Weekend Update

Saturday was celebration day for Raylene's birthday. She invited me to join her and some girlfriends for brunch over in Dartmouth, and since I love brunch and need to meet new people I gladly accepted. Brunch was at an Alderney Landing restaurant called Ducky's. By the name, I thought it was going to be a greasy-spoon sort of place, but it was more like a little bistro with a decent view. I had the Eggs Benny and it was really good. So was the coffee! (I'll have to go back and really wander around there one day...there was a market of some sort going on that had homemade pies and jams and stuff!)

There ended up only being three of us...one of the girls slept in (and it wasn't me!). We sat and chatted for a couple of hours and it was great. I miss just drinking coffee with my girls (and Mikey!) and chatting about whatever.

Afterwards, the girls went to meet some other friends and do some shopping. I was invited, but had errands to run so I opted out. I ended up doing a little shopping of my own trying to find some cute trouser jeans, but after about 30 tries I gave up and bought cute new shoes instead. LOL. I can always find shoes that fit!! The jean trials were frustrating...all of the good stores like Banana Republic or even RW&Co don't make their pants long enough. I was stoked to fit into size 6's (hello vanity sizing or what!) but nothing was long...even if they called it long it would only be like 33"....no good for me if I want to wear heels. Tres annoying! Oh well, such is life.

I managed to squeak in a short workout on my way home to check on the dog and get ready for the evening too.

The evening plans were for a group of us to meet up for a pub dinner, then go see a band at the Casino. Originally we were going to go to the Split Crowe to eat, but because the weather looked a little wet, it was changed to the pub in the Casino hotel. Good thing that the company was good, because the service was absolute shit and the menu was soooo boring. Our waitress was either new or just bad at her job, because she was about the slowest server any of us had ever had. Getting our bills was pure torture as well. (This led to some of the people skipping out on their bills, but I'll rant about that another time...un-freaking-cool!!)

But I got to meet a bunch more of Raylene's friends and most everyone (minus the bill-jumpers!) was fun and hilarious so that is really all that matters. Birthday girl had herself a very cute dress and a very cute boy too! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the night...boooo!

When we went to see the band, they had only played an early set due to the Comedy Festival that was going on....so the group ended up dividing up at that point. Raylene still wanted to dance and since it was her party a few of us agreed to go with her to the Lower Deck across the street. The others didn't want to go there, so stayed at the Comedy Show. The Deck was hot and crowded and I'm not a huge fan of the music upstairs, but it was still a fun night out. A few minutes before 2am, I decided to get my coat before everyone else did and grabbed a cab home.

A bit of a gong show, but a good time!

Sunday, Mojo let me sleep til noon and I spent the day just puttering and basically doing nothing. Lovely. :)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...well, not Summer that's for sure!

My friend Raylene told me that it always snows on her birthday....every year. She says no one ever believes her because her birthday is April 24th. But low and behold, what happened overnight? It freaking snowed. She's truly a fortune teller.

Personally I think we should do away with her birthday if it is going to mean snow in April every year. Geesh.

Happy Birthday Raylene!



(She also says this is usually the end of it...so I hope she's right about that too!)

Relay Meeting

First, a shout out to Mom, Mikey and Jamie for their super generous donations!! Thanks you guys! What a way to start out!

Tonight, a few of our team members went to the introductory meeting for the Relay. We picked up our t-shirts (which I am happy to say are not hideous!) and additional pledge forms and such. The volunteer co-ordinators were there and very gung-ho...and there was a representative from the Canadian Cancer Society who I must say I was very impressed with. Everyone was really excited and very nice and offered any help we might need. Seems like even though we are a smaller community, we are having an excellent turn out this year. Last year they had 12 teams...this year we've already passed 25 teams. Nice!

I sort of get the impression that I'm a little more into this than the rest of my team. Maybe I take it more personally. I'll have to ask them each why they are doing it. Everyone has their own reasons I'm sure. I will have to really rally around everyone and get them as excited as I am!

They treat this as a very community event. The local high school has really stepped in this year and several community businesses are donating food and services. They are encouraging the teams to really get together and get to know each other while we are there overnight. They are bringing in as much entertainment as they can (although there is no drinking....). It's going to be a little different than the 24-hour relays I saw in Victoria, but a good different. A different that will make a difference I think.

