I'm a Nominee!

I received an email last week notifying me that i have been nominated for some REAL awards (not that Blog-buddy ones don't count-always thankful for those). In fact, a 2010 Canadian Weblog Award! I am super stoked, to say the least. I am not quite sure who nominated me (but thankyou!!) and according to the email, one of these awards will need to be voted on by you...my readers. The voting for the People's Choice nomination will take place in December (that's so far away!) , but i'll make sure to remind you all really, really, well when the time comes (wink wink! you love me right?)!

These little buttons will be living in my sidebar for awhile just because i want to look at them, lol!. I fully encourage you to click on one and to go visit other 2010 Canadian Weblog Nominees. I have already found a few really great blogs here in Canada that i did not even know existed! Again, huge congrats to all nominees... and huge congrats to me!

Patting myself on the back,

Wordless Wednesday

This week i'll keep it *almost* wordless...

COMPLETE!!

Now, let the sun shine!!

And the weeding begin...

ps~As you can see from this post... i did make DaddyO do some more work! Thx DaddyO!

Sucky for Me

A pedicure aside, here is my toe after dropping a couch on it!
Yep, a couch.
Guess i'm getting a little slow these days...

It is not even fully swollen in these pics!

A broken toe just sucks.
No other way to put it.
No one can help it feel better,
and boy do i realize all the things that little toe does for me!

Like... putting all those itty-bitty seeds into my garden on the weekend, crouching.

Ouch!

Just in case you were wondering....

Where i stand in all this playoff madness??

Sorry Matty, i know how much you adore those Flyers...
(but in all fairness, your true love IS the Phillies!)

Addicted.

I don't get it?

I buy them. I like them in salad.

But for real?
How can i eat a whole jar in one sitting???

Mouth burning (but good burning),
peppery goodness.

GOOD THING i have a greenhouse!
At $2.50 a jar (and i am not preggo)...
this craving has me,
doomed!

Phew! Didn't think we'd make it!

The longest weeks ever are the ones leading up to a LONG weekend...

We've made it!!

Have a SUPER long weekend to all Canucks!!
(it's okay USA, you'll have yours next weekend!)

If it makes you feel any better, our long weekend generally consists of snow and rain.

May Two-Four

Eeeeee-the greenhouse is full!
(Read: My jungle of a house is now empty!)
The cucumbers and tomatoes are growing where they should be...
and NOT falling onto my carpets anymore.
YAY!

In Canada, this upcoming weekend marks our first LONG weekend of the summer! (And hopefully bidding farewell to snow till AT LEAST October!) We lovingly refer to this weekend as, May Two-Four; while it's nickname suggest we'll spend the weekend drinking lots of beer, the original purpose of the holiday is to celebrate Queen Victoria's Birthday! (I know, kinda silly these days, but we are part of the Commonwealth...)

Guess you know where you'll find me?

Yep. With the greenhouse all a-go, the vegetable garden is now ready for its quality time. (I certainly can be laden with beer during this task, tee hee!)

Which brings me to my next question... any tips for me as to what should go where?? You know, like don't plant garlic too close to the bean or peas family as they'll lessen the yield?

Here is what i intend to plant:

Beans
Peas
Cucumbers
Corn
Pumpkin
Spaghetti Squash
Golden Zucchini
Green Zucchini
Beets
Red Potatoes
Garlic
Onions (2 types)
Mesclun lettuce mix
Dill
Carrots
Radishes

*Peppers, Tomatoes, Mini-Cukes, Eggplant, Brussel Sprouts are greenhouse items*

Any and all suggestions welcome!



ps~in the last week, the combo of sunshine and rain has left Alberta VERY green! The trees are budding and my allergies are over-the-top! Lovin' the greenery, missing breathing easily.

Remember the "Head"?

You know, this head?

Well on Saturday night, myself and a few ladies visited the head once again.
(Mommy Night Out In Canmore!)

Don't we look like an album/cd cover?

