In lieu of...

Well, since no one submitted any sort of suggestion for another on of my "list" blogs, I will subject anyone who reads this to the details of my big exam yesterday. Oh wait, I can't. I signed a confidentiality agreement. Apparently the use the same cases over and over again, so we are not allowed to tell anyone what they were. Suffice it to say I think I did well, but I won't know for sure until Jan 11. That is when I can call for the results, not a day sooner. Apparently it takes 8 weeks to mark a multiple choice test and figure out how I did on my patient interviews. Sigh.

However, I had a lovely 10 1/2 hour sleep in the hotel last night (aaahhh), and on the ride home today, it officially clicked in that I am DONE. I mentally checked it off my list while driving home, and was thinking of what I have to do next. Then I thought, "Oh wait! I don't have to do ANYTHING next- I'm DONE!" It was a lovely moment.

So, me being me, I came home and started to draw up plans for my basement reno. I plan to go to the store on Monday and buy stuff to frame walls and make a bathroom. I have enough tiles left over from the house construction for the whole bathroom, so for that room I just have to buy lights and fixtures. I can hardly wait to get at it. I think once it's done, I will move the TV back into the basement and have the upstairs living room as I originally wanted it. A place to sit and read, talk etc, but no big huge TV in the middle of it. Hubby may overrule me, we shall have to see.

I am also planning on decorating for Christmas next week. It is tradition to do it the day after my birthday, but this year I have to work that day, so I will fit it in when I can. Maybe when I get home from buying sink and toilet. Or at 11 pm... I am a single mom all next week, so I can do it when I like. Speaking of 11 pm, that's what it is now, and I'm tired. Time for bed.

Friday the 13th

How ironic is that. Of all the days in the whole entire year, all 365 of them, how many are actually Friday the 13th. Even the least superstitious among us know that it is believed to be a day of bad luck. Now, I don't believe in luck, good or bad, yet I find it highly amusing that the most stressful part of this little journey that I am now on would fall on that particular day.

Tomorrow, Friday the 13th, I am leaving at 5:30 am, and driving to the big city of TO to write an exam. From 12:15 - 6 pm I will be doing a variety of things, from presenting and defending my learning portfolio, to doing multiple choice tests, to (GULP) simulated patient interviews. That is the part where I walk into a room and meet with a "patient" (a paid actor who is pretending to be a patient) and have the kind of interaction with them that I would have with any patient at work. Sounds easy enough. It's even open book. But the thing that is nagging at me is the fact that I will be being timed. And watched. There will be a third person in the room. A person with a clipboard and pencil. And I know that every time they write something down, I will be wondering what it was. Was it a good point? A bad point? Did I miss something crucial? Would my advice just have killed a real person? OK, so maybe I'm taking it a bit far, but it is stressful. I take comfort in the fact that in the real world, at work the other day, myself and the other pharmacist on duty caught a doctor's mistake that would have killed an 8 year old girl had it gone unchecked. The girl and her parents will never know about it, as the mistake was corrected before they came for their prescription, but we done good.

I did this kind of thing in university. It was easier then. First of all, it hadn't been 13 years since I'd written any kind of test. Secondly, my knowledge was all fresh. Thirdly, the material I was tested on had just been covered in a course. I knew what to study, I knew where to focus my efforts. I have been studying all week knowing darn well that I will never be able to cover everything a pharmacist needs to know. They can throw anything they want at me. It may be a drug that I have never seen in my life. It may be an AIDS patient. Anyone who knows anything about medicine knows that their meds are the most complicated ones out there. And we so rarely see them. But they could throw that at me.

I will be so glad when this is over. It is step three in an 8 week process that I am almost done. The internship is over- got the official call from the college that it's done and all my assignments have been approved. Haven't heard back about the jurisprudence exam yet. Would have been nice to know that it was a pass going in to this exam, but this just means I'll have two things to wait for and bite my nails over for a few weeks. The Lord is going to teach me patience one way or another, I fear.

It ain't over till it's over...

Well, today was it. The last shift of my internship. Lovely day- busy enough to go fast. Free pizza and pop in the lunch room. And now I'm DONE. As I imagined, it went way quicker than I ever thought possible. The children got fed, laundry got done, my house is still standing, and we are all still sane (or as sane as we were before all this started). I am actually going to buy my own groceries on Monday. E will be glad, I think he's tired of the grocery shopping. I have a week off now to study, and then it's the part time work I've been waiting for. 15-20 hours a week will be perfect. I can work it in two days each week and be here for my family the other 5 days. Speaking of which...

While I was working today, W was playing his first game of the year in nets. Helped his team to a 6-4 victory, and is now one of the two undefeated teams in the whole league of Atom B hockey. He was very excited about it- even called me at work.

J is under the weather today. Woke up with a fever and a cough. Seems to be feeling a tad better tonight, but is still fighting something. Glad he has Monday off school- will give him a few days to rest up.

K had her H1N1 vaccine today- our doctor got a stash of them, and considering her weird immunity, or lack thereof to Canadian bugs, I thought it best to give her the shot. Don't think I'll get the boys done, though. So far so good.

Off to have a date with my hubby to celebrate- bought a little bottle of Chianti and some lovely cheese on the way home. Mmmmm, brie.

Looking back

I know what you`re thinking. Two posts in one day. Someone has abducted B`s blog and taken it over. She barely blogs twice in a month, let alone in a night. But I decided to go back to the beginning and read through my blog. Not sure if I`ve ever done that before, not right from the beginning.

It was lovely. I remembered how loved I am. I realized that I can be quite witty at times. I was glad, after last night`s post, to see that I didn`t do TOO much complaining. I need to do more posts of lists of things. They are funny.

So please comment with your suggestions of lists. Questions the kids ask in a 5 minute period have been done. Things I need to record so I don`t have to repeat them all the time have been done. Things I will NOT miss about the trailer has been done (and as a follow-up, no, I don`t miss any of those things, or any other things about it for that matter).

And as a disclaimer, stupid suggestions will be ignored. There, now you know it`s really me blogging twice in one day.

H1N1 Pandemic

Thought that might get your attention. I`m actually not going to say anything about H1N1 today, except that I got my vaccine today and can still walk forwards and turn left. Phew.

Tomorrow I work the third last shift of my internshipness-thingy. It`s been a really fast 8 weeks, and I`ve quite surprised myself with how much I have stayed on top of things, what with crazy kid schedules, crazy hubby work schedule, and throwing an after party for rock-star diva sister. I know full well that the reason I have stayed on top of things so well is only because of awesome hubby, super-mom and uberfriend. Hubby has been doing laundry, running kids to and from things, cooking meals, and even doing K`s hair (and quite a good job of it!). Super-mom was here for a week and cooked and cleaned and chauffered kids around while I worked extra hours. Uberfriend was instrumental in the after-party preparations. She was indeed the brains behind the operation.

Spent my day off cleaning- the kitchen. It took me all morning to get that one room organized. Included such tasks as sorting through the pile of papers, fliers, school work and lost and possibly not paid invoices (e-mails have been sent to the respective employers asking if E was paid for those shifts), cleaning out the fish tank that has not actually housed any fish for weeks. Bummer how you have to remember to feed them every day. The snails aren`t nearly so demanding. Good thing the boys have been in charge of feeding the other pets. But the kitchen looks goooood tonight. Except for the dirty walls and gross cupboard doors and baseboards. Good thing my b-day present is a full house cleaning. W, I apologize for all the work you have ahead of you.

And now I have three shifts left. All internship assignments are oh-so-close to being completed to the college`s satisfaction, and on Friday the 13th I will do a mental gymnastics sort of exam to prove my worth as an actual pharmacist. After up to 8 weeks of humming and hawing, the gurus at the college will tell me if it`s all been worth it and I will have a license to fill, or if I have entirely wasted my fall. I am hoping for the former. Haven`t heard back about the jurisprudence exam yet, but I`m feeling good about it.

