MOnday morning...

How did I get here?

You know.. I was so tired last night that when PIP offered for me to come and watch a movie with her, I happily jumped onto our bed and promptly feel asleep.

I do remember tucking her into her "beddy" at some point.

Now I am drinking GREEN tea, and trying to clear up some of the allergy symptoms that I seem to be having... which makes me now understand why I was so tired last night.

AND now for my usual Monday morning statement:

I better go and make a lunch for my boy!

Who invented hockey anyways?

The world comes to a crashing hault when hockey comes on the big screen.

I'm just not liking it.

From the sounds of things coming from behind me the game has already been racked with incidents.

Perhaps it's time to go for a drive.

!!!!!!!!!!!

OK... the 1950's housedress is coming along swiftly.

I have never used my seam ripper quite so much.

Seriously people, as much as I wish to like it.

I just can't.

It is just UGLY.

It just is.

In a weird way I think.

I have lined the dress in an attempt to give it some flair.

If we could use the same fabric that I made the PINK PRINCESS DRESS out of, then it would just move.

This material just hangs.

Nothing else, just hangs.

AND... because it has a pattern to it, you can't even add some sparkle to jazz it up.

IN FACT... the icky piece of material that they did provide for us (we paid for of course) was a bright blue fabric piece.

I will not be placing a bright blue fabric piece on the ugly blue dress... I am going to find some OTHER piece of material.. more like the colour of periwinkle, or such. That will take the place of the waist band.

PIctures will be posted, shield your eyes.

TABLECLOTH torture:

I am trying to convince myself to finish the tablecloth dress. It is challenging. I have plugged the iron in... and will give the neckline of the tablecloth dress a fine crisp appearance. I am currently top stitching everything to give it a finished appearance, not a slapped together unloved tablecloth torture type style of dress.

You know... even though I am creating a table cloth dress, I am also watching it snow. I think it might be snowing more in my neighbours backyard.... that is a good thing.

don't you just....

LOVE the goat!

WISH it would stop snowing?

HAD a million dollars?

MAKE someone's day!

Field finds

It's just about time...

Bear watching time that is.

The boy has his piano lesson in about 15 minutes... and then after that... I am heading out to travel around the lonesome roads of Minnekhada to find some photo ops.

I am not expecting anything of any great value... but I will certainly try.

In other things:

I rented a violin for the girl today. She even seemed like she was very excited, and wished to play it right away. Her and I being left handed and all had to figure out that it went on the left shoulder, not the right shoulder. Good grief!

CREDIT!!!

I will give credit, where credit is due...

All of these changes are in due to my extremely wizardly & talented computer friendGEMMAK!!

None of this would have been possible had I not handed over my passwords/passcodes/passports/.... uhm wait..... not quite the passport... HELL... I haven't even used it yet....

ANYWAYS... with her fine handiwork she recreated this space, with one thing to BEAR in mind, that I like green... and I like.....(just guess!)

Thanks GEMMAK!

AAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Midnight tonight.... springbreak is over.

OH well... it's just as well... the temperatures have been rather on the FRIGID SCALE. It will be certain to warm up once the chicklets are back in to school... certainly they will!

In other things scarey:

I am currently making the girl the tablecloth dress. By the look in my friends eyes.... we were not wrong when we pegged the material TABLECLOTH like. I think I saw her gag.... I am sure of it!

I have no cream in the home... no homebrew coffee for me. (THE SAD THING IS... I went grocery shopping today).

I made chicken this afternoon... YES, only 17 years of marriage... and I made fried chicken, except I didn't fry it.... I baked it. (CLEARLY I need some help.....).

The girl has consented to take violin lessons for the next three months. This surely should be scarey. I wonder how badly violins break by being slammed against a wall?

My visiting friend has asked me to help her daughter continue to learn english... I said SURE!!! but I have no idea what to do! I guess I have to do some kind of GRADE 7 research or something... what the heck do you teach someone?.. ... hello ... anyone....? IDEAS?

I am currently watching American Idol, and cutting outmy material on the breaks... and now have decided to write my horror story of the last day of spring break....

Well... you never know.. it might snow around here...

Oh brother!

VITAMIN B.......quick.......

What's up with me....

I need some B COMPLEX stat like.

I am totally on the nutso side...

OH.. I know why....

I am about to embark on making the absolutely fantastic

TABLECLOTH DRESS!

It is such an exciting day...

OH.. and in exciting events:

The GIRL wore her PINK princess dress for Easter yesterday, SHE looked fabulous!

Roaming all by my lonesome

I've turned into a birdwatcher

Look at his/her little head... you have to wonder what they are watching/listening to.

things that I see

I must have taken 20 pictures of these guys. I wasn't happy with my shots.. and just when I wasn't looking, I had them where I wanted them... and then along came a little boy and his father...you can see by their wake that they were traveling quickly back to the other side of the water to get away from the human forms!

