Tropical visitor...

Yesterday Lloyd spotted this stunning visitor to our yard....we didn't have the right lens on the camera so the pictures are not great, and cropped greatly....but at least he got some shots of the bird before it flew off!!!

It's a Baltimore Oriole and they are only here between late May and August - they breed here briefly but spend more than half the year in the Tropics!!! You can try and tempt them to your yard with orange halves on your bird feeders!!! Isn't it stunning in the trees????? What luck that Lloyd was walking about in the back yard when it was flying by!!

Clik on the pictures to see them bigger and see this bird in all it's colourful glory!!!

This made me cry!!!

As a family, we sponsor a little girl in Peru. Then, as a company, we sponsor a little girl in Mali, Africa. Christmas 2007 we let Lloyds team choose the child - the age, the country etc etc and as their gift for Christmas that year we sponsored this child through World Vision. They are all able to write to the family etc and stay in touch through all the letters etc but I make sure to write regularly and send gifts etc just in case the team is too busy.

For Christmas 2008 instead of buying the team gifts, we let them vote on which animals to send to the sponsor childs family through World Vision. They voted and chose goats. So we sent the value of goats and some extra (to cover gifts to the childrens teachers as well) to the sponsored family. We received a thank you from World Vision and were told that we would receive news of how the money was spent along with pictures in the near future! I was excited as I LOVE to hear from our sponsored families!!

Yesterday we received a letter from our family in Mali and it made me cry! You can read it above! I've deleted a few personal parts and identifying parts, but really its all there, and it's just amazing to read how little can change so much for someone!! :)

If you have EVER thought of giving this kind of gift then please DO!!! It really does touch the heart!! :) and the idea that this little girl is going to school for two years at least - all fees paid by US.....and wearing new shoes.....and they had a feast just simply because of a gift our company gave.....instead of gift certificates or boxes of chocolates or something possibly unwanted or unused or regifted.....well I can't think of a better gift to give any more :)

We also had another letter from our little girl in Peru last week - this time it was written by her Dad :) So nice to hear their news :) I have a new package to send off to them soon - it's lovely to see her drawings changing as she gets older! Growing up so fast!

suits my mood....suits the weather....

...suits the weather we have coming tonight and tomorrow me thinks ;)

For more of this mellowing out style of music just head over to the 'Just Us' blog and crank up the volume :)

I'm loving this.....

Whenever I need to mellow out, I head over to Liz Kartchner's blog 'Just Us', crank the volume up and listen to her amazing choice of music...I love it all :) I'm a huge Lenka fan anyway, but I'm also loving her other music choice - like the above....

I have her blog open while I surf the web or just while I'm in the kitchen or doing things with the kids.....or even just folding laundry on the bed or whatever ;) I nrrd to add them to my ipod and my iphone too!! And I keep meaning to get Lenka's cd for the car too....yes I still buy cd's lol - I'm THAT old ;) hahahahaha!

Seriously?

SNOWFALL WARNING for:
Leduc - Camrose - Wetaskiwin - Tofield
5 TO 10 CENTIMETRES OF SNOW TONIGHT AND UP TO 20 CENTIMETRES TUESDAY.
ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA
AT 3:13 PM MDT MONDAY 18 MAY 2009

SNOW CONTINUES TO FALL IN THE HINTON AND EDSON REGIONS. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 15 TO 20 CENTIMETRES HAVE BEEN REPORTED AS OF 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL INTENSIFY THROUGH CENTRAL ALBERTA TONIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A PACIFIC DISTURBANCE PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A FURTHER 10 TO 25 CENTIMETRES OF SNOW TO MUCH OF CENTRAL ALBERTA ESPECIALLY TO AREAS WEST AND NORTH OF EDMONTON. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF TUESDAY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF THE PROVINCE. CLEAR SKIES AND COLD TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHERN ALBERTA WILL RESULT IN FROST TONIGHT. TUESDAY NIGHT MAY SEE A REPEAT OF THE FROSTY CONDITIONS AS THE ARCTIC AIRMASS REMAINS ENTRENCHED OVER THE PROVINCE.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST PUBLIC FORECASTS FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

Busy in the kitchen.....

