Anita Roddick died.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6988343.stm

Very sad. She was so young!

So done...

I am so done with visitors and guests. I don't want ANY for a VERY long time. I just wanta break from having other people here and having to entertain and go to the same tourist places again and again, do laundry for other people, clean up after other people and not being able to relax in my own home.

I want a year off. A whole year with no one but US. WE have so many renovations and things going on and this year has been constant guests and I am tired of it now and I want some time off - is that too much to ask? I just want some space in my own home with no one else here. Because when it comes down to it its me that does it all......

Pissed off? Yes. I am. I just wnat this week done and then I want 12 months clear with no visitors - its going to be a bad enough year having workmen here all day every day. Thats quite enough.

My week...

Tuesday - the older three children went back to school....I stayed home and cleaned while Lloyd drove them and helped Susie into class with all her supplies.

After that Lloyd and I took the younger two into town for breakfast...then a few last minute groceries....then home to finish cleaning the house....then off to the airport to pick his friend Parker up. Actually his name isn't Parker - but Lloyd has always called him that and so now we do too.....he doesn't seem to mind...Tuesday evening was spent outside by the firepit relaxing and chatting....

Wednesday I met Val at the Esso for breakfast...it was such a nice morning. I was chgild free but I did get to snuggle with her little guy and he has the most ticklish arm pits and the most kissable cheeks and neck EVER :) As I walked into the restaurant I saw that our favourite waitress, Grace, was back from holiday AT LAST!!!! She came over and gave me a hug and was sad that Sam wasn't there - she makes the whole experience so much more relaxed there! We really missed her and I told her she wasn't allowed to take any more holidays ;) She told us all about her trip home to see her family in Hong Kong!

In the afternoon Lloyd took Parker into town to get some groceries and then the evening was spent out by the fire again...we introduced Parker to S'mores......

Thursday we went to West Edmonton Mall......Lloyd and Parker went off to do some shopping and I took Sam and Abigail to the British Import Store and to get Abby some school shoes....then we met up with the guys and we all went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch....service was AWFUL!!! The girl was soooo rude!!!! gggrrrrr we filled out a complaints card!

Thursday night again we were out by the fire but a thunder storm rolled in and we moved the fire into the workshop!!!! Really! We tipped hot ashes into the firebowl and got the fire going in that and moved it to the workshop - we made smores in there and then one of the guys that works for Lloyd came over and joined us for the evening.

Friday.....well, Friday morning I took Abigail into school for her kindergarten orientation. WE spent an hour there and she saw where her shoes go etc etc and was shown the bathrooms and lunchroom etc. She starts properly on Tuesday and will ride the yellow bus with her siblings. Her teacher and I had a 'disagreement' about speech therapy......but I stuck to my decision NOT to put her into speech this year.

The $%*%#*& teacher just couldn't say anything good about Abigail - geez she says that some kids can't even count to ten when they start - Abigail can count to a thousand and what does she say? "She counts too fast" geez!!!!!!

Friday night we went to Joeys Global for dinner.....it was ok - I just get a little tired of 'entertaining' someone who I don't like much.....I am trying my best for Lloyd - its his friend and so I have cooked and washed clothes and cleaned house and planned places to go etc but at the end of the day I don't like his friend very much so its a real effort and sometimes I struggle. He's an officer in the navy ....and well, lets just say that the forces in the UK create a certain 'type' of person - and not one I am keen to spend time with.

Saturday I scrapbooked and just left Lloyd and his friend to do their own thing.....it was quite cold yesterday so I was happy to stay inside. We took a drive to Elk Island Park and they went for a walk but I was cold and tired so I sat and read in the car....

In the evening we sat and played 'Trivial Pursuit 90's edition' until it got so late we were all falling asleep.........

And that brings us to today.....

And what does the rest of the week look like? Monday - tidying up a bit here....run into town to get my prescription.....quiet day really.....

Tuesday - Abigails first day at school.

Wednesday - picking Val up from the garage in town in the morning...not sure if we will have time for breakfast?????.....Treasured Memories?????? Val?????

Thursday - Abigail has school again so I think the rest of us are going to the Royal Alberta Museum....

