Spark + Spout

Meet my new nephews

2012-01-11T21:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome Joshua and Matthew! Such lovely, healthy and pink boys! Can't wait to cuddle you. Keep sleeping and eating for your mommy and daddy. I'll be back to take more pics with you both, your parents and siblings. For now, just keep sleeping and growing wait a bit before you start driving your mommy batty.

Jill, you rocked that c-section and you are an incredibly strong woman. So keep exercising those abs and you'll all be home in record time. Tim, get some sleep or start drinking coffee! Love you all!

Matthew is quite fashionable with his lovely green blanket.

Check out the size of his cheeks! This kiddo has some meat on his bones!

Joshua was sleeping so soundly (but facing the wall). He looks so much like his brother Nathan!

Sleep well little baby!

Les not-so-petit bébés

2012-01-10T20:27:00.002-05:00

Joshua William and Matthew James made their debut this morning! Joshua weighing a nice 5 lb 7 oz and Matthew a hefty 6 lb 14 oz. Cute and pink and you just want to pick them up and breathe in the baby-ness. I do love being an Auntie!

Pics to come soon (after parental consent!) and I'm getting giddy over their newborn photoshoot once everyone is home and settled.

Yeah for babies!!

30 weeks and counting...

2011-12-14T20:13:00.001-05:00

My sister Jill is still growing her baby boy twins like a trooper. She has already had a nice, long chat with them to kindly stay put until the New Year. We had the opportunity to take a couple of pictures... Don't you wonder how exactly those boys are squished in there?

Puzzled

2011-11-21T20:43:00.001-05:00

The day after Tyler's birthday, Quinten decided he wanted to have a puzzle day. Tyler received an Iron Man puzzle and Quin was dying to try out his mad puzzle skilz. [Reminder to self: Remove kid pictures from background. They've been there long enough and they are interfering with some decent photos!]

When I concentrate really hard, I have an odd habit of pressing my lips together between my teeth. Quin sticks his tongue out slightly between his. We're strange.

Quin and I also love puzzles. Tyler loves video games but always wants to be where the action is (even if he's not paying attention).

I love this photo, dirty nails and all.

Tyler's 9th Birthday

2011-11-20T15:36:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe Tyler is nine. I don't feel like a mom of a nine year old... It doesn't feel like nine years since I saw the double line on the test strip.

Tyler, you are growing up into a sensitive young man. You have a good core group of friends and are very thoughtful and kind towards them. You have a contagious laugh that can put your father and I over the edge, laughing til we cry. You still play with your brother and sister and enjoy their company. And although you still have no desire to help us keep the house clean or make an effort to do you homework/home reading without being told, I'll still keep you. You love with your whole heart and are easily wounded, but you are resilient and try you to keep your tears hidden (until a pokemon game gets the best of you!). I love you tremendously Tyler! Though I do not want you to get any older, I'm excited (and slightly terrified) for the coming years.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-11T20:18:00.001-05:00

I have had a couple requests asking when I'm going to post our Halloween photos (which is totally awesome... People are actually checking this out to see what's up with my peeps!). The last couple of weeks have be crazy with a capital 'c' and fireworks. My work has made a couple huge gifts to the tune of $1.5 Million dollars (which you can check out here) and today, while banks are closed, our credit union staff gathers for a day of Education (today was all about wellness in work, life, and play). These projects all require a bit of a hand in design so I've been hopping. I'm also volunteering as co-chair of our school council and last year we had to reveal our plan for the year. Again, a bit of a time commitment. I have to apologize to my freelance clients that I haven't had a spare moment to work on their stuff (except for DaCapo who had their NewWorks Gala last week and November concert this weekend). And then there's the little thing of my baby turning nine!!! His birthday is tomorrow but we celebrated with his friends tonight and will celebrate with family tomorrow (pics will be posted later). So this whole preamble is just to let you all know that I haven't forgotten to post Halloween, I just was lacking in time. Oh, and I finished the low-light shooting course from Karen's Snapshots of a Goodlife (which is the only reason I was able to take the pics below in our terribly dark house at night).

Okay. So Halloween... This year we decided to treat our kids with a themed meal which included Cheesy Crescent Roll Ghosts, Monster Veggies Kabobs (from Owl Magazine), a Green Ooze Drink (also from Owl Magazine) and a ghostly graveyard dessert.

Then we all dressed up and enjoyed the lovely night trick or treating. Tyler was Savage Ompress and Quin was a Clone Trooper from Star Wars. We accidentally recycled Addison's Super Girl costume (it was such a little bag, we think it ending up in our recycling box... happy day for whomever finds that one, tags still on!) but her cousin Meghan gave her a Cinderella costume so she was happy. Craig was Batman complete with expanding batwings and I was Wonder Woman (or at least that's what my shirt was).

So for those of you waiting with baited breathe, enjoy the pics! I'll try to keep up on the posting!

Fall Family Fun

2011-10-30T23:30:00.003-04:00

My brother and sister-in-law kindly allowed me to shoot their first family portrait session. When I asked them what the pictures would be used for, they said for hanging on their walls, handing out to family, you know, that sort of thing. No pressure... really!

I was happy to be able to capture this happy and loving family with kids full of mischief and imagination. Andrew and Lynda, here's your sneak peek...

Little Miss Independent

2011-10-27T19:48:00.001-04:00

What happens when you are rushing to get out the door to work and don't lay out clothes for your daughter? Addison was happy to show me the outfit she chose to wear to school today when I got home...

Why didn't I think of this???

2011-10-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

How to Keep Matching Sheets Together in the Closet

Martha Stewart Living, January 2011

Don't let your matching sheets get lost in the linen closet. Use this simple trick: Tuck the sheet set inside one of its pillowcases, and then stack according to size (twin, full, queen, king) or by the room you use the sheets in (master bedroom, guest room.)

More Martha Stewart Good Things

New bird trick

2011-10-21T21:22:00.000-04:00

So I suck at low-light photography (and the below pic illustrate this). Karen from Snapshots of a Goodlife is offering a 2 week forum so we can ask a tonne of questions and hopefully you'll see my mad skills in the weeks to follow. I highly suspect it's a combination of my camera maxing out on it's ISO that is causing all the digital noise (that, and I'm shoot in AF instead of full manual in low light... something I'm going to practice this weekend to prepare for the beginning of the forum next week). I think I need to save up and upgrade my camera body.

Now for the new bird tricks...

The first wave of halloween

2011-10-17T20:36:00.002-04:00

It's not about the rituals or dark side of the holiday. It's the joy in our kids faces to be able to dress up and wear costumes to school and decorate our house in a style that speaks about us...

Thanksgiving Part 2

2011-10-13T22:32:00.001-04:00

The next day we went to my parents for a pot luck thanksgiving dinner. I tried to make a 10 layer jello salad for the kiddies. It wasn't quite 10 layers but they loved it. And I took a family pic before the twins make their appearance and while my sister can still waddle around!

Thanksgiving Part 1

2011-10-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Traditionally Craig's family heads out for a Chinese buffet for Thanksgiving. This is really ideal for us as my family does the turkey, stuffing, mashed potato thing so we don't end up having two of the same meals in a row (unless you count the boat-load of leftovers I ended up bringing home from mom and dads!).

Our buffet day started remarkably well with the kids actually wanting to get some pictures taken. That being said, they wanted to do their own thing which always ends up looking like Tyler is going to strangle his sister.

These are some of the pics I took. I'm needing to find a lens that I can use in cramped, low-light situations. Some of these I had to take with a really high ISO so they have some beautiful noise (I'm saying that sarcastically). I have Lightroom at work and it does an amazing job of reducing noise. I need to get this for home!

This is the first time Addison let me braid her hair. Tomorrow is picture day at school so I'm hoping she'll let me again!

We also spoiled the kids with chocolate milk shakes which they were totally excited about.
And which Quinten ending up chucking later that evening. Note to self: chocolate milk + sushi + oysters + deep fried goodness does not a happy stomach make!

Craig's Aunt thought the picture below was 'different'. I like that Addison's bite framed the logo on the plate.

Quin is quite happy learning to read and was sounding out his fortune.

Sigh

2011-10-08T19:51:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the kids drive me nuts. Who am I kidding... it's most of the time (or as my wonderful husband says when he's reading this over my shoulder, "the other times you're at work"... oh, he's a comedian). But then, I have to breathe, remind myself that they are just kids, and remember days like this one where Tyler reads Addison and Quinten's library books to them.

It's twin boys!!!!

2011-10-02T11:50:00.001-04:00

No, not for me! My sister Jill just had a gender reveal party. At her ultrasound she asked that the genders be sealed in two separate envelopes. She then took the envelopes to a baker and asked that the icing in between the cake layers correspond with the genders of the babies (blue = boy, pink = girl). Then she had a party with friend and families so we could all find out at the same time what the genders will be.

Well, Meghan will now get her own room and Nathan can team up with his new little brothers. It's going to be one crazy-busy house!!

Here are a couple pics of the day:

Waiting...

2011-09-20T09:31:00.001-04:00

As Craig walks the kiddies to the school, Shay patiently watches from our front (and currently cluttered) window. Oh, and she's decided to sit on the table.

Our newest additions...

2011-09-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

Craig has been researching conures for awhile now. Not sure what possessed him to think we need additional mouths to feed but I'm always game for a new adventure. And what an adventure this has become. We found our lovely pearly conures and brought them home a couple of weeks ago. The are hand-tamed although the male is going through a nipping phase. But they are sweet and talkative and with time and patience will stop the nipping. We think they are about 3 years old an are extremely affectionate to each other. Our male is Pepe and our female is Rizzo (our homage to the Muppets). Craig jokes that we can now charge admission.

