fridayfive #6

Oops, I forgot to do this yesterday with everything that was going on. So here's the fridayfive, a day late.

1) What are some recurring dreams you’ve had?
The recurring dreams I have are usually about rape or brutal murder or being chased or just generally unpleasant things. I've also had recurring dreams where Keith was cheating on me and/or leaving me. THOSE SUCK, but I get major cuddles when I wake up from those.
2) What is the significance of dreams in telling you about yourself?
I don't really put much stock in dream analysis. To me, dreams are just your subconscious firing random synapses. Or something. I don't believe it's your mind telling you things or even "a dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep".
(fifty half points if you can tell me the Disney movie that's from).
3) How do you feel after you’ve had one of THOSE dreams?
What kind of dreams are THOSE dreams? If it's a nightmare then I usually wake up breathing hard and my heart racing. Then I usually stay up a bit just to make sure I don't dream about it again. The mental images are sometimes hard to make my brain forget.
4) What was the last dream you remember?
I've been having dreams every night for the past week, but I can't remember any of them more than five minutes after waking. Except for the (recurring throughout the night) one where Keith cheated on me & then left me a couple of nights ago. Weird thing is, when we woke up that day, Keith informed me that he had a dream that I told him I "didn't love him anymore" and left him. Pretty spooky eh?
5) When did you last dream about something that later happened as you dreamt it?
Never?

IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!!!

Well, the title says it all!

Tonight we really pushed ourselves and cleaned the living room and cleared the kitchen and foyer area so we could - ready for this? - MOVE ALL MY STUFF FROM THEIR APARTMENT TO HERE!!!!!

It's all here! FINALLY! After most of it being in storage for 6 months, I'm really, really, really excited to unpack it all and find homes for everything. And, do you know how great a feeling it is to finally have a place that's really yours, with all your stuff in it?

Let me tell you, it's freaking fanTAStic. Oh, god. Can you tell how EXCITED I AM?!?! HA!

Yeah, so the next week will be spent unpacking slowly and putting things away, but this is the FUN part of moving in (at least for me, anyway). Hopefully within a couple weeks I can show you the "After" pictures of my Series, but because I'm anal it won't be until everything is nearly perfectly arranged - I'm pretty sure the only things that will be missing will be finishing touches like the artwork and things (which have to be bought slowly over a period of time because, hey guys, we're on a strict budget here).

IT'S ALL DONE!!!! YAAAAY!! =)

PS: Seriously? I thought his living room carpet was a medium gray. Turns out it's a very light tan.
Who knew?

PPS: Keith FINALLY updated his blog! If you wanna hear the other side of our story, head on over and check it out! (and please, leave comments. I'm sure if there were more comments on entries, he'd write more. Maybe?)

Fulfillment

I wrote this in my really old account at journalland when I was 17 years old:
"Serenity
Tuesday 16 November 2004 - 5.05am

You know what I realized I want more in than anything at this moment in my life?

A peaceful, one bedroom apartment, with a dog like Buddy curled on my floor, a cat like Anya curled on the bed, asleep with a boys arms securely around me.

*sigh*I hate 3am longings."

Last night I realized that, 4 years later, it's not a longing anymore. I have it. And it feels better than I ever imagined it could.

Before: The Living Room (A Series)

By far the WORST room in the apartment. The first photo is as if you just walked into the room, the second basically the same, just farther up the wall, and the third photo is from the windows looking at the opposite wall. The kitchen is on the other side of that wall.

Gah, this is turning out to be a HUGE job. We've been cleaning it off and on for three days now, mostly because if I push too hard, Keith pulls the "But I'm on vacation!!!" card, but also because it's such a huge job it's hard to get up enough enthusiam to do it. And I'm lazy. Mucho lazy.

*sigh* Just on the last stretch of it now. Hopefully I can push myself to finish it tonight and (re)start on the kitchen. It seems any extra junk (aka furniture/boxes) we have end up there, plus we've been eating so dishes have to be done again.

