Ornament Swap 2010: My Bounty!

This year is the first year I will have an official Christmas tree in our house and I thought what better way to adorn it than with an ornament from Micaela's Ornament Swap 2010! I was lucky enough to be paired up with a wonderful swap partner, Erin, who is a fellow Canuck [she's out west in the beautiful land of British Columbia] and has such a fantastic blog!

Yesterday, I received a wonderful package from Erin containing the cutest, most adorable little additions for my soon-to-be Christmas tree! I can't begin to thank her enough for her thoughtfulness [she read I loved elephants in a comment I made on Micaela's blog!] and originality [they were handpicked from an Etsy artist: MaiseyHandmade.]

love the twine and teeny tag.

I can't wait to put these guys up on our tree when we finally get it! Thank you so much, Erin! I hope you receive your ornament soon, if you haven't already! Canada Post promised me it would get to you safe and sound this week!

how perfect are they?

erin knows soft ornaments are best with a toddler exploring everything!

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It's beginning to feel a lot like...

blank canvas: rockefeller center circa 2006

I know it's still only November, but I'm already getting giddy thinking about the holiday season. This year, I will finally have my very own Christmas tree! Growing up in a Hindu family, we didn't celebrate Christmas [though we took advantage of the Boxing Day sales!], and I did exchange gifts with friends and spent a lot of time at my cousin's place, whose house was always festive and traditional.

E grew up celebrating Christmas, and though we both don't like the commercial aspect of the holiday, we are excited to begin our own family traditions and continue those he shared with his family.

To jumpstart my ornament shopping, I joined the lovely Micaela's Ornament Swap! I was paired up with a fellow Canuck, Erin and after perusing her fantastic blog, I set out today in search of the perfect adornment for her tree. As I was walking along Queen St West in downtown Toronto I stumbled upon a fabulously ornate store called Ten Thousand Villages.

From their website:

"Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit Fair Trade Organization (FTO). FTOs are non-governmental organizations designed to benefit artisans, not to maximize profits. They market products from handicraft and agricultural organizations based in low-income countries, providing consumers with products that have been fairly purchased from sustainable sources."

I only had about 20 minutes before my parking meter ran out, so I had to move fast. [I have bad luck with trying to outrun meter-maids...] TTV had so many gorgeous ornaments decorating their faux trees that it was hard to narrow down my choices, but in those 20 minutes I managed to collect about 20 beautiful, handmade embellishments that would be perfect on almost any evergreen.

I can't share my wares just yet because I want Erin to be surprised when she receives her swap package, but as soon as my tree is up and decorated, I will be sure to post it here.

Do you celebrate Christmas? What are your holiday traditions? Have you started any of your own?

one of the ornaments i had to pass up...though i may go back for him b/c he's utterly adorable!

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This Moment...

Inspired by Amanda Soule - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

[From the week before, but a moment captured nonetheless.]

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It's a Photoswap!

I finally had Leslie's photos processed at my local Shoppers Drug Mart and let me say, they are fantastic! She used a *real* camera as opposed to a disposable like me. Here's a smattering of her photos and a link to the rest:


Rhianne, thank you so much for organizing such a fun project! Can't wait to see everyone's photos. If you're interested in the rest of the Photoswap 2010 submissions, which are rolling in, check them out in the flickr group!

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Photoswap 2010 results are in!

Well, half of them are because um, my half is still unprocessed in my purse. I promised myself I would get them done before the weekend so I better get on it!

My partner, Leslie of 17 west lane, posted a few of the photos I took with the disposable camera I picked up at CVS on our last trip to NYC. It was a Kodak PowerFlash that wasn't as easy as a *point-n-shoot.* The lack of zoom and LCD screen, and not being able to review any shots once they were taken made it difficult to get used to.

Waiting for photos to be developed is so 1990's! But the anticipation of what will be revealed once I do develop the film Leslie sent is pretty exciting! And seeing my photos on her blog was neat because I really had no idea how any of them would turn out.

Here are the 3 she posted. I promise to post hers soon!

^woman reading by a *stream* that is actually dirty water between box stores in my 'hood.

^leaving my beloved Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge.

^another shot from my stomping ground in Toronto.

Click here to see the rest of Leslie's set. I'm a bit dismayed that there is a weird orange streak on some of the photos and that the flash inadvertently went off when I didn't want it to. It's all a learning experience, right?

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It's a Photo Swap!

I recently joined Rhianne's [from For the easily distracted...] second annual photo swap. This is my first foray into the world of online swaps, though I've been intrigued for sometime now, especially reading about all the wonderful swaps Faiza is a part of.

