And, after all the baking and gardening... Jim took me shopping! Where I bought these for Paris!! What do you think? They were on sale. Guess how much... guess... Twenty-six dollars. What a steal. I was thrilled, but... I've been wearing them now for a couple hours and it's cutting into the back of my heel. Frig! I'm going to wear them this week to break them in. If they still hurt by Friday I'm not taking them. Still happy I got them tho. It was a good price.


I hope you had a good mother's day. Wish I was there or you here. We should plan something for next year.

Happy Mother's Day Mama!! Did you have a great day? Did Vance take you out for dinner or did you cook? Were the girls there too? It was a beautiful day!


I did a lot of baking and gardening today. My mother's day gift from Liam was decorating chocolate chip cookies together. And, I also made that cinnamon roll loaf. I was happy with how it turned out! 


Then I went outside to tackle the garden by the deck. I even cleaned out the pond. My hands still smell like decomposing vegetation... you know that rotten smell. Ugh. I didn't do a perfect job but at least it's not green with algae anymore. The pond plants survived and I believe the water lilies are still alive too. I started weeding the garden bed but then stopped as I started to question whether I was pulling up weeds or good stuff. But, everything is pruned and coming up quickly!


I think Jim's mother's day gift to me was mowing the lawn without me telling him to. And he said he enjoyed doing it too? Honestly, I think aliens took my husband. 

Proof that Jim was mowing the lawn.

Weed-free sort of...

The Hosta bed. 

The semi clean pond. What do you think?

Hey Mama, It's Liam! The photo to the left is my Mother's Day gift to you! I hope you like it, and happy Mother's Day! 

I got my Euros!! Isn't it pretty? I have about $500 spending money and $500 for our lodgings. I don't suspect I will be buying a lot there. At least that's not my intention!!! But, you never know with me. Most of it will be spent on food. The girls are working on the itinerary. So, I don't know what the plan is yet. I found out that they fight a lot. Honestly, I don't care. We are staying in the St. Germaine district on the left bank. If everything falls apart I am quite happy walking around and doing my own thing. On my wish list... Eiffel Tower, Musée d'Orsay, Shakespeare and Co., Cafe de Flore and Les Deaux Magots, a boat ride along La Sienne, a stroll along the Champs d'Elysse, shopping at a local market, window shopping at Chanel... c'est toute! I'm considering taking my laptop as we have WiFi at our apartment. It would be a pain but in the mornings I could update my Facebook and blog :) Saves on cell phone charges!!

How's your garden coming along?? Are you done yet? lol I finally saw signs of the hostas peeking out!! This pic taken yesterday. The lilac tree is showing some signs of life too. And the day lillies around the trees along the driveway are coming up fast and furious!!! They look very healthy and full too despite the horrible soil conditions! Must be all the rain.


I really must find time to clean out the garden bed by the deck as it's soooo messy and wet. Because if I don't do it now I won't get back into the garden till June! It should only take me a day, right?

So, I was away last week at a conference in Toronto. I was eating well... not sure about the boys. lol. It was a great conference called Flash in the Can. It's a digital, multimedia conference. I arranged it for the whole studio to attend. I attended all the days while the studio had a couple days here and there. Met top people in the industry including the developer and right had man to Bill Gates... Well, I'm sure Bill has a lot of right hand men but I met one. Along with the Creative Director who did the opening credits for the movie Se7en. That's all he does, creates opening sequences to all the top movies, like... Superman, Spiderman, Ironman... I can't remember them all. Uber talented people. 


But, I'm back to reality now and getting super excited about Paris... 12 more sleeps!!!!

So, my bad luck comes in three's... first the propane, then the basement flood. Now, shingles were blown off of our roof. We had a really bad wind storm a couple weeks ago. Power outages everywhere, including work, including a gas leak at our office too which resulted in me evacuating the building because the smell was so strong. I noticed a few other homes in our area had shingles missing too. 


So, the bad news is because we claimed the flood, we really can't claim the roof too. I suspect it's going to cost us $1,000 to fix. I'm going to look into it after I'm back from Paris. Right now we have plastic of some sort covering the bare area. The guys who did our basement did that quick fix. 


As for the basement, still no carpet so that is in limbo. Honestly, I haven't even been around to care but I will have to get on it when I'm back! The house seems like it's falling apart!!!

Here's one of the last meals that I've cooked since April. Pork chops, mashed potatoes and homemade apple chunks. Sadly, I've been so busy I really haven't been cooking. Not a good way to lead up to Mother's Day. I don't expect much from my son this year. As I really have not been around :(

French toast to continue my french food theme! Haha, the pan is coming in very handy. 