Oh, and I don't know what wrong with me, but I just figure out how to make my blog wider and the pictures bigger. Duh.

This is Pepe. He has less teal under his beak.

Rizzo is the one behind.

The 'S' word...

2011-09-09T19:02:00.000-04:00

My kids thought the 'S' word was 'stupid'. I was happy about that... There are some many other 'S' words that came to my mind. This week, it's 'school'. I cannot believe all my kids are in school full days every day. Addison started JK this week and it has been going pretty well. A couple of tears on the first day, but she's a little trooper and has made it through. I can see the maturity in Quinten this year. He's walked in the school with his head up and no fuss. And Tyler is going to rule the school in the next couple years. He'll have a little posse that will be creating imaginary scenarios to be acted out on each break and everyone will have an integral part.Craig was able to snap a couple shot of the boys' first day on Tuesday. I took Addison over for her first day on Thursday.

2011-09-05T10:58:00.000-04:00

This simply could be the coolest invention ever. As much as I want to be able to master my tablet, getting that first initial sketch onto the screen seems so much easier if you can sketch on paper and not on the tablet. I know the tablet drawing style is an art, but this is going to make it so much easier for me!!!

Vacation Fun...

2011-09-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

Summer is not complete without a visit to Canada's Wonderland. I guess our summer's have been a bit lackluster as of late; the last time we visited Wonderland was over 6 years ago just before I found out I was pregnant with Quin (I blame the roller coasters for his up and down personality!) :)

I used my little point and shoot for the day which was rather disappointing but I didn't want to ruin my canon. As instructor Karen (Snapshots of a Good Life) would say, it was a cake issue (ie: sometime you can't have your cake and eat it too).

This year, Quin's friend around the corner wanted to go to Wonderland for his birthday. So we loaded up our 2 families and headed down. Tyler is now tall enough to hit some of the bigger coasters and can't stop talking about them. Quinten and Addison are roughly the same height and were relegated to the kiddie park but they still choose to ride the Ghoster Coaster and Thunder Mountain.

At the end of the evening, Craig even won the kids a cute skeleton monster. Tyler was severely disappointed that daddy didn't win him a pokemon toy, but it was a good lesson for him to learn!

I was so proud of how the kids handled themselves. Next year, we're thinking about Darien Lake. Any one want to house-sit our pets?

Groovy Gals Algonquin Adventure Year II

2011-08-24T15:29:00.000-04:00

What a fantastic way to start holidays! I traveled to Algonquin Park to have a camping weekend with some girlfriends. It's become a yearly tradition and we hope to continue for many years to come. There's a lovely hike to the Booth's rock look out, warm sunsets and even some wildlife. Being able to sit around the campfire and not have to worry about chasing children is a luxury that I've come to appreciate. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids but I also love being able to have a grown up weekend full of laughter and communing with nature.

A visit from out west...

2011-08-20T19:57:00.000-04:00

My dad comes from a family of 11 siblings. Of those 11 siblings, there are a bajillion cousins and the 2nd cousins just keep coming! This summer we were lucky enough to get to visit at a local park with our cousins and their kids from BC. Our kids have never met before but as soon as Pokemon came up in conversation, the boys were thick as thieves for the rest of the visit. Unfortunately the pic I took of them is blurry (sigh) but a couple of the others turned out.

I modified the pic so that it didn't look quite as terrible. It's like an album for a boy band.

This is my sister's daughter. She finally lost that loose tooth!

Quin being a monkey.

My aunt playing with her niece (and Addison too, below).

This girl is going to give her brothers a run for their money.

We had a great time! And hope we see you all again soon!

Fun in the Sun

2011-08-15T22:48:00.000-04:00

We spent the August long weekend with my parents in Kincardine. The kids are definitely not fishes but they do enjoy a beach where they can walk in as far as they feel comfortable. We also checked out the downtown sidewalk sales where Addison got her face painted as a 'fancy tiger'. No plain jane things for this chicky!

We first started with a Fruit by the Foot treat. Tyler and Addison felt the need to reinact the scene from Lady and the Tramp.

Week 6, 7 and 8

2011-07-10T12:46:00.000-04:00

Whoops! I've been forgetting to upload my photos from the class!

Week 6 was a hard one for me. It was all about capturing light and I so badly wanted to captured some lens flare. No success. For me, this is going to be a practise, practise, practise thing until I get it right. I did get a nice pic of my neighbours daughter using direct light, and practised on Tyler using indirect light indoor (he's hiding his vampire teeth) and on Craig using indirect light outside...

And for my second critique, I used a pic of my seriously sweet niece, Sam. There was a bit of a green glow on her chin from her swim suit (I'll fix that in editing). For all of the pics, the rules of the class are to use completely unedited, straight out of the camera files. And these are all RAW files so they are a bit flat knowing that you will edit them in Lightroom or Photoshop afterwards.

Week Seven was the portrait session. We had to choose something we wanted to work on. I chose to work on portraits that tell a story. We had our first camp out of the year. We set up our tent and had a campfire. I wanted to capture the excitement the kids had. Here are the ones I submitted but I took a bunch that I think I'll put in a multi-frame once I edit them a bit.

Week 8 is our progress assignment. We had to choose a photo from before the course and then one we took recently to show how we improved. I had a photo from Sam's birthday and one of my other niece Chloe which I took recently. I think the composition, depth of field, quality of light etc. is better in Chloe's picture. Agree?

Photo Editing

2011-07-10T12:35:00.000-04:00

I'm experimenting a bit with editing my photos and how they can enhance your photos without them looking crazily edited. Here's an example I did quickly which I think improves the photo a bit... Original unedited on the left, edited on the right.

Week 5

2011-06-30T17:48:00.000-04:00

Week 5 is all about custom camera settings (ie custom white balance, picture styles etc). We also had our first critique. Here are some of the pics I submitted:

And just to illustrate the benefits of a custom white balance, this next photo was taken using the camera's tungsten white balance to compensate for the poor lighting. It doesn't look too bad.

However, when you compare it to the next photo that was a custom white balance using a gray card in the poor lighting, you can see how bright white the puppy's fur is. Custom white balances are quite simple to do and make an incredible difference in your photos.

We've been blogged!

2011-06-26T23:30:00.000-04:00

My very talented photographer friend Catherine and I did an exchange of services... I designed her photography company logo and collateral and in exchange we received a family photo shoot. You can view the photos at her blog!

She was very patient with our crazy kids who don't really stay still very long and actually got a couple of Craig and I where we don't look dorky. That in itself is no small feat!

Week 4

2011-06-14T20:01:00.000-04:00

Focus and Exposure Compensation... I was so excited to find out about focusing points. It makes taking a clear picture so much easier. Here's the image I submitting for the creative focus part of Week 4's assignment.

We also learned about manual focusing (setting the ISO, the aperture and the shutter speed) in order to get a properly exposed photo. Here's my favourite shot of the manual portion of the assignment.

I was able to get the shine on Shay's individual hairs but also have captured the texture on the blanket. I had to take a bunch of test shots to make sure my shutter speed and aperture were set correctly to get the effect I was looking for... no small feat for someone who has never shot in manual before!

We also learned about Exposure Compensation (which you can do while in Aperture Priority mode). We took a picture and compared the photo on the LCD on the back of the camera to the actual subject we were shooting and then lightened/darkened to get the most accurate representation of what we were shooting. The first image is straight out of the camera. You can see Cordelia's fur is a bit blown out and although the light is coming in from behind her, her face is still pretty light. In the second photo, I adjusted the Exposure Compensation to darken the photo 2/3 of a stop which more accurately represented the lighting.

I wish Cordelia had stayed put in the 2nd photo. I like how her ear was spread out on the floor in the first photo. Ah well, these are just being critiqued for Exposure Compensation not composition.

Week 3

2011-06-08T21:56:00.001-04:00

Depth of Focus. Those three words have been floating through my head as I tried to wrap my brain around all the information I needed to absorb for the Week 3 lesson.

This was one of the options I submitted. The background nice and soft with a subtle bokeh (and yes, I now know what that means!!) and the foreground soft up the boot but then in focus on the boot. And I love the colours.

Then we were to shoot something creative. This was my submission.

Finally, because I'm a geek, I uploaded this one to the picture of the day gallery because it makes me laugh. My boys love that I used their Star Wars toys. Much learning yet to do have I.

Award Winning...

2011-06-03T18:24:00.027-04:00

It's official. MACU, the Marketing Association for Credit Unions, chose our entries to receive 2011 Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) awards in the annual report and newsletter categories. This was a team effort with the whole Marketing department being involved with writing and proofreading. I feel very free here at Mennonite Savings and Credit Union to come up with designs I think will work and have the support of the Marketing department to create these designs. A big shout out to Waterloo Printing who took care of printing these pieces.

The first couple of pics are of our 2010 Annual Report. I added a cool blind emboss with our Value words across the cover (which was a new paper from Mohawk in their Carnival line; the texture is fun!). Inside, full page photos carried over to the next page creating seamless spreads. Most of the images in the annual report were pictures I photographed. One other small detail which made a huge impact on the overall design was the extra flap at the back of the report which allowed me to list all of our board members, council of members and slate of nominees in one location. Seems like a little thing but it made a huge difference.

SHARE magazine was launched in 2010 to give new members to our credit union an overall view of our organization from it's roots to what we believe in and highlighted throughout the magazine are stories from members sharing their experiences with our credit union. This magazine has become a tool for our staff to have conversations with people interested in our credit union.