Even Water is Evil

Man, if it's not one thing it's another. It seems to me that EVERYTHING can cause cancer. I'm not going to go into all of the things that have been mentioned in the news over the last couple of years, but I am going cry all the way home about my beloved Nalgene bottle being on the hit list now.

It's pink. It has a flower on it. It makes drinking water fun.

And now it's going to kill me apparently. Grrrrreat.

So what do I use now? My gym has a "plastic bottles only" rule for the safety of patrons. And as if anyone would use a glass bottle, that's just inconvenient and dumb...not to mention difficult to drink from while on a treadmill. Smashed front teeth anyone? I'm not about to start buying bottled water each and every day...that's seriously wasteful and expensive...which is why I got my Nalgene bottle in the first place.

I know there are metal alternatives, but are those really safer? I'm sure sometime in the next two years, the government will tell us that those are bad for us too.

I did find an article today, which gave me some hope. Nalgene is discontinuing any bottles made with BPA (I'm guessing that was a no-brainer since no one wants to stock them or buy them anymore) and they are replacing them with some other kind of impact-resistant plastic-type substance that apparently isn't going to cause cancer (yet!). But who knows how long it will take for those to hit the open market?

Until then, what do I do? Keep living on the edge drinking from my pretty pink bottle? I guess so. Í mean, I'm probably going to get cancer from the sun, or pork, or lead toys my future children will play with, so what's a few litres of water from a tainted bottle?

Thoughts?

Relay for Life

I have joined in the fun for the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life this year. For several years I have talked about volunteering for the Society, but unfortunately life always gets in the way. For this reason, I was really excited to be asked to join a team here in my new city. Finally, an opportunity to do something for cancer research and support!

The Society is close to my heart and important to our family as we have been directly affected by losing loved ones to cancer. I need support from each and every one of you to help reach my personal goal of $500. I have started the pledging with $25 myself, and ask that each of you donate whatever you can.

Please pledge generously!

Follow this link to my personal Relay page where you can donate in support of our Relay.
http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/coast-to-coast-jaime

Thank you!!!

Hockey Night in Halifax

OK, so I should probably duck and cover under the table before I write this, because I'm sure my BC friends are going to be appalled.....but....

GO HABS GO!

Since the move I haven't watched any hockey. With the time difference it's pretty much impossible to find a Canucks game at a decent time...and honestly I just wasn't into it this season. Probably because Canucks games can get a little boring at times (ducking!). I had to give up tickets to three live games this year because of the move, so maybe that had something to do with my lack of interest.

Now, out here on the East Coast, it seems there is a more lively hockey scene (probably due to the fact that there's actually snow and ice here!) and people are either Montreal fans or Boston fans. Until the playoffs I hadn't really thought about it.

DBF is a Montreal fan, and has been ever since the Winnipeg Jets left.

Anyway...having round one of the playoffs between the two teams has made it more interesting to pay attention. And since DBF likes Montreal anyway, I thought I'd give a game a watch and see how it was. Well let me tell you....this is some of the best hockey I've watched in a couple of years. The two teams actually want it so bad, they actually play the game!

Watching Game 7 last night, I was on the edge of my seat and actually yelled out loud each time Montreal scored (and yes, I was home alone!). I haven't reacted to a game like that in a long time, and honestly I don't know if I EVER reacted like that to a Canucks game (on TV anyway). Their leading line-up is fantastic, and their young goalie really played like a veteran.

I still feel bad for the Canucks getting beat out so close to the playoffs, but it's just like every other year where they seem to lose their cool and let it slip away. So, since I'm out here with a bunch of Habs fans anyway, I think I'll stay on their bandwagon (see I fully it admit it's a bandwagon!) and enjoy watching some actual hockey being played. GO HABS GO.

Sunday Surprise

I got my taxes done!!! WoooooHoooooo!

Saturday Spring

OK, Vancouver Islanders....I heard you got snow. Say what? That's just not fun at all.

We got a BIG BEAUTIFUL SUN!

