photos

http://www.ctv.ca/gallery/html/slave_lake_wildfire_110516/index_.html

Here is a good photo link of the devastation.

sad

I am sad. Much of my hometown is burning to the ground. But now that I have eaten a box of oreo cookies, I feel ready to share some favourite SL memories.

If I could blog the smell of being in the middle of the boreal forest, where the trees come up to the edge of the highway and go on as far as you can see. That is a good clean smell. The air is fresher there than anywhere I have ever been, (although now it is probably hard to breathe right now with all the acrid smoke.) Breathing felt better there. Also, I can't blog the sound (although if I looked hard enough, the internets might offer up a sound byte) of the poplar trees in the breeze as I am falling asleep. Only to be crowded out by the frogs and crickets in the yard. They also made a sound before it started to rain. Really, they did. And there are so many stars to see. It gets so dark, I swear you can see them all. SO Bright, so many. And it gets dark there. Actual, pitch dark. Like it never gets in the city. I love those things. They are what make me me.

Quadding through the forest with my friend. Once we stopped in a hay field and climbed up some of the bales. Although I had to do this on the sly because Dad forbid ATV fun because he was so familiar with the injuries they can cause. (but at the time as a mad teenager I just thought he was the fun police.) Snowmobiling was also fun, (and also banned,) especially at the old golf course, or towing us up the tobogganing hill - it was a steep long walk otherwise! There would usually be a bonfire at the bottom, and huge innertubes salvaged from industrial equipment to slide down on. Much safer than the red toboggan, right Betina?

Cruising main street. For hours. (sometimes resulting in complaints to your parents because the muffler on the car was not working!) Stopping at Sev for slurpees and meeting up with people there, because that is where you went to find out what was going on. Everyone showed up sooner or later. Then eventually finding your way to the arena to watch the Wolves play hockey. Holdie's mom was the biggest hockey fan in town! Getting to play keyboard for the hockey band a few times was a blast.

The REX theatre! Did it burn down? It would be irreplaceable. Another box of oreos may have to be sacrificed. Would they rebuild it the same way? With the shag on the walls, the sticky floors, the mismatched seats, and old benches from the highschool up in front? With the best orange slushies know to mankind? Where someone always announced what movie was playing "next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8"? the "upstairs" where many sorts of unapproved behaviour went on? (I never sat there!!). The old cash register the guy in the booth had? Only $5.50 to get a ticket.

Skiing at grizzly ridge. (although that has been gone for a while now.) Kevin's attempt to teach me moguls. Come to think of it, his attempt to teach me how to drive ended up just as badly! Driving adventures in the winter. meeting the ditch many times on the Mitsue road, and getting the neighbour to tow us out.

The beach. So many beach memories. In the winter that time laying in the snow in the dark watching the Northern Lights dance around the lake. Words cannot even describe how that feels. That was my favourite. My next favourite is bringing my own kids there. My mom being the only one brave enough to go all the way under before the water warms up (not until August!). Swimming all the way out to the raft and diving off of it. Riding bikes to the beach. Running there as part of Mr. C's torturous phys ed. class.

Jumping into the river from the bridge. One particular time, hey Michelle? Then having to sit through math class wet and stinky. The time Randy was getting pulled into the weir on the biology class field trip. That place where the road stops where the river joins in to the lake. Parking there and watching all of the big birds. Laying in the sad close to the airport runway and watching the water bombers fill up. (but for somebbody else's fire, far away.)

$1.99 breakfasts at Acropolois. The Beachway cafe and it's jukebox. Driving around in Nick's mini-jeep with the top down. That time, with the frog. Or was it a toad?

The demo derby!

The moose. That time when we were driving up to the cemetary, and there was the biggest moose we had ever seen and we sat there for half an hour before it decided to move. In hunting season driving through a neighbourhood and seeing a deer draining in every garage. (doors open of course, to show off!) The bear traps by the creek. The time the elk were brought in to help with overpopulation in the Jasper townsite and they all (the elk) found their way to 7-11.

Those are a few of my favourite Slave Lake things. Writing one makes me think of another after another. At 17 years old I could not think of anything better than getting far far away from there, but I think that was just the 17 year old who wanted to be on her own, away from parents... Every time I have gone back I start to think, if only I could stay for a while longer. Breathe the clean northern air, hear the poplars, listen to the waves crashing. And see one more movie at the Rex. Just for the sake of being there.

Phew

Well, the great moving weekend is OVER! Thank goodness. Moving is not a lot of fun, as most of you know. But it is fun to unpack, find new homes for things, make a fresh start. I know that the only thing you want to see is pictures, I'll post some soon. We still have to put together a bed or two, hang window coverings, unpack a few boxes and so on. Then, I'll take some. I did however bake bread and cookies, so it smells like home now! Here are some bullet thoughts about my new house.

• Perfect size. More space, yet I still know where my children are.
• The kitchen layout is far superior to my old house! It is very much the layout of Betina's kitchen, but a bit smaller. I love having the table separated from the workspace by a counter.
• The girls have their own rooms now. For the first 2 nights, Mina slept in Abby's room. Since then Mina has been fine on her own, but Abby has been getting worried at night and crawling in to a camping bed in our room. A little unexpected for sure! But I'm sure things will settle in. Mina's room is actually staying very clean. Because she is hauling all of her collections out and creating her little diorama's all over the house, leaving nothing in the bedroom.
  
• The upstairs toilet is higher than the downstairs toilet. Which causes an unexpected drop when using the one you are not used to yet.
  
• I am not sure I love ceramic stove-top's yet. It takes forever to heat up, and then the surface stays hot a long time afterward.
  
• The vegetable garden I have been dreaming about will not happen this year. The last person had the plot filled with tuberous perennials for about a million years. I need to get some advice about how to deal with this, (help internets!) but I am envisioning a summer filled with digging and roto-tilling to try and make it plantable for next spring. But I do have 4 apple trees, a raspberry patch (I think), and a place where I am going to try strawberries. Plus beds around the house for flowers, and I can always do a few containers. In fact the people left 2 half-barrel planters for me. And I can get a years start on some awesome compost.
  
• I have met 3 neighbours who are all nice, friendly, normal people. Now that I have the oven figured out, cookies and bread will flow to them.

So. Pictures soon. really.

A Story about a Camel and some straws.

Well, it seems the winter spell has (temporarily, because there is always the Easter snowstorm, and then a bit more on May long) broken. Today we awoke to "drip drip dripping" from the For Sale sign that is posted in the front yard. Yes, we are for sale. Actually, pending. we are currently quibbling over details, but will very likely be sold (and then owners of a new house) by Tuesday! Many thing have been happening here! B and N are having a great laugh about the story. I shall share.
"The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back".

