Hello! And welcome! Mostly...

Mr doesn't think so.

He thinks that a relationship is based on the bond you form with another person who may or may not be related by the same blood line.

I tend to agree.

xxx

She's gone.

Died earlier Monday morning.

Bizarre to think that you can go through a whole day wondering how someone is doing and they are already dead.

We will always be grateful for the love, affection and kindness she showered upon the one we love.

She made him happy and to that we owe a debt of gratitude.

There are not too many things I would open my mouth wide for (shurrup you in the back ) but as I sat in the dentist chair for the second time this weekend past, I thought, no, I am not opening wide so you can jam needle number four into my tender gums.

Kiss.My.Not-so-fluffy.White.Ass

Long story short...went to the dentist Saturday to get that permanent filling on my tooth, four hours later it cracked and broke off. Went back Sunday and thankfully, the chuffing thing is still intact.

*prays to the Tooth Gawds*

See this picture?

And from another angle...

I had placed my Nintendo DS right beside the vase of carnations a few days ago. Mr and I was gabbing at one another, I was flying by, bent down to yoink the DS from the table and as I lifted my head up, I planted my forehead right smack dab into the sharp edge where the two walls meet.

I have no idea why I am not retarded right now because I walloped my frickity forehead a good one. The lump is turning a very nice shade of blue thank you.

Mr thinks I should wear a helmet inside the house as I am forever walking, bumping, falling all over the place. He also thinks I should wear a helmet outside the house too.

Pfft!

So I am now up to these many plants plus a few more scattered about the house....

...looking good says I!

You can't go wrong with plants now can you?

BTW, Mr finally noticed the extra plants about the house...only took him a couple of weeks. hahahahaha

I don't know what to say. Worse still, I am not sure how to say it.

Soooo....

Someone close to us has someone close to them and they are dying. A matter of time really before that happens.

What makes it difficult is the one we love, lives on the other side of Canada, a mere 4, 449 kilometers to be exact and that is the difficult part.

We can only offer supportive, encouraging words from afar and when the time comes, then we can go and be there to offer the support and encouraging words in person.

I find it is beyond description to share what the person sees as the one they love lay unconscious before their very eyes.

There is nothing you can do but stand by them, be there when the moment comes and push forward when need be.

Mr and I don't feel helpless or frustrated but recognize that there is nothing we can do to change the inevitable outcome.

We sit here resigned to the fact that we are separated by distance which sucks really.

Here are some glimpses at the life of my animals here in MalaLand.

Pampered aren't they?

We all missed him it seems.

I added some champagne cognac to the fruit mixture. It tastes damn fine too.

Wanna slice?

There is something to be said for fresh flowers.

Every second week, Mr and I pickup a bouquet of fresh flowers that are plonked into several vases around the house.

I pass them a gazillion times a day and loves to look at them. Kinda brings me closer to nature in a daft, roundabout way and especially during the cooler and downright cold weather!

I am trying verrrrrrrrrrrrry hard not to swear on my blog but in real life my mouth is a naughty one.

Surely there are other words in the English language that would make my point and yet I default to the sweary ones.

Pfft!

Obviously, I need to be retrained, reprogrammed, rewired or something!

Or do I?

I am a fast typer.

No doubt.

But.....I do not type 'properly' as I taught myself how to type and my fingers go wonky every now and again so my spelling is crap but I get the job done.

I look at the keyboard and glance up every now and again at the words on the screen.

Mr is a proper typer and types looking at the computer screen.

*impressed*

One day I will learn how to properly type and that will be around the same time I grow up which will be never!

Ta da!

The stoooopidest, silliest giftee I asked Santa for was a pony!

The look on Santa's face when my request reached his ears was priceless. Even as a young child, I knew that I had asked for something unreasonable.

After a brief hesitation, he gently advised that a pony might not fit in his sleigh and suggested I ask for something else.

The stories that Santa must hear!

What....

....is going through this fellow's wee brain?

Or is it just a big, old vacuous place?

Thoughts?

Does he have them?

Surely he must...

Obviously, I am a high flyer *coughs* but most week nights I hit the Mala sack between 10-10:30pm, play a little DS gaming and then lights out waaaay before 12am.

Last weekend saw me going to bed even earlier than that!