This picture excites me. What this really means to the bear watching sorts is the fact that they have cuts the hugely overgrown plantweeds, and now we can see into the field... like below. In the past number of years these plantweeds have been out of control, and the only thing one would have seen are the overgrown "things" in the foreground.. and nothing in the field... this is truly exciting to those of us that NEED TO SEE IN THE FIELD!!!!!!

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.... the field!

Project Pink

I have completed the PIPS pink princess dress. Now I must embark on the 1950's ugly housedress that will somehow mimck a princess dress. This could really be hard work... the PINK dress was a test to see if I could get the pattern to fit properly, since the PIP isn't so little any longer.

In other things more important that PINK DRESSES... my friend has asked for help in a crane project, for her niece Kaylawhich myself & the rest of the family will begin folding ASAP. I handed out my Canadian Cancer Society canvassing kits, and since I have maps and details, I will see if I can a bunch of donations.

Issues in cameraland

I have none really.

I make it a habit to research on line the facts about the cameraland that I live in. It's very painful to read paragraph after paragraph, and it all makes sense, and I GET IT, just to close the sight... and move on.. and then wonder ... OH... how did that work again.. even after I studied the facts. I guess the facts only make sense to me while it is front of me.

This is completely similar to the same problem I have with piano music... put it in front of me, and I can play... take it away, and you might as well give me a tub of water to play in...because I am certainly not going to make music come out of it.

OH.. and on the musical notes front...

The BOY of mine watched GREASE the other night. He quite liked it... although he wouldn't admit to liking it... because that would just be so wrong... anyways... now he can recite the songs from that film as well. He is quite lucky that boy of mine.

AND.. the non musical....

Speaking of the news... she likes the news, and that is what she watches. She prefers the weather bit... but it might just be KRISTI GORDON. Her TOY stuffed german shepherd Cicely really likes KRISTI GORDON... and yells out in her high pitched voice when she comes on. Although the GIRL still likes the senior meteorologist Mark Madryga, it's KRIST GORDON that makes her and the dead stuffed TOY dog smile!

I should probably charge my batteries if I wish to talk more about cameraland adventures.

Thank you Mr. W. for giving me some ideas about my education in camerland. I own a FILM Canon Rebel SLR, and the husbandman gave me a NIKON D40X digital for Christmas. I really loved the photos that I took with the canon, but with the technology RUNNING AWAY with the times... I just couldn't stand not having that instant gratification that SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE had... so probably four years agoI went to the MINI DIGITAL (Nikon coolpix)... which did the trick for quite some time, but it didn't give me enough options to FIDDLE. Now I can fiddle to my hearts content, have instant gratification, and change lenses all in a heartbeat. I have no complaints... other than my constant experimentation, scrutiny, and picture reviews that I challenge myself with. I could go with the EASY GREEEN button... but those aren't the kind of pictures that I wish to take...hence the trauma in my brain!

The other day I settled to take pictures with maneuving the settings with my aperature, and ISO.. just to see what happens when.....

I have seen some portraits done with the background completely blurred, and I just love the look of the main subject right smack in your face, and the rest is not important.

It's all one adventure after another... and if I could get any amount of information to stick in my brain, then it wouldn't be such a revelation each time I use it.

It's not the information that I require.... it's just a brain with memory. Now I wish I could purchase that type of technology.

Do the words enjoy and children fit in the same...

Sentence?

They do.

It is a weird thing I would have to say.

But they do.

Onto other weird things....

I have to do some adjustments on the pink dress.It essentially fits the PRINCESS DOLL, but it requires some darts. She may look like a bullseye when I am done. Ha!

Good morning world

The weather looks a little boring and grey.
I wonder what we will do today.

Work has called, and asked me to come in,
Not today....I sheepishly grin.

If they were to call tomorrow, and ask me the same
I would jump at the chance to make three times the pay.

So for now I will sit and drink my Early Grey,
and continue to enjoy my kids another day.

OK so...

I have been playing with my camera.

I took a bundle of pictures yesterday, but of course half of those were practice shots, and the rest... well... I just got lucky.

I am trying to RAM it into my brain: ISO speed & aperture in order to manage random portraits.

I could use the GREEN button, and take photos the EASY way, but I am trying to figure things out.

I clearly have to have my CRAP together when the PRINCESS is on the MayDay float. I think I will opt for the easy button that day.... I just have to... otherwise it could be a complete bad adventure in camera land...

OH.. and speaking of Princesses... I made the Princess PIP a pink dress... just n time for EASTER, she is more than thrilled.

