something to chu on

Computerless Angry Birds...

2012-01-25T10:42:00.003-07:00

Use any recycling items you may have around the house; help your children build any structure and knock it down!

Of course, you don't need "official" angry bird toys to do this.

Depending on the ages of your child(ren), they may be able to build and re-build the structure themselves. You can also add a scoring/star system, line to stand behind, etc... or keep it as simple as your kids will allow while still feeling things are fair.

This activity kept my kids (2.5yrs and 4.5yrs) busy for hours, literally.

Bonus! Builds hand-eye-coordination, balance, cooperation skills, motor skills, and more!

Have fun!

Easy Chai Spice Anything

2012-01-16T17:08:00.003-07:00

Easy Chai Spice mix: perfect for a chai smoothie, waffles, muffins, vanilla meal-replacement drink, chex-mix, sugar cookies, cake, trail-mix, you name it and you can CHAI-ify it!

Equal Parts:
Ginger
Cloves
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Skim-Milk Powder (optional)

15 Easy Soup Recipes

2012-01-09T15:19:00.006-07:00

From DisneyFamily.com:

Warm up from the inside out with a steaming bowl of soup. From chicken noodle to chowder, here are 15 easy soup recipes your family will slurp up!

back to blogging?

2012-01-09T14:47:00.003-07:00

Pinterest has renewed my passion for blogging. I love networking, creating, communicating, and being resourceful. Facebook replaced my blogging for a couple of years, but Facebook restricts ... well it limits... well, it's just a different platform/medium and it's good for different things.

I've been into baking, but with 4 kids under 5yrs, that hobby presents a few problems, not the least of which being the inability to stop in the middle of any given "project," drop everything, and attend to a crying baby/toddler/preschooler. Not the second least of which being the inability to get out of the house to work off the inevitable pounds that are gained through "quality control."

So I bought a sewing machine.

Thank you Pinterest, for renewing my passion for blogging, providing an amazing centre of resource management, and giving me a potential new audience for blogging about my new hobby! Who knows, maybe next I'll have an etsy store?!

~D

2012-01-09T14:42:00.002-07:00

Some Albums of Aly

2009-08-05T21:24:00.003-06:00

Two weeks worth of Aly photos :o) and some of big brother too!

Click the links below to view albums...

Alana Larissa Choi-Tung (彩曈) Chu ("Aly")

Pink is the new black
Week 2
August

Alana Larissa Choi-Tung (彩曈) Chu

2009-07-20T14:16:00.007-06:00

July 18, 2009
7 lb 3 oz, 20.8 inches

Pretty long handle for a bitty baby girl that we call "Aly" ...

We're still figuring out which end is up, so not really uploading albums etc yet... but here are some pics and name info:

"Alana" is in honour of Karl's brother, Alan...

"Larissa" is in honour of my mother, Linda [L], and my step-mother, Mary [ar], and my sister, Melissa [issa];

Choi-Tung [pronounced kind of like Choy-Tone] translates: Choi: "colourful"; Tung: "light at dawn"... I will have the chinese characters up soon.

Update... 彩瞳

♥ ♡ ❤ εїз

Happy Birthday Canada!

2009-06-30T21:16:00.003-06:00

A CANADIAN CREED

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms clearly spells out the principles upon which our country was founded... namely, that our customs as a nation and as individuals are governed by the rule of law, and that freedom of conscience and religion are fundamental rights for all citizens.

Canada is a free and democratic country based on tolerance and respect for human rights of all people.

As Canadians we have the freedom to choose our governments, to speak our minds, to practice our religions and to preserve our ancestral traditions.

We welcome into our country, and into our citizenship, people from all parts of the world and we share with them our rights and freedoms.

We regard people of all nations as our friends; we send our troops to foreign lands to preserve peace and to restore freedom and human rights to oppressed people.

Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms we enjoy equal rights and benefits under the law, without any discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, gender, age, or mental or physical disability.

Because we are blessed in being permitted to live in Canada, it is our duty and privilege to extend to others those rights which we have come to enjoy.

Whether I was born in Canada or chose this land as my country, I can say with a clear mind and a joyous heart that:

I AM PROUD TO BE CANADIAN

-The Honourable Albert Ludwig

2009-06-27T16:29:00.001-06:00

This is a time lapse video that Karl helped me make of a lunch club I'm in with some girlfriends every month... 3 hours down to about 1.5 minutes...

From june09

spring update

2009-05-06T19:46:00.010-06:00

You can blame the swine flu... okay okay, blame facebook... I have been updating some photos there and totally abandoning the blog... but I'm back...

Here are some April pics; before that dastardly snow returned to haunt us...

(click for larger image)

Easter Eggs that I dyed; Hawaiian shirt from Grandma Jacquie; the bottom left photo is Caleb's first playdough play time... he loved it! Much to my surprise he didn't even attempt to eat any. yet.

Lately I've been hearing a lot of, "'SIDE, 'SIDE!" from Caleb; he just loves being outside... it won't be long before he's out there along side his daddy grilling the best burgers in the west... mmm... blue cheese and goat cheese burgers; grilled to perfection...

Some outdoor fun with Caleb; playing with bubbles and eating his snack.
The weather changed so quickly from one day to the next in both March and April... those two lumps under the snow are Karl's shoes that he had left out the day before because they had gotten mucky...I know it looks like Caleb is falling out of this chair... actually he's just chillaxin' like his mommy because that's about the only way I'm comfortable these days with this growing belly of mine! It is quite cute to see him imitate how I am sitting... not so cute is the way he grunts and moans and groans when he's sitting down, getting up, or picking things up from the floor!

Last but not least: from just a few hours ago... showing off his new "che" jammies from Amma and Grampa. "Che" is "car" in Cantonese... Karl will teach him "tow truck" soon enough... for now it was super cute to see him look down and point and say with surprise, "Che!"

Coming soon... adventures in potty training, moving to a big boy bed, the saga of the switch to sippy cup... and my official transition to being a mini-van mom!

Go Flames Go!

2009-04-10T19:31:00.000-06:00

Easter Sugar Cookies

2009-04-05T22:06:00.003-06:00

A rare journey into baking and decorating sugar cookies. Now I know why I don't go there often; it was very time consuming!... so I at least had to show off my efforts...
Here's the cookie and icing recipe I used; I found them very easy and practically flawless, even as a novice!

~D

Our own little slumdog...?

2009-03-13T09:23:00.001-06:00

Caleb dancing Bollywood with the Backyardigans...

Art & Music...

2009-02-23T13:38:00.005-07:00

I noticed a fascination with the "magnadoodle" at the church nursery so I got Caleb drawing... he did pretty good! This is part of his "Fire" series, going to auction later this Spring... ;o)

"lake of fire"

-as named by daddy

Click to play video...

Thanks Auntie Elaine... Caleb loves them... so does my mom (she'll really love them when they go to her house!)

;o)

The Big Kahuna...

