shoobeedoobe-do

Okay- I confess.
I'm a huge So You Think You Can Dance fan.
As it turns out, so are a bunch of ladies I worked with this summer.
All we could talk about each week was "Twitch, or Karington or Twitchington"
"like oh.mg-d did you like see that like routine last night?!!! it was so buck!!"
So when it ended for the season we decided to try to get some tickets to see the show live.
Big daddy pulled through and got us 5 tickets- even though the show sold out within minutes.
Who knew?
So I finally had a fun girls night out.
LONG overdue.
Why don't I do that more often?
We went for drinks and dinner before hand, then walked over to the ACC.
Such a large venue for a dance show.
I can't remember the last time I was at a huge organized public event.
The Shaw Festival doesn't really count.
We ended up pulling a few strings and got upgraded to the private lounge, and sipped wine while squealing like 16 year old school girls.
SO fun.
I will say that it was near impossible to actually see the dancers, even on the large screens.
And Cat Deeley wasn't there, just her pre-recorded voice.
And it was pretty much a recap of all the best routines from the show.
Nothing new for the live show at all.
Kinda pathetic, especially considering the tickets were $60 ea.
But whatever, it was a hoot.
So when the Canadian So You Think You can Dance show started this fall, I was skeptical.
I thought for sure it would be as pathetic as our version of American Idol.
So embarrassingly lame.
But it's not- I love it.
I might even go as far as to say I think it might even be better than the original US version.
AND we don't have to deal with Mary Murphy screaming every 5 minutes.
I always have to keep my finger on the volume button for fear of being banned from watching while Big daddy is in the same room.
So who knows, maybe I'll try to get tickets to see the show live at CTV.
It's so great to be able to do girly things from time to time.
Even if they are things that I don't openly admit to doing.
errr dance is considered an art right?

a year ago today

Yup, that's my little Baby Zebra on the cover of Canadian Family Magazine.
We shot the story last year- hard to believe another year has flown by.
This time last year both Lulu & I were sick with colds- lulu with her first ear infection.
She was on antibiotics and not feeling herself- thus her docile pose.
Under normal circumstances I think my little zebra would have been jumping up & down on the couch with all the halloween candy consumed that day.
Poor little thing- it was rice & bananas for her upset tummy due to her first antibiotic experience.
Wish I had known about Acidophilus back then.
But as crummy as we were both feeling- it was a fun shoot.
There's lots of great tips and ideas for a hassle free halloween.



I love the ghost costume idea.
we originally had 7 kids all lined up and walking down the street in their ghost costumes (all wearing black hightop converse)
Thank-you Converse!
But I don't think that shot made the cut.
It was pretty crazy trying to wrangle the kids and keep them from eating the "props" aka candy right off the bat, before we could get the shot.
But once we gave the green light..par-tay!


I love these shots of Lulu with the snake, scorpion and rat.
The child had NO fear whatsoever.
Me on the other hand-was trembling like shaggy on the other side of the studio.
Like lets get that tarantula back in its cage Scub..

Unfortunately this year once again, have both have bad colds- nothing too serious though and thankfully no ear infections.
Lulu's actually fine now, I'm just walking around with abox of kleenex in my hand.
This year we won't be hosting/shooting a halloween party.
Probably just having a few friends over.
And unfortunately Lulu already chose her costume at the supermarket.
yup. One of those super tacky, flimsy satin princess costumes.
$19.99.
Nothing too creative happening here this halloween.
At least for now.
we'll see what happens when next week rolls around.

no time like the present

Last week we spent the afternoon at Highpark.
I forgot how much I love it there.
I remember spending many a lazy Sunday lounging under a tree with big daddy pre-Lulu.
We even took our wedding photos there.
Fond memories for sure.
I also remember watching little kids feeding the ducks in the pond and wondering if one day we would have a family too.
Would we own a home in a nice neighbourhood?
Would we be successful and happy?
How would I deal with being a mother, if I in fact became one?
If only I had a crystal ball...

to vote or not to vote?

