Coucoumellisms

What do you get when a white family moves north to live among the Cree? Dad grew up a pioneer in what was still a sparsely-settled province of Alberta. Mom grew up on a farm in New Brunswick that had been in the family for generations. Dad was a Catholic French-Canadian, whose family had been in Québec for centuries. Mom was an English speaking Anglican of Scottish and Loyalist descent who lived in an area where people were suspicious of French-speaking people. Dad liked the outdoors, hunting, snaring, trapping and camping. Mom was afraid of horses, so she rode the bony backs of cows home instead. Dad on the right, on a hunting trip What do you get when you put the two of them together? Besides a Dad who knows the name of just about every fruit-bearing tree and potato plant available in North America; a mother able to tell the difference between McIntosh, Empire, Spartan and Cortland apples (as well as a few different breeds of cow); Midnight mass at Christmas complete ...

  But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and  foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will  be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’   (Matt 22:11-13)   I came across another version of the "Which of These Made a Vow of Poverty?" memes on facebook the other day, and I re-posted it with my own commentary, but I'd like to add a few things; one was pointed out by a friend, and the other I came across while reading Bible stories to my two youngest. WHAT is the point of this meme? That it is morally wrong to wear ceremonial robes to a ceremony? So what now? We can't wear wedding dresses to a wedding? We can't wear graduation robes to a graduation? Military personnel ...

So, my husband went to go play volleyball and took the three youngest hobbits with him yesterday evening, and I went and drank 1/2 a glass of Chartreuse, and proceeded to sing loudly along to drunken Irish, American and Canadian songs on YouTube   Then I finished the bottle, managed to get myself plastered, and started a conversation with a friend in which he found me very funny and through which I giggled and snorted at myself (it was not pretty) the whole way through because I could not spell anymore and I had suddenly become dyslexic.  I temporarily could not find my Hotmail, which I found extremely funny (even though it is right there on the bookmarks bar at the top of my screen). I sent my friend my book that I just finished, and amazingly, this morning I still do not quite regret having done so, although perhaps I may yet.  Oh those nasty monks...  (wink, wink)  (Oh my aching head) When my husband came home, I went to bed whereup...

The story of Kristin Bothur: March 19, 2012 Dear Mr. Anderson: This is the story of how the State of Connecticut took $347 from my ten dependent children in order to pay the debts of a man who robbed me of $9900. How did this happen? * January 1, 2007: my husband, Thomas J. Bothur, Jr., walked out on our family, leaving me with no money and 10 minor children at home. * My ex-husband used his place of employment and position (bank manager) to transfer all joint money into a personal account, without my knowledge or consent. * Early 2007: My ex-husband filed joint state and federal tax returns for 2006; he had the refunds direct deposited into this personal account, again without my knowledge or consent. * My ex-husband failed to pay state income tax, which has still not been paid as of today. * I was left with no money to hire an attorney to seek child support. * March - December of 2007: after I obtained an attorney, child support was received * Around June of 2007, my ex-husband mo...

Jean-Alexandre was telling me what to get for groceries just now, so I told him to write down a list.  He did.  Here it is: - Hamburger meat - Hamburger Helper - Popsicles - 7Up - Cookies (Decadent/Chocolate Chip) - Milk - Granny Smith apples - 30" Sony Plasma TV - Nutella chocolate spread - Cream cheese (original flavour) -7.1 Dolby surround sound system - Soup (in prepared microwaveable container) - Mini Wheats cereal (original flavour) - Juice - Dove Men +Care shampoo - Dove Men +Care body wash - Xbox 360 console - Macaroni and cheese - Starbucks Doubleshot vanilla flavoured energy drinks - some healthy stuff... - Nicolas-repellent for cats - Oven mittens - iPod earphones by Apple - Pop (such as Root Beer, Coca Cola, etc...) Hmmmm... I don't think he'll be getting quite everything on his list...  Gotta love the "Nicolas-repellent for cats" though, bet Fluffy would appreciate that...

Monday evenings, I normally bring Alex's coach and his son home from practice, because they are on the way, and they don,t have a ride back.  They pick him up, so I don't have to drive him there.  Yesterday, I went to pick them up after the practice, (Alex stayed at the stadium because we had a match afterwards), and while I was waiting for the practice to end, I went into the office to chat with the general director of the club and a few other people.  Gabriel and Nicolas were racing each other in the stadium. As I was chatting, Nicolas suddenly came running in, yelling "Mom! Mom!" and right after that, I could hear the wail of Gabriel following.  Gabriel often wails for no reason, but this particular wail sounded much more serious than usual.  I turned around to see Gabriel walking in, his face covered in blood, dripping from his nose.  I thought he must have been hit by a ball or something.  Someone pointed out paper towels above the sink in the...

