Goober's Four

switcheroo

2011-03-19T22:37:00.001-06:00

I noticed that I have 5 followers. I can't promise it'll be exciting, but I've moved. You can now reach me here : http://lifewithgou.blogspot.com

Chow!

"boob milk"

2010-02-18T13:37:00.002-06:00

Nursing has never been a fan of me and I am definately not it's greatest fan either. For all of my babies it's proven to be a stressful and tiring stage. If it's not getting thrush (and not knowing about it) then it's feeling like there just isn't enough supply, or just plain painful. With the first I had the time to sit and relax, but as you have more kids you realize that it's just not that time efficient to be nursing every 3 hours for 30-45 mins. And maybe I'm just being negative b'cos like I said, I'm not a fan, but I'm about 98% sure that I'm not the only Mom to feel this way.

This time around I went in with high hopes thinking it would be different. Hoping it would be different. But it's looking like it's going to be a downer, and we're fading fast.

Part of me is greatly saddened by this. So much so that for the past day I've been pumping every 2 hrs to try to increase my milk, and on already sore nipples, this is making me cringe. Being possibly our last baby I wanted it to be different. I want to treasure this little being in my arms and have his little hands hold onto my shirt a little longer. I want to feel the warmth of his little body pressed up against my stomach. I'll miss that. I already do. And so now I'm struggling with myself and wondering how long I try to make a go of this? How long I make myself endure so that I can hold onto those precious times? Is it worth it at the end of the day when my breasts throb in pain for a few hours every evening? Is it worth it to see him squirm and cry in frustration b'cos there just isn't enough?

Even as I write this I'm thinking more and more of just letting it go. Moving on. Our life is stressful enough without this selfish problem tacked on.

And so there you have it. I think I've made my decision. This will likely be the end of (as Keziah calls it) my boob milk.

9 years ago....turning 32

2010-02-17T15:40:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was a celebration of sorts. It was the anniversary of when Steve and I first met and it was my 32nd birthday. 9 years ago I remember walking into this strangers house. He was a youth pastor and in charge of the C & C group at one of the local churches. So I walk into his house and there's a woman in the kitchen, cooking something in the oven. I thought okay. Then I found out that Steve was in the shower. And I remember thinking "what kind of church group is this?". Of course it turned out that Steve was just a totally relaxing, oblilvious, kind of guy. It's amazing what marriage and 4 kids can do to a person, right? While he can still be kind of oblivious, he's not so relaxed anymore. Anyway, I'm sidetracking... So there I was sitting in his little living room on a ratty old sofa-bed that had been boughten second hand (and actually stayed with us for the first...well nearly 7 years of our marriage) and in walks this guy wearing a plaid shirt and army cargo pants. I remember liking the way his hair curled out from under his Roughrider baseball cap. And the rest, as they say, is history!

And I turned 32. Wow. I'm 32 and have 4 kids. That's unbelievable. On one hand I feel like I've lost my "youth". Aren't young people supposed to travel and see the world between 20-30? And here I am, getting married and popping out kids? Where's the sense of adventure in that? But on the other hand, now I'm done. I'm complete. I can still wrestle and hike with my kids. And then, a few years down the road (and I mean quite a few) when the kids are old enough, we'll still be young enough to go see the world (here's hoping anyway) and do our adventuring. Our eventual goal is to Winnobago our way around N. America...what can I say? We're simple folk.

But until then, we'll just have to sit back and reflect on our "wealth", perhaps not in the way that other people our generation do, by distance travelled or such, but in the laughter of our kids and the way they see the world around them...even if it is only in our own backyard.

it's all good

2010-02-08T00:16:00.002-06:00

Alot has happened since last I wrote. Not so much in my own life, but certainly in the lives of others. Here and all over the world. And emotionally it's been exhausting!

In case you've been living under a rock...

Haiti.

Isaiah James May.

I just read this story and now I'd like to share it with you. I'm sure there are stories like this created every day. But rarely do we hear about them, and that's a type of tragedy. So thank you Kelle for sharing your story.

looking back

2010-01-03T23:53:00.004-06:00

Now that Christmas and New Years have come and gone the quietness and stillness are creeping up from the shadows. Or maybe it's just the fact that once again, life must go on, no matter how much we might want to hold onto the present.

It seems like we travelled all over Saskatchewan, but of course, we didn't. Over 8 hrs in the van on the first day, staying up till after midnite, and then another 5 hrs of driving the next day before settling in Regina for 2 days before continuing our travels to S'toon. And there we sat for 4 days. Amid the kitty littered bathroom and dish strewn kitchen. To each his own I guess, but definately not my cup of tea. For once I was actually wishing I could've stayed at my MIL's house instead of staying with the BIL. But that's done and over. Hopefully to never be relived again! As for how Sylvia is doing... at first sight you might not think she looks that bad. But appearances can be disceiving. Her upper body looks large only b'cos it's full of tumours. Then you notice how skinny the rest of her body is and yes...she does look like she's dying. So saying goodbye when it was time to head back to AB was tough. But we know we'll see her again another day, whether we have the chance to see her again in the hospital or again in another place that is far better than Earth could ever be.

New Years was spent with friends playing texas hold 'em. I've never played before and it was quite fun.

And now I'm just waiting for the dr's recomendation to begin exercise and away I go. Hopefully I can get rid of the baby blubber that has haunted me for the past 7 years. My only goal (well one of my goals) for this year is to get back to my pre-baby weight - which is roughly 35 lbs lower than I am right now. And I know it'll be hard and probably unlikely, but as long as I keep loosing, I'll be happy. And I'm considering doing something different with my hair. I was told recently that perhaps my hairstyle doesn't necessarily fit my face shape. Whatever that means...how can you even tell that? How do you find out your face shape hairstyle?? Whatever...so I might just go to a hairstylist and say "go crazy" and we'll see what happens.

So looking back, all in all, the holidays were good. It was nice to go to sleep every night with my husband and wake up to 4 beautiful kids, and really, that's all I can ask for! :o)

Sally

2009-12-16T23:55:00.002-06:00

Awhile back, like in late June, we thought it was be a good idea to get another dog. Or should I say puppy...'cos they're cute. For some reason we thought it would be a wise idea and we'd be able to give this puppy all the exercise and training a puppy needs.

Well I'll be the first one to admit that we were wrong.

I really don't know what we were thinking.

Many years ago when I first met Steve he had a rottie mutt named Newt. Newt was what brought us together. And then Newt went off and got our neighbours dog pregnant, so we felt bad and agreed to take one of the puppies off their hands - that was when Gus came into our lives. A few years later, it came to our attention that we just couldn't handle 2 dogs, so we decided to give Newt away, as he was more of a challenge than Gus was. We told ourselves then, that we'd never own 2 dogs, at the same time, again.

Fast forward to June of this year...we saw a cute puppy and immediately got all "wimpy eyed" for another dog. Big mistake, HUGE mistake. Lesson learned. So the other day I put an ad on kijiji. Today I got a phone call and this young woman was very interested and today was the only day she could see it, would we be willing to drive to Edmonton to let her check Sally out. So we did. We all went, all 6 of us and drove Sally, who puked in our new van, to Edmonton. The young woman instantly fell in love with her and said she would take her. Awesome! A young woman who would love her and train her the way she deserves. Fast forward 2 hours to when we finally get back home from Edmonton and the phone rings. It's the young womans mother. Apparently the young woman didn't ask permission for the dog and is no longer able to keep it.

You've got to be kidding me.

So sometime tomorrow morning the young womans' mother will be driving Sally back out to our place.

Great. Back to square one.

Anyone want a cute dog?

this proves I have the maturity of a 5 yr old

2009-12-09T13:50:00.002-06:00

We've been here over a year and a half now and it still feels like we don't fit in anywhere. We don't fit with this group of people 'cos we don't drink alot and we have 4 kids. We don't fit in with this group of people 'cos we live in the city and have no family roots. We don't fit in with this group of people 'cos we choose to have me stay home. It's starting to feel like we really just don't fit in anywhere!

Which sucks! And is really depressing!

(this is where the 5 yr old comes in...as I pout and stomp my foot)

It's like a mini slap in the face when you continually look at pictures of parties and get-togethers of "people who are who" and know that not only were you not there, but you weren't even invited. And true to many of these, we might not have gone, but the invitation would've been appreciated. You know?

Maybe it's our fault for not inviting said "people who are who" over to our house for BBQ's and such. Or maybe we just give off the aura of being jack asses and that's why no one invites us. Or maybe we have bad BO.

I just don't know.

Whatever the reason, it sure doesn't help me want to stick around, and it sure as hell isn't helping me forget all the good friends we left back in PA (MISS YOU GUYS!!).

The hanging of the tree

2009-12-05T23:52:00.002-06:00

Today we decorated our tree. This is the first year we haven't had a real one, and while the smell of the "real" tree will be greatly missed, I do have to admit that the ease of the "fake" one is already enjoyed. And it's funny how the branches on this one are so much stronger than the real ones. Or maybe it's just the fact that in the past, we've always gotten "charlie brown" type trees. Regardless...it looks awesome!

And as Christmas approaches and we hear of family members who's health are diminishing more and more, the season is taking on a whole new meaning. It'll be a total bittersweet "holiday". On the one hand we have the joy of Ishaq's birth and showing him off to family and friends who haven't been able to see him. But on the flipside, this may be the one and only time they do see him.

I keep complaining that this won't be "christmas". It'll be different and it won't be any fun for the kids. But lately I've been thinking that that's okay. It will be different. It'll likely be sad. But there will be joy there too. And that's something that we'll just have to hold on to.

emotional

2009-11-13T23:47:00.002-06:00

Lately I've been thinking about the impending birth of my baby and I have to admit, I'm getting a little emotional. The fact that it's my fourth and last (altho' nothing has been made permanent yet) is kind of sobering and yes I know I complained for the first 39 weeks of this pregnancy but now I'm realizing it for the little miracle and wonder that it is.

Wow.

In a couple of days one of God's perfect little creations will be born.

Is there anything cooler?

induce

2009-11-10T11:25:00.002-06:00

For some reason that word makes me shiver in fear. And I know there are much worse things that could be happening, and maybe if there was something seriously wrong, I wouldn't mind it so much. But to me God has a plan for this little baby and He knows when it's s'posed to be born, so why mess with that? My dr insists it's "natural" but I really don't think so.

I remember being pregnant with Callah and going over a few days, and then a few days more. Finally it was coming onto 15 days overdue and they were going to induce me on Monday. Saturday I mustered up the courage to drink castor oil and I don't know if that's what did it, or the fact that I walked up and down Central in PA, but whatever the reason I went into natural labour on Sunday night and had her shortly after midnite.

