off to a great start

so, I wake up this morning to a knock on my door.

that cannot be a good thing-

6:10. yikes. seminary starts at 6.

I get ready faster than ever before, have Cory get Ben up,

head out to get the van started,

van dies.

what? come on- not today.

So Cory, since he was already up, dropped us off,

did a quick lesson- actually was planned to watch a movie, and it was the perfect length,

then had some kids who are in my class who live 2 doors down from us drop us off.

crazy day so far.

hopefully that was all the craziness, and now it can be a calm day,

but from all the things on my calendar today, I am thinking the craziness will continue.

good thing we just picked our van up from the shop yesterday.

yep. nice.

a picture

I got to take pictures for a friend of mine- her whole family was going to be in town, so we headed to a barn- and had some fun.

I am still trying to figure out how to make my header big, to go with the big whole page of blog- if anyone could direct me to some help, I would be so appreciative!

bigger

so, I changed my template, and look what I can do now!

big pictures!

remember back, when I tried to do this, and ended up with half a picture?

well, here it is in it's full glory.

goofy stuff!

Thursday!

1. I was sitting on the computer checking my emails, and the blogs I read before I woke the kids up this morning, and I heard Sadie mumble in her sleep- "mom, tell Jed to stop bugging me.

so funny.

he even bugs her in her sleep.

poor child. no reprieve.

2. this was on my living room floor last week.

all the pieces spread out. lovely.

3. yesterday was hot. so very hot. hotter than most of the summer days we had.

weird.

Maggie and I went to the spray park here in town

and enjoyed the hot day.

4. we even bought more popsicles, so the kids can cool down after school today. good times.

5. on Monday night we headed out to the driving range for a little family fun, and so Cory could check it out, to see if he should take the young men there,

but we didn't tell the kids where we were going,

and when we got close enough for them to know where it was we were headed,

there was moaning and wailing- we don't want to golf.

but guess who didn't want to leave?

all of them. and they all want to go back. silly kids.

6. they are repaving a whole bunch of streets in our city right now. It makes getting places a little tricky. today I had to weave in and out of paving machines, not even knowing if I was even supposed to be on the road. weird stuff.

7. but I guess smooth new roads will be nice.

8. every Wednesday night and Saturday nights are bath nights in this house.

for the littlest ones, anyways. but we missed last night, so I must make sure to get those kids cleaned up tonight!

9. I went to the yarn store in the city today to get some more yarn for some etsy stuff. there were two older ladies working there. I knew they had the one kind of yarn I wanted, but thought I would ask if they had the other one. the last I had heard they had sent it all to their other store on the other side of the city. those ladies looked all over, and checked the computer, and according to that there should have been a whack of it in the store, but then they called the other store, and lo and behold, it was there. then I just wanted to pay for the yarn I did want, and be on my way, and they kept on talking. it was kind of funny. if I wasn't in such a hurry.

10. I think you had to be there.

11. I made cookies today. I just thought I would share that. not the cookies. I won't share them. just the fact that I made them. (unless you came over, and asked really nicely! then I would be more than happy to share!) it has been a little while, and the jar was looking sad and empty. but now it is full and happy. but I don't think it will last long.

12. I wanted to share a picture or two from the wedding I did on Saturday, but I uploaded them to a new photoshop thing, and I don't know how to get them from there onto my blog. I will try to figure that out. there were a couple cute ones!

13. alright, must head off, to help Sadie with her music practicing, get the tub running, and try to get the boys eyes off the tv. good times around here!

a little something

a while ago it was raining,

so maggie got all dressed up and headed outside.

I had to take a picture

to capture the colors.

such a funny little girl.

yesterday

what a day it was.
well, the day as a whole was okay,
but the afternoon--
oh, the afternoon.
let me tell you all about it.
it started with a call from the school. which generally is never a good thing.
but this call was in regards to a child that was not mine that I supposedly am watching while his parents are away for the weekend.
what? me? no. sorry.
then they call back after talking to the boys dad.
yes, me. I am supposed to be watching these two boys after school until their aunt comes and picks them up later after her work.

oh, I vaguely recall their mom asking me to do this.
a long time ago.
and somewhere where I was not close to my calendar, so it was not written down, and it was forgotten.
I tend to do that. forget things that are not written down.
okay, I even forget things that are written down sometimes, but that doesn't pertain to this story.

