Embrace Life

Virtual Baby Shower

Angie Lucas is a mum!

Angie's journey to this point has not been an easy one; the posts regarding her infertility and her blessing made me cry, her experiences through both entries brought both tears of anguish and joy. Angie has gone through so much and I am overjoyed her adventures in parenting an infant are about to begin!

In celebration, today we are all invited to a virtual baby shower to celebrate the arrival of little Keira Jane Lucas!

The idea is to share something: 

baby advice
childrens book suggestion
card
gift (do not feel obligated to purchase a gift to participate)
baby layout
games
favorite lullaby

Join me!

Post your entry and then head over to Ella and add your entry to the linky collection.

Oh, so where's MY entry?

Right here ...

FOLLOW YOUR HEART
(and be consistent!)

All lessons are good lessons. Learn from your past, the good and the bad, and apply it to the adventure you are about to begin. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has an experience, everyone is competitive, even with parenting. Breathe. Get to know Keira and she will get to know you. Follow the rhythm of your relationship, be true to each other and from there you will raise a wonderful woman. After all, you are raising your child to be an adult, not your child to be a child. Every happy child I've ever met has thrived in love, in structure and respect.

Where's the fun stuff? Well, it is uniquely Canadian - and in the mail - chosen by my now not so little girl for Angie's little girl!

Enjoy every minute of it :)

Tag: I'm it!

Have you met Sue Sykes? If not, you're definitely missing out :) Head on over to her blog for the answers she gave to these questions before she tagged me!

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous, do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

My blogging experience has evolved over the last couple of years. My first blog was started to keep in touch with my family and keep track of our lives. It evolved to me participating in writing, photo and scrapbook challenges. In either situation it would not make sense to be anonymous - which would never have been my choice anyway. I don't know how to be anything but 100% me when my name is associated with the opinion :) Anonymity always smacks of sneaky and secretive to me, I am afflicted with neither characteristic.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

My stubborn side is right out there for anyone to see. There is no inner side :)

I suppose my stubborn side comes out on the occasion I want a cigarette. Well, maybe I don't really want one, I quit almost 10 years ago after almost 25 years of smoking. I resist temptation and depend on my stubborn streak to get me through.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?

OMG, I had to go look in the mirror! I have to say that I look tired and stressed. I'd have to say my face is reflecting my life as I am living it, right now. As I get older, I look more and more like my dad and his mother. I was blessed with their mouth that turns down at the sides ... it's really annoying since I'm usually smiling or laughing. I want LAUGH lines, not frown lines!

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

I really enjoy a Perrier with Cranberry Juice or a Lemonade - each can be livened up with a splash or two of vodka! Soft or hard, I enjoy them both.

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I am in the process of realigning my priorities and my new "me time" is "move time". I feel so much less productive, but we'll have to see if there are any results by the end of September!

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

Oh my goodness yes! I'm not dead yet. There is so much out there to do.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were, if not one of these.

I was always too something. Too tall (I'm 5'11"). Too loud. Too smart. Too curvy. Too curious. Too athletic. Too wild. That quickly turned me into too insecure and I became painfully quiet and introverted. By the time I hit university I became quite an actress and was fully equipped with bluster and overflowing bravado. It was not until I had children of my own that I realized how wrong people were and all those accusations of my being too something was made by some really insecure people.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?

I see my son, a few days short of turning three, lying in his hospital bed. He was offered a foam clown nose by one of the lovely volunteers. He took it and with a twinkle in his eye, put it on his nose and gave me a huge smile. It was the first time in the three weeks since his near-drowing and coma that I knew he was going to be okay.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

I'm pretty comfortable writing about anything I have first-hand knowledge about. Me, my life, my kids, my hobbies, our activities, my opinions, my joy, my pain. All of it.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

I would read. Not that I don't want for company, but if there was to be a moment or ten of quiet around here I would feel no need to fill the silence with noise.

Okay, so who wants to play along? 

Oh my goodness. Who will I tag? I wasn't given a number, so I'm going to tag the last five people who left a comment for me, I for one want to see their answers: Lizzie, Jill, Susan F., Kim and Sharyn. I can't wait to get to know you better!

10 Questions from Lizzie

Yesterday I received notification from my cyberfriend, Lizzie, from the UK, that she had something for me to participate in on her blog: Lizzie Made. It turns out she had been tagged by one of her friends, Jo-Jo, and in turn she was to answer 10 questions about herself and then pose 10 questions to five other bloggers.

