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Becky with Birthday bulldog outside of Convergent Telecom [building pix courtesy Google Earth]

When our friend Becky Lee pulled into the parking lot at work and saw a huge novelty bulldog wearing a sign proclaiming "Nifty, Nifty, Beckster is 50", little did she know that this was to be only the first big surprise of the day.

When she walked into the office, she found her desk was surrounded by shiny balloons, colourful streamers, gifts and beautiful bouquets of flowers. "WOW! Wasn't this nice of my colleagues to do", Becky must have thought, as she was greeted with birthday wishes.

Becky at her desk surrounded by birthday paraphernalia, Inset: Becky & I, Top Right: Lisa & Judy taking pix, Bottom Right: Bulldog outside of office

Becky was even more shocked when she rounded the corner and discovered the rest of the office was also decorated. "We're having a staff party at lunch" said manager Janet Miller, who -as the infamous "Queen of Orchestration"- had arranged the event.

Becky would later admit she thought there was an awful lot of food for the number of people on staff, however there was good reason for that. For it was not only the staff of Convergent Telecom who would be enjoying the food and refreshments come lunchtime, but many of Becky's friends, family and past workmates.

But a few of the "guests", L to R:  Janet (party coordinator) Robin, Rolland, Shannon, Gail, Susan, Lisa, Tyson

"JJ" (as in Janet, not my new kitten...LOL) had contacted everyone earlier in the week telling them of the hush hush party they would be having on Fri. Nov. 15, just a few days prior to Becky's actual 50th birthday.

I was thrilled to be invited and be a part of the big surprise. It was great to see the everyone, as I had once worked with many of these fabulous people and as a close friend of Becky's, I of course also know and adore her family.

Cole Whtye -photo from facebook

I barely recognized Becky's son Tyson, who was a mere child when I first met him and is now 24 years old and sporting a chinstrap beard. Becky's sister Susan and her friend Gail were on hand and we shared our displeasure about some recent plot twists on our favourite soap the Y&R.

Janet's daughter Robin Whyte, who now resides in New Brunswick with her husband Tim and their two young boys, was in town and attended the party. This meant I finally had a chance to meet her adorable son Cole, the little guy we featured in Scribbles "Father of the Year" video this Spring and who took 2nd place in our recent Halloween Costume Contest, wearing his Toronto Maple Leafs gear and sporting a faux black eye.

It was nice to say hello to my former boss Rolland Bissell and to get caught up with recently retired Judy Hummell. I enjoyed a chat with Lianne, who I discovered, like I, lives in Welland and kittens were the hot topic between Tanya and I.

Janet, your secret party was a hit and you really surprised Becky, as I'm certain she had no idea what was in store for her on this special day.

Although the party was in recognition of Becky turning the Big 5-0, the honour was indeed mine. It was so great to see everyone again and as Rollie would say "I luv u man".

Front of card I made Becky (I call her Grace -from Will & Grace- & I'm Jack, hence the pix here)

kids

Keira Blythin smiles for media - screenshot from City TV video

Life at Home with the Tiniest Baby

Kiera & baby sister -photo courtesy The Standard

Our pals Ginger & Neil Blythin and family, once again find themselves in the spotlight as the local media caught up with the couple, now that "miracle baby" Rachel is home with her siblings.

Accompanying the article is a 3 minute video that follows Gingee around as she goes about her day carrying for twins Rachel and Evelyn, their sister Keira and big brother William, who just days ago turned 5.

Ginger, listening to your voice, seeing you showing the interviewer how you wash the feeding tube, reminded me so much to those days, just over 5 years ago when you her taking me through the Niagara Falls store, showing me how things were done and where things went. It was a bit surreal, but warmed my heart as well.

To read the Blythin's latest story and see the video click here.

Pets

Judging by the pix above, it seems fairly obvious Joan Storie's new cat Patches has adapted nicely to her new home.

Two year old Patches likes it when Joan (my mom) reclines in her favourite chair, as it gives her the purr-fect spot to relax, across mom's feet.

