.. new and improved ..

as you may or may not have noticed, there has been absolutely no activity on this blog in over a month.  


*blush*  


all for good reason: my new and improved BLOG!!  i really do advise that you check it out right now, as it is that exciting!  [or at least i think so :)]


as for this blog, we had a good run.  and just because you taught me lots and were good to me, my reward to you old blog will be too keep you alive via links from my new one.


all you need to do is click: www.melanie-mac.com!  

hummmpphh...

i knew this day would come...

this day, meaning approximately a week or so ago, was frustrating!  i used all of my free space, meaning i have no more free room to showcase my PrOjEcT 365, or add pictures to this blog.   i am currently in the works to have something better up and running very shortly.

i am excited to get back on track and for the new to come! 

good things - i am told - take time :)

m.

mahna mahna :)

cracks me up every time  :)

{side~note: pause music from my playlist to hear the full effects of the 'Mahna Mahna' video!  right hand side, little ways down...}

mark 12:31

getting to know neighbours in this city, as it is in any largely populated area, is challenging.  seems funny really; or perhaps it the country girl coming out in me.  if you grew up on a farm or had the opportunity to visit a rural community, you quickly know everyone within miles; the names of not only the neighbours, but what they drive, their pets names, when their birthdays or anniversary are.  always waving to one-another while meeting them on the road, or never being afraid to call and ask if they have seen your horses or cows {when they happen to get out} or walk to the nearest house to get a tractor to pull your vehicle out of the ditch :)

here in the city it is a little different mentality when it comes to getting to know the neighbour.  getting our own house has made me realize how i took for-granted how easy it was to get to know neighbours in a country setting compared to here in the city.  seems that there is not a lot of Mr. Wilson moments {from the tv show home improvement}, or not too many waves are returned {more confused looks than returning a simple wave}.  so i was forced to keep up what i had been taught: treat your neighbour as you would want to be treated.   when dividing plants, offer to those who seem interested or in the fall when our garden surprises us with more veggies than we can handle, to offer them to our neighbours here in the city {who appreciate more than words can say} or when it snows {as it has this winter especially!}, to shovel our neighbours walk ways and back ally. (to name a few things)  

by 'loving your neighbour as yourself' the rewards are amazing.  i have gained many good friends and love the feeling that i know my little community that immediately surround our home.  which is rare in a city, as odd as that sounds...  i really do enjoy having a conversation with a neighbour when walking farley, or having a community of eyes watching our property when we are gone or at home, who feel comfortable enough to drop in a say if they seen something that seemed out of the ordinary.  

this morning, a neighbour felt so very happy to have us as a neighbour, we were presented with a gift of appreciation.  i accepted the gift, saying that we really did not do the things we do to be rewarded, we simply do it out of love for our neighbourhood.  our neighbour continue to say something that made me fuzzy on the inside, how greatly appreciated are all the things that we have done and continue to do, but how the things we do in our little community are appreciated.  

our gift :)

on another note:

having a blast in the snow, as much as our city will regret getting all this white stuff when it starts to melt...  

oh, yea...  while i have your attention, please do check out my PrOjEcT 365, 
a new photo for every new day.

:)

..words past spoken..

find myself reading a lot, actually tons.  love it, as i always have.  i can remember picking up certain books and finishing them the same evening.  or how some books you purposly read slowly; they seem to pull you into being a part of the amazing world that your imagination had created while reading.  how you seemed to know the characters as they are your close friends.  i do love to read!


came across this piece, made me smile and ponder awhile, enjoy!

If a dead man is raised to life, all men spring up in astonishment.  Yet every day one that has no being is born, and no man wonders, though it is plain to all, without doubt, that it is a greater thing for that to be created which was without being than for that which had being to be restored.  Because the dry rod of Aaron budded, all men were in astonishment; every day a tree is produced from the dry earth...and no man wonders....  Five thousand men were filled with five loaves;...every day the grains of seed that are sown are multiplied in a fullness of ears, and no man wonders.  All...wondered to see water once turned into wine.  Every day the earth's moisture, being drawn into the root of the vine, is turned by the grape into wine, and no man wonders.  Full of wonder then are all the thins which men never think to wonder at, because...they are by habit become dull to the consideration of them.

~ Pope Gregory the Great (540-604)

thanks for popping in, muchly appreciated .

since you are here, swing by my project 365, perhaps leave a comment or two!

:)

..all good things must come to an end..

hard to believe that our amazing vacation has come to its final days...  feels like we are leaving our 2nd home, thanks to all the turners for making us feel at home!  seems like we just got here and yet we have stayed for a wedding, christmas and new years.  time really does fly when you are having fun! now it is time to pack up and mentally prepare ourselves for freezing temperatures.  :(  

well, actually am getting excited to see our shaggy dog, crazy cat, and to catch a wave, i mean hit the slopes on our boards, that is snow boards...

time for me to get all my daily photos/365 project online ~ super excited to get those posted!!   excited in general to get editing with cs5 and new bamboo pen & touch :)  

thanks to my fab hubby  ;)

hope this finds everyone in good spirits and health!  Sending best wishes for 2011, 

drop by soon to check out some amazing pictures from the rainbow state.

