30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 30

Day 30 – Your goals for the next 30 days


1) Essentially I want to do a Spring Clean.  It's not Spring though. :)

Over the last week we've all been sick and I've been looking at my apartment a lot!  I've been bothered by things falling out of the closet on my head when I open it.  I'm hoping to do a deep thorough clean and organize everything!

2) Increase "Play Time"

I'm hoping to make more of an effort to arrange play dates for my daughter.  I think this will also possibly increase my energy so I'm not crawling around on my knees all day or cooking fake bacon and fake pancakes.  I do enjoy playing but I need down time sometimes too!

3) Increase General Health

This is an ongoing and constant issue in my life.  I'm trying to gain weight, eat healthy and generally feel good.  I'm hoping that in the next 30 days I'll be able to gain at least a couple of lbs.  I'm also hoping to have more energy to allow me to get out more and not get every flu and cold I'm exposed to.

So, as you can probably see I'm pretty horrible at coming up with short term goals. :)  Maybe I should make it a goal to become better at it. lol.  What are some of your goals?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 29

List 10 People, Dead or Alive, You Would Invite to Dinner.  Include the Dinner Menu.  

This was a hard list to make but here's what I came up with.  These are in no particular order.

1) Jesus
I think it's kind of self explanatory.  He's Jesus, Saviour of the world.  I think it would be really cool if he came for dinner.








2) Queen Elizabeth I
I have a fascination with Elizabeth I ever since I watched the movie, Elizabeth.  She was the first female ruler of England and it would be interesting to hear her perspective on things.

3) Anastasia Romanov
I would be curious to hear about what happened to her and her family.

4) Russell Peters
I really like his comedy routines.

5) Robin Williams
As an actor and comedian I think he would be interesting to talk to.

6) Craig Ferguson
He seems like a really cool and very interesting person.  Not to mention he's really funny.  Plus, my husband would love me forever if I invited him since he never got in to see him in Los Angeles when he was there.

7) Marilyn Monroe
I would be interested to hear about her life as Norma Jean Baker and how it changed with becoming famous.

8) Vivaldi
He could provide some dinner music.

9) Edgar Allan Poe
Great poet, seems kind of dark and mysterious, I think he could tell some good stories and keep the conversation going.

10) Tim Burton
I love his Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride.  I think he's a pretty imaginative person and would be interesting to talk to.









The second question is, what would I make for dinner?

This was a hard question but here's what I came up with:

Borscht
Roast Beef with gravy
Rumbledethumps - potatoes, cabbage, onion
Risotto
Sweet Potatoes with butter and maple syrup
Fresh vegetables chopped with dip. - broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, green peppers, etc.
Chocolate walnut fudge
Fresh fruit with chocolate dip - strawberries, cantelope, pineapple, etc
Shortbread
Chocolate cake

Dinner would be somewhat casual while still being formal enough and encourage mingling and discussion. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 28

Something That You Miss.

I don't really miss a something but rather I miss a some-one.

My Grandma died in August 2008.  She was 94 years old.

I don't miss her on a day to day basis but there are times when I would love share things with her and I unfortunately can't pick up the phone or drop by her place any more.

I know she would have loved to see and hear about our daughter's milestones and the trouble that she gets into on a daily basis.

For a while in my teenage years Grandma and I didn't really understand each other.  She still bought me gifts that were aimed at children rather than adults, and she insisted on complete modesty which I was in disagreement with.  She thought that if a shirt had four buttons all four buttons should be done up. . .even if that brought the buttons all the way up your neck. lol.  Personally I saw nothing wrong with leaving one or two buttons undone.

However, I always knew she cared about me and that she wanted the best for me and the older I got the better conversations with her got and the more I appreciated her wisdom and caring.  She encouraged me to be myself and to follow my dreams.  She believed that if I put my mind to it, I could accomplish anything.

So, I miss this wonderful lady and I hope to teach my daughter some of the things that she taught me. . .though I'm still not crazy about buttons all the way up the neck. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 27

A problem you have or have had in the past.

When I was in college I used to get invited out all of the time. I had plans almost every weekend.  I rarely ever had down time for myself and I really enjoyed being that social, outgoing person.

