Scrapbooking my life...one page at a time

Whats in a Brand Name ...

Yesterday, when Mike brought me home 2 boxes of  kleenex (my Puffs with lotion) it got me started thinking about why is it that some brand names evolve to become identified as the product itself.  For example, I always say, "let's have Kraft dinner for lunch" rather than 'let's have some macaroni & cheese for lunch' or 'I'll have a diet coke' instead of a 'diet cola'.  Side note:  Mike is always telling me to order a 'diet cola' and not a 'diet coke' because the waiter or waitress won't have to say, 'We only have diet Pepsi - is that okay?'

Anyway - just for fun

Here is a list of the first 10 that I thought of:

1. Kleenex - is now pretty much universal for  'tissues'
2. Lego - now means any toy plastic building block
3. Band Aids - now refers to any adhesive bandage
4. Kraft Dinner - is any mac & cheese type meal
5. Velcro - who says 'hook & loop fasteners
6. Google - a search engine -to  'google' is to surf or look up something on the internet
7. Xerox - is a photocopier machine
8. Aspirin - any kind of pain/headache pill
9. Q-tip - any kind of cotton swab is now commonly called a Q-tip
10. Vaseline - any petroleum jelly

Here are a few that I use all the time but I'm not sure if anyone else does ...

• Dutch Cleanser - any powdered cleanser (ie: Comet)
• Super Glue - any super strong glue
• Tivo - any DVR

I am sure there are many more ... can you think of any good ones!

Have a great one!

N

Just Wondering ...

 

Lately, as I  watched Katy re-read all the Harry Potter books, I began to wonder which book(s), if any, had captured my imagination enough to compel me to pick it up again and re-read it.  I wonder ...

With shelves full of my 'wannabe's' (as in ... I wannabe the next one you read)  I don't usually go back and revisit books - movies, yes - books, not so much ...

And truth be told, I am a Blue Ribbon winner in the SSS category (Slow reader, Short attention span & Several books on the go at the same time).  I haven't decided if this is a curse, lack of Vitamin D , too much TV or a genetic malfunction but nevertheless - it's who I am and I have simply learned to 'embrace' it!

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1948

Anyhoo, after scouring my bookshelves I finally found a book that I know I have picked up and read several times  - A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold.

First published in 1949, a year after his death, the book is a collection of  essays, sketches & observations written over a period of time about his love of nature, wildlife conservation and ecology.

I love this book. 

Wolves, Aldo Leopold

Humph - that appears to be it,  Guess  I was right - I'm not a re-reader!  But - the weird thing is that I keep all the books that I have read & loved.  Who knows, perhaps I am planning on reading them again in my next life ...

How about you - does anyone out there have a favorite book or two that they have loved so much it became a twice-read tale?  If so, please share and let us know because maybe we would like to read it too ...

- I Hope Your Tomorrow is Even Better Than Your Today -

- N -

A Breakdown, 10 Shades of Grateful, & A B-Day Celebration ...

The Breakdown

My computer took ill last Friday and had a massive BREAKDOWN.  Yikes, I have had to limp along with only my laptop, I really don't know how people use them as their one-and-only machines because typing on them drives me mad,  but anyway, it's what I had to use while my Mr. Fix-It was/is working on fixing my beloved 'puter.

It appears I may have picked up some kind of nasty virus during my internet travels.  The virus struck very quickly - paralyzing my machine and setting off all my anti-virus programs!!!   Everything started going haywire ... So Mike & I headed down to Fry's for some 'puter parts and he has been working on it the whole weekend.  Apparently, if I didn't have some many &^5#*! pictures, games & graphics on my machine it wouldn't take 1/2 as long to fix & reinstall everything.  I say .... such is life!

So anyway, I kinda have my big computer back but not entirely - I am not sure how long it will take but at least I am able to get on the internet to play & post.

10 Shades of Grateful

 

10 Things I am Grateful for this weekend:

1. A good friend's nephew finally got a new {heart} & the transplant went well ...
2. A Happy Birthday Celebration for Mike ...
3. A wonderfully relaxing weekend ...
4. Sunshine - glorious sunshine ...
5. A moving & thoughtful Service this weekend ...
6. My family & friends ...
7. A Great Lunch with some friends we hadn't seen in a while ...
8. Mike is really enjoying his new job ...
9. Making outstanding choices this weekend & being happy with them all ...
10. Having 2 very nice chats with Dad ....