And I don`t even have the bubonic plague... I mean, H1N1 yet.

Not that I'm complaining

I had a really good day. Busy enough at work that it went quickly. Short-staffed but not nutso. A really funny phone call from our resident hypochonidriac that made me laugh all afternoon. Apparently the H1N1 vaccine can paralyze you so that you can only walk backwards. (ppfffftt!) Hard to maintain a professional decorum in the face of that one. Maybe that's what happened to Zoolander. Got the H1N1 vaccine and now can no longer turn left.

But even with all the comic relief of the day, I find myself frustrated with people in general. I wish they would all get over themselves. Seems even some of the nicest ones are wrapped up in their own little worlds. Whatever happened to thinking of other people first? Whatever happened to the common courtesies of please and thank-you? Whatever happened to appreciation for a job well done? These things have not happened to me today, and I am not feeling particularly jilted by anyone, but it's just something I've noticed lately. Maybe I've noticed it as I see the surprise on someone's face when I express appreciation, or am nice to a stranger. But there's not enough of it anymore. I'm sure I'm as guilty of it as the next person when I'm honest with myself.

And what's with the love for complaining? I try very hard not to complain about things, and get frustrated when others do it. If you only knew how good you had it, people. If the thing that they are complaining about is the worst thing that happened to them that day, they are pretty darned lucky! I almost said that to a complete stranger once as he was ripping up a grocery store manager for not having the right kind of coffee cream for sale. I was too chicken. That's my problem- I'm all talk... most days.

Some days I am brave. Some days I call people on it. And when I do they don't quite know what to say to me. But it makes them think, and I like to do that. When we stop and think, quite often (I speak for myself here) we realize it's better just to shut up than to shoot our mouth off. Or if we are going to say anything, instead of complaining to someone, to say "I appreciate you. Thank you."

My birthday is two weeks from today. Everyone is asking me what my plans are. I don't have any. I don't say this to make anyone feel bad for me- I just don't have any. My hubby is going to be away for the week, so I am going to have a nice quiet evening at home. I may have a date with a glass of wine and a chick flick. And some Brie. People almost seem sad for me when I tell them this- I don't understand why. I am happy to be here another year, and I am even more happy to spend the day with my kids (wish my hubby could be home, but someone's gotta bring home the bacon!) and not have to go to work on that particular day. It will be a lovely day for turning 37. Just call me Dennis.

200 and counting.

So I signed on to post another blog, not really feeling like blogging, but feeling somewhat of an obligation resulting from the heckling I get from my family every time I take an extended leave of absence from blog-land. Then I noticed that this is my 200th post, so I feel the need to say something deep and profound. But mostly I'm wondering what I could blog about that would get made into a movie and make me rich, like the girl in "Julie and Julia". Great movie. Highly recommend it for foodies, girls in general and guys who want to impress girls by not taking them to an action-packed-things-blowing-up movie.

I got nuthin. So instead we have...

Update on the fam. I have five shifts left. 5. FIVE. Cinq. Cinqo. FIIIIIIVE. Then I get a week off, then a lovely 6 hour exam, and then I get to be a pharmacist again. I hope that by then the H1N1 panic has worn off. Seriously people- some of us just have a cold right now. Just because I am coughing and blowing my nose does not mean that I have the bubonic plague and will infect all of you and your loved ones. I was seriously considering pretending to cough up a lung all over every prescription just before I gave it to customers the other day at work, just to see their reaction and perhaps chuckle as they ran screaming out the door. Don't get me wrong, I know that H1N1 is a pretty nasty bug and that it's no fun to have. My dad has it right now and I am praying for his quick recovery. But there is a fine line between educated concern and outright paranoia. Most people are erring on the side of paranoia. But enough of that.

The kidlets all went on their annual extortion run aka trick-or-treating tonight. I headed out the door with Batman, a fairy princess, and Optimus Prime in tow. A good time was had by all, and now hubby and I are wondering what we can sneak out of their loot bags undetected.

W had a good lesson in helping others today. Went to hockey practice for his Atom B team at noon, got home after working VERY hard for an hour (around 1:40 by this time), and listened to a message on the phone from the coach of the Atom A team who just found out that they had no goalie for practice. Wondered if W could come out at 3 pm and help them by taking some shots. W did NOT want to do this. He was tired after a hard practice. He is liking goalie less as the season goes on. He didn't know anyone on this team. Had just settled in to a rousing adventure of Hot Wheels vs Bionicles with J. Had a talk with him about the fact that he had committed to goalie, so he at least had to see the year out in that position. Had a talk with him about helping someone who's in a pinch and how that shows them God's love. Also mentioned what good experience it would be to skate with the A team for a practice. He didn't want to do it, but decided to do the right thing. So we bundled all up, unpacked the player gear from first practice and packed the goalie gear for this practice. Headed back to the rink- I didn't know what to expect. I figured he would be there and take lots of shots but not get a whole lot of attention paid to him- just good experience for him to take some shots from the A team. Turns out these guys were more appreciative of his help than I expected. The coach thanked him several times, and during practice, whenever he wasn't taking shots, there was a goalie coach there who basically gave him a private goalie clinic. It was great. He even learned the basics of butterfly (all you goalies and goalie moms out there know what I'm talking about). He really ended up enjoying himself. Asked me after practice if he could go and thank the coach. I went with him, and the coach asked if he could call W up again sometime as he was so impressed with how hard he worked. W said of course, he'd be happy to help whenever he could. A proud moment for mom.

K saw figure skating for the first time on TV today. I feel that ballet may have gone the way of the dinosaur with her. This is ballet on skates- what could be better! And they get to jump and spin way more. Thus for the rest of the afternoon my living room became an imaginary skating rink for her. All was fine until I had to put a stop to things when she and J decided to mimic the pairs skating they saw- involving lifts and throws. No good could come of that. I was not popular. Ah well, everyone had life and limb intact for the trick-or-treating tonight.

Speaking of which, I think I hear a pack of rockets candy calling my name from the pantry...

5 down, 3 to go.

I am officially well over half way done the internship. This is shaping up to be the busiest week yet. Full-time work continues, on Thursday is the jurisprudence exam in Toronto, and Friday night is the long-awaited CD release concert for my rock-star sista. Before the internshipness began, I asked for the honor of hosting her very first after party that night, so amidst all else have been making fancy little finger foods for 250 people. Let us not forget to say that I couldn't do this without uber friend's wife, S. She is the queen of party food. She and I have been cooking up a storm and having lots of fun doing it. I am also very excited that B2 has asked me to play keyboards for some of the songs at the concert- yes, another thing in my already busy schedule, but one of the things that I love to do, and so not a stress, but relaxing. It is nice to have a reasonable excuse to sit down at my dusty, neglected piano and practice for the concert.

Mom and Dad arrive on Wednesday, just in time to see W play his first hockey game of the season. He is excited beyond words. So am I for that matter- it's always fun to have them visit, but they haven't seen him play yet, and he is so proud of his hockey, I love to help him show it off. And to know that Grandma and Grampa are here to help with anything and everything they can is so relieving. I am hoping that amidst all of the craziness, we will find time to just relax together. Maybe play a game or two of bridge. (You're going down, Dad!)

