Whose Cuter? Justin Beiber or Henry Francis

How to keep Henry Francis out of trouble while applying your makeup.

My Source's up - close shot of the Biebs in Toronto. (really, those pants...those underwear!!) Is this attractive?

Someone I know was at a pool/bar event thing in Toronto last week. She said there was a sudden commotion and people started flocking to one of the cabanas where Justin Beiber had just shown up. According to sources, he stayed 10 minutes, danced like a moron and apparently made a big mess of the cabana. And then later in the day on his Toronto visit he apparently spit over his hotel balcony while he fans gathered below. His rep claims he didn't spit "on" his fans. You can read more HERE.

If you read training manuals for puppies, they tell you to ignore the dog when he mis-behaves. Apparently a puppy hates to be ignored, and will correct his behavior in order to get attention. I was thinking how great it would have been if he showed up at this crowded venue and no-one paid him any attention. He's so disrespectful these days, I would love for people to just NOT care.....he would have to win back their attention by not being a brat.

The Ambassador for St. Petersburg.

the charm of old buildings...

Patio Table with old quilt for table cloth

Back of the yard, facing the front. I need to take the tags off my couch cushions

Looking from the new "pool area" to the old part of the garden

The old Mexican bench

The center garden after days of moving and planting

My new Florentine chest

Wrought iron Spanish wall sconce over the chest

Best steak and sweet potatoes ever....at Birchwood in St. Petersburg.

 

Paper Street Market on Central Avenue....my favourite haunt

A beautiful school

The Birchwood Inn downtown St. Pete.

Florida friends for dinner...wonderful people who make me feel at home

I should be a good will ambassador for St. Petersburg, Florida. I tell everyone it is Florid'a's best kept secret. I love the architecture, the layout of the city, the accessible waterfront, the Arts community, ancient gardens, the birds, wildlife, the grittyness of parts of it....the mom and pop shops and the overall vibrancy and friendliness of the City. 

We leave Florida tomorrow morning. I really drag myself away from our home and part time life here. I rfeel like me and St. Pete are a good fit. We meet so many people who welcome us into their lives and homes. We went to a wonderful  party at an incredible Old Floridian bungalow...I was in awe of the fabulous home of our host and her garden and pool. We had drinks with friends, breakfast at the beach, a visit to our friends new beach house, dinner at a fabulous new restaurant in town and many, many bike rides around the city along Coffee Pot Blvd downtown past massive old trees and quaint homes. I have gardened until my hands were too blistered to do any more. I've gotten great advice from a talented Floridian gardener who not only gave me advice but bucket loads of plants. We celebrated The Raz Man's birthday with neighbors and swam 10 times a day to get relief from the heat. We stayed up really late with neighbors singing old songs and making up new lines....(Try it with Ode to Billy Joe) And....because we always do when we are here....we had to call a plumber. This time, a clogged drain caused a back up that took 10 beach towels to soak up. And yes, we called Geronimo....our now on-staff plumber. 

Being away makes you appreciate home more though. I can't wait to see Frenchie, Hannah Kat, Henry Francis and Girl Child. And to catch up baby Emma's latest photos and my family in Montreal. I love to leave and I love to come back..to both places.

Frenchie, Henry Francis and Pumpkin

Because he's just so cute we like to pose him in odd places

Learning to sit Frenchie (French bulldog) Henry Francis on the left and Frenchie on the right. Can you see the drool as Frenchie waits for his cookie?

 

A visitor drops by

A quick snack and drink

And you know what's coming right?

Wonderfully busy at the moment. I spent a weekend in Montreal with Boy Child, DIL and the beautiful Emma. Emma is 3 1/2 months and has the sweetest disposition. She's a bit chatty now and her huge smiles melt me every time. The "kids" have settled well into parenthood and it is great to see them in the roles as new parents. Which they are doing fabulously. I think I was much more stressed as a new parent, while they seem at ease.

While they are marking the baby's milestones, Girl Child is "raising" the puppy and I feel sometimes the talk of the puppy and the baby overlap. The conversations could be interchanged...."is he/she being good?" "are you getting any sleep?" Did he/she sleep through the night" "I think he/she is teething".........having the puppy around is like having a crawling child. You have to move and pick up everything. Henry Francis particularly loves the cord to my computer and also chewing the leg of the table he is standing on in the first picture. 

