Creative Momentum

Here's why my family has not been able to sit at the kitchen table for a few days! I've been so stalled on making anything lately... feels good to be scrapping & playing again... hopefully it will last for a while!

The NOTE TOTE is my answer to a birthday book/card holder... the LO is, I think, one of my favorites... just love the photos... Now, I'm trying to do the "ABC's of Me" challenge... the hard part is finding more than 2 photos of myself!!

A Momtastic Day

We had such a great brunch on Mothers' Day at Vintage Hills golf course... I've always had great food there and it's an awesome summer patio... AND, we were all together and EVEN HAD A GROUP PICTURE TAKEN which has only happened about once in the 8 years that all 8 of us have been in this family together, (and no offence Cara, but you were so much more princess-looking than I was in your wedding picture, that it's almost like that day was all about you!)

Here's to my mom, Brenda... a funny, funny lady, who's always up for an adventure or a moment to sit and relax. I love that I see pieces of my mom in me... and that when I look at my hands, I see hers too!

Tell me that's not my little boy.

It's Mother's day, but that can't be my son.
Adam had a race Friday at Rose Valley school... I love this picture of him as he ran past me... but he looks so grown up it's slightly disturbing.

Man,do I love that kid.
(And the other two as well :-))

This is one thankful mother wishing you a Happy Mother's Day!

Joel & I think we are funny. (subtitle - INSIDE JOKES AT OUR HOUSE)

1) When Joel makes the bed, he puts our oversized accent pillow on a diagonal in the middle of the other pillows. He did it once in an effort to be "fancy" and it looked ridiculous so I teased him about being so fancy and his eye for design. Now whenever I'm downstairs while he's getting ready for work he does that and when I walk in our room after he's gone I get a good little chuckle.

2) Whenever one of us thanks the other for doing us a "favor",(i.e. picking up milk on the way home, ironing a shirt, packaging left overs for lunch), the favor-provider offers back a "ummmm hmmmm" in an unimpressed tone, as if to say, "I did it and I'm not happy about it and I feel taken advantage of." (But we both know we don't mean it that way.)

3) Once Joel's mom was looking at a flyer from Sears or something and remarked with great intrigue and enthusiasm that this was one she should not miss... "I'd like to go first thing in because they say it's a SUPER SALE". (Of course the marketing people don't throw out those kind of descripters without really meaning it.) Now, whenever we see a store is having a sale, we say, "but is it a SUPER SALE?"

4) The Latest: If you haven't seen Saturday night live lately, you're missing my favorite new sketch "Bronx Beat", a local talkshow hosted by two burned out soccer moms. They have the best banter. Anyway, there is an episode where Peyton Manning is the guest, and they start flirting with him a little and then Jody says "You know how many times my husband has flirted with me? None times. None-point-none times. Unless you count going to the bathroom with the door opened." So now, whenever someone is in the bathroom with the door opened (which only one of us likes to do routinely) I say, "are you flirting with me?"?

I can't find that exact clip on the web yet, but here's another episode with Jake Gellynhall (I'm spelling that wrong)... you'll get the idea... for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2CITvRzTw8

The Good Life

ahhhhh.....

I've arrived.

I'm sitting in my bed, I've just watched an evening of TV, all the while playing "Settlers of Catan" on my new laptop!!

Now that I have this portable/wireless piece of technology meeting all my communication and entertainment needs, I may never get up again!

Things to do this weekend:
1) "BananaRama" with Adam's grade 5 & 6 friends... kind of a pre-youth group thing where we go around town measuring landmarks with bananas. That's our big Friday night.
2) Sat am run with the "sole sisters" ending at Bliss Bakery in Peachland. I highly recommend this place... their blueberry muffins are the BEST! I've missed 3 weeks with my running group and can't wait to sweat by the lake with them!
3) Do a little scrapin'!
4) Dinner out on Saturday night with our good friends Chris & Julie. We like to go to restaurants by the water so we can pretend we're on a cruise ship together again... we're off to the Wild Apple Grill this time.
5) Sunday we're hoping to get to Vintage Hills for Mother's day brunch with my parents & Mark & Cara... they were not taking any more reservations until they knew the weather would be good for the patio, so I have to call back tomorrow at 1pm. We've always had great food there and have done the M's day brunch before too, so hopefully we can get in!
6) Possibly plant some flowers? Is it too soon for Petunias??
7) keep playing with my camera... I still can't decide if I love it or not!

That's a pretty big list for a girl who might never get out of bed again!

Wishing you all a great weekend & a happy mother's day!

"Great Sucess!" - Borat

Well, here I am finally back at my computer with what I like to refer to as a "post-event-hangover"!

Yesterday was the store's "National Scrapbook Day Creative Retreat" and we hosted 45 people plus staff at an all-day crop with classes. It was a great day, everyone went home very happy, and I was able to fall in bed after an 18 hour day thinking about how much I love my job! I really do. It was made for me. Thank you, Gina!