Quick Photo Shoot

2011-05-29T18:07:00.000-04:00

I have been asked to design a cd and packaging for a very talented musician. Unfortunately, she didn't have any promo pics of herself so I offered to take some. Here are some of my favourites (I'll post a pic of the design once I complete it!)...

Week 2

2011-05-29T17:54:00.001-04:00

This week was pretty tricky. It was all about shutter speed. My pea brain still is struggling to remember how to set the setting properly to get the perfectly balanced exposure. The first part of the assignment was not to create the perfect composition but to try to capture motion. Whether it was frozen-in-time motion or implied motion with a bit of motion blur. We uploaded one we'd like to improve on and one we felt captured motion. This was my captured motion pic (again, don't judge the composition)...

The second part of the assignment was to use show a creative use of shutter speed. I like the following photo for the drip of water off the toe seemingly in slow motion but then the spray and bubbling water between the toes. Of course, there are lots of things to improve on but I was okay submitting this one. I have a feeling shutter priority is going to be something I will have to continually practise to get better at!

Week 1

2011-05-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

It's all about composition... Learning how to frame your subject, getting rid of clutter in the background, rule of thirds, trying to step back a bit and tell a story rather than just snapping a picture. And it's not as easy as it sounds. I think from my years of designing I have the framing part down but it's training my brain to look for other things, things I would notice in another photographer's shot and could direct them to fix. It's a whole other can of worms doing this yourself. One part of Week One is uploading a photo you feel is successful and why, and a photo you would like to improve on. Here are a couple I shot (I think they all could be improved upon but I wouldn't be able to submit anything if I didn't let go a bit).

The first 2 are my favourites. I think the top one tells a story. I love the eyes in the second one but I think you need to see some of the cone to get a story.

These two I like as well. I think the left would be more successful if Addison was making eye contact. And the right one could be simplified a bit by getting closer so you don't see as much of the back of the chair and maybe a bit more of the cone.

And it begins...

2011-05-02T22:24:00.000-04:00

This week is Week Zero for Snapshots of a Goodlife. Apparently this is supposed to be an easy week to get to know the website, how the forum operates and then to upload an 'emotionally perfect' photo which we had taken already (so not a new photo). So as a diligent student, I went through my digital collection to try and find that perfect image. It was a bit disappointing. There were image that I had an emotional connect with but were before I got my DSLR so the quality wasn't that great. They also had tiny, child-sized smudge prints on the lens. I didn't think that was so great.

I did find a series of pics of Addison in her fairy wings being mischievous. They also reminded me of childhood innocence and imagination.

So Week Zero image is this...

I'm registered!

2011-03-01T20:45:00.003-05:00

With the photography needs at work, I felt course upgrade was in order. I need conversational, natural looking photos and my friend Cathy (you can check out her blog there in the side bar) audited a course through Karen Russell's Snapshots of a Good Life. I checked out her site and blog and love the way she can capture natural light in her images. You can see this in Cathy's photography as well. Though I have no aspirations to become a professional photographer, I do want to take the best possible photos.

Anyway, I got in! The courses sell out super fast so I'm glad my keyboard classes in high school paid off... I have never typed so quickly (it's first come, first registered get in)!!

The course starts in May so I'll be posting the pics as I go along. Wish me luck! You can check out Karen's site here...

36 Years

2011-02-03T20:25:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I think it's a good idea to write down lists. Lists of accomplishments, lists of failures... life lists.

I have just entered my 36th year of life. I feel like my life list may be bit lacking but I still feel blessed. What have I accomplished? What am I proud to have completed?

I have found a profession that I absolutely love and have been lucky enough to continue to find work or rather work find me.
I am proud to still love my husband, whom I still find attractive and funny (and dorky and smart-assed).
I'm happy with the way my kids are turning out even if I need to repeat things 8 million times before they hear me and have to pick up granola bar wrappers they've thrown on the floor instead of in the garbage... It's all worth it when they jump on me to give me a hug, tell me they've missed me, or when I hear Addison's little know-it-all voice saying "I love you, mom."
I wish that I could travel more.
I wish that I could take more pictures, pick up painting again, use the sewing machine proficiently.
I wish I kept in better contact with friends instead of letting work or family eat up my free time.

I think my greatest accomplishment is that I'm happy with the person I've become – that I don't hate myself – that I can look past the wrinkles, flabby breasts and little spare tire to see that girl who still dreams of what she can do with her life and is so happy to have accomplished what she's done so far. Happy birthday me!

Addison just wandered down to ask me to put her water bottle in her sock. Wacky.

Umm... Hello?

2010-05-30T19:14:00.003-04:00

So yes, it's been an awfully long time since I've updated this thing. Over 2 months! My position as the graphic designer for MSCU is fantastic. I'm having so much fun and can exercise creativity and leadership. And I'm appreciated. Overly so I'd say. One of the new campaign starting on Tuesday features Ty in the posters, ATM screen and ads in local papers. I wonder how many of my relatives will get Canadian Mennonite and see Ty and wonder "Hey, where do I know that kid from?"

Craig is settling in to life at home. I'm thinking he's getting excited about not having a schedule forced upon him over the summer. He can start a painting project and not have to worry about picking up the kids at a specific time. He seems to be much more content. And I'm loving coming home to dinner made and a relatively organized house.

The kids have also adjusted. The new thing for Addison is to ask me "Why are you home Mommy?" Nice. Just rub it in a little more there chickie!

Freelance is still keeping me busy. I try to do a bit each night but it gets hard not spending anytime with Craig so I think I'm going to try an every other night schedule and see what happens.

We'll see if I can keep this blog up to date, but no promises!

Playing Catch Up

2010-03-23T20:27:00.002-04:00

Life has become a blur of change. From Quinten's birthday, toilet training Addison, March break, family birthdays and probably the biggest change of Craig and I changing career roles... These past months have flown by too quickly. I haven't even download pictures or catalogued them in any fashion to be able to post any at this time!

On April 5th, I will be heading back to work full-time and Craig will be staying at home with the kids. While I'm sad to be leaving the kids, at least I'm going to a career that I love so it lessens the sting. Craig has worked hating his job for the past 2 years, and that isn't fair. Now, he'll be able to take the time to spend time with the kids and that will be his sole responsibility. He doesn't have to do anything else if he doesn't want to! How fantastic will that be?!?!? And my hours are so much better that we'll be able to have dinner together as a family again. We'll have weekend (or at least the weekends where Craig isn't working at the College) together as a family. Overall, this is a positive move in the right direction for us. My job has great potential and I'll have to wait and see how it all pans out.

I'm hoping this new job will not affect my projects on the go... from freelance, to knitting, to cooking... I'll just have to take it slow and figure out where this new path will take us...

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-02-05T08:37:00.003-05:00

February 1st was my 35th... I don't feel any older. I took stock of myself and although I have some wrinkly crevices along the brow line, I also have annoying youthful blemishes (seriously, do I thought those were supposed to be gone years ago!). So I don't think I look older...

I love where I'm at in life! I love my family, my freelance, being able to explore cooking and different projects I have had a chance to in recent years with small children. I still have a slight yearning for another child but I'll try to get my baby fix from my siblings' children.

And I love my families. For all of the craziness with siblings, nieces/nephews, multiple grandparents, pets and whatever else family involve, I love them all and I'm totally blessed that everyone is in my life (remind me of this when I'm pulling my hair out as my boys start fighting with each other!).

All in all, 35 is shaping up to be a good year and maybe that positivity will attract more positivity... We'll see.

Happy birthday to me! (and now on to Quin who turns 5 on Sunday!!)

Knitting Project Result

2010-01-29T14:48:00.003-05:00

Voilà! Here is the knitting project I was working on for my new baby niece!

Accomplishments

2010-01-27T20:33:00.002-05:00

She's trained! We took a cue from my brother and sister-in-law who trained their son in a weekend (a weekend from h#@l), and decided to bite the bullet.

Truth is, I ran out of diapers and I'm too cheap to buy anymore.

She's doing remarkably well! There hasn't been any puddles for 2 days. We use a pull-up at night and often times it's completely dry in the morning. Yippee! We'll see what happens on a road trip!

And my other accomplishment is completing a knitting project. I will post pictures soon but the recipient is unaware of the project so I will have to wait until they receive it (in case they read this post!). On to another project... Maybe I should finish the cardigan I began for myself before the weather warms up.

Newest Addiction

2010-01-16T13:21:00.005-05:00

For any of you that find yourselves jumping from site to site, I have literally 'stumbled upon' StumbleUpon. It's an add-on for Firefox (I'm sure there are other browsers it will work with) and you just click on your preferences for kinds of sites you like. When you click on the add-on, sites come up and it's fantastic!! Here's the link to the add-on. Here are some of the sites I've come across which have made my day:

Sleep Talkin' Man

Piano Stairs

How It Should Have Ended

Tim Burton's Official Site

The Sleep Talkin' Man is by far my favourite so far. I almost peed myself!

Knowing You, Knowing Me

2010-01-10T19:17:00.003-05:00

I think I missed December but I'm going to try again for this monthly interview project started by The Fairy Blogmother.

1. Showers or baths?
If there were no kids around, and I had a jacuzzi at my disposal, I would opt for baths (and put bubbles in it and grab a book and be all movie-star like with a Morning Glory - OJ and Champagne). In the real world, I have scalding hot showers that fog up the bathroom mirrors and let me escape the chaos for 15 mins (yes, I make them last that long).

2. What's your favourite thing for breakfast?
Probably homemade egg mcmuffins, rivaled closely with a croissant and jelly. Mmm. I'm hungry.

