Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work I Go

Today was my first day at my new temp assignment. I'll be doing collections and billing, and whatever special projects they need me to help out with.

No, this isn't the hostile environment temp assignment. Thankfully I didn't get called back for that one! The agency called me mid-afternoon on Friday to ask if I'd like to go to this place and I said yes.

I went to bed last night at 8:30 so I'd be all rested and relaxed for today. However, my neighbour had her four thousand nephews over and they pounded up and down the stairs, opened and slammed the front door, and yelled on the front lawn...until 12:17 am.

Turns out that my friend Cindy works about five minutes away, so she met me at the Swiss Chalet and then proceeded to lead me all the way to my new job! She put the address into her GPS and took me right there. It's been awhile since I've driven in rush hour, and some dude cut right in front of me on the highway. Jerk!

Everyone I met was super nice to me which was a relief. People kept coming over to introduce themselves. I've done temp assignments at places where no one talks to the temp. This place makes me feel like one of their own.

The day was a bit dull with all the training, but I was able to get to some collection calls towards the end of the afternoon. It'll take a few days to really settle in, and then I hope the days fly by. I missed the children today.

So here it is, 7:15pm and this girl is ready for bed!

Hope everyone had a great day.

Book Review: The Waiting

She was waiting for love--and found it in the most unexpected place.

Jorie King's life is on hold. She has been waiting for Ben Zook to return to Lancaster County. Waiting for him to settle down and join the church. Waiting to marry him.

But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie is devastated. She finds unlikely comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. Friendship ripens into love, and two broken hearts plan for a life filled with the promise of a fresh beginning--until their worlds are turned upside down.

With her realistic characters whose weaknesses develop into strengths, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers a reading experience that rises above the others. You will love growing in spirit with these complex people living the simple life as The Waiting transports you into a world where things aren't as simple as they seem.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I fell in love with this book right from the first few pages.

Jorie is a schoolteacher, determined to teach her students everything they need to know to pass an important test in the Spring. She is in love with Ben, certain that once he returns home from the war he will be ready to marry her.

Caleb is a father, and raising his younger brother in the wake of his parents' deaths. He is a pillar in his community, looked up to and respected by all.

When tragedy befalls both Jorie and Caleb, they slowly begin to fall in love with one another. I found myself rooting for them, excited for their future. But just as they are set to begin a life together there is a shocking turn of events. I was quickly flipping the pages to see how the story would play out.

This is a gentle love story with the Amish life as a beautiful backdrop. I adore everything I have learned about the Amish, and am completely in love with their gentle and simple way of life.

The author is wonderfully gifted in how she creates realistic and likeable characters. Each character is developed so well that you can almost hear them when they speak, and picture them in real life. I love a book that sucks me in like this one did.

If you're looking for a great read, I can't recommend this one strongly enough. It's just lovely.

Book Review: More Glimpses Of Heaven

There is more to death than simply ceasing to live. In Glimpses of Heaven, retired hospice nurse Trudy Harris offered an intimate look at the final days and moments of terminally ill and dying people. Now she shares more of her stories and also stories from other medical and hospice professionals, allowing the veil to be drawn back on God's handiwork, while we are both living and dying.

If you have lost a loved one, are facing a terminal illness, or are simply curious about what happens when we pass from life to death, More Glimpses of Heaven offers you an even deeper insight into God's plan for our lives every day.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I have always been curious about the end of life. I love to hear stories of things people see, or the sense of calm they feel as they reach the end of their life. It gives me such peace to know that they felt peace.

Each chapter is a story of its own, gently told by the hospice nurse that cared for that patient. Their love and care for each person was so evident as they helped them prepare for eternity.

I felt comforted reading these stories, that the peace that passes all understanding fills a person as they prepare to leave this life for the next.

If you are curious about this topic, this is a lovely book to read. May it give you the peace it gave me.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!

I hope you are surrounded by the ones you love today!

5QF ~ November 19

Friday already? That didn't take long, did it?

I was supposed to see my doctor last Friday but I woke up feeling terrible. I thought I was just hungry so I had a huge bowl of Cheerios but I still felt hungry, so I ate two pudding cups. (I know..not the best choice!) Then I was sick and realized I had what the children had all week. Of course they got it and were fine the next day... I was sick for three days.

Ian was wonderful to me as always. He held down the fort so I could rest, even though he felt sick as well. I watched movies and slept and slept and slept.

