Trick-or-Treat

We it's 8:13 and we are officially out of candy. The kids are still coming, but we have no candy to give. I figured I had enough candy for 300 kids... and given that its all gone, I am guessing we got that, if not more, given that PC only handed out 1 item to a few loads of older kids!

We have different tactics on the candy giving when it comes to Halloween. I like to give kids one of each item we have in stock: 1 chocolate bar, 1 sucker, and 1 gum, but for PC he likes to make kids choose: suckers, gum, or chocolate bars? Kids get confused, the young take 30 seconds to survey the 3 bowls, thinking it over, pondering their final decisions - and the older kids give him a confused look, as if to say: I want all of it.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.... by the second hour of candy giving we were both out on the front step, PC giving out the chocolate bars, and me giving out the suckers and gum. We have a great neighbourhood for trick-or-treating... and given that the weather was relatively warm, the kids came by the mini-van loads again this year!

The downfall this year for us, was that we have been so focused on the basement we didn't have time to carve any pumpkins. I say 'we' but really it's PC who is the pumpkin artist in this family. He usually does three or four every year, but time just escaped us this year, and so in the 11th hour, I had to put out our artificial pumpkin Mom C gave us (years ago, when we were living-in-sin, in the apartment).

Oh well, I guess the kids don't really care about the pumpkins, as long as you have candy!
And we did, so hopefully our house won't get egged after hours or anything crazy like that!

Hope you all enjoyed your Halloween...! Given that it's still early, I will now download some pics of the basement and Halloween, and post them - consider them my virtual Halloween treat to you!

NOTE: B-day wishes go out to Dad C TODAY - we celebrated his big day on Sunday given that he's the oldest trick-or-treater in Maxville, and was going to be a little busy this evening!!! Just kidding Dad C - Happy Hallo-Birthday!!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Bo Sox win in 4 straight! I am pretty sure that PC and I contributed to this year's World Series' Win for the Red Sox with our visit to Fenway Park earlier this year! Whatever the case is... its pretty sweep sweet!

PC watched the final innings of last night's game in High Definition from the comfort of his hangout - the basement! He could feel the win coming on and made an executive decision to move the TV, the TV stand, and the surround sound speakers to our recent addition (photos to come soon)!

We had a busy weekend with a 130-O reunion/Halloween party taking place in Ottawa (photos to come soon), hockey for PC Friday and Sunday, and a full day of work for me yesterday. We also did some admiring of the new carpet in our basement, and capped it off with a Red Sox win.

Hoping to get some photos and updates on the blog soon... free time has been minimal lately due to work commitments, but I will do my best to download some pics off the camera, and get everyone up-to-speed with our recent highlights.

Stay tuned!

Floating thoughts...

Some random things that have been on my mind lately, yet ones that I don't think will make a decent post on their own... so here are the snippets:

• Why do people purposely smoke in cars with children? I can't stand this... when I see a man or woman puffing away with the window down just peep (or not), and young infants in the back seat breathing it all in. I am not even sure that this point has to go in the 'Parenting for Dummies' manual, it should be a given - hello? common sense! My feeling in general is that people should not smoke in cars period, but if you really must, at least don't do it while your kids are in the car.

• Speaking of cars and driving... I can't get over the number of people I see driving while talking on their cell phone. I mean, I am not criticising anyone for doing this, as I have been known to talk and drive frequently, but it really amazes me, as of late, the number of people who are the phone while behind the wheel. We aren't just talking about young teens, but all ages, young Moms, business men, middle aged folks, seniors ... it's become the norm for everyone. Which leads me to my next question - is it legal to talk on your cellphone and drive at the same time? My friends and I have had this conversation a few times... and we all agree that when we see the cops and we are on our phones, we panic and immediately drop the phone, just in case - but I would really like some clarification on this - is it a criminal offence to talk on a cellphone while driving?

• Given that Halloween is only a week away, PC and I have bought our candy for the 400 + kids we will get next week (Embrun is a hot spot for trick or treaters!). We purchased Blow Pop Suckers, Double Bubble Gum, and a couple of mega packs of mini chocolate bars. The mini chocolate bars mysterious got opened last week... and seem to be disappearing rather rapidly. I not sure by who (although PC and I suspect old Mr. Beverage from Algoma Street East in Thessalon), but I would like to point out that in my experience with mini chocolate bars, 1 is never enough... you have to have 3 or 4 to satisfy the craving, and by the time you've had 3 or 4, you were wishing you just had a regular size bar, without having to deal with the process of opening all the individual mini wrappers. However... what is nice about the mini's is that you get have a variety of kinds: KitKat, Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp, Crunchie, Wunderbar... ya, did I mention I am still not sure who's been eating all the chocolate bars?

