Walkin' on Sunshine

It is going to be a lovely day. Only 1 degree as I type this, watching the sun rise over my woods, but it's supposed to go up to 15, according to my computer. Not bad for Halloween. The boys are all excited to go trick-or-treating in their firefighter costumes (which were second choice as I wasn't dishing out 20 bucks a pop for two spider man costumes). Nothing like a little extortion for some fun childhood memories.

I'm glad for a nice day as well because of the afternoon we have planned. Goaliemom, the boys and I are going shopping, where she hopes to get presents for the G's. I hope to get presents for a lot of people, get them wrapped, and save mailing them all down. Now that we're getting settled into the house I can officially get my head around Christmas. Amazing what some normalcy can enable your brain to do.

Then this evening, of course, is trick-or-treating. Maybe we'll take the dog with us- that'd be fun. After a supper with mom and dad whenever they get here. Another non-stop day. But it's nice and sunny, and will be warm sooner or later.

Speechless

Don't know what to write about today. I'm tired, it's late. Did school, went swimming, and -oh- high point of the day. J won first prize in the Carleton Place Home Depot coloring contest. He was very excited. And I was glad to see that his prize was NOT a 10 pound toblerone bar.

Working 9 to 5

What a way to make a living. Even when I don't get paid for it, there are perks. I walked into the office today (I have switched from Wednesdays to Mondays) to find presents on my desk! A new software program (OK so I like nerdy gifts) and a Tim Horton's gift card- woohoo!

Work went well today- the very long list that had built up over the two weeks I wasn't there got accomplished, and I still got to leave early to be home in time for the arrival of goaliemom. She came for supper and then went to W's hockey game with us. I think she was entertained by the little guys falling down with every slap shot and other such 8-year-old hockey antics. Which is good- I was hoping she wouldn't be bored- not exactly university level stuff! But they played a good game, and tied. W had a few good chances at a goal, but didn't get one in tonight. But that's OK- he's still flying high over his goal scored on a breakaway Saturday evening.

So goaliemom is here for the week, and on Wednesday, mom and dad arrive for a week. I am looking forward to showing them the new house, and having them stay here. It will be a busy week (surprise, surprise) with school, swimming, meetings for me, trip to the vet for Phoenix, other appointments, and kid stuff with company here, but I think they're used to the pace of life we keep. Not sure if they think it's sane or not, but they're used to it!

Query: was my mom this busy when us kids were young? I don't remember as much running around (and there were 4 kids, not 2!), but maybe I was just so absorbed in my own little world and didn't see all the organizing my mom did to make everything run like a well-oiled machine. Now I'm on the other side of the equation- working dawn till midnight.

8 days a week

I am a busy person. I even find some kinds of work relaxing. E took the boys out to fill our shoeboxes this afternoon, so I had about an hour to myself with nothing pressing that had to be done. So what did I do for relaxation? Put the music on, made myself a cup of hot chocolate, and organized our new filing cabinet. It somewhat disturbs me how relaxing and therapeutic organizing is for me. It's like I thrive on making order out of chaos. Very rarely do I actually enjoy sitting still and doing nothing (unless it's in the jacuzzi with a good book- I have learned that our jets in the new tub do not automatically turn off after 20 minutes- or 30 or 40 for that matter). I think even if I had more hours in the day or more days in the week it would just give me more time to organize and clean.

The work of the weekend got done- with a few very late nights to show for it, but it got done and I was glad to be able to help. No rest for me yet though- the next week will be spent doing a media project for the pastor, and then it'll be into the last minute throws of organizing a nation-wide church planting conference. I originally wasn't sure why I was asked to do such a big task, but now I see- it is because I am so insanely organized. The other guy organizing the main sessions with me has great ideas and connections, but he is not what you'd call a details person. So my job has basically become to take his ideas and help him put them down on paper so that it'll all fit into the time alloted. It's kind of fun, but I won't know how good a job I've done until it actually comes to pass. And then, if I haven't done a good job at all, I'll have potentially ruined a bi-annual sold-out, nation-wide conference. No pressure. Ah well, if it does work, I get to give God all the credit, because I have no idea what I'm doing.

So after that I get to rest- WRONG. The next day, all of Barrhaven is having a parade in honor of my birthday. They are calling the Santa Claus Parade, but I am calling it my birthday parade. So I am helping with that and singing on one of the floats with B2 and a couple of other gals from the worship team. I just hope it's not REALLY cold like it was 2 years ago when I helped. I can't sing when I'm shivering.

