As your self-proclaimed entertainment reporter, I have BIG NEWS!!! Some of you have already heard that Deal or No Deal is coming to Canada to tape 5 shows. Well as of today you can go to www.globaltv.com and get the application form. I have printed mine off...it's 15 pages long!!! There are many, many questions to answer including ones about pets, lucky charms, and previous incarcerations..I'm not kidding! Then there are the ones I may need assistance with...the weirdest thing about me, what friends would say are my best and worst qualities...be kind please! You also have to write a short poem or rap about yourself...soooo exciting!
Then there is the REALLY hard part...choosing 4 supporters. How can I possibly choose just 4?? LOL!!! So to make it easier, I'll be accepting essays..Why I Would Love to be Judy's Supporter..500 words or less..double spaced..grammar and spelling count (oh, sorry Sheri)! I will also need a recent photograph (I'm not kidding about that part). The supporters also have to be available to audition on Dec. 4 and 5 which is a Monday, Tuesday so basically I need supporters that are photogenic and unemployed.
I'll let you know when they announce how to get tickets just to be audience members for the tapings...since I'm sure that's as close as I will get.

In other entertainment news...new fall season not doing as well as I predicted..shocking!!
For all the fans of:
Studio 60
Smith
Kidnapped
Vanished
sorry to say cancelled, cancelled, cancelled. Actually Vanished will resolve its storylines before it ends which is a good thing..I really enjoyed that one.
On the brink of destruction:
Justice
The Nine
The Class
I was watching The Nine..it was ok..definitely less enthralling though with each show.

The hottest new shows are Heroes, Shark, Brothers and Sisters (love that show!!), and Jericho. Before the season started, I bet a friend of mine that Studio 60 would be one of the highest rated new shows, they took Shark...OUCH for me!!

Anyway, that's it for this weeks entertainment report...time to go scare up some candy...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Well where should I start? Ok, I really don't have a good excuse for not blogging. The only thing that I can come up with is that I have been busy (but aren't we all) and I've been very tired this week. I usually do my blogging late but it seems that 10 o'clock rolls around and I'm wiped!
Anyway, enough of my whining....what's been going on lately...hmmm...let's see...
scrapped with my girlfriends last Friday night and Saturday, took Emily to her first day of Vet Club at the Humane Society and did some running around. Sunday, Emily had her first day of indoor soccer and then I helped her with her first Grade 2 project (I hope we, I mean she, passes! LOL!). Actually, other than helping her find books at the library and suggesting how she might organize it, she was set on doing it all herself, knowing exactly what she wanted to say and how. Stubborn little thing...no idea where she gets that! Actually, I love that she's so independent already and has her own ideas.

I definitely have to mention the wonderful time I had Monday night. My closest girlfriend from college was in town this week so we were able to get together for dinner. She's been living in Vancouver since last fall so it was a very pleasant surprise to find out she was in town. The last few years we've only kept in touch with the odd e-mail and usually at birthday time. Actually it was always the joke between us that you knew you'd hear from the other at birthday time but you were never quite sure when...maybe on the day, maybe a couple days late or maybe even a week late. It's one of those friendships where our lives have gone in very different directions and we don't call each other all the time but we both know we'll always be friends. Linda is definitely one of the most independent women I know. She recently went to South America with her brother and his family for three weeks and then stayed on by herself for another 4 weeks to travel through Chile and Peru. I find that amazing especially in this day and age. I could never do that. Anyway, we had a fabulous time catching up and before we knew it, we'd had a 5 hour dinner!

I'm very lucky, I have many fabulous women friends in my life right now and at some point I will have to blog about them as well or I'll be in big trouble!! LOL!!



Well, as usual it's very late but I think I'm getting my second wind...maybe I'll stay up and scrap a couple pages before I call it a night. OK, let the laughter begin....anyone that scraps with me knows that's not going to happen. I think I've earned myself the title of SLACKER SCRAPPER, unfortunately, rightfully so. Oh well, I guess I'll just go to bed instead.

