Wednesday Word of the Week

This weeks word is.......Zombie

zom·bie    [zom-bee]
–noun


1. (in voodoo)

a. the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose.

b. the supernatural force itself.

2. Informal .
a. a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton.

b. an eccentric or peculiar person.

3. a snake god worshiped in West Indian and Brazilian religious practices of African origin.

4. a tall drink made typically with several kinds of rum, citrus juice, and often apricot liqueur.

Today is the first of several annual budget preparation meetings.  It is scheduled from noon until 7pm.   Yes...7 hours long.  I am not a "numbers" person.  This is going to be painful.

 

I anticipate being like a zombie before it is over.  Seven long hours of soul sucking, mind numbing presentations of numbers, numbers, numbers.

I can probably feign interest for the first couple of hours but by about 3pm this will be how I feel.  Six adults will each attempt to gain a larger slice of the pie.  And if anyone even suspects there are a few dollars unspoken for this could happen.....

And, I suspect that by about 3 pm even the most entertaining excuses that many will offer for why they NEED the extra money will not even un-zombify me.  "If I don't get the extra money for X then society will crumble, there will be chaos in the streets....etc".  
By 7 pm I think I might need one of the zombie drinks defined in # 4 about.  Lots of rum. 

This, that and Cousin It?

Don't you hate it when you have a really fun idea for a post but its not a convenient time.  And then when you do have the time to post you can't remember the idea.

I've been playing around a little bit with the hook.  I'm not going to tell you what I'm trying and I'm pretty sure you will never guess...

Maybe I'll get the top part finished tonight before Dancing with the Stars comes on.  Tonight is the first elimination.   Who's going home??   Any predictions ??  Any favorites so far ?? 

Now for another random part of this post - Most of the snow is gone except for a pile of dirty crusty mess left at the edge of the driveway.  Look what the snow plow left behind

A giant piece of sod peeled up and perched on top of the snow.  It makes me laugh every day.  All I think of is Cousin It from the Addams Family

Can you see it ??

Or do you see a haystack ??

I don't normally wish for rain but it wish it would take that lump of crusty snow away.   That's enough random ramblings for tonight. 

Weekend Update

It was a busy weekend but a good one. (And a cold one too)  It looked like Spring with lots of great sunshine but then you stepped outside and this biting cold wind smacked you. 

However there is nothing like a little retail therapy road trip to warm a girls heart.  Plus Mom had not been out of the house for about 2 weeks.  Her day care program was cancelled the last 2 weeks and her BFF Alice usually takes her out every Friday afternoon but hasn't been able to for the past 2 weeks.  So I needed to get her out and moving around.

So Saturday morning I packed up my Golden Girls, plus another, and we headed to Moncton for a few hours.  Margaret doesn't drive so she enjoys getting out too and she watches Mom while Auntie and I shop.  Its win win.

We stopped for a nice lunch and then we hit the SHOE STORES.  Now I displayed enormous restraint and only came home with 3 pairs.  Plus the fact that my shoe size seems to be very popular and a few pairs I was eying were not available in my size.  Its a little ironic that the movie playing on TV last night was "Confessions of a Shopaholic".  Do you think that was some kind of sign or hidden message??

The red ones are in honor of Michelle and Doris.  LOL  I decided not to foot model them for you since I haven't booked my Spring pedicure yet and these 10 little piggies are NOT ready for their close-up yet.
I also picked up a new outfit and Auntie and I found some things for Mom's birthday which is coming up soon.  So that was a good day !

Still on my post-shopping high I decided to put some extra effort into Sunday Brunch.  I made eggs benedict with smoked salmon

This is obviously not a picture of mine but it looked just as yummy.   Our road trip yesterday put my behind on the weekend chores so that's how I'll be spending the rest of the afternoon.

Happy Sunday

A couple of finished rugs

I finished hooking my new Spring rug last night.  All you have seen of it is a little peek.  And tonight I buckled down and bound them both.  An amazing feat for me.

(Aren't you proud of me?)

Here is the newest rug - Spring Birdhouses

 

And continuing with the spring theme here is the other little Spring Chicks rug.

You have seen it already but not bound and ready for a new destination

(yet to be determined)

Now all that is left to welcome Spring officially is a shoe shopping binge. 

