A Little "HOLY" Humour!

LOT'S WIFE; The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot 's wife looked back And turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

GOOD SAMARITAN
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?' A thoughtful Little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

DID NOAH FISH?
A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ?' 'No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'

HIGHER POWER
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is?' One child blurted out, 'Aces!'

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

BEING THANKFUL
A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, 'So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say?' The little boy replied, 'Thank God he's in bed!'

TIME TO PRAY
A pastor asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. 'Yes, Sir,' the boy replied. 'And, do you always say them in the morning, too?' the pastor asked. 'No sir,' the boy replied. 'I ain't scared in the daytime.'

SAY A PRAYER
Little Ricky and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Ricky received his plate, he started eating right away. 'Ricky! Please wait until we say our prayer.' said his mother. 'I don't need to,' the boy replied.. 'Of course, you do,' his mother insisted. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.' 'That's at our house,' Ricky explained. 'But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!

Perfect Teeth

Well, K finally had his tooth braces removed after nearly 3 years! Now he has to wear retainers for life, as apparently the teeth can shift. The orthodontist seemed proud of his work (like art or sculpture, I imagine) and a perfect set of teeth it is too!

PJ has the funniest post, I think it's a wonderful tribute to Middle Age, do check it out!

For book lover bloggers, SoccerMom found this website called BookSneeze where they'll send you free books for an honest review on your blog.

News

Depressed? You must like chocolate

Success – one waffle at a time

How to Eat Less: Don't Put Food on the Table

Want to lose weight? Write down what you eat

Study: Chimps react to death like humans

Enjoy a Coffee

Just because it’s so hard for us to get together for a coffee...
have one on me.... C

Enjoy
1. CLICK ON THE LINK (COFFEE MACHINE BELOW)
2. PUT THE COIN IN THE VENDING MACHINE
3. CHOOSE YOUR DRINK
4. CLICK ON THE CUP WHEN IT IS READY
5. CLICK ON OPEN
ENJOY!


To start click

COFFEE
MACHINE

Creative Tuesdays - Pure Imagination

Here's my contribution to Creative Tuesdays' Pure Imagination theme. I loved the 'freeness' of this theme but had trouble 'letting myself go' when it came down to it! So what can I say, I decided to do a Supernova star theme, what could be more magical than that?

I used purple construction paper and oil pastels.

Quite Wondrous

I walked to church on the weekend. The birds are out in full force, flying from tree to tree. It's really quite wondrous if you take a moment to observe them on a clear day. Church was crowded as they were doing a batch of First Communions. Some of the little girls looked adorable in their fancy white dresses.

M's great nephew was Baptized on Sunday. M's niece and her husband hosted everyone at a nice restaurant afterward. We had a lovely time getting together with the extended family and their friends.

The kids love getting together with their cousins. They were seated at a table by themselves, separate from the older adults. One of the cousins told K to watch out for when his sister goes off to university. He will become the centre of attention of both parents and he knew he couldn't stand it. True enough, although I don't see how K could possibly get more attention than he already does!

Another cousin came with yet another boyfriend in tow. She turns 30 next month so we are all wondering if this will be the lucky guy. There have been a string of boyfriends since she was about 16 and we get confused trying to remember them, except to say that they were all very nice.

News

Heart disease: Canadian skater Rochette talks about her mother

What to Do Before You Lose Your Cell Phone

The Telemarketer

The other night L answered the telephone. It was a telemarketer, of course. He asks 'may I speak to Christine?' L responded 'is this a promotion?' The gentleman asks 'is this Christine?' Unfazed, L asks 'is this a promotion?' To her surprise, the man started laughing and admitted that yes, it was a promotion. She answered politely 'I'm sorry, we're not interested!' before hanging up the phone. We thought the whole incident was a bit funny, no disrespect intended!

L is keeping herself very busy as usual and I'm bugging her to please accept her university of choice THIS WEEKEND (wishful thinking?). The deadline is May 28, however one can't (shouldn't) wait until the last minute.


News

Shatner for Governor-General page explodes on Facebook

Fast food makes you think fast

Chocolate Math

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH

Don't tell me your age;
you'd probably lie anyway-but the Hershey Man will know!

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH

This is pretty neat.
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!
It takes less than a minute .
Work this out as you read
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1760 ..
If you haven't, add 1759..

6... Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.


You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).

The next two numbers are



YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)


THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2010) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS.