Well my last little ditty was such fun to write
I thought I'd try again on this Grey's TV night.
I really must say last weeks show was quite good
for those that don't watch, I really wish that you would.
Where else can you see a guy named McDreamy
and a mcsixpack on another whose name is McSteamy
or Meredith who thought she was having mcbaby
It wasn't McVet's, must be McDreamy's mcmaybe
ok that's enough with all the crazy mcwords
but I do like McDonalds if you haven't heard
One hour to go and we'll see if it's true
McSteamy and Callie, did they do it....woo hoo!!
I can't say it enough, it is such a great show
but I'm sure you all watch it, you already know.
Well enough of this nonsense, that's it for tonight
I hope you enjoyed it, I hope it's all right.

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day so off to the pumpkin patch we went. The kids enjoyed the corn maze, it was quite a bit bigger than last year's...embarrassing to admit but we had trouble finding our way out! Every path we took seemed to take us further away from where the exits were. We finally cheated and trudged between some rows of corn to escape!!
It seemed to take forever for the kids to each pick the perfect pumpkin but after rejecting many, many pumpkins...victory was theirs!!!

In such a short time I've gone from "what is a blog?"
To being consumed, my mind's now in a fog
'C'mon, where's your new post?" my friends they do ask
Get writing, be funny, not so easy, this task
Should I be more profound and not quite so light?
More mysterious, crazy or just black and white?
The blog that I started was for me to keep track
of life's little stories, thought I'd give it a whack
But it soon made me crazy, I'd check it each day
to see who left comments..now what did they say?
Then I added that map with which I'm obsessed
I love all those red dots..good grief, they're the best!
From Germany to Africa, how'd they find my wee site?
Were they sitting up late just like me 'til midnight?
Look at me blogging..I should now be asleep
But no, this is crazy, I'm in far too deep
And it's not just my own blog, I read those of others
We're all linked together, all sisters and brothers
But alas my dear friends, this ode is now at it's end
So I hope you've enjoyed it and please...visit again.

Pictures from Sunday...Jesse and my niece Aspen




Monday my girlfriend and I took our kids to the Oktoberfest parade
Jake, Jesse, Chloe & Emily

I don't think Thanksgiving has ever meant quite so much as it did this year. Sunday the kids and I went to Mom's for Thanksgiving dinner (Tim was sick all weekend). My brother, Tom and his girlfriend, Cindy and their 3 kids came as well. I haven't talked about it to many people but Cindy was in an accident last Monday. She was driving a Purolator truck, turning left and a transport came up from behind her and hit her. She was thrown from the truck and eventually taken to London hospital. She ended up with two broken bones in her neck. They decided she didn't need surgery but she had to have one of those halos put on. They sent her home Thursday so I hadn't seen her yet and I thought I was prepared but I wasn't...I lost it. She is one of the sweetest, kindest people I know and I felt horrible for what she's going through. The "halo" is uncomfortable, it weighs about 15 pounds and has like a wool padding which is supposed to be soft but all it does is itch. She has to sleep practically sitting up and the painkillers they gave her made her nauseous. If all goes well it will be off in a month.
I'm so very thankful Cindy made it through this accident. I'm also thankful for all the riches in my life, especially my family and friends...I'm extremely fortunate, I know that. I like to think that I don't just remember that one day a year, trying not to take anything for granted and living each day to its fullest. It's not easy and I know I'm not always successful but this has definitely been a wake up call.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
In the end,it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.
-Abraham Lincoln

ENTERTAINMENT ALERT***
Blue Man Group (THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!) is leaving Toronto probably by the end of the year. Ladies, if you're looking for a great gift for that guy you absolutely adore...this is it...HURRY, get your tickets before they're gone!! I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Well, I finally have my ipod up and running...my library of 7 whole songs is loaded...493 to go!
My newest additions:
Pink - Who Knew
Killers - When You Were Young
Panic at the Disco - I Write Sins not Tragedies
I'm LOVING all my new techie toys!!!
If you're thinking of buying an ipod this is a good week to do it..Best Buy has them on sale. I could now get a 4GB nano for the same price as what I paid for my 2 GB OR...I could be a good little shopper and keep the one I have and get $45 back since I just got mine. You'll be happy to know I kept my 2 gig and got my credit....what a good little shopper am I...soooo frugal!!!

