{Dream} Home

I suspect it had to do with Hip House Girl's post about a church house, but I had a strange dream last night.

I dreamt I had, let's say, come into possession of a house. I don't know how. That's one of those irrelevant details in dreams. The house was a split level, with a few bedrooms. One of them was at the very top of the house, completely staged by the previous owner and never used.

What I recall most about this house was the basement bedroom. In my dream, it was my parents'  basement, but in this house that now belonged to me. You know how those things happen in dreams. It had the exact same cement steps as my parents' basement. It also had the cold feeling typical of farmhouse basements. Instead of the stone and plastered foundation, also typical of farmhouses, my dream basement bedroom had a brick-like stone wall.

It sort of looked like this:

Courtesy of Country Living via Candace Rose

But a little rougher, like this:

Courtesy of GREAT INTERIOR DESIGN

Or this:

Courtesy of TripAdvisor - yes, TripAdvisor

In one corner, next to the bed, there was a fireplace and across from the bed, there was a TV. It was actually quite similar to a hotel room; perhaps, reflective of the too much time spent in them?

The floor was old cement, except for the more recently poured steps, which I previously mentioned. I'd decided in my dream to tile the floor and steps with ceramic tile. I imagined in my dream, it would turn out like this: 

Courtesy Aerials Home Construction

There you have it. Not enough time spent in my house lately, reading blogs before bed, and I'm dreaming about renovating a basement room in a home I don't own. It gave me a great excuse to blog today though! Does anyone else have dreams about renovating that are this vivid?

Say It's So - Target is Coming to Canada!!

Photo from Target Addict.

BF sent me a message tonight asking if I'd heard the news? It can't be, can it? After years of making Target a destination of choice, not just for myself but many Canadians who head across the border in search of selection and deals, Target is coming to Canada!!

That's right, my bloggy-friends south of the 49th, Target does not exist in Canada. {Insert shocked gasp here} We have a significantly less-popular, similar department store called Zellars. Personally, I like shopping at Zellars.  I spent the majority of my life in towns where this was the ONLY department store. The stores were well looked after, clean and had great selection. Over the years, I came to realize that not all their stores are quite so nice. I have to admit, I am a little happy-sad. I was hoping Zellars was reinventing themselves as the hip, Canadian version of Target.

Not so. According to CTV.ca, Target purchased 220 Zellars locations and stores will start opening in 2013.

All this Savvy Homegirl has to say is "hurry up and get here"!! Just make sure you keep the awesome, discount Jules & Julia jewelry line carried by Zellars (that's my secret to great, value-priced accessories).

You never know what you'll find in a junk drawer (cupboard)

I found it! Well, perhaps it found me. I have been looking for this drill charger for a year. That's TWELVE  months! 12 months without a drill. Well, actually, it was 9 months, then bf was kind enough to lend me his. Regardless, what kind of Savvy Homegirl loses her drill charger and isn't in such dire need of finding it over the course of the 9 months its missing that she has to get another one?!

Obviously, one that is too busy to be very savvy about her home. I definitely could have used my drill on multiple occasions, but I managed with a screwdriver. I am SOOOOO happy it's back though! You know when you misplace something, you know it can not be far away, but you can not find it anywhere? I was going insane unable to locate this charger.

I was looking for this IKEA hook that Hip House Girl blogged about when I discovered the charger buried in my junk cupboard. {Eeek - yes, cupboard. See here for more.} Needless to say, I didn't find the hook. I needed my drill to screw it into the wall anyway. First things first! Ha!

I'm Home (finally)!!

I can not believe how long it's been! Did you miss me? I missed all of you! I have been traveling for the past three weeks for work. Typically, I find some time to blog on the road, but my schedule the past three weeks just did not allow it. I feel like I've missed so much in the blogosphere, because I haven't even kept up with my fav bloggers. Luckily, the weekend is right around the corner!

Here's a little snacklet of what I've been up to:

Kept warm under a foot of snow in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Enjoyed the view inside & out of the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, B.C. I managed to bring the snow from Regina to Victoria, which doesn't typically get snow.

Random fact: REAL mozzarella cheese is made with water buffalo milk. This farm in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island is one of only a handful of farms in Canada.

