Apr 30, 2007

Home...........



I love summer here just so much.....

Susannahs cross...


Susannah made this cross at school recently...it is made from used matches.....I think its gorgeous and so it will be displayed here somewhere...which will be quite odd considering I am an athiest!

Laurence went ona retreat today in Sherwood Park......the retreat was entitled 'Spiritual Superheroes' and was about comparing Jesus to superman etc.....he said they did a lot of praying ;)

Fat piggy!!!


Charlie squashed into Cairo the cats bed this afternoon....she was determined to get comfy but as you can see, she has a huge arse and it doesn't look good squashed into a small bed ;)

So......

I just realised that I use the word 'So' a LOT to start new sentences.....

So, what should I do about that?????

Monday afternoon.....

sometimes I struggle to think of an interesting title for a post lol!

So its Monday afternoon - the kids will be home in a little while....Dan is still downtown I'm assuming so he'll come back with Lloyd later..

Today has been a blur....so sleepy yet I can't remember for the life of me if I took my meds yesterday - so Lloyd just ran to the drugstore and bought me one of those little boxes for old people - they have 7 little boxes with the days of the week labelled on the top and you put your tablets for each day in each box so you KNOW if you've taken them or not..

OMG I am soooooooo OLD!!! And now Lloyd is going to continually take the piss out of me for being old and forgetful......he never lets me forget that I put my purse in the fridge - and my shoes and stuff like that.....and now this :( Last year he bought me some vitamins for over 50's!!!!!!!!!

So I feel as though I have done nothing today...but what HAVE I done? Showered and dressed.....dressed Sam.....washed kitchen floor, cleaned kitchen, donw two loads of laundry, vacuumed main floor, made a cottage pie for dinner tonight, set Sam and Abby up with colouring and a craft at the table...made breakfast for us all...washed a sink full of dishes....fed Charlie the pig and the dogs....blogged several times, phoned my sister (Daniels Mom Clare) and chatted to her and my other Nephews Oliver (15) and Isaac (5)

I've also chatted on Scrappershaven and checked out the blogs I read....I was hoping to read about Cheeriosbabble's trip to Toronto but she hasn't updated yet.....

Tonight we are all going for a walk again and as its so nice out we may have a fire and then have Smores for dessert - we couldn't last night because it rained...

So yep another ramble about my day....I think I need to add some piccies so tonight I will take the camera when we go for a walk....

Oh and I found out that Charlie hates carrots.....I gave her a ton of food earlier including some bananas and carrots that wweren't looking great - they had gone past the stage the kids like them - so she gulped back her bananas as always but left the carrots.....

She really is such a lovely pig - if you are standing outside chatting she will just walk up to you and stand so close she is touching your leg - it must be a comfort thing...she is so sociable!

In appreciation of a fab friend!!!

I have this amazing friend named Samantha....she was Abigails preschool teacher a few years back and I recognised her Manchester accent so we got chatting - turns out our Sons played soccer together too and she was actually from the same small part of Stockport that I had lived.....

Anyway...we stayed in touch and she is amazing...she has this endless energy (although sometimes I think she only keeps going because if she stopped for a while she would collapse!!!!) and is always volunteering and she helps run preschool activities and all kinds of things around here......this week she is starting a new preschool drop-in group here where I live!!!! Yay!!

I am rambling but Lloyd had remembered that Sams DH works in the music business.....something to do with sound systems but we weren't sure what....we wondered if he had heard of the college that Dan was thinking of studying at (where his interview is today) So I emailed and asked and if he had any suggestions for other courses in the area....

Well Sam phoned last night said that if Dan wanted a job with her DH's company then he could probably start straight away! They NEED enthusiastic young people willing to learn from the bottom and work hard....turns out that her DH is an audio engineer - they set up the sound systems for many of the festivals and concerts in the area - the big events - and they do sound systems for restaurants and stores etc as well and this is EXACTLY what Dan wants to study and work in!!!

So Sams wonderful Husband said that he would check to see if he is working away this week, and if not then Dan can go and spend a day with him to see if its what he wants to do - and he should take his resume!!!!!!!

So Samantha and Ian - not that you read this blog but THANK YOU - you have no idea what that opportunity would mean for Dan!!!

Monday morning...

I was supposed to drive Susannah to school today but it was a really bad night...I don't think I took my tablet last night...and I was awake until 3am :( I woke up as Lloyd was leaving and kissed him goodbye......Lloyd phoned at 7:15am and I mumbled hello...he called again at 8am and I was shocked that Susie had left with the boys and it was too late to drive her.......I fell back to sleep....Sam was also asleep with me......Lloyd phoned at 9am and 9:45 am and Sam and I were still sleeping.......

Now its 10:20am and I am slowly waking up.....not quite the Monday morning I had planned.....

Dan did better than me - he set his alarm for 5:30am and actually got up!!! He went into Edmonton with lloyd for the day....he has an interview at DEV Studios this morning and will then spend the rest of the afternoon downtown strolling around and visiting touristy things.....maybe walking in the river valley or sat somewhere reading a magazine...he says he is 'Shit-scared' lol but he's surviving!

