Pub Photos

If any of my readers are unaware, Warren & I (okay, my Dad has done most of the work) have been renovating our basement to look & feel like an English Pub.

And the renos are finally in the home stretch!

The only things left are:
1) Adding river rock stones to the face of the fireplace.
2) Staining the 'Bar' area.
3) Adding shelves to the 'Bar' cupboard.
4) Buying new furniture (the really fun part!).

We already had some antique artwork and some other antique-y type stuff we brought back from our England trip. And, Warren's mom had given us some amazing Hudson's Bay Company history artwork. So we had a good start on the decor side of things.

On Saturday we hit an Estate Sale and picked up some more amazing pub stuff. You know how all pubs are filled with old gak, and every where you look there's an old photo or nick knack? Well, that's the look we're going for, so we have many years of collecting ahead of us :-)

This is one of our estate sale finds. It's a painting of some Victorian era men sitting around a table drinking and chatting. Very appropriate. So we hung it above the fireplace.
This was the coolest find ever. An old antique tin lantern (that actually works when you plug it in!) that says PUB on it. And a cute little brass jug with an embossed ship on it.

The brass tin pail-on-a-stick was an estate find as well. I turned it into a plant holder.
These two little plates came from the estate sale too. They have little painted English House settings on them.
And this is our Pride & Joy. Our RED BOXER ALE poster that we bought from the Los Angeles Boxer Rescue. SO PERFECT. And every penny we payed for it went to the Boxer Rescue. Same Boxer Rescue we bought my antique wedding ring set from.

Next to this poster is where we are going to make a memorial to our Sweet Angus who passed away this past December. We'll have his ashes, our family photo with him, and a photo framed with his name tag. I can't wait for that.

Just what I needed

Today was a stressful day at work. I'm tempted to call it BRUTAL, but I'll save that word for a real duzy. Today can remain labeled as STRESSFUL.

So, when I entered Blogland tonight, I was really hoping someone out there would have something funny or entertaining for me to read. To get my mind off things.

Well, there is one Blog out there that I don't have a link to from my blog, but I often click to through Erin's Blog.

It's called 'Tales From Labour and Delivery'. It's a blog written by an anonymous nurse who works in the 'baby ward'. Her stories are crazy, hilarious, scary, sad and bizarre. Very interesting stuff. I hesitated to link to it because I knew my mom friends might read too much into it...why is Amanda linking to a site like that? Maybe she's got a bun in the oven? So, I clicked to it through Erin, secretly.

Well, today this Mystery Nurse gave me a big LAUGH. Which is exactly what I needed. So, she's earned a permanent link on my blog. And I think I already know how she'll INSPIRE me. She'll inspire me to never become a nurse.

Check out her post called 'Happy Valentine's Day'.

http://www.itsababynotbrainsurgery.blogspot.com/

Inspiration

I love Blogs.

When I step away and think about what a Blog IS, I find them odd. People sharing personal, day-to-day experiences with the few random people who read their Blog. But, in theory, these personal glimpses are available to the entire world, since they live on the internet.

I also find them strangely addicting (I think some of you would agree). And I find myself wishing other friends would start blogs, just so that I would have more of them to read.

And, I also find them extremely INSPIRING.

A good example, would be today, when my dear friend Tiffany (of the famous TIFFYTOPIA) posted about her first 5:30am workout. I know how difficult that would have been for her (or anyone for that matter!). But she did it. Some people might think, 'oh, she's only done it once, that's not THAT impressive'. But these things need to start SOMEWHERE, and today was the start for her.

So, I thought I'd step back, and think about the individual ways I'm inspired by the different blogs I read, and what I love about them.

Here it goes:

Tiffitopia: Tiff inspires me to workout, or even THINK about working out. She inspires me to be more introspective. She inspires me to write. She inspires me to find solace in songs and their lyrics. I really LOVE how HONEST she is. I love knowing that she has found TRUE LOVE and will be taken care of in every way.

Kelly Family Adventures: Erin inspires me to find fun and humour in the most mundane moments of life. She inspires me to drink STARBUCKS. She inspires me to find BALANCE. She inspires me to become a MOM someday. And I love seeing the amazing support group of friends & family she has in her life.

