Quilting stores

I've been to a few now and have learned that they all have their own sense of style and flavour, personality.

The one here in my community, is very country and traditional. I don't get the ooh and ahh feeling very much when I go there. I tend to go and look, and not get inspired. Lots of soft muted colours, and country flair.

Another one about 15 minutes away, is a mixed bag, really. A little more up my alley, but still a lot of folk and traditional styles...but they have branched out and have some more modern pieces in there.

Now one that I got super duper excited about was one called EarthlyGoods which is about 25 minute away. It was super. I got so inspired, it felt like i wanted to do every quilt there. Lots of bright colours, lots of fresh colours, odd mixes of colours like teal blue with lime green and pink which looks so amazing together and modern/contemporary looks. Art quilts, Japanese fabrics, a ton of batiks and of course my favourite retro looking lines Amy Butler ,Heather Bailey , Moda Fabrics

They even have a graduate program there for classes, is that not cool? Yeah, it's not a university, but you get "credit" for your courses and work up to getting a quilting degree. You must complete the basics like cutting, piecing, applique, triangles (blech), and then you work your way up into specialties like art quilting, fabric dying, embellishing, landscape desigin etc.

I was thinking about how the different stores really made me feel and how each inspired, or uninspired. The last one, really fit my personality and I'll be going back often.

How hokey is this post?

OMG.

I did the unthinkable.

I dove into my garbage just now. To rescue the cookies I threw out.

Really.


I made a recipe from the new Cookies book by Martha Stewart. LOVE the book. It's fantastic. But for some reason my Brown Butter Toffee Blondies didn't turn out. Everything was done to a 't'. I'm thinking it just wasn't baked long enough.

Anyways..they turned out way underdone. and the thought of having gooey underdone squares containing at least 2 cups of brown sugar and 1.5 cups of butter which haven't chemically reacted properly just made me ill. So I bagged up the entire 9x13 pan of it, minus a few bites from Trent and I, and chucked it in a big plastic bag and threw it in the garbage.

This evening. I had a craving. For one. last. bite.

I can't believe I fucking did that. I'm laughing histarically at myself right now.

Oh it was so righteously worth it.

They're back in the garbage again. without a bag, mixed in among the coffee grounds and banana peel so I won't dare touch it again.

OMG I cannot believe I admitted to this!

Phew!

Oh my gosh. It's done. Finally! Totally done. All I have to do is package it up and send it off to my friend. :)

So what took so long with this freaking project? Nothing, just shameless me wasting time. Got into a winter funk and was unmotivated. Then when I got motivated, I decided to try a "new" way to stitch the binding on by machine, and it looked like hell. So then I had to rip it all apart. Then...well, handstitching it really wasn't thrilling to me. But this weekend, I finally got the courage to tackle it, and believe it or not, I loved handstitching it. It was soothing, calming, and well, the outcome was way better than before.

I've been reading alot of quilting blogs about people who have UFO's and quilt forever but have all of these UnFinishedprOjects on the go. I just can't do that. I need to finish one completely before going on to the next. Now...I'm off to organize all my fabric and decide what ones to place for my bargello quilt pattern.

Toodles.

Oh yes...lots of new photos posted on my mac page....It just takes too long to upload them here..click on the top menu bar for the 3 different pages..Family photos

Ever have those days where you just feel like you're spewing orders all the time?

the following conversation (er...scoldings) just occured while on our trip to and from the library. Am I the only one?

Ethan, stay close, there's cars.
Cameron hold my hand. ow ow ow. hurting. owow well stop yanking your hand out of my hand. we're crossing the parking lot you need to hold my hand.
Ethan, walking feet. Slow down. Ethan, out of the mud, now you need to stomp your feet because it's stuck in your boots. Wipe your feet on the way in.
Cameron stay here. Cameron!! me doi it me do it okay you can put the books in the slot. me do it. ME DO IT
ethan cameron walking feet...walking!! (Ethan grabbing Cams jacket to slow him down) Shrieking.

Jibber jabber about the library..get books. sign them out.

Can you go wait at the red bench please. Cameron, this way. Cameron, away from the doors. No you can't have Dora yet, we need to give them to the lady. (shrieking)

Ethan, away from the doors, there's people trying to get through and they don't want to squash you.

hold my hand. Hold my hand. Off the slope. out of the mud guys! Cameron, walk forward (walking backwards) Ethan, slow down, we need to wait for Cameron. Cameron, hold my hand. want doraWANT DORA
you can have dora when we get home.
shrieking.
Hold my hand there's cars coming out. Ethan! Right beside me NOW! Pay attention, that car just about backed into you. It didn't see you!

Watch the door, it's a tight parking spot. Careful Careful!

(getting into the car now)
hurts. hurts.
lean back so it's not so tight then, Cameron.
want dora WANT DORA!
I put the bag in the front seat. You can have dora when we get home.

Close the door.

ahhhh. Silence. They're locked in, I can breathe a little. I take a deep breath before I open my door to get in. Take a moment to look at the clearing skies and try to calm myself and remember that this is just a little moment in the grand scheme of things. For some reason, I'm very agitated at this moment, but the deep breath helps. I'm on my way home again.

open the door. Step in.

mama picking nose! mama picking nose!
Mommmeeeeeeeeeeeah! Camerons' picking his nose and putting it in his mouth. Mommeeeeah, he just did it again.

The last hour was one of those Calgon take me away moments.[/i]

Ha!

All the times my husband laughs at me because I watch the Shopping Channel from time to time. (usually once a day to see the Today's Showstopper at 10pm for about 5 minutes) I've purchased a few things from there and really like some the things I've purchased. I like their 30 day money refund/satisfaction guarantee, and the shipping is not outrageous either.

Anyways...I filled out a survey online for them... and I won $100 gift card from them! It arrived today!!!! Yay me!!!

Can't do it

I'm back on the forum I thought I'd take a break from. I'm not going to take it so seriously now, and just read and post the fun stuff.