When I woke up this am I had a pounding head-ache, a sore body, and my brain was spinning with ideas and thoughts and things I wanted to remember for next time we have a big event :-) Happens every time... thus my "hang-over". As soon as I get everything that is in my head written down I start to relax. Tomorrow will be post-retreat clean-up, number crunching, and getting to all the "normal" stuff I haven't done for the past 2 weeks in the office! And maybe even start planning our next event!

But for this afternoon, I plan to laze around, putter and play with the brand new laptop that Joel treated me to yesterday! And we get to end the day at the home of one of our favorite couples: Christoph & Karleigh.

Oh, and eat cheesecake. There's a lot of cheesecake left over!

Not at the Table

We had a little post-supper spelling quiz for Brodie who has a test tomorrow. Joel was reading his list to him (I am the usual quizzer)... and after about 5 words we needed to point out that "the way" we do it is to...

1) say the word
2) use the word in a sentence, and that sentence must also include the word "Booger"
3) repeat the word
i.e. WHALE. "The whale could not use his blow-hole because it was clogged with a large booger." Whale.

Fairly straight forward, no?

So Joel makes an attempt at words 6 & 7, which of course drums up quite a bit more interest in the whole spelling thing. Joel's poor mom is still finishing her dinner, not sure how to respond to our educational methods... when Joel announces "OK, we can't do this any more..."

See #8 for explanation.

THE BIG SURPRISE! Introducing...

After joking about it for a long time, Cheryl & I have decided to take our neurotic organizing to a professional level! Our homes are NOT perfect, but we have figured out that for us, and for most women, chaos & clutter is burdening & distracting. We've got some good ideas that have worked for us in keeping a little more control, how to eliminate what we don't need in the house and how to find what we do! We think we can help people who are struggling with clutter issues & disorganization, and we want people to be able to use their spaces well, and at the same time enjoy them and breathe without all the clutter!

We're really REALLY excited and will be helping our "debut" client next week... Mrs. Fern and her scrapbook room!

Thank you for your excitement... we hope to have our website up and running soon!
If you know someone who needs a room refreshing or rescue, thank you for passing our name along!

If you're curious... here's the scoop...

How it works?
It will be very case by case, but what we plan to do is... start with an in-home consultation ($50) where we look at the space and talk about what the client wants to achieve with it. From there we will provide 3 options for your project...

YOU DO IT: We’ll provide you with some written steps to tackle your particular project on your own. Sometimes, a little direction is all you need. (Free with consultation).

WE DO IT TOGETHER: We will prepare a plan with us leading you through the project. We’ll be on site to help sort, toss, tote, pack, organize, carry, clean... and keep you on track.

DREAM IT AND DONE: From paint to furniture, we work together to completely organize & refresh your space. Our philosophy is always to make the best use of your dollar, so even though this is a larger investment, we promise to find you the most economical way to get your dream done well. As part of your consultation fee, we'll give you a ball park cost, and if you'd like to pursue this project option, we will work with you on an itemized budget, then make sure all the pieces fall into place.


RATES
Consultation fee: $50 (will be applied as credit towards further Project Fees, should you have us come and work with you.)
Project fee: $50/hour for first 4 hours, $35/hour for additional hours.

Any storage units/bins, etc. are extra. We suggest you set a budget for those expenses as well.

SO, THAT'S THE BIG SURPRISE!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK????

Remembering Summer '06

sorry, I had to remove this for now until I can figure out how to have it without it bumping away all my other stuff on the right hand side...

Ready for your bikini?

Me either.

BUT, I did want to pass along the name of a wonderful girl I met over a year ago who is passionate about fitness and helping people suceed in getting there! Stephanie led the running course that got me going and now I'm meeting with her once a week in a very small group for intense training... she's awesome. She has that ability to push you to work hard without making you feel like a loser when you've reached your limit. I highly recommend her!

She recently finished her Personal Training program and is just starting out with her business, called, "ACTIVE 8 Fitness"

Here are some snippets from her newsletter...

Introducing Active 8 Fitness

Active 8 Fitness provides customized fitness solutions that fit into your busy lifestyle.

Don’t belong to a gym? No Problem! Active 8 Fitness focuses on providing you with a program that you can do at home, on the road, or wherever you choose!

8 week Learn To Run Clinic
$75/person or $130/couple.
Runs Monday afternoons, 5:30pm, April 16 to June 4, 2007
Meet at the wharf at Gellatly Bay (bottom of Gellatly Rd.).
Pre-registration required: active8fitness@telus.net

Join us for Accelerate Workouts
workouts that challenge your cardio, agility, speed, and provide for a whole lot of laughter!
Wednesdays: 9:05—10:00AM
Thursdays: 10:05—11:00AM

Buy a 8 times punch card and pay only $65!
Meet at the field at Anders Park, on Anders Rd. in Lakeview Heights


Activate your lifestyle with 8 Personal Training Sessions!
Active 8 Fitness is pleased to offer you 8 personal training sessions for only $300! That’s a $100 savings!
Includes:
Benchmarking & Fitness Assessment
Personalized Exercise Program
8 one-on-one sessions
Review of Progress

Tired of your current routine? Try a 3 session package for only $125.

