The Charm Lady

Randomness

2012-01-24T11:01:00.003-06:00

The sun is out, the weather has warmed up and the birds are chirping happily this morning. I finally feel like I'm coming out of hibernation mode. I wonder if this means I have to shave my legs? Pffft...nah...:)

Frost covered tree lined streets are gorgeous.

I snapped this picture in Semans, SK.

A neat old building with a very collapsed roof. Picture taken on the way to Raymore, SK.

DANGER 72000 Volts. KEEP OUT.

Power station halfway to Nokomis, SK

Small towns have quirky displays in their hardware store windows.

Strasbourg, SK

The Saskatchewan sunsets never fail to impress me. The kids just roll their eyes now everytime I pull over on the highway to take pictures. You'd think they'd be used to it by now :)

Cloud Cult - Running With the Wolves

2012-01-22T22:05:00.000-06:00

Running with the wolves

It's time for us to go

Left all our clothes

With the car back by the road

And we were running

For a reason

For the burning in our veins

And we were running

For a reason

We just need to get away

Running with the wolves

We're screaming at the stars

Left all we own

In a hole in our backyard

And we were running

For a reason

Left our cubicles in little flaming piles

And we were running

For a reason

I need to feel something different for just a little while

I'm not coming home

I'm staying with the wolves

They can burn all my mail

And disconnect my phone

Tell my mom I'm sorry, sorry for leaving

But I'm staying

Now we're running to find meaning.

We're gone, and we're never coming back.

Laying really low...

2012-01-20T20:29:00.000-06:00

I've been stuck inside the house ALL week and I think it's starting to make me feel a little bit crazy - more so than usual. Had I been thinking ahead, I would have hired a babysitter so I could flee - if only for a few hours. Instead, I've just been peering out the front door and fantasizing about running away down the highway. However, its WAY too cold for that nonsense :)

To keep myself busy, I've been making weird concoctions with my juicer, taking random naps, having deep conversations with the cat and lot's of other weird shit. *sigh*

My breath smells like cat food.

With the weather being so frigid, its been the perfect week to just lay low and do stuff around the house. Hopefully next week I'll feel perkier and more productive :) Its okay to take some time to do nothing once in awhile right? :)

The kids decided that MY computer was much more exciting than their computer. Rather than chase them away, I let them play games on it and snuck off to enjoy some quiet time. Everything was going really well for about an hour until fighting broke out, a drink was spilled and I had to insist they leave the area immediately.

And then I mopped.

The entire house.

Because there was nothing else I wanted to do.

Seamus has developed an amazing talent for bubble blowing. No fancy equipment required - just lots of bubble bath. I think he's gone through almost 3 bottles now. Keeps him busy for hours :)

It's pretty quiet around here tonight. One kid is at a sleepover and the other two will soon be going to bed.

I'll be indulging in a movie with some tea (and chocolate) followed by a bubble bath and then bed. Cozy :)

Snow Day!

2012-01-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

The weather has gotten so cold that the school buses weren't running today. I believe it felt like -47 with the windchill this morning. Yikes! So the kids and I just stayed cozy in our pajamas all day.

Catie played with some beads and made me a pretty necklace at the kitchen table. She's got a good eye for design. I might have to sit down with her and pick her brain for ideas :)

Chloe played on the computer while wrapped up in my pink, fuzzy bathrobe.

Seamus chilled on the couch in his flannel pajamas and played the Wii off and on throughout the day, stopping only to tease his sisters and for food breaks.

I spent the day working on getting my new workspace all set up. What used to be the laundry/storage room is now the laundry/office/craft area. There's even a desk and a chair so I can actually SIT down! Would you believe that for the past few years I've been doing everything standing up at the kitchen counter? Yeah! No wonder my back is always sore.

I love how I can see the tops of the trees in the backyard while I'm sitting at my desk - or the entire yard if I stand up a little. I couldn't handle being in a dark little cave of a room and expect to be creative. This little room gets lot's of natural light, smells like clean laundry and its where the bunny hangs out. AND it's only a few steps away from fresh coffee & tea. What more could I ask for? :)

It will be amazing in the summer when I can open the back door and window and let in the fresh, warm air. Bliss.

You know what else is blissful? Having spent a nice, relaxing day with happy kids. Although it must have been a little bit stressful at some point. My twitching eyelids are confirmation of that :)

The kids are all tucked into their warm beds now. I just got the call that the buses won't be running in the morning. Oh dear. :)

Resisting the Urge to Hibernate

2012-01-16T10:50:00.001-06:00

I just love the kind of Monday mornings where everything goes smoothly. The girls rolled out of bed and got dressed without a fuss, there was no whining at breakfast and I made myself coffee without spilling anything :)

Ooh and then, I peeked out the window to see this amazing sight:

I probably have a hundred photos just like this one, but each one is unique and beautiful. Seeing that gorgeous burst of orange and pink rising above the treeline is the perfect start to my day. I didn't linger outside too long though - it's freezing out there! Today will be a good day to stay cozy inside that's for sure. I might even just stay in my pajamas :)

January teased us with it's warm, balmy weather for the first couple of weeks, but we've now been thrown into a bit of deep freeze. I find myself fighting the urge to hibernate. My feet are like blocks of ice and my electric blanket calls out to me mid-morning, beckoning me to come back to bed. It's SO tempting. Maybe I shouldn't fight it. January has always been kind of a 'lay low' month for me. It's a good time to regroup, refocus and all of that good stuff.

I made myself some really green juice this past weekend. It know it looks kind of questionable, but it actually tasted pretty darn good and refreshing. I juiced one cucumber, some kale, 2 carrots and a chunk of ginger. This was my first time using kale and I wasn't sure if that combination would be good or not, but it was! No gagging whatsoever :) I'm not drinking this stuff because I feel I have to. I'm drinking it because I want to. I crave it. I'm not questioning it though - just gonna go with it :)

I got this message in my Inbox this morning:

Today, just do a little bit, Lori, so that I can do a lot of bit.

That's how it works.

Huge love,
The Universe

That really IS how everything works :)

I'm off to do some Unravelling and perhaps some ellipticalling - yes, that's really a word. I Googled it :)

January Babies

2012-01-12T10:45:00.000-06:00

January has been a wonderful month so far. The weather has been really warm and I feel like I'm getting so much done while still taking time for myself and the kids. Things are flowing smoothly and life is good. So far I've managed to beat the January blahs and the overwhelming desire to want to hibernate and grow my leg hair out. Okay, well it's a little bit out of control, but nothing scary :)

I'm SO glad we did a massive junk removal a couple weeks ago. The kids' rooms are staying clean (this is amazing!), I'm totally on top of the laundry situation and everything just FEELS better. There's still much that needs to be done, and I'm working on it here and there. I'm faced with the enormous task of washing kitchen cabinet doors. There are 30 of them :/ They look pretty clean - as long as you don't get too close to them :/ It's hard not to spend my days just washing stuff...because everything needs washing when you have kids. Everything.

My Unravelling photography course is going well. I'm on week two right now and really enjoying it. The writing part of it is kind of stressing me out a bit which I know is a GOOD thing. It involves doing some personal digging and for some reason I'm resisting a little. I grabbed my pretty journal and started just letting words spill out yesterday. I often find it hard to let my thoughts and feelings be known. I think writing will help me finally find my voice though.

The group of women who are on this journey with me are amazing. I love looking through all the photos in our Flickr pool and getting a glimpse into their lives. It's comforting :) The comments I'm getting on my photos are lovely and heartwarming too.

In other exciting news, my little guy turned five a few days ago! We had a small family birthday party here for him and it was really nice. I baked a chocolate cake and Seamus helped me decorate it.

Here's Seamus five years ago. He was only a couple of days old here. Such a handsome little man.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that he's five already. The years sure go by quickly. I can see how some women have more babies a few years after they've already had a couple. Babies are wonderful. Oh God, I better stop talking about this! I should maybe just go and find some babies to hold for awhile so I can get this out of my system :)

♥

January Spring

2012-01-03T19:54:00.000-06:00

It was such a gorgeous day! Usually January is a really cold, blah month, but today it felt like it should be Spring :) The snow was melting, the chill in the air was gone and I actually opened up the windows and let some fresh air in.

The kids finally took advantage of the warm weather after a little bit of convincing from me. When they saw me putting my coat and boots on, they all ran to get dressed too. God forbid I should be left alone out there! :) They did a bit of shoveling, threw snow in each other's faces and then whined at me about it while I wandered around taking pictures and pretended I was deaf :)

I found this cool abandoned wasp's nest while I was foraging in the back yard. I wonder if I should leave it there or remove it? Will it's occupants return in the summer? I'd hate to mess with nature, but I'm not a huge fan of wasps hanging around and terrorizing the kids :/

Later I hid in the bushes and yelled at the kids to come and find me. I should have just brought some coffee and a folding chair along. It would have been the perfect spot for a little break. I'll remember that for next time :)

The kids return to school tomorrow. Ah...it will be so wonderful! The challenging part will be trying to get them (and myself ) out of bed at 7am and out the door on time. We've all gotten used to sleeping in past nine. It was good while it lasted I guess :)

♥

Detox Day 1

2012-01-02T17:20:00.001-06:00

I started my official sugar detox today. Woohoo! As I type this, the kids are eating Grandma's leftover birthday cake while I sip on a giant carrot ginger juice and stare at the icing smeared cake container with longing and a little bit of sadness :/ I think I'll be okay though :)

Mom's birthday party was awesome. Ridiculous amounts of Chinese food followed by marble cake, coffee and lot's of visiting and laughing. And sparklers :)

Mom surprised us all by NOT setting herself on fire. She's been known to do that on occasion :)

Seamus did his OWN version of detoxing by puking his guts out again last night. This is the same flu Catie had right around Christmas - the kind of flu where they only puke at night apparently. Anyway, he completely missed his puke bowl so cleanup was interesting. I have to give him bonus points for puking right into his dresser drawer though. That was pretty awesome - and disgusting :)

I'm quite looking forward to getting back to a normal routine when the girls go back to school on Wednesday. I've had enough of this puking business..and the whining and the fighting. I'm pretty sure its not normal to have both eyes twitching throughout the day. (Well, I guess if you're a mother it is.) I just glanced at the school calendar and noticed the kids have almost 2 weeks off in the months of January & February. Seriously? I think my lip just started twitching now too.

Today is also Day 1 of Unravelling - Ways of Seeing My Self. My first assignment popped into my inbox this morning and I'm SO excited to get started! I've also made a commitment to myself to participate in the 365Project. This involves taking one photo a day for the next year. I figure since I'm pretty much ALWAYS taking pictures, this would be a fun project to do.

I'm itching to make some new stuff for my Etsy shop. It's been about a month since I've done anything creative and I think it's making me grumpy. Or maybe its just the pms. Either way, I need to DO something other than the damn dishes and laundry!

♥

Unravelling

2012-01-01T12:39:00.001-06:00

I woke up to the sound of my little guy puking this morning. Lovely, right? :/ I'm very thankful that he at least slept in until 9am and actually made it to the bathroom. Cleanup is less painful that way. I've been known to throw bed sheets directly into the garbage rather than have to deal with trying to launder them. Seriously, one of the worst parts about parenting is puking kids.

Into the tub he went.

Surely this HAS to be the last flu of the winter. Right? Right?!

All is peaceful and calm now. The puker is resting comfortably and the girls are busy crafting and playing on the computer. I'm sipping my chai tea with honey and enjoying the calmness. It's a gorgeous, sunny day and no amounting of puking can dampen my mood - as long as they get it in the bucket and not on the rug anyway :)

Today is the beginning of a fresh, exciting new year! I look back on 2011 with fondness and gratefulness. SO many amazing things happened that really pushed me to grow and see things in a whole new light.

To continue on this journey, I signed up for Susannah Conway's Unravelling e-course a month ago - it was an early Christmas present to myself :) This 8 week course is all about taking the time to appreciate the beauty around you and getting in touch with how you see the world and yourself. It's about greater self awareness and telling your story. There are weekly photo assignments, writing exercises, a Flickr group and discussion board. Just my cup of tea :)

This course is the perfect excuse to take some time for myself. 'Nurturing and nourishing soul time' is how Susannah describes it. I think everybody could use a little of that :) However, Unravelling will be a pretty intense, personal journey so I won't be sharing much about it on my blog. It's a secret :) This, just like my nightly candlelit bubble baths, is something just for me.

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday to my mom! ♥

Winter Song

2012-01-01T09:34:00.002-06:00

I love this song and the cute little video. It always makes me weepy regardless of whether I'm pmsing or not ;)

2012

2012-01-01T01:16:00.001-06:00

"The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment."

Pema Chodron

2012 just feels better already :)

Out With The Old

2011-12-29T13:48:00.000-06:00

This past week has been all about making space for the new year. I'm SO excited to begin 2012 with a clutter-free home and light, airy rooms holding only the most basic of necessities. Anything that no longer serves a purpose has been purged.

