Thursday, July 26, 2007

Meme me in the morning and in the afternoon....


The lovely Louann, from 3BoysandaLady tagged me for this really great meme. I haven't done any memes for a while now, and apparently everyone seems to think it's time for me to do more of them! The wonderful and most endearing 'UncivilOne' tagged me for a meme too. The students are back from baseball, have all taken their showers and brushed their teeth. They've all done their homework and are watching The Chronicles of Narnia. This means...I get to blog now! Yay!

Now for Louann's meme:


The Great Eight

The rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and write their 8 random facts.

4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

Here we go!

1. I am in my early (very early!) 30s, but look really young for my age. When I went dancing with some girlfriends in Toronto, I got carded!

2. I'm a cry baby. I cry when I watch TV commercials, Disney movies, and when I hear a beautiful song.

3. I'm impatient and hate it when people are late. I used to just go with the flow and was more free spirited when I was younger. Now that I'm older, I like order and being on time. I'm not totally anal about things, but I'm not lax either. Though I'm impatient, surprisingly I am not impatient with my students. It's weird! I have all the patience in the world for my students, but not for much else! ;)

4. I talk to my dog. When I brush his coat or feed him, I talk to him. He always has a calming effect on me (except when he's being overly playful when I'm tired). Chance entered my life almost 5 years ago when he was only a few weeks old. He really is my first baby and always will be.

5. I sometimes don't know if I deserve to have such a wonderful husband. He's sooooooo good, kind, patient, understanding, intelligent, and loving. I'm soooo lucky to have him as a husband.

6. I am a pro at propagating Christmas cacti. Yeah, this is such a random fact!

7. I love the Bronte sisters. I can read their books over and over and over and never get tired of them...and cry each time I read the books even if I already know the outcome of the story!

8. I graduated college in Liberal Arts and graduated from university with a B.A. in Honours English. Even if my friends and family make fun of me studying Liberal Arts and say it's a totally useless program, I am happy that I did graduate in that field. I loved my philiosphy, history, archaeology, humanities and lit classes! Oh, and for the record: Not all Liberal Arts students wear Birkenstocks and believe in free love.



Finally, Jimmy's meme:


FIVE people who will be annoyed you tagged them:

Mist1, DoggyMama, Curiosity, Dina, Louann.

FOUR things that should go into Room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:

1) child pornography 2) nuclear weapons 3) animal abusers 4) child/women abusers 5) racists

THREE things people do that make you want to shake them violently:

1) make assumptions or judge people without even knowing the person or finding out the facts. I absolutely abhor any kind of injustice or arrogance. I find it hard to not speak up when I feel someone is being treated unjustly.

2) hurt animals or children. It infuriates me to no end if a person inflicts any kind of pain on an animal or a child who is defenseless against that person's power and authority.

3) drive wrecklessly. If you're going to endanger your life by driving like a maniac, then that's your prerogative. Just don't put other people's lives in danger because you can't drive like a normal human being. I really get angry when I see people cutting people off and weaving in and out of lanes to get a whole two spots ahead of where they were. It's ridiculous and dangerous.

TWO things you find yourself moaning about:

1) Never having enough hours in the day to get everything done. Eventhough I clean my house or try to tend to the gardens, everyting always seems to be in such disarray all the time. Even after I wash dishes, it seems that a million more seem to magically appear! :)

2) The price of gas! Although, I have stopped asking what the price of gas is now, since I have to buy gas anyway. I just remember back when gas was 64 cents a litre. I even remember a time when it was 39 cents (during the gas war in Montreal)!

ONE thing the above answers tell you about yourself:

I am getting old and my tolerance level for stupidity is not very high. Am I really this irritable? I didn't think I was that bad!

RULES• Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it's all about!• Be as honest as possible. This is about letting people get to know the real you!• Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!• Post these rules at the end of every meme

Throwback Thursday #6



In keeping with this wonderful new tradition from the ladies at PinksandBlues, here is my latest Throwback Thursday post. It's so much fun to look back at old photos and remember some really good times. Unfortunately, I grew up in a time where the latest fashion left a lot to be desired! *NOTE* All of the photos used for this post have been "borrowed" from some friends from elementary school and high school. I was tagged in these photos on their Facebook (Steph and Stacy, I hope you don't mind me using them)!! :)
This photo was at a birthday party. The birthday girl always had the best parties! I think this was when we were in grade 5.

