Friday, March 25, 2011

Where is spring?!


Since moving out to the island from Calgary, the weather has been considerably milder for me, to say the least. I don't think we had a single day that went below 15 degrees, however, sunshine is scant.
Its really affected my mood in the past months. Sunshine really makes me happy! Every morning here usually starts out with a clear sky and false promises of a beautiful day, however, by noon, its overcast and if its not raining, its about to or it already has.

The dog doesn't even enjoy going for walks and it seems like he trudges along because he knows of the impending foot rinse off waiting for him when we get home. Plus hes put on weight because we put off trips and walks due to rain or impending rain. Actually, now that I think of it, we have all put on weight!

No, I don't want to take vitamins to supplement for sunshine. Nothing can replace the warmth on your face or walking wherever you want in flip flops and a tank top without people thinking your nuts (people are trying to pull it off at this point but between the puddles and the not quite warm enough weather either their parents will be blamed for under-dressing them or they will get looks resembling 'its not summer yet, hun...'

I just want summer to hurry up and get here! Considering this is my first winter here, you would think the island would show off a little more and say 'heyy its still a little tropical here, so you can have a little ray of warmth but only a little so stay and hold on and see what spring is really like!'

Granted, the long standing residents of the island are all saying 'Its been a bad winter... raining so much... not normally so wet...' and I so badly want to believe them. I want to believe that this time next year the winter will be a little shorter, a little drier, but for now it looks like I'm just going to have to be patient, and keep dreaming of the day the island decides summer is officially here and we can spend our days on the beach... with a nice cold drink and be happy soaking up some vitamin D.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Mooned you!

This picture just does not do it justice. Tonight we had a perigee moon, which basically means that the moon is about 50,000 k closer to earth than it has in the last twenty years. I got to play around with my camera a bit to try to get the best pic I could, and this is what I came up with. You really can't tell how big or bright it is, and I could only imagine what it was like when it was rising buuut I forgot until it was well into the sky.
So thats it people, go outside and enjoy the moon before its too late!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Growing, growing, grown?


Its a beautiful day, and early this morning I got a wake up call. A small reminder from a perfect stranger why I love my family and why I can thank them for making me the person I am today.

No, we didn't have the perfect life, or the perfect family, but through all our flaws, we grew... matured... and realized that even though it might not all be good, we can still do the right thing and be the bigger person. That means standing up for yourself, or other people. Its selflessly putting yourself out there, going where people won't go and being proud of who you are.

The people who raise you, however, still play a role in the things you pick up. ie. passive aggressiveness, manipulation, love, TRUST- its up to you what you absorb and what you reject. Its a choice you make and its unfair to blame the ones who made you. So you might as well thank them for trying!

For the next little rant, please take the word 'parent' as someone who has an understanding of what it takes to raise a child, or have beautiful kids of their own. Whether you are an older sibling watching them grow, or are very close to a child in your family or even a close friend. Basically a kid you would consider your blood and would only want the very best for.


When we were kids we relied on our family to feed, clothe, and care for us. As they were teaching us right and wrong, our minds were developing their own sense of what was/is right and wrong. For example! (and this is what prompted me to write today, so thank you crazy stranger)

-One parent may feel that their children should be subjected to every horrible thing in the world, because, after all, that's reality right? They should just get used to it.
-Another parent however may feel the need to protect their kids. Why subject children to war, crime or fighting. Even further, how to even explain it to them? These parents feel that the kids should be kept in the dark, let them be kids until reality hits.

If your asking my opinion, I don't agree with either. I don't think any parent would. There are so many grey scales on this topic, but in the end it is up to the parent to decide what the child should or should not be subjected to. On that note, I also feel that it is nobody elses place to tell you what that child should be subjected to.
I feel that on one end, anyone who truly loves their child would never cast them to the wind, allowing them to be hit with whatever reality became them. Instead they would protect their baby, but not shelter them from every big bad wolf. Touchy subjects will at some point have to be explained, but not directly if there is no need. No eight year old needs to understand why people are dying every day over diamonds, but they do need to know about things that affect their daily life. Family issues for example. They don't need a play by play to get them down, but its only fair to explain the end result and what will happen next IF IT PERTAINS TO THEM.

There is no way to control what the child themselves absorbs, or how perceptive they are of situations (kids are smart and usually know whats going on anyways) and when all is said and done, what will be, will be.

If your child is already grown and is everything you had hoped they would be then congrats, they learned well! If there have been bumps along the way, conflict, and tears, then welcome to the real world. I've never heard anyone say they had the perfect parents, actually most of the time you only hear about what someone will do differently than them- don't get me wrong, they tried their best and hopefully you love them for it like I do mine. My parents are passionate about our happiness, they would give their lives, like I would mine. So all we can hope for, is to be our parents' version 2.0, new and improved!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Photos & Photoshopping

Well his tongue is sticking out and there is febreeze in the background but this is the best we could do. It all started when I was doing my hair in front of the bed and he jumped up and put his ear on my belly. Aww. I have a picture of that too but its pre-makeup and I'm not up to that much Photo shopping right now.
Still when I decided we were going to take these pictures he was all for it, some of them you can see me trying to get a good frame while hes sitting so patiently on the bed. Its pretty darn cute. OK I'll show you just one of those...

It makes me laugh! I've got about four of them, sometimes with me as a blur on the side. One thing I learned about my camera though is that the timer won't stay on between pictures which is very annoying because you get pictures such as those.
I also have a video of him watching a video of him that I want to put up because his head is nearly turning upside down watching himself and hearing us on the computer. Its adorable. Ok gotta get ready for work I just wanted to share. Bye!!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Day off work...

