A PEEK INTO MY LIFE

Today's Laugh

2011-08-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

I got this in an email today and thought it was too funny not to share. Thanks for the laugh Joanne!!

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
There is great need for a sarcasm font.
How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
Was learning cursive really necessary?
Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
Bad decisions make good stories.
You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Heal the past, live the present, dream the future.

Enjoy life!!!

2011-08-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

We had a great weekend. There was lots of lying around the house. Lots of BBQ and lots of swimming. There was even a migraine but even that did not put a damper on my good mood.

We went out to the Chicopee Tube Park where they have a zip line, a eurobungy trampoline, a vertical playground, summer tubing and a spider web climber. I didn’t do any of the climbing or jumping things and I have to admit the tubing was lame but the zip lining was awesome!!

You climb all the way up the hill, and climb up to the top of the wooden platform where you wait until it’s your turn. Then, when the light goes green, you open the gate and step out onto a tiny suspended staircase that has no railing. From there you slide or jump off and scream your way to the bottom. It’s only 300 metres and you’re at the bottom in about 22 seconds but it was so much fun. Even Isobel was able to zip down.

The place was not crowded nor was it expensive. I would absolutely do it again.

Next up is the Eco Adventure Tour in Collingwood as soon as Isobel is 85 lbs. Or bungee jumping.

I think I might be an adrenaline junkie.

tick, tock - summer is flying by!!

2011-08-01T15:57:00.000-04:00

Summer is certainly ticking along. I don’t know about you, but the time just seems to fly by.

Here’s a brief glimpse of what we’ve been up to!!

High School? No Way!!!

2011-07-25T16:25:00.000-04:00

A few short weeks ago, Meredith graduated from Grade 8.

I can’t believe that this girl will be going into high school in September:

Where did the time go?

She had a great graduation day. She went to school in the morning for rehearsal, but had the rest of the day off to get ready.

We took some photos in the backyard and I have to say they captured her personality perfectly.

The ceremony took place at the high school. It was spectacular to see the kids all dressed up in their best. I can remember a lot of these kids from preschool and Grade 1. They’ve all grown up so much. The girls’ outfit ranged from floor length gowns to casually pretty summer dresses, from high sparkly heels to flip flops.

It is hard to believe that next year, I will have a child in high school.

I’m so proud of you, Meredith. I’m proud of the person you are and the way you present yourself. I’m proud of the way you treat others and how much you care about the world. I’m proud of how hard you work at school and how you don’t give up when you don’t understand things. I am just plain proud to call myself your momma.

Go get ‘em, sweetheart!!!

365 Update

2011-07-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve been hanging onto these pages for far too long waiting for the right time to post them accompanied by some witty banter. I think I should just get them posted and forget about the banter.

Here they are:

I promise to post thoughts and photos from the big Graduation Night soon.

Really.

So behind . . .

2011-05-31T13:27:00.000-04:00

Oh dear. I am so behind. Behind in everything, it feels like.

I’m behind on my blog posts. Seriously behind. Neglectful might be a better word.

I’m behind on my 365 pages. I love those pages. I love to look back over the course of the year and see what’s happened. The everyday moments that get lost if we don’t record them. I have too many of those from my own childhood and I want to make sure my children remember what our life is like right here, right now. Because it’s pretty darn good.

I’m behind on my laundry. Every day.

I’m behind on my spring cleaning. Why do we do spring cleaning anyway? When the spring arrives, I just want to be outside. Of course, this year was perfect for it with all the rain we’ve had, but I’m still behind.

I’m behind on my scrapbooking. I haven’t managed to do a lot of that lately. I miss it.

I’m behind on my organization. Does that make sense? I like to keep things in order (I know some of you are shaking your heads right now!!). I am a bit of a freak in this area, but right now it’s making me crazy. I don’t do well in chaos and I feel like that is a constant state for me lately.

However, I have been productive in other areas.

My website is almost up and running. You can find it here but be warned, it’s not done yet.

Andrea’s website is here. Hers is pretty much done. It’s constantly changing and I’m so proud of her for how she’s built up her business.

The school Spring Fair is over and it was a huge success. I’m quite proud of the logo I designed and the communications I sent out for it. It’s a lot of work but we raised a ton of money for the school. It’s great to work with such a large group of committed, giving, tireless women.

Thanks for not giving up on me and checking back here regularly or adding me to your Google Reader. I appreciate it.

Have yourself a wonderful day. And do me a favour, do something for YOU today. Something entirely selfish.

Then tell me what you did. I’d love to hear from you!!

2011-05-06T13:55:00.000-04:00

WOWSA! Has it really been that long?

I managed to get caught up on my 365 pages this weekend so here they are:

Yes, they all look very similar but they do all tell a very different story!

And here are a couple more just for fun:

More later folks. I'll try to do an update on my life one of these days!!

unknown

2011-04-19T18:46:00.001-04:00

This video really spoke to me. I just had to share it here.

*** For some reason the right side is getting cut off. She changes the sign to read "it's a beautiful day and I can't see it". The ending says "Change your words, change your world." Sorry about that peeps ***

365 pages

2011-04-04T13:57:00.000-04:00

So, here they are. My pages for the last couple of weeks.

I know I don't post much on here anymore but I do appreciate you coming and visiting and looking at my life. I'm hoping one day to get back into blogging mode, but that day is not today.

And here are a couple I did a few weeks ago:

Thanks so much for looking. I hope you liked them!!

Yay!! Up to Date Feels Good

2011-03-19T19:57:00.000-04:00

So much for my plans to scrapbook the March Break away.

What was I thinking? And why is it that I consistently think that if the girls are home I’m going to suddenly have all kinds of free time? Yes, I didn’t have to leap out of bed this past week to make breakfast and lunches and get everyone safely off to school, however, I still needed to do the shopping, the cleaning, the laundry, the exercising and the working that I normally do during their school day. I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote that I would let everything slide. I just couldn’t do it. If anything, I was busier this week than I normally am when they are in school. We managed to head to Niagara Falls for 2 days and tour the Aviary, ride the bumper cars, play mini golf and spend lots of time at the Waterpark. We saw our friends the Roberts for some crafting, some lunch and some bowling. I met with my favourite client on Thursday for a brainstorming session and accomplished a lot, and we went to Medieval Times on Friday. It was a good week and I think we managed to balance our busy times with relaxing times at home in front of the TV, with a book or a with a game. I do enjoy having them home, but I have to remember, it doesn’t actually mean I have more free time. Just different time.

Having said that, here are the pages I got done today. I am loving the format I’ve chosen for this year. It’s fast and efficient. I’m totally and completely up to date now. I can’t believe I almost considered not continuing this year.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Two More Pages!!

2011-03-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

Wow.

I got another 2 pages done today.

I’m on a roll now.

I’m hoping to be fully caught up before the end of March Break. The house will be dirty, the laundry may not get done but at least my album will be up to date.

Priorities, right?

Finally Some Project 365 Pages

2011-03-11T19:11:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe March (specifically March Break!) is here already and I haven’t posted a single P365 page. Until this week, I hadn’t done a single P365 page. I’ve done pretty well with the photos although I notice some weeks are more photos of stuff as opposed to us, but that still shows to a certain degree what’s in our life right now, right?

Anyway, it seems to me that as the years go by I get busier. Even though the girls are getting older and more independent, I seem to take on more and more but am unwilling to give things up. My Project 365 is one of those things I am unwilling to give up but I am finding it harder and harder to make the time to pull it together.

I had this year’s album all planned out with some lovely templates and a design in mind but I realized that I was putting off doing the pages because they were quite detailed. Templates needed to be organized, embellishments and paper needed to be coordinated and for me, that is the hardest and most time consuming part of the whole process. When I sat down and did the first 2 pages and found it was taking me literally hours to put together, I decided that was crazy. There was no way I could do that for an entire year.

This year’s pages are going to be very clean and simple. They are all going to follow the same layout and the same colour scheme and will not contain any fancy embellishments. I don’t think I’m even going to edit the photos. Basically, all I’m going to do each week is pop in my photos, change the dates and add my journaling. After all, that’s what’s really important, right? It’s not the pretty paper and the fancy embellishments; it’s the content of the page that makes it meaningful. I stumbled upon the idea for my layout here yesterday and have managed to get January done in record time. Now that’s something I know I can continue. I just hope I don’t get bored with the pages midway through the year.

Here are my pages for January. My question is, if they’re all going to look basically the same, should I still continue to display them here?

Snow Day - Perfect!!!

2011-02-02T15:51:00.000-05:00

We have a snow day here in Southern Ontario. It’s snowing and blowing like crazy outside. What better way to spend a snow day than in the house with the kiddies. We’ve watched a movie and I thought it was a good opportunity to get this digital page completed. It’s been sitting in my computer waiting for some time now:

This one I completed some time ago but forgot to share it:

I also found these ones hiding in my hard drive:

I think I’ve shared some of them in an online gallery, but not here. Forgive me if you’ve seen them before.

I am doing my P365 this year but am terribly behind. I’ve been working on designing business cards, stationary and a website for a friend of mine and everything else seems to have fallen by the wayside. The website is due to be up and running by the end of February, so I’ll get back on track with the P365 then.

In the meantime, if you’re in Ontario, relax and enjoy the beauty of the snow. Don’t fight it. It’s not going away anytime soon. Just stay in your house and snuggle up with a good book or whatever you do to relax and if you must go out, please drive carefully.

December 365

2011-01-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

Boy have times changed.

I’ve been sitting here in my comfy chair for far too long, happily engrossed in my final pages of last years’ 365 album. There was a time, not too long ago, when that would not, could not, have happened. Today, Dave was at the gym, Isobel was at a friend’s house, and Meredith was happily working away in the kitchen with Ally on a science project. (There were knives and hot glue but I left them to it – aren’t you proud of me?)

And now, Dave is sitting next to me reading a book.

It is positively peaceful. I never thought this day would come. Back when the girls were little, it was a constant cycle of feeding, playing, soothing, helping, changing, pacifying and entertaining. Even the smallest task was monumental and required a great deal of thought and planning. There are certain things I miss about those days. To a certain degree, I miss being needed. I miss the playing and the interaction. But it’s all good. Life moves forward.

And on that philosophical note, I am officially done my P365 for 2010. I can’t believe I made it another year. There were times when I was very far behind. There were times when I was short photos and there were even times when I just didn’t want to do it anymore. But I am so glad I did.

Here they are:

I’ll be doing it again for 2011 with a slightly different format, but I’ll post more on that later.

Thanks for looking.

Too funny

2011-01-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and just had to repost. Too funny!!!

November P365

2011-01-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like life is just flying by, but when you try to figure out what you've been doing, you can't really put your finger on it?

Well, that's what's going on with me. I feel like I'm busy, busy, busy but I'm not 100% sure what I'm busy with.

Here are my November pages. I'm working on the December ones but I'm 5 photos short so, I need to figure those out before I can complete them.

Thanks for looking and have wonderful day!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2011-01-01T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s a New Year and time for a new face on this blog.

Happy New Year to all of you. I hope 2011 brings you nothing that you can’t handle.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. Things have been busy around here. I always find that period from September to December to be the busiest time of my year. We’ve got back to school, birthdays and of course Christmas and all the busy-ness that comes along with it.

I’m hoping to get my November 365 pages completed shortly and up on here plus some Christmas and New Year’s photos too.

So, check back when you have the chance!! I’ve been missing for a while but I’m optimistic that I’m back!!!

