The year is about to end, the children are sleeping and i am.....trying to stay awake....maybe evben sober....LOL
The year in review....
I gained....the beautiful shoeless acres, my peace of paradise, my space of mine to garden run free and beeeeeee!!! My children have grown learned and loved, and i am blessed
I lossed...a piece of my heart, it was broken, it was lost and i hope will one day be found again. I will not pray cause it just does not happen that way...life happens life loves life lives life sucks....but still life smiles.
my goal has and always be ..... to be happy.
Happiness comes with a smile, happiness begins with sunshine, and if you look straight through the clouds, and take a deep breath from the toes to the smile...you will find the happy in your happy day.
LOVE LIGHT AND POSITIVE THOUGHTS...with peace and loony
xoxoxxoanut
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Three more sleeps and 18lbs!!!!!!!!!!
Oh the day is almost here!!! The day I get to roast my bird...an eighteen pounder!!!!! The tale of two turkeys took place yesterday...and things could not have gone smoother!! My cute little farmhands dressed and ready...they beat me to the coup, pushing along the "transporter" saying goodbye to their farminals...with Aspen sneeking them one last snack. I was so proud of them, they really did take care of the birds all summer long, and they didn't stop helping till the very end...including wanting to meet the butcher! And the butcher shop was quite a seen! I didn't let the kids get out as there was quite a few trucks loaded with turkeys, and chickens. It was the last day of the year til spring, the butcher goes south, which is no wonder with the amount of business he seems to have!!! But didn't all the farmers get a grin on their faces when I arrived. They carried their birds upside down by the feet!!! While I chose the humane method of swaddling them in a blankie...LOL. The one farmer was laughing asking me if I raised them in the house they were "so pretty" When I gandered into his truck and around me...it would seem the other turkeys were very dirty with feathers the color of cooking onions!!! So I chuckled back and said "well atleast Dennis(the butcher) will know which are mine cause they are obviously the prettiest!!" The kids were disappointed they could not get out of the car, but considering the amount of stuff dripping everywhere...ewww!!! But at the end of the day, I think I have changed my mind and will infact get more turkeys next year...what an adventure!
onto the good stuff!!! xmas!!! Dennis(my hubby..lol) is off for holidays..until ... he wants to go back , Alex arrives Wednesday with my parents, and besides groceries...a gift certi, and gas for the skidoo...I am ready!!!
onto the good stuff!!! xmas!!! Dennis(my hubby..lol) is off for holidays..until ... he wants to go back , Alex arrives Wednesday with my parents, and besides groceries...a gift certi, and gas for the skidoo...I am ready!!!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Crunch Is On
Well only a couple shopping days left and yes...I still have to go do more! With the kiddies home I don't like shopping with them because the stores are so packed and...i am a bit of a germ0phobe. i make them wear mini mits into the stores at all times this time of year for fear of what they might touch, if i had a vehicle big enough i would probably invest in a portable toilet! LOL Even Alex has been on trips with his mom where he needed a bathroom and he has commented after a long detour to find one that if he was with me I would just find a good tree!
The weather is looking fantastic today which is good for me because it is the last sleep for the turkeys and I have a trail to cut in the snow! I am not supposed to feed them today....but I am guessing the guilt will set in and i might sneek them their last meal. It is going to be interesting tomorrow when I try to transport these birds..hopefully Aspen can capture the moment with the digial when I end up chasing turkeys across the snofilled yard!!!! I am also thinking that I know how to actually start the sled now...and that may be easier than shovelling to make the trail. Dennis was "grooming" the trails last night...aka playing around for 45mins. Such a boy with a toy, but it usually involves the boy coming to the window with a frown(scowl) waving for my assistance because...he got the sled stuck (again) "just trying to make a new trail for the kids"
We also have to finish up our schoolwork because here at the shoeless acres academy we go with the public school holidays and now snow days too!!LOL The end of the month where I round up their worksheets and artwork and file it away in the box. They are loving cooking day on Wednesdays. Yesterday it was simple instant pudding and a pie shell i had my mom make and freeze during her last visit . But they are learning about measurements and fractions all at the same time as licking the spatula. Great fun really. Ryki loves anything math, while aspen is really starting to pick up on the phonics of reading. But they have both regained interest in the "schooltype" programs on the computer again lately and most times work together at it. Not to mention Aspen's sudden jump ahead in her art...she is creating some fantastic characters, baffling those watching til suddenly the swirls and lumps transform into a xmas elf!!! Yes we are enjoying the homeschool experience right now to the fullest. I call our academy unschooled just cause we don't follow a set curriculum, time schedule or plans. The kids choose what they want to learn about with my instructions of...this month we are learning about different species. We do make plans ie/ Aspen has decided we should start Yoga in January...which may be interesting, I like yoga, I understand and appreciate it but in truth I have no patience for it...LOL They follow their chore charts, and past the academic, they have their gardening in the summer, they learned this summer about raising the farminals, including Aspen setting up a separate pen for the injured birds she nursed back to health. But really they are just five and six right now, and there is so much time for set schedules, we are all just enjoying being free right now.
ahhh...the tea is finished the sun is up and bright and I must get a move on it....aughhhh the wildlife around here...I just kicked the damn cat out, thinking he was being a jerk to his bro and now aspen yells MOUSE!!!!!! guess i will let the tiger back in now cause in reality his bro is looking a little stunned and lazy right now...and i want the mouse bastards gone!!!!
