oh man

check out I went to Moma and... for more equally funny notes.

How pretty!

(Source: -lovelylady, via qomaspeakup)

This house could be in Charleston on rainbow row....although i guess it's got that all covered.

Right! How cool

sayyestohoboken.com

Random Goodness

I can't figure out how to have it so you can watch this video on my blog, so you're just going to have to trust me on this...it's pretty cool!

Symmetry

The Blind Man Who Taught Himself To See

This is by far one of the most amazing things i've heard of. Daniel Kish uses sonar to "see". It's long article, but fascinating!

Riding his bike with the help of personal sonar

Helpful visualization if you don't understand.

Men’s Journal » The Blind Man Who Taught Himself To See

Canadian versus American words

I have been living in NYC for almost 4 years and every so often my Canadianism sneak in and for some reason they really confuse people.

Here are some examples.

"I think they have Smartie cookies there."

If we were in Canada everyone would know i was referring to picture number 2...but alas, surrounded by Americans they see picture one and everyone is gagging from the gross combination. ps: Canadian Smarties are like M & M's, but way better.

Oh and yes we have the American version of Smarties in Canada, but we call them "Rockets" AKA candy birthcontrol

Example 2

Hey Janey, would you like to color your picture with crayons, markers or pencil crayons?

HUH?!

It maybe hard to see, but this is an image of pencil crayons....or colored pencils as my american friends like to call them.

I'm not sure why Canadians call them that, but in french a pencil is un crayon and a pencil crayon is un crayon de couleur. So pretty much we are using a translation....a great reason to blog is I learn as i go.

pps: this is an image of Canadian pencil crayons. Ah Laurentien. Now you've been cultured!

That's enough for today folks!

mommas got a new pair of shoes!

After much contemplation and stalking of websites i decided on these shoes---Keen Whisper. They are watershoes...i plan on wearing them to all the hottest clubs in new york. boo, not true, but i do plan on wearing them in Costa Rica next month. HECK YA! Toes protected during zip lining and hiking, i can't wait!

Oh and ps: there are two in this pair ;)

Get pumped for EASTER

Shhhh don't tell J...

How cool is this! I'm going to give it a try.

Just finished blowing out one egg....painful i tell ya! Glad I don't work for Martha or i'd be winded!

If you're interested in making them too check out the link Secret Message Easter Egg

Random Goodness

Another addition of Random Goodness.

If you have seen anything of interest and would like to share, please have at it (in the comments section!).

random goodness

I realize that i'm not much into writing these days, but i have been doing tons of reading...of the internet variety.

I thought i'd randomly post things i enjoyed reading. Hopefully you'll agree

Ps: some of this is ubber old, but it still makes me smile.

JAAAHWS

I want to try this out-Easter Eggs

Easter is very soon, it's starting to feel like real spring with flowers blooming and birds nests, i need to get into the spirit.

I tried yesterday morning to make a hollowed out egg without searching for official "How To"'s on the internet. Didn't work out to well. Funnily enough this morning a blog i read told me how to do it here and i'm thinking of giving it a go.

If you're thinking of giving it a try it seems pretty easy.

I also just read about ways to dye your eggs here using items from home.

If i actually do my own eggs i'll be sure to post them.

i wish i could blame the children

I made it through a year and a few months without getting sick. I spend hours in the peds ED with kids coughing and sneezing in my face....not even lying it's nasty and then a few more hours in the ICU. I like to think that all my hand/face/nose washing at work and home helps, but sadly i was finally hit. Thankfully not hard, but geez, my nose just won't stop.

Well it's not the kids, but i think my office mate. Not sure how it happened, but we are both getting the boogs in a mad way.

I am kicking myself because i was just saying to J that i haven't been sick since i started working. ugh!

I know pictures bring on more fun, but seriously, no one wants these pictures.

Oh and don't you love the ED docs...."you're probably not contagious, but don't spend time in the ICU without a mask. Don't worry about down here though (the ED), they all should be at their pediatrician instead." Note to readers: don't go to the ED unless you're about to keel over. You WILL catch something there. That place is a cess pool of germie kids!

