Fill in the Blank Friday

1. My favorite place I've ever traveled to is Italy. I haven't traveled (far) a lot but it was a magical place that I adored. It took me about a year to not want to go back there forever.  The only reason I didn't go back forever was my family - my parents, and my Aunts Uncles and cousins.  I cannot not now, nor could I then, imagine being far away from them.

2. England is somewhere I'd love to go someday. I have always wanted to go there but now my dear friend Surely lives there and I would like to go even more.


3. I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by reading and working on somekind of needlework... and sometimes blogging on my iphone... and sometimes just enjoying the ride.  I really love traveling by car with my family.  I know it is somewhat 1950 of me but nothing beats a road trip and being able to stop at every little spot that piques your interest.  Over the summer we took the long way home (to Trail) from Vancouver and made lots of stops.  The long way turned out to be rustic and charming rather than new and done.  I often wish for things to be simpler and enjoyed that everything was not remodeled along the way.  The idea of keeping up with the Jones' always makes me feel a little queezy - too much pressure and not enough real for this girl.

4. My three must-haves when I travel are CH, the Little Man, and Penelope.  :o)

5. My favorite travel companion is CH.  It is all about taking the comforts of home with you wherever you go.  Although he is a huge pain in my derrier half the time, I hate being away from him.

6. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is getting a hole in the gas tank of our car at 2 am in Beaverdell on our way to Kelowna at the height of hunting season.  Beaverdell is a teeny tiny little town an hour from anywhere with one hotel which was packed with hunters (they were sleeping on the floor in the lobby).  We couldn't sleep in the car because of the gas fumes and ended up renting a trailer with a couple of beds for the night - for $130, and that was in about 1990.  The car was fixed and we finished our journey to Kelowna where more crazy things happened.  The whole trip was a bit of a gong show.  I was 17, with my 19 year old boyfriend and another couple of similar age.  Gong show, I tell you.  One of the weekends that makes me want to lock Penelope in a closet until she is 30... or 35, cause isn't that when you brain starts to function properly...

7. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is nothing.  I am way too fussy to try anything weird, although when I was in Italy I visited a beautiful little town called Castellammare di Stabia in Southern Italy and ordered Calamari and it was a little different than what I am used to... While we were there I also saw the largest (by a lot) Wisteria that I have ever seen.  The base of the (tree) plant was about 18" and soared up to the second floor balcony.  It was unforgettable.

Castellammare di Stabia (which translates to Castle of Stabia by the Sea, so much better in Italian) with Mount Vesuvius in the distance and the Meditterean to the left.

8. If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in ... I don't want to live anywhere else!  I love it here.  The furthest I can imagine going is back to Vancouver and even that would break my heart - I would be so sad to leave PITA and her family, and my parents and GP, and my friends.  I am not vagrant in any way shape or form.

9. I have been to seven (without double checking with my parents) states in the U.S. but only two provinces - and I am Canadian. :o)

Well, that is it for now.  I must go organize and pack!

:o) Tina

Things...

First of all, THANK YOU Jen and PITA.  You are single (double) handedly making this SO much easier for me.  It has been a really hard decision to scale things down - I am not saying bad, only hard, and both have you have made it significantly easier.

Second, do you think that $108 is too much to spend on whiteboards to make a wall into a calender in my newly painted beautiful office? I am not so sure I do.  I am also going to buy a new chair, it is pink, for $250.  I am going to wait and see how the week goes, but I really want to.  Jen is the most amazing sales person ever (maybe because she practically gives stuff away) so my chances are good. Did I mention, the white boards are also magnetic...

Third, I am so excited for a new(ish) start.  Please God, let my new plan work better than the old one did. Please.  I will be so sad if I have to give up the dream altogether and this one seems so much more comfortable and feels so much more right - and the best part is that I don't have to beg, borrow or go into debt to create it - it will rise from the ashes of the old dream.

Fourth, I am excited but I am also nervous.  I do not want to be forced to sacrifice time with my kids to make money in a rigid, scheduled environment.  The thought of having an employer TERRIFIES me and I am not exaggeration.  Scares the beans out of me.  For real.

Fifth, I want this (and the yummy looking cold coffee drink inside of it) but I am SO not paying $7.99. If you have ever seen it anywhere for less, please let me know.

Source: fastcodesign.com via Jane on Pinterest

Sixth, PITA and I have been working hard at painting and creating an inviting and functional new space and have found a lot of really good ideas on Pinterest.  PITA LOVES to organize things so I am going to get her going on a few more projects such as these...

Source: organizingmadefun.blogspot.com via Tina on Pinterest

Source: unplggd.com via Tina on Pinterest

Source: re-nest.com via Tina on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Tina on Pinterest

I will post some pictures of the new space when I ahve found my camera - I packed it and my trusty side kick, iPhone, doesn't do it justice.

Talk to you soon,  :o)  Tina

Stumbled Upon... on Pinterest of Course

This week. Two pictures. One of the old and one of the young.

Source: poorlydressed.failblog.org via Carrie on Pinterest

Source: poorlydressed.failblog.org via Susan on Pinterest

And this very funny blog, great for anyone - especially a parent of a small child. Check it out!

Have a wonderful day. :o) Tina

Yummy.

Is it wrong that at very close to 39 years of age a big bowl of Lucky Charms before bed makes me very happy?

So Busy!

PITA and I have been beavering away getting the new shop painted so that it is done for Thursday when the carpet guys come.  The office is done - and it is so PINK!  I love it.  I have never had a pink room before and I am very happy with its extreme girliness.

I took a couple of pictures with my phone but they turned out dark and icky.  I will bring my camera over. Maybe...

I saw something cool on Pinterest this evening (if you can imagine that), and am totally doing it.  31 Days of Pinterest - what that means, is I am actually going to create, cook, whatever 31 things I pinned.  I am excited to start and am planning to on March 1 - you know, cause it is too late for January, March has 31 days and February is going to be a GONG SHOW!  Stay tuned!

Talk to you soon,  I need some sleep.

:o)  Tina

Fill in the Blank Friday

the little things we do

1. The last thing I ate was red licorice at the hockey game I just arrived home from.

2. The last song I listened to was "Kind and Generous" by Natalie Merchant. It is SO a song from my 20s and the good times in Vancouver's West End with my old besties.

3. Using the letters in my name I can spell {Tina}...it, a, I, in, at... kind of limited, I have a total of 8 letters in my first and last name. Pretty lame for such an interesting person as myself! ;o)

4. If I had to dress in one color for the rest of my life I would pick red (any shade from pink to orange). I love colour - it makes me happy to dress brightly. Beware of the day I show up in black...

5. If you were to look in my bag right now you'd find ...AH HA! Trick question! I am currently using the 4 million pockets in my winter parka as my bag while I design (mentally) a new bag.

6. When I finish filling in the blanks I'm going to go putter at my sewing machine and have a cup of Tetley (currently cooling next to the keyboard).

7. My all time favorite song to dance to is "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison or pretty much anything every played at the Time N' Place Pub in Christina Lake in the summers 1991 through 1999 or at Mon(man)tana's in North Vancouver from 1993 to 1999. I LOVE to dance. During the 90's, I loved to dance with my friends and these two places were where we spent our "down time".

Well, off to sew for me.  I am going to be pretty busy over the next week or so, so don't worry when I am not around.  I will have some photos of the new space for you to admire soon. Promise.

:o) Tina

Wordless Wednesday

This is Violet.  At my house everyone watches hockey.  We are, after all, Canadian!

:o) Tina