Recap: Mission - March

Update those documents. It MUST get done. I have mailed the forms away. I'm waiting for them to come back now.
Organize a quote book. You bet I did.
Get shelving for the kids' rooms. (I LOVE the way that sounds....kids! plural.) We'll see about this one. Someone very dear to me offered to make them shelves once the weather cooperates.
Wrap up stamp club. I did. I also have a spin off on this one. Watch for details in April.
Find journals for Baby Love Letters and start playing along. Oh, did I ever! I absolutely love how sweet and simple they are. Just beautiful.
Get taxes done. I have submitted my papers to be done. I am waiting to hear the bottom line.
Read a book. I did. Bridge to Terabithia. Get it. Read it.
Get all my textbooks together. Flunk. I thought about them. I considered getting them together. I decided this is way more than anything I could fit into March.
Rearrange our bedroom. I hit a road block. We are having a difference of opinion. I tried but I lost.
Print pictures from February. Nope. Blah.
Watch one full movie that I want to see and have not seen before. I did. It wasn't my style.
Start closet cycling. I have. There is a pile of stuff to move out. I even found a people who want the stuff. SWEET!
Get new tires for the car. Oh yes I did. Yes I did.

Sitting Pretty.

Hey Zia Lisa,
This one's for you.
Love, Kamila

Reread.

I am an avid reader. Some might even say my personal book collection is slightly obsessive. Recently, I've started letting some of my books leave. The ones I pass along are ones that I just don't love enough (except the ones I've given you, Lisa...but you're special so it's ok).
This month I was stuck in a rut. I couldn't find anything that gripped me from page one. I couldn't even find a book that made me want to keep reading at page 50. So, I picked up a book that my cousin is reading in school. It was one of my favorites and I figured if she has to read it, I might as well read it with her. It's a quick read. It's a book written bigger than what the grade six classes that read it understand. It's a book that I could read over and over and over again.
Have you read this one? That is the exact cover that I have, too.
I know....I'm a geek!

Burnt.

My hand, that is. More specifically, my right pinky just above where my ring sits. Nice and red and just painful enough to make me know that what I did was silly.
While making an cappuccino in a traditional Italian espresso maker on a gas stove, I realized I hadn't tightened the espresso maker enough (Read: Water started splurting out the middle of the machine and all over the stove). Perseverance told me that the aluminum coffee maker would be hot from being on the stove so I grabbed a tea towel to prevent from burning myself and attempted to tighten it. This is where the story goes wrong.
See, when the corner of a tea towel comes in contact with the flame of a gas stove it catches fire. Who would've thought? By the time I realized it was on fire, there was no time to think. A few quick maneuvers and the tea towel fire was in the sink doused with water. The coffee was saved and my finger was burnt.

And So It Goes.

She is his shadow. He is her lead. Together they grow.

Let's Play #117.

1. "In a hole in the ground there lived __silly rabbits that are just waiting for the arrival of spring to produce more bunnies than this neighborhood has ever seen___."
2. "__It's grey outside today___ but that ain't no matter."
3. "After dark the rain began to fall again, __the sound of the raindrops kissing the window pane was the rhythm that lulled me to sleep___."
4. "__Alas we break free___ from the hold of the Spanish galleon."
5. "There was a hand in the darkness and __it reached out to save my life___."
6. "Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, __sometimes the ambush is exactly the redirection the you need___."
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __snuggling up in crisp clean sheets___, tomorrow my plans include __preparing my lesson plan for class ___ and Sunday, I want to __rock my lesson on the virtues___!

Finding Our Way Back.

This week through us for a loop. Sick people are not fun. Sick babies are just about enough to break my heart. We stretched ourselves thin between crying, bathing, resting, laundry, dishes, and the million other things we've tried to pack in. Go slow. I need to remember sometimes to go slow.
Today we caught up on some of the sleep we missed out on these last couple days. We ate. It seemed that we hadn't done enough of that in the last couple days. I'm going to plunk my little mister into a tub and get him scrubbed clean. Then, I'm going to finish my assigned reading this week. Scarcity, guns and butter, trade offs, self interest and social interest...yeah. Those are words that I need to understand. Sorry to bore you! I'm also one page away from finishing my fun book this month. Oh YEAH!

Trooper.

