Too pretty......

for words, too pretty to use, but just lovely enough to dream of......

    I've never been to a Neiman Marcus, actually never even heard of them, except from one, very creative and exceptional friend.  So when she mentioned about having fun shopping at one, I naturally had to Google the store.
    There is an online version of the store and after spending too much time and not nearly enough time exploring their website, I came across these most perfectly and pretty of purple pillows.
    Now, purple is my most favourite of colours, always has been, always will.  I had a deliciously purple room as a spoiled child in the seventies.  I had a mixed purple shag rug, it almost looked like a heather field in bloom.  I had groovy purple wallpaper, complete with flowers and vines, lovely to view and annoying for my dad to install. I had a "mod" bedside lamp, one of those mushroom shaped lamps that was, yes, purple. However, my "pièce de résistance", my absolute pride and joy was my overhead ceiling light, it was one of those blown glass, spaghetti string multi-hued purple orb lights. 
    Of course, I matured, I grew out of this idyllic princess bedroom and my interests changed and grew with me.  The shag rug, once so lovely, did not fair well against a sloppy and cleanliness-challenged pre-teen.  Out it went, rather sad but definitely necessary for my overall state of health  - I can't even begin to imagine what sort of germs, molds, dust, etc. would have been caught up in the luxurious long fibers of the shag.  The wallpaper was next, my eye being caught by a pattern of black and white geometrical designs, which I loved, but made my dad burst out in some fairly graphic language as he put it up, trying to match without his eyes popping out of his head.  I knocked down the table lamp in a fight with my brother and it broke beyond repair, so Dad said, secretly I think he was happy to be gone with it - perhaps as payback for the wild wallpaper that was permanently etched on his corneas. However, I never gave up my love of the ceiling light, it only went when our house sold and I was told, again by parents probably wanting me to give up the purple, that anything attached to the house must stay with the house.  I'm sure we could have saved the wondrous purple orb.
    So, now we are at the mature grown woman who still craves a wee splash of purple throughout the house and life now and then.... and these pillows would be PERFECT!!

My body is happy now.....

..... that it has had an hour long massage.  It really needed it.  I have been working so much just to make some time off to be with family that it has taken a toll.  Plus my usual Monday twelve hour day shift was stressful and chaotic, so much so that I ended up staying an extra hour just to write up my notes.  We don't get overtime, and I didn't even get supper, so was totally exhausted, hungry and frustrated by the time I got home.
      My body complained all day Tuesday, refused to go to the gym, so I agreed to wait a day.  When I got up today, my body was still aching all over and stomped its foot about working out at the gym, so I gave up and went for a massage.  Now my body is thanking me, but wondering why we have to go in for a night shift tonight, work a day shift on Friday, then a night shift on Saturday.  Why?  Haven't I made it work enough already?
     Oh, yes, that 'family' thing.  My pride and joy, Sam, practically begged me to get Saturday afternoon off work so we could spend quality, not quantity time together.  Thought it was sweet and rearranged mine and others schedules to accommodate his request.  I get an email today from said darling son telling me that he would prefer not to come home Saturday after all.  ugh, arg, poo!!  Children, aren't they peachy.
     Well, all I can say is what my mother always said to me: "Wait until you have kids of your own"!!

..... still I do hope he pops by, even for a quick visit....  I am such a sucker for my children ......

You know that your life is bursting with excitement....

... when you are extremely excited to find a new cereal at the grocery store.  Not just any store but Costco.  Yes, I am a proud member of this elitist store, I am a card carrying member and I shop proudly.  Unfortunately, I also shop expensively.  Everything is in bulk and we only go every few months, so our receipt has never been below $250, usually more in the four to six hundred dollar range.  Mostly we just get groceries and the odd gift, but there are so many interesting things that Terry gently tells me I need to leave behind.  I do tend to get a wee bit carried away by the excitement of the offerings, but need to be reminded that we really can't afford to let whimsy get the better of me.
     Back to the cereal, very practical and necessary item for our pantry.  Costco often has the new cereals before the mainstream stores or at least the Food Basics where we do our mundane shopping.  We are a family of cold cereal eaters, morning, noon, and bedtime, and any other time we need a quick snack.  We go through cereal by the box-loads - (small pun there) - so a new cereal to add to our already large variety is bound to garner some notice.
    Oh, yes, the actually name of said wondrous cereal, it really is quite delicious and fun to eat - is by Post "Cherry Almond Crunch".  The box reads "sun-ripened cherries, oat clusters, sliced almonds and multigrain flakes".  I have been eating it for over a week now, it is a very large box, and absolutely enjoying every bite.
     Ah, cereal, a simple, yet necessary, joy in my life.