October Pages

2010-11-06T19:22:00.001-04:00

While this season’s first bout of the common cold makes its rounds through our house, I decided to take the down time as a blessing and get my P365 pages for October done. That’s the great thing about being able to scrapbook digitally. You can do it anywhere. I particularly like that I can sit in my comfy reclining chair with my computer on my lap and get pages done. I could probably even scrapbook in bed if I was so inclined! Perhaps if I’m still under the weather tomorrow, I’ll get some non-P365 digital pages done and posted. Wouldn’t that be great? Talk about putting a positive spin on being sick!!

Thanks for looking. Here are the pages for October:

September P365

2010-10-19T11:00:00.002-04:00

I'm rocking now.

As promised, here are the September P365 pages. Let's hope I can get the October ones up here closer to October!!

August P365

2010-10-16T11:02:00.000-04:00

I was over here looking at the blog and I realized I did not post my August 365 pages. Or at least if I did, I can't find them, so here they are. The September ones are done too, so they'll be up shortly.

Where Have I Been?

2010-10-13T17:01:00.000-04:00

I’ve been around, just not here. I’ve been blogging but not for myself. I’ve been busy setting this blog up for Anne. I’m happy with the way it turned out but it has got me thinking I really need to spruce this one up a bit. There’s so much I could do to make it look better. In line with that, I took this class and am hoping to put those skills to use shortly.

I feel like not much has been going on lately however, somehow I’ve been too busy to update my own blog. I always find that September thru December is a busy time of year and this year is proving to be no different.

We’re definitely back into the routine of school. Isobel is enjoying walking and Meredith is enjoying the bus. I have to admit, I’m also enjoying getting out of the house every (well, almost every) morning and walking Isobel to school. And at the same time, given that the girls are at two different schools, it’s also nice that Meredith takes the bus. I think what I like about it is that I don’t have to get into my car at all. I do find that because I walk to the shops downtown , I walk to the grocery store, I walk to the library and I walk to school, the car will sometimes sit on the driveway for a couple of days without moving. That makes me feel good.

I’ve also been catching up on all those things I let slide over the summer. I’ve been sorting and organizing all the photos I took in July, August and September and getting scrapbook page kits ready for them. I’ve been trying to categorize all my digital supplies because I keep losing things on my hard drive. I’ve been doing those things around the house that don’t seem to happen in the summer months – cleaning closets, windows, drawers, etc. I’ve been looking for a job but haven’t managed to make much headway there. Plus, I’ve found myself knee deep in some books that I just haven’t been able to put down. The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and the Stieg Larsson novels. Add to all of the above my commitment to move more and I haven’t found myself with much free time.

It’s all good though. We’re all healthy and happy and that’s what matters the most.

Part 3 of The Muddiest Vacation Ever

2010-09-17T12:12:00.000-04:00

I guess I still need to post about the last leg of our trip this summer.

From Hopewell Cape we drove to St. Andrews-by-the-Sea where we stayed at the Hotel Algonquin. On our drive we passed through Alma while the tide was out. The boats sitting on the ocean floor are a great example of the magnitude of the tide.

{fishing boat at low tide - Alma NB}

By the time we arrived here, we were tired and really ready to relax.

Well, this was certainly the place to do that.

{a view of the hotel from the pool}

The hotel was gorgeous and far exceeded my expectations. There was shuffle board, mini golf, a beautiful outdoor pool. There were thick white bathrobes for us in the bathroom, plus our room had a little kitchenette and a sitting area. There was even a bar within the hotel with pool, foosball and air hockey. All that and it was within walking distance of the town and the Bay.

{shooting pool}

{mini golf}

{shuffle board}

{relaxing by the pool}

{cool NB fog}

{the pier in St. Andrew's}

In addition to enjoying all the amenities the hotel had to offer, we managed to get to Minister’s Island, Kingsbrae Gardens and the Huntsman’s Marine Centre.

Minister’s Island is only accessible at low tide by driving across a sandbar and was the summer estate of a CP rail magnate back at the beginning of the 1900’s. This summer estate makes my house look positively puny.

{the estate at Minister's Island}

Kingsbrae Gardens was Meredith’s excursion of choice (Mastodon Ridge in Truro was Isobel’s). The gardens were filled with lush, blooming flowers and many unique bushes and trees. It was a gardener’s delight and I think Meredith took over 300 photos in an hour and a half!!

{self portrait}

{in the hedge at Kingsbrae}

Huntsman’s Marine Centre was undergoing renovations but had the cutest harbour seals that were willing to perform some tricks for us.

{Soki the harbour seal}

We were in St. Andrews for 5days and 4 nights – not long enough in my opinion. I think you could visit the Hotel Algonquin and never leave without getting bored.

We left early in the morning on the 20th and drove home through the USA. Our plan was to stop in Albany NY but by the time we got there we weren’t ready to stop but when we were ready to stop we were only about 4 hours from home so we pushed through and drove 16 straight hours to arrive home shortly after midnight.

It was a great trip, but it was nice to sleep in my own bed again.

Lake Ontario Fog

2010-09-13T13:43:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went for my regular walk in the morning down by the lake. I love walking at the lake in the morning. There’s something about the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline and the geese and ducks floating on the waves that just makes me smile. If I’m ever in a grumpy mood, heading down to the lake always sets me right.

But I digress.

It was a hazy humid morning and as I got closer to the lake, the less I could see. The fog was so thick you could barely see 20 feet in front of you. It was beautiful.

I walked along the water’s edge enjoying the haze and fog wishing I had my camera with me. So, when I got home I packed the girls into the truck and raced back down there with my camera. The fog had lifted slightly. I took these photos and thought they were worthy of sharing.

I hope you like them as much as I do.

My Eyes

2010-09-11T10:46:00.001-04:00

I’ve been getting some questions from friends lately about my eye and how it’s doing these days.

I did have an appointment with the Retinal Specialist a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately my vision at this appointment was worse than at the appointment before. I had some Digital Imaging done and the Doctor reviewed the results with me.

At this point there is not enough ‘fluid’ on the retina to warrant treatment with medication (The Shot), so we wait. My vision fluctuates from day to day and even over the course of a day I notice it changing. I notice it most when I’m looking at things close up. Details no longer come easily to me, however that could be attributed as much to age as to the retinal issue. My long distance vision is affected inasmuch as I can’t read street signs from as far away as I used to. Other than that, it’s like I’m looking through a haze and on really bad days images sometimes seem distorted or even double but I can still see just fine. Honest. It’s very hard to explain. It’s almost like seeing shadows.

So, yet again, we wait. I’ve picked up some mild reading glasses to use when I’m scrapbooking, knitting or doing anything close up. Apparently the reading glasses at the dollar store are just as good, so I bought a few pairs. I have another appointment in December and more Digital Imaging. The vision in that eye needs to remain constant and when that happens I will most likely be fitted with prescription glasses that will address both the near and far sighted issues I find myself with right now. He promises me they will be ‘cool mom glasses’, whatever that is.

The ironic part of all this (as some of you already know) is that I’ve always wanted glasses. When I was in Grade 3, I intentionally read all the letters wrong on the eye chart. Obviously I was so far off the mark the technician recognized what was going on and I did not get glasses.

The moral of the story? Be careful what you wish for.

Back to School and Some Other Stuff

2010-09-09T16:47:00.000-04:00

Well. The girls went back to school on Monday. None of us were really ready to have the summer end but I have to say the return to some kind of routine is good. We don’t do well in chaos. And I don’t do well without a schedule. It doesn’t matter if I’ve scheduled time to read or laze about, I just need to know. I’m a little odd that way.

Here are my happy girls on their first day.

And what have I been doing you ask?

The new scrapbook store, Scrapbook Queens, opened in Mississauga on Tuesday so I met my scrapbooking friends up there and we all went for lunch. It is a lovely store with lots of wonderful space for cropping. I’m sure I’ll find myself there frequently. There was the standard laundry and cleaning that needed to get done. Plus I’ve managed to walk each morning, but I did find myself a little lost this afternoon. I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Sadly, I think the time has come for me to return to some kind of work outside of the house. A part of me is excited about that prospect and a part of me is positively petrified.

I’ll keep you posted. I’m thinking it’s not going to be easy to find employment after having been home for 13 years. Plus I can only work from 10 to 2, perhaps 3 days a week, and of course I’ll be needing summers, PA Days, March Break and Christmas Holidays off. But I’m willing to try.

One thing I did to fill my time this afternoon was another 365 page. I can’t believe I haven’t done one since July. Here it is:

Part 2 of The Muddiest Vacation Ever

2010-08-29T16:37:00.000-04:00

Wow.

We’re home. We’ve been home for just over a week now but we packed up and left again for a couple of days but now we’re home for good.

Now where was I in the saga of the Muddiest Vacation Ever? Oh yeah. Hopewell Rocks.

After our race, we headed up the road to Hopewell Cape, NB to see the Hopewell Rocks. These are the Flowerpot rocks that you see quite often in most advertisements for the Bay of Fundy. While we were there the tides reached 43 feet. The highest they go is 46 feet, so we were lucky. We visited them in the morning when the tide was low.

We went down the stairs and walked on the Bay of Fundy which was, like the race the day before, covered with the most delicious mud.

We went out to the water’s edge and frolicked about in mud up to our calves. It was awesome and oh so much fun. Luckily we were all wearing flip flops so we just kicked them off and padded about barefoot like a bunch of children.

We came back to the Rocks later in the day when the tide was in and were amazed and the quantity of water that covered the area where hours before we were splashing about and getting dirty. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where we were frolicking but it’s somewhere out there in the deep deep water.

To get a better idea of the magnitude of the tide here is a before photo at low tide. See how tiny those people are next to those rocks?

And here’s an after photo. You can see there’s a lot of the rock covered. And I’m not even sure if the tide was fully in at this point.

The Bay of Fundy truly is one of the most awe inspiring places I’ve been in my life. And the most naturally beautiful. I’m so glad we made the time to see it.

Part 1 of The Muddiest Vacation Ever

2010-08-15T19:00:00.000-04:00

Sit down and make sure you’ve got a drink of something handy. This is going to be a long one!! I’m writing this in Hopewell Cape NB and we are on Day 5 of what I’m sure will be forever known as the Muddiest Vacation Ever.

And we are having a great time!!!

We left Wednesday morning at around 7:30 and drove through the day all the way to Edmundston NB.

The drive was uneventful except for traffic through Toronto and Montreal. The highway through Montreal was narrow and filled with huge trucks. I was glad Dave was driving.

We arrived in Edmundston at 9pm Atlantic Time (8pm for you folks back in Ontario!!).

We took it easy the next morning and drove 6 hours to Truro NS where we were excited to find not only a pool at our hotel but a Waterslide too. What a great surprise for the girls. (That's Isobel shooting out the end!!)

We were in Truro for 2 nights and managed to catch the Tidal Bore. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect and was blown away by the speed with which the tide comes through. It is one constant wave about 3 to 4 feet high. Within 20 minutes, areas of the river that were uncovered could no longer be seen. It was fascinating.

Before the Tidal Bore:

The Tidal Bore:

After the Tidal Bore:

On Saturday we were out of the hotel by 7am to head to Five Islands Provincial Park for the Not Since Moses run.

Wow.