Yippeee. I'll be so incredibly glad when this is over. You have no idea.

Before: The Bedroom (A Series)

This is (obviously) our bedroom. It was the least dirty of all the rooms in the apartment, but I forgot to take a picture before we started cleaning the floor. Just imagine it covered in stuff, okay?

Most of this room just required cosmetic cleaning, like vacuuming and steam cleaning the floor and washing the windows and walls. And, of course, furniture.

Looking Glass Help

I need your help!!! I need to pick out a mirror for the front foyer. I thought it would add a nice touch instead of a photograph or a painting. It's also a really cheap and effective way to make the space seem larger than it is. I plan to put a medium-sized canvas print of probably bright cheery flower(s) in the kitchen, and everything else (except for Keith's 'hockey half-wall of fame') will be thin black framed photographs in black and white. The only thing I'm not sure of is the bathroom. Anyway, this is going above the brown bookcase where we're putting the dog & cat food dishes. and it's right next to the doorway for the kitchen.

I've narrowed it down to five choices, all from IKEA. So what I need from you is to choose your favourite and why you chose it. Please! This mirror will probably be the first piece of decoration people see as they come in.

So, first choice:

This is 29.99$ and, to be quite honest, I love it. I love that it's funky and stylish and I think it would make a great decorative mirror.

Second Choice:This is a bit more expensive at 59.99$, and the vertical lines are actually elastic straps, which I thought would be cool to put pictures in and you can actually re-arrange the straps into different patterns. But would that make it too cluttery? And would the cat (or us?) knock the photos off?

Third Choice:This is also 59.99$. I just like it, but do the etched flowers make it too girly? (it can be hung horizontally as well).

Fourth Choice:

This is back in the realm of 29.99$, and I really can't find too much wrong with it.

Fifth Choice:Also 29.99$ and very similar to the one above. Apparently you can hang things off the metal part, but I don't think we'll be hanging anything on there. At least, I hope not.

So. Which one is your favourite?

5 things meme

I got this in an e-mail from Kelly, so I thought I'd do this here to get those hideous pictures out of eye-level (ha!). I can't believe its Monday; Keith's on vacation for the next week so it feels like an extended weekend. It was so nice to not wake up to an alarm (he works at 6am) and instead wake up naturally and not have him be rushing out the door. Bliss.

10 years ago…
I was 11. Um. Not much going on when you're 11.

Five things in today’s 'to do list':
1) Finish the kitchen (do the food cupboards, wash out the fridge, mop the floor again).
2) Clean the bathroom from top to bottom.
3) Pick up the garbage in the living room.
4) Maybe bring over the kitchen table, my TV, bedside tables, bathroom stuff, etc.
5) Go to Keiths ball hockey game at 9:00pm.

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1) Air popped popcorn with salt and butter. I could (and do) eat it anytime of day. I had it for breakfast/lunch yesterday.
2) Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt. Favourite flavours are strawberry and chocolate.
3) Gummy candy in a tub. Wal-Mart has this cool variety where it's just all different ones mixed together so that's what I get.
4) Chips, usually either Ketchup, Regular or Sour Cream & Onion. Or Triscuits.
5) Fresh fruit, like berries and melons and tropical ones.

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire:
1) Get married.
2) Buy Keith's parents a condo
3) Give my parents a "retirement fund" - especially my mom so she doesn't have to teach, instead she can choose if she wants to.
4) Pay off our combined debts.
5) Buy a house.

5 Places I have lived:
1) St. Paul, Alberta
2) Kelowna, British Columbia
3) Nanaimo, British Columbia
4) Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan
5) Clinton, Ontario

Now back to watching Grease. I LOVE this movie!

Before: The Kitchen (A Series)

Yay! I found the camera cord! Apparently we've collectively taken 150 photos since Stratford....someone has trigger fingers! (ahemKeithahem)

Anyway, I'm happy about it because now I can show you the mess I've been dealing with this past week. Of course there will be "after" photos as well when it's all perfect, but yeah. And because I REALLY don't feel like fiddling with Blogger and pictures at 2am, I'm going to show you one room at a time, starting with the kitchen. Prepare to recoil in horror.

