tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358Sun, 07 Dec 2025 19:59:05 +0000lifeborzoiNaBloPoModogs'shwafamilyweddingoshawahousecatspetsrenovatedog parklife in the 'shwaphotosblogrhett7th circle of hellchristmasreciperunningbridezillacookingbaby fevergardenhoneymoonscarlettwedding dresswedding planningmarriage is lovenewlywedfrankencouchlawmemeplanningsame sex marriagewindsorbachelorette partybahamasbasementcatcruisedavid's bridalfriendshallowe'enletterlettersmarriagenew furniturenew housepoliticsroombaselling old houseHarmony Valley Conservation Areabad ideabad law firmbasilbest datecandychristian rightcobourgcuttlefishdogeasterebayengagedfiancegarmingolden griddlegood ideagymhaikuheirloom tomatoeshuman rightshumane societyikeajobleakmerangueneighbourneighboursnew jobnewspastapetplumbingrenovationsrestaurantsshoppingsteven harpertoothless maryvegetarianwallpaperwedding ringswedding showerwork101 things to do19883605 things about me meme87% trueAmerican IdolCN towerCindy's AlterationsJamie HawkinsK-fedKawartha lakes dairyKing Kong movieOld barber houseabused animalaccidentafraidajaxal-zarqawialanis morrisetteralbertaall grown upamarylliamaryllisambulanceanna nicole smithanniversaryannoy-a-tronapartheidapple pickingbad TVbad datebad foodbad jobbasement repairbeautiful sunrisebenjamin moore paintbirdbird feederbitaclebizarre searchesblogger betablood donor clinicbone marrow donationsbone marrow donorboozey bearsbrabreakupsbreastfeedingbreedsbridebridesmaid dressesbritney spearsbrokeback mountainbroken furnacebutterfly conservatorycabinetscalligraphycamarocanadacandy swapcar accidentcar alarmcat grasscat treecatnipcbccelebrity blogsceramic tilecharles le blanccheatingchickadeechickenchokechristmas decoratingchristmas decorationschristmas treecleaningcluckycoldcommercializationconch saladconspiracy theoriesconspiracy theorycorsicacostcocougarcourtcrazy auntcreampuff revolutioncriminal lawcyclingdaffodilsdan georgedatedeathdejavudetroitdick cheneydiet cat fooddivorcedog bum hookdog toysdoug carrickduskdutch ovendysfunctioneagle nestingeat in thailandeating meat againeating soapelectionelectrical panelelopeextended service protection planfargofarmer's markefarmingfearsfed exferndalefirefirefoxfirst carfish tankfloodfloridafound moneyfridge poemfridge poetryfrogsfurnacefurnituregamesgarrison ballgastric bypassgetting oldergetting ready to sell houseglamis castleglasgowgoats do roamgobigoofgrandfathergrandma crosstitchgrandmothergreenwood conservation areagroup 4 securicorguacamolegummi bearshabitat for humanity restorehairhair straightenerhaircuthallelujahharbourhardwood floorshate speechhemp seedhess villagehospitalhouse huntinghousehold hintshousewarminghunting accidenthurricanehyphenateice creaminfant developmentinternet explorerinventioniraqironyjello shotsjohn deere weddingkalikkatie holmeskd langkevin federlinekitchenkittenknob and tubelaminate counter topslathe and plasterlaundrylawnmowerle of hellleash hooklegacy building supply. cobourgleonard cohenlibra or virgolicense platelife in the 'shwa.listslocked outlotterylow blood pressurelow blood sugarmakeupmannequinmarijuanamary wollensmediamerry christmasmovie reviewmovingmuddy yorkmurdermushroom soupname changenational de-lurking weeknature of thingsnew kitchen gadgetsnew mortgagenewhomesniagara fallsnicholas cageno teethoh the places you'll goonline datingontarioorchidorganizingorlando las quintasornamentsottawaoverdoseoverpackagingparent relief workerpartypassionflowerpeel regionpeople watchingpestopet buffalophotophotographerphotographypicking upgrades for a new housepineapple liqueurpiratepolentapopeyepost secretprocrasti-cleaningqueen maryrantremembrance dayrenovtionsrepublicanrescuerestorative justicereviewridiculous builder pricesringsrobo harperrocky mountain rangerrollerbladerondo thomasrubber chickenruby crowned kingletrumscroogeseedy lawyerserendipityshadowshiitake mushroomsshrinksicksinging cowboysitemetersitemeter keywordssmall townsmoke detectorsocial justicesoupsouth africastained glassstairsstarlingsstarter housestopbitaclestrange encountersstreetsvillestripping doorsstupid exessuicidesummersundressted haggardtequilaterrariumterrorismterry fox runthai 2 go oshawathanksgivingthe corralthermostatthreadlesstiger swallowtail butterflytiredtom cruisetomkattoronto fringe festtraffic jamtreatstruth campaigntruth comissiontulipstwo bedroom 1940s housetypical cat behaviouruniversity daysvegetable rapinivictoria hall cobourgwal-mart suckswar bridewedding catererwedding dress alterations whitbyweight lossweirdwhite winewindowword verifierwords I hatewreathyard saleyou tubezucchinihttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Heather)Blogger252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-9037557149449312088Tue, 24 Apr 2007 22:55:00 +00002007-04-24T20:49:11.386-04:00So uh it's been 23 days since I last blogged. No drama filled reason as to why, really, just kinda lost interest in it for a time. That's not to say bloggable things haven't happened, just that I haven't blogged 'em. Here's the rundown on why I've been feeling rundown.House for sale!Worked frantically with the help of my parents to get the house ready for sale. My jaw still drops when I http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/04/am-bad-blogger-will-update-more.