GLIMPSE Giveaways

I am pretty new at this blogging thing but I have realized that I love it....I love checking out new blogs and I love these giveaways...right now I have won 2 giveaways.

I won some Agoo Hockey Huggers from Alyssa at A Motherhood Experience and yesterday I won a reusable snack and sandwich bag from Ashley over at The Johnstons.

I began following a great blog the other day and thought I would share this with you. 

It's called Glimpse Reviews and basically they review products and then the company does a giveaway...what a great way to learn about new products and get free stuff at the same time.

Here is a list of giveaways that are going on right now:

Giveaway #1
Warehouse One is a clothing company and giving away a voucher for a FREE PAIR OF JEANS...who wouldn't love this?
All you have to do is jump over to their website and check out their line up of jeans.  Pick a pair you would want and go back to Glimpse and comment which pair you would choose and WHY.  Simple enough. 
You can also get more entries for following Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA ONLY and the deadline is November 11, 2010.

Giveaway #2
Giving Gifts is the next giveaway.  Giving Gifts is all about fair trade and eco-friendly products.  In addition to the great stuff they have, they take a portion of their earnings and give to Carli's Kids which helps to build the Abetavu Children's village for street kids in Uganda.
Giving Gifts is giving a $25 gift certificate to one lucky reader/winner. 
All you have to do is head over to their site, check out their products and decide what you would buy with your $25 gift certificate.  Great stocking stuffer ideas for that environmentally-friendly person on your list this year!
Again, you can get more entries for following Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA and USA ONLY and the deadline is November 11, 2010.

Giveaway #3
hotSACKS is the home funky, affordable, reusable bags! We all have uses for these bags...they have lots of colors to choose from and package deals.
hotSACKS is giving away 1 set of Meshy hotSACKS (8 in a set) to 2 different winners. 
To enter please visit their website and comment on a feature of your favorite bag. 
I personally love these meshy bags because they are strong.
Again, you can get more entries for following Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA and USA ONLY and the deadline is November 10, 2010.

Giveaway #4
Beba Bean is a store devoted for babies and young ones.  They have such cute, adorable knitted clothing and stuff...I just love them all.  With winter coming, these little outfits look very cozy!
Beba Bean is giving away a $25 gift certificate. 
In order to get one entry, all you have to do is check their website and choose your favorite product...I know, I know, it's very hard...my favorite is the Knitted Hoodies!
Again, you can get more entries for following Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA and USA ONLY and the deadline is November 10, 2010.

Giveaway #5
Danna Bananas is a great on-line site for gift ideas.  They have something for just about everyone. 
Danna Bananas are giving away a <<REW to one lucky winner.  Check it out...talk about old school. 
In order to receive one entry, head over to Danna Bananas and comment on which product you would like to receive or give as a Christmas gift this year.
Again, you can get more entries for following Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA ONLY and the deadline is November 8, 2010.

Giveaway #6
A-to-Z Illusions is really neat.  It's pictures that spell things.  Check out the website to see what I mean.
A-to-Z Illusions has offered a great prize to one lucky winner.  You will get the word LOVE in either the same letters as below or in the letters of your choice.  The word will be framed - so it will be ready to be hung as soon as you get it.  To enter, please visit their website and sign up for their newsletter.
To get more entries: you can follow Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA ONLY and the deadline is November 5, 2010.

Giveaway #7
IQ Clean is a Canadian company.  Their products are plant-based, toxin & chemical free yet features a really unique and 100% smart way of packaging their products! They really do take "reuse" to a new level.
They are giving away a great IQ prize package which will include the equivalent of two bottles of each of the cleaners (so 8 bottles worth!). 
In order to get one entry, head over to the IQ website and comment about something you learned about their products!
To get more entries: you can follow Glimpse's blog publicly, "liking" it on Facebook, Twitter etc...
This contest is open to CANADA and USA ONLY and the deadline is November 4, 2010.

Good luck to all!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

This weekend is going to be filled with many Halloween activities and I am excited.  I wish the warm weather we have been having was sticking around but as long as there is no snow, I'm good to go!

Today - Maddy has her halloween party at daycare where all her friends are joined by a couple other daycares and are dressed up.  They usually order in pizza and have lots of yummy treats (usually all hyped up on sugar just in time for pick up LOL).  They have activities for the kids and get their pictures taken.  Can't wait to see what everyone is going to be.  Maddy decided she wanted to be her butterfly costume last year which worked for me...save her Minnie Mouse for all our other halloween festivities this weekend!


