what a weekend

first off, on Friday night we got to go and play at Galazy land in West Edmonton Mall. wow. I haven't veen there in ages. some friends of our were having their work party there- so basically, the company booked the whole park, and we bought tickets for $5, and got to go on all the rides we wanted, and hardly had to wait in line. sometimes we would be the only ones on there. it was fun, the kids had a blast. the 3D ride is a blast! the crazy swing ride about did me in. I knew I shouldn't have gone on, but Sadie went on by herself and loved it, so Jed and I decided to try it with her. the whole time Jed was screaming, I'm going to fall off, and I am yelling at him- you won't fall off- meanwhile I am hanging on for dear life, and wishing the ride would end. Sadie was crazy, going on all kinds of rides I didn't even want to look at! what a girl!
then on Sunday, we had a special visitor to our house,
and Maggie was less than happy to see him. she sat as far away from him as she could, but was smiling by the end. so fun!

so. update on the dresses- they are done, except being hemmed, but the zippers look horrid. there is a big gap where the sash is. argh. my mom says I just need to have patience, and iron them good, and do it again. not what I wanted to hear. and I should have serged everything as I went. the fabric is very ravelly. fun.

I am three weeks behing with my quilt blocks, so need to get going on those.
still need to finish one of the knitted hats. I sent the turtle ones with my sister without taking a picture- hope the lady likes them!
need to get editing the wedding pictures. it was fun. the food was great! the wine was flowing- but luckily there was also some delicious non-alcoholic punch. heehee. trying to find the place was crazy. glad to live in a small city- downtown is crazy. Cory is having a work dinner at the same hotel on Friday night, I told him I am not sure I could find it again! but he says he has been there before!
alright, got some birthday parties to get ready for this week- Sadies on Wednesday, and Jacks on Saturday. fun stuff. their birthdays are both on Tuesday. what was I thinking having two kids born on the same day? crazy. how can they pick their favorite thing for dinner? just not fair! maybe they like the same thing- that would work great! haha.

my day so far.

1. day started off good
2 then came time to get the kids up,
3. it all went down hill.
4. I hate when they leave for school with me yelling behind them- you had better not be late!
5. I really need to get a morning schedule going to get things running smoother.
6. hmm. my oldest is only in grade 7, you would think I would have this figured out by now.
8. need to get groceries, but my 2 year old does not want to go to Extra foods.
9. I did mop my hallway floor this morning. it has been way too long since that has happened.
10 sat down to put zippers in the Christmas dresses yesterday, to discover my zipper foot is missing. luckily I have a friend with the exact same machine as me, who knows where her foot is, and will let me borrow it. almost done. maybe in time for the Christmas party on Saturday. maybe.
11. wedding tonight. I get to do pictures. waffling between excited and terrified. want them to be great. we shall see.
12. okay, really need to get a handle on the laundry situation, and the rest of the house.
13. at least the hallway is clean.

Santa Claus has come to town!

we saw him!
on the parade.
and we had cousins come,
and I tried the group shot in the window, but cut off Jack. oops.


t
there was about 3 big fire trucks with sirens and bells. too loud for a cute little someone!

do you think Jack was happy to be there? silly boy.

Ben didn't want to come, and Jed had to stay home- he was misbehaving. actually, Jack was supposed to be home too, but I didn't know. lucky guy. And Cory was home working on electrical stuff in the basement with my brother-in-law. yay! now, we just need to book the drywall guy! yay. soon, very soon. then my house will be clean. - at least that is what I keep saying! haha. actually, then I will have twice as much house to clean. yuck.

such is life

around supper time last night, two kids started throwing up. for about 6 hours, pretty steady. then when they were through, 2 others started. then when they were through the last one started. all night long. today, our livingroom is a mess of blankets, pillows, and empty gingerale cans. hopefully tomorrow, we can get back to normal.

almost done the whole first season of Full House I borrowed from a friend.