So I'm 39 wks and 3 days, by Monday I'll be 40 and 2, which is definately no 42 wks or anything. But I guess the dr knows more about these sort of things than I do so I'll just have to trust that it's a good thing and pray that the baby comes before then.

Oh yeah and the reason why all this is even happening is b'cos there's protein in my urine which has something to do with my kidneys which is what's making the dr nervous. And I've had high blood pressure every now and then and tied up together, he keeps telling me, could be a very dangerous thing and the only way to solve it is to deliver.

So that's that. Good thing I still have some of that castor oil left! ;oP

gone where no baby and me have gone before...

2009-10-26T10:02:00.002-06:00

Well it's official. I am no the heaviest I have ever been during a pregnancy. And it's not like it's the most weight I've gained tho'. You see when I was preggers with Matthias, I gained over 45 lbs. There's nothing like having the month off before the baby comes to lay on the couch, eat potato chips and play Tetris. I never did loose it all afterward. Then came Callah, and I only gained 25 with her knowing that it was going to be hard to loose it afterward. Again, I never even came close. With Keziah I gained 35 or so, I figured I would be okay since it was mostly fruit cravings I had with her, but alas, there must've been a potato chip or poutine in there too. And so finally after having gained over 105 lbs altogether in the last 6 years, it's no wonder I am the heaviest I've ever been. Altho' I did loose the most amount of weight after Keziah. It's amazing how being home alone can motivate a person, especially while the spouse is away getting in the best shape of his life!

And so here I sit, squishing the life out of the chair cushion (I'm sorry!) thinking about all the cool exercises I'm going to try in the new Year. B'cos really, who wants to try and workout during Christmas and New Years? That would just be foolish! So I'm making goals and strategizing on how to loose this weight. I know it's going to take a long time, I'll just have to remind myself of that every now and then when I step on the scale to view my progress. And I think having Steve at home will be, or should be, a huge benefit and help to get me going.

But until then...there's a whole lot of Hallowe'en candy hiding in various corners of my house just waiting to be found! ;o) I might as well enjoy them...right?

validation

2009-10-24T16:00:00.003-06:00

As I was scrubbing the toilets this afternoon I thought of my MIL. And how in their last conversation, Steve told her that she was a good mother, and she did a good job raising them and he is the person he is b'cos of her. And as I write that, I guess it's true...he is the person he is b'cos of her, but that's not necessarily a good thing. And then my train of thought ran to how she's being this incredibly bitter person and telling everyone their faults (even when they're only faults to her way of thinking), but on the flip side we are suppossed to be building her up? And then the heartless part of me was like "why is that fair?" To which the caring part said "duh! She's dying!" And then the heartless part said "so?".

And I guess there was a time, before the fighting, and moments throughout that were happy for that family. Steve keeps telling me bout all the parties his Mom would throw. These simple, yet great, birthday parties and end of school parties and parties just to throw a party. And we have proof - there are pictures and video of them all laughing. So when did the madness start? And then I wonder about those critical teen years. He moved out when he was 15, and he's so different from the rest of his siblings that I have to wonder that those 3 years (the others all moved out once they turned 18) had a HUGE part of helping him become the man he is. And of course he moved in with his youth pastor and then another great Christian family. Even still, once in awhile he says he has to make a conscious decision to NOT be like his parents. I mean in one way or another, there's a part of us that doesn't want to be like a part of our parents. My Mom shrieks everytime anyone else is driving and we get too close to another car. Seriously, she shrieks. It's highly annoying and I hope I never get that anxious about the way other people drive when I'm in the car!

Anyway and then she's mentioned she wants to have a salvation funeral, if that's even what you call it. Where we'll be treated to a sermon on how we're all going to hell unless we change our evil ways. Oh joy. That's the way I want my funeral to go (and for the record it sure is NOT! I want everyone to have a raspberry vodka shot and enjoy the memory of me). Unfortunately with a family like this, either way, I'm sure it'll be "something".

On a totally different topic. Ever since Keziah potty trained herself, there's been alot more naked bumbs running around the house. Strange I know. You'd think it would be the other way around?

pregnancy

2009-10-15T20:00:00.000-06:00

If you know me at all and have been following my other "posts" (facebook, Twitter) you should know that I really don't like being pregnant. I complain all the time and pregnancy has a way of making me feel depressed, moody and over-all HUGE. Not a good combo. I was thinking last night about how unique everyone's pregnancy stories are. Some women LOVE being pregnant and then once the kid pops out, their life becomes miserable. Others have good pregnancies and good babies. Other's hate every minute of both and live for the child/teen years. Others don't feel the need to get pregnant but instead adopt. And still others don't feel the need for children at all.

Regardless, I was thinking about where I fit in. Obviously it is with the pregnancy haters, but babies and children bring me joy. And lately I've been relaxing a bit here and there (in 30 second intervals) to focus on that joy and actually let myself look forward to this little miracle growing in my belly.

Yes little one, I can honestly say that I can't wait to meet you!

fall

2009-09-09T21:20:00.002-06:00

There are many things I like about the fall season, and many things I do not. I LOVE the fact that bugs go bye-bye, that just makes my skin tickle! I also love the changing colours and the smell. True the smell of summer is a good one and the smell of spring is pretty good too. But with the fall there's a coolness to the air and you can smell that. Well at least I think you can. And boy does it smell good.

But one of the things that I don't like goes hand in hand with the above mentioned. The cooling temperatures. It's not quite cool enough yet, but I'm sure the time is quickly approaching for me to close my window at night. I hate the feeling of being cut off. I love to be able to hear the sounds of the night.

I never mentioned this before, but back in June we had our van broken into. For some reason one of the doors was left unlocked, so it was easy access. It was the sound of the van starting that got me out of bed (it's not the quietest starting van in the world) and running to the window I saw the lights and immediately phoned Steve (who was working that night). What happened next was really cool. So I had Steve on the phone and he was immediately phoning the RCMP here in town. Not even 5 minutes later, we saw 2 guys out front sneaking towards our house. I told them where the van was and they very stealth like, made their way out back, found the van empty, secured the area and came back into our yard. It was all very cop-ish, and quite exciting. If it wasn't for the fact that stuff actually got stolen, it would've been a really neat night. Anyway, going back to my original story...

So I'm not a fan of having my window shut and my "ears" closed. I'll enjoy the time I have left and then have to be a little more alert when it's time to close up for winter. Which really shouldn't be a problem since I'm up every 15 mins to pee!!

being pregnant

2009-09-07T09:29:00.003-06:00

Lately I've been thinking of how much I complain about being pregnant. You know, my hips hurt, my feet swell, I hate the sound of my hip bones popping, the constant heartburn, the gagging when you brush your teeth, etc (the list could go on, but I think you get the picture). And in the back of my mind I'm always reminded of friends who can't get pregnant and I try to shut up. I'm sure they'd love to feel their bones popping and the pain in the chest when you sit down 'cos the baby is squished up against something internally that causes pain. And in light of what my MIL is going thru (sure she's annoying as anything, but nobody deserves that much pain) there's no way I should be complaining at all. So lesson learned...there's always someone worse off than you. You should be happy.

Still tho'. I can honestly say that I'll be glad when it's all over and I'm glad that it should (in theory) be the last one.

heading out

2009-07-04T11:37:00.003-06:00

The weekend with the MIL went pretty well considering. I'm not sure if it was the fact that she was feeling more and more pain as the weekend progressed or it was just us, but she was getting more and more judgemental as the time went on. So by the time they left on Monday, I heaved a sigh of relief, my kids ran for the TV (I swear we're not actually addicted!) and Steve went for a beer.

The next day we went for our 20 wk ultrasound. We were really disappointed. I mean I know it's our 4th and all, but it's still a super special event. So when the technician didn't let Steve come in we were a little miffed. And when he was finally allowed in and we were given a "run thru" again we were disappointed. Not at all like the ultrasounds we had in PA. The guy was like "here's the head, the heart and the feet." That was it. The tech we had with Kez was awesome. She went over every little inch of her and we could marvel at her little toes and fingers! It was the coolest thing! This was so not. Apparently it's the law here. Yeah....whatever.

But then we were off to Edmonton to celebrate out 8th wedding anniversary. Nothing says I Love You like going to see Transformers 2 followed by a trip to IKEA and finally steak at The Keg. My only complaint of the three was that we were at The Keg when the doors opened at 4, and there was still a 10 minute wait. WHAT?! You just opened for pete's sake! But whatever, the food was delicious and even tho' my daquiri was a virgin, it still felt good to drink again! :o)

So now in a few days the kids and I embark on our holiday. Of the 3 weeks we'll be gone, Steve will join us for 3 days. So I plan on spending those 3 days relaxing and enjoying his company. It totally sucks that he can't get time off this summer, but I'm already looking forward to having him around for 9 months after the baby is born. Of course, come Jan/Feb I'll probably be so ready to kick him out back to work! But we'll see.

And so I'm finishing up some laundry, packing up bags and coolers for our 3 days camp trip, then it's off to Sk for a whirlwind trip to visit my side of the family. I just hope Arborfield knows what's coming!!

See ya on the flip side!

stress

2009-06-24T12:07:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday we were at the kids soccer tournament when a woman showed up with 2 little chocolate lab puppies. She said she had 9 of them at home that she was trying to get rid of...would we want one? Of course I would! I'm thinking. But in reality I know there's no way of convincing Steve. So a few hours later, Kez is completely entranced by these puppies and Steve is thinking...hmmm...maybe. So thinking they're "free" (she said "giving away") we went over to ask a few questions. Turns out they're $400!!! I'm like WHAT??!! And I'm sorry if you've paid this much for a dog in the past or think it's okay, but I...do....not. I think it's insane to charge people that much money for a dog just b'cos it has some papers. Whoop de doo!! And who in their right mind would pay that much $$ for a dog!? I mean really?? I can think of a whole crap load of stuff I'd rather spend $400 on than a dog.

So anyway needless to say we didn't get THAT puppy. :o)

Since I had Steve agreeing to get a puppy I knew I had to act fast if we were actually going to get one. So as luck would have it, that same day was the city's pioneer days parade. And one of the "floats" were puppies from the local pound. So I phoned around and yes they had 2 females left and yes they were open till 5 pm. So we hauled everyone over to the pound to look at the puppies and there was one there with a red collar that let the girls moosh her face in a million different directions and wouldn't leave the fence until the kids did. So we agreed that if the puppy was still there early next week we would get it.

