Womens Lifestyle Show

On March 23 & 24, 2013, the London Convention Centre is hosting the Annual Womens Lifestyle Show.

"The Womens Lifestyle Show is the fun event of the year for women of all ages in Southwestern Ontario. Shop in the vibrant marketplace which features unique and artisan products. Sample delicious locally sourced culinary bites from the top regional restaurants. Be entertained. Learn the latest trends in fashion, fitness and well-being. Take a day with your friends, daughter, mother or neighbour. Or come on your own to escape in our own world of that is fun for females!"

~ from the Womens Lifestyle Show homepage, http://womenslifestyle.ca/

Now I don't know about you, but this sort of thing usually does not rock my socks off. However, I will be there on the Sunday. Reason? Because Gail Vaz -Oxlade will be there! She's scheduled to speak at 2 pm, and I will not pass up an opportunity to see here, especially here in London, Ontario.

There is no freaking way I'm going to lined up with 2000 other women at 9 am trying to get one of the 200 swag bags that they are offering to the early birds. But hey, if morning is your thing, you might want to try for one. I hear that they are pretty awesome!

I know lots of you ladies in our area would love the opportunity to see Gail - in person - and here is your chance.I doubt she'll be autographing anything, and may not even have the typical 'meet & greet' that her book signings have, but one never knows.

If you have never heard Gail speak publicly before, I strongly suggest you make your way down to the London Convention Centre March 24, 2013 way before 2 pm. I know from past experience that the seats will fill up fast! There is a $10 charge to gain entrance to the Womens Lifestyle Show, but seeing Gail live is so worth the price of admission.

I know I'll be there!

Award

My pal over at The Quest to be Financially Abundant listed my wee little blog in her list of 10 blogs that she loves. Thanks P! :)

I thought I would join along as it has felt like ages since I've posted. (No need to worry, just life getting busy on us.) So without any further ado, here is me playing along, for the fun of it.



10 Blogs that I love:

1. Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Just like I can't imagine starting my morning without a cuppa, I also can't imagine starting a day without a daily dose of Gail wisdom.
2. My Half Dozen Daily is the second blog I read daily. She's a SAHM who homeschools, and is currently trying to sell a chameleon so her teenaged daughter will come home, lol!
3. Over at When I get to Where I am Going , J udy is an avid knitter, who attends school, is paying off her debt, all while running a household of adult and teenaged kids, a husband, and her mother. Update: Judy has taken down her blog. I'll miss her posts. :(
4. Saving for Travel or SFT for short, keeps us up to date on her travel around the globe (I'm so jealous!) and is our gracious host for The Sealed Pot Challenge 2013. She hosts weekly updates on this for those who are interested.
5. Sharon at MidLifeMomMusings just recently moved to her own domain and Wordpress after deciding to commit to blogging. She always has something good to share.
6. The Warm Hands Network is a charity knitting blog that chronicles the yearly shipments of knitted good to some needy children right here in Canada. Not only do they take knitted items from a specific list, they also accept Canadian Tire money toward the purchase of boots for folks who live in an area where the temp can drop to -40 C (that's the same as -40 F).
7. $lay the Monster  is B-Kat's blog. She paid off her $148,000 mortgage  in ten years. Nowadays, she works diligently to keep out of the clutches of the Debt-Monster.
8. Jolie writes Shaking the Money Tree, and I love reading about her life.
9. I love to read alottastitches where Linda crochets one child sized blanket per week for children entering foster care. That on top of the knitting, sewing and other crochet projects she has going.
10. Sass writes about her life with Princess Penelope (her daughter) and her two pups, Thing 1 and Thing 2 over at Getting Us There. I love her pictures of her shopping trips.

7 Things about me:

1. I love to observe people. By nature, I'm kind of quiet, a little bit shy, and would much rather sit and watch people at a party or gathering than getting involved in conversations.
2. I am a member of the Bear Clan of the Oneida First Nation people. To me, this means that I have a strong connection to family (by birth or by choice) and will do most anything I can for them. It also makes me want to sleep a lot in the winter time.
3. My self-esteem has bipolar disorder, I think. I either have all the confidence in the world in my strengths and abilities, or I have the worst self-esteem in the world. Depends on the day, I guess.
4. I do have a strong personality with some very strong opinions on things. I find that people either really, really like me or they absolutely hate me. I have learned to live with this and not to worry about those who don't like me.
5. I'm learning a lot about myself through knitting. I used to think knitting was all about the end result, the item I made, but it's become more about me just doing the knitting and what occurs in my head while I'm doing so.
6. Some of my favourite music is fairly heavy. Like heavy metal heavy. I don't seem the type at all, lol.
7. I want to get a dog in the worst way, but until we are in an actual house and not an apartment, I won't do it. It wouldn't be fair to the dog.

