It's been a while since I have posted an Engrish post! I was going through my clothes and putting away things I will not be able to wear in the next few months when my baby bump begins to show (and later on, when I become huge)! I came across a shirt I bought in Japan that made me laugh so much I just had to buy it.

I don't think I've ever worn the shirt, but the Engrish writing was just too amazing for me to not buy it. I found the next few photos via Google Images. When I was in Japan, I got a kick out of going shopping because the Engrish used to just blow me away. It was always so much fun finding all kinds of neat items in the stores, but it was the English descriptions that got me!

One of my favourite snacks in Japan was a cookie-type snack called Collon (by Glico). I just thought it was really funny that the company would choose to name a product after a part of the human anatomy. Too funny! The chocolate-filled cookies were good though...if you can get past the "collon" part! :)
Some of the American, Kiwi, and Aussie teachers I worked with used to drink this thing called "Pocari Sweat". Just the word "sweat" associated with something one would drink just turned me off. I think it took me an entire year to muster up the courage to try the drink! It wasn't really that bad. It sort of tasted like grapefruit. The drink is supposed to make one feel fresh and relaxed. I guess it can be likened to something along the lines of "Gatorade" or other sports drinks.Another drink that made me chuckle the first time I heard of it is "Calpis". When some of my students ordered Calpis at a restaurant one evening, I thought I heard them say that they wanted to drink "Cow Piss"! I immediately started laughing and was faced with a bunch of blank looks. I had to explain that I thought they had said "cow piss" and then I had to explain what "cow piss" was...and all of a sudden, it wasn't funny anymore.

Calpis Soda did turn out to be one of my favourite drinks in Japan. It is excellent as a mixer for cocktails and Chuhai.

What to do with kids on a hot summer day? Head to the beach, of course! We usually go to my favourite spot on the Island, but today we decided on a change of location. Our nieces (Toad and Pook) and I went to Providence Bay and the beach was filled with families out enjoying the sun and the water. I'm a little bit biased and still think Carter Bay is the most beautiful spot ever! The water is so clear and the beach is always less crowded. We took a stroll on the boardwalk and went to the Interpretive Center.
We hung out at the beach for a few hours. The water was really refreshing. I was expecting it to be cooler than it was. There were loads of people swimming, but we just went in knee deep.

Before we went to the beach, the nieces and I made some homemade strawberry popcicles. Remember that massive strawberry craving I've been having all week? Well out of the six quarts of strawberries we bought, we had a quart and a half left over. Thanks to a comment from Louann, the girls and I were inspired to make a nice, cool, refreshing treat for ourselves to enjoy after spending the day out in the sun.
Pook was my big helper and hulled the strawberries. We put them into the blender with a speck of sugar and some milk.
Pook then poured the strawberry mixture into the popcicle molds and then we popped them into the freezer.

For as long as I can remember, Dad has never been one to show his emotions freely or to give excessive praise to his kids. He was from the school of hard knocks. His work ethic is beyond compare. Growing up, he drilled into our brains that school and education were the most important gifts he and my Mom could ever give us.

We were spoiled, but not materially. Dad wouldn't go out and buy us whatever we wanted whenever we wanted it. We had to earn things. I remember being 8 or 9 years old and really wanting a Cabbage Patch Kid. Well, in order for me to get a Cabbage Patch Kid, I had to get straight A's on my report card! I did get straight A's and I did get my Cabbage Patch Kid. At first, it seemed so cruel to have to work so hard for something that all my friends were getting without having to "earn". I was a bit upset, but I did learn the value of hard work and the prize was much sweeter in the end.

While Mom has always shown her love for us kids freely and openly, Dad was always more reserved. I do remember lots of tender moments like Dad bringing us trinkets from his business trips to Prague, Argentina, Hong Kong, etc. There was also the time I fell asleep on the couch at my folks' place and Dad put a blanket over me and gave me a good night hug.

