tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16099079661849362562023-11-16T11:07:04.101-08:00oneLOVE:let all things you do be done in loveCat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-70091081169709963442012-09-01T12:46:00.001-07:002012-09-01T12:46:27.412-07:00#30 Lists // September 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP6CnPw4xE4E3IKJHF_4tAvljyFMQCJDsWMAo2ygPaGybW4rQT-AXOnVfeFNHGjzTe6WuO3b1PzTT6r-IcTmzEa-7-_0gzCRSGIrJNjlpMZLadyOM1PY64ghYf0SVsEayBoLF4M8fYPo/s1600/I+am+a+Lister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP6CnPw4xE4E3IKJHF_4tAvljyFMQCJDsWMAo2ygPaGybW4rQT-AXOnVfeFNHGjzTe6WuO3b1PzTT6r-IcTmzEa-7-_0gzCRSGIrJNjlpMZLadyOM1PY64ghYf0SVsEayBoLF4M8fYPo/s400/I+am+a+Lister.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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#30 Lists is here!</div>
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My game plan for creating, capturing and posting my lists is this...<br />
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1) Jot a quick response to each daily prompt on a scrap paper that day<br />
2) If I find time that evening, make it fancy in the mini-book I've started... if not, no sweat<br />
3) Catch up making my scrap lists pretty, as needed<br />
4) Every second Thursday-Sunday (aka my days off work) take pictures and post!<br />
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Lists coming soon!</div>
Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-92115423245107966102012-08-23T09:59:00.001-07:002012-08-23T09:59:59.362-07:00i was ambitious...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLB9GIQGNNz5aztiE5aMk94mZIZVD8NmQoM9GNLFy2hr-39VEjQiWd_qNxHB3OZsClcroEY7rQ-qcmFoGRiYK8DcOLYs5sxzKShp9Scbmm2JptzACOhIqKZPoacZm9n7TEgq_RUNGCNQ/s1600/stopthinking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLB9GIQGNNz5aztiE5aMk94mZIZVD8NmQoM9GNLFy2hr-39VEjQiWd_qNxHB3OZsClcroEY7rQ-qcmFoGRiYK8DcOLYs5sxzKShp9Scbmm2JptzACOhIqKZPoacZm9n7TEgq_RUNGCNQ/s400/stopthinking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I attempted to bite off more than I can chew. When I started this blog, I was determined to be just like all the other bloggers I follow.... daily posts, weekly features, big, big plans! <br />
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That is simply not for me. Not that I don't want to. It's just not a reality for me. I work very long days, and when I'm not at home, I want to enjoy my life with my husband and my dog. Sitting in front of a computer editing photos, writing and planning posts does not fit into my life's agenda.</div>
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The fact remains that I love this space. It's a virtual journal for me. It's a scrapbook of photos and a snap shot of who I am. It isn't a commercial en devour for me... which I think is the very reason why I can't expect my blog to be like those I follow. They are bloggers. I don't want to become 'famous', I'm just using this little space on the internet as another little creative outlet.</div>
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There are no more ideas floating around in my head about being a daily blogger, and weekly features will happen sporadically, but that's fine with me. This is my space. </div>
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Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-69169661869444672922012-08-15T13:18:00.001-07:002012-08-15T13:18:57.571-07:00summer twenty twelve // sick day... #2<br />
For the second time in less than a month, I'm home from work. SICK.<br />
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This time, luckily, it's not tonsillitis. Over the last two days, I have sneezed approximately 900 times, and used an entire box of Kleenex. Damn sinuses.<br />
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Because I had a surprisingly fun time documenting my quiet day at home the <a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/07/summer-twenty-twelve-sick-day.html" target="_blank"><b>last time I was sick</b></a>, I figured I would do it again. There is one BIG big difference this time around though... Molly isn't here.<br />
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Molly left on Sunday for a two week play-cation with Brett's family. Two factors went into our decision to have Molly join Brett's family for a little while; a) Brett's mom is head-over-heels in love with her b) Brett's little brother is taking a big step and moving away for his first year of university. Both these factors led Brett and I to believe that having Molly around would be good for them. She loves, and cares, and makes everyone around her feel great. She is truly a very good dog. And.I.miss.her.<br />
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So instead of cuddling with Molly, I will cuddle up in bed and watch movies, blog a bit, guzzle back as much chicken noodle soup as I can possibly handle, work on my summer mini-book a bit, and have a bubble bath.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy30mASytCV1JyR6nAf_5D4gDHjtUE6q2ubSHA1-VapjNyVjGrEjDhXvapvOJaZaX25ml5BQrxEZ6I0wo3zt5JGWdhN5Y75qbT05qSwPprb0AwzDKijmDspVuO_lUZ8-hTHd1S1tbBwQ/s1600/wednesday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBy30mASytCV1JyR6nAf_5D4gDHjtUE6q2ubSHA1-VapjNyVjGrEjDhXvapvOJaZaX25ml5BQrxEZ6I0wo3zt5JGWdhN5Y75qbT05qSwPprb0AwzDKijmDspVuO_lUZ8-hTHd1S1tbBwQ/s400/wednesday1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u_sZzPH6Ny_ysTQkey_QYHZcq0e4XBan9LTj9AgH86U7NmpOEhs_fMPzO5X5AnXsQXuhwZ8F2RI24CCTxCn8InGMws2Iqxt7woWOP9Ct60owaMc6g3yqMWZm6CndySVuLZHTLxXijSk/s1600/wednesday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6u_sZzPH6Ny_ysTQkey_QYHZcq0e4XBan9LTj9AgH86U7NmpOEhs_fMPzO5X5AnXsQXuhwZ8F2RI24CCTxCn8InGMws2Iqxt7woWOP9Ct60owaMc6g3yqMWZm6CndySVuLZHTLxXijSk/s400/wednesday2.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<b>Currently:</b><br />
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<b>Loving: </b>Every chance I can get to relax. We've had way too much on the go, and it doesn't look like things will be slowing down any time soon.<br />
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<b>Watching</b>: <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411238/" target="_blank">No Strings Attached</a></b>. I love a watching a chick flick every now and then, and why not cuddle up in front of the tv with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, my favorite blanket from grandma, and a box of Kleenex on a cold and windy day?<br />
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Brett and I just finished powering through <b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455275/" target="_blank">Prison Break</a> </b>on Netflix last week. We've been watching each new episode of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903747/" target="_blank"><b>Breaking Bad</b></a> Season 5, and are just itching for seasons of our other favorite shows to start this fall. <br />
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<b>Listening to</b>: <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE" target="_blank">Phillip Phillips - Home</a></b><br />
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<b>Reading</b>: <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Family-Fang-A-Novel-Kevin-Wilson/9780061579059-item.html?cookieCheck=1" target="_blank"><b>The Family Fang</b>.</a> The locally owned stationary and office supply store sells books here in town, I was almost done <b><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/product/9780061974304-item.html?ref=google:sayt" target="_blank">Secret Daughter</a> </b>and needed something to move on to next. Small towns do not have an abundance of books to choose from, so I found myself looking for anything with 'Best Seller' or 'Award Winning' on the cover. This is what I found, so I'm going to give it a shot. I'm a couple chapters in and it's been fine so far. <br />
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<b>Eating: </b>Chicken Noodle Soup. I'm marinating some Tilapia fillets as <strike>we speak</strike> I type, and plan on cooking up some chicken breasts to top off a spinach salad for lunch tomorrow too.<br />
