a change will do you good

My dad has been working hard on our house the last few months doing all of the renovations that Steve and I have wanted to do ourselves but simply don't have the time for. When I arrived home form work today his latest project was done. Our master bedroom. He replaced the old, worn hardwood with bamboo, painted and replaced the window blind. I don't have a before picture for comparison but you'll just have to imagine an oak floor in a slightly yellowish stain and pale yellow walls.


A little different, eh? We were looking for a lighter version of this colour but it really doesn't exist. We were both a little timid about painting our bedroom such a dark shade, but now that it's done, I think it looks awesome. And once we get the furniture back in and some pictures up on the wall, we'll be ready for one of those home decor magazines!

lips like sugar...

Just a quick post tonight as I just got home and am completely wiped.

Went to a holiday baking demo tonight with a few of the girls. It was part of the McMaster University Alumni Event series. I've been to a few of these events now and they are quite good. Tonight's featured one of the best bakeries around, Weil's Bakery in the lovely Westdale neighbourhood of Hamilton. They taught us how to make a few yummy desserts (including creme brulee!) and treated us to samples of each of the desserts. And there were door prizes. And I won this very cool wall mounted scale/timer/clock thingy!


Now that my sugar high is wearing off, I'm going to bed. Nighty night folks.

'tis a gift to be simple...

We just received a copy of the most recent Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue in the mail. It's their Christmas gift guide and it is full of wacky gadgets. Here are a few that cracked me up. Or made me scratch me head. Or both.

The Fish Agility Training Set

Seriously? Are there really people out there who train their fish to do tricks?

The Personalized Woven Photographic Image Throw



Because nothing says creepy like a giant picture of your loved ones on a blanket.

The Star Wars Nutcracker Set
Honestly, I don't even know what to say about these.

The 14 M.P.H. Cooler
Now this I can get on board with! I might need it for next summer's camping trip.

The Talking Pet Bowl


This would totally freak my cat out! It might actually send him over the edge.

Hope this helps you with your Christmas shopping!

it's not unusual...

One of my favourite Tuesday rituals is to check out the new releases on iTunes. Today I was not disappointed. Tom Jones has released her first studio album of new material in 15 years. I downloaded it. And it's awesome.

I have to admit, it's also a bit of a nostalgia thing for me. I remember watching the re-runs of Jones' variety show This is Tom Jones, that originally aired from 1969-1971. I remember the skinny stick-like microphone he used, the untied bow tie he often wore around his neck and that near the end of the show he would mop the sweat off his face with a towel and then throw it to some woman in the audience who would shriek in delight. Just the thought of it totally cracks me up but back then it was so cool. And even now, at the age of 68, he can still illicit the same kind of enthusiastic reaction from an audience. As far as I'm concerned, that's the mark of a true entertainer.

if a picture paints a thousand words...

Just got home from a full day of work and an excellent massage. I'm sipping a cup of tea before bed and writing up a quick post. Well, writing may not be the best description. I'm too tired for words, so here are a few pictures I took this summer at the cottage.

We had a rainy spring and early summer at the cottage resulting in an more mushrooms than I have ever seen.

A spiderweb on a foggy morning.

Misty morning on the lake.

Family of loons.

A maple leaf that peaked too early.

Blue jay in a tree.

One of the odder fungi I came across.

The old heron that lives on the point.

the final countdown...

I started counting down the days to my last day of work before maternity leave back in September. But it wasn't until last week, that I actually counted the days until my due date. It was actually Steve who pointed it out, but now I can't get it out of my head. As of today, there are 42 days until my due date. That's just over a month. Until life as we currently know it, completely changes. Or does it? I've spent a l0t of time over the past few months thinking about this. Almost everyone I know who has children keeps telling me that "life is never the same" and "everything changes" and they make it sound so drastic and dire. Yes, I realize that Steve and I will be responsible for a human life who will rely on us for absolutely everything. But we're not changing, are we? We'll still be the same people, just with another little person around to take care of. Of course our lifestyle will change. We won't be going out as much and we'll be spending money differently. We won't be getting much sleep for the first little while, not they we get enough sleep now. I guess I'm just having trouble imagining how different and life changing this whole thing is going to be. But I guess I'll find in approximately 42 days.

what's your name?