I must be getting mellow in my old age which is not old. I needs my beauty sleep and considering when I bolt out of bed during the week (6am) and on the weekends (7am), my body screams to go to bed at the time that it does.

*yawns*

I needs a cup of java.

I used to work with a lady that would spend all week working her butt off and then go home on Friday night and do all of her housework so she could have both Saturday and Sunday free.

Try as I might, I simply can't get IT together to do that. I just don't have the oomph to take that on after working all week.

So I spend most of Saturday doing all those evil but necessary chores. But Sundays are set aside for me to kick back and relax. As best as one can in a Mala house.

Kisses!

Mr and I were walking and talking *as you do* when we got on the subject of assumptions and people.

I can't remember exactly his words but we both agree that our natural default when meeting people is not necessarily to assume the best in a person but we certainly don't assume the worst either.

We both have learned to sit and watch how one behaves and then form an opinion as to the character of the individual.

What is your default?

Do you automatically assume the worst and become pleasantly surprised when you don't see that? Or do you automatically assume the best and then are disappointed when that falls through?

Mr and I walk the Trio along this path...

..and this path...

...which makes for a great, long walk.

Take another look at those pictures and note the absence of any mature trees or buildings that would block the howling Canadian winter wind and that bastid snow storms that graces the Canadian landscape.

We.Are.Going.To.Perish.

Or we need to find a new route that protects us from the wrath of winter.

I will take pictures of the winter in these very same spots and you will feels my pain!

Gah!

I took it upon myself to seek out the perfect snack not only for me to enjoy but also for you folks as well.

After many a crunch and munching my way through various snacks, chips and other yummy foody type things, I am pleased to announce my verdict.

This...

...is the perfect snack.

With only 280 calories for a 5 cup serving, this cheesey, crunchy, cheddary popcorn snack is my number one choice. It has 5 grams of fibre in one serving and you don't feel gross after scarfing it. A bag of this popcorn costs just under $3 so it is an inexpensive snack as well.

Yum!

As you can see, I blog with my blog advisor sitting nearby and guiding me all the way.

Where ever you are and whatever you may be doing, have a great time doing it!

My friend lyndlj and I have talked at length about how the young kids of today do not seem to have any manners.

Not linking all the young apples in the same barrel but it does seem to me that some young folks do not use basic manners as part of their everyday language.

Whatever happened to 'please' and 'thank-you'?

Who is to blame for the lack of manners? The parents? The kids? Both?

I recognize that some parents have taught their children to say 'please' and 'thank you' and their children do not respect what their parents have taught then and do not use those words.

Sad now isn't it when basic manners seem to be a thing of the past.

There is something to be said for getting up, getting dressed and trundling off to your place of work. And there is also something to be said for interacting with people at your work.

Both of those activities fulfil a basic human need or desire for interaction and connection with others.

For the past eighteen months, Mr has been working on his own for the most part with three weeks at the customer's office and the fourth week back here with him working out of his home office.

During that team, he truly missed the daily interaction of working in an office setting with colleagues and as part of a team.

However, he has just closed a deal to build a team to work on the project he has been working on for the past eighteen months and he couldn't be happier.

Go him!

Since dropping those oodles of body fat last January to April, I can tell you that I am sensitive to the cooler temperatures cropping up here in MalaLand and egads, I get cold quickly.

Where's a hot flash when ya needs it?

I can't believe I said that.

Moving on....

I do notice that I get colder quickly now. But, I sure don't regret losing that body fat as I can always pull on a sweater but as my bony arse aches on a wooden chair I could use a pillow thank you very muchly.

I used to have a built-in fluffy pillow and all I have now is a flat arse.

I was looking at a dog breeder's ad for a pure breed pup they were trying to sell (hey, I was just looking! I am not getting another pup! ) and the breeder is insisting the purchaser of the dog agree to a no breeding clause whereby the owner will have the dog sterilized and not use the dog to breed.

I sezs to Mr...'just how can the seller (breeder) insist the buyer adhere to this condition?'

Mr sezs the seller can not enforce this.

I agree.

But why would they insert that clause if they can not legally enforce it?

Bizarro world now isn't it?

Soooooo....what I would do if I was in charge of a team schedule and there were empty spots to be filled for one thing or another (namely more work), I would rather take on the extra work myself as opposed to having less work assigned to me and piling more on my colleagues.

