Catching Up...

Just a short, drive-by kind of post...

I am alive and well and working hard. My temp placement was supposed to only be for two weeks ending tomorrow, but I was told that it now has an indefinite end date. That could mean another week or two, or longer. While I'm grateful for the opportunity I still miss being at home so much it hurts. It's a good place to work and the people are so nice and helpful. The workload is very heavy but I'm getting used to it. This week was easier than last week which is good.

I think we have a few jokesters at this company. Someone had their jeep wrapped up in some kind of industrial strength cellophane today. I would have loved to have seen their face when they saw their car!

Tuesday evening I met up with some ladies to celebrate my friend's 50th birthday. I haven't seen this group of women in awhile so it was nice to catch up with them. I stayed out longer than I intended but I was having such a good time that I couldn't pull myself away.

Last night I was on my way home and was waiting at a red light when two boys who were on the sidewalk broke into a dance routine. It was fun to watch and certainly passed the time! I clapped for them and they bowed and smiled.

Last night I met up with Cindy to see "Obsessed" at the theatre. I enjoyed it and loved that Cindy came even though she had seen it the night before.

No girls club for me tonight. Ian has a meeting at the church so I'm home with the children.

It's only 7:40 and I'm ready for bed already.

*Shudder*

It's only the end of April and I saw it already.

Socks with sandals.

!!!

Come on people. If you want to wear sandals then you have to lose the socks. There is no where you can go on this planet where that look is going to fly.

For the love of pete.

Catch Up

Well this had to be the fastest weekend on record.

Let's back up a bit, shall we?

Thursday night was Girls Club as usual and the theme for the evening was a Birthday Party! We had games and loot bags and balloons...cake and treats... such fun. Instead of celebrating birthdays as they come along, we decided to celebrate everyone's on the same night. It was also Crazy Hair Night as well. Lots of spray coloured hair, funky styles and creative accessories.

Only a few weeks left before we end for the summer. Oh how I will miss these girls. I have seen so many of them transform before my eyes and its been such a beautiful blessing to have served in this ministry.

(Julie, you told me I would love this and be richly blessed and you were right!)

I've completed week one of my temp placement. I have to say, God could not have placed me in a better company. The people are so nice, the job is challenging and the days pass quickly. I think I have a fairly good grasp of what is going on and have been able to solve a couple of outstanding issues already. I've been given a lot of praise and compliments so that makes me feel good. I will be sad to go next Friday. This position is eventually moving to Kingston so there isn't a chance for permanent placement.

As grateful and as great as this job is, the adjustment has been extremely difficult for me. I miss being at home. I miss seeing the children off to school and welcoming them home again. I miss taking care of the baby all day. I miss making Ian's lunch. I miss being able to visit with my mom. I felt physically sick on Thursday because I missed those things so much. I ended up crying all the way home.

Whine much, Kate?

It's such a weird feeling. I don't feel as though I belong in the working world anymore. And I feel out of place at home too. I am out of the loop with the day to day things with the children and because I am so exhausted at night, I am in bed early, so no real time to catch up with Ian. I don't know...it's hard to explain.

I am sure there are more then one of you out there reading this thinking "Suck it up Kate... we all have to work..." and you know what? You're absolutely right. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time. I just am.

Still, going out to work everyday and missing my husband and children is better than sitting at home, agonizing about how we're going to pay our mortgage. Jobs are scarce and I believe me when I say I am grateful for this work.

I'm just tired of everything. I'm going to try to get in to see my Doctor in the next day or two because I can feel myself getting depressed and I need to do something to control it before it gets out of hand. I've been trying but I can't do it by myself. My moods are all over the place, I'm sleeping too much, I find myself wanting to be alone more and more and my thoughts are scattered and going in directions that are dangerous. I cry a lot. A lot. While I hate the thoughts of having to take medication and have all my emotions stifled, I don't see any other way right now.

I am also a little disappointed in God right now. I don't understand why we are in the situation we are in or why He has allowed the events of the last few years to happen. I feel so distant from Him and I don't know what it is He's doing. I'm so tired of struggling and I feel like my faith is waning.