2009-02-22T22:49:00.004-07:00

My folks just got back from Maui and brought back a few things for our own little BIG KAHUNA... I didn't realize how seldom we've let him run around in bare feet until he was fascinated with how his toes felt on the floor!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

A sweet little reminder of what true love is...

boys will be boys...

2009-02-07T10:20:00.003-07:00

Trust a little boy to discover something hilarious about a toy that has nothing to do with the intended purpose or function... well... I guess you could qualify this as making music!

Mr. Rebel vs. Mr. Innocent...

2009-01-31T08:29:00.001-07:00

Another Time-lapse Video

2009-01-14T17:09:00.004-07:00

Ever since I learned how to make a time-lapse video, I have been wanting to do one of rolling clouds. Unfortunately, the weather had not been cooperating: it was either -30°C with no clouds, or it was completely clouded over and snowing. Finally, yesterday was a perfect day for the kind of shots I wanted; so I set up the camera at our front window on a tripod. Over 1,700 pictures were taken between 9:15am and 2:15pm (the batteries died). Below is the result.

2009-01-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

From jan09

Karl's New Year's Resolution...

2009-01-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

... Aerobics! ;o)

From karl's aerobics

a caleb's christmas production...

2009-01-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

From Calebs Christmas (2008)

Parks Family Christmas Party 2008

2008-12-22T14:37:00.004-07:00

Click above to view online. Click this link to download the high(er) resolution video.

Caleb says "Merry Christmas"

2008-12-14T10:58:00.002-07:00

I finally got this video uploaded... but it jumps to a picasa album... click the image... this is the one that is dedicated to the Forsyth Family because Caleb was feeling chatty...

From 2008-12 (Dec)

slacker...

2008-12-12T19:19:00.004-07:00

I know; so little updating... truth be told I've been pretty nauseous lately most of the time and the other half of the time I have been sleeping... my poor house is suffering the punishment of an undecorated tree and killer dust bunnies. Good thing we had company over on Thursday or those dust bunnies just may have taken us hostage.

So, yes, it's true... Caleb's going to be a big brother... maybe for his birthday... my due date is July 26; Caleb's birthday.

Off to watch a movie, but wanted to get this video up... more to blog tomorrow as we will likely be hibernating all weekend with the highs reaching a lofty -27*C (-17*F) feeling like minus a bajillion with the wind chill factored in.

This is dedicated to Auntie Melissa, Uncle Scott, Cousin Joel & Cousin Alisha

"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"

morning beverages of choiceWell; I'm no mennonite girl; but these were really good buns and really easy...
Caleb with a Pomelo helmet on. Karl has a picture of himself like this that I am determined to dig up and post... I need to get him to cooperate first ;o) stay tuned!Enjoying a new snowman blanket from the Forsyths :o) "sof', sof'" (soft) he says.

Couldn't get the video up after all... maybe tomorrow.

BQ...:2009 Brother of the Year

2008-11-29T19:31:00.001-07:00

2008-10-29T21:17:00.004-06:00

Sometimes we put two soothers (pacifiers) into Caleb's crib in case he loses one in the night. Turns out he doesn't usually lose them...
and a couple of videos... Caleb got a kick out of the magnets on his monkey; and a montage of munching videos... "Doe-dee" is Cantonese for "more"

you had me at flaxsicle...

2008-10-26T20:47:00.004-06:00

Just gotta plug my brother-in-law's* business: Omega Crunch... he was in Calgary for a trade show (The Calgary Women's Show) and got me in for free. I am literally munching on roasted maple flax (in my yogurt) as I type this. YUM! Next stop... flaxsicle!

Check it out and buy some stuff!

See this smiling face at the Vancouver Women's Expo next weekend, and the National Women's Show in Toronto the weekend after. Men can eat flax too; men can even go to the women's shows.

* I guess he's not really my brother-in-law... he's married to my sister's husband's sister. I guess he's my sister's brother-in-law. Great guy though; buy some stuff!

5 year anniversary wedding bands

2008-10-24T15:28:00.002-06:00

If Karl had his say, I'm pretty sure this is what our wedding bands would have looked like...
... maybe a 5 year anniversary set?

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY!

2008-10-23T08:25:00.003-06:00

HAPPY INDEED!!!

HTTP://WWW.ENGADGET.COM/2006/10/22/HAPPY-INTERNATIONAL-CAPS-LOCK-DAY/

THERE IS NOTHING HAPPIER THAN GETTING SHOUTED AT WITH EVERY SINGLE LETTER YOU READ!!! MAY BE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GETTING OVER-STIMULATED BY THREE OR MORE EXCLAMATION MARKS AT THE END OF EACH SENTENCE!!!!!

HAPPY HAPPY!!! THAT'S ME!!!

Christian College and University Fairs...

2008-10-19T21:10:00.004-06:00

Just gotta put in a plug for my former stomping grounds... if you're looking for Christian Higher Education for yourself or your kids, undergrad, graduate, continuing ed... leaders are life long learners! Check out when they'll be in a town near you and go chat with the reps (Calgary, Oct 24 & 25).

Skookum

2008-10-17T20:08:00.005-06:00

Did you ever have one of those moments, probably somewhere in your mid twenties, when you realized, "hey. the world doesn't revolve around me." Or maybe you never felt like it did, but you still may have had a less-earth-shattering-but-similar moment; something like, "hey. The world doesn't all think like me."

I've had quite a few of those moments. Not sure what that says about me... I'm confident? Arrogant? Naive? Assertive? Not sure. Here're a couple of examples... one time I was teasing a person about needing some psychiatric assessment (the appropriateness of my sense of humour and whether or not "here are" can be shortened to "here're" are other posts altogether); I said, "soon they'll be sending you to the fourth floor..." [insert puzzled look from said person]... "You know? Fourth floor?" [insert shaking head from said person]... "HULLOW, fourth floor! Psych ward! Get it?" Then it hits me. hey. the world didn't all grow up in Duncan where the psychiatric ward is on the fourth floor of the only hospital in town.

A friend of mine grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan. One time we were having supper with her and her husband and got talking about what was cool when we were kids. She says, "Remember when it was so cool if you lived on a cul-de-sac?" Blank stares. Then it hit her. hey. the world didn't all grow up in Nipawin where the first cul-de-sac was apparently a novelty.

When I first moved to Calgary I used the word Skookumchuck. Sometimes shortened to Skookum. Seriously, the first person to comment on this blog or on my facebook wall with the right definition of SKOOKUM without looking it up gets a prize. Maybe a SKOOKUM bar. My mom thought it was so funny when I first used that word; to this day if she hadn't actually seen the Skookumchuck hotel with her own two eyes she would think I made it up. So yesterday she was shopping and found a Skookum bar... of course she had to buy it... and so here I sit, munching on my skookum bar. Oh. I guess the prize might be one third of a skookum bar.

I'd love to here your "the world doesn't think like me" moments.

