One Part Inspiration...

It's that time of year when we in the Western Hemisphere begin to yearn for the end of winter. We've had it with the cold weather, the snow, the slippery streets, and the constant decisions about whether or not it is safe to travel. We long for warmer days, little flowers poking their heads up through the ground, and the smell of the BBQ. For those of you who are still in the throes of winter, I thought I'd give you some hope to hang onto while the last of winter shakes out its final wintry blasts. So here are the top ten signs of spring. #10 You'll see more of this: and less of this: . #9 People will try to fake out winter by wearing . #8 At the first sign of a sunny day, you'll see more people . #7 will appear, followed soon after by . #6 You might see people using their as toboggans. #5 won't have to be used for snow. and #4 will break out in song. #3 will be replaced by #2You won't see many , but you might see and ..... #1 will be all over the pl...

I've been tagged only I am going to write my random things here. I love where I live. I call myself a 'mom in a mini van'. Don't mess with me because you won't win. This is especially directed at those punks young people who drive up beside me with their bass booming so loud that it vibrates all the buildings and vehicles within a 5 km. radius. There's something about that vibration that makes me ticked off enough to take ya. VROOOOMMMM! I never imagined myself living on the West Coast. There was something unatainable about that living arrangement in my mind. And here I've been for over 20 years. If I have a free afternoon and go to the beach - even if it is for an hour or so, I come home refreshed and feeling like I've been away on vacation. I like writing. That is why I have kept my blog for this long. I consider it my own private magazine. I still feel like a teenager trying to decide what to do with her life. One day I will have "...

Some things just take you right back in time. I see this picture and I immediately remember lhow much I loved those Plaid Pants. And that Embroidered Sweater. And I see that my hair is just as straight now as it was back then. (Although the color has changed a few times in between). When the teacher is phoning in the attendance, the kids are invited to "Tell Miss Marni" their news. One little girl shared that she got a new stuffie. Even though it had been years since I had thought about this, I suddenly remembered my stuffies. One of the missionary ladies made me all kinds of stuffies. One was Humpty Dumpty. I remembered that worrying that they would get cold, and so I would get out of bed and sleep on the floor to save them from hypothermia. I sign a permission form for skating and I remember the time that my sister and I were skating on a backyard ice rink. I was congratulating myself on how well I was doing while skating backwards when I rammed into the tree. N...

10. I read somewhere that if you want to write an article on "top ten", you should start with # 10 and work down. It is supposed to create more reader interest. 9. I like to follow what I believe to be historical moments. For instance, I watched many hours of the "Oliver North" trial. One of my favorite quotes is from that coverage where his lawyer was instructing him about how to answer one of the questions from the committee and they told the lawyer to be quiet. He replied something like "Well, it's my job to advise him. I'm not just a potted plant here." 8. I called the results of the election both in Canada (minority Conservative government), and the American one (Obama, but with a tough road ahead of him for all the promises people will expect him to keep. 7. I'm applying for "mother of the day". Here's why. Yesterday, which is my busiest day of the week, I was very proud of myself that I managed to make a wo...

What do you do on Friday night? When I was a teenager, Friday night was THE night. That was when youth group happened. I lived for the excitement of being a part of all the crazy events that happened. I remember one night, we brought in dry ice to create some sort of "club" atmosphere (in the most spiritual way we could). I also remember going out of town to the Diddley do's who were hosting the whole youth group at their place. My sister and I said we would take two brothers back to their home afterward. One of the brothers said he knew a short cut (The warning bells should have been going off right then). It was in the days before cell phones. And of course, we got horribly lost and a trip which should have taken 1/2 hour ended up taking us 2 1/2 hours. We were most concerned about what our parents would say and how many days we'd be grounded. [although as I recall, they didn't ground us, once they heard the story, but I can imagine that we added...

How would you answer the following questions? Hmmmm..well...since I don't know what you would say, I will let you know what I would say and then if you want, you can leave a comment. What was your favorite part(s) of this week? What is something you would like to change about this week? What is a risk you took this week? What would you like to rant about? What's on your " Gunna " list? Well, I'm so glad I get the chance to answer these burning questions . My favorite parts of the week were having a secret stash of free time, enjoying the scenery around me (one morning as I returned from early-morning drop-off, the Golden Ears Mountains were poking through the clouds. They were covered in snow and the cloud was white. It was absolutely gorgeous) pleasant interactions with friends and family as well as enjoying some funny interpretations of life in general. For instance: In the kindergarten class, they were asked "Does anyone know what bold is? " and on...

