The Roth Spot

These Little Piggies

2010-01-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

You know the saying "Ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes"? Well, I don't really know if it's a "saying", but I've seen it everywhere when referring to babies. On cards, scrapbooking supplies, clothes. It's supposed to evoke a mushy "awe how cute" emotion, but it has taken on a new emotion for me.

I feel like I am always tending those little piggies. I have 60 finger and toe nails to take care of. Not something I ever thought of before I had kids. I spend part of almost every day chasing around a toddler or fighting to restrain an infant to do the chore. I even carry the clippers in my pocket some days, since neither of the kids let me do more than a couple at once.

Nothing terribly deep on my mind today...

Wedding Pancake

2010-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

I have always been an entrepreneur. My first business was teaching piano, then a Creative Memories Consultant, and then a wedding cake decorator. I had an unofficial business named "Nancy's Fancy's". I know I know...it's the cheesiest thing you've ever heard. I like trying to turn my hobbies into cash. But I found that if I'm trying to make money from them, they're not fun anymore.

Here is the tale of how my hobby went from fun to flat.

The first wedding cake I made was for someone I knew. The quote they got for the cake they wanted was outrageous, so I agreed to do it for half the price, having never assembled a tiered cake before!

It turned out awesome! It was about 18 inches high. Chocolate mousse filling with rolled fondant icing. Since I was driving a sporty little VW GTI at the time, I borrowed my parent's van to deliver it to Cultis Lake.

When we got to exit 176 on the freeway, the transmission died! Colin had to leave me ON THE EXIT in a broken van with a wedding cake to go find a cell phone (back in the day when cell phones weren't a mandatory accessory for every human being) . He got my parents to bring my tiny-trunked car to the exit. Luckily, the cake just BARELY fit in the trunk, and off we went to Cultis Lake (I still don't know how my folks got their dead van home). We got there just as the ceremony was starting.

Cake # 3. Ah yes.

It was a Saturday morning wedding, so the cake needed to be delivered Friday night. I'd baked all the cakes beforehand, and when I got home from school that Friday, I started to decorate. It was a simple 3 tiered circle cake without any decorations, which is actually harder because the decorations hide the imperfections.

I'm icing quickly, since it's only 5 hours away from delivery time. I've got the bottom two tiers done when Colin comes back from school. He dips his finger in the icing and said, "This tastes salty". I say, "you're probably sweaty since it's hot out". He says, "taste it for yourself".

I don't taste the icing usually because I am so sick of the taste by then. I taste it though, and it is AWFUL! Not sweet AT ALL! I get upset and go to scrape it off the cake so I can make a new batch, but THE ICING WON'T COME OFF THE CAKE!! It has solidified hard as rock on there.

I taste the icing sugar I'd purchased out of the bulk bin at Save-On-Foods and it is not icing sugar. It's baking powder. Just so you know, baking powder + milk = ROCKS.

The cake is ruined. And I have to deliver it in 4 hours.

I went to Save-On and asked to speak to the manager. The cashier says, "maybe I can help you. What is the problem?".

Me: "I'd rather speak to the manager, you'll refer me to her anyway"

Cashier: "We usually resolve issues without needing to escalate it to her"

Me: "Ok. I'm a wedding cake decorator and I have a cake to deliver in 4 hours and the icing sugar bin 1080 was filled with baking powder and I iced my cake with it and now it won't come off the cake so not only is the icing ruined, but the cake itself is ruined!" I am crying by now. "I don't even have time to BAKE the cake let alone decorate it again, so I'd like to know what you're going to do about it!".

Cashier: "Let me refer you to the manager".

Well duhh. I told the manager my story and she gave me all the supplies I had wasted to make both the cake and the icing. Then, since I didn't have time to bake the cake again, she gave me big slabs of cake from their bakery so I could cut my cake out of them. I was pretty impressed. Now THAT's conflict resolution!

I still didn't have time to decorate it all that evening so I got the "ok" to deliver it the following morning.

I had to deliver it to Surrey. Not 5 minutes from my home, the driver (who will remain unnamed) slowed down rather abruptly for a red light, and SPLAT! The top tier cascades to the floor of the vehicle along with my sanity.

I had an instant nervous breakdown. As I stared in disbelief, I wondered if I should have kept the rock hard icing on instead.

We got to the location, and I luckily brought extra icing, so I started to fix it. It was not going well. As I said earlier, plain cakes leave little room for error. The icing job has to be perfect. Something needed to be done.

I went into the reception hall and looked for anything I could use to cover up the pancaked spots while the chef was yelling at me to hurry up and get it off his counter. I cut off some of the bows on the chairs and nabbed a flower or two and turned the minimalistic cake topper into a piece of art. A piece of art that covered the whole top tier. A piece of art that people look at say, "huh? What is THAT supposed to be?".

This was the only cake I never photographed.

Friends of ours went to the wedding (it was their cousin getting married). The bride and groom never mentioned that the cake didn't look AT ALL how they ordered it, so I guess they were too pre-occupied to notice.

When you are at my funeral, know that I'd still be around for several years more, had it not been for this sweet confection.

I did a few more after this with a "no delivery" policy, but it was still more stress than it was worth.

So now I do it for fun.

Parking Lot Party

2009-12-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

My Mac is dead. I didn't know it was possible, but it is. And it's expensive to fix. So I'm stuck with my S-U-P-E-R S-L-O-W iBook until sometime in January. So no photo uploads and no playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook :-(

But that's ok. This story has been on my mind for several months and it needs no photos.

So, way before Christmas shopping began (It must have been late October or early) November, we went to Wal-Mart because they were having a sale on diapers. Off the 4 of us went after dinner one night to take advantage of the deal. We got the diapers (woo hoo, the last box!), looked around for awhile, then went back to the car.

We have the STUPIDEST car alarm. We've wanted to get it shut off since we got the car, um, 2.5 years ago, but just have never got around to it. You see, once you open any door, you have 10 seconds to put the key in the ignition and turn it, or else the alarm will sound. This is fine for someone who has no kids, but when you have two kids to get from stroller to carseat, it is REALLY ANNOYING to have to open the driver door and disarm the alarm first, leaving your kids running around in the parking lot as you do this.

One way around the parking lot chase, is to open Nate's door and shove him in, which gives you 10 seconds to then open the driver door and turn the ignition. Colin usually uses this method, but I find I am not fast enough for it.

Anyways, back to the story. We get back to the car, and Colin unlocked the trunk for the stroller. Then, he chooses the "shove-Nate-in-before-disarming-alarm" method. Obviously it takes more than 10 seconds to put Nate in his seat, so he closes Nate's door letting him climb in his seat, opens the driver door, and puts the keys in the ignition.

Meanwhile, it's my job to put Evan in the other side of the car. The parking stalls at Wal-Mart are not very wide, so sometimes it is a challenge to squeeze the infant carseat in. This time was particularly difficult, as the person beside us parked a foot into our stall! I barely had enough room to squeeze MYSELF between the two cars, let alone the massive carseat, so annoyed, I had to return to the back of the car to tell Colin he'd have to reverse the car in order for me to get Evan in.

Colin went to get into the car, and realized that Nate, who was not strapped into his carseat, had locked himself in the car (note, the keys are in the ignition)!

We tried everything to get him to unlock the doors. We must have looked like idiots. We got him to press the button, but he kept pressing lock. Lock. LOCK! He happily he had free reign of the car, pretending to drive it, turning his CD up, dancing to the music...he really thought we were playing a game.

After about 10 minutes of trying, the lady who parked in our stall came out and saw two quite obviously frazzled parents, with a cold, crying infant, who were trying to coax a singing toddler to open the car doors. She laughed and said, "Oh, that's so funny!".

I lost it. I am usually an even tempered person who avoids conflict at all cost, but this set me over the top. I said something like:

"WHAT exactly is funny about THIS? My kid has locked himself in the car and my baby is cold and hungry, and if it weren't for your horrendous parking job, I would have been able to get my door open before he locked himself in there!!"

She squeezed past me and drove off asap. An offer to help would have been nice.

Luckily, Colin had unlocked the trunk. After 20 minutes of trying, he managed to unhook Nate's carseat by getting in the trunk, shoving his arm between the two seats, and bending his arm in a way that no arm should bend to hit the seatbelt release. Then, he was able to force the back seat down far enough to squish the upper half of his body through far enough to reach the lock. I was almost in tears because I thought Colin was going to get stuck and injured. Then what would I do with a crying baby, split-in-half-husband and locked in toddler?

But we did get in, so I got to phone my mom back who was on her way to my house to get my spare set of car keys and bring them to us. Thank God she has our house key!

We learned a few lessons though.

1. Don't let Nathan be in the car with the key in the ignition. (like, duhh you're saying...but try having our stupid alarm)

2. Take an extra set of keys.

3. Get our alarm disabled.

I'm back

2009-12-17T10:47:00.001-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive. There are a few reasons I have not blogged in over 3 months. Here's one:

And another:

And another:

But I need to stop making excuses like "I don't have time". Well, that's not really an excuse, it's true. But I don't think there will EVER be enough time so I'll just have to make time. Writing is a creative outlet for me. And besides, with 2 kids, I have so many stories that I may just bust if I don't get them out!

It took so long for me to remember my user name and password that I don't have much time today, but I want to make blogging a weekly thing again, so please check back soon.

Ok, Evan, I'm coming!!!!

Welcome Baby Evan

2009-09-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

A little late than never, but welcome to our little son Evan! He was born 2 weeks early on Aug 16th at 7 lbs 8 oz (thank goodness he was early at that weight!!). After a short readmission to the hospital to treat his jaundice, he's doing fantastic! He's a pretty laid back baby (so far), and is cute as cute can be! Nathan loves him (sometimes a bit too much), and obviously Colin and I are thrilled with our new arrival. Both boys are asleep so I should be too, so this is a short post. But hopefully I'll be a little better with updating my blog once my newborn offers me a little more freedom!

Ketchup Catchup Catsup

2009-07-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Nathan loves ketchup. He calls it dip. Actually I guess he loves most liquidy foods that he dips things into, but ketchup seems to be his favourite and he eats it by itself and with a host of other things.

Got me thinking that ketchup is a personal thing, and every person has strong opinions of what ketchup is good on. If you hate ketchup on eggs and see someone eating it, you're more likely to say "EWE! You eat ketchup on eggs?" instead of just letting it be. So I'm going to give my brain a break from thinking of serious (and upsetting) matters and instead, think about ketchup.

Here's my list of things I like ketchup with, some common, some not. In the comments, add any of your odd ketchup fetishes so we can all say "ewe" together.

Hamburgers
Hotdogs
Corndogs
Hashbrowns
Fries
Kraft dinner
Scrambled eggs
Cheese slices (this one's Nathan's)
Meatloaf
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Canned pork & beans
Boiled cabbage with vinegar

Hmmm. That's all I can think of for now.

Beautiful Days

2009-06-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! Overcast, about 19-20 degrees (which in pregnancy terms is about 27 degrees), I wish it would stay like this all summer! I can go for a walk without sweating for the rest of the afternoon. Still too hot for socks or sleeves though.

The heat really bothers me when I'm pregnant. Doesn't bother everyone though, I do have several preggo friends who aren't bothered by it at all! Lucky.

One thing I love about really hot days, though, is playing with water! And that just happens to be one of Nathan's favourite things to do too. He's probably play with the hose outside in winter if I let him.

Catching water drops out of a hose

ER visit #3 of 2009

2009-06-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Colin asked me to take out the garbage on Monday night and I playfully say back, "no way, I did 8 loads of laundry in the past 2 days" so out he goes. Next thing I know, he's practically screaming and hopping into the house.

The garbage can knocked down a futon frame we have leaned up against the wall (it's there cuz ONE DAY we'll have enough room to throw it out...better yet, anyone want it?) and it came crashing down onto the top of his bare foot.

When I saw it, I just about threw up. It looked like someone sawed a greenish/yellow softball in half and stuck it on his foot, it was THAT swollen! Also had some puncture wounds, but not a whole lotta red stuff came out so it's probably still in the softball. I'm not permitted to post a photo of it so that's why it's being described in such detail!

Parts of his foot turned black and blue almost instantly. I raced around the house as calm as a panicked chicken to find him some ice, T3's and Advil. I was in such a frenzy that I had to calm myself down in order to give him a pill from the correct prescription bottle. He didn't need morning sickness relief or meds to make him lactate, after all.

It didn't take too long for us to realize he had to get to the hospital. I've never seen an injury like that and assumed his foot was broken, so when Grandma showed up to look after our sleeping boy, we left.

Colin's a trooper. He was like, "Yay, I get to ride in a wheelchair" when we got there. HA! His sense of humour was not suffering!

We waited and waited and waited, like you do in "emergency rooms" (kinda an oxymoron, eh?) and finally the doc came back with the results. Doc looked absolutely shocked when he said it wasn't broken. The guy waiting in the chairs next to us loudly exclaimed, "WHAT??!?! THAT'S not BROKEN?!??!". Obviously others are people-watching us as much as we're people-watching them.

So he has to just ice and ice so the swelling comes down.

I had to take the next day off because he can't walk, and he needed to get to the store to rent crutches, and had Nathan to get to Grandma's house somehow. So I was his chauffeur, and even went to school with him (I'm his business partner so am allowed to attend any of the seminars I want to). It was kinda fun.

So obviously he can't do anything at home so I had a busy evening trying to cook dinner with Nathan running around and then trying to clean up with Nathan running around. When all of a sudden, Nate tripped and hit the corner of a doorway and fell to the ground. He got a yet another goose egg on his head, and his nose bled. Thank goodness THAT didn't break either. I don't know what it is with my family and being accident prone...

I don't even know how either of them are doing today though, since I leave before any other eyes are open at my house, so I just hope for the best.

My goodness, what's next?

Country Twang

2009-06-08T12:32:00.001-07:00

I never used to be a big country music fan. I used to like R&B and Pop, but now can't stand the sound of it. I hear that Lady Gaga is great and I say, "Lady who???". Makes me feel old actually.

I find it cleaner, less angry, and just a lot more relaxing to listen to.

I would rather be listening to the "local" Christian music station, because contrary to popular belief, Christian music is actually awesome! But I can't. The "local" station is taped in Washington, and the reception here is AWFUL. Especially anywhere with power lines, like the entire freeway. Which is the only place I listen to music anymore.

So I stick on my cowgirl hat and listen to JRFM.

I heard a few months back on a non-country station (must have been News 1130, all news all the time radio, which is my 2nd favourite station) that the genre of music with the most reference to sex, drinking, drugs and illegal activity is not rap or rock, but good ol' COUNTRY! Ever since, I've been paying extra attention to the lyrics and I do agree, and switch the station as to not sing along with songs that are talking about one-night stands. I just don't need that.

However, it is my station of choice and have really grown to love most of the songs.

One thing though, that drives me absolutely nuts about country music is the artist's inability to rhyme. Not every line has to rhyme, so please don't try! But SO many artists just change the annunciation of the word so that it sounds like the un-rhyming word they're trying to pair it with.

Take this song by the Steve Miller Band, for example. See if you can twang the last word in each line to make them rhyme with each other, go ahead, say it out loud:

This heres a story about billy joe and bobbie sue
Two young lovers with nothin better to do
Than sit around the house, get high, and watch the tube
And here is what happened when they decided to cut loose

(and my favourite non-rhyming verse)

Billy mack is a detective down in texas
You know he knows just exactly what the facts is
He aint gonna let those two escape justice
He makes his livin off of the peoples taxes

Could you do it? They need a rhyming dictionary. And a grammar lesson.

Adventure to Jug Island

2009-06-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Do you have people in your life that bring adventure around every time you get together? We do. Our friends Justin and Lorene (or as Nathan would say “Alorene and Dennis”). How can I be surprised though? They are on a round the world trip as Missionaries right now. If that doesn’t scream adventure, what does??

It’s not a bad thing though, we love adventure! And thankfully Nathan does too!

They are back from their trip for a few weeks and we got to spend the weekend with them last weekend. On Friday, we headed to Belcarra Park. But Colin wanted to go to this more “secluded” spot that was a “one kilometer walk” away from the parking lot.

So we load up the stroller and off we head up the “Jug Island” beach trail. The first part is ok. It’s nice to be in the trees on such a hot day. Then we see the first trail marker:

5.5 km round trip? That’s a lot longer than this preggo lady wanted to go. But outnumbered, I pressed on.

We came across some marshy parts that were interesting to maneuver around with the stroller. Luckily this stroller was free from junk week so we don’t really care if it gets dirty.

It wasn’t too long before the trail started heading up. And not “gradual up”, but “climbing boulders and stairs” up. Did I mention we had the stroller? Even though it is a jogging stroller, NO stroller is equipped for what lay ahead.

The further we went, the more Justin and Colin had to carry the stroller. King Nathan sat in his throne, actually white-knuckling it a lot of the time. But he did enjoy it, luckily.

After we’d been hiking for an hour, we came up to a sign that said we still had 2km to go! WHAT? They said it was a 5.5 km ROUND trip! If we still had 2 km to go, that means we only went ¼ of a kilometer so far? I don’t think so.

ARGGGH. We’ve come this far, why not keep going? So we trekked on (without a SINGLE complaint from the preggo lady…there were actually many, MANY complaints) for the promise of a secluded pristine beach at the end of the yellow brick road.

We ran into someone we know on this trail heading back from where we came. He took one look at us and could tell he thought we were absolutely CRAZY for bringing the stroller. He kindly let us know that we were only half way and the terrain gets much more difficult from this point on.

One would think we’d turn back and head to the other not so secluded beach that is about 50 steps from our car, but we decided to ditch the stroller in the bush (who in their right mind would want to steal a stroller and carry it all the way back, and besides, it’s free) and see how Nathan would do walking.

We stopped about 10 steps later at a lookout to rehydrate and try to keep Nathan from jumping off a cliff. Things weren’t going so smoothly with him not strapped into the stroller.

We had a chat. Ok we have to figure out if we’re going to continue to secluded beach or head back to regular beach. It’s decision time. Lorene suggests that the pregnant lady gets to decide. And just at that moment, a divine intervention!!!! One of those moments where you swear you hear a heavenly “Ahhhhhh”.

A whole class of noisy (is there any other kind?) teenage girls pass us.

We ask: “Are you headed to the beach?”

Girls: “Hee hee! Yup! It’s like a field trip or something”

We ask: “Are you spending the day there?”

Girls: “Only until the end of the school day!”

The 4 of us look at each other and no words needed to be spoken. We turned around and headed back to regular beach. Afterall, what is the point of secluded beach if there are 30 teenage girls there?

We eventually made it to regular beach, and there was practically no one there. So it ended up being a secluded beach afterall. Once there, we had a snacknic (a picnic lunch made entirely of snack food), relaxed on a blanket, and splashed in the ocean. Fun day!