Of course, leaving a person to think over their decisions over a weekend is never a good thing.

Come Tuesday the girls pleaded and I negotiated and now we have a puppy.

How quickly the "puppy love" can fade. Now I'm thinking I made a huge mistake. Maybe we're just not ready. We're going on a quick camp trip in a few weeks and trying to find a place for one dog, let alone a dog and a new puppy will be a challenge. So far Gus is NOT pleased with the new puppy and I find myself wondering if we really deserve another animal to look after.

So that's one stress.

Then the MIL is coming this weekend. I don't know when and not sure for how long, but she's coming. We've come to realize that we just can't talk about ANYTHING with her. Not school, music, movies, kids activities, holidays, church, etc. There's really quite a list. And Steve is on the cleaning wrampage b'cos she went over to his brothers house on Father's Day and they were "wowed" (which is bizarre b'cos they just starting speaking to each other after a stupid 7 month hiatus over a stupid, trivial dispute) so now Steve feels like he has to live up to that or something, and of course I'm like, who gives a flying duck? Every time she comes I secretly try to think of different scenerios that would cause us to freak and kick them out of our house and never to come back again. Sigh - unfortunately what a relief that would be!! So I'm stressing over that. We got tonnes of activities lined up for this weekend, with friends visiting and wind-up BBQ's and I just don't want them to come with us.

So here's to stressful family, summer holidays, and puppies!!!

one pants size down

2009-06-10T10:04:00.002-06:00

I love going to the doctor and having them tell you that you are in fact, actually loosing a few pounds. There's nothing greater, especially when a few minutes later, he says the baby is measuring bigger than "normal". And what is normal anyway? They said Keziah was measuring large too before I had her and she wound up being my smallest! So I don't really put any...what's the word?...I have no idea, but hopefully you know what I mean...in what they say.

Then this morning I had to return a pair of maternity shorts for a size smaller. There is no greater way to begin a morning!

stupid thing

2009-06-08T09:34:00.002-06:00

So the stupid thing is ...

...well I mean there are quite a few "stupid things" in my life lately. I could say the fact that I'm loosing a few pounds here and there, while still having more fat than baby bump around my middle, and the baby already registering as "large" is kinda stupid. The fact that I LOVE eating KFC poutine even tho' I know it's like crap...and it's $4.50 to boot and soooo "good" for me! And I have this blog and never use it. Altho' today I felt a yearning, which is ridiculous 'cos look at what I'm writing about?

a new age

2009-03-11T21:15:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow my baby turns 2. I can't believe she's 2. So much has happened in those 2 years that they seem like they've flown right by. And I find myself being reminiscent (like I seem to be alot these days...must be the air here or something). We'd like another baby, and I was thinking tonite, while a 4th is nowhere on the horizon yet, I'm really going to miss that whole stage. And it wouldn't be that bad to keep going...would it? If the idea is even a slight notion...does that mean you're not done having kids? I don't even like being pregnant! If it's at all possible to feel like a whole universe, that pretty much sums up how I feel pregnant. A whale just isn't big enough.

I remember a friend of mine had her 4th baby last year and she knew it was going to be her last one. So she tried to treasure every moment of that pregnancy. A friend of mine now is pregnant, and just shared some photos of her little bump. It made me smile and cry at the same time.

And it's not that I regret anything I did or didn't do to remember the previous 3 pregnancy's, but this next time (Lord willing) I will love it that little bit more, and take a few more whalish pictures, and enjoy the bone cracking and the constant urination. I will thank God everyday for that little miracle.

But for now, I will treasure the joys I have. Including this little angel!

Happy Birthday Keziah!

(and for the record, that's shaving cream on her face!)

One week

2009-03-09T15:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I saw this movie. The movie itself was okay. I think the dying, must go on adventure thing has been overdone. But the thing that I LOVED about it, was that it's Canadian. From the rolling of a Tim's cup, to the idea of biking across Canada for a case of beer with a friend, to the music. It wreaked Canada. I. loved. it.

You can check out the official site here. And while your at it, submit a prairie picture....Saskatchewan isn't even on the map! And we all know how beautiful it is!

Revelation

2009-03-04T14:50:00.004-06:00

The idea is this: set your Ipod/mp3 player/iTunes/Windows Media Player/what have you on “shuffle” and then answer each question with the various songs that come up as you skip through. You cannot cheat: the first song goes with the first question; the second, with the second; and so on. The last song is to be the title of the post.

The Meme (comments in italics)

1.What do your friends say about you? The Pretender - Foo Fighters
ha ha...ha....ha...really?

2.How would your coworkers describe you? Love Remains the Same - Gavin Rosdale
not bad, I'll take that as steady and unchanging...

3.How would you describe yourself? What I've Done - Linkin' Park
should be what have I done?

4.What do you like in a romantic partner? Slow Down - Third Day
oh yeah...

5.How do you feel today? Shake It - Metro Station
shaken

6.What is your life’s purpose? Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder

7.What is your motto? give love - Third Day
I'll agree with that!

8. What do you think about the most? Sing Praises - Third Day
I wish!

9. What are you going to do on your next vacation? one of these things first - Nick Drake
true true

10.What do you think of your first love/date? Hell Ya - Rev Theory
haha...with my husband? yes. First date? no.

11. What is your life story? stay home - self
but isn't that every SAHM's?

12. What did you do yesterday? I just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You - Colin Hay

13. What do you think of when you see the person you like/love? My Beloved Monster - Eels
lol!! I love it!!

14. What describes your wedding? take it all - Third Day
think clean!

15. What will they play at your funeral? Full Moon - The Black Ghosts

16. What is your obsession? When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne

17. What is your biggest fear? Wire - Third Day

18. What is your biggest secret? Semi- Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
yes that's right...I'm a druggie....shhhh...don't tell my husband!

19. What is your biggest turn-on? A Long December - Counting Crows
Matthias was born in September...

20. How do you describe your friends? Innocent - Third Day

21. What would you do with a million dollars? Ballad of The Beaconsfield Miners - Foo Fighters
I would get someone to teach me how to play this song!

22. What is your opinion of sex? caring is creepy -the shins

23. What is your biggest regret? only living boy in New York - Simon and Garfunkel

24. What would you rather be doing right now? Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
*cough cough* uh no.

25. What is your biggest turn off? i will always be true - Third Day
exact opposite actually

26. How do you start your morning? Let it Die - Foo Fighters
on occasion

27. What Describes your birth? Decode - Paramore

28. What is a typical weekend for you? Rockin' The Suburbs - Ben Folds Five
oh yeah baby!!

29. What do you do at work? Desire - U2
on days off maybe...

30. How would your significant other describe you? blue eyes - cary brothers
better not be!

31. How would your parents describe you? Times Like These - Foo Fighters
haha, yes I was a bit of a problem...

32. What do you think about in the bathroom? Everything - Micheal Buble
agreed!

33. What would be a good theme song to play whenever you walk into a room? Into the Fire - Sarah McLachlan

34. How do you like to end your day before bed? I Caught Myself - Paramore

35. What will you post this list as? Revelation - Third Day

I had a dream...

2009-02-27T12:57:00.002-06:00

Last night I was full of dreams. Something that doesn't happen very often, at least not that I remember. In one of them I was lucky enough to have the Jolie-Pitts come for a sleep over. It was only Brad, Angie and the 4 oldest, but still exciting nonetheless. The only weird thing was that I was still living with my parents and my Uncle Gary was still alive (he died back in '96). It was cool 'cos we made Brad sleep on the couch.

Yeah...so anyway...I've also decided to give up my Twilight books for lent. You may be thinking, big deal? Well it is a big deal and I hope that with my new "free time" I'll be able to get my focus back on God...and if that means reading the Bible while doing my "business" so be it!

And you may be happy to know that I've managed to wash the walls on my top 2 floors (if you don't know, I live in a 4 level split). So half done! Yay for me! Now to accomplish the rest of my "to do" list...

The Disiduata

2009-02-23T18:00:00.002-06:00

Last week I was tearing the house apart looking for my chord book, which I didn't find, but I found a bunch of quotes and things that I had written out into a notebook. One of them was "The Disiduata". I have no idea where this came from but a long time ago I read it somewhere enough to ask whoever owned it to photocopy it for me (there was a note from the owner) and send it to me. And so for your reading enjoyment...

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. If you compare yourself with other, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all it's sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

hmmmm....

2009-02-23T17:42:00.004-06:00

I've been feeling kinda blah lately. I'm going to chalk that up to mid-winter blues. And I know that everyone around here is feeling it too. Matt said, again, this morning how he can't wait for summer...or at least till it's warmer so he doesn't have to wear all his "winter junk" anymore! I couldn't agree more. And so while the snow is continuing to fall outside, I'm thinking some sort of change is in order. I need a project or something to keep me going till spring. A friend of mine said that she's going to start her spring cleaning...one room at a time. While that doesn't sound nearly as appetizing as say...painting a mural or going on a fan-tabulous trip somewhere...it should keep me busy doing something for awhile. I don't think the walls have ever been washed in this house and that gives me the creeps. I'm surprised I've lived with it this long. And while I don't know if I'll be able to actually do the one room at a time thing (once started I tend to go hardcore) I'm going to give 'er a try.

And I'm determined to learn how to play this song on guitar. I found the chords and found out how to play the chords (it's slowly coming back to me) so in theory it should only take me...oh, I'd say a month or so.

And I finally finished my crochet cap for Kez, now I've started a matching one for Callah.

And I just need some primer then I can start painting the spare room for Matthias' "big move"...but there's no real rush for this as a)I'm still not prego (and yes we're trying) and b)it's more a 7th birthday surprise for the boy than anything.

Of course I could do the classic "new haircut" kind of thing. But I'm seriously trying to grow it out long again, and it's taking forever.

So I guess there's really lots to do, I just need to put down my book (and yes, I'm reading the series again) and get doing.

have you seen this?

2009-02-11T11:34:00.002-06:00

I can see my girls doing this... check it out.

cup of tea

2009-02-10T10:39:00.000-06:00

This is cute....

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me.

I was maybe 2 1/2 years old. Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a gift and it was one of my favorite toys.

Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home.

My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!' My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up.

Then she says, (as only a mother would know...)

"Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?"

obsessions

2009-01-31T11:09:00.002-06:00

I'm not even sure if that's the right word for what I'm thinking of, but it seems to fit more than anything else my brain can come up with at this time.

