Corners and Counters

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At first glance, it doesn't look like much has happened since last week, but it has.

We've got something to talk about.

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Most people who have struggled with mental illness, either themselves or a loved one, will talk about "the stigma," the sense of shame that keeps us from seeking help, finding support or compassion.

Suspending Judgment

From the Family Connections program developed by the
National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder.

As Stephen and I continue facilitating the Family Connections program here in Ottawa, we frequently comment that the skills we develop in this course really apply to all of our relationships, not just our connection to a loved one with with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Relationship mindfulness is one of those skills.

Oh, Interwebs!

This is called "unicorn dying" for men. Read more here.

Welcome to my periodic round-up of things I've found online that make me smile, cry, laugh, think, shout, or drop my jaw. 

Book Challenge: Meh

An Amy Poehler quote from her Smart Girls channel on YouTube. See more quotes here.

Amy Poehler is a very funny and wise woman. Unfortunately, I feel that her wit and wisdom are better suited to short segments than to the long form of an autobiography.

Crushing

A hug from my dad on my wedding day.

My dad. Oh, my, could that man hug! It's as if it were his calling: hug the shit out everyone you love. And he loved a lot of people, especially his daughters. And nieces. And daughters-in-law. And grandchildren.

Slow and Steady

Just a few of the boxes for our kitchen renovation.

Project managers love to trot out the "time-cost-quality" saying: You may choose to optimize only two in any project. If you want to improve the quality, you're going to have to increase time or cost or both. And if you want to reduce time, you're going to have to increase the cost.

Oh, Interwebs!

This is what happens when you phone in your cake order. It was supposed to say, "Bye, Evan."
See more laugh-out-loud cakey screw-ups at Cake Wrecks.

Welcome to my periodic round-up of things I've found online that make me smile, cry, laugh, think, shout, or drop my jaw. 

Walk the Dog

Oh, that pink tongue and the ice-covered whiskers!

I cannot believe that just a year ago, this beautiful wee beastie was scaring the crap out of me as he dragged and spun me all over the tarmac.

Delete

This Is A $30,000 Vibrating Musical Waterbed (With Mood Lighting!)
Read about it on The Frisky.

I suppose it was bound to happen, but it never occurred to me that I would want to delete a comment on one of my Pinterest pins. When I pinned this picture of a funky waterbed, it got a lot of repins, and then it got a bizarre comment: "That is so gay."

Kitchen Renovation: Phase I

Phase I: Before
The yellow post-it marks the cabinet that will not be used in the new kitchen.
The white notes indicate what is in each drawer.

Because this corner of the kitchen contains neither appliances nor water hook-ups, it is the logical place to start our renovation, as it will (conceivably, we hope) cause the least disruption.

Book Challenge: One Down

The first book I've completed for the 2015 Reading Challenge.

As others in our Facebook group have commented, the 2015 reading challenge is already giving us rewards. I, for one, have read a fantastic book that I certainly would not have read if it were not for this friendly bit of peer pressure/rivalry.

Wordless Wednesday: Ice Storm -- UPDATED

Japanese lilac

Sometimes a subject is so captivating that words are not needed. Updated with new pictures!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

The crowd of kitchen renovators at IKEA during the post-Christmas rush.

Today, after two false starts, we finally made it to Lee Valley Tools and IKEA to purchase some of the fixtures and all of the cabinets for kitchen renovation.

At Lee Valley, we picked up a fancy pull-out fixture that will make the best use of the one blind corner we will have in the kitchen.

Blind Corner Unit from Lee Valley

New York!

Central Park on a calm wintry day. 

What's that? I forgot to share my New York pics with you? Let's address that omission right now!

Oh, Interwebs!

In a place called Krasnoyarsk in Russia, a unique upside down house has been built for local residents and tourists. 

Welcome to my periodic round-up of things I've found online that make me smile, cry, laugh, think, shout, or drop my jaw. 

Count me in!

At my niece's invitation/inspiration, I've joined a reading challenge!

I've got a serious case of book-club envy. I belonged to one (even the word "belong" strikes envy into my lonely heart) for the final year that we lived in Colorado, so it's officially been four years that I've been a lonesome reader.