Great website for local foods!

With all the controversy lately over so many of our foods (even those stating "Product of Canada") coming from China and uncertainty about their quality control and food safety, I have been highly aware of food labels lately. Many of them do not say where they are from and apparently, there are no regulations about this. Apparently, if a product's packaging is made in Canada but the food inside comes from China, they don't have to tell you that- because part of it (i.e. the packaging) is from Canada, they can say "Product of Canada". This is so shady! I am really hoping that this changes some time soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to do what I can to decipher the ever confusing world of food labels and buy local Canadian (or even American) products when possible. To take it even a step further, I heard about this great website this morning and wanted to share it for anyone interested in supporting our local farmers/producers- it's all about foods produced right here in NS!

http://www.selectnovascotia.ca/

Check it out for places to buy local products, recipes and tons more! I hope you find it as interesting as I did! :)

Canada's Criminal Justice System SUCKS

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/854908.html

A story in the newspaper today caught my eye and I want to take a moment to comment on it.
You all may or may not have heard that a few nights ago, a lady working a back shift alone at a Petro Canada was sexually assaulted and had her throat slit. It’s very sad to hear that she is in critical condition and may not make it without permanent brain damage caused by her injuries. The man who assaulted her was recently released from prison for many similar assaults. He had served his time and was let out of jail.

This article is about how the province is looking at back shift jobs and how they should be examined to determine if the employees are at “risk” if they are alone. Well, personally, I think this is great that the government is expressing a concern for the safety of the people in these jobs, but I think they are using this “concern” to divert attention from the real issue here. The man who committed the crime was KNOWN to have a history of this violence. He had gone to jail for it in the past. And yet, here he was walking free to commit this crime. Maybe we should be looking at our criminal justice system, examining these people who commit these serious crimes- violent crimes- BEFORE letting them out of jail. Sure, he served the time he was supposed to. But, did anyone evaluate him before he was let back out into the public to determine if he was a danger? And if they had assessed that he was, it wouldn’t have made a difference. I mean, it seems like every other week someone is out of jail and the paper or TV news is reporting that he is out and has been labeled as a “risk to re-offend”. This is especially true of people who commit crimes of sexual assault. There is something seriously wrong with this picture. If someone sexually assaulted someone, was found guilty and served time for it, and then at the end of their sentence the authorities know that they are a risk to re-offend, then they should stay the hell in jail! Forget their rights! What about the rights of the innocent victims? You let a guy out of jail who you KNOW will very likely re-offend, and then he does- well how do you explain that to the little girl or boy whose life is destroyed by the sexual predator, or the family of this poor woman who just had her throat slit and will never again be the same? These people have rights. They have the right to feel safe from these creatures whom our society doesn’t have the balls to put down like the dogs they are, so they should at least be kept locked up, away from the innocent lives they have or could destroy!

THAT is the real issue and our government should stop pussy-tailing around and do the right thing! We need some serious changes here!

A Not So Fun Canada Day

I am glad we didn't go anywhere this weekend after all. My little Ella has her first ear infection, a cold, a high fever (that seems to have come down this afternoon) and is not feeling well at all. What a rotten way to feel, the poor thing! We've been very busy this weekend with all the cuddling, consoling and getting fluids and medicine into her. Hopefully, the antibiotics will kick in real soon and she'll be back to her happy, playful self!

Canada Day Weekend at Home

We ended up not going away after all. I woke up this morning feeling pretty lousy. Not as bad as I have been feeling, but definitely not well enough to travel and party all weekend. To make matters worse, Ella and Tony seem to have come down with this flu now, so it looks like our summer is getting off to a rocky start.
I was going to just stay home today, with Ella not feeling well, but after a morning of her whining and crying (the poor little thing), I decided it might be better to get out for a drive. That was a great idea, as Ella got well over an hour of sleep in the car- an hour she wouldn't have gotten at home. Tony and I enjoyed the scenery as we drove out to (and past) Peggy's Cove and looped around back to civilization. We then stopped at Jungle Jim's for some late lunch. That is where we realized Ella's fever was back and even higher so after a bite to eat, we headed for home. Here are some pics of my feverish, but good-spirited baby girl, and us having lunch.

Ciao!

To Go or Not To Go....