Had a dream about the concert last night- it was like a pre-wedding dream. Only 40 people showed, and we still didn't have enough food. The piano was put in the wrong room, so I was in there and couldn't see the rest of the band. We forgot our music, and B2 was trying to tell me which song we were playing next, but she couldn't remember the title. And the crowd was so dull- no response whatsoever. Crazy.
I thought B2 was supposed to be the one having those dreams. Not surprising, though if I think about it. I have found myself becoming very protective of this night of hers. I said to hubby one day "if anyone screws this up for her, they will have me to answer to!" LOL. Like D wouldn't take care of that in a flash.

feeling the heat

I got stressed today. And it's only the beginning of week 2. Picked up kids at school and found out that the parents meeting tonight was also a dessert social and parents were to bring food. Hmmm.... haven't had time to do much baking lately. Came home to find messages saying that W missed hockey tryouts last night, and that there were additional tryouts tomorrow and Wednesday. Still trying to figure out how to get baked goods to meeting, I quickly e-mail hockey convenor and apologize for missing tryouts, but assure him that W was at the goalie tryouts the previous day- was that ok? And we'll figure out how to get him to tryouts on Tues and Wed even though W has soccer after school on Tues and K has ballet after school on Wed. Oh, and there's one parent available to get them everywhere.

Harvested the veggies that were ripening in the garden, before they got too big and/or went bad, and made a quick supper with improvised ingredients when I discovered my chicken broth in a box in the fridge had turned into some sort of primordial goo, and it's always on the nights when you want them to eat fast that they don't. At least they all finished, veggies and all. Oh, happy day.

Rushed off to pick up babysitter extraordinaire, and arrived back home with her in time to resign myself to the fact that I was not going to be taking baked goods of any variety to the meeting, even store-bought. Surprising OK with that. Did a quick e-mail check and found out that since W is a goalie, he didn't have to be at last night's tryouts after all, and he only needs to go to one of the other sessions this week, not two. Feeling a weight lift off the shoulders, and kids are happy that they'll get a supper at Timmy's between W's soccer and hockey tomorrow. Have a feeling hubby is just as glad to find out that he doesn't have to cook.

It is 10:30 pm and I'm just sitting down to relax for the first time today. Well, kind of. I have a contract in front of me to sign for my pharmacy internship, and I have a schedule of my work hours, trying to figure out when I'm going to go to J's class and tell everyone special things about him, and show them special things from his past when I don't have any because they all burnt in the fire. Think I'll bring all his soccer medals. And the cat. Pets are always a hit with 8 year olds. Maybe I can work in a little presentation to them on medication safety and check off my community presentation that I need for the internship.

This all gets me to thinking. Why am I feeling stressed? For the most part, things are running like a well-oiled machine around here. Hubby is going above and beyond on a daily basis- yesterday while I was at work he tidied- without being asked. Today he actually made a list of things he had to do while I was at work. Yes, a list! And there were things on it I never mentioned- like vacuuming. Unreal. Awesome. I am staying organized, making lunches and packing bags the night before. So why am I stressed? And then I realized, it's because my brain won't stop. Even though other people are wonderfully taking care of things and the kids are run around by and looked after by other people than me some days, my mind is still in everything. Today while I was at work, I was mentally going through the grocery list while hubby got groceries, I am thinking of what he'll have to do tomorrow with running the kids around while I'm at work. There should be a switch to turn that sort of thing off. I know it's in good hands, so I should be able to forget about it. I don't, and now my brain is full of all that and the full-time workload I have. Good thing I only have 6 weeks and 5 days left. Too much of this might drive me crazy, and it's a pretty short drive.

It's hard to be seven

So yesterday W gets an invitation to a birthday party for a kid in his class. They went to laser quest. J was very disappointed, as this was W's second b-day party at laser quest, and J had yet to go. He came home from school as W headed off to the party with a friend, and I headed straight out to the Richmond fair with he and K, hoping to stay for a short while with K, and then hand him off to hubby so they could stay on for the demolition derby. Only problem was that by the time we got there, it was FREEZING. We turned around and went home, a dejected little J sitting in the back seat. Strike 1. I promised him computer time, and he settled in to play his favorite computer game, only to find it wasn't working. Strike 2. Gave him permission to stay up late with W and watch George of the Jungle. Told him that maybe today we could go to the fair.

Today, I got to sleep in late (because of my stupendously awesome hubby), and as I rolled out of bed, (at 9:30, may I add), stumbled downstairs and poured my morning coffee, uber-friend pulls in to the driveway to help us finish putting the gate around the pool on uber-deck. No Richmond fair (but the gate around the pool turned out great.) Strike 3.

To make matters worse, before W headed out to his goalie tryouts today, he got a call from a friend inviting him for a sleepover tonight. J was crushed. A whole weekend of disappointment and missed-out-on fun.

There was nothing for it- it was time for a date with mom. So, he and I headed out to the Richmond fair. We rode the bumper cars, we went down the huge slide, we wound our way through the fun-house maze, we watched a strong-man demonstration, looked at antique cars, climbed on tractors, ate popcorn and pop for supper, and played carnival games to win stuffed animals and alien-shaped balloons. We basically went on every ride that wouldn't make mom barf. He had a ball and more than made up for the 10 year old fun he missed out on.

Where was K in all of this? Having some much asked for time with daddy. They had running races, wrestled, played disney princess matching games, and she had a bubble bath. Doesn't feel like she missed a thing.

Tomorrow it's back to work- I have to go in for a few hours in the evening and start week 2 of 8. I survived week one quite nicely and am ignoring the clutter and mess that has already accumulated in my house. As long as I stay organized, at least things will get done, and I will keep reminding myself that at the end of this 8 weeks, I will get my birthday present of a whole top-to-bottom house cleaning. Woot.

coming out of retirement

It's been a busy month since I last blogged. I've been finishing up uber-deck, which is almost done for now. There are a couple of stair railings to finish, and the gate around the pool must be done before the snow flies. I have decided that benches and flower boxes will wait until next summer. Enough construction for one season. What is done thus far has turned out to be even better than I expected. It's a wonderful place to hang out- we have had many suppers and lunches out there, and the kids love the 20 foot running start they can get on their jumps into the pool.

Garden continues to go crazy. I have 23 jars of canned tomatoes in my pantry, one batch each of pickles, relish, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. I have about 20 bags of beans in my freezer, and there are several nice orange pumpkins both on the vine and my kitchen table. Mmmmm.... pumpkin pies.... We have had beans with supper more times than I can count, as well as yummy corn on the cob, mashed potatoes that I grew myself (well, they were whole when they grew- I mashed them after I cooked them), peas and cucumbers. It's definitely been worth the work.

Through all of this busyness, life continues on. The boys are finishing up their first week of school, and all is well there. K LOVES it- that could possibly be the understatement of the year. She was QUITE put out when we dropped the boys off on Thursday and she wasn't allowed to join them- it will be a long 5 sleeps every Wednesday until Monday comes and she can go again. W is in the middle of hockey conditioning, has signed up for the soccer team at school, and announced that he is going to play the trumpet in the school band. Note to self- buy earplugs next time I'm at the pharmacy. J likes his teacher, except for the fact that she won't let them talk in class- imagine the nerve of that. K, as I said is loving every minute of JK, and has an incredible teacher. Makes me feel good to send them off to a place like that.

Things continue to change for me as well. Finished up with contract negotiations for my pharmacy internship today which I will hopefully be able to start on Sunday evening. Eight weeks of full-time work- a relatively short tunnel with a nice bright light at the end of it. My licensing is all being paid for and I am being paid a very nice intern salary in return for about 300 hours of work after I am licensed. Sweet deal. Hubby is being very supportive, even agreeing to cook supper on a weekly basis or whenever needed and taking his daughter to ballet. What a guy.

Went to work today, and filled dosettes for 9 hours. It was a fun day though- a quiet one at the store, and had some great laughs with L and J while we all worked. Filled 37 dosettes, which translates to a few hundred prescriptions. An new record for me.

