Friday Album: Lily Allen's "It's Not Me, It's You"

For those of you reading this and know me really well, you might be surprised to see that I am going to talk about Lily Allen! I know, I know, what am I doing listening to pop music? A friend of mine got me listening to this particular album and there's just something different about Lily that I really like. She's not like the rest of them out there...she's raw, talented, and doesn't give a crap as to what people think about her. She just does her thing how she wants, and does is well. "It's Not Me, It's You" is a wonderful array of tunes from start to finish. Each song is unique and quirky and you can't help but sing along (despite all the foul lyrics). The songs don't sound like other pop princess songs, and that is what is so appealing about her. If you're looking to listen to something light/fun/bubbly, trust me - give this album a chance. You might be surprised!

New Friday Feature - Music!

I have decided that I am going to include a special Friday feature to this blog. Every Friday, I am going to talk about an album I enjoy. The album could be old, or new. It will all depend on what I'm listening to from week to week. Maybe you'll find something new to listen to yourself! Do you have any recommendations for albums I should check out? Leave a comment!

SwagBucks Update!

My swagbucks earnings are growing faster every day now. In the last week, I have won 3 - $5 gift cards for amazon.ca by redeeming swagbucks that I earned by searching the web! I swear to you people, this is no scam. Since February 27, 2009 I have won a total of $70 in amazon.ca gift cards. This has already allowed me to purchase 2 cds and a book for free! I am not only one gift card away from buying a Wii remote! :) Want to earn your own swagbucks for prizes like amazon gift cards? Sign up by clicking the image above. Good luck!

Our Brains and Music

OK, I know some of you may be thinking "Ok, brains and music - where is she going to go with this?" But seriously, I really got to thinking today how amazing our brains are (well at least my own) when it comes to music. I was driving back to work after lunch listening to the '90s Nooner on the radio. One of my favourite songs from my early days in high school came on - Marcy Playground's song "Sex and Candy" (1997). Now, I haven't heard this song in YEARS, but to my own surprise, I just sang along naturally and did not miss even ONE single lyric! And it's been years! This was not the first time I noticed such a thing either. It happens all the time... listening to old albums or the radio in general and without even thinking, I am able to spit out lyrics to song after song! So that's where I really got to thinking and started to ask myself the questions - How is it that I can seem to have a library of song lyrics in my brain, but sometimes have a hard time remembering things such as what show to PVR without writing a note on my hand? It's incredible. I am sure there is some sort of explanation for this, something I do not have time to research on at the moment, and it is definitely very interesting. Is it just my brain that stores lyrics like this? Perhaps because I have been so musically inclined/trained since a young age? Anyone else notice this?

Proof That SwagBucks is Real!

Here is a copy of my screen proving that swagbucks works and showing that I just redeemed for yet ANOTHER $5 gift card for Amazon.ca. :) My total winnings so far is $60 for Amazon.ca and the win today marks my 2nd in only 4 days! So $10 in 4 days for searching with swagbucks instead of google. Want to win your own gift cards or other prizes? Click the image above!

Oh How Joyful The First Bath Is

I think that only my fellow horse-lovers/owners will understand the bliss I felt this past weekend after bathing my horse for the first time since September!! I mean, my girl was dirty and smelly and greasy! She desperately needed a bath. So as soon as it was warm enough outside, I gathered my bucket and bottles of soap...got my scrubbing strength and got to it. It took about 30min in total and I scrubbed my girl until the water finally ran clear. She wasn't too impressed with the vigorous scrubbing, especially on her head, but I had to simply apologize to her and continue on. I mean her forelock was so dirty that you could scrunch it up in your hand and it would stay put! Once the bathing was finished, I could not even wipe the smile off of my face. It is so nice to see her all shiny and smelling AMAZING! My boyfriend, who is not exactly a horsey guy, was even impressed with my soft and sweet smelling girl. So glad spring is here and I shall no longer have a stinky horse. Well... until fall at least LOL.

**that is my nice and clean girl pictured above**

Like Flip-Flops???

So I just heard through the grapevine... which is my lovely friends at SmartCanucks.ca that on Saturday, May 23 ONLY, their classic flip-flops are going to be only $1 each, with a limit of 5 pairs per customer. Time to stock up for summer! :)

The Musical Release of the Year

Well I really couldn't be more excited than I am right now! Our Lady Peace have finally announced a release date for their upcoming release. July 21!!!! :) OLP has been my favourite band since I was a kid, so hopefully that helps to explain the sheer excitement I am feeling at this moment. I will have this baby on pre-order at amazon as soon as it's posted. Can't wait!!

Free Venus Embrace Razor

Click the image above to fill out a form to recieve a free Venus Embrace razor. This offer is open to all Canadian residents only and I suggest you act fast!! This is a great freebie so I'm expecting that they will probably go quick!

I Love Free Stuff

I requested my free pin and sample of Craisins from Ocean Spray several weeks ago. I actually forgot about requesting until they showed up in the mail this week! :) I always buy my Craisins in bulk at Bulk Barn, but am considering against it now. Oh My! This sample was DELICIOUS!! The freshest Craisins I have ever tasted. Click the image above to request your own sample, but act quick! This offer might not last for much longer.

A Long Weekend Is Upon Us

Boy time really does fly! I find it hard to believe that the May long weekend is already upon us! Where oh where did the last 4 and a half months go??? Being a homeowner all on my own, sadly there won't be too much 'fun' coming along with this weekend. I ended up booking tomorrow off as my mandatory "no-pay-day" and intend to spend most of the next 4 days working on the 'to-do' list around the house. Garden's need to be weeded... and then weeded again. Grass will ultimately need to be cut. The salt that fell off my car in the garage will need to be swept up. Windows need to be washed. And that's only the outdoor list! haha Inside, all floors need to be washed.. carpets cleaned.. windows washed.. bathrooms scrubbed. Oh what a joy this weekend will be :) At least I'll be able to get lots of riding in, and hopefully the horse and pony shall get a bath as well. Happy long weekend to you all!