Stephanie has had a lifelong interest in fitness and health. She began competitively swimming at the age of 5 and still continues to enjoy the sport today. After graduating in 1996 from Simon Fraser University with Bachelors of Business Administration and a minor in Kinesiology, Stephanie moved to the Kelowna area. In addition to getting involved in the business community, Stephanie began competing in local running races and took up the sport of triathlon in 2002. Stephanie has been a leader and guest speaker for several learn-to-run clinics over the past 5 years and enjoys assisting others in achieving their goals. In 2003, Stephanie was honoured with the YM-YWCA’s Young Woman of Distinction Award for her achievements in fitness, her career and volunteerism. Keeping busy is what keeps Stephanie going. In 2005, Stephanie was the Westbank & District Chamber of Commerce president. That same year, Stephanie trained for and completed Ironman Canada, and a 100km run to raise funds for Partners in the Horn of Africa. Stephanie also participated in the World Masters Games in 2005 for swimming and took home a silver medal in the 400m Individual Medley. In 2006, Stephanie decided to combine her business knowledge and her passion for health and fitness to start a personal training business.

Questions or comments? E-mail us at active8fitness@telus.net.

Puppy Love

The boy's were doggy-sitting for Gen on Friday... do these pictures scream "this boy need a dog" or what?

Fresh Bread - It just keeps coming...

You know those good days where you get up a little earlier and start the day right? This is what I read this morning in the quiet of the house and it got me thinking that even though my day will be peppered with disappointments & frustrations, that even though the phone could ring any second and my world could be turned upside down, that it will certainly not be a perfect day, I'm going to choose to proceed focusing on this... This is what I read and wrote in my journal on this gorgeous morning...

"From the fullness of His Grace, we have all received one blessing after another". John 1:16

7:10am... Already I can count blessing after blessing I will receive today...
- A beautiful warm home to wake up in
- a beautiful warm man smiling beside me
- two giggling boys doing who-knows-what in the bathroom
- It's hotdog day at school today so I don't have to make lunch
- a big mug of tea with milk and honey... more in the kitchen
- my kids have their choice of breakfast foods---and can eat until they are full
- I'm sending my husband out the door in a reliable vehicle on his way to a great job.
- I hear birds outside, not gunfire
- from where I sit, I can see the front doors of several neighbors who would do anything for me.
- My kids will ride their (new) bikes a few safe blocks to an amazing school where they will learn & play & succeed, (plus, did I mention it's hotdog day?? :-)
- after they leave I will have the luxury of an hour and a half to have a hot shower, check my e-mail, putter, bake cookies...
- I am going to work late today, because I have a flexible job that lets me help out at the school when I want to (cooking 300 hotdogs..., I guess I do have to make lunch after all :-) but it's a fun way to help out)
- My family will sit down to pizza tonight, a treat from the "O's"
- After the kids are in bed Joel & I will snuggle up and watch "must see TV" together... there will be no yelling, no shoving, no insecurity.
- And I will end the day warm & comfortable, beside my biggest fan, thanking my God for Blessing after Blessing.

I hope you all have a fabulous Thursday, noticing your blessing after blessing!

Just a Typical Wednesday

Things I did today...

7:45 Sprayed my son's hair with silver hairspray for "Wacky Hair Day"

9:05 Met with Stephanie for my personal training session (luckily, she gave blood yesterday and was slowed down by the experience, so I had a great workout without ever feeling like I might just drop dead there in the field.)

10:15 Worked with Cheryl on our big suprise.... OOHHHH, Don't you just hate us?? Soon, little ones, soon.

12:50 Had my very first Orthodontist appointment! I'm pretty seriously considering getting braces... will decide soon. I'm excited and scared.

1:30 Bumped into my friend Alexis at Quality Greens and we headed over to Starbucks... funny I'd just been thinking about her as I drove to QG's because she, too, had braces as an adult.

4:00 Cleaned the master bathroom, wondering why Joel can never put his toiletries in the drawer or the metal bucket I have provided to hold such tubes & cans & containers.

4:54 Dinner is ready to go, round 3 of laundry has started, the boys are jumping on the neighbor's trampoline, and I am enjoying a cup of tea as I blog, procrastinating some paper work I need to do here at home. 35 minutes till Arrested Development... perfect laundry folding entertainment.

5:28... back from blogging interruption... 8-year old came home crying, frustrated with himself for "losing at everything" and "because his body is bigger than all his friends" so he can't "manuever as easily and swiftly" (seriously, those were his words)as the other kids lately. Had a good cuddle, a good "everyone has a bad week once in a while/you can't win at everything/your body is growing and sometimes it takes a while before your brain can manage it properly/you're the only 8-year old I know who can play electric guitar/it'll be better next week/would a coke make you feel better?" conversation. Never let it be said that a kid can't be cheered up with a coke. Now he's living like a king, eating triskets, sipping on a coke, watching "Fairly Odd Parents". Oh, to bounce back that quickly from my own frustrations with myself! YIKES! 5:34... A.D. & Laundry await!

Hip Hop that would make Tupac roll over in his grave.

So, last week we got the notice that we were invited to our elementary school to watch our grade 5'er and his "little buddies" (in grades 2/3) in a "hip hop performance" as part of their Phys. Ed. program.