okay, so it has been determined that I am indeed responsible for this boy at this time.
lo and behold, he has broken his arm on the playground, and needs to be accompanied in the ambulance to the hospital. could I please come right away.
well, no, I can't, I have two extra kids today, and one needs a nap.
okay, could I think of someone else I could call.
I was racking my brain, and nothing came up.
so I packed up the three girls, went to the school,
followed the poor kid in the ambulance to the hospital.
where we sat for 2 hours. saw him for about 15 minutes total,
then left after he got another ambulance ride into the city to the childrens hospital.
I guess it's pretty serious.

meanwhile, the dad who is away, has been notified through the whole procedure,
eventually contacted an uncle who was going to meet the boy in the city,

I later found out the boy who broke his arm had the only key to the house in his pocket.
luckily his aunt was able to get it,
come pick up his brother,
and take care of the other kids.

man, what a day.
the girls were so good at the hospital.

I am just glad it wasn't my own kid. we have been lucky with no broken bones so far.
knock on wood!

oh yah.

this is hanging on the girls door.
true 98% of the time.
hopefully we can get it clean for a few minutes today.

thirteen things

1. it has been hot here this week. I am soaking it all in, because probably next week there will be snow.

2. okay, maybe not snow, but I know the heat won't last, and then it will be chilly, I am sure.

3. Maggie has been asking for hot chocolate. I tell her to wait. wait until it is cold. then we will have it every day after school.

4. I love hot chocolate. but I always drink it too fast, and then I don't feel good. but then I do it all again the next time. crazy.

5. because today is thursday, that means tomorrow is Friday, and that means only one more day of waking up early for seminary, then 2 days to sleep in! yay!

6. I have been in bed, asleep by around 9:30 every night since seminary started. this means all the good shows that are starting up again and start at 9, or 10 will not be watched this season. I am a bit sad, but mostly okay about it all.

7. (and I think I can find them and watch them on the internet!)

8. except some of those sites only work in the US, not Canada. what is up with that? come on world wide web. don't eliminate us Canadians!

9. like for instance that pandora radio/music site that sounds so cool. yep, can't get that here.

craziness.

10. Lynn, about our piano bench- I bought it at a fun store on Whyte Ave, that is no longer there, really to put in our front entry, but when we got the piano, it didn't have a bench, so we moved it there, and there it has stayed. it is made out of old wood, and pretty fun.

11. Jack got put into band at school. It was very low on his choices, and he wasn't too happy about it. then band class came, and he likes it, he really likes it.

He picked the trumpet.

and lucky for us, he brings it home, and blows in it.

unfortunately for us, he doesn't know any songs.

hopefully soon.

12. the junior high school is having this little contest, that if you pay your kids school fees this week, your name will be put in a draw, and one person will win their fees back! last year I sent the check in with Ben, and months later got a letter saying that his fees weren't paid. I am pretty sure it got lost somewhere in the office. (Ben is sure he handed it in) so I am not taking any chances this year, and am heading there today to pay the fees myself.

13. well, it's worth a try. you can't win if you don't enter!

leaving her mark.

so funny how when kids start learning how to write their names
(or just part of their names, as in this case)
they feel the need to write it everywhere.
like on the window sill.
silly little Maggie.
guess what job she is doing today!
(I think a little clean up is in order!)

I love technology

-but not as much as you, you see.
(any Napoleon Dynamite watchers out there?)
anyways,
last night, we chatted with my parents.
they are around the world,
into tomorrow already,
and we could see them live, and hear them.
they showed us around their apartment,
we could hear the dogs in their neighborhood barking.
it was truly amazing.
I love it!
yay, technology!
(thanks for helping set it up Shelley!)

happy

the sun is shining.

it is friday.

it is a happy day today.

(so far)

although it got off to a rocky start at seminary again,

but I hope we will get that figured out soon.

I guess I hope I will figure it out soon.

but I baked some yummy brownies-

at least they smell super yummy-

that we are going to have for dessert today,

so it is going to be a very happy day today!

Happy Thursday!

1. seminary.
what can I say.
it is early.
there are 12 kids in my class. (yikes)
it didn't start out so well,
but it is getting better.

