Live it!

Self Portraits

After handing the camera over to my husband, trying to instruct him on the best angle, closeness and aperture to use when taking my portrait... and failing (me in explaining; him in achieving) miserably, i decided to just try myself. Easier said than done - i have short arms and had a hell of a time getting the camera to focus while still keeping my whole HEAD in the shot. But... i did get this one, and it will work. I don't mind it and I usually cringe at photos of me.

I've also discovered that if you stand beside a window and LOOK up into the camera - it does wonders. Slims out the face... blurs out the wrinkles... focuses on the eyes. and you end up with a photo you actually like of yourself. odd angle, kinda too close but it works. Now... if only I'd remembered some lipstick.

My BOY

...isn't shy. isn't afraid to smile for the camera... knows he is spectacular... he is sweet ... dramatic... extremely handsome... hip and casual ... he is cool  - he is social... he is happy and he is funny - and he is a HAM ...that's my BOY!

All around the house...

i look and it is lost in the mess right now. i have my scrapbook stuff in the dining room so i can work amongst all the sickies here. i need to transfer it all back down to my scrapbook "dungeon" in the basement but to do that - i must CLEAN it up - and that takes more time than i have right now.

looking around at the house, i got to thinking about collecting. i have never been a collector. i can't think of one thing i collect avidly (other than scrap- book/ art supplies) - i buy what i like but never like something enough to begin "collecting it". still, i have some nice things in the house that represent my taste and what I LIKE. Thankfully, what I like is usually also what Shaune likes: we have the same decorating taste and for that i am lucky. I decided to search out the house and find the one thing that is my 'favorite' item - the one thing i can see staying in our house for decades - me never growing tired of it or it going out of style. I came across this old globe and remembered when my father in law gave it to me. i think he was surprised by how much i loved the old relic. i didn't want it refinished or polished - i liked it just the way it was with the old world map peeling off and the brass all tarnished up. this kind of speaks of my 'taste' - i like things that looked "lived in". comfy. i think they have more of a story if they aren't perfect. i think they have personality. looking at this old globe reminded me i need to fill my house with stuff like this - stuff that makes me smile and says something about me. thanks Larry for bestowing me this old thing - it will be forever loved... just as it is.

My favorite relic in the home.

Birdies and Buddies...

Chloe's vocabulary is really picking up. Shaune and I have started to write down all the words she is saying and it just makes us smile. She has one SWEET voice and makes us laugh a lot when she comes out with words (with such excitement sometimes in her voice). Her latest thing is the BIRDIES. She loves the birds in our yard. She notices birds everywhere we go and even calls House Flies "Birdies".  I got these photos of her hangin' out in our Breezeway - content to just watch for birds and giggle with glee when one would land in the yard. OMG she is sweet. look at her little tooshies sitting so sweetly on her converse low-tops (thanks again Tara W). She laughs and squeels and says repeatedly to me - "Ooooh, Look da birdies!"

I came across these photos last night when looking for something to scrapbook. It is so funny how much Keaton adores this guy "Curtis". I feel so lucky that Lori and I had them at relatively the same time in life (Curtis is only 4 months younger than Keaton) and that they get to grow up together. They are quite opposite in many ways but they love eachother very much. They are 2nd cousins and close. I hope they always will be. Curtis is into Thomas; Keaton is all about Rescue Heroes. Keaton loves to DRIVE all his outside vehicles - Curtis is content and happy to be the passenger. Keaton is fast and extreme; Curt is a bit more cautious. Keaton is silly; Curtis is animated and funny. they love to laugh. they love to play. they are great friends and for that i am so happy. everyone needs a good buddy to count on. 

sick of SICK...

the flu has hit our home yet again and we have had a nasty wk AGAIN. i am truly starting to question the purpose of flu shots - since every year the kids and i diligently go and get our shots, and every year we all come down with this nasty ailment. it has not been fun. Keaton is old enough now that he 'gets' it and understand being sick... he runs the the toilet to barf... he knows to sleep if he is feeling tired and ill. Chloe on the other hand is really alarmed by the whole thing. this girl rarely ever cries and it kills me when she gets this sick. to top it off, i was supposed to escape for a 3 day 'holiday' with Shaune - starting Wednesday til today. On Tuesday night I started to feel it. i knew in my heart that by Wednesday morning - i would be in no shape for travel and fun :(  so i missed my relaxing shopping trip and stayed home to be ill.   luckily i have a great Mother-in-law who is always happy to help out and take the kids.  i am so lucky that way. i recovered in time to pick the kids up the next day and find out that it was Chloe's turn. we were up all night. Keaton had this last weekend - i'm hoping like heck he doesn't get it again. Shaune just called to let me know he is on his way home from Toronto and just as i'm getting giddy for a break from this ill-ridden home - he tells me he has the flu and was up all night suffering. YUCK. i am so sick of this. i know it isn't the end of the world... far from it. but man, it wears you down. Seperate drink cups; seperate baths; dry toast and crackers; gravol and just a really stale smell (ick) in the house. Sick sucks. Spring is here and that is great - but why does it always have to bring this change of season flu with it? COMPLAIN complain; WHINE whine; GRUMBLE grumble!