We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the 'seniors' special' was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99. 'Sounds good,' my wife said. 'But I don't want the eggs.' 'Then, I'll have to charge you $3.49 because you're ordering a la carte,' the waitress warned her. 'You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?' my wife asked incredulously. 'YES!' stated the waitress. 'I'll take the special then,' my wife said.. 'How do you want your eggs?' the waitress asked. 'Raw and in the shell,' my wife replied. She took the two eggs home and baked a cake.

I have always loved dresses.  There is just something so romantic, so flirty, so feminine and girly about a nice dress.  When I wear a dress, I'm a princess, a lady, a classy babe.  You could twirl me around a dance floor or take me to tea.  We could walk down a red carpet or take the boardroom by force. I also like my jeans.  When I wear my jeans, no mountain is too high to be scaled; no children's toy too lost to be found; no river too far to walk; no chore too hard to be done.  When I'm in my jeans, I'm your best friend, the one you're comfortable with.  We could curl up in a corner and chat or roll in the autumn leaves.  Clothes are just clothes, but they have the ability to take us places in our minds and in our hearts.  Clothes reflect how we feel about and perceive ourselves.  Clothes are fun.  Clothes can take you away from reality and inspire the imagination.  Why else is Hallowe'en (and the ensuing costume pa...

Nicky:  We should move. Me:  You want to move? Nicky:  Yeah, we should move to a bigger house, for when we have another baby. Me:  You want another baby? Nicky:  I want another sister.  (Pause)  Why is Elodie a girl?  Why did they have 2 girls and 1 boy?  Why not 2 boys and 1 girl or 2 boys and 2 girls? Me: I guess you get what God gives you. Nicky:  They didn't even get married before Elodie! Me:  You think you need to get married before each child? Nicky:  When you have something coming out of your belly, you should get married quick.

I found out from Maryssa's catechism teacher last night that the parishes are no longer allowed to send announcements for catechism through the school system anymore.  So, parents who want their children to go to catechism will no longer be informed of the availability of classes, nor the inscription times.  The parish will have to rely on ads in newspapers from now on.  (If that doesn't get banned too in future) Now if no one were allowed to put publicity through schools, that would be one thing, but I happen to have sent publicity through my kids' school myself, in hopes of recruiting new players for my daughter's soccer team.  I have also received all kinds of publicity from summer camps and other places through the school. So it's quite obvious that we are only banning one group here. Wouldn't you call that discrimination? I sure do. What about my right to information?  Why is it that a minority "élite" can decide for me what kind of info...

... but this is weird. It is supposed to be a complementary copy, so at no charge to me. The receipt inside confirms this, as my total comes to $0.00 even including shipping. However, I had to pay $20.62 in importation fees! What the heck is that? It breaks down into $1.32 in GST, $17.10 in BROK FEE (broker's fee I imagine?) $0.85 in BROK GST, $1.35 in BROK QST. How do they get all those fees on a free item? Any percentage of $0.00 is $0.00 as far as I know... and what is this BROK FEE? Does this mean that, had I decided to ship the books I did buy to eventually do book signings somewhere, that on top of the outrageous shipping prices, ($120.00+ instead of $50.00+) I would have had to pay outrageous importation fees too? It's a good thing I had it sent to my friend instead!!!

I used to listen to CHOM FM, the classic Rock station in Montreal, quite a bit. In the past year however, they annoy me more often than not. First it was the suggestive condom ads running all hours of the day, despite the fact that people's kids may be listening along. Then there were the ads for the big Convention on everything sex-related. If you don't know what such and such a term is, if you think such and such is referring to it's original innocent meaning, then you need to come to this sex conference, they claimed. Uh well, I beg to differ. I have no idea what such and such a term is, and I do not wish to know. I also happen to naively think that such and such other term still refers to its originally intended innocent meaning, and I do not wish to be informed otherwise. I do not believe that true love requires sex to be anything but simple. Simple straightforward honest sex with the person you love, the person you are faithful to forever, is enough. Ther...

The day finally arrived.Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper. St. Peter said, 'Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven.' Forrest responds, 'It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But, nobody ever told me about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was.' St. Peter continued, 'Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions. First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T? Se...

