Friday, October 31, 2008

What do you call a fat Jack-O-Lantern?

A PLUMP-kin!!









Thursday, October 30, 2008

What, what?

I'm watching Biggest Loser right now. I know!! I can't help myself. I am fascinated by the changing bodies but sometimes disgusted by the way the show is edited. I also don't think there is any safe and healthy way for someone to lose 10-14 pounds in one week, is there? The idea of working full time on my fitness and weight loss really interests me. I can see the results of 3 times a week and I wonder what full time exercise would be like.

There is a show shot locally here called X-Weighted, they once approached my business and asked us to supply them with spandex shorts and sports bras for their "before" pictures. That's right, put the fat girl in the spandex and tell her she looks disgusting. The trainer is really mean and the contestants always end up frustrated and crying. We chose not to participate.

We have also been approached by this show to help them cast women for their program, at that time I considered what it would be like to be on that show. Honestly, I think they would love to have me on that show. The actual thought of working out the way I have been and having people see me do it has changed my opinion of that. There is nothing pretty about the way I sweat and swear and huff and puff. It's something I can only feel comfortable doing with my girls. My boot camp buddies have seen it all and I've seen them do it too. That's why I am looking forward to going up to Whistler with my girls this weekend and drinking some wine, eating some yummy food and, oh yes, working out. sigh


I got a new book today. It's called Teardrops and Tiny Trailers by Douglas Keister. This book makes me so happy and further fuels my small travel trailer obsession. It even has a whole chapter on Canada's boler trailer. I found out that boler spells it's name with a small b on purpose. It has nothing to prove. Maybe one day I will start to spell my name with a small b. Not right now though, I still have so much to prove.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

How much is too much?

I bought these neat spice/recipe packs from The super Store and I think they are pretty cool. I made Beef Burgundy last night. I served it with egg noodles. It was pretty good and the beef became so tender when it was done. We polished off the rest of the bottle of wine that didn't make it into the stew pot with our meal. It was yummy.



I just got back from my boot camp workout and holy crap. Hardest workout yet. I am still wobbly and shaky. I swear I never stopped gasping for air the whole time. I paid for everything I imbibed in this weekend. Including the huge dent I made in that bottle of gin I picked up on Saturday. We are starting week 7. On Saturday we are all going up to Whistler to spend the night in a cottage and work out on the mountain. I am so hardcore.
Everything feels like it's a bit too much these days. One day I will tell you all about it.
Later.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Little ole us??

Today Lorna and I are being honoured by The Women's Enterprise Centre at a luncheon and book release. We are part of 100 women in the province that have been chosen as pioneers in business. It is quite an honour.



New Pioneers: Stories of 100 BC Women Entrepreneurs
This book, New Pioneers: Stories of 100 BC Women Entrepreneurs is a celebration of the pioneering spirit of 100 contemporary women entrepreneurs from around the province. At Women’s Enterprise Centre, we feel it is not only important to recognize and celebrate our entrepreneurial roots, but also essential to record those accomplishments for the generations to come.
It is our hope that this book will build that awareness and encourage, influence, inspire, provide role models and motivate women and girls to consider entrepreneurship. The stories in this book showcase the successes and challenges which BC women entrepreneurs have faced. The book also highlights the support these women have received from friends, family members, women’s business networks and business service providers such as ourselves.

Monday, October 20, 2008

What did I see?


Things I saw today:


-A full, double rainbow that I could see but couldn't quite capture.


-An Airstream "Bambi" travel trailer that I shot through the car window. It is beautiful. sigh


-A guy doing some work at the base of a building squatting and showing about 4 inches of butt crack. I saw it from the car. Two lanes over.

Weekend Update and I wonder, should I get a pet?

