dls

Most of us are forced to endure this change not once, but twice a year. However, this has only been something I've come to know as normal for the past ten years. I grew up in a smallish north eastern BC town where the time doesn't change. It's a fairly small radius of about a one hour (approx) drive in anywhich direction. Until I moved here to southern BC, I had no idea what it was like to get an extra hour in the fall, and lose that same gained hour, later in the spring. As a young child, I never had to suffer through losing that hour of sleep only to gain it again later in the year. Because of being further north, we had light longer into the winter evenings, and early morning sunrises too. I didn't realize how drastic the change until my first visit back home after living here for a few years.

But back to the point. I'm sure my Mom realized how good it was not to have to deal with the time changes with us younger kids, since moving from Ontario. Now that I'm a Mom, I see how it affects my kids year after year. Not so much now that they're a little older and able to deal with changes a little easier. But when they were babies and toddlers .. Oh. My. G*d. what an ordeal. I had to wean them into that new bedtime by ten or fifteen minute increments. But this morning they loved being able to sleep in, and tonight they went to bed exhausted and ready for their comfy warm covers to snuggle under.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On another note. I haven't been feeling all that well for the past couple days. The cold that had been going around, finally made it's way past my indestructable (ha! who am I kidding) immune system. I think it's on the way out, but in the meantime, I don't think my head could feel more stuffed and heavy and my body so sore and weary. I'm going to be optimistic tho and prove that it will not be what paves my upcoming week into whatever it turns out to be.

goobers and guck

One of my most favourite fall activities. Cleaning out and carving pumpkins. It's messy, it's fragrant, it's fun and a great artistic outlet. F.U.N!
Hailey really got into the 'guts' this year. She had more fun playing with them, singing this song titled Goobers and Guck I believe from High Five (childrens tv show) and forming it into a ball and threatening to guck someone if they got to close. All this guck attention left her pumpkin free for moi to take over carving. Silly me forgot to get a couple more pumpkins for D and I to play with, so it took alot of pleading for Alissa to finally cave and let D carve the other side of her pumpkin, which he ended up distracted from when a friend stopped over and it turned out looking much like the typical five year old carving.

I'll try to remember to get a picture of them lit up later tonight, to show the final faces.

It was fun, and something I can now check off our fall festivity list. :)

ETA: the picture after dark with the candles burning inside them. Let me point out to you that I helped Hailey with the top one, and the bottom one is the one that D messed up along with Alissa's help. ;) I'm not bragging .. just saying.

Yay Me!

I had decided a little while ago that I would challenge myself to make the yearly calendars I usually paper scrap for the grandparents, digitally this year. So after procrastinating for awhile, this afternoon I thought I may as well try. A couple months ago I had recieved PSE 3.0 from a friend, and it was a perfect upgrade from the pitiful little scrapbooking program I had been practicing on before, but it also meant a whole new huge world was opened up to me, and the basics ended up taking forever and very time consuming. I began by playing with it for altering photos, then yesterday found a tutorial that walked me through a very simple layout using the texture options and colours in PSE. That's all so boring. I wanted to use some of the gorgeous kits I had been collecting and hording along the way, so this is what ate up the later part of the afternoon.
Have I mentioned how time consuming this is? But from what I've been told, it gets easier and faster and I can't wait for that!

*credits: background and inked edging .. Cindy Simon's Sunday Mist kit
Sun .. Gina Cabrera's Sunny Disposition kit
Font .. 4990810
and I can't remember where I downloaded the calendar templates from .. it was quite awhile ago.

a little 'haha'

I was reading through a little magazine that comes free by way of mail here in Canada. It includes small fashion tips, face and body product ads and coupons, season related recipes, and a couple articles. There was on inclusion this time, kids say the darndest things. I just LOVE reading these because I know first hand how blatantly honest kids can be.

Here's the "joke".

