so i was lucky enough (blessed?) to get invited to a south asian (read: Indian) restaurant last night for a friend's mother's 60th birthday. and the funny thing was, myself, rockstar hubby and another friend, were the only 'whities'. the rest were 'brownies'. (note: because we are white, we are not aloud to call them brown, we are to call them south asian. so excuse my references which come directly from my south asian friend. were i telling the story in my own words, i would say, south asian, but then it wouldnt' be as funny.) the exciting part was that i would finally find out how they eat. yes, i know, with their hands and forks and knives. hardeeharhar. however...you know what i mean. how many of you have had the rare opportunity to go to a secluded, strange chinese food restaurant, and eaten 'real' chinese food? (sorry, north asian food) it's a huge treat. i used to work in a chinese restaurant in thunder bay (there were two and yes they were delicious). and if i did some prep work for the kitchen (mind you it didn't happen often because i was always working the front by myself), after we closed at 9-10 o'clock, i would be invited to eat dinner. dinner involved luxurious, simple dishes that were not, as B would put it, deep fried or battered. fresh fish, tofu and vegetables in tangy sauce, my favourite house fried rice! we would all sit in a circle, our bowls filled with white rice and we would slurp our food with chopsticks. i would never take the fish eyeball, even though it was offered. and conversation was pretty much in their language and i have absolutely no idea what they talked about, but it didn't matter because i was slurping right along, stuffing myself so i wouldn't have to eat breakfast the next morning. (you remember how expensive it was being a student)and since then, i have not had the privilege of eating anything so spectacular again. so when we were invited to dinner last night, i thought, finally! i get to try it!
the restaurant is the Taj Mahal on bank street. yes, it looks a little scummy from the outside. but let me tell you, when you open the door, you don't smell the typical stinky fried foods. the flavours are heavenly. i sat beside my brown friend, and asked her what we should order. we ordered a spinach dish and a lamb dish. now i know it sounds boring. she herself ordered the 'brown person's tandoori chicken', which turns out, is chicken that has been soaking in it's sauce for over 24 hours. so you can imagine the heat! we received our dishes and i have to tell you, it did indeed look like baby vomit. or dog vomit. well, it was vomit. but the smell!!! my nose was already tingling and getting stuffy. hubby and i threw on the basmati rice and piled it on.
oh my goodness.
it was brilliant. the flavours were incredible. it was spicy and fragrant and sweet and starchy and chewy and well, perfect. my brown friend explained that she had ordered the 'white person' heat because there was no way we could have handled it. then she gave me a piece of her chicken. i was smart. i picked from the inside, where the chicken had not been touched by spices. it was perfect. and then the heat hit me. and i couldn't stop the tears and i couldn't stop the burning but i didn't want it to go away because it was so good! i mean, it's not like hot chicken wings where all you taste is just plain hot. this was sooooo good! i guess she felt sorry for me because she handed me a glass of mango juice. yes, mango juice. i took a sip. gone. the heat, was gone. completely and utterly gone. but so was the taste.
needless to say we ate way beyond our fill and staggered back to the car where i proceeded to have disgustingly smelly farts all the way home. it was brilliant.
so my question is: what do canadians do? i mean, do south asians come over to a 'canadian' restaurant and say, 'hey, i don't want the food you feed everyone else. i want the real canadian food.' what do we give them? poutine? venison? salmon? i have absolutely no idea. hopefully i will never be asked.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
baby it's hot outside
yesterday was a yucky sick day. but dristan nasal spray and nyquil at night made the sleep more bearable and today i'm just tired. and that's ok.
have found vegan cookbook and was expecting strange yucky things in it filled with tofu and birdseed, but i am pleasantly surprised by some of the recipes. spring rolls with peanut sauce, sweet potato and pea samosas....i think i have a food...no wait, i think i'm a foody. i like good food. i savour each bite. no quick eating for me unless i'm in a hurry. what should i make tonight? probably just salad. too hot for anything else.
have sketched out three canvases to paint. am quite excited by what it'll look like. am attempting blowing peony, and tulips. and a smaller scale version of my buttercups. must come up with more ideas.
have found vegan cookbook and was expecting strange yucky things in it filled with tofu and birdseed, but i am pleasantly surprised by some of the recipes. spring rolls with peanut sauce, sweet potato and pea samosas....i think i have a food...no wait, i think i'm a foody. i like good food. i savour each bite. no quick eating for me unless i'm in a hurry. what should i make tonight? probably just salad. too hot for anything else.
have sketched out three canvases to paint. am quite excited by what it'll look like. am attempting blowing peony, and tulips. and a smaller scale version of my buttercups. must come up with more ideas.