• Tim Horton's has some new items on their menu that I think are worth trying... the new chicken Fajita Wrap is one item I am a fan of... it's got some kick to it, but ask for a slice of cheddar cheese on it, instead of the disgusting processed cheese, and it will make it taste extra delish for you. As well... they've introduced a chai tea, and I must say - mmm mmm good. It's got a cinnamon flavour to it, and I absolutely love it. It doesn't even need sugar (aren't you proud Mom?)!

• Last night I got a call from some home security company in Gatineau offering to put a sign on my front lawn for three weeks to improve security in my neighbourhood - and then they also offered to install a home security system for free after the three week period. We already have a home security system (courtesy of the previous owners), so I immediately used that excuse to get them off the phone, but this got me thinking... they want to improve security in my neighbourhood? This would imply security in my neighbourhood needs to be improved. I didn't like the thought of this, because I am not at all convinced that home security in E-ville is an issue, and this company is implying that is. After I rushed the guy off the phone, I felt like calling him up and telling him - 'hey buddy... security in my neighbourhood is fine, just fine, so take your business elsewhere' - but now it has me wondering just the opposite.

• I am really looking forward to the time change... only because every morning this week I have felt like it was 3:30 am when I was getting up for work at 7 am. It's depressingly dark in the mornings... and although the time change will make the evenings darker earlier, it should provide some daylight in the mornings, which is easier to wake up to! As well... we gain an hour on the clock, and I could really use that hour to catch up on some sleep. I am so looking forward to the night of Nov. 3rd!

To my father, the Yankees' fan!

HELLO WORLD SERIES!

A mum for Mom!

My fall mum is in full bloom.... and this reminds me that I wanted to say Happy Birthday to my Mom who celebrated her special day on Friday, October 19th. We got to chat on the phone and get caught up Friday evening, but it's not the same a being there in person.

Hope you had a great birthday Mom, and as always I miss you dearly and love you very much!
Cheers!

Ka-ka-karma for Federal Public Servants?

You may recall the recent announcement that our good friend Dalton made just after his re-election as premiere of this fine province.

Yes... the Big D announced the creation of Family Day, a new holiday for the province of Ontario that will be take place the third Monday of every February, starting in February 2008.

The citizens of Ontario are no doubt thrilled - another paid holiday during a season that is long and cold. Everyone in the province must be celebrating... and we were, until the bomb was dropped on the federal public servants of Ontario that this newly created holiday would not apply to us.

As it turns out... and is stated in the Ottawa Citizen article (shout out to the honourable Mr. Wynn for flagging it to me), ""Federally, there are 11 designated paid holidays and despite the addition of a day off in February, our collective agreements do not provide for an additional day off. Since federal employees fall under federal jurisdiction, their public holidays are determined by the Canada Labour Code. Family Day is being introduced through the Ontario Employment Standards Act (not the Canada Labour Code)."

I could go off on a rant about how upset this makes me, but the truth of it is I think it's a bit amusing. I mean... seriously, if you are a federal public servant in this country, your complaints should be few and far between. The fact that we aren't entitled to this new holiday in Ontario makes me laugh because while I will have to work on February 18th, the local pizza maker and garbage man will be rolling snowmen in their backyard, enjoying some GT's (good times) with their families.

Hilarious don't you think? I think it's a little bit of karma coming our way... as for once the Ontario feds are getting the short end of the stick. I imagine on February 18th many non-federal government employees will be saying 'take that' with a devious grin on their faces - and for one day, all the feds in Ontario will be wishing they worked somewhere else!

Confessions of a food waster

Yes... this is my confession, I, Sara Coleman, waste food, not just a bit of food, but A LOT of food. I have done this for so many years that I think I am beyond feeling guilty about it, its just part of my lifestyle now.

Each week I spend anywhere for $80 to $150 at my local grocery store, and I would hazard to guess that I probably throw out anywhere from $10 to $25 dollars worth of food every week (*gasp*) .

I know what your thinking, twenty. five. dollars. a week? That amount could send half-a-dozen third-world children to school, put clothes on their back, or even build them a decent home. And here I am tossing it out the window, like its my job.