All that to say, I went to see my doctor on Monday evening and talked to him about the specialist's findings and I was able to share how I had been feeling for the past year. I said that I felt he poo-poo'ed me, dismissed me and brushed me off, and that I felt like I was an annoyance to him and wasting his time. He apologized and said that was never his intention, and that he was glad that I spoke up. I felt so much better afterwards.

I did a five hour temp assignment on Wednesday as a receptionist for a paving company. It wasn't bad at all, and a great way to get my feet wet. I got a call from a different agency this afternoon about a "hard core collections" job working in an "extremely volatile" environment for 2-3 months. I'm not thrilled about it, but agreed to let them present my resume anyway. If the company likes what they see then I will start on Tuesday. Apparently the last temp refuses to go back because the manager yelled at her. Oh boy.

So that pretty much catches you up on my week.

Time for Mama M's Five Question Friday!




1. What Christmas song do you loathe?

Feliz Navidad. I cannot even begin to describe the level of loathing I have for this song. Not only is it horrible, it reminds me of a woman I used to work with, and she would perform it at the Children's Christmas Party every year and she should not have been singing. If you catch my drift.

Whenever I hear this song I can't help but sing along, and the whole time I'm singing, I'm feeling so cross and bothered. And then it just sticks in my head for hours and hours and hours.

I just stopped to break up an argument between the girls and found myself humming this wretched song.

Thanks Mama M.

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?

We sleep on opposite sides of the bed usually. I tend to go to bed earlier than Ian does, and I have this whole OCD ritual of how I get to sleep. It starts with my two pillows stacked one on top of each other, perfectly evenly, ruffled part of the pillowcases facing out. Then I lay flat on my back until I feel myself start to drift off, then I quickly flip to my side. Usually it's the side facing away from Ian. He will hug me and cuddle me for a few minutes before he goes to sleep but I usually miss it because I'm sleeping. If I wake up during this, I have to start all over again.

Sometimes we cuddle but not nearly often enough.

3. Have you ever had surgery?

Yes. I've had a D&C, my gallbladder removed, a cystoscopy to remove a cancerous cyst, and my wisdom teeth removed.

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?

I'm usually done a day or two before Christmas. I'm not one of those people who get it all done before the holiday even starts. I like to have a few things left to buy so I can wander through the malls at Christmas time. I get a perverse sense of joy at watching people frantically shopping, knowing I'm almost done.

Also, if we shop too far in advance then it's easy to pick up "one more thing" because you didn't see such a thing months ago.

5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be?

I'm one of those people that can honestly say I have everything I need. But if I HAD to pick something, then I'd say a second car. The extra freedom during the day would be nice.

That's it! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Head on over to Mama M's blog My Little Life to join in on the fun.

Checking In

I don't really know what to talk about today. I'm just very aware that I haven't posted anything of substance in awhile. I check my stat counter every so often and I'm amazed that so many of you still check in every day to see if there's something new up.

Thanks for that. I'm sorry there hasn't been.

There's a lot going on here but I can't talk about it yet. It's not that I'm trying to string you along or anything, I just can't get my head around some stuff that's happening right now. I feel so unsettled and afraid.

I barely slept at all last night and I'm tired and I'm not feeling well. Everyone in my house has the stomach flu.

I haven't felt like baking anything or sewing anything. Everything is an effort right now because my mind is so preoccupied. My house is a disaster... God bless Ian for not complaining. He just pitches in wherever he can.

I'll be seeing my family doctor today and I'm praying for an opening so I can tell him what the specialists findings were, and to share how I feel about his treatment of me this past year. I'll let you know how that goes.

Sorry I'm not more upbeat. I just don't have it in me right now.

I Love This Commercial

I'm not a huge fan of commercials. They annoy me and there are too many of them.

But... every so often one comes on that I just love.

Like this one from Geico.



I have now added "jackwagon" to my vocabulary.

Do you have a favourite commercial that never fails to make you smile?

5QF ~ November 5

This week has been incredibly surreal. I can't go into details right now but if you could pray for peace for my family I would truly appreciate it. God is certainly shaking up our lives right now, and even though I know in my head that He is in control and none of what is happening is a surprise to Him, my heart is very fearful.

Happy Diwali to those of you that celebrate! Mom and I always go out for lunch on this special day. Rather than go out for lunch like we usually do, we went out for breakfast since her friend was arriving to visit mid-morning. I wanted to bake some treats for my neighbours for Diwali but I've been feeling so run down all week and never got around to it.