It was quite an event. It started with a 1K ‘Basket Run’ for the kids. Both Meredith and Isobel participated. There were children at the starting line crying because they didn’t want to get dirty and it was impossible to do and keep clean. Meredith’s shoes came off at some point. I saw children cross the finish line holding their shoes, like Meredith, or with just one shoe on and some without any shoes at all!! Isobel somehow managed to keep hers on her feet. All the kids got a medal and the girls proudly wore theirs for the rest of the day.

The 5K run that Dave and I did was spectacular.

It was like no other run I’ve ever done before. I must admit, running was difficult and I walked a lot of the course. Of course, it didn’t help that at the start of the race, the mud kept sucking my shoes right off my feet. I’d get one foot stuck and by the time I’d managed to pull it out of the mud, the other foot would be stuck. Eventually, I took both shoes off and ran in my socks until we were out of the muck!!

The next leg of the race was through water that came up just over my ankles, even to mid-shin in some places. It was a great way to wash the mud off my shoes. Do you know how heavy mud can make your shoes?

The views were spectacular. It was a very awesome to be out there, running on the ocean floor, where people can’t normally walk, surrounded by other runners. Everyone was muddy. Everyone was wet. And everyone was having a fabulous time. It was the only run I’ve done where people frequently stopped dead to take pictures of the scenery and each other.

Next we found ourselves running over muddy sand to the turn-around point, where we had to run back through it all again. The water was lower when we got there – more like a puddle by now - but the mud still managed to suck the shoes off my feet. This time I didn’t fight it. As soon as I realized it was happening, I got my shoes off.

I did manage to run the last leg of the race to the finish line. I was soaked – both with mud and with sweat. My muscles were aching. I was hot and tired and my feet were weighed down with mud but it was a great feeling to run across that finish line, even though my time was 55 minutes!! A good 20 minutes longer than 5K normally takes me!!!

We were all filthy and tired. Dave’s shoes, my shoes and Isobel’s all went into the garbage. Meredith’s were new so we washed hers off and they are now sitting in the motel room window stuffed with newspaper.

Did I mention that not only did we run 5K but we also had to hike about 2.5K along a hilly road in to the race site then another 2.5 K back to our car? We were exhausted!! But there was more sightseeing to do. We drove to Hopewell Cape NB with a brief stop in Joggins NS to see the fossil cliffs.

Once in Hopewell we got ourselves a nice seafood dinner and crashed into bed.

Which brings us to today.

Today we went to see Hopewell Rocks which was another spectacularly muddy experience; however, I’m out of time. There’s vacation-ing to be done and I need to get off this computer. I’ll do my best to get it up here shortly. We’re heading to St. Andrews by the Sea NB tomorrow and I’m pretty sure I’ll have a chance to post again.

Later . . .

August Really?

2010-08-04T20:22:00.000-04:00

This summer is just flying by. I cannot believe it is August already.

We’ve managed to keep ourselves busy but I have really tried to make sure we’ve been home, hanging out, reading books and watching movies too. We have certainly spent an adequate amount of time at the Oakville Club pool. Isobel’s goggle tan is a testament to that.

We saw a lot of movies at the start of the summer. Despicable Me, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Last Airbender. I’m sure there was another one in there but I’ve forgotten.

We’ve had play dates and gotten together with friends.

We’ve been to the beach in Toronto. And we’ve been to Splash Lagoon in Erie, PA. That was a great time.

And now, we’re all just getting over this crazy fever virus that has kept us home on and off for 2 weeks. It attacked Isobel first, then Meredith and now me. The only one who hasn’t had it yet is Dave. You get this terrible headache and a tiredness that you just can’t ignore accompanied by a fever that makes you alternate between freezing cold and boiling hot. It’s very bizarre. I’m just glad I got it before we head off on our trip to the Bay of Fundy.

The next few days are going to be spent packing and organizing and obsessing about the trip. But that’s okay. Obsess about stuff, is what I do best.

3.6.5. Up.To.Date.

2010-07-25T20:28:00.000-04:00

Dave is truly amazing. I am so lucky to have him. He took the girls out this afternoon for some mini golf and a swim. I got some much needed cleaning done around the house and some laundry then I sat down at my computer and got my P365 pages done and all caught up.

Thanks honey!! xo

P365. Again.

2010-07-15T11:46:00.000-04:00

Yay!!! Another P365 page completed. Here it is:

Thanks for looking. Now get off your computer and enjoy the day!!!

Oh, and by the way, the second page on my previous post should be for June 6th to 12th. Don't worry. I fixed it before I printed!! I knew you'd all be concerned. :-D

P365

2010-07-13T20:48:00.000-04:00

I'm getting there. Really I am. I'm working hard at catching up on my P365.

Here are two more pages from early June. Only 4 weeks to go and I'm caught up. I am determined to get there this week. (Or next week. Or maybe the week after that. ;-D

As always, thanks for looking!!!

Manic Monday

2010-07-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

These questions are taken from the Manic Monday meme. If you'd like to participate you can find it here.

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one and why if yes?

I’m not a big reader of self help books or really deep philosophical books. My preference is to read for purely entertainment purposes. I’ve read a few that have made me change the way I think about my life. And a few that certainly make me appreciate all that I have and how truly easy my life is. For the most part though, books change my life when they whisk me away to another time or another place and I find myself neglecting my day to day tasks in order to sit down and spend my time with the characters in my books instead. Anything by Diana Gabaldon or Jodi Picoult does this to me. Books truly are my escape and I wouldn’t cope as well without them.

Name one book you had to read but hated and explain why you hated it.

I’m sure there were many of these during high school and university. Beowolf would certainly be up there, but I seem to have blocked most of them from my memory. I know there have been books that I’ve been compelled to finish even though I really wasn’t enjoying them. I find though that as I get older I have less and less patience for reading things that don’t truly captivate me. There are too many books out there to waste my time reading something I don’t absolutely love.

If you could pick a book you’ve read to make into a movie, which one would you choose?

I frequently read a book and think ‘this would make an awesome movie’ (most recently - Weird Sister by Kate Pullinger) but I do find that most often, making a book into a really good movie is a difficult thing to do. Quite often the story line gets altered slightly or the actors chosen don’t always correspond to my vision of what that character was like. I guess for me, if I really enjoy a book, I’d rather it not be made into a movie. I’d rather keep it in my memory the way I enjoyed reading it.

Have a great Monday!!

Cards and P365

2010-07-06T18:27:00.000-04:00

I’ve got two things to write about today.

First of all, I’m taking Jessica Sprague’s Computer Tricks for Cards and, let me tell you, it is amazing!!! I’m making some of the coolest cards – even a pop up card!! When I’m done I’ll be sure to post pictures of them here.

The second is my P365 pages for May. I know, I know, it’s July now. I’m doing my best. The good news is I am keeping up to date with my photography, but with all this card making and craft show stuff going on I’ve fallen a little behind on the pages. Hopefully I’ll have the June pages done and up before the end of July!!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!!

AN UPDATE

2010-07-04T18:31:00.000-04:00

Whew.

A lot has happened since I last posted so I’m just going to do a quick update of events from the past few weeks.

Brantwood (Isobel’s school) is closing this year. For the last month of school, the hallways were filled with boxes and the library was totally dismantled. After years of walking in and out of that school, it was a little disturbing. There was a special Butterfly ceremony where some of the children released Butterflies into the school yard. Isobel was pleased to be chosen to release one.

There was also a special final assembly that had most of us mothers in tears. It is sad to see the school close. It has been there since 1920. I can no longer wave to my youngest from the front porch or run over with forgotten items as quickly and easily. I wonder if it will be harder on me or on her?

Isobel will actually go to New Central – Meredith’s school but unfortunately Meredith won’t be there anymore. NC will become a JK to 6 school and Meredith will go to Maplegrove which is just under 5K away. Again, quite a change but I’m sure we’ll all do just fine.

Both girls finished school last week (a day early to allow the teachers to pack) and both brought home SUPERB report cards. We are very proud of how hard they worked throughout the school year. We went out to dinner to celebrate.

Now it is summer and time for some much needed and deserved R and R.

In line with the above, I am going to do my best to avoid filling the calendar with things to do. I do so enjoy having my girls home and with me for the summer but I find I try to cram so many fun things into the short 2 months they have off that there isn’t much rest. I am determined to change that this year. I would say I’ve done a fair job so far. Not great, just fair.

Having said that, we went to Canada’s Wonderland the day after school ended but I think I’m getting too old for it. There are quite a few rides that I just won’t go on and the ones I do, tend to make me so dizzy. We had a great day, even though Dave and I felt almost elderly.

We went into Toronto to Harbourfront to see the Tall Ships for Canada Day but the crowds were so fierce we couldn’t find any parking so we came home and hung out at the pool. There’s been lots of hanging out at the pool this week.

Yesterday, Meredith rode her bike to a friend’s house and they rode to the pool together. It’s so weird to have her out on her bike and not really know EXACTLY where she is. I’m getting used to it though.

Today we went into Toronto again, but this time we headed for the beach and we got there early. Even at 10am the parking lot was starting to fill up. We found ourselves a nice spot by the water and played and baked in the sun and read and played for 4 hours. It was great.

Other than that, Meredith and I went to see Eclipse (loved it) while Dave and Isobel played mini putt, we’ve hung out at the pool, walked by the lake, been to the library and done some damage at the mall. And Isobel had a sleepover.

And we’ve enjoyed every second of it.

Anne of Green Gables

2010-06-21T15:04:00.000-04:00

Meredith’s performance of Anne of Green Gables was last week. She’s worked hard all year long to prepare herself for these couple of nights.

She did a great job.

When she first found out her role, she was quite disappointed. Her role on Thursday night was of Mrs. Allan, the pastor’s wife and on Friday she played Mrs. Sadler, a lady interested in buying Green Gables. Neither were huge roles but, let me tell you, she did a great job with both of them.

I was impressed with how well she acted. She didn’t merely recite her lines, she truly acted them. Her character was convincing. She spoke strong and true. And she didn’t miss a single line. She actually added some in! A cue was missed and instead of standing around looking blank waiting for the other actor to make their entrance, she improvised.

I am so impressed with her hard work and her dedication and the way she rose to the challenge and played the best part she could play even though it wasn’t really the part she wanted.

Way to go Meredith.

Spring Fling 2010 Wrap Up

2010-06-18T11:22:00.000-04:00

Whew.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. I’ve neglected my friends, my family, my house and of course my blog.

The Spring Fling Craft show was a HUGE success in spite of the weather forecast for the day. They were calling for a 90% chance of thunderstorms for the entire day, and the humidity was supposed to bring the temps up over 30C. Luckily for us the hot humid weather never came and the rain held off until 2:30.

I’d like to give a huge thank you to Nicola for hosting the event and for pushing me into doing it. I’m not sure if it is something I will do going forward but I have always wondered what doing one of those shows would be like. I learned a lot – both in the process of getting ready for the sale and the day of the sale.

I’d also like to thank all those friends who came out and supported me. It was so great to see so many familiar faces throughout the day. Your encouragement meant a lot to me.

I am always amazed at the talent at these shows. The jewelry there was beautiful and I managed to pick up a couple of very nice pieces.

I also picked up these very cute handmade buttons that I can use on my cards and scrapbook layouts from Melissa at Serafina and Stella.

Check out her stuff. Very cute.

Thanks again to everyone who came out, to all the vendors who were there and made the day a lot of fun and to Nic for all her hard work and planning.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all the stuff I have left. Another sale perhaps?

365 Pages

2010-05-28T17:12:00.000-04:00

I've been waiting for the time to write up a long winded post about the 365 pages I did a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to outline the photos and give a little more detail . . . HOWEVER . . .

