UPDATE:
You are all going to laugh at me, but I must confess that shortly after posting my last entry, our baby became nameless, once again. I'm so incredibly torn between the two "finalists". I like and dislike them both for different reasons. So as of right now my poor baby boy is still known as "Justin Jr." Wouldn't we shock everyone by actually naming him that???
But on a better note, I've used the last few days to complete even more tasks that will make life easier once 'JJ' is born.
I've:
-cut up a bunch of different veggies, vac-packed them, and put them in the freezer
-painted my toenails
-made up several little goodie bags for Emily to open while staying at my mom and dad's for a few days
-pre-purchased shower gifts, birthday gifts, and baby gifts so that I won't have to it with a newborn
-remembered that Justin probably wouldn't mind some toiletries and a change of clothes for the hospital and have packed them
-put everything by the front door that we need to take with us when this little guy decides it's time to show up.
Now all that's left to do is wait...
Original Post:
I have:
-my hospital bag packed
-extra batteries in the camera case
-the car seat installed in the back of the buick
-the baby bedding washed
-all the baby clothes washed
-the bassinet set up
-a new bathtub sling
-the "to-call" list with names and phone numbers
-all the towels washed, dried, and put away
- the house obsessively clean
- extra meat, bread, and cheese in the freezer
- extra dried good/canned goods in the cupboards
- the soothers sterilized
-my 'postpartum' clothes washed
-a NAME for this baby (finally!)
... now all I need is a little baby boy.
One week and counting.....
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Life in the Country
Once upon a time, a young engaged couple decided to buy a red brick house in the city with the intention of "one day" moving to the country. The boy fervently believed this to be true. The girl? Not so much....
In case you haven't guessed, this is the story of how I - the city raised girl - became a country lovin' mama.
When we first purchased our house on Gladstone we both agreed it wasn't our 'forever' house. It was a starter house that we would raise our first child in. Justin had future plans to move to the country. I, on the other hand, had future plans to move to a cute little subdivision with a trendy name like 'Orchard Park', 'Shaw Valley', or 'Southgate Village'.
Well, after 4 years of happily living on Gladstone Ave our house began to shrink. Little did I know, as a newly married woman, that one little baby would need a swing, a bouncy chair, an exersaucer, a jolly jumper, and a bassinet. Or that one little toddler girl would require a play desk, a 'Little People' village, a rubbermaid tote of blocks, a princess tent, and enough books to fill a library. It was time to move. But where? I started looking on MLS at all the cute houses in my favourite little subdivisions. Instantly I compiled a list of 20 or more houses that I would be thrilled to live in. You know the type - half siding and half brick, a few miniature spruce and dwarf lilacs in the front yard, and an LED house number above the garage. You know - the type of house my husband hates. After wiring these houses for over 3 years at Pro Electric, Justin developed a severe dislike for these houses. I am still a fan of these perfect, no work required, family homes. And if you're reading this and currently live in one of these? I may still be a teeny weeny bit jealous.
So it was time to compromise. A house that was still in the city, all brick, a decent sized lot, and maybe needed a bit of work. After a few months of searching we found a house we both agreed on, made and offer, and put our own house up for sale. At the time I was sure this plan would work and started picking out room colours, window treatments, and bathroom fixtures. But alas, this was not to be. Our house did not sell in the allotted time and once we realized how drastically we would have to drop the price of our house in order to sell it in the dreadful market, we decided to take it off the market and build an addition. Perfect. A living room (playroom) and bathroom off of the kitchen. Exactly what I wanted.
But wait - this addition was going to cost somewhere in the area of $50,000. And our house value to jump approximately $20,000. Maybe this was not the best idea after all. So? We'd keep looking.
Then one fateful afternoon in April we decided to take Fingal Line out to Jusitn's mom and dad's house instead of our usual Hwy 3 route. As we are discussing the sad fact that finding a country lot is nearly impossible these days we see a "For Sale" sign in the distance. WAY in the distance. In FINGAL. Ugh. Justin slows the car as we drive by. A yellow brick house in the country. Of course. I sent up a prayer - 'please let this house be ridiculously expensive. Or already sold, that would be great'. As soon as we arrived at mom and dad's Justin logged onto MLS and found the house.
"It's only $189,000" he exclaimed.
"Great...." I said as I silently said goodbye to Shaw Valley in my head.
"It has 5 bedrooms!"he cried
"Perfect....." goodbye Lake Margaret Trail
"3.4 acres!!!!" he gleamed
"Wow......." and there goes Southgate Village.
In my head I thought 'it's gotta be sold'. If it was as good of a deal as my husband thought it was than it wouldn't be on the market anymore. Who knows how long it had been for sale. Maybe there were a few conditional offers on it. 'Should have gone to Myrtle Beach' I muttered to myself.
The next day we were off to look at the house. It lived up to my expectations - TOTAL renovation. Lots and lots of lathe and plaster. An outdated kitchen. Shag carpet. The works.
The drive home was very quiet.
"I know you hate the house" Justin said to me. "But it's perfect, and you'll love it. Please agree to buy it."
How could I resist? In the 4 years that I've been married to Justin there have been very few times (maybe none) that he hasn't known what is best for our family. I had to follow him. So we made an UN-conditional offer (a very scary thing to do), put our house back on the market and prayed. Of course, God being perfect in His timing, allowed our house to sell quickly and made all things well. Kinda.