Oh, and how could I forget the one Christmas when Dad gave me a compass as a Christmas gift because I was always getting lost (yes, I am still really bad with directions)! Dad is just really thoughtful and when he gives gifts they are always special...like the two pergolas he just finished building me yesterday.

For the past few weeks, I have been feeling fantastic excellent great (considering the tiredness and having to pee every thirty minutes). I boasted about how the nausea and morning sickness haven't been horrible. Things are changing though! Last week, I was getting sick in the evenings around 7PM. Now, I'm sick ALL the time! "Morning sickness" ought to be called "ALL DAY sickness!!!

Hubby also noticed that I now cry at the drop of a hat. I get teary and weepy over everything. I was at a wonderful concert on Saturday night and the music was so beautiful that I was instantly in tears. There was absolutely no turning off the waterworks! Embarrassing! J, this is why I carry TWO packages of tissues in my purse at all times! Seriously, the music was so beautiful that it just had me in tears. If any of you are on the Island and get a chance to listen to the Island Singers in concert, please do!

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you will know of my terrible hatred bread and "bready" type foods. All of a sudden, I've been craving bread (whole wheat, of course)! I think this makes Hubby happy, because before I was pregnant, we didn't eat much bread. Bread was just something I never ate much of. Hubby grew up on homemade bread. He said that my MIL baked fifteen loaves of bread a week for the family. They ate bread with every meal. Anyway, at the moment we have bread in our house. We've got cracked wheat, pumpernickel, caraway rye and raisin bread.

Whenever people ask me if I have any food cravings, I'd say no. I really wasn't craving anything. Now, I can't get enough fresh strawberries, red grapes or pineapple! My doctor was really happy that I have been craving healthy food. I always imagined that I'd crave chocolate or Miss Vicky's chips, but no!

Hubby and I went in for my doctor's visit today and the doctor gave me an "A" on my overall health. I had lost quite a bit of weight since March, my blood pressure is good, my blood glucose levels are good, and everything is on the right track. Being the type of person I am though, an "A" is good, but I'd like to shoot for an "A+" or an "A++"!!!

Everything is changing. It's almost hard to believe how much change is going on right now. At times it feels a little overwhelming. I have to sometimes take time out and breeeeeeeeeeeathe.
I'm really excited to be pregnant and I know that all of the nausea, exhaustion, mood swings and craziness will be worth it when our little one arrives in seven months :)

Here's an excellent website my doctor recommended to me when I asked for reliable resources and info on pregnancy. There are so many books and websites out there, that it's tough weeding through them all. This is one of the sites she told me about. It's from The Hospital for Sick Kids. There's a section on morning sickness, which is really interesting (since I've been having a really rough time with being sick all day).

Other things that are changing at the moment (other than my hormones, emotions and my body!):

My Dad has been working hard on building me a shade garden with two pergolas. It's looking good already! I am so happy and so thankful. I love my Papa!

Of course, some things don't change though...Like the fact that I've been blessed with some really great friends. Quite a few of my friends are pregnant right now (most are pregnant with their second babies) and they've been so amazing in giving me tips and advice (and basically making me feel more at ease and that everything is okay). Thank you to all of my wonderful friends and family. You mean the world to me.

Jeanna, I received a surprise package in the mail from you today. Thank you! You are so sweet! You mentioned that you had sent me something, but I thought you were kidding! I love the baby card! Oh, and The Onion is one of my favourite reads ever! I used to even have the link on my sidebar!
Thanks again for your thoughtfulness and your wicked sense of humour, Jeanna! You are THE BEST! Cow Pies and Badger Claws! I think I've got to be the happiest girl in the world! ;)


The photo of the nauseous cat was sent to me from one of my best male friends. He included the caption: "Hang tough, girlfriend!" Very funny! The expression on that cat's face...that's exactly how I've been feeling these days!