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<b>Wishing:</b> I had more time. There is so much: stuff I want to do around the house, hobbies I want to pick up, new crafting things I want to try, books I want to read, workouts I'm missing out on. The list of how MUCH there is that I'm not doing is very, very, very long. I'm in another one of my ruts where I can't wait for this work project to be DONE. I want so badly to have time in my home with my little family and time to myself, that I feel like it's eating me from the inside out! Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-68090084174168920732012-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:002012-08-14T10:03:36.020-07:00travel plans // south dakota<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Living in South Eastern Saskatchewan has really opened up the likelihood of us traveling into the U.S. </div>
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We're now about an hour and a half from the nearest border crossing, opposed to the five it would take to drive from Saskatoon. We've been into North Dakota a few times, to get some good deals on big ticket items (like the vinyl fence that we put up so Molly could have free reign in the back yard), and to catch flights (to Boston, and Philly). Flying within the U.S. from Minot or Bismark is significantly (we're talking a few hundred dollars) cheaper than flying out of Regina or Winnipeg.<br />
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The next road trip I'm itching to take is into the <b><a href="http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/" target="_blank">Black Hills of South Dakota</a></b>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHmSaRmHnZZtQtM9O0vZtmuglZrCeDbuoENsYMDqFlseEoWZYOtG6QoeRikrxRB88uqQOyK4NPkcJ4AgYaEWkIfeO-ulaueRfjkUmZP4Lo5v6LsiLiRAywPODPqfQvzGvICcuiS0OJ8c/s1600/black+hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHmSaRmHnZZtQtM9O0vZtmuglZrCeDbuoENsYMDqFlseEoWZYOtG6QoeRikrxRB88uqQOyK4NPkcJ4AgYaEWkIfeO-ulaueRfjkUmZP4Lo5v6LsiLiRAywPODPqfQvzGvICcuiS0OJ8c/s400/black+hills.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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A few things I hope to accomplish and sights I'd love to see:<br />
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<li>Travel the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway</li>
<li>Mount Rushmore</li>
<li>Badlands National Park</li>
<li>Spearfish Canyon</li>
<li>Jewel Cave National Monument</li>
<li>(side trip into Wyoming) Devil's Tower National Monument</li>
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Rapid City has a pretty stellar <b><a href="http://www.visitrapidcity.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, </b>and I plan on ordering state vacation guides from both <b><a href="http://www.onefulfillment.com/rack/NDtourism/" target="_blank">North</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.travelsd.com/About-SD/Request-Information" target="_blank">South</a></b> Dakota next spring so I have all the latest info before taking our trip (fingers crossed for sometime in summer 2013).<br />
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There are 1,001 places I'd like to go and things I'd like to see. South Dakota may not be be right at the top of my bucket list, but it is likely one I'll knock off the list fairly soon, so that's why I chose to post about it first.Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-47191615864905343482012-08-08T08:01:00.001-07:002012-08-08T12:07:56.328-07:00travel plans // the beginning of a new post series<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GRTOAikAB7xIQl9j-5ln4xY3lUrARglpX66-sAYBi6AcaSYFgY3NiQUQCTcPKC05iHGN0N7ygWF0Y-YjOPTQRcETZGXaJedJCOVbnIJepAendEk61XX5GlT9-8I5TyDQhmhlCPSa3ro/s1600/geotag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GRTOAikAB7xIQl9j-5ln4xY3lUrARglpX66-sAYBi6AcaSYFgY3NiQUQCTcPKC05iHGN0N7ygWF0Y-YjOPTQRcETZGXaJedJCOVbnIJepAendEk61XX5GlT9-8I5TyDQhmhlCPSa3ro/s400/geotag.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kellypurkey.com/" target="_blank"><b>Kelly Purkey</b></a>'s geotag stamp - I bought one, and I'm psyched to use it! <3</span></div>
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Recently, my daydreams have been all about travelling. I feel like I really need to escape somewhere and I have all these grand ideas of places to go, and things to see - around the world <i>and</i> close to home. Until sometime next year those daydreams will just have to stay where they are, cluttering my up my head, browser history, and notebooks.<br />
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With all the projects we are tackling around the house, and by socking away vacation days from work to use at Christmas time, we're on hold when it comes to exploring this wonderful world of ours.<br />
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In September we do have a short three day trip planned to <a href="http://www.discoverclearlake.com/" target="_blank"><b>Clear Lake</b></a> in Manitoba. Clear Lake is close to home, a 3 hours drive, and has been highly recommended by our new friends in the area. </div>
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Over the last day or two I've spent some time typing, re-typing, reconsidering and reviewing this post. What started as an idea to post a list of all my current North American travel plans, quickly became the realization that if I were to put all of my travel ideas into one post, it would be 10,000 miles long and take centuries to read.<br />
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So thus begins a new posting series... travel plans // ________________ </div>
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</div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-72488389358798486852012-08-04T12:42:00.000-07:002012-08-04T12:45:53.659-07:00journal post // 001There's something incredible about home life these days.<br />
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Work and the daily grind are just that, the daily grind. It doesn't upset me to come to work, it doesn't make me happy to come to work... It's just work. Plain and simple, no ups, no downs - just stagnant. <br />
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I love coming home. Brett too, he's said that a lot over the last few days or weeks even, either way, it's been a while now. We are slowly growing into our house and making it more and more like home. It's permanent now. We like the town, we like making friends here, and Brett is truly fulfilled by his work. We're not curious about the future, not hoping for another door to open and reveal some great idealistic prize on the other side. We are happy and winning! <br />
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There was a time not so long ago when I was itching. Itching for something big to happen, pushing for some sort of unnatural change. I wasn't content to just let things be. Nope, not one bit. What changed? Great question. I don't know what changed. Nothing perhaps, and that could be what's most important.<br />
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Our whole relationship has been one stepping stone after the other, quick, little, hurried steps. We weren't in a rush or anything, I suppose it was just the pace we'd been used to. Life is calm now, and we can stop and take it all in. It really is nice, to be so at peace and compatible with each other. <br />
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Our dog brings so much joy to our lives. I am going to sound like the biggest sap, but she radiates love. It's true. Call me crazy, but she has the kindest, gentlest soul. She loves Brett and I equally and she is just the best at making you feel like there is nothing to worry about in life. We are both so proud of what a good dog she's turned out to be. <br />
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We are one happy little family.Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-13661199402352968662012-08-03T14:01:00.003-07:002012-08-03T14:02:40.100-07:00friday favorite // tea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Friday, Friday, FRIDAY! </div>
