Our Wednesday

Our green smoothies were rather pink today because of all the berries and fruit in them.  There IS spinach in there though!!!  It was a yummy way to kick off the day!

Susannah is still sick so this is very good for her!  

On the way in to town this afternoon we spotted this very tasteful truck with SILVER testicles hanging from the back of it.  So nice hahahaha - I've seen the normal flesh coloured ones lots of times, but SILVER?????  omg!!!

We met a group of friends at the park for a couple of hours - Abby and Sam got to play frisbee and hang out at the playground with their friends - quite a few of them - so they were happy.  Laurence walked over to meet us after school (it was early out today so school ended at 2pm) and then we had to head to the library for 3pm as Abby had a class there that she was signed up for.  

While Abby was in her class, Susannah filled in an application to volunteer at the library throughout the summer.  She wanted to volunteer as a reading buddy as well, but that is only on for a week and it is while we are away.  She is also hoping to get some volunteer work every weekend from now on - so she is making inquiries. 

Me.  I soooo need a hair cut.

I found a ton of books for Abby and Sam....then did some art journaling 

and read the local paper:

Sam played on the computers and then came and sat with us for a while until it was time to go:

After the library we had to run to the bank for Laurence, and while there, Abby went to check and see if our stone we had left near the parking lot had been picked up.  It was GONE!  So we know at least ONE of our stones has been found and picked up :)  

We have a lot more we want to paint and leave in places for people to find - it's a lovely feeling to know they are out there somewhere :)  

Tonight I helped Susannah with her LA homework....Abby drew a parrot and did some reading from the library books she picked up today.  

Sam watched a movie and pottered about.  Oh and I cut the grass for a while when we got home and tidied up the front yard a bit - all the kids went out on their bikes and cycled up and down the driveway while I was cutting the grass.  

I did some art journaling and pottered about...some laundry...now it's almost bedtime again. 

Hope your Wednesday was a good one!  I'm looking forward to Thursday as we have plans all day and all evening.  Fun fun fun :)  

29 faces in May - day 3

I'm doing more than one face a day right now, but I am loving the challenge of creating different faces and trying new things.  I'm trying to move on from doing eyes closed all of the time - and trying eyes open...as well as a side view of a face - that was challenging and I used a website for tips on how to draw a face from the side.  I am loving this art journal so much - even though it's just a $1. note book from Dollarama - there is something about it that I really like - the paper maybe...the rings...I don't know but right now I am preferring it to my Moleskines and composition books.  I only grabbed it because I liked the cover!!

Our Tuesday...

I was still in a fair bit of pain when I woke up this morning - so we had an easy morning at home while I rested, and then we went outside for a while.  Abby and Sam played and I tidied up a bit of the yard while it was dry.

Then we drove into town to get some supplies for the art class - and we decided today would be a good day to use the coupons they had won for their Spring Break reading challenge.  So we went to Panago and they got to pick ANY type of small pizza they wanted!!  Sam picked half chicken and half pepperoni.  Abby went with double cheese :)  A small pizza is still quite big - and yet Sam ate the whole thing!!!

We took the pizzas to the park and they ate them there - and Sam had fun throwing bits to the seagulls!!

Of course that attracted a LOT of seagulls - which they thought was funny!

I reminded them of why they had the pizzas and how proud they should be that they stuck to the challenge and read all 5 books!  They were really happy to have their prize pizzas!!

In the evening I was supposed to teach week 3 of my art journaling course, but one girl couldn't make it  because of her school play, and another girl was sick....so instead of them missing the class (which they were upset about) I asked the other students/ parents if they'd mind cancelling tonights class and just adding it on to the end of the course.  They were actually really happy about it and it worked out well for everyone - me included as my tummy was still hurting.  

So Susannah and I went out for the evening instead.  We sat in Starbucks for a while chatting, and then we went to get her guitar picks that she needed (thicker ones or something??)  and then we drove to Broadmoor Lake again to take some photographs while the sun was setting.  They came out really well and got a lot of response on Instagram which was nice.  

I love seeing Susannah's pictures on there - and watching her take pictures :)  

Then we drove over to pick Laurence up from work - he has managed to pick up some extra shifts this week so he is happy - one guy was fired, so until they replace him, Laurence gets extra hours!  He also got his first pay cheque so that made him happy too - but he comes home and goes straight to sleep - I guess thats a very good thing - he is sleeping better again :)  But only because he's exhausted - but he seems very happy with himself.  New girlfriend - new job....and he's gone down two sizes in pants from all the walking around Sherwood Park and working!  Lol!