The weather is looking fantastic today which is good for me because it is the last sleep for the turkeys and I have a trail to cut in the snow! I am not supposed to feed them today....but I am guessing the guilt will set in and i might sneek them their last meal. It is going to be interesting tomorrow when I try to transport these birds..hopefully Aspen can capture the moment with the digial when I end up chasing turkeys across the snofilled yard!!!! I am also thinking that I know how to actually start the sled now...and that may be easier than shovelling to make the trail. Dennis was "grooming" the trails last night...aka playing around for 45mins. Such a boy with a toy, but it usually involves the boy coming to the window with a frown(scowl) waving for my assistance because...he got the sled stuck (again) "just trying to make a new trail for the kids"
We also have to finish up our schoolwork because here at the shoeless acres academy we go with the public school holidays and now snow days too!!LOL The end of the month where I round up their worksheets and artwork and file it away in the box. They are loving cooking day on Wednesdays. Yesterday it was simple instant pudding and a pie shell i had my mom make and freeze during her last visit . But they are learning about measurements and fractions all at the same time as licking the spatula. Great fun really. Ryki loves anything math, while aspen is really starting to pick up on the phonics of reading. But they have both regained interest in the "schooltype" programs on the computer again lately and most times work together at it. Not to mention Aspen's sudden jump ahead in her art...she is creating some fantastic characters, baffling those watching til suddenly the swirls and lumps transform into a xmas elf!!! Yes we are enjoying the homeschool experience right now to the fullest. I call our academy unschooled just cause we don't follow a set curriculum, time schedule or plans. The kids choose what they want to learn about with my instructions of...this month we are learning about different species. We do make plans ie/ Aspen has decided we should start Yoga in January...which may be interesting, I like yoga, I understand and appreciate it but in truth I have no patience for it...LOL They follow their chore charts, and past the academic, they have their gardening in the summer, they learned this summer about raising the farminals, including Aspen setting up a separate pen for the injured birds she nursed back to health. But really they are just five and six right now, and there is so much time for set schedules, we are all just enjoying being free right now.
ahhh...the tea is finished the sun is up and bright and I must get a move on it....aughhhh the wildlife around here...I just kicked the damn cat out, thinking he was being a jerk to his bro and now aspen yells MOUSE!!!!!! guess i will let the tiger back in now cause in reality his bro is looking a little stunned and lazy right now...and i want the mouse bastards gone!!!!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Countdown(s) are on!
Well seven more days till xmas, and only three more sleeps for my turkeys! I think I am pretty much ready for xmas, with a few presents to buy still, and of course the groceries....that will be an 8am trip out Saturday to stock up and avoid the madness of the crowds. People seem so rushed and grumpy in the stores, I try to get in and out before the rush is on. But eating is one of our favorite parts of the holidays!!! Besides the turkey, there are Dennis' meatballs, passed down from his former MotherInLaw, little italian things that he loves to shape not in the form of a meatball, but more like...a dog turd???? i think he does it to ward people off...but they still get gobbled every year. Then of course we will spend xmas eve gorging out on Dumplings...tasty little ginger treats from a recipe I mastered over the years, nothing is more fun than sitting around the table with the kids making 100 little dumplings, they are pros now. And of course onto the goodies, chocolates, and treats.
I am still mastering my plan to transport the turkeys. With all this snow, I can no longer drive back to their coup, they are too big to fit in a crate, and I picture them "flying" out of the back of Dennis' truck. So far I am thinking I will have to transport them via the whoville sleigh, and then into the hatch of the hyundai. Aspen is worried they will peck her head on the way there so she has plans to wear her ski helmet??? LOL And we are all experiencing some feelings of guilt. They were such pathetic looking birds all summer really, but now they are gigantic white feathered birds that gobble and run to my feet when i enter the coup. Unfortunately for the birds, the guilt subsides quickly when I imagine the freshly roasted bird for xmas!!!
But holidays here we come!!! Alex will be home on boxing day for ten sleeps, but sadly Anthony the oldest will not be coming. It will be strange I suppose as this will be our first xmas without him, but that is all part of the family blender...sometimes you just don't get the smoothie you are looking for. I am excited to explore the neighbourhood a little more during the break. In the winter blast this past weekend I had a chance to meet a couple of them. One family down the road turns out has a set of twins boy/girl who are seven and another boy-9...fantastic as my spartan Ryki is longing for a "boy" to play with, and I am longing for Aspen to meet someone other than her current "girlfriend" I feel terrible thinking this way, but the kid drives me crazy! So we have plans to meet for cocoa and toboganning over the holidays...luckily there is a giant hill between our place and theirs. Another neighbour turned up on his sled Sunday too to invite us over on New Year Eve. He is having a big (huge!) bonfire, outdoor party and kid friendly. Apparently there is a cave in the rockface behind his home he sets up for the kids to play in So I might go just to see that!!!