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This weeks favorite - <b>tea</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRciTjJNL_9b8BX9rUVWHIs3YdMWt1VkGd1TcQoERaJn0Mq_muGbgmQE8pnMuvEEE1QwKvpZyFaH7EhuMzbXT6snT2Bo-5ZzbC8zNmDk3lmT7z7HQjRZyNihUQod1H97UfEI-xZ992aRo/s1600/fridayfavorite1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRciTjJNL_9b8BX9rUVWHIs3YdMWt1VkGd1TcQoERaJn0Mq_muGbgmQE8pnMuvEEE1QwKvpZyFaH7EhuMzbXT6snT2Bo-5ZzbC8zNmDk3lmT7z7HQjRZyNihUQod1H97UfEI-xZ992aRo/s400/fridayfavorite1.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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While everyone else in Canada is at the lake, on the deck, on the road, in the boat - living and loving life - I will sob jealous tears against all you long weekenders out there. This is my weekend to work. And I'll be gall-darned if it isn't the long weekend, and SUMMER TIME! Ugh. Just ugh!</div>
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SO. Tea. Having worked at a Starbucks all through university, I fancied myself quite the little coffee connoisseur. Those were the days of multiple lattes, iced coffees, americanos and the occasional espresso (with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, obviously). Those days, oh those days, they did me in. I do enjoy a good cup of coffee, a latte or americano now and then, but it's been two years since I worked at Starbucks, and over those two years, I've done it! I've weened myself off the caffeine drip and opted for it's lovely little sister, Tea.</div>
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Tea is great. Tea warms me up when the AC is cranked a little too high in the office. Tea perks up my brain when I want so desperately to have an after lunch nap right on top of my keyboard. Tea comes in SO many different types and flavors - my adventurous, indecisive pallet has a blast trying new types. Tea doesn't require a good food to tea ratio as both alcohol and coffee do. Tea doesn't leave me feeling like a meth addict, I don't buzz, I gently hummm... mmmmm teeeeaaaa. </div>
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<br /></div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-46304515411992939552012-08-01T06:50:00.001-07:002012-08-01T15:16:49.285-07:00#30Lists // I am a lister!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhS6wV0JcR8XnnlE_FCFdA-7luoge724dz1DZiErVO0rU1PK1vU2ikpt5GeM3IS8wNIZglJkM-YU4b481c4ULQJmu5uFDSDYz0W7CE8z4nfUzjOrSKrGekFtIf9ruYq-D0nzXOF3LfTM/s1600/30_days_of_lists_BEBAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="67" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhS6wV0JcR8XnnlE_FCFdA-7luoge724dz1DZiErVO0rU1PK1vU2ikpt5GeM3IS8wNIZglJkM-YU4b481c4ULQJmu5uFDSDYz0W7CE8z4nfUzjOrSKrGekFtIf9ruYq-D0nzXOF3LfTM/s400/30_days_of_lists_BEBAS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Today is the first day to register for <b><a href="http://30daysoflists.com/" target="_blank">30 DAYS OF LISTS!</a></b><br />
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I first came across this wonderful little project/community/idea when I started following <b><a href="http://campfirechicblog.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Kam</a></b>, and <b><a href="http://lemonandraspberry.com/" target="_blank">Amy</a></b>'s blogs. This was a few months ago, and now the time has come! I. AM. A. LISTER!<br />
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In August, I plan to create a mini-book that will house my lists and doodles, and bits and bobs. Then the fun begins, each day I'll complete my little listing prompt, and hopefully I'll be on the ball enough to post each prompt the following day!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* I stole the header off one of their emails :p I <3 bebas font AND the chevron (obviously)</span>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-85479804811844004532012-07-31T14:58:00.000-07:002012-08-01T08:02:09.454-07:00behind, behind, SO far behindHOLD on Bits and Pieces post covering last week (July 23-29th)... you will just have to wait.<br />
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Here's a snippit though:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIGNxPGwENFXvmQRHe34c86FmMETKgVjn8IOHCssepx2FsVtIcQrVUfHLYHeWC8BCgYRsCbY78dGyBS9lIKzXW1k4zZNKOlBEXVylmgmTFaVS016xq-vhDQm9z4O92QJB7tJ0C45sjs0/s1600/walkwithmollydolly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIGNxPGwENFXvmQRHe34c86FmMETKgVjn8IOHCssepx2FsVtIcQrVUfHLYHeWC8BCgYRsCbY78dGyBS9lIKzXW1k4zZNKOlBEXVylmgmTFaVS016xq-vhDQm9z4O92QJB7tJ0C45sjs0/s400/walkwithmollydolly.jpg" width="400" /></a>
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<ul>
<li>We went to Regina over the weekend to see <b><a href="http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/quidam/default.aspx" target="_blank">Cirque du Soliel's Quidam</a></b>. AH-MAZE-ZING!</li>
<li>Molly and I started going for walks in the mornings</li>
<li>Slowest reader in the world (making the time commitment-wise) is JUST finishing up <b><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Secret-Daughter-Shilpi-Gowda/9780061974304-item.html?ikwid=secret+daughter&ikwsec=Home" target="_blank">Secret Daughter</a></b></li>
<li>My watermelons are producing fruit! Pictures coming soon! (Okay, that sounds bad, but I swear I'm not being perverted!!!) My watermelon <i>plants</i>, that just a month ago, I thought were not going to make it this summer, actually sprouted flowers and have teeny-tiny watermelons on them! I am so SO SO surprised.</li>
</ul>
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Things are very busy at work this week... I anticipate being wiped right out when I get home in the evening. Will likely be very quiet around here until next Thursday (8 more days! pfff - who's counting?). I want to catch up with the bits and pieces posts, and keep gushing about all the exciting things going on this summer. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Crappiest quality blackberry camera phone... in the dark, no flash, under a streetlight. Booger and I out for a lovely daily walk at 4:30AM - am I crazy?</span>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-48020597714755157802012-07-27T06:43:00.000-07:002012-07-27T06:45:52.076-07:00friday favorite // google readerThis weeks favorite: <b><a href="http://www.google.com/reader" target="_blank">google reader</a></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">As I've mentioned before, I am not very technologically savvy. I can manage my way around the computer and some external components just fine, but only when I've had some quality 'getting to know you time' with whatever system it is I'm operating....</span><br />
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Since I'm new to this whole blog thing, it's taken me some time to learn some very key tricks of the trade. As I browsed posts by several of creative ladies, I clicked into link, upon link, UPON LINK, of all these fabulously inspiring and interesting blogs. HOW on EARTH am I to follow these on a daily basis without committing URLs to memory, or writing them down, or searching through my browser history, or posting links on my blog and accessing them all that way. HOW!?? <br />
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I spent some time with bloglovin'... but not everyone is on bloglovin' and for some reason I didn't even THINK to try RSS. Why, I don't know. <br />
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I loaded google chrome onto my computer at work a few months ago, but had not even scratched the surface of it's capabilities until I opened the google chrome webstore extension. WowEEEE! Look what I can do! I tell ya, I was a kid in a candy shop that day. <br />
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So here we are, google reader and I, ya, we're best buds. I love:<br />
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<ul>
<li>how easy it is to subscribe to a blog</li>
<li>how the tab indicates a new post is ready for your enjoyment</li>
<li>how it lists in alphabetical order, all the blogs I'm following - that list is growing every day as I stumble through this wondrous thing called the internet</li>
<li>how I can star favorite posts for future reference - a MUST for every DIY crafter out there</li>
<li>how it has made my little blog addiction far less time consuming</li>
</ul>
