How to Carve a Pumpkin

Lilly, here's how to carve a pumpkin. Very topical information for today!

'From the mind of a mom' has a trick or treat give-a-way for some neat cleaning products if anyone's interested. First time I've entered one of these competitions. I clicked on a link in the post to enter, then I left a comment on mom's blog, then I've now linked to this item in my post? Oh and I have to check back Nov 9th to see if I won!

I found a couple of interesting articles below about the startup of a new 'nofrills' cellphone service for people that don't need blackberries and iphones. It launches in Canada (provinces of Ontario and Quebec) in 2009.

L got a call from the town yesterday. She is signed up for a swim instructor course at the end of the year and they were giving her information on attending an instructor interview and wet skills test at the end of the month. They must be short of instructors as she hasn't even taken the course yet. They said they are planning ahead for winter job applications. Anyway, she submitted a job application online and thinks she may try for an instructor job eventually to gain the experience.

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Time to carve the pumpkin

Dropped K off to an early morning tutorial and decided to go to the gym for an elliptical machine workout. Caught up on a bit of morning TV in the process. Obama is getting a lot of coverage as the US gears up for elections. Apparently there's a new book out on John Lennon suggesting he had a brief thought about going to bed with his beautiful mother and even with Paul McCartney, although it was out of the question because Paul is totally heterosexual. Too bad John can no longer speak for himself. Then I picked up some snacks as L is having a Halloween party with a few friends at our house. She had hoped to use the new basement, but it's off limits until the painted stairs dry properly. K and I will go over to the cousins for trick or treating. We just have to make sure he doesn't horse around too roughly because of his recent eye surgery.

It's a nicer day today and supposed to really warm up for Halloween. I better get the pumpkin out of the side yard for carving tonight. I have lots of chocolates but typically we don't get a lot of kids.


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Life's challenges

I got some drawer liners for the new kitchen. Nice, new non-adhesive ones.
Halloween display caught on our Sunday walk in a nice part of town

Cute blue and white house on our Sunday walk. I think the little house in front of the big house is so cute.

We woke up to some light snow this morning, enough to cover the grass. It's supposed to go back to fall temperatures tomorrow though. The trick is to have a good winter jacket and you don't really feel that cold.

I found this 'Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Puttanesca Sauce' recipe in the news article below, sounds delicious.

K's Argon laser surgery went well yesterday. The retinal tear is a serious condition because it can lead to retinal detachment that may cause the eye to become blind. The laser basically spot welds around the tear and thus tries to prevent a retinal detachment. He said the doctor told him to relax, then (pow!) shot this light in his eye 4 separate times. His eye started watering and he winced in pain. Then he all he could see was bright white light out of the eye, then it became blurry for a few hours. It was a bit sore, so he took some Advil painkiller. He's back at school today, and the eye's ok, no gym for a week. There's a follow up appointment in 6 weeks.

M just made the last payment on the basement, so it's officially done. The painter is still finishing up the last minute things, but after today, that should be it!

I had a meeting this morning with the department head of K's school. Apparently the school has a person full time working with kids that aren't achieving. She's going to work with him during the school day when it's convenient, teaching study skills, doing some testing. She's recommending we get an outside (non family tutor) at $50 -60$ and hour a few times a week to work on remedial tutoring as opposed to homework help (I think that's what she said). I don't have a problem with her helping out. I just think an extra tutor would just add one more thing to his calendar. (Unless it was a bright young guy that could inspire him). We'll see what happens with that. Life seems to be one challenge after another. Thought we could relax after the basement was done!

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Does mold make you sick? Doctors seek answers

Surgery Day

It's freezing outside today. With that cold wind, you don't feel like going for a walk. Ottawa, about 4 hours east has a snow watch.

K is about to have his laser eye surgery, he just got some eye drops. They gave M a booklet to read prior. The doctor says K's condition is not lattice degeneration as we thought. He was likely just born with that retinal tear. Maybe that's better, providing it gets fixed ok.

They're hoping to start washing the basement floors this afternoon and they're still painting.