On our way home from church today, we swung by JD's Garden Centre. JD's is a very dangerous place for me since there is always so much that I would love to buy there! Hubby just dreads it when I go there! They have a wide variety of plants and flowers. They've got everything you can imagine, want or need to create your own private oasis in your backyard.

The purpose of our trip to JD's was not for plants (much to my dismay) because my uncle brought me LOTS of climbing plants for the two pergolas that he, my dad and my hubby are building for me. I'm anxious to see what my climbing hydrangea looks like in bloom!

Where was I? Oh, yes...the purpose of our trip to JD's. I'm telling you, I have been such a scatter-brain this past week! I just hope as my belly expands over the next seven months, my brain doesn't shrink!!! Right. JD's Garden was having a sale on strawberries. I thought they had strawberry plants for sale, but it was the fruit that they had. Fine by me! I have been craving strawberries like you would not believe!

We bought a flat of strawberries. How much exactly is in a flat? That would be six quarts of strawberries, my friends! SIX QUARTS!!! I paid $23 for the flat and am so pleased. The strawberries are succulent, mouthwatering, and deliciously sweet...and they are Ontario strawberries to boot!What to do with six quarts of strawberries (besides eat them)? I washed them all and then cut and froze two quarts of the berries. I also made four jars of strawberry freezer jam and I'm eating the rest of them! Just kidding (sort of). I am going to give whatever we have left to my mother-in-law and my mom and dad.There are so many things you can make with strawberries. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry cheesecake, strawberry jam, strawberry-rhubarb pie...The list goes on! However, I have a feeling I'll just be eating these yummy strawberries as is! Why mess with perfection? Plus, I'm not a pie crust/pastry kinda gal. I love to bake, but I just don't like anything too "bready". Yes, I just made that word up. If you absolutely need to know, bready refers to anything in the bread family! :) For me, that includes breads, pies, cakes, muffins, cupcakes...and yes, even pizza crust. I will on occasion indulge in some of the things I just mentioned, but as a general rule, I'm not a fan of "bready" things. *Note: I do not usually make words up for my ESL students, but I do like making up new words!!!*Oh, and if you think this post is over, I'm not quite done yet! My old friend, T from Toronto asked me for some quick and easy recipe ideas for supper. These are for you, girlfriend :)Thursday's supper was Mandarin Chicken Salad.
I don't like spending hours in the kitchen, but I do like a lot of flavour. This dish took less than 30 min to prep and cook. Yields two servings and a bit.

INGREDIENTS: Romaine lettuce (we love lettuce so I used a head and a half), mandarin oranges in segments (you can get fresh mandarins and peel and segment them yourself, or you can get them in the can or jar at your local grocery store), 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast (a little goes a long way!), sesame oil, sesame seeds, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste.

1. Wash and cut up lettuce.
2. Butterfly your chicken breast and season it with a little salt and black pepper.
3. In a hot skillet, drizzle a bit of EVOO and place chicken in skillet. Cook chicken until golden brown (make sure it has cooked through completely). I like to drizzle a bit of sesame oil on the chicken because I love the taste!
4. Remove cooked chicken from skillet and place on cutting board. While you let the chicken rest for a bit, arrange lettuce on your plates. I use shallow salad bowls for this dish.
5. Slice chicken into strips and place on top of salad. Add mandarin segments and arrange them around the dish.
6. Drizzle a bit of sesame oil over the salad and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on the salad.

I usually use some red onion slices in this dish, but didn't have any on hand. This is one of Hubby's favourites. It's super easy and really yummy.