There are lots of things that I love. That I'm passionate about. One of them sadly, are movies. ( Hmmm...maybe this is something I should totally give up for lent!) I watch alot of movies. Luckily I don't live in PA anymore (or near any other major centre with a new Shoppers Drug Mart) where movies are only $0.99. Most movies are worth that much, altho Legally Blonde 2 is not one of them! And so my movie watching has dwindled some since coming here but I still `do keep ontop of the latest releases. I've also given up horror flicks. Growing up for some reason, I had a thing for cheesy horror. And it didn't really bother me until I reached my early 20's when suddenly I realized they were just bad. Nothing about them was entertaining or worthy of my time. So I stopped. Have you ever strolled thru a movie store and noticed how many cheesy horror flicks there are out there? It's sad that they're so popular. Altho' I will admit I have seen the first 4 SAW movies. And we haven't been to the theatre lots here 'cos a). the selection here in Wetaskiwin is sub par (altho' the theatre itself is pretty good!) and b). movies in Edmonton cost $12.50.

Anyway so lately I've seen:
Punisher: War Zone - good I guess if you like guns. I was surprised that Steve knew what the majority of them were called. Not one of my favourites altho' I was with Steve so I won't complain!

Australia - who can argue with Hugh Jackman? I thought it was good. A "Gone with the Wind" type epic (with cheesy pastels and hockey lines). I would see it again. Steve wasn't too keen on it altho' he liked the fact that the actors actually got dirty.

Then came Twilight and I'll come back to that.

Ummm...what else did I see? Death Race (which had some awesome explosions) and we just saw Gran Torino last weekend (which was brilliant. Steve keeps making "Clint Eastwood grimaces". It's kinda getting annoying).

and on video: the duchess (at first I didn't think Keira Knightly could pull off being a mother of 3 kids, but I was wrong. She did a great job!) and righteous kill (didn't like it as much as I was hoping I would, what with 2 great actors like DeNiro and Pacino) and definately maybe (cute. I was a bit worried in the first 7 minutes, but in typical Ryan Reynolds fashion, it turned enjoyable and worth the $6 rental) and open season 2 (cute and funny, not as good as the original since Kutcher and Lawrence didn't return) and vicky cristina barcelona (hmmm...brilliant movie as far as Woody Allen is concerned. Penelope Cruz was amazing and who can't love Javier Bardem?) and transsiberian (this was a smart rental. Good plot, good actors, good all around) and space chimps ( my kids loved it and I enjoyed it too!) and igor (too dark, in my opinion, for a young kids movie) and felon (again, took a risk renting it and was pleasantly surprised. Good film!) and burn after reading (too much sex for my liking) and ghost town ( AWESOME! we loved it!) and appaloosa (I thought Renee Z. totally killed the movie. It had such potential with Mortenson and Harris only to be destroyed by the stupid "girl" storyline. Ugh. I was disappointed. But as far as westerns go, Steve thought it was good) and eagle eye (good entertainment) and nights in rodanthe (lame...can't believe I saw this one in the theatre...) and quantum of solace (awesome again. MUST SEE in the theatre. Danial Cragg will do Bond just fine) .

So anyway, going back to Twilight. I couldn't believe all the hype this movie was getting. I thought it was ridiculous and absurd. Teenage girls everywhere were talking about how they couldn't wait to see the movie and how they had read the books over and over again. I would roll my eyes everytime I heard someone say that.

That was until I saw the movie. I went out of curiousity on a weekend matinee (so I didn't have to spend more than $5) and LOVED IT. I couldn't believe it! I went again the next night. And again the following weekend. I was IN LOVE with this movie. And then it became a sort of obsession. I had to get more. So I went to the library and reserved the 4 books in the series so that I could read them. I was like 140 or so on the waiting list. This would take forever. At S'Store one day I saw the first book and bought it. I stayed up till 4 am that night reading it. Then amazingly the library called and had the 2nd book, New Moon available for me. I stayed up till 3 am reading that. A few weeks later, Steve and I went into Edmonton and I bought the 3rd and 4th books, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I stayed up later than I should've reading those. It was all I could do and think about....like a zombie....my mantra was MUST READ BOOKS. It was ridiculous. I admit that. It's totally absurd!! And then my brother burnt me a copy of the movie and mailed it to me. To be fair, I watched it steadily for 2 days then and now, I only watch it while working out. Call it an insentive! I don't know what it is about this series! Since then, in early December I've read all 4 of the books at least 6 times thru. And I know there are WAY MORE things that I could be doing with my time, creative things, productive things, many many things. But like I said, I just don't know what it is that draws me again and again. It's just good! :) Maybe it's the love story that I find so overpowering. Maybe it's the fact that it's actually clean. I made my parents watch it back in December and my Mom was impressed by how clean it was. She thought it would be much worse. No swearing, so sex. The author, Stephenie Meyer, grew up Mormon and she says it's hard to shake that influence off in her writing. You find out later in the books *SPOILER ALERT* that Edward (the vampire) won't sleep with Bella (the human) until they're married.

Anyway, so now I'm trying to move on. It's totally ridiculous, and I have to tell myself NOT to spend all my "free" time reading and instead do other things. The lure is still there, but it's slowly diminishing.

ouch. Matthias just shot me with a nerf gun. He's so dead later. What a nutball.

Now I've lost what I was going to say. Knowing now how ridiculous I am with this...Oh wait! I remember. Alot of critics are comparing J.K.Rowling and Harry Potter to Stephenie Meyer and Twilight. While I haven't actually read any Potter books, I've seen the movies. And if I had a choice of showing my kids one or the other, I'd have to go with Twilight. Harry Potter scares me. He really does.

There now. I've managed to waste a few minutes of your time by allowing you to read this gibberish, so perhaps it's better if we all go do something more productive with our time....where did I put that book?

something crunchy

2009-01-24T17:24:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we ran out of sugar. The kids keep complaining that there's no dessert. So I used the little I had left (with a little brown sugar added) to make cookies. I didn't notice the time I started, so by the time I got them in the oven I had to go pick the boy up from school. I handed the timer to Callah and told her to tell Dad that in 5 minutes the cookies would be ready.

30 mins later I came home and saw smoke rising from the oven the timer on the oven going wild. I yelled "STEVE!!!" Immediately he runs up the stairs into the kitchen and says sorry as I pulled the charcoal cookies from the oven.

So that attempt was out the window.

Today we decided to make rice krispie squares. Simple enough. And yet as I started to chew off the excess marshmallow from the spatula I noticed it was a bit crunchy. And that's when I noticed that the end of the spatula had been melted and broken off.

So we'll see what happens. And I think I should basically stop baking ANYTHING for the next few days just to be safe.

tiddlywinks

2009-01-23T11:08:00.002-06:00

ok so every now and then I think about blogging again. I don't usually have anything important to say, but once in a blue moon my brain does think of something creative.

And othertimes, with Kez crawling all over me and Callah continually telling me that she's hungry (and yes, I DO feed her!) I just want someone else to talk to. And during those times, this seems like the easiest outlet for one sided conversations.

See now...does that even make any sense? Maybe I shouldn't resurrect the dead.

But whatever.

I was merely just wallowing in my own self pity this morning at the thought of how easily it is for a person to be forgotten. It's like you spend years making and working on relationships with people, that maybe weren't as good as you thought they were - the relationships I mean- b'cos suddenly you leave and then it's like you're forgotten. You rarely, if ever, hear from these relationships and if you do, it's usually b'cos they want something, or need a place to stay as they pass thru your new location. And thinking of that, it makes me wonder if that's where relationships are today. Are we so busy in our own lives that it's too much of a hassle for a quick hello? Or do we just make the time for those who really matter. Meanwhile forgetting all those who might actually need- no crave- a friendly "hello" once in awhile too?

Anyway, like I said, I'm just feeling a little....agitated.

How sad...my first post in months and it's completely negative.

c'est fini

2008-09-20T09:13:00.004-06:00

Ever since we moved here I just haven't felt right. And with that feeling comes a huge lack of motivation to do anything. I've always wondered about this whole blogging thing. Who am I? that I should be so interesting or unique that people would want to read about my life? No one really. It did make me feel good to think that people might stop by to read it now and then.

Anyway, I just feel that this is one more thing that I feel like I should be doing and not really wanting to. So until things feel better around here and personally, I will stop writing. And really, it's not like I have been writing lately anyway. I really liked what Cody said about leaving his...(roughly) we busy ourselves with so much. We should be trying to simplify it. And this blog is just something that isn't necessary right now.

So this is it.

I wish you all the best. I will continue reading the many blogs of friends and family out there.
Keep in touch!

Cheers!

wordless wednesday

2008-09-17T13:29:00.003-06:00

and so it begins...

31

2008-09-16T09:09:00.004-06:00

Today Steve-o turns the big 31. I was thinking about this yesterday. 31 - seems so old. 30 was a huge number to hit, and now it's over. It's like you're officially an adult. We were talking the other day and with Matthias going into Beavers, we looked at each other and said, "we're officially parents." Like we weren't before? It takes being involved in something, parent meetings and fundraisers to be a parent?

Anyway, I'll go way off topic here.

Happy Birthday Cowboy! Hope you have a good sleep and a quiet nite!

Quotable Monday

2008-09-15T01:43:00.000-06:00

"I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. " Walt Whitman

dreaming

2008-09-14T13:47:00.002-06:00

Last night Steve was scheduled to get off at 5. He got home shortly after 11:30 pm. It was a long night.

And rarely a person to remember her dreams. Last night I dreamt I moved to Australia and married Gerard Butler. Hmmm...wonder if that means anything? ;o)

myths

2008-09-12T08:58:00.003-06:00

The other day we were watching Mythbusters. And they were tackling some widely known myths about germs. You know that 5 second rule when food falls on the floor? Totally false. No matter where the food falls, and actually anything OVER 2 seconds (they timed them from 2-6 seconds) there were germs. So unless you want to eat it, don't tell you're kids it's "germ free".

And ever heard that a dogs tongue is cleaner than a humans? Totally true. Kind of makes you wonder. So next time a dog comes and kisses your kid and you freak...remember the dogs kisses are technically cleaner (more germ free) than your own!

And one of the other tests they ran was where germs are found most in a house. Believe it or not, the toilet seat, was one of the cleanest areas. Go figure.

Just a little something to think about.

a good walk will make you feel better

2008-09-11T12:57:00.003-06:00

If only doctors could prescribe stuff like that.

It's been a little stressful around our house lately. Came to a little bit of a warzone this morning. So when "darling husband" took the girls out to Callah's swim lesson, I cleaned furiously hoping to burn off some steam. When that didn't work, the warm sunshine outside beckoned, so I grabbed Gus and off we went.