Mojo and I just got back from an excellent 4km walk along the local trail system. Somewhat similar to the Galloping Goose trail at home, except that ours runs along the backside of a crystal blue lake. So nice!!

It's the same in that it's an old train route that has been converted into walking/biking trail. I found the grooming to be better here (on the section we walked anyway)....smaller gravel...but essentially the same.

Super busy today with lots of joggers, walkers, bike riders and dog walkers. Mojo was walking me for about the first 3km, but he soon got tuckered out and it was a nice stroll back to the car. We passed several folks with dogs and he was pretty good the whole time. He just has to say hi to everyone and sometimes he can be a bit aggressive, but for the most part it was all good. I think he was waiting for me to take the leash off, but alas there were just too many people out and about today for me to let him loose (it's not an off leash area...but if he listened better I could let him go for a while and no one would care).

If the weather keeps up for tomorrow, we are going to head the other way up the road to Long Lake where it's apparently a leash-free area and I'll let him have a good run around.

I took a bunch of pictures, so check back tomorrow. I'll probably post them tonight.

Oh, and today I wore flip-flops!! and there are some green bits popping up in our little front garden, which I suspect will become tulips or daffodils. I'm stoked! :)

And away he goes....

Today DBF is leaving to go visit his boy in Winnipeg for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately it still hasn't worked out for me to go with him and meet his little man, but we're working on it. It's actually harder now that we've moved, because now I want my vacation time for visiting my family and friends back home. A compromise will have to made at some point...just not this time.

He's looking forward to taking part in a major childhood milestone...the boy's first bike!

Our friend Mark was asking me last night what my plans are while DBF is away, and my answer was NOTHING. LOL. Well, actually I said "sitting on the couch in my undies watching reality TV"...but I only plan to do that once or twice. :)

I actually plan to do the opposite of nothing. I have started a MASSIVE to-do list. I have several goals for the next couple of months, and a few things that need to be done in the next week or so. DBF's sailing schedule is nutty for the next three months, so I figure I'll do as much as I can while I'm here on my own...so that when he does have time off it's not consumed with chores. He can work on the few bigger projects (like the stairs off the back deck) and I can deal with organizing and sorting and decorating. At some point this Summer we need to have a garage sale, so keeping things organized for that will be important. It would be nice to actually be able to use our garage for more than storage too, so I'll be chipping away at that each weekend now that the weather is more agreeable.

We have a few big ticket items that need to be sold too....some furniture, some appliances, etc...so if I can make those easily accesible that can be something else easily dealt with when he's home for a few days. The internet will be our friend on those things.

When we moved in, the movers dumped a lot of stuff in the garage...in the storage room...in the furnace room...and in the spare room. Most of which needs to be rearranged and moved around for proper storage. It would be nice if all of the Christmas decorations were in one place...and maybe the camping gear was all in one room. Makes sense to me, but apparently not to the movers. And honestly there is a lot of crap that we probably should have gotten rid of, but the move was so hectic it was easier just to bring it.

This week's main goal will be to finally organize all of my paperwork and get my taxes done. It's amazing how every year I say I'll get them done earlier, but inevitably I end up racing to get them done at the end of the month. I do have my own new file cabinet now, with folders for each month of the year...so at least next year I won't have to spend a week sorting and entering all of my expenses into a spreadsheet. I plan to do them monthly....mhmmmmmmmm.

You would think I would be used to DBF going away by now, but I'm not. I'll miss him. Boooo. :(

Proud GF

Today my honey passed an important test at work, and after a long wait is elligible for promotion. Of course, in typical military style, they've decided to do his promotion for Monday...and he leaves on vacation tomorrow...makes no sense! But it's still a BIG DEAL and I'm very proud of him!! Lieutenant DBF!! :)

And now for the cheesy photo I found on Google:

Birthday Madness

On Sunday, we got to enjoy a fun day of birthday celebrations for our friends Mark & Cosette's daughter Camille. Actually it was Cosette's birthday too, but you can only imagine how overshadowed her day is by the fact that her daughter was born the same day! Of course, what could be more fun than enjoying your daughter's 5th birthday with family, friends and fun? :)

They gave Camille about 10 options of what she would like to do, and she chose bowling. So off to the bowling alley we all went (about 20 people...Mark has a HUGE family...damn East Coaster, LOL). It was candlestick bowling...tall skinny pins...which I've never even seen before. I had intended to bowl, but there were so many of us that I just decided to watch instead. DBF bowled though and had a few good laughs over it. I swear the kids were a zillion times better than the adults....although, they did get to use the bumpers.