Julie's daughter was carefully watching her mom's every move as she got ready for work. As Julie bent over to pull up a pair of slacks, her daughter wistfully asked, "Mom, when will my bum be as big as yours?" Percious Darling!

small changes

Sometimes small changes are good, and because I recieved so many compliments on this photo of the girls and I .. I wanted to use it for my header for awhile. Besides, I was getting tired of looking at the same old one. Now you'll see mine and my two girlies smiling faces greeting you upon every visit. :)

good morning

"good morning, good morning
how are you today?
good morning, good morning
did you sleep okay?

the sun is shining,
the birds are chirping
and children are getting
ready for school.

it's time to rise and shine
and greet the world with
a great big smile!"

This is the song I sing to the girls when I walk into their rooms to wake them up in the mornings. Not every morning is it sung, but on those off days I do at least cheerful say "rise and shine!". That phrase is something my Mom used to wake my sister and I up to as a child. I wanted to take it further and made up a wee little song that the last couple versus have changed since they've started school.

I was reminded this morning, why I started greeting my children to a little song almost every morning. It wakes them up in a good mood. This little song is what I heard played back at me this morning by my youngest. She really has such a beautiful singing voice .. so pure, so sweet.

one stray off the streets

It's amazing how one little good deed can make oneself feel like a million dollars.
Here's the story.

Last Friday I noticed a new cat walk past our back window. I took a closer look and saw an orange cat that was obviously under malnourished. Actually, it was skin and bones, and eyes were murky and plain disgusting. We leave our cat's food dish outside because he's an outdoor cat (due to allergies), I saw the cat stop there and scrunch down and begin eating what was left. I opened the back door and shoo'd him away, then felt bad for doing so, but he was gone already.
I didn't see him again until Sunday, when Dave and I were home and then I put some extra food out for him, but left it at that. The next morning, I caught the neighbour outside and we chitchatted about the stray. She had seen it and commented that her daughter wanted to call the SPCA and not the pound for obvious reasons of what happens at both places. I didn't see the cat after that, so thought perhaps they had called.

Today, one of Hailey's classmates who also used to be a neighbour of ours up until last December, brought up in conversation that their cat has been missing for "60 days". When I dropped Alissa off at noon, the two of them came running up and Megan wanted to confirm with me what Hailey had told her about this cat. Yes it's orange and friendly. She wondered if it could be their cat. I didn't know, but I told her that I'd see if it was around when we got home from school, and I'd try calling it by the name of their cat. Hailey gave her our number and when we got home after having played at the playground afterwards, we saw the cat sitting by the door at the duplex Megan and her Mom used to live in. I called the cat and it came over, meowing and talking like crazy. We gave it a couple handfuls of food and I called Megan's Mom back after seeing she had called and left a message while we were still out. She suggested I call the SPCA and have them pick it up as she was vehicleless, and this way if it was their cat, the tattoo numbers would come up as it belonging to them. So I call the SPCA and they don't pick animals up do to lack of manpower .. but I could drop it off if I wanted, she said. Umm .. the whole point of having them come out was so I didn't have to touch the thing. Eeek. It's very skinny body, and pertruding bones were giving me a major case of the eeby jeebies. So I call the old neighbour up, get her new addy and tell her I'll swing by with the cat, if it's not theirs then I'll continue on to the SPCA. I get the nerve to drape an old towel (don't worry .. I threw it out immediatly after) over it, pick it up and tuck it into a prepared box with lots of holes. Into the car it went, along with the girls .. and off we were.

We pulled up to the neighbours new home, and brought the box inside. Heather opened the box and out popped the cat. She new immediatly it was their cat .. the one that they had lost August 11 when it followed her down the street to the bus stop and they never saw again. After further investigating (looking at ear tat's and calling it by it's name) they truly knew their precious kitty had been found. Today I witnessed a grown woman and an 8 yr old tear up with such love and excitement over a lost kitty. Because of our two chatty daughters, the mystery of the stray cat was solved and I was part of bringing a kitty back to it's rightful owner. One that will care for it again and feed it and bring it back to it's pre runaway stage.

