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At Home With Ailsa - October 2005

- At Home with Ailsa -- My Update Page! - December '05 - November '05 - October '05 - September '05 - August '05 - July '05 -June '05 - May '05 - April '05 * March '05 * February '05 * January '05 * December '04 * November '04 * October '04 * September '04 * August '04 * July '04 * June '04 * May '04* April '04* Archived At Home With Ailsa Pages * At Home I * At Home II * At Home III * At Home IV - At Home With Ailsa - Menu

Monday, October 24th, 2005. Hello, hello, hello! Man, you look gooood! Have you been using extra cream on your face? Very smoooth... a little wrinkly around the bottom, but smoooth at the top -- really, one good side is plenty, I say, and one day I'll really believe myself! ha,ha,ha! Which reminds me. I'm doing a little experiment on myself to see if you can get rid of wrinkles at the gym. I'll let you know how it all works out! So far, nuthin', but I'm ever-hopeful... I have a firm belief (something oughtta be firm...) that the Gym is my Key to Permanent Youth. Or Youthful with a Permanent... one of those things. I took Friday off since Aidan had the whole day off school, which he was very, very excited about, what with Grade One being the stressful year that it is, so fer sures I better go to the gym, today, lest my plans for Perma-Youth go down the drain.

So our 7th Wedding Anniversary was on the Weekend, and we survived it. A little trying during the day, since Dwight forgot it was our Anniversary (or so he claimed), and when he was out working in the garage, I quickly put out his Anniversary Gifts and a Card (yes, the relatively generic 'Well, Happy Anniversary, then ... You..." card!) on the Dining Room Table. Dwight comes in and says, "Oh, what's all this for?" True story. I'm not even making this up... I said to him, "They're your Anniversary Presents, since today is our Anniversary...". He says, "Oh." Not "Happy Anniversary" as one might expect. And you wonder why we ain't livin' in paradise! ha,ha,ha!

Ah, well. Eventually, Dwight went into Town (Okotoks, Alberta, which is 7 minutes away -- a fair trek in 'The Country') and got a card, which he deftly placed in front of his gifts, like it had been there all along, and I just hadn't been observant enough to see it. Then he asks me what am I going to make him for lunch. (I'm not telling you this story to make you jealous...) So you can imagine that by the time we were finished our Silent Lunch, I was not particularly happy with Dwight, but I wanted to get the gift giving over with, and, as I had thought earlier in the day, like any loving wife, I'll be damned if I'm gonna say Happy Anniversary first. I told Dwight to go ahead and open his presents, and he handed me my card. "To my best wife yet..." har,har! (Oh, that cracks me up, and I'm the writer! Oh, and I'm paraphrasing for considerably more fun, as often happens when paraphrasing...)

My gift was written into the card, because someone didn't realize there was a whole year before the anniversary to get said gift. "My gift to you is a pair of earings that we can pick out togeather..." No, spelling's not Dwight's strong point. Apparently, spelling isn't the key to Financial Success! ha,ha,ha! Try telling that to all the Primary School Teachers with Yardsticks... or perhaps that's just my own past... Anyway, to make what has now become a very long story a tad shorter, we went out for a really lovely dinner at The Newport Grill, which used to be called The Inn on the Lake at BonaVista, because it's beautifully located right on the water, then went straight to the Mall to buy me some Chocolates (really, who doesn't know I need chocolates on every holiday, and any other occassion that presents itself for gift-giving?? Dwight claimed he didn't know I liked chocolates so much...), then off to the next Mall to buy some Earrings.

I think Dwight was surprised by my determination to make good on the 'Gift in the Card', but why not? I'd been painting Trim in the Garage all week, and God Knows I'm a good wife to him (if only a wee bit bitter... like my favorite chocolate, I'm Bitter-Sweet! ya'ha,ha! Man, I'm just entertaining myself, today!). Anyway, we found some nice Earrings, but when I asked about getting Aquamarines in the place of the Blue Sapphires, the guy went on about how much more expensive that would be, blah, blah, blah, so we went to the next Jeweler, and wouldn't you know it, I found me a beeeeautiful Aquamarine Ring, with Three Squarecut Aquamarines and 6 little Diamonds. Gorgeous. Dwight said I had enough Rings, and what finger would I put it on, so I took off the 'old' Aquamarine Ring and replaced it with the new one. Fantastic! Now I'm soooo happy. See what a little Jewelry can do for a Relationship?

