End of the month tag - November

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?    I have read 'The Book Thief' this month - In honour of  'Remembrance Day'...I have read a LOT of magazines this month too - Lloyd brought me home Redbook, I also read Creating Keepsakes, People, Avenue, Edmonton Woman, Ladies Home Journal.....I read a few non-fiction books too!!! 

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?  The Proposal, New Moon  Santa Buddies, there are probably more but I can't think of them......I did watch the last Jon and Kate ;)  

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?  Celebration of Lights, Daves party to celebrate his Doctorate,  Kidz Quarterz with the homeschool group, Dinner out with the girls at Montanas :)  Cinema with Lloyd, endless date nights, family dinner by candlelight, Festival of trees.....hike at Elk Island Park and geo-caching on Remembrance day......family movie nights.....family dinner at Swiss Chalet....

What gifts did I give and/ or receive?   I spent the entire month choosing gifts for family and friends - I have had great fun selecting things I think the recipient will love!  I am all set for Christmas so that I can focus on my JYC class - although I daresay December won't be gift-buying free!!  I received wonderful gifts from Sharon and Stacey - as well as the gift of their time - and the others who came out for my girls night out!!!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?     We bought a new Christmas tree - and I added to my collection of tree ornaments and Christmas decor.  

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?  None really although coming off my meds meant I had mega migraines - definitely going back on them!!!

What were my accomplishments this month?  I took part in Shimelles 'Blogging for Scrapbookers' class.  I signed up for two other classes.

What were my disappointments this month?  I was very disappointed with SAIT and ended up cancelling my course with them.  Considering they are an 'Institute of Technology', their 'computer fundamentals' class is not Mac friendly!  I can't believe they would have a computing class that can not be completed with a Mac - and even if I missed out the first two windows-based modules and did the rest of the class on my Mac, they wouldn't let me take my exam on a mac!!!  My Tutor was totally useless and couldn't even answer basic questuions about this issue.  I ended up cancelling the course and this means I can't do the other classes that I REALLY wanted to do, because computer fundamentals is the pre-req course :(  Poo on YOU SAIT!!!

Anything else noteworthy to include?  Lloyd had time off in November and that was LOVELY....we are both excited about CHristmas - he was keen to buy the new tree and help decorate YESTERDAY - it's not even December yet!!!  :)  It has been a wonderfully close time with my gorgeous husband :)  I miss him terribly when he is at work.  

Tomorrow is the day!!!

Tomorrow is December 1st!!!  Can you believe how FAST this year has gone????  :(

Tomorrow is also day one of Journal Your Christmas  and I can't WAIT to begin :)  My album is all set to go and I have my box of supplies at the ready!!  If you haven't signed up for this class then DO IT NOW!! It is wonderful already!  I thoroughly enjoyed Shimelles last class 'Blogging for Scrapbookers' and am still learning so much from it!  The chat continues in the forums for both these classes which is soooo great :)

Tomorrow I also start Ali Edwards December Daily which I am tying in to JYC.  I am sooo looking forward to capturing our Christmas in a mini album!!  :)

Come and join us!!!

New Moon....

On Saturday we went to see New Moon at last! After last years 'first night' experience, we 
decided to leave it a week or so before going to see it - to avoid the crowds and screaming 
teens ;)


There was a bit of an 'Oooooooh' over a half naked Jacob, but apart from that there was no 
screaming like last time!


All in all I REALLY enjoyed this movie - sooooooo much better than the first one - you could 
tell more money had been spent and more time had been taken to make it a GOOD movie!  
New Moon was also my favourite book :)


Lloyd really enjoyed it and had a lot of questions about the two last books having seen this
film! He likes the first movie too which we have on dvd (I know I said I'd never buy it lol but I 
gave in hahaha). In fact after watching Twilight on Sunday he said he would have liked to 
see New Moon AGAIN!! :)


This weekend we also watched 'Crossing Over' again......and 'Firewall' again....and we watched 'The Proposal' too :) Lots of relaxing with movies over the last few days!!!


