[ feelin' your love ]

JUST checking in with a little update ~ I'm home from the hospital now and I can't thank you enough for all of your hugs, good vibes and prayers wishing me well. You really are the best and your sweet words have done wonders for me this week.

It will take some time to recover but it sure is nice to be home. Huge hugs to you all! And now... time for a nap ...zzzzzz...

lisa

[ they call me Sally ]

SO, it seems that Dubai is a great hang-out for these little guys...

How do I know? Well, we've had 5 of them IN OUR HOUSE since we moved into this villa! They're sticky and they're quick and love to hang out on the walls outside. If we're not careful, they'll scurry in undetected whenever we open the door. Oh sure, these little salamanders or geckos or whatever you want to call them might be cute as cartoons...

...but seeing one scoot across the counter or hanging out near the ceiling is not a pleasant thing. While I freak out, my guy has become the "sally" catcher, armed with the dyson vacuum cleaner to chase them with the nozzle to suck them up and then release them outside {they're so fast, it's the only way to catch them}. Luckily he's been home every time one has been spotted.

And to think I used to be afraid of spiders...

lisa

[ my thoughts on guest posts ]

GUEST POSTING is popular in blogland and it's a fun way to connect and discover other lovely blogs. However, not all guest posts are created equal.

Have you been bombarded lately with requests from companies to post guest posts on your blog? Well I have! And I just had to share my thoughts on this practise {please bear with me if this post gets long!}

To me, guest posts by companies are an entirely different ball game. They are like advertorials - those special advertising features you see in magazines - like when Scotties tissues runs a spread showing various bathroom decorating ideas, all the while, promoting their newest tissue box designs. And in magazines, placing those advertorials costs money.

While some people may feel flattered that they've been approached by a company wanting to post a guest post on their blog (their emails gush with compliments on how great your blog is), I feel differently. These companies should be paying you to do so. These posts are exactly like magazine advertorials but in blogland. Why should they be allowed to target your blog readers for free? They're YOUR blog readers - people kind enough to tune in regularly to read what YOU have to say, not to read what is essentially an "ad" by some company. {Unless of course they want to offer a fabulous giveaway - then that's a different story}.

I've been approached by lighting companies, real estate companies, vacation rental companies, design companies, clothing companies... all wanting to put up a post on my blog with no benefit to me or my lovely blog readers. No giveaway. No discount. All of them wanting links back to their company website. One company even said they'd do it at NO COST TO ME! Gosh, really?

Rather than purchase a sponsor ad in your sidebar, they take the approach of offering up some original content for your blog ~ they'll do all the work and all you have to do is post it. To me, it's sneaky and a free way for them to get traffic to their websites through you, if you fall for it.

What are your thoughts on these types of guest posts?

lisa

[ a sad day ]

TODAY MARKS a very sad day. I first used a MAC back in design school in 1988. Since then, I have owned many. In fact, everything I've accomplished in my graphic design career of over 20 years is all thanks to the tools that Steve Jobs helped to create. So to me, he has had a huge impact on my life.

Thank you Steve Jobs for your vision, innovation and dedication. You are a true genius and you will be missed.

lisa

[ yes, it's TRUE! ]

YUP, Tim's will soon be open in Dubai! It's starting to feel more and more like home. Happy Days! :)

lisa

[ boxes boxes everywhere! ]

IT'S moving day! And we're drowning in cardboard!

With 3 separate truck deliveries, checking off box numbers and directing boxes to the correct rooms has me wiped out, especially when some items won't be ending up in the same rooms they came from. It's tiring trying to decipher what the Dubai movers wrote on the boxes ~ lamp covers are lampshades, office side tables are filing cabinets, soft table is an ottoman... Luckily everything is in and tomorrow is reassembly/unpacking day ~ hopefully I can find a spot for everything! But when in doubt ~ into the basement it goes!

lisa

[ house keys! ]

TODAY is the day! After spending a couple of months in hotels, we finally have the keys to our new home! Our container of furniture from Dubai will be delivered tomorrow along with everything we've had in storage for 3 years ~ gosh, I don't even remember what we've got! It's going to be a busy week but I'm so excited to start settling in to our new home and start decorating! Stay tuned!

lisa

[ bummer news ]

SO JUST as we were renewing our lease for another year and paying our year's rent up front {the entire year has to be paid at once here in Dubai!}, we got a notice from our Iranian soccer-player landlord that he wants the apartment back when our lease is up next June.

I'm pretty bummed out. Wouldn't you know that the one time we actually like our place and want to stay, now we're being evicted. I decided to look for any other listings in our building right now just for curiosity and it appears that the 2 that are available now are already over $200 more/month than what we're paying now. I don't imagine we'll find anything for the same price as what we're paying when we need to search next year.

