~ FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ June 26, 2015 ~ A DISASTER IN THE KITCHEN ~

FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ June 26, 2015 ~ A DISASTER IN THE KITCHEN ~ Last Sunday, a good friend on Facebook, Shelley Selig, posted a picture of a pastry blender in one of those "Do you remember this" posts.

Seeing it gave me the idea for this weeks "Flashback Friday" post. It's all about what a disaster I am in the kitchen and the fact that I cannot bake to save my life.

I married the most wonderful man on the planet but he sure got the short end of the stick in marrying me! I am the world's worst housekeeper and I only knew how to make about four staple meals when we got married. I could make 1) spaghetti, 2) pork chops and fried rice, 3) scalloped potatoes and 4) stew. (Yeah, I know, scalloped potatoes isn't exactly a "meal" but I would usually add breakfast strips and a veggie and call that supper)!

As for baking, well, it's a good thing that my darling hubby doesn't have a sweet tooth!! I honestly cannot bake a single thing! Even now, after almost 12 years of marriage, I have only added one meal (chicken mushroom rice and veggies) to my menu. I was able, however, to add one dessert to our menu!! I can actually make cherry cheesecake!! (It's the no-bake kind, so I'm not sure if that counts, but at least I graduated from being asked to just bring punch to family functions to bringing cheesecake)!!

Now, I know that some of you may be thinking that I just don't like to cook/bake or that I just haven't tried hard enough, but I assure you, I honestly, truly am a complete and total klutzy disaster in the kitchen!! And I have several examples to prove it!!

Going WAY back to when my husband and I were first together and dating when I was in high school, I remember trying to make a roast for dinner. I must have called my mom at least a dozen times that day with question after question after question. I finally figured out what to do and had everything ready. The table was set, the veggies and potatoes were simmering on the stove, and the roast was in the oven. It was going to be a PERFECT birthday surprise for Stephen. 

To make a long story short (really, I can do that, if I try hard enough), in the end, the surprise was on me. All of the food was set out and ready to serve, I pulled the roast from the oven, and set it on the table, ready for my big reveal. (We didn't stand on ceremony and usually just served out of the pots, although this once, I almost wish we had, I wouldn't have been so stunned then perhaps). I guess the one question that I should have asked my mom and didn't, was "what is the roast supposed to look like when it's done?"

The roast that I had put into the over would have kept us in leftovers for two weeks, EASY. The roast that I pulled out of the oven and revealed with a flourish however, was barely big enough to make a meal for our cat!! WHO THE HECK KNEW THAT ROAST SHRINKS?!?!? WHY DOES ROAST SHRINK ANYWAY?!?

Needless to say, I made sure that we went out or that my parents invited us over for any future birthdays or special occasions! Except that one time that I finally put THE ROAST INCIDENT (for that's how I think of it, all caps, bold, underlined, italicized) behind me and decided to bake a cake for Stephen's birthday. 

Leaving nothing to chance, I bought a cake mix that all you had to do was add water. You even cooked it in the box it came in! What luck!! I couldn't wait to finally be able to surprise Stephen, for once, on his birthday! Even I couldn't screw that up!! 

WRONG!! You could have anchored a boat with that cake! I followed the directions exactly, the oven temperature was correct, I didn't leave it in too long, and to this day, I still have no idea what happened or why it was so heavy and hard as a rock and what could have possibly gone wrong.

Unfortunately, that's not the end of my disaster stories. Many years ago, a friend and next door neighbour, Tanya Butt Condon, couldn't believe that I really couldn't bake. She was determined to prove me wrong and one Saturday, set up an experiment, meant to finally put my kitchen ghosts to rest.

Here is how the experiment went. Tanya picked the easiest cookie recipe that she had, (I believe it was oatmeal raisin) and set up her kitchen counter so that we both had the exact same utensils, the exact same ingredients and measuring apparatuses, and the exact same cookie sheets.

Ingredient for ingredient, step by step, we each followed the recipe. I did EXACTLY what Tanya did. We even counted as we stirred and mixed to make sure that each batch got the exact same number of strokes. We spooned the cookies onto the cookie sheets, adjusting where necessary, to make sure that they were the exact same size and looked exactly alike. We put them into the same oven at the exact same time. (We even set the timer for half of the required time and switched places in the oven just in case). 

Each of our cookie trays came out of the oven at the exact same time, cooled for exactly the same amount of time and, yup, you guessed it, Tanya's cookies turned out perfectly, and mine, well, I'm not sure what exactly was wrong with mine. They were undercooked, overcooked, tasted like they were missing key ingredients, I don't know. They weren't even fit to feed to the ducks at Point Pleasant Park or the Public Gardens in Halifax! 

You would think that my sad, tragic story would end there, it's bad enough already right? Well, I actually have two more baking nightmares to share with you. 