The city of Port Moody is going to hear about the faulty signage on the Jug Island Beach Trail.

Who Needs Camping?

2009-05-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

Camping has always been important to Colin and I. Before being parents, we'd decide on a Friday evening that we want to go away for the weekend, so we'd stick some instant oatmeal, bread, peanut butter and jam in the truck and off we'd go.

I hope camping isn't a pasttime. Sometimes it seems like it is. It's just so much easier to stay in a motel with a kid. The running warm water makes everything so much easier. Baths, meals, cleanup after meals...I just don't know if I could vacation without it anymore. And carpet is nicer than dirt. Electricity better than dangerous campfires and lanterns.

I think Nathan's only spent 1.5 nights in a tent so far, but now that he's getting bigger, we really want to get out there more.

A long weekend just passed which would have been a great opportunity to do so. But for whatever reason (um....laziness??), we didn't plan anything. Since I feel bad for missing a great sunshiny weekend away, I thought I'd reflect on the worst camping trips we've had so I don't feel as bad about missing it.

If you were with us on any of these trips, IT'S NOT YOU that made the trip bad. Just the situation ;-)

As I'm thinking about them, I realize that most of them have to do with the quality of sleep I got! Funny. Here we go. Our top 4 worst camping trips/sleeps in reverse order:

5. On one of our last-minute-on-a-Friday-night vacations, we had no place to stay and nowhere to pitch a tent, so we pulled over and parked at some cabin and slept in the box of the truck. We spent the first hour swatting mosiquitos (I think we lost count at 30). Then Colin, being so tall, stretched out diagonally in the box leaving me a tiny corner in which to sleep in the fetal position.

4. Went camping with another couple, their 2 year old and dog. She was pregnant at the time (the mom not the dog...). We went in 2 cars. Along we're going on the hope-princeton and our truck was hit by a deer! Yes you read that right, the deer hit US. It rammed right into the side of the driver door, destroying the mirror and denting the door so bad it couldn't be opened. And the stupid deer just go up and ran off! I was so mad. In some States you're allowed to keep roadkill. If I could keep the deer meat, at least I'd get something out of the $300 ICBC deductible!!! Was SO glad it didn't hit the other couple's car though.

So we went driving on a logging road up a mountain (NOT my favourite thing to do). At the top, we got out and watched helicopters flying overhead with buckets of water to fight a forest fire on a nearby hill. That part was cool. But then we cooked hot dogs and who comes along, but a bear! We have a dog provoking the bear, a pregnant woman, and a 2 year old, and we're cooking lunch with a bear nearby!?! Apparently I was the only person concerned by this. Nothing happened though but I have a few grey hairs from that day.

We pitched our tents near a wasp nest and were swatting wasps all evening. Our tents were on dry deep slanted sandy hill and every time we moved in or around the tent, it would shift. Pretty annoying.

3. We were sleeping in an RV and there was a lot of snoring going on. A LOT. So after a few hours of trying to sleep, we gave up. I went and slept in the hatch of my Honda Civic and Colin crashed underneath the RV.

2. Nathan's first tenting experience was last June. A normally warm month, unless you're at Tunkwa Lake up....actually I don't know where it is. But is was C-O-L-D. Below freezing for sure overnight. We showed up at 10pm and put up out tent. We put Nathan in his warm jammies, some other clothes, a tuke, and cuddled him in his playpen with all the blankets. I checked on him shortly after going to bed and his cheeks were FREEZING, so I got him out of the playpen and snuggled with him in my sleeping bag. Babies take up more room than adults though, and he soon kicked me out of the sleeping bag, leaving me shivering all night with no blankets. Not a wink of sleep that night.

And the worst?

1. For our 1st anniversary we went white water rafting on the Thompson and stayed overnight in the Jade Springs (?) campsite. It was recommended by the rafting company, as buses met there in the morning to take us on our adventure.

Little did we know our adventure had begun LONG before we hit the water.

So we set up camp and are enjoying sitting around the table playing cards when the noise started. People came by asking us, "aren't you coming to the party?". Party? Uh no, we're not. I heard quite a few derrogatory comments about us. We are so lame, you know. The evening got louder and louder and sober people were quickly becoming outnumbered at a ratio of 2:200.

By the time bed time hit, I went to go use the washroom. The toilets were full to the brim and overflowing ALL over the floor with regular toilet stuff, toilet paper and vomit. I guess I had to use the bush but don't remember that part.

We lay in our tent trying desperately to sleep amidst the loud music and drunk people. I guess we eventually did fall asleep, but were awoken in the dead of night by some voices very near to our tent saying, "I wonder if they mind if we're laying on their car" or something to that extent. Colin, a normally well-tempered guy TOTALLY lost it and lets just say got these goofballs to get off the car.

I don't think we slept another wink after that.

There they are! Maybe if we went away this weekend the experience would have landed a spot on this list. Guess it was good we stayed home.

Elevator Etiquiette 101

2009-05-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ok so I've been thinking of writing this post now for about 6 months, but thought I'd give people a bit of time to prove to me that they know proper elevator etiquette. But I realize it has to be written to benefit all elevator users.

RULES FOR ELEVATOR ETIQUIETTE

1. Do not shove your body (or any part thereof) between the closing elevator doors for the following reasons:

If you are not familiar with the particular elevator, you don't know how merciless it is, and it may not stop regardless of the presence of your limb.
Look around. There are other elevators. If you wait for another, you may even get to your floor faster.

2. Do not shove the body (or any part thereof) of another person between the closing elevator doors. *ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE PUSHING THIS PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR WITH THEIR LEG IN A CAST STICKING STRAIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF THEM. They are already injured enough. Although perhaps this is how the injury happened.

3. If you are waiting for the elevator, do not stand IMMEDIATELY in front of the doors. People may be inside the elevator wanting to get out on the floor you are waiting on, and they cannot get out if you are blocking the way. Allow people to exit before you enter. *This is especially important if you are waiting on the MAIN FLOOR for an elevator. Everyone gets out here. Please give them room.

4. Try to stifle your coughing. Use proper coughing etiquette (cough and/or sneeze into the crook of your elbow) instead of letting those puppies go airborne. Other nor particularly pleasant bodily functions are best done before or after your ride.

5. Choose ONE floor where you would like to go. Do not press the button until you are sure you're getting off there.

6. Do not press the "door open" button if you see people coming in the distance. They can get the next one. Yes, you're being courteous to them by holding the door, but you are being un-courteous to the rest of the people in the elevator who have places to go. Besides, by the time that person gets inside, there will be another one in the distance you'll have to wait for. This cycle repeats until the elevator is full.

7. Don't joke about there being "too much weight" in the elevator to a pregnant lady (the class "Manners 101" is coming soon).

8. If there is a lineup for the elevators, for heavens sake do not waltz to the front of the line. Wait like everyone else.

9. If you're not sick, and not injured, do not take the elevator ONE floor (provided the stairwells are open to the public, which they are not in my building so you get a pass on this rule in the building where I work).

10. Get off the phone before you get it. Have you not seen the commercials? Most cell phones do not work in the elevator so do not be surprised if you hear a chorus of "no duhh" when you exclaim with disgust that your cell phone dropped the call.

Stay tuned for Class 201.

Thanks, Canucks

2009-05-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

We were contacted by Point-To-Point Destinations last week to attend a 2nd timeshare presentation with them. Personally, I am through with those...at least for awhile.

The last place we went to gave us a free two night stay in Yaletown (midweek). We actually would be going next week. Since it was mid-week, I'd be commuting about 10 minutes to get to work which I was super excited for. They asked for a $30 booking fee. Apprehensively, we paid it. $15 a night is awesome still. Then when our confirmation came, they said that the $30 fee was for a motel north of Vancouver, and to stay in Yaletown we need to pay another $100. AS IF!! We didn't pay and demanded our $30 back. And we got it. Phew.

But we'd been to this place before, and knew their gifts were legit. They offered us two round 3 playoff tickets for $99 if we came and listened to the same 90 minute presentation as before.

So Colin dragged me down. I wasn't even going to the game, so whoever Colin takes owes me BIG TIME.

We get there and meet our salesman. The guy who's trained to suck the money right out of us. He's actually not slimy like most. A nice guy with a brand new daughter, so at least we had something to talk about (I did change the subject when the words "breast feeding" came up).

He was surprised that we were asked to come down a second time (first time was when we were pregnant with Nathan - read about it here). He said there was something written on our file that indicated we were interested the first time, but couldn't make a decision then.

I wonder what was written? What part of "We're only here for the Canucks tickets" did they not understand?

Since I am "done" with these, I was showing no interest at all and within the first 20 minutes or so he actually said that he doesn't see us really needing one, but we have to stay for the whole presentation. Oh fine.

We watched the movie they play and we laughed through it and made whispering comments to each other. We went by the coffee cookie table about 3 times to re-stock (when you're pregnant you can get away with anything).

Then it came to the part I H-A-T-E. The financials. I already know we can't afford it. I mean DUHH, I'm going on mat leave and Colin doesn't have this necessary thing called a "job". But the way they present it, it really does look affordable. Plus, this is our 5th presentation now, and it is by far the best deal out there (just in case you want to get a timeshare, er, "vacation ownership").

I started to feel sick. Were we actually going to buy it? I had to go to the bathroom.

Usually they don't let you leave the table (a sales tactic) but pregnancy is a great excuse. While I was away from the pressure I realized that it was a BAD idea. I pictured my dad's face if I were to tell him I bought a timeshare.

I went back to the table with a clear head, and a shaking head. They made it cheaper and cheaper for us and even brought out the "closer", a Jamacian guy with the most infectious smile you have EVER seen.

But we stayed strong.

As we were signing for the Canucks tickets, the small print said that if the Canucks don't make it to the 3rd round of the playoffs, then we get the $99 refunded, and..... a $100 VISA gift card!! YEE HAW!

From that moment on, I was cheering for Chicago. Well, I was trying to. It's actually harder than you think.

Canucks lost the game on Saturday. One step closer to my $100. When the Canucks lost that game last night I stood up and cheered because now I can go shopping!

Little Boy, Big Heart

2009-04-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

Nathan has a good heart. Whenever I'm working away at something, he comes up to me and says "Wanna help!". Parents know that with the help of two little hands, the job takes twice as long! But I don't care because I'm so impressed that he wants to help.

Here are the chores he helps mommy with:

1. Make mommy's coffee. He puts the filter in the basket, dumps the grounds into the filter, and presses "GO". When it's done, he says "ALL DONE! SUGAR?" and then he puts a scoop of sugar in the cup. He gets upset when I only allow him to put in the one scoop, but I tell him I'm sweet enough. Then he watches as I swirl the milk in.

2. Help with veggies at dinner. He watches from a chair as I chop veggies, and then he's allowed to add them to the pot. He names them as he sees them: "onion, pepper, carrot, 'sparagus"...etc. Last night he even brought me some chives from the garden to add in.

3. Make Rice. He dumps in the rice & water, puts the lid on the cooker and presses "go".

4. Wash the floor. If I give him a damp cloth, he'll find the "yucky" spots on the floor and wash them with a cloth.

5. Laundry. Sometimes he takes all the washcloths from the laundry heap. Sometimes he passes me each item of clothing so I can put it away. Last night, he tucked a blanket under his chin and tried to fold it JUST like how I do it! Wow, kids watch every move you make!

6. Spider duty. He finds all the spider webs waist height and lower on the deck and destroys them with his hockey stick.

7. Making pizza. He gets the pan out of the cupboard and puts it on a chair, helps open the box, dumps the pizza out (thank goodness it's wrapped in plastic) and then helps me put it on the pan.
8. Dish duty. He passes dishes to Daddy to put away in the cupboard.

It's not only chores that show his big heart. It's other things like when he spontaniously attacks me with kisses or asks for a hug with his arms outstretched. That makes me melt! One of my fave things as a parent.

The other night we put him in his crib for bed. He stood up and came over to me and said, "Kiss?". So I OF COURSE gave him another big hug and kiss and then he lay back down, ready for bed. What a cutie!

Better stop before the waterworks start!

Hunting Time

2009-04-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yay! I survived my simultaneous cold, flu, sinus infection and eye infection and got better in time for junk week! No better timing than that.

It really is one of my favourite yearly activities! Click HERE for an explanation of my obsession.

Here's what I got so far:

- a nice crib for new baby
- excellent condition rocking horse perfect size for Nathan
- lots and lots of toys for Nathan
- bag of clothes for Nathan
- $40 worth of building supplies that Colin ALMOST bought last week
- lots of Christmas & birthday ribbon (all of mine comes from Junk week. I never buy it)
- another tobaggan (Come on Colin, we have enough now)
- The Smoothie Bible cookbook
- Japanese tea set
- other stuff Colin was interested in (ie, live bait traps, fishing rods, antique fishing gear)

The quality of junk was pretty good! A lot of the people had garage sales on the weekend, and just pushed all the leftover treasures to the end of the curb, where I go and save it from the landfill!

Over the years, we have most definately come out ahead because of junk week. For example, we got a drafting table one year that I used as a scrapbook table. But when we converted the scrapbook room to Nathan's room, we had to sell it. Made $80 or so.

I don't know why I share this info. Because really, I don't want you to go Junk Hunting. If you DO go, there's less junk for me! I think I promote it because it is so much fun once you get over the initial "I can't believe I'm looking through other people's junk" thought. And all this perfectly good stuff is going to a landfill. So why not recycle and save some bucks in the meantime!?!

Come on, go out and try! You just might find what you're looking for! Which I may add, you never know what it is you're looking for until you find it.

This Post was Automatically Generated...by ME

2009-03-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Everything these days seems automatic. I can go into a bathroom, flush the toilet, turn on the tap, dispense soap, get paper towels and leave the room all without touching anything. I swear we get lazier every day. That or more germophobic.

There are automatic doors everywhere. Being a mom with a mammoth stroller, I look for these everywhere! They are really handy, and I even get frustrated if there is no auto door at a store. But what happens when they break down?

I was at a store with someone (who will not be named) who walked onto one of those mats that triggers the door to open. It didn't open. Instead of pushing it open, she turned to me with her jaw dropped and said, "What do we do?".

The auto doors where I work are CONSTANTLY breaking down. Sometimes they open fast and then slow down so abruptly that I've actually run into them (more times that I'm going to admit). Sometimes they won't open and can't be pushed open. Sometimes they won't close. Sometimes they close before you're through. But more often than not, they are wrapped in yellow "caution tape". I'm sure they have a full time staff member to fix the stupid things because I'm not kidding you, I see him there at least 2 times a week. Might as well pay a doorman to operate it. At least then you'd get a friendly "hi" out of it.

This morning I was pleasantly surprised to see said doors opening up while I was still 10 feet away from them. They opened at a nice even speed, stayed open while I walked through them, and shut AFTER I had passed. I was in shock. I've worked here for HOW LONG and this is the first time the doors have worked properly?? I wonder how long this automatic bliss will last?

This brought me to realize that I don't think automation will ever completely take the place of humans.

Take my job as another example.

Without boring you with too many data details, there are many "automatic" transfers that happen here from network to network, database to database. And I spend approximately 1 - 1.5 hours PER DAY making sure that the computer transfers things correctly.

Guess what? It doesn't. I have to change about 40% of the data that was "automatically transferred" because it is either incorrect or incomplete. I do have better things to do...

...like go to a meeting now to discuss these problems.

Huh?

2009-03-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Somebody please remind me of what day it is. Is it not March 9... less than 2 weeks from the start of spring? What is up with the snow? I had a pretty hairy commute this morning, slipping and fishtailing on major roads.

I'm so shocked by the blizzardy (is that a word?) conditions that I searched for record snowfalls in Vancouver. I was surprised to see that this isn't too out of the ordinary.

The Vancouver Sun reports that last April 21, 2008, Vancouver airport got 2.5 cm of new snow. That make the record books for the lastest snowfall EVER in Vancouver. Does anyone remember this? I sure don't. Maybe it's because I was on maternity leave and didn't have to go out in it? Maybe it only fell on the airport? Who knows.

I hear that it's supposed to be bitter cold (in Vancouver standards) the rest of the week before hitting a much-needed 10 degrees on Friday. So I guess it's just one more week of bundling up before packing up the scarf. But who believes the weathermen anymore?

* * * * *

On another note, daylight savings is dumb. I had to get out of bed at 4:30am old time to go to work today. I was going to be good and go to bed nice and early, but children are not equipped with a "daylight savings program chip" in their brain and Nate was up really late.

Because start work so early, it's depressing in fall/winter to arrive in the pitch black. Especially since I have to walk nearly 10 minutes from my parking spot to get here. I ALMOST got run over in October. I was walking on a crosswalk, and a turning car BARLEY missed me. I felt the wind from the car on my legs. If it was light out, he would have seen me.

In the past 2-3 weeks, it's actually been light as I commute! It's amazing what that does on my mood in the morning! I actually feel blessed to be up so I can see the sunrise. But now, it's back to black.

What a gloomy way to end a post...

Photo of the Day

2009-03-06T12:01:00.000-08:00

Waaaaay back when I was on mat leave and Colin was the one working (3 jobs ago), I started an almost-daily tradition. Using the camera on our computer monitor, I would take a photo of Nathan and email it to Colin at work. We called it the POTD (photo of the day). Most often, the photos were taken before I had a chance to have a shower so these are not the greatest photos of me around!

It started with this photo, when he was about 6 months old and really round!

Sometimes, I sent them to show Colin how my day was going:

And sometimes I sent them as a plea for him to come home from work to spend time with us:

And sometimes they are just plain silly:

When the roles reversed in Dec, Colin started sending ME the photos. When I was the one sending the photos, I usually waited until I had Nathan dressed in a cute outfit. But when Colin sends them, 90% of the time he's still in his jammies. Cuz when he's with daddy he stays in his jammies a lot longer!

They honestly brighten my day, especially when I'm having a "I want to be at home with my boy" day. Like today.

Here's what I got today that made me laugh out loud:

Nathan found these boots/slippers (that are WAY too big) in his closet, in a box for future use. He took them to Colin and said, "BOOTS". So apparently, he's been wearing them around the house! Silly little monkey.

Even if it's a photo of Nathan just being his smily self, it's a daily treasure that helps keep me going when all I want to do is be at home with my boys.

Facebook is Down so Here I Am!

2009-03-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's my lunchbreak and my facebook account is offline for maintenance. How dare they? So here I am with some random thoughts & happenings of late.

* * * * *

Nathan is made of rubber. He had a bad fall last week. No details needed. No need to call social services either. He fell 8 feet straight down in one of those how-can-my-kid-move-so-fast moments. Thank God he's absolutely FINE! No "humpty dumpty" here.

