My other gripe

I have another gripe about this unbelievable cold too. The cold air is seeping through the windows and gaps etc. You can feel the drafts, see the ice on the INSIDE of the windows. So, I want to close my blinds and curtains to keep the drafts out. But then I get almost a claustophobic feeling it's so dark inside!!! Thus, I have everthing wide open so it's nice and bright and I can see outside. But then it's cold. :( Wah. The furnace has not stopped.

OMG Winter is here

So fricken cold, the coldest I've experienced in the 2 years I've lived here. Yep, my two year anniversary comes next week!

It's currently -34 with a wind chill of -42. It's damn cold. And the wind has polished all the streets so it's a skating rink out there. Not fun!

School busses aren't running, therefore the schools are practically empty, but they are open of course. Schools are always open in horrible weather it seems. I opted to not take Ethan to school yesterday or today. Yesterday it was blowing snow sideways, with a windchill of -46. What really is he going to miss when most of the students are away anyways? Tomorrow we'll try to trek in, we'll see how it goes. We have insane cabin fever right now. Sunday was blizzard and temps dropped to frigid so we stayed in, as the snow drifts were insane. Yesterday was the same mess, and today, it's sunny and gorgeous outside. I want to go out so badly, the snow looks beautiful to play in. But alas, the warnings are that in less than 5 minutes, skin exposure will receive frostbite. It is so deceiving though, it looks like it's a warm and balmy day!

Poor dog too is a major wimp in this cold weather...she did her quick business even quicker, and her legs actually were buckling last night as she attempted to get back inside. Poor thing, I think she froze her legs!

So, we're stuck inside, we've painted, playdoughed, baked, read, played games, coloured, did "schoolwork", and I think I'm going to surrender the kids to the tv for awhile. Why I feel so guilty about that, I don't know.

Later.

Finally back from the sickies...

Well, Ethan had the stomach flu, and of course, me being the one who somehow wakes up when he throws up in our bedroom (I still don't get why my husband doesn't hear it.... I know he pretends not to hear it) cleaning up from it, and nursing him while he's sick. So who got it then? Yep me. I cannot believe how you can crash and burn to zero energy and strength. It amazes me. I couldn't even climb a flight of stairs without collapsing on the bed for a few minutes to recuperate. And how your body just takes over. It's not even a mind over matter thing. Oh well. So my gripe is this...and I'll make it into appreciation and see if I can turn it around. While I'm sick for the day and a half, it's the weekend, thank god. But it's like my household has stopped functioning. Dishes haven't been done. Cutting board from two days ago has not been wiped and cleaned. ALL toys have been taken out, played with, and never put away. Cat and dog hair tufts accumulating under the kitchen chairs. The evidence is there. MOMMY HAS BEEN ON STRIKE AND NOBODY HAS TAKEN OVER HER ROLE FOR THE DAY.

So, after my gripe, here's my appreciation to turn it around...

1. So thankful that the little bits of housework I do each day actually manifest into the big clean picture. I'm not a clean freak, but the little tasks I do each day maintain a relatively tidy and functional household.

2. Very appreciative of Kirkland disinfecting wipes in each bathroom. They were in good use this weekend.

3. TV is often shunned upon, but when one is sick and cannot tend to the kiddies, is a great babysitter. Thank god for Playhouse Disney.

4. Even though the house turned mad, still thankful to dear husband for letting me sleep for an entire day, while warding off the kiddies from my pounding head and churning stomach.

5. As sick as this sounds, sometimes it's really great to be emptied of everything from your stomach and intestines. Totally empty. Makes you rethink what you put in there after it has been so fragile.

Daily appreciation...

1. Having my husband home today after being away on business since Monday. Thankful to have the husband I do, who is helpful and loving and supportive...when he is gone, I really miss him.

2. Ethan, having the stomach flu today, thankfully didn't have any accidents on the bed, couch or anywhere else. Good aim for the bowl...

3. Mandy sensing something was up with Ethan, and resting her head on his tummy while Ethan was lying on the couch. What a precious sight, I wish I could have caught it on camera.

4. The box of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream WITH CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CHUNKS SWIRLED IN....waiting for me in the freezer.

5. Health - my thoughts to our next door neighbour Rama, who had a massive heart attack on Monday evening and passed away. :(

Quilt top finished!

My disappearing 9 patch top is finished, now I have to sandwich, quilt and bind it.

