Going Going Gone

I tried to change the background of the blog, but it screwed up EVERYTHING!!! My links are gone, my cluster map is GONE! All the changes I made to the template are....GONE!

So your blog link may not be there anymore. I'll get to it!

Thinking Positive

YAY! Winter is here after 2 weeks of Autumn!

Oh how it makes me smile to wake up to the sound of my overfilled gutters spilling litres of water every second onto the concrete below.

And driving in complete darkness and dankness with the lovely shine of the river-covered road? Love it! Especially when the traffic is at a standstill due to the puddles on the freeway.

And my favourite? Walking in dark pants and a dark jacket in that same dark and dankness, getting my socks and pants all wet on my way to work! WOO HOO!!!

The view is wonderful, as I can't see any of the concrete jungle today. It's hidden behind beautiful curtains of damp, wet clouds.

It's my lunch hour. Maybe I should go outside and pretend to be a sponge. Lay down on a nice patch of green grass and work on my cold. Yes, that sounds PERFECT!

Something's Gotta Give

I am on the verge of complete shut-down.

Back in July, while still on Maternity leave, I decided to make a few quilts and try to sell them. I wanted to see if I could turn a hobby into a money-maker. I start making them, find cheap fabric and then make some more. Then some more. Wow I have so many, why not do a craft fair?

Then Colin comes up with a genious baby accessory invention. I make it, and it works great! So I better mass produce those for the craft show too. The more we think about it, and the more I use it, the more we like it! And the more we think, "we could really go places with this". So now we're looking into starting a business.

I have some fabric scraps, so I make yet another baby item out of those. And since I'm doing one craft fair, why not do two?

But I am crazy! I like to keep myself busy but this is ridiculous!!!!

I work full time (with a one hour + commute each way), have a 14 month old whom I want to/love to/need to spend time with, have a husband who needs some of my attention, and have a house to clean (one of these days) and meals to make.

Then I end up sewing any chance I get, like if Nathan is in his high chair eating cheerios while my meat cooks on the stove. Or when Nathan goes to bed and Colin's trying to get a few minutes of relax time himself. You know what I mean? I go weeks at a time without actually RELAXING. Yes, I enjoy most of the time I spend sewing but it's not relaxing anymore. I'm sure people can relate.

If it's not one thing, it's another. When I was planning the race I thought, "When the race is over I can relax". But when it was over I went full-tilt into sewing. So now I think, "When the craft fairs are over, I can relax".

But I won't. I can't. I don't know how to relax. I not only have to be "busy", but I have to be multitasking while being busy. It's not enough to sew. I have to clean on the way from the sewing maching to the ironing board. I even try to get stuff done when I eat breakfast in the morning. I took my sewing maching on vacation last weekend.

Laugh if you want, but it's actually becoming a problem. I realized this last night.

I was sewing at 10:00 and Colin came to the sewing table (what used to be the dining room table) to visit. He picked up a book from the table and started to laugh. He said (while chuckling), "Is THIS the book you're reading?". I said, "Well, I read a chapter last month".

The book is called THE REST OF GOD. Rest meaning the opposite of busy.

I obviously haven't had a chance to read it.

So he opened the book and read me a chapter out loud as the sewing maching hummed away. As he read, the thing that stuck out the most was that if we're so busy, we can't be still and hear the voice of God. I'm making my own plans (even triple-booking myself) but what does HE want me to do?

Guess I should be still and listen...after the craft fairs are over.

Geocaching Redneck Style

This past weekend marks my 7th Thanksgiving trip to Winthrop, Washington. For 7 out of the last 8 years, I've spent this wonderful Canadian holiday in the USA!

We stay in the same campsite every year. The scenery is breathtaking! But the scenery this year was a little different.

Amidst all the red, orange and yellow trees was a lot of camo. Everyone in town (except the people you are with) was wearing camo pants, jackets, boots, and neon orange hats! It's either the newest fall fashion, or hunting season.

If you're still not sure, go to our campground and look around for this:

Ah, yes. The good ol' 3 point buck head hanging from a tree. Be glad I didn't put the photo of the REST of it. At least there's no blood in this one (good memories, eh supersleuth?).

So, but now we've established that it's hunting season. We actually got there 30 minutes after the season opened. It's only open for a week or two, so hunters make a mad rush to Winthrop to sink their bullets into one of the 15,000 deer in the valley.

Pass the venison, please!

There's something kind of creepy being in Winthrop for hunting season. I mean, besides the carcases hanging from the trees. When you go for a walk on a trail and hear a "BANG" in the distance, you know there's someone out there with a gun.

