A Funny Keith Story

A few weeks ago Keith told me this story.  For some reason, I could not stop laughing about it this morning!  Keith used to work for a guy who was a bit, flakey.  This guy went on mystic yoga retreats, only ate raw foods, and had crystals hanging in his window.  (Not that these things alone make someone flaky.  I'm just giving a little background here...)  So.  The plumbers would have staff meetings once in while, and the boss was really into "team building" and so on.  One time, he made all of the guys look eachother in the eyes for 60 seconds each.  So Keith had to sit there, looking deeply into the eyes of all his co-workers.  Including the guy who had only one eye, and the other was made of glass. They were supposed to be doing this so that they could see eachother as fellow human beings. 

I love my collection of funny stories about my loved ones.  My kids especially love hearing the ones about Gramma (specifically Windstorm, Hot Pepper and Butter Dish.)  Uncle Sean and his Flip Flops is also popular around here.   We should make a book... 

So there ya go.   Todays ha ha.  

Post Script

(SO much better than just PS, don't cha think?)


After going to bed last night, I thought I should have posted a picture of Keith's side of the counter around the fridge.  It contains: A coffee maker and a kettle, the sugar bowl and spoon.  And that is all.  If anything somehow lands on that side of the counter, a hair elastic, a book, a roll of tape, anything, it is promptly brought to MY side of the counter.  This is mirrored also in the state of our bed in the AM.  On my side, the blankets are all tangled up in knots, and on his side, you can barely tell that someone was even sleeping there.  I'm not sure what this means about Keith and I as people, or as a couple, or about our states of mind, but it sure is funny to me... ( there is a small chance that sometimes I put random objects on his side of the counter just to see what happens to them....) 

On another subject, being pregnant gives me weird, detailed dreams, that are really long and super crazy. And I always remember them.  Sometimes I look forward to going to sleep so I can find out what strange things await in my dreams... For example, last night, I had this very involved dream about a bizzare family holiday.  In part of this dream, Keith wanted to grow his hair long again, and was tired of waiting.  So, he got extentions.  

Dear Betina,

I hoped maybe that showing you my counter top of doom might make you feel better.  On it you can see the following:

• Knitting project.
• Abby's reading log, DNA folder and homework.
• Book about the politics of birth.  ( I know, I know...)
• Cheque book with no cheques left in it, reminding me to order more.
• Take out menu.  Because sometimes I resort to pizza just to get Mina to eat SOMETHING without telling me how disgusting it is.  
• Tax forms and what not that I still need to file.  Better yet, I need to just do the taxes for last year...
• Many sticky notes with lists of things I need to do/buy/plan/think about.
• Some other things that are under the pile that I forgot about.  

And  on the wall behind the phone is are "awards" that the girls made for me, for being a great mom. 

We all have a counter of doom.  Mine haunts me too.  But then I look up and see my trophy's and go back to building the lego towers because that is how I earned the awards. (And under the counter of doom is our "Drawer of Requirement."  If there is anything you need, it will be there.  Except the SSRI's of course.  Those are kept locked up.)

Does this count?

I think as far as mormon stuff goes, blogging on a Sunday is A-OK.  To me it is like journaling, which is heavily reccomended for a Sunday afternoon activity.  And shoveling the snow is A-OK too, as long as you make it a service to others and shovel both of your neighbours walks too. Which was nice to do today because my one neighbour has gotten to it first for the past few snowfalls, taking away my good deed intentions.  I think retired people must sit all day looking out of the window, just waiting for that last snow flake to fall so they can get out there with their fancy snow removal tools. 

So, my secret it all the way out.  I finally got the courage to tell work about the baby-to-be, and there is just no hiding it in Sunday clothes anymore.  Keith was laughing a bit about my attempts, ha ha, so I finally just gave in.  I got really fat right away this time, which my doctor said probably was because I had to stop 3 of my medications at once, and that apparantly is a recipe for getting fat.  Anyhow, I always like the first few months of pregnancy, having this little secret that only a few select people know about.  Watching other people try so hard to bite their tongues trying not to ask the seemingly obvious.  And the day you finally give in to the elastic waisted pants and feel soooo much better.  I also like the day or two when it is just me and only me who knows about it.  It is like this incredible sparkly present that you get to give to the one you love the most.  Even if it is an unexpected present. 

