The Grey Panther Show

Poetry update

2009-10-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Rowena these are the poems I promised to post for you. When I have more time I will post some more. I think the last really fits for what we were talking about at the restaurant tonight. Oh and Happy Birthday Raven you crazy bird! Tomorrow is Halloween and at least the kids have costumes...sorta :)

Exercise

Thinking about exercise
I eat instead
Feeling out of shape
I stay in bed
Huffing and puffing
after a walk to school
Wheezing and gasping
I feel like a fool
So I resolve to do better
and sit at my computer reading forums

Time Bomb

Dessert
that forgotten
time bomb
Enters
with sweet
smiles
and departs
within your thighs

Curse in Rhyme

Having a lightening bolt form the blue
crash into the tremulous brew
As I stir and I chant
the nasty goblin's rant
A vixen so fair
shall soon have no hair
And the love of her life
will gain a new wife
nothing is so sublime
as a curse done in rhyme

The Door

The door swings open
little feet pad in
A tube of toothpaste
has its destiny begin
A quiet hush that
spells only doom
As a sudden squeal reveals
toothpaste all over the bathroom
Time for some locks for
the hallway doors - sigh!

Conundrum

A poorly worded choice
A loopholed agreement
An offhanded direction
A misunderstood opinion
A poet who can not rhyme
A poem that is a crime
A mindboggling adventure
A hole in space and time
A conundrum for the readers

A piece of Orcish Pie

A piece of Orcish Pie
Sliced a mile high
My stomach burst
from the awful wurst
and now I think I'll die

Ducky

I'm a little ducky
Short and Quacky
Wading in a pond
Waddling along
And eating a frond
this poem is too long

Dripping

Dripping drip drip drip
I feel like I could slip
into a tiny black hole
as long as it was cold
And not about to ship
me to a slaver's whip
where I would be sold
like a young foal
on an auctioneer's chip
to be made into dip
It is too hot to be bold
So I will try to be a mole

Camping

Camping is an adventure
that should be left outside
With the outhouses so far away
that you have to run and hide
Oh how I long for the pleasure
of burnt food on a stick
and grimy hands full of dirt
and that new blouse they do pick
Sand that finds inconvenient places
to make you shift and frown
As the sun reddened skin
must be slathered down
But camping is an adventure
that should be endured
at least once a year by everyone
so no one becomes inured
So thank you nature for allowing me
to feed the mosquitoes and other bugs
As I try to leave my smallest footprint
on your greatest of all green rugs

Name Plate

I am not beautiful
Though some say I am pretty
I am not a good person
Though sometimes I am kind
I am not a bad person
Though I can be horribly mean
What kind of person am I?

I like the flowers that bloom in the fall
I really hate having to make phone calls
If I was a shoe I would be too tight
If I was a colour I would be too light
I do not like being so plain
Nor do I like being in pain
Where do my feelings say I am I?

I only play around in games
Though I want to see reality
I only walk in the mornings
Though I need more exercise
I only talk about the inane
Though I cry and cry and cry
Who is the person I try to make me I?

I like to look around and watch the sky
I hate to be looked at and I can't tell why
If I was an animal I would be a skunk
If I was a plant I would a tree trunk
I do not like to make a scene
Yet I am constantly so mean
When will I find this person called I?

I am not an intellectual
Though some say I am smart
I am not an athletic person
Though I can run when needed
I am not a musical person
Though it plays a big part in my life
Why do I deny the one I named I?

I like to express myself in poems
I hate to use things not pre-formed
If I was a cartoon I would be canceled
If I was a room I would not be paneled
I do not like to say I am nice
But life sometimes treats me like ice
How do I find out about myself, I?

The answers are never easy to see
It is in the seeking that will please
And eventually you will locate
The one written on your name plate.

The Neighbours have left...

2009-10-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

This morning the doorbell rung and the three kids were standing there wanting to say goodbye to Smiles and Bear. This is almost a relief to me as much as it upsets Smiles. She had gotten really close to M who gave her a necklace and a mood ring. So once again Smiles is experiencing loss in her world. Me, it is a relief because as much as I liked them they were a family full of drama. Oh the gossip I could tell. Suffice it to say I'll only say I feel bad for the kids because they are being shuffled around alot and all these moves must be hard on them. I just hope they found their large dog that got out last night. I don't want that roaming our neighbourhood and if they abandoned him then I really feel sorry for those kids.

As for a cute Eyes update (which I had promised Raven a few weeks ago) she is into a lot of mischief lately. She has learned to take off all her clothes and is now in the process of trying to put them back on. I have seen her almost get her shirt or pants on and one time she actually got a sock on! yay!! She has also gotten very independent and sometimes listens to what I tell her to do. Like take off her boots or shoes when we enter the house. She also got down from the sink when I told her - she got right back on but... you know what I mean. She dances to alot of music and plays peek-a-boo with whoever is willing. Eyes can drink from a cup and use a spoon to feed herself.

As for myself I have a lot of things to complain about but I won't. Suffice it to say I am stressed and sick but otherwise fine.

Family Reunion

2009-08-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I got back yesterday evening from 5 days of camping. We had gone down to a campsite in the next province after a 7 and half hour drive. The baby was remarkably well behaved during both trips there and back. Of course she slept a lot more than she normally would during the day so when we arrived home she was wired and wouldn't sleep til a couple of hours after her normal bedtime. Still all in all it was a fun camping trip. I even decided to make a poem for it lol.

Camping is an adventure
that should be left outside
With the outhouses so far away
that you have to run and hide
Oh how I long for the pleasure
of burnt food on a stick
and grimy hands full of dirt
and that new blouse they do pick
Sand that finds inconvenient places
to make you shift and frown
As the sun reddened skin
must be slathered down
But camping is an adventure
that should be endured
at least once a year by everyone
so no one becomes inured
So thank you nature for allowing me
to feed the mosquitoes and other bugs
As I try to leave my smallest footprint
on your greatest of all green rugs

Most of all it was lots of fun and the kids really enjoyed playing with their cousins and being spoiled by their Auntie Ski and great Aunts and Uncles. Nana and Grandad also spoiled them too. Smiles was funny on the ride home yesterday where she was asked who her favorite Aunt was and she started to say someone other than Auntie Ski then stopped and looked at her before saying "um you Auntie Ski!"

I suppose I should clarify things a bit. I really enjoyed the days and evenings of the camping trip but I really could have done without the mornings. It would have been better if the kids had not gotten sick. All three of them on differing days had something wrong. The first morning both girls had the runny poops (yes Nana I know it actually diarrhea but I think this is funnier to say) so bad I needed to do a laundry run that afternoon. Same thing the next morning. The third morning wasn't too bad except it was too early. Though I did get a really nice walk in with Smiles before everyone else woke up and coffee was on when we got back :) The fourth morning.... ugh. How to describe waking up soaking wet with concerns that the kids are dry and not finding that so. Oh and I should mention it was also too early for me too. Then having to get the baby and Bear into dry clothes and into the trailer because they were sleeping in wet things. Eyes wasn't as bad because I had put her in a second set of clothes and the outer ones were mainly the wet ones. But the Bear had thrown up in the middle of the night and got his pillow soaked and rolled off of the air mattress to sleep in a pool of water. Sigh, waking him up was not fun but necessary.

So today has been laundry day and all the sleeping bags have been washed and hung up to dry. The tent is still rolled up because Hubby refuses to put it up thinking it will rain as soon as he does so. I think he's... anyways I am annoyed and the kids have been playing Wii with the neighbour kids for about 2 hours now. Later I will need to do a grocery run but not yet. I still want to relax a little bit and recover from my vacation.

Fun with Cloak Making

2009-07-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

To be honest it would be more accurate to say Fun with making cloaks while a toddler plays with the sewing machine and keeps taking the thread out and changing the tension and making the needle stop moving and...

Well you get the picture. Every time I had to pin something or cut a piece and move away from the sewing machine I would come back to find something else awry at the machine. I can't really blame Eyes for she is in the curious phase and has to see what it is that Mommy is doing. At home if Daddy walks away from his computer he usually comes back to find a lot of baby gibberish waiting for him at his keyboard. She wants to see what is so fun with the toys that Mommy and Daddy and the other kids use all the time. If the kids forget to put the Wii things away...

As I am sure you have figured out by now I had gone to the farm for about 3 days and came back yesterday because I had a Doctor's appointment. Otherwise I would probably have stayed longer to get more cloaks done. As is I got 5 items cut out and sewn while finishing off 2 items that needed fixing and clasps sewn on. All in all if my count is correct I have completed 11 items for Quad War. Which unfortunately I won't be going to since we have a huge family Reunion on Hubby's side to go to that weekend. So Raven will be selling everything by herself this year. When I was finishing up yesterday morning I tried to make sure that all the items were sell able as is. So if I only had the opportunity to drop off the cloaks to Raven she would only need to put price tags on them. Though if possible I would like to try and put a trim on one or two and clasps on at least one of them. Hopefully after our swim next week Raven and I can over the cloaks and get them all ready for Quad War.

My life other than that has been mostly trying to keep the house as cool as possible and the computer from over heating. Oh and to try to kick these darn colds that seem to hit every time I or one of the kids start to feel better. Out at the farm Bear couldn't go to VBS on the last day because the poor guy was so sick. So he missed out on the BBQ but his sister was kind enough to bring his crafts and treat bag home for him. My dad was also pretty sick and even though he had plans of me helping to butcher some of the chickens it fell through due to the sickness. Which in way I am thankful for since it meant I got more sewing done. Though if at all possible I do want to help them butcher some of the young roosters since they have too many of them. I hate dirt but I like working with chicken guts... weird huh!?

Last but not least Auntie Ski is moving and gave us some of her food stuffs. Things like frozen chickens and ice cream(which the kids will enjoy on this hot hot day today). The one thing that got me really excited was the big bottle of Mexican Vanilla Extract. Whoo hooo! I am thinking I want to make some muffins or cookies now. Except I don't want to turn on the oven... I guess I will have to wait until late tonight if I am going to do any of that hahahaha.

The one sad thing is that our cat go out when I was gone and she even though she came back one night Hubby wasn't able to get her back in. So Hubby is going to call the pound to see if she got taken there but honestly she gets so freaked out by people when she's outside I can't see her having been taken in. Last night I left the light on out front with her food and water in the hopes she would show up. Alas she did not but I am not giving up hope yet. I really don't want to have to say goodbye to another one of our family members. Smiles is still upset about our first cat dying.

Update: My husband had left some clothes in the dryer and I told him he should deal with them before they get moldy. So what does he do when he's complaining of the heat - he puts them in the dryer! I took them out and hung them outside to dry. Sigh! I know he meant well but... I just have to laugh I suppose.

Tires!!!

2009-06-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

I went swimming tonight with Raven. I decided to push myself since I had been doing just the bare minimum when it comes to doing the laps. My adventure began after the swim when I was supposed to meet Raven at Tim H's place for a coffee and/or doughnuts. I first had to stop by a gas station to fill the back left tire. I had noticed it was low when I was driving to the pool and whenever I braked it would do a weird dip on the left.

So I went to the gas station that I normally go to which is beside Tim H's. I noticed that instead of air going in to the tire - the tire was getting lower. I checked with the clerk and confirmed that the pump was broken. Great! Went to the Sev Gas Station that was closer to the pool and discovered that not only was their pump broken my tire was so low that I was almost driving on the rim. Oh and thank you to the people who pointed it out - but I already knew. Grrrr!

I head back North to the other gas station opposite the first Station. They didn't even have an Air Pump. Nor did the Commercial Gas Station for the Semi's behind it! What the heck? I even went to a Tire Store but they were closed! Finally I drove all the way past the pool (yes I passed it 4 times in this odyssey) and found a Gas Station that had an ACTUAL working Air Pump. So 40 mins after telling Raven I would meet her I finally showed up. I bought myself 2 doughnuts because at that point I deserved the sugar to calm myself down. I was so frustrated.

On the baby front I had a funny blogging moment this morning. Standing in her crib was a completely naked baby. Only thing left was her diaper - thank goodness! She had taken off her sleeper and thrown it onto the floor. Next was some stuffies and her blanket. She was picking up her pillow when she saw me. And of course the hugest grin was on her face. So I will have to see what greets in the morning tomorrow. I am just hoping the diaper is still on...

She also discovered the squirrels in the backyard. After coming back from the walk this morning I was talking with my neighbour E and she pointed to the squirrels in the trees above us. There were three of them fighting. I figured the two smaller ones were younger than larger one. The larger one was being the baddie and chasing the smaller ones out of his territory. It was cool to watch them because they would go up one tree and down another one over to another and up again. And Eyes was not even five feet away from them at sometimes. At one point there was a lot of noise just above me and then something fell from the tree. I looked over and two feet from me was a slice of pizza! Man that made me laugh. I got rid of it quickly before Eyes discovered it and tried to eat it!

Other than that school is almost over (end of the month) and I am both dreading and looking forward to it. I can't wait for the relief of not having to deal with whiny kids who don't want to do their homework anymore to the loss of time and freedom when they are home all day and demand that someone entertain them! Sigh! Hopefully that will fall to the neighbours around us. Not only do we have Little H across the alley and the German family next door but there are another two little boys that live on the street. One across the street and one four doors down. Plus there is another older girl in Grade 5 (same age as the oldest Elementary kid in the German Family next door) so this summer I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Feelings of....

2009-06-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

So many things have been happening lately that I am not sure where to start.

I guess I'll begin with my planting the flower beds in the front tonight. I had gone to my parents farm this past weekend to do my regular round of sewing for Quad War cloaks. I will say more about that later. So Smiles was helping me and we got the ones in the pots done easily. The problem started when the neighbour kids showed up and started helping. I was glad of the help but when the dogs came out Smiles became very unhelpful. She would climb the neighbours fence on the opposite side of the house where the dogs wouldn't see her and bark at her. She would ignore the fact that she needed to do something just to avoid the dogs. And because the neighbour kids were helping she figured she didn't have to. So I got annoyed at her and when she refused to help clean up I sent her inside. She continued to throw temper tantrums inside saying she couldn't do her homework because she missed our cat who died. As legitimate as those feelings are, we can not let her use them as an excuse to not to do her homework.

These feelings are probably also in conjunction with the fact that we had to go to another funeral last week. Two Fridays ago one of Hubby's cousin died and really shook up the family. The basic explanation is he had a Heart Attack. He was 23 years old. Hubby said that out of all of his cousins P was the one he was closest too. Hubby had babysat him when he was a kid and we had joked that when P babysat Bear maybe it would turn into a tradition where Bear would then end up babysitting P's kids. Alas that will not happen now. So overall that means in the last half a year we had three deaths in the family. Our cat in December, Hubby's Uncle G in Feb? and then in May Cousin P. So I know that all of these deaths is making an impression on Smiles and she is the most vocal one who wants to talk about it. I try to discuss it as much as I can without projecting my own thoughts and feelings onto her. Hubby does that a little bit but I understand since the deaths were in his side of the family and therefore closer to his heart. Anyways we have had many interesting discussions on the topic of death recently.

For happier? news I have been sewing lately and starting to actually get enthused about cloak making. I went to the farm on the May long weekend and got some projects sewn. This weekend I in truth only got 2 items sewn and only one of those is a sale item. I did end up cutting out like 7-8 projects so I only have to sew them later which makes me a little less guilty for not having sewn more. You see I could have gotten one to two more items sewn but on Sunday I could not focus. I would sit in front of the sewing machine and stare blankly at it. I only finished the second project through sheer willpower and that was only because it was the neighbouring kids' birthday gift. Sigh, I should be happy that I am getting known as the sewing mom in the neighbourhood but still obligations come when you have that title. And as my old boss pointed out Titles are easy to get - its the responsibility and pay that don't always match up.

On the Baby front Eyes has been growing in leaps and bounds. She is so energetic and inquisitive it funny to watch. Unless she is getting into something I don't want her to. She loves being outside and at the farm had Grandma wrapped around her finger. Eyes also loved it out there because she had a lot more freedom. She could moved through almost all of the house and the backyard. She would grab her shoes and try to put them on. She would also grab Grandma's shoes and try to put them on. That was cute watching her try to walk in them. Eyes also got zapped by the electric fence (at least I think it was electric - I didn't check myself). She wanted to visit the bulls and walked straight for them. I steered her away. She also got her finger pecked by a chicken because she stuck it through the wire. She had been watching Bear play with the young ones who thought his shoelaces were worms and wanted to play with them too.

Eyes also ate a lot of dirt. Smiles helped Grandma transplant alot of flowers this weekend and of course Eyes wanted to too. By getting in the dirt and feeling it and tasting it and ... well you get the point :) She had at least one bath out there and another when she got home.

A new plant in the garden

2009-05-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

I planted the tomato plant that Smiles gave me for Mother's day yesterday. The weather was nice enough and I know that I will just have to cover it up should the weather get yucky again. Which it seems like it wants to be today. I actually hope it does rain for like two or three days and wash all this dust and dirt away. But I don't think that'll happen. Though Smiles is supposed to be going to a outdoor birthday party after school today. I hope it does clear up for that at least but I think poor Jo is going to have 10 kids in her house for a couple of hours.

Eyes has been really cute and growing by leaps and bounds. She has discovered that from the table next to the couch that she can reach the light switch. I think you can guess what she does from there. She also loves to go outside and play in the backyard. After I drop the kids off in the morning I have been extending the walk home by a couple of blocks every day. Today I had a companion with one of the other school moms which was nice. Then when I get back home I let Eyes run loose in the backyard. She loves exploring and finding all the things that need to be thrown out from over the winter like the broken toys and rocks and such. When I was working in the garden she was discovering the taste of dirt. Lots of fun!

Other than that Raven and my sewing for Quad War hasn't particularly started. Which means we really have to get off our butts and start sewing. For some reason every Thursday comes and we both find excuses as to why we should not be sewing. Though I plan on going to the farm this weekend since the kids will have a four day weekend from school. This way I might actually get a few cloaks done and not feel like I totally let Raven down. And maybe it'll poke her into actually sewing too!

Weather warming up....

2009-04-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Warmer weather has arrived and the kids are spending more and more time outside. Hurray! Also I have even taken the baby out to play outside almost everyday now. She loves going in the stroller to go and drop off or pick up the kids from school. She gets so excited when she sees the stroller come out. One really cute thing that my mother pointed out is that instead of saying "NO" which is the usual with toddlers her word is "Yeah". If I ask her a question and point to something she'll either say "Yeah" or shake her head no. It is really cute. Also she has started to wave bye-bye to Daddy when he goes out to work in the morning.

As for the bogcoat that I made last week I did manage to get to Raven's so that she could photograph it but who knows when she'll get around to posting it on her blog. Other than that she seemed to think it was an interesting pattern but as she put it... it is definitely not a medieval pattern. Oh well so what - some of our patterns are medieval and others are definitely not. This one falls into the latter category. We make cloaks and coats for warmth and durability at quests. Not necessarily for authenticity. I am thinking of making a slogan of we sell cloaks for those who haven't gotten around to making their own yet but I think that could sound very haughty.

There were others things that I wanted to talk about like the cabinet doors are now in place and I like them. They give a nice colour to the kitchen and in August we may get the bottom cupboards painted. Now if only I could motivate myself into actually starting the Spring Cleaning. Soon... I promise myself soon. If only I would stop getting all these colds! But I can't wait to start on the Garden this year especially since the next door neighbours seem to have already started on theirs. Oh and yes their kids still come over everyday...right now they are in the kitchen drawing.

A New Bogcoat Pattern

2009-04-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

The cabinets have been painted and I am now sitting in a paint fumey house ugh! Still it could have been worse our Landlady could have kept insisting on Oil Based Paint instead of Latex. Plus we have no cabinet doors again because they will take longer to set. Which is fine with me as long as we get them back. The new colour looks pretty good if I don't say so myself.

So while the painting was being done the kids and I translocated to Grandma and Grandpa's farm. I had planned on being out there for four to five days but then looking at the schedule realized that I had to be in the city for an appointment for Bear early tomorrow morning. Hence sitting in the paint fumey house, cold (because the windows are open) and a sick child whining at me that her tummy hurts. This is because she puked up in the car on the ride home tonight. Sigh life likes to throw a million things at me once it seems. Too bad I can only juggle around 3 or 4 at a time.

