Checking In

Hi all! I have been incredibly absent lately. Most of our house has had strep throat in the last while and, of course, it all started with me (about three weeks ago). It took me almost 2 weeks to shake it (even with antibiotics) and I've just started really feeling good in the last few days. All three little ones are on antibiotics, too, so hopefully it has been eradicated. Frankly, that's more days than I'm usually sick in a couple or three years, let alone all in one month!

Also, my guest CT spot at ScrapMatters has been keeping me busy, too. I posted some more layouts that I did this month over at my scrappy blog, if you wanna go look! I have had fun and gotten a lot of pages done this month but it has been time consuming, too!

I'm working on a post in my head but I have some photos to edit for it first so maybe in the next couple of days!

In other exciting news, the Ford World Men's Curling Championship starts on Saturday!! We have tickets to several of the draws during the ten days and my parents are even coming down to go to some of them with us. I'm so excited! I was disappointed with how the women's turned out...especially due to the fact that extremely poor play lost Amber Holland the final (it's one thing to play well and lose and another to blow 4 shots in one end!). She did well for her first appearance but really should have won! I love how my kids have gotten into it, too. Xander is so excited to go see a game for real and Evan has even watched some on TV with us. On the weekend, we were watching a game and he sat there talking to the TV...hurry, guys. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry, guys. Yep. Yep. - it was so cute! And I guess it proves he can pay attention!

Also, I have a new niece and that's kind of exciting but I haven't gotten to actually see her yet. It will be more exciting then.

Otherwise, I'm going to sign off for now.

Until next time...

Stopping by for a change...Days 29 and 30

Well, I totally fell off the blogging wagon...and I mean totally. There are a few factors...first, I so didn't know what to write for day 29 (I'm still not sure if I do but it's time to move on!)...second, then I got sick and wasn't on my computer at all...third, I'm guest CTing (creative team) at ScrapMatters in March so I've been trying to scrap like crazy over there (hopefully I'll post the layouts to my scrap blog in the next few days)! But, I've decided that it's about time I finish off what I started, otherwise it will just hang over my head!

Day 29 - Three Wishes

This is the day that stumped me. I guess I just have a notion about wishes that doesn't lead me to making them (other than ones like, I wish my child would go to sleep...). Wishes don't really fit into my world view...I'm not going to go into detail here and now but what I believe about who God is and how He works does not include a genie in a bottle so wishes are pointless. If you want detail - let me know, but I thought I'd keep this post simple. There you go.

Day 30 - A Picture

Well, I have lots of these (ha ha) but it says "a" picture so I guess I will stick to that. This is a photo I took for a challenge at ScrapMatters on breaking the rules with your portraits. I love how it turned out! I love that my subject is out of focus but you can still see the wonder and concentration in his face!

There! I finished off the 30 days and I had a lot of fun doing it. Heather (who started this all) came up with an extended challenge and has a general post for each day (photo Friday, wacky Wednesday) but I'm not sure if I'll participate. Mostly just because I need the more specific prompts to keep me interested, I think. Maybe I'll use her prompts sometimes, though, because I'd like to keep blogging fairly regularly!

Well, I guess I've finished this off now! We haven't been up to too much, lately, just watching curling (the Brier's on this week!) and that's about it. We did go swimming on Friday and it was quite a bit of fun. The kids just love the slides and Jonathan really enjoyed the baby pool, too, once he got over the shock of all the people and noise! I think we're all over this illness, too, so I'm glad about that!

Hopefully I'll be back soon!

Until next time...

Days 26 to 28 - Catching Up

Well, I'm here trying to catch up on my blog posts! It's a long weekend this weekend here in SK and I'm trying to enjoy it!! Actually, I'm trying to get things done - I spent all yesterday on the other side of my computer trying to get my finances all straightened out and I'm almost done, which is very exciting for me! Otherwise, I'm not up to much - oh except ruining supper and fun things like that!

So, Friday night, I went to make beef stroganoff. The meat was browning in the oven and the sauce was starting on the stove. I was a bit behind (as is often the case with making supper!). I had the sour cream, mushroom soup and mushrooms in the pot and was trying to get the beef bouillon powder out of the spice cupboard above the stove. I heard a big crash (right as Jason walked in the door) and saw something fall out of the cupboard. It feel right into my pot on the stove. The burner wasn't on yet, so I finished what I was doing and went to fish it out, thinking I would just take it out and go on. Well, my vanilla (brand new just a month ago - the bigger bottle) had fallen into my pot. The glass jar didn't break (whew!) but the little plastic lid broke into two pieces and my stroganoff was now filled with vanilla (and vice versa). I'm not a really adventurous eater and I know some may like vanilla in savoury dishes but I think it was too much. Needless to say, we ordered in that night! The worst part was the waste of the vanilla - that sucked!

So, now on to the three days I need to catch up on:

Day 26 - A Picture of Your Family

Since families have different levels, I thought I'd post a few pictures for you to get a better view of who these people all are.

