MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I wish you all a Christmas filled with Peace, Love and Joy!!

PARTY TIME~

We recently attended my work Christmas Party,

where I may have gotten up in front of the crowd, along with a few of my co-workers, dressed in a glittered hard-hat and my daughter's old steel-toed boots, and sung a specially written parody to the tune of 'YMCA'.  What a hoot!  It was a fun night~great food, and the Mr even got up and danced 4 or 5 times.  I've been advised not to quit my day job tho, so I guess a singing career is out of the question,  Sigh...

                                                 

A COZY CORNER...

Sunday I had my pre-Christmas meltdown.

I felt overwhelmed and under-prepared.

I felt like the kitchen reno would never be finished

and I am so tired of living with it half done.

Once the tears stopped, I started clearing out stuff~the recycling bins

and reno supplies.

And I decided to make some prettiness in one corner.

My Mom will be visiting over Christmas and I wanted a spot for her to sit

and visit with me when I'm doing kitchen prep.

I'm pretty happy with it! 

As for feeling overwhelmed, I've decided that anything not done now just doesn't matter.

Oh, I'll still wrap presents and do some baking for Christmas dinner,

but that's it!

Mr Pawprint put up my outside lights on the weekend, I've got my cozy kitchen corner,

and I just want to enjoy the prettyful for the rest of the year.

AN ITCHY, RASHY MESS!

Oh my goodness~I've reacted to the contrast dye from last weeks scan~I'd like to tear my skin off, it's that itchy!  It seems that there's no spot on my body that isn't a rashy, blotchy mess, altho it's faded some from my face and I don't look like Howdy Doody this morning.  I'll be hitting the tub again for another baking soda and oatmeal bath, and if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears!  Itchy, red ears!

IMAGES FOR A CURE PHOTO SHOOT!

On Friday Mini and I had photos taken.  I found 'Images for a Cure' awhile ago online and was pleased to find a photographer in my area who was participating! Mini and I chose 'Glamour' for our theme: satin, faux fur, birdcage veils, hair fascinators and sparkly jewelry!  It was total fun and I'm so glad we did it!  Our photographer, Melissa Knowles totally rocked!  Here's a teaser~more to come!

IT'S ALL NORMAL...

Today's CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis came back normal!  No idea what's causing the pain and pressure to my right side, but so glad to know there's no huge tumor in my liver or colon.  Best news this week!

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD....

So, Mr Pawprint and I are not living together now, but we're seeing each other and dating and will go for some couples counselling down the road.  We're spending various amounts of time at each other's places, and when  Mini and I were going to his place the other day we found our way blocked by police cars and crime scene tape.  Turns out there was a shooting.  In his building.  Barely 3 feet from his door.  He was taking an afternoon nap, and was woken up by 2 shotgun blasts.  It was a targeted shooting, in a family complex, and it sends shivers just thinking of all the ways it could have been so much worse.  The other neighbor has 3 little kids and  you only have to google the 'Surrey Six' shooting to see how your life can be taken away just by being in the wrong place.  By just going about your job or heading out your door at the wrong moment.  I can barely think what could have happened if Mini and I had gotten there earlier instead of looking for a party dress for her.   Mr P is less rattled now~he spent that first night back here~but I am still nervous visiting, nervous that he's living there and sad that we are in a place where we need to live apart at all.   The neighbor has been evicted and I hope the next hit-man gets that piece of info, because the first one didn't get the job done.    It's a pretty sure thing that someone will be back.  

JUST A QUICK POST~

to say we've had our share of turmoil here.
I'm single again.
I think I'll be OK..

I'LL TRY AGAIN...

Ha ha, I started to post about my birthday, and needed to help Mini with something and ended up posting the barely started post!!