:)

.surprise visitor.

could not help a smile after i read the following Shel Silverstien poem :

Hot Dog

i have a hot dog for a pet,

the only kind my folks would let

me get.

he does smell sort of bad

and yet,

he absolutely never gets

the sofa wet.

we have a butcher for a vet,

the strangest vet you ever met.

guess we're the weirdest family yet,

to have a hot dog for a pet. 

enjoyed a visit from my parents and their little meatloaf.

 

seasons greetings :)

oh, ya...
don't forget to take a peak at my PrOjEcT 365, everyday is a new photo :)

PrOjEcT 365: update

having an absolute blast with my PrOjEcT 365! 

{if you have yet to check it out: check it out here!!}

that was all, well at least for now.  time to walk the dog and venture out to finish what christmas shopping i have left until now. 

:)

! sending warm holiday wishes your way !

'tis the season

time spent with family is time well spent

had an amazing weekend spent with our amazing parentals'!  hard to believe that it has been over two months since we broke the city perimeter to venture to a much more wide open world; too long for us!  

Ed learned some new tricks to making cabbage rolls: who would have know he was a natural.   well they got shining reviews from those involved. although we never did taste the final product, i can say that the rice filling is good as i had to make sure that it was not poisoned, you know like a quality control :) 

this was one of two, then 2 extra large roasters :)

would also like to remind everyone to give those loved ones an extra hug as in today's world you never know what may be in store for you.  today marks a grave anniversary of a horrible event, please take a moment to remember those who are innocent and lost too soon!

every step is one step closer to finishing

.wrapping up small projects.

having this extended spell of beautiful fall weather, i tried to 'grab the bull by the horns'  and start finishing the many small projects.  they seem to multiply, then scatter to all  corners of our property...  today i can say that there is only one handful of small projects on the go in the backyard as of now. {and the completion dates are set for the one handful left}

with me busy doing my mental list of things, was too busy to notice ed finished the retaining wall around the cedar.   after a good paint job and the pathway finished running alongside, this area will be finished!

15 more days until halloween, my pumpkin better get changing :)

friday the 13th

and the weekend begins

happy friday! as i sit here typing i can't help but smile one the day i had, thus far.. 

1.  woke to screams coming from the basement.  being asleep, i was not sure exactly what the words were, as to the tone that they were coming in.  as i jumped out of bed, the words became clear, ' the water is gushing in'..  run downstairs to see a fountain of water gushing up 2 feet in the air, about an inch when we got there, and gushing...

2.  having the hubby volunteer to stay home and get the water situation under control, i went off to work. {somewhat thinking that it may be a optional day, on account of the storm} of course once i got to work, the: monsoon rain stops, clouds open up, sun beams through the storm clouds, and the humidity starts making everything sticky.  had to chuckle with loralee, how this always happens: especially when you are wanting it to rain.  :)

3.  a surprise lunch date, courtesy of my husband.  nothing like a&w on the tailgate of hanky!  farley got to meet some new friends, as he found a hole in the fence...

cannot say that this friday the 13th has been all bad, not that i am superstitious. 

i've included  a couple of photos of farley today.  he was sad because it is pouring out so we only took him for a short walk, with promises of a longer one later. 

enjoy :)

wild strawberries

bright sunny days

was glad when i woke up on sunday morning as it was a beautiful day!  full of family, good food and fun! a happy fathers day was had by all!  the day was full of adventures: finding the forbidden flowers ;), almost sliding into the muddy turtle drain, go-carting with paige, celebrating fabulous fathers, and eating fresh wild strawberries. happy belated fathers day dad, and to all you fathers!

today may not have been the brightest day, considering we are under severe thunderstorm watch.  there was a break in the clouds and was able to make the best of the evening.  playing in the background was the dixie chicks and the eagles ~ as the concert was at the bomber stadium; a nice touch to a mosquitoie walk!

wild strawberries
are wild strawberries really wild?
will they scratch an adult, will they snap at a child?
should you pet them, or let them run free where they roam?
could they ever relax in a steam-heated home?
can they be trained to not growl at the guests?
will a litterbox work or would they leave a mess?
can we make them a cowberry, herding the cows,
or maybe a muleberry pulling the plows,
or maybe a huntberry chasing the grouse,
or maybe a watchberry guarding the house,
and though they may curl up at your feet so sweetly,
can you ever feel that you trust them completely?
or should we make a pet or of something less scary,
like the domestic prune or the imported cherry,
anyhow, you've been warned and i will not be blamed
if your wild strawberry cannot be tamed.
                    ~shel silverstein

the ABC's of life

one summer, many moons ago, i found myself on an island.  not just any island, but one that seemed to move slower in time...  where instead of going to the local box grocery store for fresh produce, instead you walk/bike down the road to the nearest farm booth [found at the end of the lanes] to choose freshly picked produce/seeds/flowers amoung many other things...  the flea market is like no other as it is brimming with hand made/grown unique stuff.  of course i'm speaking of none-other than salt spring island in british columbia.  it was a summer that i will never forget {the memories or the amazing people} and think of daily when i read my marble slab with the abc's of life, which hangs in the bathroom.  [bathroom due to the fact that it is a place in the house that chances are most will visit :) and would i feel that everyone should gander at this slab of life...]

