iron maiden

I hate ironing. Most of my clothes just don't need it. And, I'll admit, the few items that do require the despised task, quite unfortunate since they are often the most beautiful, get worn less often. Strangely enough, I don't mind ironing sheets, usually once they're on the bed, (a handy trick).... warning though, once you try ironed sheets you won't want to go back! There's nothing quite like sliding into freshly laundered and pressed linens after a long day of work! However, I digress.

I am not always aware of things I should be, like for instance, where the iron might be stored when it is not in use. It is usually jammed into the side of the closet somewhere (remember, 400 sq ft coach house = not quite enough room for storage!) and sometimes requires standing on a chair to be retrieved. Such was the case when I decided it was time for the closet to be reorganized.

I'm sure you have better things to be doing than reading about my closet cleaning adventures, so I'll get right to it. I had pulled out all of my sweaters, refolded and organized them, and was beginning to put them back in their proper place, heavy just about out of season sweaters on the bottom shelf, when "WHOMP" it hit me. Hit, I suppose, could be deemed quite the understatement. In fact, upon more reflection, flattened would be far, far more appropriate.

It had come out of nowhere, and left me hunched over and struggling to get my wind back. "Is everything okay?" I spoke aloud, to myself. And I began what could only be described as the hurt check test. Squiggled my fingers. Check. Bent my arms. Check. Wiggled my toes. Check. Gingerly moved each shoulder. Check. Carefully twisted my neck from side to side. Check. Gently arched my back. Check. Everything seemed to be in working order which left me free to get down to business. What the heck had just pummeled me in the back??!!

Gently rising up from my hunched, winded stance, I looked over and saw this crime scene:
It does not take a brain surgeon to determine that the stuffed monkey, although looking quite pathetic laying face down after his fall, is not the culprit. Only the iron could have been capable of causing me to randomly exhale a spontaneous, huge "HUHHH" in the moment it bounced off of my back to land so eloquently on the floor. Only a point 5 deduction for the cord being slightly unwound.

"I was ironed," I thought to myself, a smirk sliding across my face. "I wonder if it'll bruise?" Nope. Nothing but the most subtle, faint purple line across my left shoulder blade the next day. At least the closet is organized. How ironic. Hehehe :)

In Like a Lion

So, here I am practicing my piccolo (Hindemith Symphony in B flat) for an upcoming concert, and all of a sudden there's a bright flash of light from outside. It lit up the whole coach house- through the blinds!!!
Of course- it is SNOWING!! We're supposed to get a fabulous mix of snow, snow pellets and freezing rain over the next day. And now, apparently, thunder and lightning!!!

Hair Update

Those who have known me for an extended period of time know my chameleon tendencies with my hair. It's been a struggle, but over the past few years I have managed to keep dye, and pretty much scissor free. Here's a few pics of the results.... straightened.

In other news- I got confirmation that I'll be teaching again this year at the U of C Summer Band Camp, August 19th - 24th. Yay Calgary!!

Beatboxing Flute Inspector Gadget Remix

the BIG news!

Jeremy and I are going on vacation!!

A huge, fun, amazing Mediterranean extravaganza.......

Here's our plan. It could change a bit- but this is the basic itinerary- as we booked our flights last night!!

Fly to Rome, drive/train to Florence, drive to Cinque Terre (I'm especially excited about this one!!), drive around the Mediterranean to a Chateau in Ramatuelle near St. Tropez, where we'll stay for 10 days, fly to Paris, just one day in Paris, and back to Toronto. We'll be gone for just over 2 weeks. YAY!!!

big news.......

It has been so busy around here recently that I've hardly had a second to even think about updating!!! There's lot's of fun news in the works- You'll just have to wait a couple (maybe even just one more!!) days before I can tell you!!

But for now, here's a quick story for everyone to think about.

One of the biggest changes that Jeremy and I are making in our lives is trying to reduce, reuse and recycle more and more. I know- we've all been saying that phrase for years, but how many of us actually make a conscious effort to follow those ideals?? I remember learning that phrase in elementary school- and it's been in the back of my mind since then.

It's way over due for those important words to get out of the BACK of everyone's minds- and become a part of the way we live our daily lives.

