Tttthat's All Folks

That's all there is there ain't no more. Unless I meet my girlfriends once more.

Where Has the Good Thing Gone?

Robin and Deborah visited the Den 2-3 times and were no more. One got a new job and got busier. I am now working extra shifts with only one household income. The weekly gatherings have ceased and they are now of a more sporadic nature. I miss our weekly get-togethers. So glad I made a scrapbook of it's four years.

New Crafty Friends

FCW met at the Den 1 May 2011

We met new friends Deborah (handy woman, mother of two (ages 3 & 4) and painter) and Robin (mother of twins aged 13, health worker, scrapper, and five years out of England. Cheryl met Robin through Kijiji and her husband forwarded Deborah's freecycle ad looking for crafty friends. Jaime is off in ONtario continuing with her career and Natalie is working on her health. Our thoughts are still with them as we build new relationships.

FCW long weekend, year four, has been post-phoned because of our change in members. Will aim to have it in the fall of 2011.

FCW: the Continuing Saga

We are currently at the Tidelands having a Christmas visit. Jaime (me) has since moved to Cape Breton to follow her dream of being a kick ass librarian. However, this puts a dent in her FCW craft plans. Without the weekly craft meeting of women, my quilt has not been touched in three months. I really realized how much I missed FCW, the cameraderie, the talking and discussing, the celebrating and weekly encouragement for our daily lives. At least once a week, I know I would have a circle of friends who have never judged me or my thoughts or feelings. Don't get me wrong, it took a lot time to trust and to know each FCW in their own way. Women can be competitive, and crazy. But Cheryl and Natalie were neither. We all know of our little quirks but, in an odd way, we come together and know each other's patterns of thinking, the facets of our lives and how we support each other. I have missed those once a week meetings. It was a chance to share a meal with my bestest of friends as well as working on something creative. It was and is a night that one sets aside to quiet down (or talk), to try something new (recipe, craft, artwork, scrapbook). Lastly, I remember at Easter my uppity aunt making a non-related comment about some of the women in her age group and peer group in her small community. It was about how "pathetic their weekly scrapbooking days" were. I was not insulted or afronted. I actually felt so sorry for her. Because these women do not wear Ralph Lauren or care to talk about how much money they have or how locally famous they are, they had no value. All I did was think to myself about the past four years, the soreness of my belly from laughing, the deep discussions about lifeways and complicated women's choices and circumstances, the adventures, the crafts and the true loyalty, trust and compassion my crafting friends had given me. The biggest smile came a cross my face, I probably looked goofy. She is totally missing out....

2010 FCW Staycation

Agenda:

Collective Goal: design an FCW crest!!!

Friday 21 May 2010:
- 9:30am Cheryl picks up Natalie and tries to figure out how to pack two tables and more stuff in with all her scrappinggear.
- 10:30am Rendez Vous at the Grove
- 11:30am shopping:Value Village, Michael's Craft Store, Bulk Barn, Burger King
- crafting!
- 7pm supper: Natalie prepares Chinese food for supper (yummy!) with help :) General Chow's chicken and avacado rolls
- 8:30pm-1:30am Jaime helps celebrate her friend's 30th birthday at the Seahorse
- Natalie and Cheryl craft and relax and take in a movie, The Vampire's Assistant
- ended at 1:30am

Saturday 22 May 2010
began at 9ish
breakfast: eggs and coffee
11:30am shopping: Farmer's Market, lunch at Cheelin's :) mmm, noodles...
- walk on the boardwalk, shopping at Cows (raspberry cordial float for natalie and Moovatar t-shirt for Cheryl), Little Mysteries
-crafting
- trip to Zellers for anti-itch cream
- supper: dairy-free scallop potatoes,asparagus,and chicken wings at 8pm ish
- movie: Sarah
- ended at 1:30am ish

Sunday 23 May 2010
- began at 9ish
- breakfast: fresh bread, eggs, and sausage brunch
- crafting
- second trip to Micheals for Cheryl to get stamp storage container and ribbon storage container, both at 40% off
- supper: creamy and savory chicken pot pie (Jaime)
- movies: Descent and Underworld - the stuff of nightmares
- ended at 2am

Monday 24 May 2010
- began at 9ish
- breakfast: fresh bread, sausage, eggs, and coffee
- crafting all day
- snacks and munchies such as guacamole and multi-grain tortillas
- pack up at 4pm and said goodbyes at 4:40pm, until Sunday's regular meeting

Menu:
GeneralChow's chicken and avacado egg rolls (N)
(J)
dairy-free scallop potatoes and chicken wings(C)
chicken pot pie (J)
bread (J)
eggs and bacon
humus and multi grain tortillas (J)
guacamole (C)
potato chips (N)
popcorn


