The flowers are coming, the flowers are coming!!!

I have for many years I have decorated my front porch with an abundance of flowers and beat up furniture. Last year I also "landscaped" my front area and it looked quite fab too. Things grow like mad in my part of the world.

This year I have big plans. With a job in a flower shop and garden centre, I have first access to beautiful plants and flowers at a great deal. I have had the same thought about what I plan to do over the last few years and Craig has given the green light to go for it this year. Hoping to have it all set up by June 1 so I can enjoy it all Summer.

I have searched my archives for pictures of last years garden to no avail, so I am going to post some Pinterest photos of what I hope to accomplish this year.  Please note - not my photos.

I think 2 and 3 are neck in neck with maybe 2 little ahead. I love the idea of using a dresser and adding all your flowers and plants. It would be a great focal piece of my deck and my flowers seem to thrive there. I love number 1, especially the color, but as the dresser will sit below the window, the mirror isn't a good idea. I am currently plotting and scheming of what will look best and had better increase my hours at the shop should I want to do all this. Maybe I should be asking for gift certificates to my own work for any and all occasions! LOL.

Craig is very cool with whatever and has no qualms about getting his hands dirty, so that makes it so much easier. I am happy to weed and water and plant, so here's to a fabulous growing season.

On another note - the tulips bulbs that Craig gave me last Fall have started to come up. I am sure I check them 3 times a day. No pesky squirrels in them yet. Blood Meal keeps them away. Fun fact, squirrels love tulips and will dig out the bulbs a sock them away, but if you use blood meal, it's all good - they can't stand the stuff.  As for daffodils - they are poisonous to squirrels, so you daffodil lovers have nothing to fear.

As for Kaedo's garden - it is getting an overhaul this year too. It will be doubling in size with a few changes to what he plants and a few new strategies. Hopefully him working for a garden centre will teach him a few tricks as well.  Once we get it built, I'll post some pictures.  Won't be much before Mother's Day though.

Well, that's about it for this Sunday edition. Must go start my pizza dough as that is on the menu for tonight and Sterling has to work so it needs to be ready on time.

Lastly, wishing my oh-so-kickass-cool parents a safe journey as they make their way North. I know they will be counting down the days until they return to their winter home and where their hearts truly are. You guys are so amazing! Living the dream!

College Bound....or Not?

Yesterday Craig, Sterling and I visited Sterling's first choice college campus. We did the tour, talked to people, convinced him a radio show about cars would be cool, and then went to the sister campus and saw what he really wanted to see - the auto shop.

Craig and I waffle on our want for Sterling to be a mechanic. I think it is a classic case of wanting more for your children. Like maybe he could be a mobster - now that's power. However, in watching him speak with the instructors, be engaging, knowledgeable and strong in his convictions as to his life plan, how do we or any parent stop their children from being who they want to be. Except drug dealer, I would draw the line there.

Sterling is in a very interesting and enviable position in which he has been tapped to apply for and OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) scholarship and we will begin the process today of getting the paperwork prepared. He will hand that in this week and wait until the week of May 25 for an interview. There are only 20 of these scholarships available he our region (which is hundreds of kilometers and approximately 50 high schools).

What is amazing about this program is that should Sterling gets this scholarship, he will have the opportunity to finish out his high school education taking college courses and getting his level one Apprenticeship. To be licensed in Ontario he must get Level 1, 2 and 3. The kids that get these scholarships are the best of the best. They have experience, knowledge and the ability to work in big shops, learning and doing. What we learned yesterday, is that should he be accepted, get his level one and be accepted to continue his apprenticeship with a shop/dealership, he actually won't go to college. The company he works for will work with the government to provide him with the technical experience and classroom knowledge to get his level three and become a licensed mechanic.

Alternately, he will still apply for college in the fall to all the Motive Power technician colleges in the area as a fall back. Interestingly even after taking that two year program, he will NOT have his level one.

So, while we have always told the boys that a college education is a must, it looks like Sterling may have to the opportunity to laugh in our faces and say 'Booyah!'

We'll keep you posted.

As for Kaedo, we had really hoped that he could join us but alas a 3 month-with the opportunity for permanent, job has come his way and he will now be working Fridays after school and all day Saturdays. He is thrilled with the opportunity and certainly chose going to work over spending the day with us.

While he is unsure of what college path he wants to take - yes, we know he is only in grade 10 but here he will have to make the decision in grade 11, Craig found a couple of programs that might interest him. When we spoke with him last night, there was one in particular he was very interested in. Blasting Techniques. In other words, when people ask us when he does, we will very coolly be able to say "He blows shit up". Amazingly, I have a feeling that is what he's going to choose.

Sterling

Not sure what to say about these pictures except WOW! 

Photo credit to Noah PB
Instagram - @n.pb / @digitisation
He is an amazing photographer and I have been very lucky to get access to these. Thank you Noah.