The new bogcoat of the title is all because of my dad and his old housecoat. My mom had given me some money so that I could pick up some fleece to make him a new one. I was able to pick a lot of burgundy fleece that turned into a really nice housecoat if I don't say so myself. But.... before I could make the housecoat I had to rip apart the old one. Not really thinking that the pattern would be difficult, after all I make lots of bogcoats, I didn't pay too much attention to the pieces. Then I cut out the pieces that I thought I would need only to discover when I was sewing that I should really go back and look at the original pieces again. So I did and found that the inside hood lining would be needed after all. Well not really but I wanted to try it because if I could do it in the housecoat then the bogcoat that I wanted to make would be really neat.

So I did the housecoat to my dad's specifications which included the little loop at the neck so that it could be hung up on a hook. I also added a foot to the length and onto the arms because my dad likes the long arms on his coats (must be where I got it from :)). The material for the bogcoat is an interesting one and I really like it. It is a homespun burgundy wool that has a slightly floral pattern embroidered on it. I can't do the new pattern justice just describing but I really like it and even though it is more work I think it is really sharp looking. Obviously the first one I did would have some flaws but I think as a hooded unlined bogcoat it works really well. Just for you Pixie when Raven gets back from True Realm I will have her photograph both the inside and the outside of it.

As I was working on the pattern I kept thinking when I get back I have to babble and show it to Raven but.... she's in Carbondale Illinois right now. Sigh so I will have to wait until next week when she is back from having her absolutely fabulous weekend. I hope she is having fun :) Maybe next year I will be able to get to True Realm. Still all in all until the car trip home where I had to clean up puke the last couple of days have been pretty good.

Post Cleaning Euphoria

2009-03-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

1. I made Carrot Spice Muffins
2. I made bread in the bread machine (or tried to since it was discovered that the machine did not work properly - booo! so no Bread)
3. I did the dishes
4. I did the cat litter
5. I did some laundry
6. I took a shower
7. I helped entertain the kids from next door (yes we have new neighbours!)

The family that is renting the house next door is from Germany and they have four kids. The oldest is in high school, then the next one is in Grade 5, then Grade 3 and then the youngest the boy is in Grade One. Yes the eldest 3 kids are all girls and the two youngest are in the same classes as my two oldest. The youngest is the only boy and he is spoiled because he expects everyone to help him all the time. But I don't mind he is nice enough and B from Newfoundland may have competition for Smiles' affection. Well only because L is here and B is not but Smiles' still talks about B and how much she likes him so L may be disappointed. She was kinda shocked when l hugged her the other day. Oh well they have only been here for a week and a half and the youngest two for some reason have been over for here for about half that time. L really likes it when I make Muffins.

The only thing I don't like is that they have 3 really large dogs. Still they are not too bad since they stay in the yard and just bark when people go past. Smiles' is still afraid of dogs and this doesn't help any. Sigh.

Bear has been grounded but it is kinda hard to keep him from playing with the neighbour kids when they are over. On Saturday he went over to a friends house and did not phone us when he got there. That is the main rule when he goes over to a friends house. This way we know he has arrived there safe and we also have the phone number in case we need to call them. He left the number beside the computer without telling anyone and never called. 5pm came and went. 6pm came and went. 7pm came and we got worried. Since we couldn't find the phone number we couldn't call and supper of course was made and eaten and waiting for him. So eventually I went for a walk. I had the rough idea of where the friend's house was and since I knew what their car looked like I was hoping it would be parked in front of their house. Luck was with me and I found the house and dragged him home. He had already eaten supper so he was sent to bed when he got home after I had a long talk with him. I did not take away the Wii or Computer time but he is not allowed to have friends over or go to a friends house for a week. I am hoping he understands why this is a big deal to us.

Anyways other than that I had a good Sunday and today I think was also a good day so far. Raven and I are changing our swim nights to Monday instead of Tuesdays. Her husband and babysitter are rescheduling some things and this was easier for all of us.

Not pulling a Clara

2009-02-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Eyes has been very cute lately. She is more active and more mobile. Therefore she gets into more things. She is able to get on the couch and gets this impish grin on her face as she reaches the cat to whap her. She still hasn't gotten the whole "Gentle! Gentle Eyes!" and petting is right out. Her softer whaps must be her form of petting. Sigh poor kitty. Though the cat does let Eyes know when she has had enough and then Eyes cries. Oh well live and learn.

Eyes can also get into the bay window now because of her couch climbing abilities. And that is a whole other load of trouble. She loves to look outside but since it also used to be another place the cat used to hide from her she (the cat) can scratch that hidey hole off. The other thing that the baby really loves is books. She will go to the bookshelf and tear half of them down. Then she'll bring me the ONE that she wanted me to read to her. We have even caught her climbing onto the couch and sitting there looking at a book. Its adorable.

Both yesterday and today in the morning when I have returned home from dropping the kids off at school she has done another cute thing. I will take her from the stroller so I can collapse it and she start toddling off to the garage. Once there she'll bang on the door as if saying "Mommy can we go for a car ride?". I may have to do that a little later so that will make her happy. She is also in full blown Separation Anxiety since she'll also start banging on whatever door is between her and her Mommy. Try taking a shower when you have a toddler banging and crying on the other side of the bathroom door. Good thing Hubby can usually distract her for about 15 seconds.

My older two are growing as well. I think the girls may be going through a growth spurt. Eyes ate three bowls of food for supper the last two days. Oh my! Smiles is just shooting up and Bear really really needs a haircut!

As for the rest of my life. I am addicted to WoW... but at least I don't pull a Clara! If you don't know the reference go Goggle Watch the Guild! Once again I can't figure out links... sigh!

Family Day

2009-02-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was family day and it was a good one. We ended up making potato pancakes for Brunch and we went sledding in the afternoon. Bear had his Birthday about a week ago and it was a nice quiet affair. We only had 6 kids in total including Bear and his sister. Other than that it has been mostly mundane around here.

The only other thing I have to say is a rant about... If you are going to dig through your change looking to make up that last $10 in the Express Checkout Lane - Please have it ready beforehand so you do not hold up the next 8 people in line behind you! I stood for at least 5 mins behind this lady who did exactly that to me... Arrrggghhhh!

Which is why I had to make muffins today. I made more Banana Muffins but lately I tried an Apple Spice Muffin which went over really well with the family. I seem to be the only one who likes my Cheese Muffins. I also have been finding I like making Egg Salad so that I can have some for lunches. I like my version because I put Pickles & Green Onions in instead of just a regular onion. Very tasty!

Furry Butt Evicted!

2009-02-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Life has been busy and sickness seems to reign in my body because it won't leave. I think it is just general worn-downness that is taking its toll.

On the front with the mouse I came home from dropping the kids off at school to find Hubby standing triumphantly at the door proclaiming "I have evicted the furry butt of that interloper!" I had heard noises from the cat the night before that sounded like she was trying to catch the mouse. Apparently she failed or just decided she wanted to play and not eat because in the morning Hubby saw it in the living room. He tried scooping it up in a box lid and eventually got it caught up in a rug. I found it dead in a snow drift along the sidewalk when I went to go get the kids from school later that day. Since then we have heard no more mice noises and I have my fingers crossed no more are in the house. Especially since I found the hole they had got in through and plugged it!!!

The Counter-top people are supposed to be showing up this afternoon to install the backsplash that they somehow forgot about when the counter was being put in. Thankfully our landlady remembered and raised hell. Tomorrow I have an intake with a service geared towards Bear and then on Wednesday the family is off to Red Deer for the funeral of an Uncle of Hubby's. Thursday may be a playdate and Friday is Friday! Why am I looking forward to the weekend already?

Going Insane... with mice

2009-01-28T12:13:00.002-08:00

"You can't leave!" Arms straight out from her sides with her feet planted firmly one the floor Smiles states "I won't let you!"

"But I have to go swimming..."

"No! You can't go!"

After a couple of failed attempts of tickling, wrestling and making funny faces she is still planted in front of me.

"Are you trying to drive me insane?" I ask.

"You can't leave!" Smiles has a smirk on her face.

"Because I will go insane if I don't get out every now and then!" My voice is taking on that crazed lunatic voice.

"Yes. Yes! I want to you go insane then!" She shrieks with giggles.

"Then it worked because you have already driven me INSANE! Hahahaha" I lurch forward grabbing her and hugging her. Then I quickly make my escape.

Ahh life with kids.

Speaking of the other two the baby is cute and learning new things all the time like how to crawl onto the couch. Poor cat has no place left where she sleep in the living room anymore. Speaking of the cat we have a mouse (maybe more) in the house and when the cat came down to investigate and deal with the problem the baby thought she was there to play. So here was the cat by the entertainment unit watching for the mouse to reveal itself when the baby toddles up and whaps it shrieking happily. "The cat wants to play!" is written all over Eyes' face. Alas Eyes it is not you the cat wants to play with.

As for the boy he is doing okay on the medicine and I have bought some lavender oil to help him get to sleep at night. His medicine has two effects that I don't like but have learned to live with. The first one is his loss of appetite. He has actually lost a little weight. So it just means I have to pack alot of fat and carbs into his food when he does eat. The second is he is still hyper and awake when bedtime comes hence the lavender oil. A drop of that on his pillow and he goes right to sleep. He has even asked for it a couple of times.

Other than that the mouse knows about traps because it ate the peanut butter without setting it off last night! Sigh life is life.

The Holidays are Over

2009-01-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

I just took the kids back for their first day of school for the new year. And am now dreading the part where I have to do my resume and start looking for a job. Yes I know its a miserable time of year to look but with Hubby and his bunged shoulder someone has to bring in some income - somehow...

Anyways the holidays were good and were gotten through despite raging sickness throughout the house. The baby was so bad at one point I almost took her to the hospital. She had gotten so thin from dehydration. Thankfully now she's back to drinking her milk and not throwing it up or pooping diarrhea all the time. So yeah that was my Christmas and New year's. Sick baby and because I was taking care of her a very sick Mommy too! The other kids also suffered some sickness too but not nearly as bad as the baby. Though if I remember correctly Smiles was the one who started it all off!

Anyways I have tons to do and still have a queasy stomach so later!

Before Christmas

2008-12-21T13:32:00.000-08:00

Thing are crazy as usual. Hubby once again hurt his shoulder. Which means that once again he's not working. Just when he finally got back on the job. Only benefit is that since he hurt in on the job we should be getting something from WCB. Still it is frustrating and it looks like I am just going to have to get myself a job after all. Except that it is now Christmas and Arrggghh! It has been a BAD December!

I did end up making cookies for Smiles for the last day of school before Christmas Vacation. As I was doing so Bear asked me "What about me?" so I ended up making two batches of cookies - one for each kid's class. Because of that I ran out of eggs and had to go get more. I still want to do more baking and looked at my recipes again. The one that really interests me other than the Cheese and Garlic muffin is the Potato and Raisin muffin. Other than that I have been ignoring housework (the house is a real mess right now) and playing WoW or reading Manga.

So I guess instead of sitting on this computer I should actually do something. Like read Eyes' the books she keeps bringing up to me. Yes! I will definitely instill a love of reading into her early! Maybe this way she'll stop trying to eat them!

I should be napping

2008-12-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Instead I will update my blog and try to do so more often. Snicker! I know I know! We see if that actually happens, but...

Last Night was the kids Christmas Concert and I was impressed. It was very well done! Yeah the kids were tired and made mistakes and a few had to leave the stage but on the whole between the music playing and the singing I was impressed. All the kids put their hearts into their songs and music making. Plus I really enjoyed the performance by the Sign Language Club! All the kids in it wore black shirts with white gloves. Then they turned off the lights except for a black light which meant that all you saw was these waving white hands in front of you. It was a very good performance. Plus Eyes' really enjoyed the Concert too! She was dancing throughout the entire thing! Yeah she got tired near the end but man were her legs just pumping every time the kids were singing. She even tried to join in one time but then changed her mind when all of our neighbouring parents turned and smiled at her!

Other than that sickness is creeping through the house. Last night and this morning Eyes' has been very poopy and spit-uppy. She is still smiling and giggling though so I don't think this is a bad virus for her. Other than she has been more cuddly lately. I have noticed some signs of separation anxiety but nothing major.

Now at some point today I have to make muffins. Smiles informed me on Tuesday that not only was Friday (last day of school before Christmas Vacation) Pyjama Day but that she also has to bring a snack to share. Or in her words "You need to make Muffins or Cookies for class on Friday!" Hmmm thanks Smiles! Anyways I was planning on making muffins anyways. There is a recipe I have been wanting to try for awhile now that involves cheese and garlic. Yes it is a savory muffin but it sounds so good! Raven on Tuesday when she heard about it insisted on dragging me to the store so she could buy me cheese and apples for the muffins. The only thing in return is that I save a muffin for her! I think I call that a fair exchange. Anyways I think I better go clean up the kitchen a little before I embark on this flurry of baking. The flurry may be more like a whimper but I do plan on doing something like that today. So even though the baby is napping right now and I would love to do so myself I will finish my coffee and hopefully get some housework done. Later!

Adventures in Cheese Making...

2008-12-14T19:53:00.001-08:00

We have switched Eyes' from formula to whole milk these days and despite our best efforts sometimes one of her bottles goes missing. Usually it is under a couch or behind a desk but somedays no matter how hard we look for the missing bottle - it just isn't there. Until.... a few days later when all of a sudden Eyes' is trying to drink from a bottle that looks like it has cottage cheese in it. Yup the joys of curdled milk and the thought of maybe actually opening up my own cheese making factory. After all I love cheese. Still I think I better figure out a way that doesn't involve lost baby bottles.

A Hard Day...

2008-12-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

I had been meaning to post about happier news such as Eyes saying her first word last weekend (it was Baby by the way) but instead I have had a crushing blow dealt to my heart instead. Due to our finances we were unable to get our cat who has diabetes back in to see the vet like Queen Pet had strongly recommended we do after Eyes' birthday last month. So instead she offered to take her down to the Animal Clinic that she works at. We took her up on her offer and sent the cat down with her last week.

Today is the last day we are going to be spending with the cat because after everything has been said and done she is going to have to be Euthanized. Yes I am using a Capital letter for that word and yes it really hurts. According to Queen Pet the Animal Clinic she works at was aghast at the state of my cat (which made me feel like an absolute heel and horrible pet owner) and even more shocked and concerned over the file that the clinic we had taken her to had sent down to them. Apparently the diagnosis from one was radically different than the other and Queen Pet is strongly recommending to me to stay away from the one I had originally gone to. Especially since the first clinic was not quite so diligent in filling out and signing some important paperwork.

So the kids know what is going to happen to the cat (Smiles is home sick today anyways) and we have told them crying is okay. We all will miss her. Hubby is strangely really upset about this and not handling it well. Me? The easiest is to say I'll live but don't be surprised if you see me with red eyes in the near future.

The only other significant news is that my brother must be really desperate to have me play WoW since he not only bought me a time card but also got me the expansion for it. He really wants someone to be able to play with his wife when she's home alone all day. Of course I also think he just wants to be nice to his little sister. Sigh! So I can drown my grief by killing things in an on-line game for awhile (as long as the baby is not awake! I am not that horrible of a mother!). Anyways I have done some baking, I made banana muffins, but not the cookies or bars that I have been wanting to make for awhile now. The kids though got to go to Auntie Ski's place this weekend to help with making and decorating cookies and stayed overnight there. Other than that yeah we see what else will happen this Christmas season!

Short Conversation this morning

2008-11-25T08:51:00.001-08:00

"So when I am in Grade Two Eyes'll be TWO! And when I am in Grade Three she'll be three and when I am in Grade Four....." rambled Smiles. Yes it went on like that for awhile. Then Bear joined in saying he'll be in Grade Eight when Eyes' is in Kindergarten.

They also told me all about their plans for when they have a tree house. Which won't happen in a long while since we have no trees to put one in (I am sorry the Pine trees in the back do not make good tree house trees!) And the elm in the front is on not on our lawn so the city would tear it down if we built one in there. Maybe I can convinve Grandpa to build one out at the farm...

An Interesing Poem that I am not sure where it came from in my brain

2008-11-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

He opens his eyes
Wreckage is all around
The seatbelt is unlatched
He stumbles from the car
The woman in the other car
He stumbles to her door
Something familiar about her
But no time to think about that
He sees the blood
and her mangled body
The door is flown wide
as he struggles with her belt
Why does her scent haunt him?
Who is she?
Why does he want to hold her?
He drags her onto the pavement
There are sirens in the distance
He doesn't know where to start
So he gently holds her head
Her laboured breathing slows
He realizes she is staring
and with her final breathe
she whispers the truth
"You were my one true love..."
Her face he had never seen before
but as the life fades from pale eyes
he can only think
of his wife and kids
at home!

Eyes' First Birthday!

2008-11-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Eyes Birthday on Sunday went fairly well. She was extremely cute in the red dress that Nana had bought her for Christmas last year. I was surprised it still fit her but I don't have hopes that it'll fit her for this Christmas. Anyways we had ten adults over for supper and Eyes really enjoyed her first taste of Chocolate Cake. Grandma let her get her fingers into it before the candle was blown out! So of course that was the piece that she got to eat, crumble, spread all over the table and generally mess Grandma's shirt with! Obviously after that she got a bath.

For the most part she got clothes (which Mommy got excited about since they were cute sleepers and we need more for her) but Eyes? Eyes went for the drum that Smiles recycled and was funny to watch her toddle around carry this thing that was almost as big as she was with this HUGE smile on her face! Sigh kids gotta love them.

Other than that nothing much has been happening. Life has slowed down a little but with the holidays coming I don't expect it to stay this way. So I think I'll enjoy the break for a bit. I had been hoping to go to Raven's last night and get some sewing done but a friend who now lives in Halifax was in town (or a nearby town) so she went and visited him instead! One of these weeks we'll actually get together on a Monday and do some sewing! Oh well I will see Raven tonight when we go swimming :)

Bruises

2008-11-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Both kids came home with bruises today! Bear has a really good shiner from where a kid hit him in the face with his lunch box. Smiles got hit during gym with a puck. Sigh! And now major temper tantrums from them during homework! What a Friday! Hubby hurt his shoulder again so... argghh! What a frickin' day!

On a lighter note here's a silly poem.

A cat on lap
wants to purr purr purr
She is black
but sheds white fur fur fur
A baby tail puller
she doesn't like for sure sure sure!

Just once I'll use the term lollybloggery

2008-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

I figured I should actually blog something because you know lots has happened. And yet I feel strangely disconnected from it all. The last couple of weeks has been long and roller coaster like with small stupid things that added onto each other making a mountain out of a mole hill. Of course it could just be that I am depressed again! It is that time of the season and unfortunately that time of the month so the combo don't do me so well! I think I might have to make another Doctor's appointment soon. Between that and my lethargy I really am starting to wonder if I am alright.

Oh so a quick account of the roller coaster - just the highlights mind you! There was the hot water heater being replaced with an On-Demand one, people coming in to measure for new counter tops, the kids getting sick on and off, me getting sick on and off, the baby is officially a toddler (she's having so much fun walking around - and she's FAST!), and it was Hubby's birthday yesterday. Eyes' birthday will be on Sunday and we plan on doing a joint celebration then. I feel bad because I meant to make a cake for Hubby but was so sick and lethargic that I barely got the dishes done. I did force myself to do the cat litter though so that's done too!

Oh in regards to the diabetic cat she is back on antibiotics for a whole month now (another part of the roller coaster) because she can't seem to get rid of that bladder infection. I am starting to wonder if it is a bladder infection and not something more serious. I have already talked to the kids about Euthanasia should that be her future. It breaks my heart to think I would have to do it but I really can't see many other options at this point. Still I am not giving up hope that she'll get rid of the infection and then we can get her insulin shots steadied and she'll live for a few more years at least. The other cat is fine! The big nasty lump that had been infected on her cheek has been dealt with and is now gone down to just a small tissue scar.

Last but not least it snowed yesterday and Smiles was so excited that she had to immediately go out to the garage and get her new Snowsuit! Her and Bear then proceeded to use all of the snow in the back and front yards. They had made a huge snowman (that was taller than me - I think they cheated and stood on the picnic table!) and then destroyed it so they could then use the snow to make a fort! This morning I let Eyes out of the stroller when we got back from dropping the kids off at school. She seemed to like her first taste of snow! Um that's literally by the way! I don't think the snow will last long since the weather seems to be warming up again. Which is fine by me :)

Okay okay this is the last thing I have started playing WOW again and have not yet decided if I regret it or not. After all I can get sucked up playing it for hours on end and since it is a live server game I have a hard time getting off whenever I want! I always feel I should go do this quest since it's on my way to this point and then I can hand in X quests all at once. Or I should get to the Auction House and sell all those items I can't use or upgrade whatever I can, etc etc etc... So yeah I have made it a point unless the baby is sleeping or Hubby's home I won't play because I don't want to neglect the kids. But the good thing is I can blame it all on Big D and my brother EEK since they were the ones who got me time cards! Hahahaha

A luxury is gone...

