Five sounds I love
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Five Senses
Five sounds I love
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Dancing With the Stars
Okay, my prediction is that either Jane or Marie will go tonight. What do you think?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
BODY IMAGE

Body image doesn’t necessarily equate to objective measures of attractiveness or subjective opinions of others. For example, someone might see me as attractive but I might have a poor body image. I might see someone whom I consider extremely unattractive but they might have a good body image.
As I was going through the family photo albums in preparation for my Dad’s recent celebration of life, I found many photos of myself as a child, teenager, and young adult. Most of my life I didn’t give my body or face much thought but as I got older, I thought of myself

So, why then did I imagine myself to be plain and fat? Well, truth be told, I did gain weight a couple of times in my life. First, after my back surgery in ’86, we moved to Ottawa where we didn’t know anyone. It took about a year to completely heal but in the lonely meantime, I hibernated at home while the kids were at school and hubby was at work. Over time, the weight came on. Dear hubby never said one word about my weight gain – ever! And it did come off, finally. The second time I gained weight was after my husband died. Food became my comfort as I avoided people and any activities where I thought everyone would be staring at me and thinking "poor Leslie." For me depression, anxiety, and emotional stress were the root causes of my poor body image.
I found that I needed to develop a positive body image and a healthy mental attitude towards myself as a woman. I had to accept that I’d gained weight and for health reasons I needed to get it off. I didn’t like my teeth, so I got them fixed.
I must remind myself that I am attractive to some and not so attractive to others. I should only care about how someone sees my heart and soul. I surround myself with people who influence my body image with positive comments.
If only we could see ourselves as others see us. It could be a great motivator to either help us improve our character or relieve us of our insecurities.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Geri Halliwell It's Raining Men Live
I was starting to get a bit depressed from all rain we've had this year, so I decided to find some sort of rain music to cheer myself up. Hope you like this - if only it WOULD rain men! lol
I'm cooking comfort food tonight - homemade stew from my late Mom's recipe - complete with dumplings. It should do the trick. What do you all do when it rains so much?
Friday, October 19, 2007
EYE OF NEWT AND TOE OF FROG

Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I'd rather be in sunny Italy
This was the view from our hotel patio.



This is one of my travel mates, Peggy, as we approached Portovenere by boat.

That day was obviously laundry day. Everyone hangs their laundry out their windows in Italy.

Sunday, October 14, 2007
An Afternoon in Steveston Village
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=3919






Saturday, October 13, 2007
Photography - An Art Form
Then I came up with a great idea...photography. I've always loved taking photos, so last year I finally gave in and bought myself a new digital camers - a Samsung Digimax 7.1 mexapixels. It's a very good camera for a beginner like myself so after using it for a while in the classroom, on holidays, and with family and friends, I've decided to start taking things seriously.
Yesterday, on my daily walk around the neighbourhood, I started noticing trees - the shapes and sizes of the trunks and branches along with the colours and textures. Standing under some of the gigantic trees and looking upward, I felt as though I could climb them and reach all the way to the heavens.
An idea was born. To honour my parents who have just been reunited, I will work on a series of photos of trees, photographed from below looking upward. Eventually, I'd really like to design cards with my photos on them.
Of the almost 40 images I captured today, I hope you enjoy looking at a few. I don't know why the first one won't enlarge when clicked on, but the others do, so give it a try.







Thursday, October 11, 2007
CELEBRATION OF LIFE

As a young boy, Dad was always on the soccer field and won his first medal at the age of 11. He was a popular player throughout his youth, and the Vancouver Sun published many articles about his prowess on the field. He later went on to play for the St. Andrew’s Football Club, which won the Dominion Cup in 1947. The team was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1986. Dad never lost his passion for soccer and became a linesman and referee, and ultimately the Northern Commissioner for the sport in the 1960s.
Dad was also an active participant on the golf course and enjoyed many a round of ‘flog’. He remained active in golf even after his retirement and played with the BC Tel Pioneers. He and Mom enjoyed many years of travel across Canada and to places like Morocco, Greece, Britain, Hong Kong, Japan, and especially to Spain where they returned many times to visit good friends they made there.
Flowers from my church family and Dad's retirement scrapbook.
The Memory Table

Dad's RCAF medals and memorabilia plus wedding picture
Dad's soccer trophies, medals, and memorabilia
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Beginning of Fall Colour










Sunday, October 07, 2007
Sixty is Sexy






Jason and I with our sparkling cake
CELEBRATING THE SIXTIES



L to R: Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Leslie

Leslie with Sammy Davis, Jr.