Saturday - Maddy and I will be heading into Aylmer for my neice's 11th birthday party.  She is having Little Ray's Reptiles in and Maddy is super excited to see this.  If you have never heard of Little Ray's Reptiles, you can check it out here (although I think the link is not working temporarily).  When you book a party, you can request which reptiles you want to see - along with the normal ones they bring...Kaitie has requested a tarantula and a scorpion...other things will be snakes, turtles (eek..petrified of them), lizards, skunk etc...I am excited to see how Maddy likes this. 

Saturday Evening - Our town is having Halloween Parade at 7:00 pm that starts at our Elementary school and goes to our community centre where there will be costume judging, prizes for parade entries and kiddie activities.  I give KUDOS to this group - it's just some local parents that realized there was nothing in town to do for the kids, so they joined forces and created C Kidz Kan. 

They have no funding or anything and rely on our community's support to keep things going.  They have winter carnivals, they have a summer carnival where they rent those big inflatable bouncers and stuff...it's a very nice thing for our little town.  I try to participate as much as I can to support them.

Back to the parade - Maddy and I are entering a wagon that we borrowed from my cousin Lindsay (Hey Linds) and are decorating it as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Because Maddy was being Minnie Mouse, I figured I would pull together something for Mickey Mouse and we will walk with our wagon and hand out treats.  You will see more about this float as I will be able to check off #76 - Be in a Parade from my 101 list.

Sunday - I figure it will be a pretty boring, long day waiting to get ready to go out trick-or-treating, so in our local paper, I saw something that I think I will participate in.  In the next community, Bristol, there is a Coronation Hall where they will be having kids activities on Sunday from 1pm - 4pm.  Activities include free caramel apples, apple cider, kids activities and games, story telling etc....I think this will be something that Maddy and I will enjoy doing.  I have never been there so it's the perfect opportunity to go and check things out.  You can check out their website here.  They also have an article in the Ottawa Citizen that will tell you more about this apple business: 100-mile Cider



Sunday Evening - We will get dressed up once again and go trick-or-treating for some goodies.  I think Maddy will be better this year and we may be able to hit a few more houses than the regular 5 or 6 we normally do.  We will then go back to Hemlock Hideaway (Hubby's hunting spot) to show the guys Maddy's costume as we do every year then head home and go to bed!

It will be an exhausting weekend but next weekend, I get to relax because Maddy is going to her Auntie's for a sleepover and my girlies and I are having an Escape Day at Home.  More on this next week...

Have a good, safe Halloween everyone and see you Monday!

Christmas Shopping

With less than 2 months until Christmas, I am stumped on gift ideas as I am every year.  I thought Maddy would be easy this year, however, I am wondering what to get her. 

She has SOOO MANY toys and frankly, I do not have room for more.  I have already gone through her toy box in the living room and took most of her toys out to put upstairs in the toy box and others have been donated to the Family Centre in town.  The other big issue is...she doesn't even play with toys really.  So what do I get my almost 4 year old daughter for Christmas?

Here are some ideas I have:

1) Games from Scholar's Choice
Her daycare buys all her stuff from Scholar's Choice and All About Kids and Maddy really enjoys the games there, so I thought I would do the educational route and buy her some of those.


2) Outdoor Stuff
We like playing outside in the summer and besides a second hand play structure that was given to us and her little pool, I want to get her more outdoor stuff, the downfall about this one to me is she can't really play with it right away and we'll just have to store it and these things cost a lot brand new.  I have been looking on Used Ottawa all summer looking for some play structures and stuff...and again, room is a problem!
 

3) Clothes
I, as a parent always needs new clothes for Maddy, however, it's not an exciting Christmas gift for her...last year she proved that by just throwing them aside, which is sort of embarrassing when the clothes are coming from family members or friends.

4) Zum Zum Pet Hamsters
Her Auntie got her one of these and she loves it...they are cute...they are like real hamsters that scurry around the house...but I mean seriously, do I need to buy her more than one...I think one is plenty....

5) Random stuff

I guess I can go this route and just get a mixture of little things that she enjoys doing...playdoh, play food, coloring books, paints....

  

6) Educational Electronic Games

She received a Leap Frog thing last Christmas, but it didn't work and when we went to return it, they have none left.  I have been checking out some of the latest "learning" tools and thinks that Maddy is old enough now to enjoy these.  She has a V-Tech laptop that she got like 2 years ago just because she wanted her own "computer" but now would be a good time to actually start using it. 

Leapster Explorer

Any other ideas??

In regards to yesterday's post about Maddy sleeping alone - she fell asleep on her own last night and in her own bed most of the night...I went in for like 5 mins in the middle of the night then back in my own bed....oh and she went pull up free last night and didn't wet her bed!  Woo hoo!

#78 - Sleep in my own bed and make Maddy sleep alone

I am sure you are all thinking...how hard can this be?  Well it's very difficult and if you have children, you know it's not always easy breaking a habit that you started.