I really don't know what to say.
They all gave it their full effort. They were cute. They had fun.
But it was like a scene from a Saturday Night Live skit. You know the old one with Will Ferrell & (I forget her name).. where they are the music teachers and try to be cool singing "hip" music. It was that, only with dancing children.

It's astounding, what passes for hip hop in the suburbs.

(note: I believe Tupac was a rapper, but I can't think of any dead hip hop artists at the moment... they probably share the same musical roots or something, anyway.)

LIfe Experiment

You know how there are spenders and there are savers?
We have, for our entire life together, been savers.
We've lived on one vehicle for the better part of 15 years to avoid a car payment.
We've done the "load up on coupon day at extra foods" to save the $45 a month.
We buy most of our clothes at costco.
blah, blah, blah, blah.

Then this fall & winter came and we
1) bought a car
2) finished our basement (which is an investment, but still a heafty purchase)
3) purchase a lot of techy/media stuff for that basement
4) bought a hottub (second hand, but hey, it's still a luxury item.)
5) went on a trip (which we mostly paid for last spring when we booked it, but again, big ticket & luxury)

So, inorder to reset our spending habits (i.e. remembering what it's like to say "no" to things)... I did a little wallet experiment for the month of March.
Every Sunday I took $100 cash out of the bank machine and I had to live on it for the entire week. That meant trying to use up all the food we had at home, saying no to almost everything that was non-essential (a dinner out with the girls and a little bit of scrapbooking paper here and there being the obvious exceptions).

I wasn't sure how it would work. I knew I had a lot of food to eat through at home and it would be mostly suplimental groceries (milk & produce) that I'd have to spend on. But what other little things would come up? Would I be able to do it for just 4 weeks??

Week 1: I had 27 cents left at the end. Seriously. That week the little extras were to pay for a kid's haircut and buy a birthday gift for B's buddy.

Week 2: Monday I splurged a lovely dinner out with friends. By Friday I needed to pick up some groceries but that bill took me $4 over so I had to take an advance on my money for week three. Also, I needed to fill up the van with gas, so decided that I would not include gas in my $100. Handy how I can adapt my experiment, isn't it?

Week 3: Was doing GREAT until Saturday came and we made the deadly mistake of going into Kelowna. We stumbled upon an amazing deal on a sectional for the basement that we couldn't pass up, added 6 dining room chairs to the order, got our 11-year old his birthday present (a very nice bike), a pair of shoes for each of the kids, and a beding for the guest room. Cha-ching.

Week 4: Ended up $5 over... darn that Basic Grey paper!


I know I couldn't live like this forever (our freezer & pantry only had so much in reserves), and there were a two dinners out and a couple of shopping errands that Joel paid for, but it was such a good perspective re-set to my spending & saving. Every time I went to purchase something I had to see what was left in my wallet. Every dollar mattered. I couldn't help but put myself in the shoes of a single mom who has to reach for the no-name prepared mustard instead of the "fancy" mustard that we like, because saving a dollar matters. Or saying no to the kids about grabbing Wendy's instead of eating at home. It was a good little experience for them too.

This was a very good excersize for me. I'd encourage anyone to try it. It's nice to be in a place where you can comfortably say YES to a lot of things, the problem is, it's so easy to forget what saying no feels like, and you just stop appreciating the huge priviledge of saying yes.

Other benefits:
- I can now defrost my freezer!
- Our Mastercard bill will be next to nothing! (Oh, yeah, except for the couch, chairs, bike...)
- Didn't have room in the budget for ice cream & chips!

Cheryl & I have a Surprise.

And it will be revealed soon.
In the meantime, feel free to guess.

(I know, I know, you paid for the whole seat but you're only using the edge.)

She Laughs.

How about this (apparently) actual letter to the big kahuna of Proctor & Gamble

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core(tm) or Dri-Weave(tm) absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favourite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from "Aunt Flo". Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behaviour. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps.

Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period." Are you freakingkidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong", or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for have I chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep...

Always.

Best,

Wendi Aarons

Austin, TX

Hullabaloo at The Store

Today, over the course of one hour, we had the following people walk through the doors of the store...

1) Tara, in tow with her was...
2) One Justin, husband of Tara, home on a last minute leave from Iraq -- so good to lay eyes on this nice guy, (who patiently hung around the store for an hour while the rest of the events unfolded.)

followed by...
3) Heather
4) Kelli and
5) One irresistable golden retriever, Kelli's "Linus". Did that dog smell good and it was the softest, sweetest thing ever.

and then in walked...
6) Audrey with
7) Cutie Carson and
8) One "ROXY"... Audrey's new baby girl boxer puppy...what a lot of character! Her eyes are so huge and boxer-esc... she looked like those greeting cards with the distorted, over sized eyes... extremely cute!

and then in walked
9) Yolanda
10) Abigail
11) Lily

OH! And I forgot to mention that Andrea & her crew plus Tamara & Jaxson were already in the store with Me, Cheryl & Gina. And Min arrived before the gathering was over.