Let's see. Where to begin. We live in a "bad" neighbourhood. There is a lot of crime, a lot of people who are on social assistance, a lot of group homes for people who are being rehabilitated from some deviant behaviour or another. Had we known these details, we probably would never have bought this house. But, in blissful ignorance, we did. (Now we know about a fabulous statistic page available that lists all of these things, by neighbourhood!) So we have been here for 5 + years. Only a few bad things happened directly to us. We had car windows broken a couple of times, dog poo all over the lawn, loud kids keeping us up all night because their parents don't care that it is 2 in the AM... Lots of bad things happened around us though. Like the scary night when the 2 rival aborginal gangs armed with garden hoes and shovels met at the intersection in front, the famous motorcycle club that moved in down the block with their mean pit bulls, Police at the drug house several times a week, many a domestic dispute spilling into the alley behind us. Condoms littering the street, likely leftovers from the rub n tug in the apartment building behind us. The local school closed down, and just last week there was an article in the paper about the drug deals and prostitution that go on the the park now. Still, we stayed. Even when a woman's battered, beaten body was left at my daughters bus stop, we stayed. The woman died later that day. I found a short length of rebar on my front lawn. And we stayed. because it was not happening to us, just around us. And we had a wonderfully tiny mortgage, and we found many other reasons to close our eyes, try to ignore it.

But then, the straw. Yes, something finally happened TO us that changed everything. We had some bags of milk jugs in the back yard. We save them up to bring in for a refund, which goes into the girl's savings accounts. Yes, that's horse camp money! And some one just waltzed right into our backyard and took it! Stole from a 7 year old! Well! Keith was furious and announced that he had had enough! So before he could change his mind, I jumped on that wagon, and we listed our house for sale. That was on a Tuesday. We had an offer an Friday, and found a new house Saturday. Whirlwind! Now, we are pending, waiting in limbo for our fates to change. How dramatic. Hopefully I will have an update soon!

Three Very Good Days

Here is a tale of 3 very good days. Which one do you think was the best?

Day #1: Christmas Day. A day of matching jammies made with love, wonderful mystery packages brought by the (cute) Fed Ex delivery man, sleeping late, eating junk, with nothing better to do than hanging out with the people you love best. Always a very good day.

Day #2: The day we ate these cinnamon buns. Lets try a link. That was my first time, I hope it worked. These rolls were the absolute best cinnamon buns I have ever made or eaten. I did not add the nuts or raisins, but I'm sure they would be good that way too. The recipe only makes 8, but they are so incredibly rich that 8 is plenty.

Day#3: The day the snowplow was dispatched to our street. Oh glorious day. The ice ruts were so big, the poor little toyota was bottoming out trying to slide into our parking spot. The ruts were so lumpy that I had to carry Mina across the street because her little legs were not long enough to clear the bumps. Before entering the street you had to say a little prayer that there would not be any oncoming traffic because if there was, there would most certainly be a collision. Some nights, people would get stuck and just abandon their cars. Resulting in a church holiday as there was no way past or around. Sigh. Maybe my defecting sisters have the meterological advantage here. Needless to say, the day the snowplow came to 79 street was quite an event. All the neighbourhood children, and men, were watching. Shovels in hand, waiting to clear the pathways of ice chunks. Glory be. Now there is (almost flat) pavement. This might be my favourite day.

Danger, danger is lurking...

So what does it mean when you are asked personally to attend the "teaching - no greater calling" series at church, and then later that very day the ward music person asks me "so how is your calling going? Are you still enjoying it?" and so forth. I am afraid to answer the phone or the doorbell, or make eye contact with the Bishop. There, I said it. I am a chicken. Maybe it was just a coincidence. We shall see.

Wednesday

Hello. I was just online, complaining because the blogs I like to read have not been updated! So I thought perhaps I should update mine, even though no one really reads it. And also not much has been going on here. Lets see. Mina is sick, she has been puking for 3 days. But her breakfast of water and green jello has not yet made a reappearance, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel of laundry that a mother must to after a pukey week. And now of course I am feeling ill... great. Abby and Mina have been real troopers - we have been waking them up at 5:45 on my work days, so that Keith and I can get to school/work on time. It is a terrible thing to have to do to your kids, but happily it is temporary only 5 1/2 more weeks of it. Then Keith will be done school and officially a Journeyman. Then we can begin the next big life plan, whatever that will be. Also I will have a car again for my days off.. Being a one car family is certainly a learning experience. I am house bound on my days off, and because it has been so cold, I am going more then a little bit crazy. So, that's it. My update. Now to do some more laundry.

Holiday Mash Up

Christmas is so much fun. We are having a lovely time here on the veranda this year. I am quite enjoying my week off from work. I am not even wearing my watch, just timing the day on the kids and the activities we are doing. Today was swimming at the fun pool with friends. The other day Keith built a maze/fort in the backyard for the girls. Although now that it is butt cold again, we haven't used it since... Tomorrow is library/pet shop day. Books for Abby and I, viewing of puppies she will never get for Mina. (sounds kind of sad, but she still can dream...) It was quite a sad moment when I had to inform dear Mina that Santa does not bring live animals for Christmas. Only toys, and sometimes clothes and underwear. Yes, even though he is magic. Poor girl. I heard her little heart break a little bit. We did, however, compensate by visiting a friend's house on Christmas Eve where there were 3 very excited and happy dogs who Mina could run around with and let lick her all night long.

The JW's came to my door again. They visit every few weeks, and are very nice. I like to share words of wisdom from the golden plates with them. Well, today they were telling me all about the myths of Christmas. Usually, when we chat, I do not get offended, and we usually agree some if not all of the things they decide to talk about that week. Well, I finally found out why they do not recognize Christmas. Yes, they do believe in Jesus Christ, and that he was born in a manger and so forth, but, do not celebrate this because "no where in the bible does it say to celebrate this event." My goodness! HF sent an incredibly huge star! It was so big you could not tell day from night! Angels were sent and sang beautiful songs! Shepherds and wise men alike came from near and far! They even brought gifts. Sounds like a celebration to me. I wish I had thought to say this when they were still in my doorway, and not 10 minutes later, which is usually the case with me when it comes to important discussions, arguments, petty disagreements etc. I can never think clearly enough during the conversation and only come back when it is too late. Anyhow.. Here are some of the things we do to celebrate Christmas:

• Make cookies! Stay up late decorating them. Share them with friends, and make sure to have enough to eat at least a dozen of them yourself.
  
• Have a gingerbread house decorating party with the neighbours kids. FUN!
  
• Turkey dinner. 3 this year! I over booked our social schedule in an attempt to keep so busy that I would not notice that my sista's and the cousins were far far away. It did not help. I noticed.
• Have a mini-tree in the girls room so that they can play with and decorate it all season long.
  
• New jammies for Christmas Eve! This year they were homemade princess style.
  