Yesterday afternoon I met with another employment agency. This woman was so helpful and gave me several tips on how to improve my resume. I need to finish it this weekend and then she's going to present it to a company on Monday. It's for a three month assignment.

Other than that, I really haven't done much of anything this week.

Ian is having a bunch of his buddies over for a game night tomorrow night, and a few of them are bringing their sons, so I'll need to take the girls out for a bit. I'm not sure where to take them.

Sunday is going to be SO exciting! The daughter of one of our dear friends is being baptized and I can't wait!! We've been invited to go back to the house to celebrate afterwards. There's going to be chili. Oh yes please.

Enough chit chat! On to my wonderful friend Mama M's Five Question Friday blog hop... only the coolest blog hop in the whole world.



1. If you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be?

I'd love to be able to sing, and to make a living from it. I'd also like to be able to dance all hip-hop like and be a backup dancer for some famous person.

Oh yeah. You know you'd watch my videos.

2. Would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods?

Definitely on the beach! I find water very restful and could just look at it all day long.

I wouldn't want to live in a cabin in the woods because I've seen all sorts of horror movies and I know what happens to people that live in isolated cabins in the woods. No thank you.

3. Is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?

We chose Sam's name (Samuel) because it means "asked of God", and he certainly was. We were sitting in church a few months after we lost our first child, and I was flipping through the Bible randomly. It fell open to the book of Samuel and after reading it I nudged Ian and pointed at the final verse (1 Samuel 1:20 - look it up!) and we knew that would be our next child's name.

Sam is Samuel James Emery ~ James is Ian's middle name, and Emery is his favourite uncle's middle name.

Julie is Julie Roma Nicole ~ Ian liked the name Julie, Roma is my mother's name and Nicole is a name we both liked.

Jordan is Jordan Theresa Faith ~ Jordan was the only name we agreed on, Theresa is my middle name as well as the name of my favourite aunt, who is also my godmother. Faith is something we all need, doncha think?

4. What is your guilty pleasure? (I know we've done this one before, but I'm guessing people's "guilty pleasures" change frequently. At least, mine do!)

A nap on a Sunday afternoon. A large steeped tea from Tim Horton's. A dish of my favourite ice cream. When my favourite pjs are fresh from the dryer. Celebrity gossip.

5. Do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened?

Umm..is there a third choice? I live in chaos. I try to keep things straightened up, but as for "deep cleaned"...could someone tell me what that is?? I haven't had much energy for anything of late, so things are pretty messy 'round these parts. I'm so thankful for a family that pitches in wherever, whenever.

That's all for today!

Head on over to Mama M's blog My Little Life and join in on the fun!

Halloween

Am I the only one who feels as though this year is just blowing past?

Here it is...October 31st already.

The children had a wonderful night of Trick or Treating despite the cold. Sam went out as a zombie, Julie was a Spanish dancer and Jordan was a chicken.

Have you ever seen those inflatable costumes? We love them and have quite a few. This year Ian wore the inflatable Grim Reaper carrying a man. It's so funny to look at because while Ian's body is in the Grim Reaper part, his head is in the man part. I hope you can picture that because I know I'm not describing it very well. He covered his face with zombie makeup and looked awesome. I wore the same inflatable pumpkin costume I wear every year.

The children have enough chips and candies to last them until next Halloween!

I loved watching Sam and Julie helping Jordan up and down the stairs. She was able to keep up with them for the most part which surprised me. I'm sure they'll sleep well after all that fresh air and exercise.

What did your little people dress up as for Halloween? Did you dress up too?

I'm off to bed - I'm pooped!

Book Review: Don't Look Back

Twelve years ago, forensic anthropologist Jamie Cash survived a brutal kidnapping. After years of therapy, she has made a life for herself--though one that is haunted by memories of her terrifying past. She finally lets herself believe that she can have a close relationship with a man, when signs start appearing that point to one frightening fact--her attacker is back and ready to finish the job he started all those years ago.

Can she escape his grasp a second time? And will she ever be able to let down her guard enough to find true love?

Filled with heart-stopping suspense, gritty realism, and a touch of romance, Don't Look Back pulls you into its twists and turns to hold you there until the very last page.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~

While this book is the second in the Women of Justice series, it holds it's own as a stand alone book. Suspenseful and dramatic, this book will capture your attention from the very beginning and hold it right until the end.

