A Little Birdy Told Me

Our cats, Sadie and Monkey, are outdoor cats. I know this is kind of a touchy subject for some people, but Rich has had cats all of his life and they've always been outdoor cats. So, as a new cat owner, I just followed his lead.
Our cats are notorious hunters, so we quite regularly act as an impromptu animal hospital for all sorts of small wild life.  We've had multiple mice, birds, and even a squirrel spend some time living in our Urgent Care Center, otherwise known as our bathroom. Sometimes they make it, and we set them free and sometimes they don't, but it makes me feel like a good person to know I did what I could.

A few weeks ago, Rich had the dogs outside and came across a little birdy flopping around in the grass.  We took the cats in to give him a chance to compose himself and make his escape, but when we came back he was still rolling around on the lawn.  He was a young adult bird, so no mamma was coming to his rescue.  We brought him inside, made him warm and comfy and let him have a rest.
We noticed that he was missing his tail feathers, meaning he wouldn't be able to fly and I wasn't quite sure what to do about that.  I researched what kind of bird he was, a Thrush, and what to feed an injured bird of his kind.  He spent the night, and come morning he still hadn't eaten anything and I decided to take some action.
I called and tweeted around trying to decide what to do. I called Hamilton Animal Control, but unfortunately, they aren't licensed to take wild life.  The person on the phone was nice enough to give me a woman named Cara's number and I gave her a call.
I found out that Cara runs Urban Wildlife Care, and it is one of the only programs in the area that is licensed to take in injured and abandoned wildlife.  I drove my little birdy out to her office, and she took him in and fed him some worms and he will make a full recovery once his tail feathers grow back in!
I just wanted to spread some awareness for Urban Wildlife Awareness, because they are not government funded and rely on donations of money and supplies to be able to continue to take in animals.
The Hamilton Spectator wrote an article about them that you can check out here.
Visit their website here to learn more about the organization, what they do, and what items are on their donation wish list.

What I Wore, Belated Edition.

I just realized that I had posted Halloween potentials and never posted what I actually ended up wearing! Sorry that it's almost the end of November.
I went back and forth for a while, I always have to make sure my costume isn't just thrown together last minute, but this year it also had to be suitcase friendly.  As well, it needed to be warm weather friendly, because of my fabulous Florida Vacation!

So, I decided to just run with a theme and be Minnie Mouse!  I already had this awesome dress from Mod Cloth that I thought would be perfect for Minnie.  I found a matching colored bow, painted some polka dots on it, got myself some mouse ears, and some classic Minnie yellow shoes and VOILA, Minnie Mouse in Florida.  I also got some white gloves and a petty coat for under the dress just to add that extra special touch,
My favorite part was the amazing false lashes I found. They were enormous, but so Minnie Mouse. I had a really hard time not touching my nose all night long. Black face paint and white gloves don't mix.
All around, I think it turned out quite cute. I got a lot of compliments and a "Vegas Show Girl" even asked if she could take my picture! I think I'll even re-use this costume next year in Hamilton. Cute, travel appropriate and economical. Triple Whammy.
I also learned a lot about Minnie from her Wikipedia page.  Go figure.

Post- Vaycay Picture Album

Florida was grand! It makes me realize how much real life blows. No, kidding. Real life is fine. But vacation life really is where it's at.  

Obligatory airplane wing pic!

Cricket (my grandma's friend) picked us up at the airport with this sign. I've always wanted a sign airport welcome. My dreams came true in Tampa. Although my named is spelled wrong, which is a pet peeve, but I'll let it slide. 

Grand Shores West, we used to come here every year for my birthday until I got too old to be taken out of school for two weeks. Damn school. 

Our first day at the beach was a mite chilly, thanks to Hurricane Sandy. 

The view from the patio at my grandma's condo. Word at the condo is there is an alligator in those waters, but I didn't see it. So the rumor remains unsubstantiated by this Canadian. 

The sun finally comes out on the beach! Thank goodness. Andrea and I went swimming in the ocean, and I'm sure all the Florida natives could spot us as foreigners from a mile away. 