• Tobogganing: still to come, weather dependent.
• Cinnamon buns for breakfast - this will be a New Years day thing this year, I hope to be more organized next time around. I found a recipe where you fold cream cheese into the dough, like the way you add butter and fold/roll when making puff pastry. It looks delish and a bit complicated, and I cannot wait to try it.
• Little presents tucked into the tree. This is something they do in England that Keith's mom did for her kids. So we are carrying on this tradition and it is very fun.
• Online shopping! Three cheers! A friendly, sometimes foreign, fed ex/UPS/Canada Post driver brings parcels right to the door. How wonderful! I really liked this part.
  
• I also really like the "marathons" on TV. Even though I don't get to veg out watching TV long enough for a marathon, I love them, and look forward to a day when I can watch all the Harry Potters back to back.
  

Those are some Christmas things that I like to do with my family. I realize that the bible does not say to specifically do any of those things, but we do it anyway. I love Christmas hymns and carols especially, and nativity sets, and watching my girls act of the Christmas story. I love doing secret giving, and hearing Abby and Mina sing "away in a manger" in their bunk bed, not knowing that I am listening from the hallway. I love knowing that Christ was born, and lived and taught and showed us the way. I am thankful. I will celebrate.

And Then There Was Light!

Yes, and then there was light. Created by my former Christmas (almost) grinch, Disney suspicious, husband. Now he has not only been to the happiest place on earth no less than 3 times, but has also, with no prodding, pleading, nagging or asking by his Christmas fanatic wife, purchased and installed Christmas lights on our humble abode! I must say, I am very thrilled. We have only ever had them over the door before, because that was all I could reach with the small ladder. But, lo and behold, this year we are the brightest house on the block! One of the best things about living here, when it is dark by the crack of 4:47 PM, is that we get to enjoy the Christmas lights that much longer. I have always loved Christmas lights, and now I have some too. Best Christmas gift ever. Thanks Keith. You are the best.

and so the seasons turn.

...for the worse, Keith would say. And there are some things I agree with him about. Such as:

• Driving the short distance from the grocery store to your home causes all of your fresh produce to freeze and it is ruined. We will die of scurvy! I imagine having to crawl back to the store on my rickety legs, and eating raw potato's from the shelf.
  
• Blinking while outdoors is hazardous. Every time you do, your eyelashes freeze together, and when your eyes open, at least a few of them have ripped out. But you don't feel it, because your skin is frozen. Soon, we will all look like we have alopecia.
  
• Having to really consider whether or not to adjust the rear view mirror in the car. Choosing not to, because if you do, the plastic will very likely break (just like that time the door handle snapped off) and then you won't have a mirror at all. So you drive like Quasimoto attempting to see out the back window when having to change lanes.

These things, and others, make winter awful. But there are also some very great things, and I was trying to convince Keith of this the other day.

• In the morning, early, walking to the train. No one else is around, and yours are the only footprints. It is dark, the sky is clear and there are more stars then you remember, and it is so quiet because of the new snow which is crunchy and sparkling.
  
• The sharp intake of excited breath from the kids, who on seeing the new snow want to go outside immediately, even with jammies on under their snowpants to go and play in it.
  
• Christmas lights. Although those inflatables really annoy me.
  
• My birthday.
• Tobogganing down very dangerous hills. Hot chocolate in a thermos.
  
• The sound of shovels scraping all around your neighborhood. It echo's at night and everyone sounds so industrious.
• Having an unspoken contest with your neighbour to see who can shovel each other's sidewalk the most.
  
• Seeing the city lights when driving at night, well, anytime after 4:30 when it is dark, always reminds me of driving to Calgary at Christmas time and we would be sleepy and excited, and we would drive over that last hill and there would be this sea of city lights in front of us and we knew we were there.
  

And those are a few of my favourite things.

In Lieu of Halloween

Here is Georgia, who I am smitten with. She wanted to play with ME, not her mom! I think I now qualify as a fun favourite Auntie!
And here, Big and Little Red have a fun game of peek-a-boo. Again, very cute.
Ah, the Hogwart's express, with Oakley wandering off to do his own thing. Oh Oakley, we should implant you with a GPS microchip.
Eden and Abby together. They were so nice to eachother the whole time! I expected some girlie disagreements, but nope, they were both very happy and sharing the whole time! I am one proud mamma!
Ah, the Butterbeer. That alone is reason to go back again. Butter beer is like a rootbeer float, but with a butterscotch/caramel flavour. Very good!

We had a great time in Orlando, and accomplished some excellent cousin bonding. Thank you Dad for a wonderful fun trip! Everyone had a blast, and many great memories were made.

The Great Wind

Here is a funny story about my dear husband. He works very hard, and does many different things during the day. Yesterday, he found himself on top of an industrial building's roof, and a great wind came up. The great wind blew down his ladder and he was stranded on the top of the roof. Luckily, he was rescued not too long after the great wind. The End.

My day at work was not nearly as interesting. However I did sneeze really hard, and got a bloody nose. So I had so sit in the back and wait for it to stop. Very embarrassing and inconvenient. I like to think that perhaps Keith was stranded on the roof, and I was sitting in the staff room bleeding at the same time. Ahh, bonding.

The Cute Little Old Lady in the Mall

You know how strangers will observe you and your children, and find that they really must go up to you, even though they don't know you from Adam!, and deliver some obviously much needed advice? When my girls were babies and toddlers (sigh), I very often got: "you know, you should really out some mittens on your poor child". Because I am such a dummy that I obviously want my kids to loose their fingers to frostbite. But really I had just put mittens on them 8 times walking down one block and had finally given up. Often people would comment, or raise their eyebrows about how and what I fed my kids. Usually it was something related to nursing my babies. Even then, I did not react emotionally, I am pretty levelheaded about these things. Even when strangers are stupid, they usually do not mean any harm.

Today Mina and I went to the mall with a friend (Yay! I have a friend!!) and her girls. Mina had a knock-down drag-out tantrum. I had finally caught up to her and brought her to a bench and was holding on to her while she finished her outburst. A little old lady comes over. I think she had been at the mall to get her hair blued. She stoops down to us and hisses to Mina (with perio breath, I might add. NuNu will understand the horrors.)

"YOU MUST BE NICE TO YOUR MOMMY OR I WILL BRING YOU TO THE BAD MEN!!"

Holy crappola! Who says that to their kids? Who says that to other peoples kids? What an awful awful thing to say to a sad and angry little girl and her flustered mother! I could not believe it! Now poor little Mina has another reason to cry. I did not even know what to respond to this wicked witch, so I picked Mina off the bench and carried her to the car assuring her that she could be as bad as she wanted and I would never ever ever take her to a bad man. And that the little old lady was really the wicked witch from Hansel and Gretel. (well, I did not actually say that part..)

So. Watch out for cute little old ladies. Especially the ones with blue hair. There is something unnatural about them.