Ohhhhh....the 90's!! Look at my poofy hair!!! Ick! Oh, and the teased bangs! Thank goodness this wasn't one of those "crimped" hair days! Just looking at this picture makes me think of Rick Astley, Samantha Fox, Debbie Gibson, and all of those pop bands from back then. Too funny!

This last photo is from our high school grad year. Okay, this is going to be like "Where's Waldo?". Can you spot me? I'll give you a prize if you can! ;)
Monday, July 23, 2007

Grrrrrr!


Okay...as much as I love living on the island, the one thing I do miss is getting together with my girlfriends. Gaviesgal and I used to go for Korean food, Indian food, and we once attempted to drink every type of martini on the drinklist at The Green Room in Toronto.

I'm kinda bummed because tomorrow I'll be missing a lunch date with CuriosityKiller, Gaviesgal, TheMommanista, Nathanial'sMommy and Karen. Boooo hooooooooo! :(
Saturday, July 21, 2007

The Boys (and Girls!!!) of Summer


Fun Friday: Part deux! This time, I've got pics! The above photo is of the Bridal Veil Falls in Kagawong. The kids and I usually spend our afternoons at one of the many beaches on the island, but this time, we ventured to the falls.
Having fun, splish splashing the afternoon away.

Going behind the falls.
The boys were so cute! Hunting for treasure!!!

This is what they found! LOL! A crayfish! I can't even tell you how fast I jumped out of the water when my student brought his latest find to me! LOL I'm a girlie girl! I admit it!

More fun swimming and splashing. I had to drag them all out of the water! LOL! We then went on a hike. This was not just any hike though. These kids were on a mission. They each collected some samples of leaves and flowers.

Check out the smiles on their faces! Who says studying isn't fun?!?! :) In my opinion, outdoor lessons are wonderful!


The kids had to identify the samples they collected. Hubby's got a BIG book of plants, trees and flowers that are indigenous to our area.
I got each child a canvas and I brought my art supplies to the falls. The kids found a nice picnic table and got busy!




The finished product! Pretty and creative, don't you think? I just love kid art. The neat thing I noticed is that though there were mixed paints and many different shades, the kids mostly opted for bright primary colours. Interesting.

I didn't get to post photos of my cousins' annual visit to the island. We went fishing with my dad with the hopes of catching some dinner! Okay, I lie. "We" didn't go fishing. The boys did. I was there...sort of sitting under a tree and wondering what I ought to cook for supper lest they not catch anything!




Waiting...and waiting...









...and yet more waiting. Finally...Supper!!!

The catch of the day??? Nada. We ended up going for fish and chips at Island Fish and Chips!! LOL!

The fish and chips at Island Fish and Chips are reeeeeeeeeeeally good! Hubby and I don't usually eat anything oily or fried, but every once in a while isn't bad. The batter is delicious and the whitefish they use is soooo tasty! Everyone who knows me knows that I don't like any fish except for salmon, so this whitefish must be good! LOL! I am very picky when it comes to eating fish. I don't like eating anything with bones...even tiny bones!
Another telltale sign that this place serves really good fish and chips...My entire family (okay, maybe not the entire family!!! Just about 30 of them) went to the fish and chips place the weekend of our wedding. Haha! All at the same time! LOL! That must have been a sight! A barrage of people from our wedding all entering the restaurant at the same time. One of my uncles from Wisconsin even went to that restaurant several times during his one week stay with us! LOL!
If you are ever on the island, Island Fish and Chips is located right by the ferry terminal, next to the post office. It's before the South Bay Guesthouse and the South Bay Art Gallery...two other must visit places if you're here in the summer season!
Friday, July 20, 2007

Fun Friday


Today started out sad because my cousins had to leave for Montreal after a five day stay on the island. I always get so sad when my family and friends have to return to their respective homes and I just feel like something is missing when they go. The house gets so quiet, and I don't have to play 'tour guide' anymore. You have to understand that I come from a very large (and loud) closely-knit family. If there aren't a dozen people in the house all talking at the same time and if there aren't never ending meals to prepare or never ending piles of dishes to wash...then it's not 'home'. I'm used to sharing my space with my loved ones and I really, really miss them when they go home.