A B-Day Celebration

 

Friday was Mike's 47th B-day and we had a kinda mixed-up backwards birthday!    Not sure why we did ... it just worked out that way.  Gifts, Cake then Dinner!

The backwards birthday began on Thursday when Mike opened one of his presents from me - a year's worth of DEXTER (aka:Showtime).  We are now watching season 3 on Showtime OnDemand and will then be able to catch Season 4 on regular Showtime - it just began airing. I am so happy because I was able to get a SUCH a GREAT deal on it when I called to order.  It is usually $18.00/month in addition to regular cable costs but I got it for FREE for the first 6 months (because I'd just switched from Vonage phone service to Comcast and they were happy about that) and then it will only be $10.00/month for as long as we have Showtime continuous service - which will probably be for as long as DEXTER is around.

We ended up switching a lot of Comcast (our cable company) services recently because of that whole switch over to Digital cable - not sure if you guys in Canada were subjected to this but ... what a boondoggle it turned out to be ...

Anyways - it was the death of Rabbit Ears!  An icon of my childhood was disappearing - never to be seen or used again.  So, I bought Mike an old pair of rabbit ears from the 1940's for posterity ...

You know I swear we had a pair just like this when I was little - I am sure they had the little dial and twisty space-age looking wire in the middle ... anyone else remember?

 

Kate bought Mike a growler of porter from a small micro-brewery just down the way from us called Mac&Jack's.  She is going to take him on a brewery tour when they have time before she leaves to go back to school.

Then before we left for dinner Mike wanted to eat his cake which was really a cupcake from the New York Cupcake shop.  Yum!  They do make a mean cupcake! 

 

After gifts & cupcakes we took Mike out to dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ.  Mike & I first went to a Famous Dave's when we were out at Mariner's Spring Training in Arizona a couple of years back.  We loved it and were excited when they opened one up in our neck of woods.

 

We visited, laughed & enjoyed each others company ...

Drank some fruity drinks (well, Kate did & gave Mike to try) ...

Shared a giant plate of BBQ ...

 

- And then went home to watch some Dexter -

A great B-Day!

Happy Birthday Sandra

I hope the B-Day fairies were good to you!

Hope everyone has a great Monday

- N -

Just Wondering ...

 
If you could bring back ONE TV show from your childhood day what would it be and why?

Humm,  only one eh! 
That's a tough one because I've always liked my TV.   I  mean - I seriously love watching TV  ...

My greatest TV moments involved the introduction of  the Remote . the DVD,  the TIVO and of course, COLOR  and while I don't remember the first time I ever watched TV ... I do remember when I married Mike he had a color Television and Jessica & I were thrilled  because all we had was a small B/W TV.  Ya know, I am not even sure if you could buy a new B/W television set today.  Can you?

Anyways, one of the great things about TV is that every week you get a 'do over' -  Think about it ... you pay $11 bucks to see a movie at the theater and if it's crap ... it stays crap F.O.R.E.V.E.R. (well, okay - until they remake it 10 years later) but on TV if this weeks episode is crap ...well then maybe, just maybe - next week 's episode  might  Great  AND if there are too many crappy episodes in a row ... well, one of two things will happen. 
either:  A) you change the channel and quit watching or B) the show is canceled and another possible hit fills it's time slot!    It's Sheer Genius. - so don't you believe Alex Baldwin when he tells you that TV will, 'soften your  brain like a ripe banana'  because - it's not all giggity goo. 

Okay so now you must somehow block out the fact that we  live in an age of Tivo, TV Land, Itunes,  Hula.com, DVD's, DVR's, and Satellite  Dish TV with 200+  channels ... I know, it hard to imagine that a show you've spent several years loving would ever truly disappear - because it probably no longer ever would, but ...  

... let's pretend that it could happen.  Let's pretend that TV shows from long ago (say  25 - 30 years ago)     were not available ... ANYWHERE, to ANYONE, but for some unknown reason  - and you may need to go beyond the Outer Limits of your imagination for this, but try ... okay, now imagine that  you were offered a chance to bring back only ONE show from your childhood ... one beloved show, which one would it be?  Remember,  just one ...