Chocolate Calculator.

The Peak

Magnolia Tree Blooming

There's so much going on around our house these days. The teen years (or Middle Age) must be the peak of family activity. Some days it seems L and K have to be at different places at the same time. The challenge is just to keep track of everyone's schedules, juggling appointments and social engagements, sort of like 4 adults in the house. It seems everyone's always running late, and I'm the kind of person that likes to be everywhere 5 or 10 minutes early. It doesn't help that K blares the radio while I'm driving in the car, drives me crazy sometimes. I'll remember these moments when things slow down, perhaps sooner than I think. Of course, L's solution is that she should get her own car!

On a change of topic, I am slowly switching to Sunlight Green Clean Detergent. It's so easy to use besides being 'green'. You just pour a capful into the washer along with the clothes.

News

Ash cloud's silver lining: bluer skies

Threats to Earth: 7 Little-Known Ecological Hazards

Amorous slug, orange snake among finds on Borneo

Consumers Going Online To Find Group Buys

Hunting for ordinary faces
World-famous photographer finds worthy street styles in Toronto

Earth Day

L noticed I was wearing green today and supposed it was for Earth Day. It was just a coincidence, but good to know anyway.

Well, my excitement for yesterday was when I noticed this news story about 'funny money' where they were saying that there are fake $2 coins being passed around town. Of course, I panicked and started worrying to the point where I used my credit card to purchase my Kentucky Fried Chicken lunch at the mall! Later on, we found we had quite a few at home. In fact, L had one that with the year '2003' on it. So I went back to the news story and checked the comments section. People were saying it is just a new version of the coin and that is what I now believe. Last year, I had been fooled in a similar manner with an old version of the $5 bill! Ok, back to 'relax' mode.

News

Ampersand Arcade: McDonald's using Nintendo DS to train new employees

Sugary diets appear to worsen cholesterol levels

A Little More Italian

It seems a friend of ours was in Italy at the beginning of the Iceland volcano ash crisis. He ended up taking a (very) slow train to Rome and although he had a hotel reservation, found that there was complete chaos at the 4-star hotel. Some rooms that were supposed to be empty were not because people were simply staying on. So the bell boy was dispatched to check on whether people in the rooms were legitimately there. Meanwhile the airlines kept sending more stranded passengers to the hotel based on its online availability. There was lots of yelling in different languages as people got upset. Our friend made it back to Canada shortly before the airport was closed. His wife jokes that he learned a little more Italian with that adventure!

News

It's official -- teens are master text messagers

Youtube Tuesday

We're in for a 'picture perfect' day today with not a cloud in the sky according to the news! I see highs of 19C (66F), it's about 6C right now (43F), but K's heading out to school in shorts like the rest of the kids.

Here is a video of some playful puppies to warm your heart!

Or, how about a kangaroo swim?

News

Eyjafjallajökull - You're doing it wrong! (video)

Vacationing a human right, EU chief says

With new technology, few blind Canadians read braille

Easy Chocolate Beignets

Judy from 'The Southern Lady Cooks' has a recipe for Easy Chocolate Beignets that I am intend to try in the very near future. In fact, I've had a can of biscuits and all the ingredients waiting for the past week! Maybe you can try them before I do.

I went for a nice walk with my friend S yesterday morning. It was a bit cold but the sun decided to come out. We decided we'll get little refrigerators for our daughters' rooms at university.

News

5 Ways to Become an Optimist

Fruit Bottom Balkan Yogurt

Here you can see the leaves on the trees starting to bloom.

Ok, I recently bought the most delicious 'Astro Original All Natural Fruit Bottom Balkan Yogurt'. It's flavoured with honey (4% milk fat) and comes in a strawberry, peach, blueberry and fieldberry multipack. It's only 100 calories per 100g and the fieldberry flavour I tried was to die for.

Japra has a recent post entitled 'Cote d'Azur: Nice'. She recently went there on vacation and I thought you'd like to see what my dream vacation is like!

News

9 Surprising Symptoms of Stress

Taste for low-calorie alternatives may wane: Study

Fifteen

I've noticed a change in my son K, who recently turned 15. All of a sudden, he's more of a young man than a just a kid. We talk and laugh about the day's events in a more adult manner. It's interesting. I'm enjoying him in a different way.

