Stories From A Country Girl

You never know where your day will take you...

2012-01-24T12:10:00.001-05:00

I felt compelled to share this story with my blog readers because it just truly warms my heart thinking back to what happened yesterday.

*A* was suppose to go to Thunder Bay for work yesterday morning, but a few hours later, I got a call from him asking me to guess where he was. Of course, Thunder Bay would have been my natural first guess, but I knew there was something more to his call if he was calling me to ask where he was. And where did he say he was you might ask? WINNIPEG, which is so ironic because *A* is from Winnipeg!! As it turned out, the freezing rain that had came on Monday morning in Thunder Bay was making the landing strip at the airport very icy so all planes were diverted somewhere else to land.

While Thunder Bay is relatively close to Winnipeg, what are the odds that *A* would be on that flight that had to land somewhere else and would land in Winnipeg of all places?! It made me laugh when he told me because I instinctively thought of the saying, "All roads lead home." How surprised were *A*'s parents when he called them and told them to come pick him up at the airport because he was at the airport in Manitoba?! I'm sure it was one of the best surprises for them.

It just goes to show that some mornings when you wake up, you just never know where your day will take you, or in this case, where your airplane will land. There is something sentimental about this little 'diversion' to Winnipeg that just yanks at my heart strings. I'm sure *A* and his family loved the quick 24 impromptu holiday he had with them.

Stories like this make me fully believe that it really is true-- all roads really do lead home :)

My ring finger will never be the same again...

2011-12-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

I have been hiding some BIG NEWS that I haven't shared yet with my blog readers for over two months now....

I GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!

The hill overlooking our farm and the near-by river, which was the hill in the picture for my SFACG blog header, was where *A* got down on one knee :) It is our favourite place on the farm and was the most perfect place for a moment like this. It was a perfect fall day in October and the most perfect moment that I will never forget. I couldn't be more happy to begin the next phase of my life with my best friend and come next June, on my birthday, this country girl will be getting hitched :)

I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas and holiday season :)

Expect more from me in 2012- lots will be happening!

Oh, Happy Day

2011-10-25T23:12:00.000-04:00

Like the new look?! I finally got around to doing SOMETHING on my blog.

Now on to the most important thing, actually BLOGGING! I have missed my little ol' blog and feel like a part of me has been missing since I decided to skip town and disconnect myself from the blogging world the past few months.

But sadly, enough of my creative juices have been used for tonight with re-designing my blog so I'll have to take a rain check. Back to the drawing board I go to prepare a few very exciting posts for you all over the next few days, so stay tuned!!!

Chat soon!

Timing is Everything

2011-09-30T07:44:00.003-04:00

I am often reminded that in life, timing is everything. You can have the perfect opportunity fall into your lap, but if you’re not ready and prepared, or at least receptive to new things happening to you, then chances are, you will miss out.

I always think back to the way *A* and I met; that random winter day on the front steps of our residence dorm. If I hadn’t taken that exact Greyhound bus from home to get back to school; if *A* hadn’t of left the library at that exact same time; if I didn’t have as many bags of luggage and didn’t need help carrying them, then my life would look vastly different.

I was reminded recently when a mutual friend of *A*’s and mine, got the opportunity of a lifetime to continue to pursue his football career in the CFL, all because of timing and chances. We are beyond thrilled for him and I am sure he thanks his lucky stars that he got the chance of a lifetime... and all because of timing and the being in the right place at the right time.

Take this other example—I needed a new place to move into in fourth year and randomly searched on Kijiji of all places, for a house of girls looking for one extra girl. Turns out, the house I moved into had three amazing girls who are now great friends of mine.. one of whom I still live with three years later! What are the odds that of all the people in the world, I would move into a house that had ladies that I would get along with so well, and share so many things in common with!

Really, everything in life is based on timing. The people you meet, the relationships you develop, how/when you meet your soul mate, when the next job opportunity will come a knockin'.... truly everything in life is about timing.

What I’ve learned in the last couple of years is that you have to at least be receptive and open for things to happen because chances are, the timing will be right, and something amazing could come your way. I thank my lucky stars everyday that, that winter day in front of Johnson Hall steps, that the universe aligned, timing was right, and I was open to meeting the man of my dreams because I found him that random day without even realizing it at the time.

Here is to timing! And to being open to what the great universe has coming your way—on any given day; at any given moment.

Life is one big party

2011-09-27T23:36:00.000-04:00

I feel like I have started every blog post off this past summer with apologizing for being a bad blogger. So, I will begin this post, like tradition, apologizing for my absence. In my defense, let me recap for you where I have been since about August long weekend:

Spent time working at the CNE for one weekend
Followed by a week-long trip to Alberta for work
Got to visit three great friends while I was out in AB
Have been to various places across the province for work-related events in the past few weeks
Flew to Manitoba for a quick but beautiful four-day trip for a wedding :)
Organized and enjoyed my parents 25^th anniversary party which turned out to be a great time

Oh, and did I mention between all of those things, that I continued just to eat, sleep, work, and live? Yeah, sometimes I wondered how I was going to get through it all too.

Phew, I have now exhausted myself after revisiting that list that has consumed my life as of lately. While being away though, I’ve been able to get some great ideas on blogging and can’t wait to share some of the schedule posts I have for you all :)

I swear I will try and get back into a routine now that summer is gone and colder days are upon us. Is it bad for me to say that my summer vacation officially begins once September rolls around? Summer has become such a busy time of year, that I always enjoy when fall and winter come because that is when I will truly get to hibernate :)

Look forward to seeing more of this Country girl soon! I promise.

The big reveal....

2011-09-01T20:02:00.000-04:00

Some people have asked me what camera I finally decided buying after my blog post a few weeks back re: camera purchase post and I realized I still hadn't posted the winner. After a few stops into various camera places to get feedback on all the different types of cameras, I decided to buy the Nikon Coolpix L120 in red. It was a tough decision because there really are so many cameras that do pretty much the same thing and they all are pretty close in quality.

What it came down to for me was:

optical zoom- the Nikon had 21x optical zoom as opposed to other cameras that only had 12-15 optical zoom
fast shooting mode
continuous shooting mode which allows you to take five or six frames instantly in a row
the price was unbeatable
and lastly, it looked cool, which really wasn't a deciding factor but maybe more of a bonus :)

I am happy to report that I have used my camera quite a bit since purchasing it a few weeks ago and I absolutely love it! It has so many incredible features that I have used and the picture quality is fantastic. I already feel like an amateur photographer (well, not really) but at least I kind of look like it with my awesome, new camera!

Here are some shots with the new camera so far...

*I would have added more pictures but Blogger seems to be having an off night so I will try and post more pictures when I have a chance :)

Traveling down those country roads...

2011-08-26T01:52:00.000-04:00

The summer of 2011 has certainly not been the summer of blogging. Not that I haven't been inspired to share stories or thoughts with my readers, rather the time to type out those thoughts and stories has been hard to come by. On top of that, I have been living out of a suitcase lately this past week or so, although it feels like it has been weeks on end.

I'm currently in Alberta finishing up a week of work. The beautiful weather, Alberta countryside, and people I've visited have made it a really enjoyable trip so far. I've put a few thousand km's on my rental car so I've had lots of quiet driving time all to myself :) Being thousands of miles away from loved ones though, when there is so much going on at home, has been tough to sometimes battle through. I always seem to get a bit homesick here and there. I just love home too much, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

The Alberta countryside is so vast and different depending on what area you are in. I've been able to see the mountains of southern Alberta, see the rolling plains of wheat fields which are typical "prairie" fields that you envision, and then see some pockets of hilly-land in Northern Alberta that look like the hills where my family farm is located in Ontario. It has been an amazing experience to be out on my own, traveling in a province I'm not quite familiar with, and getting a feel for the western way of life. Its certainly cowboy country out here- I think I would fit in just fine if I ever decided to stay :)

I have a few crazy weeks left under my belt once I return home, but I'm looking forward to the cold breeze, coloured leaves, and fall clothing as September rolls in. Is it bad that sometimes I look forward to the routine that fall has in store once summer passes? I'm going to try and fit in as much of what is left of summer next week during long weekend. One more weekend of sand, sun, and boating at home.

Hope you all have been having a wonderful summer :)

Where have you been all my life....

2011-08-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

I was telling a colleague at work one day recently how frustrating it was to email documents to myself if I decided to work on them when I got home. And USB keys just don't cut the mustard with how inconveniant they are in case you lose them, forget them, or worse off, they lock on you like I've had many do before. I always found it such a daunting task at the end of the day to make sure I emailed myself the right versions of work, etc.

Enter.... "Dropbox".

My colleague mentioned this online service which you can register for, for free. It lets you save your documents on essentially a "server" where you get 2GB of space free. If you need more space you have the option of purchasing more GB each month at an additional cost. You download it on your personal computer at home, and then can download it on your work computer, and put files in your "dropbox" which you can then access in both locations. It is seriously the best thing since sliced bread. Why didn't I know about this before? Before I go home at night, I drop my files and then return home to find the right version, easily available at my finger-tips. And there is even cooler features, like people can access your "public" folder of files if you choose too, so the days of sending multiple emails with large images are gone!

Have you tried Dropbox yet?! If you haven't, you are missing out. If you have it downloaded, share your love stories with me!

This and that...

2011-08-08T18:02:00.002-04:00

A beautiful weekend has come and gone and as much as I got done this weekend, I also relaxed which was nice for a change. *A* and I made the hour trek on Sunday to the beautiful pictureque-town of Port Stanley which is located on the shores of Lake Erie. It is one of my most favourite places to visit and with the beautiful hot weather, it made for a perfect day on the beach :)

A few other life updates/random thoughts:

After a crazy bathroom renovation that saw my house look like more of a war-zone than a house, the reno is complete and looks awesome. I promise to follow up with a pic. Saturday though, was the final clean-up day, and in the clean-up process, it was decided that my 1970's style crushed-velvet couch also had to go to the dump :( My beloved brown couch and I have sentimental value because it has been with me since my first year of University. It was FREE to me when I first started AND all the guests that have ever stayed over always commented that it was the most comfortable couch to sleep on. I guess the time comes when you have to part ways and so sadly, here I am the last time before I said sayonara to the couch.

Have you heard of cone-ing? Look at this definition of cone-ing. Does this not seem just rediculous? Its such a waste of a good icecream cone!!!
Subway has new cookie called "Raspberry Cheesecake." It is to die for- they are like heaven in your mouth. I am going to try and make them tonight with this receipe that I found online. Its worth a try.
I'm sorry to those people who I JUST responded to now at my SFACG email. I hadn't checked it in almost a month and a half so I'm sorry if I made you feel neglected! Thanks for all the awesome emails too by the way :)
I am adoring my beautiful toes that are coloured with Sally Hansen's Mint Green nail polish. Its an amazing summer colour and makes me happy just looking at them :)
Speaking of being happy, I have finally got around to reading "The Happiness Project" which is one of the books on my summer read list. It is so inspiring and I love how witty the author is. I seriously think she is my twin. I am happy to report that I'm already feeling inspired enough to start my own "Happiness Project".. and I haven't even hit page 100 yet! We can all learn to be a little more happy each and every day.
And another thought about happiness- on Friday night, one of my good friends and former roommates came and visited us in *G* while she is home from Calgary. I can't believe how awesome it is when best friends can just pick up right where they left off. Its as if she didn't leave us at all- she's still the same girl that I came to know and love. It was awesome seeing you *M* :)

Reader advice on cameras....

2011-08-03T07:10:00.001-04:00

I am in need of some advice and feedback on cameras and thought that my blog would provide the perfect venue to get reader comments. I bet there are lots of experienced photographers out there who know way more than me about cameras and could provide some insight for me.

I have been in the hunt for a new camera for a while and even though I almost made an impulse purchase one random Thursday night after being discouraged with my current Kodak camera, I was able to resist the tempation and have started doing more thorough research on cameras before purchasing a new one. I have a basic point and shoot camera right now which I purchased about two years ago but I feel like I've grown out of it and want something a little more professional which can take better quality photos.

I am not quite ready to make the leap to a DSLR and neither is my bank account with the $500 price tag for a pretty basic DSLR, so I figured a mid-range point and shoot around the $250 mark would do me just fine.

I was on the Future Shop website recently and I think I've narrowed it down to 4 contenders (or variations of the following):

Fujifilm Finepix

Olympus Digital Camera

Nikon Coolpix

Canon PowerShot

A bone of contention I have with all of these cameras above though is that they are all battery operated, meaning they take double AA batteries, instead of having a wall mount charger. At first I hated the idea of having to use batteries but the more I've thought of having a battery operated camera, it isn't the worst thing, is it?! At least if you forget your camera cord or can't find it (like me usually!) you can at least go out and buy batteries wherever. And most of these cameras above come with re-chargable batteries anyway so it wouldn't be so bad.

I've also been reading some reviews on each camera and have found it hard to narrow it down to just one in particular. I do though, have soft spot for the Nikon Coolpix camera (in red) as it has received some rave reviews from people who own them and love them. I am open to hearing what readers think is the best camera so leave me a comment if you have time :)

Feeling inspired....

2011-08-02T17:01:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am still alive. Still kicking. Just not blogging.

I'm not sure if it is because of my hectic work schedule/travel adventures or because of some lack-lustre feelings that have kept me in the dark when it comes to continuing to blog, that I haven't blogged this summer.

I have been torn recently as to whether my blog was the right outlet to continue to share my thoughts/perspectives/goals/dreams and then I happened to stumble upon this blogger's recent run in with Marie Claire and I feel inspired again to share my story. Heck, if this blogger can have a national magazine feature her for a story then to only find out that they spun her story negatively, bashed her blog, and without her knowledge she STILL continues to blog, then I'm sure I can continue.

I'm also reading a great book written by Canadian-fashion innovator- Jeanne Beker- that has helped inspire me to return to blogging too. It didn't hit me until I read a part in Jeanne Beker 's book where she talks about her mother disapproving of her sharing too much about her life:

"Do you have to tell everything?" she'll ask me after reading a piece I've penned in the paper or hearing me interviewed. "Why not?" I'll ask, proud of the fact that I have nothing to hide. Then she'll mumble something about how people don't need to know everything. I understand her point. But I don't agree. We as humans are on this planet for such a limited time. All we have is one another. Sharing our stories, our hopes, our fears, our feelings is the best gift we can give to one another."

- Excerpt from "Finding Myself in Fashion" by Jeanne Beker

My generation thrives on sharing details and connecting with people on levels we have never seen before as a human race (whether this is good or bad, your opinion can differ). After reading Beker's book and hearing her perspective, I am inspired to continue to share with readers. If Jeanne Beker can come out and say that she believes in sharing stories and thoughts with complete strangers, then why should I not continue to use my blog as a creative outlet. I've loved and nurtured my blog for almost three years now and recently, have felt like there is a creative void in my life ..and I think I know what this was from.

The way I see it, every person who is successful or famous has always put their neck on the line, whether people liked it or not, and that is why people know who they are! You have to take that chance and those risks. I shouldn't be ashamed of what I have to share.. I have an amazing life with amazing people in it.. what is the harm is sharing some of that amazingness with readers who are willing to read?

Here is to feeling inspired and to more blogging....

Check back for more to come.

Girls weekend

2011-07-08T16:36:00.000-04:00

With the beautiful, hot weather that is forecast for this weekend, it couldn't be a better weekend than to spend it with my three besties from home :)

They are making the trek to the west of Toronto to spend a night in *G* before heading down to Toronto for some retail therapy and maybe take in a play or hit the beach.

What more could a girl ask for?

It has been a while since the four of us had time alone, just the four of us, to have fun. As we all know, as you get older, people's schedule get busy and everyone is running in different directions, making it hard to maintain great friendships.