BEFORE:

The KitchenThis is the floor I was talking about. YEUCH.

(And yes, that is Elvis' litter box front and centre -

there was no other place for it, honest! It has since been moved to the foyer.)

One corner of the kitchen:

(we ended up keeping the bookcase; it's now in the foyer next to the litterbox.

The plan is to use it for cat dishes on the top shelf and Molly's dishes on the bottom)

And this is the other corner/counterspace. The fridge is the white thing in the photo above and the stove is the yellow thing in the corner. Obviously the cupboards are above; the ones above the sink are for tupperware/everyday dishes and the ones above are for food and everything else.

Stay tuned to see how (good?) it actually turns out.....

fridayfive #5

If a traveling food show were to visit your neighborhood, what are some unique, regional foods it would spotlight, and where would it go to get them?
Um, Ottawa has about 93 (according to wikipedia.org) shawarma places across the city, so while they aren't exactly "regional" (they're Lebanese) that would be a definite must-taste.

On an American cable show, a celebrity chef surprises people by challenging them to a contest featuring their own specialties (he usually loses). If he challenged you to your specialty, what dish would you prepare? If he challenged someone you know, what would that dish be, and how might the competition turn out?
If he challenged me, it would be to see who can dial the local 1 for 1 pizza the fastest. Ha.

What are your feelings about cooking shows on television?
I like them, don't necessarily watch them. Except for Take Home Chef, which I think is kinda creepy. They totally do it.

What kitchen gadgets have you purchased because you saw someone using them on television?
Nothing. My dad bought me a George Foreman grill once though, I really wish I had hung onto it.

You get to (or have to, depending on how you feel about it) host your own food show on television. What will it be called and what’s it about?
I'm tired and not really up to being creative tonight, so I'm going to cop-out and say "No Idea". Sound good?

WHEW!

So.

Remember the kitchen I was so afraid of cleaning?

I totally just kicked its ass. Well, half of it, but instead of focusing on the negative (i.e., what I haven't done yet), let's focus on the positive, shall we? Oh. Yes. Yes, we shall.

Basically we have a pretty big front foyer area, so that as well as the kitchen was my focus for today. The floor in the kitchen was so full that you couldn't really move around, so clearing it out was my first task. Then I cleared some counter space, set up my dish rack, and started doing the dishes....only to discover that, in order to put the dishes away, I had to clean the actual cupboards themselves. Did four cupboards at two shelves each, plus the cutlery drawer. Check.

There was enough dishes to do six loads. At one point it felt like all I was doing all day was dishes, and I don't know about you guys, but it doesn't really seem like you're doing much when all you're doing is that. But we all know that's not entirely true, right?

But after dinner I attacked it again and got the foyer area clean of debris ("clearing it out" apparently meant "dump it in the other room") and then swept and mopped it. And with that, I deemed it clean. Success!

In the corner of the kitchen was a very dusty, long-forgotten bookcase full of recipe books that we don't want anymore (the bookcase, that is, not the recipes). Cleared out the bookcase, wiped all the books down, and transferred them into a cupboard, and then looked at the wall(s) behind it.

Yikes. It's looking as if cleaning the walls will be a three-step, arduous process, first involving a mop and some floor cleaner, then scrubbing with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser(r) (amazing product, by the way. I heart it), and, finally, spraying with some degreaser and wiping them down with a cloth.

Oh yeah. That'll just be a barrel of laughs to do all the walls in the apartment. Ugh.

It seems anti-climatic now to mention I then mopped scrubbed the kitchen floor, but I did. Boo-yah.

Then I decided enough craziness and fun times were had for one night, and I walked away feeling satisfied that I did nearly everything I set out to do at the beginning of today.