Weekend

What a great weekend...Trent and I spent most of the weekend dreaming and pondering our future, spent time with the boys.... When I mean dreaming and pondering our futures, we pick a possibility (today was open up a Cobb's Bakery in South Carolina) and then discuss all the pitfalls, and hopefuls as well with the idea. Weird I know. But that's how we got to where we are, so it can't be that weird. 11 years ago (omg almost 12 now!) we would lay in our bedroom of our basement suite rental and hash out how to get out of his mail room job and where we would be 10 years from then.


Trent made a divine roast on the bbq yesterday, with roasted potatoes/onion/carrots and a very fancy salad as well. Glass of wine and ice cream for dessert made for a great night. I love when he cooks, he's so good at it.

Bought Ethan&Cam a new toy yesterday, a playmobil dinosaur set. I'll probably pick up one more kit to go with it, they are just loving it so much. They set it up in and amongst the trains (or rather the trains amongst the dinosaur stuff). The next kit has a little safari type car with a trailer cage and a few more skeletons/dinosaur things for the dinosaur experts. I'm always amazed at the playability of some toys vs others.

We had an easy weekend, little to do, and Trent had little work on his mind, which is always good. I pointed out that he was less stressed this week. He pointed out that his boss has been away for the week. *lightbulb*

Winter Makes for Weird People here on the Prairies

Jane - the following is not at all about you. :)

Why can't I meet some normal, down to earth people that don't have tons of baggage, or bring their lifes problems to the table all the time? Am I the only one around here who is somewhat happy with my life, my kids, my marriage (aside from living in this crazy city)?
I'm totally in a rut of boredom and non-engagement lately (winter has taken its toll on me), but part of it stems from the fact that I'm so frustrated with not having NORMAL people to engage with. Most people I have met here are just so freakin weird!!!

I'm taking a break from one of the forums I frequent...people there are starting to appear nutso. Or maybe they always have been, and I'm just really noticing it now.

I'm better off dis-engaging. I'm just so sick of not knowing normal people!!!

Is it the petroleum refineries that are polluting the air around here, theerby destroying people's sense of reality????

I'm venting, but this is freaking weird!

Maybe I'm the crazy one. Probably.

Start Spreading the News!!!

I'm leaving May 14-20

I'm going to New York City!!!! A girl's week with my friend Lorena!

I need hotel b&b advice!

blah

Having a blah week since getting back from BC. Trying to get back into sewing, and can't seem to get my mojo back. Hopefully soon though! I've done a few scrapbooking pages in lieu to keep up with my crafting. Nothing special, but something nonetheless.

So blah though...I have no energy to do much. I'm fighting a cold though which I've been using ColdFX as people have recommended. Well, it seems to put it off for a few days, and then the cold symptoms start to reappear again...then I coldfx it again, and a few days later it comes back. So, I'm ditching the meds. I'm sick of fighting off a headache daily and the pressure in my head and the weakened body feeling. I'm going to let this cold take its natural course.

My guess is my blahs are due to returning back to reality here. Perhaps it's the cold as well and my body just isn't up to it's normal self.

it's not pms so I can't blame it. I'm going to try and force myself to get productive again today and hopefully I'll conquer this funk! There's just way to much of life that is passing by right now!

Winter

Well, it snowed about 10cm again last night, and it warmed up to about -10ish. The wind was blowing a bit, so I'd say it was colder than that, but it was nice enough to bundle up and go outside for awhile. The kids absolultely love it, and it's kind of like a massive dirt pit for them, as they dig, plow and play for a long time. Mandy loves it out there too, and can't get enough of play time when we all are outside. Even Shatzi came out for awhile, but gave me a bit of attitude when I covered him with snow. He then proceeded to go inside again. Party Pooper.

I rarely get good pics of Mandy, but finally snapped one that I love.

By the way...look at how Ethan's nose has healed! You can barely notice any redness anymore!
Cameron has a scratch/puffy eye from falling into a sit-up bench at my sisters, FIVE MINUTES BEFORE WE LEFT FOR HOME!! unreal.

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

Two years ago, yesterday we moved to Sherwood Park from Coquitlam, BC.... I've experienced 3 winters now (hopefully my last?) and 2 incredible summers. Can't beat them here!

We are so grateful for the experience this has brought us. As much as we want to move back, we have absolutely no regrets. I think the Alberta landscape is incredible. If I could mix the two lifestyles together (Alberta space and terrain with BC forests and waters + BC friends/family) life would be perfect. No one can ever tell me that it's flat here...I love the rolling hills and am in love with the canola fields with the black thundercloud backdrop....And the big sky ...

As Dreary As Rain Can Be

As dreary, dark, damp and cold as it can be, it sure was beautiful too....one morning, the sun decided to peek out and shine through the treetops at my sister's townhouse. This is her living room and kitchen view. The pictures truly don't have that same quality as the smell, showcasing the mist and the sounds of the droplets and the stream next door rushing by...but it was something spectacular. I wish I could have captured the droplets on the branches better and the mist forming..









And this photo, I just HAD to take....Real Canadian Superstore's Garden Center is getting ready to open..look at the flowers! My heart skipped a beat when I saw these all ready to go! I so miss having a spring season...I miss the heather blooming, the crocus peaking out and the hydrangea about to bloom the beautiful blue balls of flowers. *sigh* I have to wait until at least mid May here to begin any garden. :(
When we went for a walk in the woods, even though it was soppy and mucky...it was so much fun! I loved the bark mulch squishing and the smell of the woods...the moss on the trees.. I missed feeling wet and soppy after being rained on. It was glorious!

*disclaimer. Yes I know it was just a visit and once I was living in that rain I'd be complaining about it all the time. But when you don't have it for 2 years, you really do appreciate Mother Nature's best and worst features.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy New Year to my friends! It's Chinese New Year, and the celebrations are underway!