I am not the most organized person I know. However, I have become, a student of organization. I struggle against clutter and piles of paper, and messy drawers etc. Martha Stewart would be in that " Superdy D uperdy organized" category. But then again, Martha has a company which I imagine includes some very efficient secretaries, accountants, cleaners, shoppers and chauffeurs. On any given day, I am at least two of those - and many more - so if I don't have it all together, I refuse to go on a guilt trip. When I have my ducks in a row, so to speak, I do feel a certain sense of accomplishment that I never get from say, staying in my jammies , watching t.v. in the middle of the day. So I like to try out ideas or products and often look through websites and magazines for what might help me do my jobs more efficiently. This is mainly so that I can get to that "Boy, I feel great about what I have accomplished" feeling. And when I find something that works, I am mo...

I am going to admit something today. I have an addiction. I don't even know what it is called, but I will explain it and then maybe one of you cyber -readers may have the answer. I love to peel wall paper. And use the leaf blower. And peel paint. There, I've let the cat out of the bag. There's something so fun about seeing strips of something being lifted from a surface. It becomes a bit of a game. "Let's see how much will come off this time! " Before you know it, the whole room is bare. Or the lawn is cleaned up. Then comes the next part. Hmmm ...guess I am going to have to paint in here. Hmm ...guess I'll have to pile the leaves into the wheelbarrow. I suppose, among addictions, it isn't the worst thing. Although as long as we are talking addictions, I will admit one more which isn't as compulsive. When I am in a store, I often tidy up piles of clothes which have been thrown every where. Or if I am walking by a display, and there is a box that is...

Although my given name is Marion, I am known as Marni. I have been called Marni ever since I was a little girl (unless I was in trouble, and then my middle name was used as well). I used to spell Marni with an "e" but then, somewhere around the time I was trying to be unique (i.e. those precious teen years) I took the "e" off. I now spend much of my time when spelling my name for someone, trying to get them to remember there is no "e". A conversation might go something like this: Salesperson: O.K.. let's get this form filled out. Your name? Me: Marni Salesperson begins to spell it out...I see immediately that the "e" is going on the page and I state very clearly " there is no "e" in my name. It is Marn "i". Manys the time when the "e" has stayed on the page. It's as if the "e" has created a hearing/memory blockage in the writer. The "e" stares up at me daring me to be assertive enough...

I am sitting here. The house is quiet. I am the only one home. Even the dog has abandoned me and gone outside. I hear the laundry and the occasional computer crackling. I am realizing that this is a precursor to a different season of my life. You see, this week, my daughter got her license. Now, she can drive without a supervisor. Today, she happily took my son to a friend's house and then dropped by a friend of hers and they went out for coffee. That was 5 hours ago. I think I am going to have to get a beeper - to signal her that it's Mom's turn to use the vehicle. Although, come to think of it, I could milk it a little and get her to go out for groceries! Then I could stay home and have a bubble bath. Hmm....not a bad option! I can see I am going to have to strategize this new development thoroughly .

I have been trying to figure out what happened to my blog. This is much like what happens when computers first came out- and if you pressed the wrong button, then your whole paper for English disappeared. A couple days ago, I put on the ROCKYOU show and after that, all the sidebars disappeared with no reason. I don't even know what the reason was, but just in case you were wondering, that's why I have changed the template again. (besides the fact that I like change every once in a while) On a different note, it's the annual Mt.Lehman Fair and I am going to wander down there today to pick up some fresh apples from the apple farm, and perhaps a couple crafts for the fun of it. So have a good day everyone. PHEW! that was a close call!

I like to read "Real Simple" magazine. Each month, they feature a reader and you get to know them by the questions they answer. The questions are random, but of course, as you read them you are thinking about what you would say, even as you are finding out about the person's opinions. Just for fun, I thought I would ask myself some questions, and post the answers on my blog. I think I will enjoy getting to know myself better in this way! :) Marni Brechin age 42, mom of three, married 19 years, British Columbia. Loves chocolate, buys mascara every two months, can get ready to get out the door in about thirty minutes, would love to take voice lessons. 1. What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to be a hairdresser. Before that, I had thought of being a stewardess (we still called them that in those long-ago days). Then I thought I would be a single missionary in South America. I also thought about becoming a teacher. I guess it depends on what you mean by ...

I've been tagged! Fiona (who's blog I read regularly...part of my entertainment for the evening...) tagged me. Here are the rules… Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. Well this is where it breaks down. I am a blog-lurker...that is, I read other people's blog who are listed on blogger's blogs who know other people who blog and their blogging addresses. So I am changing up the rule a little. If you are lurking about my blog (since I have reached the #100 mark, I am sure that there are tons of you out there :) and you don't have a blog of your own , consider yourself tagged. You can answer the questions and email them to me and I will post them on this blog...if you don't already have your own...kind of like me blogga es su blogga . If you want to email the answers, and don't want them ...