On a wildlife note....the new drown the bastards mouse trap has yet to catch anything???!!!! and the saltdough ornaments we made last week are looking really pretty sitting beside the tree on a tray....Daisy managed to eat up my peace sign, sparkes and all and now the kids are afraid to put theirs up incase they are gobbled too!!! I got lucky yesterday after spending 45mins shovelling out my mailbox only to have a grader come down the road and fill it back in!!! The bank at the end of the drive was up to my waist!!! But I think standing at the end of the drive with shovel in hand waving at the driver (nicely!!not a fist or finger) when he finished up the dead end he returned with a quick swerve and scoop cleaning the mailbox and removing most of the snow from the end of the drive!!! It is so deep in the front yard now that when Daisy jumps from the road over the bank...she can't touch!!! and has to literally "swim " out of the snow. Better yet though, after five days of searching for one little part, our snoblower is fixed.... Funny how hard it can be to find a chain link for a 1954 snoblower????!!!!!!!
I am still mastering my plan to transport the turkeys. With all this snow, I can no longer drive back to their coup, they are too big to fit in a crate, and I picture them "flying" out of the back of Dennis' truck. So far I am thinking I will have to transport them via the whoville sleigh, and then into the hatch of the hyundai. Aspen is worried they will peck her head on the way there so she has plans to wear her ski helmet??? LOL And we are all experiencing some feelings of guilt. They were such pathetic looking birds all summer really, but now they are gigantic white feathered birds that gobble and run to my feet when i enter the coup. Unfortunately for the birds, the guilt subsides quickly when I imagine the freshly roasted bird for xmas!!!
But holidays here we come!!! Alex will be home on boxing day for ten sleeps, but sadly Anthony the oldest will not be coming. It will be strange I suppose as this will be our first xmas without him, but that is all part of the family blender...sometimes you just don't get the smoothie you are looking for. I am excited to explore the neighbourhood a little more during the break. In the winter blast this past weekend I had a chance to meet a couple of them. One family down the road turns out has a set of twins boy/girl who are seven and another boy-9...fantastic as my spartan Ryki is longing for a "boy" to play with, and I am longing for Aspen to meet someone other than her current "girlfriend" I feel terrible thinking this way, but the kid drives me crazy! So we have plans to meet for cocoa and toboganning over the holidays...luckily there is a giant hill between our place and theirs. Another neighbour turned up on his sled Sunday too to invite us over on New Year Eve. He is having a big (huge!) bonfire, outdoor party and kid friendly. Apparently there is a cave in the rockface behind his home he sets up for the kids to play in So I might go just to see that!!!
On a wildlife note....the new drown the bastards mouse trap has yet to catch anything???!!!! and the saltdough ornaments we made last week are looking really pretty sitting beside the tree on a tray....Daisy managed to eat up my peace sign, sparkes and all and now the kids are afraid to put theirs up incase they are gobbled too!!! I got lucky yesterday after spending 45mins shovelling out my mailbox only to have a grader come down the road and fill it back in!!! The bank at the end of the drive was up to my waist!!! But I think standing at the end of the drive with shovel in hand waving at the driver (nicely!!not a fist or finger) when he finished up the dead end he returned with a quick swerve and scoop cleaning the mailbox and removing most of the snow from the end of the drive!!! It is so deep in the front yard now that when Daisy jumps from the road over the bank...she can't touch!!! and has to literally "swim " out of the snow. Better yet though, after five days of searching for one little part, our snoblower is fixed.... Funny how hard it can be to find a chain link for a 1954 snoblower????!!!!!!!
Friday, December 14, 2007
ahhh...lunchtime and a break
Figure it would be nice to share my green stuff and since the morning stuff is complete...cleaned main floor, kids finished math for the week, found the salt-dough-ornaments recipe online i was looking for, and the new ornaments are on the last 30mins of baking..craft time for the kids! I need new ornaments because Daisy is confusing the ones on the tree with tennis balls!!! #1 reason for having a small tree...wildlife on the acres!! being cheap ... might as well handcraft the decorations today and mix in craft time to boot!
Green Stuff....the stuff I do around the house and in life cause I think the earth deserves better than what it gets.
Cleaning....since my first apartment at 17yrs old I have used two things, the same two things everywhere I go....
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Vinegar...disinfects stuff...and I think freshens the smell of surfaces. I love the stuff...and have multile jugs throughout the house. Glass, surfaces, and fabric softener(when I actually used the dryer, the trick I have learned is to soak a sponge with every load, and it will take a couple of loads to start working) Besides it makes me sneeze, I won't use commercial fabric softener. I don't know who is more surprised when I have pointed out to new moms that it makes your clothes (specially the babes) flammable, me that people don't know it, or the people you tell who don't believe it and then go home to actually read the warning label on the package???