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Rob's Mini Vacation

Having not seen his friend Alex Lucas Artiste for many years, Rob Dennis was excited to get to visit his pal for a few days.

Although he has some bus troubles, Rob eventually arrived in Ottawa where Alex was waiting to meet him. Alex lives in Gatineau, Quebec, which neighbours Ottawa, so getting to Alex's place from the nation's capital was a breeze.

View larger version -click on pix

Rob saw the Parliament Building in Ottawa, dined on world-famous poutine fries in Quebec and was a big kid in a candy store, when he and Alex checked out Sugar Mountain.

Believe it or not, Rob found a Mr Bill keychain at Sugar Mountain candy store. Mr who you ask? Mr Bill!  He was a big hit on Saturday Night Live back in its early years. (search Mr Bill on You Tube sometime and you'll know exactly who this character was and the various ways he was tortured...."OH NO!")

They also checked out a bar and Ottawa's Flea Market before Rob has to return home. I was happy to help out by driving Rob to and from the bus terminal in St Catharines and if I had known a gigantic candy store was going to be part of the tour, I might just have sneaked onto the bus and joined them...LOL.

Glad you had fun Rob, you deserved a little time away.

Pets

Daisy Rocks It!

Oh the things we do with our beloved pets. Here we see Christine Mantej's precious girl Daisy Duke as she poses on a rocking horse (well, actually, it's a rocking moose.)

It's hard to tell by these pix if Miss Daisy is enjoying her ride or just going posing for pix and to get it over with. Either way it's pretty darn cute.

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He Shoots! He Scores!

Now that our Costume Contest is over, we can share this pix of our little buddy Cole and his dad Tim decked out in their Leafs gear and showing great enthusiasm for their team.

This pix was taken at the same time as the one of Cole that was featured in our Costume Contest, so to keep things fair, we held off on posting it until now.

I know for a fact we have fans of other NHL teams amongst our Scribbles gang. There's Habs fans, Sens fans, Sabres fans and even a few Black Hawks followers. So they might not be overly thrilled to see the boys in blue above.

To show Scribbles is impartial and plays a clean game, we welcome you to send pix of you, you kids, your pets or friends wearing your favourite team's jerseys. We'd be happy to post them on Scribbles.

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 Visit David's Website CLICK HERE

Scribbles Video

We're a bit late in getting this one completed. Here's a new Scribbles Video celebrating my nephew Graham's 8th Birthday (way back on Oct. 20th).

Check out the cool game I created for Graham as one of his gifts. When you have very little money but lots of imagination and creativity, you can really come up with some very unique one-of-a-kind presents. 

You might notice that the birthday boy is sporting a shiner. No, you need not call FACS, Graham bumped into something a few hours before the party, providing him with an unwanted present of a black eye.
 
Enjoy (and to my sister Jane, sorry it is a bit late in arriving...but I think once you see it, you will agree, it was worth the wait)

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From relatives and co-workers to friends near or far

We love Megan Fox...our very own Superstar!

Happy Birthday!

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Has the Love Affair Ended Between Jovi & Jody?

Our friend Jody Edwards of Toronto is as mad about Jon Bon Jovi as I am about Tim McGraw (actually she's a much bigger "fan"-natic, she has Bon Jovi tattooed on her thigh, there's no signs of Tim McGraw on my body (and we'll stop that conversation RIGHT there....LOL)

Jody told Scribbles "We had 5th row floor but first row at the catwalk as you can see from the video and some pics...about 2 feet away from me:)"

A disheartened Jody continued, "Unfortunately Richie is no longer part of Bon Jovi which is soooo wrong!!!...his replacement Phil X is from Toronto and amazing, but not the same after 30 years."

"My fav part of the night, besides when Jon was close enough to touch, was when he and the keyboardist Dave Bryan were joking around and singing Great Balls of Fire...that was fun! "

"Oh, and this was my 34th Bon Jovi concert". YEP, She's got me beat by leaps ans bounds!

