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Tuesday ~ April 1st
Pig floating by outside my studio the other day.
When pigs fly? How 'bout Penguins.
Have you read this fascinating article?
Happy April Fool's Day!
P.S. Click here ~ heehee. |
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Wednesday ~ April 2nd
Sneak peak at some of the Carousel beads ~ I *heart* sparkle balls!
O.k. so I guess some of you didn't get my April Fool's Day prank (*cough, mom, cough*). I "Rick Rolled" you, which is this silly yet really fun phenomenon going on around the internet (even You Tube, Facebook, & My Space were Rick Rolling people yesterday). Basically, you create a link saying it's one thing, but in actually fact, the link leads you to the kooky 1980s video of Rick Astley singing "Never Going To Give You Up". That's funny! Have you looked at the number of people that have viewed the video (a.k.a. been Rick Rolled)? We're talking millions upon millions! Could this spark a possible come back for Rick? I hope so.
I've soaked in the hot tub & spotted 2 hares that were white not too long ago, but now are turning gray. I've ate a delicious grapefruit & drank 2 cups of coffee, I've gone through my emails & deleted a gazillion spam notices, so that just leaves me with making beads, better get cracking. |
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Thursday ~ April 3rd
Photo courtesy of National Geographic
I need your help! Can you answer any of these questions for me?
1. I've never watched The Gilmore Girls, but I hear it's a great series. Have you seen it & if so would you recommend buying the entire series?
2. I'm looking for a giant wooden or tin star (approximately 4 or 5 feet wide) to hang up outside. Have you seen these in any stores near you?
3. We have tickets to the Pemberton festival in B.C. this summer. Are you going or do you know about or live in Pemberton, B.C? I would love to hear from you.
4. Still haven't seen the robins in town, anyone in Edmonton spot them or hear them?
5. If you could only have one book, one c.d. & (or) one movie, what would be your choices?
Love to hear your input, contact me here.
We are going to see Corb Lund tonight at Rexall Place. I know it seems like we are regular groupies or something, but these tickets were a Christmas gift from Chris' parents & at the time, they didn't know we had already purchased tickets to see him in Vancouver. I can't complain, it should be awesome & Todd Snider is opening, which is like having a scrumptious cherry on top of a fudge sundae.
Talk about contrasts, we've seen Corb play in my mom's living room & now we're going to see him play at the biggest concert venue in town ~ yeah for you Corb! |
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Saturday ~ April 5th
Robin ~ photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Update: We saw 3 robins in the yard yesterday morning, so that answers that question. |
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Later...
* Maggie & Nu made it onto the website Cute Overload! I just can't believe it ~ CHECK OUT MY KITTIES HERE! (A little x-rated, but oh so cute)*
Speaking of kitties, it's almost that time of year again Auntie Linda ~ Happy Kitty Mommy's Day (April 18th). Er, where you taking us to celebrate, mom? |
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Tulips from Mom
After seeing the robins on Friday, we saw a whole lot of snow the rest of the weekend, so much for all our plans in the yard... The weekend wasn't a total bust though, we did get to surprise my Aunt Eileen (from out of town) with a birthday party that went off without a hitch ~ you got to like that!
I'm looking forward to finishing up my orders this week, maybe even today or tomorrow! Then I'm on my own again to experiment. I've had some ideas come to mind that I'm looking forward to trying out so stay tuned.
A good Monday to you. |
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Wednesday ~ April 9th
Carousel Beads
Done & done! And I mean everything.
The last of the beads, packaged up last night.
Thank you to everyone that ordered, for your interest & your patience.
This has been an interesting experiment for me, far less "painful" than I originally predicted. Usually when I make a bead, my mind is jumping ahead to the next bead, filling with ideas & anxious to "tweak" the design. Because of this, I find it close to impossible to duplicate a bead. But with the orders that I've been working on for almost two months now, I've had to do a lot of "repeat" beads & I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really enjoying the process of it. It was almost meditative, just switching off that busy brain of mine & focusing on the actual method of making a bead ~ spinning & marvering, adding & subtracting, pushing & pinching & then repeating again. I really liked it, in fact there were times when I knew I had to move on to another style of bead but didn't want to. I thought, 'oh just one more sparkle ball' or 'I think I better make a couple more of this type, just incase'... I hope that this new discovery within will push me forward with the beads.
We are off this morning to shoot geese (with a camera silly). Beads in the mail when I get back. Have a wonderful day!
BTW, now you can watch 2 videos at once on YouTube~ Kitties & baby giggles = good times! |
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Friday ~ April 11th
Field notes ~ in search of Spring signs...
Pussy Willows
Around here, pussy willows are as hopeful a sign of Spring as Robins.
The Bell of the Ball
Can you spot the 1 female Mallard among all her gentlemen callers? Don't the boys appear to be acting really cool & nonchalant here? I'm sure deep down though they are all thinking, 'Please, pick me, pick me.'