Tune in next time when we discuss whether tighty-whiteys should be called GINCH or GONCH or GITCH or GOTCH.

ps; mom you'd be proud to know that while I did my research for this post, I came across the only skookumgal out there. Her name? Yep. Linda.

virtual renos...

2008-10-13T15:10:00.001-06:00

No, you didn't make a wrong turn at albeqwerky... You're in the right place... Just a little virtual makeover :)

Dayna

Democracy...

2008-10-09T08:49:00.007-06:00

"I am a Canadian,
free to speak without fear,
free to worship in my own way,
free to stand for what I think right,
free to oppose what I believe wrong, or
free to choose those who shall govern my country.

This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind."

John G. Diefenbaker
(1895-1979) Prime Minister of Canada

VOTE!

I'm far from a strong political voice and certainly not savvy on the depths of all the party issues... but I do know one thing; I have a voice... so do you... VOTE!

But the commute is bad, I'm homeless, I'm in prison, the lineup is long, I am tired, the kids are sick, I need cat food... I know... but VOTE!

But it's complicated; I need to work, I didn't get a registration card, I'm going to grandmas, I ate my ballot, I have no I.D., I live out of the country, it's my first time voting, I think the polls are closed, ... make it happen... VOTE!

Election day: Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Okay I'm stepping off the soapbox now;
Have a great weekend
and be Thankful this Thanksgiving for the right to vote.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-10-09T08:28:00.001-06:00

a 3.5 minute video :: Caleb (what else?)

2008-10-04T17:33:00.003-06:00

2008-10-04T16:15:00.002-06:00

We've been having beautiful fall weather, mid 20s all last week... I went for a walk with Caleb and took some photos of a few of the views we have from paths near our home; mountains to the west (no kidding), Canada Olympic Park to the south, and the city line to the east. Karl and I have been discovering all kinds of paths around our place and doing some exploring; it's really quite beautiful.

And this is Caleb with his "second cousins" Vinny (Vincenzo), left, and Franky (Francesco), right. They're 2.5yrs and 4.5yrs. My cousin and her family live in Standard, AB, about an hour away from us. We don't visit nearly enough! They also have a beautiful daughter, Liliana, 6, who was at school when I was there.

Stay tuned for a new video collage...

2008-09-29T22:26:00.004-06:00

Yikes, we've been so delinquent eh? Well, this is our equivalent of a "back to school" photo... Caleb's first day in his new carseat... compared to close to the same time last year...

And here's our little monkey, probably one of his last days in the jolly jumper... he likes it for shorter and shorter durations the more mobile he gets!

What more to report on except, oh yes, more Caleb ;o) A pictorial review:

Moon cake that we eat to "celebrate" Chinese Harvest Festival...

Aww, little "sweetpea"... Caleb was crawling around and I wasn't really paying attention until he sounded frustrated and I saw him in an awkward position reaching for something that he easily should have been able to crawl to... when I had a closer look, I could see why he was reaching instead of crawling...

Both of his legs were jammed into one leg of his sleeper... I had to grab the camera but don't worry, he wasn't stranded for long...

Here's Caleb flirting with Abigail, our friend Heidi's daughter, a few months younger than Caleb.
Next post will be halloween photos at the rate I'm going these days!

~D

Oh NO! I am one of them!

2008-09-12T11:24:00.002-06:00

I was working on a server and did a manual test run on one of the tasks... at exactly 11:11:11! I AM one of them!

K

(click for larger image)

Starring Caleb Chu...

2008-09-05T12:10:00.002-06:00

living a prolific life and other life hacks

2008-08-22T20:46:00.004-06:00

Oh time for the blogosphere, where art thou? It seems like life has been getting ahead of me a lot these days and I am afraid fall is not going to have a reprieve for me. I'm excited about working more (Human Resources Coordinator at my church) and directing a program at my church called "EveryLeader," a leadership training course that launched last January. Mostly I am really beginning to appreciate the need to be more organized with my time in order to get everything done that needs doing and to not overcommit.

Karl's favourite expert on organizing life is David Allen, author of Getting Things Done (GTD); it's an excellent book/program if you're interested in personal productivity... though I've yet to complete it... it's one thing that I really need to get done... :) Here's a good blog that also serves as a bit of an overview of GTD.

A recent blog that Karl sent me that I have found quite inspirational is "Marc and Angel Hack Life" for which my entry today is titled. Check it out for such posts as, "50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do," 7 Clever Google Tricks Worth Knowing, "20 Questions You Should Ask Yourself Every Sunday", and "The 7 Habits of Highly Happy People"

Anyway, in other news... just winding down my night after a great day at the zoo (actually two days in a row at the zoo) and wanted to share this warm fuzzy with you... awwwww...

[I took this pic of the new baby giraffe]

2008-08-15T10:49:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Leila!

2008-08-09T12:43:00.003-06:00

Happy 10th Birthday Leila!

Leila is Karl's cousin (left) on his mom's side; her youngest sister's daughter. Here she is with Caleb and Karl's two nieces, Jessica (centre) and Josephine (right).

Not "doh", but "phew"

2008-08-01T20:54:00.003-06:00

I have been working on a spreadsheet, and tonight, I transferred it over to Google Docs so I can easily share it with Dayna. Once I did that, I continued to work on it online and then I deleted the original files off my computer. You probably know where this is going, don't you? Long story short, somehow I managed to corrupt the file on Google's server and it kept telling me "a server error occurred" when I tried to open the spreadsheet! DOH!

Luckily, I use Mozy (an online backup service) to backup a few things on my computer including the original spreadsheet. I restored the original spreadsheet in just a few minutes and I only lost about an hour's worth of work on it. The service paid for itself tonight... considering that it is free (at least for the level at which I have signed up).

Actually, we had Dayna signed up for the paid service (USD$60/year) and it is keeping a current backup of some 25GB worth of photos and videos on her computer. If you are not using a backup solution now, I highly recommend putting one in place. Mozy is definitely one of the easiest ones I have used. Consider it insurance for your photos and other important files.

K

PS: If you happen to want to sign up, please use this link (https://mozy.com/?code=4237DB); it will give me a bit of extra storage quota on my free account :-) Thanks.

Caleb, Caleb and ... what else? Yep, more Caleb...

2008-07-28T08:40:00.004-06:00

It was all good and fine until he gagged on a piece of cookie and barfed. Hm.

Caleb got a walker from Amma and Grampa. My favourite part is the variable speed options for the wheels, because it's not really a "walker" yet, more of a "propper"... more on that in the next few weeks!

Caleb also *can't wait* to watch his new Veggie Tales dvd from Auntie Elaine and Uncle Gary... okay, his mommy is looking forward to it too... He got a cute VT pillow too and an adorable "Lord's prayer" bear from Langa Amma. The Forsyth's got him a little dipper spoon, sippy cup, and a "baby's first photo album" that is soft sided and I finally get to put pictures in... we were waiting until we gave mom her book album for her 50th birthday with some of our professional photos in it that we got done while in NC..

Happy First Birthday Caleb!