2 puppies, 7 kids, 1 poor guy, about a dozen women... it was loud in there.

You take those 20 friends, and add a couple of customers... it was quite a gathering!

Sure made for a fast day at the office! Good to see you all!

If I'd have known you were coming I'd have baked a cake, for goodness sake!

p.s. Harley waited in the car the whole time. So technically, 3 dogs on site.

Witnesses at the Scene Say...

"The other team was hiding in the back yard, and they wouldn't open the gate, so we were trying to get in, and then Matthew put his helmet on and ran into it to try to get it open, and we told Matthew he shouldn't do that, but he did it anyway..."

Mother of one witness has a feeling the conversation went more like this...
"We've got to get that gate open. I know! Matthew--you have your helmet on--try running into it head first!"

Ah well... one day when they're older they'll reminisce about the time Matthew ran through the K's gate head first with a helmet on.

How Stella got her Geek back

If you're ever wondering what a wild and crazy party at our house is like, this is it.

14 people, three game boards, plenty of food & drinks, a great mix of friends, one cute baby, four little boys locked in the basement with video games & chips, one couple in matching t-shirts that had "Catan, Ya feel it?" printed on the back, 7 prizes, some good healthy competition, little bit of strategy & a lot of luck, 5 hours and plenty of laughs.

We like to do this a couple of times a year, have a big tournament with this game we are all a little addicted to, Settlers of Catan. It's a fun game and at the tournament you get to play with almost everyone throughout the evening. Last time it was a 3-way tie for 1st place between Me, Julie & Mindy.
The guys all talk big but they didn't perform.
This time, there was but one winner.

So, if you're ever at a party with the cool kids and are wondering what the nerds are doing, this is it. If you like board games, this is a great way to get your geek on.

And, to my "Settlin'" friends, if you're ready for a rematch...
BRING IT, NERDS!

Your sincerely,
the Queen of Catan

They're Dangerously Delicious

Here's a recipe from my friend Patti...
I'd never made gingersnaps before... they were so easy and SOOOO good... too good... they're almost gone.

GINGERSNAP CRINKLES

With an electric mixer, cream together...
3/4 c margarine
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c molasses
1 egg

Combine the following then add to above...
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp EACH of cloves, cinnamon, ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 c flour

Chill dough overnight or for a few hours.
Shape into balls & roll in sugar.
Place on pan, (don't press down)
Bake @ 350' for about 10-12 minutes (a little longer in my oven)

She said she usually doubles the recipe... I will next time!! It make over 2 dozen but 4 dozen would have been waaaayyy better!

Street Hockey Violence - A Photographic Essay

It all started with a friendly little game of Joel vs. every kid on the street.
That led to a friendly little check from Brodie to Daddy.
Which led to this.

Moral of the story: You can't always be mad when your husband isn't cleaning the basement like he's supposed to be doing.

Also, sometimes it's a good idea to stop what you're doing, grab your camera, and sneak outside.

Things I have Accidentally Stolen

January 2002 - Expedia never did charge me for a hotel I booked & stayed at in Puerto Rico

September 2006 - IKEA only charged me for one of the two woven mats I took through the cashier... they were rolled up together and I didn't notice.

Today - I was at Office Depot and they had SUCH A GOOD DEAL on those 12 x 12 plastic envelope file things for keeping your scrapbooking stuff... a package of 5 envelopes for $2.50!!! I went to open them up and now see that there is a sticker on the back of the package that reads "REMOVE WRAP BEFORE PLACING ON STORE SHELF"... I think they were supposed to be sold individually, but whoever stocked the shelves failed to remove the packaging.

Question: Will I drive back to Office Depot & return them... hmmmm probably not.
Fact: I know several of you are thinking "Can I get to Office Depot first thing tomorrow?"

Enjoy your moral dilemna.

TODAY...

TODAY...
This was a layout challenge for the store, creating a layout answering the following questions the day you read them... I've never done any "cutting out" but it was kind of a fun way to cover up the deadspace in the photo and not lose the gorgeous detail of this BOHEMIA paper... oh my goodness do I love that paper line.

Currently In My CD Player: The FRAY, John Mayer, Dave Mathews

Last Movies Watched: OPEN SEASON (funny, animated, great use of potty humour)Half Nelson (great movie about a sad story) Little Miss Sunshine (Loved it!)

What I’m Wearing: my “after hours uniform” Brown & teal Drawstring pajama pants, white ankle socks, brown tank top & brown hoodie

Favorite TV Shows: Studio 60, 30 Rock, The Office,

Last Time At a Restaurant & What I Ordered: Hectors’ Casa, Chicken & Beef Chimichanga

Books I’m Reading: Turning Angel, by Greg Isle The Book of James, by James from the bible

My Favorite Indulgence: Grande, non-fat, no-water, tazo chai, extra-hot, Soft Pitas from the greek house and their tzaziki

Latest Thing{s} That Made Me Happy: Sitting in the hot tub with any or all of my three boys

Latest Thing That Made Me Not-So-Happy: Relationships gone wrong, whether I’m in them or near them.

What I Am Looking Forward To Most This year: Figuring out if/where our family will go on our big adventure

self portraits

needed a picture of myself for a layout... I liked this one because it's a pretty decent shot when it's cropped but when it's not you can see that it's laundry day :-)

I wonder what the fish were thinking...

... when they saw this guy (with those teeth) snorkeling towards them.

Big Love

So, I had a Friday night to myself and wasn't feeling super great so I thought I'd just pick up a chick-flick and hope to heck I could figure out how to turn on our new TV. (I had yet to successfully do that without the assistance of my 10-year-old.)

I walk into blockbuster and what do I see???? BIG LOVE SEASON 1!!
There were only 2 episodes on it, but I'm quite intrigued and am thankful Joel is going to be out of town for a week (more on that later) so I'll be able to watch it without a whole lot of eye-rolling from my own Big Love. (He doesn't always get me and my choice of entertainment... then again you'll never catch me spending hours in front of the TV watching tennis.)

Speaking of my Big Loves... here are a couple more pics from our trip... I'll stick to the Disney/Knottsberry Farm leg today.

And, on another note, I've found a new binge. It's not good.
I have been craving Cannelloni for about a week, intended to make some, couldn't find the pasta at Extra foods so I bought a package from M & M meats. Then I stopped at Valarosa foods yesterday and what a neat store! They have every kind of pasta you can imagine, a deli, loads of canned goods, all kinds of interesting imported food and some frozen foods as well, including, you guessed it, CANNELLONI!

I poured a little rose sauce over it and baked up a couple for myself to enjoy in front of BIG LOVE and was it AMAZING!!!! I got the cheese one... but I also bought the pasta tubes to try to make a chicken/spinach/cheese batch. Anyway, there you go if you're on a special dinner idea hunt!

where to begin...

I have been wanting to post some pics from our trip but I just now FINALLY loaded all 677 onto our computer and went through deleting the really bad ones. I'm not sure about this camera... I got some nice clear daytime/outdoor shots, but the indoor ones are iffy and we could not figure out how to get a good night shot. I know we need to play with it more, but now that I'm looking at them on a screen bigger than the LCD, I'm not sure I'm as happy with the camera as I thought I was... hmmmm...

anyway, here are some bad pics, but they are of the surprise when we got to Mexico and the boys discovered that their cousins were at the restaurant! Despite the quality of the photo, you can still get a feel for the moment...

I'll post a couple more later.. I need to step away from this machine for a while!

Just 6, right?

I guess it's my turn to answer the "6 weird things about you" tag...

1. I can't touch foam. Styrofoam is ok, it's the kind of foam that condenses that I can't touch. It makes me nauseous.

2. I am FASCINATED with anything that has to do with the Polygamist culture. If there's a movie or a documentary or a Dateline episode on it, I have to watch it. I am trying to figure out how I can get a copy of "BIG LOVE", the tv series on HBO??

3. I generally am not intersted in learning how do to new things. Especially if it's anything to do with technology.

4. I have a half of a Cultural Anthropology degree.

5. I think Jeff Goldblum is hot.

6. I have a very hard time falling asleep without the sweet sound of David Letterman's voice in the background.

So, there you go!

Back to Reality!

We're BAAAaack!

14 days of relaxation, fun, sun, friends & family... it was a great trip.

The surpises went off without a hitch! The kids were THRILLED of course, and very appreciative, which was nice!

I had to buy a new camera the day before we left because I noticed that the "hinge" holding our battery into our camera was kind of dangling... so we had to make a quick decision on a camera we were hoping to wait to buy for another 6 months. I didn't like making an important decision like that with no time to really research, but I think we're happy with what we got (Olympus something I can't remember right now) and I bought it from Costco so that we could return it without any hassle, just incase. I still haven't loaded up the software for it, so for now, here are just 2 pics from the Kelowna airport... taken on our old camera while we used the video on the new one.

Our first leg in LA was great, although the weather was cool. California Adventure and Disneyland were the first 2 days... the guys broke their record on the California Screamer rollercoaster and rode it 17 times! We stayed at the Park vue Inn, which is right across the street from the main entrance (a lot of hotels tell you they are "across the street" from Disney, but this was LITERALLY right there.)

Then we did Knottsberry Farm, which the kids LOVED... they have become real rollercoaster freaks. I am good for about half a day with some Dramamine in me, and then my brain starts to hurt. I enjoyed playing with my camera and trying to get good rollercoaster shots... quite a challenge, but fun!

Saturday we headed back to LAX to "go home"... when I got the kids to look at the itinerary with me we read leaving LAX at 8:30, arriving in Cancun at 4:00... I said, "cancun... where's Cancun??" and Adam got these big eyes and said, "I think it's in MExico!!!!" So there was surprise #2, which they were pretty pumped about.

When we arrived in Cancun and made the 1 hour drive to "Puerto Aventuras" to find our Condo and cousins (still a surprise to the boys) we could not find the place and had a huge fiasco because I didn't have anything written down. I knew the name of the resort and the unit number, but when we got there we looked through the window beside the front door, there was clearly the wrong family inside! I did not know what we were going to do becasue we had no phone number, no information, no nothing. We decided to find an internet cafe to look up the condo info again on the rental website and see if i had the totally wrong info in my head. Thankfully, as I was looking for the cafe, I happen to see Joel's twin brother and the rest of the crew eating dinner at a restaurant! WHEW!! (It ended up we did have the right unit, but the window right beside the door belongs to the unit next door.)
So, I walked back to the car and said, "You know what, let's just eat here and then we'll figure it all out afterwards"... so they had a delightful reunion with their cousins and the 12 of us had a great week together! The weather was gorgeous, we did one outing to XCARET, which was really fun, and the rest of the time we hung out, they guys did a ton of snorkeling, and we enjoyed many a blender drink! The condo was huge and perfect for us to share. We were also there with another of Joel's cousins and his family, who we're also good friends with and their little guy. They found out the day before they left that they are expecting a surprise second child, so they spent most of the week sitting on the beach with a stunned look on their faces. (You know, gave up on having a second kid, got rid of all their stuff, moved on with their lives, and now are getting used to this new turn in the road!)

On our way back from Mexico we had 2 more days in LA... the guys went to 6 Flags for a day while I shopped and relaxed on my own and then we did Universal Studios on Monday and had a great time. We ended our trip with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe on monday and after an early start to the day, we were home by 3pm yesterday. Now we have Bella in tow (Cheryl's sweet dog) so the kids are delightfully preoccupied with Bella-sitting for the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, I had to pick Brodie up from school at 11am... he's got a bad headache and sick to his stomach. Apparently he told his teacher it was "from all that recycled air on the plane". They also have a pro-day on Friday, so if he's sick tomorrow he'll have missed 3 weeks of school. I guess you can still get away with that in grade 3!

Looking forward to catching up with you all...
I see I've been tagged to do a "6 weird things about you"... I'll get to it soon... first need to narrow the list down to 6... it's a looooonnnnggggg list. It would be funny to get your spouse to do that list for you!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS!
LOVE,
dawn

The Con is On

48 hours from now we will be boarding the plane! My kids think we're taking my parents to the airport for their trip to Mexico. Their Uncle Mark & Auntie Cara will be there too, of course, to send off Grandma & Grandpa. The plan is that my mom will get the kids to look at her ticket with her to figure out where to check-in. She'll point out that their names aren't even on the tickets... it says Dawn, Joel, Adam & Brodie. I've attached this note to the ticket for her to flip to.
Oh, can't wait. This is the best.

Joel & I will be on AV duty capturing the moment.
48 more hours of keeping up the lie.

(Hopefully I won't be in as much trouble as Cheryl is --for telling her kids that the King & Queen of Kelowna live a few blocks away from them-- for my dishonesty!)

Andrea Wanna-be

Many of you know Andrea, our friend and fellow(is there a female word for "fellow"?? Fran?? You work in the library, you know this kind of thing... if not we should make one... but we'll save that for another time), scrapbooker.

She is an amazing person, honest, funny, real, sweet, and even though busy homeschooling 3 great kids, she is fiercely committed to putting her heart down on paper, almost every day. I so respect that in her, and am inspired by her.

So, today was the day I decided to experiment with what I think of as "worship on paper". I took a verse that has been stirring in my soul lately from Hebrews and added one from Ephesians that the boys and I were reading together over cereal this morning. I don't think that what I ended up with is that great looking, but the experience of putting those words down on paper, honoring the truth behind them with time and care and creativity, that process was really fun and meaningful for me. I hope I can make a bit of a habit of that.

Thank you Andrea, for sharing your heart through your art journal. I love that heart. And I do believe that when the Great Designer looks on your pages, He feels celebrated and honored and proud of what and how you have expressed yourself. Thanks for inspiring me to express my heart too.

Retraction

Fact: BCAA's tickets are NOT infact as amazing of a deal as I was lead to believe. I was apparently mis-quoted over the phone.

Question: Don't you just hate it when you think you found an amazing deal but it turned out to be "too good to be true"?

c'est la vie!

Still waiting to see if my e-bay plan will come through... a much greater savings... boy, I sound cheap!

Happy Feet

Just got home from treating myself to a pedicure so that my toes are "beachy" for next week. If you're looking for a really good place on the Westside, with decent prices, check out "De Terre Studios". Colette Seward is the owner and has a very nice, very professional studio in her home. I've had nothing but great experiences with Colette and highly recommend her. Her number is 768-0515 and her e-mail is deterre@simalex.com.

With "5 sleeps" to go, the kids are still completely in the dark, (or very good at playing dumb). I am bidding on Disney passes on Ebay, auction ending tomorrow, and if I don't win them, BCAA has exceptional prices on disney passes. Basically, we can get 3-day parkhopper passes from BCAA for our family for $100 LESS than 2-day hopper passes would be at the gate. We weren't going to buy 3-day passes, but since we fly in at 2pm, we would have a couple of hours in the evening so if it's a better deal to get 3-day we might as well, right?

