Brrrrrr!

It's really cold in Toronto right now. Last night it got down to -25 degrees C with the wind chill. That's keep-the-frozen-food-on-the-back-porch cold! We actually put the thermostat up the 75 degrees F (I grew up learning Celsius, but for some reason every house I've ever lived in has had the thermostat in Ferenheit), which is something I only ever do a handfull of times in the year. Sadly, it takes a long time for my bedroom to warm up (isn't warm air supposed to rise?!), so these are some of the things I do to keep warm at night:

- Fleese pajamas. Mr. Broccoli's mom gives me a pair of fleese pajamas for Christmas every year. I love the kind with the shirt and pants, as opposed to the nightgown kind, becuase it's always my feet and legs that get cold.
- My "snuggle blanket" (this isn't juvenile. really). The first place I lived in after I moved out of my university residence was a house that had been converted into 3 apartments: one on each floor. The heating of the whole house was controlled by a single thermostat on the ground floor, which was locked away inside a clear plastic box. No one had the key, or knew what had become of the key - including the landlord - and so it was impossible to turn the heat up in the winter. So my mom and grandmother made me a kind of sleeping bag/blanket out of 2 large pieces of fleese sewn together and left open at one end. I used to live inside this when I was at that place, but now it's just great to snuggle in when the standard bed covers aren't quite warm enough.
- The Magic Bag. Anyone remember the commercials for these? It's a heating pad you put in the microwave (or freezer, if needed) and it's used to sooth soare muscles. My mom bought me one when I was in high school and it's been my constant companion ever since. I do sometimes actually use it for back pain, but on cold nights it's just the thing to keep my feet warm (cold feet = no sleep).

Last night I needed all three. And since we're supposed to get a biggest snowstorm of the year tonight, I imagine I'll need all three again tonight. :)

Welcome to my world!

Have you ever been named for a vegetable? In about 8 and a half months when I marry my fiance, I will be. Whenever the subject of my name-to-be comes up with one of my friends, it ends in peals of laughter once the person I'm talking to says it out loud for the first time. Try it for yourself. Brooke + Ali = Broccoli.

I'll give you a minute to stop laughing. Are you ready? No, not yet? OK, I'll give you another minute. OK, all good? Good.

I'm fine with this and in fact, as you can see from this blog, I've embraced it. When I'm married, I shall be Ms. Broccoli. I shall sign notes that I leave to my new husband by drawing a little picture of a broccoli stalk at the bottom of the sheet. It fits in well with our environmental lifestyle, too, because what says green and healthy better than broccoli?

So welcome to my blog. You'll be able to live vicariously through the chaos as I try to plan 2 different weddings with 2 different religious ceremonies in 2 different provinces to make 2 different families happy. Enjoy!