My brother came over a couple days ago and the cleansing officially began. While the kids were distracted with their new stuff, we infiltrated their rooms and began the huge task of sorting through mountains of stuff. Its amazing how much kids accumulate in the span of just a few months!

Toys that were no longer played with and clothes that were too small or rarely worn were packed up and donated. We filled bags and bags with garbage and hauled it all out of the house. The furniture in their rooms was rearranged and now they have cozy little clutter free spaces to hang out in. Very zen.

I excitedly tackled my room too, shoving old clothes (that were too big for me!!) into bags with much pleasure. Why keep a closet full of clothes you know you'll never wear? Get rid of it all and make room for new things! :)

After almost a week of eating too much turkey, chocolate and yummy baking, I think I'm ready for a detox. I've been feeling pretty sluggish lately. I've been starting off my mornings with a giant glass of sparkling water over ice with a squeeze of lime. I drink a few of these every day to stay hydrated.

I've traded my morning coffee for tea. Although I still love coffee and drink it everyday, it tends to make me feel all jittery, agitated and slightly psychotic. Tea makes me feel calm and happy. My lovely sisters got me a tea infuser and some loose tea from David's Tea. SO good :)

I love the whole process of making tea. The whistling tea kettle, scooping the loose tea into the infuser and then pouring the boiling water over top, watching the steam rise and smelling the delicious aroma. Life is all about these simple little things :)

I try and keep tons of prewashed leafy greens in my fridge to which I add chunks of avocado, chopped roasted almonds, fresh grated ginger and then a squeeze of lime juice.

Snacks include dark chocolate, handfuls of roasted almonds and giant glasses of carrot ginger juice.

Right now I have a huge pot of Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili simmering on the stove. It smells and tastes delicious! It also goes well with the winter wonderland we have going on outside :)

♥

Christmas Vacation

2011-12-27T11:27:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to blog for well over 2 weeks now but haven't been able to find the time. I type half a sentence and then get pulled away by one of the kids and then I end up getting distracted by something shiny and then another thing and then before I know it, I'm doing a face plant into my pillow :)

December has been calm and filled with gorgeous morning sunrises and warmer than normal weather. The kids have been playing outside a lot more which has been really nice.

Here's Seamus taking a well deserved break from doing some shoveling. I like his style - just laying down right in the middle of the driveway. I often do that on the kitchen floor. So relaxing ;)

On Christmas Eve day, I gathered up the crew and we went for a car ride on some of the back roads that we'd never really explored before.

There were rolling fields and trees and snow...the usual stuff.

We came upon this creepy old abandoned farmhouse. I would love to go back there at dusk and take more pictures, explore (and probably scare the crap out of myself).

Christmas morning was the usual blur of little hands tearing off wrapping paper and excited voices all talking at once. I was there with my crazy hair and bleary eyes and armed with my camera trying to capture it all. Had I been thinking ahead and hadn't stayed up until past 1am wrapping presents the night before, I may have thought to program my coffee pot :)

Seamus totally digs anything to do with Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. Luckily Santa was on the ball with that. The cat and I have been chased around the house a lot by his new Lightning McQueen talking remote control car ;)

We spent Christmas day lounging around in our pajamas, snacking and playing with all the new toys. Santa was really good to the kids, but in a modest way of course. Less is always more. Plus, we still had another present opening session to go to at my parent's place later. Ooh and let's not forget the turkey dinner.

All I could think about for the entire day was that turkey dinner. My mom bravely cooked a 33 pound turkey. THIRTY THREE POUNDS! I have never seen one that size before! (That's what SHE said.)

She slow cooked it overnight and it was so deliciously moist and amazing. I'm STILL fantasizing about it 3 days later :) I'm still full 3 days later too. Ugh. Frankly, I'm scared to put my jeans on at this point :/ But it was SO worth it.

A lovely Christmas was had by all. Amazing family & friends, good food and good times. I was spoiled with lovely gifts of chocolate and gourmet teas, bubble bath and fancy appliances. My awesome parents got me an electric blanket to keep me warm at night. It's the best invention EVER in my opinion :) My brother suggested I roll it up into the shape of a man and dress it up like a lumberjack. *giggle*

It's time to gather up the kids and tuck them into bed so I can have some tea, followed by a bubble bath and a date with a lumberjack. Night!

Christmas is Underway

2011-12-12T18:40:00.000-06:00

I finally wrestled the Christmas tree up a few days ago. It's one of those pre-lit ones that comes in three pieces and its pretty heavy, but I managed just fine I think. Maybe not ALL of the lights work and perhaps it looks like it's leaning over just a little, but that's okay. It's UP and that's all that really matters right? :) I handed the kids the box of decorations and let them have at it.

The kitty has taken an extreme liking to the tree. He takes naps in it during the day where no little hands can reach him and he makes quite a racket batting the ornaments all over the place after the kids go to bed. He did that when he was a kitten last year, but he's quite a bit heavier now so the tree is looking a little worse for wear. The branches are all drooping and the floor is scatted with ornaments and fake pine needles.

Sleeping like the dead.

Smirking cat.

The girls stayed home from school on Monday because they were 'sick'. In retrospect, I should have made them go. They fooled me pretty good with their big puppy dog eyes and their exaggerated coughing. I'm such a sucker. I told them they're not allowed to stay home anymore unless they're projectile vomiting and their asses are exploding. Let's see them try to fake THAT :)

My brother and I made a whirlwind trip into the city yesterday morning to take Seamus to the dentist. They sedated him pretty good so he was pretty chilled out afterwards. The dentist said he'd perk up by mid-afternoon and that it would be fine if we took him with us to run some errands. So off we went!

Things were going super smoothly until we hit Walmart. We'd pretty much gotten everything on our list when Seamus calmly threw up in the lamp isle. (Walmart makes me want to throw up sometimes too) He was laying in the bottom of the cart so he puked right through the metal bars and onto the floor. Nice work! No mess for me to clean! :) I plucked him from the cart and took him to the bathroom because he was still dry heaving a little. I feel a little bit guilty for just leaving a puddle of puke of the floor like that :/ I'm sure I'm not the only mother who absentmindedly abandons puke puddles. And besides, there were no witnesses...

And here's Buddy chilling out under the kitchen table. He's more of an observer when it comes to the whole Christmas thing. I think he'd look pretty cute with a little Santa hat or some reindeer antlers though ;)

Etsy Sale & Free Shipping

2011-12-02T20:21:00.001-06:00

I've got some stuff going on in my Etsy shop right now. I'm busy marking some older stock down, I'm offering free shipping AND a free pocket mirror with every purchase. Read my shop announcement for all the juicy details :)

Chai Tea and Jam Thumbs

2011-12-01T14:32:00.001-06:00

I was sick with tonsillitis last week and I think the medication I'm taking is messing with my taste buds. This has resulted in the taste of coffee being absolutely repulsive to me. I brewed myself a cup this morning to see if my palate was back to normal yet. I took a swig and almost spit it out. It was sad :/

So, to replace my morning coffee, I started making myself giant cups of Chai tea. It's delicious and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and happy when I drink it :)

I make mine with vanilla soy milk or almond milk and then add extra nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. I think it might actually be better than coffee. (Blasphemy! :)

I found myself all caught up on stuff today so I decided to start on some official holiday baking. I'm not really sure if I actually even LIKE baking. I'm kind of a klutz in the kitchen and tend to either undercook or overcook things. I blame it on my oven ;) I make such a huge mess too - flour everywhere and batter in my hair....ugh. Oh well :)

I made a couple dozen raspberry orange thumbprint cookies from the Betty Crocker Christmas cookie magazine I picked up last week. They turned out pretty good - although they look like a 5 year old made them. LOL In my defense, I was doing a million other things while making these so perhaps they're not as perfect as the picture in the cookbook. They sure taste yummy though. I ate two just to make sure :)

Off to get the rugrats ready for bed. But first Catie needs a bath because she thought it would be a great idea to do her makeup with a blue washable marker - eyeshadow and lipstick. It's not as washable as you'd think :/ Seamus managed to cover the entire living room floor with toys...and somebody put socks in the toilet upstairs. Nothing surprises me much anymore. Valium would be nice...:)

Let the Christmas Fun Begin!

2011-11-30T21:17:00.001-06:00

The days are all kind of blending together this week, but in a good way. We've fallen into a really nice routine and everything is flowing happily. The kids are getting along with each other really well and I've been getting lot's of little things done.

Seamus is the most awesome kid to have around all day. He's such a pleasant little fellow and keeps me highly entertained. He's fond of giving lot's of hugs and tells me I'm the sweetest mama in the whole universe. Aww...:)

He loves to be tickled....so I took pictures while tickling him. Most of them were a blur of little hands and feet, but this one turned out kinda cute. (You have to imagine lots of giggling along with these wiggling feet :)

The girls got out of school early today so we took a trip to the grocery store for some baking supplies. It's become a yearly Christmas tradition to make Oreo Truffles. They're so yummy!

I got everything ready for them and just let them do their thing.

Here they are dipping the truffles in chocolate. This is where things got a little messy, but that's the best part, right? :)

They're very serious little chocolatiers. They've even got a little assembly line going. Catie was more than happy to be in charge of sprinkle duty, while Chloe and Seamus did the dipping.

Mmm...they look good don't they? The kids did an excellent job.

There's a whole tray in the fridge right now just calling out my name. So far I've been successful at ignoring them - except for maybe one or two :)

Seamus with his little chocolate mustache.

I'm trying to think of some fun Christmas crafts to do with the kids. I'd love to have a Christmas tree filled entirely with handmade ornaments this year. My sister suggested popcorn garland which I think the kids would definitely love to do. I think it will be fun! :)

Sunday Song

2011-11-20T22:43:00.001-06:00

A winters day

In a deep and dark December;

I am alone,

Gazing from my window to the streets below

On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

I've built walls,

A fortress deep and mighty,

That none may penetrate.

I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.

Its laughter and its loving I disdain.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

Don't talk of love,

But I've heard the words before;

Its sleeping in my memory.

I wont disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.

If I never loved I never would have cried.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

I have my books

And my poetry to protect me;

I am shielded in my armor,

Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.

I touch no one and no one touches me.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;

And an island never cries

2011-11-17T18:41:00.001-06:00

I opened the door this morning for the girls to go catch their bus and was hit by this glaring pink sunrise - and an icy wind. I snapped a few pictures and ran quickly back inside. I think I'm officially hibernating now :)

Ninja the kitty is busy packing on the pounds and napping all day. He's getting so fat that I can hear him whenever he's walking around the house on the creaky old floors. Sometimes I think there's a kid coming down the stairs and it turns out its just the cat. It makes me giggle :)

It's like a winter wonderland out there. Its been snowing all day and it feels so cozy to be in the house drinking giant cups of coffee and peering out the windows watching the snow piling up. The kids and I went out for a little while and wandered around the yard.

I don't know what's going on, but the days are just flying by! I feel like I'm racing against the clock trying to get everything done. It's just crazy. I've been busily making jewelry, packing orders and making trips to the post office so I don't fall behind. So far so good :) My kitchen is covered with craft supplies, bubble wrap and empty coffee cups...dead bodies...
I need to go to bed early tonight. I'm tired and my brain hurts :/ I think it's from all the whining I endured today. Crazy kids :)

Weekend Ramblings

2011-11-15T19:35:00.001-06:00

This past weekend was pretty busy, but rejuvenating. I dropped the kidlets off at their dad's on Saturday night and met up with a couple of my best girl friends at Starbucks. We people watched, drank coffee, talked and laughed. Good times :)

I drove home excitedly afterwards knowing I had a completely empty house waiting for me. It was divine I'm telling you. DIVINE. I blared music, had a long bubble bath, read magazines and then passed out under a mountain of blankets. I lingered in bed as long as I could the next morning and just smiled. I did yoga and spoiled myself all day. No housework was allowed :)

Later that evening, I drove back into the city to catch Elliott Brood play at The Exchange. As expected, it was an amazing show. I kind of zoned out though and forgot to take pictures unfortunately. Thankfully my cousin snapped a good one for me :)

It was back to reality on Monday though. This housework business is never ending. I've got this whole 'one step forward, two steps back' thing going on with the laundry - with everything actually. It's enough to drive a person insane if too much time is spent trying to figure out how to solve it. So I just try not to think about it anymore :)

Orders are picking up in my Etsy shop so that's been keeping me busy in the evenings. I throw a pot of coffee on while I'm feeding the kids and then I chug it until they go to bed. That gives me enough of a boost to make it to midnight usually.

