Feb 25, 2014

In Memoriam

Visit Jen Unplugged's Facebook Page - CLICK HERE






Terry Stevens pays Tribute to Jen Unplugged in a video by Chris Matteo        [14+]


Scribbles sends condolences to our friend Terry Stevens and all of Jen Unplugged's family.

I hope by reposting your video on Scribbles, more people get to see your moving tribute and get a glimpse of what a wild and wonderful person Jen was.

Feb 24, 2014

You

Birthday Boy

Jim Papple Sr. was joined by family, including his sons Don and Ford and daughter-in-law's Kim and Michelle, as he recently celebrated his 93rd birthday.

Way to go Jim!

Me

REUNITED!

You're forgiven if you are a bit confused when it comes to my car. You probably read on Scribbles a few weeks ago that I was saying goodbye to "Betsy", who was in need of repairs.

I had taken my car to the Windshield King on East Main Street in Welland, which is located only a few blocks from where I currently live. Not only did they come up with an absurdly high repair estimate of $1100, they charged me $78 just for looking at the car.

My friend, neighbour ....and yes, ex-boyfriend, Rob, was determined to find me a better deal. He took Betsy to R&B Automotive on King Street (Welland) where he was told the brake line replacement job could be done for about $400! That certainly is a far cry from the previous quote of $1100.

Betsy and I were reunited last Wed. My first drive after getting the car back was to Memorial Park with a very grateful Timmi (who I think was having the same car withdraw symptoms as me.)

I know that Betsy will eventually have to go, as it is an old car and bound to need more repairs in the future which will be unaffordable.

My disabilities and daily pain management routines, put some limitations as to when and how long I can drive. I am aware of this and drive only when able and appreciate having a means of getting to my numerous appointments in St Catharines and to run errands.

Needless to say, even if I weren't moving, I would never take my car to the Windshield King ever again. Their quote was inaccurate and cost me a total of $78 just to hear about it.  No wonder they never seem to be very busy there.

A great big thank you to Rob and my good friend Cathy for all their help with the car repair, which had turned into quite an ordeal and a real eye-opener.

The Beatles and Joe Cocker said it best..."I get by with a little help from my friends", who have been incredibly supportive, not only throughout the past  few weeks, but on a regular basis.  I truly would be lost without all of you and appreciate this more than words can express.


Inspiration


Pets

CLICK PIX FOR LARGE VERSION
Award Winner

Becky Lee is dog-mother to two French Bulldogs, Raina and young Preston [pictured here.] Becky sometimes brings the dogs to her workplace, Convergent Telecom.

During a recent visit, Preston was crowned Employee of the Month. That's quite the achievement for someone who can't use a phone and has very limited computer skills.

But when it comes to communication, Preston has the others licked, hands (errrr..."paws") down. He gets tongues wagging wherever he goes, with his comical antics and infectious big smile.

Congratulations Preston. You really are top dog.

Clever


Cooking on a Log! Cut the log evenly on both sides so it stands up freely. Then cut it into vertical segments most of the way down the length of the log. Stuff in some newspaper into the cracks as deep as you can get it, leaving a wick at the bottom, and light it up.

That's all there is to it—the log burns from the inside out, and you have a simple, handmade stove. (Wow!!)

Feb 21, 2014

You


Pix


These photos of Mandy Todd's Valentine's Day flower really look spectacular. Mandy said she might frame them. They're certainly all worthy.

Kids

Payton Dickie is seen below riding on her "bug" [Summer 2005] and at her Christening [Summer 2004]
These pix appeared back in the day Scribbles was an emailed newsletter, which were our pre-website years.

Thank you "Squish" for filling me in on the dates for these cute pix.



Relax



Entertainment

American Idol "Rush Week" Infuriates Viewers
KEN LEAVOY  - Scribbles.co

I was really enjoying this season of American Idol, for the first time in many years.  The judges, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. have great chemistry and their choices as to who moved forward were for the most part the right ones.

Then along came the "surprises", new mini cliffhangers the producers have thrown in. Like when the contestants first land in Hollywood and were separated into two buses. One bus was going to the hotel, the other back to the airport. so basically these kids enjoyed a round flight trip and practiced their hearts out for nothing. Given there were still a hoard of contestants during the pre-recorded bus episode, the nasty ride was forgiven.

A week ago, on another pre-recorded episode, the judges selected the Idol wannabees that would be moving on to next week's first live show of the season.

Billed as a 3 day event "Rush Week" led viewers to believe 15 girls would sing the first night, 15 boys on the second night and the top 13 selected on Thurs.

But that's not what Idol producers chose to do. Instead of all 15 performers singing, the judges would select only 10, revealed one at a time throughout the 2 hour live show.  The other 5 got to appear on stage with their fellow losers, for a quick round of applause, before being brushed aside.

The move to eliminate 10 contestants without letting them perform live produced a fury of comments on Idol's Twitter and facebook pages.  Most agreeing, the process is not only unfair, it is cruel.

Others feel Idol producers are deliberately pushing through the singers they like best, while cutting some very talented performers along the way.

Whether the judges or producers are pushing their favorites through or the Idol hopefuls that move on to the Top 13 are actually decided upon by the viewers, there is no ideal voting method. 

Look at the years when contestants like Sanjaya Malakar or William Hung stuck around far longer than they should have because some viewers thought it would be amusing. 

During Simon Cowell's judging days, how many times did we hear him say, "America, please remember, you are voting for the best singer" after someone with potential was being sent home while a less talented contestant stayed. 

Of all the American Idol winners, only a couple have gone on to superstar status, while MANY runner-ups outshine their season's big winner. 