Got home to find all the kids and E in the pool having a great time. I guess they spent most of the day there, which was a great idea seeing as the humidex rested around 35 all day. The only reason I was not bitter was because I was in the air conditioning all day long myself. Did however, come home at 6 to find no attempt made at supper. Pancakes were requested by J, and feeling that a very easy item to whip up quickly, I proceeded to make a batch. I thought they tasted funny, but I blamed it on the syrup. Around bedtime, J started complaining of tummy pains (an all too common thing with him), but after some investigating, I concluded he just needed a good fart. His teeny tummy was stretched taut. Poor guy. Later found out that E also thought the pancakes tasted funny, and that is when it hit me. The recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of baking powder. I always find that odd, because it should say 1 tablespoon, as they are the same thing. Well, after working 9 hours non-stop, I read tablespoons, not teaspoons, and proceeded to put in three times as much baking powder as I should have. No one but J is in any pain tonight, but that little guy always eats his body weight in pancakes. oops. I am avoiding mommy guilt by reminding myself that I had just gotten home from a 9 hour shift, not expecting to have to make supper, and I meant well. Maybe we should order out next time.

the dance

So day camps are over. K's last dance camp ended with a little recital today, and true to form she stole the show. Not during the show, though. Oh, she was very cute, as were all the little ballerinas, and did her steps in her little 4-year old way. But when it was over, and the parents clapped nicely as the kids left the stage, she turned around as soon as the stage was empty, ran back on and started a routine all her own. She was spinning and leaping, smiling from ear to ear. The place broke out in huge applause, and then she took a bow. I couldn't decide if I should join in or crawl under my chair. It really was very funny.

a day (or two) in the life

I am spending a very lazy day today. Have spent most of it on the internet surfing around and ordered new clothes for work in the fall. I have no half decent pharmacist clothes- what better excuse to raid the clearance section at Coldwater Creek. Got some very lovely deals. The kids are watching TV and I have no guilt over them doing that on such a lovely day. Not after yesterday.

This was yesterday:
8:15 am - leave to take W to a friend`s house where he will hitch a ride to B-ball camp. Leave for CHEO with K.
9:30 am - K`s hearing appt at CHEO (she has perfect hearing)
9:50 am- leave CHEO, make stops at IKEA, bank machine (out of service), Wal-Mart, Boston Pizza for lunch, bank machine again (working this time), Canadian Tire.
12:45 pm - drive to Carp for K`s dance camp.
1:25 pm- leave Carp and hightail it to Franktown to pick up W at b-ball camp.
2:00-leave Franktown, drive into Carleton Place Winery for 2:30 with boys to bottle a batch of wine. Let them pick the foil covers for the wine bottles. I have 30 bottles of wine now, each with a different color cap. Most colorful batch I`ve made to date.
3:15 pm- drive to the Beer store to take back empty bottles. Earned $4.75 for my trouble.
3:30 pm- stop off at Timmy`s to spend my $4.75 on an ice-cap, two peach drinks and 3 chocolate timbits, and head to park for 25 minutes of relaxing in the shade watching the boys play.
3:55 pm- drive back out to Carp to pick up K for 4:30, who will then be done dance camp.
4:30 pm- drive back into Carleton Place, and go to McD`s for supper, where the kids start to get slightly cranky. So did I, but we all came out without too much of a scene.
5:30 pm- drive to soccer field to deposit W at soccer practice, then head to grocery store
6 pm- get groceries with J and K
6:45 pm- back to soccer field
7 pm head home
7:05 pm- back to soccer field to get W`s forgotten bag, only to find someone else had picked it up. Hope to retrieve it at tomorrow night`s game.
7:25 pm - HOME, kids into bed.
9 pm- me into bed.

The only similarity today had with yesterday is driving W and K to their respective day camps. Much more enjoyable, although I am pleased with what I accomplished yesterday. Got some good deals on end-of-season specials, got some things I`ve been meaning to pick up for a while. Clocked well over 200 K on the van.

W came out of b-ball camp today with a new shirt on that said `Best Effort Award` with his name on the back. Apparently at the end of yesterday, they said they`d give out an award every morning to the person who made the best effort the day before. W was the first awardee, this morning being given the shirt for yesterday`s effort, which is even better as he earned it without knowing that people were watching them. Watch for pictures on facebook in the next couple of days. I am presently washing said shirt as he plans to wear it to camp every day. Good thing I have to do laundry anyway nearly every day.

Right now the house is nice and quiet. I had forgotten what a difference a toddler makes in the house. It`s weird not to have K here, but I am enjoying the lack of busyness, and the quietness of the conversation. One of the boys commented that this is what it used to be like all the time, and the other quickly agreed, but said that it was weird. I think they prefer life with a sister. That makes me feel good. I will also feel good when I pick up my little princess at 4:30. But for now, I will enjoy my cup of tea without interruption.

same old, same old

Not much new to blog about, just more of the same. Uber-deck continues along nicely. Uber-friend was not able to come over today to help again, as he is moving today. I suppose that's a reasonable enough excuse not to come. Hubby is over at his place returning the favor of helping out on a Saturday. In his absence, I have been working hard here on the deck. All of the deck boards are down (except for the trap door over the filter, which will be left for uber-friend and rocket scientist b-i-l to figure out). Yesterday I went online and taught myself how to build a railing. You can find tutorials for anything online, I have discovered. Seemed easy enough, so I went out and proceeded to construct four railings. The look great and even appear to be structurally sound. Today I will finish the railings and possibly start the stairs, which are much more complicated. Found a few tutorials for them online, and every one of them refers to stairs as the most complicated aspect of a deck. Ah well, how hard can it be?

Garden continues to thrive. The beans and peas are slowing down, but we still get lots every few days. Now the green peppers are nearing maturity, and I have two lovely sweet huge ones in my fridge. There are many more coming, so I'm glad they can be frozen. I have had to reinforce nearly all of my tomato cages, as the plants are so laden with fruit, they just fall over ripping the cages right out of the ground. Cukes and pumpkins are getting big and lovely, and there are more than enough ears of corn growing to provide a lovely feast some night. It's definitely been worth the work. Think I may try watermelons next year as the onions are not going to be attempted again. I can never grow onions.

One month from today my kids start back in school. Man, the summer has gone fast. I have really enjoyed it, but it will be nice to have routine again, crazy as it will be with me working more. I'll probably be more ready for it then then I am now. Right now, I'm happy for a few more weeks of summer, staying in my housecoat till 10 am if I feel like it, sipping coffee knowing I don't have to go anywhere right away, and not figuring out what to make for supper until after lunch instead of having the whole week's worth of meals planned in advance.

Coffee is done now- time to put in a load of laundry to hang out on my new clothesline. Lovely.

8:43 and all`s quiet

I can`t believe it- all three of the boys are still asleep. I am sitting here in my housecoat sipping a coffee and my little princess is looking semi-quietly at a princess book on the floor beside me. I love Saturday mornings.

Not all of the day is shaping up to be like this though. Our uber-friend is coming back for the third Saturday in a row to help us in the final stages of uber-deck. The shaping around the pool will happen today, the section where the clothesline will be will happen today, and quite possibly deck boards on the top level. The kids will be able to go in the pool again, and there will be much rejoicing. Lower level is already seeing lots of use in the form of several suppers at the shiny new deck furniture, and K and I enjoyed a bowl of cereal out there this morning. Lovely.

When I`m not working on the deck, seems I`m strolling in the garden. We`ve had beans almost every night for supper and there are several bags of them in the freezer already. Peas are starting to come, and we`ve enjoyed broccoli several nights as well. Peppers, carrots, tomatoes, cukes, pumpkins, onions are all doing very well and promise a good harvest in a few weeks. I think we`ll have enough tomatoes to sink a ship. And the corn- it is now officially taller than me now, and there are half a dozen or so with silks starting on them- it will be the yummiest corn ever. And I think there might be some potatoes growing too- we`ll see about that in the fall. Note to self- use lots of compost every year.