The main character, Jamie, is a survivor who rose above her terrifying ordeal. She is a strong Christian, and I liked the realism of her character. I figured out who the stalker was before the ending, but that didn't take away any of the drama or suspense because I looked forward to seeing exactly how the story would play out and finish.

Romance, faith, suspense, drama... this book has it all and is a true page turner.

Be warned, some scenes are graphic and disturbingly detailed. Having somewhat of a weak stomach myself, I had to skim past these parts.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

5QF ~ October 29

This has been a very busy week around here - I've been working on potty training Jordan and she's doing wonderfully!

We started on Monday and she did her bidnezz right away. I wasn't expecting her to do it and figured it would take a few days, but no... I didn't have any M&Ms in the house to reward her, so I used a mix of praise and granola bars.

Just yesterday she pooped on the potty and I wouldn't be surprised if you heard me cheering all the way at your house! Today she's going on her own without me asking or reminding her. She even dumps the contents into the toilet and hands it to me to rinse out.

Brilliant I tell you.

Last night was our Halloween party for Girls Club and I wore my inflatable pumpkin costume. Jules went as a spanish dancer and looked beautiful. I did her makeup before we left and was caught off guard at just how lovely she is.

Tonight we're going to my mom's to carve pumpkins, tomorrow night the children are having a Halloween party with some friends, and then of course Sunday is The Big Day.

Are you ready for some Five Question Friday fun? I know I am.



1. If you could be a fly on any wall, which would you choose?

Anyone's really. I'm that nosy. I'm not particular, just nosy.

2. Do you budget your Christmas shopping or just get it done without budgeting?

We set a budget for our extended family that we follow pretty closely.

Ian and I start out with a set budget for each other, but he ALWAYS goes over. I tend to stick closer to mine but not him.

As for the children...I have no idea. Ian does all the electronic/gadget/toy shopping for them, and I tend to shop for clothes or pjs. Yep, I'm the practical one. I tell him how much I'd like to set aside for that and he does the rest. And he exceeds it every year. What can I say? He can't help but spoil the ones he loves.

I guess the short answer would have been we sort of have a budget.

3. What is the craziest fad diet you have ever done?

I've tried them all I think. Probably the Slimfast one. Man alive... I thought I was starving to death on that one. I've also tried the Grapefruit Diet as well as the Eat Only Green Things Diet.

Right now I'm on the Seafood Diet. You know.. I see food and I eat it...

4. Is there a TV show that you have seen every episode/season of?

I don't think so. I seem to always miss something. I would have said LOST but the final season was just ridiculous so I stopped watching.

5. What one song always pulls at your heart?

Jesus Loves Me. I get teary every time I hear it. We sing it at baby dedications and I lose it.

The song from Ice Castles... Looking Through The Eyes Of Love? Yeah, that one.

Oh and sweet mercy... the Christmas Shoes one. I have cried in the middle of a department store listening to that song.

(If I was being honest, I'd list the million other songs that make me cry but something tells me you have other things to do today than to read the titles of every song ever written)

That's it! Hope your little ones have a happy and safe Halloween!

Head on over to Mama M's blog My Little Life and join in on the fun!

I Hate Confrontation

Back in the day, I used to be very confrontational. I had no problem whatsoever telling someone what I thought without regard for their feelings. As my mom said just the other night, a thought would barely form itself in my mind before it was coming out of my mouth.

Um...thanks Mom. ;-)

She was right of course.

Rude cashier? I'd call her on it. Someone treating me unfairly? They'd hear about it. Did you just give me a dirty look? You're goin' down...

Then I grew up and mellowed out.

I still say all the things I want to say, but only in my head.

Nowadays, I avoid confrontation at all costs. Partially because I've softened over the years and partially because I have little people watching and listening to how I treat others so they know how to behave.

There are two types of people that I cannot for the life of me assert myself with: a hairstylist or a doctor.

I had an ongoing medical issue that lasted between six and seven months that my family doctor kept brushing off as being normal, and a part of aging. Each time I went to see him for this problem he treated me like I was an annoyance, and would speak down to me with frustration. Finally I pushed for blood work, an ultrasound and a referral to a specialist.

He pushed back and suggested we take a 'wait and see' approach.

I stated what I wanted yet again.

Finally he agreed to refer me and the whole time he filled out the paperwork he spoke to me like I was overreacting because my issue was no big deal.