Now I am tired and ready for sleep.  Susannah is still sick and is staying home tomorrow.  You can tell she isn't right, because she's miserable :(  We had a lovely evening together but she really wasn't herself - and I think she needs another day of complete rest to fight this bug off!  It's hard to get her to stay home from school.  

We are meeting friends for the afternoon tomorrow, and then Abigail has a class at the library.  I think we are doing geocaching at the park.  

I hope your Tuesday was a good one.

29 Faces in May....day 2

This is my face for day 2 of the '29 Faces in May' challenge.  

I am enjoying the challenge of creating different faces - I am also LOVING seeing everyone elses artwork in the group!  Amazing talent - wow!  

29 Faces in May

I am taking part in an art challenge with a group I belong to - and this month it is 

'29 faces in May' so each day I have to draw a face and add it to the facebook group for the challenge.  

I couldn't resist starting on my first one - so at 12:30am on May 1st, I added my first face to the challenge:

I really like her and am happy with how she turned out.  I need new markers as almost ALL my markers have dried up because of my art classes - so when I can afford it, I will get some new ones - but on the whole I think she came out well :)

Hhhmmm what shall I work on tomorrow????  

xx

Our Monday...

Up and out fairly early for us - after Abigail had spent a while on the computer skyping with her friend Delia in Minnesota.  Abigail has decided I should marry Delia's Dad, that we should all move to Minnesota and they can be Sisters and best friends and ride horses together all day!  

Sounds simple enough!!  Except Delia's Dad is still married to Delia's Mom!!  

Hahahaha :)  

Susannah still wasn't feeling good today so she stayed home and rested all day.  I bought her lots of healthy foods and ingredients for smoothies - and also a vitamin and mineral supplement for women with extra iron in it as she has been feeling washed out :(

All four llamas were right by our driveway in the field today but as soon as the car got close, they spread out and I couldn't get a decent picture of all of them - so here is just one of them for ya!  Nasty creatures!!  And they even look so stupid!  Must be the small heads...I don't know - small heads make people/ animals look stupid - don't you think???  lol!

We headed off to meet some friends of ours today at Kidz Quarterz in town.  We were the very first people to arrive there so Abby and Sam were thrilled to go crazy in the place with no one else there!  And I snapped a few pictures!  We were there for about 3 1/2 hours and then we headed off to the library.

We had a heavy bag of books to return to the library today.  We also signed Abigail up for a workshop this week which sounded interesting.  I found a poster advertising the volunteer experience Susannah had been looking for this Summer, and I also went through the local paper and some other magazines in there and filled my diary up with some events and activities for the next few weeks!

Still REALLY love the new library and community centre:

Abby returning the books to the library:

Laurence came and met us at the library after school and then we headed to his work place to pick up his pay cheque.  Then grocery shopping for some supplies we needed and filled up with gas with our Safeway coupon - then home:

We passed a train on the highway so I snapped a couple of pictures:

It was another day of mixed skies and a few dark clouds mixed in - but they 

make for some gorgeous photographs:

Dinner was pasta and a spinach salad.  The kids continued with their Greys Anatomy marathon - day 4 I think!!!  Hahahaha!  I soaked in the bath for a while.  My appendix has been grumbling all day - in fact the last few weeks have been bad....and today it was really bad.  Even Advil didn't help tonight - so I soaked in the bath to see if that helped - no - so I'm sitting still in bed, because if I don't move it doesn't hurt!  

I'm teaching tomorrow night - week three of my evening art journal class.  Fun fun fun!  :)  

Tomorrow morning we are meeting friends for brunch.

In the afternoon - not sure what we will do - maybe we will wait and see what the weather is like!  It is supposed to rain all day!  Maybe go to Scholars Choice - as Education Station didn't have what I wanted - hhmmmm that's an idea!  I want a world map - not too big - that Abby can put pins in - showing the places where she has friends on Minecraft/ skype etc - and then I want her to learn a bit about each place.  We might join a postcard swap online too and add pins to the places where the postcards come from.  

x

End of the month tag...

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?    My fabby pal Sharon gave me a pile of magazines that I am working through.  I read 'Before I Go To Sleep' which was an AMAZING book - LOVED it!!  I also read 'Unsinkable - How to bounce back quickly when life knocks you down' by Sonia Ricotti.  And 'Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Ex' by Heather Belle and Michelle Fiordaliso - which is a book about how to have an easier relationship with your Ex - less baggage etc etc.  Now I am in the middle of reading 'These Things Hidden' by Heather Gudenkauf.  