As the closing dates approached I would lie awake at night worrying about how I would adjust to country life. What if I needed to run out the store at 7:30 at night? Where would Justin take Emily for her nightly walk? How will I live through all that plaster dust? And oh yes, lets not forget the baby boy due to arrive a month after we move in. After worrying each night I said a long prayer and went to sleep.
Well, it's been 3 weeks since we moved. I LOVE IT HERE! Although this house may be slightly uglier than our Gladstone house, I wouldn't move back. I may have shag carpet in the playroom, but I have a playroom! The office may be mint green, but we have an office! Justin may not be able to take Emily on her nightly walk, so instead she just plays on the 3.4 acres of land and with the dairy cows in our backyard. I have a huge pantry that I can stock with extra diapers, lunch supplies, and laundry detergent. (And Foodland is only a 7 minute drive away!) In the country, a fresh pot of coffee smells better, the stars shine brighter, and breeze blows cooler. I've even come to find the sound of the coyotes howling at the moon oddly soothing. We have a long way to go with renovations, and maybe once the plaster dust starts to fly I may be a bit grumpier. But if it means having the house of our dreams and the opportunity to raise our kids in this great setting then I'll learn to live with it.
I'll let you know when the dust settles.....
In case you haven't guessed, this is the story of how I - the city raised girl - became a country lovin' mama.
When we first purchased our house on Gladstone we both agreed it wasn't our 'forever' house. It was a starter house that we would raise our first child in. Justin had future plans to move to the country. I, on the other hand, had future plans to move to a cute little subdivision with a trendy name like 'Orchard Park', 'Shaw Valley', or 'Southgate Village'.
Well, after 4 years of happily living on Gladstone Ave our house began to shrink. Little did I know, as a newly married woman, that one little baby would need a swing, a bouncy chair, an exersaucer, a jolly jumper, and a bassinet. Or that one little toddler girl would require a play desk, a 'Little People' village, a rubbermaid tote of blocks, a princess tent, and enough books to fill a library. It was time to move. But where? I started looking on MLS at all the cute houses in my favourite little subdivisions. Instantly I compiled a list of 20 or more houses that I would be thrilled to live in. You know the type - half siding and half brick, a few miniature spruce and dwarf lilacs in the front yard, and an LED house number above the garage. You know - the type of house my husband hates. After wiring these houses for over 3 years at Pro Electric, Justin developed a severe dislike for these houses. I am still a fan of these perfect, no work required, family homes. And if you're reading this and currently live in one of these? I may still be a teeny weeny bit jealous.
So it was time to compromise. A house that was still in the city, all brick, a decent sized lot, and maybe needed a bit of work. After a few months of searching we found a house we both agreed on, made and offer, and put our own house up for sale. At the time I was sure this plan would work and started picking out room colours, window treatments, and bathroom fixtures. But alas, this was not to be. Our house did not sell in the allotted time and once we realized how drastically we would have to drop the price of our house in order to sell it in the dreadful market, we decided to take it off the market and build an addition. Perfect. A living room (playroom) and bathroom off of the kitchen. Exactly what I wanted.
But wait - this addition was going to cost somewhere in the area of $50,000. And our house value to jump approximately $20,000. Maybe this was not the best idea after all. So? We'd keep looking.
Then one fateful afternoon in April we decided to take Fingal Line out to Jusitn's mom and dad's house instead of our usual Hwy 3 route. As we are discussing the sad fact that finding a country lot is nearly impossible these days we see a "For Sale" sign in the distance. WAY in the distance. In FINGAL. Ugh. Justin slows the car as we drive by. A yellow brick house in the country. Of course. I sent up a prayer - 'please let this house be ridiculously expensive. Or already sold, that would be great'. As soon as we arrived at mom and dad's Justin logged onto MLS and found the house.
"It's only $189,000" he exclaimed.
"Great...." I said as I silently said goodbye to Shaw Valley in my head.
"It has 5 bedrooms!"he cried
"Perfect....." goodbye Lake Margaret Trail
"3.4 acres!!!!" he gleamed
"Wow......." and there goes Southgate Village.
In my head I thought 'it's gotta be sold'. If it was as good of a deal as my husband thought it was than it wouldn't be on the market anymore. Who knows how long it had been for sale. Maybe there were a few conditional offers on it. 'Should have gone to Myrtle Beach' I muttered to myself.
The next day we were off to look at the house. It lived up to my expectations - TOTAL renovation. Lots and lots of lathe and plaster. An outdated kitchen. Shag carpet. The works.
The drive home was very quiet.
"I know you hate the house" Justin said to me. "But it's perfect, and you'll love it. Please agree to buy it."
How could I resist? In the 4 years that I've been married to Justin there have been very few times (maybe none) that he hasn't known what is best for our family. I had to follow him. So we made an UN-conditional offer (a very scary thing to do), put our house back on the market and prayed. Of course, God being perfect in His timing, allowed our house to sell quickly and made all things well. Kinda.
As the closing dates approached I would lie awake at night worrying about how I would adjust to country life. What if I needed to run out the store at 7:30 at night? Where would Justin take Emily for her nightly walk? How will I live through all that plaster dust? And oh yes, lets not forget the baby boy due to arrive a month after we move in. After worrying each night I said a long prayer and went to sleep.