Yesterday, almost four months later, I went to see the specialist. Apparently my issue is somewhat of a big deal and not so normal. He's ordered more detailed blood work as well as another ultrasound. He has his opinion as to what my ongoing issue was and it's so sad. While we don't know for certain that his suspicion is correct, a lot of my issue could have been addressed months ago.

I really appreciated how the specialist listened to my questions and answered them. He didn't talk down to me, he wasn't frustrated by me. He didn't rush me. He actually asked me to stop speaking so fast, a habit I have when I see my family doctor because he doesn't give me much of a chance to talk at all.

When it comes to my Ian or my children I don't have a problem speaking up for them. But myself? It was incredibly hard, and I just want to kick myself for taking so long to do it.

When I settle down and have a bit more information (I see the specialist in another 2 weeks) I think I will go back to my family doctor to talk about the specialist's findings and how he (the family doctor) made me feel when I tried to speak up for myself.

Or maybe I won't. Because I hate confrontation.

I feel like I dropped the ball on my own health because of my fears of speaking up.

Can you advocate for yourself? Do you find it easy or hard to do? How long would you wait before you insisted on a referral?

Tuesday's Treats ~ Apple Crumble

One of the things I love the most about Fall is apple picking with my family. We've gone to the same apple orchard for over thirty years.

Usually I never get around to doing anything with the bags of apples that we pick and most of them just rot which annoys Ian to no end.

But not this year! This year I tried my hand at Apple Crumble and fell in love with it.

This dessert is so easy and man oh man, is it ever good!



You'll Need:
8 apples
6 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of butter

Crumble:
4 teaspoons of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of rolled oats

Peel and slice apples into a greased baking dish. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Dot with two teaspoons of butter.

Blend the remaining four teaspoons of butter into brown sugar. Mix and add flour and rolled oats. Sprinkle mixture over apples.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Serve warm or cold - it's delicious either way!

Job Interview Results & One Creepy Dude.

Thursday was the job interview I told you about on Wednesday. I was stressed out about what to wear but was able to find something in my closet. The agency told me to "dress sharp", something I haven't done in a long, long time. Willow ate one of my black heels, so my mom loaned me really cute pair of hers, as well as a pair of pantyhose.

Pantyhose. I think Satan himself created those things. I hadn't worn them in so long that I was surprised I could even remember how to put them on. I had one leg in and was working on the other when I lost my balance and crashed head first into the wall and fell down. My mom is much smaller than I am so the pantyhose didn't quite cover all of my butt, but I figured my pants would hold them up. (They didn't, but we don't need to discuss how they slowly fell down, taking my pants with them)

Next up....makeup. I managed to poke myself in the eye with my eyeliner, as well as the mascara wand thing. And I sneezed while putting it on, so as I am sure you can envision...I was a mess.

At least my hair looked good.

The interview was with Staples Head Office and it went very well. I didn't expect to get the job but I wanted to give it my best shot anyway. They asked a lot of tough questions, and I began to see that my time as a SAHM was going to make a difference. I felt like I said everything I wanted to say, and walked away feeling good.

I found out later that afternoon that they felt I interviewed well, however two other candidates had more of what they were looking for. I feet ok about it. It would have been beyond my abilities.

And so, the search continues. The next job will be the winner :-)

Thursday evening was Girls Club which was awesome. Lots of hugs and laughter. When Jules and I came home we took Willow out for a walk. When we were a couple of houses away from ours, a car came around the corner and hit the brakes and just idled there. I thought maybe it was someone we knew and they were stopping to talk. We lingered for a moment then continued up our driveway.

We were just reaching our porch when a man came walking along the sidewalk and stopped in front of our house. Willow went nuts barking and snarling. I couldn't believe it, it was completely out of character for him. The guy started to say something but I could hardly hear him. I think he said he wanted to talk to me about God, so I said "Oh no thanks! We're Christians!"

Oh my gosh, who says that? What Christian says that?

Meanwhile, Willow continued to growl and bark, and I was starting to feel really, really unsettled. I was trying to hold him on the porch and push Julie inside when the door swung open and Ian was there. He'd come to see what the heck was going on outside. I said goodnight to the man and practically shoved Jules into the house and locked the door.

If he did really want to talk to me about God, where was his bible? His pamphlets? Creepy dude.

This is a very long post, isn't it?