I contributed to the festivities by buying some of my favourite asian things at my favourite supermarket T&T. I know we have one in Edmonton, but the one here in Coquitlam just seems better for some reason. I frequented it more I guess, because I lived so close! I bought some of the little pearl shaped cookies for the kids, the ones that are made with cornstarch and literally melt in your mouth. Also bought coconut cocktail buns (OMG DON"T EVER TELL ME THE NUTRITIONAL LABEL ON THEM!!) a bbq pork bun, some sushi, steam buns, Pearl Tea (strawberry flavour) wasabi peas.... can you say indigestion later? :)

I'm going back tonight to pick up these adorable chinese tea mugs with the tea strainer in them. they looked like handmade pottery, and were 2.99 each. I was in a bit of a hurry with the kids and Trent waiting in the car, so I couldn't really decide.

It's been a fun visit so far. A little stressful the first day or two while we "settled in", but now it's great. Passed by our old house, which the new owners have totally let it slide. I'm guessing they're renting. Been looking at neighbourhoods we want to buy in (yay!) even though it's not for awhile yet, but still nice to get a feel for it. Mandy is having a blast with my dad's yellow lab, Tina. Good god she's a huge barrel chested lab though! Mandy is a shrimp beside her! And of course my dad is in dog heaven. He walks those two so proudly each day.

My dad looks fantastic and is keeping busy with his new friends. I'm so relieved to see that :)

I've been having so much fun visiting with my friends, and getting a healthy dose of connections. It feels so good.

Tonight not sure what we're going to do. Tomorrow is visiting with my dad again, as well as sneaking in a brunch with Trent's grandma, even though Trent will be skiing....I'm sure she really wants to see her great grandchildren.
Saturday I'm going down to theMossom Creek Hatchery where I used to volunteer a few times a week for a few years way back in the late 80's early 90's. Some of my co=horts have recently been volunteering there again with their own children, so I thought it would be great to take my kids and show them around. I'm sure Ethan and Cameron will be amazed at the 100,00 coho and chum eggs and alevin right now!

I'll post later...just have a million thoughts swirling in my head right now.

I took the most amazing picture this morning of the sun's rays shining through the dripping wet evergreens...the mist, the rays, the dewy droplets. It looked like one of those religious pictures. I'll post them when I return to Alberta. I needed Jane's macro camera, gosh those would have been amazing pics then

THERESA!!!

Theresa, I'm in Port Moody...and of course, I don't have your phone number..I know the prefix, but that's it! And of course, I can't access or find your email, and this is the only place I thought you may read!! Email me at my telus email, and I'll call you back. I'm here though, and hope we're still on for Wednesday!

Everyone else... I'm in BC for the week, visiting friends and family. The smell of the trees here is incredible!! I so miss it! I never got to post about it because it was last minute, and on Friday before we left, we were delayed and interrupted by Ethan smashing his face into the corner of the coffee table... which resulted in the all day excursions to the medicentre and then children's hospital. Ethan received lots and lots of stitches from the plastic surgeon in and up (a long way up) his nostril. He's much better now, but is a bit swollen and turning a few colours that are now surfacing. Plus he's a little numb and looks like he's had botox to his upper lip region. I hope that's just swelling and not nerve damage!

Anyways...post again soon, most likely when I get back on Sunday!

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.

Holidays

Christmas has come and gone...and admittedly, I'm glad. I hate the clutter and the craziness that seems to transform our lives. We had a great one, with dh's parents coming in for a visit. The kids were so thrilled to have their grandparents with them. They got spoiled to death, and dh and I are going to try and scale things down next year. With Ethan's birthday on the 24th, it seems to be a huge whopper of gift overload. I don't know what we'll do, but it's insane.

The year past has been one of ups and downs....it's been an awful one with friends and family losing their loved ones. I think it has been an exceptionally tragic one, as it seems many people have lost loved ones this year. :( I'm hoping 2008 brings a fresh start, and one with lots of good health and happiness.

Just recently, a student of mine that I taught last year lost his little brother to a tragic farming accident. His father had been working the tractor and accidently ran over the 4 year old (backing up, didn't realize he was there). I'm just stunned at this, and cannot imagine the guilt and grief that the father must be going through. I feel for my student R, who was a success story at school...began the year being at risk and troublesome, and by end of year won awards, was a star in my class and a huge help for me in a few of the music projects we had going on. He was the country music audition I will always remember... I think I blogged about him earlier on. Anyways.... my post is more about wishing the year to close peacefully, and open with a fresh start, not forgetting those we've lost, but moving on and living fully like they'd wish us to.

A toast to the many who we've lost, and my friends who always deserve hug.

Hoar Frost

This last week has felt incredibly cold, colder than it should be. I've learned why. I've experience ICE FOG, and Hoar Frost, which are due to higher humidity levels. Ice fog is incredible....especially when the sun is peeking through. It's like regular fog, except it shimmers like crystals in the air. Well, it IS crystals in the air. :)

Hoar frost is frost that makes the trees, etc look like we got a good snowfall. Usually, the snow here is so dry, that the snow doesn't stick to the trees like it does in BC. Here is a close up of my LP friend who takes amazing photos...I'm stealing her photo to show what Hoar Frost looks like.



This is a photo she took of actual flakes that landed on her pant leg!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper

2. Real tree or Artificial? Used to be real, until I worked with someone who used to work for firedept dispatch...we now have artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree? I would rather wait until about the 15th of Dec. Hubby wins this, and it's up the first weekend of Dec.

4. When do you take the tree down? Boxing day or the day after. The sooner the better!!!

5. Do you like egg nog? Does it come in wine barrels? Yes!!!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Fashion Plates designer drawing set.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? no

8. Hardest person to buy for? mother in law

9. Easiest person to buy for? ME

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? can't think of one...