It has been a dangerous adventure since I had to enlarge the pattern, without really knowing how to enlarge... of course I gave myself a crash test via the internet yesterday morning, but I didn't seem to like the way I was supposed to take the pieces apart.. so I just WINGED it.

I have managed to put together the pink dress without much cursing swearing or hissy fitting. Mind you .. I haven't put the zipper in yet. PLUS.. the PIP has currently left the homestead... and I am thinking that the dress requires a dart or two.

I just can't wait until I can do it all over again with the table-cloth-mistaken-for-a-princess-dress material that I have yet to do.

Capturing moments of beauty

Colourfull kids gone B & W

Whiterock

Playing with my aperture

Ground Hog day... AGAIN!

I seem to remember that last year... spring break time... that it poured with rain... I am sure of it... I guess we will spend the better part of this week looking for blue skies elsewhere... in between my dressmaking that is.

Zone Captain.

That is my NEW title (for the moment).

All I do is pick up the kits, call people, hand out kits, call people, collect the kits, return the kits.

I am volunteering for the Canadian Cancer Society this month.

Think about someone you have known that has battled their way through cancer. Consider giving a donation when someone knocks on your door, it's true, every little bit helps.

So now they tell me..

Some of the OTHER MAYDAY moms and I had a pow-wow the other day. They had fabric issues as well. They were all horrified with the fabric of these (so called) beautiful princesses, and wished they could change it. I told them we should. One poor mother has to spend $35.00 to get the dress made. I guess HOME EC isn't looking like such a bad course now is it.....

Anyways... away I went yesterday and bought some beautiful SOFT PINK fabric, and I am going to make two dresses this week.

So much for heading out on spring break to do fabulous activities... the only thing fabulous here will be a dress making centre.

This should be very exciting!

Red wine and oreos.

Not a combination that I would think up on any given day, but you know... at 10:51 in the evening... it is a lovely twist on the life of a slightly not normalish kind of person.

We did end up watching the last 35 minutes of American Idol. I think America picked right tonight.. although I did very much like the guy that went home... what was his name... Hernandez.

I think that the voices that I have heard this season so far have been completely superb. Although I do not know if I could listen to Am. Overmeyer day in and day out.. although she's a cute little thing.

the PIP was looking extra exotic this evening. Her hair was a flowing mass of luxuriousness. Tres Nice!... really it was.

The principal has been teaching her class for the last two days. I am not sure why exactly... but it is report card season at the end of the week, and I am sure that the teacher needs to figure out something to write about the children she might teach during the week. Yes, might.... although that would be a big ASSumption on my part... I don't really think she teaches at all... which makes it hard to then write report cards. Yes, SLAM to all my teachery friends....but I am quite certain you are not ANYTHING like "the piece of work that is impersonating a teacher" that my little PIP has this year.

DRAT.. I am now down to my last sip....

so you know....

I read in the paper the other day about this guy that has made quite a bit money with his blog, and ads.... and he started off with very little to say. I believe I am exactly where he is at... except now he has lots of money... and oddly enough I don't!

I am thinking of dumping loads of ads on this blog... but then.. they might just want you to have something to say..., which in that case... I would be in the same spot that I am now!

Too much to do...

But do I do it?

No way...

Unless of course it has to do with planting things in my boring little garden.

I might just take a picture of it... Just might, but that is all.

In other completely boring news....

I chatted on the phone to my sister this morning, and played Bejeweled. I guess I could have been up running around doing useless tasks... but you know. .... sometimes it is just fun to sit and keep your eyes busy while talking... I think I could really master something if I could talk and do Soduko at the same time!

In the meantime... I have done 10 millions loads of laundry ... again!

I talked to my friend that lives down at "the bear zone".... he had a stroke two weeks ago, was in the hospital for 5 days, and now today when I saw him, he had worked his way back up to riding 18 kilometers. Luckily he realized that he was having a stroke, and at first he couldn't talk, and could not move his right side. Today he was belting about on his bike. Truly amazing.

I will rejoice in my riches for today, and relish that I can fold laundry easily with two hands.

A little less than 10,000

Here... I will pretend that the boy was with us... he wasn't!... but he is in all his glory STRIKING A POSE

10,000 of these

Still laughing...

I called my friend the other night... with my NEW cell phone that I really didn't need in the first place, with only 700 minutes a month to use, plus free evening (that start at 6PM) and weekends.

She told me stories that I am still laughing about.

Just the word "sweat" will have me laughing ten times over again and again.

shake, rattle and roll..

I have been scanning my vitamin bottles.

The sister had a very nasty cold this past week, her son had it the week before, and now my mom has it this week.

I have periodically been with all of these people over the past two weeks, and am starting to feel nervous.

