Cute with Chris, round 2

I took some time aside to think about the error Chris had made in posting a pic of Sierra and calling her 'Zoe', alongside my horribly bruised ankle. At first I felt excited that my pics had been posted, and on my first submission! However, the more I thought about it, and the more I read the comments, which expressed a certain doubtful quality about Sierra's ability to injure me without the help of drugs or alcohol coursing through my system, the more I felt I had the right to defend my position on the site.

So I sent more stuff.

And it got posted THE SAME DAY I sent it. I'm 2 for 2, bitches.

Sunday Style

I know, I know. Cleaning products are not stylish. But hear me out.
I've been using method cleaners for about 1 year. There are a wide variety of products available from laundry detergent to wood polish and all of them are non-toxic and naturally derived. The bottles and packaging are all made from 100% recycled materials and the cleaners themselves are biodegradable. You won't be breathing in damaging chemicals and all of the products I've tried work like a hot damn.

My mom visited last year and used the Method all-purpose cleaner to take oil off her car and it worked better than the industrial cleaners she had just used at the car wash. How's about them apples?

Website here.

The Clubhouse

Our house is a teensy 980 square feet. A living room, kitchen, bathroom with a washer and dryer inside, and 2 bedrooms, one of which is a sad dumping ground for lack of storage. There is no utility room, mudroom, basement, entryway, storage (not even a hall closet!), or SPACE for Dave and I to relax away from eachother.

Not that we don't like eachother - we do - but when you spend virtually all your at-home time in the same room, it can get a little tense.

Dave had a brainwave. He decided to turn our small garage (our van won't fit through the door) into a hangout room for him and his guy friends. (Not only is this a fabulous idea, but it also frees up our spare room to turn into MY space, which will be the next project).

He's pretty much finished - and the best part? He did it for under $100.00, including paint for the walls and floor, all the furniture, the TV, and even the drumkit! There's a lot to be said for resourcefullness.

More photos here.

Spreadsheetmania

I used to wonder where all our money was going. Then I decided to count up all the 'spending' that was going on in our account - only the food spending. Now I know. We (*coughdavecough*) spent in the month of February, $500 plus on lunches, snacks, and possibly cigars. Ahem.

Needless to say, we now have a budget. I spent the better part of my day off creating a colorful, well-organized, multifaceted spreadsheet that will (hopefully) help us control our money a leeetle better.

As a result of this fabulous new plan, I found a bunch of money that I think would look really good in an account labelled 'Vacation', in addition to the 'New Car' money and the 'Date Night' money.

Stay tuned for our future vacation plan. It's going to be AWESOME!

Kraft Hockeyville 2009

Kraft Hockeyville 2009

Check this out. Terrace is in the running for the coveted title of HOCKEYVILLE 2009, a contest put on by Kraft and CBC. If we win, we get ultimate bragging rights, $100,000 to put towards our arena and an NHL pre-season game gets played right here in town. (PLEASE GOD, LET THE OILERS COME TO TOWN!!!)

Anyway the important thing is that you all VOTE AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE!!!

CUTE WITH CHRIS POST BITCHES!

I recently sent in a picture of my hideous ankle in to Cute with Chris, along with a pic of Zoe and one of Dave and Sierra snuggling. And to my enormous surprise, when I viewed his site this morning he had posted it! OMG!! The only crummy thing is that...he posted the pic of Sierra snuggling with Dave, calling her Zoe and blaming her for my ankle, which couldn't be further from the truth. BUT STILL! SO EXCITING! I can't wait to show Dave his internet-fameousness.

Sunday Style

Adria Vasil's 'Ecoholic' is a succinct yet informative guide to a wide variety of eco-friendly products and services. It is also a CANADIAN book, so...we can actually get the stuff. There is a large amount of up-to-date info about scary stuff that you may not know were in your make up or your food, as well as healthy alternatives from old-timey non-disposable shaving to ethically and environmentally responsible mutual funds to fair trade tea.

The websites for the products and services mentioned are printed in green as they are mentioned in the writing as well as in a handy index at the back. There is also a guide of stores that carry said products, by city.

I do have a criticism: There appears to be one glaring omission in the area of Fair Trade Coffee. Please take the time to check out Level Ground Trading, which is not mentioned in 'Ecoholic'.

The Oscars

I have a confession to make: I LOVE looking at the best/worst dressed lists online. Although I'm sure the feelings of some actresses have been hurt in the making of these lists and the cutting commentary that sometimes comes along, I feel that in some way, this secret hobby of mine helps me to be kinder.

You see, there is this THING in all (most?) women - this snappy, aggressive, under-the-surface competition that goes on. Who is skinner, prettier, more talented, has a more successful/better looking partner? Who is a better mother or who is raising their children the "right way"? Who has the "correct" political, religious, ethical, or moral leanings? Who has the biggest/best decorated/cleanest house, who cooks the best tasting/healthiest food? It seems that these competitions can be based on anything. ANYTHING.

So it's only natural that I enjoy critiquing the most glamorous of them all. As shallow as it is, perhaps it helps me get that snappy, ugly side of me out of my system so that when I'm with my girlfriends, my thoughts don't deviate, finding reasons to internally criticize the people I call care about so that I can smugly and irrationally feel superior. Or is it simply mindless entertainment turned to self-awareness? I don't know.

The best/worst list is most certainly not the only facet of Hollywood that I succumb to.

I LOVE movies and I have a memory for names. My husband often complains that I know too much about the stars, that I pay too much attention. I just know their names is all. I have a bit of a memory for previous work, I enjoy seeing and appreciating the diversity in people's careers, especially when they are used in widely differing roles.

In any case the Oscars are tomorrow. We do not have cable so we are heading over to Grandma and Grandpa's to watch the big event and I have made it my business to watch nominated films all week in preparation.

Perhaps I will start posting regular movie reviews as an outlet for this little hobby of mine.

And if this happens, POST A DAMN COMMENT. Your silence is killing me.

Happy Valentines

The cupcakes were a hit, thanks to the voracious appetites of my co-workers.

Thanks be to Martha.

Style Experiment

I'm not really sure if anyone is reading this blog other than my mom, (thanks mom), but if anyone out there is interested, I plan to start posting regularly about products that I really enjoy using. I think for now it will happen once a week, perhaps on Sunday.

I bought this lotion at the local drugstore because it is paraben-free, phthalate-free, propylene-glycol free and dye free. I thought, hey that stuff gives me cancer, so I should buy lotion that doesn't have it! Little did I know that it would also smell amazing! This one here is 'Lemon Cream' and it smells exactly like lemon pound cake, you know, the kind with the sugary glaze on top? EXACTLY like that.

I love it so much that I went back the next week and bought a lavender scented bottle to use at work. It seems that whenever I use it, the realtor's offices simultaneously empty as employees start drifting towards my desk in search of the source of the scent. It's lovely and I don't mind sharing.

J.R Watkins website here.