Good grief. I wasn't planning on sharing all of that.

Moving on...

Saturday was a gorgeous day, close to 29 degrees so Ian and I took the children to the park to fly kites and play. Here are a few pics from then...

Sam flying his Yu Gi Oh! kite...



Julie flying her Barbie kite...






Miss Jordan...



Ian and the children climbed Mount Chinguacousy. Well, the guys made it to the top, Jules froze 3/4 of the way up so they came to her to "save her".

One of the best feelings in the whole world is the feeling of your child's hand in yours...



I never get tired of holding my child's hand!

We were almost home when the sky changed....



...and it poured rain! It was almost torrential. Good thing we were done with our time at the park before this happened!

Right at this very moment I am praying for patience and tolerance as my neighbours are blaring their music. I can feel the vibrations in the floor. Ian called over earlier this afternoon to ask them to turn it down, then he went out. I guess they saw him go because the volume spiked again. I would call them but I don't trust myself to be polite.

That's all I have time for today. Sam wants to start a blog of his own so I'm going to help him set one up.

Until next time...

Good Day

Not a bad day at all.

I made it to and from the office without getting lost today. My coworkers told me about a very simple and direct route that got me home very easily.

Speaking of my coworkers, I was invited out to lunch today. :-) I had brought my lunch so they picked theirs up and brought it back and we all ate together.

The man I was talking about yesterday who said he was going to bake me some chocolate chip cookies delivered a plate to me this morning. They were really good and I shared them with everyone.

Fortinos is now charging 5 cents a bag. Honestly. I refuse to pay for bags, and because I didn't use bags, a woman put stickers on just about all my items.

Again I say... honestly!

Jordan has a little reading chair that talks, and we keep it in her playpen. Tonight she climbed up on it and just rolled herself over the edge. She was so stunned that she was free that she didn't even cry. Well, at least not until she heard me screech "OH MY GOSH SHE FELL OUT OF THE PLAYPEN!!! OH MY SWEETIE!!"

I would absolutely love to go to bed right now but tonight I'm getting together with Cindy and Jen. Going to be an early night, that's for sure.

Short and Sweet

Turns out I have GPS on my cell phone. Who knew? Well...Ian did. He showed me how to use it so I'm ready for tomorrow. Too bad I didn't know about it today, because I went the wrong way again on my way home. Things looked familiar but I wasn't sure if they were that way because I was going the right way, or the wrong way (as in, the 30 minutes out of my way kind of wrong way from yesterday) I caught myself about three minutes in and turned around. Honestly... Who goes to the same place three times and still can get lost??

The job is going well. I was completely on my own today which was alright. My phone didn't ring all morning and just when I thought it might have been broken all hell broke loose and it started ringing like crazy. I had so many things on the go all at once and I was out of practice! This job is kicking my butt!

There is a dude there who seemed very nice yesterday, but today he turned everything I said into something with a sexual connotation to it. Good grief. I am shy enough around men without this added element. He loves to bake apparently, and he's going to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for me tonight. Umm..ok.

On my way home tonight I saw a very interesting sight. I hope I remember to bring my camera with me in the morning. I passed a tree that had tons of shoes hanging from it. At first I thought it was a bunch of garbage caught up in the branches, but as I got closer I realized they were shoes. Strange.

It was 7pm by the time I got home tonight. The children met me at the door and took my purse and hung up my sweater for me, then gave me tons of hugs. Jordan started bouncing up and down when she saw me. I miss those children a lot, and even though its only been two days, I feel so out of the loop with them.

I am too tired to stay up to see who gets booted off Dancing With The Stars tonight. Thank goodness for PVR.

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Today is our 13th wedding anniversary! Ian prepared a lovely dinner for us and set the table beautifully. We even had candles and fresh flowers. Oh how I love that man....

I absolutely loved our wedding. We welcomed 70 guests for an elegant afternoon wine & cheese reception at my mother's home and then we left at 6pm to have dinner alone together. The next morning we were off to the Dominican Republic for our week long honeymoon. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Ok, maybe my poufy 90's wedding dress with the bow on the bum... shudder.

