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December <                                                                                                 > February

Monday ~ January 5th

           Jasper in September ~ photo courtesy of my mom, Judy

A nice, serene picture to start the year off ~ sort of like a cleansing of the palate. 

Chris is back at work this morning, our holidays are over & I'm anxious to get some beads made.  My hope to have all the orders done by Christmas was a ridiculous notion at best.  I should have known better; I'm so easily lured in by the festivities of the season ~ ice skating, bowling, dim sum & movies, visits with friends & family...  I did make some headway, but a lot of beads need to be made & they need to be made right so I will be working long hours all week in an attempt to get them all sent off as soon as possible.

After that, mom & I have our intentions set for the Edmonton Teachers' Convention in February.  We need to get quite a bit of stock ready for that so it's going to be a very busy month, it's a good thing that I feel well rested & ready! 

Today, Oprah starts a whole week of Live Your Best Life ~ she's covering weight loss, health, finances, spirituality & relationships, all of which I could work on improving.

On the whole improve yourself note, if you've ever wanted to learn how to play the guitar, mentalfloss.com has a pretty good series here. 

And finally, check out the amazing treasure found in 2008!  Wouldn't you love to find some ancient gold coins or a medieval ring?

Thursday ~ January 8th

12: 30 p.m.

My friend Tamye has a really sweet project on the go this Saturday here in Edmonton.  If you love Valentine's Day, stamps & making special things for your friends & family, this might be the perfect way to spend your Saturday morning, plus it's always a lot of fun, trust me!  The "Stamp Camp" is Saturday, January 10th from 10 to 12:30 & it's $15, but you can pre-order additional kits for only $10 each!

Contact Tamye if you're interested.

10:30 a.m.

Do you remember that photography class I took last year?  Yeah, it didn't go so well.  The teacher was crazy, the class was too long & boring & I ended up skipping half of them ~ *sigh*. 

Anyway, my friend Rosey sent me this hilarious postcard from PostSecret & I laughed pretty hard when I read it because I totally relate (except for that professional part). 

I've been taking lots of photos of the happenings around here, but they are turning out poorly, in fact, I think my camera is possessed.  Chris & I lit a fire in our backyard on New Year's Eve before we went out for the evening.  Our intention was to write down some of the things we didn't want to bring into the new year & burn them.  It was a really nice moment & I wanted to get some photos, here are my "masterpieces":

What?  Doesn't it seem like my camera is trying to sabotage my photos?  Grrr, time for new lessons or a new lens. 

Sunday ~ January 11th

Chris & I are renovating our bathroom.  This is not what ours looks like, it's a picture I found on the internet of a very sparkly & charming bathroom that I love the look of.   However, for our bathroom, it doesn't have to be this ultra feminine; I'm also drawn to a masculine look like this one below ~

I love the richness of the dark wood & all the light spilling in ~ a nice balance.

I've been plowing through books on bathroom renovations & so far I've only decided on a sink... *sigh*.  I have a hard time making decisions about big things but it's fun to look at all the possibilities.

If you have any good tips on bathroom renovating or if you live in Edmonton & dealt with a renovation company that was awesome, please feel free to email me any advice you can offer up, I would really appreciate it.

It was driving me crazy not having any beads up here on the website to show, so I took this photo of my work station this morning.  I still have more beads to make but things are coming along nicely.  The bottom 5 rows in the picture are strung sets & ready to go, the rest are still waiting to be put together, a task I will be working on this morning at my mom's studio.  I'm heading over there to visit my little guinea pig, Hugzies.  Hugzies is still "warming" up to us, but we did upgrade his cage from a super small model to one that is more comfortable for him, which we hope will help him relax a bit more:

The cage on top of the lower cage was his original home, we bought it at the pet store where we bought him, not knowing that it's nothing more than a glorified litter box.  So I did some research & found out that you can make your own cage.  All you need is some wire cube storage containers (Home Depot is where I found ours) & a sheet of Coroplast, which is like cardboard but made of plastic (I bought a sheet at Signarama).  Then you measure, cut, glue or tape, click together & presto ~ a comfy yet spacious place for a guinea pig & the grand total for this huge & by comparison luxurious cage ~ $45.  We're going to run a tube up to the top level cage for added fun. 

While I was at Home Depot picking up the wire cubes, I also purchased this tube which has become Hugzies No.1 favorite thing.  He loves to hide in it while looking out at us strange humans making funny noises at him.  The best part is when he comes out because his hair stands straight up, which makes him even cuter than he already is:

What a goof!  The next plan is to get him another guinea pig friend.  After doing a lot of reading about them (something I really should have done beforehand) & their social nature, it seems only fair that he have a little buddy to cuddle up to & play with.  It makes for a happier pig.  I'll show pictures later on once we've bought him a companion & everything is working out.