Here's a peek!





I love piecing them together...not a fan of the sandwiching. The machine quiting is interesting, because I'm such a beginner it's a challenge to get it nice and smooth. But the quilting is what really gives the shape, form and character of the quilt. I love the brown chenille that I bordered it with. Although it was a nightmare of bits all over the carpet, stairs, floors, up my nose...it's awful!!!!

Kids are funny

Ethan loves to train Mandy, and is doing so well. He feeds her and tells her to "leave it" and "okay" for wait and go commands. He also puts Mandy in her crate when we leave the house "Crate" is the command..and gets her out when we come back. Mandy has to sit and wait for Ethan to get upstairs (crate open) until she hears Ethan give the "okay" command.

Now, this week, I've been laughing hysterically at him. And Cameron. They've taken all the back cushions from one of the couches and made a fort between the couch and the hutch. A great hiding space. Except Ethan now tells Cameron the "crate" command, and Cameron obeys! Of course, Ethan closes the crate with the cushion, and Cameron is stuck in his crate.

God they're funny!

How a sewing machine actually makes stitches!

Saw this and it totally makes sense now! SewingMachineGraphic

My newest inspiration....I've wanted to do a bargello quilt for some time now, and eventually want to do a large scale one with one colour and it's values.... but I found this one which is alot smaller, an art quilt, and I love the colours. I will experiment with the colour ... I can't seem to upload the image, but if you go to Kaleidoscope the Kaleidoscope quilt is there.... I can't believe, I actually discovered a quilter who is around the same age as me. Some days, I feel like the youngest quilter around, and I'm not young! :-)

Things to celebrate

1. Trent's new title which he's been "working" on getting aligned for the last few months finally came to fruition.. He's now a Director! That's big news for us, as well as more possibilities to get back to BC! why am I so grateful about this? Not the money, or the status, but experiencing the stepping stones he's made to get here. 11 years ago when I met him, he started at the company as a shipper/receiver driving a forklift on graveyard shifts. He moved to the call center as a tech, back to the warehouse as a manager, then manager for the island and northern bc, then all of bc, then manger of regional operations in edmonton north/fringe, ..now director of regional operations in edmonton north/fringe. So you see, I'm so proud of him because I've been with him every step of the way, through the sleepless nights, the worries and frustrations and the dreaming about what would happen in the years to come. I still have all the letters we wrote to each other while he was on night shift and I on day shift...we'd write letters as we were each eating breakfast (for him late night dinner), dreaming of what was to unfold in our future. :) Sappy I know.

2. Trent formally spoke with his boss in addition to the HR guy about his plans for the year ahead, including BC. ;)

3. We earned a trip to LA, Vegas, or Orlando because we referred 3 or more people to sign up for a cell phone! Hurray! Actually, we signed up 8, so we may receive more incentive!

4. Ethan went to his first movie today with daddy and was so excited I thought he was going to pee himself! He announced to everyone in the theatre that it was his first movie, and that he was going to be able to order popcorn AND POP! :lol: Only thing is he lasted about 1/2 hour...the darkness and very loud sound system scared him. :( Poor little guy...but I'm very excited about his excitement and "milestone".

5. I finished sewing valances for both the boys' rooms today. They were super easy and quick, and look much better than the victorian pastel stuff that was up. I know, I've been here almost 2 years and I just did this.. slap me.

6. the glorious sun and 4c weather we had today.

Turkey Dancer...

OMG we FINALLY caught him doing the turkey dance to Shrek the Halls.

choices

Ever play around with the settings on your blog for a good two hours only to realize that it's no better than it was before?

fuck.

ugh

so the common cold has kicked my butt tonight. Today was not so bad, but right now my head feels like a pressure cooker.

Oh well.

Things to share:

1. so happy to have learned about a new (to me) playgroup in the community that I hadn't heard about. it's just awesome, and the people there are sooo nice! I've been there twice and so far just love it. Looking forward to meeting someone who referred me to it, as well as I've gotten to know her through her blog and LP. (she couldn't make it today)

2. Made a great dinner tonight where my kids actually tried everything on the plate. Cameron actually ate dinner! hurray!

3. No work on my quilt today, but very motivated and excited to try a new one... a bargello. I'm thankful for my artistic motivation that has sparked back up inside. It really makes life feel good.