I chose this swap as my first because of its simple rules:

"Each photoswapper either takes a roll of film
or buys a disposable camera

it has to be something that you develop
and they take photos just for their swap partner,
then send the cameras/films to each other
and develop the other persons photos.
(and posts them on their blogs for everyone to see of course)"

I've been dying to break out a roll of film [such an odd commodity in this digital age] for awhile now, but haven't had a reason to delve into the unknown. I was worried that I would *waste* the film on photos that wouldn't be any good. But now I have to get over that! I actually have the camera that my parents used to take all my baby photos in my possession, so I think I may use it for this project.

My partner is Leslie, who has already written me a great email and has a fantastic blog! We have so much in common and I'm excited to see what she has in store for me.

The deadline for the swap is August 6. I'll post Leslie's photos as soon as I develop them!

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A Picture's Worth...

Tez dubbed this a *time waster*, and though I stayed up past my bedtime doing it, the outcome was worth it!

Go to Google image search.

- Type in your answer to each question.

- Choose a picture from the first page.

- Use this website to make your collage.

- Save the image for use in this note.

- Tag the people whose mosaics you want to see. [I want to see everyone's!]

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favourite food?

3. What is the name of your hometown?

4. What is your favourite colour?

5. What is your favourite movie?

6. What is your favourite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favourite dessert?
9. What word describes you?
10. How do you feel right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to do with your life? (or be when you grow up)?

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My turn! My turn!

[I hope no one minds I *fixed* the grammar on this adorable pic! I know Tez appreciates it!]

The lovely Faiza tagged me in a fun game of blog-tag. Sitting in the heat of NYC while Indio naps, I thought I'd play along before he gets up.

Step i: She was tagged by Joanna here.
Step ii: Faiza tagged me here.
Step iii: Faiza asked me 5 questions, which I answered below. I have tagged a few more bloggers and asked them 5 *new* questions! I hope they all play...
Step iv: If you get tagged, you:
a) Answer my 5 questions to you on your blog in the form of a post.b) Ask 5 questions of your own.
c) Tag some people. No minimum. No maximum. Just tag.
d) Come back and use the LinkyTool below to link to your blog once you've tagged someone else so I can see what you wrote.

Faiza's questions to me:
1. What is your favorite topping on toast?All time favourite, though I don't indulge in it often anymore because we rarely have butter in our house is toasted rye bread with butter and strawberry jam...mmmm...

^via

2. What is your favorite quote from someone else?
I have so many *favourite* quotes, but lately, this one has been at the top of the list because it applies to so many people in my life:

"You are so much sunshine to the square inch!" [Walt Whitman]

3. You are about to throw a penny into a wishing well...what do you wish for?
I can't tell you because then it wouldn't come true.

4. Tell me what your favorite song is and why.
Lately, my favourite is anything off of Sade's newest album, Soldier of Love because anything by Sade rocks.

5. What three things are you grateful for today?
Only 3??? Ok, fine. 1) My family, 2) Being in NYC for a weekend with old friends, 3) Air conditioning because NYC is much hotter and more humid than Toronto!

I'm hoping the ladies listed here will join in the fun: Paula, Lauren, Cathy. Please comment below with a link to your answers! Here are my questions for you:

i: What are you looking forward to this summer?
ii: What's your all-time favourite summer recipe?
iii: What was your best vacation and why?
iv: Who do you call [on the phone] the most?
v: What is the most recent book you read? Did you enjoy it?

Stay cool today!

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3rd of May

I was tagged by Faiza awhile back and finally sat down to fill in this little questionnaire. My responses aren't nearly as creative as hers, but it's late and I need to get to bed!

3 names I go by:

• Sheb
• Mama
• Hun

3 jobs I've had:

• Cashier at Price Chopper - eight years that formed my high expectations of customer service everywhere!
• Admitting Clerk at a mental hospital - Yes, I worked there!
• Camp Counselor of 24 preschoolers and 8 teenaged co-counselors. The teenagers were more work than the tots.

3 places I've lived:

• Brooklyn will always own a piece of my heart.
• T-Dot aka Toronto, my current home and the perfect mesh of suburbs and city
• an 11'x17' room labeled an *apartment* in a prewar building on a gingko-lined street

3 favourite drinks:

• red wine - I'm just beginning to find some tried and true favourites, but I'm open to any kind
• coffee to help me wake up after a long night of drinking red wine
• water to flush out the wine and coffee

3 TV shows I watch:

• The Office
• Glee
• United States of Tara

3 places I've been:

• Taj Mahal
• The Coliseum
• The Jersey Shore, but it wasn't anything like The Jersey Shore!