It was nice. It was warm. It was refreshing.

I returned feeling much better.

"Darling Husband" and I talked and all is now right with the world...at least for the time being. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

wordless wednesday

2008-09-09T21:08:00.003-06:00

me and my Dad.

how to conceive a boy...

2008-09-06T16:47:00.004-06:00

...according to the Chinese calendar, we're not off to a good start. If we conceive this month, chances are it'll be a girl. So what else can we do for fun...

Eat like a boy. Okay. A "boy producing" menu should be packed with plenty of salty foods, red meats, eggs, peas, raisins, zucchini, mushrooms, beans, sweet corn, bread, and fish. This diet also recommends you avoid acidic foods in quest of a more alkaline (less acidic) environment for the boy-bearing sperm to thrive.

What else?

a recent study suggests that maintaining higher levels of glucose—which means sustaining a high intake of food throughout the day—will increase your chances of having a little boy. Consume a wide range of nutrients such as pottasium, calcium and vitamins C, E, and B12.

Another popular school of thought says that certain sexual positions can improve your odds of having a boy. But I don't really feel like getting into this one. If you'd like to find out more go here.

if you're hoping for a boy you should try to abstain from sex for several days before ovulation and then have intercourse as close to ovulation as possible. This increases the likelihood that the boy sperm (the faster swimmers) will beat out the girl sperm to the egg, and not have to survive too long while waiting around for the egg to show up. ( I knew this one!)

if you're trying for a boy, ask your mate to wear boxers for a while. (done and done.)

Based on his research, Dr. Shettles says that you're more likely to conceive a boy if your man drinks a strong cup of caffeinated coffee just before intercourse. (Got this one covered too!)

Some people claim that if a woman takes a dose of cough syrup a couple of hours before intercourse, she's more likely to have a boy. Supporters of this theory say that the medicine works by thinning the cervical mucous (just as it thins respiratory mucous when you have a cough), making conditions more favorable for sperm, especially those fast Y swimmers. The key ingredient that makes this work is guaifenesin, so if you're going that route, look for a product that contains it. (I had no idea)

*taken from Babyzone

Ooooh I just found this site. Might be interesting! Any other pointers?

UPDATE: Okay skip that. It costs $40! What else can we find...

Are you serious???? Okay after charting how old I was when I conceived the first 3, only Keziah is "right". So I feel better. Now to practice. ;o)

it's a girl!

2008-09-06T09:10:00.002-06:00

I think....

Introducing the newest member to our family a 2002 Cavalier. It has a sunroof - I'm totally excited to use it! It's standard so that'll take some getting used to again (I stalled it 2x getting gas yesterday!). But you can't argue with 41 mpg on the highway. So in a round-a-bout way...thank you province of Alberta for horribly failing our Landy and making us buy a newer vehicle.

Btw in case you were wondering...this is what Landy looks like.

electric boobs

2008-09-04T09:32:00.002-06:00

Awhile back I saw this movie and it was pretty good. A sucker for a good chick flick I'd have to say it's definately see-able. But one of the things that stood out the most was when they were in the bar singing Bennie and the Jets by Elton John. We all have those songs that we love singing along too, even if we don't know the words, or we think we do, but we're so far off the actual meaning. Well Jane and Kevin are in this bar, belting their hearts out to Bennie and the Jets and Jane sings "she's got electric boobs and ...." and they all have a good laugh. (the words are actually "she's got electric boots and mohair shoes...") So the other day, this song comes on the radio and I'm singing away in my kitchen..."She's got electric boobs...!!"

sigh.

Good times, good times.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-03T16:12:00.002-06:00

Quotable Monday

2008-09-01T10:35:00.000-06:00

"If you would be loved, be loveable." -Ovid

feeling good ramblings

2008-08-28T19:58:00.004-06:00

The last 4 days Steve, the kids and I have been on a "stay-at-home" holiday. The original plan was to go camping, but since Steve and I couldn't bear the thought of all the prep work, we decided to just stay home and do stuff every day that's different. I would take one meal "off" a day and we'd eat out (or in). And we'd just relax and enjoy each other before school starts.

So Monday was basically a write off, 'cos Steve sleeps most of the day. The kids and I watched movies and took Gus for a walk to the park.

Tuesday we went into Edmonton. Spent a hideous amount of time at Princess Auto (note to self...next time Steve goes by himself!), ate out for lunch, hit London Drugs, drove back home, got a babysitter, dropped the kids off and then Steve and I went back into Edmonton for a date night. We hit the much anticipated Fatburger (and wasn't disappointed!) and Death Race (note to self...Cineplex DOES NOT do cheap Tuesdays!).

Wednesday we painted our tree fort/swingset. Now that was ALOT of fun with 3 kids dying to help! The kids got to pick their colours (sorta). Matthias picked a baby blue and Callah a brick red. I picked a nice rich, chocolate brown for the dog house and toy box (and sadly my carpenter training is not visibly evident on either one). It was a very busy day.

And today Steve had court, so the kids and I ran some errands and then we went swimming. We'd never been to the pool here before, but were pleasantly surprised. There's a nice sized, separate toddler pool on one side and a good larger, main pool on the other with a slide and diving board. When we arrived there were very few people there, and 30 minutes later, they all left leaving just 2 other people and us in the whole swimming area! It was awesome! We finished off with slurpees, lasagna and donuts! What a great day!

And like I said I'm really glad we did this c'os already, looking ahead, school starts up Tuesday. Matthias has soccer Mon and Wed. Callah has dance Tuesdays and swimming Thursdays (in the morning...I LOVE that!!) and then we signed up for the library story time (have to check the date of that one). So it looks like it's going to be a busy fall.

On another note...
I went for a jog today and I did alot of thinking. As my feet were hitting the pavement and my head was throbbing with every heart beat I had the feeling that I was actually on a holiday. That I didn't actually live here. It was weird. I keep hearing it takes a good year to settle down and think of this place as home. So let's see...3 months down, 9 to go.

And then I thought of how in this line of work you move often and not always where you want to go. There's a move coming up that plans to beneficial for us and not really anybody else. So how do you be happy about it, when others are not? A woman from Red Deer would like to know if I'd like to start a Spouses support group. I'd love to be in one, but do I have what it takes to start one up?

So all in all, in case you were wondering how I'm doing. I'm doing much better, which may go to ask if I was really depressed in the first place or just on a bad day run? Whatever it was, I'm thinking (and praying) it's over. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Sincerely hope you're having a good week and we'll chat again soon.

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-27T08:55:00.002-06:00

I'm stealing this from him. Thanks. Enjoyed our little visit!

Quotable Monday

2008-08-25T09:42:00.001-06:00

Some of you may have read this one lately...

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, the wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. " John Ruskin

2008-08-24T19:24:00.000-06:00

a slight kick...

foo bar

2008-08-23T20:38:00.002-06:00

For the past few weeks, well let's just say months and be totally honest here, I've been in a total funk. I think I mentioned it before, I have little to no motivation. Maybe this is too much information, but I want to stress my point. We'd like to get pregnant, but even sex seems like too much work nowadays. I don't want to cook anything. I definately don't want to bake. I wait until my house is disgusting before I clean (this coming from someone who used to vacuum 2x a week, and do other chores EVERY DAY). Some mornings I would give anything to just lay in bed. I'm even too lazy to write anything on here, even a little quote one day a week! It's pathetic!

Ugh.

I'm sure it has to do with moving. Being shipped somewhere I really didn't want to go. I'm so happy Steve is enjoying himself. He loves the new job! Even when he's in the middle of crazy stupid scenerios, he's lovin' it totally! So I'm really happy for him.

So what do I do? How do I get myself out of this stupor and back into living? I've been reading on friend's blogs about their various hobbies and stuff. I want a hobby. But how do you "find" a hobby? I used to draw, but if it's possible, I think I outgrew that. I used to knit. But how do you do something when you don't feel like doing anything? It all goes back to the same thing....

I need my butt kicked. That's all I can really come up with. I need a swift kick to the butt.

Sigh.

I should just stop before I loose the few readers I have.

wordless wednesday

2008-08-20T11:12:00.002-06:00

what?

2008-08-18T10:17:00.002-06:00

what day is it today?

I feel like saying something, but don't really feel like saying anything.

So

I guess that's it.

come and gone

2008-08-07T19:32:00.004-06:00

So the big Reid Reunion/ Grandma's 80th b-day bash is come and gone. Our company has also left and tomorrow we head out for this guys wedding. Hard to believe he's actually getting married in 2 days.

This past week has been a blur and I'm sure the rest of August will fly by too. I'm going to be gone for a few weeks, I'm sure you won't really mind.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!! I know we will!

the other half

2008-08-01T13:48:00.002-06:00

In a few hours Steve's Dad's side of the family will invade our house. Some only staying (hopefully) for a few hours, others staying for the week. The fridge has been stocked with beer. Just one of the many reasons why I'm not looking forward to the next few days. With Steve's family, you have the complete opposites. One side is super fundamentalist, won't drink, won't listen to music, won't watch TV. The other... let's say are more "free" in their thinking. Pot smoke will fill the air and different drinks will be drunk. Either way, it's almost always entertaining. Usually not a dull moment.

I just pray it all goes well. Let's keep the good visiting vibe going!!

Then next Friday we head back to Sk for my younger bro's wedding. I'm so excited. We just booked a return flight for Steve (it's cheaper and 9 hours faster than the bus!) so the kids and I are staying there for the week. I can't wait to get my feet on familiar soil again. I'll probably be like those people who get off a long boat ride. I'll be rolling around, kissing the soil.

Anyway, should go finish making beds and cleaning bathrooms. Later!

multitasking

2008-07-31T13:01:00.003-06:00

This morning I was sitting on "the throne" and painted my toe-nails at the same time!

*hopefully I'll come out of this writer's block soon

saving the best for last

2008-07-30T19:18:00.005-06:00

When we were living in a hotel for 10 days we got to eat out as much as we could. Basically that's all that we could do. Honestly it sucked. Even I got sick of "burger fries" every day and was in desperate need of a change. Every once in awhile we'd go into the "big" city and eat at a nicer restaurant. A few times we'd hit Montana's (which is a personal favourite - I LOVE their Big Sky Burger!). If you've been there you'll know that ontop of every table is a sheet of brown newsprint that the servers write their names on and then you can doodle while you wait for your food. It's a great way to kill the time. Last time we were there tho' Keziah used it for a different reason. She sat at the end of a booth in a highchair, and she'd take a bite of whatever she was eating and then put the rest under this brown paper, as if she was saving it for later. Here's a pic of her storing her food. We sure got a kick out of it. And true to her form, after she had a little break, she went back for her little stash and started snacking.

wordless wednesday

2008-07-30T08:45:00.000-06:00

Funny Female Joke

2008-07-29T12:51:00.002-06:00

Alright, seriously, if you're a male, you might want to stop reading now.