Well, it's been 3 weeks since we moved. I LOVE IT HERE! Although this house may be slightly uglier than our Gladstone house, I wouldn't move back. I may have shag carpet in the playroom, but I have a playroom! The office may be mint green, but we have an office! Justin may not be able to take Emily on her nightly walk, so instead she just plays on the 3.4 acres of land and with the dairy cows in our backyard. I have a huge pantry that I can stock with extra diapers, lunch supplies, and laundry detergent. (And Foodland is only a 7 minute drive away!) In the country, a fresh pot of coffee smells better, the stars shine brighter, and breeze blows cooler. I've even come to find the sound of the coyotes howling at the moon oddly soothing. We have a long way to go with renovations, and maybe once the plaster dust starts to fly I may be a bit grumpier. But if it means having the house of our dreams and the opportunity to raise our kids in this great setting then I'll learn to live with it.
I'll let you know when the dust settles.....
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Home sweet Home
So of course, after I ramble on and on about renovations and painting the nursery we decide to forgo the entire plan and buy a new house. Well, new to us. Technically it's about 100 years old. The house has to be remodelled, top to bottom, but once we're through it will be our dream home. It's on Fingal Line, just past middlemarch - in the country. Somewhere I never thought I would live. The prospect has always appealed to me - summer evening at Justin's parent's house just can't be beat. But now that it's staring me in the face I'm slightly concerned that my city girl roots can't be broken. So I'm taking a leap of faith and letting my husband and my God lead the way.
The house sits on 3.4 acres with lots of big, mature trees. It's connected to city water which the owners paid in full at the time of connection so our taxes will be cheaper than what we are paying right now. It has replacement windows and the roof is in fairly decent shape. Once we get possession we'll be tearing down a few walls and putting some new ones up. All the flooring needs to be replaced as well. But it will be worth it. Now we just have to sell our current house in the next 90 days. Any takers????
The house sits on 3.4 acres with lots of big, mature trees. It's connected to city water which the owners paid in full at the time of connection so our taxes will be cheaper than what we are paying right now. It has replacement windows and the roof is in fairly decent shape. Once we get possession we'll be tearing down a few walls and putting some new ones up. All the flooring needs to be replaced as well. But it will be worth it. Now we just have to sell our current house in the next 90 days. Any takers????
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Decisions, Decisions.
I need some help in the decorating department. I've never been good at choosing colours - hence my neutrally painted house. I can match a skirt to a shirt just fine, but wall colours are a different story.
I bought a crib bedding set off of Kijiji for Justin Jr. I just couldn't see re-using my set from Emily - poor guy would be sleeping amongst pink butterflies and daisies. I've been having incredible luck with Kijiji lately - this bedding set has never been used, (bought by a mom for her to-be-born granddaughter but rejected by the daughter since the bedding is quite boy-ish) but couldn't be returned due to being purchased in the States. So I swept in and bought some awesome bedding for a fraction of the price. Getting a good deal is so rewarding.
But I may not have thought this all the way through. I'm at a loss for decorating ideas. As you can see in the picture the bedding is sage green and has a French Toile design.
Here is the current nursery:
A bit girlie, I know! I'm hoping to leave the bottom half of the wall the same off-white that it is now. The picture shows the bedding with a tan wall, but I don't know how good that would look in real life, especially if I leave the chair rail up. So what do you think?
Oh, and I know - aren't we moving? The answer is probably not. We (Justin) have started drawing up plans for a family room and bathroom addition on the main floor off the kitchen. He used Chief Architect to put together the plans so that I can visually see how it would turn out - it looks awesome. As long as we get permission from the city then we'll probably be heading down that path. Part of the decision to take the house off the market is due to the total frustration of trying to sell . Each person who comes through LOVES our kitchen and HATES our 1 bathroom feature of the house. I'm okay with people not liking the one bathroom only thing - but come on. Read the MLS listing BEFORE you come. BEFORE I clean like a crazy woman. BEFORE I pack up my kid and get out of my house. The listing clearly states we have ONE bathroom. But enough ranting. We also really like our neighbourhood and our property. And an addition is cheaper. And I love my kitchen. And my central vacuum and new furnace & A/C, and my carpeted stairs, and my french doors. Man, why doesn't anyone want to buy this place? It's awesome ;)
So for now the plan is to stay put. But that's today's plan. Who knows what tomorrow's plan will be??
I bought a crib bedding set off of Kijiji for Justin Jr. I just couldn't see re-using my set from Emily - poor guy would be sleeping amongst pink butterflies and daisies. I've been having incredible luck with Kijiji lately - this bedding set has never been used, (bought by a mom for her to-be-born granddaughter but rejected by the daughter since the bedding is quite boy-ish) but couldn't be returned due to being purchased in the States. So I swept in and bought some awesome bedding for a fraction of the price. Getting a good deal is so rewarding.
But I may not have thought this all the way through. I'm at a loss for decorating ideas. As you can see in the picture the bedding is sage green and has a French Toile design.
Here is the current nursery:
A bit girlie, I know! I'm hoping to leave the bottom half of the wall the same off-white that it is now. The picture shows the bedding with a tan wall, but I don't know how good that would look in real life, especially if I leave the chair rail up. So what do you think?