At least I have my students and my nieces to keep me busy. The kids just cracked me up this morning when we were studying "Question forms" (who, what, where, when, why, how). All the laughter in the room just made everything seem all bright and cheery again. We were also lucky that today was a spectacular day. It was warm, sunny, and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue with puffy, soft white clouds.

We spent the afternoon at the Bridal Veil Falls. The kids went swimming under the falls and had a lot of fun! After nearly four hours of baking in the sun, we took a little stroll on the hiking trails and I had the kids collect 5 leaves and 5 flowers each. I had bought enough canvasses and paint for all the kids to do some nature painting. They used what they found to create nature art. We then went for a scenic drive around Kagawong and then had to get home in time to cook supper.

All I did was baked some chicken and the students and one of my nieces did the rest. The girls made cucumber salad and the boys made rice. I also cut up some cantaloupe for dessert. It is so much fun having the students and my nieces at our house. There is never a dull moment! The kids are so well behaved and sooooo polite and respectful!

Those of you who know my sister-in-law, know how amazing she is. If I think my life is crazy busy, I'm not nearly as busy as my sister-in-law! Anyway, my wonderful sister-in-law came to pick up the kids and she is having my students over tonight for a camp out! Tonight Hubby and I have a children-free night! Wooooo hooooo! ;) What are we going to do with no kids in the house, you ask???? Hehehe...We're going to....sleep!!!

So sad...I know! What's even sadder is that I think I'm going to just be doing laundry, cleaning and gardening tomorrow while the kids are still at my sister-in-law's. I would like to go to the Farmer's Market and go on the Art Tour though. We'll see...

PS. Photos to be posted at a later date.
Thursday, July 19, 2007

Awwwwww!!!


I've been away from the blog for a bit these past few days and I really miss posting and reading comments from others. I also miss writing comments and catching up on my favourite blogs.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the wonderful girls at PinksandBlues have awarded me with yet another blog award! Seriously...I was shocked! :) Audrey, Jane and Sharon are three of the most amazing, intelligent, kind-hearted souls ever. You can always count on the 'girls' for a kind word or some helpful insight. You can always count on the girls for a good laugh or an shoulder to lean on (Thanks, Jane!) and they've also got the lowdown on all your family needs. If you need info on baby stuff, kids' stuff, mommy, daddy, grandparents' and pet stuff...you know where to go! They are definitely on my daily 'must read' list of blogs. Be sure to check out their http://www.pinksandblues.com/ site too!

Rules of participating:
1. Copy these rules.
2. Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.
3. Make sure you link this post so others can read it and the rules.
4. Leave a comment and let them know they’ve been given the award.
5. Display the award icon on your site.

It was difficult to choose, but my five recipients are:

1) The lovely Ms.Mamma always amazes me with her stunning photographs. She's a true gem and a rare find. She's beautiful, intelligent, talented, funny, and very cool! She's a breath of fresh air and so down to earth. She's a great friend to have on the days when you just need your spirits to be picked up and on the days when you just want to share all your good news :) Ms.Mamma would definitely be one of those people you'd pick to go on a girls' trip to the Dominican Republic or Mexico with...or just lounge around with a margarita on a lawn chair and pretend you're in Mexico :)

2) Judy from Judy'sJournal is such an incredibly talented artist. She's got a wonderful spirit and her posts are always so thoughtful. I frequent her blog often so I can be inspired and wooed by her creations. Though I have been to the art shows on the island and have seen some of Judy's work, I don't think I've ever met her in person. I would love to meet her sometime soon, because I already know what an amazing person she is. Her art and her writing reflect her personality and her character. Judy, maybe I'll see you at the upcoming art tour! :)

3) I truly adore Pavel from ProbablyPavel. He's such a thoughtful blogger and a great dad. I really enjoy reading his funny posts and seeing pics and videos of his adorable kids. One can really tell just by reading his blog, that Pavel is a wonderful dad. That's why I love returning to his blog regularly. The love he has for his kids is so special and so evident.