Friday - quiet morning and then airport!!!!

Home again

We went into town and signed up at the library again - my membership had lapsed - we used to go every week (more in summer) but haven't been in AGES! So the kids were thrilled to be back there....

While we were there a guy came up and said hi - my old neighbour! So I chatted with Gino for a while and then walked over to say hi to his wife. Made the usual small talk....she's had her hair cut and it looks really nice.

We ran into the childrens music teacher in Zellers too....

We left the library with a mountain of books....put them in the car and then headed into the mall....looked around Chapters....Zellers...and had something to eat at the food court. I had toast from Grandma Lees - they make REALLY thick sliced toast. And I had chocolate milk too...the kids all chose whatever they wanted to eat and we sat there for a while...

By the time we left the mall, all the stores were closing...

Now we are home and I am going to spend the evening reading - maybe do a little scrapbooking.....Laurence is just making me a cup of tea....Susie is in the shower....I want to run the vacuum round too because I won't be able to do it tomorrow.

I've kept busy today but really....life without Lloyd sucks big time. I am so glad he's only gone one night.

My Sunday

Lloyd and Parker left early this morning for Jasper. I had a lovely lazy stay in bed....then I went on my treadmill and then showered etc.....exciting morning huh???? This afternoon we were going to go swimming but I forgot that the decent local pool is closed for September....so we are off to the library instead and will get supper out so I don't have to bother cooking (lol)

Tonight I think we will take the dogs out for a long walk and then I plan to scrapbook.....and go to bed early with a good movie :)

I finished my book The cure for death by lightning.....such a great book and I'm sad its finished but the author has a new book coming out this month based in the same area.....Turtle Valley.

This morning I started Jodi Picoult's My Sisters Keeper....if it's good I have a couple other novels she has written on my shelf too so I will read those after.

My Mantra

I did one of the Effer dares!!!!! With this dare I had to do a layout of my mantra! I am ALWAYS saying to people 'Life is too short'......to sweat the small stuff, to be unhappy, to put up with crap.....etc etc....THis is NOT a dress rehearsal.....you should make the most of your life and if you aren't happy then do something about it - no one else can do that for you!!! YOU have to make YOU happy!!!!

Anyway...thats what this layout is about!

I haven't felt like being at the computer lately so I haven't blogged much...life has been fun this week - kind of crazy really but very relaxing too and we haven't been inside much - even during the thunder showers we've been outside :)

This afternoon we are hiking at Elk Island Park....hope you are all well :)

Sunday evening.

I'm tired. Its been a long day. We've accomplished a lot and I am pleased with our progress but....I'm just tired! I will be so glad when the 15th arrives....no more visitors. I am not doing any sleepovers or anything until after Christmas.....even if the reno's don't start soon....

The house upstairs is clean and tidy - the guest room is ready for Lloyds friend to arrive tomorrow. The mudroom is clean and we have decluttered all the shoes and things like hats and gloves....we have a list of things we need to buy for winter.

I cleaned out the pantry and it looks so organized! I also cleared out the craft cupboards and threw out a ton of junk and half finished crafts (that will never get finished)

We cleaned off the porch and packed the hummingbird feeders away. The school supplies are all labelled and are in the car ready to go to school in the morning. I have my closet back!!! Yay! No more stored school supplies piled up in there!

Lloyd has cleaned both cars out too!

This morning we ran to Michaels to use my 50% off coupon - I bought a cup cake holder with it!

Thats my day.........this evening the kids are busy showering and choosing clothes for tomorrow...Lloyd and I are going out on the quads. Then we will relax by the fire outside again.....our last evening alone for 10 days :(

Todays layout...

A one page layout of Lloyds parents. I took this picture at Christmas and I think its lovely! Terry (Lloyds Mom) and Chris (his Dad) have been married for over thirty years and are still just as romantic as ever!

Amazing!!!

Lloyd could hear the coyotes very close so we hopped on his quad and rode up onto Marys land to see them......they were so close and the funny thing is that one of them was sat on TOP of one of the hay bales! Sat on one of those huge round bales!!!!

