This Is Not A Meet The ParentsType Film.

Watched this movie over the weekend and I am conflicted on how I feel about it. Junebug can be described as quirky, sweet, frustrating, and mildly depressing. A story about returning-home that is centered on a artsy newlywed couple from Chicago visiting their Southern family of dysfunctional, uncommunicative, bump-on-a-log suburban rednecks from which the husband left behind several years ago. The acting is the strength of this film and the entire cast gives very convincing performances and are able to bring us to a place where we've lived or at least passed through.
My favorite character was George's father, Eugene, a man whose quiet wisdom is constantly overlooked. It often felt like psychological torture spending 107 minutes (which feels longer) with these folksy people.

Magic Shuffle For Garth

Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle.
Say the following questions aloud, and press play.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.
How does the world see you?
Coward Of The County by Kenny Rogers

Will I have a happy life?
Hammer To Fall by Queen

What do my friends really think of me?
Beverly Hills by Weezer

Do people secretly lust after me?
Hide In Your Shell by Supertramp

How can I make myself happy?
Addicted by Simple Plan

What should I do with my life?
Fall To Pieces by Velvet Revolver

Will I ever have children?
Don't Stop Me Now by Queen

What is some good advice for me?
Loser by Beck

How will I be remembered?
King Of The Road by Roger Miller

What is my signature dancing song?
Learn To Fly by Pink Floyd

What do I think my current theme song is?
You're My Best Friend by Queen

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

What song will play at my funeral?
Oh My Love by John Lennon

What type of men/women do you like?
Heart of Gold by Neil Young

What is my day going to be like?
Echoes by Pink Floyd

The Magic Shuffle For Jill

Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle.
Say the following questions aloud, and press play.
Use the song title as the answer to the question.

How does the world see you?
Full of Grace by Sarah Mclachlan

Will I have a happy life?
Keep Yourself Alive by Queen

What do my friends really think of me?
Behind those hazel eyes by Kelly Clarkson

Do people secretly lust after me?
We'll never know by Lifehouse

How can I make myself happy?
Smile Like You Mean It by The Killers

What should I do with my life?
Soak Up the Sun by Sheryl Crow

Will I ever have children?
Oh be Joyful by Matthew Good

What is some good advice for me?
Pump it up by Elvis Costello

How will I be remembered?
I won't back down by Tom Petty

What is my signature dancing song?
Not your average girl by India Arie

What do I think my current theme song is?
Saturday Morning by the Eels

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
The Long Day is Over by Norah Jones

What song will play at my funeral?
Wish You were Here by Pink Floyd

What type of men/women do you like?
Basket Case by Greenday

What is my day going to be like?
Vindicated by Dashboard Confessionals

Walk The Line

Walk the Line is the story of Johnny Cash and June Carter's tempestuous courtship. The movie reveals that it was a relationship that spans many years. During these years the film provides some back story on Cash's life. Joaquin Phoenix gives an amazing performance as Cash and Reese Witherspoon turns in the best performance of her career. The movie also presents two questions that can alter the course of our lives. Who are you going to be during your time on this earth? And who are you trying to touch with your work? I also like how the movie doesn’t let us forget that all of this took place in another time, when music from stars like Cash or Presley was not widely accepted and viewed by some as evil. Evil music like theirs led to drug use and divorce, which was also frowned upon. All of these are elements woven in and out of the movie and make this story almost a modern-day fairy tale. We want Cash to beat all the bad guys and get the girl in the end. I enjoyed this movie because it made Johnny Cash look incredibly human with faults, dreams, and desires just like anyone else. I enjoyed this movie because it is about friendship and staying with a person through the good and bad.

Enjoyable Weekend

We had a wonderful week-end. Friday, the kids stayed home as they had a PA day and spent the afternoon with Garth. I spent the afternoon with my girlfriends enjoying lunch and celebrating birthdays. Friday evening we rented movies and watched "Just Friends" starring Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart. It had some funny moments. I also watched my new favorite Friday evening drama, Injustice. Saturday was a beautiful day weather wise and we spent time in the morning watching the birds out the window, and listening for spring as it tried to come early. During the morning we ran some local errands and came home to go for a walk and tour some model homes in the neighborhood. My eldest daughter and I decided we would try out a new recipe and made killer chicken quesadillas for dinner. After dinner we enjoyed another rental "Prime" starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep. I really enjoyed this movie. Today my eldest daughter had a playdate and I spent some quality 1:1 time with my baby. We read, coloured and played her new Princess Game that she got from her birthday celebration earlier this month. Together her and I baked a Peanut Butter Pie and we pretended we had our own cooking show.
Did I mention how nice this week-end has been?