Festival of Trees in the Fairmont Empress Hotel. What a festive place to hang out! There were some beautiful trees. The festival attracts people from the city to vote for their favourite and raises money for the Children's Hospital in Vancouver. 

Wholly mammoth sighting at the Royal B.C. Museum.

Made a book.

  Had the pleasure to hear Robert Herjavac, Hayley Wickenheiser, Darci Lang (excellent message) & Jim Craig (goalie of the 1980 U.S. Olympic "Miracle" hockey team) tell their stories. Photos courtesy of ABC Medianet and Canada Olympic Park.

Toured 4 John Deere factories in 2 days.

Experienced Austin, TX and all the nightlife it has to offer. Photo courtesy of Marriott Austin.

Finally, what's a Christmas "T" party with friends without a troll?!

The Bell Tolls - A Rant

I finally told them off. I couldn't handle it anymore. It started with politely listening to their spiel, honestly interested in the deal they were offering. I would keenly ask questions and ask for time to consider the offer. After some consideration, I decided to stay with my current cable company. Afterall, I'm happy with their service and while Bell may have a great deal on the table today, would it really be worth the hassle to switch?

What ensued has been MONTHS of phone calls. At least weekly, at 6:30PM, they would call. Sometimes, they would call on Saturday mornings or afternoons. My politeness grew increasingly impatient. I started hanging up if there wasn't an immediate response. Then tonight, I (calmly) lost it.

6:28PM. Phone rings.
SH: Hello?
Pause. Consider hanging up.
SH: Hello.
Bell: Hello maam, my name is Peter. How are you tonight?
SH: I'm fine, but I'm not interested in talking. Click.

Wow! That felt good!!!!! I felt a tiny, surge of guilt next for hanging up. How rude, I thought. They probably talk about people like me at the call centre. What a bitch.


I went back to chopping lettuce for my salad.

6:35PM. Phone rings.
SH: Hello?
Pause. Hang up.
Did they call back to tell me  how rude I was to hang up?


6:41PM. Phone rings.
SH: Pause. Hello?
Bell: Hello maam, my name is Ryan. How are you tonight. 
SH: I'm fine. How are  you?
Bell: Good maam. Thanks for asking. I'm calling on behalf of Bell Canada.
SH: I know you are. You just called me, and then you called 5 minutes before that. You call me every week. I'm  not interested in talking. I'm not interested in whatever offer you have on right now, and I'm not interested in switching companies. 
Bell: May I ask why you are not interested.
SH: I'm happy with my current company. I'm not interested in the hassle, and frankly, you call me every week despite the fact I've told you I'm not interested. Please take me off your call list and don't call me again. 
Bell: Thank you maam.
Click.

Hopefully that's the end of that. Sorry about the rant.

Roofing, Sunflowers and the Racing Summer Clock

I can't believe it's Wednesday night already! I posted last Thursday. Now it's August. This summer is flying by incredibly fast, and I'm starting to feel a little bummed I have barely made a dent in my bucket list. 

• Go tubing down the Grand River and the Elora Gorge
• Get a hammock and put it in my backyard
• Go antiquing with my girlfriends
• Lay on the beach for a day
• Go camping (in a tent)  Brownie Camp counts right?!
• Enter crafts, baking and/or flowers in a local fall fair
• Jet boat in the Niagara River - Planning to do this next week!
• Stop at Grasshopper Imports on Hwy #6.
• Go to the zoo
• Go to Duff's for wings
• Run a 10km race

3 for 11... not so good. Hopefully the balance of the summer is more about me and less about work.

My life has been engrossed in planning a major meeting for the past week. When I wasn't cropping photos on presentation slides last weekend, I was roofing. Yes, that is correct. My Grandma, brother and uncle's houses all need a new roof this year. In appreciation for my dad, brother and uncle helping replacing my roof last year, I felt personally obligated to pitch in. We had lots of bodies, but I helped where I could, scraping old shingles off the roof and picking up the stragglers that didn't make it into the dumpster. 

It was brutally hot on the roof, and I was a little sore the next day, but all-in-all, it wasn't THAT bad. I enjoyed spending the time with my family, and when I couldn't be helpful on the roof, I weeded my Grandma's flower bed.

