What a fabulous weekend!!

We went to Whitefish to a friends camp and had an absolute blast. We fished...until it rained...then we headed back in to enjoy supper. There is a group of people who put on a pot luck on Saturday night's...we really enjoyed our time there.

Sunday...Matthew turned 13 at twelve noon...and of course it was Father's Day. The boys went fishing with Joseph's dad for the afternoon...so, of course I took the opportunity to lay low and relax!!

We put dinner together for the men when they got home..ribs, chicken kabobs...corn on the cob...and Birthday/Father's Day cake! The little ones...Garrett 2 and Brandon 3 have discovered they love to eat the icing on the bottom of the candles..so as I was cutting the cake...this candle would slowly appear and be directed towards the icing...accompanied by a giggle and little feet running back to the table. Those kids!! lol.

I also was presented with one of the first strawberries from our teeny strawberry patch in our garden. It was amazing! We also have some raspberries on the go...not ready for eating yet though.

Great weekend.

Hope yours was as great!!!

Hello all!

I was on remote at Value Village Saturday. It is truly amazing the gems you can find there. They say there are regulars who come looking for one of a kind treasures and rare finds. While I was there, I noticed a large, red box on the counter near where we were set up. The lid was on it. I was busy so I didn't have time to go and satisfy my curiosity about what may have been inside!

About a half hour before we were finished, I saw someone had taken the lid off...I had a wee bit of free time til I was on next...so I went over to the counter. Wow! It was a box of puppets...a lion, a giraffe and four more...along with a little stage set complete with curtains! It was an amazing little theatre! I had to buy it!! I had my daughter's two little men...Brandon, 3 and Garrett, 2 in mind as I purchased this wonderful treasure!! They LOVED it! They were so excited to use their theatre and we enjoyed many plays put on by the "Little Man Theatre Company"!

But I was really surprised that my 12 year old son and his friend put on a play...and recorded it. See...something so simple can entertain so many.





WATERCOOLER CONVERSATIONS......

On this date back in 1956, Paul McCartney and John Lennon met....and the rest, as they say, is history.......

After Paul's song, "Penny Lane" became a Beatles hit, the street signs for the actual Penny Lane in Liverpool disappeared with such regularity (as they did on the real Abbey Road), that the town reverted to simply painting 'Penny Lane' on the buildings, rather than have street signs.

Contrary to popular belief, the title for "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" was prompted by 4-year-old Julian Lennon's description of a painting he brought home from school, not the drug, LSD.

* Paul McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" for Julian Lennon, John's son.

* Though the Beatles were still largely unknown in the U.S. in October 1963, Ed Sullivan got his first glimpse of Beatlemania on Halloween of that year. His plane at Heathrow Airport outside London was delayed due to hordes of screaming Beatles fans welcoming the boys back from an overseas concert. When he was notified about the cause of the delay, Ed Sullivan said, "Who the heck are the Beatles?" That experience prompted him to book them on his show in 1964. (The Beatles, for their part, had not previously heard of Ed Sullivan).

Too busy to blog? Gaah!!

It has been crazy busy around here. With summer closing in...it's not going to change, so we must make the time to blog!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!


WATER COOLER CONVERSATION....

The world comes together for the next month in South Africa – it’s the FIFA World Cup 2010.

32 countries particpating in what is truly the ‘biggest sporting event’ ever!!

The highest attendance for a soccer game, was in 1950 at Marcana Stadium in Rio De Jenero, Brazil. The game: Uruguay vs Brazil. 199,584 fans. The stadium has since been renovated….and seat around 82,000 fans!!

The World Cup has been held every 4 years since the first tournament in 1930 (except in ’42 and ’46, because of World War 2)

To date, the final of the World Cup has only been contested by European and South American teams. The two continents have won nine titles apiece. Only two teams from outside these two continents have ever reached the semi-finals of the competition: USA in 1930, and Korea in 2002.

Paolo Rossi was the top scorer at the 1982 World Cup in Spain with six goals, leading Italy to its third title

Over 1 billion people are expected to watch soccer on a daily basis over the next month.

AND…already looking ahead to 2014 – that’s when Brazil hosts the next world cup.

Our "One Way ticket To Fabulous" contest winner and her friends had an amazing time Saturday...and so did I!!!!

My morning started at 8am...the limo picked me up and whisked me away to Kathy Thompson's house where she and her two friends Jacqui and Jenn!!!

And then we were off!! Robert, our limo driver took us to Salon on 10th...the experience was as lush as the name of the salon! They really know how to pamper the ladies!!! We were treated to having our hair, makeup and nails done!!! We all had a wonderful time!

Lunch was amazing at the Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel and Suites in the Portside Restaurant. We talked, laughed and were recognized by other diners! For dessert...cheesecake! It was soooo good!!!

And then...it was off to Intercity Shopping Centre to spend our $100 gift cards!! Which we did!! It was soooo much fun shopping with these ladies!! When the people in the stores heard why we were there, they were almost as excited as we were!

And finally, off to Silver City Thunder Bay Cinema's to see...Sex and the City 2!!! It did not disappoint. We loved it. Of course, we behaved ourselves...Danny had given me the speech before I left Friday to make sure we all kept reserved at the movies. Sigh.

And then our experience came to an end...but we have the pictures and the memories of our "One Way Ticket To Fabulous"!!!

American Idol wrapped up last night....our Idol expert Lodi Nacirema has put together her thoughts on how it all went down....


Well, well, well... Lee DeWyze is DeWinner!! I can't say that I am totally
surprised. I even think Crystal thought Lee would win as well. She looked
too calm standing beside him. Can I say that I am happy with the result?
Well, let's just say I'm content. To me, they are both great artists and
have futures in music. Lee is probably more commercial and contemporary,
whereas Crystal is an "old soul" (even though they are the same age). I had
actually forgotten that they both auditioned in Chicago. I liked that one
shot of them sitting almost side by side at the auditions (with one person
between them), not knowing each other. That is kind of eery!