I know they are really sick, there has been no fighting today.
wonderful!- in some ways, anyways.

to do list...

1. I was going to take pictures of the things I am working on today, but my camera batteries were dead, so #1 thing today is charge camera batteries.
2. sew turtles onto baby hat- I will be sure to show the finished project. hopefully I can get one of the hats done today, I have 2 to do!
3. make gingerbread stars to hang on our tree.
4. pull in the Christmas stuff from the garage- I told the kids we would set it up tomorrow night, light a fire in the fire place, pull out the sleeping bags and watch a movie in the livingroom.
5.sort out the flyers into the bags for delivery tomorrow. I talked to the lady in charge of the deliveries yesterday, and she may have someone to take one of the routes! yay!
6. get my stew going in the crock pot.
7.run to extra foods for some nuts so I can make another batch of granola.
8. organize my pile into boxes and bags to take to goodwill
9. call my mom and my sister and get their orders for the cookie dough fundraiser the school is doing, which every year I put off until it is too late, and they don't get their cookies, so this time I will get it done on time- if it's not already too late!
10. well, after talking to Jack about his birthday party for many days, he has decided he wants it at the DOW, so I have to try and book the gym for a couple hours on a day that works for us. I hope there is something available. must make that phone call today.
11.hmmm- I am having a hard time thinking of more things- not that there aren't a million things I could and should be doing around here!
so, I guess I will leave it at eleven. still lots to get done! vamanos! let's go! oh, and turn off Dora- still too much of that going on here!

the latest..

well, these dresses are getting closer to being done. they are supposed to have some netting underneath to add volume. I am not sure that these dresses are going to get that, but we shall see. Sadies just needs the skirt lining sewn in (and netting, maybe) and a zipper, and hemmed. Maggies needs the whole bottom attached, and zipper. I really don't like putting in zippers. fun, fun stuff. and the pattern dresses have lace on them, and I skipped the lace. but Sadie keeps saying I need to sew on the "white stuff" hmm. I am not sure about that. and I made it a bit shorter, by accident, but so be it. not quite floor length. but close. next year, I think I will buy dresses!

this kid. what a character. he is so contrary. Jeddy, Jeddy quite contrary. hmm, doesn't really flow. he always has to argue about everything with everybody. how do I stop that? anyone?

I bought Ben some shoes yesterday when I was out. and they didn't fit. Cory always says I shouldn't buy shoes without the kids, but I say, I can always return them. easier that way! haha. anyways, they were squishing his big toe. so I took him with me last night, and we returned them and shopped for more, and they all squshed his big toe. I was asking him if it was swollen or something. weird. anyways, tried on one more pair, and they didn't hurt his toe! amazing- so , we bought them.

that was an exciting story to share with you all!

so, I was just marking some seminary work, and marked one girls. good, good, then pulled out her sisters, good- but wait- something sounded familiar- I mean, they are all answering the same questions, so the answers should be similar, so I pull out the other work- wow. word for word. interesting. I really need to bring this up, but i really don't want to.

those little girls once again have pulled every book off the book shelf in the girls room. I am ready to box them all up and send them out to the garage. argg.

and that, my friends, is the latest around here.

super woman..

I am not.
lest any of you might think that, by my lengthy list of things I want
to get done in a day.
yesterday, I didn't sew on the dresses. in fact, they sat on the couch, getting tossed onto the floor- the pieces, that is, until I got a little upset, and threw them into the craft wall of disaster that is taking over my dining room.
I also didn't get any knitting done- well, not on the hats.
I did do a few rows on the sweater I started for Jack about- hmmm, a year ago, or so? not sure, I could look in the blog archives, I remember posting the yarn, and a picture from the book. a long time ago, anyways.
I did make chicken soup- even tried it with homemade noodles this time, but I have to say, I think from now on I will just throw in the handy dandy store bought noodles!
I dropped a project off at staples to get bound up, and haven't been back yet to pick it up.
I didn't really do much cleaning, but must get to that today, as I am hosting a pampered chef party tonight- led my my sweet sis-in-law Jessica. I have brownies baking right now for an extra treat on top of the four cheese and something or other pizza she is going to demonstrate for us tonight. yummy.
so this morning I was cleaning and cleaning in the kitchen, I even organized the drawer with all the dish cloths, and towels in it, and guess what- right now two little girls have pulled out most of those towels and cloths and made beds all over my kitchen floor for their babies. good times.

this is today..