12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas ? Usually December 24th, this year, I started beginning of November!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? nope.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas ? cookies and sweets

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth with David Bowie and Bing Crosby

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Both - this year we're staying put!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and RUDOLPH

20. Angel on the tree top or star? Nothing!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve is Ethan's birthday... we open Christmas Presents on Christmas Day

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Commercialism and people asking what my list is. Hello? Do you not know me and my interests???

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? wooden ornaments from Germany

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Christmas Eve dinner with european deli weiners and meats, pickled herring, and breads...

25. what do you want for Christmas this year? A really expensive quilting/sewing machine..not gonna happen!

Christmas Baking

I have made plenty of it. Do I have anything to show for it? nope, except for yesterdays creation which is on the chopping block, literally.

Menu today:
stollen and coffee for breakfast
grapefruit for guilt snack
stollen and milk for lunch plus a side of tuna for extra protein **
stollen for afternoon snack with a cup of tea
dinner - i think I'll stop the stollen now. i hope. god help me. there's leftover lasagne in the fridge.

** I realized after eating the tuna that my stollen actually HAS protein in it! I have a good 250g of almonds in the loaf!

My visitors are getting costco and sobey's baking assortments for their treats. They will be purchased within an hour of their arrival. I've done enough damage to my body to last through the holidays.

Where Am I?

I'm delayed in posting I know. I've been busy with visitors...my friend, my sister...details to follow. Life.

But in the meantime, check out www.dooce.com it's one of the most hilarious blogs I've read. This woman is so clever with her words. I've only read 3 pages, and they are awesome.

Okay, so adding pictures to your post after it has been published doesn't seem to work. This is a closer view of my quilt. It's called a rail fence, and is probably one of the easiest quilts to make. I took the class though, to learn about the cutting tricks and techniques, as well as the piecing and sandwiching/quilting aspects. I learned alot!

The picture of me I posted from the farm... i felt so incredible in that fresh air and open space, and I think it kind of captures that.

Granny Andrea

I like sewing. I took a quilting class this fall. Here is my almost finished produce. It's machine pieced, and machine quilted, and all I have to do is put the binding on. Er...that could be awhile. I hate hand sewing and it's the one thing I need to do.

The colours are off in these pics and i can't figure out how to take better ones, aside from bringing my quilt outside in -10c weather. So here it is. I loved the colours at first, and now that I've spent way too much time with this quilt, I am not a fan. It will reside in my basement family room.

Farms.

Recently I have been introduced to farm/acreage and horses. I love them. Each experience I left feeling like I found my home, my place to be.

The first was our neighbour's farm. They farm barley, wheat, oats and peas. It was gorgeous....you could see for miles, and the sense of freedom and peace out there was amazing....




The other experience was at our friend's horse boarding farm. She boards her horse near Calgary. We were on a trip back home from the Rockies, and stopped by for a visit. I'd never been WITH horses before, and we went out to the field to get Floyd. Well all of the horses started following and surrounding us. It was incredible. They were right near us and it was beautiful. A little frightening at first!

The open air, the wide open space, the chill in the air, the dirt. So great.

Can't seem to post the damn pic right now, but will soon/

Outfit Complete

What an absolute hellish day of shopping. I struggle with the concept to spend money on something that I will wear for one night of the year. I don't know. I've never been one to spend alot of money on clothes, nor have I ever had the desire to have alot of clothes.

So, I found an outfit. I bought a fancy jacket for 89.00 which I could technically wear at another time if need be. I bought a fancy sparkly black turtleneck sleeveless top for 20.00 which doubles as a suck me in undergarment. Yeah! I picked up a pair of pants, and then remembered I probably had dressy pants at home, so I returned them. I have heels to go with the outfit, and I'll pick up a pair of sparkly earrings, a bottle of hair colour, and then I'm done.

I feel cynical about the whole thing lately. People dressing up for this "gala" night for dh's work. How totally not me. Let's dress up and show off and see who's the best dressed and best looking of the night? Who's the trampiest? It all brings back alot of old memories of me trying to feel like I need to fit in. And then there's the concept of being the "director's wife". or the "boss's wife". Trying to look good for my husband to look good for his employees. Puke. Anyways, I'll look good, not flashy, not trampy. It's only one night right? Don't get me wrong, I like to look good, but sometimes I wonder about the whole thing and my personal demons make a big deal out of nothing at all.

Feeling rather down in the dumps the last few days. I'm feeling lonely and uninspired. I have many projects to do, quilts, sewing, drapes, school project for Ethan's class, painting the boys' rooms. but I slump onto the couch and stare off out the window. I need friends.

Holy Moly!!!

Please excuse my hiatus from blogging. Life has gotten the best of me. And I don't feel guilty about such a long break either! I feel however, like I need to document my swirling thoughts more often.

So, dusting this thing off.

I really don't know who or how many people even read this. but it'll be fun to revive.


I have an intense urge to buy a new coat and new boots. It's the cold weather. I will be doing so this week.
I also need new bras, socks, pajamas and a robe. I also need a pair of jeans, and a christmas outfit for a work party of dh's.

To go along with that, I'm sure I'll need new jewelry, pantyhose, slimming undergarments, etc. And my hair done as well.

Crap. This is going to be expensive.

Wildlife on my commute

Well they're out in the fields again. And guess who just seems to pee and poo while I drive by again? Not daily, but enough for me to slap my forehead. Yep. the horse.

Also saw a few porcupines...although they were roadkill. Never seen a porcupine before in mylife! The quills look very cool. I want to stop on the side of the road and pluck one, but I think that may not go over very well with people I know.

Saw mama fox and her 2 babies too. Baby lambs and calfs are also dotting the scenic horizon. And in the concrete cookie cutter development I live, waddled a mama duck and her babies following behind her. I hope to god she wasn't lost. The lake is on the other side of the development. Unless she was coming to swim in my pond...

Oh yes, and the best wild life of all? The bugs. They are out. in full FAT force. The mosquitos are big, fat and ugly.

Dairy Farmers - increase your productivity please

because the gods out there have shown me heaven, and it comes from cows. Partially that is.

