Found Footage Festival!

Hey guys and gals!! Its more fun than.....fun itself! Its the 'Found Footage Festival' coming to Ottawa this Wednesday at the Mayfair Theatre! Celebrating the worst footage ever to grace a VHS (or Beta) tape! This 'how to' dance video is just a start! For a sample of some of the worst videos of all time, check out www.foundfootagefest.com!

Found - gray cat!

this beautiful male gray cat was found roaming around the Woodroffe area in Barrhaven, around Farm Boy. If this is your cat, please call Susan Trott at 613-823-9883

A Tale of Two Carp Mountains

I'm on a diet. Its freezing cold outside. I've seen the same episode of 'Two and a Half Men' four times in the past two weeks. So, to spice things up a bit, I decided to look into whether or not there is more than one Carp Mountain. And sure enough, there is! Below, a photo of Carp Mountain in Taiwan. Following that, a Youtube video by Dan Mayo, singing about Ottawa's very own Carp Mountain. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

$1500 Reward- Lost Bernese Mountain Dog

Molly the Bernese mountain dog has been missing from the loving home of Sara and Dan Cannon since January 4th. They live in the Richmond area, but of course Molly could be anywhere. Sara and Dan are expecting their first child any day and they want their beloved dog to be back where she belongs! The reward for Molly's return has been raised, $1500- no questions asked. If you have any information or have a tip about Molly, please call 613-222-7143 or 613-291-6042.

Easy to Make! World's Most Decadent Cookie

This cookie recipe comes from the 'Farm of Beverly Hills' and it is known as the 'Farmeeoh Cookie'. Basically, its a chocolate sandwich cookie that will transport you directly to heaven. 341 calories in each cookie.
As I am on a diet, I plan to eat one cookie as a meal replacement for dinner each night.

Beverly Hills Chocolate Sandwich Cookie


Makes about 2 dozen cookies


1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter

2 cups (1 pound) sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (12 ounces) flour

cup plus 2 tablespoons (2.4 ounces) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt


1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Beat in the dry ingredients, a spoonful at a time, until incorporated to form the cookie dough. Scrape the bowl partway through to make sure the ingredients are fully mixed. Cover and refrigerate the dough until chilled.

4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized pieces, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten each cookie slightly, and bake each sheet until the cookies are set, 10 to 12 minutes.

5. Remove and cool before filling. This makes about 5 dozen individual cookies.


Filling and assembly

1 cups butter

6 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plus teaspoon water

1 teaspoon salt

Cooled cookies


1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, water and salt. Scoop 1 generous tablespoon of filling onto one cookie, then top with a second, pressing together until the filling comes to the edge. Repeat to make 2 dozen sandwich cookies. You might have a little frosting left over after filling the sandwiches; any extra frosting will keep for 1 week, covered and refrigerated.

Source: Adapted from the Farm of Beverly Hills

Each of 30 assembled cookies: 341 calories; 2 grams protein; 49 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fibre; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 55 mg. cholesterol; 39 grams sugar; 225 mg. sodium.

Chia All the Way to Size Medium!

They make great pets, and a mean head of hair! Ch-ch-chia! As I continue to struggle with my diet, this is my tip for the day. Eat your chia! Even Dr Oz says its a good idea, so it must be true.

The chia seed was said to help sustain energy levels by the Aztec warriors during battles. And the Indians, who ate the chia seed, did so, to help them run from the Colorado River to the California coast to trade.

The seeds are from a chia plant which is a member of the mint family. They don’t have much of a taste.

Besides becoming a beloved pet, here are some of the benefits of chia seeds:

build muscle and tissue
help stop cravings for sweet treats
stabilize blood sugar
perfect for people with diabetes
gluten free
help in detoxing your body
easily digested and absorbed

Chia seeds are being hailed as something which can help people lose weight. This is not going to happen just by including it in your diet, you are not going to see the fat falling off because of a little seed. But apparently chia seeds will give you the energy you need to run from Ottawa to Florida. And you can always keep a few left over to grow a head of hair.

January 17th, Worst Day of the Year!

