Hello, all! I am switching back to Blogger! I prefer it’s more “user-friendliness.”
Please come visit me at: http://megbaxter.blogspot.com/
Ciao!
Mamas Like
For the people I know with one or more of the following qualities:
- you’re pregnant or have a baby
- your wife is pregnant
- some of your friends or relatives are pregnant or have babies
- you wish you were pregnant
- you are syper-stylin’ and love DIY-type innovative consumer niches, pertaining to babies or not! J
You know who you are!Mamaslike.com is a product-review blog that showcases products created by SAHMs (stay-at-home-moms) that for the most part are uber-stylie and ultra-practical. Great for gift ideas or for coveting stuff for yourself. This site is maintained by the same gal, Dawn, who is becoming the mother-of-six blogging phenom in the U.S.A.
Happy Windows shopping. 
Christmas vacation
Ah, yes. Another bout of email banter, brought to you by Focus’ Creative Services Department. I bet you’re wondering if we work. At ALL…
Email #1: FYI – I’ll be out of the office from Dec. 24 – Jan. 1. I’m going to visit American Santa Claus. JULIE
Email #2: I guess his suit is red, white AND blue, then??? ::meghan::
Email #3: Exactly, my dear. And he has a Southern accent (“Merry Christmas, y’all!”) JULIE
Email #4: …and watches NASCAR… Jim
Email #5: …and drinks Jack Daniels. Ooops, no, wait — Bad Santa. Actually, isn’t that a movie? Would it go over for our December movie lunch? Subby
Email #5(2): Lol… “Can I fix you some sandwiches???” “What’s with you and your freakin’ sandwhiches?” – Bad Santa. American Santa also prays to “little baby Jesus,” like Ricky Bobby… http://youtube.com/watch?v=zKDC2iBQTYg ::meghan::
Email #6: I was going to mention good ol’ Jack, but figured it wasn’t Focus-approved talk. You realize that they can track all of our emails, right? Jim
Email #7: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING Muriel
Email #8: And we all know that Canadian Santa is a hockey-playing, Tim Horton’s sipping, lumberjack of a guy who says, “eh” a lot. Is he fluent in French as well? JULIE
Email #9: Nope… Mandarin. Jim
Email #10: …and he’s gonna sing the national anthem at the Olympics in Inuktitut (is that how you spell it?) Subby
Email #11: And Punjabi. He also drives a dogsled, lives in an igloo, drinks beer & Maple Syrup like it’s going out of style, catches salmon with his bare hands and wears a Surrey Dinner Jacket on every day but Christmas. ::meghan::
Email #12: That’s awesome. JULIE
Email #13: As an editorial aside, the only reason we carry these ‘southern U.S. stereotypes’ is because that is what the American media perpetuates and feeds us. I’m sure that it’s mutual with the Canadian stereotypes one finds in the US as well. Jim
Email #14: For Julie: Canadianisms quiz. Tell us your score! ::meghan::
Email #15: 7 out of 10! (I’m a good guesser) JULIE
Email #16: Good job! You can be an honourary Canadian…hoser. ::meghan::
Email #17: Gee, thanks.
JULIE
Transcription of the day
(And it’s only 9:14 a.m.)
Email #1: Hello Everyone…Just to let you know I have a family/christmas event next Wednesday from 12:00 on….sorry I will have to leave you for the afternoon. Thank you,Muriel Email #2: Slacker… Jim Email #3: Bring cookies back and no one gets hurt… Meghan Email #4: And chocolate. Julie Email #5: And a pony and a plastic rocket ship. Subby Email #6: AND A B.B. GUN! Meghan Email #7: NO — you’ll shoot your eye out. Subby Email #8: 
Hanky Panky
Friday afternoons don’t consist of much productivity in general, but I think this is the case especially in offices with open concept designs. I think it’s fair to say that they, more often than not, result in useless group conversations, prone to intellectual decline pretty quickly. Not necessarily in a rude way. Just in an … inevitable way. Like the current soundtrack in our office: the Webster’s definition of the phrase “Hanky Panky” needed to be looked up (–> “questionable or underhanded activity”). Not sure why. Someone made a coment about it “must not be something married couple do, then.” {Insert awkward silence here}.