So if things seemed to be rough and in a funk around here .. this little kitty brightening the day of two people gave me a spark of hope that things can only get better. I could have easily continued about my day, ignoring the fact that there was a cat coming by my back door for a little food .. but I'm glad I didn't turn a blind eye to that. I feel good. I feel like karma was served. I feel like I did my part for humanity today.

inspiration at the strangest of times

After feeling like crud for the past little while, and then coming upon this layout today while perusing a scrapping website, I think I've been inspired. I think I'm going to put all that bad energy into a layout, and when I'm finished with it, tuck it into an album and hope that files these strange feelings I've been having lately. It's worth a shot.

it MUST be monday

And I know this only because I'm not feeling like things are going great. My day's going okay, just not great. Actually, if I put more thought into it .. it's just where I am mentally that's bothering me. Not to mention the umpteen million fights I keep having to break up between Alissa and the five year old boy I'm minding. Could everyone just get along, stop saying nasty things, pick up after themselves, and STOP asking me so many dang questions!
I'd like to now just cuddle under a blanket and read my book. *hmph*

it's feeling more and more like fall

Not only is it feeling and looking like fall, but this morning I'm waking up to 1 degree C weather. Brrrrr! Remember I mentioned how horrible the windows are in this place and how we're forced to put up plastic in order to stay remotely warm during the winter? Well, that time has come. We've put off turning the heat on thus far, because really .. it all escapes out the teeny tiny cracks, so why heat the outside is how we look at it. But I'm freezing my tushy off. My fingers barely want to type because they're so frigid. Brrrrr! I say again!

D and I are having quite a lovely weekend sans the children. Awhile back my SIL asked what I wanted for my b-day. My first thought, and one I also vocalized was a weekend without the kiddies. So she and BIL have the girls for the weekend and D and I are enjoying the last day of quiet yet. Friday night we went out for dinner at a very nice restaurant. I ordered a very yummy Bodacious Blackberry Martini (YUM!) to go with my equally yummy seafood stuffed chicken breast with rice. Dave of course went for the steak and baked potatoe and like a good guy, drank coffee so that the birthday girl could drink. ;)

Yesterday we slept in and took our time getting ready for the day, then did a little shopping. The only fun thing we got was a down vest for myself and a mock leather jacket for D. He needed something that he could wear on a more casual (not work, not outdoorsy) day.

We also picked up Over the Hedge for the girls as their little reward for having such great feedback from the teachers last week at the parent/teacher interviews. This can spark up a whole other post, in which there was a time I didn't believe school feedback or grades should be rewarded, but that was the easier years. Grade 2 is proving to be harder, yet my brilliant daughter (yes I'm bragging) is sailing her way through thus far.

After the mall and lunch we went to our little neighbourhood pub to watch abit of the Canucks vs Nashville hockey game. I'm not much of a TV hockey fan. Give me a real live game I can sit and watch and scream and carry on at, then I'm happy. So we left after the second period but finished watching it at home where they went into overtime and of course, Canucks won!
This morning, I plan on scrapping abit. I have SO many wonderful recent pictures to scrap!

Dutch Apple Loaf

or in this case .. muffins. I found myself with an abundance of apples this week and needed to use some up soon. Of course I turned to my most favourite recipe site and found this recipe that really is to die for. The loaf turned out so scrumptious that I decided to make them into muffins as well, for easy school snacks and whatnot.

Here's the recipe in case you want a little bit of apple delight this weekend. Yum!

Dutch Apple Loaf
SUBMITTED BY: Gladys Meyer
PREP TIME
15 Min
COOK TIME
55 Min
READY IN
1 Hr 10 Min


1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced peeled tart apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

TOPPING:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture. Fold in apples and walnuts. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan.
For topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

almost perfect

Only one thing would have completed this moment .. and that 'thing' is Dave. But the girls and I had a blast playing in the crunchy fallen leaves yesterday afternoon.

I love making memories like this, and I love it even more that I'm fortunate enough to have a device in which to capture those moments for life. 