I have this weird urge to put the Christmas tree up already. Last year I waited until the last possible minute to do it. I just was NOT feeling the vibe. I remember thinking about how nice it would be to just skip past it entirely. Not sure what's different this year. Maybe because we're more settled now, things are calmer and I've found my groove. It will be my second Christmas on my own with the kids so I kind of know what to expect now. I've got it all handled :)

Speaking of being a single mom, everywhere I turn lately I'm bumping into more and more women (and men) who are taking control of their lives and leaving dead end relationships. There just comes a point when you realize 'enough is enough'. Life is TOO short to stay in a situation where you're not happy. Amazing things can happen when you step a little bit out of your comfort zone. This I know for sure :)

2011-11-11T19:16:00.001-06:00

Today was another lazy, hang out in our pajamas kind of day. We all sort of just did our own thing. The kids took turns beating the crap out of each other while I drank coffee and did my best to tune it all out :)

I made a yummy quinoa salad with black beans and avocados. SO yummy. I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my tastes and its definitely something I'll make again. I love it because it makes a huge bowl that I can just nibble on for a few days. Quick and easy :)

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is an ancient grain from South America that is considered a complete protein. It's super easy to cook and you can use it in place of rice and as an ingredient in a ton of other things from muffins to veggie burgers.

My favorite source for quinoa recipes is http://www.cookingquinoa.net/

Seamus and Catie entertained themselves for awhile by rolling the cat up in my yoga mat. He looks all cozy in there doesn't he? Maybe a little grumpy too....

Now that everyone is tucked in and the chaos has ceased, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my evening. Crafting..bubble bath..chick flick with wine? Sounds good to me :)

Feeling Human Again

2011-11-10T20:57:00.001-06:00

I woke up today feeling really awesome. I didn't realize how awful I had been feeling for the past week when compared with how great I felt today! I totally must have had the flu. I'm so grateful that the kids are all feeling better too. It's so sad to see them in such rough shape :/

So I exercised, I chugged carrot ginger juice, I did 3 loads of laundry including folding, and I made some yummy tea cakes with the help of Seamus.

Seamus is an excellent helper when it comes to baking. I'm hoping he'll love cooking so much that he makes me all sorts of wonderful things when he gets older.

These carrot apple ginger tea cakes turned out wonderful. I think this is the third time I've made them. They make a great afternoon snack and are a perfect companion to my morning coffee :)

So the kids have the next 4 days off - which might normally be frightening for me, but the weekend will be filled with lots of fun things to do so I'm actually looking forward to it.

I feel happy and joyful and I keep randomly breaking out in goosebumps and having all the hairs on my arms stand on end. Not sure what that means exactly, but it makes me smile :)

Time for some yoga and relaxation. :)

A Long Day

2011-11-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

The kids are tucked in all cozy in their beds - finally. Today was a really long one. We've all got some weird flu going on again. The strangest symptom is feeling ravenously hungry ALL the time, but not actually being able to eat anything. I spent way too much time making snacks that didn't get eaten and then listening to the kids complain that they were hungry again 20 minutes later. By the end of the day I was randomly throwing food at them and pondering jumping out the window :/

I realized that I hadn't been outside since it snowed a couple days ago so I threw my boots and coat on, grabbed my camera and headed outside with Seamus and Catie. I told them they had to shovel the entire driveway before they could come back in the house. Heh heh :) I have to say they made an honest effort.

Seamus has put in some serious outside playtime the past couple of days despite feeling not so great. I think the little bursts of fresh air have been good for him.

I was glad I got out for some fresh air too. I stood quietly in the backyard while the kids were shoveling and just breathed. I probably could have screamed, but instead I just breathed calmly and deeply :)

The yard is as pretty and tranquil in winter as it is in the summer.

The sunrises and sunsets are so pretty in the winters out here. They're the perfect beginnings and endings to each day when combined with giant cups of coffee - or wine :) Tonight feels like a wine kind of night for some reason.

Something's Gotta Give

2011-11-07T09:15:00.000-06:00

It was so dark and cozy when the alarm went off this morning and there was a little boy nestled in beside me making the cutest snoring noises. But there was something missing too. A giant puppy. Lulu.

Over the past few months I'd started to realize just how much work it was to have a puppy - especially one as BIG as Lulu. It was like having two more really hyper kids to look after - and goodness knows three is already enough! She spent most of her time outside in the summer, but with winter coming, the thought of her in the house stressed me out. She still needed to be trained properly and I didn't have the time or knowledge to do that.

I made the decision to find her a new home. She was just too much for me to handle and I finally had to admit that to myself and everybody else. I'd been thinking about it for a few months and just kept putting it off.

So a few days ago, I posted an ad online and got a response not too long afterwards. A nice family from a farm not too far from where we live was interested in adopting her. They came to visit her yesterday afternoon and after playing with her for a bit they decided they'd take her.

It was really sad for everyone and I think we were all kind of in shock. I felt a mix of sadness and intense relief. I still haven't quite gotten used to her being gone. It's so quiet!

I got a lovely email from the new owners last night which made me feel better:

Hi Lori, Just letting you know that Lulu is doing just great. She has spent the day running around the farm and playing with the boys and our other dog. She came in for an evening snuggle and is nicely tucked into her heated dog house on the deck. She looks very happy!

So everything worked out for the best in the end. Doesn't it always? :) Lulu has a nice huge farm to run around on, three little boys to play with her and another dog to keep her company. I have most of my sanity back and I've learned my lesson about taking on more than I know I can handle.

Snowy Sunday

2011-11-06T12:01:00.002-06:00

So there was a little more dry heaving from Seamus last night, but other than that, its been pretty calm around here. That's always nice :) I even got to sleep in a bit this morning. The kids were all watching cartoons and talking excitedly about the snow we got during the night when I came downstairs.

The girls are currently outside playing happily and breaking in their new snowsuits and boots. Lulu has never seen snow before so she had lots of fun running around too.

Seamus really wanted to go outside too, but he's just not quite ready yet. Poor little guy.

I made some kick ass vegan chocolate pumpkin loaf last night after the kids were all tucked in. This is actually the second time I've made it, but it got eaten so fast the first time that I didn't have a chance to take pictures :) The recipe is from the vegan Post Punk Kitchen website.

It's easy to make and it tastes SO decadent. Unfortunately the kids don't like it which kind of boggles my mind. I guess that just means more for me :)

So yeah. There's snow now. Not quite sure how I feel about that. I'm leaning towards the idea of hibernating and laying low all winter :) Maybe I'll work on my abs...

November Madness

2011-11-05T10:28:00.001-06:00

I walked into the bathroom the other day and I noticed the tub was still full of water from when one of the kids took a bath. I also noticed the plugged in hair dryer laying on the floor. For a brief moment I envisioned myself IN the tub, turning on the hair dryer, smiling and just dropping it in. Well that kinda freaked me out so I drained the tub, unplugged the hair dryer and quickly left the room. Yeah, its been one of those kind of weeks...

Last night Seamus wandered into my room because he'd wet his bed. I took him back into his room, put some fresh pajamas on him and while I was changing his sheets he just randomly threw up. I guess he figured that wetting his bed wasn't enough so why not puke too? Thankfully his garbage can was within arms reach so he managed to puke in there.

I have been dreading this. The unavoidable yearly pukefest. So far there haven't been anymore incidents, but I know better than to assume its over :)

I'm keeping everybody home this weekend. We're in quarantine. The kids are basically like little germ collectors. I send them to school everyday and they're out there sticking their eyeballs on things, licking doorknobs and rolling around on the bathroom floors I'm sure. Then they come home and promptly deliver all of their germs to ME. I really should be spraying them down with Lysol before they walk in the door. I've managed to fight off most of the stuff they're bringing home, but I still haven't been feeling too perky.

I spent the past week curled up on the couch in total zombie mode. I was still performing all of my motherly duties and functioning just fine, but every spare moment I got I was resting. Rejuvenating. Recuperating. Rebalancing. I sipped tea in the evenings, did yoga by candlelight, had long bubble baths and went to bed soon after the kids did. I think it helped keep me sane and away from water filled tubs while holding electrical appliances :)

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Pumpkin Carving & Halloween

2011-11-01T17:07:00.000-06:00

I have NO idea where the rest of October went. It's all quite a blur really. Thank goodness I have pictures to remind me :)

We went to Lincoln Gardens last weekend and picked out pumpkins (or punkins as Seamus would say) to carve.

Seamus spotted this tiny little guy and just had to take him home.

The girls climbed all over the mountain of pumpkins searching for the perfect one.

Catie expertly demonstrated to Seamus how you're supposed to draw out your design before carving it.

Chloe's scary pumpkin.

The weather for Halloween night was really awesome. The weather was cool, but there was NO snow and barely a breeze. No need for snowsuits or boots :)

My pirate, witch and devil just before heading out trick or treating.

We wandered up and down a few streets and the kids filled their bags in no time. Small town trick or treating is the best kept secret. People don't just toss in a couple small candy bars - they hand out little goody bags filled with an assortment of candy. Parents who drive their kids into the city to trick or treat are clearly idiots :)

So Halloween was definitely a success here. Seamus and I spent the day lounging around and digging through mountains of candy. At one point I found him laying on the livingroom rug, surrounded by candy wrappers and babbling incoherently. I decided to remove his bag of treats at that point :)

Looking forward to (a hopefully healthy) November.

So tired...

2011-10-13T16:22:00.001-06:00

I think I'm reaching some kind of a breaking point. It's looming there somewhere just over the horizon. It's been 6 weeks of flus, colds and finally - strep throat. Just one thing after another around here. I feel like I've made a million trips to the doctor recently, getting prescriptions filled and administering medications. Everyone has been coughing, whining, grumpy and snappy. As of today, we're all pretty much back to normal thank goodness.

Thanksgiving weekend was quite relaxing and all we really did was eat - which was awesome. I'm SO glad the batteries in my electronic scale are dead :)

I took Seamus for a haircut today.

He looks like a normal little boy now. 'Mom, I can see you!' he exclaimed when we got into the car.

For some reason, he's been terrified of getting his hair cut so I just avoided taking him. I finally got tired of not being able to see his eyes and his ears so I made an appointment and took him there. I would have duct taped him to the chair if he hadn't co-operated, but fortunately for him, he remained calm and let the nice lady buzz off his giant mop of hair :)

We found a little garter snake hanging out by the back steps after we got home. I put it in a little plastic container for Seamus so he could check it out.

We were hanging out on the couch together watching Spongebob and I was just dozing off blissfully when Seamus blurted out 'I can't find my snake!'.
Yeah, the snake disappeared somewhere and has yet to be found.
I don't want to talk about it.

a little reminder...

2011-10-11T21:56:00.003-06:00

"Don’t you dare, for one more second, surround yourself with people who are not aware of the greatness that you are." ~

Jo Blackwell-Preston

Evening Wanderings

2011-10-03T23:04:00.000-06:00

Everybody get their shoes on, we're going for a car ride! I yelled that out tonight and children came running from all corners of the house, fumbled around and then piled into the car. Works every time! I should just start yelling that randomly whenever they drive me crazy. I'm sure I'd get at least 15 minutes of quiet before they started wondering where I was ;)

We chased the sunset down a gravel road...

We stopped for ice cream after driving around for a bit. We sat in a booth giggling and sampling each other's ice cream. Some of the best conversations I've had have been with my three little sweeties :)

I got out of the car on the way home and stood in the middle of the pitch black highway. It was really cool just standing there like that. I almost didn't want to get back into the car, but then thoughts of various wildlife lurking in the ditches popped into my head and I quickly jumped back into the car.

I should be in bed sleeping right now, but I've had lots of coffee and I'm enjoying the solitude far too much to even consider sleep. Maybe a hot bath followed by a good book in bed. Sounds like a plan :)

Library Voices

2011-10-03T09:19:00.001-06:00

This awful cold is still lingering and I've had quite enough of it already. It's turned into a tickly annoying cough that keeps waking me up all night. I spent the last week in a weird haze, trying to think of ways to climb onto the roof so I could jump off :/ I'm feeling much better this week though thank goodness :) Time to get back on track - starting with exercise (groan).

I've been snapping photos here and there lately The prairies are gorgeous in the fall. I should get out there again soon to take more pictures before all of the trees are bare and everything is covered with snow.

The kids are now spending every second Saturday night with their dad, which gives me a nice break to look forward to and some time to recharge a bit. Its a win/win situation for everybody :)

I grabbed my cousin and went to see Library Voices play at The Exchange on Saturday night. Sun Wizard and We Are the City opened for them - both amazing bands as well.

I've been listening to Library Voices CD Summer of Lust over and over for awhile now, so it was pretty awesome to see them live finally. I had a good spot right at the front of the stage and off to the side. I didn't want to get trampled in the mini mosh pit going on. I got quite a few photos, but most of them had giant heads in the way or were kinda blurry. These turned out okay...

They drew a huge crowd of all ages and we had a ton of fun. This is one of my favourite songs:

Off to be productive now. Wish me luck with that...

The Compassion Mantra

2011-09-30T09:18:00.002-06:00

Om Mani Padme Hum

Om (ohm) Ma (mah) Ni (nee) Pad(pahd) Me(may) Hum (hum)

OM MANI PADME HUM, in Tibetan script on the petals of a lotus.