With my meeting wrapped up and now behind me, it felt strange to come home tonight and be able to spend my evening as I pleased. I picked three more giant zucchini out of my garden and plucked the ripe cherry tomatoes off my plant. I marveled at my tomato plants. I've never seen tomatoes so large, and they're loaded with fruit. In hindsight, I really only needed 2 of these plants. Looks like I'm going to be canning tomato sauce and salsa this year!

What I was also paranoid was Giant hogweed in my garden is actually a sunflower. Of course! The seeds from last year's plants easily could've ended up in the garden. Speaking of sunflowers though... this field has caused many drivers to pull over. 2 weeks ago, I caught it in full bloom. I love how I can't help but smile when I see sunflowers.

I have this plant/weed growing in my flower bed. It has clusters of waxy-looking white flowers that turn into a black berry. I have no idea what it is. Any ideas?

First Tie-Dye Adventures - The Reveal

My follower, fellow tweep and real-life friend has been all about tie-dye lately. Purely by coincidence, but my rowing team has also discussed tie-dying our team shirts now for several weeks.

Well, I'd rather do than discuss, so I joined Alliebagel for a tie-dye session last week. Not bad for a first-timer, if I do say so myself.

In my past, I've used RIT dye (comes in a box you can buy at Wal-Mart or Zellars) in a pot of hot water on the stove. I have used this dye to colour Halloween costumes accessories in the past and it's very cheap and easy to use.

When tie-dying, this will dye your entire shirt, leaving the 'tied' parts white. It also stains VERY easily, so you will want to cover every surface and use a stainless steel pot and old spoons, for the same reason.

This time around, we used bottles of dye, which you can buy in tie-dye kits at Wal-Mart or Michael's. Overall, the experience was more fun. I had more control over the dye and a greater variety of colour with which to work. Following the directions in the kit, we wrapped our creations (some of which looked like giant donuts) in saran wrap to 'cure' overnight. A quick rinse in the morning, until the water ran clear, then washed in hot water and my inaugural tie-dye masterpieces are complete!!

Here's another closeup of the starburst (this is what the 'donut' shirt turned out like), and me sporting my oh-so-cool shirt!

The SD Card I Thought I'd Lost

So,  my last post was far too serious and Debbie-downer. Undoubtedly, due to some delirium and lack of sleep. I need to redeem myself, and while equally random, this post is far lighter and a great Friday perk up!

Last week was like Christmas for me. I was certain I lost an SD card almost exactly one year ago. It had a variety of pictures on it, some important, others not so much. Nonetheless, I was frustrated. I looked everyone I could imagine, and I could not find it. Finally, I decided it was gone forever.

While emptying my laundry basket last week, imagine my surprise to see an SD card at the very bottom.

"It can't be," I thought, and shoved the card in my pocket. It had clearly gone through the wash at least once. I was sure, if it was even the lost card, then the data was likely damaged in the wash.

Not only was it the missing card, but all the pictures are fine!! Most were from last spring.. my seed-planting experiment (unsuccessful), Tim Hortons Brier, garden and a few from the farm. Here's a few.

Well, hello there.... how do you do?

Hard life when you're royalty.

Silly spring bunnies and Brownies!

Don't tell her she's on my blog....

Have a

F a  b  u l o  u s     F  R  i D a Y !!!

I Missed an Earthquake Today

Thus far, my focus on Savvy Homegirl has been primarily tangible actions, items or results. With the exception of a handful of personal, random posts, I have paid particularly close attention to avoiding any philosophical, opinionated posts. I don't deem conversation I might have with close friends or coworkers fit for this space.

Until today.

I spend little time, if any at all, understanding conspiracy theories. Despite this, of the theories I'm aware of, I believe their basis lies in some truth. Some of which, serves to condemn the very industry within which I have spent my entire life. I'm not a hypocrite, just realistic. Ultimately, consumers 'choose their adventure' with the dollars they spend. There is a consequence to every choice we make. It's the butterfly effect. Post-recession, in the 'era of sobriety', as my advertising agency calls it, consumers will be more empowered to choose sustainably and change the future.