Some of it is my fault, but much of it isn't. I mean, if fresh bread isn't fresh anymore and we haven't eaten it, it's going in the garbage. Or if sandwich buns develop blue and green mold while in my cupboard for a week, they are garbage too. My wasteful ways just can't be helped in the bread department.

However, when we move over to the fridge, I think my whole food wasting problem boils down to the due dates on food - if food companies just didn't put those damn dates on their products, I might waste a lot less.

When I see the past due date, and I determine I am clearly over it, I don't even bother to look in the container, I just toss it. Now, if it doesn't say PAST DUE: Oct 13, and instead is written BEST BEFORE: Oct 13 - I tend to take a peek at it, give it a smell, and observe it closely for a few seconds - but in the end, I don't want to take a chance, and I head over to the garbage and dispose of it.

PAST DUE to me, means there is NO HOPE IN HELL that it's good. BEST BEFORE to me, means that it tastes its best before the date specified, and after that date there is a slight chance that it still may taste good enough to eat (although I am very skeptical of that).

This has gone on for so long... I am even to the point now that if the BEST BEFORE date is written (for example) Oct 17, and I see today that my grocery item only has two days of its lifespan left, I really examine it well, before deciding whether or not it is worthy of living its last two days in my refrigerator. Often Sometimes my food items don't even make it to their due date... I get rid of them before their end date just to be on the super-safe side.

I know... there are thousand and one people who will eat food items that are well past their due date, but I can't bring myself to do it, I just can't.

Take yogurt or sour cream for example, I know that they probably taste good well past their due date, but if I get it my head that they are close to expiry, even though they taste and smell fine, I second guess myself, and when I do taste them I convince myself that the taste is a bit off, which means the items must go.

I really don't know how I got to be like this, my mother isn't like this... if you have ever seen her fridge, it's jammed full of items, half which are probably past their due date, and my dad is still alive to tell about the past due date food he's had to consume in his 33 years of marriage (Happy Belated Anniversary Mom & Dad - Oct. 12) . If he's living, eating past due items can't be that harmful to your health!

Due dates also go against PC's food policy... he will eat practically anything, and the due dates on food are just a guideline for him, not the gospel. He too, is still breathing and here to tell the tales of how he survived eating past due food, but even with his influence and encouragement I can't convince myself that past due food tastes good or is good for me.

Nope... I don't think there is any way to change my views on this one - past due is past due, and food that is past due belongs in one place only... the garbage!

What's your policy on past due and best before due dates on your food... do you test the waters and eat food that is past the due date, or are you a due date freak like myself, and don't take a chance with anything?

Mellow Yellow

This is a little bit overdue, but please welcome to our family, Mellow, our new niece!

No... PC didn't give in and let me have dog ... but my brother-in-law and 'his wife' (as he likes to put it), just got a new dog, after their previous one unfortunately had a terminal illness and had to be put down unexpectedly.

We got to meet the newest addition a couple of weekends ago, and let me tell you - she is the BEST DOG EVER. She's only five months old, polite, respectful, and the calmest dog I have ever seen. She's perfect in my eyes, so pefect that I have reopened the debate for reasons why I think PC and I should have a dog.

I doubt PC will ever think that's a good idea for us, but for now, I can just visit my little niece, and pretend if I were to get a dog, she be as good as Mellow is!

Here she is....

____________________________________________________

In loving memory of Kira/Petey

Basement Update #3

So... here they are, pics of the basement, long overdue, but nonetheless will bring you up to speed.

I believe the last update showed pics of the framing stage. It's been a while since I've had time to take the pics of the basement, and I was hoping to get some up of the 'drywall in progress' stage, but PC finished it this weekend and before we could clean up the guy who is doing the taping and mudding was on our doorstep ready to work yesterday morning at 8 am.

In a day, he taped and did his first coat of the mudding. Last night PC cleaned up the scraps of drywall, I swept up and vacuumed as best I could, as our only labourer will back everyday for the rest of the week to finish up the walls.

I am hoping to make our final carpet selection this weekend, and paint the following weekend.

That's the update for now... take a look at all of PC's hard work with the drywall. He has worked tirelessly on the walls, mostly by himself, with the exception of some much need assistance from his Dad in the bathroom and with parts of the ceiling (Thanks Dad C) - THANKS PC!