I am lucky to be one of those five. Her questions are:

Where would you most like to live, in the whole world? I love where we live here in Canada. Southern Ontario has four seasons, a relatively mild and warm winter and no "regular" disasters - earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding. Though, I do love water: rain and sea, so I think I could handle the Oregon coast. Or the East coast - Newfoundland? Or, maybe somewhere on the ocean in the Carolinas. Too many lovely places from which to choose. Just as long as it's not hot and humid, I can handle it :)

Pooh Bear or Snoopy for Prime Minister/President and why? As I'm not familiar with the qualifications of either, I think I'd prefer Snoopy's side-kick, Woodstock :)

What is your favourite thing to eat? I really enjoy seafood, especially lobster, muscles, scallops and shrimp. I could eat that, in any combination, all day, every day. A close second is Japanese food, any of it and all of it :)

What was the worst thing that ever happened to you at school? I was very tall when I started high school, about 5'9". It was the first time, in a long time, I had been in a public school ... with boys. The only boy in the grade who was taller than me also had his locker right next to mine. I thought he was lovely. Until he started calling me moose. Constantly and LOUDLY all the way down the halls. As a consequence, I collect moose. A reminder for me to always be kind.

What was your favourite school subject and have you continued it in your career/job/life after leaving school? My favourite subjects were English and Art History. All I learned at school lives within me every day.

Did you become what you always wanted to be when you grew up? I always wanted to be a mum. A good mum. The antithesis of my own mother. I can safely say that was accomplished, four times over. I love every minute of it, even the hard times; it makes the good times so much sweeter.

What was your Grandad's shoe size? Like any true Scots, he had very small feet. He wore a size 7. Mind you, I don't think he was much taller than 5'5"! My other grandfather was much the same.

Who is your favourite author and which of their books do you enjoy most? This is a tough question. I am a big fan of huge Russian novels and some day will manage to pick one up again! The book that sparked my interest in classic literature was The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy and I read it every couple of years to remind myself of my first love. My current, as in the last 10+ years, "most favourite" author would be Barbara Erskine and of her vast collection of work, my favourite will always be the first I read The Lady of Hay.

Post a photo of your favourite ever craft project (done by yourself!) - a scrap page, card, book, painting, crochet item etc etc... Why were you so pleased with it? My most favourite craft project ever were some leather boxes I altered for my kids. They stay on the stairs and their "stuff" is put in them to be delivered to their rooms once a week, or when they overflow. 

I love all projects that have a practical aspect to them. I don't quite know what to do with all the cute and numerous altered projects offered in courses and online. Many just seem to add to the clutter. Where in the world do you store them all? These boxes are wonderful and used to contain the clutter! They were done AGES ago and can be found on my defunct Lemons2Lemonade blog here and here.

Do you have a favourite Blog site, that you go to every time you sign on to your blog? (and no, I'm not angling for compliments and mentions, I would just like to know your real favourite!) I have a blog reader that contains hundreds of blogs. I could probably reduce it to 50 of my absolute must-reads, but there are a few favourites: Ali Edwards, Living with Lindsay, Marta Writes, Paislee Press and Positively Present. There are oodles of cooking, photography, scrapbooking, writing, design, decorating, inspiration and such sites, but if I had to limit myself, I probably could. But I don't!

Now it's my turn to ask 10 Questions! This is the hard part. Oh and choosing five recipients. A challenge, indeed!

So, Jill, Shirley, Barb, Kathy and Audrey here are some questions for you:

1. What is the one thing you want to do before you die? What are you waiting for?
2. What is the best piece of photography advice you have ever received?
3. What is your favourite colour and how do you incorporate it into your life every day?
4. Do you have a phobia? What is it? How did it start? Are you trying to get over it?
5. What is the one character trait you have that you want to pass on to your children?
6. What music makes you happy - a genre? a band? a song?
7. What is your family favourite comfort meal? One that everyone likes, requests, asks for seconds.
8. What household chore do you like east and how do you manage to get it done even when you don't want to do it?
9. To date, what is your greatest personal accomplishment?
10. Who do you most greatly admire? Why?

I can't wait to see your answers!

100 things you may - or may not - want to know, about me!