We left Toronto yesterday in the middle of a heat wave and arrived to a much cooler Florida. The last time we were here we were visited by a pair of ducks. Within minutes of arriving, we were greeted by a single female. Not sure if this is the "original" duck who has lost her mate, or a new one. She sat with us and ate pita chips taken gently from my hand and then had a drink and a quick swim. I have a feeling she will be back. I couldn't help but think how much Emma would enjoy having a duck visitor when she comes for a visit. The duck has been nicknamed Pumpkin with my history of fostering and adopting animals, The Raz Man is not impressed.

The Evening Commute

The City was dark and eerie with none of the high rises lit up

Last night I drove Girl Child back to Toronto after she had spent the weekend with us in the burbs. We had heard that there had been a good bit of rain a little earlier. We were not deterred by this. We headed out and about 10 minutes into the journey became ensnarled in heavy traffic that was driving me to distraction. "what's the delay" I kept muttering. The guy in front of me in crawling traffic kept veering to the left so he could "SEE" what was up ahead." Can you see this buddy 5 miles ahead?"We had no idea that the equivalent of an entire month of rainfall had fallen on Toronto in one hour. 5 inches. An hour before we left this is what lay ahead. We could not turn back because the exits were closed. We persevered and luckily the highway flooding had cleared as we inched closer. It was an eerie drive through the city and highway as the power was out and all the high rises were in darkness. We wondered how Girl Child would make it to her apartment with the dog since she lives on the 49th floor. She was planing to walk the stairs with Henry Francis if necessary. Luckily a very small strip of buildings had power, including hers.  Several times on the way there, I muttered grumpily that she should have taken the train. Until I got home (in record speed since no one was coming out of the City) and saw this (below) on the news. I pictured little Henry Francis being carried by fire and rescue from the flooded train.

images www.windsorstar.com www.nbc.ca www.cbc.com

New in the shop

I've added fresh Sno of Sweden  inventory to the shop this week. I have so much fun photographing the pieces, adding a little flower here, a ribbon there......The designers continue to produce unique and beautiful pieces. All the jewelry is silver or 14k gold plated with real crystals, stones and pearls and the craftsmanship is fabulous. I love the Scandinavian influence. I always have to LOVE what I sell. To see the rest of the Sno of Sweden line in my shop click here Razmataz Market. Free shipping in Canada and USA.

Barbie Makeover

Photo source HERE

An artist has come up with a Barbie whose proportions match that of the average 19 year old woman. Since the original Barbie's proportions are physically impossible for any real woman to possess, it makes an interesting comparison. But isn't fantasy what we are after when playing with our Barbies? or do we need to feel more comfortable with her size? You can read the NY Daily News article HERE.

I think the new Barbie looks great. If only I had had this prototype as a child....I would have felt more comfortable with the size of my feet.

The Boss of US

Girl Child with her Henry Francis

I'm in charge....right?

I think I will jump and leap and pester this dog for 2 hours

Frenchie....escaping from Henry Francis

The puppy now has a pool for his "weekend getaways"

My Sweet Mamma....enjoying our wheelchair friendly garden

Weekends to us are all about family. Either travelling to visit them or having them here for Sunday dinner. And our family isn't complete without pets. Our newest family member Henry Francis the puppy was here for the weekend and completely rules the roost and continues to stop traffic with his cuteness. Frenchie wants NOTHING to do with him and so he was lucky when my sister brought her very patient Aussie girl Tabby over to visit. Tabby endured 2 hours of puppy leaping and mischief with grace and patience. Girl Child has gone back to the City and Henry Francis is spending the night with me. I shall return him tomorrow when I go to Toronto to get my hair done. Henry is fortunate enough to go to work with Girl Child. He spends his day in a private area of the salon in his puppy playpen, coming out frequently for breaks and love and kisses.

Having a new puppy around is wonderful. Much like having our new grandchild we wonder what we all talked about before they arrived.