Saturday, July 31, 2010

*ryan* the waiter and the adventures of geisha girl

oh. my. goodness.   I have had one of the best days ever.  A huge thank you to my friends Hilda, Nichole, Heather and Kim who made this day possible!  (and of course to my hubby for watching the kidlets while I galavanted!)


I complied with the kidnappers request and I was waiting outside my house at 11:50 on the dot.  Brett kept trying to convince me that the unmarked vehichle I was waiting for, was actually the bus.  Ha. Ha. Ha.

Hilda pulled up at around noon, with some astonishing news! The kidnappers had contacted her.  They had instructed her to have me blindfolded and driven to a secret location immediately.  I couldn't stop laughing. 

Once in the vehicle, Hilda and I chatted like the old friends that we are.  When all of a sudden, she burst out laughing.  Apparently, people were staring at me.  And laughing.  I was blindfolded, remember?

She described several things to me along the way,  a car which had crashed into a tree on the boulevard, some girls with shiny pom poms and a sign for a car wash and  a bunch of naked people (were you serious about this one???) .

We arrived and she came around to my side of the vehicle to help me out.


Then she said (and remember I'm still blindfolded - that's the blue scarf over my head), when I tell you to run, we're going to run across the road!  Seriously? Run across the road? Blindfolded? (I found out later it was Corydon Ave...those of you who live in Winnipeg know how CRAZY that is) But, yes.  That is exactly whaat we did.

After making it safely across the road, I was led, in what felt like circles, to our destination.
Some guy said, "Whatever you're doing, have fun doing it!" as we walked by.




We were at Fresh Cafe.  And I was standing in front of 4 of my closest friends.


What a great surprise!! Plus, Geisha Girl was unharmed. 



I love love love love surprises.  And this one was one of the best ones I've ever had. 


We had a great meal together, complete with *Ryan* the waiter who kept my glass full.
Thanks you guys for such a great surprise!
But, my day wasn't over yet!! All of the ladies had cards for me.  Heather had hand made hers (LOVELY work!), Hilda's said on the front , "Warning: Contents may settle over time" and had a picture of two old ladies in bathing suits, and Kim and Nichole's had a little note inside saying that they had purchased me the earrings from my *dream* etsy birthday list! 


Thank you so much ladies! I appreciate each and every one of you!
So, after being treated to lunch, we then wandered down Corydon to browse at couple shops.  I tried on 2 dresses and a pair of boots.  I bought the boots, and I think they are SO much fun!!!


We continued our walk about 2 meters to the left, and entered Posh Nails, where we all got pedicures (or manicures).  They had these WONDERFUL massage chairs and I seriously almost fell asleep.




Then we all went for gelati. 

Ladies, I can't thank you enough for today.  I had so much fun!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Uh Oh!

An hour ago, I received the following email:

Nicole. As you can see, I have kidnapped your geisha. She was spreading horrible rumors that it is your 30th birthday and I had to silence her. So far she is unharmed. If you wish to have her returned to you that way, follow these directions precisely. An unmarked vehicle will arrive at your house tomorrow morning at 11:50 am. Enter the vehicle. You will be blindfolded to protect your own safety. You will be driven to an outside location where geisha is being held. You must be dressed to be outside but you will not be required to be at all physically active. If you comply with all these directions, your geisha will be returned to you safely and the vehicle will return you to your place of residence at approximately 4:00pm. Failure to comply will end poorly for little geisha and her nasty rumors. Think carefully before you make your choice!!!



See you tomorrow.


From The Kidnapper


It was accompanied by this photo:



You may remember my geisha girl from this post.  I don't know what I'd do without her, so I will comply. 
Please, kidnapper, if you're reading this, please don't harm my little geisha girl! I'll do what you want!

To the rest of you, I'll keep you updated, (don't tell, but I'm going to sneak my camera aboard tomorrow and try to get pictures, even while blindfolded.  Shhhh.)

Check back here tomorrow to find out the fate of my geisha girl!


a *dream* birthday list from etsy


on sale here at TreadLightGear




on sale here at timeforteame



on sale here at cottonpurr



on sale here at cozyblue



on sale here at 4EyesAndEars
(actually, I think my hubby would like this one more than me)



on sale here at 4EyesAndEars



on sale here at slaintebags



on sale here at GlitzGlitter



on sale here at Camille Star



on sale here at orangethyme



on sale here (with CUSTOM LABELS!) at orangethyme



on sale here at dustylorraine

(I would LOVE to have this collection for my deck dishes)









and these from MARIESCOSYCUSHIONS



Thursday, July 29, 2010

Now and Then.