One of my favourite things about living (and trying to be more environmentally aware) in Toronto has been the introduction of the green bin. Every city should incorporate this into their current recycle program. If you don't have one already, I encourage you to write a letter to your city council expressing the need for one!! Having a green bin has reduced the amount of our garbage every week by amazing amounts! All of our food waste, kleenex, paper towels, coffee grinds etc (you can even put in maxi pads and diapers!!) gets put in the green bin- and gets composted!! It's amazing- and every other week we now throw out less than a full bag of garbage.

The other day I was shopping at a well known Toronto health food store. In my efforts to reuse (and therefore reduce!!) I reused a plastic rice bag. Most of the rice we buy comes in a resealable bag- and Jeremy got the bright idea the other week to start reusing them. It's cheaper to buy bulk anyways- and they have the exact same rice available in bulk. So I filled up my brown rice bag with some wild black rice.

At the check out, the girl swiping the groceries held up the bag in such a weird way- She was examining the wild rice!! I told her the bulk rice code- and she replied "Oh- I'm pretty sure that the pre-packaged rice comes with their own scanner bars." I was shocked!!! Here I am, in one of THE Toronto health stores, and the check out girl hasn't encountered this before?? So I explained to her that it was my own bag- and I was re-using it. She was shocked!! It was actually pretty hilarious to experience her reaction!!

"Oooh," she said, which she followed with a heart felt "Thank you!! Thank you so much!! What a great idea!"

ummm "You're welcome?" was the only response I could think of at that point!!!

The point of the story- obviously, try to reuse or recycle something today that you normally wouldn't. Even if you just bring your own bags to the grocery store instead of using their plastic ones. Every little bit we do makes a difference. And if someone at a health store was surprised at my efforts to reuse, it sadly shows us how far we still have to go.

my house

I am having a lazy day today. Jeremy is out with a friend, and I am enjoying some time alone. I was browsing my usual blogs, and came across this!!

this is my house!

To see my house and street, click here!

You can build a house too, and add it to Green Gardens Street.

My house also has a garden in the back for organic vegetables, and some fruit trees. There is also a beautiful patio. The roof is also made of grass, even though I'm not sure if you can have a chimney with a grass roof!!! If you want to come and stay, we cook an awesome organic breakfast, and we have a beautiful guest room and amazing linens. You also have your own en-suite bathroom, with an antique, extremely deep, sloped back, soaker tub. And extra large towels from France. We have a library and a sun room, so you can read by the fire, or if you prefer, lounging in a sun beam. Our flooring is all reclaimed, and heated........

I could go on and on and on........

must practice!!

i want a desk

now we just need to find one.......... and then work miracles to find a space to put it!! I've started writing again, but it is difficult to write without a proper place. And I don't like writing at the kitchen table. It's not the right size, and when I'm sitting there I just want to eat all day. So. The search for a desk begins, and the writing continues on the big chair. I'm an old school writer, apparently. I like the feeling of writing fiction with a pen and paper.

It's been all things creative here for the past week. As well as writing, I picked up my sketch book and have been doing some drawing with some sketching felts. Chickadee's and some other random ideas have all been sketched.

Practicing has been going well. I took a bit of a break for a while, gasp, I probably shouldn't admit it- as taking breaks are often frowned upon in my profession. It's fun to be playing, and I am thinking about scheduling a recital in May or maybe early/mid August.

Other crazy ideas have also been flying around in my brain. I'm thinking about going back to school, just thinking right now, and maybe doing something non-music related..... we shall see. I'm NOT saying that I'm stopping music. I'm just thinking about getting some schooling in an area that I could do while having a music career. I like to do too many things!! I'll post more about that if and when things get a little more serious!!

It's getting to be time for a haircut. It's January, which means that I am fighting the colour battle again. Blonde is beckoning....... maybe just some highlights?? Probably just a trim. It's getting long. When it's wet, it is mid back. That is CRAZY long for me. I think the longest it's been since I was in grade 3!!

I'm tired.

My sweatpants are calling my name.

Oh yeah! Mary- I dreamed about you last night!! We were in some forested place, teaching at a music camp. We were finished teaching for the day and were catching up on each other's lives. It was dusk when we were suddenly surrounded by mountain lions/cougars (just 2 of them). Luckily there was a good climbing tree near us, and we scaled up the tree and into the back door of the building near us!!

meteorologist wannabe

I always love it when a weather warning is issued. Thunderstorms or snow storms, the crazier the better. Usually the warnings don't pan out, and the supposed 'awful' storm blows on by, leaving us with only a few drops of rain or what couldn't even be called a blanket of snow. And more importantly, leaving me waiting for the next exciting weather warning.

