Swap Angel!

Downtown Calgary
Originally uploaded by lccarriere.

So I have been watching the Crafster swap angel board for a while now, looking for a way to wet my feet, and I finally jumped at one.

The swap is for pictures of your town!

I am super excited about this. I get to decorate a picture frame and then go around town taking cool picture to send to some one else.

I have a few picked out already and a few more that I have to take. I really want to get some from Nose Hill and from 17th ave as well.
I have a trip out to the Mountains tomorrow that I have a feeling will be inspiring.

Boy! I can run fast

Boy I can run fast
Originally uploaded by peariso.

On our way out to Saskatchewan we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take this action shot. Henry was obsessed with sticking his nose out to smell. I also think that it was because we have a "Midnight Purple" car and no air conditioning.

Going Home

It is the start of the Victoria Day long weeked and we start the exodus! The city of Calgary will empty for the next 3 days and Chris and I are among them.

We decided to head the opposite way from most. We are going East. Back to the flat praires of my youth. Yes on the weekend that starts the camping season in Canada we are not going to be trying to find a campsite at 9:00 at night after being told at a dozen other places were full. We will be at my loving parents home in a warm bed, with my father making breakfast in the morning. Yes I'm going home.

There is nothing better than spending time in my home town. The atmosphere of everyone knowing you and making you feel like you never left is comforting. I know many people hate living in a small town for that very reason but I find it to be a warm blanket that I will always crave.

New Place to explore

I have just found out, via my constant entertainment CBC, that there is an enviromental building store here in Calgary. I have discovered through their website that they do carry products like Marmoleum. Yeah! This is very exciting to me because I did think that Calgary was falling behind in enviromental friendly choices out there.

Ben's

Ben's
Originally uploaded by peariso.

So this was one of those places that you are told," Oh you MUST go here!" Well I went there and I can say that it was good. There is no way to fake the atmosphere of millions of people all enjoying a timeless meal like Montreal Smoked Meat.

I know that there is much competition when it comes to who has the best sandwich in the city but I will say that it is hard to find a place with as much history as Ben's. Nothing has changed in ninety years and why should it?

Montreal!

Wow! I think I'm in love. So I have only been here for 2 nights and one day but I love this city. It is so pretty (will post pictures when I get a chance) and the people here are lovely. I could just keep exploring for days and days.

The little Hostel that I'm staying at has been superb. It is called Le Gite du Plateau Mont Royal and it is at 185- Sherbrooke est. I would recommend it to any one who would like to have a safe and clean place to hang their hat for the night. The staff have been very friendly and helpful and the other guests are all here to explore as well. It is quite the mix.

I feel like I have been on a whirl-wind trip and I can't believe that I'm going home tomorrow! I have so much more that I want to do.

Sunshine and sugar

cookies
Originally uploaded by peariso.

I had been craving sugar cookies for the longest time so I finally made these.

This was my first time using royal icing and I think I may be hooked. I'll just have to get a bigger pipeing bag. It was a lot of work but they turned out great!

Amount of time

I figure that the amount of time I spend on other people's Bloggs, hoping that they have updated in the past hour, could be better spent updating my own.

What a day...

First it I slept in. Got stuck in traffic. Had to really wait for the train to come. Got stuck on the train. Was 30 minutes late for work. Found little "To Do" notes all over my desk, meaning boss knows about being late. Got a desperate call from a friend needing help. Whipped stuff off on the printer that didn't want to print. Had to run to her office building to drop it off on my way to the CORE (the most evil and boring waist of time in the world). Cabbie toodled on his way over there and cost me $5.00 extra on his trip. GRRRR. Got to the CORE and the girls were on lunch. Had to wait over an hour to get three things photo copied. Got back to my desk there was a message and an email saying that I need to call home. There was a death in the family and my cousins 17 year old cousin, on her Mom's side, was was killed in a roll over on her way to school this morning.

i think i need to go home...

dounuts

You Are a Caramel Crunch Donut

You're a complex creature, and you're guilty of complicating things for fun. You've been known to sit around pondering the meaning of life... Or at times, pondering the meaning of your doughnut. To frost or not to frost? To fill or not to fill? These are your eternal questions.

What Donut Are You?

Wanna go for a walk?

Wanna go for a walk?
Originally uploaded by peariso.

I whipped these up a while ago for all the lovely bitches that Henry has acquired for Valentines day.

They were really easy to make and so far they are standing up to some heavy use. I just have to get around to making Henry one.

I love the stripes! And the D ring is for your poop bags. You can attach clean ones there for quick use or it is perfect for a water bottle.

Yup my little man needs a new leash.

How do you sleep?

Find your own pose!

It took a bit but I found out that I was a Bubble Blower. Who knew?

It took a bit but I found out that I was a Bubble Blower. Who knew?

Puppy Love

Well the other week while doing my regular trip to the farmer's market Chris dragged me away from the tomato stand saying," Come quick! I have something to show you."
Here I am thinking this has got to be good, and I wasn't disappointed. He brought me over to a very small booth that was completely covered in everything that you would ever need for your dog or kitty.

There were toys, beds, sofas, dozens of different kinds of chews and even the odd clothing piece. But the reason for Chris' excitement were the homemade puppy cookies that had the ingredient list printed on the packaging. You see I have been tossing around the idea of making my own treats for Henry for a long time but didn't really know were to start. Yes there were loads of websites with treat recipes but I didn't really feel comfortable trying them. So we bought a package of Cheddar and Garlic cookies that I thought I could backward engineer to get the recipe. I also knew that Henry LOVES garlic.