ETA: Stupid blogger is playing up with the editing on my posts again so words are split between lines and there are big gaps between paragraphs no matter what I do :(

Scenes from my window today....

Poole's Christmas tree - very safe :)

Check out this Christmas tree!!  It's actually in the town close to where my Sister lives in England (I think she is classed as Bournemouth now and not Poole where she did live.....)

I saw this on Free Range Kids and I also think it's ridiculous and that the world gets stupider every day!!!

Karen if you are still reading my blog, I think you should send us a picture of you next to the tree :)

17 Again!!

I'm not part of the official '17 again' blog train today, but I thought it was a fab idea!!  You have to write about your life at 17!!  Then post a picture of yourself at that age!!  So here goes, this is ME at 17 :)  


The year is: 1989


My hair colour is: brown

My hair style is: All cut to one length in a kind of triangular bob....half way between my chin and shoulders....longish and wavy at times.....then I cut it shorter!

My favourite brand of makeup is: Rimmel or the one from Boots

My "fashionable" item is: My little brown sweater that went to my midriff and I picked it up in a thrift store.  

My favourite colour is: brown

I drive a: nothing - I didn't learn to drive until my 20's

On a Saturday I go: to town with my friend Nicky or work at the Co-op department store if I'm still in yeovil...or once I moved to Epsom I would go to the social club or in to London.

On a Sunday I:  stay in bed and be VERY lazy.....eat a roast dinner....watch tv.....

Monday-Friday I go: part of the year I was working in a department store - then in October I moved to Epsom and started nurse training.  So I was either at work OR in school studying for my nursing.

My best friend(s) is/are: Nicky Foster and then Nigel - my future husband!!

My favourite place to go out is: London OR The Water Palace in Croydon.

My favourite subject at school is: I wasn't in school any more unless you count nurse training!

When I grow up I want to be: married lol - despite being in nurse training I had no real ambition ;)

My favourite drink is: anything DIET!!

My favourite food is: cottage cheese with smokey bacon flavoured chips in it!  Sounds gross but I LOVED it - I really miss smokey bacon chips for my cottage cheese!!

My favourite shop is: The Clocktower Cafe in Epsom (does that count?)  OR maybe Top Shop!!

I want to marry: Nigel lol - I met my first husband when I was 17 - although I was still writing to Lloyd and kept asking him to come and visit me in Epsom!!

My favourite actor/actress is: No clue - I only had eyes for Matt Goss from Bros lol

My favourite band is: Bros

My favourite TV programme is: Brookside (a British soap about people living in a cul-de-sac).

The one thing I want to do but can't is: be skinny and not have to worry about food!

My most used mode of transport is: The bus!  My legs!!  Especially in Epsom!

If I had all the money in the world I would: start an eating disorder clinic

I wish I could visit: America

My favourite sport is: swimming at the Water Palace

This fall I: met my future husband!!

At Halloween I dressed up as: nothing. That was kids stuff in the UK...

I recently saw: Born on the Fourth of July - my ex and I ended up missing the last train home because of how late the movie ended in London (we saw it in Leicester Square) and so we booked into a hotel for the night!  

I am reading: Jack Lyttles 'Mental Disorder'.  A little light reading for my nurse training lol - oh and ANYTHING to do with eating disorders as that was what I wanted to specialise in!

This is me in my nurses room in the accommodation block at the hospital:  

Random pictures of me from that time:

Why don't you join in on your blog and write about YOU at 17 - add some pictures too!!  Leave us a comment here to say you've done it, and we will drop by :)

You can check out the official '17 again' blog train at Liberty Cottage!!

ETA:  Also, would YOU go back to being 17 again if you could?  Was it a good age?  I ahd a lot of fun back then BUT I would NOT go back to being 17 again.  I am LOVING my thirties and am so much happier and self assured and comfortable with who I am.  I would NOT want to go through my 20's again - no way!

If I had to go back I don't think I'd change a thing - because all my mistakes brought me to where I am now.