I just discovered ORANGE milk. Not chocolate milk, or strawberry milk. My new passion is ORANGE MANIA milk.

I secretly stop in at Sobey's every other day to indulge in my milk intake. I guess it's not a secret anymore.

OMG it's so fucking good.

Off to sobey's.

AARRUGHGHGH

So after that post, my husband comes home with news of two referrals for him to post on jobs back in BC.

We really hashed things out before and during dinner, trying to get to the bottom of my confusion. As usual, it's me trying to appease people and not to disappoint anyone. Taking Ethan to MY school for kindergarten would go against me wanting him to go to the neighbourhood school where he can meet the neighbourhood kids. Working 2-3 days a week would still entail me putting on the various concerts, as well as the Christmas concert, talent shows, airbands, music festivals, choirs etc. Except instead of fitting those practices into my 5 day work week like I have now, I'd be cramming them into the 2-3 days I'd be at work.

I know what my head is telling me. My heart just doesn't want to disappoint anyone. And my heart is filled with such gratitude for someone bending over backwards for me....like I said, I feel very humbled about her doing all the flexible scheduling.

And what about me? How do I really feel about this situation. All I care about is not disappointing anyone or putting anyone out. How fucked up is that?

Humbled

So my saga as to whether or not I return to work in the fall continues. I haven't posted much about because frankly it's a long winded whirlwind.

In a nutshell, I'm finding life way to overwhelming working fulltime, daycare, home, and a husband that travels at least one week out of the month.

So, I considered moving to part time (2.5.- 3 days a week), but then issue became of daycare costs...I'd still have to pay full time daycare for both kids, yet cut my salary in 1/2. That would work to be about 200 dollars a month that I'd take home in pay.

So now my principal again is working on me. She is so supportive and WANTS me. It's incredible. She's asked 2 other teachers who have music background at the school, if they will share the music teaching while I take a leave of absensse for a year at school, guaranteeing me a spot to come back to next year. She said if I took a year off, she really wanted me to apply directly back at the school.

Option 2 which we hashed out. Ethan goes to my school to kindergarten 2-3 days a week. (because it's a country school, kindergarten is full days there) Schedule the music schedule around the days that Ethan is at kindergarten. Then, only Cameron is going to daycare, and I don't have the worry of a nightmare bus thing for Ethan, as well as separation anxiety with Ethan (not MY anxiety, Ethan's)

I'm just so humbled at her flexibility and her willingness to keep me and work with me to get what I want.

I love the idea of working somewhat. I even told her about my thoughts of possibly moving back to Vancouver in the next year. She wants me still.

I feel very valued and very competent. I like that.

Body Functions

I must apologize about the amount of bodily functions in my blogs....it's just that working with kids, it's the forefront of my mind.

Speaking of body functions, my eldest monster, er, son, has discovered how to burp. Now I don't know how much of it is discouraged at daycare, but I really don't think much at the moment, which ticks me off. He's also into pee poo and bum talk and loves the shock value of it all.

Is this the beginning of the boy nightmares I have imagined? Will it dwindle, or am I at the tip of the iceberg?

Refinnej?????? HELP!!!!!!!!!

Snot - Do I have to go there again?

Being a music teacher, I teach lots of fun singing games and dances as well as the typical instrumentation.

Today, while teaching the lesson in a circle formation, sitting on the form. I had a nose picker beside me. Dig dig dig, and cover your nose with the OTHER hand to hide the fact that you are picking your nose. Good move, little one. Nope, I don't see it, what a great way to hide your habit.

So in circle formation, we get ready to get up and start our game. Excavator is beside me, and is finishing off her business. She proceeds to wipe her hands on her dress and catches me watching her. I can tell she's got the deer in headlights look. Oh my gosh, she's thinking....she saw me picking my nose. DUH!!! So silently, as if she was trying to appease my disgust, and apologize telepathically to me, she brushes her hands together, gives them a wipe on her dress as if she's trying to smooth out the folds of her dress. *nicetrick* Then, she reaches over to me and holds my hand like the rest of the circle.

And I wonder why I've been sick for the last 7 months of the year.

two very laughable moments today

"lightbulb"
"walk the line"
Today at school, there were two moments that I tried so hard not to laugh out loud AT the kids. Okay, maybe one I laughed WITH the kids.

We're doing a school wide song for Music Monday on May 7. I've taughht the song, now we're put a few action to it. E.G. The world is waiting for our song...we draw a world in the air with our hands and push our hands outwards like we're showcasing.

So, I have my grade 2 kids come in and we start to generate ideas and put some good actions to the song. For the following line in the song:
I know you hear it when you're alone..

I get a few ideas, we decide on one (hug our arms and sway back and forth). It's done. But this one grade 2 student cannot stop, and needs to be heard. He is frantically trying to get my attention, like the most revolutionary idea is about to come out of his mouth. Yes, M. I say. He shows me his action (a twisty wrist thing in the air). What's he doing, I'm not sure. So I ask in my quizzical way:

I'm not sure what that action has to do with lonely, M. Can you explain it to me?

Yes, Mrs.Harris. You know when you're screwing in a lightbulb? You do that alone, and so I thought a screwing in a lightbulb with your hand would fit real good there.

Oh, I say. I'm trying really hard not to smirk.

So THEN...his buddy beside him supports his idea. Yes, Mrs.Harris, especially, you know, when the lightbulb breaks and it's all sharp and you have to unscrew it by yourself?

IS this for real???? I'm afraid it was.

So my solution was to have the two boys do their own thing for this part of the song. and so seriously they did. Like it was their shining lightbulb moment.

Pun not intended.

My other funny moment today...again pointing out that I work in a RURAL school. I'm doing an airband project with the grade 6's. I've chosen 50's theme for it. The kids were all excited to hear the selections I had chosen (about 50 different songs to choose from) I heard a few rumbling requests for Johnny Cash...not knowing much about him, I thought I'd toss one of his songs in my mix just to appease them. Heck, the rest of the songs were so catchy, a Johnny Cash song would go unnoticed.