I love you, Ian....thank you for sticking with me through both the incredibly beautiful times and also the ugly times... You remain my greatest gift from God...

I was very emotional this morning as I got ready to head out to work. Ian got up with me at 6 am and started our day off with a prayer, which I really needed. He prepared the most perfect cup of tea for me in my favourite Eeyore mug while I did my hair and he even packed my lunch.

I even got two Hershey kisses in my lunch, just like we give the kids everyday, so they get a kiss from mom and dad during the day.

The children were still fast asleep so I didn't get to say good bye to them before I left, but I did get to love on Jordan. I squeezed her so hard she grunted. Oops.

My day went very well. So much to learn and remember. I met almost everyone and they were all so warm and welcoming to me. I had lunch with the CFO! Where I come from, the CFO was much too important to dine with the likes of moi...

What's that? That sounded a little sarcastic? Well... maybe a little... (but it's true!)

I have a lovely little cubicle office to work in and I was on my own, doing my thing, all afternoon. While I could go on and on about this job, what I really want to tell you about is my super cool phone. I can select a ring for the phone from 24 different choices. I think I will go with the lady's voice that says "Hello... is anyone there...? Hello? Anyone..?"

Sweet.

I was so excited to get home to see Ian and the children that I turned on the wrong street and ended up driving for 30 minutes in the wrong direction. Sweet mercy. What is the problem with my sense of direction?? Good thing I had a granola bar in my purse, otherwise I might have starved to death as I tried to find my way out of Cow Country.

For a moment I forgot I was alone in the car and yelled "Look! Sheep! Baa Baa!".

I would have been embarrassed but hello... I was alone...

I had just stepped onto the porch when Jules yanked open the front door and flew into my arms tonight. She was so excited to see me. I enjoyed lots of great cuddle time with all three of my little blessings before my incredible dinner. Sam said it felt so weird not seeing me before he left for school or to have me welcome him home afterwards.

So it's now 8:30 and I am mentally exhausted. Is it too early for bed??

Stuff & Such

It feels so weird to know that I'm going to work tomorrow after being out of the business loop for so long. And the pressure is starting. You know what I mean. The pressure to get everything done over the weekend so that you can head off to work Monday morning, knowing everything is in order at home.

Except it's not. My laundry is way behind. Almost as far behind as my housework is. And as I sit here typing this, I just remembered that I need to take something out of the freezer for dinner tonight.

And my chest feels so tight and my heart hurts. I'm going to miss being with Jordan all day, caring for her and loving on her. And I'll miss seeing the children right after school, excitedly telling me about their days, moaning about their homework assignments. I'll miss fixing lunch... and preparing dinner... and puttering. I will miss hanging out with Ian. I'll miss the freedom of coming and going as I wish.

But getting a paycheque again will be sweet. And it will feel good to get back into my field and see if I've still got what it takes to produce results. I feel like I can, but that may change after Day 1!

There is good and bad in everything, isn't there? Time to focus on the good.

Yesterday Sam and I went to see Monsters vs Aliens. Ian took Jules last weekend because Sam was sick, and he fell asleep towards the end, so he doesn't know how the movie ended. When we came home, he asked me how it was, and I said that I'd tell him the ending if he'd tell me what happened in the middle.

Yes... two hours of my life I'll never get back. Ok, it wasn't really that bad. Not my favourite, but it wasn't that bad. The time alone with Sam was awesome though.

After I dropped Sam off, I picked up Jules and we headed over to Chapters. I used the last of my gift card from Christmas and bought Charley's Web by Joy Fielding. I've been waiting forever for it to come out in softcover and now it's mine! We then headed over to the Tim Horton's that Jen, Cindy and I go to every week and even sat at "our table".

Yeah... we have an "our table" because we are there each week, oh so faithfully. And such faithfulness comes with perks such as that. If we get there and others are sitting at "our table" then we are not above sending looks and the odd glare at the intruders until they leave.