Afterwards we went back to their place....yes, all those people crammed into their house. Snacks, pizza, cake, ice cream, screaming balloons (and children!) ensued. I only wanted to kill one trantrum-ing child...and I wasn't alone in this...so all-in-all it was a good time had by all.

For the birthday daughter, we picked up a whackload of cool Crayola stuff....a giant coloring pad featuring Disney fairies & such, smelly markers, self-sharpening pencil crayons, erasable regular crayons, and this cool modeling clay thing. For the birthday Mom, I found this cool candle lantern thing at Chapters (of all places) that she can use indoors or out. I swear, if there had been two of those things I'd have one for myself!

Tomorrow night, we will go out for an "adult" dinner in celebration of Cosette's birthday, minus the child. :)

Tag, I am it!

7 things from Tash and Jen.

Tagged twice in one day, I figured I'd better do it!

Here are the rules of the game...

• Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
• Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
• Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1) I rarely eat my breakfast (or lunch for that matter) sitting down. I like to stand at the kitchen counter and randomly stare out the window while eating it. This works the best with cereal.

2) My favorite song of all time is Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da by The Beatles. It makes me smile every time.

3) I'm thrifty about some things and not about others. Like, I refuse to pay $7 for milk and will stop at another store to get it if I know it's cheaper....but I'll gladly buy shoes I love even if they are too expensive.

4) I hate to admit it, but although I think our new TV is ridiculously huge, I think I would miss it now that I'm used to it.

5) I HATE green peppers. It's truly the one and only food that can ruin a meal for me.

6) Right now, my greatest wish is for DBF and I to go on a real vacation together.

7) When I was in grade 5, my Mom made me sign up for softball. I hated sports and didn't want to do it, but she promised that if I tried it once and didn't like I wouldn't have to do it again. At my first practice, I got SMASHED in the face with the ball and still have scars on my lip and tongue to prove it. I finished out the year because I thought I had to...and at the end my Mom told me that she didn't expect me to finish it because of the accident. Oh sure, tell me then! I never went back and I still hate softball/baseball/catch.

Now, TAG, you are all IT:
Mikey
Duvaroo
Jennifer
Natalie
Shannon
Eurydice
Lynn

And if I didn't tag you, don't worry I still love you!!

Sign of Spring

And here you have it...my first sighting of Spring flowers!

These were in our friend's yard. If only they were in our yard! Our yard is landscaped...there are a couple of spindly little plants that I am sure will turn into something pretty as Summer comes closer...I'm curious to see what they are! Mostly greenery I suspect, so I'll be adding color to the gardens. Can't wait!

Growed Up Bedroom

And just for fun, here is the new bed set and curtains I picked up for our bedroom. Our old duvet cover was looking pretty "dorm room" and that big beautiful window nearly blinds us to death when the sun shines in the morning, so we needed some upgrading. :) (The duvet is reversable, so I might switch it to brown side up for Autumn...)

I'm still on the lookout for a good, matching bedskirt (because no one wants to see the ugly-ass boxspring!) and we need some things to hang on the wall above the bed and above the long dresser that is opposite the foot of the bed. I have my eyes open for new lamps too, but those are pretty much the last priority since there really isn't anything wrong with the ones we have now.

I am also getting rid of the big TV. It was never in the bedroom in the past and only made it's way in there when we moved in here because we were waiting a couple of days for the new TV downstairs. Somehow it has not made it's way back out of the room and we seem to be doing a lot of extra in-bed watching of CSI re-runs. Not good! (I will probably replace it with our little TV because it is nice to have an alternative TV to watch if one of us is watching something downstairs that the other person doesn't like...but we'll see!)