2008-10-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

So I had a major roller coaster of a week where something happened everyday and now I am worn out.

Monday - Working on resume.
Tuesday - Find out one of the Grade One Mom's older daughter was almost run over (on purpose and with her own car) by her ex-boyfriend.
Wednesday - Hot water tank is broken (leaking!) Oh and carpenter comes by but is STILL not finished the cabinets! Picture day for Bear.
Thursday - Smiles is home sick! On her birthday and a swimming day (since we can't find her bathing suit I am okay with this)!
Friday - Carpenter finishes the cabinets but forgets his jacket. Picture day for Smiles at school. Last day of school for Bear in the diagnostic classroom.
Saturday - 5 people, incl. Hubby and myself lug a huge branch off of the street that had broken off of the elm tree and was blocking traffic. (Very inconvenient for the city buses!) Housecleaning and then Family Birthday Party for Smiles.
Sunday - Sleep late, exchange winter boots that were bought the day before for Smiles but were too small and take kids to Pool just so I can get a shower in!

Blah! By the way I still haven't made it down to the place where I was going to hand the resume in to! Sigh! I better make sure I do that tomorrow. Along with a number of other things that need to get done but am too tired to list!

So yeah we are currently without a hot water heater and I don't know how long that is going to last. Our landlady is trying to see if she can get a On Demand Water Heater installed for us. Which I really, REALLY want! It does mean having to do things like boil large amounts of water just so the kids can take a bath or boil the kettle three times just to do the dishes. I do know that it makes me realize again just how privileged most people in North America are. After all how many people can say they had to boil water in order to take a bath. Of course that is usually topped by having to walk a mile or so just to draw the water in the first place. So Star I hope my experience isn't the months you had without hot water but I do have greater sympathy for your past experience.

Resume Time

2008-10-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

To start off the birthday party was a success and all of the kids seemed to enjoy it. The games were Sticker a Tail on the Donkey, Ball Toss and of course the grand finale Pinata! The Pinata was broken by the smallest of the girls there Little S, though I did have to rip it open a little more before the ravening hordes descended. I barely escaped with my life I tell ya! Raven and I took turns dealing with the kids (mostly). There was one point where the kids were given sprinkles and other things to decorate the cakes. I went to fill the loot bags and thought Raven was watching over the kids. She thought the same so when both of us came back to find not only the cakes covered but so was the table, so was the floor and so were at least half of the kids faces!

The rest of the weekend for me was spent trying to recover from that party. Only two hours but very intense and loud! Did I mention the loud part?! It got to one point where we had to send all the kids outside just so we could hear ourselves think. Most of the kids got on the trampoline and we had to take a picture of that! Yes we did keep an eye on them (or at least Star did who had arrived earlier and went out with the kids while Raven and I ate!) and no nobody was hurt. We were just thankful that it was a nice enough day to be able to do that!

Today though I am trying to work on my resume. I am looking for a job and had forgotten just how much I hate trying to make myself into this super human on paper. I mean I have lots of skills and alot of experience but most of that was three years ago. Oh yeah I do have the hobby of making cloaks and could try to use that as having been in business for myself type of thing. But seriously selling cloaks one weekend out of a year does not make sense as anything but a hobby. So I will use that for my resume but not as a job. It'll go under my list of skills! I guess I should get back to writing it up - I have a lot of explaining to do! It is trying to describe stuff without sounding cliched that is my problem! Like: I am a friendly, outgoing and hardworking person. I have been trying to turn it into something like: I greet customers with open friendly smiles as soon as they come in the front door. Which is true. I am just not sure I like that sentence. Sigh! Welp back to the drawing board!

Birthday Madness

2008-10-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Somehow Raven and I came up with the brilliant idea to celebrate our daughters birthdays at one party tomorrow night. Two girls, two sets of friends, two cakes - one party! We must be crazy! It all sounded so reasonable last week after I mentioned that Smiles birthday was coming up and I hadn't made complete plans yet that when Raven mentioned that even though K's birthday was last month (Sept.) she still hadn't had a party for her yet, why not have both girls celebrate together? After all there would be two parents to help ease the party madness, right?! Then the logistics set in and we had to wrap our head around - at who's house? supper included? games? theme? (Halloween was finally chosen - though it still feels like a cop out to me!) and how many kids?

Some kids are mutual friends of both girls due to our (the mother's) circle of friends so that made it easier in the counting. We then decided upon a spaghetti supper (I provide the sauce and meatballs and Raven provides the noodles. This way she can make gluten free noodles for C-man). Then invitations needed to be addressed and it took us an hour just to design and print some out. The party will be at Raven's house simply because she has more room and no cats. Less allergens for her kids that way.

So as of tonight I have completed all of the sundry tasks I put before myself to finish except one... sew the fake flowers onto the wings of Smiles fairy costume. I figure if nothing else I can do that tomorrow or if it doesn't get done it just means she won't be dropping flowers everywhere. Smiles is pretty excited and I think Bear is too. It does mean that Hubby gets left behind with the baby on our anniversary because I am driving at least one, maybe two kids out with me. I am still kicking myself for forgetting Smiles princess dress I made for her out at the farm. I called my mom and she laughed at me! At least she knows where it is and will be bringing it in for Smiles birthday party with the family that will be next weekend. So here's my Positive Reinforcements after a long hiatus!

1. Made spaghetti and meatballs!
2. Got party favours and loot bags for the birthday party!
3. Got the other birthday girl's presents ready!
4. Called and confirmed the pinata will be coming. (I asked Nana since she had done them before for the kids!)
5. Called and discussed with the other party hostess what tasks still needed to be done!
6. Got regular groceries.
7. Made sure Bear had more medication sent to the school!

I might post tomorrow or decide to take a day or two just to calm my nerves before I report on how the party went :)

One of THOSE days....

2008-10-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

I realized I might want to warn people about this post divulging too much TMI regarding my body functions...so yeah I'll try to be tame but yeah....

This day actually has some background to it which started this weekend when my time of the month began. No biggie it is just Thanksgiving out at the farm and I was hoping to stay a few days to get some sewing done. There's a story about the serger but I won't get to that just yet! Suffice it to say right now sewing was done (me mostly misjudging how big my daughter actually is) but on the whole a quick hemming will fix the Fairy costume for Smiles for Halloween. All weekend my bowels are queasy and Monday the day my dad is driving me back into the city I end up in a lot of pain. The couch looked very comfortable up until bed time.

So night time was not good because between the various kids (Bear falling out of the bunk bed and Eyes having gas) I did not get a good nights sleep. I woke to find huge piles of cat puke underneath the kitchen table (never a something to put me in a good mood right off the bat!) Then this morning we drive the kids to school so we can go to a meeting at Bear's hospital school. There we are given a further diagnosis of Autism for the boy (which once again didn't really surprise us - just means we'll have to digest it a bit and then deal). Get home try to take a nap (not long enough - in my opinion) get a vet appointment set up for the black cat who's cheek looks like it might be infected now. Sigh! Hubby goes to his physiotherapy and I go get Smiles from school and vote! The wind was horrible and I had forgotten my gloves so I had frozen hands by the time I got home. Cat litter done and only half the dishes are done due to the fact that one of the plugs for the kitchen sink is missing - Arggh! (Dishes by the way Hubby said he would do them before I came home from the farm so I suspect he hid the plug somewhere so he would have an excuse! I just hope it is not in the garbage can!)

Supper ended up being macaroni I threw in the pot at an hour before bed time and eventually I got everything together for swimming. Get to the pool and there are three lanes available all of them full. Since Raven wasn't there yet I went to the hot tub and soaked for a bit. I go back to the lanes and Raven shows up. We get some laps in before we are told to get out because someone pooped in the pool. Sigh! Back to the hot tubs (though tonight I decided to try the sauna - nope still don't like them!). 20 mins later the lanes are re-opened and we do a few more laps. This is the only part that I really enjoyed which was talking to Raven and ranting a bit about my day.

Alas it was not done yet. At the car I remember I have to fill up the tank since we drove out to the farm and used up most of the gas. (When it starts to flash empty I like to listen to it!) At the gas station I decide to also put air in my tires which with my wet hair makes for a cold few minutes. Then on the way home I get a craving for chips. I decide to stop at the convenience store and there get a lottery ticket. Eventually my luck has to be good today right? There's a new guy being trained and of course my receipt is messed up. I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and maybe count to a hundred while I'm at it!

When I get home I look up in the sky and see - tonight's a full moon! That may not explain anything to you but it does to me! Something about full moons means my days (and nights) are CRAZY!!!!! So that's my explanation and I'm sticking to it!

Oh the story about the serger is a rant in it's own right! Here goes...

I take the serger out of its box in anticipation of happy sewing for my daughter's Halloween costume! I cut out all the fabric and start to re-thread the serger to the colours I need. Black would not do for a gold dress and orange wings. I start to pull the thread through! Note I have not put any material in the serger yet! When the Ka-chungk Ka-chungk happens again. This time making it impossible to actually turn a stitch without the manual override. I open up the machine to look at what could be causing this unpleasant sound and discover the lower #1 looper needle is hitting the other looper needle and being pushed in front of it! That is what is causing the horrible Ka-chungking sound! I'm choked! Needless to say I am unhappy with Repair Shop people. Still I get lots of sewing done on my regular sewing machine - Smiles Halloween costume being the main thing (and her birthday present - which I forgot in the closet at Grandma's house! Arrggh!)

Oh and the serger saga doesn't stop there! On Sunday the night before I come back I casually mention that the serger doesn't work. This unfortunately peaks my Dad's interest and despite my saying "No please leave it for the Repair Shop people!" he gets out his tools. I think you can see where this is going. Needless to say the lower looper needle #1 is now snapped off somewhere either in the machine or in the sun room at the farm. My serger is going to be heading to the Repair Shop tomorrow definitely needing a replacement part and I am left with only my head to shake sadly!

Sigh! That's my day today... one of THOSE days....

Baby steps!

2008-10-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last night was a monumentous occasion because Eyes officially took two steps towards her brother without help from anybody! Yay!!! She had started by discovering Smiles toy stroller that was left in the living room. I had cleaned up and so the floor was free of pillows, blankets and toys! With the help of the stroller Eyes was doing the crazy drunken lurch of pushing it around the living room for a good five minutes. It was so cute to watch. Then Bear just stood her up and backed away from her and lo and behold she walked two steps before falling into his arms. He then tried to repeat that success but she was having none of it!

On another note the necklace that I have commissioned is done and I must say it looks gorgeous. If I can I will ask if I can post the results up here. If I can figure out how to link stuff again! I really think Newlander will love her necklace and I can't wait to send it to her! So here goes

A boring Life

2008-10-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

So I have been posting infrequently due to my life being boring and thinking not enough exciting things have been happening. Then I stopped and realized "This is a GOOD thing!" If having my cupboards replaced is the most exciting thing to blog about then that is fine with me. After all I am a housewife and will blab on endlessly about my kids. So on that note here's a few anecdotes concerning the kids.

Yesterday Smiles was in the middle of being fought over. No it was not between two boys though there was one boy involved. Smiles was playing with E-girl when E-boy wanted Smiles to join him in his Bakugan club. Well Smiles is reasonable and was going to go. She was even holding E-boy's hand and they started to walk away when E-girl ran up and grabbed Smiles' other hand. A Tug-of-Smiles then proceeded and I am sorry but all I could do was laugh! Jo had to go over and separate the kids because I was couldn't stop giggling. She told the kids to SHARE Smiles. That is something you don't hear every day.

Eyes still hasn't started walking yet but she's getting closer to doing so every day. She will now consistently let go of the couch or table or whatever she is holding onto and stand there by herself for a few seconds or more. She stills babbles and smiles at everyone. The kindergarten moms from last year(I suppose I should call them Grade one moms now!) always coo over her whenever we show up in the morning. I even have learned most of their names!! Two were easy once I did a word association. One has the same name as my mom and the other her name is spelled like the first half of my name but pronounced totally different.

Bear's medication is working and we are seeing positive results. Mainly because on Sunday I didn't give him his medicine and Holy Cow - he went CRAZY!!!! Seriously I think medicating him is doing him wonders right now because he can concentrate on things better and takes more time before deciding to do something insane - like jump off the roof. Not that he has but I am sure he would if he could figure out a way to get up there! Tomorrow Hubby and I are going to go observe him in his class room at the hospital school. I have been wanting to go and do that for awhile now and he'll only be there for another 3 weeks. After all they have this cool mirror so we can sit in another room and watch him as he works in class. That's one of the best ideas I have seen in awhile. We learn about him in class and don't disturb either him or his classmates. Plus this way we have a diagnosis of ADHD and can learn to figure out how to deal with it.

All in all yeah my life is boring but I still like to write about it! Next up is juggling the Thanksgiving weekend schedule and seeing who visits whom and on what days! Sigh! I just wanted a work weekend before Smiles birthday so I could sew everything that needs to get done Oye! I am not so sure I'll get it now.

Stalled

2008-09-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

I have doors for the cabinets except for the corner ones which apparently need special hinges so they weren't put up on Wednesday. They did lower all the cabinets so that they are parallel to each other and there needs to be a trim put into the gap at the top. That won't be fun for them because there's a huge difference between one end and the other. But that's why there needs to be trim! Plus we did not get the floating shelf over the sink that had been talked about. And I have no idea when they'll be back to finish the job. Sigh!

The good news is that I do have lots of cupboard space now and the last few days (after getting lining) have been filling them up. All the cupboards have now been stocked except for the one above the fridge! I even got to move stuff (like my crystal) up from bottom cupboards so that the kids will be less likely to get at it. And it means I have more room in the lower cupboards for more foodstuffs and such. I now have an amazing amount of space in my plastics cupboard where before it was jammed full of crazy things. So yeah new cabinets are great and I can live with what we have so far because it means I have that much more space. Sure I would like handles and paint on them but I know that eventually it'll come :)

As for the kids Bear's new medicine is not having any noticeable effect that I can see. So we'll just have to wait and go from there. Smiles is a little out of sorts. I think she's feeling a little ill but she's getting excited because her birthday is coming up next month. That'll be fun. I still have to make her fairy costume for Halloween and I think I'll try to make her a new medieval gown for her birthday. Trying to do things as recyclables and non-consumerism is hard. I think it is worth it but I honestly don't know what to do about her party and Eyes' birthday will the month after that. Wow, she'll be one in like 2 months! Where did the time go?! Hmmm I am wondering if I should make doll clothes for Smiles dolls?

Under Construction

2008-09-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

My kitchen is undergoing a renovation where all the old upper cabinets are being replaced. A few will even be added. Yay! Yesterday they came and ripped off the old ones (which had probably been in this house since it was built around 1950ish) and got most of the new ones installed. Alas nothing goes smoothly and there is one cabinet that does not want to fit properly. The house settled and the guy did not notice the ceiling was 1/3 of an inch lower that the rest of the kitchen. Sigh!

Still I really wish he would come back today (like he said he would) and finish off the job. I really REALLY hate things half done. Plus I can't even put anything in the cupboards yet because they are not fully screwed into the walls yadda yadda yadda... So here I am sitting in a kitchen eating off paper plates looking at open cupboards (because the doors are not on yet) and wondering if I will have to microwave the kids supper for tonight! The only thing I ask GOD, is PLEASE do let the carpenter come back in the next few days and finish this because otherwise I will be very unhappy!

In other news, no Eyes is not walking yet but more and more often I catch her standing by herself without holding onto anything for support. So she knows it can be done and I sometimes practice walking with her down the hallway or through the living room. Right now she has Mr. Buns (her bunny Nana gave her for Easter) and is babbling to herself. I may be biased but I do have very cute kids. Even if one of them (Bear) has been diagnosed with ADHD and will be put on medication. As long as we know eh?!

She'll be walking soon!

2008-09-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was doing laundry I looked up to see what the noise was. I found a baby holding onto a laundry basket sliding it across the floor as she was walking behind it. Of course she had the biggest grin on her face. Then after that she grabbed my computer chair and started sliding that around the room. She was so excited and giggly! It was a lot of fun to watch.

But I'm not ready yet! I don't have shoes for her and and and.....

Anyways she also is getting a better sense of balance. Hubby was walking her towards me one day and then stopped and let her go. She stood by herself for up to 30 seconds (Hubby counted!). It was very exciting! So yeah she'll be walking soon I just know it!

A Trip to the Dentist

2008-09-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ended up pulling both of the older kids from school and took them to the dentist. Needless to say I was nervous because well for a number of reasons. The main one being that I hadn't been to a dentist in oh cough, cough, mumble 15 mumble years. Also this was the first time the kids were going. All in all it was a really good appointment mainly because we discovered that no one had cavities - least of all me. I was certain I had one. Apparently it is just the beginning of one that'll we will just have to keep an eye on. Oh I should clarify the no cavities thing... Bear does have two cavities but they are on his baby molars and the adult ones are right underneath. So the dentist said we'll just watch and no worry about them. Yay!

No Cavities!!!!!

Other than that I went swimming with Raven last night and it felt good. We didn't do alot because neither of us were feeling well but at least we got out and swam. It has been a couple of weeks since we actually did. Now if only the cat litter chore wasn't looming over me today I would feel much better...

Back to School Update

2008-09-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

So yeah it's been awhile since I gave a good accounting of the last couple of weeks. I meant to get on and blog after the wedding. Then after the first day of school and once again after .... you get the point. So here goes I'll let you know about the good things even after the one bad incident this week.

Okay the wedding of new Sister-in-law to my brother-in-law. The weather was beautiful if a bit chilly for an outdoor wedding. Everyone in the family except me was in the wedding party. The kids as flower girls or ring bearer(though Bear ended up being wagon puller and Smiles was the ring bearer. It was quite cute how serious she was coming down the aisle!) and Hubby ended up a groomsman due to a last minute replacement. Eyes and little G were adorable in the wagon and the kids were very good coming down the aisle. I ended up decorating the arbor because I happened to be there early enough. It was the grooms men's job to decorate and of course every one of them were more interested in setting up the chairs and sound equipment. So yeah I took over the arbor and I think it turned out ok. Even A and her husband R came and helped me out which I appreciated. Even take down was fun while the wedding photos were taken. Eyes and Smiles were charming everyone. Bear was good except for one incident where he went off to play by himself without telling anyone where he was going.

The reception was really good where the food was good and I felt sorry for the staff at the banquet who would have to clean up under Eyes' highchair. She gobbled a lot of food and even more of it fell on the floor. I tried cleaning up as much of it as I could. Hehehe. Smiles had a blast dancing all night and Hubby and I even got one dance in. Of course I sprained my knee and had to ice it for an hour which kept me from dancing more. Sigh! Of course the next day the kids were hellions (or at least out of sorts) since they had stayed up so late the night before.

Then school started on Tuesday. Yay! for me! The older kids are gone for most of the day. I could do so much - except I still have the baby. She misses her older siblings when they are in school but we have fun playing. Smiles was really happy to go back to school and see all her friends again. The only sticking point for her was that her teacher hadn't given her any homework yet! Hahaha oh my soon enough she might regret that! Bear on the other hand was glad to go back to school but was also even more excited about going to the other school with Bird. So all is good I guess. It is just going to take some time for all of us to get back into the routine.

Venting Time

2008-09-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this in awhile but I need to do this today.

WARNING - this may offend some members of my Husband's Family

Here's the situation my mother-in-law came over last night to babysit for Hubby and me for a few hours. She did the dishes.

Problem - I have been refusing to do them for the last two weeks because I have been trying to get Hubby to fulfill his word. He had promised me when I went on vacation that he would do any dishes that he used while I was gone. I came back and they were not done. Okay I thought he'll do them soon enough. A few days passed meanwhile the kids and I have been using dishes and they are starting to pile up. Okay. As of Monday he had done the dishes three times each time doing half of the dishes - leaving the other half for another day. Meanwhile 2-4 days go by and all the dishes are used up again. Now I will willingly do the dishes again once Hubby FINISHES what he started. All he had to do was finish the dishes and I would take over the task again. Is it fair to him to be constantly doing dishes that he did not use?