Off I went to the kitchen with our new found motivation and this is what I came up with.

Henry's Puppy Love Cookies

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Oats
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Skim Milk powder
1 Cup Finely grated old Cheddar Cheese
1 clove Minced Garlic
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Butter

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
Beat butter and eggs together until frothy
Add Skim Milk Powder, cheese and garlic
In a separate bowl combine flour and oats and make a well
Slowly add egg mixture to flour mixture and blend together, add water to thin if necessary.
When it forms a nice tight ball, divide and roll on a lightly floured board until 1/4 inch thick
With a Small cookie cutter cut out shapes and place on a ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 -10 mins pull them out and flip the cookies to bake the other side for an additional 5 mins or until lightly browned.
Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

And Puppy Dog Tales...

My shaggy baby is usually one of those wonderful little guys that would let his Mom sleep in to at least 7:00 am. But lately he has decided that 5:30 is a great time to bounce off of Mom while I'm sleeping.

It seems like I'm the one that he accociates his mornings with. Mom is the one that will let him out in the morning, give him breakfast and has a quick play before heading out the door to work, where he gets to spend the day with Dad.

Usually I really enjoy this routine. It is a nice quite time to be with my little man and to give him all my love and attention. I guess it is Henry's way of saying," Mom, I need more time with you."

I won't complain (much).

This could become the time that is missing in the day when I can get all those things done before Bear gets up and we have to rush out the door. That load of laundry, the living room picked up, the kitchen cleaned or just some extra cuddle time with my little Henry.

Joining the trend

So I have recently gone through the different Bloggs that I frequent and I have noticed a trend. Everyone seems be spring cleaning and changing the look of their bloggs.

I love it! I'm always one to change the furniture around and see how things would look over there. So why not spruce up the place and change the look of things? Really I'm just trying to justify why I should change too.

I WANT MY MUSIC BACK

Alright that is a bigger hissy fit than I really need but I have gone literally months without getting any new music for my ipod. This is because my beloved iBook bit the dust. The screen went caput. I don't blame it. It really doesn't owe me anything, but I am going through music withdrawal. I have lists upon lists of different songs that I need to get and no way of getting them.

I actually found myself in a Music store the other day buying a CD!! I haven't bought a full CD since the itunes music store hit Canada. I realized why I stopped buying my music this way. I like one song. We have all been there. One bloody song on a $20 CD. What a rip. Don't get me wrong I still purchase my music. I just don't need every song that that particular band chooses to release together.

I guess I will have to just save up and replace the iBook so that I can feed my music habit. Until then I will make it a goal to have very detailed lists of all the songs that I absolutely need.

What the hell?

Who knew that trying to be the best puppy Mommy would be so hard? All I want to do is give my 7month old shnauzer Henry the best. Here is the story...

A few weeks ago I noticed that Henry wasn't really eating. He wouldn't dive right in when it came to breakfast time or anytime. I didn't want this to happen because he was only 6months old and was starting to look skinny, skinny isn't what you want your puppy to look like. So I decided that I would suplement his dry kibble with some home made gravy left over from dinner. Now what dog wouldn't love that on his meal? Apparently my dog. Switched it up again to just beef broth. That time he actually spit the beef soaked food out. You are probably wondering why i haven't just changed his food? Simple question gains you a simple answer my wonderful father brought his new puppy grandson a 30 pound bag of it for Christmas. I can't get rid of the stuff. The shelters don't want opened bags of food and everyone i know is on different adult food and don't need it. So Henry must indure.

I have had enough of his picky behaviour and I have desided that I'm going to switch. Most recommend that there be at least the frist indgredint be an animal protein when it comes to a good qualitly pet food. Well good luck trying to find one. I spent over and hour reading the sides of dog food bags looking at the ingredients list. Corn, sugar and animal digestion. Yeah that sounds like something that I would feed my dog. Finally I found one but it would have cost me $50 canadian for a 13lb bag. That is way too much but if it makes him eat I guess I'll have to try it.

Why aren't there more options than going to a B.A.R.F diet?

Rember what this time of year is about.

Is it time to give up CBC?

This is something that I never thought I would be thinking. CBC is a fixture in my life and has always been there for me through my many moves and events in my life. I love my CBC or at least what it used to be.

I loved programs like Basic Black, The Roundup, and Madly off in all Directions. These have been like warm blankets . Bankies. They were informative, entertaining and heart warming.

Now this being said I completely understand that people need to move on and that things need to change. That is the way of life and buisness. My question here is, Is it time for CBC to really Change? Is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation fullfilling the needs of the average listener? Who are the average listeners of CBC anymore? Are they using the talent that is with in the CBC to their full potential? Have they lost some of the integrity that they have been know for?
Many questions not enough answers.

I have tried to come up with answers for these. First I would say that CBC needs to look at where they are in regards to the technology out there. More and more people don't watch TV or listen to Radio. They are podcasting and blogging. They are in front of their computers more often than in front of any other media device. So make it more of a focus of your marketing. I'm not saying start advertizing on Google. I'm saying make your website easier to navigate and more accessable for the average user to get around. Heck make it easier for the less than average user to navigate. Put more content on your web space. We want the indepth story not just the sound bite.

Lorne Elliot gives his notice

Today on Todd Maffins website I love Radio, I read that Madly Off in All Directions Lorne Elliot will no longer be on the air after this season. After a decade of bringing us Canada's varied comedy styles Elliot will be stepping off the stage. To read more about this go to http://radio.blogware.com/