Kaedo finished winter ball last Tuesday night and I dare say, he was certainly one of the stars of the team. He has taken the initiative over the last 6 months to try and play four days a week and it is amazing how much his skill level has increased. The rec play he participates in brings together teenagers and young adults of all skill levels and nationalities. I mention the nationalities because I think it is especially prevalant in soccer. Different cultures play the game differently, whether it be their level of intensity or aggression. Kaedo has learned the best of all these traits and it has brought his personal game to a new level. I am proud of him for making this sport he loves so much a priority, and it is a thrill to watch him play. He will begin summer ball in June and until then we will willingly schelp him back and forth to the civic 3 days a week so he can play with people from all over our community. While I know Kaedo has never read the blog, in case he one day does, I will say this: I'm so proud of you and the way you have come back from injury and adversity to do something you love so very much. You are an example of what strength, courage and tenacity is and I am so very proud to be your mom!

Can we talk about the weather?

I find myself doing a lot of prefacing on the blog these days, but today I am going to give you the straight facts.
I am so sick of hearing about the weather, the cold and the snow. Here's how it breaks down where I live;

We had a little snow in November which caused mass hysteria that it was Armageddon. I think it lasted a week.  I'm shocked the National Guards weren't called in because people were having a hard time getting to Tim Horton's for their morning coffee intravenous. (as an aside, I do not nor will I ever understand the fascination with Tim Hortons)

We had no snow at Christmas, prompting people to bemoan the fact that it wouldn't be a white Christmas and that just 'doesn't seem like Christmas'. WTF? Tens of thousands of people driving and flying to see loved ones on the holiday and now we are complaining about no snow. Safety, people. Get a grip. Not to mention, blizzards aren't safe for Santa, so what are you trying to do? Kill Christmas? (That should get a rise out of the Christmas isn't Santa crowd. If you're five, Santa is Christmas - so blow me)

So January goes by, still no snow.

February pops in to say hello and dumps hellfire all over the region. People were furiously shoveling, it was cold, (caveat - I don't shovel - that's what I had children - that and mowing the lawn).

March arrives and the snow is still here, but it is warming up, close to zero and in some moments, above zero. But are people happy? No. They want +15 NOW. For the record - their insurance companies will be in hog heaven from the flooding and that will give homeowners something else to bitch about.

Winter has been six weeks long here. We LIVE IN CANADA, and have always had snow. If you don't like it, I recommend a tropical vacation, or a Netflix subscription and grocery delivery OR maybe you could just suck it up and shut up about it (that one gets my vote).

The worst invention of the 20th century is the Weather Channel. I don't know how many times people from afar have called, texted, emailed- 'I saw on the Weather Channel that it is cold there'.Go figure, it's Winter! First off, shut off the TV. Secondly, we LIVE IN CANADA.

So here is a crash course on how it works:

a) Look out the window - if you see snow, take your damn coat and gloves
b) if you see puddles, a lighter jacket may be in order
c) if birds are chirping (which they are as I write this), even more cause for celebration
d) Spring is coming, and the more you complain about it the more I want to pray for the weather gods to dump more snow

I never look at the weather, don't care about the the weather. I am of the Little House on the Prairie style of weather forecasting; it looks cold, I guess it's cold. Wear a coat. This seems simple to me.

If I didn't work with people every day (I know, shocking, right?) I would tell them to shut the hell up and stop bitching. Spring is on its way and it is the best season of the year. Quit trying to rush perfection.

PS - Hey dad - Happy Birthday!

Cat-Dog

For some reason this cute little puff-ball has decided that his favorite place to hang in the entire house is on the back on the couch. While I must admit the sound of him rolling over in some 'leaves chasing dream' and plopping promptly on the wood floor, scares the shit out of me, this dog does not cater to bribes nor may I add is he a very good listener. It doesn't help that he's the king of the castle, grand pooba or all things popcorn, or the squishiest damn thing I have ever gotten to hold. That pretty much means he does whatever the hell he wants and we just tell him he's the coolest dog on the planet.

Spring is in the Air!

When you work in a flower shop/greenhouse, you see signs of Spring before others. People are still wrapped up in the snow and complaining about the weather and don't realize that all they have to do is stop in and see us and they will feel so much better!. Whether is be a quick trip or a leisurely stroll, Spring as Sprung and it makes coming to work all the sweeter.

I thought I would post some pictures of the vignettes that have been created in the shop. While there are many more, here are a few:

I love the blue and sunflowers make me smile

These are all living plants in the shadow boxes and on the magnet spinner

Beautiful print and a mixture of live plants and artificial. 

Perfect bud vases for that first garden tulip of the season!

I love the use of the old doors to separate the different areas. It makes it so that everywhere you turn, you find a new treasure.

I love clocks and the little white planters sitting in the open drawer are designed to hang

A small glimpse into where I get to spend some of my time. 

Thank you Curt Schilling

Dear Mr. Schilling,
While you are most notably known as a kick ass MLB player, and seemingly cool guy, I must admit that until this week I had no idea who you were. Please forgive me. I don't like baseball.