2008-07-26T08:03:00.002-06:00

More to come... but here's the cake I made yesterday :)

Wild Wild West...

2008-07-10T14:17:00.006-06:00

Crazy but true, Karl is the only one who has gone to the actual Stampede this year (rodeo with his boss and colleagues), but if you live in Calgary or if you've ever visited during the 10 days of Stampede, you know there's a lot going on in the city that spins off of the "Greatest Show on Earth." I went with some friends to a free pancake breakfast at the mall on Tuesday (there are hundreds of free pancake breakfasts in the city over stampede week).Caleb loved the marching band and was surprisingly interested in the goats at the petting zoo too. [Note for those of you interested in marketing; a home builder was walking around handing out free (branded) single-use packs of sunscreen. Isn't that a great idea? Think Sonfest or Agrifair or anything outdoor... ]

I assured my crowd-hating girlfriend that the lines would be nearly gone by the time we arrived at 9:30... yeah right! But actually it wasn't too bad; about 20 mins in line... and we split up so a couple of us got food and she took her girls for pony rides and face painting. Here they are dancing to the country tunes!

One of the new foods introduced this year at the stampede... hot beef sundae. not kidding.

For a good laugh, check out a list of the other stampede foods on my friend's blog here. You'll gain weight just reading the list. Deep fried coke? eyeeee.

And today I went to the zoo with a friend of mine and her three girls... it was a good day for it: not too hot, not too cool, all the animals were out and about.The baby elephant hasn't grown as much as I would have expected it to from when I saw it last year.
There's a new baby gorilla that we got a really close look at. This is two month old "Yewande".
Call me uneducated or something, but I had no idea that hippos' legs were so short... I think they've always been in the water when I see them.

We got home just in time! The rain started pounding down shortly after we got in the door.

Getting Spoiled...

2008-07-08T15:27:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was my birthday and look what was on my page-a-day! How serendipitous. Boy I got spoiled! I got greetings and flowers and chocolate and singing and lunch and supper and tickets to Cirque Du Soleil in August!... I just can't even go on more for fear of making you jealous ;o) Just Kidding! But I feel *so* grateful to have such loving friends and family around me! Thank you!

My Little stampeding cowboy :)

I hate government papers

2008-07-06T16:58:00.003-06:00

"Hate is such a strong word", as I always say. But get this: I am filling out a form for the Alberta government and here is one of the instructions:

Item 5. All corporations must answer this question. If the corporation has not filed an Annual Return previously, this item will be blank.

So, does this mean I need to fill this out with some literal blanks!? How frustrating.

Caleb: "more"

2008-07-05T20:02:00.002-06:00

this post is dedicated to sean and tim...

2008-06-25T15:52:00.001-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Breakthrough...

2008-06-21T11:01:00.005-06:00

Try as I might, I couldn't wrestle the camera into the mouth of my teething baby for a good shot, but trust me... they're there... two of them... TEETH... what a concept; he's only eleven months old!And here's Caleb on Father's day with his Grandpa, wearing his "grandpa is my hero" shirt that I got him down in Mooresville. Missed the photo op wearing his "my dadaaa is #1" shirt that he wore to church! aww, so cute.

Karl was playing with Caleb the other night and started winking, which Caleb found quite hilarious... here he is catching it on video (is it so last century to call it "video taping"?)

Okay, okay... since you insisted... here are more photos of the little prince that is the centre of our universe: Here he is using his "dipper" spoon that Auntie Melissa and Uncle Scott got him for part of his birthday present...Despite the rainy spring we've had, Karl has still been the king of the barbecue... beer can chicken with home-made rub, grilled pear chicken salad (my idea, his grilling...) burgers, and pork tenderloin... mmm I am one spoiled wife!

other uses for shampoo and lipliner

2008-06-13T11:22:00.004-06:00

Caleb and I had a fantastic visit in Mooresville with my sister and her family... Here are some great photos; you can tell who was the "centre of the universe" while we were there, but he returned home surprisingly "unspoiled."

On our way home we had an unexpected overnight hiatus in Dallas. The weather was bad so our flight from Charlotte to Dallas was delayed (and Dallas is *so* on-the-way to Calgary!) and we missed the only connecting flight to Calgary. Karl hooked us up with a quick hotwire hotel near the airport and we had a rather uneventful night... that is except for the lack of luggage. Of course I had a tonne of emergency type equipment for Caleb... change of clothes, extra diapers, lots of wipes, extra food to accommodate 9 hours of delay... hmm, still not enough!

But Caleb is a trooper and ate mushed bananas and carrot baby food (his first time trying it... we all know how the asparagus started, but thankfully this had the same end-result... empty bowl!)

I'm a trooper too, if you qualify a 4-star hotel as roughin' it. I didn't have any make-up though! Okay, I'm no diva, but you have to admit it feels weird not to wear make-up in public when you're used to wearing even a little. It turns out that lipstick and lipliner make great eyeliner and eyeshadow alternatives in a pinch! Ladies, if you're going to try this, ideally go with a different colour than what's on your lips... helps the illusion that you didn't just have all of your luggage checked through to your original destination and that you're making do with one form of make up. Yes. I know. I didn't miss the irony that I did, in fact, have two different colours of lipstick with me. I also used shampoo as a "texturizer" in my hair after I washed and dried it; I just kind of rubbed some on my fingers and twirled it into the tips of my hair. Not quite as successful as the lipliner, but I think it did help a bit. ack... I didn't even have hairspray but wasn't up to buying more at the overpriced convenience store where I found Caleb's carrot baby food.

Here' my little prince in his makeshift crib on the floor at the hotel (now that I think of it, I bet I could have asked for a crib in the room, but I was tired...)

That's all for now folks...

Happy Birthday Uncle Karl!

2008-06-09T07:19:00.005-06:00

I am just heading home from Mooresville, and Joel & Alisha wanted to send this message to Uncle Karl since today is his birthday:

And when we were uploading that, we found one in the archives from 2004... "they grow up so fast..." sniff sniff :'(

I guess it is over

2008-06-04T20:35:00.003-06:00

Admittedly, the Detroit Red Wings has been the better team throughout Stanley Cup final series. It would have been nice to see a Game-7, regardless of the outcome then. Nonetheless, hockey is over... for now.

It ain't over til it's over!

2008-06-02T22:47:00.004-06:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins won Game-5 of the Stanley Cup Final in triple overtime, and spoiled the party in Detroit. They still trail the series 2-3 though. It ain't over 'til it's over baby! Go Pens Go!!

vacation...

2008-06-02T16:00:00.004-06:00

Caleb and I are in North Carolina visiting my sister and her family. We made a trek to the coast and spent some time at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and stopped in Savannah, Georgia for a quick look around as well "on our way" back home.

The weather is terrific and Caleb has been a trooper; facing each new site and sound with curiosity and little fuss. But we're missing Daddy/Karl! We'll be home on his birthday (June 9th). The rest of the trip will be pretty low key; the kids are still in schools so I have a feeling we may do lunch and/or show-and-tell...