This first one isn't so much on me as it is on my next door neighbour, Julie Sinclair. You see, Julie makes these incredible, "you-can't-stop-at-just-one", amazingly delicious, "once-you've-had-them-you-never-want-another-kind-of-cookie-again" cookies called "Molasses Moons." That's the original, official name for them anyway. Anyone who has ever tasted or tired to make these cookies however, files them under the name "Julie's Impossible Cookies." This is because despite trying, and even given my lack of culinary abilities, I have tried to make them several times, nobody, and I really do mean not one other single person, can make them as good as Julie! 

At a gathering at Julie's house once, we all agreed that we were certain that she must leave out a key ingredient, different for each of us, on any recipe that she passed on. Julie, jokingly, often calls over and asks if "Carswell Convenience" is open. Of course I don't really expect or even want to be repaid for anything that may be borrowed, be it a bag of milk, a cup of sugar, a can of spaghetti sauce or even an emergency gift. However, Julie usually insists, and I am so thankful to be able to tell her that the reimbursement is a batch of her Impossible Cookies! 

My final and most recent story is from a few years ago. I found an incredibly scrumptious cookie/square recipe that we just "had" to try at home. They were called "Hello Dolly's," and I had to try making them two days after we tried them for the first time ~ they really were that good!

I'll spare you the gory details and just tell you that someone has changed the name of the cookies/squares on the recipe card so that it now reads "Goodbye Dolly's."

And the moral of the story? If you ever feel inclined to invite me to a potluck dinner, your best bet is to make sure I'm bringing punch or cheesecake!!

NOTE: Believe it or not, I do actually have several cookbooks! (Yeah, I'm not sure why either, probably because our daughter, Caitlin (@likeotters) has fortunately not been inflicted with the same culinary curse that I have, and is phenomenal in the kitchen)! 

So, if you would like any of the recipes that I mentioned above ~ trust me, the errors are completely my fault and not the fault of the recipes, at all ~ (I've noted them in a list below), please feel free to contact me and I'll gladly pass them along!

Cherry Cheesecake

Chicken Mushroom Rice

Hello/Goodbye Dolly's

Molasses Moons/Julie's Impossible Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Pork Chops & Fried Rice 

Scalloped Potatoes 

Spaghetti

Stew 

 

#Flashback, #FlashbackFriday, #MemoryLane, #Memories, #RememberWhen, #Orcanut, #KitchenDisaster, #ICantBake #PublicGardens, #SweetTooth, #PointPleasantPark, #JustAddWater, #KitchenExperiment, #Recipes, #Cake, #Cookies, #Desserts, #Spaghetti, #PorkChopsFriedRice, #ScallopedPotatoes, #Stew, #ChickenMushroomRice, #CherryCheesecake, #RoastDinner, #ShrinkingRoast, #OatmealRaisinCookies, #MolassesMoons, #JuliesImpossibleCookies, #HelloGoodbyeDollys, #TheMoralOfTheStory

QOT...W ~ June 24, 2015 ~ I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY CANCELLED MY FAVOURITE TV SHOW!

QOT...W ~ June 24, 2015 ~ I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY CANCELLED MY FAVOURITE TV SHOW! ~ I figured that since I've covered books, movies and dreams, I may as well talk about TV shows too. I'm sure everyone has their favourite "can't miss" shows that they watch on tv. (And I'm not talking about daytime soap operas, but the television shows that are aired during prime time). 

My favourites haven't changed much over the years. I am however terribly disappointed about shows that I really started to get into, only to have the networks cancel them after only a few episodes or not renew them the following season. 

The shows I have been watching this year include (in no particular order, although I will * my favourites): Revenge*, Once Upon A Time*, Arrow*, Red Band Society, Stalker, The Flash*, Person Of Interest*, Scandal*, Elementary, Scorpion*, Forever, Deadliest Catch*, and Gracepoint. I also watched every season of Grey's Anatomy. I'm not really heartbroken that the series has ended though, I kinda feel that it ran its course.

In doing research for this post, I discovered that several of the shows I enjoyed watching this past fall, (some favourites), are either being cancelled or will have their series end this year. They are: Stalker, Revenge, Gracepoint, Red Band Society, and Forever. I sincerely hope that none of my other favourites end up being cancelled!!

Other shows that have already been cancelled over the past few years, much to my chagrin, are: Ringer, Private Practice, Body of Proof, Deception, The Tomorrow People, Betrayal, Hostages, Do No Harm, Touch, Golden Boy, Twisted, GCB, The Finder, The Vineyard, A Gifted Man, Harry's Law, In Plain Sight, and Unforgettable. All great shows that are now on the cutting room floor.

There are several shows that I thought had really great characters and character development, and a good storyline. However, they were still cancelled and they NEVER should have been. They are: Hostages, Touch, Twisted, The Vineyard and Harry's Law. Another show I was heartbroken to see end was The Finder. I believe that this was the last show that Michael Clark Duncan starred in before his death. 