Rules if you want to play.

1. post awards on blog
2. thank person that nominated you, that would be me, but your blog is thanks enough!
3. List 10 blogs you love
4. list 7 things about you
5. List these rules
6. tell people you nominated by posting on their blog

Women's Money Week, 2013

Attention Bloggers!

Remember last year when Women's Money Week posted the Ultimate List of Women Money Bloggers?

Some of us had to send them an email, or something to get added to that list, and others were just automatically on it. I still use that list to find good things to read on the Interwebs, written by fabulous women who write about money. To see my wee blog on the same list with Gail Vaz - Oxlade and Krystal of Give Me Back My Five Bucks was certainly exciting to say the least.

How many of you have stayed with Women's Money Week and been following the Weekly Resource designed to help you take action each week? Did you even know that there are weekly articles and way to hold yourself accountable for the week's action item? The whole blog/site is geared to help those who want to reshape their financial future, and will hold you accountable should you need that too.

You can also sign up now to be a part of Women's Money Week 2013 which will run from March 4 - 8, 2013. Their site says, "It will be a great chance to connect with other bloggers and get incoming links." More information will be available in January.

I like the idea of having some new people popping in to read my wee blog, so I signed up. Perhaps, given a bit of time to write, I'll be able to write a marvy-fab article that will get featured during WMW2013.

Anyone else interested in taking part in this?

My Hands Have Not Been Idle

Cub modeling a 'hat'. It isn't a hat really, but it sure looked like it at the time.

Shortly after our trip to visit with Gail Vaz-Oxlade , she posted about her love for knitting. This is something that we definitely have in common. Gail doesn't use patterns, instead changing up the yarns and needle sizes to create as she goes along.

I, too, am a renegade knitter at heart. I despise following even the simplest pattern. But I will use one until I am understanding how a piece is put together (like the Swiffer cloths) and then recreate it with my own imagination and creativity.

2012 is the year I decided to work through my enormous stash of yarn and crafting supplies. I promised Hubby I would not buy any more yarn until I got rid of what I already have. (This may have been a mistake, but oh well.) I got the idea from Creating A Family Home who is, for various reasons, trying to work down her stash.

The 'hat' that Cub is wearing above, is one of those stash busting projects. The charity I work with, Keeping Kids Warm is often gifted the stashes of family members of the donors. This often includes lots of little balls of leftovers from long ago finished projects. Not wanting these little bits to go to waste, I have gathered bags and bags of them to make something with. Some of it will be for using with plastic canvas. Some bits are so small though, it's difficult to figure out the perfect project for them.

Enter the "Rainbow Snake' idea.

Some time ago, the volunteer knitters at KKW used several balls of yarn in varying colours and textures, knitting in the round, to create a yarn snake that grew several feet long. To complete it, it was stuffed with batting, and sealed on both ends. The flexible finished product called the Rainbow Snake, was then donated to a children's facility where it has been laid upon, jumped on, sat on, twisted into varying configurations and loved fiercely by many a baby and toddler. So much so that the facility has requested another one as it is getting worn from so much love.

I started working on a new snake, when DD2 took a keen interest in what I was making. I explained how it would be stuffed and sewn up as a plaything for some babies. She mentioned that if it was the appropriate size, even a young lady such as herself would like a 'pillow' made in a similar manner. She thought that lots of folks might like to have such a creation as well. My biggest worry was what to call it. A Pillow-something? Rainbow something?

We went to the park during some really nice weather the other day. I was thinking about our family, and all of the great-nieces and great-nephews I have. I've tried to give them all a special nickname from Auntie, and I started thinking about those nicknames. One jumped out at me....Inchworm. That's the special name I have for my great-niece whose name is Alaska. Her and Cub are only a few months apart in age. Inchworm Pillows. They grow inch by inch on my needles, made with only a few inches of yarn at a time. How fitting.