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-3969026429148418895Sun, 01 Apr 2007 19:11:00 +00002007-04-01T15:14:12.203-04:00cabinetsceramic tilelaminate counter topslife in the 'shwa.new housepicking upgrades for a new houseridiculous builder pricesPart of the fun of buying a new house is picking out all the finishes and upgrades. We did that last week.Some of the things on the upgrade list were unbelievable though. If you want a pullout garbage in your kitchen? The builder will charge you $600.00 to do it. That's right. Six hundred dollars. For just the garbage container (recycling and compost are EXTRA) The same ones you can buy http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/04/decisions-decisions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-122253543381700214Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:07:00 +00002007-03-28T21:24:22.968-04:00 Some of the fun (that's what we'll call it for now) that comes with owning an older home means that you have tons of work to do before it's ready to list. One of the most fun things we're doing is pitching/giving away stuff that we don't need, putting what we don't need right away in storage, chipping away loose paint and cement, filling the cracks, and re-painting the floor and walls with http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/adventures-in-painting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-8657997108076008151Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:55:00 +00002007-03-27T19:04:59.702-04:00borzoilife in the 'shwastrange encountersWe're used to comments from strangers when we're out walking the dogs. They're tall, gangly, furry, and not exactly a common breed. It's not uncommon for someone to make a joke about us "getting saddles so we can ride them" or suggesting we "get a cart so they can pull us around." One lady along the riverfront came up and asked us if they were dogs. We haven't decided what else they could behttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/shwa-moment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-8630452978126228293Sun, 25 Mar 2007 21:33:00 +00002007-03-25T22:12:16.524-04:00friendsgetting olderjello shotsselling old housestupid exestequilauniversity daysMy good friend Jamie traveled to the 'shwa this weekend for a visit. We hadn't seen each other since my wedding (almost 7 months ago) so a visit was long overdue.Jamie and I met in residence at university. We met the first week of school in her first year (my second year), but didn't really start to be close friends until the night of my 20th birthday a couple of weeks after that.The night of http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/grocery-store-epiphany.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-2598067566292165493Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:34:00 +00002007-03-16T20:36:41.479-04:00movingnew houseoshawaselling old housetwo bedroom 1940s houseSorry for the lack of posts lately - we've been swamped working every night after work, and on the days off we've had getting our house ready to sell. Given that our new house closes August 28, and we need to sell this house to buy the new house, we want everything to be in good shape before we list this one. Apart from that I haven't felt much like blogging of late.So, to say it's been a busyhttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/not-with-bang-but-with-whimper.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-8621620076838189279Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:30:00 +00002007-03-25T22:13:09.458-04:00bone marrow donationsbone marrow donorfamilySo here goes, finally a gushy post.My sister is right now in surgery that's completely elective. She chose to have it done. She's donating her bone marrow to someone who really needs it. We of course don't know the details because they're kept strictly confidential, but she's donating her bone marrow to someone else in this world who may need it to live.Bone marrow donations aren't exactly http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-now-for-mushy-part.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-6618270333775928233Tue, 06 Mar 2007 23:04:00 +00002007-03-25T22:13:59.880-04:00broken furnaceextended service protection planA furnace will break on the coldest day possible, when your housecoat is in the basement two floors away.We awoke this morning to an icy cold house. We spent last night paring down everything in the basement, which included carpeting and underpad that had seen better days. Fun, smelly times, lemme tell ya. There was a mound of garbage in front of our house for them to pick up this morning thathttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/murphys-law-of-furnaces.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-2660989293977806453Sun, 04 Mar 2007 20:50:00 +00002007-03-25T22:15:13.261-04:00getting ready to sell housenew housenew mortgageoshawaWhat'd we do this weekend? We bought a new house, a brand freaking new house, closing Aug 28th (two days after our first anniversary).It ended up being more than we planned to spend, and things will be quite tight at first but we're so excited we're seeing stars. The stars could also be because I'm having trouble breathing, but you get the idea.In a post last weekend I thought we had the model http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/03/holy-shit-on-stick-we-did-it.