I'm about to try that spicy coconut chicken recipe I found yesterday, except they were out of cilantro of all things in the grocery store today. I even got a jalapeno, which I've never used before and had trouble recognizing. Last week I was buying cream, this week they had micro-filtered milk on sale, so I got some skim milk. Micro-filtered means more bacteria has been filtered out than in regular pasteurization so it stays fresh longer and has a creamier taste. It's true.

I just found this neat video on how to cut a jalapeno.


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New Recipes

I had my annual eye checkup at the opthalmologist today. (My eyes are still dilated, so excuse any typos.) He's such a brilliant, competent doctor, I feel well taken care of for the few minutes I'm with him. I'm good to go for another year. I mentioned K's retinal laser surgery tomorrow and he knows the retinal specialist and said he's a very good doctor. Laser surgery these days seems very matter-of-fact and no one seems to get too excited about it including people that have undergone some type of it. Fingers crossed.

Of course, I read the latest Chatelaine magazine (November issue) in the doctor's office and noticed a few recipes I liked and some I may try:
Tex-Mex shepherd's pie
Spicy coconut chicken
Petite pumpkin toffee tarts
Focaccia cranberry stuffing bake

For the record, the big light green garbage bin on our driveway for at least the past month was removed this morning, signalling the renovation is winding up.

Beaches

I'd love to go to one of those gorgeous Southeast Asian beaches in the article below. It seems so far away though. I've heard it's more unspoiled than the Caribbean in that they are taking more steps to preserve the environment.

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Southeast Asia's sexiest beaches

So Much For Privacy: Doing A Different Kind Of Business In The Office Bathroom

Scientists develop cancer fighting tomato

Our own counsel

A friend and I are going for a walk and a tea this windy morning while her kids are curling at the arena. It may rain. I'm doing some laundry and later on some 'home schooling'.

I'm thinking now that I have to put drawer liners in the new kitchen, get a dish drainer and a kettle, etc. It'll be strange managing 2 kitchens. At least now I have some space for extra dishes and glasses. I've already warned M to carefully think about what he drags downstairs for storage. We've increased our liveable space by a third. It feels like we have a new house downstairs.

K is bugging me for new fashionable clothes like his friends. (Jeans, hat, jacket) So we'll have to find time to go shopping. One of his friends confided that he has a girlfriend at the school. Hmm. Wonder if his mom knows (-:

I've been reading that a lot of people close to retirement age have their investments down by 50% due to the stock market crash. It seems the sane thing to do is have most of your money in cash like investments at that age. In the boom times all the financial planners were telling everyone they had to be fully invested. I think we have to keep our own counsel sometimes.

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I couldn't wait

I just had to post a few basement pictures, although technically everything will be finished next Tuesday. We've learned so much from this process.

Double Door closet

unstained railing
bath and kitchen area
bathroom cabinet
shower tiling
kitchen


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Keeping track of things

Today seems like it's going to be a quiet day, don't know why I feel a bit stressed. I normally don't like looking ahead in my calendar, preferring to take things a day at a time. I hate to see appointments I have to keep or to make, I think the fun things just happen spontaneously. But in today's world, the reality is that if you don't make an appointment, you can't seem to connect with people.

So saying, I'm known for always running my life by a little black book. It's the only way to keep things organized. And my 'little' black book has grown to about 8 by 11 inches now.

One of my sisters uses a large bulletin board on her kitchen wall. She has 4 kids and colour codes everyone's activities on there, including her husband's. One day they were so over-booked, they ran out of board space.

My over-achieving daughter also thrives on being busy and loves to have her day crammed with activities.

Just rambling on a bit today.


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Retinal Tear

So the retinal specialist says K has a retinal tear in his left eye and needs surgery as soon as possible to fix it. We lucked into a cancellation this coming Tuesday, otherwise he would've had to wait 6 weeks for an appointment. It will be for half an hour in the doctor's office and he sounded very calm and matter of fact. He asked if K had ever had an eye injury, then suggested he may have been born with the condition.

