Sunday

I guess I should say that on Sunday I had a day out with my boys too! The older two! This has been an annual tradition since we arrived in Canada! Firstly Chris and I would go every year just before Christmas - he would get his gifts for the family and we would make a day of it and have lunch together, and now Laurence comes with us (mainly because Chris likes to disappear for a while and get his gifts alone and meet us for lunch).

So on Sunday the three of us headed off, the boys chose their gifts for their siblings etc and we had lunch out. Christopher ran into some friends and a little later headed off to a movie, and Laurie and I met Lloyd and the others and we headed to Kelseys for supper before driving to Bright Nights to see all the Christmas Lights.

It was a nice day spent with the boys - mainly with Laurence I guess but some time with Chris. Laurie and I spent most of the day laughing and he posted on facebook about how much he enjoyed it :)

I love that the children choose their own gifts now - the younger ones normally choose theirs in the store at the Festival of Trees, but we didn't go this year - I will miss that :( They have picked some interesting gifts in the past - Lloyd has a lovely flashing shot glass and a wonderful flashing PINK cocktail glass ;) it's THOSE gifts that MAKE Christmas :) because anyone who really KNOWS Lloyd knows that he is TOTALLY the pink flashing cocktail glass kinda guy ;)

Girls day out....

Susannah and I had a girls day out today - we went Christmas shopping, went to the scrapbook store together (which was fun except that a lady went to the bathroom, came out and left the door wide open and it stunk out the entire store and then we couldn't stop pulling faces and giggling the whole time lol - omg it put me off buying anything lol).

We also went for lunch together. I took Susie to Montanas - there are moose and deer heads on the walls and the whole restaurant is made to look like a hunting lodge - they bring you paper to go on the table and you can then draw and colour all over the table!!! we had fun drawing Santas and Christmas trees all over the table! I had roast beef and yorkshire pudding, and Susie had a turkey sandwich and skewers of shrimp! It was fun!

We were exhausted by the end but it was fun :) She got all her shopping done and I picked up a few things too!

New Years Resolutions....

What are your New Years Resolutions.....for 2009?

I have a few thought out - and yes I AM one of those terrible people that makes and often breaks them lol but I like to make them now and in September lol......I'm going to have a think today and then add them here:

1......




Please leave a comment and share yours with us!!!

Tuesday....

Please don't get me wrong...I didn't say I was unhappy. I'm not unhappy. I simply said I wasn't feeling 'Christmasy'. I'm not interested in Christmas. To me Christmas is in the way - its preventing the work on the house being completed - its a waste of time and money - its causing stress to a lot of people I love and care about - needless stress that a lot of people could do without. And it feels like only last month that we did it all last time!!! Maybe if we had Christmas every two years it would feel more special and less materialistic.

THAT was my point!

Christmas aside, I am fine, happy and well. Lloyd and I have been spoiled with all our date nights together lately which has been a lot of fun and lots of trips to the Indian restaurant in town lol) the kids are all doing great, Chris seems a LOT happier lately thankfully too! Abigail is returning to homeschooling which should help her relax after a few weeks of being home - once the others go back to school and our routine gets settled (again the holidays are in THE WAY ggggrrrr). The work done on the house so far is STUNNING.

I will be wearing my new size 6 pants (trousers) on Christmas Day and they will be loose!!!! This will be very weird lol - on Sunday I tried on 4 bathing suits and they were ALL too big!!! One was a tankini and it looked terrible because it was TOO BIG!!!! It was a size 8 lol!!! Um....I need to go shopping at WEM next week - I saw one in the swimwear store there that I loved but then we couldn't find the store again when we tried to find it!!! So my size 8 pants are all a bit big on me now and I need to get some size 6's.....and I could fit in size 4's if I wanted!!! I am forever grateful to Tanya for the recommendation of Topamax - my migraines are slightly improved but not half as much as my body ;) and it has been EASY!!

And like the commercials say - for the first time this new year, I will not be choosing weight loss as my New years resolution!!!!!!

Hmmmm which brings me to my question for my next blog post!

Anyway, today Susannah and I are having our girls day out - she is going to get her siblings gifts - our annual tradition - and then we have lunch together.

The race is on!!!

My Marks and Spencers Christmas puddings are 'out for delivery' in Sherwood Park!! Which means I should have them for Christmas day :) So long as I can get them from the post office by Christmas Eve!!! I doubt they will be delivered to the house so I will have to hope they go to the post office in town.....and the card is put in my box tomorrow and they are in the post office by tomorrow night but sometimes they say by 1pm the following day and I am not sure if the post offices are open Christmas Eve!!!! Oh I hope so!!!!

And now for some good news!

I had some great news this weekend - my wonderful wonderful friend - bestest friend ever from Stockport, Lianne - is coming over to stay in the Summer!!! AND - she is bringing her little girl Bethany!!! I have never met Beth before but WAS involved in her conception (hahahahahaha kind of lol) as they used my technique for getting a girl!!!!