Buddhists believe that saying this 6 syllable mantra out loud or silently to oneself invokes the powerful benevolent attention and blessings of Chenrezig, the embodiment of compassion.

Chanting this mantra helps all living beings find happiness and in the process you will find happiness too.

Viewing the written form of the mantra is said to have the same effect:

Om Mani Padme Hum can not really be translated into a simple phrase or even a few sentences. "Behold! The jewel in the lotus!" is often seen as a translation of the mantra though.

All of the Dharma is based on Buddha's discovery that suffering is unnecessary. Like a disease, once we really face the fact that suffering exists, we can look more deeply and discover it's cause; and when we discover that the cause is dependent on certain conditions, we can explore the possibility of removing those conditions.

For me, suffering usually begins as one little negative thought that spirals out of control. Chanting this mantra chases away all the junk in my head and brings me right back to the present moment. Peacefulness & bliss :)

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” Buddha

Listening to the Tibetan Incantations will totally bliss you out :) I've been playing it all morning and smiling.

Sources: Wikipedia Dharma Haven

Crazy Lady

2011-09-27T18:18:00.000-06:00

This cold has been kicking my ass for the past few days, but I forced myself to actually get dressed today and try to look/feel human. I've been scaring myself everytime I pass by a mirror. There's been some wild-haired crazy lady staring back at me. Just ask the SaskPower dude who randomly showed up at the door to read the meter yesterday. Not only did I scare the crap out of him with my scary self, but he totally busted me watching The Golden Girls. Not my finest moment. :/

I dragged Seamus out of the house today and we went for a little car ride. We saw some harvesting going on and then I stopped by this clump of trees to take some pictures.

I've been working on some new glass pendants in between coughing, sneezing and crashing on the couch. I always feel better if I'm making stuff :)

We adopted a new little pet today. His name is Buddy. Am I crazy for adding another cute, furry animal to the family? Probably. Its a good kind of crazy though :)

Mmm...turkey.

2011-09-25T11:39:00.000-06:00

Everything seems magical in Autumn. The sunsets are gorgeous - bright pinks and oranges. The colours of the leaves on trees are breathtaking and the air is crisp and refreshing. I love it.

I've got a giant turkey in the oven that I'm cooking for the town's annual fowl supper. Everyone pitches in and then there's a giant feast of turkey and all the fixings. My house smells wonderful and my mouth is already watering :)

2011-09-24T09:12:00.001-06:00

September has been quite an eventful month so far. It's gone by in kind of a blur. We're all rockin' kick ass colds right now. Catie even puked last night just to spice things up a bit. Awesome right? I thought so...

The girls have adjusted to being back to school and I've been bombarded with forms to sign, funds to raise, book orders and school fees etc. I've mastered the art of getting lunches made, breakfast served and kids dressed in less than an hour and on time for the bus.

The weather has been absolutely amazing this month. We had a few cool days where it was necessary to turn on the furnace, but the past couple of days have been HOT. Today could be a potential beach day if we were all feeling up to it. I think it's going to be more of a lay on the couch watching iCarly kind of day though.

I've been busy making lot's of new stuff for my Etsy shop and preparing for the Christmas rush.

Time for more coffee I think. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Royal Wood

2011-09-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

I was fortunate enough to catch Canadian singer-songwriter Royal Wood play at The Artesian in Regina on Monday night. It was an absolutely amazing show. If you haven't heard of Royal Wood, I suggest you check him out right now. ;)

I'd brought my camera with me, but failed to notice the battery was dead :/ I managed to get a few pictures with my camera phone, which I'm not really impressed with, but they still give you a general sense of the atmosphere there.

This is my absolute favourite song by Royal Wood. It usually makes me cry every time I hear it. *sigh*

The Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour

2011-09-20T09:09:00.000-06:00

On September 10th I traveled to Saskatoon with a friend to view the collection of Buddhist relics on display at the public library. It was a truly amazing & spiritual experience.

'In each city they visit, the relics are inspiring communities to come together and experience an inter-faith celebration focused on our shared human qualities – love, compassion and the importance of having a 'good heart'. By meditating on loving-kindness, peace naturally arises in our hearts and in our surrounding world.'

Upon entering the room with the relics, I felt immediate peace and calmness. I could have stayed there all day just breathing it all in, people watching and taking pictures.

This is the Buddha bath where water is dipped and poured over the Buddha statue.

This is a life sized statue of Maitreya - The Teacher. 'He will inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global cooperation.'
I like that idea :)

There was a wishing bowl and little bells to ring to delight your spirit guides.

These are the actual relics.

'Most of the relics — those found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters — resemble beautiful pearl-like crystals. Buddhists believe these relics are produced as a result of the master's spiritual qualities of compassion and wisdom. Since we can all develop these qualities, the relics are a reminder of our own essential nature of purity and our inner potential to manifest that.'

Just as we were leaving, we saw an expectant woman receiving blessings. Everybody in the room turned their attention to watch. It was amazing. If you ever get a chance to catch this tour, I highly suggest you go see it.

To read more about the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour click here.

2011-09-05T09:41:00.000-06:00

Well, it's started already. Three days into the school year and I've got a sick kid. Catie developed a fever Friday night and she's been laying on the couch ever since. Thankfully there's been no throwing up with this particular flu.

I woke up with a brain splitting headache today so I'm just going to do as little as possible and keep Catie company on the couch. :)

September

2011-09-02T21:48:00.000-06:00

The past 3 days with the girls back in school full time have been pretty calm and quiet. I'm still not quite sure what to do with myself, so I've kind of just been doing a little bit of everything. I'm sure I'll settle into a routine eventually.

Seamus seems to be enjoying having some time away from his sisters and some alone time with me. I certainly don't miss the little scuffles that break out and the fighting over the computer ;)

Here he is making his usual scrambled egg sandwich this morning.

He can crack an egg better than I can :)

I made some yummy lettuce wraps yesterday.

I took a leaf of Romaine lettuce, spread some hummus on it, chunks of avocado and chopped roasted almonds and then rolled it all up.

It was really yummy...and very filling :)

It was pretty cold out today. It rained most of the day and I ended up turning the furnace on for a bit just to get the chill out of the air. Almost time to get out the flannel sheets again. Yay! Also the perfect time to start ending my days with hot bubble baths which is where I'm heading now :)

Crazy Sexy Juice

2011-09-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

This whole juicing business is giving me loads of energy and I'm feeling like a million dollars. That 2pm afternoon nap that I always wished I could have? Yeah, not even an issue anymore. Nap? What's that and who needs it? :) This morning, I didn't even feel like I might kill somebody if I didn't have my coffee. That totally freaked me out, so I made some anyway :)

Instead of drooling on the couch, I'm rockin' out to Audioslave, having my first official green juice and grinning over the fact that I folded ALL of the laundry today. Yes, you read that correctly. I did not put it all in a pile and burn it like I've so often threatened to do, but instead I kicked its ass.

My green juice recipe consists of half of a large cucumber, 2 stalks of celery, 6 leaves of Romaine lettuce, 1 pear and a half inch chunk of ginger. There's supposed to be kale & broccoli in there too, but I didn't have those things so I skipped them this time.

I was a little apprehensive about trying green juice, but I was actually pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes. I could probably do without the celery taste maybe, but it kind of reminds me of drinking a Caesar so I'll just go with it. :)

Last night I made Carrot Apple Ginger Tea Cakes out of the pulp that was leftover from my carrot, apple, ginger drink. They're quite yummy! You can find the easy recipe over at Food Thinkers.

I've also been watching episodes of Eat Yourself Sexy. The show mostly deals with busy mothers who always put themselves last. Hmm...that sounds vaguely familiar :)

August Break 2011 - Day 30

2011-08-30T08:15:00.001-06:00

I've been noticing lot's of crazy clouds lately. This one just kept billowing up like ashes from a volcano. It was breathtaking. :)

This is just a shot of the abandoned house next door. I love this house despite how dilapidated it is.

The kids (2 out of 3) are back to school tomorrow. I can hardly wait :)

August Break 2011 - Day 29

2011-08-29T16:24:00.000-06:00

The kids and I headed out to Arlington beach yesterday afternoon. The weather was hot and I was feeling like we should definitely be taking advantage of the last few days of summer vacation. The kids are back to school on Wednesday! Only 2 more sleeps...

The girls had fun swinging in the shade for awhile. We had the entire beach to ourselves which was awesome. No fat hairy guys in speedos to deal with :)

Catie ran squealing out of the water when Chloe insisted a crab bit her on the toe. The expression on her face is priceless :)

Seamus waded into the green, slimy water and climbed the giant slide. The murky water didn't seem to bother the kids at all. It was too hot out to be picky I guess :)

I sat and soaked up the sun and took pictures while Seamus buried my feet in the sand.

The kids decided it would be fun to bury each other. Catie also buried Seamus' shirt and we had to hunt for that afterwards.

Catie exclaimed on the way home 'I think I brought the whole beach home in my buttcrack!' Judging from the amount of sand I found in the bathtub later on, I think she was probably right :)

A lovely day was had by all.

I'm feeling a little bit melancholy about summer coming to an end, but I'm also excited about the prospect of having a little more time to myself once the girls are back in school. Lot's of changes coming :)

Leave it behind...

2011-08-29T13:39:00.000-06:00

It’s good to leave each day behind,

Like flowing water, free of sadness.

Yesterday is gone and its tale told.

Today new seeds are growing.

Rumi ♥

August Break 2011 - Day 28

2011-08-28T12:03:00.000-06:00

A few months back I picked up the book Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. I devoured all 230 pages in just a couple of evenings and it sparked in me the desire to get super healthy.

'The Crazy Sexy Diet is a low fat, vegetarian program that reduces inflammation and balances the pH of your dazzling body with lush whole foods, low glycemic fruits , raw veggies, alkalizing green drinks, and superpowered smoothies.'

Now that I've gotten my hands on a juicer, I'm ready to give this program a serious whirl. I think I'm actually already turning into a juicing maniac. Could be worse things to be I suppose ;)

This morning, after sweating my butt off on the elliptical for 30 minutes, I made myself a refreshing drink to chug afterwards. I took half of a peeled cucumber, half a cantaloupe, a peach and a splash of lime juice and voila! Instant nectar of the gods. SO good. I put it in a stemless wine glass over ice so I feel all fancy when I'm drinking it ;)

I'm hoping I can get the kids in on the action one day. So far the only part about juicing they like is putting the chunks of fruit & veggies into the juicer and watching the juice come out. They wrinkle their little freckled noses up at the sight of the actual drink :)

It feels good to take care of myself properly. I put myself ahead of the piles of laundry, the bathroom that needs a good scrubbing and the dishes in the sink. I think it's more important that I'm a happier and healthier mom for my kids as opposed to an exhausted, half crazy woman with a spotless house.

August Break 2011 - Day 26

2011-08-26T21:03:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like I lost 3 days somewhere. That tends to happen when you're a mother - or if you've been binge drinking. I can assure you I was not drinking, although that might have been nice...

I've been pretty busy making new jewelry, editing photos, adding items to my Etsy shop, baking stuff, washing floors....lot's of excitement I'm telling you.

We had a little fire this evening - and it was completely intentional for once.

The kids had fun roasting marshmallows and then feeding them to the dog.

See all that white fluff scattered around her? Those are the remains of my patio chair cushions. Yep. My yard looks like a bit of a war zone.

I brought out the graham crackers and my secret stash of dark chocolate and made myself the best smore ever.

I kinda feel like I might puke now, but we all had fun and that's really all that matters right? Of course :)

I had fun playing with my new juicer the past couple of days. I managed to snag a second hand one that had been barely used. Juicers are expensive!! I got a good deal on this one though.

The first concoction I tried was cantaloupe and red grape juice. It was really good over ice. This evening I made myself a carrot, ginger and lime juice. I took four carrots, half a lime and a small chunk of fresh ginger and put it through the juicer. I poured that over ice and it was divine. Instant burst of energy. Can't wait to experiment more with it :)

Have a fabulous weekend! <3

August Break 2011 - Day 23

2011-08-23T22:49:00.001-06:00

It was another gorgeous morning - despite the fact that it started out with me stepping in cold, squishy dog crap. I calmly wiped it off and just pretended it didn't happen.

I fumbled around in the kitchen and fed the kids and then grabbed my book, coffee & camera and escaped to the veranda.

It was a lovely morning and I was feeling quite content. Not even the sound of fighting kids inside the house bothered me. I just let them do their thing. They only seem to fight in order to get my attention, so instead I'm doing the opposite - completely ignoring them. Their screaming and shrieking now falls on deaf ears. They only get attention now when they're being sweet as pie :)

The morning sky was full of these cool clouds. They looked like puffy little cotton balls.

Later on, I piled the kids into the car and we set off into the country for a little car ride and some picture taking.

I quickly discovered that wearing flip flops and walking through ditches don't mix well. Lot's of prickly things and creepy crawlies lurking in there. Oh well - it was totally worth it :)

The country scenery was breathtaking as always. I'm having a TON of fun editing my photos and making them look extra pretty.