She was so cute, wanting to know who sat where, what we ordered, what we talked about every week. It was really nice to be able to focus just on her, and to hear her thoughts and concerns about things. She often feels left out or in the way. I consider that a personal failing, because I always strive to make them each feel special and important. But sometimes (most times?) I guess I fall short...

The girls both have colds. Again. I managed to get Jordan to eat some yogurt last night, but then she erupted like a volcano. I was so impressed with what she produced that I stopped trying to catch it in the tea towel. I just stood there, mesmerized. I think she heaved up half her body weight. Once she was done I bathed her in the sink and gave her fresh pjs and she fell asleep in my arms. She then proceeded to sleep for the next 10+ hours.

This morning there was an ambulance outside Buddy Across The Street's house. I don't know who it was for, and I don't know if they took anyone away, but I'm concerned.

I got a little thrill this morning when I discovered that someone in India and Nunavut read my blog.

India and Nunavut!!

Very exciting.

Alright, I am off to do all those things that need doing so that I can head out to the workforce tomorrow morning knowing all is in order at home.

Ha.

Job!

Well folks, guess who got a job today?

ME!

That's right, I got a job today. Just a two week temp assignment, but it's work and I'm grateful for it, believe me.

I got a call from the agency yesterday telling me about this position that was available in Milton. They set up an interview for me - yet another "working interview" - at 2pm so I headed out just after 1pm, Mapquest map in hand.

Mapquest is a very handy little tool to have. Door to door instructions, complete with how much time it should take someone to get there. You'd have to be an idiot to mess up their directions...

...or a blonde named Kate. Because said blonde managed to get lost not once, but twice on her way to this interview....

I called Ian from the heart of Georgetown, mildly panicking about my whereabouts. He was able to direct me back to my Mapquest directions and I was on my way once again. It was only about fifteen minutes later when I called him from the middle of Cow Country to tell him I was lost yet again. This time there were a few tears involved. Once again he was able to direct me right to the door.

SCORE!

The offices were very nice and very empty. I was told later that they had laid off all but a skeleton staff. Scary. Everyone seemed really nice too. I met with the A/R Supervisor and the CFO for about ten minutes, then spent the next two hours with the Supervisor, learning the ropes. We got along really, really well. We even finished each other`s sentences! I caught on to their computer system pretty quickly which pleased her. She said they left it to the very last minute to hire a replacement, and that she commented to the CFO that morning that they were going to need a miracle to find someone, then when we took a break she told him ``I think we got our miracle!``

All together now.... AWWWWWW!

I managed to get sort of lost on my way home too. Oh yes... it`s true.

I called the agency to report in once I got home and I barely got the chance to identify myself before my contact said ``Can I put you on speaker phone so we can give you the good news together?`` So sweet. Apparently the CFO felt I was a ``perfect fit``.

Apparently my aggression - or lack thereof - was not an issue for this company! ;-)

So, I start at 8am on Monday morning for at least the next two weeks. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this assignment. I can only imagine how well I will sleep tonight. I have such a sense of relief.

My mom has already stepped up to offer to pick the children up for school each morning and deliver them home again to Ian afterwards, as I will have the car all day. She is so amazing to me.

In other news...

Ian may have a lead on an opportunity as well and hopes to hear more about that on Monday. We are talking about whether or not he should return to work or go back to school. Lots to discuss there.

That`s it for today. All this excitement has pooped me right out.

Job...No Job....Job?

It's been a challenging week to say the least.

But... let's report on the positive, shall we?

Yesterday I had a job interview at a company located in my city, about 15 minutes from my house.

GOLD!

This interview was to be one unlike any other I've ever had. Not only did they want to meet with me and discuss my qualifications, they also wanted to see me "in action".

Umm...ok.

While I drove along I went through all the possible interview questions and answers in order to prepare myself. Yes... I did this out loud, with smiles and hand gestures as well. I am sure I looked very strange to those driving along beside me. Not as strange as when I shamelessly rock out to the music on the radio, but I digress.