Last night a weather warning was issued for the Toronto area. 10 - 15 centimeters of snow, snow pellets and freezing rain was expected. I was ecstatic!! Our first real snow storm of the year. YAY!! I could hear the scratchy sound of snow pellets falling all night. I was thrilled. I even read the full out warning....... I have to share some of it with you. Who knew that someone at Environment Canada had a sense of humour?!! I guess in Canada you have to have one if you're in the weather field!!

Taken from
Environment Canada's Official Weather Warnings

Warnings
City of Toronto
3:50 PM EST Sunday 14 January 2007
Snowfall Warning
10-15 cm of heavy snow mixed with ice pellets. Overnight and Monday.

"...... Despite the lull, the battle between the mild air well to the south and the invading cold Arctic air of winter from the north is not over........ Winter will finally win this latest battle with the mild air as the storm center races off into New England by Monday evening. In it's wake, the coldest airmass so far this season will invade by Tuesday. Temperatures will plunge several degrees below normal as winter finally settles in, for the time being."

Battles, invasions, storms, racing off and more invasions. I think the person who wrote this secretly wants to write fantasy novels instead!!!

Alas, the warning has ended and all that is forecast now are a few pitiful flurries. And so, like usual, I am left to eagerly await the coveted, much anticipated, highly elusive perfect storm.

It's up

Just in case you want to read about our Christmas in Winnipeg, it's now up!! Just scroll down the page a bit.

Happy Birthday Natasha!

We haven't put her present in the mail yet...... but this is what will be arriving in a few days.

Epic Christmas Adventures Part 2, Winnipeg

We flew into Winnipeg on December 21st, and arrived just after midnight. It wasn't THAT cold.... But still cold enough for SNOW! YAY!!

After a day and a bit of lazing around, Jeremy and I, along with his sisters, Tamara and Natasha, ventured out to see a movie. We had decided beforehand that we'd see Night at the Museum together, and we weren't disappointed! It was entertaining and we had a great time!!

Feeling the lack of any physical activity combined with indulging too many holiday treats, Jeremy and I decided to go for a walk when we got home from the movie. There was a pretty fantastic house not too far from his that we wanted to get a picture of.
This picture doesn't quite do the insane, over the top, decorating justice- but I liked that you can see my frosty breath!! I also like the eerie effect the glowing red Santa creates in the upper right hand corner. I also have a fondness for Christmas light pictures that turn out like this:

On the way home we happened upon
an opportunity that I seldom find......

A chance to practice my slam dunk!!!





Christmas eve was a day of trains! We went for a nice walk in the afternoon, and happened upon these photo opportunities......

This was another fun picture....... (even though it's not really part of the train theme)

Christmas eve night we all piled into the car (3 in the front, 3 in the back) and made our way to where we were about to have THE COOLEST MINI TRAIN RIDE EVER!!!!!

With Christmas music playing in the background, we wandered through the forest- all lit up, and made our way to the ultimate toy train. We waited in line, and boarded our train (17 of us in total, sitting single file, and ALL ADULTS!! Hahaha- I think we were excited enough that we all looked like a bunch of kids!!

Here's one of Jeremy and I. Can you tell we're feeling just a bit nutty?!!

And here's one looking backwards on our train:

These are 2 that Natasha took during our train ride. Aren't they awesome?!

And last but not least, here's a bike on our way back to the car:

Christmas morning was nice and relaxing. We all enjoyed some good laughs while opening up gifts.

I had 2 stockings!!

(you also can't miss the hot pink, polar bear pj's...... a Christmas eve surprise from Jeremy!!!)
Jeremy got some sexy new sweat pants from Roots. This picture makes me laugh SO HARD!!! Especially with his kick ass (err, karate donkey) t-shirt..... Here's one of me opening a beautiful scarf from Tamara.
And here is perhaps one of the most important gifts Jeremy got. Because sometimes you just don't know what is really dangerous.........

It's filled with tons of valuable lessons like:

and,

The rest of our day was filled with family, food and fun, as was most of our time in Winnipeg. We laughed, we played (Pictionary, bingo, scattergories, and cribbage). We rode trains and walked in the park. And we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our Christmas in Winnipeg.

The End.