Wednesday ~ January 14th

                                      My Backyard this morning

vs. 

                                  Hamilton Island

Did you hear about the opening for an Island Caretaker?  (It takes a minute to upload) Toted as "the Best Job in World".  That's strange, I thought my job was the best job in the world?  Hmm, seeing as the island shares my last name, I guess I'll have to apply. 

Incase you're more partial to the snowy shot, you'll really like this ~ a snowman army!

Thursday ~ January 15th

Marie-Jose (MJ) playing the accordion ~ photo courtesy of Michael Best

Last Fall we went to see MJ play at Hulbert's (a pleasant restaurant/bar with live music every weekend incase you haven't been).  She was in town for a brief visit before heading back to Ottawa & she was promoting her new CD Monsters.  She writes quirky, witty songs, sings them with a sultry voice while playing the accordion, you can check her out for yourself at www.uglysocks.com. 

I'm a big fan of Canadian music.  Maybe because we have a smaller population than the United States, I always feel a twinge of pride when I hear a really good band & then find out that they are Canadian.

So I was really stoked to hear about CBC radio's 49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel contest where you have an opportunity to nominate a Canadian song for Obama's playlist.  I was mostly excited to see what songs were considered distinctly Canadian.  There are 100 songs to choose from (a tallied list) & you can hear a sample of each one.  Voting ends tomorrow so you can still participate if you haven't.  Me, I'm torn with all the great choices.  I think Stan Roger's "Northwest Passage" is a definite must, but I'm leaning towards k.d. Lang's version of Leonard Cohan's song "Hallelujah" which I think is so beautiful that I almost cry every time I hear it.  Of course there's "Bobcaygeon" by the Tragically Hip which is one of my all time favorite songs & since Corb Lund is an Albertan boy & so talented, it would be fabulous if "The Truck Got Stuck" was on the list... it's going to be tough to decide.

Saturday ~ January 17th

                                My Work Station

I'm done!  I'm done!  All the orders are completed & mailed out (except for a couple that I'm waiting on payment for).  This calls for a celebration ~ off to the horse races with some friends today.  Tomorrow, I clean my studio & start with some new colours, I can hardly wait! 

Sunday ~ January 18th

          Number 9 ~ Glenn Anderson 1988

I found 2 Edmonton Oiler tickets in my stocking at Christmas.  The tickets are for tonight's game where they will retire Glenn Anderson's number.  I was a huge Oiler fan growing up, watched them faithfully in the Eighties when Gretzky, Kuri, Messier, Fuhr & Anderson were on the team, it was a very exciting time in the team's history.  Glenn Anderson was my all time favorite player & when Chris caught wind that they were going to retire his jersey, he sought out tickets for us to go see the event. 

I haven't been to a game in probably 7 year, should be fun.  If you're a fan, here's a blast from the past.

Tuesday ~ January 20th

                                        Ruby Beads

This is a wonderful day, I'm in a great mood & to celebrate, I'm giving away a set of "Ruby" beads.  I made one too many sets of these so I thought I would offer it up as a giveaway.  All you have to do is email me here & tell me 1 good thing, it can be anything (for example: your favorite recipe, a song you like, a story about how you met your true love, a good book you read, your favorite word, or city or country, something you're grateful for right now in this moment, something you're looking forward too, an act of kindness you're planning, a favorite blog, the joke your kid told you, something funny your dog did... you get the gist).  You have until tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. MST to get an entry in (one per person please) at which point I will randomly pick a winner.  Good luck & have yourself a glorious, celebrated day!

P.S.  Andrea at Superhero is talking Mondo Beyondo ~ go read, be inspired, it's as good of day as any to set our hopes high!

Wednesday ~ January 21st

9:30 a.m.  You have just a 1/2 hour to enter the contest for the beads below.

* I just wanted to say that the emails I have received from you have been very special to me.  I am kicking myself that I don't have a comments feature on this website so that everyone can read each others good news.  I've read so many beautiful stories of how people are so thankful for their health, or inspired by others who are going through health issues with strength & dignity.  People have told me about their beautiful children & what they bring to them in their lives.  I've read stories about that "special one", stories about extraordinary family members & stories about exceptional pets.  People have told me that they are grateful for their jobs, the roof over their heads & that they have food in their fridges.  People have shared their favorite recipes, inspiring quotes, good jokes & book recommendations.  And of course the most reported good news ~ the inauguration of Barrack Obama & how this change is triggering within many of you a restoration of hope & goodwill. 

It was a windfall of good news & I feel like the real winner.  There are over 100 emails & I've read through each & every one of them & I want you to know that I deeply appreciate you taking the time to share with me the good things in your life.  I only wish I had a set of beads to give to each & every one of you...  but I only have 1 set so that being said, I will be back soon to announce the winner!