Went bathingsuit shopping yesterday... uuggghh. I think I'll just stick with what I have. Maybe I'll have a little time in LA to shop before we go to Mexico. I did luck out and find a great pair of O'Neil board shorts at winners for $26 and another pair of cool khaki-green, flat front, cargo-ish, not-too-short walking shorts there for $16. I really only had 1 other pair of board shorts and one denim pair. How I got through this summer with 2 pairs of short I don't know.

Must check the California weather... hopefully it's warming up there.

Sorry I'm a little one-track-minded these days!
I hear boys coming through the front door... must go attend to my charade of "nothing exciting going on"... driving me nuts because I want to get excited with them so badly!

Super Hero Sighting in Westbank

I couldn't help but stare just a little.
You just don't see this kind of thing every day.
She walked through the door of Quality Greens just like any ordinary Jane. Purse over her shoulder, her blonde hair in a clean bob, her make-up perfectly appropriate for her 50-something face. If it wasn't for one thing, one dead give-away, I never would have suspected her true status.

It was the bright blue spandex tights.

Now, don't be confused, these were not spandex yoga style pants. These were tights. I immediately knew where I'd seen them before. It was in the late 80's and there was a chain of women's gyms... help me out if you know, but i think they were called "Lady Fit" or something like that--- "SPA LADY"!! I think that was it. Anyway, the staff there wore the same tights. Sometimes with a suspendered pair of ?panties? over top.

QUESTION: How do I know she was a superhero?

FACT: Only a superhero would have the courage and bravery to wear such tights post 1992.

Needless to say, I stood in awe.

Mowhawk or FROZHAWK?

This is the kind of fun you can have with your child when it's dreadfully cold outside but you're in the hot tub.

No need for expensive styling products... his hair was frozen.

A Good Weekend

I had to proudly post the project I just made at Andrea's class...
This is something I would never attempt on my own as I am a lazy scrabooker and this project uses more "fussy" elements, but I always admire Andrea's stuff (and Andrea herself, of course) so I was SO happy I took this class! I learned some new techniques, made a great gift to give to someone next Christmas, and got that JUMP START I've been needing to get to work again! I'd love to make more of these notebooks!

I just finished washing the Kitchen floor (Cinderella style -- it needed a good "hands & knees & scrub-brushing") which was the last thing on my kitchen deep clean list. I'm working my way through the house kinda one room at a time doing a deep clean/de-clutter/re-organize of the whole joint. This was week three (the kitchen) and it feel soooo good! I've got a nice pile for big brothers when I'm done the whole house (2 more weeks!) Next week is this office, which has become the dumping ground for everything during the basement reno. Now that the shelves are up in the storage room I can start putting things back where they belong again.

If you're ever looking for a good strategy for keeping ontop of the housework, check out this website: http://flylady.com/
I've followed it or elements of it for a few years and I'm a big believer in a lot of her approaches. As with everything along these lines, try it out, take what works for you, throw out the rest!

Tonight we're off to friends' for dinner. They are amazing cooks and I think we're having salmon... yuuummm! Last night we went to Zia's stonehouse in Summerland with Jason & Cheryl... the guys shared the Seafood Platter (Or the "Lover's Platter of Seafood" as I like to call it)... all our food was generous & excellent and we followed that up with a DQ Blizzard (because we were all so hungry)and a viewing of "Talledega Nights"... a deep and contemplative film.

4 MORE WEEKS OF SLEEPS!!

Four weeks from today we leave on our vacation!
We booked it in May and our kids have NO CLUE!

They think we are taking my parents to the airport, but when we get there they will realize it is their suitcases in the back.

We had enough airmiles to get all 4 of us to LA, where we will spend 2 days at Disney/California Adventure and the third at Knotts Berry Farm.

Then we will head back to the airport, where they will think we are gettin on a plane to come home. WRONG!

We are then flying to Cancun! Once we make the 1 hour drive to "Puerto Aventuras"... we will check into our resort and SURPRISE! their cousins will be there! We have one week together there in an awesome condo with two master bedrooms and a third bedroom full of bunkbeds for the kids to sleep. On our way back we have 2 full days in LA so we'll shop and do the Universal Studios thing.

I AM GETTING SO EXCITED!!!
I can't believe we haven't blown the secret yet, though there have been a few close calls. Even our neice and nephews know all about it and didn't give it away all summer or last week when we were together with them in Spokane.

My 4-year-old niece said to Patti, "Adam & Brodie still don't know about Mexico, right?"
Right.
"Do their grown-ups know?"

Things I've learned (and been reminded of) in 2006

In no particular order...

1) The freedom of admitting I don't know everything & am not always right
2) The joy of a job that is the "right fit"
3) My kids are pretty darn amazing
4) I married an outstanding man and if I had it all to do over again I'd still choose him.
5) When people you love screw up, and I mean REALLY screw up -- like to the point where no one would blame you for walking away, love them "irregardless", to whatever extent you can. There is a difference between approving of someone's behavior and extending love, grace & care.
6) For the most part, I am not interested in learning new skill sets
7) That I have social, relational & emotional limits
8) To reserve judgement
9) To consider another point of view
10) Self Discipline matters in all areas of life
11) The importance of honesty

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS... May 2007 be an ADVENTURE OF LOVE for all!