In Which I Finally Post Some Photos

So that my readers will not be so bored! I have been v. lazy about that. So here we go, although I seem to be impaired as far as labelling and downloading them in order goes. So, bare with me.

see- look! Now the text is below all of the pictures! Sheesh. So, first off is Keith and the girls, on the happy happy celebration of his birth. Which was quite lovely, especially as I finally have my own fenton milk glass cake salver. Why yes, after many tries, I became an ebay winner, and no longer have to covet my sister's cake stand. The solution to covetousness, is to just get your own, (whether it be a cake stand, or your neighbours wife... ha ha...)

And then, Abigael on her first day of grade 2. She has requested that her teacher call her Abigael this year. My, how grown up of her.

And lastly, a sister grouping. We had a fun weekend here before the departure of Bunny to Halifax, and P's imminent departure to DC. She looks happy here, but I think we did not quite fill the void left by her absent husband... If you look closely in the background, you can see my other milk glass aquisition, a 2 tiered desert plate found in an antique mall.

Later I will post some pictures of the parents, yes dad and mom are here this weekend to enjoy the corn fest at my church!. How fun. Taber corn for all, and a display of peoples talents - I am going to display my wedding dress. Now I must be off to make sure that mom does not eat all of the sugar I have in the house.

2 random thoughts, and one confession.

• Sometimes I think it would be funny if we (we meaning people with weird names) changed our names to the words that spell check thinks that we mean. My top two alternative spell check names are: serene and veranda. I rather like to think of myself as Serene Veranda when I am blogging, or sending e mails, or signing my name to anything that has spell check enabled. When I google my name, I end up with stories about a racehorse, and pictures of a porno model, who uses my name as a stage/print name, or Axel Rose's ex wife. Which is a bit funny because in high school, I could do a great Axel impersonation.
• A recent Mina conversation: M: mom, what are these holes in my nose called? S.V.: "nostrils" M: "Look mom, I can put my tongue inside my nostrils!" That little girl is so flexible she can pick her nose with her tongue. What a time saver...
  
• Sometimes, instead of making dinner, I make peanut butter cookies, or apple pie. And, I don't really feel bad about it. (I have found a great sour cream pastry recipe that was wonderful and easy! I normally have trouble with pastry, but this recipe is great. Maybe I'll post it later.)

Serene Veranda

First half of Summer re-cap

Summer is half over! We have had rain and thunder all summer long here, so it has not really seemed summer-y. Although truth be told, I hate the heat, and love electrical storms. We have had a fun summer so far though.

• We had a visit to SL, and put in some good beach time with the family.
  
• We have gone swimming at the wave pool, where I had some great bonding time with Abby. I have been thinking about her attitude problems, and perhaps she just needs more quality mom time. Her happiness factor jumped by nearly a million that day, when she and I hung out at the pool and I did not have to say "no" all day. I think that I need to treat her more like the 7 year old she is, rather than the grown up she seems to be.
  
• Abby has attended horse camp, and plans to go again next year. So if anyone wants to contribute cans, bottles, and milk jugs, they are welcome for the cause! She even went on the overnight sleepover. I think it was hard for her, as she forgot her special blanket, and had a nose bleed that night. Also there was an incredible lightning storm that night. But she did it!
• We have been to the zoo, and the girls are going again with their babysitter. Much fun was had, especially seeing Uncle Dan fold himself into the child sized train compartment.
• Fort Edmonton has been conquered, by 6 cousins! That was a very fun day, except for the grumpy conductor who does not like children to have any fun. He needs a new job - he takes trains way to seriously!
• Keith, my most excellent husband, who not only can fix anything, but can also make anything better, even when you did not know it was in need of betterment, installed a hot tap for the hose outside! So now, the kids can fill the wading pool with water that is not ice cold! Yay!
  
• Also earning him the best husband ever award, is when he set up a ladder and brought Abby and I up to the roof of the garage to watch the fireworks. The yearly exhibition happens merely blocks away from home. Usually this only serves to bother me, as the outdoor stage is really loud when I am trying to go to sleep. But getting to see fireworks 10 nights in a row is a pretty cool perk. If we ever move, we should list that on the feature sheet.
  
• Canada Day was celebrated at our church's pancake breakfast. We have a super activities lady now, and she throws the best parties. There was a jumpy castle, more than enough food, a bike parade, singing the whole national anthem by the flag. Very fun. I love my country. And also my church.
• We are renewing our mortgage. It is all very grown up. I met with the bank lady and she was very impressed with the state of our finances! It was quite a compliment to hear that we are doing a few things right! It made me feel like staying in this house, rather than taking on the debt of a bigger/better place. We can pay off our mortgage within 10 years! This thought made me feel much happier about my home. Although now rather than dreaming of building a new house, I am consumed with thoughts of building an addition... I think in another life I would like to be an architect/designer/engineer of houses and develop floor plans and blueprints all day.

I am sure there is more, and there is still another snow-less month to enjoy. But, today, I must go and get my tire fixed. As is exploded yesterday. (Well, that is how it felt. Really, I just ran over a nail. A nice stranger named Frank helped my change it. Thanks Frank!)

Mixed Bag

Tell me, why is this blue and underlined, and why are the pics in the wrong place? You will have to deal with it. I don't have the patience to fix it. Above, are 3 lovely donut eaters. I have another picture of Ivy just after this bite, with colourful sprinkles all over her cheeks. Very cute. Alas, blogger decided not to load it properly. Notice, as the picnic table says, we were in Colfax.
And here is young Goldilocks. The bedtime curlers worked magic!
Above is my slipcover project! Imagine that there is a hem in place, it is not quite finished yet. I have decided that my home furnishings etc. will never really be subdued. I have kids, and I like the colours. I may place a red throw on the couch though, to tame the blooms a bit.


In other news...
City Mouse vs: Country Mouse.
Remember that story, with the 2 cousin mice? Well, I kid of volley in between being a city mouse, an country mouse. I love my new commute to work. I walk about 8 minutes to the train station, jump on the train, where I watch strangers going about their lives, and dream up novels based on the snippets I observe.

Like the man who was running for the train and just as he got in the door, a white plastic horse fell out of his pocket and clattered down to the platform. He turned and looked at it, trying to open the door to get it, but it was too late and the train sped away. Was it his daughter's horse? Was it a gift for a little boy's birthday? Was it his good luck bingo charm? We will never know. Or, the man in the expensive suit, with really nice leather shoes. He had a laptop, but was using it to balance a plastic case in which his needle point supplies were resting. He was quietly cross-stitching a scene of a lighthouse, with waves crashing up against what would become rocks. Who is this corporate cross-stitcher? Is he an lawyer, zenning out on the train before a big case? The plastic surgeon from the 14th floor, whom I am working up the courage to see about my droopy eyelids? Alas, we do not know.