On the list is also a FULL SIZE, lovely framed mirror. Winners and HomeSense have tons of them right now and there is perfect space for it on the wall beside the long dresser. With both of us being so tall it will be nice to have a bigass mirror to see our whole selves in. (The full length mirror we've been using is old and crappy, so it can happily go to the garage sale pile.)

Yaiiee for the growed-up bedroom! haha!

DBF's Prezzie

I almost forgot to tell you guys....DBF's birthday prezzie actually arrived on Monday. I was astounded to see the courier at the door since I had received an email stating that the item wasn't even going to ship until Apr-15th (which I was a little miffed about considering I paid like $20 extra for 2-day delivery). I guess it must have been an automated email, because it arrived. Too bad they couldn't have had it here for the Friday, but such is life.

This is "Son of Man"...sometimes referred to as "The Faceless Businessman" (but only because that's what it was called in Thomas Crown Affair).

DBF has mentioned wanting it for quite some time now, and since the walls of our new house are essentially bare (because we refuse to hang any of our previous "art" up with our new stuff) I thought now was a good time to get it for him. He was surprised and happy with the giftie!

I have to say that I was pretty impressed with art.com. I happened upon it while searching for a place to buy this print and loved their massive selection and many, many framing options. Plus, they seem to regularly have sales, so the prices weren't tooooo far out there. We may order a few more things as our budget permits to start filling up some of our blank walls. :)

Halifax Idle

Were drive-thru line-ups this nutty back home? I don't remember...maybe because they weren't all that bad...or maybe because they weren't in plain view... I don't know.

I drive by a whole ton of fast-food places on my way to and from the gym every morning. The ones that stick out are the THREE Tim Horton's that I go past. (Note: it's only about a 5km drive that takes less than 12 minutes...Timmy is EVERYWHERE).

I have constantly marvelled at the number of cars in the drive-thrus at each of these locations. The first one I generally notice because when there are a lot of cars in the line (say, more than 9-10 like this morning), the line-up will actually spill out of the parking lot and start impeding traffic....on a VERY busy connector road just off the highway...LAME. The second one I have actually counted the cars while I sit at a traffic light...usually at least 10 cars in line, and they only move maybe one car length while I sit through the light....also LAME. The third one is actually the most LAME because it is located in the middle of the parking lot of the plaza my gym is in. They don't have a dedicated lane for the drive-thru that holds more than two cars, so inevitably every time I try to turn that corner to get through the lot I end up having to go all the way around because the drive-thru line is taking up an entire traffic lane.

Here's a thought....get out of your friggin cars and go inside if your stupid Timmy's fix is that bloody important. Coffee drinking should not impede traffic you lazy oafs!

Dear Lady at the Gym,...

Um, I am not sure if you got the tour when you joined, so I thought I might mention that we do indeed have a lockerroom here. It's quite large, with many lockers...some tall, some small. It is located just past the weight area where you seem to spend most of your time. I promise that it is very clean and there is lots of room to maneuver.

I only mention this because it is really inconvenient for you to have your bag, your jacket and your scarf & gloves sitting in the midst of the gym. If you have a look around, NO ONE ELSE HAS THEIR SHIT SITTING OUT HERE. It is especially inconsiderate of you to pile your crap on top of a set of steps that people (and by people, I mean ME!) need to use for their workout.

It was lovely of you to apologize when you realized I had to move your stuff out of my way in order to use the equipment, and although I smiled, I was really annoyed. Soooo...if in the future you could be like everyone else and use the locker space provided conveniently in the change room that would be swell. If you are concerned about theft, a lovely little padlock can be purchased just about anywhere for a whopping $3!

I hope you take this note in the matter that it was intended. A public service anouncement for you not to be a dumbass.

Thank you and happy crunching!

Recycling Raiders

Pretty much anything is recyclable at the curbside here in Halifax. It took maybe two weeks to really figure out how to sort or what-goes-where, but it's fairly simple. I still recycle all of my paper, newspaper, etc in the blue bin (even thought those aren't commonplace here). Plastics, cans, bottles, etc all go in the see-through blue recycling bag. Not rocket science.

Since our house is limited on space and we have been waiting for the nice weather so we can finally clear out and organize our garage, we don't have much room for recycling....so I have not been saving the beverage containers to return for refund. Any random cans or bottles just go into the blue bag with the rest of the stuff. Beer cases go next to the bin at the curb.

