Progress continues on the front porch. Paul has finished boxing in the pillars and has added bases.


Jakob has taken to reading bedtime stories to Ember the Snake. He pulls up his stool, settles down with a good book and then shows her each page after reading. She is completely enchanted and watches intently.

I suppose I had better figure out her diet and pick up a few frozen mouse-icles. Perhaps it's not the pictures she's looking at and instead it's the allure of Jakob's wiggling little fingers.

A round of applause for Ember, the newest addition to our family. The fact that I'm welcoming a corn snake into our family home cheerfully because she's a GIRL and quite happy about it, says very much how there really should be support groups for mothers of only boys.

But she's kind of an ideal pet, though her tank smells like poo, in that she only eats once every 3 weeks (a frozen mouse or rat cub - which are more nutritious and will be Jakob's job to provide) and her cage needs to be cleaned every 3 months (sigh...my job). She's feisty though, I took her out to photograph her with Jakob and she was not enthusiastic about returning to her cage.

I like her, she's growing on me, and she matches Jakob's hair perfectly. Satchel on the other hand has not entered the room once to take a peek.

We are about to have a new addition join our little family and she's a girl! Finally, I am no longer the only female in the house. Her only flaw according to Jakob but it just can't be helped. Other than that, he considers her perfect.

And she is. She eats only once every three weeks, is reasonably anti social in that she enjoys her space and sees no need to have me entertain her on a constant basis and her clean up is minimal. And she's quiet - I type this as Arthur the cat yells at me for no apparent reason other than to let me know he exists and is in the throes of discontentment.

I will post pictures and reveal her nature when she arrives!

We have the beginning of posts!


And another tool joined our family, a biscuit joiner.

While Paul has been working hard on the deck - I tackled the backyard. The postage stamp-size backyard made smaller by the circus tents which hold all of our outdoor stuff until the garage is built.

I fell in love with the Loblaw's gardening centre, good prices and little selection. Perfect combination for me. And fabulously the boxwoods I bought went on sale for $13 each (Toronto - Dupont/Christie and unfortunately the week after I bought the backyard plants) so I went back to pick up 3 more for the front of the house.


The front porch has seen some progress so I need to run out and take a picture. Paul has replaced the pillars and added the front step. Today was spent putting a tool together in the back circus tent - so more progress should happen tomorrow!

There has been great progress on our front porch this past week with Paul working furiously (furious as in working hard and yes there has been some cursing).

Devoted Jakob has been helping and is quite enamoured with the nail gun. I have to walk away during these times, probably because I have seen too many reports on TV and read too many stories in newspapers about men wandering into emergency wards complaining of a headache only to find they have a nail lodged in their brain.

Day 1:


Day 2 with Jakob:


Day 3/4:

It's wine time!

I blogged a while ago about Fuzion Shiraz-Malbec and its incredible combination of taste, value and price and now Fuzion has released a Syrah Rosé. Fabulous for drinking chilled on the back patio on a glorious day surrounded by friends (or alone - let's be honest). It's hard to find with its limited run, I recommend checking the LCBO web site (http://lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/searchResults.do?ITEM_NAME=122424&ITEM_NUMBER=122424) to see what stores are actually carrying it - which aren't many, and those that do watch cases fly off the shelves as soon as they are stocked.



FUZION Syrah Rose

Tasting Note: Aromas of strawberries, sweet red fruit and blackberries on this minimum colour intensity wine with a slight yellow hue. An unctuous yet delicate palate with a good balance between sugar and acidity makes this rosé an easy sipping wine to be enjoyed by all.

Enjoy With: A perfect complement to light appetizers such as puffed pastry and cheeses. Serves well with all types of white meats.

Dry / Sweet: Dry, rosé wine, sugar content is 1.

Terroir / Region: Located in the province of Mendoza, one of the eight wine capitals of the world, this 100% Shiraz is produced in the mountainous area of central-west Argentina where grapes are hand-picked the first week of March.

Producer: With more than 40 years of winemaking experience, Familia Zuccardi’s growing repertoire of some of the industry’s most affordable wines has made this producer a favourite to serve. The family’s dedication, passion and innovation all come together to make this winery one of the best in Argentina.

Price: $7.45

Availability: Available through LCBO at select stores.

After holding my breath for a week, I can finally let out air. That slight breeze you just felt against your cheek was me and all my relief. I had my ultrasound today at Mt Sinai hospital and there is no cancer. THANK. GOD.

I have made the decision to talk to my oncologist about removing my remaining breast as a preventative against cancer even though I don't think I'm gene positive...but this stress of being tested every 6 months and worrying have they found something? Have they missed something? is wreaking havoc on my brain and life. The specialist today said that MRIs do not work well on me which is the first time I have ever heard that - now having had 3 of them. She said mammograms and ultrasound show more.