4. Very proud of dh for speaking with his HR contact regarding the plan to get back to BC. I'm proud of him for working so hard for us.

5. Mandy and Shatzi sitting at the bath tub waiting for the kids to feed them bath water from a cup. My cat and dog are best friends and it's got to be the most coolest thing ever. They are two peas in a pod.

Things about today...

1. The amazing chili recipe I made was fantastic today!

2. My trip to the Parent Link playgroup was super, and I felt right away that it will be a place I frequent at least once a week with Cameron. (Thanks for the info Jane!)

3. Ethan trying to help me by loading up all the scraps of fabric from my quilt onto his freight trains, and dumping them in different corners of the basement. Then, trying to help me refit all of the "puzzle pieces" of fabric into a new quilt. He has decorator tendencies... LOL

4. Listening to Ethan and Cameron belly laugh as Trent was playing with them on the bed.

5. My 6am wake-up call from Ethan whispering loudly into my ear "I get to go to school todaaayyyyy I get to go to school todayaayyy." And then seeing him waiting in the car 15 minutes before we actually had to leave.



I love doing these...they make me really reflect on my day and some of the little moments that sometimes just pass by. I don't want them to pass by, I want to remember them and revisit them.

Quilt in Progress Pics

Here is a closeup of the 4 little blocks put together as one block...





Here is the Disappearing 9 patch in progress. I pieced together all the difficult ones, and now I'm going to build some larger patch borders, followed by strip borders to frame it. i thought of doing a piano key border, but now that I have it pieced, I can see that I don't want too much more pattern in there...

Today...

Pretty bland day this morning... we had our neighbours over for dinner last night and then we watched the hockey game after. Ethan and his little friend were up way to late last night, and he was wired when Reid went home. So finally at 11:00pm he fell asleep. And of course, up at 6:30. I was not impressed.

Trent had to go into work today, so we had a lazy day. I continued to work on my quilt, and got a lot done of my piecing. I will post photos tomorrow in the natural light. I'm doing this without a pattern, and so some of it is alot more difficult that would be with a pattern to follow. But, hey..why make life simple? I'm really happy the way it's taking shape, and I know my best friend Lorena will adore it.

Grattitude today...

1. I'm grateful to myself today for not feeling angry at Trent for going into work (again) outside of normal long work days. I'm trying my very best to understand his committments, and be gentler to him. I'm grateful I was gentle today ! :)

2. My quilt pieces and seams lined up almost all perfectly today, making it that much nicer!

3. Cameron and Ethan playing in the dog's crate WITH the dog today. They were pretending to be her puppies. I'm grateful to have such a gentle soul of a dog.

4. Trent coming home from work and saying, let's go out for a donut, double double (tea) and a drive. So out we drove to the country side and through all the beautiful acreage areas, just for fun.

5. Cameron, from being tucked into our bed and reading stories with Daddy, climbing down two flights of stairs to the basement, grabbing my hand and saying "cmon mommy les go!" and dragging me up the 2 flights of stairs bringing me into bed. Then proceeding to snuggle in between Trent and myself and holding each of our hands...and then falling asleep within a minute. I'm grateful for the way he made me feel so important and so monumental in his sleeping routine. Some say we need to break this habit, but I relish how I make him feel comforted and secure at bedtime.

Things I really appreciate today...

1. My husband makes coffee almost every morning. This morning, especially after a not so good sleep…coffee was very appreciated this morning. And just now...a new pot, a new mug placed infront of the keyboard for me.

2. Ethan and Cameron setting up the blankets on the floor of the living room this morning to have their pancake breakfast picnic. And then hugging each other once it was done.
3. My husband letting me ride through a low moment of frustration and letting me cry without prodding and trying to solve things.
4. Watching Ethan put on his ice skates for the first time, and wobbling all over like a weeble, yet try try trying again.
5. Trent sending me out on my own to get a few things at Costco. Without the kids.

Grattitude

I’m going to try and record daily the things that I normally don’t take the time to be grateful for.
1. Watching David Letterman with Trent last night and feeling like we were really having fun.
2. Laughing hysterically at Robin Williams (on Letterman) for his constant comedy on overdrive. Thank you for being so funny, Robin!
3. Ethan and Cameron hugging and kissing each other for no apparant reason, other than a game of “look how cute we are”.
4. That Ethan has matured enough not to have meltdowns when we leave the playpark, and sets this example for Cameron.
5. My husband never questions anything I purchase (I know I’m not a big spender…but still!) and today I bought a sewing machine from ebay and he was very happy.