Well apparently it is okay for me to have to do that. Same with the laundry, floors and all the other cleaning. Yes I am a stay at home mom, yes I don't work, yes I spend all day looking after the kids and sometimes get to play on the computer. But it is NOT okay to ask him to do the dishes and expect him to actually finish the job. What the hell is that all about? My mother-in-law called me a selfish bitch and said I just should have done the fucking dishes because I don't do anything at home. It makes me so mad when she says things like that because she should know that NO I do not spend my entire day goofing off on the computer. I do do housework, I pick up the kids from school, I go grocery shopping or other shopping, I run errands and yet I do nothing at home! This from a woman who had do all those things herself. Then I wonder why my husband has no sense of responsibility for housecleaning - because his mother let him get away with not doing a damn thing - she would do it all for him. Sure he had to help out once in awhile but you know from what I have seen My sister-in-law probably had to do alot more of the housework than either of the two boys. Is THAT fair? NO! It seems to all go back to that whole gender division of labour. The women do the housework and the men are the breadwinners. Fuck that even when I was working a FULL-TIME job I still ended having to do all the housework and that is totally not fair!

Then again I don't really know what the state of that household was like when he was growing up but still it really hurt me when she said that. Yes I know my housecleaning is lacking and that I don't always do things that I should but you know what I still have a clean house. Those dishes were something I could have done at any time but consciously decided not to do them. Why because I am just tired of being a maid to my husband and children and not getting any recognition for a job well done. I am just tired!

Diabetes

2008-08-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the vet and one cat is fine. Yes she's lost alot of her teeth but she has enough to still eat with and is otherwise healthy. The other cat we had left there over night because she was having obvious problems with her urinary tract. (Sorry when the first thing I smell is urine throughout the house coming home from vacation there's a problem. Especially since I had to mop the entire floor before I could let Eyes roam free.) So today the vet informed me that she has diabetes and it is because of her urinary tract infection that it was discovered. Which means I now have to give my cat insulin shots. And yes it was expensive but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Also depending on the amount of insulin Shhh requires will depend on how fast we go through a bottle. So at the moment she is looking a lot better than yesterday and is more active. She will actually go farther than just the kitchen where food and water are and then back to her litter box.

It does mean more trips to the vet for the first few months and the glaucoma index test will be expensive but she should have a few more happy years ahead of her. Hubby and I talked and once again decided that since we had originally made the commitment to the cats that we really need to follow through on it. I know both my parents and my mother in law will be wanting us to get rid of them even more now but it is not their decision. Even though Hubby is mildly allergic we have been able to keep it mostly under control so it doesn't bother him too much. And now that I have taken over the cat litter duty it should be better on him too. Though if his health or the kids health are seriously affected then we will find a new home for the cats. It will just be trickier with one of them being diabetic. It is going to take me awhile to wrap my head around it that's all.

Other than that my week is busy busy busy and I still don't have half the things done that I wanted done before the wedding this week. Sigh! To be honest it wouldn't be nearly so bad if the only the Gamer's Plague would leave me alone. So tomorrow will be another fun filled day of phone calls, shopping and rerouting the kids requests into things more reasonable and yet still fun!

Gamer's Plague

2008-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

I really like that term since it seems to be what I have come down with. After all I rolled miserably on my savings throw and come down with the sore throat, fever and headache that seems to come from not only having gone to a Gaming Convention but also staying at the farm for a few days afterward. I really meant to post earlier but yeah whatever...

To sum up I had a wonderful time at Gencon and loved seeing all my old friends from the forums. I got the kids their obligatory presents and bought my Anime. I am also realizing I will need to bring lots more money for Anime next year since there was so much I wanted to get. Sigh! The tavern at True Dungeon was a blast and I loved volunteering for it. I feel guilty for not helping out more but had a blast whenever I was there. I feel really horrible fro not participating in the Bard's Contest. I was really looking forward to it but ended up really sick at just that moment. And no I do not think it was a bad case of the nerves, though that might have been part of it. I did get there in time to see Widseth awarded first prize and the Shrieking Emu propose to his girlfriend. So all in all I was happy for them and then ended up sitting in a back corner holding onto the Rogue's Mark Pouch for Raven's Rogue Game. A small bit of bragging no one got my pouch at all though the gentleman, scratch that, thief who went under the table came very close to success. If not for the tug and hand disappearing back under the tablecloth....

Also I loved seeing my friends from Bioware who were putting on presentations for their new game down in the Exhibition Hall. The hall was once again crammed full and overfull in some respects since there are renovations going on but it was still nice to wander through. The few times I did I usually ended losing my escorts at some point. Big D and Raven were nice to walk with though and we did encounter more friends in the hall at some point or other. this year I ended up spending all the money I brought but only because I made a point of covering Raven's breakfast/lunch on Monday (she covered me enough times through the con previously). Even then we had fun purchasing supper on the way home having only Canadian cash and no more American.

This year's journey home was not nearly as horrendous as Raven and Blankshield's experience last year which was good. The weather in Toronto caused our plane leaving Indianapolis to leave late. We got lucky that the same weather caused our connecting flight to be delayed long enough for us to get to it when we arrived in Toronto! Of course our luggage was not so lucky (and neither was my wedding ring - sigh! but that's another story) but the luggage did eventually make it home - only a day late! By which time I was out at the farm looking after the chickens.

I had meant to do some sewing while I was out there but decided to just rest, relax and recuperate. And still come down with the Gamer's Plague. The kids by that time were bored and wanted to come home. Also knowing that their presents were in my luggage at home didn't help their homesickness. Still Eyes was happy to see her mommy and refused to let me go for about an hour after I got there.

I came home Friday only to immediately wash the floors... One of the cats (maybe both) has been sick. I quarantined Eyes in her crib while I furiously mopped all the floors and I am going to have to pick up a new bottle of SOX. My poor couch. Then yesterday we went to the Zoo for one last family outing before school starts in September. Unfortunately the stroller was forgotten at home and so either my arms or Hubby's arm's were tired from holding a wiggly squirmy baby for three hours. Still the kids enjoyed it and I am glad we went.

Now on to do all the last minute crazy things that need to be done before said school starts. Like phone calls, shopping and just general cleaning. Maybe I'll hide away in my bedroom until this plague goes away and then when it's safe I'll see what chaos the kids have caused. Knowing them and my husband it might be better if I just try and control the chaos from here.... sigh!

P.S.

I forgot to mention I had an absolute blast on all my runs through True Dungeon. Three times I got to play the horrible awful bard who's party members were willing to push out front of the monster to get attacked first. My bad poetry kept getting worse and worse every time I went through the dungeon. It was a lot of fun. My fourth and last run I actually ended up being the wizard on the Lord's and Ladies Run. Since I was the servitor and had specifically brought a platter to hand them things on. I think I was able to stay in character the entire run and still cast the spells necessary to help kill the monsters. Being the mage was interesting for me and I might consider doing it again on another run sometime. The best part was handing the DM's in each room the party card on the platter and then tipping them as we left. All in all it was a fun run.

My favorite run I would have to say would be my first run where I was horrible bard Extraordinare. After all who would be silly enough to let the bard cross over the chasm first to be surprised by the Mind Flayer! According to one of my teammates on that run I screamed like a little girl which is exactly the effect that I wanted. GRIN! Still the bard was smart enough to whip out her Blink Scroll and blink behind the Barbarian so he got hit and not her! Hehehehe. All in all I really enjoyed all the runs through the dungeon! I am eagerly looking forward to next years TD and really wish I could get to TD:DC(True Dungeon: Director's Cut) in April... but that again is another story :)

More selections of poetry... Some good... most bad...

2008-08-08T15:34:00.002-07:00

Since I will be entering a bard's contest at Gencon I realized I should go over my selection of bad poems. Then I had realized that I had not posted most them here for you... hehehehe

Queen of the Hill
I have claimed my hill
Ants though there be.
As I quietly walk up the side
Chaos ensues below.
Down I look and see only mutiny
why must we fight over such a thing?
A piece of land no bigger than house
is all I sit upon.
So all that you need to do is
proclaim me queen and we'll all live in peace!

Celiac
Pumpernickel, Rye
Bran, Oats or Wheat?
Grains made from nature's
field oh so sweet.
Can't eat them
I am a Celiac.

Ode to my mother who can't eat grains anymore. Okay Pumpernickel is a bread type and not a grain but whatever it fit the poem. Hehehe

Zoom
Zoom around the corner she goes
Zap the table is cleared of paper
Zip under the chair she crawls
Zabong she bounces off my leg
Zounds where is she now?
Ahhhh! The joys of a crawling baby.

Cheese
Cheese Puffs
Cheese Curds
Cheese Strings
Cheese Balls
Cheese in Cups
Cheese on a Stick
Cheese melting .... hmmm yum

Oh wait was this supposed to be a poem. Heh heh hi guys!

Ghost of my love
Ghost of my love
you wander these halls.
Forever and a day
I wish to touch you.
Castle on the hill
is where you tombstone resides
but I may never venture there again.
Widow of yours I wish I had been
but that now will never be.
Should I join you, lost and forlorn.
Can I join you in your dark despair?
I wander these halls... alone.

Messy Dolls
You look out at the mesh
and see the spiderweb.
It would be to say it plainly
is untidy. A mess.
There are things strewn all around
and stuff piled up.
What am I supposed to do with you Barbie!

The Castle
The castle looms menacingly
upon the hill.
The armor clad men rush up
to meet their doom.
Arrows fire down upon their heads
from crenallations gray.
Screams rise out of many throats
as the ground runs red.
The victors today are the crows.

Carefree
Carefree and roaming,
Carfree and alone,
Where will my feet take me next?
I don't know but it will probably be home!

My preference...
To walk, to laugh, to talk, to sigh,
A loving hand, a baby's cry
Which one will you do before you die?
A snarl, a growl, a grumpy's brew,
An angry fist, a heart untrue,
Which one will you do before the day is through?
My preference is to try
and kick this awful flu!

A Turtle
A turtle afraid of its shell
Walks without it
and it is hard to tell
Just what will become of the shell
now that the turtle has been
Eaten by a hawk!

Playing for the Divine
The monk's been blessed
by heaven sent grace
The paladin is guided
by God's right hand
The nun sits in quiet
contemplation
and prays for the divine
spirit's wisdom
All those who seek to help
the living and the dead
Are playing tribal wars
Instead!

Bragging Rights
Bragging Rights
Undefined
Once untold
Now unfold
Go onto Lights
I'm so Refined!
Got any gold?

Snow is cold
As tribal wars goes
everyone knows
that the time to snow
is why the warm wind blows
cold and you hear hohoho's

The Nomad
Cloaked and Cowled
the nomad roams
Hidden from the wind
but only the fowl
know where he shows
the place he makes home.

My child
Truly I sense you do not know me
You whine and you cry and scream in my ear!
I feel unwelcome and my grant is always taken
because the punishment duty is mine.
Yet...
I love you, I take care of you, I look after you,
I welcome, I coddle and cuddle you,
I pick up after you, I watch you sleep,
I have let you into my heart.
After all I am your Mom
and you are my child.
If you will grant me my imperfections
I will love you for yours.

Hey Fred!
Scraps of cloth
pieces of thread
Clothes that you wear
the hat on your head
Who do you think makes them
Why me of course Fred!

Sing a song
Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye
Drink a diet soda
and live before you die
Where would we be today
if not for those who're shy
My cat who's sleeping next to me
is so cute I want to cry

(Well this poem does anyways! hahaha)

Nonsense in
Nonsense in, nonsense out
Canada day, Canada day
Makes me want to shout
Fireworks and BBq's
everything for a big hullaballo.

Summer time
Fireworks blaze across the sky
like a flower or a marshmallow pie.
We stuff ourselves with food and drink
Singing and dancing no time to think!
We act like gluttons for a short while
What am I saying it's BBQ season. Woohoo!
Let's eat!

I am off to farm
I am off to farm
The cows and pigs are fine
Strawberry fields grow wild
and gathering the eggs is mine
As jobs go it sucks! lol.

Farm life
Life at a relaxed rate
Where the breeze blows softly
and the chickens cluck lazily.
Life in the fast lane
Where the cars honk noisily
and the people swear incessantly.
Choices, choices, choices.
When I have more time
maybe I'll move to the country.
Until then I'll call you from the city

One
One sock on
One sock off
One half of a clothespin
Only the left earring can be found
Once I found my right glove
Once I had pairs of everything
Once!

Thunder Storm
The thunder storms
outside my windows.
It rains against
the glass panes.
Lightening flashes and
I curl up in a blanket.
As I lie here in pain
I wonder at the cruel fate
that left me staring out
at this blue gray world.
My limbs move freely
but I am constrained by my heart.
The one I love is lost
to me forever.
By why is my heart lightened
watching the rain flow down the barrier.
Then I realize that others still love me
and I know that as long as they do I will never be alone.

Insensitive
People who are insensitive
should never expect presents.
Do you have a lollipop?
I've got one!
Wanna have it? Wanna?
Hahahaha. Slurp! Too late!
Insensitivity never pays. Slurp!

An ode to Dumbo...
When will the time
come for me to be free
All I want to is to
fly around and see
who are all the people
who love me.
And wonder why I'm
up a tree.

Little blue balls
Little blue balls
Squish underfoot
Upset basket
they escape
down holes
in my cart.
I cry over spilled milk .

For those who have dirty minds this is actually about an incident with blueberries that I had at the store one day!

Oh for the love of Children...

2008-08-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

The scene earlier this evening...

"I just cleaned it today!" me wailing piteously. One child sits soaking in black murky water - mud still in his hair and on his face. The second child standing in front of a black, black sink looking innocent. She had already taken a shower and washed the evidence off. Under her feet though there's muddy smears of footprints and a very wet and dirty bath mat.

I guess I will just have to clean the bath room again tomorrow. They tried to clean it up but you know they missed some spots!

A Memorable War

2008-08-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Quad was a lot of fun and profitable. It's funny how quickly the money goes as soon as I get it. We ended up selling 2-3 more items than last year. More expensive ones and both Raven and I are already talking about what we need to make for next year. Most of it involves black, black and more black. Still the stock leftover from this year is more from last year and that means as long as we have that we'll have a good basis for next year. Plus once again looking at things items sold that we were not expecting to. Such as children's cloaks or blanket cloaks. Still it was cute when on Sunday a woman came in and said she need to buy presents for her grandchildren and so got them cloaks. Hehehe.

Camping was pretty good this year. Bear, Smiles and KK (I am going to start calling Raven's daughter this) had a lot more freedom this year in when and where they could go. The Bear was allowed to go places as long as he told an adult where he was going. Not that he always did that and I did have to give him the speech about "Do you go with someone without telling Mommy or Daddy first?" His response was well he just went with the person who KK and her brother went with. Sigh! Even though it was KK's Uncle I still wanted to know about it. That was the problem he didn't seem to want to understand. Even though KK and her brother knew this person doesn't mean he should have went with them. Still it was nice to see everyone looking out for all the kids.

This was the largest Quad War and I was told by an Autocrat that there were 75 kids there. No wonder I saw so many babies. Eyes did have fun but I think she got sick because she has been a pooping machine ever since she got home. I am really glad I weaned her but with this sickness I keep thinking I should be passing on my immunization goodies but you know what this would happen sooner or later so I my as well tough it out. She's happy and smiling and generally getting into mischief so I think she's fine otherwise :)

Oh and just because I love the phrase "my own personal time zone" I will leave you with a silly poem...

Walking down the street
I see the clock strike the hour.
What was the time again?
Where am I to go and when?
I drive in my car
behind two others who will not let me pass.
I bite my steering wheel in frustration
only to get to my destination - two hours late!
Angry, I suddenly realize that no matter what
my friends understand me!
Because I live in my own personal time zone
and can laugh!

Bragging Rights

2008-07-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

1. Did laundry. Lots of laundry!
2. Made meatballs. And then froze them.
3. Made hamburger soup with Hubby. (to take to Quad War with us)
4. Cooked potatoes for a potato salad to take with us to Quad War.
5. Got the kids packed. Except for Eyes - she was asleep by the time I went to do it this evening.
6. Packed my own bags. Including a shower bag.
7. Got the kids to clean their room up.
8. Weaned Eyes completely.
9. Had a shower.
10. Did dishes like three times!

The first time I did the dishes was to allow Bear to regain his lost computer privileges. The second time was after supper and it was actually Smiles' turn to do dishes today so she joined me. The third time was when I cleaned up after the soup and meatballs and potato salad. So yeah I was busy today. And should go to bed but I wanted to document my awesomeness. Hahahahaha Right!

Anyways last night I went swimming by myself because Raven worked. I did end up at her house afterwards because I really wanted to get those two cloaks trimmed and clasped before this weekend. Raven had not been able to find the green griffon trim that DD had specifically Priority Mailed up to us so I could finish my cloak. Her son C-Man had been playing with it and it has vanished - poof! Hahaha. Oh well I still have my old cloak and I am sure the trim will turn up eventually. I can also take my cloak and wear it because it is mostly finished except for the trim. So whatever.

I did look again at the material I had left at Raven's and yes Queen Pet's cloak will be a tan shell with orange lining and an awesome trim. I even got the lining cut out last night. More than that and I lost my inertia. After all I still had to price the cloaks, look at what Raven had done (I was still there when she got home from work) and count out how many items I had done as opposed to her this year. The last bit was meant to be a joke but I discovered that this year I had made 24 items. Last year I think I had done 13? So it looks to be a good Quad War for stock! Eyes seems like she is sick (which I am desperately hoping she is not) and knowing how my life goes it means I will probably be sick for it too! Sigh!

Bragging rights
are mine.
I have done this!
I attempted and won
the prize.
The golden ring was
captured.
The ferocious bear
was tamed.
The lion shall roar
no more!
I have done housework!

Ghost of my love.

2008-07-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

1. Dishes with help done. Bear's turn tonight.
2. Made spaghetti for supper.
3. Still weaning Eyes.
4. Swept the kitchen floor twice.
5. Had guests over. (For all of 20 mins but still - guests!)
6. Wrote an interesting poem. Not sure where it came from.

So I came up with this poem and as stated above inspiration struck from somewhere. I really like it.

Ghost of my love
you wander these halls.
Forever and a day
I wish to touch you.
Castle on the hill
is where you tombstone resides
but I may never venture there again.
Widow of yours I wish I had been
but that now will never be.
Should I join you, lost and forlorn.
Can I join you in your dark despair?
I wander these halls... alone.

As a quick update Newlander goes back to Newfoundland tonight with B and R. Smiles told me that B is her boyfriend. I asked if that was official and she said "Yes! He was before he left here last year". Hahaha it still amuses me. As for my future sister in law Queen Pet her bridal shower was yesterday afternoon. It went really well and I never ever want to have to do toilet paper wedding dresses again. Funny but silly party game. Auntie Ski provided much food and I was so stuffed that I did not have supper last night. Yum! As for Queen Pet's gift I did not know what to give her so I merely asked what her favorite colour was. It is Orange. So I am going to make her a cloak and give that to her later. If I remember correctly I even have material that is a golden twill and orange fleece and that will make an awesome cloak for her. Especially if I can use the trim that springs to mind. I'll have to wait and see when I get to Raven's sometime this week. I still need to trim those two cloaks and finish up my own one :)

Hot Hot Nights

2008-07-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

So I haven't done any positive reinforcements for awhile. Here goes...

1. Picked up the kids from Raven's house.
2. Did the dishes and have implemented the drying rule for the kids (they switch nights as to who does them)
3. Mowed the lawn.
4. Watered the plants.
5. Hung laundry up on the clothesline.
6. Folded laundry when it came back in.
7. Played with the kids.
8. Am being successful in weaning Eyes.

So last night Raven was an absolute sweetheart and took the kids for the night. Hubby and I ended up going to a Greek restaurant and then to see The Dark Night (batman) movie. We did drop by and pick Eyes up from Raven but cruelly left Bear and Smiles with her. Um yeah who ended up with chocolate waffles for breakfast and chocolate sandwiches for lunch. Man I wish I had stayed over instead! hehehe. Okay not true Hubby and I needed that time alone together. We haven't been on a date in over a year? I think?!

But as to the title of this blog yeah it is really really hot these last couple of days and I somehow don't think it is going to cool off any time soon. After all Newlander is still in town :) Of course she's leaving on Monday and I will miss her but am glad that I was able to see her three times this month. I had wanted to hold a BBQ tomorrow for her and my friends but it didn't work out. Sigh! I even made potato salad to see if I could make it like my MOM. Um not quite but close! So I hope she has a good trip back to Newfoundland and I know Smiles will miss her boyfriend. Hehehe.

