Merry Stressmas!

So things have been a bit busy this year. We did 3 Christmas shows and also made a bunch of products for a store. Things are slowing down a bit or are they?
Someone was telling me that they watched "The View" this morning and Lorraine Bracco from "The Soprano's" was on the show. When asked what her kids wanted for Christmas she said everyone wanted something different and she was going to cater the meal. "The View" hosts were surprised but she said she couldn't possibly do it all herself. She imports Italian wine and oil and sells it as a side business. So she wished everyone a Merry Stressmas and said this time of year is so stressful.
Part 1

It's sad that a celebration that started out so simple with Jesus in a manger and wiseman bringing him gifts has turned into something so commercial and frenetic. In my own family we have simplified somewhat and don't go out and buy tonnes of gifts. Usually the importance is on the meaning of the day and a lovely meal and just spending time together relaxing.
Part 2

Since our market season is over we might even be able to get away for a short bit. At least that's the plan.

Enjoy your month and try to take a moment and enjoy the beauty all around you.

Peace out,

S.

My Fairytale Journey!

A few weeks ago I went and visited a friend of mine who is at a nearby Bible College on an island. I had never been there before and I hadn't seen her in 5 years or so. My sister went to Bible college with her mother and hence the connection.


I'd heard about this place before and others had been on church retreats and said it was pretty. I knew it would be lovely but wasn't expecting it to look like a fairytale book I had stepped into.


You get off the ferry and it's right there and you head down this long pathway that is so story book like. You see the flowers blooming in pots and the bridge twinkling in the light. The odd part was I expected it to rain that day and it seemed kind of dreary out. As soon as I got to this place though the day brightened and I forgot about the weather.



A guide met us when we got there and he was wonderful in showing us the whole campus. I got to climb the rock wall but only so far since I didn't have a harness on. They had a goat there that I fed an apple too. Also they had some neat looking challenge course with a balance beam sort of aparatus.



One of the highlights was the hike and seeing a lonely wooden bench shaded by a big tree by the water. It looked like a wonderful place to create lasting memories. We had lunch and were able to look out at the fantastic view. It was great to get caught up with my friend and hard to leave such a whimsical place.


Until next time,

:) S.

Intersting Video, recap on a new show!

Hello There Blogging World,

So I'm been researching iPods lately as I mentioned I was given one for my birthday but held off getting one until now since I knew new ones were in the works. Anywho along the way I found this interesting that used an iPhone in a different way:



Don't try this at home folks, and after all why would you want to waste all that money in the first place?

Don't know how many of you caught the show "Private Practice" months back when it aired the same night as "Grey's Anatomy" and took it's time slot. My sister and I couldn't get enough of the show and didn't care that "Grey's Anatomy" wasn't on much that night except to introduce the show. Ever since then I've been dying for the premiere episode.

In the original pilot episode the character of Dr. Naomi Bennett formely married to Taye Diggs (plays Dr. Sam Bennett) on the show was someone else. The original actress who played this role was Marin Dungey (from "Alias" she played Sidney's best friend and was called Francie on the show)
This is the new replacement for last night's episode (see below) whose real name is Audrey McDonald and plays Dr. Naomi Bennett:

So I heard that when the show was first shown to viewers to see what they thought they didn't like the "Alias" actress so she got replaced. I was a little as I always like Francie on "Alias." The show did it so brilliantly that you wouldn't even notice. They had the new actress even in the review of it so it looked like she was there all along.

It has a stellar cast: Amy Brennarman (plays Dr. Violet Turner) from "Judging Amy," Taye Diggs (plays Dr. Sam Bennett) most known from "Ally McBeal" and "Kevin Hill" and "Daybreak" on last year, Tim Daly (plays Dr. Pete Wilder) from "Wings," Kate Walsh (plays Dr. Addison Montgomery) from "Grey's Anatomy."

Check it out and see what you think. The pilot episode was really really good, last night's was pretty good, and next week's looks even better.

Till Next Time,

S. is out!

Some New Things!

Hello World,

For starters my blog layout is new. I had spent all this time changing another blog and I came to the realization that this one needed a change since summer is almost gone and all.
So K. came by to see us at the market a few weeks back and she pulled out her darling little wallet and I went nuts over it. She kindly told me about it and I found one for myself. Thanks K. you trendsetter you.
Awhile ago I had bought this material and my mom covered an office chair I had so I was quite happy and thanked her for her kindness.
Then I was out shopping the other day and found this pooky little teapot for one. It's great because you can put loose tea in the little holder. Hey it matches my wallet too.