Sundays In My City~ PillowTalk

This is a very simple way to spice up your childs room decor! I'll admit it... i like all the twin-bed 'stuff' to be coordinated enough in colour to go onto any bed as necessary. So i usually make the pillow cases to add that extra zip of personality without spending a lot of money. Plus--the kids like to help pick out the fabric (with a little guidance perhaps...)!~

Pinned inside out.

Xman's pillowcase.

Beebo's pillowcase. Different front and back.

All sewn up!

Pillow stuffed!



That's my Sunday (see i do, do other things besides garden)!
Be sure you hop over to Unknown Mami, our lovely host.

Origin of 'SamiJoe'

Kat at Today's Cliche (if you haven't checked it out, it is a fab his/her blog!) was asking how i acquired the name 'SamiJoe'. So i thought this might be a great way to introduce myself to all of my newcomers !!

Recognize this lady?

Did you know that her 'breakout role' was playing a character named, Sammy Jo Carrington on the show Dynasty (1981-1989)?

Well, being a child born in 1977... with the name 'Samantha', my mother lovingly adorned me with this nickname (at least i HOPE adoringly, i don't know much about the character!). Let's just say she was a fan of Dynasty. No one called me this name at school; nor anywhere else. Just my mom.

Fast forward to years later, when i needed an online Username. SamiJoe just seemed to fit. Obviously the spelling is different (Sammy Jo vs. SamiJoe); however, there is just something not me in Sammy. And Jo just didn't seem quite finished. I also dropped the space entirely and added an 'e' to Joe.

I guess i'm allowed to spell it however i want i have no real reasons for changing the spelling of my nickname at all. I guess i would hate for people to think i call myself that, because i think i have any likeness to Heather Locklear at all! LOL I am definitely NOT nicknamed SamiJoe because i look like her. See?

That said, she's not a bad looking chiquita to be nicknamed after. Except for maybe THAT hairdo.

Broaden Your Reader(ship)

See where the button takes you....

Off to find new blogs to read,
and hopefully garner a few new followers along the way!

Special thanks to Midday Escapades, Hearts Make Families and One 2 Try for hosting this weekly event!

Guidance Please!

Last year, we found a patch of Stinging Nettle on the property. By the time we found it, it was in full-bloom horror! Luckily, where it was located was not out in the open, so we decided to let it die out and deal with it this season. (I know--soooo proactive of us, but have you ever seen this plant in full-bloom?? Think 'mini-daggers'.)

"Stinging nettle is a dioecious herbaceous perennial, 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft) tall in the summer and dying down to the ground in winter. It has widely spreading rhizomes and stolons, which are bright yellow as are the roots. The soft green leaves are 3 to 15 cm (1 to 6 in) long and are borne oppositely on an erect wiry green stem. The leaves have a strongly serrated margin, a cordate base and an acuminate tip with a terminal leaf tooth longer than adjacent laterals. It bears small greenish or brownish 4-merous flowers in dense axillary inflorescences. The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs and also bear many stinging hairs (trichomes), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that will inject several chemicals: acetylcholine, histamine, 5-HT or serotonin, and possibly formic acid. This mixture of chemical compounds cause a sting or paresthesia from which the species derives its common name, as well as the colloquial names burn nettle, burn weed, burn hazel. The pain and itching from a nettle sting can last from only a few minutes to as long as a week ." (Wikipedia)

This season is here and the nettles are back. We need to do something about it and this is where i'd like your opinions. Especially if you have had to eradicate this nettle before.


At the moment, the Stinging Nettles are small and few in number. I do not normally kill my weeds with chemicals, but i am considering using 'Round Up' or a similar NON-SPECIFIC weed killer. Unfortunately, using a product like that will kill everything in the area... but i am afraid that if i ONLY dig them out, i'll miss some and have to deal with this again!

What would you do?

Last Day To Help!

LAST DAY FOR VOTES - To a super deserving individual whose awesomeness knows no bounds! Please take 30 seconds and vote for SONJA CLARK. Every vote counts!