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Google Reader for the win!</div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-33563292243420696562012-07-26T18:16:00.001-07:002012-07-26T18:19:06.559-07:00summer twenty twelve // mojitos<b><a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/06/summer-twenty-twelve-manifesto.html" target="_blank">Summer Manifesto</a> - Item 005 "Drink Mojitos"</b><br />
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As part of my summer manifesto - I dedicated myself to learn the art of creating the perfect mojito. I LOVE mojitos. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">It's</em> </span>a treat to get them whenever I go out out for drinks or dinner, I drank them multiple times a day when we were at the all inclusive in Mexico, and a friend and I even had a designated Mojito Monday when I lived in Calgary.<br />
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Back in the spring, I knew I wanted to try my hand at herb gardening. So when I saw that the local greenhouse was selling mojito mint (yes, there is a specific type), I jumped for joy. I don<em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">'</em><span style="background-color: white;">t really need mint for anything else, I don</span><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">'t use it in cooking, I might use it in tea, but really all I need mint for is mojitos! </em><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">This was my first solid attempt at making a mojito using the mint grown right in our own backyard. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">I used </span><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-real-mojito/" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;" target="_blank">this recipe</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">, for one mojito. Brett was golfing the night I made this, otherwise I would likely make a pitcher vs. just the one glass.</span><br />
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I would change one thing about this recipe. The sugar. The sugar needs to be dissolved before going into the drink. I was finding the drink rather strong when I took my first few sips, then it occurred to me that all the sugar had sank, undissolved, to the bottom of the glass. For this drink, I just grabbed a spoon and kept stirring it every time I took a sip. But in the future, I would squeeze lime juice over the amount of sugar I plan on using a few minutes before mixing the drink.</div>
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<em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">'Odd</em><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">' kitchen utensils are fairly hard to find in this meat, potatoes and beer kind of town. So the next time I</em><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">'m in the city I</em><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">'ll take a harder look for a mojito muddler... for now I</em><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">'ve just been using the back of a spoon.</em></div>
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<em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">And that my friends, was my first legitimate homemade mojito of the year.</em></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">On photo editing - this is me testing out some of the functions on <b><a href="http://picmonkey.com/">picmonkey.com</a></b> again... I chose to make a FB cover style collage, and rounded the corners until the images on the left became circular.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-36474932147458563912012-07-23T10:38:00.001-07:002012-07-25T20:55:03.567-07:00bits and pieces // july 16-22 2012This is my first Monday-Sunday bits and pieces post. <br />
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I did NOT have an exciting weekend in the very least. This was my weekend to work, and most of our systems were down for IT maintenance. So work dragged on, and on, and ON.<br />
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<b><strike>My photos from last week will be posted on THURSDAY (July 26th) when I get some quality time with my computer at home.</strike></b><br />
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Some highlights (aside from <a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/07/summer-twenty-twelve-sick-day.html" target="_blank"><b>being sick</b></a>!):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>the pink lilies have started to bloom</li>
<li>first (small) harvests of raspberries and cherry tomatoes... something has been eating away at some of my tomatoes - not impressed!</li>
<li>booger face looking for some camera time</li>
<li>I've really got to make a recipe that involves fresh oregano</li>
<li>the last few months we'll periodically see two dogs (they are obviously best buds) cruisin' around the neighborhood. They stopped by to give Brett a good sniff and get a pet out of him while he was moving the sprinkler in the front yard</li>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">On photo editing - I think I may have mentioned before, but I am a COMPLETE technology NOOB! I don't have photo shop, and it just so happens that through the wonders of blog posts and links, I was able to find<b> <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">picmonkey.com</a></b>... Infact I was so impressed that I made it one of my <b><a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/search/label/friday%20favorites" target="_blank">Friday Favorites</a>.</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My usual suspect effects are: tranquil or polaroid... this week I tried dusk, and layered some frost on to a few of the top pictures. </span><br />
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<br />Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-36467938280481320572012-07-20T07:57:00.000-07:002012-07-20T08:42:27.723-07:00friday favorite // Ed SheeranThis weeks favorite: <b><a href="http://edsheeran.com/" target="_blank">Ed Sheeran</a></b><br />
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I had seen his album advertised on youtube, but <span style="line-height: 16px;">it really didn</span><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">'t catch my eye as something to check out. I guess mostly because I didn</em><em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">'t recognize his name.</em><br />
<em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><br /></em><br />
<em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">Then a couple days later on the way to work, I heard this incredibly beautiful song on the radio. Not having heard the DJ introduce the song, I had no idea who sang it or what the song was called. So I committed a few lyrics to memory, and as soon as I got to my computer I punched them into google. Up came <b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ&feature=BFa&list=SPE4B79DF3AC442F81" target="_blank">The A Team</a></b>, and thus began my love for Ed Sheeran.</em><br />
<em style="font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><br /></em><br />
<span style="line-height: 16px;">Some of his songs are truly heartbreaking (The A Team and </span><b style="line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_af256mnTE&feature=list_other&playnext=1&list=SPE4B79DF3AC442F81" target="_blank">Small Bump</a></b><span style="line-height: 16px;"> as some examples)</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;">, but his voice and the style of music make even the most difficult of topics</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"> sound like unicorns and rainbows. </span>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-32554185528875205492012-07-19T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-19T14:08:26.635-07:00summer twenty twelve // sick dayAbout a week ago, I felt a bit of a lump in my throat. When I got home from work that day, checked it out in the mirror and summed it up to an irritated tonsils. Happens often in my world, and I can usually make it go away with rest, healthy food, and regular rinsing with Listerine.<br />
