Who loves the sun?

Juicy moved in this weekend and in no time flat she made that little suite downstairs into a cozy, funky haven for her and her son. I had to watch myself because I kept wanting to go down there and see what she was doing. Of course she was more than welcoming and when she was done for the day we thought we had better break in her new pad by sitting down there and listening to tunes and drinking lots of wine. Our other friend J came by as well so we had a nice little kitchen party and stayed up way too late. It was loads of fun!
Sunday broke with sun a-blazing and that was a fine thing to see. Our friend Binski came by with fresh ham and cheese scones from Uprising Bakery and all the makings for Caesars! This called for dragging out the outdoor furniture and drinking in some vitamin V (vodka) and some vitamin D (sun)! It was all very delicious and it felt so good to get some warmth from our friends and the sun. I can't even tell you.
Some time over the weekend I developed a huge blood spot in my left eye. It doesn't hurt or itch or anything but it looks rather gory. I looked it up on the Internets and it's called a subconjunctival hemorrhage and it's harmless. Of course I had to speak on a panel yesterday for a women's business event in front of a couple of hundred people and I ended up sitting so my gory eye was facing the audience. Not my best side. it was a great event though and I think my partner and I did a good job contributing. One of the main subjects discussed in other panels was Twitter. I guess I still don't get the excitement but apparently it can be used as an effective marketing tool for business too. I will have to look into that further. Today I am off to The Sunshine Coast for some business doings and will probably come home tomorrow. I will tell you all about when it's a done deal. I'm looking forward to hitting the road this afternoon.
Enjoy the sun if you are getting it!!

I wonder where the birdies is?

This morning when I got up early to take out the garbage I spied the first hint of color in the garden. My very first bloom!! There are hundreds and hundreds of little flower bulbs getting ready to bloom but this is the first one. I can't wait until they all burst forth but it's been so cold and wet it's hard to believe the sun will come out and coax these little blooms out. But I know it's going t happen and it fills me with such a feeling of hope. Come on little fellas, show me what you've got!I also discovered this in the garden. It's the second one I've seen in the back yard. It's a rat trap. I don't know who put them there, the landlord knew nothing about it either. I have one question, who's going to empty it if something crawls in there and dies?? Not me my friends, not me. I don't do rodents and the thought of something dying in there and stinking up my garden does not sit well with me. I have a feeling these have been put out by the city to deal with a rat problem that develped a couple of years ago when we had that nasty garbage strike all through the hot summer. Also the new RAV line that they have been building for the Olympics is only a couple of blocks away from here and rumour has it that all that digging displaced a LOT of vermin. ~shudder~
This city has been mighty busy getting rid of rats and homeless people and re grouting sidewalks to show the world what a perfect city we live in when the 2010 Olympics comes to Vancouver. It kind of feels like putting plastic on the furniture so it stays nice for company.

Am I becoming a Stepford wife?

I'm sure my left hand is down here somewhere...

So I guess you could say I'm all settled in at the new house. I am also feeling unsettled to tell you the truth. I'm here waiting for something to happen. I know there are many things that need to be done like finishing up that last bit of organising and planning my damn wedding but I don't feel like doing those things right now. I wasn't feeling well this week and so I missed an opportunity to get out and hear some music on Tuesday night. That might have done me good because, let's face it, I don't do well being home every night of the week. Work, home, cook dinner, clean up dishes, watch tv until falling asleep, bed. This routine drives me crazy. I long for it and then when I have it I get so bored and unsettled I can't stand it. I know things will change soon though because The Juice is moving in this weekend and I can't wait! I'll have to ask her how she wants me to identify her when I tell you all the crazy stories about her. I know she reads my blog so I'll ask now- Jessie, Juicy, The Juice, J???? Did you have a better idea? I want to hear it. And another thing, would you hurry up and get your ass in here so you can add some excitment to my life? I promise we will only drink wine and gab every night for the first couple of weeks and then we can settle down to an every second night kind of thing. You can mark my words, there will be some girlfriending going on around here. Bring it on!

One of the modern conveniences a la 1975 that this house came with is an In -Sink-Erator in the kitchen sink. (where else would it be) Anyway, I love this thing. At first I just wasn't sure about putting stuff down there, I mean, it goes against everything I have been taught. I had misgivings, that's for sure. I wasn't sure about the environmental repercussions, I didn't know what you could and couldn't throw down there and I had visions of something falling down there and reaching for it just as it turned itself on and ground my hand to a bloody stump. So I did a little research online and it turns out yu can stuff almost anything down there. So I do. It's awesome, my garbage doesn't get smelly and cleaning up the kitchen after cooking is a breeze. I know it's just one more thing to break down but as long as I don't abuse it I'm going to use it. Once J moves in we will get a composter going so a lot of that stuff will end up going back to the earth but in the mean time, I'm stuffing it down. It's just so satisfying.