1. I thought I had much more time to make these Christmas dresses, until I realized they should wear them to the Christmas party, which is on Dec. 1., and Sadie demands it be ready for the school Christmas concert, which is in the middle of Dec. boy, I had better get cutting and sewing! - btw, they will hopefully look just like the off white one in the picture! we shall see.

2. the boys ( well, all of us) do flyers, this is a portion of the flyers we got yesterday, which need to be sorted and bagged, then on Fridays we get the local paper that we add to the bag, then the boys go and deliver. oh no, I just remembered that Cory and Ben will be off on a school camping trip Friday/Saturday. shoot, I guess it's me and the littles this week.yuck. oh, I need to call the girl in charge, and see if we can cut our 2 routes down to one, it is just too much for us folk, and if she won't devide them up, then we are through. that wouldn't be so bad either.
3. Maggie wanted me to take a picture of her. isn't she cute.

4. yesterday I took the kids and one friend to Chuck.E. Cheese. that place is crazy. I got 70 tokens for $13 something, and they played games for about a half hour, cashed in their tickets for some super cheap prizes. wow. the friend wanted to get more tokens, so he could get more tickets, but I convinced him, and the rest that we would be better off stopping at the dollar store. so we did. good times.

5. that quilting blog I referred to a few posts back is having a quilt-a-long. she is showing how to do a quilt block a week for 12 weeks. here is my first block. I started with some fabric I had for another project, but I think for the rest of the squares I am going to use fabric I really like from my stash. then I will have a quilt I love. good idea, huh?

6. working on a few knitted hats- commissioned to do by my sister who is my business finder. what a gal! trying to figure out the one in the picture. could be cute, if I can do it properly! fun stuff.

7. I think I am ready for some real snow- but only on the grass, not on the roads and sidewalks. is that too much to ask for? probably. It is just very blah outside, and I am starting to think Christmas, but it doesn't look or feel Christmas. know what I mean?
8. another project I am hoping to finish today- a present for someone special!

9. and the quilt is done, also something for some more special people we know. I just love making things, yay for Christmas time!

10. I have so many projects to work on- better not waste anytime doing nothing! busy, busy. I love that I can knit, or many other things while watching tv- like I am being lazy, but not really. fun.

11. I was trying to find the post to link you to, but the pictures weren't coming up, but last December I started on a felt circle garland thingy for my tree, but when I went to put it on, it only went around the tree once. sheesh, so that is another project I want to get going on, so it can go around the tree more than once! that would be good!

12. we had a roasted chicken for supper the other night, so tonight, chicken soup for supper. yummy! can't wait for supper. that's not something I say every day!

13. alright, off to clean and craft, and sew, and knit, and hopefully convince Maggie to come to extra foods with me- we need milk.

that kind of day

movies, pajamas
messy hair
not doing much
got to sleep in!
made gingerbread cookie dough- it is now in the freezer, to be rolled and made into stars to hang on our christmas tree!


Maggie loves that granola!

got one project finished on Saturday- it is in the dryer getting fluffy. pictures later!

I found the elastic and did finish one pair of pj pants. I think they are way too long though. have to work on them when the kids aren't around- they know they are getting pajamas, but they don't know exactly what they are getting! too bad they are home for three whole days! oh well, I have lots of other stuff I can be doing.

oops, I did it again

1. maybe it is a sign that I should be done with the thursday thirteen. two weeks in a row now that I have forgotten. hmm.