Canada Geese
This definitely wasn't the best picture from our little fieldtrip the other day, but it was one of the funniest. The geese sure seem frisky & restless at this time of the year (or maybe territorial), we even had an ill-tempered couple chase us:
I don't know how my mom got this shot, because we darted when they started charging at us.
We saw several magpies flying with twigs in their beaks, off to make their nests & we fed the chickadees:
I had all sorts of treats in my mitt, but the chickadees always went for the black oil sunflower seeds. They sure are sweet. Sometimes Chris says to me, "you're like a little chickadee" & I think that's such a nice thing to say.
It's Friday, yeah!! Have a wonderful weekend! |
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Monday ~ April 14th
One particularly interesting order from last month involves these two strands of beads (above & below). A customer asked for two necklaces, each around 18 inches long of the Fall of Rome & Alexandria beads. She is going to have a goldsmith make the clasps for these. I thought that was a pretty cool idea & I imagine they will be quite stunning when they are done. I'm hoping to get a picture of the completed pieces.
We had some glorious weather on the weekend including a record high of 24C (75F) yesterday. Despite good intentions, I did not get nearly as much garden work done as I had hoped. But we did take full advantage of the warm sun, sitting out & enjoying it with our family & without the nuisance of mosquitoes. Chris & I also dusted off our bikes & have been cruising around the neighborhood, it's good to be back on a bike, heck it's good to have spent so much time outside this weekend, hope you enjoyed yours. |
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Wednesday ~ April 16th
11:03 a.m.
Last Wednesday I joined Weight Watchers, after finding out that a friend, who has been following the Core program since January, has lost 27 pounds & counting ~ way to go Jena! She inspired me to get on with & get over my weight woes. I've been losing & gaining the same *darn* 10 pounds for the last 2 years. Discipline would help me shed them & sabotage would put them right back on. My routine of eating healthily & exercising during the week & eating foolishly & lazing around on the weekends has been absolutely futile in getting past this 10 pound yo-yo ride. I know that I need to take accountability for my behavior & I believe having to weigh in once a week is really good incentive to clean up my act. I am also going to record my weekly progress here (yes I am scared).
So with no further ado, I declare today Weigh In Wednesday and every subsequent Wednesday as well.
My goal to start: 25 pounds by July 15. That's 3 months away with the average of 8 pounds a month, 2 pounds a week. I think that's pretty realistic as I know some weeks are going to be better than others.
I hope to share some of the tools I utilize, inspirations I have, the ups & downs, any good recipes & whatever else is worth sharing, as I go along. If you want to join in, that's great too, the more the merrier! I would love to hear your comments, suggestions, inspirations, ideas...etc. as well, feel free to email me here.
O.k. I'm off to embrace Weigh In Wednesday, I'll post my results when I get back...
1:40 p.m.
I'm back & (drum roll please) 6 pounds lighter! I'm very happy with that, the week was pretty good, not perfect by any means, but good. Here are a few things that I think really helped me:
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Thursday ~ April 17th
Duck Scatter
Today, all I have is a picture. Otherwise, everything is just "ducky" (groan).
Well, o.k., since ducks are the subject, I do have this fun website to share ~ enjoy. |
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Monday ~ April 21st
Tree bark
We watched the movie, Juno on the weekend & I loved it! It's been awhile since I've seen a movie I liked so much, & really, I don't know why, I can't really pinpoint what was so great about it but when it was finished I felt really happy inside. I guess it had a lot to do with the characters, I think Michael Cera is such a sweetie pie. Chris & I have the Arrested Development series so we've been longtime fans of "George Michael". Anyway, I recommend seeing it if you haven't, *it's cute*.
We also got our taxes completed & filed, boy it's great to be done with that!
I'm working on a new set of beads & I think I might be able to get an auction up soon, we'll see what today produces. We are currently experiencing a blizzard & there's tons of snow on the ground & still falling ~ I'm socked in here so it's as good a day as any to get some beads made. I'm feeling it for those robins out there, I'm sure they're wondering why they came back so early, or at all... hope they can hack it.
Here's a little Taj Mahal to get your Monday groove on ~
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Earth Day
Gypsy Weave ~ new auction up on eBay, click on photo below to view.
Happy Earth Day! I just love this Discovery Channel promo below & I love the world too!
Congratulations Turner Valley for being the first municipality in Canada taking steps to prohibit Styrofoam in your community! Who needs a product that can't be recycled, takes several centuries to decompose in our landfills & pollutes the water table when it does? We really can do better.
Here's some cool links to peruse for ideas on how to be more green ~
Earth Day ~If you do 1 thing today, call your rep & ask for tough climate change legislation. World Wildlife Fund ~ my favorite organization has lots of good information to share. Greener Choices ~ info about product ratings, hot topics & resources for going green. David Suzuki's Nature Challenge ~ why not sign up & see how you can make a difference. Red Dot Campaign ~ Canadians, don't like junk mail, this is the cure. I've done it, it works!
