added pink

So here's our tree, looking much more girlie with the pink lights. I found some at Michaels, after having searched at three other major stores with no luck at all. I should have known to check Michaels first .. seeings as that was the place I found our pale pink and mossy green balls a couple years ago. They carry the most gorgeous decore!

I like to get the girls each a new ornament every year too .. so they have a nice collection to take with them when they move out and need to decorate their own trees. The past couple years I haven't done much due to a very tight budget. I think last year I got them ones from the dollar store .. which isn't so bad, but they're definitely cheaper looking and not personable. I found the perfect photo frame ones at Michaels yesterday .. on sale! In fact, everything I bought yesterday was either on 30 or 50% off! I love sales. I love sales at Michaels!

Mr Snowman!

The girls had a snowday today, and this is what they did with the nearly 6" of snow we got overnight. I had to work, despite my many attempts of trying to get up the hill, (I made it!) but was it ever a slow day. The rain has started, so the snow will soon melt and we will be back to the snowless island I love.

ornament

I got me a new ornament for this year! Isn't it CUTE? In case you can't tell what it is, it's a coffee pot. I thought it fitting for the place I am in my life this year .. an employee of Tim Hortons. We sell the to-go cup ornaments too and they're equally cute, but I decided on this one for my tree.

And now back to my hunt for pink tree lights.

november 23rd

This was yesterday morning .. the morning I woke to ice on the INSIDE of my windows, car door locks frozen, and very slippery roads.
The moon shone even at nearly 8am.

Snow kissed the trees and shrubbery.

And here's the proof it was -10. I know that's not terribly cold to some parts of the country, but for the Island where we're not used to driving on slick, snowy roads .. our houses just aren't built with the insulation or proper windows needed for cold temps, and it's a change from our damp chill .. us Islanders become big whimps!

I'm a northern BC girl that has lived through woodstove heated homes, outhouses, and minus 50 degree weather and still I can't stand this -10 weather. Brrr freaking brrr!

the verdict is in

Remember me telling (and showing) you about Hailey's Hero Project?  She received her grade for it, yesterday.  An A! A low A, but an A none the less.  Not bad hey?  Apparently she should have expanded on the meaning of hero, and explained in a little more detail about each of her heroes, but she wonderfully with giving the reasons why they're her heroes.  She didn't get to see to much of what the others did, but she said hers was very comparable.

I'm very impressed and proud of her. :)

Today would have been my Mom and Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary. I can imagine this day is extremely hard for my Mom to get through because anniversaries are a much more personal celebration, but I'm thinking about my parents today, and my heart is with my Mom as she has to face all these firsts since my Dad's passing.

photo dates are November 19/ 1955 and July 2005

my hailey bean

I have a problem .. a HUGE problem!  My oldest daughter is growing up and it's painful to watch.  I only realize her physical differences when I look back at photos.  Here she is last year, ready for the Christmas dance at her school.  Her first ever school dance and I remember exactly how much anxiety I had over the thought of my LITTLE girl going to a dance.  She dressed up, we did her hair, and she had such fun.  And I lived through the anxiety attack to see another year. 

And only 10 short months later, here is that same little (big) girl on her first day of grade 6.  She loved High School Musical, was okay dressing with a 'cute' flair (although hugely into sweats and t's but still!), riding her scooter, and letting her hair be done in ponies/braids/clips.  Seriously, where is time going?  How is she maturing and changing into such a little lady?  We have hormonal outbursts, curves in all the right places, a huge vampire fan, only wants to wear her hair down, loves her jeans and chuck knockoffs.  This Mama is so not ready for all of this growing up. 

But when it's a day by day process, it does make it alot easier to face.  And when the pimples start appearing, I shall help her find the right face wash.  When she starts liking boys, I will tie her up and install bars on her window.  When she asks for the car keys, I will point her in her fathers direction. HAH!

huh?

Look at what I found when I was looking back to last year on my blog to find a certain post.  I discovered I actually had our tree up on November 23rd last year! OMFG .. that could be this weekend, and I am so NOT ready for that!  Maybe in a couple weeks.  Tho now with the artificial tree, maybe.  Only for the glow of the white lights and NO other reason. :P

dusk, sugar and a little competition

You know what I dislike ALOT?  Having to have my headlights on when going to AND coming home from work.  It's not pitch dark .. yet, but it won't be long.  We're only a little over a month away from the shortest day of the year!

I have this friendly little competition going with a girl from work.  Yesterday I was saying how I really need to cut back on my sugary intake.  I have this wicked sweet tooth and although I've stayed away from over indulging on alot of donuts .. I like sugar in my tea (not coffee tho), I like a fibre 1 bar occasionally, and I've been gleaning the girls halloween candy or having other deserty kinds of treats and I feel my pants getting tighter, tho no change really on the scale.  I could stand to cut out breads but I'll keep a little potatoes, rice and pasta in my diet .. but just a very small amount.  I have to cook it anyway because of the girls, but I can restrain my portion to a spoonful so as to not deprive myself.  Despite the way I feel about my personal appearance, I know I could stand to firm up and lose a little just to be healthier.  Curvy is still good and I'm more then okay being the curvy me I've always been.
So I have a couple people I'm going to be accountable to for my food intakes, to keep myself on track. 

