This blog will be closing shortly for privacy reasons. Please email me with a link to your personal blog at the.maples@hotmail.com for the new blogging address. If I don't know you or your blog (either personally or through blogging) you will not recieve my new blog address. Its a long story but I am sure that once you see the other blog you will understand.

Hugs to all - it has been a wonderful journey and I have made many friends that mean so much to me!

Scooby

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Well everyone, I am FINALLY back and I cant begin to tell you all how much I have missed having a blog! It was so very nice to have comments from everyone wondering how I was doing and it means so much to me that you all stuck around all this time. I don't want to get into any specifics about my hiatus but needless to say it has done me a world of good but I am ready to rejoin the world of the "blogging".

Thanks so much for sticking with me so far... I will try and have an update on everything REALLY really soon.

Hugs to all!

PS

Brook - I will try and email you ASAP but I havent been into my hotmail account within the past three months so I would imagine that its inactive. I am going to check it now ok?

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Worked on a few more of these today... lots of fun!

Money is no object and your safety is guaranteed -

where in the world do you want to go?

Imagine a conversation with yourself 20 years from now.

What question do you want to ask?

You are your own SUPERHERO!

Create a portrait of your most fabulous self

What does heaven mean to you?

What does Hell mean to you?

If you are playing around with this with me, send me a link so I can see your thoughts/work!

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I mentioned the web site 52 Figments earlier and have started working on my weekly challenges. The first one is supposed to be set for the first week of the New Year because it started back in 2006 but since I am starting this now, I will go ahead and just start with the first week of 2006 (c:

Besides, I am making an effort to cut back on my procrastination and this my dears, is step one... rather than thinking about starting the 52 figments in the New Year and planning it to death which I would normally do, I am doing it now and I am oddly quite proud of myself.

So here is my effort for week 1 - "What is your theme for 2006?"

Why dont you pop over to 52 Figments and have a go at the challenges yourself... if you dont think that you are artistic, perhaps you can just journal your thoughts (c:

PS

I realized that I spelled struggling wrong - unfortunatly in order to fix the spelling mistake, I have to redo the entire card again. Sigh.

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Miss Boo has hypoglycemia - a mild form of it but its there nonetheless. She exhibits symptoms of being very whiny and lathergic when she has low blood sugar... and oddly enough, she gets red areas under her eyes when she hasn't eaten properly or her blood sugar is too low. Bughead has the same issues but his symptoms are more severe - he went into hypoglycemic visions as a child and had to be hospitalized. We have been teaching Boo the different types of snacks that are healthy and encourage her to eat several times a day.... we are fortunate that she doesnt have issues with temper tantrums or anger which is very common in a hypoglycemic child. In fact, often a childs temper tantrums and issues can be dealt with simply by altering their eating schedule. So, Miss Boo eats on a schedule as follows:

Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, supper, bedtime snack.

Anything less and she struggles... and she really hates the glucose monitor so in an effort to avoid having to use it, I am planning out her snacks and meals daily to keep her on track. I plan on creating a small area in a lower cupboard for her so that I can get a container to place some healthy evening snacks into (because at night they have to be low in sugar) as well as posting a list inside the cupboard door listing good daytime and bedtime snacks so that she can get her own if necessary. Children who have hypoglycemia need to eat smaller portions of food several times a day and are often "grazers" rarely eating large portions at their regular meals.

Here is my list of daytime snacks... any suggestions that anyone might have would be very much appreciated. (c:

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The last few days have been quiet ones which was nice for a change of pace. Bughead has been away for two nights now - scheduled to return home today and everyone is very excited to have him home again. The girls and I went through the house and did a thorough cleaning of the area's that weren't in the midst of the nightmare that is home renovations. The master bedroom got a thorough clean as did the girls rooms, the bathroom and the laundry room. In addition, I got the bathroom mat into the washing machine to presoak because its getting a little funky looking on the back of it since the shower is in the basement area of the house.