Yes, it's probably my fault she NEEDS me to sleep with her.  Maddy was the PERFECT infant, slept her nights the minute we came home...I would have to wake her almost every night to feed her and then she would go back to sleep.  She slept in her crib like the perfect little baby....

Then just around her 1st Birthday - she became AFRAID of her crib...she would scream when we went near it and even to see a crib, it scared her.  She began to sleep in the "guest room" bed and would sleep fine in there.  I was back to work and she was in daycare, which meant we had to be up at 6:00 am every morning and on the road by 6:30 am. 

I began to sleep with her just so she would sleep, however, I would be the one that would fall asleep first and end up just staying there.  We converted her crib to the toddler bed stage and after many nights of falling out, she didn't want to sleep in that either.  We ended up moving the queen size bed in her room and packed her crib away. 

People find it pretty funny that at 1 years old, my daughter had a bigger bed than some of my friends!  Anyways the trend continued and I would go in to lay with her to put her to sleep (with the intention of leaving when she fell asleep), but I would get comfy and fall asleep - staying in there all night.

This has been going on now for almost 4 years and we need it to stop.  It just seems easier this way though - no screaming, we both sleep and can get up in the morning, however she is not the easiest kid to sleep with.  In a big queen sized bed, I am pressed against the wall with Maddy practically sleeping on my back.  I have put a body pillow in between us and told her I am leaving if she crosses it but it never works.

I have been wracking my brain trying to think of ways to get out of there and into my own bed (although, now my hubby is used to our bed all alone and doesn't want me back...lol)
I have been researching online and the only solution that MAY work is the Super Nanny approach.

She doesn't seem to be scared of the dark or the monsters or anything....she just needs her mama there sleeping with her.  The biggest thing too we have found is, my kid does not need sleep.  She could stay up late, and still wake up in the morning...she used to be able to lay in bed watching a movie and fall asleep and that doesn't happen anymore because she relies on me sleeping with her. 

So like I mentioned, I would like to try the Super Nanny approach...seems kind of mean and I don't know how much of the screaming I will be able to handle, but we have to try something....

Here is the video and I hope something works:

Super Nanny - Stay in Bed Technique

#32 - Win Bingo

Ricky and I are faithful Bingo players every Monday night.  The reason we love playing this every Monday night is because it is done in the comfort of our own home.  We get to purchase the card at our local store for $5.00 and then we tune in to station 101.7 - Chip FM on our radio station and listen to the game. 

There are three games to play - the first is double bingo which consists of 2 lines or 1 line and 4 corners and if you win the prize is $200.  The second game is BNO which is all the B's, N's and O's for a prize of $300.  The final game is full card for a prize of $1000. 

When you get a bingo, you call the radio station, they pause the game, check the number that is located in the center block and declare you a winner.  You then have to drive the hour and a bit drive to Fort-Colonge to pick up your winnings anytime after Thursday.

So last night, we were playing and Ricky needed one number - N 36 for BNO, total prize money - $300.  We were so excited when they finally called it (however, I think we were already at the 50 number mark so the chances of getting the full $300 was slim)...so after 2 songs of waiting for them to announce the winners, they came on with a total of 6 winners...CRAP...that means Ricky only won $50...

It will cost him that in gas to go and pick it up...nevertheless, we did win Bingo.  He will say that I didn't win it, that it was his name called, however, it was my money that paid for the card and when I call the store to hold our cards, they always write MY name on them and I am pretty sure the card he had last night actually said Stacy.  Anyways, I am going to tick this task off of my 101 list as DONE.

I WON!  I WON!  I WON!

I won my very first blog giveaway...I am pretty new at this blogging thing but I am really enjoying it.  I am enjoying checking out other people's blogs and thinking of new things to make mine somewhat exciting.  This started out as my 101 list and updating but I really enjoy doing an entry everyday...mostly because my workload is slow and I CAN do it.

Anyways, back to my winnings...Alyssa over at A Motherhood Experience had a giveaway from Agoo Hockey Huggers and I won.  These things are really cute...they look like hockey pants but are for kiddies.  You can read more about her review on them at Agoo Hockey Huggers.  All I had to do was go to the website Hockey Huggers and choose which one I liked and comment on it.  Easy!

Of course, they didn't have any Pittsburgh Penguin ones or Ottawa...but that really didn't matter because they don't actually have the team name written on them.  The Vancouver ones are cute because I have a daughter and they are pink and white and they would match nicely with her pink Pittsburgh Penguins shirt...however the sizing didn't come in Maddy's size, so I ordered a small pair of Toronto Maple Leafs to give to Baby Charlotte!