Baking cakes, icing them and chopping rhubarb!!! Abigail is enjoying our new kitchen and turning into a great little chef....

...about this moment, today, this week!!

Outside my window...it is snowing lightly

I am thinking...that the cold and snow might kill off the mosquitoes....that it needs to warm up for the hummingbirds who should arrive this week or next....that I need to get the hummingbird feeders out next weekend....that we should move the bird feeder from the side of the garage to the trees because the woodpecker would LOVE that style of feeder

I am thankful for...the long weekend! That the children were home for 4 days and that Lloyd is off all week! That Chris has been in a good mood for so long :)

From the learning rooms......the big ants we all watched yesterday and their fight with the little ants - and the little ant with one good leg who was desperately trying to get away with his one good leg and how we were all watching it - and then Lloyd collected up a load of ants and put them in the fridge to sow them down and then we put them in the ant farm we have so we can study them!!!

From the kitchen...so much baking taking place - yesterday I baked crispy cinnamon twists out of puff pastry and cinnamon sugar...mmmmmm they were a big hit!! And it is so great how the new kitchen is bringing us all together so well and we talk so much more and spend so much more time together because there is so much space and we can be together and talk without being under each others feet all the time.....

I am wearing...I'm in bed typing this....'nuff said ;) .....

I am creating...right now I'm slowly creating layout kits to take to my retreat at the end of the month...I tend not to do much crafting in the Summer months. I am creating in the garden though - AND in the garden ;)

I am going..to make a blackberry and apple pie as well as something with rhubarb with the girls today!!!

I am reading...NOTHING!! Right now I am in my magazine stage :) buying and reading magazines :) It's all I have the energy for!!!

I am hoping...for some time with NO PEOPLE here.....I would like some space and time and privacy for a while - I have had people here every day since last August and I would just like my home back please...PLEASE??????? Even last May or June there were people here digging gas lines and holes.....and then wells were dug before that.....I am so DONE.....as nice as these guys are, I want some peace and quiet.....some privacy and space and just US!!! I want all their stuff GONE.....I want no radio, no music.......no polite conversation...no having to make coffee or anything to eat for anyone.........I just want my home to myself for the first time in almost a YEAR :(

I am hearing...Sam helping Daddy prepare his room for painting!!

Around the house...The basement framing is practically finished and drywalling is started...then taping and mudding etc.....then painting......

One of my favorite things..........boiled egg toasties with wholewheat toast and sprouts (sprouted seeds) mmmmmm. These taste better when they are eaten on the back deck in Lloyds company :) I'm also loving red pepper dipped in hummus at the moment!!

A few plans for the rest of the week........to Michaels......to Beemaid this week...to Lee Valley Tools this week.....swimming this week....maybe to the farmers market....lots of painting around the house....Abigail has an art class, Sam has Pre-K......Lloyd and I are going out for brunch.......Susie has two friends sleeping over next weekend....I'm hoping we will get confirmation of Abigails Summer Camp.

The Wizard of Oz...

www.citadeltheatre.com/ Click on 'view the trailer'

Last night Lloyd and I went to see The Wizard of Oz stage production at the Citadel theatre in Edmonton. I LOVE The Wizard of Oz and have a MAD obsession with the Ruby Slippers!! When we were in Florida I was thrilled to be able to see the original hat of the Wicked Witch!! I've even scrapbooked it :) I have snow globes, brooches, jewellery..... all kinds of things to do with the ruby slippers...and for Mothers Day I was given the most amazing boxed set special edition of the movie that comes with three extra discs as well as all these collectors extras likes newspaper articles from when the movie was first released - movie tickets to the original premiere, repro's of the original publicity art etc etc.....it's AMAZING!!!! :)

So yeah, Lloyd took me to see the theatre show last night and it was wonderful - totally wonderful!! Fantastic!! Amazing! The set was fantastic - special effects were incredible :) singing was just lovely :) costumes so much fun! Munchkins adorable!!! Toto so cute!!