However, the older I've gotten the less invites I've received.  Part of this I think has to do with my Celiac diagnosis and my peanut allergy.  I became a hassle to hang out with.  People don't want to accommodate my dietary needs (ie a place without peanut shells on the floor with preferably at least one dish I can eat).  For a while they said "why don't you just get a drink?" and then would get peeved when I said I would like to have the option to eat something as well and not just watch everyone else eat so if they want to go to that restaurant than it's okay, I'll just go home.

I've also found recently that a few of my so called "friends" only ever contact me if they're upset about something.  Then they say "we should get together" but never call me again until something crappy happens in their life and then repeat the same spiel.  Funny thing is when I call them because I'm upset they're always "busy".

Yes, my college days were stupid but they were a lot of fun and although I'm fairly finished with bar hopping at this point in my life, I sometimes still miss the excitement of getting ready to go out and hanging out with friends and dancing and partying and ordering Pita Pit at 2am.

So. . .my problem is this:  I have a hard time making new friends and I have a hard time having close relationships with my existing ones.  Most of the problem probably lies in the fact that my very closest friends don't live in town and the other ones that I used to be closer to that do live here have gone on with their lives and I with mine.  We've gone down different paths. . .and I'm not quite sure what road I fit on yet.

So. . .now how do I solve this problem?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 26

If you had a million dollars how would you spend it?

I've thought a lot about this actually.  A couple of years ago my husband and I bought our one and only lottery ticket ever and before winning the big pot, we discussed how we would spend the money if we did.

Except of course we didn't win. lol.

Here's what I would do with the money if we did.

1) Pay off debt.  Before anything else we would pay off our car loan and student debt, credit cards, and anything owed to anyone else.

2) We would invest in a property that we would use as a Bed & Breakfast.  Realistically a full sized hotel is going to cost over $1000,000.  In fact, if you buy a Bed & Breakfast in the Niagara area that's also the cost you're looking at. lol.  I would want something that had some of these features:

Location is incredibly important to me.  I would want a water-front property so I'm probably looking at a minimum cost of $500,000 but probably more in the ball park of $700,000 to get the right kind of water front.  I might be tempted to move out of province as well.

These pictures show the kind of relaxing environment I would want to welcome my guests to. :)

I would have a back porch that overlooked a slightly wooded area and a landscaped yard perfect for weddings.

I would love a front entrance similar to this one that looks very welcoming and a great porch in front with a view of the water.

The bedrooms would be tastefully decorated and relaxing and not at all Anne of Green Gables style (Wallpaper & Victorian *barf*) but rather think Hilton Hotel.

As for the rest of the money, if there was any left after my Bed & Breakfast spending spree I would likely buy myself a new wardrobe (I haven't had new clothes in years), pig out on some good tasting gluten free goodies, go on a couple of trips perhaps and possibly even put together a college fund for our daughter.

I think I'm pretty realistic in my million dollar spending.  :) I don't need a whole lot of stuff at this point.  What would you spend $1000,000 on?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 25

Someone Who Fascinates You and Why. .

From the moment I saw this picture my daughter fascinated me. . .

At that point it was the little kicks I felt, the movement and even hiccups.  It was the idea of what could be and hope for the future.  I was curious. What would she look like? What would her personality be like?  So much was unknown.

Now that she's nearly two, which is incredibly hard to believe, I still find her fascinating me on a daily basis.

She fascinates me in the way she sees the world.  She wants to touch everything!  Everything is "Oh wow!"

Now slowly her vocabulary is also increasing and she'll often surprise me when she says something I would have thought would be too difficult.  This morning she said "You're the mommy" when I was teasing her asking her if I was a baby. :)

I look forward to watching her grow up into a little girl even though the thought of going to school in a couple of years makes my heart skip a beat.  It's shocking that she seems to be growing so fast!  Considering how fast this year has flown by I don't want to even think about the next two. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 24

Your Favourite Movie and What it's About:

It's hard to believe that I'm already on day 24 of the 30 day blog challenge!  Anyway, today's topic is your favourite movie and what it's about.

Honestly, I don't watch a lot of movies these days but as a child I LOVED the Little Mermaid.  The movie came out in 1989.  I'm really not sure why my parents didn't buy it at that point since they rented it for me easily 100 times.  $20 probably would have been a lot cheaper than all those rental fees but perhaps they thought they wouldn't have to watch it as often if we didn't own a copy. lol.  Eventually my parents lucked out because Disney put Little Mermaid in "the vault" and I couldn't rent it any more.  I was very disappointed at the time.