I'm blessed for not only my three besties that are coming this weekend, but for all of my friends. Make sure to check back next week as I blog about all the happenings that are taking place right now with all my friends- a very exciting time indeed :)

Have an AWESOME weekend SFACG readers!

Summer reflection

2011-07-04T17:28:00.007-04:00

Although summer officially arrived two weeks ago and brought super warm temperatures along with it, I feel like it has been summer since the beginning of May. I think this year, Mother Nature forgot about spring and jumped right from winter to a beautiful summer (minus the rain of course) which I won't complain about. Its sad to think though that it is already July- before we know it, fall will roll in :(

This summer is shaping up to be a jam-packed summer- I guess the question, when is summer not busy? I guess I like it that way anyway. I always have things to do and people to see. But summer seems to fly by faster this way so I'm trying to soak in as much as I can.
While *A* has been gone home to enjoy Canada day long weekend with this family and friends, it has left me with a little more time to reflect and think of all the things I want to do this summer. Not all literally, but some things I just want to enjoy more than say "do" during the next two months.

Spend as much time possible with family- truly the most important people in the world
Appreicate simple things- sunsets, sunrises, calm water, beautiful colours, the smell of hay..
Enjoy things as they are and accept that I can't change all things that are bad or unfortunate in life. I think as soon as I live by this logic, then I'll be able to enjoy life a lot more :)
Good books
Long walks making sure to take in every detail along the way
Drive in my new car (since I love it so much!)
Suppers outside on my back deck both at home and on the farm

What do you plan on doing this summer?!

[Photo Credit]

What I'm reading- Summer 2011 edition

2011-06-15T17:39:00.001-04:00

I had a few readers ask what book I was reading this past weekend so I thought I would not only share what book I'm currently reading, but other books I plan on reading this coming summer. I don't want to hold myself to a list of books that I HAVE to read because for some reason, I epically failed at that last summer.

This past weekend I was reading "Well of Lies" which is an indepth read about the Walkerton Water tradegy that took place back in 2000. I seriously suggest this book to anyone who is looking for an awesome non-fiction, brain-blowing. super interesting book. I am almost done the book which I haven't been able to put down since I started it last Sunday. It recounts the whole tradegy from before the crisis and in the aftermath. I figure its good to stimulate the brain and learn something after reading a fiction chick-lit book like I just finished a few weeks ago.

Other books I plan on reading this summer:

The Book of Negroes (My bestie gave this to me LAST summer and I still haven't read it.. I know I have to get this one read asap!)
Skinny B*tch
Are you there, its Me- Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang- Chelsea Handler
Water for Elephants- Sara Gruen
The Book of Awesome- Neil Pasricha
The 5 people you meet in heaven- Mitch Albon
How to win friends and influence people- Dale Carnegie
From this Moment On- Shania Twain biography
Omnivore's Dilema- Michael Pollan
Everyone Worth Knowing- Lauren Weisberger
The Starbucks Experience- Dr. Joseph Michelli
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen Covey

I also recently read "Heart of the Matter" by Emily Giffin which I couldn't put down. I always enjoy Emily Giffin's novels because they are an easy read and are so realistic in how they are written.

I'll be sure to add any other books I get out from the library along the way. If any readers out there have read any of these books above, let me know what you thought!

Check, check, and check

2011-06-13T17:14:00.005-04:00

What did I get up to this past weekend??

ü Ice cream treat with the family

ü “B” Champs with my team in a baseball tourney we were in on Saturday

ü Boating for the first time this summer, topped off with a tube ride where I hung on
for dear life and didn’t get thrown off J

ü Batting practice with my sister, *A* and my dad (which is a closet home-run hitter
and I didn’t even know?!)

ü Bonfire with friends

ü Helping with chores on the farm

ü Family brunch on Sunday

ü A beautiful afternoon of sitting on the porch, cuddle in a blanket with a good book
(which I seriously cannot put down!)

ü A scenic Sunday drive with *A* and my grandparents

ü Family supper to celebrate my grandparents 57^th wedding anniversary- so amazing
I know!

What did you get up too?! Hope you an awesome weekend :P

And I suddenly realized..

2011-06-10T16:30:00.001-04:00

That today marks exactly two years ago that I officially graduated from University. Its a scary thought, right? I can't believe how fast two years has flown. Its moment like this that I start to reflect how much has changed, happened, or been achieved in the last two years and then I'm not as hard on myself for wanting to be even farther ahead. Alot is happening right now, all good things of course, and I'm just trying to embrace it all and enjoy it while it lasts. A weekend home on the farm is much needed which is exactly where I'm heading as we speak. I'm not sure if its because I am a Cancer and am naturally a water sign, but I'm craving some time by the water either reading a book or trying to hang on for dear life on a tube while *A* or my father tries to whip me off. Either way, relaxing or whip lash, I'm going to enjoy it :D

And just for some Friday funnies to help you have a good chuckle, I shared the following video over at my Agricultural blog- Stories From a Farmer's Daughter. I seriously died laughing when I saw this video!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy Friday everyone :)

Event planner Extraordinaire

2011-06-07T19:15:00.002-04:00

I think in another life, I was an event planner. It is the perfect profession to go hand in hand with my Type-A, semi-OCD personality. Ogranizing things right down to a detail is something I love to do, but when it comes on top of what I already have going on in life, this could get just a wee-bit hectic.

I have been ~~plagued~~ (I joke!) pegged this summer, with undertaking the planning of my parents 25th anniversary party. I had offered to throw them a bash a little while back- a party of any size. While I am somewhat eating my words now as this small "get together" turns into more of a "small wedding,".. I am excited for the planning and to see how it all turns out.

Some things that I've quickly jotted down to remember when planning this party (which can be used for any party!!)

Need to pick a date and time
Establish location --> Inside, outside? Tent or not?
Pick a theme? If so, need to establish colours for invites, etc.
Create invites
Collect addresses of guests and send out invites
Determine whether you will do a full meal at the end of the event, or serve snacks all the way throughout?
Depending on this decision, hire a caterer if necessary?
Entertainment- band, DJ or simply, an i-pod?!
Decorations- are far should you go to make it fit your theme, or look fancy/casual?
Accomodations for guests and in our case, because we live out in the country, should we schedule transportation?
Games.. are they needed?

So as you can see, my jam-packed summer that I spoke of last week, is quickly filling up with what I like to think a second job of planning this party. Should be a blast though.. I've already enlisted the help of my friends for the weekend of the party so here goes nothing :)

[Photo Credit]

Branching out

2011-06-03T17:47:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if some of you have noticed when you view my profile, but I now have a new blog that I have created in order to branch out with the "Stories From a Country Girl" brand. I mentioned back a little while ago that I wasn't sure about continuing blogging here at SFACG because I wanted a forum to share my thoughts and perspectives on things only related to agriculture, which is my first love and passion. I had some awesome feedback from some AMAZING readers, who said I should keep blogging at SFACG.
While I wanted to keep blogging here at SFACG, I didn't want to change the focus of my blogging because I didn't think that was fair you, the audience. You guys are seriously the best.

So, what did I go and do? I went and created a brand new website known as "Stories From a Farmer's Daughter." It is fairly new, but I have some awesome blog posts lined up and some ideas that I am pretty excited about. My hopes is to not only share my farm-related experiences with you, but educate consumers or even agricultural community members on farming topics and agricultural news/events and put in my "two cents" on some agricultural issues out there.

I blogged today about my "unusual upbringing" as a Farmer's Daughter.. so I hope you enjoy :)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!!

When the days start filling up...

2011-06-02T17:35:00.001-04:00

Its sad how during the summer months, for some bizarre reason, the weekends seem to fill up in the blink of an eye. It is almost as if once May 1st comes, alarm bells start going off in the organizer and BAM, the weekends are seriously all filled up.

I mean, I'm not complaining at all. I love being busy, being social and seeing my friends/family. I just wish this type of business happened throughout the winter months when we all need a relaly good pick-me-up from the winter blues.

Top this summer off with two trips out West (one to Alberta for work and another to Manitoba for a wedding) and planning my parents 25th anniversairy party sometime in September; I would say this summer is looking like my busiest one yet!

Here is to (another) jam-packed summer :)

Proud of being a bandwagon jumper (in this case)

2011-05-31T20:28:00.000-04:00

I get accused by *A* all the time that I am a bandwagon jumper. We all know what bandwagon jumper means, right? When a person changes their sports team to a more favourable (and better) team or switches political parties at the last minute due to popularity. Yes, I get accused of this alot- I can't help it that the sports teams I cheer seem to do well every year!

With the latest news that the Winnipeg Jets may be returning to Manitoba's capital, I have been secretly hiding inside that I'm esatic. As a huge hockey fan, and Canadian hockey fan at that, I'm excited for the chance to cheer for another Canadian team, besides the Canucks, the Sens, Flames, Oilers, Leafs or Habs. Even with the Canucks in the Stanley Cup finals this year, I can't say I'm super esatic because ~~I'm not a bandwagon jumper~~ I've never been a huge Canucks fan to begin with. I just can't cheer whole heartedly for a team that I haven't really always liked (proving my theory that I'm NOT a bandwagon jumper :P) I can't say I have any allegiance with the Habs and me and the Leafs broke up years ago when they kept losing to Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres. I guess you could say I kind of liked the Sens the past couple of years but I really haven't been one of those fans who dawns that one jersey every game and is a die-hard fan for a certain Canadian team.

Now that the move is official of the Atlanta Thrasers to Winnipeg (just officially announced today) I can't help but rush to my blog and proclaim that I am going to be a huge Winnipeg fan, no matter how good or bad they are. I guess I kind of feel like I have a small connection to the Jets already because I date a native-Manitoban :) But I'm seriously so excited for the city of Winnipeg to get their team back. *A* still proudly displays his Jets jersey, as I'm sure many Manitobans do, almost as if they were holding on to the promise that one day the Jets would return.

And so, they have.

So *A*, if your reading this, just a fair warning that I would love a fancy red, blue and white jersey in a ladies small once the hockey season starts again in September :D

All things beautiful

2011-05-31T17:31:00.001-04:00

I got around to doing some "spring cleaning" on my blog.. Hope you like the new pop of colour. I've updated my profile, rearranged some things and updated the links on my blogroll on the right-hand side of the blog too.

Enjoy :)

I heart short weeks

2011-05-27T16:55:00.001-04:00

If I could take every Friday or Monday off so I worked a four day week, I would. I absolutely love short weeks. When you start the week, its all of a sudden over so fast- it is a great feeling. I'm heading home to the country again this weekend- something about going home to the farm on weekends in the summer that just makes me so happy :) There is always something to do, or help with, the smell in the air is so fresh from either the water close by or fresh cut grass. I love suppers out on our deck. Playing volleyball in our backyard. I heart sitting on the deck on the water, reading a good book. Taking walks with *A*. Cutting grass. Sounds like a dream eh?!

On a totally other seperate note, has anyone been watching the new show called "The Voice?" It isn't very often that I totally get into a new show. Recently though, I have been channel surfing and have stumbled upon"The Voice" which I have ended up watching for the entire time. Its kind of like American Idol, in that they are trying to find the next "big" singer, its quite different from any other show because there are teams, coaches, and sing-offs. I love it! Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the show unfolds since its a brand new show. Oh, how I love me some reality TV :)

I hope you all have an awesome weekend :)

We parted ways...

2011-05-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

Me and my old car, that is!

It has been in the works for some time now after my old car conked out on me a few weeks ago. I had been car shopping for months now trying to find "the one." To me, it was such a big deal to find the right car.. I didn't just want to settle. It had to have everything I wanted- be sporty looking, have a big trunk and interior because I love driving a big car, but be fuel efficient and obviously, a fantastic price.

And enter, my new car which was "the one"...

I picked this baby last night ( 2007 Toyota Camry SE) and it was the best feeling in the World! I seriously felt like I had stole the car out of the parking lot because of the awesome deal I got on it. Flashback- remember that Ikea commerical where the lady runs out of Ikea yelling "Start the car?!"

I laugh at that commerical EVERY TIME it comes on the TV!! That is how I felt last night driving away :)

I feel totally spoiled with a new car like this! I am taking it home to proudly show it off to the family. Now I kind of know how someone feels when they buy a new home or have their first child... I'm just so darn proud :)

Have an awesome long weekend everyone!

When life is good...

2011-05-05T12:08:00.000-04:00

Well hello there blogger friends. It has been a while. I owe you a post, don't I.

Of course, nothing is dull in this Country Girl's life. Always something going on or something to do. I just mentioned to *A* this past weekend that I don't think we'll ever be the type where we have nothing to do all weekend. Its just not bred in us and we are always busy doing SOMETHING (they don't call them busy bees for nothing right?!)

In the last week or so, I have drove in total, roughly 2,500km in just six days including a trip to and from Quebec. I moved (not houses, just bedrooms), which includes painting a new room (grey-tinted walls with one strong, grey accent wall.. love it!). I am preparing for a trip out to Halifax next week (work-related.. my first time out to Eastern Canada!) and I'm just really busy right now with work in general.

I am feeling a little bit of anxiety as well, on the blogging front. As much as I love this blog (and you, the readers and followers!), I am coming to a crossroads in terms of the existence of this blog. I want to have a blog that perhaps is a little more focused and specified on my passion for agriculture and I am not sure which outlet to do this at. You all started reading this blog for a reason, and more than likely, it wasn't because of agriculture. It was because of my random posts about anything really, and as much as I would love to keep things that way, I'm just realizing that perhaps a blog of this kind (without being anonymous) isn't really beneficial anymore :(

I haven't made up my mind officially, but I'm putting it out there. I'm doing some long, hard thinking about it all and we'll see what the outcome is soon enough. Its such a hard decision....

"Cluck, cluck"

2011-04-21T17:19:00.001-04:00

Everytime I see the Cadbury Egg commercials where the bunny goes "cluck, cluck" I get a good laugh. I figured I would extend the humour on my blog, and I mean come on, this bunny is so cute :)

I am heading home tonight to spend a weekend on the farm with the fam. Words can't even express how gitty I am to be returning home to the country. There should be lots of catch up, food, family gathering, chocolate, friend-time and me time :) I don't have anything really planned or thing to do which I love. No pressure to do anything but enjoy myself!

Here is wishing all your SFACG readers a Happy early Easter to you, your family and your friends :)

Why do people blow their tax refunds?!

2011-04-20T17:33:00.001-04:00

I am always surprised when it comes that time in April when everyone is abuzz on their blogs and their Facebook, stating that they just filed their income tax refunds and they are proudly going to go blow it on a shopping spree or take their yearly trip somewhere hot.

This always puzzles me, only because I think the total opposite when it comes to my tax refund. Because my tax refund is essentially "free money" as I view it, I pretend it doesn't even exist. I never plan on my tax refund because I'm never certain if I will get money back or the odd chance that heck, I'll have to pay. Yikes, that would suck! Because I never plan or budget my tax refund money, I never have anything planned to spend it on.

Yes, I could go out and blow it on numerous things that I "WANT" but do I need them? No. Could I go on a shopping spree like many times before? YES. Could I take a trip down south somewhere hot, since I've actually never been on a trip somewhere hot? YES. But do I want too? NO.

So everytime I've received my income tax refund I've either put it directly into my savings or used it to pay off my lovely student debt. And my plan is to continue to do this every year with my tax refund.. this "free money" as I call it will become my little pile of gold hiding away in my savings account. Just think, if you were to get even $1500 average every year for your tax refund and save it for $25 years at a 0.05% interest rate, you could have a down payment for a house!

