Music Monday: Nerdtastic Halloween

Back in June... perhaps it was before then... my friend Kirstie announced that this year her house would be turning into a Harry Potter Haunted House for Halloween! Well today is the day my friends. Halloween is here, the Harry Potter Haunted House is built and ready for action, and in honor of that I give you a Wizard Rock/Pop Love Song... enjoy and Happy Halloween :D

Who Has Seen the Wind

According to urbandictionary.com

a Chinook Wind is:

"a warm wind that comes

in over the Rocky Mountains and

melts the snow in Calgary,

much to Edmonton's chagrin."

and this is what the wind looks like...

Beauty.

For Aunt Jocelyn

SCARVES!

Back at Thanksgiving our Aunt Jocelyn asked if we could give her some tips on how to wear her scarf. Unfortunately neither Ailen or I had the chance to do so before Jocelyn left the farm. So although it is late Aunt Jo, here are some of my go-to styles for a variety of scarves... just in time for a shift in the weather ;)

There are four basic types of scarf in my closet... The Classic Knit ~ The Perfect Square ~ The Smooth Pashmina ~ and The Giant Rectangle...

Let's start with the Classic Knit... Step 1: wrap it around as many times as possible, and leave some ends to work with. Step 2: tuck one end through a loop to keep it warm and cozy. VIOLA! Easy. Warm. Lovable.

With a few more steps we have the Perfect Square... Step 1: fold in half diagonally. Step 2: place the 90 degree angle in the front. Step 3: wrap the ends around neck, and tuck them under the front (if you find that the ends continually stick out you can always tie them loosely together under the front). Adjust as you like and DONE! Cute. Practical. Fun.



Now I am going to reveal a trick my sister taught me years ago! This one goes best with the Smooth Pashmina, stay with me... Step 1: drape around neck as shown. Step 2: wrap one (longer) side across front, around neck and back to the front (not shown). Step 3: reach between wrapped loop and one hanging end and grab other hanging end. Step 4: Pull through and adjust for show, because you just made a scarf braid! MAGIC! Clean. Sophisticated. Puzzling.

This next one is probably what I use the most. The Giant Rectangle may or may not be my favorite ;) ... Step 1: fold corners diagonally creating two 90 degree points. Step 2: Pick a point to put in the front. Step 3: wrap the other side around the back of neck. Step 4: bring second point into the front and tuck the end in the back. Now you have two points in the front! Cozy. Dynamic. Fascinating.



Typically with this last one you'll catch me taking advantage of the extra folds in the back to make myself a little covering over my head...


Like I said this one is dynamic, and probably my favorite because of that!

So Aunt Jocelyn I hope this helped give some new life and inspiration to your scarf wearing habits. And I hope all of you enjoyed today's little tutorial. As an extra bonus here is Ailen putting on the Giant Rectangle ...free-hand style! :D

Music Monday - My Love Take it Slowly

Everything's different with my head in the clouds
I hit this corner with my foot on the gas
I started sliding, I lose it
Everything's different just like that

Oh my God, wait and see
What will soon become of me
Frozen heart, screaming wheels
Does that screaming come from me?

So damn lucky that you went on ahead
You said, you said "I'll see you later"
I heard what you said a few minutes later
Now I'm sliding, everything's different again

Oh my God, wait and see
What will soon become of me
This frozen heart, screaming wheels
Does that screaming come from me?
I'm dizzy from all this spinning

Now I'm thinking that you did all you could
When you said "My love, take it slowly"
"Ok," is what I said

Oh my God, wait and see
What will soon become of me
This frozen heart, screaming wheels
Does that screaming come from me?

Take me back, 'cause just before I was spinning
Take me back, just before I got dizzy
Take me back, amazing what the minute can do
Just like you

Around, around, around, around
Amazing what the minute can do
Around, around, around, around, again
Okay

Never Enough

Time. Tick-tock goes the clock. Once upon a time. Time after time. Time and time again. In time. Time warp. Time flies when you're having fun. Time travel. Time is money. What time is it Mr. Wolf?

Sometimes, I think I have an obsession with time. Lately I've been recognizing how often I ask my sister "What time is it?". My mother will remember that growing up I would always measure the amount of time I slept during the night. The last thing I would do is check the time, and count the hours until I had to get up, just to measure how much sleep I could get, and then first thing in the morning I would compare the outcome with my hypothesis. Well actually... I still do that quite often. But the question is why?

You would think that after enough repetition of the same routine, the human brain would adapt and tell the body "You need 8 hours of sleep. You wake up at 7:30am. Go to sleep at 11:30pm no later. Therefore be in bed at 11:00pm no later. Begin winding down your day approximately between 10:00pm - 10:30pm, or earlier." buuuuut no! That isn't how it goes. Instead the brain says "You've got time. You can go with less sleep. How much is it gonna hurt you?" and the mindset of 'Not Enough Hours In The Day' takes over as an easy out.

See, I'm a procrastinator, it happens that is just the way it goes. I live with it, I figure out how best to work with it. However, I then turn blame from myself (and my lack of time management skills) in to a fault of the Earth's rotation. Saying "If only the day were longer!" ...truth being told, a longer day wouldn't help. What I would end up doing is using it to procrastinate just a wee bit more.

My friends... there is a time for work, and a time for rest. May we all learn to use that time in a balanced and skillful way.

Hybernation.

My morning routine consists of...

1) hit the snooze button

2) get ready for work

3) drink coffee

4) find something on the internet to make me laugh.

Today, it was #133 on the list of 1000 Awesome Things:

Hybernation.

How nice would it be to get to skip my morning routine

for six months!

I think the bears are on to something.