When Disney re-released the movie I bought a VHS copy of it.  I still watch it when I'm sick and I watched it when I was in labour with our daughter.  I hope that our daughter enjoys someday as much as I did.  Here's a clip:

The Little Mermaid is the story of a girl who doesn't exactly fit in with her family.  Her family has certain expectations of her but she sees the world differently than they do.  She's curious and creative and she falls in love with a prince who happens to live on land while she, as a mermaid, lives in water.  Her father doesn't approve of this but eventually gives her his blessing and helps her to live happily ever after.

In 1994 another movie came out which I was incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing.  I had read the book and the life story of Louisa May Alcott and when I saw the advertisements for the movie, Little Women, I couldn't wait for it to come out on video!  I asked for the movie for Christmas, having never seen it before that point and now my VHS copy is well worn.  Here's a clip:

I love the closeness the family in the movie shares and I have a fascination with the Victorian time period.  The story has so many different stories wrapped into it but generally follows the story of Jo (Josephine) March who is awkward and doesn't exactly fit the expectations of society at the time.  Her family accepts her for who she is and it is clear that they love her.  She is creative, writes stories and plays and acts them out and throws away "a perfectly good marriage proposal" during the film in favour of finding herself.  Eventually we are led to believe that she finds her perfect match.

So, those are my two favourite movies.  What are yours?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 23

Post five pictures of famous people you find attractive.  I kind of cheated a bit here because I actually have 6 attractive people in my pictures instead of five, however, I only have 4 pictures. lol.

Colin Firth

I really enjoyed watching Colin Firth in Bridget Jones and the Age of Reason.  I think his caring character was what particularly appealed to me but I find him attractive nonetheless.

Kadee Strickland

KaDee Strickland plays Charlotte on Private Practice.  I really like her strong personality on the show though some people may consider her "bitchy".  She knows what she wants and I admire that and find her very attractive because of it.  I would like to have a stronger personality myself.

Tim Daly

Tim Daly plays Pete on Private Practice.  I've always found him really attractive since I started watching the show.  He's kind of a teddy bear type character.  He's kind and considerate and takes care of his family even though he doesn't necessarily agree with what his wife does and stuff at times.  Plus, he doesn't hurt the eyes.

Patrick Dempsey, Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas

Finally we have these three people: Patrick Dempsey, best known as McDreamy or Dr. Derek Shepherd, I really enjoyed watching him in both that show and in Sweet Home Alabama.  He is a very attractive guy.


Josh Lucas was excellent in Sweet Home Alabama. In the movie he owns a beautiful lightening glass store that reminds him of the relationship he lost.  He's a sweetheart and very attractive looking which definitely doesn't hurt his appeal.


Reese Witherspoon is attractive because she can play a variety of roles and I love her in all of them.  She seems like a very smart and interesting person with a caring personality.


So, those are some of the famous people I find attractive.  What about you?

30 Day Challenge - Day 22

How have you changed in the past 2 years?

Two years ago I was pregnant with our first child and life had been essentially put on hold.

I was on bed rest.  The only time I ever got out of bed was to use the wash room, grab something to eat, or go to a doctor's appointment.  Though I was excited at the prospect of pregnancy being over soon, and getting my life back, I was also terrified of bringing a baby into a household that at that point was full of financial stress.  We couldn't afford a crib, we couldn't afford baby clothes and we couldn't afford diapers.

That was then, and then there is now.

Luckily these days there is generally food on the table and money in the bank though we're still in debt in some areas it's currently nothing that is ruining our credit which is a nice change.

So how have I changed?

I've come to appreciate the little things in life more.  A sunset, chocolate, a scented candle, a flower.

For one our daughter sees the world in a whole different light, it has such a newness to it.  She loves caterpillars and trees, leaves and rocks, and dirt. . .oh how she loves dirt. :)

I'm trying to see the world more from her perspective, becoming more thankful for what I have rather than what I don't.  We don't live in the newest sexiest apartment out there but we have a safe home with wonderful friendly neighbours, carpet under our feet and covered parking. :)

So I've come to expect less, be happier with what I do have and share what I can with those less fortunate than us.  I've also become more engrossed in my faith as I see the beauty in God's creation through the eyes of a little girl.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 21

This blog post is on "One of your favourite tv shows".  The problem is it's hard to choose just one.

