students were doing the mash, the Monster Mash...I was admiring all the costumes that students had dressed up in. I happened upon a girl we will call Elizabeth. Elizabeth was in a long brown, sashed dress with white checks - a lovely party dress - and with a huge smile on her face she was dancing and partying it up with one of her little friends, who I already knew was dressed up as Rapunzel (Rapunzel looked a lot like a Queen - see why you have to ask?!) and over top the music, I asked, "Elizabeth, what's your costume?"

To which Elizabeth looked up to me, still with a huge smile on her face and announced, "It's not a costume! I'm DRESSED UP!"

Elizabeth had DRESSED UP in her formal party wear. SHE WAS DRESSED UP. I suppose she was just following my directions. ;)

HAVE A HAPPY, SAFE HALLOWEEN!

Classroom Harvest

2010-10-24T11:23:00.007-07:00

Once we washed the pumpkins off the mud that we brought back to school…(tee hee)…and the farm was mopped off the floors, we had a lovely pumpkin harvest happening in our classrooms.

Besides a soapy pumpkin washing station, students also measured and weighed their pumpkins (the smallest being about 2.4 pounds and the largest a whopping 19 pounder! I am not sure how the little boy carried it…I think ROLLING and PULLING and SWEATING had something to do with it!).

At the end of the week, we sacrificed one in the name of Science and not only did students predict and then count the number of seeds it had inside (556!), they learned about the anatomy of a pumpkin! Using the seeds, orange yarn (for the “guts” or meat), orange pencil crayons and their imagination, they made a diagram of the pumpkin’s insides. I told them that they were lucky that they weren’t learning about animals. ;)

Out of our gourds (and shoes!)

2010-10-22T15:21:00.015-07:00

Tis the season...

...To visit the pumpkin patch! ....Or, let's face it, it really should be called the MUD patch because it is more mud than pumpkin... ;)

I took a class-full of cute 'little pumpkins' to the patch with me for a field trip. I guess that's sort of like taking sand to the beach? No?

We had a pumpkin-y good time, singing and dancing along to Korny Kob, Polly Pumpkin and the band, taking a sing-a-long wagon covered hay ride (I even took home some hay with me...it really sticks!) and visiting the pumpkin fields to choose our perfect pumpkin. There was even a corn maze there, but the maze was not as hard as the mud was to get out of... But, what kid have you ever met that does not like mud? Good thing, because we all got covered in it.

Polly Pumpkin and Korny Kob and the band. These fruits and vegetables rocked!

Most people wore boots...

Yeehaw! Covered wagon/hay rides! Special note: Don't sit on the hay. Unless you like splinters on your bottom...

Spoooookkkkyyyyy!

We suggested that everyone wear boots, but of course not everyone did. We had just arrived at the patch and as I was standing in the middle of a field, scoping out the most precious pumpkin, a student walked up to me and stuck her foot toward me - covered in mud. I looked and saw that her entire foot and toes were all mucky. Her toes?! What? I asked what had happened to her sock and she explained that she forgot to wear them. Oh my.

Sometimes you just have to laugh. ...And, be thankful that pumpkins have really large leaves on their vines that can be used to wipe off mud.

Pumpkin Patch + Mud Pit = HOURS OF FUN!

Even the pumpkins were rolling around in it.

Children of the Corn!

Apparently, I am not the only one who had hay stuck to their bottom.

The end.

The sunny "blonde" Vancouver IS more fun!

2010-10-14T16:59:00.016-07:00

These photos were taken last week as we crossed over the Georgia Viaduct heading into downtown Vancouver and, besides a few rainy days here and there, we have had the most spectacular autumn weather on record - warm, mostly sunny and mild. (Of course it lightly rained here today to make a liar out me. OF COURSE IT DID. However, tomorrow's weather forecast is for SUN. So there.) It's barely even jacket weather here. I put away my summer clothes, only to yank them back out again.

(It's nice when the lamp post can just look pretty and not have to be on because it is dark outside.)

(Reminds me of a parliament building - only it is not.)

(We have many "green" buildings in downtown Vancouver. I have heard that for good fortune, builders began growing trees on the roof tops of the building they constructed. ONE QUESTION: Where do the roots go?!)

(Science World at sunset.)

(This is the construction of the new roof on BC Place.)

I also notice the warmer weather's effect on the trees here. I have barely seen any of them changing colours this year. By now most leafy trees are typically bright reds, golds, and oranges. This year the "fall colours" are mostly green with only a slight hint of orange. (See top photo for further evidence.)

If only what worked for nature worked for humans...

I wish the sunshine would slow down the spread of grey hairs taking over my head like wildfire! Speaking of tree roots... Mine seem to glow in the sun's rays. Talk about blinding! ...I guess we can't have it all. I will take the warm weather. Now, please pass me the hair dye...