AtHomeFeb2006

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Friday, February 24th, 2006. Oh, Hi There. Man, you look fantastic, today. Have you lost weight? Toned up? Tanned up? I've been drinking, as you might have guessed, so now everyone looks better than ever... I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I can't afford alcohol in the middle of the day... I like to save it for later in the evening. After Midnight and before 12:15, ish. It's good to time these things out, as I'm sure you know. (Did you see how I just cleverly turned a previous suffix into a whole new word that can stand on its own -- unlike me! ya'ha,ha! Anyway, I don't see any good reason why 'Ish' can't be a new word. It was an important part of an almost good movie...) (And in case you're wondering, yes, it did take me ages to remember that the beginning of a word is a prefix, so the end of a wornd would be a ... a ... suffix! Funny how these terms have slipped out of me brain like that... ha,ha!)

Hey, you know what line I love on American Idol? You know when Paula Abdul loves all the singers, and after some of her favorites she says, "You're great. You're greater than great. You know, you have an infectious smile!" Sounds sweet, but here's the bit I like... isn't an 'infectious smile' something a really happy person with a cold sore would have? Maybe that's one of those famed 'back-handed compliments'! ha,ha! (Really, I'm just amusing myself, now!) I do have some favorites of my own for American Idol, though, just like the other 50 million or so people who were watching The American Idol instead of the Olympics... I like the young girl, Paris -- she's unbelievable, and I really like Ace, the guy who sang the Stevie Wonder song, and the guy with the grey hair. Funny I only remember the good looking one's name! What's that all about, me wonders??

Speaking of TV, my closest and dearest friend (the TV, I mean...), have you seen the Canadian girl on Dancing with the Stars? I haven't watched that show, but I did see her on the new Entertainment Tonight Canada, which they stealthily disguise on the Satellite TV Guide as the regular Entertainment Tonight... anyway, after I'd been hoodwinked into watching the Canadian version, I saw Stacy Kuebler (like the Elves, only taller...), and technically, I'm not completely sure that's her actual name, but she's the one with the really long legs -- 41 inches. Can you guess what I ran and did when I saw that? That's right, I went to get a measuring tape to see how long my legs are. 36", but if I wear some of my fancy new Spike Heels, easily I could be 41", too. Now I just need to learn how to dance like that! Or at least look like that... should only take me a new body and perhaps another lifetime...

We had another Showing on the house, yesterday morning, so I took Cara, Aidan & Cara's friend Jenise (Hi, Jenise -- I know she reads my site!) out for Breakfast so we could vacate the house while the Realtor & Clients were here. We had to bring Tia, our sweet little dog, with us, too, since it was a formal Viewing. It was chilly, yesterday (for the record, 'chilly' in Canada is well below Zero. 'Cold' is minus 20, and 'It's freezing out' is -30 and beyond... that's for easy reference of the weather forecast in The North!), so Tia had to wear her little sweater, which is incredibly cute. Adorable, you could say. Anyway, she stayed in the van all cozied up in a blanket while we were in the restaurant, and by the time we came out, she had managed to free herself from the sweater. I know some girls in a bar who can do that, but I didn't know a dog could do it! Sooo funny. She's a little trickster, Tia is... we couldda called her 'Tricksie', or 'Trixie', but I don't want her working in a Bar...

I'm looking forward to getting a Sale on our house, though. It's a lot of work to clean up for the Viewings. It'll be nice to know that we can start to make serious plans for the future, instead of waitng about to see when that will happen. We did go and look at some New Show Homes in Calgary, last Monday, since we all had the day off. Here's a bizzarre thing -- the Building Lots in Calgary are smaller than our whole house, so it will be quite an adjustment. A good adjustment, though, since our house will get smaller, but our Bank Account will get much bigger, so that'll be good to free up some cash. Dwight seems to have missed the part about freeing up some cash, and he was mad when I made him go and look at some New Homes that weren't on the Lakefront Lots... The less expensive the house, the angrier he got, and the funnier I thought the whole thing was. There is no way we're gonna buy something that costs more than where we are now -- not gonna happen.

I saw some lovely homes, though, and it's amazing what you can buy in Calgary for the money. There was a really nice home in the $265,000. range that would be ideal, but Dwight hated it. The irony is that the same home in Los Angeles would easily run over $700,000., which is another really good reason to buy a lot and build your own house in a Big City... it'd probably be cheaper to buy a Foreclosure, tear it down and build a whole new house in it's place than to find something you love in your price range... now who's been thinking about that? I'll keep you posted on what's going on, Real-Estate-wise, around here.

Oh, I almost forgot -- I think I mentioned before that I ordered The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, by Allen Carr, for Dwight's Dad, to help him to quit smoking, that I heard about on Ellen (if Ellen likes it, I'm sure I'll like it... she's like a Marketer's Dream!). I've been sneaking off to the Sunroom every chance I can get to read it... and now I want to buy all the rest of his books, too. What a great book -- I'm trying to get Dwight to read it, too, since I've learned all sorts of things about smoking, and it gives you a really good perspective on Smokers. He grew up in a home filled with smoke, so I think he'll find it really interesting, too. Kinda funny, since the book will probably be all ragged by the time it actually gets to 'The Smoker' it was intended for, Dwight's Dad. Ah, well. I've gotta hurry and finish this so I can get in a quick read before Dwight comes home!