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Well last week was so busy and exciting, that I didn`t get to rest (in fact I got far less sleep than usual), I ate zero (or should I say negative) healthy food, and totally forgot about using Listerine to stop my raging tonsils in their tracks. </div>
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After all that fun and excitement I found myself feeling generally crappy. Not just a sore throat due to my tonsils, but all over. After a trip to the doctor, and confirmation that yes, I have tonsillitis - for what seems like the 1,999th time in my life - I`m now taking a huge dose of antibiotics three times a day. And I decided it was best for me to stay home yesterday to sleep, catch up on blogging, rest, have a bath, relax, read, eat, chill out, cuddle with Molly. Repeat. </div>
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I`ll tell you one thing - Molly is a fantastic napper, and I usually tell myself that when she gets up, I should get up. She slept until 8:05, and I woke up to her cute little face snorting right in front of mine. In the afternoon we had a nap from 12:45 to 3:00 when I woke up to her sweet little eyes staring me down about half an inch from my face, just willing me to get up and let her outside to play.</div>
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That about sums up my day at home. </div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-22275150947494449432012-07-18T09:48:00.002-07:002012-07-20T08:42:49.493-07:00bits and pieces // july 8-15 2012A couple of things:<br />
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1) I'd like to change 'bits and pieces' to Monday-Sunday, rather than Sunday-Saturday. I like the idea of finishing off each weekly installment with a <i>whole</i> weekend, rather than chopping it in half and carrying Sunday away with me to another post. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">2) I completely fell off my own blogging bandwagon last week. Work was busy, life was busy, we accomplished a lot, and I did not think of the blog once! oops... so here I am playing catch up.</span><br />
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Highlights include:<br />
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<ul>
<li>raspberries are starting to ripen up! especially the 'fall gold' variety</li>
<li>made myself a great <b><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/the-real-mojito/" target="_blank">mojito</a></b> with homegrown mint
</li>
<li>picked up a bag of THE BEST cherries of the year so far at co-op</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.ufc.ca/fighter/Brock-Lesnar" target="_blank">Brock Lesnar</a></b> signed the t-shirts we bought!</li>
<li>my orchid bloomed another flower</li>
<li>Brett won big money golfing at Men`s Night on Thursday</li>
<li>on the road again, to Saskatoon</li>
<li>a Mexican wedding reunion at <b><a href="http://laspalapas.ca/" target="_blank">Las Palapas</a></b> with some of our greatest friends from back home :D</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.tasteofsaskatchewan.ca/" target="_blank">Taste of Saskatchewan</a> </b>- I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of our food!</li>
<li>great visits with family over the weekend</li>
<li>and an arrangement of beautiful flowers for Aunt Isabelle</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A side note on the Brock Lesnar T-Shirts - We`re not die hard UFC fans, but based on proximity we figured it would be cool to get an autograph from someone famous, <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFC_116" target="_blank">UFC 116</a></b> Heavyweight Champion over Shane Carwin. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">When Brett and I were still living in the city we would go out with a group of friends to watch UFC. Brett was fairly into it when we started dating, and it was a great way to get out and visit with some of our friends at a little pub in Saskatoon called <a href="http://www.specklebellys.com/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Specklebelly`s</a>. When we moved down to South East Saskatchewan, we learned that Brock Lesnar farmed not far from where we live, and that he buys farm equipment here in town. A good friend of ours works at the dealership where Brock and his brother buy most of their equipment, so we gave her some t-shirts to get signed the next time she saw him. And she saw him. Last week. So we now have a signed Brock Lesnar T-shirt, and we gave Brett`s brother Mike the plain white UFC one. </span><br />
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<br />Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-87331071941154397962012-07-09T12:14:00.001-07:002012-07-09T12:15:14.125-07:00bits and pieces // july 1-7 2012<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Some highlights from last week:</span></div>
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<ul style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><span style="background-color: white;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><b><a href="http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/piglets-in-the-blanket/ae4c1349-34be-4c89-a8a1-a166cf1da49b" target="_blank">Pigs in a Blanket</a></b></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Wing Wednesday at Boomerangz - cold beer on a hot day </li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">One happy little dog!
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Watching my <b><a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/07/friday-favorite-my-outdoor-plants.html" target="_blank">garden grow</a></b>!</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Weekend visit from an old friend and his new girlfriend</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Slo-Pitch at the lake
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Honorary inductee to the UofDub-Ya (totally an inside joke - sorry!)</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">One thing that <i>doesn't</i> suck about working on the weekend - team effort lunches, this week's feature... Nachos!</li>
</span></ul>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-48212681869204983232012-07-06T09:34:00.003-07:002012-07-06T09:43:37.771-07:00friday favorite // my outdoor plantsThis weeks favorite: <b>slowly developing my green thumb</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I wouldn't say that I have a garden. What I have is an assortment of potted plants, and a few things planted in the flower beds that wrap around the edges of the house, in both the front and back yard.</span></div>
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When we bought our house, the builders had planted a random assortment of perennial shrubs and bushes around the edges of the house. What most of them are, we have no idea. Some have been removed and replaced, and some are an eye sore that I hope to replace... eventually. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is a little run down of the things I've planted this year and a couple of my favorite perennials that made the cut:</span></div>
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<b>Front Yard Flower Beds:</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Impatients</i></b></span> - they've seemed to thrive in the shade beside the garage in past years. This year they are not expanding as eagerly - maybe because of the incredible amounts of rain, followed by intense heat we've had so far?<br />
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<b><i>*Some sort of green perennial that has small purple flowers</i></b> - I planted three of these evenly spaced out along the garage side flower bed, the first summer we moved here. Like the impatients, in past years they have grown like mad. This year, not so much, and no flowers yet.<br />
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<b><i>Petunias</i></b> - Got and empty space and your not sure what to plant there? Toss in a petunia!<br />
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<b><i>Peonies</i></b> - There is one peony bush at the corner of the house. I love peonies and I really wish we had more of them in the front yard. Maybe I'll replace the other two bushes that produce small white flowers with peonies next summer.