Monday, June 25, 2007
just monday
well, my heart was definitely in my throat as rockstar hubby and gaffer saddled up on my purple supercycle (black basket with pink flowers removed), and biked off to uncle p's where they went for a canoe ride. i didn't know how to take it, but i trusted my husband. i trusted my husband. i trusted my husband with the life of my little man. oh that was so hard. they had a blast apparently. so i guess they can go again. maybe.
spent my morning banging off two more sections of the book. went rather well i think. need's work but that's what tomorrow is for!
spent the afternoon finishing all the weeding and mulching (ah i'm done!) so now all i have to do is the occasional pop up removal of weed and tending the veggies. oh lovely lovely veggies. i deflowered a cilantro and then spent the rest of the day sniffing my fingers. i think i'm worse than a nic-addict.
spent later afternoon with gaffer buying a few groceries and making infamous chili for tomorrow's supper. proceeded to make pie for hubby and firefighter friends, when stove caught on fire. oops. calmly turned off stove and turned on fan. it went out. good girl. will not be opening stove until hubby cleans. he won't be home until wednesday. that's fine. chili crockpot is lovely.
have huge painting plans for tomorrow afternoon. will post poppy masterpiece once have finished and have digitally pictured it.
spent my morning banging off two more sections of the book. went rather well i think. need's work but that's what tomorrow is for!
spent the afternoon finishing all the weeding and mulching (ah i'm done!) so now all i have to do is the occasional pop up removal of weed and tending the veggies. oh lovely lovely veggies. i deflowered a cilantro and then spent the rest of the day sniffing my fingers. i think i'm worse than a nic-addict.
spent later afternoon with gaffer buying a few groceries and making infamous chili for tomorrow's supper. proceeded to make pie for hubby and firefighter friends, when stove caught on fire. oops. calmly turned off stove and turned on fan. it went out. good girl. will not be opening stove until hubby cleans. he won't be home until wednesday. that's fine. chili crockpot is lovely.
have huge painting plans for tomorrow afternoon. will post poppy masterpiece once have finished and have digitally pictured it.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
ingredients for a good date
two decent babysitters
one grande decaf soy orange mocha latte
one walk in the glebe to look at rich houses
one reservation at infusion in the glebe
one order of chicken satay in peanut sesame sauce
one order of mixed wild mushrooms and gruyere melted in a filo pastry with sweet balsamic vinegar
one order of dry gin martini, extra dirty, 5 olives, chilled no ice
one order of mixed mushroom linguini pasta with baked chicken cooked in a white wine cream sauce.
i was his.
one grande decaf soy orange mocha latte
one walk in the glebe to look at rich houses
one reservation at infusion in the glebe
one order of chicken satay in peanut sesame sauce
one order of mixed wild mushrooms and gruyere melted in a filo pastry with sweet balsamic vinegar
one order of dry gin martini, extra dirty, 5 olives, chilled no ice
one order of mixed mushroom linguini pasta with baked chicken cooked in a white wine cream sauce.
i was his.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
exercise at home
today's thought is:
if i clean the entire house, i mean, everything with the exception of reorganizing: if i clean the entire house, vaccuming, dusting, putting away of things, cleaning bathrooms, i should technically burn about 500 calories right? i mean, that could excuse going to the gym today. i mean, i'd love to go to the gym, but the gaffer is quite content to be at home, given it's been a busy week. so i'll just keep scrubbing, feeling the burn in my forearms, the sore bum of squatting under beds, and back exercises from folding laundry. right? anyone?
if i clean the entire house, i mean, everything with the exception of reorganizing: if i clean the entire house, vaccuming, dusting, putting away of things, cleaning bathrooms, i should technically burn about 500 calories right? i mean, that could excuse going to the gym today. i mean, i'd love to go to the gym, but the gaffer is quite content to be at home, given it's been a busy week. so i'll just keep scrubbing, feeling the burn in my forearms, the sore bum of squatting under beds, and back exercises from folding laundry. right? anyone?
