Memories of sweet, sweet ducklings

Here is Moby Duck and Webster...

The ducklings that Bug's Grade 3 class raised and released into Memorial Gardens.

Snuggly, Cuddly, Loveable ducklings...

who even napped with the kids and who even peed on one of the sleeping beauties... hee hee

Joy in every day

My life is full...

full schedule

full days

full of joy

full of life

full of adventure

 full of wonderful people

full of hiding

full of wounds

Sometimes you have to dig

through life that is...
No one ever said to me that my life would be sunshine and roses and I am so very fortunate to not have had that misguided, preconceived notion looming over my head, especially this week.

Life has ups and downs and arguements and disappointments; children misbehave, act up...run away. Our houses aren't always spotless, our hair perfectly coiffed; we get runs in our stockings, sometimes our shoes don't even match and sometimes, life throws things at you that you never dreamed you would deal with (like when Rush ran away or..).

Take, for example, this past week. Dear friends of ours have been faced with the unthinkable, Our son, LilB, has been faced with the unthinkable.  His very good friend, and the son of the couple, I mentioned, was shot and killed on Thursday in a tragic run of horrific events that are just too complicated to delve into at this moment. He was a military man, a daddy, a husband, a friend, a son and his death is living a hole in everyone's life that was touched by him and his giant personality.

Life is sometimes pretty shitty....

Shopping Success

or as I like to say... WOWZA!!!

Boxing Day Week shopping has never been something I have ever done a lot, or any, of but I may be sold on the notion of it as of today.  We hit the mother load! Other than all I could seem to find for tops was sweaters. {What? Do we live in northern Canada or something? grin}

One mall and one other store (read Old Navy) later and we had spent $260 and bought:
1 pair of jeans
1 dress coat
3 t-shirts
2 dress shirts
3 dressy scarves
1 sweater
2 cardigans
1 pair of brown boots (flats)...
and a partridge in a pear tree...

Ok, ok, maybe no partridges were purchased but that is still quite a bargain. I, being the cheap frugal gal I am and loving a deal, just HAD to tally up the regular prices of all these items (less the partridge of course) to see just what kind of a deal we walked away with AND the grand total of said purchases at regular price was (drum roll please...ok, could you at least imagine there's a drum roll?)

$640...

I think I could just get used to this Boxing Week sale shopping...

It's here

The cards are - mostly - out, the tree is up, the baking is done, the gifts are bought. There's a poinsetta sitting on a speaker near my front window and the 10th annual gingerbread house has been constructed and assaulted with candies of various design. Yessireebob, Christmas is here.  Now, if only I could get around to finish wrapping presents or we may be starting a new tradition...environmentally friendly gifts with no wrapping paper just close your eyes and...SURPRISE!

I Miss You?

Ok, really, it isn't a question. I miss writing on this blog, interacting with you.

Life has really bowled me over lately. Not in a bad way. It has, for the most part, been great - just uber busy. Work, school, kids, kids' school, photography...all good things...they have just taken up more hours in the day than I have had to spend and so, something had to go and...

I confess, as much as I miss you all, this was the first on my chopping block. I don't promise to be here every day (I did just start school last week) but I do promise to be here more than once a quater. :D

I can't eliminate this all together; I discovered that. I miss the writing. I miss the seeing what y'all are up to and the friendships. I plan to rebuild those friendships.

Forgive me...? Still want to be my bloggy friend? :)

I hope this time of year finds you in the midst of loved ones, making memories that will last a lifetime.

I WILL be back...

Big sigh of relief

Yes, three weeks into school and the routine of things is getting back to being normal. There are new things on our routine. New school schedule, new work schedule, new schedule of being home/away for B.D., drum lessons, swim lessons, a pay schedule for Jellybean.

Yes, she is watching her brother for the hour between the end of the school day and the end of my work day.  I am not about to ask her to do it for nothing but, given that she is a part of the family and is helping the family out by doing it, she is getting paid cheaply but it is "a lot of money" for someone her age - according to her. 

I like routine and that is why Fall usually brings me comfort.  You can rely on your meal plan because the weather will, 99% of the time, cooperate with your meal plan.  You can rely on Tuesday evenings being drum lessons so a quick easy supper is needed and Saturdays being swim lessons right after lunch so an early, lighter lunch is required and a planned snack brought for the car ride home.

I love Summer, very much but, I find by the end of it I have lost all motivation for meal plans, cleaning schedules, and have all but lost control on the ins and outs of running a smooth household.