But I didn't look as strange as the poor dude in a Ford F150 (oh that little bit of heaven will be mine the minute I win the lottery) who was waiting at the same red light. I saw something fall out of his window...and then run away. It turns out it was his Bulldog and he just trotted away from the truck and his panicked owner had to run kitty corner across the intersection to try to catch him. I had to laugh because this dog would just let his owner get close enough to grab him, then dart off again. Meanwhile, we were all at a standstill until he could move his truck.

Poor little dog. He probably didn't want to go where he was going. We certainly had that in common...I didn't really want to go where I was going either.

Anyhoo..

I made it to my interview early, and waited patiently until my interview time rolled around. Then rolled past. I waited for almost a half hour for the manager to come and get me. I met with the Credit Manager and the AR Supervisor. I hit it off with the Manager, but I just had this feeling that the Supervisor didn't like me even before I opened my mouth. We talked for a bit, then the Manager took me on a tour of the office, showing me where I could find everything, introduced me to the staff and then left me with a woman who I would be replacing. I sat with her for the next two hours while she tried to format her Excel spreadsheet. Then, mercifully, the Supervisor came to send me on my way.

I felt that the interview portion went very well, and although I was lost with the advanced Excel, I knew that Ian could bring me up to speed on that. I called my contact at the agency to report, then went home.

This afternoon the agency called to let me know that the client would like to meet with some other candidates as they felt that I was not aggressive enough.

???

Yes, those of you who know me personally may take a moment to laugh.

Ok that's enough now.

I felt a little ripped off because I wasn't given the opportunity to show off my skills. I just sat there while someone played with her Excel. I tried to ask questions but kept getting put off. I had a bit of a cry with Ian when I told him I didn't get it because I felt like I failed him and the family.

My employment background is in Debt Recovery (oh isn't that nicer than saying Collector) and I will say this, I am very good at it. I'm not a leg breaker by any means. I believe that in this field you catch more flies with honey. My customer service skills are top notch and that's why I'm successful in this role.

Anyone reading this that might be hiring right about now? Anyone...? Anyone...?

Oh boo.

The agency called me back later on this afternoon to tell me they have a two week assignment that I might be suited for, so they're sending my profile over today. I'll let you know how that goes.

In the meantime, Ian is considering going back to school. The more I think about this, the more I like the idea. He has dreams. My dream was to have another baby and he made that come true for me. Now I want to help him achieve his.

Today is G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S outside. I didn't even need a sweater today. Tomorrow will be 19.

19!!!

Tonight is Girls Club and I think we're going to play outside. We'll do chalk drawings and skipping. Which reminds me. I should put on my smaller pants so they don't fall down while I'm skipping. Yikes.. that would make for an interesting post, wouldn't it!

He is RISEN!!

Random Thoughts And Pictures That Accompany Them

Lots of random things to share, so here we go...

I mentioned in my last post that we went to see Julie in her Easter assembly on Thursday and that she did really great. Here are the cupcakes that I baked for her:



She was so excited to see them. I hope they made her feel special. I certainly felt special when I ate one. ;-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julie has an A- in drama according to her latest report card. When I told her, her comment was "That's because I'm a drama queen!"

Oh so true!

We saw her drama teacher while we were at the school and he said she is on her way to an A+ for the third term. Ha!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being that I am home with Jordan all day, I am quite up to speed on the comings and goings of my neighbours. Some might call that nosy (Ian!) but others (me!) would consider me to be a caring, concerned neighbour.

There are people who live across the street from me and I never see them come outside except to receive who I like to call The Good Cheer Guy, the dude that delivers beer to them every week and takes away the empties.



Doesn't he look like Santa?? Come on now, you know he does.



Every time I see him I feel like jumping outside for a photo op. I also wonder how I can get him to deliver beer to my house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday night was Girls Club and as usual it was a good time. We hid all sorts of Easter treats for the girls to find. Being the most excellent leaders that we are, we let them eat their booty. Itwasn'tlongbeforetheywerebouncingoffthewallsinthethroesofamajorsugarrush!!!!

Whew!