Would it be The Flying Nun?  Hogan's Hero's?  Northern Exposure?   What about The Odd Couple?   Or how about The Partridge Family, Saved by the Bell or remember One Day at a Time!  Oh or how about  I Dream of Jeannie  and The Carol Burnett Show!  Anyone remember F-Troop or Petticoat Junction?

I know, I know ... it's hard - Television is not just a bunch of random shows ...it helped define your Wonder Years and archived The Facts Of your Life.  And just hearing a couple lines from the theme song of an old TV show can reawaken & open the floodgates of your memories.  All the Good Times - and all the Growing Pains  that you lived through ... EVERYTHING ....

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip ...

It's very hard and I am not sure I can only pick one ... Seriously, I could never pick just one - never!   I'm afraid ... It's hard to admit ... but you see, well um, well yeah *sigh* .. I'm addicted to the box.  There, I've said it!  It's a fact ... 

Hello, My name is Nancy and I'm a idiot box addict!

Okay, Okay ... here is a list of my TOP 10 favorite TV shows from my youth.  Shows that I loved & watched regularly and they are ranked: So I guess the Walton's is the Number One show - who knows maybe it's because I grew up on farm ???

1. Walton's
2. My Three Sons
3. The Andy Griffith Show
4. Bewitched
5. Mary Tyler Moore
6. Gilligan's Island
7. The Brady Bunch
8. All in the Family
9. Knot's Landing

So - now it's your turn... 

If you need help remembering all the shows from your childhood just click on this link for a reminder. www.crazyabouttv.com

What show would you pick?

Have a great day & don't forget to smile!

- N -

What a Pill ...

Ms. B showed me another GREAT clip from SNL - I think all of us woman can relate to this one!

Enjoy ...

Make everyday a GREAT day
- N -

Beautiful is Everywhere ...

Today I was lucky ...
I found Beautiful Everywhere ....

- I found it in my Sunshiny Daffodils -
they brightened my day & made me smile ...

-  I found it in my soft pink Camilla Blooms -
they are so pure & gentle ~ they bring me peace ....

- I found it in my White & Yellow Daffi-O-Dillys -
they were still bathed in morning dew! 
So Clean, So Alive ...

- and in the new growth on my Lamb's Ear -
they are so minty fresh and fuzzy ...

- I found the beautiful in the twisted wreckage of the
opening buds on my Tree Peony -
they look like beautiful aliens ...

 

- I found beautiful in the words of Sara Teasdale -

The faery forest glimmered
Beneath an ivory moon,
The silver grasses shimmered
Against a faery tune.

Beneath the silken silence
The crystal branches slept,
And dreaming thro' the dew-fall
The cold white blossoms wept.



- I believe beautiful lies everywhere -
 so my hope is that everyone reaches out & grabs some beautiful today ...

Family Feud ...

Hey - Not all Family Feuds are a bad thing ...

 

I saw this on someone's blog the other day and thought it might be fun to play ...

LET'S PLAY FAMILY Feud!!! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE MY ANSWERS!!!!!!

Copy and paste message to a new note. Erase my answers and fill in your answers. Tag 5 of your friends and don't forget to send it back to me. Remember, you can't use the same answer as the person who sent it to you.

Remember, if my answers are dumb, it's because the person before me had the good ones lol!!!!!

1. Name something you use in the shower? Soap

2. Name a product for men? Just for men Motor Oil (LOL)

3. Name something people hate to find on their windshields? A Parking Ticket

4. Name something a man might buy before a date? Flowers

5. What is another word for blemish? Zit

6. Something you cook in the microwave? Popcorn

7. Name a piece of furniture people need help moving.? Couch

8 Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman.? Money

9. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner.? Pee on the Carpet

10.. Name a kind of test you cannot study for? Pregnancy

11. Name something a boy scout gets a badge for? Tying Knots

12 Name a phrase with the word home in it? There is no place like home

13. Name a sport where players lose teeth.? Football

14. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student's day? Give a pop quiz

15. What is a way you can tell someone has been crying? Red Eyes

16. Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat.? Humming bird

17. Name something someone would wear with a hole in it.? T-Shirt

18.  Name something that gets smaller the more you use it? Soap

19. Name something that changes color as it gets older?  Flower

20. Name something found in a woman's purse?  Wallet

21. Name something that only a baby uses?  Bottle

22.  Name something that has a spring inside?  Mattress

I tag who ever wants to play...