I got this in my e-mail today, thought it was pretty funny. It's called The Washcloth.

I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am. I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have anytime to spare. As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment. I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in. Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in Paris or some other place a million miles away. I was a little surprised when the doctor said, 'My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?'

I didn't respond.

After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal ... some shopping, cleaning, cooking. After school when my 6-year-old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, 'Mommy, where's my washcloth?' I told her to get another one from the cupboard. She replied, 'No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it.'

Never going back to that doctor. Ever.

continuation of the crazy weekend

2008-07-27T21:53:00.004-06:00

Looking back now, yes, driving 10 hours to look at a glacier was a bit much. But it was just one of those things that I had to know (exactly how long was it from Wetaskiwin to the glacier??).

Anyway, Saturday Wetaskiwin hosted an air show featuring the snowbirds. Of course, we decided to go. It was like 35 degrees outside and there was little to no shade on site. Needless to say we left after only a couple hours, totally missing the snowbirds. The kids were nearly dead and we had had enough. What we saw tho' was really good and the announcer was a comedic genius.

Then today I headed into Edmonton to meet some fellow spouses and hear their stories thus far. We caught Mamma Mia, which I thought was really good. Meryl Streep was brilliant, Pierce Brosnan was hot as always (does that mean I'm old when I think Pierce Brosnan is better looking than the younger up and coming actors?). I will say tho'...I am very disappointed in Colin Firth. Shame on you sir. You'll have to see it and let me know if you agree.

Anyway here are a couple of pics. Enjoy!
Bridal Veil Falls

A Prairie Lily...I could pick these now right??

Our first view of the mountains, 2.5 hrs from our house, just outside of Rocky Mtn. House.

All of us ontop of the Athabasca Glacier

Congrats!

2008-07-26T10:55:00.002-06:00

Hats off to Laurena and Charles on the birth of their new baby girl - Amy Marie!! So happy for you guys!!

long day

2008-07-25T22:16:00.002-06:00

Finally home after a long day in the car. It all started yesterday....

Steve and the kids wanted to camp out, and there's no way we can fit all 5 of us in any of the tents we have so we decided to camp out in the back yard. Steve and the 2 oldest anyway, Kez and I got to sleep in our own comfy beds! And keeping to the camp-out theme we thought we'd do something "touristy" tomorrow (which is today). We gave the kids the option of going to the beach, or heading to the mountains. Since they've never been to the mountains we got 2 huge enthusiastic responses of "MOUNTAINS!!". It was decided. Around 8:30 (after Steve and I spend some "couple" time watching Penelope - which I highly recommend! James McAvoy is my new hottie!) the 3 of them headed out to the tent. Around 8:50 Callah came in complaining she had a belly ache and wanted to sleep in her own bed. So around 8:55 I went out to the tent to fetch her pillow and I found the 2 boys fast asleep and snoring. So much for excitement!

Anyway back to today. So my idea was to hit the Columbia Icefields. I remember going there years ago and thought it was really cool how they date the glacier. So you can see how much it's melted in the last 100+ yrs. On the map it looked like it would take us 3 hrs at the most. Smooth sailing.

Obviously I was wrong.

We didn't take into account the 3 bear sightings ( and the hourdes of tourists standing in the road taking pictures of said bears), the construction and the super cautious drivers who go around corners doing 40 km/hr in a 90 km/hr zone. That being said we reached the Icefields roughly 5 hours after leaving Wetaskiwin. After a chilly (poor Keziah was really freezing...but I think she really enjoyed it!) hike up the rockface we carefully walked a few feet up the glacier, took some cool photos, walked around the little trail, back the hill down to our van, got back in and headed back home. That took us about an hour. So we stopped here and there along the way back for a few little hikes and pictures. Had supper at Rocky Mtn. House around 8 pm and finally arrived back in Wetaskiwin around 9:45 pm.

So nearly 12 hours on the road for a few short hours of breathtaking beauty. Was it worth it? I definately say so (altho' my bottom may argue). And I will post pictures, but I'm dreadfully tired right now, so they will more likely come tomorrow.

That's it for now, have a good nite!

Quotable Monday

2008-07-21T21:00:00.000-06:00

"never trust a fart." -A.G.

reason No. 1

2008-07-20T13:35:00.002-06:00

Not that I'm counting, but if I were...

Last night Steve and I, my brother Kris and his fiance Laura all went to check out the new Batman flick, The Dark Knight. When we arrived we could hear the previews start, so I asked the ticket lady how many seats were left. She said they'd sold about 201 so far and so there were about 13 left. I looked back at our little group and asked "do we still want to do it?" knowing we'd probably have to split up or take the front row. The manager of the theatre was nearby and heard our dilemma.

"If you want, you can take the chairs from the foyer (nicely padded leather chairs) and put them where the wheelchair seats are."

I could've kissed the man! Clearly the best seats in the house! The movie was awesome, the seats were awesome, the popcorn was awesome. It was an awesome all around night.

So reason No. 1 why I love it here....the manager at the local cinema 4 is totally awesome!

my 15 days overdue baby girl

2008-07-18T15:11:00.003-06:00

That's right, 4 years ago I was waddling along waiting for this baby to come out! It wasn't until early evening when I finally had contractions. We ran to the hospital and 4 hours later, out popped Callah Deanne Reid. Weighing 8 lbs, 1 oz. She was so tiny! She's been our little princess ever since!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY GIRL!!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-16T10:18:00.002-06:00

from way back...July 2002

Quotable Monday

2008-07-14T22:09:00.001-06:00

From the bleak void that was today....

"What better way is there to live a life than to be known by and be obedient to the God of the cosmos?" - Randall Friesen

I'll strive to that.

ha ha!

2008-07-13T15:01:00.005-06:00

So yeah, on our anniversary we bought ourselves a digital camera. It's a Canon powershot A590 1S. Best Buy was having a deal at the time, with any camera purchase you could get an Epson stylus CX7400 All-in-one printer for only $9.99. We thought that was pretty cool. One of the highlights was that it's also a scanner. So for your viewing pleasure...

Our wedding! Notice the hair on Steve...something you don't see much of anymore! :)

one of those nights

2008-07-13T00:32:00.003-06:00

When we moved here I felt hideously ugly and disgustingly huge, especially after 2 weeks of fast food and hotel living. So I decided to start up my Learn To Run program again. Some of you may remember when I took the program for the first time last May of '07. (We have a digital camera now so I might just take that picture of myself yet!) It's been a long, very tiring, process once again. And today after completing my 30 minutes of 3 + 1's, I looked like the devil himself. My face, I don't think, has ever been redder. But I felt good! I was pretty impressed! Then of course, 10 minutes later I thought to myself...why do I do this??? And I slowly melted onto the floor.

New Topic
For some reason my internet has been acting up. I sent out an e-mail help plea to some friends from back home and I guess there was a windows update that doesn't configure with some firewall software. What???? Can someone explain this to me and how do I fix it without letting the world log onto my computer? Steve usually does all this stuff but he's a bit busy right now, so this is my new undertaking. That and figuring out how to set up our new printer. I'm sure I'll be posting for help on that one soon too.

New Topic
My in-laws were here for a few days as previously mentioned and my MIL mentioned that she doesn't listen to the news 'cos it's all hopeless. Steve brought up this story about this guy who killed a bunch of people and then himself recently. No idea what he's talking about. I don't listen to the news either. But then she went on to semi quote some scripture from Phil 4:8. and that's why she doesn't listen to the news. And as Christians we should only fill our minds with hopeful things. That got me thinking way back to my small group and I'm pretty sure we discussed something similiar way back when about thinking about the negative of the world, but not dwelling on it. Am I right? Anyone remember what we were talking about? Steve countered that isn't that what a Christian should do? See all the evil of the world AND still have and see hope.

New Topic
And finally ('cos my eyes are actually involuntarily shutting down) I was reading Dixie's blog and she's talking about loss and how to get on with life afterward. I think about this every day and sometimes twice. I picture myself just falling to me knees and wailing. Or is it keening. Or maybe I'll just be silent. Completely dumbstruck and numb. I know we could all die at any time. You could die crossing the street to the grocery store. But when suicidal snipers wait outside your workplace, your clock could be ticking a little faster. I just pray and hope that it's not.

So anyway, this is just one of those nights, where I got alot going on inside my head. I could just lay there in bed, letting it all go wild and leave me sleepless or I could vent some of it, which is what I did, not necessarily making any of it clearer, but just put it out there so that I'm not alone in my thoughts anymore.

And with that said

g'nite

all is quiet once again

2008-07-11T14:23:00.002-06:00

Now that wasn't so bad. :)

The in-laws were only here for a day, a little odd, in my opinion, but I'm not going to complain. They arrived Wednesday. We went into Edmonton Thursday, hit the usual (IKEA, Old Spaghetti Factory) and the not so usual ( almost 2 hours in Lammle's Western Wear...boo hiss). Missed the tornado warning out for this area. All in all a pretty good day. And they left just after noon today. Short and sweet.

Now why can't all visits be like that?

The van got cleared to license in Alberta. Yeah. Estimated cost was over $1300. Total cost close to $400. I love my husband!

Now if only I could figure out what I did to my back... and never do it again! Ouch! I haven't been in this much pain since I had Keziah 16 months ago!

Tonite we're just going to relax and enjoy the quiet...and have a few more muscle relaxants!

wordless wednesday

2008-07-09T10:57:00.002-06:00

here's one from the files....

Quotable Monday

2008-07-07T08:45:00.000-06:00

"There is more to life than increasing its speed." Ghandi

Not sure if I mentioned that one before, but it's something I'm becoming more and more aware of as time goes by. Sometimes I look at Keziah and am shocked by how tall she is and how much she's grown. Where has the time gone?

crappy night

2008-07-04T01:17:00.003-06:00

I can't remember if I mentioned this already. In my continuing struggle on whether or not to have a 4th baby I was told the other day that I shouldn't. And I should have my tubes tied. I was hurt and taken aback. And whether or not it's true, I'm a bad parent, it got me thinking about the whole thing again and maybe I shouldn't. Maybe 3 is all we can handle and even 3 is too many.