For a part of our devotion, we had the girls write out a sin on a slip of paper and then tape it to the cross. The idea being that they confess, ask for forgiveness and leave it at the cross for Jesus.



One girl told me she had no idea what to write down because she never does anything wrong.

I bit my tongue on that one.

Then my lovely daughter's voice rang out, "Oh boy..I'm going to need more paper..."

I debated whether or not to post a pic of hers, but I did...



Umm...ok... she stabbed her brother in the back?? Then Ian reminded me of that time she stabbed him with her toothbrush. Ahh yes. Who she called a jerk I have no idea.

And to be fair, I've posted mine as well.



The girls absolutely loved this. I was hoping a few would say something like "Oh Kate, you couldn't possibly ever be rude to your husband, being the loving, Godly woman that you are!"

Imagine my surprise when no one said anything remotely like that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've decided to try the Flylady method again to help me stay on track with my responsibilities. She's really big on wearing shoes in the house, which I absolutely hate. I hate it when people wear shoes in my house.

So... Ian picked these up for me today.



I feel like I can do anything in my new Flyshoes. I didn't, however. But they sure were comfy! Perhaps tomorrow I will be motivated to break them in some more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the millions of "best" things about having a 1 year old is how they will copy whatever you do. I am having the best time teaching her little things for her to perform for family and friends. My favourite is when I say "oh no!" she'll put her hands to her face and go "ohhh..."

And the new one is when I say "Praise the Lord!" She'll do this:



I'm going to get her to do it for our Pastor. ;-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ian did a terrific job with his sermon on Friday. I was so proud of him. He was completely wiped out afterwards from all the preparation and a little bit of nervousness thrown in. He was wonderful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been in a bit of a rough place lately, struggling in a few areas. I was rocking Jordan the other night and complaining talking to the Lord about how I was feeling and asking Him why He wasn't answering my prayers. I felt this calmness come over me and I felt Him speak directly to my heart: "Look at her...did I not answer your prayer?"

Wow. He sure did.

And He will answer the prayers I have now. In His time, in His way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We decorated our Easter eggs tonight and the "egg jokes" were flying. My favourite was Sam's as he decorated his with High School Musical stickers. "This egg is called Zack EGGfron".

Oh yes friends, I am laughing again at that. Loved it. He has an EGGcellent sense of humour.

While we were decorating I asked the children who was coming tonight. Julie looked at me and said "Mom, Jesus doesn't rise until tomorrow." I told her she was right, but I was referring to the Easter Bunny. She gently reminded me that Easter was about the Risen Lord, not the bunny.

This is the second year in a row that they have been so focused on the Resurrection that the EB was a remote thought.

Love those kids...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's about it. Once again I am up way past my bedtime and tomorrow will be another busy day...

Happy Easter and may you feel the love of our Risen Saviour tomorrow and always.

Sunday's Coming

Praise God...Sunday is coming....

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

~ This weekend and what it means - while Good Friday will be a difficult day, Sunday is coming! Praise the Lord!

~ This incredibly beautiful, sunny day. All the snow has melted and I'm back to wearing just a sweater again! Its incredible how much the weather can affect someone.

~ Ian's opportunity to deliver the message at tomorrow's Good Friday Family Service. He's been working so incredibly hard on it all week and I can't wait to see him in action. (I wonder if it would be inappropriate to take pictures so I can share them with you??)

~ Being able to see Julie at her Easter assembly today. Her class was signing (not singing!) a hymm while another class sang it. She was so sweet and so proud that we came to see her. I have cupcakes in the oven for her and once they are iced I'm going to write out a letter on each that will spell "way to go Julie".

~ Time with my Mom today. We went to Costco to buy a roast for Easter Sunday dinner and enjoyed several tasty samples. Yum. Samples are the best part of Costco!

~ A book I have been waiting for to come out in softcover finally has! Charley's Web by Joy Fielding...here I come!

~ And last but not least... I am thankful for a possible employment opportunity that will pay well and is in my city. The agency is going to forward my resume today and I should hear a yay or nay by late Monday. The position will begin May 4th and is ongoing, which means there isn't an end date, and could possibly lead to a permanent position. We shall see...