Baby Blakeney Blog: Keri inspires me to be a good big sister and aunty, by the way she loves her nephews. She inspires me to laugh at myself, and life in general. And I can't express how much I've enjoyed reading about her & Nick's journey through pregnancy, and soon, parenthood. And, she inspires me to wear more BLACK.

Deter's Family: Kara is someone I've only met a few times, through Erin & Keri, but from reading her blog I have been inspired to wear nicer MAKE-UP. I also find it inspiring that her & Ralph made a trip down to Mexico with their very young son. And, like all the family blogs I read, it's great reading about all the milestones these kids reach.

[i]love life: Kal is someone I have NEVER met. I linked to her blog one day through Keri's site (when Keri announced the birth of Kal's daughter), and I have been addicted ever since. I don't even think I need to describe why this woman is inspiring, because anyone who has read her blog would know. She inspires me to be more COLORFUL (which contradicts the BLACK that Keri inspires...). She inspires me to take better PHOTOS. She inspires me to find a PASSION. And, she inspires me (somedays) to GO.

Thank-you all very much for your Blogs.

Valentine Celebrations

Warren & I have 2 Valentine's Day Traditions. The first tradition was started 3 years ago. The second was started 7 years ago.

First Tradition: Go out for a super-high-end dinner the day BEFORE Valentine's Day. Feb 13th. It's the best thing ever - we highly recommend it! The restaurant is empty and you get the most amazing service.

Each year we've gone to La Caille (which is now called Q Haute Cuisine). We get dressed up, we take a cab, and we don't hold back! We order cocktails to start, followed by not-the-cheapest-bottle-on-the-menu bottle of wine. Then of course liqueur coffees to top it off.

With the drinks we always enjoy the fabulous food that this restaurant offers. Prosciutto with whipped something-or-other to start. Followed by a basket of assorted breads to dip in the 3 different spreads - cheese spread, olive spread and whipped butter & oil spread.

This year I had 3 scallops to start, each one prepared with it's own delicious sauce. Warren had the Lobster Bisque.

Main course for me was Lamb (last year I had Ox Tongue) and Warren had Wild Boar, also prepared 3 different ways.

Then of course an assorted 'chocolate dessert plate' with our coffee.

And really, the best part, above all the razzle-dazzle, is the awesome conversations we have, looking out over the Bow River. We always leave these dinners totally re-fueled on LOVE and excited about the future.

Here's our 'self-portrait'. We have about 400 million other photos of ourselves that look exactly like this one. This photo is very 'Warren&Amanda'.

And, for a laugh, I wanted to document that I wore my 'furry cape'. It's a black furry shawl (not real fur of course) that has a satin tie in the front that I wear for fancy occassions.
And also a photo of the sexy satin dress I bought in Vegas last November.

Second Tradition: James' 7th Birthday!

My Sweet little(est) brother was a Valentino Baby, so for the last 7 years we've spent Valentine's Day at my dad's for James' birthday. This year it was train themed. So he was just a little excited.

This birthday was the start of a life-long train hobby I think. The trains he was given aren't 'toys'. They are very expensive H.O. models. He also got a track and remote to go with it. I think he spent 10am to 6:00pm the day of his birthday watching the train go around the track. And, so far he's been very responsible. He'll actually tell my dad or Adam to 'slow down!' if they make the delicate train go too fast.

Swindled

Apparently Warren & I need to work on our communication skills, because today we were swindled...by two very naughty dogs.

Our normal routine is:
1) Take turns getting up in the morning to feed the dogs their breakfast (they have an internal clock that tells them they are hungry at 6:30am).
2) When I get home from work at 5:30pm, I feed them dinner.

Well, today Warren was working from home and left again before I got home. He fed them dinner before he went out again. When I got home, I also fed them dinner.

Porter & River didn't bother mentioning that papa had already fed them dinner.

Sneaky little monkeys!

In Case You Missed It

Here's a clip of the second half of Kanye West's 2008 Grammy Performance, in case you missed it (and in case you care? I guess...)

His mom died this year, from complications from plastic surgery.

I know it seems kind of cheesy - he's a big spoiled Rapper and all - but this performance for his mom was really touching, I thought. He was really close to his mom, and there's just something about a MAN singing about his LOVE for his MOM.