Had a nice weekend again. We've been doing the same thing every weekend for a while but what can I say, it's fun. Saturday afternoon jam at The Railway Club, back to our neighbourhood and then away down the street for some dinner and a friends gig at The Main. Sunday was nice, I had a pretty quiet afternoon while Superman went to a movie with a friend. We were invited to a dinner at our good friend Robin's home on Sunday evening. It was great to hang out with her 12 year old daughter, such a great kid and all the yummy food. Robin pulled off Roast beef, yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheesy carrots and broccoli and roasted garlic. Everything was perfectly delicious and it was such a treat to have a Sunday evening family dinner.

Our favourite thing to do on Sunday night is to watch Mad Men. We are loving this series and it's just getting more and more compelling.

This morning I had boot camp and it was raining hard. We just tucked into the small covered area near the field we work out in and managed to stay relatively dry. Working out is becoming something I really look forward to. I really love the women I am in the group with and the trainer is great too! We are trying to plan a little trip away together, maybe Whistler or Harrison. It's hard to plan things with Mommies but hopefully something will come through.

I need to get my butt into the shower and do some work today. I will write more later.

I have some new thoughts about pets. I think I want one.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

**Random Facts About Me** ?

I was tagged by Cynthia!

Here are the rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know he or she has been tagged. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

**Random Facts About Me**


1. I can take or leave coffee in the morning. I don't care enough to make it myself but if someone else makes it I'm good for about half a cup. I will admit that sometimes it truly hits the spot.

2. I've never been that keen on teddy bears, even as a baby my favourite stuffed toy was a monkey. I love monkeys but I wouldn't want a real one.

3. The one and only time I played The Commodore Ballroom, I was singing back up harmonies for another artist. I had to leave the stage for one song and then return for another number. I had to pee really bad and as I was standing up to pull up my pants in the backstage bathroom I hit my head so hard on the poorly positioned toilet paper dispenser that I saw stars. I don't really remember the rest of the show.

4. People tell me things. People I don't know tend to tell me things about themselves that I wish I could un-know.

5. Every time I buy new electronics within a couple of months I have envy about the next, newest, technology and I wish I could buy that and put mine aside.

6. I'm good at fixing things. Many years ago I worked in a watch repair kiosk at Woodward's people would bring in watches for repair and I would send them to a workshop for repairs. Sometimes I would take a stopped watch open it up and hold it in my hand and it would start working again. I could do it time and time again. Eventually they asked me to work in the workshop doing repairs. I had no training but I was pretty good at it. I liked that job but I quit because they didn't want to pay me enough.


I tag Denise, Lorna, Chrissandra

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

How's life on the road?

Last week Lorna and I went to the Sunshine Coast for some business and ended up having a pretty wild time. We always have so much fun on our little road trips and this one was no different. The weather ended up being pretty great and I was thrilled to see this gorgeous trailer as we were getting off the ferry. I took this photo from our moving car as we passed it on the way up the hill to Gibsons. Of course I waved and gave them the thumbs up as we went by. I think they got it, they waved back and smiled a lot. When we drive Big Momma (our car), we are always waving at people and trying to get attention. It helps to drive a car with big pink flowers all over it. Little girls and old men seem the most affected.