FAB!!! :) I want to go again!!!

Another step closer to normal....

Lloyd reattached the bird feeder outside the new kitchen window :) We bought a new bracket for it - couldn't find a white one we liked so we bought a black one and sprayed it white!!! I think it worked great!!! I am loving spray paint!!! I keep finding more things to spray white!! I am going to go nuts at yard sales this year finding things I can spray with paint!! lol!!! It's so easy to give things a new life with spray paint!!!

It's lovely to have a bird feeder outside my kitchen window again and in a week or two the hummingbird feeder will be there in it's place!!

goofy plate...

I fell in love with this silly leaf plate yesterday - so we got it and it's going to sit on the island for the summer for my bananas to sit on :) Like a giant banana leaf :) It matches the walls of the kitchen lol :) I thought it was kinda fun :)

Track and field....

Susannah seems to have done rather well in track and field this year :) Here are the ribbons she won at her school track and field day (Sports Day) last week.

She is of to Knights of Columbus because she did so well!! I always go to Knights of Columbus to support them - I love going to that to cheer them on :) She loves high jump, long jump, discus, and running the track events.....and generally just all the athletic events....

It took me more than 30 years to love running. I always loved cycling, tennis, gymnastics, swimming etc etc, so I guess I've always loved some sports - but not athletics until recently!! I'm so glad she caught the bug early!!! :)

First harvest...

We harvested the first crop of rhubarb today and Abigail set to work chopping it up for me....

The girls have all kinds of plans for it :) They are REALLY in to baking at the moment :) Abigail likes chopping/ prepping vegetables and fruit for me!

Arthur Hiller Film Festival

On Thursday we went to the Arthur Hiller student Film Festival at Chris's school. Arthur Hiller is a film Director who was born in Edmonton and attended Victoria school. He directed such famous films as 'Love Story' with Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal.

Christopher is doing so well at school that he was specially selected for his editing skills to take part in a special challenge in the film festival - in fact he was one of only two students chosen for their editing skills - and he is only in grade 10!!! If you click on the second picture above you can read about the challenge Chris took part in! Each team had only 5 members plus the two actors. (Director, director of photography, sound, key grip, Editor + two actors).

It was wonderful to watch the challenge - they introduced the teams and during the night would go behind the scenes of the challenge and show the teams busy at work filming and editing the pieces they were working on. At the end they showed the two films they had made. Although they ad the same scripts and time length etc it was amazing to see how two Directors and teams had interpreted the piece!! I am hoping Chris can get copies so I can add them here!

CFRN came along and filmed them at work too!!

The films shown at the festival were also really great - such talent at the school in acting, singing, script writing and film making!!! They also showed several short films from alumni of the school too. I was so impressed and had SUCH a great night out!!! :) Can't wait for the next one!!! :)

Total yumminess!!!!!

Smarties Funny faces and Milkybar cupcakes :) great fun and sooooo delicious....we are sooooo enjoying having a new kitchen and HUGE island that we can all get around to cook and bake :)

This weekend Susie and I are heading to Michaels to get the paper making kit we've been waiting to get - we want to get in to making paper and have been waiting for the counters before we bought all the supplies - it's going to be our project together!!

Baking fest....

It's the start of the long weekend and the children have the day off of school...we're making the most of the new kitchen again - yesterday was chocolate snowballs and today is smiley face cupcakes!!! :) More pictures of the end results later!!! :)

Laurence is off out on his bike with his friends...

Lloyd finishes today for 9 days :) Can't wait!! Really need some time with him!! :) Soooooo looking forward to it!!