Drinks:

honeymead

Projects:

Jaime: Enterprise NCC 1701 model, again ;)
Cheryl: Kenzie's scrapbook, still... and Cheryl's 40th birthday album
Natalie: writing, computer research/reading

Movies (girl porn) and Music:

Sahara
Underworld
Descent
Wind
The Vampire's Assistant

Best Value Village Score: $4.99 toaster oven
Worst spoken aloud phrase: I guess I can wear a shirt like that too
Food for thought: You spend a lot of energy trying to make other people happy

Where to Go for Dinner (Internet Joke)

A group of 40 year old girlfriends discussed where they should meet for
dinner. Finally, it was agreed upon that they should meet at the Ocean
View restaurant because the waiters there had tight pants and nice buns.

10 years later at 50 years of age, the group once again discussed where
they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet
at the Ocean View restaurant because the food there was very good and
the wine selection was good also.

10 years later at 60 years of age, the group once again discussed where
they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet
at the Ocean View restaurant because they could eat there in peace and
quiet and the restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean.

10 years later, at 70 years of age, the group once again discussed where
they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet
at the Ocean View restaurant because the restaurant was wheel chair
accessible and they even had an elevator.



10 years later, at 80 years of age, the group once again discussed where
they should meet for dinner. Finally it was agreed that they should meet
at the Ocean View restaurant because they had never been there before.

Why Women SHould Have Affairs (online email)

The Black Bra

I had lunch with 2 of my unmarried friends.

One is engaged, one is a mistress, and I have been married for 20+ years.

We were chatting about our relationships and decided to amaze our men by greeting them at the door wearing a black bra, stiletto heels and a mask over our eyes. We agreed to meet in a few days to exchange notes.

Here's how it all went.

My engaged friend:
The other night when my boyfriend came over he found me with a black leather bodice, tall stilettos and a mask. He saw me and said, 'You are the woman of my dreams..
I love you...' Then we made passionate love all night long.

The mistress:
Me too! The other night I met my lover at his office and I was wearing a raincoat, under it only the black bra, heels and mask over my eyes. When I opened the raincoat he didn't say a word, but he started to tremble and we had wild sex all night.

Then I had to share my story:
When my husband came home I was wearing the black bra, black stockings, stilettos and a mask over my eyes. When he came in the door and saw me he said, "What's for dinner, Batman?"

Our Bucket Lists

Jaime:

- Scotland (4 weeks)
- Beltane
- Masquarade
- See Northern Lights
- Outback horse trip (Anaziai ruin)
- Over night canoe trip at Keji
- Tidal bore rafting
- Earn piloting license
- See the opera - La Scala
- Have a romance
- Sew Star Trek uniform
- Learn to figure skate

Natalie:

- Masquarade
- Visit Alaska
- Bike across Canada
- Scotland/Edinborough
- Master's degree in Wales
- wolf howl
- Tidal bore rafting
- outback horsetrip (Anazazi ruins)
- overnight canoe trip at Keji
- - Mardi gras/carnival
- Dance classes

Cheryl:

- outback trip (Anazazi Ruins)
- Overnight canoe trip at Keji
- Tidal Bore rafting
- get a meaningul tatto (monthly flowers for girls and butterfly/wisdom symbol)
- Visit Greece/Italy
- Ride a motocycle with a significant someone
- Go skinning dipping
- Have voice lessons
- Knit a real sweater
- Publish poems stories
- Be True to myself

For bonus points, guess where each idea originated. lol

Women verses Men email

WOMEN'S REVENGE
'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked.
'No,' she replied, 'but my husband refused to come shopping with me,
and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.'

------------------------------------------
UNDERSTANDING WOMEN
(A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)
I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.

-------------------------------------------
CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS
A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles.
The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampon s for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.
A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.
She says, confused, 'Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?
He answers, 'You see, it's like this, yesterday, I sent my wife to the store
to get me a carton of cigarettes, and she came back with a tin of tobacco
and some rolling papers; cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper.
So, I figure if I have to roll my own ......... so does she.
(I figure this guy is the one on the milk carton!)

------------------------------------------
WIFE VS. HUSBAND
A couple drove down a country road for several miles,

not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and
neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,
the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?'
'Yep,' the wife replied, 'in-laws.'

-------------------------------------------
WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day.
30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, 'The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men...
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, 'What?'