The one show that I was most disappointed to see not renewed was The Tomorrow People. I LOVED this show! It was mostly about teens who had special abilities, like telekinesis, teleportation and telepathy. I really was very disheartened when the network pulled this show. I want to know what happens next with the characters!!

The summer season is upon us and many of the "regular" programs are not running. The networks do however, release summer programming and I have started watching a few of the new and returning summer release TV shows. Some look to be fairly interesting and I hope to at least check them out. They are: The Briefcase, Whispers, Stichers, Pretty Little a Liars*, Proof, The Brink, Humans, Zoo, Scream, Between, and Mistresses*. With the exception of Pretty Little Liars and Mistresses, the rest are all new series, set to start or have started already this summer. 

My daughter and I are watching Between, and so far, it's pretty gripping! I have only watched a couple of episodes of Whispers and Stichers and they both look really good. I am trying not to get too vested in these shows though, because the way things have gone, they will be cancelled too!

As a family, we also really enjoy watching America's Got Talent during the summer months, so I'm really glad it has survived the network cuts over the years!!

And so, today's QOT...W is, "WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOWS THAT YOU WATCH REGULARLY? DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE SHOW THAT IS NO LONGER AIRING, either because it has aired its series finale or because the network cut it from the programming lineup?

#QOTW, #QOTD, #Orcanut, #TVShows, #Cancelled, #FavouriteTVShows, #PrimeTime, #Episodes, #Season, #Series, #CharacterDevelopment, #Plot, #StoryLine, #SummerTV, #FallTV, #SeasonFinale, #SeriesFinale, #MichaelClarkDuncan, #Hostages, #Touch, #Twisted, #TheVineyard, #HarrysLaw, #TheFinder, #TheTomorrowPeople, #InPlainSight, #Unforgettable, #Deception, #BodyOfProof, #Betrayal,

FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ June 19, 2015 ~ SUMMER FUN AT CAMP PAGWEAK ~

FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ June 19, 2015 ~ SUMMER FUN AT CAMP PAGWEAK ~ I really have to thank incredibly amazing and talented loomers extraordinaire, @AMANDAANDMONICARLOOMY for providing the inspiration for this weeks post. They recently posted a picture on Instagram that reminded me so much of a skit that used to be performed at Camp Pagweak (pronounced "Peg-We-Ack") almost every year.

In the skit, called "Helping Hands", one person wears an over-sized raincoat or something similar and another person sits behind them, hiding underneath the coat. The person in the back, blind, acts as the arms for the person in front. Whether the skit is eating food, (something messy like cereal or spaghetti), or putting on make-up, (especially amusing when the performers are both boys, who haven't had much experience at all with make-up), it is always hilariously funny and great fun for both the audience and the actors.

My husband, son and I were recently talking about summer camp for my son. He has never been to an overnight camp and is, understandably, a little bit apprehensive. I tried to reassure him, telling him of the many years and great experiences that I had at Camp Pagweak (but I didn't tell him EVERYTHING ~ even though it is a church run Christian camp, I do have some secrets to keep)!!

All told, I went to Camp Pagweak a total of 16 times, if not more. From when I was just 7 years old until I was 16-17 years old. I know that mathematically that doesn't add up properly to equal 16 years worth of camp. However, I loved going so much, that there were several years that I went three times a year. I  attended Summer Camp for a week each summer starting when I was 7, and when I was older, the Youth Group at our church would spend a long weekend, one in the in the Spring and one in the Fall, at Camp Pagweak.

Some of my very best memories and very best friends were from camp. I am truly so very thankful and grateful to my parents for not only encouraging and allowing us to go, but also for paying for all those camps for so many years!

As I said, I was 7 years old the first time I attended summer camp. I believe that was the only all-girls camp that I ever attended. I was fortunate enough my first year there to have our next-door neighbour as the counsellor of the cabin I was in, limiting some of my homesickness. (Although, to be honest, I had such a great time that I'm pretty sure I didn't think about home once that whole week).

The following year our family vacation happened to coincide with the girls camp for that year and after bending a few rules and pulling some strings, I was permitted to attend the co-ed camp for kids aged 10-12, a few years older than my 8 years of age. (I never did attended another all-girls camp after that first year).

As I mentioned, some of my favourite memories are from the years I spent at camp. A few in particular stand out. I won't go into great detail, it being a Christian camp, after all, but my first real kiss and boyfriend happened at camp. I remember the kiss clearly, his name was Dana and we were sitting on a lower bunk in my cabin, playing a game on Merlin. Does anyone else remember that cool, hand-held, red, electronic game?? I wonder what ever happened to those? 

Another great memory is from 1984, the year that we argued and won the right to have a dance at camp. Being a church run camp, dances had never been allowed up until that year. It did not hurt our cause any that the movie "Footloose" happened to be released in February of that year (probably what prompted our idea for a dance in the first place) and in fact, was the persuading factor in our argument!