My girl has caught a tummy bug - or at least that's all I'm hoping it is. She's tried falling asleep three times tonight only to wake up because she had to puke. It breaks my heart but strengthens my intuition. She can't speak so figuring out what hurts isn't easy. Hearing the tummy gurgle lets me know what's coming back.
If you've found sleep tonight, please send some for my little girl.

RRRRRRRRRRRight.

It's Roll Up The Rim time again at Tim Horton's. Every year this comes along and I play thinking to myself this year will be different. If I'm picking up a tea I might as well have a shot at winning something. I've been on a pretty dry spell since my coffee partner in crime moved away. I don't have high expectations but once every so many cups with the odds sounding good, it's bound to happen eventually that I roll up a cup and find something. This year cup one and cup two both had free coffees for me. I figured it was cool. One cup for me, one cup for you, Sister. I happily thought this was the year of change for me and Roll Up. I thought it was going great. I thought it was too good to be true.
I'm on my so-many-cups-I've-lost-count now and haven't won so much as a donut again. So, I announce that Roll Up and I are at a stalemate for the umteeth year in a row. Thanks for the fun and I'll see you again next year. The frustration of Please Play Again just isn't cutting it for me anymore this go round.

Skip a day.

Yesterday was great. We attended a wedding. It is so nice to be on the spectator side sometimes. Everything went off without a hitch. The decor was pretty. The food was fantastic. The Cinnamon Honey spread favors that the bride and her mom made are off the charts delicious! The most beautiful part of it all was the way the bride and groom shone together. Even after the lights were dimmed, their cheeks glowed. See, this couple have been together for 14 years and they finally fastened on the wedding rings. Three cheers for love!
I need to scoot on downstairs and inventory some items that I have. It's hard to know what I need to get if I can't remember what it is that I have.
Up up and away!

Let's Play #116.

Go HERE for details.

1. Why do we have to__be so critical of ourselves___?
2. __Waking up smiling, bursting out singing and not giving a rat how awful it sounds, and dancing with my children___ are now habits.
3. I have __a super awesome life because I make it that way___.
4. I had never heard the phrase "__triple arm pump___" and it __helped change my perspective on life___.
5. __Dream big...___ the way I always do.
6. How was I to know __life would be better once I stopped just living and started living it the way I want to remember it___.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __dancing around the house with my kidlets___, tomorrow my plans include __attending a wedding___ and Sunday, I want to ___have a special treat breakfast with my son__!

Naps and Nonsense.

We woke gently and welcomed in the morning. We bustled about the house doing house kind of things. We danced and we laughed and we played. We had genuine clean fun. This afternoon while our sweet Steven was at nursery, we napped. Let me tell you, there is something magical about being able to slip into sleep midday that just changes the whole focus of it. I liked it. I think we should try it more often.

Mother Nature doesn't seem to be quite done with winter just yet as there was a chill in the air today that reminded me of a crisp fall afternoon and not a day-before-official-spring kind of nice. At least Mr.Sun knows to kiss our cheeks with a warmth that only Spring brings.

Three cheers for seeing Friday on the horizon!

Flying.

I am notorious for ending conversations indicating that "I've gotta fly." The other day my friend laughed and pointed this out saying I must be pretty talented knowing how to fly and asking me to teach her some day. I told her flying is easy all you have to do is listen to your heart. She thought that was hilarious and asked if I was sure I didn't mean listen to your head because that is where we reason. I said, "No. Flying involves listening to your heart which is why there aren't many people who fly."
I find freedom in flying. I breathe different. I feel different. I hear different. I know that as long as I believe it's true, I can and I do soar like a white-tailed eagle or scatter about in the erratic flight of a monarch. High above the chaos we get too caught up in, there is a calm tranquility. There are very simple movements that create wonders beyond what words can describe.
When was the last time you opened your heart to just fly?

That's a Wrap.

Just like that, he's finished. Just yesterday we watched him take his first step on the ice or so it seems. Together with his daddy, he skated his little heart out tonight. It wasn't walking on skates. It wasn't teetering along. It was gliding. It was having fun. It was beautiful. I am excited as we await the next level, the next challenge. He even got a ticket that shows that he did it. We tried explaining it is a certificate. My boy would hear none of it. It was his ticket and he shone with pride showing it off. He and I celebrated tonight with Skittles. WOOT!

From Home With Love.