I have not found the time. Nor have I made the time. I figured a post with the pages was better than no post at all so here they are:

I've taken my photos for May but have not designed the page yet. I'm hoping to do that sometime before the end of June!!!

I've got a couple more items on my Design Blog (or I will have in a few minutes!) if you'd like to check it out.

The Details

2010-05-19T17:20:00.000-04:00

Here are the details about the craft show on June 12th. I hope to see you there!!!

365 Pages? Where did they go?

2010-05-17T13:59:00.001-04:00

These are the latest trendy toy craze. They are called Zhu Zhu Pets. You push a button and let them go and the race all over the house making little chirpy noises. They’re quite smart. If they hit a wall, they turn themselves around and keep going. The Easter bunny left them for the girls.

Here is Isobel reading in the Sun Room after school. What more could a mom (and a voracious reader) ask for?

And here she is riding on Dave’s foot as he attempts to walk around the house. She hasn’t done this in a long time but both girls did it a lot as infants and toddlers. It’s nice to see the novelty hasn’t worn off!

This is a typical shot of Meredith these days. Love it!

This house is across the street from us. It has been under construction for 3 years by 2 different owners. It is finally ready and on the market but they want a whopping $1,850,000 for it. I think it’s going to be a while before someone actually moves in. It is nice to have all the construction vehicles and dust gone though.

Shadow doesn’t realize how big he is. He likes to sit in or on bags as often as he can. You’ve heard of Cat in the Hat? Well we have a Cat in a Bag.

This is a shot of Old City Hall in Toronto taken on Dave’s Blackberry. We had a day without children (thanks Nic and Mark) and did some wandering around the Eaton Centre and downtown Toronto. It was a lovely day.

And here is the page:

I'm still taking photos on an almost daily basis but haven't done a great job of posting them here or getting the pages done. I'm hoping to get caught up on the pages tomorrow and will post as soon as I can.

Have a great day and, as always, thanks for looking!!!

Spring Fling 2010

2010-05-16T15:48:00.002-04:00

An opportunity has come to me recently through my good friend Nicola to participate in a craft show on June 12th. Over the next few weeks, I will be making as many handmade cards, notebooks and calendars as I can --- with the help of my WONDERFUL children!!

I’ve put together another blog to showcase what I’m making and will be selling at the sale. Feel free to contact me directly if you want more information about the show or the items I’m selling. You can link to that blog here or through the (rather large) icon at the right of the screen.

I hope you can make it. In addition to myself with my cards and other paper products, Nicola and her ‘too cool’ vinyl decals and my friend Anne who has made many wonderful bags and aprons for me, there will be candles, pottery, jewelry, apparel, cupcakes, button bouquets, artwork, hats, blankets, photography, custom invitations, pet apparel, stained glass and hot & cold stone therapy. And of course, Nicola’s cute children will be selling food and refreshments. Whatever you’re into, you’re sure to find it there.

See you there!!!

What next?

2010-05-13T20:54:00.000-04:00

I’ve had a little bit of pressure to post, so here it goes.

Last week, I dislocated my right index finger.

Now that the eye issued is almost resolved I found I wasn’t getting enough attention so I figured I needed to do something drastic.

After I mowed the lawn last Tuesday (for the first time in years!), I was hanging the lawn mower back up on the wall of the shed and my finger popped out of the joint. It wouldn't straighten and was pointing towards my pinkie finger. Nasty. It doesn't really look that bad here, but trust me, it was not nice.

I’ve done it before, so I knew exactly what happened and I knew what needed to be done to set it right, but Meredith had to be at her musical theatre that night with full make-up and hair. She did most of the make-up herself --- quite nicely actually --- and Dave helped with the hair. From the front, she looked great and they were doing photos so I figured it was okay.

I went to the walk in clinic and the doctor there sent me to the hospital. I needed x-rays and a little freezing and

~SNAP~CRACKLE~POP~

the joint was back in place.

It was splinted for just over a week and while it’s still bruised and a little tender, I’ve got full use of my hand again.

I wonder what’s next???

I Forgot To Share This One

2010-04-27T19:59:00.000-04:00

This is what I looked like after my last eye appointment on the 11th of April.

Because I was supposed to have a needle in my left eye, they only dilated that eye, plus they numbed it. When this photo was taken I was squinting because of the sun, however, only my right eye was able to squint. I looked a little like a freak for the rest of the day, but at least I didn’t have to have that shot.

It’s nice to know it’s getting better all on its own. Apparently if I was 80 the specialist would have insisted I have the needle but because I’m so young (yes, you read that right, he said I was YOUNG!) and it was improving so well on its own, I should leave it.

Hallelujah.

A Video For You

2010-04-26T12:35:00.000-04:00

I saw this on another blog today and it's too good not to share.

Get your Kleenex out.

Saturday Six

2010-04-24T14:46:00.000-04:00

I had a request recently to get a post on here and I must admit it has been a long time. However, there isn’t much going on around here right now so I decided to do a meme. This one is the Saturday Six and you can find it here.

1. East coast or West coast…and why? East Coast because we’re going out there this summer to run Not Since Moses on (and I do mean on) the Bay of Fundy. It is so rugged and raw out east, it makes me feel very peaceful.

2. Painting or photo…and why? Photo because I can’t paint to save my soul. And I love to scrapbook.

3. Coke or Pepsi…and why? Regular Coke but Diet Pepsi. It’s just the way I roll.

4. PC or Mac…and why? PC all the way. They just make sense to me and I’m too old to change.

5. Shower or bath…and why? I do prefer a shower because they are faster but when the old body is aching, nothing quite beats a good, hot, therapeutic bath with a good novel.

6. Paper or plastic…and why? Whichever works at the time.

Have a great day!!!

Last Week's Photos and Page

2010-03-28T17:36:00.001-04:00

Here are my photos from last week:

Dave heading off to squash on Sunday morning. Do you think his bag is big enough? He plays every Monday night through the fall and winter and almost every Sunday morning, plus at least once or twice through the week. He's very committed to his sport.

I took a walk by the lake on Monday morning then came back along the Lakeshore and went to the library, the bakery, the bank and the fruit market. I really enjoy doing my errands this way and wish I made the time to do it more often.

My current knitting project. I wonder if I'll finish it. Better yet, will it actually fit anyone?

I was out Wednesday night and Dave took this photo of the girls enjoying their dinner and sent it to me. They do enjoy their PBnJ dinners with Dad!!

I was back to the Retinal Specialist on Thursday again. The appointment took 2.5 hours!!! My eye and my vision is getting better but I'm still scheduled for the shot on April 11th. There's a chance I won't need it if the vision has improved more. Cross your fingers for me!!

I've started running again. I do miss it so. I'm going to be diligent in my stretching and take many Epsom Salt baths to drive away my aches and pains so I don't quit again.

Isobe had a birthday party over the dinner hour on Saturday so Dave, Meredith and I went to Whole Foods for dinner. I really liked this sign and thought it would make a great cover page for my 365 album next year.

And here is the resulting page:

Thanks for looking!!

365 Pages

2010-03-22T16:13:00.001-04:00

I'm so glad they're done. Here are my most recent additions to my project 365 album. For anyone out there considering doing something like this I highly recommend it. It is a lot of work and it is a big committment but the payoff at the end of the year is so worth it. I love that I've managed to capture a picture of what our life is like from day to day.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day.

Note: See the page that says 'february 30th to march 6th'? Don't worry, I've fixed that. It only took me 3 times to get the dates right!! Geesh. No need to comment DAVID.

March Break Update

2010-03-21T15:07:00.000-04:00

Whew. This blog thing is sometimes hard to keep up with. I’m hoping to get some of those pesky (but oh-so-satisfying) 365 pages done soon and posted but until then; I’ll just give you a bit of an update of all that’s going on around here. Plus, my 365 photos from last week.

March Break was a good one. Sadly, we did not manage to get away but we did manage to cram a lot of fun into one week. I think both the girls feel they had a good sampling of hanging out at the house and ‘touristy’ activities.

Last weekend we hung around the house. We walked downtown; we got stuff done around the house, friends dropped by. It was very relaxing.

Then on Monday we were off to the Ontario Science Centre where we saw the Grand Canyon Omnimax movie. The girls and I all thought it was great but unfortunately it left Dave feeling a little ill. It’s usually me that gets hit with motion sickness, not him. Weird.

Tuesday and Wednesday found the girls and I at the Fallsview Indoor Water Park in Niagara Falls. We enjoyed the Water Park a lot and managed to trawl Clifton Hill and ride the Skywheel, visit the Funhouse and the Guinness Book Museum. Plus we managed to make some purchases at both the Fudge Factory and the Hershey Store – yum yum. You can’t go there and not look at the Falls so we did that too. Niagara Falls is one of those places that you can always find something to do. In fact, there were lots of things we didn’t do, so I’m sure we’ll go back.

Thursday we met grandma for some brunch at The Sunnyside Grill then wandered through the downtown area. We went to the bakery and the library then took a detour and spent some time at the park by the lake. It was a lovely relaxing day and I’m so glad we got outside and enjoyed the sunshiny spring-like weather. The temperature that day was 19 degrees Celsius. Just glorious.

Friday we went to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid then hit the mall for some shopping. Meredith does not like shopping and while we got a couple of things, we didn’t manage to get all that we needed. When is it that girls start to enjoy shopping? It hasn’t happened here yet.

We’ve tried to just hang out at the house this weekend and relax. There have been playdates and walks and more trips to the library. And Meredith did a little babysitting. Here she is on her way there. Wow, she's getting very grown up.

That’s it for our March Break. How was yours?

FINALLY. February's 365 Pages

2010-03-13T19:46:00.000-05:00

Here they are:

Thanks for looking. More later. Have a great day!!

Thursday Thirteen

2010-03-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

I haven’t been doing a good job of updating the blog lately so I thought I’d rely on a familiar meme to get something on here.

Here’s a list of thirteen things we will be doing on March Break (next week!!):

Sleeping in.
Eating sugary cereal.
Going to Niagara Falls.
Going to the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark. 3 acres of water fun!!
Going to a wax museum.
Going to the Science Centre.
Eating lunch out.
Shopping in Buffalo.
Watching movies.
Watching TV.
Crafting out.
Reading books.
Staying home.

Do you think we’ve got enough to do? I do. I hope you enjoy your week too – wherever you may be.

If you'd like to participate in the Thursday Thirteen, just click here.

Go Canada Go!!

2010-03-01T18:52:00.001-05:00

THE I AM CANADIAN RANT

Hey,

I'm not a lumberjack, or a Furtrader,

and I don't live in an igloo,

or eat blubber

or own a dogsled.

And I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,

although I'm certain they're really, really nice.

I have a prime minister... not a president,

I speak English and French, not American

and I pronounce it About, not A-boot.

I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack,

I believe in peacekeeping, not policing,

diversity not assimilation,

and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.

A toque is a hat,

a chesterfield is a couch,

and it IS pronounced Zed,

not Zee... ZED!!

Canada is the 2nd largest land mass,

the 1st nation of hockey,

and the best part of North America.

My name is Joe...

and...I......AM......CANADIAN!

Thank you.

It just needed to be said.

The past couple of weeks have made me feel very patriotic and very proud to be Canadian. Last night's hockey game was AMAZING - and that's saying a lot as I am not one to watch, let alone enjoy, hockey.

I am sad the Olympics are over but am very proud of my country and our athletes and am hoping to get to all the laundry and house cleaning that has piled up!!