As we were driving up the coast we saw something that always cracks me up, they don't have bus benches or shelters so people just put plastic lawn chairs at the bus stop so they have a place to sit. I don't know why I think it's so funny but we were joking that when someone has a big BBQ they just drive up the coast and collect all the chairs they need and return them the next day. This time I noticed that some of the stops have hand made wooden stools as well as plastic chairs. I think it's nice.
We arrived at the B&B in Sechelt and it was really beautiful. The house itself overlooked the water and our hostesses wasted no time in pouring us some wine and getting us all in to the hot tub for some fact finding and business talk. A couple of hours later we were treated to a lovely dinner, more wine, more hot tub and some more wine. Some people really know how to look after guests and make them feel comfortable. Our hostess was the mostess. After we covered all possible topics and realized we were extremely pruned up we wandered over to our room at the B&B attached to the house.
The room is nothing if not opulent. So beautifully decorated and perfectly appointed. I can't wait to go there with my honey for a night of romance. Lorna and I were sufficiently impressed and after we boosted each other up onto the huge bed we both fell into a bit of a tipsy sleep. I woke up once in the night to use the bathroom and I had to crawl backwards off the end of the bed and search for the floor with my feet like a toddler. The stool at the end of the bed was necessary for re-mounting the king sized platform. King size is good for two girls that don't need to cuddle.
We woke up in the morning and headed off for breakfast, explored Sechelt a bit and then off to do some business. It ended up being a good match for us and after loading thousands of dollars worth of designer shoes into the back of Big Momma we hit the trail back towards Gibsons. We stopped for a quick and delicious lunch at Molly's Reach and then headed of to Happy Tails Ranch to visit Dave and Chari and about 18 dogs. They board dogs and since it was coming up on Thanksgiving weekend they were at full capacity. It was quite the welcome. This is a picture of Maggie, she is the matriarch of dog society and the mistress of the house. She also has a new outfit. I think she looks smashing.
After some cocktails we brushed the dog hair off ourselves as best we could and hit the road to catch the ferry back to Vancouver. We were tired so we stayed in the car enjoyed the pretty pink sunset and relaxed. It's only about 20 minutes from the ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay to my place. It's fun to go away I LOVE the Sunshine Coast but I am always glad to get home safe and sound from any trip. Looking forward to the next road trip!

What are you thankful for?


The long weekend is officially over and I have thought quite a lot about the things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that I am getting along with all the members of my family and had a chance to really enjoy being all together on Friday night for my Moms 65th birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Saturday was a nice day with friends and some bittersweet moments that I can't really talk about right now. I had a chance to share some great musical moments with some of my favourite people on Saturday night and for that I am thankful.

Sunday brought some new people to my family unit, as we anxiously await the birth of my sister-in-laws baby, her in laws included us in their Thanksgiving dinner plans. Very nice people. This new baby that is coming will have a lot of people who care about him/her. I am so looking forward to our meeting.

Monday, today, such a lazy day. We spent the whole day just hanging out and I decided to do some cooking. I made a glazed ham, some scalloped potatoes, yams, salad and garlic bread. Way too much food and we barely made a dent in it. I wish I would have invited someone over to enjoy it but I wasn't feeling sociable and just wanted to putter and cook, try some new recipes and do a half assed job at cleaning up. After dinner S-man went out and rented Sex In The City, at my request. I told him I wanted to see it with him and see if he was still interested in getting married at the end. I enjoyed the movie the second time, I can so relate to so much of it. I know that sounds crazy and I don't mean the lifestyle or the crazy clothes but let's face it, I am the same age as the characters in in that movie and I feel like I grew up with them in some strange way. I cried a lot watching this time. I guess I am feeling a bit emotional these days, maybe it's that big fat moon.
I have so much to be thankful for and as I go through this week I will try to remember to feel gratitude.
I have some catching up to do here, I haven't written about my adventure on The Sunshine Coast yet. I will try to get caught up later today.
The sun is out this morning and I am back at boot camp. Wish me luck.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Do you have turn down service?


I'm still having back problems. I think I over did it a little with house cleaning on Sunday and working out on Monday. I keep trying to stretch it out and it feels better for a little while and then it stiffens up and I am like a little old lady again. I have decided to skip my work out tomorrow morning and try for Friday. My trainer is so awesome, she has assured me that I can make up for my lost training at the end of the 10 weeks so here's hoping I can just get better fast and get on with it. I have been taking lots of hot baths for comfort and it felt so good to get my bathroom nice and clean and pretty, a little warm sake never hurt either. My bed is feeling pretty good these days too with fresh sheets and the cozy warm bedding. Sometimes it's hard to get out of bed.
Tomorrow Lorna and I are off to the Sunshine Coast to meet with a couple of women business owners who want to do some business with us. They are so excited about our concept and promise lots of "networking" when we get there. The cool thing is, one of them also owns a bed and breakfast and has offered to put us up for the night. It's a sexy, couples only b&b with big fluffy beds, lots of lush red and a hot tub. We are just waiting to see if we can get a room with two beds because, you know, we're close and everything but...
Should be interesting.
I promise to take pictures.
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Romance by Me?