My Baby Turns 6!

We had my youngest daughters birthday party today. It was at an indoor playland. All in all, the party went very well. We had 8 kids in total and except for some minor injuries there were no major war wounds. All the kids had a great time, proof of which was the difficulty the parents had in getting them to leave. My baby is thrilled with all her gifts - everyone was too generous. She got so many great things she doesn't even know where to start. Lucky girl!
Happy Birthday, Baby!
I cannot believe you are 6 already. How did that happen? I just want to freeze time so that you can stay 6 forever. What a joy you are. Let me count the ways…

1. Your laugh comes right from your belly. And you laugh often.
2. You are so huggable and kissable. There are times I can't stop myself from kissing you all over your face. And you don’t mind – too much. You love to snuggle. Especially with your Mommy.
3.Your big sister is your best friend. You might not admit that because you’d say “B gets me soooo...mad.” But you love her very much. When she’s not around you ask a million times when she’s coming home. Oh, and B loves you, too. Sometimes she talks to you with such softness in her voice that resonates love and adoration. My wish for you two is that you will be best friends always.
4. You love to reenact things – like characters or dialogue in a movie. You are a great performer. A show off. You’ve always loved to be the centre of attention.
5. You are a miracle. Imediately after birth, upon entering this world we had a terrible scare. Your tiny little heart stopped and you stopped breathing. Your Daddy and I watched as the medical team revived you and then you were rushed up to the Neonatal Intensive Care. You had another moment like that while there. You were a strong little being and stayed strong. I think about how lucky we are.


I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.
Robert Munsch

My Hubby Is A Good Man

Garth has become a collecter of Vinyl lately and went out to browse at some of his favorite suppliers and just returned with this treat for me. Yeah!!!!!

Saw 2 Review : You Can't Top The Original

I would give this movie a 2 out of 5. In this sequel, the writers chose to use more victims, more story twists, more gore, etc. Instead of two people trapped in a bathroom, we now have eight victims wandering about in a house attempting to figure what their connection is before their demise. We have the increasingly violent muscle man, the frightened young boy, the mysterious Amanda who we recognize as a survivor from the first Saw, plus a slew of other minor characters that you realize early on aren't going to be making it very far. The main issue I have with this sequel is that we don't learn very much about the characters and therefore don't care quite as much when they are violently offed.
In any case, there are definitely some stomach churning moments.

Click on the image to see this awesome view of the Toronto Skyline taken from Centre Island.
Source: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/

Warm Winter in Toronto

Toronto is having an unusually warm winter so far.I am not complaining, but it's strange.

This will be added to my wishlist.

As well as loving celebrity gossip, friends and family know that I'm a bit of a trial junkie. I've got a thing for the criminals and the law. In 2004- 2005 I followed the trials of Robert Blake, Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson. I am still amazed at how a seemingly normal looking guy who everyone seemed to love and had no criminal record could end up murdering his wife and unborn baby. Since the trial a bunch of books have come out about the Scott Peterson trial.Of all the books this one appeals to me the most. It is not written by someone that a reporter, former lover, former lawyer or distant relative trying to make a buck. It's called, "For Laci: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss and Justice." It is written by Laci Peterson's mother Sharon Rocha. It's the first time an immediate family member has spoke in detail about the disappearance of Laci. Sharon says she plans to use money from the book to start a fund for search and rescue in memory of Laci and Conner.

Sharon Rocha will have her first in-depth interviews in more than a year with: Katie Couric on Sunday, Jan. 8 (7 pm, ET) on "Dateline NBC," and on Monday, Jan. 9 (7 am, ET) on "Today," "Larry King Live" (CNN) Jan. 9, and Nancy Grace (Court TV) and Greta Van Susteren (Fox) Jan. 10.