Kid update:

Mina cannot for the life of her say the word "envelope".  She says something like "antelope" instead.  Also, the other day we had a conversation about being old. 
Mina: Mom, are you old?
Me: I'm older than you.
Mina: But are you old?
Me: I'm old enough. 
Mina: Is Daddy old?
Me: He's old enough too.
Mina: (getting frusturated with me)  But is he old, like an old shoe?
ha ha ha. 

I took Abby to a Harry Potter day at the University science department.  They had all of these booths set up where you could do science experiments and check out "magical" things. They had the expected acid base things, and dry ice, but she also got to extract her own DNA from a saliva sample!  How cool is that?  I was so proud of her - she knew all of the answers to questions about obscure animals - like that a male platypus has a poisonous claw on his hind feet!  She was shown a skull and identified it as the skull of a Komodo Dragon. This girl is incredible!  (She also knew all of the answers to a Harry Potter quiz, but I expected that.) 

Thats all for now folks.  Oh, and I joined facebook.  (I was planning to never ever do so, but that is where my midwife updated her clients if she has to rebook an appointment. )

Musings... A bullet List

• I was going to blog about how much I hate the bleeping cold.  But, it has warmed to only -24 degrees, so I feel much better about it.  I was not enjoying the -44 of yesterday.  
• I keep telling myself that it is cheaper and more practical to by new car seats and booster seats than it is to buy a new car.  But the Mazda 5 is calling me!  Alas, a couple of Britax Marathon's should do the trick.  Or  perhaps the Radian 65's which are also narrow.  
• I made the most delicious lasagne over the weekend.  It was golden and bubbly and perfect.  I even took a picture of it for my archive of fantastic food that I have made.  I also have many pictures of various yorkshire puddings and apple pies. 
• The museum is having a Chair exhibit and I am unreasonably excited.  People thing I am a bit strange, but I can't wait!    

I should really not have started this list now, because I have to go get Abby.  More later!  TTFN!!

Mommy Confession # 73

Sometimes, when she is asleep, I sneak into Mina's room and put chapstick on her.  I just cannot abide those little chapped dry hurting lips, that keep getting licked in the cold, and never get chapstick-ed because she hates it. Sometimes, I even use vaseline.  

Merry Ho Ho!

Of all the gifts I gave this year, these are the ones I was most excited about.  I learned to knit in 2011, thanks to my amazing Mother-in-law, (and you tube, when she was not around to ask for help.)  I had a lot of waiting time in doctors offices, etc, so I got a lot of knitting done!  The Gryffindor scarf is so awesome - I knit it in a tube, so that both sides are nice, and it will be really warm. Mina's hat was a last minute project, but it turned out perfectly!  Thanks for the pattern Betina! 

We had a really fun Christmas. Mom, Anders and Celeste came over and it was very festive indeed.  I even had a festive tablecloth for the dinner.  Fancy!  And I did not run out of cutlery!  We went skating on Christmas Eve, did a secret Santa for someone, and saw some Christmas lights.  There were new PJs for all (thanks Eve!) and even new dresses, since it was a Sunday after all.  I quite enjoyed church on Christmas day. ( I always kind of envied the Catholics who get that every year, and for us it is only when the 25th falls on a Sunday. I am also envious of thier stained glass.  But I suppose I should not be envious....)  Anyway.

Merry Christmas to all!  Hope your Christmas has been happy!  And a Happy New Year too, in which we shall celebrate with the amazing cream cheese cinnamon buns, drool. 

Let There be Light!

We are officially the brightest house on the block!  Keith has revealed his previously unknown competitive streak. Next year I think there may be lawn ornaments and perhaps a mechanical lighted moose.  Every time I turn the corner and see our house lighting up the street I can't help but smile and laugh a bit because I love them so much.  Merry Christmas! 

In other festive news, my band concert was on Sunday and it was fantastic.  I love playing with a full orchestra (minus the string section).  It was the first time I know of that brass, saxophones, drums etc.  were allowed to play in the chapel.  The stake had to get special permission from SLC!  They even removed 3 pews so that we could make a little orchestra pit.  It was just beautiful, I wish you could have been there.  I invited my neighbours and and 2 of them came! This was big for me, as I have never invited a non member to a church event. There was a choir as well, and some solos.  I have 2 new favourites to add to my list: "Still, Still, Still", and "Guard Him, Joseph".  Especially when done by Brother Hatch.   

so, have a merry Christmas!

PS the Christmas recipes may be a little bit late, so to those sibs who have not sent any yet, you still can, we will just call them new years recipes this year. 