Sometimes I'd send him youtube videos or news clips that I think he'd find interesting. Lately, he's been sharing stuff he finds with me! Now I think I have to get ready for when the girlfriends start to come around.

What's funny is that he was studying for a health quiz last night and refused any help. Apparently there were a bunch of diagrams and definitions which I was not allowed to see!

I'm excited for L as she starts university in the fall. It's a new stage in her life (our lives), a new challenge to embrace. I think academically, she will be okay, the new part will be living in residence, getting along with roommates, adapting to university life as a young adult.

News

This firm helps boomers cope with shock of downsizing

A 2nd garbage patch: Plastic soup seen in Atlantic

Bringing out the best in people

This is the cutest video, you have to watch it! It's called 'Hula hoop baby'.

I took my car in for maintenance yesterday. Everyone seemed to be in a chatty mood. I had helped myself to a cup of coffee in the lounge when this other customer asked me if it was any good. I said 'Well, it's hot'. He laughed and said 'Can't beat Tim Horton's'. So of course, I said 'Actually, I prefer McDonald's coffee'. He said 'You know, I've been hearing that a lot'. He went on to say that there are not a lot of Tim Horton's locations in Vancouver where he sometimes works, but of course there are McDonald's everywhere. He mentioned he's really a Starbucks fan. It must be the great summery weather we're having in the spring time that is bringing out the best in people!

Then I hopped into the shuttle driver's car to get a ride home. He is an outgoing retired gentleman who told me he loves his part time job and has been doing it for 7 years. He lived in the area for 40 years before moving an hour east to be near his grown children. They had just returned from 6 weeks in Arizona. He said the Grand Canyon is a sight worth seeing when I asked. We had a nice chat about life in general until we got to my house after dropping off one other passenger.

Smitten Kitchen just posted this delicious looking 'Classic Cob Salad' on her blog.

News

Study: Frequent password changes are useless

Multivitamins and increased cancer risk

Hyacinth

These hyacinth bulbs were being drenched in my garden the other day, but I thought they looked beautiful.

Ironically, I just read a post from 'how not to act old' telling us (tongue in cheek) to resist the urge to do just that! lol. I must be getting old because I couldn't help myself!

I found this nice recipe in a magazine recently and am going to try a version of it, maybe today. It's called 'Creamy dilled crab and sun-dried-tomato pasta'.

We're having sunny, summery weather again. Today a goose stopped traffic crossing the road. It's funny, he did it right at that traffic light! The other thing you have to watch out for are the school kids on their bikes and sometimes they sit on the sidewalks.

News

Life is more green lights than red ones, Awesome blogger says

No “Double Down” sandwich at KFC here - doesn't look very healthy anyway

Salad dressing good for the brain, new study shows

The health benefits of meditation

Wildlife

Here's a photo of that duck outside our house. She was enjoying the rain that day. M said he almost drove over her while backing out of the driveway one morning. He found broken egg shells behind a shrub, so it seems she was nesting there and it wasn't safe from the other wildlife.

News

How to shop for makeup brushes

Eating the Wrong Kind of Carbohydrates Increases Heart Disease Risk - I love all the wrong kinds

Stay heart healthy with regular exercise

Creative Tuesdays - Travel

Here's my contribution to Creative Tuesday's 'Travel' theme. I'm calling it 'Cocktails'. Join us, won't you?




News

Birds: Not as lovey-dovey as they look, research finds

The Perfect Day

Here is our latest 'indiscretion'. It's 'Girl Guide Cookies time of the year!' These chocolate and vanilla ones are my (and K's) favourite. Well, he also likes the chocolate mint ones.

K had a fun 15th birthday party at Laserquest (laser tag games) yesterday. It was nice to see some of his old friends from elementary school as well as get together with his existing friends. There were about 10 of them in all. The lovely spring weather only helped to make it the perfect day.


News

Canadians honoured for Apollo 13 rescue 40 years ago

How routine can be the great enlivener

ID ten T error

L stayed up all night doing an essay for school the other day. It's a crazy age.

I used my 'one step' garlic plus spice to make a quick roasted asparagus yesterday. I just lay the asparagus on a baking tray lined with a sheet of parchment paper. I drizzled extra virgin olive oil over them,shook the spices over top and baked for 10 minutes at 400F. They were delicious.

I recently got the following from an e-mail. Know anyone like this? (-:

I was having trouble with my computer. So I called John, the 11 year
old next door whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to
come over..

John clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.

As he was walking away, I called after him, 'So, what was wrong?

He replied, 'It was an ID ten T error.'

I didn't want to appear to stupid, but nonetheless inquired, 'An, ID
ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again.'

John grinned. 'Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?''

No,' I replied.

'Write it down,' he said, 'and I think you'll figure it out.'

So I wrote down: I D 1 0 T

I used to like that little sh**.


News

Milton whiz kid's iPhone app downloaded 2 million times

Dreamers and doers: Nurturing the love of reading
Lawyer starts bookstore where children can get free books

Why women hoard bras

Germs

I saved this cute one from PJ's blog the other day, she has some great finds.

I was listening to a popular radio show yesterday morning...anyway they had this Dr Katz on...he appears on 'The View' in the U.S. He was interesting. He talked about the germiest places...one of the worst is your purse because of the places you leave it during the day. He advised never to rest it on the floor as it usually ends up on your kitchen counter before you make dinner. The other dirtiest thing is your hotel room bedspread and the hotel TV remote. He advises wiping the remote with at least a 65% alcohol wipe as anything less won't kill any germs. He advises you to keep your toothbrush covered and your toilet lid down as when it flushes it can splash fecal matter onto your toothbrush! Well this is your gross-out for today!


News

As door closes on raising kids, window opens on the past

Consultant harnesses the infectious power of preschoolers

The Longevity Game

Here's a neat quiz for you today, called 'The Longevity Game'. It says: 'How long can you expect to live? We developed the Longevity Game to give you a peek into your future by identifying the factors that can lead to a healthier, more productive life.'

It was pouring rain all day yesterday but I went about my errands anyway. I looked out the front door in the morning and saw the young duck on the driveway, the one that had stepped from beneath a shrub the other morning. I guess he was enjoying the wet weather.

News

Canadian research raises hopes for new diabetes treatment

Walking Linked To Lower Stroke Risk In Women

Parents can expect rewarding behaviours from children

What could I do?

I was at the grocery store the other day and saw these Lindt chocolate bunnies (100g/3.5oz) for half price! What could I do? I got 2 milk chocolate ones, and a dark chocolate one. I don't feel so bad, a friend of mine told me she just ate a whole bunny.

News

First Camera, Then Fork

Human Gut Bacteria Different in Japanese vs. North Americans

Brain equates beauty and morality, study finds

Reflecting on a lovely weekend

On the Easter weekend, we had a lovely brunch at an upscale restaurant with my mother-in-law. It was busy, so I'm glad we made reservations. Everyone liked their food, including my mother-in-law who had a delicious grilled salmon well done. It was the perfect summery weather as I keep mentioning. I had a lobster and squash bisque followed by a seafood linguini.



The kids had gourmet pizzas, and L opted for yummy sweet potato fries with hers.


M had a ham and egg breakfast dish. The desserts were to die for. M had creme brulee.



K had carrot cake and ice cream.


L had a double scoop ice cream and coconut sorbet. I had a rum butter latte that was laced with alcohol and spices and put me in a good frame of mind considering I don't drink. This reminded me of our Barbados vacation in March, I keep saying I don't drink.

News

In social dealings, being older is being wiser

What Are the Most Dangerous Jobs?

Motivational Speaking

PJ posted this on her blog recently and I loved it, maybe identified with it! How about you? lol.

We had a fabulous dinner with my sister and her family over the weekend. My brother-in-law discovered this Viet-Thai restaurant in the neighbourhood. Tasteful, quiet atmosphere, authentic, artistic cuisine at great prices. We ordered a combination dinner for six with a few extra side dishes. Starting off with a delicious mango salad, followed by thai and vietnamese spring rolls, chicken skewers, a yellow curry chicken, an eggplant and chicken dish, singapore style noodles, pad thai, seafood fried rice, and a bowl of beef tendon pho noodle soup. We had a sweet sticky rice with mango slices for dessert along with deep fried banana. Yum. Sorry, I didn't take any photos, more's the pity as the food was so beautifully presented.

Afterward, we watched the war movie 'Inglorious Basterds'. This is not my kind of movie, but it was a good, suspenseful one.

News

Stationery company building on social responsibility

My Noodle Dish

I'm quite proud of myself. Pete of PeteFormation Foodie Adventure recently posted a simple prawn noodle soup recipe. He calls it 'Quickie Hokkien Mee'. Anyway, I tried it with a few variations. It became a noodle dish as opposed to a soup (as pictured), but I've always had trouble making palatable noodle dishes, so now I have a base to work with. Thanks Pete.