All Sewed Out

2008-07-22T13:37:00.001-07:00

I should have listened to the omens before going out to my parents farm last Friday. But I did not and ended up making another 2 cloaks to sell plus another 7 items for my kids and I. I made a dark gray with black twill lining (with a pocket) and a black with dark gray fleece Clinton style cloak. I unfortunately screwed up cutting out the Clinton style cloak so it is only a five paneled small cloak. Sigh. That and I apparently wrecked my Serger just after having gotten it serviced. It seems I can not do neckline seams because now my serger goes Kachungk and where it does that there is a stitch missing or skipped. Sigh! I am hoping I can figure out what is wrong by myself but don't have high hopes. Oh well maybe I'll make lots of money at Quad War and can have it serviced again afterwards.

I also made the cloak for myself except that I am about a meter short of trim and will need to add some when it comes in later this week (Fingers crossed). I also made 2 princess cloaks out of this gorgeous panne velour that Raven gave me using a beautiful purple trim with little pale blue leaves on it. One was made for the next birthday party that Smiles is going to be going to. The other one I think I'll hold in reserve in case she is invited to another birthday later. I even had enough material left over to make Eyes a cloak out of the panne velour. She also got two green dresses from a shirt that I no longer wear and lastly I made Bear a red tunic with a dark green trim.

So yeah I am all sewed out.

Even though I still need to put trim on the two cloaks I just made and clasps on them. Oh well whatever that should not take long.

A few cute things regarding the kids are Eyes has figured out how to climb steps. My parents have a three step rise into the old part of the house from the sun room so as long as there was supervision Eyes was allowed to experiment and play there. Meaning someone had to be right next to her in case she fell backward - even with a mat underneath her. Sigh! They grow up so fast. I am also trying to wean her so that I am not on a plane with engorged breasts leaving a fussing unhappy baby behind in the middle of August. She sometimes take the bottle (she even took it from me this morning) but if she's tired there's nothing that compares to Mother's milk. Grandma continued to spoil Eyes and would take her for long walks showing her the flowers and chickens which apparently Eyes adored. Smiles would usually accompany them but did sometimes go for walks on her own. Under Grandma's watchful eye of course. She also discovered the joy of camping at the farm (meaning she slept on a mat in the basement!) Bear just wanted to play with the waterguns and boy did we ever get soaked that day. Hehehe that was a lot of fun hiding from him and trying to spot his hiding places. Thankfully the guns are bright orange and easily spottable between trees!

When I got back I found out that Raven had called wanting to go swimming because her arm was still sore. So we went and swam and hot tubbed. I then went over to Raven's and showed her what I had accomplished and she cut out another cloak. That's when I discovered I was sewed out because even though I could have done the trim last night I just did not have the motivation or energy. Which is fine! I just wish I had not woken up with a borderline migraine this morning. As is I shouldn't be on the computer because it makes my headache worse. But the kids are active and I can't hide away like I would love to so I must endure somehow! If I feel better later after Eyes' nap I might take them to the playpark.

Failed Rice Krispies Squares

2008-07-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

How can you fail to make the simplest easiest dessert in the world. In my case apparently really easily. I even followed the directions to the T this time and still ended up with a Rice Krispies Ball instead of squares. Sigh! This is my second attempt and my first was I thought a failure due to the fact that I melted the marshmallows too high. This time I think it is because the marshmallows I used must be too old. Instead of marshmallow syrup I ended up with gloop! Sigh! I am not a cook either but I am a sewer!

As was proved today when I gave B his present today. I found out yesterday from Newlander that it was B's birthday today so not only was I able to give him and his brother the knight's shirts(tunics) and capes that I had made for them but Smiles and I went into the dinosaur bin and picked out dinosaurs for B as well. It made me happy to see B run around the play park today for about an hour in his tunic and cape. According to his mom they are really getting into the whole Harry Potter, D n D, and Lord of the Rings so that gift was right on the money. Leh and Crispy also showed up and the kids all played happily (for the most part).

I have to laugh at Newlander she is apparently the rain goddess because.... it was crappy weather when she left Newfoundland and sunny here. Now we are having thunderstorms almost every night (and sometimes days) and there hasn't been a drop of rain in Newfoundland. Hahahaha. Same thing happened when she left last fall. I told her she must be a rain goddess because the rain keeps following her. She laughed!

One neat incident that occurred yesterday was I was standing in line at the bank when I noticed that one of the three young men in front of me was wearing a Full Metal Alchemist shirt. So I asked him where he got it and we ended having a neat conversation about Manga and Anime. I think I impressed him with my knowledge of the ones out there. I told him about the ones that I had watched or read so far. Oh and I did get the location of the store that he bought his shirt from which was my main goal in the first place.

Other than that Crispy's birthday party yesterday went really well and I even ended up staying for awhile as they hadn't opened presents or had cake yet. Smiles after said "Mommy you were early (to pick her up)" and I said "No, Leh was running late!" I am happy though I was able to pick up my serviced serger and sewing machine after the party. So now I just have to make one more birthday present. That one's next Sunday and thankfully it is a little girl so I can just do a quick princess cloak. Sigh! I hadn't been planning on doing any more sewing before Quad War but you know what? I can't resist trying to do a few more cloaks hehehe.

Late Night Inventory

2008-07-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

I went swimming with Raven last night and ended up going to her house afterward to do some sewing. Instead we ended up inventorying the cloaks that we are going to take to Quad war with us. But because we could not just inventory them we also had to put tags onto them and sort them and yeah... So we were both up later than we wanted to be. Sigh.

Today Smiles has a birthday party to go to and we have had fun making Crispy's present. I made him a tunic and tabard with a big C on it and Smiles made him a crown with stickers and stuff on it. Of course to complete the outfit I bought a dollar store sword which is probably what Crispy will like the best. Hahahaha. Anyways I am going to have to run her there soon.

A Scary Incident

2008-07-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was standing at the screen door calling my kids into the house for bedtime a car drove up the back alley and stopped at our fence. The two girls Smiles and Bird (Bird and her dad were visiting us last night along with some other friends) were already heading to the house. Bear though was called over to the car and I am glad that there was a fence between him and the car. It turns out that the couple (a man driving and a woman in the passenger seat) said they were looking for their daughter and dog. My first reaction was "How horrible I should help!" So I opened the door and stepped out. As I soon as I did so the car sped off.

As I was putting the kids to bed I suddenly realized that what happened could have resulted in a very bad incident. This had all the hallmarks of a stranger(s) looking to take a child. You never think it will happen to your kid but until something like this happens. Then you realize just how easily it is for someone to try and take your child from you. I am scared to let my kids play in the backyard now and yet I know I can't watch them all the time. Thankfully it is raining today so are playing indoors right now. Except for the short period where I made them clean their room. So I am going to call up my friends and see if I can set up playdates this week just so I can get over this scare.

Oh and yes I did report this to the police and gave them as many details as I could. I just wish I could have gotten the license plate.

Farm Fun Week

2008-07-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

I ended up staying an extra night at the farm due to Hubby's phone call. Apparently there were Tornado warnings between the farm and the city so he wanted me to be safe and not travel that evening. Which allowed me to finish one more project. So I have five items for sale and three as gifts. One was merely sewing the trim and clasp on since it was already done. That was the red wool with black twill lining. Raven had found some awesome trim when she was in Europe and decided to give it to me as a present when she saw the cloak. She's awesome. I also did a small brown wool bog coat with purple fleece lining. I had reclaimed some trim from a previous cloak that was not working. That cloak was then turned into two tunics for Newlander's kids. I also made some capes for them. That trim I put on the tunics and on the brown wool bog coat. I still have some left for another cloak. After all it was beautiful trim but the cloak was made entirely of squares (or rectangles) and was um not cloak material so it did not hang properly.

I also sewed my light blue lady's Clinton style cloak with a rose tapestry trim that we got from Raven's mom. Due to my Serger's tension not working for me I ended up having to put another line of stitching along the seams just to make sure they were not going to come apart. I also made the light blue unlined lady's cloak that I used a gorgeous purple trim on from DD. It had light blue circles in along it which came out from the light blue twill from the cloak. It looks really nice. I also was able to make a gray twill with gray fleece lining on the last day. The trim from the wool cloak was how I finished that cloak off. It will be an extra small (or teen) cloak since it fits Bear. I had also cut out a cloak for myself with the gray twill and a greenish-gray fleece lining but did not want to push myself. Also by that time both my Serger and sewing machine were pretty well um worn out. So I have it all cut out but not made yet.

When I got back to the city I took both machines into the shop for servicing and they should be ready by next Wednesday which means I might be able to use them before Quad war. I am hoping I can get my cloak done since I am wanting a new one for myself. Last year everyone else in the family got a cloak so it's only fair I get one eh! Anyways I want to get the green griffon trim from Raven before I work on it also because I want to do a really good job on it. Alas Raven went to work on the cabin this weekend or I would be gushing - er showing off all that I did this past week. Still I know she'll get a chance to see them soon enough. I am going to have to go to her house some time and inventory and price all the new cloaks from this year. It feels good having been productive.

The whole reason why I stayed for so long was that my parents church was holding VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week and we wanted the kids to go. They had fun and really liked the songs and crafts. I ended up leaving Bears bike at the farm due to the fact that I couldn't fit it into my trunk for the drive home. I somehow accumulated more stuff than when I went out there and my trunk was full going there. Hahaha. So Grandma and Grandpa will bring it in the next time they have to come to the city or it will stay out there until my next visit. Bear was a little sad about that but he'll just have to cope. I am now going to see if I can find playdates for the kids. Eyes will be missing Grandma because she was totally spoiled by her! I mean totally! It got to the point where Grandma would be walking outside and if Eyes heard her voice she would crawl to the window to look for her.

So here's a few poems to commemorate my week at the farm....

Sewing
Scraps of cloth
pieces of thread
Clothes that you wear
the hat on your head
Who do you think makes them
Why me of course Fred!

Sing a song
Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye
Drink a diet soda
and live before you die
Where would we be today
if not for those who're shy
My cat who's sleeping next to me
is so cute I want to cry

(Well this poem does anyways! hahaha)

Canada Day
Nonsense in, nonsense out
Canada day, Canada day
Makes me want to shout
Fireworks and BBq's
everything for a big hullaballo.

BBQ Season
Fireworks blaze across the sky
like a flower or a marshmallow pie.
We stuff ourselves with food and drink
Singing and dancing no time to think!
We act like gluttons for a short while
What am I saying it's BBQ season. Woohoo!
Let's eat!

Farm Duties
I am off to farm
The cows and pigs are fine
Strawberry fields grow wild
and gathering the eggs is mine
As jobs go it sucks! lol.

The Difference
Life at a relaxed rate
Where the breeze blows softly
and the chickens cluck lazily.
Life in the fast lane
Where the cars honk noisily
and the people swear incessantly.
Choices, choices, choices.
When I have more time
maybe I'll move to the country.
Until then I'll call you from the city.

Canada Day BBQ

2008-07-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

So last night we held a huge BBQ for friends and neighbours. My husband had gotten it into his head to go and buy a tenderloin to roast thinking this would would be enough to feed 20 and some people. hahahaha! RIGHT! Anyways he ended grilling the steaks that I had told him to do for the few people who ended up coming a little late for supper. All in all though a good time was had by everyone and I am glad. There was lots of food and I discovered this morning that Sushi doesn't fit into the cold pizza for breakfast category. Next day Sushi is gross!

It was fun talking and watching the kids hit each other with boffer weapons that one guy had brought. Most of them were just home made duct-taped foam weapons wrapped around PVC piping but the kids really enjoyed it. For like FIVE hours straight kinda thing. There was also six kids in total, oops seven I forgot to include Eyes but she mostly just ate the grass. Bear and Smiles had alot of fun whacking their friends and once or twice got hit harder than they would have liked. Bear has a welt on his cheek from were a foam sword sprang back and hit him. He's fine. Well I should qualify that.. if he wasn't moaning with a fever and headache on the couch he would be fine. He apparently caught the sickness that Smiles had last Friday.

So it ended up a good thing that Auntie Ski couldn't take them camping as she had planned. She had been going to take them to her boyfriend's family cabin for 5-6 days. There was boating, quading, a trampoline and more which she would not be able to do with a severely sprained leg. She had thought she broke it initially. So needless to say the kids stayed home. She might be able to take them to the big Exhibition that comes every year in July. I had promised the kids that they could stay up last night to watch the fireworks but the we couldn't see alot due to the angle of the fireworks and the trees in our neighbours yard. Also Bear fell asleep an hour earlier due to being sick. So instead we'll have to let the kids watch the fireworks at the Exhibition.

A couple of other things that happened yesterday were my friend Newlander is in town and she dropped by with her kids. So Smiles got to play with B (she claims he's her future husband - hehehe) and we all went to the play park for about an hour. Newlander says she'll be in town til the end of the month which makes me really happy! I look forward to finding splash parks to take the kids too.

The last thing of note is that I experimented and gave Eyes some blueberries yesterday. Hahahah. Oh my what an ooey gooey mess. hehehe. She loved them! She also really likes pickles (she has started to just eat the insides of the pickle and leave the rim) and strawberries. Today I decided to see how she'd like an orange. I cut up a few slices for myself for breakfast and decided to peel one slice for Eyes. She didn't devour it but she did suck all the juices out of it. I think she just wants to chew things again because I can see her two front teeth poking out from the top of her mouth. The other milestone that Eyes has achieved is she is now able to consistently roll from her back onto her front. This morning I awoke to the sounds of the mobile jingling in Eyes' room. Lol and behold a smiling baby was playing her mobile! So now no more mobile. I am also thinking I am going to have to get Hubby to lower the crib mattress. She can consistently pull herself up on things and has not yet pulled herself up on the crib rails but it is only a matter of time. I wouldn't be surprised if Eyes' is one of those babies who can crawl out of her crib before she's a year and a half old. Uh oh I really hope that doesn't happen. hahaha

Emo Poem

2008-06-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

Can you read a poem
about your heart's blood
As it drips through your fingers
I wonder if it does.
You sigh and you moan
you primp and you preen
you act like savages
but all you are is mean.
You know nothing of the heart
It's wounds and its joys
I'll only say this once
You're a fool that I love!

This is in response to another poem by a fifteen year old. His was for a girl in his class and me I just felt like it! Can't you tell how Emo it is! hehehe

Creepy Crawler

2008-06-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

Actually it is more like a happy crawler. Eyes is now officially a crawler and moving around on her hands and knees. She sometimes flips over onto her back (which startles or scares her - especially if she hits her head on the floor) and she is even trying to pull herself up on things. Which means give her a few months? or so and she'll be walking. Yikes! She loves strawberries and boy does it show. I usually have to strip her naked at meal time if I do give her some just so I only have to wash her and the highchair. I have even tried giving her some toast - didn't go over so well.

Other than that I had a good time at my Mom and Dad's this weekend. I got three items completed. My half and half hood or maybe I should call it my Two Toned Hood! It is half red and half blue after all. Hehehe. Also I got a red wool bog coat done and a red wool lined cloak done. I am not sure I want to trim the bog coat. The more I think about it the more I like it as is. It is big and whoomfy. I did screw up the neckline so the hood doesn't sit as nicely as I would like but it is still workable and I like it. Raven thinks I need a more homespun trim for it because the wool is so coarse looking (and feeling) but yeah I think I like the coat as is.

One strange thing that I also determined this weekend is that even though I am allergic to wool and it makes me very itchy and red and raw (especially if I work with it all day) I still like working with it! There is something about the wool that satisfies me when the job is done. Some would say I am just a masochist (they point at my husband when they say that) but I think I am just weird. And I like it that way. Hahahaha.

So here's a poem for the road.

Cloaked and Cowled
the nomad roams
Hidden from the wind
but only the fowl
know where he shows
the place he makes home.

That was a weird poem! Maybe I should go to bed soon. Heh Night Night!

Hummmmdeedoh!

2008-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am in a nonsense mood right now so this is what you get....NONSENSE!!! hehehe

Okay maybe not all nonsense but enough of it anyways. I haven't updated for about a week and have been meaning to but got caught up reading Manga on the Internet. Sigh! It's still pretty and and and I like it!!!

Okay quick summary of the last week... Thursday was Track and Field day were I ended up volunteering to help out with the hotdog lunches. They even provided chicken and beef dogs so I could have some. Yay! Eyes was fussy for a bit but she hadn't napped that morning so I don't blame her. She was conked out by the time Smiles got out of class and we went home.

Friday I was supposed to go to a BBQ for Raven's sister who was in town but didn't make it out. Saturday was the kids last swim lesson (until we sign them up for more) and that night we went to the Waterpark at the world's largest mall. I had bought tickets through the community league which was selling them for a third of the normal cost. The only thing bad about the experience is that next time we all use the Family room and use one locker instead of two. You know why? The cost of the locker rental (which didn't take quarters by the way) was the same amount as the ticket! Argh! Anyways we saw lots of people from our Community there and Eyes played happily with H's little sister. The two babies were adorable in the water. Smiles and H were inseparable and went on all the rides together. Bear was a maniac scaring his poor father with his choice of rides. hehe.

Sunday was Father's day and the kids gave their dad their gifts. We went to Hubby's Mom and Dad's place for supper that evening and had a lovely meal. I really liked the artichoke/avocado/ other things salad. I ended up finishing it off. That was how much I liked it. So even though I said it earlier Happy Father's Day Hubby!

Today was an exhausting day. I decided to clean after leaving things for awhile. I had been sick and other than the above mentioned things mostly slept this last weekend. So I cleaned today and tonight Hubby and I went to a parent orientation meeting for Bear's schooling in the fall. He'll be going into a Diagnostic program to help with his Social and Speech problems. Once we got there we discovered that our old roommate and his daughter were going to be going into the same program as Bear. This made Bear happy when we told him upon arriving home. He was like "She's coming to my school?!" "Um no, you two will be going to a different school for the first couple of months but will be in the same class together." "That's so cool! I can show her.....(Insert random kid ramblings)". So yeah, he was excited. Oh and one thing that is amusing me is that I just gave Eyes a pickle and she loves it! Heheheh. And yes I am watching her to make sure she doesn't choke!

Oh here's the nonsense (in bad poetry) that I thought I was going to be doing throughout but apparently I got caught up actually blogging. OH and here's a poke at someone who hasn't been updating her blog for like a MONTH... POKE POKE!!

Tribal Wars is fun
but you know you aren't the one
When your villages are all burned down
and the battle has been won
And your on the losing side!

OMG she actually ate the whole pickle!

Cheerios Monster

2008-06-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Eyes has gotten to the point where she is able to take large handfuls of Cheerios and stuff them in her mouth. You would think, but would be mistaken, that this does not increase the Cheerios percentage on the floor. I just swept yesterday and will have to do so again maybe three times today - all because of the Cheerios. At least she likes finger foods. I am going to have to start branching out and finding something else she can grab by herself. Hmmm - toast?

Last night I went swimming with Raven and even though I didn't do alot it felt good. We then went back to her house to do some sewing. When I asked her about the half and half hood she was all for it. So it looks like I'll be doing the half blue and half reddish brown fake suede hood. Which is cool I really want to see how it'll look. Other than that I finished the trim and clasp on the large reddish brown fake suede cloak and put clasps on three other cloaks. What three? you say. Why yes three. One was a play cloak for little H and the other two were old cloaks that I will be putting in the used bin. I had found a tub in the garage marked Costumes and Cloaks and finally decided to go through it the other day. I found five cloaks that I am willing to get rid of. One though I need to strip it of its trim and use the trim on another cloak. The only reason why I kept that particular cloak was because of the trim. The cloak can be sold for dirt cheap otherwise.

I also found four costumes I no longer need or care to have around. One is a dress that I trimmed up very nicely and wish that it actually fit. But it was too small for me when I made it and it definitely does not fit now. That doesn't mean that I could never wear it - I would just have to get a major breast reduction. There were three shirts that I do not use anymore either. I still have nostalgia over one - a bright red (though the red is fading) trimmed with black cloth around the neck and arms tunic. There is a bright kelly green tunic were I totally messed up the neck line and have not figured out to save it. Raven suggested just cutting out a child's tunic from it. Which leaves me with a medium rich green blousy shirt that was once again an original when I was learning to sew. That shirt is about 15 to 17 years old now. I did not put elastic in the sleeves and the neckline is so gathered that it doesn't lay down like it was supposed to so.... that one I am thinking I will definitely make into a dress for Eyes. She looks good in the darker colours -just her Mom.

Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut and cut some more fabric

2008-06-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

So I over did it at my parent's place this weekend. I am still sick with this nasty cold but decided to go to the farm anyways. I am glad I did because I ended up cutting out five items. (Oh my sore knees - it was a concrete floor I was crawling on to do my cutting) Well six actually but it might be only five I haven't decided yet. I did sew one item. An unlined fake suede dark reddish brown cloak. I also put the trim on Little H's cloak, now I just need the clasp for that one. I am going to see if Raven would like it if I came over some time and sewed with her. I brought home two projects and need trim and clasps on my done items. The one project that I want her advice on is the hoods I cut out. I had enough left of the fake suede for a hood and thought I would pull out the remnant of the dark blue fake suede. Sure enough I had enough for a half circle hood from both of them. So my dilemma is that I could a) make two hoods b) make a reversible hood or c) make one full circle hood with one side blue and the other side red. I had been wanting to make a cloak like c but am leaning toward trying it out on the hood first. It seems to be that this is the year of experimentation for me.

Other than that the kids and Hubby are sick as well. Including the baby but at least she's still smiling and giggling. I tried taking a nap this morning and failed miserably due to the colossal headache. Oh well that's enough moaning. Suffice it to say that I am sick - yuck! Oh one small tidbit that I laughed at was Bear going "My brain's going to explode. It hurts!" Of course this was before we left the farm and I never think to take medicine out with me so he had to suffer without his Tylenol until we got home. Sigh! At least they went to sleep really quickly when we got home.

Other than that the kids had a good time. They enjoyed looking after the chicks. The last chicks hatched while we were there. Even Eyes smiled when she saw them. Grandpa specifically had Bear help him take the newly hatched ones from the incubator out to the chicken coop. Bear really seems to like the chickens.

Impaired Drivers

2008-06-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Bored to tears
Bored to mischief making
Bored for fears
Of casseroles baking
Bored of cheers
With the tyrants waking
Bored, Bored, Bored.

So the above poem isn't quite right. I am only bored right now but have actually had a pretty full week. On Tuesday I over did things and have a long list of stuff that I accomplished in and around the house. The most notable one for me was that I went swimming with Raven and ended up at her house to talk cloaks afterwards. I was very happy to see her. She apologized for not bringing me anything back from Europe but you know what the best present she gave me was her ear on Tuesday! I missed her.

Wednesday I was laid out with a miserable cold which was emphasized by my sore throat. This was one of the indications that I over did it on Tuesday. Smiles had a pottery field trip that morning, where she made a tooth fairy and will be painting it next week. I mostly sat on the computer bemoaning my lack of energy and just being miserable. Yesterday I attempted to do some more housework and actually accomplished some. I also tried to go to bed early. HA! I got caught up watching my Anime. Sigh! Anyways I had just fallen asleep when something woke me up. Between the baby screaming and the sirens outside I had to get up. But I really didn't want to. Eventually the baby went back to sleep and so did I.

The sirens outside were from Hubby calling the police due to the fact that an Impaired Driver decided to smash not only into his truck but to total our neighbours car as well. So since he was able to get the license plate he was up way later than he had planned on being filling out a police report. Needless to say he did not go into work today. Actually our neighbours got lucky that it was only the two vehicles that were hit. There were around five other cars and trucks that the idiot driver could have hit as well but didn't.

So tonight I am thinking that I may not be able to go swimming (my head is so stuffed I don't think adding water would be a good thing) but I might still go out and visit at Raven's house. A couple of friends are supposed to be coming over and I would like to see them. Though I don't know if I should inflict this cold on anyone else. After all the Kindergarten Moms are talking to me again but now I am standing offside so they have less chance of catching my cold. Sigh!

Ode to a Jolly Jumper

2008-06-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Jump Jump
I wanna jump jump.
Bump Bump
I wanna bump bump.
Thump Thump
I wanna thump thump.
Yeah!

Yes Eyes totally loves the Jolly Jumper. She really likes the jumping part which I knew she would. I like it because now my arms are not so sore from helping her jump. Giggle! Other than that life has been better. I have been ostracized by some of the Kindergarten moms but whatever they were the mean ones anyways. I am on speaking terms with Leh now, though we do have to go over what happened on Thursday still. After all I do not think I should be cast as the sole villain of this piece. My thing is I want to wait until I am no longer sick, depressed, sleep deprived, having my period, etc... In other words I want to be a reasonable human being because I don't know if Leh will be. But that will be for later.

Right now I just want you to know I have the most awesome Mom and Dad in the world. They came in on Friday bringing the buffalo that we had ordered. My dad and I went through it and divided it up so that Auntie Ski and I got roughly equal portions of the meat. We took more of the ground and I gave her more of the steaks and roasts. While I was doing that my Mom (she is so awesome!) planted plants and things in the flower beds!!!! Woot! She also brought strawberries as a special project for Smiles! Mom said this way she can reap the juicy rewards for looking after the plants! I love my mom!

My mother-in-law was also there on Friday having taken Bear to get his golf clubs. She also set up his first session for Wednesday so he can learn the proper way of handling the clubs. He was having trouble figuring out the grip. He also apparently lost the putter for his set while they were still in the store and the salesclerk was kind enough to cut another one down to Bear's size. He's such a stinker! Anyways I was told Raven is back from Europe and that makes me happy because I really missed swimming with her. Later everyone!

Kindergarten Moms

2008-05-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

An incident happened today that I just can't seem to shake and get rid of. You see to me it was innocent and a misunderstanding. Now I am just wondering if I will be shunted off to the Ostracism corner as well.

For me it started when Smiles came to me crying. She had been swinging with some friends of hers after school at the play park and they had started teasing her. Naturally it was dealt with and she went back to the swings. Leh (as I will call this mom)has been not getting sleep this week and her voice started to go. So I offered to round up her child and get him going because she had to leave. What I found was that he was still teasing my daughter and Leh made him apologize to Smiles for calling her a Loser! The next bit that gets me is that she was trying to get Crispy (the boy's pseudonym) to look at Smiles so she could accept his apology but instead he kept playing with Eyes. She told him to not touch babies after playing in the sand. Since he was not listening to her (which he had been doing since getting to the play park) I simply said "You need to ask the Mother's permission before playing with a baby". Seemed like a simple rule to me. To which Leh stormed off for trying to discipline her child when all I felt was that I had been reinforcing what she had told him. I guess somehow I offended her and I have no idea how.

When I got back home I sent a message to her on facebook apologizing for any unintended insult I may have given her. The thing is I do not know if she will be reasonable or if she will have even read the message or worse read it and took even greater offense at it. Sigh! So the crux of the matter is that I am dreading tomorrow morning and the reactions of the other Kindergarten Moms as well as Leh's. So Babyjail I know you had something like this happen to you awhile ago and I just wanted to let you know your not alone in situations like these. You see I have a hard time socializing and getting into a crowd. Introducing myself and actually talking to others without feeling like I have intruded upon their circle is very difficult for me. So now that I have finally seemed to have been accepted into this circle of Kindergarten Moms I am left with the feeling that I am still an outsider.

And the worst thing of all is I know why I feel like this. It's called post partum depression and all I want to do is cry.

Circle of Friends

Can you forgive me for being so rude
All I want is to talk to you.
I see you every day
Walking to and fro.
Was something I said so horribly crude
that you can not spare a moment, not one, or a few?
For my mistakes I pay
and always will I suppose.
Your circle of friends are yours
and only yours.

Nonsense Poetry

2008-05-28T14:39:00.001-07:00

Windy breeze as the summer flows through
Dancing in the air with a leaf balloon.
Come join me as I sing a kazoo
And sleep sweetly next to the gnu.
When the time comes we shall shoo
The fly as it climbs to the moon.

Yay for Team Puke!

2008-05-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Leading Team Puke
is Baby Spewie
followed by
Sick to her Stomach girl.
Next in line are
Barfing Boy and
Discombobulated Dad.
And who is in charge
of this wonderful team?
Fever Dream Mom!
Let's hear it for Team Puke!!!

Not actually happening but feels very close to coming true any minute now!

The Crunch of the Cheerios.... pt 2

2008-05-26T13:48:00.001-07:00

I am thinking Eyes is going through a growth spurt. She is ravenous and eating all the time it seems like. Still it could also be that since she's teething she just wants to chew on something all the time. Her cheeks have been bright red the last four or five days now. So in honour of the Cheerios she is currently munching on here is my latest poem. Appropriately titled The Crunch of the Cheerios...

The Crunch of the Cheerios
As I head out the door
The Crunch of the Cheerios
As I gather up toys
The Crunch of the Cheerios
As I sweep the floor
The Crunch of the Cheerios
Good for girls and boys
The Crunch of the Cheerios
As my baby flings them to the floor
At least she gets some in her mouth!

Eyes Update

2008-05-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Eyes is sitting up by herself now. Mostly. She does still fall backward and whack the back of her head sometimes. That's what pillows and blankets are for:) She is still teething. Yippee for me! Rah! Her cheeks have been bright red for the last three or four nights in a row now. Which means she wants things in her mouth and if she wakes up in the night.... you get the point. Or I should say I DO! Other than that she is loving Cheerios and gruel and her poops are definitely smelling it! Yuck! Oh well I went through this two times before I guess I'll just have to get used to it again.

She still has Grandma wrapped around her fingers and since she was the only one I took to the farm this weekend she was thoroughly spoiled. Grandma took her for walks and showed her the chickens and flowers and even rocked her to sleep last night. Sigh! I wish someone would do that for me some days. Anyways it was nice going out there and I actually missed not taking Bear and Smiles. I kept seeing so many things that I wanted to point out to them or just thought "Gee Smiles (or Bear) would love this!" What can I say I'm a suck!

I did get one cloak done this weekend. I was bound and determined to sew at least one despite mechanical problems. My serger was not letting me adjust the tension properly and I was getting royally frustrated on Saturday. Enough so that I went for a long walk around the property. I found the FROGS hide out! Hehehe. When I came back I ended up going to bed early. Not that I went to sleep early. I was just in bed by 10pm. This morning I was able to figure out the tension problem and finished a gorgeous black and brown Clinton style cloak. I must say I now no longer want to sew cloaks unless I have the trim picked out and with me during the sewing stage. It was so much easier to finish this cloak and it looks awesome! Only thing left is the clasp.

So let's see if I have a bad poem inside right now or not...

Scratch and Win
Scratch and WIn
Win what?
Scratches from my cat?

The Crunch of the Cheerios....

2008-05-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Once nice thing about hardwood floors is that you can sweep things up easier. Especially when you think you have picked up all the Cheerios that Eyes has dropped and instead feel one crunch underfoot. So yeah we have now given Eyes Mush or Gruel (aka Rice Cereal) potatoes (mashed) and recently Cheerios. I figured if she's teething I my as well deal with two things at once. Okay three actually. First she can chew on something other than my finger or nip... um. Second she's feed and trying new solid foods. Third she's practicing her hand-eye coordination. It is so fun to just watch her concentrate on getting that Cheerio into her mouth. I must admit it was also fun leaving a trail of Cheerios for her to follow. hehehe

Oh and this little video is currently Smiles favorite (it seems I can not figure links out again sorry!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo

So onto my bad poetry for the day (um last three days..)

You're a dip
Says the chip
to the burger.
You are wrong
says the thong
to the sugar.
No I am a
Moo-ing violation
of inhalation
says the cow.

Poetry in the Rain

2008-05-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

Sound of the rain as it falls off the eaves
Little drops running down smoothly
The baby smiles at the glistening glass
Trees grow greener making new leaves
Splash! Maybe I should get rain boots!

As the current poem above implies yes it is raining. I am one of those crazy people who likes walking in the rain. My friend who likes to call herself Dexter Creekwalker knows exactly how crazy I can be. As her name implies - yes - we did actually walk creeks. Many creeks though that was before we had kids. Oh the time to just goof off and relax in the rain. I so want to go Creek walking now!

Anyways here's another bad poem for your perusal. Though I am not sure what inspired this one considering I have never done it.

Seasick

Lost upon this sea
Laughter behind me.
Why do I see no noble
place to land?
I sigh as I seek
solace at the edge.

Under Where?

2008-05-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

1. Dishes
2. Cleaned the bathroom
3. Swept the floors
4. MOPPED the floors
5. Washed the walls

Number four on that list is really the important one since it has been oh say months since I last did it. Yeah yeah I know I am bad. I have a newborn and being a naturally uninclined person towards housework doesn't help. So yesterday having energy and wanting to clean the house I actually got some of it done. I still have laundry and more walls to wash and once again dishes, but whatever that's the nature of housework it is never done. At least I gave the baby a bath today. Well after waking up to find the baby in a pile of poop it was the least I could do!

So here's another bad poetry selection.

Good or Bad
Under where
The leaves shine
off the bear.
Hehehe I made you say Underwear!

The last couple of Days... Boring!!!

2008-05-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

At least in my mind anyways. I haven't been feeling like I should be blogging because I have nothing to say. Hmmm so why am I blogging NOW? I dunno!? Because I feel like rambling I suppose. I guess I'll just do a bad poem for your selection and then off to be bored and play silly games while ignoring housework.

A plethora of colours
Only red, yellow and orange.
The tulips have sprouted.

2008-05-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Fare Thee Well

All the fun has been had
All the friends are gone
All the food has been eaten
Where has the time gone?

The walls have been rammed
The soldiers lay slain
The town is in ruins
The people complain

The fields are churned mud
The Mines are destroyed
The timber is cut as the clay clods
Don't pretend to be coy

The sun shines down
On my patch of Snow
I shall Patrol it no more

This poem is in tribute to the tribe that just died on Tribal Wars. Sigh.

Other than that I had a fairly good weekend. I went to my Mom and Dad's and got two items done. (Well except for the clasps) One was the bog coat which really is a robe but it is getting thrown into the bog coat classification anyways. The second is a cloak I would love to keep for myself except for two things. (Well one very important one anyways!) The first there is a small flaw in the material in the hood of the cloak (I could easily live with this) The second reason is that I made it too small (Waaaahhhhhh!) It is exactly my colours and Raven when you see it you will agree! It is that light gray/ medium gray Clinton style cloak with the Green Griffon trim. It is warm and comfy except for the whole too small for my shoulders bit. Grrrr! I guess someone else will just have to love it. Sniff!

Oh one thing that amused me was that as I walked into the sun room at the farm I saw a jacket with a zipper lying on it. I took the hint and replaced the zipper for my Mom. After all it is Mother's day today and it was the least I could do to repay her vast kindness in letting me come out there all the time. Also since I had replaced two zippers the previous two times I had been there I could not plead ignorance in that area of expertise! Though I will state that I am not a professional. Just competent!

So yes unlike last year I had a much better Mother's day this year. The best is that Hubby found me a gift that I like a lot better than chocolates or flowers (though the chocolates wouldn't have hurt). He got me a graphic novel of the Anime that I have been currently watching. Hehehehe. I love my husband. Now if only he would do the dishes....

Poetry for the long haul

2008-05-11T20:03:00.001-07:00

Since the place where I was posting these may disappear soon I was thinking I would hate to have these poems also disappear too. So brace yourself...

TULIPS
"Eyes hurt from the glare of the snow.
I glance behind me only to be blinded
by the sun glinting off the slush.
My tulips have died!"

Whimper...
Whimpering comes from behind
I play my games with your mind.
My verse is horrible
but at least it rhymes...
Sometimes!

Spur of the Moment
Spur of the moment I always regret
I lack the imagination nay wit
to complete the comeback needed.

Ducky
A ducky sits beside me
Yellow, fluffy and clean
Orange legs once ripped off
Lovingly sewn back on
What do you mean the duck's name is Daisy?

I actually really like this next one.

The Favour
Noble Aspirations glint off his armor
The Silken Lady swoons in the heat
His Fiery Charger snorts his challenge
An Embroidered Favour floats onto the field
Only to be trampled underneath shod hooves
Guess he won't be winning that Lady's Heart!

If only
If only a lover would take my hand
If only I were in love
If only a baby would cry for me
If only I were a mom
If only I could see things clearly
If only I could see
If only I had a friend to hold me
Then I know I would be loved.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes red and sweet
Ripe, juicy and squishy to eat.
Possibilities galore with this simple fruit
Salsa, sauces, sliced or compote
Yum!
No you bum...
It is not a vegetable
now where's my next fable!

Unwit
Bow down before my foibles!
I will conquer thee with my unwit!
(Oops that was supposed to be thou - oh well)
Thy screams will drown out the cries of laughter
As I watch the tears stream down
When will you break...
Never hopefully I would hate to have you restart!

This another one I really like. It almost sounds like an actual poem.

Listen as the nightingales sing
The blue of the moon
is the colour of your eyes
Listen as the nightingales sing

Our song is as old as time
Yet the young play it for free
Never knowing they are mere things

I serve you as I would a master
One who is bold and wise
Yet your heart I can never bring

The shadows which shroud your joy
Keep you apart from me
So to your happiness I do cling

Yet happiness is only a word
One which you deplore
On this cold sandy beach I fling

When you are old I will be safe
From your inconsiderate lies
Listen to the nightingales sing.

A cat
A cat on my lap
Wants a nap
Shall she get it - no!
For soon I will have to go.
After all we need groceries and it is 10% off at the grocery store and we need milk, juice, diapers, snacks, meat.....
Oh what the heck I am such a sap.
Purr

Red Bumblebee Express
Blue hippopotamus,
Flying monkey squirrel,
Pink flamingo dragons
and a chesire cottontail.

Gold armored armadillos,
A black lion Lab,
Yellow straight-jacketed penguins
and blind balding eagles.

Enjoy your in flight movie on the
Red Bumblebee Express.

A fever dream
A fever dream
A castle flying high
An imaginary sight
Of an aardvark shy
I really wish someone could tell me
Why is it when I am sick
All I want is for someone to hold me

The blizzard
The blizzard rages on
as the town shivers inside
their homes.
Blankets strewn across
their bodies huddled
together for warmth.
Meager as it is
will it be enough?
Snow flakes whirl
around the white topped
houses of cold.
A single bell peals
as a new day dawns
Darkly.
Still laughter can
be heard from inside
one tiny hut.
After all they
are reciting poetry...

When things go bad
When things go bad
We all get mad
and say the cad
was just a fad
and then we're sad.

Rudeness
Rudeness strikes a brittle heart
like an arrow piercing a glass bowl.
Kindness hides a shy smile
like a child holding black coal.
Anger shouts down a faint mind
like a tidal wave hitting a shoal.
Empathy guides a wavering step
as a friend goes for their goal.
Piece of mind comes from not
backing down as your story is told.
Instead I get tangled blankets

Long Day, Wicked Headache

2008-05-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

So today I picked up the chicks from school to take to my parents farm tomorrow. There are eight in total and right now the kids are still trying to avoid going to sleep because the only place in the house that the cats won't eat the chicks in... is the kids bedroom. We can close their door. Last year we had a computer room to put them in but this year it is a nursery and I am NOT putting baby chicks into my baby daughter's bedroom. If the kids don't behave and go to sleep soon I may have to take the chicks out to the garage and leave them there overnight. It is warm enough that they should survive. We do have the heating lamp and blankets. We just need to be careful not to let the blankets touch the heating lamp. Sigh.

So Eyes had another round of immunizations on Wednesday and as seems typical, now has a fever three days later. I mention this because she is incredibly fussy and very warm to the touch. And crying beside me while I ignore her to type this. Which means a sleepless night for me. Sigh.

Also I tried to get some sewing done at Raven's tonight but fate conspired against me. I got to her house alright and did manage to sew some trim onto one of my bog coats. I also got to cut out a full Clinton style cloak of brown and black. Alas I could do no more because Raven's house was invaded by not just some gamers but ALOT of gamers. Who needed someplace to sit which meant the basement. So I had many legs to try and cut around near the end. I also developed a wicked headache near the end so having to leave was probably a good thing. Oh the reason why I had to leave? Hubby is going to go see Ironman tonight which I had vaguely remembered saying he could go to. So yeah not alot was accomplished. I did see some nice trim that Raven's mom left for her(us) and I know I can use at least three of them.

All I can say is that my Mother Day on Sunday better be something special because I do NOT want a repeat of last years!!!!!! Okay that's enough hinting to Hubby.

So here's some poetry. It will be either good or bad I can't tell at this point with my headache.

A fever dream
A castle flying high
An imaginary sight
Of an aardvark shy
I really wish someone could tell me
Why is it when I am sick
All I want is for someone to hold me
Instead I get tangled blankets

Poetry is good for you!