This year has brought new challenges with schooling,  New school. New school system. New dynamic of children and new mindsets of children at the school.  Jellybean is experiencing racism and I think, although not substantiated yet, that that is the root of the issue with Bug being beaten up 3 times (that I know of) since the beginning of the year.  The biggest challenge for this mama is to not run to the school and feed the guilty boy to his parents on a nice platter and to just keep in contact with teachers and principal and documenting EVERYTHING... Ev-ery-thing...even if it is miniscule by itself to take to principals and school boards, if needed.  I have pictures of bruises and cuts and scrapes at the ready should this become a pattern and not a simple growing pain of getting to know a new school, the new kid and a bunch of new students who all ready have a natural order to their friendships.

It is also hard doing it without B.D. because I am doing this all alone but I am learning to adapt.  He has been gone 4-5 weeks out of the last 6 and will be gone the next 2 on top of it. I'm used to it though....it doesn't bring any more help when he is here.

So, here I am BIG sigh of relief escaping my lips as I sit, realizing routine and normalcy is beginning to settle into the walls of this house again...although we are a bit on the excited side with a countdown going to the day my cousin, Svein, comes to visit from Italy!  The countdown is at 16 days!

Because I grew up on a farm that's why!

"Mom, why do you like to catch frogs like boys? Girls aren't supposed to like catchin' frogs..."

We had a lot of fun in the midst of watching/playing a soccer game the other day. We caught frogs and gave them Spanish names. I don't know why they had to be Spanish. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time...because it was funny and made the kids laugh.

He's got da music in him

Bug is always dancing...ALWAYS... and by always I mean always!
 His sister caught him dancing at a wedding ceremony when he thought no one was looking...boy was he embarassed when he knew they had been watching him the entire time.

He dances as he is walking, as he eats supper, in the car...dance, dance, dance. And it doesn't matter if there is music playing or not...it's in his bones...

Because summer is all about fun

BabyK at the local fair in their town...

To capture a moment

We recently discovered that one of my uncles is very sick. He has just been diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 double lung cancer... Not good.  The good part is that he still has strength, right now, to enjoy his family.  A couple days ago he started his second round of chemo and has just now begun to lose his hair.

Knowing this, his children, who were all together for a rare moment this past couple weeks, decided that we should take a day and get some family pictures while Uncle still has enough strength to do so.

It was such an honor for me that they asked me to do the photographing.  It was a beautiful day, complete with being with my family and sharing time and a nice meal with them.

Happy Friendiversary

18 years ago, I lay in a hospital room, having just had a beautiful baby girl (one who we all know as Rush). A young lady bounded across the room to her bed across the room from me, her boyfriend fooling around using the wheelchair.  She had just had a baby boy.  We introduced ourselves and the rest, they say, is history.

18 years of friendship. 18 years of laughter, tears, silliness and support.

Thanks, Shea, for being born on the 5th, making a way for me to get to know you and your amazing family!

Love you Crys!   Too bad we live so far apart happy friendiversary wings would be in order! :D

Sounds of Summer

"I need more ammo now..."

Yes, in my house, and I am certain yours, in some form or another...

The ammo?

H2O...

The floor...?

Soaking wet with slippery footprints of children  running in and out with bottles, buckets, cups, & water guns to fill.

I love the laughter that floats on the words... "I need more ammo...", "he got me..."

The bottom fell right out of it

The plans that were in the works... the ones that I said I wasn't going to give details about at that time just in case... well, the bottom did fall right out but I am completely ok with it.  I know that things happen & don't happen for a purpose and I have the choice to be upset by it or to roll with it.  I like to try to be more of a "roll with it" kinda gal. 

Sure, don't get me wrong; there have been moments that knocked me to my knees, perhaps even to my butt but I tend to not let it keep me there. I am a fighter.  I love me a good fight.  Knock me down and I come up swinging.  I just happen to have turned my life around enough that now when I swing it's with prayers and not with punches. {sheepish grin}.

So, what do I do with this bottomless chance? Let it go.  Move on..there is something better in the not-so-distant future. I just know it!

Fun in the Sun

Yay!!! Summer is here! New routines. New goals. New opportunities.

This summer has presented itself with a lot of little changes for our family, a lot of things to look forward to.  One of those things may even get us in a pretty good financial position.  It is not 100% set in stone so I will let you know more about that as it unfolds...

1 more month and I get to meet my cousin who is travelling here from Italy.  Words can not even begin to define just how freaking excited I am.


We have finally come to an end, in Canada, of a way too long postal strike which turned into a lock-out...but it is finally over and with its end comes our Income Tax check - finally...  We sent it in ions ago but they needed proof of our charitable donations...red tape, red tape and more red tape and a postal strike/lock-out later I open my mailbox each day seeking that ugly brown envelope...{grin}

Hope the summer has found you well, enjoying life, your family & your friends...'til next time.

