Quirky Predictions

Yeah I admit I get really caught up with American Idol...but hey its kinda like escapism for me!

Here are my predictions for top 6 boys. We'll see how I did on Thursday:

1. Well obviously we know Jacob will get in, if not from voters then as Judge's wild card for sure!

2. Clint - he has an amazing voice and great stage presence, you always know someone's great when they can twiddle their fingers across the microphone without ever dropping the microphone. Kinda like Alison Ireheta from 2 seasons ago...remember?

3. That Scotty McCreery, wow if people voted Carrie Underwood a few years back they will surely vote Mr. Country himself, he's got such awesome facial expressions when he sings, and although I despise country music, he is darn good at singing it!

4. Paul McDonald, he is quite quirky, but he brings something fresh to the stage...really unique voice too. He seems to not really fit the American Idol brand, he seems like he could make it on his own as the front for some new indie band or something...like American Idol is too low for him perhaps?

5. James Derbin - he is a little try hard Adam Lambert but really gave it in the performance, I think people will remember that and vote him in. I kinda like his voice actually. His hanki-tail was so annoying though, I saw Justin Beiber wear a hanki-tail when he was dancing on the Ellen show...so not very original James...and whats the point of a hanki-tail anyway? Perhaps If your forehead gets sweaty and you need a quick wipe, at least its something that reaches with one bold swipe?

6. hmmmm. Probably Brett because again, he is memorable and really truly hit some great notes. He's another quirky one. He whips his hair more than Willow Smith. I think this season is the quirkiest!

the only one that might stir up my predictions with a surprise placement on top 6 would be Casey who is ...big surprise...also quite quirky! But more like Seth Rogan then Will Ferrell (hey sister?)

Closing thoughts: what is up with all the ballads/love songs boys? Seriously, bore fest on Jovany, Stefano, Robbie (too fast for his own music?? did anyone else feel that way?)...and Jordan wow what was up with that Usher-esque performance that made you sound like a symphony of cats in heat? I'm sorry but that was really sad, and when the judges said it didn't seem like the song represented him at all, he totally agreed and said it wasn't his style...so, I beg the question, WHY perform a song and dance a silly dance that is completely unlike who you are intending to portray yourself as? Arrrrg people like Jordan frustrate me...

I'm forgetting someone...think brain think...wow I just had to go to the American Idol website to figure out who slipped my memory, and of course it was Tim because as I just proved, his performance was forgettable. (And its too bad because he seems like a genuinely nice and simple guy with no potential ego problems, etc.)

Quick comment on Judges:

Steven Tyler - I really hope one of these live shows you actually DON'T like someone...because tonight you seemed to be showering everyone in butterflies and love (well except for silly Jordan).

J-Lo - I think you also need to show a little bit of a "harsh reality" side...but you're holding your own pretty good so far. Please don't use the word Organic when describing a performance. Kinda like the word Epic, its just way over used.

Dawg (I forget your name, its late.): Hm, I liked that you didn't LOVE everyone tonight, you kept it kind of real. Oh yeah your name is Randy. Sorry about that.

Wage Rage

I just have to vent somewhere.

Why is it that people working with troubled children and youth, individuals with special needs, and general human service workers get such a piddly wage (except if they magically get a job with the Government/City) and people specializing in sports/entertainment make millions?

I'm feeling down and moody because the only jobs my Bachelors Degree qualify me for don't seem to pay enough for us to get by on. (Maybe I just need a Masters or something to make it more worth it?).

So I'm lashing out at all those darn basketball players and movie stars who will make more $ in a month than I will in my lifetime. Don't get me wrong, I myself am caught up with the entertainment industry, I love a good film and I enjoy awards shows, etc. I know many of them have worked incredibly hard to get where they are, and they are reeling in talent...but really do they all need to have 3 mansions and 12 cars when the rest of us just want to pay our bills? They can still have their nannies and mani/pedi's and lavish vacations and fancy dresses if they made even a quarter of what they make now, couldn't they?

Do I need to gain some perspective? Am I thinking selfishly here? Please someone devils advocate my ass on this one so I do not feel so angry!

my predicaMINT

So my fabulous husband surprised me on Valentine's Day with a receipt for a MINT floor cleaner he had purchased online. I was ecstatic as these little floor cleaners are not exactly cheap...and I've been wanting one for a while but just kept thinking we couldn't afford it right now.