When I think of it in terms like that, it definitely motivates me to continue to pretend as if my income tax refund doesn't even exist. I should be getting a nice little chunk of change again this year so I'm happy to report that my bank account will be safely eating it up :)

I wish I could be Limitless

2011-04-19T18:00:00.002-04:00

Has anyone out there in the blogger world saw the new movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper? *A* and I ventured out a few weekends ago to see it and we both loved it! It was a bit of a weird mix of drama, action, sci-fi, and even comedy at times. I thought I was going to hate it but by the end, I wanted to re-watch it!

Without spoiling the whole premise of the movie, essentially the movies' story line claims that we as humans only use 20% of our brain. By taking this pill in the movie, you can use 100% of your brain.

Let's just say, I wish I could take a pill of this kind that stimulates me to think clearly 100% of the time. The things the main character (Bradley Cooper) could do was unreal- type a novel in one night, learn the stock market and make hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As motivated as I am, sometimes its so hard to task myself with completing everything that I know I need too or should be doing on my To-Do list. Its one thing to write down everything you have to accomplish, but the hard part is actually DOING things.

Anyone know where I can get me a few of these pills? :P Ever feel the same way?

Cause I'm Country Strong...

2011-04-18T07:27:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I've been home to the family farm- over a month, which is a record for me. Weekends have been busy and full of lots of social activities, so it has been somewhat easier to be away for this long. It has been hard though to be away while there are so many exciting things going on. I often call home (and most likely bug my family) about how they are doing and what is happening. Spring is always a fun time on the farm- so beautiful with all the grass turning green. We also get geared up for all of the cattle shows coming up, so you can usually find me and my siblings out washing calves, and leading them. Let's just say that this Thursday can't come fast enough, when I return home for Easter weekend.

I eased the pain a little last week when I was somewhat homesick, by watching Country Strong with Gwenyth Paltrow.. I don't want to ruin the plot for those who haven't seen it but it was an awesome movie. A weird turn of events in the end, but the music was awesome and the whole country way of living, I loved.

It made me sad to watch it because it reminded me of how much I missed the country, but it made me even more excited to head home to the country this coming weekend.

It reminded me of the saying "You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl." Its so true :) Hope you all had an awesome weekend!

On a random Wednesday night...

2011-04-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

I love hump day aka Wednesdays. Only 48 more hours and the weekend is here again.. woohoo!! I'm also psyched because this week is flllyyyyiiinnnggg right by which means its going to be the weekend before I know it. This weekend coming up is extra special because a good friend of mine, who may just read this blog, will be getting married :) Also very exciting because all of our good friends will be under one roof, including one of my besties, *L* who is flying home specially for the wedding. I can hardly contain myself!!! Its going to be A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

On a random Wednesday night, what am I up too? Besides shooting off some work emails, watching the Stanley Cup playoffs (best time of year right now when the playoffs are on!) and trying to entertain the French election debate, I also have the most amazing 90's play list blaring in the background.

Here is just a sample for your listening pleasure:

Two Princes- Spin Doctors
Follow you Down- Gin Blossoms
Hold my hand- Hootie & the Blowfish
Save tonight- Eagle Eye Cherry
I'll be there- The Rembrandts
Run Around- Blue Traveler
Mr. Jones- Counting Crows
Breakfast at Tiffany's- Deep Blue Something
When I come around- Green Day
Flagpole Sitta- Harvey Danger
Fly Away- Lenny Kravitz
You get what you give- New Radicals
Losing My Religion- REM
Free Falling- Tom Petty
Wonderful- Everclear
She likes me for me- Blessed Union of Souls
1979- Smashing Pumpkins
Closer to Free- The Bodeans
All for you- Sister Hazel

I'm sure you've heard one of these (or all of them) in a 90's movie.. man I loved the 90's!!!! How amazing are all of these songs?

Can I just say...

2011-04-12T23:03:00.003-04:00

How much I love this Maxwell coffee commercial? Every time I watch this commercial on TV, it makes me laugh and smile.. this little girls optimism is so contagious!It makes me want to get up out of bed in the morning and stand in front of the mirror and scream all the things I love.

I'm going to do it...

2011-04-07T17:00:00.002-04:00

I'm going to be gutsy, take a chance on this horrific weather and finally pull out my flats from my closet and wear them tonight. If this weather gets better, maybe I'll even leave my socks and boots at home tomorrow and wear flats to work tomorrow.

Yikes, quite a gamle, but I'm soooo going to do it. Wish me luck (and hope that Mother Nature doesn't jinx me!).

blogger love

2011-04-06T17:49:00.003-04:00

For all you "blogger" bloggers out there (wow, that doesn't sound weird?!) have you checked out the new blogger feature called "Dynamic blogger view?" This allows you to view only "blogger" blogs in 5 different ways: mosiac, flipcard, timeslide, sidebar and snapshot.

Here is my dyanmic view in Mosaic. Its such a cool way to read and check out blogs by looking at pictures or blog titles quickly. If you click on the arrow beside the blog title you are viewing (you will see the arrow to the right of Stories From A Country Girl) then once you click the arrow, a drop down menu will appear and you can search your other favourite blogger blogs to check in on what they've been up too.

Just another reason why I love blogger :)

15 pairs of shoes every girl should own...

2011-03-30T18:35:00.001-04:00

Inspired by this post, I thought of the pairs of shoes I own (or wish I owned!) and thought it would be neat to share what 15 pairs of shoes I think every girl should have in their closet... these are based on my personal lifestyle of course :)

1. Gladiator sandals- check

2. Basic flats- check

3. Wedge sandals- check

4. Tall boot (preferably in taupe, tan or grey for Fall or Spring)- fail

Ten on Tuesday (5)

2011-03-29T17:05:00.001-04:00

As per usual, here is the Ten on Tuesday list from Roots and Rings.

1. What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then tried and liked?

I didn't like spinach as a kid but ever since trying it a few years ago, I have no problem eating it raw with salads and find myself using it alot to throw in for a recipe or in a smoothie in the morning. I also never thought I would eat asparagus but I LOVE it now.
2. Do you subscribe to any foodie publications? If so, which ones?

No, not any food magazines. I do subscibe to great food blogs that I follow and (steal) recipes from all the time- How Sweet it is= AMAZING! I also use to follow Rookie Cookie before she left the cooking blog-o-sphere :( Both have unbelieveable recipes which I borrow from all the time!

3. What ingredient do you find yourself reaching for the most when you cook?

Cinnamon and ginger. For some reason, every recipe that I make asks for a little of each of these. But I won't complain because I am a HUGE cinnamon fan!

4. Are there any foods that you hated as a child, but then learned to like as an adult?

Fish. Fish sticks that is. I didn't like even fish sticks as a kid and now I find myself having them probably once every two weeks for dinner. I still don't think I could eat real fish though that doesn't come in a breaded, stick form.

5. What do you like to eat that others may consider weird?

Big Macs!!! Not really weird, but people can't believe I eat so many. I blame it on the sauce. One day once I find the EXACT recipe for the sauce, I will eat it with everything! I can't resist a good Big Mac from time to time, or as it is, week to week. My bestie *L* will be able to relate :)

6. What is the weirdest ingredient you’ve ever cooked with?

This one is tough because I don't make a lot of recipes that have foreign ingredients. They are the pretty standard eggs, butter, sugar, etc. I guess I could say cilantro, which I had to Google to find out what it was (its a culinary herb!) because I had no idea if it was a plant, or could be found in the canned food section :P haha

7. Do you have any major food allergies?

No, thank heavens! I can't imagine watching what I'm eating because I could die from it. Yikes!

8. Is there an ingredient that you would like to cook with, but are intimidated to try?

I wouldn't say an ingredient, but I would love to try and make a Thanksgiving dinner but the idea of cooking a whole Turkey and baking a pie (from sratch) scares the crap out of me! I probably should try soon though...

9. Do you bake?

Yes, all the time! I love it!!! I usually bake on Sunday afternoons. My go-too recipes are apple crisp which I've been told is the best they've ever tasted, Hello Dolly's, and Cupcakes :)

10. If you could go on any “foodie” show to compete, which one would it be, and why?

Is it bad that I don't know of any "foodie" type shows so I can't really answer this question? I'm pathetic, I know. I don't really watch the Food Network or any cooking shows for that matter so I can't even begin to answer.

Gratitude and Worry

2011-03-28T17:30:00.001-04:00

I recently started a little tradition for myself. Everyday, I write down the 5 things that I am grateful for and happy about. As well, I sometimes write down 5 things that worry me or have me "unbalanced" in life.

My list last week for example, after the snow storm last Wednesday, looked something like this- 5 things I am happy for:

My big, sturdy car that makes me feel safe while driving in bad snow storms
My bf- cause he's simply the best and I couldn't have met anyone better :)
A sunny day- that is enjoyable to drive in
Going home to the farm
Freedom to be creative and innovative at my job

I think that its important to always know what your thankful for because it keeps everything in check with things go wrong. By starting out with my list of 5 happy things, it makes my worry list seem to miniscule and pointless. As much as I realize I have had a lot of "unexpected" things come up in my life, I also have so much more to be grateful for :)

Do you ever keep a list of the things your grateful for?

Things I've gotten a lot better at...

2011-03-25T16:15:00.001-04:00

Wow, this week has flown! But I can't say I'm complaining that its Friday. Its beautiful out- the sun is shining. And even though there is a large amount of snow on the ground, I am optimistic that it will be gone very soon so I can surely pull out those flats again! I am heading home to the farm this weekend- I hear there is no snow there so maybe I'll enjoy my first real Spring-like weekend. I don't have anything planned (which is awesome!) but I did bring home a few great books, I'll help with chores, do some baking and visit with friends and family... sounds so relaxing :)

In honour of it being Friday, I thought I would write a tribute post to who other than, moi, to give myself a pat on the back for the things that I've gotten a lot better at in the past few weeks/months....

Throwing things out!
Avoiding sales and buying just because its a sale
Cleaning out junk I don't need
Putting stuff somewhere and remembering where it is (I use to forget stuff alllll the time)
Packing light for travel (I am only bringing one little bag home to the farm this weekend! Yay me!)
Cooking great meals
Putting together pretty great outifts for work and coordinating things from my closet that I haven't worn in a while
Enjoying the finer things in life (flowers, walks)
Cleaning out my Google Reader.. sorry if you were cut :(
Using the library instead of buying books (woohoo, this was my Lent promise!)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone :D

Wowzers...

2011-03-23T17:43:00.001-04:00

While this picture isn't from my yard or anything, this pretty much depicts what we woke up too in Southern Ontario this morning. Spring was here just a mere 12 hours ago and BAM Winter returned!!! Come on, Mother Nature! Give us a break... it has been WAAAYYY too long of a Winter season.

And here I was, moving out all my Winter clothes out of my closet and looking for cute, flats for the expected Spring warmer weather. Yay, right!

Its hard on days like today with the snow, overcast, cloudy skies to remain positive and upbeat when the air doesn't seem to be getting any warmer and the sun isn't coming out to say hi.

Days like today, I just want to crawl back into bed with a good book and read myself to sleep. Perhaps that's a good idea tonight, because I really can't do anything else with all this snow around :S

For all of you who are enjoying Spring-like temperatures and long days of sunshine and warmth, I am sooo envious of you!!!!

My first Happy Friday post in a loooooonnngg time....

2011-03-18T17:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone!

I can't believe how fast the weeks are flying. I have already been at my new job for two weeks now! Crazy! I think that is a good sign when the weeks fly by and you don't even notice!

The drives to work are really enjoyable because not only do I get to do a scenic tour of the countryside while I drive (which is AMAZING compared to the 401) but I recently downloaded the Top 250 songs of the 90's!!!! You can only imagine some of the treasures I have found while shuffling through the songs. So many surprises- songs I loved growing up and kind of forgot about or didn't know who sang the song. They have made for really enjoying "roadtrip" like drives to work.. screaming at the top of my lungs singing the wrong lyrics, included :)

The weather looks fab outside for the weekend ahead, I think Spring is truly here to stay now! Sunday makes it official that Spring is here. I am already looking forward to using my beautiful deck and sitting down with a good book and glass of wine during the late, warm summer nights.

Sigh.

Until then, I will take this warmer, snow-free weather and enjoy it! I have a full weekend ahead with great friends, including a special friend who is flying back from Calgary to come celebrate her birthday in G. And of course, College Royal Open house weekend is upon us, so I will go and visit my old stompin' grounds.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Ten on Tuesday (4)

2011-03-16T20:49:00.003-04:00

1. What is your cleaning style like?
I can't go to bed with clutter or a mess. It drives me insane. Sometimes "out of sight, out of mind" works for me in order to go to bed but it drives me crazy knowing that there are things "hidden" that need to be cleaned. I like to organize piles of things I have to clean as well. A little OCD, I know!

Usually a pair of big earrings, definitely a pair of high heels and a belt of some sort to spice it up.

3. Do you like stormy weather?
Kind of. I like summer storms when its a warm breeze and it rains but I'm not a huge thunder storm fan and definitely hate snowy stormy weather in the Winter.. thank heavens there shoudn't be anymore snow now for months! (Knock on wood!)

4. What is your favorite cold treat on a hot day?
Anything from Dairy Queen.

5. What is your favorite warm treat on a cold day?
Starbucks Hot Chocolate (sooo yummy yet so expensive) or a bowl of soup :)

6. Who is your favorite animated character?
I had to come back to this one because to be honest, I couldn't think of one off the top of me head but I did love watching Inspector Gadget as a kid and I do remember watching the Roger Rabbit movie and loving Jessica Rabbit! LOL

7. What do you keep your jewelry in?
A hanging organizer that I have in my closet that has a seperate holder for each pair of earrings/rings/bracelets.

8. Do any of the rooms in your house have a theme?
Not really. In terms of a colour scheme- for my bedroom when I moved in last Fall, I wanted a black/white/red theme with blue accent walls which I think turned out just as I had hoped!

9. Do you watch any interior design TV shows – if so, what is your favorite?
*A* and I love HGTV and I've really come to love interior design and decorating. I only wish I had a house of my own to decorate from top to bottom. I really, really love the show "Love it, or List it" because its awesome to see how Hilary transforms an existing place into some so amazing!

10. When was the last time you did something risk-taking?
As much as I think I like to take risks, I am much more of a "planning person" so I'd have to have something all planned out before I just go ahead and do it. The last thing I did that was "risk taking?" Take a different scenic route from work to get home- I even used a map I had printed off the internet instead of using my GPS. It was a beautiful drive. Now how's that for risk taking?! :P haha
2. What is your favorite thing to add to an outfit to take it from casual to classy?

I have left the big smoke...where the heck did I go?!

2011-03-09T16:45:00.002-05:00

And by the big smoke, I mean Toronto.

It has been a somewhat stressful/traumatic few weeks or past month because I had to deal with the pressures of choosing a new job/career while still balancing the act of doing my current job (which is now my old job, if that isn't too confusing for ya). It was exhausting and exhilarating, scary but exciting, and all at the same time.

Once I had finally made up my mind on what career path I had chosen, I had to say my goodbyes to people who I had gotten really close too at my old workplace and leave a position/project that I truly believed in and wanted to help see through to completion. But, you don't always get to do what you want, and another opportunity came up that I just couldn't turn down.

Which leads me to... where am I now? The job of my dreams, in the industry that I was born to be in-- the agricultural industry, specifically, the dairy industry. I know I haven't been the best blogger lately and had promised back a month ago that I would still continue to blog even though I was doubting if I should continue or not. But, here I am- better late than never, right?!

What else have I been up too, in the mean time you might ask?