Which Will He Be?

Pictured above is Mr. Blue, Mr. Green and Mr. Red. One of these boys is going to be the newest addition to our family -- Charlie! My parents get to bring him home on June 6. Can't wait! :)

Biggest Loser Finale

Well, my girl Tara didn't win The Biggest Loser - sadly. She came oh so close!! But in the end, lost to 48 y/o Helen. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Helen because it is obvious she worked her butt off, but in a way, I think she went a little overboard. I mean, she looked ok last night due to the makeup job that was done, but she looked like she lost just a bit too much! I mean, the woman is 3 inches taller than me and finished weighing less than me - and I am a perfect and healthy weight according to my dr! So that's kind of scary no??? Anyway, on to my girl Tara (pictured above) -- doesn't she look fantastic now?? She was such an inspiration to watch these past few months always dominating the competition. She now looks absolutely gorgeous and most importantly -- HEALTHY. I wish her all the best in the future. Can't wait for the next season. :)

SwagBucks Update!

I cashed in swagbucks yesterday for my second amazon.ca gift card in 4 days! To date, I have won $50 in amazon.ca gift cards by using swagbucks to search the web instead of google. Want to win your own gift cards? Click the picture above. :)

My House

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by! Today marks 2 years since I officially lost my property virginity and embarked into my first attempt at home ownership. It is a fantastic house in a great neighbourhood and I have such wonderful neighbours. I may be in debt for a long time now lol ... but it is worth it. :)

The Unfortunate Part of Horse Ownership

I think that the only unfortunate thing that comes along with owning a horse is when that horse who you've spent hours/days/years with, gets sick. This summer marks 9 years since I bought Chelsea and each year went by pretty much without any hitch. *knock on wood* All until this past New Years when for whatever reason, she managed to gorge herself when eating her grain causing her to choke. Choke in horses is actually a very serious deal - mostly because horses are unable to actuall throw up like humans. That first incident was one of the most horrible ordeals that I ever had to go through; so horrible that I am not going to re-tell the story as I just don't want to think about it. I thought I was going to lose my best friend that day. Thankfully I have an amazing vet and he managed to clear the blockage after almost 2 hours of trying.

Well we thought we were all in the clear after that incident on December 30. The owners of the farm where I board Chelsea have been taken special care as to what she is given to eat to ensure we did not have any future episodes. Sadly, she gorged herself again this past Thursday. Thankfully it was not as bad as the previous episode and the owner of the farm was able to help her through it without the help of the vet. Despite a swollen throat, Chelsea seems to be ok now. Unfortunately now I've been trying so hard to figure out how and why this is happening. It's so hard when it comes to animals and you can't get them to tell you what's going on. I've been rattling my brains trying to figure out how to prevent future episodes in order to ensure that my best friend gets the long life she deserves. I guess for now, she will just get the new nick name "Hoover"...

Tara - The Biggest Loser??

Well, next week is the finale of one of the best seasons of The Biggest Loser. Bet you can't guess who I'm rooting for? ;) Tara has been one of the most incredible contestants to watch throught the process that is The Biggest Loser. The girl has lost way over 100llbs and is the only contestant to never fall below the yellow line. She has dominated throughout this entire season and not because she was playing a game and being cruel to others (I still think last season was the worst for manipulating, bitchy and cruel contestants). Tara worked her butt off this entire season and deserved every victory she achieved along the way. I wish nothing but the best for this girl and am keeping my fingers crossed that she is crowned the next "Biggest Loser" next Tuesday night.

My Favourite Snack

Random. Yes. But up until a few months ago, I had never heard of having apples and peanut butter as a snack. One day I decided to try and... OH ... My ... GOD... it has quickly become my all-time favourite afternoon snack. I now even keep a jar of peanut butter in my desk drawer at work! I always bring an apple to eat in the afternoon so when the mood strikes, I can always dig right in. If you have never tried this snack, do so right now! I promise it's amazing. And hey! It's pretty healthy too!

SwagBucks Update!

To this day, I have won a total of $40 in amazon.ca gift cards from swagbucks! Can't get any better than that for searching the web to go to my usual sites instead of using my bookmarks or google. Cashed in on Friday for a gift card and am only 15 away from another - so I'm averaging $5 for amazon every 5-6 days. That may not sound like much, but every little bit helps in times like these. I've managed to get those 'extras' I've been wanting (cds, books) for free thanks to swagbucks. Want to earn your own gift cards? Sign up via the image above and search using swagbucks like me! :)

The Veggies Are Planted!

I decided to take the night off yesterday from riding my horse and spent the evening working in my back yard. I gave the grass it's first cut of the year - and it's looking fantastic - then I moved to the veggie garden. All of my seeds are planted and I couldn't be more excited to see what kind of abundance I get this year. This is going to be the third summer that I spend in my house, so having two seasons behind me, I had a better idea of what to plant where. Hoping it all works out for me! So far I have planted seeds for zucchini, rainbow coloured swiss chard, spinach, red and green leaf lettuce, wax beans, edamame, green onions and carrots. I always like to do tomatoes as well, but I don't start those from seeds. I will be making a trip to the nursery in 3 weeks or so to get those. If everything works out, this will be my biggest crop yet and I couldn't be more excited to watch these grow. I'll be saving tons of $ on veggies this summer! :)

*pictured above: my veggie garden summer '07