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-6679375607025120816Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:55:00 +00002007-02-27T18:23:32.926-05:00life in the 'shwaroombasundressBeing the lazy bums we are, we're big fans of our roomba, the robotic vacuum who does the floors while we walk dogs, or waste time on the internet.Given our house is largely fur-laden, we named our roomba Hairy, since after the first time we used it, it was covered in hairs. We leave him alone, and come home to find either level of the house spotless.It's been awesome and we've been impressed athttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/02/we-have-drag-queen-in-our-midst.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-4476275042105763739Sun, 25 Feb 2007 14:04:00 +00002007-02-25T09:07:22.531-05:00beautiful sunriselife in the 'shwanewhomesoshawaselling old housestarter houseMaybe if I knew the sunrises were this pretty every morning I would get up every morning at 6am. This is just shot from our dining room window. Monday to Friday I stretch out in bed as long as I possibly can until the last possible second when I absolutely must get up. Dave gets up as soon as the alarm goes off at 6:40, goes downstairs to do ironing or read the paper or has a shower, while I http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/02/why-im-up-at-6am-on-sunday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-8265844893487233140Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:28:00 +00002007-02-21T22:28:05.869-05:00fargositemeter keywordsSo I haven't felt like posting much lately. Nothing's wrong - in fact things are great, I just haven't been too bloggy of late. I'm sure I'll be back soon enough to regale you with tales of my none-too-exciting life, but in the meantime, check out what the site meter dragged in. People actually found my blog using these keywords.http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/am-both-disturbed-and-rendered.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-3890672788718162617Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:50:00 +00002007-02-12T22:57:03.542-05:00household hintslife in the 'shwaI'm always up to hearing housekeeping tips, suggestions, and ways to keep organized. Mostly because my house is a mess and I'm completely disorganized.Today, though, I have one to share with my legions of readers. Yes, all two of you. (Hi mom, Hi dad!)My suggestion is simple, and, like many of the best solutions, comes from experience.Here goes:Your bathroom will smell minty fresh and clean ifhttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/02/handy-household-tips-from-shwa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-4706911995898039914Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:12:00 +00002007-02-09T15:23:57.063-05:00anna nicole smithconspiracy theoriesdeathmurderoverdoseseedy lawyersuicideThere are conspiracy theories swirling abound. Insipid tales of drug use! overdose! People talk of murder! suicide! and wild tales of trying to kill someone for their money. So many men in the picture (including Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband!), all saying different things about her death and what or who caused it. Jilted billionaires reaching from the grave to plot revenge! BabyDaddies everywherehttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/02/stop-presses.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-7613230118132785091Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:08:00 +00002007-02-07T19:00:47.943-05:00found moneygroup 4 securicorJamie HawkinsImagine being a broke student who's just found out their student loans were way smaller than anticipated. Then imagine finding $10,000 at a bank machine.Would you turn it in? Would you do the right thing or abscond with it, never to be heard from?This guy did turn it in.While on campus, Jamie Hawkins found $10,000 (which is apparently the size of a loaf of bread if you were wondering ) that washttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/02/in-headlines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-4284274062874433670Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:21:00 +00002007-02-02T07:57:39.770-05:00cat treecatslife in the 'shwatypical cat behaviourMany moons ago, when Scarlett was my only cat, I decided she needed a big huge cat tree. For months she had been using my leg as a telephone pole to get a higher vantage point, and, having gotten a wee bit tired of daily doses tending to the resulting wounds on my legs, back and torso with peroxide, I decided she needed something tall that she could sit on that wasn't me.I figured a cat tree http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/02/if-this-isnt-typical-cat-behaviour-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-7435041647080876464Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:10:00 +00002007-01-28T19:05:50.241-05:005 things about me memeglamis castlelibra or virgolife in the 'shwanicholas cagevegetarianLike the new look? I'm still thinking it's a wee bit too girley for me, but when it was finally finished there was NO WAY I was going to start all over again.____________________________________________________I was tagged by the hilarous velocibadgergirl of Pardon the Egg Salad to do the 5 things about me meme.1. My birthday (September 23) falls between astrological signs - in some books I'm ahttp://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/five-things-about-me-meme.