Don't be jealous...

Okay, maybe you should be jealous. This monstrous birthday cupcake was bestowed upon me this week by my dear Irish lass, Gemma. She happens to live in South Surrey where the new Cupcakes store just opened!


Every time Wayne and I venture downtown and head down Denman, I BEG him to stop at the original store, which faces English Bay. One time we went in, when he wasn't quite sure what it was all about. When he realized how much they were charging for mere cupcakes, that was it, and I was never let out of the car near the place again. Sorrow!

Until now.

Wayne is in a different province, and I "happen" to head to South Surrey for LIFE group every Wednesday night, when Cupcakes "happens" to be open until 7 pm.

Look. Out.

Huh?

So I have a new Mac. Mac's are supposed to be awesome. Why won't it let Blogger upload my photos??? Anyone?

Ooooh, pretty!

There's nothing I like more than pretty things. And it's my birthday, so free pretty things are even better,

I present - my new blog layout! Thanks to Laura and her similar taste in pretty things, I have a pretty background! I always wondered how all you gals managed to have such gorgeous blogs - now I know!

I pass on the wisdom to you. They give you the instructions to download the background to your blog, it’s super easy. Here ya go!
http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

Home Alone 2

Well, Wayne's been gone four days now and Dora and I are getting back into the swing of things. 5 am morning walks, lunchtime pee breaks and mail pick-up, apres-work walks, weekend trail explorations and Wednesday/Thursday doggy daycare (Dora <3 Lazy Acres!). While she did soothe herself Wednesday morning by sucking on my new leather slippers while I took Wayne to YVR, she has yet to run around frantically looking for him or stare at the garage door after I come home, alone. Or chew anything else, thank God.

She really is a blessing to me while he's gone. Sure, she tracks in dirt, creates dust puppies of white fur on our espresso floors, and has holes in her lips (or so it would seem) after she drinks from her dish and walks away. And yes, I have to get up an extra hour early on the three days of the week she doesn't attend daycare to walk her, I have to pick up her poop, dab up her piddle (she has incontinence and her meds seem to be losing effectiveness of late), wrap her foot for a month when she gets pieces of dead thorn trapped in her paw, and get down on said dirty/dusty floor to play tug-of-war with her. But the look of love that dog can give, the nuzzle of kindness, the yawn of the fuzziest, cutest sleepyhead you ever did see, is enough to make me want a whole farm of these little lovebugs! Right now, she's sitting on the stairs with a puzzled look on her face as if to say, "Hey, Mom, I gotta poop. Stop pretending you can't tell and TAKE ME OUT ALREADY!" :)

If I didn't have her to clean up after, feed, walk and groom, I can't imagine how BORED I'd be while Wayne's away. Not to mention likely despondent. I suppose I'd get a lot of reading done, I'd get more sleep, our budget would be bigger, and I wouldn't hate dust so much. That all sounds great! But I wouldn't trade all those things for knowing I'd never see her adorable face nudging my cheek every morning, or for knowing I'd never cuddle with my 35-pound lapdog again.



Having Wayne gone so soon is kind of surreal - I know we won't see one another until at least late April, and even then, it could be only for a weekend. Because I travel on standby, my chances of getting there in the summer months are slim. However, God could have a few aces up His sleeve in terms of travel, time and accommodations, for which I am desperately praying. (If you could, too, I'd be very grateful!) But while I am here, I am keeping myself mighty busy and am learning to say no and enjoy my quiet time (which is usually spent baking, cooking or cleaning, but whatever). This weekend, it's being spent on a new contract project that will hopefully turn into an ongoing relationship with this client - another prayer of mine! We gotta pay for this new Mac somehow!

So, I guess I should be working...

Movie reviews!

Since Wayne's been home (well actually, since Christmas), we've watched our share of movies, some fantastic, some bombs. Two theatre movies we saw were The Day the Earth Stood Still (bomb, even though my FIL worked on the set) and Marley & Me (a.k.a. the story of Meghan and Wayne to-be). At home, however, we've hunkered down with our pup and watched the following five flicks, not including all of Season 4 of LOST (which was very short, due to the writers' strike).

Lars and the Real Girl

We watched this last night - what a fabulous show! There are so many parts where we were on the verge of tears, then burst into giggles for the sheer absurdity of it all! You have to watch it to understand, but the premise, while quirky and odd, is awesome. I love how the entire town participates (inadvertently?) in helping Lars overcome his phobias and fears in life, and his social shortcomings, and in the end, grieves with him for the mother he never met. 5 stars!

Married Life

Another quirky find, so brilliantly acted and shot. I love, LOVE the costumes in this piece, and it's the only time in my life I've wanted platinum blonde hair afterward. Wayne caught a teeny flub - when Kay and Richard stop at a local diner for coffee, the camera angle switches to chin-level on Kay as she sips from a (what's now considered antique) tea cup. On the bottom of the cup is a hand-written price tag, much like you'd see now in an antiques shop. Our guess is that the prop guy failed to remove it. Chris Cooper is wonderful in this feature, and, as twisted as his plot is, his love for his wife is very sweet. 4 stars.

The Visitor

Wow, wow, wow. This story captured both Wayne's and my hearts! Walter, a lonely widower, university prof and author, gets mixed up in the lives of a couple whose status in America is not exactly legal. But their plight intrigues him and he finds purpose in life again by helping them. It is amazing to watch his character transform from a lonely drifter to a passionate man in search of love and meaning and pleasure out of life again. After watching this, I felt like my heart had been squashed over and over again with his, but that a ray of hope would always guide me forward. Touching. Another 5 star movie.

Step Brothers

Well, not for the faint of heart or weak of ears (?). This, while hilarious, could be quite offensive to some. But Will Ferrell really can't do much wrong, and John C. Reilly is his perfect counterpart. If you want a good hearty laugh, and you have the ability to turn off your brain for an hour-and-a-half, check it out! 4 stars for sure.

Tropic Thunder

Under the impression we'd be laughing as much as with Step Brothers, we rented this. Not so. In fact, it was a little gruesome for me (the parts I looked at, anyway), and really not funny. Like, at all. Robert Downey Jr. does a decent job, I guess, but Ben Stiller is falling farther and farther out of favour with me. I give this 1 star our of 5.

Bust

I love to cook and bake - it's no secret. But last night, I stayed up late, even fell asleep on the couch, to make bread...that didn't work. GAH! I know - some reviews on the recipe said it came out dry for them more than once. But I thought, "They must have done something wrong." Nope, they didn't. Cuz I followed it to a T and the heavy olive oil loaf crumbled apart in my hands this morning. What a waste of time and ingredients. Or was it???

Such as in life, not everything works out as "planned." We can have all the perfect "ingredients," an "oven" set to the perfect temperature, take the time and care to assemble the "recipe" as directed - and still, sometimes things just don't work out.

And that's ok, because at least I tried.

This was my life lesson for 2008 - I love when He gives us subtle reminders of His mercy and His sovereignty in the everyday things. Like my crumbly loaf of bread.