Baking Soda...also multiple boxes throughout the house. you can safely scrub just about anything, including pots and pans. If you are like me, on a septic system a cup of Soda down the toilet every week is great or your tank. Any accidents where the kid/dog does not make it off the carpet when ill...pour on the soda before you go in for the clean up mission, it will absorb the smell and save you a couple of gags! Even better get rid of the carpet...a pet peeve of mine I can't stand the collecting rotten mine field of carpet! When we moved in here and vaccumed the carpets...it was easy to tell from the huge cloud of smoke carpet fresh was used regularily...yuck!
For my highend kickass cleaning...ya know when you have company coming??LOL I swear by my steamer! it cleans any surface going...warning don't do the toilet tank strangely my cousin cracked hers in half! and my glazer husband reminds me no winter cold temp cleaning of the windows..they might just crack! But I know when I am through, any type of bug wanting to invade our space is...steamed to death. Now I just have to save the money to get a steamer mop..woo hoo (are you listening santa??)
Dishes....poached some eggs? burned some kraft dinner to the pot???(you were on the computer weren't you???) Instead of yelling SOS, grab the tag of your bread/milk bag and take the crud away. True story...I have always saved them in the fridge shelves. It would drive Dennis crazy with all the little tags in them, and I would tell him, one day I will find a use for them wait and see! The day came at my mothers cleaning the breakfast dishes. She pulled out her newest handy dandy tool from pampered chef (ithink$8.) and cleaned the poached egg pot in seconds. I looked at the new tool, grabbed a bag of bread and compared...yureka I have now found a use for the tabs..pot scrubbers won't scratch
Burnt Coffee in the coffee pot...I worked in the food&bev industry for many years...quickest easiest clean....cup of ice cubes and a bunch of salt...shake it like you mean it and watch the mess disappear
Snow! I swear by the power of fresh air and the sun to "cleanse things" but a trick I learned in one of my many natural stuff books....when I am cleaning out the car, a rug etc. Flip it dirt down on some fresh snow and start stomping. You may look silly doing the snow dance but the snow is abrasive and will actually pull alot of dirt from your rug.
Well there are a few things, good for our earth and good for your home and family 100%natural and it work's too!!!...look at that a new label for my blog!!!
Green Stuff....the stuff I do around the house and in life cause I think the earth deserves better than what it gets.
Cleaning....since my first apartment at 17yrs old I have used two things, the same two things everywhere I go....
Vinegar and Baking Soda
Vinegar...disinfects stuff...and I think freshens the smell of surfaces. I love the stuff...and have multile jugs throughout the house. Glass, surfaces, and fabric softener(when I actually used the dryer, the trick I have learned is to soak a sponge with every load, and it will take a couple of loads to start working) Besides it makes me sneeze, I won't use commercial fabric softener. I don't know who is more surprised when I have pointed out to new moms that it makes your clothes (specially the babes) flammable, me that people don't know it, or the people you tell who don't believe it and then go home to actually read the warning label on the package???
Baking Soda...also multiple boxes throughout the house. you can safely scrub just about anything, including pots and pans. If you are like me, on a septic system a cup of Soda down the toilet every week is great or your tank. Any accidents where the kid/dog does not make it off the carpet when ill...pour on the soda before you go in for the clean up mission, it will absorb the smell and save you a couple of gags! Even better get rid of the carpet...a pet peeve of mine I can't stand the collecting rotten mine field of carpet! When we moved in here and vaccumed the carpets...it was easy to tell from the huge cloud of smoke carpet fresh was used regularily...yuck!
For my highend kickass cleaning...ya know when you have company coming??LOL I swear by my steamer! it cleans any surface going...warning don't do the toilet tank strangely my cousin cracked hers in half! and my glazer husband reminds me no winter cold temp cleaning of the windows..they might just crack! But I know when I am through, any type of bug wanting to invade our space is...steamed to death. Now I just have to save the money to get a steamer mop..woo hoo (are you listening santa??)
Dishes....poached some eggs? burned some kraft dinner to the pot???(you were on the computer weren't you???) Instead of yelling SOS, grab the tag of your bread/milk bag and take the crud away. True story...I have always saved them in the fridge shelves. It would drive Dennis crazy with all the little tags in them, and I would tell him, one day I will find a use for them wait and see! The day came at my mothers cleaning the breakfast dishes. She pulled out her newest handy dandy tool from pampered chef (ithink$8.) and cleaned the poached egg pot in seconds. I looked at the new tool, grabbed a bag of bread and compared...yureka I have now found a use for the tabs..pot scrubbers won't scratch
Burnt Coffee in the coffee pot...I worked in the food&bev industry for many years...quickest easiest clean....cup of ice cubes and a bunch of salt...shake it like you mean it and watch the mess disappear
Snow! I swear by the power of fresh air and the sun to "cleanse things" but a trick I learned in one of my many natural stuff books....when I am cleaning out the car, a rug etc. Flip it dirt down on some fresh snow and start stomping. You may look silly doing the snow dance but the snow is abrasive and will actually pull alot of dirt from your rug.
Well there are a few things, good for our earth and good for your home and family 100%natural and it work's too!!!...look at that a new label for my blog!!!
its Official...we are a 3bedroom home now!