Then, voila, 10 minutes later I am in the lobby of my building. I even have a doorman guy, Abdul. There is a Timmys in my lobby, and even though there are often 30 people in line, I can get served in about 4 minutes. I think I will buy Abdul a coffee next week. Then up to my 8th floor office, where I can look out the window and see planes landing and taking off at the muni, trains far off in the distance, and automobiles down below. If I had binoculars, I could peek into the window of the room where my first born took her first breath. I have a wonderful new job that seems too good to be true. (my boss likes to go down to the lobby and buy candy inbetween patients.) 2 blocks down there is a high end grocery store which I will check out over lunch one day, if it ever stops raining. Plus a huge new and used book store across the street.

These are things I love about the city. I am trying very hard to notice the things I love about the city and my place in it, because I often get caught up in complaining about all of the things I hate about city life. But I am not going to do that today.

Zabava!

To all who read this Meagre blog: You are invited to our end of the year dancing celebration on Saturday May 8! Abby is very excited, because it means she will not have to wear the squeezy headband, and Mina also gets to dance and "dress like a flower".

On an aside note, would it be improper if I had the bishop announce once and for all in sacrament meeting that: "No, Sister Nixon is not pregnant. She has merely gained 6 pounds, which puts her at a much healthier weight than her previous all time high of 98. So go and concentrate on your own extra 50 or so and mind your own freaking business. Let us pray."

What we did for Easter.

Hi all. I can't figure out how to arrange pictures in the right order with text... That is the cake, of delicious raspberry goodness that P and I made for Easter desert. It was V. yummy! (Patience, I stole that "V" thing from you. I hope you don't mind.)
Here is Abby, getting her make up done. Very fancy. Nothing makes this girl happier than some girl time with an Auntie.
Here are the girls, and their surrogate parents for the weekend at the zoo. Abby was not interested in having her picture taken at this time. And, I should have cropped out that stranger. oh well.

We had a very fun time visiting P and D over Easter. The egg hunt in the apartment was really fun, Mina was so excited about finding eggs in her shoes! Thank you for having us! The girls are amassing a feather collection to tickle Uncle Dan with for next time....

Guest Blogger!

Introducing my new guest blogger! Here is the very first post by Abigael! Mar. 21 2010

Hi! I just cut my hair. I get to go to my friend's birthday party!It's at Lets Play.

Well, thank you Abigael, for joining Meagre Offerings today. How fancy of me to have a Guest Bloger! Mina is a bit to young to blog as of yet. If she could, she would write: " I'm hungry. But I don't like any of the things you are suggesting to eat. All I want is a peanut butter and jam sandwich. I'm a robot."

Tuesday's Trials

Well, it is Tuesday. A terrific day to :

• be attacked by your babysitter's dog. (I am okay, other than being bruised and sore.) But he tore a hole in my NEW FAVOURITE hoodie. And now I am rather terrified of him. My new babysitter starts in April! YAY! (decision unrelated to dog incident).
  
• discover that someone tried to break in to my car. Silver lining, the damage is not big, I think someone came by while the jerk was getting started. So I might become the next annoying person with a sensitive car alarm that goes off every time someone walks by. Sorry. Jerks.
• finish antibiotics. Discover that at least part of my ear/sinus/head infection must not be bacterial because my head still feels like there is a wrecking ball swinging back and forth inside of it. Although my ear does feel better, and the roof of my mouth is no longer numb.
  

Ponder excess weight.
PROS

• My cups overfloweth. Rather nicely I must say. Keith agrees.
• It is much healthier to be more than 100 lbs.
  
• It is good to have a couple of those extra lbs for the lean times of crohn's which overcome me.

CONS

• My pants do not button comfortably. Which reminds me of the extra lbs every minute of every day and that is what makes me feel fat.
• Today there was a slight jiggle when I drove over a pot hole. Not a nice feeling.
• I can no longer get away with eating a bakers dozen of sugar cookies with thick buttercream frosting. This is very sad, and I think about those cookies daily. I think this is what my sisters meant when they would talk about the evils of butter all day long. Now I understand, and I apologize for having being annoyed at the time about it.
  

Solutions

• I think the best thing to do is to buy a couple of new pairs of pants.
  

PS: I like bullet lists. They make me feel justified in using poor grammar.

Keeping Promises

Abby's first Ukrainian Dancing performance was a couple of weeks ago. It was at a seniors home, and many of the residents were asleep in their wheelchairs. Cute story about 2 of the ladies who live there. They are the best of friends, do everything together, hold eachother up when they walk down the halls, eat together in the dining room, do crafts together. One speaks only Portugese, the other only Ukrainian. Neither can understand a word the other says! They were very happy sitting together, watching the kids.

In this dance school, you rent the costumes - and just have to pay for cleaning at the end of the year. No more mom's having to figure out how to make them! Sweet. They actually buy the costumes directly from a village in the old country. 3 of Abby's primary classmates are in her dance class. Abby will be having an end of the year thing too - I'll give you dates soon. Mina will dance at that one too. (her class just does the one performance.)

Well, I tried to upload the video, but it is just to darn slow. I tried! So Instead I will instruct you on how to dress like a 3 year old.

1: Put on a brightly coloured shirt. Backwards. (Certainly do not choose the shirt that your mum hunted for at the mall for 3 hours that matches the skort she made you.)
2: Ignore the fact that it is still winter time. Put on the cute Diego skort your mum made you. (because the Thomas the Train one is dirty.)
3: Add a pair of purple fairy socks. The skatey ones that you can skate with on the floor. (All socks must be skatey, or do not even bother buying them. Even though the rubber grips would be so helpful for a girl who falls down as much as this one does.)
4: You must always wear a hat. Actually, a toque. Every day and all day, it must be on. Otherwise your hair gets in your face and causes endless tantrums and gets food in it.
5: Cover the big scrapes on your knees with special Diego bandaids. (Hey - they match the skort!) The scrapes are because you were not wearing tights, leggings, pants or snowpants when you went running down the sidewalk, with your winter boots on the wrong feet, and fell. Hard. In front of the gorcery store, with big tears running down your cheeks, and blood running down your shins.

Before I was a parent, I decided I would never give in to buying licensed things for my kids. I would not become a part of the marketing machine that is taking over the world and brainwashing all of our children. blah blah blah. Everything was going to be gender neutral, with no recognizable trade-marked images on them. Ha. It makes this girl so very happy to have Thomas or Diego on her shirt, you'd think she had died and gone to heaven. With Abby, all she needs is a horse and she is the same way.

Wednesday

Well hello there.

I have sick children. Ear infections, colds and whatnot. We have not slept well for a week, waking up all night long for Mina's horrible coughs, and then her sad sad cries. "Mummy I am so so sad. My tummy hurts and I have snotties." Her ears started bugging her last night. I think her head was really stuffed up. She was really tired and delirious, I think. "Why is the house floating? Why are there flies all over the wall?' I am not sure that she needs the antibiotics that Papa so kindly called in for her though, as her ears are not as bad as last night. But I must say, the codeine put her out like a light last night, she slept all night long, with no coughing fits at all. Blessed blessed codeine. Sadly though, she is not well enough for me to go to the gym today. And it would probably be bad parenting to drug her up so I could exercise. Perhaps today will be a yoga on TV day. Painting the kitchen ceiling could be a good workout too...