-------------------------------------------
CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, 'I don't know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
'The wife responded, 'Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

------------------------------------------
WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, 'You should do it because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee.
The husband said, 'You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.'
Wife replies, 'No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee.'
Husband replies, 'I can't believe that, show me.'
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says . 'HEBREWS'

-------------------------------------------------
The Silent Treatment
A man and his wife were having some problems at home
and were giving each other the silent treatment.
Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him
at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,
'Please wake me at 5:00 AM.' He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him,
when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said , 'It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.'
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

----------------------------------------------
God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece

2009 May FCW weekend

Friday 15 May 2009
began at 10ish am
roast chicken dinner (rain cancelled picnic idea)
shopping at Michael's Craft Store , Value Village, Dollarama, Future Shop
crafting
ended at 12:30am

Saturday 16 May 2009
began at 9:30am
Farmer's Market
Mountain Co-op
Little Mysteries
Venus Envy
back home to get more of Cheryl's photos and Nat's gift cards
crafting
beans, weiners, and foccacia bread
ended at 1:20am

Sunday 17 May 2009
began at 11am
eggs and bacon brunch
Michael's Craft Store for 50% off cupon use
Bulk Barn for snacks
Future Shop (Nat only)
crafting
dairy-free lasagna
ended at 12:45am

Monday 18 May 2009
began, for some, at 8:30am
homefries and eggs, yum, and coffee
crafting all day except a nap for someone (hope she doesn't get the cold the rest
of us had)
snacks and munchies all day
packed up at 4pm and said goodbyes at 4:30ish, until Thursday's regular meeting

Menu:
dairy-free lasagna (J)
salad (C)
baked beans (C) and foccacia (sp?)
picnic lunch: potato salad and chicken (N)
eggs and bacon
humus and multi grain tortillas (J)
guacamole (C)
potato chips (N)
popcorn
bread in the bread maker

Projects:

Jaime: Enterprise NCC 1701 model - on the detail painting by the end
Cheryl: Kenzie's scrapbook and denim raggedy quilt - completed 50 pages
Natalie: glass painting and computer research/reading

Movies and Music:

Chris Deburgh dvd's
Forever Night
Buffy - Again with Feeling
Star Trek OS - Mud's Women, Amok in Time
revisit the 80's:
Magnum - library hold arrived late
McGyver - library hold arrived late
Night Rider - library hold arrived late
Simon and Simon
Miami Vice - better than we remembered
Rip Tide - funny!

California Girls by Gretchen Wilson

Well I ain't never had a problem with California
There's a lot of good women, from Sacramento to Corona
But them Hollywood types, after a while wear on ya
Strutin' around in their size zeros,
Skinny little girls no meat on their bones
Never even heard of George Jones

CHORUS
Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls
Ain't you glad there's still a few of us left, who know how to rock your world
Ain't afraid to eat fried chicken and dirty dance to Merle
Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls

There ain't nothing wrong with plastic surgery
Well, Dolly Parton never looked so good to me
Everybody oughta be exactly who they want to be
But that Paris Hilton gets under my skin
With her big fake smile and her painted on tan
Never had a chance at a real man

(chorus X2)

[Thanks to, KeithUrban for lyrics]

A POEM ABOUT OUR GIRLFRIENDS

Someone will always be prettier.
Someone will always be smarter.
Some of their houses will be bigger.
Some will drive a better car.
Their children will do better in school.
And their husband will fix more things around the house.
So let it go, and love you and your circumstances.
Think about it!
The prettiest woman in the world can have hell in her heart.
And the most highly favored
woman on your job may be unable to have children.
And the richest woman you know,
she's got the car, the house, the clothes~~~~
might be lonely.
And the word says, 'If I have not Love, I am nothing.'
So, again, love you.
Love who you are.
Look in the mirror in the morning and smile and say,
'I am too Blessed to be Stressed and too Anointed, to be Disappointed!'
'Winners make things happen~ ~
Losers let things happen.'
Be 'Blessed' Ladies~~~~~
and pass this on to encourage another woman.
'To the world you might be one person,
but to the one person you just sent this to,
it could mean so much.'

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS (from the internet)

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can; and quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. And lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO!! What a ride!"


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Desired Future Trip Locations

May 2009 likely to be another in-cation at the Grove. A break from reality without the cost.

Cape Breton: highlands, Louisburg

Yarmouth: the bed and breakfast with stories by the fire in the evening (where was that?)

Frenchy's Run down the NS southshore

camping trip, wineries and craft shops tour

Oak Island Resort (Murder mystery weekend; $100/night for two double beds)

Our Beginnings

Apon the realisation that time spent on projects and time with friends didn't happen unless a set time was made, the FCW was formed. Originally it began as scrapbooking night but bring whatever you are working on. We are not certain when we began meeting but our rough beginnings were about 2006. We are not an exclusive group; we are just seeking time to recharge, vent, and get some time for ourselves to help us take on the following week. It wasn't intended as a girls only "club", it just turned out that way. "Big hairy (single male heterosexual) Scotsmen" are more than welcome, and anyone else who maybe interested in our activities.