Trust Sicolo to have the punchline: “Why not?”
Merry Christmas
I love Christmas. And since we don’t have the rsources to go all out the way I’d like to this year, this was my indulgent Christmas purchase for our new home, bought with a Pottery Barn gift card given us by Shirl and Jack for our wedding…last August. It’s now hanging on our front door, oh so festively!
Pretties, goodies & yummies
Things I have found intriguing and inspiring of late, in no particular order:
1. The many faces of sugar cookies (courtesy of Blueprint mag), sought after out of necessity after Superstore gifted me with 10 lbs. of flour when I purchased >$250 one month or so ago. Danielle and I fully intend to spend a day baking, baking, baking (Dec. 16. in fact!) in preparation for the BIG DAY.
2. Wallpaper – seemingly the bane of every ’80s child’s existance (how can we forget country goose kitchen border, and forest green & peach flora adorning the living room?) …BUT WAIT! It can be stylie! Thanks to my daily Sweetspot, I have discovered the art of true wall decor: Ferm Living. This loverly Danish company has set up shop in Vancouver this month in Gastown’s ex-Storeyum for the design exhibit The Danish Way of Living and is there for your perusal until December 15th.
* Additionally, Daniel’s sister, Maria, has shared her well-kept secret, Wallpaper from the 70s. Another treat for the eyes (and your walls).
3. My new jacket. It arrived today but Wayne needs to go pick it up across the line. I got a wicked deal on it from Steepandcheap.com. I’m just plain stoked to have a coat I picked out myself that wasn’t given to me by an ex! That’s how old my current coat is! Yuck. It used to be green. Then I lived on a horse ranch in France for 2 months. It’s now brown-yellow and saggy.
4. Spence on the Coast. So Danielle and I took Dora and toodled over to the Baxters’ 2nd home in Secret Cove on the Sunshine Coast last weekend. Since we had left right after work and were famished, we stopped 20 mins from the house for a bite to eat. Having never seen this swanky new restaurant in my previous visits to the Sechelt area, I proposed we see what they had to offer. Of course, embarassingly, we were not dressed for the occasion (roadtrip face), but they “let us in” anyway. Superb service, Iron Chef America-quality presentation and taste (Pistachio Crusted French Brie, anyone?) and, what do you know, owned by Spencer Watts, with whom I attended high school! I wondered why he kept glancing at me from the passbar, where he was cooking. I didn’t figure it out until I went out for dinner with Dalaena last night and we put 2 + 2 together! I must go back and compliment him personally on his achievment (*mental note).
5. Forever 21 CANADA! Yes, well. Cheap clothes that fit. I loooove.
6. Danya’s engagement! Which means a trip to Quebec next fall for her wedding! Which means a pretty dress! And a party! And crafts! And planning a wicked stagette!
And that, my friends, is why I’m happy this week.
Extreme Chia
So, last week, our Creative Services department moved to a leased space downstairs, seperate from the rest of the Focus on the Family Canada offices. Other than the designers, most of us were in our own offices, seperated by walls and doors. Now living contently in our little cubicle farm downstairs, we try to be quiet, respect one another’s space and email more than talk so we don’t distract one another.