Then something amazing happened - you became not only a legendary baseball player, you showed the world that no one fucks with your kid. I use that word, because it is the only one strong enough to emphasize the lengths that you went to protect your daughter.

After tweeting about her, (a congratulations for getting accepted into College) as any proud dad would do, you were happy to see so many great tweets in response. When you started seeing sick, twisted, misogynistic, rape oriented tweets directed at your daughter, you did the only thing you could do. You found those trolls and kicked their asses.

Like all cowards, they hid behind screen names all the while posting their disgusting vitriol. So what did you do? You searched them out. You got their real names. You posted their names, their jobs, and publicly shamed them. Amazingly enough, one of those people (I hesitate to even call them that) workED for the Yankees. He doesn't any more. The other is a recent university graduate and the former vice-president of his fraternity. He too has been stripped of anything he valued in his day to day life. Their bullying has cost them their futures. Good.

For all those mothers and fathers out there that are sick of cyber-bullying and the cowards that find their presence in that cesspool, thank you for what you have done. While you have more clout than us mere mortals who couldn't hit a ball with a bat if it was tied to it with a string, I just want to tell you - you kick ass, and have reinforced my belief that as a parent there is nothing we shouldn't do to protect our children.

Mr. Schilling, you wrote the following on your blog as a PS to your daughter. I am posting it here because I think what you say is important and needs to be said. While I may disagree about it not happening when we were growing up - bullying has always happened, sometimes it was a kid being thrown in a garbage can and sometimes a girl being forced into doing something she didn't want to do. But make no mistake - our bullies are more anonymous but not greater in numbers. Now they simply bully 'old school' and anonymously.

P.S. Gabby I know you’re likely embarrassed and for that I apologize. But as we have talked about, there is no situation ever in your life, where it’s ok for any ‘man’ to talk about you, or any other woman this way (and truth be told no real man would ever talk this way anyway). It truly is time this stopped. I don’t know where it started because it sure as hell didn’t happen much when we were growing up. Like any dad reading this the only thing I need you to leave this home with when you head to college is the knowledge that I love you more than life itself and there is NOTHING I would not do to protect you. And while it may sound corny, it’s nothing I’d ever be shy about saying in public, ever.

Curt Schilling - you rock - and you are definitely one of the coolest dads out there.

High School Reunions

I want to preface this post by saying that no matter how I write this, I am going to sound like a bitter shrew. That is not my intent. I am not bitter in the least, nor generally am I shrew (although some may disagree). This is simply my opinion on a subject that I think is ridiculous on so many levels. For the record, Craig holds the same belief.

Yesterday I received a Facebook message from a high school classmate who had obviously dug out her yearbook and was scouring Facebook for people we went to high school with, in order to a) invite me to our 25th high school reunion and b)skulk my miserly page for information about me (everyone on Facebook does this, and you know that's true). Facebook is a wormhole of detritus that once you take that first leap, time stops and you find yourself 2 hours later, after clicking your mouse through the lives of people you haven't seen in 25 years, 2 hours older and either feeling good because your life rocks compares to theirs or so sick of pictures of them with their kids jumping in mud puddles that you want to cancel your internet. One thing I have noticed about Facebook is that there are two types of users; those that post pictures of what they have eaten for every meal, Timmy's soccer game, and the hickey their 'naughty' husband gave them, OR those that post only enough to keep you following their feed in the hopes that they may actually post something of interest.

OK, Facebook rant over, back to the story.

So, I get the message "hey, how are you, blah blah blah... we are having a reunion and I know you'd like to come". Uh, no, never.

When I showed this to Craig, he agreed that he would never attend his high school reunion - and he should - successful, gorgeous, c'mon - no brainer.

This is what we figure. People fall into one of two categories when it comes to high school reunions:

1. You have stayed in touch with your classmates and have remained friends over the years, therefore a reunion is unnecessary.

2. You've had no contact with these people in 25 years and you are obviously not friends with them, therefore a reunion is unnecessary.

People who go to reunions fall into one of the following categories:

1. You still live in the same area as your high school and see it as just another social outing

2. You are extremely wealthy/successful or better looking than you were in high school and want to show it off (and hey - good for you - your parents must be proud)

I didn't much care for high school the first time around and the petty bullshit that occurred is something I never want to be a part of again. The women who were blatantly cruel and obnoxious are probably still the beautiful people and have either become doctors or lawyers or have married a dentist. Either way, you couldn't pay me or Craig enough to travel 3000 kms to have dinner with people who we didn't care enough about then to maintain a friendship until now.

A 25 year reunion is the perfect place for one-upmanship,  and a reminder of why you didn't stay friends in the first place. The bonus is, I already know why. Because I didn't like anyone enough to bring them into my new life.

Am I stick thin and beautiful? NO. Do I have a high powered career and drive a BMW? NO.
What I do have is a loving husband, two fabulous kids, a home I am comfortable in, a job that brings people happiness, a calling that saves lives and an adorable dog. I don't need to present myself to the Reunion Committee and boast about my life. Why? Because they wouldn't get it. And because it's none of their business.