Dec 17, 2006

Playing with cars




One of Sams favourite things to do is play on the floor with his cars and trucks and motorbikes!

Sam


Sam with his candy cane decoration.....

Fun with a cereal packet!




Sam had endless fun this morning playing with an empty Cheerios packet! It finally broke so he then tried folding it up around himself to make a little car type thing :)

Snowy driveway



Here is our driveway this morning when Lloyd had used the quad to clear it :) it looks really pretty!

Dec 15, 2006

a thoughtful blogger :)

Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate

You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger.
You have a heart of gold, and are likely to blog for a cause.
You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you!
A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others.

I'm a snowman :)

You Are a Snowman
Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

Dec 14, 2006

A few more :)














A few more pics of the children playing this afternoon..........

Nurse Abby......






Abby at her nurses station and bandaging up and being bandaged!!!

Knight Abby....



Abigail dressed up in her knights armour today..........



Its not often...

Lloyd doesn't go out very often at all...I don't recall the last time really. Last week was his office night out for Christmas - but he was home by 7pm!!! Tonight is the IBM clients CHristmas party/ buffet type thing.......well he is here now but Emailing me constantly! He says its 'ok' but he says he won't be long!!!! Its funny that we prefer to be together and even though our daily evening routine can be boring and dull, its what we like and we don't like change lol! So even though it isn't often that one of us will go out without the other, we don't actually like it very much! I suggested he drink and then stay over at his friends downtown but he said he'd hate that - he wants to come home! Lol! Boring couple that we are - it makes me happy :)

Its been quite a day!

I didn't fall asleep until almost 3am this morning and was awake again at 4:30 and then asleep for a while and then Lloyd woke me with coffee at 8am.....It was not a good night - no idea why I didn't sleep well :(

This morning we had an appt with the Principal at a school we are considering for the children......the meeting went really well and we thought the school was wonderful! Its a Catholic school but its ok that we are not Catholic - we just had to sign forms to say the children can participate in religious activities.....which is fine with me......

The class sizes are really small - only 8 in the kindy class this year - and that will be the grade 1 class next year! 8!!!

So the children will start in February....they are excited and want to start after Christmas but we had to make excuses as to why they can't!!! I have to say that I am really happy with this decision......a lot happiuer than I thought I would be - seeing the school really helped and it it is just soooo different to the local school thankfully!

After the school meeting we said goodbye to Lloyd and he drove off to work and we headed into town......we went to Chapters and bought a few things and then found some gifts for my MIL and then we grabbed a few groceries in Safeway for lunch and headed home.....we got home around 1pm after checking the mail box and finding 3 big parcels for us and letters for Susie and Abby from Santa!!!!

Chris and Laurie got started on the workbooks they chose in Chapters - grade 8 math and grade 6 math and LA.....

Susannah sat and read her American Girl magazine.

Abigail played doctors ALL afternoon and is STILL playing!!! I gave her a first aid kit that was out of date and she has had a fab time - I have been bandaged up, had my arms wiped with antiseptic wipes and then been given injections and x-rays.....she has put band aids on and she even got the red paint out and made blood for the bandages........and she learnt the word haemoglobin!!!

Laurie had his head bandaged and I wore a sling - on my head as well as my arm!!! :)

It was fun!

Lloyd is at the IBM clients Christmas party tonight so we had supper early and then I put Abigail and Sam in the bath together......I wrapped a few gifts

Now they are all playing and relaxing before bed.....

Tomorrow we start operation clean sweep.......my In-laws arrive on Saturday so we have to declutter and clean the house!!!! :) Although with workmen here all week the dust levels are high so it seems a little pointless anyway lol!

Dec 13, 2006

still not commenting

I am still not able to comment on other blogs - why???????? And its not just blogger blogs either :( Susan I can't seem to post on yours either...and some blogs I can't even get to - it comes up with a google error page instead :(

Dec 12, 2006

Tragic.....half the herd lost :(

I saw this story on the news this morning and its just so sad....170 cattle feel through the ice of a dug-out ona farm in Viking......all died...

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=f8a230b5-3d89-46e8-b899-d47f2b8c5d56&k=44696

http://www.630ched.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=53943&red=80110923aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm

Talent show....

















Today was the Homeschool groups Talent Show!!!! Poor Laurie was so so nervous - I wasn't sure he'd cope but he did great - they all did!


Derek arrived at 9am this morning - he is finishing off the bedroom downstairs for us - drywalling, mudding etc and also finishing off the hallway on the main floor - and a few other jobs too.........we left him to it for the day and headed into town.....on the way in we played Lauries song so he could practice singing.......


The children all played for a while and then we set up the stage and got ready. Chris went first - he sang 'I'm a Believer' by the Monkees. Susie and Abby were third and they danced to 'Crazy Frog' together........Laurie was last to perform and he sang Robbie Williams song 'Angel'. There was acting, gymnastics displays, singing and dancing.....