The basement is looking really good, and they think they'll be finished on Monday. Can't wait to take some pictures once it's done and before we start cluttering it. We discovered they had delivered the wrong size shower door today and had to go running down to the store to exchange it. The company had mixed up the doors and it had been sitting around the house for weeks unnoticed. So, if you're ever renovating, please check your deliveries carefully as soon as possible and in detail!

L has a driving tip from her instructor. If you keep your thumbs wrapped around the wheel when you drive, you'll lose them if the air bag deploys. Best to drive with them flat against the steering wheel. Hmm.


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Tracking toxins in our city

Snow

Yes, it snowed in some parts of the city last night and we're in our winter coats. Typically, it doesn't last as the winter season technically starts Dec 21. It was quite mild 2 days ago.

K has his appointment with the retinal specialist tomorrow. M is going to take him as he's used to dealing with specialists, having taken his parents to so many varied appointments over the years. His dad has since passed away, although he was in his nineties. M usually goes to these appointments with his notebook in hand and no detail left unturned. Apparently this specialist is the only retinal guy in the area, so people come from far and wide to see him. It's too bad we don't have more specialists in the area.

I blasted K in the car this morning for wearing a light fashionable jacket when it's zero degrees outside. I think I was just getting rid of stress from teacher interviews, but he deserves it.

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5 Percent Cream

Wow, it's freezing today. It's time to pack the baseball caps away and bring the gloves out. I was at the groceries today and decided to buy some 5% cream. It started out when I found this Indian Butter Chicken sauce that called for some tablespoons of cream. So I got a one litre container and decided the rest won't waste, in fact I'm going to put some in my next cup of tea! 5% cream is one quarter of the fat of regular cream by the way. I'll try the butter chicken sauce tomorrow.

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The Best Time To Solve Your Problems At Work

What's the etiquette for getting your restaurant bill?

Does jealousy begin in the cradle?

Tipping

Wow, I still thought 15% was an adequate tip for restaurant service. The article below says it's now 20%. Bartenders expect $1 tip per drink.

I decided to clean up the perennials in the garden today, it's mild, rainy and threatening to get colder. It's not pleasant cutting things away with frozen hands.

L decided to accept a small part in the school play. She was pleased to have been selected as she felt that she had blown the audition. They do wonderful plays at her school, so it will be a good experience. Her only problem is finding time to fit in all her interests. I wanted her to have a driving lesson with her dad yesterday, unfortunately she didn't think she had the time as it had been a hectic weekend. This morning, she was looking for a hard plastic glass to use as a play prop for English and was upset that I had gotten rid of them all due to the Bisphenol A scare I've been reading so much about. Safety first!


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Party of the Year

L might have been to the sweet sixteen party of the year last night. It was a Toronto Harbourfront boat cruise that sounded more like a wedding celebration. It was held for a twin boy and girl. They each had their own fabulous tiered cakes. The girls wore beautiful dresses and the boys were mostly casual. The glassed-in upper deck was used for dancing and video fun (rockband, guitar hero) and L witnessed a spectacular sunset on the water. The formal dining room was on the lower level and the food sounded delicious, starting right the appetizers.

A friend of mine recently started on medication for her newly diagnosed hyperthyroid condition (the joys of middle age). She was saying the list of side effects were scary, but she's going to try the medication for a month. She thought she was having shortness of breath already. I told her I thought it was worth a try, as no medication might be a worse alternative.


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Blue The Most Cash Attracting Car Colour Of Tomorrow

Peaceful-looking

L had her annual eye exam today. We saw the Saturday optometrist, a bright young woman. L had her eyes dilated for the first time, as they're supposed to do that every 3 years and it had never been done. This is the same lady that diagnosed K's eye condition recently. I think we'll continue seeing her from now on, she seems to be very thorough. L's stressing that Nadal might lose the Madrid Masters Series. Poor Federer lost in the semi-final. Too bad she has to leave for a tennis lesson!