SO after that I MAY get to rest, although by that time it'll be time to decorate my house for Christmas- a tradition for the day after my birthday. Only difference this year, is that I get to go out and buy ALL my decorations before I put them up. That is just a little overwhelming for me, and we'll see how it goes.

So I am busy- and would love to have 8 days a week, but I'm sure then I'd just cram more stuff in.

Puppy Love

Phoenix is highly entertaining. Tobes never chased her tail as much as she does- and once she gets it she rolls around the floor in a ball refusing to let go. And then there's the whole cat and dog love/hate relationship. Max hisses, bites, and literally puches her and she keeps coming back for more. Too funny.

Today we will run a few errands in the morning- the boys are getting SO sick of errands. They used to love going to the store, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Shopping has to stop soon! Then this afternoon there will be much cooking in my kitchen for the celebration lunch tomorrow at church. Always fun, and even more so since I don't have to go out to do it!

Well, puppy is whining to go out, so I would hate to ignore that request. Must get on with my day.

Oops, I did it again

It's going to be a long weekend. E is away at Engaged, and I have the usual stuff going on plus all the settling in that is still happening (tackling the garage today). Tomorrow, the gals are coming over to cook for the celebration lunch, which I am looking forward to. E and I are determined to use this house that God gave us for him whenever possible, and this is one thing I can do (plus, it saves me driving into Barrhaven to do it at S's house!). So, a busy weekend all around. But NOOOO, that's not enough! E has a big job to do for Sunday morning, and in typical E fashion, he left it till the last minute, assuming that the person who had it before him had kept info in a somewhat organized and logical manner. This, of course, was not the case, and now there is a huge load of work to be done for the Sunday service, and he is away the next two days. So guess who said she'd do it? Not sure why I said I'd do it, other than the fact that people are counting on E, and he and I come as a package. So if he doesn't come through, I feel like I haven't either. There's other stuff that needs to be done before Sunday that now is going to have to take a back seat, I think - shoeboxes will have to be (no, don't say it- hate that word...) LATE.

So today I wrestle with thoughts of cancelling school so I can tackle the garage and do the work I promised E I'd do for him. I have many many many shelves I bought at Ikea yesterday to build for in there and much orgainizing to do, which, for me, is strangely therpautic. School has been going well, but today I just want to ditch it. But we took all last week off.... maybe I'll work this morning and do some fun school this afternoon as we've been concentrating a lot on the 3 R's this week. So some French and world history (yes, the boys see those as fun), and even science might be good this afternoon. And I would be fairly guilt-free. Then tonight I will put on the coffee pot and sink myself into a good spreadsheet. They say behind every great man is a great woman. I think it should be behind every great man is a highly organized, slightly frustrated, tired, but happy-that-she's-helped-her-hubby woman.

Home

So I am looking out into my now barren woods, thinking about how only a week ago, they were full and colorful and lovely. But this is nice in it's own way- now I can see the sunrise (while I'm letting the dog out and shivering at 7 am), and it reminds me that soon the boys and I can go tracking in the woods again when there is a fresh snowfall. Only this year we will have puppy tracks messing them all up.

Puppy. She is AWESOME. Smart as a whip- she's laying on the livingroom carpet right now chewing a toy that is amost as big as her head. She hasn't messed on the carpet yet- seems to prefer the laminate, but even that is improving. Most times now she goes to the door to let us know she needs to go out. Just wish it wouldn't be 10 times a day. Ah well, it'll come. And she already knows how to sit at only 11 weeks old. Genius.

House is DONE. And starting to feel like a home. I am getting kind of tired of shopping for it, though. Guess I will be content with bare walls for a while (and bare shelves- they look funny without any nick-nacks). I do need to make just one more trip to IKEA (I sound like an addict- OK well, I am). to get shelves for the garage- it's still a war zone and I hate it. But the house is pretty much done (except for the basement- also a war zone). They are coming today with much topsoil to landscape and to get the potholes out of my driveway and to take the tree away from my front door. Things will look much nicer after that- then it's just to seed in the spring. Things sure will be nice and muddy before that. Speaking of which, I should go and get dressed - wouldn't do to have the foreman find me in my housecoat.

Feelings...

I have been given a challenge. And I am feeling up to it. My title of two blogs ago has inspired D to challenge me to give my blogs song titles for the next month. Of course, the simplest way to accomplish this would be to continue not blogging very often, but you know me. Don't do anything half way.

I feel good about today- first day back at school after the move with puppy in the house. It went very well. Poor W was still doing his math after supper, but the afternoon was spent out, so it was inevitable.