33 and holding

This is going to sound a little egotistic, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! :P

Every year I'm reminded why I really do love this time of year, and no, it's not because my birthday happens to be in October. It's the fall season, and everything about it, from the smells of the damp earth, to the colours of the ever changing trees, to the warm sun shining on me as I walk along in the brisk cool air. Perhaps I love it so much because it is my season. The time of year I was born.

From what I know at this early hour of the morning, there's no special plans made for my day. D works afternoon shift, so I'll be making dinner even, but that's okay. After our scheduled parent/teacher interviews with both girls teachers, I plan on taking the girls out to spend time with JUST them. It's a rare treat for us lately, what with the babysitting of the two boys I've mentioned previously. Perhaps I'll even indulge a little and pick up a cheesecake for desert.

I have decided to make some plans for my upcoming year. One can call them resolutions even, and thanks to redneckgirl and her great idea of looking ahead instead of behind, I plan on doing the same. I'm working on my list of 'resolutions' for the upcoming year and will share them when I think I'm done.

I hope the sun shines today. :)

*Dave has this thing about up close and in your face (literally) photos. I believe he was experimenting with my sisters reflection in my glasses, which he succeeded. So please excuse any blemishes, wrinkles, etc. That's 33 yr old skin you're looking at! :P

Sunday Pumpkin Hunting

It's a rather drizzly day, but we were able to find a moment in the weather, to head out to the pumpkin patch and enjoy a hayride and quick play with the friendly animals at the petting farm. It was the first year we were able to make it a family event, since prior years the girls had gone with preschool field trips in which I tagged along for. Although last year, Hailey's grade 1 class didn't go, and I so missed this experience and photo opportunity.

Alissa enjoyed the little kids that were oh so friendly, but her most favourite attraction was the bunnies that ran about as they pleased. No sooner would she get within arms reach, and the bunny would scoot in through a hole in a fence and escape.

Hailey was all over the little bunnies that were to small to be let out loose. I just know that I'll be hearing alot of "I want a bunny!" in our future. Oy!


Oh yes, and then there was the little homemade indoor hay/corn maze. It didn't take to long for the girls to figure it out as they both came running to the exit, one behind the other. I have to giggle at their expressions in this photo tho. hee.

water babies

They did it! They passed their levels in swimming lessons. Yesterday was the last lesson for their particular levels and both girls passed not only the level they were registered in, but the next one as well. So Hailey will go into the Red Cross Swimming Kids level 3 next, and Alissa will go into the Swimming Salmons (special classes for kids up to age 6, then they transfer over to the Red Cross levels). So we'll take until the next available class time offered in January to practice and perfect skill learned up until now .. then register them for their next levels. I'm so very proud of them!

On a flip note .. Hailey's about to have her first 'real' quiz today. She's been learning about the 7 continents and 4 oceans and had advance notice on today's quiz. So every night this week I've gone over them with her .. giving her little tips in remembering them all, yet still she has difficulty. Just from overhearing our studying, Alissa could say two of the four oceans when being asked, so I'm not sure if Hailey's on overload or just having a hard time. I tried giving her tools to remembering, but they weren't working for her. So we'll see what her mark ends up being. *crossing my fingers she does well*
All this studying and take home projects are giving me flashbacks to my own school years. Scary!

*sorry for the poor quality of the photos. I had to zoom in quite abit to get Hailey as she was on the opposite side of the pool and no way for me to get there fully clothed.

baring it all

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I like a clean and tidy home, but I despise cleaning the extras, such as tops of light fixtures, mini blinds, the corner kitchen cupboards, under the stove or fridge, and dusting those high up shelves that nobody but dh or anyone that height (6'3") can see. I'm in a spring cleaning mood it seems. Or I should call it fall cleaning, but who does such big cleanings in the fall when the weather's cool and you'd rather be snuggling under a blanket with your nose in a good book instead.

