Carolyn's Corner

The Talking Twin Babies, Translated

2011-04-01T15:13:00.000-04:00

Jessica's "Daily Affirmation" Love This

2011-03-16T08:39:00.000-04:00

Have a Very Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T18:50:00.004-04:00

Carolyn

Wishes

2010-11-27T20:26:00.007-04:00

I really wish I could be here...

but until I win the big lotto I have to deal with this from now until spring...

It started snowing this afternoon and let me tell you it was quite a drive from Mom and Dad's tonight...gotta love Canadian winters..not..and it is only just begun..

I also wish that I could decide on a new project..
maybe a Lizzie Kate for fun or my Mirabilia mermaids with 10000000000000 beads...

Decisions...decisions

any suggestions????

Woodchucks - GEICO Commercial-too funny

2010-11-07T21:53:00.001-04:00

I saw this today and thought I would die-it struck me so funny:)

Carolyn

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-10-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

A Stitchy Discovery

2010-08-20T17:45:00.005-04:00

I have found a gold mine.....

I discovered Bobbi G designs and had to order these right away from my favorite needlework store..I just love them..they are so funny:)

I had come to the conclusion that for the most part all my stitching is given to other people as gifts and I rarely keep anything myself...and what I do stitch has to fit some sort of theme...not anymore though..I am going to stitch what I like even if I don't have a plan on where it is going to go or what I am going to do with it...

These are on my wish list:

Since I last blogged I got another year older(but I won't admit to it..lol...)

Wade and I celebrated another wedding anniversary,we helped Mom and Dad build a front deck and my Amanda turned 21..

Work is going well-busy but that is a very good thing;)

I swear though that there must be something in the water because where I work there are 5 girls are expecting babies..I bring my own from home because I don't want to be number 6...lol...like I am going to let that happen.

One due in October,November and December and then 2 more are due in the spring...I know I will be busy this winter making things for these little ones...

My Sabatical is Over...(kind of long)

2010-07-03T09:44:00.010-04:00

I am back among the working as of 2 weeks ago..and have gone back "home"..

I posted a while ago that I wanted to return to school to become a massage therapist.

All was going great. Met with the school,met with the career councillor regarding the funding that was available and all that fun stuff.

As part of the funding and applying to school I had to get letters of reference and do some research from people in the field.

It seems that there are more massage therapists here than people in this city and those who are working don't make as much as I heard and those that do aren't hiring so after thinking about it I threw that thought of that out the window.

Why would I put all the time and effort into getting an education in a field that I wouldn't be able to work in when I was done?

I have always worked with little ones and loved it and the only reason that I left was because there was no money in it(there is alot more now) and that is when I went to the call center.

I went to talk to my friend who taught me my Early Childhood Education and now owns the daycare I used to work at and we got around to talking about her needing staff in the fall because a couple of her girls were going on maternity leave and my ears kind of perked up.

I didn't say anything but after thinking about it and talking with Wade about it all weekend I called her Monday and asked if she still needed people.

I told her I would be available if she wanted me and I think she just about jumped through the phone..she was so surprised that I would even think about coming back let alone asking for job...and she hired me right then.

The girls are so nice that work there although I am a bit older than most(they are pretty much in their early 20's and lets just say I'm not)

I am so excited because I get to work with the babies and toddlers...which is my favorite age group..

It was weird to get back though after being off for so long but in a good way..
I do have to say though that it only took me 3 days to pick up some of the germs that little ones love to share and I caught my first cold which is almost gone(thank goodness)

In other news from my house-I have one of my girls back home.

At the start of June Amanda moved back home..the whole my best friend and"his" boyfriend thing just didn't work out.Turns out the boys were doing lots of stuff they shouldn't (some illegal-and some just strange)and she was miserable so off we went and pulled her out of there..

With all this going on I have has zero time to stitch which is something I am going to be working on that's for sure

Happy Canada Day

2010-07-01T09:43:00.000-04:00

I Think I am in Trouble...

2010-05-18T13:30:00.002-04:00

I started walking yesterday as part of my get myself out of the house plan..

I got these fancy walking shoes about a month ago that are supposed to make your butt look good but so far I haven't seen that(I highly doubt that but that is what the company claims-we'll see about that)

I started just a little after 9 and walked about 7 kms down the walking trail by my house and ended up down the river and eventually downtown..I now know how out of shape I actually am..my goodness I wish I was 17 again...no not really but I was in shape then...

Well I am in shape now...round is a shape right??

I took the bus home from downtown because I didn't want to over do it and I am glad I did..seems like I might have aggravated a knee injury that happened about a million years ago..but this morning it seemed to be ok...

I figured so far so good I might go today as well so I got up and left about 9 and started off down the road...half way down my street I hear someone calling my name..

I turned around and there was Shelley and Jeannie from Because You Count(my most favorite place in the whole wide world-our not so local needlework store)

Seems like the ladies were in town to a quilting guild get together here in town and they were lost...I gave them directions and hope to heaven's that I didn't send them on a wild goose chase...

I walked down the trail and down to the train bridge and back home again but my knee was really hurting so I took my time..I didn't actually get home until 1130

(I ended up walking 10.2 km) and right then and there decided that tomorrow is going to be a stay home kind of day to let my knee and gigantic blister on my foot get better.

I hope to get back at it Thursday..

I also got a present in the mail yesterday-

my Lizzie Kate exchange came yesterday and it is so cute..I will post a picture.

My partner finished it into a little pin cushion(I think that is what they call it) and best of all she used my favorite color..orange.

I love it

Some More Finishes

2010-05-02T09:07:00.010-04:00

Did you know that if you bug your mother long enough she will sew for you.

Seeing I am not someone who sews,chalk it up to a bad home ec experience in grade 9 but I won't bore you with that story.

I am not afraid to admit that I suck at sewing..lol..however I am kind of scared of the sewing machine.

I will I muddle through it if I have too.

I am pretty sure thatI it drives her nuts seeing she has been sewing my whole life.

Thanks Mom :)

I also decided that I wanted to try an exchange online..I have seen so many pretty things that I figured why not?? So I signed up for the Lizzie Kate exchange.

I stitched up my piece and finished it and sent it off and now that my partner has received it I can share a picture. I made all of those little buttons myself:)

I am so excited that she liked it.

I have to decide what I am going to stitch next-decisions,decisions....

I have been getting my information together to apply to school and doing my "homework" so I can give it to my councillor.

I am hoping that I can get a student loan to cover the rest..cross your fingers for me..

Off for now..the girlies are coming over for bbq:)

Happy Birthday !!!!

2010-04-21T07:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to my honey:)

I Love You

Thinking

2010-04-16T11:21:00.011-04:00

I have been doing alot of that since I got laid off from the call center in December.

I have done a lot of soul searching about what I want to do when I grow up.

I really wanted to do my photography but have to realistic.

If I lived in a large city it might fly but here everyone and his dog does it and unfortunately I probably wouldn't be able to make a real living at it so for now I will do this as one of my favorite hobbies..

I have thought I might want to venture into health care and more specifically into massage therapy.

Not the spa type massage but more therapeutic(people with back,knee,shoulder etc) problems and with our population getting older there is always going to be the need for this type of service.

I am a real people person and hated that in my previous job I never had anything really tangible to show for my work besides a paper with numbers on it.

There are so many directions you could go with including pregnancy,infant,animal therapy it just amazes me.

There is an excellent school here and I am going for a visit on Monday to see what they have to offer.

It is a 18 month course and it is pricey(about 16 000 dollars)but on Tuesday I am going into a career councillor to see if I qualify to have the government help me with the tuition.

I think they should seeing that I had paid into EI and everything else and hadn't been on any government program in 18 years(since I was home with Stephanie,when she was a baby)

The classes wouldn't start until October so I thought I would get a jump on things and get the ball rolling..

Wish me luck:)

I joined my first exchange and have my partners piece all set to go.

All I have to do is mail it and we are good to go.

I will post a picture after she receives it.

I also finished a crocheted blanket.

Gosh I thought it would never end. I thought I would go until the yarn was gone but it just got too heavy so I did one last row last night and the edge and it is done like yesterday's dinner.

The girls are both coming over Sunday to visit and do laundry:)

I guess it has been a while since I used a coin operated machine but I think it is crazy to have to spend 12-15 dollars a week..

I told the girls that they could do their laundry here where it wouldn't cost them a thing.

Kind of killing 2 birds with one stone..they get clean clothes and get to see their most favorite parents in the whole wide world:)

At least that is what I keep telling them..lol...then the eyeball rolling starts:)

Happy 43rd Anniversary to my Mom and Dad

2010-04-15T08:04:00.001-04:00

I Love You Both

Catching Up-Kinda Long

2010-04-07T12:27:00.013-04:00

Hi

It has been a little while since I have really posted.

We have had a lot of changes come at us really fast in the last month.

Things have settled down somewhat I thought I should start keeping my blog updated a little better than I have been as of late.

The end of February brought probably one of the most heartbreaking thing I have ever done.

My youngest daughter Stephanie decided that she was ready to be a grown up and moved out on her own with her boyfriend.

We kind of expected it but were in denial I guess because 3 weeks before they moved she broke up with him and never wanted to talk to him again so we thought it wouldn't happen.

Guess what??

She did it..every time I heard the packing tape dispenser being used (you know that annoying ripping sound) it was like my heart was being torn out of my chest.

Moving day was not fun-we had a wet,snowy,rainy day-a bitchy boyfriend(we are trying to like him,honestly and to top it off I injured both my shoulder and knee slipping on the back step of her apartment.

They are all settled in now and she is finding being a grown up isn't the piece of cake she thought it was.

March blew in and we had to say goodbye to my Mom and Dad's dog Chloe (she was 15)

Dad was on his way out with a friend and he got a call from Mom saying that Chloe had collapsed outside.

Dad took her to the vet and turned out she had a massive tumor in her stomach and it wasn't good.

Mom and Dad had no idea-Chloe never complained or seemed like she wasn't feeling well.

It was a hard choice but they didn't want to see her suffer so they had to put her to sleep.

We also got a visit from my favorite cousin from Nova Scotia.

I haven't seen Lori since my grandfather passed away 18 years ago.

It was really great to see her again and she brought along a new "baby"..her 5 month old Great Dane "Wilbur"..if you were to stand him on his back legs he would be a little shorter than me(I am 5'9)and he is just a puppy-I can just imagine how big he will be when he is full grown.

My oldest daughter Amanda has moved out as well with her BFF Josh and his boyfriend this past weekend.(not sure how that situation is going to work but so far so good)

I thought that when Stephanie moved out it was hard but it was a million times harder when we moved Amanda-I think because she is our oldest.

She is pretty much settled in and bless her heart she calls me every day:)

Guess she still needs her Mama but my goodness I miss them both so much.

Good thing is though they live in the same city so it isn't that far away.

Now we have all this room that we don't know what to do with-it is so strange.

I moved all my stitching stuff and craft things into Stephanie's old room and Amanda's is still pretty empty.

We are thinking of maybe getting a couple of pieces of gym equipment but we are on the fence about that right now.

It is so weird now with just Wade and I. I hope he doesn't get tired of me..

I have been stitching a little bit too.
These are name plates for my favorite little people.

My best friend's little one's Natasha(4)and Alex(he will be 1 on the 19th of April)

I just used the letters from Hinznet and added buttons I got from Michael's

Sue Hillis 5 O'Clock

I think that is all I've got for now....

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T08:29:00.001-04:00

Hope the Easter Bunny found all of you:)

Have a great day...

Another Birthday

2010-04-03T13:56:00.003-04:00

Today is my Mom's Birthday:)

I just want to wish her a great day...

I Love You

Happy Birthday Dad

2010-03-31T08:26:00.004-04:00

I Love You

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up......

2010-02-26T10:04:00.010-04:00

Yes I have fallen off the no sugar wagon and you can't make me get back on it.....

I can't help myself-I have to have it.
I tried but I had to have sugar yesterday-it was so good I just about cried..lol....

I will try it again sometime but not for a while.

Things are just too crazy right now with all the changes going on-with the girls moving-I NEED MY SUGAR

On the upside I have been doing some stitching and it is helping me keep my mind off of moving day on Sunday.

Wade and I are going out to Mom and Dad's tomorrow for supper and to use her cool sewing machine to put some of my finishes together.

My plan for today was to go down to the little quilt store downtown to pick up some fabric for that but it is kind of miserable out today so that isn't going to happen until tomorrow morning before we go out and I hope to post some finishes soon.

I have some goodies coming in the mail soon I ordered from 123 stitch and I can't wait for it to arrive..

Now I Have Gone and Done It...

2010-02-18T13:14:00.007-04:00

Hi

My name is Carolyn and I am a sugar addict...if it has sugar in it or on it or around it I will eat it...lol...

I have been sugar free since yesterday and so far so good:)

I decided that I ate too much of the stuff and it wasn't doing me any good so I gave it up for Lent(I am no where near religious but figured now was just a good a time as any)

I had been thinking about it for a while and let me tell you Tuesday was quite a sugarfest here-anything that could be eaten that had sugar in it I ate- and my tummy felt it later on.

I have been really good so far..I find that if I am wanting something sweet I grab a piece of sugar free gum and it seems to help alot.
Maybe this will help me lose the extra weight I have been carrying around.

In other news from my house-

I am soon going to be an empty nester(sooner than I like) My youngest daughter has decided that she and her boyfriend are going to get a place and move in together.

As of last week the lease was signed and damage deposit given so I guess there is no going back...

She is about the same age I was when I moved out but Wade and I feel she is no where near ready and we feel it wouldn't be so bad if we actually liked her boyfriend..but we can't tell her that- it will be an adventure I am sure.

Her sister is also moving but not for another month-she her best friend Josh and his boyfriend are getting a place together-

I am not sure how that is going to work out but I met the boyfriend the other day and he seems nice:)

They are currently looking for a place suitable for all three of them and getting stuff for their new place..

That means that Wade and I will be all by ourselves, it will be so different.

What are we going to do with ourselves?

I mean I won't have anyone to fight with besides my cats and they aren't any fun because they sleep all day?????