Visited Ottawa with *A* for the first time back a few weekends ago
Skated the Rideau Canal- the whole way! 7.8 km one way and back!
Ate in total, 6 beavertails between *A* and I in less than 48 hours
Gave a presentation on my European travel adventures
Spent 7 glorious days at home on the farm- taking a majorly needed vacation after I finished my old job, to help prepare for the new job
Took a business/personal trip to New Mexico for a conference that truly opened my eyes and made me realize why I love the dairy industry so much. Met AMAZING people.. I know I'll look back on this conference as a monumental stepping stone in my life :)
Started my new job this past Monday and am loving every minute of it (even including the commute which sees me only driving 1.5 hours a day- waayyyy better than the 3 hours I was doing into Toronto!)

And here's me in Ottawa on our trip.. standing of course in front of the Parliament Buildings.

And I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of those who emailed me and messaged me with your kind words wondering where the heck I had gone. I don't want to say blogging wasn't a priority for me, but it definitely took a back seat in terms of what I was doing the past couple of weeks. I am glad to be back to a "normal routine" and look forward to getting back to regular blogging... so watch out for more from SFACG!

This one's for you Stace

2011-01-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

I was called out this past weekend for my lack in blogging from one of my best friends. I was lucky enough to head home this past weekend to the country and finally get to catch up with my three best friends from home on Friday night.

I already had realized that as of late, I have been a terrible blogger. I’m not sure if its because of lack of motivation, or just too much going on in terms of the career front. I have to also admit that I’ve also been somewhat second guessing this whole blogging with the World- which is a battle us non-anonymous bloggers have to face each day when we blog and tell the World about our whole life story.

What I’ve come to realize is that the idea of shutting down my blog makes me more sad than happy because I’ve met such an amazing group of people from blogging. All the while, I’ve been able to share stories, thoughts, teach and help others and also learn so much from other bloggers/commenter’s. And so, the blogging will continue..

So I thought I would return to blogging by dedicating this post to my bestie Stacy who motivated me to blog again. Because like she said, "it had been a while since I had blogged- what was wrong with me?!" Haha

Thanks for the motivation Stace! Its great knowing that you read my blog :)

My worst customer service experience EVER

2011-01-23T23:08:00.000-05:00

I thought I should share with readers what I am experiencing as the worst customer service I have ever encountered.I'm not sure if those of you who have used Aeroplan before to book flights, rental cars, etc have had the same problems as I'm experiencing, but I thought I would share for some sort of "release therapy" after this frustrating situation which has been ongoing since last Monday.

Long story short- I'm trying to book flights through Aeroplan for my trip in March to New Mexico. Because my parents have a lot of Aeroplan miles that they must use soon, they said I could book through their Aeroplan miles.

I have attempted to book the flights I'd like about 25 different times now but for some reason, I can't book online, and for various reasons.

Once it was because the connecting flight was too short to book (but I called into Aeroplan and TWO customer service agents guaranteed me that the connecting flight should have booked as they were enough time to get my luggage from one plane to the next). The worst part? All 3 flights that were left for the departure flight on the date I wanted, all had the same connecting flight times so I had no other option to book any other flights! Why would they even list the flights as options to book, if you can't book them online due to the short connection time?

So then I called Aeroplan again (this was probably about call attempt #5 and costly cellphone minutes wasted) and voiced my frustrations as to why I couldn't book online, etc. They said they would gladly help me book the flights I want, but at a cost of $30!!!! Come on! I told them I could do it on my own and are quite capable of booking the flights on my own.. but only if their website worked!!!!!!

After a two hour conversation last Friday night, I hung up in total utter shock and disgust. I had heard about 5 different stories from 5 different customer service agents. When I finally talked to someone who was willing to help me book (at the fee of $30), they informed me that the flights were all booked for the flights I was looking to fly in/out of New Mexico on. Well, why would the website even list the flights as options then if the flights are all booked? AND, why does the error message at the end when I was trying to book not say "FLIGHT FILLED- AT CAPACITY" instead of something like "Credit Card authorization failure".. which leads me to believe that my credit card isnt' working??!!! AND, I've tried BOTH of my credit cards??!!!!

The best part, is that I checked flights again today and there were a few more flight options added so I immediately tried to book the flights. AGAIN, I got the credit card error message!! So in a final attempt to book these flights, I tried to call in to get a customer service agent to book my flights for me (and at this point, I am willing to pay the $30 for someone to book these flights for me!) and heaven forbid, the contact centre number, which I have become so familar with, HAS A BUSY SIGNAL!!!! What corporate contact centre has a busy signal.. is that even an option to have a busy signal when you have a call centre with a company as big as Aeroplan?

I totally know why there is a busy signal though... because the website isn't working for anyone else either, and so everyone is frantically calling in to book their flights.. all at an extra cost of $30!!!!!! Aeroplan gets ya eh? You save money on your flights but then they get you in return by asking for a $30 booking fee!!!

Because of everything that has happened with Aeroplan, I have fully come to believe that in an attempt to make more $$$$ from customers, Aeroplan is intentionally making the website inefficient and not able to book flights with so customers HAVE to call in to book for $30! Every time I tell a customer service agent about my problems I have encountered and how I believe it isn't fair that customers who are capable of booking online having to pay a $30 booking fee, they all respond (and even their Managers respond the same way) that they can't do anything about it. My idea would be to waive the fee for people who had technical issues on the website like any other good company would offer... but not Aeroplan!

Please tell me a reader out there is maybe in the same predicament.. and it isn't just me?? Or maybe you've had a good customer service experience with Aeroplan... I would LOVE to hear of those stories too so I have a little faith knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel?! By reading the man reviews online about how inefficient and non-customer service oriented Aeroplan is, I think there are many people out there that share my same disappointment with Aeroplan.

I'm sorry for the Sunday night rant, but I had to share this post as an outlet for my frustrations. And maybe out of all of this, I MAYBE will get to book my flights in time before this actual trip even takes place?!!!!

If there are any Aeroplan Gods reading this blog post, please contact me at storiesfromacountrygirl@gmail.com.. I would LOVE to chat please :) Thanks!

Sincerely frustrated Country Girl

Did I just say, house hunting?!

2011-01-19T16:46:00.003-05:00

Some of you on Twitter first saw about two weeks ago that I said I had went house hunting. Then I mentioned it again last week on my blog that I had went to see my first house. Before anyone gets any crazy ideas that I am all of a sudden moving, no worries, I am staying put where I am :)

BUT, I did in fact go to see my first house showing; a very educational and fun experience. I have been house hunting before with *A* but have never went to see my very own house and have the realtor tour me around as a potential house buyer. It was a neat feeling and also inspirational because as I walked through the house, I was constantly thinking of ways that I could make the own "my own" and better.

Not that I'm looking to purchase a house any time in the short term, but it was a house that was super close in location to my current place so I thought, why the heck not go and check it out?! The price was also right and it had exactly what I am looking for in a future house- a second entrance with an apartment downstairs (that I could potentially rent!) and then just a simple bedroom/washroom/office/kitchen/living room upstairs for me. It needed a few simple touches that would have made a huge difference in the house- new paint colours, new hardwood floors, new kitchen cupboards/appliances and a few structural things downstairs to make it apartment-renter friendly, but it had potential. And, it was a larger-than-average corner size lot :)

All in all, it would have been a perfect starter house and really, the perfect price and size for me to take care of for my first house, but it just isn't the right time for me to buy. Like the stars aligining, things have to align when your making a major purchase like this. I don't think I could own a house and do the necessary fix ups in the short term while I'm commuting still with my job. And on top of that, I haven't even had the inital conversation with my bank to discuss mortgages, etc which is something I need to do. I have written this down in my planner to schedule a meeting soon :)

Not surprisingly, the house sold a few days after, and for more than they were asking. I was kind of sad to see such a great opportunity past but *A* was quick to remind me that there are a million other houses out there, and I realize, this was only my first house hunting experience! I know there will be plenty of more to come :)

I know I'm not going to be purchasing a house in the short term but its a new avenue that I'm excited to explore in the near future!

Ten on Tuesday (3)

2011-01-18T23:16:00.002-05:00

Taken weekly from Roots and Rings.

1. What’s your favorite color to paint your nails?

I love painting my nails but am always disheartened by two things- 1) that it takes awhile to get your nails painted perfect and then need so much them time to sit and let them dry and 2) I hate how nailpolish chips off so fast :( In saying that, I love experimenting with new colours- nothing too loud and bright though because of the workplace.I love my new Joe Fresh "Storm" colour which mixes a dark grey colour with a hint of purple. I also love dark reds, black and light pinks/rose colours.

2. Do you like to sneeze?

Yes, but I hate the feeling when you have to sneeze and it tickles your nose but you can't sneeze, even when you look up to the light!

3. How often do you fill up your car with gas?

Usually once every week and a half or so. My car doesn't get used very often so I don't have to fill it up as often (which is great because my car is not that gas efficient!). I shriek everytime I see the cost to fill up my car :S

4. Were you named after anyone?

I think I remember my mom saying that my first name, Christina came from a Princess Christina of some country, but I can't quite remember. And I'm almost positive that my middle name Louise came from one of my great aunts.

5. Have you made any good recipes lately?

On the weekend, I made an unbelievable chili recipe which I pulled from the Canadian Living website. I tweeked it a bit but it turned out AMAZING. Glad I get to share it now with readers.. here it is:

Slowcooker Beef Chili
2 tbsp tbsp(25 mL) vegetable oil

2 lbs hamburger
1 large white onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbsp(15 mL) dried oregano
1 can(28 oz/796 mL) stewed tomatoes
1 can(5-1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
1 can(19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can(19 oz/540 mL) red kidney beanred kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp(25 mL) (25 mL) chili powder
1/2 tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) salt
1 sweet green peppers, diced
*For cooking instructions, see the receipe here.

6. What’s an easy money-saving tip that you use regularly?

Stop getting money out of the ATMS! This is such a costly fee that adds up over time. I always make sure to have enough cash out in advance.

7. Would you rather have a sore throat or an ear ache?

Both of these are terrible to have, but probably an ear ache.. you can take medicine that will make it somewhat better in the short term. Sore throats seriously make me feel so bad and always last more than a few days. Especially in the workforce, if you have to talk during meetings, etc, sore throats are soooo frustrating!!!

8. Do you have any scars? What are they from?

I have a small one on my hand but I don't even remember what it is from. I don't think I have any other ones either :)
9. What are you “known for” in your circle of friends/family?

Loving All Dressed chips and having a stomp-and point dance move :) This question makes me laugh because I know my friends who read this are laughing too :) hahaha

10. How do you like to eat your pancakes?
I'm a plain Jane.. I like to eat my pancakes with just the plain ol' maple syrup. Sometimes I like to spice it up and add a little butter and brown sugar... yum!

I always knew it...

2011-01-14T16:20:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was quite a day.

The news reported that Target has bought Zellers and will introduce new Target stores in Canada beginning in 2013. I share fellow blogger Savvy Homegirl's excitement for these new stores but will be a bit sad to see Zellers disappear. Especially because of their Jules & Julia jewlery line and my fav line- Alfred Sung. Target, if your reading this, can you please ensure you keep these two.. thanks :P

AND, the other interesting news, was that astrologers believe that the zodiac signs are one month out of whack because of the suns movement. This kind of excites me because I have thought all my life that I am a Gemni, and yesterday, it was confirmed that I am in fact a Gemni!

Now, I know it has said that these signs are only true for people born after 2009, and while some of you won't follow the new changes, these changes confirm exactly what I thought all along- that I am a true Gemni and I fully intend on believing them! Although, there are major conflicting reports that these new zodiac signs aren't applicable to Western society, etc, etc...

P.S. Can I also just mention that I am soo excited because I finally have a one-cup coffee brewer at my desk!!! My mom gave it to me back a while ago but it wasn't until recently, when a co-worker of mine got her's set up that I thought it would be a great idea if I busted mine out! Now I can easily make a cup of coffee at my desk (I love the aroma when its brewing!) AND I don't waste any leftover coffee that I don't drink (Can you call me eco-friendly?!)

P.P.S. Soooo looking forward to this weekend... I want to go see the movie The Dilema (huge Vince Vaughn fan!) and then tomorrow night- its me, *A* watching the Worst vs. the Worst- aka. the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Calgary Flames! I've only been to a Leafs game once so I'll be excited to head back to the ACC (even though I'm a Sens fan.. boo you Leafs fans :P).

Big weekend ahead and I'm going to love it!! Have an awesome weekend everyone!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!!

[Photo Credit]

Where I've Been....

2011-01-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

Where have I been you might ask? I have been rather absent from the blog-o-sphere, haven't I? I've been busy doing multiple things, including any of the following...

Visiting my family
Doing a lot of email/project catch up
Working on weekends (boo)
Doing Christmas returns
House hunting (more to come on this!)
Reading an awesome organization book- the one below!

Doing some major career thinking/planning
Making list on top of list of things I have to do
Loving my new blackberry (I actually typed this list up on my blackberry while I was at the gym, and also listening to music on my BB! Talk about multi-tasking right)
Starting the New Year off right with the motto: LESS IS MORE!!!

I'm sorry for my absence.. there is seriously not enough time in the day to get all the stuff I want to get done, accomplished, while maintaining my sanity and having a break here and there with friends and *A*.

I will get back to regular blog-broadcasting next week :)

My love for cooking/baking... can be expensive

2011-01-06T07:45:00.001-05:00

I am a sucker for a good recipe. In the past few years, I have come to LOVE cooking and baking. But what I am realizing is that it can be an expensive hobby if you like to try a lot of new recipes, which is me.. all the time!

I guess it can be expensive in general, if you have to buy all the necessities like flour, oats, baking soda, certain spices, etc. I feel like I finally have bought enough of the "staple" baking/cooking items that from what I have, I could make many, many different recipes. The problem is, I read all of these great magazines like Inspired (Sobeys magazine), Canadian Living, Real Simple, etc and they all have these amazing recipes that call for ingredients that are more "one time buys." That is when it then becomes costly.

I'd love to hear what you do to curb your grocery shopping habits to help to accomodate new recipes. I guess I should probably take an inventory of everything I have in the cupboards and the fridge and try and find recipes that can be made from what I have, instead of going out everytime and buying new ingredients.

Even though its so. freakin'. tempting :(

Here are some NEW receipes I have tried recently:

Green Beans With Roasted Garlic & Parmesan
Lime & Mixed Bean Fajitas
Rustic Chicken Mushroom Stew
Chocolate Peanut Butter squares (amazing!) by the Frugal Girl

And here are some recipes I have "starred" to try soon:

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark by How Sweet it Is
Chicken & Rapini Manicotti
Spinach Mac & Cheese
Baked Rigatoni Marinara
Chocolate & Cherry Granola Bars
Tomatoe & Cheese stuffed Zucchini
Pita Pizzas from Girl with the Red Hair
Cinnamon Balsamic Apple desert from How Sweet it Is
Cream Cheese Carrot Cake from The Simply Luxurious Life
Homemade donuts from Sew Many Ways
Skillet Tacos by I'm an Organizing Junkie

Better late than never...

2011-01-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

I apologize for my absence in blogging. I have fully shut myself off from the "techno" world and have been doing nothing really related to blogging/emailing/surfing the web or really accomplishing anything and I am OK with it.

It is just today that I logged on to my Google Reader to see that I am quite behind in my "bleading"- stands for blog reading. I also realized that I have only blogged really once since I came home for the Christmas break and haven't even attempted to blog and catch up readers on what I've been up too.

All I can say is that I am LOVING my time out West visiting *A* and his family/friends. We had an amazing New Years last night. So far, this is one of the best Christmas breaks I've taken- I've been able to really "shut off" the part of my brain that is all about work/to-do lists, etc and enjoy every moment of the break. *A* and I were just saying how we haven't really thought that much about work which we have to go back too next Tuesday. I guess its good we have totally shut out "work" while we have been vacationing- it will start back up before we know it!