Oh, and I know - aren't we moving? The answer is probably not. We (Justin) have started drawing up plans for a family room and bathroom addition on the main floor off the kitchen. He used Chief Architect to put together the plans so that I can visually see how it would turn out - it looks awesome. As long as we get permission from the city then we'll probably be heading down that path. Part of the decision to take the house off the market is due to the total frustration of trying to sell . Each person who comes through LOVES our kitchen and HATES our 1 bathroom feature of the house. I'm okay with people not liking the one bathroom only thing - but come on. Read the MLS listing BEFORE you come. BEFORE I clean like a crazy woman. BEFORE I pack up my kid and get out of my house. The listing clearly states we have ONE bathroom. But enough ranting. We also really like our neighbourhood and our property. And an addition is cheaper. And I love my kitchen. And my central vacuum and new furnace & A/C, and my carpeted stairs, and my french doors. Man, why doesn't anyone want to buy this place? It's awesome ;)
So for now the plan is to stay put. But that's today's plan. Who knows what tomorrow's plan will be??
Monday, March 16, 2009
20 weeks.....
.....And getting a belly. Half way there!
And here are a few tidbits of information you may or may not know about our newest little guy:
- My official due date is Aug. 2 2009 DV
- I already have incredible heart burn - this kid better have lots of hair ;)
- I had a gut feeling this child was a boy and would have been shocked if I was told it was a girl, but then again I could have sworn Emily was a boy, and looked how that turned out!
- As of today this baby doesn't have a bedroom. The old nursery is home to our mammoth desk, Justin's guitars, and various HVAC computer components.
- This will grandchild number 12 for Justin's parents, and number 2 for my parents - just a small difference :)
- Our boy will be the first Pennings boy as Ryan, Jack, and Ethan are Slingerlands and VanDyks. But the girls will still out number the boys 2 to 1.
- Justin claims he would have been as excited to be having another girl, but I think there might be an tiny little part of him that jumps for joy when he thinks about having a son.
- When I was pregnant with Emily I used to pray "Lord,please keep this baby healthy and safe and make all things well for the rest of my pregnancy." For this baby I pray "Lord, please let this baby be a good sleeper and a happy, easy going baby." I of course pray for this baby's health, but it's funny how things change ;)
- We have already named this little boy, and if you ask Emily she'll tell you the baby's name is "Baby Rickie" after her much loved Uncle Rick. Although we also love Rick, I don't think we'll be naming our first born son after him!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Oh No! That's scawwey!
After an unusually troubling day for Emily I thought I would share with you the top 25 things Emily is afraid of in her life. She will tell me "Mommy, this scares me" or "Oh No! That's scary" but I sometimes wonder if she misuses the term when really she means 'I just don't like this.' Anyway, here are the top 25 - not necessarily in order but number one really is her number one fear!
1. Flies
2. Bees
3. Fuzz -- like from a sock. Very scary stuff.
4.Wind up toys
5. The theme song from Jaws
6. Uncle Matt -- I'm sure she will love you one day!
7. Babies, mostly infants
8. The dark
9. The church nursery
10. Any stranger
11. A crowded room
12. The bug portion of her Baby Einstein DVD
13. Being on my shoulders - Justin's shoulders is okay though!
14. Justin -first thing in the morning. She loves him the rest of the day.
15. Santa Claus
16. Dinosaur puppets
17. Being alone
18. Shoes - other than the only pair she wears everyday.
19. Her "Elefun" game that she loved for weeks but is now too scary to play
20. Cars coming towards us while I buckle her in her car seat
21. The bathtub drain
22. Dirty food
23. Snot
24.The shower head - when it drips in the tub while she's having a bath
25. French speaking women - when her Leap Frog Fridge toy is switched to the French side she is deathly afraid of it.
Some of these I think are normal two year old fears. But some of them are out of this world. I don't know where she gets it from but I'm hoping she'll grow out of it. I remember Caleb VD being afraid of chest hair, clouds, and growing up. And he turned out just fine (right, Taun!!). When she goes to bed each night I think she must be emotionally exhausted, poor monster.
1. Flies
2. Bees
3. Fuzz -- like from a sock. Very scary stuff.
4.Wind up toys
5. The theme song from Jaws
6. Uncle Matt -- I'm sure she will love you one day!
7. Babies, mostly infants
8. The dark
9. The church nursery
10. Any stranger
11. A crowded room
12. The bug portion of her Baby Einstein DVD
13. Being on my shoulders - Justin's shoulders is okay though!
14. Justin -first thing in the morning. She loves him the rest of the day.
15. Santa Claus
16. Dinosaur puppets
17. Being alone
18. Shoes - other than the only pair she wears everyday.
19. Her "Elefun" game that she loved for weeks but is now too scary to play
20. Cars coming towards us while I buckle her in her car seat
21. The bathtub drain
22. Dirty food
23. Snot
24.The shower head - when it drips in the tub while she's having a bath
25. French speaking women - when her Leap Frog Fridge toy is switched to the French side she is deathly afraid of it.
Some of these I think are normal two year old fears. But some of them are out of this world. I don't know where she gets it from but I'm hoping she'll grow out of it. I remember Caleb VD being afraid of chest hair, clouds, and growing up. And he turned out just fine (right, Taun!!). When she goes to bed each night I think she must be emotionally exhausted, poor monster.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
And baby makes 4
For those of you who haven't heard the news.....
We are expecting our second child in August 2009 (which makes me 9 weeks pregnant at time of posting). Emily has a little bit of a jealous streak in her so it's something we'll have to work on in the coming months. So far this pregnancy has gone smoothly but is totally different from Emily's pregnancy -- maybe it's a boy?!