This is my immediate family - these are our photos from last summer (taken by Lilyfield Photography!) They turned out so cute!

This is from a year ago (Christmas 2009). This is my side of the family. I have six siblings and there are numerous spouses and grandkids in there. Since this photo was taken we have added one to our family and two of my sisters are soon to add another one each.
This photo is from this past Christmas of Jason's family. He has two sisters and their family members.
So, those are our families in photo form!

Day 27 - Pets

Nope. We have none. To be honest, I used to have a cat (named Ned) but I've decided that pets are way more work than I want to put in. I don't really want to clean up after them and the kids haven't decided that they really want one so I have no reason to get one. Jason likes dogs but he doesn't really want to clean up after them, either. Growing up we lived in the country and we always had tons of cats around but they were lower maintenance because they were farm cats and stayed outside. We had a few dogs over time but they seemed to disappear quickly. We also managed to kill off several goldfish but I don't think that's too big an accomplishment!

Day 28 - Something that Stresses You Out

Hmmm. I'm not sure what to put here. I don't stress out really easily but I'm sure there must be something that stresses me out. I just can't think of it at the moment. Well, I guess the only thing that comes to mind is winter driving. Not the regular stuff but when there's been a couple inches of snow and the roads are icy, then it kinda stresses me out. I try not to do it any more than I have to! :) Being late stresses me out a bit, too. I hate it but it rarely happens so it doesn't cause me too much stress!

There we go, I guess I'm caught up now!

Until next time...

Day 25 - Put Your iPod on Shuffle, First 10 Songs

Well, this was a bit difficult, since I don't actually have an iPod. Jason did put my music on his old iPod nano for when I was in the hospital with Jonathan but it hasn't been used since and I'm sure it needs to be charged!! However, apparently, I can open iTunes and put it on shuffle and since Jason had to rip my CDs to that to put them on the nano...here is my list of 10 songs:

1. Man Like Me - Steve Larsen

2. What I Really Want to Say - Steven Curtis Chapman

3. Wave Over Wave - Great Big Sea

4. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Josh Groban

5. Little Drummer Boy - Audio Adrenaline

6. Barque in the Harbour - Great Big Sea

7. For Future Generations - 4Him

8. I Want to Be the One - Lonestar

9. Must Be Love - Lonestar

10. The Sycamore Tree - Paul Brandt

Really, I listen to very little music...this list isn't quite representative (since I only have one Lonestar CD but about 5 Paul Brandt CDs) but you can see I listen to some local artists, Great Big Sea, Paul Brandt, Contemporary Christian and Christmas music! That's about it. I'm kinda picky about my music (I think I'm just picky about a lot of things :D) so there aren't very many artists on my playlist!

Until next time...

Day 23 - Favourite Vacation and Day 24 - Something You've Learned

Well, did I tell you that Jason found my receipts for me...sitting on a table in the basement. I had checked the basket next to that spot but not on the table. Seriously...some days!! Anyway, my year end is delivered to the accountant and now I can relax a bit! I will even be caught up with my blogging after today! Yay! So, here we go.

Day 23 - Favourite Vacation

I'd have to say that my favourite vacation was the one Jason and I took for our first anniversary. We went to France for three weeks. We had such a great time riding the train, exploring the country and eating the food!! I didn't get to practise my French as much as I'd like but I did use it a few times. There are tons of stories I could tell but that might get kind of long (though if you want to hear them, feel free to ask!) We really enjoyed the north of France. It was quiet and quaint and so full of history (especially since Jason's a bit of a WWII buff). We spent time at the D-Day beaches and Vimy Ridge:
This was the least touristy area that we visited and I think we really like that! Also, we got to stay in a castle (13th century, I believe) and that was awesome!

We did spend some time in Paris, though 5 days was a bit more than we would have liked (but good, otherwise we would have had to go to Switzerland to get to Paris to catch or flight home!). Due to striking, the Metro was not a practical choice so it was a good thing that our hotel was just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower.
We also walked over to Notre Dame (but it was a VERY long walk and by the end of three weeks we were used to walking everywhere so that may give you an indication!) Isn't the stained glass gorgeous?
I also got to see Monet's famous garden in Givernay! This was a quaint little town, as well and the irises were in full bloom when we were there!

Those are all the photos that I have scanned from that vacation but we also saw some of the castles in the Loire Valley and spent time on the Mediterranean coast/in Monaco (we even went to the F1 race there)! It was a fantastic vacation and we loved every minute of it!

Day 24 - Something You've Learned

Wow - that's wide open and could be anything. There are many things I've learned in life and many things I have yet to learn. Here are a few things (big and small) that I have learned:

1. God's plans are better than mine. Period.

2. The first day in a foreign country, we always mess something up!!

3. Problems are really just adventures.

4. It's OK if things aren't perfect or done my way (OK, I'm still working on learning this!)

5. Socks don't go missing in the wash if you put them together when you take them off

6. My kids' behaviour often improves at the same time as my attitude.

7. Things are rarely as bad as they seem.

8. Pens migrate. Even after the drawer has been loaded with several...they all seem to disappear.

9. It's not so bad to do the dishes everyday before going to my "fun" things.

10. Kids make you laugh.

There you go, some things I've learned!