Enough about me, let's talk about TV, my next favorite thing to chocolate! Did you catch Desperate Housewives, last night? Yahoo! It's back on track with being great! I was a little worried for a while, there, but now Lynette is Empowered and Fabulous, as all the 'Real Housewives' like to think of ourselves, and Nina, her Boss, has loosened up. Good. Who wants to watch extra-bitchiness on Sunday night before the next work-week? And you know that whole 'someone creepy is in the basement' theme that's goin' on? Now, I've taught Special Needs Students for a long time, and not a whole lot of them knew what 'execute' meant, or would have quickly made the connection the story was all about them. Hmmm. And I thought it was the Dad who was down in the dungeon, not her son, so that was interesting. Raises an interesting issue of how far would you go to protect your child, especially if you knew they had done something horrible... Food for thought. But mostly, didn't Lynette look great??

Well, I still have a whole lot of Baseboard to paint -- it's a Semi-Gloss White Paint, and I have a quick Painting Tip. Oh, and we had the Painter over to get the Quote for painting the Two New Fireplace Mantels . There's a lot of work in taping off the area, since it's going to be sprayed, so very labor-intensive.

In case you are at the Stage when you are looking for a Painter to do your Whole House (Interior), brace yourself before you look at the estimates, and always get at least two estimates. Painting is always more than you think it will be, so squeak open that wallet and prepare for the money to fall out!

Painting Tip: When you are painting Baseboard or a smallish area that has to be really smooth, use a Brush first to put on a good coat of paint, then go over the entire area with a small Foam Roller. It leaves a beautiful finish, with no lines.

- Here are a couple of my favorite Hallowe'en Costumes over the years... Aidan loves to buy the costumes, but when it comes time to actually put the costume on, it's a whole other story. I always have to have a 'back-up' costume I can throw over his coat, since, invariably, it starts to snow just on your way out to go Trick-or-Treating! Oh, Canada. How cold and harsh you are... I think those are the first few words of the Canadian National Anthem... See Tia, our sweet little dog? She loves to check out Aidan -- a little smell here, a wee sniff there... Aidan's 6, now, and just as cute as ever!

Thanks for popping in for a wee visit! It's always so lovely to see you. Next time maybe you can bring me a chocolate ... or I'll just share mine with you -- really, I shouldn't eat them all by myself...! I'll make you a nice hot cup of tea, or Hot Apple Cider with plenty of Vanilla Rum, depending on how much of a lush you is, and if it's almost Noon, which everybody knows is called, 'The Drinkin' Hour', or 'Lunch'. Anyhooo, I hope you have a fabulous day and fantastic week -- who knows what'll happen?!

Love & Laughter, Ailsa

< why buy anywhere else?> These wee dogs are just hilarious to look at! If you have a minute, pop in and have a wee look -- you're guaranteed a smile! I know, some folks don't like dressing up their dogs, but it is a lot of fun , and they're soooo cute! One year for Hallowe'en, we dressed our wee dog, Tia, up as Cara's Agent, and that was very entertaining -- mostly for us! <Click here to find the perfect costume>(For Yourself!)

New Pages from this Month: My Gym Tips - Teen Page - October Horoscope - Toys - Hallowe'en - Holiday Shopping

Tell a Friend about My Site - eBay - <Win Great Prizes at PermissionResearch!> Free Monthly Horoscope * Freebies! * Fitness with Ailsa * The Scottish Diet * Cool Stuff * Travel * Home Search -- MLS * Site Menu - <Find Old Friends, Lost Loves or Anyone><Find Old High School Friends at Reunion.com>

Monday, October 17th, 2005. Full Moon, last night -- did you see it? Beeeautiful, and apparently it means there'll be BIG changes with it -- man, I hope so! I've been busy reading every don Miguel Ruiz book I can get a hold of, and now I'm waiting for whatever new thing the Universe has in store for me... Oooh, hope it's Love & Money! Perhaps a New House! ha,ha,ha! Our 7th Anniversary is coming up this week (second marriage, met 10 years ago, but both married on the same day 18 years ago, so have a weird connection that seems much, much longer because of that... that and the incredibly looong, and some might say dull, stories about Plumbing and Air Conditioning...!). Anyway, brings up a lot of thoughts...