Bonus, instead of *8 Things you get an additional 92, today :) I found this on Nathalie's blog and I thought that it could be fun to answer the questions. So here I go:

1. How old will you be in five years? 50. I can't believe it! I still feel 30.
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? My kids

3. How tall are you? 5’11”
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six months? Longer days, warmer weather
5. What's the last movie you saw? P.S. I love you (with Claire - sobs all around!)
6. Who was the last person you called? Louis

7. Who was the last person to call you? Cole, to pick him up earlier than planned

8. What was the last text message you received? Good news about Char's recent results

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voice mail? George

10. Do you prefer to call or text? Text/e-mail - I find it less intrusive
11. What were you doing at 12 am last night? Sleeping

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Divorced

13. When is the last time you saw your mom? My sister's wedding a few years ago

14. What colour are your eyes? Brown
15. What time did you wake up today? 5:45AM only because I kept hitting the snooze button
16. What are you wearing right now? Comfies
17. What is your favourite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Where is your favourite place to be? Home

19. Where is your least favourite place to be? Sick in bed
20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? Swimming with dolphins
21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years? I don't anticipate much change

22. Do you tan or burn? Used to tan, now I burn
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Critters in the closet, Monsters Inc. really resonated with me a couple of years ago!
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? Listening to the parents chatting at the rink this morning

25. How many TVs do you have in your house? 4
26. How big is your bed? King

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? Both

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on? With, I love my pajamas and have a huge collection!
29. What colour are your sheets? White
30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 3
31. What is your favourite season? Autumn
32. What do you like about fall? The colours, the crisp air, brilliant sunshine

33. What do you like about winter? Hockey season, flames in the fireplace, comfort food
34. What do you like about the summer? The photo opportunities, Cape Cod holidays and longer days
35. What do you like about spring? New growth on the trees
36. How many states/provinces have you lived in? 7
37. What cities/towns have you lived in? 10
38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? Bare feet
39. Are you a social person? Yes, even though I’m shy and often just listen
40. What was the last thing you ate? Goat cheese and salad with walnuts
41. What is your favourite restaurant? It closed, but I suppose I like Milestones best of the rest
42. What is your favourite ice cream? Vanilla bean

43. What is your favourite dessert? Carrot cake
44. What is your favourite kind of soup? Cream of mushroom
45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Raspberry or gooseberry

46. Do you like Chinese food? Yes

47. Do you like coffee? Yes!

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average? 4-5, not enough
49. What do you drink in the morning? Coffee
51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? While lying down, looking at the ceiling, I'm on the right side

52. Do you know how to play poker? No, well, not well
53. Do you like to cuddle? No

54. Have you ever been to Australia? No, but I hope to some day

55. Do you have an addictive personality? I don't think so
56. Do you eat out or at home more often? At home
58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? There was a boy, Scott, when I was in elementary school
59. Do you want kids? Always wanted them and now have four
60. Do you speak any other languages? I can swear in a few, but not speak fluently :)
61. Have you ever gotten stitches? Yes

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? Pool to swim, Ocean for the sound and view

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Aisle

65. Do you know how to drive stick? Love a stick shift, wish I could get one
66. What is your favourite thing to spend money on? Camera equipment, scrapbook supplies, home decor
67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? No

68. What is your favourite TV show? Love "The View" even when they make me squirm some days!

69. Can you roll your tongue? No
70. Who is the funniest person you know? Janet, Laurie, Claire ... many, many, many funny women in my life

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No, just children
72. What is the main ring tone on your phone? The one that came with the phone
73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? No
74. What red object is closest to you right now? My kitchen walls
75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth? Yes

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed. Open closet doors at night freak me out

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? I’ll go with the bear. The end would come quick!

78. Do you flirt a lot? Nope, used to, but not anymore
79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Nothing or Ranch dressing
80. What is your favourite food? Lobster
81. Can you change the oil on a car? I haven't done it in ages, but I used to all the time
82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Once, my kids still remind me!

83. Have you ever run out of gas? Knock wood, not yet!
84. What is your usual bedtime? The earlier the better
85. What was the last book you read? The Guernsey Literary & Potato Pie Society (LOVED it!)
86. Do you read the newspaper? Online
87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Not anymore
89. Do you watch soap operas? I admit, yes
90. Do you dance in the car? Only when I’m not the one driving

91. What radio station did you last listen to? Virgin 99.9
92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you? Photo of my kids
93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper? Note on how to auto sharpen in PSE6
94. What is your favourite candle scent? I have no favourite scents

95. What is your favourite board game? Scrabble
97. When was the last time you attended church? Carol Service at Appleby

98. Who was your favourite teacher in high school? My English teacher
99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent? Never (and I say that with relief!)

100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you? Chloe, who just gave me a lovely back rub. Truly wonderful.