It was bound to happen

So today i was leaving work and getting on the train and i saw one of the bloggers i read with her kids. Little family in the Big City is one of those blogs that when i see she's posted i read right away. Her kids crack me up, she's so honest and they seem like a normal family (no false pretenses)

Anyhoo, i saw her, i thought, wait, is that a patient's family i see....OMG NO it's a blogger. I had about 5 million thoughts go through my head, hmmmm, i should tell her she's so funny and i love her blog. If it was me, i know i'd be flattered....wait she looks tired, it's late, she's probably wanting to get everyone home and to bed. OMG i can't say hi to her, that would be so stalkerish of me. Technically i "know her" because i read her page, and watch the movies her family makes and pictures yes, that's strange and really what do i say. I totally got starstruck. i promise i was waaaaaay more composed when i met Katy Perry and Russell Brand. I was funny and totally myself....my cool self.

I walked by and said nothing. Then i felt it was fate! She had written about her adventures with mass transit in NYC. Oh the horrors, but thankfully she seems to have only had a few. Either way, i see her in the subway and then i read her post. yes i need to let her know. So i took that as a sign, she'd probably not think i was strange if i posted her a message.

The point Shannon, get to the point....i wrote her, i told her her kids were adorable (but really they were so much cuter in person) and her hair color is FAB! Yes i realize i'm a bit nutty, but i'm aware.

Her response back (ON MY BLOG....i'm so embarrassed because we all know i am growing a cactus and i never write), was sweet, she didn't think i was crazy, and she wished i had said something OH and she had read some of my posts (also slightly embarrassed, i never really know who will read my stuff). She also encouraged me to write. SO Abbie, IF you do see this, you motivated me to write after a 3 month hiatus. Gee, i used to be so much better.

Here's hoping i keep on it. I really don't know how bloggers can post once a day and feed their children. Maybe they need to post once a day TO feed their children. That's motivation :) Ah to have advertising.

i had a dream

heeeeey

happy thanksgiving, Hanukah, kwanza, christmas, new years, valentines day and presidents day...phew, it's been a while!

It's been a long time and i'm always thinking, is this worth posting, nah and i keep going. But last night i had a dream. I dreamt i was actually writing in this blog. I actually wrote in it and also changed its name. I can't for the life of me remember what i changed it to, but something i thought was amazing. hmmmm

Well chances are i'll go another really long stretch without writing, but i'll try a bit harder. I mean really, if all those mormon moms with 5 kids can cook, take pictures and write an amazing blog so can I (um yeah, probably not).

watch out she's thinking too much

I'm having one of those weeks. Actually it's been a few weeks, but this week was has me walking with an extra heavy heart. Because of my job i'm forced to see how fragile and precious life is. I'm always trying to help people remember that life if fragile, that we need to appreciate the present and honestly i'm starting to believe more and more that the creation of life is a miracle. Seriously, almost all of us were born with a perfectly intact body, everything functioning perfectly and we are living our lives trusting those around us to ensure we keep on living. Most of us haven't had an accident happen to ourselves or our family members, no horrible illness, or a basic illness which runs rampant in our body.

Our life and our bodies are so precious.

I'm not sure i'm even being clear about where my mind is going with this. I guess this is also me reminding myself, stop taking life so seriously, indulge, enjoy and appreciate the fact that i'm here another day.

wow a little too deep even for me.

City Chase-wrap up report

A sad reality hit me Saturday during City Chase...J and I are not meant to do Amazing Race style games. Also you can't force someone into an activity they are just not as excited about as i am. And let's be realistic there is no competing with me when i get excited about something.

So sadly we just didn't have as much fun as I thought we would. Maybe it was because i was forced to BBM and i don't have a Black Berry and i wanted to throw it on the ground and stomp on it. Or maybe it's because there were really long lines at some of the tasks and i was like a kid at disney just wanting to play but forced to wait. Either way, here were the highlights, because yes there were some good times!

I obviously forgot to pull out my camera for the majority of the tasks, but here is Joe playing H-O-R-S-E (that basketball game). Notice how he has no shirt or socks on...that's cause i'm wearing them all hoping he won't miss a basket because that means i have to strip off a layer of clothing. YEAH! good times! Good news was i only had to strip down to my bra and shorts.

We also played dodgeball against another team. We kicked butt at that one and i won it for team J and S!

Oh and of course the Minute 2 Win it game where we had to get a cookie from our forehead to our mouth in 1 minute. J was amazing at that game and won it for our team!