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Cutie pattootie Emerson Rose enjoys some reading and playtime with mommy Mandy, in these latest pix of Scribbles favourite baby.

In Memoriam

Our condolences to Davie Nite and his partner Faron Gough on the loss of their canine companion Chloe. 

On his facebook page Davie wrote  "Today I said good-by to my best friend my little girl and my confidante Chloe I miss you more than you can imagine you take a big piece of my heart with you. Love you forever baby".

Davie, I cannot think of one Scribbles reader who doesn't relate to the loss you are feeling. Our furry friends are far more than just a pet, they are our family, someone who we share our deepest feelings with, knowing they are non-judgmental and love us unconditionally. 

Treasure the precious memories you have of your little girl, Davie and know that your Scribbles friends thoughts and condolences are with you.

Video

"Mo Bro" Jonny on the Importance of Movember

c

courtesy SHAW TV EDMONTON

Movember

Mini 'Movember' Supporter

You are never too young to acknowledge the importance of 'Movember' as our little friend Campbell Whtye demonstrates here.  A special thank you to Campbell's mom Robin, for allowing Scribbles to share this adorable pix.
 

  Get involved with 'Movember' -find out more by CLICKING HERE.

Contest Winners

With 21 costumes ranging from incredibly cute to downright creepy, voting for your favourite in our Annual Halloween Costume Contest was no easy task.  To vote, you had to be on Scribbles mailing list or Ken's facebook page and if you had entered our contest, you were also allowed to vote for your own pix.

Entering photos of themselves or their children this year were: Kitsa Statti, Pedro Rengel, Kylie King, Virginia (Ginny) Eckert, Robin Whyte, Jane Storie, Mandy Dick, Steve Sauder, Sandra Burger-Vedder, Becky King, Merry Christine, Sally Vince, Sharon Janzen-King, Rhonda Janzen-King, Eric Gainer, Tammie Holditch, Amanda Bersgma, Falynn Shaw, Sasha Vince, Kerri Thomson-Fortier and Melisa Sider. We thank all of you for participating in Scribbles most-popular contest of the year.

 Your votes were tallied up by the fictitious accounting firm of Fisher, Price,Waterhouse & Leavoy, then recounted by my dog Timmi and kitten JJ. It was then official, these were our winners.

Tied for 3rd place, creepy "wanna play?" sent in by Rhonda Janzen-King and Steve Sauders nasty looking face and head wounds (I hope you had that looked at buddy, it looks pretty serious....LOL)

Second place went to our little Toronto Maple Leafs player Cole Whyte (sent in by his mom Robin). We have fans of other NHL teams in our Scribbles group, so I'm thinking even if they loved the costume's concept, they just couldn't get beyond the Leafs gear.

First place went to Woody from Toy Story, sent in by Kylie King. Kylie will receive previously viewed DVD movies, The Panic Room, What Lies Beneath and The Breakup. Congratulations!

We had some suggestions regarding the nature of our contest and are pleased to announce that next year the voting will be divided into categories (something along the lines of best kids costume, most original costume, scariest costume, etc.)

This means more prizes and more winners and less struggling as to whether to go with cute or creepy as your top pick.

 Thanks once again to everyone who entered and everyone who took the time to cast their votes.

Video

Dad and Kids Cover Depeche Mode

Colombian video artist Dicken Schrader and his kids, Milah and Korben, cover Depeche Mode’s Everything Counts on a xylophone, an old Yamaha keyboard and a bunch of homemade improvised instruments.

So cute and talented, thanks to Nancy Erskine who found this one and reposted to her facebook page.

Scribbles Video

Rich Hunt is "Scene" and Heard 

With everyone carrying camera phones these days, anybody can take a picture, anywhere, anytime. But our buddy Rich Hunt doesn't just take a picture, he manages to capture the very essence of the moment.

Having an artful eye to bring us the scenery around him is only one of Rich's many talents.