I must admit, I'm not very politically savvy.
I'm not entirely sure what each party stands for other than slagging the opposing one.
I watched the debate, yet I'm still undecided.
who to vote for? that is the question.
Should I even vote?
I'm not even sure what the fundamental difference is between Liberal & Conservative.
this is what I came up with

What is the difference between a liberal and a conservative?

Answer
This isn't original, but If a young man is not a liberal, he has no heart. If an old man is not a conservative, he has no head.
Basically, liberals think that the government should take care of the people and conservatives believe that people can take care of themselves.
Answer
"Conservatives" believe that the government should stay out of your life, unless you're a pregnant woman, gay, etc.
Answer: Basically, liberals think that the government should take care of the people and conservatives believe that people can take care of themselves. In today's politics liberals can be associated to the Democratic Party and conservatives are closely associated with the Republican Party. P. E. Harrell
ANSWER:
10) Conservatives believe that individual Americans have a right to defend themselves and their families with guns and that right cannot be taken away by any method short of a Constitutional Amendment, which conservatives would oppose. Liberals believe by taking arms away from law abiding citizens, they can prevent criminals, who aren't going to abide by gun control laws, from using guns in the commission of crimes.
9) Conservatives believe that we should live in a color blind society where every individual is judged on the content of his character and the merits of his actions. On the other hand, liberals believe that it's ok to discriminate based on race as long as it primarily benefits minority groups.
8) Conservatives are capitalists and believe that entrepreneurs who amass great wealth through their own efforts are good for the country and shouldn't be punished for being successful. Liberals are socialists who view successful business owners as people who cheated the system somehow or got lucky. That's why they don't respect high achievers and see them as little more than piggy banks for their programs.
7) Conservatives believe that abortion ends the life of an innocent child and since we believe that infanticide is wrong, we oppose abortion. Most liberals, despite what they'll tell you, believe that abortion ends the life of an innocent child, but they prefer killing the baby to inconveniencing the mother.
6) Conservatives believe in confronting and defeating enemies of the United States before they can harm American citizens. Liberals believe in using law enforcement measures to deal with terrorism, which means that they feel we should allow terrorists to train, plan, and actually attempt to kill Americans before we try to arrest them -- as if you can just send the police around to pick up a terrorist mastermind hiding in Iran or the wilds of Pakistan.
5) Conservatives, but not necessarily Republicans (which is unfortunate), believe it's vitally important to the future of the country to reduce the size of government, keep taxes low, balance the budget, and get this country out of debt. Liberals, and Democrats for that matter, believe in big government, high taxes, and they have never met a new spending program they didn't like, whether we will have to go into debt to pay for it or not.
4) Conservatives believe that government, by its very nature, tends to be inefficient, incompetent, wasteful, and power hungry. That's why we believe that the government that governs least, governs best. Liberals think that the solution to every problem is another government program. Even when those new programs create new problems, often worse than the ones that were being fixed in the first place, the solution is always....you guessed it, another government program.
3) Conservatives are patriotic, believe that America is a great nation, and are primarily interested in looking out for the good of the country. That's why we believe in "American exceptionalism" and "America first." Liberals are internationalists who are more concerned about what Europeans think of us and staying in the good graces of the corrupt bureaucrats who control the UN than looking out for the best interests of this nation.
2) Conservatives, most of them anyway, believe in God and think that the Constitution has been twisted by liberal judges to illegitimately try to purge Christianity from the public square. We also believe, most of us anyway, that this country has been successful in large part because it is a good, Christian nation and if our country ever turns away from the Lord, it will cease to prosper. Liberals, most of them anyway, are hostile to Christianity. That's why, whether you're talking about a school play at Christmas time, a judge putting the Ten Commandments on the wall of his court, or a store employee saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays," liberals are dedicated to driving reminders of Christianity from polite society.
1) Conservatives believe in pursuing policies because they're pragmatic and because they work. Liberals believe in pursuing policies because they're "nice" and make them feel good. Whether the policies they're advocating actually work or not is of secondary importance to them.
Addendum: Conservatives believe that there should be no government interference in business. Liberals believe that some oversight and regulation is necessary. As we sit on the edge of more government bail-outs for big business, whose failures were caused primarily by deregulation allowing rampant greed and criminality, I wonder how that shores up the idea that "people can take care of themselves." Not if they're rich corporations, I guess.

sheesh...I'm thinking Green party....