2. went to do some running around this morning, and the van wouldn't start. Cory is out there working on it right now.

3. the kids have monday, tuesday and wednesday off school next week. what is up with that?

4. I think I hear my van running in my driveway! yay!

5. Super Saturday at the church tomorrow! I get to teach a class on cookies in a jar, because the lady who was originally asked was going to go away this weekend, but now she's not, and I'm still teaching. but that's okay.

6. I am hoping to get a few gifts done tomorrow! there were no crafts arranged to do that I wanted to do, so I am going to take my own and work on them. I am excited to get things done.

7. last day to go to my sister's blog, and help her decide what to name her new mixer. she's a bit crazy that way! heehee. (vote for sugar lips, it's funny!)

8. my goal for today is getting one pair of pajama pants- I was going to say done, but I don't think I have any elastic- so, done except for the elastic. that shouldn't be too hard.
eta: I just finished not one, but all three boys christmas pj pants! horray. well, except the elastic. I will have to search. I know I have some here somewhere!

9. Sadie brought home a letter from school with things that are going on in November, and at the end of the month they are going to see Annie, done by a Sherwood park high school, so I wrote a note back saying I would love to help with that field trip. apparently they don't need me that day. sad. very sad. but I think I would like to see it anyways, last Thursday in November, 7:00, or 7:30, I can't remember. I think it is $8. Anyone want to come with me?
eta: sorry, I forgot, I am doing pictures at a wedding that night, so maybe we'll have to try for Wednesday. silly me. I am really nervous about this wedding. aahh. would rather be watching Annie!!

10. my granola is baking right now. yum. love it.

11. so, one of the cookies in a jar I am having in my little class is going to be No-Fuss Bar Cookies. you put 2 c graham cracker crumbs, 1 c flaked coconut, 1 c chocolate chips, and 1/2 c chopped walnuts. then to bake them, you just mix it with a can of sweetened condensed milk- put in a greased 13x9 pan, and bake at 350, for 15-18 minutes. yum-o! who wouldn't want a jar of that for Christmas? I sure would!

12. man, I had the little baby I babysit in bed, and she was finally quiet, then the phone rang, now she is crying again. sheesh.

13. alright, must focus. there are pants to be made. hopefully I will have many finished projects to show off in a couple of days!

I am in love

while looking and looking for an easy pajama pants tutorial, I came across this quilt- I love it. I need to make one, someday. maybe after I make the pajama pants! heehee. I found it here.

such fun stuff on her blog, but don't enter for the bag, okay, because I want a better chance to win it, and if you enter, I will have less chance, okay?

alright, I am getting off the computer, and getting on with life, and pajama pants!- for the boys for Christmas. We shall see if they get done soon! if I can find a pattern! I bought one I thought I would use for pants and pajamas, but I was looking at it last night, and I think it will just be good for pants, and I will have to use some old pj pants for a pattern. that should work!

assembly day

Monday is assembly day at the elementary school. this monday the grade three's showed the whole school some musical instruments they made for science class. four kids were chosen to talk about them, and Jed was one of them! his instrument was called tool tunes, and this is a shot of him explaining how it works! I think you should click on the picture as to get a better look. too fun. then the whole class played twinkle, twinkle little star. that was entertaining!

I bought fabric and a pattern for Christmas dresses for the girls today! yowsa. good thing it is early November and I still have lots of time for all the things I want to do!

alright, my house is in desperate need of some attention, so I must run!