* * * * *

I haven't actually mentioned on my blog that I'm expecting #2. Well...I am! Due Aug 30, that makes me 14 weeks (3.5 months) and in my 2nd trimester. GOODBYE MORNING SICKNESS! I think it was more severe, but didn't last as long. The fatigue is still hanging around, but hey. I'm working full time and have an 18 month old at home (who is a little...adventurous....as I mentioned above). So I'd be tired anyway.

Don't know if we're finding out what it is. There are good and bad points for both. Did any of my readers find out the gender? Were you glad? Or did it spoil the surprise? Any comments about that topic would be great.

* * * * *

Colin is still Mr. Mom. There are no jobs out there to apply for! Just a tad frustrating and worrying. Just a tad.

We are BIG TIME having to cope with God's timing in our lives. To be expecting a baby when Colin's not working is not what we had in mind (he was still working when I got preggers). But God has a plan for our little one and there's a reason he/she is the one for us.

* * * * *

Here comes another baby boom! I have 4 close friends who are due within 3 months of me! 3 of us it's our second kid and 2 it's their first. The 3 of us who are expecting our second kid are due within 3 weeks. CRAZY! And no, we do not call each other up and plan these things. Must be in the water.

* * * * *

JLo, very dear friends of ours, are heading out on a round the world missions trip to write a book and photograph various missions projects. They leave Sunday! I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post a link, so Lo, can you mention it in a comment if I'm allowed??

We'll miss them dearly! They'll be gone while I get all fat, and won't be back until after baby #2 arrives. But we've remained great friends through thick and thin and moving all over the province several times, so this won't even be a bump in the road for our friendship!

* * * * *

I need to go and burn my lips and nose off by eating some spicy kimchi noodles now (my latest pregnancy craving). By the time baby is born, I'll be a pillar of salt. I'll have to name it with the initials M.S.G. But man are these noodles good!

Something To Smile About

2009-02-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

We've been going through a tough time lately. Actually, it's been going on now for about 4 months now, but things keep on piling on us. Stress is really getting both of us down. But I have to say that things would be way more dismal if we didn't have our little son to cheer us up.

Here are some things lately that make us smile amidst adversity...

I had a day off last week and the 3 of us went to Belcarra. It was chilly, but that didn't hamper the fun. We stared at seaguls...

...and chased geese! Nate loved that part. He was truckin' along through the goose poo, muck and snow to run after them. True boy.

On the weekend, we went for some more adventures. Including driving by farms and pointing out the animals, going into show homes and letting Nathan explore, and going to a lake.

I am so grateful that Nate loves to have adventures, and be outside. He's the perfect match for our family and we are enjoying him more and more every day!

He's doing so many cute things. Last night, I was doing sudoku on the couch. He closed my book, pulled at my foot, and tapped the ground for me to come play. Then he tapped a pillow, indicating I should put my head on it. When I did, he said "Night night" and then burst out laughing! What a cutie.

When I play with him on the floor, he gets really excited, and tends to hit (not maliciously). I stopped his hand and told him to be gentle, then he stroked my face and said in the sweetest, kindest voice, "gentow, gentow!".

I love the kisses and hugs I get without asking for them.

He likes to colour now. I emptied a box of pencil crayons on the floor with a big white sheet of paper. He went nuts. I said "Wow, there's so many crayons!". So he picked up a fistfull in each hand and gleefully exlaimed, "MANY!!! MANY!!!".

I love the voice that calls out "Bottle?" from his crib in the morning, and calls "Mommy" or "Daddy" when he needs or wants us.

His vocabulary is really taking off (well, he is MY son afterall)! He learns at least one new word a day, and we estimate he's at about 150 words. He's even starting to put small sentences together.
This little guy stirs up emotions I didn't even know I had. The past 18 months have been the most challenging of my life, but every day he gives me something more to smile about. Thanks, God, for my son!

Dandle Obsession

2009-01-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's funny to watch your kid develop his own favourite things. Nathan's current favourite thing is a candle.

December is a popular birthday month in our family and he's getting to realize what candles are for. You light them for a minute, then blow them out.

"Why, oh why, does mommy light them and I can't blow them out?", he thinks.

I have a lot of different types of candles in my house (thanks to PartyLite and Junk Week). Tealights, votives, tapered, fancy Christmas candles galore. I thought that the only ones Nate would think were candles, are the ones that look like birthday candles. But nope. He even knows it's a candle, even if it's concealed by a lampshade. Smart boy.

He's always running up to us, putting his arms up in the air for us to pick him up (one of the cutest things ever). Then when we've picked him up, he yells, "DANDLE! BLOW".

So we have to take him over to the "dandle" he's pointing at. We hold it in front of him. He smells it, pretends to blow it out, and laughs. Then he points to the next nearest dandle.

This cycle repeats until all the dandles in the room have been "blown" out.

I put him down. He immediately puts his hands up, saying "DANDLE!! DANDLE!!!".

This playtime inevitably ends in a whine, cry or even tantrum, because we have never been able to play this game as long as he wants to.

He even points out dandles in other people's houses. And you know those big outdoor plastic red and yellow dandles that people add to their Christmas display? He finds them all.

His love for candles makes me think that he's either going to turn out to be a really sweet husband who knows the value in little luxuries, or he'll be a pyro. We'll have to wait and see.

Mute

2009-01-14T12:24:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I don't have anything to say. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc. I went through the ENTIRE crazy Vancouver storm-of-a-lifetime without complaining about it ONCE on here! I deserve an award.

Life is a little unpredictable at the moment and I'm stressed. Colin and I have done almost a complete role-reversal and we both want to be in each others shoes. Just an odd time right now.

Anyway, make sure to read The Roth Plate today. It has a handy tip to save you lots of money on your grocery bills!

Your Christmas Present to Me

2008-12-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

This post is about 4 years overdue. But in the Christmas spirit of giving, it's better late than never.

I have a "gift" suggestion for you! It's something you can give to a complete stranger, it means MORE than any other gift, and it's FREE!

I work for the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of BC. Since I am in the data department, I read every paper that goes in the patient's charts. I read about (and do statistics about) their life expectancy. I enter their relapse dates, I read the family councilling papers of people who are not coping well with their disease.

I also read about their treatments. We do bone marrow transplants for all types of Leukemia, bone cancers and other cancers.

Sometimes, a patient's own cells can get extracted, treated and reinfused. Other times, that's not possible, so they need a donor.

In the past, the stem cells needed for the transplant were extracted from the hip bones of donors. But now, with the research that's been done lately, most of the donors only have to donate their blood.

The best case scenario is if the donor has the exact same genetic type as a brother or sister. It's a 25% chance (I believe). If the siblings are not genetically matched, we need to search for an "unrelated donor" who has the exact genetics as the patient. The genetics of the unrelated donors are in a database, which we can search. If we find someone who has the exact same genetics, they are given the option to donate their stem cells to our patient, possibly saving his life!

If an unrelated donor is not found, then the patient will not get the best treatment for their disease. I've seen this time and time again, and I can't recall a single patient who beat his disease without the transplant he needed. If the "unrelated donor registry" had more people in it, maybe a donor could have been found. Maybe you have the same genetics as him.

Recently, I witnessed for the first time, an unrelated donor donating some of her blood/stem cells so a stranger could live, and she was smiling. It moved me to tears. What an AWESOME gift, to be able to give someone LIFE!

Not a Starbucks gift certificate...not a fancy cell phone...not a candle that when you burn it, it's gone....

LIFE!!!!!

How can there be anything better than that?

In case you've realized how important this is, please visit our program website. It gives information on how you can be put on the donor registry (some exclusions apply).

Please consider this Christmas how you could give someone the best gift they'll ever recieve. Let me know if you decide to do it! It will be the only Christmas present I'll ever need from you.

Blood. It's in you to give.

Ode To My Husband

2008-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

So, Colin is having a fist fight with the economy. He's been laid off AGAIN. Second time this year. So here is an ode to my darling husband, courtesy of "Lonestar":

"Lost my job, came home mad
Got a hug and kiss and that's too bad
She said I can go to work until you find another job

I thought I like the sound of that
Watch TV and take long naps
Go from a hard working dad to being Mr. Mom

Well Pampers melt in a Maytag dryer
Crayons go up one drawer higher
Rewind Barney for the fifteenth time
Breakfast, six naps at nine
There's bubble gum in the baby's hair
Sweet potatoes in my lazy chair
Been crazy all day long and it's only Monday
Mr. Mom

Football, soccer and ballet
Squeeze in Scouts and PTA
And there's that shopping list she left
That's seven pages long
How much smoke can one stove make
The kids won't eat my charcoal cake
It's more than any maid can take
Being Mr. Mom

Before I fall in bed tonight
If the dog didn't eat the classifieds
I'm gonna look just one more time

'CausePampers melt in a Maytag dryer
Crayons go up one drawer higher
Rewind Barney for the eighteenth time
Breakfast, six naps at nine
There's bubble gum in the baby's hair
Sweet potatoes in my lazy chair
Been crazy all day long
Oh been crazy all day long and it's only Monday
Mr.Mom

Balancin' checkbooks, juggling bills
Thought there was nothing to it
Baby, now I know how you feel
What I don't know is how you do it"

Colin, you're a great "Mr. Mom"! I hope you enjoy playing with your little buddy.

Like Father, Like Son

2008-11-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to sit and read my baby a story before bed, but up until a few months ago, he wouldn't read with me. He didn't like reading AT ALL (kinda like me). I'm glad he finally warmed up to books because that's how they learn the most. They see pictures of animals and you tell them what it is and what it says. Their little sponge-brains soak up the info and remember it.

His favourite book right now is a "my first animals" book by DK (AWESOME books). He has already shown preference to certain animals on each page and completely ignores others (like the tarantula...atta boy!).

His favourite page is the "swimming animals" page. EVERY time we open it to that page, he points to the trout. Not the penguin, seahorse or dolphin..... but the trout.

Last night when we were reading it to him, he leaned down and kissed the trout. Several times.

My son is going to be a fisherman...just like daddy.

PukePurse

2008-11-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have a new blog set up now for my new "business"! I currently don't know how far I am going to go with the business. I think it depends a lot on the interest in my products in my 2 upcoming craft fairs. Just in case there is interest, I made a blog to show my products! Go check it out (in the link bar)!

Why on EARTH would I call it PukePurse? When you read my other blog, you'll see that a PukePurse is one of my products. And who will EVER forget the name PukePurse?!?

The prices aren't there yet because I am still finalizing them...I better decide quick since the craft fair is tomorrow! It's hard to price things because if I got paid for my TIME as well as the materials, I'd be selling the quilts for, oh, over $100. But I can't do that, so you all get a deal!

Craft Fairs

2008-11-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

Angela just pointed out that a craft fair we're doing this weekend has NO signage up! So this post is to let people know about it in case they're searching online for craft fairs to go to.

It's at RIVERSIDE SECONDARY SCHOOL in PORT COQUITLAM this SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22 at 10 - 4.

Come visit me!

Addendum: There are signs up now. YAY!

This Date Has 22 Minutes

2008-11-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

Last night was crazy. I got home from working in Vancouver, then Colin and I headed BACK to Vancouver to pick up our new (to us) truck. We didn't have time to make dinner (oh darn) so we decided to go out on W4th ave. Do something different. Colin picked "Hells Kitchen" out of the Entertainment book.

We had to pick up the truck at 7:30, and we got down there at about 6:35 ish. We were pushing it for time but were really hungry so we looked for parking. And looked for parking. And then looked for some parking.

And I thought it was bad during the DAY?!?

We finally pulled into a spot after a beautiful illegal u-turn. It was 7:00! AH! We only had 30 minutes before we had to pick up the truck! Now we're REALLY pushing it! But we left the car and walked the 2 blocks to the restaurant.

When we walked in, the host said, "We're full...so I'll open up THIS side of the restaurant for you!". He pulled back these red velvet floor to ceiling curtains to reveal a small room of unoccupied tables. We sat down. Then he opened a garage door that was behind me to make it one big room. It was really neat!

The atmosphere was pretty dark in there (I guess, like hell?) and there was "firey" type illuminate artwork on the wall (I guess, like hell?). The food however, was NOT from the kitchen of hell. It's the kind of food the devil will serve you when he's saying, "come to hell, this is what it will be like!" and then when you get there, what he actually feeds you is gruel.

The waitress brought us water right away, as if she knows that we are too cheap to buy beverages. We ordered 2 minutes later.

We each had time to ahem... use the facilities... and a few minutes later, our food was in front of us! QUICK service!

And man was it ever GOOOOOOOOOOD! I had dungeoness crab stuffed ravioli with a creamy mushroom sauce (the ingredients are even on my diet's "safe" list) and Colin had a penne with tiger prawns and chorzo sausage. It was seriously amazing. I drool even now.

We ate pretty fast because we were so famished, and the bill came soon.

We got up and left 26 minutes after we got there! Hows that for a quick date??

On our brisk walk back to the car, we noticed parking meters. Oops. We didn't even really notice a parking meter because we were in such a rush! But luckily, our date was so quick that we didn't get a ticket.

We even picked up the truck on time.

Curve Balls

2008-11-13T12:06:00.001-08:00

I haven't blogged in awhile. Life threw us a couple of "curve balls" that I just didn't know how to write about. But for some reason, not writing about them is causing writers block so here goes.

Colin was in a car accident 2 weeks ago. Not going to say much about it because of ICBC, so sorry for the lack of details. I hope I don't look "uncaring" because of my lack of time spent on the subject, but I think you understand. I will say the truck was written off, but Colin was not bleeding.

The same day, after picking him up from the hospital, I had a follow up doctor's appointment after some minor surgery I had in Sept. The doc says I'm an "extreme" case, and need surgery again in December, and maybe once more after that.

All in all, a pretty bad day.

It was, however, the "push" I needed to really realize how I am wasting my life away at being "busy" and that I need to make changes.

And I have. I don't stress about about the little things quite so much (it's a process) and give more undivided attention to my little family. Even though this means I spend less time sewing (for example), I still find I get the same amount done. I guess it helps to approach it in more of a relaxed state of mind. I am finding this with just about every area of my life.

One not-so-good outcome of that day is that I need to change my diet. Please don't say "Oh that's good, maybe you can lose a few pounds" like I have heard from several people. No one EVER wants to hear that, people.

Anyways. No more caffiene. Chocolate, tea and........ COFFEE. Yes. I am no longer a coffee drinker. Not even decaf. Day 1 of this "diet" I spent holding onto my head at my desk, after taking 3 extra strength tylenol. I ended up making a cup of green tea. That didn't help, so in a frenzy I added an orange pekoe bag to the green tea, squeezing the juice out as fast as I could and downing it.

I felt like an addict. Got me to realizing that coffee is a real addiction. An ethical addiction (I think there's a cafe named this), but an addiction.

Other than coffee, other no-no foods are acidy things like tomatoes, all fruit exept pears, all fatty things except oils, no spicy things... it's not that easy to follow. It's not like I'll die if I don't follow it, I just may be in some pain for a bit later in the day! But some things are worth it....like the cup of Timmy's coffee I don't think I can avoid today....

Going Going Gone

2008-10-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

*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

2008-10-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

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.

The Amuzing Race 4...the Final Chapter?

2008-09-29T12:19:00.001-07:00

The Amuzing Race 4 was on the weekend! We had 14 teams (56 racers) and 18 volunteers!

Here's a recap of what they did:

- Memorized a Bible verse before they left the church
- Went to Pitt Meadows Corn Maze and had to find someone in it
- Went to a park on the Fraser and made origami ducks or filled a bowl with river water using bath squirters
- Found tree #1287 in Riverview Hospital's tree collection (it's on a 244 acre lot)
- Tried to figure out an equation using post office boxes in PoCo (wow, this event was a flop, I must have written the clue wrong)
- Counted picket fence posts on a PoCo heritage home
- Picked blueberries
- Ate haggis
- Searched for a clue frozen in a iceblock at a campsite
- Double-dutch skipping
- Did an obstacle course at the Coquitlam firehall training grounds (AWESOME event!)
- Found a "spirit bear" along Brunette

Wow, what a day. Other than one event, it went really smoothly and from what I observed and heard, people had a lot of fun!

Goal achieved!

I went through $23.50 on my cell phone, coordinating the event from Eagle Mountain Park (past Westwood Plateau). That was where they ate haggis! I have never seen an "eating event" before so it was AWESOME to see! Some people were dry heaving, and some were saying "Wow, haggis isn't as bad as I thought!".

After all the teams left, my mom and I left, and her car started smoking and smelling REALLY bad. We managed to make it to the firehall event where I took lots of photos and then hopped into a team's car and followed them around for the rest of the race.

That was my favourite part of the day because I got to see how it feels to race, even if it was only for 2 events.

Well, that's it for me folks. I've organized it 4 times, and I can't do it again. Life demands too much of me now for me to reserve all that time and brainpower for a race! It was fun to do each time, and I'm glad I did it, but I am realizing my limitations (my mom will be glad to hear that, she's been wanting me to say that for, oh, 29 years?).

I really hope someone takes it on. It's SO worth it for the church! I have rougly 175 files on my computer just ready to hand off to the next organizer, so let me know if that's you!

The Roth Plate

2008-09-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hi! I have a new blog. Need quick dinner ideas? Check it out.

Smarty Pants

2008-09-24T07:50:00.001-07:00

My son is the smartest kid ever (yes, I know you think your kid is the smartest kid ever too).

I've mentioned he knows a handful of words now. I would have picked different words as first words, but his are: bye-bye, dada, gapa (Grandpa), mum, baby, fish and diaper. He can also imitate a lot of words; "turtle" being one of them.

Last night while we were playing, he stopped playing and was making, um, "UGGG" sounds. He was going to the bathroom (hey, at least he wasn't doing it during dinner).

When he was finished, he looked up at me and said, "DAAPER"! He actually let me know his diaper needed changing!!

WOW what a smart boy! This morning after he finished his morning bottle, he did the same!

Maybe he'll be easy to potty train.

Return of the Blob

2008-09-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

We had a repeat customer at our house the other night. At 3:15 I heard the garbage bins being tampered with. Ran to the front window and I see our juvenile bear...SITTING ON OUR FRONT STEPS and munching through a garbage bag. I gave the camera to Colin this time since I screwed up the photo last time the bear came around. And he got this photo:

(In case you're wondering, the fuzzyish sort of circular blob in the middle of the photo is this bear).

Colin banged on the window and it got scared and just sauntered off down the street. It walked on the sidewalk like a good bear should.

The next day as I was cleaning the mess it made, I noticed a mark on the front door. It left sorta scratch marks RIGHT BY THE DOORKNOB! They're not deep, but it looks like it tried to get into the house!

Jeesh! Hibernate already!

The Teleconference

2008-09-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

As part of my job, I have to take 10 hours of "continuing education" classes per year. I'm a little behind. I've had, oh, 3 hours in the past 2 years (mostly thanks to my mat leave). I have some catching up to do.