I'll have to talk to my oncologist about that.

To celebrate we have opened wine, grilled steak on the bbq and toasted our good health and all our friends who have supported us through this crazy time...again!

Jakob rocking the straight hair courtesy of the hair stylist who cut his hair today.

Jakob loved it and was very concerned about the impact of rain on his newly straightened locks. He was not impressed at all with mother nature. How dare she thwart his fabulous new look? How dare she!

Porch project status: parging done. (By Carlos, a man who speaks little English though has lived in Toronto for 15 years but is very cute and calls Jakob boss. Jakob offers him cookie pieces which he politely declines. Jakob says he seems like a very nice man.) Paul has just left for Rona to pick up a few things and will begin construction tomorrow!




What was interesting in tearing up the rotting porch is finding out that the parging our (evil) contractor was supposed to be responsible for when they rebuilt the foundation at the front of the house, charged at his inflated price plus his inflated 21% fee because it was considered a CHANGE ORDER, was not actually done. They only parged what we were able to see, the very corners.

But I will take a breath, stab a few toothpicks into the voodoo doll and let it go.

Back to the porch, I'm thinking of painting all the trim one colour, para paint P5221-62. I'm trying to find an online chip but for some reason am having a bit of trouble since Para only wants to show me colour pallets that THEY like.

Now because there is nothing more boring than parging photos, I'm also going to post photos of Jakob with Hamish, my $560 cat minus 2 teeth which I took today because Jakob has been home sick having vomited first thing this morning (all over 2 House & Home magazines and my Ikea catalogue...sob). I feel for Hamish, he's often the focus of Jakob's affection and attention and seldom gets the chance to walk.

My incredibly adorable husband has tackled the front porch as my mother's day present.





And also had time to surprise me with the most beautiful arrangement of flowers.


I am so much happier with the porch in this state: a work in progress with limitless potential versus a crack-den-look-alike and I don't miss the artificial turf in the slightest! We have a man coming tomorrow to do some cement work, some parging so that Paul can begin rebuilding the porch this Friday, once the wood arrives.

It has been an emotionally exhausting day. The hospital called to say that something has been found on my MRI and I need to go back next week for an ultrasound. My hope for a year without surgery seems to be fading fast.

I like to pretend that breast cancer isn't part of my life, and most of the time I don't really spend a lot of time thinking about it. Sure the scars from the mastectomy burn brightly but after I put on my t-shirt, admire my now flattened stomach from the reconstruction...poof, it's out of my mind.

Until the dreaded tests. One which is tomorrow...my favourite one: MRI time at Mt. Sinai.

No wonder I'm agitated, it's not just pms after all.

Wish me luck.

Scenes from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/) are being filmed in our neighbourhood with the park and a few houses being blanketed with fake snow. (Not our crack den obviously, sadly no place in the movie for my little horror.)

Satchel and a few of his friends have been hanging around the movie set on their lunch hour and after school and were able to meet Michael Cera who plays the main character in the film. MC is now Satchel's favourite movie star because frankly Satchel's adoration can be bought for $2. Unless it's me trying to buy him off, then the price goes way up and usually involves a trip to Toys R Us. After the scene was filmed, MC came over to the kids and thanked them for watching quietly and as their reward, took them to where they keep the soft drinks and let them grab one of their choosing.

I asked Satch what the scene was about and he said "I have no idea, but he was dressed kind of weird. Kind of old fashioned."

I said "Old fashion? I thought it was supposed to be the 1980s?"

Satch says "That's why, it's RETRO!"

I'm going to hang on to retro rather than old fashion when defining myself as I stumble into the closet most mornings half asleep, pulling out something to wear that was either purchased in the 80s (very old), around when Satch was born (1996 - kind of old), or when Jakob was born (2001) until now (considered new).

I do believe I have found the house numbers for my crack den house front courtesy of Design Within Reach: http://www.dwr.com/product/accessories/neutra-house-numbers-aluminum.do


With any luck they are in stock or at least will not take FOREVER to ship from the States...like my book shelves.

I have determined my next personal project - outside of finding the perfect console table to hold my tv that will go with my fabulous new carpet.

I am going to fix the front of my house so that it doesn't look like a crack den.

Here is how that decision came about:

I was reading tweets and followed a link to Breakfast Television's blog and noticed a BT/Home Depot contest to fix the front of your house, improve curb appeal. Just send a note why your house deserves the make-over and a picture.

This is what I wrote (well first draft anyway, minor tweeks made to the original):

The front of our house is so hideous that adults walking by weep and children run in fear...and animals defecate because the lack of grass gives only the impression of our front yard being one very large litter box. The green and cream paint (though I suppose considered grand in the 80s when it was last done) has peeled and hangs in strips, the astroturf carpeting does nothing to hide the disintegrating floorboards, and the lone hanging lightbulb emphasizes the despair that is our family home. Flowers no longer bloom, birds do not sing, and the garbage bins stand as sentinels at the front allowing in only skunks who burrow under the porch and then spray.