Thursday, June 21, 2007
dream of josh
excellent writing day yesterday. got three chapters done. have begun idea for book for three day writing competition. it just might work.
saw doctor for bloodwork to figure out why i'm so tired. said it could be a sleep problem. which would make a lot of sense. i never slip into a deep sleep at night. i end up dreaming all night, talking all night, grinding my teeth all night. really annoying.
however, had interesting dream about Josh. yes, the Josh, of S's son. dreamt i was visiting somewhere (heaven?) and there were people everywhere, and he turned around and i knew it was him right away. even though i've never met him. he was beautiful. he smiled at me and came over and said 'i'd recognize you anywhere!' and i said the same to him. he said, 'B and Bee and my mom talk about you all the time!' and i said, 'they talk about you too. they miss you, you know.' and he threw back his head (just like B does) and laughed. then the scene changed and he was sitting on a stile (sp?) and was perched on it, with his head in his hand and he was looking down through clouds. just watching. and he kept laughing. it was very 'happy'. i guess he's thinking of you guys.
am now fighting cold due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion of writing book.
saw doctor for bloodwork to figure out why i'm so tired. said it could be a sleep problem. which would make a lot of sense. i never slip into a deep sleep at night. i end up dreaming all night, talking all night, grinding my teeth all night. really annoying.
however, had interesting dream about Josh. yes, the Josh, of S's son. dreamt i was visiting somewhere (heaven?) and there were people everywhere, and he turned around and i knew it was him right away. even though i've never met him. he was beautiful. he smiled at me and came over and said 'i'd recognize you anywhere!' and i said the same to him. he said, 'B and Bee and my mom talk about you all the time!' and i said, 'they talk about you too. they miss you, you know.' and he threw back his head (just like B does) and laughed. then the scene changed and he was sitting on a stile (sp?) and was perched on it, with his head in his hand and he was looking down through clouds. just watching. and he kept laughing. it was very 'happy'. i guess he's thinking of you guys.
am now fighting cold due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion of writing book.
dreams of josh
dreams of josh
excellent writing day yesterday. got three chapters done. have begun idea for book for three day writing competition. it just might work.
saw doctor for bloodwork to figure out why i'm so tired. said it could be a sleep problem. which would make a lot of sense. i never slip into a deep sleep at night. i end up dreaming all night, talking all night, grinding my teeth all night. really annoying.
however, had interesting dream about Josh. yes, the Josh, of S's son. dreamt i was visiting somewhere (heaven?) and there were people everywhere, and he turned around and i knew it was him right away. he was beautiful. even though i've never met him. he smiled at me and came over and said 'i'd recognize you anywhere!' and i said the same to him. he said, 'B and Bee and my mom talk about you all the time!' and i said, 'they talk about you too. they miss you, you know.' and he threw back his head (just like B does) and laughed. then the scene changed and he was sitting on a stile (sp?) and was perched on it, with his head in his hand and he was looking down through clouds. just watching. and he kept laughing. it was very 'happy'. i guess he's thinking of you guys.
am now fighting cold due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion of writing book.
excellent writing day yesterday. got three chapters done. have begun idea for book for three day writing competition. it just might work.
saw doctor for bloodwork to figure out why i'm so tired. said it could be a sleep problem. which would make a lot of sense. i never slip into a deep sleep at night. i end up dreaming all night, talking all night, grinding my teeth all night. really annoying.
however, had interesting dream about Josh. yes, the Josh, of S's son. dreamt i was visiting somewhere (heaven?) and there were people everywhere, and he turned around and i knew it was him right away. he was beautiful. even though i've never met him. he smiled at me and came over and said 'i'd recognize you anywhere!' and i said the same to him. he said, 'B and Bee and my mom talk about you all the time!' and i said, 'they talk about you too. they miss you, you know.' and he threw back his head (just like B does) and laughed. then the scene changed and he was sitting on a stile (sp?) and was perched on it, with his head in his hand and he was looking down through clouds. just watching. and he kept laughing. it was very 'happy'. i guess he's thinking of you guys.
am now fighting cold due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion of writing book.
dreams of josh
excellent writing day yesterday. got three chapters done. have begun idea for book for three day writing competition. it just might work.