We'll keep you posted!
We are expecting our second child in August 2009 (which makes me 9 weeks pregnant at time of posting). Emily has a little bit of a jealous streak in her so it's something we'll have to work on in the coming months. So far this pregnancy has gone smoothly but is totally different from Emily's pregnancy -- maybe it's a boy?!
We'll keep you posted!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Not Me! Monday
This week when taking Emily to Family Flowers her favourite place on earth she did not get bitten by the world's oldest pony. This was not my fault since I was paying close attention to my daughter and not wrapped up in the cute little goat tongues. Eww... not literally! After immediately checking to see if my child still had all 10 fingers my first concern was obviously for Emily and not worrying over never being able to return to this free fun environment again. To make sure Emily was not permanently scarred by this experience I most definitely did not grab the pony's lips and make her fake say "I'm sorry" to Emily. That would the sign of an insane woman. Emily was not immensely pleased with this and did not say "I forgive you pony".
I did not make the over ruling decision this week to buy another potted Christmas tree. My husband was ecstatic whenI Emily told him of our purchase and asked him to bring it in from the car --- it is amazing how much a little tree weighs. It will not live in our home until the spring when we Justin plants it outside. [We actually did do this last year and except for having a pine tree in the house for 8 months (undecorated, of course!) it worked out well.] I of course do this to save the environment and global warming and not because of my selfish desire for the maximum living space in my living room.
We did not eat out 5 times in 2 days this past week. Tim Horton, McDonalds, McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Pizza works. Oye. I'm certain I did not gain an extra 5 pounds because of it and was not jealous of my pregnant sister in law who can afford to do so at this time. And on such note, I am not getting extremely excited to meet her baby and find out if its a boy or a girl!
___________________________________________________________________
And on a sad note, we said goodbye to Papa Haveman this week. Although Ive only known him for a few short years I know he was a great man and had a deep love for his family. He will be fondly missed and remembered by all who knew him. Rest in Peace, dear papa.
I did not make the over ruling decision this week to buy another potted Christmas tree. My husband was ecstatic when
We did not eat out 5 times in 2 days this past week. Tim Horton, McDonalds, McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Pizza works. Oye. I'm certain I did not gain an extra 5 pounds because of it and was not jealous of my pregnant sister in law who can afford to do so at this time. And on such note, I am not getting extremely excited to meet her baby and find out if its a boy or a girl!
___________________________________________________________________
And on a sad note, we said goodbye to Papa Haveman this week. Although Ive only known him for a few short years I know he was a great man and had a deep love for his family. He will be fondly missed and remembered by all who knew him. Rest in Peace, dear papa.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
My hero
Faster than a speeding bullet.
More powerful than a locomotive.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
More powerful than a locomotive.
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Look! Up in the sky!It's a bird. It's a plane.
It's........... My husband!?
Yes, this is what you think it is.
A display of testosterone at it's best.
The result of a bet between a son-in-law and a father-in-law. And an easy $10 in our - ahem - his pocket.
Unfortunately for me, the proof he needs to be able to say "I can rip a phone book in half with my bare hands" whenever he wants. And let me tell you, it's often.
And lastly, the reason for a little girl to exclaim " OH NO! Daddy bwooked da book"
Never a dull moment.....
Yes, this is what you think it is.
A display of testosterone at it's best.
The result of a bet between a son-in-law and a father-in-law. And an easy $10 in our - ahem - his pocket.
Unfortunately for me, the proof he needs to be able to say "I can rip a phone book in half with my bare hands" whenever he wants. And let me tell you, it's often.
And lastly, the reason for a little girl to exclaim " OH NO! Daddy bwooked da book"
Never a dull moment.....
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I never knew...
- I would start each day at 6am...
- I would find forks and spoons on my living room carpet...
- I would vacuum every day...
- I still needed my mom...
- I would blog in my head as I swept the kitchen floor...
- I would keep my bath tub so clean...
- I would choose my words so carefully...
- I would go to the mall, spend a small fortune and buy nothing for myself...
- I would decorate my living room with a bright orange slide...
- I would consider coffee with the girls my "big night out"...
- I would spend so much of my day in prayer...
- I would carry around a pack of crayons in my purse...
- I was a master play-doh sculptor...
- A Hug could mean the world ...
- God's blessings and grace the way I do now...
... Until I became a mom!
This list could go on forever - What are some things you "never knew" until you were a mom??
Monday, November 10, 2008
Not Me! Monday
I did not spend WAY too much time changing the layout of my blog. I am not a rapid-mouse clicker and did not hit the "okay" button when Blogger told me all my current gadgets would be deleted off my side bar when changing my template. Rapid-mouse clicking never caused me any problems working at the bank and clients never found it annoying that I had to fix mistakes that I shouldn't have made in the first place.
Now that I'm finished my blog make over I'm not regretting all the work I did to re-load my blog and then wonder if I really like the new virtual me. I don't want any feedback from my friends about the new blog (I did save my old one just in case --that's the truth!). I did not log onto Blogger tonight to blog about something totally different and then get side-tracked. I never get distracted half way through doing something.