Tonight is Abby's first Ukrainian dance performance. She will be dancing at a seniors nursing home. I promise to post some pictures! My blog is so void of colour I really must pick up my camera again. It is just that sometimes, having a camera in hand all the time makes me feel so separate from what is going on. Like I am watching, not participating.

For my birthday, I got an little mini IPOD. So e mail me your favourite running playlists! I also received some very awesome olympic gear. I heart the winter olympics. Go Canada!

Some Wednesday things

Today I learned that Pretzels + Nutella = Bliss. I don't buy nutella, but dad gave me a jar last summer, and it was close to expiry. So in the spirit of good food storage and rotation, and not throwing away perfectly good food, considering Haiti, I am eating it.

We also learned (a few days ago) that our cat will live another day. At least. She is not at deaths door. She will probably continue to crap on the floor for many more moons. But the good news is that she has stopped vomiting. Therefore, our basement reno ( laminate flooring) will remain a distant dream. The bathroom however, is coming along nicely.

I have also learned that exercising really DOES feel good! I always thought that my sisters (and others) were crazy liars. Sorry. I even like getting all sweaty at the gym, and feeling my heart pumping. And Keith says that my face does not get all red, like I told him it would. (but then, he may have said that just to be supportive and loving, which he is.) And I did not fall down over my step in class this week. Also, there is a class I really love which is a cross between ballet and yoga. So 3 cheers for the gym!

Close your Eyes

You are going to have to close your eyes. And imagine for a minute. Because I did not bring my camera with me, so cannot share with you the funny pictures. And a still picture just would not do anyway.

Ukrainian dancing class. Parent viewing day. A group of 3 and 4 year olds, little Mina among them. She is the smallest, and the youngest by about 6 months. They are all lined up, as straight as possible for 3 and 4 yr olds.

Except for Mina, who stand apart, facing the wrong way.

The teacher asks the children to imagine a ball, right in front of their feet. And tells the children to kick the ball "one, two, one two", and do the "kick kick" step. So the children kick their balls, one two, one two.

Except for Mina, whose ball has rolled across the gym. She follows after it, picks it up and throws it in the air. Then it starts to bounce, and so she hops around in a circle, like her ball.

The other children are doing "kick kick" in unison.

Mina's ball has once again rolled away.

Now it is time for the "stomp" step. (It is Ukrainian dancing after all, not ballet!) The teacher asks the children to imagine a bug on the floor, and to stomp on it. Which the children do happily, it is fun to stomp on bugs.

Except for Mina, who does the initial stomp, then sits down, and removes the bug from the bottom of her dancing slipper, walks to the corner of the gym, and puts it down on the floor. then tries to find more bugs on the floor.

And when it is time to "draw a line on the floor to hop over", Miss Mina sits down, drawing a line that turns into a letter M, and then finishes writing the "INA".

I think that perhaps she is not going to be a dancer. Her dancing teacher says that "Mina makes me sweat! She is very, um.... Artistic". (But not in a danc-ey sort of way.)

So Keith and I, sitting on the bench, tried very hard not to pee our pants laughing.

Unexpected

Well, I just did something shocking and unexpected.





















I joined a gym.
Because I want to be fit.
I want to run, and refuse to do it in the cold winter, which is 3/4 of the year here.
Because I have no room in my 750 square foot house for a treadmill.
Because my brand new running shoes are gathering dust while waiting for better weather.
Because they have Thomas the Train stuff in the gym's daycare.
Because I want an excuse to buy and ipod and listen to Roxette really loudly.

Saturday

Well, the sunbeams last week did not shine. The other teacher (there are too many kids for one class) did not show up. So guess who got to "teach" not 6, but 12 Sunbeams? Me. And, I did not bring enough supplies for 12 kids, so 1/2 of my plans were not useable. Disaster. And, I fed one of them something she was allergic too. Even better. My approach this week is to adhere to a strict schedule. And also bring dairy/egg/nut free candy.

In other news,

• Today I primed the walls of the new bathroom. Very exciting. I am quite happy that I redid the lifting seam, as that wall looks very nice now.
• Keith has a job! It seems to be a good fit. We are working on how to arrange my work/childcare with his new schedule. I am cultivating a friendship with a teenager who I see in the AM while we are waiting for the bus. I hope that she might be interested in watching the girls on days that Keith has to work late.
• Tonight we are going to IKEA for dinner. A fun field trip for the girls, because now Mina and Abby can both play in Smalland, and Keith and I can browse towel racks, mirrors, and the as-is asile at our leisure. One of the other good things about not having a baby in the family.
  
• On the same topic, today was swimming lessons, and for the first time, I did not have to go in the water with them!

(am I maybe, perhaps trying too hard to convince myself that we don't need another baby?) It's just that I am noticing all of these little life changes which tell me that our family has entered a new stage. It is certainly food for thought.

A nothing post

Well folk, this is a nothing post. Or maybe not. Who knows. Sometimes it feels like I have nothing to say, and I should just do a duty post, because all of my sisters have new posts up.

I have not finished my basement bathroom yet. One of my tape seams was lifting. I tried to stick it down with more mud, but that looked just awful. So I finally just ripped it out, and started again. So, It will be another 3 day cycle of sanding and mudding before I can prime and paint. Thanks to youtube, I learned that fixing the seam is really not a big deal, and I was over sanding. Youtube is great for stuff like that! I was trying to watch the reno shows on HGTV to find out what I was doing wrong, but they never show the boring and tedious ins and outs of tapping and mudding drywall. (Really - all of those HGTV marathons I may have watched over Christmas break were research, not lazy procrastination! ha ha)

My friend just found out she is pregnant. I am very happy and excited for her. But the strange (for me) thing is that I was not jelous or wishing it was me. I was more jelous of the fact that she had a moose walk by her front window yesterday, not of the pregnancy. Just kind of strange to me, because usually that kind of news paints me very green with envy.

In other news, my new primary job is the Sunbeams. Last week was a disaster. They are used to nursery where they get to play and eat. I actually have to control them and teach them. For 2 hours. I really hope today goes better than last week. I woke up to horrible dreams about loosing some of them when I took them for a potty break. I think this week I shall bring candy for them. And if their parents have a problem with that, then they can have my job of teaching 6 sunbeams and try to do it without bribery. I hope that I can become a better Sunbeam teacher. If you have any tips, please share. My new idea for this week, courtesy of some LDS website, is to bring them "primary pets" (beanie babies from the thrift store) that they have to hold and keep quiet during the combined primary time. Our lesson today is about how our bodies are like HF's body. So we will be tracing our body shape and colouring it, reading a book about body parts, and playing with Mr Potato Head. And the candy. Church is now at 9AM! YAY! So, I better get going.

just need to say

...that it makes me really sad when my sisters do not return my phone calls. For days or weeks. Very sad indeed. It's because I can't text, isn't it? I feel so uncool. sigh.