IPOD cravings

i finally stopped at Future Shop yesterday to look at IPODs and price them and decide if i really want one. i was pleasantly surprised to see the 20GB IPOD at around $360 Canadian.  for some reason i was thinking they were more like $500.  i like the colourful mini's but want more storage space, so i've decided the 20GB is best for me i think.  my question is: how do you use it? what other features do you have with yours? i saw (and want) the BOSE docking bay but that thing was more money that the IPOD at $399.  ouch.  not sure i can stomach slappin' down that kind of cash unless it is Christmas time (ha) but i'm not sure how i'd use it without that feature?

looking for ideas. opinions. etc. i know alot of my friends have these  - shout out to you all in the USA.  tell me why you can't live without yours.  and tell me what kind you have.

the 20GB only comes in white i think. big bummer. i so crave that funky green that the mini comes in.

ME

a friend of mine: TINA B noted in a challenge a few days ago  -  all the things that make her Tina. her signature - what she is all about. felt like thinking tonight... so here is "me" in a nutshell:

My favorite colour is and i think has always been GREEN. i don't think there is a shade of green i don't love. even baby poop green looks great too me (although i prefer the paint shade as opposed to the stuff in the diaper!)  Kelly green is a favorite shade at the moment.

i love coconut. love the smell of it and the taste of it.  i've recently discovered a tasty Weight Watchers friendly snack called "cravings" or something like that. 2 points - heavenly.  i've decided my 'signature scent' for summer will be coconut. mmmm mmm.  i'll smell like the beach. feel all hawaiian tropic - even if i can't "look it". ha!

Words used to describe me: shaune has described me as a passionate person. passionate as in 'strong with feeling'. i am definetly that. loving; crazy; silly; and yes... sometimes moody!  i can also be outspoken but never in a mean way - i just say what i think. sometimes it gets me in trouble (by mistake)... usually though - i think people appreciate my honesty. i like being me. its all i know how to be.

i used to love to cook. i hate to cook now. i hate to grocery shop also. i will put it off for wks sometimes. it is sad. kids did that to me. i remember in college... loving the freedom to go to the grocery store and choose what I wanted to eat. loved cooking meals for shaune when we lived in london. if i had to chose, i would pick cooking over baking. i do like making appetizers and stuff, because it is fast and yummy. shaune loves my cooking (i'm a good cook) but hates the mess i make. i am a mess maker in all things i do - cooking included. my best recipes are: Aunt Carolyn's Caesar Salad; French Onion Soup; Spagetti Sauce; Chocolate chip cookies.

i am not much of a Reader. rarely read. when i do read, it is bloody stuff. forensic CSI type books.  right now i'm reading Patricia Cornwell's "the Last Precinct" - nothing exciting. murder and autopsies. I remember the nurses laughed when they saw the book i brought in to the hospital when Chloe was born = "Season of the machete".  nice book to take for the arrival of your child i know. that book took me over a yr to read. HA - see - not so much a reader since kids and scrapbooking entered my life.

you will almost always see me dressed in jean skirts. i love jean skirts. i love skirts but especially long jean skirts. usually i have on an open blouse and tank or something casual like that. long jean skirts are resilient - they stand up to kids boogers; dirty hands; mud; dishsoap; scrapbook adhesives - and still come out of the dryer looking brand new. love my jean skirts!

i'm a night owl. as i type this - it is 11:56 pm - and i am not in the least bit tired. i was tired at 1pm... but once i get over that hump - i am live wired for the night. i usually crawl into bed at 1:30-2pm.   5 hrs sleep is what i average. it works for me.