Post Crossing

In my last posting, I mentioned Post Crossing from another blog that I read.  Up until this past week, I have never heard of this...
When I launched my 101 list, a fellow co-worker (Hi Liz!) put that on her list and was telling me about it.  Then when I read it in someone else's blog, I decided to check it out more thoroughly.

Post Crossing

I created an account and then validated it by e-mail.
You then are able to send 5 post cards. 
They send you the addresses and some details about this person.

Here are my 5 destinations that I will be sending post cards to:

1) Zaporizhzya, UKRAINE
A female correspondent with no personal details so I will send her a post card of my choice...a pretty one!


2) Saint-Petersburg, RUSSIA
A 25 year old female who does not like receiving cartoon cards and would rather landscapes, night city views and dancing people to mention a few...maybe I will send her a nice Ottawa night shot with fireworks involved perhaps.

3) Milwaukee, WI, USA
A female correspondent who likes things such as The World's Largest Catsup Bottle, The World's Largest Praying hands...so I will send her an Ottawa post card of the canal in the winter...LARGEST skating rink.

4) Hameenlinna, FINLAND

A middle-aged female who likes buildings, views from nature and working people...again, I'll probably send a nice Ottawa landmark post card.

5) Plattenburg/Glowen, GERMANY
A male correspondent who likes travelling, nature and animals.  I am sure I will find a post card that will match these.

With each address you are given, you are given an ID number that you include on the post card.  When they receive their post card, they enter the ID number and scan a picture of it and post it online.  After this is done, then your address is released and someone will get your address and the process with begin.

I am excited to see what post cards I will receive.  I am not picky, I like anything really.  I don't think I have ever actually received one, so it will be nice. 

If you like receiving "fun" mail and not just bills and flyers, I would recommend you check this out. 

Free Giveaway at The Johnstons

This heading sounds funny seeing how this is my last name, however, I am not the one doing the free giveaway...although I think I may someday...anyways Ashley over at http://smithjohnston.blogspot.com/ is having her first free giveaway.  She has asked us to blog about it to ensure an entry into her free giveaway so I am going to blog about it.

She is giving away these really cute sandwich and snack bags from a fellow bloggers website on etsy - here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/GirlSundayDesigns
I have to say these things are really cute and just last week I came across some of these.  It's the "green" way of packing lunches...saves on the ziploc sandwich bags. 
After checking out her Etsy shop, I decided that I like them all...however, I really like the "Mod Dot" pattern.



I also checked out her blog at http://girlsundaydesigns.blogspot.com/
I read a few of her articles...and enjoyed what I read. 
What I found neat about one of the entries was her blog on Post Crossing.  I have never heard of this until recently.  A co-worker signed up for this and is very excited about it. 

What is Postcrossing?

It's a project that allows anyone to receive postcards (real ones, not electronic) from random places in the world. Learn more.

How does it work?

1. Request an address and a Postcard ID
2. Mail the postcard to that address
3. Receive a postcard from another postcrosser!
4. Register the Postcard ID you have received
5. Go to number 1 to receive more postcards! 

Everyone loves receiving mail, OTHER than bills and junk mail, so maybe it's something you want to try.  When you create you account, I believe you get to put interests and stuff, for example, you like cats...so the sender sees this and may send you a postcard with a cat...I don't know exactly. 

It is neat to see where you will get postcards from, I may just have to sign up for this and give it a try!

Have a good day!

Wedding Dress - by Matt Nathanson

Anyone who knows me...knows that I LOVE THIS SONG...well I did before I thought about analyzing it.  I joke about it being my "someday" wedding song...but after researching it online, I think I wouldn't have a wedding if I told my hubby I wanted this song...
Here I am today listening to this song on repeat and just thinking about it...I still love the song, not sure why.  I am very sad when I look deeper and see people's comments about this song however.

Here are the lyrics:

So we lie here in the dark
All the wrong things on fire
In sickness and in health
To be with you, just to be with you

In your wedding dress
To have and to hold
'Cause even at my best
I wanna let go

And you hold me in your arms
And all that I can see
Is my future in your hands
And all that I can feel
Is how long ever after is
It's all that I can do
To be with you, just to be with you

In your wedding dress
To have and to hold
'Cause even at my best
I wanna let go

Thought I'd lost you
Thought I'd lost you
I gave you away
Thought I'd lost you
I'm jealous of the moon
For how it moves the waves

'Cause in your wedding dress
To have and to hold
'Cause even at my best
I wanna let go

And I wanna be somebody else now
And I wanna thicken my skin
And I wanna wish it all
Just wish it all away again

I have read some online comments about these lyrics and most people agree that it is about divorce.  How could a song about a wedding dress be about divorce. 
"thought I'd lost you
thought I lost you (I gave you away)
thought I'd lost you
jealous of the moon for how it moves the waves"

They divorce. He is saying that he thought he lost her after the divorce, but realizes that he didn’t lose her. He made the choice to end the marriage. He gave her away. The moon line is about having control over his life. Maybe how he wishes he could have had that control of his life before his marriage.