     What is too funny, is that this cereal has been reviewed and is posted on Amazon.  It has a 4.5 rating and others are raving about it as well!!

Funny thing about Facebook....

is that sometimes people that you haven't heard, seen or thought of in eons contact you!  
     Earlier this week, I got a message out of the blue from an old, old boyfriend.  We "went together" way back in grade 10 and 11, not all of it, but for many months.  He was my most delinquent of boyfriends and I always wondered what happened to him and how his life turned out.  NOW I KNOW!!
     We met in Air Cadets in Fredericton, New Brunswick, now we both are in Ontario.  Many miles apart, but still interesting enough.  I have had great fun catching up with him and letting him compliment me and feel all silly and blushy and teenie-bopperish.  Terry doesn't look like he is enjoying this reunion half as much as me.  No creepy badness, just remembering whens....
I can't believe that I had forgotten so much.  I apparently made a big impression on his life as a teen, he said he was "madly in love with me", then I dumped him for another.  He was always so protective of me, even after we broke up, he still watched out for me at high school with the new and different crowd I tried to belong to.  So far, I'm happy to be "chatting" on Facebook with him.  It feels good to remember and to giggle.

Crest of 333 Lord Beaverbrook Squadron
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

And now for some input....

     So, now it is Day 2 and I'm back here trying to learn new lingo and how to maneuverer in this new environment.  I usually like learning but as I age, it gets trickier with each new technology.
     So far, I've found pretty new "wallpaper", but it is no longer called that....hmmm, many years ago, my dear friend and I set up a messageboard, and there the background was called "wallpaper" and I loved our pretty wallpaper backgrounds on each page.
     Now to add a photo or two ..... these are from our recent trip to Ottawa on March break.

This is eldest son, Benjamin (23) sporting a "Green Lantern" shirt, 

myself and my hubby, Terry - he is the one with the goatee.

Guess where we are??

Were you right?

We are sitting in the "Peace Tower" observation deck.

 It is right below the clock on the center block of our Parliament building in Ottawa.

The views from all four directions were very lovely.

Now I photograph the scene, in front of Parliament and the Centennial Flame,

there is Terry, Benjamin and third son, Jacob (age 15).

What is the Centennial Flame all about? 

On January 1, 1967, Lester B. Pearson launched Canada's 100th anniversary celebrations by lighting the Centennial Flame for the first time. Surrounded by the shields of the Canadian provinces and territories, and joined by the water of the fountain, the Centennial Flame symbolizes Canada's unity from sea to sea.
The years inscribed on the border of the fountain, indicate when the province or territory joined Confederation.

     We loved the trip to our Parliament Building: the Peace Tower, the War Memorial and the free guided tour of Parliament.  Too bad Noah, our youngest son, age 13,  refused to join us - so he went to the Rideau Centre Mall on his own.  Samuel (age 21) wanted to take the tour but had to work that day at his student placement at the Ottawa Airport.

  

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.........

.... and so it begins.  This is my first post to this new arena.  I am not familiar with the landscape here in "Blog-land", but will soon adapt.

     As I walked into my shared office a few days ago, I was more than a little surprised and delighted to find those words:

     Today is the first day....
                              of the rest of your life.

pasted up on the wall.  It was a breath of fresh air and I felt happy and inspired to be at work for the first time in a long while.  A couple of our new, young, temporary counsellors had found this expression printed on easy peel-able paper and stuck it up.  It is meant to inspire us, as well as our clients - we counsel those in detox and treatment from addiction to drugs and alcohol.  It is a diverse population and we tackle a variety of other life problems that tend to accompany these people so afflicted. It is an interesting job, but can be very difficult at times. I've been at this work for more than seven years now and have met a diverse population with even more varied range of life problems and experiences.  I have grown and am grateful for many of these people that have touched my life.  I have gratitude and hope that I can lead a life of grace.