Resolutions for 2008....

I've been thinking about these today.....I don't take new years resolutions too seriously but I do love the fresh start that a new year brings...I just wish it was in April or so when the weather was a little more supportive of activities! ;)

What are your plans for 2008? Your hopes? Your resolutions?

I want to become more involved in our little community here...I love the village atmosphere here which is very similar to the village I grew up in. We have the one village store, the village hair salon, the garage and the little cafe/ pizza restaurant...

The hall is the centre of the village social scene and so many things take place there...dances, brunch's, playgroups, dance classes, karate, yoga, movie nights....there is a senior centre next to the hall..we have Trail days in summer......

This year I volunteered in preschool, we attended the movie nights, and I helped to run the Christmas party......I've also been in touch with the community league and offered help with anything that needs to be done - they asked if I would be interested in helping with the community communication....so whether that will be helping with the newsletter or putting up posters or sending emails or whatever.....they said they would love the help and will get back to me after Christmas!

I would also like to volunteer at the senior centre....but I am not sure in what capacity...so I need to find out more about that.

Jilles told me on Sunday that the lady who organizes the collective kitchen has retired from the job and so the collective kitchen will no longer run....so maybe I should find out more about that.....

There are so few communities like this left - where everyone knows everyone else.....where things are so simple and so relaxed and friendly...I love that I'm know at the hall now...I have my own keys, I can go in at any time...that they know me in the store.....at movie nights etc etc and I want to get more involved in this way.....

So thats my plan for 08 :)

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News from the ice box.....

So, we've been at home for two days because of the cold....and its been fine, but tomorrow I am planning to go about our normal Wednesday plans and just deal with the weather....the snow seems to have stopped for the most part - just flurries now and then. The main reason we've been at home though is because Sam has a bad cold....Lloyd seems to be coming down with it too - he fell asleep on me last night after complaining of a bad sore throat and feeling horrid......I upped my garlic intake today lol - I may stink lol but I won't get a cold :)

I just drove to get the mail as its too cold to walk with the children now. Some gifts I ordered for Lloyd had arrived - Lloyd is soooo easy to buy for this year......previous years I have struggled to think of much beyond dvd's and a watch...but this year he has new interests that have given me much more choice :) I am so excited to give him his gifts :) He gives us all so much during the year and rarely buys himself anything....so its nice to be able to spoil him with things I know he'll love :)

A parcel also arrived from Lloyds parents - some chocolates for the children for Christmas :)

I have been having a mass clear out of the closets here - last night at 9pm I had this urge to clean out the linen cupboard - and I have a huge sack full of bed linen, curtains etc etc to go to the thrift store.....

I also decluttered all my bedroom drawers and my closet :) I plan to do the girls closet this evening and take all their clothes with the bed linens to the thrift store....

The children did some painting today - the results are on the homeschooling blog.....and they have had a blast playing with bricks for much of the last two days.....those bricks were such a bargain - $10 total for all of them and they have played with them daily since we bought them in the Spring!

Right now Chris is playing soccer in the basement with Sam and Abby - burn up some energy from being housebound :) Susie is feeding the animals and Laurie is doing the dishwasher...Lloyd is on his way home via the dry cleaners...he was supposed to pick up his shirts yesterday but they hadn't arrived back at the store because of the weather...so he will get them today......

After reading Heathers Far North Inspirations blog, and having watched todays Oprah (at least part of it lol) I have decided I wnat to read Eat, Pray, Love......so I've asked Lloyd to see if he can find a copy in Save On.....if not I'll grab a copy tomorrow......I finally finished A Recipe For Bees (FABULOUS book that I now plan to send to my Mom to read) and now have no book to read! Lloyd says I have several thousand (lol) bookshelves of books to read but he just doesn't understand ;)

Tomorrow on Oprah, Mitch Albom is going to be on talking about the movie of his book 'For One More Day'....wonderful book........

If you could spend just ONE more day with someone you have lost...who would it be and what would you do/ say?

foamy paint and foamy shapes...

The children mixed paint with shaving foam and used that with the foam shapes to create works of art :) Nice messy fun for a snowy day :)

Puffy paper...

I don't know the official name of this paper so I will call it puffy paper...it comes in thin sheets of 8.5 X 11 paper that you can run through the die cutting machine.....cut out lots of great shapes and letters etc and then when you place them in water, they 'puff up' into foam shapes for sponge painting :)

The Resource centre at Parentlink has endless die's to use to make shapes...seasonal ones too.....in fact they have endless resources for Moms or daycare workers or teachers etc.....very cheap too!

These foam shapes are also great in the bath tub - if you wet them they cling to the tiles or sides of the bath....

Tower of bricks....

A and S have been busy the last couple of days building with the S's blocks.......they make scooters and roller skates, castles and towers and have been having a lot of fun together!

They are both waiting for the temperature to warm up so we can go out for a walk and go sledding and enjoy the snow....in the mean time we have been finding ways to stay busy indoors!

Last nights dinner....

Cottage pie! Lloyds favourite :)

Just wonderful :)

It was Disability Awareness day and the folks at Fenway did a lot of great things for kids with challenges..here is one who sang and when he got nervous the Fenway Faithful helped him out