2008-05-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Rudeness strikes a brittle heart
like an arrow piercing a glass bowl.
Kindness hides a shy smile
like a child holding black coal.
Anger shouts down a faint mind
like a tidal wave hitting a shoal.
Empathy guides a wavering step
as a friend goes for their goal.
Piece of mind comes from not
backing down as your story is told.

When things go bad
We all get mad
and say the cad
was just a fad
and then we're sad.

The blizzard rages on
as the town shivers inside
their homes.
Blankets strewn across
their bodies huddled
together for warmth.
Meager as it is
will it be enough?
Snow flakes whirl
around the white topped
houses of cold.
A single bell peals
as a new day dawns
Darkly.
Still laughter can
be heard from inside
one tiny hut.
After all they
are reciting poetry...

I figured I would post some of these poems up here because I am uninspired to actually blog anything lately. If I did all it would be is me moaning and complaining and I don't feel like doing that:)

A Furrowed Brow

2008-05-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

A furrowed brow
in anger does repose
upon my face.
I scowl darkly
hiding my grimace from
the one behind me.
If ever there was a time
that patience a virtue
should be bestowed,
now would be it.
I suck in my breath
contort my features into a smile
and turn as if calm.
"Yes I will read you a bedtime story
Just as soon as I clean up this broken vase!"

No this didn't actually happen but it was one of those days!

Blowing wind...

2008-05-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

1. Cleaned the bathroom.
2. Cleaned the living room.
3. Semi baby-proofed the living room.
4. Blogged.
5. Continued on the gruel everyday for Eyes.

I have been meaning to blog for oh about 3 days now. Lots have happened but all of them mostly mundane things. Such I went swimming with Raven on Friday. (I really needed to get out of the house that night - oh that was a humdinger!) I took the kids canvassing up the block for a fundraiser for school. (We have some really cool neighbours - one guy was 85 yrs old and had a heart operation so was more than willing to sponsor the kids! The fundraiser was for the Heart and Stroke Foundation) Other than that I have been spending more time on the computer than I should and avoiding housework. Except for today where I specifically made myself sweep th e floors and clean the bathroom. I still haven't mopped but I am hoping to do that soon....er yeah!

Anyways I will inflict a bad poem on you before I go just because I am cruel that way. I have been trying to post a poem everyday on the Tribal Wars forum which is why I haven't always done one here. If I like this one I may inflict it one them too.

You insult my honour,
my duty and my life.
I regard you as a toad
bloated and pompous with ego
spilling over your features.
You are incapable of wielding that sword
or I would challenge you to a duel.
Not that it would lessen your smirk.
You think everyone should be respectful
of the flame of your selfish wishes.
Only you would dare to have your portrait
painted as if you were blowing wind.

Yep that was a good one. Oh excuse me please... hehe

Domicile Energy Ball has been dropped...

2008-04-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

1. Did the dishes
2. Gave Eyes a much needed bath
3. Fed Eyes more gruel.. um baby cereal
4. Completed number eleven bog coat
5. Picked up black twill for cloaks
6. Washed 10yds of black twill to take to Raven's
7. Clipped Eyes ferociously long claws... um I mean fingernails
8. Blogged

So this is a positive reinforcement for today and yesterday since I was way more productive yesterday than today - hence the header. Last night at Raven's I sewed the trim onto my burgundy bog coat which I am very happy with. I almost wanted to keep it but I have cloaks which suit me fine and besides I want a hood. Where did that come from? Okay I am tired and should go to bed but wanted to update a few things here first. (Of course I will probably watch some Anime before I actually go to bed) I mostly wanted to post to let Pixiestitch know that yes we are doing things and maybe this way I can goad Raven into posting the pictures we took up on her blog. After all I feel like I really didn't do too much last night since I only sewed trim on one item.

But you see I did also go through the cloaks and price them, semi sort them and had the rest photographed. I will be the first to admit I can not take a picture if my life depended on it. You would be lucky if I got all of your head in the photo. Still I think I might be getting better. At least I have a better feel of how I want hold a camera. Enough blathering. There were other things I wanted to say but have forgotten most of them (typical). The one thing I did want to say was that my mom found a dress for Smiles for Queen Pet and Big Bear's wedding. It is not cotton alas but it is silk and chiffon and has a tiara. Smiles loves the dress and thinks I am cruel for forbidding her to even touch it before the wedding. I just do not want to have to dry clean it that's all. Anyway that leaves Bear still not dressed for the wedding. Of course with him I just might resort to simple black pants and a white shirt. And the ball rolls on...

TEN!

2008-04-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

So I have officially completed my ten cloak items for the month of April. I also have two more bog coats that just need trim and I was able to cut out (but not sew) a small Clinton style cloak. So yes progress was made at my parents place. Too bad sleep always seems to elude me.

On the Eyes front she has started to figure out rolling. At least from her front to her back. Which usually entails a small bonk on her head when she flips over. She also impressed Grandma and Grandpa with her ability to put her soother back in her mouth. And she has definitely mastered the backward push on the hardwood at home. I have had to rescue her three times (and counting) from underneath the couch while typing this blog.

I think I will just conclude with my mundane Positive Reinforcements. I won't even do my bad poetry today. I just can't think (even badly) for it.

1. Completed my bog coat for Number Ten.
2. Sewed 2 more bog coats.
3. Repaired another fleece hoodie, Bear's backpack and Smiles swim bag.
4. Have fabric waiting for pick-up at the wholesalers.
5. Smiling as I watch my daughter trying to crawl forward and failing(or even flailing).

Off to do some sewing...

2008-04-26T11:09:00.001-07:00

Last night I went over to Raven's to do some sewing. I did not get as far as I had hoped but I at least got Number Nine (my green wool with plum lining) done on the Ten Cloaks in a month Challenge. Now I just have to finish the bog coat that I started last night. It is a gray with light gray lining and a really cool green griffon with gray trim. So far it is looking good. Lady Mike was over last night and amused not only Eyes for me but baby S for Cosmic as well. It was funny watching the two babies (they being one month apart) and Raven even got some pictures of them being cute at each other. But boy did they both want the duck. It almost came to blows! I even think Eyes pulled Baby S's hair at one point! Yikes! She's going be a brawler.

The other thing I had to mention - Auntie Ski you will be proud of your niece! She found the vampire soother and gave it to Eyes. So most of last night Eyes was seen with big blue eyes underneath these enormous VAMPIRE FANGS! I am not taking that Soother to my parents place this weekend! Nuh uh! No way! I do not think they will see the humor in it like you do! Anyway Raven laughed and so did most others so I will tolerate it. I suppose!

So here's my selection of bad poetry for the weekend...

Spur of the moment I always regret
I lack the imagination nay wit
to complete the comeback needed.

Young Love

2008-04-23T18:00:00.001-07:00

I was only going to post once today but this tidbit was too funny not to. My friend K who is in Newfoundland (I think I will start calling her Newlander since it sounds better than Newfie - some people get offended by that one) was on facebook same time as me. She may be coming back to Edmonton!! SQUEEEEEEE! Okay just for the summer but still I eagerly await her arrival. Anyways we were talking how Smiles commented that B Newlander's son (I think I'll call him Crush and you will soon see why!) was the one that she was going to marry. Apparently there is a boy in her class who thinks she'll marry him. So I told this to Newlander and she said that if Crush is asked if he has a girlfriend the one he has in Edmonton is best. Apparently for him there is a girl in his class that likes him and he (in Newlander's words) just won't go for it. Ahhh young love!

Gruel has been tasted!

2008-04-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

I went swimming with Raven late last night because Hubby was doing snow removal due to the late in the season snow storm! Still I was able to go and thoroughly enjoyed myself. When I got home there was a very hungry though sleeping baby. Who I then promptly woke up and fed! Then I decided to break out the gruel (aka rice cereal) to see if she would like some. Eyes had half of the small bowl that I had made up and I think it helped her sleep better. You see she has been incredibly fussy every night for the past week and moving all over her crib meaning I get little sleep. Also I have been noticing that she watches everyone very intently when they are eating. So I experimented and voila success. All the Experts say to wait until the baby is six months old but meh! Both of my other children started solids before they were six months and you know what they are not very picky eaters. Oh I should clarify that MOST days they are not picky eaters! Of course I am a cruel mom who insists that if they want dessert they have to clear their plate.

On the sewing front I have been expecting to be able to go over to Raven this Thursday and sew up the things that I need left to do. Last night she informed me that she has a date that night! A Date! A Date!!! How dare she have a date! Doesn't she know that I need to finish those trims or I won't get my ten cloak items done! Wait a minute I know what's going on... Sneaky conniving Raven! You planned for this friend to come into town and set up the date with him on the one night I can come over and sew on purpose! Just so you can get ahead of me!!! Sneaky Sneaky Wench!

Okay maybe that's going overboard but I am glad that Raven puts her friends first. After all we did reschedule for Friday night despite the gamers that will be in her house that night! Oh so yeah Raven I can make Friday night Hubby does not have anything happening that night like I thought he did. Heehee. Also today was a product fabric hunt. I got not just one trim but two trims that are beautiful and may work on my green wool with plum lining. I found a twill which may or may not work with some of my materials and I also called the salesman at the wholesale fabric place that we want to buy a bolt from. He wasn't there but I left a message!!

Anyways I still need to do positive reinforcements and some bad poetry. I think I'll do the good before the bad...

1. I had a good long nap this morning!
2. I got trim for my wool cloak.
3. I picked up twill for another lined cloak.
4. I taped up the parcel to be sent to Rat (who's baby will be born next week - C-section planned) but haven't sent it yet due to confusion over address.
5. I have blogged.

Okay here's the bad...

Eyes hurt from the glare of the snow.
I glance behind me only to be blinded
by the sun glinting off the slush.
My tulips have died!

Pirate Socks Day

2008-04-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning Smiles decided to go outside for a bit while I was stilling getting things ready before school. Next thing I know she runs back into the house yelling "Jack Frost's goblins are here! Jack Frost's Goblins are here!" This being the day that the snow started falling once again - this SPRING! I couldn't help but laugh. As well we have been reading the Rainbow Fairies series again and Jack Frost's goblins turn everything cold and icy whenever they are near. As noted then Smiles' first reaction to the frost was that the goblin's are near. Man was that a hearty laugh for us. Alas we still have snow falling two days later and it looks like it will continue all week.

Which means I have fallen slightly ill and been sleeping most of this weekend. So this morning I decided it was time for Pirate Socks to come out and make a showing. Nice and warm and comfortable. Though I still may need slippers it is turning that cold out.

Eyes has still been awfully fussy at night waking up several times. Luckily she'll take her soother and go back to sleep but that means I need to get up and give it to her. Which is not good for my sleep which is probably another reason why I am under the weather and needing naps. Eyes is also getting more mobile and I usually find her in a totally different spot from where I had laid her down at night. Last night she kept kicking her blankets off and this morning I could only find one of her socks. (I know she had both on when I put her down last night! I did eventually find it by the way) It is a good thing babies are cute! I really adore Eyes' smile.

I have to laugh I just received a phone call from Raven (who made it to work despite the treacherous roads) because she had to burble about TD registration. I love her enthusiasm it makes me smile as well. Of course she also has me playing her Tribal Wars addiction and I must admit it is fun. I am just not looking forward to the war that will eventually come.

So I will sign off with another lame poetry selection. It will be not just bad it will probably be putrid and inane because my head's in a fog. So hopefully you can endure it as well as me.

Time stands still when the clock wanders.
The phone rings but the voices are mute.
When sleep is no longer an option
Pirate Socks are your only friend!

Happy progress

2008-04-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

What I should be doing right now is going to bed and sleeping but I was still excited about the progress made tonight that I had to gloat... er blog about it. Yeah that's it! Anyways at Ravens tonight I would put my completed items actually at 8 since I really do not consider a cloak done until it is clasped. Whether or not it has trim on it it must have a clasp. Unless there's a specific reason why it doesn't such as being a bog coat! So I clasped my lined fun fur cloak and the full circle green wool hood. My nice dark green wool lined with plum satin is waiting on the right trim. Which unfortunately was already spoken for by Raven. Sigh! So onto to the next best trim means I need to make it to a fabric store and buy some. Which I wish to do before next Thursday.

Why next Thursday and not Tuesday... well you see Eyes gets so fussy late at night and since she's STILL teething (they have popped through her gums but only just a wee bit) that I have decided I can only do either sewing or swimming on Tuesdays. This way it will let Raven have more time to catch up to me. Oops quiet part loud again! hehehe. Love me anyways Raven. Ow! Mental bonking which I know I deserve. lol. I was looking at my calendar and there really is only one more day of cloaking I can do at Raven's this month. Yes I will be going to my parents place for a weekend but I usually do not take any trims or clasps with me. Soooooo if Raven is smart she'll deny me the privilege of taking some along with me to my parents place. But I will probably still be able to complete 10 cloak items in a month.

You see tonight even though I only sewed the trim on to the hood and a clasp onto the fun fur cloak I was still able to cut out not one, not two but three items to sew. Of course one of them is a tunic for Bear but still. The other two items are bog coats which is something that Raven and I really need to make more of. She was able to cut out two of her own and sew one of them tonight. That makes our bog coat count up to four. We want closer to ten but this is a good start. One of the things that makes us happy was that I was smart after the last Quad war. I took an inventory of all our remaining items and a list of all the things that we sold. Comparing the two makes it easier for us to know where to concentrate our sewing efforts on. But that's enough bragging now it really is time for me to go to bed. Just after I read my updated web comics. Yeah that's it!

Oh this selection was actually from yesterday but since I didn't blog your getting it today. Bwahahahaha.

Oh the tragedy!
Oh the calamity!
Oh the horror you say!
I have broken the rake today!
What a frabgicous day!
Now no yard work to lay!
I can go and play!
Until the neighbour lends me his, oh phoooey!

Positive Reinforcements

1. Dishes
2. Did some yard work (I actually got rid of one of the piles from yesterday's calamity of the rake breaking on me)
3. Borrowed the neighbours rake to finish the job tomorrow
4. Made cloaks (YAY!!)
5. Remembered to pick up milk on my way home from Raven's!

Teeth! Teeth have arrived!!! Ow!

2008-04-15T22:49:00.000-07:00

Yup not one but two teeth have sprouted from Eyes lower jaw. Since she's almost five months now I am not surprised at this. I just have to make sure I put it into her baby book. If I can find it that is. Maybe that's why I am blogging. Just to make sure I have a record of this monumentous event. She has only bitten once though and learned she gets nothing, NOTHING! I tell you, if she bites the one who feeds her. She has been doing very well otherwise. She has mastered the backward push and has traveled the length of the living room. Since she always pushes away from whatever she wants I am not too worried about paper left on the floor. (Which in this house does happen - gamer husband) If she does get it, oh well, serves the vagrant right for forgetting it there, she'll just gum it to death. Though I do try to make sure things are cleaned up. After all even paper can be deadly to an infant.

I made Raven laugh and curse me today. We went swimming instead of cloaking and I am happy with that since I was not up for both. I had done alot at my parents place this last weekend and am happy to save the trimming and clasping for Thursday. Which when it happens will put me at 9 cloaks in total. (9 out of 10 is not too shabby at halfway through the month, eh! This is what Raven cursed or will curse me for hehe) Anyways we had a good swim and a good chat and I showed her what I worked on. She liked my dark green wool with the plum lining cloak. I must admit I am proud of how it turned out. It looks really nice! Now to only master the art of bog coats!

Positive Reinforcements

1. Went swimming with Raven
2. Did dishes.
3. Cleaned the bathroom (Finally)
4. Washed down the fridge and stove and laundry machines (This is something I almost never do. Egads what I have started - oh yeah Spring Cleaning)
5. Blogged about my baby's new tooth! Yay!

Oh and I really should try to remember to keep up with my bad poetry attacks...

Poor planning doth a whimper make
Poor health is merely an excuse
Poor finances means your BROKE!

Last night after heading to bed I thought of better lines for this poem. So here's my edited version...

Poor planning doth a whimper make
Poor health shalt thou bemoan
Poor finances means thee are BROKE!

A New Tooth?

2008-04-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

I can see the hole and I can feel something sharp and pointy poking through but I can't see the white stuff just yet. Eyes though has been doing that whole rubbing her gums, red cheeks and fussy at night thing for the last couple of days. Which of course means that I have not gotten a lot of sleep. Still the baby is as cute as ever and totally wide awake right otherwise I would be napping!!

Anyways on to other things I did get out to my parents place this weekend and was very productive. I completed (note Raven the term completed! Meaning of course that all the sewing for them is done) two lined cloaks, a full circle hood, replaced a zipper in my hoodie and sewed the clasp onto one of Smiles play cloaks. Of the two completed cloaks one was my black fun fur cloak that had been already cut out. I then cut out and sewed (except for trim and clasp of course) a dark green wool lined with a plum twill cloak. The full circle hood was supposed to be a bog coat but I screwed up in the cutting and yet somehow managed to turn it into a full circle hood without any seams. Sigh! I then figured out how I was supposed to cut out the bog coat and had no pieces big enough to test it on. I'll just have to see if I can do something about that at Raven's on Tuesday.

So positive reinforcements for this weekend are

1. Sewed 3 items for sale.
2. Recycled a hoodie by replacing the zipper on it.
3. Visited with my parents.
4. Watched Eyes cut a new tooth.
5. Helped out at my parents place by cooking and doing the dishes.

One cute thing that Smiles did was rush into the house yesterday to excitedly tell me
"Mommy guess what!! We moved some grass and found six baby mice. Then the cat ate them!!" She was so excited about the cat eating the mice that she wasn't sad about the death of the mice. Yes it is gross and some would say cruel but you know what that is life. I would rather my kids know where they're food comes from and why than discover it later to become vegetarians out of shock. If they are going to become vegetarians I want it to be because they know what they are getting into. So I tell them about what happens to cows(they get turned into beef) and even Grandma and Grandpa's chickens eventually end up on the dinner plate. Bear though was happy to help Grandma with the chickens. He kept checking the straw piles for eggs and would find some sometimes. He would run into the house holding two eggs triumphantly like they were his prizes. He also helped out by feeding the chickens by giving them weeds and other scraps to the chickens.

Okay I have been lax on the bad poetry so brace yourself...

Red cheeked baby rubbing her mouth
Teary eyed and crying
Wanting to feed but not actually hungry
Gaaahhh! Not another baby hickey
Time to cut a new tooth
Though I feel like a rug

Second-hand Formal Wear Blues

2008-04-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

Last night was another sewing extravaganza at Raven's where we actually accomplished a lot. I was able to sew the trim onto two cloaks and one hood which allowed me to amuse Eyes while I hand sewed the clasps on later. As long as I remembered to put the needle down before picking the baby up we were good! (I never did poke her by the way - though there were some times on Tuesday I wanted to) I was also able to get the lining cut out for my black fun fur cloak that I want to do. (Raven was kind enough to let me swipe the rest of the lining for a green light-weight bog coat I want to do) This should keep me busy this weekend out at my mom and dad's place.

Yesterday I was quite happy about finding Smiles a used spring jacket for a reasonable price. The rest of the store was too expensive and after talking to Raven we figure it is probably consignment based. Alas it does have some formal boy's wear which would be good to get for Bear for Queen Pet's (A new Sister in Law. Yay!) wedding this August. She wants my three and her sister's kids to be the flower girls and ring bearers. A total of five adorable little ones walking down the aisle in front of her. The trouble is coordinating with Zarobi because she lives in the States. So I will keep looking in other stores because I honestly don't think formal wear will go that fast. But to be on the safe side I will take Bear there and get him to try it on just to see if any of them fit him. (And then pray he doesn't have a growth spurt in the next three months).

I also found a white cotton dress for Eyes for the wedding which is sized 24 months. Way bigger than she'll need but it has a sash so I can tie it tighter if I need to. Smiles is the only one who I am having a problem finding a dress for. Also I am loath to buy a white dress for her now because knowing my daughter she will wear it and play in the mud before the wedding and then I will have to clean it. Arrgghh! I can just picture the smiling mud encrusted little girl now! Like the one who got her brand new(used) jacket covered in mud playing at Little H's yesterday!I just don't know if I will have time otherwise I would make her a dress. It would be a simple shift style but better than nothing. The trouble would be trying to remember where I hid it so Smiles doesn't find it!

Unfocused Cloaking...