Last night I tuned in for the season premiere of Private Practice which is undoubtedly one of my favourite tv shows.

Ironically when I started watching it some years ago I was watching it because I couldn't stand the character of Addison Montgomery in Grey's Anatomy and wanted to see how the character would develop in a spin off show.

I suspected failure but. . .I fell in love.

I've been a dedicated Thursday night viewer since the series premiere. lol.

Apart from Private Practice I have a lot of other favourites as well.  These include (in no particular order). . .

* Sister Wives

* Grey's Anatomy

* House

* Chuck

* Little Mosque on the Prairie

* Fringe

* Til Debt Do Us Part

Etc Etc Etc. . . I could go on but I'll choose not to. :)

What are some of your favourite shows?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 20

Education.  Without it you can't get anywhere in life, and even with it, it isn't a guarantee you'll succeed.

I graduated from college in 2005 with a diploma in Office Administration.  I found my first "real" job in September 2008 so it took me approximately 3 years to find a job after graduating.  Then in 2009 I had a baby.

I haven't worked since 2009.  Was my education a waste of money?

The topic for this blog post is "How Important You think Education is."

You might think this is the point in my blog post that I'm going to argue that my education was a waste of time and money.  No, I'm not going to do that.

I actually started out my college education in a different program, Hotel and Resort Operations.  I didn't graduate from that but I did learn a lot.  I learned about mixing drinks in Bartending classes, how to pair wine with food in Wine Appreciation, I got my Smart Serve and I learned to make lots of fancy meals and use expensive knives in my cooking classes.

Then I took Art Appreciation - Design and Visual with a minor in Interior Design.  Yeah, I spent a lot of time in College finding myself.

When I finally took Office Administration - Legal I was able to use things that I had learned from the other programs to my advantage.  For instance, one of the tasks we were assigned was to design an office for our boss.  I knew how to do the proper layout for an interior design mock-up and I was familiar with drafting which helped a tonne when it came to getting high marks.

So, do I think education is important?  Yes.  I think learning is beneficial to everyone and it's essential to learn to read and write.  Is college or university important?  That's debatable.  I know without my education I couldn't get anywhere but with it still took a long time to get a job and even then it wasn't a very high paying job.  I was paid $10.50/hr to start with a maximum potential of $12/hr.  To compare that, in the call centre I worked at I made $17/hr and not everyone there had a college/ university education.

I am currently still paying off what was a $10,000 OSAP loan (1 year of education as I paid the rest out of pocket).  So, was it a waste of money to go to school? Despite everything, I don't think so. 

Will I encourage my daughter to go on to post-secondary education? Yes.  If not for the formal education or the possible wage increase, it's a great opportunity for self discovery, learning and having new life experiences.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 19

I know I've made some stupid mistakes over the years and this post was supposed to be on regrets but despite the mistakes I've made I don't really regret anything.

I wonder at times how the outcome might have been if I'd done things a bit differently but the decisions I made and the experiences I've had shaped me into the person I am today.

So, like the banner says "there are no regrets in life. . .just lessons." I've learned what not to do, I've learned who to trust and who not to trust, and I've grown significantly as a person through my experiences.

I'm more confident with myself, more accepting of who I am and more willing to stand up for what I believe in because I can claim those beliefs as my own.

My path in life wasn't a straight one, more of an off road adventure.  It was a bit wild at times and pretty messy but also a lot of fun at times.  If I hadn't made some stupid decisions then some of the good things in my life may not have happened in the end - like meeting and eventually marrying my husband. :) Timing is everything.

Like many people have said over the years, you won't regret what you did but what you didn't do and at this point I'm trying to experience everything I want to get out of life.

So. . .
Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt.  Sing like nobody's listening; and live life like it's heaven on earth.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 18

As I was putting my daughter to bed tonight I was thinking about the topic for this blog post, a book you could read over and over again and not get sick of.

It's a really good question because I can't say I've ever read a book that was at an adult reading level more than once.  I'm a goal oriented person and my goal is to reach the end of the book so it seems kind of silly to read it again after that. lol.  I've never read a book that was sooo good that I wanted to read it more than once.

I've bought books to share with others because I enjoyed them though.

