Tina the Rug, and Teddy Bear to Be.

I've decided to make a puppy-teddy for Frances. Not that she can really appreciate one yet, but fuzzy teddys are always a good idea. Originally it was to be a Christmas gift, but I'm already halfway finished, so I might end up giving it to her in July when I see them at the wedding. We shall see. I'll post a picture once I'm done. Right now it just looks like a small, pink, fleecy, heart printed animal skin rug. Creepy. Hopefully when it's completed it won't give her nightmares.

I'm thinking 'Tina' would be a good name. Easy for toddlers to say. And if it turns out deformed, it could be 'Tina, Teddy of Terror!'

Everything is better with alliteration.

Insta - Chauffeur! Just Shake and Spray!

So, you might be wondering what I've been up to the last couple of days. Or you might not care. But I'm going to tell you regardless, haha.

The pox are coming and going in waves. It's milder than the case I had when I was a kid, although still very uncomfortable at times. Getting better slowly though.

It was my parents' 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. They went out for dinner. The day before my dad kept bugging me, asking if I would 'chauffeur' them to and from the restaurant. I did my best impression of a whiny teenager before I finally agreed. Then the night of, while they were getting ready, I very sneakily dressed up in my old uniform blouse, my black slack, my brother's black tie and my back vest. Voila! Instant chauffeur's uniform.

Now, you might think this is a little over the top. But at the end of the night I was tipped handsomely. Ten bucks and change to look a silly while driving a car. So I stick firm to my belief that costumes are pretty much always a good idea.

Happy International Day of Blah.

It's confirmed. Chicken pox. I'm not supposed to go anywhere near pregnant women until the last of the spots are gone and I'm no longer contagious. Since few establishments refuse entrance to pregnant women, I'm pretty much under house arrest. Yay.


We rented 'The Book of Eli'. I didn't like it very much, although Geoff did.

I made M&M cookies. I started with 21. Before my family even got to them, this number was reduced to 19. Not my fault. I was brainwashed by Cookie Monster and the subliminal messaging of Sesame Street as a child. At least, that's my excuse.

A pox on . . .well . . . me.

It seems I may have chicken pox. I think I caught it from the little rug rats on Tancook. Children. So cute. So contagious. ;)

In other news, it is horrible. I itch and hurt and I have a terrible headache. Until this evening I thought I just got a lot of bug bites, since it started on my legs. But apparently not. I even had it when I was three or four, but I guess you can get it more than once if you're exceptionally unlucky.

I'm sitting downstairs with Geoffrey so he can keep an eye on me and make sure I don't scratch. He's finding it very difficult because I am very sneaky. Seriously though, if it doesn't get better soon I am going to have to wear socks on my hands. And I don't have any sock puppets so they will just be sad, boring socks.

Oh dear. I think the fever is addling my brain. Toodles.

Get in line kid, I've been waiting 11 years for Toy Story Three!

Tomorrow I'm going to see Toy Story Three with CC, AC and NM. In 3D. It should be glorious. I'll let you know, haha.
It's also A's 18th birthday! Yay!
And then I have to drive to some truck stop and pick up Geoffrey on his way home from P.E.I. My parents are going to be at my cousin's graduation in Antigonish, so unless the dog gets her licence tomorrow and grows some thumbs, I'm his only hope. Bah, he can hitch-hike, right? What could go wrong?
Actually, it'll be nice to have him home. All this being-able-to-use-the-TV-without-wrestleing-the-remote-away-from-him is going to my head.

My Grandmother's Ring.

As you may know if you have been reading my previous posts, my grandmother died not long ago. Among the things she left for me was a small gold ring with a cluster of three tiny diamonds on either side of the main stone. This had originally been a lab-created emerald, little more than coloured glass I am told. Unfortunately, at some point the emerald fell out of its setting and was chipped, rendered unuseable. She had taped it to a piece of cardboard and left it in her jewelery box.