During my younger years at camp, long before kisses and boyfriends and dances, I thought one of the very best things about camp was Tuck. Tuck was a canteen that opened every afternoon during our free time and using tuck money that our parents had left for us, we would line up and climb the three or four steps up to the Tuck window and place our orders. I usually always got a bag of Salt and Vinegar chips, 5 red licorice, a chocolate bar, Mars, of course, and a can of pop, sometimes Rootbeer, sometimes Coke. I hate to age myself by admitting that my daily allotment of Tuck money was only $2.00!! Can you imagine?? All that for only $2.00????

For many years I had a crush on a boy named Mark who attended the same camps that I did from the first time that I went to mixed camp when I really wasn't old enough to be there. (Mark is also the reason that Salt and Vinegar is my favourite kind of chips! I tell people the same thing that I heard Mark say, "I like that kind because not many other people do, and that lessens that likelihood of my having to share")! 

The boys cabins were on the left side of the driveway as you drove into the camp, (not ironically, I don't imagine, closest to the adults and leaders cabins)! The girls cabins were up at the top of a slight hill to the right as you pulled into the driveway. We were all on pins and needles in anticipatory excitement as we watched our friends from the years before get out of their cars. We would have to wait patiently (or not so patiently, I know there was a lot of running around and screaming) as each new camper pulled up, got registered, gathered their luggage and sleeping bags. Im sure we all held our breath, all the while saying a silent prayer that our girlfriends had been assigned to our cabin this year. 

I will never forget the year that the boys challenged the girls to a pillow fight. It wasn't really a camp sanctioned activity, but the leaders and counsellors kindly pretended to not know what we were planning. Just after dark, the boys crept from their cabins and we all converged on the hill leading to the girls cabins. The counsellors did a great job at pretending not to know what we were up to. I distinctly remember seeing a several of them from both the boys and girls cabins, pummelling each other with their own pillows!

The pillow fight never did get to the point that we are familiar seeing on television (I'm not sure any really do) and we didn't have feathers flying all over the place, sticking to hair and clothing, making us all look like we had been tarred and feathered. (Would have been nice though)! I'm pretty sure the fight ended in a draw, which is how it should be. Nobody got seriously hurt, everyone was laughing and burning off excited energy, and it was great fun for everyone.

Somehow, I ended up getting tackled during the pillow fight and my ankle was sprained. I was in a lot of pain but it hurt far more that I was going to miss out on the dance the next night (yes, dances had become a yearly event, thanks to the Mixed Camp of 1984).

It was probably just wishful thinking on my part, but I'm pretty sure that Mark just may have had a little crush on me too. He showed up at my cabin door with his good buddy Jack, and insisted on carrying me down to the dance. He even brought his own pillow to prop up my sore ankle! He and Jack "borrowed" a wheeled chair from the office and we danced by him pushing the chair around the dance floor. For my first slow dance ever with a boy, Mark held me up, my feet resting on the tips of his sneakers so that I didn't have to put any weight on my sore ankle (although he probably didn't have to hold me up at all as I'm pretty sure that Cloud 9 was supporting me the whole night)!

Every year, each cabin was assigned a task, whether it be cabin checks with the counsellors, groundskeeping, cooking, dishes or what have you, we all had responsibilities. The songs we sang during campfires still remain in my head, as does the morning grace ~ "Oh the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the Apple trees, the Lord is good to me, Johnny Appleseed, let's eat!" (And yes, we always had to sing it a second time to say "Amen" at the end). 

A favourite mealtime occurrence was catching people with their elbows on the table. You would get two chances, during which, if caught, everyone would sing "Connie, Connie strong and able get your elbows off the table" and on your third strike, this line was added to the end of the chant "round the cabin you must go, you must go, you must go, round the cabin you must go, 1, 2, 3, . . ." The sooner you got back meant the less minutes that you had to spend eating your meal under the table!!

Carol was THE best cook any camp ever had, anywhere, EVER!! She also happened to be the cook from my high school cafeteria. We got to know and love each other pretty well over the years, both at camp and school. Everyone always looked forward to the evening meal, because it was the only one not prepared by campers. The most memorable evening meal was a surprise "Utensil" meal.

As we walked into the lodge, the leaders were there, holding a huge bowl above our heads. We had to reach a hand in and grab whatever utensil we came upon. I think I came out with a spatula, but my brother, (who attended almost every camp with me) pulled out an eggbeater. Not an electric one, but the kind that had a handle you wound to spin two beaters. There were other such cooking utensils that the kids grabbed as well.  Two-tined forks, mixing spoons, wooden spoons, measuring cups, tongs, pie servers, etc. and we had that, and ONLY that to eat with. Good 'ol Cook Carol, whom I am convinced was in on it from the get-go, made spaghetti that night for supper!! You can imagine the mess that we made!

I just noticed the several times that I easily slipped from past to present tense in the above paragraphs. Really, truly, those were the days!! So, thank you so much Amanda and Monica, for sharing your post and promoting my very memorable jaunt down memory lane!!