Time to go and get dressed and rouse the biggest of my boys. Uber-friend will be showing up any time and it wouldn`t do to have us still in our jammies and asleep when her arrives, although I do hate to disturb the peaceful place that is our home. Nevermind- by the sounds of things, K has already gone upstaris and done that for me. Wakey, wakey.

the single life

So I am a single mom this week. This morning the two wee ones went off to DVBS for the morning, and I came home and continued work on uber-deck. I have the box for phase 2 built and attached to the deck that was built on Saturday. All I have to do it cut and screw in the deck boards and phase 2 is done. I built it on the premise that if the deck ever falls down in a heap from poor craftsmanship, or the hurricane of the century, I don't want it to be my fault. The rest of the deck may blow away, but that little 6x7 rectangle will still be standing. Overkill on lagbolts would be an understatement. But I have discovered that it is much more fun to build a deck with friends than by yourself. Probably safer too. Wood is heavy. I escaped relatively unscathed, minus a couple of scrapes, and I only hammered my own finger once. No large pieces of wood fell on me (thanks to my guardian angels, I am sure), and I still have all my appendages even after using the big scary saw several times. Oh, and a note to rookie builders out there- safety glasses are your friend. I am sure they're the only reason I still have both my eyes. Wood pieces flying everywhere.

I have actually tired myself out enough that I am not going to finish the deck today even though there is lots of day left to finish it in. Tomorrow will be fine for that. Time to veg.

The wheels of progress

What a day- it started with the sound of pouring rain and thunder at 6:30 and E and me wondering if we were going to have anyone come over to help us with uber-deck in this weather. The phone rang 3 times- every conversation was the same. "You guys still building in this rain? Yea? OK, I'm on my way!" What good friends we have. The rain actually let up for a while, and it only downpoured on us a couple of times. Just nice for a cool-off and a break, and then the sun would come out again. Had 4 friends here in the morning for all the hard work of frame-building and leveling, and just after they all had to go at lunch time, another friend showed up and stayed till 6:30 to help with the final securing, laying of the boards, and clean-up. I had not thought we'd get this much done today- I am VERY happy! Phase 1 is complete.






Next week I am on my own- E and W are off to hockey camp for the week, and J and K are in a DVBS every morning. Phase 2 is a very small little rectangle to finish out the lower deck, so I am thinking that I can complete that on my own this week and gear up for a huge-all-day work party for phase 3, the ominous upper deck. I'm a little scared of that one, but if it goes as smoothly as today did (and if we get the same guys back, it will- they were all awesome!) it will be fine. Then phase 4- stairs, railings, benches and flower boxes- I'm not going to think about phase 4 yet. It scares me.

Today made me realize a few things.

One- as I mentioned, we have great friends. I already knew that, but as I was thinking of all the other things they could have been doing with their morning, it made me appreciate them all the more.

Two- there is one thing I don't like about renos. The regular housework must continue. It's very crappy to have to leave deck-building to make lunch and make sure the children are fed and clothed. But alas, that's life.

Three- I like wearing tool belts. They make me feel very useful and handy and they have lots of cool pockets to hold everything you need. Can't believe I went this many years without one.

Four- I may have gone a tad overboard on the deck. We only have phase one done, and it is already bigger than any other deck we have ever had. It's about 200 square feet, and the final product will be about 580 square feet. It's more of a summer home than a deck. But it's too late to turn back now. And I know we will enjoy it immensely when it's done. We live out back in the summer. But for the next half-hour or so, I plan to live in my jacuzzi.

Growing a green thumb

I never used to be much good at gardening- I needed the kind of plants that you couldn't kill if you tried, and even if they did die, they'd be sure to come up the next year for another try. I seem to have conquered that. For this season anyway. I'm glad I finally decided to break out the container of Miracle Gro that I bought when we still lived in NS and never got around to using. I'm sure that must have something to do with things. Not just my veggie garden either. The fuschia I have in hanging baskets outside are simply covered in flowers. I didn't have high hopes for them as they hardly get any sun where they are, but they have thrived and lend a lovely splash of colour to my front steps.

I have spied many more veggies growing in my garden - got my first glimpse of some baby cucumbers today, and the pumpkins are sprouting flowers. All three kinds of tomatoes are growing, and it should only be a matter of days before we can have our first feast on green beans. It was so nice to weed and water the boxes today feeling the crunch of river rocks under my feet instead of stepping on mud and weeds. There is much sunshine to be had today, and the kids are partaking in the usual sunny day ritual that involves getting wet in the pool and drying off in the trampoline, repeat ad nauseum. I love summer. Espeically when it is accompanied by actual summer weather. Lovely.

The lumber for our deck arrived, now I just have to place an order for sunshine. Yesterday it looked promising, but today the weather network is promising no sun- 20mm of rain. I'm sure you can build a deck in the pouring rain, but I am sure it is much less fun. I set up my patio furniture yesterday, preparing for some instant gratification once the lower level is done- just move the table and chairs from the garage to the deck- only to find out that the table had all the wrong hardware in the box. The company has kindly agreed to send the correct hardware- in 5-10 business days. So much for instant gratification. I plan to put the chairs out anyway with our second hand smaller table instead. I'll take what I can get.

I have also had the foresight to take some "before" pictures of the deck area so we will remember how much better it looks when it's done- didn't think to do that with my weedy garden.

Impatience, thy name is Bee

OK, so everyone knows I'm not the most patient person in the world. It was only my last post where I said that I would wait until next season to get rocks in my garden paths. They have since been obtained and nicely placed just where I want them. Friday morning I borrowed B2's truck (thanks again B2) and proceeded to bring home two truckloads of river rock. They are heavier than they look. Thank goodness my boys are getting old enough to enlist for manual labour and semi-heavy lifting. They helped me shovel the rocks out of the truck onto a tarp, and then spread them, one wheelbarrowfull at a time where I wanted them. I had to evict several tomato plants growing in my pathways in the process, but I knew they wouldn't have time to grow big enough to bear fruit at this point in the season. There are still a couple in cages in my pathways that I just worked around. It looks fantastic. I am sore. Rocks are heavy. But it's great- all the paths, and between the garden and the house is covered in lovely pretty little river rocks, and I won't have to mow any of it again. There are still some rocks left, so I will just spread them out where they could stand to be a little deeper. I plan to find some very large pots and put them here and there on the large area between the house and the garden to make it look extra pretty. And if anyone has a garden bench they are looking to get rid of, I could also give it a good home there. I love spending time out there.

The deck is going to start taking shape this weekend- it's official. Got the word from town hall today that the permit is ready, and the burly guys who know how to use tools are lined up for this weekend (and a couple who don't know how but are willing to just do as they are told). We have already started placing the support stones, and I am getting very excited about it. The deck furniture in boxes in my garage has been yelling at me to free it and give it a home on our deck. I hope to be able to oblige by the end of next week.

Bought a deep freeze yesterday- I'm going to need space to keep all the wonderful beans that are growing... and pumpkins, and broccoli, etc etc. And applesauce in the fall...mmmmm... It will be delivered tomorrow- between 7 and 5. And so I will sit by the phone all day. Guess I'd better get my errands run today and stick home tomorrow, as I always seem to be the last on their delivery list- I need to be available between 7 and 5, but everyone knows they will show up at 4:55. Glad it's supposed to be nice out tomorrow. Wonder what happens when they call to announce their arrival and I'm outside and don't hear the phone...