It was important to her, a gift from my gradfather who died when I was 10 or 11. She was very sad that it couldn't be repaired.

My parents decided that, as a graduation gift, they would get the ring re-set for me with the stone of my choice (within reason of course). We went today to have it done.
I really struggled with the choice of stone. My grandmother had loved it as an emerald, but I knew that would limit how much I would be able to wear it.

I ended up choosing Tanzanite, one of my personal favourites. The ring still reminds me of my grandmother, but it has a little of my personality as well.

They still have it at the moment, I will put up a picture once I get it back tomorrow. But it is supposed to look something like this:

Getting Ready for the Centennial.

It was wonderful to be back on Tancook again. I've been visiting since I was 4, and lived there for three entire summers. It really feels like home to me. Sure, not all the people are great. Some are downright creepy. And I miss being around kids my own age. But at times I feel like I belong there more than anywhere else in the world.
Hopefully someday I will be able to have my very own little cottage there, on the sea shore. I would build a boat slip and sail every day!
Oh well. Maybe when I retire in like fifty years.

My grandmother and I decided that their shitzu-sheltie mix, Gabbie, needed a costume for the Naval Centennial Celebration this summer. So this is what we came up with. Honestly, she is just like a living teddy bear. So cute!

Big Tancook Photo Collection.

~ On the beach with a view of an abandoned house in the distance.




~ Seagulls at dusk. Also, if you look closely at the water, you can see a porpose's fin just breaking the surface.




~ Flotsem in the water. Again, if you look very closely, you can see thin pieces of shale or slate which have broken off the rocky shore and are now floating on the water's surface. Very neat.




~ Gabbie headed towards the beach just off my grandparent's property. We went beach combing together.




~ Fishing boat out at dusk. I think they were just out looking for some mackerel. Not sure who exactly it belongs to, someone on the island for sure.




~ This was the view off the deck the moment I arrived. I love the sun through the clouds.

Shipping Out.

Literally. Tomorrow I'm headed to Big Tancook Island just off of Chester Nova Scotia. I'll be staying with my grandparents for a day or two. They run the only bed and breakfast currently on the island, but they don't have any guests at the moment.

It should be fun. The house is right on the ocean, and they have a salt-water pool as well. On the island there are hiking trails, an art gallery a museum. Not to mention lots of wicked people who I havn't seen since last summer. Sorry to sound like a tourism brochure, it comes with helping occasionally run the business out there.

In the summer, there's only one kid my age on the entire island, and I'm not sure he's even there yet, but still, I'm looking forward to it. Unfortunately they only have dial-up internet connection. If I'm too lazy to wait for it too hook up, you might not hear from me until Wednesday or Thursday. So don't panic. ;)

Thunder and Lightning Aren't So Frightening.

Nothing is quite so cleansing as a well-timed thunder shower, at least in my opinion. I sat out on our deck for the last hour in the dark, watching and listening to the first really good storm of the summer. Mostly just flash-lightening, lots of wind and rain, but near the end there was one truely spectacular fork. My favourite part though is waiting for that last big crash, the one that shakes the ground and feels like it lasts forever. Love!

I remember when I was little (we're talking two or three here), whenever there was a thunder shower, my Dad and I had a particular tradition. We would both put on our bathing suits and run around in the rain until we were shivering from the cold. We would laugh and laugh, and he would put me on his shoulders and dance. I remember Mom watching from the doorway holding baby Geoffrey. She always refused to join us, but it made her laugh too, seeing us act so crazy. I guess that's why I was never afraid of storms.

Why is Father's Day in June? A month after Mother's Day someone said 'Hey, wait a second...'

We celebrated Father's Day one day early at my house this year. This is because Geoff leaves with a friend for Prince Edward Island tomorrow, and Dad really wanted him to be here. Can you say awwwww?

I got him a smoker-box for his barbecue and some hickory wood chips. If you're wondering what a smoker-box is, you're not alone. He had to physically take me to the store that sells them a week before Father's Day, point and say 'that thingy there' before I even had a clue what he meant.