Stairs

Main TV Room

(left) Laundry/Hockey Room & Bathroom (right)

Shower


(left) shower & office/bedroom (right)


closet in the office/bedroom

doorway to office/bedroom & main tv room

Giving Thanks

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought it might be nice to compose a list of a few things I am especially thankful for... of course this list could go many ways, so I will try to encompass all things without boring you too much.

Let's get standard stuff (although important and always at the top of my list) out the way....

• health and happiness - given that there is so many people in this world battling to have good health, I am very thankful to be in good health, and to have those I love nearly and dearly free from the harmful and infectious diseases that surround our world. Sometimes we over look good health in our list of thank yous, but it is an important thing that allows us to have so much happiness in life.


• love - of course... this one's also a given, to love and be loved is something that truly in a blessing, and I humbled to have this present in my life everyday.


• friends and family - for me these are two very distinct groups ... yet so important to have in my life, and I am thankful that these two groups exist separately, yet at times can be one in the same.

The mushy ones could go on forever.... food on the table, money in the bank, good paying job, etc... but they are not all that exciting, so let's move away from the mushy stuff, and onto more trivial things.... and I apologize in advance for the melange of topics here:

• I am thankful that I can afford to buy two-ply toilet paper. Seriously - it perplexes me why businesses insist on using the cheap stuff... if these places really appreciated their employees and customers, they would splurge on the good stuff.
• I am thankful for the invention of the dishwasher... life would be so much more difficult without it, and I think I would be one bitchy woman if I had to do dishes every. single. morning and night.
• I am thankful that the football season is short, compared to baseball and hockey. Honestly, I can't stand watching football or listening to the announcers (although I can listen to Jesse Palmer from time to time, or perhaps just look at him - but that's a whole other post!) Listening to PC go on about 'his picks' for the week... and 'the spreads', and the time it takes to make the picks, read the spreads, and then update me on how close he was to winning the week - nonsense, I tell you!
• I am thankful for fall colours.... nothing puts me in a better mood on my way to work than seeing all of the foliage in its vibrant colours this time of year.
• I am thankful that PC has put up with my relentless nagging constant yet encouraging attitude in motivating him to finish the basement. We are getting there, and we really couldn't have done any of it without his persistence and hard work all summer long.
• Finally (although I could go on), and I'll make this one worth your while - I am thankful for my bloggy readers and friends. The fact you come back here checking for updates on a daily basis - this has really blown me away over the last 18 months. Thanks for reading, and thanks for making me think that this little spot in the world wide web, has a purpose!

I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving, and feel free to share anything you are thankful for in the comment section.

Seriously, don't read anything into this one...

Here's a burning question...

If a married woman with no children orders/makes a non-alcoholic drink in the presence of others who are drinking alcohol, why does everyone in the room, minus her husband, assume that she's pregnant?

Please do explain...

I guess I should be slapping myself first - because I too make this assumption (in my head) when I know that friends are on the baby wagon - but I don't go as far as to state so boldly to them 'NOT DRINKING, ARE YOU PREGNANT?' or giving them the 'ARE YOU PREGNANT' look as they take a sip of their non-alcoholic beverage.

I feel as though the fact that I am contemplating pregnancy makes me think that I should be laying off a few things, drugs and alcohol being at the top of this list (I like to throw in drugs, as if I am some bad ass!). This by no means translates into I am pregnant, or I might be pregnant - but its sort of the first step in a long list of things I think is a courtesy thing to do for your body before trying to get pregnant.

The problem is... I feel as though every time I order water or a pop instead of my regular 'triple vodka, lemon-cranberry in a short glass' - the crowd takes note of this and baby speculation immediately goes off the charts.

Is it a crime to be considered a woman who drinks alcohol, yet just doesn't feel like 'a drink'?

Although I am trying to drink less ... I feel as though I have to throw in the odd glass of wine or beer just to put people's minds to rest. As soon as the crowds sees an alcoholic beverage in the hand of the 'party in question' they all let out a mental sigh of relief - as if they can all get back to having a good time now that they don't have to be watching (like a hawk) the drinking habits of 'the party in question'.

I can just see the setting at a party after 'the party in question' takes her first drink of alcohol

• chatter goes up in the room about 40%,
• everyone starts to let loose,
• the night is salvaged!

Okay... perhaps it is not as bad as my precept ions indicate, and perhaps all of this could be avoided for the 'party in question' if she didn't have a reputation of being 'a drinker' or 'a Bellerose' for that matter (inside family joke) - but seriously, all reputations aside, let's learn to cut these 'young married women with no kids' a break when they aren't drinking - as I learned early on in my lifetime, we should never assume anything!