We had 6 contractors on site yesterday working on the basement...painting, tiling, plumbing. The toilet, bath sink and kitchen sink are all working now. The new doors and wood trim arrived and the trim got painted. Then a purolator courier arrived with a delivery for M, who was on a work conference call, while I was cooking. The courier was a bit upset that I signed for the document with slightly wet hands as I had run out from the kitchen. Shortly after that, the new fridge and stove for the basement got delivered in a most efficient manner. I did manage to go for a cool, but sunny morning walk and set up some appointments with K's teachers for next week. Have you ever watched the last leaves fall from the trees? It's peaceful-looking.

The only thing I can think to say about K's academic problems is that he lacks motivation and is not at all self-directed. And also that I'm willing to work with him in whatever way I can. In fact, it's a priority. Last school year, the head of the department had suggested I have him informally tested for disabilities. I'm still not ready to accept that and I didn't feel the head knew him well enough to suggest that. It's worth noting that the school is rigorously academic so we'll be moving him to a different school next year. So we'll continue to take it one day at a time.

I remember when I started K in a pre-school at 18 months, he was supposed to be potty-trained and he wasn't. I worried about it until he was 3 and a half years old and he suddenly just did it, almost like overnight. I'm grasping at straws! One teacher told me her brother didn't wake up academically until the last year of high school!


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car hammer

L learned from her driver's education course that every car should keep a small safety hammer in their dashboard that can break glass in case you are ever submerged in water. It seems the water pressure would prevent your electronic windows from opening. You should quickly break the glass and exit the car before it becomes submerged and sinks further.

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Yes, they have no bananas: The Morning Banana Diet clears out Japan's supermarkets

Chinese Broccoli

K has his last cross country track meet today at another school.

They think they'll finish the basement tiling by Tuesday, along with everything else! Wouldn't that be nice.

All of a sudden, some of the trees are completely without leaves, the magic of fall.
I seem to have 2 hours completely to myself...wow. I've managed to get all my chores done. I just baked some salmon with my usual lemon pepper and dried tarragon. Then I cooked some chinese broccoli (gai-lon). The gai-lon comes all washed and trimmed at the local grocery store now. So I cut the leaves and stems into 2 inch pieces. I boil some salted water with about a tablespoon of olive oil then I add the gai-lon and simmer covered for about 10 minutes. Then I remove it from the water and mix in a tablespoon of oyster sauce. How easy it that?

There's a picture of chinese broccoli here along with some more detailed recipes.


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Busy Day

Went to my step class this morning. The instructor was back from a trip to Greece. She seemed relaxed and rejuvenated and made me want to take a trip to Greece. Then I had pick my mom up from a routine 5 hour stress test at the hospital. I started a bit of cooking and now it seems I have to go to the hardware store to process a credit for the mix-up in the kitchen cabinets. No relaxation time for the weary! Maybe I'll get my meatballs started before I leave.

The house is full of contractors. Someone's working on the kitchen, two men are tiling and they have a grade 12 co-op student helping out. Apparently the co-op student's teacher came over this morning to do a review on the student. It's crazy around here.

K's Science teacher just emailed that he's to start showing up for tutorials. L is taking the SAT test at school today, it's that time.

Yes, blogging is therapeutic.


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Extra News

Here are some good stories I hadn't had the chance to post yet. It seems advil can lower my breast cancer risk by 21%. I take a lot of those at a certain time of the month! And who knew that honey could help cuts heal faster and may be more helpful than a cough syrup for treating coughs?

Perhaps the best news today is from The Boomer Chronicles blog that says web surfing could keep dementia away. I'm all for that!

Oh, the new plumber was wonderful and our kitchen sink is good as new.

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Voting Day

Well, M and I did our civic duty this morning and voted in the Canadian Federal Elections. This will determine if our current Prime Minister Harper gets to stay in office for another term.

I cleaned up the garden a little bit this morning after my walk. It's still too early to cut back the perennials, I think. It seems to want to rain but the sun keeps peeking out.

It was a rigorous academic weekend for K and I. He's miffed at having had to do so much homework on a long weekend. But report cards are due this week and it won't likely be pleasant, so we're trying to do some 'catch up' work as well. L gets to attend a leadership seminar at school next week. It's one of the perks for being selected head of arts council for the year. She was also selected to be the in-training co-ordinator for Public Relations at her school. M took her out for a driving lesson yesterday and she had improved dramatically since the first lesson.