I have not ALMOST cut Emily's hair every night this week. I do not lay awake at night wondering if I should cut it -- I have way more important things to worry about. Each morning I do not run my hands through her silky hair and contemplate a little trim to even out the length. The fact that I give the worst hair cuts in the world - sorry, Mary - does not deter me and make me wonder if I should get Justin's mom to do it for me. I also do not love how long it is and how sweet it smells each night as I sit on my bed carefully brushing out the tangles after her bath. I did not french braid it this week and the post pictures on facebook -- that would be way too over the top.
Now that I'm finished my blog make over I'm not regretting all the work I did to re-load my blog and then wonder if I really like the new virtual me. I don't want any feedback from my friends about the new blog (I did save my old one just in case --that's the truth!). I did not log onto Blogger tonight to blog about something totally different and then get side-tracked. I never get distracted half way through doing something.
I have not ALMOST cut Emily's hair every night this week. I do not lay awake at night wondering if I should cut it -- I have way more important things to worry about. Each morning I do not run my hands through her silky hair and contemplate a little trim to even out the length. The fact that I give the worst hair cuts in the world - sorry, Mary - does not deter me and make me wonder if I should get Justin's mom to do it for me. I also do not love how long it is and how sweet it smells each night as I sit on my bed carefully brushing out the tangles after her bath. I did not french braid it this week and the post pictures on facebook -- that would be way too over the top.
I was not labelled a 'table-wrecker' this week as I finished off our dining room table. I have never in the past put a hot casserole dish on top of it and turn the wood white, drag out the leaf from under our love seat (where else would you keep part of your dining room table -- remember how I love putting things in odd places? ) and scratch the finish with a nail sticking out from the underside of the furniture, and then this past week I did not use it as a laundry table, dip detergent on it without noticing which then ate the finish off the table. Nope, not me!
It is not almost my bedtime and yet I still have evening chores to do - I did not choose to blog over a) making Justin's lunch b)folding laundry c)making the bed just so we can sleep in it (Im so glad Im not alone in this! ) or d)put away the "air-dried" dishes in the sink. Because you, my faithful readers, are so much more important to me than any of my wifely duties :)
Oh, and I did not just realize that I missed the renewal of the vows for Jon and Kate plus 8 . I have not been looking forward to this episode, and I'm not a little bummed out. Because, you know, I have a life!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Happy Halloween!
I am glad Halloween is almost over. I'm excited to see all the bleeding skulls and cackling witches put away for another 11 months. I'm not against Halloween per say, but sometimes it's just too much. For a holiday geared towards kids why does it have to be so disgusting and scary? And everywhere. On our evening walk down to the Court House we have to walk Emily in front of our neighbour's house that is decorated with ghosts, a Frankenstein monster and dead witches. She's not old enough to be frightened by them, but I cringe to think of the questions she'll be asking next year. For now, this is the conversation:
Emily -- "what's that?"
Mommy -- "a ghost"
Emily -- "what's that?" (She is apparently unsatisfied with my answer)
Daddy -- "what does a ghost say, Emily?" (try the distraction tactic)
Emily -- "baaaaaaa" (she thinks I said goat, not ghost.)
Mommy and Daddy -- "sure".
And that's where it ends. And perhaps I've never been offended by Halloween until now because of the fact that I now have a daughter old enough to understand. But I think that the fall has enough of God's own beauty that we don't need to try to spice it up. What's wrong with pumpkins, corn stalks, and gorgeous red and yellow leaves?
Don't get me wrong -- we are taking Emily trick or treating tomorrow night. Who doesn't love a cute bunny costume with an even cuter baby inside? And lets not forget about the free candy. But we'll go early to avoid the older (scarier) kids, and only go down Metcalf streets to all the 'posh' houses. Hopefully we'll only run into Superman and Tinkerbell.
Hopefully Emily will tolerate the bunny suit long enough to go out -- if not, we'll throw some face paint and some cat ears on her. Brown coat, brown cords? Done.
Emily -- "what's that?"
Mommy -- "a ghost"
Emily -- "what's that?" (She is apparently unsatisfied with my answer)
Daddy -- "what does a ghost say, Emily?" (try the distraction tactic)
Emily -- "baaaaaaa" (she thinks I said goat, not ghost.)
Mommy and Daddy -- "sure".
And that's where it ends. And perhaps I've never been offended by Halloween until now because of the fact that I now have a daughter old enough to understand. But I think that the fall has enough of God's own beauty that we don't need to try to spice it up. What's wrong with pumpkins, corn stalks, and gorgeous red and yellow leaves?
Don't get me wrong -- we are taking Emily trick or treating tomorrow night. Who doesn't love a cute bunny costume with an even cuter baby inside? And lets not forget about the free candy. But we'll go early to avoid the older (scarier) kids, and only go down Metcalf streets to all the 'posh' houses. Hopefully we'll only run into Superman and Tinkerbell.
Hopefully Emily will tolerate the bunny suit long enough to go out -- if not, we'll throw some face paint and some cat ears on her. Brown coat, brown cords? Done.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Another Not Me Monday!
Emily is always clean when Justin arrives home at the end of the day. When he arrives at 6:00pm she never has chocolate milk, alphagetti, or kraft dinner stains on her. And if she did, I would most certainly put an entirely new outfit on her. Who wants their kid looking like a mess for their father? Not me! After all, changing my daughter into new tights, dress, etc. in order to eat supper and go for a walk just makes perfect sense. And did I mention that I love doing laundry?
