Woo hoo! Stress can be good for you!

Although I am going more than a little crazy especially in the two weeks before the 2 week holiday which all children seem to think should be free time all the time (it's only 2 weeks of vacation people!) I have apparently been eating well because I fit into size 16 pants oh yeah! And I even got a pair on at Old Navy and they are nutty about sizes. Those size 16s were not meant to be part of my current wardrobe as I do value circulation to my ummm lady parts but they did up and stayed done up as long as I didn't try to breathe or move. Yipee!

Purr-l...

...you'll be a woman soon (but not for long).
Apparently it is time to bring home the "What's Happening to Me?" puberty book for my little kitty. Yep, she's in heat and we'll all be singing the hormonal kitty blues until I can get her to the vet for the big snip (or incision, snip, removal etc as it goes for the poor females of the species). Do you think a rousing rendition of "Big Girls Don't Cry" will convince her to not drive the rest of us crazy?

I am off to school and I am sure the girls who live downstairs will be happy to be off to work too as they can probably hear her through the floor!

Off to mew the blues with my kitten who is now a cat...

I made cookies

and they were yummy! Oatmeal raisin. I gave most of them away to a friend who did some kitty-sitting for me but now I want more. I am slowly gaining domestic skills (or is that skillz?) Mind you, the concoction I have bubbling away in my slow-cooker (see, domestic!) may be a little more onion than chicken... Sometimes you don't have to put in all the onion you chop up!

Still got leftover turkey?

I do and I didn't even make a turkey! Anyway, I Googled turkey recipes hoping to find some inspiration and... there really is a website for almost everything these days! I was reminded that I really need to get myself a good, basic cookbook (I have one in mind, more about that later) but for now, the interweb is my friend. I had a moment's pause last night wondering how I would find ideas/resources/factoids for my class without the 'net. I don't have the same access to vast library resources that I did in T.O. Fortunately I do have access and use it for educational purposes fairly often, score one for technology.

Ok, so I'm off to try making some yummy turkey chowder. Keep your fingers crossed I end up with something delicious!

New cousin has a name

It is Everest (yes, like the mountain) and he smells just like a baby should! Maya is also holding up well and was as adorable as ever! Luke and Anne were charming and quirky as ever and Ever was as ever as he could be (not a lot of history to judge by just yet)! Thanks for the hospitality as always you adult types who may be reading this. I find the Bellamy / McCutcheon household always to feel welcoming and relaxing, I want a home with such a vibe to it one of these days. Plus, I really like the colour of the paint in the bathroom and the nice trim. I am a weird girl. (BTW Anne, quirky is good).

I have a new cousin~

And I will get to see him (as yet unnamed) and the lovely Maya next weekend! I can't wait!

Apparently I'm the unsought advice lady!

Here is a cool thing I heard about on CBC: the auto protection agency . They have lots of info on used cars and also some advocacy about buying cars reasonably with an at-par dollar. I've noticed this is in the news a lot just recently so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when a) my car finally kicks the bucket or b) I can actually afford a newer car the prices will be better.

PD day tomorrow and I'm going to show up doing some gross, messy sneezing unless this really is just allergies making mucous actually run out of my nose and drip on my face. It is super disgusting even to me and it's my snot. Thank goodness no one else has to see it yet. Maybe it'll be under control by tomorrow. Just in case it isn't, I bought another box of Kleenex(TM) with lotion because that stuff is AWESOME! Nothing else will do when I have a nasty sneeze fest unless I can get my hands on a real handkerchief. Might have to go in search for one of those again. I did have one once but it has been lost in my travels. Alas.

If you're in Ontario (or voting by proxy...Lydia!)

I suggest checking out
http://www.yourbigdecision.ca/en_ca/default.aspx
I found it via CBC because I remember hearing about proportional representation in highschool but I think I might not have been paying perfect attention and now I want to know what it means and if I like it or not. This nearly-here election has made me realize how little I know about what I'm voting for. Going to try and get myself better informed about the people, the parties and what I want from them before the 10th! As if I didn't have enough homework already!

If you're looking to buy ethically

try ten thousand villages, my Nana got me a tshirt from them (not off the website) and it is by far the most complemented item of clothing I've ever owned.

Next, on a local level: I have found out where to buy local eggs which will make me feel a lot less guilty about eating them and I found out that a local restaurant has organic, fair trade coffee and tea available and for sale and they use local and organic meat and local vegetables AND they have gluten free bread options too! So if anyone wants to visit, I have a place to feed all of you!


Edited to add: I figured out how to add links and you even go to a new page or tab too! Yay!

h'lo

I cannot guarantee anything about keeping this going but I so enjoy reading my friends / firendos blogs that I feel bad about only being a taker and never a giver. Now maybe all y'all who never email/call will at least know what I'm up to.

Just trying to get into the swing of Gr. 7 so far (and not procrastinating at all ha ha). So far so good. The students are cheeky as ever but have a fair attention span which is a noce change. We did some art which went really well and some Lang.Arts which was less joyfully received!