Nicolas has a knack for pulling random phrases out of thin air. Every Monday evening, Jean-Alexandre and I play soccer, and every Monday evening, after the game, Jean-Alexandre insists on having a slushie, so every Monday evening, we walk into the same dépanneur (corner store) at about the same time, and get him one. This evening, we got back into the car and I began to tell this story: The ending is Jean-Alexandre's, in imitation of Nicolas. "Every Monday evening, the same two people walked into the dépanneur between 8:30 and 9:30. The old haggard woman and the fresh young man wore the same soccer uniform and sweat ran down their faces. The young man always got himself a slushie, and the woman paid for it." "And then the dinosaur ate a tractor."

Adult stem cell research, which has proven effective and useful in the treatment of many ailments to date, was already approved and was supported by Bush. Embryonic stem cell reasearch on the other hand, is unethical, and to date, has offered no results. http://www.proudtobecanadian.ca/index/weblog/16899/ In a nutshell: CBC’s reporter Paul Hunter misleads Canadians re EMBRYONIC stem cell research Written by Joel Johannesen Read Comments/Make Comments (There's 0 so far) Either he’s stupid or he’s purposely lying to Canadians. Sadly this is the choice at CBC today, and at any of the left-wing media, which seem to have an agenda. And it’s important that we consider the ramifications of a taxpayer-funded state-owned news media which employs stupid and/or deceitful reporters and staff who seem to be leading an agenda and swaying opinions. This is my opinion. After live coverage on the CBC of President Obama signing an executive order allowing federal funding for EMBRYONIC stem cel...

I am posting this whole article because I got it by e-mail and they haven't posted it on their website yet. The legal ramifications of this concern me because I already have opposition to my bringing up my kids in the Catholic faith. I think some of their "possible outcomes" are a tad far-fetched... but then who thought polygamy in Canada would ever even be considered and it is being seriously considered in BC courts at this very time... Here is the e-mail I received from UFI: Being a parent is one of the greatest joys we have in this world. Being able to guide, direct, encourage and support your child is what being a parent is all about. That could all come to an end for parents all over the world if the treaty named the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is ratified. Currently, only two countries have not ratified this treaty: the United States and Somalia. This treaty will substantially change the rights parents have to raise their children and will tre...

Well, I for one am glad to know that the poor polar bears still have a home. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/03/02/lorne-gunter-climate-change-double-think.aspx

Sometimes I feel like there are very few sane people left in this world... When insane people can get away with insanity there is a big problem in our society. Of course these are exceptions. After all, insanity is normally the exception. Most people don't murder, most people don't rape, most people don't swindle huge sums of money. And when they do, if they get caught, they see justice. The problem comes when the exceptions can get away with their insanity, completely endorsed by the government, and nothing can be done about it. http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/1816/128/ http://www.calgaryherald.com/columnists/that+girls+room/1348086/story.html Something definitely needs to be done about this. When you are part of an oppressed group, and you fight for your rights or freedoms or whatever, and win them, does it make you a better person to then turn around and start oppressing anyone who is not a part of your group, regardless of their personal views, which may not eve...

Heard the morning people on Chom this morning talking about Suleman. Calling her stupid and the doctors as well. Now I don't expect everyone to understand about people believing that their embryos are already human beings that deserve life, but could they at least bring out the whole story and try to understand another person's point of view? The way they talked, for one, there was no mention of the embryos already being there, only that she decides to go and have all these kids when she already had 6. Apparently, there were less than 8 embryos, and she was only expecting one to survive. Eight babies resulted because of fertility hormones and replication of embryos, so some of these babies are identical twins or even triplets. Again, the mother was not going to purposely abort the babies, so what could she do? If she really can't care for all of them, I am sure that many people would be very happy not to have to go to China to adopt. If she does keep them all, she has...

LOS ANGELES, February 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews. com) - According to the grandmother of octuplets born in California last week, rather than allow her leftover frozen embryos to be destroyed, dissected in a laboratory, or frozen indefinitely, their mother chose to give them a chance at life by implanting them in her womb. Little did she expect to give birth to eight relatively healthy babies, or to be deluged first by congratulations, then by scorn, as critics questioned her choice not to selectively abort as a single mother of reportedly little means. Suleman, anonymous at the time, made headlines last Monday when she gave birth to the longest-living set of octuplets on record at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in West Los Angeles. The babies, six boys and two girls, are reported to continue growing in strength. "My family and I are ecstatic about all of their arrivals," said the mother in a statement following the births. The octuplets' grandmother described the babies as "s...