saw doctor for bloodwork to figure out why i'm so tired. said it could be a sleep problem. which would make a lot of sense. i never slip into a deep sleep at night. i end up dreaming all night, talking all night, grinding my teeth all night. really annoying.
however, had interesting dream about Josh. yes, the Josh, of S's son. dreamt i was visiting somewhere (heaven?) and there were people everywhere, and he turned around and i knew it was him right away. he was beautiful. even though i've never met him. he smiled at me and came over and said 'i'd recognize you anywhere!' and i said the same to him. he said, 'B and Bee and my mom talk about you all the time!' and i said, 'they talk about you too. they miss you, you know.' and he threw back his head (just like B does) and laughed. then the scene changed and he was sitting on a stile (sp?) and was perched on it, with his head in his hand and he was looking down through clouds. just watching. and he kept laughing. it was very 'happy'. i guess he's thinking of you guys.
am now fighting cold due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion of writing book.
saw doctor for bloodwork to figure out why i'm so tired. said it could be a sleep problem. which would make a lot of sense. i never slip into a deep sleep at night. i end up dreaming all night, talking all night, grinding my teeth all night. really annoying.
however, had interesting dream about Josh. yes, the Josh, of S's son. dreamt i was visiting somewhere (heaven?) and there were people everywhere, and he turned around and i knew it was him right away. he was beautiful. even though i've never met him. he smiled at me and came over and said 'i'd recognize you anywhere!' and i said the same to him. he said, 'B and Bee and my mom talk about you all the time!' and i said, 'they talk about you too. they miss you, you know.' and he threw back his head (just like B does) and laughed. then the scene changed and he was sitting on a stile (sp?) and was perched on it, with his head in his hand and he was looking down through clouds. just watching. and he kept laughing. it was very 'happy'. i guess he's thinking of you guys.
am now fighting cold due to lack of sleep and emotional exhaustion of writing book.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
stuff
you'd think i'd feel better by now. the pain in my thighs would be gone. nope. and i'm only complaining a little. i mean, it feels a little better. but i'm just going to have to write today instead of working out. bummer.
had a lovely day yesterday. ran some errands in the morning, had a luxurious nap (hubby was home) then went to b's for a swim. but i didn't swim. instead we yapped on the porch. lovely lovely. had awesome meat for dinner. meat is good. came home, cuddled with hubby.
woke up to a gaffer wanting to play downstairs because there was dirt in the sunroom. what? went in. found large clump of bird seed, sticks, and grass. lovely. lab barf. she doesn't care what she eats. although i'm sure the birds will be miffed at b's because she ate their seed. bloody dog.
high of 37C today. oh dear. why isn't it thursday yet? i'll just have cool baths and think of air conditioning on thursday.
watch it go down to 15 on thursday...
grumble grumble.
had a lovely day yesterday. ran some errands in the morning, had a luxurious nap (hubby was home) then went to b's for a swim. but i didn't swim. instead we yapped on the porch. lovely lovely. had awesome meat for dinner. meat is good. came home, cuddled with hubby.
woke up to a gaffer wanting to play downstairs because there was dirt in the sunroom. what? went in. found large clump of bird seed, sticks, and grass. lovely. lab barf. she doesn't care what she eats. although i'm sure the birds will be miffed at b's because she ate their seed. bloody dog.
high of 37C today. oh dear. why isn't it thursday yet? i'll just have cool baths and think of air conditioning on thursday.
watch it go down to 15 on thursday...
grumble grumble.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
THE book
a pretty nice day. got home late last night and the gaffer didn't fall asleep until 9pm (ugh) and of course woke up with nightmares of 'flowers growing'. which was a lot better than the other night where he woke up to a 'crab got my toes' which took forever to calm him down. i eventually gave him a wooden spoon and said if the crab comes back to spank him and send him to time out. that seemed to pacify him.
went to a wedding this afternoon with S and it was really nice. the pastor was wickedawesome, and he spoke a lot about the love of Jesus being the most important. it was fantastic. then we kinda skipped dinner and went to mexi's for food. and talk. and what did the talk come down to? i've got to write THE book. i mean i'm thrilled with the progress of the kid's one, and i've got tons of ideas now, but i need to write THE book. it's time to get it out. maybe i can split write?
looking forward to tomorrow's 5km 'do it for dad' race. should be good. gotta beat 32 minutes.
went to a wedding this afternoon with S and it was really nice. the pastor was wickedawesome, and he spoke a lot about the love of Jesus being the most important. it was fantastic. then we kinda skipped dinner and went to mexi's for food. and talk. and what did the talk come down to? i've got to write THE book. i mean i'm thrilled with the progress of the kid's one, and i've got tons of ideas now, but i need to write THE book. it's time to get it out. maybe i can split write?
looking forward to tomorrow's 5km 'do it for dad' race. should be good. gotta beat 32 minutes.