Music Monday....

I'm going to try and remember to post a song every Monday - soemtimes it will be a song that I'm loving right now...and other times it may be a 
song that means something to me or has been important in my life.


Todays song is 'Already Gone' by Kelly Clarkson. It's one of my favourite songs at the moment. Such a sad song - but such a haunting song too! It's in my head constantly :)


Enjoy!!

Trimming the tree....

One of five trees we have this year :)  This is one of our new ones for this year.  It's lovely to have the new addition to decorate this year!  I was soooo disappointed that it wasn't finished last Christmas and we had to spend Christmas in such a mess with building work going on around us and walls missing - so I am enjoying every moment of decorating this year - it may take me quite a while though - hence the fact we started EARLY - it seems pointless to go to all that effort for a week or two - now I plan to have it all up for a month and then take it all down for New Year!!  :)

I spy a Christmas tree....

...and I spy ME!!

Helping decorate for Christmas....

The cat with two names...

Our kitten is sooooo cute - he still has two names - Lloyd and I call him 'Kitty' and the kids mainly call him 'Boots' still......Kitty doesn't seem to mind though as long as he gets lots of love and attention - and snuggles like this morning!  I snapped these pics as he was lying on the bed beside me!

:)

Made with love...

Sam spent time making me this heart last night - he was so proud of it and carried it in from the kitchen without spilling the beads!!

I can't find the iron to set the beads though!!!  We've looked EVERYWHERE and can't find it - so I just hope we find it before the beads spill and it is ruined!!!

Great afternoon!!

We headed to Kidz Quarterz this afternoon to join in with the SHINE get together - there was a good crowd of homeschoolers there!  All the kids got free games in the Balladium for being part of the group - so they loved that!  Sam really enjoyed it this time- last time he wasn't too sure about the guns and the noise in a darkened room!

3 hours passed very quickly and I had a really nice time catching up with some old friends - and getting to know some new ones!  Abigail and Sam had so much fun with their friends too :)  I'm so glad I ventured out!!

Thanks to Jennifer for organizing the afternoon get together!!

Free homeschooling goodies/ project packs and lapbook kits!!!

Check out Currclicks FABULOUS Black Friday sale - it's running until tomorrow morning and there are TONS of freebies!!  Their lapbook kits and project files are really great - they ahve some good preschool and Christmas projects and lapbook kits too!

They are aimed at homeschoolers but would be great to print off on a rainy weekend day if your kids like to create!!


Talking of homeschooling, we met up with the SHINE homeschooling group at Kidz Quarterz this afternoon and had such a FAB time - Abigail and Sam had all their friends to play with and I got to catch up with friends old and new!!  :)  


I had been thinking of staying home for the day but I'm so glad I made the effort and ventured out!!

A little tag.....

What is your favorite word? bedtime!

What is your least favorite word? awesome

What turns you on? Lloyd - especially when he smells of 'Oscar for Men' - omg it makes my knees weak ;)

What turns you off? hairy men

What noise do you love? thunderstorms, birds in the Summer

What noise do you hate? smoke alarms

What is your favorite curse word? shit or bloody (lol)

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I'm quite happy not working ;)

What profession would you not like to do? anything that means getting up early ;)

If Heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? 'you can eat as much chocolate as you like here because it doesn't make you fat'

Happy Thanksgiving...

Just a little Happy Thanksgiving message to those in the US or celebrating today!!  I hope you've had a wonderful day with your family and friends!

I've really enjoyed reading all the Thanksgiving posts on blogs today, seeing all the different ways people celebrate and decorate their homes......and reading all the things they are thankful for!

Whether you are in the US or not, what are YOU thankful for?

A short list of gratitudes from me tonight:

I am thankful for rain in November!!  Such warm temperatures and such a LONG Fall we have had this year!

I am thankful that we welcomed Kitty/ Boots into our home this year.  He is just the perfect kitten for our family - plenty of energy for playing with the children, but just LOVES to snuggle on your lap too - and he sits by the window and cries if the children go outside to play!  He is such a character and we all adore him - he is a good friend to Grayson too and they frequently snuggle up!