Not to mislead anyone (Mom, Dad), camp really was more than just boys, pillow fights and dances, REALLY!! We had great fun sharing stories and learning of God's love. I learned how to play the piano, sort of, more or less. (More less than more actually). But I cherish the time I spent sitting on the bench beside Mark as he taught me how to pluck out this tune, which unfortunately I don't know the name of, just the keys that I play, (and by "play" I mean tap each key with a single finger ~ I was after all kicked out of piano lessons when my instructor told my mom that she was wasting her money on sending me there). Here are the keys that play:

F, A, C, D, D#, D, C, A

F, A, C, D, D#, D, C

C, E, G, A, A#, A, G, E

F, A, C, D, D#, D, C, A

There were also wonderful crafts, quiet time, swimming and campfires and fellowship with friends. And also a yearly midnight trek along the beach cliffs, guided only by our flashlights. (Ok, so that last one wasn't exactly a camp sanctioned event either, but it was a lot of fun! Albeit very scary at times)! And I wouldn't trade a single, solitary moment of any of it for anything in the whole wide world.

(Somewhere, I still have my old, purple sleeping bag that has been signed on the inside many years over, by friends and fellow campers. If I can find it ~ I'm hoping I have it here in Ottawa with me and not at my parent's house in Nova Scotia ~ I will post some pics of it, raggedy as it must be)!

#Flashback, #FlashbackFriday, #MemoryLane, #Memories, #RememberWhen, #Orcanut, #RainbowLoom, #CampPagweak, #Camp, #SummerCamp, #Fun, #Campfire, #Skit, #HelpingHands, #ChristianChurchCamp, #SpringFallCamp, #YouthGroup, #FirstKiss, #Cabins, #MerlinTheElectronicWizard, #Dance, #Footloose, #TuckCanteen, #PillowFight, #SprainedAnkle, #UtensilMeal, #Cloud9, #JohnnyAppleseed, #CafeteriaCampCook, #Sleepingbag

QOT...W ~ June 17, 2015 ~ "BEST DREAM / WORST NIGHTMARE?"

QOT...W ~ June 17, 2015 ~ BEST DREAM/WORST NIGHTMARE ~ I had intended on answering part of last weeks QOT...W, "WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE DREAM? WHAT IS YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE?", as last weeks "FLASHBACK FRIDAY, but since I had prepared a post already, I decided it was best to keep the "dream theme" together with the QOT...W posts.

{Just as a reminder, most of us know QOTD to stand for "Question Of The Day." As I mentioned in my very first QOT...W. (Which despite surprising myself at pretty consistently posting this every Wednesday, does not stand for "Question Of The Wednesday") or even "Question Of The Week" but rather  "QUESTION OF THE WHENEVER"! I do tend to be rather sporadic with posting to FB or Instagram, and although I will continue to try to post regularly, just to cover my butt, I thought it best to entitle these queries "whenever" I am able. Thanks so much for following along, participating, and your continued support and encouragement}!!

Getting back to this weeks QOT...W, "WHAT WAS YOUR BEST DREAM AND/OR WORST NIGHTMARE" as I said, I will answer first, and to end on a more happier note, I'm going to start with my worst nightmare.

Unfortunately, this was one of those dreams that you can recall ever little detail, every sound, every image, and unlike most dreams, it doesn't "fade away" the more awake you become.

Usually a persons dream only makes sense to them. And if you have ever tried to listen to someone telling you about their dream, you may understand what I mean. What seems to make perfect sense to the dreamer, is often confusing, jumbled and totally nonsensical to other people.

I think however, that my worst nightmare may resonate with many people, especially moms and perhaps even anyone afraid of flying.

This is a dream that I had many, many years ago (I believe my daughter, now 22, was only three years old at the time). Thankfully, it is not one of my recurring dreams, but I can still remember everything about it as if I dreamt it yesterday. The worst part is that the feelings all come flooding back. The ones that I had during that dream and in the few moments that it took me to realize that it was just a dream. 

In my dream, I am in an airplane that is about to crash. All of the passengers are strangers to me and everyone is talking about the best evacuation plans and arguing over the options available.

There are several different groups, those that believe that following the standard "crash preparedness techniques" demonstrated by the flight attendants is the best option, another group that feels that it is "every man for himself" and the largest group, that I find myself with, the ones who feel that given the circumstances, there is no hope and we are all going to die in the crash.

Perhaps the most vivid part of my dream is the noise. The sound of the wind whistling through holes blown out of the sides of the plane, the sounds of small explosions as parts of the electronics on the plane crackle and blow up, the screaming, crying, raised voices of the panicked passengers. And most especially, the pin-drop, dead silence when the other groups realize that my group was right, that we don't have any chance for survival.