I'm getting the urge.

But first, this weekend, I need to try a sample of my Pay it Forward craft idea.

Fingers crossed.

Wednesday Word of the Week

This weeks word is........Discombobulated

dis·com·bob·u·late   [dis-kuhm-bob-yuh-leyt]

–verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.

- to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate: The speaker was completely discombobulated by the hecklers.

- to confuse or perplex someone. : That kind of discussion discombobulates me something awful.

- confused. : I get completely discombobulated when I think of figures that big.



Origin: 1825–35, Americanism ; fanciful alteration of discompose or discomfort

—Related forms    dis·com·bob·u·la·tion, noun

That about sums up the past week.  In the past week we have had a loss in our family, a cousin of Moms.  So with all the confusion of schedules, plus all the extra family that arrives from out of town for the few days surrounding the funeral it has discombobulated all of us.

And then there was the Super Moon.  If you don't believe that a full moon can discombobulate some people - just ask a nurse or nursing home worker.  It happens - trust me. 

Then this morning, the alarm went off as usual but I was completely discombobulated.  I couldn't seem to get it together.  I couldn't figure out what day it was, what I was supposed to do, nothing.  I was completely befuddled for a few minutes.  Then as I started to "wake up" I remembered the dream I was having.  I went downstairs to take Millie out and when I tried to open the door from the mud room out to the porch it would only open a few inches.  The entire sun porch was filled with snow.  Right up to the ceiling. No snow outside or anywhere else - just filling in the sun porch.   Hmmmm I wonder what a dream analyst would have to say about that one??

And I didn't even eat anything strange before I went to bed.  Ohhhh, but it didn't stop there.  After I went downstairs and saw the porch was NOT filled with snow, I went about my morning routine.  Sat down to read the paper and after a couple of sips I thought my coffee tasted funny.   DUH.....it was tea.  I never make myself tea in the morning.  Its always coffee.   Wow I really must have had a rough sleep.

I suppose it was a good thing that I only had to work a half day today.  At this rate, you never know what kind of trouble I could have caused.

Lets hope you don't get too discombobulated this week.  Its a wild ride!

Oh yeah - you may think I am still discombobulated because it is still Tuesday night and not Wednesday but after this week - its close enough to Wednesday to count for me.

:)

One Season Closer

Happy Spring.  We are now one season closer to summer.  Not that I'm rushing spring because it took forever to get here this year.   We are still a few weeks away from images like this but today I wanted a reminder.

I'm getting a little anxious to start taking more photographs again.  Now that the weather is improving and the snow is going I like to get up early on the weekends and head out for a drive to nowhere with the camera.

The sun is shining.  It's a perfect way to start a new season. 

Mail's Here

The Mailman brought me a special treat today.  I have been waiting and waiting for this special package.  Even the envelope was pretty

A while back I won a giveaway over at Maggie's blog Just Between Me and You.  Maggie and I have been buddies for awhile and if you have never visited her site - you should.  She is delightfully sweet, charming and she has a wicked sense of humor. 

Anyway, she has been emailing me, quite concerned I had not received my package yet.  Sometimes my mail from the US arrives in 5-6 days and sometimes it's 2 weeks or more. This time it was the latter.  But today was the day. 

Inside is a handmade journal she made me.  The cover is beautiful lavendar handmade paper. 

It even has a little pocket sewn on the front full of sparkly bling.  And you know how much I love bling!

This is the only printed page.  The rest are all different multi-colored and textured.  I'm scared to write anything in it - its too pretty - I don't want to ruin it. 

Even the little note card she included was pretty

I love getting presents in the mail.  So thank you dear Maggie for the lovely gift and for your friendship.

Cheers

Happy St. Patricks Day to all

the Irish and the

wannabee's

CHEERS

Wednesday Word of the Week

The word of the week is......Demolish

de·mol·ish     [dih-mol-ish]

–verb (used with object)

1. to destroy or ruin (a building or other structure), especially on purpose; tear down; raze.

2. to put an end to; destroy; explode: The results of his research demolished many theories.

3. to lay waste to; ruin utterly: The fire demolished the area.