After reading some other comments, I like this logic better:  he is in love with this girl but can't have her - still sad but not AS depressing...okay, so it is just as equally depressing. 

What are your thoughts on these lyrics?  If you have not heard this song, download it somewhere and have a listen and just think...



What is the best present I ever received?

Nicole from http://tnicolej.blogspot.com/ (sorry, I don't know how to link it that it just says "That's Life") is celebrating her 1 year blog-a-versary and is giving away a present to one of her followers who comments about what their best present they received was. 

I have a very hard time remembering what my best present was...I never received anything OVER the TOP that I can remember.  I remember as a child and thinking all my presents were the BEST...however, I would have to say that my best present ever was:

OUR NEW SNOWMOBILE...ok ok, it wasn't a new one by all means, but it was new to us.  The fact that I saw this present before Christmas and didn't even clue in was even funnier than the old snowmobile itself.  I was probably about 11 years old and I was with my dad at our house.  I was right there beside him as he moved the snowmobile out of a truck and into our back yard and I didn't even notice.  Yep - LOSER...then on Christmas morning, we opened our gifts and then had to go outside to see our "BIG" gift.  We go outside and there sat the "new" snowmobile.  It was like a 1978 Everest, if that means anything to anyone out there.  We didn't care that it wasn't new, it was just for us to tear around in the open field across our road.  That "new" machine kept us happy all winter and many winters to come.  I am 27 now and we still have this machine....it has now retired to the hunt camp and still going...somewhat.  This year, I plan to go back and take Maddy for a whirl on it. 

Writing this blog makes me want snow now...but I'm okay to wait for a bit longer!

Have a good day!

Back to the work week!

Well the weekend went by so fast, as most weekends do.  We had a great weekend starting with our potluck and then the car rally on Saturday.  That was a fun filled day.  We ended up coming in 10th place which isn't bad considering there were something like 70 cars.  Can't wait for next year...and more excited that we are talking about switching it up for some real competition - GUYS vs GIRLS!

This week I am tackling #27 - Make something new!  I have decided that this is going to be Maddy's Halloween Costume.  She is going as Minnie Mouse and I making her costume.  I bought 4 yards of red tulle and I started making my tutu yesterday for it, however I need probably about 2 more yards of tulle so hopefully this week I can get it.  Then I am sticking some white pom poms on the tutu for the white dots.  I ordered a cute Minnie Mouse ears with a bow from Ebay that should be here soon....and I have an iron on transfer that I am ironing on to a plain white long sleeved shirt.  Can't wait to see the final result.  Here is a pic of what I am following:

Stay tuned for MY final product!
Have a good week!

Happy Friday!

I love Fridays...and this weekend we have a fun packed weekend going on.

Tonight, some friends and I are gathering for a potluck to celebrate Lindsay's birthday...woo hoo - food and friends, can't go wrong.  Can't wait to give Lindsay my "silly gift" LOL.

Saturday we are in the Annual Car Rally that takes place every time this year.  We begin at 11:10 am and looking forward to a good day of laughs, drinks and of course...more food.  This year's theme is "Show Your True Colors" - can't wait to see what other teams decided on, as we had a hard time coming up with something for this theme.  This year we don't have our usual team because the other couple had a baby a couple of weeks ago (Hi Sara, Graham and Charlotte) so my brother is filling in.  I am sure he won't be much help, but he'll be there to drink with Ricky I suppose.  We will really miss Graham looking for the clues, he seems to be the one that finds them all the time...oh well, next year he'll be back...

Sunday, I am thinking about taking Maddy to see a free performance of Toopy and Binoo at the St.Laurent Shopping Center...that is, if maybe I have someone to come with me seeing how I have NO IDEA how to get there.
Anyways, so that is what is going on this weekend...

Have a good weekend everyone!

#73 - See a Musical

I have always wanted to see a musical.  After seeing the movie, Rent, I would love to see that.  I received an automated email from Centrepointe Theatre here in Ottawa with all their events for October and November and came across this musical....

Who doesn't love the little orphan Annie?  I thought seeing how this is on my list of 101 things to do, Annie would be a great musical to see.  It is playing at Centrepointe Theatre from November 12 - 21st, so I will have to round up some friends and maybe go see it...tickets are $40, so why not?

