Should we hide things from loved ones....

Or an even better title treating our seniors as if they are stupid...is that what we should do to spare or save their feelings. The truth will come out you know...particularly if a loved one is going to pass. I have I done the right thing by being totally honest with my Grandmother? I think so...others may not, but why? Why should I lie to my best friend, maybe I should paint a wonderful lie but would she not be more let down when expecting a brighter out come...because of my lie. My concern is for her...the truth is what she needs to hear from me.You can lie but I will not.

Where has time gone?

I never considered that my hiatus would be so long. There are times in life when you need that time. We have long since moved and been through many turmoils along the way. It has been an eventful time, a sad time and a happy time. I love the place we are in now - physically and mentally. We never imagined we would live in another country and in such a beautiful area. This is just icing.

I have started many new endeavors including leading a hiking group - who knew!? I just touched my sewing machine for the first time since moving - yesterday. Yes, a full year and a half of dust. I am now making Christmas reindeer for the teachers. Like I said a needed change.

On a personal note- I never imagined ever loosing my Father but further still I never imagined the devastation left behind. I am not talking about financially (He had taken care of everything and everyone) but the personal loss, the feeling of everything falling out from under you and never knowing when it will stop. This week has been my answer...this week it finally stopped and I feel more myself. Still miss him though.

Through this time I have lost touch with some and renewed friendships with others. I apologize if you have felt left out. But know I have come back renewed.

Laundry - when will it end!

Today, all day, has been a laundry day. I still have a pile to fold. The pile grew when I decided to wash all of the sheets and blankets - foolish me! At least they will be done.

I saw an interesting spot on the news last night about owls deciding to nest on the grounds of a university campus. They have a live web cam set up so you can which them, here is the link: http://barabus.tru.ca/owlcam/ . It is really fascinating to see them, it is not very often that they are in a public area.

Today, Jake is home with a sore throat and cough. I hope it doesn't go through the house! He has been napping most of the day. Tristen and Will when off as usual this morning, with all the rush and fuss of our morning routine.

Well, Dear that is it I am the laundry queen again. Talk to you soon. Have a good Day all...Got your laundry done?

Guess Who has Been Sleeping in my Bed?

Alex that is who! Is it bad that you have a horrible nights sleep because your dog took up too much room in the bed? I have to admit it he is spoiled, but so cuddly warm and when Dear is away he sleeps with me. He does sneak up when Dear is home too but restricts himself to the bottom of the bed. As you can see from the picture, he doesn't mind taking up half of the be or sleeping in!

It has been a quiet weekend - hockey is almost over, only one tournament left next weekend for Jake. So, the boys have been relaxing. More often than not getting into each others spaces and wreaking havoc! They have been so scheduled the last few months freedom has come in with a scream and all the frustration of having nothing to do!







With spring on its way, I cannot say it is here because of the distinctive amount of snow still here, new projects will come up. Jacob has had his bike out over the last few days , Tristen has been playing road hockey and Will has been trying to play in the iced over ditches, which results in a resounding NO - from me.

I received another gift of books from Dear on Friday . Actually, the Rich Woman by Kim Kiyosaki is quite good in the sense that it reads like a novel and has comprehensive information that is easy to understand. I have not looked at the other yet. So thanks Dear...We are getting there. Have a good day all.

Hey!

Taxes are done!! First time I ever used Quick Tax but it is exactly that, done and filed on the same day - nice.

The boys got their report cards yesterday....Yeah, they were great!! I have been less that happy with the school, recently, but I am glad the boys are doing well. Really , it is bad to say, I feel the move will be good for the boys school wise, they just do not have the programs here in Ontario.

I thought I would write about what I have been reading. Dear got me 2 books for Christmas and I just finished both, the flood set me back. The one to the left Cloud of Bone by Bernice Morgan (Canadian also wrote Random Passage - made into a movie) is interesting, to be honest the ending left me wanting but the premise is appealing. What really caught Dear, because he knew I would be interested in it, is the history of the beothuk (Newfoundland Natives who were decimated during settlement). If you like history it may be a read for you. The other is by one of my favorite authors A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon. If you are familiar with her you will see from the picture I have all of her books. Really, a shameless, self indulgent read about a love that crosses time, I find it entertaining and engaging. It has a historical foundation as well. Well, what else could you expect form a woman who likes to arrange vacations, moves or traveling around forts and historical settlements! The boys seem to be interested ,as well, there is always just enough excitement for them in the cannons, soldiers and native hunting and life skills. The boys, just like Dear and I, are amazed by the strength of this countries settlers but really interested in the natives survival and life skills. You really have to admire their commitment to the earth and its resources.