That's usually the extent to which we get involved with the hunt. But this year was different.

Colin prepared a bunch of geocaches to check out. So we went with another couple and both babies.

We followed the GPS's instructions and came to a logging road with a sign that said, "Primitive Road, no signs". Onward. So we're on this tiny offroad that most likely doesn't get a lot of use. Today however, it was a freeway. Every person in every car that passed us was wearing camo and a fluorescent orange hat. We must have passed 100 trucks on that 10 mile road!

We also passed hunters who were outside on the range, holding their rifles. It was really scary, considering we were the only ones out here unarmed. And most likely the only people with babies.

As we bounced along the road, I was asking questions like, "How far away from the road are hunters allowed to shoot from?" and "are hunters allowed to shoot across a road?".

We got about 300 meters away from the geocache when we reached the end of the road. There was a gate, so we had to walk the rest of the way. But beyond the gate, was hunting territory.

Mar and I stayed back with the sleeping babies. DON'T WORRY! Even if they were awake there's no way they were going past that gate.

The guys took off with the GPS. Colin was wearing a brown shirt (colour of a deer), so I was a little nervous. I got even more nervous when a truck parked beside us and a pair of gun-toting chicks got out and went on the same trail the guys were on.

They returned less than 10 minutes later, and gave us the GPS. I tied a red Zellers bag to my head, and Mar put a greasy red shirt on her head. Off we went, prancing like deer, along the path.

We never felt like we were in real danger or we never would have gone. But while we were gone, the guys were talking to a hunter who said it was very smart of us to wear red. He has some spare reflective vests he usually lends out to "tourist" types, but they were already on loan.

On our way back down the hunting highway, we contemplated honking the horn and scaring all the deer, but we remembered that we were the only ones unarmed.

And that was our redneck adventure of the weekend.

I'll leave you with some family photos:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hidden Treasures

Summer seemed to linger, with a late heat wave. It trickled off... and went straight into Winter. MAN is it cold outside today!

One good thing about that is that I get to wear my favourite wool jacket again. Doesn't fit quite as well as it did a few years ago, but I will wear it until it's threadbare due to it's "value".

Because of my short torso, it was REALLY hard to find a dressy jacket that fit. I searched for two years. Finally, I went to Metrotown with a mission: I WAS NOT LEAVING THE MALL UNTIL I BOUGHT A JACKET. I finally found one that day!

So I remortgaged my house, and swiped my card. Ok, ok it wasn't THAT expensive (half the price of my wedding dress), but I do not buy any item of clothing that is over $50. And that's stretching it. All clothing MUST be on sale or else they don't get tried on. I am not a "fashionista", nor do I want to be. If I am wearing an "in" coulour, it's because the shirt cost $5.

Anyways, back to the jacket.

Today was the first day this season I've worn my jacket. I was so thankful for it as I was walking at 7am. So warm!

I put my un-gloved hands in my pockets and noticed there was something in there, and got instantly excited.

I LOVE finding things that have been lost or forgotten for a period of time! As a pack-rat kid, I went through my junk boxes once or twice per year, to see if I was able to part with those movie tickets or bus transfers yet. Almost every time, I'd hide a $2 bill (remember those?) in my Expo 86 wallet, just so I could find it again the next time I de-cluttered.

As I walked from my car to the office this cold morning, I dug deep in my pockets and removed the contents, one by one. Here's what I found:

1. A ticket to a "womens" event I went to in April. I smiled, remembering sitting with about 6 girlfriends listening to comedic speakers. I may have even chuckled a bit.

2. A dental "reminder card" that stated I had an appointment in April. This one was like nails on a chalkboard. I wondered which of the 14 appointments I had last spring this card was for. I heard dental drills. I felt the pain. I shuddered. I wished that piece of paper had've been money.

3. The last thing I found was my pomegranite Burts Bees lip balm! YAY my lips are happy again.

What's in YOUR pockets?

Amuzing Race 5

Before you all start to groan and say, "I thought she wasn't going to plan another one", read on.

When I got home from work yesterday, there was a yellow ribbon hanging out of my mail slot. I retrieved an envelope labeled "Nancy" from the inside of my house. I tore it open using the yellow ribbon (sound familiar?).

Inside was a drawing of a musical staff, complete with several notes drawn in.

I thought, "Who is this from? An old piano student?".

I wrote down all the notes on some lines that were below:
"_ _ D E _ _ _ E G A _ B A G E" and figured out it meant "UNDER THE GARBAGE"!

Okaaaaaaay......so I went outside and looked, well, under the garbage can and found another clue!