So, hmmm. . . books that I can read over and over again and not get sick of. . .

These are the closest I can come up with:

We have a bunch of these books - That's not my Dinosaur, etc.  This was the first one we got:

I'm fairly certain it was a gift and it's been well loved.  I read this book at least a couple of times a week to my daughter and she enjoys it.  It's not my personal favourite but it's cute.

Then there's this one:

I love Little Wombat, the character in this story.  We read it almost every night.  My daughter loves pointing at the picture of Little Wombat curled up in a ball with his mom at the end of the book.  It's a great story and  the pictures are cute and sweet.

So. . .once I get back to reading something away from the children's section I'll possibly be able to suggest a book to be reread over and over but until then, these are the books I'm reading on an at least weekly basis that don't make me want to hurt myself. lol.

Do you have a favourite book?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 17

On day 17 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge the topic is "Your Highs and Lows of the Past Year".  I thought about this topic for most of the day because I really wasn't sure what I wanted to write but here goes:

The Lows:

1) Money - We've incurred a bit of debt, and we've struggled since we moved to Barrie in early 2009.  The move cost us a lot of money and the lack of work when we moved up there cost us more.  It was unfortunate how things worked out there and we're still not back on our feet but I couldn't have picked a better medical team than the ones we had when I was pregnant so I believe that's why God sent us up there.

2) Changes in relationships with friends - I've changed as a person since our daughter was born.  I don't feel like I have a lot to contribute to conversation any more with some of my old friends and I can feel us going our separate ways.  I think once our married friends start having children things might even out a little more again.

3) Health - My health hasn't been the greatest since 2008.  I still wear out easily and I'm discovering more and more allergies and intolerances.  It can be frustrating at times.

The Highs:

1) Moving into a new apartment - We moved into a new apartment at the beginning of this year and it's great!  We have friendly neighbors who we actually talk to and who don't slam doors in your face, we don't come home to pot smoke smell so strong you can taste it in your living room while you're cooking your own food, we have a pool and a great backyard in the back for our daughter to run around in!  Not to mention. . .carpeting!!  After having school style tile for a year carpeting was complete luxury.  I love waking up in the morning and stepping onto a fluffy floor. :)

2) Health - Yes, it's been a rough year for health but I am gradually getting better!  It's a really slow recovery and some days are better than others but I'm very very slowly putting on weight and getting more energy. :)

3) Our daughter - Though she's trying at times she's a lot of fun to play with and it's amazing to see how she looks at the world.  Everything is "oh wow" lately.  She clearly appreciates God's creation. :)

4) Cable - I really in truly appreciate Treehouse tv.  It has kept me sane at least a few times. lol.

5) Friendship - I've become closer to some of my old friends and developed some new friendships.

So, I guess that's it. :) I've been trying lately to focus more on the positive so I decided to end with the highs. :)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 16

The topic for day 16 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge is entitled "Your View on Mainstream Music".  I thought that was kind of a random question but here goes.


Urban Dictionary defines Mainstream Music as music that's usually on the radio, Top 40 and is well known to the general public. Usually criticized by fans of the previous mainstream generations, and people who prefer bands and/or genres that aren't a part of the mainstream popularity of the time.


So, how do I feel about mainstream music?  I honestly don't have much of an opinion.  For one, I rarely ever turn on the radio so I really don't know what is mainstream right now.


However, I would have to say that for the most part I enjoy some music from every genre.  Here's a small sample of some favourites. . .though there's lots more variety than is represented here. :)


Christina Aguilera - Candyman

Gwen Stephanie - What Are You Waiting For

Alicia Keys - Fallin'

What are some of your favourites?  Do you like "mainstream" music?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 15

On day 15 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge I'm supposed to write 15 interesting facts about myself.  So, here goes. . .

1) Every Christmas as a child I used to get what I thought was an absolutely horrible cold.  When I got older I got tested for allergies and realized I'm severely allergic to pine.  It's actually so bad that pine shavings make my  eyes itch and puff just from being around them.

2) I'm allergic to latex, peanuts and hazelnuts.  I found out I was allergic to latex when I had braces in grade 11.  My gums were getting horrible sores on them every time I had an adjustment.  I suggested to the orthodontist at random that perhaps I was allergic.  He agreed it was a possibility and changed the gloves he used and all my elastics to latex free.  The sores all went away and didn't come back.  Years later when I had allergy testing I asked to be tested for that as well and sure enough, just as I thought, I'm allergic to latex.