Finally I finished the room rearranging yesterday! can't say that it is changed and decorated but the basics are done! We bought this place a year ago, it was a 2br house with an unfinished but large basement. we recently built a new closet and wall downstairs adding another bedroom. A new room for us, and a new room for Aspen(our old room) What a mess moving the clothes (i hate hate hate laundry) moving the stuff...with aspen trailing behind scooping stuff along the way to add to her room. I didn't bother with painting her room because i know how she is and there is already a plethera of tacs in the wall now. she has created a picture above her bed using some bugs/flowers/suns/stars stencils i found on clearance last year, framing her favorite photos with the same stencils on another wall. In the corner of the room is a pile of..."her inventions" that I dare not throw out or the drama queen emerges with tears and all "you just don't understand mama that i created these with my own mind" they range from computer laptops, cameras, puppet theatres, all created with tape, staples, glue and whatever she raids out of the recycling box. It is her inventions that make me proud but gain the looks from others...because i am of course a cheapskate that doesn't buy the kids the good stuff...LOL. One of the main reasons we have chosen to homeschool is to give the kids a chance to grow and develop stong sense of self before they are bombarbed with the materialistic moans of their fellow classmates. Aspen already has a girlfriend that visits often always managing to point out that "at her house the freezees say "mr.freezee" on them, or telling aspen her ponies are not real without the stamp on the foot.(which oddly enough my bonus son Alex(8) pointed out a couple weeks ago to...playing with the blue BOY pony of course!) Different strokes for different folks i suppose, even my bonus sons are raised by their mothers with the lavishes of life...every toy and electronic known to man...but i wonder where do these kids learn appreciation? Aspen must have hugged us every five minutes the other day when the bed was moved to her room thanking us for the room of her own. I think maybe people today forget about the simple things in life that can bring us joy too.
So onto my friday...the day we(no we I) clean the house, i think today shovel out the mail box..the snow is returning as I type...gotta find something nice for the maillady , is dropping off xmas rawhides for the dogs every day this week. I gave her fresh veggies at thanksgiving, perhaps next wednesdays cooking day will be cookie monster cookies...you can make those babies into anything...and we have tonnes of playdough/cookie cutters. We will have our skidoo insured next week, so it will have to be playtime in the yard this weekend...no town trips yet! The countdown is on today...not for christmas but for my turkeys! seven more sleeps till the take the last ride in the car. Get the chores done, chilax with general hospital at 3...cause friday is always the best episode right? and onto my weekend!
So onto my friday...the day we(no we I) clean the house, i think today shovel out the mail box..the snow is returning as I type...gotta find something nice for the maillady , is dropping off xmas rawhides for the dogs every day this week. I gave her fresh veggies at thanksgiving, perhaps next wednesdays cooking day will be cookie monster cookies...you can make those babies into anything...and we have tonnes of playdough/cookie cutters. We will have our skidoo insured next week, so it will have to be playtime in the yard this weekend...no town trips yet! The countdown is on today...not for christmas but for my turkeys! seven more sleeps till the take the last ride in the car. Get the chores done, chilax with general hospital at 3...cause friday is always the best episode right? and onto my weekend!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wildlife
On my third chai today, it is that time of year when the snow has settled in, and so are the animals..into my house! I realized last night or I should say this morning at about 3am, Dennis got up to stoke the fire and somehow missed Nishka wimpering in the 'if you up, i gotta go out" sorta way. So there is me searching for my eyewear...cause i am truly blind as a bat, trying to slip out without waking up "the others". The others being the ones that are outnumbering the people! Nishka, the ten year old mutt that has seen the world and now retired as the extreme nanny, Daisy with her big tail clanging against the closet door "i am up too!" I haven't had a dog with a tail...hmmm ever! Dennis had our faithful "Dobie" when I met him...an overweight doberman with floppy ears, and before I met him I had a toy fox terrier named sadie...seven pounds of vicious but my protector!..still no tails...i see a benefit to docking the tails now. So out to the porch release the hounds, and sit with a bottle of water to 'freshen up in the cold winter air" Low and behold the door opens and in walks
Mon Nom, purring away thanking me for letting him in...by licking my toes? Normally, the kitties are all outside 80% of the time in summer, with the other 20% sleeping in my sock drawer. I go inside to the living room and lay on the couch because I know that the girls could be back in five or 45mins. Purr Purr Purr...here is Squawker...Cat#2 brother to Mon Nom he chooses to lick the end of my nose..ouch! He is a gigantic mass of hair, unlike his shorthaired mother who was sleek and tiny, Diesel sadly was lost when her litter was 4wks old. They were born under our bed in our 24ft trailer two summers ago...we presumed she was eaten by wildlife,(revenge perhaps for all she had taken out over the summer). So up off the couch, no sign of the girls but the cats are up and must be fed or the chorus of meows will begin. Finally back to the couch where Mama Kat(#3) has curled up in my spot. This one we were given this summer, when my cousin moved west. She is the mother to Blackie, another cat of ours that was lost to a bad driver on a country road and also the fav of all our cats for Dennis. Strangely the one cursing them daily now, but always the one that said yes or arrived home with the furry bundles. Blackie travelled with us one summer in the trailer, walking through the campgrounds with us and Nishka...just great when you have to stop and scoop for the cat too! When it was time to check out Dennis would play his harmonica and suddenly Blackie would appear to hop in the van and go! Mama Kat however is not Blackie! She is the one to cause problems between my boys, she is a b-tch that takes know prisoners and both dogs and cats here no it. She is also the one who devoured our parakeet Coo-Coo and the one I found sitting up top the cage of Chirpy(the remaining parakeet) just this morning.