And that, my friends, is how I kicked the kitchens ass. Boom-sha-ka-la-ka. Word to your mother.

Overwhelmed.

I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'm trying to clean a kitchen that hasn't been cleaned in months. I found stuff with a best-by date that was fifteen months ago, and that wasn't even the worst of it. Did you know jam goes bad? Yeah, me either.

It's just so overwhelming and I don't know where to start. I feel all shaky and ready to cry, and it's only the beginning. And it's not like I can leave it, because nobody can live with it the way it is, and I want to get it done by the time Keith comes home (about 3pm).

I think the trick for me to get through this - or at least the initial stages of it - is just to clean everything I can see, and worry about what's behind closed doors later.

Here goes nothing....

Answers.

As promised, here are the answers to yesterday's quiz:

1) What was the original name for Ottawa?
Bytown.
2) Where does Canada rank in the world in terms of land mass?
Second. (Russia is first.)
4) True or False: Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
True.
5) What Canadian province is named after Queen Victoria's fourth daughter?
Alberta
6) Which province was the first to introduce medicare?
Saskatchewan.
7) The face of what past Canadian prime minister adorns the $100 bill?
Robert Borden.
8) Name the province that was part of the initial Confederation discussions but decided to opt out of joining Canada until 1949?
Newfoundland.
9) Which is the only legally bilingual Canadian province?
New Brunswick.
10) The government of Canada is best described as:
a) a representative republic
b) a co-operative association
c) constitutional monarchy
d) people's democracy
11) What medical breakthrough led to a 1923 Nobel Prize for Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod?
Discovery of insulin.
12) What was the name of Wayne Gretzky's first professional hockey team?
Indianapolis Racers.
13) Name the group of French-Canadian inhabitants who were deported from the Maritimes in the mid-18th century?
Acadians.
14) On what famous battlefield did General Wolfe and the British army defeat the French army for control of Quebec in 1759?
Plains of Abraham.
15) Which NHL team has won more Stanley Cups than any other?
Montreal Canadiens.
16) What is the name of the sailing vessel featured on the Canadian dime?
The Bluenose.
17) Who wrote the words to "O' Canada"?
Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier
18) What is the name of the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy awards?
a) Genies
b) Mulroney's
c) Junos
d) Trudeau's
19) What is the name of Canada's official summer sport?
Lacrosse.
20) Name the two official animals of Canada.
Beaver and Canadian horse.
21) Who was prime minister of Canada during the Second World War?
a) Lester B. Pearson
b) Sir Wilfrid Laurier
c) Louis St. Laurent
d) Mackenzie King
22) What is the name of the trade agreement linking Canada, the United States, and Mexico that went into effect on Jan. 1, 1994?
North American Free Trade Agreement - NAFTA.
23) What was the name of the route used by slaves fleeing the United States to get to Canada?
The Underground Railroad.
24) In June 1944, Canadians participated in a major military operation called "D-Day." Which of the following best describes "D-Day"?
a) The invasion of Japan
b) The bombing of Pearl Harbor
c) The liberation of Hong Kong
d) The invasion of France
25) Lieut.- Col. John McCrae served as a medical officer in the First World War and wrote what is considered to be Canada's most famous war poem. What is called?
In Flanders Fields.
26) Name the controversial political figure who is credited with the creation of the province of Manitoba.
Louis Riel.
27) Quebec cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte was taken hostage and killed during the October Crisis initiated by which extremist separatist group?
FLQ - Front de la Liberation du Quebec.
28) Which famous Canadian declared "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" in 1967 in reference to the controversial Omnibus Bill that brought issues such as divorce law, abortion and homosexuality to the forefront.
Pierre Trudeau.
29) Which prime minister was forced to resign after it became known that he accepted campaign funds in exchange for a lucrative railroad contract?
Sir John A. MacDonald.
30) Name the Canadian settler who was executed during the Red River Resistance.
Thomas Scott

Happy 141st Birthday Canada!!

Bonne Fête Canada!