I hope everyone had an amazing New Years! I don't think I will be setting out resolutions for myself this year like I did last year as I don't really want to set out a list for myself that I don't accomplish, but more to come about that soon. I always have loved New Years as its like a new school year- a fresh new start with a whole new year of possibilities/opportunities. 2010 was great to me but I am really excited to see what 2011 has in store. As they say, out with the old, and in with the new!

Happy New Years Everyone!! Best wishes for an amazing 2011! See you all when I get back to the "real world" of normal rountines :)

[Photo Credit]

Ten on Tuesday (3)

2010-12-28T13:44:00.002-05:00

Hello blogging World! I am still alive and kicking. Just taking a well needed break from everything- trying to limit my time on email and the internet which is hard to do now that I have a blackberry and checking websites, etc can be so accessible at any time. I'm doing a lot of stuff on the farm to help out, baking/cooking, packing for my trip out West, and watching some great movies/TV.

One thing I have also been doing is reading some great books and catching up on my blog reading through Google Reader. I saw the Ten on Tuesday post today from Roots and Rings and had to blog, even though I'm on a bit of a blogging hiatus. I am always excited to see what the next ten on Tuesday list will be and always love responding :)

1. What was the number one item on your Christmas wishlist?

I shared a wishlist of Christmas items a few weeks before Christmas. I'm at that age where if I dont' get something I really wanted, I'm not devastated. I was sooo fortunate this year that I received quite a few things off of my list and even more great things that I loved. Things like a new pair of winter boots, a beater from my Aunt Kathy, an external hard drive for my laptop from Andrew and Burberry Brit perfume which smells amazing were some of the gifts I got :)

2. Did you get the number one item on your Christmas wishlist?

While I didn't have a #1 item per say, I did receive a lot of things I wanted for Christmas, and more!!! I'm so lucky :)
3. How long has it been since you’ve had a pedicure?

I usually only splurge on a pedicure/manicure once a year- usually in the Spring/early Summer. The last one I had was this past summer.
4. How cold is it in your city today?

Today is soo much warmer than it was yesterday- thank heavens! At one point today, it was above 0 which is awesome for this time of year. Its about -1 as we speak (or blog!).

5. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Usually only one pillow but it has to be a big fluffy pillow- so sometimes two if needed.

6. Can you roll your tongue?

Nope, I can't! I've tried a few times but can't seem to learn and its not really on my high priority list to learn either :S

7. Do you always buy the same mascara or do you try new ones each tube?

For a while I used the same one but in the last few years, I've tried a few different kinds and have settled on two favourites- Maybelline lash stiletto and Maybelline Falsies Volum Express mascara.

8. What’s your favorite cookbook?

The Fanny Farmer Cookbook. I actually got my very own cookbook this year for Christmas from my mom! I always loved that cookbook growing up- my mom had her own copy and cooked/baked the greatest recipes from it! I'm excited to try a bunch of new recipes once I get back into the cooking groove at home.

9. What was your first pet?

My first dog we had when I was a small child was Ringo. Loved that dog.
10. Do you wear jewelry on a daily basis?

Yes, I always have my U of Guelph grad ring on and am always wearing a pair of earrings, whether they are studs or large hoops. I feel naked if I don't wear my ring/earrings!

30 day challenge..

2010-12-28T07:10:00.002-05:00

Many of my friends on Facebook, and now a few bloggers as well, have started doing the 30 day challenge, where you post a different picture of something depending what each day asks for.

I always thought this was kind of neat but that it would take alot of time, especially if I did it on Facebook b/c I'm not on Facebook as much as I am blogging. And so, I have decided that come December 1st, I will do the 30 day challenge on my blog :) I have included a new page tab at the top of my blog that lists the 30 day challenge with each day's description so you can follow along easily but I'll be sure to post each day for the month of December.

Make sure to stay tuned starting in a few days!!!

This 30 day challenge list below was taken from the list Facebook provided.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of your night
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture and a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss
Day 31 - A picture of yourself

Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad

2010-12-25T10:00:00.010-05:00

[Photo Credit]

What can I say, other than hope you are having a beautiful Christmas morning!!!! Hope you got everything you asked for and more!

Merry Christmas and all the joy over the holiday season everyone!

[Photo Credit]

On the eve of Christmas...

2010-12-24T19:37:00.002-05:00

I hope you all are close to friends, family and loved ones tonight as we celebrate the gifts that Christmas brings- and I'm not talking about the actual gifts that Santa will leave under the tree for us. Coming home for the holidays and being surrounded by such amazing family and friends makes me feel so blessed for all I have and the gifts that I've received throughout my life.

What you sometimes forget to remember during the holiday season when your busy preparing, shopping for others, scrambling to get last minute things done, etc, is that some people spend Christmas and the holiday season away from their loved ones, perhaps they celebrate Christmas alone, don't have proper finances to celebrate Christmas at all and others may not be able to provide themselves with a roof over their heads, a warm bed, and/or a nice meal.

We should all count our blessings tonight as Christmas is upon us and reminds us of all the important things in our lives.

[Photo Credit]

I feel so lucky to be back on the farm now- home for the holidays- always a place I love to be this time of year :)

Hope you all have been good and Santa treats you well tonight!

(Early) Merry Christmas!!!

And for a cute laugh on Christmas eve- did you hear in the news about this "flash choir mob" that took place in the mall of a community in Ontario- in Welland? Check out the video below- it will bring a smile to your face- such a neat Christmas idea!

I have entered a new era...

2010-12-22T07:45:00.001-05:00

Well folks, I did it. I left the cellphone era and bought a.... blackberry this past weekend!!!! I am seriously as excited as all the exclamation marks show!!

I have been contemplating this for a while, and even shared on my blog how I'd hope to buy a blackberry now that Koodo has their great promotion on until December 31st.

While some of those younger teeny-boppers already-blackberry-experts may be looking at me in disgust while I excitedly yell to the World that I have finally entered the 21st century, I don't care how stupidly excited I probably look or sound that I finally got a blackberry. This is a big deal OK, even for this Country girl.
Koodo mobile has been awesome to deal with- I would definitely recommend them for anyone considering changing cellphone companies or shopping around for a new cellphone service provider. I am going to try and even get my dad/brother to sign up with Koodo. After a few phone calls and a few visits to a Koodo retailer in the mall, I was certain that I had made up my mind with the purchase of a blackberry. As it turns out, with all the promotional deals with the holiday season, I am only going to be paying roughly $8-$15 more per month for my blackberry and with a full data plan too!

I've already started taking a liking to my new phone- I had a $50 Future shop gift card so I bought a 8GB memory card and a fancy red case. I've downloaded all my songs onto my blackberry so I can use it as an i-pod and have started to play around with some of the apps. Did you even know you can scan other's blackberry-users bar codes to add them as blackberry messenger contacts?! Crazy eh?!

Ten on Tuesday (2)

2010-12-21T08:03:00.001-05:00

Here it is again folks.. Tuesday already! And only 4 days left until Christmas- OMG!!! In tribute to the fourth day of Christmas, I had to post this cute pic of "4 calling birds". I seriously can't believe that Christmas is this close- I am starting to get super excited to head home to the country and celebrate Christmas with my family :)

I am also happy to report that I have all of my Christmas shopping done- thank heavens! I was in the mall on Saturday- it was CRAZY! *A* and I are exchanging gifts tonight before he leaves to head back to the homeland for Christmas holidays :)

Oh and I FINALLY got through my Google Reader and was even able to complete the Ten on Tuesday list taken again from Roots and Rings- stop by for a look :) Here is the list:

1. Do you do any volunteer work?

I don't do as much as I use to in University. To be honest, I feel like I don't have as much time now as I use too when I was in University because of my 3 hours of commuting and sometimes being in Guelph and other weekends at home in the country. I guess that's a poor excuse though- I could find more time. While in University, I was involved with many student volunteer organizations on campus- probably about 4 or 5 different organizations and I was also a Big Sister and did work with my church from time to time. Currently, I help with two volunteer organizations, help with the 4-H program and am a member of a committee which is helping to put on an International conference next September 2011.

2. Do you have night and/or morning ritual?

I for sure have a morning ritual/routine that I do every morning and if I don't do it exactly each time, I get totally flustered. I have my morning routine down to a minute- I get up at the same time, get ready in the same way, and get into my car each morning at the exact time, in order to make it to the bus stop in exactly 5 minutes. Once I get to work, I always enjoy a cup of coffee to start my day off while I catch up on old emails and prep for the day :)

3. Would you rather exercise or diet? Why?

Exercise for sure. In those high school years where all your consumed with, is how you look, I tried dieting- nothing extreme, just more watching what I ate and wrote down what I ate- kind of like a "weight watchers" style of dieting. Now I've realized as I've grown up that you can truly eat whatever you want, you just have to be able to exercise it off, and obviously to help the cause- eating smaller portions and limiting certain things you eat would be a good idea so you have a headstart before you even have to go to the gym. Exercise is seriously key though- on days/weeks where I don't exercise, I even feel bad about myself. I think exercise is an amazing stress reliever and great mind-building activity.

4. If you would rather exercise, do you prefer going to a gym or working out at home?
Definitely working out at the gym. Going to a place that is entirely dedicated to "working out" gets me in the right frame of mind. I've tried working out at home but its just not the same- I don't push myself as much as I would at the gym. The only time I think I would maybe work out at home is if I buy an eliptical machine or treadmill one day and have it in my home- then I could watch TV and work out at the same time.. that would be ideal :) The only other time I like working out at home is if I help with chores on the farm- some of the activities I do are an awesome and you don't even realize because it doesn't feel like "working out" per say.
5. What do you think is a huge waste of time?
People talking about something and not actually doing it or doing anything about it. I like to think that I have more of a "do-er" type attitude so it irritates me to listen to people who just sit there and think things through from start to finish/complain/ or just talk through things and then don't actually go and do anything about it. What did Ghandi say- "we must be the change we want to see in the World?" Well said Ghandi, he didn't say lets talk about the change we want to see, he said BE the change!
6. What is one way you save time?
Having an organizer! I don't know how I would keep my life in order or keep sane if I didn't have one place to write everything down. It helps me save time by prioritizing what I have to do each day that is super important. I am seriously the master of to-do lists and love organization :)

7. What is your current obsession?

Burberry Brit perfume. I haven't blogged about this yet, but I have been on the hunt for a new perfume for what feels like months. After smelling endless amounts of perfume (both good and bad) I finally found the Burberry Brit which I LOVE. I got a sample of it and have it sitting at my desk so it smells delicious where I sit :) I am just trying to convince myself not to buy it before Christmas because I'll be getting enough presents as it is.

Oh, and I am also currently obsessing over this Aldo bag too :)

8. What is a current obsession you can’t wait to pass?
Christmas music and movies. I think I have heard every classic Christmas song like a 150 times each and watched every Christmas movie 5 times each. While I love Christmas, once the season is over, I will be glad to pack up all the movies, and turn off the Christmas tunes until next year.

9. Are you currently reading a book? If so, what book? Would you recommend it?
I am just finishing up "The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making more Dough." It has alot of fantastic financial lessons that I have learnt from reading their book- I intend on posting some of those lessons on here. The next book that I have kind of already started is the book "Generation Me." I have had an obsession lately with books about different generations and how what generation we were born in, influences who we are, who we become and how we are perceived. Awesome read so far!

10. Since we had the 90s question last week, what’s your favorite songs from 00′s?
I feel like this list is a continutation of last week's pop music list because a lot of the music I liked in the late 90's also appeared in the early 2000's. Don't laugh at my list of songs I hearted throughout the 00's.. I know, so childish.

Jennifer Lopez (Her J Lo CD was probably one of my fav all time CDs)
S Club 7- need I say more?
Christina Aguleria & Britney Spears- I'm a Genie in a Bottle & Hit me Baby one more time were CLASSICS!
Lose Yourself- Eminem
Always on Time- JaRule & Ashanti
Crazy in Love- Beyonce
And can I mention- most recently my favs from the last couple of years? Lady Gaga and Katy Perry?

I guess you could call me a pop tart eh? :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

My Top 5..

2010-12-17T16:50:00.002-05:00

Now that I've been listening to Christmas songs on the radio at work since the middle of November, there are certain songs I have come to love (and hate!). Even if I have heard them a million times in the past few weeks, my top 5 list below are all songs that get me excited and in the holdiay mood:

1. Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas"

2. Britney Spears "Santa Baby"

3. N Sync "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays"

Can you see a pattern of 90's pop here?!

4. Nat King Cole "The Christmas song"

5. Martina McBride- O Holy Night

And honourable mentions.. I had to add them because they are just too darn good..
Brenda Lee- Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Christmas Vacation theme song

Reflecting on past Christmas gifts...

2010-12-17T08:00:00.001-05:00

8 days until Christmas! We're getting so close! Today is a special tribute to the "8 maids a milking" in the 12 days of Christmas song because heck, I have been a maid a milking and they work hard! How would we get milk if there weren't "maids" in the barn?!

Now on to the main topic of this post. Do you ever think back to things that you asked for as a kid for Christmas? Or does something trigger you to remember some "odd" things you asked for or received as a Christmas gift?

Last night when I was watching Home Alone 2 (yes, its just as good as the first and one of my fav Christmas movies), I had a major flash back to a Christmas where all I wanted was the same recorder Kevin uses throughout the movie, called a "Talkboy." Actually, here he is with it below...

And I was lucky enough that *Santa* that year brought me the recorder but more appropriately, got me the pink "talkgirl" version like this one below. It was fantastic!

I got a good chuckle thinking of some of the things I have asked for over the years as Christmas gifts- S Club 7 CD's, Pony Surprise and Polly Pockets. My God. My parents must have just shook their head thinking of the ~~crap~~ great gifts they were buying me that I so desperately wanted :) haha

And one gift I always asked for and pretty sure I never did get... drum roll please...

The easy bake oven. Every little girl's dream :)

Add caption

What are Christmas gifts you asked for growing up that you laugh at now?

Fa la la la la

2010-12-16T17:56:00.001-05:00

9 days left till' Christmas!!! I had intended on writing a Christmas-themed blog post each day from the 12-day mark but clearly, that didn't happen. Too much is going on and now that Christmas socials are in full swing- I don't have a lot of time to spare.

I finally finished all of my Christmas shopping last night. I have 2 little things to get this coming weekend at the mall for co-workers but I am happy to say I think I beat all the Christmas rush and got everything done ahead of time which I think is a record for me!!! It pays to buy a few gifts in the summer time like I did this year. Yay me!

Oh and in other Christmas-related news, you may have saw on Twitter, but I have decided to go to Winnipeg over the Christmas holidays, in between Christmas and New Years. I'm nuts.. I know.. but I'm so excited to go!!! *A* and I booked my flights the other day- just in time before flights went up in price and certain flights weren't available anymore. I will be able to spend a few great quality days with the family before I head out West and visit with *A* and his family/friends who are THE BEST!

Can't wait now- I'm getting giddy thinking of the holidays that are fast approaching :D

[Photo Credit]

Are you winter prepared?

2010-12-15T07:45:00.001-05:00

With all the snow we're getting this year, I thought it was helpeful to create a list for Winter of stuff that you must have in your vehicle if your driving during the Winter months, in case something were to happen. Alot of this stuff is just good to have in your vehicle all year round in case you ever did breakdown somewhere, anytime of the year.

The idea actually dawned on me when I thought to myself while driving to work yesterday morning- so I have a set of jumper cables in my trunk (yay me!) but do I know how to properly use them if I had too? NO! (shame on me!) So now I have to either get *A* to properly show me how to use them, or I guess I could always google/you tube some kind of tutorial on how they work.

[Photo Credit]

Anywhoo, here are the things I thought of for the list of things you should have in your car during the Winter. Hopefully you find these helpful. Did I miss any?