While standing in a ditch, I picked cattails for each of the kids and advised them not to beat each other with them.

Better post this before my computer does that blue screen of death thing again :/ Plus, I really need a snack and possibly a hot bath.

Hope you're all having a great week! <3

August Break 2011 - Day 21

2011-08-21T20:06:00.000-06:00

We all had a great sleep last night and everything was so harmonious and calm this morning. I fed the kids and then they all wandered off happily to play. No fighting or whining. It was really weird, but I didn't question it :)

I wasted no time and grabbed my coffee, book & camera and headed outside for some morning meditation.

I watched this butterfly for a good couple of minutes before it finally dawned on me to actually take a picture of it. I had my Nikon sitting right infront of me :) I got in a few shots of it before the puppy jumped up and scared it away.

I sat for quite a long time enjoying the peaceful morning and reading Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now. It's one of those books that I'm always reading. If I finish it, I just start over again. Or I'll just grab it randomly and start reading whatever page I open it to.

Anyway, the following quote really resonates with me:

"Always say 'yes' to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? What could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say 'yes' to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you."

— Eckhart Tolle

Surrender to what IS.

If you can figure out how to do that, everything is pretty awesome - no matter what's happening in your life.

Inner peace.

August Break 2011 - Day 19

2011-08-19T23:17:00.000-06:00

I just had the most wonderful & relaxing bubblebath ever and now I'm ready to melt into bed and sleep like the dead.

Today was strangely similar to yesterday. Whining kids, neverending housework, running around in circles... My batteries are running low and I think I need to be recharged. I told my mother the other day that it would be great if I could somebody could just taser me.

I'm not fighting this feeling of low energy or trying to figure out why I feel this way. Instead, I'm just gonna go with it. If I've learned anything lately, its that surrendering and letting go is the pathway to bliss.

I didn't do any picture taking today at all. Instead I played around on this awesome photo editing website called pixlr-o-matic. No more wasting hours fiddling around on Photoshop. I can do lots of cool things to my photos with just one click of the mouse. Awesomeness. I owe a huge thank you to Kate over at KateWares for introducing me to it. Thank you! :)

I love photos with an old grungy look. I can't wait to turn these pictures into pretty pieces of jewelry.

I ran baby Lulu and I through the pixlr-o-matic too :)

Have an awesome weekend!

August Break 2011 - Day 18

2011-08-18T21:05:00.000-06:00

I did lot's of stuff today, I just can't remember what it was..and its probably too boring to mention anyway. :)

Here's Lulu and her gargantuan tongue. She spent the day shredding my patio furniture cushions, chewing on what's left of the garden hose and running around with a flower pot in her mouth. She also goosed me a few times and attempted to lick my eyeballs. Kinda reminds me of this one guy I dated :/

I tried not to use my brain too much today. I just kind of put it in neutral and wandered around looking at shiny things. Ooh...and flowers with bees....

I'm going to bed early tonight with a good book, a large cup of tea and a giant, snoring dog to keep my feet warm. She'll be great for those cold winter nights when the frost is creeping up my walls :)

August Break 2011 - Day 17

2011-08-17T21:43:00.001-06:00

It really felt like Sunday today. I just wanted to spend the day curled up on the couch napping. Didn't happen though. I managed a bit of a nap, but was eventually tackled by a 4 year old...then the phone rang...and then something else happened. Typical :)

Chloe coloured me this pretty picture. I think the girl in the picture is supposed to be me. The chocolate smeared face probably gives it away. And I think that's my shotgun leaning against the tree there...

Only 2 more weeks before the girls return to school full time. It will just be Seamus and I home together. They're growing up so fast :/ I'm so glad I have every day to spend with them - even if they DO drive me nuts sometimes. :)

Speaking of being driven nuts - here's Lulu. She's sitting ON TOP of the patio table. Crazy dog. She fits right in here ;)

August Break 2011 - Day 16

2011-08-16T23:04:00.000-06:00

Today was a blur of activity as it always is. I feel like all I really did was make repeated attempts at doing housework, but constantly getting interrupted and not actually getting anything done. Oh well. The house seems to always look the same no matter how much effort I make or whether I just throw my hands up in the air and declare that I give up. :)

I took a bit of a detour after picking up Chloe from her friend's house tonight. We stopped by this pretty pond and I jumped out of the car and took a few pictures. The sun was starting to set and it was shining really pretty through the trees.

There was something small and furry swimming in the pond, but he disappeared when he saw me there. Not sure what it was. A muskrat maybe? All I know was that he was really cute and had a little tail.

The kids were all really tired so we headed home. I had fantasies about getting them into bed early without much fuss. Ha. I'm so silly. :)

I'm starting to get SO into this lack of routine thing that I had to stop and try and figure out what day of the week it was. Tuesday. Right.

Okay, it's 11pm and even though I really just want to fall into bed, I'm going to make myself a snack instead and watch some mindless television for awhile. I can tell when I haven't had enough ME time because I start getting the urge to throw dishes. Just a plate or two. Maybe a wine glass for some extra drama. Occasionally a steak knife.

August Break 2011 - Day 15

2011-08-15T21:47:00.002-06:00

I took the kids to the doctor for checkups today. They're all healthy and doing just fine - which I already knew, but at least now it's confirmed :) The doctor declined my request for mild sedatives...something about that being illegal? Oh well...

We filled the rest of the day with trips to the playground and then an evening walk to the park with Lulu. She literally dragged ME for a walk and nearly ripped my arms out of their sockets. I'm thinking maybe a smaller dog would have been easier to handle. Perhaps a chihuahua or a toy poodle...maybe even just a hamster..

Here's Lulu standing at the bottom of the jungle gym. She wanted to be able to climb just like the kids. I eventually helped her up the bars and she gleefully went down the slide. She thinks she's one of the kids it would seem :)

This picture makes it seem like we're out in the middle of nowhere...way up north somewhere. It's actually just the edge of the playground. Very pretty.

Catie has mastered the monkey bars quite well. She's just a blur...

More playground scenery....

Another lovely day :)

August Break 2011 - Day 14

2011-08-14T21:50:00.000-06:00

I woke up to three kids AND a giant dog in my bed this morning. It was quite lovely :) We hung out there for awhile and had some very interesting conversations. Then the dog started walking all over us and happily licking everybody so we decided to get up.

I made the kids some breakfast and then took my giant cup of coffee out onto the veranda to enjoy the morning air and sweep the cobwebs out of my brain.

The dog and I played fetch for awhile with her slobbery chewy rope thing.

After lunch we hopped in the car and drove into the city. I decided that THIS year I would make a point of buying school supplies early instead of waiting until the last minute like I usually do. I got almost everything on the list and left there one happy mama. I dropped the kids off at their dad's and then ran a few more errands. It was a lovely afternoon for everybody :)

We grabbed Blizzards for the car ride home and the kids fell into a sugar coma shortly afterwards. Road trips are great - especially when the kids are sleeping instead of slapping each other and then whining to me about it.

I pulled over a few times to take pictures. The sun was pouring through the clouds and it was pretty spectacular.

I need to learn how to fly a small aircraft AND take pictures. I think the view would be much better way up in the sky.

The kids are all sleeping soundly which means its finally relax time for me. I thought this moment would never come....

August Break 2011 - Day 13 (Zero Tolerance)

2011-08-13T20:47:00.000-06:00

Today was so weird. I had weird dreams the entire night before and then everything else was weird after that.

I was rude to the Jehovah's Witnesses that came to the door today while I was trying to feed the kids their lunch. No friendly chit chat from me! Instead they got an annoyed 'We're busy!' and then the door shut firmly in their smiling, ready-to-brainwash me faces. SO not in the mood.

I took the kids out to the lake today. I stopped on the way to snap some pictures of a herd of cattle that are always hanging out by the side of the road. I contemplated tossing the children over the barbed wire fence and driving away, but then reconsidered.

The cows stopped grazing and stared at me grumpily while I took pictures.

A couple of them even put on a bit of a show.

Catie explained to everybody that 'they just really liked each other'.

Once we arrived at the lake, I sat poolside like a zombie and simply observed. I'd worn my bathing suit but didn't feel much like swimming. The pool was packed with screaming toddlers and large, hairy men wearing speedos and frankly, I just didn't want to have anything to do with that today.

Brad Pitt could have walked up to me and I would have swiftly kicked him in the testicles and then kneed him in the face. That should give you a pretty good idea of my mood today ;) I was like a firecracker. Actually, I'm probably just in dire need of some caffeine or a nap. :/

The kids were frog catching at grandma and grandpa's yesterday. I dropped my phone in the bucket shortly after taking this picture. Fortunately I grabbed it before it got too wet and it was fine. I managed to avoid squishing any frogs either ;)

Never a dull moment around here.

August Break 2011 - Day 12

2011-08-12T21:58:00.000-06:00

I found this cute little dragonfly resting in the sun today on my parent's deck.

He was quite a friendly little guy. I put my hand right up to him and he crawled up onto my fingers. It could have been that I'd had too much coffee and sun, but it seemed like he was maybe saying hello. :)

A couple more pictures from today...

I let the kids stay up late enough that they were practically begging to go to bed. Now that they're all tucked in, it's just me, my chocolate and the tv. I hope I actually manage to stay awake to enjoy the quietness. :)

August Break 2011 - Day 11

2011-08-11T10:04:00.001-06:00

Poor little Miss Catie had to get one of her baby molars yanked today. She was such a little trooper. She wasn't exactly thrilled to be in the dentist's chair, but we didn't have to tie her down either. I think I was more nervous than she was.

Here she is hanging out and waiting for the freezing to take effect.

The kids and I stayed right there with her the whole time to keep her company. Seamus was a very concerned little brother. He kept asking 'Are you okay Catie?'.

I was the only one to witness the extraction. Chloe took her brother to use the washroom right before the actual tooth pulling. Surprisingly I got a little woozy and I was thankful I was actually sitting down. I didn't think that kind of stuff bothered me. Guess it does! :)

The rest of the day was spent keeping gauze stuffed in Catie's cheek and trying to find her soft foods to eat. Lot's of popsicles were consumed by all. :)

August Break 2011 - Day 10

2011-08-10T21:01:00.000-06:00

The crew.

August Break 2011 - Day 9

2011-08-09T11:07:00.000-06:00

This is a flower from my parent's garden. I killed all of mine a long time ago. My hanging baskets were damaged in a thunderstorm and then I just forgot to water them. Good thing I didn't go ahead and try and grow a garden this summer. The results would have been disastrous. Even the basil growing on my windowsill is dead. Crispy. The kids are all still alive though, so THAT'S good. I think that's probably the most important thing anyway.

August Break 2011 - Day 8

2011-08-08T21:55:00.000-06:00

I finally got a really good sleep last night after a few terrible ones. No thunderstorms, no kids wetting the bed, no sobbing quietly into my pillow...you know, the typical stuff that would keep a single, slightly frazzled and frayed mother up ;)

As a result of such an awesome sleep (or maybe just insanity) I cleaned like a maniac today. I washed windows, swept floors, removed green fuzzy things from the fridge and got my kitchen in order. I sharpened some knives too. Mine were getting really dull.

In between my maniacal cleaning & bathroom sobbing, I happily stumbled upon Dave Ursillo's blog while doing my usual daily internet perusing. I ended up signing on for 18in18 - 'an 18-day program that teaches you 18 of the most powerful and life-changing lessons from the Tao te Ching, a 2,600 year old text written by ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu.'

I have a few Tao-te Ching texts on my bookshelf, but they're written in such a way that it kind of hurts my brain to try and understand it. Dave's program breaks it all down and makes it more comprehensive for the modern reader. I'm excited to get my first email tomorrow. Seriously, for only $9, how can you go wrong? I could use a some MORE powerful & life changing lessons right about now. I'll let you know how it goes ;)

My mom just sent me over some fresh baked chocolate cupcakes after the kids went to bed. She's so awesome. Having her live right down the street sure comes in handy. I'm hoping she spiked them with Valium or horse tranquilizers. I'd be fine with either of those. Not picky really.

I'm washing them down with some cold coffee and Royal Wood crooning sweetly in my ear. The perfect ending to a very long day. I might fire off a few rounds of my shotgun for a finishing touch. If anyone asks, I'll just say there were rabid skunks in my yard.

My August break day 8 photo is a self portrait. This girl is really digging life the past couple of years. It's like one of those really scary roller coaster rides where kids puke at the end. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. ;)

Yeah, baby.

August Break 2011 - Day 7

2011-08-07T19:08:00.001-06:00

Today was definitely a lazy Sunday. We spent about half the day wandering around in our pajamas with crazy hair watching Spongebob and eating Cheetos on the couch. The other half was spent out in the yard being chased by the dog and picking raspberries. There may have been some whining children and some minor swearing on my part. I drank too much coffee, cursed at the laundry, baked banana bread and admired my rocker chick, mascara smeared eyes from the night before. The power had gone out at 10:30, just as I had entered full on relax mode and was about to dive into jewelry making.