We are going to miss them like crazy I know and we will get used to that. I keep telling myself that they will be fine and that we did a good job being parents and taught them what they needed to know.

What a great time to give up sugar huh????

Wish me luck:)

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T17:50:00.001-04:00

Stop the Presses !!!!

2010-02-05T08:20:00.008-04:00

Ask yourself this- how many times have you tried to open a ketchup package for your food while driving in the car and end up with it everywhere but your food?

I came across this on Yahoo this morning and had to share it..now you had better sit down...are you ready??

Heinz has redesigned their ketchup packages to make it more user friendly-

Gone are the little plastic-y,unopenable rectangles filled with the red stuff that we all know and love packaged so that when you are finally able to open them there is so much force behind it that causes them to explode..

By SARAH SKIDMORE, AP Food Industry Writer Sarah Skidmore, Ap Food Industry Writer – Thu Feb 4, 6:11 pm ET

For decades there was only one way to use the humble ketchup packet, and it was messy. Now, fast-food lovers have a choice: the traditional squeeze play — or the option to dunk.

You want fries with that, in the minivan? No problem.

The new ketchup pack, unveiled Thursday by H.J. Heinz Co., is shaped like a shallow cup. The top can be peeled back for dipping, or the end can be torn off for squeezing. It holds three times as much ketchup as a traditional packet.

Customers at a McDonald's in Covington, Ky., said they would welcome a redesign.

"You use up a lot of ketchup now with the packets, I always get extra ones," said Skyler McDermott, 29. "Maybe now you won't have to use your teeth to open them."

Heinz struggled for years to develop a container that lets diners dip or squeeze, and to produce it at a cost acceptable to its restaurant customers.

"The packet has long been the bane of our consumers," said Dave Ciesinski, vice president of Heinz Ketchup. "The biggest complaint is there is no way to dip and eat it on-the-go."

Designers found that what worked at a table didn't work where many people use ketchup packets: in the car. So two years ago, Heinz bought a used minivan for the design team members so they could give their ideas a real road test.

The team studied what each passenger needed. The driver wanted something that could sit on the armrest. Passengers wanted the choice of squeezing or dunking. Moms everywhere wanted a packet that held enough ketchup for the meal and didn't squirt onto clothes so easily.

Heinz is rolling out the new packs this fall at select fast-food restaurants nationwide. It will continue to sell the traditional packets.

Whether restaurants buy the new packets will depend on cost, experts say.

"One of the top uses of ketchup in this country is on french fries," said Harry Balzer, vice president of the research firm NPD Group. "One of the patterns of behavior in this difficult climate that continues to do OK is ordering and eating in your car."

The company said it is still working out prices with its customers. But the new packet should cost only a little more, even though it holds much more ketchup.

Heinz is by far the biggest ketchup maker. About half of its ketchup is sold in stores and the other half is sold to the food service industry through its exclusive contracts with chains like Burger King and Wendy's.

McDonald's, the nation's largest burger chain, does only limited business with Heinz.

Heinz sells more than 11 billion ketchup packets every year. But neither the ketchup maker nor the major chains would say who plans to carry the new design.

Morningstar restaurant analyst R.J. Hottovy said if restaurants do adopt the design, the transition will likely be gradual.

"It has to be proven that this is something that saves money on the behalf of restaurants or cuts down on waste," he said. "It looks interesting, but ultimately you have to provide something of value to the restaurants."

Customers may force the issue.

Rants about the messy packs have helped spawn hundreds of anti-ketchup-packet groups on Facebook.

Matt Kurtz, a 22-year-old student in New York, has drawn 269 members to the group he started after he ripped open a packet too quickly and spilled it on his jeans while on a road trip two years ago.

"That's when I said 'There has to be a better way.'"

These issues come as no surprise to Heinz's Ciesinski. "We created the packet in 1968," he said. "Consumer complaints started around 1969."

Now I have a couple of questions-

First off-why would there be a facebook group(s)(I didn't know there were more that one) to protest ketchup packages and their drawbacks???? Do these people have nothing better to do with their time???

Why did the research people at Heinz have to go out and buy a mini van to go and do a road test to see how the old packages got on people's nerves and how to fix it?? Have they never eaten fast food in their vehicle before??

Why did it take 41 years for them to develop a new way to package my favorite condiment in the whole wide world????

Just a little something to ponder for the day just in case you get bored..lol...

It's a Snow Day

2010-01-29T09:37:00.006-04:00

Guess I will be staying in today- I will get my blankie,hot chocolate,some movies and my stitching and make the best of it-hey maybe I could make some chocolate chip cookies...

I knew our recent warm spell would come to an end but it could have stuck around a little longer..oh well I guess that's what happens in January in Atlantic Canada:)

Stephanie is home today after working a crazy amount of hours this week so I think it is a good idea to let her sleep today. She was going to go skating with a friend this afternoon but that might change.

I have been stitching on my Mermaids of the Deep Blue quite a bit but I feel the need to stitch something smaller with brighter colors..maybe something for Valentines..I guess I will have to go through my stuff and see what strikes my fancy:)

Any ideas??

Adding to my Wish List...

2010-01-14T12:50:00.007-04:00

You know I love to visit other blogs and I know that I could spend days and days just reading and leaving comments and of course adding to my wish list.

Guess what I found this morning in my travels... Bent Creek Photo Booths..

I absolutely love the Snowman and Eggs and Bacon

Not alot has been going on this week-Monday the girlies drug me out of the house and I ended up at the mall-although I wasn't shopping for anything it was nice to spend time with them and Tuesday I was back up to the dentist for my permanent filing and ended up going back 2 hours later to get him to fix what he did because I had pain again and needless to say that so called dentist is never getting another penny from this chick and I will leave it at that...

Amanda and I are both home today with a lovely cold bug and feeling kind of crappy so we are settling in with movies,medication,blankies and I have my stitching so I think that is the extent of our day...hope you have a great Thursday....

Have You Seen My Brownies??

2010-01-07T12:43:00.007-04:00

Here I am sitting all by myself with the exception of Baby and Kate who have decided they were going to nap all day....when I realized I have been brownie free for about 2 weeks now and that is just sick and wrong on so many levels I can't even begin to talk about it.

The best brownies I have ever had are made at Sobey's and are dark and chewy and have a frosting that is to die for-not to mention that they are probably the size of my head..when I was at the mall working it wouldn't be anything to run over and grab one for breakfast which is always yummy:)

Now that I am home though they aren't quite so easy to get to and that makes me very very sad:(

The one good thing is that because they aren't close I haven't indulged which makes the numbers on my scale happy and me happy to boot:) but is it still bad to really really want one? or maybe 2?????

I did find out what kind of brownie I would be if I were one-these quizzes are so silly and mean absolutely nothing but they are fun:)

You Are a Fudge Brownie

You are outgoing and very friendly. You enjoy talking with people, and you always can find something to say.

You're never self-conscious, even when you embarrass yourself a little bit. You figure it's all part of the life experience.

You are truly comfortable in your own skin. You know you're not perfect, but who is really?

Because you're happy with yourself, you're able to be warm to those around you. You are a natural conversationalist and a true friend.

What Kind of Brownie Are You?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

I have been stitching on my Mermaid of the Deep Blue and so far so good:)

I have done a couple of L&L designs before and even though they look complicated they weren't and I find the Mirabilia to be the same which is nice:)

Off to go stitch some more

Relief-

2010-01-05T21:09:00.005-04:00

Well today was the day I had been waiting for-now most times I kind of cringe when I have to go to the dentist but I was counting down the hours until I went.

My regular dentist decided in November that I needed to have some old fillings replaced and when doing so he went too deep and since that day I had severe pain.

After many trips to check on it he scheduled me for a root canal, no but he wasn't going to do it. He didn't have the equipment-whatever that meant???

Funny thing was I had no pain at all before he got in there digging around(maybe he needed my money to get his kids a Wii or something for Christmas-I don't know)

I swear that I was popping ibuprofen like skittles the whole time. I never want to go through that again that's for sure.

Ir went pretty well and only took about an hour.

This new dentist was awesome the only downside was that I can't get him to put in the permanent filling because he has a lot of referrals he doesn't take patients who have been referred otherwise other dentists won't send new people his way .

I am not going back to my regular guy again..so now I have to find someone new to put in the permanent filling..

Other than that not alot going on here. We had a big yucky snow storm on the weekend,but because it has been so mild most of that has melted. I am sure it will get cold again soon though..

You know that's ok though-I thought I would try to read the "Twilight" series after watching the movie that Stephanie has and I am surprised to say that they aren't too bad.

I am off to catch up on my reading:)

Happy 2010

2009-12-31T17:01:00.000-04:00

Some Stitching-Finally

2009-12-30T10:24:00.004-04:00

Finally some stitching to show you-these are the ornaments I stitched this year for my favorite kids..

The first two are for my bestest buddy's little ones.I love Precious Moments as they are so easy to stitch and didn't take a huge amount of time..

The next one is Amanda's-who decided that it was time for some more "grown up" type ornaments..

Stephanie has a thing for penguins so I had to stitch this for her from Stitchy Kitty.

I had them done months ago but as usual I waited to the last minute to assemble them-will I ever learn???

I have gotten a jump start on next years and gotten Amanda's and Stephanie's done and I think I will get them together before December 24th..here's hoping anyway..lol...

We had our big after Christmas meal yesterday and I have tonnes leftover so if anyone needs some cooked turkey email me and I can send you some:)

Everyone is back to work today except for me-it is going to take some getting used to not going to work and I know I am going to have to get on some sort of plan or I think I might go crazy-

I think I am going to start "Mermaids of the Deep Blue" by Mirabilia

I have always admired these and have always wanted to stitch one and after I saw Cathey's Stargazer I decided that this is the one I wanted.

I had dyed my own fabric in the summer and it has been sitting there waiting..I figured I had the time so why not??

Oh-Cathey-the Harry Potter dvd for 10 dollars I got at HMV for their boxing day sale.
I watched it last night and it was awesome:)

On the Hunt

2009-12-28T21:18:00.015-04:00

Now that Christmas has passed and my house is almost back to normal I have decided to start my ornaments for next year so I don't have to rush to get them done in time..

I have the girls done already and I will post some pbotos but I am on the hunt for "Believe" by The Sampler Girl...

I saw this on the Christmas Ornament stitch along blog and decided that I had to do it..only problem is that it is no longer available online and I emailed the designer and have yet to hear back.

I am kind of hoping that someone in blogger land might have saved it and might be able to help a girl out:)

We are having our own "Christmas" dinner tomorrow because we had gone to Mom and Dad's Christmas day and we wanted to have one just for us so I will be up bright and early putting the turkey in the oven(yay-I love leftovers but not for a week so I am sure we will be freezing a bunch and using it later-which is fine for me..lol)

Amanda and I braved the boxing day sales yesterday in the freezing cold along with about 400 other crazy people outside Future shop-I was pleasantly surprised at the people though. I was expecting a mad rush and people fighting over tvs but that didn't happen..

No mishaps that I know of and it did help to know what you were going after..I snagged myself a digital answering maching for an incredible price of $6.99 and a copy of Wolverine and I used a gift card we had gotten for Christmas so it was all good..

Amanda got a bunch of dvd's to add to her collection and she was so happy to use a gift card her grandparents had given her.

I had to laugh though we were able to find a short line to pay for our treasures and this man and his son were behind us and we could tell he was getting impatient.

He just couldn't seem to get it through his head that he wasn't the only person in the store but he thought he was the most important one..(about 400 customers and 45 staff) as he complained I was going to turn around and tell him to chill and relax and they would get to him as quickly as they could but he was one of those people who is always right and there was no sense...if anything it was great entertainment to listen to him talk to his son.

After that we walked to the mall to meet Wade who had gone to Walmart and I think he was traumatized because there were so many people...

I have a feeling that he won't go again but I will as long as Amanda wants to go..it was quite fun:)

Oh and I was able to get the new Harry Potter movie for 10 bucks....I was so excited!!!!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T20:13:00.002-04:00

It's Over

2009-12-23T15:49:00.014-04:00

Yep-my days as call center rep have come to an end.

Friday was my last day and as I predicted I did not stay the whole day.

We had some laughter and tears as most of us have been there a very long time. I won't miss the job at all but will miss my friends the most.

Our plan is to meet up once a month for supper or breakfast which combines two of my favorite things...friends and food:)

I had to go in today to pick upmy record of employment and my last pay-it looked so empty...

On a different note-all my Christmas stuff is done-that is except wrapping my honey's gifts and a little more baking but that is what tomorrow is for:)

We are set to have a quiet Christmas with the girls and we are off to Mom and Dad's for supper(yumm...)it will be weird though not cooking a meal especially not having left overs the next day...but not to worry-we are cooking our own bird on Monday...

Well I am off for now-gotta put some ornaments together..

3 Days

2009-12-15T21:02:00.011-04:00

3 days left to go and I am so terribly bored it isn't even funny...

I finished all my work by my first break today and by lunch I was spinning in my chair to see how many times I could go around before I got dizzy....that was quite fun..lol....

I did work on my cross stitch ornament,played my nintendo ds and surfed the web....

I don't think this day will ever end.....

We are having our last team get together on Thursday with chinese food and then Friday they are feeding us again.

I highly doubt that I will be staying all day on Friday...a bunch of us are heading to a local pub to celebrate...yippeeee!!!!!!

It is starting to look like Christmas here...Wade put up the tree and lights and the girls decorated the tree and did an awesome job:)

I will post some pictures when I get a chance..

Four Days but Who's Counting

2009-12-14T21:25:00.008-04:00

That is how many more days of work I have left at the old call center.

I can hardly wait.I brought home the last of my stuff that I had there tonight.

I know won't miss the job at all but I will miss my friends.

I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do and am thinking it would be a great time to go back to school.

I have no idea what I would like to take but I have some time to figure that out..

What else have I been up to?

Well here is the short version:

I have been having teeth issues for probably the last 3 or 4 weeks and haven't blogged at all.

My dentist decided that I had a bunch of old fillings that needed replacing which is fine however I have been in constant pain from one tooth and he can't tell which one it is.