the real thursday thirteen

1. oops. totally thought it was thursday night when I was blogging last night. silly me. too much candy, probably
2. the kids were wheeling and dealing with the candy this afternoon- Ben ended up trading one full sized mars bar for about 12 mini coffee crisps. crazy boys.
3. boy, the kids were wired tonight.
4. I don't think Maggie ate a real meal all day- oh, she did have a bit of granola for breakfast. time to take the candy away.
5. Ben was a vampire yesterday, but only for trick-or-treating. I guess they don't dress up anymore in jr. high. he is getting a bit old for trick or treating. this might be his last year.
6. wow. I guess I should start thinking about birthday parties. 2 coming up in just over a month.
7.Halloween is out, and Christmas is so in! although it was sneaking in a week or two ago. crazy stuff.
8. I hope to have Christmas stuff all done this month, so next month is only for partying. yah, that's right. par-tay!
9. have an idea for my christmas card/picture this year, but not sure how to do it yet. Cory says he is embarrassed. hmm. I hope it works. heehee.
10. the tatoos were sleeves you pull on. funny, huh? if you click on the picture, it get's bigger, and you can kind of see at the top where my sleeve isn't quite covering it.
11. we had broccoli soup tonight. yum. I think we will have soup all month long.
12. it was cold and windy today.
13. the radio weather said snow for saturday. Sadie is excited! bring it on. I have my boots! I am good to go.

Happy Halloween!

1. here's the shark. we kind of gave up on the legs sticking out. crazy costume. maybe something easier to move in next year!
2. this was Maggie when we got home after trick-or-treating- at about 7:00. she was wiped. but perked up to eat a bunch of candy once I got her inside and out of her costume.







3. Maggie and Sadie checking out the loot!
yumm-o!
4.at the school there were parties galore! Maggie and I hit Jack's class just in time for great music, yummy food, and fun. his teacher even has a disco ball hanging in the middle of their room. fun stuff.





5. we hit Sadie's class in time for the food too! some healthy stuff, and cookies, of course.

6. Maggie decided she needed a little more face paint. little turkey.

7.this is me- a big, bad, biker babe. check out the tatoo's! wild and crazy, that's me!







8. caught Jed/Mario as he walked quickly past me in the school costume parade.



9. I found a cute little bunny hanging out on the shoe rack. I was just thinking that we probably didn't put the shoes back on the shelf. oops.
10. pretty cute pippi longstocking!


11. I guess I'll have to take my halloween decorations off the top of my stove now. I like that kitty. he makes me smile.


12. this is my little pumpkin- that's what her shirt says anyways.

13. the weather was super awesome for trick-or-treating. in these parts, you never know what you'll get. usually snow, and very cold. today, not too bad. Jack went out trick-or-treating with a friend, and Ben started out with us, but met up with a group of friends, so they are still out there. good, more treats for me to sneak into! heeheee.

Christmas?!?

well,
my basement might have drywall in 2-3 weeks.
I can hardly wait.
Cory emptied the basement completely- there were a few more boxes left down there, so now my Christmas tree is in it's box by the window. maybe after halloween I'll put it up.

okay, I'm kidding.
I'll wait a couple weeks.
crazy how Christmas stuff is already taking over the Halloween stuff in the stores. madness. I was walking throught WAlmart on Saturday- to pick up a last minute peice of fabric for Jack's shark- and I kid you not- I heard a snippet of Christmas music. I was just walking thinking- did I hear what I think I just heard? wow.
don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I am itching to pull out some of the more wintery decorations real soon, but I think it should wait til at least Halloween is over.
alright- that is all I have to say about that!
off to clean, do laundry, and all the fun Monday morning things that need to be done! Have a great day.

things

1. thanks to those of you who came out of the dark to show yourselves. fun to see that people really do read the silly things I write!

2. a page I did with a picture taken by Kim.
as soon as I saw this picture I saw this page in my mind. It turned out just like I imagined, but I wished I would have got it enlarged to an 8x10 instead of just a 5x7. live and learn.

3. I stopped at Winners today, just to check it out, and when I was leaving the automatic door was broken, so it had a sign on it that said to use to next door, which was the entrance door, so I pulled on it, and it wouldn't open, so I pulled again, and decided that Maggie and I would have to wait for someone else to come in before we could leave, then someone else came out, and we were standing there, and she pushed the door open and left. oh boy, did I feel dumb.