I especially love the line (at the 2 minute mark if you're short on time) 'Last night I saw you in my dreams, and now, I can't wait to go to sleep. This Life is all a dream. So my real life starts, when I'm asleep.'

I think anyone who's lost a loved one can relate to that.

Magazine Club

Went to Sue's this afternoon for her 'monthly' Magazine Club (as close to monthly as possible anyway...she has a young one who takes up a lot of her time!).

A lot of people laugh when I tell them about Magazine Club - I guess because it sounds a bit like the 'lazy man's' Book Club. Which it is.

In a general way, it's just an excuse to get out on a Sunday afternoon and chat with a group of REALLY COOL ladies. But, the Magazine aspect usually draws out some interesting topics that wouldn't come up otherwise. And, the group changes and fluxtuates based on availability and all that, so I usually meet a new person every time, or see friends I don't see very often.

AND, each time, I am ALWAYS amazed at the super-intelligent and interesting women I have the pleasure to spend my time with.

Today in attendance were:

1. Susan; the HOSTESS with the MOSTESS.
2. Jen; Super bubbly and AWESOME, as usual.
3. Emily; Super intelligent and well read and learned and 'makes me want to take an Art History course', or something like that, as usual.
4. Lara; Fellow Shaw employee and Super-Cute, as usual.
5. Janet; Cool lady who works with Susan, who I just met today. She was impressed with magazine club.
6. Faith; Janet's 14 year old daughter who came along to babysit Lucas while his mom entertained, who asked her mom on the way over 'Why are you doing this?'. I guess she thought Magazine Club sounded ODD.
7. Tracy; was there in spirit. She has a 3 week old baby girl, and had a 'rough night', so she had to drop out at the last minute.

All-in-all, that's a pretty good turnout.

Topics touched on today:
1. Halle Berry's sickeningly 'Perfect' pregnancy.
2. Sleep troubles, how to get a better sleep, our own personel 'wind down' tricks.
3. Hot makeup & hair trends.
4. Celebrity Obsession: Britney, Princess Di..
5. The next generation of kids - their sense of entitlement and expectations to have fame & fortune without any effort (American Idol etc...).
6. Something about Pharoahs & Draughts in Utah (Emily's topic...she's the 'intellectual' one...).
7. Time Saving tips, that really left us all annoyed. Should have saved time by not reading that article.
8. JFK's love child.

PS - TIFF - we missed you!

Blog Facelifts

Alright. I'm going to post the link to the uber-easy site, that basically gives you an updated background to your existing blog.

I'll also post the site I got mine from, but I take no responsibility for any troubles you have if you choose to go the route I did.

Okay, so the uber-easy site is:
http://cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com/

Basically, once there, scroll down until you see text in a column on the RIGHT side of the page. Those are the instructions. Really easy. Basically you copy her text, and paste over your own HTML text (that she specifies). Then you copy the file name of the background of your choice from her blog, and past it where she specifies. VOILA. New background. You may need to adjust font colors etc, to work with the new BG, but that's simple.

This method keeps all your links in tact. If you have lots of links on your blog, I highly recommend this method, otherwise you have to add them all back by hand.

The one I used is:
http://www.pyzam.com/

Click on the 'Blogger Templates' link on the LEFT side.

Browse through the templates. When you find one you like, click on it. It will have some HTML code for you to copy. Copy it, and paste it over top of your own HTML (in Customize, Template, Edit HTML). That part is easy and works. It's just adding all the links again manually that's a bit of a pain. And I had to spend a bit of time reformating my 'Title' Photo.

Good Luck to anyone who attempts the Blogger Facelift!

And, an UBER-SPECIAL-THANKS to Sweet Tiffany, who researched and let me know how to get rid of the 'pyram' ad bar at the top of my page.

LOVE YOU TIFF!

Just Call Me Muffin Top

Today was a bit depressing for me. Not hugely depressing, but definitely a bit depressing. I know by the way I've named this post I'm setting it up as funny, but it was, in reality, a little depressing. Luckily I don't take myself too seriously, and can laugh at myself, I guess.

I had my yearly doctor's appointment today; you ladies know which one I'm talking about.