But I did get to exercise my creativity somewhat. I chose hickory woodchips. Instead of say apple. Or cherry. Oh the wildness.

Geoff got him a grilling basket for veggies, and Mom got him a shirt and tie. He got all teary and everything.

For dinner we had homemade ribs and caesar salade. I made tira-misu for dessert. It turned out pretty good, although I would reccommend not using the lady fingers from Sobeys, they were oddly flavoured.

Here's the recipe: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/easy-tiramisu/Detail.aspx
If you make it, I would highly suggest the following: make one cup of homemade whipped cream (not Coolwhip!) and add it to the mascarpone cheese mixture before layering. This will make certain that the cream is never runny without changing the flavour. :)

30 Nights of Nightmares...Stupid Movie.

Jacob came over yesterday. He, Geoffrey and I went down to movie gallery, which is having a month long 'going out of business' sale. They each bought video games, big surprise.

I, on the other hand, perchased two movies. One is an old favourite. 'Bride and Prejudice' is a Bollywood version of the classic Austen novel 'Pride and Prejudice'. It is endearingly corney, in places quite hilarious, and has one seriously catchy soundtrack. I love it. I think I've rented it about a hundred times! For those who havn't watched it, do. And look for the random choir on the beach. My favourite moment.
I also bought '30 Days of Night'. More on that later.

The guys and I spent the afternoon swimming in the pool. It was the first time I've been in this year. We strung the hose across the pool as a make-shift net and played two-on-one pool vollyball with rotating teams. I am proud to say that when it was my turn to play solo, I won 15-7 with only a little bit (okay, a lot) of cheating.

My grandparents came over for dinner, which was, as always, lovely.

By the time I got home from dropping Jacob off (11 or so), everyone else was asleep. I decided it would be a good idea to watch '30 Days of Night'. In my room. In the dark. Alone.


I won't ruin it for anyone, but suffice it to say I found it a little frightening. In a good, horror movie way, of course. Scarier than 'Sweeny Todd' for certain, with no singing Johnny Depp to lighten the mood.

I had to spend the next half hour trying to make myself believe that it had a happy ending in order to go to sleep. Now THAT'S the sign of a good movie. Although I don't think I will ever go to Alaska now. And movies like that are definately safer watched in groups.

Wednesday Summary

Spent most of Wednesday working on the shed with Dad and Geoff. I was very excited to learn that I am getting paid for said service. There were lots of wood wasps though, so I think I might have over done it with the bug spray. Which, as it turns out, doesn't work on wasps. Go figure.
That night I went to a friend's birthday party. It was very much the fun. We watched Alien, which was surprisingly scary for a movie filmed in the seventies. "In space, no one can hear you scream", haha.
We had chocolate cheesecake also. Mmmmm...

Can You Spell Bored?

Bah, it's raining today. Too damp for working on the shed, so both parents are at work. This means no car for Livi.
Geoff is home, but preoccupied with his video games, thus precipitating the following comment by me:

"Video games are the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as they are the spirit of a spiritless situation! They are the opiate of the masses!" - Livi (original Karl Marx)

Not really, haha. I like some of them. I have even been known to waste a day playing them on occasion. I just get frustrated when that is all he wants to do.

So, cabin fever has set in. Gross. I wish, on days like this, that I lived in the city. I could walk to the mall, or the library, or the movie theatre.
Here the only thing within easy walking distance is the Sobeys, the Dollar Store and the mailboxes. Wheee...

In September though, I'll be in residence at Dal! Can't wait!

Carpentry Lesson

Today Geoff and I helped our father work on the shed he is building in our back yard. I got to use the table saw! Noisy but fun.

Mmm...Cake...

This is the cake my parents got for my graduation. It is actually ginormous. And delicious. I ♥ Scanway!



~Three layers of marble cake with chocolate buttercream.