If you have not been to The Cracker Barrel, you need to plan a trip south ASAP. Mmm. Southern Comfort food. Please note the roaring fire that was burning at the same time as the AC was blasting. It's all about ambiance people.

Our dinner at the Salt Rock Grill was pretty perfect. Watching the sun set over the water, drinking delicious wine and eating yummy seafood. I got the early bird special. Not even joking. 

One third of my vacation was spent thusly.

This was the second third of my time while on vacation. (The last third was a split between eating and shopping).

If you're ever in St. Petersburg you should definitely go and check out The Seabird Sanctuary. Say hi to Stumpy for me. (She's only got one foot....hence the name).

Hope my vacation album made you jealous that you stayed at home. I had a great time with my Aunt and my Cousin, and just relaxing. I really need to make some more time in my life for vacations! 

Vacation!

Just saying goodbye for the next little while. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving on a jet plane! Destination, Florida.  I've been checking the weather like crazy and although it isn't quite as hot as I'd like it to be, I'll take this:

Over this:

ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.  

No offense Hamilton, I really do love you.  I'll be spending 7 whole days with my lovely cousin and her mother (my aunt on my dad's side of the family). I'd love it if all the women (mom/grandma/cousin-in-law) in my family could have come, but with work, operations and babies it just couldn't be done.  Maybe one day!

I'm looking forward to just relaxing on the beach, after such a hard few months.  

The place we are going to be spending our time is the resort my family went to every year when I was younger, so it holds some sentimental value for me as well as being a fun vacation.  I spent some great times with my little bro here, playing on the beach and visiting the pier.  And with my grandpa who passed away a few years ago.  And my Aunt is a pro-shopper so I can't wait to hit the stores with her.  

And it's Halloween while we are there, and I finally decided on a costume! I'm going to be Minnie Mouse.  How fitting, right?  I'll definitely post a few pictures of my costume here when I get back, maybe even a "how to" (I pride myself in my ability to put together a really fun costume, no pre-made costumes for this gal!).

Anyways folks, keep warm and I'll be back next week!  MWAH. 

Halloween, Florida Style

I'm heading to Florida at the end of the month with my cousin and my aunt for a little relaxing and fun in the sun! I love love love Halloween, it's my favorite holiday! Tied with my birthday. Yes, I consider my birthday a holiday. LONG WEEKENDS FOR ALL!
When I realized I'd be away for Halloween, I was really disappointed. I love going out in Hamilton with my friends and seeing everyone all dressed up. But I realized, Florida is warm in October! Warm Halloween! It's a Halloween miracle!
So I'm currently on the hunt for a Halloween costume. Requirements as follows: cute, not too unoriginal, warm weather appropriate and easy to pack.
I've had a few ideas so far, so I'm on the hunt to see which is easiest to put together.

Idea #1- Zebra.
This was my original idea and I was really pumped for it. I have a black dress that I can stripe with white duct tape already, so I went to Party Packagers to see what accessories they had.
This is sort of what I had in mind.

Awesome mane-style hair! (Jana's idea).

The zebra selection was pretty dismal. Some striped stockings and some cat ears that had black and white stripes.  Lame. I also tried out my own version of this zebra makeup and failed dismally (that may be attributed to the three glasses of wine prior to makeup application, so there will be a re-do).
Anyways, I don't have high hopes for zebra this year.

Idea #2- Peacock.

Again, I'm trying to keep it simple, but still fun. I already have an awesome blue dress, so I figure I can rig up some kind of tail, do some awesome makeup or even find a cool peacock mask.

This girl has the right idea with the tail!

I haven't gone out on the hunt for things I can use for peacock, so I need to do that this weekend. 

I also thought about Minnie Mouse, you know, in Florida? Cute, right? And just imagine the eyelashes I could wear. Love me some fake lashes.  Or a little too on the button? And does Minnie have a tail?  (I Goggled, she does).

I've always wanted to be Leia too, and that would be easy enough. And the wig- so fun. We know how I feel about wigs. And Rich would love this! 

Any other suggestions? I'd love some ideas! What are you being for Halloween?