Epic Christmas Adventures Part 1, Toronto

When you live in an apartment the size of a garage, you have to learn to improvise. We (or more accurately, I) desperately wanted a Christmas tree this year- which obviously brings up the issue of space- of which we have very limited quantities. Desperate times require desperate measures, and to have a Christmas tree was of dire importance. So, with 5 minutes and a pack of markers, our first Christmas tree was created!

The only thing that would make this tree complete was presents- which arrived the same day! Packed not in a red, velvet bag, but instead in a gorgeous red suitcase, our presents arrived safe and sound from Calgary. I dove in, and discovered japanese mandarins and a delicious fruit cake packed in with care. YUM! All that was left was to put the gifts under our fantastic new tree. Luckily we only had to wait a few days before we were able to open all of the presents!!


I spent the day cleaning and shopping for a strand of lights. Do you know how hard it was to find Christmas lights a few days before Christmas?! I searched everywhere, and finally found a few packs at the Shoppers Drug Mart 2 minutes from our place!! A strand of fun snowflake lights lit up the couch, and some coloured bulbs provided cheery colour.





The Christmas lights were lit and the

stockings were filled and 'hung'. Now all we had to wait for was the highly anticipated phone call from Calgary!




The phone finally rang and Christmas in Toronto could officially begin. Jeremy and I, along with our good friend Christopher, all took turns talking with my Mom, Dad, Sister and her boyfriend, while we opened up the gifts!!

As you can already tell, much fun and laughter occurred during the course of our long-distance Christmas phone call extravaganza. If you have to spend Christmas away from your family, this is the way to do it!!!
After our long and wonderful conversation, Christmas wishes, and long distance kisses and hugs, it was time to say "Good-bye". I didn't want to.... I couldn't hang up.... I missed my family so much! It was so hard to let them go! I put the phone down on the receiver and could feel the emptiness and sadness closing in.... Something had to be done- and quick!!! The fantastic atmosphere couldn't turn sad now!!! There was only one thing that could save the evening......

CHRISTMAS FASHION SHOW!!!!!

Jeremy modeling his new shirt and tie from my parents
And now holding up my present to him- "Hotter than I should be" of which the $$ spent on it goes toward the WWF campaign for climate change!
saveourclimate.ca

A new fun scarf from my Mom and Dad

My favourite new comfy shirt and new grey sweat pants from Lululemon....

Thank You!!!

Jeremy playing with his new Henckel knife set
Thank you Santa!!!

Thank goodness that Jeremy gets the gift of 'Danger Knowledge' in Winnipeg!!

With a stylish hat and mitt combo like this, there's only one place to go.....


WINNIPEG


Read about our adventures in Winnipeg....
coming soon

A nice thought

As I was going to teach the other day, I noticed a sign with a message so nice that I wanted to share it with all of you as well.

The Past is behind us,
The Future is yet to come,
Today is a gift-
And that is why it is called the Present.

Mandarin Orange Memories

They're sweet, round, juicy, the perfect size and easy to peel. They are often found in the bottom of a Christmas stocking, tenderly packed in with the hope for some vitamins to be consumed along with all of the chocolate!! They are great for packed lunches (again, the easy to peel factor) and are a constant source of amusement for children of all ages who enjoy the challenge of peeling it off in one whole piece, or making various fun shapes- my personal favourite being the elephant!

The fancy box they arrive in herald the beginning of a new holiday season. It also reminds us that there are limited weekends left until fancy boxes of another type are due to be carefully wrapped and precisely placed under a glimmering Christmas tree. They are the perfect evening snack, delicately unwrapped and enjoyed in almost silence- serenaded only by the sounds of the Christmas tree lights blinking on and off. Under the perfect circumstances you can even hear the unmistakable sounds of ornaments clinking together announcing that someone (or something!!) is investigating certain shiny packages.

Sugary sweet, they're the obvious solution for an early morning snack while you wait for everyone to FINALLY wake up so the chaos of stockings and presents can begin. They're equally as fabulous when enjoyed as a mid-afternoon chocolate crash fix. Perhaps one of the best things about them is how easy it is to peel all of that icky white stuff off of them!!

Ah, the mandarin orange. So decadent, because really, how many other fruits are there that you get to unwrap before you even get to the peeling parts?







- a brief aside- Does anyone know if japanese mandarins are available anywhere in Toronto?? All I can ever find are the chinese mandarins, or clementines. Also- isn't it funny how peel and unpeel are both used to describe the same action??

Time for some vitamin c. and sleep.