Congratulations Canada.

Finally. An Answer.

2010-02-23T15:58:00.001-05:00

Today was my visit to the Retinal Specialist to find out exactly has been going on with my left eye. Last week I was at Credit Valley Hospital for an Optical Imaging Test where they seriously dilate your eyes, and numb them and then take a series of photos while injecting you with a dye. The point of the test was to see the dye flowing through my eye to determine the extent of the bleed. (It turns out I’m allergic to the dye and I came out in hives but only on the side of the injection and they went away very quickly.)

Here is a photo of my test results.

I know it looks like a giant boob but it is actually the inside of my eye. I apologize for the quality of the shot but my eyes were dilated and I took it with my phone. Here it is close up.

See the area there that I’ve circled in black? That is my bleed. The darker part in the center is pigmentation and the area around that is the blood. The increased pigmentation is caused by a retinal scar that I’ve had for more than 5 years. I don’t know how or when I got it but it’s there. This scar caused some extra blood vessels to form inside my eye and for some reasons, they burst causing me to lose the centre of my vision in the left eye. Essentially, the blood was blocking my retina. It turns out I have an occult bleed (I may not be spelling that right) which means it is bleeding slowly, as opposed to a classic bleed which is like a fountain.

The good news is the first time I went to see the Retinal Specialist I could only read the very top and largest line of the eye test chart. This time I could read it plus 3 or 4 below it. I did notice yesterday that I could see a little more through the centre of my spot than I could a few days ago.

The bad news is if it doesn’t clear up on its own, I will require a needle directly in my eye. The will freeze it for me first, but . . .

This is now a weak spot and may happen again and my vision may not go back to 20/20 but I’m so glad to finally have an answer. I know there are so many people out there with more serious issues to deal with, and my heart goes out to them. I’ve been dealing with this for a few months now and didn’t realize how much it was weighing on me. Now that I know exactly what it is and know what needs to be done about it, I feel as though a weight has been lifted. I'm almost looking forward to that needle!

I’ll be sure to post a photo of myself when I have my eye patch!!!

I Think I'm Developing A Problem

2010-02-17T15:46:00.004-05:00

Have I blogged about my new Log Your Memory Logbook yet? I got my first one just for December 2009 to see if I liked it, and I’m not embarrassed to admit I absolutely loved it. I’ve since ordered myself the 2010 edition and I use it every day. I haven’t quite managed to become involved in the online community as much as I would like but I do check the website frequently and have acquired many new ideas there.

I love to write in it about what has happened to me during the day. I particularly like to write with different coloured pens and do a bit of doodling and even do some key words or phrases in different colours. It makes me feel very creative. Plus, from a scrapbooker’s point of view it is full of great journaling/page ideas. I haven’t quite managed to keep up with them all but I know I will go back and create some pages from the journaling challenges I have managed to complete.

It accompanies me around the house along with my ‘basket of books’.I think I’m developing a bit of a problem here. I will admit I do have a thing for Moleskine notebooks. I just love them and am hoping to get a large one in pink one day.

Anyway, here they are. I’ve got one for my shopping lists and one for my digital pages. And one that I write down ideas for projects in.

Then there are my other notebooks. One for blog ideas, one for interesting stories I want to remember (I’ve never actually used this one!) my to do list and one for note writing.

Also in this basket are my phone/iPod ear buds, some post it notes, a pencil sharpener and my glue stick.

Plus there's my pencil case and my coloured pens for my Log Your Memory Logbook.

I even have some notebooks that aren’t here in my basket. At least 3. Oh dear.

Do I need a new basket?

Or should I stop accumulating so many notebooks?

Oh, and sometimes I even carry around my pencil crayons because I’ve started colouring.

I found some very cool colouring pages online and find it quite soothing to sit and colour while watching TV or while the girls are doing their homework.

That’s just a little peek into my life for today.

I Rock.

2010-01-30T18:28:00.000-05:00

Say it with me "You Rock Milena"!!

Hahahaha.

Here it is the 30th of January and what am I doing? I'm posting my 365 page for the week ending January 30th. Yep, that's right. It's completed, posted, printed and in the album.

I rock.

Thanks for looking.

Lots to say . . .

2010-01-27T17:42:00.000-05:00

. . . but no time to say it.

Here's my 365 for you for last week. It's the same as the last 2 and won't change until February!

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

2010-01-18T13:50:00.000-05:00

There was no question in my mind as to whether or not I would do the 365 for 2010. While it was a lot of work, the end result was well worth it. I think it will quickly become one of my favourite albums. The only question for me was how I would do it for 2010.

Initially I decided I would do 8 ½ X 11 pages so that I didn’t have to cut them down. They would be simpler than simple. I was going to import all my photos into Picasa and make a collage from there that I would slap on the page and include journaling. This was my first attempt:

Blah.

That’s what I thought when I looked at it. Just blah.

I don’t normally scrapbook 8 ½ X 11 and I think that was my first issue. My second issue was that while the collage option in Picasa is awesome, it doesn’t let me choose which photo is the largest photo. You know I don’t like to be in control!! Haha. Then there was the journaling. I couldn’t figure out how to fit it on the page so I put it in the collage but it’s so small you can barely read it.

So here’s what I’m doing.

In 2009 each week had 2 pages and I used the same colours/papers throughout the month. For 2010 there will only be 1 page per week. This should save me lots of ink. Each month will follow the exact same design. I’ve bought a few templates and I will use just one template per month. This should make it fast and I think, in the end, very cohesive.

So, that’s my plan. Have a great day and thanks for looking!

Final Pages 2009 365

2010-01-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

Well, here they are. My final pages for the 2009 Project 365 album. Even though at times it has felt like a lot of work - a chore even - I'm glad I did it. It's a great album to look through and it really gives you a good idea of what the year was like for us.

Am I going to do it again?

You betcha.

It's going to be a little different but I will do it again.

Thanks for sticking with me!! I should have my first couple of 2010 pages up shortly!

Scrap Space

2010-01-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

When we moved to this house in 2002, a corner of the basement was dedicated as my scrapping area. In the last house, I had my own room and I really felt I needed that here too. It was in the playroom but I was okay with that. It worked. I could scrap while the girls played, watched TV etc.

Then we acquired Dave’s Dad’s old hobby desk. I liked the idea of using it for my scrapping because I could stand at it, because it was old and because it had been Dave’s Dad’s. We moved all my scrapping stuff into Dave’s office and I got rid of my scrapping tables. We shared the office and each had our own workspace.

However, the table faced the wall and I discovered I don’t do well facing a wall with my back to the room. I also found the table was too tall for me to stand at and the only stool that was tall enough for it was the one I came with. I had to climb up onto it and there was a crack in the seat that pinched my bottom. Ouch.

Eventually I moved all my scrapping stuff up to the dining room. I put baskets full of supplies under the old church pew; I filled the bottom of the china cabinet. I took over the dresser that stands in the corner. It worked very well for quite some time. I found I could crop for 5 or 10 minutes at a time while cooking dinner and helping with homework. The only downside was that my dining room always looked like a bomb hit it. Plus, we got a new table and chairs that were just the wrong height for me. I found I couldn’t sit at the table for more than 15 minutes without my lower back aching.

So, I moved it all back down to Dave’s office in the basement. It all fit in and looked very neat and tidy but it was first and foremost his office. So, on the weekends, he’d be down there so I couldn’t crop. At night, he’d be down there so I couldn’t crop. I couldn’t leave things out and messy when they were in progress and not finished yet. I must admit, it drove me slowly crazy.

So, I have reclaimed my original corner of the playroom. It’s not fancy and perhaps not even particularly attractive, but it’s mine.

And I love it. I love the fact that the girls are often down there and I can work alongside them while they are crafting, gaming, playing or watching TV. I’ve got myself my space back.

I never should have moved it in the first place.

Stolen Stolen Tag

2010-01-10T16:33:00.003-05:00

I’m trying to be more consistent and regular with my blogging but I didn’t have anything ready so I took this from Barb’s blog. Thanks Barb!!!

1.Name someone with the same birthday as you.
I don’t know anyone personally with the same birthday as me so I googled it and the best I could come up with was Natalie Wood and Carlos Santana.

2. Where was your first kiss?
I lived in Oakville so I was in grade 1 or 2. We lived in an apartment building nestled together with a bunch of other buildings. A boy (I can’t remember his name) and I kissed in the stairwell of one of the buildings. I do remember kissing Tommy Sawyer (yes that was his real name) in grade 6 too!! - did you know about that Mom?

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property?
Never.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, again in Oakville, I gave a boy a bloody nose and in grade 7 I gave a boy a black eye. Nasty.

5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Yes, as a child, before I realized I couldn’t sing.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about your preferred sex?
Their smile.

7. What really turns you off?
Selfishness.

8. What do you order at Starbucks?
Tall, soy, caramel macchiato.

9. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
No.

10. Say something totally random about yourself.
I am a homebody. If I had my way, I would stay home and not leave. I like it best when everyone is here with me.

11. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
No.

12. Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows?
When my girls want me too but not voluntarily.

13 Did you have braces?
No.

14 Are you comfortable with your height?
No. I’m 5’4”. I am often the shortest one in a group.

15. When do you know its love?
When you find yourself sharing things you wouldn’t share with anyone else.

16. Do you speak any other languages?
I took French all through high school. I knew my math marks would not get me into University. I think I’ve forgotten most of it though.

17. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
Yuppers.

18 Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yes. 3 times. My wedding and then a couple of years ago I had 2 engagements 2 nights in a row that both involved a limo. My girls thought I was very cool.

19. What’s something that really annoys you?
Not having enough time to scrapbook more.

20. What’s something you really like?
Scrapbooking.

21. Can you dance?
Absolutely not.

22. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No. I watched my mom go in one though when I was around 15 or 16.

There you go. That's it about me. Now it's your turn!!!

Award? For me?

2010-01-08T09:23:00.003-05:00

My scrapbooking and blogging friend, Barb gave me this Beautiful Blogger Award. What a lovely surprise. Thanks Barb.

The award comes with the following responsibilities:
1. I must thank the person who bestowed this honor upon me. Done.
2. Copy the award and place it on my blog. Done.
3. Link to the bestower’s site. Done.
4. Enumerate seven interesting things about myself. Here they are.

- I was born in England and moved to Canada when I was 18 months old. From there I have lived in West Hill, Agincourt, Toronto, Edmonton, Oshawa and Oakville - sometimes in more than one location per city!!

- I am not a morning person. Getting out of bed in the morning is evil.

- I have to read before I go to sleep. If I don't, I have trouble sleeping.

- I love lists. I have lists of lists and numerous notebooks to keep me on track.

- I wish I could dance and sing. If I catch any of those reality dancing shows on TV, I'm filled with envy. It's not gonna happen though.

- It was never my intention to be a Stay At Home Mom. My own mother always worked and I really thought I would do the same thing. I couldn't wait to graduate from University and put on my first suit with nylons and high heels. And then I had Meredith and my life changed for the better. I love being home and I can't imagine ever working in an office again.

- My first job was at McDonald's and I ate way too many french fries while I was there.

There you go. Some of you know some of those things. Some of you don't. I'm not sure how interesting they are but . . .

5. Now I'm supposed to link to seven other bloggers I find beautiful. Unfortunately I don't know many bloggers and I can't come up with seven so I hope this will do:

My good friend Nicola who I would be lost without. She doesn't have a blog but she does have a website.