4. Informal . to devour completely: We simply demolished that turkey.
 
A bit locally appropriate today as we are currently demolishing one of the buildings in our downtown core.  Known to the locals as the "Bird Building", this landmark has been vacant for a number of years and has fallen into a state of being Dangerous and Unsightly.   One of the saddest factors of this demolition is that this 4 storey building featured a large mural painted on one side which was very visible and popular.

This particular mural depicted the Old Home Week Parade of 1910.  It is certainly a sad thing to see it go into a pile of rubble however it seems to be a common theme as many of the old larger buildings in many small towns become just too costly to keep maintained etc.  Many owners just simply walk away, as in this case. And once the neglect gets so far it becomes more difficult to find investors with deep enough pockets.
 
On another note - this cold has demolished my will to live.  It has moved from my chest to my head.  I am now dealing with the 4 S's - Sniffing, Snuffing, Snorting and Sneezing.   Bahhhhh !  

And lasting, my in-box is not getting demolished.  In fact the darn thing is growing - like a weed.   Too many to-do's and not enough tah-dah's this week.

Spring forward

While I love the extra hour of daylight in the evening, I am missing that extra hour of sleep last night after turning the clocks forward.

Plus dear Auntie will drive me crazy for at least the next week as she refuses to accept the new time.  Today at lunch time she announced she wasn't hungry because it was really only 11am.  She will do this ALL WEEK.  It makes me crazy and I suspect that is why she does it !   When I get old (well....older) I pray I don't do this to someone.  LOL

It was a beautiful Spring weekend here.  The snow is disappearing so quickly it is almost unbelievable.  The front lawn is BARE.  There is still snow cover in the back yard but it gets lower every day.  It makes me happy.

My 5 days off were a bust.  I did nothing I had planned.  This chest cold has a hold of me and I can't seem to stop coughing.  It hasn't flattened me but it has sucked all the energy out of me.  I basically just lounged around all weekend and did as little as possible.   And I had such high hopes for all the things I was going to get done around the house.  Oh well, there is always next weekend.

I did start a new little rug.  No great plan and absolutely no advanced color planning so naturally I got so far and now I'm stuck.  No idea what to do next.  Maybe I will get inspired to pick it up again later.
Here is a little corner of it so far

As you can see, I still have Spring on the brain.   How was your weekend?

Pay it Forward

Pay it Forward

is popping up on all kinds of blogs today.

Lauren over at Rugs and Pugs is participating and inspired me to follow suit.  Also Courtney
at Sassafrass and Winterberry is participating.   Visit their great sites too.
It sounds like such a great idea.

Here's how it works . . .

The first five people who comment on this blog post

will receive a handmade gift from me.

In return, you must write a blog post on your blog

explaining Pay It Forward 2011.

You, in turn, will send out a handmade gift to the first five visitors

who leave a comment on your post.

I love this idea.  The whole concept of Paying it Forward is something we try to do in our home.  My grandmother instilled this in all of us.  She used to say if you put good things out in the world that they will someday come back to you. 
 
As Lauren said - no pressure - just a simple gesture.  Let's have fun with it.

Looks like Spring is on the way

I have never seen the snow levels drop as quickly as they have in the past week.   It has been a slow steady melt.  I can see a change everyday.  I can now see all 3 back boards on the backyard bench.  I am sure by tomorrow morning I will be able to see the seat - if not more.   And with a forecast of rain for most of the weekend, all this dirty snow could soon be just a nasty memory.

I finished hooking the little Spring mat last night. 

It isn't bound yet because there is still enough room to the right to hook another small mat.  Now all I have to do is think of something.  The hit and miss squares pillow is also still on this same piece of rug warp.  So by the time I design and hook another small mat I will have 3  projects to bind at once.  And you all know how much I hate that part of the project !
Oh and here is another fun update on my 3 vacation days - remember 2 were spent with the migraine and I woke up this morning with a sore throat and cough.  Isn't that just perfect ??  Its not too bad - just more annoying than anything else.  

Have a great weekend.

Better

I am happy to report I am feeling better today.  Still not 100% but so much better than yesterday.  I had such big plans for yesterday too - so that made it seem worse.  I had the day off work and an orthodontist appointment in Moncton.  My plan was to spend the day shopping alone.  I had a zero balance on my credit card and lots of spring things I wanted to shop for.  It was supposed to be a happy day for me.