What is the next read? It may be Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos it was a National bestseller I had never heard of it, it is also a book that Dear picked up for me. I will let you know what it is all about from the cover I thought it was a self help book - I do not get into those but I picked it up again and actually read the prologue- Can’t judge a book by its cover! It may be quite interesting and guess what - ho history!

Well, the laundry and floors are calling. I am trying to clean and declutter for the sale of the house. Hi Dear, I miss you and will talk to you later. Have a good day all, I hope you have a good book to read too.

Another Day, Another Post

It is tax time people!!! Have you got yours done? I sat down to do ours yesterday and realized a vital piece (a great deduction!) has not arrived yet....What to do - call the company to ask for it, yeah right, everyone has their it is tax time we sent out the info please be patient automated messages in place. It is hard to talk to a person anymore. The other automated message that makes me laugh is the Due to higher than normal call volumes you may have a hold time of up to ...fill in the blank... minutes - please hire the people you got rid of back, so someone answers the phone! Back to topic - Yes, I do our taxes and enjoy it! Of coarse I do not work and 0=0 no matter what you do to it and Dear has a straight forward tax file for the most part. Next year, will be a challenge with international tax - I will not even go there right now.

So, the picture, I did manage to make curtains (On my long hiatus) for Tristen's room. Yes, I know not really boyish but we do have to sell the house and our home has 2 possible master bedrooms, we need his room to look grown up for now. He is willing to take one for the team as to how much that will us cost is yet to be seen! I have ordered a head board of sorts and will take a picture when it comes in.

Well, Dear I am going to attempt to do the taxes again today, if I can get the info we need. I know you are at work right now, enjoy your day. Love me. Have a good day all - Get your taxes done - put that behind you!

Suprise, I am ALIVE!!!!

What have I been up to? Well, Dear came home for Christmas as you know, he was here for New Years, left for 2 weeks came back for a week , then came back for march break (Well, sort of the flight kept getting cancelled and he arrived a little late better late than never!) and just left again Yesterday. Wow that was a long running sentence or non sentence!

In between his leaving and coming back in January our basement flooded ...nightmare. We had a little January thaw and our sump pump decided it had the biscuit, in the middle of the night! Thankfully, we caught it not, however, before the carpet and part of the walls were saturated, hence, the picture to the left (Bedroom) and right (Bathroom). Notice the distinct lack of carpet and walls?. For 7 weeks, basically, everyday strangers treading through our home placing things where ever they want or need to, is not fun. The dust, the unavailability of the washer and dryer, our room or the playroom for the kids was a major inconvenience ...it was awful. I do have to say that Service Master (The company who did the clean up) was incredible and efficient. It was an great shock when it happened but a great relief now that the work is finished - just a few administrative things to finish up. The after pictures of the bedroom and bathroom are below.

What else happened....we found out we are moving, Dear was told before leaving we might be but it was not for sure. Yes, when Dear gets back this summer we are moving and we will not be living in Canada any more, well at least for a few years. That is somewhat exciting , heart wrenching and nerve wracking all at the same time. We have never lived outside of the country and finding a suitable school for our french children is proving to be challenging but I think we now have it under control. We have been actively trying to find a home in the area we are going to and figure out the finer points of an area I have never been to and Dear has only been once for 5 days!

While our lives were breaking into total disarray, I did manage to get a few constructive things done! I recovered the dining room chairs. They were quite disgusting as you can tell from the picture but now they are quite nice and it was so easy to do! I do not know why the boys had a habit of using the chairs as napkins but that habit has ended, I am very thankful for that! I also recovered the bench in front of the bath in the bottom bathroom picture - I found that little treasure at the VV Boutique (Value Village) for 5 bucks and the fabric for it - 1 dollar !

Finally, while Dear was home this time we managed to take some pictures of the family - above! Well, goodnight Dear I love you , I will talk to you soon. Goodnight all, give your Dear a hug and be happy he is home with you.