I need to get out of the house.

Who's that cat?

A couple of years ago we took in my Mother-In -Law's cat while she went on an extended vacation. Now, we're not really cat people but on this one particular visit we really hit it off. He got comfortable with us and we got used to having him around and all was right with the world. It got to the point when our friends were making fun of us because we would tell them we had to get home because the cat was waiting for us.

Max is a 25 pound ginger tabby. Max is one of the fattest and lazy-est cat I have ever met. But...he has a heart of gold and keeps my MIL happy and is truly good company for her. Every evening I would try to get him to play by spraying cat nip on a toy and dangling it in front of him. He would take a couple of swipes and then just give up. Too much work. Kind of reminds me of an ex-boyfriend. Anyway, I took lots of pictures of Max, set them to music and posted it on youtube. I posted it in May 2007 and to date it has had 96 views, at least 20 of those were probably mine.

I thought I would share this tribute with you.

What's for lunch?

Here's a little recipe for you.

white bread
eggs
vanilla
Cap'n Crunch cereal

• crush cereal up and put in shallow dish
• dip bread in egg, vanilla mixture
• coat with crushed Cap'n Crunch cereal
• fry on skillet until golden brown

This is what T was craving when I spent the day with her today. She saw it on a cooking show and it's what she wanted to eat. So I made it for us and it was actually really good. Yes it's pretty sweet with syrup but I think it would be great with fruit and whipped cream.

The cereal creates a golden crust and kind of makes the french toast taste deep fried. You should try it. At least once.

I had a lovely, exhausting day with my dear friend today. I did manage to post today!! It's almost midnight but I made it.

Sleep well my friends.

How Long?

I'm okay! Nothing bad to report, I've just been doing a lot. A lot of everything. I've been nesting, resting, gigging, hosting company, going to see my favourite bands, cooking, cleaning, nursing, organising, shopping and relaxing. I have also been working a lot and there's a bunch of stuff going on there including buying all our stuff for Fall and about a hundred other things that I can't quite talk about. I also just finished a lovely visit with my in-laws, including my new baby niece, almost 5 months old, adorable, smily chubby girl baby. Yummy!
I guess I needed to take a bit of an unscheduled break from writing here.
BUT, I am planning on being up and running again Monday and have made it my personal goal to blog EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. I hope to include some new pictures and and some good stories about our new home and our crazy life. Crazy in a good way!
Things I am looking forward to- SPRING, my flowers blooming, re-doing my bathroom, my Dear Friend moving into the basement suite of our house next week (!!) That's just to name a few things, there are So many things. I have great expectations and excitement in all parts of my life right now, in my business, my music and my relationships! I feel really happy right now. I just think it's important to take a moment and recognise these good times. If you're happy and you know it...enjoy it!
I think I needed to take a little break to find something new to write about.
I missed you guys!
xoBarb

Home?

I want to be better at getting posts together but things keep getting in the way. We are approaching our second week in the new house and it's starting to feel normal and like home. There are a lot of funny little thing about this place and some mysteries that are still waiting to reveal themselves to me. Right now I am just cold. This little house is rather drafty and I have a hard time keeping warm. We have finally found a use for that super warm down quilt that SM's Mum gave us for Christmas a couple of years ago. It's warm in the sack but c-c-cold feet when they hit the floor. It doesn't help that we have been experiencing unusually cold weather these days. I can't wait for Spring so we can enjoy our yard.
I'm having a hard time keeping my energy up, I think the move just sapped me a bit and I feel the need to rest now. This is playing havoc with my boot camp and I only made it out once this week. I am having some trouble with my back again and going to massage therapy tonight so I can try to avoid the total seize up.

I wanted to leave you with a couple more pics of the house. This original 1940's telephone is attached to the wall in the hallway. When the guy came in to hook up the phones he hooked this up too. It has a beautiful, soft, nostalgic sound when it rings and the clarity when speaking on it is truly remarkable. We can't dial out on it though because that technology no longer exists apparently.

Here's a shot of the living room. I took this pic last week and it has changed a little since then. The big floral painting leaning on the wall found a home in the dining room and my other floral watercolour is now resting on the mantle, to break up the look of all that mirror.

I still have lots to do. I haven't been having much luck with my cooking since we moved here. I have made some pretty mediocre meals, I must admit. I could blame it on the old appliances or the strange layout of the kitchen I suppose. I did manage to make a pot of split pea soup last night though so hopefully minimal cooking this weekend.