Winter tires (OK, you don't NEED these, but they do make a huge difference in the Winter as I have found out and are a wise investment!)
jumper cables (and you should know how to use them!)
a brush to wipe snow off in the mornings
scraper in case you have ice on your windshield
Tire pressure gauge
Tire pressure pump
Blanket/food/water in your trunk in case you got stranded
Gloves/hat/scarf
Maybe a good book in your trunk in case you ever did get stranded and had to do something while your waiting? Just a thought :)
CAA (Can't stress this one enough- if you ever get stuck somewhere you can call them for a tow!)
Cellphone charger (this is a classic scary movie scenario where you get down a backroad and they are just about to call for help and then their cell dies. This is something that for sure would happen to me. Make sure you have an extra spare one in your car to be able to plug in if need)
GPS (again, you don't NEED it, but it certainly helps)
Windshield washer fluid (in case it runs out while you are driving- its a necessity in Winter as it gets yucky out)
A good set of windshield wipers (I'm struggling with this one right now, my wipers are horrible- and you need a good set to be able to see properly with all this snow we're getting!)

Ten on Tuesday (1)

2010-12-14T17:51:00.001-05:00

I don't know if I will be able to regularly post a weekly Tuesday list but I saw this post on Rainy Saturday which orignically came from Roots & Rings and thought this was such a cute idea. There were some funny questions that I thought would generate funny answers so you could get to know me better.

[Photo Credit]

So here we go- my first Ten on Tuesday list:

1. What is your favorite kind of cheese?

I am a HUGE cheese fan. One of my favourite dishes around the holidays is in fact.. the cheese platter! But then of course, I stick to the same old cheese I have loved forever.. marble. You can't go wrong with marble. In a close second are cheese curds.. does that even count as a "kind" of cheese? Sure it does!

2. Do you prefer fudge with or without nuts?

Definitely WITHOUT nuts. I hate nuts (any kind- ok, I'll make an exception for peanuts) and definitely do NOT like them in my fudge. I really only like 2 types of fudge too- Maple and Mint Chocolate.

3. How do you feel about cats?

I like cats- don't absolutely love them like I do dogs but they are OK to be around. We have 2 on our farm (that are tame at least- there are many others that run wild) and they are so cute and alot of fun to be around. They love to get picked up and I really do love playing with them. But my heart truly belongs to my dog Dakota. Sorry!

4. Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts?

Julia Roberts without a doubt. Not only was she classic in Pretty Woman, but two of my other all-time favourite movies included Julia Roberts- in Runaway Bride (as a follow up to Pretty Woman with Richard Gere) and Stepmom. She was awesome in both! You can't deny the girl next door... she just seems to be relatable and is so funny.

5. Do you wear a watch?

Just started to wear a watch in the last year or so. And when I don't wear it now, I feel completely naked (like I do when I forget to wear earrings) and often glance down at my wrist to check the time even if I don't have my watch on. I have many watches of different colours and shapes, but my favourite watches include a Guess watch that my dad bought as a Christmas gift for me last year for Christmas and my blingy round-faced watch that I get lots of compliments on. Love it!

6. What are a few of your favorite songs from the 90′s?

WOW.. this is a tough one because I was a child of the 90's so I grew up listening to sooo many 90's songs (which I still think are unbelieable by the way!) Um, I was a huge fan of early 90's grunge rock even though I was too young to truly know what it was and appreciate it fully. I remember listening to a lot of Alanis Morissette, remember that song "What if God was one of us? by Joan Osbourne (NOT Alanis Morissette) loved that one. And of course, once the pop scene came around with Britney Spears, N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore, etc.. I was a huge teeny bopper fan. And how can I not forget the Spice Girls?! So if I had to list a "few" songs (because I could seriously write a whole post dedicated to this topic) they would probably be as follows:

Anything by the Spice Girls
I want you back- N Sync
I want it that way- Backstreet Boys
Baby one more time- Britney Spears
Say My Name- Destiny's Child
Mr. Jones- Counting Crows
You Oughta Know- Alanis Morissette
Wonderwall- Oasis
Jumper- Third Eye Blind

How do you like that for a diverse playlist?! You should see my i-pod!!!
7. Do you like scented candles?

Yes, LOVE them. Especially around the holidays. My favourite is cinnamon-apple or some variation of cinnamon because it just smells so yummy and delicious. There is nothing like walking into a place that smells so good because of scented candles.

8. What do you like on your hamburger?

I am a total ketchup & mustard girl but the variation depends on where I get a hamburger from. Sometimes I live on the edge and get lettuce/mayo/onion. Shocking I know. And one place that I was just recently introduced too- Hero Burger, has the BEST secret sauce ever. I have to admit that my all-time favourite Hamburger would have to be the Big Mac. Sad I know.. I can't help it :(

9. How often do you cut your fingernails?

Probably once every 2 weeks- I DO NOT file my nails.. files seriously give me the shivers up my spine (like nails on a chalkboard). I hate the feeling of filing nails (ahh.. I'm getting chills right now as I type this and think of files). So yes, nail clippers do me just fine.

10. Do you sleep in socks?

I always get into bed with a comfy pair of socks on and then by the morning, I have somehow taken them off during my sleep. I get way to hot at night with socks on but I always love getting into bed with them on. Oh well, what can I do?!

12 days of Christmas

2010-12-14T07:19:00.001-05:00

Wow, we are really down to the 12 days of Christmas (cue the song!!!)

I can't believe how fast Christmas is approaching- I'm quite excited actually.. I plan on spending some much needed time around the farm/family while *A* is away visiting friends and family.

A few developments on the traveling front- *A*'s parents offered to fly me out to Winnipeg after Christmas for the week in between Christmas and New Years. It is so generous and gracious of them to offer to fly me there for Christmas. I made plans with my best friends for New Years but I'm not sure where they stand as of today so I'm up in the air as to what to do. I had already mentally prepared myself to work that week and spend some quality time with my family but I would love to see *A*'s friends and family! Oh, decisions, decisions.

I had an amazing weekend with the *A* and fam.. which included our Christmas shopping day on Saturday. We only ended up losing one child (well, child if you consider a child 20?) for a brief few minutes. And of course, it was the one kid who didn't have their cellphone on them and we hadn't established a meeting spot as of yet- but we ended up finding him no problem. RELIEF! I always love our family shopping adventures- they always include great conversations and lots of laughs :)

I also have almost have everyone done on my Christmas list- just a few things here and there that I will get this coming weekend.

And just because its the 12th day of Christmas- I thought it was most appropriate to post a picture of a partridge in a pear tree. What a weird bird eh?!

TGIF..

2010-12-10T16:00:00.002-05:00

I can't remember the last time that I was this excited it was Friday and the weekend was here. I think it may be because I am heading home to the country, in what seems like WEEKS (Its actually been 3 whole weeks since I was last home, can you believe it?!)

I can't wait to go home and squeeze the love right out of my family.. followed by a big hug to my dog Dakota and of course, the cows. I can't wait to smell the fresh air/barn smell, play in the snow, visit with my grandparents and maybe settle in to watch 20/20 or Dateline tonight (a favourite Friday night activity of mine).

I'm also excited because the Crowley Christmas family shopping adventure will take place tomorrow- malls, brace yourself- we're coming! Picture the movie Christmas vacation, with the same chaos.. but in a mall.. and only 6 of us, well 7 now with *A*. Its madness, but fun madness of course :) I think this may be the first time I take *A* to participate in our family Christmas shopping adventures so we'll see how he fares. I'm hoping now that we're all a little older and mature the shopping trip will be alot less stressful and more enjoyable (yeah right, who am I kidding- we'll probably end up losing someone even though we all have cellphones- someone won't show up on time for our departure, and a bag/purse will get left in a store).

Oh boy, I can't wait :D

And after we have survived the crazyness on Saturday, maybe I'll relax with *A* and take a nice winter-y walk in the woods around the farm.

[Photo Credit]

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!! P.S. Guess what- 2 weeks today and its Christmas Eve!!!

My many run-ins with "Murphy's Law"

2010-12-10T08:04:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I seriously shake my head thinking of times when Murphy's law takes over my life. Sometimes it takes place more than once in a day and I can't help but think I'm cursed. It seems to happen alot of the time, especially at work. For those who don't know what Murphy's law is- let me enlighten you: its the saying/belief that "if anything can go wrong, it will"....

Let's look at the following examples at which Murphy's law takes place in my day-to-day life and then maybe you can relate...

I often call people about something important and leave a voicemail message if I don't get them and then eagerly await at my desk for their return phone call. The one time I get up from my desk all day, is always the one time they call back and then when you go to call them back, you get their voicemail again. Hence, the phone tag continues...
And while we're on the subject of phone calls, this one always happens to me- my phone doesn't ring all day and then the one time when someone calls me, I get another call on the other line.. what are the odds?! This one happens to me seriously everyday!
When you don't drive all week, and the one night you have to drive somewhere for something important and there is a major accident/bad traffic (this happens to *A* and I ALL THE TIME!!)
The one time you decide to leave late for a meeting and something happens on the way- you lose your keys, traffic is bad, you can't find a parking spot, etc..
Whenever I am printing off important materials before a meeting, the printer gets jammed.. go figure?!
Everytime I use technology for a big meeting/presentation, the computer or some piece of technology doesn't work when it worked for me a million times before!
Back in University, it happened so many times to me- just as I was about to submit an assignment/essay/quiz after typing it up for god knows how long, the internet would cut out or the computer would shut off/the battery would die, losing all the information I had.. so frustrating!!!
When your having troubles with something (cellphone/computer/printer, etc), you go to show someone that it isn't working and then it magically works again.. come on?!

I have become accustom to just laughing during these times now because these types of situations are totally out of my control. I think the universe is trying to get back at me when instances like these take place...

Do you have any moments like this where you think the universe is conspiring against you and Murphy's law is taking off your life?!

Thanks Ma & Pa

2010-12-09T07:44:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all those readers who replied to my Expedia post back a few weeks ago. It was interesting to see that comments were about 50-50. Some people booked with Expedia and had no problems. Others searched the Expedia site, found the flights they wanted and then booked the flights directly with on the airline company's website.

As it turns out, it looks like I won't have to use Expedia now because my mom has offered to let me use my parents aeroplan miles which they have alot of! This will REALLY help with saving some $$$ on my flights which I had budgeted for around $550 round trip. I searched flights the other day with my parents aeroplan number and for 25,000 points, I can get a round trip to New Mexico! Woohoo!! The only fees that are included are the taxes, etc which will cost me roughly $100. Way better than paying for full-priced flights!

I plan on booking my flights sometime this weekend/early next week. I was hesitant about booking this early in advance in case there were seat sales or something closer to the date, but the flights keep going up in price over the past few months so I might as well book, especially if I'm using the aeroplan miles!!! WOOHOO!!!

Thank you parents! You are the best :)

Familarity feels good

2010-12-08T16:45:00.001-05:00

I have admitted before on my blog that I don’t like change. Now I’m a little more open to change and am a lot more flexible and open minded than I use to be. What I have realized recently, is that I don’t have a problem with change- my problem is I like tradition too much. Maybe its because I come from a small town and tradition is something that is deeply embedded within me- or maybe its just the sense of knowing whats going to happen next that I like so much. I'm a real planner- have I ever showed you my organizer?!

Take the following 2 random examples for instance:

1) I have been to the nearby Subway restaurant at my work probably 15 times in total since I started my job here in TO. Some days when I’m without a lunch, and I’m not even really even feeling like a sub and should probably try something different and new and expand my horizons (which is something I don’t do when it comes to food), I always find myself going to the same subway- ordering the same sub (well, a variation of either veggie, ham or turkey), and expecting the same subway guy to serve me (he's there everytime!). I’m not sure if I like going there because of how the actual sub tastes or just because I can expect to find the same friendly subway guy serving me everytime. I can always expect to see the same friendly smile from the server when I go in. I like knowing why I can expect by going there, hence why I think thats the only place I eat. Is this maybe the small town tendancy coming out in me?

2) On Wednesday nights, *A* plays hockey in a league and sometimes I go with him every few weeks. I have got into the habit of ordering the same coke and club sandwhich each and everytime I go there. I know what to expect when I arrive- I usually bring a good book or catch up on some blogging (I wrote this post while I was there!). This is the one hour of the week that I sit down and devote to some "me time" so I'm always excited when I go and watch his games. Oh, by the way *A*- I do actually watch your games too :P ha-ha

Does anyone else out there have the same love for tradition/habit/routine that I do? Do you find yourself doing the same thing over and over again and still loving it? I sometimes wonder if it truly is a small town thing- being familar with people/places makes me feel comfortable and at ease and perhaps that's why I embrace tradition and habit as much as I do?!

THANK YOU!

2010-12-08T12:20:00.002-05:00

I had been planning to closely watch my blog readership as it slowly approached to 20,000 visitors. I had originally planned on posting on the exact day that I hit my 20,000th visitor because I think that's kind of monumental. I don't know why I picked 20,000- I mean, I should have celebrated after 1000, and even 10,000 so why I chose to celebrate 20,000- I don't really have the answer for ya.

But either way, THANK YOU for stopping by and checking out Stories From a Country Girl! I love blogging for both myself and you and hope you enjoy all the posts- whether they are serious/funny/helpful/reflective/updates or just life thoughts. My blog has truly become an amazing outlet for me to connect with people from around the World who I wouldn't have met otherwise. Some of the greatest moments for me is when someone who I would have least expected say "I've read your blog!"

It has also been an amazing outlet for me to share all my stories as a country girl- its been amazing to share my journey with each and every one of you. Its always exciting to share monumental moments with my readers! It has also been awesome to learn about alot of amazing new things through other's blogs-life lessons/recipes/more about personal finances/recommednations on movies & books/where to buy (and not to buy)/and tips and tricks in general.

The way I see it, the blogosphere is like an online Chapters store but the best part,

is you don't have to pay $$ to read it :)

I'd love to hear from you if you have any questions/comments/concerns/feedback.

If you have any ideas of things you want me to write about, hear about from me, and/or questions you have, please direct them to storiesfromacountrygirl@gmail.com.

I'd love to hear from you!

[Photo Credit]

AGAIN, THANKS A MILLION TO SFACG READERS! YOU ARE THE BEST!

2011= Travel mania

2010-12-06T17:17:00.001-05:00

I had a travel itch last Fall where all I wanted to do was pick up and go to Paris and learn French. After a few days/weeks, I got over this itch and was able to like my life here in Canada. Sigh (I still wish I could have went and did it that). I shouldn't make my life sound so bad here.. I'm so lucky :)

So, 2011 is proving to be a pretty wild traveling year and I already want to start saving to make sure I have enough moula for all the trips I want to do.

Let's preview shall we?

February- weekend trip to Ottawa with *A* (can you believe I have never really been to Ottawa and experienced the night life?!)
February- possible trip to Mexico with my best friends from home?! Just found out about this one.. so its still up for major debate.. PLUS, I'd have to save $1000 BUT I have never been to a tropical destination
March- Trip to Albuquerque, NM for a Young Dairy Leaders conference (more to come on that)
April- Trip to Winnipeg as a surprise (let's hope the people who we are surprising doesn't read my blog.. yikes???!!!)
Summer- Trip out West possibly? I have two best friends who now live in Calgary- go figure- so I seriously need to visit them. Possible trip to the Calgary Stampede? I think so! Now I just need to tell them I'm coming. Oh hey, THEY read my blog! haha
Fall- Trip back out to Winnipeg for a wedding :) Cannot wait for this one!

All in all, its going to be an expensive $$$ for traveling. I am lucky that my mom has offered to let me use our family's aeroplan miles so I may be able to get some deals with my flights, etc. I have already started a travel fund and put small amounts of $$ away, but I will have to ump the amount coming January 1st in order to afford to go to all of these wonderful places!