The shooting on Boxing Day outside the Eaton Centre deeply disturbed my husband and I. This act of violence was committed in areas we frequent. This election season when the parties in each riding call to ask if we are going to vote, maybe we should ask, "Convince me why we should." I think that politicians have absolutely NO understanding of what is going on. I feel that politicians, often, live in their own bubble, much like anyone of us. Their needs, are not the needs of the single mom who has 3 children, and needs to work 2 jobs to survive and can't afford to send her children on field trips or pay for tennis lessons they have always wanted because the rec centre in the neighbourhood closed down due to government cutbacks. It is these government cutbacks from youth programs that has affected youths of today. I believe the violence we are seeing today is a result of youth boredom in impoverished communities. Educational curriculum for children needs to include problem solving and conflict resolution skills, build on values of mutual respect and nonviolence. We all need to live less in our bubbles and work together to strengthen community cohesiveness. Secondary factors, include access to weapons and the responses to violence, including policing presence, access to social services, courts and corrections. We need changes to our legal system. We put the politicians in office to speak on our behalf. We employ them, insist they make changes to our legal system. Every time a gun is fired on our streets, it's not only the shooter who is to blame, it's us for not putting a stop to this behavior.

Another great holiday has come to pass. We had a Chrismakuh full of family and friends, good times and way too much food.
My plan for the next few days is to get the house back in to shape.


A few things I have in mind for the next few days besides sitting here in front of the computer:
1. Learn to use my new I-POD
2. Watch a few movies or some really bad T.V.during the day.
3. Take my Daughters out to lunch and an afternoon movie.
4. Cook a few balanced meals for my family, you know like a real mom.

How Blessed Are You?

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 would be Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death
1 would be near birth
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent. And, therefore . . .

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. -If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder...you are blessed because you can offer a healing touch.

I could have used this the other night

Last Thursday as I was travelling home after a 12 hour dayshift at the hospital I got caught in a traffic jam. This was due to the construction taking place along the 401 highway during the evening and night hours. Of course as all nurses do, I neglected to relieve my bladder thoroughly through the day. Well let me tell you, I was sitting in traffic with so much pressure building in my bladder and no bathroom in sight for quite some time that I was actually contemplating trying to pee in a water bottle. (yes I know it is not possible that it would have worked out as well as I imagined) My temporary lapse in sanity passed and I was able to stay strong and focused until I made it home. How I could have used one of these items.......

I just quizzed my daughter

After reading this, I just turned to my youngest and asked her if she knew what "Pringles" were made from. She replied, " I don't know French Fries." I probed a little more and she told me that French Fries were made from mashed potatos. I've always know she is brilliant.

We are back

Leslie and I headed out Sunday morning and arrived in the falls by noon. We were able to get early check in at the resort. When we arrived in the front lobby there was quite a bit of energy buzzing about. It ended up that we were staying at the resort with 300 kickboxers from the U.K. who were in town to attend the world kickboxing event. We spent a brief time checking out the resort, our room and where the RNAO conference was being held the next morning. We then headed out to spend the afternoon shopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake. What a quaint little area with beautiful shops. It was a fun afternoon. We went back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready to go out for dinner. Enroute to dinner we were able to see the fireworks over the falls. It was spectacular. We had a nice meal at the Keg. We headed over to the new Fallsview Casino after dinner. I am not a fan of gambing and never have been but I thought I would throw caution to the wind and risk $20. I left with a profit of $ 30. It was no big win but I was thrilled. I must say that I did not sleep well that night and missed my own bed. The mattress was too soft. Today we attended the Conference and it was interesting networking with other nurses and clinicians who are working on similar projects within their facilities. My hope was to return home after this brief excursion feeling refreshed both personally and professionally. Mission accompished!!!!

Look where I am going

I am leaving on Sunday to attend a conference with the RNAO on Monday. I am so excited. A mini vacation courtesy of my place of employment. This is the first perk I will be enjoying since taking on this new project. Simple Pleasures keep me motivated.

Happy Halloween!!

My little Go-Go dancer and Kitty Cat had a great time trick or treating. Their friend is dressed as Herimone from Harry Potter. It was a perfect fall evening.

This was predictable

My family and I went to see Zorro II this past Saturday. My husband and girls enjoyed it and I found it painful at times. Wait until DVD.