3. What is your favourite George Clooney movie?
Love the Ocean's movies as per The Fairy Blogmother but I totally agree with the Mommy Project and her sentiments about Burn After Reading. And I'm curious about The Men Who Stare at Goats and Up In The Air...

4. American Idol starts on Tuesday folks, how do you feel about Ellen joining the judges table?
I think it will be a breath of normal air. Ellen is honest and kind and not so hollywood as Simon and Randy. It will be interesting to see the love/hate between her and the other hosts.

5. Lets say you've got a gift card to Michaels... what would you spend it on?
I have a little obsession about the Wilton products. I *love* my Wilton cookies sheets. And there are so many cookie cutters, icing tips, cake pans.... I need a bigger kitchen! I'm not a scrapper and not a florist so you'd definitely find me in the cooking or in the knitting aisles!

Umm... Happy New Year?

2010-01-10T18:59:00.003-05:00

Work, work, work, sick, sick, sick, work, work, work. Sums up everything that's happened since December. Forgive me for not posting sooner (not that too many people read this anyway...).

Christmas - Fine, busy and we were all sick. Yippee.
New Years - Fine, still getting over the cold.
Today - I think I'm the only one still sick. I have energy though so it can't be pneumonia, right?

New Years Resolution - I have one date night a month with Craig (when you work crazy hours, finding a night a month to spend together is somewhat difficult. Luckily I had already booked my sister for the end of January when I wanted to see Jann Arden for my birthday. But I didn't get tickets so now I will use Christmas gift certificates for dinner and a movie).

New happenings - Joined a book club. First book is Julie & Julia. Finished it today. I can relate to the idea/feeling of wanting for some idiotic reason to cook something so gastronomically delicious that it instantly makes you want to jump someone's bones or have your bones jumped... not that calf livers would do it for me. And the idea of cooking your way through an entire cookbook is scarily tempting (although it would have to be Campbell's 3 ingredients or the like... I don't think lob$ter will be on my grocery list for a while).

So, once the craziness of work dies down, I want to start cooking again, start playing with my kids (and my new niece/nephew that should arriving in the next week), start sewing (I now have a sewing machine and want to try my hand a something... maybe a jumper for Addison's birthday in May) and start enjoying 2010.

Hope you are all enjoying 2010. Best wishes to all of you!

It's December

2009-12-02T09:50:00.002-05:00

And I've never been so busy before. My freelance work is crazy, the kids are crazy, the hubby's crazy, the dogs/guineas/bird... CRAZY! And now we're into December and I look at my calendar... You guessed it... CRAZY! I've decided not to take on any new freelance projects until the New Year as I have enough to keep me busy until then, especially when I take the 21-4th off to spend some quality time with my family. Much baking and Christmas activities will ensue. I would like to be ready and organized for this. So far we have booked checking out Christmas lights on the 14th, 3 family Christmas celebrations, a couple birthday parties, New Years eve with friends... I know that doesn't seem like a whole lot but these are the events out of the home and I know if I'm not on top of things, the house will fall apart and I'll end up cooking and cleaning at the last minute for a whole bunch of people.

What am I looking forward to most? Christmas night, after we get home from Craig's mom's celebration, curling up on the couch with an eggnog and Craig, listening to quiet and reflecting on the wonderful day we just had.

I love Christmas and the chaos, I love how the kids get so excited (we have the Playmobil advent calendars and they are so excited about them and the count down... I don't know how they are going to make it another 22 days!)

I miss Christmas eve services. Craig and I haven't really found a church family that we all feel comfortable with. The whole 'church' idea doesn't sit well with Craig and I'm looking for a more open minded community that won't pounce on us as soon as we show up, but that is also accepting of difference in the people who attend. I loved the Christmas eve services growing up. The hymns and the sense of wonderment was fantastic. If we aren't going to anyone's house on Christmas eve, I might sneak over to the church across the street and check out their service.

Off to make my to do lists (#1. Laundry - Ty is out of pants... not good).

Knowing Me, Knowing You

2009-11-09T16:10:00.004-05:00

This will be my first online interview... with the subject being me... (courtesy of the always entertaining Fairy Blogmother, where you, too, can join at any time!).

1. What's your strategy for gift giving this Christmas?

I'd like to be done by December to avoid the ultra craziness.
Also to buy with cash and no credit.

2. How do you feel about the holiday newsletter?

I like getting them, but it's too much like work to create them... I would judge mine on the layout, fonts, colours used, general flow... How may ellipses I've used...

3. What's your favourite board game?

SCRABBLE!! I could play for hours. Regular board, or Speed Scrabble or Banangrams... I recently picked up Scrabble Apple so I'll be trying that out.
And Boggle. Love me some Boggle!

4. What's your favourite cold weather comfort dish?

Oddly enough as I don't eat it that often, I love squash with lots of melted butter and brown sugar.

5. What is your favourite new show this season?

I love Modern Family and I laugh out loud at Cougar Town. It's a great line up! But I have a huge sweet spot for Glee (mainly seeing Matthew Morrison doing his thing in that great t-shirt and jeans... He's FANTASTIC!)

So now you know a bit about me...

What the hail??

2009-11-05T22:39:00.001-05:00

Oh Tyler

2009-10-25T22:54:00.002-04:00

Tyler: "Mom, you know how my head is the same size as yours?"
(and it really is. We can wear the same hats/helmet)

Me: "Uh huh..."

Tyler: "That must mean that we have the same size brain!"

This and that...

2009-10-16T17:19:00.007-04:00

It's been nearly a month since I have had the chance to write anything. When I reflect on what I've been doing the last month, it doesn't seem like a whole lot but I've felt completely overwhelmed... not stressed overwhelmed, but procrastinating overwhelmed. I've felt the pressure of deadlines but not the motivation to get my projects done.

My list of things I've done in my freelance business:

I've completed a CD for DaCapo Chamber Choir. It's at the printers for the moment but you can get a sneak peek here.

Logo design for an entertainer coach company called Gypsy Wind.

Brochure for Awakenings (an aesthetic spa in beautiful Conestogo).

Website design for Fielding Realty.

My list of things I've done in my family life:

Trying to get Quin accustomed to JK (he still cries at drop off). We went on a field trip to a Cider Mill this week. He loved having his mom there and then cried when we got back to the school. I just don't know what I can do to make this easier for him. I'll have to talk to his teacher to see if she has any ideas.

Trying to work on study habits with Tyler. The positive reinforcement thing seems to be working. For his spelling tests in English and French, if he gets perfect we rent a DS game that he can play for the week. He's getting the idea that doing the work gives good rewards. I now need to apply this to his math and find another positive thing that will reward his good work (math is a total challenge for Ty, and even harder as it's taught in French...).

Trying to get Addison to stop hitting. Man she can be a bruiser wrapped up in an implishly-cute pixie body. She is going to be trouble.

Trying to get our house in order (domestically, financially... and any other "ally" you can think of). We've taken the plunge again with a food order from Canadian Fine Foods and our freezer and pantry/cold room are stocked. I only need to venture to the grocery store for fresh foods, milk, cheese... I can totally avoid the meat section and centre aisles which is awesome. We're also getting a food basket with fresh veggies once a month so that too will cut down on grocery store visits. If I'm not in there, I won't spend money.

We've also joined zip.ca to rid ourselves of costly visits to the video store (I fully support the local library but their kids DVDs are scratched beyond repair).

I know these aren't huge things but I'm hoping it will bring monthly spending down and we can start paying ourselves a bit. Time will tell.

Apple "Blossoms" with cinnamon honey and sprinkles. Now Quin wants them this way all the time!

I *love* that Quin fully participates in class. So although it's heartbreaking to watch him cry silently into school, when he's there he's enjoying himself!

JK...

2009-09-24T10:11:00.003-04:00

Quin started JK this year. I thought he was totally prepared. He socializes well, he has a stiff upper lip... I drastically under-estimated how attached to home he was, and he has heart-breakingly reminded me every day we've gone. He has these gentle, little sobs and keeps saying "I'm going to miss you so much." I try to keep my happy face on and remind him about how he needs to help his teacher find the gingerbread man (it's the theme they are doing right now and that blasted gingerbread man keeps running away!)... His teacher is so great though and recognizes that this is hard for both of us. She'll come over and ask Quinten to help her lead the class inside, so he gets that stability and trust from her. I feel so guilty sending him when he's crying but I know that he's ready. He just needs to adjust and start becoming Quinten and not Tyler's little brother. Friends have seen the JK/SK classes playing outside and have seen Quin holding his teacher's hand. I will have to have a conversation with her to see how he's really doing. He has a bit of a cold right now so I'm hoping when that passes that he'll start feeling better about school. And I hope he makes a good buddy that he can hang out with and maybe that will help him start looking forward to school days.

It's just so bloody hard! I come home crying and feeling guilty and then I look at Addison and wonder what kind of mess I will be when the time comes for her to attend...

Visiting

2009-08-23T19:35:00.005-04:00

Today we visited Mapleton's Organic with friends. It was fantastic! There were animals to check out (or we they checking us out?) and a cedar hedge maze leading to the great wooden pirate ship play centre. They had homemade organic ice cream as well as a bunch of produce, yogurts, meats etc. I will definitely have to go back. The kids had so much fun!

Thanks C&C&Z for showing us!

Craig and Addison getting checked out by Erebus the Alpaca.

The boys enjoying their cones.

Playing in the corn box (not sand, but corn kernels!)

Tyler liked this goat.

C gave me a Warhead candy to try. Soooo sour!

Ahoy! It's Cast Off Time!

