Share Your World – Week 32

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..more great questions from Cee at Share Your World

Do you prefer ketchup or mustard?

I like both but over the years I’ve grown to like mustard more than I did as a child. Now I prefer mustard on my meats and ketchup on my eggs, fries, grilled cheese and mac and cheese.

If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?

This is a tough question. It certainly wouldn’t be an action or science fiction film. It would have to be a combination of the first three genres. The romantic comedy would be my teenage years and my relationship with my husband. The comedy portion would include the years raising my children and my years teaching children. Finally the drama would occur when dealing with the deaths of parents, friends and colleagues and the break-ups and disappointments suffered by our children and the divorces of friends and family. Luckily there is more comedy than drama in my life.

If you could be given any gift what would it be?

The gifts I would most cherish would be peace of mind and happiness.

For potlucks or parties do you cook it yourself, buy from a grocery store, or pay for catering?

This depends on the day and the time of year. If the party is on a week night and I’m working I will purchase something special from a deli or take away from a restaurant. I will cook something myself if the party is on the weekend or in the summer when I’m not working.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful for time together with my daughters and their significant others. G and her husband had dinner with us last Friday and A and her partner came by the house on Saturday and helped us clean out the garage. Cleaning the garage and taking everything to the city transfer station was a huge job and I can’t thank J and her family enough for all their hard work.

Later on Saturday G and I drove up to the cottage together and spent a couple of days enjoying each other’s company and the fantastic weather. I’m also grateful to D at the cottage for helping me dig a new outhouse hole.

This week I’m looking forward to visiting my aunt again, helping my friend A organize her basement and garage some more and seeing my friends G and L. I’m also looking forward to working on more art projects from my on-line summer camp.

It’s also our 39th wedding anniversary this Saturday and I’m looking forward to anything that my husband and I will do to celebrate.

Share Your World – Week 29

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….as with everything related to my blog lately I’m posting later than I normally do

Have you ever been in a submarine? If you haven’t, would you want to?

No I’ve never been in a submarine. I might try it for a very short period of time, like an hour. Anything longer and I think I might become claustrophobic. The idea of being trapped in an enclosed space under water is a bit nerve racking.

Are you a listener or talker?

I think I have a good balance between talking and listening. Over the years, especially after taking my guidance course I’ve become a better listener. My husband on the other hand thinks I’m more of a talker. I do like to keep a conversation going and feel uncomfortable when all talking ceases in group situations.

Do you prefer crunchy peanut butter or smooth peanut butter? Anything with your peanut butter?

I prefer crunchy peanut butter but my husband likes smooth and because he eats more of it than I do we tend to buy the smooth variety.

Have you ever been drunk?

Unfortunately I have but it was a long time ago during my first year at university. After that first year the novelty of drinking to excess quickly wore off and I drank more responsibly. Today we enjoy the occasional glass of wine with and after dinner and I really don’t like how I feel the next day if I’ve had too much to drink. I also find I get too emotional if I’ve had more to drink than I normally do.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for six wonderful days at the cottage last week. I’m also grateful that the mice haven’t returned (not yet anyway).

I’m looking forward to another long stay at the cottage. I’ve come home to visit my aunt, do a bit of gardening and tackle one or two chores that need doing around the house. I’m hoping to drive back up to the cottage tomorrow.

For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s blog, here.

Share Your World – Week 27

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for more great questions this week for Share Your World

If you were the architect of one existing building, which building would you select?

What an impossible question! There are so many wonderful buildings out there in the world that I’m sure my choice will probably offend a variety of people for a variety of reasons. I’ve decided to limit my choice to buildings in the city I know best and that would be Toronto. I am a huge fan of the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario). It was recently renovated and the architect is Frank Gehry. I love that Gehry built the addition around the old building and preserved the best features of the original gallery. My favourite features of the new addition are the Galleria Italia and the Baroque Stairs.

http://www.ago.net/frank-gehry-redesigned-ago

What is one of your favorite quotes?

My favourite quote is ‘Live, love, laugh, learn’. There are many variations of these four words and I love them all.

What color do you feel most comfortable wearing?

I am most comfortable in reds and royal blues. The OA at our school says that I can wear all colours well but that is not true. I just know what colours suit me and I tend to stick to those colours.

What is something you learned in the last week?

In the last week I learned about the mystery plants that were gifted to me and how to play the chord Dm on the ukulele.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful to the temporary caretaker who helped me with my dilemma in the library. He made a few phone calls and saved me a lot of work. Hopefully when I return at the end of the summer I’ll have a new floor in the library a new caretaker who’ll be as considerate as this one was.