Friday's supper was my Special Lentil Soup:
T, I'll make this recipe easy for you. I know you A) Do NOT like cooking and B) Don't have time to cook. Since you asked me for some easy and fast recipes, I won't make you soak the lentils and chick peas yourself or prepare the tomatoes from fresh! I don't normally use canned food because of all the sodium and additives in them, but for the sake of convenience, you can use them and they work really well with this dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chick peas
1 can of lentils
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups baby spinach
1 or 2 cups water
*optional* 4 or 5 slices of bacon cut into small pieces

1. In a large soup pot, cook bacon pieces.
2. Sautee onions with the bacon once bacon has started to turn golden brown (if you are making this a vegetarian meal or do not eat bacon, omit the bacon and use a bit of extra virgin olive oil).
3. Add tomatoes.
4. Drain and rinse lentils and chick peas and then add them to the pot.
5. Add a bit of water (depending on how chunky or how 'liquidy' (another made up word!) you like it.
6. Let cook for 30-40 min. Add spinach at last minute.

This is another one of Hubby's favourite meals. It's chock full of vitamins and protein. There are plenty of veggies and legumes...and without the bacon, it's even better for you! Hubby likes the bacon though. I make this dish when I am really hard-pressed for time and most people think I've spent hours making the soup!

Tonight's supper was Maple Sweet Potatoes, Chicken and Mixed Veggies:
This is another dish that takes less than 30 min to prepare.
INGRDIENTS:
1 boneless-skinless chicken breast, butterflied (we get our chicken breasts in packages of two and two chicken breasts can be stretched into making two meals or more. Yeah, I'm pretty frugal)
2 sweet potatoes, cubed/diced
a pat of butter (or whatever else you'd like to use to replace the butter)
1/4 c. maple syrup (Yeah, Hubby's homemade maple syrup!!)
2 cups mixed veggies

1. In a hot skillet, add pat of butter. Add cubed sweet potatoes and cook until golden and tender. As soon as sweet potatoes look done, add 1/2 of your maple syrup and cook until caramelized.
2. Coat chicken in maple syrup and grill (if you have an indoor cooking grill, that's perfect! If not, you can just cook it in a skillet) until completely cooked.
3. Boil (or steam) veggies.
4. Once chicken is cooked, remove and let rest. Cut into strips.
5. Place sweet potatoes in center of plate and add veggies around. Arrange chicken on top of the maple sweet potatoes.

Last but not least, this is for Jeanna. Thank you, my lovely amiga from good 'ol Cheese Country!

Jeanna sent me a box of goodies in the winter. Jeanna, you will be proud to know that I have managed to hold off on eating everything!!! The Baraboo Candy Company Cow Pies, Udder Fingers, and Moo Chews are long gone, but we did manage to save the Badger Claws...until now. Hubby and I just split a Badger Claw and oh, my goodness! Was it ever good!!!
Picture this...
Sinking your teeth into a rich white chocolate covered layer of chewy, gooey, creamy caramel covered cashews! It's the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Being as decadent as this, these make the perfect "once in a while" treats. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I don't live near the Baraboo Candy Company!!! Actually, thank goodness I don't live near Jeanna! I can only imagine the kind of trouble the two of us could get into! ;) Thanks for everything, Jeanna! You're the best! Luv ya! XOXO

Trish @ My Little Drummer Boys tagged me for this a few days ago. It's been a while since I've done a meme, so here goes! :)

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
Each player answers the questions about themselves.
At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago, I was teaching and living in Japan. It was the most exciting time of my life. What an experience! I fell in love with the culture, the history, the art, the language and I made some really great friends along the way.

What are 6 things on my to-do list for today (tomorrow)?
1. Vacuum the entire house.
2. Do two loads of laundry.
3. Mop the kitchen floor.
4. Clean the kitchen.
5. Clean the bathroom.
6. Weed the garden.