2009-08-21T15:45:00.003-04:00

Okay, so it's a bad pun. Whatever. Today is the first day without the cast. I went shopping yesterday to buy a supportive pair of shoes (a lovely pair of Merrells)... and oddly enough, the only pair that not only fit, but that I could find in my size. No helpful sales people came to my rescue... you'd think they would after I hobbled in on a cast. Anyway, so far so good. I have a minor limp but I'm holding my own (and sometimes added children) weight. We'll see how my foot looks once the shoes come off tonight.

Firsts...

2009-08-07T10:14:00.005-04:00

Addison's in her new big girl bed! I disassembled the crib yesterday and she went to bed (and stayed there!) the whole night until we heard a quiet 'tap, tap, tap' on her door around 8:30 this morning. I think the trick will be naps...

Bad Computer!

2009-08-01T13:36:00.002-04:00

So my trusty computer has decided it's had enough... without warning (I shut it down last night and I will not come back on... judging by the Mac diy testing, it's the logic board which would be a $1000 repair...which is more than the machine is worth!). Grr. I had backed up files mid-June and I will be able to get the files/settings/email etc. off once this little trusty device gets here. It's more the inconvenience. All of my email contacts/phone numbers are on that machine and so I have no way to get a hold of my clients to let them know I'm in a pickle!

I should be back working again by Wednesday and there are some things I can complete without my other files but it stresses be out. Not to mention the $$ for the new software for the new machine. Not so cheap! Right now I'm running trial versions (good for 30 days) and by that time, I should receive a couple cheques to cover the costs.

Tthe new system is bigger, more beautiful, and so much faster that I might be able to catch up without my clients knowing.

Time will tell.

WCW Issue 14 - Peanut Butter Fudge

2009-07-29T16:07:00.003-04:00

Soooooooo goooood! I took this over to my sister's on Monday night for the Bachelorette Finale and today I think we are going to finish it off! It's so good! And addictive! And terribly awful for you but it's that good that you just shield your eyes as you you blend the pound of icing sugar into the peanut butter. I got the recipe from Cathy and am so glad I tried it (her pic is much better than mine but you get the idea)!

Pop over to the Fairy Blogmother for more What's Cooking Wednesday!

Peanut Butter Fudge Treats - from Joy the Baker

First make the Rice Krispie layer...
Rice Krispy Treats
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
- OR -
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispy Cereal (or any puffed rice cereal)

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Make Peanut Butter Fudge.

Peanut Butter Fudge (recipe from Alton Brown)
1 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound powdered sugar
Microwave butter and peanut butter for 1 minute on high. (I used a 4 cup glass measuring cup.) Stir and microwave on high for 30 more seconds. Stir to ensure all the butter and peanut butter is melted and incorporated. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Pour over the Rice Krispy treats in the pan and spread evenly. Let cool in the fridge while you make the Chocolate Fudge.

Easy Chocolate Fudge
2 Tbsp butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla. Beat for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows melt and mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour over peanut butter fudge, spread evenly and place in the fridge to harden and cool. Cut into 1-inch pieces or smaller.

Meet Apollo...

2009-07-18T15:23:00.002-04:00

We always seem to be drawn to pets that need us and not necessarily the other way round. We were out garage sale-ing this morning and met this sweet canary who is only about 6 months old. He has a beautiful song (the previous owners rolled their eyes at that... so maybe that why they were wanting a new home for him). In any event, Apollo now has a home beside my desk where he happily peeps away and watches over us all.

How I plan to spend summer 2009...

2009-07-14T15:29:00.002-04:00

I've never classified myself as clumsy but after ceremoniously tripping out to the back patio and laying myself out on the concrete by curiously catching my left foot in my right leg pant cuff, I do begin to wonder just how coordinated I really am.

On a scale of 1 to 10 of spectacular falls where 1 is tripping over the toys kids leave strewn all over the floor and 10 beginning the ones on America's Funniest Video that looks extremely painful but you can't stop laughing, I think I was closer to the 10 end. I only wish someone had been watching so I would know what the hell I really did.

The x-ray showed a lovely splinter fracture through the pinky toe major bone (the longest bone, not the actual toe). Eight weeks of the cast. I'm going to have a bum callous from going down the stairs on my butt.

Boy shorts

2009-07-08T11:03:00.002-04:00

There is something so cute about little boy underwear...

What's in your garden?

2009-07-07T08:08:00.002-04:00

I'm lucky to have an amazing Aunt who constantly surprises me with the additions to her garden. She also is extremely generous and in the Spring when she's divided all her perennials, she calls me to come over and take as many as I'd like.

This year, she gave me an Evening Primrose bush. If you can get your hands on an Evening Primrose they are great fun for you and the kids. You can actually watch the flowers open in the evening. Imagine that, but all over a 2-3' tall bush with tonnes of blooms!

My Primrose started blooming this week around 8:30pm and I sat there watching as the petals forced themselves out of the pods. You could actually see the sticky residue on the stamens (or whatever those pollen covered bits are called). It was amazing.

Happy Canada Day

2009-07-01T19:23:00.003-04:00

To celebrate, Addison is wearing a Happy Birthday Canada tee. She's so stylish with the wind-swept hair and all.

June Recap

2009-06-30T10:42:00.002-04:00

While I've been remiss in blogging, I have not been sitting around moping. No indeed. This month has been busy! Tyler finished Grade One, Quinten got his letter letting him know what teacher he has for JK, Addison is talking up a storm and trying to figure out how to pee sitting down (not that I'm training her; every once in a while I see her perched on a fully closed toilet with nothing but a diaper on looking confused... I blame the boys who are peeing standing up). And then there is me... and the mountains of freelance I'm buried under. I just had a meeting with a client last night who has 5 books for me to design, countless brochures and a couple web redesigns... all of which he'd like next-to-completed by the end of August. That's just one client. But I can't say no! These are jobs I WANT to do. I thankfully have the support of Craig to do this stuff and the kids have been okay (I've been visiting the library where they have been getting a bunch of books and videos... and don't forget the Wii which they'd play all day every day if I'd let them). Once it stops raining I'll have to find fun stuff for them to do outside...

And because I'm a huge freak, I've written out my cleaning/decluttering agenda on the calendar. One room a week until schools back in which should get the whole house under control. Washing wall and windows, going through everything from clothes to books to toys to whatever else. I'm determined that everything will be in it's place before school starts again. This week are the kids rooms (they are in not too bad of shape so I figured I could tackle both this week).

One last note, our strawberries are now in season and this weekend I think Craig has off so I'm planning on taking the kids strawberry picking on Saturday and making jam with them! Should be good, messy fun!

Poppies!!

2009-06-13T08:56:00.002-04:00

I *love* poppies. If I could, I would have a whole field of them. Not for the opium, just for the prettiness (although I'm always looking for a way to supplement my income!!). Finally my coral poppies flowered this year. Here are a couple of them... And quit looking at my gnome's bum!

Freelance aftermath

2009-06-12T09:44:00.003-04:00

This is what happens when I have freelance designing to do...

Note: These dishes are the ones I had to wash. The dishwasher is also full.

Potty Mouth–Pt. 2

2009-06-03T19:29:00.005-04:00

It's June...

2009-06-01T20:49:00.003-04:00

Only a couple more weeks until school is out. Our school is being renovated over the summer and my view out the window will be the parking lot instead of the wonderful green space and ball diamond. At least the parking lot will be done before school is out so I won't have to hear that construction for the whole summer. The construction company put up the steel barriers today which was fun to watch. I guess that will be one bonus: The kids will be able to watch the progress from our house...

The end of school now has me thinking of how much Tyler has accomplished this year. I cannot believe how much kids are pushed to learn at such a young age. Tyler is definitely one of the younger ones in the class and I struggle to remind myself of that. He shares the lack of concentration I exhibited in my youth and I do think that he would benefit from some one-on-one teaching in the reading and math areas. But then you get him in music class, or learning about science stuff and he is fascinated. I'm really proud about how well he is reading and how well he is doing on his assignments. I just need to stop comparing to others and recognize that in a couple of years, I won't even remember the delays.

On another note, I've begun applying for more part-time design jobs. With Tyler being home for the summer, the children are more occupied (not that I abandon them, but I find I get more accomplished when Tyler's around) so I could broaden my design horizons. I have a couple of really exciting projects coming up and I'll post pictures to illustrate the coolness.

Now if I can only keep my house clean so I can do the work instead of cleaning the house, I'll be set!

Oh, and here's a pic of Addison's new 'do. (Note to my mother-in-law: In this case, short hair in the back is better than the mullet she was sporting previously!)

Potty Mouth

2009-05-31T19:17:00.003-04:00

Quinten (after tooting on the toilet and me chuckling): "Oh, that's how my bum talks." To his bum, "What's that bum? You want to poop?"

Weekend wrap up

2009-05-21T17:00:00.007-04:00

Here a collection of pics from our birthday celebrations...

This is the first year Addison really got into opening her presents.

Addison loves the little outfits we gave her.

Addison woke up from her morning nap and allowed me to take this one quick picture of her in her new birthday outfit before she ripped out her pigtails and started visiting with her cousins on my side.

Addison actually blew out her own candles this year.

Later that afternoon, Grandpa Lee and Brenda showed up with birthday balloons...

...and the cutest WebKinz Jr. monkey who is affectionately called Sweet Pea.

The next day, we woke up and celebrated Craig's birthday before his mom and siblings showed up.

Craig is opening his basket-full-of-things-you-love from me and the kids.

Addison opened gifts while the boys tried to contain their own enthusiasm and just watch.

Craig inhales his summer sausage gift. (Cordelia looks like she'd like to devour it!)