It got so bad last Monday I went in without an appointment and waited until he could check.

After some pain medication I did feel better in fact it put me right to sleep and
it still twinges now and again but I have a sneaking suspision that a root canal might be in my future.

I have to go to another dentist after the holidays..

I will not be going back to that dentist-I had no pain at all before he got his mitts in there. At least those yucky almalgum fillings are gone..lol..

Christmas is almost here and I am pretty much ready which is a very rare thing. I have to shop for Wade and wrap and bake a few things and that is pretty much it.

I don't think I will bake a whole bunch of stuff simply because if it is here then I will eat it and that just won't do..since everything came down I find I am not watching what I eat as much as I should be and trust me my scale is not my friend at this point in time..once everything is settled I am sure things will be on a little more even keel...

I have been stitching a little bit more since the last time I posted.

I think I scared my girls though when I was learning how to crochet that is all I pretty much did for about a month and a half-

I dug out some ornaments the other day that I had to finish and they both told me they thought I would never stitch again and they were glad to see me back at it..

I have got three new Lizzie Kate's that I picked up at Because You Count(it was a very unexpected trip to Moncton-which was great-however freezing cold)
The new store is amazing..I love it:)

Where have I been??

2009-10-20T19:29:00.006-04:00

Good Gracious- I can't believe I have neglected my blog for so long-I guess life just kind of got in the way.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but sometimes I wonder if it would be easier if I did...

Let me catch you up on what's been going on- just keeping in mind this is the "cliff" notes version.

The last time I blogged Amanda got a new job and my good friend Kelly got married and moved out west..

Since then Amanda is still loving her job..which makes me happy that she has found something that she loves to do.

My friend Kelly keeps me up to date on what's going on through her blog and face book and although it isn't the same as being here I am glad that she is keeping in touch.

I took a week vacation in September which was great-

I had some fantastic weather and I took lots of pictures and did stuff that I wanted. I alsospent some time with my best friend Amanda and her two little ones which was so much fun..

I almost forgot how busy a 3 1/2 year old can be but I had an awesome time..

September came and went with my youngest Stephanie turning 18 on the 27th.

I got sick the day after Steph's birthday and ended up staying home for 3 days-not fun and then passed it around to everyone else(who says I don't like to share?)

We got a group of work people together and did the CIBC Run For the Cure the first Sunday in October which was so much fun considering we had more rain dump on us in one afternoon even more I think than during the great flood when Noah built his ark.

I don't think we could have gotten any more wet even if we tried..we looked gorgeous let me tell you..

I am still running back and forth to Taymouth to Mom and Dad's pretty much every weekend but I am now trying to scale back those visits to every other week.

Now with the weather turning colder and soon that awful white stuff will be falling to the ground I won't be out as often as the drive out there isn't that great on the the best of days.

October is here and with that Thanksgiving.

We all went to Mom and Dad's which was so nice .

I hadn't had that since I was a teenager..It was great not to have left overs for a change..

After that Wade caught the flu and was home for a week-he didn't have fun either....

Now Amanda has it and feels gross.

Stephanie has a new boyfriend who I met and he seems like a nice guy..

I have also decided this year that I would learn how to crochet which for most is pretty easy but for me being left handed has been quite an ordeal let me tell you.
If you ever need anything unravelled let me know cause I am so good at that.

I have had some great help from one of my co workers..and I think I might have it(Yay!!!)

I have saved the best for last though-guess what we found out today at my work????

I am sure you have probably read in my postings that my job at the call center was getting to me and I was contemplating leaving well I guess I didn't have to make that decision.

Well the happiness fairy must have heard and granted my wish because as of December 18 we will no longer be doing that-

We have been given our pink slips and the whole center will be closed by the end of June.

We had expected this for quite some time and today it finally came to be..we will be getting a severance package which we will find out about tomorrow..

It will be quite a change but I think a good one at least in my case anyway...will post more about it when I find out...

A Finish, A Wedding and a New Start...

2009-08-25T20:32:00.016-04:00

I finally have a finish to post for once which is nice because all I seem to do is talk about other stuff. I made it for a great friend from work who got married this past Friday. It was an outdoor wedding(which was awesome-I had never been to an outside wedding before and it was so nice. It had been threatening rain all week and humidity was insane,the good news was that it didn't rain.

The wedding was so beautiful and Kelly's honey had just graduated from the RCMP and he wore his dress uniform.(Amanda had done all the wedding party's hair as well which was great)

These are a few photos from the wedding that I wanted to share. The last one is of Kelly and myself..I am so glad that we got to be such good friends. The only sad thing is that she and her honey are moving out west for his job but you know that is why the internet and facebook are great...I know it won't be the same-but we will still keep in touch..

The new start is for my Amanda-she graduated and went on and passed her association exam and is now certified to be as she puts it "be a Hair Fairy" don't ask where that came from but it is cute:)
Then to top that off she actually started a new job today doing what she has been trained to do. She came home tonight just grinning..I love to see that:)

That's about all for now ...

Happy Birthday Amanda Marie

2009-08-17T05:52:00.004-04:00

I can't believe you aren't a teenager anymore....I love you bunches....Mama

Off to Mom and Dad's Again....

2009-08-10T20:24:00.002-04:00

Since my parent's moved into their new house in mid July we have been back and forth to their place so often that I think the car knows it's own way there.

Things have been spinning out of control like I have never experienced before and I want off this crazy ride...

I am kind of feeling a little overwhelmed and I am so not in my comfort zone at all.

I am not used to them being around at all(see they lived 15000 km away for most of my life)

Now they are 30 minutes away and I think they*no not so much they but "my mom" expects us around all the time and call every day and talk for an hour( I am feeling a little "smothered")

I love my parents to death but I seriously need some downtime that I can do what I want,when I want.

I want to nap on the weekend if I want and hang around all day in my pj's and eat junk all day and watch movies if I want and stitch when I want to which I haven't been able to do which makes Carolyn a very cranky girl...

Combine that with a 17 year old who has proven to be quite a challenge lately and you have a recipe for disaster.

For starters she had started seeing this fellow and it had only been for a few days when a co-worker told me that he was bad news(he was big time into drugs and has a 4 month old daughter with a 17 year old girl and lots of other illegal activities)

I think he was a friend of her ex boyfriend or something like that.

We brought this to her attention and she was not too happy that we were meddling but as a parent you have to do what you have to do if it means protecting your child.

Well Mama stepped in and made that go away fast and no sooner did that get resolved...then she got it in her head that she was going to get her own place and move out at the end of the month which was a shock to say the least.

Wade and I have been showing her exactly how things would be and told her that we still had things to teach her before she goes.

She did some thinking she told me last night that she doesn't think she is ready and now wants to stay home for a while. Which is a good thing because I know that she isn't ready but I know I am really not ready for her to go yet.

So things are quiet on that front today so that's good but today is only Monday...the week is still young...lol...

Now on to other stuff...Amanda finished her school and passed her exam and today had to write her association exam so that she can actually work in a salon to do hair. It started today and 9 and she was done at 4 and will find out by mail sometime next week. I am sure she will do fine but I can tell she is nervous about it.

I am so hoping to get some stitching done. I started Sue Hillis' "Wedding Day" for a friend from work who is getting married in two weeks.

It shouldn't be a problem to get it done in time. After she gets married she and her new husband are being posted to Swift Current Sask. as he is a brand new RCMP officer.

I already miss her but you know that is the great thing about the internet now-you can really keep in touch which is fantastic. I know it isn't the same as being there but it is really better than just a letter now and then.

I am hoping that it won't be another month before I post again..

....Inked....

2009-07-07T17:28:00.018-04:00

Stephanie finally got the tattoo that she has been wanting forever..

She made her way to "White Lotus" downtown this afternoon and I met her there because she needed "parental consent".

I did it for her sister when she graduated so it is only fair that I do it for her. She had thought about it for a long time and understood that it is for life so I had no problem signing for it.

She had always wanted one the side of her foot and it is probably one of the most painful places on your body to get a tattoo.

We tried and tried to get her change her mind as to where she would put it but would she would not budge....not a chance...that is what she wanted and nothing was going to change her mind.

Even the guy who did her tattoo was quite amazed by her choice and the bonus thing is that it only took about 20 minutes or so to do..which was awesome and he did an great job...

She wants another on her other foot and thought sometime in September would be a good time and she asked if I would get mine done with her..how cool is that?

I think that I will get the same fellow do mine that did Stephanie's today..he also did one of Amanda's.

I still have to tweak the design that I want so that gives me more than enough time.

I think that I am going crazy...seriously I really do-

Last night about 9:45,I had this thought to check my camera bag for the attachment for my tripod (the one that you attach to the bottom of the camera. Was it there- nope...

Couldn't find that and then I couldn't find my remote for my my camera.

When I can't find something I have to keep looking for it until I find it.

The last time I saw either was the night when Steph graduated and haven't seen them since and I am making myself crazy trying to find them.

I know that they will turn up eventually but I want them now-not that I need them right now but I will feel better once they are back where they belong but until then I will continue to look for them..

Happy Canada Day

2009-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

My Baby has Graduated...

2009-06-19T21:28:00.018-04:00

Stephanie's graduation took place last night and what a night it was.

She graduated with 400 of her classmates and we are so proud of what she has done.

I could tell that she wasn't nervous at all but excited to start a brand new part of her life.

A very proud Mama and Daddy with our "Graduate"

Stephanie and her "big sister" Amanda

The Whole Family

Blowing Kisses

Her BFF's Nicole and Scott

We Did It!!!

Waiting...and waiting and waiting.....

The Graduate

Stephanie-we are so proud of you and know you will go far...We Love You So Much

Mama and Daddy

xoxoxooxoxoxoxooxooxooxo

She Did It....

2009-06-15T19:57:00.017-04:00

Stephanie got her exams done and over with and today was judgement day-off we went to school and she got all her credits she needed to graduate-yipppeee!!!!!

It has been a long road full of potholes and detours but it all worked out. Now it is time to celebrate a job well done.

When we got home from school she got her graduations gifts which included a brand new Dell laptop from her father and I. She got some awesome accessories for it from her sister and money from her grandparents. She also got some special gifts from Wade and I.

I made her "The Graduate" from Sue Hillis

Her Dad did something that I had never thought of..he ran around town taking photos of every school she had ever been to and arranged them in a frame for her to keep.

Then it was time to get ready for the Prom- I didn't think it would ever come and not a minute too soon:)

Her best friend Talisha came over and they went together.

Talk about a whirl wind..

I just stepped out of the way and let it fly. I hope she has a good time..

I am sure there will be lots of stories to share...here are some photos I thought I would share.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Again....

2009-06-09T07:09:00.006-04:00

Yep...it is that time again...exams-oh yay:)

Steph is in the middle of her last set of high school exams and I know she will be so glad when they are done.She wants them over with because her prom is just around the corner and then graduation which is a week away. I can't believe it is just around the corner. Then both my "babies" will be done. Where does the time go?

To add to that I got a call from my parents last Thursday and let us know that they have finally sold their house and were coming here from Ontario to find a new house-they should be here sometime today...yikes...

Not really the best time but their house closes on the 15th of July..

What a surprise...we kind of wrote it off seeing that the house had been on the market for almost 2 years..we weren't expecting it at all.

I tried to get some time off to help them look but that isn't possible because it is such short notice. Although I did find a couple that I liked:)

It should be interesting anyway :)

I am off now to tidy up a little before work-

My Husband Is Not a Mechanic...

2009-05-24T19:24:00.018-04:00

But he plays one on tv...lol...

Last week our car had some damage done when the flex hose went and caused our back brake to heat up and smoke like you wouldn't believe.

We had had this happen once before but on the other side only at that time the whole unit caught on fire-good times, I have to say :)

So Wade being the fix it kind of person he is decided that it would be his project last weekend. I thought he was nuts and he should have someone trained in this sort of thing take a look at it but you know he had seen them do this at work and he had seen it done so he "knew" how to do it.

I should have really known better.

He started at around 9 am and 6 hours later he finished, or so he thought.

After many trips in the house and a lot of colorful language he went to pick up Amanda. He backed it out of the driveway and then drove it right back in. Something was wrong..

Well it is a week later and it is still a work in progress-

I bet that the next time he won't be so quick to tear it apart himself..

We had quite a scare in April-

Wade had gone to the chiropractor on his birthday because he has had back problems for ever and he could hardly move and was in quite a bit of pain.

The chiropractor did a routine x ray to make sure that they didn't tweak anything they weren't supposed to.

Well the x-ray showed us something we couldn't have even imagined..there was a shadow on his spine near his pelvic bone.

The chiropractor did a adjustment and told him that he couldn't tell what it was and that he was sending the x ray to his family doctor and that they would be calling the following day.

The next day came around and we had yet to hear from the doctor so we tried to keep things as normal as possible.

I had called Wade before I left work to see if he had heard anything and he told me he did but he wouldn't tell me anything until I got home.

I will tell you it was the longest drive home ever.

He told me that the doctor had called and they figured out that it was a tumor and that they had to do some blood tests to see what we were dealing with.

Well then I just lost it

I couldn't believe that this was happening.

We told the girls what was going on and they didn't take it well at all.

Well the doctor's office shuffled around appointments to get him in and get the blood tests done.

His doctor seemed quite optimistic but we still had to wait for the results.

I had wanted to go with him but he wanted to do it himself..

I was not in the frame of mind to be at work and left and went home to be there when he got there.

Waiting is always the hardest part - we were told that we would know at the start of the week exactly what we were up against.

Well we tried to keep busy on the weekend and we went back to work and school on Monday and we still hadn't heard.

On Tuesday the doctor's office called and he went in and was told that it was benign(Thank God)

The Dr told him it had been there growing for about 2 years and was the size of a grape-and that it was probably pushing against some nerves-that is why he had so much pain in his back.

He will have to have a needle aspiration and a biopsy as well just to be sure and his doctor was quite confident that he wouldn't have to go through radiation or chemo...

We are waiting for a date of the procedure.

Now we are gearing up for 2 graduations...