Or will we?

I missed an earthquake today. Possibly, and hopefully, the only earthquake I will ever experience in my lifetime. I was out of town and did not believe my co-worker when she emailed me. My first thought - an explosion or an act of terrorism (seriously, you'd think I was American - no offence intended). Human error or bad choices, but not an earthquake. We don't get earthquakes.

• We are 2 days away from the G8 and G20 summits in Toronto. Toronto and the entire Southern Ontario border felt an earthquake today for the first time in 50+ years.
• Chicago experienced such a drop in air pressure last week, windows blew out of buildings.
• Saskatchewan has had the wettest spring also in 50+ years.
• A volcano erupting for weeks on end shut down airspace.
• Random areas of the U.S. are flooding and on one particular day this winter, 52 of 54 states recieved snow.
• Hurricane severity is predicted to be higher than normal in 2010.

  

It is quite possible I pay more attention to world events now than in the past. Nevertheless, the strongest conspiracy theory in the world won't convince me when it comes to weather. BUT there is something going on with this planet and the atmosphere we live in. Something is re-aligning, and when I truly think about this, it scares me beyond belief. I suppose I could google it and learn what interpretations exist. There are likely all sorts of myths and extreme beliefs, not to mention pure scientific explanations. If this is the reality of the world we live in however, then we can not change this. We can only choose how we behave within it. Can we change our actions to counteract any of the above or is this fate 'mashing up' all Mother Nature's baggage on us at once. Only time will tell...

A Week of Overload, Jerry McGuire-ish Proposals and Bank Blunders

Where has this week gone? Until yesterday, mine was INTENSE. After arguably one of the most stressful days I've had on the job, I took off to the airport Wednesday evening to find myself running late, then flying thru mediocre turbulance, and finally with a massive paper cut on my 4th finger. Luckily, I don't use that finger anyway. Then last night, I had a near heart attack after discovering a bank blunder. It was sorted out, but I'll have to share more with you later.

I do have lots to share with you about my gardening and yard success last weekend, but I have not have a spare moment to do so. Picture will come soon, but in the meantime, here's a gorgeous bouquet to brighten your day! I discovered these in my room yesterday, courtesy of a very thoughtful bf who knew my week needed a bit of pick me up! How sweet eh??  Excuse my mushyness! :)

My Junk Drawer

I forgot to post this photo earlier. This is the basket of clothes I purged from my wardrobe. Wow eh? They. are. crammed. in. there.

Now for chaos. This whole week I haven't been able to concentrate, and I've felt overwhelmed with life. Aspirations to at least get my house in order have been thus far, unsuccessful. You never see pictures of people's messes, only prim and proper sitting rooms and unbelievably tidy kitchens. Do people cook in those?? My friend has a house like that. She is a minimalist, however. Perhaps, all people with beautiful kitchens that land in magazines and are home crashed (Young House Love readers will get it) are minimalists.

I am not one. Blue Raddish piqued my curiousity to open my junk drawer. I was surprised to find it had all the things a junk drawer should- wire, tape, flash light, old batteries, scissors. Wait! That isn't a junk drawer... it's really more of a utility drawer. Then I realized, I have an entire junk room. To which I thought, I need to share that. I don't know why... but maybe there is someone else out there feeling totally unfocused and cluttered. Hopefully this tells you, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Remember the home office redo? Welll, this is still as far as I've got. No further than where I left it months ago. Stuff boxed up. Paint sitting in a plastic bag. Every once in a while, I move a 'pile' from the kitchen counter to the desk. Nasty.

Ahhh.. the kitchen counter. I can never keep this clean. I think that is because I treat it like my desk.

You'll enjoy this one also. Almost every pair of shoes has found it's way onto my floor. Cowboy boot??! I have worn them in 4 years! You don't even see the pair of slippers and 2 sets of flip flops beside me.

Once writing this, I remembered my junk cupboard also. I suppose this replaces my drawer. It is a corner cupboard, and the bottom shelf is currently propped up on a bag of flour. The rest holds craft supplies, light bulbs, caulking, and basially anything else I can't find a home for, including golf balls and old candle jars.