3 places I'd like to visit:

• Spain
• Cabo San Lucas
• Anywhere with E

3 favourite old TV shows:

• Who's the Boss?
• Diff'rent Strokes
• Facts of Life

3 favourite dishes:

• chirashi
• gaucamole
• Haagen-Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream

3 things I'm looking forward to:

• summer vacation
• our next family trip
• sleeping in freshly washed sheets once I put them on the bed
  

3 make-up products I cannot live without:

• lip balm...I have so many brands and flavours I couldn't pick just one
• concealer to hide my awful undereye circles
• moisturizer - face and body

3 superpowers I wish I had:

• teleportation so I can work in Brooklyn and live in Toronto
• ability to stop time
• ability to eat whatever I want and not have to exercise...ever

3 places I love to shop:

• Any shoe store
• Amazon.com
• Target

3 pets I've had and their names:

• I've only had one and his name is Cassius

3 bands I'd want to see on a festival line-up:

• Maxwell
• Bob Marley
• Sade

3 favourite comfort foods:

• macaroni & cheese
• cheeseburger & sweet potato fries
• chocolate chip cookies

3 songs currently on rotation:

• Airplanes by Hailey Williams ft Eminem
• The Gargoyle audio book by Andrew Davidson
• The Marvelous Toy on the Peter, Paul and Mommy cd

^via

3 people I'm tagging:

• Lauren at Letters, She Wrote
• Tez at Perspective
• Paula at Keep On S'myelin

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Fit 4 Life NYC goes live!

I'm giddy with excitement to announce that my wonderful husband, Emil has launched his very new, very shiny, completely fabulous Fit 4 Life NYC website! And what better day to celebrate this than on his birthday? [Happy birthday, my love!]

Just a few years ago, Fit 4 Life NYC was a dream for Emil. He was working a regular 9-5 job but was dismayed by the lack of physical activity and healthy eating not only in the lives of NYC's adults, but also its children. He tried to develop programs within the organizations he worked in to promote healthy living for the children they served. He began email newsletters for his coworkers to help them get a hold of their fitness and nutrition. But he wanted to do more.

That's when Fit 4 Life NYC was born. It began as a program in East New York, Brooklyn for children who weren't receiving any sort of physical activity at school. A few hours every Saturday, Emil and a group of volunteers he had recruited, went out to East New York to mentor these children. Half the time was spent doing fun fitness games and exercises while the other half was used to educate the children and adults on tasty, healthy snacks. It was an act of love on the part of Emil and the volunteers. There was no funding.

Emil's passion for healthy living was quickly transferred to the adults in his life. People wanted to know what they could do to become healthier, lose weight, gain confidence...the list was endless. Emil began training a few friends and eventually began his Boot Camp and SlimDown classes. The success stories of the participants are so motivating...they are what kept me going to classes, even when I was pregnant and oh-so-tired.

Emil and his team have been working around the clock for the last couple of months tweaking every aspect of the site so that it reflects the core values of F4L, which embody balancing a healthy lifestyle into our already busy lives.
He expanded the Fit 4 Life Kids pages with more information on how to get the F4LKids program in your school. [He currently serves several New York City schools with a variety of fitness programs for grades K-9.]

I'm so proud of everything Emil has done. His determination to change the course of our population from becoming bigger and more unhealthy is inspiring enough to make people want to change. We deserve to live long, healthy lives. And Fit 4 Life NYC has the tools to help us do just that!

Check out Emil's blog and Facebook Fan Page: NYC and Kids.

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Perpetual Bounce turns 1!

Can you believe it's been a year since I started this blog? I can't. When I started I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go; did I want a *mommy blog* or a *photo blog*? Maybe a *food blog*? [restaurants, not cooking!] By the looks of it, I think it's a bit of everything; more a chronicle of the world around me.

^via rob j brooks

For the past 365 days I've struggled with writing all the blog posts I come up with in my head. I have countless photos stored in iPhoto that were taken with the intention of blogging about them, but they just sit there. Once the moment has passed, it seems funny to go back and write about something that was so *in the moment*. I have a bunch of drafts in Blogger that have yet to be finished and published. I fret when writing each entry because I want it to be *perfect*, which often leads to it not being published at all.

For the next year, I am going to make a concerted effort to blog more consistently and to finish what I start, and to be more free and less self-conscious. Oh, and I might actually start telling people I know that this blog actually exists.

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Always, Sometimes, Never

I'm always on the lookout for fabulous blogs and stumbled across The Madness of Mundanity through other blogs I read. Laura's blog is fairly new, but she has some fantastic photos and does a product review every month. This month she is having an amazing giveaway that includes a Lomolito disposable camera and Haribo gummies. As part of her giveaway, she has asked readers to complete the following:
So here goes...