Stephanie is almost done high school-she has her exams in 2 weeks.

She is going to the prom with a bunch of her friends- she is so excited she is bouncing.

She was going to go with her boyfriend but they stopped seeing each other Easter weekend but you know she is so much happier now than she has been in a long time which is awesome.

Amanda is now done classes at school and will be starting her work term for 5 weeks. She is set to be done on July 10th..yippeee...she is quite pleased with that.

As for me- I have been stitching like there is no tomorrow and I will be posting pictures later on this week...

I have also been going to boot camp at work to try to lose the last 15 lbs I am carrying around.

Boot camp is so much fun but it is tough.

I have found muscles I didn't even think I had , but I haven't seen the scale move which is frustrating to say the least.

I mean I know that once you leave your 30's weight is harder to loose and I think that is right. If you have a trick or strategy on how to get things jump started I would love to hear about them.

Well I am done rambling for now,

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:33:00.008-04:00

I Love You:)

Happy Birthday !!!

2009-04-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

To My Honey :)

I Love You

Happy Easter.....

2009-04-11T09:05:00.006-04:00

I Couldn't Help Myself...I Swear.......

2009-04-07T20:52:00.008-04:00

I couldn't help myself.

I wanted peanut butter cups so bad for about 2 weeks and did well to avoid them-

but I broke down Wade bought me a package today and they were so good...mind you that I have behaved myself since the middle of January but I just couldn't stop.

I consider this week a write off anyway seeing that Easter Bunny is on it's way..

I love Chocolate holidays although I do have to work on Friday and Monday but that's ok because I get paid double time and a half so that will look nice on my pay that's for sure.

It was a quiet weekend and a long long at that-which was great because I slept alot and threw in a few naps for good measure.

I did watch some movies and I did stitch(Stephanie's ornament is done and Amanda's is getting there)

I also had a Dr appointment yesterday so I figured why not take the whole day(it was just to get a prescription refilled-

I was in and out of the office in less that 20 minutes)I didn't even get to sit in the big waiting room which never happens.Surprised me I will tell you..

A new record:)

That will probably never happen again..

Speaking of movies I watched Marley and Me the other night.

I loved the book,so much that I have given it as gifts-the movie was good but the book was much better.

I cried like a baby at the end...I will buy it for my collection.

Oh and I have a new endeavor that has kind of fallen in my lap-

My darling Amanda decided that she wanted to sell Avon and signed up in February but the novelty wore off pretty quick(after about 1 campaign) so guess who is doing it now????

I have 2 campaigns under my belt.

I decided that I am not in it for the money-

I want to good discounts on the stuff. I love Avon and they have some pretty awesome stuff so I think it is a win/win situation...it's all good...

The girls at work love the stuff:)

Happy Birthday Mom.....

2009-04-03T07:36:00.004-04:00

Today is my Mom's 60th birthday-but don't tell her....she thinks she is still 50:)

I hope you have a great birthday!!!

We love you :)

Happy 66th Birthday Dad....

2009-03-31T06:36:00.002-04:00

Love you Bunches

Your Kid:)

Well I Learned Something Today.

2009-03-25T20:12:00.010-04:00

I found out that a website that I had been posting all my competed cross stitch is no longer doing so. I guess there was some sort of rule saying you had to keep posting every few weeks or so or they would delete the account.

Well guess I didn't post enough and now they are no longer there..it so sucks....and I wouldn't have even known about it if I hadn't read someones blog.

Oh well at least I know that my pictures are ok here.

I started Stephanie's graduation cross stitch today at work-I am not doing it at home simply because I don't want her to know about it until she graduates.

It is Sue Hillis' The Graduate.

I did one for Amanda when she graduated high school-the only thing I am changing is the cap from blue to black and adding gold as those are their school colors. It stitched up quite quickly before so that is always good.

Oh before I forget here is the baby blanket I knit for my best friend who is due with her baby boy at the beginning of May. For someone like me who doesn't knit I found it quite easy to do.

Spring...I Think???

2009-03-24T20:31:00.006-04:00

Well I think spring is on it's way-although you wouldn't know it.

The last couple of days haven't felt like it.It has been kind of cold and windy but thank heaven we didn't get the snow like Moncton did.

At least later on this week the temperature is going to get close to 10C.

How awesome is that??

It was beautiful though on the weekend.

Saturday morning was a rare occasion where both the girls were actually home and let me tell you that happens every once in a blue moon.

I woke up Amanda and got her moving which was a painful experience.I would have let her sleep but we had a mission to accomplish.

We had to go to H&R Block downtown to get that paper from Amanda's tuition that I had mentioned in my blog a little while ago for my parents.

I was so tired of hearing about it that we just gave in-it is done and on it's way.

That is all taken care,if I hear any more about it I think I am going to scream...

After that the girls wanted a coffee so off we headed to Reid's News Stand and on the way there we happened to pass Westminster books-which is my favorite book store ever.

Chapters may be huge but there is just something so welcoming about a small,independent bookstore that screams "come on in". I could spend hours there.

I love it:)

They had this huge display of kid's books and right in front was:

The girls got this book when they were small and I know we read it at least a gazillion times. It was always one of our favorite things to do:)

I think I still have every book they ever owned.

I didn't keep a lot of their toys but I did insist on keeping the books.

Work is almost half over but I am actually helping out this weekend with taking incoming calls on Saturday where they are going to be swamped.

Time and a half for a full day. Not so bad..

Now if I was doing inbound all the time then there would be no way I would volunteer but I figured why not?? I could use the extra cash just like everyone else.

Happy St Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T20:45:00.005-04:00

No One is Immune I Guess...

2009-03-12T19:09:00.006-04:00

I found this today while surfing the net and I was floored-I just couldn't believe my eyes and I thought I would share....

NEW YORK — The crisis on Wall Street is plaguing Sesame Street

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit producer of Sesame Street and other kids' programs, is cutting about one-fifth of its workforce because of the economic downturn.

The company said Wednesday that it's eliminating 67 of 355 staff positions.

Declaring it is "not immune to the unprecedented challenges of today's economic environment," the company pronounced a need "to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities."The statement reiterated the organization's mission "of helping children reach their highest potential here and around the globe."

Best known as the home of such Muppet characters as Big Bird and Elmo, Sesame Workshop was founded in 1968 as Children's Television Workshop, then unveiled the groundbreaking Sesame Street as a literacy-building initiative a year later. That show, which remains a worldwide hit, was the first step toward a media empire that encompasses television, books, toys and online programing.

Among the company's early TV efforts is The Electric Company, which aired during the 1970s and was revived with new episodes on PBS in January.

Sesame Workshop gets revenue from product licensing and the sale of its programs to PBS and syndication. The company is also funded by government agencies, foundations and corporations.

Total revenue was $145 million in 2008, with operating expenses totaling $141 million, according to the company's website.

However I did also see this and I have no doubt that my favorites will be ok-

the Swedish chef is signing with the food network for his own food show for kids.

BIG BIRD will do shows on airplanes & air travel.

Bert & Ernie will do the subways and entertain on the platform.

Ms. Piggy & Kermit have agreed to do "Dancing with the Stars".

Oscar will go to work for New York Sanitation.

The remainder will do work fairs and seek out new employment.

I just can't wait to see Piggy and Kermit dance circles around everyone:)

I Want to take a Trip

2009-03-06T22:16:00.011-04:00

someplace warm and sunny:)

I am so sick of winter.

I don't think it is ever going to end...

I even have a place for all my "friends" so we could stitch and munch and partake in some great umbrella drinks.

Do I have any takers? I know Cathey and Lori Ann will want to go which is awesome:)

You are all welcome to come along..

Another week is over and it is finally the weekend-

I think this might be a good time to do some baking.

I have a hankering for homemade cookies but am torn between choclate chip,molasses and oatmeal.

I am not sure what will come out of my oven but one thing is for sure is that they never seem to last and I have to be really good and not eat them all.

I have lost 11 lbs since the middle of January and have a few more to go-about 19 more to go before I reach my goal which is to lose it by June when Stephanie graduates.

It has been rough going for a while but it is getting better.

I have pretty much gotten rid of white bread,white rice,junk food and I am working on the sugar.

(I haven't cut that out completely-I have to have some sugar)

We don't have plans for the weekend where the girls are both working.

It is kind of nice to have down time just for ourselves to do what ever.

I am sure that my parents will call on the weekend but things there are a little strained right now so I think I will take a break from the 3 hour phone calls about nothing.

Here's the story..now just to warn you it is long so you might want to grab a coffee and get comfy..

Years ago when Amanda turned 1,my grandmother started a bank account to put money in for her whenever Christmas or birthdays rolled around for them to use it to continue their education after high school.

All was fine until my grandmother developed dementia and got bad about 5 or 6 years ago.

She asked my parents to continue what she started by taking money from her(grandma's account)and transfering it to the girl's accounts.

Mom decided that they would get more if they invested it so that is what they did.

Time goes by and Amanda graduated from high school not knowing what she wanted to do so she went to work.

When she decided that she wanted to go to Majestany to do hair she thought she would do the whole student loan thing to cover most of her tuition.

My parents finally decided to give her the gift from my grandmother in August(which was about $2600)

The cheque was sent to the school and no where on it did it have my parents name on it-just the investment company info.

Go forward to mid October/November...

Mom decides that she needs the receipt from the school so that they could claim it on their income tax.

She brought it up at Christmas and even told Amanda at the time that she should claim it on her income tax.

I am thinking that yes Amanda should be the one to claim it as she is the one going to school.

Now don't get me wrong I love my parents to death but personally I think it is wrong
that they are demanding this but it isn't the first time something like this has happened concerning money/gifts.

It has been quite a sore spot for a while and it gets mentioned every time we talk.

It won't benefit them at all-however if Amanda claimed that amount then she could use it to help finish up paying for the remainder of her school but they can't see that.

Last monday was the final straw.

They called up and it wasn't the second thing out of her mouth after she said hi..

I had enough and ended the conversation faster than usual but not before she mentioned it again.

Then my father got in on the act -which never happens.

I couldn't believe my ears when he said that they really needed it(meaning the receipt)and that Amanda got the money when she needed it...Amanda never even asked for it....they even told me they talked to their tax guy and even he said they were able to claim it.

(I don't understand that at all)

Anyway I got off the phone and could have picked up the tv and thrown it through our picture window I was so ugly...

I just didn't understand why this was such a big issue for them and how they could take away from their granddaughter.

We talked to Amanda and we all agreed it wasn't worth the hassle and that we would help her if she needed it.

You can't talk rationally to them about stuff like this because Mom gets all weird and then decides that the best way to deal with it is to not talk to you at all...which is not what we want.

Stephanie is so disgusted with the whole thing she doesn't even want her money and I don't blame her one bit.

So the form is being picked up and sent this weekend and then maybe they will stop picking about it and I will say no more about it.I just won't be as available as I have been.

Enough about that as it just makes me angry.

On to other stuff....happy things like stitching other fun things.

I finished my second snowman of the "Snowman Trio" by Stitchy Kitty and I think I might do my girls Christmas ornaments next.

Then that way they will be done.

I think it is even supposed to be nice and mild this weekend which would be really nice and the clocks go ahead.

It will be nice to go home when it is light out..

Thanks for listening to my ranting..I really appreciate it.

This Isn't Funny Anymore..

2009-02-24T21:40:00.010-04:00

I have had enough of winter already...

We got hammered by a major snow storm yesterday that pretty much shut down our city.

All week the weather people had been saying that we were going to get a big storm and they were right.

On Sunday I went to bed and woke up around 1130pm and nothing had even started yet so I thought we would be ok.

Man was I wrong.I woke up to tonnes of snow and huge winds.We ended up with 48cm of snow.

Nothing was moving-no taxis,buses,cars and I bet if there were dog sleds they wouldn't have moved either.

Everything was closed so we did the safe thing and stayed home.

I couldn't even see our car for all the snow and the banks of snow are huge.

Poor Wade went and shovelled in 2 hour shifts and then when that was done the plow would come by and fill in the end which is so frustrating.

Now if that weren't enough we are supposed to have *rain" on Friday and Saturday.

Maybe a good day to nap a little..

Other than that it was pretty quiet this weekend. Wade and I did the Walmart/grocery run which is always fun.

I did stitch a little on my Snowmen Trio from "Stitchy Kitty" I just love them and they stitch up so quick.

Want Chocolate??

2009-02-17T20:20:00.007-04:00

Oh my goodness-you have got to try the Carmel and chocolate covered apples from the "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory"

I have a new obsession now.

Wade bought one for me and for the girlie's for Valentine's Day .

I'll tell you that if you have a craving for chocolate which I do all the time then you will be set:)

I know I could probably eat one every day but if I did that not only would I be poor.The apples start at 7 dollars each and go up from there depending on what kind of goodies you roll the apples in.

I would also a whole lot heavier too so I decided that it would be a "every once in a while treat"

Amanda helped me eat mine tonight.

You know the apple part is good for you and there is milk in the chocolate so it can't be that bad for you can it??

What else has been going on-

I worked my first 4 hour Saturday shift which was so weird but not bad.It was so quiet.

I was quite busy and it made the time go fast.

I am so looking forward to the weekend.

I have nothing planned and I really want to stitch and I think that I may throw in a couple of naps.

What else...well my lovely daughter made her mother a blond this weekend.

I got a whole head of foils and dimensional color and I didn't have to step out of the house which was fantastic and you know my kid really knows her stuff. I am so glad she found something she loves to do.

I haven't had blond hair in almost 2 years and I LOVE IT:)

I told her after the foils came off but before she put the toner in that I was going to leave the highlights white she didn't agree..I thought it would be fun- but she didn't seem to think so.

The whole process took about 3 hours which is good time because I have lots of hair.

I felt like a baked potato though with all the foil on my head-it was so much fun:)

I told her that she can never move away now because I would have no one to do my hair and she said she would shave my head if I ever used box color again so she has to stay around...

I will post a picture when I get a chance..

I guess we are going to get some more snow-tonight and Thursday-what a surprise...imagine snow in the Maritimes in February-go figure but the upside is that spring is not really that far away..yay...