Things that I "forgot" to put on my list

When I did my list, I thought "how could I possibly get 101 things" and it took me some time to complete this task, now that I have my list made and this blog to follow, I keep thinking of things I should have put on my list.  Here are some things that I wanted to put but "forgot":

#102 - Make a will
At least look into it.  I have a 3 1/2 year old that I should be thinking about...who will look after her if something were to happen to me or her father?  I just automatically think my family would take her, but I need to put something on paper.

#103 - Sign up for Netflix
Which I did yesterday.  My friend Hollie (Hi Hollie) called me yesterday and said she signed up.  We get a month free trial to see how it works and stuff and then after the month, it costs $7.99 a month.  Netflix is an online movie store basically...the downside, they aren't new releases but that suits me fine.  I'm the type of person who likes to watch older movies over and over again or if I am alone (especially with the hunt coming up)....so I signed up.  I can watch any "older" movie online anytime and in 3 business days, I will get a free disc that lets me also watch it on the Wii or PS3. 
Check it out: www.netflix.ca - just remember, after your month is up, make sure and cancel or they will charge your credit card (that is of course, if you aren't satisified by it).

In Progress

#40 - Watch all the seasons of 90210

I do not mean the new updated version of 90210, although I do watch that as well but I am talking about the old school 90210.  I received the first two seasons for Christmas last year from my sister and have been hooked since.  I don't know what I love about it, but I just love their lives...so much exciting stuff that happens, but hey, I guess it is TV and most of that doesn't happen to the normal person living in a little small town.  Anyways, to date, I am on episode 24 of Season 5....and where am I in the storyline:
There has been a rape at the University and all the girls are scared to be alone.  David has become friends with a guy named Lenny who has been taken into custody for the rape because he got into trouble when he was younger, but his story pans out and he's free to go...
Meanwhile - Andrea is falling in love with a doctor named Peter and just seems to fight with Jesse all the time seeing how he's always gone.  She keeps meeting Peter at a motel and Dylan knows her secret.  Peter ends up breaking it off when Andrea suggests that she leaves Jesse and would be happier with Peter.  Peter does not want that, he just wanted a relationship with "no strings attached".
Everyone is at the newly owned Peach Pit After Dark when an employee from the Condor's Nest has broken into Donna's apartment and is about to rape her.  He ties her up and then gets startled when David comes in looking for her.  He knows something is wrong and ends up breaking into her room and saves her from being attacked.
Oh I just love the excitement!
Anyways, I still have 5 seasons to go and look forward to finishing them all. 
This task is in progress!

TAG - You're It

 A fellow blogger/friend/cousin Lindsay over at http://smalltowngirl-lindsay.blogspot.com/ tagged me in something that was passed along from another blogger.  She gave me 8 questions to answer then I pass 8 more questions on to 8 fellow bloggers - well first of all, I probably won't come up with 8 bloggers seeing how I am new at this and only have a few blogs that I follow and read - so here are the questions she asked me:
1. If you were stuck on a desert island, what 4 items would you bring with you?

• A toothbrush (to scrub the "grossies" out of my teeth)
• An IPOD (to listen to music)
• Liquid Laundry Soap (to wash the clothes on my back in the ocean or water source)
• Book (to pass some time I guess)

2. What is your favorite thing to do when you have nothing to do?
Well I know most will laugh, but when I have nothing to do - I straighten up my house and clean.  I will just decide to clean out a storage closet or something to pass some time.
3. What is your best asset?
Uumm...this is a hard question...I'm not sure how I am suppose to answer this...my best asset would be...I don't know, does my organizational skills count?
4. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
OH MY - well I like a lot of restaurants, right now however, I am really craving Kelsey's cuz I just LOVE their Spinach Dip and Buffalo Style Perogies...YUM YUM!
5. What do your prefer, fancy night out on the town or movies/chips at home?
Well sometimes I would like a fancy night out without Maddy, however most of the time, I just like to be curled up in my jammies on the couch watching a movie and eating chips and dip!
6. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Well I would LOVE to go to Ireland or Nashville someday.
7. What is the number 1 thing on your Christmas list this year?
I don't know...I have been so worried about what to get everyone else, never really gave this much thought.  We don't buy gifts for each other so I don't expect much....I like just getting money...I like getting stuff for my home...this year I guess I still want rubbermaid containers or baskets and such for storage...LOL
8. What is your favorite holiday (which holiday and why) activity?
I think this is like 2 questions in one....and we are already at 8 questions...hhmmm...
Well my favorite holiday would be Christmas because I love decorating my house...and well I'll classify that as an activity as well...decorating!