Anyway .. back on track here. We rent a duplex that our landlord doesn't care to sink great amounts of money in so we do what we can to make it liveable and likeable. This means putting up plastic on the single paned windows in the winter. We don't get overly cold winters here, rarely any snow, but it's the damp rain and the high winds that blow right through any tiny crack and rattle those single pane windows like crazy. Our sitting area is far enough away from the livingroom window, that I don't often look close enough to see what a disaster it has become, but the other day while on the computer, which is located by the window, as is my scrapping desk .. I really took a good look. Don't think differently of me after you hear this .. but MY G*D it was nasty. The window had finger prints from the outside where there's a bench underneath and apparently the girls had played in something to leave such disireable prints only a forensic scientist could love. My blinds, which I only ever turn open, never pull up, had collected so much dust that as I began to try my first idea of how to clean them, I couldn't stop sneezing. I had never cleaned them! Oh bad me! So sweeping them with a little whisk broom wasn't working, so I got out my good trusty bottle of Windex and paper towel and proceeded to spray and individually wipe each strip of the blinds. That's two sets (to be wide enough to cover the large window). Next I tackled the window, wiped out nasty little cobwebs and killed a spider or two. Now looking at it and how clean it is. I can't even fathom that I lived with that nasty mess of a window.

So now that you all think I live like a pig, I shall go see what kind of clean up job I can do on the diningroom window blinds. I think things will be beaming clean in here just in time to cover the windows in plastic. Good thing about that is that the dust can't get to them over the winter months. Hee!

I've been TAGGED

Karmyn tagged me over on her blog, and this time I actually don't mind because it's something different and one that gives some details about me that you otherwise might not know. Although that in itself can be a very scary thought.

Name FIVE Famous Oddities About Yourself!

1. I can roll my tongue into two 'tunnels'. I used to think everyone could do this because my entire family can, and my sister and I used to use it as a straw when straws weren't available. I'm sure I don't have to explain the noises my poor Mom had to put up with.

2. I can touch my thumb back to my wrist with some help from my other hand. I used to enjoy grossing people out with this little act. And no, I'm not double jointed.

3. I'm not sure if this one counts, but I'm one of nine children. I'd consider that odd in this day and age .. well, unless you're Catholic, which I'm not. And yes we're all from the same two people and they've been married 52 years!

4. I started going grey at the tender age of 21 .. oddly enough it was days before my wedding when my sister found a grey hair on my head. Eek!

5. When I'm nervous, I don't grind my teeth but rather rock my jaw so the side teeth on one side meet, then rock it over so the other side meets and over and over.

Alright .. so there you know just a little more about me.
I'll let the TAG die with me .. sorry for being a party pooper but I hate putting the pressure on others.

Yesterday while dropping Alissa off for kindergarten (at noon), I was greeted by a running, bumping into me, full of hugs and giggling, Hailey. She had BIG news for me. She just came out of her first choir practice! Huh? So when did she sign up for choir, I asked. Oh that very day apparently. Was I thrilled? Hell yeah! I've always loved singing, I sang in church at the tender age of oh 10 months (or so my parents say), and even was involved in the choir for the Singing Christmas Tree a couple years ago. So to have my daughter sign up for choir, without my knowledge was just such a treat. She loves singing too and can often be found humming a tune while playing quietly, singing along to her discman, or begging to sing karaoke at this new site I stumbled on by way of another blogger. I can't wait to attend any performances she's involved with!

After yesterday's horrible disaster of a morning, trying to break up to fighting five year olds, this morning I had a genius thought. Make a fresh batch of playdough for each, letting them pick out what colour they wanted it to bed. And after nearly an hour of playing, they're still fully enthralled in it .. and the best part about keeping their mind occupied? No non-stop begging for snacks. Yep, that's right. Finally a break from the little food monsters. *evil grin*

sisters are a treasure

It's not often the four of us are able to get together and enjoy a special time, so even under the circumstances, we enjoyed a breakfast together .. chatting, being supportive for Faye (front left) and soaking in the reality of being all in the same place at the same time.