Today was productive. Delightfully productive. I found a sweet deal on an otherwise expensive item on our grocery list. I have prepared for shipping a package of love for people that deserve it - Lisa, we know we don't HAVE to send anything. We send things because we love you both and because we WANT to. Tomorrow is shipping day.
Tomorrow is also going to have some mission review time snuck in somewhere. I think I am a shade off track and want to realign to stay somewhat on track. We are also going to do some more celebrating Spring.
Shake it!

Hoodie or Bust.

That is the weather here today. Sorry Lisa! 6 degrees above with the sun shining bright. The windows are open and the air is flowing free. Out with you, Old Man Winter! Spring has sprung and this household is rockin'! Before we blink the tulips are going to be budding through the ground and reminding us of one of Life's greatest learned lessons, it will go on. I never used to be a fan of tulips. To me, they used to be a pathetic bloom that just wilts and dies. Then the more I grew, the more I thought about it and realized that tulips in all their beauty are here to teach us. Everything is. Know that. Watch for my musings on tulips on in an upcoming post.

No more time for blogging today. There are children that need to be enjoyed around here!

Saturday Morning Sunshine.

She knows what to do step by step. She just can't seem to put it all together. She spins and scooches backwards and around but not quite forward yet. As soon as he saw her doing this, he got right on down beside her to just let he know that he was there.
Have a happy day today. Love someone. Love always.

Let's Play #115

I almost forgot! It's Friday...which means fill in time. Check this place out for more details and to play along, too.

1. When I look to the left, I see__the silhouette of the trees in my backyard being silent in the darkness___.

2. ___The living room__ is the room that has the best view in my home.

3. Let it work ___out the way it is meant to be__.

4. ___Dirty Deeds__ done dirt cheap! (Carrie, you must've seen this one coming from me ;-)

5. ___Instilling morals and values in the generations of tomorrow__ is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

6. If you have any __resentment built up within___ feel free __to let it all loose and free yourself of the weight you carry because of it___.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to ___Movie night with ribs and my sister on the phone__, tomorrow my plans include __painting on my ppppoker face pa pa poker face___ and Sunday, I want to __find a poor sucker to con into helping me repaint my kitchen___!

Imaginary Freedom.

Ha. Bite that, Mr. Fancy Bunk Exam. I finished you. I am indifferent about you. No love. No hate. Nothing.

My sister surprised me with a Tiber River pedicure, today. To just say my sister isn't right but there are no adjectives that describe how I feel about her. She has moved me. Pedicures are definitely something I think of when I think of Lisa. So, knowing that where she is there are no pedicure places and having had her send me was almost like we were doing it together -almost. It was silently emotional. It was a simple bittersweet. There is a raw emotion that stirs up and spills over whenever I think of the things we did together. Worse is doing the things we did together alone. I popped into Starbucks for something warm. As though the Universe knew, my cup had The Way I See It #286* on it. Lisa, it's the "half right" one. I miss you. I love you.

I picked up paint today. The kitchen is getting an overhaul. I might actually like these colours this time. If I do, they might spill into the hallway, the front entrance, the...here's hoping!

*I couldn't find a direct link to anything authentic Starbucks but the quote is at the top of that post on that blog.

Planets align.

I'm hoping for something special to come about this evening. It's exam evening for this chickee and I am shaky about it. There is a streak of confidence and there is a whole shadow of doubt. In wannabe accountant form, I have written off my losses and am moving forward with what I know. Results to be announced in 2 months. Thank you very much.
A big thank you to Rebecca for our convo the other day. You nailed it straight when you said that my priorities are just different now than before. At the end of the day, time spent with my children adds up to way more than time spent with my books. You voiced for me what my heart truly knows. Thank you.

Time Out.

I'm taking one right now. It's a time out from studying. I started a review question and my eyes went wonky. Too many numbers that are starting to look like letters and vice versa or whatever. My brain is in overdrive/crap out mode. One more day and then I can rest the books for a week. I can't wait to just stop even if it is only for a week. I've started a list comprising right now of about 32 million things I want to accomplish in that time off from textbooks. A girl can dream, right?
I wandered into my memory card to see what photos popped out of my quick snaps this afternoon with my butterbug.
My Lisa is a cherry fanatic - something about a red car that flowed into a full ripple effect and kept going. When I saw this hat today, I just couldn't resist. There is a shirt that doesn't seem to want to leave me alone either. Too bad it's only Walmart that is open 24 hours otherwise I might be making a quick run. Would you want to say no to this little one?