I am amazed that the neighbours haven't risen up against us, for we are the most pitiful house on the street and desperate for a curb appeal makeover.

And here is the picture:


I seriously did not realize just how bad the front is until I went outside to deliberately take a picture of the old horror. I think after so many years of living here I would deliberately stare down at the sidewalk and hold my breath to protect myself from the stench of catspray and rush quickly into the house. Sidestepping the holes in the porch boards.

Now to start sourcing house numbers, light fixtures and paint colours, and also plants and pots for the front.

And to build up my courage and remove the astroturf (after taking a couple gravol) and see exactly what is living under my porch.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

It is so beautiful today! So why am I blogging?

Because I can't stop staring at my new rug!

The downside to my beautiful new rug is that I am now stressed at work thinking that at any moment one of my evil cats will be yacking up a football-size fur ball, but mostly preoccupied with how horrible my curtains look and how tired the furniture is (but I can't buy new furniture yet, the kids won't let me have nice furniture...yet), and that finding a console table for our tv has been upgraded to urgent!

But other than those tiny matters, if I just focus on my rug and nothing else, I am blissfully happy.

Now to do something incredibly indulgent - I am going to open a corona and take my guitar and practice on the back steps. My even pop a slice of lime into the bottle.

And not-so-silently curse my guitar instructor who blew off my lesson on Sunday. How am I ever going to join a band by the age of 50 if he's not here helping me reach that goal? Good thing I have quite a few years ahead of me.

I love craigslist. I finally made the decision to buy the Quinn rug from Pottery Barn (http://www.potterybarn.com/products/p11587/index.cfm?pkey=cwool-rugs) that I have been obsessing about for months and on a whim typed the name into craigslist only to find a nearly brand new one in the exact colour and size being offered up. And it was posted on my birthday which meant that it truly was destined to be mine!

And it is now in my living room.

Jakob says it looks like a million marshmallows.



New rules now apply to the living room: No eating or drinking ANYTHING except on that little wooden strip of flooring. The end.

Honestly, if the makers of the Twilight movie series ever needed a little boy vampire, Jakob would be perfect. Especially after he drinks a cream soda turning his lips bright red.

Jakob is now on day 5 of his antibiotics and doing so much better. The rabid-moose bellow has not been heard in days - lucky for him...

Just when you really need a TV in your life, it has to up and die.

I took Jakob to the doctor today and as she hovered over him, writing a prescription, taking swabs, feeling his glands, telling me this little guy needs a lot of TLC over the next couple of days because he has a bad case of STREP...I could only feel really bad that I have been telling him (and I would not describe the tone as maternal) to BE QUIET for the past 24 hours. And I was being the nice parent.

Unfortunately for me I really need sleep. For example, if I'm forced to go since, say, Thursday night without a good night sleep, by today I'm a broken mess capable only of eating Girl Guide cookies, hoping for a sugar rush, washed down with coffee.

And Jakob is not easy when he's feeling unwell. We went to Shoppers to fill his prescription and he started bellowing like a moose in heat. I had to tell him to knock it off, he's going to scare the old people picking up their prescriptions - maybe give them a heart attack. At least the bellowing kept the pan handlers who hang out front of the store from harassing us for spare change - which always makes me think of Ellen Degeneres - because you could tell from the expression on their weathered faces that they didn't have a clue what Jakob was capable of or if he was perhaps contagious.

Jakob doesn't stop making noises, and if it's 3:30 in the morning and you're begging him to be quiet because you all you really want to do is sleep and be warned, you're not a good parent in the morning if you go one more night without, he'll just get louder and come up with new noises to push you over the edge.

It's almost like he has tourettes. He's currently sitting quietly on the couch watching the TV that's not broken and every once in a while, just to let me know he's still suffering (though not battling death like he thought this morning and when I thought it was just a head cold - because he has had a diagnosis), he lets out the moose call, now sounding perhaps a bit more rabid than in heat.

Maybe he'll keep the skunks away - give purpose to our suffering. That wouldn't be so bad would it?

Must go to bed after a very exhausting birthday weekend made even more INSANE by Jakob getting incredibly sick and miserable.

But first I promised to mention a fabulous contest by a talented Ottawa graphic designer and artist. Check out http://www.mchenwears.com to win an original t-shirt.

Now...bed. 4 hours of broken sleep is not enough to keep me going.

One day to "B" day.

To make today less painful, bought strawberry infused wine and cupcakes and plied 10 women (and one lone male consultant) at work. No one sang. Except for me, in my head, and that was Birthday by the Beatles. I can always rock out alone.