Available in Fine Stores Soon...

Recorder Hero 1.

We whiped up a little gag gift for my brother this year... it came in an enormous box with about 30 feet of various electrical/computer/phone/mouse cords, a used recorder and a VHS tape... featuring several favorites for recorder star wanna-be's to rock out to... the last pictures are of the tape case cover...

A Perfect Christmas Eve..

Merry Christmas fellow bloggers and blog readers!!

I hope you all had a great Christmas Eve and are enjoying your day today!

I love that it's 12:35pm and I'm still in my pajamas, with no intention of changing for at least a couple more hours!

Our Christmas Eve traditions stayed strong this year, with an after church appy party with Chris & Julie and their three little ones, my mom and dad, and Mark & Cara (who were able to join us last minute as their usual trip to Salmon Arm was postponed.)

We'd been telling the kids that they were getting a stick and a duct tape ball for Christmas. We let them open their gift last night, which was indeed, a stick and a ball of tape, hockey tape. Joel put that under the tree with a note, "I know you're disappointed because you were hoping for a duct tape ball but you only got a hockey tape ball...." and left a clue for them to find their real present, which was Guitar Hero 1,2, & 3 and two guitars. (What's Guitar Hero? A video game where you play along with the notes on the screen and you can battle each other... great music... loads of fun. Consider yourself in the know.)

So last night was one big guitar battle, lasting until almost 1 am. My favorite moment was sitting at the back of the room, the Loeppky's battling it out (Julie, at 7 1/2 months pregnant, is the queen of guitar hero)... mean while Adam was playing along on his real guitar in the corner, because he happens to know "Hit me with your Best Shot", and then, out of no where, Brodie & Mark chime in with 2 RECORDERS!!!

Background: Mark & Cara went on a seniors bus tour with their good friends because the thought it would be funny. They were each responsible for finding something to amuse the group on the trip. Mark & his friend decided on recorders, and the evening ended with an inebriated "recorder off"... and the legend of the Recorder was born. Recorders are now all the rage, get yours while you can. See MYSISTERCARA'S blog entry for the full story and photos.

Anyway, needless to say, Guitar Hero is a hit with everyone and all I have seen all day are the backs of my family. We're definately going to get "Rock Band" which is a similar game, but with a drum kit, guitar, bass and a microphone.



This has been my view of my guys all day...








On the food front, (because no Christmas Eve is complete without lots to nibble on...) I had the need to satisfy a crab cake craving, and tried this recipe... it's a keeper and VERY easy... the trick is finding the right crab. I found "lump crab" in a can at Extra foods, but my mom heard that Costco has it to, so I'll try that next time. Here it is, from allrecipes.com


INGREDIENTS
4 pounds crabmeat
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 cup saltine crackers, crushed
1 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
3 ounces fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1 3/4 cups vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, combine crabmeat, 1 egg, lemon zest, Old Bay Seasoning, chopped basil, crushed crackers and mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly.
Form 5 ounce patties out of the crab mixture (should make about 16 patties), and chill until cold before cooking.
In a skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Saute the crab cakes for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
For the sauce, in a blender place the egg yolks, Old Bay Seasoning, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend for 10 seconds. Keeping the blender running, slowly drizzle the oil into the blender. Blend until sauce is creamy.

I didn't make the sauce, but I served it with a chipotle dipping sauce from President's Choice which was yummy! Oh, and I put cilantro instead of basil in. And I dont' know what Old Bay seasoning is, so I put some green onion dip mix from Epicure, and garlic, salt & pepper. If you form the balls and leave them in the fridge until they are ready to be cooked, they hold together a little better. Let them start to cook on the bottom, then flatten them to a patty.


MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What One Should Not Do, Part Three.

Homemade Christmas Cards. Gesture from the heart or money pit?

It wasn't that I spent a fortune these some simple, handmade Christmas cards. I made about 2 dozen of them and was impressed with myself for actually getting them TO the post office before Christmas. For some reason I never get around to that part of the holiday festivities.

The problem arose when the little lady at the post office thought my envelopes looked a bit thick, and tried to fit them through the slot, and failed. So, now that my envelopes were "oversized", I had the pleasure of paying almost $4 each for my internationals (thankfully, there were only 3), and over $2 for each Canadian and US recipient. Lesson learned--don't use thick brads and have 9 layers of paper in your envelopes.