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<b>Front Step Planters: </b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i>Pony Tails</i></b><span style="background-color: white;"> - a clump of long, thin grass, very attractive, and very eager to grow... they have really thickened up since I planted them.</span><br />
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<b><i>*Two types of red flowers</i></b> - Both are very pretty, I would certainly plant them again!<br />
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<b><i>Gladiolas</i></b> - I brought these home thinking I could plant them and something else in the smaller planters. Turns out they take up the entire planter on their own. I really like how their bunches of flowers stand clumped together like little puffs on a stick. This is my first time with gladiolas and there is one thing I dislike. When a flower goes brown and dies, it just sort of wilts and lies on top of the flower right next to it. When I go to 'dead head' the bunch, I end up plucking about a quarter of the healthy pedals off as well simply because the flowers are so tightly bunched. Oh well, these two plants are continuously blooming, so they quickly fill in the empty spots that I've plucked away.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Back Yard:</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i>Raspberries</i></b><span style="background-color: white;"> - I grew up with a raspberry patch in the back yard that grew wild and free and produced an astonishing amount of fruit. Now that I have my own yard, I'm quiet excited to harvest my own fruit! I didn't have yellow raspberries in the yard growing up, but I have tried them and love their sweetness. So I planted two raspberry plants, one red and one yellow.</span><br />
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<b><i>Bleeding Heart</i></b> - My MIL loves a trip to the greenhouse! Our first summer here, she bought me a bleeding heart bush, that I 'killed' by the end of the season... The following spring, it came back with a vengeance, and if it could speak it would say; "Hey missy, I know what you did last summer and I just want to let you know that I am BACK!" This is it's second 'come back' summer, and it grows out of control if we don't give it a good pruning every month or so. In the spring/early summer it gives rows upon rows of those beautiful little pink hanging hearts.<br />
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<b><i>Lilies</i></b> - I don't think that these are tiger lilies, they must just be orange lilies, and they are big and healthy. My Grandpa had tiger lilies in his back yard, and thinking about them always makes me a little nostalgic for the days when I was little and I would bum around the yard with him, planting and picking and watering.<br />
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<b>Large Back Deck Planter:</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i>Yellow Daisies, <span style="background-color: white;">Green Trimmed Purple Petunias, *</span><span style="background-color: white;">Big Leafy thing that is now blooming purple flowers, *</span></i></b><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Little Purple and Magenta Flowers </i></b>- Another of my MIL's purchases. She bought us a big planter, soil and all the flowers to go in it. It's been a wonderful gift, it really brings life to our yard, it is so colorful and is exploding with life.</span><br />
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<b>Three varieties of Tomatoes:</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i>*Yellow</i></b><span style="background-color: white;"> - This plant has a large stalk, hearty leaves but no flowers or signs of producing fruit just yet. It is a VERY healthy looking plant though.</span><br />
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<b><i>*Cherry</i></b> - This little guy is not as tall as the others, but is producing more and more flowers and little green tomatoes on a daily basis.<br />
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<b><i>*Roma? Hot House?</i></b> - This plant is a decent size, has a LOT of flowers, and a few green tomatoes are currently forming.<br />
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<b>Herbs:</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i>Mojito Mint</i></b><span style="background-color: white;"> - This plant just keeps getting taller and taller, and has nice flavorful looking little leaves growing near the bottom as well. The one thing I can't figure out, is that the larger, older leaves keep turning yellow then brown, or burning around the edges... I had read somewhere (if I could remember - that would be fantastic!) that mint can be watered up to three times a day. So I've been watering it once or twice a day, not a lot because I don't know how much is too much. Now I'm thinking that it's had too much water... I will conduct some research! I can't wait to have a mojito with home-grown mint!</span><br />
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<b><i>Oregano</i></b> - When I put this plant in it's pot, I was amazed by how it seemed to instantly relax and fill in it's new surroundings. This plant hasn't given me any trouble at all, and it's growing like a bugger, filling in it's pot even more!<br />
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<b><i>Dill</i></b> - I LOVE DILL. I have a few staple dishes that I douse with <b><a href="http://www.litehousefoods.com/products/freeze-dried-dill" target="_blank">Litehouse freeze-dried dill</a>.</b> There was always dill in my Grandpa's back yard, and it grew, well, like a weed. So here I am, with dill in a pot on the deck. It's getting very tall, and I'm not sure why, but I have the impression in my head that when it goes to flower, I'm to pluck the flowers off... and I have been. I'm not sure if that's what I should be doing.<br />
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<b><i>Sweet Basil (from seed)</i></b> - These little things sprouted up quickly. When we had such an extended period of rain last month, I brought the planter in for a few days, fearing that the little basil's would get drowned out. Then when it got sunny, they went back out on the deck, and now... SOMETHING IS EATING THEM!<br />
Ugh, I'm so frustrated! A couple of the little plants get big juicy happy looking leaves, by the end of the day their half eaten. I've searched the plants for bugs and I can't find anything, I brought it inside for a day thinking the bugs came and went, and by morning another big fresh leaf was three quarters chewed off. I love basil, and really wanted a chance to make pesto with home grown basil. Unfortunately, the greenhouse in town didn't have any seedlings at the beginning of the year. So, in true newbie fashion, I decided to plant seeds - way too late in the year. I think seeds should really be started indoors, well before the growing season starts. But I was eager to try my hand at growing from seed. Next year - to save myself the headache and sadness of seeing my little baby basil's being slowly eaten - I will grow seedlings inside during the winter, or find a greenhouse to buy seedlings from. I am so envious of <b><a href="http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2012/06/garden-update.html" target="_blank">Elise' basil</a></b>!<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">And finally...</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><i>Watermelons!</i> - </b><span style="background-color: white;">my two little watermelon seedlings were $1.50ea at the greenhouse. Watermelons! Saskatchewan? Let's try it! ... It's not going so great. They have neither grown, now shown signs of suffering. So if I'm not killing them, and their not growing, what. is. the. problem!? The tag shows the need full sun, and I had planted them in an area that does get sun, just not for the whole day. Since they weren't progressing, I figured give them all sun, all the time. So they are now in pots on the deck. IF they get bigger and a pot is no longer sufficient space - well... I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Gardening is my favorite thing this week, because my flowers are all in full bloom, or have bloomed and are done for the season. But mostly, gardening is my favorite because I haven't had much luck with it in past years. Brett had decided that I had two very, very, VERY brown thumbs. I am set to prove him wrong, and not only am I loving the satisfaction of proving him wrong, I am loving how rewarding gardening feels.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Check garage for plant tags so I can properly document the names of these plants :)</span></span><br />