That is my hope anyway because I have really had enough of the snow and cold..I can't wait for it to be done..

Have a great Wednesday:)

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T20:23:00.004-04:00

Missing in Action

2009-02-09T22:18:00.011-04:00

I just realized that I haven't posted in over a week so I thought I would take a second to pop by and let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.

Things have been super busy and I haven't had a chance to put a stitch in anything which makes me sad-I have to get a schedule going so that I can stitch during the week.

By the time I get home from work and have a bite to eat I don't much time to stitch but I am working on it.

I am still loving my new job and work with a great bunch of people-which is awesome:)

I really like that we are are accountable and I actually see what I have done at the end of the day..

It has been freezing here although Saturday it was super nice outside.

I opened all the the windows and let the wind blow through.

It was so nice but I knew it wouldn't-it is February after all.

I had a few things to do around the house and figured that I needed to clean out the fridge.

We had a bag of milk that had exploded and couldn't figure out where it went-well we ended up with about a litre of milk spilled in our crisper.

You would think milk/fridge/cold the smell shouldn't be too bad right?

Wrong-what a disgusting odor..yech-

I got it done and then followed up with a big clean up of my bedroom and many loads of laundry,made supper and a big batch of shortbread cookies.

What was wrong with me???

I had to go to work to take a rest today..lol...

I have also decided that sometime this year I am going to learn how to crochet.Sounds easy right..not...

I tried to learn when I was younger but no one I knew was a leftie so it totally messed me up so I just gave up but you know YouTube is quite a good little website and there is actually a lady who put up actual video of how to do it and with that I decided to give it a try..what have I got to lose?

Other than that life is pretty quiet right now although with 2 teenagers how can that be you ask??

There is no answer I just take it as it comes. Stephanie had a rep from St Thomas University come by the school and she found out that she would be accepted (her grades now are awesome)she wants to get a scholarship so that means she needs her grades to be a little bit better..It is a good school and what I like about it is that it is close..we will see what happens there.

Amanda is excited-she is now able to buy hair color at the supply shop which she has been waiting forever for(me too) now she can do mine and cover up all those pesky gray ones that irritate the crap out of me-yippeee...that is supposed to take place sometime this weekend.I can hardly wait..

Thats about it for now

Try to stay warm:)

Road Trip

2009-01-28T20:58:00.006-04:00

Anyone want to come along???

I have really had enough of winter,today we have a huge snowstorm blowing around outside..besides the snow we have been dealing with-30 c and lower temperatures with the wind and I don't want to do it anymore..

I wonder how much it would cost to go to my "Happy Place"?

This week has flown by so fast..I can't believe it is almost Thursday-

I have been doing training for my new department this week and surprisingly enough I don't hate it..we did our first calls today and they went quite well,we actually had fun if you can imagine.

Totally different type of job and it is a good change.

The people in my department are awesome and super nice which is always good- I think this is a very positive move,my supervisor who I have had before had always given the impression of being very straight laced,serious,business oriented type of person.

She has totally turned a 180..not only is she laid back but I can tell she has a sense of humor which totally threw me for a loop..it might not be so bad:)

The only downfall is that it starts later(10)which is weird getting used to-I did 8 am starts for 5 years but I am told that change can be good sometimes so I am going to test that theory..

I am going to try to get some stitching in soon..

Try to stay out of the cold and snow...

Busy Week...

2009-01-24T18:03:00.013-04:00

It has been a super busy week,not only for work but at home.

I haven't been able to stitch a thing:( or blog for that matter..

I had to be up at 530 am to be at work for 7 am.

I really don't function well until at least 830 am but I got through it..

The inbound truck training is over and I didn't realize there was so much information to absorb but the new operating system is super easy.

So much easier than the one we currently use.

I knew most of the people in my class and our instructor was awesome so the time went by quite fast.

Now we have 2 more days of training for my new department starting on Monday.

I can't wait to get started-I am so excited to do something new:)

Last night I was so tired that I fell asleep on the floor around 8pm.

I have no idea what time I actually went to bed but woke up this morning and felt like I could have stayed there for another 12 hours.

Today Wade and I did the grocery thing,Walmart and then had lunch at Swiss Chalet with a gift card we had gotten for Christmas..it was so yummy:)

It is supposed to be really cold tomorrow so I don't think I will go outside at all.

I hope to get some laundry done tomorrow-lots of fun, I know.....and I might do a little baking. I haven't done any since Christmas.I kind of missed it..

I might even have a nap...seeing that the girls won't be home until supper.
Amanda is working and Stephanie is at her boyfriend's..

Speaking of the girls they have also been busy -that magic time of year has come around again-

Exams

You all know how much I love it but it is done now for a little while..

Stephanie has also decided that she needs to start looking for prom dress and I think that my youngest daughter has it in her head that I am spending a huge amount of money on a dress that may get a couple of hours use..I don't think that is going to happen..we decided to try some online shops and eBay and try our luck there.

She did find some that she liked but we still have lots of time..

Hopefully this week I can get some stitching done...

I Hate the Cold...

2009-01-16T16:14:00.010-04:00

Well I think I have said it before and I will say it again...

I hate Winter

I hate the cold and everything that comes along with it..

I woke up this morning to -37 degrees celcius..

I just wanted to curl back up in my blankies and go back to sleep but I went to work instead..

Today was my last day of taking car calls which I have done for almost 9 years-

and you know that every call that I took today was a new experience in pain..

I didn't want to miss out on any kind of rental emergencies..lol

Starting Monday I do training for my new position in outbound trucks and I can't wait..to do something new is pretty awesome.

I finished the baby blanket for my best friend and have started another one for Amanda's friend who is due(another boy)at the end of May.

I don't know why I feel the need to do this but my Mom thinks it is pretty cool.She started asking me all this stuff but I had no idea what she was talking about..

I guess I will learn as I go..

Hope you stay warm this weekend..

I know that I don't plan on going too far from my cozy blankie...

I Can't Knit...

2009-01-12T21:16:00.005-04:00

Yet here I sit plugging away at a baby blanket for my best friend's baby due in May.

I can't knit to save my life but here I am planning my next project.

If my mother could see me now-she is the knitter/seamstress/crochet master of the family..I had no interest in it when I was younger and can only sew a little and know even less about the whole knitting thing but am really having fun trying to figure out what the heck I am trying to do..

I only have 4 inches or so to do and it is done:)

Other than that the weekend was pretty quiet..of course Wade and I had our weekly Saturday trip to Walmart(he loves that store) and ran around paid some bills and that was pretty much the day..

I have been doing pretty good watching what I have been eating and lost two pounds this week and what did we have for lunch on Saturday???

Wendy's

I did ok though and behaved but my gosh it was so good...

Oh and I have a new development at work..as I have blogged before we are now going to be the only call center that handles truck rentals as they are closing a center in Texas..

I was asked to do some coaching and took my training last week-it was so much fun because we had some supervisors in the group as well.(they are crazy)

Our HR recruiter was going around asking people if they might be interested in doing an interview for a new department that does outbound calls on leads for possible rentals.

I thought go for -what's the worst that can happen..well I got the job along with 7 other co workers and as of this Friday I will never take another call..

I will be calling customers..talk about a good thing.

I can't wait to start and I can't believe that I still have to take calls for 4 more days.like I want to do that...don't think so!!!

Give me strength is all I can say..

The hours will be a little later than what I have done but Wade and talked it over and it won't be a problem..

I will still have my weekends off which most of the people at work didn't get..

I mean the girls are never home so it isn't like I have to be home to do homework or baths or anything like that..they basically need me to work so that they can live in which they have become accustomed to..lol

I can't wait-finally something different which is at least a step in the right direction..and it will look great on my resume for when I go for something else...

Good-bye my Friends...

2009-01-05T19:31:00.013-04:00

Goodbye to greasy junk food,baked goodies,gooey treats,salty hot french fries and pretty much most of the stuff that I love...that's right I have given it up for a while.

I got a new set of scales during the holidays and after looking at it for a few days I thought why not get on and see where I am at(t took a couple of days because I was scared......big mistake....all the weight I lost 2 years ago found it's way back..yech...

Now I know most people make resolutions when the new year rolls around but I find there is too much pressure and then it falls apart..so I started today.
I have about 25 lbs I want to get off of and I have just the motivation..

Stephanie is graduating in June and I want to have it gone by then and maybe a little more.

I went through the house the other day and took all my Christmas treats and put them in the freezer so I wouldn't eat them all at one time.

The cookies,cakes and candy are my downfall.I know people who would go for the salty,crunchy stuff like chips and popcorn but I can take that or leave it..

Speaking of going through the house.I did a clean sweep of our bedroom on Sunday and I got 3 huge garbage bags full of old clothes and other junk that we haven't used in forever.

I don't know why I kept all the junk for as long as I did.I would love to get into the storage space in Stephanie's room but that will have to wait. I think the kitchen may be my next spot..

It was back to work today and it was good to see my friends again-but I would rather spend my days at home and stitch.

2009-01-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T21:24:00.040-04:00

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and that Santa found everyone..

This is my house at Christmas..now I have to warn you some of the images are not appropriate for everyone so if you have small kids you might want to have them leave the room...ugly decorations are coming up and there are lots,

Don't say I didn't warn you....

My tree was the only thing that didn't get uglified...

I don't think that is even a word but I am going to go with it..

My family is totally responsible for everthing ugly and tacky that you see in this post....I didn't have anything to do with it..I swear....

Mom and Dad arrived on the Wednesday before Christmas and ended up staying for 10 days.

I missed them so much and can't wait for them to get that house sold so that they can move back.

They ended up staying for 10 days in my bitty house that is too small for 4 but
adding 2 more grown ups and a dog really made things tight...oh...I mean cozy...

Mom and I did tonnes of baking which is almost gone which actually reminds me that
if there are treats in the house doesn't mean I have to eat them all..but thatis a whole other story.

I did too much shopping and pretty much too much of everything..that is except sleep but that is what the holidays is all about right??

As promised here are some Christmas pictures including the stocking that I made for my best friends daughter..I completed it on December 23rd..talk about cutting it close..but it is done..yea......

Now that Christmas is over I can't wait to start something new but I have no idea what I want to do..

but my best friend is pregnant with her second child and let us know on Boxing day that it was a boy..

I am so excited for her-so excited in fact I did something crazy..

I went to Micheal's,bought some yarn and started a baby blanket for my "nephew"..now I knit very little-and can only do the basics and that is pushing it..so far it looks pretty good..and am hoping that it doesn't take long to finish...anyway I think I have blogged enough for one night but will be back...I promise:)

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-18T22:27:00.008-04:00

I will be away from my blog for the holidays...

We will be spending Christmas with my Mom and Dad who arrived in from Ontario yesterday:)

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope you all have an awesome holiday...

Talk with you soon

I Am Giving Away..

2008-12-15T11:40:00.003-04:00

the flu....any takers

Wade picked up a nasty flu bug from work and was sick to his stomach all night Thursday and stayed home from work on Friday. Then Amanda had it Saturday and Steph ended up with it on Sunday morning through all my efforts not to get sick it hit me super fast right after lunch.I headed right to bed and slept from 1-6 and felt like crap...Wade and the girls ended up with the whole vomiting thing I didn't but it might have been better..needless to say I am home today and so are the girls and this is the first time I have been up for anymore than an hour.

Now on top of that as I have mentioned before that Mom and Dad are going to be here for Christmas and they actually left this morning so that means if the weather holds out then they will be here Wednesday and I am no where close to being ready...I will do what I can and let the rest fall where it might.....

The weekend wasn't a total washout though...Wade and I went shopping for the girls and we got it all done brought it home went and had lunch and had a trip to the dollar store and we were home by 2 o clock...a new personal best if I do say so myself.....

Snow Day

2008-12-08T20:28:00.008-04:00

We had our first snowfall yesterday and so today Wade and I made an exectutive decision and kept the girls home from school even though they hadn't cancelled and we didn't go to work..it was so nice to hang out-the girls have been so busy lately that we haven't seen them a whole lot..

Now it is confession time...my husband has a terrible addiction to ugly Christmas decorations like you would find in the dollar store.

I thought at one time he had gotten over it but no and that obsession has now shown up in the dna of my youngest daughter....

Wade had taken the girls up to the mall to get new winter boots and take Amanda to work.

After doing that He and Steph went to the dollar store..you should see what they brought home..I think they are trying to drive me to drink..lol...

I try to decorate so that things look somewhat presentable but I think that isn't going to happen this time..should be interesting..

I will post photos I promise..

I Survived

2008-12-06T17:06:00.010-04:00

Wade and I hit the mall this morning to shop for Mom and Dad and so did three quarters of city..all I can say is Thank God for Effexor

The crowds were out of control.Kids were screaming and crying and the parents were hollering at their kids and don't get me started on the people who stand in the middle of the aisle and wouldn't dream of moving no matter what..

I could feel myself getting stressed but I remembered that I had my mp3 player in my purse and figured why not give it a try..

Shopping is so much better when you don't have to hear all the racket...it worked like a charm -you should try it:)

We are officially done Mom and Dad and now on to the girls and each other...

I don't mind the shopping part itself but it's wrapping part I hate...I now know why my grandmother used gift bags.

Now my Christmas cooking is next on my agenda.

I think what I will do is prep stuff at night(this week) and bake the following night..at least that is the plan. Now I have to organize my stuff and get all my supplies..

I made a batch of fudge the other night(the cheater fudge with the marshmallow fluff-super easy) You would swear my family never gets treats..

It barely got into the container before they started circling around wanting it but I stood my ground and into the freezer it went....

I hope to get some done tomorrow as it is supposed to storm so it should be a good day for it..

Well I am off for now -gotta wrap some gifts..

The S**t Has Hit The Fan...

2008-12-01T19:03:00.004-04:00

Well it was decision day at my work and I will tell you there were a lot of unhappy people..myself included.

3/4 of the people who had volunteered for the layoff were denied..

There were too many who put in their name and they gave the severance packages to people who didn't do their jobs..doesn't seem right does it?