Also, I do suspect scrapbook/paper craft stores and Canada post are in Kahoots.

So now I'm looking at the dozen more half finished cards on my table... I think maybe there might be some local people getting christmas cards after all this year!

What One Should Not Do, Part deux.

A few posts back I was celebrating my 2008 Organizer book, and talking about my full class. Well, I managed to squeeze 3 more people in, bringing the class to 11 women. Tonight was the big night. And, it was a gong show.

Earlier in the evening, Denise had used a phrase along the lines of "so organized I'm disorganized"...I think that is an appropriae description of me tonight. I had everything prepped well in advance... so far in advance it wasn't fresh in my head. Well, that and just some general stupidity.


I think it all started when the afternoon was insane, complete with "Cranky Pants" who insisted she was sold the wrong refill pages becasuse they didn't come with cardstock... then as I was trying to print of the instructions I'd e-mailed to the store, I could not open them on any of our beloved computers. Thankfully, Kelly showed up extra early and I was able to send her to my house to pick up my laptop.

All 11 people arrived and we promptly started at 6:30. It was all going smoothly until I realized I'd made a mistake on the printed calendar, which was very fixable, but just totally threw me off (and a bad word left my lips) and from there it was a downward spiral, including the "brilliant hole punch stencil" that I'd created weeks ago to save people time & measuring, but decided to finish at the store with the better hole punch, that never did get the holes actually punched... sweet April catching me at least twice with, "shouldn't we be...." before I led the class further astray, plus both bind-it-all machines (the store's and my own) became completely consitpated with punched-bits. LESSON HERE: REMEMBER TO EMPTY OUT THE TRAP REGULARLY!!! and Heather and I had to dig the crap out before she could do her book....

Plus I forgot the notepads at home, and no one at my house was picking up the phone. They are the last thing to go in after the book is bound, so not the end of the world, but I was soooo mad at myself, (and Joel for being in the hot tub with the kids when I needed him to save the day!)

I have little "thanks for your patience" gifts to go with the notebooks I'll be dropping off for everyone in the next day or so. (Take a class from me! I might kind of screw it up enough that you'll get free stuff!)

So I ended the evening running back and forth from the cash desk where people were finishing their shopping, the front door to unlock and let people who were done leave, all while I was still giving the bind-it-alls a colonoscopy and helping people finish. It was a little nutty.


So, now I will just lie here all night, replaying the whole fiasco, thankful for a very very friendly, patient, flexible, fun group of girls in my class, re-thinking how I would do it again, wonder what I was thinking taking on 11 people the first time I attempt this, and most of all the irony of "personal organizer" class that was so disorganized!

So for all of you instructors out there who have had a class that was not quite a smooth as planned, I feel your pain!

For all of you who have been in a class with a few glitches, be patient with the instructors, they really do mean well!

As for me, well, I think I'll count this as professional development... I learned a LOT tonight!

A Month from Yesterday!

I'm feeling unusually Christmassy already! Tree's up, shopping is half done, and last night we got to enjoy one of our favorite traditions. Our church puts on a very nice dinner for the patrons of the Westbank Food Bank each year. Every adult/couple receives a gift bag with a few Christmas luxuries (nice quality chocolates/tea/coffe/christmas napkins/ornament and a gift certificate.) For the last few years our group has taken on the job of shopping for and packing up these little bags... so after a delicious Greek dinner last night, we packed like little elves and this was our result! 60 bags for adults and another 60 little bags for each child.

On the food front, my friend Roberta was planning her Christmas menu and asked for this recipe... I always make it at Christmas time and usually if we've got overnight company... but I don't think I've made it since last Christmas. I'm so glad she reminded me of it... I can't wait to make it again this season. Don't even try to estimate the weight watchers points--- just close your eyes and enjoy the taste sensation.


OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST

Day old French bread in 1 inch slices (I think I usually make mine a little thicker---same amount of bread, less surface space so you can fit a whole loaf in one giant pan-DK)5-7 eggs
3/4 cup milk
brown sugar
1/4 lb melted butter
cinnamon

"Spray 9 x 13 pan with Pam (I use a larger lasagna pan-DK) Sprinkle brown sugar on bottom of the pan. It should be 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with sinamon--I use a lot. Pour melted butter over this mixture. In separate bowl, beat eggs and milk. Dip bread in. Allow bread to absorb egg mixture (I count to 20 each side). Place in pan. l Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 375'. Turn bread pieces over (very important). Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown."