His day job finds him working with thingamajigs and whatchama callits at a local telecommunications company (which is where Scribbles first met him.)

He loves to surf, swim, hike and paddle wild and rapid rivers with his friends. Rich lives in Fort Erie with his active Huskys, Kya and Niko.

And as if all that weren't enough, Rich also writes music and sings.  WHEW! Talk about making the most out of every moment life has to offer.

Here's a new Scribbles Video which features photos of our amazing four seasons, as seen through Rich's eyes. Given the many astonishing pix found on his facebook page, narrowing down the selection was no easy task.

Backing the pix is an original song by Rich, one of many you will find by clicking here.

A treat for your eyes and ears.....Enjoy Scribbles video salute to Rich Hunt.

Entertainment

In Memoriam

Radio DJ 'Iron' Mike Bensson Dead at 60

COURTESY SUN MEDIA

PROMO SHOTS COURTESY 97.7 HTZ FM -ASTRAL MEDIA

ST. CATHARINES – For awhile, it looked like even cancer couldn’t put ‘Iron’ Mike Bensson down for the count.

After losing parts of his stomach and esophagus last summer during treatment, the Niagara rock radio fixture returned to his job at 97.7 HTZ-FM just six weeks later.

The cancer returned this summer, however, and Bensson finally succumbed Thurs. Nov. 7th.

“It’s been a really tough day,” said Bensson’s longtime friend, 97.7 program director Bruce Gilbert. “Mike started off like a caricature … larger than life. And over time, he just turned into our friend Mike.

“Years ago he was this abrasive, tough as nails kind of guy. And then he’s bringing in the tomatoes he’s growing in his garden.”

Tributes from shocked fans and listeners poured into the station all day, with some leaving flowers by the front door. Jeff Martin , lead singer of The Tea Party, also phoned with condolences. The Tea Party was one of many Canadian bands Bensson championed over the years, giving them crucial exposure on the iconic Yates St. station, dubbed the ‘Whitehouse of Rock.’

Born in Western New York, Bensson arrived at HTZ-FM in 1995 after the Buffalo station he worked at switched formats and fired the entire staff. He started with the afternoon ‘drive home’ shift, and immediately won over listeners with his gruff, politically incorrect style.

PROMO SHOTS COURTESY 97.7 HTZ FM -ASTRAL MEDIA

“If anything, he changed the way we did radio, I suppose,” recalls Gilbert. “Mike, in every sense of the word back then, was the ignorant, loud mouth American. He didn’t take no for an answer, he was loud and abrasive.

“(But) Mike always has this way of saying anything and getting away with it.”

Former HTZ-FM employee Corey Mottley says Bensson “opened his arms and heart” to him when he started in radio.

COURTESY 97.7 HTZ FM WEBSITE

“So many fond memories that I hold with and of that man, from duct taping a mic to his hand to go on a ride at Canada’s Wonderland, to all the road trips together,” he said. “That man was a hero to me.”

Bensson did the morning show at 97.7 from 2004 to 2011 before returning to the afternoon shift. Along the way he worked closely with the Niagara Children’s Centre, oversaw the station’s annual Radiothon, and was active in the annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes fundraiser to raise awareness of violence against women.

His sign-off in recent years was “Stay off the pipe and don’t forget to wipe.”

Bensson started feeling ill again over the summer. He left for vacation on July 26, and was unable to return to work. He turned 60 last month.

A benefit for Bensson’s wife Amy will be held at Buffalo’s Casa Di Pizza (477 Elmwood Ave.) Nov. 24 from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.

john.law@sunmedia.ca

Visit "FRIENDS OF IRON MIKE'S FACEBOOK PAGE -CLICK HERE

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A Tea for Everyone's Taste

I love the assortment of tea samples I recently received from our friend Karin Campbell-Gadd of Gaddzilla Teas. Karin was one of the winners in Scribbles 34th Anniversary contest and after her prizes arrived, she wanted to send me some teas as a thank you.