10:15 a.m.

O.k. the contest is over & I picked the winner by asking my husband on the phone to give me a random number.  I took that number & counted down the email list from the contest folder & the winner is Jane Perala!  Congratulations Jane!  By the way, Jane shared with me her pride in her daughter who has started her own business selling handmade soap, you can check it out here.  Thanks for sharing Jane & to everyone else thank you for playing, that was a lot of fun & I think I'll do that again in the future.

Friday ~ January 23rd

            Female Mule Deer ~ photo courtesy of my mom

Another beautiful picture that my mom sent over.  I love the light & that little bit of green, she's got such a good sense of balance.

I'm getting my hair cut today & I'm so excited about it!  I always get my haircut for my birthday as a little present to myself.  My attempt to look the best I can when another year flips over for me.  The best part though is that I have a wonderful Hair Stylist, who happens to also be a friend of mine so it's two great things in one ~ a new do & a visit. 

I also have something to share here, but I haven't taken photos yet so it will have to wait, maybe some time this weekend.  You are all going to think I'm nuts.  Be back later, have an awesome weekend!

Sunday ~ January 25th

This is the news I wanted to share!  Introducing Dr. Snuggle Pants, Hugzies soon to be new roommate.  We have them separated at the moment because we think Dr. Snuggle Pants has a bit of Ringworm (a fungus) on his one ear... anyone deal with that before?  Is there a topical cream that worked well for you? 

Regardless, we are totally enamored with him.  He is very, very cute & his head is somewhat disproportionately larger then it should be which makes him look rather silly.  He squeaks & whistles & does all sorts of crazy stuff that we delight in.  And he is mad about the food we've been giving him, he eats all day long with an occasional break to do a little "popcorning".  I think he's going to grow into one big piggy.

Here he is hiding his giant face behind a sugar snap pea.  Nice try Dr. Snuggle Pants but we still see you behind that pea!

And here's the set up until we can move him into the big pen.  He's directly above Hugzies & they squeak at each other frequently, I'm not sure what they're communicating to each other but it sounds friendly.  In fact, I dreamt just last night that when we put them together they became instant buddies, no squabbles whatsoever... a premonition, I hope.  We decided to get Dr. Snuggle Pants after reading that guinea pigs are not big on solitary existences.  We were starting to feel bad for Hugzies who is too cute to be alone, don't you think?

                             Hugzies with a beloved carrot 

On an unrelated note, I had a wonderful birthday weekend.  We went out to Chris' sisters' place Friday for a party & last night my mom made braised short ribs that were out of this world.  I feel very spoiled & grateful.  Another year older & it wasn't that painful ~ phew.

Hey, Corby's got a new video out, it's funny, go check it out.

Wednesday ~ January 28th

                      Glass Hearts I made awhile ago.

Valentine's Day is fast approaching.  Chris & I are going to a wedding that night, but if you are planning on dining out, it's a Saturday so you might want to make reservations soon if you haven't.  I came across a very helpful restaurant guide called OpenTable, which has restaurant listings around the world & you can make your reservations online!  In fact, we booked online last Monday & it worked fantastically.  My favorite section is "Neighborhood Gems", check out Edmonton's on this page. 

I would love to get this Anatomically correct chocolate heart for Chris, but they only ship within the U.S. ~ bummer. 

For those in love, a little Michael Buble.

And a little Serena Ryder for the unrequited love out there.

And one of my all time favorite love songs, With or Without You.

Friday ~ January 30th

        Bumble Bee on Bee Balm ~ photo courtesy of my mom

My sweet sister-in-law, Pam gives me a subscription to Canadian Gardening Magazine each Christmas & yesterday, I received a special issue from them on eco-wise gardens & going greener.  It's an awesome issue if you want to pick one up, lots of great information including tips on green roofs (a project Chris & I are working on for my shed), coping with climate change, choosing the best plants for your environment & how to attract birds, bats & bees to your yard to try to combat the loss of their natural habitat.  One thing that really got me excited was a how-to on making bee boxes, which is now on Chris' "Honey-Do" list.  Get it?  Honey, bees... groan.

Here's a scan from the article in the magazine on a step-by-step guide.  But there are also some good instructions here & here (this guy's a bit of a goof, but it's still a straight forward how to). 

I'm sure you've heard about the huge decline in bees which has been termed CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder).  Scientist believe there are several reasons for this & PBS has a great documentary online called Silence of the Bees that explains it here.

I'm eager to get our bat house up, some bird & butterfly houses in the yard & maybe a bee box or two ~ I want to create a little sanctuary for these critters & a little paradise for Chris & I.