Instead of being productive, I ended up wandering around a creepy, pitch black house trying to remember where the hell I'd put the only lighter that exists. Eventually I found it in my underwear drawer - an odd place I know. (Perhaps I'd been planning on burning that pile of giant, floral patterned granny panties once and for all. We'll never know...)

I lit a few candles, consoled all three of my screaming children and then dragged the rain soaked dog in from outside. By that time I was a little grumpy and looking forward to sweet unconsciousness. I would have welcomed a club over the head at that point. I fell asleep to the sound of thunder and the smell of wet dog.

Anyway, going to bed without washing my face resulted in that 'I've been out all night partying/crying my eyes out all day look'. Kinda sexy right? Yeah. Well, I kinda dug it so I kept it on today. It went really well with my 'I don't give a shit' hair style.

After a hot shower and some fresh air, all was well again :)

Looking forward to a fresh, new week and hoping to savour the last of the summer holidays with my whiny, but sweet kids :)

August Break 2011 - Day 5

2011-08-05T22:12:00.001-06:00

I snapped this photo on the way out to the lake today with the kids. These purple thistles line both sides of the gravel road all the way out there. They're really pretty against the blue skies and the canola fields.

In love with Elliot Brood these days. Check them out and crank it way up loud :)

August Break 2011 - Day 3

2011-08-03T19:11:00.002-06:00

August Break 2011 - Day 2

2011-08-02T19:46:00.000-06:00

These friendly little dragonflies are everywhere. They're busily feasting on the bazillion mosquitoes around here - which I'm very happy about. Kinda getting tired of mosquito bites on my ass ;)

Centennial Celebration

2011-08-02T09:05:00.000-06:00

It's been such a wonderful summer so far. Our little town had its Centennial celebration this past weekend and there were lot's of festivities going on around here.

On Saturday morning, the kids, my friend Cristina and I headed over to the town hall and set up a table selling Girl Guide cookies along with my jewelry. All of the local businesses were there selling their wares too.

The kids did amazing! We had them walking around the hall carrying boxes of their cookies and people just couldn't resist their cuteness :) I was pretty happy with my sales too. I met a lot of interesting people, including previous residents who'd flown in from the U.S. to celebrate.

There was a little parade that afternoon and the kids collected lots of candy from the passing floats - which were mostly trucks and tractors :)

Seamus was completely in awe the entire time with all of this candy literally being thrown at him. He couldn't believe his luck ;)

The kids hanging out after the parade was over. They got quite a bit of candy - enough to keep them flying around the ceilings for the rest of the day anyway.

The town firetruck drove by with sirens blaring. Seamus covered his ears with candy-filled hands.

I took the kids on a little road trip this past Sunday. The house was hot and humid so it was a perfect time to go for a drive in the air conditioned car, grab some ice cream for the kids and take a few pictures.

I think we're just going to hang in and around the house today. The laundry is starting to take over again (when is it NOT?) and I have a long list of other things to do. Time for more coffee. :)

August Break 2011 - Day 1

2011-08-01T21:34:00.000-06:00

Last year I joined Susannah Conway's August Break project and had a LOT of fun, met some great people and learned a ton. So I decided to do it again this summer. :)

The idea is to help you become more present and take a look at your life through the camera lens one day at a time during the month of August. The only rule is that you have to have fun. I urge you to try it :)

This photo captures some wildflowers against the backdrop of a gorgeous Saskatchewan sunset.

A Week in Review..

2011-07-26T21:48:00.000-06:00

I can't believe we're a month into summer holidays already. The kids and I have settled into a wonderful routine out here in the country. They've actually been sleeping IN! Some days we don't roll out of bed until close to 9am, but usually its 8am or somewhere in there. The kids usually spend the first hour lounging on the couch watching Spongebob while I putter around in the kitchen listening to CBC Radio 3 (I'm addicted) and grinding coffee beans to make the strongest coffee I can possibly handle. The day is generally a blur after that :)

It's been kind of a wild and crazy past week. I've been busy working on a bunch of new stuff for my Etsy shop and for an upcoming trade show on Saturday. Feels like it takes a monumental effort to get much of anything done with three little munchkins running around, so I try and just do what I can. I think I've accomplished quite a bit so far, despite the chaos and non-stop interruptions :)

Here's a sample of some of the stuff I've been working on:

I'm having a 30% off sale in my shop right now. Think about heading over there and picking up something nice for yourself ;)

I had a bit of a scare this past Wednesday when I went for my annual physical. The doctor was showing me how to do a proper breast exam when she noticed a lump in my left breast. She said it was probably nothing, but that she would send me to the hospital to get it looked at just in case. I didn't really think too much of it at the time. She didn't seem overly concerned at all so I stayed calm too. Then we moved onto the pap smear and all that talk about lumps was soon forgotten :/

It all kind of hit me later that night after I'd put the kids to bed and was tidying up the kitchen. What if it was something more serious? Just what IF? My mind explored all of the possible outcomes. Breast cancer? Maybe just a cyst?

I could actually feel the lump in there - a lump I'd never noticed before. I panicked briefly, but then I snapped myself out of it and was okay with it all. I guess with all of the adventures and changes I've had lately, I've learned to just accept what IS and just go with the flow. Life is so much easier when you do it that way you know. Some people will sadly never figure that out ;)

I drove into the city on Monday for my appointment at the hospital. I was kind of in a daze the entire time. It was like I was just watching this all on television or something - some sort of strange reality show.

I made my way to administration and was then directed to go to the Breast Screening wing. I changed into a gown and then sat in the waiting room until it was my turn. I thumbed calmly through breast cancer pamphlets and took note of a support group poster on the wall.

My name was called and the next thing I knew my boobs were being squished as flat as pancakes. Mammograms aren't as bad as I thought. Not painful at all - at least not for me. They squish them from top to bottom and then from side to side so they are able to see the breast from all angles. I purposely avoided looking at what was going on with my boobs, although I did catch a brief glimpse. Seriously, I was amazed at how flat they can compress a boob. I'm also thankful they returned back to their normal shape :)

I was sent back to the waiting room so the doctor could go over the results. A few minutes later they called me back in and I could tell right away that everything was fine. I just knew.

Maybe it was the way the doctor commented casually that she liked my toenail polish, or how she looked at me funny and said, 'Now, where did you say you felt this lump?'. She also did an ultrasound on my boob and showed me that there was absolutely nothing there. Just breast tissue - which is known to be ropey and lumpy to begin with.

Relief is what I felt. And intense gratefulness. And a renewed appreciation for life. Having the shit scared out of you puts a lot of things into perspective really quickly :)

Stop sweating the small stuff, love everyone around you as intensely as possible and dont take a single thing for granted. Ever.

Heat Waves and Sun Burns

2011-07-22T18:30:00.000-06:00

This past week has been filled with heat waves, trips to the beach and lot's of strawberry ice cream. I successfully wore my new bathing suit to the pool yesterday and swam with the kids for a couple of hours. We had a blast. Being in the pool is definitely more fun than sitting on the sidelines. I managed to get a nice sunburn too. It now looks like I'm wearing a flesh coloured bathing suit ;)

There were about 3 super hot days in a row earlier this week where I was pretty sure I was going to combust. It was a sticky, humid heat. The kind that renders you unable to perform even the simplest of tasks. We took refuge at my parents air conditioned house one afternoon and then spent the other days outside in the shade or at the lake. It all worked out just fine. Now the weather has cooled down so much that we're all walking around with sweaters on. We had some pretty crazy thunderstorms the past few nights too.

These pictures show some huge, fluffy clouds rolling in on Wednesday morning. They brought with them lot's of rain, thunder and refreshingly cool air. Thank goodness for that.

The kids noticed a strange object at the beach the other day and were completely fascinated and baffled by it. A telephone booth. Clearly nobody uses payphones anymore. It stood there like a monument, filled with spider webs and creepy crawlies.

Catie is still adjusting to the port-a-potties at the lake. She only ventures in if its an extreme emergency. She can't handle the fact that they don't flush and that they smell pretty bad. Her expression shows her concern. Poor little thing. I couldn't help but giggle. :)

I felt SO summery yesterday. Bathing suit with a sundress overtop, flip flops, beach bag, hair up in a ponytail, sunglasses and 3 giggling kids in tow.

Today it was cool and cloudy. We spent the day watching a marathon of Spongebob Squarepants episodes and catnapping on the couch. I worked on some new jewelry and sipped coffee in between. A good day :)

Summer Road Trips & Days at the Lake

2011-07-16T10:11:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday I took a 2 hour road trip to attend a trade show in a small town just outside of Saskatoon. The show itself wasn't particularly exciting and my sales were shitty, but it was time for ME and I thoroughly enjoyed that part of it.

I think it was the drive to and from the event that I enjoyed the most. Being in the car alone is therapeutic for me. There's nobody whining at me, I can blast music as loud as I want, I can cry or talk to myself...its wonderful. :)

I snapped this picture on the way home. I have a fascination with power poles for some reason - particularly these ones:

Taken on the outskirts of Saskatoon.

We've spent quite a few afternoons out at the lake. The kids usually swim for 2-3 hours while I sit by the pool trying to get a tan. So far all I've succeeded in doing is getting more freckles :)

Sitting by the pool is nice, but I want to get in the water too! :) I plan on jumping in there with the kids as soon as my bathing suit arrives. I ordered myself one online the other day. That saves me the horror & sobbing of trying them on in a change room under fluorescent lights. If you're a woman, you know exactly what I'm talking about and how scary that is :/ I picked a bathing suit that is cute, but hides all the scary parts. I hope. (Which reminds me, I better get back on my elliptical soon. I've spent too many evenings lounging on the couch, eating m&m's and watching 30 Rock reruns. It may catch up to me soon ;)

I addition to doing wild things like buying bathing suits, I also got a cute little sundress a couple weeks ago. I can't believe I've gone ALL these hot summers without owning a dress. Have I been crazy?? Yes, yes I have. Wearing a dress feels SO amazing. I think I need more so I have one for every day of the week. :)

My one year old self totally had the right idea - eating watermelon while wearing a sundress. I need to consult with her more often I think ;)

After the kids have exhausted themselves with swimming, we wander over to the actual beach area, spread out a blanket and have a little picnic. I usually pack PB&J sandwiches, potato chips and iced tea.

As a special treat, we sometimes get Slush Puppies too. Seamus cutely refers to them as 'dog smoothies' :)

The girls got new goggles and were so excited to try them out. Catie wears hers around the house sometimes just to liven up the day.

In all the times we've been out to the beach, I've maybe only seen a couple kids swimming in the actual lake. Sure, the water isn't perfectly clear and there's a bit of seaweed hanging around - but so what? When I was a little girl, I would spend my entire day in the water and on the beach building sand castles and looking for pretty rocks and shells. Kids these days seem to prefer concrete and chlorine.

I had to explain to my kids that it's really OKAY to be wet and have sand on your feet. That's what the beach is all about. They looked at me like I was an alien. They were requesting 'fresh clothes' and panicking that their feet were dirty. Try spending the entire day with sand in your butt crack, seaweed dangling from your hair and coated with sun block and bug spray. That's how I remember my beach days. It was awesome. :)

The drive out to the beach is gorgeous. Fields of canola, pretty blue skies and the crunchy sound of driving down gravel roads.

I would love to get out and explore all the abandoned farmhouses and falling down barns one day. There are tons of them.

Speaking of the beach, I think we're going to head out there again today. The weather is supposed to be nice and hot. I should probably wear my sundress :)

Canada Day Weekend

2011-07-05T11:14:00.000-06:00

The past few days have whipped by in a flurry of activity. We spent most of Canada Day out at Last Mountain Regional Park. My sister, her fiance, my brother and I hauled the kids and the puppy out there for some fun. Its a quick 15 minute drive - how handy is that? :)

The kids played in the lake for awhile - the water was so nice and warm. See those trees behind the kids? That used to be the beach, but with all of the flooding this year, the beach is pretty much gone. It was so strange to see.

Uncle Jesse coaxed Lulu into the water and she splashed around for awhile too.

I dipped my toes into the water. It was wonderful. Next time we go out there I'm going to make sure to collect some pretty beach rocks and some sand for crafty stuff :)

After we'd explored the beach and the playground, we checked out the beer gardens for a few minutes and did some people watching. The beer tent was packed with people and so we took our drinks and sat behind the tent. Much quieter and more kid friendly.

We wandered over to the giant pool and let the kids do some swimming. They loved it. I sat on the edge of the pool and dangled my feet in the cool water. I was actually really wishing I had a bathing suit so I could get in there with them. :)

Seamus bobbed around the pool in his cute little lifejacket. He watched the chubby little babies and chatted with other kids. Quite the little social butterfly he was. The girls hung out together and Chloe even braved the diving board.