Ebay Purchase!

I don't buy alot of things off Ebay... I'm up to 21 now on my profile! But a few days ago I won my auction, yay! I bought a sewing machine. It's a Janome 8080 which is a computerized machine. The one I have now is a Pfaff 1020, which has straight and zigzag and a buttonhole feature. that's it. It's a workhorse however, and excellent quality. I don't know if I'll keep it or sell it. We'll see how I like the Janome. I'm very excited though...I get to go from 2 stitches to a whopping 80 stitches. I'm sure I"ll never use them all, but the option will be great when I'm doing some decorating stitches on my quilts or whatever..

Now I have no excuse not to go and sew. Well, I can always use the kid excuse...you know the one? Gosh, they were at me all day, and I couldn't start or finish anything because of them. LOL

Bring me back to earth!

I can't get it out of my head. I'm so stoked! I just want to move home now!!!! I know this could be a years worth of waiting. I hope it's not longer!

had a fabulous conversation with dad on the phone yesterday. He arrived back from his 15 day cruise of the Hawaiin islands. He sounded over the moon about his travels. This is a side of dad that I've never known...to enjoy cruising, festivals, nice meals, entertainment.

I remember dad to be sitting on his chair, reading his book and smoking his pipe (waaaayyyyy long ago, he hasn't smoked for at least 20 years) Camping tent style..hiking, canoeing, and frowning upon cultural excursions. I wonder if any of this was because of money, the kids, my mom? Or maybe this is just a new facet of his life. He has been doing so many things that I've never known him to do.

My greatest pride is knowing that he has moved on and is doing things that he is enjoying. He speaks of mom every time I talk to him, and I know he thinks of her all the time with great memories, great sadness....but I'm just so glad that he hasn't let it get to him and has decided to live the life he has to the fullest

My shadows.

I don't have my own shadows anymore. Not since having children and pets. My cat, who is lying against the keyboard and monitor at this moment... my dog, who is lying at my feet at the moment, and Cameron and Ethan who are not shadowing me at the moment while Max and Ruby entertain them. Some days I love it, and others I hate it, especially when I'm tripping over them all and pulling muscles or twisting my knees trying to avoid a huge accident.

I can never say I'm alone, as I always have them with me. It feels nice in a lonely world.

As you can see, Cameron has another few shadows too, especially Mandy. Mandy is with those kids everywhere. Okay, so she's a food whore and is just waiting for the droppings from their hands, but look at how Mandy is leaning against Cameron in that picture???

Feast or Famine

I've started a new quilt. I bought two types of fabric collections from ebay, one in browns, turquoise,lime green,yelow and white. The other collections are pink, fuschia, turquoise black and white. i started on the brown collection for this quilt.

It's called a disappearing 9 patch. Here is a tutorial I got the idea from:

http://quiltsatcs.blogspot.com/2007/04/disappearing-9-patch-tutorial.html

You take 9 squares of fabric and sew them together in a grid of 9 squares. Then with your rotary cutter you slash the 9 patch in 1/2 lengthwise, and then widthwise. You then have 4 new patches. You rotate and turn the squares (which gives you infinate patterns to do...hell for me because I hate making final decisions), and match them together in a 4 square..then sew together to make a new patch.

Here is the fabric and the squares in progress...



Good grief, it's feast or famine for me in this blog world.

I will take the lime and the turquoise and make some skinny borders, and then accent it with a wide chocolate border...we'll see how it goes!

Happy New Year!!!

2008 is going to be a great year. I know it. 2007 was good to us too, but there were so many ups and downs. We already have our brains working overtime and planning our biggest goal of the year - our move back to BC.
Trent has his meeting with his boss this week for his professional development meeting, and the forefront of discussion will be how to get us back to BC. He is also consulting with his HR manager to discuss how to get back there. If the company doesn't have any opportunities or ways to get us there, we will seek elsewhere. The compnay is not IT for working worlds. It has been an excellent company for us though, and we'd definately like to continue with them. We don't even mind paying for our own move/transfer back. We just want to resume our lives back near friends and family. Year one was relatively easy...all the excitement and adventure of exploring a new city.

Here is a photo of my dad's house on Christmas Day.... this is the home I grew up in, and although I'm biased, I really think this is a beautiful house.