I feel proud of my boys- swimming started today. W has graduated from the 30 minute class where the last 10 minutes is spent playing in the "hot pool" to the 45 minute class of mostly doing laps. He LOVED it, and did very well. J, who flunked preschool B last time and had to register for it again, was deemed after 1 lesson to be way beyond preschool B and bumped right up to a C/D class (thanks to all the swimming in our pool this summer). He was very excited about this too, and wonders why he used to think swimming lessons were so bad back when he was only 5 (I guess being 6 in two months doesn't make you 5 anymore?)

I feel tired- but that's nothing new. The cold is better (I ignored it and it worked) but I am still going all day every day to try and get settled and feel like I'm "home".

I feel content- I am home. It's nice and cozy- especially when the fireplace is on during school and it's cold and rainy outside.

I feel like not typing anymore today.

Quiet and Coffee

OK, so I am posting today after all. It's not often I get a quiet hour in the morning with no one else here asking for breakfast (besides the dog and cat). But E and W are off to W's hockey practice, and J is still alseep. Maybe early morning hockey is good for something after all. Coffee is done...

There- hot coffee to complete the deal. I have decided that my computer is in a lovely location. I get to just turn my head to see the leaves falling. Yesterday was the day- I disovered it last fall, and it repeated itself again this year. It's almost like the night before, all the leaves in my woods have a meeting and deicde, "OK boys, tomorrow we jump." It rained leaves all day. Sometimes the pace was a little quicker than others, but at any given point you could look out the window and see them coming down. Every 20 minutes or so I could notice that I could see significantly farther into the woods. It's very cool- and mesmerizing. Didn't get a whole lot else done yesterday.

Except for putting things up. (As opposed to putting things on top of other things) I mounted our bedroom mirrors, the fire extinguisher, the cat door (that was traumatic- cutting a hole in the door.), the handles on W's dresser, a shelf in J's room, a towel rack, and I can't remember what else.

Today will hold very little productive work of any kind. S & B are here for the weekend, so I will be spending time wiht them. They (and D) came over for supper last night, and we ate after the kids were in bed. It was lovely to have an adult meal- somewhat lacking in refined conversation as it was, but at least I didn't have to cut anyone's food or threaten no dessert if they didn't finish.

Think I will do a little work before I head over to the G's though. The front hall is still a mess and driving me crazy, and it won't take that long to hang up the last few things in J's room. And I could always orgainze W's room while he's out- OK I'm getting carried away again. But the good news is that my cold seems to be getting better. Which supports my theory of most illnesses- ignore it and it will go away.

I ain't missin' you at all.

Ok. I am now receiving threatening e-mails regarding my lack of blogs. I wonder if I can get a government grant to study the addicitive quality of blogs, and if there should be some kind of government funded 12 step program for those who have a problem (you know who you are.).

However, since the coersion seems to have worked, here is my first blog in almost a month. Much has changed. We are finally in our home. It is lovely. Today the trailer was carted away, not at all bittersweet- any tears were those of joy. After it was gone, I stood there and looked at the patch of brown grass that was under where the trailer had been. Seeing it in two dimensions like that gave me a whole new appreciation for just how small a space we had in for the last 6 months. Not sure how I did it without going crazy (and as we all know, it's not that far for me). But gone it is, and now I am trying to settle into this wonderful house God gave us, and make it feel like a home. There are just a few minor things to be fixed up that weren't up to scratch, but it's all getting taken care of in a very timely manner.

And how do I really feel? Crappy. I'm sure I'd be flying high, but I'm sick. I told E he's got to stop bringing his work home with him. He gave all of us a cold- the boys all seemed to get over it in 3- 4 days, but at day 5, mine doesn't seem to be letting up. Maybe if I'd slow down I'd heal quicker, but then nothing would get done, and my beautiful home would still look like a war zone. Nah.

And finally- the puppy. Phoenix has arrived, and is it ever nice to have a dog around again. She is really good- very bright, and nicely laid back. I'm starting to question if she's actually a lab. She's sleeping at my feet right now- seems totally happy as long and she's in the same room with me. We have given her free run of the kitchen and classroom, which she is handling nicely. I may do some work up in the bedroom tonight and see how she does up there- that's a real leap of faith- putting her on carpet! Well, she's slept by the bed both nights and has been fine so far. The cat doesn't think much of her, but that is improving. He doesn't do the big scary halloween cat pose every time she comes within 5 feet anymore. She actually came as close as a foot or two today and didn't get hissed at. Don't think they'll be sending Christmas cards yet, but it's progress.

So there you have it. My blog. Probably won't blog tomorrow, as things will be the same. With the exception of my cold, I'd like things to be the same for a long time to come (and the messy house- gotta get that cleared up, and start doing school again... OK so some change will be good)