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<br />Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-1296135331006400622012-07-05T15:34:00.000-07:002012-07-05T15:34:58.941-07:00summer twenty twelve // fetch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I got home after work last night, Brett was in the backyard playing fetch with Molly. This is a sequence of photos I captured of their play time. It goes a little something like this:<br />
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Brett accidentally throws the ball over the fence. Molly stands in the middle of the yard with an unimpressed look on her face. Brett goes through the back gate to get the ball. Molly stands patiently and waits for him. Brett comes back through the back gate. Molly gets excited and runs over to share her excitement with me. Brett throws the ball for her. Molly brings the ball back. Brett struggles to get her to drop the ball. Keep away is Molly's favorite game.<br />
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We.LOVE.our.dog!Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-90991199525416763292012-07-02T09:22:00.001-07:002012-07-08T10:09:38.275-07:00july twenty twelve // at the start<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">** July 1st - Driving 7 1/2 hours home from Spiritwood - Molly letting her belly cool as she sleeps in the backseat.</span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li>for celebrating</li>
<li>a photo a day</li>
<li>busy</li>
<li>a time to enjoy being outside</li>
<li>long drives</li>
<li>crafty</li>
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<b>GOALS</b></div>
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<li>take a daily multi-vitamin</li>
<li>take a photo a day</li>
<li>spending freeze - only buy necessities</li>
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</div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-74777911540487042822012-06-30T22:00:00.000-07:002012-07-02T08:46:32.089-07:00june twenty twelve // at the end<br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">incredibly fast</span></li>
<li>mostly rain</li>
<li>the launch of my blog</li>
<li>a time to discover my green thumbs
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<li>inspiring </li>
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</div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-61813196004862253852012-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-07T08:35:05.015-07:00bits and pieces // june 24-30 2012<br />
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I will have to edit this post and add some pictures when we're back from our weekend trip to Spiritwood! <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Finally added July 4th :P)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiV9K6ztZyCP0Qoa7kC8v6MyzvrupcGIigfa1z26MFYk1A7A6a_E_OJTTpSsouHPay9yEqa9wz_Qgb9OWbdKfvMghaRJuBzPN576kNx0Kve6SZgkSOOvKraM58A7xNWsDm4NWz8tNESAk/s1600/thisweekcollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiV9K6ztZyCP0Qoa7kC8v6MyzvrupcGIigfa1z26MFYk1A7A6a_E_OJTTpSsouHPay9yEqa9wz_Qgb9OWbdKfvMghaRJuBzPN576kNx0Kve6SZgkSOOvKraM58A7xNWsDm4NWz8tNESAk/s1600/thisweekcollage.jpg" /></a></div>
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Some highlights from this week:</div>
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<ul><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Sun, Sun, and more sun!</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">A wicked storm swept the province on Monday/Tuesday, and left us without power for a few hours (we were the fortunate ones - some of the province has been without power </span><a href="http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Power+restored+Saskatoon+provincewide+long+weekend/6855712/story.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank"><b>for days</b></a><span style="background-color: white;">)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">I finished reading </span><b style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Lucky-One-Nicholas-Sparks/9780446698344-item.html" target="_blank">The Lucky One</a></b></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Brett's little brother graduated highschool.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Roadtrip to Spiritwood</span></li>
<li>One sleepy puppy dog!</li>
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</span>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-54106928312665926382012-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-09T12:16:04.542-07:00friday favorite // readingThis weeks favorite: <b>reading</b><br />
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<b><br /></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">As part of my </span><a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/06/summer-twenty-twelve-manifesto.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank"><b>summer manifesto</b></a><span style="background-color: white;">, I dedicated myself to reading three books this summer.</span><br />
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During university, I found it difficult to create time for pleasure reading. Since then, I've picked up a few books here and there, but I'll often only get half to three quarters done before abandoning it completely.<br />
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I've determined that I left books unfinished largely because I took SO long to get through one. I could go weeks without picking up what I was currently reading. I hadn't focused myself on the goal of reaching the final page. I had often told myself, I should read more and watch less TV. So there I would sit (or lie), flipping pages filling my time with a book, but not truly diving into it.<br />
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Recently, I've powered through two books. With my busy work schedule, powering through a book takes about a month. I'm not the kind that can devour a book in one sitting - although I really wish I could!<br />
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I just finished reading <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Lucky-One-Nicholas-Sparks/9780446698344-item.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">The Lucky One</a> last night. Some of the girls from work had gone to the movie and reported that it wasn't all that great. So I decided to pick up the book, read it first, review it, then watch and critique the movie afterwards. <br />
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Most of the books I read are of an international/cultural experience, or travel genre. Some of my past favorites are <b><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Poisonwood-Bible-A-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/9780060786502-item.html?ikwid=poisonwood+bible&ikwsec=Books" target="_blank">The Poisonwood Bible</a>, <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Kite-Runner-Hosseini-Khaled/9780385670968-item.html?ikwid=kite+runner&ikwsec=Books" target="_blank">Kite Runner</a>, </b>and <b><a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Eat-Pray-Love-One-Womans-Elizabeth-Gilbert/9780143038412-item.html?ikwid=eat+love+pray&ikwsec=Books" target="_blank">Eat, Pray, Love</a>. </b>Reading 'The Lucky One' was a bit of a different genre for me. I have read love stories - I won't say romance, because I equate romance novels to Harlequin novels whose covers show women swooning over a strong, seductive Fabio type character - but not very many, and this seemed like an easy read to warm up my reading muscle with.<br />