In honour of this amazing, glorious country I am SO proud to call my home, let's do a fun quiz to test your knowledge. (I know it's kinda long, but I cut it from 100 to just 30. Anyways, just do as much as you want/know)

I'll post the answers tomorrow. No googling!

1) What is the original name for Ottawa?
3) Where does Canada rank in the world in terms of land mass?
4) True or False: Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
5) What Canadian province is named after Queen Victoria's fourth daughter?
6) Which province was the first to introduce medicare?
7) The face of what past Canadian prime minister adorns the $100 bill?
8) Name the province that was part of the initial Confederation discussions but decided to opt out of joining Canada until 1949?
9) Which is the only legally bilingual Canadian province?
10) The government of Canada is best described as:
a) a representative republic
b) a co-operative association
c) constitutional monarchy
d) people's democracy
11) What medical breakthrough led to a 1923 Nobel Prize for Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod?
12) What was the name of Wayne Gretzky's first professional hockey team?
13) Name the group of French-Canadian inhabitants who were deported from the Maritimes in the mid-18th century?
14) On what famous battlefield did General Wolfe and the British army defeat the French army for control of Quebec in 1759?
15) Which NHL team has won more Stanley Cups than any other?
16) What is the name of the sailing vessel featured on the Canadian dime?
17) Who wrote the words to "O' Canada"?
18) What is the name of the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy awards?
a) Genies
b) Mulroney's
c) Junos
d) Trudeau's
19) What is the name of Canada's official summer sport?
20) Name the two official animals of Canada.
21) Who was prime minister of Canada during the Second World War?
a) Lester B. Pearson
b) Sir Wilfrid Laurier
c) Louis St. Laurent
d) Mackenzie King
22) What is the name of the trade agreement linking Canada, the United States, and Mexico that went into effect on Jan. 1, 1994?
23) What was the name of the route used by slaves fleeing the United States to get to Canada?
24) In June 1944, Canadians participated in a major military operation called "D-Day." Which of the following best describes "D-Day"?
a) The invasion of Japan
b) The bombing of Pearl Harbor
c) The liberation of Hong Kong
d) The invasion of France
25) Lieut.- Col. John McCrae served as a medical officer in the First World War and wrote what is considered to be Canada's most famous war poem. What is called?
26) Name the controversial political figure who is credited with the creation of the province of Manitoba.
27) Quebec cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte was taken hostage and killed during the October Crisis initiated by which extremist separatist group?
28) Which famous Canadian declared "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" in 1967 in reference to the controversial Omnibus Bill that brought issues such as divorce law, abortion and homosexuality to the forefront.
29) Which prime minister was forced to resign after it became known that he accepted campaign funds in exchange for a lucrative railroad contract?
30) Name the Canadian settler who was executed during the Red River Resistance.

Et ta valeur, de foi trempée

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Woah, this is COOL!

Téléphone Portable + Maïs = Pop-corn - Vidéo

20 questions....(actually, 14. I counted.)