After the marathon swimming session, we wandered over to the concession stand by the beach. We definitely needed ice cream by that time :)

There was more playing on the beach, swinging and sliding, a yummy supper and then we waited patiently for the fireworks. The kids were super tired by that point and barely made it. The fireworks were awesome - we had front row seats. It was cool seeing them being launched - maybe a little nervewracking too when a few sparks showered down. :)

I'm pretty sure I'm going to spend most of the summer there with the kids. We'd be silly not to. It's like camping, but without all of the hard work :)

Moms Who Need Wine

2011-06-28T20:51:00.000-06:00

It got pretty warm here today - the hottest day so far that's for sure. The house has stayed fairly cool, but I brought the fans out just to keep the air circulating. The kids are busy talking into them, making their voices sound robotic (and annoying). Well at least they're not whining or beating the crap out of each other right? They'll do that later mostly likely..

Took the kids for a bit of a car ride this afternoon and wandered around in a farmer's field taking pictures.

I drank way too much coffee, vacuumed the rugs, soldered some jewelry, rummaged around for chocolate and found none, watered plants, entertained children, attempted a nap on the couch while being sat upon, wished I had some Valium. You know - typical mom stuff.

The kids are currently winding down from their day with some Bugs Bunny cartoons while I listen to the drone and hum of the washer and dryer and stare at a sink full of dishes.

I'm thinking once they're all sleeping soundly, I'm going to pour myself a tiny bit of wine and get all cozy on the couch with season 1 of The Big C. This is a totally awesome show by the way. Laura Linney is in it and frankly, she kicks so much ass. I love her character - a woman who find outs she has cancer and then suddenly starts to really live life and no longer takes any shit from anybody. I can kinda relate to her - minus the cancer part of course. :)

And so I'll leave you with a few more pictures from my backyard wanderings....

Now for some wine....

2011-06-26T16:24:00.000-06:00

Whoah. Crazy weekend.

Sleepovers, escaping puppies, too much coffee & not enough wine, thunderstorms, crafting, bumblebees, reading, cloud watching on the veranda...and of course - picture taking. :)

This cute little bee was hanging out with me while I was being crafty last night. There's a spot somewhere in the house where these little guys keep getting in. Anyway, until I figure out where that spot is, I just keep on catching and releasing them.

Miss Catie sat and had coffee with me on Saturday morning. She asked with a very serious expression on her face 'how do chickens make the sun come up?' I think she was probably referring to roosters, but what an awesome question!

I think she gets cuter every day :)

A crazy thunderstorm rolled in on Saturday evening. Nothing too exciting happened really and it was pretty much over by the time I finished running all over the house closing windows. :)

Here's Seamus hangin' with Lulu after she returned from one of her adventures. She was off running around town & butt sniffing with the new neighbour dogs again. She sees them wander by and just hops the fence to join them. It's quite a sight. :)

It's been a strange Sunday - sunny one minute and then raining the next.

I've been busy staying up late and making a bunch of stuff for an upcoming trade show. I think I have a pretty good amount of inventory so far. I still have 2 more weeks to crank out as much stuff as possible.

These wristlet key fobs (shown above) are made from this awesome vintage fabric my mom found in her stash. I have tons of it and as soon as I'm not running around like an idiot, I might actually try and sew something with it. :)

The necklaces (shown below) are all made using my own photography - except for maybe one.

Okay, I'm feeling like maybe a Sunday afternoon nap is in order now. The kind that may involve slight drooling and a little snoring. It's cool and raining out - perfect napping weather.

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend :)

Lazy Days of Summer

2011-06-23T10:06:00.000-06:00

I'm really looking forward to school ending next week so that we can all just lapse into a lazy summer of sleeping in, lounging in the yard and just doing whatever the heck we please. Report cards are handed out on the 30th and after that - freedom!

The kids and I have already got awesome farmer tans going on, mosquito bites and all of that other good stuff that goes along with summer.

The paddling pool was dragged out of the shed and the kids had a blast. The puppy even went for a swim in a nearby pond. :)

Seamus and Catie watched with delight as Lulu splashed around like a maniac in the water.

The first frog of the summer was captured. He was a cute little fella. Seamus was playing with him in the bathtub and being a curious little boy, wanted to see what would happen when you put a frog in the drain. Needless to say, the frog is wandering around in the sewers now. (He's actually probably dead.) :/

No more frogs in the bathtub....

Time for me to grab my giant cup of coffee, douse myself in bug spray and head outside for some relax time. The kids are being couch potatoes right now so its the perfect time to escape for a bit.

♥ Enjoy your day! ♥

Flashing Back

2011-06-20T09:45:00.001-06:00

Every once in awhile I love to go wandering through old journal entries from years gone by. I was asked to find old photos of Catie for her kindergarten teacher so she could put together a presentation and I ended up stumbling across a few of myself. It was strange to read about all the stuff that was going on 6 - 8 years ago. Makes me feel a little nostalgic, but also very relieved that I actually survived it. :)

This was taken only a couple of days before Chloe, my first daughter, arrived. I was like a freakin' beached whale! I was probably as wide as I was tall! In addition to the baby weight, I was retaining ALOT of water. I really don't even recognize this person. But that was me apparently :/ I cut off my head because I am too horrified to post it. Just imagine someone who looks totally miserable and puffy - with a lot of chins. LOL

I took this picture of myself wearing Catie in a baby sling. She was about 4 weeks old here. She was severely colicky and rarely slept at all. She was always happy when she was in the sling though - maybe because it was like being back in the womb :)

My brother snapped this picture of me when I was half blinking - hence the goofy expression. :) This was taken 2 weeks after I'd given birth to Catie. I was happy but probably leaky-boobed, sleep deprived and stiff & sore from that lovely c-section.

Okay, here I am with baby #3 - sweet little Seamus. I was probably a good 30 pounds (or more!) heavier there than I am now. Man, the crap women go through just to have a baby. I've blocked most of it out I think. But you know, it was all SO worth it. :)

I've worked hard these past few months to get back to a place where I feel like I'm ME again. Not just the losing weight part, but figuring out that there's another person in there in addition to my role as a mother. I've found balance and bliss - and I've finally lost all of that baby weight. :)

The kids are all thriving and happy and I'm surrounded by positive and compassionate people. Everything is as it should be :)

Catie Graduates Kindergarten

2011-06-18T09:27:00.000-06:00

Catie finished Kindergarten yesterday and there was a cute little ceremony for all the 'grads' in the afternoon. They had a photo presentation, song singing and cake and juice was served afterwards. It was her teacher's first year teaching and I would have to say she did an amazing job. :)

Here's Catie singing with her classmates. I have no recollection of what the song actually was - I was too busy snapping pictures and trying to keep Seamus entertained. He got bored pretty quickly and was busy crawling underneath all of the chairs. I just pretended I had no idea whose kid he was ;)

One by one, the kids stood up to get a diploma and a copy of the book 'Oh, the Places You'll Go!' by Dr. Suess. They even got to wear those cute little graduation caps - which they threw up in the air at the end of the ceremony.

After the presentation, everybody wandered back to the classroom and we had cake and juice. It was cute watching Catie interact with her classmates. She started the year out as a shy and quiet little girl, but quickly became very comfortable and outgoing. In this picture it looks like she's conducting a very important meeting. I just noticed she's entirely surrounded by boys. Interesting, but not surprising :)

Seamus ditched his cake almost immediately when he spotted all the cool toys in the classroom. He was quite smitten with this plastic power drill. It made really cool noises. And yes, this kid needs another haircut soon. :)

I'm mentally preparing myself for two months with three kids home ALL day. It will be a bit of an adjustment I'm sure. We have lot's of fun things planned for the summer and I'm sure it will be a blast though. I'm actually looking forward to ditching our schedule and just doing whatever the heck we want. Bring it on!

Sushi

2011-06-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

I go through these phases where I crave sushi like crazy and so I'll make it every day for like a week. Then I inevitably get sick of it and don't make it again for a couple of months.

I made it a few days ago and took pictures of the entire process. It's super easy. :)

The first thing to do is make your sticky rice. Most grocery stores have it. Don't try and use regular white rice - because that's just gross. Make sure the package actually says 'sticky rice' or 'sushi rice' :)

While the rice is cooking, you can prepare all of your 'fillings'. I'm a huge fan of cucumber, avocado, cream cheese and crab or smoked salmon. You can put anything you want in there. Get creative! :)

Next thing you'll need is a sushi mat and some Sushi Nori paper (roasted seaweed).

Lay one piece of seaweed paper on your mat.

Be sure to have a bowl with water beside you for dipping your fingers in. You'll need it for spreading the sticky rice onto the paper - otherwise it will all just stick your hands.

Cover the entire piece of paper with a layer of rice - thick enough so that you can't see the paper through the rice. Get right in there with your fingers - this is how the professionals do it :) Leave about an inch free of rice at the top of your paper.

This is the fun part where you get to pile on all the yummy stuff. Put all of your fillings on about an inch from the bottom - as shown in the picture below.

Okay, looks good right? Now start rolling! Just grab the end of your sushi mat and make sure you get all of your fillings into the first roll. Keep everything tight and snug.

This is what it should look like when you're done rolling. Don't worry if it's not perfect. My first few attempts were frightful, but you get better at it. Just make sushi a lot and you'll be an expert in no time ;)

So now you can transfer your cute little roll onto a cutting board and slice it up. Make sure you have a really sharp knife or this part will be disastrous.

Cut your roll in half and then cut the halves in half and so on. Make them as thick or as thin as you want.

Okay, the best part is eating the sushi obviously. Arrange your rolls on a fancy plate and dip them in soya sauce. I like a bit of wasabi in my soya sauce to spice it up a bit.

Loosen your pants if you start getting full - or just take them off completely if you need to. :)

Running behind....

2011-06-13T10:34:00.000-06:00

Okay, how did nearly a month pass since I last blogged? Its been busy around here to say the least. Guess I will have to bring this baby up to date.

Let's see....Catie turned 6 near the end of May. Here she is blowing out her candles with much enthusiasm :)

Chloe turned 8 a few days ago. These kids are growing up so fast I can hardly believe it.

Seamus has been a busy little bee and is always on the go. He loves to ride his bike, torment the puppy and eat ice cream cones. I recently gave him my little digital camera and sent him out in the yard to take pictures. Future photographer? Perhaps..

Lulu the puppy has blended right in with our little family. She hangs out in the yard for most of the day, naps on the cushioned lawn chairs on the veranda and chases butterflies. Recently she's learned to jump over the fence which has proven to be interesting. She ends up in the driveway and then panics when she can't get back in. She's getting SO big!

One thing I love about having a dog is that she's like a mobile security system. She barks to let me know if someone comes near the house and it sounds scary enough to deter anyone. :)

Chloe and Catie went on a camping trip with their Brownie/Sparks group this past weekend. They had so much fun! It almost makes me want to try camping with the kids. Almost. :)

Needless to say, we've been keeping super busy around here!

Hope everybody is having an amazing summer so far. I promise I'll try and keep this thing updated :)

Summer is here!

2011-05-18T17:09:00.001-06:00

The past couple of days have been really awesome. The weather has warmed up a lot and its just about swimming pool time.

I've adjusted really well to the wood tick situation - calmly plucking them from dogs and children when necessary. Thankfully they haven't bothered me much at all. I casually check behind my ears and randomly whip off articles of clothing to inspect myself. So far so good :)

The kids have been spending more and more time outside and so has the puppy. This means the atmosphere inside the house is a little calmer and I can hide out in here when I need a bit of a break.

Digging for worms.

Lulu hanging out by the fire pit. Can't wait to sit and roast marshmallows and look up at the stars at night. Oh and one word: S'mores!!

Seamus is ridiculously cute with his missing front teeth. He's even cuter when he talks.

Seamus and the puppy in action, dirt flying everywhere!

I've discovered holes all over the yard which can only be the work of Lulu. I'm just glad she hasn't figured out how to dig under fences yet ;)

Budding trees.

Yesterday, after a bit of cajoling, I convinced my brother to come over with the lawnmower, rake, clippers and his truck.

I'm determined to get an awesome garden planted by the end of the month, but it needs ALOT of work before that can happen. Last summer I just let the weeds take over and things just got out of control. I wasn't really in the mood for such a huge undertaking, having just left a 16 year relationship. I was still in a bit of shock and awe about it all. I needed time to regroup. I'm ready now though. Boy am I ready :)

You can't really tell just how bad it is by the picture below. But believe me - it wasn't pretty. I was the official chopper of weeds and my brother would rake everything into a pile.

I'm not sure what kind of weeds these were. All I know is that they were evil and a lot taller than me. :)

This was after about 4 hours of work. You can actually see the back fence now. It looks SO much better.

I've been keeping my eye out on this tree every day because when it finally does bloom, the pretty pink cherry blossoms are absolutely breathtaking. Sadly, they only last a few days.

This is a cool old shed in the backyard that was previously being used by the kids as a playhouse to make mud pies and play hide and seek. My brother and I cleaned it up and now it can be used to store tools and sprinklers and hoses..