3) I'm also allergic to horses and dogs.  I never knew this until I went to college and had a full panel of allergy tests done.  However, I'm afraid of both so it's never really affected me.

4) I have Celiac disease.  Celiac disease is a medical condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by a substance called gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats). This results in an inability of the body to absorb nutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for good health.

5) I'm a Christian.  I was born into a Christian home but my faith has changed significantly as I've grown up and I'm now comfortable enough to call it my own.

6) I'm a stay at home mom.

7) I love to sing.  I've been told I have a great voice but I rarely sing anywhere outside of church or my home.

8) I love to dance.  I took dance lessons as a child and still wish I'd taken more.  I've tried to go back as an adult but never have enough time or money to do it.

9) I still weigh the same amount that I did in first year college (I never put on the freshman 15 either).  The only time I weighed more was when I was pregnant (I put on 20lbs).  No matter how hard I try I can't seem to put on more than 5lbs and then it just drops off.  It's a constant struggle.

10) I hate shopping but I love to buy stuff.  I would much rather shop online than in a store.  I don't mind shopping at 2am when no one else is in the store.  This is especially fun at Walmart around Christmas time.

11) I love watching Hoarders.  Every time it comes on I'm grateful that I don't live in a house that is that messy but it still makes me want to clean.

12) Sometimes I watch Treehouse TV after our daughter has fallen asleep.  I'm so used to having it on that I forget to turn it off.

13) I love Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Fringe, Chuck, and Sister Wives.  I can't wait until all the seasons start up again!

14) I have weird food habits.  I can eat the same exact thing for 365 days in a row and not get sick of it until day 366.  Then I don't want to see it for at least a month.

15) I love to redecorate.  I'm constantly coming up with ideas on how to make our place more like home.

So I hope those were interesting.  I really had to pull teeth to come up with 15 of them. lol.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 14

Your Earliest Memory.

Honestly my childhood is a bit of a blur.

I remember making tents out of blankets, playing dinosaur with my dad (he was the dinosaur we rode on his back), and playing "sandwich" with a chair my parents had that folded out.  Sandwich was when you went in between the cushions of the fold out chair and people sat on top of the chair creating a "sandwiching" affect.  You would then tickle the person stuck in the chair until they screamed to stop.

I'm sure I have memories from before grade 2 but they aren't as vivid as this one.

So I'll take you back to Pigeon Lake. . .

The year was 1989 and I was in grade 2.  Our family, at the time my parents, brother, sister and I were going to our first cottage as a family.  I was extremely excited.

My mom had written me a note to get out of school a few days early for summer vacation.  It was a long car ride up there.  If anyone is familiar with Ontario you'll know that on the way up north there are A LOT of pink rocks.  I still hate pink rocks.  They still make me feel car sick to this day. lol.  Anyway, enough about that.

I don't remember that much about the car ride other than I believe we took the Brown Chevy and I can remember the smell of crayons melting in the window.  Such an awful smell!

I remember going to the zoo on that vacation but I don't remember much about that.  I think it was in Peterborough but I can't be sure.  What I do remember is the rainy day that we played with an Origami book.  I remember trying to fold a fox but all I could manage to make was a paper cup.  So I made A LOT of paper cups.

I remember the swings outside, and the kids that we met from the cottage next door.  I don't remember much about them other than they were fun to play with and I remember discussing that our cottage had mice and they said that their cottage had snakes.  We decided mice were better.

My mom hated the cottage experience.  She whined about cleaning and she whined about the mice.  She complained that she had to wash the dishes every morning before we could have breakfast.  I don't know why she didn't just put the dishes in a protective container of some sort. lol.

I remember the dock.  Unfortunately the brochure for the cottage had mentioned a beach and there was one but it wasn't very good for swimming as there was a lot of plant life in the water.  We did get to play in the sand though and I remember going on a paddle boat.

I believe this is where my love of cottages originally grew from.  Although it wasn't necessarily the perfect experience for everyone, I still love cottaging and someday hope to take our daughter to a cottage and possibly own one as well. :)

What was your earliest memory?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 13

Day 13 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge talks about places I'd like to visit.  I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to a lot of places including most of Canada and parts of the U.S. throughout my childhood.  I also got to go to Poland and Portugal.