Music Mondays: I Think I'm In Love

This guy have got some mad skills! Mike Tompkins has made a name for himself on Youtube with his all-natural vocal talents and (I'm sure) dazzling smile. He makes even the most unflattering facial positions look charming as he wins the crowd over with his incredible talent.

"Confident yet amazingly down to earth, Mike’s goal remains to make great music, put a smile on people’s faces, and show his diversity as an artist."

- Mike's Website

Born in Edmonton, and now based out of London Ontario, here is a true Canadian gem. Enjoy!

iPhone vs. Alarm Clock

Ladies and Gentleman,

I know that everyone is in LOVE with their Apple toys, and I'm one of them. I really really like my iPhone, and my MacBook Air. I swoon over the slick design and the efficiency in their operations. I use my iPhone for everything:

music
photos
facebook
emails
texting
googling
and even talking on the phone (but only rarely ;)

This week however, I reached the end of my love for my phone. It had failed me one too many times in one function and I decided that - as amazing of a machine as it is - I needed to revert to old technology.

Too many mornings in a row, my iPhone failed as my alarm clock.

It used to play music when it was time to get up, and that was the first function to go.
The docking station just beeped at me when it was time to get up.

The reliability of the snooze function was the second quality to go on the fritz...
that got my heart racing more than one morning in a row!

And suddenly, I realized that I missed listening to the radio.
The morning news reports told me everything I needed to know that morning
Where as with my iPhone, I had to research information:

news
weather
traffic reports
interesting facts
music

So, I've done away with the iPhone alarm function, and welcomed back to my bedside the alarm clock that I've had since I was eight-years-old (a Christmas gift from my Aunt Kathy).

Say hello to my reliable P'Jammer



......... maybe I can start to call it my iJam

*photo taken with my iPhone4, Hipstamatic App

PROS! ... and cons :)

I get caught up in the wonders of the world wide web, and the vast and varied joys which it supplies to people everywhere (not least of these being our blog ;) ... yes?). It would be selfish of me to keep such joys to myself, and thankfully not only is the internet really good at suppling wonderful entertainment, it makes it really easy to share it with friends... like you! Therefore no one need feel guilty :)

Today I would like to introduce you to internet sensations Rhett and Link. This dynamic duo sing songs, produce ads for small businesses, and get into all kinds of shenanigans which they so kindly share with us.

You may have first found out about these two a few years back when they wrote a song for ordering food at the drive through. It was a well made song, very entertaining, but the most astonishing part was when the worker repeated the entire (very long) order back to them perfectly. Check it out if you haven't seen it already.

So with no more ado, this is one of Rhett and Link's latest videos. It's a sketch of their's and I hope it will have you wiping away tears of joy at the end as it did me. This video is not only a perfect example of classic internet entertainment, but it also showcases one of the internet's disabilities... I will allow them to explain further. Enjoy!

Music Monday: Thankful

Mmmmmm..... the farm.

I know we talk about our childhood home a lot on this blog, but we can't help it.

The farm is a beautiful magical place, that makes me feel at ease.

I can only imagine the stories the farm would tell of

watching us kids grow up over the decades.

Mum and Dad work so very hard to make this a beautiful,

comfortable place for us to visit now.

All the work they put into the land does not go unnoticed.

Keeping a farm this beautiful takes a lot of effort,

and comes with it's fair share of heartache.

But with the constant reward of seeing the benefits of your work...

Mum & Dad, I am thankful of all your efforts,

and for year after year the way that you've put

"another season's promise in the ground"

Who Do You Know?

Alright, so I will kind of be talking about music today, but more than that I'm talking about small world connections. I've already discussed this with my sister, and so no punishments will be necessary :)

Briercrest Bible College in Caronport Saskatchewan has seen many people through its doors: some of my elementary teachers, various friends, my sister, my sister-law-law, my sister-in-law's sister, and about ten years ago the band Downhere.

Brother Skylar likes to say that he could've been the bass player in Downhere. I'm not sure how that story goes, I think that at some point the band was missing a bass player and heard Sky play one time and they asked him to fill in but he couldn't... I don't know! Maybe it was a lot simpler than that, he can tell you in the comments ;)

When I was in grade 5 (?) a few of my teachers got their friends from college to play a show at our school while they were on tour... the band was Downhere.

When Skylar & Karen lived in Invermere they became good friends with Jeremy Thiessen's parents. Jeremy is the drummer of Downhere.

This year is the band Queen's 40th anniversary. They are organizing a 'Exravagansa' tour which highlights select individuals as the band. The front runner for lead vocals in the primiary auditions is Marc Martel... lead singer of the band Downhere.

Because of the popularity of his audition video, Marc Martel was interviewed on Ellen earlier this week.

That means all of you are at least 3 degrees of separation from Ellen, and 4 degrees from everyone she has interviewed.

There. Small world, full of crazy connections. I wanted to make sure you were all fully aware. :)

Comfort Food

I've spent the past few days sick

(insert reader sympathy here)

Oh thank you....

yes, it really does suck to be sick.

But the bonus

is being able to eat

comfort food

Cinnamon buns....

(cheater buns from Pilsbury, but they do the trick)

Moroccan Lamb Tajine

(made by Mum with love)

and spaghetti

(more specifically, Barilla #5 with home made sauce)

If I'm going to be sick, I might as well still enjoy food, right?

(cough, cough.....)

Music Monday: Pumped Up Kicks

Did you know that a radio station in Calgary is giving away a trip to Vancouver to go see the band Foster the People? All you have to do is post a picture of you 'Pumped up Kicks' on their facebook page. Well, this is me giving you fair warning ;) They're a great band, and this song has been playing in my head non stop, through in a trip to Van. and that is pretty close to perfect!

Anyways, I'm not sure how this post became an ad, sorry about that. The real winner here is this song... Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People.