I used to hate the rule because I don't get paid for that time (and sometimes will actaully have to PAY for it), but I'm actually learning to like it. I do like to learn and find health issues fascinating, whether they relate to my job or not.

The other day, there was a province-wide teleconference I attended. I was very interested in the topic, and found it informative. But amist the knowledge lightening bolts being thrown at me, I found myself distracted.

If any readers have ever attended a teleconference, you'll understand.

At the front of the room, there were 3 big screens. BIG screens. About 180" each, I'd guess. 2 showed the powerpoint presentation, and then there was the other one.

It was divided into 4 sections. Each section was filming a room in other hospitals in BC. WHY are the other audiences are FILMED as they listen to the lecture?? It's pointless and distracting. If someone knows why, please let me know. Whatever the reason, they do it. And I find myself people watching:

Section 1: Some guy sat alone in a big room full of chairs. One guy (possibly a doctor or maybe someone trying to earn "continuing education" credits) in the entire hospital showed up. He sat there motionless for most of the presentation. I kept wondering if he was awake. I wanted to poke him.

Section 2: One guy sits alone. Then a lady enters and sits with him and they chat for a few minutes while the speaker is talking. When the lady finally looks up, she notices she's in front of the camera and she quickly runs away. Enter another guy. The two men chat and chat and chat and chat. At the end of the lecture one guy gives the speaker a "thumbs up" as if he actually listened to it.

Section 3: A lot of people in lab coats who didn't do anything notable. They knew they were on camera and couldn't escape it. Possibly a rent-a-crowd?

Section 4: My personal favourite. There was NO ONE in the room full of chairs. NO ONE at all. Why didn't they turn off the camera? We (well maybe just me) stared at that empty room wondering... THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN....a lady comes in the room. She looks under some tables and spies her prey. AN EXTENSION CORD. She walks right infront of the camera, and bends down infront of the camera (yes, a butt shot), steals the cord and scurries out of the room. It took everything in me not to laugh.

Good times, good times. I wonder what I'll learn next time.

Whazzup?

2008-09-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's only been 2 weeks since I posted but it feels like a few months, so I feel the need to update.

I don't know how it happens, but Nate got even cuter! My big one year old is learning things daily. His new tricks:

he "moos"
he "baaaas"
can point to certain objects when asked (eg balloons)
he can roll a ball
he can say "dada", "bee", "bye bye", "mom mom", and lots of other ones that I'm sure he's not trying to say like, "whaddyamean" and "whuzat". He'll break into these 2 minute long stories that seem like they make perfect sence to him. It's adorable!
he stands by himself (and claps for himself at the same time)
he plays "blindfolded kamikaze" (puts his blanket over his head and crawls at full speed without looking where he's going...sometimes injuries result)

As cute as he is, he's also developing a "terrible two" attitude. If I do something he doesn't like, he sits down and pounds his hands in the floor. And he's a biter. I hope it's just because he's teething. When I'm sewing, he sneaks under the table and bites my toe. Gross! Ohhhhhh boy am I ever in for a fun stage....

He's super fun though and does things that leave Colin and I in tears we laugh so hard. Those are the best moments!

For me? I'm stressed. I am getting better adjusted to work now. The emotional roller coaster is taming down, and I'm able to concentrate as I could before. But now the actual "job stress" is coming back. I need to learn how to remain calm and not be such a drama queen.

"Race stress" is on now too (although it's more "fun" type of stress). The Amuzing Race 4 is in 3 weeks (eep!)! My planning team is awesome and we think we've got a good one this year. Let me know if you want to sign up or help that day!

I'm copying some friends and starting my own sewing endeavour. I'm making security blankie type quilts (pictures up soon), recieving blankets, and a baby accessory Colin invented (the invention cannot be named yet...). I am joining forces with Amanda and we're hitting the craft fairs! I don't like when something you enjoy so much turns into a chore so I don't think I'll make a business out of it. I'm just trying to support my quilting habit. I like to make them, but don't need 35 baby quilts at my house. Between the race and sewing, there is no spare time anymore. I hope to get back to my scrapbook soon...

Beary Scary

2008-08-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

At 6:30 on Monday morning, Colin woke up because he thought he heard something in the backyard. Sounded like someone/something dragging our plastic stool across the concrete. He ran to the window and exclaimed, "Nance! There's a bear in our yard!"!

I thought he was kidding, so I didn't get out of bed right away. But I realized he was serious as he ran down the hall.
We tried to scare it from the kitchen door, but it just kinda stared at us, and sauntered around the yard for a few minutes. Eventually, it climbed up a tree to go into the neighbour's yard, after it realized the 6 foot tall fence was not strong enough to hold him.

Look at this great photo of him!
What? You don't see a bear?

CRAZY! We don't even have any forests nearby! And there aren't any new developments going up either. So I have no idea where it came from or where it went. But now I get to be an even more paranoid mother than before.

The Hatch

2008-08-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

During our first summer living here, we were outside on the deck when all of a sudden, we were covered in flying ants. We looked up and saw a big black cloud of ants POURING from one of our trees! There were thousands! TENS of thousands, even. It was disgusting. We had to run inside and shut all the doors and windows.

It was obviously an insect hatch. I don't know how it happens but they all must mature at the same time, and all "fly the coop" together.
I thought it was a freak event, but it happened the next summer too. Needless to say, we were expecting it again this year, but we never can remember exactly when it happens (until now, because I'm blogging about it).

Well...

I got home from work yesterday after picking Nathan up from my Mom's. Both of us were soooo hot due to the heat wave we're having. I had planned for us to go out in the backyard and swim in the "cold tub" to escape the heat.
I opened the back door and thought, "that's odd. Why is the porch so dirty?".

Then I noticed that the dirt was moving.

"That's not dirt! Ohhh...it's hatch time".
So instead of cooling off in the refreshing water, we had to hole ourselves up in the 30 degree house with all the windows and doors shut until close to bedtime.

It only lasts for one day, and we don't even notice them at all after it happens, so I don't know where they all go. But we are left with the carnage of a thousand or so weak ones that don't survive on our porch. The spiders who make their webs on our porch love it though. There were two webs there yesterday. One had 7 ants all bundled up in silk and the other had 9! They get so fat from their yearly buffet.

So I guess I know when to expect it next year.

The Five Ring Circus

2008-08-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

So far, the true north strong and free isn't showing their strength. Day 5 of the Olympics, and not a single Canadian foot has been on a podium. I understand how the States and China are winning so many medals. They've got such a huge mass of people to choose from to send to the Olympics (compared to Canada). And it sort of helps that China recruits its athletes when they are pre-tween and train them to be olympic robots. The half-million incentive doesn't hurt either.

I don't think Canada should do this, however. I don't want to pay more tax so the olympians could get a huge payout.

But I still wonder why countries I've never heard of like Azerbaijan, Georgia (I thought it was a US state until its recent conflict with Russia) and Togo (which I though was the "house brand" of The Bay) are getting on the podium and we are not.

I also wonder the rationalle behind deciding the events that are in the Olympics.

Shooting is a sport? I thought people went to jail for that.
Equestrian? The horses are doing most of the work.
Boxing? I thought the Olympics promote peace.

And where do you draw the line?

There's baseball, basketball, and football but not cricket.
There's tennis, table tennis and badminton but not squash and raquetball.
There's wrestling, judo and taekwondo but not karate.

What about more watersports? It IS the SUMMER Olympics afterall.
Surfing, wakeboarding, waterskiing?

My last beef is the coverage. You have to be a raccoon or a bat to watch it because all of the good stuff is on at 3am. All I get to see is basktball (yay, I can see that anytime[as if I'd want to]), and beach volleyball (which I only think is in there to boost amount of people watching it by making the girls wear tiny outfits).

Well, go Canada go! Let's not get skunked!

Happy 1st Birthday Nathan!

2008-08-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. One year ago at this very moment, I was screaming for an epidural. Today I am celebrating my little boy's first completed year on the earth!

It has been the best (although hardest) year of my life.

Nathan has gone from a 7 lb 4 oz cute lump that can't do anything for himself, to a 20 lb toddler who walks along furniture, feeds himself anything on the table (or the floor), plays rather independantly, speaks a few English words (bye bye, Dada), and many in his own language.
We've seen his perferences develop. As a newborn we knew he liked milk. Now we know he loves adventure, being outdoors, swimming, going fast, music, Daddy's singing voice, balloons, yogurt...the list goes on and on.

We've seen his adversions develop too. Peas, going to bed (although he still is a trooper in this department), coming in from outside, diaper changes, the church nursery and getting his nails clipped are all things he could do without.

The personality traits were the most rewarding to watch form. Yes, he gets so mad when you take something away from him, and he is known to pinch when you're doing something he does NOT want to do (we're working on that), but the goods FAR outweighed the bads.

He's so happy most of the time. There is no way to describe the feeling you get when your little child smiles at you. He sings and dances for anyone who will listen or watch. He gives hugs by putting his forehead on yours. He gets excited when he sees a familiar face. He laughs, giggles and squeals when we play certain games with him. He claps his hands when he's proud of himself.

I am so proud of my adorable little boy and all he's learned in his first year of life. He has made us so happy! I've heard that on a child's birthday, it's the MOM who should be recieving the gifts because of all she went through on the day the baby was born. I did recieve a gift! It was from God. He let me be the mother of this precious child.

Happy first Birthday Nathan! I love you more than I can express! May God bless you today and every day for the rest of your life!

Love, Mommy

Back to Reality?

2008-08-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

Some of my readers have been waiting for this post, because they know that something drastic has changed in my life.

My maternity leave is over and I'm back at work.

I haven't posted yet because I have SO MUCH I want to say, yet I don't think a blog is where I should be saying it. I'm very overt with my thoughts and don't want that to get me into trouble.

Monday was a terrific day. Colin and I spent the day on the water in his boat I haven't yet been in. The weather was perfect, and the surroundings were completely relaxing.

On Tuesday I had a detailed self-examination. It was my last day of mat leave and I couldn't help but look at the past year and grade myself on how I spent it. It was emotional. I was upset about some things I wish I would have done, and upset about the great things that I'll miss. I'll focus here on the great things I'll miss and ignore the regrets:

brunches with friends
playdates with Nathan and his teeny friends
spending so much time with our family of 3 in the past 2 months
walking/window shopping with my Mom
watching my son grow
sushi dates with Mom, and whoever else could come
spending time with both my parents
spending time with my 3 year old nephew
seeing my sister more
getting more sleep (Nathan, you ROCK!)
after nap cuddles (oh MAN am I gonna miss THOSE!)
going on vacation whenever I wanted to
trips to the States (went 8 times?)

The list goes on and on. I'd be here forever.

Sigh.

Last Wednesday was my 1st day back to the high-paced land of lattes and coach bags.

The West Coast Express hit a deer and it broke the train as we ran over it (I actually thought we were derailing). A woman pointed to me and said, "this is your fault. Isn't it your first day back from your maternity leave?". Wow. Do I live under a microscope? I was 45 minutes late for work.

I'm not gonna lie, it was a tough day to get through. Not really because I "missed" Nathan, because I've left him with people countless times in order to help me with this transition back to work. It was more because I feel like I'm going to miss out on the important parts of his life. I'll likely miss his first steps, I won't be there to wipe his tears away after a tumble, and most disturbingly, I won't be the primary caregiver anymore.

I know he's in good, no... excellent hands though. Look up "Mr. Mom" in the dictionary and Colin's face will appear! We've had some time off together as a family and he's become just as familiar with Nathan's "schedule" as I am.

And when he goes back to work, my mom will care for him full time. She's raised more children than Mother Teresa, so I don't have to worry about him AT ALL! He'll probably get better care from her than me, because she's been raising young kids consistantly for 33 years. He'll get to play with his 3 year old cousin all day too.

It's good to be back in some ways though. Maybe I'll elaborate at another time. But for now, my break is over.

Thanks for listening.

Micky Dee's

2008-07-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

I've never been one to promote McDonalds. It's not that I'm against fast food (I looooove Wendy's, but of course don't eat it often), it's just that I don't think their food is that great. Wendy's burgers are usually loaded with toppings, but McDonalds burgers look like they've been run over with a steamroller. They look nothing like the ads. Fries are too skinny and salty.

But since Nathan was born, my opinion has changed. And its not because the food magically got better.

When I was still nursing, I found McDonalds was the perfect place to stop on a road trip. I tried once (with a friend who was nursing as well) to feed Nathan in a Starbucks, but the folks enjoying a $8 coffee weren't too pleased with the interruption of their jazz music, so we picked up and left for the McDonalds across the street.

It's the perfect place! Lots of them have a "playplace", a separate room where kids are free to scream and run around like chickens with their heads cut off. So it's not out of place to nurse there. Everyone crazy enough to be in that room has been there before, so they don't bat an eyelash when they see a nursing woman. Sounds kinda wacky, but it makes a relaxing environment.

McDonalds is usually a messy and loud place anyway, so no one really cares if your kid is making a huge mess or making tons of noise. You don't have to feel stressed out to keep them on their best behaviour.

Also, if baby has a poonami, there's a huge family restroom where Daddy and Mommy can fix the problem together, with help from a.... CHANGE TABLE! Gasp! I've changed a poonami on the floor of a dirty restroom before. Not healthy, not pretty, not fun.

And since Nathan is old enough to eat real food now, he can do that at the Golden Arches (wait...real food at a fast food restaurant??). He can eat the grilled chicken and cheese out of my fajita, have some apple slices, or some chicken nuggets (which Mommy has eaten the crispy skin off of...love that Mom diet...fried skin and bread crusts).

And hey. If he's really fussy, a fry can go a loooooong way.

Every McDonalds I've been too has bench seats where baby can lie down to eat a bottle. A&W... not so much.

He's going to start cows milk soon and they sell that too.

Plus, in the past several years, they've go on the "health kick" and have started serving food for adults that won't lead to a heart attack. Well, at least if you eat in moderation!

It's so hard while on the road to know where to stop that can accommodate a baby, so I am ALWAYS thankful to see that familiar sign in the distance. Way to go McDonalds, for being the one true family orientated restaurant I know.

Pass the TSP Please

2008-07-14T13:39:00.001-07:00

Riddle me this:

What is the first snack food you feed you baby?

What food do you put into a tupperware container and have in your diaper bag at all times in case your baby gets fussy at the store?

What food to babies learn fine motor skills with?

If you answered Cheerios, you're right.

They dissolve in the mouth great, and are small enough so baby doesn't choke. It's cute to watch them learn how to use their fingers by picking them up, "o" by "o" and finding the correct place to put them.

They're great! But I found out something terribly disturbing in the past few days.

They have TSP (tri sodium phosphate) in them. You know, the cleaning agent you put on your walls to prepare them for painting?? It's the 6th ingredient. Right after salt.

I looked up other uses of TSP. It's a stain remover, degreaser, but can also be used as a laxative. Well, no duhh. What else do you think will happen to your digestive system if you ingest the chemical under my sink that says "do not get on skin or clothing. Keep out of children's reach".

Needless to say, we have been re-thinking the decision to give them to Nathan. I don't think we're being unreasonable or over paranoid about it. Yes, billions of kids have eaten the stuff (like, every baby I know) and are totally fine. Yes, there is probably only a teeny weeny amount in it, (and a Cheerios rep says that gastric juices break up the ions so no actual TSP remains). And no, Cheerios didn't get to be one of the best cereal sellers of all time by poisoning its consumers, but still. Why not try an alternative?

So at the grocery store today, we checked all the brands of "O" cereal, and they all contain TSP. We even looked at Heinz's "Nutrios", an "o" cereal especially for babies, and even that has TSP. The only one we found without it was an organic kind called "On the go O's". So we'll give that a try.

I doubt this phase will last long. It's just gross right now. It's like finding a cockroach at your favourite restaurant. You get grossed out and avoid it for awhile, but then you realize how good it was and go back when your appetite for the place has returned.

But until then, our box of TSP-ios will be going stale in our cupboard.

Happy Belated Canada Day

2008-07-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

Happy 141st birthday Canada!

Anyone who's been to the USA will know they are a patriotic nation (hold on...why am I talking about the States in a Canada Day blog...just hang in there). I just got back from our southern neighbours last week. I'm always astounded by the amount of stars and stripes I see. Not only on businesses, but on every second house I pass (I'm sure there were more than usual, due to the 4th being around the corner). And they're not the dish-rag-flags we have here either, all tattered and torn. I'm disgusted as the state of some Canadian flags I see around here. Like the massive one in Surrey. It spent YEARS looking more like a maypole than a flag. I kept meaning to write a letter but never did.

Anyway, as I was riding around town yesterday, I noticed the lack of flags. Well, there were flags around, but nothing compared to the States.

But I'm guilty too. Where's my flag? I don't even know where to buy one. Would I put it up? Would it look tacky? It made me wonder if we are just not as patriotic as the Americans.

Are we any less proud to be Canadian because we don't have a flag? I say no. Everyone who visits here knows they're in Canada so we don't really need flags to remind them. We show them it's Canada by doing other things... like giving universal healthcare and not being so populated. Plus, there are no outlet malls so they'll know it's Canada.

Last night there was the annual fireworks display. We wanted to go, but didn't want to get Nathan out of bed. When we heard the first boom, we looked out all the windows to see if we could see them. No luck.

So we went on the roof of our house and could see them! It was such a great moment. Just the two of us, standing on our roof in the warm airwatching a celebration for our country.

I'm proud to be Canadian.

I'll leave you with a song about Canada. It's by the Arrogant Worms.

CANADA'S REALLY BIG

When i look around me, i can't believe what i see

it seems as if this country has lost its will to live

the economy is lousy, we barely have an army

but we can still stand proudly because canada's really big

we're the second largest country on this planet earth

and if Russia keeps on shrinking, then soon we'll be first!

(as long as we keep quebec)

The USA has tanks, and switzerland has banks

they can keep them thanks, they just don't amount

cause when you get down to it, you find out what the truth is,

it isn't what you do with it, it's the size that counts

most people will tell you that france is pretty large

but you can put fourteen frances into this land of ours!

(it'd take a lot of work, it'd take a whole lot of work

we're larger than malaysia, almost as big as asia

we're bigger than australia and it's a continent

so big we seldom bother to go see one another

but we often go to other countries for vacations

our mountains are very pointy, our prairies are not

the rest is kinda bumpy, but man do we have a lot!

(we've got a lot of land, we've got a whole lot of land)

so stand up and be proud and sing it very loud

we stand out from the crowd, cause Canada's really big

In Review

2008-07-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd do you a service and rate & review the last 5 movies I've watched, on a scale from 0 - 5 stars. No worries, there are no spoilers. Hopefully you enjoy my recommendations. And even more importantly, I hope I've spared you some hours of boredom.

