Thursday, August 31, 2006

hello neglected blog

How have you been? good?
Good. Me too.
Regan asked me last night if I was giving up on this. I'm not.... I just haven't really made it a priority. At night Regan uses the computer to study - every night almost. So I can't get on to post. And during the day.... well sometimes I jsut can't get to it. Or I don't.

We've been doing lots of good things.

Alden went #2 in the potty. Seriously excited that it happened. I was beginning to lose hope that he would ever become potty trained. He is closing in on 4 pretty quickly. Daily in fact. He didn't do it yesterday, it was back in the pull up. BUT it did happen. So there is hope yet.

We (as in me and the kiddies) went to Banff to visit some goooood friends the Yawneys. Love the Yawneys. Mark and Regan have been friends for years. And they both married girls who get along with and like each other- a bonus. And we have two kids - same ages. So it is good. Jody and me and the kids played and went to the park. And visited. It was great. We will be back.

And I've been scrapbooking. A lot at night again. Now that my own space is up and Regan is busy at nights... and days... so I go down to the dungen... also referred to as my scrap space. I have decided that I want to get published. And some days I am not sure if I am good enough to, but I have never really put forth an effort - not really my style to stick my neck out. I have tried a few things, but never really sent a lot it. It is scary to me. And disheartening. But alas.... i want it. So i'll give it a go. And see what happens. More pages actually sent in to magazines.

I also started swimming. In the mornings. Gone 2 out of the last 3 days. This is big for me since I have a phobia of water. Deep water. I had a very very very scary experience as a child.... involving a mean older child taking away my floating device....then a black out in water. I am not that good at swimming - but I have started doing lengths. I need the exercise. I am so terribly out of shape.

(if you have made it this far - congratualtions.)

One more thing.... i am going to do some contract design work. I am seriously excited about this. More deets later!

Adios!

Monday, August 14, 2006

good stuff

Alden's toys are out and we got a sandbox from Uncle Sean..... he's happy
Lucy is crawling.... she's happy.
Regan is getting back into the school groove... he's happy.
My scrap area is arranged and the smell is waaay bettter around here... i'm happy.
Starting to feel like we live here.




Wanted to share this great family photo we had taken in Nova Scotia just a few days before we left. My friend Nichola took it. There are lots I just love. Love the colors and the great lifeguard chair.




















Monday, August 07, 2006

make it home

Where should I start to explain the last few weeks..... um....

We've had some great great time with family.
Which has been wonderful.
Got to see and be with all my silbings and their spouses and families
Only one of Regan' so far - but soon we will see two others.
We have been blessed too spend time with lots of family.
And when I would start to worry about how we hadn't gone to the other side's home... I had to stop myself and say wait a minute.. We live here. We can see them another time soon.
How cool.

As for the housing situation.
I must admit that I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was for the change of lifestyle we made.
We weren't living high on the hog before on anything, but we had a nice house.
In a nice quiet neighborhood
With great neighbors.
And a huge deck....
huge yard....
three bedrooms....
a whole playroom.
And the best kitchen and a dishwasher.

We don't have that anymore.
Tonight in fact is the first night we are going to all spend in our new place together.
The first day we got here in stunk.
I don't mean like a little stuffy.
I mean I just about vomited walking in here.
My mother in law asked me if I would have rented this place if I would have seen it first and well probably not.

There are pet people out there. People who love their animals and think of them as children and would do anything for them.
And then there are non pet people.
I am in the later half.
I think animals are nice.
Hey I grew up on a farm.
I had my own horse and about 20 different cats and dogs.
But all that is a completely different post.
But anyway, I do not want any more pets. Ever.
I just am not a pet person.
I like animals - at someone else's house.
Although I'd take a horse. I'd love a horse again. But my yard isn't quite big enough.

So whoever lived in this place.... They had pets.
Dogs.
Inside dogs.
That she didn't take care of.

And I have super nose.
I can smell very well.
Super well.
Almost creepily well.

When I cleaned the kitchen last week... before we moved in... There was dog poo under the fridge. Along with dog food and huge mounds of dog hair.
More under the stove.
Pee in the heating vents.
That is enough to give you the level of grossness.

Needless to say I used 4 Liters of bleach in 2 days.
I bleached every surface possible.
And tried all possible smell removal products.
(I think Arm and Hammer Pet Odor remover was the best that I found by the way.)

We left for the long weekend and it stunk of bleach in here
We came back today and well... It was stinky again.
Nothing to the level of before.
But I can still smell it.


I guess overall I just hope I can turn this place into a home where I am happy to be for 20 hours a day. Since I am at home a LOT.
And a place where my kids are happy.
And that I am happy.
And that is stink free.

Got lots of boxes to put away.
LOTS of boxes.
And every box we opened Alden asked if it was his train tracks.
I think he missed them.