Sunday is supposed to be the day of rest, but it never really is. *sigh*


Snacks I enjoy?
-Baked multi-grain Tortilla chips with homemade salsa
-Brie or Camembert cheese with red pepper jelly on multi-grain crackers (though I just read somewhere that pregnant women shouldn't eat soft cheeses! GAH! No Brie or Camembert for 7 more months???)
-fruit (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, pineapple, red grapes, strawberries...)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire?
I'd invest half the money and give some of the money to my parents, my mother-in-law, my siblings and Hubby's siblings. I'd also donate some of the money to various charities (the Heart and Stroke Foundation is a charity that is important to me because my father had both a heart attack and a stroke and the Canadian Cancer Society is another charity that is close to home because my aunt and Hubby's father died of cancer. Any money we have left over, I'd use to build a new house or completely renovate the one we have now and I'd give the rest of the money to Hubby so that he can continue farming.

Places I have lived?
*UPDATED on June 23rd* I've moved 18 times, but have decided to delete the names of the places I have lived in due to something interesting Autumn's Mom mentioned to me. Like Autumn's Mom, I have always worried about some of the answers on memes being used for identity theft.

How did you name your blog?
Originally, the blog was named "Life on Manitoulin", but too many people were typing those words into search engines to find information about living on the Island and ended up finding my blog. I had wanted this to be a fairly low key blog, but more and more people were discovering it. It got to the point where people I didn't know were coming up to me in the grocery store and telling me how much they enjoy reading my blog. I then changed the title to "Random Thoughts and Musings from the Island" because I didn't want to have "Manitoulin" in the title and I thought the new title was just fitting.

Who am I tagging and do I want to know more about ?
I have no idea if anyone is actually going to do the meme, but I'm tagging
Karen
Deb
Uncivil
Jeanna
Sandy
Beachmama

I don't mind if you don't do the meme. I hope you do though! I'm interested in seeing what your answers are! :)

It's beautiful outside. It's sunny and warm! It finally feels like summer may be here!
I went in for my prenatal visit today and everything is great! I was surprised when the doctor told me that I am in my 8th week and the baby's estimated due date is January 30th, since that's my Dad's birthday! Last year, my brother and his wife had their baby boy on my parents' wedding anniversary, and maybe our baby will be born on my Dad's birthday! What a great birthday present that would be!

We're having an ultrasound done on July 2nd and then another one when we are in our 18th week. I'm so excited!!!

I was asked if I wanted to do Integrated Prenatal Screening and Maternal Serum Screening. Apparently these are offered to all pregnant women and it is our choice whether to do them or not. Have any of you had these done when you were pregnant? I have a zillion questions for other moms out there. I've talked this over with my husband and from our family backgrounds, it doesn't look like we need to take these tests. I was just wondering if anyone reading this has taken them and if they recommend taking them.

Oh, I don't think I told you the story about how we told my Dad that we are pregnant! Last weekend, on Father's Day, we took my Dad to A&W's to give him a "Grandpa Burger". Hubby saw this cute A&W commercial on TV, where this young man and his wife break the good news to his parents by giving the father a Grandpa Burger. We thought this would be a fun way to make our announcement. Plus, what could be more perfect for a Father's Day present??!
Well, our efforts and our meticulously orchestrated plan did not go quite as smoothly as we had anticipated, and it was not like the commercial at all! When my Dad heard we were taking him to Sudbury, he immediately thought we were taking him out for Chinese food! He was so excited about going to King's Buffet that when he noticed we weren't going in the right direction of the Chinese restaurant, he started to get mad! I told him I really needed to use the washroom (which was true!) and he said, "There's a bathroom at the Chinese restaurant! Why do you have to go to A&W??"

We started sweating because he was really getting upset. He didn't want to get out of the car! My Mom dragged him out and said she was hungry and wanted a burger and onion rings. My Dad said, "I don't want a hamburger!!!" :( Mom somehow got him to come in and sit down. Hubby had ordered for everyone and gave my Dad his burger. Dad opened it up and said, "GRANDPA BURGER?!?! WHY GRANDPA BURGER?!?!?"