My Life in comparison to Simba (yes, from Lion King)

Remember in the movie where it is Simba and Rafiki? You know right after the whole Mufasa in the cloud scene? And Simba says something about how things are changing...I can't remember his exact words. Do you know how many years it has been since I watched the miovie? Sheesh (grin)

Anyway, Rafiki says something about change being good... and then I remember him hitting Simba in the head and saying "you can either run from it or learn from it".

All that non-sensical drivel to say, there may be some changes around here my humble abode. Big changes.  A lot of getting used to changes but, if they come to pass, we shall make them work and it will be good and everyone will be happy...right?

Stranger...

It has been a while since I darkened the door(?) of this interweb blogville kinda place we sometimes try to hang out at.

I've been working lots; which will make up for the two weeks off in July we have as the doctor is on holidays.

I've been working a few shifts here and there at a jewellry store as well so that I can help build up our nest egg to get a down payment on a house and...the owner of the store is a friend of mine who I love to help out by giving her a day off once in a blue moon.

I was working on a powerpoint....in the middle of fever-induced craziness... yet, it turned out very lovely.  There was some stress there that I really, really tried to not get stressed out over but...one of the parties was a little tardy (ahem - grin) in the providing of pictures for me to work with.  I would love to tell you I didn't stress but I did.  I must be transparent with you...{grin}  It all worked out though. Woo HOOOOO!!!

We had a graduation and an awards night. Jellybean got awards for most improved student, highest average and best attendance. Bug got an award for best attendance. Pictures to follow but I must get them onto the picassa site first.

Saturday we will be going to the town B.D. grew up near  and celebrating his little granny on her 90th birthday!  Yay... will be lots of fun I am sure - hearing old stories as family members reminicse (why can't I spell that word tonight!? Argh!)

Anywhoodles, off to slumberland...just a hop skip and a jump away from blogville...

When the husband is away

No, no, no...the wife doesn't play. Not this wife! But what happens around here when the husband is away is, the wife gets sick, the kids get sick, someone sideswipes the car, the car breaks down, the keys fall off the keyring in the car and the family is locked out of the car...

Yes, this is just an example of some of the things that have happened when B.D. is gone with his job. He usually travels one week and is home the next.  This time of year he is gone all of one week, part of the next on and off... schools are getting ready to shut down for the summer and they are in need of network administration/computer repair/whatever other computer needs arise (you know like the school being broken into and the entire IT dept being trashed).

Heading off now to make some chicken noodle soup for little Miss Jellybean; the school called me at 9:30 this morning... B.D. had been on the road for an hour and a half. Ha ha ha.

Where I've Been

I've been sick. Real sick. Well...as far as petty little sicknesses  like viral infections and colds/flus are concerned not as in something way more serious than that. 

But it had zapped all my energy, especially since B.D. has been gone.  There were still kids who needed fed and reminded to do homework and laundry and baths and...well, you have all been there. I needn't ramble on.

I was feeling well enough to, inspite of not being well enough to go to work, bring my laptop up to my room and get a very good start on the wedding powerpoint for J2s' wedding on June 18. That helped me to feel somewhat productive and feel a little better over the fact that the wedding is 16 days away and I had nothing started! "Almost done" feels way better than "what do I do first"...just sayin'.

Time flies

And I am not even kidding one little bit.  14 days since I have been here heh? Yikes.  Bad blogger!!! Bad blogger!!! Now,if only there were some way I could rub my nose in the blog or something. {grin}

Work has been going great! I am, however, still learning to get and keep myself organized - between kids, their school, B.D. being gone so much, the hours at work, the family tree book I have been working on...there's not much time left but for sleeping.  Little by little, slow and steady...it is all coming together.  Meal plans, grocery lists, cleaning schedules, teaching Jellybean what she can do to help out with supper after school, etc.

Did I mention that the night time incontinence issue we were having at our house just dried itself up? {funny? not funny? my humor is in an odd state of being lately} Shortly after mentioning it a few months ago, it just stopped. No accidents since.  Yay!!!!

It snowed here again a few days ago... yep, snow...disappointing but, it has had its perks. Take for example, this instance that happened on Friday night when Bug and I were on our way home.  He was being goofy and I, joking with him, told him to quit or I would throw a snowball at him...he didn't believe me. I needed to become a woman of my word and BLAMO {cha! look it up - so a word -grin}, down goes the window, to the roof of my car goes my hand, grabbing a nice handful of snow which I then tossed at my son in the backseat and it hit the mark, landing softly right at his neck where it could escape down the collar of his coat... definitely a 3-pointer!!!


I promise it will not be 14 days until my next bloggingness again... I don't want anyone to swat my nose with a rolled up newspaper or anything...yikes! :D