Car Wash Gone Bad

I need to write this post. If only to laugh at myself and feel better in doing so. My brain is so scattered tonight, so hopefully a good post will focus all my energy and put me back on track.

I did an embarrassingly bad job washing my car today. I thought nothing of it, but when I stopped for groceries I cringed as I came around the side of the car. Wow! This is bad.

In the past, $3 in the DIY car wash bay would do it. I could rinse, soap, then rinse my car; all within the 4 minute window that $3 buys you. Black car, eh? I guess 4 minutes isn't going to cut it anymore!

This is further amplified by the fact I live between 2  obsessive compulsive car washers. Their cars glisten in their driveways and mock my Vibe. It must just make them cringe to see this mess!

Random Catch-All Post

I have been so MIA this week. Not only online, but in mind as well. I was so wrapped up in work last week, by the time I had opportunity to blog I couldn't stand the thought of turning my computer on. A lot of couch-sitting, border-hop-shopping, and Pampered Cheffing followed.

Despite a hectic week and busy weekend, I did have a number of possible posts find their way into my brain. As often happens, unless I let these make their way onto my screen and out to you, these thoughts would bounce around in my head for the next week. Undoubtedly distracting me and causing the little 'guilt of not posting' seed to sprout.

Before I share a few of these random thoughts, I'm going to brag a little.

I'm officially a showcased artist!

Well, sort of...

You'll recall my painting experiment for my niece's nursery? They hung the letters on her wall! I'd love to share more of the bedroom, but you'll have to wait until I'm at the farm next. I'm sneaking these off Facebook. I think they turned out quite cute. Once you see the whole room, I think you'll agree it's as 'cute as a cupcake'!

Now, for the randomness...

I love great deals. I love deals so much, and I have become so accustomed to living life on a dime, I can no longer shop. I superanalyze every item and its price, trying to determine if it's truly as valuable as the tag claims. I bought a cardigan/shrug (you know those sweaters that hang down) for $7 a few weeks ago. I LOVE it. I wear it all the time. It was $7. How will anything compare? That is good value. This is the challenge I'm faced with EVERYTIME I go shopping now.

Speaking of great deals... I saved almost $10 at Shoppers Drug Mart last week, the clerk threw in a few samples, and I felt like the richest woman in the world when I left the store. I still spent 3X more than I originally planned, so I guess I didn't save at all.

I made an Inukshuk. I'm very proud of him, and I can't wait to share a photo with you. He deserves his own post though, so one day you'll get to see him.

Does everyone have an iPhone now? Remember when the Blackberry was cool? Do other Blackberry owners feel like iPhone owners go out of their way to 'SWIPE' their finger over their iPhone, just to show the rest of us poor, Blackberry-owning fools that we can't do that???!

Finally, airports are the BEST place to people watch.. FYI. No question.

A Home Fit for a Gnome

I am guilty. I have a secret love. Some might find it slightly embarrassing. Others might raise their eyebrow and think "how tacky".

Nevertheless, I can hide it no more.

I like garden gnomes. I have refrained from giving in and buying one for my own yard, because I am holding out for a ceramic gnome. You never see them anymore, but you know the ones I mean. When you were growing up, there was always one lawn that was covered with them.

Meet "Slim".

Slim is the first gnome to make his home in my yard. I'll also admit, he's not ceramic. I am not holding it against him though, because my mom gave him to me last weekend. How sweet is that? She was at a garden centre and knew I had a little thing for gnomes. My mom isn't the kind of mom that is constantly buying stuff either, so I was even more delighted when she told me this little guy was for me.

He's no plastic flamingo, but I think he looks right at home with his solar lantern among the limestone rocks in front of my kitchen window. Wouldn't you agree? Do you have any tacky, outdoor decor fetishes?

Handling the Friday Freak Outs

Christina over at SFACG recently blogged about her hectic Fridays. I read her post while sitting in an airport, and I had to share some advice with her. This totally used to be me.

Last Friday afternoon, as I tidied up my desk, moved all the outstanding items to my Monday "to do" list and closed my Outlook, I realized I have done a pretty good job conquering the Friday freak out. Further encouraged by a coworker's compliment, maybe I have some advice to share here. Maybe there are more readers out there that find themselves overwhelmed with a week's worth of work on Friday afternoon.

