Roses and Thorns May 1 - 7

Another week, another list of roses n' thorns...

Rose
Behind the scenes movie stuff that I'm not allowed to disclose yet. Not that it's actually *that* interesting... I'm probably making it sound more intriguing by not saying anything at all. Suffice to say, things are chugging along.

Thorn
Looking for positive thoughts, please.... Our little niece Libby has lost the sight in her right eye. Jay n' Cheryl are currently in Vancouver, where she will get an MRI tomorrow and possibly surgery, depending on what they find. The doctor thinks she knows what the problem is, but I'm not going to get into it right now since it's all speculation until a proper diagnosis has been made. Just hoping for the best. Poor sweet thing.

Rose
Kinda hard to think of roses after a thorn like that...

Hmm... well, I've started gardening. I've got my flowers started, I've transfered some of my seedlings to my balcony herb garden, and I'm weathering the rest of my plants to prepare them for transplanting into my garden next week. The farmer's almanac says next Thursday and Friday are good days for planting my veggies, so I'm looking forward to it.

Thorn
Keeping on the gardening note, I realized that I accidentally grabbed a fennel seedling at The Greenery instead of dill. Oh well... I have some dill seeds here, so maybe I'll just try starting my own.

Also, since we haven't been getting much sun lately, (at least it's not as bad as Ontario where I hear they're getting SNOW today! Sheesh...), I think this lack of sunshine combined with an OD of water might've accidentally soaked two of my small tomato plants and my pickling cucumbers. They're not lookin' too healthy. We'll see... there might still be some hope. I'm gonna try transplanting them today in less damp soil, and if they don't recover, I'll just start over.

Rose
I finally decided what I want to do for my birthday, although I have to admit, at the moment thinking about having a party doesn't feel right. At least it's still a week away...

Anyhow, we're going to do dinner at Shine, and then I'm having a few people over for a fancy drink/martini party. Depending on how this next week plays out, it should be fun. I'm excited because we never get to have people over... or at least people who can handle their booze like grown ups. *ahem* 

Thorn
This thorn is on Jim's behalf, because I feel bad for him. While I spend all my newfound free time painting, collaging, gardening, cooking, and cleaning (although it sounds like work, I actually don't mind the latter two...), Jim has been hunched over his computer until late every night, busting his ass creating storyboard animatics for potential distributers. Unfortunately, his drawing tablet can sometimes be a real bitch, making the process three times longer than what it should take. He's careful not to complain though. After all, we're making a movie! If someone were to have given him this opportunity five years ago, he would've jumped at the mountain of work... so now that it's finally on his plate, he's not going to wish it away.

So yeah, all that being said, he's sucking it up... but I just wish there were something more I could do for him, besides cooking meals and cleaning. I almost feel guilty about having all this freedom.

Rose
My skin has totally been drying out like crazy lately -- and no, I don't use soap. I use a face wash, toner and moisturizer, like everyone tells you you're supposed to.  Now, my dry skin is obviously not a rose, but because of this problem, I decided to go to my favourite store in the mall, Lush, to see if they could offer me anything. I think natural is always a better way to go... but sometimes I'm cheap and try to save a few bucks by buying Olay products (or whatever else is on sale, like Neutrogena or whatever.)

Anyhow, I ended up picked up some new face wash, and it is AH-MAZ-ING!!

First of all, it smells terrific. I found myself putting my hands over my face and breathing it in, just so I could hold the smell in my nostrils. It's made with kaolin clay, ground almonds, rose and lavender.

Secondly, it has worked wonders on my skin. When I finished using it the first time, I thought to myself, "This is heaven!" Then I looked at the product name, and it's actually called "Angels on Bare Skin". Indeed! 

So consider this my testimonial for Lush's Angels on Bare Skin cleanser. Really, I can't emphasize enough how much softer my skin feels.I'm definitely gonna ditch my Olay cleanser, and I think I'll eventually pick up some Lush toner and moisturizer to replace what I'm using now too (when I have the bucks anyway....)

Best of all, Lush products are made in Vancouver, so it's great when you get to support local businesses. I also think it's cool how most of their products have stickers on them with a picture of the person who mixed up that particular batch. It makes everything so much more personable. Ah, I really do love Lush...

Thorn
I've run out of thorns this week.... so let's make an extra rose instead.

Rose
We were told that our cheques were put in the mail on Wednesday. So by Monday we should FINALLY be paid for real!

Gawd, we haven't seen a pay cheque since the beginning of January! Can you believe it has been that long?! The "old me" would've been panicking, but I've learned that doesn't solve anything. We just kept paying our bills from our overdraft, going along business as usual, knowing that things would even out eventually. Thank goodness it didn't get to the point where we'd have to start using our credit cards...

Rose
I went for a walk along the path yesterday and it is just bubbling with birds! It had been about a week since I went for a stroll and the difference is startling. They're all singing in surround-sound, and swooping down from overhead at every angle. It was nice. I even took my headphones off and slowed my pace, just to enjoy their loveliness a little longer.

We get so many pretty birds around here, I really, really want a bird feeder for our balcony, so I can get a closer look. However, Jim is a very light sleeper and thinks that they'll wake him up too early. Plus, he's not crazy about bird poop on our deck. (Neither am I, for that matter... but what're you gonna do?) I think I can work him in. I told him that all I want for my birthday is Lush's bubblegum sugar lip scrub and a bird feeder... so we'll see... Maybe if I promise to only put the feeder outside during the day and take it in at night, he might agree. ;)

Okay, so that's it for another week. Hopefully I'll have some good news to report on Libby within the next few days.