Mother's Day 2008

Oh my, oh my... was I spoiled this year. My kids were all very well behaved, pleasant and just a joy to be around. DH took cake of them all, kept his voice down (no mean feat this!) and we had a great day - started by getting up and opening presents, then off to brunch to my favorite restaurant (where the lady in charge asked, "So any new additions to the family this time?"... to which I responded yet again, "Yes, we have our daughter now."... she was just dumb founded... guess we don't get out there enough!), then off to shopping at my favorite kid's toy store (Oink Oink) where the kids got to choose 1 toy and 1 book each (call me crazy, but I just love letting them go at it in this store.. they have the coolest stuff), then home and nap time and I got to go to the driving range for a whole hour by myself and hit some balls (I'm getting much better at it too - the by myself bit is the biggy, I'm usually bringing someone under the age of 3 along with me), then back home to stay with the younger ones while DH brought the two older boys to Tristan's hockey game (they lost again, but only 10-6 this time, and again Tristan was the star of the game), amazing bbq steak and my favorite cheese cake. Just an all around lovely day!

My virtual twins, showing their purchases:
Jacob with a big school bus and Kaitlynn with her purple butterfly necklace and matching bracelet.

All smiles!

Jacob all smiles also, with a barrette in his hair - its Mickey, so its all right - and his school bus.
Just look at those curls!

This was Tristan's gift which just left me speechless. He made this - he knitted and then hand sowed it together to make a pot holder (but he prefers to wear it as a hat). I could not believe that he did this for me, such detail work from one who just loves to go fast!

Zach's gift of tulips and his art work for Mother's Day. He is on an animal kick these days - he made my mother a painting of a cow and I got a beautiful bird, with his lovely choice of colors! His imagination is just lovely to behold!

Jacob's contribution was a keychain and beautiful card. The photo of him, as he so proudly told me, was of him playing doctor. I laughed out loud when he told me this - I wondered if this was a premonition for the future, then I wondered where the other kids were (isn't 3 awfully young to be playing doctor with other's?)

Once again I was left speechless by hubby on this one. He bought me my very own ice cream maker... but not just any ice cream maker... this one has it own compressor, so I can just put the ingredients in, turn it on and presto I have ice cream in under 1 hour! I have been looking for one for oh, I would say, 6 months, but not like this one! Gourmet ice cream anyone? Now, I just have to find my cream (one that has nothing but cream in it, no fillers and no junk), and look out coffee ice cream, here I come!

Finally, DH found me the perfect gift to cap off the day: Chewie's clan unleashed! I got Chewbacca unleashed a couple of Mother's Days ago, and now I have the whole battle scene! Does DH know me or what?

Oh damn, part deux

Well, here it is -30 outside and we should all be comfy cosy in our Centrally Heated home right? NOT! Damn furnace doesn't work again, and we were at 18 degrees on the main floor, and I think upstairs it was much colder. This is the second time in about 3 weeks that we have had to call to get the damn thing looked at. Problem yet again is that there is air in the lines, so the repair guy had to bleed the lines again. Its now a comfy 23, as we are trying to get the upstairs heated for the kiddies bedtime. There is a solution - install a thing-a-mabob beside the furnace or destroy the basement and install a second line to the oil tank... as should have been done in the first place - and guess what, its going to cost. Just after we got a quote for snow tires for the truck that was reasonable, and here I am thinking, ok an extra $200 to pay down some debt. Well, not going to happen... again. Can you tell I am a bit frustrated? No really, can you tell?


Boys should be home tomorrow sometime, and that means no more sleeping in till 9ish and quiet days. Have I mentioned how quiet 2 two year olds can be? Quieter than a 6 and 5 year old. Can hardly wait to have the whole crew together again.

Oh damn...

I finally got on the damn thing, and damn it, I've gained... again... that's what you get for being on the See diet. Umm, that would be, I SEE it, I eat it. I think this is the first Christmas in like 7 years that I didn't think twice about having a chocolate or a glass a wine or some trifle or some cookies... which was kind of liberating, but now I am paying the price for that freedom. So here we go again, back on my exercise/no sugar diet again, and again, and again. I hadn't wanted to start until after my surgery next week, but I don't think I can wait now that I know all the work that awaits me. The advantage I have is I will probably not want to eat much next week anyways, so it might help in the end... I just won't be able to do any exercise 'cause my blood pressure can't go up for three days (Ha! Good one... I have 4 kids, as if that is going to happen!)

Today was supposed to be day 1 of potty training for at least Jacob... however, the little bugger has developed a case of the runs overnight. So no potty training today for him! Kaitlynn is ready, but we want her language skills to be a little stronger so that we can understand when she has to go... she just gets a blank stare on her face when we ask her.

Ode to a beater

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of my Black and Decker beater. This was no ordinary beater, this was a member of our family for so many years. I remember when we first met, thanks to my Mom, who was convinced I would need you before I left for University way back in 1985. Through the years you put up with so much - at times, being left in your cupboard, ignored but not forgotten, then being overworked around Christmas time every year. This year was our best year together. You did so much for your family of 6, even though the years were starting to show. Your tines were bent, your white exterior was looking a little yellow, you would overheat a bit when you worked too hard, you would pant a bit in between sessions of baking and mixing. This is all to be expected from one who is getting on in years.

As all good things, it is your time to official rest where ever it is Black and Decker beaters go. There will only be one like you, you can never be replaced - they just don't make them like they used too. This is how I would like to remember you, hard at work and enjoying yourself. Rest in peace my friend of so many years.

Eureka!

Nothing more needs to be said:


(Thanks to my Mom for outlining how to get this doggy integration to work... slowly!)