The following conversation began with emails, and turned into a confused jumble of cubicle-jumping banter:
Extreme Chia
Sharon’s email: It’s movie and lunch day on Friday! Does anyone have a preference where we get our food from? Meghan has suggested wraps. Do you like this idea, or are there any other suggestions? Thanks. Subby’s email: Wraps… is that like pitas? ‘Cuz I loves me some pitas! Anika’s email: Last time we got wraps mine had a hair in it, so maybe not from the same place? Jim’s email: I love wraps. Wraps are my friend…an excellent and healthy choice. Jim’s email #2: Sharon got a hair!? No fair! Meg’s email: No! ANIKA got the hair. Sheesh! Lucky…K well we got them from the place beside Fatburger last time, didn’t we? What’s the place by the Wired Monk over by Wendy’s…? Anika’s email #2: If we order from Pita Hair Pit, I will bring my own lunch and leave you all the hair Jim’s email #3: You’re so fussy… Subby’s email #2: Extreme Pita — EXTREME PITA!!! I’d like a hair, hummus and goat cheese on sourdough, please… Meghan (verbally): Which one is the one with the one that gave us hair last time? Subby: The Pita Pit. Let’s go with Extreme Pita. Meghan: Ya, maybe they’ll have some extreme hair. You know, for Halloween and all. Subby: Ya, those aren’t sprouts you’re eating – that’s hair! Meghan: Chia Pet hair… Subby: Extreme Chia!
Conversation starters
The following questions are listed on Focusonthefamily.ca as dinner-time conversation starters for communication-deprived families. But as I read them, they intrigued me. What would I answer? Even if no one reads this, I will now educate myself on some of who I think I am:
- What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? >Walked down the aisle to marry Wayne.
- Has God been teaching you anything new lately? >That the Church is God’s people, not a building, or a sermon, or Sunday school; that loving God and serving others is the life He wants for me, not a life run by rules and regulations, and feelings of guilt. Nonetheless, I will not cease to gather with others (Hebrews 10:25) in the community of fellowship and worship.
- If you could learn a new skill or talent, what would it be? >To play the harp and the piano…well.
- Do you want to have a family of your own someday? Why or why not? >I already have a little family with Wayne and baby Dora. My heart’s desire is to be a domestic goddess, “queen of my domain,” Iron Chef Kew and the best mom in the world to as many little angels as the Lord sees fit.
- What do you think it would have been like to be one of Jesus’ disciples? > Phew – loaded question! I think it would have been mind-boggling, heart-swelling, emotional, overwhelming, terrifying, and the most wonderful, peaceful feeling in the world.
- What’s the best dream you’ve ever had? > I don’t know. I don’t keep a dream journal or anything.
- Is there anyone at school or church that you look up to or want to be like? If so, why? > At church, I’d love to be like Sandra, whose last name I don’t even know, but who always has a compassionate smile on her face, a keen interest and understanding of what she’s hearing and Who she is worshiping, and a spirit of joy that pours outward onto others. I see many people like this, actually, but Sandra is different. She is humble. She is demure. She is stunningly beautiful. And she is fun.
- Why do you think God created families? As Dr. Tim Kimmell told me earlier this year in an interview, families are a microchosm (sp?) of the world, a place where we can test out our reactions to others, practise forgiveness, be vulnerable, serve one another and learn to live in harmony. It is for character building.
- What do you think your biggest fear is? > Physically: Falling to my death or being stabbed (really gruesome, I know, but it’s true.); Emotionally: Rejection
- What other countries in the world would you like to visit someday? As many as possible. I mean that.
- What do you think an angel does all day? Worship and serve God!
- What’s your favourite hobby or interest? Cooking and decorating. Also, writing, whether others see the product or not. And reading.
- If you could fly, where would you go and what would you want to see? > I would fly over the north and south poles and I’d want to look down on Paris and the Sahara.
- What do you like best about your family, and how can you make your family even better? > I like best that we love to chat while gathered around a table, sharing a meal. It’s so comfortable and warm. To make it better, I pray that one day, in the home of my parents and in-laws, God would also be a welcome guest.
- What was the best part of your day today? >Having lunch with Dora. I truly love her.
- What do you think are good ways to talk to your friends about Jesus? >Testimony, testimony, testimony. I don’t believe the Lord gives us individual stories to keep all to ourselves.
Stewie
Ah, yes. I simply cannot WAIT to give birth to one of these.
(PS – I have successfully converted Wayne to Family Guy-ism. He was anti-Family Guy previously, sheerly out of principle, not because of the objectionable content. Now, he can’t get enough. Family Guy - one of those guilty pleasures otherwise prim & proper ladies indulge in.)