It would be so awesome if I could renovate this shed and turn into a cool little art studio. I would sit in there sipping my coffee, listen to the birds chirp and work on my jewelry. There'd even be a little spot where I could get cozy and take a nap.

Sounds lovely doesn't it?

Okay, I better post this before something gets deleted. Blogger is acting weird and its literally taken me all day to write this. Thankfully am I a very determined blogger. :)

Electrocution and Bumblebees

2011-05-13T20:51:00.001-06:00

Blogger crashed hard yesterday so I didn't get a chance to publish a post. Oh well - better late than never right?

It was such a beautiful day that I decided we should have lunch out on the veranda.

Catie approved. :)

Seamus is showing me here that his potato chip looked like a dinosaur foot - and indeed it kind of did :)

The puppy sat patiently under the table waiting for any crumbs that might happen to come her way.

I put my feet up for a bit and enjoyed the warmth of the sun - also taking note that I need a pedicure quite badly.

After lunch, we hopped in the car and went for a ride. I took some pictures of this pretty horse on a farm nearby. I went right up to the barbed wire fence and the horse just stared at me. (I'm pretty sure I photographed this horse last summer too :)

The gravel roads were even more treacherous than before and I had to drive through some pretty rough spots. Catie got nervous and wanted to go home. Silly girl. I guess my driving makes her a little nervous. It makes ME a little nervous too actually. :)

There are ducks in this pond somewhere..but you can't see them because they all swam away before I could photograph them. ;)

Upon arriving home from the car ride, I noticed a rotten egg smell in and around the house. Yep - a gas leak. Thankfully a dude came to fix it before I accidentally blew the house up. We stayed outside most of the afternoon just in case. :)

AND THEN, the toilet overflowed. The best way to end an adventurous day wouldn't you say?

Today was spent in the city running errands. I stocked up on espresso beans and veggies. Also, I rescued Catie from a giant bumblebee that was bobbing around in the bathroom while she was bathing tonight. I didn't know she could scream that loud! AND THEN later after all the kids were in bed I managed to electrocute myself again while doing laundry. There's obviously a short somewhere. I swore like a trucker and then felt mildly thankful for the cheap electro-shock therapy I'd just received.

Okay...its now relax time. The electrocution pretty much did me in for the day. Have a great weekend!

Wild Wednesday

2011-05-11T20:42:00.000-06:00

Today went by in a blur. You wouldn't think 12 hours feels like a blur - but with three kids, a puppy and a kitty mixed in with housework, yardwork and cooking...yeah...it really flies by!

It was a warm sunny day so I herded (forced) everyone outside to play while I wandered around with my camera.

Everything is finally starting to bud! Can't wait until these lilac bushes are blooming :)

The puppy rolled around in the grass and followed me all over while I snapped pictures.

Belly scratches! :)

The kitty stayed back while we were outside and snuck a nap on the puppy's cozy bed. He'd been out on an adventure the previous night and didn't come home until lunchtime. I was worried he had gone missing, but turns out he was just partying. Silly cat.

The puppy chased those big, fat bumblebees...and the bumblebees chased me. You know, it's pretty hard to maintain any dignity when you're running around flapping your arms all over the place. I don't think anybody saw me though :)

I caught her daydreaming in this picture.

After about 10 minutes, the kids all disappeared back into the house and did whatever it is kids do whenever there's no adult supervision. Mine decided it would be super awesome to pour themselves huge glasses of milk and then add multicoloured sprinkles to it. Just add straws and you have the perfect summer beverage. They didn't even offer to make ME one :)

This puppy has a crazy long tongue. The kind of tongue that might easily get caught under the dishwasher rack rollers if she just happened to be licking it...while I was loading dishes. *cough*

Well..my cozy bed is calling my name. I'm going to retreat there with some tea and a good book and then promptly pass out happily with exhaustion. :)

NOW is the end of suffering

2011-05-10T08:32:00.000-06:00

True freedom and the end of suffering is living in such a way as if you had completely chosen whatever you feel or experience at this moment. This inner alignment with Now is the end of suffering. Is suffering really necessary? Yes and no. If you had not suffered as you have, there would be no depth to you as a human being, no humility, no compassion. You would not be reading this now. Suffering cracks open the shell of ego, and then comes a point when it has served its purpose. Suffering is necessary until you realize it is unnecessary.

—

Eckhart Tolle

(via Kind Over Matter)

Not quite over the hill...

2011-05-09T15:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day AND my birthday - how lucky is that? :)

I turned 35. THIRTY FIVE!! That's only 5 years away from FORTY.

Okay...how did that happen? Whatever...it's fine. I only feel about 19 so there's really no need for me to panic. Not yet anyway...

I got a sweet three hours all to myself when the kids went to a birthday party. It was pure awesome :)

I decided I would treat myself to a hot shower where I could just take my time and enjoy it. Normally it's like a race to get a shower in - lot's of frantic lathering and rinsing while wondering if anyone is trying to burn the house down.

I got out the fancy body wash, face scrubs and all of the other accessories required for the perfect shower.

The shower started out really well, but things went horribly awry after I'd rinsed out my shampoo. I was casually lathering up my boob area when I noticed what looked like a freckle there. I was thinking 'Hmmm...I don't recall having a freckle there...OH MY GOD!!!'

Yeah, it totally wasn't a freckle. It was a freakin' WOOD TICK.

** Insert maniacal screaming here **

Actually I remained quite calm and casually plucked it off of my BOOB and washed it down the drain. *shudders*

Later that day we all headed over to Grandma & Grandpa's for an awesome barbecue.

It was a lovely evening so I wandered around and snapped a few pictures - all the while being careful not to roll around in the grass for fear of wood ticks. We found several on the puppy later that night which didn't help matters. It's just one of those things you have to deal with when you live out in the country. I'm sure I'll get over it soon enough.

Seamus climbed a tree and got stuck :)

The girls hung out in Grandma's kitchen and watched her put candles on the chocolate birthday cake.

Yummiest chocolate cake ever! There was raspberry jam between each of the 4 layers. SO good. :)

Mom decided it would probably be a bad idea to put 35 candles on the cake - so we just kept it to 5. No use risking burning the house down or losing any eyebrows. :)

All in all it was an adventurous and wonderful day.

Now please excuse me while I go and check my boobs for wood ticks.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T11:12:00.001-06:00

Being a mom is absolutely the single most rewarding and challenging job I've ever had. Thankfully I was lucky enough to have a totally awesome mother who not only showed me what it meant to be a good mother, but was also there to help me be the best mother I could be too. She is always there for me if I need to talk and her advice is worth its weight in gold.

Women are wellsprings of caring and compassion. We put the needs of our children & families ahead of ourselves without a second thought. We bring forth life. Nothing else is quite as amazing as that. :)

Mom and I out at the lake on Grandpa's boat. :)

Mom pulling my sister and I in our little red sled.

Check out all the lovely gifts the girls made for me at school:

A cute little banner Chloe made.

Catie painted this lovely terracotta pot holding a pretty geranium. It looks lovely on my windowsill. :)

A cute picture the fabulous Chloe made. :)

This song is for my mom (I love you!) and all of the other Good Mothers out there. :)

Tim Horton's Community Cleanup

2011-05-07T23:23:00.000-06:00

Today was another awesomely busy and fulfilling day. The kids and I joined up with the Brownie & Girl Guide troops this morning to help out with the Tim Horton's community cleanup.

We wandered up and down streets and through the park picking up garbage and making the town look pretty.

The Brownie and Sparks leaders are so wonderful. They just love the girls and are always doing fun things with them. I honestly don't know where they get their energy! :)

Seamus was super impressed with the blue rubber gloves we were given to wear. He spent most of the time trying to blow them up like balloons. Hmm...wonder where he learned THAT from? ;)

I was delighted to discover that the park/campground area was absolutely covered with moss. I did not hesitate to grab as much of it as I could. I use it to make my living moss jewelry and I like to just have it growing on my windowsill. :)

Check out all the garbage we picked up! The town was sparkling after we left - and minus quite a bit of moss....;)

It felt really good to participate in such a wonderful event. Afterwards we sat down and enjoyed a really awesome lunch in the park. Sandwiches, veggies with dip, cupcakes and puffed wheat cake. Food always tastes so much better outside don't you think? :)

I feel such awe and amazement when I think about all the wonderful people we've met and friends we've made since we've been living here. Everyone is genuinely kind and caring - rare qualities these days. We are truly blessed. :)

Chasing Squirrels

2011-05-06T15:58:00.000-06:00

Oh my gosh! Where did this week go?! Thank goodness I take ridiculous amounts of photos everyday so I can just look back and remind myself what happened.

The kids had their first T-ball game earlier this week. The girls got right into it and had a blast. :)

Seamus was more interested in playing at the park with Uncle Dan and the puppy instead.

I wandered off into the trees to take pictures and chase squirrels.

Right at the end of the game, Seamus decided he'd take a swing. We all stood back. :)

***

Last night I was lucky enough to catch Jeremy Fisher play at The Exchange in Regina. This guy is an amazing Canadian singer, songwriter and musician- and he's really funny too! He's got quite a few videos on YouTube and I highly recommend you check him out. :)

I think that's all for now. The sun just peeked through the clouds so I'm going to head outside and enjoy the sunshine. Have a kickass weekend everyone!

Hummus Love

2011-05-01T14:33:00.000-06:00

So, I'm kind of addicted to hummus. Maybe a little obsessed even. It's SO easy to make which is always a big thumbs up for me. :)

Here's my 'secret' recipe:

1 can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans

1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)

2 teaspoons of pureed garlic (mine comes in a little jar found in the produce section)
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Put everything into your blender or food processor and mix for a minute or two until smooth. It's good if you leave it a little bit chunky too.

Grab some nacho chips, cut up your favourite veggies and then get dipping! It goes with almost everything! I love scooping up hummus with sweet sugar snap peas. :)

I've come to the conclusion that I feel so much better when I exclude all types of breads, pasta, dairy and meat from my diet. All of that stuff makes me feel bloated and sluggish. Who wants to deal with that on a daily basis? Not I! :) I feel best after I've been munching on fruits and veggies all day, chugging water and exercising. Ooh and SLEEP is very important. I need 8 hours at least. :)

I've been feeling like a million dollars lately (well except for those few sketchy pms tainted days ;) I'm happier, healthier and content. When you nourish and love yourself - amazing things happen. :)

Hope everyone had a kickass weekend. I'm on my third latte of the day and the kids have been playing outside in more than 5 minute intervals. Life is good. :)

Kids, puppies and chaos...

2011-04-29T15:05:00.000-06:00

We keep getting little tiny tastes of gorgeous weather. Teasers. It gets warm enough that the kids have been trying desperately to convince me to set up the pool. There's still a bit of a chill in the air and sometimes it even clouds over and snows a bit! So I've had to decline their requests for now.

Patience my little grasshoppers. :)

It's harder than you think to get these three to sit together and smile so I can take their picture. Catie (in the pink top) was fake pouting here. You can totally see her trying not to smile :) I really need to look into get her into some sort of drama class. She's got this amazing energy and imagination which makes it seem like she's constantly on Broadway or something. Some days I can handle it, other days...not so much. She's taught me how to be incredibly patient. :)

Packed into the car for another exploratory road trip. The roads need to hurry and dry up so we can expand our route!

I practically jumped out of the moving car to capture this flock of birds. There were hundreds of them! They all took flight at the same time and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. It's always nice when that happens. :)

The evening sunsets are as gorgeous as ever. I wonder how many hundreds of photos I'll take of them THIS summer? Lot's I'm sure. :)

The puppy is getting bigger by the day. One thing that causes me concern is that she likes to eat everything. Shoes, stuffed animals, my decorative throw pillows....you name it. I have to make sure to carefully scan every room to make sure there's nothing she can get into. She definitely keeps me running!

Easter Holidays...

2011-04-26T16:58:00.000-06:00

So the kids are on Easter holidays all week which has been keeping me busier than usual. Thankfully the weather has been really nice and we've been going outside a lot.

We ventured out on our first mini road trip this afternoon which was a lot of fun. I wanted to have a look at just how badly flooded all the farmer's fields were. We came across a lot of these signs:

I had pulled over to the side of the road and was taking pictures of a field - which looked more like a lake - when a farmer pulled up in a truck beside me. It was HIS field I was photographing. He seemed pretty bummed about the whole situation.

Hopefully we get lot's of warm weather soon and all of that water goes away!

The gravel roads were in pretty rough condition so we didn't explore too far today. I didn't want to risk getting stuck somewhere. I need a truck I think. I DO live in the country now and I have a dog that is going to be huge....so it would make sense right? :)

I recently discovered how terrible I am at throwing a frisbee. You'd think it would be pretty simple right? Well....not so much. The kids throw better than I do. :)

The puppy even gets in on the action!

The puppy looks how I FEEL today:

Early to bed for me I'm thinking. All of this fresh air makes me sleepy. :)