Still nagging regarding K's citizenship- you know it's bad when they start ignoring your e-mails. I've gone over my gal's head who is supposed to be helping me with this, so hopefully something will happen soon. If we can't get down south for Christmas, I will be a very bitter woman. BITTER.

And my thoughts continue to be occupied with S&B who are still on their adoption roller coaster. Such exciting news regarding V who may yet become a part of our family, and things progressing along with T. A couple of years ago, I never expected our family to be extended at all this way, let alone by 2 or 3 more!. God is good.

Time to go get groceries. And the building permit. Woohoo.

A prettyish sort of wilderness...

I haven't blogged in a week because there really hasn't been much to blog about. Compared to my big sister's trekking around the Ukraine adopting a daughter, life here seems fairly dull. Blissfully dull, but nothing to write home, or blog about.

But this morning I went out to pay a visit to my veggie garden and got inspired to write. A simple topic, but one I wanted to put down on "paper". I've decided that maybe there is something to this compost thing after all. Some fresh ground, an entire barrel of my compost, a load of horse manure and a load of chicken manure and my plants are out of control. I've never had a garden like this in my life. I'm starting to see signs of produce everywhere. The beans are covered in little flowers, as are the peppers. The pumpkins, peas and cucumbers are reaching out little tendrils to grasp onto my vertical supports placed there for them. The tomatoes are bursting out of their cages and I counted several small green tomatoes beginning to grow with countless little flowers on the plants promising even more yummy tomatoes. I see a bright canning future in front of me this season. The underground veggies also appear to be doing well from what I can see. Carrots, onions and potatoes (in their greenhousey tire stacks) all look great on the surface, but I will have to exercise patience to see what is going on out of sight. I've already enjoyed a few salads with my lettuce and radishes, and when I peeked into the huge broccoli plants, I could see the beginning of some lovely yummy broccoli starting to form. I can taste it already. And the corn- friggin huge. And typical of most things, the sign of results makes me even more eager to work out there and get the most that I can for my efforts.

I have also concluded that I must have put tomatoes in my compost at one point. In half a dozen spots along the garden path tomato plants have sprung up out of nowhere. The tomatoes that I planted were seedlings, so I know I didn't drop any seeds. I can only assume that they survived the year or so in the compost barrel and have now come to life. After a little debating over what to do with them, I have decided to just grab some extra tomato cages and stake them right in the paths where they are growing and walk around them. I hope they grow quickly enough to produce some tomatoes this fall. It's the ultimate in recycling.

I was going to put some river rocks in the paths this summer, but things have grown so quickly in the boxes and paths as well, that I don't think I'll be able to work around them. Guess it'll be a job for the fall or next spring and until then I'll weed the paths, being careful to avoid any new tomato plants.

Weird thoughts

So we had a bit of a road trip today- went down to Peterborough for a couple of hours. (all the locals are thinking "a 3 hour drive each way for a 2.5 hour visit?). Our social worker from South Africa was up for a visit and we very much wanted the chance to see her. Besides, I figure that she had to come way farther than we did, and it was a lovely day for a drive. Great to see her again.

But weird. It was the first adoption "thing" we have gone to since getting K. I'm very glad we went, and we met some great people. One family in particular that are also Christians and have 4-year old twins from SA, and we hit it off wonderfully. Too bad they live in Barrie- a little too far for play dates. But we can keep touch online and maybe hook up once in a while.

But it was weird because it brought back to my attention that K is adopted. People who haven't done this probably don't understand, especially considering the marked difference in appearance, but I truly do forget that she wasn't born to us. I don't think I had realized that until I saw all these famililes that look the same as us. It was very obvious to me that their kids were adopted, and I realized once again the life she had before us. Not that I would change a thing- I believe that she was born to be in our family. God knew when her birth mom was pregnant that she would be ours, and honestly, I'm thrilled that he saw fit to spare me another pregnancy and delivery. She was wired to have older brothers and to be ultra-silly with her dad. And to snuggle with me (if you can call the constant squirming and wiggling cuddling). I'm so proud of her already- of all our kids. I know they will do great things. People often tell me how lucky she is (or how blessed)to be in our family. I don't hesitate to tell them that it's the rest of the family who is really blessed by her.

I am....

a handywoman. Got a new dishwasher delivered today, and installed it myself. And it even works. With no leaks. Go me. Also got the windows fixed today, but a dude came to do that- no more drafty windows this winter. Go him. Also began the opening of the pool today. Yesterday we took off the tarp to find lovely crystal-clear H2O in there- whatever I did to close the pool last fall must have worked! So we topped it up with the hose and carted a sample into the pool place today. A quick vacuum this afternoon and a shock, followed by some algeacide and something else that i can't remember what it's for tomorrow, and then we can swim. The children will be very happy, and so will I since I have to watch them swim. I get to sit in the chair and read books guilt-free as I am ensuring the safety of my children. They are all a little hot and cranky today, but right now they are on the trampoline with the water hose. A pretty good combination except for the occasional row. Early to bed tonight.

The deck plans will come together on Friday night as we have confirmed a dinner date with our architect and his wife. Really just an excuse to get together for dinner, but it works for me. Had a friend who owns a backhoe over today and he says he can get it in to dig all the post-holes for us. That will save us days of work, and it is cause for much rejoicing.

Not a lot to do.

We are thoroughly enjoying summer vacation so far. Now I just have to get the pool open, and it will be in full force. The water is being pumped off the tarp as we speak. Then it's just fill it up with water again, take some water in to the pool place and dump in what they tell me to.

I'm very pre-occupied today. S&B go to the other side of the world today to get their new daughter, E. I am so excited for them. So nervous for them. It is bringing back so many memories of last year this time, when we were in Africa getting K. Had no idea I'd start such a trend.:) And I'm praying my head off for little V, that she (and her g-ma) will see what a great thing this would be. I still feel like she belongs in her family. Asking God if it's OK for Him to make that happen. I know that this trip may be what does it. At any rate, I am so happy for E- she's got a long road of adjustments ahead of her, but I can only hope that being in our family will make them a little easier for her.

If only I could be sure that we will get to meet her at Christmas. Still waiting on K's citizenship to come through. Have yet another e-mail out to our rep asking her to check on the status, no word back yet. Surprise, surprise. Another thing I plan to continue praying my head off over.

Running some errands today- from picking up the camping supplies we have finally replenished to getting some copies of documents certified in hopes of getting my pharmacy license back. Another long process- one step at a time. This is the first week of my summer scheudule, so I would have normally been at work today- and very bitter about the sunshine. I have decided that my store should be closed on days that it's this nice. It would be good for morale. Noone wants to work when it's nice. There's no problems working when it's cold or wet. I'd be happy to go to work then, but when it's sunny all I can think of is the outside work I could be enjoying. Like my veggie garden. Finally starting to produce. I'll be ready to eat a killer salad from there any day now. Enjoyed a radish at supper last night...mmmm... Tomatoes and peppers are starting to flower, broccoli is the size of a small car, lettuce is growing, and everything else is getting bigger by the day. Beans and peas will be popping up any time. And I would love to see what's going on underground with my potatoes, carrots, and onions. All indications at the surface is that they are doing splendidly. Glad I moved my garden from where it used to be. Seems to be the perfect spot.

The deck should make some more progress this week... having dinner with my "architect" on Friday- they're coming over for dinner, a movie, and deck plans. Not your typical double date, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Coffee is done, as is the early morning video the kids started while I was sleeping in. Time to get them all breakfast and dressed and on with our day. I like summer vacation.

Walkin' on sunshine.

What a day- gorgeous weather. Got three of my gardens weeded while K rode her bike and jumped on the trampoline. I love this time of year. And I'm laughing that she is cold- little African girlie. Love it- to see her walking around in a sweater while I'm in a t-shirt and capris. She'll be happy when August comes.