Friday, June 15, 2007
yucky morning.
it's a rule that things only go bum over chest when the hubby leaves for a four-day weekend away with absolutely no way of contacting him. case in point: i get a call this morning at 7:30 from a work associate of hubby's. problem number 1. cheque bounced from tree customer. oh dear. that's a lot of money out of our account. oh dear. i don't think we have the money in there to cover the bounced cheque. oh dear. problem number 2. fellow firefighter friend died in accident yesterday. oh dear. oh dear.
am praying for peace for the rest of the weekend...and resources.
am praying for peace for the rest of the weekend...and resources.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
paper, paper and more paper
besides the fact that i had a superwickedawesome day and got 7 pages written (!!!!) of my book, what delighted me the most was not the pages, nor the bathing suit i bought that doesn't actually look awful on me (walmart, 20$), but the fact that on the way back from the loblaws, i was walking to my car and a whirlwind came up. and it wasn't the whirlwind that caught my attention, but the bits of paper flying in it. so i followed them with my eyes and they just went higher and higher into the sky. then they disappeared from sight they went so high. it was beautiful. a lovely display of love from God. loved it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
busy days
well, i did have an amazing time away. and now it's back to work! laundry, gardening, cleaning the house and getting rockstar hubby out the door so he can go on his four day camping trip. am quite jealous, but thinking of how the mosquitos are still bad...i'll stay here quite happily.
gaffer was quite weird yesterday. sitter said he was quite aggressive and not listening to her at all. looked at his red face and wondered what was going on. we all went to subway so we could attend the party in the park but gaffer fell asleep immediately in the car. so we took him home. his nose was quite runny and his cheeks were quite pink, so we gave him some advil and sent him to bed. he slept like a rock all night. i guess he wasn't feeling well. so we'll be spending today at home doing some work around the house while he plays quietly. i think he had a rough, busy weekend, even though it was fun, and he just wants mommy.
gardening bragging now: pulled out many weeds. have one garden bed complete. have staked peas and beans because they are getting so big. peppers are starting to flower.
am looking forward to tomorrow's day off (again, but yesterday involved running around for 5 hours to get things for trip) where i will write a lot (that's the plan) and will be looking at more writing contests to possibly enter. am very excited about one on labour day weekend that involves writing a story over a three day period. sounds like a lot of fun
gaffer was quite weird yesterday. sitter said he was quite aggressive and not listening to her at all. looked at his red face and wondered what was going on. we all went to subway so we could attend the party in the park but gaffer fell asleep immediately in the car. so we took him home. his nose was quite runny and his cheeks were quite pink, so we gave him some advil and sent him to bed. he slept like a rock all night. i guess he wasn't feeling well. so we'll be spending today at home doing some work around the house while he plays quietly. i think he had a rough, busy weekend, even though it was fun, and he just wants mommy.
gardening bragging now: pulled out many weeds. have one garden bed complete. have staked peas and beans because they are getting so big. peppers are starting to flower.
am looking forward to tomorrow's day off (again, but yesterday involved running around for 5 hours to get things for trip) where i will write a lot (that's the plan) and will be looking at more writing contests to possibly enter. am very excited about one on labour day weekend that involves writing a story over a three day period. sounds like a lot of fun
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Questions that came to mind while on retreat
1. why do all the cows in the fields face the same way? did one of the cows say, 'hey! look over there!' and they all turned? is it a sun-bathing thing where they all turn every 30 minutes? (actually, that sounds delicious)
2. why is it i can't slow down? i'm slow at home. why am i so fast here? i've never eaten an entire plate of food in 10 minutes. what's up with that?
3. why does food taste so much better when you don't have to make it?
4. why does food taste so awful when you don't make it?
5. why doesn't my brother want to hang out with me?
6. why doens't he want to talk?
7. what has changed us so much that we are no longer close?