4. the cake turned out really yummy. not quite as pretty as it was on the magazine, but it still tasted good. the bottom icing is supposed to be orange, but it looks more pinkish. hmm. maybe I needed to use the real food coloring paste, instead of just the cheapy liquid stuff. oh well. so good. and there is enough left to have some more tonight.






5.no school tomorrow. once again, it is torture your mother day.

6. Cory has the day off work tomorrow and is going to start doing electrical work in the basement. yay for progress.

7. working on Jacks costume this is what he wants to be.
It is out of stock, and way more than I am willing to pay for a costume, so I am attempting to sew it. very interesting. I hope it looks a little bit like it is supposed to. I hope you can at least tell what it is. we shall see.

8. went to Costco today to return a sweater I bought that was too big, and came out with too much stuff. that store is dangerous, but I got a few things for Christmas, so that is good.

9. I took some fish tanks we had accumulated to Goodwill today. that felt good to get rid of them. I wonder if I could take them a tank full of water with a couple of snails in it? I have a suspicion they wouldn't take it.

10. my big boys are wrestling on the floor beside me. have I told you how excited I am to have a basement I can send them down to, sometime soon- but not soon enough!

11. yesterday the weather was so nice- in the morning, I actually took my sweater off when I was on my walk, but by the afternoon, a cold wind was blowing, and today it is cold and windy. sad, but I think that was the last warm day of the year.

12. at Costco I bought some knock-off Uggs. - I am sort of excited for some snow so I can wear them- but I can wait.

13. Are there any boarding schools somewhat close that I could send my kids to, and only see them on holidays, and chosen weekends? that sounds really tempting to me!!

today

is a special day!
yep, it's my birthday.

funny- I was reading a new book I picked up at the library- Water for Elephants- and chapter one starts out-
"When you're five, you know your age down to the month. Even in your twenties you know how old you are. I'm twenty-three, you say, or maybe twenty-seven. But then in your thirties something strange starts to happen. It's a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I'm --you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you're not. You're thiry-five. And then you're bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it's decades before you admit it."
Especially funny, because just shortly before I read that last night I was telling my seminary class it was my birthday the next day, and they were all guessing how old I am, sadlly most were guessing too high, then I told them I will be 35, then on says you were born in'72, and I had to think- wait, I will only be 34. yay. I gained a year. haha. Acutally I usually have to think how old Cory is then subract 2, but he is a year older now to, so I have to get used to that.
I am going to make myself the cake that was on the cover of October's Country Living magazine- I can't wait! yum.

as your birthday treat to me, dear readers, I would love for everyone who reads this to leave me a comment, so I can know who is out there! those of you who don't know how, just click on comments, then click the anonymous button, and comment away! I am excited to see who all is out there! thanks!

happy mail

okay, so I am getting back into the scrapbooking groove- trying to find a few minutes here and there to put together pages. not enough time in the day for all the fun things!
well, I did this page for the current "how much is too much" challenge, posted it on 2peas, and was excited to have a page done, then when looking back at hmitm, I saw it should have 1 rub on, 2 pictures, 3 papers, and 4 stickers, and lots of buttons. well, I forgot the 4 stickers, so I guess I need to fix that! crazy stuff.


so, on to the happy mail. I got my halloween swap package in the mail yesterday. yay. the pumpkin thing in the back is tin, and is hanging by my phone- the perfect spot for such a fun autumny decoration! some fall pot holders and towel, stickers- always fun, tootsie pops- chocolate flavor. yum,. and a wax melter pot thing- not sure what the real name is, but I have actually been looking at these for a while, but never getting one- now I have one with some pumpkin pie flavored wax to make my house smell so good!
what a fun thing to participate in, but with the shipping costs, I am not sure I would do it again. I think I would take the money I would have spent, and buy myself something fun. selfish of me, huh? I think the package I sent cost twice as much to send as what was in it was worth. but I think it was fun stuff! but what if the person didn't. see my dilemma- just spend the money on something I know I will like, and all is well.