Hallelujah .. tomorrow is hump day!

a little musical talent

I think I've mentioned Mike Tompkins before, but in case I haven't .. he's this guy that is super talented and can beat box his way through a song, making it sound so damn close to the original. He makes every instrument and the vocals himself (you can see how here). I follow him on Facebook to catch all the new songs he puts out, which he hasn't done for awhile, but tonight he's going to be on Entertainment Tonight Canada.  I need to make sure I tune into that!

If you haven't heard him, check him out!
Teenage Dream
Misery
Fireflies
Party in the USA

a little changes

I'm just playing around with some backgrounds to see what I like the look of.  I'm not so sure if this whole black/pink is going to stick for long .. we'll see.

In the meantime, it's Sunday and oh how I do love Sundays.  I get to hibernate for the morning, watching Corrie, sipping coffee and when it's overcast and chilly .. snuggling under a blanket with my pussy cat curled up somewhere closeby.  I do so enjoy these lazy slow starting weekend days. 

Speaking of TV, I've finished up with Prison Break and now working through Six Feet Under.  I just finished the first season, and on to the next.  What I love about this show (after I got past the first two episodes which were EXTREMELY hard to watch after having just lost my own father not long ago) is watching Michael C Hill play a character that is so completely opposite of what I've gotten to know him as on Dexter.  He proves to be a pretty multi-layered actor, that's for sure.

And lastly, I need to share a new song I've been listening to.

wine me, dine me

Oh my heavens .. my most favourite kind of wine .. it is orgasmically (err I mean organically) delicious!

scents

I smelled this today and I simply could NOT get enough. I think it would smell divine on me ;) and I am so buying a bottle the next time I can splurge a little on me. 

I actually saw the interview Tyra Banks had with Halle Berry on her show, where they spoke a little about the new perfume.  I know it's silly, but I feel like I've put in a little research into it, now I just NEED it. :)

big girl pants

I don't think this was something I spoke of here, but since it seems to be a 'stepping stone' in the challenges of parenting, I thought I'd share the end results.

Alissa and I went underwear shopping today.  I wanted her to be able to pick out some cute panties that she'd love wearing .. the right style, the right design/pattern, just what she wants.  I wanted this because we've experienced years and YEARS of  *'accidents' and finally at the age of 9, I think she's done!  It's been nearly two months since she's had an 'accident' and now was in great need of cute and unstained bum covers.  So we fixed that and she's one very happy girlie.

*I am pretty sure it was medical related, and now with a good portion of fibre instilled into her very picky diet, as well as a bit more of a bathroom schedule in place, the movements are more controllable.  It's not ALL fixed, but her situation is alot better.

hailey's project

Hailey had to do a project for one of her classes and the only thing she was told was it had to be on three of her heroes. She had the choice of doing a poster board, an essay, video or power point. Because all three of Hailey's heroes do not live here for her to interview, she knew a video wouldn't work for her. She chose to do a power point. Here are her four pages for her presentation. She did these all by herself after she did the initial research for information.

Not only am I extremely proud of her hard work and amazing outcome for someone that's never made anything in power point before, but also it warms my heart so much that she chose my Dad as one of her heroes. Even tho she never had a chance to get to know him as closely as some of his other grandchildren did, I'm so happy he made an impression and an impact on her life.

I'm almost more excited to see what kind of grade she gets on this.

right now (no. 5)

thinking-  about my near future .. what things I'd like to work on within myself to make sure I don't repeat past mistakes. (just watched Eat Love Pray .. an eye opener if you're in a similar place as me with failed relationships and stuck in a rut)
feeling- tired! DLS sure made the day drag out. 
eating- marinated roast, parsnips, celery and carrots slow cooked all afternoon. Mmm
drinking- water, but going to make a cuppa tea
reading- nothing
watching- the Princess Bride .. it's on TV and the girls are watching it actually
wearing- sweats and long sleeved T
smelling- cinnamon candles burning
hearing- the TV and the dryer (washing the girls laundry from them spending the weekend with their Papa where they spent a great deal of time by a fire)
loving- the idea of slipping in between my very clean, very crisp sheets in just a few short hours
hating- the cold weather .. it makes it oh so frigid in here even with the heat turned on
hoping- I can find time to gaze through my camera lens again soon.  I miss playful photography .. the kind I'm not recording lifes events
waiting- for bedtime
planning- to do some extra special things with my girlies this upcoming week.  I feel like it's all work (or school for them) and then the mundane things of trying to do do do quickly before their bedtime.  We need a new book to read together! Maybe a trip to the public library one evening is a must!

pumpkin graveyard

We call this particular strip of country road the pumpkin graveyard but I don't know what it's real title would be. Along with half the town, we bring our used/carved pumpkins out to let them rest in peace in the company of others in a similar state. It's neat to see how creative others can be, and when it's all said and done, at least the pumpkins are composted into the ground. Better then tossing them into the dumpster.

And that's what we did this evening after I got off work.
Tomorrow is Friday, and movie night! :)

halloween 2010

Although I had a sick little girlie leading up to and including the actual day, we managed to pull through and make them look absolutely perfectly the part they wanted to play for this year's halloween. I loved that Hailey totally got into her part, and people complimented her on her creativity in how she assembled her costume. Being the masked vampire instead of looking like the ordinary run-of-the-mill vampire most might have expected to see.

Alissa chose to be Little Red Riding Hood when she remembered I had a red bathrobe we could alter for her. This being the last year I insist on her dressing cute (up to age 10), I think she made it all worth it and looked darling! :)