How gorgeous is this wedding shot by the amazing davina + daniel???

He liked fast cars, naughty jokes, and roasted duck. I liked playing it safe and eating peanut butter and jelly. We were very different. But when he sat down at a piano or organ and started plucking at the keys, I couldn’t help but smile. I’d go and sit next to him on the bench and put my head on his shoulder, and I’d feel his hands and feet pecking at the instrument as effortless music filled the house. He’d play Yankee Doodle and I’d indulge him and sing along. He’d play the Canadian anthem and my mom’s eyes would fill with tears and she’d stand, on cue, and patriotically place her hand on her heart. He’d play classical music as well as hockey intermission tunes. He’d play “When the saints go marching in” on his organ that was pre-programmed with a gazillion different instrument sounds, and half the song would be as a “trumpet” and the other half as a “cello.”

He always had Kit-Kats in his kitchen cupboard and soft Chips Ahoy cookies in the glass jar on his coffee table. He drank cherry Coke, no ice (NO ICE), and then capped off every meal with a strong espresso, whether it was at our house or his (I can still hear the hissing and the whirring of that machine). He was a big kid and collected huge remote control planes. He had a massive train set that he’d built out in his garage that he’d sneak me out to and he’d plug it in and it would magically light up and it made me so happy. He had magic tricks and Whoopee cushions and kitschy signs all over his house. My fave: a huge framed picture of this mischievous-looking little redheaded kid standing IN the toilet and peeing OUT of it. This hung proudly in his living room.

Because he lived on the water his house, as well as the huge boat that bobbed behind the spindly orange tree in his backyard, had this musty gasoline-y smell, which today is one of those strange odours that I love.

He bought me the BEST gift I ever got as a kid. I had been pining (read: begging) for a Fisher-Price play kitchen, and that Christmas it was at the top of my wish list. I remember standing outside on Christmas Eve in the driveway waiting for my grandfather and his wife to arrive, and as his caddy came around the corner and I got a full view of the car, I saw that the trunk was propped open… and there was my play kitchen.

He taught me to never refuse money. He taught me about generosity and fun. My grandfather was a cool cat, although his cool-factors were more embarrassing when I was a teenager… I wish I’d been cool enough then to understand his cool-ity.

He was the first death for me in my family (I had grandparents who had passed away before him but I was much too young, or non-born, to remember). And I missed him a lot when he passed away during my last year of high school. I still miss him. But I will forever hold on to the wonderful memories we shared when I’d kiss my Papa on the cheek and he’d tell me, “I love you choochie.”

I’ve got driving on my mind…

1- Nothing gets my blood boiling more than waiting in line LIKE I’M SUPPOSED TO in traffic in order to merge onto a highway/bridge and then watching that one A-hole speed up and cut into the line… wow that irks me.

2- Who’s the idiot who parks too far on one side of a parking space, making it basically impossible to park next to him and hence taking up two spaces?

3- If I’m driving on a highway and pass a speed trap, I always flash my high beams at oncoming traffic to warn em. I don’t think it’s allowed but when someone does it for me, I’m very appreciative.

4- Whoever invented the car that can parallel-park itself is a genius and should have a holiday named after them.

5- I’ve always wanted a Jesus fish for my car. It’s subtle and would just make me feel comforted.

What a great idea for a “guest book” – paint-by-number canvas

(via oncewed)

And I love this winter bride featured on intimateweddings – if I had my wedding to do all over again, I would totally do a winter wedding!

About 7,000 of Concordia University’s 35,000 students have joined a province-wide strike against a $1,625 tuition-fee hike, while students at Dawson College began two days of voting Monday in a strike referendum.

Seriously??

Guys, I am ALL for standing up for your rights, but do you realize what you’re protesting? Our tuition is RIDICULOUSLY cheap in Quebec. Compared to other places in North America, it’s super low. And we have incredible universities, programs, and professors.

So stop it.

When I was at Concordia there were threats of strikes and protests constantly… it seemed to me that a big portion of the Concordia student body were jaded grown-up teens who were all revved up and ready to pounce on anyone who even looked at their rights the wrong way. People wanted to really exercise (read: throw in the face) their right to freedom of speech. It’s all just a little too intense and dramatic for me.

I had to enroll at Concordia as a “foreign student” because I grew up in the States and didn’t attend school in Quebec. It was about three times the price of an average Quebec resident’s tuition, and it was STILL probably a THIRD of what my American friends paid to go to university. Most of those friends graduated with a HUGE student loan on their backs (what a nice way to start your working life!) and I knew VERY few Quebec students who had a significant amount owed to their respective university.

Why? Because the tuition is CHEAP people!

Stop belly-aching and looking for something to complain about please. A good education comes at a cost, and the cost to get that in this province is the deal of the century.

So shush!

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup molasses

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 cups oatmeal

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins, dried cherries or dried cranberries

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces or chunks (or substitue coconut)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and molasses in a large mixing bowl.

In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to moist ingredients and stir to combine.

Stir in oatmeal, walnuts, dried fruit, and chocolate or coconut. Spoon into prepared pan; cover with wax paper and press to spread mixture evenly in pan. Discard paper.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until done. Cut into bars.

Fat: 15g (7g saturated), 375 calories per bar, Cholesterol 41 mg, sodium 242 mg, fibre 3g, Carbs 57g, protein 6g

(THANKS MOM!)

HOT TUB BOAT!!!