Yes there are 6animals moved in for the winter, 4 fulltime humans, and of course despite the fact there are three cats...the mice have moved back in as well. Today is the day to make things comfy for them too as I moved all the silverware back into the soup pot on the counter, shopvac out all there presents left behind, and oh..this year a new trick...remove the spice rack, replace it with a bucket, a pole, a popcan covered in peanut butter, and add water...yes I am going to drown the bastards this year. I tryed the live traps, they come back, I can't poison them in case one of the fat lazy cats decided to munch (although?) and between them taking the whole damn trap with them last year, and finding a sticky trap with hide on it (why can't I see the bald mouse running by??) I give they have to go. A neverending battle I suppose but today begins the fight.
Onto sweep up the dog hair, drown some mice, feed the turkeys, yes over run by animals but loving it all the way! I have had them all my life, trust my life and kids with my dog, and have no regrets...besides after working at a dog kennel for a few years...i make dennis do the scooping now!!!
Mon Nom, purring away thanking me for letting him in...by licking my toes? Normally, the kitties are all outside 80% of the time in summer, with the other 20% sleeping in my sock drawer. I go inside to the living room and lay on the couch because I know that the girls could be back in five or 45mins. Purr Purr Purr...here is Squawker...Cat#2 brother to Mon Nom he chooses to lick the end of my nose..ouch! He is a gigantic mass of hair, unlike his shorthaired mother who was sleek and tiny, Diesel sadly was lost when her litter was 4wks old. They were born under our bed in our 24ft trailer two summers ago...we presumed she was eaten by wildlife,(revenge perhaps for all she had taken out over the summer). So up off the couch, no sign of the girls but the cats are up and must be fed or the chorus of meows will begin. Finally back to the couch where Mama Kat(#3) has curled up in my spot. This one we were given this summer, when my cousin moved west. She is the mother to Blackie, another cat of ours that was lost to a bad driver on a country road and also the fav of all our cats for Dennis. Strangely the one cursing them daily now, but always the one that said yes or arrived home with the furry bundles. Blackie travelled with us one summer in the trailer, walking through the campgrounds with us and Nishka...just great when you have to stop and scoop for the cat too! When it was time to check out Dennis would play his harmonica and suddenly Blackie would appear to hop in the van and go! Mama Kat however is not Blackie! She is the one to cause problems between my boys, she is a b-tch that takes know prisoners and both dogs and cats here no it. She is also the one who devoured our parakeet Coo-Coo and the one I found sitting up top the cage of Chirpy(the remaining parakeet) just this morning.
Yes there are 6animals moved in for the winter, 4 fulltime humans, and of course despite the fact there are three cats...the mice have moved back in as well. Today is the day to make things comfy for them too as I moved all the silverware back into the soup pot on the counter, shopvac out all there presents left behind, and oh..this year a new trick...remove the spice rack, replace it with a bucket, a pole, a popcan covered in peanut butter, and add water...yes I am going to drown the bastards this year. I tryed the live traps, they come back, I can't poison them in case one of the fat lazy cats decided to munch (although?) and between them taking the whole damn trap with them last year, and finding a sticky trap with hide on it (why can't I see the bald mouse running by??) I give they have to go. A neverending battle I suppose but today begins the fight.
Onto sweep up the dog hair, drown some mice, feed the turkeys, yes over run by animals but loving it all the way! I have had them all my life, trust my life and kids with my dog, and have no regrets...besides after working at a dog kennel for a few years...i make dennis do the scooping now!!!
Monday, December 10, 2007
A Blast from the Past
When Dennis arrived home last week from his hunting trip and helping my parents move their couch...out the living room window...!(advice...when buying a new couch, don't just measure your room....measure the doors that get you and the couch to the room!!!) He also arrived with a small box marked "Annette"of couse with my kids it didn't take long to ask "can we see what it is?"
What it is...hmmm basically a little time capsule of my childhood! A treasure book of public school, including every class picture (where you would find me at the end of the front row...very tiny!) every report card, and small tidbits of awards, artwork and newspaperclippings. With this, memories of school and friends of yesterday. The reminder of my first time sent to the principals office in grade two, Mrs. Allen's class when she sent Janice Lowe and myself down for cheating. In reality, we didn't cheat....we just realized that each Tuesday when Mrs. Allen read out the spelling list...she went down the list from top to bottom. Being the creative kids we were, Janice and I realized we could write out the list before she (the teacher) read it out loud, leaving us more time to chat about out day. The kicker was having tea in my mom's restaurant twenty some odd years later, and Mrs. Allen remembering the good old days, and letting me know that we taught her a valuable lesson that day..mix up the spelling test a little!