The majority of people decided that we wanted to go out on our own terms, and not wait for the plane to crash and burn all around us. One of the explosions had cracked the right side wing of the plane, causing it to bend up and crashing the engine through the side of the plane. Several of the men on the flight were engineers, and had somehow figured out how to turn the tip of the engine so that it formed a chute leading down into the spinning blades of the engine on that side of the plane. 

We decided to take control of our own fate, and all agreed to that the best way to do this, was to end our lives BEFORE the plane crashed.

(Please remember that this is just a dream, albeit, a bad one, but like most dreams, doesn't have to make any sense whatsoever! ~ Why would I side with the group that felt that we had no hope? Why did the men have to be engineers? How would it even be possible for the wind to bend up, and have the engine, which is under the wing, come crashing through the side of the plane? See, nonsense, but in my dream, it seemed perfectly logical! ~ And please know, that in my waking life, I am much more optimistic and would side with the "stick to the attendants instructions" group and take my chances)! 

Anyway, in my dream, I was flying with my daughter, who in reality was three years old, but in my dream was a much younger infant. I had decided that rather than wait for the plane to crash, I was going to follow those before me and slide down the chute to my instant death. 

I had watched several people go before me, sobbing with parents as they sent their children down the chute, and then as they followed them into the cutting blades of the engine.

I distinctly recall thinking that I didn't want my daughter to suffer and making the conscious decision to send her down the chute head first, so that her death would be instant. I would follow behind her, also head first, holding on to her ankles.

Both my daughter and I were fully extended down into the chute, my ankles, hooked over the end, were the only thing keeping us from sliding down. The closer that we got to the blades of the engine, the louder it became and the vibrations and turbulence shook the plane so much that I was having a hard time keeping my ankles hooked over the lip of the engine housing. 

I awoke just as my last foot lost its hold.

That dream was so real and even 20 years later, still so vivid in my mind! There are times that I love to dream and to recall every single detail of my dreams, this was NOT one of them!

I am NEVER eating a bunch of barbecue peanuts before bed again!!

As I said, ending on a happier note, my best dream, and most favourite, one that I really wish would be a recurring dream, but unfortunately isn't, is about, surprise, surprise, orca whales!

A baby orca whale had beached itself and I was part of a crew sent to help. I was standing knee deep in the ocean water and could see the leathery, rough skin of the orca, covered in tiny barnacles, seaweed and sand.

I reached out my hand to touch the orca and passed out.

Yup, I am such a fanatic about orca whales, that I actually dreamt that I passed out! Unfortunately, when I came to, I also woke up and that was the end of my dream.

I have tried over and over and over again to repeat that dream, to add more details, to remember more, but I have never even once come close.

You've probably noticed that I recalled far mor information and details about my nightmare than I did about my favourite dream. I'm really not sure why that is, as I would much rather remember as little as possible about the nightmare and far more about the good dream, but I'm sure it is probably like that for everyone. The dreams we really want to remember slip away as soon as we wake up and the ones that we don't, we can hardly forget, and the mor ewe try, the more we remember.

So, that's my best and worst. What are yours? As I mentioned in last weeks QOT...W, a long time ago, my mother gave me a book called "10,000 Dreams Interpreted." If you would like for me to try to help you figure out what your dream meant, drop me a line with basic details about your dream and I'll give it my best shot! Again, I stress, this is just for fun, I'm neither a psychic nor a medium and can only tell you what my book says. But sometimes it can be really interesting and often sheds a light on what our dreams may be trying to tell us.

Sweet dreams everyone, don't let the bedbugs bite!!

#QOTW, #QOTD, #Orcanut, #Dreams, #InterpretYourDreams #RememberingYourDreams, #FavouriteDream, #Nightmares, #WorstNightmare, #Psychic, #Medium, #UnderstandYourDreams, #Moms, #FearOfFlying, #AfraidToFly, #Airplanes, #ItWasJustADream, #AirplaneCrash, #Crash, #Passengers, #WeAreAllGoingToDie, #Explosions, #Engines, #Blades, #HeadFirst, #HeadFirstIntoPlaneEngine, #OrcaWhale, #BabyOrca #BeachedWhale, #Fainted

~ FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ JUNE 12, 2015 ~ ANY CLOSER AND THEY WOULD HAVE BITTEN YOU!! ~

FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ June 12, 2015 ~ ANY CLOSER AND THEY WOULD HAVE BITTEN YOU ~ I know I said that I would be posting about my best dream and worst nightmare today, but I already had this written up for this weeks post and figured that the dreams could wait ~ but just for a week, I promise!! 

On with this weeks FLASHBACK FRIDAY ~ I am not sure if I mentioned that my parents and nephew were visiting last week from Nova Scotia, but they left last Saturday morning. I missed them even as they drove out of the driveway!! The visits are never often nor long enough.

As is usually inevitable, something is always forgotten (unlike the wonderful purple slippers that my mom intentionally left behind for me). So I wasn't all that surprised when I noticed a bite guard in its container sitting on our bathroom counter.

