Stuck...

Well.

Tough week.

Very.

I miss blogging.

But I'm busy, busy, busy.

A busy bee.

And then, this afternoon, without any warning, my hard disk, well, died.

It's in the freezer (last attempt to save it).

My last backup?

April 4th.

I'm trying to figure out what I've lost.

Just before the drama, I'd printed my big document (30 pages), the one I've been working on extensively for a while.

It was my only copy.

In a way, I was lucky.

That's a start.

Ok now, bedtime.

Tomorrow's gonna be better.

Way better.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. 

I am so zen right now...

Fringe Bazaar 2008

I will SO be there to sell my stuff!

A Song in My Head

Does it happen to you that you hear a song in your head and feel the need to dance? Or you hear a song (for real this time) and without realizing it, your body starts moving, grooving, bopping, jigging even? If yes, you will understand how this man feels.

After watching this video with my 12 year-old teenager, we transformed my home office into a dance floor and hammered the floor on my 16 year-old teenager's head (who was quiet in the basement). I LOVE dancing, I'd danced everyday. In fact, I think I dance everyday, but I don't always realize it, I often have a song in my head...

My Daughter's Prom

That's it, we're done. Done with the shopping for my daughter Alizée's prom. After discussing it, we decided to go easy on the amount to spend on the kit, the prom is an important rite of passage, but there's no need to spend like crazy. We are definitely on a saving mood these days, a good thing considering some of our future projects. And the mood has spread to the girls, which is great. My daughters know how to manage their money well and the idea of saving is fine as well. Thank God... I've had so much trouble dealing with money at one point in my life, I made it a priority in the education of my daughters and I can see it's going well. Marvelous...

Going back to the prom kit, another great thing: we found everything in less than an hour, probably a record here! First boutique, we found the dress (2 out of 5 suited her fine, she even had to make a choice) at a very reasonable price and just out of the boutique, we found the purse (60% off). We stopped by for shoes (we had selected a store where shoes are cheap), bought a shawl to cover her shoulders in case it gets colder in the evening (which either she or I will wear after the prom) and got very simple (and not expensive) jewels. All for less than the average cost of my daughter's friends dress. Good job!

When I finished high school, our prom was not a big deal, I didn't even go and I don't regret it. When I finished university I went. I was the only one without a date and the only one wearing pants.

For Alizée, it will be completely different: she spent 5 years in an all-girl school where her group of friends is made of 17 girls. She is involved in many varied activities, she adores her school, she will certainly cry when it will be the end. Until then, she enjoys every moment, she participates, she's involved again and again, she's creating imperishable souvenirs. With the help of technologies (and being herself a cinema and photography addict), she has gathered long hours of filming, hundreds of photos to remember the fun she had, her friends, the pleasure of being a teenager. Lucky girl...

13 Pairs of Shoes

I bought something yesterday: red shoes!

It inspired me for my Friday list of 13. So here are the shoes from my wardrobe. Some are okay, some had a long life. I'm not really a «shoe person»: my feet are so narrow, finding a pair that fits is tough...

1.

Here are my little red shoes. My Dorothy shoes. Weird thing, I usually wear size 8 and then, bang, I had to switch to 7 1/2. Are my feet shrinking? Even the sole is pretty!

2.

Very old shoes, not very feminine, I agree. Very comfortable though and Amélie Poulain wears an identical pair, with skirts. I don't know if I'll dare one day...

3.

My little ballerina shoes. Very, very comfortable even for long walks. As soon as the weather gets warmer (when socks won't be necessary), they become my indoor shoes.

4.

THE pair of high-heeled shoes. I'd love to wear high heels, something ultra feminine. Can't. With ultra narrow feet like mine, it is out of question, since I'm always a little (sometimes a lot too) loose in them... *Sigh*. So what about these shoes? Well, I've worn them 3 times max. They still hurt me (see the band-aids inside?)...

5.

My wardrobe's shame. Dirty old beach shoes, a bit disgusting that I'm keeping them anyway. Want to know why? For gardening, they're the best: they don't fear dirt, soil, mud and all... And when it gets too hot or when pebbles find a way between my toes, I just throw them in the air. Whippee!

6.
Black loafers. Nothing special, right? Well, they belong to my oldest daughter (who has taller feet), but I like them, they're comfy. A little too large, but still...
7.

My walking shoes! They've seen many sidewalks: Boston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Paris, Montréal (many, many times)... Gotta go get new laces before going to Las Vegas in May!

8.
My «working» shoes, those I wear with my «serious» clothes!
9.

Well, sandals. Not nice, not really comfortable. Might be their last summer under my roof.

10.
My sneakers, I love them. Well laced, it's the ultimate comfort for me. They too have traveled quite a lot...
11.
Yes, yes, I still have Kickers! Shoes that remind me of my adolescence. Too large, but I'm used to them and since they are everything but high-heeled, I can manage.
12.
My indoor shoes when I wear socks. Can't wait to put them in the wardrobe for the summer!
13.

Bought these last summer. I smile a lot when I wear them, they make me feel special, funky (which I'm not, especially when it comes to clothes).

I Can Do It

Well, hey, oh! I can so do it, right? Thanks Noëlla my lovely mother-in-law whomI like so much and who showed me how to knit in circle. No laughing allowed, it is not a simple concept to get! Knit in circle with 5 needles going in all directions wanting to let go those nice little stitches, try this and then we'll talk about it... I know, I know, it's not that difficult once you know how to do it, but when you do not know, it's more like advanced trigonometry in a foreign language.

Let's talk about thumbs... Because at a certain point comes the thumb issue. That's where I am. Yes, Noëlla explained me last Sunday how to deal with the thumb, with a little drawing and all (and my father-in-law who found all that impossible shebang so funny). So here it is: you put 9 stitches on a pin, you cast 9 new ones and move on. Ok. Got it (????). I got it, but I don't really see it, in fact, I don't see it at all! And dear hubby who keeps on repeating me (he's such a darling) yes, you put 9 stitches (bla-bla-bla)...

I love knitting and like for sewing I don't like to use patterns, I need to experiment on my own to learn. So, tonight, in front of CSI (thank God there's something new on TV!) and then Eli Stone (funny, really), I'm getting my hands dirty into what we can call «taking care of a thumb when knitting a mitten». It's Aunt JJ* who would be delighted!

Ok, going back to my stuff. To be continued!

*Aunt JJ was our sitter when my sisters and I were little, she's the one who taught us how to knit, do embroidery (which I can't remember) and other indispensable things in life :-)