It should have almost been done by a first come first serve basis and have a criteria for being accepted or denied..but it is all over now but the crying.

I was upset about it but at least I am not the only one..so for now I will just keep doing what I have always done and go from there.

I am looking into going back to school and taking the photography course at the College of Craft and Design and am waiting for an information package..maybe I can do some classes at night and if I do then perhaps I can have my tuition reimbursed by my company..

On a good note the car is fixed and we have no more flames bursting out of the back tire which is always a bonus:)

Well I am off to stitch for while...

Be Careful What You Wish For...

2008-11-28T17:53:00.004-04:00

I am not sure if I blogged before about my car or not but there came a time when it seemed to be costing us a whole lot just to keep it with all the repairs that had to be done..well Wade and I jokingly said "I'd like to see it burn to the ground" well today we had quite a scare...

He had picked me up early from work and on the way home he thought that the back tire was flat because it seemed to be dragging..

well the tires were fine but we have had problems with that wheel/brake since his boss decided to butcher it trying to fix it and we have been paying ever since..we arrived in the driveway and the wheel was smoking terribly and the next thing we knew the car caught on FIRE!!!!

(the picture is not my car and is worse than what actually happened but scary none the less,I just wanted to put a picture here)

Well my fast acting hubby grabbed the garden hose and started spraying it probably for a good 15 minutes..something was rubbing and the friction started the fire.

So now the car sits in the driveway until Monday when it goes back to shop yet again.
I know Wade is upset about it but there really isn't anything we can do about it right now..

I am too but it is only a car and I am just glad that we weren't driving and had an accident-it could have been alot worse..

We aren't paying a penny to get it fixed..all the parts we just replaced were brand new so they are going to do it over again..

Oh and I got to rent my first car today too...now I really feel like a grown up..I have only been making reservations for almost nine years and had never needed one before. I booked it on line and I headed downtown and when I got there I found out that I needed a letter from work and had to call my HR people who were awesome,the girl at the counter was great..very helpful.

I ended up with a red caliber..now don't quote me but I don't think I would buy one but it is ok for now..I got a good deal so it is all good...

What a way to start the weekend..yikes!!!!!!

Somethings Cooking In My Kitchen..

2008-11-24T19:31:00.005-04:00

I don't know what happened on the weekend but I turned into a cooking/baking machine which is so unlike me and have no idea what brought it on.

I started off Saturday after seeing snow on the ground which by the way I didn't order...

I decided to make a huge crock pot full of stew for supper which is not like me at all-Saturday is usually eat what you want or grab McDonald's or something like that..

On Sunday I made a penne noodles with tomato sauce and cheese for supper and then 2 batches of molasses cookies and a batch of chocolate chip cookies which threw Wade off -he didn't know what to try first.

I swear I washed every dish in the house at least 4 times...lol

I picked up Natasha's stocking and got some more done..

Now an update on work...

We passed the date of application for volunteering to take the layoff with a severance package and we were to know today well guess what..that didn't happen-

The people who run the company won't tell us now until December 1st and are saying that if anyone wants to change their minds then they have until that day..

I wish they would hurry up and make up my mind.

Apparently they will list the "chosen ones" on that day and have to a new bid to fill the spots left vacant.

I am really trying to stay positive but have no idea how they are choosing but I will be having a conversation with my big boss if I don't get to go...so I am trying not make plans until then...

Frustration ....

2008-11-19T19:16:00.013-04:00

I think I have pretty much had it with my work...after the big announcement a week ago asking for volunteers to be laid off with a severance package as a cost cutting measure..

Information was given to us on Thursday afternoon with the details and gave us to tomorrow to hand in our signed forms if we agreed to the terms..

I went to HR on Monday morning and found out what my personal package would be and handed in my paperwork and thought we would get an answer pretty much right away....but no that would be too easy..we were told that we would know by Monday.

Waiting is hard enough but now I found out that they had too many people who want go and now HR won't decide until a week from today....arrggghhhhh!!!!!!!

I was working away and I got a message to go and see one of our operations managers and she pretty much asked if there was anything they could do to make me change my mind...that was pretty funny..

I was going to say give me a job where I didn't have to deal with customers all day but I didn't....

I told her that it wasn't a decision that I took lightly and did a lot of thinking and it was the best choice for me and my family and that was that....she told me that I could still change my mind but that ain't gonna happen...

I am so frustrated that I haven't touched my stitching and that isn't a good thing but I am hoping to get back into the groove..I want to get my stocking done and delivered way before Christmas...

I think I am done ranting for now...but there is always tomorrow

It's My "Blogiversary"

2008-11-18T18:47:00.003-04:00

Two years ago today I started my blog..I had no idea what in the heck I was doing..so I just kind of muddled my through it.

I do have to say that I have made some pretty awesome friends and wouldn't trade that for the world..

You are the greatest bunch of people and I appreciate you all.

You have been here when things were good and times when I thought I was at the end of my rope and I want to thank you all... I couldn't have done it without you:)

It's Friday...

2008-11-14T10:20:00.005-04:00

All I can say is thank goodness it is over..

Everything is so up in the air right now at work.I feel like I am at the very top of this huge roller coaster(and with my fear of heights-is not a good place to be)
I am stuck at the top waiting to plummet to the very bottom...

As I blogged earlier this week my company is doing voluntary layoffs with a severance package..

I was all for it at the start of the week..couldn't wait to get out-by Wednesday we still hadn't heard details of the package and after hearing a lot of people talk
I really started to second guess my decision and thought maybe I had made a mistake.

However yesterday after receiving the details and having a long talk with my hubby(who has been so supportive over the course of this ordeal that I call my job)

I came to the conclusion that yes I am signing up for the package...

I am going to see what is out there for me and I would if I had no other choice go to a different call center but that would be only if I had no other choice.

What I would really love to do is to go back to school but have no idea what I would want to study..but that is what the people at Canada Employment are there for right??

Now the thing is with this package is that my employer has the option to deny my request which to me seems kind of stupid-I mean if I want to go and volunteer why not let me go???

I guess I will cross that bridge if and when I have to..they also can change your end date according to the business needs...what ever that is???

I just don't want to be told on my second to last day "we need you for two more weeks" that would so suck..

So I am off today because I worked Remembrance Day and here in NB it is a stat holiday so I made some extra money from working the whole day on Tuesday so figured why not treat myself to a long weekend.

Now Amanda is also off of work and school today so we decided we were going to go and do some stuff and where is she....still in bed..lol...I just let her sleep thought because she rarely gets a day where she has no where to be...

I thought I might sleep in too but I have been up since 6:30 when Wade went to work and have been busy on the computer catching up on blogs and websites I usually don't get a chance to go to alot and if she isn't up in a little bit I will dig out the Christmas stocking and get some done on that...

They are Doing it Again...

2008-11-10T12:59:00.005-04:00

Our company is asking for voluntary layoffs.

There was a company wide email send Friday afternoon and I actually found out from a friend of mine Saturday morning...

I spent the whole weekend thinking about it and honestly I was anxious at first because I wanted to know where I stood as far as compensation went.

I have my name down to find out what the packages are.

If they are like the last time I will be taking advantage..no question but we won't really know anything more until after Wednesday because the lawyers have to go over it..but will keep everyone up to date...

I plan on taking some time off and try to figure out what I want to do and I am not going to worry-it is like this huge weight is teetering on my shoulders waiting to fall off...

I know it is time to go-the only thing I am going to miss is my friends.

We have been through alot and I consider them my family and I don't want to lose touch with any of them..

I think it will be good for me and just think of how much stitching I will get done:)

It's Done

2008-11-08T08:03:00.003-04:00

We found out what all the moans and groans the car was making was really alot more serious that we thought.

We got the mechanic at Wade's office(who actually knows what he's doing) to look at it and turns out we needed a lot of front end work done.

I know we needed a sway bar link,tire rod ends,some sort of hose for something,front and back brakes,new brake drum and we got four new winter tires and probably lots of other stuff that I can't remember..all and all it was about 1200 dollars.

Ouch..good thing for plastic is all I can say otherwise we would be in big big trouble...but it is fixed I hope we don't have to do anything else to it for a long long time.

It gets so dark so early now so that after supper it seems to be a great time to stitch and I have been doing it alot lately..

I imagine that if I keep at this rate I may be done Natasha's Christmas stocking in about a week or so which would be great.

Then I can get on to the rest of my ornaments.. I think I might have 10 or so to do or at least that is the plan anyway.

The girls are both busy this weekend with school and work so Wade and I are kind of on our own again and I am going to drag him up to the mall-and I want to see how well the car works so there is a method to my madness.

I want to go and start making a list for Christmas gifts for everyone and would love to get my parents done early this year..I don't want to have a lot to do when they get here..

At least this time I know they are coming,not like two years ago when they surprised me and showed up 3 days before Christmas...I almost had a stroke let me tell you..

Expiry Dates are just Guidelines...

2008-11-02T16:07:00.003-04:00

Well after a lot of procrastinating I decided to clean out our deep freezer today.

You wouldn't believe the stuff I found.

Stuff that I forgot I even had.I found fruit and veggies with not even a serving for one that I kept(why I don't know)and a few packages of meat that were at least 4 years old...wouldn't want to eat that..lol...lol...

Thanks to my hubby who scrapped out all the ice from the inside so it didn't take as long as I thought it would.

I ended up with a garbage bag and a half of yucky stuff.

I haven't even touched the little freezer above the fridge.

At least now I have room to start doing some baking for Christmas when Mom and Dad come down and I can spend my time with them instead of in the kitchen.

This has been a pretty quiet weekend..

Halloween was uneventful-Wade and I were not going to be home for Halloween as the girls both had plans but that changed. Amanda and a friend were going to hang out but that plan got blown out of the water so we stayed home to keep her company.

Wade gave out the goodies to the trick or treaters but I think we may have gotten 20 kids if that...

I did run up to Zeller's yesterday as they had a sale on their active wear -hoodies and sweat pants on for 4.97.

I went to the one up the hill and of course they didn't have them.

So across the river I went and they didn't have them either but the manager of the department said that anything under that brand we could do the 60% off so I got two pair of pants and a top for 20 bucks and it would usually be over $50 so I think I did ok....

The stocking is coming along nicely..I got a fair amount done last night watching Harry Potter-Order of the Phoenix..there was nothing on TV worth watching.

Then I went through the Christmas ornaments I had done and came to discover that I have a whole bunch to do-yikes...I thought I had done a lot more...

I better get a move on if I want to get the ones done I want before Christmas.....

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T21:26:00.002-04:00

Extreme Home Makeover Bathroom Edition ..Part 2

2008-10-27T18:42:00.020-04:00

Well he did it again....Wade went and bought another can of mis-tinted paint to fix up the bathroom from last weekend-only this time it was a pepto-bismol pink and this is what he ended up with..

I don't know what was worse the pink or the dk gray/black/green/blue mix but my husband being the resourceful person he is decided that he should mix it all together and hope for the best..

I told him that for the money he spent of all the paint that he could have bought a can of paint that he actually liked....

I came home from work today and not only had he redone the bathroom but my sunny yellow kitchen..actually it isn't too bad- it's a little pink but I can live with it.

He needs a hobby that does not include a paint brush...

We had a pretty quiet weekend which is always nice-I made up a whole bunch of applesauce for the freezer and still have a bunch left from our apple picking trip.

After looking at the state of my freezer I think it is time to clean it out and defrost it..

I can't even tell you the last time that was done and I figure that with Mom and Dad coming for Christmas that I should get most of my baking done before they get here and I will have to put it somewhere.

It is one of my least favorite jobs but it has to be done..

I am going to try to do it next weekend. At least that is the plan anyway. I will see how the week goes.

I did get a fair amount of stitching done on the stocking...I am anxious to get it done and put together..

Now that the days are getting shorter I find that I get a lot more stitching done which is a good thing.

Keeps me out of trouble anyway:)

A Good Nap

2008-10-21T19:11:00.003-04:00

Well I tried it and my bathroom is still the same color...

Gosh it is so..so ugly I can't even stand it,

I am going to have to change it sooner rather than later.

It is so dark you can't hardly see a thing.

I am going to need one of those huge halogen lights when I go to shave my legs otherwise I might cut my legs all to crap...you can hardly see when you shower.

It is crazy..

I worked a whole 15 minutes yesterday before I got the light asking if I wanted to go home and of course you know I would do anything for my company I decided that I would:)

Wade was home nursing a bad back which flairs up every once in a while and was home, he was surprised to see me home at 9 am..and besides I wanted to pick Amanda up from the bus and hear all about her trip.

I basically had a movie fest as daytime TV is so bad so I watched Pirates of the Caribbean 1 2 and 3 and I stitched alot of Natasha's stocking.

Amanda had a great trip and learned that home really isn't such a bad place.

She told me that she was really homesick and really missed it-and this is coming from a girl who wants to move to Vancouver this summer...maybe this will change her mind a little bit...I wonder if she may stick a little closer to home.

Well I am off to stitch a little more before heading of bed.

Extreme Home Maker....Bathroom Edition

2008-10-19T18:53:00.012-04:00

We were "kid-less" all this weekend.

Amanda and a girl from school spent the weekend in Moncton for a trade show and Stephanie was hanging out with her boyfriend and his family.

This never happens and we had no idea what to do with ourselves,so when the kids are away their father will play:)

I had lots of stuff planned that I wanted to do.

Like stitch a big part of the weekend,take family photos for a lady from work and there is always the big pile of laundry and housework that had to be done.

As I have blogged before Wade has decided to do some changes to our bathroom-first the flush and then the tile on the floor and now the wall color...

I think..no I know my husband needs a hobby...

Let me put it this way...he will never ever pick out colors again.

Now don't ask me why he wanted to paint because there was nothing wrong with the color to start with.

We headed off to Walmart and he saw the mis-tinted paint and thought ..Hey this would be a great color to put in the bathroom-

I took one look at it and told him that it was terrible and I didn't want it and that maybe he should reconsider but nope,his mind was made up..and home it came.

Later on yesterday afternoon after shooting some family photos for a friend I wasn't surprised to see it done.