Happy #5

Here Mina is at Christmas, wait a minute!  That's not Mina, it's me!  ha ha ha.  THis picture came from the Late Aunt Connie's photo album.  When dad showed it to me, I could not believe how much Mina looks like I did at that age.  It is incredible.  I love it!

Here is the real Mina!  She had a pyjama themed party, and wore her new birthday hat (a gift from Eli, the aformentioned childhood stealer.  He is forgiven.)  And the cake, was delicious!   Best frosting recipe ever:  Put 8 oz whipping cream and 8 ounces baking chocolate, we used semi sweet, in a bowl.  Microwave until w. cream is very warm, and chocolate begins to melt.  Let sit a few minutes, then mix it together.  Pour over cake, smooth it, let sit overnight or a few hours to harden.  I put a layer of it inbetween the layers of cake too.  wowza. 

So, Happy birthday Mina!  You are hilarious, beautiful, kind, sweet and loving.  You have a great imagination, you love your friends, you adore your sister.  You love watching Mr. Bean, and Sponge Bob, you appreciate a good joke.  You love to read, take the bus to school, play with Anna, your best friend, stretch your incredibly flexible body, and make cookies with mom.  You love candy, and have the dental work to prove it.  (you are also, incredibly well behaved in the dental chair, thank goodness.)  You love to come and cuddle in my bed before my alarm goes off, asking me questions like "what starts with Q?", before I have fully woken up.  Mina, I love you.  Happy Birthday!

A Very Harry Halloween!

Happy Halloween all, it has been very Potter-ish around here!  I did not get  a photo of our "HP/Deathly Hallows" Jack-o-lantern, but here are Abby and Mina in costume, (that would be Ginny and Arnold the pygmy-Puff). The picture does not really show the tie, headband and co-ordinating nailpolish, the wand or the robe.  But, you get the idea. Mina's fluffy vest is rather simple, but it was a last minute costume switch (she was going to be a skeleton until Abby decided she should be a pygmy-puff.  Luckily, Mina was more than happy to agree.)   Abby spent much time trying to get Mina to sit on her shoulder.  There was also a themed dinner, with mashed potato ghosts, orange/purple jello, and deviled eye-balls.  And I hand piped no less than 60 gingerbread skeletons for the class parties.  This stay at home mom stuff is getting really fun, now that I am not in agony.  Sadly, only 2 weeks left then it will be back to work for me.  I always thought I would go insane if I did not get to work, but it turns out that this is not the case.  I am actually really enjoying this.  Alas.  Now I know what I am missing. 

Also pictured is Mina's first day of school, and mom baking bread with the girls.  They had a great time!  Clearly, I will never get a commercial kitchen license, as our baking practises are rather unhygenic.  I have no idea why Mina has no clothes on.  I was in a post surgical daze, that is my excuse. 

Another Gem

Mina: "Mommy, let's play castle.  Abby will be the queen and I will be the princess.  Daddy will be the King."

Me: "And what will I be?"

Mina: "Mommy, you can be the cook-servant."

thanks. 

As as side note, Martha Stewart always has really good hair.  Doncha think?

My sweet 4 year old...

On a Sunday Morning, getting ready for church. 
"But Mom, really, please, I have never been naked at church before!" ~~Mina

In other news, she is slowly loosing her innocence.  As much as I love seeing my kids grow up, learn things, go to school and make friends, it tears my heart apart to see them being subjected to the world.  Mina has a hat, well, one of many, and it is her yellow kitty hat that Granny made,  It has cute little ears on it.  She Loooooves this kitty hat, and wears it often.  She has me stuff the ears to they don't flop over.  She wears this hat to church and to bed.  One day, she came home from school with the yellow kitty hat in her backpack, and told me she would not wear it anymore.  Because Eli was laughing at it, and trying to take it away.  Eli!  You stealer of childhood! You breaker of a mother's heart!  So, since that day, the beloved kitty hat has sat alone in the bin.  Very very sad.  It is the thing about school that I hate the most.  I wish I could forever cocoon my children so that they could always be pure "Äbby"or pure "Mina", without all of the influences of the Eli's of the world.  (It kind of makes me think of the plan of Salvation in a way, and how HF must have felt about sending us down here and watching us grow up...)   Today the kitty hat, and songs about farting.  Tomorrow, well, I hope my girls are strong enough to love what they love, and be true to themselves.  I hope the kitty hat will be dusted off and worn proudly again. 



BTW, Happy Thanksgiving!  gobble gobble. 