I should mention that I recently got a bite guard of my own from the dentist. Because of my horrendous migraines and chronic pain, I am CONSTANTLY clenching my teeth. For some reason, I think it helps with my long-fought battle against the pain. It doesn't.  In fact, in all these years of clenching my teeth all day long and sometimes grinding them in my sleep, the only thing that has been accomplished, has been the weaken and loosening of my teeth.

Needless to say, I have become very dependant upon my bite guard, to the point that I jokingly call it my pacifier. And in fact, I just misplaced my bite guard last Friday (don't ask, I have no idea how one accidentally misplaces a bite guard ~ and no, the pun is not lost on me at the reference to "dentally" in the word "accidentally")! So I know how awful and desperate it is to go without it for a day, let alone the couple of days it would take to send to Nova Scotia.

I immediately sent a picture of the opened bite guard case and a text to my Mom and my nephew asking whose it was, so I would know where to mail it. (My parents live in one part of Nova Scotia and my nephew in another). My nephew replied to my text, saying that it didn't belong to him or to either of my parents.

I was baffled. If it wasn't theirs, whose could it be? I knew neither of my kids wore one. Then I remembered that my husband had recently been to the dentist, so I phoned him, asking if he had gotten a bite guard at his last appointment.

When I told him about finding the bite guard on the bathroom counter and it not belonging to anyone else, my husband laughed and said "Umm, sweetheart, it is your bite guard!" 

Until that moment, I had completely forgotten that I did in fact have a bite guard, purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart, that I had kept for emergencies. Somehow, over the course of the week, it must have gotten moved or placed in a different spot on the counter in the bathroom. I didn't notice it at all until I saw it on the bathroom counter, after my parents left.

I'm sure my parents and my nephew had quite the laugh when I had to text them back and claim ownership of the bite guard! They already know that my short-term-memory is awful due to the constant, chronic pain that I am in, but even I didn't think it was THAT bad!!

However, this wouldn't be much of a "flashback" post if I only talked about something that just happened last week. So, in keeping with the theme, I would like to point out that several years ago, I'm sure we laughed a whole lot harder and a whole lot longer when my mom misplaced her partial plate! 

For as long as I can remember, my mom has had a partial plate (two back molars, one on each side on the bottom of her mouth). We would often see them soaking in their solution on the bathroom counter or sometimes just in a glass of water on her bedside table.

Knowing how important my mom's partial plate is, when she "lost" it many years ago, we all scoured the house looking for it. Of course we looked in all the "obvious" places, the stand beside her bed, the bathroom counter, the floors in each of those rooms, the pockets of her bathrobe, etc. We didn't have any pets at the time, so that wasn't a concern, but we just couldn't find it anywhere!

A couple of hours later, when my mom finally discovered her partial plate, in of all places, HER MOUTH, I innocently said to her, "Geesh Mom, if they had been any closer, they would have bitten you!" I was just a little to young at the time to fully understand how funny (and accurate) my comment was, as I was simply repeating a phrase that I felt would fit in that situation.

Anyway, losing my precious bite guard last week reminded me of this event and I felt it a perfect "flashback" to share for this weeks post.

#Flashback, #FlashbackFriday, #MemoryLane, #Memories, #RememberWhen, #Orcanut, #Family, #FamilyVisits, #Parents, #NovaScotia, #LeftBehind, #PurpleSlippers, #BiteGuard, #Dentist, #Migraines, #ChronicPain, #ClenchingTeeth, #GrindingTeeth, #Pacifier, #Bathroom, #ShoppersDrugMart, #Laughing, #Funny, #PartialPlate, #TeethPulled, #WhatDidIWeForget, #WhatDoYouMeanItsMine, #IYouTheyForgotSomething, #AnyCloserAndItWouldHaveBittenYou

QOT...W ~ June 10, 2015 ~ I HAD A DREAM ~

QOT...W ~ June 10, 2015 ~ I HAD A DREAM ~ when my parents were visiting from Nova Scotia last week, they brought me a Buckwheat Hull pillow that they had purchased for me from The Cumberland Perfect Sleep Company, which is located in beautiful Joggins, Nova Scotia. The company practically guarantees a better nights sleep, reduced migraines and  snoring, and a much more comfortable sleep.

My Dad has one of these pillows and my Mom swears that he is waking up less through the night and more importantly, sawing far fewer cords of wood!!

Knowing that I have been suffering with severe chronic neck pain for over seven years and debilitating migraines for as long as even she can remember, my Mom felt that it would be worth it to at least TRY the pillow (and believe me, after more than 7 years of battling this horrible chronic pain, I would try ANYTHING to maybe take some of the pain away)!! ~ I would probably even grind up the roots of dandelion stems with the wings of 4 bumble bees, 7 rose petals, leaves from oak, maple and elm trees, oyster shells and cornflakes, roll it up in seaweed and smoke it if you told me it MIGHT help!!