This is not what my little girl's room looks like. I mean, who would decorate a toddler's room with war planes and a bottle of whiskey? Not me! And don't you just love the poker room light? But since I'm such and awesome painter, I'll most definitely have it painted by the end of the week. 
Whenever I go grocery shopping Emily never grabs something off a shelf and throws it in our cart while I'm busy reading the labels on the soup cans. (I can always find the soup I want upon first glance. I never have to search for it among the thousands of other varieties. Every time.) If she does do this, I always find out before we're at the check out counter and I'm unloading items onto the belt. When I find said item I would never discreetly put it in front of the Martha Stewart Living magazine. Nope, not me. I, of course, either hand it to the grumpy cashier and say "can you put this back? My daughter grabbed it when I wasn't paying attention to her", or I put it back on the shelf myself. Grocery shopping is such a delightful experience that I yearn to prolong it in any way I can.
This is not Emily's favourite place on Earth -- Family Flower's petting zoo. I don't love it because of it's great admission price (free) and the lovely flowers. I am not totally stoked about it being open all winter and walking through the aisles of beautiful poinsettias. I am not already in the Christmas Spirit.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Not Me Monday
I'm following in Taun's footsteps and trying out a NMM post. To find out more, visit http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ .
This week I did not miss my sister. Everyday. I could not tell you that there are 57 days until she comes home for Christmas. I have not already started planning various activities for us to do when she's home and I am not TOTALLY looking forward to making another pitiful looking gingerbread house with her.
I am not majorly bummed that her rotation placements, while still in Canada, are in places too far away to visit. What good does that do me? But I am also not looking on the bright side that Northern Ontario is a whole lot closer than Australia.
Emily did not ask to watch the "elephant jumping" video a million and ten times this week. To not show your kids this funny clip, do not click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK27aknWVI4
Be warned, that viewing this video may also make you want to blog about the number of times your kids did not ask to watch it. Emily did not get addicted to this video while at her cousin's house, and she did not learn that the elephant has a big bum from one of them :)
I did not ask Justin (repeatedly) if we could keep the stray cat. I most certainly did not let it in the house after Justin told me not to. I am too much of a submissive wife to defy my husband. Emily did not scream with delight as she chased it all over the house and we did not feed it the left over turkey from Thanksgiving. Oh, and Justin is aware of this.
This is not my first Not Me Monday post and I did not enjoy it. I definitely do not recommend you try it.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Saying Goodbye to a pair of old friends
I finally decided that it's time to replace my 5 year old, $4.50, Payless shoes. I will never throw them away, and will in fact continue to wear them (but perhaps only in the backyard). These shoes are a part of me. They have multiple war scars on them and I have "broken them in" perfectly. These shoes have the purple paint from my very first apartment on them. They also have the burgundy paint from my very first house. They carried me into the bridal salons to pick out my wedding dress, and carried me into the delivery room the night I had Emily. I wore them on the trip to Ottawa to bury my Grandfather, and wore them on the trip to Australia to visit my sister. They were also the only shoes that could stretch enough to fit me during the last few months of my pregnancy. I love these shoes. And I will probably never find a pair of shoes as comfortable.
I also like my new snazzy shoes that I just purchased yesterday. They are somewhat comfortable but they just aren't the same. I know I'll keep wearing the old ones, but the fact that I have bought new shoes to replace them can almost bring a tear to my eye (almost). But don't worry -- I'm sure you'll see me wearing these old, ratty, shoes - I'm not a fan of change!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Our laundry "room"
So here it is, as promised. The finished laundry area. I am so thankful for having a husband who will not only cut holes in walls for me, but will then turn them into something marvelous. To complete this project Justin had to pull down the lathe and plaster (thanks, Tim!) run plumbing up from the basement, run a gas line in from somewhere (I'm not up to speed on the whole process), create a vent for the dryer, drywall, put up a marble "backsplash" (thanks, Dad!), tile the floor, and then the tricky part - get the washer and dryer into the hole and hook them up. Justin's knowledge on how to do each of these steps amazes me and I am blessed to have such a handy husband.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
In a Jamb
It's quite possible I am the worst painter this world will ever see. I decided to take upon myself the task of painting the laundry room door. We bought the paint to match the rest of our old trim a few months ago but that's as far as the project went. A few days ago Justin asked me why I hadn't taken an afternoon to paint it, and I couldn't figure it out either. Now I remember. I hate painting! I lack the gene required to use a steady hand and keen eye to do a thorough and proper job. But at least the job is done.
I started out this afternoon by finding all my supplies. A drop cloth, a new brush, sand paper, a stool, and wait.... where was the paint? I searched the house while the entire time muttering to myself 'how could I loose an entire can of paint?' until I finally gave up and called Justin at work.
"Where's the paint?" I ask.
"I left it on the dining room table and you put it away. So it's where ever you last put it." He replies.
I groan inside knowing this is probably true but not wanting to admit it to him.
"I haven't ever seen that can of paint - I don't even know what size you bought." I say in protest.
"Well, I'm telling you that you moved it last. Did you look in the basement?"
"Yes"
"Did you look under the sink?"
"Yes"
"Did you check the foyer?"
"Yes"
"Then I don't know what to tell you, babe." He says.