My OCD on paper...

I made this little piece in my nerdy-organizationy-creativity-frenzy lasst week. I'm doing it as a class in early December and it's full already!

I'll have to see if there is enough paper at the store to run another class or if I need to re-work it with new paper. It will come with a CD that will have all the masters for people to print their own weekly planning refills... and it will have an assortment of little tags so people can really personalize it... it was so fund to make and will be a fun class to teach.

And now if I could only get some Christmas cards made... which means I need to get a family (or at least the kids') picture taken... which means Adam needs a haircut... which means....

And that my friends, is the vicious, Christmas Card circle that I find myself in each and every year.

A Luscious Invitation for you!

lusciousbags.com

I'm inviting all my blog readers, know and unknown to come by my house next Tuesday evening for a Luscious Bags Party!

I was at one last week... super great purses, jewellery, luggage, sunglasses & more! Unlike other home parties, there are no catalogues, no ordering and NO WAITING! I walked in on a veritable frenzy of shopping at Michelle's house last week, so come early for best selection!

Absolutely no pressure to buy, just come and sip, nibble, visit... and if you see something for yourself or for someone on your Christmas list (great stuff teen pre-teen & teen girls would love too) you might just walk away with a little shopping done too!

I hope you can all come... if you need my address, just let me know and I'll get that to you!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 7-9pm at Dawn's House

Treasure Hunt

So, in my gathering and cleaning out of assorted purses, this is what I found...

2 toothbrushes
10 pens
1 highlighter
1 sunglasses
1 spare key (to what? dunno.)
4 partial gum packages
5 hand sanitizers (I know, ONLY 5, Dawn? I'm slipping.)
3 hand lotions
7 cough drops (wrapped)
4 imodium tablets
a handfull of tylenol
7 tampons
3 lip glosses
1 CD with photos
1 mirror
1 hair clip
8 individually packages sanitizing wipes.
2 tea bags (packaged)
1 package crystal lite water flavorer
5 sweetener packs
1 small paycheck
1 starbucks gift card
1 water bottle
2 bags of roasted almonds
1 cell phone
1 wallet
1 measuring tape
$6.47 in change.
1 clorox wipe, (which I've been saving for when I really need to use a really disgusting public bathroom.)
I Dare you to take 10 minutes tomorrow and see what you can find in you purses!

Not to be outdone by my parents...

who now have their own blog, I must update this sucker!!

Please enjoy this list of all the fascinating blog entries I have intended to blog about this last month... I will actually make a decent attempt at each of them... eventually.

1) MY CRUISE WITH MARCIE!
Oct 15-19th, my girlfriend Marcie, (a.k.a. Cupcake) and I hit the open seas on a a 4 night cruise on the Celebrity Mercury, out of Seattle, stopping in Victoria & Nanaimo. We LOVED it... I have a few pictures to post too.

2) HALLOWEEN
Ugly Betty attends the Overton's annual Halloween bash with her date, Napolean Dynamite. What made the evening even better was seeing my brother & his wife there as Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife Beth. Cara was Dog, Mark was Beth. When your brother is prettier than you are, it's makes for some interesting self evaluation.

3) PURSE PATROL
So, I know this doesn't sound very exciting, but one day about a month ago I gathered all my purses and cleaned them all out and found quite a lot of good stuff... I have an extensive list I was going to post. I encourage you to do the same... I came ahead about $50!!

4) I GOT CLASS
Er, I taught a class... tonight actually... it was a Christmas organizer book and it was fun and the class went pretty well... I have a picture.

5) I'M TAKING JOEL TO MARGUARITAVILLE!
Yep, I booked our 15th anniversary trip last week... a 7 night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale... going to St. Thomas, Grand Turk, Tortola & Bahamas... 9 weeks, 2 days to go.

6) STUPID COMPUTER
My laptop is in the shop for 2-3 weeks, so I'm just using Joel's in the evening when Joel gets home from work with his. I do miss it, yet I'm getting a LOT done without it! I forget how the time can fly when I'm plugged in!