In my early 20's these appointments were all very routine. Go in. Step on the scale. Open wide. Say Aw. Breathe deep once. Breathe deep twice. Breast exam. Put on this silly gown. Feet in the stirrups. 2 minutes of total discomfort. Get some pills. Leave.

But lately, as in the last few years, I've been having some chronic pain issues that make these visits less-routine. I won't go into too much detail, because it's all quite personal and definitely Too-Much-Information! Over the last year I've been getting treatments to help with my pain-issues, but it has been a sloooooow process.

Today, as my doctor was pushing down on my hip bones (the general area of my pain), she noticed something. She started on the right side. One hand on top of the hip, the other slid underneath me, pushing up and down against my hip. Then she moves to my left side and does the same thing.

'Oh my God, do you feel that?' she says. I reply with an eloquent 'Huh?'. 'It's not supposed to do that' she says. She goes back to the other hip. 'See, see how this feels? See how stable that is?'

Sure. I guess.

'Now feel the difference' she goes back to the problem hip and pushes up and down. It was movin' all over the place, no resistance, nothing. 'Holy Crap' I said.

Turns out the joint on my left hip - the joint that essentially attaches my hip to my body/spine - is VERY LOOSE. And, her theory is, that my chronic pain has been a result of all my muscles in that area working double-triple-quadruple hard in an attempt to keep my hips together & stable. OUCH.

This didn't actually HELP my pain problem; only provided another theory for why it was there. So far, not so bad. So what was the depressing part?

Well, apart from the impact the chronic pain has on many aspects of my life, and the painful treatments it requires, the really depressing part was that she told me I had to buy an 'SI Belt'. Of course, I had no idea what that was.

It's a strap/belt type thing you wear around your hips, under your clothes, that supports your 'sacroiliac' joint. Wearing this belt should provide my hip joint with enough support to alleviate the stress on my pelvic floor muscles, and stop the pain.

Where do you buy a belt like this one? From a medical supply store. Where seniors go to buy hernia cushions, bathtub seats, and walkers. WONDERFUL.

The change room was decorated with pink frilly lace. I guess that puts seniors at ease? Needless to say, the purchase process made me feel somewhat geriatric, at the ripe 'ole age of 28.

You know that awful self-conscious feeling you get when you wear pantyhose, and suddenly you feel like a sausage, and all your extra blub is being pushed upwards, creating a lovely little muffin-top around your waist? Well, that feeling is now a permanent fixture in my life. THAT'S depressing. The belt sits low - like hipster pants - but because it's essentially a giant elastic it creates some beautifully exaggerated love-handles. GREAT.

So I asked my doctor 'Do I have to wear this belt forever?'. 'No', she said, 'It will wear out and you'll need to replace it'. Not exactly what I meant by that question.

And, to make it all that much worse, I am NOT ALLOWED to RUN or do the ELLIPTICAL. These were the 2 main exercise-type activities I enjoyed, but they also have the up/down hip movement that is NOT GOOD for people with my problem.

Yoga, swimming & biking are recommended for me. So if anyone out there wants to buy an awesome elliptical machine let me know, or alternately, if you're selling a kick-ass stationary bike drop me a line.

And from now on, just call me Muffin Top.

**UPDATE**

Warren 'examined' my new 'hip brace' (as we're calling it) and he reasures me he couldn't tell I was wearing it (because I told him I felt like it was really obvious and everyone was looking at it). So, maybe it FEELS more noticeable than it looks.

And, I have to admit, aside from the discomfort on the FASHION side of things, it actually feels GOOD from a physical/back pain/skeletal support side.

I'm crossing my fingers that it cures my other pains as well.

Holy Crap, That Was Painful

Can you guess what was so painful?

That's right.

Changing the LOOK of my Blog. I think I just wasted 3 and a half hours of my life.

I was inspired to take on this mammoth task by reading a random blog I found in Erin's 'Links We Love' column. This friend of hers had just updated the look of her blog by using a 'super easy' website.

Well, that site WAS super easy. But of course, the templates there weren't good enough for ME (I say sarcastically, mocking myself).

So I venture off into cyberspace. I get lost. I get tangled up in HTML and deleted settings, and lost links, and photos that don't fit, and missing 'Quick Edit' buttons...OY.