How can I describe the color...it is kind of a dark blue/green/gray color that up close kind of looks like a chalk board...

I had nothing to do with it..

so now I have white tub/gray toilet and a yellow sink..new brown tile and chalk board colored walls...can we say hideous......but you can decide for yourself...

oh and the tacky things on the wall are all his idea....

I did get a bit of stitching done on Natasha's stocking.

I had to run to Micheal's and get some more floss.

They are getting rid of all their Halloween stuff and starting to get in their Christmas decorations..the ones I saw were so pretty but I will wait until they get more before going up again.

I do know that soon have to go through my finished projects to make sure I have enough Christmas ornaments stitched for this year.

I did a bunch early in the year but I have a feeling I might be a couple short..There are a few in the new ornament magazine that I would love to stitch.

I think my favorite is the redwork snowman..he is so cute:)

I just might make that for myself this year...

The Day After Thanksgiving....

2008-10-14T18:25:00.004-04:00

and I am stuffed... I think I have had enough turkey to last me until Christmas..

We had our dinner last night(usually we do it on the sunday but the girls had to work)so we changed our plans.

Wade and I did the left overs thing tonight and now I can freeze the rest,although I might be able to do one more meal..

I think it is funny how they sell turkeys now..you used to be able to buy different sizes now they are all the same.

You can't buy a smallish turkey if your life depended on it..oh well it's a good thing I like left overs..

Went back to work today and surprisingly had an ok day for a change.

The people didn't really even irritate me like they usually do which is a surprise but the week is young yet.

Must have something to do with all the sugar I ate yesterday..lol..

My photo outing went great on Saturday.

You know I totally forgot how busy toddlers are and how they never really stay still.

It was so much fun and I got some great pictures.

I have a few hours of stitching time tonight.

I am sure that tv will be pretty boring with all our election stuff.

Wade and I voted tonight on our way home so it will be interesting to see what happens.

I hope there is some real change for the better.

That's about all for now...gotta stitch:)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-10-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

My Love/Hate Relationship with School Pictures...

2008-10-10T13:42:00.026-04:00

I always had a love/hate kind of relationship with school pictures...

I hated getting it done because you stood in line,had to keep clean and neat and 2 minutes later it was done and man did it show-I have a shoebox full of some pretty terrible school pictures.

Back in the day of the dinosaurs when I was a child there wasn't a digital camera or photoshop program to be seen. You pretty much got what you got and there wasn't much a choice.

I swore that my girls wouldn't have to deal with that and while we have a few school photos-I have a collection of photos I have taken since they were in elementary school and used those instead.

So this year was no exception so off Stephanie and I went on our "Annual Crappy School Photo Tour 2008"

We took off Wednesday night after supper and ended up downtown- this is what we came up with...

A friend of mine from work asked me to take pictures of her family with 3 little grand babies all under the age of four..It will be so much fun:)

Next weekend I have another gig for another work friend. I am trying to build up my portfolio and maybe I can take this photography thing somewhere.

Amanda is doing great in school and I got her to cut my hair last night(her very first client)

I was only going to get it trimmed because my hair was almost half way down my back and no bangs-somehow when I left I had this funky layered cut to my shoulders and bangs to boot..what a great change:)

I LOVE IT!!!!

She did a fantastic job. Now I just have to wait until she learns color and foils...

I sat and watched her she seemed like such a grown up(I know she is but I still think of her as being 4)

She knew exactly what she was doing and was so confident. It was so awesome!!

I was so proud of her- I think her father and I did something right:)

I am working hard on my Shepherd's Bush Stocking for my best friend's little one. I find I work faster on a deadline...I would ideally like to get it done by the end of next month.

That is the plan anyway....

Oh Cathey...thanks for catching me up on Prision Break the other day- I can't believe I have to wait almost 2 weeks to see what happens next...

Stephanie has a Hole.....

2008-10-03T20:29:00.019-04:00

in her nose that is....

She got it done Tuesday after school and she paid for it herself with her birthday money..

I am OK with it..seeing Amanda already has 2 of them in her nose.

It doesn't look bad at all-in fact I think it is kind of cute...

I figure it could be worse...she could have gotten a huge ugly tattoo that she would have forever.

She tells me I needed one but I draw the line at the tattoo that I got a year ago..no holes in my face thanks very much.

I finally got my hands on my 2008 Christmas Ornament magazine.

I always get it at the same magazine store and put my name on the list to get my copy.

When the release date gets close I start calling them.
It is almost an obsession.....terrible I know but I don't get out much.

Gosh I hate waiting for it and every year it seems to be later and later-

I got it and was all set to take a look at it on the way to the mall but Wade being Wade and took it from me and wouldn't give it too me until we got home..I swear sometimes it is like I have 3 kids

I told him he was treading on some pretty thin ice and that no one should get in the way of me and my magazine...lol....

I did wait though and there are probably 7 or 8 that I would love to stitch- there were some however that I would not even consider...

I think that the Lizzie Kate one is such a sad little piece that has no effort into it.

I don't know why they even bothered..

I think the thing I like best is that they put in DMC conversions if they had used special threads and not a lot of embellishments that would end up costing more than the ornaments themselves...and there seems to be some great recipes in it as well.

The girls are both at the movies tonight and they are pretty much working all weekend so Wade and I get to hang out.

I think tomorrow that I might take off on the bus early tomorrow and go take some pictures(weather allowing)at least that is the idea anyway.

We have the usual grocery trip and maybe a trip to Canadian Tire to get a new element for the stove.

The top element in our oven kind of blew up on Wednesday so that has to be replaced..

Guess that means I am going to bake sometime soon- I am in the mood to make some cookies:)

What else has been going on....I have been stitching a little on the Christmas stocking for my best friend's 2 1/2 year old.

I really like the Shepherd's Bush patterns are so easy and they work up quite quickly..

Oh yes...I got through another week of work so that is good.

Our big boss is coming up next week so that should be interesting to say the least...maybe she is going to tell us that they are going to shut the place down and they are all going to give us packages-I guess I can dream:)

Oh and my Wade broke two toes this week.

He was home Monday,playing on the computer and his leg fell asleep.

He tried to get up and his toes curled up underneath his foot and all his weight landed on it...I guess it was quite the sound.... those toes are now a lovely shade of blue and purple....important safety tip...wait until your leg is not asleep before you try to walk on it.

I think thats it ....now I need a nap:)

Happy 17th Birthday Stephanie!!!!!

2008-09-27T17:58:00.009-04:00

Today my "Baby" is 17 and honestly I don't know where the time has gone...it seems like yesterday.

Stephanie came along a lot faster than her sister that's for sure.

Amanda was 22 1/2 hours labor from start to finish- we had tons of time to wait.

Stephanie was less than 5 hours. She has been in a hurry since the day she was born and is still that way today-she doesn't want to miss anything.

Wade had been home for lunch and I told him I was having pains.

He asked if he should stay and I thought we had lots of time like Amanda so he should go back to work. So he did.

Around 1:30 in the afternoon his Mom called to see how things were and I told her I thought it was time to go to the hospital..

I had left word with his office that I was in labor and going up to the hospital and to meet me up there..

No word of a lie but my mother in law was at the house in less than ten minutes from the other side of the river..

It must have been quite a sight.

A middle aged woman racing her car through town with her daughter in law who was in big time labor -let me tell you that we found every bump and pothole on Regent St and a 2 year old sitting in the back wondering what the heck was going on....

I got all settled in while my mother in law had Amanda and was having really hard labor and it was too late for any medication except for laughing gas(the kind that you have when you get dental work done)

It was great stuff except when they wanted to take it away-

I remember telling one the interns to shove things where the sun doesn't shine and some other colorful language.

Wade did get the message and managed to get to us around 3:30 pm-he was in Oromocto and low and behold Stephanie made her entry into the world at 3:51pm.

We didn't even make it to the delivery room..she was born right there in the labor room.

Now she is almost grown up but to me she will always be my "baby"

Happy Birthday Steph

Love you bunches.....Mama

2008-09-23T19:26:00.014-04:00

A whole week since I blogged...I am so slack...

I survived the work week but barely:

Now there is talk of having most of us work from home. I guess they tried this in our Tulsa office which so severely bombed but somehow they think it will work here..don't ask me why? I just work here.....

I am not going to do it as I don't have the room and I will not be able to get away from it at all. So I figured just ride the wave and what ever happens happens..

I did put my name in at Canada Post as a seasonal customer service rep ..I have my fingers crossed but I am going to hold out as long as I can..I really want a package but I will settle for winning the 649:)

Wade had me pretty busy Saturday with a trip to the market where I got 2 huge zucchinis for 4 dollars and my favorite cheesecake treat,then we travelled across the river to the Walmart and Micheal's and groceries which was quite a delight(our cashier really stepped over the line and we made the manager know about it)

I kind of collapsed after that and stitched some and tried to nap but failed.

The girls and I seem to think that Tim the Tool Man is being channeled by my husband...without a trip to the emergency room this time...lol...

Here's a little background..

When we moved into our place 11 years ago our landlord promised us that he would replace the tub/toilet and sink in our bathroom's they were pretty dated not in the best of shape..Well we waited and waited and waited... the flush was exceptionally gross seeing that there was hard water build up and rust on it(gross I know) no matter what we did to clean it nothing worked.

Sunday rolled around and Wade had gotten his hands on a new to us flush for free on Kijiji.

He comes home saying this is what I am doing today...so right there I have the fear of God because I have seen him with home repairs/projects and it is always an adventure to say the least and forget about instructions- those are just a waste of paper to him..he is kind of a fly by the seat of his pants kinda guy:)

So off he heads to Canadian Tire to get all the stuff that he needed including some new cushion floor tiles for the bathroom as well..can you see where I am going here...so 5 hours and 2 trips to the hardware store I have a new flush and flooring.It looks like a brand new bathroom,now we just have to paint....

Dad called around 6 pm jokingly asking if we were having to go to the washroom at the gas station down the road...but Wade did an awesome job:)

I think I am going to ask Santa for a dvr so I can start recording my shows so I don't miss anything..

When the new tv season starts the networks always seem to put all my favorites on the same night and pretty much at the same time or on so late that I know I will never make it past 10 pm....I think that is age setting in(but I will never admit that to any one..lol..Prision Break and CSI Miami were on at the same time so I kind of flipped back and forth but somehow ended up on CSI Miami-I knew Horatio wasn't dead...it was too obvious but I love this one even more than the original.

Then the Sarah Connor Chronicles and Heroes was on and even though I missed some of Heroes last season I thought I would give it a go but you know the more I watch the more confused I tend to get... so back to the Sarah Connor Chronicles I go and then I fell asleep.

Some of the new stuff I can take or leave but most of all leave..

90210-forget about it.
Fringe-ok at first but I lost interest on the second show

I am kind of looking forward to the new one with Christan Slater" My Own Worst Ememy"
and of course my favorites from last year like Ugly Betty,America's Next Top Model,CSI NY and CSI Las Vegas,Chuck and Dirty Jobs...I love to stitch to it and to tell the truth I kind of just listen which is great:)

Stephanie has a birthday on Saturday..I can't believe my "Baby" will be 17.. I don't know where the time goes..She is having her boyfriend over and I think we are going out for dinner which was her choice...I still have no idea what she wants yet...I figure cash is always good in those situations..

It's That Day Again...

2008-09-15T16:38:00.013-04:00

Why do weekends always go so darn fast and the week never seem to end????

I was up most of the night Friday with the CNN hurricane marathon and being excited about Micheal's opening in the morning that I didn't sleep much.

I was up and ready to go by 7 am but held back and left the house just before 8 to pick up my best buddy Amanda(from work)

I got to her house about 8:20 and on our way stopped at a yard sale on the way where she picked up a bed rail for her 2 1/2 year old so she can move into a "big girl" bed and I got a gorgeous 11x14 cherry wood frame(for 50 cents whole cents)

When we arrived we were 7Th in line and it was awesome...although I did find it a little smaller than the Moncton store. I don't care though....I love that we have one here:)

It will be nice not to have to pay over a dollar for floss or drive an hour and a half to get it.. I think the best reason to go to Moncton now is to go to Because You Count.

Now I will have to take an inventory of what I have and what I need and plan accordingly.

This way I won't go crazy dropping a huge lot of money each time(Wade will be happy-I am sure of that)

I did pick up a few things..some floss and some 32 ct linen(which I got for half price(they had a coupon) as well as some sculpey clay to make buttons for my cross stitch pieces.

So far I have made 8 chocolate chip cookie buttons.
I will have to get some more it is kind of addictive.

I also ran into a whole lot of people I knew from work and a lady I used to babysit for whose oldest child just turned 30...man do I feel old..

I also ran into Cathey

There were so many people around it was kind of crazy...so we didn't get much of a chance to talk..it was so great to see her again:)

We will have to make plans to meet up again..

One thing I did notice though was that there were lots and lots of ladies and very few men and the ones that were seemed to be the official
"cart pusher"or basket carrier" they didn't seem to thrilled about it but you could tell the wives were in 7Th heaven...

I know I missed alot of stuff but there was so much stuff that I found it was overwhelming..I will have to go back and see what I missed.

Yesterday was pretty quiet..

Stephanie wasn't feeling very well-there is bug going around school but I think she was able to dodge that bullet.

She slept alot and seems to be better today which is good.

The girls don't get sick often even when they were little,but when they do they do it up big time.

No sense in doing it half way I always say.LOL...LOL....

I Can Feel It In My Bones...

2008-09-10T19:01:00.009-04:00

Yep.....fall is on it's way.

The leaves are starting to turn a little and I actually had to wear pants to work(yuck)It was quite cool this morning and I guess we have a frost warning on for tonight.

I think it is way too early for that but seeing that our weather has been so out of whack this year it really doesn't surprise me..

I don't mind autumn that much,I mean I like it when the leaves turn color and the farmers market has lots of yummy fruits and veggies, the hot chocolate and homemade soup and stews but once the leaves have all come off the trees that's pretty much it for me.

I want to hibernate for the winter and not come out again until spring.