7) LIFE SIMPLIFIED
Is going GREAT! November is almost as full as we can be and we're really enjoying it! We've met a really nice gal (HI Erinne!) who has let us help her with her whole house, which has been an awesome experience for us. We're learning a lot and looking forward to the other clients we have scheduled to help out this month.

8) I'M DONE WITH...
You know when you say to a friend, "we've got to get together for coffee..." and it never happens? About 7 years ago I decided that I wasn't going to say those words unless I was making an actual date with that person then and there. I hated hearing myself say it an not following up. So, I stopped saying it and started making dates with my freinds/our friends... even if it couldn't be for 3 weeks, or 6 weeks, I made a date, wrote it in the calendar, and it happened. And then a year or two ago, I got lazy, and the old ways crept back in. Well, I'm here to say, I"m done with that. If you say "we've got to get together, you better mean it, because I"m going to write you down in my calendar, and calendar is king.


OK, there's probably more... but at least you all know I'm still here!

If I haven't seen you or spoken to you in a while, I miss you and hope I see you soon... I mean it.

Running for a Mom I Don't Know Half Way Across the World

In a little while, somewhere in Ethiopia, a mother, just like me, will receive a gift. She's a hard worker, she's ambitious, she's got an idea, she's going for it. She's starting a business so that she can provide for her family. It will be simple to start with, but it will be a beginning. She will have a little bit of support from an agency in her community, but the key to turning her idea into a paycheck will be in recieving a small business loan from a bunch of Canadians who are cheering her on from the other side of the world.

Check out this awesome organization... I think it's such a great idea on so many fronts! Today my friends Patti, Stephanie & I were part of a 100km relay run from Westbank to Enderby, raising money for this awesome cause. It's the third year for this event and I believe that last year they raised $35,000. The first year, there were only two runners, one of whom was Stephanie, and they both ran the WHOLE 100km in one day!! Patti & I took on 5KM, got to ride in the RV for a leg before ours, and met some really great people along the way. Next year we will definately do this again! And I will be asking for your money:-) 100% of it goes to the women.

Take a minute to follow the link on the right and check out the PARTNERS IN THE HORN OF AFRICA website. Imagine what it would mean for a woman/mom, just like you, in a situation very unlike yours, to be given the opportunity to provide for her family and start her own business, with the help of some enthusiastic strangers across the globe!

What One Should Not Do: Part 1

re: running 10K races.

When one is preparing herself for a 10K race, One should not neglect such a fact the day before said race.

The day before said race, one should not indulge in 2 cinnamon buns, 1 piece of banana bread and a brownie, plus several chai teas and pink m&m's.

Most importantly, one should not drink zero water in preparation.

The consequences of such thoughtlessness and neglect are endless, and most tragically will include slowing down her entire running team with her cramping and dizziness.

real life example:
There once was a girl who went to an all day scrapbooking event the day before her 3rd 10K race. She sat there eating the most amazing cinnamon buns, banana bread and brownies all day and did not drink a drop of water.
The next day that girl got up at 6am, met her 4 running partners, and started running. At the half way mark, that girl had to take a walking break. And then about 4 more. Her very gracious and accomodating running partners were very encouraging. They are the heros of this story. For the final hundred meters the team joined hands to run across the finish line together. To the onlookers, it may have looked like a gesture of team unity and solidarity, but infact, this joining of hands was necessary as the ill-prepared girl required physical dragging across the finish line.

To Cathy, Patti, & Bobbi--- love you girls! thanks for keeping me going.

Our time 1:02:17.
Not too shabby, all baked goods considered.

Current Events

My good intentions of keeping my Blog updated have not come through this month... just too busy?? Here's an update on various fronts:

BOYZOS:
School is going great for both the kids... they have amazing teachers and are really excited about it and happy to be back into that routine! They are amazing guys... quirks and all. They also have started swimming, guitar and "just for fun hockey"... we've never done 3 activities at once... it's usually in the zero-two range! But they're in everything together so we don't have to be driving all over town all the time. Big guy is good too :-)

WORK:
I'm working one day or two half days at Memories & More at the moment... I had a 2 day job helping out at the launch of COPPER SKY (a condo development here in Westbank)... that was last weekend and I really had a great experience. I'm hoping I can get something part-time with one of the projects going up around here. I have one very good possibility but it's taking a while to get that firmed up, so I need to keep my eyes open. On the LIFE SIMPLIFIED front, Cheryl & I had the pleasure of organizing a home office last week. It was very fun for us and I think our client was happy (except for the piles of paper she herself needed to sort through... that's not very fun for anyone!)