In the coming week I’m looking forward to returning to the cottage and hopefully seeing Germany in the finals of the World Cup on Sunday.

Goals Met

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Mama Cormier

….after two years I’ve met and surpassed most of my blogging goals

Back in February (here) I wrote that I had already met many of my blogging goals before the anniversary of my second year. I reset some of my goals and set my target date to be April 30th. Well today is the day and I’m happy to report that I’ve met most of my goals and surpassed some of them again.

Here are my original goals and where I stood in February and where I stand now.

200 views for one day (currently sitting at 159) I reached 303 views on June 7th – I’ve reached 360 views for one day

600 followers one year from today I reached 600 followers 10 weeks early – I’m now over 675 followers

30 000 views one year from today I am 5500 views away from this goal – That would be 550 views a week, 79 views a day – right now I average about 50 views a day- this is the only goal I didn’t reach – I’m sitting at 27 500 views

300 new posts in the next year I’m at 262 so I have 38 posts to go – that’s 3.8 posts a week….very doable. My magic number will be 614 posts in total. – this is my 650th post

Again none of this would be possible without the support of my loyal followers. When I started this journey two years ago I had no idea how long I would do this. Now I don’t see myself stopping. I love writing, taking photographs, setting goals and participating in new challenges. I’ve enjoyed reading blogs from all around the world and I take great pleasure reading your comments.

Reaching Goals Early

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Mama Cormier

…..600 followers as of yesterday

Thank you to everyone who has chosen to follow me since I started blogging. My second anniversary is coming up in mid April. Last May I set a new set of blogging goals for myself but the only one I remembered was reaching 600 followers by May 1, 2014. So I went back to my post on May 1, 2013 and reviewed what I had written. Here is an excerpt of that post:

…. I reached 300 followers

I reached all my goals before the end of April with your help.

Where do I go from here? Here’s what I’m thinking:

150 likes for one post (114 for https://mamacormier.wordpress.com/2012/12/08/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-blue/) This one will be more difficult to reach. It seems that I get most of my likes when I participate in a photo challenge

Our principal taunting the boys and girls

August: Niagara Falls, ON

200 views for one day (currently sitting at 159) I reached 303 views on June 7th

600 followers one year from today I reached 600 followers 10 weeks early

30 000 views one year from today I am 5500 views away from this goal – That would be 550 views a week, 79 views a day – right now I average about 50 views a day

300 new posts in the next year I’m at 262 so I have 38 posts to go – that’s 3.8 posts a week….very doable. My magic number will be 614 posts in total.

Of course once you reach a goal it’s time to set new goals. So in the next 10 weeks my revised goals are to:

• attract 75 more followers

• write 50 more posts

• reach 320 views in one day

• average 80 views a day

Of course none of this is possible without your support. Looking forward to hearing from you. Hopefully I can give you something that sparks your interest and makes you want to visit here. Carol (aka mamacormier)

Cheers!

Things I’m Grateful for in 2013

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….despite a few ups and downs we’ve been blessed this year

Health

My husband continues to be ‘cancer’ free. His scans have been positive and for the most part is blood work is good. He’s suffered from shingles again but he’s on the mend and we’re waiting hear about surgery for his thyroid in the New Year.

I’ve been healthy this year. My weight goes up and down but I’m still more down than up and all my tests have come back with good news. Even my eyesight has improved to the point where I don’t need to wear glasses for driving anymore. I ran another 5k this year and I improved on my time from the year before.

My father has fully recovered from his fall this summer and is back to his daily walks with the dog.

Family

We visited with my husband’s family in Ireland this summer and met up with our son who we hadn’t seen in a year and a half. We also met his girlfriend for the first time.

This Christmas all my children and their significant others, including our son and his girlfriend spent Christmas Eve with us. On Christmas Day it snowed some more so Az truly experienced a white Christmas.

My sister in Chatham has been preparing for her wedding in January and we convinced my father to attend the wedding. We booked and paid for his train ticket and we will be going with him the day before the big event.

My brother-in-law surprised my sister in Calgary, on her birthday (Christmas Day) with a visit from her two sisters (me and C from Chatham) this coming March. He’s paid for our plane fares and is planning some more surprises when we get there. This is as much a surprise and treat for the two of us as well.

: G, B and Lucy

: B and Az

: My oldest daughter A and her partner J.

The biggest surprise happened Christmas night when my son announced that he proposed to his girlfriend, Az. My husband and I were the first to be told the joyous news but the phone calls to Iran, the U.S. and the sisters in Toronto soon followed.

Avoiding Disaster

This summer Toronto experienced an overwhelming amount of rain and thousands of homes were flooded. We, luckily, stayed dry and weren’t inconvenienced. This past week we were hammered with ice and again we were safe and warm and not in the dark. Thousands of homes around us (literally over 250 000) were affected with power outages and temperatures well below freezing. For many families the power still hadn’t come back on for Christmas. As of today there are still over 35 000 families without power (one whole week).

Doing a Job That I Love

Even though I could have retired almost two years ago, I continue to teach because I love it. I love the kids, I love what I teach and I love the people I work with. My colleagues and many members of the community have been so supportive and caring. They are like a second family. Thank you all for making coming to work a joy.

: Teaching Art

: Art on display

: My number one helper!

: My Boss

: Community Event

: Running Buddies

: What a good sport!

: Working together to make it a success.

Friends, Old and New

This year I’ve continued to stay connected to old friends from high school and I’m ever grateful for all of my friends. It takes effort to stay in touch when you move or change jobs but it’s worth it. Thank you for all the dinners, movies, canoe trips, concerts, walks, yoga classes and long talks. I don’t know what I’d do without you.

: My girls and AB.

: Enjoying first breakfast at the cottage

My Blogging Friends

I couldn’t possibly mention all the people that follow me but I am most appreciative of those that take the time to write to me on a regular basis. I love hearing from you and the encouragement you give me to keep doing what I’m doing. When I started on this journey I had no idea where it would take me or how long it would last. It’s been almost two years and I don’t see stopping anytime soon. Thank you Mark, Viveka, Leanne, Mary, Beth, Dorothy, Rosemarie, Paul, Ann, Anne, Lee and Baz. I’m sure I’ve one or two of you but please be assured that your comments are always appreciated.

Happy New Year everyone! All the best in 2014.

Coming up on my One Year Anniversary

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. I can’t believe that I’ve been blogging for a whole year

When I started on this new journey I didn’t know exactly where I was going with this blog. It’s taken me in many directions. It’s been a weight loss journey,

My official ‘before’ picture taken in March 2012 just before I started my weight loss journey.

In February, 2013, 33 pounds lighter.

a site for reflecting on my past, an experiment with writing stories and prose, a place to share my new hobby of photography, a gallery for my art work and the work of my students, a cookbook of recipes and a journal to experience and share what makes me happy.

: Grade 3

: Grade 3

: Grade 2

: Grade 5

Blogging has kept me on track with my new fitness and eating journey. I’ve never felt better (not counting this cold I’m battling) and I think I look better. I’ve never been happier with myself than I am now. I feel that life has so much more to offer and for me to experience. I look forward to each new day and can’t wait to see where it takes me.

: Trillium

: Seed Heads

: Sunset at Christian Island

: August: Niagara Falls, ON

I’ve met the nicest people from all over the world. Thank you to all of you who have liked and commented on my posts. You have no idea how much joy I get from hearing from you. You lift me up when I’m not feeling well or when I’m down in the dumps and you honour me with your compliments and awards. I hope some day to be able to meet some of you when I start to travel more after I retire and I hope if you come to Toronto you’ll look me up and we can meet for coffee or share a meal.

Before the end of the month I hope to reach 10 000 views. The month has started off slowly but that is my own fault. I haven’t had much energy or interesting things to blog about because of my cold but starting today I’m going to try to publish every day. There are 23 days left so that means I need about 30 views a day to reach my goal. Last month I averaged 42 views a day so 30 I think is very doable.

I’m delighted with how many people are following me on mamacormier. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that so many people would want to read what I have to say. Just before the New Year I put out a plea to reach 200 followers and a few kind people made that dream come true. Since then I’ve been steadily getting new followers and am currently sitting at 281. Before the end of the month I’d love to reach 300. Any takers?

So where do I go from here? Well, I’m definitely going to continue with my weight loss and fitness journey. One thing that I’ve learned is that this journey is and will be a life long commitment. I want to live a long and healthy life. I don’t want to live my last 10 years as a statistic and be a burden on society. I have too much I want to do and accomplish in life.

: Abstract monoprint 5×7

: Abstract monoprint

: Three of my 6 prints, plus the wood block. I started with the orange but wasn’t happy with the colour so I switched to the blue.

: Frances guarding the tomatoes for Sunday’s sauce.

: August: Celebrating my 60th birthday.

I love the challenges that wordpress and other bloggers put out there so I know that I will continue to participate in some of them, especially the photography ones. I’ll also continue to share the art that my students create and hopefully I’ll find more time to create more of my own art. Who knows, maybe something new will cross my path and I’ll share that with you as well. I can’t seem to focus on any one thing so I tend to do it all. That’s just the way I am. I wouldn’t be happy any other way.

Cheers!

My Happiness File – Day 2

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…despite sad news I still had moments of happiness

Not everyday will be perfect. Sometimes the job gets stressful, people disappoint us, goals aren’t met and bad things happen to good people. Unfortunately a colleague’s partner died unexpectedly and I learned of it this morning. After sending a message of condolence, reflecting on a similar personal experience and phoning and emailing friends to notify them of the death I had to move on.

So today is more about what I’m grateful for. Any problems, that I may have, seem insignificant to what happened to L yesterday.

I’m grateful for my husband’s healthy heart. In the last eight months since his chemo treatments I have my old husband back. He feels better than he has in a long time. All good news.

I’m grateful for good genes. Most people who are as heavy as I am are not nearly as healthy or as fit. I took the “What’s Your Real Age?” quiz today and discovered that I am five years younger in real years. Now that’s something to be happy about. If you’re interested in the quiz go to: http://www.doctoroz.com/realage

I survived my first day of the Dr. Oz Three Day Cleanse. I’m happy about that but my husband couldn’t do it. Without his support I’m not sure I can continue. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m happy because we got out for our walk early this morning despite the rain. Being out in the fresh air just lifts my mood and makes me feel better.

I hope you’ve had to time to reflect on what made you happy today.

Cheers!

My Happiness File – Day 1 Continued

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. now that the day is coming to an end I can complete my list

Earlier today I introduced ‘My Happiness File’ and I posted one thing that had made me happy. Since the idea is to post at least three things that you are grateful for or happy about I need to beef up my list.

Today was a very satisfying day. Here’s what made me happy.

2. I’m always happy when new people come to my site and make a comment and I’m doubly happy when they answer a question that I post. Today I was introduced to Erica at Gratitude Equation. It’s a lovely site with quotes, challenges and reflections about happiness and gratitude. You should check it out.

3. The weather was beautiful and my husband and I got out to a favourite organic market in the Junction. We’ve decided to try a 3 day juice fast (more about that later) and everything we needed we were able to purchase today. I love it when things come together when working towards a goal.

4. I saw a recipe recently on Lattes and Leggings that I wanted to make. Pasta with Kale, Beans and Turkey Sausage I made a few changes to the recipe. I replaced the recommended pasta with 1/2 the amount of Kamut pasta (gluten free, low GI), doubled the amount of turkey sausage, increased the amount of kale by 50% and replaced the mascarpone cheese with cooking cream cheese. I found myself singing and dancing while cooking dinner. I was in a happy place. The recipe makes enough to serve 4 and with a salad possibly more. My husband loved it and that makes me happy as well. Good thing because we have at least one more meal in the freezer.

5. We got out for our evening walk again tonight. I love how my legs feel lighter and my pants fit comfortably. Being able to walk quickly and without pain makes me happy and makes me feel good.

Did anything make you happy today?

My Happiness File

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. I’m going to try something new

I came across an interesting article about the benefits of gratitude. The author, Linzi Wilson talks about how every day she writes down three things that make her happy that day. It could be as simple as a smile from a stranger, a compliment from a friend or enjoying a favourite food. Perhaps you received an unexpected gift or achieved a goal that you’ve been working on. The idea is to write down what makes you happy.

Here is a list of Linzi’s benefits of recording your happy moments:http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8048/want-a-5-minute-practice-that-will-change-your-life.html

Here are my top three reasons for starting your gratitude practice today:

When you get into the habit of appreciating things, you tend to see life with a fresher, more optimistic perspective. Who doesn’t want that?
You’ll start creating a blueprint of what makes you happy. Certain things will keep popping up again and again. They say success leaves clues… Well, happiness does too.
Your journal will serve as a beautiful reminder. Whenever I’m having a sucky moment, I can take some time out and read through random entries. It always brings a smile to my face.

I’ve decide to use this blog to record my “Happiness File”.

Here is one thing that made me happy so far today:

Recently the school was gifted a large number of cheap digital cameras to use with the students. I didn’t have very much success with the camera itself until today. I’m happy to say that I was able to get some pretty good pictures from this simple, shoot and point camera. Now I have to come up with a project that uses these cameras. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Here are a few pictures from the camera.