It certainly puts a damper on my gallery wall project I've been assembling. By the time I've got it ready to hang, it will be time to take it all down again. I wonder if I should bother. The joys of being a renter.

lisa

[ a new home! ]

WE'RE excited to say that our home inspection was successful and the sold sign is now up! Now we just have to wait until mid July to get the keys!

We love this home - an original tudor-style home built in the 20's with a couple of additions added on over the past 12 years. It has some really lovely details...

Older homes always have such lovely character that is difficult to replicate in new-build homes. And the current owners have done a great job of marrying the newer additions with the older home, making even the original red brick exterior and inlaid wood floors blend seamlessly. Their love for this home is evident.

I think it will be very easy to settle in and feel right at home. This truly feels like my dream home and I can't wait to get our things moved in and start decorating! 

lisa 

[ say hello to my little friend ]

OK, FIRST of all, remember the incredible expanding MacBook Pro battery saga? {read about it here} Well, I'm happy to report that Apple came through and replaced my hulking battery for free! woo hoo! By the time I got the new one, the old one had expanded so much that the metal cover popped right off!

Anyway, during that time of needing to be hardwired to use my laptop (I know, it's not that much of a hardship), my guy took pity on me and I'm now the proud owner of this sexy thang:

Isn't she a beaut? And with the cute little case I whipped up for her, those daisies have me smiling everytime I look at her. Now I can blog and read my online mags anywhere I want - ahhh... life is good.

lisa

[ some sweet news ]

DOESN'T THIS gelato look scrumptious? Perfect in blistering heat (although it melts really fast!)

So today I'm happy to report that:

1 my back is almost at 100% and I can easily tie my own shoes again :)
2 we got the apartment! Now we just wait until the wallpaper is removed, walls painted, and everything scrubbed before we can move in

So things are looking up! I guess I'll have to do a bit of shopping around for stuff we need (twist my arm!)

lisa

[ oh canada! ]

SO WE landed safe and sound and pushed a bit of luggage through customs to last us until our shipment arrives...

It's been great being back to the old stompin' grounds we left in 2005. Of course one of the things on the must-do list was getting my guy a decent hotdog and we knew just where to go ~ to see Jimmy at his hotdog cart outside of the Canadian Tire store...

Jimmy hasn't changed a bit and neither have his hotdogs ~ still $2 and loaded with bonus pieces of sausage. No other hotdog cart can compare...

We've also been house hunting and my goodness, prices are just not what they were 9 years ago when we left this city! I called up the agent who sold our house back then and he toured us around to some really cute ones. There's one that really stood out amongst the rest...and....we already put in an offer!!

It's on a pretty tree-lined street...

Just a home inspection to do this week and then hopefully it will be ours! {well, in a month or so}. I didn't expect to find one that we loved so quickly ~ maybe it was meant to be? Fingers crossed it all goes well!

So that's what we've been up to the past few days ~ busy! So happy to be back!

Happy weekend! And Happy Father's Day!

lisa

[ sweet escape ]

THERE'S nothing like a cold treat in the summer to cool you down from the heat. While I was unpacking, I thought I heard some kind of jingle playing outside. I popped my head out my front door and saw this parked right in front of my place...

an ice cream truck! I had no idea they even existed here in Dubai! How could I not run outside and join a few of my neighbours taking a break from their sticky activities?...

I'll try a nogger sandwich Mr. Ice Cream Man!

Hmm... interesting... like an ice cream sandwich, except a vanilla cookie instead and filled with both chocolate and caramel ice cream. Not a bad little treat. :) Ok, back to work!

lisa

[ heart and soul ]

TODAY is a very special day...

it's our anniversary ~ the day I married my true soul mate. I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone but my guy. And every year just gets better and better. I'm a very lucky gal. xo

lisa

[via cozmikhugs.tumblr]

[ pain in the... ]

EVER DO SOMETHING really stupid and beat yourself up over it for a week? That's me this past week when I bent over to pick up a giant load of laundry but instead of bending at the knees, I just went for it and ended up with that twinge of pain as I was straightening up and knew that I had done a very silly thing. It's happened to me a couple of times over the years - lifting a big water jug onto a water cooler and moving a sofa with a little sideways hip action. Ever since I've tried to be careful. Until this time when my brain simply turned off for a moment.

So I've been trying to deal with my stupidity while in this temporary apartment with a bed and sofas I swear are made of concrete. And although I know it was my own fault for causing this, I'll just blame it on the furniture to make myself feel better. Back soon to my normal posting and visiting :)

lisa

[ somethins burnin ]

HAPPY MONDAY everyone! To all of my Canuck friends, Happy Victoria Day - (aka May 24) long weekend!