RUNNIG:
Just back from the RUN FOR THE CURE! Our group of 8 did a great job and finished the 5K run effortlessly! I was a little worried because it hasn't worked out for me to run much the last 2 weeks. What I was especially concerned about is actually next week's event... the 10K race in conjunction with the Okanagan Marathon. Joel is as prepared as can be...and I'm, well, not as prepared as I was 2 weeks ago!! But today was encouraging, and I have at least 2 friends to run with, so it'll be fine! Back is feeling great! It's been 4 months and I'm exactly back to where I was the day of "the incident".

MOUTH:
I got my braces on Thursday! I am a little bit sore, a little shredded inside my mouth, and very thankful for soft foods! (and getting a little bored of them too!) I was able to make it through the process of getting them on without tears! (yeah me!) and it's not as painful as I thought it would be. I can already feel my teeth moving. I keep saying "3 days down, 736 to go!" I'll get used to it, it will get better, and I'll be eating solids again soon I hope! especially because...

CRUISE:
Two weeks from now Marcie & I will meet up in Vancouver, spend the evening there, then drive to Seattle the next am, where we will board the CELEBRITY MERCURY for a 4 night cruise to Victoria & Nanaimo. Our big plans are to hang out, eat, relax, run and catch up! It was such an amazing deal... $229 each! What else could we do for 4 days together for that??

so there you have it...
the cliff notes on my life for the last month!
hope you are all well...
have a great week!

The Secret.

ok, people.

We've all been asking ourselves the question, how can I have it all?
How can I take care of all the stuff around the house, have some me time, work, and make sure my family makes contact daily.
Today, I figured it out.
I've discoverd THE Secret.


It came to me at 3:06am today. I woke up WIRED. I think I had some heavy duty adrenaline still coursing through me after a very exciting day. After lying the wide awake for a loooonnng time, I decided to get up and do something.

By the time the rest of my family was awake, I'd made a batch of chili, done 3 loads of laundry, read the newspaper, eaten breakfast, and more. Then I worked and 8-hour day, came home, put my pajamas on, ate that chili with my guys, and I was in bed by 7:03.

So there you have it.
If you want to do it all, you can.
It's not brain surgery, you just have to get up at 3am.

ha!

IT'S UP!!

Cheryl & I invite you to check out our
LIFE SIMPLIFIED website. We are ready to get this thing going and so appreciate you passing on our info to anyone who might need a little encouragement and help getting their clutter under control, setting up house, preparing to sell, etc.

thanks so much for your enthusiasm & patience!
If we could ask you to look it over for us and give us any feedback/ideas, we'd really appreciate it! Isn't my partner awesome? She took care of getting this thing up and running and did a great job, I think!

life-simplified.ca

My Theory on Dental Anxiety

There was a 7 year period in my life where I avoided the dentist.
Then my brother-in-law became a dentist, and I was OK with him, so I started going again. I even let him pull my wisdom teeth in the mid 90's.

When we moved to Kelowna we were lucky enough to have found Gary Powell and super amazing staff... they have been soooo excellent with our entire family and the kids have no issues with going to the dentist at all. They've never complained, hesitated or cried. Me, on the other hand: I've always got a 50/50 chance of shedding tears at any given appointment.