 Not only does the abc's of life slab remind me of the amazingly fun and adventurous summer, but this time of year: spring, more specificly around todays date as that is when Ed and i took different paths, back in 2006, for the summer to better ourselves for eachother {which did happen, as we had gotten engaged by the end of it...} 

something about when new seedlings are sprouting or fresh flowers reveiling themselves reminds me of how hard it was to leave everything i knew to go to the unknown.  

looking back i want to use the saying 'if you love something, let it go and if it comes back it is ment to be' ~ not that i ever let ed go, but that summer really did cement us together.  not that i would ever choose to be without him ever again, if can be helped.

had fun taking some photos of my newest blossoms in the yard, and well of course my favorite shaggy dog in the world...  enjoy!

Accept differences  Be kind  Count your blessings  Dream  Express thanks  Forgive  Give freely  Harm no one  Imagine more  Jettison anger  Keep confidences  Love truly  Master something  Nuture hope  Open your mind  Pack lightly  Quell rumors  Reciprocate  Seek wisdom  Touch hearts  Understand  Value truth  Win graciously  Xeriscape  Yearn for peace  Zealously support a worthy cause        ~ r. stewart

no, this turtle wind-chim is not from salt spring island, but

from another amazing island : Oahu, Hawaii

earth day

...its not easy being green

farley and I have just returned from our morning walk.  it amazes me how beautiful it is [weather wise], compared to last year this time..  makes my mind wander to how simply complicated the earth is and everything on it.

today i hope everyone takes a minute to really reflect on what impact their lives has on our earth.  For getting more 'earth friendly', today i am: getting a bike [as mine was stolen] and putting it to use as my main mode of transport, starting my garden by seed [most was collected from last years produce], really try to shower in a shorter time.

would like to list some of the 'green' things that i do on a daily basis:
~ hang all our cloths on our cloths-line
~ grow & preserve our produce from our organic garden
~ mow the lawn with a push-reel mower
~ use a programable thermostat
~ use biodegradable bags for the little tash we get
~ compost
~ use a reusable metal water bottle
~ pick up trash while on my walks with Farley Sprocket
~ unplug items when not in use/ use powerbars which can be switched off
~ turn off lights when not in the room
~ really try my hardest to follow the 3 R's:
               -reduce what i buy
               -reuse everything can have a 2nd chance!
               -recycle if cannot be reused

evening in the park

...evening at the park

this past friday was a trying day for me on soo many levels   :(

won't get into any details. (puzzled look on face)  i am still trying to understand...?

(shrug shoulders) sigh

..giggle..

...smile, as thinking,"could be worse..."

i am soo stoked that the weather is agreeing with us! meaning that we were able to get to finishing Doreen & Bills backyard.  it is not done yet....  only job left is the finishing touches on the patio, then we can focus on 'operation raising the garage'  ooohh the excitement !)

once back home from landscaping, went on our evening stroll.  both aaron and i were runnung on borrowed energy, so it was a hard decision to take farley to the off lease park.

had fun, farley ran and ran..

enjoy !)

garbage day

garbage day

getting in shape for my next big hurtle ~ project 365!

Had fun with this concept, and thought that would be kinda interesting for those who are not exposed to this type of garbage collection.  I'm sure the operator/driver was wondering if I was going to write him up for something or some wacki person with an obsession with garbage....

Anyhoo, take a look and give me some feedback !)

Is is summer Yet?!

It is amazing, actually it is mind-boggling how many times I take for granted a nice day.  Especially here in Winterpeg...  For instance last night...
Aaron is completely, flat out, sicker-than-a-dog, was confined to the house.  So I set out to get our yard looking not so "hung-over" from this past winter season, the usual picking up the trash that is blown in, picking of Farley's forgotten winter turds,- yuk - and raking the leaves.  Got everything in piles, ready to be bagged, when Farley started being more annoying than usual.  Meaning one thing - time for the evening walk.  Being outside in only a hoodie, thought that the bagging can wait until tomorrow.  Ran inside to grab the camera and Farley's leash: off to the park.  Ended up spending over two hours out at the park: playing, shooting some sunset shots, trying to catch Farley...  By the time we got back home, I was soaking wet from the knees down and needing a hot tea to warm me up.  I glance at the piles and decide that first thing I will get them bagged.  Woke up to snow

Heres a look at the sunset from the park: