What a difference 48 hours can make. Check out the pictures from this morning. The BT/Home Depot 48 Hour Renovation Blitz was a success. Sarah and Steve were so happy with their Kitchen Make-over. Go to BT Bites to see the footage.
CLICK HERE for more info on Home Depot
CLICK HERE to enter
Have a Safe & Happy Weekend
Jenn Valentyne
If you left your bike in front of our station…please come and get it.
See you Monday morning.
Kevin (kevinf@citytv.com)
It’s happening at the Direct Energy Centre (Exhibition Place) until Sunday. Click the Play Button to check out the Dream Home. Incredible Job from Designer Janette Ewen. Love her Style.
CLICK HERE for more info on the National Home Show
Have a Great Weekend
Jenn Valentyne
Are you looking to save some money this garden season? Saving money tops many of our lists when it comes to anything nowadays and one of the best ways of saving money when gardening is by cultivating cuttings –why….cuttings are a free source of plants!!! A cutting is really just a section of an existing plant. Plants unlike people enjoy pieces being cut off them as it helps to stimulate new healthy growth. When taking a cutting look to the newest foliage. Remove a 1 to 2” section of this stem. Remove bottom leaves insuring that when “stuck” in the soil no leaves will touch the base. Stick your cutting in a rooting hormone like Stim Root #1 (this can be purchased at any gardening store). Place your cutting into potting medium or seed starting soil in a 4 inch pot. Insure the soil is moist before sticking the cutting. Maintain moisture and note that cuttings will benefit from humidity. Thus place a clear dome on top of pots until rooted. Most cutting will take up to 4 weeks to root. Cuttings can also be rooted in water but it’s important to note that changing the water frequently will help and also prevent stinking water. Almost any plant can be cultivated from cuttings including trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials and tropicals. Note: If the plant has been hybridized or grafted a cutting will revert back to the strongest variety. Meaning you will not get the exact type of plant you are cultivating from. Some cuttings like Jade plants need to be callused before being stuck. For more info on taking cuttings check out a host of website or email your questions to me at frankieflowers@chumtv.com
Happy cultivating!!
Frankie
Since I’ve been back from vacation I’ve visited some amazing places. Check it out…pictures and info.
Children’s Breakfast Club – Dwight Drummond is a Spokesperson for the Children’s Breakfast Club and a Great Role Model for the kids.
Glama Gal Parties – An amazing place for young girls to do girly things – make-up, manicures, facials and more.
665 Millway Unit #14 in Vaughan – 416-358-0910
Fallsview Indoor Waterpark – the kids will LOVE IT!!!
The Pancake Factory – a Great Family owned Restaurant
525 Guelph Street in Norval - 905-873-9080
Burlington Location – 437 Plains Road East
Take Care
Jenn Valentyne
BLACKBERRY DOWN! BLACKBERRY DOWN! What to do…perhaps a trip to our IT department will help.
See you in the morning
Kevin (kevinf@citytv.com)
Chew on this my friends.. this week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with music legend Don ‘Fingers’ Felder from The Eagles, (talking about his book ‘Heaven and Hell’).. he gave a fascinating account of his life growing up and then on the road as a rock star in the 70’s. Sold out shows, sex, drugs and rock-n-roll.
He told of bragging rights with the best selling album in U.S history, in-fighting with ego-inflated band members.. a moving memoir documenting his peaks and valleys and life lessons learned along the way.
One lesson that resonated with me was when he wrote in detail about the death of his father, a man who worked hard for little pay and died an early death after years of inhaling toxic fumes.. after succumbing to his respiratory illness, Don wrote that he felt enormous regret and guilt for never having truly shown his love or appreciation for his father while he was still alive.. even though they both ‘knew’ they loved one another, they never really showed it or said it.. Don wrote “When a parent dies, the child in you dies.” He felt like a piece of him was gone forever.. so, this little blog serves as a reminder to enjoy and love all of those we so easily take for granted.. our moms, our dads, our sisters, our brothers, our husbands, wives.. reach out.. be it a phone call, an email, a dinner or a letter, make an effort to tell them how much you love them.. I know I will, life is too short for regrets.. have a great weekend.
Ciao for now,
Dina
Went to Walt Disney World Florida with the Fam. What a blast! While I was there Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened The American Idol Experience. My hubby Greg took the kids for the night and I hung out at the Media opening and got a chance to meet David Cook. What a nice guy! Also, bumped into Erin, Mike and the General from CHFI. They said that they can’t go anywhere warm without me tagging along. TRUE. They closed off the park for the party and opened The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (I went on 6 times in a row – OUCH) and The Tower of Terror.
We all went back to Hollywood Studios on the last day of our trip and my husband talked me into trying out for the American Idol Experience. I was terrified. I told him that I would rather just be a part of the audience, but he grabbed me a time card and walked me to the audition line. No surprise that the line up was filled with 15 year olds, but a few people were my age and older. I got in line with my son Jackson and decided to try…why not…they don’t know who I am. When I got to the front of the line they brought me in to see a casting director. I sang “Fly Me to the Moon” Accapella. I held my breath and waited for a response. Cast Member Ray put me through to the next round. I sat in a room with a group of others and looked over the list of 101 songs. I chose “Walking After Midnight” and started listening to it on an iPod. After a few practices I proceeded into the Producer’s Room. I sang it in front of the Big Producer and Jackson. Ryan Seacrest then came on the screen behind the desk to tell me that I was going to Hollywood!!…well not really…I was in Orlando but I was pretty excited. After that it was Hair and Make-up and off to a vocal coach…wow, they really do it right. After mapping out the stage and practicing in the empty theatre, myself and the other two contestants went back stage to wait for the room to fill up with 1000 guests. Click the Play Button to check out my experience. Also, see some pictures from my vacation.
go to www.disneyparks.ca for more information.
Hey, Sandy has a Disney Travel Agency – go to www.clickthemouse.ca to check it out. Her knowledge is incredible.
Take Care
Jenn Valentyne
If you missed the show on Wednesday you missed the sweetest, most incredibly talented, pint-sized dancers EVER! (So I thought I’d show them off in today’s blog along with another viewer favourite, our seg producer Brad Matson).
These kids were absolutely phenomenal. When I was a wee one (and by ‘wee’ I mean young, not small…I was always the tallest in my class… stuck in the back row or standing off to the side as a bookend to the teacher for class photos when all I ever wanted was to be the cute, petite girl sitting daintily in the front.. oops.. talk about a tangent… I digress) anywho.. where was i? Right.
When I was a wee one, my mom did all the right things by enrolling my sisters and I into things like swimming (I gave up after Maroon…couldn’t figure out how to execute ‘the frog’ ).. and dance. I loved jazz. We once did this fun little number to Puttin’ on the Ritz and I performed in front of what seemed like hundreds at the time (probably more like 50).. anywho.. I also ‘volunteered’ my poor mom to finish off all of our costumes for the big show and she never did enjoy sewing.. (she really is a saint). So.. I always knew I loved to perform but also realized I didn’t have the chops to do it ‘for real’ or ‘for life.’
Two left feet and the flexibility of a steel rod got in the way of a good time.
Then there are kids – no.. prodigies like the ones pictured here. To witness their poise, charisma, flare, form and passion for dance was like nothing I had ever seen.. dancing the Tango and Jive in their young years like most of us could never master in a lifetime. It is absolutely in their genes.. a gift they are blessed with that comes alive when nurtured.
Man was it ever impressive.. and they were so well-rounded to boot. So this is a shout out to them and to their parents who obviously sacrifice a lot of their own time and energy to support their children’s dreams and.. yes, this is also for those of us who tried to become the next Rex Harrington or Beyonce but prefer shaking it to the beat of our own clumsy drum in the comfort of our living room, bedrooms and the occasional nightclub.. dance on baby.. ah yeah…
Xoxo
Dina
Gardening is not rocket science!! I truly believe anyone can garden. With a little bit of know how and sweat anyone can make a typical space an interesting place!!
The key to gardening is gaining knowledge and confidence. In terms of doing so you can dive into a huge array of gardening books or you could just attend some of the great gardening resources and shows available to you!! Here are just a few upcoming events that I’m looking forward to!!
1. Toronto Botanical Garden www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca
Event: Jump on Spring February 21st 10am to 4pm
2. Royal Botanical Garden www.rbg.ca
Event: Orchid Society Show February 28th Noon to 5pm
3. Water for Tomorrow www.waterfortomorrow.com
Event: What’s Old is New at Markham Theatre 11am to 12:30pm
Speaker: Frank Ferragine AKA Frankie Flowers
4. Garden Clubs / Ontario Horticultural Society www.gardenontario.org
Event: Ontario Garden Show Hamilton Convention Center March 13 to 15th
5. Canada Blooms www.canadablooms.com 
Event: Metro Convention Centre South Building March 18th to 22nd
6. Successful Gardening Show www.home-show.net
Event: International Centre Mississauga March 19th to 22nd
So much going on in gardening and in my life over the next few weeks. Laurie, Gavin and I are expecting our new bundle of Joy on March 29th. I’m off to Holland in Mid April touring with a group of International Garden Writers and Spring is less than 30 days away ….all blooming good times!!
Frankie