So my man ordered it on Amazon and it shipped from a place in Calgary, arriving yesterday. I was so excited to rip it out of the box and put it to good use. This past week I haven't cleaned my floors in anticipation of getting the MINT...I even told some friends who came over for a last minute visit just NOT TO LOOK DOWN at the floor if at all possible.

Anyways - I rip open the box and find the receipt on top. Within about 10 minutes I had done a quick internet search, made a phone call, and realized that I could get the same product at a store 10 mins. away for $70 cheaper then what my hubs had paid. If you know me - you know I'm the queen of getting good deals, doing my research on EVERYthing I purchase (over the price of lets say $30 or so) and so not getting the best deal in this regard is killing me, even if it was a gift! So of course I haven't opened my new MINT. Of course I emailed the vendor through Amazon and am waiting to hear their return policy. And of course I'm tapping my nails on the counter thinking.....is it worth it....the $70... to just use the darn thing now? And of course, if the vendor emails me and says the product is returnable, as long as the shipping back doesn't cost $70+ then it will be another week of dirty floors for this obsessive deal getter! For now the MINT remains contained in its box...and if you visit my house before this all gets resolved, please, just don't look down.

Counting Down to Disney

My fun volunteer role as a Wish Grantor has allowed me to create the following countdown calendars for 2 separate Wish trips to Disney World, both of the recipients of these calendars have been sweet little girls who love the color PINK! I love using fun ribbon to outline the dates they are counting down. The first one is for a girl who loves bubble gum, so each day she gets to take a piece of gum.

The second one is for a girl who loves Princesses, so I decided halfway through that I would make it in the shape of a crown. Each day she gets to take a crown/wand sticker from the top area and place it in a day square.

Making these calendars made me excited to one day go to Disney World/Land with my own kids and create for them a fun colourful creative countdown calendar! I'm hoping someday someone googles "Countdown Calendar for Disney World" and finds some inspiration from my little projects. But most importantly I'm hoping that they made 2 little girls that much more excited for their Disney trips!

foody (not so) goody

Don't let the title of this post mis-lead you. The (not so) part comes at the end!
I have stumbled across a few amazing food blogs of late, one of them my written by my lovely friend Jenn who never ceases to inspire me as her house is always clean, she has the most well behaved kids, and she makes dinner all the time for her family while simultaneously being a Pastor's wife at a busy church which requires great time commitment as well. Hat's off to you Jenn, I don't know how you get it all done! The other food blog I've found is a teenage girl who LOVES to bake. Some of this girl's creations are jaw dropping (well if cake really inspires you that is), like her 4th of July cake for example .

Anyways. I love to bake, my "trade-mark" if you will, is that I always under-bake things. My dad especially loves this little trick as everything always turns out very soft and chewy which in my opinion is what a good cookie/brownie/muffin should be. My latest recipe came from another blog.I wanted to make some sort of Oreo cheesecake dessert, but I didn't want to feel like a bloated whale afterwards...or do 15 dance routines on my Wii Just Dance game...so I modified and used low fat peanut butter, cream cheese, and Oreos. The result was...okay.

The consistency was wonderful, but the flavour was lacking (obviously from the lack of fat...brings lack of flavour). But I would make them again, this time using full fat Oreos on the bottom, maybe even splurging for DOUBLE STUFFED Oreos, ha! But only for special occasions as I really don't like eating very fatty food. Maybe bake more fruity things, less chocolate?

Which brings this post to a close with my mango disappointment:

I've been craving mangoes and so bought this beautiful looking mango the other day..I was so looking forward to opening it and enjoying the smooth yellow delight....but as the pictures show, I was quite disappointed.

The only good thing about this bad mango experience was that it reminded me of a really funny SNL skit with Robert DeNiro. Maybe its on youtube...just a second here...yup!

2 and some years

Oh blimey. It seems I've forgotten about my blog. I just went through a 10 minute three step process to recover it from an email address that is no longer being used. BUT HERE I AM! I only thought about this ol' blog as I am addicted to reading my friends & hubby's blog, and I feel like it will be more fun to post stuff here then the typical facebook note/photo album, etc. Although my blog is pretty pointless, more for me just to remember stuff by...as other's blogs have more of a purpose, mine is just to babble really.

So lots has happened since my last post--- um to sum it up in a sentence here goes:
went to TIFF with my lover as a little escape/long awaited honeymoon...then back to work, back to being pregnant, got rid of mini van in favor of an opa oldsmobile, back on mat leave with a precious new sweet Fee, moved to an ACTUAL home that doesn't require walking up 4 flights of stairs to get to...now I'm slowly back to work again as mat leave is coming to a close.