Christmas!

Today is the Christmas season, as Mina likes to say. We are having lots of fun doing festive things. So far, we had made no less than 12 batches of cookies, most of which have already been eaten or shared. I did freeze a container full to bring to mom's house, but even that stash is getting nibbled on. By me. I have also eaten a box of Toffiffee's, almost by myself, and am working on another. I think I need to control myself, as my pants feel too tight. Auntie Patience has come to visit, and we took her to our ward's Christmas party, which ROCKED! It was so well done and so much fun. (when was the last time you head that about a ward Christmas party?) Patience also took the girls shopping to pick out gifts for Keith and I. I am not sure how much fun it was for Patience (busy mall, 1 week until Christmas, 2 excited kids.) But I enjoyed getting books at the Library while I waited for them. I am very happy that they did not want to sit on santa, as I have issues with that. Okay, I'll tell you my issues.

• Santa is really a stranger. I don't want my kids talking to, taking candy from, or sitting on the lap of a stranger. Oh whispering secrets in his ear.
  
• He touches hundreds of kids a day. Think of all the H1N1 living on those white gloves.
  
• It could be a stewie underneath that fat suit. Nuff said.
• While I do carry on the santa tradition, gifts, stockings, etc., I hate having to add more lies to the story "he is just a helper. He is here until Christmas Eve when he goes back to the N pole. He is magic and can be everywhere at once. Abby is very smart, as most 6 yr olds are, and would question me until kingdom come trying to get an answer and I'd have to make it all up on the spot. And, I'd probably mess it up and ruin the magic of it all. Oh the therapy.
• Line ups. Being that physically close to a bunch of stressed out parents and sticky kids who are not my own. Not fun.
• Paying 20 bucks for a commemerative photo.
  

We have also made home made Christmas cards, sang many songs (Mina's Jingle Bells version is really cute), and today was my CTR 5 Christmas party. Five 5 yr olds came over and we crafted and had lunch. I did feel bad about asking Keith to hide his coffee though. I was going to post pics, but am not sure about putting other peoples children on the net. So just imagine them here. There has been much playing outside, as we have a lot of fresh snow, more falling even as I type. And Mina is old enough that I do not have to go out with them anymore. Hooray for me, I get to be warm. I finished typing up the Christmas recipes, I have finished my course at G Macewan. I think my next extra curricular activity will be a stained glass class.

Keith has some time off. Well, he is looking for a job actually. So if you are a plumbing company in Edmonton, give us a call. In the mean time, he is building equity in the form of a basement bathroom. We are very excited about it! One b-room is not enough. And the new one will be much better than what was there before. Just ask Nunu what a pit it used to be. So, while is does suck that Keith currently is not employed, he is using this time to build a bathroom and it will be much appreciated by all. (I don't want to say "unemployed" because that makes him sound like a pogey bum, and he is being anything BUT lazy!)

So Merry Christmas All!

Bread!

I am becoming good at making bread! 3 successful weeks in a row! Thanks mom, for the hands on lesson this summer. She taught me how to knead the dough properly by hand. I was using my kitchenaid before, and as much as I love the kitchenaid, for me, it always wrecked my bread. But when I knead it by hand, voila - perfection! Plus, I love the way you can feel the flour and stuff coming together and changing consistency. Being only 5 feet tall, I need to stand on a stool, so that I am at proper kneeding height. I think that helps the bread too. I still like to sit in front of the oven and watch the bread bake. I remember having a little stool for that when I was little.

Remember when we were little and mom was baking bread, and would always make us be quite and not run around when it was baking or rising? Because it would "fall"? Well, I think she only said that for some much needed peace and quiet. My kids were loud and jumping around the kitchen the whole time, and the bread did not fall. Not even a bit. So, I think mom Just said that to keep us quiet. Maybe that is why she made bread so much, so that we would not be crazy all the time... Good strategy mom, we all won with that one. Bread for us, and 2 hours of peace and quiet for you.

2 posts in 1 week!

How unusual. Usually it is one a month! My children have the swine flu. Poor babies. They are very sick. Abby is heartbroken about missing her school play today. While I am of course concerned about them, part of me wants to make curly piggy tails and pin them on to their jammie pants. But I should probably not make light of a situation. I get in trouble that way sometimes.

Photo Updates

Here are the Halloween costumes: a Mermaid, and Mavis the train. 100% home made!
This was a really foggy morning at our bus stop.
Hmm. I think I posted this one already. oops.
A better look at the Mermaid! I am so pleased with how it turned out!
Patience and Dan came and we went to the greenhouse/cornmaze. It was really a fun time! I think we will make it a Halloween tradition.
Here we are in the corn maze. Dan was the navigator, he was tall enough to see over the corn!
Aunite Bunny was up a while ago - there is always lots of crafting happening when she is here. She and Abby added wings to the horses.

Weird Wednesday

For lack of a better title, Wednesday begins with a W, as does Weird, and today is, you guessed it, Wednesday. Although nothing weird has happened. I did get to go for lunch with my mom, on her way to Coronation street. She was so cute, she was vibrating with excitement. While we were out I bumped into a former patient of mine, one of my favourite people ever, Norma. Her husband just died and she was very sad. And in the middle of this serious and sad conversation, she asked me if she could make some new puppet mittens for my girls, as the last ones she made must be too small by now. She is such a sweet sweet lady, and I am so happy to have met up with her today. I think that is the best part of my job, people like Norma. Tonight I start my class at Grant MacEwan, and I found out that the U of A is considering a midwifery program. Very hopeful! Hopefully within 3 or 4 years, I can just do that, instead of settling for LD Nursing.

End of Summer Top 5

Well, summer is officially almost over. There are yellow leaves on the trees already, we are busy thinking about back to school shopping, bussing schedules, and what to be for Halloween. My top 5 summer 2009 highlights are:

Seattle Sister Extravaganza: How fun to get together will all of the girls! We must do this at LEAST once every 2 years. Thank you for inspiring me to learn to run. My first goal is to do a 5K in summer of 2010. I have only gone out running a few times so far, as summer scheduling has been all over the place. But once we are into a good fall routine it will be much easier to keep up with it.

Colfax Cousin Camp: Letting the cousins play and get to know each other is priceless. It was so fun to hang out at Betina's beautiful home for a week. I hope that all of our kids - the unborn future ones included, will become good friends.

Disney Family Reunion: Of course Disneyland is the perfect place for a huge family reunion. They just know how to take care of families! Thank you Dad for the awesome holiday, everyone had so much fun. I finally got a chance to do the Indiana Jones ride, and scared myself silly on the Malibu Screamer.

Potty Training, Mina Style: Step one - put on panties. Step two - Throw away diapers. Mission complete. She rocks!

Tooth Fairy Visits: Abby lost 2 teeth this summer, one at Disneyland! She is growing up so much. I love this great girl!