I'm trying to decide if it was worth it.

Quick question - do you guys see the little 'edit' icons on the right hand side of the page, by all the links? I want to make sure the general public isn't seeing those. And, is the 'About Me' box showing up on the right? I don't want it too, I keep unchecking it, but I can see it there.

Also, to really add salt to my wounds, NOW I have live with that STUPID ORANGE bar at the top of my page, advertising the STUPID website that got me into this MESS.

Boo.

Any comments telling me how super-fantastic my new look is would help.

Now that I look at my blog, I'm suddenly realizing it's not really any nicer than the super easy ones.

Double Boo.

Good Morning

This morning I had a dentist appointment for 8:45am, which meant I headed straight there before going in to work. And much to my surprise, this was a GREAT way to start the day. Strange. But, the reason it was so great was because it BROKE my ROUTINE.

After the appointment I was heading out to my car and decided I should *treat* myself to a LATTE on my way into work (is it really a *treat* when you have one every other day? Anyways...I digress). I couldn't think of any convenient Starbucks' on my route (baffling, I know) so I decided on 'Weeds' on 20th Avenue NW, because they have great lattes. How do I know they have great lattes? Because my brother lives above it.

Hey - my brother lives above it!

So, I call Adam at 9:30am, on a weekday. RARE. He doesn't answer. DARN IT! So I leave a voicemail. Then my cell rings. ADAM!

He was about to walk out the door to go to work, but decides to hang out for 3 more minutes so he can see me. Then he pays for my latte. SWEET.

I just love that feeling. You know that feeling, where your boss lets you go early for the day, and you go out and run a bunch of errands while the rest of world is stuck in the office, and the day just feels so ENDLESS. That's how I felt this morning. This morning was special. This morning I wasn't a part of the 'Downtown Cattle Round-Up', where all the worker zombies stream onto the buses and trains and then funnel into the surrounding buildings.

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend at Fernie's

We spent this last weekend at a ski lodge in Fernie , with a group of friends - some we know well, others we had just met briefly prior to the trip. Overall it was a super fun weekend, and the general theme for the weekend was 'Guitar Hero & Rock Band'. You'd think that being at a a ski lodge and all, the theme would be skiing. But not so much.

Our friend Rob is a Rock star when it comes to Guitar Hero and the singing portion of Rock Band. He takes these roles very seriously. As he should. This is serious stuff people.

The lodge itself was AMAZING. The atmosphere & decor was right up our alley - very rustic and cozy, with amazing antiques throughout the place. There were 13 of us, and not once did it feel crowded.

This photo is from the living room looking at the kitchen.

This is the view from the front door, looking at the kitchen and the second floor 'open' area.
This is were we got to sleep the first night...a delightful King size bed. But, we were sharing a 'family' room with Rob & Tiff, so we had to swap beds for the second night...
...and had to sleep on children's bunk-beds. We managed to squeeze ourselves onto the top bunk (to keep warm you pervs!). We were lucky the thing didn't collapse under us.
And, since this was the theme, here is another photo of the group playing 'Rock Band'. Frank was a great crooner, and I say that drummer is HOT!
Here's our fearless leader, GORD, injuring his man-parts while trying to look cool (?) by sliding down the wooden bannister.

Ah yes, and the wonderful game of 'Drinking Jenga'. A classy game where each piece has a song for you to garggle, a tongue twister to recite, or an extra drink to take. If you failed at any of the tasks, you were subject to the 'Porn Star Violation' - drinking a shot called a 'porn star'. This was a self-imposed rule. We felt it was neccesary to keep everyone focused.

Here's Warren eyeing that super-stable piece at the bottom of the tower.

Here's Tiffany right after she caused the Jenga tower to fall.

Porn Star Violation!!
Oh - and more ROCK BAND. I am a very focused drummer. VERY FOCUSED. And Rob looks like he might kill someone.
In the morning Warren wanted a hard-boiled egg for breakfast. Unfortunately the lodge wasn't equiped with any hard boiled egg holders. So he was forced to use a Blender Lid. CLASSY.
Rob & Tiff. What an attractive couple.

Gord and little miss Tiki.
Us outside the lodge.

Rob the Dog Lover.
And, how about we end with some beauty shots to round off the post.