It's raining, it's pouring, I wish that it was snowing

Well, December 1st and it is POURING rain outside. This weather is not condusive to grocery shopping, doing laundry (I have to go outside) or any other task that I really actually need to do. What it is good for is blogging, knitting, t.v. vegging, sleeping in until noon, and eating too many cookies. I would add practicing to my list, but I have quite the cold right now, so I am procrastinating practicing as well. Other things I could be doing inside include dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom and dusting. But frankly, if I'm not practicing, those things probably aren't going to get done either!!!

Also, being the Alberta girl that I am, I have to say that December is for SNOW. NOT rain. I have new winter boots, that are waterproof, but I think snow waterproof and rain waterproof are two very different things, so I'm a bit nervous to wear them out in the pouring rain. I saw a fancy pair of rubber boots the other day- a nice charcoal grey on the foot part, with some brown/grey tweed material up the leg. Very nice. I never thought I would be considering investing in a pair of rubber boots in December.

Jeremy's Christmas List

Certain people are also wondering what to get Jeremy for Christmas.....

Here is his Christmas List!

Cd's

• Metallica (everyone needs a little Metallica)
  
• Daniel in the Lion's Den (with/by) Daniel Perantoni (this is a tuba CD)
• Mingus albums (jazz) except Ah Um and Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (we already have those ones) (also, no compilations)
• Curtis Mayfield
  

Sweat pants from Roots (probably a size large, grey, and either with or without elastic at the bottom is fine).

Dress Shirts (The brand ENRO at Sears fits great. Size LT 16L - 16 1/2 L)

Fun socks (He really likes Michael Kors socks, which you can often find at Winners)

My Christmas List

There are a few people out there who might need some ideas for Christmas presents....

Here's a short list!

Books:

One Hundred Views of Edo, by Hiroshige (at Chapters)

Books by Alexander McCall Smith:
Love Over Scotland
Blue Shoes and Happiness
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

Other ideas:

knee high argyle socks
gel pens

magazine subscription to Domino Magazine (dominomag.com)

29 sleeps to go.....

The perfect reason for a new pair of shoes...

I'm going to be a bridesmaid!
Time to start looking for the perfect pair of heels.......

YAY!!

More to come soon! I'm off to play a concert now!

The life of a Working Musician

Is busy, busy, busy. Very busy. Incredibly busy. Fun, always entertaining, hilarious, touching, and unbelievably rewarding are also words to describe it. Perks include being able to sleep in on a weekday, setting your own schedule (and vacation time!), and doing what you love and getting paid for it. Things that aren't so great are not being able to sleep in on Saturday's, vacation time- really- if you're a musician do you really have the luxury of "vacation time"??!!, and the feeling that you need to take on everything you get called for, because if you don't take it, someone else will!

Things here are pretty great.

I have a full day teaching at the studio on Saturday's, and then a private student coming to our place late Saturday afternoon. I wasn't sure about teaching at a studio....... But I have to say that I am really enjoying it. You can check out the studio and all of the great people I work with here. My students are all wonderful. There's not one that I am counting the time until the lesson is over with. That's amazing. I have a pretty gifted student- I thought he was in grade 12- maybe grade 11, but found out today that he is only in grade 10- Woohoo!! 2 more years to mold him into an amazing player.

My one private student that I wasn't sure about has blossomed into an excited, eager, interested student and all I have to say about that is YAY!!!

It's been a while since I last posted- so here's the Cole's notes edition of what's been happening at the coach house besides teaching, eating, cleaning and sleeping.

Went to my first Raptors game. Jeremy scored free tickets. They sucked. (The Raptors not the tickets!!) I'm not sure if that's why I wasn't really interested, or if I actually don't really care for basketball. We saw Borat last weekend- wow. It is really over the top. Anyone else have opinions??

I've had a few gigs- a bat mitzvah last night, and tomorrow I'm playing background music for an art show with a guitarist. I've been rehearsing with TWO for our concert next Monday, and this week I'll be rehearsing with the RCO and playing a concert with them on Friday night.

We've been out with a few friends for dinner, had some over for dinner and brunch, and been treated to a few great meals. There's hockey on the go for tonight, (on the t.v, not at the game) and finally a sleep in tomorrow.

My sister rescued 2 new cats- and they are SO CUTE- although I haven't seen any new pictures...... Hint, hint........

And that's about it!! It seemed like there was more to write about, and there probably is. Maybe next time!!