So we're flicking through the songs talking about a few of them, and then Johnny Cash comes on. I flick through it quickly, and you'd think I had committed a crime. They all screached at me...ooooh! that's johhnny cash! Turn it back. so there they go, ALL singing Walk the Line in Unison. I had only heard the song a few times in my life, with no real interest at all. They, obviously, have heard it many more.

I'm guessing johnny cash falls under the country category during the 50's and 60's era.

A best friend

I've always wondered about the saying "Man's Best Friend". Today, I finally understood it.

We adopted Mandy 2 years ago, shortly after the death of my mom. Some say it was a knee jerk response to her death, and maybe it was somewhat. Maybe I should have waited awhile longer. But if I did, I wouldn't have Mandy. When I saw her online, I just had to have her. She had such a goofy grin, and her story of having her 3rd litter in 2 years just made me want her even more. I wanted to give her a home where she was safe and spoiled. That she is. She is truly my dog, following me everywhere, including to the bathroom (which gets so annoying sometimes!) She adores our family. I'm the pack leader. Trent's the playmate, and the kids, well, I often think she thinks they are her babies. She even adores our cat Shatzi.

Today, she really proved herself as part of the family in a special way. And for some reason, I just cannot get this out of my head. For some reason, I feel very bonded today, like she really communicated with me. Call me crazy, but I know Mandy, and this was definately her way of telling me something.

We came home from work/daycare and began our usual "home finally" routine of snack/tv, dog goes outside, and I check messages, just before getting prepped for the dinner makings. Cameron got his juice and cheerios, Ethan his juice and apple slices. I got my diet coke and headed to the computer room to check my emails. About 5 minutes later I hear the dog prancing in the house down the hallway into the computer room to see me. Click click her nails tapping along the hardwood floors. Back she goes, and comes back again, this time with a friendly play "growl" and prances side to side in front of me, in her play soliciting way. She NEVER does this in the house. She runs to the back door.

I finally clue in. How did she get in the house in the first place? I follow her, and off she goes onto the deck and LEADS me to my little squirt down the back "hall" of the side of the house.

Was this ooincidence that she wanted to play outside? Maybe. I really think she was trying to let me know that Cameron was out there on his own, and Mandy knew that wasn't right. I feel very grateful for that moment, as sometimes I forget how incredible she really is, and what a great friend and companion she is.

As I type this Mandy lays beside me waiting for the creak of the chair to announce that I will be getting up and moving somewhere else. She will, of course, follow me by my side.


She's definately a best friend.

Mud Puddling

Well, we've entered the big melt where I live and work. 6 1/2 months worth of snow and ice are deciding to morph into something different - mud.

At school, the vast farm fields are speckled with puddles, and even, ponds. The park benches are now uncovered, and there are no more ice and snow forts built ontop and through them. The playgrounds? Well, now the firepoles are an actual challenge, and one can slide down them, instep of step out of them onto a snowbank.

With the melt, comes huge huge puddles, close to pond quality in the playground sand. One would think that hte kids would avoid the playground. No.

Again, the resourcefulness and creativity of children amazes me. Adults are squashing their engagement by screaming "get out of the puddles, where are your boots?" By noon, the new (assinine)safety rule has been implemented onto the playgroun STAY OFF OF THE PLAYGROUND. Yeah, like staying out of puddles has ever been a successful rule with stir crazy kids.

I, the rebellious one on staff... get very excited by what's happening out there. I don't care about soaking wet feet, pants, stinky muddy clothes. I'm totally fixated on these future project managers of our world. I tell them to go forth and conquer. I will absorb the bitching by the other staff.

Take the tire swing lake for instance. One group of kids decided they wanted to get on that swing, but couldn't get to it because the lake was way to big to reach the swing. So, here comes the resourcefulness. Digging streams and "paths" to drain the tireswing puddle just enough. These streams drained into the Slide Puddles.

Again, more teams are catching on. In a day's time, the playground has transformed into a sea of scribbled paths, working their way to the farm field beside the playground. The team has successfully drained most of the water from the important equipment.

A little wet? yep. A little dirty? Yep. Learning about dams, gravity, water flow, engineering, teamwork? Yep.

Farting

Am I a fart magnet or something? Does my kind and gentle face read "please walk near me and fart" ?

Do I just relax you enough that you feel like it's safe to do such a thing around me?

Today, no joke, I had about 6 farters at school. One farter decided the music room was fine and dandy to go really loud. Obviously, she had not intended to be so disruptive, but alas when one farts...kids laugh.

The other 5 times were random. While I'm reading at the same table as the farter and the air changes is an easy one. For some reason, many think that being up ou of their desks is a great excuse. Yes, and I get the brunt of it, in my carpeted, tiered and non-windowed music room. Lovely.

The most insulting one was a sweet grade 2 girl who APPROACHED ME to get her paper marked in math. SHE APPROACHED ME KNOWING THAT I WAS GOING TO BE WITH HER ONE ON ONE. Does it not make sense to wait the minute or so before moving the air with you? No. She brought it with her.


Nice.

Aging Folks

Okay, gripes, vents and sighs coming up.

Invite dad out to dinner last week. I say, Milestones, Whitespot, TonyRoma's, or Zellers (his fav, not mine) You go out for dinner with your daughter, and guess what you pick? yes, ZELLERS cafeteria. sigh. Ok. I play along. I look for the good in it. Casual dining, kid friendly, quick service, bright surrounding so dad doesn't complain (about the room being dark so that we can't see what they're serving on the plate. Must be some kind of reason they're making it dark because the food must look bad)

We make the time to meet for 5:15. We (husband and kids in tow) get there at 5:25. Yes, slightly late, but my dad has his meal already and is halfway through eating it!!!!!!!! Fucking hell!