This same person told me that my husband is a terrible, negligent father. I'm very hurt by this person's opinions.

And so this is how I'm dealing with this. Staying up extremely late until my brain will no longer function and I will basically pass out once my head hits the pillow.

I'm not really sure what this person is thinking, or hopes to prove by saying these things but I really wish that they would just shut up.

grrrr

2008-06-30T09:47:00.002-06:00

There aren't alot of shopping choices here in Wetaskiwin. There's a Sobeys but it's in a questionable neighbourhood (which is kind of funny), there's a Safeway (which is a bit on the pricey side) and there's an Extra Foods (which is seriously lacking in the product availability dept). So I'm at Extra Foods pretty early this morning buying my groceries, hoping to grab the deals while they're still on stock. I'm looking over the Lean Ground Beef when this little china man comes and snatches up all 8 or 9 of the club packs. My mouth drops open. Hello?? I'm standing right here!

Sheesh.

So now I have to wait till they get more in stock...probably Thursday or something.

Grrr....

Thoughts on a hot Sunday afternoon

2008-06-29T13:13:00.005-06:00

This morning we went to a church that we've been to a couple of times already. The community there is awesome. Fellowship there is great. Kids programming is very good. But the pastor...well this morning I was trying to think of something that I'd rather be doing. I thought of being enclosed in a coffin full of leeches. I thought of the traditional "digging my eyes out with a spoon". There were a number of things I'd rather be doing at the moment when he was giving his sermon on 1 Corinthians 13: 4-5. I tried to focus and pay attention and then my mind would wander to my cool Canada Day toe nail paint job (striped red and white!) or wonder what the kids were doing downstairs or where was Keziah? Dare I say, luckily he's retiring in July. I pray that whoever God calls to that church will be a bit more excitable. I'm sure the pastor who's there now is a good guy and nice person to "hang with", but just not my cup of tea.

So in a round about way...I want to know when looking for a church what do you look for? Do you look for community and programming? Do you look for a good message? Do you look for younger people your own age? And if you don't find all of these in a church what then? Do you go start one of your own?? ha ha...TOTALLY kidding!

So this morning, feeling a little homesick, I went looking and only missed the preaching awesomeness of Randall more. Sigh. One day soon.

My sister is coming today for a weeks visit. This starts a month of visits and then it's our turn to hit other peoples homes. I'm completely excited. This will give us something to do. In talking with other spouses in the same situation, they seem to be doing well. Making friends and getting out. I didn't think it would be so difficult. I thought it would be easier. So I'll take visitors. Anyone who wants to come. We'll go out and do things. Hit the hot spots and maybe go exploring. I'm even excited for the possible in-law visit next week (never thought I'd say that in a million years).

And tomorrow is our 7 year anniversary. 7 years. Wow. From a newbie perspective that's pretty impressive. 3 of those years have been spent pregnant and nursing resulting in 3 adorable kids. We've moved 5 times and had over 9 jobs (combined). It's been fun and I wouldn't want to change any part of it for the world.

Well actually...there was that one time...

sometimes I wonder...

2008-06-27T17:25:00.002-06:00

what's going thru Keziah's head as she turns around in circles until she falls over, singing some sort of song that only she can understand.

so cool

2008-06-27T14:01:00.003-06:00

This morning I drove past this elderly gentleman who was wearing a purple long sleeve plaid shirt tucked nicely into his bright red polyester track pants. He finished off the ensemble with a straw cowboy hat and sunglasses.

And I smiled and thought "how cute."

I hope when I get older and dress "all cool like" that someone will say that about me.

wordless wednesday

2008-06-25T14:38:00.002-06:00

Quotable Monday

2008-06-23T09:06:00.000-06:00

I found a little book that I started writing in back in 1996. There's oodles of nameless quotes that I got from somewhere. Here are just a few.

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

"Even a mosquito doesn't get a slap on the back until it starts to work."

"You are only what you are when no one is looking."

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

seriously

2008-06-22T21:19:00.001-06:00

why can't life be more like it is in the movies (obvious reasons aside)? Why can't the happy couple remain happy? Why can't the kids always listen and be lovable?

funky

2008-06-21T10:18:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning feeling kinda sad and lonely. That got me thinking about home and friends I miss back in PA. And it's not that I went out every day and did something with someone, but at least the option was there. Here I know 2 couples and you can only spend so much time with the same 2 people before you start getting sick of each other.

So this morning, even tho' the sun is shining, I feel a little down in the dumps.

boxes

2008-06-19T14:42:00.002-06:00

As I sit here and think about the handful of boxes scattered all over my house, I procrastinate a little longer, not really wanting to unpack them anymore. I'm sick of boxes. On the one hand, it would be great and awesome to have everything unpacked. Even the playroom downstairs, now that Steve unpacked all his weights, is looking great and there's so much space. I know the house will look way more better and inviting, if only I could get rid of a few more boxes.

Sigh.

But I just don't want to do it.

Yesterday when I was cutting the grass. I got bit by 3 little evil ants. So today I went to the Co-op and bought ant killer. 4 cans of ant killer. They...will....die!!! Altho' have you ever seen that movie Ant Bully? As I sprinkle the powder over their little ant holes, a small tear escapes my eye, and then I step on any surviving escapees with my shoe.

The kids are napping, soon they will wake up and I'll have to remove my behind from the imprint of the computer chair, and we'll have to find something to do to occupy our time until supper. Steve works the late shift today so he won't be home till after 8. I hate this shift. It seems to suck the day away...very...very...slowly. It's not that there isn't stuff to do, but I'm just sick of doing it.

I'm baaaaacccccckkkkkkkk.....

2008-06-14T22:43:00.003-06:00

Just like that creepy voice in that movie...what was it?

Anyway, so we're up and running apparently. Funny thing since the stupid Telus setup guide wouldn't acknowledge my username or password. I guess you don't need those things or it's just my lucky night! The house is livable. Right now the kids are sleeping. I'll have pictures up hopefully soon. The move went well. Only 2 things were broken (that we know of so far) and we're still missing our dolly...which the movers have yet to return. There was mold and a small water leak in our basement the morning we moved in (not happy) but the house inspector said it's an easy fix (after ripping apart the wall) and we're moving on. The trampoline is set up (an open invite to all you adventurous Moms out there!) and the Pepsi is in the fridge. We don't have a bed for visitors yet (and unfortunately I wouldn't recommend the Best Western here...things you learn when you live in a hotel for 11 days!) but we do have air beds and lots of floor space!

Steve is doing well with the new job. He's already in a truck of his own. A little nerve wracking for me, but he's still not technically "alone" altho' out there, they never really are. There was this story the other week of a cleaver wielding father chasing his son. Good times, good times. Please continue to pray for him.

And in other depressing news, I just read about a member who just recently cheated on his wife with another member. He's been on the job for less than a year. What a schmuck.

HAPPY THOUGHTS!
June is apparently county fair time here in central Alberta. We hit the Camrose Jaywalkers Festival last week, Wetaskiwin's Pioneer Days today and coming up is a huge rodeo in Ponoka that is supposed to have a really cool parade! The kids all got their faces painted. Matt got spiderman, Callah was a butterfly and Kez got whiskers. So it's been a long day and my eyes are burning.

G'nite.

It feels good to be back. :)

and off we go...

2008-05-28T20:28:00.001-06:00

as I write this I'm sitting on the floor of my basement with the keypad on my lap. Not the most comfortable way to go. And so it begins. Tomorrow the packers come so this will be it for awhile. If I can I'll try to drop a line from somewhere mid-week. If not I'll be writing from our new home sweet home in Wetaskiwin - City in Motion!!

See ya!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-28T09:33:00.011-06:00

Thanks for the memories!

feels like Christmas

2008-05-27T16:07:00.001-06:00

This day is taking forever to end.

Less than 24 hours and my husband will be home.

Quotable Monday

2008-05-26T09:25:00.002-06:00

I've been scraping little shavings off my ration of light
And I've formed it into a ball, and each time I pack a bit more onto it
I make a bowl of my hands and I scoop it from its secret cache
Under a loose board in the floor
And I blow across it and I send it to you
Against those moments when
The darkness blows under your door. -Bruce Cockburn

Last Sunday

2008-05-25T13:28:00.003-06:00

It's 1:32 pm. I'm drinking a rum and coke and I'm crying all over my egg and cheese sandwich. I'm not having a good day. I couldn't sleep last night (hence the useless post about our honeymoon journal) and since waking up this morning I've felt queesy and slightly nauseous. This morning was my last Gateway church service. Over the past 5 years or so it's become home. I've made some good friends that I hope to continue friendship with, had deep conversations and enjoyed lots of hearty hugs. Nothing was said this morning about my departure, which is fine, I tend to lean on the quiet side anyway, but incase anyone wonders...I WILL miss you guys. You'll be a very hard church to "get over". Thank you for the tears and the laughter. The joy of watching your children grow into strong and beautiful men and women. I will continue to pray for them as I will you.

If anyone is ever in the Edmonton area, PLEASE look us up, we'd love to catch up and see what changes are a happenin'!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and God bless.

midnight storytelling

2008-05-25T00:08:00.002-06:00

My "dying wish" for last Thursday's small group was a music "special" if you will. We were each supposed to pick a song we liked at the moment, play it and explain why. There was a little bit of everything there from Leonard Cohen to Jane Sibery, Bruce Cockburn to Salvador, India Arie to Emmy Rossum. All cool songs and all meaningful in their own ways. I really enjoyed it. Now I can leave happy (at least where that is concerned).

I was really bored tonite. So I was looking up some old pictures of when Steve and I first got married. Times like these I wish I had a scanner, so you could see just how much hair he actually had! And I came across our honeymoon journal. Of course I'm not going to share alot from it, but re-reading it brought quite a few smiles to my face. Perhaps that's why I'm awake still now at 12:47... I'm just missing him. Or perhaps it's from that nap I had this afternoon. I said it once, I'll say it again, naps are evil.

So here's a little (or not so little) excerpt. To set the scene we went to a 4 wheel drive park in Kananaskiis for a week long honeymoon. We found our "camp spot" when the Landy got stuck in some mud by a little stream. On this particular day we decided to climb a "small hill".