THE MANDARIN IS OPEN!! Apparently it opened this weekend..I've been waiting oh-so-patiently...which I'm sure my friends find quite amusing since my food choices do not cover a very wide spectrum...chicken balls (no sauce) and rice are my favourites!! Stop laughing...I'll try a couple other things...french fries anyone??

I hope you watched Oprah today...my favourite was on...Dr. Oz...I LOVE HIM!!! I didn't watch the whole thing yet but the "embarassing questions people don't like to ask" covered topics like poop and sweat...always soooo informative!!

Last Thursday was picture day at school. Jesse of course, managed to get a bruise on his forehead last weekend. Emily knew I wanted him to try to cover it with his hair so being the mother hen that she is, asked me "should I ask my teacher if I can go to Jesse's classroom and brush his hair for him?". It was so sweet, she was so serious when she said it.
Murphy's Law - you can be sure kids WILL bruise themselves just in time for pictures!!

Friday morning was Jesse's first field trip and I volunteered to go along. We went to a local pumpkin patch...it was a beautiful morning but quite cool. It's a great trip for that age. They have a small playground and corn maze, we went on a wagon ride and the kids each got to pick a pumpkin to take home...and of course, the oatmeal cookie and juice snack was a big hit. He had so much fun. I really enjoyed watching him interact with all of his new friends.
His teacher said he's doing well in school, he's no trouble, very quiet (really??). She said it took him about a week though to figure out that he was going to have to put a little more effort into his work, drawing one line and saying he was done and he was tired just wasn't going to cut it. Once he realized he didn't get to go and play until he finished, she said he was fine. She was used to Emily who needed very little direction and certainly no "prodding".


Friday night I went to Mississauga to join my 2 girlfriends (Marianne & Marlene..sisters) for our 2nd annual Giving Thanks dinner. We're just giving thanks for our remarkable friendship...we've known each other since we were about 4 years old....remarkable in itself!! Once I got there (my usual 40 minute trip took well over an hour!), we had a blast...went out for a 3 hour dinner...time really does fly when you're having fun!

Saturday was a 12 hour adventure with some other fabulous girlfriends from my scrappin' group...Janet, Sheri, Judy B. and Karen. Janet's husband bought her a "chocolate, wine & scrapbook class" at a silent auction they went to. It was hosted by two very nice ladies, Kelly & Kim, at their store called the Paper Pickle in Chatham. We didn't have to be there until the store closed at 3 so we left early and made a little detour into London. We went to a couple scrapbook stores there and had lunch before we headed on to Chatham. Miraculously, with Sheri navigating and me driving, we made it right on time!! lol!!!!
The project was a mini album made out of CD covers...and I actually accomplished something...almost finished it in fact!!! I'll post pictures when it's all done. The snacks were dill-ightful (get it..pickle??) and the drinkers certainly enjoyed the wine!
After we left there we enjoyed a quick dinner at Glitter in Chatham (highly recommend it if you're ever there) and rolled back into Kitchener about 10 o'clock....exhausted!!!
Janet, Sheri and me

I can't believe it's October already! I can't believe I'm a blogger! I can't believe Desperate Housewives sucked again tonight!
Anyway, I now have to get caught up on my little blog journal. This was the reason I started a blog so I apologize for how boring this may be for my loyal readership...but I can't really help it, this is my life...simple but busy! Maybe I'll throw a joke in at the end to try and keep you entertained.