Tonight I am planning on making a turkey breast roast with scalloped potatoes, vegetables and ice cream for dessert... I thought that 6 pm was a good time to eat but unfortunatly Miss Boo has fallen asleep here on the bed beside me and she doesnt wake up very well unless she has had around an hours worth of sleep. I have a feeling that its going to be a long evening with her!

I hope that all of my american friends are having a good Thanksgiving - we joined into the festivities when we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV this afternoon... the bobble head presidents really made us laugh *grin* I spent the afternoon writing to three of my penpals - it was great to hear from them and I am getting letters in the mailbox 2 or 3 times a week. It makes my daughter crazy because I get them and then I tuck them away until I have the time to sit down and quietly read them... there is something really nice about just knowing that they are there waiting for me to read and respond to.

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My Favorite Things

1. Fonts. I adore them… handwriting fonts, fun fonts, childish fonts…

2. Computer graphics. I want to draw like them when I grow up.

3. Wonderfully hot showers finished off with turning the water cooler and cooler until it is finally time to get out. It’s like being out on a hot summer’s day and then sinking yourself into the blissfully cool water of your personal swimming hole. Trust me.

4. Gummy Candies… even more than chocolate. Yes really.

5. The smell of lilacs even though the fresh cut ones eventually make my nose feel like someone has stuffed cotton balls into each nostril.

6. A really lovely dream – the kind that you wake up and will yourself back to sleep just so that it can continue.

7. Any books that you can loose yourself in to the extent that you never want to put it down read it in the bath and don’t hear people when they are talking to you.

8. Larger sized envelopes in pretty colours. Why don’t they sell these in Canada? I can only find ones that I love in England and the British pound is worth double my Canadian dollars. *sob*
9. Magazines filled with little things that aren’t necessary but are oh, so lovely.

10. Creamy milk chocolate.

11. Anything old that I can recreate into something new.

12. A great deal on something I really want.

13. Laundry powder in a pretty canister instead of an ugly box… if you can put something into a decanter then do it!

14. Skirts that reach my ankles, lace up boots and feeling fabulously feminine.

15. Pictures of people long since dead… who were they? What lives did they lead? Did they discover the love of a child or a mate? And why, oh why are their wonderful likenesses stuffed into a box at an antique store instead of lovingly cherished by their descendents who tell their stories to their children?

16. Large dogs… the bigger the better.

17. The sand in Mexico. Deliciously white and cool to the touch no matter how hot the day is.

18. Floating in water, eyes closed, ears filled with water so everything is muffled and though my body is present, my mind is far, far away. I can float without moving for literally hours.
19. English words like “vest”, “wellies”, “elevensies”, "pinny" and “jim jams”
20. My Scottish best friend who uses the above words.

21. Puttering about the house doing a little of this, a little of that as I go. Playing around with things that I love and love to do but not really doing anything in particular.

22. Letters through the snail mail… and the pen pals who write them.

23. Time alone.

24. Dollar stores with their miniature bottles, little crafts supplies, pens, glitter and candies.

25. A stack of books piled high on my nightstand waiting for me to dive into.

26. Spring… and fall.

27. Linens fresh off the line.

28. Towels warmed in the dryer wrapped around babies wet from the bath.

29. Tag sales and second hand stores.

30. Coffee cream chocolates.

31. Ice cold water.

32. Cheesecake… with caramel sauce and a chocolate base.

33. Cheesecake with a black cherry sauce.

34. Thick slices with warm bread dripping in butter.

35. Glass jars filled with stationary and crafting supplies… coloured staples, fun erasers, thumbtacks, sequins, glitter, paperclips and more.

36. Letters tied with ribbon.

37. Old diaries to read and enjoy over and over again.

38. Free books online.

39. Hot chocolate filled with melting marshmallows.

40. Calling candy floss “fairy floss” because it just sounds better.

41. Singing in the shower… loudly and preferably off key.

42. “True” ghost stories.