2008-04-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

1. Went swimming
2. Got one cloak finished
3. Went shopping (the clasp for above cloak)
4. Modeled finished cloaks so pictures could be taken
5. Had a nap
6. Returned books and DVD's to Raven

Not as productive a day as it could have been but I really needed that nap yesterday afternoon. Plus last night Eyes was very fussy when I tried to do my cloaking at Raven's all I really got done was sew the clasps on one hood! Still Eyes got to model her barbarian fake fur black cape. With it was the Mongol hat that Raven had made for her son last year. The hat was too large but it stayed on Eyes' head long enough for a really cute picture to be taken! Here's my latest bad poetry selection for you.

Unfocused and misdirectional.
Where is the time?
Why am I a fog?
Piercing cry of a banshee!
Nope just my daughter...

A Domestic Engineer

2008-04-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

My job? What's my job?
I work in an assisted household.
I have three charges under me
who I need to feed, clothe and bathe.
I also do the bills payable, problem shooter
and warehouse management.
I also work as the maid
for the three are not cleanliness incorporated.
How many weeks is my vacation?
Well I do go on vacation many times in a year.
All at once? Oh heaven NO!
My timetable simply does not allow it.
You see my coworker can only afford
to give me small snippets of time off.
Although it's my coworkers second job
that doesn't help in that regard.
My pay? You ask for my wage?
Well I receive many smiles,
giggles and messy, sometimes, smelly hugs.
The conversation can be truly enlightening
from a perspective now seldom enjoyed.
Money? How much money do I make?
Don't make me laugh.
Why I am a Domestic Engineer.
Otherwise known as MOM.

It is still bad poetry I just made it freestyle. I felt particularly inspired on this topic for some reason today. Maybe because I did most of those things listed.

Here's my positive reinforcements. You be the judge.

1. Grocery shopping
2. Shower
3. Made stir-fry for supper
4. Did dishes immediately after supper
5. Played and read to the kids

On a different note my daughter received a phone call today. Yes you read that right - my daughter. How old is my daughter? Why she's only Five! Five! I say! and yet guess how long she talked on the phone to her friend? That's right it was 40 minutes. And that was this afternoon. After supper the same friend called again. This time I limited the phone call to 20 mins. I honestly did not think I would have to start laying down phone rules for another couple of years. At the very least anyways! Sigh! Still what can you do with youngsters these days, eh?! Except keep Smiling :)

Busy Sunday Afternoon

2008-04-06T18:16:00.000-07:00

So I think I will start with positive reinforcements... just cause

1. Dishes
2. Took the kids swimming
3. Did laundry
4. Slept in this morning
5. Played with the baby
6. Currently reading to my daughter for bedtime... sigh (big blue eyes are just too much sometimes)
7. Had playdates for both the kids (they happened spur of the moment but whatever I was able to go with the flow for once)

So I have been fighting off a cold all week and therefore did not go swimming on Tuesday as I already blogged. Which means that I am feeling the lack of exercise and desperately wanted to go swimming today. I left Eyes at home with Hubby simply because it was easier on me and he said he would get things ready for tonight. We were supposed to be doing D n D but three people have bailed on us. Oh well at least Bear and Smiles enjoyed themselves at the pool.

I also signed them up for swimming lessons starting next Saturday which will cut into my cloaking time at my parents place but since I don't usually get out there til 3pm it should be alright. The swim lessons are over at noon. Today Bear was absolutely bent on going down the big slide at the pool and so talked to the lifeguard to see what he would have to do. He got a lifejacket on and after swimming the laps that the lifeguard said he had to he was off to the slide. He also loved jumping off the diving board. I was worried at first but I think I am getting better about letting go of control. After all he does walk home by himself from school now. Okay he walks with a friend but still he is walking without a parental overwatch!

Okay here's the bad poetry for the day...

Uninspired am I
Nothing catches my eye
Puzzles are fun

Nothing Meaningful

2008-04-03T23:37:00.000-07:00

So pretty and yet so dumb
White haired and mean
Why does this Anime enthrall me so?
Maybe... because it's pretty!

I realized I missed my bad poetry for yesterday so I thought I better make up for it by giving a really bad one today. So yeah I am back to watching Anime again. Sigh. I really should do more with my time but it is either watch Anime or get sucked into playing stupid games on facebook! One cool thing was an old friend called up and said hi! I haven't seen Tavin in ages! He's doing well in California but said he's starting to miss his old haunts up here. Must be something to do with turning thirty. Or at least that's what he said. Me thirty is nothing - having already passed it anyways! Okay almost got philosophical there. This is not the time for that!

The last thing I will do is some positive reinforcements - especially since I have been neglecting them too!

1. Did the dishes
2. Made more banana muffins
3. Made meatloaf for supper
4. Got Eyes to go to bed without fussing! Yay!! (It may be a fluke but I don't care right now!)
5. Wrote some more bad poetry
6. Blogged
7. Called people today! (Believe me for some reason I hate calling people. I do seem to be getting better about it lately. Hmmm)

So later folks!

A Cloaking we will go...

2008-04-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

I went to my mom and dads farm this past weekend and sewed mainly. I came back this morning mainly so that I could go swimming with Raven tonight. Who called me up to say - I do not think I will go swimming tonight! She having a bad sinus infection decided she did not want to end up at the side of the pool completely winded after doing 5 lengths. I understand this. Of course the plan was then for me to drop Eyes off at her house and go swimming by myself. Afterwards to return to Raven and the baby to do some cloaking.

As it turned out that did not happen. I ended up feeling feverish and not well this afternoon and Eyes was being cranky and wanting attention (Grandma spoiled her is all I have to say). So I just went to Ravens house to sew some trim on the items I had completed over the weekend. As it turned out I only ended up completing 2 items (three if you count the Eyes black fake fur cape) and that was all Ravens fault. She got jealous you see. Okay not really but she had promised Bird (Big Ds daughter) a costume for her birthday which is tomorrow and so was busy trying to sew that for her tonight! I did at least choose what trims and clasps I wanted to use for the other items I still need to finish. And yes I will cheat and use these towards our 10 cloaks in a month. After all they may have been sewn before April but at least they were finshed in April. That counts right!

Anyways here is my bad poetry for the last three days. I am tired so it will probably be nonsense.

Cloaking here
Cloaking there
Cloaks are everywhere
Where you say
Say right here
Cloaks are here
Cloaks are there
Once again I say
Cloaks are everywhere!

Wow that is dribble. Still it was fun to try. Now to just get my sucky cats claws out of my shoulder. Ouch! She definitely missed me these last three days!

Banana Muffins Again

2008-03-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

So this morning when I woke up I decided that I wanted muffins and since the banana's would go bad soon I decided to make Banana Muffins. I once again used the recipe from Smiles Blue's Clues book (which I will list shortly). Mainly because last night as I was talking to Baby Jail at Raven's it was mentioned that all of the recipes for banana bread usually has nuts in them. This recipe does not so I wanted to share it with you!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 Large bananas
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

1. Cream sugar and butter
2. Add eggs, vanilla, mashed bananas, sour cream into the mixture
3. Stir in dry ingredients
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until top is golden brown

I added some nutmeg this morning and I think I like it best with apple chunks in it.

Oh and here's my bad poetry for the day...

Sleeping baby lies on my lap.
Do I dare disturb her?
How come am I such a sap?
At least she doesn't purr.

It Snows!

2008-03-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hollow Toilet Bowl
Old boyfriends who go.
No one knows how my brain works
Not even me... it snows!

I am starting to wonder if I am doing this poetry badly on purpose now. It would make sense of the nonsense that I just wrote. Of course my brain is great at randomly picking up silly things throughout the days and thinking that since they make sense to me everyone else will know exactly what I am talking about. Right! Right?! Anyways it snowed this morning and at Raven's house a friend from Sask country was over and mentioned an old boyfriend of hers. I was really glad to see her. It has been awhile and I missed her brand of sarcasm. Wow did she get some good zingers in. At least I do not have a frickin' huge pot of turkey stew at my house. I got to leave most of it at Raven's.

It is good stew but once again Hubby did not think about proportioning it to just our family. He keeps forgetting he only has to make enough to feed 4 people. Well 3 if you count the kids as one adult. Though some days Bear eats more than me. Still we no longer have roommates who'll scarf down enough to feed a small army. Sigh time for me to go to bed now. I am starting to ramble and yeah.... night!

Colors of fish

2008-03-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

I am going to try a Haiku this time. We will see if I am successful.

Green with three leaves
Purple Fish, Blue white pearl
Falling gently down

This was inspired by a silly game called Age of Japan that I play on one of my facebook applications. It is very pretty game but kinda mindless. Just what I need right now another time sucking game. lol

The Crow

2008-03-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

A big black Crow sitting on top the tree
Waiting for the food provided by me.
My daughter as gift received a birdfeeder
Only to cater to this bottomless eater.
Now each morn that we wake
His raucous caws we have to take.
As all the food has fallen to weeds
So no other bird can get some seeds.

Whee more bad poetry!

This time of course inspired by the crow sitting on top of the tree as I patiently refilled the birdfeeder. Sigh!

The Screamer!

2008-03-25T22:40:00.000-07:00

Cry Scream Wail Jag Jag
Baby plug thy name is soother.
Screech Waah Sniff Mmmmbbrmlm
Why have you not come into my life sooner.

Yes it's bad poetry day.

I figure I do not do enough creative writing anymore so even if it's bad I'll still try to do something every now and then. Preferably every day but right now as I listen to my daughter not want to learn how to go to sleep by herself this is the best I can do with my blaring headache. So suffer everyone as I have suffered! Bwahahahaha. Oh oops that was the quiet part loud again. Sigh when will I ever learn!

Pizza Sunday

2008-03-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

Normally that should be Easter Sunday but it got turned into Smiles making Pizza for supper last night. Friday was so busy and an oops day that Smiles was not able to make supper that night. Saturday was also very busy and supper was at Nana's house (as in previous blog) so that left Sunday. We had one of those premade pizza mix box's that when checked turned to be six years past due date. Sigh and with Smiles all raring to go on making pizza Hubby had to go out and get some pizza shells (and extra toppings). So all in all it turned out really well. Smiles liked cutting up some of the toppings and grating cheese (until her hand got tired - yes there was a whine there!) and laying out the toppings on the pizza shells. They were also very yummy.

Today I am mostly tackling the mountain of laundry in my laundry room due to the spectacular clean out of the kids room. I was wondering where most of their clothes had gotten to. The other thing I had them do yesterday was I gave them one tub each that they had to fill with toys to be put into the garage. Of course I had to state that Bear could only fill his tub with his toys and Smiles had to fill her tub with her toys and neither could cheat by throwing the other child's toys in their own tub! Sigh! The reward was when those two tubs got taken out to the garage (today) they could go through the other seven tubs in the garage and take ONE toy back into the house. Smiles was ecstatic because we found the original MreowMreow for her. I am also happy because it's a small toy....hehe.

So today I am tired, very, very tired and not likely to get a nap since I still have a mound of housework to do. It also didn't help that I rearranged the garage again. Silly me. I think I will just finish my coffee and play on the computer for a bit instead :) Then I'll think about those dishes from last night. And the sauce splatters on the wall, the stove, the floor etc....

Baptized

2008-03-22T23:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Eyes' baptism and lemme tell ya it was an exciting day! First off just as we were about to leave to go to supper at Nana's when Bear was told to do a quick clean up in his room. So what did he do... he started throwing things up onto his bed. Being a top bunk in a bunk bed this is understandable. Except that it is against the rules because it is a small room which is why we have bunk beds in that room. So what did Bear hit while throwing his turtle onto his bed - the light shade on the overhead light. It shattered of course all over the toys and clothes still littering the floor plus Bear cut his finger during the glass breaking. So instead of having a leisurely get ready to leave Hubby and I are scrambling to clean up the glass shards all over the kids room. Which basically meant the kids got a free room clean up from Mom and Dad. Aaarrrggghhh! And we forgot to grab things which we were supposed to bring for people! Sigh!

Supper was a wonderful meal of turkey, potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Mmmmmm Nana has figured out a great substitute for her pork sausage she usually uses in her stuffing - I like the ground turkey it was yummy. Afterwards my soon to be new sister-in-law Queen Pet and I ended up doing the dishes. We took a little longer than Smiles wanted but it was worth it in the end. Except that then Hubby started rushing to get ready to go to the church for Eyes' Baptism. So we left a few things at Nana's which thankfully Nana ended up bringing with her to the church. The ceremony was very nice and despite Raven and Blankshield's Internet and Phone problems today everyone showed up on time. Raven is ecstatic to have another daughter (god-daughter is still a daughter after all) she is so funny sometimes. Bear and Smiles were mostly good with very little fuss (it was after their bedtime after all) but in the end I think they enjoyed seeing Eyes' being Baptized.

Unfortunately I think Eye's is a little sick because as soon as we got home she went from a happy congenial baby to an incredibly cranky squalling bundle of tears. Thankfully she seems to have finally gone to sleep. For awhile it seemed like she wouldn't do anything but scream. Maybe she was overtired too. Maybe I should take this as a cue that I should go to bed. haha. After all who knows how long she'll sleep. Uh oh I think I just cursed my sleep tonight!

Tokens

2008-03-19T18:44:00.001-07:00

"Squeeee! The tokens are here! The tokens are here!!!!"

This was what I got when I answered my phone yesterday! Which admittedly was not a bad thing because I then got to go over to Raven's house before swimming and open my box. (Only half the order came yesterday - the other half came today! Which means I will be heading out to Raven's again tonight!) The cool thing was that she opened her last box and found a purple token. Which was awesome. As I was opening my rolls of tokens I came across not a purple but something better - A Golden Ticket token! Which I then promptly gave to Raven. In exchange she gave me her purple token that she had found.

And yes a Golden Ticket token is like the Golden Ticket you read about in the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You see Raven and I had agreed that if I found a Golden Ticket in my stacks o' tokens that I would give it to her. It means more to Raven to be able to go on the VIP run at True Dungeon than for me to so I was more than happy to make her dream come true. She hugged me alot. LOL! Then we went and swam!

Today I was able to make it to the wholesale fabric place that Raven and I might be able to get a roll of black twill from for our cloak making. Alas getting the swatches was a little more difficult than I had planned. First off Raven got lost trying to find the place. Secondly they could not find the samples that had been promised me in the first place. Third I had the baby with me. All in all I left with a sample of another fabric that I thought might work and later I got a phone call from them saying they had found the original samples. So I went and grabbed them. This way I can show them to Raven tonight as we open TOKENS!!!

Hehehe

I have Serged

2008-03-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

I was at my Mom and Dad's this weekend for the sole purpose of sewing. I also ended up sleeping alot. Mmmmm an actual full night of sleep! What a luxury! Oh and I did sew some things. Not much only three items in particular but they are done! My Mother-in-laws curtains (I suppose she feels entitled to asking me to sew them because she was one of the people who got my serger for me this Christmas :). Of course I did not use the serger for her curtains LOL), a play cloak for Smiles and an actual hood to sell! I like having a serger! Thank you Mother-in-law and Sis-in-law and whoever else got it for me!!! My mother reminded me though that I am going to have to make a little cape or something for Eyes. Luckily scraps of fabric are not hard to find!

Other than that our house is a house of sickness again. We're doomed! That's all I can say! Hahaha. Oh and I am almost done watching my Anime. Well this series anyways. There are at least three others that I want to watch!

List o' things to do today...

2008-03-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

There were five things that I have wanted to do today and have gotten three of them done so far. Of course there's more things that I should be doing instead of blogging but whatever!

1. Take a shower (check)
2. Call people on my list (check)
3. Get the dishes done (check)
4. Return moldy cheese sticks to store (They were still in the package-grr.... oh and not check)
5. Get the last dozen eggs to Star (I called her and she said its not a hurry so I may or may not get to her place today. Not check)

Of course I also am doing laundry and feeding the baby and playing with Smiles and Eyes and tons of other things. Sigh! Oh my the baby has almost rotated herself under the couch. LOL. She can't move forward or backward yet but give her time and she'll spin 360's. Okay before I head to the grocery store I think I will watch one more episode of my Anime.

Positive Reinforcements for today...

1. Took a shower.
2. Phoned important people.
3. Did the dishes.
4. Did laundry.
5. Watched Anime... okay okay I blogged!

Maybe I should go for a nap instead!

Bear's Friend

2008-03-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Bear has a friend over right now. He sorta showed up without any warning. At least he phoned home and got permission to stay for awhile otherwise I would have felt compelled to send him home. Bear has been wanting this boy to come over and play for awhile now but I wanted a phone number from his parents first to make sure it was alright with them. So since he has permission he can stay for awhile. Oh and the reason why he is over is because he followed Bear home. You see Bear has been walking home by himself for the last week and a bit now. We experimented with this phenomenon last week and Bear came home each day by the specified time so we are going to let him continue to have this privilege.

In other news I bought more bananas with intentions of making more muffins or maybe even banana bread. I have been thinking about baking more often now and I think it is because of the spring like weather. It's my way of avoiding housework. That and I still like cutting things up. I made another batch of salsa today. Except for one ingredient. The most important ingredient too - the banana peppers. Otherwise it will have no spice in it at all. Oh well I am going swimming tonight so I will just have to make sure I swing by a store and pick some up.

Eyes is going for another round of Immunizations tomorrow. That will be fun. NOT! Still I am quite happy with her progress. She is sitting up (under supervision - otherwise she has a tendency to tip over hehe) and even rolled over last night. She is grabbing things more and laughing. Or at least giggling a little.

Smiles on the other hand has been wanting to call her friend (boyfriend!) in Newfoundland. So today I called K up and chatted with her seeing how things are going with her and her boys. Apparently they have been doing renovations to their house ever since they moved back there. She still misses E-town and wants to come back here. Especially since they had blizzards for most of December and January meaning that B and R would miss 2 days of school almost every week. Other than that they are doing good and she insists that she won't play Scrabble with me anymore. Hehehe. I have been trying to give her hints on what she can do in the game and I think with time she'll be really good at it. Still we'll see if she's better at Scramble or Othello because I don't do to well at those games. LOL.

The last thing I have realized is that I have not been doing my Positive Reinforcements lately so here's today's list...

1. Got a nap in this morning.
2. Made Salsa.
3. Hosted Bear's friend after school.
4. Did the dishes (from last night)
5. Blogged.

Still Addicted to Anime

2008-03-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

My favorite mug broke the other day. It developed a hairline crack down its length so whenever I put my coffee in it the coffee would spill out. Sigh. Yeah it's just a mug but it was a tall dark burgundy mug that I have had for a few years now. I used to use it when I was still working so it has some memories for me. But it is just a mug. It's funny how material things can be so seemingly important sometimes.

I made banana muffins again today. This time from the Blues' Clues book that Smiles likes to read called Blue's Breakfast. It's a simple enough recipe and turned out really well. I even put the leftover chunks of banana's and apple pears from last night's fruit salad into it. Very moist and tasty if I do say so myself. I haven't tried making more carrot muffins yet but I think I will see if I can find one that has nutmeg or cinnamon in the ingredients. Otherwise I just might use a carrot cake recipe and turn it into muffins instead. Now if only I had 2 muffin tins. LOL.

And yes I can not seem to tear myself away from watching my Anime lately. I am not sure why exactly but my guess is I need an escape from real life right now. It is that time of year where I get bad cabin fever and depressed from lack of sun and such. So at least I am bed each evening before 1pm. That's good right? Dammit I am even thinking in Anime speech. I just read these last sentences as something the main character would say. Hyuuuhhhhhh! (That's supposed to be a disgruntled sigh!)

Carrot Muffins Part 2...well Part 1 really

2008-03-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Well I have made some carrot muffins and both Smiles and I have a scrape on the exact same finger on the same hand from grating the carrots. Sigh! Like daughter like Mother. Hehehe. I am not sure I like my carrot muffins. Something seems to be missing but I don't know what. Mmmm maybe Cinnamon? Anyways the first batch is baked. I think I might make some more banana muffins later. Those ones turned out really nice before.

In other cooking news it was decided last night that every Friday we are going to allow the kids to make supper. This week it is Smiles' turn. The only rule is an adult has to help with supper (this way no one gets seriously hurt in the kitchen lol). I suggested that she makes nachos for supper with fruit salad for dessert. Nachos is easy enough to make and all it involves is grating cheese to go on top of the nachos. Though I will be frying up some ground buffalo to add to the nachos too. We have salsa for Daddy and me and veggies for the kids. Then the fruit salad just involves cutting up bananas, an apple pear and mixing them with strawberries. We also have blackberries but Smiles has decided that she doesn't like them. Sigh! She's so stubborn somedays.