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?  Susannah and I went to the theatre to watch 'The Lucky One' - omg sooooo GOOD - with the oh so gorgeous Zac Efron.  Yum yum yum!  At home we watched Back to the Future as the kids had never seen it before.  Sam was sick last week so I watched some movies with him on Netflix - including the most BIZARRE episode of Veggietales - where Jonah was sent to preach to a city where people hit each other with fish (????)  

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?  We went to two Roller Derby games which was fun!  Homeschool park days started, my regular date night with Sharon!!  homeschool club at the library was a big success this month!  We've had a lot of fun making crafts - and also my art classes here at The Art House were a lot of fun!  Trips to the farmers market.  Easter was wonderful - and it was soooo wonderful to be back at The Prairie Gardens again!!  Laurence even came too and we had a fabulous afternoon there - we all held baby chicks :)  Our poetry tea on the back deck on a gorgeous sunny day was nice.  Our afternoon at the Royal Alberta Museum and the walk in the museum grounds!!!  And our Easter trip to the Science Centre was great fun too!.  I remember a really fun car ride with everyone when we went to pick Laurence up from work one night - so much laughter and chatter and doing math sums and things.  A nice walk around our yard with Susie one afternoon - tidying up but also taking pictures of signs of Spring!!  Watching arm wrestling at the mall, Spring break and the reading challenge Sam and Abby took part in!  Painting messages on stones and placing them around town for people to find!!!  Our first trip to Katies Crossing for this year!!!  Wow - and so much more - looking back, April was a fabulous month - we also had visits to Kidz Quarterz with friends - and alone while Susannah and Shania went to see Titanic 3d.  

What special or unusual purchases did I make?    I bought Prismacolor Pastel artsticks for my new art journaling class that I'm teaching on Tuesday evenings.  They are so expensive but after watching a couple of tutorials online I fell in love, and when they were on for 50% at Michaels, I couldn't resist!!!  I haven't stopped using them since!  OMG they are amazing!!!  Love love LOVE!!!!  I also bought a Kate Spade purse/ handbag at Goodwill - turns out it was $300.  new and I paid $3.99  for it  :)   I love it and it matches my new skirt perfectly :)  

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?  Sam caught a cold and a tummy bug from somewhere....and passed it on to us but thankfully it was VERY mild.  Then one night I had flu-like symptoms - aches, chills, feeling lethargic - and so did Susie.  We both took garlic capsules but she didn't take as many as me.  I felt fine the next day, but she  was left with a cold.  No one else seems to have it thankfully.  She says she will stay home tomorrow if she still feels bad.  We had a really quiet and lazy few days/ weekend  so that everyone could get healthy again - and I think it really helped.  No other illnesses this month thankfully!  

What were my accomplishments this month?  I've made some major steps forward with a  few things - and some big decisions.  I've started working on SR1 / therapy again which is really helping me as I felt as though I had hit a plateau on my progress.  My kids art journaling class ended - a 4 week long class, and the parents were really happy with it - and the kids all loved it - they said they would LOVE me to run more classes, but I'm not sure if I will or not.  We shall see....Oh and Laurence started a new job this month and despite a few ups and downs to begin with, he has stuck with it - and for that I am very proud of him - because it has meant a fair bit of walking at times - in fact he has had so much exercise that he has lost two sizes in pants and his pants are now way too big!!!  

What were my disappointments this month?  I was betrayed by someone I trusted and thought of as a friend.  I felt extremely let down and hurt to begin with.  However, I've thought it over - and - thanks to something Effy Wild said in one of her classes, I feel able to let it go. 

Anything else noteworthy to include?  This has been a good post to write - it has given me a chance to reflect back on a month that I thought was hard - that I thought I struggled through and that didn't seem like much fun - but when I actually write it down like this and think about it, I see that really, although there were some difficult moments here and there, it was actually a pretty wonderful month - we crammed a LOT in - and even have fun plans for the very last day of April!!  I am happy April is ending...and looking forward to May and all that it will bring...new adventures...hopefully some sunshine!!  Yet I am also happy that we made the most of April too!!  

My Sunday....

Art journaling, relaxing, errands and appies at Montanas with the kids...

Todays rain clouds.....

Things inspiring me this week.....