I know almost everyone around these parts is grumbling about the not-so-March weather. Seriously, Mother Nature, -34C plus a wind. Get real! In an effort to speed spring along, I started the spring cleaning this morning. The kitchen was first on the list. There isn't much left to do in there except for tidy off the table a bit and change the table cloth. I need something springish to complete things - or maybe I'll get brave and try painting again. Anyone want to pick colours? I suck at that. Friday is clean/rearrange the living room day. I also want to paint in there but I'm not quite that brave just yet.
OK, enough rambling from this girl. The books need attention and this house seems to be stirring up some chaos. I hear a father and a son that seem to be disagreeing. Off to play referee!

Winter

This was exactly what I needed to read today.

"There's a point where you can give up on winter--when temptation can enter your soul, prying its way in like cold air through the cracks in your cabin--around January sixteenth or so, and this can make you realize that February's coming, and beyond February, March.See, I don't yet realize that March will be the hardest month. Early February's the coldest, and often the snowiest, but March, strange, silent March, will be the hardest.

The danger in yielding to thoughts of spring--green grass, hikes, bare feet, lakes, fly-fishing, rivers, and sun, hot sun--is that once these thoughts enter your mind, you cant get them out.

Love the winter. Don't betray it. Be loyal.

When the spring gets here, love it too--and then the summer.

But be loyal to the winter, all the way through--all the way, and with sincerity--or you'll find yourself high and dry, longing for a spring that's a long way off, and winter will have abandoned you, and in her place you'll have cabin fever, the worst.

The colder it gets, the more you've got to love it."

~Rick Bass fr. Winter -Notes from Montana

Trembling.

I had a photo shoot of a newborn today. I knew the family and there were no outlined expectations. No promises. No real intense pressure. Nothing I couldn't handle yet I was still aflutter. While I'm not sure if it was obvious, I was trembling. I drove around the block twice wondering if just maybe I should call and tell them to call a professional but then I remembered that everyone has to start somewhere. I jittered all the way to the door and blamed the cold for my shaking when I walked in the house (Thanks Mother Nature! For once, I didn't mind the frigid temperature.)
I made sure to have a fully charged battery and the lens I planned on using ready to roll. I had ideas in my mind of how it might go and then I remembered that I was at the mercy of a newborn. He was wonderful. So calm. So patient. A few times I'm sure he was looking at me thinking Lady, get that black thing that keeps going CLICK CLICK outta my face. I came home, loaded up all the images, and spent the better part of tonight editing away. I'm very proud to say that tomorrow it is off to print.
Despite the nerves, the self-doubt, the trepidation I felt, I did it all on my own. I can't pretend it was perfect and I can't say that I knew what I was doing always but I do know that I kept seeing more. When I left, I was confident that I had something usable. I want to do this again.
Perhaps my favorite from the day:

Spring Ahead.

There is something about losing an hour of sleep with a baby in the house that seems like a twisted joke. I am very thankful that my baby child sleeps very well. But take an hour away and yikes! I have been dragging my butt around all day. I did sneak a short nap this afternoon and now I'm trying to keep myself awake. It's not working. My clean sheets, cozy comforters, and cloud bed are calling to me - LOUDLY!
Catch you on the flip!

Shake Awake.

Half of this house has been up since 7AM on this fine freezing Saturday. Half of the house is still tucked away snug in bed. You guess which half is which.
The washing machine has been roaring and the dryer was been zipping around in circles so much I think I'm dizzy. The vacuum and I have been trying to be patient and not wake the whole house. Today is a day to accomplish.
Plus, I have a few cards to make! I think there needs to be a nap penned in somewhere, too.
Run away with me, Saturday!

Let's Play #114

I tripped across this place and am excited to play along. Won't you?
Drop me a line with a link to your version.

1. __Volunteering to send some homemade goodness to help this cause___ was my last random act of kindness.
2. Another place _I would like to be is nestled in a comfy chair beside a warm flickering fire reading____.
3. __Proceed with reckless abandon___ in matters of the heart.
4. Coffee, tea or __cookies___.
5. ___The walk of life and the walk of work are not__ separate paths.
6. Our __togetherness (mine and hubby's)___ reminds me that there is __promise___.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to __a movie___, tomorrow my plans include ___a smooth evening with my kidlets__ and Sunday, I want to __shop with my sister___!