One year ago today, we said, "Until we meet again" to Noah Grant John Loewen, as he left his earth to join Jesus.  One year ago, I cried uncontrollable tears, not only for Noah, but for Nichole and Brad, Kailyn and Joshua, who lost a son and a brother.

Today, as I read and watched this, I cried again as I continued to grieve for my friends. 

Throughout this year, I have prayed and wondered how to be there for them as they travel this pathway of grief.  I feel as though I have fallen short many times, but I know that the Lord has been faithful to them, and that it's not about me in the least. 

Today, my prayer for them is for peace, even if only for a moment.  My prayer is for continued hope.  My prayer is for faith.  My prayer is that they will be carried today and everyday, by the Lord who comforts. 

We love you guys.  You are dear friends.




You can find Noah's story here.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Did I mention???


1.  Shannon had her baby! His name is Trevin John Hiebert and he weighed 8 lbs 11 oz.  Yup.  He was big! He was 21" long and is a beautiful, healthy baby boy. 



2. Khai lost his first tooth 2 weeks ago.  He called everyone we know to tell them.

3.  The tooth right next to the one that fell out, is now wiggly.



4.  I'm turning 30 in 10 days.




5.  We tried potty training Declan yesterday.  15 minutes, 2 accidents and lots of screaming later, he asked (cried) to be put back into a diaper.  I obliged.  We will try again.  Someday. 



6.  I love hooking my camera up to my computer and finding pictures the kids have taken of themselves.  I especially love this one!


7.  I love it when my father-in-law does it too!



8.  Shannon broke this picnic table at Cartown because she was 9 months pregnant and she sat on it.  Best story of the year.


9.  Justin got a vuvuzela for his birthday.  Thank you Magda. No, really.  Thank you. 


10.  Second best story of the year? Michelle and I on a tube.  And then falling off of it.

Happy Wednesday!

Always,
nicole

is there a coconut tree around?


Khai's new favourite activity.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

the house next door is for sale...


On my way home from dropping Khai off at camp, I was struck by a sudden desire to live within walking distance of a lovely little cafe. 

I would love to walk there every morning, with my  reusable coffee sleeve; get a white mocha or a chai tea latte; spend some time with my journal (while my perfectly well-behaved 2 1/2 year old sat quietly in his chair beside me, drinking his apple juice) and write my lists for the day.  Then, after a relaxing 45 minutes, (or an hour and a half), I would walk leisurely back home and get on with my day.

In the evening, Helmut and I would walk together to get an evening coffee, probably with some kind of cake on the side.  We'd talk late into the evening and return home relaxed and blissfully content. 


Maybe someone will buy the house next door and turn it into a cafe!
Someday.

The SK8 park.

We spent 2 days last week at the skate park at the Forks. So much fun! I love watching the kids skate (even Declan!) and sitting in the nice sun is never a bad thing for me. 

Khai tries to do all the tricks that Brett does!


I know this photo is blurry, but it captures his expression perfectly! This is what he looks like lately when I try to take his picture!


He concentrates so hard!


This big bowl makes me nervous, but he makes it look so easy!


This is Declan's idea of grinding.  Too cute.

The skate park is a great FREE activity to do in the summer if you have kids who love to skateboard.  The older kids are really careful of the little ones and even if it's only for an hour, it uses up a lot of their energy.  I love it!
And luckily, so do they.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Fantasy


I've always been in love with the Anne of Green Gables stories.  My sisters and I used to watch both Anne of Green Gables, and Anne of Green Gables - the sequel, at least once every couple months.  They were taped off TV (CBC) on a VHS tape and so we the commercials were tapes as well.  Sometimes we watched them (instead of fast forwarding), and eventually knew which ones were coming up.
I've read all the books MANY times, and though I prefer the ones that Anne is featured prominently in, I loved them all.
There are so many scenes in the movies/books that I loved and I often wished I'd grown up in that age.  My big mouth would have seen me no end of trouble I'm sure, but none the less, I wished it.

I also fell in love with the clothes. In particular a shawl that she wore in Anne of Green Gables - the sequel.  I think she wore it in two scenes.  The first when she goes to Diana's engagement party (possibly? it's been a few years since I've seen it) and again when she finds out that Gilbert is dying.  I LOVE that shawl.  I used to drape sweaters, sheets etc. over my shoulders and pretend it was my "Anne shawl". 

While I was searching Google images today for a photo of Anne in the shawl to include in this post (with no avail) , I came across this pattern. It is EXACTLY what I want!  Except in a cross between


and this one (sorry, I don't know where this pic came from).

Actually, this is pretty much perfect. 

Now if only I could find someone to make it for me...