So I finally got some rainboots, that was a gift from my birthday. If you remember I was supposed to get these pink ones awhile back and they never came in which I was upset about at the time. The other day I came across these ones and thought they were nice and are higher up which I wanted in the first place.

Okay I don't have one yet but can't decide which one to get. I was given money towards an iPod for my birthday quite a few months back and I have waited until now to buy an iPod because I kept hearing a widescreen one was coming. When Steve Jobs made the announcement the other day I was so excited. The shuffle is out so it's between the Nano, Classic and Touch ones. The problem is I'm nuts over the cuteness of the nano and the adorable colours (I'd get red if I got this one), then I love the storage of the classic and I'd get black if I got that one and probably the 80 GB one, but then there is the coolness and widescreen part of the Touch I'm dying for. I'd get the 8 GB one if I got that one. So I'm very torn which one to buy. Why can't this be an easy one for me. I'm waiting for detailed reviews to come out next week so I can read the pros, cons etc. Already I've been on some forums to hear everyone's feedback.

Until I blog again,

:) S.

My Blog Has Been Up One Year and My Time At Camp!

(all of us at the top of the mountain)

Just over a year ago I posted my first post in blogger land. I had just come home from Camp where I was a Cabin Leader at a Teen Girls camp. See original here.

Well two weeks ago I came home from the same camp and again worked at Teen Girls. The girls in my cabin were wonderful and I made so many wonderful memories. It was a blast to go tubing with two of my campers. I've been to this camp many times before over the years but had never had a chance to take the hike up the mountain. So one day Rosalyn announced she was taking a group of girls up and we had to meet at the flag pole. My mom was also working in the kitchen and my sister was the speaker and we all thought it would be great.(view from the top)

First off, I thought I was in okay shape and thought it wouldn't be that hard. Let me tell you I was wrong. It was a grueling 45 minute hike that was fast paced and for the very fit. My sister and I took many breaks along the way while everyone else trailed ahead. My mom had no problems but my sister and I were panting out of breath and feeling like our lungs would cave in. It was a sheer test of endurance and I kept asking the Lord for strength with each step. It was up rock, tree bark, moss, bush, etc. A couple of times I told my sister I wasn't sure I could do it. I mean deep down I thought I could but at the time it seemed impossible.
(view from the top looking down at the camp)

It was a lot like life, you go through trials and tribulations but you persevere through it all and you make it one day at a time and one step at a time. When we got to the top the view was breathtaking and it was wonderful to catch my breath and enjoy it all. So I thought going down would be a piece of cake. Well no, it took a long time because there were falling rocks everywhere and I had to come down cautiously one foot in front of the other. We were blessed we had another Cabin Leader who knew the way back and was able to go slow with us. A few girls even got lost up there by taking the wrong path and the guide had to go back and get them but they make it back safely.

So this year there were no cougar sightings (unlike my post last year) and I was so thankful. Being out in the cabins the Cabin Leaders take the campers out to the washrooms at night. I still kept my cell phone handy just in case I saw or heard anything but saw nothing. I came back energized and felt like I'd had a holiday. It was hard to say good-bye to the campers as it always is but I knew I would keep in touch with them.
One of the neat crafts we did this year was make monkey's. The camp had a jungle theme this year and so it fit in perfectly. It was such a fun project and there are still things I want to fix on mine but thought I would post him up on the blog for all to see. :)

I brought my cheap automatic camera and haven't developed the photos yet so the ones of the hike are from a friend at camp. Since the mishap with my last digital camera, I didn't want to take any chances with my new one.

K. is up there right now as I type this and I know she will have many stories of her wonderful week. Just thought I better get cracking and get my post up.

Blessings to all and to all a good-night,

S.

A Lot Going On!

First hole being dug.
Eddie in the first hole.

Well as you can see two weeks ago the renovations to fix our leak started out swimmingly. The guys had to replace cracked tiles and we thought maybe just one or two needed replacing. It turned out that they to dig out the left side of our house and a big hole in our lawn. About 8 weeping tiles were replaced and a new pipe put in.

An old pipe.
A pipe that will break easily. Adam demonstrated this by throwing a rock at it.

In total it took 8 days to fix. The guys were at the house on an off for a few hours at a time. There was lots of drilling and digging happening and I realized what it must feel for people who get their house renovated for months on end. I was just happy it was all happening outside.


