BLUEBERRYMOON

04:03 pm

You never know what you will find here:) From me begging you to donate to worthy causes, to what I'm reading. This afternoon, I finally have settled in to read Tales from a Travelling Mum: Navigating Europe with a Babe-in-Arms by my pal, AliceGriffin. I've been following Alice's adventures for a while now through her blog. It is a delightful read written by a delightful person. Great for armchair travelers, families with a dream and those actually starting their planning:)

Also, remember that amaryllis I saved? Look how it has grown and not only that, a twin shoot grew from the same bulb alongside it and now is ready to burst into bloom also!

Monty approves....... I'm learning how to use my new lens:)

11:53 am

3 Month Membership to Goodlife &Nubody's Fitness Centres Inc. ($255 value)

Round of golf for 2 at Osprey Shores Golf Resort

$30 gift certificate to Java Blend

2 tickets to a taping of This Hour Has 22 Minutes and some gear:)

$20 gift certificate to Two If By Sea Cafe and Bakeshop

Shannon Quinn CD The Irwin Lake Sessions

The Wooden Monkey Warm beverage and dessert for 2

Round of golf for 2 at Eaglequest Grandview Golf & Country Club

Empire Theatre night at the Movies for 2 including popcorn

Signed copy of Nova Scotia Potluck Cookbook

$50 gift certificate to My Mother's Bloomers in Spring Garden Mall

2 children's books from Woozles

Antonia Fraser's latest non fiction, The Weaker Vessel-: Women's Lot in the 17th Century England

Package of 20 laminated "bad parking" cards by WryandGinger

Tarot Card reading via telephone or internet by Amazing Gracie!

Professional resume edit or critique NatalieJoan.com

Free online home listing with PropertyGuys.com

1 Hour Massage from Amanda Findlay, RMT at Remedy Facial Bar andSpa

$40 Gift certificate from Sainte Famille Wines

*You must be able to come to Halifax to pick up your prize or donate it to someone who can:)


You pay for your DONATION by clicking on the BUY NOW link to be taken to Paypal. You can pay with a credit card here if you don't have a Paypal account. Please submit your telephone number too so we can contact you if you win!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!!!

08:54 am

Boxing Day sales start. I'm not much of a shopper but I have a Lululemon certificate that I am hoping to stretch to twice it's size today:) I also want to pick up an armband for my new nano.

I am also hoping to try out a new lens I got for my camera:)) Better get out there!

Only 3 days until this is drawn!!Only 58 tickets sold!!
Dec 30th. The BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW , hoping that you might be interested in donating $10 to help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Thanks to all of you who have done so already:)) Winner gets it all. Great odds at this point!

December Views

09:35 am

Well, here we are on the other side! Another Christmas dusted off and filed on the memory shelves.  One of my presents was an iPod nano!!! Yay! I'm late coming into the mp3 business. This one is great because I can also listen to my beloved CBC radio if I want, something I enjoy doing as I walk. Walking is what I plan on doing more of as Jan 30th looms closer. Cross training:) I have to take off all those extra chocolate, cheese, wine, dip, crackers,trifle, gravy pounds I put on over the last week. Yikes, really, I am not kidding, but they sure were tasty:)

07:53 am

My brother's house last night. A winter wonderland! We were there for his father in law's 80th birthday party. As beautiful as it was outside, the drive home was very slow and took every ounce of concentration. Snow falling steadily, road covered with fresh snow and in that area they don't salt because of people's wells. It was the kind of falling snow that hypnotizes you as it drive through it, creating constant 3D effect  as if you are driving through a vortex. Wierd and wonderful.

Nevertheless, it was still absolutely magical out there.

Hope you have a contented and peaceful few days ahead of you:) Happy Christmas!

09:44 am

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! How did it get here so quickly?
Lots to do still as always. Heading off to the gym shortly.
37 days until we BustaMove. Yikes! Did I mention that my daughter has signed on?
The prize list is growing:) Yay. Wooden Monkey has donated a gift certificate:) Thanks. $10 donation gets you in on a draw for all this! Only 57 tickets sold to date.