Video Time

She does this nonstop. The video really doesn't do it justice but you get the idea.

Top of the Day to You.

The night was as anticipated. We were up and we slept and at 7 we decided to just be up. We being Kamila and me. Steven is still snug away in Dreamland. Thank goodness one of us is doing well!
This morning we created a list of things that we must get. I stole a shower while Missy May steamed in the awesome mist. I have a cup of Go Juice that is just waiting to be swallowed. I've cracked open the windows in the bedrooms just a slice to allow the Sick Fairy an escape route. I've cycled through my must-reads and am now thinking of moving the computer to the new desk my brave friend brought over last night. Let me mention that she was aware of the state of disarray and the potential of the Sick Fairy following her home. Everyone is getting fair warning before walking into this place.
Since I seem to have almost completely lost my voice...=insert a brief pause for the crowd clowns to comment and laugh =...There may be a few projects that I want to tackle. I see a couple cameras winking at me wanting to be let out of the cages/cases I keep them in.
Middle-of-the-Week-Wonder-Day, let's work together please. Keep it simple for me and I'll rock it out!

Banish Thee Sick Fairy!

Get Serious! Get @#$%$#@ SERIOUS!
My son is hot off a string of the sick bugs. First bronchitis, then a chest infection with a dash of ear infection. Thank you to our great doctor who medicated him to health. Another thank you to my dear son for not fighting us when needing to take the medicine. For some weird reason he decided that he liked this one and did not require profuse bribing. HEY! A parent's gotta do what a parent's gotta do.
My daughter gets the sniffles but was otherwise clear. OK. Today, she is warm with a runny nose and coughing. With a little bit of help from King Tylenol and his army, we're working on this.
Hubby is fighting something with all his might. I applaud his determination. Vitamin C, some funky pills, slather on a pound of Vicks, GO!
Our roommate decides today that he is coming down with something. Now, thanks to yours truly, he is on some OTC meds to hopefully get back on his feet.
I had the doctor confirm for me today that my self diagnosis of strep throat was, in fact, correct. I am now taking antibiotics that will make it better. (Can you feel my Law of Attraction powers emitting in this declaration?) I am also trying to remember that I can't expect to feel better within hours of taking the medication when I ran a fever for two days and was otherwise incapacitated. I am again thankful for the doctor and to be functioning again even if it is at a semi-pathetic level.
Just moments before having everyone settled for what may prove to be a trying night, the dog starts puking! Get real! Not only does she puke but she also had a second issue though I will spare you the details of that one.
If the cat starts puking or otherwise expelling bodily matter I might be fit to be tied.
Enough already. Sick Fairy, thank you for the visit but it is time for you to MOVE OUT OF THIS HOUSE!
Tomorrow----or rather later today, when I've had something more than a migraine-relief Advil, the washing machine is going to be in full tilt. In my delusion, I am also considering skipping the dryer and perhaps laying the wash outside to freeze the sickness away. In that same delusion, I'm sitting here blogging rather than sending my tail to bed for some serious rest. Suck the marrow out of the bone.
Let's do this!

Shopping Fun.

Can't shopping always be fun? I normally enjoy getting out and doing the weekly shops or the monthly shops or the random retail therapy shops. Given that my last shopping day with the kids was perfect, I have no want to shop again. Our day was wonderful together. We had fun. I don't want to ruin that. I don't want to forget how it felt.

Mission: March

This month's missions start with a bit of a roll over from last month. Let's plan this one carefully. Let's set some deadlines. Let's have the time of our lives!

1. Update those documents. It MUST get done.
2. Organize a quote book.
3. Get shelving for the kids' rooms. (I LOVE the way that sounds....kids! plural.)
4. Wrap up stamp club.
5. Find journals for Baby Love Letters and start playing along.
6. Get taxes done.
7. Read a book.
8. Get all my textbooks together.
9. Rearrange our bedroom.
10. Print pictures from February.
11. Watch one full movie that I want to see and have not seen before.
12. Start closet cycling.
13. Get new tires for the car.

Entirely doable. Let's get started.