So it was a wonderful lazy day at home until you notice, uh oh its quarter to six, she will be home in 15 minutes!
  • At that point you get your butt off the computer and run into the bathroom to take a 5 minute shower, washing all important areas.
  • Towel dry as you shuffle to the bedroom, make the bed and pick up any clothes (including socks and underwear) that have nested under the blankets on the floor.
  • Check the bathroom to make sure the toilet is flushed, the seat is down and there are no weird tooth cleaning devices left on the counter
  • Rush to the kitchen to do the dishes, and to the living room/computer area to make sure all evidence of your lazyness has been cleaned up ie. Pepsi cans and chocolate wrappers.
  • Pick up dog toys so dog looks like he has kept the home nice and tidy as well.
  • Stand at front door with dog anxiously awaiting your arrival and to make it look like all you did that day was slave away at keeping the house in pristine condition.

Its ok baby thats how my days off are too. Love you!

My favorite scents and smells

Thinking about what in the world I was going to write about, my mind started to wander when I got a whiff of my Peppermint wall flower and it got my thinking about my most favorite smells.

So in no particular order, here we go!

1.
Bath and Body Works released a peach scented body lotion a few years ago now, and then they discontinued it!! Peach is my absolute favorite smell and this lotion is heaven so I was soo disappointed to find out it wasn't on the shelves anymore. So I hopped on eBay and bought four bottles of the stuff and I'm making those babies last!

2.
The other thing I stocked up on after I found out was discontinued was the Coconut Crush body lotion. That stuff smells wonderful and I get compliments every time I wear it. I literally had a man smelling up and down my arm Morticia Adams style one night (it wasn't creepy I knew him haha.)
I love coconut scents in general, it just reminds me of laying all day on the beach but smells better than sunscreen. It also reminds me of a barbie I had when I was a kid. She came with tropical scented hair and a tiny coconut scented perfume solid.
As for the coconut shampoo, my boyfriend loves the smell of my hair after I use it. (along with the vanilla conditioner, which leads me to my next picture!)

3.
VANILLA! Who doesn't love the smell of vanilla. This conditioner makes my hair so soft and the scent is so relaxing, especially in the bath after a long days work. Its one of those timeless smells- whether in a house spray, deodorant, or in a candle, that should be a staple in any home.

4. & 5.
Speaking of vanilla, and baths, two of my most favorite bath bombs from lush are both soothing and fun. Vanilla Fountain is the ultimate relaxing fizzer (vanilla stick included) that is one of the most moisturizing bombs you can get from lush (bombs underlined because the bubble bars are wayy better for moisturizing) and it leaves you with a soft vanilla scent on your skin.
Cinders on the other hand is alot of fun. Described as a spicy cinnamon-y scent its packed with what I can only describe as pop rocks as it fizzes and crackles when you toss it in a full bath. Its the perfect Christmas bath bomb to make you miss grandmas house. The only downside is that it kind of turns your bath water a pee yellow... kind of awkward if your significant other were to walk into the bathroom while your mid soak... but we wont go there. ITS A NICE SMELL OK I DIDN'T PEE!

6.
Continuing on with the Christmas scents. Another household staple (in mine anyways) is mint. I have fallen in love with the Twisted Peppermint scent from BBW. It is the perfect mix of peppermint and candy cane. The hint of sweet just makes me crave candy canes, or those sugar cookies that have candy cane sprinkles mmmm.... I tried so hard to get my hands on a candle or anything else in the same fragrance but they flew off the shelves never to be seen again. Must have been Mrs. Clauses' favorite wall flower too. So all I have left is this one little vial. I can't decide whether I want to use it right away or risk waiting until next Christmas to use it (do you think it will go bad?) I'll have to do some research on that one because this smell is so wonderful. 

7.
 
Peach Bellini. Need I say more? YUM! I think I mentioned I love anything peach so to have my whole house fill up with the smell of a peach alcoholic beverage is heaven! OK it really smells like peach juice with extra sugar in it but super sweet to the point where it will make your teeth hurt In small doses it is just delicious! I don't recommend tasting it however because it will neither get you drunk nor will it taste like peaches.

8.
Speaking of wonderful fruity house smells, this glorious detergent has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. People with allergies- stay far far away because most with sensitive skin react to this one, but to the leather skinned, pour it in by the gallon! There is also a matching fabric softener for ultimate fruityness.

9.
Fave summer scent! Biotherm Eau d' energie awakening fragrance mist. Described as a 'light, delicate fragrance from sun drenched fruits (orange pulp, sweet mandarin, and lemon) leaves skin feeling energized and fresh. Vitamin E moistens and softens the skin for a smooth, velvety touch.' Such a beautiful morning or summer body spray. It also comes in a body lotion which I've been using very sparingly for the last couple summers. If I didn't have so many other products to be using up I would be repurchasing this one for the coming months, but its at the bottom of my future-to-buy list.


10.

Last but not least, my most favorite smell of them all! I only allow my boyfriend to use it when we are together because I don't want a drop wasted on anyone else. Since I can't describe it as anything other than 'makes me want to melt into his arms' I'll allow Chanel: 'the fresh, sensual men's fragrance gets a burst of energy from an infusion of sparkling citrus. The sporty scent, exudes a new found freedom, a sense of spontaneity, a non-stop vitality.' 
Yeahh I'm not sure if he has a new found freedom or a sense of spontaneity and they can't really seem to describe it much better than me so if your looking for a good cologne for your boy then get a whiff of this next time your getting mauled by sales people at the perfume counter.

OK I've talked enough! Bye!!