Now, what we have noticed is that there are guys that have it all figured out as to which neighborhood has pick up on which day...and they drive around the neighborhoods to see what they can take from the curb. I know that the beer bottles will always be gone. I don't care...if someone wants to take the time to drive around looking for them, then they can have them.

But.... DON'T GO THROUGH MY FRIGGIN BLUE BAG unless you are going to do it nicely and neatly.

I came home from the gym this morning...after spending 15 minutes getting all of the recycling together, neatly tying off the bag and such before I left...to find that some asshole had decided to rummage through the bag. That's fine if they can do it with some respect...but they ripped a huge hole in the side of the bag instead of just untying the bloody thing and keeping it neat. Thankfully it's not windy and they didn't seem to have spilled anything out onto the street or sidewalk....but I'm still annoyed.

I guess maybe I should put the containers that are worth money out in a separate bag to avoid the pilfering. Maybe I should include a little note and some milk and cookies while I'm at it.

Hair-do!

Every year about this time I get the urge to cut all of my hair off. Now, after a few really bad, too-short cuts several years ago, I have learned maybe not to jump right in the deep end on these urges. But it just so happens that I finally found a photo of the hair I've always wanted....so since I had an appointment already booked for a trim and such, I thought I'd see what my hairdresser had to say about it.

She loved the idea of course!

The cut didn't turn out exactly like the sample photo, but it's close. And I'm sure after I get used to it and play around with it a bit, I'll be able to make it work.

So...without further ado...here are a couple of OK pictures taken over the weekend....

Super-Duper Extra Long DBF's Bday Weekend Update

Yesterday was DBF's bday, so in true Bi0nic Family tradition we had a whole weekend of birthday fun. Especially since his actual bday fell on a Sunday...what fun is that?!!

Friday night we booked a yummy dinner downtown at the Five Fisherman, with our close friends Mark & Cosette. I'll give you two guesses as to why DBF chose this restaurant.... and if your first guess isn't lobster, well you can't have a second guess! You bet...he wanted steak and lobster for his birthday feast, so there you have it.

Earlier in the evening, I had a hair appointment (update on that to follow) so took that time to stop and get us a bottle of wine. I finally found one that we actually like...Sandalford Shiraz 2004. We've had a bitch of a time finding a reasonably priced red wine from the liquor stores here. We're picky, but not that picky and have been astounded by the shit selection compared to back home. Anyway...this one was yummy for pre-dinner drinking!

Dinner was just as expected. Tasty mussel bar and salad bar to start, followed by super tasty steak & lobster (this time the mushroom ragu had lobster claw meat hiding in it too!). We even splurged on dessert...which we don't usually do, but a birthday dinner without dessert just seemed silly. Oh, and of course, the wine there was quite nice too....Katnook Cab Sav (2003 I think).

After dinner, we wandered up the street (in the friggin snow...which started during dinner...while I wore my snazzy red shoes...don't get me started!) to the good old Shoe Shop for some after dinner drinkies. Cosette offered to drive us home after that, which was soooo nice since getting a cab in the shite weather might have been tough.

Good time. Good company. Bad weather.

Saturday we did some tidying and such around the house. DBF ran a few errands and I hit the gym. Traffic was disgusting because of the new Rona that opened in the shopping district near our place....as if Saturday traffic in there isn't bad enough! I got through relatively unscathed on my way home from the gym...but poor DBF landed up right in the thick of it so he was none too impressed.

That evening we had Mark & Cosette over for some drinkies and snacks...DBF played some guitar (as he said...his final concert as a 34 year old). I tried to video one of his songs on my camera, but it was too dark...all I got was some crappy sound...too bad! The boys downed a few heavy duty VENTI sized White Russians and maybe got sidetracked and didn't eat enough of the snackies.

After waiting too long for a cab and keeping our friend Raylene waiting for a bit, we finally made our way down to the Split Crowe. We had thought it would be packed on a Saturday night but I guess we were too early for that...hardly a soul in the place! We got there just in time not to pay cover though, so yaaieee for that. Our friends Colleen and Brad joined us shortly after we arrived.