I think.

2. tomorrow is games and treats. it's all good.
I hope.

3. I went to my neighbor's funeral on Tuesday.
Isn't it funny how when you go to a different church, you think the things they do are so strange, but when people not belonging to our church come to it, I am sure they think the things we do are strange.
you just get used to the way you do things, and other ways are different.

4. this girl-
yesterday -
did this-
all day. seriously.
except when she moved out to the dining room with her animals and dolls to have a pool party.

5. she is the perfect last child.
she plays so well all by herself!
love it.

6. Jed is back in piano lessons.
and already saying that he doesn't want to practice, and he should just quit.
so, I made him practice for 15 minutes yesterday (he got come candy for it.)
then I was gone with Sadie to her music class, and Cory was home,
and he practiced for another 1/2 hour then so he could have some computer time.

7. we are all about the bribes in this house.

8. why is it so cold outside?
where is the sun?
not here.
but I want it back!

9. look what I made! It was a quilt along on the Old red barn Co. blog

oh, a couple of months ago.

but it is done.

yay!
10. and look at the back!

11. I always see fun backs to quilts on other blogs, and I always thing- why don't I do that, so this time I used a couple of squares I had left over from the front, and I love it!

(Joanne, do you love it? keep it in mind- if you know what I mean)

12. Maggie just asked me to make hot chocolate.

sounds good to me.

it is so chilly.

13. I am working on another quilt- a quilt-a-long I started even before the old red barn one, that I am excited to be finishing up. hopefully there will be a show and tell with that one soon!

have a happy Thursday!

the weekend

well,

just to let you all know-

she has not done it again.

sadly.

that little stinker.

literally.

anyways,

the boys all went on a camping/rock climbing trip this weekend

leaving us girls at home.

we watched the Hannah Montana movie,

even pulled out the Hannah Montana game Sadie got for her birthday and we hadn't played yet-

my sister came over for supper, and played games with us.

it was the perfect time, because I am pretty sure the boys would not appreciate it.

but we had to put it away early because both girls were in tears when it was their turn to dance-

(the game comes with a cd that gives you prompts to dance a certain way-

like an aerobics routine,

or like Jackson would,

or to finish the song)

anyways, they both started crying.

really.

crazy girls.

then we played a different game,

and then tried it again,

and they did much better.

we must get working on being good sports.

so,

anyways,

we have the house to ourselves,

and it was pretty clean before they left,

and sadly, it is not so clean now.

I picked up a couple of kid chairs at a garage sale for super cheap.

they are the kind that were probably ready for the trash,

but I see some potential,

but need to get working on them.

because when Cory gets home I can just see him shaking his head,

and throwing them in the trash.

so we need to head to Home Depot, and get some rust remover, some paint and some upholstry tacks. do they have those there?

and hopefully I can fix those chairs up all cute.

or else I will throw them in the trash!

sometimes what I see in my head,

and what actually happens is not the same.

sadly.

and seminary starts tomorrow morning

at 6 am.

yikes.

that's really early.

yay!

yesterday this girl- came to me and said she needed to poop on the potty.
and she did.
this is big news people.
big news.
I just really hope it continues.
because I am so done with diapers.
and I really, really hope she is too!

super de duper cute

so, I found this super cute girl,
who writes a super cute blog,
who made some super cute chalkboards,
and she is giving one away! check it out!
Playing grown up.
fun stuff.

Thirteen things

1. well, Cory commented on my post yesterday and set things straight about my neighbor- here is what he said:

He was assisted by an aid person in a kayak when he started having troubles. He soon died but not from drowning. It was an ironman he was doing but he was a very fit person and it wasn't his first ironman.
And yes, he was a very nice person to have as a neighbor.

Then this morning Cory informed me that the lining of his aorta burst. So very sad.

2. Apparently I was on the news. a guy at Cory's work asked him if that was his wife on tv! yikes. we didn't have tv, but the next day (yesterday) the telus guy came and hooked us up. so now we have tv.
darn it, a day late. or maybe that's a good thing. yikes.

3. I got this book at the library, and it reminded me of Joanne.

4. and then when I saw this little section inside, it really made me think of Joanne.