Here are some of my weekday work habits to help avoid the Friday Freak Out!

1) Eat the Frog. This is the 2nd best advice my manager has ever given me. The best doesn't relate here. Eat the frog. It's quite simple, do the item you least want to do, first. By getting it out of the way, you'll  be motivated to get the rest of your list done, and it won't be lingering in the back of your mind, distracting you- "I really need to do..." Simple Truths explains it much better than I can.

I can't find the original source for this gross picture, but it proves the point. “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” 
— Mark Twain

2) Prioritize. Look at your 'to do' list each morning. Physically circle or mentally note the top 2 items that you must get done. Then, do them and don't let yourself get distracted until they're complete. This leads to 3.

3) Schedule work time. If you must, block time on your own calendar, so colleagues can not schedule meetings and use that time to get your 'must do' work done. Forward your phone to voicemail and turn off your email notifications to remove the temptation to look at new messages coming in. This is your time to work.

4) Conquer your inbox. Better yet, take an email or work management course. I highly recommend David Allen's "Getting Things Done". Do you manage your email, or does it manage you? We have a joke around our company that we're email managers. In other words, we have so much information coming into our inboxes, it's hard to accomplish anything else. Maybe you're in a similar situation; you could spend an entire day in the office, doing nothing but email. But, what are you actually getting done? Everyone has different strategies and preferences, so take some courses or check out a book and see what works for you, then do it! It will be the best investment you make in personal time management.



5) Declutter. This is kind of related to the above. Despite what my coworkers would tell you and what my office looks like, I try very hard to 'declutter'. I try to get rid of the piles. Putting them away, even in a "To File" folder or tossing them in the recycling if they're outdated rids me of both physical and mental clutter. I enter handwritten phone messages into my Tasks @CALLS category. And before leaving each day, I try to capture all the lingering items floating around in my head into the appropriate categories. You can see how important Outlook Tasks are in my strategy, but if you're a notebook-person, that works too.

Again, these are just the thing I do to try to stay focused and stay on track during the week. What works best for you may be quite different, but the important thing is to find a strategy that works. Put it to the test and follow it. Just like exercise, if you stick with it and make it a habit, you'll feel much better. I guarantee your personal life will also benefit due to less work-related stress.

I Bought a Lawn Mower But...

This story is too funny not to share. In fact, it is the perfect story to share on this blog.

This week, I bought a lawn mower. Perhaps you're thinking - Wow! First a car and now a lawn mower!! Yes, I know. I'm thinking that too. I must be crazy.

So anyway, I bought a lawn mower because after nearly three years, I thought it was time I purchase this important piece of equipment. My neighbours (who are THE most awesome neighbours in the world... do I mention that enough J&J?) have been gracious enough to lend me their lawn mower for the past 2 summers. Sometimes even,... they cut the lawn for me!! ** Yet another example of why they're so awesome.

You'll recall I bought a snowblower, and we have a bit of a barter system with it & storage in my garage in exchange for lawn mower use. Since I live in Canada's version of the banana belt, I felt I probably wasn't living up to my end of this deal. Proof? I used my snowblower about 4 times this winter, and honestly I only needed it once.

So, I decided it was time. I didn't really shop around, so I didn't have much to blog about. Until now. Since my company makes lawn mowers, I bought one of our mowers from a local dealer. I picked it up earlier this week and took it out last night for its maiden voyage.

MY LAWN MOWER DOESN'T HAVE A BLADE!!

Yes, that is correct. It. Does. Not. Have. A. Blade. How does that even happen? That's exactly what the dealer also wondered when I contacted them. I bought a lawn mower without a blade!??!!  It almost leaves one speechless, because it's such a ludicrous situation. I didn't think to look under it for a blade. The dealer didn't think to do this. You think, "I'm buying a lawn mower. Of course, it will have a blade."  Mine didn't.