And to top it off? He's got a hearing aid FINALLY in the last week. Does he wear it at all? NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Fucking hell!!!!!

And all through dinner, he keeps calling me DIJON, for my hair is blonde. I'm too old for this.

Kids are relatively good, thank goodness, except for Cameron's whiny independent phase where I can't even touch a thing on his plate otherwise he explodes into an ugly scene. Ethan keeps nagging about Opa's SURPRISE that he has in the car. Fucking hell.

Somehow, after all that I'm glad it was Zellers. Quick exit.

Muffins are GONE just like that.

Hey ho, I'm off work again. If it's not me sick, it's someone else in my family. So I have to take time off work. Whee.

So I made muffins today. And to my realization, I just had the understanding of how people say you go through a lot of food with a family.

Never really realized that until just now. I just finished pulling out a batch of 12 oatmeal choc chip muffins from the oven about 20 minutes ago. How many are left? 6. Yes SIX. And if my experience serves me right, one of them will be hobbling into the computer room with his green plate showing me it's empty and he'll say ah dun. Meaning...I want more.

So then, it's onto 5 muffins. And of course, they're humming my way too..a little pat of butter on a fresh hot muffin...can't beat it.

So yes. In under an hour my family will polish off the muffins. Trent should be home in about 15 minutes, which we then know the fate of the rest of the muffins.

Sick yet Again!

We had a 2 week hiatus from being sick. Yippee! And onto another bug. Kids have a cold, I'm getting it, and Trent has it too. Only bad thing is that Trent has a stomach flu on top of it. I'm sure that's going to run it's way through the household.

We have never been so sick in our entire lives since moving here. Trent especially. He never gets sick. This year? 3-4 stomach bugs and colds frequently. I now just monitor the healthy times I have. Such as the last 2 weeks of feeling good. Well, scratch that. I had a minor nausea bout last week for 1.5 days. Couldn't scarf anything down, nor could I move as swiftly as usual.

Oh well, we're keeping the kleenex and toilet paper industry in business.

Sounds like a bunch of bitchy postings about my health. But fuck, when you're constantly sick as we have been, you tend to get bitchy.

Spring Break

Our Spring Break is a week later than others, I don't know why, but it is. Nonetheless ,we are heading west bound to our wet coast again. I'm excited to stay there for the week and really soak in what we are missing. Perhaps the traffic, congestion, and dampness will turn us off and we'll be happy to stay in th frigid prairies.

Perhaps not.

The sunrises this week have been outstanding. I drive directly east into the sunrise which is a bitch when you're trying to navigate the road. But, becase the road is straight, I usually stare off into the rolling hills and the snow covered fields and watch the sun rise.

The snow is melting quite a bit, as we have a warming trend happening. Thank god. I cannot wait to see grass again. although it will be all brown and dead. I think what people here really appreciate is the distinct seasons. When the grass finally sprouts green, and the trees finally burst their leaves, we are transformed into a colour world again. It really makes you appreciate the spring when arrives.

However,...I sure miss my hydrangea at this time of year on the west coast, beginning their blooms of periwinkle and fushia. I miss bold red of the azaleas in my parent's yard... I miss the cherry blossoms creating a pink blanket on the green grass.

I'm coming home!

Country Schools

So I'm setting up this talent show for the school, and I had all the kids who wanted to be in it, audition for it.

The difference between a country school and a city school is great. For one, I've only got 1/2 the population as normally occurs in a city school. The TYPE of performances are so cute.

Grade 1 student wrote a poem called I Love School, which she will be reciting.

Singing? All the singing gigs are COUNTRY songs.

Dancing? Not a heck of alot of these. But the ones I have, are not the lates rap song, top 40 or r&b ditty. The dances are to KIDS cd's. Crazy Frog, Kidpop and Raffi. What the???? I was expecting some really good funky dances like I've seen before. Girl groups with their heavy makeup and skimpy outfits on...just like in the city.

Nope.

and for instrumentals? I have the token piano pieces that one would expect, and GET THIS... I have a BANJO performance!

Gotta love it.

I stole this post because I can't stop laughing at it!!!

OMG my friend has the best posts on her blog, and I have to steal it over here to post it for a few of my readers to read. I didn't ask her permission, so if I get in shit, I get in shit. I LOVE this post.

You know, when it's dead at work, the question "what's with your voice?" gets really old, and you just can't wait until Friday? Then, when Friday arrives, you come home and see what terrifyingly godawful condition your house has somehow arrived at, and you're bitten by the MustCleanItNow bug while simultaneously making dinner and fending off the "what's for dinner" questions from a 4 yr old who would eat sandwiches morning, noon and night if you let him make the family meal plan (ha! meal plan. Like I have one of those!). And, when you dare to drag out the vacuum to suck up the evil dust bunnies that are taking over every nook & cranny available, your husband makes a comment about how his nerves are almost shot and he runs for his personal hidey-hole. This, after he managed to go on a 4-day ski trip (free) last weekend, then worked a whopping 1.5 days before taking his leftover 2006 vacation days (that he didn't know he had. Dumbass.) to recover from the stomach flu and what can only be called the weeniest "cold" imaginable. Then, after you've managed the least amount of sympathy that classifies as being polite, informed both children they will not receive any more food this evening because they didn't eat their dinner, washed the dishes, and started the dishwasher, you're expected to listen to your husband bitch about poker.

The Wet Coast

Here are some pics from my Tofino trip....sigh


What a rejuvenating trip. If I could live in this place...I would love it. Only thing is, it's a 3 hour drive to a local mall. I don't think I'd survive that. :lol:

My boys

Mommy - I love you so much. Mommy, I just love you so much I can't stop loving you.


I just love having two children. I never thought in a million years what the benefit to having two would be. I love watching my two boys making each other laugh, and most of all, soliciting play with each other. Hearing the giggling come from Cameron's room in the morning, when Ethan has snuck in adn crawled into Cameron's crib, seeing them in their skivvies because Ethan has stripped them both down to their underwear and playing with the toys, is ridiculously rewarding.