The Things I Have Lost

Well, today I took off the remainder of the steri-strips from my tummy.  And, it turns out, not only have I lost 60 + cm of small intestine, I have also lost my belly button.  Very unsettleing. 

I'm Back!

Well, I'm sort of back.  Recovering from a major abdominal surgery is a big deal.   I can't even imagine having a C section and having to go through the recovery from surgery, plus the usual post natal problems, plus a new baby.  My hat goes off to any woman who has had to do this.  And to those people who have "ëlective"surgery, well, you are plain crazy, IMHO.  Real life surgery is nothing like hospital experiences on TV.  No hottie doctors, the rooms are ugly and old, and there is always a room mate.  The only people who get private rooms here are people with super bug infections, or people who are dying.  In my case, the room mate was Sophie.  An elderly native lady who had her foot chopped off.  She was very hard to share with.  She kept her TV on all the time.  Even at night.  That is when I would muster all of my strength to cross the room, turn off her TV and move it out of her reach.  She blamed the nurses.  ha, take that Sophie.  And the food is just as bad as you have heard.  But, I did discover something about myself.  I have inherited a strange behaviour from my Grandfather.  In his fridge, in the butter and cheese keepers in the door, he always had a huge collection of individually portioned condiments.  Ketchup, salad dressing, soy sauce, you name it.  Well, by the end of my stay, I had nearly filled the top drawer of my bedside table with individually portioned condiments.  I just could not bear to toss them, they were still good, and maybe I might pack one in my lunch for work one day.  But then, I envisioned my grandpa's fridge, and all that mustard falling out every time you opened the door, and I threw them all away.  Just like that.  There are many things to be said about a hospital stay, and truth is, I could complain all day about it, but really,  I am just thankful to have it over with.  I am slowly getting better, even though my feet and legs are still ridiculously swollen, I can eat, I am not throwing up anymore.  I hope to start gaining weight, I am going to get a second medical opinion on managing my Crohn's, and also visit a naturopath.  And, I am going to start juicing, once I am able to go grocery shopping. 

Another thing about going through this experience, wow, people really care.  I have had so many people helping in so many ways.  I am thankful and blessed to have so many people, friends, family, co-workers, who are looking out for me.  Today's task is writing out thank you cards!

Sick Leave

Apologies to all for not blogging.  I have been V. ill, and that is my excuse for not blogging, gardening, hanging pictures, cleaning the bathtub, keeping up with social and family communications and responsibilities and so on and so forth.  On Wednesday the good doctors will be chop chopping me into pieces, in hopes of fixing my plumbing.  Wish me luck, say a prayer, and bring dinner!  I will be in hospital for a week, then will be home to recover, if all goes smoothly.  Please call Keith first to see if I am up to seeing visitors in the hospital.  I am not sure how social I am going to be feeling after being surgeried, will all the hospital things going on.

And then when I am better, boy do I have a long list of things I would like to do!  Christmas dinner will take on a whole new meaning this year!   

Pictures

Abby and Papa after her baptism. A very happy day! (Dad's suits apparantly have not been returned from the cleaners).
This was over Easter, I think. We had a fun dinner, and Anders came later to pick up mom. An Anders sighting! That was memorable.
This is how Abby and Mina slept for the first 2 weeks in our new house. They took a while to get used to sleeping alone. Pretty sweet, they really do love eachother.
Here is one of the many diarama's Mina leaves all over the house. They are very precise and orderly, and hard to clean up. But deadly to step on.

home! part 2

Here is part 2 of my home tour! Probably I should have cleaned up the house first, but, too bad. Here you see the actual real house, messes and all. (and more than a few unpacked boxes.) Just a side note, it takes forever and a day to upload a video! sheesh.

Home! part 1

argh.

I know, still no house pictures, if anyone cares. I have not forgot, one day they shall appear, perhaps.

And I have to say I am a little disenchanted with the blog world these days, kind of annoyed with bloggers in general. I don't really want to be a "blogger", like they are. But since I am writing this on my blog, it is obvious how confused about it I am. Because blogging can be a fun thing. Except when it is not, and everybody's perfect everything just gets irritating, and even their stories of imperfection have a silver lining. gag me.

But that is just how I am feeling today, and I am sure that once I get my house inorder, and finish my projects and stop feeling annoyed with everyone and their dog, (or should I say blog, ha ha) I will be a happy blogger again.

photos

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

Here is a good photo link of the devastation.