What are YOU thankful for today?

Easter Linebacker

Ian showed me this video he came across while he was preparing the message he is giving at our church's Good Friday Family Service. It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, it makes me laugh every time.

I won! I won!

I finally won on Tim Horton's Roll Up The Rim To Win contest!!

I was so excited when I saw "win" that I shouted "Oh! Oh! I won!" Kind of loudly...

And if that alone wasn't thrilling enough, I found a $5 bill in my wallet that I had forgotten was there!

What's next??

Update on Tackle It Tuesday.... I have been working on the laundry all day, sorting clothes that can be donated. I want to see all the corners of my laundry room someday. Sigh....someday...

Coming Soon....

I wanted to start this today, but I have so many areas that need to be tackled that I can't decide where to start!

So, I've put up this button and if I should tackle something by the end of the day then you'll be the first to know.

Yes, this is cheating. My blog, my rules.

;-)

Where Did The Weekend Go??

Yesterday was Julie's final soccer game of the season, and I suspect, of her life. She was so glad to get it over with and said she really only went to get her trophy and medal for her "collection".

I wonder if I have to remove the soccer ball magnet from the back of my van now that I no longer have any soccer players?

Yes... I have a soccer ball magnet on my van. I am uber cool like that.

Yesterday was also the Girls Club Glow In The Dark Mini Golf Event and it went really well. I was expecting a large number of girls but we only had about 12, which actually worked out well because we had just enough adults to supervise. We golfed in groups of 4 and I had the highest score of my group at the end.

Figures that I'd get the highest score in the only game where that's a bad thing.

No matter. I got a cool glow-in-the-dark bracelet out of it. Yay for jewelry!

We watched Monsters Inc. in the evening and it doesn't matter how many times I watch that movie, I enjoy it every time. So did Jordan who hardly took her eyes off the tv and stayed standing in her playpen in the same spot pretty much for the whole thing. I actually stayed awake for the whole thing too. Yay me!

This morning we headed off to church for Palm Sunday. I sat with Jen which is never a good thing because we always end up whispering about things that should probably wait until after the service. Today was no different.

We are gearing up for our MADD events at the church. MADD = Make A Difference Days. MADD was created by Barb & Gerry a few years ago and they are great ways to reach out and serve our community. Jen and I signed up to serve in a homeless shelter serving lunch and the children and I signed up to bake cookies for Project 417, which is a ministry that delivers bag lunches to the homeless in Toronto. Both of these events are in May.

I had a great visit with my mother this afternoon. Usually I talk her ear off as I suffer from "pressure of speech" (read: I talk a lot) but today I let her talk too. Such a wonderful daughter I am ;-)

Apparently its supposed to snow tomorrow.

SNOW!

Unbelievable.

I must go now and watch "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" and laugh.

Over and out.

Ramblings

The weather is so dreary and I don't think the rain has stopped all day. I don't know about you but rainy days make me t-i-r-e-d. And believe me when I tell you that I don't need an excuse to squeeze in a nap.

I am allll about a good nap.

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I saw my neighbour getting an early start to seeding his lawn this afternoon, right in the middle of the rain. I debated whether or not to call out to him to ask him to do my pathetic excuse for a lawn next and decided that the effort to open the window would be too much. That, and the fact that he'd likely give me the one finger salute.

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I applied to a bunch of jobs yesterday and lived. I'll go at it again on Monday and see what I can find. Maybe going back to work won't be that bad.

(Insert lame pout here)

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The girls made Easter chocolate molds last night at Girls Club. Messy and loud but lots of fun. We saw a couple of new faces which is always nice. Tomorrow is our Glow In The Dark Mini Golf Event and they are excited about that.

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After Girls Club, Jen and I headed over to Cindy's to visit. I felt like I hadn't seen them in ages even though we get together every week without fail. I love our friendship. We laugh together, cry together, encourage one another. And when needed, we give one another a shake to get us going in the right direction again. We can be who we are with each other. No pretending. I love them.