Here are the reasons I have narrowed down.
1) I've had jaw trouble and start to have anxiety attacks when I have to leave my mouth open for a long time
2) As any control freak will tell you, it's very hard to make yourself vulnerable like you do in the dental chair.
3) I'm a very physically private person, (one day I'll tell you about my trauma in the bra store), so having someone poking around in my mouth makes me very uncomfortable.
4) finally, the vicious crying circle, take this morning for example:
I arrive at the dental office to have a tooth pulled before I get my braces on. The gal up front already knows I'm nervous about this appointment, and starts telling me I'll be fine, it'll be fast, etc. She introduces me to the new assistant, Jill, who tells me she'll be taking care of me... and sweetly escorts me to the back, where there are two other lovely staff ladies, (who have seen me through previous dental experiences---and they know what I'm in for) so as soon as they start reassuring me, I feel myself starting to tear up, but suck 'em back. So I just confess that I'm really nervous, but that I made a deal with myself that I I would treat myself to my fav starbucks chai if I was able to keep it together, and if I cried I would buy myself a new pair of shoes to make myself feel better. I'm no idiot. I know the odds. They suggest I get both, either way.

So, lovely Jill settles me in, gives me the post-extraction care low-down, and as soon as she she lies me back I can't suck 'em back anymore... she hands me a Kleenex and says, "Shoes!" I love my new friend Jill. Then that just leads to the whole being embarrassed about the tears, so more tears, etc. They let the freezing set for a long time and I was totally good, muscled through the actual extraction of my perfectly innocent tooth, and then the second it came out, more tears. Tears of relief. Followed by more tears of embarrassment. It's impossible to hold back tears when you're lying upside down.

So, tomorrow I will drop off cookies or something to thank them for all being so good to me and for bearing with me and to hopefully show Jill my less emotional side.
I sure know how to make a first impression.

side note: why is it that when you are prepared to buy shoes you can't find any? my entire reward for this morning amounted to one small chocolate milkshake from DQ. Inappropriately small, after what I'd been through, but delicious none-the-less!

IT WILL ALL BE WORTH IT WHEN I HAVE NICE, STRAIGHT TEETH IN 2 YEARS, RIGHT??

Fall: BRING IT!

Can you believe summer is coming to an end?
We've had a really great summer this year, it was nice to only be working a tiny bit, we got a fair bit of stuff done in the yard, we had a wonderful break at the cabin, got to see several friends for the first time in years... it was a great couple of months.

And now, as I do every year at this time, I am ready to welcome September and the good things about it. I am always reminded at this point in the summer how I am such an "all or nothing" person, and how unproductive I am when I lose momentum. So, I'm kinda looking forward to getting some things done because I'll be back in routine again! That's the plan, anyway!!

But one of the things I'm really happy about this summer is that I've been able to come back really well from my back injury in June and I'm running about 7K at this point. I have to say, I'm pretty darn proud of myself for keeping my running up over the summer, although it was a pretty easy routine with the slow re-building, but I was pretty faithfully running 3 times a week for July & August. I certainly didn't do that last summer!

So, I have 3 running goals this fall... and I'm inviting you to be a part of it!

1) RUN FOR THE CURE, SEPT 30! I'm running with my Sole Sisters team for the 5K.
2) With RUN FOR THE CURE, I'd like to raise $150... if you'd like to be a part of this event by sponsoring me, that would be awesome! Just click on the link on the right side of this page, that should bring to you my profile on the Run for the Cure site. Thank for joining me in this important cause!
3) OKANAGAN MARATHON - 10K... That's October 7th and will be the true test of my running recovery!!

For anyone who's interested in starting running or getting back into it, our Sole Sisters group is meeting on Saturday am's at 7, Bliss bakery in Peachland. Everyone is welcome and we're having a bit of a "kick-off" day on Saturday, Sept 8th--if you've been toying with the idea... this is a great group to find encouragement and inspiration!

ENJOY YOUR LAST WEEK OF AUGUST!

Why We're So Happy Mark Married Cara...

My brother Mark and his lovely wife, Cara, are off to Italy in a few weeks. They've been taking Italian lessons for the last several months in preparation and having a great time. There are a million reasons why we love Cara. When I heard this little tidbit last weekend, I was once again reminded how important she is to our family.

Number One Italian Phrases they can pronouce flawlessly:

Cara: "I have need of a doctor who speaks English."

Mark: "I have need of my tambourine."

'nuf said?

It's Official:

After 10 days of being away, staying at the homes (or cabins) of some of our best friends, being fed & entertained and licenced to RELAX--no to-do lists, no obligations, no attention paid to the clock... we have become the laziest people on earth.