A surprise that I found I assumed lost, was the music books I learned to play my organ with!! A gift when I was a child from my grandfather...Johnny Gunn! I remember sitting on his lap as he taught me my first song...still to this day the first thing I play...."how dry I am" Sadly the organ has been gifted away over the years but happily I can now teach my own children from the same books that I learned from (note to self" find a refresher course on notes...cause the numbers on our keyboard are not matching up!!)
Of course there was also the scrapbook with various newspaper clippings, an assortment of family, a few from my days as a squaredancer with the Dundalk Guys and Dolls, and a little article from 1979 involving a truck accident with my Dad where he was "obviously overtaken by fumes" LOL knowing my dad, and the times...I don't think the fumes were from the fuel. Proudly I will add my dad overcame his demons...and has been sober twenty years this coming January.
Oddly when you go through the clubs, dancegroups, etc...I noticed how many were brought on by my mom. It would seem when she deemed stepdancing too expensive, she had no problem rounding up a group full of parents(also willing to shove their kids into the group) an eager cousin willing to volunteer her knowlegde (one two three kick...one two three kick!) and a creepy old man willing to call (aka a distingusihed squaredancing caller from way back) When she wanted to learn about 4h...she volunteered herself as the leader, and my sister , myself, and cousins as the members! Perhaps not our choice entirely, but now looking back...a great learning experience, and I am sure some fun as well.
But the simple little things that I treasured the most from the box?
A set of book ends, with my baby walking shoes dipped in bronze! A treasure of my past that seems to remind me...damn I had it pretty good!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Over Dose
With the cold season upon us, and my kids doing there math at the table, I thought I would share a story...plus I got the doctor thing on my mind. Before the doc left for medical leave, and I had the kids in for a check up I explained concerns about my kids having very loose stools for a couple of days. and was baffled at the cause. When Dr. Leslie asked what was different in their diet, activity etc I replied that things were the norm, but with Alex bringing home the "scary green slime" from school and daycare every weekend, I had been giving the kids a vitamin c daily for an extra boost.
Dr. Leslie than explained to me that I had actually been overdosing my kids on Vitamin C!!! She went on to say that since my children were ones that gobbled fruits/veggies like they were going outta style, their bodies were already receiving lots of Vitamin C naturally...therefore did not need the extra boost!!
So yes beware ... I overdosed my children on vitamin C!!!
go get'em O'natural!!! KWIWI"S. fantastic source and delicious treat!!!
Dr. Leslie than explained to me that I had actually been overdosing my kids on Vitamin C!!! She went on to say that since my children were ones that gobbled fruits/veggies like they were going outta style, their bodies were already receiving lots of Vitamin C naturally...therefore did not need the extra boost!!
So yes beware ... I overdosed my children on vitamin C!!!
go get'em O'natural!!! KWIWI"S. fantastic source and delicious treat!!!
Monday, December 3, 2007
A REAL Canadian Winter...just great?!
Well it might now officially be winter, but if you look outside right now it has unofficially arrived, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of it slowing down!!!
Dennis took Alex home yesterday to the beach, and went on to my Uncle's Hunt Camp for a couple days of Black Powder Hunting. He has not actually managed to shoot any deer in the 3/4 years he has been hunting , but loves the thrill of it all regardless. (not to mention the fantastic dinners, the company of the group...I like to call my twelve stinky old men...family) Normally it is a family affair, we pack everyone up and go down for a few days, move into the trailer in the snow that is reserved for us...cause it is actually half ass clean!!! and play on the farm. It is always funny to me when we would arrive, Stewart (the cook) will run out to the car to help the kids out and give out his secret stash of giant cookies made just for Aspen and Ryki. The younger cousins (they start at the camp at eleven) run out to brag about what has happenned, dragging the kids off to see what is hanging out back, meanwhile there is the line up of my twelve stinky men waiting for their hugs from me...usually pointing out the pile of dishes too!! This year with the turkeys, dogs etc I have decided to pass and stay home.
What was I thinking??? Dennis did plow the driveway yesterday before he left...today the great ol'cdn winter has dumped twice as much as there was before, and there is no sign of the plow. I have an oil change booked for the car at 11:30am......so while i sit here and type and enjoy my chai in the back of my mind there is the whispers...time to get outside and start shovelling...don't forget to clean out the car...don't forget to do the mailbox or else the lady will not bring the mail. Good Grief I hope the roads are decent for the drive into town!!! From what I remember, it takes about an hour and a half to shovel the drive....I don't dare try to use the blower, like many of our toys I think it is from the 60/70's, is sorta like pushing a small tractor, and I remember when Dennis hit a kids shovel with it last year and a million toothpicks came out the other end...no I will stick with the shovel.