my father in law spent the morning at my house installing a new dishwasher! I think my kids will be so excited. I guess now I will have more time to scrapbook, since I won't be washing so many dishes! yay!

random

1. can't find my mp3. sadness. it isn't the same walking without Kathy Smith talking to me, or the hairspray soundrack- those are some good walking songs.
2. it's probably somewhere in my bedroom, that's where everything that is missing turns up.
3. there is such a thing as too much Dora the Explorer. and I am there. too much.
4. reading twilight again- it is our book club book - book club is tonight, and I still have a lot to go- hmm. read or clean. I have already read it, but I have a bad memory, and can't remember what happens in the first book, second, and third, you know ?
5. Cory's birthday tomorrow!!
6. Ben is gone on an outdoor ed. camping trip- for 3 nights. with girls, and grade 9-ers. wow. I think I like scout camps better. we shall see. he didn't take a winter coat- he said he had enough sweaters. but it gets cold at nights. hope he is warm enough.
7. so, the beauty of fall is pretty much gone here. just empty trees and dead grass now. almost ready for the snow. almost.
8. really want to do some scrapbooking, really having no inspiration. anyone up for a scrap night, anyone?
9.the tomatoes I grew and picked are ripening now- I am enjoying a toasted tomato sandwich every day for lunch. yum.
10.wow, halloween is coming soon. better get working on Jed's costume, and get Jack deciding what he is going to be. he has a hard time making decisions- very much like his mother.
11.my house is driving me crazy. the mess, the stuff. Cory, please finish that basement, so at least I can banish the stuff to the basement again! heehee.
12. the boys room is quite the mess- not unlike the rest of the house, but anyways, I commented to the boys yesterday that I wanted to take away some of their clothes, because obviously they have way too many, that they can't put them in thier drawers, and they said okay, so today, I get to go through clothes! fun stuff.
13. Cory bought Jed a really nice pair of winter boots last year. I pulled out all the winter stuff and sorted through it, and guess what wasn't in there - yep, Jed's boots. maybe there is another box somewhere. wow, I have a lot to do. better get busy!
happy thursday!

the weekend

was great!
the zoo was fun.
this is the kids looking at the lions. they actually got up from where they were lying on the other side of their cage and walked over to where we were watching. pretty cool.

in Banff we walked the main street, checked out the shops,and of course, went to the candy store.

and someone was very sad to be leaving that wonderful store.

cory ran his race, the weather was wonderful, he made good time, and had to finish his part running up hill. yuck.
also at the zoo was this cute little guy- just a couple months old. he was soo sweet. I am glad they brought him out for a walk when we were there! so cute how he was just following the trainer everywhere.
and then us - we went on a very small hike after supper on Saturday. it was windy and a bit chilly, but nothing a touque and some mittens couldn't handle. all in all it was a good weekend. now it is time to put the trailer away for the winter, and hunker down at home.

this weekend-

1. we are heading to banff tomorrow.

2. I hope the fall beauty isn't gone, yet.

3. I hope there isn't snow there, yet.

4. first stop- Calgary zoo.

5. then Peter's. any of you who are from around here- alberta, and have been there know what I am talking about. yum.

6.the kids are skipping school for the trip. so fun.

7. they insist we stop at the candy store in banff- we went there last time we were in banff, so I guess it is kind of a tradition.

8. hmm, I guess I need to pack for this trip. yuck.

9. one last time this year in the trailer. yay.

10. so glad it has a heater. I am sure it will be used.

11. it doesn't have an air conditioner though. not important now, but will probably be missed next summer.

12. loved this sign on the door to the candy store. it could mean don't forget to buy candy for mother, or more likely in my case, don't forget to take your mother out of the store because she is somewhere in there drooling over all the delights.

13. have a great weekend!

monday?