I've been scouring the web for a new job that pays enough so that Dust can stay home with the boys...He's looking for the same job deal-o...we're in a race to see who gets a great job first...then the other parent will stay home and play house all day (which is just as hard/harder than being the full time worker - UGH laundry will be the death of me but at least now I have the machines in my own basement! No more lugging hamper's to mom's place, haha) But in the meantime I've picked up my waitressing hat and been settling into that role for the past few weeks! I've been enjoying it...its very strange to be working in the hospitality field again after my last job was incredibly intense supervisory human resource volunteer coordination program facilitation parent contact budget balancing intake assessment craziness...and just waiting tables now seems so EASY and almost relaxing(!?) at times. I would like more of a challenge, and would love to be making a difference in people's lives through my job...but for now the only difference I will be making is that people will enjoy a nice steak dinner brought to them with care by yours truly.

My funny story of the day comes compliments of Dex, the baby in the last entry who is now 3 years old.

Dex gets out of the tub, tries with a cry to get his jammies on while his body is still wet and sticky. I fling some baby powder on his little butt and legs to help combat the stickiness...and with a blink he's all warm and cozy in his jammies.

10 minutes later Dex says to me, "Mommy, do I have power?"
I wrinkle my brow in confusion, "Dex what are you talking about?"
"Do I got power mommy???" He asks, starting to get upset...
"I guess so?"
Dex proceeds to pull down his pants and stick his little hiney in the air,

"See mommy, look, I GOTS POWER!!!!"

ohhhhhh the powder, yes! Silly mommy, how could I forget. A nice little moment that I'm sure will be forgotten about until I read this post again in....2 and some years.

3 Weddings in One Week

My week of Weddings began Sunday July 6, with a early drive to Calgary! My good friends B & C have been engaged for over 18 months and it was a highly anticipated event. We got a little lost along the way and walked in while they were saying their vows but the sight was spectacular. They married in a park, overlooking the calm river. It was such a beautiful day, the perfect weather. The reception was at the Calgary Zoo, very classy! B's colors were brown and pink, they had the cutest little cake with polka dots and home made cinnamon buns to complement the cake. All in all a beautiful day, with a fun filled dance at the end to top it off!!!







Next wedding was in Edmonton for my longest known friend A. Saturday, July 12, another beautiful sunny day. I only wished the wedding would have been outside like the other two were! But A's dad built her the most amazing gazebo which made being indoors not seem as bad. A looked like a princess, and her groom R was beaming the whole day. When it came time to "Kiss the Bride", A practically jumped into R's arms and their kiss brought forth many an "awe!" from the audience!
The reception was very PINK! I got to eat chicken fingers as the meal had a cream sauce which I am allergic too. The speeches were very heartfelt and brought a few tears. I am so happy to see my forever friend happily married and ready to start this new chapter of her life!

The following day, Sunday July 13th, I boarded the plane with my 7 month old Dex in tow, and flew to Kelowna for my cousin M's wedding! I arrived in plenty of time to make it to the 4pm ceremony. Upon arriving at the location of the ceremony, my breath was suddenly snatched up. It was the most beautiful location for a ceremony I had ever seen. The guests sat on a grassy hill looking at the "Island Stage" which was decorated beautifully. It was an extremely hot afternoon, I believe 31 Celcius, so I was originally up higher on the hill in the shade of a tree. As soon as the ceremony began I knew I had to be closer to the beauty. 7 of my cousins were the official "bubble blowers" who stood in front of the stage blowing beautiful bubbles into the wind while the bride was entering to the left with her father (my uncle) on her arm. Just the sight of my cousin brought tears into my eyes. I'm not one to cry at weddings but just looking into my gorgeous 20 year old cousin's face brought the tears flowing. She looked absolutely stunning, and so happy. Her dress was absolutely REGAL.

I loved how casual the wedding was, for example, the bridesmaids walked to the stage barefoot and stepped into their shoes when they took their positions on the stage. Best Ceremony Ever. The reception was also quite breathtaking.....mainly the AMAZING FOOD, hand made perogies, 3 delicious salads, cabbage rolls (my favorite), BC cherries picked off the tree that morning, all in all a delicious buffet!! I prefer buffet to plated meals any day, because I can be quite picky with my food/allergies! The speeches from the parents were really sweet, and my aunt made everyone laugh with her speech chalked full of stories from when M was a little girl. The bride and groom ended the night by running to their car while all the guests waved sparklers in the parking lot. It was so beautiful.


And that concludes my beautiful week of weddings!