Via uncrate

Spring Break was so wonderful during my school days. Nothing was more exciting than a whole week off in the warm March weather. There was never a shortage of things to do… I can’t ever remember complaining to my mother that I was “bored” during those glorious Spring Breaks that I long for now. How incredible would it be to have an entire week off with NO PROJECTS? I mean, sure, we can all book a week off of work, but I can guarantee that unless you get outta dodge, you’ll spend the week trying to get all those inane, annoying grown-up to-dos taken care of.

Sucky.

If I were on March Break this would be my itinerary…

MONDAY

Wake up and eat not one but TWO bowls of Lucky Charms cereal while watching cartoons and Saved By The Bell reruns on TBS. Then I’d ride my bike in the cul-de-sac, maybe play some cops and robbers with the neighbourhood kids, or challenge my nemesis to a cut-throat game of marbles. Lunch would be a big bowl of Kraft mac n’ cheese with cut-up hot dogs, followed by a snooze under my soft green baby blanket that I snuggled in till I was a teen. I’d wake up slowly to more cartoons, a few double-stuff Oreos, and a glass of strawberry milk. Then some more outdoor time climbing the tree across the street until I’m called in for dinner, which is Mommy-fried-chicken and French fries (no salad- hey, I’m on March Break!). Some post-dinner colouring in front of the TV, or maybe a quick sesh with my dollhouse family, and it’s time to get all tucked in. Ahhh… being tucked in.

TUESDAY

This morning I think I’ll opt for some Tom & Jerry and a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I snuggle with my mom and watch Little House on the Prairie, then I go upstairs to my room to play house. I line up all my dolls and make them lunch in my Fisher-Price play kitchen. Then I put them down for their naps. By then it’s lunchtime and mom has made me a munchie plate: cut up cheese, cold cuts, fruit, crackers, everything I love. The TV is already tuned to MASH, and as I finish eating I can feel my eyelids getting heavy. A nap on my canopy bed is the perfect recharge for some roller-skating with my best friends, so I strap on my hot pink skates in the afternoon and we’re off, crimped hair tied back with a scrunchie. Dinner is another favourite: homemade meat sauce and garlic bread. We catch a quick episode of Full House while we digest and then dad takes me and my brother to the neighbourhood rec centre for tennis and basketball until the sun sets.

WEDNESDAY

It’s rainy out today, and I let myself doze in bed for awhile listening to the torrential Florida rain bang against my window. The day is a mix of watching movies like Harry and the Hendersons, baking cookies with my mom, making Shrinky-Dinks or tie-dye shirts, noshing on bologna and butter sandwiches and Little Debbie swiss rolls, and, of course, napping. For dinner mom makes huge pans of sticky ribs and lets me stay up late to watch Beverly Hills, 90210.

THURSDAY

I plop down on the couch to watch Looney Tunes in the morningtime and my mom brings me “fence bread” – thick slices of French bread slathered in butter and honey and patterned with a grid (to look like a fence – loved it as a kid). I spend the early afternoon swimming in our pool with friends – we take turns on the slide and play Marco Polo and lay on wet towels on the deck under the scorching sun, our skin freckled with beads of water that seem to immediately disappear in the humid heat. A quick lunch of peanut butter and honey sandwiches with a glass of milk is followed by a snooze on the couch, and in the early evening my brother and I play outside – I’m either bouncing in my moon shoes, hopping around with my Skip-It, or rushing by on my push scooter. Dinner: breakfast! Yep, dad is gonna do steak and eggs, and mom makes marble pound cake with thick white frosting for dessert.

FRIDAY

For my final day of March Break my dad prepares his big “weekend” breakfast as a treat: soft-boiled eggies in cups with finger toast. Then my mom takes me shopping to the mall – we stop at Claires for a mood ring, the bulk candy store for Sour Patch Kids, Wet Seal and Contempo for new clothes, the food court for lunch, and then we wander around the San Francisco Music Box Company and Brookstone, just for fun. On our way home we stop for groceries and mom lets me eat the end of the French bread while we wander up and down the aisles. I buy a new Wet n Wild nail polish colour (neon orange) and after a dinner of barbecued steak my mom paints my fingernails for me. I spend a few hours in my room listening to Paula Abdul or The Cranberries while chatting on the phone before I turn in. My vacay has come to a close.

And as I flick off the light, I wince at the thought of returning to school (or, in this case, real life) on Monday. But boy, was that a GREAT March Break!

Easter PRETTY!!!!!-ness…

Martha Stewart (of course!)

A little girl, age one or age two,

Got a collection of books written by you.

The rhymes were so funny, so clever and smart,

They riddled my head, they warmed up my heart.

“From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.”

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.”

“So you see! There’s no end to the thing you might know, depending how far beyond Zebra you go.”

You gave us the Lorax and Cat in the Hat,

Horton and Grinches – how did you think of that?

Yertle, The Oobleck, and each Whoville Who,

Thidwick, Mouse, Thing One and Thing Two.

Every book got me giddy, and that’s what I meant,

And a kid is quite faithful, one hundred percent.

I wanted to read, I wanted to write, in the sunny of day, in the dark starry night.

You gave me the gift with green eggs and ham,

And I do! I do like them Sam I Am!

The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the house, on that cold, cold wet day.

We learned about cats with hats piled high,

Sneetches and Biffer-Baum Birds in the sky.

And then there was Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose,

My favoritest character from that wise Dr. Seuss.

I loved books and loved rhymes more than I ever knew,

And it’s because of Mr. Brown and Gerald McGrew.

Thank you JoJo, Mouse, and little Cindy Lou Who,

And the biggest thanks, Dr. Seuss, must be bestowed upon you.

“Today is gone.
Today was fun.
Tomorrow is
another one.”