More pics to come :) I have been getting a bit side-tracked by facebook lately and have been slacking on the blog.

Keener Living -- New Favourite Blog

2008-05-29T13:19:00.003-06:00

I started to implement GTD for the third time. I had increasing success with the last two times I tried; but both times ended with me "falling off the wagon" for various reasons. This time, I am determined to make it work. I even bought a $600 PDA phone to make sure I have the right tool (that is, the right tool for me). While I was doing my research, I came across the blog at www.keenerliving.com and I am really liking it. This post, especially the last link about "just get started", is an example of what I like. Hope you like it too.

"Because I'm the Mom..."

2008-05-10T20:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Mother's Day!

You'll enjoy this whether or not you have kids... if you're like me it may remind you of your own mom ;o) (I love you mom!)

Updates on the walk and my very first mother's day this week sometime... for now, take a couple of minutes to enjoy Anita Renfroe's translation of what a mom has to say in 24 hours, condensed into 2 minutes and 55 seconds!

2008-04-27T21:02:00.003-06:00

Has it really been 3 weeks since I last posted? Seriously, February has just flown by. Oh... is it almost May? The snow had me confused.

Okay, here's a pictorial summary of the last month or so... click to enlarge.

My Grandma Jacquie (Trent's mom) celebrated her 80th birthday on April 12th. I created a photo book (I have used quite a few programs/services and officially recommend Shutterfly) for her and used this picture on the cover; what a looker eh? She was about 16 here as I recall.
Karl's delicious corn meal muffins
our basement as a bit of a work in progress. it is pretty much finished now, with the last 20% taking 80% of the time... there's a principle in there somewhere... just a bit of trim and pantry shelving left... oh and the carpet on the stairs but we're delaying that for a bit. Any advice on berber vs. low pile, etc?
A delicious salad we made with barbecued flank steak, feta cheese, red pepper, sugar peas, sprouts... mmm it was the perfect summery day for it too; hard to believe the weather that followed for a couple of weeks and wouldn't let up...
Bit hard to see in this picture, but this was a martha stewart project of mine that involved splitting kinder eggs and using a melon baller to place a little scoop of mango ice cream in the middle. They were "bite sized" desserts for company for easter dinner. A big hit!
A shot of our fireplace and entertainment "extension" because I don't really know how to decorate it. I sent some photos in to "Steven and Chris" and it's going to be on TV on Friday CBC at 2pm MT... Right around the time we're driving through Moosimin. More on that later...
Said easter dinner company (Karl's family)
Biggest Turkey breast ever; left over from said easter dinner. The Turkey was over 20 lbs... we had a lot of company, but we had a LOT of leftovers. mmmm, turkey soup.
My friend's daughter Chloe, who got a kick out of getting Caleb to sit in her princess chair. She then pushed two chairs together, front to front, and created a "little bed" for him that he laid in. Too cute.
King-Caleb-Kong; master of his universe. He has this "intellitainer" excersaucer thingy that he was seemingly trying to haul down that day. It has a little bell where his head is that he likes to ring... with his head...
Caleb cheering for the Flames when they were still in the playoffs
Please people, I beg you; do not shop at the Superstore (for food). This photo was taken February 19 (expiry date reads: January 29)... it was on the shelf. Don't get me started.
Pre-kiln piece that I painted for Caleb's room to go with his nursery ("Malawi" theme)... turned out great although I wanted to do a light switch plate. They didn't have any... Next time!
Karl & Me & Caleb at Jacquie's 80th
Two pics of itty bitty Caleb... he's only 9 months old now but it's already hard to remember that he was that tiny.

A few updates: Thank you to my friends and family for sponsoring me for the Mother's Day Walk... I have exceeded my goal! I still have some coming in, including pledges that I don't know amounts for yet... but it looks like I will have over $1000.00! Thank you so much everyone (official thank yous coming in the mail...)!

And that's your mega-blog update... probably for another 3 weeks! We head out to Manitoba next week (are we crazy going on a road trip with a 9mos-old baby?) Then three weeks later, Caleb and I head to NC to see the Forsyths :) Have you ever tried to get a passport for a baby? Whew, whole other blog post.

Okay, one last thing... I just have to link this blog for any of you who have ever been stuck with any rendition of "Our God is and Awesome God" being lead by a worship leader who was stuck on repeat... or looking to get a kick out of any irreverent jab at most things Christian... If you have spent more than a few years in church in your lifetime, and probably even if you haven't... you'll relate: Stuff Christians Like

My First Mothers' Day

2008-04-08T16:17:00.004-06:00

Caleb: 3 days old, special care nursery @ Foothills Medical Centre

Hello Blog Readers... Will you consider sponsoring me for the Sport Check Mother's Day Run & Walk? I am participating this year because the money raised is going towards a cause that is close to our hearts... The Calgary Health Trust special care units and nurseries.

You may recall a previous post about this back in February, well, the push is on! I am currently 17% of the way to my goal of raising $726.07 (goal amount inspired by Caleb's birthday).

Please check out my other blog for more details; thank you for considering supporting us!

Blessings,
Dayna & Caleb :)

mmmm; asparagus...

2008-03-25T16:58:00.004-06:00

Here's the plot spoiler:And here's Caleb's first taste of asparagus (mixed with rice cereal):

BYOB...

2008-03-15T18:05:00.003-06:00

My folks went to Vegas in August and brought this back for Caleb :)

new 'do...

2008-03-12T14:44:00.006-06:00

Cookie of the week...

2008-03-06T07:13:00.005-07:00

"I mean this in the best possible way: These are the most delicious cookies you have ever made!" -Karl to Dayna

I've been eyeballing this cookbook for some time now, and Karl surprised me with it, out-of-the-blue the other day :) It's a low fat baking cookbook (but like most delicious low fat foods, it's high sugar).

I made these last night and they were *so* delicious that I had to share the recipe. Of course I googled it first and found the author's blog here so I didn't need to rewrite it :) Copied below in a reader's digest version, but her blog is worth checking out; funny gal (Calgary local) that I have seen on TV a few times as well ...

my outcomes:

Excerpted from One Smart Cookie by Julie Van Rosendaal.

CHOCOLAVA COOKIES
This fudgy cookie, named for its cracked, lava-like appearance, is a chocolate lover's dream.

Ingredients

1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup trans-free margarine or butter, softened
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar, for rolling

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar. Stir in margarine until mixture is well combined and crumbly. (This part can be done in a food processor.) Add egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir by hand just until dough comes together.
Place a few heaping spoonfuls of confectioners' sugar into shallow dish. Roll dough into 1-1/2-inch balls, then roll balls in sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until just set around edges but still soft in the middle. Transfer to rack to cool.

Makes 2 dozen (or extra large one dozen which I may do next time!)

High Tech Entertainment for Caleb...