The real prize on American Idol is the exposure and opportunity offered to these young talents and no matter how many changes the show may make, THAT'S something that will never change.




Feb 20, 2014

Clever!

Salad in a Jar

Not only does SALAD IN A JAR save space in your fridge, it also reduces food waste and gets non-salad eaters to mow down daily.

THE ARRANGEMENT From BOTTOM to TOP: Dressing Shredded carrots Cherry tomatoes Sunflower seeds Hard boiled eggs Baby spinach. 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Arrange ingredients in a large mason jar 2) Store in fridge for up to a week 3) When ready to eat: shake jar, place on a plate, and eat! You can make any arrangement you want… you can add red onion, cucumbers, radishes or peppers.


Always remember to put the dressing at the bottom and the lettuce at the top—a MUST. As long as the dressing does not touch the greens this will stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week.

Humour


Feb 18, 2014

Calendar Comics 1990








Kids


The Mackies know how to get the most out of Family Day Weekend. Francesca and her kids Catriona and Colin (above) went skiing at Blue Mountain.

Francesca said "...First time skiing for me in at least 20 years! Loved it, but can barely walk today!"

Sounds like fun Francesca,  I have NEVER skied in my life, so you're leaps and bounds ahead of me...LOL!




You


Kids


Our little friend Emerson Rose sure was mesmerized by her big number one candle, shining brightly upon her first birthday cake.


Designs

Publishing Scribbles Magazines was a costly hobby. To help offset some of our costs, we asked our readers to pay annual subscription fees.

Below is an ad we featured fairly often, starting in 1990. A few more subscriptions came our way thanks to this ad. But most our readers didn't need to be reminded of the unique fun you would find in each edition of Scribbles Magazine.

I like the animation in this ad, especially the characters featured at the top and bottom of the over-sized Scribbles Magazine.

Feb 17, 2014

Calendar Comics 1989

Scribbles was 10 years old when we created our first annual calendar way back in 1989.  The design for our first years made displaying the calendars a bit inconvenient (something we rectified a few years later) but the silly original comics made it all worth while.

In a case of history repeating itself, many of the statements made on the comics below are amazingly easy to relate to still. Not sure if that's a good thing or a sad slap of reality.


















Pets


You can almost see our pal Steve Sauder's dog Farfel dreaming, in this amusing photo. Based upon his expression, whatever Farfel -  a 6 year old Basset Hound - IS dreaming about must be pretty relaxing.

To give you a little reminder, we've included a pix from 2010 showing what Farfel looks like when he is awake and standing on all fours.

Such a lovable little animal, I see he takes after his 'daddy'.  :)

Feb 16, 2014

Kids


The Mother of All Valentine's

Sound like there's lots of Valentines in the Blythin household. Our friend Neil Blythin recently added these pix of his 3 daughters to his facebook page, referring to each of them as his Valentine.

Then there's Neil's son William -who I guess would be more 'daddy's little man' than his Valentine.

But when it comes to Valentines, Neil would be nowhere without the Mother of all Valentine's (which in this case can be taken quite literally) his beloved wife Ginger.

Neil and Gingee, you made cute Valentine's, and they come in all shapes and sizes!


Humour

This article was originally featured in Scribbles Magazine around 1990. 

Repurposed


This is a cleaver looking idea for an extra closet.




Inspiring Video

Up and coming U.S. football star Michale Sam [right], stunned the sports world last week, when he announced that he is gay.

Sure to be a hot topic in many a sports bar and locker room, and the subject of much negative press, Michael Sam can count on at least one anchorman showing him some support.

Dallas sportscaster Dale Hansen's on air editorial about Sam's announcement has "gone viral", and for good reason. Here is Hansen's take on the subject.

Feb 15, 2014

You

Grandma's Birthday

My nephew Graham Clark is seen here with his Grandma Storie, at Joan's birthday last weekend.

The birthday party was only part of the action. We also played my home made version of the Family Feud, which was a big hit.

We hope to have a video of the Family Feud game soon.

Kids


 Super Model

No matter what the occasion, our little friend Alina Dennis [above] loves to dress up.

It's no surprise that she was looking like the little princess she is at her recent 3rd birthday!

Alina is accompanied by her brother Kade, who's looking mighty fierce.

Happy belated Birthday Alina, you know you will always be one of Scribbles top child stars :)

Video | 100 Year Old BFF's

Feb 14, 2014

You


Merry Christine has the proper Valentine's spirit, as she posted this pic of her and her special Valentine Cotton.

Merry said she read Scribbles editorial about Valentines's being for everyone and was inspired to create this.

Love








To those of you who have someone special to share this Valentine's Day with I've got to say that is wonderful and I'm a bit envious.

Judging by the posts I've seen of you on facebook and the longevity of so many of your relationships, it is obvious you treasure your loved one and appreciate each moment with them. And in all seriousness, I am truly happy for you.

There are also many other Scribbles fans out there who do not have a special Valentine. Some may be recently separated, divorced, or widowed, others may find themselves single for so long they've forgotten what it is like to be in a relationship and still others may have never been involved with anyone ever before.

And while I would never usually show favourtism towards a particular segment of our Scribbles gang, I'm making a slight exception today.  This one's for all of those who are single, a group I find myself in this year.

Valentine's Day is for lovers, happy couples celebrating their special bond. It's for school kids who send cute Valentines cards to each other. But we should also make it about the love we have for our family, friends and pets. Those relationships aren't the same as that of a couple, but certainly worthy of celebrating as well.

So here's to us, the Scribbles "singles" who may someday meet someone special and who may not. Either way, you are loved and appreciated here and you always will be.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone,

Ken Leavoy