I am thankful for having a husband who is so thoughtful.  For the coffees he makes me each morning....for the phone calls I get throughout the day...the little love notes he leaves for me...the date nights....the bread he makes for me...the craft room he has made for me...for warming my feet every night and holding my hand as I go to sleep.  For everything he does, and says, and is.....I REALLY got lucky!!

For 5 healthy and happy (most of the time lol) kids....for the laughs they give us...for the hugs goodnight...for the 'I love you's'......

I am thankful for two new WONDERFUL sets of neighbours!!  I am so glad to have met them and have them as neighbours :)  One couple has a new baby coming into their family in the new year, and the other neighbours have a Son the same age as Susannah and she's an Avon lady :)

I am thankful for good friends who pester me to be a friend even when I feel like hibernating and being a recluse!!  They don't give up on me ;)

I am thankful for hot baths, good books, wine and chocolate.....and a cozy bed to climb in to after long days like today!!!  ;)

A Christmas tradition....

Today I took Sam to see the Christmas train in the window display at the local mall.  They have the same display every year and it's now tradition that we go and see it and spend a while looking at all the little ornaments in the display.  Sam just LOVES this train - I think we all do :)

To see what else we've been up to today (apart from fighting with neighbours grrr) then head over to The Fun of Homeschooling and check it out there!!!

Thursday - our busy day!!

Today is Thursday, which means it's our CRAZY day!  Firstly Abby had art class - the last one before Christmas.  It was a very busy class with a lot more children than normal!!  They made Christmas decorations including painting Nutcrackers!!

While Abby was at art class, Sam and I headed to Walmart.  We had breakfast at McD's and then did a little shopping - I needed to buy Sam a new bike helmet because we brought his bike with us today but forgot the helmet!!!  Duh!!  So we bought him a new one, planning to spend the afternoon in the park with his bike!

We picked Abigail up and then we drove to Broadmoor Lake and had lunch in Kinsmen pool - watching the swimmers!!

Then we took a walk around the lake as the temperature was nice.  Sam and Abby got to run about and play in the little bit of snow still on the ground!

They wrote their names in the snow with sticks and feet!!

Abigail went to her gymnastics class and got changed ready for class....we were still early and so they played with the big box of toys for a while:

While Abby was at gym class, we planned to take Sams bike to the park - but when we got outside the gym it was RAINING!!!!  Poo!!  Rain in November is really rare here because we normally only get snow this time of year!!  It is nice that it was washing away the last of the snow BUT at temperatures close to the freezing mark, it CAN turn to freezing rain which is HORRIBLE!!!

INstead of the park, we went to the mall and saw the train in the Christmas window:

They have the same window display EVERY year and it's always fun to go and watch the train and look at all the ornaments in the display - Sam LOVES it!!!

We picked Abby up from gymnastics and then headed home.  Susannah and Laurence arrived back DISTRAUGHT and crying!!!  (Read why on my other blog.....sigh.....)

I sorted that disaster out and calmed down - then had to take Laurence back to school for his end of season volleyball team party.  Came home and got the rice ready to go with dinner.....had dinner....now Lloyd ahs gone to get Laurence from his party and we will curl up and watch a movie or something to relax!!!

I am glad that art classes have finished - Pre K finishes on Tuesday and then we will only have gymnastics for a week or so - a nice relaxing December!!!  No more Thursday rush, because I am not putting Abby in to two classes on the same day any more - no WAY!!!!  She can't decide between swimming and ice skating for the New Year...but we hope to get spaces in art classes again because she loves those classes - the Winter semester of classes looks WONDERFUL!!!  :)  art journaling, collage, weaving, water colour, clay.....

Stupid people.......grrrrr!!

GGgggrrr!!  Susannah and Laurence came home VERY upset today.  Susannah was crying and screaming outside.  Two BIG dogs had followed them up our driveway and were circling them, jumping up...generally being nasty!!!