Let me know if you join in, and leave a link in the comments :)

Bonus, instead of *8 Things you get an additional 92, today :) I found this on Nathalie's blog and I thought that it could be fun to answer the questions. So here I go:

1. How old will you be in five years? 50. I can't believe it! I still feel 30.
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? My kids

3. How tall are you? 5’11”
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six months? Longer days, warmer weather
5. What's the last movie you saw? P.S. I love you (with Claire - sobs all around!)
6. Who was the last person you called? Louis

7. Who was the last person to call you? Cole, to pick him up earlier than planned

8. What was the last text message you received? Good news about Char's recent results

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voice mail? George

10. Do you prefer to call or text? Text/e-mail - I find it less intrusive
11. What were you doing at 12 am last night? Sleeping

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Divorced

13. When is the last time you saw your mom? My sister's wedding a few years ago

14. What colour are your eyes? Brown
15. What time did you wake up today? 5:45AM only because I kept hitting the snooze button
16. What are you wearing right now? Comfies
17. What is your favourite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Where is your favourite place to be? Home

19. Where is your least favourite place to be? Sick in bed
20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? Swimming with dolphins
21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years? I don't anticipate much change

22. Do you tan or burn? Used to tan, now I burn
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Critters in the closet, Monsters Inc. really resonated with me a couple of years ago!
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? Listening to the parents chatting at the rink this morning

25. How many TVs do you have in your house? 4
26. How big is your bed? King

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? Both

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on? With, I love my pajamas and have a huge collection!
29. What colour are your sheets? White
30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 3
31. What is your favourite season? Autumn
32. What do you like about fall? The colours, the crisp air, brilliant sunshine

33. What do you like about winter? Hockey season, flames in the fireplace, comfort food
34. What do you like about the summer? The photo opportunities, Cape Cod holidays and longer days
35. What do you like about spring? New growth on the trees
36. How many states/provinces have you lived in? 7
37. What cities/towns have you lived in? 10
38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? Bare feet
39. Are you a social person? Yes, even though I’m shy and often just listen
40. What was the last thing you ate? Goat cheese and salad with walnuts
41. What is your favourite restaurant? It closed, but I suppose I like Milestones best of the rest
42. What is your favourite ice cream? Vanilla bean

43. What is your favourite dessert? Carrot cake
44. What is your favourite kind of soup? Cream of mushroom
45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Raspberry or gooseberry

46. Do you like Chinese food? Yes

47. Do you like coffee? Yes!

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average? 4-5, not enough
49. What do you drink in the morning? Coffee
51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? While lying down, looking at the ceiling, I'm on the right side

52. Do you know how to play poker? No, well, not well
53. Do you like to cuddle? No

54. Have you ever been to Australia? No, but I hope to some day

55. Do you have an addictive personality? I don't think so
56. Do you eat out or at home more often? At home
58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? There was a boy, Scott, when I was in elementary school
59. Do you want kids? Always wanted them and now have four
60. Do you speak any other languages? I can swear in a few, but not speak fluently :)
61. Have you ever gotten stitches? Yes

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? Pool to swim, Ocean for the sound and view

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Aisle

65. Do you know how to drive stick? Love a stick shift, wish I could get one
66. What is your favourite thing to spend money on? Camera equipment, scrapbook supplies, home decor
67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? No

68. What is your favourite TV show? Love "The View" even when they make me squirm some days!

69. Can you roll your tongue? No
70. Who is the funniest person you know? Janet, Laurie, Claire ... many, many, many funny women in my life

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No, just children
72. What is the main ring tone on your phone? The one that came with the phone
73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? No
74. What red object is closest to you right now? My kitchen walls
75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth? Yes

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Closed. Open closet doors at night freak me out

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? I’ll go with the bear. The end would come quick!

78. Do you flirt a lot? Nope, used to, but not anymore
79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Nothing or Ranch dressing
80. What is your favourite food? Lobster
81. Can you change the oil on a car? I haven't done it in ages, but I used to all the time
82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Once, my kids still remind me!

83. Have you ever run out of gas? Knock wood, not yet!
84. What is your usual bedtime? The earlier the better
85. What was the last book you read? The Guernsey Literary & Potato Pie Society (LOVED it!)
86. Do you read the newspaper? Online
87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Not anymore
89. Do you watch soap operas? I admit, yes
90. Do you dance in the car? Only when I’m not the one driving

91. What radio station did you last listen to? Virgin 99.9
92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you? Photo of my kids
93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper? Note on how to auto sharpen in PSE6
94. What is your favourite candle scent? I have no favourite scents

95. What is your favourite board game? Scrabble
97. When was the last time you attended church? Carol Service at Appleby

98. Who was your favourite teacher in high school? My English teacher
99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent? Never (and I say that with relief!)

100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you? Chloe, who just gave me a lovely back rub. Truly wonderful.

Let me know if you join in, and leave a link in the comments :)