This is my Mom (sometimes you may hear me refer to her as Bon):

My Mom is a super thoughful person; she always sends me home with leftovers (and this time sent me home with enough meals to last me all week – she knows I am crazy busy with rehearsals), she never forgets to send a thank you card, she checks in on her family members and friends regularly, she makes my chair-bound dad picnic lunches before she heads to work in the morning, she thinks of unique games and activities for her grandsons, she makes meals for friends who need a hand, and she emails me good deals and things on sale at the grocery store.  She is a gem, and I love her lots.

I also spent lots of time playing with these two precious boys this weekend:

I just love them to bits and wish I could see them more often!!

Happy Family Day, ya’ll!!

1.  Having a Friday night laugh-fest with four fantastic friends – yummy treats, sweet beverages (try the cranberry-7up-wine combo – sangria-ish!), story-telling, tons of laughing and a movie.

2.  Thankfulness for a safe drive to Fonthill – it was very snowy in Barrie and for a good part of the drive – so glad I did not end up in the ditch (or worse).

3.  Getting my hair cut by Sam (he’s kinda strange, but sure does know how to give a curly-haired girl a good haircut!).  I LOVE having my hair washed (the little scalp massage is SO nice!)

4.  Lunch and more laughs with Meg and Steph (and Owen and Dallas) – one of my most very favourite parts of coming home to Niagara is getting to have a meal and visit with two of my favourite people – LOVE them!

5.  Mom making me a roast beef dinner.

6. Hanging out with the folks in their cozy living room.

7.  Knowing that tomorrow I get to see my best little buddies and read them stories.

8.  Chatting (even though briefly) with Cait and Phil.  Have I mentioned that I am super proud of their current endeavors?

9.  Getting a sweet pair of jeans on the SECOND try.  Dear The Gap: Thank you for making jeans that not only fit great, but that are recommended to fit you a size smaller.  You must know how much that helps a girl’s self-esteem, and I appreciate that.  The price was worth it.  Sincerely, Happy Shopper.

10.  IT’S A LONG WEEKEND!

This song actually brought me to tears.

My fave movie OF ALL TIME is, hands down, The Princess Bride.  I checked all over YouTube tonight for a clips video, but the best I could find (without copying heaps of short videos) was this little fan video:

So…Thursday night question for you…what is YOUR fave movie of all time?

In other news, I’m trying really hard to eat healthier (with the exception of a few chocolate treats here and there…Mini-Eggs, anyone?)  I haven’t had pop in two weeks, and if you know me at all, you will know that this is a BIG deal for me – I LOVE coke classic.  I had a nopopsummer2011, and I felt much better, so I’m giving it another shot.     I’ve been drinking lots of fruit smoothies, thanks to the sweet blender I got for Christmas (thanks, Mom and Dad, aka Santa!), and they are delish.  I am, however,  getting a bit tired of conflicting nutritional information – I would think that eating frozen fruit mixed with yogurt and a bit of no-sugar-added juice would be a good thing, but there are mixed reviews on websites.  Some say it is still too much sugar, or acid, and that you might as well just have pop.  Really?  I just think that can’t be right.  Other websites promote homemade smoothies made from ingredients you choose yourself – and I agree with that.  Having one for breakfast has made me have more energy in the morning (I’m not a big breakfast person) and I’m less likely to snack before lunch.  Those are good things, aren’t they?

I went and had my key copied today, after I had an interesting experience late Wednesday night where it broke in two IN the lock (I had a spare to make a copy from).  Whenever I have to do something that involves me having to go to Canadian Tire, I feel like an independent woman. True story.  I also feel this way when I get the oil changed in my car.  But I feel like laughing whenever I do go in to Canadian Tire  - I’m sure someone is thinking, “What looks totally out of place in here?” …ME!

I had SUCH a busy week this week: 4 after school rehearsals and a staff meeting on the off-day, a church committee meeting (which I have now resigned from, even though I was pleased to have been a part of it for a year), small group (SO good – Ruth led us in an inductive Bible study on the first book of Jonah – it was really insightful), worship practice, made a killer birthday cake for a friend, baked treats for other functions, and taught everyday.  I am looking forward to a slightly less hectic week coming up, AND a long weekend!

My Dad had surgery on Friday to repair a bone chip in his ankle – they had to break his ankle and cast it, in order to properly repair it.  And at the same time, they also removed a bunyan (spelling??) from his other foot.  Why the doctors chose to tackle both feet at once is a bit beyond me!  Glad my brother, Brent, is home this weekend to help Mom care for him, and also glad Drew is close by (to help him move from couch to bathroom to bed, etc.)  Looking forward to making him some recovery soup next weekend!

Enough thoughts for now.

Here’s some great tunes I’m listening to this weekend:

I heard this gorgeous little tune on Grey’s on Thursday – and loved the solo piano version!  Also learned how to make your piano have a more plinkety sound – very cool.

Loving this tune from Jesus Culture – the chorus is such a gorgeous declaration: “And nothing’s gonna hold me back….My chains fell off, my heart was free.  I’m alive to live for You!”  I love it (and we’re going to sing it on Sunday – yes!)!

I actually heard this tune back in the fall on “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” – and just about fell over, I thought it was so beautiful.  I chose the above clip because it has the fully recorded version (even though the video isn’t anything to watch, except for one picture), but you can also check out his solo piano version here.  Doesn’t this song tell a beautiful story of friendship?

My good friend, Philippa Jones, introduced me to this fantastic Kiwi singer songwriter awhile back, and I’ve been obsessed with this song ever since.  AND…when you love it so much and decide to purchase it on iTunes, 100% of the sale goes to providing fresh drinking water to communities that need it throughout the world.

Happy listening!