It's definately alot of work, and often I'm pulling my hair out because one is always at me..... but the last few days have been very awesome. Love my boys.

New posts

I'm dredging up a new funny post. It's milling around in my mind. Stay tuned. :)

Went to the wet coast this weekend, and wet it was! It was so gorgeous..the smell of the trees and the dampness. Funny, but I never thought I'd appreciate it again. We (a group of a few of my girlfriends) chilled out in a cabin in Tofino, right on the water. I love them to bits, it was so nice to regroup and rekindle what I have missed.

Urge for my hometown still exists. More confusion in my head...need to sort it out.

The cold has finally melted me.

We have been talking lately about moving back home to the wet coast. We love it here in the cold prairies, but we're really missing our friends and family back home. It wouldn't be a quick move, but rather a plan to get back home in the next year to 2 years. DH will be fishing for placements with his company on the coast, which will be good options, and I, well... I really am flexible with what I want to do. I love my teaching job, but I still love the option of other careers, other things. Ethan is going to Kindergarten in the fall (!) and it would be nice to be able to be there along the way with him. I'm going to work on NOT working..maybe tutoring or teaching music classes on the side for wee ones. If we move, we'd make a killing on the house we have right now, and yes, while it's expensive on the coast, we don't mind living out in the burbs, even a little further than we did before. Financially, we've made huge strides by this move, and while some people might think of us as crazy, we've sacrificed a year, possibly 2 or 3, and financially saved ourselves 15-20 years on our mortgage.

When we reflect back on all the things we've been doing and people we "socialize" with, we've been pretty much living our lives here, but socializing with our west coast friends and family. All the phone calls, emails, blogs, and chatboards, are all with our friends back home. Weird huh? So we'll see what comes of it.

This is strictly in the works right now, and maybe we'll change our minds in the near future, but I'm not so sure.

I'm positively THRILLED and ELATED about the idea...when the idea came "out" my homesickness surfaced and intensified. I dunno what's happening to me. I think I'm going nutso.

I'm here!

I'm doing well, and out of my woa is me phase again. Sheesh, had to dig out of that one! Feeling good again.

I have a ton to blog about, but not a lot of time right now.


I went to my first roadside cafe, as in, hicksville gasoline station restaurant. The artwork on the walls was dusty and faded, the dusty pink walls were dingy and grey. The early 80's vinyl back chairs were in fine form, and the menus were showing age. We went for lunch, my work group that is. A fine bunch of 10 women we are, and I had the honours of being the guest of honour, for it was my first time to Brookville. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with fries, and literally, it came exactly out as I would have made myself. Wonderbread, kraft cheese, cut in 1/2 with a pile of baked fries on the side. To drink? A bottle of diet coke from the gas station cooler...not even a straw offered, nor a glass to pour it in.

I was in heaven. My first real hick experience, and I loved every minute of it.

Quitting

Every now and then I get into a funk with my job and feel very guilty about working vs being at home with the kids. Being a teacher is one of the most amazing jobs one can do, but it is also a very stressful, busy, lonely, and high pressure job too. Top that with the idea of being exposed to millions of different germs everyday, being a mom, counsellor, nurse, hugger, disciplinarian, police officer, and stand up comic...I think it can get a bit much at times.

So this weekend leading into monday was one of those times where I just felt the pop bottle shaken a little and the pressure mounting...my cork was about to pop. And it did. I got to the point of re evaluating finances and budget and seeing if I could stay at home. (that wasn't a problem at all)

I figured it outsomewhat. I think i get overwhelmed when I start to feel like too much is piling up on my plate, like I'm starting to get behind, or out of control. Let's see...I'm in the "downwind" from the concert, the January doldrums, the darkest time of the year. I've been planning to restart choir (getting all those songs figured out), plan, learn and teach the ukulele which I've never done before, and plan, learn and teach the recorder, which I've never done before. Learning the grade 1-3 guided reading program is not so bad, but it still is another notch to pile on. I also came up with the brilliant idea that I should have the kids create a school wide talent show for March (what the fuck am I doing?????) Add to the pile the teacher evaluations which my principal has to do on me to official grant me a permanent contract statuts. Yep..I guess I've got a bit on my plate. Add to that the fact that my husband was away for 5 days last week, and 4 days this week, while I'm playing single mom with all of the above on my plate. My learning curve at work is so sharp, and I know if I just get through this year, my future years will not be as hard.

Add to this the very frustrating point of being sick with cold or flu non stop since the 3rd week of September. No joke, just the week after Christmas, has been my one week where I did not need to resort to kleenex or hacking. I'm again, caught up with a sinus cold which I wake up with a headache daily for the last 5 days. Maybe something else is wrong with me?

I'm so surprised I haven't turned to smoking or drinking. Food such as icecream has been a comfort, but I don't resort to any of that. I just bottle it up.

So I've recoveered from this mess my mind has created. DH is leaving again tomorrow, and I will manage just fine. I will do what I can, how I can. My kids and I will continue on and do just fine. As for my job, there are so many things that I could add and do to enhance the program, but I just think I need to balance things better and realize that I can't do it all in my first year.

need to re-read this and let it sit inside me for awhile...

Keep Out

pitter patter pitter patter...rummage sounds in the junk drawer.
Ethan comes up to me this morning, pen in one hand, paper in the other.
"mommy, Can you write Keep Out please"

"okay"

rummage, rummage rummage through the junk drawer.
Pitter patter pitter patter. Door Shuts.
Cameron starts crying.

It was a Keep Out sign that I wrote. Ethan found the tape and taped it to his bedrom door, and shut the door on Cam.

Sibling fights are starting. gah


In other news...lots to post about, but not in the mood to right now.

Bought more scrapbooking stuff, when I'll scrapbook, hell if I know. Sure looks purdy though.