I am soooooooo excited to see Lianne after soooooo long!!! We can have coffee again :) OMG and reminisce about our holiday together in Wales and the days we were pregnant together with Susie and Ashley....and when the boys were young and days at the park and going to see Santa on the miniature train.......and me getting soooooo drunk at our Christmas girls night out and her taking me home to Nigel hahahahaha and I passed out and didn't wake up for a day or two hahahaha!!! (TOTALLY her fault - if she had drunk more of HER share I wouldn't have drunk as much lol)

I can't wait to see her!

Fed up

I think I just give up. I do not feel festive . I do not feel Christmasy. We have watched a few movies. We have been to Brightnights. We have been to a few parties. We have made some crafts, been to the concerts...but it all feels false. It all feels as though it was only last month that we did this last time. The year went so fast. And so many bad things have happened to so many good people this year that it seems kind of wrong.

And all this present business. That seems wrong too. People asked for a list of my wants and I didn't have any. Lloyd asked me what I wanted and I didn't know. The kids didn't know. Lloyd didn't know. So many people around me have nothing. People have lost children, died, divorced....people are sick. My house is falling apart (but at least I have one right????) :(

Last night I was wrapping gifts but to be honest it all feels forced. I could really do without it. I feel like I am having to be given gifts and having to give gifts on Thursday because I am being told to. Because someone else is saying Thursday is THE day you HAVE to. I don't need anything. I don't think ANYONE around me NEEDS anything but its Christmas day so you damn well WILL get STUFF!!! It's disgusting and sad when you think about it :( and I could do without it really but I don't know how to stop it :(

I really don't want any gifts - I know I have some - and I know I'll love them because of how thoughtful Lloyd is and how much thought he puts into things despite me not writing a list. But right now I feel like the Mr Krank and I could quite happily skip Christmas and go right on to New Year. Goodbye 2008. Hello 2009. I really REALLY hope you are a better year for a great deal of people!!!

Samantha looking all festive!!!!

On Friday Christopher had to go to the Orthodontists to have his braces fitted. He now has braces and will wear them for two years and then wear a retainer or atleast have continuing treatment for the next 6 years - treatment ends when he is 21. We handed over a cheque for $8,000 on Friday!!!! Rather that than pay in installments anyway!!!!! That would just be a pain! Especially when Laurence and Susannah will be needing treatment also in the next couple of years!!!! Chris was in the ortho. for almost 3 hours in the end, so while he was there, I took Sam to Kidz Quarterz. My friend Samantha came and met us there for a while for coffee. She was Abigails preschool teacher years ago and is so great with kids that Sam seemed to think that she was there to play with him, and it wasn't long before he had her up in the climbing frame and going down the slides!!!! Me? I was sat having coffee ;)

After Chris's appointment, we went to Tim Hortons for lunch and Chris hada BIG lunch making the most of being able to eat pain free before the pain of the braces kicked in!!!! By saturday it hurt too much to eat!!!

Friday night I spent relaxing in the tub and then Lloyd and I curled up and watched The Family Stone - a Christmas movie about my family! Seriously - that IS my family ;)

Frog ATC swap

I received this swap during the week from a swapbot swap. It was from the Frog swap I took part in! I couldn't believe what the lady sent me! As well as the one frog ATC she sent me - with the glass eyes, she also sent me a blown glass atc!!!!! And she also sent a glass bead necklace!!! And also a bee embellishment and a lovely little note about hummingbirds and how they have them all year long where she is - then she sent me a note online to say they had had snow and yet they STILL were feeding the hummingbirds!!!!!!

Sam and his paper chain snake....

Sam had fun making paper chains the other day with some paper chains Grandma sent from England that we had left over still form last year...

A gift from Stacey!

When I visited Stacey on Tuesday she gave me this Christmas gift!!! A box for my ATC's that she had painted and embellished just for me! It's so pretty - I don't know if you can tell but it sparkles in the light!!! And it has my name and bees on the top!!! Just so sweet and thoughtful! I love it! It has pride of place on my new shelf!!! Thank you so much Stacey! I don't know what paint you used but I LOVE how it sparkles in the light by my window!

Santa came early.....

Today Lloyd put up the first of two new storage systems in my room for my crafting supplies! The first is the Making Memories large Embellishment Centre which was on sale at Michaels for 40% off its usual price so I couldn't resist! It comes with a ribbon holder but my ribbons are currently stored in the decorated paint can on top so I haven't added that yet - maybe I will eventually but for mow I like the extra shelf space.

Sad news

We had a phone call this morning from England, to say that Lloyds Granddad had died today.

Lloyd will be flying over to England for the funeral next week and visiting his parents and my parents while he is there.

photobooth funny pic!

Sam and I funny pic!

The Twilight Before Christmas.......

Just click in the square to play!

;)