I think our basement is in the final phases, it shouldn't be more than the next week or 2. But it's still nerve wracking thinking what else can go wrong and meanwhile hoping for the best outcome. They're working on the bathroom and tiling today. We're expecting a plumber to call about clearing our kitchen sink line.

I'm planning to grill some zucchini and eggplant today. Haven't thought about the rest of the meal. I don't like going to the grocery store the morning after a long weekend, I'm waiting for them to put out some fresh stuff.



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Vitamin D

L did well with the driving lesson in a school parking lot yesterday. She just needs more practice to get the 'feel' of the car. We can go again today. We also have to finish stuffing a beanbag with another bag of beans.

My mom and sister made a lovely Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. My 13 year old niece has braces now, as seems to be the norm for that age group.

Today, K has to work on a speech for History and get a good start on a science project. It's great having a long weekend to get a head start on things.

I've been following 'Vitamin D' news for the past year, and it's interesting that they are now doubling the Vitamin D recommendation for kids in the U.S. We all started on Vitamin D supplements earlier this year after I kept reading about the mounting evidence to support it.

We tried the new Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge brownie mix in a tube and they are the best! Soft, moist and chewy...


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Macbeth

K and I have started getting into Macbeth more deeply, we read Act 2 together last night and it wasn't too bad. It does have a lot of action, all those murders keep it interesting. He thinks Lady Macbeth is very evil at this point.

I'm going to take L to a parking lot for a much needed driving lesson. She's had a lot of theory, but no practice. M went to the gym.

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10 (More) Reasons You're Not Rich

A good plumber

Note that as of Mar 17, 2009 I discovered the 'fake $5' is actually just an older note.

M called the plumber as we have been having a partial clog in our kitchen sink the past few days. He had come over back in August to help us. After about an hour, he realized he didn't have the proper tools as he's a main drain specialist as opposed to being a regular plumber. He remembered us as the 'fake $5 people'. The good part of the story is, he recommended a good, reasonable plumber and refused to take any money himself. He says that's how he builds his customer base, by treating people fairly.

Don't know why we are having so much trouble with grease buildup in our kitchen sink though. We had it cleared a couple of years ago, then back in August it was a main drain problem as opposed to the kitchen line. Anyway, we have to wait until Tuesday to find out. These things always seem to happen on a long weekend. Fortunately, it's just a partial clog.

I got a couple of pumpkin pies with cans of whipped cream at a local supermarket, so we're all set for Thanksgiving.

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Sound of Music

The Sound of Music was lovely. Beautiful music from the orchestra and superb singing from the cast. Maria was a good choice, young and fresh with a great voice. The 7 children were very talented as well. Very creative special effects not to be missed especially if you are a Sound of Music fan.

The kids have haircuts today and M is going to chase up those missing kitchen parts so we can hopefully have them by Tuesday. L has a tennis lesson in the afternoon and maybe a movie night with friends after.

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Long Weekend

The kids are home today, it's a 4 day long weekend for them. M and K had their annual eye exams at the optometrist and L went for an eyebrow threading. Hopefully K can also get a lot of homework done, then we're off to see the new 'Sound of Music' musical downtown with another family.

It seems we have 2 wrong parts to the kitchenette and a missing corner piece, so we have a few days delay. These pieces are like Ikea furniture and you have to check them carefully, who knew? Would've been nice to see the whole thing come together today. They grouted the tiles around the kitchenette with a sand colour and the tiles look so good now under the potlights, sort of like a sandy yellow beach.

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Different Strokes for Different Folks

The weather is warming up for the Thanksgiving long weekend and it should be a gorgeous one. I was inspired to put up a few Halloween decorations when my old step instructor told me she had already started since Oct 1st. (Halloween is her favourite holiday and she is young and enthusiastic).