You can visit Gaddzilla Teas several ways.  CLICK HERE for their facebook page.  That's where you'll find lots of pix of the tea shop and many other interesting tidbits. Be sure to "like" their facebook page while you're there.

You could also visit Gaddzilla Teas website by CLICKING HERE. 

With over 150 fresh, aromatic, tasty teas to choose from, it's hard to pick a favourite and I'm enjoying discovering a new taste sensation every time I try one of my gift samples.

With Christmas around the corner, Gaddzilla Teas is an ideal place to shop for those special people on your list and the perfect place to pamper yourself at the same time. You'll find more info in the ad below.

Thanks again for introducing me to Gaddzilla Teas Karin,  I must go...my kettle's calling me :)

Mrs. K. Remembered

It was a sad opening on the Nov. 3rd episode of the Simpsons, when Bart, who is usually seen writing something witty on the blackboard. was seen sad faced, having just written "We will really miss you Mrs. K. [referring of course to his teacher Mrs. Krabappel, who will be written out of the series later in the season, following the death of Marcia Wallace, who provided Edna's voice for the past 25 years.

At the end of the episode, which had already been produced months ago and had nothing to do with Mrs. Krabappel, they showed a still frame of Mrs.K. sitting on her desk with "In loving memory to Marcia Wallace written beside her. The frame becomes animated long enough for her to give us her trademark laugh of "HA!"

As a major fan and collector of Simpsons memorabilia, I am going to miss her character, who, after seeing on the show for 25 years, seemed almost real to me and many others who took to the Simpsons facebook page after the show had aired.

Pets

Getting Bigger Every Day

JJ has been living with me for two months now and you can really see how much he's grown in these two pix.

What hasn't grown is Timmi's tolerance for him. He let's JJ hang around him, but not when JJ is acting like a flying monkey....on those occasions Timmi hides.

As we see below, JJ looked very tiny in this small trash container, but now he barely fits in it. They don't stay little for long, do they?

Appreciation

As I mentioned on facebook recently, I am taking a course called Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) One of the things we are supposed to try and do this week (we have daily homework) is have a greater appreciation for something we do.

With that in mind, I am tooting my own horn to say that I just stopped and took a good long look at Scribbles.co website and I am very pleased and proud of the way it looks. In fact I would go as far as to say that our website has never looked better.

The layout, the content, the whole feel of the site makes me smile and judging by your frequent comments, it does the same for you. So here's to my special gift to those I care so deeply for....Scribbles. I appreciate it very much.


READERS COMMENTS

Here's a few recent comments from our Scribbles family that really put a smile on my face when I read them. 

"Ken, I think you are *remarkable* for creating Scribbles and pulling together this family/following of yours. You were a blogger before there were blogs. Social media that pre-dates the internet. If that isn't awesome I don't know what is. I just wish you could get public recognition somehow for this. You deserve it."

~Ginger Miller-Blythin

"Definitely something you SHOULD be very proud of! I have always been impressed with your Scribbles!"

~Mikol Zahorchak

"Scribbles is a part of our family. It's something we enjoy reading regularly. Saying thank you and giving praise is something we as a society are lacking and should be offering up more often. Kenny, thank you very much for your dedication to Scribbles and providing us with a clean, entertaining, educational and amusing website/newsletter to enjoy together as a family. Love you! Xox"

~Rhonda King-Janzen

Pets

Introducing Patches

Now that my mom Joan Storie is all settled in to her new apartment, it was the "purr-fect" time for her to find a furry new friend to share it with.

Along came Patches, who Joan adopted from the Lincoln County Humane Society. Patches is 2 years old and very affectionate. The cost of the adoption included spaying, but when the LCHS shaved Patches little belly, they discovered she had already had the procedure done, meaning mom could bring her home sooner.

I met Patches, who I refer to as my new little sister (because we have the same "mommy") and she purred up a storm when she saw me. No big surprise to me, as I have noted here countless times, I have a way with animals (now if only I could find a two legged variety that adored me that much.  LOL.)