Anyhoo, i'll still play again, but sadly not with my sweetie (and he's okay with that). I guess that's the joys of being in a couple. Sometimes you're just not going to enjoy doing the same things, but it's nice if you give it a try for the other person.

Bits of my weekend (kinda) 5

We attended the wedding of a fabulous friend of ours this weekend. Here are some of the shots, but guess who forgot to pack her camera charger and ran out of juice on the way to the wedding. cough cough... here's a hint her name rhymes with bananan.

Here is what we did before it died-

mini put and all the oddities that i had including the arcade and haunted house. i screamed ALOT!

Aren't i just hilarious!!

rode the bus to the wedding

took pictures of her horse all dolled up.

hope you all had a great weekend!

i'm growing a cactus

I read a bazillion blogs....well realistically it's like 25-daily. At the end of my day i usually have around 30 or more posts to read. I love having something to read. It's a bit of something different each time and they lead me to other things i want to research and learn and i feel inspired. i like feeling inspired.

One of the blogs i read is The Pioneer Woman. She's amazing. Inspiration, motivational, sensational...i swear she does crack or speed or something because lordy lordy how she does it all in one day is mesmerizing! Today she was discussing tips on blogging. One thing she said was to blog often. Blogging is like a plant. It will shrivel without water, unless it's a cactus. Turns out i've planted a cactus. My blog flowers, wilts, grows and repeats-often. I don't know how to remedy this or even if i care to. To be honest, i sometimes question why why why do i continue and are Building a Grown up life and my parents the only ones who read this.

Here is what i think about though. I love to read other people's blogs. And sometimes they are silly, mundane and random, but after i read it i feel content to know a little bit more about that persons life, or something different or feel like my world has benefited (benefit?) from this. Maybe i should add a grammar blog too. I also think that sometime the person who is writing it is benefiting from putting their words out on a page.

moral of the story. The blog continues for another year. Ya'll we are approaching THREE FREAKIN' YEARS!!! OH and Facebook still won't allow my blog on my page. darn them!! I guess it's all the faux cussing.

Peace out YO!

Bits of my weekend 4

It was so darn hot this weekend that I opted to not carry around my camera, but then i managed to forget to take pictures of even the indoor activities.

Here is what i did

1. Went to the market

2. made blueberry, oat, flax muffins

3. sewed market bags

4. CLEANED!! OMG did i clean!

5. Walked in 100 degree heat for pie...TOTALLY WORTH IT!

because i have no photos i offer up MUFFINS

1 cup blueberries

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup honey/sweetner

3 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup oats/wheat bran

1 cup whole wheat floor or f

OR

1/2cup flax and 1/2 cup whole wheat (this is what i did)

mix dry, mix wet. make a well with dry poor in wet. mix together...but not too much.

cook at 375 for 20-30 minutes...cool and EAT

turns up yummy!!

The Watermelon Ceremony

It seems i have more than just my family and friends reading my blog...how flattering (even if they did just stumble across it). As per request an explanation of the watermelon ceremony.

The story goes, the couple doesn't like cake and don't understand the whole process of cutting cake. The problem is most people go to a wedding expecting to see cake and the romantic process. Up until a few days before the wedding there was no cake to be expected, just two huge watermelons (which i bought the night before because Jack forgot to put someone in charge of that one).

Now Jack's wife is Russian and from my understanding her family is very stereotypical Russian. Veering from traditions such as cake cutting with something as different as watermelon made them ask, what is the tradition or ceremony for your family with regards to the watermelon. WELL there is none, it's just Jack...that should be a term, "oh it's just Jack". That question though pushed Jack into the realm of, hmmmmm what can i create. What can i do to make my future family law really question me.

Jack created a story as to what it signifies, made his groomspeople part of the ceremony, one with a blindfold on (ME!) and it ends with everyone chanting watermelon in latin.

To be honest i don't remember what the story is, although it was very elaborate and did have a latin component. But the jist is that the couple cuts the watermelon, they feed it to a blindfolded High Priestess (me) who then, based off of the taste of the watermelon states whether the marriage is valid or not. Or is it whether the marriage will be great or not, whatever i can't remember. Either way none of the guests knew what to think, but there was lots oh laughter! Isn't that the most important part! I think so.

oh and ps: in the end a Russian family member made one...just couldn't handle not having cake.

Thanks for listening :)