Craig even got his own cupcake with candles on it to celebrate his 35th birthday.

I think Addison likes them!

These were the Cherry Cheesecake cupcakes. I'll post the recipe soon. They were delicious!!

Lazy summer days

2009-05-21T16:49:00.004-04:00

So I realize that I'm posting almost a week after all the parties went down. I think I'm just recuperating, or being lazy, or maybe I've been doing 15 loads of laundry and hanging them all out because it absolutely gorgeous outside!! The kids have found the garden hose and are busily creating water worms in the lawn and then constructing dams of sand. It's all an elaborate fantasy world and I don't have the heart to stop them ("Your wasting water." "Sand stays in the sandbox." "You guys are a filthy mess!") because they are having so much fun.

35 reasons I love you...

2009-05-18T08:51:00.001-04:00

Craig turned 35 yesterday and I wrote him a list of things I love about him:

1. When you laugh really hard, you start to cry.
2. You tell your funnies, then explain them to me.
3. You will try anything once.
4. You don't like beer (we just don't like the taste, this is not a reflection on those who do like beer – my mother-in-law took offence to this one).
5. Your trivia mind (I do mean trivia and not trivial!).
6. You love to learn.
7. You draw pictures on envelopes.
8. You don't complain about how much you work.
9. You have a great bum.
10. You love animals.
11. You cry when I cry.
12. You always try to make me happy.
13. You don't hog the covers.
14. If I don't know what something means, you'll explain it without me feeling stupid.
15. You're an exceptionally wonderful father.
16. You BBQ.
17. You introduce me to odd music.
18. You'll play Scrabble and Boggle with me.
19. You're patient.
20. You have kind, beautiful eyes.
21. You look amazing on a bike.
22. Spending time with the family is you're idea of a holiday.
23. You're arms wrap around me.
24. You can deal with barf but not boogers (I'm the opposite).
25. You've stayed with me through the rough patches.
26. Your gentle spirit.
27. And your spiritual faith.
28. You can laugh at yourself.
29. You support me.
30. You can tell me anything.
31. You make me laugh everyday.
32. You're my best friend.
33. You make me feel safe.
34. You gave me 3 beautiful children.
35. You chose me.

A letter for Addison...

2009-05-15T11:14:00.008-04:00

For my dearest little girl,

I simply cannot believe that 2 years have passed since you first came into my life. From the smallest, bundle of joy to this sparkling, little firecracker, you have certainly kept me on my toes. You have a vocal range that can make my ears rings, and a smile and elfish laughter that make me proud to be your mommy. I love that you still smile when I come into the room and give me big hugs while squealing "Mommy!". I love that you giggle when I tickle your belly. I love that you love the puppies and the guinea pigs like crazy. I love that you can't get enough of "Tyler" and "King Pin" (that's Quinten in Addison language). I love that you ask every day while standing on the couch, staring out the window "Daddy come back?" because you can't wait for Daddy to get home from work. I love that you are fixated with the tag on your blanket and fall asleep so nicely when you cuddle the tag to your face.

You have the cutest little butt-wiggle run, a sweet I'm-shy-so-I'll-tuck-my-chin-to-my-chest-and-look-up-at-you-with-my-big-beautiful-eyes look, an adventurous spirit that rivals the boys, and a decent size crush on a certain Nickelodeon character Diego (even Dora is Diego to you).

Addison, you have made my family complete. In case I forget to tell you tomorrow, have a fantastic 2nd birthday. I love you so much and I can't wait to watch how much you grow, how my your vocabulary expands, the adventures you go on... I'm so lucky to be your mommy!

A weekend that went to the dogs...

2009-05-14T13:11:00.004-04:00

Literally. I was dog-watching for friends (Carey and Chris were kind enough to watch our pooches while we were in Cuba, so we totally owed them) over mother's day weekend so I had 5 dogs in my house and 3 kids. Yikes! Addison LOVED the company. The pint size pooches were right up her alley. You can see Monty helping Addison with our guinea pigs. Lexi is the black pug, Monty is the fawn pug puppy, and Madix is the boxer puppy. They were so good and cuddly. Shay loved playing with them and chasing them around. She slept so well the next day!

After the weekend, I went to Aunt Arlene's to raid her perennials. On Tuesday, I dug out my new bed, Wednesday I added the compost and planted (I realize that I should have had this done last fall to really get the soil ready... oh, well). I can hardly wait until it starts blooming! I still have a couple more plants I'd like to get (a belated Mother's Day gift) and maybe some mulch but it looks so much better than it did previously! I can now see the retaining wall and the perennials in the upper bed are going to grow and fill in so nicely. The wind and rain have flattened the newbies a bit. I'll take a better picture once the plants spruce up again.

This weekend is all birthdays (Addison's 2nd on Saturday and Craig's 35th on Sunday). I'm writing my list and planning today so Friday won't be too crazy. We'll see...

1st time for everything

2009-05-09T10:15:00.002-04:00

Last night Addison woke up around 10pm and couldn't breathe. She was barking like a seal so I did the croup remedies of a steamy room, which didn't work, so I tried the cool night air which calmed her down but did not help her breathe. Craig was teaching at the motorcycle course and hadn't come home yet so I called telehealth. I guess the attendent heard Addison's breathing because she put me on hold to get the ambulance started. That's right, Addison and I took a ride in an ambulance. Craig pulled up as I was on the phone with the paramedics, thankfully, so he stayed home with the boys. Basically at the hospital they gave Addison a strong, oral steroid to open her airways and within a 1/2 she was breathing better. The doctor did caution that if she woke up again and couldn't breathe that I was to call the ambulance again and not attempt to drive her in by myself. Amazing eh? And they were super quick at the hospital! We arrived at 10:45 and we were home sleeping by 1:00am.

We'll see what happens tonight...

If it makes me happy...

2009-05-07T10:14:00.005-04:00

This is the first year are magnolia has really showcased its beauty. Usually, it blooms for a day, frost hits, and we are stuck with a horrible, brown, rotting mess of petals. This year we have been mercifully spared from this and the magnolia is flourishing! It also makes me happy watching the people walk our sidewalk, pause, look around to see if anyone is watching, then sneak across our lawn to stop and smell the blossoms. You'll notice a soft hazing on the picture courtesy of a small child's fingerprint. Sigh.

And other thing that is making me happy today is a hanging out a load of laundry and having all the socks match!! Yes, small things amuse small minds. Nevertheless, I take pleasure in this little thing.

My stolen wallet

2009-04-30T13:53:00.002-04:00

I've never had anything stolen before, but it finally happened... at my grandmother's funeral. My wallet was unattended although in the same room as my family sat down to eat the meal the church's hospitality committee put together. It was in the stroller basket, under the diaper bag. Seriously. Luckily my social insurance card, birth certificate and health card with at home. But I had to cancel credit/debit cards, license, video store card, airmiles, rewards etc. What a pain! You should see my license. I thought I could just get it reissued but because there are new rules (you can't smile anymore... like a passport photo) I had to get a new pic taken. I had arrived at the DMV without a hair and makeup crew. I was in pigtails. Real classy!

I'm still hoping someone will mail it to me! I loved the wallet. It had Emily Strange on it (given as a gift for my birthday) and the saying "Strange is not a crime" which is perfectly suited for me!

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 17

2009-04-29T18:24:00.004-04:00

Beef Stroganoff...

I found this recipe on through food.com (the original recipe is hosted on Recipezaar #247292) although I modified it a bit to work with what I had in the house. The boys are going through a no sauce phase but I was hoping this would change their minds... It didn't, of course, but I found it quite yummy. As always, visit the home of WCW over at Shan's Blog.

Ingredients:
8 oz uncooked noodles
1 beef bouillon cube
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups fresh, sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)
2 tbsp oil
1 lb stewing beef cut into cubes
2 tbsp flour
salt to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
1 can cream of mushroom soup, diluted with 1/2 cup water
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
Start cooking noodles but add a bouillon cube to the boiling water before adding noodles.
Brown garlic, onion, beef and mushrooms in the oil. Add the flour, salt and paprika, stir and let simmer 5 mins. Add soup and water and cook on low for 10 mins. Stir in sour cream and heat through.

To serve, make a pile of noodles and top with the beef sauce. Enjoy!

Let's try this again

2009-04-29T15:33:00.003-04:00

I've had to redo the layout again as I couldn't get my music player to work otherwise. It's times like these I really want to learn html, css etc so I could just make a blog myself!

We get along...

2009-04-26T08:34:00.003-04:00

It's not often that I see the boys playing with their sister. Oh, Addison tries to play with them, but they are usually absorbed in some sort of imaginative, role-playing game, and although they assign Addison a specific superhero name/task, it's not often that she can perform what they require. I'm sure that will change as she grows but for now, I'm happy when I catch the odd time when they boys are enjoying spending some time with her. Enter the sandbox. Tyler is not overly fond of the sandbox anymore but Quinten and Addison could spend hours in there. We are fortunate to has some very generous friends to give us this box which has a slatted cover to protect it from rain and snow and also makes good ramps for their vehicles.

Doesn't it look like Addison is dumping a shovel-full on her brother? I wouldn't put it past her!