2008-03-05T16:22:00.004-07:00

Year of the Frog

2008-03-01T06:57:00.006-07:00

Happy March! Yesterday we did end up going to the zoo for their "frog themed" Leap Year day. Karl took a half day off and we went there to check out the exhibits, wandered around the conservatory, and stayed for lunch.
It was a great first-time use of our annual zoo pass that Caleb got for Christmas (thanks Amma & Grampa!). I anticipate spending a lot of time there this spring and summer.

Species: Chinese Canadian Red Shoulder Cacti

Conversation of the week

2008-02-28T14:41:00.002-07:00

K: I keep thinking tomorrow is March 1st, but it's not. I forgot that it is February 29th.
D: Yeah, that's why they are having a special frog day at the zoo... 'cause it leaps, get it, get it?
K: Too bad Caleb is only 7-month old, I would totally take a day off work and go check out some frogs. May be in four years...
D (thinking about an appropriate age for Caleb to make sense of the would-be excursion): May be three...
K (puzzled looking): ...

Caleb's Walking

2008-02-22T15:10:00.003-07:00

Okay, the title is a shameless attempt to get you to sponsor me for my 5K Mother's Day walk. Caleb will be with me, but enjoying the ride from the comfort of his stroller :)

Proceeds will benefit the Calgary Health Trust, which funds the Neonatal units and Special Care Nurseries in hospitals in Calgary. Caleb spent time in the Foothills Special Care Nursery when he was born.

Check out more information [and donate :o) ] here: www.mothersday5k.blogspot.com

My goal is to raise $726 (Caleb's bithday, 7/26).

Thanks for your support!

2008-02-16T01:21:00.007-07:00

Bath Time :)
Caleb has started to eat "solids"...
He's doing pretty darn good actually. I just keep telling him, "it's okay, mommy's new at this too!" We make quite a mess between the two of us; I have given up on trying to scrape the spills off of his chin with the spoon because it just confuses him; he goes for the spoon every time, no matter where I am putting it, he's dipping and swerving to get it closer to his mouth... so yeah, pretty messy but he's up to about 3 TBSP of oats twice a day. He's not sitting really consistently yet, so I have switched him into the bumbo seat for now. You can see in the pics that he's kind of tipping over, and in the one that I am in the shot, I'm holding him up by his right arm so he doesn't tip :)

We started swimming classes! He's quite a little fish; he loves the water and doesn't even mind getting his ears under and laying on his back on my shoulder. He's a social butterfly too; he just loves looking at the other babies, and grins his big gummy smile at them until they smile back. Sadly, they won't let us bring a camera in to the pool area at all... I will have to get one of him in his little swim suit though, he looks so cute!

I've been having fun with my new breadmaker... my first couple of batches of buns were a bit dense but edible. I was quite pleased that I could find multigrain bread flour.
Valentine's Day was great... Karl has been working so hard on painting the basement that between spending hours down there every night and working from home, I was pretty sure he'd forget that Valentine's Day was even coming (it doesn't help that he totally didn't grow up with the tradition!). But, he impressed me by booking his folks to babysit (last Saturday; we celebrated early) and taking me to a restaurant that I've been talking about going to since I was there this summer with my mom and sister (the Brava Bistro on 17th ave for you Calgarians). He also had a thoughtful card and box of my favourite chocolates (ferrero roche) on Valentine's Day itself. The best part about the chocolates was that he had wrapped them in a brown box and tied it with string... because I just watched The Sound of Music for the first time so we've been singing the favourite things song quite a bit these days!

Here's some fudge that I made. I gave a plain piece to Karl at his computer and went over to my computer... this is what our grandparents (parents?!) would roll their eyes at and think, "what is this world coming to?!" ... because I had only sat down for a couple of minutes and had a new email notification... from Karl. I opened it up to find this photo and a cute little love note. So techie eh? Hey, I'll take a high tech love note any day ;o) The funny part is that our computers are only about 10 feet apart, but blocked by a wall of storage boxes (that are usually in our basement... another story...)

[in case your monitor is a bit dark, this is the fudge I made, with "KD" inscribed on it by Karl]

Basement updates coming soon... I may let Karl do the honours on that one. He has a few little update video clips and may do another one tomorrow as they are spraying the ceiling. Next to decide on flooring... anybody have recommendations on what flooring to put in (or what not to) and/or where to buy some for a good price? We're thinking laminate...

Happy (Chinese) New Year!

2008-02-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

"Happy New Year & Everything will go your way"

Weekly Awards

2008-02-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since we did the weekly awards; they're back!

Best Martha Stewart moment: homemade marshmallows! (these were not too difficult to make, but also could have won an award for biggest mess ever made in the kitchen... a story for another time; I'll leave it to your imagination for now. Let's just say it involved boiling sugar, corn syrup, and gelatine... nobody got hurt, but kids... don't try this at home alone!)

Best DIY-er:Karl working on the pantry part of our basement development

Best frost in 2008: January 25...
Understatement of the Year Award: "Karl's Happy To Be Working From Home..." January 28: -49*C with windchill. Yes, this photo is of the inside of our front door, 10am, with frost on screws of the metal lock. We didn't leave the house for a while!

Best Sleep-fighter (he sleeps well at home actually, but fights it when there's action to be had, plus I was really just showing off his cute "bearly sleeping" Hatley sleeper that Grandma Jacquie got him in Kananaskis! Came with a hat too, so cute.) Caleb discovered his fingers in the middle of this photo shoot and they were much more interesting than the camera!
Best illustrated health warning: DON'T SWALLOW YOUR GUM!
Best January Date Night in Calgary: Zoolights (if it's warm out!)
Easiest step you'll take to becoming environmentally friendly: freecycle! Freecycle has been my best friend over the last several weeks. It's an online, nonprofit movement of over 4 million people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free. "...It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills..." Basically, you post whatever it is you want to get rid of, and whoever wants it emails you and says, "hey, pick me! pick me! I'll come by and pick that up tomorrow..." and you put it on your front step and it's gone the next day! Lovin' it. Did I mention we're developing our basement? Yeah, we had some stuff to get rid of! Incidentally, you can also post "wanted" ads on there. So I am the proud new owner of a free bread machine! I shouldn't brag too much yet though, I need to see if it works first :) Anyway, freecycle is all over north america, so check the site for a group in your town; if there isn't one yet, get one started* (*keep in mind that this would likely cease to be the "easiest step" you'll ever take to becoming environmentally friendly! This award only refers to the act of keeping something out of a landfill by giving something away or picking something up.)
Creepiest supper dish (click for a wonderful close up):

Stay tuned early next week for pictures from our Chinese New Year celebration party with the family happening tomorrow night...

Caleb is 6 months old!