It has been a pretty uneventful week thank goodness although I get to go to the dentist tomorrow and get my cleaning- I can hardly wait..lol..lol..

Oh and the big highlight for me this weekend will be the big opening of Micheal's Craft Store.

I can't wait-it has been such a long time coming.

My best buddy Amanda from work and I will be heading to the store for 9 am when it opens just like everyone else in town(I am sure there will be quite a crowd)...it will be so much fun.

I am thinking I am just going to browse around because I don't really need much there right now and I don't have to go nuts because I would be able to go anytime and not have to drive to Moncton to get my goodies.

I am looking forward to that let me tell you.

Other than that there isn't really a plan for the weekend-there is another hurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico and is headed toward Texas this time and you know where I will be..that's right...stuck to CNN..

I think I have to get some help..I have a real addiction to these weather events.It is kind of like an accident on the highway.You know you shouldn't watch but you are curious and have to watch....I wonder if they have a 12 step program for that????

Never So Glad to See the Week Over....

2008-09-05T13:22:00.005-04:00

Well things seem to have settled down a little bit at work.

I have never been so glad to see a week come to an end..

Too much stress that's for sure.

I guess the best thing to do is to carry on the best I can and the bright side is that if they close I can get EI and go back to school.....which is what I would love to do..

Our car is up at the shop for some brake work.

Wade's boss is a wanna be mechanic and thought he had fixed them properly but surprise..surprise...not so much.

I guess the spring that came in the part really is supposed to go with the brake and is not a extra piece....his boss is such an idiot anyway...who knows how much that will cost but you know it is what it is but I hope it isn't too much.

The weather this weekend is set to be nice and rainy because of Hanna so I will be glued to CNN again for hurricane watch because Ike is coming up right behind..So more stitching is on the agenda(yay)

The girls are pretty busy this weekend.
Stephanie is off to the exhibition with her boyfriend and another couple tonight and is staying overnight at a friends house and Amanda is busy with school and work.

So I have the house all to myself....how weird is that...it almost never happens...

Oh speaking of Stephanie she sent me this awesome picture that she got from school.

Here when high school starts the grade 9's go half day on Tuesday-gr 10,11 and 12 go a half day on Wednesday and then on Thursday they all go.

Their Student Council had a joke for the grade 9 kids.

These posters were everywhere and I mean everywhere in the school...they were pointing is every direction you can imagine and the school doesn't even have a pool..they did it to mess up the new kids.Some kids do have a sense of humor:)
I thought it was quite funny...

I am off for now-have to hang laundry -oh boy,how lucky am I???

I Survived Round # 1

2008-09-04T10:41:00.004-04:00

Today should be a little better today-or at least I hope it is....

Our higher ups at work are trying to do damage control today.
They are holding meetings all day today to discuss what happened and why.

Unfortunately the damage is already done.

Our thoughts are that they are trying to make us fell better about our jobs but I can't see that happening...we have been told the cuts are done but I don't believe that for a minute.

We have been burned too many times before so for the meantime here I sit.....

I was so upset last night I couldn't even stitch(egads....the horror)

I finally did finished my Lizzie Kate Double Flips the other night thank goodness...I wanted to start something new so badly.

I will probably post a picture on the weekend.

I started my funky electric blue bag with the flamingo on it today seeing it is so busy here(not) and need something to occupy my time,
I think it is going to be awesome..the colors are so bright:)

Now I just need to get my hands on some of the light effects threads and I will be all set.

It's Has Started

2008-09-03T21:34:00.004-04:00

We all saw the writing on the walls at work months ago today it started.Approximately 10% of our co workers were let go.

It was kind of a weird day.

There were no calls and management started taking people into the HR department and then they were gone.

Most that were affected were those who had been there less than 2 years and we lost some great support staff.

We were told that the cut were not just at our office but the other call centers and even some people at our locations.

I was one of the ones who got to stay...for now anyway.

I am just going to ride it out and see what happens and maybe there is a severance package in my future....never know..... we are having meetings tomorrow to let us know why this happened and how they chose who they did...should be quite interesting that's for sure.

I will post more when i get more info..

Go Away Gustav....

2008-09-01T10:05:00.005-04:00

I have been glued to CNN since Saturday night watching this hurricane head toward New Orleans...I don't know what it is but I have to watch even if the news people say the same thing over and over again same as news footage. 3 years ago when the hurricane season was such a busy one it seemed that every weekend I spent stuck to the television.

I do have to say that it seems like there was a much better plan in place compared to what happened when Katrina hit 3 years ago.

We were in Moncton shopping for school supplies for school.I remember walking by the bank in the mall and seeing their TV on CNN and watching footage there.

I am happy to see that most people headed "out of dodge".I know there are those that either can't or won't leave and I am sure they have their reasons but I know that if I saw something like that you wouldn't have to ask me twice to get out..

If anything I have been getting some stitching done while I am watching the news.

I have only 2 more words left on my LK Double Flips. I will be so happy to have it finished..I have the " I want to start something new-itus" and if I play my cards right maybe I can even finish it today(wish me luck)

Well I am off for now..I had a request for honey garlic spare ribs for supper so I have to get that going..

Who Gave the Frogs my Address?????

2008-08-27T13:08:00.008-04:00

Gosh darn it....I ended up with a gajillion bazillian frogs at my house and get this..had to take the word "encourage" from my Lizzie Kate Double flips out not once,twice but five times...I was almost ready to throw the piece out but I only had 3 words left at that point so on I went....

I wonder how much it would cost to ship these frogs to the South Pole?????

Amanda has been going to school and LOVING it and working as well so she has hardly been home in the last two weeks.

School starts for Steph on Wednesday and she is so excited to be in her final year.I can't believe it..

We have to go and get school stuff this weekend which I love.

She asked me to go to the mall to go clothes shopping with her but that would be a big fat NO,I don't think so..been there done that.

I tried a couple of years ago but that was a disaster so I don't think I will go there again.....maybe her boyfriend will go with her...I wonder if I can bribe him to go if I gave him homemade cookies????????

Stephanie has also been working a lot so Wade and I have been by ourselves and have to tell you that I am really going to have to find other stuff besides stitching to do when they decide to leave the nest....

One of things I did do while the girls were working is I ordered some stuff online that I had never done before with was interesting to say the least...I am so behind the times it isn't even funny..

When we had gotten Amanda her prepaid credit card for her birthday I was quite intrigued by them.

We don't use credit cards,which is a good thing because I would spend too much on stitching stuff so I thought I would set up a paypal account to go on ebay and all was well until I was outbid on a christmas ornament book,I got discouraged and pouted like a 3 year old and left....I just didn't want to play anymore...

Then I went to 123 stitch-one of my favorite places on the web.

I wanted to buy a couple of things and that's where the trouble started... I started out with 25 bucks Canadian so when I filled the shopping cart needless to say I went a little shall we say crazy.

I went to check out and pay for my stuff with my paypal but you know what I forgot....the Canadian dollar isn't at par anymore with US and so I didn't have enough-so that was my fault...duh....

I tried again with a little change to the order and it happened again(if you ever wonder about it-Paypal takes $1.07 out of your account each time you do a transaction and if you don't have enough they decline the purchase.

I didn't know that at all.....so after a lot of emails back and forth with the lady that runs the 123 stitch website I finally got it together and was finally able to order something and have it go through...yippee

And this is what I ordered and I can't wait for it to get here:

I thought the beach bag was so cool.I got the blue one and am going to put the flamingo pattern on it...

I had to have the princess one because my almost 17 year old walks around like she is a princess so I thought it was quite appropriate. She thought it was really funny and I have a feeling she is going to steal it away from me...she kind of had that look in her eye when I showed her:)

Well I guess that's all for now...I am almost done work for the day..yippeeeee

Only a few more days and it's a long weekend..I can't wait..

Happy 19th Birthday Amanda

2008-08-17T17:01:00.012-04:00

I can't believe that my "baby" turned 19 years old today...

You know Wade and I are way too young to have a daughter that age.lol lol

I woke her up to a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.

When she was a toddler my Dad bought a tape for her of this fella playing an astronaut singing "Happy Birthday Amanda" she would dance around in circles everytime she heard it.

It is so over the top that kids loved it and grown ups couldn't wait for it to be over. She would play it over and over again...and loved it.

A long time ago I had this big plan that when she turned 19- I was going to use that tape go to whatever bar she was at and have the DJ play it but at the last minute I couldn't embarass her like that and decided to do it at home instead.

She told me "you know that song is really "cheesy"

She got her presents and she had asked to go out for supper.

We asked where and she said she would really like to go to Swiss Chalet.

We bought her first "legal" drink and wasn't even asked for ID .

Which she thought was awesome:)

Then home for cake and now we are just hanging out..she has a thing planned with her friends next weekend which I know she'll have a blast.

She also starts her classes tomorrow so she is so excited about it.

Stephanie doesn't go back to high school until the 3rd of September.

Now we have one more birthday next month when Stephanie turns 17,then after that there are no more birthdays until March....

Happy Left Handers Day

2008-08-13T21:23:00.007-04:00

to all my SouthPaw friends;

I was the only lefty in my immediate family of righties-many things that most take for granted is more of a challange to us who have a preference for using our left hand.

The hardest thing for me was trying to learn how to print- I tried to do it with my left but my kindergarten teacher thought I should be printing with my right hand.

I can still see it,sitting in the class crying because I couldn't do it and then ending up writing backwards...talk about messed up...

I eventually got it but it took quite a while.

Mom tried to teach me how to knit and crochet but forget about that.I can sort of knit.

I pretty much do most things with my left hand, everything that is except for using scissors and can openers..which is weird.

Now it is the opposite in my house-Wade and Amanda are both lefties but poor Steph is a rightie.

I haven't been watching much of the Olympics on tv-

I much prefer the winter games..

I have tried to watch the beach volleyball though.

I think it is fun but what I don't get is that the guy's who play have tank tops and long shorts on yet the women wear these teeny tiny little bitty bathing suits..what gives there.I guess I just don't understand.

I also think they should add "Ultimate Fighting" (mixed martial arts)to the games..how much fun would that be I ask?????

I never really paid attention to sports but Wade likes it and I would watch every once in a while. There was a match back a couple of weeks ago and some dude got the crap beat out of him and the match was so awesome and then I was hooked...I LOVE IT :) weird I know but that's me.....

I can stitch while I watch so how awesome is that?? It's a win-win situation

I think I actually saw the sun today.
I almost forgot what it looked like.It was nice to see

Oh I also wanted to say

To everyone who left comments on my blog-I love hearing from you and I want to thank you for being so supportive as I begin my road to a healthier lifestyle and for all the nice well wishes as Amanda starts on her new adventure. You are a great bunch of people and happy to call you friends...You are so AWESOME:)

Thanks so much

Tomorrow is an Exciting Day for our Amanda

2008-08-10T18:15:00.007-04:00

Amanda registers for hair dressing school in the morning.

I can't believe the wait is finally over.

Seems like such a long time coming-she is so excited I don't think she can stand herself:)

Wade and I are so excited and happy for her:)

I can't wait to see how she makes out.

She doesn't actually start classes until next Monday

We will see if she needs anything extra.
I know she needs black scrubs to wear when she is there -maybe we will put a pair or 2 into her birthday present. Her birthday is next Sunday.

I know she would love that:)

Good Luck tomorrow Kiddo....

Mama and Daddy love you bunches

Did You Ever....

2008-08-06T20:45:00.012-04:00

do something and then the minute you did automatically wish that you hadn't-yesterday out of curiostity I decided to step on the scale at work.

What a big boo boo..... I thought I was going to have a stroke.....

I used to weigh myself all the time to keep myself on track but for some reason I stopped.

Two years ago I had lost probably 25 lbs and kept it off for a while-

Apparently it missed me and found it's way back and decided to stay for a while.

Which so sucks but it is my own fault.

No one forced that chocolate cake on me...

Some people stop eating when they are stressed but not me..

I am the opposite and eat when I am stressed

Lots of treats from Starbucks and all kinds of other junky stuff.

Last time I cut out alot of stuff you aren't really supposed to eat... white stuff(potatoes,white rice,white flour,white sugar-you get the idea) and it seemed to work.

I am such a bread and sweet lover that I am finding myself tempted,yes I want it but I haven't caved yet:)

My goal is to hopefully lose about 25 lbs,would love to lose more but I think this is a reasonable goal at least for now.

I know it will take time because I remember it took that long to put it back on...

So far I into day 3 and so far so good..

Happiness is a Brand New Box of Crayons-

2008-08-02T13:46:00.014-04:00

and you don't have to share with anyone else....

As a child I remember when school started I always wanted the BIG box of Crayons but somehow always ended up with the 24.

I was kind of in awe that they made shiny gold and silver and bronze crayons and that there were more that one or 2 shades of each color...

Can anyone really tell the difference between Orange Red and Red Orange anyway???

Every year when school supplies started to show up in the stores I would ask Mom and Dad for the big box and every year the 24 box found it's way into my book bag.

Well this is the last year we have to buy school stuff for Stephanie (thank goodness) and while up at Walmart last night I couldn't help but to take a stroll through all the new books and binders,pens and markers.

Did I tell you I LOVE SCHOOL STUFF???

Then I saw them..

The Crayola 96 box and on sale for $4.00- so I picked them up and happily marched to the checkout with my treasure:)

I love the smell of them,the feel of them..pretty much everything about them.

They remind me of when I was little and how simple life seemed to be and when your biggest problem would be using the blue green crayon when what you really wanted was the green blue one...Oh to be that young again.....

So now I have a box all to myself and now Stephanie wants to use them....

I think not- I am such a mean Mama :)

I am pretty much set but now I need a half decent coloring books and I am good to go...

Wade thought I was nuts but that doesn't matter...

CAUSE I HAVE MY BIG BOX OF CRAYONS
LOL...LOL

I am still stitching on my Lizzie Kate Double Flips and plan of doing some this long weekend.

I don't have to work on Monday which was a great surprise seeing that I have had to the last few.

So that is a bonus.. I think stitching and sleeping are in order for the weekend....at least that's the plan any way.

Have a Great Day!!