He got into Edmonton by 7am and then went up to the 28th floor with Lloyd to Lloyds office...he enjoyed the view from there and Lloyd printed off a colour map of the city for him and pointed places out from the window....then Lloyd left him at Second Cup getting coffee.....and when he went down a little later Dan had gone...

Dan says he walked around the mall and sat in there before the stores opened...he said it was full of homeless people sat on the benches so he sat on the last free chair lol...he went to the bathroom and found a man in there stripped to the waist washing himself....I think Dan was puzzled by this!!!!!

He got chatting to someone anyway because someone recommended he visited the Citadel...I explained where City Hall was and the Winspear and the temporary art gallery on Jasper....oh and I explained where tourist info is......and how to get to the river valley....he can get the bus back to Sherwood Park after his interview if he wants but he says he may stay downtown and wait for Lloyd......I think thats great - I know how scared he is but I think he is enjoying pushing himself into these new experiences on his own - he's never really done anything on his own and I think this will be REALLY good for him and his confidence!!

the next post is about Dan too!

Apr 29, 2007

A money box for Connors Vest....




This is a money box I have made to collect all my loose change in...the money will go towards the 'coins for connor' fund which is raising funds towards a special vest for for baby Connor. Connor is the baby Son of an online friend......he was born in November and has Cystic Fibrosis.....you can read more about baby Connor and find out about the vest he needs at:

http://www.freewebs.com/coinsforconnor/index.htm

If you would like to add funds to my money box then please Email me and I can let you know how!

It makes me crazy that in a province that is so so wealthy, that things like these vests are an added expense for an already scared and concerned parent..... Lets help a LOVELY lady get the vest that she needs for her gorgeous baby boy!

I will be filling this money box up until Connors first birthday in November!!!

Mod Podge........

I hate the smell of mod podge......too bad it's a necessity of almost every craft I adore.....it seems that no matter how much I wash my hands, I can still smell it......which isn't good, as I suck my thumb!!

Science project....




Susannah and I have been working on her science project over the last week...using certain supplies, she had to create a playground with at least two moving parts......so I helped her with this.....

It has a sandbox with a bucket full of sand - the bucket can be moved....

There is a fish pond with a fishing net that has a goldfish inside it.....the fish and net can be moved...

There is a seesaw/ teeter totter (sp??) that rocks.....

and there is a tree with a tyre swing that swings.....

we used popsicle sticks, tin foil, string, a body scrub, bristol board, glue, a toothpaste lid, real sand.....and a few other things....

Work in progress....



Here are some ATC's (artist trading cards or altered playing cards) that I am working on....none are finished yet but I am getting there.......

The bottom two I have worked on a little more than the other 4 but are still not quite finished......

Friday nights sunset.......



Sunday mornings.........

Its Sunday morning.....I've been sat in bed reading through the latest Canadian Scrapbooker magazine (again!) Lloyd has just taken Dan to the Esso garage to meet CA's husband....they are going to the car museum down in Wetaskiwin (sp???) for the day....no idea what time he will be back......I think it's just the two of them going...

Saturday was nice....In the morning Lloyd took Susannah to her birthday party (scrapbooking and cycle ride party) and then he worked on the dog run while Dan and Laurie helped me tidy up the yard....Laurie and I were on dog poop duty (lovely!) while Dan was on garbage pick-up......it was back-aching work!!! wow! After I had filled 2 sacks we took a break and went for a walk up on Marys land......we walked write over to the furthest corner - and Charlie came with us!!! Poor pig must have been exhausted!! B ut she loves coming on walks with us and just wants to be around us......when we got back from the walk she went straight to her bed in the mud room and slept!!!!

In the afternoon Dan helped Lloyd dig holes for the fence posts - they were using an Auga/ orga????? I'm not sure how it is spelled...but its a two-man machine for digging fence post holes.....

Late afternoon we drove to collect Chris from his sleepover party and then Susie from her birthday party, and then we went into town to Dairy Queen to introduce Dan to the delights of Blizzards!!! Blizzards are like a mix of ice cream/ milkshake kind of stuff and you can choose what they put in it! I had Georgia Mud Fudge which was lumps of chocolate brownie and pieces of pecan!!! DELICIOUS!!!! Dan had cookie dough!

In the evening Dan and Lloyd did more holes and while they were doing that, I decluttered our bedroom closet and then tidied Sams room...Susie sorted laundry for me.....Chris slept on the sofa downstairs as he was ill so we drugged him with Nyquil (lol) and he is feeling better today.....

Then once the children were all in bed, Lloyd, Dan and I watched 'Stranger than Fiction' on PPV......it was an ok movie....I had thought it was a comedy...we were all tired and had wanted to watch something light and funny but it isn't a comedy and was just an odd movie......ah well!

Today.....well, thankfully it is less windy today so I may do some more yard work - I want to fish out the garbage from the pond - so much gets blown in there :( Tonight, if Dan is back in time, we plan to have a fire and make Smores.......