Be Kind Rewind *

Wow. What a waste of time. I want those 1.5 hours of my life back. And the 5 minutes I'm spending writing about it. The only reason I didn't stop watching it was because I was too hot to get off the couch. I am usually a Jack Black fan, but this was just plain stupid. It gets one * because I think I remember laughing once. Maybe twice.

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets * * *

If I had a dime for every time I said, "AS IF" during this movie...

Not as good as NT1, but then again, what sequel is? It was too unbelievable, totally predicable, yet still entertaining (it would have got 2.5 starts but I can't figure out how to do a half star using this font).

Fools Gold - not rated

I think I watched 30 minutes and then left to go do other entertaining things like brushing my teeth or cleaning the toilet. Same old, same old. Didn't rate it as I didn't finish it.

The Lion King * * * * *

I babysat my nephew last week and we watched this movie 3 times back to back before noon. I can't get sick of it! The opening scene still gives me goose-bumps. I first saw it in the theatre in 1994 when my sister sent me there for my 14th birthday. I think I've seen it 2 billion times since. It was awesome to watch it with my nephew because we both were reciting the words and singing the songs. Colin doesn't let me do that. I don't know WHY!

P.S. I Love You * * * *

Ladies, ladies, ladies. This is one of those chick flicks that you MUST watch at least once (like The Notebook). Rather depressing concept, and one questionable scene (doesn't every movie have one now?), but a great movie I definitely recommend. Watch when you're depressed for even more waterworks. Watch WITHOUT the husband if you hate those clueless "guy" remarks they have to make during the sappiest parts. Would have been 5 *'s if that one scene wasn't in it.

There you go. Enjoy.

Our Circle Tour

2008-06-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Our little family of 3 headed off on a "long weekend" vacation in the middle of the week this past week. I really wanted to do some shopping so we headed to our neighbours to the south.

The first stop was Bellis Fair mall. I made a bee-line to my favourite store Bath & Body Works. I LOVE THAT STUFF. Guess what ladies? Within one year, there will be 10 locations in Canada! I'm sure one will be in Metrowtown or Coquitlam Centre. We'll have to wait and see.

I rummaged through the 75% off sale bins and filled a shopping bag. Wow, the deals were AMAZING! Once on the road again, I kept my "scents" up with me in the front seat. I opened all the lids and took big whiffs and was trying to get Colin to play my "guess what scent" game. But he's a guy. He doesn't go for that sort of thing.

Next stop was Costco in Burlington. Due to a very bad GI bug (poor Nathan), we were out of baby wipes, so we had to buy some. When we got there, we put my bag 'o soaps in the trunk. Then I realized I had my wallet in that bag so I got it out. Went shopping.

Went next to Burlington outlet mall where I of course checked out Carters. Colin opened the trunk to put our purchases in it....and my soaps were GONE!!! The whole bag, and only that bag in our jigsaw puzzle filled trunk was...GONE.

Oh boy was I mad. There's NO WAY it could have fallen out without us noticing. The only explanation we can think of is that someone broke into the trunk and stole it. Maybe when we went back to get my wallet out of the soap bag (thank goodness I did!), the trunk didn't shut all the way and the thief noticed? Who knows. But my soaps are gone.

We shopped more at the Seattle outlets and then made our way East. Settled on a campsite in Rosyln. We got there at Nathan's bed time. the campsite was almost deserted. No tenters in site, just a few RV's at the other end of the campground. We couldn't see or hear anyone else.

As soon as we got there, we put the playpen up and stuck Nate in. Even though he hadn't had a bottle yet, and it was past his bedtime, he just played and laughed while we set up camp. He LOVES the outdoors!

A few months ago, we never would have chosen Roslyn as a destination. But something has changed...

Maybe I haven't mentioned this because I don't want to own up to being addicted to yet another TV show. Maybe it's because I'm 18 years late to be addicted to said TV show.

Whatever the reason, Colin and I started watching "Northern Exposure" a few months ago. I watched one episode and rolled my eyes at all the '80's clothes and hair. I told Colin that there was no way I'd watch any more episodes. Yet we're on season 4 now.

It stared in 1990 (yes, back in the 19 hundreds), and is about a new grad doctor who is forced to work in a hole-in-the-wall town Cicely, Alaska for 4 years. It's SO funny! No TV show has ever made me laugh so hard! There was no such thing as "political correctness" back then.

What does this have to do with Roslyn? Northern Exposure was filmed in Roslyn, and even 13 years after the show ended, the town looks almost exactly the same! There's the big wall mural...

...and Dr. Joel Fleishman's office, which is now a Northern Exposure museum/gift shop.

I am no longer embarrassed by loving the show so much now. There was a guest book at the museum and 5 people signed it the day before! The lady says that they still have people from all over the world visiting.

From there, we went to Leavenworth, then Chelan. THANKFULLY, we stayed in motel. I think I'm done with camping until Nathan's ready to do a few things for himself. On the way to Chelan, Colin drove me to a mall to buy more soaps to replace the stolen ones!

The next day we went to Winthrop. We spend every Thanksgiving there, but thought it would neat to see what it looks like in the summer. It was nice! There were tents without frost on them, no deer carcasses hanging from the trees, and it was all green... none of the usual red, orange and yellow trees.

We had a picnic lunch at the campsite we usually stay at (after Colin returned to the store where we'd bought a roasted chicken and left it there) and took Nathan for a dip in Pearrygin lake. It was a really nice stop! After driving around for hours and hours and hours in places we've never seen, it was nice to be somewhere familiar.

Nathan is such a pro on road trips. We'd drive for 8 hours a day, and for the most part he was happy as a clam.

The Sea of Yellow

2008-06-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have been saying for a year that I want to start grocery shopping at Superstore. Lots of my friends do, and they say it's cheaper. So why haven't I?

I guess you get used to your supermarket. You know where everything is. When Colin and I go to Save-On, we break without saying a word. He gets the buggy while I scan my card to get coupons. He picks up fruit and deli meat while I mentally plan the weeks meals and choose veggies accordingly (and sometimes a complimentary cup of coffee). We meet by the bread and go from there. We're in and out in 20 minutes.

We don't ever want to take the time to get to know a new store, even if it's cheaper. But today, I bit the bullet and did it. Nathan and I headed for an evening outing.

And I hated it.

Whoever designed the aisles should be fired. How come half of them go north-south, and half go east-west? I thought, "maybe it's so that I go in all the aisles" but that's not it. I didn't even go in half of them because of that very reason.

The placement of products made no sense to me either. I wanted to find minced garlic in a jar because I am sick of my crummy garlic press. I tried "ethnic foods" first. I found a jar of "pureed garlic cloves". But no minced. I pressed on. I found "pickled garlic cloves" in the condiment aisle. I even found some jar of garlic paste somewhere near the cheese (?!?).

Then I got frustrated and called a friend who told me she bought this product at Superstore recently. Unfortunately she wasn't home. So I gave up. ONLY THEN did I find it. "Where", you ask? Right between the spinach and the yogurt. DUHH!!!!!

I think I chose the wrong day to try shopping there. I think Monday is "crabby rude shoppers" day. I got blocked in the aisles SO many times, and people would not move, even when asked. I was seriously annoyed. One guy even looked at me and said "just a minute" and proceeded to put 20 cans in his buggy, change his mind, put them back, and choose 20 different ones. I just stood there with a blank look on my face. Can you not hear my fussy baby? Have some politeness!!

I think I know why everyone was crabby though, because by the end of the shopping trip I too was "one of them".

But the most annoying thing about the store? DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO BE YELLOW??? I thought maybe that was the reason everyone was in a foul mood. So when I got home I looked up the "meaning" of the colour yellow. I've pasted it below. Pay extra attention to the bolded sections:

Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning (aka "don't buy this product", sorry I couldn't resist).

Men usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Shades of yellow are visually unappealing because they loose cheerfulness and become dingy.

Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, and sickness.

Interesting.

All that being said, I may go back. I'm cheap. I like saving money.

I just won't go back on "crabby rude shoppers" day.

Impromptu Afternoon

2008-05-30T15:49:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful day! It started out boring. I wanted (not wanted, but NEEDED) to clean up the house so I stayed at home for the morning. I seriously lacked motivation though and just spent the time stacking blocks and staring out the window at the neighbour who decided to chop down the beautiful privacy hedge between our houses. At first I thought it was a very bad thing, but I've talked to him more in the past 5 hours than I have in almost 3 years.

In the afternoon, I thought I was going to become a permanent fixture of the couch, so I put Nate in the car seat and left without knowing where I was going.

We started off at a scrapbook store. Very good place to start! Then car seat shopping at Babies R'Us. I had a free fries coupon from Pajo's (the fish & chip place at Rocky Point Park) burning a hole in my pocket so decided to head there, after a quick trip to Starbucks. Oh, and I found my new favourite coffee...a mint mocha chip frappachino blended light. MMMMMMmmmmmmmmint!

I was reluctant to go to Rocky Point though. You see, I joined a Mom & Baby fitness group called "Fit 4 Two" in PoMo in April. My goal was to get into shape before the cruise and then get back into shape after the cruise. I achieved half of that goal but haven't been able to go back since we got back from the cruise. If YOU want to go, tell them I referred you, and then I get two free classes. Then I'd be able to go back!

Anyways, I'm getting off track. Fit 4 Two is a few blocks from Rocky Point, and on sunny days we walk to Rocky Point to do our exercises...right in front of Pajo's Fish & Chips. It's nasty, really. You're exercising and all you can smell is fries.

I dawdled on my way to the park because I didn't want to run into the personal trainer there. I didn't want her to see me walking towards deep fried heaven instead of toward the push up bench.

I got to the park 5 minutes after they left. Sneaky.

I got my free fries and Nate and I set out for a walk.

And something happened to me that's never happened before.

I was pooped on by a seagull. WHAT are the chances of THAT?? I tell ya, I win all the bad lotteries.

Not only was I pooped on, I was wearing black, so it was TOTALLY obvious. But you know what was weird? It pooped UNDER my.... chest. Now, I'm not an overly endowed woman, but still! How did it hit me right underneath? Still trying to figure that one out. I'm sure Colin will have a scientific answer using physics calculations.

I wasn't going to let that bother me. At least it narrowly missed my fries. And everyone probably thought that Nate puked on me. So we continued.

Nathan got pretty mad that I was eating fries and not sharing. I forgot his snacks at home, so I gave him his first fry. He loved it (obviously....who wouldn't?). He went for a fun ride on the swing and teety totter, and then we enjoyed our respective beverages on the grass, and in the sunshine.

Sometimes the best moments are the ones that aren't planned.

My Crafty Corner of the House

2008-05-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

I've been an avid scrapbooker pretty much since scrapbooking started. I think it was in 1997 or 1998 when I first heard about it. No stores existed (gasp!), just "Creative Memories".

I went to my first Creative Memories class, and thought that it was too expensive. I was 17 and working at Tim Hortons at the time, so an album cost me a couple days of work! I bought one package of stickers, not really knowing what I'd use them for, and the rest is history.

I became a Creative Memories consultant in 1999 at 19 years old. I don't know if I ever thought I could make a living doing it, but it supported me and my mother's habit. The problem was that most of my clients were my age, and had minimum wage jobs. With Creative Memories, I had to order $400 worth of product every 3 months. So if my clients didn't order much, I still had to. I stopped being a consultant as soon as I got out of the hole, maybe two years later.

I didn't stop there though. Been cropping ever since.

I mentioned on my Mothers Day post that I got a new scrapbooking desk! Now that it's totally organized so I thought I'd show the details incase it inspires anyone. It was some random person on a Google search that inspired me, after all.

So bear with me if you are a regular reader who doesn't give a hoot about scrapbooking.

My very own part of the house

The desk is covered with white paper (big massive roll free from my Father-in-law!) so I can draw ideas or test stamps on it. All my cutting tools are on the keyboard tray so I can slide them away when not in use. This is my favourite part. It saves SO much desk space!

Colin installed 2 magnetic racks (IKEA) on the wall. Storage cups (IKEA) and the magnetic strip keep all of my tools within arms reach. Also holds the "garbage can" (a cutlery rack from...IKEA!) which perfectly fits a brown lunch bag I can easily empty into the trash when it gets full.

There's a bathroom towel rack (IKEA) installed directly onto the side of the desk. The bottom rail holds my ribbon and adhesives, and the top rail holds another favourite part...the inspiration cards!

These are the inspiration cards. I've sketched out an idea, some scraplifted (the scrapbookers term for "plagiarized") and some of my own. They're organized by the number of photos that fit onto that layout. So if I have 2 photos for the page I'm working on, I'll flip through the "2" pile for the one I want, and then it hangs right in front of me on a 3 x 3" square as I work on my page.

My circle and oval cutter templates hang on towel knobs (IKEA) screwed to the side of the desk.

My sewing machine lives where the computer tower is supposed to go.

My paper storage bin holds my printed paper. The middle drawer is special though. See the ziplocs (massive ones about 14" x 16")? They hold my scrap paper. There's one for each colour. On the left side of this bin is a built in, hidden bookshelf that hold other crafty stuff I rarely use but maybe someday I will...

My big storage bins (um, IKEA!) are on top of the hutch. The contents are labeled on the outside (stamps, cardmaking, fibres, rub-ons).

Left drawer in the hutch holds books, notepads, memorabilia, etc.

Right open shelf holds the current album I'm working on, extra pages, plain cardstock and the decorative paper I'm likely to use soon (like all my blue papers).

Here's the pretty part! I got clear jars (IKEA and loonie store) to put my colourful embellishments in. Not just for display, but because I find that if something is displayed in front of you, you're more likely to use it. So in the jars are buttons, a whole bunch of brads, eyelets, felt flowers, coloured staples, etc. Looks good enough to eat.

Well, hope that wasn't too dry! Now, I need to go try it out!

Cruisin'

2008-05-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Colin, Nathan and I just got back from a cruise with my parents!

It was the first cruise for all of us, and we wanted to try a shorter cruise as a starter cruise just incase it wasn't our "thing". My family has never been really good with boats (and I married a boat lover??) so we weren't sure how the sea sickness would pan out.

So we went on a the Volendam (Holland America) from Vancouver to Seattle, Astoria, Victoria, Vancouver.

Playing in the pool

Enjoying tea on the deck one evening

This is going to take forever to write if I write about everything, so I'm going to sum it up in sections.

*****

PORTS:

We didn't even get off the ship in Seattle. Been there, done that. Rather sit by the pool and eat. We got off in Astoria for a bit. Took a shuttle bus into "town" and went in almost every store and were back in time for lunch. Mmmm. Food! We got off in Victoria, just because we needed solid ground (although it didn't FEEL very solid). Went for a walk on the seawall and got back on.

Soaking up the sun in Victoria

*****

FOOD:

I don't think I ever got hungry on the ship. There's no time to get hungry between meals! First, there's the breakfast buffet (oh, I feel sick even writing the word "buffet"), with zucchini french toast, peach walnut pancakes, any kind of meat you want, any eggs you want, omelets made to order... wow.

Then lunch comes. You try to tell yourself that walking around the ship for the past hour has burned off all the calories from breakfast. But you're wrong. Maybe half of one pancake. But the lunch is too good to resist. There's Thai and/or Chinese food, made to order focaccia sandwiches, meat potatoes & veggies, pasta with your choice of amazing sauce, etc...

Before you know it, dinner time has arrived! So we dress up, and make our way to the formal dining room, wondering where you're going to store the food that comes to the table. But that doesn't stop you from ordering 2 appys (shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, pineapple with mango strawberry salsa, mussels, baked brie in phylo pastry), soup (french onion, lobster bisque), and an entree or two. Choose from duck, steak, king crab legs, salmon, and lots of other fancy stuff I don't remember.

Then as if you're not full enough, why not go to the late night buffet from 11-12 pm? I mean, really. Who needs to eat again at that time of night? But did that stop me from eating fettuchini an hour before bedtime? I think I only ate there 2 times. And small portions.

The restaurants are closed after midnight, and don't open until 6 am (I think...I was never there before 8). But DON'T WORRY, you can order room service at any time. Which we did once, just because we can. We actually fell asleep waiting for it and woke up at midnight (or whatever time it came) so we could eat the cracker and cheese platter, fruit platter, (both platters only had 4 small pieces on them) and apple pie, and then fall asleep again.

Our table in the dining room was awesome! It was a window seat at the very back of the ship! Best table in the house. One evening during dinner, we watched dolphins jumping behind the boat!

the view

My handsome men on formal night

The King on his throne

*****

GYM:

We went to the gym once for 30 minutes.

*****

ENTERTAINMENT:

Comedy act night one. Song and dance show night two. Female jazz singer night three. Comedian/Hawaiian ukulele player night four (so funny!). It was ok, but would have been nice to see a magician or an actual musical.

*****

OPEN OCEAN:

Oh boy. If I have one piece of advice, it's PACK GRAVOL!!!!!!! I didn't. Luckily, my parents did. And we went through the entire pack, and I spent one night concentrating on not throwing up for hours (after the gravol was all gone).

We were in open ocean for 2 nights, so, half of the nights. The swells were CRAZY. We looked at Colin's GPS and saw NO LAND at all!! Just the little ship in the middle of a big blue screen. We used the GPS to see how far away from any land we were, and it was 50K!

This is actually one of my biggest fears. But I went out on the top deck by myself in the evening, and looked 360 degrees around me, and could look past the fear and appreciate the beauty and awe of the scene (granted, the ocean was calm at the time).

The ocean swells were so bad that it turned the normally calm swimming pool into a wave pool. Colin and I got in it when it was thrashing about, and it threw you around! I've tried uploading a video but it's not working. Too bad!

*****

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

Waste. I am guilty too. You eat more than you need, and if you don't want what you've taken off the buffet, just throw it out.

There were people who were treating the staff terribly. Like they are SO MUCH BETTER than them. It was disgusting. One lady made the sandwich maker change so many things. "Take it apart and put mayo on BOTH sides. I ONLY want ham and cheese. Where's the tomato? I want tomato?". Poor guy. She put him through the ringer. Then he toasted the sandwich and she said, "I wanted it TOASTED not BURNT". Then she waved her hand at him as if it was diseased and walked off.

Give me a break.

And another lady asked where the decaf tea was. He'd run out so suggested there was some on the other side of the buffet. She was angry. She retorted, "NEVER MIND" and walked off.

Give me another break. You've eaten enough to have the calories available to get your lazy legs to the other side of the buffet and get your own tea. Can't you see he's busy?

I could go on and on.

Another thing that bothered me? The people who are working on the cruise ships are coming from places where they can't get a decent pay. So they're leaving their families for months and months at a time so they can earn a living. The head of the kitchen came to talk to us at every dinner. He has a 5 month old daughter at home, who he's o

nly seen for 5 weeks of her life. I think he talked to us so much because he misses her, and seeing Nathan may have shown him what she may be like. There were only 3 babies on board so Nathan did get a LOT of attention. And when I say "a lot", I MEAN it!