I knew as the morning progressed this was going to change.  I probably should have cancelled the appt for my braces tightening but I am too stubborn to do anything that might delay getting these stupid things off.   I suffered through it and headed straight for home without stopping anywhere.  You know it must have been a bad headache because there was a big shoe sale just around the corner from the dentist!

I spent all afternoon in bed and only went out after supper to the grocery store for grapes.  I know this is strange, but when I get one of these headaches I seem to crave green grapes.  I don't understand it but I had to have some.    This morning all that was left was a heavy head.  The day after one of these episodes my head feels like it weighs 100 pounds and it is hard to hold up.  Strange !  Thanks for your comments yesterday.  Seems like a lot of you have to deal with these headaches too.  I don't really know what the trigger is but luckily I don't get them very often.

So that is 2 of my days off wasted.  I hope tomorrow I can get something productive accomplished.  I hope to finish hooking the little spring mat tonight.  There is only one little corner left.

Sorry for the bad blurry photography.  Hopefully you will get to see the whole thing tomorrow.

Wednesday Word of the Week

The word of the week is  Migraine.

Yesterday's headache has evolved.  I didn't want to miss a week but sorry this is all you get today.  No definition, no funny story.

I'll do better next week.  Promise.

Monday and O.P.M.'s

Another Monday ~~~~ and another opportunity to deal with O.P.M.'s

If you remember from a previous post - Other People Moods

As if Mondays aren't difficult enough with adding that crap to the mix.

Somedays I feel like going outside and checking the sign on the front of the building.  It is a professional office......NOT a day-care center.

Leave your garbage at the door - If you can't play nice on the playground then skip recess and stay at your desk.......Monday bullsh@# !!

Blah, blah, blah.  So in the spirit of Monday here are a few other Monday images that seem appropriate

Don't I look pretty on Monday mornings??  Hello Tuesday - I have a road trip! 

I can smell it

At last - I can smell it.......SPRING is in the air!   Today the temperature climbed to plus 8 and you could actually see the snow banks getting smaller.   Happy Dance....

By supper time I could even see a top corner of the backyard bench peeking out. 

Its actually the first day I was hopeful that it really might happen this year.   I love March.

Before I get to the rest of the day, I have to tell you about breakfast.  Last week at hooking a lady told us about this recipe for french toast.  I tried it this morning and it is my new favorite.   Put some vanilla and cinnamon in the egg mixture.  Dip the bread in the egg and then into crushed corn flakes (like breading chicken).  In the frying pan that corn flake coating crisps up really nice.   Now for the best part - instead of maple syrup melt a little peanut butter and drizzle on the top.  It sounds odd but it was sooo good.  She also suggested if you want to get wild - melt a handful of chocolate chips and drizzle over the peanut butter drizzle.  I had none in the house but might try it next time.

Once my tummy was full I finished hooking the little hit and miss project.  I decided it will be a pillow.

I want to start a few little Spring rugs so this one isn't as large as I originally intended but I needed to move on.  I can't sew it up yet because I am using the excess rug warp  for the new little mats. 

With a spark of an idea and a desire to see how that great new wool from Heavens to Betsy would hook up I grabbed the cutter

And here is a little peek - Spring is now on my mind.   Can you tell?

Have a great week

A long overdue lunch

Today I had lunch with an old friend.  Actually we were room-mates for 2 years during university.  That was 25 years ago.  WOW  - feeling old all of a sudden. 

The last time we saw each other was 15 years ago after her first son was born.  As often happens we lost touch over the years.  We moved, addresses changed etc.

Last week I received an email.  She had found me through Google - through the contact section of my workplace website.  Cool eh
She was in town with her daughter who was competing in a figure skating competition.  She had absolutely no interest in hanging out with her Mom so she stayed behind with some of the other parents and Kathy and I went to lunch.

Now I have a confession here.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit this but you all know I'm a little nuts so.....
I'm about 35 (ish) pounds more than the last time I saw her so first I squeezed myself into my dark skinny jeans hoping to look leaner!  I had to lay on the bed to put them on.  I put on some extra war paint and some good jewellry.  To top it off I even put on my high black leather boots (hooker style LOL) to try and look taller and thinner.  PATHETIC, I know but what can I say....its a girl thing!

We had a great time catching up on all the years and gossip.  And we promised not to let another 15 years go by before we do it again.  