So now I am going to tag:
Jill at http://jills-world.blogspot.com/
Sharon at http://sharons-101-list.blogspot.com/
Ashley at http://smithjohnston.blogspot.com/
Alyssa at http://amotherhoodexperience.wordpress.com/
Mandt at http://mandy1313.blogspot.com/

Here are your 8 questions:
1. What is your favorite thing to cook?
2. What is your favorite TV show and why?
3. If you had a $10,000 shopping spree to anywhere, where would you pick and why?
4. What song are you likely to sing at karaoke in a bar?
5. If you could take any kind of class, what would you take and why...ie. Dance/Art/Photography?
6. What is one thing that you couldn't live without and why?
7. What is your favorite season and why?
8. What is your favorite color and why?

Good luck!

A Project in Progress

I have decided to enjoy blogging and give my "followers" something to read everyday, I will take something from my list and just write about it with some thoughts and what is expected from it.

#43 - Try and find my "signified" dish for potlucks

Well my friends and I gather a lot and have potlucks - we do it basically for birthdays, babies, Christmas, pretty much any excuse to get together and EAT.  Some of my friends always bring the same thing to every potluck and I am always looking for something new to bring.  I want to find a dish that screams my name and everyone will want me to bring this dish to our gatherings.  I have still to find that....of course, I bring the usual meatballs, an appetizer of some sort...one time I even made homemade deep fried dill pickles.  Wasn't much of a hit and was a lot of work for a potluck seeing how I needed a deep fryer basically before you ate them.
I came across a yummy scalloped potatoes recipe on the Kraft website...hey, how doesn't love that website (www.kraftcanada.com) so until I find my dish - this is what I like bringing - give it a try...very yummy!!

Crowd Pleasing Scalloped Potatoes

Made by: Stacy Johnston

Ingredients:

·      1 tub (250 g) PHILADELPHIA Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

·      2 cups 25%-less-sodium chicken broth

·      1 cup milk

·      2/3 cup  OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits, divided

·      4-1/2 lb. (2 kg) Yukon gold potatoes (about 12), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

·      onion, thinly sliced

·      1 cup KRAFT Mozza-Cheddar Shredded Cheese

Directions:

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
COOK cream cheese spread, broth and milk in saucepan on medium heat until cream cheese is melted and mixture comes to boil, stirring constantly with whisk.
RESERVE 2 Tbsp. bacon bits. Layer half each of the potatoes, onions and remaining bacon bits in 13x9-inch baking dish; repeat layers. Add cream cheese sauce; cover.
BAKE 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown, uncovering and topping with shredded cheese and reserved bacon bits the last 10 min.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 2 hours

Makes: 18 servings

Completed Tasks

Well seeing how I made this in March, I did accomplish some of my items and have checked them off as completed.

#6 - Take a Cake Decorating Course
In May 2010, my friend Josee and I took the Wilton Basic Decorating Course at Michael's store in Ottawa.  We went for 4 weeks and at the end received our diploma.  We have intentions of completing the other two classes as well in the near future.

#7 - Donate money to a charity
I do this a few times a year through various activities.  I would say this is completed as I have recently donated money to the Canadian Cancer Society.

#14 - Paint my living room
For those who know me - they know that I have lived in the same house for almost 6 years and my walls are ALL WHITE...basically because I rent and figured, why put the money into it...well this summer, I decided to make my living room "homey".  We had recently bought new couches and I re-painted my former coffee tables, got a new TV and now my living room just screamed for color.  My sister-in-law gave me some couch cushions she wasn't using anymore and I used those to choose my paint color.  It is a green shade called Reptilian and I have gotten many compliments...well on the color, not so much the paint job itself!

#57 - Make a tutu
Fabricland was having a sale a couple weekends ago and figured this was my time to go and buy some tulle and make a homemade tutu for Maddy.  After watching some videos on You Tube, I realized that this was going to be super easy.  It involved NO-SEWING and basically just tying knots.  Off to Fabricland I went, purchased some purple and black tulle and elastic, came home that afternoon and in about half an hour, my tutu was done.  Here is Maddy in her new tutu - stayed tuned for her Halloween Costume!

#64 - Go on a grocery store tour
This was just recently completed about a month ago.  A friend of mine has her own business and we have used her Escape Days in the past and thought, why not try out a grocery store tour.  We arranged a group of friends and all met at the Real Canadian Superstore in Ottawa one evening after work.  Stephanie (owner of New Leaf Wellness (check out her website at www.newleafwellness.ca) took us through the grocery store and introduced us to organic and healthy eating.  Some things we knew, but it was nice to learn about some new products that in the past, we would never have even looked at.  She gave us many pointers on how to eat healthy and what to look for when purchasing food.  Which aisles to avoid?  What are good fats and bad fats?  How to read ingredient labels?  It was a nice evening out with friends and since then, my family has been eating healthier and organically.