*****

One thing I was looking forward to on this vacation was that Colin wouldn't be saying "I'm going to work on my boat now".

What was on the agenda for the second day? A BOAT BUILDING competition! You're kidding me.

"Oh well" I thought, "At least it's only for an hour".

How wrong I was. It was an info session where you got the rules. He actually got 2 DAYS to build it, using anything he found on the ship. The competition was in the hot tub on the last full day at sea. It had to float with 12 cans of pop on it in the turbulence of the hot tub. He built it with 32 casino buckets, duct tape and balloons. His ship was the most seaworthy.

After the competition was over the ships went into the pool. Colin's was the favourite among the kids, as they could use it as a floatation device! They were climbing all over the thing and it wasn't sinking or falling apart. If the judging had been after that occurrence, he would have won more than 3rd place! I was happy with 3rd though, because I got a coffee mug out of the deal!

*****

Nathan always went to sleep in my parents room so Colin and I could go out by ourselves for a bit every night. Like to watch karaoke, go to a late show, or go line dancing! I would insist that people with kids must cruise with sitters!

Well, it was a fun time. Nathan was SUCH a good boy. He really can roll-with-the-punches. I am still wondering though, when the sea legs will go away, as I'm still losing my balance!

My First Mothers Day

2008-05-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day... actually, a wonderful weekend!

On Friday, Colin took me to the store to pick out a sewing machine as my Mothers Day gift!

Saturday morning, a friend hosted a brunch for me and 4 other "First Mothers Day" mothers. Yummy homemade waffles, and a great time!

Saturday afternoon, Colin and Nathan had father-son time, and left me at home BY MYSELF!

Saturday evening, Colin took me to pick up a desk from Craigslist that would be PERFECT for the new scrapbook table I'd been hoping for.

That brings me to the actual day, today, my first Mothers Day!

Colin gave me a card this morning that just about made me cry. He made it himself! I always get nervous when he goes in the scrapbook room and closes the door! But it was great. A wonderful heartfelt message on the left, and a message from Nathan on the right, complete with his hand prints in finger paint!

Part of the heartfelt message said that I would not be changing any diapers today! Woo hoo, what a treat!

Colin changed the computer desktop photo to this:

We went to church and Colin took Nathan out of the service when he started to fuss (Nathan, that is), so I got to hear an ENTIRE sermon.

Colin thought to pack the "I love Mommy" bib in the diaper bag.

After chatting with friends, we headed up to Westwood Plateau with my parents, sisters and their families for brunch. It's a Mothers Day tradition. Usually Colin is fishing with his folks on Mothers Day, so it was his first year coming (he was warned that last year would be his LAST Mothers Day away from me). Yummy food, as always! And we got our faces painted and balloon animals, as always. And we were barely able to walk out of the place, as always.

I got a nap in the afternoon.

I dragged Colin to IKEA to pick up supplies for my new scrapbook organization idea. It's my day, he didn't even complain about going!

We went to Colin's parents for a BBQ dinner.

When we came home, Colin installed all the stuff I bought from IKEA into my scrapbook room. It's now all done!

I really love being a mom. I'm not going to get all mushy on you, but today it just seemed easier to look past the un-glorious, frustrating and difficult parts of being a parent, and just focus on the blessing it is, and on the one-of-a-kind bond I have with my little monkey!

Junk Cup

2008-05-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

By now, you already know about our love for rooting through people's perfectly good junk to find treasures.

Coquitlam's "junk week" was this past week. As Colin and I were waiting for it to come, we came up with a great idea.

WHY DON'T WE TURN JUNK WEEK INTO A FUN EVENT?

So we did.

The first annual JUNK CUP!

How it worked:

After a rushed BBQ (we wanted to make the best of the daylight), teams were given a list of 10 categories (such as "Oldest Piece of Junk") and a Coquitlam Garbage Collection Schedule as a map. They were then sent out on the town to find one piece of junk to enter in each category.

After 1.5 hours of hunting, we all met back at our house for the silent voting process to find the most deserving piece of junk in each category. The winner of each category was given a cup (that Colin and I found while hunting for our trash), and the team with the most cups after the voting was over won the coveted "Junk Cup" (also found while junk hunting).

All the treasures were laid out on our front lawn, and we had some curious onlookers (aka, neighbours) who know for sure now that we're totally nuts.

Here was the list of categories, and the item which won:

1. Best toy - Old fashioned red baby buggy (below right-ish)

2. Best Sporting Equipment - a working tube for water sports (below middle)

3. Oldest - Ancient goalie pads

4. Tackiest - a rug wall hanging (below left)

5. Funniest - a head with a woody woodpecker hat

6. Most Practical - outdoor lamps

7. Best Tool - Mini Hand rake

8. Best Building Material - Laminate Flooring

9. Nicest Plant Pot - Bold blue strawberry pot

10. Best Christmas Item - "Eat Me" Santa

One team won 1 cup, two teams won 2 cups, and one team won a whopping 5 cups! So they were the overall winners of the JUNK CUP!

It was a lot of fun, and we plan to do it again next year. And the best part is that even though Colin and I planned it (and it didn't take much effort to plan), we could also participate too!

So if you're interested in participating next year, let us know, and we'll put your names on the "dumpster divers" list for next year.

Moments Like These

2008-05-01T07:35:00.001-07:00

I woke up frustrated this morning. I got up early so I could have a relaxing breakfast before Nathan got up. But upon entering the kitchen I see that we forgot to start the dishwasher, so Nate has no clean bottles. So I had to load up the dishwasher instead of having my warm coffee and Special K vanilla.

I know, it doesn't seem like much, but it bothers a schedule freak like me. Especially one who just got out of bed and has been in a relatively bad mood all week.

It's partially because Nathan's sick. Poor little guy! I'm not frustrated at HIM, just the circumstance. Yesterday he was sitting on his play mat and looked at me with his big brown puppy dog eyes, opened his mouth, and projectile vomited. Nice. At least he barfed so far that it cleared his pj's. Then when Colin got home from work, Nate had a poonami. While changing his diaper, he stepped in it, getting poo all in between his toes.

I'm getting off track.

Usually by the time Colin leaves for work, Nathan is awake and playing in his crib. Sometimes I think Colin makes extra noise so he can wake him up to say good morning to him before he goes. Who can blame him? It's his little buddy!

This morning, since I was up too, we watched the baby monitor for signs of wakefulness. Other than a cold-induced cough, we could tell he was still asleep.

Colin really wanted to sneak in and see him, so he opened the creaky door (do you think that after 8.5 months we'd remember to FIX IT??) and went in. A huge smile appeared and he motioned for me to come look.

Nathan was laying on his side completely conked out, with his arms hugging a stuffed giraffe! It was the cutest thing I've ever seen (however, I have been using that phrase daily since he was born).

I wanted to grab my camera, but refrained.

I am one of the most camera happy people I know, being a scrapbooker. But since I became a mommy, I realize there are special moments that just can't be photographed. Times where the mental picture will speak more words than a physical one.

Times when just one glimpse of my little one, melts away the frustrations of the day, and reminds me what's really important.

I truly believe God gives mothers moments like these to survive everything they're going to encounter for the day.

And the baby monitor just told me that my day has begun! Time to go say "good morning" to my son!

It's That Time of Year Again!

2008-04-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

YAY! Junk week in PoMo! It snuck up on me, probably because "spring cleaning" can't possibly come when the weather dial is still stuck on winter.

But sun or not, it's here! I went to a garage sale this morning in PoMo. As I drove down the first street in PoMo I saw......A HEAP OF JUNK!!! I could barely wait to get home to tell Colin to jump in the car.

We've done really well in the past. As the house gets fuller and fuller, we get more and more picky on what com

es home with us. Plus, Nate's carseat doesn't fit in the truck too well, so we can only get things that can fit in the trunk of the car.

The shovel was hard to squish in.

Nathan enjoyed his first time junking.

He got some "old school" toys like mommy and daddy had as kids, like the apple chime.

Remember that?

And the push toy that pops balls when the wheels move?

Fun retro toys!

We didn't get too much interesting stuff, just garden edging, garden tools, and some massive citronella candles. Got some of them last year too which we used on camping trips.

But there's still 3 more nights.

....and Found

2008-04-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm caught up to LOST (by watching an embarrassing 3.5 seasons in one month), I feel like I can blog again.

Not that it was restricting me from blogging though. I just don't seem to know what to write about anymore. I don't even know what to write about now...

Let's start with Nate! A very good place to start.

He drinks bottles ALL BY HIMSELF now. Mr. Independence! And that's what he's doing right now. Soon he'll start crying because it's finished. "MOMMY I want MOOOOORE!". He sits up and plays all by himself too!

And he LOVES the outdoors! I can drag the playpen (oops, lets be politically correct here...playYARD) outside on the deck and I can garden while he plays and laughs at me. I'd have a photo but some moments you are enjoying too much to bother running to grab a camera. We took him for a walk today down a trail and he burst out laughing once we left the concrete.

(Oh, the cry just came...."MOMMY I want MOOOORE!")

I am enjoying being a mom more than ever. Some people are fans of the newborn stage, but honestly, that's not me. Of course there were plenty great moments, but I think I'll adopt my next one at 6 months. For the first months of his life I couldn't help but think "I can't WAIT until he's 3 months, then his colic will be gone". Then at 3 months I thought, "I can't WAIT until he's 4 months..." etc etc.

But once he got to 6 months, everything just seemed to get better and now I want to hang on to every day!

*****

So, what have we been up to?

Colin's spending a lot of time with his other wife, Mrs. Bowrider, trying to get her seaworthy for a spring/summer of filling my freezer with salmon! He just sold his other motorboat, "Colin's Carnage Cruiser". When it drove away I found a tear in my eye. There are great memories associated with that boat!

I've been rekindling my love for quilting. I made one large quilt for Nathan and then 5 smaller ones for him and his friends. I've also been enjoying spending time with my friends on mat leave. One day, 5 of us got together and had a wonderful time having breakfast! There were babies EVERYWHERE! Since then, one of them had her baby! Another cute little boy! And another friend had a girl! We are repopulating the earth.

As for my dental problems... they're not over. But I really don't even want to talk about it anymore. Just give me dentures and get it over with.

My sister is getting married in May (on an unknown date), and she had her engagement dinner on March 8 @ 5:30. When we showed up at the private room in a swanky restaurant downtown, she handed us her wedding invitation. What was the date on the invitation? MARCH 8 @ 5:30!! It was a SURPRISE WEDDING!!!!!! What an excellent idea for her, it suits her. It was such a great time!

I guess that about catches me up.

Lost in LOST

2008-03-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

Colin and I have got somewhat addicted to LOST. Somewhat addicted? Who am I kidding? We need to start going to a support group.

A friend gave me a good analogy. "There are people who eat all their candy all at once, and then there's people who eat it slowly".

We are definitely the "eat it all at once" people.

The same friend lent us Season 1 of LOST 2 Fridays ago. We've been wanting to see it because a lot of our friends are really into it. And goodness knows, we need another TV show to watch since The Office has been delayed due to the writers strike. Because of the dental problems I was going through, I haven't been able to get out and do much...so why not watch LOST?

And watch LOST is exactly what we did. That's ALL we did. In one week, we watched the entire first season, which I'm reading now, was 1068 minutes. That doesn't include the time it spent on pause while Nathan needed our attention.

We got Season 2 from her. We're now on episode 15. I am actually starting to dream about it (who could blame me, really). I get suspicious of strangers I see...they may be "others". And I probably wouldn't be surprised if I saw a big tree get blown right out of the ground.

One of the times I was at the dentist last week I heard the lady in the chair next to me talking about "Jack on the island with a dog getting chased by cannibals". I freaked out and covered my ears because I didn't want to hear any spoilers! Turns out they were talking about Pirates of the Caribbean. I need help.

So last night I wanted a break from it. Colin asked a few times if we could watch "just one episode". But I refused. One episode lead to another which leads to another. Then it's 11:00 and you feel bad and somewhat pathetic as you've wasted your entire evening, yet again.

The funny thing is that I don't even really like the story line. Multiple times per episode I say, "AS IF" as it is so far-fetched. But I guess the mystery of it all is what brings me back. Uh oh, I feel a season 2 spoiler coming on...

I hear an alarm! I must type 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.

Now I have 108 minutes of spare time.

Dental Update

2008-03-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

So, last time I mentioned my dental problems was in the wee hours of Monday morning last week. Oh my, has it been an ordeal since then.

I did go to the dentist on Monday and it turns out I had an infection in the pulp/roots of my tooth. So they did an "open and drain" procedure (sounds yummy) to clean it out. Then the bad news. I have to get a root canal on Saturday. I was in so much pain after this "open and drain" that Colin had to come home from work to look after Nate and I. I spent about an hour rocking back and forth on my porch while my meds started to kick in.

I got 2 full nights of sleep after that and then on Wed night I was back to only a few hours of sleep due to intense pain so I went BACK to the dentist on Thursday. They did another open and drain and gave me this freezing that lasts for 8 hours. That was nice. But when it came out, the pain was just as bad as before and I slept only a couple of hours Thursday night.

So on Friday, guess where I went? The dentist. Since I was getting a root canal the next day, they froze my tooth to oblivion to take away the pain until Saturday morning, when I was coming in for my root canal.

Saturday, I was in the chair for 2.5 hours, and the root canal could not be finished. I had been frozen so much this past week that my body was starting to fight off the freezing, and it was becoming ineffective. So every time he drilled a hole in my tooth, he injected more freezing, but I still felt it all. He had to stop because I was in tears and couldn't handle any more. He said that in his career so far he's never seen such a sensitive tooth before.

Or maybe he hasn't seen such a wussy patient before...

So now I have to wait a week until my body can hopefully accept freezing once again and then get the root canal finished. But thank God it doesn't hurt anymore. Now I can just focus on getting rid of this cold before then.

Oh, and my dentists Ryan and Candice (brother/sister-in-law team) are the best! I'd recommend them to anyone. They were so accommodating and managed to fit me into 5 emergency appointments in 8 days.

Roast Camel Recipe

2008-03-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

I received a "Mini Moments for Mothers" book today. Thought I'd share part of one entry. This is an actual recipe:

ROAST CAMEL RECIPE

To prepare this delicacy, first take 100 gutted Mediterranean trout and stuff them with 200 hard boiled eggs, then stuff the trout into 50 cooked chickens. The chickens are then placed in the body cavity of a sheep and the sheep into the carcass of a camel. Roast over a charcoal fire until done.

Serves about 300 guests.

I tried to find a photo online, but couldn't find one. I did find some simple camel roast photos but it looked gross. Thought I'd spare you.

This recipe is reminiscent of the "Turducken" recipe shared by "Vikings on the West Coast" before its unfortunate demise :-(

Happy cooking, and invite me when it's done.

Pam?

2008-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

To any "The Office" fans out there (US version), I thought I'd share my Pam impression:

No Happy Happy Joy Joy

2008-02-25T01:26:00.000-08:00

Anyone watch Ren and Stimpy in the olden days?

Anyone remember the episode when all Ren's teeth fall out, leaving his nerve endings exposed and waving in the air? That's gotta hurt.

And Stimpy tells Ren that in every tooth, there is a tooth beaver, who bites on your nerve endings, causing the pain of a toothache.

That image has been stuck in my head for the past 5 days.

I got a temporary crown done at the dentist last Tuesday. It takes 2 weeks to make the permanent crown, then I get it put in. Man, if anyone wants to rob me, take my teeth, as they collectively cost more than anything I own.

Part of the temp came off the next day. 2 days later, my tooth was soooooooooo sensitive, that I felt like the tooth beaver was paying me a visit (hence my Ren and Stimpy nostalgia, although there is no "Happy Happy Joy Joy" this time). It hurt so bad that I couldn't sleep until 4am (then up for good at 730 am, of course). Although my day was already over-booked, I knew something HAD to be done, so I called my dentist's emergency line first thing in the morning (since the office isn't open on Saturdays for some reason). She is also a personal acquaintance, who thankfully came in on her day off to try and fix it.

It seemed to work at the time, so I got ready for a baby shower I was attending. I was almost out the door when Colin comes in from the garage, quite calmly says, "Oh shoot", and goes into the kitchen. I look into the kitchen and there is blood all over the sink. He almost cut his finger off with a chainsaw.

Hmm. Another change of plans. So I take him to the doctor to get stitches. They wouldn't stitch it because of the location of the gash, but it is dressed up and ready to be taken back out to the garage to continue where he left off. Playing with a chainsaw.

Luckily I was still able to attend the baby shower, even though I was very late. By the time I left, my tooth was hurting so badly that I couldn't talk, eat or drink anything for most of the day. It took over an hour to force a plate of cold spaghetti down that night...one noodle at a time.

I had another near-sleepless night, as I wake up every 3 hours to take another T3, and wait an hour for it to kick in (sounds like a newborn. Wake up every 3 hours and feed for an hour). Today has been another painful day. My cheek is even red and swollen. I have new-found respect for my poor little boy who is going through this almost daily.

Tomorrow I am going to the dentist and camping out there until I can get it fixed.

Wow, what a dry post. At least complaining to you gave me something to do while I'm waiting for the T3 to kick in.

Cool Dude

2008-02-25T01:07:00.000-08:00

Nate spent all day outside with his shades on, and didn't try to take them off even once. He must have known how cool he looked!

Yo yo, whazzup?

Belcarra Adventure

2008-02-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

Today we took Nathan to Belcarra Park.

He LOVES being outside! We were looking at a seagull a few feet away. It started to caw (or whatever seagulls do) and Nathan laughed at it! Then it slipped off its perch and opened its wings to balance, and Nathan laughed again! It was hilarious!

Then we found a group of Canada geese and chased them. One honked very loud and flapped its wings, and again, Nathan broke out into hysterics! SOOO CUTE!!

We went for a little hike, and we stopped to give Nate a bottle beside the ocean. He was quite distracted by everything new there was to see.

What a fun adventure!

Nathan's Haiku

2008-02-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such a rough day. I wrote this post yesterday but had such a bad day, I didn't feel like publishing it. Parenting is not all happy times! The little bundle doesn't ALWAYS bring you joy! But at the end of the day you somehow want to sneak into their room to see them sleeping, and are rejuvenated the next day to do it all again.

So, here was yesterday's post.

********

Nathan has been composing a Haiku poem all day. I'd like to share with you the final outcome.