I was at WalMart, yesterday (and pretty much every other day!), looking for an Anniversary Card, but there wasn't one card that said, "Happy Anniversary. Can you believe we're still together??" I was standing there, looking at all these mushy cards, expressing all sorts of love and stuff for their Spouses, and wondered if people really do feel that way about their husband or wife. Hmmm. Maybe they haven't done a Renovation or House Build together! ha,ha,ha! We just barely made it through the latest work in the house -- the Fireplace Mantelplaces. They're done, now, and they look fantastic, so I'm glad I forced the issue, but I know I put the whole relationship on the line for something I felt strongly about in the house... first things first, I always say! That made me mad, though, that an item in a Build would cause such a fuss. Nothing in the card section about that!

I was gonna write on Friday, so I could mention about The Apprentice, but those crazy Girls won't stop fighting for two seconds, and they're makin' us look bad! It makes it look like women just can't get along in the workplace, but that's not true, at all. I do love the girls who think no one understands or likes them because they're soooo beautiful. Yes, that's right. It's their beauty that's the problem. Or sooo much smarter than everyone else that they can't lower themselves enough to talk to anyone beneath them (everyone), which makes living just a tad tricky, given how many folks there is on da planet, 'n all...

I think a lot of it is just an Age thing, though, since the older you get, then more you realize how little you know, especially if you have, say, Teenagers... they're sure to remind you when an opportunity for such a statement happens to arise. (Just thought of something much funnier to me, that maybe I could say, if I'm ever on The Apprentice, and there's a fight brewing..."Don't hate me 'cause I'm fat, Goils, I'm happy to share my chocolates with youse..") (One more small note -- girls, women, females... they looove being called 'Goils', and it's fun to say, so give it a try in your next Board Meeting and see how that goes! ha,ha,ha!)

Hey, what's goin' on with Desperate Housewives (as opposed to Content Mousewives...hmmm, hope that's not meee! No, can't be, since I'm clearly a malcontent! ha,ha,ha! Okay, that's purely for my own amusement!)? I hope they make Lynnette's Character more likable, again, since I really couldn't be bothered with the focus on one kid with the Imaginary Friend she was jealous of -- and the kid's in school, so it's not like she wouldda seen him all that much, anyway... I know I had a terrible time parting with Cara when I went back to work after a really horrible First Marriage ended and I had to earn a living -- she was only 15 months old when I went back to Teaching, and it was heart-breaking to leave her to go out to work. But here's the thing -- I had the most wonderful CareGivers on the Planet, and that made all the difference in the world. As soon as I saw that Cara was having a great day, everything worked out, and it was the best thing for me, at the time, to be with other Adults.

Now with Aidan, who has just turned 6, he was a completely different story. We tried to put him in a Day Home when I went down to L.A. by mysef, last year, and he only lasted for 3 hours. The CareGiver was only used to girls, and couldn't cope with slightly crazy Aidan... and since we have such a big house, he's able to run and jump pretty much anywhere around the house, but that didn't translate well in a regular sized home... anyway, he's in School full-time, now, so I'm ready to to see what's out there for me. And I won't feel guilty like old Lynnette, since it wouldn't even occur to Aidan that I would love him less because I'm working outside the home -- that's craaazy. Maybe that's the last of that storyline... and more of the Plumber, who is wearing too much clothing.

Oh, and you know which Character on Desperate Housewives that I identify with the most? Edie.(Nicollette Sheridan) Because she's the most normal one, from where I stand, and I hope to one day have a body like that.... not hers, completely, since I know she's Engaged, now, 'n all, and who knows how jealous her Fiance is (!), but a body that looks like her! I'm loving being back at the Gym, where there's a real hope of attaining such a body... and I want to get the message out there that Weight Lifting at a nice Gym (or at Home) will not make women all bulky at all -- it just tones your body 'til it's gorgeous, and wouldn't we all love that?? I've only been back at the Gym for a little over 4 weeks, and already I've lost and inch in the middle, and my arms are not nearly so flappy, so that's good! I'm tellin' ya, it's like the Fountain of Youth, which fits in well with my big Life Plan of looking great at 95. Wish me luck! ha,ha,ha!