This year I did things a little differently, starting a week before, with a new cut and streaks.  I tried to do something special for myself almost every day for a week!   On the Monday, 20 of my girlfriends and co-workers met for 'Ladies Night' at one of the local restaurants and celebrated with appies and bellinis.  |It was total fun to have all my besties together!  During the week I picked up some books, a new lipstick and Mini and I took the horse for a walk on the dike.  The day of, Mini took me for brunch and gave me the lovely gift of two seaglass and silver seahorse necklaces, one for each of us.  I love seahorses and the necklaces are just beautiful and so special for us. 

Sadly, the mr put no thought into the day.  We went to a football game (season's tickets) and to a pub for dinner afterwards.  No card, no gift, and no 'Happy Birthday' until late that night.  It was very disappointing.  Especially the next day, when I discovered he had bought HIMSELF a new computer.   On my birthday.    Yup, he's a Jackass...

Soooo,
Yesterday was my birthday! 

GUESS WHO CAME TO VISIT!

                                                                                    Great wildlife day!

We were just getting ready to run some errands yesterday when my neighbor called to me~there were two deer in the garden!  They nibbled on some plants and then wandered up the sidewalk and across the street to the school grounds.  So incredibly beautiful and graceful.  An added bonus~a bear ran across the street about a block up, right after they'd disappeared!

JEEZ....

Mini and I went to visit my Mom for a few days.  This was  the kitchen when I got home tonight.  To his credit, right after dinner he unloaded the dishwasher and started rinsing and reloading, but jeez.  Jeez!

RANDOM CONVERSATION...

I've been chuckling over this conversation between the mini-me and one of her co-workers for a few days now....
random co-worker:  oh hi, mini, I ran into mr pawprint a few days ago at {insert random big-box    electronics store}

mini-me:  oh ya?

rcw:  ya, it's the first time I met his boy.

m-m:  so, how was that? {smiling nervously)

rcw:  I didn't realize they looked so much alike...

m-m:  {giggling uncontrollably...}

rcw:  what's so funny?  wait~no!  I mean facially!  did you think I meant because they're both...um...pudgy?!!!

PUDGY!!!!  OMG!!  HAHAHAHAHA!!   PUDGY!
I love it!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Sadly missed and remembered with love~My Dad.

This is the last pic I took of him before he died,

13 years ago.

He and the Mini-Me were reading

'The Three Little Pigs'

And he acted the parts for her.

I love this photo!  It captures him so perfectly!

Miss you Dad!

mr pawprint and I had a fairly quiet weekend.

We went for Italian last night~yum!

Organic pasta and leftovers!

And today was the first football game in the new/old stadium.

Even tho we lost, it was a pretty good game.

Luckily, the forcasted rain held off, a very good thing

as we are playing in an outdoor stadium this year while B.C. Place

gets a new retractable roof.

Amid the sea of orange and black t-shirts

(who comes up with these team colors anyway??)

one older couple stood out.

They were both dressed impeccably in white suits.

She wore strappy orange heels and had an orange purse, gloves 

and scarf on her white hat.

He had a large orange feather in his white hat

and an orange scarf around his neck.

They were so dapper!

I hope they're there next time,

'cuz I would love a photo of them!

DEAR MOTHER NATURE....

Um, I know you're busy and all, what with the whole world to look after, but it's June 4th.  Please, please, can you make the rain stop for a few days and let us have some sun?
 So grateful for your consideration,
Me

TESTOSTERONE FREE WEEKEND!

Yep, it's along weekend and we are in the testosterone-free zone!

There will be cupcakes!

Martinis!

Chic-flicks!

And cat-cuddling!

5 MINUTE HAIR!!

I keep going shorter and shorter

in my quest for 5-minute hair.

I've finally got it!

A quick blow-dry, straighten a few strands,

rub in a bit of paste~done!

Love!

PEOPLE SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS!

I've gotten alot of mileage from this conversation I had recently with someone:

RANDOM PERSON: "are you Jewish?"

ME: "now why would you ask me that?"

R/P: "because of your earrings"

ME: "um, they're starfish..."

hahaha, now known as  'Starfish of David' earrings, I'm still chuckling!