Take the Challenge 2010

The site hosting the vote promises NO SPAM.

Being Greener

On being greener...
how awesome is it that we can eat a bag of chips
(Sun Chips is the only brand at the moment)
and simply throw the bag away into the compost heap??

I think it's an idea worth eating a whole bunch of chips over!
Mowahahaha!

Enjoy, a little more 'guilt' free!



Check out Menopausal New Mom's tips on "Going Green", for cleaning and all other things!

Momma's Day- Part2

I have recently discovered a fantastic blog!!
Super awesome!
Girl and Guy perpective.
Read on...i'm guessing they'll thrill you too!
For realsies, this new find makes me truly happy!

To cap off a terrific Mother's Day, A song to make all Mama's teary!

Sundays In My City~

Happy Momma's Day!!

YAY, it's all about us today!! (except i still managed to fit in a grocery shop-ugh!) I hope yours was family filled and that just perhaps, you got to sleep in or have brekkie in bed! My kiddos, hubby and i all slept in till 9am! YAY me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, living on an acreage is very nice. Yes, i occasionally get snowed in... and have to drive at least 15 minutes before getting to an-y-thing... but oh, ah, the outdoor chores! I spend a good 1-2 hours everyday weeding and when i try to sit and just relax, all i see is another weed. UGH. I should own a bumper sticker that says, "i'd rather be weeding", but who would i be fooling?? I am a gardener by necessity; after all, i DO have pride! Weeding is probably the chore least loved, but one with the most importance. The veggie garden is my real passion... and we have just up'd the ante on weeding! (i'll have to quit my whining now!)

Xman LOVES chores!! Can you tell? You can take Xman on Bobcatting chores and he does not make any complaints/noise/whining the whole time! (A few minutes for him is a lifetime!)

Dragging cedar logs to the BIGGER veggie garden!
We're obviously not at all into child labour...

While MommyO and Beebo planted some rhubarb roots and summer bulbs in front of the house, DaddyO and Xman completed the perimeter of the BIGGER veggie garden. With logs in place, we are all ready to retreat to the patio for a bevy! (Besides, spring is barely in effect- weed free for now).

That's us for another week...
thank you to Unknown Mami for hosting!

A Plea for YOUR Help!

Four years ago, i met some ladies through an online birthclub. All members had kiddos born in March or April of 2006. A few of us live in the same country, and only a handful have ever met. We began chatting about the BabyWhispering ways; they kindly hosted our lovely group, but eventually, we found ourselves becoming fast friends and realized our daily 'chats' were necessary and trusted. (Thus, we made our own site just for us!) You know, sometimes you tell your online buds things, because facing those close to us is sometimes difficult? We have shared our joys and tribulations of raising kids, of operations and illnesses, bad sleep, good sleep, baby-led weaning...and perhaps, even a story or two about bikini waxes. They are some of the bestest friends i have ever had and i truly thank my lucky stars for opening myself up to them. I could not have asked for a better support system ever.

All that said, today i am coming to you (my loyal readers!) with a plea for your vote. You see, one of these special ladies i told you about is in the final stages of a contest! She has lost an amazing 30lbs and is leading a much healthier lifestyle. Her awesomeness knows no bounds (thx duckie!) and we are so very proud of her efforts. The kicker--her hubby just spent the last year in a battle with Leukemia. We pray for his continued health everyday and would love to see her win one of the trips up for grabs. It would be a fantastic way for them to relax after such a hard year. I cannot think of two better people that YOU should help support.

So, if you have a few minutes to spare, please vote for SONJA CLARK. The voting is simple and the sponsors have promised no spam. You WILL get an email and you WILL need to click on the link it contains, or your vote will NOT count.

Take the Challenge 2010: Round 3

Voting will run from Friday, May 7th, 2010 to Wednesday, May 12th, 2010. One vote per email address. If you feel inclined to use ALL your email addys, i'd be eternally grateful. (...and so would Sonja!)

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???

Thankyou,