Man, I totally forgot to ask how YOU are? How was your Valentine's Day? Still together? I put a link on my Links page (good placement, I know) to The Onion.com for this hilarious Valentine's Day 'Dumping' Story I think you'll love. Pop in if you have a minute. All very funny, if you happen to enjoy a good ... I was gonna say 'dump', but that's not a good path to go down, now is it? Anyway, it's really funny, so worth a look.

Better get going. I have to go check on the 'Cookies 'n Cream' cake I made for Dwight's Birthday. I ran out of my regular Chocolate Wafer Cookies (Mr. Christie really does make the best cookies...), so I had to use another type of Chocolate Wafer (Dare Cookies), so I'm hoping they will 'melt' into the cream like the other ones do. See, it's not like I'm without concerns... This is Dwight's favorite Birthday Cake because his Mom used to make it for him when he was little, so it's delicious and full of nastalgia -- perfect in a dessert! Try it if you want to please someone, or just to please yourself! Later, Baby! Love, & Laughter, Ailsa

Wednesday, February 15th, 2006. Well Hello, You Lovely Thing, You. Why, I'd buy you flowers and chocolate if I knew what you liked... oh, wait, that's what your spouse (or 'spousal equivalent'...) says on Valentine's Day when they've either forgotten to get you the stuff you wanted (nay, needed), or got you things that fer sures you don't really like at all. It's a lovely holiday, Valentine's Day, full of fraught and annoyance, but fun for the Kids... I think they have the best time, now that all the schools have the 'If you don't have enough gum for the whole class' approach to the Valentine Card thing goin' on... much better than the old version where children would run home weeping... oh, I'm cheery today! ha,ha,ha! It's the flowers that Dwight got for me that I'm horribly allergic to that are bothering me...

Now here's a wee Valentine's story I think you'll like... remember last week when I said I wasn't going to ask Dwight endlessly whether he had made reservations at a Good Restaurant? Well, it turned out that he did, in fact, make Reservations, and it was a Greek Restaurant, the Broken Plate, in South Calgary. Great Food, fantastic Waiter, Andrew, who is currently renovating his own home in Calgary... So here's the good part of the story -- the only real stipulations I had for the Valentine's Dinner were that I was not going to cook it, and that there couldn't be a Booth. No, no. Not for Valentine's Day. (I'm high-end like that, wanting a regular table with a tablecloth, 'n all... it's just how I roll...) So we get there, and guess what table we got? A BOOTH! I laughed and laughed, because I couldn't wait to tell my sister... but I don't think Dwight got why I thought it was so funny. Hmm. Some one needs some water wings, 'cause he's a-sinkin' fast! The dinner was great, though (I highly recommend the Chicken Souvlaki they call 'Alexander Swords' -- delicious!), so that was a big upside, then Dwight fell asleep at 9:30 pm, so start blowin' up those wings!

Anyway, I'm glad Valentine's Day is behind us, now, and we can get back to normal. Dwight's 47th Birthday is coming up soon, then my Birthday is two weeks after that -- March 7th! WooHoo! I'm very excited about that, because I'll be turning 43, and I feel like 43 will be a really lucky year for me. (Yes, a Psychic did tell me that, once, but I don't know why you always have to bring that up...) I hope my new Dresses from Frederick's of Hollywood arrive before my Birthday. They were shipped on January 20th, and now it's Feb. 15th -- I'll tell you, those Border Crossing Guards better not be tryin' on my fancy new clothes! It's crazy how long it takes to get stuff sent up to Canada.

Hey, have you been watching The Olympics? Me, neither... I'm mad at them for dissing my old Boyfriend, Ben Johnson, the Olympic Sprinter (remember Ben? Man, what a great body -- I've never seen anyone so perfect... nice, too. Okay, that's enough of those memories! I gots to remember I'm married!). I can't be bothered with all the politics involved with the Olympics, which is a shame, since the Athletes are amazing... I have been watching the 'Ell-ympics' on Ellen, though (The Ellen DeGeneres Show, in case you're not on a first-name basis with Ellen after years of watching her every day...), and they're very entertaining! They should put Ellen's Ell-ympics on in between the regular events at the big Olympics, and maybe they'd increase they're Viewership... oh, I'm full of great ideas like that... or full of something! ha,ha! The Skiing & Skating are great, and Hockey will be incredible... maybe I will turn it on... <Be the First to get the 2006 US Olympic Team gear on Roots-Direct>

Oh, and I did make my famous Cherry Cheesecake for a special Valentine's Treat -- yum! I've already had a piece for breakfast, and another piece (slightly bigger) for lunch. It's all about making healthy choices, I know. Think I might have another bit when Dwight gets home... we like to have a wee treat in the Sunroom when Dwight gets home, and he tells me in unbelievable detail all the work he's done that day ... Installing Furnaces, Plumbing, Air Conditioning, Reading Blueprints (naturally, I perk up when we finally get to the Blueprint part of the chat... and the bit about how cute Tia, our wee dog, looks while she waits for her part of the treat...).