Quick Real Estate Tip: Whether you are just starting out with Real Estate or you've made a bunch of money and are looking for a good investment, go check out the 'Pre-Construction Properties'. You can now put money down on a New Condo or House before it's buiilt, and you can stand to make a lot of money from this type of purchase. Often you will find that by the time the New Home is ready to actually move into, the price will have dramatically increased. You can sell it right away, without even moving in, yourself, or (and this is better if you want to save the Taxes on a Quick Sale) you could move into your New Property for a couple of years, sell and do the whole thing over again. You'll save the money on Taxes and make more money from the additional Property Values, since Real Estate goes up. (Rarely, rarely, does it ever go down, but if it does, just sit tight on your place, and sell when the Market picks up...)

Okay, better get going. To the Gym... Batman. Oooh, there are two new Letters on my Ask Ailsa Page, so pop in to check them out, and I'm working on my Christmas & Holiday Shopping page, since it's no time at all before the Holidays, and it's good to be prepared! I made up a new Teen Shopping page, too, since I have a lot of Teenagers on my Gift List, and I like to get them really cool stuff. Now I've added in all sorts of things I just think Teenagers would like, so there's yet another page to check out!

Thanks for popping in for a wee visit! See ya, Baby! Love & Laughter, Ailsa

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Friday, October 7th, 2005. Hey, You, Good Lookin', and I don't just mean your fabulous eyeballs, neither... I mean the Whole Package... no, no. Don't go any further down that path... you know where that sort of thinking leads -- straight to the Bar, that's right. And we can't head to the Bar at least 'til Noon, since apparently that's 'The Rule'. Stooopid Rules. They really prevent you from having all sorts of fun... Oh, you know what? You know how I just joined a Gym, again? It's been ten years since I've been to a 'Real Gym' (Dwight had a million reasons why I shouldn't join a Gym, but this is just for me, and not about him... and yes, that is a part of the Fireplace Mantel Decision, where I went against Dwight to hire the guy to build the Mantelplace, and he'll be here tomorrow -- WooHoo! I'se a Adult, again!)

So here's the great thing about being back at 'The Gym'. For one, I think I've lost 5 pounds in the last couple of weeks, so that's fantastic (!), I'm much happier since I get to see other humans, many over Age 6, which is great, since I was pretty worried that when Aidan, my 6 year old, started Grade One, I might not see another Adult Human until the end of school next June... good to see that fear is gone! ha,ha,ha! I always find it odd when I hear some people say they hate working out, because I find it really relaxing. Maybe because it's more fun than, say, cleaning the toilet! (Like those are my two options!) (And that's not even true, since Dwight says I could clean the floors, too... ya'ha,ha!)

Anyway, since I'm enjoying being back at The Gym, I remembered all my favorite Exercises, and I've learned some great new Exercises from the people at the gym. That's a great place to meet new Friends, to, since you can have little tiny conversations while you're working out. Yesterday it occurred to me that the Gym is like a mini-Swap Meet, but for Husbands... since the women talk about their husbands and ex-husbands, and it could be a fairly functional 'Mix 'n Match' deal. I think meeting a new Partner is easier for women to find when you talk to other women, 'cause they always know a Good Guy, right?? Or you might see some lovely 'eye-candy' that seems appealing... paws off if the rings are still on, though...! ha,ha!

I wrote a new page with my little Gym Tips that I thought might be useful, and already I've shown a bunch of women at the gym my favorite 'Get Rid of Cellulite' Exercise -- it's fabulous! What I love about going to the Gym to do this Exercise is that I can use a lot more Weight than I can at home, since, for one, I don't have a 30 pound dumbell at home (really, he weighs waaaay more than that... sorry Dwight! ha,ha,ha! And yes, that one was for my own amusement, and yes, I am laughing out loud, now!), and I don't have anyone at home who can place that weight between my feet for me, without any further incident, which can be mostly annoying... But I'm thrilled that in a mere three weeks, I've increased the Weight from 10 pounds to 30 pounds, and I think I'll move up to the 35 pound Weight next week... Yippee! Very Empowering.

Hey, did you see The Apprentice, last night? Oh, those crazy Girls. I'm having a tough time telling most of them apart -- do you find that, too? They all seem oddly similar, and many with incredibly annoying Voices... which reminds me of 'The Pink Ladies' on The Amazing Race. Cara and I used to really like The Amazing Race, but this Season they have kids (ugh, who can be bothered with that, especially after Bed-time?? ha,ha! Oh, I know I'm not the only loving parent who doesn't want to see many kids on an adult show!) Turns out, the kids are neither here nor there, but those Pink Ladies are too high-pitched for me. (On Both Shows.) Just too many people on The Amazing Race, now, so don't know how that will work out. Hope it doesn't spoil any further Seasons, since I hope they bring it back with groups of Two... better Drama & Adventure.