2008-01-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe it, but Caleb is 6 months old already! Here's a little clip of him rolling, his latest trick :) Turn up the volume, he has another treat in there for you too.

personalized mug template

2008-01-23T21:59:00.001-07:00

If you've ever tried to make an insert for your personalized travel mug, you may know that it's a bit tricky... I did a lot of searching, but finally came up with this template; since it took me so long to find, I thought I'd share it with you... (they used to have some on starbucks.com, but I couldn't seem to find them anymore...). This site has some fun printable inserts, or, I am using the template to create my own collage for my bride-to-be friend that I am the "best woman" in the wedding for. I don't think she reads my blog... but if you're reading this Nicky, act surprised! ;o)

[editors update: since this is the most viewed page from google search engines, I thought it would be prudent to list the link that my sister gave me in the comments section... the actual starbucks mug template is here. Hope that helps!]

It's not a lie, it's just irrelevant

2008-01-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Whole grain popcorn? As oppose to what? Refined popping corn meal?

High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography

2008-01-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

I first discovered a digital photographing technique called "high dynamic range (HDR) photography" back in September 2006. Unfortunately, our camera then didn't really have the feature required to make it easy to use this technique. This Christmas, Dayna and I decided to get ourselves a new camera as our "big gift" -- the Canon S5 IS. It has the crucial feature called "automatic exposure bracketing" (AEB) that allows one to take a series of photos at different exposure levels. Afterwards, you can run the photos through a software and create an end result that looks like this:

The above is a shot of the front of our house. Compare that to the "point-and-shoot" version below:

Check out these other amazing photos on Flickr here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/realhdr/pool/

TAGGED

2008-01-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Rachel

The rules of the game:

• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, as we all want to know them.

• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Random Things About ME:

I am an identical twin
I used to play the trombone
I have spent at least one night in 315 cities in 11 countries
I worked at starbucks
I owned 2 volkswagen rabbits
I've been blogging since 2004 (is that random?)
I'm a "secret shopper" (rate customer service etc)

I am tagging:
Dunn
Sheryl
Stacey
Stephen
Tim K
Keri
Kori

Pre-spring Clean-up

2008-01-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Oh the joy of basement renos! It forces us to have a pre-spring clean-up. As Dayna had said before, I am amazed at some of the stuff that I still have... does that qualify me as a pack rat? Anyhow, when I was in high school in Hong Kong, we have physical education classes; but unlike it here in Canada, we have uniforms for those classes... and here it is:

As you can imagine, having phys-ed classes in 30°C+ weather would make for a very sweaty t-shirt after class. Packing it around for another half-a-day in our small yet fashionable backpacks would go against our teenager instinct to attract the opposite sex. Being a bunch of rascals that we were, we would wash our uniform in the bathroom before packing it; but that presents another problem: mixing of moisture and hand-written assignments (remember, this was in the 80's). As such, we came up with an ingenious solution of pinning up our shirts on the bulletin board in the back of the classroom, so that they will dry before we pack them in our bags. You can see in this picture some of the pin holes on the shoulder of the shirt.

In any case, in the same pile of old clothings, I also found the shirt of my scout uniform (my stories in Hong Kong seemed to revolve around uniforms). Unfortunately, I don't think I have my necker (Scout scarf) anymore.

I wasn't a very accomplished scout, evidenced by the scarcely decorated left sleeve. On the right-sleeve, the middle is the "Hong Kong Island East" district badge. The top badge is the "40th Group" badge. This particular group will be somewhat historic as "St. Margaret's College"does not exist anymore because the Catholic school board had decided to close down the school and the building has been demolished. When Dayna and I went to Hong Kong back in March/April 2006, I missed the reunion held there by a mere few days.

At any rate, that's it for now. I am sure we will find more interesting things as we dig through our boxes.

Christmas Photos

2007-12-31T16:58:00.001-07:00

Here's a link to our Christmas album:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/dayna.chu/Christmas2007

:) Happy New Year!

Dayna

Holiday Eating Tips

2007-12-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me this in an email... I had a few chuckles, so I wanted to share it (thanks mom!)... the funniest part is that she doesn't believe a word of it... and probably worked out every day of the holidays (see #6)... She made the most delicious low fat egg nog for Christmas eve dinner... let me know if you're interested and I will send the recipe :)

Holiday Eating Tips:

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an 'eggnog-aholic' or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it!!! Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone! Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello???

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.

Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

2007-12-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

Click for larger image...
I hope you had a fabulous Christmas! I love Christmastime for the social aspect... I love parties and getting together with friends and family... okay, presents are good too!

We had a couple of get-togethers this year; our church spoiled the staff and servants team with a wonderful dinner and night out at the Kananaskis Lodge, I had a bit of a gals' "Gingerbread Latte" night plus several individual visits, we had a family turkey dinner with Karl's family, a Christmas brunch with my extended family, Christmas eve with us and my folks plus my Grandma, and then more turkey Christmas day with my folks.

Caleb mostly drooled through the entire thing... but he did like the lights. He was especially hypnotized by the flashing lights on the reindeer antlers that my mom was wearing around on her head... her secret strategy to get Caleb to look at her!

We were spoiled yet again this year... we got seasons passes to the zoo, lots of gifts from "Karl's favourite hockey player" (Tim Horton!), I got a gorgeous ring from my sister as well as some shopping $. Karl and I purchased a camera as a "gift to each other" but he also got me some "Celtic Ladies" CDs, pieces for my Willow Tree Nativity set, and... the new Dance Dance Revolution game! now I am even more excited to get the basement finished (as if my kitchen being full of basement storage isn't enough).

Caleb got OMIGOSH so much Osh Kosh from my mom and trent... mom found an Osh Kosh store on her trip to Charleston, SC when she went to visit Melissa & fam in Mooresville. Caleb also got other cute clothes and a learning toy from the Forsyths, jammies from my Auntie Kathy & Uncle Paul, more cute clothes from his Langa Amma (Great Grandma), a "Baby ride 'em Quad" (yay basement renos!) some hand and foot print kits, a few fantastic books and some clothes from his Grandma Jacquie, "Paddy the Panda" (a lamaze learning toy)... and more that I am not recalling right now!
Lastly, Karl got Caleb giggling last night... here's a video :) Updates on the basement reno coming soon!

Our Christmas Decor...

2007-12-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here's our little Christmas elf! (yes, I propped his ears forward under the hat!)Here's our beautiful Christmas decor... courtesy of basement renos! But my mantra is, "it will be worth it when it's done... it will be worth it when it's done..." Does anyone out there use freecycle? Freecycle.com is my new BEST FRIEND... you post stuff that you don't want, and other members check the listings and come and pick it up. It's amazing how much STUFF we have... I think we kind of moved in (4 years ago) and stashed everything without really going through it. Well, I still haven't gone through it all, but our rule is that it's not allowed back into the basement without being purged and labeled!

I have *way* more stuff than Karl... but I am amazed at some of the things that he brought here from Hong Kong... ie grade school crayons (he moved here when he was 16!). We've been sharing a lot of stories about our stuff!

Basement before and after pics coming early in the new year!

2007-12-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Best Before January 18, 2008...