I wish: i was thin; athletic; liked to excerise; was a bit taller; still had naturally red hair; had a few less freckles; could have beautiful pedicured feetsies; go to the hairdressers every 6 wks like i always say i will do but never get around to doing; i wish i had a wardrobe like my daughter; i wish someone would cook our family nutritious tasty suppers. wishing the day was longer and weekends too for that matter; wishing shaune and i could afford to add on a family room to the house; wish we could afford a trip once a year - just the 2 of us - to somewhere tropical and fun and romantic... lots of wishing. but life is good and i'll take it as it comes. i am happy!

my "style" - ecclectic. i love a mix of stuff. just the right mix of modern with my antiques. one day i will get this house back on track and make it what i envisioned. i am getting the urge. my decorating style is probably "cottage style". i want a house that looks lived in, that is interesting to look at with lots of unique details - but not cluttered and not 'pretty'. COZY. that is what i like.

habits:  GOOD ONES - i am affectionate. i saw i love you a lot. i try and be kind to others always. i am learning to see others points of view and realizing that not everyone has to be like me. embracing people's differences. i show my kids a good life - a loving life. they know they are loved. i will always make sure they know that. saying i love you to your family is probably the BEST habit you can have, ....other than showing them you love them. combine the two and everyone is happy :)  BAD ONES - oh boy - i have lots. biting my nails and eating when i'm not hungry are probably my 2 worst habits. my recent addiction to diet coke and diet pepsi (i'm not chosey) isn't good either. i remember once i said i would never prescribe to aspartame sweetened drinks. eek. where is my willpower?

my best friend: probably my mom. love that woman. she is the first person i call if disaster strikes. if i need a shoulder or help with the kids. or if shaune and i need advice on something. she is a friend, but was always a mother too. perfection - i just strive to be like her someday - she is perfection. to me. there is nothing better - than a mom that you can lean on and laugh with too.   shaune ranks a close second. he doesn't mind taking back seat to my mom. he loves her too. they are alike in many ways. i admire them both very much. i am lucky.

songs i'm listening to lately: gwen stefani (harajuka girls; whatcha waiting for; rich girl); sting (when we dance); billy joel (goodnight saigon); bruce springstein (thunder road); tracy chapman (fast car); rob thomas (lonely anymore); Momma Mia soundtrack. love my music. old and new. it makes me happy.

TV: i don't watch a lot of tv. i watch survivor and CSI every thursday; shaune and i are now Amazing Race addicts and sometimes i even dabble in the (pathetic season) Bachelor.  Oprah is the only show i really watch during the day... and sometimes i flick over to Ellen to just watch her dance. i want to be in her audience!

i need: perfume; coconut body butter; open toe sandals; more jean skirts; short sleeve tops; a haircut and highlights; a pedicure in the WORST way.  oh... and an IPOD is coming to my house next check that hits my mailbox. i've wanted one of these for too long - it is time to bite that bullet!

what i like about me: humor; loyalty; love; creative side; and sometimes i DO like my freckles.... sometimes.

a day at the ZOO...

what fun! we were slow getting there: shaune had taken friday off work for us to go but keaton woke up sick at 6am ... so we postponed a day. Saturday we did go and man-o-man, the weather was awesome. not too hot, not too cold. perfect Spring weather. usually we go in early August and DIE of heat exhaustion as we trek all over the zoo - this year we were smart. the kids had a blast. we go every year (skipped last year in favor of Marine Land though) but enjoy it. The zoo is only 2 hrs west of us in Toronto - not too bad. we considered getting a seasons pass now that i am home all the time - but in the end decided we probably wouldn't get up there enough to make it worth the while.

keatons favorite zoo resident: the gorilla.  just one silver-back gorilla was outside yesterday. he put on quite a show and would run past the wall of spectators and bang his fist on the wall - at first i thought he was mad but i think he was showing off... showing us what macho man he was. Keaton thought he was being funny. man those gorillas are HUGE.

my fav was the elephants, always love the elephants. the most gorgeous animal i saw was a "white-handed gibbon". got a photo of him. he looked like a stuffed animal - but a big one. cute!

chloe liked the seagulls -lol. well, all the birds. she would see the seagulls and other birds and squeal... saying "Birdies". she was so good and was especially happy when we let her out of the stroller and she could 'run' around.

Shaune liked the polar bears best. 2 were on display and they were HUGE. they are the cutest things, especially when you view them underwater.

somehow i took 119 photos on my camera... most of them not great. some good. i just put it on auto WB and settings... didn't want to think about photo taking - just wanted to have fun. it was such a bright sunny day. it was a great day! at one point, i looked into the stroller at Keats and Chloe and this is what i saw: (i guess even the zoo gets "old" after 5 hours). We headed for the exit shortly after this photo:

...we were going to stop at Chucky Cheese on the way home but we could hardly stay awake... so McD's won out in the end.

days like this...

are paradise to me! i love the weekends, love being all together - shaune home... playing, reading a bit, creating a bit, playing more, watching the kids thoroughly enjoy the life we provide them. they are happy and that is just the Best! fancy life - nope -not us... but good life, yes!

today was action packed. here are just a few little tidbits from our heavenly spring saturday:

Chloe... leaves your sight for 1 minute... and this is what you find... utter destruction. this girl is a one woman wrecking crew.