8. and why does that hurt so much?
9. why is it that as soon as i get anywhere, i have to leave to run around and check out everything?
10. why did i just spend 14$ on a pair of shorts and 24$ on a pair of boys' capri pants? i'd never spend that at home. i'd balk at spending over 5$ on anything! even starbucks!
11. why am i so sleepy?
12. why are there pictures of Mary everywhere? (answer: i'm in a Catholic building)
13. why do i miss my boys so much when i just saw them 6 hours ago?
14. why did i bring so much stuff?
15. would my hubby really be that annoyed if i went to the movies without him?
16. why do i look better in boys clothes?
17. why am i so weepy?
Today:
1. why do they put pieces of chees in tiny little packets that are hard to open? maybe all food that is fattening should be in hard to open containers so that you burn calories before eating it.
2. why was that mother feeding her 1 year old a mcdonald's burger?
3. why do plants in stores always look so pretty that i want to buy them?
4. why was i so weepy during service?
5. why do i not miss my family anymore?
6. why am i the only one in the building of 100 rooms?
7. what am i eating for dinner if no one is here?
8. why are the houses in small towns so big and beautiful and affordable, but they are too far away to live in?
9. why am i no longer afraid to have another baby?
2. why is it i can't slow down? i'm slow at home. why am i so fast here? i've never eaten an entire plate of food in 10 minutes. what's up with that?
3. why does food taste so much better when you don't have to make it?
4. why does food taste so awful when you don't make it?
5. why doesn't my brother want to hang out with me?
6. why doens't he want to talk?
7. what has changed us so much that we are no longer close?
8. and why does that hurt so much?
9. why is it that as soon as i get anywhere, i have to leave to run around and check out everything?
10. why did i just spend 14$ on a pair of shorts and 24$ on a pair of boys' capri pants? i'd never spend that at home. i'd balk at spending over 5$ on anything! even starbucks!
11. why am i so sleepy?
12. why are there pictures of Mary everywhere? (answer: i'm in a Catholic building)
13. why do i miss my boys so much when i just saw them 6 hours ago?
14. why did i bring so much stuff?
15. would my hubby really be that annoyed if i went to the movies without him?
16. why do i look better in boys clothes?
17. why am i so weepy?
Today:
1. why do they put pieces of chees in tiny little packets that are hard to open? maybe all food that is fattening should be in hard to open containers so that you burn calories before eating it.
2. why was that mother feeding her 1 year old a mcdonald's burger?
3. why do plants in stores always look so pretty that i want to buy them?
4. why was i so weepy during service?
5. why do i not miss my family anymore?
6. why am i the only one in the building of 100 rooms?
7. what am i eating for dinner if no one is here?
8. why are the houses in small towns so big and beautiful and affordable, but they are too far away to live in?
9. why am i no longer afraid to have another baby?
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Madame Blueberry
Now, I’m normally an organized person. Actually, that’s a big fat lie. I’m a disaster. My rockstar hubby says that a tornado always follows me around. Clothes, books, papers and pens scattered everywhere. My house is quite messy; however, you won’t find dishes strewn about, or food on the floor (granted we have a dog, so that helps). I’m not very good at doing laundry. Actually that’s a lie too. I like doing laundry. I like washing and I like drying, I even like folding. I just don’t like putting it away. I never like putting things away. I can fill a dishwasher and I can fill the sink. I can pack perfectly for a trip. But putting away? That’s a different story. In January, rockstar hubby and I went to d.r for a vacation. I have yet to unpack my sarong and bikini. Huh. Maybe that’s where my straw hat went. However, when we do have company coming, or I can no longer find the gaffer, we do clean up. I usually enlist hubby’s help because he can clean the entire house of my 32 tornados in 60 minutes flat. Oh yes, he’s that good (and I thought I married him because he can make me laugh!). That man can clean anything. Except the crud in the bathroom. You know what I’m talking about. The crud that gets in the tub, around the toilet, in the toilet, behind the sink, in the sink, on the handles of the sink, and of course in the corners of the bathroom itself. However, that’s another story.