The Labour Day weekend was a blur. My brother and his girlfriend decided on Thursday that they would like to have a birthday party for their daughter (my niece, Aspen) on the Saturday at Chuck E. Cheese's. This was just a couple days after we had talked about it and he said we'd have our usual family gathering (we celebrate everyone's birthday!) at mom's in a week or so. It DEFINITELY wouldn't be the long weekend since he had to compete in his Club Championships (golf) all three days. Needless to say I then had to scramble to get her a gift! Anyway, we had a great time, Aspen (turned 3) and my kids had a great time running from game to game and Mom and Dad especially enjoyed it...particularly the noise level! At least the pizza is good there. I personally like trying to kick my brother's ass at basketball...not that we're competitive or anything...hah!! And it's not like we kicked any little kids off and took right over...we waited our turn!
Everybody came back to our place after where my brother and husband then proceeded to beat my poor dad at pool. He used to be quite the pool shark in his younger days but I don't think his game had much bite that night. ooohh...bad pun!!

Aspen

Sunday my girlfriend Kathy and I took our kids to Kidzone and Boston Pizza. Monday we then decided to take them to the African Lion Safari when the weather looked like it was going to co-operate. We didn't get there until after lunch so we had to pack in a lot of activities in a short amount of time. Our girls even went in the water park for a bit but the boys decided playground equipment was more their speed...the water was too cold for them! Both my kids enjoyed the elephant show the most. Jesse was so excited to see "Baby Logan" and Emily was thrilled when she found out one of the other new baby elephants was named Emily. All the kids were so excited driving through the safari (yes, I took our van), just hoping monkeys would crawl all over the van! We made it out of there with everything intact but then had to contend with some very large and not so pretty ostriches who decided to surround us and peck at the windows. All in all though, a successful outing..a lot of fun!

Chloe & Emily

Jesse & Jake

The next Saturday was a day Jesse had been looking forward to for weeks...Mighty Machines Day!! He was in his glory..firetrucks, garbage trucks, street sweepers, rollers, bulldozers, hydro trucks, and the ever popular..recycle truck! He was even more excited when my husband's sister and brother-in-law showed up with their kids. All of our kids are similar in ages and get along very well. They all climbed onto every machine...so exciting...if you're a 4 year old boy..or a single gal looking for a fireman or a street sweeper!!

Emily, Shawna, Alex & Jesse

Emily

Sunday was the annual Optimist golf tournament a bunch of us always go in. My group has always consisted of my brother, a retired guy I used to work with and a fourth that we seem to find at the last minute. My husband has his own team with co-workers and another guy from work has a team as well. Our three teams have such a blast! The only thing I don't like is the 7:30 a.m. start...I am so not a morning person! My team ended up winning again this year (two in a row!) with a score of 12 under. Yippeeeeee...we like to win, can you tell?

The next couple of weekends consisted of 2 birthday parties Jesse had to go to (one at Kidzone, the other at the Lego place in St. Jacobs), Friday night scrapbooking crops for me, an all day crop (me again!) on a Saturday in Cambridge, dinner for me and girls from work (happy birthday Julie B.!), and my husband lining up at 5 a.m. to sign Emily up for dance. Yes, you read that correctly...5 a.m.! I actually drove by around 1 a.m. on my way home from a crop and there were already people lined up. I would have stayed but I didn't have a coat or a lawn chair with me...how convenient!!

This weekend my girlfriends and I went to London for a scrapbooking show yesterday morning and last night I took Emily to see "Open Season". Sunday my husband left for four days for a conference so I took the kids to mom's for the day and tried to get some stuff done around the house. Yes, my scrapbook room will soon have it's grand re-opening for all my nosy scrappin' friends!!!


OK, HERE'S THE JOKE I PROMISED:

Little Tony was staying with his grandmother for a few days.

He had been playing outside with other kids for a while when he came into
the house and asked : "Grandma, what is that called when 2 people are
sleeping in the same room and one is on top of the other ?"

She was a little taken aback, but decided to tell him the truth.

"It's called sexual intercourse, darling."

Little Tony just said, "Oh, OK" and he went back outside to play with his
friends.

A few minutes later, he comes back in the house and says angrily,
"Grandma, it is not called "sexual intercourse" !!! It's called "bunk
beds" and Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you... NOW !"