Making crêpes in prep for my trip to Paree!!! I will definitely have to have a french crêpe while I'm there. Notice I am using the kitchen aid pan that you bought me. Love those frying pans thank you!! They make beautiful crêpes!!!

Mumsie!! I miss you. Where did the time go? I have some serious catching up to do!!! Not sure if I talked to you about the horse clinic. The guy was a real horse whisperer. Gorde Searle from Alberta. It was a rainy day but a lot of people showed up. I learned a lot from him. But, wasn't too inspired to get back on a horse. I ended up cancelling my lessons since. Yup. I haven't ridden in about a month which is the longest I have gone without riding. Sad, I know. But, I did it because it was relaxing and enjoying for me. With my new coach and the loss of Beau, I lost all of that. I know it will come back but I'm just taking a break from it for now.

The lake is officially open!! All the ice has melted. It's gorgeous out there. It looks inviting but the water would still be c-c-c-cold. I saw a loon on the water on the weekend. I tried to take a pic but it was too far away to capture on my iPhone. 


It was a good day today. Got a lot done but starting to feel semi-sick. Very tired and achy and sniffly. The last couple of night I've woken up at 1:30 am for a few hours. Not sure why... maybe it's the rum cake. We'll see if I get a better sleep tonight.


Went to the bank and the Euro is at 1.45 % so it will cost me $145 for every hundred I purchase. Is that a good rate??? Let me know before I buy. Maybe I will buy a bit every week? I don't know.


Liam and I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. I have one cavity and Liam has two. He sees the oral surgeon next week for a consultation. And, Jim has exams! Fun, fun, fun.


Hope you had a good day! xox

One quick blog before I sign off... So, ever since you gave me the rum cake from Auntie P. My bedtime routine is to cut myself a slice and eat it in bed. This... is the last slice. I guess I could have split it into two pieces and I will probably regret my decision tomorrow night at bedtime but it's hard to resist. It was a very good batch. Nite nite!! xox

I think I'm getting back into the gardening mode again. I lost it the last couple of years. But, since my horseback riding seems to be scaring me lately. Gardening seemed like a good substitute. 


Like I mentioned to you, I will be going to that Gord Searle clinic this week. I will check it out Saturday and if I like it I might go again on Sunday. Janice wrote me a lovely email encouraging me. She is working on bringing in a new schooling horse. Although, I can't imagine any horse replacing Beau. Sigh... I miss Beau. Oh - My big toe looks a lot better too. Jim is amazed at how quickly it seems to be healing. Doesn't hurt at all today either.


So, back to gardening. I think I need a new pair of gardening gloves. Like the heavy duty type!! I'm so delicate - lol. Hopefully, the weather will be nice this weekend and I will work on the front beds. I checked for the hostas and nothing yet, but I'm not worried. The irises are doing great. Were you able to identify that greenery I blogged about? Is it a weed? I have a feeling it's a weed. 


Liam came home the other day and said he was so disgusted. By the garage doors were two big piles of earthworms. He couldn't understand why anyone would put piles of earthworms on our driveway. I told him that they were probably earthworms reproducing... which grossed him out even more!!!


Anyways, I'm just rambling in this blog... Going to call it an early night. Working towards another presentation on Friday... and apparently another one the following week!! It never ends. Oh, I have a conference I'm attending out of town the beginning of May in TO. I've signed the whole studio up for it. It should be a good team building event! I'll keep you posted. xox

Soooo, we've eaten out the last couple of nights. This was Sunday's dinner. The weather started out stormy but it turned out to be a nice day. I was going to BBQ but then remembered that Dad took the BBQ apart when you were here. I didn't want to take the chance that it was going to blow up on me!! lol Sorry Dad! I totally trust you but I will test out the BBQ another day. I baked the chicken wings in the oven and home-fried the fries. I know they look like a medley of regular fries and sweet potato fries but in reality I burnt the first batch of fries. hahaha


I do want to put a request in for a food run, if that is possible... soya sauce and oyster sauce (I checked... I was low.) No worries if you can't I will see if I can get that stuff here. I remember seeing it somewhere but I can't remember now.

I got your Facebook message! Glad to hear everything is okay. Sounds like you had a fun day! Shopping, gardening, new BBQ, great dinner! That BBQ sounds sooo cool. I might want to get one when I see it! The size sounds ideal! As you can see I made beef and broccoli on a bed of rice. I didn't even think to BBQ tonight. Hopefully, the weather holds up and I will BBQ tomorrow! Okay, going to relax now, watch some TV before hitting the sack. You better get the hot tub ready for your sore gardening muscles. My muscles aren't sore yet but I didn't do much. And yes, I think I am finding solace in gardening. It's mindless and risk-free... although I did get a couple slivers and a broken nail. Gawd, is there anything I can do without injuring myself??? I posted a bunch of blogs for you. Miss you! Nite nite mama.