#96 - Meet someone from the Food Network
During Tulip Festival in Ottawa, my friend Josee and I heard that Chef Michael Smith was going to be at the Tulip Festival doing a book signing for his new cook book and was part of the "PEI Kitchen Party".  We had our cake class that morning and in the afternoon, parked downtown and walked to find him.  We never actually thought we would have talked to him or anything, just thought we would catch a glimpse of him.  Well, we got into the area where he was, turned around and there he was standing there....wow - we were so nervous, didn't know what to do and felt like a bunch of teenie boppers seeing their idol or something.  We made our way over, had a chat with him, had our picture taken with him and everything.  We wanted him to sign something, so we ran all over looking for a photo kiosk that we could get our pictures developped so that he could sign that.  We ran back - he remembered us, signed our pictures and couldn't believe we did it so fast!  Here is the picture of us with him:

There you have it - what I have accomplished so far!
Good luck to all fellow bloggers who are also doing the 101 list!

101 Things to do in 1001 Days

I actually started this list way back in March 2010 but as you can see, took me a while to complete it.  I don't think it was trying to figure out what to put, I just forgot about it.  Now, it seems that everyone has a list, so I finished my list and here it is:
Start Date: March 22, 2010
End Date: December 17, 2012

101 List

1. Go horseback riding
2. Go to a drive-in movie
3. Knit a scarf
4. Learn to drive standard
5. Go bungee jumping
6. Take a cake decorating course
7. Donate money to a charity
8. Buy a new car
9. Have a garden
10. Buy a bike
11. Meet someone famous
12. Get a puppy
13. Go to a beach
14. Paint my living room
15. Take an unplanned road trip
16. Make my own jam
17. Visit Nashville
18. Visit Vegas
19. Plant some flowers
20. Buy a pool
21. Get family pictures done
22. Take Maddy to Disney
23. Go down south with friends
24. Knit baby hats and booties and donate to hospital
25. Buy a new house
26. Have a spa day with Maddy
27. Make something new
28. Take a correspondence course
29. Try a different culture food
30. Make my own maple syrup
31. Go shopping at the Carousel Mall in Syracuse with friends
32. Win Bingo
33. Go for a brisk walk every night
34. Plan a kid’s activity day in Quyon
35. Clean up the park
36. Plan a fundraising committee for new park equipment
37. Have a fenced in yard
38. Open an RRSP
39. Start a savings account for Maddy
40. Watch all the seasons of 90210
41. Buy a new wardrobe for ME
42. Make a memory quilt
43. Try and find my “signified” dish for potluck
44. Visit Eastern Canada
45. Spend the night in a hotel with Maddy and Ricky
46. Stepdance again
47. Bring Maddy to Build-a-Bear
48. Take a food course at Loblaws
49. Keep my cans and get the refund instead of recycling them
50. Have a second baby
51. Go on a 4 wheeler expedition
52. Take a hike in the Gatineau Park
53. Sign Maddy up for swimming lessons
54. Teach Maddy how to ride a bike
55. Help Ricky lose 25 lbs
56. Have a girls sleepover
57. Make a tutu
58. Take a train somewhere
59. Be a guest on a talk show
60. Do a walk with friends for a cause
61. Make a fondant cake
62. Rent a cottage in the summer for a “Girls Weekend”
63. Have a sliding party
64. Go on a grocery store tour
65. Try reiki
66. Sing karaoke
67. Get a 3^rd tattoo
68. Organize my house
69. Learn to make jewellery
70. Pay of income tax loans
71. Go skating on the Canal
72. Get a new artificial Christmas Tree
73. See a musical
74. Sign Maddy up for dance
75. Organize my picture electronically
76. Be in a parade
77. Decorate my house for every holiday
78. Sleep in my own bed and make Maddy sleep alone
79. Go to a museum
80. Put a message in a balloon and let it go in the air for someone to receive
81. Dip my toes in the ocean
82. Get a passport
83. Read 10 books a year
84. Make smores over a camp fire
85. Spend a whole day baking
86. Make a homemade “gift”
87. Buy a PVR
88. Spend a day being a “tourist” in Ottawa
89. Go through my closet and get rid of clothes that no longer fit
90. Don’t buy anything during working hours for one whole week (shopping, lunch etc.)
91. Watch a whole Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game on TV
92. Get hair extensions
93. Make a snow sculpture
94. Go to Winterlude
95. Try two new cookie recipes this Christmas
96. Meet someone from the Food Network
97. Go carolling
98. Redo my deacon bench
99. Buy a sewing machine
100. Buy a filing cabinet to organize all my paperwork
101. Make a pillowcase dress