If a baby is on board (which in my case, is definitely NOT), I am sure the 'party in question' will come clean with the info, when she's ready to - right ladies?

NOTE: Bonne Fête à Monsieur Julien Benoit. Le résidant de St. Albert qui célèbre un grand nombre d'anniversaires aujourd'hui - tellement beaucoup, je ne peux pas compter cela haute ! Just kidding Jules -- mes souhaits sont vraiment sincères!

When to make the switch?

Here were are... the first week of October, and I am still in sandal mode... still loving the fact that I can still slip on a pair of sandals with ease and simplicity to walk out the door.

However, the mornings are starting to get a bit more chilly - and the initial thought has crossed my mind to make the switch to my boots, or dressy shoes with nylons/dress socks - but I feel like once I make the switch, I can't go back to my precious summer sandals until next spring.

It's weighs heavy on mind, I drive to work with the heat blasting out on my toes until there are almost on fire. I feel as though I should have boots on, but then in the afternoon, I can hardly wait to blast the A/C on them as they are somewhat sweaty (gross, I know, but it's true!).

I guess my reluctance to make the switch also factors in the French pedicure I have, which has held up surprisingly well over the last month, making me think: why ruin a good looking set of toes by covering them up in a pair of boots?

I thought by wearing my sandals I was still with the majority of the woman out there, but after Saturday's outing to the Sens game, I notice a lot of woman are torn on the issue. I would say it was a 50/50 split at the game. Half of the women were in their sandals, the other half wearing boots or more winter-like shoes.

Of course there are extremes to the winter boot/summer sandal debate. I, of course had on jeans, sandals, and thin 3/4th length sleeved sweater - other girls took the 'summer's still alive' theory right to the edge in their mini skirts, white tank tops, and surfer flip-flops - woe-la - it's not 110 degrees out. Then we had the other half of the crowd with the fall type hats on, heavy sweaters or leather coats on, with nice sturdy boots, ready to truck through 12 inches of fresh snow.

I felt as though I was mediocre, the outfit I was wearing would have looked fine with either boots or sandals, but I chose sandals feeling that I should try to get as much sandal use of the nice weather until its absolutely unbearable.

What do you think? Are you wearing your fall/winter boots yet, or are you still riding out the sandal weather - holding onto the bitter end?

Saturday night girls outing!

This weekend was spent working on a nightmare file, but the highlight was that I did manage to salvage my Saturday night plans to attend the Sens game with three of my closest friends.

I have to admit I am a Sens fan and I do enjoy hockey, but I just don't have the same intensity as I did back in June when we were on a quest for Lord Stanley.

To be honest... if Saturday night's game hadn't gone into over time, I would have left the building mainly wondering what the score was and who scored the goals. Terrible, I know.

But, that's what you get when you put 4 close friends together in the 300 level at the Bank during the pre-season! None of us were deathly interested in the game - and my interests went right out the door when I realized Ray Emery wasn't in the net, nor on the bench. For that point on, I turned to either side of me and began catching it up with the girls!

We chatted non. stop. and frankly, got a little perturbed when the rest of the place started cheering for a good save, or a penalty kill. All I could think to myself was 'excuse me, we are trying to have a conversation here - keep it down would ya'.

We actually had a really good time, we tried out the new Lonestar food booth - had fajitas and chips and conqueso... really nice treat, then had an after dinner latte at Tim Horton's. We got to people watch a bit, saw some interesting characters - just an all around good night out with the ladies.

The ticket didn't cost a dime, it was courtesy of a friend who knows a 'Cat' in high places, so it's not like it was a waste of money; however, when I did arrive home to PC still working on the basement (a 16 hour shift), we had the following exchange of words:

PC: Hey... how was the game?
Me: Game? Ahhhh... game was good.

PC: What was the score?
Me: Score? Ummm... 5-4. NO wait, 4-3... I think?

PC: You think? Didn't watch the game did you?
Me: Yah, well... no, not really.

PC: **shakes his head in disgust**
Me: Well, there was over time, and the Sens scored, they won - I know that.

PC: **still shaking his head in disgust**
Me: What?

PC: Too busy talking all night?
Me: **smiles, nodding**

PC: **shakes his head in disgust**
Me: Get back to work!

Okay... so if 4 close guy friends got 4 free tickets to the Sens game... they maybe would have done things a little differently - but 4 girls, in the pre-season - really, what did you expect?