MO 07 09 01 "...and a hiking we went. It started strong for both of us (on the road) then we reached the bottom of the hill and started to walk/climb. It was steeper than we thought, but we went on or I went on...somebody had to stop every ten steps or so, not mentioning any names so I'll just spell it L..I..S..A...Yeah, I just about went down to carry her. So on and on and on we went. My blisters were hurting from my new shoes and b'cos he's such a wuss he whined and complained the whole way up! About 1/2 way he stopped and dropped the pack to get some water. So I decided to take some nature shots of these beautiful prairie lilies. After a short break we continued up this time on a winding, uphill climb thru trees. At this point I felt like I was going to throw up, but I kept on going. When we finally did reach the top, Steve was sweating REALLY heavy. On and on we went til I heard her say "Are we going up more!?!" I said, "Honey we are so close, were not going to walk all this way not to go all the way, come on, you can do it, I know you can!!" You would think with that encouragement one would start running up the rest of the way, but no, not today. Dragging every step like she was wearing cement shoes, lucky it was only 10 steps more so she could rest again. While she was laying on the ground, reaching for air with her hand and throwing it towards her mouth, I decide to take some "nature shots'. Luckily I brought all the film cause I don't think she will be even rolling over soon....Steve is such a jerk! silly pictures more like it...oh! a leaf (snap picture)...a bird in a tree (snap)...clouds! (snap) now that was a real find...you don't see clouds like that everyday! while nature boy was taking pictures I was getting restless and wanted to keep moving so finally he put away his camera and his "prize" shots and we were able to move again."

Hopefully you figured out that we kept switching perspectives as we were writing! We eventually made it down the hill and as we were driving back to our "campsite" we somehow missed spotting this huge 3 ft high rock on the "road" and drove over it. Doing so, Landy reared, the steering wheel spun out slamming Steve's fingers in the process and alot of blood and screaming followed.

All in all it was a great trip!

and they're off

2008-05-24T18:20:00.002-06:00

Sadly no Canadian content this time around, but there's enough energy and emotion in the building to bring tears to my eyes. Or maybe I'm just in an overly emotional state anyway.

Go Pittsburgh!!

p.s.

2008-05-22T14:09:00.002-06:00

my latest favourite movie of all time is P.S. I Love You. One of the songs in the film is, well actually there are a few, by The Pogues. When I was young I went thru this heavy celtic phase and remember listening to lots of their music, but I don't remember this song. Or maybe it's b'cos I wasn't married and in love then. But whatever. Here are the lyrics to one of my new favourite songs.

I love you till the end - The Pogues
I just want to see you
When youre all alone
I just want to catch you if I can
I just want to be there
When the morning light explodes
On your face it radiates
I cant escape
I love you till the end

I just want to tell you nothing
You dont want to hear
All I want is for you to say
Why dont you just take me
Where Ive never been before
I know you want to hear me
Catch my breath
I love you till the end

I just want to be there
When were caught in the rain
I just want to see you laugh not cry
I just want to feel you
When the night puts on its cloak
Im lost for words dont tell me
All I can say
I love you till the end

to have or not to have....4?

2008-05-22T11:49:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking lately about having a 4th child. The timing is right, age wise, but not so good life wise. Steve and I have always said that we'd like 4 children and having the 3 now, it does feel like we're not quite complete. Having said that tho', I am questioning it a little. A few days ago someone told me that I shouldn't even consider having a 4th child until I can control the 3 I've got. My mouth kinda dropped open. "Are you serious?" was all I could muster up to say. I couldn't believe it. Who would say that to another person? I mean sure, I'm sure at times we've all thought that about other people, but to actually say it? You'd have to be stupid or crazy or both. So with that in the back of mind, I've been wondering if we should have a 4th, or just stick with the 3 we got?

Talking to a friend this morning, who has 4, she said young kids are bad to start with. But when they get older, it makes it all worthwhile. Of course her kids are young, so maybe she's just wishful thinking. I know some of you readers out there have 4 older kids. Does it get better? Is 4 really the magic number?

I have no idea. And honestly it should be the last thing on my mind these days. Like I don't have enough to think about already. But I am. There was a slim, like 3% chance that I thought I was, and I'm not, and there was a bit of disappointment in there that still lingers. So maybe that just means that I am ready and unconsciously I already know the answer to this question of whether or not we should have 4.

oh well. Lunch calls and I have to go tell 2 of my 3 uncontrolled kids to stop screaming in the back yard before someone calls 911.

man...

2008-05-22T00:43:00.001-06:00

I wish I could sleep right now!

Stupid nap!

wordless wednesday

2008-05-21T14:18:00.002-06:00

no, this isn't Keziah, or any of my kids, but it could very well be. Just this past weekend Keziah was eating dog food out of their dish.

i love it...

2008-05-20T13:10:00.003-06:00

when my husband phones me at 6:43 am to tell me he had an uneventful night.

Really. That's a good thing.

I've also come to the realization that I love food. All food. Good food, bad food. Just food in general. The month of May has been hazardous to my waistline, to put it mildly. And true, I can't use the excuse that we've hardly been home, 'cos there are nutritious choices out there to eat from. You don't always have to have that double cheeseburger with the cinna-melt for lunch followed by the DQ chicken strip basket for supper. If Jared can do SUBWAY 7 days a week, so can you! But I will try to get away with that excuse and I will add onto it with the lack-of-workout reasoning...why start? And really why? Why start a program for a week when I'll be moving in 10 days to a temporary location, and then moving again 7 days after than to another temp location and moving again in another 8 days to our final destination. So really, when I'm the sole caregiver of 3 young kids and I'll be moving to 4 different locations in the next 3 weeks, I think the "why start?" excuse is a pretty good one.

And you know what really sucks? Is that I'm PMS-ing. So not only am I an emotional basket-case to my 3 young children, but I'm also freaking out about my husband not being home, I'm tearing my kitchen apart looking for the smallest scrap of chocolate ANYTHING to devour, and I feel bloated and completely HUGE. Not a good combo. Plus I'm making lists of lists of things to do before we leave like phoning to cancel this and cancel that and leaving forwarding address' to a place that we don't have possession of yet and going thru crap loads of stuff that we don't need to take with us and eating as much food as possible so we don't waste anything.

Can you imagine what I'd be like if I actually had to pack our stuff up myself?

HA!

sigh...alright, I really should go phone and cancel something else. It's been good talking to you.

something rank and pretty crocus'

2008-05-15T13:06:00.004-06:00

Last night the Mom's Committee went to Amy's for supper. I've only ever been once before, over 6 years ago and was majorly disappointed, so never went back. However last night was very good. The triple chocolate and vanilla cheesecake was too die for. I nearly swallowed mine whole before I discovered that everyone else was savouring theirs. Foolish me. Just goes to show you can take the girl out of the country, but can't take the country out of the girl. I won't even tell you how I ate my steak.

Now I don't know whether it was the cheesecake, the steak or the asparagus (I'll blame the asparagus...if all else fails, blame the asparagus) but when I got home something wickedly rank from my bottom was coming. I hated to sleep with myself. It was gross.

Moving on...

A few people have told me about movers and what all they do and don't take. Apparently they will take everything (even your garbage..unless you tell them not too) but chemicals, including cleaning supplies and paint. I'm not really sure how we wound up with 7 half empty cans of mosquito spray, but this morning when we went for a walk out at the Lil Red, I gladly finished off one of those cans. Not that we really needed it, it was beautiful out there, but it has to be used up. And I guess I'll need the cleaning supplies to clean the house once everything is gone. You do that right? I have no idea. Speaking of which does anyone want to watch my kids Friday May 30 for a couple of hours? Or help clean?

So yeah, anyway, the walk this morning. It was beautiful. I'm really going to miss it out there. Wetaskiwin has this By the Lake Park. Looks like a man made lake with a dirt path around it. It's where all the locals go to "get away". It's nice and all, but compared to Lil' Red, it looks like a rabbit trail through some brush. Of course the mountains are only a few hours away, so I really shouldn't complain. But still.
So we went on this walk and Matthias is wearing his army cargo pants, plain shirt and old baseball cap. I'm wearing some quick dry pants and an old t-shirt. Keziah has some nicely stained play clothes on and then there's Callah. She's got a hot pink dress on, covered with a white princess sweater and a good pair of jeans on underneath. She's wearing her sunflower sunglasses and is carrying, in her hand, her little backpack purse filled with books, a comb and a magic wand. How she slipped past me into the van I have no idea. Where she came from, or how she got to be so girly...again I have no idea.

Oh well, there's always hope for the big bellied Keziah who loved the walk this morning. I kept her in the stroller until we had the van insight and then I let her out. She turned her face into the breeze, little tufts of hair blowing in the wind, and smiled. Then she pointed and grunted at the bird in the sky. Walked over to the right and pointed at the grass. Walked over to the left and pointed at the tree. Walked over again to the right and pointed at the crocus (which are in full bloom and just gorgeous!), then to the left, and again the right, and so on and so on. Until she picked up something white (which naively I thought was a rock, only to find out it was actually some really old poop) and tried to eat it. Back into the stroller she went.

We finished off the morning with slurpees, cinnamon buns and cheese. Really, what could be better?

wordless wednesday

2008-05-14T14:15:00.004-06:00

The Don't Song

2008-05-13T19:59:00.002-06:00

if you haven't already heard this, you gotta check it out. Especially all the men out there...

http://www.ignitermedia.com/products/iv/singles/886/The-Dont-Song

SOLD!!

2008-05-13T09:25:00.003-06:00

...to the highest bidder! ha ha...

Yes our house is officially sold! I'm super excited, was a little worried there for a bit. It's amazing how God worked and we're so thankful!

The moving company phoned this morning, they're coming next week to "check out" our stuff (sounds a little fishy!).

Now we just have to tie off the loose ends in Wetaskiwin and we have ourselves a house!!

Things are finally moving. On the one hand I'm glad and excited and on the other sad. Still haven't really thought about leaving. As the days wind down tho' I'm sure the tears will come.

But for now, the sun is shining and the park is calling! Yay!!

Quotable Monday

2008-05-12T14:45:00.001-06:00

"I love to poop." -Hayden, my 3 yr old nephew.

Wordless ....

2008-05-10T20:59:00.002-06:00

Callah dressed up as a penguin at the West Ed Mall. Isn't she cute?

quick things from the road

2008-05-10T19:32:00.002-06:00

...Bawlf, Alberta. Is it just me or does that name just make you wanna laugh?

...FYI - there's a sale on wild boar meat near Wilkie, Sk.

...A&W in Unity does not qualify in the "fast food" department.

...Ever wonder what waiting 30 minutes in a McDonalds feels like? Don't! It's terrible!

And really that's all I got for spur of the moment. I knew I should've been taking notes, but alas, I didn't. Now I'm hungry, so I'm going to go eat whatever isn't moldy in my fridge. Yum!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-30T08:51:00.001-06:00