04:39 pm

Waiting for our Holiday Special at Swiss Chalet. It's a tradition with us now, every year after the Christmas Pantomime, we head here for our quarter chicken meal and Lindor chocolate truffle dessert treat! Simple pleasures.

* I got my Food For Boobs cookbook today in the mail! I love it. Great job Melanie! Lovely wee gift and the money goes towards BustaMove too. Bonus! Chockfull of yummy recipes. I am looking forward to trying Mexican tabouli, Fried feta & marinated pear salad, Chicken with Thai noodles and Peanut sauce, Tognetti's Bolognese, Maple curry pasta, English toffee.....nom, nom, nom, I think I had better stop now. 

* Here's a fun thing to do. My friend Mary, decided to collect pennies last year. She made a  decision last December and kept a lookout for pennies all year. She rolled $129 dollars worth this month! She did it in half hour increments while watching Coronation Street! I'm thinking it might be fun to do the same thing. I'm going to keep a big pot and write today's date on it and start from right now. See how much I can collect by Dec 21, 2010. Mad money!!

* I got a Christmas card in the mail last week from a pal whom I've only met once. We met in Greece at a place called Claire's House where everybody sits together for breakfast. I was a young thing on my way to the Islands and he was on his way back to the US or it might have been the other way round can't remember now. We had a really great chat and exchanged addresses as travellers do. Well, over 25 years later, we are STILL exchanging Christmas cards!  That's all, just a card and hello each December  but it is another tradition I look forward too:) He is a poet named George Ellenbogen. I have yet to get my cards out this year (I know, I know) but I will manage a few.

* Just made a loan this morning via Kiva to the Pure Joy Group in Ghana. Don't you love their name?? 62 other Kiva lenders and I made the $1,775.00 loan and it will be used to buy goods in bulk to expand business. This is my 11th loan and I must say it is an easy way to make a difference and learn about the world. It is interesting choosing who to help. I tend to pick women to help. You can do it in $25. increments which is great. It gives me a lot of joy. * Hooray! Daylight will start to reclaim it's territory starting tomorrow. Winter has officially started. Longest night of the year tonight. Light a candle and enjoy.

I am keeping this here on my blog until Dec 30th. The BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW , hoping that you might be interested in donating $10 to help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Thanks to all of you who have done so already:)) Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is a CD by Shannon Quinn! Winner takes all. Great odds!

December Views

01:40 pm

Don't adjust your computer. This ia a picture of my Christmas tree! I had a happy accident with the camera and was really chuffed when I saw what it looked like so of course I fooled around a bit more. Basically I moved the camera around as the shutter was going off. Not rocket science but fun to do.The room was too dark for anything but the lights to register. This one is a picture of our tree topping. I snapped and quickly tilted the camera down as I was taking the pic:) We have a gigantic storm bearing down on us. I was looking at the radar and it appears as if we are going to get a LOT of snow. Click on the wee arrow above the radar picture to see it animate. I've been to the store and stocked up on goodies, filled up the car and now am firmly ensconced awaiting the big blow:) I am keeping this here on my blog until Dec 30th. The BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW , hoping that you might be interested in donating $10 to help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Thanks to all of you who have done so already:)) Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is a CD by Shannon Quinn! Winner takes all. Great odds! December Views

03:27 pm

Love this picture! It is a print in my shop called Winter Bunnies. Notice the snowman:) I am weary right now, late night, early morning and lots of good stuff in between! Our pancake breakfast was another success:) I just wanted to log on and thank everybody who came! It is always a fun event but..... smiling, talking, cooking, tidying and enjoying everybody makes one sleepy by the time 3pm rolls around. Dare I take a nap? After all it is Saturday. I am not a napper by nature but I might just pop into bed with The Scarpetta Factor, P. Cornwell's latest book and a cup of Tazo Chai. mmmm. Finally got our tree up and it looks warm and festive with it's twinkly lights and decoration. Now if I could only get to my Christmas cards! Maybe I'll do them tomorrow as the snow falls. Now that the Pancake Breakfast is over, I am focusing on this wee draw. Please think about donating:) I will keep this here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW For $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is a CD by Shannon Quinn! Winner takes all. Great odds! Thanks to those who have purchased:) December Views

04:23 pm

PANCAKES! Ok, so we won't have a view of cattle, and we won't be serving in a log cookhouse, and there might not be cowboys but.........we will have delicious pancakes and coffee and it will be all you can eat for $5 and your money will be used to purchase a digital mammogram machine by the BustaMove charity! Served up by the #Halifaxchicks team:) 8:30-12 noon
Sat 19th December
Clayton Park Sobeys, Halifax See you there!