I then gave him a "Happy Father's Day, Grandpa!" card and explained that he is going to have another grandchild. He was thrilled...and actually said that the hamburger was really good!
Since we were in Sudbury for the entire day, we did some shopping, shopping and more shopping. We even took Dad out to his favourite Chinese restaurant in the evening. It was a great day had by all.
The funny thing was that when the waitress gave me my fortune cookie, there were TWO cookies instead of one! Kind of funny, isn't it? One for me and one for the baby! LOL! ;)
Hubby and me (looking very exhausted) after a very long (but fun) day!

Yes, it's true! We actually wanted to wait until our first trimester was done before we announced the news, but we (okay, I) cannot keep it a secret any longer! These past few weeks have been killing me!!! I just had to say something!

Some of you have probably already guessed by now since there have been comments and questions about cravings for pizza and for burgers (which are food items that are not often consumed in our household!) and the mention of everyone having babies...or the fact that I've just been on cloud nine for the past few weeks! What can I say? You guys are just way too smart for me to try to fool!

Here's what was going through my mind the day that we found out that we are 'expecting':

May 31, 2008
This date marks a very noteworthy day for our family for so many reasons. Six years ago, Hubby's father passed away. He died before I ever had a chance to meet him. He died years before Hubby and I would ever meet. From everything people have said about my father-in-law, he was a very honorable, hardworking, and well-respected man. I really wish I had a chance to meet him and get to know him.

I don't know why, but today I decided to take a pregnancy test. Hubby was watching the news after having his breakfast, unaware of what was going to transpire next. I had been having dreams that I was pregnant for the past two nights. I can't explain the feeling or why I felt that way. I just did.

I opened the bathroom cabinet, took out the home pregnancy test and did my stuff. I watched impatiently, hoping for the best but half-expecting the worst. I thought I saw the faint beginnings of another line (meaning that I was pregnant), but then nothing. *sigh* How depressing. I kept watching and all of a sudden, as if I had willed the completely white circle to produce a positive sign, it did!
There was a big, fat, blue + sign in the test window! I couldn't believe my eyes! I seriously thought I was seeing things. Was I going crazy? Did that just really happen?
I let out a scream from the bathroom, and Hubby came running in. Poor Hubby thought that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong from the scream I let out. I pointed to the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter and said, "DO YOU SEE THAT?!?!?!"
Could it be? Are we really pregnant?

Hubby confirmed that he too saw the positive sign. There was laughing, hugging, crying...and more crying (by me, because Hubby doesn't cry). However, being the totally neurotic person I am, I need absolute confirmation. After lunch, I went to the pharmacy and bought a few more pregnancy tests!

Hey, I've got a thing for peeing on sticks...and I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming! I just had to do this for myself...you know, lest the first test be faulty! Yeah, that's why! ;) When I got home, I took another test. Positive. I told Hubby I'd wait a few days until taking the other test, but after supper I took one more test. Positive again.I'll be going for my blood work tomorrow and then for my first prenatal visit with our doctor next week. I just can't believe this is all happening. Finally! I feel as though our prayers have been answered. Our little bundle of joy will probably be born sometime in late January or early February of 2009. We are looking forward to this new adventure of ours and we can't wait to meet and hold our precious little one.

We've already decided that if we have a boy, we are naming him after Hubby's father.

*Written on May 31, 2008, but we waited until now to post this.*

*Update: Since the day this post was originally written, I have taken nine (yes, NINE!) home pregnancy tests!!! Crazy? Perhaps! I just wanted to make sure I was pregnant and that the tests weren't faulty! Imagine being deceived by a test and getting your hopes up??? I needed to make sure I wasn't seeing things. If you notice, the results for the first few tests were lighter and the last ones were much darker! Exciting!! After nine tests and a doctor's visit, I suppose I feel more confident that I really am pregnant!*See? I wasn't joking when I told you I took nine tests!!!

For Jeanna, because she is making me want to go to Wisconsin for some ice cream and Baraboo Candy Company cow pies!!!