These same two dogs were the ones who tried to attack Laurence and his friends in the Summer when they were cycling to school.  They are NOT nice dogs.  One is a Bullmastiff - a big powerful dog!!  the other is a big Boxer cross....

I managed to get Susannah and Laurence in the house but the dogs were trying to push their way in - and they were jumping up at the door (brand new bloody door to the mudroom!!!) and once we were all inside the dogs circled the house jumping at the windows and doors - even though I told the children to stay away from the windows to not entice them :(

It was HORRIBLE!!

These dogs belong to a girl in Susannahs class - yes - the SAME STUPID family who were supposed to take Susannah to see The Lion King but then on the DAY of the party told the girls (dressed in their best for the theatre) that the Lion King was too expensive so they were going to go swimming instead - and then they got to the pool too late for swimming.

The SAME family who told me Susannah would be back at 7am after a sleepover because their Daughter was in a horse show all day - but then they took her with them and Susannah was still not back at mid day!!!  No phone call and they didn't answer their cell phone!!!!!!  :(

The SAME family that drives a truck with no windscreen wipers!!!  That thinks breakfast means going to about 5 fast food restaurants in less than two hours!!!!  And eats at every single one!!!!  Who goes to the zoo - gets there and then realises they don't have their purse on them so has to go home!!!  :(

This is a STUPID family and we already have stopped Susannah going there.  I just don't feel they are safe for Susannah to spend time with.

Anyway.......Susannah phoned the family and told them the dogs were here.  They could hear me in the back yelling I am sure lol.......the guy turns up in his truck and the dogs run round from the back of the house.  They had scratched my door and ripped open a bag of grass seed which went everywhere!!!  The guy gets out with his hands in his pocket and says half heartedly 'sorry'......

This is when I let RIP and really laid into the guy!!!  OMG!!!  I was yelling and shouting at him!  I told him he'd BETTER be sorry....that I have a good mind to report them as these dogs have already been in trouble at the school for attacking kids.....I told him he didn't bloody look sorry to me and that he didn't even have the decency to take his bloody hands out of his pockets!  I told him my kids were TERRIFIED - that the bloody dogs had scratched up my brand new doors and windows and I had mud EVERYWHERE!!!!!

He just said another 'sorry' and acted reeeeaaaallly NOT bothered at all - so I yelled something else and stormed inside and locked the door.  I was sooooo MAD!!!

Laurence had had to protect Susannah all the way up our LONG driveway.....and what if it had been Sam outside in the Summer - he wouldn't stand a chance against that dog - I could barely keep it out of the mudroom!!!  :(  What if they had found Charlie our pig????

I was shaking and mad as hell - I called Lloyd and got him out of a meeting and he is stopping off on his way home to get the proper address, then he's calling the police - he just wants it reported in case those dogs get out again and attack someone!!!

It really seemed like the STUPID man didn't care :(

I wanted to slap him!!!!  :(

I really do NOT like scenes or falling out with people like that - but seeing Susannah in tears coming up the driveway with Laurences arms around her - and seeing those vicious dogs circling our houses and jumping up at us.....and then his smug unapologetic face and empty apology........grrrrrr...well, I just lost it!

Gourmet Secrets....

Lloyd answered the door to a salesman the other week - which is surprising in itself as we rarely get people soliciting here - one of the benefits of living in the middle of nowhere ;)

At first Lloyd told him that we were about to head out for the afternoon - but then they got talking  (sigh...) and Lloyd agreed to go and look in the guys van!!

Anyway....it all ended with the guy coming in and bringing several trays of frozen food in for me to look at!!!  Then Lloyd agreed to sign up with the company and buy food from them - he figured we would try it out and see if we liked it!  I was rolling my eyes because we had been grocery shopping that morning and spent $400!!  Our freezer was pretty well stocked already!!