Tomorrow is the last day of school, which means that this is my last week of a 2-day work week. Next week I will go down to one longer day and drive in with hubby every Thursday. I'm really looking forward to having an extra day to get stuff done around here. I'm wondering what things will look like if I end up going to a 3-day work week in the fall for my internship. I have basically decided that my house will always be messy and my list never caught up if that happens. (Don't expect any blogs- I will be too busy.) Still waiting on the college to get me all the info I need to pre-register, which is what I have to do (and send them money, of course) before they will even tell me what I need to do to get re-licensed. We'll see if it turns out to be worth it.

Deck plans are coming along very nicely- got a couple of suggestions on design from friends who are very good at that sort of thing... a few built-in flower boxes, and turning the regular benches into storage benches for pool toys etc. Heading to Rona in a few minutes to get an idea of what this project is going to cost us.

Still waiting on K's citizenship- seems to have stalled to the point that I can't even find out what the progress is on it. I'm sure her file is sitting on someone's desk somewhere and they are on vacation for the whole summer. Would be typical of this whole thing. And it has now officially taken twice as long to get her citizenship as it did to adopt her. Any bets on if it will end up being three times as long? Better not be, or heads are going to roll. And yes, I'm all talk. But it makes me feel better.

Veggie garden continues to flourish. Think I've finally found the right spot for it. Everything is growing (even the weeds, but most of the plants are big enough now that the weeds are getting crowded out)- especially the broccoli. They are getting bigger than every plant out there. Mmmmm- fresh broccoli. Beans, corn, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, peas, cukes, pumpkins, radishes, lettuce, onions- they are all growing, and the critters seem to be leaving them alone. Must be close enough to the house even for our bold deer and rabbits.

Time to head into "town".

Living for the weekend.

Or, in my case, living for the weekend to be over. And it is. We have survived the craziest weekend schedule we've ever had. So many things were happening that I wanted to blog about but didn't have time.

Friday was my little girl's 4th birthday, and 52 weeks since we left for Africa to get here (officially it was one year on Saturday, but we left on a Friday, if that makes sense...). I didn't realize until her birthday came how much I think back on memories of the kids on their birthdays. For the boys, I remember the day they were born and things that have happened since then. Automatically tried to go there with K, and obviously couldn't as much. No memories of her birth or infancy, and I kind of miss that. But it's neat that her birthday falls very close to the time we first saw her, so those memories will have to suffice. It was actually one year ago today that we first laid eyes on her- I still remember the lump I got in my throat and the unexpected tears that came to my eyes when I met her. And on Wednesday she will have been my daughter for one year- it's a big week in the B house.

W had his first overnight class trip, and a good time was had by all. A little too good, I think. He was SO tired the next day- allowed to stay up until 11 watching game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

J had a soccer tournament on Saturday- they didn't win a game, but he played very well and had a good time. I think he will become quite a good soccer player over the next couple of years, now that he's brave enough to challenge for the ball. He's faster on his feet than any of the kids out there, just a little timid still.

Last night we watched "United 93". The story of the plane that didn't reach it's target on 9/11. Now there's a day I'll never forget. I remember that E called me from work and told me to turn on the TV- the first plane had hit, and I watched in horror as the second plane hit on live TV. I was 6 months pregnant with J, wondering what kind of a world I was bringing this child into. The movie was one that I care not to see again, but I'm glad that I did. It was very well done, and a tribute to the heroics of the men on that plane. It joins the ranks of Schindler's List and the Titanic. Saw them, glad I did, but will not watch them a second time. And I can't believe that a month after the actual event, I climbed on a plane to fly to Calgary, now 7 months pregnant. Nuts.

Today life is back to normal- E is off for the day, which is very nice. Taking the boys to school right now, and I hope to get tons accomplished today- all the little things I should have done over the weekend, but didn't have time. Off to do the never-ending laundry. Happy, happy, joy, joy. Actually, after that movie last night, I'm glad I have all of my family here to do the laundry for. Movies like that change your perspective. That's a good thing.

Change

Seems the only constant is change. Always changing or updating the calendar, celebrating some birthday or another (in my family, there's at least one every month). Just had W's last week, and this Friday, K turns 4. Bought her a plethera of pink things for her present, and on Wednesday we are taking her in to get her hair braided. Had her in to the salon for a consultation today, and the gal says it is long enough to put in extensions and braid. I think it will look very cute, and just in time for her birthday party! Gonna take 3 hours, so we'll just make a day of it, and go to McDonald's when she's done for a treat for enduring the time in the chair. I will post pics on facebook after we're home. I can't believe it was a year ago next Monday that we first saw her and one week from today she will have been ours for a year. I am ready for some comfortable stability for a while. Don't even have the urge to go anywhere this summer- all the traveling last summer did me in for a while. I am loving home sweet home. Just wish I could get caught up on the weeding...

Not too much else going on today- the usual laundry, yard work, bookkeeping. Too much fun for words. Soccer practice tonight- soccer every night these days. At least we won't get rained on or frozen out this time.

The stars of track and field

Obscure, yes, but a song title- gotta love google.

So W had a track meet today and it went very well, J and K tagged along as hubby had a golf tournament today. W was signed up for the 50 m sprint, the softball toss (kids version of shotput, I guess) and the standing long-jump. 50m was great- W finished 3rd in his heat and 8th over all. Not bad considering there were over 100 kids in that event. Softball toss wasn't as good- he's got more of a major-league fastball than a long lob. He was a bit disappointed in that one. Standing long jump was good too- first jump was 1.4 m, second was 1.6, and third would have been substantially longer but for a backwards step when he lost his balance. So no ribbon there, but he was still pleased with how he did. I can see him really enjoying track and field- he's got his father's running genes. J was quite disappointed that he was too young to register- I think when he is old enough he will clean up in the running races at these things.

But now we are home with three very tired (and yes, cranky) kids. Hoping hubby gets home soon from his tourney so we can relax together this evening. We were supposed to be going out, but are not able to find a sitter, so we've had to postpone our wine and cheese (ah well, I'm getting lots of whine today anyway!)

There are things I should be doing right now, I am sure. But to find the energy to do them when I am all tired and sunburnt (yes, I once again remembered to sunscreen the kids and forgot myself). We'll see... maybe I'll just put the kids to work.

And the green grass grew all around...

Mowed the lawn this morning- takes almost 2 hours on the ride-on, but it looks SO nice when it's done. All the weeds are clipped short so it looks like we have grass. Lovely. I do wish we had more grass and fewer weeds, though. Now I just need to muster up the energy to break out the push mower to cut under the apple trees and the weed whacker to do close to the buildings etc. Few are the times when I get all three of those things done in one day, but it sure is nice when I do. I can't finish this job tomorrow as W has a track meet all day. I hope he does well, but am worried that he might, for if he does we may be going to the North American Track meet in Hershey Pennsylvania in August. A bad thing as K doesn't have her citizenship yet and we can't take her out of the country yet.

Only 9 days of school left for the boys after today. It will be interesting to see how they do with so much time on their hands after being in "real" school for the past few months. I think they are looking forward to the break, but we'll have to make sure they get together with their friends over the summer.

Not too much else exciting to blog about. The paperwork for the deck trudges along, and I try to find time to do everything now that the yard and garden work is in full swing. It's so nice out that I want to spend all day inside, but for some reason I still have to do laundry and vacuuming even on sunny days. How unfair is that.

Time to go and fold that pesky laundry. And until I have my deck, I don't even have the joy of hanging it out on the line. Must get going on that too...

Home

So the boys are home from school today. J woke up with a fever continued from last night and W sounded like Darth Vader. They seem to be better now but still battling the cold which we have all had. We'll call it a mental health day for them. K is not sick but just plain grumpy today. Fun for the whole family.