Nothing too exciting going on here in Dubai but it sounds like my hometown in Northern Ontario is surrounded by forest fires right now. This pic was taken about 4 km from my parents' home...

So far the town has not been evacuated - they are still trying to bring the fire under control. The entire city of Timmins is surrounded by forest fires on all outer highways so it looks like many family summer cottages are at risk as well.

Here's hoping for some rain! And that everyone's homes are safe.

update:

I appears that the closest fire has been tackled and there will be no need for my parents to evacuate (thank goodness!). As for the other fires, no updates so far.

lisa

[ sorting things out ]

SO, it appears that we have sorted out our moving dilemma. We have had to find another villa to move into {disappointing}, but the good news is that we were able to find something. It's not an end unit anymore surrounded by trailing flowers and pretty park area, but it does have a little yard that backs out onto the walking trail to the community pool/park {not too bad}.

I suppose the upside is that we will have possession of the property sooner so our move-in date is only a week and a half away! So it may be looking a bit like this around here...

Let the chaos begin!

lisa

[boxes pic: via hightouchmoving.com]

[ life's decisions ]

HOW OFTEN have we all had to weigh the pros and cons of a major decision ~ is it the right choice? Is it a mistake? What does our gut tell us? Sometimes that's all we can go by ~ our gut. Taking a huge leap of faith that everything will work out the way we hope.

Well, we've reached that time ~ time to close the chapter on our expat adventures. It's been 7 1/2 years since we first moved overseas, first to Ireland and then to Dubai. Making that first leap was the hardest and I still remember the knots I felt in my stomach as I boarded the plane to what would be my new home for 4 1/2 years. I was excited and terrified at the same time. Adapting to a new country, trying to fit in, learning the lingo and hoping to make a friend ~ leaving behind everything familiar, friends and family, my comfort zone. I think we all imagine at one time or another what life would be like living in a foreign country and we certainly wear rose-coloured glasses thinking of how incredibly glamorous it would be. But I think only fellow expats can ever truly understand what it's really like and how incredibly difficult, stressful and lonely things can be at the same time. Living somewhere as an expat isn't like being on a holiday and while you are trying to settle into your temporary digs, life goes on back home ~ parents get older, nieces and nephews get bigger, friends make new friends.

We don't regret the leap we took ~ we have been able to experience different things and meet some interesting people. We've seen places we may not have seen otherwise {I certainly don't think we would have ever visited Dubai if we hadn't lived here!}. But we've also been on the receiving end of emails informing us of medical emergencies back home and undergone major surgeries ourselves with no support system to help us through. Those are the ups and downs of this type of life. If nothing else, being an expat has given me an entirely new appreciation for where I'm from and I'm excited to go back.

This has been our weekend ~ getting packed up and our container loaded for the slow boat shipment back to Canada. In 6-8 weeks we'll see our things again, hopefully ready to set up into a home we'll have for a while. We've got 3 weeks or so left in Dubai to tie up loose ends, do those last few things we haven't done here yet and say good-bye to some friends. But my world traveller days are over and I can't wait to be a Canadian resident again {and to shop for a home!}.

lisa

[via weheartit.com]

[ rollin' with it ]

IT'S NO secret that life is full of ups and downs. And sometimes when things seem too good to be true, they probably are...

It seems that we may have hit a snag with our upcoming move and all the plans we've made could all be up in the air. I've never had to learn to be as patient and flexible as I have here in Dubai. Nothing seems to go smoothly ~ there's always some kind of glitch or frustration ~ something to throw a monkey wrench into the plans. I'm learning to roll with it but it isn't always easy. 

And so our weekend will consist of trying to find some way to get things back on track. Wish me luck that we can get things sorted out! 

Hope your weekend rolls smoothly! Have a happy one!

lisa

[ coming up for air ]

IT'S BEEN A whirlwind week! First, I just want to thank all of you for your awesome comments on our move. Whenever I need a boost, I can always count on you for encouragement and best wishes and it really means A LOT! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It's amazing what can be accomplished in a week when you have to set your mind to it. I've never purged through everything so quickly in my life! Numerous trips to goodwill, selling furniture, lawnmowers, snowblowers, and having a huge yard sale when the season hasn't even started yet! Thank goodness for people with the yard sale bug - they come out regardless of how cold and rainy it is - I've never had so many people in my house!

Buyers, appraisers, real estate agents, moving company assessors, inspectors - I'm now the queen of scheduling! I feel like I've been on auto-pilot, like a robot going through the motions. I hope to return to normal human life soon! And I hope you'll stay tuned!

lisa

[elle moss]