Have a look at this cute video called 'Single Ladies Devastation'.

News

Five Billionaires Who Live Below Their Means

Can You Blog From an iPad? I Just Did

British Goodies

I was on Main Street a couple of days ago and noticed a new store opened up at the bottom of the street. It's called something like 'A little bit of this, a little bit of that'. They sell British goods! I saw some clothing and other knick knacks. They had a good supply of English and Scottish treats. They seemed to be clearing their Easter chocolates and pictured above is a photo of the bunch of goodies I picked up for Canadian $10.50.
They had Cadbury Roses, etc, etc. Mmm, yes, I thought of you.

I decided to clean up the front garden a bit yesterday morning as the weather is so fabulous. I notice this pile of leaves on the front door mat, so I clear it away and notice a robin's egg neatly tucked into one of the links on the mat. The birds must have built a little nest at the front door! I left the egg there, thought that was the best thing to do. The I start clearing some leaves under a shrub and a baby duck (I think) comes out from under it! I decided to go clean another area and not disturb it. M asked me if I'm sure it's not a rabbit. Well, I think I know a bird when I see it!

News

Facebook Scam Targets Whole Foods Shoppers [ALERT]

Dance-Off

Happy Easter!

M and I sat in an outdoor cafe yesterday morning and split an egg salad sandwich on whole wheat with decaf coffees. I had lunch not long after that and snacked on chocolates. L was at a sleepover 18th birthday party for one of her best friends. K's friend organized a C-Walk dance event and more than 20 of them went to a mall for a few hours to have a dance-off. The security guards kicked them out after a while so they continued outdoors. He reports having great fun. Teenagers need a safe place to hang out, I think.

K gets a haircut this morning then we're doing dinner with my sister and her family as our Easter gathering and also to celebrate my nephew's 16th birthday. We're planning to take M's mom to Easter Brunch at a nice restaurant on Monday.



News

Easter eggs might be good for your heart

Self-Esteem Drops After Retirement

Packed house for Joe Fresh and Pink Tartan at LG Fashion Week - Joe Fresh designer has a star every season. 'This time he chose two: Crystal Renn and Kirsten Owen. Renn is a successful plus size model who has walked for Jean Paul Gaultier and appeared in Vogue. Kirsten Owen is now 40, and has had a long career, acting as the face of Fendi, Ungaro, and Marc Jacobs.'

When there is only one tree in the neighbourhood

We are having gorgeous, sunny, summery weather this long Easter weekend. M was saying we had no snow in all of March which is unusual. People are taking their snow tires off a month earlier than usual, not to mention thinking of barbecue season. The grocery stores were crowded yesterday because they are closed today and Sunday. I heard Costco (in the States anyway) sells a spiral ham in red foil that is already cooked, so you just warm it and pour the accompanying sauce on it. Well, that's the American way for you.

I went for a walk down Main Street in the afternoon and it was bustling, the sidewalk cafes were overflowing with people enjoying the good weather. The ice cream/chocolate store was doing brisk business.


News

To scientists, laughter is no joke — it's serious

Tweet bags: Send a message in cookies

Panda Tantrum

Happy April!

I was at my hairdresser recently. He told me an interesting story of when he first came to Canada 28 years ago (he's Armenian from Lebanon I believe). He spoke no English and got a job at a hair dressing salon owned by an Italian man. After only about 3 or 4 months working there, the owner decided to take a 3 or 4 month trip to Italy and left him in charge of running the salon. My hairdresser was surprised and his co-workers were upset because some of them had been there for years. The owner had his mind made up. Upon his return he was so happy with the job my hairdresser had done that he insisted on giving him a $200 tip. The whole conversation started because my hairdresser was telling me he can't go on vacation because he has no one to look after the business when he's gone. The last time he went away, he entrusted and paid 3 people and ended up losing 3 times what he should have made. It's not easy running a small business, even more difficult to find people you can trust.

Then 2 of his customers walked in. The man was 96 years old and his wife looked around the same age. My hairdresser says he still fights with his wife!

Here's a cute video called Panda Tantrum.

News

Drinking alcohol slows arthritis: study

Jennifer Sygo: It's still junk food

Study suggests toads can detect coming earthquakes