After the talent show we had the party food and hot chocolate, coffee etc etc..........and then the children all played again until it was time to leave. It was the first time I had been to the new hall and it is really nice - so much nicer than the old hall - totally different atmosphere...although I think the people help with that too :)



Cheryl if you read this - thank you so much for listening today - and for being so supportive :) I really appreciate talking with you and J today - in fact I had a really nice morning :) It was good to be back :)








Homeschool Burnout....

I read on Daisys blog (Montessori Homeschooler - link to right) that she had put two and two together and realised that many of us are suffering from homeschool burnout this year - maybe its the long winter we are having, the flu and colds that are going around constantly......whatever...but I think maybe that is what is up with me.....

Daisy reminded me that I had printed out a whole heap of articles on this subject a year or so ago - and so I have taken them out to read later.........

I flicked through a few pages and it certainly seems like I need to do something about this - Fall has been horrid with us all ill and housebound because of that and the weather and icy roads.......we haven't been out and about at all and have been fairly isolated because of it all........

As much as I love my home and my own company - and that of my children, I also tend to feel isolated and enclosed when we are not here through choice but because we are 'stuck'......

This week the roads are good, I am out of my slump from last week and we have been out and about! With Christmas coming, my In Laws arriving, parties and workshops to look forward to.....the next few weeks will be busy anyway...but come New Year I am looking forward to starting afresh, getting some focus, a change of routine and getting back to it!!!!

Thank you Daisy.....you hit the nail on the head and have helped me get a little focus on the situation!

Squirt bottle lids

Ok so today I learnt that a certain person that I admire collects squirt bottle lids!!! The kind you get on squeezy ketchup bottles I'm assuming (and dish soap bottles???????? I'm not sure.......)

What can I say??????????????????????????



.......um nothing........................

I'm speechless!!!

Not surprised at all really lol.....but speechless!

roflmao!!!! Did they ever show Blue Peter here in Canada?? .......squirtlid-collector, you would have been perfect as a presenter on that show :) you could have shown us what to do with them all!!!!!

Kathy made me smile :)

Kathy sent me these 'Punny' Jokes this morning.......and yes they definitely made me smile - they are sooooooo BAD lol.....My favourite is the salted peanut one - I told it to several people today :) I am a hopeless joke-teller though! Thank you Kathy :)


1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.* *

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says, "A beer please, and one for the road."

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other, "Does this taste funny to you?"

7. "Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home.'"
"That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."
"Is it common?"
"Well, It's Not Unusual."

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, "I was artificially inseminated this morning."
"I don't believe you," says Dolly.
"It's true, no bull!" exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man married an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident.
He shouted, "Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!"
The doctor replied, "I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!"

13. I went to a seafood disco last week... And pulled a mussel.

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Of course it sank. This proved once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.
"But why," they asked
"Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

18. A woman had twins and gave them up for adoption. One of them went to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other went to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sent a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she told her husband that she wisheds she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him ....(Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)... . A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20. And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to his friends hoping that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Dec 11, 2006

Tim Hortons



Tim Hortons is a chain of coffee shops that is ALL over Canada...it's now owned by Wendys - the burger chain but it used to be Canadian. EVERYONE goes to 'Timmy's' regularly for their 'double double's or whatever (double cream double sugar)...........they are almost all 'drive thru's' so you can just pull up in your car and order your coffee, donuts, chilli, soup, sandwiches...and now YUMMY breakfast sandwiches.............
In the mornings the lines are LONG - mainly Moms who are picking up coffee after the school run!
In the picture above, Lloyd had run into Tims to get our order because the drive thru was busy.....he saw me trying to take a picture of him so yes he is discreetly showing me the middle finger lol! :)
Such a funny guy lol - picture rolling eyes smiley ;)

Edmonton in winter







I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago when we went to the Festival of Trees.....they show Edmonton in winter...including the frozen river.......as wide as it is, the river freezes over....normally not until January though. This year has just been very cold.


Alhtough it is safe to drive on lakes and ponds here (yes in SUV's etc) it isn't safe to go on ice that is on moving water - like a river.....yet every year idiots do! A few days ago a dog fell into the river through thin ice and disappeared - emergency services were called and went onto the ice to help but their boat type thing got stuck.....so then men were going out onto the ice to rescue their colleagues etc - dangerous! For a dog! Yes I LOVE dogs but still it was dangerous for the rescuers - because of a stupid dog owner - keep your dogs away from the river this time of year!

The other pictures show the Edmonton skyline with its office blocks - not sure they are tall enough to be sky scrapers but they make an attractive skyline with the river - and Lloyd works in several of these buildings - he has to walk between them for meetings each day.......luckily most of them are on the pedway - an underground passage system which means you don't have to walk outside in the cold!
Another pic is of 75th St which is quite a major road in Edmonton...it shows how the city clears the streets of snow........

Our little friends









Our Black Capped Chickadees on one of our feeders......they stay here all winter long despite how cold it gets and they are a delight to watch!


We have peanuts and sunflower seeds in our feeders..the Bluejays pull out all the sunflower seeds and drop them...just so they can get to the peanuts.....the chickadees eat both!
This feeder above though is one we made. It's a coconut shell and we have stuffed it with bacon fat mixed with bird seeds......they love it :)

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