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.

Merry Christmas All !!!

Well, here it is Christmas...I remember a more magic time when I was a child but it would seem that the retail industry reigns. I could not believe the Christmas ornaments, toys and goodies were put on the shelves in October just before Halloween was over. Soon it will be one long holiday event in every store all year around....are we really buying into this? Do our pocket books open as soon as we here the word SALE? Are we as gullible and dumb as the retail industry sees us as? Does your family try to keep your traditions and religious beliefs in your Christmas? We do, however, it does present problems when every television commercial and store seems to be monetarily motivated. We do as a family have traditions that seem odd to others, most of our ornaments are home made, we all had a hand in them. We invite others who are alone on Christmas and I make a lot of the Christmas presents to family members. We do indulge in commercial activities as well, we set an amount and try to stick to it. As you could see from my husbands present to me (The ring) this years budget totally blown. There is a story behind this purchase and someday I will share it with you all. I enjoy the baking and turkey cooking, the boys enjoying their new things and the sounds of Christmas music...we have more now that all play an instrument and enjoy singing. Mostly, our Christmas and lives are about being together and the importance of spending time....presents mean nothing without your presence. Remember that....if you are unwilling to put in the time how much can that person really mean to you?

Dear is home and it is a Merry Christmas, we were unsure he could make it home. We are one of the lucky ones. We do miss our family members who are not near us but are thankful for the time they give us in other ways.

Merry Christmas All, enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones. Take the time to spend time.

Have you shoveled out yet?

Wow, we are snowed in....but then it would seem, so is the rest of Canada. Our wonderful neighbour, Gord, always snowplows us out to our front door leaving us only the bit to the garage to finish. I am so thankful for good neighbours! I am also thankful for three boys who help! Above my helpers.

Jacob played goalie on the weekend and they won their game 6-4 HURRAY! Being the

Mom of the goalie is stressful! The usual goalie wanted to play out and he scored the first goal! Jacob had a great time and wants to be the goalie but I hope he and the usual goalie can share the position. Jacob was going to play goalie on Sunday but the game was cancelled due to the snow. Above is Jacob about to make a great save. Tristen had a great hockey weekend, as well, he made his first goal!! Which means we are 5 dollars poorer because, for now, we pay for goals.

Oh, did I mention school is cancelled today? Well, the bus was cancelled - school never is, it is today's daycare. Oh, my attitude is showing! I could have driven them but why? I like having them at home and today is a snuggle in and relax until the weather passes day.

That is it Dear and we start with hockey and piano for Jacob this evening! Talk to you soon. Love Us