So now you know I’m messy. But I have a confession. I secretly harbor fantasies of a clean organized house. I chose red for my kitchen because I could see the shiny silver spice containers spinning in their own stand, for the shiny clean utensils hanging on my wall. My toaster gleaming in the sunlight and the microwave not smelling of stale popcorn. I would even have a little cubby at the bar where only my laptop sits, with a Martha stewart designed corkboard of recipes in blue notepaper and black and white pictures of the ocean. My papers and books are folded neatly away in labeled folders underneath in a sweet cabinet. My sparkling wine glasses hanging, dust free from a rack and my English teacup collection, stacked in a carefree but neat manner on its own shelf. I dream of shiny parquet floors that don’t collect dust bunnies in the corners, and baseboards that gleam white. My jackets are hung properly, the shoes are straightened, and the door actually closes in the hall. My bed is always made with a lavender sachet nestled on my pillow, and my clothes are hanging on wooden hangers, in colour coded order, and my unmentionables are folded. The sun room has puffy, clean pillows on the couch and I have well-tended hanging plants in the corners. My newly stitched curtains blow in the breeze from the windows that actually open. Oh yes, I fantasize.
So you can imagine my jaw dropping when I went into bulk barn this morning. Oh yes. Many, many little containers, with their flours and their labels all beautifully laid out before me. (No I did not go near the candy. I know better than that.) But the big, clean silver trowels to scoop out your wares! I was in heaven. How many flours are there? I never even knew they existed! I began to envision my kitchen with many ceramic silver jars, with tiny little white labels of black calligraphy…buckwheat flour, unbleached white flour, quinoa flour, spelt flour, and so on. I imagined sashaying into the kitchen with an unexpected visitor who dropped by, following me in as I say nonchalantly, tossing my head, ‘Oh I was just about to make some organic blueberry rhubarb spelt cookies, would you care for one?’ or the phone would ring and hubby would ask what’s for dinner. ‘well, we can have all vegetable quinoa tortellini or buckwheat quiche if you like’. Of course now I’m just integrating my cooking fantasies too.
Oh, I am so Madame Blueberry, wishing to be like Madame Lacrosses, who has ceramic jars for all of her sauces…
I should probably go put away the laundry I folded last week. I think I’m out of underwear.
So now you know I’m messy. But I have a confession. I secretly harbor fantasies of a clean organized house. I chose red for my kitchen because I could see the shiny silver spice containers spinning in their own stand, for the shiny clean utensils hanging on my wall. My toaster gleaming in the sunlight and the microwave not smelling of stale popcorn. I would even have a little cubby at the bar where only my laptop sits, with a Martha stewart designed corkboard of recipes in blue notepaper and black and white pictures of the ocean. My papers and books are folded neatly away in labeled folders underneath in a sweet cabinet. My sparkling wine glasses hanging, dust free from a rack and my English teacup collection, stacked in a carefree but neat manner on its own shelf. I dream of shiny parquet floors that don’t collect dust bunnies in the corners, and baseboards that gleam white. My jackets are hung properly, the shoes are straightened, and the door actually closes in the hall. My bed is always made with a lavender sachet nestled on my pillow, and my clothes are hanging on wooden hangers, in colour coded order, and my unmentionables are folded. The sun room has puffy, clean pillows on the couch and I have well-tended hanging plants in the corners. My newly stitched curtains blow in the breeze from the windows that actually open. Oh yes, I fantasize.
So you can imagine my jaw dropping when I went into bulk barn this morning. Oh yes. Many, many little containers, with their flours and their labels all beautifully laid out before me. (No I did not go near the candy. I know better than that.) But the big, clean silver trowels to scoop out your wares! I was in heaven. How many flours are there? I never even knew they existed! I began to envision my kitchen with many ceramic silver jars, with tiny little white labels of black calligraphy…buckwheat flour, unbleached white flour, quinoa flour, spelt flour, and so on. I imagined sashaying into the kitchen with an unexpected visitor who dropped by, following me in as I say nonchalantly, tossing my head, ‘Oh I was just about to make some organic blueberry rhubarb spelt cookies, would you care for one?’ or the phone would ring and hubby would ask what’s for dinner. ‘well, we can have all vegetable quinoa tortellini or buckwheat quiche if you like’. Of course now I’m just integrating my cooking fantasies too.