After a few minutes they saw us and the one on the bale hopped off and they ran into the side woods.....There were three of them :) Very cute :) Wonderful to see! Especially wonderful to see them doing such a thing as sitting on the haybale enjoying the evening sun ;)

Dog grooming...

I quite enjoy grooming the dogs normally.....Amber has been 'blowing coat' the last week or two and if I miss a day or two she looks a real mess! As for Rosie though - thats a TOTALLY different story.....she swims in the pond as often as she can and she smells bad.....her hair gets so matted everywhere because of her constant swimming....

Today I cut out a lot of her matts and gave her a good brush.....she needs to be shampooed but I don't like to shampoo her too often so we may as well wait until her swimming days are over for the year.....

Lloyd and I went out on the quads earlier and the dogs came with us - it gives them a REALLY good run and they have so much fun chasing us! Every now and then Rosie will disappear and we know just where she is....in the pond swimming!

Marriage Uncensored...

Todays marriage uncensored show was about 'How to keep the sanity in spite of lifes busy-ness'.

It was supposedly a show about 'slowing down' so that family life can come higher up the list of priorities. I actually felt they failed dismally at this. Basically instead of saying you should cut down on activities and commitments, it talked about just getting used to it and telling yourself to deal with it.

the only thing I agreed with really, was the importance of sitting together as a family at the table each night - something we do almost every night except for date night. This is really important to us all and I know the children really enjoy it.

They did say that 'everyone; these days is rushing their kids from soccer to hockey to piano to gymnastics to swimming etc etc but that isn't true! Some of us have made the decision to say NO and we have decided that our children don't NEED to be doing activities all the time. WE don't want to spend our evenings rushing from class to class We DON'T feel rushed all the time because we choose not to over commit.

One question they did ask though was "When was your home last a 'house filled with laughter'?

My answer would probably be a couple of days ago when Sam used the potty for the first time but stood up doing it - we were all in hysterics.....that was probably the last time we were ALL laughing at the same time....but a lot of laughter goes on here.....Christie and I were laughing a lot on Friday.....Sam is always doing things that make us laugh......(like right now he has helped himself to a MASSIVE handful of marshmallow bananas from my (not so) secret stash!

Freedom Writers....

Last night we watched the movie Freedom Writers.

What a wonderful movie! So similar in so many ways, to Dangerous Minds, but still an excellent movie. Based on a true story it shows a teacher who begins her career teaching high school kids who spend their lives in racial-oriented gangs.

Basically, by using the holocaust and The Diary of Anne Frank, she is able to get the students to look beyond their skin and culture and see the things they have in common with their class mates - instead of only their differences.

I have to admit I spent much of the movie crying. It left such an effect on me last night - its so sad that so many kids today (even here in Edmonton) end up involved in gang culture - and that racial prejudices are so common still among young people today. Have we learned nothing?

I think having lived in a mixed-race marriage and having three mixed-race children, I feel it even more personally.

Anyway, this is a wonderful movie and one I would totally recommend.

You can read more about the true story behind the movie, and find out how to help this wonderfuul foundation at:

www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/site/c.kqIXL2PFJtH/b.2259975/k.BF19/Home.htm

Colours of Autumn....

disgusting!!!!

I swear there is NOTHING more disgusting than driving along with the air conditioning on and then you drive by a dead skunk and the whole car fills with the most awful stench of skunk :(

Driving up highway 21 today we drove beside a squished skunk and the smell that came into the car made me feel so sick :(

Sadly I have only ever seen one skunk alive...all the other skunks I have seen have been victims of roadkill....

For those of you who have never smelt skunk....it really is revolting - hard to describe but a very unpleasant smell!

Ok - off to ride my quad with the girls :)

Just perfect...

We are having such gorgeous weather - it's difficult to remember that its September! September already! Where has the year gone?

We have been out this morning and I was planning to scrapbook but the weather is so gorgeous that it seems crazy to stay inside....so we plan to be outside - have a fire to burn some more of the wood/ barn garbage and the girls are going on their quads. I think we will go on ours too with them for a while....we were out on them last night until dusk and it was so good to be on them again! Mine has been broken since mid July and I really missed the fun of riding out with Lloyd :)

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you have the sun shining down and are making the most of these last days of Summer :)