Who was Fired last night? Elizabeth something? Cannot believe I still haven't picked up their names! Whiney and Whinier, I call them. "A little Cheese with that Whine?", I say...

Quick Parenting Tip: If you have a whiney kid (and we all have them, it's just a matter of getting it under control), the easiest way to 'Stop the Whining' is to give your child the exact line that you would prefer to hear, and in the Tone you want. So let's say they are whining about a snack. "I wannnna snaaaack." (Be sure to screw your face up when you say that, repeat it about ten times, maybe stamp your feet and cry a wee bit, too...) Here's what you do: Stand quietly, stop the action, and say to the child, "Mummy, may I please have a snack?". The kid automatically mimics you, learns what to say, how to say it, and can then become clear in their communication. Of course, if you happen to be 'The Daddy', the Caregiver, the Granny... whoever, consider substituting your very own Title with 'Mummy'! Try it and let me know how it works out for you. Your house will be calmer in no time.

Somebody should provide a Voice Coach for them goils. Wouldn't it be great if that was introduced as a Course at the High School, or Junior High Level, where Kids could learn early how important your Voice is, and how much more effective your communication is if you speak clearly and don't have a grating voice?? If they could just drop the High Pitch by an octave, or two... Although, you know what's really funny? Have you ever noticed when you are talking to a really great Friend, your voice changes with the person? I'm sure only dogs can understand what I'm saying when I talk with one of my favorite Friends, Kim, (she's the one who convinced me to buy a computer, then walked me through how to sign up for e-mail and actually use it... Thank God for Kim!). When we start talking, and the jokes are flying, our voices get higher and higher with every laugh, and if we're together in person, and then there's a wee bit of alcohol invovled, forget about it! ha,ha,ha! (Must call her for a good, high-pitched laugh!)

Well, regardless of the Voices, I love The Apprentice. It's always great entertainment, and you can learn a wee something. like, try not to yell at your Boss, or, try not to blame everyone else for your colossal failure when they might have it on tape... invaluable things like that.

Okay, gotta go have my Apple Crumble before I head to the Gym -- already had my share of the 'Hallowe'en Candy', or as it is more accurately known, 'My Chocolate Stash'... be good when all these delicious Tiny Chocolate Bars aren't so readily available in my Pantry! Then my time at the Gym might be even more useful! I'm sure there must be one muscle group that does well with the addition of chocolate to your diet!

Love & Laughter (or whichever one comes first... hopefully both at the same time!), Ailsa!

Almost Forgot! Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian Readers!! Easy Pie Recipe

New Pages from this Week: My Gym Tips - Teen Page - October Horoscope - Toys - Hallowe'en - Holiday Shopping

Tell a Friend about My Site - eBay - <Win Great Prizes at PermissionResearch!> Free Monthly Horoscope * Freebies! * Fitness with Ailsa * The Scottish Diet * Cool Stuff * Travel * Home Search -- MLS * Site Menu - <Find Old Friends, Lost Loves or Anyone><Find Old High School Friends at Reunion.com>

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Live, Love & Laugh, Ailsa!

Hey, you can help spread the word about my Site -- here's a new 'Tell A Friend' that my friend James made for me. He's been working away to teach me some new things for my website that I desperately need to learn to make the improvements I really want. Oh, and don't feel restricted by the whole 'Tell a Friend' thing. You don't even have to really like someone to tell them about www.buildyourownhouse.ca! What do I care? I'm just interested in loads and loads of people coming in for a visit -- maybe even buying something through the Site! And who knows??? Maybe they'll quit borrowing money from you by learning how to Manage their own money after reading my Articles! ha,ha! So here it is, and it's easy schmeasy to use!<





> Thank You!! Soon we'll be enormous! (And I don't mean just because of all the Caramel Apples, neither! ha,ha,ha!) Uh, oh... I see there's no apostrophe in the Friends Name Box -- must tell James! Rest assured ( I don't want you to lose sleep over this!), I do know it needs and 's... we'll fix it for you! See ya'! Ailsa

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