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The next book on my nightstand is <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Secret-Daughter-A-Novel-Shilpi-S-Gowda/9780061928352-item.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Secret Daughter</a>. A friend gave it to me for my birthday last year, and I haven't yet pulled it off the shelf. This book falls nicely into my usual go-to 'worldly interest' genre. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I chose reading as my favorite activity this week because I am in love with books! I love to read - cuddled up in bed with my dog, sitting out on the deck soaking up the summer sun, curled up on the couch with a cup of tea, or while taking a bubble bath.</span><br />
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<br />Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-728118310655289502012-06-26T11:45:00.002-07:002012-06-27T07:12:07.991-07:00summer twenty twelve // feist and a weekend home<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I'm a bit delayed in commenting on my trip home to Saskatoon for the weekend. I had planned on posting Sunday evening, or sometime on Monday, but I have been insanely busy, and therefore wasted tired when I get home...</span><br />
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As I had mentioned <a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/06/summer-twenty-twelve-homeward-bound.html" target="_blank"><b>earlier</b></a>, I went home this weekend to Saskatoon. I stayed with my best friend and her bf, and had a jam packed schedule:</div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Friday evening, right when I arrived in Saskatoon, I met Sarina and Phil at the home of a couple they are friends with. We had a Thai fondue dinner and played </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_(card_game)" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Wizard</a> afterwards. I haven't had a games night in ages, so it was tons of fun to learn a new game!</li>
<li>Saturday morning, Sarina asked Sarah and I to help her <a href="http://www.aidssaskatoon.ca/web/node/254" target="_blank"><b>volunteer</b></a> for Aids Saskatoon, handing out red ribbons in support of the awareness of HIV/AIDs in Saskatoon.</li>
<li>Saturday afternoon, I made a broccoli salad and we had a relaxed BBQ with a group of friends in Sarah's backyard.</li>
<li>After eating and polishing off of a pitcher of sangria (no specific recipes uses - otherwise I would post it here), we walked down to the
<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://saskjazz.com/" target="_blank">Saskatchewan Jazz Festival</a></b> and took in the
<b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://www.thestarphoenix.com/entertainment/Feist+wows+fans+sold+Saskatchewan+Jazz+Festival+show/6834033/story.html" target="_blank">Feist</a></b> show!</li>
<li>On Sunday morning we woke up bright and early for breakfast at <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poached-Breakfast-Bistro/139780702712672" target="_blank">Poached</a>.</b></li>
<li>After breakfast I went home and had a visit with Mom and Grandpa, then</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I hit the road!</li>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">**A </span><a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/06/summer-twenty-twelve-homeward-bound.html" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;" target="_blank"><b>re-creation</b></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"> of a photo we had taken almost four years ago at Feist's show in Regina</span></div>
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<b><br /></b>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-69103802195372378992012-06-23T07:49:00.002-07:002012-07-07T08:34:37.934-07:00bits and pieces // june 17-23 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a long week at work... Nothing too exciting, just trudging along. </div>
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Some highlights from this week:</div>
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<li>It stopped raining!</li>
<li>Queen Bee celebrated her 50th! (We had pizza and cake at work to celebrate)</li>
<li>I hit the golf course with a friend of mine from Moosomin - slowly starting to check things off the <a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/06/summer-twenty-twelve-manifesto.html" target="_blank"><b>manifesto</b></a>!</li>
<li>I'm now in Saskatoon <a href="http://one-love-world.blogspot.ca/2012/06/summer-twenty-twelve-homeward-bound.html" target="_blank"><b>for the weekend</b></a>! </li>
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<br />Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1609907966184936256.post-31138068204944142732012-06-22T06:09:00.000-07:002012-06-22T06:09:50.310-07:00friday favorite // picmonkey.comTime for the first installation of my 'Friday favorites'!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">This week's favorite: </span><b style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picmonkey.com/">picmonkey.com</a></b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPq6t0DWyVBl2cOySQA1Wx2AtbuWYB09_bzgGlq-9hUuXLde98Xrw7UcbPdqhPExHY1p5B6TnKZYFkI50tjvJbOwYBLcQoCIpWv2KCgbGhGCUP9eEOBjuIuwA4DKtaSH98uMAhSX9OJs/s1600/friday+fav1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPq6t0DWyVBl2cOySQA1Wx2AtbuWYB09_bzgGlq-9hUuXLde98Xrw7UcbPdqhPExHY1p5B6TnKZYFkI50tjvJbOwYBLcQoCIpWv2KCgbGhGCUP9eEOBjuIuwA4DKtaSH98uMAhSX9OJs/s400/friday+fav1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I'm currently in the mental debate stages over, how (which model) and when (financially speaking), to update my computer. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">I own a very old (five years) MacBook. Poor thing is in palliative care. It doesn't hold a charge, it's very slow, and I haven't updated it's operating system in years, for fear that it will give up entirely on me. With the rate in which Apple goes through updates to it's line of products, I've decided that it will be less costly to buy a new computer entirely, than trying to replace batteries and hard drives and operating systems etc. etc. etc. Cost and headache aside, I think I'll be treating myself to a new computer sometime this year or so anyways.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Because I fear installing any additional programs onto my Mac, I haven't installed Photoshop, or any other photo editing software... Which brought me to<b> <a href="http://picmonkey.com/">picmonkey.com</a>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This website is great for amateur photo takers and editors (me!). There are so many different functions, and it is SO user friendly. I could list all the amazing things about it, and review the functions that I've used, but that would make this a very long post.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I will summarize by saying - I love the:</span></div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">re-sizing function,</span></li>
<li>poloroid, yester-year and pixelate finishes</li>
<li>collage making, and</li>
<li>how easy it is to upload photos and save them back on to your computer</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrLDMTx_yWicpy4O4HGWzxowRWhLR3z1tybD-dh-ll08U9CuB4qVKfcKMOZPtBPlCz5oj3ZTBas0w9_aKM3Vft-yGBNq1yEv-w7p03EtKxCu63vWQ-3F54d8uNq7GxelK4OqftaosxcE/s1600/friday+fav2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUrLDMTx_yWicpy4O4HGWzxowRWhLR3z1tybD-dh-ll08U9CuB4qVKfcKMOZPtBPlCz5oj3ZTBas0w9_aKM3Vft-yGBNq1yEv-w7p03EtKxCu63vWQ-3F54d8uNq7GxelK4OqftaosxcE/s400/friday+fav2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm speculating here, but I'm thinking that even after I purchase a new computer and pimp it out with all the latest and greatest software, that I will still visit this website. It is so ridiculously easy use, and has a huge range of functions.</div>
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Happy Friday!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>Cat*http://www.blogger.com/profile/01113876360199579578noreply@blogger.com0