K is off on a field trip to the town of Stratford today to see 'Romeo and Juliet'. I won't even ask him how that went. L said some Grade 9 kids at her school got a week's detention for mis-behaving at their Stratford trip. He enjoyed his cross-country track meet yesterday although he says their bus skidded trying to avoid a larger coach and they almost went into a creek. Scary, but at least the rain didn't start to really pour until they got back.

They are cleaning and grouting some of the floor tiles today and the shower wall tiles are being laid. There are so many little decisions to make in this process. What direction would you like the (10x13)tiles laid? Would you like the wall tiles to extend a bit past the shower door or just line up directly with it? I can see why some people hire designers, quite apart from choosing colours. Then again, I could be actually laying the tiles myself. Then again, some people love laying tiles.

Last night, L was helping me to stuff a new beanbag with those foam beads and she really enjoyed it. To me, it's a really painful task, especially when the beads are full of static and stick to everything while you're pouring them. But I would find it easy, quick and satisfying to organize and clear out her clothes drawer, something she is loathe to do. Different strokes for different folks.


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Canadian Winter Pumpkin Pie

Lilly, here's a pumpkin pie recipe for you. I'm not really a baker, I usually just pick one up from my favourite grocery store, with a can of whipped cream that K just inhales.

My step class wasn't crowded today for some reason, I think they were all in Walmart which seemed busy at that hour. Everyone must be shopping for Thanksgiving or getting ready for Halloween.

The driving school called to set up in-car lessons for L, so she'll be starting those at the end of the month. So I should give her a bit of practice in a nearby parking lot on the weekends.

K's English and Music teacher (one and the same) called with a few complaints. That's the usual case this time of year. Hopefully Math and Science won't call. M took the call and was of course, upset. I handled it well yesterday. I took the approach, 'what can we do to help?'. We'll just have to take it one step at a time. Macbeth is not for everyone. Shakespeare's English at that time was quite different. I'm beginning to doubt whether K is university material, though. He'll be in grade 9 next year. L is doing a bunch of advanced courses in grade 11 and has noticed that these classes contain some smart boys. They make bets with each other to see who will get the highest mark on a test. Different than some she's known previously (smile).


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Thanksgiving and Halloween

Canadian Thanksgiving is this coming Monday, so it will be a long weekend. We'll celebrate at my mom's on Sunday. I think I'll take a pumpkin pie to add to the dessert menu. It was a cold morning that turned into a gorgeous sunny day, I'm just heading out for a walk before I get the kids from school.

I noticed our local McDonald's already have their Halloween decorations up. I bought a pumpkin for carving.

M and I will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary tomorrow. No plans to go to the Bahamas or anything! I picked up the bullnose tile (bathroom window trim), and the painter says she'll be finished hand painting today. They're tiling the kitchen area now, so that they can start assembling the cabinets. It's going to be a small 10ft by 6ft L-shaped area. It will be nice to see the finishing touches being put in at last.

I'm doing a microwaved fish for dinner, with broccoli and some baked chicken legs for K.

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Computers are not for everyone (or are they?)

It's a tiring, no-energy day for me as I struggle to get my chores and errands done. It seems as if there are always doctor, dentist, hair appointments to make or upcoming for this or that person. It's also flu shot time of year. K has his orthodontist checkup today. One of his friends finally had his braces removed, now he has a retainer to keep clean. There are a bunch of them that meet in the washroom after lunch to brush their braced teeth. Some of them don't bother.

The good news is that K's school photo came back and no re-takes are required. They did 3 poses for each child and you can now pay online although you still have to submit an order form. K said some of his friends did 'model' poses so that all 3 shots were different (and quite amusing). He's opted not to have his photos re-touched as they're actually quite good.

We went out to dinner with some old friends this past Saturday. I had sent them an interesting youtube video and was surprised when they said it didn't work. I asked them if they pressed 'play'. They said 'oh'. My girlfriend is only 50 years old but admits she's not comfortable with the computer or email for that matter. Oh well, everyone's different.

Now, one of my brother-in-laws (in his mid-fifties) has recently embraced the internet. My sister decided to get her own laptop the other day, as her son didn't like sharing his. Then my brother-in-law got a hold of her new laptop and can't seem to stop googling and downloading stuff to CD, etc! I think it's the first time anyone has seen him ever use a computer, so it's quite unbelievable. So now my sister still doesn't have a laptop available!