Waahh wahh waaah wahhh wwahh

Waaaaah wwahhh wah wah wahhh waaah wahhhhh

Waahh waaah wahh wwahh wwaaahhhhh

I'll translate for those who don't speak "Nathan":

My teeth hurt real bad

Won't eat, can't poop and won't sleep

I just want to cry

Nathan is a poser. I got out the camera to take a photo of him being fussy and as soon as I aimed the camera at his face, he did this:

Silly little man. Exactly 36 seconds after this photo, he did show his true colours:

SCARY! Good thing all days aren't like this!

*******

Ok, he's happy as a clown today so on to happier things! He's six months old now! Here are some recent pics:

Silly monkey!

Looks mischievous!

He's eating real food, and likes EVERYTHING he tries. So much, that he decided to wean himself. YAAY! No complaints here.

He's also learned how to play cards:

He's usually so much fun now, as he's really able to interact with us and play with his toys. He's developing a personality. It makes the bad days worth it!

Presentation Challenge

2008-02-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

Colin reminded me last night that I hadn't blogged about our latest timeshare presentation!

It was 3 months ago, and Nathan was only 3 months old. I was upset at Colin for booking it because we couldn't take Nathan, and he was not eating bottles yet. I could only be away from him for up to 3 hours, and we'd probably be gone for 3 hours.

But the free Vegas trip was calling Colin's name, so off we went.

I need to explain a little about myself before going on. My friends know that I am a talker. I'm generally confident in conversations. But with strangers, this is different. I am very uncomfortable talking to people I don't know, so I don't usually do it. Colin takes the reins on that one.

At the last presentation, Colin was the only one talking. The salesperson was talking to him the entire time. THIS time, I said in the car on the way to Burnaby that I wanted to do the talking.

We got there early, and so we sat in the car for a few minutes. We saw this sketchy looking guy just walking around the parking lot, sort of looking at all the cars. So when it was time to go in, we told the security guard at the building and went in to start our adventure.

It was laid out like the other presentation we went to. There are lots of small tables...perfect for a couple and a salesperson... all in the same room. We were ushered to one of these tables by our saleswoman after I grabbed a free coffee. Lets call her Helga.

Colin opens up the conversation by saying something like "We're here for the free trip to Vegas".

Not 2 minutes into the 90 minute presentation, a salesman (lets call him Larry) walked across the room clinking champagne glasses VERY LOUDLY, and holding a bottle of champagne. This it what they do to "celebrate" a timeshare purchase. It's like, "Congratulations on giving us $12,500! Here's a glass of $9 champagne". I think he did this so all the potential suckers in the room would think "Ooh, I want some! Let's buy a timeshare so we can sip champagne too".

When the glasses were clinking, all eyes in the room were fixed on Larry. All except mine. I was looking at Helga, who WINKED at Larry, lifted one eyebrow and nodded with a smirk on her face! What?!?

"OK game on", I thought. "I am not a sucker and by the end of this presentation you are going to KNOW I am not a sucker".

So here's a screenplay version of the presentation from that point on:

***

Helga: "So, what do you love to do on vacations?"

Nancy: "We LOVE to camp! We even went camping when I was 8 months pregnant!"

Helga: "Oh. well where do you like to go?"

Nancy: "We love to explore BC. We live in such a beautiful place!"

Helga: "I see. Do you ever do anything other than camping?"

Nancy: "Yes. We have quite a few friends with cabins that we go on vacations to."

Helga: "Well...have you EVER been to a resort before?"

Nancy: "Yes, we went to a wilderness resort in the BC Cariboo where we rode ATV's and horses. We also went to Mexico for our honeymoon."

(Helga's ears perk up)

Helga: "OH! Would you go there again?"

Nancy: "I guess so. But not until our baby is old enough to enjoy it"

(Helga's getting frustrated)

Helga: "Do you have a dream vacation?"

Colin: "I'd go to Vegas if it were free"

Nancy: "I want to take Nathan on a cross Canada trip sometime"

(Helga realizes she's getting NOWHERE and decides to take a different approach)

Helga: "Well lets look at the numbers"

(Helga shows us the ridiculous up front and month to month payments)

Nancy: "There's NO WAY we can afford that!! I'm on maternity leave!!"

(Helga has steam coming out her ears and she's all red)

Helga: "Please excuse me, I need a glass of water"

(Exit Helga)

(Colin and Nancy try not to laugh)

(Enter Helga)

Helga: "Well, I can see I'm getting nowhere, and you are not going to buy this timeshare. I know that you're only 15 minutes into the presentation, but there's a room full of prospective buyers, and I am on commission, so I'll give you your free Vegas trip and you can be on your way."

***

So she was true to her word. Vegas voucher in hand, we left 15 minutes after we arrived!

From this story branches another story.

When we were at the presentation, we were asked to put friends names and numbers down on a paper for referrals to the program. I thought all my friends & family would shoot me if I put their names down, but Colin put down a name of a friend (lets call him Fred) who likes to talk to telemarketers.

So one day a few weeks later, Fred got a call from WorldMark.

WM: "Hi, you were referred by "C Rowtay".

Fred: "What? Who?"

WM: "C Rowtay"

Fred: "C Rowtay? oh.....C ROTH???"

WM: "Yes!"

They invited Fred down for a presentation. But Fred doesn't have a spouse. So he was told he wasn't allowed to come. He covered the phone with his hand and asked his friend Bob if he wanted to go to Vegas. Bob says sure. So Fred says to WM "Can I bring my partner?"

WM: "Sure, what is her name?"

Fred: "HIS name is Bob!"

So Fred and Bob went to the presentation and after being mocked, got their free trip to Vegas.

If anyone wants me to give their name at these presentations, let me know. Seriously people... a trip to Vegas for 15 minutes of your time?? Sounds good to me.

Ok Let Me Have It...

2008-01-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

OK OK I know. I have bashed facebook left right and center. I thought it was ONLY used to reconnect with high school pals, which I am not really interested in doing. But I have now seen the good side.

I had lost touch with a very good friend. She was my matron of honour at my wedding. We didn't even lose touch for any good reason. Could it be my hatred towards talking on the phone?? But Colin found her and her husband on facebook and we've reconnected over dinner, and we got to introduce Nathan and re-meet her children. That's awesome!

And I have a cousin in Germany and one in the States (sorry Julie I don't remember which state you moved to....) whom I'd like to "talk" to more often. I've only met them a handful of times, but we just "click". They're new moms too.

And it just seems like so many people use it as their email now. And photo storage. I read blogs to get updates and it says "See facebook for my photos".

I am not going to use it to become "friends" with everyone I've met in my entire life. I am not going to use it to make empty "we should get together for coffee" invitations.

I don't have hours on end to spend at the computer, so I don't know if I will even be able to maintain it. We'll see.

Man, I don't think I'm ever going to hear the end of all the scrutiny I'm going to get for joining.....

Frozen White Stuff

2008-01-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

There are so many things I don't like about living on a hill.
- there's a retaining wall in my backyard that I'm sure Nathan will fall off of at least ten times
- playing sports other than "skeleton" and luge are impossible on our street
- in icy weather you pray that your brakes will work by the time you get to the intersection at the bottom of the street

The list goes on.

But on days like this, I love being on a hill! I can see beautiful snowy scenery as far as the clouds will let me look.

This photo doesn't show the whole view, as it was taken from the front door. Our living room has a better view.

After Nate's breakfast at 6:30, I put him back to bed and went outside to shovel! It's almost a novelty around here, not a chore. I did get lazy though, if you take a closer look at the photo. I only shoveled 3 lines (they're almost all "snowed over" already). Two lines for Colin's truck tires, and one line for my tenant to walk to her car. I don't think she's going to work today though. Oh well, I'm not going to be able to make it to my Aqua Fit class today, so at least I got to attend a "Frozen" Aqua Fit class in my own driveway.

Keep safe everyone!

It's About Time

2008-01-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Belated New Year! Colin signed us up for high speed internet last night. Not high speed lite, but REAL high speed! I am now able to upload photos to my blog! YEAH! So here is a small collection of my favourite photos lately. Of course they're all of my cute little boy...Stay tuned, I'll most likely play with my blog more now that it doesn't frustrate me!

Mommy and Nathan hang out in our hotel room at Sun Peaks in December.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sometimes Nate's diapers are REALLY stinky.

Nathan's "puppy dog" eyes make me melt!

All ready to go swimming for Nate's first time last Saturday! He loved it!

5 months old!

Having a nap on Daddy

Ooh, that was fun!

Bonding Time

2007-12-18T07:37:00.000-08:00

Father-Son bonding time over a cup of hot chocolate.

Random Midnight Musings

2007-12-17T23:52:00.001-08:00

Riddle me this:
What's worse than having a cold? When your husband and child also have the same cold. When one has a cold, one sleeps rather loudly, which brings me to the reason I'm blogging right now. Colin is too tall to sleep on the couch, so alas, I am banished to the couch to try and sleep here (the computer is beside the couch on the coffee table).

But I can't sleep. Partially because of that coffee I had at 9pm and partially because my brain won't stop running.

I had a not-so-good day. I got together with a good friend, and I think I scared her off of ever having kids. Nathan is sick, so he was upset. Who can blame him?? He's never been sick so he must have been confused at why his throat is so sore and why he keeps leaving nasal deposits on mommy's left shoulder. I felt really bad for him the first hour of screaming, then really bad for my friend the next hour. The third hour I felt bad for myself and by the fourth hour I didn't feel much anymore. Luckily, he's feeling better now and was back to his smiley self in the evening. It was awesome to see my friend though, as I haven't seen her since September, but I wish we could've had more time to talk.

I get frustrated when people see Nathan at his worst! Seriously, he is usually a happy boy who I love being around, but I don't think people believe me sometimes.

This is his 4 month photo. He's happy here!

*****

Colin turned 30 last week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I fractured my tailbone on his birthday. OK I don't know if it's fractured or badly bruised. The doctor said there's no point x-raying it because there's nothing you can do for a fractured tailbone, but she suspects it's fractured. Stay tuned for a really great story about how it happened. The truth is that it was a pretty unimpressive snowboarding wipeout but I'm trying to come up with a better story :-)

Anyways, my man has entered the next decade. He's such a great guy. Even though he is really sick, he knew I had a hard day with Nathan so he said I should have a nap and he'll look after dinner. He mentioned grabbing Wendy's. When he woke me up for dinner I walked to the kitchen and found a spaghetti and chicken dinner waiting for me! He's awesome.

*****

I co-hosted a friend's baby shower on Sunday. Nathan's new fishing buddy! There were 5 babies 4 months and younger, and 2 pregnant friends! Whoa! Baby boom.

*****

I was talking to my friend today about her church "college and career" aka "young adult" group. I realized that I am no longer really part of this group at my church. I am also no longer part of the "young married" group at my church. I have graduated to the "Married...with children" group where I will sit until I'm old enough to be part of the "seniors" group.

*****

I'd better try to get some sleep now.

SNOW!

2007-12-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wow, what odd weather we're having. It snowed about 8 inches at our house on Saturday and Sunday. Now, thanks to the "Pineapple Express" weather system, the snow is all gone and you could be outside in a t-shirt. I even had the doors and windows open for awhile to get some new air in here.

We did enjoy the snow for the day it lasted though! Colin mounted Nathan's car seat base onto a toboggan and we took him for a ride around the backyard! I even built him a snowman. He really enjoyed it! He was nice and cozy all bundled up in his mini snowsuit.

It's nice living on a hill in the winter because you have a toboggan hill in your own yard. Nathan and I watch as Daddy got on his GT racer and attempted to slide from the backyard to the front yard. It didn't work. He ran right into the house and dented the drain pipe.

After about 15 minutes, Nathan started to cry so I took him inside. Then I realized the reason he was crying was because he pooped all over his clothes, not because he was cold.

It's so much fun introducing him to new things!

Cute Little Stinker

2007-11-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

FINALLY! Here is the photo of Nathan in his skunk costume that his auntie made him. He only went Trick-or-Treating to two houses, and screamed the whole time. He was both cold and tired, so who can blame him? He did have a party at the Mom's group at our church that morning, with a bunch of other dressed up babies.

Low-Fat Internet

2007-11-16T08:00:00.002-08:00

My Internet is like low-fat cream cheese. You buy it because you'd really like some, but know that there's too much calories to get the high fat variety. So you get the "lite" one. The problem? You munch through your bagel and lite cream cheese, only half enjoying it because it's not as good as the "real thing".

We pay for the Internet because we need it, but know that it's too expensive to get high speed. So we buy the "lite" one. The problem? It takes FOREVER for downloads and uploads, so I only half enjoy blogging because the "lite" Internet is not as good as the "real thing".

I have been trying for 2 weeks to post photos of the costume Nathan actually wore for Halloween, but it hasn't let me...until today! It seems to be working so I am going to post photos until it refuses to do anymore.

This is my new favourite photos of Nathan. He's so cute!

Well, that's it folks. I didn't even get the photo of his Halloween costume. I'll keep trying.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, from the Roth family!

Sleep, baby, sleep

2007-10-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

I am EXTREMELY pleased to announce that Nathan is sleeping through the night! I don't know the exact definition, but he sleeps from 10pm until at least 5 (today it was 6!!) and then goes down for a nap an hour later! You have no idea how much this helps my sanity!

There's nothing more beautiful than a sleeping baby!

Facebook Widow

2007-10-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

So most of the world probably knows that Colin has joined Facebook. Why do I say "Most of the world"? Because everyone in the world EXCEPT ME is on it!

I didn't even want to look at it, since I've heard it was addicting. But I did. I wanted to find people who were NOT on it, like myself. I kept giving Colin names of friends who wouldn't be on it. What did I find?

I am, indeed, one of the selected few who are not on it.

I have been totally against it. It just sounds like a popularity contest to see how many "Friends" you can get. I also thought the main purpose of it was to reconnect with people from high school with empty promises of actually getting together (human to human - not computer to computer - for coffee). I'm sorry, but I'd like to get as far away from high school as I can! If I wanted to keep in touch with high school buddies, I would have.

That was my view. But since Colin has decided to take it on, my view has changed somewhat.

It is not as evil as I once thought. So I do have to eat my words and even apologize to my friends who are on it, for badmouthing it without seeing it myself. SORRY! It does have its perks. It IS good to see how some friends are doing. There are people you just don't pick up the phone and call, even if they are friends. Maybe they've moved away without leaving contact info (hey...maybe they don't want to keep in touch with ME). I hadn't really thought about that. I see how it can be a good thing.

It has, however, become Colin's second wife. He only signed up on the weekend and I'm sure he's spent 5 hours on it at least. He puts the steak on the BBQ and then goes to facebook. Flips the steak then goes back to facebook.... you get the idea. But I was right about the "popularity contest". I get an update on how many friends he has (and how many other people have) at least once daily. Sure, he may be joking around, but psychologically, I think everyone is trying to get as many friends as they can. I mean, who wants to have 3 "friends" on their profile??

Plus I am jealous of the punk who created it, as he was just offered a BILLION dollars for it. You HAVE to be kidding me. Don't even get me started.

For those reasons, I don't think I'll join. Maybe once in awhile I'll send a message through Colin's profile, or get some photos from some friends, but I don't ever think I'll warm up to it completely.

2 Months Old

2007-10-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

So, I know I haven't updated my blog for over a month. I dont even know if people still pass by this site (except the comment I got from Stacey a few days ago that prompted me to write this). I used to blog on lunch at work. The internet is fast there! But here at home, we do not have fast internet, and the photos take forever to upload. And time is not something I have a lot of.

But at the moment, Nathan is asleep in his swing...oops, I spoke too soon! He's awake, but calm. So I should have a moment or two.

He has colic, which means he screams for no apparent reason for hours each day. He needs to be held every waking moment because his belly is so sore. Some days are better than others.

We found this new medication for colic, and since he started it, he's been a different baby! He smiles, "coos", laughs and is able to amuse himself once in a while! He even sleeps up to 7 hours IN A ROW (knock on wood)! I am now more sane.

What a cute little man! He is such a blessing to us and we couldn't imagine life without him!

EWE! I heard a gross noise, which means it's time to change a diaper!

Our Gift

2007-08-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

Nathan, "NAY-then" - Hebrew: "the gift".

Awe, isn't he cute? I don't think I've said the word "CUTE" this often in my entire life!

I've been a mommy for 12 days now. My days consist of feeding, changing stinky STINKY diapers, rocking in the rocking chair and trying to sleep when Nathan sleeps.

Colin has two weeks off (except today) which has been AWESOME, so we can learn how our new family functions all together. It's been such a steep learning curve. You can read all the books out there on how to be a parent but nothing can prepare you 100% for what's coming.

I had no idea I'd be so worried about him right from day 1. First I was worried when he was born because he wasn't breathing. Then, I worried about his cone head (both which got better). Then it was the jaundice, the feeding (is he getting too much? too little?), and the list goes on and on. I know not a day will go by without me worrying about my precious little son.

But it's all because I love him so much! I didn't know "love at first sight" was possible, but Nathan has taught me that it is. Even in the middle of the night when I'm rocking him back to sleep, I look at the tiny face staring back at me and am just blown away by this amazing blessing God has given us.

Welcome Nathan!

2007-08-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

This is our adorable son Nathan!

When he lets me have more time on tthe computer I'll write more!

Funny Faces

2007-08-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was my birthday! I thought baby might be coming early in July, like half the other members of Colin and my families, but it held off.

On the weekend, we had the families over for a birthday dinner. It was a lot of fun! The kids kept busy on "MacCloud" (our new computer) with the cool photo booth option. Ok, maybe it wasn't just the kids...

The Birthday girl! Looking...good!

I am now scared of D....

M, the 2-year old Klingon.

The Happy couple!

I tried all the different effects to try and make my belly look smaller, but none of them worked.

That's all for now!

MY LAST DAY

2007-07-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Happy last day to me,
Happy last day to me!
Happy last day to NANCY......
HAPPY LAST DAY TO ME!

WOO HOO!!!!!

Countdown

2007-07-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have to say "Welcome Back" to all ye bloggers! I was getting pretty tired of clicking on your links and seeing the last post was from May or June (I am also guilty, I know).

Next, look at my ticker! The final "baby" is circled, which I guess it means it's coming soon! It still says I have 28 days left, but I promise it will be less than that. If Baby has anything to say about it, it would be tomorrow!

The attacks are getting more... vigourous... and it seems less like a "I'm having fun in here" kick and more like a "GET ME OUT OF HERE, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM" attack.

The feeling is mutual.

I guess you could consider it "crunch time", so we are borderline frantically trying to get the last minute jobs and preparations around the house done before it comes. We've done the most important things though, like removing the circ saw and the rest of Colin's tools out of the closet in the baby's room, and setting up the nursery. The rest is just details. The baby will not care if the bathroom lino I ordered yesterday doesn't get installed until it's 10th birthday.

And frankly, at this point, neither do I!

This is my last week of work! It will be odd not coming here for an entire year! I have some great co-workers that I'll miss, and I'll probably cry instead of cheer at the baby shower they're throwing me on Friday afternoon.