Anyway, the dealer dropped off a new blade and it's sorted out. It was a complete fluke... the blade's aren't installed at the dealership, but I'm not sure why this one was taken off. Regardless, only to me would this happen. Only me. Which is exactly why it made my coworkers' day.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm bummed I didn't get to Agraturf Equipment Service's recent store opening in Ayr. Look who stopped by for the day! Recognize Mike Holmes? Very cool.

Why I Volunteer for 4-H and Brownies

From time to time, when I'm driving home from a Pampered Chef team meeting at 11:30PM, and I'm dead tired, I wonder if it’s worth it. Pulling clothes from my laundry basket and folding them into my suitcase on Sunday nights, I ask myself what I'm doing. I'm always on the go. My dad fondly calls me the 'roadrunner' when I pull into the farm for a 'weekend', which is usually more of a detour between destinations.

However, zipping myself into my sleeping bag on a hard, church floor, next to a room with 24 little girls doesn't make me bat an eyelash and when I race off to meetings without dinner, I never think twice. Undeniably, I would give even more of my time to Brownies and 4-H, if I had more hours in my day.

For the first time in my professional career, I am running for a non-profit board of directors. Specifically, I'm campaigning for Director on the Canadian 4-H Council. While completing the nomination application, I found myself giving more thought to why I volunteer. What makes me feel so strongly about 4-H? What is it about Brownies?

Certainly, I am compelled to give back to these organizations. But all charities are compelling, so what is behind my passion for these two youth organizations.
As a Brownie and Girl Guide, I never appreciated the lessons learned from weekend camping trips, hiking the Bruce Trail to explore the creatures in our backyard, or singing silly songs around an indoor campfire. As a Guider today, I find myself trying to recreate those experiences for my Brownies. Opportunities to deliver a "wow" factor, but also set them up with some basic skills and knowledge about the world around them. In my heart, I feel like I've let the girls down if I don't deliver this.
As a 4-H member, I expanded on some basics I learned in Brownies, but it was, more importantly, the vehicle through which I developed 'soft skills'. Communication, teamwork, leadership, patience and dedication; all nurtured through years of club executives, planning events, guiding younger members, speaking in front of strangers and taking an animal, twice my size, from wild to mild over the course of a couple months of hard work. Some opportunities were routine requirements, others came with possible reward: prizes at the local fair, scholarships, or the ultimate achievement, success at the Royal Winter Fair.

Twelve years in the 4-H program allowed me to mature significantly and I recognized what I was gaining from the program along the way. I realized as a teenager at Leadership Camp, the major role 4-H was playing in shaping the person I hoped one day to become. With new-found self-confidence, I left camp ready to tackle the everyday challenges of being a teenager by trying to look past the day-to-day and keeping my long-term goals in mind.

I appreciate this even more today. Moving to a new city in a region with its own challenges, I've met people I wished could have had a similar opportunity in their life. I am understanding how lucky I was to be involved in a program that encourages being yourself and sets you up to develop the tools needed to succeed.

Gaining a lot from the program, I do feel overwhelmingly compelled to 'give back'. Not so much because I think I owe the program, because what I got out of 4-H is exactly what 4-H wants for its members. Moreover, I want other youth to have the opportunities I did, and I want their lives to be changed for the better also. I want them to succeed and have no fear to go after their goals.

In a way, I guess I'm still giving back, but I don't think of it that way. I'm more concerned with the Brownies and 4-H members leaving with an experience that will stay with them forever. I want them to look back with fond memories and the realization they developed the base of their most important life skills though these programs. If they never remember me, but only the experiences and benefits of being involved, then I will feel I've done my part.

Just in Time For the Brier - My CAMA Best-In-Show Award Framed

In the spirit of Canada's newest sporting craze - CURLING - here it is!!

Just as promised, albeit a little late, my recently mounted and framed award for the Best of CAMA Best-in-Show Advertising. Not too bad, in my opinion! I was awarded 2 plaques, and I wanted to frame the ad itself, because it is unique to Canada and my company. I take all of our company's framing to Arcon Picture Frames, near Stoney Creek. They always do a fantastic job, and I can often give them a price range and the final destination, and they look after the rest.

They are a little $$$, in my frugal opinion, but I have vowed to go to Arcon when I can afford to professionally frame my personal wall candy. One of my favourite photographers, Terry Scott White, brings his work to Arcon, all the way from Kitchener!