I think Lloyd and I are planning to go out for coffee a little later - nothing to eat or any shopping or anything - just coffee somewhere - maybe in Chapters or something......just to sit and relax a while.....just the two of us......

Its 10:15am and for once I know what we are having for dinner tonight - I'm not normally so organized...we're having baked potates with a tuna and hemp salad :)

Well, this is a really long boring ramble about our days - for me more than anyone....just as a record of what we have been doing....I'm half asleep and not dressed yet...still groggy from my tablets (hence the fact Lloyd drove Dan and not me or we would have ended up in a ditch.....)

Apr 28, 2007

Books, books books.....

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? mass market paperback - I don't like hard covers as you can't lie down to read them and you can't read them in the bath and they are heavy...I suck my thumb

Amazon or brick and mortar? brick and mortar for sure - definitely worth the extra money for the delight of walking around the bookstore and touching the book you are about to buy...


Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Chapters here in Canada, Barnes and Noble in the US


Bookmark or dog ear?
bookmark - even if its a square of tissue or a post-it


Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
random - life is just too short!

Keep, throw away, or sell? keep - always keep!

Keep dust jacket or toss it? toss it


Read with dust jacket or remove it?
toss it lol

Short story or novel? Novels.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? anthology


Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Lemony Snicket - although I can appreciate how well imagined and how well written Harry Potter is!


Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
when tired but it has to be at the end of a paragraph....


"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"?
neither....the opening of a book has to catch my attention and both of those are lame.


Buy or Borrow?
Has to be buy! Especially with fiction - I just have to have new and I can;t explain why....non fiction I can borrow from the library but not fiction.


New or used?
new!!!


Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
all of the above!!!


Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
tidy ending I guess - although I like 'clever' endings.....


Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
any time is a good time to read but especially at BATHTIME....

Stand-alone or series? both if they are good!

Favorite series? Shopoholic...probably the only series I have read....

Favorite children's book? The Touchstone by Gabriel Allington

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Tales from my Front Porch....I forget the author....


Favorite books read last year?
Mitch Alboms Tuesdays with Morrie


Favorite books of all time?
Sarah Ban Breathnach 'Simple Abundance', Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, Emma by Jane Austen, The Touchstone by Gabriel Allington, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Jemima J by Jane Green.

Least favorite book you finished last year? Nicholas Sparks ...I forget the title but its about a guest house in NC and a Nor'Easter blowing into town - I love Sparks but this book was useless! What was he thinking? Just dull! I didn't finish it!


What are you reading right now?
The Memory Keepers Daughter

What are you reading next? The Birth House probably......

Saturday morning...

I woke up at 9am....everyone else was already up - including Daniel who had had a dream that I had woken him up!! haha!!

Lloyd has taken Abby and Sam with him to drop Susie (and her bike) to her friends house for a birthday party.....it is from 11am to 4pm and they are cycling to the playground and it is also a scrapbooking party! How wonderful!!! Even the invites were beautifully created and rubberstamped!!! the wording on Vellum which was attached with handmade photo corners!!!!

Chris is still at his sleepover party until 4pm this afternoon too...and luckily both parties are close to each other which will make picking up much easier!

Lloyd is making the dog run this afternoon - Dan and Laurie are helping.....we were going to have a bonfire this evening and make Smores but it is much too windy for that! So another day......

Daniel is obsessed with doing the Rubiks Cube atm...he cheated the first time by finding a website that tells you step by step - but he was honest about it - he has done it a few times from the site and now says he can do it without the site! He is sat in my big chair atm trying to finish it again! Laurie is making coffee and I am about to put some cinnamon twists in the oven to ahve with the coffee when Lloyd gets home....

I will go outside and do some yardwork when my tablets wear off...until then I plan to scrapbook some more...I can't start my Iron Chef contest until Tuesday night after I go shopping - I am determined to wait for 'double stamp day' before I spend money!

I think Dan has screwed up with the rubiks cube hahahahha - he's about to give up I think!!!!

Catchin' frogs.....







Daniel and the girls trying to catch frogs yesterday.....and then Sammy holding the frog - for a nano-second before it leaped for freedom......Lloyd placed it safely back in the pond and off it went :) in a few weeks we will walk around the pond daily to look for frogspawn...when we find it in the flood waters we plan to scoop it out and place it into the actual pond...because otherwise the flood waters dry out and the frog spawn dries out and dies too :(

Apr 27, 2007

Abigail with froggy.......




paddling in the pond....






A week ago the pond was still frozen in places...but today it was obviously warm enough for Abby to roll up her trousers and get in the water to paddle....she was then able to wade deeper to get to the frogs!!!

Sams yellow welly boots




Note that in one of the pictures the water is pouring into the boots as he is so deep!

Todays wildlife finds......






Froggy and Wriggler......

Badminton before the rain...





Laurie and Dan had a game of badminton this evening just before a rain shower......the rain didn't last five minutes but it was time for supper anyway so they came inside....

Dan and Charlie by the pond......





Heading down to the pond....







Lloyd, Sam and Charlie heading off for a bit of fishing on the pond :)

Hula girl!!!!!





Susannah practising with the hula hoop today!
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