ABC - Poem

September 27th - Make it funny: Roses are red......

Roses are red,

Pink, yellow or white.

Yes I love my vampires,

but that doesn't mean that I'll bite. 

 

Writer's Workshop - Fire

Tell a story (based on truth or fiction) where someone is playing with fire - literally or metaphorically --- and probably shouldn't be.

I have a bad habit.

When we go to restaurants,

I like to play with the candles.

I take a toothpick

and burn the ends.

I know,

not very smart.

Even at home.

when the power goes

and I have candles burning,

I like to play with the wax.

When I was in university,

I went to a restaurant with some mates.

It was a nice one,

and hadn't been there before.

A few years later,

I started working at a pre-school.

There was a nice restaurant nearby.

It looked familiar,

but I couldn't put my finger on it.

After going there for many months,

I had dinner there one evening

and was talking to the manager. 

It turned out

this was the same restaurant 

I had been to years before.

But it looked a little different.

The manager told me

it had been redecorated after the fire.

So, my mate and I finish dinner.

I put my napkin on the table

and the wind blows.

You guessed it,

right into the candle!

Yup,

I almost burnt the place down!!!

You'd think I'd have learnt to be more careful.

Unfortunately not.

There's just something about candles

and hot wax....

ABC - Good Friend

I've been feeling low and down lately

so today's prompt

really touched me.

What makes a good friend?

For me,

a good mate possess the qualities 

I would expect from myself.

Loyalty, love, humour and sensitivity.

And bringing a bottle of wine 

to every event is a plus.

With Scott away,

I'm feeling lonelier than ever.

I have good mates,

but have found myself 

questioning some over others.

All my mates here are incredible.

They have been super supportive

with Scott away.

They want to make sure I'm ok.

It makes me feel loved.

And shows me they are in fact

not just good mates,

but great ones too.

I also have a couple of mama mates.

There's a group of mamas

I "met" when I was pregnant.

While I don't often think I have a lot in common with them

I feel loved and special.

And that makes a good friend.

Lately,

I've come to realise,

I really have nothing in common

with many of them.

I'm not sure if it's loneliness,

age,

or self pity,

but I'm not sure if many of them think

of me as a mate.

I do,

however have a couple of them

that are incredibly supportive.

And despite never having met them

I think of them 

as some of my best mates.

So,

did I answer the question?

A good friend

is someone who's there for you,

who doesn't make you feel unwanted,

who listens to you

even though they may not be able to relate.

And I'm glad to have some of those

in my life.

Nightingale - Dawn Rae Miller

I have been waiting

for months for the release 

of Nightingale.

I thought this day

would never come.

And there's not a vampire

in sight.

Nightingale is the second book

in The Sensitives.

In the first book, 

we met Lark.

I fell in love with her,

and Beck.

They were characters you could love.

Well, 

Miller does not let you down.

I've actually caught myself

refering to these characters 

as real people.

At the end of Larkstorm,

Lark left Beck

in hopes of saving him.

Now back home with her mother

and sister-in-law,

she struggles to keep control of her Dark Magic,

her love for Beck

and, well,

her sanity.

But she must prove to be a strong descendant

of Caitlin Greene.

And soon Lark looses her sense of self.

Has she turned Dark?

Does Beck's Light still reside in her?

Is someone trying to control her?

Is she fated to kill the one she loves?

And who can she trust?

See,

just like a real person.

Utterly confused.

And in need of someone to help her.

Now....

we just have to wait 

months

before learning her ultimate fate!

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 29

Scott comes home every other weekend.

And since he's only home

twice a month,

we make sure we get a date night

each time he's home.

Date night usually consists

of dinner and a movie.

Or as I like to call it,

casual night.

Don't get me wrong,

I love date night.

In fact, 

I pre-plan it

weeks in advance.

But I miss dressing up.

This past weekend,

the PTA organised a travelling dinner.

It was not Scott's weekend home,

but I guilted him into coming home.

I then got us the last 2 remaining tickets

for the travelling dinner.

Now the travelling dinner

is a casual affair.

But since I'm going to meet new people,

why not make an impression?

So I took advantage

and dressed up.

Nothing fancy. But it's a dress. 

Happiness is dressing up for date night.

Five Question Friday

This week has gone by in a confusing haze.

Monday and Tuesday I attended

a fabulous writer's workshop training session.

I love it when you take a workshop

and then can't wait to get in the classroom and start

implementing what you've learnt.

The next three days

I felt confused and disoriented.

But guess what?

It's Friday!!!!

And while it's not Scott's weekend home,

I did make him feel guilty

so he's coming home tomorrow afternoon.