Its probably hard to push a walker wearing high hooker boots !

My Summer Field

Last night was the final session of a 4 week workshop I attended at Deanne Fitzpatrick's Rug Hooking Studio.  There were 10 of us in the class and each week we worked away on hooking a landscape field.

It was a lot of fun and I am sad to see it end.  And naturally, it was the last week that this group of strangers kind of loosened up and got to know each other a little better, as opposed to hooking like demons.  Each week was full of laughs and chatter but we seemed to gel as a group more that last session.

So, here is the finished rug - my version of a summer field.  (If it doesn't look like a field to you, then feel free to consider it an abstract)  LOL

This was a big stretch for me - being so free with colors.  But it was so much fun and liberating to just free-style with no color planning.  As with most photos of rugs, the colors look a little off here.   I'm pleased with it and now I'm thinking maybe I would like to do a larger abstract piece soon.

I had to include this picture of Millie who got tired out waiting for me to finish binding this rug.  Isn't she sweet?

Wednesday Word of the Week

The word of the week is.....

Vindictive

(vin-dik-tiv)
- Adjective

1.  disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful: a vindictive person
2.  proceeding from or showing a revengeful spirit
Synonym -  unforgiving

So, Mother Nature.....what's going on??  I never knew you to be so vindictive.

You throw storm after storm at me, all the while probably laughing as the snow banks pile up higher and higher.  Then you top it off with just enough rain to make the snow so friggin heavy people need to see a chiropractor after shovelling.   Why are you being so vindictive???

Yes, I admit I complained a bit about the heat last summer.  Sorry !   And you may possible be ticked that I don't tend the flower beds like you would prefer.  But in my defense - are weeds not part of your creation also ??   So really I'm just honoring another of your plant-life creations by not pulling them out on a regular basis.  But if that is what is ticking you off....again - Sorry! 

Either way - Frig Off -  Enough is enough

Vindictive - Part 2

I went to see a pee wee girls basketball game last night.  They were all sweet and cute in their little uniforms and ponytails.  Until the referee blew the whistle for tip off.   Then they transformed into this

Oh my goodness, there were knees and elbows flying and fouls all over the place.  One girl grabbed for the ball and lifted the other girl right off the ground!    It was like watching an episode of Wild Kingdom  LOL

Those little girls don't fool around!  I should add here that Uncle K. advised Aunt T. and I that he would not be sitting with us in the future.  He also said he would not recommend us as sportsmanship coaches for Rebecca.   It was a great game even though we lost 32-31.  And my princess did get a basket  (and also a foul)  Shhh, I was kinda proud of her.  I know - BAD

Winner, Winner.......

......Chicken Dinner !  I don't know why I find that phrase so amusing but I do.  Lol

I'm on a bit of a roll today.   First, I was checking some emails over my morning infusion of coffee and I had an email from Tara - I won her giveaway  (applause, applause).  I just loved her email it me.   It read:

"Kim,  Well, you won the CSN giveaway this is better than a stinkin doughnut!  You can tell your coworkers to put that in their pipes and smoke it!"    Isn't that a hoot?

 Tara has a lovely blog called Just Devine Style .  Go check her out.  She was celebrating her 200th follower and offered a CSN gift card.   Now all I have to do is decide what to buy - something practical or totally frivolous ??  Hmmm, tough decision.

Then, I arrive home for lunch and I had mail.   Good mail - not bills.  It was the gorgeous slub yarn I ordered from Jen over at Fish Eye Rugs.  You should visit her site too.  She designs these lovely hooked bags/purses, among other things.  I was lucky enough to meet her a couple of years ago and took a class from her.

So very pretty and it arrived so quickly.  Thanks Jen - the cheque's in the mail !  LOL  Well it will be tomorrow!  :) 

And the icing on the cake........I actually won a free coffee today on my Tim's Roll-Up.  Not a donut but beggers can't be choosers.  Maybe the roll-up curse is ending??  Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket tonight?? 

Lastly, I hope that a little of this luck rubs off on a certain little girl's basketball team tonight.  My friends daughter is playing a game tonight.  She has been asking me to come to one of her games since before Christmas.  Finally tonight is the night.  It should be cute - all the little ones running around.  I hope I get to see her score a basket.  She is special.