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Tomorrow is Julie's last soccer game for the season. She enjoyed the season but is looking forward to taking a break from it. Frankly, I am too. The parents are so competitive at this age and they yell instructions and orders at their daughters like it's FIFA or something. Kinda takes the fun out of the game. I'm glad that the game is at 1pm so she won't miss mini-golfing. And because I can't be in two places at once.

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I put my 300 thread count sheets on my bed yesterday and once again I feel like I'm sleeping in an expensive hotel. An expensive hotel with a lot of kids and pets and laundry and dirty dishes...

Ew.

Let's just leave it at I feel like I'm sleeping in an expensive hotel...

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After school Ian and Jules went out for some Daddy/Daughter time together. She's had a lot on her mind lately and Ian wanted to give her a chance to talk. Sam and I sat on the kitchen counter eating freshly baked brownies and drinking glasses of milk, and had a nice heart-to-heart talk of our own. He's got some great ideas about things and I love how his mind works. They're such great little people.

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Ian and I watched Baby Mama tonight and I really liked it. I thought it would be stupid - and maybe to most people it was - but I laughed quite a bit. Nice to have a silly movie to take your mind off the day to day things. Ian tolerated it for my sake. ;-)

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Jordan likes Hannah Montana. I know what you're thinking...she is too young to like much of anything but it's true. When she hears the theme song she dances. It's so cute.

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On Sunday night there is going to be a show on TLC called "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" (or something lame like that) and I am SO going to watch it. I need to know how someone can be so dense that they don't even notice they are pregnant. How does one MISS something like that??

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That's all my rambling for today. Tomorrow will be busy so I'd better sign off.

Over and out.

Tough Day

Today was absolutely brutal. My emotions and anxiety were out of control. I can hardly wait to go to bed so this day can be over.

Being that my temp assignment is over with, I was able to re-join my friends at my Wednesday morning Bible study, aka Coffee Hour. I woke up and didn't feel like going at all. It's been my experience that when I feel that way about something (especially church related) then that's the very thing I should be doing.

It was so good to see Jen after almost a month. Her little man is three months old now and so cute. I held him a couple of times and he smiled at me. Such a sweetheart.

The focus of our study is on prayer and it's a good one. I'm enjoying it. The conversation was lively but I didn't participate. I was there in body, but not in mind. I went so the enemy wouldn't win. I spent the morning concentrating on keeping myself together and was succeeding until someone started talking about losing faith in the hard times.

Oh yes. That sounded uncomfortably familiar.

I felt the tears starting in my throat, so I began composing my grocery list in my mind to take me elsewhere.

I was fine until my friend who leads our group asked how I was doing, and how Ian's job search was coming along. I just shook my head and the tears started.

Ugh. I hate crying in front of people.

I was so grateful that Jen was sitting beside me, because she reached for my hand and I felt instantly better. These women love me, just as much as I love them, and they are praying for us. Even though my faith is being attacked, they continue to pray for me while it seems I can't.

While we were at the church my mom called. The school called her saying that Sam was sick, could she come pick him up? So we headed over there to get him. When we wondered why they didn't call us on our cell phones he said that he knew I was in my Bible study and Ian was in a meeting, so he said his Gram would come for him. Poor guy. He slept most of the afternoon and seemed to be much better at bedtime.

Tonight Jules and Ian walked over to the store to get some Motrin for Sam and also picked up some graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate for us to make S'mores in the microwave. Julie prepared them and the two of us stood in front of the microwave, squealing as the marshmallows got bigger and bigger.

My word... they were good.

Jordan has been a ham today. She will clap when we sing "If You're Happy And You Know It", will put both her hands on her face when she hears "Oh no!", waves and will scrunch up her shoulders and smile. Not sure what that one is about yet! She had scrambled eggs for breakfast and loved them.

OhmywordLOSTisabsolutelyamazingthisseason!!!!!! I loved tonight's episode.

I am hoping that tomorrow is a better day for me emotionally. I can't do another one like today.