He's mainly heading home

to assist with the move to the new place. 

But I digress.

Let's get on with

Five Question Friday!!!!

1) What is one grammar issue you cannot let go without correction?

Popcorns!!!

It sends chills down my spine. 

It is popcorn

not popcorns!!!

You eat popcorn

not popcorns!

You buy a bag of popcorn

at the cinema.

Not popcorns!

2) What's your favourite thing about fall?

I miss fall.

I miss seeing the colours of the leaves.

I miss the smell.

And I'm told

I also miss out on 

Starbucks pumpkin spice latte!

3) What's your favourite dish to bring to a potluck?

If you recall,

I do not cook.

So I usually try to bring dessert.

I'm into cheesecakes lately.

Or banoffi pie.

4) When do you start Christmas shopping.

Since I do most of my shopping online

I usually start early December.

That way my stuff is at home

when I get there.

5) Did you move homes a lot growing up?

Not when I was growing up.

But now a days

yes.

When Scott and I got married,

within the first year

we moved twice.

Then in Korea, 

we moved houses twice.

Nine years in Dar

was also five different houses.

We've been in Lusaka

for a little over a year

and we're moving houses next week.

And yes,

I shall share pictures of our new place.

ABC - Where in the World

September 21st - If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

Seeing how I already live abroad,

this is a tough one.

Asides from Canada,

we've lived in Korea,

Tanzania 

and now Zambia.

I love Cape Town,

and often tease Scott he needs to get a job there.

But having done the Africa thing,

sometimes I think living in Europe 

would be cool.

Spain anyone?

Or maybe I could keep going east.

How about Australia?

Desert Island

September 20 - If you were trapped on a desert island, what are three items you would take with you?

I keep thinking,

years ago,

before the age of cell phones

and iPads,

this prompt would have so much more meaning.

I've done this with my students

and I keep getting iPhone and iPads.

I think something gets lost 

in the experience of thinking

when they go electronic. 

So,

I'm going to do this

the non-electronic way.

1) Book

I am torn between taking an Anne Rice book

or JR Ward book. 

I'm thinking which ever book

survives the reason I'm on this island

is the one I'll...

well.....

take!

2) Picture

I'm assuming I'm alone 

on this island.

And if I'm alone,

I want Ethan and Scott with me.

And if they cannot be with me physically,

I'll take them with me

through a photograph.

3) A Journal

I hope it's ok to also include

a pen here.

But if I'm going to be stuck alone,

I'll need to write my crazies down.

Personal Goals

This past summer,

I began a Summer Blog Challenge.

It didn't go very well.

But I've decided to give it another shot.

So I've joined the Autumn Blog Challenge.

I know posting each day will be difficult,

but I'm always looking for good prompts,

so I figure as long as I put my best foot forward,

I'll have a blast!

September 19th - List 5 short-term personal goals.

1) Study - Have you heard?

I've been accepted to Grad School.

Yup me!

I start next month. 

Am taking 2 courses

and plan to study my butt off.

2) Get Fit - I've been slacking lately.

Need to get back into a healthy routine.

Like how I said get fit

and not loose weight!

3) Reach my Goodreads goal.

I've challenged myself to read

fifty books this year. 

I'm almost there.

4) Move - We're moving at the end of the month.

I plan to get the pictures up

and settled 

as soon as possible.

5) Shoes
Oh come on!
You knew shopping would be here somewhere.
I came across these gorgeous boots,
don't you think I'd look great in them?
Think I need to make a purchase soon.

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 28

Did you hear?

I got accepted into Grad School.

Yay me!!!!

I start next month.

I'm taking two courses this semester

and went and ordered my books.

Guess what arrived?

Two of the three required books.

Isn't it exciting?

Happiness is getting your school books. 

Eternal - V. K. Forrest

With going back to work,

I've been a little busy

that I haven't had much time to read.

I was finally able to finish reading

Eternal

this weekend.

Eternal is the first book in the Clare Point series. 

Clare Point is a small village

inhabited by ......

you guessed it....

vampires!

Fia Kahill in a vampire

and FBI agent, 

who has learnt that her cousin 

was murdered.

His body is found burnt

and his head and hands are missing.

Who else but a slayer would know

how to kill a vampire?

Fia is assigned to work with

FBI agent, Glen Duncan.

Glen, is the splitting image of Ian,

a man Fia once loved,

and who betrayed her. 

Fia and Glen must work together to solve the murder.

And more murders are happening.

Can Fia solve them before more of her loved ones are killed?

Can she solve them without Glen learning her secret?

Can she resist her attraction to Glen?

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 27

Last week,

I suddenly realized

that I had not done any marking.

None.

Since the beginning of the school year.

I know.

Pretty sad.

Since it was not Scott's weekend home,

I figured I could get a lot accompished.

I promised Ethan a pizza and movie night,

Friday night.

So while he enjoyed his pizza

while watching TV,

I did some marking.

After he went to bed,

I did some marking.

On Saturday,

he went swimming with our neighbours.

Guess what I did?

Yup,

marking.

And Saturday night

I finished all my marking.

Yippee!!!!

So, Sunday morning,

after making Ethan his waffles,

I grabbed a latte

and my Kindle

and enjoyed the morning

out in the sun.

Ok yes, it's my iPad. Scott has my Kindle, but I do have the Kindle app.

Happiness is a latte and a book

on a Sunday morning.

Shoes

Yes.

This is another post about my shoes.

I came across a tweet about shoes.

Apparently,

your shoes have something to say about your personality.

Six things according to this. 

Which made me wonder 

what do my shoes say about me?

(BTW - I feel the need to add in here

my last year's Grade 2s

are disappointed that this year's class

do not appreciate my diverse shoe collection)

1. Practical and functional shoes generally belong to agreeable people.

These are my go-to shoes.
They are well worn,
well,
because they are my functional shoes.
So I must be agreeable.

2. Ankle boots belong to those with more aggressive personalities.

My black ones broke.
I need another pair.
Have seen a few great looking ones.
Now just need to choose one.
Apparently I'm agreeably aggressive. 

3. Uncomfortable looking shoes are usually worn by those with calm personalities.

I wouldn't say these are uncomfortable exactly.
They're just not meant for a lot of walking.
But at least we know I'm calmly aggressive. 

4. Those who are worried about relationships wear new or well-kept shoes.

I don't have a new pair of shoes to show you,
but since I have many,
there are many that are still looking good.
Hmmmm.... wonder why I'm worried?

5. Cheap people wear less expensive shoes.

I don't really wear these.
They're for going to the pool,
or in winter,
when the house is cold
they are my house shoes.

6. The more boring a shoe is, the harder it is for the owner to form relationships. 

This is because they don't care what others think of them.

You cannot get much more boring than a pair
of trainers.
I only wear them to exercise.
I will not wear them to go out.
So I suppose I care what people think of me.

 So what have we learnt?
I'm 

agreeable,
aggressive,
calm,
worried,
cheap
and
don't care what others think about me.

Writer's Workshop - The One

Tell us about the moment you knew your spouse was "The One".

Did I ever tell you how Scott and I met?

Well.... I guess today's the day.

Scott and I met...

over the phone.

Yup!

And no!!!!

Not like that!

Scott ran the logistics department at Nortel.

(This was back in the day when Nortel was huge in Ottawa.)

I was the supervisor at a local courier company.

Scott would call several times a day,

in need of something going from his office

to one of the other Nortel offices.

And after talking to someone

six times a day,

the conversations always included a

"how's it going?"

"How was your weekend?"

The Easter before we met,

I was single,

doing the dating thing.

Scott called one day,

to have something taken to another office

and I reminded him that Easter was coming.

He didn't get it.

I had to explain that he just asked me

to ensure that something very important

reach another office.

And I wanted chocolate for Easter.

I'd like to point out that:

a) some things never change

and

b) I bugged a few people to send me chocolate.

A few months later I resigned from my job.

I was going back to school

to get my teaching certificate.

I wanted to meet the people I had spent

the last two years 

chatting on the phone with.

Scott was one of those people.

We met.

We went on a few dates.

I liked spending time with him.

I had a box under my bed

with momentos.

One evening,

I was looking through the box

and found the note Scott had sent me

with my Easter chocolate.

(Yes, he sent me chocolate.)

This was the moment.

I like to say

I knew he was the one

before we ever met.

Why else would I have kept his note?

I didn't keep notes from anyone else.

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 26

I love the weekends when Scott comes home.

And this weekend was extra special.

It was my birthday!

Yay me!

Ethan told a classmate on Friday

that his mommy is turning 24.

Gotta love the boy!

Being... well... me,

I love presents.

Both my boys spoilt me.

A new necklace and a gift voucher for a spa day.

Ethan is so my child.

He wanted to know which gift I liked better!

Saturday night,

Scott took me out for dinner.

He even arranged for some mates to meet us there.

The ladies

I had been bugging Scott for weeks now

to make sure he got a me a decent cake.

(He was in Australia last year,

so he owes me a cake from then.)

Of course,

he delivered.

Chocolate mousse cake. Yum!

We got home that evening,

and I found this on my doorstep.

Like I said,

I love pressies.

Happiness is spending your birthday 

with some amazing mates.