However, I missed out on going to one place in particular that most people went to as a child.  So to begin with, one place I'd like to visit would be Disney World.

I would like to take our daughter to Disney World and have the whole Disney experience.  I've heard wonderful things about the park from my mom when I was growing up and since the last time she went was when she was in university in the 1970s I'd imagine things have probably even gotten more magical since then.

I'd love to stay in a hotel there and take advantage of the fact that Disney apparently does an amazing job at dealing with allergies and intolerances and could feed my daughter and I gluten free food without a problem.

Venice, Italy.  I've always wanted to go to Venice since my aunt bought me a tape as a child called "Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery".

Venice seems like such a romantic city and the idea of waterways instead of streets is very interesting to me.

I would also like to go to Rome but Venice is definitely more important to me.

I've also heard that Italy has some of the best gluten free pasta in the world so that's a pretty big motivation to go right there. lol.

Spain.  I love almost all forms of dance and Flamenco dance has got to be one of the coolest kinds of dance out there.  I'd love to see it in person in Spain.

The culture, language, history and food of Spain completely fascinates me. I'd love to visit the capital, Madrid, one day and possibly along the coast as well.

Paris, France.  I honestly don't care that much about seeing most of France but I figure it's one of those places that if you're going to see the world you should really stop by just to say you've been there.  Especially since I've already been to Portugal and I'd like to see Spain.  It's just so "close" by. lol.






Finally, I'll add St. Lucia.  I've always wanted to go to St. Lucia since I did a project on it in grade 6. lol.  It's just a beautiful Carribean island.  I have never been to the Carribean before and I think it would be nice to lay on the beach for a week enjoying the beauty.

So, that's where I'd like to visit.  Well, at least for now.  Where would you like to go?

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 12

Today was a really rainy and kind of depressing day when it came to the weather so we didn't get to do that much.  This blog challenge post is entitled "Bullet Your Day".  I'm a stay at home mom so I don't lead the most exciting life anyway, but here's what we did today:

* Got up
* I made Breakfast for daughter and I
* We watched something on Treehouse TV while eating breakfast
* I took a shower
* Played peek-a-boo with my daughter with the shower curtain while showering.
* Daughter held her hands under the water from the shower and splashed it at me and I splashed back and she giggled.
* Got out of the shower, set clothes on the bed to get dressed.  Daughter helped by stealing clothes and running down the hall with them. lol.  I got them back from her and got dressed.
* Checked my email, Facebook, twitter, Google+ and various other social networking accounts.
* Told my daughter to stop jumping on the couch. Repeated this a multitude of times!!
* Hubby offered to take our daughter outside for a bit before it started raining to save my sanity.  They got downstairs and it started raining so they were back up very quickly unfortunately.
* Her and I played on the balcony for a bit in the rain puddles.
* I whined that it was too cold out to spend too long out there so we went inside
* Made lunch
* Went shopping at Scholar's Choice for toilet training supplies, Cheeky Monkey for new sippy cups (the last one we had was lost under the couch and when it was found, despite being cleaned, never seemed quite clean enough again.), and the grocery store.
* Got home
* Made dinner and ate
* Put baby to bed
* Back to social networking, blogging, and getting caught up, etc.

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 11

Day 11, of the 30 Day Blog Challenge, asks you to put your iPod on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.   I had a bit of a challenge with that since the last time I used my iPod was 2009 when I was pregnant with my daughter and loading it with music for labour so first I had to find it.

The music on there mostly isn't stuff I would listen to on a day to day basis but there are still some favourites amongst everything.  I had loaded it with music that I thought would deal with the various labour emotions though I didn't actually use the ipod in the end at all.

Anyway long story short, here are the first 10 songs that came up (I omitted some random classical ones because I had no idea who they were by or what they were called. lol)

1) Christina Aguilera - Beautiful

2) Monica - Street Symphony

3) Monica - For You I will

4) Lauryn Hill - His Eye is on the Sparrow

5) Beyonce - Beautiful Liar

6) Axwell - Watch the Sunrise

7) Brandy - Anybody

8) Fort Minor - Remember the Name

9) Monica - Gone Be Fine

10) Lincoln Brewster - You are Good