Oh, I am so Madame Blueberry, wishing to be like Madame Lacrosses, who has ceramic jars for all of her sauces…
I should probably go put away the laundry I folded last week. I think I’m out of underwear.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
writing, smoking and beef
ok, talk about inspiration day! dropped the gaffer off, hit the coffee shop, sat down and wrote...for 3 hours straight. granted i only wrote 7 pages, but still, that's pretty good. funniest thing getting a brilliant idea for a kids' book when it wasn't even in mind. not complaining, at all. had to call B for some ideas and was given a good name for the antagonist. then my friend S showed up and we really really talked. man she blows me away with her bravery and her dedication to God. we discovered some cool truths that we hadn't really been thinking of before and came to a cool idea that we're going to work on. then the lady with the husband who beat her then left her came over with her daughter. we spoke for a bit. she was pleased because she was graduating that night. she said she'd see me next tuesday morning as that usually is when i go. then one of the barristas came over and just sat down with us. very strange. i couldn't figure out what he wanted. he just started talking, so we talked back. then at the end of the conversation, he said, i'm going for a smoke before i go back. and S grabbed his hand and made him sit back down and said, 'how long have you been smoking?' and he said 'about a year'. and then she said, 'promise me you're going to quit. in 30 days, you're going to quit. promise me' and of course he said, 'i promise' but you could tell he was uncomfortable. i was actually a tad uncomfortable because she was being so blunt. she said 'smoking gives you lung cancer and you don't want cancer.' then she looked at me and i said, 'tell him' and she looked at him again and said' i had cancer two years ago and i'm still recovering. it sucks. i would wait in the cancer center and people there with cancer were still smoking. stop smoking' then she gave him her yellow cancer bracelet and he left. she looked at me and said' i couldn't not say anything'.
and i was so proud of her. so proud that she would say something. i wanted to stand up on the table and say 'hey! this is my friend!' because i was so proud.
then i went home. and i started to feel funny. then rockstar hubby came home from working in the pouring rain, in a pretty foul mood because he had to keep stopping to sharpen his chainsaw. and then i started to feel really sick. i went to go get the gaffer and on the way back i was kinda nauseous. so i didn't go to homegroup last night. i dealt with my...digestive issues, and i went to bed. i feel better today though.
need to shop tomorrow. have a lot of cooking to do. ihave never bought 36 pounds of ground beef before...
and i was so proud of her. so proud that she would say something. i wanted to stand up on the table and say 'hey! this is my friend!' because i was so proud.
then i went home. and i started to feel funny. then rockstar hubby came home from working in the pouring rain, in a pretty foul mood because he had to keep stopping to sharpen his chainsaw. and then i started to feel really sick. i went to go get the gaffer and on the way back i was kinda nauseous. so i didn't go to homegroup last night. i dealt with my...digestive issues, and i went to bed. i feel better today though.
need to shop tomorrow. have a lot of cooking to do. ihave never bought 36 pounds of ground beef before...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
lovely lovely day
i absolutely adore dancing. i could dance everyday forever if i could. last night at the cocktail party, i got to dance. now the dance music could have been better....not that it was bad. i'm just quite particular. i like stuff with a good beat, and i'm happiest during trance music. (maybe i'm just a generation x'er at heart? oh wait, i know i am) so i got to dance. that was fabulous. granted i was made fun of a bit, but it's like they say, 'dance like no one is watching'. i wonder how much more fun these parties would be if everyone did that...
this morning started with garage sales, but we only ended up buying trucks for the gaffer. and some videos for the gaffer. and a car for the gaffer. and a time-out chair for the gaffer.hm...i'm starting to see a trend. but in all fairness, i did score two boston ivy yesterday to climb the front of my walls, and some pink baby's breath a la A, and some lovely marigolds. and 12 tomato plants. just in case. i now have 40 tomato plants planted. yes, i will be giving some away.
the wedding was nice. had to leave early though.
on the writing front: have major ideas churning in my head. need to garden a little to think more.
this morning started with garage sales, but we only ended up buying trucks for the gaffer. and some videos for the gaffer. and a car for the gaffer. and a time-out chair for the gaffer.hm...i'm starting to see a trend. but in all fairness, i did score two boston ivy yesterday to climb the front of my walls, and some pink baby's breath a la A, and some lovely marigolds. and 12 tomato plants. just in case. i now have 40 tomato plants planted. yes, i will be giving some away.
the wedding was nice. had to leave early though.
on the writing front: have major ideas churning in my head. need to garden a little to think more.
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