We had such a great time with Joel's brother & family at their awesome cabin (two bathrooms, dishwasher & dial-up)... and even though the weather was pretty crappy, we had such a great time, got on our manditory "Patti & Nathan vacation schedule", which is staying up until 2am playing games and then sleeping until 10 or so. The cousins had a blast playing together and got in as much wakeboarding as the weather would allow. Thanks sooooo much "Nathans'" for another incredible week of being made to feel very at home in your home-away-from-home!!

After a week at the cabin we made our way to Calgary for two nights and stayed with the Taubensees for some good catching up/tennis/IKEA/settlers/eating -- they do a mean B & B! We were also so happy to visit the church they have helped start... even in summer mode, we could cleary see that this is a group of people who are, and intend to continue to, living lives of love and truth in Calgary. It was awesome to be there and get to see what we'd been hearing about -- I'm so excited for what God is and will do through this group of servants in their community. Dan & Cathy & girls... we love you like crazy and are "with you" in the adventures ahead, whatever they may be!

Another highlight--a visit with the Birkby family... good friends from way back in Joel's "Coopers & Lybrand" days... the last time we saw this great couple was at their wedding 7 years ago... after which they headed to Bermuda for 6 years and have gone through cancer & 2 kids since we'd seen them last. So great to connect with them, visit their gorgeous home in Calgary, see their beautiful babes, and hang out with a friend who's never strayed far from my thoughts in all these years! Love ya guys!

So, now we're home, sitting on "the deck" with our respective laptops, ready for a sudoku match, facing a day that is a blank slate---SUCH A RARITY! I'm so happy to have Joel here at home, without the pressure to be "trying to get stuff done"---except beat me at Sudoku... which is highly unlikely!

OH! We also celebrated our 15th anniversary at the cabin... it was a very memorable day... starting with a tea and muffin from the "WAYCUP CAFE" --- Wabamun's finest coffee establishment... and then, well, it kind of went downhill from there--- basically I got to visit my mom-in-law while Joel played volleyball. I hear this will all be made up to me sometime this week. I'll keep you posted.

My Boys...

a little fun in the backyard today...

Cousins...

Even thought these little guys only see each other once or twice a year, (although this year we've been lucky to see each other 4 times, including a week in Mexico), they have such a special bond between them. They are 4 boys and one very spunky girl (who doesn't seem to notice she's the only girl), and are 5-11 years old. In the last week they have spent the better part of every waking moment together, without one fight, tear or problem. What an awesome place to be, sitting on the beach in the Okanagan, Joel & Nathan, (37 year old twins), reunited while Patti & I sit on the beach, reading, chatting, laughing and doing a lot of eye-rolling at our big boys.

Last night all 5 fell asleep on one bunk watching a movie. It had been a hard day of playing on the beach.

My $164 Kitchen Renovation & Other Weekend News Items (photos in no particular order because I don't know how to get them in particular order.)

Bye Bye Brass!
GONE are every brass cabinet pull in our house.
GONE is the ugly brass light fixture in our kitchen.
HERE are some simple, inexpensive brushed nickel knobs & a light fixture that, after looking at every lighting place in town, I found at Canadian Tire for $99, which happen to be my budget.
I feel like I have a brand new kitchen!

We also got the back yard to a very usable condition... all the irrigation is moved, the hotub pad prepared, the hot tub moved, my patio reclaimed, and we've got 3 yards of washed gravel over the dirt so that whenever that deck comes, the pre-work is done! We have one small area that still needs to be fabric'ed and rocked, and then a bit of cement to be poured, but our backyard is 90% useable and I've been able to set up my outside living room (with area rug over the gravel) and I love it. We can totally see now that the deck size & shape will be awesome.

We finished 40 minutes before our company arrived on Saturday. Thankfully they were about 4 hours late. We were able to keep their cousin's arrival a surprise from our kids... got a couple of not very good surprise pictures.

Last night we had a little birthday party for my-sister-cara at my mom & dads house... the boys learned this hilarious song called, "Fat Guys Wearing Speedos", which they performed and it was some good entertainment. Lots of laughs on Grandma & Grandpa's deck with our family and Franz & Sabine, our family friends from Germany. They always arrived with a grocery bag full of German Chocolate for each of the kids and assorted German bath products "for the ladies".

Later today I have to call my mom and ask if what Sabine gave me is lotion or body wash. I'm never sure and can't read the label.