The Canada Day long weekend is upon us. For me, this is my last long weekend to spend having fun before I am back to "full time" at work. I want to do something fun, and there are certainly lots of fun options available to us! The problem is...I am sick. I seem to have come down with a flu-like stomach bug that is wrecking havoc with my insides right now. We have a tradition in our family of travelling to Advocate Harbour (where my family is from, and where most of my family IS)- a huge group of us usually camp on Cape D'Or (the most BEAUTIFUL place on the planet!), have some drinks, campfires, food, tons of fun! We of course, will be staying with my grandmother over night, rather than camping this year- I just don't feel sleeping in a tent would be a great experience with a 1 year old. IF we go. I really want to go down and see everyone, and so Ella can see everyone and vice versa. If only I didn't feel like crap! I think I am going to play it by ear and try to make the trip. Hopefully, I will feel better by the time we leave tomorrow.

OK, that is enough whining from me. On a more positive note, here is a picture I took yesterday of my two favourite people! :) I just love it! Ciao for now and I hope everyone has a super happy Canada Day weekend!

A Picture Perfect Day!

Here are some pics of Ella both at home and during our "outing" today! Diana and I took the girls, Ella and Daniela to get their photos done at Superstore. We will have the pics tomorrow and I can't wait! I was expecting Ella to be crabby by the time we got there (especially after the wait to get in) but she was a very good girl. She is so happy all the time lately - the opposite of last month during the teething! :)

Oh, for anyone who doesn't know this story already, Daniela is Ella's best little friend. The two girls were born on the exact same day, only seven hours apart!

My BUSY baby!

I can't believe it but my little Ella will be turning ONE tomorrow! Where did the year go? Here are some pics from this morning! She is keeping Mommy busy chasing her around with the camera, rather than preparing and cleaning for her birthday party later today! :) Oh well...she is too cute!

I've Been Tagged too....

I've been Tagged!!! I was tagged by my bloggin' friend, Diana. I am supposed to give one word answers with no explanation, then tag 5 people to do the same.

Here goes...

Yourself: here
Your Partner: out
Your Hair: blah
Your Mother: valley
Your Father: valley
Your Favorite Item: album
Your Dream Last Night: dunno
Your Favorite Drink: water
Your Dream Car: cheap and reliable (oops, that was two words...oh well!)
Your Dream Home: cheap, spacious and nice!
The Room You Are In: office
Your Fear: personal
Where You Want To Be In Ten Years: healthy and happy (same as now!) and RICH (that would be different!)
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: Tony
You're Not: cooking
One of Your Wish List Items: sandbox for Ella
The Last Thing You Did: washed Ella's highchair tray
You Are Wearing: shorts and tshirt
Your Favorite Weather: sunny and warm, but not too hot
Your Favorite Book: The Stand
Last Thing You Ate: chocolate
Your Life: blessed
Your Mood: relaxed
Your Best Friend: I married him
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: how much I love my family
Your Car: Tony has it because his is broken
What Are You Doing At The Moment: typing answers to these silly questions
Relationship Status: married
What Is On Your TV: TV off
What Is The Weather Like: nice
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: this afternoon many times

Now it's my turn to tag 5 others, I apologize if you've been tagged already! :)

I tag: Heather F, Sheila, Helen, Nadine and Amanda!

Our Day Today

Today was just lovely outside. Ella just loves being outdoors and was pretty fussy anytime she was stuck inside today, so I tried to get her out some. First, we played for a bit in the back yard. It was nice to sit in the shade under the willow tree while she played, other than the noise from the construction next door and all the lawnmowers going. :) In the afternoon we drove down to the park and played on the swings. Ella just LOVES the swings! We also took a little trip to the Canadian Tire to look for a sandbox for Ella's birthday, but they didn't have any good ones. Unless we wanted to pay $40 for a flimsy piece of plastic that would probably break if she so much as crawled around in it! *sigh* We're on the search for a decent sandbox with a cover, if anyone happens to come across one that isn't too pricey...new or used would be fine. Anyhoo...hope you all enjoyed this day! Here are some pics from us! Ciao for now!

Quick and Dirty IQ Test

***Your IQ Is 105***


Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Above Average

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius

Your General Knowledge is Average


A Quick and Dirty IQ Test
http://www.blogthings.com/quickanddirtyiqtest/


*sigh* Well, at least I'm a genius at something....

"Day off" with Ella!

I recently returned to work after my year of maternity leave. It was a little harder than I anticipated to be away from my Ella-Boo! I expected it to be hard, but at the same time I was trying so hard to be positive at the same time. I am right now enjoying my first "day off" to spend with my baby girl! Here are some fun photos from this morning, horsing around on Mommy and Daddy's bed. Hope you are all enjoying this nice day too! :) Ciao for now!