Remember ... the longer you wait to play the harder it will get because someone else will get all the good answers!!!

Have a wonderful day
- N -

Just Wondering ...

I saw an interesting signboard this morning on a church & it has got me thinking ...

It said:
'If you could ask God One Question - what would it be?'
What would it be .....

This is me ... "Just Wondering"

“We Canadians live in a blind spot about our identity. We have very strong feelings about who we aren’t but only weak ones about who we are. We’re passionate about what we don’t want to become but oddly passive about what we should be.”

- John Cruickshank -

I read this quote the other day and it got me wondering - how did I define "being Canadian"?

The more I thought about it the more I realized that John Cruickshank is right - I usually define being Canadian in terms of what being Canadian is not! 

Surprisingly - I never think of myself as a hybrid, a CanAm - I always define myself as one or the other and it is more often than not .... a Canadian!  People will often ask, "how long have you lived here?" "21 years", I say.  Then they'll ask why I never became an American citizen and I'll say ... "oh, I did, but I am still a Canadian by birth & I still consider it home and I became an American only so I could vote."

How does the Canadian culture Here is my take on what makes us so different:

Canada Vs. USA:

1. A Social Democracy Vs. a Republic (This is Biggest difference which creates substantial cultural & economic differences)
2. Peaceable Co-existence  Vs. Occupation (policing) & Control of Resources ( It is a mutalistic relationship - Canada is considered one of the safest countries to live in because of it's proximity to the USA & we are each others largest trading partners)
3. The Salad Bowl Vs. The Melting Pot (I think in reality we are each a bit of both - I'm torn on this one)

I think that these are the three biggest differences between the USA & Canada - when people ask me (and many have) what is the biggest difference between the two countries I always say:

"If someone falls down on your patio and needs medical attention but has no money to pay for it and asks for help - the American would say, "why should I help pay for you - but would start passing around a can to collect money anyway! and the Canadian would say, "Why wouldn't I help - and turn to the government  to cover the hospital costs and then all go visit them in the hospital and offer to come over, cook dinner and cut the grass when they got home and start passing the can.  Kinda the same - but very different!

Here are some interesting differences and similarities between Canada and the United States:

• Canada has more fresh water than the US
• Canada is 1.6% larger in area but the USA has 07% more land
• The USA has 29% more protected land than Canada
• The US population is about 10 times more people than Canada
• Our literacy rates are the same - 99%
• Canada has a larger & more costly government than the US (per capita)

I am curious at to what everyone else thinks?  What makes a Canadian - Canadian?

And don't get me wrong - I am proud to be a CAN-AM!!!

- N -

 

This is me ... Wondering "How'd they do that?"

Wow - Some people are so fricken Crazy talented!  I can't believe how beautiful and creative these Sand Castles are.  Uncle Frank sent me these pictures and I just had to post some of my favorites.  (I know, I know - you all have probably been out there and seen them but I didn't know they had them out there - or that the were so incredible)

They were taken at the "Harrison Hot Springs World Championship Sand Sculpture Contest".  It was held in May 2007.  I imagine that these sculptures go all around the world competing and I - for one - am just amazed by these creations. How do they get them to to hold their shape?  How fragile must they be? If you click on the pictures and blow them up you will be able to see that some of them (Neptune, for example - at least I think it is Neptune) have filigree carved into them (check out the starburst around Neptune's head!) How do they keep that from caving & crumbling?  I mean seriously - how'd they do that?

I looked the event up online and this is a little of what they said about it, " All entries started carving from the
top down over the next thirty-six hours of competition. They worked eight-hour days on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and finished at noon on Mothers’ Day.

Every visitor, attending the event between May 10 and June 30, 2007, will receive a ballot to choose their favourite sculpture. The winner will receive $3000. Second and Third Place will receive $2500 and $2000 respectively. Winners will be announced on Canada Day, July 1st, 2007. The finished display will be open daily until at least October 08, 2007."

How in the world do they get them to last 6 months out on the beach?? 

I am definitely going out to Harrison next year to see them being carved.  It happens right around Mom's day.

Here are some of my favorites - ENJOY!  Check out their website on the link above if you want to see who won & more pictures!


 

Have a good one!

- N -