I always...use moisturizer and eye cream after I shower...stay up later than I should...have my camera with me...eat a piece of chocolate [or three] a day.
I sometimes...wear mascara...can be snarky [without intending to]...attempt to cook.
I never...am without lip gloss...go to bed without kissing my baby or hubby goodnight.

If you want to enter just click the image above. Good luck!

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100th Post: a reflection

Lately, I've been feeling the *winter blahs* and have absolutely no motivation to do things I really should be doing. [Why put away laundry when you're just going to wear it again?] I've spent a lot of time worrying about things that I really have no control over, but when I sit down and think about all that's surrounding me, I realize there is so much good stuff to be grateful for. So, in honour of my 100th post, I decided to write an entry of *gratitude*. I have to credit Faiza's blog for inspiring me to write this post, especially the quote she posted recently:

"Your outlook on life is a direct reflection on how much you like yourself."

This is the short list. I know I'm leaving out a lot, but these are the things that are getting me through my day lately:

1. My boys. E, Indio, and even Cassius. No matter how sucky my day has been, these three have the power to make me forget it all.
2. My girls. There are a select few women in my life who I speak to regularly, though that that could mean everyday or once a month. This week alone, I've separately shared stories over Super Bowl snacks, sushi, noodles, and poutine, and also had the pleasure of catching up with a another girlfriend on the phone last night.
3. My family. One of the biggest reasons we moved to Toronto was to be closer to my parents and brother. I can't put in words how lucky we are to be near them. My parents spoil us with delicious home-cooked food and they offer to have Indio over for slumber parties almost every weekend. It makes my heart smile when I watch Indio with his grandparents. I didn't fully realize the amazing support an extended family gives until I was the recipient.
4. The Blogosphere. I'm probably following too many blogs, but there are so many creative people out there that give me the push to get my butt moving on stuff like organizing my house, cooking dinner, or writing a letter to my grandmother. And then there are the *fluff* blogs too that just showcase pretty pictures or silly quotes. I love it all.
5. Me time. This week, E has been out of town. It's been hard, but it has also given me time to do things I never make time for like trying to complete Indy's first Blurb book before he becomes a teenager or reading for more than 5 minutes before bed or getting my Ellen and Oprah fix.
6. Winter. Yes, I know I started this post saying I had the *winter blahs*, but that has more to do with the lack of sunshine and warmth. Luckily, Toronto hasn't been hit with any huge snowstorms this year and it really hasn't been as cold as it has in the past. I'm thankful that we haven't had to dig ourselves out from mounds of snow...yet.
7. Tea. I drink a cup of tea almost daily. It is such a ritual in our family that my day seems incomplete if it doesn't end with a warm mug of Tetley or maybe a fancier loose-leaf chai.
8. Snail mail. I know I've talked about snail mail a lot lately [here, here, here, and here are just a few entries], but that's because it's a surefire way to bring a smile to my face. Writing a letter by hand is so very different than typing an email. There's something about it that makes me feel more *connected* to the one I'm writing to.

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Giveaway Numero Uno

No no, not mine! Bianca of Goodnight Little Spoon is having a giveaway now that she has a 100 followers! Click the link below and enter by February 14:

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Outgoing

Finally! I sat down to tackle my list of mail I've been meaning to send and though I didn't get through it all I did post 3 birthday cards, 3 thanks yous [one tucked into a birthday card], and two postcards...all in all, a productive day.

[I love the turquoise envelopes! The postcards are my *you go girl* photo. The centre envelope is made from a magazine Coach ad.]

[Back of the birthday mailings...I love these Dollarama stickers, except that I have to glue them down so they'll stick!]

[Close up of a glittery sticker.]

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The Pink Orange

I have been following this wonderful blog, ella minnow pea, for sometime now because I love Rebecca's aesthetic and taste in everything from stationery to home decor stuff. She posts a lot of it in her "friday finds."

Well, how excited was I when she posted her own stationery company, The Pink Orange? I knew her stuff would be fabulous, just from reading her blog and seeing her own tastes [I have intuition like that...I don't even have to know you!], so I was excited when she offered her new holiday cards on sale a few weeks back. I hadn't planned on sending cards out this year because of all the *save the trees/do people really care about holiday cards?/send a real letter* thoughts I've been having recently, but I couldn't wait to get my 6 little Ellie bird cards in the mail!

Photo from Oh So Beautiful Paper

And fabulous they were! The card itself is an amazing heavy-weight stock that my pen just glided across. The letterpress was so beautiful that you just want to keep running your fingers over it. It was hard deciding who would receive the cards, but I have only one card left, and I think I'm going to give it to E or Indio for Christmas just so I can save it!

Check out Rebecca's store and blog...I bet you'll find something you love!

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