My good friend Anne who makes all my bags. She doesn't have a website or a blog but I hope she will soon.

Janet who makes me laugh on Tuesdays.

Joy who I don't see often enough on Tuesdays!

And of course Barb who makes me smile and laugh every week and has introduced me to so many other wonderful women and scrapbooking addictions!! Thanks Barb!!

UGH!!

2010-01-07T20:44:00.002-05:00

My apologies. I can't get the video to play on the next post. Can you?

Perhaps I'll have to upload to YouTube next time. I've never done that. Wish me luck.

All About Meredith

2010-01-07T20:34:00.004-05:00

A couple of things I've been meaning to share are Meredith's comic and her flute playing. I'm putting these on here primarily so my Mom can see them but also because I'm proud of her for working through things and never giving up.

This is her comic - The Girls of the Elements:

She started this early in 2009 (I can't remember exactly when) and she finished it in November. She worked so hard on it. I love the details showing the arms moving up and down and the image of just the feet so we know the girls are walking. Way to go Meredith. You had a vision and you saw it through to the end. I can't wait to see the next installment.

Now here she is playing the flute.

The flute has not always come easy to her and I think she finds it quite challenging. One day over the holidays she went up to her room and didn't come down until she had learned the tune. Again, she persevered and saw it through to the end.

I am proud of this girl each and every day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-01-04T11:31:00.002-05:00

I know I’m a few days late but it just had to be said.

We rang in the New Year with our neighbours. They put on a great party every year with yummy food and a lot of video gaming in the basement for the kids. This year we didn’t last until midnight. Isobel was exhausted from being up late a few nights in a row and their guinea pig peed on her lap. When we got home, Isobel had a quick shower and went straight to bed. Dave, Meredith and I watched the New Years’ Eve celebrations in New York on TV but I only lasted until shortly after 11. Meredith and Dave made it all the way to midnight!!

I hope 2010 is a great year for all of you, filled with fun, laughter, love and prosperity.

No 365 pages to post today, but I promise it is next on my “Freakin’ Never Ending To Do List”. With the girls back at school I feel like I’m crossing things off that list with lightening speed.

Give me a couple of days, and I’ll be back on track.

An Update

2009-12-28T21:26:00.007-05:00

Wow. Has it really been that long since I’ve posted? Things have been crazy around here. Here’s a brief summary for you:

Meredith’s Birthday Ice Cream Get Together. It wasn’t a party, just a bunch of gals getting together for ice cream. They giggled their way through the evening and seemed to have a great time sitting by themselves for a Friday night out. Meredith is certainly enjoying being 12.
Meredith’s Birthday. We spent the day at home and enjoyed her favourite meal at lunch – ravioli – followed by chocolate cupcakes. We got her a Bamboo Tablet and she is really taking pleasure in drawing on the computer with it and using it as a mouse. That evening we went out to Niagara Falls to enjoy the light display. It was well worth the drive and I’m quite sure we’ll head out that way again, but next time, we’ll get out of the car and walk Clifton Hill.
School Concerts. The girls’ school concerts this year were spectacular. Meredith was in the choir, the drama club and her class play. She did a great job and I really enjoy watching her up there. Isobel’s was a musical play about Melton the Snowman. All the classes did a short skit. The younger children always bring a certain enthusiasm to the stage and just love the attention.
Roberts Sleepover. The real celebration for Meredith’s birthday came a week later. We took the Roberts girls into Toronto to the ROM, then out for lunch, and then down on the subway to see the Christmas windows in The Bay on Queen Street. After that they came back to our place and slept over. Meredith and Isobel are lucky to have such good friends.
We took it easy for the next few days and had our big Christmas dinner with Dave’s mom on Christmas Eve. The girls stayed up late that night watching The Polar Express and were up around 7:30 the next morning.
Christmas Day was a flurry of cooking, eating, gift opening, tidying, cooking, eating, more gift opening, etc, etc, for the whole day. Neither of the girls got out of their PJ’s.
Boxing Day found us at the movie theatre eating popcorn and drinking Coke by 10:30am. The theatre was empty. It was great.

Since then we’ve been hanging out, putting Christmas presents and re-organizing. I always find this time of the year is a great time to get rid of the old and make room for the new. We seem to do it each year at this time.

I also have a couple of 365 pages to share. It is my intention to continue this into 2010 with a slightly different format. I’ve really enjoyed putting this particular album together and looking back over the pages to remember where we’ve been and what we’ve done.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays!

Meredith

2009-12-11T09:15:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Meredith' 12th birthday and I can hardly believe it. Where does the time go? Where did my little baby girl go? She is growing up to be a beautiful girl - both inside and out - and I am proud to be her Mom every single second of every single day.

She's having ice cream with her school mates tonight then relaxing at home for most of the day tomorrow. We'll be heading to Niagara Falls Saturday night to see the Festival of Lights. The big party comes later in the month when we'll be taking the Roberts' girls into Toronto for a day of fun!!

I'll post more about our birthday celebrations later!!!

Sunday

2009-12-06T20:26:00.002-05:00

You can tell Christmas is around the corner. Things are getting crazy busy around here although most days I couldn't tell you exactly what I've done. I've got a list of things to do longer than my arm and the girls are only in school for 2 more weeks. This year the kids are out almost a full week before Christmas. I'm looking forward to the break and spending time with them but it does mean I have to get lots accomplished between now and then. Wish me luck. I'm sure most people are in the same boat so I wish you luck too!!

Here's my most recent Project 365 page.

As always, thanks for looking!!

2009-11-29T21:00:00.002-05:00

Well.

I’m doing my best with these 365 pages but I don’t seem to be able to get caught up. I got this one completed today so I’m actually only a couple of weeks behind. Some weeks I do a good job with the photo taking and other weeks I find myself scrambling to take photos that represent our life right now. I do believe I will do it again for 2010 but I need to shake it up a little to keep it interesting.

Our weekend was a good one. We went into Toronto to the AGO on Saturday to see the King Tut exhibit. I know I saw that myself when I was a child but I don’t remember much of it except the chocolate King Tut on a stick I got when it was over. I didn’t manage to get a chocolate this time but I think I took more away from the exhibit than I did when I was a child. It was crowded and hard to get a good look at the artifacts but it is truly amazing that such riches were buried and undiscovered for so long.

Dave and I watched Angels and Demons last night. I tried to read the novel a couple of months ago but couldn’t make it through. I found the movie fascinating. I’m not one to watch a movie more than once, but I think I would like to with that one. I think I’ll also take another crack at the book (when I’ve finished the 15 or so waiting for me by my night table!!).

Today Meredith went to a movie with a friend and Isobel had a friend over then Skyped with Victoria in Australia. I got some chores done, and some laundry done, and some scrapping done.

It was a very nice, well rounded weekend. How was yours?

365

2009-11-26T15:55:00.002-05:00

This is going to be a quick post. We're heading out in a bit to pick up my mother-in-law and head to Mississauga for dinner with Dave. After that we're going to the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga to watch Meredith perform. I'm quite looking forward to it!

Anyway, here are a couple of Project 365 pages to share.

Thanks for looking!!!

P.S. Mom - if you're reading this - I'm thinking of you!!! xoxo

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-11-23T13:41:00.003-05:00

This is a meme from the Simple Woman's Daybook. Barb does it often and I thought I'd give it a try.

FOR TODAY...

Outside my window... a beautiful fall day. The sun is shining and the temps are mild. I’m hoping to get off this computer and out for a walk soon.

I am thinking... that there’s not much time before Meredith’s birthday. I can’t believe my baby is going to be 12.

I am thankful for... the love of my family and the laughter of good friends.

I am wearing... yoga pants, tank top and a black hoodie.

I am remembering... how nice it was to see my mom yesterday even though it was only for a few hours.

I am going... to get off this computer soon!! Really.

I am reading... Handle with Care by Jodi Piccoult. It’s a very thought provoking novel – all hers are.

I am hoping... that I can get a lot of Christmas shopping done this week. I’d like to have it out of the way.

On my mind... the one week scrapbooking retreat in September I’ve just committed to. I’m so excited.

From the scrapbooking room... I’m about 4 weeks behind on my Project 365 pages. I’m hoping to get them done today (they’re digital – so much for the plan to get off the computer!!)

Noticing that... I’m in a much better mood when I’m not rushing around trying to do everything all at once.

From the kitchen... It’s an easy supper night tonight. Dave plays squash early. We’ll be having salad and the kids’ favourite – chicken fingers and fries.

Around the house... I’m trying to figure out where I can put vinyl decals from sixty/forty. Hmmm . . .

One of my favorite things… walking down by the lake on a beautiful day.

A picture I'd like to share...

This is where I’ll be headed in September. Wow.

SURPRISE!!

2009-11-21T20:46:00.005-05:00

I am a bad blogger. I’ve been very caught up in life lately, and haven’t managed to post here at all. This video was sent to me recently and it really got me thinking.

I DID think social networking was a fad, but this has me thinking otherwise. I’m not a very sociable person. But I think it’s about more than that. I do my best to keep up with technology. I’ve got Windows 7. I have an iTouch and numerous apps. I know how to run a blog and optimize a website for search engines. I even know some HTML. I’ve gone so far as to have a Facebook page and a Twitter account but haven’t really utilized them to their full potential. I haven’t used this blog to its full potential either. I’m convinced no one reads any of these and that no one really cares, but does that matter? I need to keep up. I need to blog and update my status more often. I need to make time for these things if I’m going to keep up with the way the world is moving. Soon, my children are going to know more than me, and I want to feel that I’ve at least tried.

More 365 pages

2009-10-26T12:47:00.006-04:00

Clearly I'm not finding/making the time to post regularly to this blog. I am up to date on my Project 365 though, so here they are:

Thanks for looking and thanks for your patience. Have a great day.

3.6.5.

2009-10-12T20:54:00.002-04:00

Guess what? I am totally up to date on my Project 365 pages. I just finished last weeks' page but I’m not going to post it yet. I have so many to posts to catch up, I thought I’d do it a few at a time. That way, I’m guaranteed at least a couple of day's worth of blog fodder.

Thanks for looking and I hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving weekend. It’s back to the real world tomorrow.

Gobble. Gobble.

Thursday Thirteen

2009-10-08T18:35:00.002-04:00

My friend Barb does the Thursday Thirteen most weeks and in my new found desire to blog more I thought I’d try it. If you’d like to participate, go here.

This is a list of 13 things that are on my Never Ending To Do List right now (in no particular order). Most of them have been there for some time.

1. Paint all the hallways in the house. It’s been a few years since we did this last and I’m starting to be quite annoyed by the gouges, scratches and little fingerprints that just won’t wash away.

2. Replace the pot lights in the kitchen and paint the ceiling. We have just recently evicted our little squirrel friend who decided to make our ceiling its home and munch away on the wires for our pot lights. We are left with a patchy ceiling and lights that no longer sit nicely in their holes. Plus one light works some days, but not on others.

3. Tile the backsplash in the kitchen. It can’t be that hard, can it? I know Home Depot offers seminars on various DIY projects for women. I’m hoping to take one of those.

4. Go on a hike with the girls and Dave. This one isn’t actually on my To Do list but I really want to do it.

5. Finish the half completed albums in my drawer. I’ve got an "All About Me" album, one from our trip in 2001 to St. Petersburg Florida, and both of the girl’s school albums which have not been updated since Grade 3 and JK. They are in Grade 7 and Grade 3 now.