PS: I discovered today that I have a lot of jam in my fridge.

• ED Smith triple berry
• Bonne Maman mixed fruit
• Smuckers Strawberry
• Smuckers seedless Raspberry
• Plum Jam
• Apricot Jam

That seems like a lot, but I keep trying new recipes, and they all need some specific jam.

On the topic of recipes... I am collecting the Christmas recipes this year. So please send me no less than 3 yummy recipes that you have been loving in 2009. Please have this to me by November 15th. Thank you, I will send out a e mail as well. And reminder e mails too.

About Mina

Two things about Mina this week...

I wish I could say that she is always well behaved, and would never think of running away from her family in public. However, that is not my daughter. She loves to run away, and sometimes just gets distracted and goes her own way. So, I have made a harness for her, to use while in Disneyland. Yes, I admit that I am going to tie my child to a leash. Please do not judge me, I am not a bad parent! Besides, she really likes it, and pretends to be a puppy.

Also, she has foiled my potty training "plans". I was going to think about doing it once Abby was back in school, but yesterday, she made the choice to start. She has been very successful so far! I am worried about DLand though, and the airplane ride. I am going to have to bring so many more clothes now. Sheesh! But I will not complain about it, because she is not showing the same difficulties that Abby did.

Colfax Cousin Camp!

This one is from the Appaloosa Horse Museum. It was a big highlight of Abby's holiday. They have a contest where you can buy a ticket and the prize is a real live Appaloosa horse! I am so happy that Abby did not see the poster about that, or she would have choose a ticket for the draw as her souvenir instead of the stuffed horse we brought home.
Mom loves having her picture taken, especially in front of tourist landmarks, like the World's Biggest Truck. Abby, not so much.
Here we are at the WSU Creamery eating ice cream. We were too late for the cheese making demonstration, but did get to buy a can of really yummy cheese to take home for Keith. I love ice cream. I think next time we should go more often to the creamery, so that I can try more of the yummy flavours!
Here are 2 kissing cousins. Sortly after this, Mina gave Ivy a hug, and Ivy fell backwards and rolled down the little slope behind her. Very cute.
2 Cow-girl cousins. The horse is Danny, and the girls had a really fun time with him. They even got to use the reins and direct him where to go. Pretty cool!

My only regret about this trip is that I did not bring a camera on the boat with us, when Betina's friend took us tubing. But it was really hot out, and therefore I was feeling like poop. So I did not even think about bringing it. I wish I had pictures of Eden and Abby together on the tube, and especially of mom after she was dunked upside-down under the water. Mina even took a turn on the tube, and she cried when her turn was over. She is such an adventurous little two-two!

Thank you Betina for showing us such a good time. We all really enjoyed ourselves and had a great trip. The girls are already asking when we can come again!

Some photographical updates

The main even this week: Abby lost her first tooth! She is overjoyed. I am a happy/sad. Another "growing up" sort of event that makes me feel all conflicted. Maybe that is why I am doing nothing about potty training Mina. I just don't want them to grow up so fast!
Getting pretty. Auntie Eve gave Abby a make up set and Abby loves it. She even shares it with Mina! wow. Thanks Auntie Eve. Sharing does not happen often around here these days!
Here is Abby's reaction when we (finally) told her about going to Disneyland this summer.
This was the day of Abby's 6th birthday party.
Mina often takes off all of her clothes for no reason at all, and then I find her places, carrying on with her naked life. When she does this in combination with a tantrum at the medicentre, that is when it is time to go home.
Here are my girls. Abby can be such a nice big sister. They are so cute together in one big bed. It is hard to spot them sometimes, there are at least 8 pillows and no less than 50 stuffies at a time....

Inspiration

Here at long last is a picture of the runners! Seattle was so much fun. We did not get even a drop of rain and the weather was great. We stayed downtown and there was lots to do. I think it would make a good family holiday spot! The energy and excitement of the marathon was very inspiring, and I have decided to learn to run so that one day I can cross the finish line with my sisters. Although not for a marathon! Those crazies all looked mostly dead, had ice packs cling-wrapped to every joint below their waists and were falling over. The 1/2 marathoners on the other hand looked happy, but tired out. It was quite a contrast. Anyway, I bought some over-priced shoes, and some walmart special shorts and an exercise shirt. I never ever in a million years thought that running would ever be something I would do, but I am going to give it a try. One day, I might get to run with my sisters. And I will also gain the skills to run away from a bear, if I ever need to.

Abby Soundbite

Today gramma is visiting.

Abby: Brings her Trilobite cast that she made in Drumheller for Gramma to see.
"Look Gramma!"

Gramma: "Oh, what a nice footprint".

A: "It's not a footprint."

G: "Is is a bug?"

A: Rolls eyes. "It is a TRILOBITE. It is a sea creature from the early cretaceous. (Stomps off sighing to herself), I'll go get the book and look it up for you..."

Later...

A: "Mum, isn't Gramma a teacher?"

Me: " Um, yes, but she teaches special ed." (Was that wrong of me to say??)

The Mother Weekend

Last weekend I sent to ye ole home town of Slave Lake, and visited my mom, along with 3 sisters. We had a lot of fun hanging out with mom, and she loved it. I think she gets really lonely up there. Eve made bread with mom, and did lots of scrubbing - but I think the crazy girl actually enjoys the scrubbing! I went for a nature walk with mom while all of the athletic types ran away from us, and we all went to the movie. My mom was surrounded by a whole row of us at the movie theater, instead of being by herself. I think it was the highlight of the weekend for her. We also gorged on orange slurpees. mmmm, and the campfire smores of course. I had a chance to visit with an old friend and it was so nice to see her! Although being around her kids made me miss mine. Definately bringing the family up there next time. We even cruised mainstreet in her '68 Camaro. Being inside that car makes even a 30 something mom with the mom ponytail and a sinus infection feel cool. I think that might have been the highlight of my weekend. The weather was beautiful, and of course being in SL in the summertime always makes me want to move back. I miss the nature, the open spaces and well, the non citiness of it. ( All the things I hated as a teenager...) The black preacher at the old IGA, the small town gossip at the health store coffee shop, picking up mail at the PO, the REX, Tags, the deer and coyote sightings, the horses and cows, the quads and boats, the lake, seeing more of the stars. You can just, breathe, there. I think when I am done educating myself, we are going to have to seriously consider a move back to nature.

The Best

The best $13 I have spent this week:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090323.wStyle0323/BNStory/lifeStyle/home

Did that show a picture? Or just a link? I am so not good at this...

Anyhow, this cheese grater like device has transformed my hideous heels from revolting to almost normal. I know that I am not the only sister with hideous heels, so if you want to try something new, other than moving to the perfect climate of California, try this! It is kind of gross really, to think about grating off the dead dry cracked skin, and emptying the old skin make me want to barf. But the results are amazing. Do try it.