But then that is just me.

Now picture the scene when I am sat in a meeting where a colleague prepared such a schedule and assigns me and another colleague thrice the work she has.

So I glances at the schedule, glances up at my colleague and sezs, 'Soooooo, why is your name down only once whereas my name is down three times?'

'Oh that must have been an oversight and do remember that this is not a final schedule.'

'Oh I will remember, no worries there.'

I am constantly amazed at the energy people put into getting out fulfilling their job duties as opposed to actually doing the dang job.

Lazy is as lazy does.

Initially I thought it would be uber fabulous to have a video camera installed in the house to watch the Trio throughout the day (no worries mates as Mr would never spend a penny on that hare brained idea) but then I decided that it would be utterly fantastic to strap a doggy camera around one of my dog's neck that would be programmed to take pictures at regular intervals.

I mean that would be great to see where and what they were up to during the day while I am at work.

Imagine a camera like this...

...strapped to Molly, my chocolate lab dog, detailing her every move throughout the day.

That is if she didn't eat the camera before a picture was taken!

Wot?

Kisses!

When ever I buy a new doodad or need to learn something new such as a software program, a new video game or maybe even a shiny new appliance *woohoooo* I rarely look at the How-To manual that accompanies it as I figure that playing around and moving through the task or game provides more of an opportunity to learn than reading the manual.

Mostly I am right.

But there is the odd occasion when the manual does come in handy for a quick reference and rather than wandering around in circles, common sense knocks at my door and I decide that I best get my butt in gear and look at the bleeding thing.

Pfft!

I find some manuals difficult to read and understand if you know what I mean. Errr, you do know what I mean don't you?

Kisses!

...this is the pot of soup I made last Sunday.

It is chocked full of vegetables and has a tomatoey broth.

With a nice crusty bun and a bit of cheese...this is so yummy.

Who wants a bowl?

Every Sunday, I get out my soup pot, open the fridge, place a load of veg on the counter and start chopping.

I make a potful of soup that lasts for the week and then some. The last bit of soup lasted for ten days and that was about 2 days too many.

Pfft!

By the tenth day, I had enough. I couldn't bring myself to eat any more and chucked the rest out in the bin.

It will be another six months before I will be making that bit of soup again I tells you.

*squishy hugs*

Don't you just wish you would either get full blown sick and have that over in a few days as opposed to feeling up and then down, day in and day out for the past couple of weeks?

Blah!

I do find that if I take my herbs and continue to work out (sweating that bastid bug out of my system) it does make me feel better.

Thankfully, I only have to look after me, Mr and the Crew (animals) and work during the week. If I had to look after a child in this state, that would be far worse.

*has a lie down*

...that make them so darn lovable?

A colleague has a wall in her office dedicated to all the new babies other colleagues have had. It is really nice to go by and see the babies in different ages and stages and it makes me smile it does.

I think it is because they have such a purity of heart and represent hope to me.

Know what I mean?

I find that the mornings have a bit of a nip to them which used to be a pain in the patootey when I lived at the old house as mornings would find me scrapping the frost off the car window.

I am loving the two car garage at my home and after I walk the Trio, dash into the house, throw them some bones and boot it out the door to the car, I open up the garage door and slide out WITHOUT SCRAPPING THE WINDOWS!!!!

Ta da!

It is the little things in life that make it just so darn good.

*insert big smiley face*

I couldn`t resist putting some Christmas antlers on the Trio yesterday. Do you think the Trio are in the mood for Christmas?

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

The Christmas antlers were torn into shreds within the hour of them wearing them.

I find myself wanting to put up the Christmas trees right about now.

One for us and one for the Trio of course.

Isn't that odd?

November has barely begun.

And who wants to help me do some Christmas baking?

I have decided that my face will be fresh and free from makeup except my a bit of eye liner and mascara.

Sure...why not?

What is the point of me slathering on gobs of makeup when it all wears off during the course of my day? Not that I use a lot of makeup...just foundation, eye shadow, blush, eye liner and mascara.

Can`t be arsed really.

If men can look gorgeous without makeup well so can I!

Okay women, toss out some of your makeup and get naked! Just get down to the bare bones and embrace your naked face!

Do it!