Without going into too much detail, DBF spent a lot of time outside getting some air. The VENTI White Russians (and the beer prior to those) were taking their toll....so he and Marky had some boy time outside while I hung out with our friends inside. After about an hour or so, we opted to take our leave and head for home. I was saved from anymore yucky beer and the impending order of deep friend pepperoni and DBF enjoyed the comfy cab. Our friends were great about it and we'll owe them a night out soon!

I tucked him in all good and proper on the couch...where he happily stayed for the night. It was still fairly early so I puttered around making up the spare bed for Mark & Cosette to return to and making sure everyone had a bottle of water. Stoopy and Mojo and I had an early night watching Law & Order in bed.

Sunday morning, we were all up bright and early. DBF was feeling better and the shining sun got me up and at em. Cosette and I made a Timmy's run to get everyone a much needed greasy sammich for breaky and the obligatory early morning caffeine. The boys settled in for a day of F1 racing...Cosette headed home to spend time with their daughter...and I hit up the gym for a good long power walk on the treadmill.

In the afternoon, we drove Marky home then decided to stop by and check out the new Rona. They had BBQs on sale and we wanted to see if they were good quality. The weather is finally starting to resemble Spring so we are feeling the BBQ season! The BBQ was decent quality and an excellent price so we picked one up, along with a new tank and cover....very pleased! DBF spent about an hour putting it together and we cooked ourselves an inaugural steak dinner. Yum!

We followed that with some yummy chocolate bday cake that I picked up as a surprise earlier in the day (it had brownie chunks on top!) and ended the weekend with a cozy night in watching DVDs.

Unfortunately DBFs prezzie has been delayed, so I didn't have anything to actually give him. Booo for that. I took a chance ordering online so these things happen. I gave him a photo of the gift (I debated leaving it a surprise, but he might actually be away when it arrives so I decided to tell him) and as long as it turns out as nice as I think, he really liked it. (I'll leave it a surprise for you all for now though!)

Poor Honey's F1 team didn't do very well yesterday though so he thinks the birthday Gods were smiting him. But the weather was really nice. I guess you can't have both!

Suzy Homemaker Strikes Again!

This actually works!

For some reason, a brand new bag of brown sugar from the cupboard came out stale. Not hard as a rock, but stiff and crunchy. Then, after using it once I forgot to put the bag away...so of course by morning it was pretty solid.

I read somewhere that if you put an apple slice in with it, it will help soften it up.

Well, I'll be damned if it didn't work like a charm! I put a slice in the bag and sealed it up and left it overnight and sure enough the top half of the bag was just like new. So I scooped out the apple (and the bits of crystalized sugar around it) and poured the fresh stuff into a sealed container....then repeated the action with a new apple slice in the bottom half of the bag.

Genius!

How NOT to get things done!

Fall asleep on the couch after dinner!

Man, I was exhausted apparently. All this getting up extra early to go to the gym is catching up with me. I guess I needed it because I was out like a light for about an hour and a half. And of course, when I woke up I had no desire to scrub the tub or hang curtains.

Oh well. The list moves on....

To-Do Lists are my life!

DBF is on duty unexpectedly tonight (covering for a guy who's Grandpa just died...) so I have an extra night of catching up on stuff I've been putting off. I have a bad habit of procrastinating on things around the house because I think he and I need to spend time together when he's not at sea. This is fair when he goes away frequently....however, he has been home for a month and is home for probably another month, so I guess the excuse just isn't working this time!

I have a HUGE to-do list (as always), but for today...

- finish laundry (and actually put it away!)
- clean both bathrooms
- polish bedroom furniture
- hang new bedroom curtains
- put new bedding on bed (this also includes a quick trip to Linens & Things for a bedskirt to match the new duvet cover)
- sweep, dust & vacuum living room (we have to do this at least twice a week because of Sheddy McShedderton...AKA Mojo the hairy beast dog)
- empty my stuff out of DBF's file cabinet, load into my new cabinet, move his downstairs to his office/guitar room
- start on main April goal: sorting 2007 receipts, etc for taxes

All this after work...Tuesdays are generally my longest, busiest days.