We bought 6 boxes of food I think and have,so far, tried the chicken pies, dill salmon,  chicken strips (in bread crumbs).  I have to admit that the chicken pies were WONDERFUL!!  So much better than any we have bought elsewhere.  The salmon was DELICIOUS.  I'm not a great fan of chicken strips anyway, so I can't review those myself, but the kids LOVED them - and they are handy to throw in the oven when you don't have time to cook!!

I can't wait to try the other foods we have in the freezer - maybe we will have some of the streudels this weekend - it's nice knowing they are in the freezer when we want/ need them....

We definitely plan to order through Gourmet Secrets again - and plan to order several things for Christmas.

Check out the Gourmet Secrets website for more information!!  A quote from the website:

Q.   How is Gourmet Secrets Foods different from what you find at your local grocer?
A.   Gourmet Secrets is an Alberta company promoting only Alberta beef, renounced for its exceptional flavor and tenderness. Gourmet Secrets beef is grass fed with light grain finish. Research shows that pasture fed beef has a higher content of beneficial Omega-3 and conjugated lionleic acids. Our beef is also guaranteed to be free of antibiotics, hormones and inorganic feed additives.
All our chicken items are made from 100% natural free range chickens.
Our fish and seafood are free of antibiotics and preservatives.
Gourmet Secrets goodies are all flash frozen in order to lock in the natural juices and flavors. We only promote the best the world has to offer.

Sugar cube houses/ walls and towns...

We had some silly sweet fun today - After schoolwork was done and a movie was watched, Sam and Abby set to work building houses and cities with sugar cubes - using icing as 'cement'.

We also had an indoor snowball fight - with marshmallows!!!!  :)

They burned off some of that 'sugar high' by heading out for a walk with the dogs!!

Animal sewing cards...

I saw these great animal sewing cards at Chez Beeper Bebe.  So I quickly printed the pdf and created a few of them for Sam to use!  I made these two just by sticking them on to cardboard to make them stronger, but I think I will make the others by laminating the animals before hole punching the holes!  That will make them last longer for sure!!!

These cards are GREAT for hand - eye co-ordination!!!

My wish came true!!!

;)

The things they notice....

So Lloyd has noticed that if he makes Lara Croft crouch down, and then makes her stand up, her boobs bounce!!  He thinks thats fab lol - and funny ;)  BUT what gets me is that some sad little game designer actually designed that into the game!!!!!  lol!  I guess boob bounce is important and realistic huh??  lol!

Another...

I decorated another notebook - this time another big notebook :)  I love these little books :)

Festive touches.....

I picked up this little cushion a few weeks back - it has a little pocket on it for a child to leave a letter to Santa on Christmas Eve.  I thought it would look perfect on the little yard sale rocking chair I painted white this Summer.  It looks really cute in the corner of the kitchen/ dining room.

I picked up the holly and the fir cones at the Reuse Centre last week and decided to fill a bowl with them.  I haven't decorated for Christmas yet, but when I do, this will sit on the table in the front hallway. I had a big pile of holly stems left, so I have filled a jug with some and that is sitting on my dining room window sill - and I have another bowl full in the front room.

I will probably decorate fully this weekend.

How about you????  Have you decorated for Christmas yet?  What plans do you have for decorating?

finishing touches....

Lloyd has been busy in my craft room - the baseboards are now all on - and he has started the crown moulding.  I think it all looks lovely :)

Oh and the white basket in the picture is one I got at the Reuse Centre last week :)  I thought it would look perfect in my craft room for holding supplies :) At the moment I am keeping my punches in it, but I may use it for holding more mini albums instead!!

Altered notebooks.....

These little notebooks are pocket sized composition books that I altered.  I LOVE these little books and have altered some for each of my kids now - I asked Laurence if he had used his and he says he uses it a lot as a little diary!  :)

You can get a pack of 4 for $1 at the dollar store on Wye by Safeway.

I also love altering the bigger composition books.  You can get them at Staples for $4 each but to be honest I prefer the ones from Dollarama at $1 each!  They seem to be stronger and the pages don't fall out!!!  :)