Don't get me wrong, though. I have been waiting for this moment for 9 months, and my body is finally telling me that it's time to try and relax a bit. The next challenge is actually RELAXING on my days off (assuming baby lets me have any before it comes). I usually end up assembling furniture or going out all day. It's hard for me to sit down and put my feet up.

Back to work! Got lots of loose ends to tie up before I go.

Favourite Things

2007-07-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, it looked fun. I like filling out these things.
I wish I had more lines in each category!

9 lasts
1. Last dollar spent: Ziploc bags
2. Last beverage: water
3. Last movie: Superman II (The Christopher Reeves version)
4. Last phone call: my mom
5. Last song played: Beat the Drum (Great Big Sea)
6. Last bubble bath: A year ago?
7. Last time you cried: Tuesday
8. Last thing you ate: raspberry shortcake mmmmmmmm
9. Last place you went: Save-On Foods

8 have you evers
1. Have you ever dated a best friend: Yes.
2. Have you ever skinny dipped: No
3. Have you ever kissed somebody and regretted it: yes
4. Have you ever lost someone you loved: yes
5. Have you ever been dumped: yes
6. Have you ever been lost: no
7. Have you ever ran away: no
8. Have you ever lied: Yes

7 states you've been to
1. Washington
2. California
3. Oregon
4. Arizona
5. Michigan
6. North Dakota
7. Idaho

6 things you've done today (in no particular order...)
1. Went to church
2. Had pregnancy photos taken
3. Had a 2 hour nap (hey, I have to save up)
4. Rocked back and forth and back and forth in my new glider rocking chair
5. Blogged AT HOME! (shocker)
6. Organized closets

5 of your favorite things (in no particular order...)
1. my husband
2. my baby
3. spending time with friends/family
4. God
5. avacados (that was random...the list goes on and on)

4 people you can tell [almost] anything (in no particular order...)
1. Colin
2. Mom
3. Lorene
4. Rhonda

3 things that make you smile
1. My family/friends (I know, that's a broad category)
2. Feeling baby kick
3. Life in general

2 things you want to do before you die.
1. Strengthen my faith
2. Enjoy family life

1 thing that you cannot live without
1. Foooooood

The New Addition to Our Family

2007-07-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

Isn't she beautiful? Only 15.5 pounds and 16.9 inches tall! Cute as a button.

I couldn't post any photos of my vacation because my tiny little Mac laptop is now FULL and my PC, well, it's a PC.... It spontaniously shuts down every 5 minutes or so making it extremely unreliable.

With thousands upon thousands of photos coming our way, we needed somewhere to store them! There are other reasons we needed a new computer, but that was MY reason.

It's pretty cool because the computer is in the monitor, as well as the drives and ports and stuff (sorry, I don't talk tech).

Great, now I have to come up with ANOTHER name.

Last Vacation Before Baby

2007-07-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Colin and I just returned from a 9 day trip on Vancouver Island! Here's a quick version with no photos (reason will be on another blog entry).

Day 1

Got up at 430 am, and were on the Island by 9. We spent a few hours trying to find an available campsite. This was the only night we had no "plans". We ended up in Ladysmith, which was WAY closer to the Nanaimo ferry than the Schwarz Bay ferry we took. Oh well, the adventure is always fun!

The campsite we got was one of those where they cram in as many people as possible, not taking into consideration ANY need for privacy. They had a pool though, and we did enjoy it to ourselves in the evening and early the next morning.

Day 2

Packed up camp and headed south for Sooke. On the way we stopped in Cowichan Bay, and ate the most delicious Sunday Brunch at the swanky hotel, while watching the fishermen in the Bay getting ready for a day at sea.

It was a cute town, and Colin really enjoyed the little boat museum. I, on the other hand, was not as impressed with a big room full of rusty old outboard motors! But he comes into the "trinket shops" with me!

Once in Sooke, we found our Bed & Breakfast called "Otter Cove". We had it booked for 3 nights. It was great! There was a hot tub on our own private beach, and we ate dinners on the beach. The hosts stocked the fridge with bacon, eggs, fresh jams and bread, cereal, coffee, milk... everything we needed for 3 large breakfasts!

Day 3

We took a day trip to Port Renfrew (left of Sooke on the map above). Port Renfrew itself was not a very, um, interesting town. But it has the Botanical Beach! The beach is made of sandstone, and the waves have carved out the most amazing tidepools I've ever seen! Some are big enough to snorkel in, although I don't think it's allowed. They are also so clear, deep, and filled with sea creatures.

It seemed artistic, like God purposefully placed each creature in a specific spot. We watched the crashing waves, duelling hermit crabs, and sat and stared at the open ocean. What a beautiful and peaceful spot!

Next, we fished with no luck off a wharf, and then ate a late lunch/early dinner on the patio of a pub (the only restaurant in town) while watching the eagles soar overhead.

Day 4

We went to the Titanic exhibit at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria. It was awesome! Definately recommend it.

Then we programmed the "hot touristy spots" in Victoria on our GPS and let the GPS take us on a free tour of Victoria. It was so much fun! We got out of the car at Craigdarroch Castle (spelling?), wandered the grounds and peeked through the curtains. Cheap? Yes! But we saved $25!

This was our last evening at Otter Cove. Every evening we went in the private hot tub on the beach and watched for whales at dusk. It was great!

Day 5 - 7

Left Otter Cove and headed North to Miracle Beach campground (thanks Jared for the recommendation!). It's beautiful! We could barely see any campers from our site. And we were close to the showers and bathrooms, to which this pregnant lady says "AMEN"!

During our 3 days here, the mornings were spent going on excursions to Campbell River to explore, and the afternoons were spent on the beach.

In the day, the tide goes out so far you can walk forever on the sand. And the slope of the sand is so gradual that you can wade in 100 meters! It was awesome! Colin spent most of his time skim boarding and snorkelling, and I spent most of my time doing my puzzles on the beach.

I was really uncomfortable sitting on the sand, so Colin carved out a hole in the sand and put my towel over it. Then I could lay down on my front with my belly comfy cozy in the sand! Yeah it looked funny, but it was comfy!

In the evenings, we went on walks, did more exploring and salmon fishing in Campbell river.

My favourite outing though, was a trip down memory lane.

We went to visit my grandparents grave in Courtenay. I haven't seen it for 14 years, and I was shocked that I remembered where the cemetary was. Then we went for a delicious dinner at a Grill in town. After, I phoned my parents for directions to my grandparents old house, and we went to go see it. It was nice to show Colin where I have a lot of memories and tell him some stories.

Day 8

Headed south to Tillicum to visit JLo. We had a fun day with them fishing, playing games and just hanging out in the sunshine. They go there every year with their family. We feel like part of their family, as they stuffed our faces with lots of food! We were only there for about 24 hours, but I'm sure you'll read all about their trip on their blog.

Day 9

Went to a Salvation Army church with the fam in the morning, Tim Hortons for lunch, and then had to pack up and go home. I'm SOOO glad we reserved the ferry!

I know in a past blog I was really upset that we couldn't go on a cruise for vacation this year, but really, we had SUCH a great time that I don't think a cruise would have been better! It was perfect to be able to have tons of time for us to talk, explore, and enjoy being just the two of us. It was the perfect "last vacation before baby".

That being said, we can't wait to take baby camping!

Blogging Laziness

2007-06-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I was going camping, and wondered how I'd be able to handle it, being 31 weeks pregnant.

Well, despite the FREEZING cold nights (literally) where I had to trek multiple times to the loo, and despite the mummy bag I had to fit into with my pregnancy pillow... I think I did ok! It sure was fun! Good friends, good fun, good food!

Colin caught more fish than I've ever seen him catch. I wanted him to go buy a lottery ticket because it seemed like his lucky day. I think he caught 20 (most were catch and release) over the 2 days. There was one time when he was standing on the shore PRACTICING his fly casting - NOT EVEN TRYING TO CATCH A FISH - and he caught one on the first cast! CRAZY!

Here's where the "Blogging Laziness" comes in. Check out the Vikings Blog for photos of the fun weekend!

Randomness

2007-06-22T12:34:00.000-07:00

I have never done a post on randomness. I usually wait until I have something worthwhile to write about and then try to make an intelligent piece of writing about the one topic.

My pregnant brain does not let me do this often anymore so here are my random thoughts du jour.

*****

16 more shifts until my Mat leave!

8 vacation days before my Mat leave!

I wonder how good I'll be at being almost 8 months preggers, sleeping in a tent with -1 degree weather.

Orange Mocha Light Frappachinos are my favourite thing in the world. Too bad I have to remortgage the house to support my addiction. So much for abstaining from coffee.

I wonder if there will ever be a time in my life again when I am not obsessively thinking about my child. Probably not.

I do "Kakuro" puzzles probably an hour a day right now for a few reasons: to try an ward off "pregnancy brain", to help with morning sickness on the train, and because I SUCK at sitting down and not doing anything.

I want a wiener dog.

My child does not have a name yet. Hey, let's play "name my child"! Any takers?

I have not had ANY morning sickness in 7 days! Hallelujah!

My lunch break is finished........now.

Easy Breezy Summer Recipe

2007-06-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

For lack of anything else to write about, and since everyone is blogging about BBQing, I have to share a simple recipe we put with all summer meals. It's a low-fat-dip-like-thing that goes with almost everything.

Stir together the following ingredients:

1 8 oz pkg of light cream cheese at room temp
1 single serving container no-fat plain yogurt
3 (or more) crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano (from garden if available)
1 tsp basil (from garden if available)
Salt and Pepper

Viola! So easy, so delicious!

Of course if you are like my husband and don't like low fat stuff, you can always make the "with fat" variety (although I made the low fat one last time and he didn't notice a taste difference..tee hee so sneaky).

I got this recipe originally as a dip for hot buffalo chicken wings. We loved it. So we started using it instead of Tzatziki sauce for our Greek dishes. Now I use it to go along with:

any BBQ'd meat
skewered veggies
rice
fish
dip for raw veggies
maybe even chips?
stick in a wrap with Greek salad and rice...one of our fave meals
right now I think it would go great smothered on a toasted sesame bagel with mashed avacados, but I think that's a pregnancy thing

Please try and let me know how you like it!

Input, Please!

2007-06-07T12:24:00.001-07:00

Colin and I really want to go on an Alaskan cruise. We've never been on a cruise before. We've heard that the scenery is breathtaking (BC is the most beautiful place on earth in our opinion), and that the food is the BEST of any food of any other cruise.

I thought it would be perfect for us this year! I'm really hot all the time now, so Alaska sounds great about now. Plus, we both love to eat! Especially now!

A month ago I found the best deal ever on Jubilee Travel "best bets". If you booked on that one specific day, a 7-day all-inclusive leave Vancouver, and return to Vancouver was LESS THAN $500 per person, all taxes included! That's a third of regular price!!

So thinking it's some kind of heavenly sign, I booked it! While I was in the process of booking, I happened to mention that I'd be 33 weeks pregnant at the time. Then the travel agent said, "Really? Oh......You know that no cruise ship will let women who are more than 27 weeks on board?".

Me and my stupid big mouth.

Oh well. I get nauseated on the train in the morning so what makes me think 168 hours on a boat would be any better?

Someday...someday....

So instead, we are going to Vancouver Island. It has many similarities to a cruise:

We must take a cruise ship (er, BC ferry) to get there
We will be eating a lot of All-Inclusive food from Save-On
We will be seeing BC scenery
Even though we're not staying in a cabin on the cruise ship, we will still be staying at various cabins (or are they called tents?)

All sarcasm aside, I am still very excited, even though its not a cruise! Colin and I only need each other to make a trip memorable, adventureous (but not too much), exciting and relaxing! Where we go is just details.

But it's the details that I need your help with.

Has anyone ever been to a great campsite, B&B or hotel on the Island that they'd recommend? Preferably something that costs less than $150 per night, and nowhere near Tofino. We might splurge on a night or two but will most likely stick to the tent the rest of the time.

Looking forward to your input!

Our Garden

2007-06-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons we really wanted to buy a house with a yard is to have a garden. In our apartment we enjoyed growing flowers and veggies in pots on our deck. I love getting my garden gloves dirty and watching seeds and seedlings grow a little more every day. And I love being able to go outside to get the ingredients for dinner.

We've been at this house for almost 2 years, but last year we just didn't have enough time to build our garden before planting season.

We were determined to get it done this year.

The concrete blocks we used to build it were 36 pounds each, and I lost count at about 100 blocks we needed. So Colin got weightlifting training by having to lift every block into the truck, and load every one on the wheelbarrow, load them onto the ground and then lift again to get it into place. He had help from a friend for one load but other than that he lifted TONNES. Literally.

We also needed 2 truckloads full of gravel and 3 truckloads full of soil. I must admit that I over-did myself and helped quite a bit with the shovelling of gravel and dirt, which are probably both on the pregnancy "no-no" list.

I was amazed at how Colin was able to build this wall on a sloped surface, and get it perfectly level! He did a great job!! I shouldn't be amazed though, he's good at every home reno he tries.

Here is the end result:

Notice the back left corner in the above photo. I went out for a while one day a few weeks back and I came home and Colin had done this:

He put in a pond! I had so much fun planting flowers around it!

In the garden we planted leeks, chives, basil, cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, chili peppers, green peppers, jalepenos, carrots, eggplant, zuchinni and rhubarb. Along the retaining wall I planted sweet peas and sunflowers which I hope will cover the wall. Then of course in the corner of the garden is the pond and flower section.

We have sketches that we did last year for our garden ideas and it looks almost identical to our plans.

This clematis is in our front garden, not the back one, but I had to put a photo of it anyway. It's covered with about 15 of these gorgeous 6" diameter flowers!

The flowers in the front yard (in planter boxes, pots, hanging baskets and in the garden) make the house look so cheerful, and the garden in the back is our new little piece of tranquility.

Fly Away, Jay

2007-06-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Blue Jays and us generally have a rocky relationship. Last year, they lived in the tree immediately beside our bedroom window and would wake us up early every morning. Since then, a family of racoons moved into that tree, so they had to move to the other side of the yard.

We've enjoyed them this year. They're beautiful, and we love watching them go about their birdy life in our yard.

Yesterday after work, Colin and I were in the backyard watering the garden. I noticed a blue jay sitting on the grass, not moving. So we went to check it out to see if it was alive. When we got close enough, we realized it was a baby jay! It was so cute, all fluffy with baby feathers!

He was alive, but it was apparent he hadn't learned how to fly yet, as he flapped his cute wings trying with all his might. He must have fallen from his nest.

We have a lot of cats in our neighbourhood (doesn't everyone) and we often see racoons on the prowl at night, so we were very worried for the well-being our our new little friend.

We've heard that if you touch a baby animal, the parents will reject it, so without touching it, we sort of chased it a few feet into an area of our yard that is covered by branches on the ground. At least there it had SOME protection.

Since it was hot, we ate dinner on the deck. We could still see the little guy sitting right where we left him. As we ate, we heard it's parents on the opposite side of our yard, squaking in their nest. They sounded upset that we were even outside. Colin tried to get a closer look, but just about got divebombed, so moved away again.

As we watched, the parents took turns taking food to their lost baby on the other side of the yard, and then quickly moved away from it, as if to avoid drawing attention to it's whereabouts. They would watch over it from different locations: the trees, the fence, the grass...always being careful to not give away his location.

We had to go out for the evening. I must admit I thought about it while we were gone. When we got home, we were relieved to see that it was still ok! Colin surrounded it even more with twigs and branches in hopes that it would stay safe for the night.

Colin's paternal instinct is kicking in. A year ago he would have said "Who cares, let nature be". But now, he feels bad that mommy and daddy Jay might lose an offspring.

This morning, as I was eating my breakfast with the back door open, I noticed a white cat in the backyard with a bird in its mouth. I freaked out. I ran outside and grabbed rocks and threw them at the cat so he would drop his fresh catch. I went to go see what bird it was and luckily, it was not our little Jay.

I searched the area where the Jay was the night before, but I couldn't see it. I didn't know exactly where to look though, as Colin was the one who tucked it in for the night. So I updated my sleepy husband on my findings, and then had to go to work without knowing exactly what happened.

Colin emailed me when he got to work saying, "I looked for the Jay this morning and couldn't find him. Maybe he found his wings".

I hope so.

Bring it On

2007-05-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is my favourite season. And although it's not technically here yet, my increased hormones are telling me that it's 30 degrees out, so for me, summer is here.

One of the things I absolutely love about summer is the meals. Colin goes fishing more, and catches me lots of fish! He went on Mothers Day weekend with his parents and caught his limit by 9am one day! So he came home with 12 beautiful rainbow trout. I had hoped there would be a blog entry about his trip, but there's not!

Anyways, last night we enjoyed one of these rainbow trout, along with BBQ'd veggie skewers (the veggies are from Al's Farm Market of course) and some pesto pasta! MMMmmm MMmmm!!

The food isn't the only good thing about the meals though. Location location! There's no better place to eat than sitting on the porch in the quiet backyard, watching birds make nests, and admiring the new veggie garden!

Later that night it was still quite warm, so we lit a citronella candle and relaxed on the porch. It was almost like a mini vacation in our own backyard.

Ahhhh, summer!

The Family Car

2007-05-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

On the weekend we ticked off one of the boxes on our "Things to do before baby comes" list.

We bought a 4-door car.

We'd been sort-of looking for awhile, but then found a great deal, so we had to jump on it. We talked to the woman selling it at 11:30am, and by 2:15pm we were back at home with it!

It's a 1998 Toyota Corolla...the newest car I've ever had! Even though it's 9 years old, it feels brand new to us.

Fresh, and Good For You

2007-05-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

I just had a mandarin orange for lunch! MMMmmm. A treat! Usually they're only available around Christmas, but we found some at my favourite produce place.

This is my plug for Al's Farm Market in Port Coquitlam. If you live in PoCo, and don't get your veggies there, you're missing out.

We went the other day and got cherry tomatoes, cilantro, baby carrots, onions, mandarin oranges, strawberries, apples, avacados, lemons, limes, green peppers, yellow peppers, leeks and a hunk of deli meat and only paid $20.

The yellow peppers are $1.49/lb as opposed to the $3.99/lb at Save-On. Pineapples are usually $3, Save-On rips you off at $6-7. Cherry tomatoes on the vine are $1.50 and twice that at Save-On. Deli meat is $1.29/100g instead of $1.79+/100g. I could go on and on. EVERYTHING is cheaper, and of good quality (not like Fruiticana...yuck)!

I can't believe I've done an entire blog entry about fruit & vegetables. But I am passionate about veggies and love starting my week with an array of different delicious and fresh things to cook with. I'm also passionate about a deal.

So there you go. Shop at Al's Farm Market on Shaughnessy by A&W.