Well, I better go get something out for dinner, tonight. Think I'll make Taco Spaghetti -- everyone loves that. Thanks for swingin' by for a wee visit! And a special Thank You to all my Readers who bought their Valentine Stuff through my site -- you're keeping me afloat! Here's my new slogan, "If you're buying Online, go through Buildyourownhouse.ca". Catchy, I knows it. I thought about that for seconds and seconds. Creativity takes time, and I'm willing to put in my share of under a minute, almost any time... Later, Baby! Ailsa

Wednesday, February 8th, 2006. Hello there, My Wee Trumpet. Strumpet...waaait a minute...that's one of those words that sounds waaay cuter than it means... so let's back that up and start again. Yo. Baby. Yo, yo. Makes me want to go search through the toy box to find an actual yo-yo, since they are minutes and minutes of fun... So it's a whole week full of Love stuff. Yippee, I says with a smirk. Do you remember that old song, Love Stinks? Oooh, I loved me that song, and it happened to come on the radio last night when we all went into town for dinner because we had a House Showing, and I didn't want to mess the place up after cleaning all day... Anyway, I thought everyone belted out the 'Love Stinks!" part of that song, but when I noticed Dwight scowling (oh, sooo unusual for him...), I said, "What?? You don't love this song??" It's important to always say things in an alarmed, what-are-you-crazy kind of way... makes everyone feel warm and accepted. Where was I? Oh, right. Love Stinks.

I know that's a terrible message right before Valentine's Day, and I am the one who bought a ton of stuff just for that particular holiday, but this is the lead-up week that can be very stressful for many a couple. I have no idea whether Dwight has actually made a real Reservation at any Restaurant, as per usual, which leaves us searching for a table at the last minute, or I end up making dinner at home. Sometimes I don't mind that, and sometimes I do. This time I do, but I am determined not to ask over and over whether any calls have been made, or whether he's made a trip to my favorite Chocolate Shop in the North end of our City... it's sink or swim for that boy... I'll let you know how it all works out! ha,ha! (Oh, so much fun to have a holiday where all sorts of tests abound!)

Oh, yeah. The packages I ordered are being delivered in drips and drabs. I finally got my huuuge Order from the Electrique Boutique, which I highly recommend. Not a lot of stuff you can actually wear out, if you know what I mean, and I'm guessing that you do, now that you've looked up the word 'strumpet'... now don't get all huffy about that -- I'm just kidding! I don't know what you really do for a Living, and there's many a profession out there, and I'm sure you're very, very good at what you do... am I right?? Today I got a couple of books from Barnes & Noble -- More Letters from a Nut: Extra Nutty (oh, I love that! Sooo hilarious!) and How to Quit Smoking, but that one's not for me, it's for my Father-in-Law for his Birthday, so's he'll have a whole lot more... and I'm gonna read it, too, on the off-chance there's a tidbit of info in there that I can use in my own life... you never know when you'll come across a morsel of information that can change yer life, and I'll look pretty much anywhere for those tiny morsels!

Aidan's gonna be home any minute, so better keep this short. Today is his 100th Day Celebration at his school, but he is convinced, convinced, that this is his Graduation Day from Grade One into College, since his Big Sister, Cara, just graduated from High School. Poor little man. He's pretty sure they're on the same page, but you know how easily you can get that sort of thing all muddled up in your mind! A mere eleven & a half years to go... and since Cara worked so hard doing Summer School Courses and everything to Graduate Early, we're sending her to Scotland to visit with my Mum and Dad, and to get to know her Scottish Roots. My Scottish Roots are Jet Black, but ever since I discovered how easy it is to be a Blonde, my roots have been quite a bit lighter! ha,ha,ha!

Oh, and I still have one more parcel to come in -- the two Dresses from Frederick's of Hollywood. Can't wait. Hope to God they fit me, or that I can at least get them over my head! I'm hoping that by 'Stretch Velvet', they really meant it on the 'stretch' part! ha,ha!

Happy Valentine's Week! I don't really think Love Stinks -- it's just a wee bit ripe every now and then... Thanks for popping by for a visit. Later, Baby! Love, Luck & Laughter! Ailsa

Hey, you can help spread the word about my Site -- here's a new 'Tell A Friend' that my friend James made for me. He's been working away to teach me some new things for my website that I desperately need to learn to make the improvements I really want. Oh, and don't feel restricted by the whole 'Tell a Friend' thing. You don't even have to really like someone to tell them about www.buildyourownhouse.ca! What do I care? I'm just interested in loads and loads of people coming in for a visit -- maybe even buying something through the Site! And who knows??? Maybe they'll quit borrowing money from you by learning how to Manage their own money after reading my Articles! ha,ha! So here it is, and it's easy schmeasy to use!<

> Thank You!! Soon we'll be enormous! (And I don't mean just because of all the Caramel Apples, neither! ha,ha,ha!) Uh, oh... I see there's no apostrophe in the Friends Name Box -- must tell James! Rest assured ( I don't want you to lose sleep over this!), I do know it needs and 's... we'll fix it for you! See ya'! Ailsa