One kid in and outta the tub...dirty little buggers, one more to go...gonna be a fight he is engaged in a battle with banjo kazooee and not too anxious to soak. I am hoping this snow settle a bit for tomorrow though as I have to drive back down south for a doctor's appointment for the kiddies!!! Just a check up really and I will have to probably bite my tongue a bit as our family doctor has been on medical leave for 18mths, rarely available when she did return, and the last Dennis saw of her when Ryki's stitches were out she was a bit rude on the fact the kids had not been in...yet oddly enough despite we had two seperate appointments booked she spent less than 3minutes flat with Dennis and Ryki. I feel for her situation and illness, and did try to get everyone in, but she knows how we are...rarely ill and do not run in for apts. on whims...unlike many others....BUT when I know she is being paid for two 15 min appointments and only spends 3 minutes...without bothering to weigh, measure, check lungs on the asma patient????? I get irritated.
Well the chai is all gone, and I should get to work!!! back to the tub, and time to find the sno pants and do some shovelling.......augh
update...1.5hrs later...well i could consider myself lucky the road got plowed just before I went outside to begin the shovelling....but they left a THREE FOOT HIGH sno bank at the end of the drive...and infront of the mailbox. And while yes I did finish in my 1.5hr estimated time....it is not a fully shovelled drive it is shovelled just enough to squeeze my hyundai accent (mini car) down and out!!!!! There has been atleast a foot of snow fall in the last 12hrs and it is still falling!!! Talked to the boys at the camp who are just going back across the river into the "back40" cause it looks and sounded like Stewie got one!!! yippee for me...goodies will come home with Dennis!!!!! my favorite of course I have to wait for when they send it off to be made into venison pepperettes and salami...mmmmmm!!!!! oh and now Dennis tells me if it is that bad he can call his buddy Pete at work to come and plow the drive with his truck.....hmmmmm where was that idea an hour and a half ago!!!!!
Dennis took Alex home yesterday to the beach, and went on to my Uncle's Hunt Camp for a couple days of Black Powder Hunting. He has not actually managed to shoot any deer in the 3/4 years he has been hunting , but loves the thrill of it all regardless. (not to mention the fantastic dinners, the company of the group...I like to call my twelve stinky old men...family) Normally it is a family affair, we pack everyone up and go down for a few days, move into the trailer in the snow that is reserved for us...cause it is actually half ass clean!!! and play on the farm. It is always funny to me when we would arrive, Stewart (the cook) will run out to the car to help the kids out and give out his secret stash of giant cookies made just for Aspen and Ryki. The younger cousins (they start at the camp at eleven) run out to brag about what has happenned, dragging the kids off to see what is hanging out back, meanwhile there is the line up of my twelve stinky men waiting for their hugs from me...usually pointing out the pile of dishes too!! This year with the turkeys, dogs etc I have decided to pass and stay home.
What was I thinking??? Dennis did plow the driveway yesterday before he left...today the great ol'cdn winter has dumped twice as much as there was before, and there is no sign of the plow. I have an oil change booked for the car at 11:30am......so while i sit here and type and enjoy my chai in the back of my mind there is the whispers...time to get outside and start shovelling...don't forget to clean out the car...don't forget to do the mailbox or else the lady will not bring the mail. Good Grief I hope the roads are decent for the drive into town!!! From what I remember, it takes about an hour and a half to shovel the drive....I don't dare try to use the blower, like many of our toys I think it is from the 60/70's, is sorta like pushing a small tractor, and I remember when Dennis hit a kids shovel with it last year and a million toothpicks came out the other end...no I will stick with the shovel.
One kid in and outta the tub...dirty little buggers, one more to go...gonna be a fight he is engaged in a battle with banjo kazooee and not too anxious to soak. I am hoping this snow settle a bit for tomorrow though as I have to drive back down south for a doctor's appointment for the kiddies!!! Just a check up really and I will have to probably bite my tongue a bit as our family doctor has been on medical leave for 18mths, rarely available when she did return, and the last Dennis saw of her when Ryki's stitches were out she was a bit rude on the fact the kids had not been in...yet oddly enough despite we had two seperate appointments booked she spent less than 3minutes flat with Dennis and Ryki. I feel for her situation and illness, and did try to get everyone in, but she knows how we are...rarely ill and do not run in for apts. on whims...unlike many others....BUT when I know she is being paid for two 15 min appointments and only spends 3 minutes...without bothering to weigh, measure, check lungs on the asma patient????? I get irritated.
Well the chai is all gone, and I should get to work!!! back to the tub, and time to find the sno pants and do some shovelling.......augh
update...1.5hrs later...well i could consider myself lucky the road got plowed just before I went outside to begin the shovelling....but they left a THREE FOOT HIGH sno bank at the end of the drive...and infront of the mailbox. And while yes I did finish in my 1.5hr estimated time....it is not a fully shovelled drive it is shovelled just enough to squeeze my hyundai accent (mini car) down and out!!!!! There has been atleast a foot of snow fall in the last 12hrs and it is still falling!!! Talked to the boys at the camp who are just going back across the river into the "back40" cause it looks and sounded like Stewie got one!!! yippee for me...goodies will come home with Dennis!!!!! my favorite of course I have to wait for when they send it off to be made into venison pepperettes and salami...mmmmmm!!!!! oh and now Dennis tells me if it is that bad he can call his buddy Pete at work to come and plow the drive with his truck.....hmmmmm where was that idea an hour and a half ago!!!!!
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