From Heather

If you went to the bank right now, how much money could you get out in cash?
Nothing. I immediately transfer anything into my bank account over to Keith's and we spend it together.
What was the last piece of fruit you ate?
I "stole" from a bowl some strawberries that Keith's mom was hulling. Yummy!
Did you think sex was over-rated after your first attempt?
Oh, hell yeah. I don't even remember the guy's name.
Someone just handed you $1000 to spend within 24 hours, what are you going to do with it?
Probably go out for some lavish date with Keith, get Molly fixed, and then pay some of my debt off with the rest. Having debt terrifies me so much. Whats even more terrifying is that I can't do anything about it just yet.
What's for dinner tonight?
Dinner was sausages in buns and rice with green beans and pieces of steak mixed in. I just had a sausage.
What are you really great at doing?
Keith says I'm really great at 'loving him'....but I'm not sure that counts - so typing I guess? (how sad is that?) Oh! and reading.
What is your greatest childhood memory?
I can't really remember my childhood that clearly, actually. Most of my memories all stem from about the age of 13 or so.
What is your worst childhood memory?
Again, can't remember.
What was the name of the first person you ever kissed (first name only)?
His name was Tyson and it was at co-ed camp the summer I was 13. It was a dare and since I didn't know what the hell to do, I just copied him - tongue and all. It was so sloppy!
What is the most amount of money you've ever spent on one item and what was it?
That would either be drugs or rent. Woot, such a sad life.
What constitutes the best day of your life thus far?
When Keith admitted that he wanted our relationship ending up in kids/marriage. I remember it so clearly - It was in February and we were both in the kitchen making a frozen pizza and he went to say something but then stopped and blushed - I asked him what he was going to say and he blushed some more and then said that he knew where he wanted our relationship to go - and then he muttered "kids and marriage". I was so blown away.
What random question have you been pondering lately?
Who put that hill here?
Who is your favourite relative?
If I had to choose it would probably be my dad or my sister, but only if my sister and I are alone and it's been a couple of days (she's always angry the first few days I visit).
What are you planning for the rest of your day today?
Mmm, since it's just after midnight, we're drinking and then falling asleep. Then its Saturday and I usually get a break from taking the dog out, and then its a slow, long, lazy sleep-in with lots of cuddling. I love Saturday mornings.

Back in the city!

Hey guys.

What to say? Visit home went about expected - good, slightly awkward. Of course. Cabaret was so good. Except for the dancing Hitler-themed dreams it inspired later that night. This would be about the point I bombard you with pictures, but they're all still on the camera.

11 days until we officially move in together - and it just so happens that Canada Day is one of my favourite (if not the favourite) holidays. I always celebrate it by getting, uh, otherwise altered and going downtown for the fireworks show. I can't wait to spend our first day as a live-in couple and our first Canada Day together. Woop!

Speaking of spending time together - Keith and I are about due for a date night. Our last one was just after Belleville! I'm thinking either dinner and a movie, or grab a quick bite and go to a Comedy Club for some pitchers and a few laughs. Which one would you choose? I wanna know!

fridayfive #4

It's time for the fridayfive!
Who gave you your last balloon, and what was the occasion?
Keith gave me my last balloon, and there wasn't really an occasion, we just found a pack of them mixed in with his income tax slips. Weee!

Who gave you your last scolding, and what was it for?
I'm kind of past the age to be getting scoldings, but probably my Mother. You're never too old for that, unfortunately. (lol)

Who gave you your last attaboy, and why?
... probably my father. A couple of years ago.

Who gave you your last haircut?
Never caught her name but I got it done at my hometown salon, Total Image II. Love that place. So much. It's big town service for a small town price (wedding updo's are only forty dollars. Yeah.)

Who gave you your last massage?
Keith. That reminds me, it's about time for another one *bwahahaha*

Becky's 19!!

I forgot to mention earlier that it's my baby sisters 19th birthday today. The youngest of our family is finally all legal. Scary!

I love you Becky, Happy 19th!

We're off to see the wizard ....

We're off on our journey home tomorrow morning (we leave Ottawa at 9:20am and get into Stratford at 6:45pm), and I'm so looking forward to it. A weekend away from all the stress sounds LOVELY right about now, and even though he's nervous about meeting my mom, I have absolute confidence he'll do just fine. Really, sweetie, you will.

And then just 19 days until Keith and I officially move in together. (!!!!)

The original reason why we were going got cancelled at the last moment because my Great Uncle died this week, but mom got us tickets to Cabaret at Stratford for the three of us. Apparently it's very risqué, but good. Getting Keith to pack something with a collar for it, though, is proving to be difficult.

I picked up two books for the ride up - The Host by Stephanie Meyer (NOT part of the Twilight Triology) and Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisburger.

What else? Oh yeah, just wanted to say - CONGRATS MICHELLE!!!!

Disgusting

(31 degrees C = 87.8 degrees F.)