It's hardly "green" around here, we're under another snowfall warning today. I took this picture last night around 8 p.m. How strange for it to be so late & light out & yet oh so snowy.
Red Breasted Nuthatch
At least there's lots of bird action in the yard ~ crows, magpies, blue jays, juncos, woodpeckers, sparrows & sweet little nuthatches coming for grub ~ *beep, beep*. |
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Wednesday ~ April 23rd
8:50 a.m.
It's Weigh In Wednesday! I'm running late but just wanted to touch base before I go out for the morning. It's been a pretty good week food wise, however I don't expect the same results as last week... I'll be back this afternoon to share.
Later...
I'm back & 2.6 pounds lighter! I was a little nervous this time because of the big drop last week (see Weigh In Wednesday Archives). I thought that maybe I had lost a lot of water the following week & it was going to show up on the scale this week, but it didn't.
It was a pretty good week, I'm finding the Core foods very fulfilling. Here's a picture of a typical dinner for me:
This was a vegetable & ground beef (extra lean) meatloaf that didn't stay together of course, but still tasted delicious, some steamed broccoli, a half of an acorn squash & some roasted cherry tomatoes. Not bad, eh? *Hi Deb Tilley, recognize the plate? Call me... hehe*
The meals have been very delicious & easy to stick too, but the one thing that I was concerned most about were the snacks. If you call "an apple" a snack, then you probably don't have a weight problem. I call rice crisps, blue cheese & crackers, popcorn (not the non buttery & non salty kind you can have on this program, but the good stuff) or the occasional bowl of Cheezies "a snack". So, I knew that things were going to have to change in this department & I found a really awesome substitute for my old choices.
Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans). They're nutritious & loaded with fiber & if you prepare them the right way, they're a really satisfying snack. Here's how ~
* The key is not to eat all of them in one sitting because they are high in calories, but I keep them on hand during the weekend when I'm more likely to crave a snack. |
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Feeding a Black Capped Chickadee ~ photo courtesy of my mom
I'm very enamored with this photo. Not just because of the similar slant of the chickadee's tail and the back of my hand, but also because it captured the moment when the chickadee was balancing on my finger tip. It's a neat experience to actually feel the strength in it's little talons & the energy it uses to hold itself up like that.
It's snowy & cloudy out & I've been humming & hawing all morning about driving to Calgary (3 hours south). It's a great chance for me to catch up with some good friends that I don't get to see often enough, but I'm not sure how dry the highway is. I think I'm going to go, just overnight mind ya. I'll be back tomorrow.
Beads still up for grabs ~ click on the photo below to see.
P.S. Josh Pyke's music makes me so happy! Hope it does the same for you.
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Sunday ~ April 27th
It's my Grandpa's 95th birthday today. Happy Birthday Grandpa!
Gypsy Weave ~ bead auction ends tonight, click on photo to view. |
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Tuesday ~ April 29th
Me at Cannor Greenhouse
We went to a greenhouse outside of town on Saturday morning. They have a deal where you can bring your own pots in or buy some there & fill them up with flowers. Then you leave them & the staff takes care of them until you come back to pick them up after the last frost of the season (mid May usually). Mom & I have never done this before, instead we go out to the greenhouse in late May & buy all our annuals & plant them in containers outside then. They always look so dinky until well into June so this could become a new tradition.
Our new planters
We didn't bring any of our own pots, so we bought some there. These planters should be bursting with color when we come back for them in May.
Left to Right: Me, Heather, Tricia (a.k.a. Flanders)
I did drive down to Airdrie on Thursday & the roads were just fine. I karaoke'ed my whole way there, good times. It was great to see my friends Tricia & Heather. We spent the night catching up, strange how fast time flies when you're with good friends.
Back on the home front, we had all our relatives in town to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. My uncle from South Carolina, my uncle from Ontario, my other uncle & aunt from Arizona & my other uncle & aunt from Victoria, B.C. Most of my family lives outside of Edmonton so it's always a big deal to have everyone here together at the same time. We had a great birthday party for Grandpa, however, I will be paying for it on the scale tomorrow for "Weigh in Wednesday". Oh well, such is life.
I got up very early this morning & decided to go for a walk. I haven't been outside that early in the morning since last summer. I found the greatest area of park really close to here where you can watch the sun rise. I have to remember to do this more often. There was no traffic & in that way it was very quiet, but the birds were bursting into song. The sun started out orange & became bright yellow, the sky shifted colors from pink to purple to blue ~ it was magical. |
Wednesday ~ April 30th
Later...
I'm back & I had a S.T.S week ~ "stayed the same", but I'm pretty happy that I didn't gain. It was a challenging week & I'm hoping next week is a little better.
11:38 a.m.
I'm on my "way" to Weigh In Wednesday. After derailing last week with 4 consecutive days of celebrations, I'm now back on track but I'm definitely not optimistic about my results today. Be back in a couple of hours... |