Science has determined that the third Monday of each January, is the most depressing day of the year. In other words, tomorrow, January 17th, is being dubbed the worst day of 2011. But, who says 'the worst' can't be funny? So, in honour of Monday January 17th, the worst day of the year, I bring you....the worst of a lot of things:


(below) WORST HOSPITAL FOOD



(below) WORST ROCK BAND FAN



(below) WORST SWEATER



(below) WORST WEDDING PHOTO



(below) WORST PLACE TO WORK



(below) WORST HOTEL VIEW



(below) WORST EXAM



(below) WORST BIRTHDAY



(below) WORST JOB



(below) WORST POP CONCERT

All in the Family Turns 40!

This week marks the 40th anniversary for the classic show 'All in the Family'.
Definitely cutting edge for its time, and always hysterical. Check out this link for the 'top 12 All in The Family Moments'

http://www.tvsquad.com/2011/01/12/all-in-the-family-memorable-moments/

Here's a reminder of why All in the Family was so great

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Help! I'm Hungry!!

Memories. They are all I have now.
This is me, w-a-a-y back in July. During the days of Bluesfest, staying at the Albert at Bay Hotel, eating pogos whenever my heart desired. If you look closely, that is in fact a pogo on my plate. I think I had already put the mustard on it.
Back then, on those hot summer Bluesfest days, I wore a size medium top. A different one every day. But always size medium. Today, almost 6 months later, all my size medium tops are waiting for better days, when I can actually fit into them again. I have graduated from 'medium', to 'melarge'. Melarge is the size between medium and large, that doesn't really exist in stores. But more on that another day. So yesterday I started my new diet. Or, 'lifestyle choice', for those who prefer that term. I think that's what Oprah calls it. I refer to it, as the 'Delicious Diet'. Which means, if its delicious, I don't eat it. Unfortunately, pogos are delicious. I have 20 to 25 pounds to lose before the Humane Society Fur Ball, March 26th. In the meantime, if anyone knows where I can find some clothes in size 'melarge', let me know. Thanks

Scales that are LIARS!!!

It appears to be rampant! Everywhere you look, in bathrooms (or bedroom closets) everywhere, there are bad scales that LIE. They just LIE LIE LIE! Mine has taken to being quite a LIAR. I may have to trade it in for one that tells the TRUTH!!!
Does anyone out there have one of those?

Missing Bernese Mountain Dog - Please post to your Facebook page!

We received this note today, about a beautiful Bernese mountain dog that went missing:

Molly went missing on Tuesday evening from Richmond. She is a Bernese Mountain dog, with this amazing personality..
We have a strong feeling someone has taken her, for what reason this scares us the most. She is part of our family, and like a daughter to my husband and I. I am almost 9 months pregnant, but have been walking miles everyday to find her, and lets just say this isn't the weather for me to be out there. Please send a shout out for us to help us get her safe return. I have attached photos so you can get a better idea of how great she is.
Thanks
SARA Cannon
613-222-7143

let's help Sara find her dog! If you can copy & paste this onto your Facebook page, the more we spread the word, the better! Thank you so much!

Happy New Deer! (sorry!)

We're just a few days into the new year and I have made an observation about the way people seem to be feeling. More than any other January, I've had people give me the dark stare of gloom if I bring up the words 'New Year resolution'. Ha! I'm not a 'resolution' kind of person either, so I haven't been taking the dark stares of gloom personally. By making a resolution, we are really just setting ourselves up for failure, because we are under some kind of social pressure to make a resolution. The pressure comes from a TV news story, or a newspaper, or a magazine article, or a guest on Oprah. But the only way we will stick to positive change, is if we decide to do it on our own terms, and hey, lets do it in June. Or August. Or November for that matter. So, I am glad to join in the anti-spirit of resolution making. But, if I was going to make a New Years resolution, it would definitely be to watch more episodes of 'Hoarders'.

If you want a really great outing with the kids, bundle them up and take them to the 'Old Quarry Trail', which you can access (lots of parking) across from the Hazeldean Mall on Hazeldean Road. Bring sunflower seeds for the chicadees, they will eat right out of your hand. And, you may get lucky and find yourself face to face with a beautiful deer, or two. (the two deer pictured above didn't mind having their photo taken) Going for a hike in the woods beats a new year's resolution any day of the week. (thanks to my friend Derrick for the tip about this trail, I love it!)