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Sub-prime crisis simplified

Wow, it's cold in the mornings, time to turn the heat on. I walked to church this morning, it's been awhile. They're starting to prepare for their annual fund raising craft sale in November. I love browsing these.

I found this great article (see the 'news' below) that describes the sub-prime financial crisis using analogies and recommends steps going forward.



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Nuit Blanche

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Apple/Zucchini soup?

Here's the first coat of 'calming cream' with the 'Toucan Gold' tiles.










I found an interesting blog called Blue via Lilly's Life. There's an apple/zucchini soup recipe in an article below, sounds worth a try.

K and I found a whole bunch of clothes for him at the mall. He has quite the fashion sense and had no trouble picking clothes out, it was quick and effortless, except for choosing what 'not' to buy. Now he has warm pants, long sleeve shirts, a new jacket, etc. in men's size M, so it should last awhile.



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Bullnose Tile

It's a beautiful autumn day, sunny and blustery.

I accomplished a lot today, which makes me happy. I went down to the tile store first thing in the morning and ordered some special tile to trim the edges of the bathroom window (because half the window will be in the shower area), I think he called it 'bullnose' tile. It's the same tile as the ivory wall tile we're using, just 10 inch 'trim' size. I'm amazed how we can just keep learning every day as we embrace new challenges, however small! After that, I went to the library to get some books on Georges-Etienne Cartier (one of Canada's Fathers of Confederation), for K's History homework. Now he can just get right into it on the weekend! Then the rest of our bathroom delivery arrived. I also had to choose grout colour for the various tiles from samples. I think I could get good at this, it's all a matter of confidence and maybe a bit of advice. Then I went for my walk and am now doing a bit of cooking. It's almost time to get the kids and I'd like to get K to the mall this evening to get some warm pants that he'll actually wear. He had a field trip downtown today and insisted on wearing light summer pants. Thirteen is a difficult age, they seem to want to be adults right away. The fact that he's so much taller than me now doesn't help.

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Everyday Exotic

L needed some gossip magazines for a school project the other day, and we didn't happen to have any lying around as I had done a lot of recycling in the summer. So I was commissioned to go pick up a couple more. I got the most recent 'Hello Canada' and 'Intouch' and made sure to browse them quickly first. Good excuse to catch up on celebrity gossip.

I just caught this new Foodtv Canada show called 'Everyday Exotic' hosted by Roger Mooking. He's a new face with a lot of personality and interesting recipes. Today he's doing a papaya/coconut marinade, using even the papaya seeds.

The contractor showed up to start the tiling, no worries for the moment. A part of the bathroom delivery came earlier in the day, but the other part is due tomorrow. Hope it's early too.

The chicken soup had a delicious smell, was yummy and sooo comforting.

Delivery Day

Our kitchen parts arrived bright and early this morning. Our bathroom delivery is expected later on. Our contractor is supposed to start tiling today. They were busy yesterday and they are late today. Hopefully they haven't become too busy on other projects as it's crunch time here as usual. This whole renovation thing involves a lot of trust, at least on the part of the homeowner. That is the cause of the stress, I think. What if? What if? Because there is a lot of money involved if and when things go wrong. I think the homeowner bears most of the risk. M has a friend who checked references and the guy still disappeared after he'd given a $10,000 deposit!

Well, I'm making my own chicken soup today, inspired by Just a Plane Ride Away.


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It's Working

I went down to the basement last night and the calming cream is working for me now. It had seemed very yellow and bright the night before. It seems to complement and enhance the tiles. M remarked on the spacious feeling, I think everything will be bright and airy at the end of it all.

L got chosen to head up Arts Council at school, she's over the moon. It's a big deal to be head of any council. Her job is winding down in a few weeks. She is planning to tutor French at school in the winter.

I'm succumbing to this cough/cold I've been fighting. Hopefully I have a restful day ahead. The weather's starting to cool down.



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