" Wrap It Up ... "

" No more will I shop around now 
You know I've got the best thing in town now
I've seen all I want to see
What your loving means to me now
Wrap it up, I'll take it"

~ Eurythmics ~ Wrap It Up ~

***

I was so excited to write this post today because I decided to wrap my christmas gifts in a different way this year.  With old magazines.  Yes, you read that right, old magazines.  I guess a classic old standby for many, but for me ... guilt free gift wrap ... Go Green!!

Considering half of the 100 million tonnes of paper products used each year in North America going to packaging, wrapping and decorating consumer goods, this year I decided to choose from the stylish options of my old mags.  Feeling quite "crafty", I customize the paper design, while cutting down on using new materials.  

It's really quite easy, fun and in-expensive.  Just look for articles spreads that reflect your recipient's tastes.  For large presents, I lay out the amount of selected pages needed to cover my gift on the floor and tape them together to achieve a cool patchwork design.  For smaller gifts that only require one page, I try to choose beauty spreads that feature multiple products scattered on one page.  And with ribbons from previous gifts given to me, that are still in really good shape, I make bows, topping it off ... voila, see my "masterpiece" (videos) ... remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder ;)

Supplies ...

Final Product ...

And just in case this is not your cup of tea but you are interested in some natural, eco and recycled wrapping ideas, here are some suggestions:

• Tie pine cones in to your gifts with thin ribbon on the base ... spray them with a natural pine oil scent to add to the experience

• For the men in your life, use old keys, nuts and bolts as an accessory

• Paper tablecloths are an ideal medium for wrapping large and awkward shapes.

• For a lovely aroma, use old oranges, slice them up and dry them in the oven or airing cupboard ... after a couple of days these can be tied in to gifts

• Tie any dazzling embellishments, like jewelry or buckles, with ribbons to bedazzle your gifts
  
• Paint cream, gold or brown dots on brown paper for a shabby chic finish

• Recycle last year's Christmas trimmings and tie them on to gifts instead of the tree

"Marchin On ..."

"For those doubts that swirl all around us, 
For those lives that tear at the seams, 
We know, We’re not what we’ve seen, 

For those days we felt like a mistake, 
Those times when love’s what you hate, 
Somehow, We keep marching on. "

~ OneRepublic ~ Marchin On ~ 

***

Well, we are into week 20 and "marchin on" with the therapy.  Recently we have had a bit of a change as our days have been busier with Russ's Mum and her husband Ron visiting from New Zealand.  They are staying with us for three weeks during their cross country tour of Canada.  We have good conversation, board and card game nights, visits from friends and just time to relax with each others company.  It has been nice to have that change of the daily routine with family visiting ... allows us a bit of a break from things feeling the same yet different.  

We did go down to the Stampede Grounds on Sunday which was loads of fun.  We had to pack my foods, juices, meds and prep for the "outing" ... sort of like a day pass really ... LOL!  With the sun shining bright, and the day full of humidity and heat, we made our way to see the sights.  You could feel the energy and the excitement ... there were some crazy things for others to try ... donut burgers, deep friend pop tarts, colossal onion rings, mac and cheese pizza, taco in a bag .... and really the list goes on ...just wild!!  Not sure if I was even off the therapy if it would tempt me ... although there is something about the smells that pull you in.  I am sure one of our friends will have a fun story on their food ventures over the 10 day event.

Here's some quick videos Russ took, unknown to me, at the grounds with the marching band passing by and some fireworks at the end of the night ... awesome fun!!!

" Fire ..."

"Sometimes I'm hot sometimes I'm not
Tonight I'm ready ready to rock
No sitting home all alone not tonight tonight I'm in the zone
Cuz I'm on fire fire fire fire fire tonight
I'll take you higher higher higher higher higher tonight"

~ Raghav ~ Fire ~

***

This is the best time of year in Calgary.  Seriously, summertime in Calgary is beautiful.  We have so many events, festivals, concerts and activities on the go ... there is quite a selection ....  And to top it off, the Royal couple are in town, Will and Kate, and the hype is big, real big.  But an even bigger HYPE in town is the Calgary Stampede.  The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features the world's largest rodeo, a parade, midway, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon racing and First Nations exhibitions.  And I am a HUGE fan, and not because I enjoy country music (uh, negative) but because it is one big party environment.  Everyone is on FIRE!!  

The streets are filled with people dressed up in country wear, ahem some not wearing much and with different agendas, but hey whatever works for ya ... giddup!!   From memory, most people "check-in" the office in the morning, you know making an appearance and then ... off to the races - beer chuggin', vodka drinkin', flapjack flippin', baileys and coffee sippin', sausages eatin', egg scramblin' ... and thats just before NOON! ... hmmm think I covered it all - but the best part, if you play your cards right, it is absolutely FREE.  Yep, F-R-E-E!  Almost every shopping mall, community centre and church in the city has free food for the entire stampede duration.  The Stampede spirit is wonderful, besides a few party poopers who state "ugh, I just hate the Stampede!", people are generous and just looking to have simple, plain, good ol' fashion fun.  The party lasts for about 10 days, and afterwards the city is usually experiencing a massive hangover.  And this refers to those of us that don't even drink ... seriously, the high is SO high, that afterwards, it is just down-time ... until the next festival, street party or event is on ... which is usually the following weekend?!

This year we have an opportunity to experience the events in a different way ... besides working around my therapy schedule, which goes without saying, we have an opportunity to see a talented musician, RAGHAV.  Raghav is a Canadian born singer, raised in Calgary and a family friend.  He will be performing on Friday, July 8th at the Whiskey niteclub in Calgary.  And we have the pleasure to be there and cheer him on.  His debut CD "Storyteller" sold an impressive 1.3 million copies.  He also won a MOBO Award for Best Collaboration, and two UK Asian Music Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Single.  And in 2005, Raghav also won an Urban Award for Best Chart Act.  And if this wasn't enough to impress, Storyteller was the 6th best selling international album of all time in India and his CD, Indentity, had a #3 charted single that won a Southern Asian Music Award for Best Artist and an Asian Achievers Award ... yes, we can all give a collective WOW!  To state how proud we all are would be an understatement.  

So with the city is in full Stampede swing, concerts are planned, parties are set and people are buzzing and on ... FIRE! ... I decided to try to enjoy the aforementioned as much as I can.  Making sure not to push myself too much, but try to live it up as much as possible.  And it takes a lot of planning on our part, if it is a day trip, making sure soup, potatoes, juices and meds are packed ... if it is an evening event, making sure the therapy is complete for the day, monitoring my energy levels, etc ...  Some days I get excited to do things only to find out at the end of the day, I am just spent.  So, for tomorrow nights gig my plan is to REST UP, DRESS UP and just ENJOY THE SHOW!  

"Tonight I'm ready ready to rock 

No sitting home all alone not tonight tonight I'm in the zone"

Raghav ~ www.raghav.com