6. Order and do pages from Donna Downey. I love the fabric, dimension and colours in her kits. Just yummy.

7. Try my hand at a mosaic page. I’ve carefully collected all the required supplies. Now I just have to do it. You can see some examples here.

8. Rip all my CD’s onto my computer so I can play them through iTunes and on my iPod. I’m going to need to get myself an EHD before I can accomplish this one. My computer is getting quite full.

9. Steam clean the carpets. It’s gotta be done.

10. Catch up on my Project 365 pages and all the digi pages I’ve got planned out and ready to go. I think I need more hours in the day.

11. Get to the LCBO to stock up on wine for the Holiday Season. You just never know when you’ll need to go somewhere and bring a bottle with you, or when someone might drop by for a Christmas drink. Right now, we are totally out of wine, so don’t drop by for a drink. We’d have to pull out the hard stuff.

12. Clean the stovetop. I did some serious ‘boiling over’ yesterday and haven’t managed to clean it yet.

13. Paint the door to the basement. We have a french door at the bottom of the basement stairs that opens up into the playroom. About 3 years ago I carefully taped each and every window in the door so I could paint it. I don’t know what happened but I never got around to it and I notice the tape is all gone. I guess I’ll have to start all over.…

Well, that’s my 13. Most of these have been on my list a long long time. I’m skeptical I’ll ever get all of them done. I was going to say if I won the lottery, I’d have the time to do them but quite frankly if I won the lottery, I think I’d pay someone to do most of them.

I'm Back . . . Again

2009-10-07T11:30:00.004-04:00

Well, I’m back.

I think.

For today, anyway!!

It’s been a long time but I’ve been quite busy. School is back in and I’ve been struggling with establishing some kind of regular routine. I’m determined to increase my activity this year and am either walking or running 6 days a week. It’s a lot to fit in and I’m convinced that’s why I’m having such a tough time carving out time for things like this blog, but I know it’s the right thing to do so I’m not giving it up.

Briefly, here’s what’s happened here over the past couple of months:

We went to Lion’s Head for a week and had a great time. We hopped on the Chi-Cheemaun for a day trip to Manitoulin Island and enjoyed numerous beaches including Sauble Beach and Singing Sands. It was a great trip.

We went to the Ex before school went back in. I always have a great time there.

Both girls are back at school and settling in nicely. It seems to be a bit harder this year to get the older one up and out of the house in the morning, but we’re getting there!! They are in grades 3 and 7 this year. I find that remarkably hard to believe.

Dave and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary and his 41st birthday.

Isobel celebrated her 8th birthday with a party at the Airborne Trampoline Centre. We had 15 children in attendance and they jumped almost non stop for an hour. It was great. After the party our good friends Emma and Megan spent the night. It’s always good to have those girls over.

Isobel got a Chinese Fighting Fish named Fisher Jack for her birthday from Meredith, who has already died. (The fish, not Meredith!!) It was quite traumatic and I didn’t even manage to get a photo of him. He has since been replaced with Swimmer Leo.

Meredith seems to have had a growth spurt. None of her clothes from June fit her now. Even the pants I got her in late July don’t fit so we’ve been doing some shopping.

I’ve been working hard on my 365 pages. Here are a couple of them:

It looks like I’m going to be doing a bit of paid work again. Yay me!!! I’m going to do my best to keep posting.

Thanks for putting up with me and checking back here regularly.

A Project Completed

2009-08-12T11:56:00.009-04:00

I don't have any Project 365 pages for you today - no whining please!! BUT I did complete my Lion's Head album from our vacation last summer. It only took a year. Not bad for me, I'd say. LOL.

Here it is and as always, thanks for looking.

Gimme a 3 and a 6 and a 5!!!

2009-08-04T19:57:00.003-04:00

Here's my Project 365 page from last week. Can you believe I'm still doing these? I certainly can't.

They are all I've got time to post these days, but I think they keep you up to date with what's going on here.

Have a great day, week and summer and thanks for looking!

3.6.5.

2009-07-31T13:56:00.002-04:00

This seems to be all I have time to post these days. I'm actually quite amazed that I am still managing to get them done and posted. Thanks for looking. Here's last weeks page.

Have a great weekend!

365 Pages

2009-07-23T20:57:00.006-04:00

Well, I can’t believe that I got them done, but I did. Here are 3 more 365 pages.

Thanks for looking.

An Update

2009-07-21T17:32:00.000-04:00

I’m not going to post photos and I’m not going to do any links. I’m just going to do a quick post to keep this blog up to date.

My time is not my own right now. We’re having a great summer and, as always, I wonder how I got things done when my girls were home with me all the time. It seems to be that back then, I didn’t have quite as much to do. And I don’t mean things I NEED to do, but rather things I WANT to do.

Anyway, so far this summer, we’ve gone to Wonderland, the AGO, the Science Centre and the Royal Botanical Gardens. We’ve got together for play dates with the Roberts, spent some time with Grandma and had a week of swimming lessons for Isobel. I’ve managed to still crop most Tuesdays for a couple of hours and we’re planning a garage sale for this weekend.

Last weekend we were away at a friend’s cottage. It was 100 years old and had boat access only. It was absolutely beautiful and we all had a great time.

The summer is only a few weeks old and we’re doing well so far. The girls are enjoying their ‘old fashioned’ summer without camps to amuse them every minute. We are playing with friends, reading, swimming and spending time outside. We are doing chores and watching TV. We are just hanging out and sleeping in.

Thanks for reading. I’ll post again when I can.

Look What I Did

2009-07-08T19:46:00.003-04:00

I was on Jessica Sprague today and saw a link to this tutorial.

I turned this photo:

into this watercolour painting:

(Click on it to see the detail)

I'm very impressed with myself. I'm off to see what else I can do.

Mmmm.... Food

2009-07-05T10:52:00.004-04:00

Pastor Ryan's Bolognese Sauce

Photo Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

Does anyone out there follow the Pioneer Woman? I’ve read her blog for over a year now and I do enjoy it. Some of her posts are long, some are short but all of them are accompanied by some very beautiful photographs. Her life is so very different from mine, and I look forward to reading about her family’s exploits in their daily life.

She is putting together a recipe book and has a whole section of her site dedicated to cooking. Her recipes are neither low fat nor simple, but they all look delicious – and of course are all accompanied by the most mouth-watering photographs. When this recipe was posted I wanted to try it out so badly, but I’m not a very adventurous cook. I put it on the schedule many times but always managed to find a reason not to make it. This weekend it dawned on me – Dave is a great cook and he loves to try new recipes. I really think the harder and more challenging they are, the more he enjoys it.

He made it for us last night for dinner. I’d done the shopping for the ingredients, but wouldn’t you know it, all the staples we generally keep in the house that the recipe called for were almost out, so I had to rush out not once, but twice during the cooking process for red wine, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese and milk.

It was, by far, the best Bolognese Sauce I have ever had. Even Isobel, who doesn’t normally eat ‘red’ sauce, loved it. The recipe made enough for us to freeze two more meals, so we get to enjoy it again in the future. So, if you’re looking for something special to make and you’ve got the time – or better yet, someone else to make it for you – I highly recommend it.

And check out these little lovelies:

Chocolate Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate and Rolled in Candy Canes
Photo Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

I think I might have to attempt them at Christmas!

Random Thoughts

2009-06-28T17:52:00.007-04:00

I haven’t had the time (well I have, but that’s a whole other story) to post all the random thoughts churning through my brain. So here they are, in no particular order:

Report Cards – The girls’ report cards came home on Wednesday. I’m not a particularly ‘type A’ parent. I don’t need my kids to have straight A’s but I do need to feel they are doing their best and trying their hardest. Their report cards this year definitely represented that. Meredith gets the award for most improved. She has had such a good year – both socially and academically. And to think, I was worried about the move to a new school. What a difference a little confidence and a good, caring teacher can make. Isobel gets the independence award. I can honestly say the marks on her card totally represent work done by her. She did her homework and her projects this year entirely on her own. Way to go girls.

School’s Out For The Summer – Yee haw. School is out for the next two months. Whatever will we do? Ha ha – not to worry – I’ve got lots of ideas. For the most part, I’m going to expect them to entertain themselves and help me out during the day. If they tell me they’re bored, I have a list of things to help occupy their time. Things like ‘clean out your night table drawer’ and ‘pick up 10 pieces of garbage in the yard’. I don’t think they’ll be telling me they’re bored too often!!

Canada’s Wonderland – We took the girls on Friday. What a blast. I went there a lot in my teenaged years. Some of the rides I remember were still there plus a whole slew of new ones. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go on the rides that spin or go backwards but I was sure I’d be okay on the roller coasters. Hmph. Little did I know. The first ride we went on was a stunt car roller coaster ride. We weren’t even halfway through it and I felt my neck go ~CRACK~ and the pain started. Ugh. And today I have the resulting migraine! I did manage to go on one other roller coaster – Dragon Fire – but that was it. However, it was a great day!! Here are some photos:

Michael Jackson AND Farrah Fawcett On The Same Day? - I have to admit I’ve never been a huge MJ fan. I’ve certainly enjoyed his music but I’ve never actually owned any of it. I think he would be happy with his death. In a way it mirrors his life – secretive yet full of controversy. I am a little disappointed to see how little press FF’s death is getting, though. I think she deserves a little more air time. It was tough to see her battle with cancer and I hope she’s at peace now. You know you’re getting old when the icons of your youth start dying.

Last but not least are my 365 Pages. Yes, I’m still managing to get them done. Thanks to Dave taking the girls out to play badminton this afternoon, I got these two completed.

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

Free? Photo Editing? I'm in!!

2009-06-22T10:13:00.001-04:00

I just signed myself up for this lovely little FREE class over at Jessica Sprague.com. I've taken many of her digital classes and loved every single one of them. This one starts on July 6th. The kiddies will be home. I will be distracted. Am I crazy? Probably. But they're good kids. They'll understand!!

Care to join me? It's free. There's nothing to lose, but so much to gain.

I'm Back (I think)

2009-06-20T13:51:00.005-04:00

So, I’m back.

I just can’t make up my mind about this blog. On the one hand, I don’t always feel like I have anything very interesting or thought provoking to say, but on the other hand, since I made the decision to discontinue it, I’ve thought of all sorts of things I could have been posting. I just find I spend so much time on my computer. Between the day to day emails, the newspaper, the message boards I like to follow and all the blogs I read, I feel like I’m on here all the time. I’ve got a few friends who are dedicated Facebook users and I thought perhaps that would be a better use of my time, however, I find Facebook doesn’t give me enough room to say what I need to say. So, here I am. I’m back.

I cannot promise to blog every day or even every week. I can’t promise that it will always be interesting – in fact, sometimes it might be downright boring. I think when I started this I thought I would amass a following and that hasn’t happened. I stopped posting because I figured if I couldn’t do it right, I wouldn’t do it at all, but now I realize I really don’t do this for other people, I do it for myself. Sometimes the words and the thoughts race through my head and I need somewhere to park them. This blog serves that purpose for me.

So, now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest, here are my most recent 365 pages – yes I’m still managing it!! Some weeks the photos aren’t taken the days they say they were taken, but that’s okay, right?

Thanks for looking. Please be sure to check back here again. You might find a post from me and you might not.

If you’re in my neck of the woods, I hope you’re enjoying this rainy Saturday.