Happy Friday everybody!!

Are you itchin' to see my kitchen?

This is my funny little kitchen.

I love this corner, it's so bright and cheerful.

I put my little tv here mostly because it had an outlet for cable I and I didn't know where else to put it. I know there is rom for an eat in table here but I want to keep it open for now. (And I don't have a little round table.) I am enjoying cooking and watching cooking shows at the same time.

Big kitchen, no cunter space. (Bwaha, ever since we moved my "o" key has been sticky. This is the worst case scenario word. I think I'll leave it.)

Hmmmmm, must figure this one out.

Also, holy 70's, let's have a cocktail/fondue party and swap keys vibe in this place. Don't you think?

Here's my sink area. Note the large gin and tonic waiting to be enjoyed.

More rooms coming. Stay tuned.

I got an award!

Isn't it beautiful? It's from The Blonde Goddess. She's one sassy lady. I wish we were neighbours because this is one person I would love to party with. Maybe one day.

Along with the picture it states...

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

1. Big Girl Feet

2.Bodalorna

3.Carol Browne

4.Chrissandra's Art

5.K8 the GR8

6.Denise

7.delicious juice dot com

8.The Glamorous Life of a Hausfrau

These are some of my favourites. Go have a look, they are all well worth reading. Enjoy!

Guess what?

I'm planning on taking some photos of my funny old house this evening when the light is nice. I'll post them tomorrow. Things are going quite well with the settling in process and I am starting to feel caught up on my sleep and less sore. I have missed my boot camp workouts this week as I was so sore after the move I figured I got quite a bit of exercise, thank you very much. I am going to shoot for tomorrow morning's class and see how it goes.
I think one of the things I am enjoying the most about our new home is the quiet. I have lived on Main Street for the last 7 years and the sound of traffic was not something I ever really got used to. What I am hearing right now are birds and the odd car going by. That's it. When it rains I can hear the rain hitting the trees and the grass instead of the angry sound of car wheels cutting through traffic on wet pavement. It's a big thing for me.
I am still working on the bedroom and getting all of my clothes sorted, some will be stored for next season and others donated and passed on to friends. I decided I can't start my life here with bulging closets so I have to make room for the new and let go of some of the old.
I need to hang my art and we also need to set up the basement so we can start having rehearsals for upcoming gigs and such. Can't wait for that!
Our new home is about 2 blocks away from the newly built Olympic Curling Rink so this neighbourhood is destined to be awash in Olympic-ness come next year. The other day when I went out to the car I noticed some city workers cleaning the dirt out of the cracks in the sidewalk, I have also noticed large rodent (rat?) traps around the area including my back yard, put out by the city. I hope they come and clean them out because, ew. I figure as the Olympics get closer we will be able to eat right off the sidewalk, they'll be so clean. Good to know my tax dollars are hard at work. We are not huge supporters of having the games in our city, the cost is so enormous and we aren't really interested in being here when the games are on. More about that later.
Last night T and her little boy and our friend Niki came by to see the new house. Not only did they come in for a nice visit and a bite to eat, but T also went all the way down the stairs to look at the basement. I couldn't believe she had the strength to do it and I know it was hard for her but I so admire her strength and determination. She also baked us cookies! I think she has been feeling a little better and has been pretty stable lately. It was such a gift to have her here and she loves our new home.
I am so behind in my cyber life. I haven't had a chance to catch up with all my blogs and see how my friends are doing. I will try to catch up tonight.
Have a great day!!

Did you miss me?

I'm Baaaaaaaack!
Just a short note to tell you I am back online and ready to start bloggalating again. yaayayayay

We are moved in, it almost killed me but it's sure nice to be home! Our new home is quirky and homey and still not totally put together but it already feels like home. I am still sore and sooo tired but I am recovering and I had the best sleep in ages last night in our new bedroom. It's so quiet here and I don't miss the sound of the traffic, I now hear the sound of birds, tweety birds, not just pigeons. It's so peaceful.
Our new home has a lot of character and I will be sharing some of these interesting traits with you over the coming days and weeks, maybe you can give me some advice?
We have plenty of time to discuss wood panelling, bad wallpaper, a lack of kitchen workspace and cardboard walls made to look like wood in the basement and carpet in the bathroom. Did I mention I LOVE this house?
I have a lot of catching up to do with all my blogs, I missed you all.
I even got an award from The Blonde Godess that I have to pick up. Thanks for that!
I will slowly get caught up here, but in the meantime I need to unpack some more.
Lots of pictures to come too!
Have a great day!