4) Lotus from HappyCows is such a special person. She's got a great sense of humour and I love that she is such a well-read and knowledgeable person (on many different subjects)! Her affinity for gardening and her culinary skills never cease to impress me. I also love that she is 'sharing her love of food while trying to tread lightly". The photos of her amazing and delectable dishes just make my mouth water.

5) CanineCologne is one of my very first blog buddies. I think I started reading her blog (and Ms.Mamma's) around the time I started my own blog. My friend, Jill introduced me to the incredible world of blogging over a year ago, and ever since, I've been checking out CC's blog on a regular basis. What I noticed about CC almost immediately, was the fact that not only was she super cool, but she just seemed like a genuinely nice person. I love her restaurant and food reviews, as well as her amazing photos. Like Lotus, Canine has a way of making her blog readers' mouths water when they see pics from her reviews. She's just a fun person...and she's soooo funny! By the way, Canine, I just finished that calamansi juice you sent me! LOL! I know you sent it to me a while ago, but I was hoarding it like the good miser that I am. I caved and drank it and it was soooooo good! Thanks for that! ;)

I wish I could nominate more than 5 bloggers, since my list of fave blogs is quite long!!! Check out all the other blogs on my side-bar. They're all great!

Throwback Thursday #5



Once again, it's time for another walk down memory lane. Inspired by the girls at Pinks and Blues, here's my weekly installment of oldies but goodies! Looking at this first photo brings bittersweet memories. This photo was taken in my grandparents' home when my grandfather was still alive. I really miss those times spent there. I loved going to my grandparents' house!

This pic makes me feel happy because I remember how wonderful a bond I had with Baby Bro when he was a wee one, but it also makes me sad because I really wished I could have frozen time and kept him as teeny tiny as he was then. He had the most adorable red cheeks all the time, and he was such a drool monster. I love that kid!!!


For my grandparents' 50th Golden Anniversary, we had a HUGE party for them. They renewed their wedding vows and celebrated with all their loved ones. It was quite the spectacular and memorable event! My grandfather has since passed away and every time I look at this picture, I remember all the fun times we had and what an amazing and wonderful man my grandfather was.

In case you are wondering...Yes, we are all wearing gold, since the theme was their Golden Wedding Anniversary! We had all our dresses custom-made and designed by us. My dress looked a lot nicer on paper! Once I had it on, I was shocked at how poofy it looked! LOL!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Crazy Busy



Yes, I've been MIA for the past few days. Why is it that life always seems to get in the way of blogging? :)

It has been crazy busy the past while, so I'll try to do all my blogging in one post! Brace yourselves...There are a lot of pics!!!


Too tired to cook supper??? Make your own pizza dough (I use my biscuit recipe located in the recipe section of my blog...I'm too lazy to link it, so you'll have to search for it yourselves if you want to take a look). Get out the toppings and let the kids go wild! They love making their own pizza and before you know it, supper's already made!

Hubby and I went for a drive while the kids were with my SIL for baseball practice. We're really interested in alternative energy, and find these windmills so amazing to look at!


After a tearful goodbye, I remain slightly down in the dumps since we gave away our first kittens yesterday afternoon. I cried all the way home. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've grown quite attached to the little buggers. I know they are in good hands and will love living on the ranch with the horses and other animals. I guess I'm selfish and just wanted to keep them.



I took the kids horseback riding. Yes, all five of them! My nieces and my students just had a blast. The horses at Kicking Mule Ranch are great, easy to handle and mild mannered. It's an excellent activity for kids and adults alike. We all had a great time.




Skipping stones in Southbay.
Checking out the boats at the marina.


This lighthouse has been photographed so many times! You can see this lighthouse on postcards and calendars.