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-8358792801486225162Fri, 26 Jan 2007 22:29:00 +00002007-03-25T22:16:06.473-04:00all grown upparent relief workerI had another post planned for today, but something's come up.I remembered earlier this week that there was something special about this day, but I couldn't remember exactly what.The story goes way back. When I was 16 I will cop to being a little miss goody-two shoes in high school. The guidance office there got an ad for a job/volunteer position as a parent relief worker for an 8 year old boy http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/i-had-another-post-planned-for-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-3223624897615221957Mon, 22 Jan 2007 02:25:00 +00002007-01-21T21:35:00.638-05:00borzoidog bum hookikealeash hooklife in the 'shwaThere are so many stories that go along with my trips to ikea (oddly, I know), so after spending the weekend shopping for things to pull a look together for the house, I'm kinda pooped so here's just one of the things I needed (pronounced "gave in to commercialism full strength, unabashedly, and pitifully") to get was these hooks for the dog leashes. See? How could I say no? They MATCHED THEIR http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/doggone-crazy-i-think.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-6805889179177596519Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:10:00 +00002007-01-21T21:48:38.668-05:00basilcookingheirloom tomatoespastashiitake mushroomsWe had dinner plans that got changed, but had the ingredients already bought so we decided to make it for dinner anyway. I'm a bit of a crazy cook, never measure things, and usually just make things up as I go along.I saw some heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store the other week, and decided to make a pasta dish involving them, basil mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, brown button mushrooms, pesto,http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/saturday-dinner-in-shwa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-2201248331295954915Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:34:00 +00002007-03-25T22:18:17.576-04:00basilheirloom tomatoespastapestorecipewhite winezucchiniWe had plans to host dinner tonight with friends, but plans changed and we had already bought the groceries so we decided to stick to the plan, save making soup and balsamic chicken.Behold my heirloom tomato, basil, zucchini and shittake mushroom pasta creation! Marvel at the white wine and pesto smell! (oh wait, you can't smell it, in which case you'll have to believe it smells DARN good in http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/mmmmm-dinner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-1370926133573580963Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:37:00 +00002007-01-17T20:36:06.672-05:00American Idolbad TVWho has ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in American Idol? In. The. Least. It seems the hype and people taking about it just haven't got to me, even as Paula Abdul seems to top herself with more and more bizarre (dare I say drugged-out) interviews. Is it just me? This from someone who's played and a lot of music in my day (piano as a kid, flute and voice as well for good measure). I am likely one of http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/am-i-only-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-1215043422442549359Mon, 15 Jan 2007 00:58:00 +00002007-01-14T19:58:21.785-05:00borzoicluckydog toyslife in the 'shwarubber chickenThe sound of one thing in particular has always reminded me of home, our home, here in the 'shwa. Surely there are sounds I associate with my parents' home, like the sound of rain hitting the sunroom windows in a storm, or the yahoos across the street living with their parents into their late twenties, playing with their souped up honda civics or screaming obscenities at their parents. There http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/ode-to-clucky.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-3622520932561050448Fri, 12 Jan 2007 02:16:00 +00002007-01-14T19:56:55.276-05:00national de-lurking weekAs per usual, I'm a wee bit late to the party, but given my innate curiosity (read snoopiness, prying nature, busy-bodyism, and nosiness) I was checking my piddley little sitemeter and thought to myself I should ask people to de-lurk, since evidently this is national de-lurking week and there are always more people stopping by than leaving comments. (maybe it's me?)So, if you're stopping by, http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/de-lurk-dont-shirk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18431358.post-5533099929494822891Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:24:00 +00002007-01-08T07:24:04.171-05:00We have this news article.Call me crazy, but if Tony Blair had an issue with the way Saddam Hussein was executed one might think he'd have voiced his opinion, oh, I dunno, say BEFORE it actually happened. Asshat.Also? I'll be the first one to say Saddam was a Very Bad Man. He along with the Bath party did a great number of Really Bad things. Why do we kill people to show people that killing http://lifeintheshwa.blogspot.com/2007/01/in-way-too-little-way-too-late-category.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Heather)3