09:04 am

Ha, not a wintery picture today, but fighting back at the weather. Our first really cold day has arrived. -27 outside. Thought I would post something escapist. Sweet dreams. Taken in September. My brother built the wee pool house this summer. They have a lovely home not too far from here and visiting is like going to a resort!! Last night I went to a Christmas Concert of the Rankin Sisters! It was wonderful!! A few times, the man sitting next to wiped tears from his eyes. Goosebumps, tears, laughter, fiddling, step dancing and the Halifax Boy's honor choir. It was a marvelous down home night. Prize Draw! I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Winner takes all. Great odds! Thanks to those who have purchased:) December Views

12:48 pm

I'm having fun with this! Picked up an old wooden chair at the flea market for $15 and am slowly transforming it into something wonderful:) Every now and then I pick up a brush and dabble.

Still have to do Christmas cards and get a tree!!!! Such a busy time of year:)

If you are in the neighborhood....the HalifaxChicks BustaMove team are having another Pancake Breakfast this Saturday, December 19th at the Clayton Park Sobeys from 8:30 until noon. Quick go write it on your calendar before you forget:) Hope you can come!

Prize Draw! I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Winner takes all. Great odds! Thanks to those who have purchased:)

December Views

08:57 am

Sigh, not Halifax......... can you guess? Mais oui. C'est Paris!

Every now and then I have a poke through my photos, enjoying the memories and I get inspired to post one occasionally.

We are having a soft grey day here too. The snow is gone and the temps are up again. It is a bit foggy and drippy out there. Not a good day for hair if you are affected by that sort of thing.

I have a lot to do today as do most people this time of year:) Best get at it!

If you are from Nova Scotia.... how about checking out the big draw below:) Lots of great goodies in the prize pack:)

Prize Draw! I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Winner takes all. Only 25 tickets sold to date!!! Great odds!

December Views

09:58 am

Spring Garden Road is a lovely street with shops and coffee places and interesting side streets to explore. This is the window of Mills Brothers, an old family business that has been around for years and years. Recently it was sold and the new owners have done a bit of modernizing.The light is odd because it is actually sunlight reflecting off the buildings behind me spilling across the street and illuminating this scene. Quite cool really. On the far right just out of sight is a window with a charming display that has captivated the people in Halifax every December for 40 plus years!



Yes, it is Snow White. If you look at her closely, you can see her wee bosom rise and fall softly so you can tell she is just sleeping:) The dwarves have diamond tears.



Prize Draw! I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is tickets to a taping of This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Winner takes all. Only 20 tickets sold to date!!! Great odds!

December Views

09:24 am

Yesterday I bought myself an early Christmas present! A wonderful copy of From Land and Sea, It is a collection of work from over 65 of Nova Scotia's contemporary landscape painters and it is gorgeous. I am tucking it away and won't look at it until Dec. 25th. Promise! There was a book signing at Argyle Fine Art Gallery and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to purchase it. Now I just have to track down all the other artists!

Here are Mark Brennan (my pal:), Gordon MacDonald, Dee Appleby( the author), Steven Rhude and Shelley Mitchell. A true powerhouse of talent assembled here!

I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BIG PRIZE DRAW For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is tickets to a taping of This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Winner takes all. Only 20 tickets sold to date!!! Great odds!

December Views

09:49 am

"So this is Christmas,"Can you hear John Lennon singing?

This wee advent calendar has seen a lot of action. Every year since my daughter was born, it comes out of hibernation and sits proudly on the wall. Above the pockets is a green velcro Christmas tree and each day, one of the cloth ornaments gets to decorate it:) December 25th gets a small dove.

Happy Chanukah to all of you who celebrate it:)

I am on the home stretch now. I still have cards to do, tree to get, decorations to put up. Not too much, just enough to keep me preoccupied. As if I wasn't preoccupied enough with my BustaMove activities and fund raising!