Today is also Thanksgiving. This year the things I'm thankful for will change. I already find myself being more sentimental (didn't think it was possible to be more so then I already am), not taking for granted of all the things I've been blessed with. So as I slave over the dinner preparations today (not really since I bought alot of the premade items already) I'm going to think about all the blessings in my life. Like I told my Mom on Friday, I'm so happy to have been born into a large, loving and supportive family with two very special parents that molded and loved us into the adults we are today. 

Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie

I remember as a kid, reading the Archie Digest Magazines .. rooting for Archie to finally get the girl (Veronica), giggling at the funny things Jughead did. Yup, those certainly are some good memories.

D bought Hailey a Archie mag yesterday on our ferry trip back home. She's become quite a good reader, and loves reading the newspaper comic strips so he thought she'd like Archie too. She spent some of the ferry ride with her nose burried, giggling out loud every once in awhile. Then begged to keep her light on when she was tucked in bed, just for one more page, but since it was 11pm .. the response was a big no until morning.

I think it's neat seeing many of the same things I was interested in as a child, making a come back or always there, but having my own children show an interest in them.
Don't get me started on Inspector Gadget. ;)

When I get where I'm going

Dedicated to DW, such a sweet and charming soul. A life snuffed out to soon leaving many that love you.

added the recipe

Of course I should have known that when one shares about food, one must share the recipe too. So it's in the post below this with the photo. If you like them, you can thank me. If you don't or get sick, thank Bill. hee!

how to make two 5 year olds happy

Upon wondering what to make for a little treat, I decided upon a cookie recipe that would also need two pairs of helping hands .. and in turn kill two birds with one stone. Making a treat AND occupying them for oh .. two minutes. They rolled various size balls for me, and since I doubled the recipe this gave them ALOT of rolling .. and just a little bit of tasting too. ;)

They did turn out delish, and a kind of cookie I haven't made in a very long time. I forgot how they simply melt in your mouth. Mmm Mmm good!

Upon request, here's the recipe. I do advice a little help from a child, because lets face it .. we all know that little bit of rolling by a certain someone that's anticipating the goodies does make a very desirable ingredient. hee!

Peanut Butter Cookies
Oven 325F
Time 15-18 mins, depending on your oven

1c. white sugar
1c. brown sugar
1c. peanut butter
1c. butter (or marg)
Cream together until smooth.
3eggs, add one at a time, beating in between
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3c. flour
Mix dry ingred. in a separate bowl, then add slowly to make sure batter is completely mixed. It does get pretty stiff.

Roll into 1" balls (or bigger or smaller depending on the size of cookie you like), place on cookie sheet and bake. For the more traditional look, I dipped a fork into white sugar and did the criss cross pattern on the top of the ball once it was on the sheet.

thank you friends

To each of you that have commented and left kind words .. I thank you. To those friends that do not read my blog, but have given hugs and a shoulder to cry on .. thank you!
It's easy to crawl inside a hole and grieve quietly, but it's also helpful to let close ones know why I'm not feeling my usual chipper self, although I hate dragging them down in the process.
I'm so thankful for such sweet people in my life and no matter what our differences .. grieving is a language we all can understand to a certain degree.

The funeral is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Many family from the northern parts of the province as well as some from across the country will all gather together in love and support. To celebrate a life cut short by one greater power. To grieve and cry, but to smile and laugh at what a wonderful person my nephew was. He truly was a ball of energy, a fun and confident man that often made us laugh uncontrollably because he HAD to be the class clown, even at 25.
So Friday morning, we'll board the ferry to meet up with everyone in a small southern BC town.

*taken on their wedding day, May 14, 2005

so unfair! :*(

In case I disappear for any length of time .. this is why.

My oldest sister's youngest son was killed in a car crash Saturday night while driving himself and his wife to a friends home. They were going to leave the next morning with their packed moving trailer full of home, up to the northern parts of the province to live near his parents and oldest brother and family and the rest of my family (parents, brother and families, etc).
Only something happened and he spun out of control, rolled and hit a cement pillar.
He was only 25.