YAY! I clued in that is was a scavenger hunt just for me!!! But who did this? I decided to wait for Colin and Nathan to get home so we could all do it together. As I was waiting, I realized who had done this! I recognized her writing!

The next clue led me to a verse in Proverbs. I looked it up and it read, "Better to live on the corner of a roof than to live with a quarrelsome wife". (HAHA I love that verse!)

So I went back outside to look at the corners of my roof. Nothing in the front yard, so I went in the back, laughing that she was rooting through our backyard while we were at work! I found the clue under the corner of the shed roof!

That clue gave me coordinates using our fence posts. My treasure was at G-4.

She had made a pile of leaves near G-4, so that's where I went first. I found a beautiful brightly coloured leaf in the pile of otherwise dead brown leaves. I thought this leaf might be my treasure because I was telling this mystery organizer the day before how much beautiful fall leaves brighten my days.

So we looked some more, found nothing else, and went inside.

Curiosity got to me though, so I went back outside. After another 5 minutes or so of searching, I noticed a ziploc bag sticking out of the ground! She had actually dug into the lawn (like I care, it's not, um, manicured), buried it, and put some branches and leaves of top of that!

Inside was a thank-you card for planning the Amuzing Races signed by some of the racers, and a restaurant gift certificate from the church! You could have picked up my jaw from the floor. I was shocked (pleasantly)! Wow am I ever glad I went back out to look!

Who was the mystery girl? I'll give you a clue (he he). There was a baby toy left on my hot tub that does not belong to Nathan.

"THANKS CAPTAIN OBVIOUS. That really narrows it down" you are saying.

Ok, it was Marilee.

When I called her after I was done, she was denying it until I told her the reasons I knew it was her. She's such a great woman. ANYONE who knows her can't argue with me, because we all know it's true. Humble, helpful, selfless, a great friend...Instead of just handing me the card, she went to all that work because she knew I'd appreciate it.

And appreciate it, I did! It made my day...even my week! Actually, it made all the planning worth the effort! I've always longed to participate in the race myself, and now I feel like I have. Thanks, Marille. You rock!

6 things

*thanks to Supersleuth for pointing out I only put 5 things! A 6th has been added!

Here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. List 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post


Random things:
1. If I don't eat cereal for breakfast, I almost always have to have a bowl before the end of the day. A day is not complete without cereal.
2. I actually like my son's noisy toys.
3. A donkey scuffed up my good pair of shoes.
4. I have lived in the same city for my entire life. All homes are within a 15 minute drive.
5. I got bad tendonitis from my hands to past my elbows from drumming in a bagpipe band and playing the piano too much in my teens. REALLY plagues me still.
6. I want to retire early and run a bed & breakfast on the coast.


I tag: Da Koch Blog, Supersleuth, Keeping Us Posted, My Random Blather & The Roth Plate.

Molting

Woah, the WIERDEST thing happened to me yesterday.

While I was making dinner, I decided to make a few batches of squash and sweet potato baby food (since "Multitask" is my middle name). So when dinner is ready, I wash my hands and sit down.

I look down at my hands, and it looks like there is squash film on the left one still, so I wash my hands again.

I start to eat, and notice that the film is still on my hand! Argh this is getting annoying. But I'm hungry so I am just going to eat anyway.

But then, my fingers started to "tighten", and the skin on my hand seemed to be shrinking, and I couldn't straighten my fingers! I noticed that the film on my hands wasn't squash film at all!

IT WAS PEELING SKIN!

It was disgusting! 4 of my fingers and part of the palm of my hand was molting like a snake! It looked like a burn, but I hadn't touched anything hot! The skin was peeling off so fast I could see it happen. I kept washing my hands and putting lotion on, but it didn't stop until an entirely new layer of skin was exposed (and quite sensitive, I might add).

I thought I was getting flesh eating disease!

So what happened? I googled "squash skin film" or something similar. To my surprise, I was flooded with photos of hands that looked like mine, and stories exactly like the one I've told you.

Turns out there's a condition called "Butternut Squash Dermatitis" or "Cucurbita Moschata" for the technical name. It's a contact dermatitis, or allergic reaction. That's so odd though, as I don't think I'm allergic to anything else!

Nathan has been playing with said squash for the past few days. He sits in his highchair and points excitedly toward the squash and whines until we give it to him (APPEASE THE BABY). Guess we'll have to stop that.

So here I am. A new season has begun recently, and I have molted to show a new layer of skin. Maybe this is a metaphor for things to come.

Or maybe I should wear a glove next time.