I'll post pics when I have one or two finished. I think the first one should go to DD2 and the second to Inchworm - as thank you for their inspiration.

Are your hands creating anything these days?

I Got My Valentine's Wish :)

When I found out that Gail was going to be doing a book signing in Oshawa, I begged Hubby to take me as my gift for Valentine's Day. Not that far away really. Just a little drive. So yesterday morning, we packed ourselves and Cub in the car first thing in the morning, and headed to the Oshawa Chapters store.

Cub waiting in line to see Gail, and get *his* book signed.

We were able to hear her speak and answer questions for about 45 minutes before she started signing. It was wonderful. She talked about her love for her kids, and the things she does for them out of love ( and so they will take care of her in her old age). She talked about jars, and emergency funds ( so not what she calls hers) and about adjusting your spending plan to take life as it comes. (Something I just figured out myself.)

Cub and Gail. They were having a good laugh 'howling' with each other.

Hubby asked her about her knitting, and she claims it is going well. :)

She talked to folks in the audience about it being a parents responsibility to teach our children about money, starting at age 2 or 3 by showing them that you exchange money for something you want; then at age 6, incorporate an allowance to teach them the basics of having a spending plan and to start them on the right track of learning how to save.

She talked to Cub more than anyone else in the line, I think. ;)

We had to wait in line for~ever to get up to the front. Of course, with Cub, I had forgotten anything I was going to ask by the time we got to the front of the line. I was just happy to be seeing her again, and to get one of her huge hugs.

I think both of my 'men' have a crush on Gail now. *sigh*

The best moment of the day for me!

Content, we drove home to London. Thanks to Chapters for giving us the opportunity to see Gail again. A very big thank you to Gail for sharing a few moments of your life with us. You'll be hearing from us again soon!















This Just In!!

*Update: This signing is now confirmed with Chapters, and the events page is up to date!

With much excitement, I'm happy to report that I found another Gail Vaz-Oxlade signing!!!

Who: Gail Vaz-Oxlade


What:Gail Vaz-Oxlade, bestselling author and host of television shows Princess and 'Til Debt Do Us Part, knows a few things about taking control of your finances. Meet Gail as she signs her new book, It's Your Money: Becoming A Woman Of Independent Means.

Where:Chapters Oshawa
Oshawa, Ontario

When:
Saturday, February 18th
1:00 pm

Hubby and I have been fortunate enough to be able to meet Gail a couple of times. She is the most wonderful, down to earth, most beautiful person you ever want to meet.

Valentine's Day is coming up, so my request to Hubby will be to go to Oshawa, meet Ms. Gail and have her autograph my copy of her newest book, It's Your Money: Becoming a Woman of Independent Means , along with a couple of other books of hers that we own. :)

The first time we met Mizz Gail. :D

Us with Mizz Gail again. Sweet!

I hope to be able to go see her again. Please Hubby??? Please???

Are You Talking To Me?

" You cannot save $10,000 until you have $1,000. You cannot save $1,000 until you save $100. You cannot save $100 until you save $10. Getting from where you are now to where you want to be requires that you do something differently. Do you have the guts to change?" - Gail Vaz - Oxlade

I was flipping through Debt Free Forever to find the answer to a question posed by Sam. In just reading a couple of paragraphs, I was amazed at the amount of inspiration I was getting by reading just a wee little bit. I always hear her voice in my head when I'm reading something she has written, so that part didn't surprise me.

What did surprise me was that it felt like an epiphany. Gail was reaching through the internet, via Sam's question, that made me grab her book so she could speak directly to me.

And I hear you loud and clear, Gail!

In two days time, I will begin a new chapter of my Life Journey, that starts with some of my most ambitious savings and financials goals of my life. (See page entitled 2012 financial Goals.) To truly focus on putting together all the skills I have acquired in the past couple of years, and to focus on attaining my goals. To have some money to retire on one day. To have some money to give my kids when they venture off to college. To find some balance in my life, financial and otherwise.

Here's to the first $1 of the first $10 of the first $100 of the second $1,000 of my first $10,000. Here's to taking control of my money and my life.