The boys stacked books for all to buy and then made lemonade to sell to generous patrons. C'mon...Who can say no to a bunch of cute kids selling lemonade and muffins!?!
Lots and LOTS of baked goods! Every type of baked good you could imagine! A lot of hard work went into organizing this event. Thanks to all those who donated and contributed!
In case I hadn't mentioned it before, we get our eggs from my SIL's chickens. You're probably wondering why I'm taking pics of eggs. Well, I just find them so fascinating to look at! Each one is so perfect. They're uniform, yet all unique. Does that make sense? Check out how pretty and different each one is! LOL! Okay, I sound like I've completely lost it! ;)













One of our students, proud of his creation! It was the first time he had ever baked bread! Okay, I admit, I cheated on this one. We did use a breadmaker, but it's still fresh and it's still homemade! Look how proud he is of himself! I love it!

We also went to The Little Schoolhouse Museum. Another trip to Southbay. Luckily, it's only 10 mins from our house by car! I am ashamed to say that in the few years that I have been living on Manitoulin Island, this is the first time I had set foot inside the museum. I'm sorry I hadn't gone sooner! This place just blew me away!















Inside the museum, you will find artifacts from the settlers on the island. You can see things like an ox yoke, cream separator, telephone switchboard, dresses from the 1900's...and even a folding wringer and wash stand. It was like stepping back in time and the best part was getting to check out the one room schoolhouse where children aged 6 to 16 all studied in the same class! It really felt so "Little House on the Prairie"-like! The little schoolhouse opened in 1898, with 11 pupils in attendance.
















You've got to check out the rules for teachers (1872 and 1915). Click on the image to enlarge so you can read. I was amused and so were my students! I often wondered what it would be like to teach back then. I keep thinking of Laura Ingalls and her siblings attending classes together, carrying their lunch pails, their books and their slates to school. After reading the rules for teachers, I'm kind of glad I never taught during that time!
































That's all for now! Hopefully I won't go this long again before my next post!
Thursday, July 12, 2007

Throwback Thursday #4



Can you guess what year (or decade) this is? LOL! I love looking at old pics and seeing the changes in styles of clothing, hair, make-up, furniture, decor...Check out the curtains and the brown corduroy couch! Oh, and mom's outfit and dad's shades are soooo funny! :)


Up until now, all our pics were pre-Baby Bro. Here are some with him included. I love Baby Bro and miss him so much. I miss his baby years. I wish I could just freeze time when he was a baby. He was so sweet, and full of drool...and had the cutest, reddest cheeks ever! Now he's 21 (in Aug).


This is one of my favourite photos ever. I remember Middle Brother and I used to fight over who got to hold Baby Bro and who got to feed him. Funny, no one really ever fought over who got to change his diapers! LOL!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

High


...on life, that is! I'm in such a fantastic mood because:

1) My three summer students are dream students! They are so amazing, funny, full of life, respectful, well behaved...I just love them!

2) My friend, Kathy is coming up to the Island next Tuesday for a while :)

3) Two of my cousins are coming to the Island on Monday and are staying until Friday.

4) The weather has been fantastic!

5) We've been to the beach almost every afternoon, after lessons.

6) The students are at baseball practice with my wonderful sister-in-law right now.

7) The kittens are absolutely adorable! They are so fun to watch and have their own personalities! Too cute!


On the flip side:

1) My students are only here until mid to late August. I already know I'm going to miss those sweet, little angels when they go!

2) I'll be teaching during the day, but hopefully I'll still be able to spend some time with my college buddy!

3) I don't want my cousins to go back to Montreal! They're like brothers to me and I always get so bummed whenever they go back to Montreal.

4) I wish we'd get a bit more rain because my garden is suffering!

5) I'm already dark from the sun...even with sunscreen! I've got a wedding to go to in August and I've got a horrible tanline from my bathing suit!

6) I hope my students manage okay at baseball, since their English ability is pretty limited. I figure that they're with kids their age, so they should be fine.

7) I had promised to give the kittens to someone, and she is going to pick them up within a week. I'm so hearbroken because I've fallen in love with those cute little fuzz balls! I don't want to give them away, yet I know we simply cannot have a house full of cats.

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About the Blog Author


City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

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