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Day of Me

Birthday Card painted by Hubby

This time last year, I had already completed two whirlwind trips to Toronto as well as a more lengthy stay in New York City, followed by a huge family dinner and celebration. Yep, remember Month of Me? I really lived it up, and enjoyed every minute of it. Last night, Hubby asked what I was going to do for my birthday this year. The answer? Not much. I've booked a vacation day off at work and I think I will sit around and blog and drink coffee … [Read more...]

Jamaica 101

Stella, my 9-year-old daughter, and I are going to Jamaica next week. I know ... awesome, right?! We are really excited, despite the realization that we actually know very little about this country. So, won't you join us as we teach ourselves a touch of geography, history, and social studies? Where in the world? First of all, the WHERE! Below is map showing the island of Jamaica in red. From our home town of Ottawa, if you were to catch … [Read more...]

4 Cats Arts Studio Masterpiece: Final Reveal

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Remember this big ol' mess that my girlfriends and I made at 4 Cats Hintonburg to celebrate my 40th birthday? It was my party, and I just wanted to wear sweatpants and have a few laughs with my girlfriends. But, believe it or not, in the photo above we were actually creating a special masterpiece just for me, the birthday girl! After it was all said and done, I had our creation stretched onto canvas by 4 Cats ($75 fee). I am so happy I … [Read more...]

Impractical Purchasing, NYC edition, part 2

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Back in October for Month of Me, I celebrated my 40th by hitching a ride with Kerry to Brooklyn. We didn't actually know each other, more than a few emails here and there, but that didn't stop us! We spent a great few days wandering together and then parted ways when my mom arrived into the Big Apple so we could jointly celebrate our birthdays. While in New York, I only bought a handful of things. But what I bought seems to indicate that I am … [Read more...]

Beautiful Book Stores: Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, NY

I can remember my father telling me that when he was young he dreamed of having a house full of books and art. I can also remember the look of contentedness he had on his face as he sat in his own home telling this to me. You see, I can never remember us living in a home that wasn't full of books and art. Granted, there were always far more books than art. Much of the artwork that we had on the walls when I was a kid was of his own creation. … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #11: Time with My Hubby

When this whole crazy "Month of Me" concept started to solidify, I started to consider "what exactly would I want to do if there was no one else influencing the decision?" At first, it was easy: I would accept an invitation to She's Connected even though that would mean booking time off work that I wouldn't be spending with my family and even though my only real reason for wanted to go was curiosity and a bit of "fun factor." Same for the … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #10: Splatter Paint Party at 4 Cats Art Studio!

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The Invite: I'm turning 40 in October, but I sure didn't get here alone ... each of you gorgeous women has played a special part in my life and as a little thank-you, I hope you can join me for a fun get-together! We'll be literally be partying like it's 1984 ;) since we'll be acting like big kids as we do a SPLATTER PAINT PARTY!   Details: You need to wear old clothes AND shoes! There is a refreshment room so if anyone is up for bring … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #09: It’s my party, so I’ll wear sweats if I want to

“Month of Me” is a little ol’ wild and crazy concept: In October, the month I celebrate my 40th birthday, I will do a whole slew of things that I love. Just because. You can read the kick-off post here. Hubby: Sweetheart, it's your 40th. You should have a party. How about I organize a party for you. Me: Uh, remember, I don't do fun. Hubby: But, it's your 40th. Me: I'm having an entire "Month of Me," so it's not like I'm depriving … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #08: Did I tell you I had my birthday?

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“Month of Me” is a little ol’ wild and crazy concept: In October, the month I celebrate my 40th birthday, I will do a whole slew of things that I love. Just because. You can read the kick-off post here.  No, I haven't told you yet, because -- gosh darn it -- I haven't blogged about so many things yet from this awesome "Month of Me" ... But I did. And I have. As much as I would prefer to be younger in body and energy, I am 40. But I am … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #07: Why yes, I am at another blogging conference

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"Month of Me" is a little ol' wild and crazy concept: In October, the month I celebrate my 40th birthday, I will do a whole slew of things that I love. Just because. You can read the kick-off post here.  Okay, so I'm back in Toronto. Again. For a blogging conference. Again. I know ... to most of you, this just sounds coo-coo! And I certainly don't blame you for thinking that. But hey, it's my month and I do love me some bloggers and some … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” Post #06: NYC Street Art — the fabulous and the just plain strange

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Wandering around Brooklyn and Manhattan, it is impossible not to notice the street art everywhere. Some of it could rightly be called the more derogatory term of "graffiti" but a lot of it is truly "art." If you could spray paint on the surface, then in all likelihood, someone had. I am more interested in street art these days than I used to be, and I attribute this to the documentary-styled film "Exit Through the Gift Shop." I've embedded a … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #05: Here are 9 things that I had never seen or done before yesterday

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  #1:  Stayed in Brooklyn, New York. I've never visited Brooklyn before. But I would encourage anyone to do so, it's very vibrant and there are a ton of interesting neighbourhoods. Williamsburg, in particular, is quite "hip." #2: Baseball played on concrete. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that there is no sliding into home plate. On this large concrete are, two teams were playing back to back. #3:  A store … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #004: Photo Recap of the Fun Stuff from Day One of the She’s Connected Conference

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Howdy everyone! So yesterday started off very bright and early (actually, why is it "bright" and early because, really, it's "dark" when you need to get up early, isn't it?)! Me and my bloggy buddy Andrea (otherwise known as @missfish and she is AWESOME  and she totally didn't lock the keys in her car) drove to Toronto to attend the first day of the She's So Connected Conference. We had planned to arrive just in time to hear the opening … [Read more...]

“Month of Me” post #03: Kicking it off a little early!

Officially, the #MonthofMe project is supposed to be the month of October but .... I've decided to kick off the #MonthofMe a little early. I was invited to a conference called ShesConnected, which takes place on September 29th and 30th.   I was curious about this invite-only conference that aims to connect Canada's "digital women" with brands, but the timing was terrible. For a number of reasons, not the least of which was the … [Read more...]