They also have some beautful prints and paintings in their store, and they are located next to a wood furnishings store I'm itching to wander into one day. One day.... when I can afford to buy new wood furniture. For now, I will continue looking forward to building my own.

Lastly, I apologize for the rather bland wall decor. My office (!!!OFFICE!) has walls that look semi-permenent. Kind of like the walls of my portable classroom in Grade 2. You can see the seams, and it looks like it was just rigged up for some temporary arrangement. Nevertheless, I have an office(!) with walls(!) where I can hang beautifully framed awards! I thought about taking a photo of the whole office, but I envisioned it would come across disturbingly similar to SFACG's recent post. I promise I'll cut off my rambling shortly... My former manager actually sat at my desk today and said "Do you actually work in this?"

No Award Photo Yet

I promised a photo of my framed 'Best of Show' advertising award, and I am failing to deliver on schedule. Truthfully, my camera has decided its taken enough of my beatings, and I will soon have to abandon it to discarded electronic heaven.

Another one bites the dust. I'm embarrassed to say this is my 2nd camera in 5 years. It's not that I don't look after them... well, maybe that's not entirely true either. I go through periods of time where I take my camera everywhere. Beaches, bars, snowboarding, snowmobiling, gardening, running, cow shows ... you get the idea. The products of these activities have proven to be enemies of, most likely, all electronics, cameras not excluded. Sand, sticky drinks, sloppy reflexes, snow and ice, soil, sweat and milk.

After my first digital camera took its last breath, I vowed to religiously keep my new camera in its case. After 6 months, the case was nowhere to be found, and my camera had already had a run in with a milk bucket and shortly thereafter, a windy day at the beach. It was never the same, but it still lasted until now.

I've been borrowing friends' cameras for the past month as I scope out a new one. In an ideal world, I would cash in my Air Miles for the camera of my dreams. In an ideal world, I would also know what camera that is. I've always been a Canon girl, but I really liked my friend's Luminex we had in Quebec. I also looked at the Olympus Stylus Tough. Logically, this camera was made for me... drop it, spill on it, no problems. The reviews weren't so wonderful. So, I'm looking for suggestions. I don't want a professional camera, but I want a point & shoot of at least 10 MP and an image stabilizer.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm heading to my first Home Depot Do-It-Herself workshop tomorrow night - "Intro to Power Tools". Maybe its the comfort factor that is keeping me from taking action on all the things I have planned. I'll let you know how it goes ( and post that photo)!!

An Update From My Black Hole

Where did this week go? Somewhere between working 12 hour days and a snow storm, apparently I missed the last five days. Literally, I feel like I fell in a black hole this week. Many of the items I thought about doing all week- moving my living room around, buying wallpaper (yes, I STILL have not done this) - are still not done. If it weren't for my bf, who by the way, brought me BEAUTIFUL roses this week, I might not even have turned on the Olympics. After immersing myself in Olympic fever last week, I suffered a bit of a hangover earlier this week. Last weekend's disappointments seemed doomed to replay endlessly on the highlights reel. I couldn't bear to watch it. I'll be anxiously anticipating the men's gold medal curling tomorrow night. I love watching curling, especially Kevin Martin's team. I'm a geek, but I'm okay with it. I actually presented Kevin, and his third, John Morris, with MVP at The Brier, the Canadian men's curling championship, the past 2 years. Am I wishing just a little that they make a surprise appearance at this year's event with their gold medals?? Absolutely!

What else is new this week... My T4 showed up this week. I have stopped opening this because it usually makes me feel sick to see how much money I don't have, but apparently was paid. I also got my mortgage statement. I shouldn't have opened it. $2300 paid down on the Principal of my house in 2009. OUCH! It's still stinging.

My last tidbit of news... I won a big advertising award at work in the fall, and I had it mounted with the advertisement for my office. I got it back today and it looks great!!

Anyway - I am trying to share the rest of my Hotel de Glace photos through Picassa. Keep checking my blog for the slideshow. It'll be on the right-hand side of the page -------------->
P.S. Pictures are there now. Check out the slideshow!!!