Tyler's School Project

2009-04-24T09:29:00.003-04:00

Tyler's Grade One class has been reading Flat Stanley (a story of a boy who got flattened by a bulletin board... he's fine, just flat). The class has been given a project to create their own Flat Stanley and send him on a trip to someone outside our area (part of their letter writing series where they learn proper formatting of letters, addressing and Tyler's favourite part, the stamp). One of Ty's friends is sending his Stanley to his Uncle in Hong Kong so Tyler wanted to send his Flat Stanley a fair distance away. I have a cousin in Washington State with 2 little boys (the same age as my guys roughly) so I contacted her to see if Stanley would be welcome to visit. We looked at how far Washington State is from our area and it's further than Cuba (which is the only distance Tyler can relate to... he remembers having to take a plane to Cuba so it Washington is further than Cuba it must be SO far away!!). My cousin KellyAnn is so much fun. Her response was, "We would love for Stanley to come for a visit!!!! :D Let me know when his bags are packed and he's on his way!!!" I only wish we lived closer. Although we only talk a couple of times a year, she's one of those people you can just pick up where you left off. And when I see her, I'm constantly reminded of how much see looks like my Dad's side of the family. Of all the cousins, she looks most like my Grandma.

Anyway, KellyAnn is a labour and delivery nurse and I think you can see the mountains from their place so I think Stanley will have a exciting, fantastic vacation. Tyler is so excited. He wants to cut out paper luggage to send along. Thank you KellyAnn, Derek, Mark and Evan for hosting! Can't wait to see what adventures Stanley will have!

Curious Habits...

2009-04-17T21:20:00.006-04:00

From dumping her plate of food on her tray and then using the plate as a hat...

To finding almost empty chip bags and licking the inside out...

To stealing the spice containers as I'm making dinner... Addison has very curious habits.

Addison also has a very curious hairline for a girl... very much a mullet (short in front, long in back). It really doesn't grow too much at the sides. I've started wearing pigtails to keep my hair out of my face and Addison pulls out the elastics and asks to wear them. Here she is hamming it up for the camera (holding the aforementioned spice container)...

15 Days

2009-04-11T20:27:00.001-04:00

My Grandma passed away this afternoon. She was surrounded by 8 of her 11 children and she died peacefully. Dad said she just took a breath and then she was gone. He said it was hard to see her go, but good to see her go.

She lived an amazing 91 years and taught me a lot about life. She was a remarkable woman.

Day 15...

2009-04-11T10:13:00.002-04:00

Grandma is still kicking. If fact, she's sleeping comfortably and showing no signs of discomfort when she's turned over or when her vital signs are taken. It's like she's in a trance. It's been 15 days since her last stroke (which took away her ability to swallow, so we can't give her anything or she'll choke) and the last time she had anything to eat/drink (her mouth is being swabbed but that's it from what I'm told). She's not on an I.V. She's just sleeping.

Every time the phone rings, or the email dings I think "well, this is it" and "it" still hasn't happened. My aunt has been there overnight for the past 15 days and one of the uncles from out west has already flown it... I wonder how long she can last without anything... I googled it and the general concensus is up to eight weeks with water, 3 to 5 without. I'm just not sure that swabbing the mouth would be considered water in-take... So we wait.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 16

2009-04-08T10:31:00.006-04:00

Like Shan (home of What's Cooking Wednesday, check it out!) I was in a muffin mood. Also a chocolate mood. I didn't have any butter, but I did have some yogurt I needed to use. I've found Food.com pretty handy lately. It's an online database for recipes. Basically, they've searched and tagged recipes so if you go there, you can search for ingredients, recipes etc and you will get results from various sites. You can then add them to your recipe box (the recipes link to their original sites but if you install the food.com toolbar, you can still add recipes from other sites to your recipe box). It's pretty handy and I like that it's all in one place; I don't have to search multiple sites any more!

Anyway, I searched for "oil, yogurt, cocoa" and it came back with 16 or so recipes. This one sounded over-the-top rich so I've tried it....

Easy Devils Food Chocolate Muffins (from recipezaar #345143)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350-F.

Line a standard muffin tin with a dozen, 2-1/2 inch, cup-cake paper baking cups. (I use a stoneware muffin pan so I don't need liners)

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix dry ingredients well with whisk or wooden spoon.

In another mixing bowl add the milk, yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well with whisk or wooden spoon until blended.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients along with 1/2 of the chocolate chips.

Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Careful not to over mix.

Pour batter into 12 muffin cups. Fill each almost to the top.

Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips evenly into the filled muffin cups.

Bake at 350-F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of muffin.

Cool before serving.

Makes 12 (2-1/2inch) muffins.

Addison patiently waited for the muffins to be done... They are cooling now and I can't imagine what kind of mess she'll make eating them!

My Grandmother is dying...

2009-04-06T13:01:00.003-04:00

As the day gets closer, I'm starting to reflect more on my Grandma's life. She now hasn't had anything to eat or drink since March 28th. She's in her 91st year but the last 5 or so haven't been the greatest and I would like her to have peace.

My aunts had asked if any of us had any memories or stories of Grandma. At first I didn't think I would offer any but the more I thought about it, I felt a desire to at least write something, even if it wasn't shared at the service. I have chosen not to visit her in her last days as I selfishly want to remember her as the Grandma I know, not as the stranger sleeping in her bed. I haven't been to visit her in over 3 years... Last time I went Quin was probably 1 1/2. I think she enjoyed seeing the kids but I'm not convinced she knew who we all were (or maybe she just couldn't communicate that...).

Anyway, here are my rambling thoughts:

I have a great admiration for Grandma. She had many qualities which I would like... She was a fantastic cook. I have fond memories of her hand whipping potatoes (she never had any lumps... Dad still cannot master that!) and the crazy way she sharpened her knives! She was so fast it was a miracle she still has all her fingers! I have begun to appreciate parsley which Grandma liberally used in her soup or on her potatoes. I also remember her lovely honey pot which we used to pour the sweetest honey on our cereal...

She had such a green thumb... Her violets were amazing and her garden was always so neat and weed free. I have an amazing talent of killing all my houseplants and my garden is no where near a large as Grandma's was and yet I still manage to grow a fair size crop of weeds.

I don't remember hearing her raise her voice and yet everything and everyone around her was in control. I have a hard enough time with my 3 kids, I can't imagine 11! And yet all her kids model their parents morality and strong work ethic, and show love, compassion and willingness to help others in a understated but noticeable way. I can only hope that my kids will turn out as well.

I also admire Grandma's faith. Where I still feel like I haven't quite managed to figure out my path, I look at Grandma who had such a strong, unwavering conviction.

I choose to remember my Grandmother this way: the sparkle in her eyes, her infectious laughter, her wisdom and her love for life. I see these things when I look at my Dad, and my aunts and uncles. Thank you Grandma for showing me how powerful love, acceptance and forgiveness can be.

End of March Break

2009-03-22T09:02:00.004-04:00

I usually enjoy March break. It's nice to have Tyler at home and even if we don't go away, puttering around the house, spring cleaning... it just feels good. This break, however, was nothing like that. I don't know why sickness breeds in our home but we've had the stomach flu and the resulting relapse (which didn't include vomiting) for over a week. I'm tired of laundry and less than happy children, and the smell. Seriously, I want to throw the house in a washing machine!

We did manage to cut down a very tall, shedding tree which opens the yard up so much! And the boys and I felt well enough to watch Coraline in 3D. But other than that, this break was a bust. I'm almost through another major project but once that's over, I start the biggest catalogue I've ever worked on. I can't complain about the work I guess. I just need to figure out a better way of getting it done without staying up till all hours then getting up with the kids.

New thought: So I'm going to try and organize all my recipes. I have clippings, online files, cookbooks where I only use a couple... I want to figure out a way to organize them all so I actually use them instead of filing them away and never looking at them. Do I type them all out so I can format them all the same and come up with some sort of labeling system? My sister (who just had a birthday on Friday... Happy Birthday Sara!!!) has started her system so I should take a peek at that. I think it would be cool to take pictures of the recipes so that you know what they look like too. If anyone has done this and had it work for them, let me know/give me your suggestions. And I will post my progress when I figure out what I'm doing.

First Sign of Spring...

2009-03-15T09:24:00.003-04:00

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 15

2009-03-11T09:18:00.006-04:00

The Frugal Edition

Money's tight (as always) so I'm trying to clean out out pantry/fridge/freezer before heading out to the too-convenient grocery stores. I had some dried chickpeas so on Monday I soaked them and yesterday at lunch I cooked them. I also had some couscous and some potatoes. I figured I could do a roasted vegetable with chickpeas and couscous. It was so yummy!! I made a tonne of chickpeas so I froze the cooked chickpeas in 1 cup portions so I can add them to anything and it an additional meatless meal to cut down on cost. Apparently soaking and cooking chickpeas reduces their gas inducing properties and they tasted better than the canned kind.

Here's my made-up recipe...

Roasted Vegetables with Chickpeas and Couscous

2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces
3 large or 6 smaller potatoes, cubed into 1" pieces
3 large carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1 large or 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2" wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp thyme
salt to taste
1 pkg couscous

Soak and cook chickpeas if necessary (To soak, cover chickpeas with water and soak in fridge for 24 hrs. To cook, drain and rinse soaked chickpeas. Put chickpeas in pot and cover with water about 2" above the chickpeas. Cover and bring to a boil skimming off foam. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hrs. You know they're done when they have that creamy texture when you eat them... Note: After soaking, make sure you go through and take out the ones that are not plumped; they will be as hard as rocks).

Heat oven to 400˚. Put chopped potatoes and veggies in roasting pan. Add olive oil and spices. Mix it all up. Cook for 1 hr checking every once in a while and stirring to cooking evenly. About 10 mins before veggies are done, put the water on to boil for the couscous. Once boiling, add the couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover for 5 mins. Fluff with fork. Get a large bowl and stir the veggies, chickpeas and couscous together. Enjoy!