I am notorious for cleaning up the house and putting items away in places they really don't belong. Especially items pertaining to Justin as I never know where their place actually is. So I knew deep down inside that I moved that can of paint and put it somewhere impossibly strange. So I looked and looked and was ready to give up hope when out of the corner of my eye I see a bright yellow Home Hardware bag. I begin to get excited and start thinking 'please let it be the paint'. Hooray! It is. Now why didn't I look inside of an empty beer case to begin with?
I can finally get down to business. After about 5 minutes of painting I realize the complexity of a folding door. There really isn't any good way to paint the door, trim, and jamb all at once. Unless you take the door off the hinge and lay it down flat. I came to this conclusion half way through. So I do my best to get the door painted and couldn't help but having the same feeling I used to get when going into an exam in university when I hadn't quite studied enough. The entire time you're thinking 'oh, this is so not good' and so you rush through it so you can say 'well, at least it's over'. This is how I felt about the door. But at least I learned a few good lessons from this experience.
1- I hate painting. I need to remember this before thinking up any more projects that involve painting. I will still paint our computer room since it's light pink, but I'm afraid Emily is doomed to live in a Burgundy room. Everything matches, it's just not girlie -- but I don't think she'll notice :)
2- I need to be better organized. Justin and I vowed to rent a dumpster as soon as the snow melted this spring... I think it's time. We have too much junk. How do I have 5 old phone books even though I've only lived here for 3 years?
3- Think things through. This project would have been way easier to have completed if the door was on the floor.
4- When I stopped cursing the awful job I was doing and instead thought this would make a funny blog post the job went by much faster!!
5- Keep in mind that the combination of a toddler and wet paint in the main artery of the house is not a good idea. Time to go swimming at Grandma's!
So some positive things came out of this experience. I'll post some pictures of the door when it's dry... although it's nothing exciting to see. And I'm sure Justin will be doing some touch ups when he gets home. But it's done, and I'm thankful. I give credit to all the ladies out there who are paint-aholics (you know who you are) but do marvelous jobs - I could learn a thing or two from you!
I started out this afternoon by finding all my supplies. A drop cloth, a new brush, sand paper, a stool, and wait.... where was the paint? I searched the house while the entire time muttering to myself 'how could I loose an entire can of paint?' until I finally gave up and called Justin at work.
"Where's the paint?" I ask.
"I left it on the dining room table and you put it away. So it's where ever you last put it." He replies.
I groan inside knowing this is probably true but not wanting to admit it to him.
"I haven't ever seen that can of paint - I don't even know what size you bought." I say in protest.
"Well, I'm telling you that you moved it last. Did you look in the basement?"
"Yes"
"Did you look under the sink?"
"Yes"
"Did you check the foyer?"
"Yes"
"Then I don't know what to tell you, babe." He says.
I am notorious for cleaning up the house and putting items away in places they really don't belong. Especially items pertaining to Justin as I never know where their place actually is. So I knew deep down inside that I moved that can of paint and put it somewhere impossibly strange. So I looked and looked and was ready to give up hope when out of the corner of my eye I see a bright yellow Home Hardware bag. I begin to get excited and start thinking 'please let it be the paint'. Hooray! It is. Now why didn't I look inside of an empty beer case to begin with?
I can finally get down to business. After about 5 minutes of painting I realize the complexity of a folding door. There really isn't any good way to paint the door, trim, and jamb all at once. Unless you take the door off the hinge and lay it down flat. I came to this conclusion half way through. So I do my best to get the door painted and couldn't help but having the same feeling I used to get when going into an exam in university when I hadn't quite studied enough. The entire time you're thinking 'oh, this is so not good' and so you rush through it so you can say 'well, at least it's over'. This is how I felt about the door. But at least I learned a few good lessons from this experience.
1- I hate painting. I need to remember this before thinking up any more projects that involve painting. I will still paint our computer room since it's light pink, but I'm afraid Emily is doomed to live in a Burgundy room. Everything matches, it's just not girlie -- but I don't think she'll notice :)
2- I need to be better organized. Justin and I vowed to rent a dumpster as soon as the snow melted this spring... I think it's time. We have too much junk. How do I have 5 old phone books even though I've only lived here for 3 years?
3- Think things through. This project would have been way easier to have completed if the door was on the floor.
4- When I stopped cursing the awful job I was doing and instead thought this would make a funny blog post the job went by much faster!!
5- Keep in mind that the combination of a toddler and wet paint in the main artery of the house is not a good idea. Time to go swimming at Grandma's!
So some positive things came out of this experience. I'll post some pictures of the door when it's dry... although it's nothing exciting to see. And I'm sure Justin will be doing some touch ups when he gets home. But it's done, and I'm thankful. I give credit to all the ladies out there who are paint-aholics (you know who you are) but do marvelous jobs - I could learn a thing or two from you!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Just some random pictures
Spring has finally sprung. Although it's been a bit chilly for the past little while, being able to get out of the house to go for walks and spend time in the backyard has been such a relief! The nicer weather makes the days seem much shorter.
A cute picture of Aidan from one of the nights he came to visit.
And Emily playing peek a boo. I just thought it was cute so I'd post it. I do have some pictures of her walking, but I haven't uploaded them to my computer yet. They're on their way....
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter!
Here are some pictures from Easter. My mom made up a big Easter Basket for Emily with a bunch of toys, new clothes, and too much chocolate. But what did she love the most? The straw. She had a blast and made a huge mess! We would stand over her and sprinkle the straw onto her like rain and she screamed with delight! What a monkey.
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