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Saturdays with Stella: The Not-So-Awesome Things List (Part 2 of 2)

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image507555

Continued from last week's first 5 not-so-awesome things, here are the last 5 I have to share with you.  #6: When my little brother opens up the bathroom door when I’m using the toilet: I’m trying to go to the washroom like a normal person, and then he barges the door open and announces that he is going to brush his teeth. #7: When you hear the sound of crinkling cellophane and when you go to see what it is, it turns out to be something … [Read more...]

It’s Friday, Friends. It’s About Time!

This week, France legalized gay marriage. Last week, it was New Zealand. The week before that, it was Uruguay. Marriage equality. It's Time. Julie xo … [Read more...]

School for Bloggers: Top 5 WordPress Plugins (#WCOttawa)

WordCamp Ottawa, #wcottawa

This week, my hometown of Ottawa will be hosting its very first WordCamp (#WCOttawa)! I've mentioned in previous "School for Bloggers" posts that these kinds of events are a life bread for bloggers because it's the best way to learn -- from each other. There's no school for this crazy thing called blogging, so this is what we do instead. Here's how WordCamp Central describes these gatherings, which have taken place all over the … [Read more...]

Oprah in Ottawa: A Re-Cap

Jacqueline and Julie

When I heard that Oprah was coming to Ottawa, I just knew I had to get a ticket. Like people who still buy tickets to the Rollings Stones playing live, for me, Oprah is more about nostalgia and a deep respect for what she has accomplished in her life more than any kind of present-day fandom. She kicked off The Oprah Show in 1986, the same year I started high school. Despite it being a daytime show, I managed to see many episodes during my five … [Read more...]

In Honour of Earth Day

arctic_vir_2012147

Today is Earth Day. I remember first getting involved in Earth Day events when I was in high school. My girlfriend Penny was keen to go downtown and check it all out and asked me to come with her. This was met with eye ball rolls by the adults around us -- "You are DRIVING downtown to a save-the-earth event?" Okay, so we weren't really up on our research. But our hearts were in the right place. Now, though, as an adult whose time is … [Read more...]

Saturdays with Stella: The Not-So-Awesome Things List (Part 1 of 2)

source: kidstishirts.biz

I've told you about my Awesome Things List before. Over the years, as you grow up, you also start to develop a list of stuff that drives you insane. This is my list of not-so-awesome. #1: Clothes shopping: Mom: how about this shirt?  Me: Too Sparkly.  Mom: How about this one?   Me: Too tight.  Mom: What about this one?  Me: That monkey is so hideous; it’s going to give me nightmares for years. Mom: you are so picky.  Me: We could go to … [Read more...]

The One Thing I Never Travel Without

Suitcase_woman1

  What would you guess is the one thing I have never traveled without … My cell phone? Well, no. I was a backpacking gal long before people carried cellphones. I have an addiction problem now, but it hasn't always been this way. My passport? Not always. It’s only recently that Canadians need to carry a passport to enter into the United States. A companion? Nope. I travel alone all the time. … [Read more...]

When One Door Closes …

when-one-door-cloes-another-opens

Lately, I've been thinking about this expression: "When One Door Closes, Another One Opens." The full saying actually goes like this: “When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”~ Alexander Graham Bell I've also heard other variations, like "When one door closes, use the window," reinforcing the notion that there is more than one way … [Read more...]

You’re Not the Boss of Me! (+ a fun book giveaway)

I am so the boss of you, by Kathy Buckworth

Thankfully, I have not heard this uttered from the mouths of either of my children (yet?) but I can vouch for having spat them at my parents once or twice. To prepare myself for hearing these words one day, I picked up Kathy Buckworth's newly launched book I Am So The Boss of You. Okay, let me back up. I actually picked up the book so that I could have it in hand for when she arrived into Ottawa for her book launch celebration. You know ... … [Read more...]

My Kraft Pourables Review: Convenient, Tasty, and Low on Calories (#NewPourables)

kraft pourables dressings

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