On a lighter note.... and if you are still reading...
I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend.
The weather was absolutely perfect in our neck of the woods/city.
Is there a nicer time of year?

I cheated this year and bought an organic stuffed turkey breast from Cumbrea's.
I did however make a homemade squash, apple & bean soup and shredded Brussel sprouts with Niagara Pancetta. yum.
and it wouldn't be thanksgiving without a homemade Cranberry orange sauce with cinammon, and grand marnier.
yum.
grandma brought the pumpkin pie- which was awesome.

much to be thankful for indeed.

gobble gobble

mirror mirror on the wall..

I so wish we didn't live in a society that places so much emphasis on looks.
But that's just the way it is and always will be.
Looking young seems to be at the top of most women's wish list.
But as I get closer and closer to the 40 year mark (okay still over two years away, but still....) I can really see the changes.
And no where was it more glaringly obvious than on a 42' flat-screen in HD.
Argh.
After watching myself on the first episode of "the show" I thought, okay, I don't look too bad.
But after last night's episode, I can't say the same.
There was the shopping segment which wasn't too painful, but the rest I thought I looked and sounded terrible.
My hair looked awful, my face was all shiny- good hair and make-up really does make a difference on t.v.
And it is so true about what they say- t.v does add 10 lbs. for sure.
I think it also adds to the size of your nose too.
when the hell did my cute button nose officially become a honkin' schnoz?
yikes. Barbara Streisand's got nothin' on me.
I know I'm no giant- being vertically challenged has been my reality all my life, but put me next to two tall 5'10+ girls in heels no less- and I look like an elf.
Then there's the issue of what my voice sounds like.
Sort of nasal-ish and like I had 5 chocolate bars right before we started shooting.
Let's not even talk about the editing that always seems to cut me off- which isn't such a bad thing I guess.
I say "Yeah", far too often.
Now I know where Lulu gets it.
oh yeah.
So needless to say I'm pretty depressed today.
I need a new hair stylist, and maybe a whole new face.
Well maybe I'll just start with the hair....the face might be a little extreme.

I come by all this insecurity naturally though.
My mom is constantly worried about how she looks.
She is super hard on herself- in my opinion, unnecessarily.
She is absolutely beautiful and natural.
She will be 60 yet she looks much closer to 50.
She often gets mistaken for Lulu's mother and not grandmother.
She is a cancer survivor and is healthy and energetic- yet never 100% happy about the way she looks.
Every photo I take of her (and I'm pretty decent with a camera if I do say so myself) she asks me to delete.
I guess the ol' apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, as I'm always editing all the shots of myself- in fact that could be the reason we have very few of me.
It's all Lulu & big daddy.
fine by me- that's why I really feel more comfortable behind a camera and not in front of one.
I just hope Lulu doesn't inherit this insecurity and I end up passing on the "too hard on myself gene".
Because I think she's so beautiful- inside & out.

I also hope the next 4 episodes that I'm on are not as painful as the last one.
I seriously don't know how actors & models deal with seeing themselves in action.
They really have to have a thick (yet flawless) skin.
Me not so much.
Are all women so self critical when it comes to their physical appearance, or is it just the ones that get sucked into to being on T.V.?

pickle time

It might be too late to pick up this issue of Canadian Family Magazine (I think it was last month) but it's not too late to make pickles.
We shot this last year and Lulu had so much fun.
A fun super easy thing to do with kids and doesn't cost a fortune.
It really teaches them about food, where it comes from and what we can do to it to make taste delicious.

Since I'm in self promotion mode....if you didn't catch the season premier of The Style Department on HGTV last night it's on again today @ 3:30 and Saturday @ 10 a.m.
I think the room looked great and I guess I didn't come off looking too terrible (as I had originally feared)
Let me know whatcha think.
For fun pickle recipes check out the canadian family magazine website.
what's not to love about pickles?
yum.