Do you have a list of places you already know your visiting in 2011?!

Ways to save $$ on Christmas gifts...

2010-12-03T07:32:00.000-05:00

I blogged a while back that I signed up for Groupon and sadly, have not purchased any deals yet although there have been major some steals that are awesome gift ideas! I recently found 2 other websites through the blogosphere that I wanted to share with readers in case you wanted to score some cheap(er) gifts for those on your Christmas lists.

First, is Wagjag which is like a Groupon with a few different deals, and what I like about it compared to Groupon, is that you can continue to buy deals that took place a few days before. There has been one deal that I am thinking of purchasing but I'm trying to restrain myself because its not a gift for someone else, its a gift for me :) hehe Its $20 for a $40 gift certificate to a great bookstore in Fergus, Ontario called Cherryhill Entertainment. There was another amazing deal yesterday for Hero Burger (alot of this burger chains stores are only found in large cities- but I LOVE their burgers!).. they had a $9.00 combo meal on sale for $4.50- 50% off. My problem with these two deals is that I don't really NEED them, I just WANT them. And even though they are an amazing deals, I would end of spending money that I otherwise wouldn't have spent if they weren't on sale. And so, I will try and refrain from purchasing them :(

The second website that I had no idea that existed is Card Swap. This is a website where you can either buy gift cards for reduced price or for a certain % off, or if you had a gift card you figured you wouldn't use, you can sell it! Sweet idea! Gift cards range from cards for clothing stores to food/restaurants to books/movies/leisure.

Has anyone ever bought from either of these websites? Share your experiences so us "newbies" know how your experience went!

Overload..

2010-12-02T18:46:00.001-05:00

I have millions of ideas floating around in my head for blog posts and another 25 blog posts sitting in my blog box just waiting to be polished up and posted since I've already written them. There seriously never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to do. If you follow me on Twitter, you will have noticied that I am on the "two-a-day coffees" which kind of scares me.. isn't having even one cup bad for you? Either way, I need the caffine to keep me going all day... thank heavens for Timmy Ho's :)

And to think I was going to do the 30 day challenge this month... I have decided that because December is so busy with holiday cheer/prepping.. I'll save the awesome challenge to January when things start winding down and I maybe have a little more time on my hands??!!!

Look forward to the following posts:

2011 travel updates
generous gift from my ma/pa
PF update/thoughts
a thought on Murphy's Law
Why I think Torontonians are sad
cooking/baking can be expensive
holiday dress ideas

Make sure to check back often to read these posts... and thanks for being an awesome reader of SFACG!

Christmas 2010 wishlist...

2010-12-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Seeing as it is now December 2nd and we're officially in the Christmas season, I thought it was most appropriate to put my Christmas wishlist up. While I don't expect all of these gifts (OK, maybe inside I'm hoping for all of them), I think this is a pretty appropriate list of things that I truly need and not just a list of "wants." I have been mentioning to *A* that I would be putting up my Christmas list on my blog so he could stop on by and take a peak as to what to get me for Christmas :)

1. Winter Boots

I have looked on Spring and Aldo to get an idea of what I'm looking for- I have a pair from Spring that has lasted me about 3 years so I think its time to trade them in. I want a pair that can bare the few feet of snow we should be getting in the next few weeks. And a pair that not only I can wear to work if it is really chilly out, but I could use them to also play in the snow if my heart desires :)

Something like these..

2. Real Simple magazine subscription

I received 3 copies of the Real Simple magazine through a cereal box free subscription and I LOVE their magazine. Not only is it huge in size, its filled with awesome articles, lots of tips and tricks about everything from health/beauty to organizing (my fav!) and recipes, etc. Its $24.00 for a year long subscription.

3. Kitchenaid beater

I saw a Kitchenaid turbo beater set in Giant Tiger a few weekends ago for the affordable price of $19.97 and thought with the amount of baking I do, I would love to have a great set of beaters.

4. Style Books

I have wanted the Lauren Conrad style book and the Olsen twins "Influence" style book for months now and was tempted to buy them when I moved into my new place because I thought they would make for great coffee table reading. I held off and would love these for Christmas now :)

5. Yoga/Workout capris and top

I have one pair of really awesome yoga shorts and a workout shirt that really isn't that great (its from Old Navy so its quite baggy even though its a small and doesn't quite fit right). I wouldn't mind a good set of yoga capris pants and a top from say Winners.

6. Body Shop Cranberry lotion

Always a favourite of mine at Christmas, I would love the cranberry lotion from Body Shop. I love the smell and seeing as it only comes out at Christmas, this is the only time I have to scoop it up so I smell wonderful all year round :P

8. External Hard drive
I have wanted an external hard drive for a while now since *A* got one. I only have a 1GB USB key so it gets annoying when your trying to transfer large files/songs or movies. Plus, the main reason why I want one is as a back up for all my files. Even though I have a new laptop, you can never be sure when its randomly going to "conk out" on you, so I would want a large hard drive to store all my files in case something were to happen. I think these retail for around $100- and I would definitely want the portable type hard drive where it acts like a large USB key.

9. Sex and the City- Season 6: Part 2
This would round out the complete Sex and the City series. I have ever other season including Season 6: Part 1 but I wouldn't mind getting the last part, Part 2. It only retails for about $20 in Walmart so its definitely not as expensive as the series use to be when it first came out on DVD.

Maybe's:

New ipod

I am very proud of myself- I still have the first version ipod that I got in my first year of University and still use it. Problem is- it is only a GB in size so it only holds up to 5o0 songs. Constantly, I am always having to cut songs off of my playlist because I can't fit all my songs which totally sucks! While I don't relaly need the 8GB ipod touch, something a little bigger then my current ipod would be awesome!

Infinity curling iron by ConairI saw the commerical on TV for this a while back and while I have 2 other curling irons, I would love to try this out. This curling iron is different from all others because it is only a wand so you don't clamp your hair done, you just wind it around the spool and voila, the curlers look great!

What day did you just say it is?

2010-12-01T17:11:00.002-05:00

I seriously cannot believe it is December 1st which means that in 24 days, Christmas day will be upon us! I have a little anxiety thinking of a few more presents I have to buy, but I am doing fairly well compared to this time last year. I was smart this year and bought a few things in the summertime as I saw them (good idea right?!) so now I don't have to stress about those gifts, nor worry about budgeting more moula for those gifts either. BONUS!

I am happy to see November end- ONLY because this means that Movember is over. I think supporting Prostate Canada was a fabulous cause to support IF they raised $$$, but some moustaches out there were just plain... ugly! I saw this cute cartoon in the Globe and Mail and thought it was super funny and very appropriate for the end of Movember! Oh, and I also want to congratulate any bloggers out there who participated in NaBloPoMo (what it stands for.. I have no idea.. but you have to blog every day in the month of November). A special shout out to my favourite bloggers- Five Blondes- who did a fantastic job at blogging everyday in November! So impressive.. and such great blog posts ladies :)

And now that its officially December, I have filled my organizer with dates of Christmas parties and special holidays... the planner is getting pretty full I might add. I want to make sure I pick a night in the next month to make one of these Christmas staples- a Gingerbread house! These pics look sooo delicious!!

Rain rain go away..

2010-11-30T17:26:00.001-05:00

Where did you go, snow? I was pleasantly surprised.. but happy when the snow blessed us with its presence on Saturday morning. Why did this miserable rain have to come back? This morning was torture waiting for the bus and the bus ride in was long and horrible because of the major rainstorm we were getting in Southwestern Ontario :( I much rather prefer snow than rain, especially now that the countdown to Christmas is on.

Speaking of Christmas.. I've been listening to a radio station dedicated entirely to Christmas music- I found it through this website. But randomly this afternoon, it shut off and now the link has been taken off of the website.. perhaps copyright issues or whatever? Either way I'm super sad.. no more Christmas tunes at work :(

As an update on this past weekend, it was a really busy but productive weekend, which ended with watching the Grey Cup. I have to mention I also got to spend some quality time with the roomies and some close girlfriend's of mine on Friday night. I am seriously blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.. including my friends. They are all truly amazing women!

Now, let's review my "to do" list and see what I didn't get done...

TO DO:

Get Car oil changed- CHECK
Get car washed- CHECK
Change car tires and put on new winter tires :)- CHECK- *A* did this!
Clean house- CHECK
Put up Christmas tree and decorations- CHECK
Make cedar bowe decorations for outside of house- FAIL (doing that this coming wkd)
Trip to Canadian Tire (to buy pots for cedar bowes)- CHECK
Put up flood lights outside of house- CHECK- *A* even put up Xmas lights on our 2 front trees! The lights look amazing!!!
Work on Christmas cards- FAIL- working on these tonight!
Grocery shopping/dollar store visit- CHECK
Send a few emails, write a few articles- CHECK
Possibly buy fabric to re-do my hideous pink lamps (remember this post?)- CHECK/FAIL- went and looked but didn't find anything suitable and now I'm just wondering if its even worth the DIY fix up- you can buy new lamps for $15-$20 each! Maybe these lights just are salvagable?!
Sew up my orange pillows or better yet- buy a new set after everyone's recommendations!- FAIL
Post a few items on Kijiji- FAIL
Update CV/resume/portfolio- FAIL
Bathroom reno- EPIC FAIL.. but not our fault! The contractors called in sick so we had to delay getting the bathroom done which totally sucks :( Another week or two with this 70's-style washroom.. boo! The worst part is, I had already cleaned all the stuff out of the washroom so I had to move it all back in.

Wow, after reviewing the list, there seems to be alot of red. I thought I got alot more done than the list shows I did. It seemed like a lot of stuff at the time.. especially considering my weekends are suppose to be for putting my feet up and relaxing. Yay, right?!

Busy week ahead.... good luck with the work week everyone!

I finally did it..

2010-11-27T10:42:00.009-05:00

After months and months of holding off, I finally got around to purging a million pieces of paper from my bedroom, and organizing all the paper that I'm keeping. I even labelled all my boxes with my handy dandy labeller that Andrew bought me for Christmas a few years back, organized my closet, purged clothes, took pictures of all my dresses that are waaaaayyyy back in my closest so I know that they exist and can easily choose which one I'd like to wear, especially now that the holiday-dress wearing season is upon us.. And it feels fantastic!!!!!

I also got a new corner desk which is a major improvement from my little piece of Ikea wood I had sitting in my room that seriously only fit my laptop on it with a few pens. No room for brainstorming, spreading papers out, and really getting down to work. Now that I'm a "grown up" girl I needed a serious "office space" so my new desk which I purchased from Kijiji for $40 is fabulous!

Oh, and the best part about my recent purging and cleaning?! I found my CD of Europe pictures from my trip last Fall. THANK GOD! I had been worried sick that I had lost the CD FOREVER and my friend who took all the pictures on the trip (because my camera broke) he has since had computer problems and lost all of his pictures. SOO.. my new found CD is the only source we have of our pictures from our trip. SCORE! Now that I have the CD found, and safely stored in a spot where I will NEVER FORGET WHERE IT IS.. I will share some pictures with you from the trip :)

Hope your all having a fantastic weekend everyone!

Christina

Christmas-y weekend!

2010-11-26T17:48:00.002-05:00

I have a big weekend ahead with a lot of "to-do" items which have accumulated over the past month or so.

I haven't spent a weekend in Guelph for a whole weekend in a while because of the Royal/visitng the farm, so I am sooo thrilled to be spending a cozy weekend gettings LOTS done!

On the list this weekend? The question is, what ISN'T on the list to-do this weekend:

TO DO:

Get Car oil changed
Get car washed
Change car tires and put on new winter tires :)
Clean house
Put up Christmas tree and decorations
Make cedar bowe decorations for outside of house
Trip to Canadian Tire (to buy pots for cedar bowes)
Put up flood lights outside of house
Work on Christmas cards
Grocery shopping/dollar store visit
Send a few emails, write a few articles
Possibly buy fabric to re-do my hideous pink lamps (remember this post?)
Sew up my orange pillows or better yet- buy a new set after everyone's recommendations!
Post a few items on Kijiji
Update CV/resume/portfolio

Oh and did I mention that this weekend we are re-doing the washroom? The bathroom currently look alot like a 70's style bathroom like this one below. Ok, maybe not this bad- the colour scheme at least is black/white and peach (peach.. figures right?!) and not the hideous green colour below. But it definitely needs a revamp. They are expecting to have it done by Sunday so we'll cross our fingers and hope it gets done in two days! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and share.

Have an awesome weekend everyone!

More $$$ for winter tires...

2010-11-26T08:03:00.001-05:00

*A* has been ~~hasseling~~ asking me for some time to get winter tires for my car. I have all season tires, and while they are SUPPOSE to be for "ALL SEASONS" people say that they aren't as good in the winter time. So much for being for "ALL SEASONS." I think the caps indicate how mad I am that the new all season tires that my parents put on the car right before I got the car from them, are kind of useless.

Anywhoo, so *A* has been searching for me on Kijiji for a "nice" set of tires that are a reasonable price but also in good shape and possibly including the rims. We have stumbled upon a few sets that are a great price- each with their pros/cons. I am totally leaving this one up to *A* because I truthfully, don't know what to look for, but I at least know that investing in a pair of winter tires would probably be a really smart idea. I don't really trust my car in the winter and I do use my car pretty often especially if I have to drive home to the farm closer to Christmas so spending a few hundred $$ may be really wise.

So, as it looks like right now- I could be spending anywhere between $300-$400 for a used set of tires which I know is exceptionally good for winter tires- they are used of course, but I'm totally fine with that. *A* has narrowed it down to a set that he's going to look at tonight so I could be the proud new owner of winter tires :D Oh joy! The excitement you get as adult as the expenses continue to pile on eh? :P *A* has graciously offered to not only check out the tires, but help buy them for me as a Christmas gift and even change my tires this weekend if we buy them! I'm so lucky :)

Happy Turkey day to all my American readers

2010-11-25T08:09:00.005-05:00

While we Canadians celebrated our Thanksgiving a month + ago, our friends to the South are celebrating the big day today. I know how much I love Thanksgiving so I'm sure our friends are enjoying a day off with amazing food, friends and family and not to mention, sick shopping deals, great parades and probably some sports watching if there is any games on today?!

To all my American readers who are so loyal to stop by and read SFACG and leave your gracious comments, know that I am thankful for you today, even though I'm not celebrating Thanksgiving :) Have an awesome day celebrating Thanksgiving!

Now that the American Thanksgiving is upon us and Black Friday takes place tomorrow, its the unofficial kickoff to Christmas countdown- its a month today we'll be celebrating Christmas :D Soooo excited!!!!

Proper etiquette people!

2010-11-24T08:19:00.002-05:00

If you follow me on Twitter, you would have saw my tweet yesterday about people and their bad manners. I don't mean to rant but I figure once and a while is OK and after what I have experienced lately with terrible etiquette and manners, I feel obliged to write about it. This post is not only meant to be a rant so I can relieve some of my frustrations with the human race, but it is meant to be constructive for anyone who reads this and remembers NOT to do the following:

1. Umbrella etiquette
When it is raining out, and you have your umbrella covering you, please do not feel the need at the corner of a street while waiting for the light to change, to spin your umbrella around and around so the water goes flying on everyone.. including on me!

While you may be happy and "singin' in the rain" I don't appreciate getting drenched. Also attached to umbrella etiquette is remembering that when you have a very large umbrella and walk in the middle of the sidewalk- a) no one can get around you because there's no more space left on either side of the sidewalk and b) if your umbrella is at the perfect eye level of everyone else, they have to duck under your umbrella to pass you (true story- I had to literally duke under a ladies umbrella!)