I may have mentioned that I have been on a merry-go-round of insomnia for days and days on end, (seriously, I was awake for over 76 hours straight a few weeks ago) and then I would "crash" for a couple of days before the insomnia struck again. 

Unfortunately, despite the lack of sleep, me "crashing" consisted of only being able to stay asleep for a couple of hours at a time, if that, then I'd be awake for an hour or two, and crash again for a couple of hours. Lather, rinse, repeat.

To give you some idea, here is a glimpse of what a typical day looks like for me:

~ up at 7:00am to get my son off to school

~ depending on my level of pain, I may or may not lay down and try to rest for an hour or two after he leaves and/or for an hour or so before he comes home from school at 3:45pm

~ After school, I would get Matthew a snack, play, snuggle and watch tv or a movie, do a craft or watch Matthew on the 4 wheeler 

~ by the time my husband gets home from work around 5:30pm, I am usually so spent and worn out, (simply from battling the pain) that I go and crash, usually telling myself that I will only lay down for an hour or so.

* I really wish I was more like my Mom. She can tell herself that she is going to lay down for 20 minutes and like magic, she hops back up, refreshed and wide awake exactly 20 minutes later. I have never been able to do that, no matter how hard I tried!

~ The past several months, if not the past year, has seen me laying down around 5:30pm, crashing until 8:30-9:00pm, getting up to take my meds, and crashing again until midnight or 1:00am.

~ I would then make lunches for my husband and son (and daughter if she needed one), lay back down and toss and turn until it was time to get up at 7:00am and start all over again.

That seems to have been my consistent cycle for the past several months so I was very much looking forward to trying the buckwheat hull pillow!

That first night, last Tuesday, June 2nd, I laid down around 8:00pm and slept for the first time in longer than I can remember, until 4:00am ~ that's a normal, regular eight whole hours!!! Hubby wasn't even upset that he had to make his own lunch since I didn't wake up to make the lunches!

And not only that, but I dreamt!! I most certainly cannot remember the last time that I was able to sleep deeply enough to reach REM sleep, during which, as most people know, is when we dream.

For years now, if I do manage to get to sleep, I whimper, moan and groan and clench and grind my teeth in my sleep. An indication that even in my sleep I can't entirely escape the pain. I haven't been sleeping quite as well as I did that first night with the buckwheat hull pillow (and no fault of the pillow ~ I have just been experiencing an incredible and horrendous run of pain and migraines). HOWEVER. . .when I am able to sleep, I AM DREAMING AGAIN!!! 

And talk about vivid dreams!! I have always dreamt in colour and in great detail and I'm sure that the recent full moon is playing some part in the vivacity and clarity of my dreams lately.

I have always loved to dream, even keeping track of my dreams by jotting them down in barely legible handwriting while I'm still half asleep. My Mom even got me a book on interpreting dreams.

Which brings me to my QOT...W ~ DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS? ARE THEY IN COLOUR? DO YOU HAVE RECURRING DREAMS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE DREAM? WHAT IS YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE? 

I will start by answering my own questions. I have had several recurring dreams, going back to when I was really young. I have only for the past week been able to sleep deeply enough to dream and although I don't remember all of my dreams, I can usually remember most of them, if I have dreamt at all. Often though, like most people experience, the more awake I become, the quicker my dream fades from my memory. 

Did you know that you can train yourself to remember your dreams? It's not really all that hard, but it does take some work and you have to keep at it for the first little while until it becomes like second nature. The easiest way is to keep a notebook and pen on your bedside table along with a dim flashlight or lantern. Don't worry about your handwriting, just jot down as quickly as you can, whatever you can remember about your dream. Don't worry, if you have enough little details, the rest will usually fill in for you as you remember more and more about your dream.

As for my favourite and worst dreams, I've decided that I should save those for my FLASHBACK FRIDAY post, not only to have something to write about this week, but because once again, Ramblin' Rose has made an appearance and this post is quite long enough!

I am very much looking forward to hearing all about your dreams. And please, let me know if you would like for me to try to interpret your dream for you. I am neither a psychic nor a medium, and this is all for fun. Sometimes it just takes that one word or short explanation to make things fall into place and to perhaps have a better understanding of what our dreams may be trying to tell us.

SWEET DREAMS EVERYONE and God Bless!!

#QOTW, #QOTD, #Orcanut, #Dreams, #Parents, #Family, #Visiting, #BuckwheatHull, #Pillows, #BuckwheatHullPillows, #CumberlandPerfectSleepCompany, #JogginsNovaScotia, #GoodNightsSleep, #Migraines, #Snoring, #ChronicPain, #Insomnia, #LatherRinseRepeat, #InterpretYourDreams #DoYouRememberYourDreams, #FavouriteDream, #WorstNightmare, #Psychic, #Medium, #REMSleep #UnderstandingYourDreams, #DreamingInColour, #VividRealisticDreams, #RecurringDreams,