Until next time...

Falling Further Behind...

Well, Jason tells me I'm supposed to post since I'm getting further and further behind! Real life has been taking up time lately! I've been trying to get a year end together and then it's teacher and staff appreciation week this week so I was at a work day today (not that they're any fun :D) and I really had a good time! It is so awesome, getting to know some of the other parents and some of the teachers a bit, too!

Also, I love this layout so much that I'm going to share it here. For credits you can go here to my scrap blog! I love this page so much and isn't Jonathan just adorable?!

Oh yeah...Xander passed his swimming lessons!! I was so excited for him! Now, we just have to keep him practising so that he doesn't lose it all before the next set of lessons in the summer!

So, Day 21 is a picture of yourself. Well, there are very few of these! I am behind the camera 99% of the time, unless I tell someone to take a picture of me and then they usually look like I told someone to take a picture of me! Anyway, I like the ones from Christmas but I've shared several of those already and they always have someone else in them so this time, I will do a picture of just me! This was taken after I had a makeover from my MaryKay lady! I've edited it a bit but that's what photo software is for! :)

It's not my favourite photo of me but it's not too bad! This leads well to day 22...

Day 22 - What's in Your Makeup Bag?

Makeup bag? What's that? If you see me very often, you'll know that I wear little to no makeup. I just don't bother for the most part but I also often can't get it to look how I want it to! I actually wore eyeshadow to Jason's Christmas party and that's the first time in ages!! I have managed to purchase mostly MaryKay makeup now...it's very high quality so I really like it. I have a blush, a couple of eyeshadows, brown eyeliner, eyesicles (glittery white highlighter), foundation and some mascara. I use MaryKay's hydrating gel on a semi-regular basis and that has definitely improved some of those lines I'm getting!! Oh, and this is not actually kept in a bag...it's in my medicine cabinet!

That's enough catch up for today. I'm excited for the next post...my favourite vacation...I'd better find some photos to go along with it!

Until next time...

Playing Catch-Up: Days 19 & 20 - Something You Miss & Nicknames

OK - I've not been that busy but I have a few days to catch up on! Technically, today (Sunday) is day 21 but I'll just post a couple a day until I'm caught up! It's not so much that I've been busy but I've been trying to do all my accounting up in order to plan...for that I have to be on the other side of my computer! By that, I mean I have to boot into Windows instead of using the Mac operating system...I can use the internet and stuff there but the settings are all wonky so I don't! (It's easier than setting them up...I don't spend that much time over there.) Though, get this, I'm trying to finish up my year and I've got all the receipts entered except July...any guesses why? Well, it seems I have lost an ENTIRE MONTH of receipts. Seriously. They're probably all lost in the same place, at least :)! Maybe it's like the receipts I lost for the organization I'm treasurer for...gee, I found them under a stack of envelopes right under my nose! Anyway, all that to say I am doing two days today!

First, some chatter...not much has been going on lately but Xander is doing really well with his private swimming lessons. It's great to see how fast he's progressed with the individual attention! Now, he can go with his cousin this summer. That was the goal! Wow, that's the only exciting thing going on here. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day but we don't do anything because we're not big Hallmark supporters ;)! Xander will have a swimming lesson, instead! I do love the candy, though, so I picked up a couple of things. Now, on to the 30 days...

Day 19 - Something You Miss

I've tried to think of this and figure out what to write. I'm having troubles, though. Of course I miss my family because we don't live in the same place and I'd love to see them more but there are phone conversations and enough visits that I don't have this real feeling of missing them. I do miss the carefree days of childhood, on occasion. You know, the days when someone else had to figure out where the water in the ceiling is coming from and how to pay for the new furnace...those days! But, I love my life so I can't really say that I constantly long for those days. I miss having a big stove...it's been 15 years and since I lived at home but 24" is just NOT 30". I also miss being able to buy gobstoppers in bulk. I haven't been able to find them again and that used to be my "thing". When I was (basically an intern) I used to keep a container on my desk. A box doesn't go very far so I always bought in bulk. Now I can't find them (if you know where to get them...let me know!!) There you go, a few things I miss!

Day 20 - Nicknames

This is easy...I give them to everybody and I have none myself. No one has ever called me anything other than Sandra. I once had a teacher call me Sandy and my entire class freaked out on him so that never went very far! I never cared one way or another. However, I give nicknames to everyone I know, almost! I even shortened my brother Rene's name to Ren. So there's the skinny on me and nicknames!

Well, lookee there - two days done! I'm starting to talk-type goofily so I'd better go now!!

Until next time...