My Cool New Summer Purse!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not one of these gals who is all fanatical about shoes and handbags. In fact, my least favourite type of shopping is shoe shopping! I dread when my old reliable, plain and comfortable pair of shoes starts to wear out and I have to go out and find something new! So, my excitement about my new purchase is a surprise even to myself! You see, today I received my latest Creative Memories order, and with it, my brand new "Tiny Tote". It's a special promotional item that we have for the month of June - free with the purchase of the new "little boy" and "little girl" scrapbooking bundles. I was thinking...well, I will get one just to have it, but I doubt I would ever use it. Well, when I opened it up and saw it in person, I was amazed at how cute it is! And it's the perfect size to use as a purse! Here is a pic from each side. It has two bigger pockets plus the two smaller pockets on the outside perfectly fit my sunglasses and cell phone. So...check out my new summer purse! The little colourful bugs are adorable! I'm loving it and wanted to share it with all of you! :) Ciao for now!

Ella's Playgroup Today

Ella had some friends, both old and new over to visit and play today! She had lots of fun playing with her best friend, Danielita, as well as Braden and Nicole, and her new friends, Casey, Kendall and Sophie! After playing at Ella's house for a bit, all of the kids went for a walk (with their mommies' help) to the park for a bit!

Some pics from our warm day!

Today was a very sunny, warm day...and I finally convinced Ella to wear a dress! Yay! She didn't try to tear it off or pull it off over her head once! Here are some pics of my cutie today!

Hope everyone got out and enjoyed this sunshine! We were out all morning for our yard sale and boy was it hot! Ciao for now!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMMY!!!!

Today is my grandmother's birthday! I want to take one moment here and wish her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am thinking of you and will of course, give you a call later on. Hopefully. I remember it right now. We'll see if I remember tonight...once Ella is in bed! :)

On another topic, here are some pics of my baby girl today, and her daddy. :) I love these two! They are both so cute! Ella had a bit of a stomach bug all last week- it wasn't pretty but is all better now! She is crawling and standing and scooting right along! She's such a busy baby lately! Enjoy the pics and ciao for now!

Time for Spring Cleaning!!!!!

Ugh. So little space and so MUCH STUFF! So little money....

What does this add up to? Why, our annual spring yard sale of course! We've made the last minute decision to have it this Saturday at 7:30am-12:30pm. Come on out if you want to give us money for our junk...er, I mean wonderful treasures! :) Well, they could be treasures to you! We've got tons of baby girl clothes, a baby car seat, tons more baby items, (Duh, do you think we had a baby last year?) comic books, electronics, and many other wonderful miscellaneous items! I'm sure there will be something for everyone!

And...of course, there will be TONS of discounted scrapbooking items! See you all Saturday morning! :)

Email: jamieleewhite@gmail.com if you need more info or directions!

I've Got a Bug!

A stamping bug that is! :) My friend Julie had a little get-together at her house the other night for some chit chat and stamping, and I had so much fun! I began working on some Christmas cards (yes, CHRISTMAS cards in May!!!!) and now I can't stop! I took along with me a few of my scrapbooking page completion kits, which contain this beautiful silver and gold Christmas-y paper. I originally only took it along because I wanted to use to show Julie how to make a snowflake using the CM punches, but I discovered that I love the paper on my Christmas cards, so now I've been going nuts making holiday cards all week! I even started humming a few Christmas songs as I worked...much to my husband's annoyance. :) I would love to post them online because I am so taken with these cards, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might be receiving one come December!

Yeah, so not much else to write about lately. Ella is still teething and to boot has had an upset tummy. I've taken a few mental health breaks this week- first with my mom coming to look after her for a few hours while I went out to get some "back to work" clothes with my birthday money. Retail therapy is always wonderful! :) Then that terrific night at Julie's and now I'm really looking forward to my own stamping night that I am hosting tomorrow night. Mine is a full out Stampin Up party where we will be learning to use some handy dandy stuff I am pretty sure I haven't seen before. It will be nice to have a bunch gals over, have some wine and some crafty fun. Probably won't be doing any CHRISTMAS cards tomorrow night but that's OK- there is always the weekend for me! Hope all is well with all of you- ciao for now!

Sleeping Beauty

Here is my sleeping beauty, all snug and cozy in her bed for the night. And now I will let out a sigh of relief, rest my 90 year old-feeling back, and have a glass of wine.

It was a bit of a rough day. Poor thing is still teething and had a few tummy troubles today as well. Let's hope for better times tomorrow when we travel to the valley to see my parents on Mother's Day!

Ooh, speaking of Mother's Day, I want to wish a very nice one to all the fellow moms out there! :) Good night, all!