The side all dug up.
One of the guys inside.

It's all finished now and we are ready for a heavy rainstorm. Let is rain, let it rain. Now we just have to get the cement filled in where they filled the hole with dirt.

I'm off to camp as a counselor so will have adventures to talk about when I return. Just pray I don't see any cougars.

Till then,

:)S.

I Know It's Been Awhile!

Sandcastle that was built over a period of two days

Natural just fruit roll ups
Mini sourdough breads, C. figured how to get her own starter after much trial and error.
Pink Peppermint Spray (purposely blurred), it's great for tired legs and feet and also works great for headaches or anytime you need to wake up.

So You Think You Can Dance 3 (the final ten)

Cast of Big Brother 8


Hello Everyone out in Blogger Land,

I'm still alive and well but just super busy and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. Our bath and beauty line is doing well at the market (we've added several new things, see above) and as I posted not long ago we have added a whole new extension onto the business as we now have organic bread and goodies. So instead of having one thing to keep us busy we now have two things that both demand time and attention.

Plus we are getting ready to go back up to camp in about two weeks and I can't believe the summer is almost over. A week ago we got a new sink put into our kitchen that we badly needed. Also we got the part below our deck all finished up. Tomorrow the people come to dig up infront of our house to fix that awful leak we got back in January.

I last blogged about Hidden Palms and that show is now over and won't return due to bad ratings. The frustrating part was they shot 13 episodes and squeezed it down to eight so at the end of eight you are left wondering a couple of things. That's how TV goes though.

Currently I'm into Big Brother 8 (see above photo) and have been watching that since Big Brother 5. On that note I really want Jen to leave she is driving me nuts and seems to have no feelings for anyone but herself. While talking about shows I am also really enjoying So You Think You Can Dance. Everytime I watch it makes me want to take dance classes, and everyone is so limber.

Also last week-end I went to go see a sandcastle built by a professional. A local grocery store near us sponsored the event and there were several of one type of produce the store gets it's name from. I took so many photos but this one is an overall view (see above).

For some reason I can't get my pictures to move inbetween paragraphs so for now they are all up top.

Hope all is well with my friends and fellow bloggers.

S. is out for now :)

My Guilty Pleasure!

I have to confess I have a new guilty pleasure. On my gossip blog I was lamenting the fact I was sad that the "O.C." got cancelled and "Gilmore Girls," but like everything else a new show comes around the corner. Before this show came out I had heard someone asking when it would air. As soon as it started I had a feeling I would like it. It is a typical teenage saga of tangled webs, lost loves, new crushes and danger. So last night I was watching it and had taped it earlier in the night and was on the edge of my seat to find out this secret that's been brewing. All of the sudden the tape cuts out and I lost the last few minutes. So furiously I went on my computer seeing if I could catch it live anywhere but of course the station it's on wouldn't let me see the online version. Other sites I had with live TV feed had earlier episodes so now I'm left wondering until it airs on the internet or I catch the repeat of it on Sunday night.

It's called: "Hidden Palms" and it airs Wednesday nights on the CW at 8:00p.m. To give you a sneak peak here is a clip:

I would not recommend this for young kids. Also just found out that this show isn't doing well as is always the case for shows I seem to like. They shot 13 episodes and they will end the show sooner. The last episode was pretty dark so I'm not really sure where it's heading.

Toodles :)

Bread, Bread and more Bread!

Organic Honey Wheat Loaf
Organic Baquettes
Organic Sunflower Seed and Plain Loaves
Bread being packed for it's journey to the market
Our bread section at the market

Well as you can see we've started making bread for the market. Last Saturday was our first week with the bread addition and we also made cinnamon rolls as well. This year at the market we lost some of our bread vendors and we saw a need and decided to step on board and offer bread as well.

Hope everyone is well.

S.

Icon from: http://www.zwatla.com/emoticones_018.html

Bionic Woman Returns!

Michelle Ryan brings "Bionic Woman" to life, 30 years after Lindsay Wagner played the role. I saw this preview today and really enjoyed it, I'm not sure if it will be too scary or not and I will warn you it's a bit intense and fast paced. It reminded me a bit of "Alias" and it starts in the fall.
This is a screenshot and I couldn't figure out how to get it on my blog as there was no code. So to see it you will have to go HERE.

Hope you all had a great long week-end.

:) S. has left the building.