I tried calling you today but no answer! I've even been checking Facebook. Everything okay?? I hope you and dad have been out in the garden. It was a beautiful day! After riding I really needed to do something relaxing, so I went out to garden. I clean up the garden around the propane tank. It was a mess. If it's nice tomorrow I will do the front porch and the little tree garden... maybe the trees lining the driveway. We'll see. Here are some photos! xox

Is this a weed or ground cover??? I left it because I wasn't sure.

Ta-da! 2 hours later... all cleaned up. The irises looked good.
No signs of the hostas yet. 

I might have to do this garden another time as it's soaking wet
from the sump pump!

Then I took a walk through the forest behind us.

It's the only time I can before the grasses grow up!

Ha! Here's my big toe! (It reminds me of Dad's toe - lol) Purple because Chakote stepped on it. I'm not having much luck at the barn these days! I arrive this morning to the news that Beau has left the barn. The cancer around his one eye had spread to the other and to other places too. That upset me but I didn't show it! Then I find out that I'm riding Chakote. Crazy horse. Super sensitive. Great. Anyways, Chakote was all sweet and cuddling with me so I thought, 'oh, this might be okay.' Then he stepped on me. Generally, the lesson went well till the end. He started acting up and I tensed up and we both just weren't getting along. Janice saw this and came over and she talked me through relaxing Chakote. It worked and we are friends again but it didn't help the fact that I've been fearful riding these days. To know that a horse is so sensitive that they can sense me tense up and react to it jut scares me even more!! Anyways, I'm taking a break for a couple of weeks and hoping to just go on a trail ride end of April. I will keep you posted! xx

This is the dress I want to wear to Mike's wedding. Do you remember it? Do you think it's appropriate? I know it's different from what I would usually go for. It's loud with a crazy pattern but I love it for some reason. I would have to get shoes, a purse... hmmm, maybe. And, a shawl or sweater. What do you think? Do you have anything I could borrow?

Ha! You made pumpkin soup too?? Yours sounded way more advanced than mine. And more delicious too! I did make it with the frozen squash and it was on the thin side. Thinner than I usually make it but still flavourful. I only added carrots, dumplings and okra! I know, a bit exotic. But, it added some nice colour. Liam didn't mind it. I love it. Have a great day tomorrow mama! Say hi to daddio! xox

Yes, the baby filly arrived last night!!! And she is gorgeous! With a big white apron blaze and white socks on her legs... But, boy, was it ever a dramatic delivery! For a while there the baby wasn't moving. The mama horse started delivering around 9:00 pm. Within 15 minutes you could tell that she was in trouble. The vet came in quickly to pull the baby out while the owner held the mare down. It took two people to pull the filly out. She was huge and wasn't breathing. I then spent another 15 agonizing minutes watching while the vet tried to resuscitate her. It was heart wrenching to watch... and just when I couldn't take it anymore there was movement!! The mare went over and was nudging her new born and licking her. It was so amazing to see. I watched for another hour to see the filly take her first steps and then went to bed happy seeing them both together sleeping. I checked in on them first thing this morning to see the little filly feeding. It was awesome!!! I know you don't like watching those things but here are the pics... yes, I took pictures of my computer screen. Is that obsessive?

The mare was rolling around like crazy trying to adjust the baby.

It's hard to tell but there are two people there pulling...

This is the vet trying to resuscitate the wee one while the mare looks on...

Once they had the baby breathing they let the mare over to see her.
How does she know that is her baby?

The little filly tries to get up.

She couldn't do much for quite a while. The mare is a good mama.

It was a good hour before she was able to stand up on her own. So amazing!!

This is when I shut my computer down. It's like a Disney movie.
Seriously sappy but incredible.

This morning she was feeing and jumping around like she was full of beans!

Look what I got in the mail today! A save the date for my boss' wedding this summer. The picture is of a chapel on an island. The ceremony is going to be there and the reception will be at WildFire golf course. You know the blue dress I bought with you... for this wedding... I don't think I'm going to wear it now. I really don't see myself getting into a boat to go to this chapel in that dress. Do you??? I might revert to my pale blue halter dress with the crazy pattern on it. And buy a nice wedge to go with it. It's more casual yet wedding-ish. What do you think? I will save the blue dress for the Christmas party. Perfect for that actually... or maybe I will keep an eye open for another dress. Back to the drawing board!!