FLIPPIN' BANK~

My mortgage came up for renewal at the beginning of the month.  I contacted a Mortgage Broker who found me a GREAT deal, thru a different lender.   Everything was going along smoothly~until my bank decided they wouldn't accept part of the agreement.  Well, that's business, I understand that.  But I don't understand them not getting back to my Notary until 20 minutes or so before the close of the business day, the day before a 4 day long weekend.  Which added all kinds of stress and many $$$ of interest and extra payments for me.

The other day I received a letter from my bank, stating they'd paid out my mortgage.  Apparently I'd overpaid, and they'd refunded the 14 cents to my account!  Flippin' bank.  Their dithering around cost me $2200, but thanks for the 14 cents.  And yes, I'm in the process of changing banks...

THE NICE WEATHER IS BACK....

and so are the ants.   Damn, damn, damn.

CONTACT LENS CRISIS!

Nine days ago I had a run in with an ornery contact lens!  It was flipping around on my fingertip, and when I  finally got it into my eye, it migrated right up under my lid~I swear it was in my brain!   I couldn't get it out.  My co-worker tried, but she couldn't get it out either.  By the end of my work-day it was really irritating me~one of the Docs froze my eye and fished out.......half a contact!!   He looked some more, but couldn't find the other half, and of course my eye was frozen, so I couldn't feel if it was still there.  And that's how the rest of the week went~some irritation, but just as many days when my eye felt OK.  Tonight I rubbed my eye and next thing I knew something was falling into my eyelashes, and there it was, the elusive half contact in a blob of eye goo.    My Daughter was grossed out, but I was thrilled!   My eye feels so much better, but I'll be continuing the contact lens rest for awhile longer...

HOUSEKEEPER FOR HIRE!!

Great job, DJ!

ELVIAGE PEARL..

This is exactly how winter should look,

and I can't tell you how much I love this photo by Jennifer Squires.

So peaceful, so quiet, so beautifully winter!

 This year, on the 'Wet Coast', our winter has been incredibly mild.

We had the warmest January on record!

So I long to look out the window and see snow on the ground

and the bare trees silhouetted against the sky

instead of the usual grey skies and rain, rain, rain.

And once this is framed, I'll be able to see winter as I like it, everyday!

[wonderful photo by Jennifer Squires~/http:www.jennifersquires.ca/blog/]

[http://etsy.com/shop/jennifersquires]

LENA LOU WHO...

sleeping on my bed~on my hoodie!

ya, she's settled in well!

TRAMPLED..

Saturday my Daughter was tossed off her horse.

She landed in front of her

and took a front hoof to her face.

She's stitched up,

red and swollen and bruised.

and very, very lucky.

We are so grateful that her injuries weren't worse.

So, this is probably my best Valentines gift ever~she will be OK.

BRINGING LENA HOME...

It nearly broke my heart tonight to hear her frightened, plaintive cries after we put her in the carrier to bring her home.  She's under my Daughter's bed now.  I remember Julie hid under the bed for almost 2 weeks~Poppy spent most of that time with her head under the bed too~licking her and yipping!  Poor Lena!  No dog this time, but so scared none the less!  I hope she'll come out soon.  I feel so bad for her, and hope all the time spent gaining her trust hasn't gone down the tubes...

HE'S HOW OLD??!!

Happy Birthday, Big Guy!!  We'll celebrate at the pub tonight, dinner, drinks and the hockey game!  Sounds perfect!

BARNYARD CUTENESS UPDATE~LOL!

Altho the kitties do make me laugh, that actually means"Lovin' on Lena!"  A couple of us at the barn have been working with the tamest of the feral felines.  After hours of dragging twine thru the hallway and hiding behind doors and walls, wiggling my fingers at her, Lena now comes running when she hears my voice and will follow me in the hall.  She LOVES chin and ear rubs, and will let me pick her up for a half a minute or so at a time.  I'm quite enjoying my nearly-nightly visits with her!  She is so sweet~I'm hoping she will be able to come home with us once she's spayed.   Our resident cat Julie, is not enthused...