I hunted down my vitamins, have taken stock of my inventory... and need to go vitamin shopping today... STAT like.

So far this morning I have a headache, which I had last night.... but then I always get headaches, so far it's hard to tell what the real culprit is.... if there is one at all.

I am currently gulping back some green tea, which will be followed with more Vitamin C.

You can't even ask the question

Some people are given some pretty low and vicious blows in life. They just are. It's that simple. There is no explaining it, no understanding it and no questioning it, some people are given the odds of living far less than the average person. There are just no answers. It is plain and simply sad.

When the Canadian Cancer Society called my house earlier this evening and asked if I would like to be a canvasser this year, I instantly said yes. I have never been asked to do this volunteer task before, but it is all I can do to help others.

This phone call came at a time when I was feeling completely helpless. My good friend Susan left word on her blog that her niece had some rather devastating news, and that she requires a miracle to survive her next battle with cancer. Yes, next battle, as she has already been through this just a short while ago.

Since I can not help this fine young lady with her next battle, I can at least do my part, and hopefully find some donations to aid in research that might bring about an end to this horrific disease.

wildish wednesday

I am at home right now... doing things!



I have joined my works activity challenge....



I have/am colouring my hair....



I am currently washing my sheets to put out on the line.....



I am just about to embark on the apple crisp thingy....



I have talked to a Speech Language Pathologist about the Stroke Group.



I have fixed my Stroke Group poster....



I have talked to the sister on the phone....



I have called my doctors office about the girl, and her chronic back pain...



I have had no success in getting her an appointment...



I have to call back tomorrow.



I have watered my plants, including the one that has lived outdoors all winter.. and only just now is taking a turn for the worst...



I have been reading all about my NEW LENSE THAT IS NOT AUTO FOCUS.....



I have continued to learn about aperture/shutter speed and exposure...



I have decided I am not any further ahead in the smarts department about the previous statement.



I have yet to vacuum... which will be happening in the next second...



which starts now!

What kind of day will it be...

The got an email from AIRMILES the other day... it was only 4 weeks after ordering ANOTHER lense for my camera... they said it would be arriving in 7 - 10 days.

In the meantime.. I might just take my PERFECTLY WONDERFUL lense for a walk... just to see what I can find.

Why now...

It's 7:45 am, I've been up since 05:30.... and I am not sure why I need to start the typing now... but you know... the words have come to mind.

So....

If I do a rough calculation... I have approximately spent about 10 hours trying to hook up the wireless adapter for the boys XBOX thingy. I finally did it.

I am not sure what compelled me... but you know there had to be a way to understand this technology... and in the end... it was just too darm simple.

L... this is for you.... (not that you want your kids any closer to gaming than I do!)

BUT... I know that this would eat away at you as well...

Anyways... when I called to the "land of XBOX"... (because the guy on the phone wasn't allowed to reveal his location!)... he told me to connect to a unsecured wireless network... guess what

WHALA!

We were able to connect to XBOX live, and sign up.. unfortunately (tsk tsk tsk tsk) I put the boys REAL AGE into the system, and my FAKE AGE, so now he is unable to download all kinds of games that he would like to play... talk about the truth HURTING! As pissed as he is about his lowly status of only beign 13... he is also pleased that I was able to connect him to the big world. He is also greatful that I have TOLD him that I would not be doing a good job as a parent if he was allowed to do as he pleased with all his gaming ways.. and ultimately it is a way of protecting him... as much as he doesn't want to hear it. The bonus today was the fact that he was up and showered by 07:10.

It's time to make a lunch or two...

7:14 PM

Sunday evening...

The husbandman is finishing up the dishes that HE created while making dinner. It was a very very very very good dinner... some currie chicken on rice. VERY VERY VERY GOOD.

Now I sit here... in this tiny little corner of the kitchen.. and wonder if I have the smarts to get the boys XBOX sorted out... also... I wonder more if that BIG BIG BIG spider that I saw underneath our computer table with wheels is still actually there. I have tried the XBOX thing again this evening.. and while I can get the wireless thingy to work... the IP address fails.

So.. in other things.

Well that is a wrap.

Moving on....

The kitchen is tidy, and clean, and freshly wiped down.... not that this was any of my doing.

I do have an empty wine glass mind you. RED.

It makes the veins stick out in my hands, just on top. that must mean something... like my blood is traveling a slight bit faster

I really wanted to make some apple crsip stuff... but now that this kitchen is clean for another day... I really hate to disturb it. Your thoughts on that?

I just consulted with the husband... since I could not gaurantee that the kitchen could come out looking as good as when I went in... the applecrisp thing will have to wait until.. tomorrow. In the meantime... the apples continue to sit in their ceramic container.

Cheers to that!