You know you want to!

Confrontation.

Are you good at it?

At work, I have to be. And I am acutely aware that it is how you say what you need to say.

In my personal life, I do not hesitate to speak from my mind and my heart with Mr. Most others on the periphery get that true essence of me as well.

But having said that, I was not always good at discussing `stuff` and preferred to cope by avoiding issues, concerns or potentially emotionally difficult situations. Who needs the grief?

Balance is key between the two I have learned over the years. That is the difficult part...finding the balance between confronting or avoiding a potentially contentious concern or issue.

I`ll learn though.

I am getting there!

I had highlights put into my hair a few weeks ago and it looks great. The blondy highlights hide the white hairs I have and eventually I will go completely blond when the dark hair dye is gone.

Apparently, if I had dyed my whole head blond that day, my hair could have turned out to be an orange color which is not what I want.

Point is....us women folk and the men folk who dye their hair, sure go through a bunch of crap to look good now don`t we?

That`s me, in a cap, at the hairdressers, looking like a doofus, all in the name of vanity.

Sheesh.

I know some folks were upset over the past few days about the tag situation and far be it for me to tell them otherwise but if it weren't for BCUK, I would never have known the beauty of my fellow bloggers and I thank them for that.

Luffs you.

xxx

Yes, I know it is Saturday but indulge me for a moment and let`s think about Friday.

I know Friday is Friday as I get to wear casual clothes to work...and...I buy one apple fritter and five plain tim bits (little donuts) and bring them home at lunch time.

I park the car and dash into the house announcing... it`s Friday! Who wants a donut?

Mr and the Trio boot it to the kitchen and I hand over the treaures. Mr has the apple fritter donut, Sammy (the big white dog) gets 2 plain tim bits as does Molly the chocolate lab and the little dog gets one plain tim bit!

That is how we know it is Friday.

Ta da!

Woe is me.

I missed my bubbly bath last Sunday.

And the weekend before, I had showers instead of the mandatory bubbly baths on the Saturday and the Sunday as time was of the essence.

I miss them I do.

During the work week, I shower which is quick and easy. A bath is reserved for the weekend where I can kick back and spend at least an hour in the tub. I just don`t have that kind of time during the week for me to spend an hour in the tub.

Let`s hope I have time this upcoming weekend for my hot, bubbly baths!

Go me!

Yup.

It is true.

I am a planner.

So is Mr.

Except there is one area we do not share the same planning technique. That would be the toilet paper supply. Ya know. The one roll in the holder as it should be and then I also chuck a couple of rolls on the back of the toilet bowl for ease and convenience.

This is where we differ.

Mr would never, ever think of chucking an extra roll at the back of the toilet bowl.

Never.

Ever.

Gawd forbid you actually plan ahead and have a spare roll when you need it. He has no problem using the spare rolls that I put on the back of the bowl but do you think he would think of putting some there?

Pfft!

Ah yes, the perks of married life....

My paternal grandfather was Canadian born and bred.

I do believe he died in the later half of the 1980`s at the ripe age of 82 (I think but definitely in his early 80`s). He fought in WWI, was raised a Catholic, married and raised two sons.

He was a Conservative with a capital C, worked hard, loved to fish and pottered in a vegetable garden at his cottage during the summer months.

And he was also a staunch monarchist. My Papa lived and breathed the English monarchy for as long as I could remember. In fact, on Christmas morning, we could not open the Christmas presents until the Queen had given her speech.

That was a long, long time ago.

I do not feel there is the same sentiment among my peers these days. The monarchy seems to be a thing of the past (at least from my vantage point).

Having said that, Prince Charles and Camilla will be visiting Canada for eleven days soon and I promise we will take very good care of them.

Now Mr likes the soap he uses in the shower to be a lathering kind.

Me?

I could give a crap if the soap lathers as I just want it to clean my bits and bobs.

So imagine his surprise when he hops in the shower, grabs the bar of soap, Dove soap to be precise, starts lathering the soap and finds it is not to be.

Pfft!

Soap is soap is it not?

Does it really need to lather?

Is it a man thing?

Do women like soap that lathers?

Gah!

I can now see why Mr thinks Wednesdays are the best day of the week as he starts preparing to come back to MalaLand.