2007-12-12T18:40:00.000-07:00

I get all calloused and jaded about the holidays by the uber-early arrival of decorations and sales. This year it was literally in August... and we're not talking craft supplies here. Anyway, I think when it really hits me that Christmas is just around the corner is when the milk's best before date is in the new year. AHhh! Only 13 days until Christmas?! How did this HAPPEN?

What I should really be scared about, however, is that my milk doesn't go bad for over a month... what is in this stuff?

"Bundle" of joy

2007-12-12T16:00:00.001-07:00

why not to get santa photos done...

2007-12-05T11:59:00.001-07:00

We decided to wait another year to get Santa pics with Caleb... or maybe this is the only GOOD year to do it, while he's not "playing shy"? These are some pics from ellen's website

at least the other santas don't look like they're about to whoop your kid!

Reminder of an old story

2007-11-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I was doing some cleaning in the basement and was going through some of my boxes of stuff. Some of them are old textbooks and some of them are random keepsakes. Suddenly, this tape caught my glimpse and I started to remember the story.

About ten years ago, I was a little younger and a lot more active socially. By virtue of that, I was out for a lot of late nights. I recall one bitterly cold winter night, I left a friends house in the wee hours of the morning. I was nearly to falling asleep at the wheels and was not really paying attention to my surroundings as I headed south on 14th Street NW (in Calgary) just past the Winter Club and the Police Station. I stopped at the set of lights on top of John Laurie Boulevard. The light was about the turn green, but suddenly without warning, a native woman ran past the front of car, and before I knew it, she was in my passenger seat.

By now, I could tell that she had had a few drinks. She seemed calm enough, but still the last thing I wanted to do was to provoke a drunken stranger in my very own vehicle. So I asked if I could help her in some way. She said she needed a place to stay for the night, and she knew a friend who might be able to take her in. I felt a little annoyed because I was dead tired; but at the same time, I was a bit fearful. So I offered to give her a ride.

As we were cruising along the night streets of Calgary, she started unloading all her personal problems: broken family, abusive boyfriend, and the whole nine yards. I started to feel sorry for her -- I really did. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately), I had no similar life experience to draw on to be able to say anything intelligent to console her. So I just quietly listened and let out the occasional uh-huh.

After what seemed like a long drive, we finally arrived at her friend's house. Before I could wish her luck and say goodbye, she asked if I could hang on until she can be let in. I quietly sucked in a breathe of cold air through my teeth, and said "sure". As she staggered up the steps to knock on the door, I was tempted to just take off. However, I didn't have the heart to do so as it was a very cold night. If her friend was not home, or simply did not answer the door, she would have to walk for miles to find any shelter. So I waited and hoped the lights would turn on and the door would open. Neither happened.

She staggered back down the steps, opened the car door and let in another draft of cold air, climbed in and shut the door. "Now what?" I thought. She said she really need a place to spend the night and she did not know what to do then. She mumbled on for a bit and I was starting to get the sense that she was hoping I could make a place for her to stay in my home. Not to mention that I was living with my parents at the time, I simply would not have made it happened. I finally said, "I can give you a ride to another destination, but after that", I made up a white lie and continued, "I have to go home, or my wife would start to worry". She paused and thought for a moment. Then she asked if I could take her downtown to the Cecil Hotel. I agreed, put the car in gear, and started the final leg of this interesting journey.

During the ride, she continued on with her life stories for a bit, but then she grabbed a tape of native music out of her coat pocket. She stuck it into my stereo and then just listened to the music.

After what seemed like another long drive, we finally arrived at the Cecil Hotel and she let herself out. I finally got to wish her luck as she climbed out of the car. Needless to say, she forgot the tape and I was not alert enough at the time to have noticed. I kept the tape because it was a reminder of a somewhat funny anecdote in my otherwise-ordinary life. Moreover, it was also a reminder of this unique opportunity to catch a glimpse into a world that is unknown to me. Most importantly, it reminds me to be thankful for everything that is of me, and everyone and everything that surrounds me.

2007-11-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

We got Elfed by the Forsyths!... check it out: Elf Yourself

I guess I just can't sit still...

2007-11-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

So I've started selling "Lovable Labels"... check out my other blog for more info (www.lovablelabels.blogspot.com) or my website (www.dayna.lovablelabels.ca); Lovable Labels are dishwasher/microwave safe and the clothing and shoe ones are uber-durable. There are a few other personalized items available too, including personalized story-books and medical id bracelets.

That's all for now! Don't worry, I won't be sending you spam :)

32 days until Christmas!

2007-11-23T07:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Shopping :)

What can I say, we're new parents!

2007-11-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Caleb "talking"...

evolution of a smile...

2007-11-09T12:27:00.001-07:00

Fall Slideshow... who needs cablevision when you can have Calebvision?!

2007-11-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

scary halloween...

2007-10-31T21:22:00.001-06:00

The scariest part of our halloween was that most of our trick-or-treaters were under 3' tall! We only got about a dozen kids (we live on kind of a dark corner with no houses across from us... not exactly the "jackpot" area of our neighbourhood as far as trick-or-treaters would be concerned); most of the kids were preschoolers. That surprises me... is that normal?

Anyway, here's Dumbo...
We also had a super cute little dragon, "Bat-girl", Eeore, a fairy, and more.

And now... what to do with the left over candy... hmmmmmm...

all in a day's weather...

2007-10-24T22:59:00.000-06:00

Caleb's first time at the zoo! Over 20 degrees and sunny(baby Malti)

Caleb's first snowfall... same night!

My hubby's a genius!

2007-10-21T21:43:00.001-06:00

Mmmmmmmm... Nutella Crepes! Karl made these tonight for us when Caleb went to bed (for bedtime #1); thanks honey! YUM-O as Rachael Ray would say ;)

How to tell you're not mom's favourite...

2007-10-21T20:28:00.000-06:00

2007-10-15T21:31:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Grandparents' Day is officially in September (or something??) but Caleb's Grandparents' Day was officially last Saturday! Here are pictures from the day, as all of Caleb's Grandparents were lining up at the door to squeeze his cute little (chubby!) cheeks. They weren't all here at the same time (we had to give his cheeks a rest, after all...) But they did indeed all come on the same day!

and the winner is...

2007-09-29T21:09:00.000-06:00

I won!

Lately I have been watching some "Breakfast Television" in the mornings when I am feeding Caleb. They have an "email question of the day" with prizes based on their theme for the day or guests they have on. The other day, it was "get cracking" with an eggs theme, a cook doing an omelette demo, etc. The question of the day was, "How do you like your eggs?" So I sent in a response with a little blurb about our red eggs and the Chinese tradition behind it; I even attached a little picture... and I won! (Thanks Melissa, for trekking downtown with my i.d. to pick up the prize for me!):Joel & Alisha inherited some of the items (pencils, pencil case, highlighter star thingy, etc); the best item by far in the prize pack is a Kitchen Aid non-stick frying pan. I tried it out already and made pizza egg omelette wraps from the cook book; they got a thumbs up from Karl:

Caleb the Soothersaurus...

2007-09-29T15:48:00.000-06:00