Congrats on your cat mom. I could tell by the way Patches was behaving, that she already has fallen for you, and, unlike my devil kitten JJ, she won't be trying to climb the drapes, walls and anything else that seems intriguing.

Here's a small clip of Patches....she has quite the meow!  :)

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Megan - AGE 3

Who's That Girl? 

For our 34th Anniversary contest, we offered a special collection of classic Scribbles Magazines which were won by Cathy Neil, Karin Campbell-Gadd and Becky Lee.

While I was putting together our winners prize packages, I discovered I had an extra copy of the Scribbles Magazine we see here. It dates way back to Dec. 1992 and that cute little girl posing so sweetly on the cover is none other than our Ottawa pal Megan Fox.

Megan - who is now in her mid 20's- had just turned 3 years old and so had our multi-copy Scribbles Magazines, so putting her cute pix on our cover was a no-brainer.

Megan NOW

We surprised Megan a few weeks ago, by mailing her the extra copy of that edition. A delighted Megan posted a pix of the magazine on her facebook page along with this message, "What a wonderful surprise waiting for me in the mail!! An original copy of Scribbles Magazine when I graced the cover for my 3rd Birthday. Thank you soo much, Ken!!! What an awesome keepsake, I love it! XOXOX"

The post drew a lot of attention from some of Megan's facebook friends, who had never heard of Scribbles Magazine. They were even more impressed when I revealed that I had hand-coloured each copy of that edition (all 35 of them.)

This was nothing unique. Throughout its hard copy magazine years, I made sure that if I decided to add a splash of colour to Scribbles, each and every copy received the same treatment.

Our 15th anniversary edition in Sept. 1994 consisted of 40 pages and had a "whopping" circulation of 60 copies. Not only did each and every copy include hand-coloured pages, they also featured gem stickers on the cover and within. To date, that edition remains the most time-consuming (and costly) Scribbles Magazine I ever put together. And you know what? I'd gladly do it all again!

Recipe

Individual Cakes in a Jar

Here's a cool recipe that also makes a nice gift, colourful little cakes in a jar. The pix was featured on Amanda Bergsma's facebook page and I was curious as to how it was done. Amanda sent me the following description.

"You can bake the cake in the jars, you have to make sure the glass is oven safe, filled half way with batter, and you put the jars in a deep dish (roasting pan) and fill the pan with water (so the jars are surrounded by water)

Now I wasn't sure my jars where oven safe, so I made cake mix, split the batter into for bowls added colour, and each course was baked in a different pan (you can but small reusable pans at Dollie store)

Once all the cakes were cooled, I crumbled them up (like you do for cake pop) and added a colour to a jar, I then smuoished them down so they liked more "cake" like and added another colour and topped with iceing.

If you do not want to crumbled them, you can use a round cookie cutter (or the mouth if the jar) and just press into the cake and cut out the shape. But that only works if the mouth if the jar is the same size as the body, if not, you will have a gap around the edge."

Amanda tells Scribbles, "I [also] did in Shot glasses. Same idea, but I didn't crumble the cake, I used the rim of the glass to cut out each layer, and filled the top with icing.

Sounds like fun Amanda, although cooking isn't really my thing, I would be happily eat a jar or two or three....LOL!

Kids

It's no secret, Scribbles has always considered Emerson Rose to be a little Princess and now -as this pix reveals - she has the crown to prove it.  Our little friend has had some changes going on around here recently, but one thing that hasn't changed is her amazing ability to put a smile on our faces.

There's no denying, everyone loves  Emmy!

Pets

Floyd the cat and his parents Andy and Megan (I want that hoodie Andy)

You Can Keep the Shoes

Megan Fox might have been happy with the new shoes she bought, but her cat Floyd thinks the real prize is the box they came in. But then, isn't that just like most pets (and kids?)  It's typically never the new toy you surprise them with that they play with, it's always the container it came in.  LOL!

Inspiration