One of the questions you are asked constantly when pregnant is, "have you decided on names?" Steve and I have a few ideas but have decided to make up our minds when we actually meet the kid. We've had a few people lend us baby name books, but I was intrigued to find a link this site on Lifehacker today. At What A Lovely Name, you can view a list of potential names based on character traits. So if you click on the words "strong", "leader" & "independent" and select boys names only, it returns a list of 18 names of various ethnicities, including Wolfrick, Havelock & Zenon. Interesting choices. None are names that I would want to saddle my child with but it is fascinating to see what they come up with. It also gives you the meaning of each name. Wolfrick is German for "wolf ruler", Havelock is Scandanavian for "sea battle" and Zenon is apparently derived from Zeus. Again, interesting, but I think we're going to stick with something a little more, er, normal. Maybe something that won't get the kid punched out on its first day of school.

sing, sing, sing...

As I was heading into work today on the Go Train and flipping through the contents of my iPod, I found Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. I had forgotten that I had downloaded this so it was an unexpected treat to come across it. It's basically a short musical created by Joss Whedon, the brilliant mind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that was distributed solely on the Internet. It's clever and funny and very entertaining. I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you are a Neil Patrick Harris, Buffy or musical theatre fan.

if the band just never ended...

Great Big Sea was incredible last night at Hamilton Place. Seriously. Each of the guys in this band are fantastic multi instrumentalists and singers on their own. Put them together and the stage is overflowing with talent, passion and energy. Truly an awesome show.

They played a bunch of their hits plus whole lot of tunes from their latest album Fortune's Favour. At one point, everyone left the stage except for Alan Doyle. He explained that the boys in the band were taking turns doing a solo each night and tonight was his turn. The only stipulation is that they pick a tune that they have never played in public. Because Alan first met Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor from Blue Rodeo in Hamilton, he decided to do Falling Down Blue. And it was a fabulous rendition. See for yourself.

rainy days and mondays...

So today was neither rainy, nor a Monday but it was overcast (it's now snowing) and it might as well have been a Monday because I have felt like crap all day. The baby decided to kick my ass today. I've had some lovely "morning sickness". Thankfully, I'm feeling better now and well enough to head out to the Great Big Sea concert at Hamilton Place. I can't guarantee that I will make it through the whole show, but since we do have front row tickets, we have to show up, at least for part of it.

Luckily, today wasn't a total loss. Once the nausea wore off enough so that I could sit up without feeling horrible, I was able to finish a few knitting projects.


I started knitting this blanket for myself, but it's going to be a Christmas present for my dad instead. It's very soft and will be a cozy couch blanket for him.


This is my first attempt at the famous (among us knitting geeks anyway) Baby Surprise Jacket. And it turned out really well. It will be mailed to Boston this weekend, to friends of our who just welcomed a new daughter.


These don't look like much, but they are going to very useful once Em arrives. They're burp cloths. The colourful one is actually a bit short, but I was using leftover yarn and didn't have enough of the colour. So I'll likely use it as a washcloth instead.

It feels good to know today wasn't a total waste.

watcha got cookin'...

I was lucky enough to marry a guy who loves to cook. If I was single, I would probably have take out for dinner every night. When Steve is away, I pretty much survive on a steady diet of Swiss
Chalet. It's not that I don't enjoy cooking, I'm just too lazy to cook for myself.

Steve loves to cook. And he's good at it. He has the ability to open the fridge, survey the supplies and whip up a magnificent meal from whatever he finds. Tonight, for example, we feasted on spaghetti with pesto and grilled vegetables. He credits this skill to countless hours watching cooking shows on television. Whatever the reason I am very thankful for it. Not to mention, full.

oom pah in the park with Ned

I've blogged about my love for Sesame Street and The Muppets before, but I just had to post this. Steve has a much better memory for TV stuff than I do. I didn't really remember Simon Soundman until he reminded me and we looked up the clips on You Tube. Here's one of Steve's favourites.



Awesome!