Dream Big

I watched "Dreamgirls " on cable this morning . It was a rainy Sunday morning and I had never had the opportunity to see the movie at the theater . N@ and Scott had told me that they found it cheesy and walked out half way through the film . N@ has a difficult time comprehending musicals and cannot fathom actors that answer one another in song . I must make a mental note of that if I break into " The Sound Of Music " when she is home . Back to "Dreamgirls " , I can totally see why Jennifer Hudson stole this entire movie right from under Beyonce's booty . Jennifer , if you recall , was a American Idol wannabe when she given the heave ho right into movie stardom with her debut film . She was so amazing and truly deserving of her Academy award . Her powerful vocals made the movie worth watching . To me it was like ... Beyonce who ? In all fairness , the one song I did enjoy Beyonce singing was "Listen " . Eddie Murphy was just sleazy ( but then we all know that part wasn't hard to play for him ). The screenplay was based on the rise of the Supremes in an era when blacks were not supposed to be center stage , let alone headline entertainers .
Jennifer Hudson's booming voice will once again enthrall as her debut album is due out this fall .
Right now you can download her new single "Spotlight " from iTunes. I just did .
Jennifer is a big girl with a big voice and makes no excuses for either . Dream big . You go girl .

Double Double Tims

Twin Tims ? Not quite . What you see in the background left is our new store slated for opening July 9th and the lil Tims on the right still serving the coffee drinking world until next Tuesday where the following day it will be bulldozed to the ground . Hopefully the staff and customers will escape unscathed with their caffeine before the ball hits the building .
Ma's advice : "Run ."

Eat Your Hearts Out Ladies

I do not care how curious or desperate you are for this story it remains top secret .

Michelle Ma Belle

"These are words that go together well , my Michelle ."
My Michelle is celebrating a milestone birthday today ( best friends never tell the number ) . I wanted to celebrate knowing her through a few simple words . My Michelle and I met on a winter's day in 1972 . Do the homework . We have been best of friends for over 36 years . We have had moments of uncontrollable laughter and deep sadness . We have shared clothing , make up , wine and secrets . Whenever I needed a shoulder or a helping hand , my Michelle was always there for me . To this day , those thoughts remain steadfast and true . We still laugh , mostly at ourselves , like it was yesterday ..."when all our troubles seemed so far away ." One bonus of our friendship , is that our children became best friends as well . I pray that we were able to give them the best part of ourselves .
Today on June 15th I count my blessings to have met a very special person all those years ago .
" All you need is love ".... and my Michelle , I wish you love .
Happy Birthday Firelady .

A Bloodletting Near The Tostitos

Firstly,  let me state that I have never been a calm candidate for the sight of blood , my own or anyone elses . The nursing profession was never on my list of career choices . It is a known fact that I cannot even stomach the meat department at grocery stores . The look of liver makes me gag . Even though I might  enjoy a cooked barbecued steak once in a while during the summertime , filet mignon swimming in its bloody brine is not my thing . So there I was grocery shopping late in the afternoon yesterday  enjoying the peace and quiet of the organic fruit area . I picked up a few premade salads at the deli and continued on my placid way to the whole grained breads . I recall this lady passing me in a adorable little outfit for warm weather ....  black capris and a matching  patterned  blouse with accessorised shoes , cutesy little black and white espadrilles  with little bows . I was dressed as usual in jeans . Why am I such a fashion faux pas when I watch "What Not To Wear " religiously every Friday night ? I bought some cranberry raisin  focaccia bread for morning toasting and continued to the snack area contemplating my lack of fashion sense .
I turned the corner and there she was ... Ms . Cute Little Espadrille lady sitting on the floor holding her ankle  in a pool of blood . Oooooh and  it was not even the meat area . The scene looked like a pig butchering . There was so much blood . Like a good little grocery shopper samaritin,  I asked her what happened ..oh my god ..and could I help . I reached for kleenex in my purse and a small foam hand sanitizer , which is all I had in my purse for first aid . The lip gloss was useless . She said she had just walked too close to a metal edging on a shelf near the tostitos and the steel jutting out had caught the skin on her ankle . It was a small but  deep incision  that had caught her smack dab on her ankle vein so she was a spewing red stuff like a salsa . Lord I felt like adding to the  special sauce with a little bile of my own but I managed to swallow it back . Finally a shocked young stock boy came by with paper towels and I said you should get a mop and a pail . There was that much blood ! The photo manager came by with a few bandaids . The kid was mopping  up the bloody mess by this time . The lady said she was fine so I made a hasty exit for the safe and non bloody frozen food boxes . I am assuming there was an accident report made but who knows . Although I felt nauseous,  I bought not one but two flavors of frozen yogurt to ease the pain . Dark chocolate is such a great healer . Like victims of a massacre we passed one another again , Ms. Espradille and I . We exhanged pleasantries and she said the store was going to compensate by paying for the cost of her newly red shoes . ( I noted she had dark chocolate in her cart as well . ) 
I wished her well and like bit players in a third rate horror movie we walked in opposite directions . I thought to myself :
"Bloody  hell that woman needs a tetanus shot ... and I need a drink ."

The Tomato Scare

I am not having any tomatoes on my salad . One can't be too careful these days .
(ribbet , ribbet )

Book Tag

..so I am late , byte me .
Page 123 from "Stillness Speaks " by Eckhart Tolle  :
( 5th sentence down , next 3 sentences .)

"Watch what happens when you don't name an experience as "bad " and instead bring an inner acceptance , an inner "yes "  to it , and so let it be as it is . 
Whatever your life situation is , how would you feel if you completely accepted it as it is - right Now ?
There are many subtle and not so subtle forms of suffering that are so "normal " they are usually not recognized as suffering and may even feel satisfying to the ego - irritation , impatience , anger , having an issue with something or someone , resentment , complaining . "

I hearby declare this the end of the book tag .
Fini .

Dedicated To The Beautiful Women in Yesterday's Post .

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'

So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

'H-M-M,' she said,

'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.'

So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed
that she had only one hair on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going
to wear my hair in a pony tail.'
So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.


The next day she woke up,

looked in the mirror and noticed

that there wasn't a single hair on her head.

'YAY!' she exclaimed.

'I don't have to fix my hair today!'



Attitude is everything.



Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,
Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly.......

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass..

One Hair Razoring Event for Camp Day '08

They did it ! Four courageous and caring co -workers at our Timmins Square location raised over $1500 in pledges for our Camp Day kids . In fact , it was a hairy , win\win situation as two of the girls had hair long enough to donate to the Cancer Society's Locks of Love campaign .

Now that is one double double to be proud of ... 

The wild and crazy Tim girls on Camp Day 2008 .
The evidence .... hair today and gone tomorrow .

Lisa the Lovely .

Sue the Magnificent .
Theresa the Brave .
Laura the Leader of the Pack .


The Bald Babes of the Timmins Square .
Ma is so proud of her dedicated and caring Tim girls . 

I Hope You Dance

..... right on down to your nearest Tim Hortons today and buy a cup of coffee for underprivileged children in your community . Tim Horton Camp Day has always been a project close to my heart and though I have had to let go of a lot of the organization to my staff in the last years , I have had some pretty fabulous memories of our Camp days and all the fun we shared together . You would be amazed by the difference you can make in one child's life when they experience a summer to remember at one of six Tim Horton summer camps . 
One cup of coffee , one child , one life changed forever ...
"... and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance , I hope you dance .."