Went to the town hall today to get a permit application for our deck. I am starting to think it would have been better just to build it and not bother with all this permit nonsense. I cannot believe the paperwork I have to fill out for a silly deck! A drawing of our entire property with all structures, septic, well listed as well as the distances between everything and distances to the property lines- not a big deal on a little city lot, but when you have 30 acres with several structures, you can't just go outside with the measuring tape. We also need to produce a deed for the property, which burned in the fire two years ago. I am sure there will be a lovely fee for getting a new one. Ah well, in a month or two (hopefully) this will all be a faint memory as I sit on my lovely deck enjoying the sunshine while the kids play in the pool.

Am thinking of starting my quilt soon. I bought material for it a couple of weeks ago and have found the same pattern I used for the quilt we had before the fire, which I really liked. Hopefully this one will turn out as nice, and won't take me as long. I could always work on in on my new deck...

Veggie garden is coming along nicely. Most of the plants are growing well, except for one that I originally thought had gotten eaten by a critter, but have since realized got stepped on by the dog as she ran through it. Beast. Ah well, she keeps the deer away, at least she has so far.

Just another day in paradise

I`m back to song titles for my blog. I was reading some old entries and found a bunch I had titled after songs and found it quite amusing. As it is not old yet, I will venture to do it again.

Pretty normal day around here today, boys to school, K to sitter, parents to work. W still carries the goalie helmet almost everywhere. Thanks to Grandpa naming his GPS `bertha`, W has been inspired to name his helmet. It is now known as Gerry. I`m really not sure if I should be amused or troubled by this. Gerry was a big hit at the b-day party yesterday when 6 boys from W`s class came over for a bonfire and much outdoor fun. It was a great party. Don`t think I`ve ever had a bunch of kids as easy to handle (family excepted) as these boys. I`m glad to know that these are the kids that my W is hanging out with every day.

J had his second soccer game tonight and tied it 4-4. A huge improvement over last week`s slaughter that was suffered at the hands of a Stittsville team. J got an assist and almost scored in a shot on goal. I am glad that the boys have inherited their father`s athletic ability instead of my lack thereof. Ah well, I knit a mean aftgan.

Am still stumped as to what to get K for her birthday. I`m pretty sure that whatever I get, it will end up being some shade of pink or purple, as that seems to be a pre-requisite for all of her possessions. I think I may do a few smaller things instead of one large gift like we usually do for b-days. Saw a pink baseball glove at Wal-mart that she`d love- maybe that and some puzzles or games. We`ll see. Shoes are always a good idea too- she`s outgrown every pair of play shoes she owns. I find myself wondering how much she`ll grow- it`s easier with the boys to picture them as adults- I know their DNA and how they`ve grown their whole lives. With her, I have no genetic family to compare her to- didn`t even have her when she was 2 years old to measure and double it to see about how tall she`ll end up. Just another one of the surprises she`ll bring to our lives, I`m sure.

And on the project front, I installed shutters on the front of the house and am still amazed at the difference they make every time I drive down the lane. I am also designing our soon-to-be-deck, and am very pleased with how things are progressing there. Am planning a trip to town hall tomorrow to see what the codes are etc. Hopefully they won`t be too crazy rigid. With the house building process I have gotten to know the local building inspector pretty well- hopefully he`s still there, as he looked to be about 80 years old when he was here after the house fire.

That`s all for now- W has his second soccer game of the summer tomorrow- hopefully they will do better than they did last week and at least tie- it was a close one last time, we`ll see.

Nighty night.

Some people just get it.

I love Saturdays, especially now that the boys are in school. We just get to hang out, maybe run a couple of errands, etc. Today is W's year-end hockey party, so a good time will be had by all there, I'm sure. J is very much looking forward to is as we will be playing soccer there- at the hockey party. Strange, now that I think about it.

So I wake up this morning and see W just standing there hugging his birthday present- a brand new shiny goalie helmet with a fierce reptile-lizard thing painted all over it. A 10 year old's dream. He says he thinks it's the best present he's ever gotten. So I was pretty pleased that we were able to get him one for such a great deal. You know the feeling you get when you have found the absolute perfect gift.

Fast forward to later in the morning. We are downstairs, I am catching up on e-mails etc. and the kids are all playing around. W walks up to me and says he made a mistake, that the helmet wasn't the best gift he's ever gotten. I am wondering if he remembered something else better, or if he has suddenly changed his mind and doesn't want to play goal anymore- not sure what's coming. I ask him why this is, and what he could have gotten that's better than the helmet, and he just turns around and looks right as his little sister. She is the best gift he's ever gotten. Wow- that he came up with that on his own. Love that guy. I can almost agree with him- she is ONE of the best gifts I have ever gotten, but she's dead-even with about 3 others in my life.

I'm old.

My baby is turning 10 in 2 days. Hard to believe I'm old enough to have a 10 year old. Today is the family dinner for him, and I find myself thinking of 10 years ago right now. I was FAT. And really naive. If I knew 10 years ago what my life would be like today I don't know if I'd believe it. So much has happened in the blink of an eye. Scares me to think that our time with him at home with us is probably about half over already. And there's so much left to teach him.

Right now, though he is more interested in getting on hotwheels.com and racing the cars he has designed for the next 30 minutes. Ah, to be a kid again.

another day another dollar

Went to work today and did my thing. Spent approximately 6 hours putting pills into little cubby holes. When I think of it that way I'm not really sure why I enjoy my job. Maybe it's because I am such a task oriented person. When I arrive at work the counter is empty, and when I leave it is lined full of bags of dossettes waiting to be final-checked by the pharmacist and delivered. Nice to know I'm making someone's day easier by sorting their meds for them (I'd need one too if I was on as many rx's as these people!). I've started a habit of praying for the people while I am filling their dosette- I have never and probably will never see most of them, but I figure God knows them and their needs, so I'll just lift them up to him. If I was on 12-15 different meds, I'd need prayer too.

But the whole time I do this, I listen to the pharmacist on duty, and sometimes I think, "I knew the answers to those questions... why will it take so long for me to get back my license- just give it to me already!". And then there are times when I listen in and think, "I have forgotten so much, I'll never be able to re-learn it all, maybe it's not worth it." Who knows. My dream is to get it back and open up a little store with my hubby- those are my favorite days at work- the ones where I get to work with him. Again, who knows.

Kids are home from school now- time to take off the pharmacist hat and put on the mom hat.

random thoughts again

So I`ve decided why it is I haven`t blogged in, well... forever. I enjoy it much more when I feel I have something thoughtful to say, and since having three kids, my life has been very busy with the everyday. I am enjoying it immensely, but really can`t think of anything clever to say about it. It`s run here, drive there, do this and that around the house and with the kids (not necessarily in that order...), and I really can`t find how anyone would see that as interesting.

But I hear again and again, `You haven`t been blogging`. People really do seem to want to read about my mundane life. About the fact that I am ordering shutters for the front windows on my house (same red as the front door- SO excited about these!) and that I am planning my deck and a quilt for my bed thanks to an unexpectedly large tax refund.

Guess I should think about writing about my blessings (for there are several, to put it mildly!) and not my errands. Right now I am being blessed with the company of my parents, listening to my mom playing Sorry in the kitchen with Jon and wishing I could hear the conversation between my hubby and dad out on the golf course (highly entertaining, I am sure). I am going to go now and plan the grocery list- a blessing because it involves planning meals with the extended family, one of my favorite things.

I`ll try to blog more often, in between being busy enjoying my blessings.

I'm baaaaack.

Well here it is. I am blogging again. Are you happy now, dad? Gotta go so I can visit with you.