Haha, You must check out this website. Thanks Kimli! Just add your name and his and you can get a really bad romance novel personalized just for you. It's very silly but you must try it.



They stared at each other for a long while, their eyes saying the words they dared not speak. The air was thick with the potent energy of lovers discovering each other for the first time. Without breaking contact, Superman leaned back on his pillows and held out a strong hand, inviting and welcoming MsBarbaraJane to his bed. As if in a waking dream, MsBarbaraJane took his hand and stood beside the bed, her green eyes never leaving his. Squeezing his hand gently, she let it fall and slowly started to remove her chemise, her body swaying with the sea as it fell away, feeling the cool sea breeze seductively kiss her skin. His heart seemed to beat outside his body as Superman watched her undress in the moonlight. As each piece of cloth fell and he drank in more of her curvaceous, womanly form, he wondered if a man could ever tire of such a sight. Languidly, she removed the remainder of her undergarments and stood beside his bed, fully exposed and vulnerable, but with a quiet strength that caused Superman to hold his breath. Slowly and gracefully, she climbed onto his bed, running her hands across his naked chest, relishing the feel of his athletic form beneath her fingers. Pressing her body into his, . . .

Monday, October 6, 2008

Hey Sister, wanna sing?


Here's my weekend update:

I said I would have pictures of my weekend and then I forgot to bring my camera. Imagine that's me and Janice in the photo singing sweetly.

Friday night I had a gig at the bar across the street, it was a 3 band show so I had lots of time for relaxing too. After the show had a select group over to the house for one last drink, and a bit of acoustic jamming. Saturday slept late, headed downtown for our weekly Rockabilly/Honky-Tonk open mike/jam thing got up and sang a couple of times with the house band, loads of fun and adult beverages with friends. Home early and a lazy evening. Sunday got up and cleaned house for about 4 hours, made chicken and dumplings, had Janice over for dinner then we rehearsed and wandered about a block down the street where we were the feature act at a little French Bistro/ spoken word venue (we sang our words).

Great crowd and sold some cd’s too. Home by 10:30 and to bed.

Great weekend all in all!

Any weekend filled with music is as good as it gets!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Could my house get any cleaner?

This just about sums up my Sunday.
I will not say anything more about it.
Weekend update coming soon...
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Saturday, October 4, 2008

Do you wanna rock?


It's Fall , for real. I love this time of year!
I haven't been blogging much lately because I am sad to say, I hurt my back. I have a pre-existing condition that reared it's ugly head during a workout last Wednesday. The good news is I am stronger from my workouts and I seem to be healing pretty quickly. The bad news is I had to miss a couple of sessions. I hope to be back at it by Monday, even if I can only do some of the stuff I will try to do the rest and just stay focused. It's hard for me to sit in a chair for a long period of time so that's why no blogs for awhile.
I'm off to the jam at The Railway Club this afternoon. It's something we like to do every Saturday if we can. It's a place where some of Vancouver's best musicians gather to play music together with and for each other, and whoever wants to listen. We've been going for many years and it's a lot like family down there. It's also a great opportunity to play with people you might not normally play with. There have been countless bands formed from this Saturday afternoon jam over the years. I have been lucky enough to sing with some amazing people and Janice and I get asked to sing back-up with folks all the time too, fun!
I'll take some pictures this afternoon so you can see what it's like. If you are ever in the neighbourhood you really should check it out.

How cool is this?

How cool is this? Boomchix on sale right here! This widget can be easily added to any html website or blog, facebook and/or myspace page to help promote our debut album "Surprise Surprize". There are image links on the top which allows the user to securely buy and download single mp3's or the whole CD, join our mailing list and/or get the embed code. Pretty cool - check it out!