Chloe again... the climber. These photos crack me up. K and I were watching tv this morning... Shaune - looking thru the flyers... Chloe freely walking to and fro ON TOP of the dining room table. Notice Shaune's concern. I think he scolded her a few times but quickly got back to the task of studying the grocery store sales. I don't know where she gets this from. She does this often... She has caused us to dismantle our dining room set up and all chairs are pushed against the wall to make it harder for her to get up on the table... but now she has learned how to pick up those big chairs and move them close enough to the table to get up.

another thing i enjoyed today: Body Shop and Body Butter/Body Scrub. if you don't got em'... get them. i rarely seem to buy myself anything - but this stuff is just the best. the scrub REALLY works. my scent is Cocoa Butter but i wanted to buy coconut...maybe once the summer is here.

Spring also means we see Curt a lot more... he is over at Kathy's and outside and - more Curtis means a happy Keaton. they are the best of friends. There is probably noone Keaton would rather play with. I said as they played that I think Keaton would choose Curtis over Disney. They play and play and play. They get along well and their unique (and different) personalities just really work well together. Curtis totally cracks me up. He has such a funny personality. He calls me "Les-i-lee" and he could talk your hind leg off! Loved that Keaton has him to play with.. and love that spring is here - so they can play outside!                

Also... weekends are all about food around here too. Well, I'm going to Weight Watchers and love the program UNTIL the weekend comes. ha. and then little things like this dessert do me in. Luckily Keaton helped me with mine... but still - sheesh Leslie - show some willpower next time. Between chocolate and Tina's wickedly delicious "Chicken Curry with Cashews"... my weekend has been a total blow-out! oh well... better luck next time! Oh. and for any of you gals who like Curry - bug Tina or scan her blog for the recipe... it is just the best - one of my fav recipes ever. thanks Tina again.

Camera action from Keaton: keaton is thoroughly interested in my camera. he begs to take picture and i usually cave in and let him tote my heavy "baby" around... always making him wear the strap around his neck. He loves taking photos and it is so funny to watch what he takes photos of and the things he does and says: totally mimicking me. Take a photo: say "Perfect!"  Take a photo: say "nope". Take a photo and put that camera at a very odd angle: say "now that's what i'm talking 'bout". I'm excited to think he may like photography. Here are a few shots from our boy ... who hasn't quite figured out the focus thing yet.

And then a final photo... don't you love that "fresh from the bath" look kids have. when they are extremely dirty from a busy day of full-throttle play and then they come out of the tub and their hair is tossled and silky and clean. it is the only time Chloe's hair doesn't have food in it. Keaton is growing his hair out... wants it 'shaggy' for the summer. didn't think i would like it but i do. total cutie pies - squeeky clean!

up late...

i'm up late a lot. i work best at night when the kids are asleep and even when i trek upstairs to bed for the night, i am drawn to my computer...where i inevitably spend at least 1 hour sifting thru things and just having fun.

tonight, i am doing nothing productive whatsoever...

shaune and i decided to watch a movie my mother had taped for us to watch... "the manchurian candidate" with Denzel Washington. It is big for shaune and i to both take the time to sit down and watch a movie lately... one of us usually is tired or has work to do, etc.  BUT tonight we made the time... and watched a movie - until it stopped at the very end. OMG my mother - we laughed so hard. (couldn't help it!)... she had taped it for us but then taped over the ending with another movie. Almost 2 hours of movie watching and we were left hanging. I cannot wait to tell her (and tease her) tomorrow! so... does anyone know how that movie ended? odd one for sure!

so.. to console myself - i did some retail therapy. i shopped.. for my baby girl. she is spoiled (when it comes to clothes)... i admit it. but it is fun - and i could be spending my money on worst things. Besides, who can resist a sale.

i bought her:

This!  and THIS (awwww!) and then i had to get her this to go with some of her bootcut jeans: FIFI tee (sassy!)

and now i am going to bed. weird how buying cute little clothing can make me happy. especially when i 'm truly the one in this house that NEEDS the clothes. But... alas... Chloe looks much better in cute little numbers like these than i do.