I like the deal you got on the DKNY jeans!! Wow! You always manage to find those great deals. Yes, clean out the closet. I'm doing the same. It's getting harder but if I'm honest with myself, I only wear a fraction of what is in my closet. Note to self: Must stop buying...

I forgot to post my dinner from last night. Liam had the shrimp thai dish and I had this. This is what happens your leftover roast beef. And tonight I'm making pumpkin soup with the rest. Yup. There were a lot of leftovers!! I'm home early tonight. My presentation for Friday was postponed so my schedule was freed up. Oh, I feel so much more like myself today! Maybe I'm not going through menopause after all. It was just stress. haha! 


How is the microwave situation?? xx

So, I've been watching this horse for over 24 hours now and still no foal!! The weirdness has escalated to insanity. But, I can't stop watching now. I've invested too much. I want to see this horse give birth and I want to see this foal, damnit. Did you check out the link at all?? It's oddly addictive. 


I got your email about the no armed horseback riding lady. It only made me feel even more insecure!!! Thanks a lot. Jokin. I'm hoping to rest up this week and focus on my lesson on Saturday as after that lesson I will be off for a couple weeks and then a trail ride. Then Beau will be gone for good. I'm really sad about it... like really sad. I think I will cry but I will try not to. He's such a great horse for me. Now, I feel that I will be riding a horse I don't like with an instructor I don't like. Sucks.


Going to have supper now. Hope this horse doesn't give birth while I'm eating! Cause that would be gross. Cheerio!

This is Liam's dinner tonight. He's on an asian kick cause he likes to pour that President's peanut sauce all over it. Notice I'm using the Kitchen Aid skillet that you bought me? Love it! It's perfect and cooks things well without sticking. I'm having the beef and Jim is having pizza bagels.


Hey, glad to hear you finally got your handles and that they were the right ones! I can't wait to see them Easter weekend. Will the girls be there? Should we do eggs again? It was a nice activity, non? Let me know and I will go out and buy something.


How's the weather? It's sunny but a bit cool here. Very sunny which is nice. I've left work early this week and hope to continue to do so. I really need to recharge. I'm just tense and in a bad mood for no reason. I can't seem to find my happy place. Maybe I've used it all up over the last couple of years.

So, I know you are going to think I'm weird. But, what else is new right? I've been weird since birth! But, all day I have been watching this live cam of a mare about to foal. Boring, I know. But, around 4:30 I saw her water break. It probably wasn't a lot of water for a horse but it definitely wasn't pee. So, now I'm glued to this site. I totally think this mare is going to foal tonight and I want to watch. Is that weird? Randi at work got me addicted to this site today and I think everyone in the studio has been watching too. So, we're all weird! A lot of waiting for probably 1 minute of excitment.


Here's the site in case you want to watch too! She really is acting funny right now. I think it's going to happen! Oh... stet that. It was just a pooh.
http://www.marestare.com/fcam.php?alias=mcdowellracing


I can just hear dad saying... pretty boring stuff.

The lake was iced over this morning. I took this pic at 6pm.

Has all your snow disappeared yet? I can't believe you were snowed on again! Hopefully, that is the last of it. We didn't get anything and it was drizzling a little this morning but not much of anything. Kind of dreary. The lake has definitely thawed!! And, it felt fairly warm when I walked outside today. Wore my new sweater. Of course nobody sees it but that's okay I love it. I am still pulling down the sleeves but when I wear my long gloves it's not so bad :) I think I will wear it to Paris as the girls say it's cool in the evenings and nights. So, far that's the plan when I check Paris weather for this week the temperatures are close to 20C. Doesn't that seem warm for Paris this time of year?? I'm not complaining!

Liam went driving today. He approached me to go out. Of course I said yes. Was in the middle of preparing supper but dropped everything to take him out! He noticed a big difference driving in the Civic compared to your vehicle! He reversed a couple times and then I took him on the road. No worries, we stayed in our little neighbourhood. He turned right and then left and we circled at the end of that street. I don't think he went over 5 kms. Then we came back home. He reversed a bit more and then I made him park in the garage. He had to reverse a few times but I think he made it in his third try. Jim happened to come home at the point too so he was able to watch while Liam parked the car. He did really well! Anyways, thought you would be thrilled to know. That's what we did this afternoon. Smiles!

Here's the update pics to the flooding. I can't complain these guys are fast workers.

Dry wall went up Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday they painted everything but the wall going up
the stairs was a different colour  as you can see here.

Carpet samples. I think we are going to go with
the first one on the left. The taupe one.