See Ya Later

2009-06-09T18:43:00.000-04:00

Well, I think this is it. My last blog post. I haven’t done a very good job of posting regularly lately and that seems to be happening more often than not. I’m running out of things to say and don’t feel like boring you all with the minutia of my daily life, so I’m hanging up my bloggers hat. That doesn’t mean I won’t put it on again one day, but for now, I’m putting it away.

I’m going to try to post photos, layouts and updates on Facebook, so if you will, please follow me there.

See ya later everyone, and thanks for looking.

M.

Manic Monday

2009-06-01T16:43:00.002-04:00

Another meme. That’s all I seem to have to write about these days. This one is the Manic Monday.

Imagine you're packing a picnic lunch. What would be in your basket? In my basket would be flat bread with artichoke and asiago dip, cut up veggies and fruit, perhaps a shrimp ring and a book.

If your life were a weather vane, which direction would it be pointing right now? It would be pointing north because I’m cold today.

What's something that people do in traffic that really annoys you? Turn into my lane when they really don’t have enough space, pick their nose, and creep along slowly looking for a parking space.

Oh, and here’s my 365 page:

Friday Fill In

2009-05-22T12:21:00.003-04:00

In an effort to blog a little more, I think I might try to participate in more memes. This one is called the Friday Fill-In and you can find it here.

Here it goes.

1. Moving my body always makes me feel good and glad I’ve done it even though getting to it, is always the most difficult thing I will do each day.

2. If you look around you, the things in life that you really and truly could not live without are are free - the love of friends and family.

3. My best quality is my ability to be organized. Sometimes it is a fault, but most often it gets me through the day.

4. I love the details.

5. In nearly 10 years, I have not put on a suit and ridden the GO train to work. Over 10 years, actually. And they’ve been the best 10 years of my life.

6. A cleaning lady is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to a friends’ house for a BBQ, tomorrow my plans include spending time with my girlies and hopefully getting a bit of scrapping done and Sunday, I want to work on my tennis serve.

That’s it for me, people. Have a great weekend.

Our First Long Weekend

2009-05-18T17:48:00.002-04:00

Well, it was our first long weekend of the season and I have to say, it was a good one. We took advantage of the rain on Saturday and went into Toronto to . . . you guessed it . . . the ROM – again. I think we’ve gone 7 times with our membership. What a great investment that was.

We went specifically to see their new Bio Diversity exhibit. It was spectacular. I’d like to go back again when it’s not quite so crowded. Each display has its own touch screen where you can choose various videos. Some are things like ‘Animal Cams’ where they’ve attached a camera to a duck’s back, for example. There was one that showed a decomposing fox. Yuck. But they were all interesting. I’d like to have had the time to see more of them. They were all informative.

After that we hopped on the subway – the girls love the subway – and went down to the St. Lawrence Market for lunch. Then we got back on the subway and up to our car. It was a simple day, but a really fun one.

On Sunday, we got lots of gardening and chores done around the house, played a little tennis and kept the girls up way too late for fireworks in the school yard. It is amazing that we can buy fireworks at the local Mac’s Milk and the kids are all as enamoured with them as they would be if we were to go to a professional display. I suppose it’s a good thing we haven’t yet been to a professional display!! Maybe we’ll be brave enough to do that next year (or the year after).

Today, we have two very tired girls here at home. Plus, Meredith has a cold. So, we hung out around here, baked some cookies and met Dave’s mom for lunch. I managed to get my 365 page done:

Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed your long weekend too. What did you do?

I'm Rambling

2009-05-13T11:27:00.003-04:00

You know what the weirdest thing is about giving up the land line (see my last post)? It has made me hyper sensitive to the phone. I carry it around with me religiously now. I worry about not answering it. I worry about missing a call.

BUT IT NEVER RINGS!!

I’ve had about 5 wrong numbers over the course of the 10 days since The Switchover – someone seems to have moved and is giving our number to contractors – but other than that and a couple of really annoying telemarketers, nobody calls me.

It’s a good thing, though. It really reinforces for me our decision to do this. I’m not a phone person. I’m much more likely to email you, than I am to call you. But I think I need to stop carrying it around so much, don’t you?

Oh, and here’s my 365 page for last week:

Thanks for looking!!!

No More Land Line

2009-05-11T10:31:00.002-04:00

Well, we finally did it. We got rid of our land line. We ported our home telephone number to a cell phone and cancelled the home phone service. I got myself one of these cutie pies:

The best part? The phone was free. And, even with our long distance charges, our monthly phone bill shouldn’t cost us any more than it was before, in fact, it might even be cheaper.

It’s very liberating somehow to get rid of the land line. It’s weird to look around the house and not see a single phone, but it’s good too.

You can still reach me the same way, because my home number hasn’t changed, but you’ll never know where I am or what I’m doing.

Monday

2009-05-04T21:20:00.001-04:00

I had an awesome Monday. It wasn’t anything spectacular and I didn’t do anything unusual, it was just really good. I got the house cleaned, I got the bed sheets changed and washed, I rode my bike downtown and went for a swim and I ran some errands. I watched Oprah while I folded laundry, I taught Isobel a little bit about digital scrapbooking and I got my Project 365 page done:

I have not felt very productive lately and I need to feel productive. Today I felt spectacularly productive and it’s a good feeling. Plus, I went swimming. Swimming is one of those things I really enjoy but the process of getting myself in a bathing suit usually stops me from doing it. I love the smell of chlorine on my skin – weird, I know – plus, everyone there is way older than me and they’re not interested in what I look like in my bathing suit.

I think I need to swim more often.

Spring Concert

2009-05-01T19:59:00.003-04:00

Last night we attended Meredith’s first Spring Concert at her new school. We knew she was in the Grade 6 Band (flute) and we knew she was in the choir.

What we didn’t know was that she was 1 of only 3 girls in the choir.

Yes, you read that right – 3 girls in the choir.

3 girls in total.

No boys.

No other girls.

Just 3 girls - all from her Grade 6 class.

They sang a song thanking the volunteers. I so wish I had videotaped it, but I just wasn’t ready. And by the time I realized it, it was too late.

The three of them did a great job. An amazing job. A stupendous job.

I’m proud of them all, but as Meredith’s mother, I’m particularly proud of her for getting up there and doing it. This is the kid who doesn’t participate enough in class. This is the kid who struggled in Grade 4 to say her speech in front of her class. This is the kid who used to get nervous doing presentations in class.

I’m so proud of her, I can barely stand it. She did a great job.

I just can’t believe she didn’t tell me ahead of time.

Go figure.

Sisterly Love

2009-04-28T16:37:00.001-04:00

Here's a quick post for today.

I overheard isobel saying to meredith one night – “I just don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I love that they love each other so much. I just hope it lasts through the teen years!!!

365

2009-04-25T19:45:00.003-04:00

Two posts in one day? And it's my Project 365 page!! I am rockin' the blog today.

Here it is. Plain and simple. Thanks for looking.

Last Weekend

2009-04-25T17:48:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday I had the absolute pleasure of having Nicola’s girls over for a sleepover. These 4 girls have known each other practically since they were born. They are all very much alike and they all get along so well. And it certainly helps that Nic and I are good friends too. She’s one of my favourite people to hang out with. She makes me laugh and laugh and laugh. I don’t get to see her enough.

I would have nominated her for the Sisterhood Award for sure, if only she had a blog -~sigh~. (But, she is working on a website. As soon as that's up and running, I will definitely link her up here.)

We took a short walk to the lake with the girls on Saturday. The weather was perfect. The children were perfect. The photos? Well, they’re perfect too.

I FOUND IT!!!!

2009-04-23T20:41:00.002-04:00

I didn't post about this, but last Wednesday I lost my beautiful anniversary band that Dave bought me for my 40th birthday. We looked everywhere for it. We pulled apart the garbage, the recycling and the compost, but it didn't turn up. We had contacted the insurance company and were going to proceed with the claim. I have to admit, I didn't want to rush the claim because I was sure it would turn up somewhere.

AND IT DID.

I was making Ravioli for dinner tonight and when I pulled my recipe book out of the cupboard I heard a tinkling noise. I looked in the cupboard and there was my ring, on the floor of the cupboard. Last Wednesday, I had been making chicken noodle soup and had the recipe book out on the counter. I figure I took the ring off, placed it on the book, then when I cleaned up the kitchen, I just shut the book and put it away.

I can't fully express how happy I am. I know I could have replaced it, but it wouldn't have been the same.

Yet another thing to be thankful for.

A Poem

2009-04-23T13:24:00.002-04:00

I just this minute read this poem on this blog and had to copy it here. I really think it says it all and sums up why I do, what I do.

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.

Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.

One day I shall dig my nails into the earth,

or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut,

or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

~Mary Jean Irion

When Meredith was a baby and I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to return to work, a very wise woman advised me to try the SAHM thing first. As she put it, you can always find a job, but you can't capture the first word, the first step, the first anything again. It only happens once. I am so grateful that I have been able to be home with my children. To love them, to nurture them, and to be there for them all these years. I am thankful for the advice I was given and thankful that I had the forethought to follow it. And I am thankful to Dave for indulging me and giving me the opportunity to stay home and do what is important to me.

I feel so lucky that I did not have to miss a single normal day.

2009-04-21T19:03:00.003-04:00

I’m working very hard at keeping up with my Project 365 pages. I’ve thought about giving it up but I really like the concept. I like the idea of having a completed album at the end of the year that really shows what our everyday life was like that year.

You’ll notice that a lot of the photos in these pages are of ‘stuff’ instead of people or events. That’s because I wasn’t so good at actually taking a photo a day. I had to do a little catch up.

You’ll also start to notice that these pages are starting to repeat. I’ve decided that in order to keep it up, I can’t keep coming up with different page designs. I know I was going to stick with a basic design per month, but now I’m going to even start repeating those. There are only so many ways to display 7 photos per page so I’m giving myself permission to use previous pages and just swap out the paper, photos and embellishments. That’s the joy of digital scrapbooking.

I’m hoping that I’ll get these pages done more easily now that I’ve given myself permission to reuse older pages.

Thanks for looking.

Sisterhood Award

2009-04-19T12:55:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, my friend Barb nominated me for a Sisterhood Award. Barb said:

Milena is a friend of mine who I met a few years ago through Scrapbooking. Unfortunately life got busy for both of us and we didn't see each other. Over the past few months we have reconnected and I'm really enjoying the friendship and "sisterhood" that we have together.

I am so thankful she and I have reconnected over the past few months. She is a wonderful woman and an inspiring friend.

I am now supposed to nominate up to 10 of my blogging friends for the same award. Unfortunately, I don't have many blogging friends. I'm going to nominate my friend Cathy of the Chicks with Inkpads Blog. She and her friend Donna who she blogs with, are both very talented card makers and stampers. The cards they create amaze and inspire me on a daily basis.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!

3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Remember to link the person from whom you received your award.

More later . . . (I promise!!)

Woo Hoo!!

2009-04-13T16:59:00.001-04:00

Look what I did? Isn't it cool?

It may be a little fancy-schmancy for me, but at least I know how to do it!! I'll work on that some more over the next few days (or weeks!).

Signing off.

Project 365

2009-04-06T09:54:00.003-04:00

I just thought I would very quickly load up the two Project 365 pages I have managed to complete. Now I’m only one week behind, but unfortunately that one week is missing a photo. Yikes. I’ve gotta get on that.

So here there are:

Now it is 10:00 and I haven’t managed to accomplish a single thing today except get my children off to school, do a 365 page and surf the net. I need to get off my duff and get some stuff done. Have you seen my list? Holy cow.