I have other things to tell you, but my fingers are tired and I'm sure your eyes are tired from reading.

Hope you had a great weekend :-)

The Neighbour's Dog

I got this in my email today and thought it was too cute note to share!

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard.
I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me and I gave him a few pats on his head. He then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.



An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour.
This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is
And ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar:
'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep.
Can I come with him tomorrow?

Six Things On Wednesday

1) All day I thought today was Tuesday and it's Wednesday. I feel like someone stole a day from my week. This is not good.

2) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon. It's in my field, however I suspect it's way out of my league. I am a mess tonight thinking about it. I don't know if I am more worried that I won't be offered the job, or anxious that I will. As I type this I am tucked in my bed, crying like the biggest crybaby you've probably ever seen, thinking about how much I will miss Jordan during the day, or who will watch the kids over Christmas break? And on and on...

3) Willow is lucky he's a cutie patootie because I was ready to list him on eBay this week. I took him to the conservation area on Saturday as usual, and he ran and ran and ran with Kali, his beloved. He swam for the first time and really enjoyed it. He somehow injured his back paws and they were bleeding. I don't know what caused it but the bleeding stopped shortly after we got home. Then the whining and carrying on started and went on all afternoon, all night, all the next day.... He wouldn't eat or drink anything either. I couldn't find anything outwardly wrong with him and I was getting worried about his insides, so I booked an appointment with the vet.

Long story short, he's completely healthy. Diagnosis? Love sickness. Nice. $77.40 to learn that he was missing Kali. We got them together last night and he was a happy dude afterwards. No whining, he's eating and drinking again, and Mama is happy.

4) I haven't really been baking much of anything lately. Not feeling all that inspired to be honest. Well, I did try Apple Crumble and will be showing that to you soon.

5) We're going to Ian's parents' house this Saturday to celebrate his Dad's birthday, and I believe we're going to visit the pumpkin patch as well.

6) I encountered the most annoying cashier at the grocery store on the weekend. I am certain he was new, so I tried to be patient with him. I asked him if the cases of pop went through for the sale price and he said "Maybe they did....maybe they didn't." I asked him if he could please check and he said "Maybe I will....maybe I won't." They were offering free pumpkins if you spent over $60 and I said something about not forgetting that I had a pumpkin in my cart and he said "It's not your pumpkin. It's my pumpkin. It isn't yours until you pay for your groceries."

I managed not to jump over the counter and strangle him. Because I'm nice like that.

That's about all I have to report. I've been a very lazy blogger lately because I've just been feeling so blah. I'm not one of those bloggers that only talk about the sunshine and roses, but I'm also not one that whines endlessly. Even though there are times I really want to. And inwardly there's Whinefest 2010 going on in my head.

Meh.

So I will end this on a positive note. I love my iPhone. I love Fall. I love my sleep and I'm going to go get some of that right now.

Be blessed my friends.

5QF On Sunday!

Yep. I'm late to the Five Question Friday party this weekend.

Not just late, but seriously late.

Mama M will forgive me because a) she loves me best and b) I keep letting her win at Words With Friends.

Ok, I don't let her win, she kicks my butt. Every single time. It's embarrassing, really.

Anyway, on to this week's questions!



1. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. I love them so much I just want to lock myself in the bathroom and eat them all so I don't have to share them.

If you know me then you know my stance on sharing. It's overrated.

2. Do you fold your socks?

I used to roll them. You know, put them together, then fold one of them over the other and pull through until you get a ball.

I hate folding socks. Hate. I don't like how some go missing and then I have lonely singles. We have a few "sock spots" around the house that have mismatched socks in them and the kids go digging for two that match. Ian's socks are mostly black so I'll roll his.

Sometimes I get fed up and buy new socks.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

And now you know more about our sock-life than you probably wanted to.

3. What is something that you wish you had been warned about?

I wish someone warned me that life hurts and dreams change. That planning a marriage was about more than who balances the chequebook or how many kids we'd have. I wish someone would have told me about the ways we could hurt each other so I could have avoided my part. I wish I was warned that pregnancies end abruptly, that layoffs are realities, that I would have to fight tooth and nail for some of the things I wanted.

I also wish someone had warned me about the steal-your-breath love I'd have for my children, that I'd worry about them every single second they were out of my sight, that no matter how hard I tried to be a perfect mother, I would still have moments of failure, and it's ok.