I once went to Singapore for some Spicy Singapore Noodles and a Singapore Sling. I once went to the Philippines for some freshly baked pandesal. I went to Japan and had real sushi and okonomiyaki (not the stuff we get in many North American Japanese restaurants). I even went to the Dominican Republic to try out their widely talked about Mamajuana (that's Mamajuana and not marijuana, people)! I went to Bali for some Buah Kacang Mekuah and Nasi Goreng .
I even went to Trinidad and Tobago for some roti with channa, doubles and polouri! Oh, and I can't forget the time I had lime squash and 'bake' (AKA 'macaroni bake' or 'macaroni pie') with pepper sauce in Barbados!

Another strange thing about me? I won't eat New York Cheesecake unless I'm in New York and I will never eat smoked meat unless I'm in Montreal and it's Montreal Smoked Meat. Food snob? Perhaps a little!

There's just something about going to the actual place where these famous dishes are from that makes the experience seem so special.


Oh, what the heck! I'll also throw in a photo of the Mad About Chocolate Cheesecake that Hubby ordered.

I've only seen three bears in the four years I've been living on the Island. The first bear I saw was when my Mom and I were driving to M'Chigeeng. I told my Mom, "Wow! That has got to be the strangest looking dog I have ever seen in my life". Mom thought I had a few screws loose, because she said, "That's not a dog! That's a bear!"
The second one I saw was in Sheguiandah and it darted off into the bush as I drove by it on the highway. The last one I saw was when Hubby and I were dropping off a student at the airport. My student was saying how he hadn't seen a single bear during his stay in Canada and he had been here for nearly a year! All of a sudden, as we were driving to the airport, a black bear ran right in front of my vehicle...within inches of us! That was a close call! My student was excited, but all I could think of was "Okay, if we get into an accident with the bear, my student is going to miss his flight back home to his country"!


BURGER- which I don't normally like to eat, but have been craving this week! Hubby and I had a lunch date and ended up at Van's in Manitowaning. I have no idea what they put in their burgers, but they are really yummy. I know I've said countless times that Hubby and I don't eat much junk food, but last week I was craving pizza and this week I was craving a burger! Crazy! Well, I suppose once in a while having fast food won't kill us. As long as we don't have it too often.
If you're ever in Manitowaning and feel like having a burger, Van's is a good spot to try. I'm not sure what the other items on the menu are like, since Hubby and I have only tried the cheeseburgers there. They're good, classic, simple burgers..."Just like Mom used to make".
Van's is a small, modest take-out or eat-in restaurant and the owners are very friendly.

I had noticed that my brakes were going, but in the past week or so, they seem to have deteriorated greatly. My darling husband surprised me by taking my vehicle in to get the brakes fixed. Apparently the brakes were totally worn...as in "metal on metal"! Scary!! Imagine not being able to stop??? Eeeek!

BREEZE- If we didn't have this wonderful breeze right now, I'd absolutely die of heat! It's so humid and icky out. Wasn't I complaining about how cold it was a few weeks ago? Now it's too hot! I know, I know...I must be thankful for all the good things we have. I will stop complaining about how this heat and humidity are killing me. Seriously.

BIZARRE- that our cat, Spike has gone missing. I have absolutely no idea where she is and cannot think of a way how she would escape from the house. She and Trouble are both house cats and they have never gone outside before. It really puzzles me. She's been gone for a day now and there is no way she could have gotten out on her own...unless she snuck out the door when no one was looking? All I can say is thank goodness she's fixed!!!

BABIES- which most of my friends seem to be having these days! It seems like almost every female friend I know is pregnant right now! I can name ELEVEN friends who are expecting babies this year. Speaking of which, I'd like to send out hugs to two in particular. My good friend, Gavie's Gal is having her second baby in a few days and Audrey is due for her fourth baby on the 17th...which is a special day for us because it's Hubby's and my 2nd year wedding anniversary! Thinking of you both and love you lots! XOXO

The last B is for...
BIG NEWS- that will have to wait until one of my next posts.