Recently, I have become antsy to have him return and by Wednesdays I am fed up. I cope with life (not that there is a choice) but knowing he comes home Thursday gives me a time line to keep going.

Which is bizarre as I was a single mum for more than ten years and had no choice to shoulder a ton of responsibility on my shoulders but knowing that I don't have to do that any more, removes a lot of pressure.

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy my aloneness...guess there is no pleasing me now is there?

Ah well...

About the only part of me that is tight these days is my shoulders and my upper back.

*snorts*

So I have decided that a weekly massage is in order. My work plan covers it for 20 visits each year so why not?

I started a few weeks ago and have already noticed an improvement in the tension and pain.

Go me!

Where ever you are and whatever you may be doing, have a fantastic day/night!

I do believe that I could and would open up my home to have my in-laws move into our home to live with us if need be.

Not everyone could manage it psychologically or financially and it is easy to say as opposed to do.

But the thought of either of them living out their days in a senior's home is unbearable for either of us so then that is the end of it now isn't it?

I do find that as people age they become vulnerable don't they?

Having the FIL visit a few weeks ago brought the issue of ageing parents to the forefront so have been thinking about it is all.

When my kiddies were little, I spent considerable time and money making every occasion and event a memorable one with decorations splattered all over the house.

I cooked and I baked holiday goodies and treats, we raised our glass of cheer (juice for the kids) and enjoyed that moment in time.

As the kids grew up and moved on, I reminisced about those days and yearned for them. Every now and again, I would make feeble attempts to recreate those memories but I have come to realize that those memories are there for a reason and as time passes on and as I move into a different phase of my life, it is okay to move on and enjoy what is right before my very eyes.

I am comfortable about being here where I am and I no longer yearn for those early days. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt...and so on.

I paid my dues a young mom and parent. Time to pay my dues as an empty nester with Mr by my side don't you think?

Go me!

Can you sit in a room of people or maybe just one person by your side and keep silent?

For the most part I can.

Took a long time to learn that as I felt the need to fill the empty air (usually with Mala nonsense ).

Some folks can't sit still and be silent.

Can you?

As you know, I make my own bread and love to scarf it fresh out of the oven, still warm, slap some butter on it and eat it so fast, the butter hasn't melted!

That's not quite true...the butter has melted on the bread but you know what I mean.

The bestest part of the loaf is the end or the 'bum' as I call it. The bum of the bread is yummy and even yummier when toasted.

So imagine my surprise when I peaked into the recycling bin and saw a bread bum staring back at me.

*wags fingers*

Mr had made a sandwich with the homemade bread and tossed the bum into the bin.

Tsk.

The very nerve....

In preparation for the kiddies to come to our door last night, Mr and I sequestered the Trio in the kitchen and they were sooooo put out.

Oh the absolute indignity of being behind bars!

They still barked their foolish heads off but at least they didn't jump all over the kids or boot it out the door. The little dog likes to run in circles on the lawn when she escapes from the house.

Here's a picture of my street last night and there is hardly any one there.

Mr and I had bought candy for over 200 kiddies and less than 70 children showed up at our door. We couldn't figure it out but then Mr's light bulb went off *ping* and he thinks it is because our side of the street doesn't have any sidewalks as you can see from the photo above.

Guess the folks didn't want to trample on the lawns to get the candy. And it would be easier to walk up the side of the street with the sidewalks.

Ah well, another year of Halloween is done.

Happy November 1st!

*cue drum roll*

I have ironed my clothes for work tomorrow. Yes, that is right. A whole twelve hours or more before I actually need to get dressed and head out the door. (oh the rhymes... )

No more dashing up the stairs in a mad panic on Monday morning for me thank you.

Ta da!

Normal service should resume shortly. Tuesday will surely find me in that mad panic and deciding what to wear and then whether it needs to be ironed. Actually it is the other way around....I look at what needs to be ironed and then decide what to wear.

hahahahahaha

*slops a cup of water all over the place*

I am always amazed how far and wide a tiny bit of liquid can spread when you spill it.

What the heck is that all about?

And of course, that liquid is spilt when you are dashing about and have no time to clean it up.

Pfft!

Anybody got any answer on that one?

I am sure it has to do with the density of a liquid and the surface space of the area it is on but even typing that bit has made my head hurt.

Eeeep.