4. What is the most significant difference between you and your significant other?

He is patient and I am not. He loves to be social and I'm a homebody. He trusts the Lord with all his heart and I struggle with questions and doubts and periods of silence.

5. What are three words you would use to describe yourself? (And, just for fun...if your significant other is around, ask him/her what 3 words they would use to describe you!!)

Loving, funny, encouraging.

I asked Ian this question last night and I think he said caring, fun and loving.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend :-)

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day - October 15th

**Re-Posted from last October 15th**

On February 27th, 1998 we lost our first child. We were heartbroken.

It amazes me how much my heart still aches for this little one, even after all of these years.

We feel it in our hearts that this baby was a boy. I don't know how we know, we just do.

I wonder what he would have looked like. Smelled like. Laughed like.

I wanted to bake cookies for him. To comfort him when he fell. To tickle him until he collapsed in a heap of giggles. To fold his little shirts. To tie his shoes.

I wanted to hold him.

I wanted to feel his hand in mine.

I wanted to hear him call me Mommy.

I wanted to feel his lips kiss my cheeks.

I want to understand why we couldn't keep him.

If you have experienced the loss of a child, know that my heart hurts for yours and that you are in my prayers today.

End Of A Great Weekend

While I'm sad that this wonderful weekend is now over, I feel like the days were well spent.

Yesterday I decided on the spur of the moment to drive a few cities over to a fabric store to see what kinds of prints they had. Julie decided to come with me, and after a quick stop at Tim Horton's we were off.

Just over a half hour later we reached our destination, only to find that the store was closed yesterday for the Thanksgiving weekend. It didn't even occur to me to call first.

We drove around for a bit looking at the little shops and houses and enjoying easy conversation and laughter. I try very hard to have one-on-one time with Julie at least once a week to keep us connected and yesterday was perfect for that.

We browsed a clothing store and she gave me her opinion on back-to-work clothes. I feel like I've been in a bubble for the last three years and have lost all sense of style. If it isn't comfy then I don't wear it. I felt a little excited about the looks for Fall...right up my alley.

We grabbed a quick lunch at McDonalds, went to our local grocery store and after dropping everything off at home we took Willow to the conservation area to run around.

When we were coming home Julie looked at me and thanked me for our time together and said "I can't get enough of you, Mom."

She melts my heart.

Today we visited Ian's parents and stayed for dinner.

In other news... I am now an iPhone user. And true to my weird addiction to naming all of my belongings, I have named my phone Javier. He's a lot of phone for me but I'm learning slowly.

I like that it's basically a little computer. With fun games. And a police scanner. And I can play Words With Friends with Melissa. It's amazing how many cool apps there are.

Now when people say "There's an app for that!" I'll know what they're talking about.

Anyway, our phones are up for renewal and Ian got the new iPhone 4G and so he gave me his old iPhone so I can get used to it, and in another month or so he'll get me my own iPhone 4G.

I don't know if I can handle that much technology. Seriously. I can't even switch the input for the tv so I can watch a DVD. I have to get one of the children to help a mother out.

I felt lousy all last week with the onset of a cold, and it's really starting to settle in. My nose is sniffly and I'm sneezing a lot.

Is it true that every time you sneeze your heart stops? I'd google it but I'm too lazy.

Ok, enough chatter for now.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend :-)

Checking In On Sunday

Did you notice the date today?

10-10-10.

And I'm posting this at 10:10 am.

Because I'm a dork like that.

Yesterday was a busy day. It started out with eye appointments for all of us, minus Jordan. It was a frustrating experience because two employees were being trained and it took forever to get us all registered. I was so happy that no one tried to blow air in my eye to check the pressure or whatever that does. I had it once in one eye and decided that was enough of that.

Because I'm sure you're burning to know, my eyes have only weakened a little bit, and I am sporting a new pair of contacts. The world is crispy once again.

Afterwards, Willow and I met up with Cindy at the conservation area. She brought two dogs with her this time and it was like a little doggy party. I think I overestimated my energy level after having a cold all week, but I enjoyed the walk. The trees were even more beautiful than last week.

I came home, popped a strawberry rhubarb pie in the oven, rested for a bit then headed over to my mom's house where we celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family. My mom invited two of her friends and it was a lovely dinner.

Today is all about baking apple pies and apple crumble and using up all the apples before they go bad. And a nap. I think there needs to be a nap in my day somewhere.

How is YOUR weekend going?