Visit the Shan's blog for the other What's Cooking Wednesday entries.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 14

2009-03-04T20:11:00.005-05:00

It's just after 8. I have the kids fed, dishes done, made muffins and cleaned those dishes and Craig is tucking them all into bed so I can watch America's Next Top Model (which starts tonight). Oh, yes. It's a guilty pleasure!!

The muffins are a favourite from Muffin Mania. Enjoy! (Please visit WCW to see the other entries)

Muffins That Taste Like Donuts

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. white sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. milk

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
In another bowl combine thoroughly oil, sugar, egg and milk.
Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir only to combine.
Bake 350˚ for 20-25 min.

For a delicious variation, fill tins 1/2 full of batter, put 1 tsp. jam on top, and top with the rest of the batter.

New Look

2009-03-04T12:39:00.002-05:00

So what do you think? I have saved the original format. Of course as a designer, you'd like I'd come up with my own layout design but I haven't conquered the whole CSS, HTML stuff needed to do it. If anyone knows how to create a layout, let me know and I'll give it a go!

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 13: A Steaming Pile of...

2009-02-24T17:58:00.008-05:00

PANCAKES!! But of course, it's Shrove Tuesday. The kids *love* pancakes for dinner. Addison ate her weight I think (a total of 4 whole pancakes). She out-ate her brothers!

Anyway, here's the recipe and as usual, please check out the others at What's Cooking Wednesday (yes, I'm a day early!).

Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used 1 white and 1 whole wheat)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you want)
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chopped apple (I shredded mine, skins and all)

Preheat Griddle to 300˚

Sift dry ingredients together.
Combine eggs, butter, and milk.
Pour into flour mixture and stir until smooth.
Add apples and stir.
Drop by spoonfuls and cook.

Puppy Love

2009-02-19T15:49:00.001-05:00

Quin's Bday

2009-02-14T10:41:00.006-05:00

I was a little more low key this year (you remember Addison's cupcake pops). Quin turned 4 and I said cake mix and store bought icing it is!! We made little cupcakes and Quin was totally freaked out by the sparklers. Craig and I collaborated on a birthday card (you will note Craig's wonderful sense of humour!).

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 12

2009-02-05T16:12:00.006-05:00

For more WCW, please visit the fabulous Fairy Blogmother!

Okay, it's actually Thursday and it's not really a recipe but I wanted to show off my new birthday mug with a frothy hot chocolate. Yum! Craig bought me a frother for Christmas and man, does is make a mean cocoa!

The Ingredients

Hot milk
Camino Organic and Fair Trade Dark Hot Chocolate

The Recipe

Add mix to milk. Heat in pot on stove or microwave. Transfer to mug. Froth it. Sip and mellow.
Ahhhhhh.

February Blahs

2009-02-05T14:17:00.003-05:00

I think that I shouldn't be allowed to complain about February as it's my birth month (and Quinten's too!) but I'm suffering from the winter blahs. I'm completely overwhelmed with the amount of freelance I have to do, I'm trying to keep the house in order for the this birthday weekend, trying to avoid propping the kids in front to the television, trying to get all my tax stuff in order... and all I want to do is curl up on the and watch "How I Met Your Mother" (which is the funnest thing I've seen in years... like Friends and Seinfeld only 'awesomer' [imaginary high-five Barney style]). I have 14 projects on my design to do list and 5 of them are due in the next week. Yikes!!

Anyway, I'll start posting pics of what I've been doing (when I get a spare minute) and I will update after Quinten's birthday (he wants white cupcakes with white icing that he can decorate with sprinkles. Yum).

Sand, surf and a bomb scare...

2009-01-21T15:53:00.006-05:00

...not bad for our first family adventure!

Cuba was lovely. We had 3 full sun days and the rest were cloudy and windy but we never had any rain and the sun shone on the wedding day. The ocean was warmer than the pool most days and the kids loved playing along the shore, building sand castles and collecting shells. The food was decent (that Cuba can feed that many resorts is a small miracle to begin with... we went not expecting fantastic food so we weren't disappointed). Fresh fruit, smoothies, all-included pina coladas, tequila (for Craig who cleaned out 2 of the bars in one night... relax, it was a total of 6 shots), mohitos, 24hr snack bar... yum.

A couple of funny stories:

The kids were so well behaved, we had other tourists and staff commenting on how good they were. So many comments that Ty said one day at lunch "I wish they'd stop watching us. It's annoying me." I explained that it was because they were behaving so well that people were amazed.

Quin decided to make the best of the Varadaro airport. Even though I had him in a diaper (in case he had an accident on the plane), he wanted to use the facilities. Craig took him in the first stall: "There's pee in there," stated Quin. On to the second stall: "There's pee in there too." Third stall: "There's no pee in here." Walk closer. "But it's gross. I'll just pee in my diaper."

And finally, what's an airport visit without a bomb scare? Unfortunately for us, Quinten was the source of the scare. As we're checking our luggage on the weigh scale, Quin loudly announces "There's a bomb on the plane Mommy." "You don't say things like that Quinten!" "But Mommy, there's a bomb." Craig starts turning pale and sweating. Quin points to the red digital numbers showing the weight of our bags. I finally clue in and explain that those number tell the people how much the luggage weighs and that it's not a counter for a bomb. Seriously. I blame the superhero cartoons. They alway show the bombs with black counter boxes with red digital numbers.

Home safe and sound.

It's January...

2009-01-02T14:17:00.003-05:00

...and probably too cliché to say my resolution is to blog more often.

It's been incredibly busy but I feel more sane by writing everything down. My new project is packing for a family wedding in Cuba in 9 days. I'll be taking the pictures so that will be fun. I'm nervous about the packing and travelling part. We're taking all the kiddies too and this is our first vacation ever (at least since our honeymoon 9 1/2 years ago... and we stayed up north so we've never flown anywhere!). I now have passport and I feel like a grown up now that I have one. Who knows if it will ever get used again but I can at least say that I have one!

Cuba should be interesting. Both sides of the families will be there. We arrive on the Monday and they don't get married until Friday so that will give us time to settle in and adjust to doing nothing. I will have to take homework for Tyler but at least we can do that on the beach. I have a couple of nice bathing suits to try out. Unfortunately, they were bought before the pneumonia and resulting stomach flu so I'm about 10 lbs lighter... I figure there will be enough topless people that if mine flop out, I'll be in good company.

I'm looking forward to sitting on the balcony at night with Craig reading and drinking while the kids sleep. I hope we can see the ocean from out balcony... or at least a sunset. The resort has really good reviews although it would be interesting to get a review from someone who has travelled with 3 small children...

Anyway, I'll do a bit more design work this week but then I'm off to pack, check my lists and try to sleep without feeling anxious. I'll have pictures to post for sure when I return from our adventure!

Pneumonia

2008-10-08T17:02:00.004-04:00

It's only been a month since my last post. All I can say is pneumonia.

It's the first time I've ever had it and hopefully my last. It started as a cough for a week, turned into pneumonia which I first tried treating naturally. That went well for about 5 days and then my breathing got worse so I tried some antibiotics. That gave me weird joint pain so we've switched meds and added Tylenol with codeine (yippee!). I've had 2 chest xrays and another one in a couple weeks to make sure the pneumonia is all cleared up. I have 4 more days of meds and then I can start back on the natural stuff to make sure my lungs are all healed.

On top of this, Quinten and Addison are both being treated. Craig has a wicked cough (which I keep telling him he should get checked out. I keep trying to get him to take some natural stuff which is like asking him to become a vegetarian!) and Tyler has had his cough since the beginning of school. We are one sick household.

And of course, because of this illness, my freelance is so behind schedule that it's totally stressing me out.

I do need to thank my mom for coming in all last week to help out (and my dad for driving her in every day), my sister for dropping off meals and generally worrying about me, Kalina for coming over to help with the kids so I could sleep, my brother for playing hookie (sp?) from work to drive me to the doctor, Amanda for walking Tyler to and from school and bringing over meals, and my mother-in-law for watching the kiddies while I got my xrays and taking off work to make a fantastic chicken noodle soup with dumplings. And I can't forget Craig... He took off work (even though we probably can't afford it), went in late so he could walk the kids to school, made meals, took care of the children and house while I flaked out and played Legend of Zelda on the DS (I'm now slightly addicted. I think it's therapy; it gets my mind off feeling awful, or at the very least that's what I'm telling myself!)... Seriously, I can't imagine not having family/friends around to help out. I don't know how single moms do it. They totally have my respect.

1st Day of Grade One

2008-09-06T12:08:00.004-04:00

I think we often forget that he's only 5 years old. For the most part, he conducts himself with a poise, confidence and imagination of someone quite a lot older. Though there are plenty of times when my throat gets hoarse for repeating directions to him in escalating decibels, but when he's in his listening mood, he's so helpful. He plays with Quin and Addison, making them laugh, showing them what he's done in school, getting their toys...

Now he's in school full-time and I cannot believe how quite the house has become. Tyler is pretty capable of carrying on a running commentary for the whole day with only minor interjections. Without Ty's presence, the family dynamic is quite different but I am beginning to hear more stories from Quinten and can watch as he and Addison start to explore this world without the Tyler filter.

I do miss him when he's away but I'm excited to watch him develop into a man who is as imaginative, loving, conscientious, and funny as his father.

What happens when a 5 year old gets a hold of your camera...

2008-09-06T09:03:00.003-04:00

Not a peep in the house...

2008-09-05T18:07:00.003-04:00

Flickr...

2008-08-25T23:26:00.001-04:00

I've started to catalogue some of the freelance design that I've been doing on Flickr. You can check it out at here.