Anyway, about the 2 hour finale. For a while there, I almost forgot that it
was about Lee and Crystal! What a Simon Love Fest!! Although I must say it
was well-deserved. After all, he made that show what it is and I I'm
seriously wondering what will happen next year. It was great to see Paula,
although she is still kind of "out there". Some things never change. The
best part of Simon's farewell I thought was when all the Idol winners (minus
David Cook) came out on stage, followed by their fellow contestants.
Although I didn't see Clay or Adam. That was very cool to see. Now that
would make a great concert tour... The Top 10 American Idol winners.. maybe
even a special. Now there is something to think about after next year of
course.

The rest of the entertainment was good. There were a lot of older acts that
were paired up with the current Top 12. Some of those songs certainly
brought back memories! Overall, it was a decent show. When compared to last
year though I think it fell short. But maybe it was because of the "Farwell
to Simon" part of it.

Sadly, another year is over. We have our new Idol and he will do well. But,
don't count out "MommaSocks". I'm sure that we will be hearing both of them
on the radio soon. It's just too bad they didn't debut a new original song
to promote. I am still confused about that. But let's not go down that road.
It is getting late and I must stop my babbling. I also wish they had of sang
their duet from a few weeks ago. That was awesome!! I sure hope they sing it
on the tour!

Speaking of the tour, that is the next Idol thing on my agenda. The Top 10
Idol Tour 2010 - August 29th - Minneapolis. I already have my tickets and my
gang of fellow Idol fans to join me. It is always fun and I know this year
will not disappoint. I must say bye for now, but I will keep in touch from
time to time. If you are a true Idol fan, you should attempt to make one of
their concerts, either in Minneapolis or in Winnipeg. They are well worth
it.

Until next time,

Lodi

Ooooh!!! It was performance night - Lee and Crystal going head to head, one coming out victorious! Here's Lodi's rundown....

I knew at the onset that this evening would be great. They have been the two
favourites all season long. In my opinion, they have been neck and neck. It
was like a teeter-totter. One would have a good week and then the next week,
the other seemed to be stronger. Tonight was no different.

Round One: Contestant pick - their favourite song from the season. Lee
started and sang "The Boxer" from Inspiration week. Crystal chose "Bobbie
McGee". According to the judges, they liked Crystal better. I don't know, I
liked both. Crystal's was just more upbeat. I say tie, leaning a little more
toward Crystal.

Round Two: Executive Producer's (Simon Fuller) choice. Lee sang "Everybody
Hurts". He came across as a little nervous to me. But I agree with Simon
C... a good choice for him. Crystal was asked to sing "Black Velvet". I was
a little scared for her during her walk down the stairs in those heels. It
took my mind off her singing for a moment that's for sure. Anyway, the
singing to me was okay, but in spots was more like yelling. She has sang
better. I personally would give this round to Lee.

Round Three: Song to be released as single. Lee's song was "Beautiful Day".
Now am I crazy or did that song sound like U2? Don't they sing a song like
that? Anyway, maybe I'm just tired. Crystal sang last with a song called "Up
to the Mountain". All I have to say is WOW!! That to me was Crystal at her
best. It wasn't the typical "Idol" song. It was totally different, just
like her. Round Three to Crystal.

So to sum it up, again they are neck and neck. Like any great race should
be. Who will win the night? My vote goes to .... Crystal. As Ellen said, she
is unique. She has stayed true to herself throughout this whole competition.
I think she was the best tonight. Lee was good, but showed his nerves and
didn't soar like Cystal did. But it all comes down to the votes. Illinois Vs
Ohio. They had four hours to vote and I sure hope that these two got the
support that they deserve.

Tune in for the results on Wednesday night. A two hour finale with the Top
12 back to perform. It will be a special night for Simon as well being his
last show. I'm sure there will be some great moments supplied by Ryan and
the gang. You don't want to miss it!!

Lodi

It's down to the wire on American Idol...looks like Lodi has called the outcome again...

It was almost as if I could have written the script myself. Lee is safe
first, followed by Crystal and we say good-bye to Casey. I think he knew it
was coming. He might have had a little glimmer of hope, like all the Idols,
but it can't last forever. I will miss seeing Casey James every week (sigh),
but hey, I will see him again next Wednesday at the finale, just like all of
the Top 10 (maybe even Top 12).

As the showed finished tonight, there is something that they don't show us.
They flip a coin to to see who gets to sing first or second on nest week's show. This is where the real strategy begins. Everyone wants to sing last. It leaves the longest impression (unless you really blow it), but that is rare. I would say that
90% of the people who sing second win the competition.

As for winning, usually there is a stronger contestant, but not this year.
(Although even in those cases, that isn't a guarantee...Adam Vs Kris; David
Vs David) To top it off, both Crystal and Lee are very personable people.
They both can sing and they both have a great story that is just begging for
a happy ending. They both deserve it. It will be really tough. Over the
course of Idol this year, we have never heard who had the most votes. So, we
really don't know who has more of a following and support. One is from
Chicago and the other a small town in Ohio. So, who will get the strong
support of the Southern States this year? All these are good questions. We
will have to wait and see how they sing next Tuesday. They will sing their
"Idol" song, usually a previous song that was strong for them and a new one
that no one has heard. Three songs... three chances to win votes. I can't
wait. I wish I could vote. I say that every year. Some year I will do a road
trip to Grand Marais to cast my votes, although a lot can be said for
relaxing in my own living room and enjoying the show.

Anyway, rest up and wait for Tuesday. I am truly looking forward to it. It
should be a fantastic show.

Lodi