2. Chomping/Crunching loudly on your chips
Does anyone else remember being told by your mother to chew with your mouth shut? Because I sure know I was told.. many times.. and it worked because I think I have grown up to eat properly in front of people and when I'm by myself. Nothing else ignores me more than when co-workers who are snacking on chips at their desk, decide to chomp and crunch on their chips so the whole office can hear them! I'm talking like the loudest- most-montstrous crunches I've ever heard?! And the worst part is that there are hundreds of chips in the bag so you have to listen to them eat each chip.. its sooo painful to listen too.

3. Closely tied to #2- smacking your lips when your chewing gum, etc..
Another bad habit I can't stand like chomping on chips. It erks me when co-workers sit there and smack their lips while they chew on their gum or suck on a candy. I seriously feel embarrased for them. The worst is when they try and talk and they have their huge wad of gum/candy in their mouths- so bad, that they can't even prounouce words properly. Oh boy...

OK, so enough of this rant. What are habits/bad manners that bother you?! Come on, you know you have a few!! Share :)

A tempting deal..

2010-11-23T17:08:00.002-05:00

I have been a very happy Koodo mobile customer and have really appreciated paying $64.41 every month for the past however many months since I joined. While I don't have a blackberry, my cell has worked just fine, and even after a few technical difficulties I was having a few weeks back, I shared my great customer service experience with Koodo with readers and was able to receive a new phone after a few calls with some helpful Koodo customer service agents.

Koodo back a few months ago finally added a blackberry curve to their line up of phone options, and while it was super tempting to get one, the cost to purchase the blackberry was just too much. It was going to cost around $150-$200 even with my accrued tab which was around $100). Also, you have to order a data plan for the blackberry- you can get a plan for $10 a month which is just social networking (Facebook, etc) or for $25 you get a full data plan for surfing the net, email, Facebok, social media, etc.
I just saw an ad yesterday morning advertising a $75 discount on all Koodo phones from now until December 31st. I quickly clicked on the link and headed over to the Koodo mobile and surprise, they were in fact offering a discount. The BEST part of this all? I have a $150 tab and the phone is $250 so I would only have to pay a difference of $50!!!!!!
Boy, this has got me excited (hence all of the exclamation marks). But, I must remember that in addition to my current $64.41 monthly phone bill, my bill will now be roughly $90 each month for a grand total of $300 extra per year in phone bills.
So, I am kind of undecided at this point but am quite excited at the possible proposition of a blackberry. I’m leaning more towards purchasing one because I have been longing for a blackberry for SOOOOO long and really do need one, especially when I commute.
I will definitely think this one over before I make a rash decision, but thank you Koodo mobile for the early Christmas present :)

Christmas prep..

2010-11-22T23:09:00.003-05:00

I had an amazing weekend in the country this past weekend. Caught up with the family, did some cold/snot fighting (gross I know), even got to sleep in on Saturday morning which helped with the cold fighting. *A* and I drove down to Napanee, Ontario on Saturday afternoon for a presentation on Saturday night at a local Holstein club banquet which featured guest speaker.. moi! I had a blast presenting, caught up with some fellow dairy enthusiasts and had an awesome home cooked Thanksgiving-style meal :) *A* and I made lots of stops along the way in our travels (I took lots of pictures I swear.. now onto picture uploading on here).. we even got to visit awesome shops in downtown Napanee which I will do a review on in a seperate post.

While I thought I was going to be out of commission on Sunday cold-fighting, I went "balls-to-the walls" as they say and did some outside work. Cleaned up the Thanksgiving decorations, gathered a whole bunch of cedar bowes and red dogwood branches and even made my mom a Christmas display with the cedar/dogwood for the entrance to the house. *A* and I even got enough that I brought back 2 bags of cedar and dogwood to decorate my own house with this coming weekend. Oh and I can't forget to mention that I found one lone pine tree that had an abundance of pine cones underneath it. This blog post can't even capture how excited I was on Sunday when I found the cones- I had wanted to find pine cones for my Christmas display :)

Finally, I was able to help put up all the Christmas decorations around the house as I had hoped to do AND.. one of my most favourite parts of the weekend was the chance to watch my newly acquired "Its Complicated" with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. I bought it on Saturday at Giant Tiger for $9.99- I saw it on sale in their weekly flyer. I watched it with the fam, definitely one of our favourite movies- too, too funny. If you haven't seen it, I would thoroughly recommend it for a good laugh, and even just to calm the soul (the music, scenery and backery scenes in the movie totally make me sigh wishing I could imitate the life Meryl Streep's main character has in the movie.

[Photo Credit]
I have lots of posts coming up in the next week and of course, with my 30 day challenge coming up starting December 1st, its sure to be a busy few weeks of blogging so I hope you enjoy!! Make sure to check back here for details soon on the 30 day challenge!!!!

Now if only it would snow...

2010-11-19T17:49:00.001-05:00

I am a total hypocrite after my Scrooge rant a while back. I am fully ingulfed in the Christmas spirit now. I figured now that the Royal Winter Fair is done, I need to have something to focus my energy on and why not Christmas?!

I already have a Christmas party to go to in 3 weeks and am organizing my first Christmas party that I am hosting at my place in a few weeks. I have my list of who I should send Christmas cards too. AND, I have started listening to Christmas music at work.. and it is awesome :) Even though I've heard the same Christmas songs over and over (there really is a limited selection of good Christmas songs that get played on the radio) I haven't got sick of the songs yet. I guess it has only been a few days though.. ask me if I still like them once Christmas day is here.

Next on the Christmas list? Decorate my parents house this weekend, perhaps put up the Christmas tree and next weekend? Decorate my own house :) I think I may wrap a few presents that I already have, sometime next week.

Now, all I need is snow to make it completely "Christmas-y." Not like Calgary-type snow like my bestie *L* is experiencing right now.. just a nice light sprinkle of flakes.
I guess beggers can't be choosers though as the saying goes :P

Also, check out this awesome Christmas prep list over at FruGal- she helped me save a lot of time by creating a Christmas prep to-do list :D

(Note: did you see how I put the font even in red to get more into the Christmas spirit!)

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Book Review: Glad my life isn't like "Last Night at Chateau Mormont"

2010-11-18T07:35:00.001-05:00

I feel like I have betrayed my 2010 Book list. I am reading quite a bite, but they are all books that AREN'T on my book list to read this year. Oh well! I have a new found love for chick lit novels- I enjoy the easy reads and the "I can't put it down" feeling.

This last book that I read- Last Night at Chateau Mormont" was a page turner and an amazing parallell of how it actually would feel if you were a normal person who was then thrust into the celebrity spotlight. This book made me see things from a totally different perspective. You think being a celebrity would be glamourous but hunnie, it ain't nothing like you'd think after what the main character, Brooke, goes through in the book.

The plot summary simply is that Brooke's husband of five years- Julian- has always been a struggling muscian but one day, sky rockets to fame and becomes the "next big thing." Next thing you know, he is away from home alot, Brooke never sees her husband because she tries to maintain her normal day to day job to keep making money to pay bills, etc and then all of a sudden, there are articles written about Brooke and their marriage and of course, then tabloids write articles about her husband Julian and the bad things he does while he is away.

I loved this book and I really like how real the author, Lauren Weisberger, can write (she also wrote Devil Wears Prada- one of my fav movies). I remember I started reading her third book "Chasing Harry Winston" but never did finish it so maybe I'll go back and try and get finish that.

P.S. Has anyone else checked out Lauren Weisberger's website? How cool is the concept with the shoes as the navigation home page?! Just a random thought :)

Using Expedia to book flights..

2010-11-17T17:55:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if I have mentioned before to readers that I will be making a trip down to Albuquerque, New Mexico next March for an agricultural leadership program I was selected to attend.

I have to book my flights and have been holding off for a while now.. but with prices going up everyday, I thought I should work on getting these booked. When I first checked about a month ago when I found out I was going to the conference, the flights round trip were roughly $485- now they are $540.

I've thought about going to a travel agent but seeing as its an extra $50 that I can save, why not use Expedia?! When using Expedia, there are various airline companies to choose from, lots of different times to fly out/in at and various layover cities to choose from too. So I think I may book with Expedia. BUT, before I do, I wanted to check wtih readers to see if they have booked with Expedia before? Is is as "sound" as booking with a travel agent- will I show up for my flight in March and be told that my seat wasn't held for me or something? And if I to cancel/change my flights, are they as flexible?

[Photo Credit]

Before I book in the next week or so, I want to check with everyone to see if they had good/bad experiences with Expedia. Let me know either way so I can make a wise decision when/if I book with Expedia :)

Comfy and cozy

2010-11-16T16:13:00.002-05:00

There is nothing else I would love to do right now than go home, put on the most comfy pair of track pants I own, curl up under my covers, and watch TV in bed all day long. Maybe read a good book every few hours, put on some Christmas tunes and light a fire (in my imaginery fire place of course). Sip on a nice hot cup of tea and watch as it snows outside (imaginerary too).

I decided last night that people need vacation days AFTER vacation days, if you know what I mean. It takes a few days to get back into the swing of things and after the wild few weeks I've had, I wish I could take this week off to get use to "normal life" again. I can't seem to get over this exhaustion I am experiencing and I have a slight itch in my throat that just won't go away, even though I have taken a nap the last two nights AND went to bed at a decent time.

On the agenda tonight? Nothing! Maybe just do the usual laundy, grocery shop, unpack then light some candles and relax in bed. Ahh.. sounds so relaxing :)

[Photo Credit]

Dry cleaning- well worth the $$?

2010-11-16T07:50:00.001-05:00

I usually don't take very many things to the dry cleaners. Usually only a really fancy dress that I have somehow spilt something on or a blanket or something bigger that is harder to wash.

I hardly EVER take shirts/pants/suits to the drycleaners. I am contemplating taking a few blazers to get dry cleaned but I am dreading the final bill once its all said and done.

*A* had mentioned that it cost him $20 to get one of his suits drycleaned which I understand is reasonable I guess, if you only get your best suits dry cleaned once or twice a year.

But is dry cleaning really worth it? It is quite expensive if you ask me, but I don't really do alot of dry cleaning. To save $$, wouldn't most see dry cleaning as a waste of money? Does it really make THAT big of a difference?

I would love to hear what people have to say on this! I would love to hear from people who get alot of their clothing dry cleaned and those who don't. I guess there are good arguments for both sides...

[Photo Credit]

Time to now recover

2010-11-15T08:53:00.002-05:00

The Monday after the Royal ends is always a hard one for me. Not only is my body in total shock from a week of too much fun and not enough sleep, but its hard to adjust back to "normal day work" and move on from the Royal madness. The lead up to the Royal Winter Fair is always so busy and so exciting anticipating the big week but the winding down afterwards and the withdrawl is much harder and it just plain sucks :(

My sister has my camera for the week so I don't have any pictures to show and to be really honest, I didn't get many R0yal shots. All I have is the memories. Sigh..

But I would like to mention that I got my fair share in of eating some amazing food, as per my usual Royal routine. I tried this below- the Pork Parfait. Yes, it looks like a sundae that you would get from Dairy Queen but its actually made with pulled pork and mash potatoes. YUM! It was $7 but well worth it. It was one of the many treats I indulged in on the weekend. I also ate delicious chocolate-covered strawberries, ate mini donuts, drank cartons and cartons of chocolate milk and maybe ate too many Big Macs each night. Slap on the hand for me... now back to a normal gym routine!

[Photo Credit]

Read the article here in the Toronto Star about this new creation at the Royal.

I now have major laundy to do, a job to get back too and a life to get in order. And oh yes, normal blogging.. and posts that have nothing to do about the Royal :( Boo! Oh, only 364 more days till the next Royal! I am eagerly anticipating already...

More reasons why I love the Royal..

2010-11-11T08:30:00.002-05:00

Let me first apologize to those readers who come back to SFACG and see all the mentions about the Royal. When I say the Royal, I mean the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair- one of Canada's premier Agricultural fairs held right here, in downtown Toronto at the CNE Fairgrounds. Once a year, always in November, country comes to the city which means that this Country girl is obviously over-joyed! Its one time a year where I get to brag to all of my colleagues that some of the "best" are invading their city, and its the one time of year that I can drive 10 minutes from work and be down in a barn full of the two things I love- cows and my farmer friends :)

I apologize if you don't get a lot of my Royal jokes- alot of them are inside jokes. But none the less, the Royal is a significant part of Stories From a Country Girl (some of my best stories actually take place at the Royal!) With the first weekend finished and the second weekend coming up shortly, I am beyond excited to head back to the Royal. And so, I'd like to share a few more reasons why I love the Royal Winter Fair with all my readers :)1. When I'm at the Royal, I don't pay attention to anything else going on in the World other than the Royal- I don't touch a laptop (only when I'm blogging of course!) I have no idea what is going on with current events, what the weathers like, I don't check any gossip websites and my google reader is well into the hundreds while I am gone. I don't even open up my organizer- gasp! Nothing else matters than the Royal :)

2. Every year, I get the same large coffee and peanut butter square from Balzacs coffee (yes, you read that right) and every year, the coffee seems better and the squares are more delicious then ever. I'll be getting myself one tomorrow morning when I return!

3. For some reason, I feel so classy walking around the Royal with all the horse displays, water fountains, and fine materials flowing from the ceilings, mean while, I have cow manure on my shoes and I probably smell like the cow barns :) It always makes me laugh...

4. You always run in to someone you know.. which leads to point #5

5. If you don't know someone at the Royal, they are always super friendly- unless they are trying to tell you they own the Royal (total inside joke with my Royal crew- I'm sorry for readers who are a bit confused on this one)

6. I know exactly what meals I want to eat down at the Royal including the infamous Chicken Caesear wraps, chicken burgers, rosti's, cinnamon buns and apple dumplings, cartons and cartons of chocolate milk and a cold cut assorted sub just for old time sakes ;)

7. I always come home from the Royal smelling slightly different- yes, a little more smellier on the not-so-nice side but its definitely the Royal signature smell that I love!

8. You can't party anywhere else in the World in a fancier place, than right beside your cows at a pack party :)

9. I love seeing everyone out of their element- its a neat but cool scene, seeing all of my good cattle friends in downtown Toronto- kind of weird considering there are no farms in sight but definitely cool.

10. The Royal is the "Olymipcs" for cattle showing- there is so much suspense and build up to the show- I love it. Enough said.

For anyone else who attends the Royal Winter Fair- what do you love about the Royal?! Share your thoughts!!!!!!

A few confessions...

2010-11-10T16:02:00.002-05:00

1. I totally forgot my blogiversairy! It was on October 30th but I completely forgot... How bad of a blogger am I?! It was my second anniversairy of starting Stories From A Country Girl. With hundreds of readers now and a few thousand page hits- THANK YOU TO MY AMAZING READERS AND FRIENDS!!!!! I'm glad you enjoy stopping back once and a while to see what this Country Girl is up too! I hope I have not only entertained you with a few stories, and keep you updated on my life, but I hope I've maybe taught you about something in the process :)

2. I bought Christmas cards yesterday. They were on sale. And were super cute. And I couldn't resist the urge to buy them. I guess I have gotten over my Scrooge-Anti Christmas mood from last week eh?!

3. And as a follow up to #2, I am kind of excited that the City of Toronto now has all of their Christmas lights up throughout the City and I am actually (kinda) looking forward to gasp... SNOW! As soon as the Royal finishes this week, I'll be anticipating some snow to drop to get into the holiday cheer :D I already have an idea of how I'm going to decorate my house and maybe even *A*'s house :)

4. McDonalds is offering their free small coffees in the mornings starting next Monday on November 15th until November 28th. I'm pretty excited, I won't lie! Free coffees for the next 2 weeks?! Oh Yea!!

Hope everyone is having an awesome week, especially those who get a short week like me :)
[Photo Credit]