Graduation

It's a funny in-between place I'm at now. No longer in high school, not yet in university. Saturday we all officially graduated and it was glorious.
Two guys in my class were wicked on piano at the ceremony, and a band of several others, The Old Time Villans, was also very good.
And I didn't even trip! Well, I tripped on the way to the ceremony, but I swear, that traffic cone came out of nowhere, and the robe was blocking my view, and my red heels are rather high...I'm just thankfull it wasn't on stage!

Prom

Prom was Tuesday and the sun finally came out as though just for us! It was so much fun, although I really can't believe it's over. KW was the ideal prom date: quiet and funny, smiled in the pictures, and didn't get the wrong idea about our relationship (just friends).
The girls all looked so beautiful when we arrived at the public gardens for pictures. The guys too I guess, in their own way. But the dresses were just so lovely! No two girls had the same, which is one of the perks of going to a small school I suppose.
The dinner was at G-Lounge, and late but yummy. The after party was a blast. I may have become mildly intoxicated for a brief period of time. Apparently I have no alcohol tollerance because of my shortness. Or maybe just because of me.
Got home at 5 AM, exhausted but happy. Definately a night to remember.

Alumni Reception

Monday night was the Alumni Reception for my school. This is where the graduating class is officially welcomed into the alumni association. It was fun to hang out with some of my friends for an evening, but the speeches were pretty boring. Not to mention two of my ex-sailing coaches were there...awkward. I had forgotten they went to my school years ago.
And the gift given to the grads was.... well... hideous. It was a nice thought, but I swear if you were being attacked all you would have to do is whip out this alarm clock with faux-wood decorations and the school crest emblazoned on the front, and your assailants would run screaming.
Who needs a Tazer when you have tacky high-school memorabilia? :)

Lemon Squares

I made some this afternoon, sugar cookie crust with lemon curd filling. Delicious!
My family got home and were very excited. There are only four left.
Next time I had better double the recepie, haha.

Winnie-ana Jones on Safari (aka, Man I Have Way Too Much Times on My Hands)

Look! It's the rare Build-a-Bear Leopard! I must add it to my collection of stuffed stuffies! CHOMP CHOMP! I will make you into a very small rug!



What are you waiting for, take my picture! The guys aren't gonna believe this!



Ooo, look, my hat!



Just let me grab it ...



... and fix my hair ...



Okay, you can take my picture now!


Did you get my good side?

Road Trip Summary

-Got mucho pretty clothes.

-Were promised a bear sighting which never came to fruition.

-Met a fictional man named Stanley, who has a peg leg, eye patch, hair like Bart Simpson, and a farting poodle on each shoulder. He is now fictionally courting my grandmother.

-Ate apricot scones that were so diabolically good they could be used to barter for souls.

-Considered zip lining. Decided not to at my grandmother's suggestion.

-Learned that you really CAN turn right on a red in the USA.

-Drove over Hurricane Mountain, in the dark, on half a tank of gas, thanks to a GPS malfunction. Grams named said GPS 'Matilda'.

-Contemplated living in the Subway Restaurant in Casco, Maine. There seems to be an odd accumulation of nice looking young men in that town. And they all eat at Subway. VEEERY suspicious.

-Burned a recipt which was for 'Sinfull Boogie Nights'. (A shade of nailpolish. We didn't want to try to explain that one to boarder patrol.)

-Blew the rest of our money on baby clothes.

A Star is Born

I would like to take a moment to welcome Frances Moon Calabrese into the world. It is with great joy we recieve the news of a new initiate into our wacky family. May your every waking moment be filled with wonder as you grow, and may your dreams always be as sweet as you.

And yes, they surprised us by actually naming her Frankie Moon, but I guess since we were all used to calling her that, it just felt natural. Mom and I had a blast in Carter's Baby clothes in New Hampshire. All those tiny pink dresses...!



Born: May 30th, 2010
Weight: 7 lbs 8 ounces

Darling, you take my breath away. Can't wait to meet you in person!