( her house is so clutter free, it's crazy!)

5. I loved at the end of the book, it says:

You can be fabulous no matter what your circumstances. Just pay attention to how you are living your freakin' life! Helping your elderly neighbor shovel her snow driveway makes you more fabulous. Spitting your chewing gum out on the sidewalk makes you less fabulous. Eating a double cheeseburger with fries and a shake every once in a while is fabulous. Eating fast food five times a week is not. Studying Mandarin just for the heck of it: fabulous. Watching eight hours of TV a day: not so much. Picking up an antique chair at a flea market: fabulous. Bragging about the value of your Ming vase collection: not.

(you have to get used to his way of writing. some people would not appreciate it. I found it funny- in doses. I skipped a bunch of it- like the drinking section, and I would never make any of the recipes, but it was a fun book to browse through.)

6. as I was reading that I was thinking about the end of the movie Mean Girls, where the teacher is saying- calling someone else fat doesn't make you any skinnier, and calling someone dumb doesn't make you any smarter- or something to that effect. I love that!

7. A while ago I picked up these four wooden plates at a garage sale.

yesterday I hung them on my wall.

I crazy glued ribbon to the backs of them, and they are hanging on that. Ben says they are going to fall down and take somebody out. maybe, maybe not.

8.I don't think I can handle 11 year olds. I think I need to ship my kids away when they turn 11. or maybe it is just my one 11 year old I have now. yikes. sassy as can be.

9. He got put in the band class at school. he did not want to be in the band class. he is telling me he doesn't want to play any woodwind, or brass. I told him he should try percussion. or he should try to get out of band. then he is telling me he can't get out. Meanwhile Ben is telling me how to go about getting your option switched, and Jack is yelling at me that he can't switch.

oh, such good times. and that was just one of the issues this morning.

I can't handle the drama. and he is a boy.

oh, I am frightened to have teenage girls. Especially if they are a fraction as dramatic as Jack.

my nerves can't handle it!

10. Jack has his first band class today. I am curious to see what comes of it all.

11. well, we have been invited to the beach today, but 2 of my kids didn't make their lunches, so I would have to make those, and take them to the school. and drive for about 45 minutes to get to the beach. is it worth it?

I am thinking I should get out there and soak up all the sun I can, because soon enough it will be winter, and then I will miss the warm sun so much.

12. Jed has agreed to go back into piano lessons. I am so excited. he has got skillz. haha.

he plays well, but he still can't read the notes. If I show him where to start songs, he is good. we definitely need to work on that! and practicing. that is going to be fun. not.

13. alright, much to do today. my list is long, but I might ditch it all and head to the beach. the list will still be there tomorrow. sadly!

15 seconds of fame

well,
I think I have had my 15 seconds, twice lately.
( I think it is supposed to be 15 minutes though- so I might have a few more moments coming up)
on Friday we headed to the legislature.
I had to do some pictures of a family, although we ended up meeting with my sister and some of her friends (totally didn't know they would be there) and also went on a tour of the building.
anyways, apparently there are plans to pave over some (or all) of the wading pools- I really have no clue, which is why I should have said no.
but we all know that no is a hard word for me to say,
(except to my kids. I can say it all the time to them!)
so when the camera man from the tv studio aske if he could get my opinion, I said yes, and probably sounded like a dodo, because as I already said, I have no clue.
we have been to the wading pools once in -oh, maybe 10 years.
so, if they aired my clip, and you saw it,
go easy on me.

then today, CTV news guys come knocking on my door.
(I thought it was strange- never been on tv ever- except in the back of a cooking segment of one of those america morning shows they tape in NYC- that I think never got aired- and now, twice in a few days. freaky)
once again I should have said no.
but see,
our neighbor died on sunday morning. doing a triathalon.
he was such a fit guy, and only 66.
something happened to him during the swimming part,and he drowned.
so very sad.
he was a nice guy.
he snowplowed our driveway many times.
so they asked if they could tape me talking a bit about him.
I didn't really know him.
he was my neighbor, and he was nice.
so if they air it, and you see me,
go easy on me.

Life is precious. and short.
hug your kids,
and eat lots of chocolate!

P.S. I think tomorrow morning I will make sure I put make up on.
because you never know who will be stopping by.