43. Sleeping in while everyone else is up and about and I can listen to their sounds of everyday living.

44. My camera and the moments captured with it.

45. Shopping when I have the money to spend… and buying absolutely nothing I need.

46. Music with a good beat and dancing to it all over the house or in the car not caring who sees.

47. The smell of the outdoors on my babies.
48. Ribbon… and all the things that you can do with it.

49. Saturdays.

50. Cream filled chocolates of all kinds.

51. Recipes with fewer than 6 ingredients… get back to the down home cooking of the past.

52. Soft serve vanilla ice cream.

53. The library… with no children in tow and as much time as I want to browse.

54. Browsing about the stores without having anyone telling me its time to leave or wanting to go somewhere else to look at something else that I don’t particularly care about.

55. Things that are organized… and the things that help you get them that way.

56. Pillows on my bed… and lots of them.

57. Crisp sheets and a goose feather duvet.

58. Cool air in the bedroom when I sleep.

59. Huge cups filled with fountain Pepsi and ice.

60. Old fashioned etiquette. Stand when a lady enters the room gentlemen and don’t forget to open their door. My husband still opens my car door every time I get into the car and there is little else that makes me feel more loved.

61. Hats – especially the old fashioned kind.

62. My canary… every home should have a pretty canary hanging in a cage in the sunshine that sings with joy whenever the house is bustling with energy.

63. The companionship of like-minded, friendly and loving women.
64. Blogging.

65. People who listen… and like to do it.

66. The idea of a self reliant lifestyle.

67. Reading peoples thoughts (on blogs of course).

68. Photography.

69. True Shabby Chic… not the overpriced nonsense that you find in stores.

70. My internet favorites list. I think I would DIE if it ever got deleted.

71. Typing.

72. Linkware.
73. Magazines… Country Living, Mary Englebreit’s Home Companion, Women’s Day, Better Homes and Gardens, Canadian Living, Home & Country, House and Home, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, Country Sampler, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, Country Woman, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal.

74. Cake mix by the spoonful straight out of the bowl.

75. Purses – large and small.

76. The rain.

77. The sound of water.

78. White cake with or without vanilla frosting.

79. The smell of fall.

80. Marshmallows burnt black over a camp fire.

81. Cooking or baking when the house is quiet and there are no busy little hands wanting to “help” me.

82. Fresh bread with butter and chocolate De Ruiter Sprinkles.

83. Weather that is cool enough for a sweater.

84. Walking barefoot.

85. Red painted toenails.

86. Turning off the ringer on the telephone.

87. Going to bed early and getting up before the rest of the world is awake.

88. Tea kettles that whistle.

89. Flannel sheets.

90. Silk jim jams.

91. Movies you want to watch over and over again… and do.

92. A new year with all of its glory and potential stretched out before me.

93. Dressing up for Halloween.

94. Good food I didn’t have to cook myself.

95. Snow storms when you are cozy in the house and it feels like you are the only family in the world.

96. Words like scrumptious, delicious, lovely, or indicative.
97. The sound of language.

98. Reading grown up books out loud.

99. Reading a book that you loved as a young girl… digging out Nancy Drew, Little Women, The 5 Little Peppers, the Little House on the Prairie series or Anne of Green Gables and reading them all. Day. Long.

100. The name “Father Christmas” instead of Santa Claus… I don’t know why – it just sounds luscious doesn’t it?

101. Fairy lights.

102. Christmas.

103. Smells and tastes that suddenly transport you back to your childhood.

104. Christmas – and everything about it.

105. The sound of a loon.

106. Stickers.

107. Glitter.

108. Pens.

109. Soft colouring pencils.

110. Markers.

111. Bubbles.

112. Scrapbooking embellishments.

113. Fun erasers.

114. Ribbon.

115. Glass bottles and jars.

116. Vintage/antique postcards.

117. Gel pens.

118. Anything sparkly.

119. Fun pencils.

120. Hair pretties.

121. Note pads.

122. Note books.

123. Blessing my home.

124. Scented oils.

125. Making things I would normally get in the store… baby wipes, laundry detergent etc.
126. Anything lilac scented.
127. Midnight bed parties.
128. Curls.
129. Old Fashioned hairstyles.

What are your favorite things?

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