I keep thinking it is monday, but it's not! long weekends really throw me off.
I took pictures for a friend on Friday. her little guy is so cute!

we kind of made plans to go out for potato skins and mud pie, just like we used to in the old days. good times. we have a lot of catching up to do.









some fun family shots that kim took. I really need to get some printed off so I can scrapbook. when will I ever find the time to sit and do that again? hopefully soon. I miss it.

I mailed off my package for the halloween swap today! so fun. can't wait to get mine.

oh, and my list from the last post. I didn't do so well, the aero bar got eaten, but walmart was avoided. that day, anyways! small steps.

Things I will do today-

1. mop my kitchen and dining room
2. work on the tutu I am making for my photographer friend.
3. make Jed a lunch and take it over to him- he forgot he has track practice today
4. clean off my bedside table
5. clean off my kitchen countertops
6. watch the movie I borrowed from the library so I can return it on time- I think it is due tomorrow,maybe I should check into that, it could be due today.
7. take the boys out for a little scout popcorn canvassing. we were really bad about it last year- this year they want to win the prize for the most sales. I really hate doing this, but they really want to, so I will do it, for them.
8. try to resist the jumbo aero chocolate bar I have stashed away. curse Walmart for having their jumbo chocolate bars for so cheap. I can't resist.
9.try to convince Maggie she should go on the potty, so she can have some of the jumbo smarties I picked up at Walmart
10.mark some seminary work the kids handed in
11. watch The Office tonight
12. do a little visiting teaching tonight
13. avoid Walmart!

off the beaten path

on Saturday morning I drove to the far south side of edmonton to pick up my three boys, who got to spend the night at my sister's house playing comuter and games with her husband- staying up to the wee hours. such lucky boys. On the way home, down a country road, we saw a garage sale sign, and I am not one to turn away a garage sale- so we turned and drove, and wondered if we missed it, but then we saw it, and turned into the drive of a beautiful big brick house- I think it was some kind of school, but not sure, anyways at the back in a big shelter was the sale- woah. what a sale it was. some stuff was priced in the corner where some kids from the school were selling their stuff, but these two girls there were funny- they said to make a deal because they weren't sure about pricing. cute.

so, anyways, a while ago I decided I wanted to get a little collection af globes going- I am sure I saw it in some pottery barn catalogue- book shelves with a bunch of globes on top. I like it!

so, at the beginning of the garage sale season, I bought the middle globe for $1. got the little on in the Target Dollar spot in Virgina, and picked up the other two globes at this great sale- not even sure how much I paid- I had an armfull of stuff, and gave them all the money I had, which really wasn't much, sadly, and walked happily away. and that was my favorite find of the weekend! I will have to wait till the basement is done, and see where these globes can go, to see how much room I have- if any, for more!

lost and found

so, last week was the Terry Fox walk.

I joined in with Sadie's class, walked a loop- not too fast, because they are first fraders- easily distracted by the leaves and branches that are falling off the trees. Maggie fell asleep in the stroller, so when the grade one loop was done, I decided to go find where Jack and Jed's classes were, and finish up the walk with them. But, on my way to find them, I realized Maggie was shoeless. I know she had shoes on when we left the house, and if they had fallen off while she was awake, she would have made it known.

So, I finished the loop with the bigger boys, then walked the other loop again to try and find these shoes!

walked and walked, and there was one, on the sidewalk near the end of the loop. kept walking, and there was the other one on the road right where I had crossed to go find the other kids. sheesh. I should have thought about it- obviously they fell off when Maggie was asleep, and she fell asleep on the last bit, so I should have walked the reverse, but no. I took the long way.

but, I found them, so all is well. I do love these shoes. she can put them on all by herself, can be washed up very easily, and hopefully will fit her for another year.

and that is my tale of the lost and found shoes. the end.

halloween is coming.

I signed up for a halloween swap here.
I am so excited for it.
gathering up some halloweeny stuff.
you should sign up too.
really.
could be fun!