We now have 18 prizes in our BIG DRAW and the winner takes it all! From massage, golf, food, coffee, flowers, new resume, movies,books,wine....... pretty good odds. The draw is on Dec. 30th and we've only sold about 30 tickets.

Don't forget to donate here! For $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine for the holidays and be entered in a big prize draw to help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:)

December Views

09:04 am

I am not one to eat burgers and but fries but........yesterday a friend and I decided to check out the Westcliffe Diner! I was looking through the Coast (a local paper) at restaurant reviews and this wee place had raves! I thought we MUST go. The old adage appearances can be deceptive runs true here. This is a place I have driven past a bazillion times and never once thought to go inside.

Inside it is dark and cluttered but the energy is great and it is clean and always full of people. Most of them regular customers.The couple seated here come every time they drive into the city! Thursday is Special Day and on this day it was a boiled corn beef dinner, sometimes it is roast beef, chicken, ham and scalloped potatoes, all for the inexpensive price of $6.00. Including dessert and coffee! Grilled cheese $1.75 and the milkshakes are renowned!

See! The sign says it all. When you arrive, you figure out what you want and go to the counter and write down your order on a little piece of paper and leave it on the counter by the grill. They call it out when ready and you pick it up. You then pop down to the cooler and pick out your drink. When you are finished you take your dishes down to the end. Very mom and pop and really terrific value and great food!

This is what I had with some onion rings and fries. It was AMAZING. Melted in my mouth. Really one of the best cheeseburgers I have ever had. The woman seated next to me recommended it and I am so glad she did.

Here they are, the ones that make the magic happen......Bev and Tyler:)

Don't forget to visit the BIG prize draw for BustaMove here! For $10 donation you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine for the holidays and be entered in a big prize draw to help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:)

December Views

11:07 am

Just a midweek smile! It's contagious:)

Mr and Mrs Andrew Lyman, Polish tobacco farmers near Windsor Locks, Connecticut
1940 Sept. Taken by Jack Delano... Delano explains that he made the couple laugh by telling Mr. Lyman that his pants were falling down. "The thought of such a catastrophe," Delano writes, "apparently made them break up."

Don't forget to pop in here! For $10 donation you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine for the holidays and be entered in a big prize draw to help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:)

December Views

09:16 am - Flower whisperer

I rescued this amaryllis the other day along with a few others. It was hard not to buy the entire floor display. You see they had all started to grow and most were straining at the lids of the boxes trying to burst free. All white and pale and desperate. Reaching for a bit of light and trying to escape.
They are favourites of mine and I always buy one or two each winter because they have such gorgeous blooms and grow so astoundingly quickly! If you sit quietly and watch I swear you can see them lengthen. Like Christmas cactus which also blooms this time of year, it is wonderful to have flowers in December and January.
I might go rescue some more!

Oh and don't forget to pop in HERE! For $10 you can purchase part of a digital mammogram machine for the holidays and be entered in a draw worth $several $100 and help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry!

December Views

12:00 pm

Last night we had a fund raising event for our HalifaxChicks BustaMove team. It was a great success! Our first December mixer! Once a month a group of women whose only commonality is that they live in Halifax, are"chicks" and Twitter, get together for a meal or drink. I have met some great gals through this and in fact these gatherings is the reason our small BustaMove team was created.
Last night we had an event where the "dudes" were allowed to come for a fee of $10 and a chance to win a bounty of international beer. We also had a "Cool Off" a competition via questions asked by judges, to determine who was coolest, @MrWordsworth(Mark Campbell) or @CoolestCool(Ross Simmonds). The two contenders are seen above battling it out for the title.
I think the question here was what was the greatest remake ever made and answers are "The Land That Time Forgot 2" and "Gremlins 2, The New Batch"' These guys are reeaallly cool:)
At the end of the evening......a tie was declared and everyone went home happy.

I think Mark Archibald was the happiest....he won the beer :)


One more thing! The BIG Draw is now full of prizes and ready for a happy $10 dollar donation to possibly take it all home. You must be able to come to Halifax to pick it up.

December Views