Z is for Zoo

In these last few weeks of weather that is warm enough to enjoy time outside, Rich and I have been trying to do as many fun things as we can.  This weekend, after much debate, we decided that we'd go to the Toronto Zoo.  I haven't been to the zoo in year, maybe even since elementary school, so I was pretty pumped. After making Rich swear to stop calling it "The Animal Jail", we packed up a picnic lunch and headed out. 

I don't know why I was so excited, maybe it was such a throw back to being an innocent kid, or maybe it was knowing I'd see my favorite animals ever, the elephants, up close and personal, but I honestly was so so pumped. There may have been some excited running and pointing a few times throughout the day. 

 Rhinos are smelly, they also have awesome, armor plate like skin. So I forgive their smelliness. 

This is not a warthog. It is some sort of bush pig. However , the woman beside me clearly didn't read the sign because she kept singing all of the Pumba parts of "Hankuna Matta". Repeatedly. 

I don't know what it is about the elephants that I love so much. I did a project on them in grade four and I've loved them ever since. And honestly, that project was seriously kick ass.  I got an A.

A Harry Potter parsel-tongue Boa. That's the officially Latin name.

I'll have to upload the rest of my Gorilla pictures when I get a cord for my camera. They were so amazing. This big Silverback got his celery and came and sat right at the fence and chowed down, while watching us like we were the zoo animals. 

Giraffes are on my list of "strange but awesome" animals. That list also include the platypus.  

The grizzly bear, surprisingly, was one of my favorite animals this time. He was massive, and I read that they can run as fast as a horse over a long distance. Man. All of that stuff they tell you about what to do if you encounter a bear? Total garbage. If this guy decides he wants you for lunch, that is all their is to it. 

SLOTH!

I got to watch this little Kookaburra eat his cricket lunch, he was pretty friendly and posed like a boss for me. 

Watching the penguins under the water makes you not feel so bad they can't fly. Lovely.

Otter! They are so fun and playful. And also, totally my spirit animal.

Seahorses are pretty cool too, the papa seahorse is in charge of the eggs and the momma bails. Love it.

Rich's favorite are the jellies. 

The day really was great, and the cool weather made it perfect for walking. I even wore comfy shoes, and walked the whole time without my feet getting sore. That's kind of epic for me. 

If you haven't been to the Toronto Zoo in ages, you should go! Tell the elephants I say hi.

PS- Remember when I said I got an awesome new camera? Well I took a whole bunch of awesome new zoo pictures and when I went to upload them for this blog....turns out I didn't have the cable to connect the camera to the computer. Ugh.  So, again, camera photos in the works.  

Back At 'Cha!

Ok, so it's obviously been a bit of a barren waste land over here for a while. *Pause for tumble weed*. I've sat down to blog a few different times, and each time I just feel uninspired, and unfocused and basically, just blah with a little meh tossed in for good measure.
After everything that's gone on this summer, I just thought I'd give myself a break. But, I was talking to Miss Hollie (of White Elephant fame) today, and I thought I'd pop back here and give it a go.
So, I present to you, life in the last little while.

Iris thinks she's people. Note- this photo is entirely unstaged. (Ok, fine, I put the Star Wars blanket on her...but the rest is real.)

They're filming Robo Cop downtown in Hamilton! I love seeing places I know on the big screen. "Guedes" is fictional, but they made it explode. Awesome.

I ate this. And it was glorious. From The Dirty South Food Truck. More info here.

I can't come up with a clever caption for this. Feel free to help out. #WEFL

I met this little man on Super Crawl. He wins best dog hair award.

Fall is coming, and that means tights are back on the wardrobe menu. SCORE.

More horsin' around. This is Bella.

My friend Romeo.

My Polish friends.

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Ted got a bath. He didn't have fun.

We ate $52 dollar's worth of Taco Bell. It was epic.

The pink hair made a comeback for the Madonna concert.

MADONNA! In box seats. Catered box seats. We live large.

Madge.

As you can see, life has been busy. And BREAKING NEWS! I got a camera. Omg. We can have real, good quality, uniformed size photos on at ten pace. Good stuff.

Come back again soon, I promise I'll keep blogging.