Across the Red C(anada): The Moses Family Blog

Day 28

2011-11-29T14:27:00.001-04:00

I added my bit of organization to the hooks. It's pretty simple, but it does the job. Now I just hang a calendar, schedule, or whatever piece of paper I have, to the corresponding child's clipboard. I will know where it is, and will look at it often, as it's on the way out the door, so hopefully library books, projects, gym days, what day it is at pre-school won't be forgotten as oftern anymore.

I have yet to decorate them with names, but that will come.

Day 26

2011-11-29T14:20:00.001-04:00

We did some baking today. Christmas Sugar cookies. At the time of this publishing, there are none left to speak of. Some of them got frosting on them before they got eaten, most didn't. Sigh.

"Helping" in the kitchen.

Day 25

2011-11-29T14:03:00.001-04:00

Today was another baking day. I still hadn't chopped up the pumpkins I bought before Halloween. Two were taking up room in my fridge, and one has been on the counter, so I opted to cut up the one on the counter. Half of this pumpkin got chopped up and frozen.

The other half got turned into 3 pumpkin pies (two of which made it to the freezer, two "crustless pies" and some pumpkin loaves.

Pumpkin pies for Christmas

These guys got eaten right away

Fresh from the oven

YUM!

I also made a pan of Christmas Rice Krispie squares. I had promised the kids some for after school.

Day 21

2011-11-25T14:34:00.000-04:00

I got a call this morning that determined my project today. Tomorrow, someone is coming to install the backsplash in my kitchen!!! YAY!!! I have been waiting for this, for months, so I had to clear off the countertops. I really prefer nothing, or next to nothing, on my countertops, although you'd never know it most of the time. So today I had to tackle at least part of the kitchen. It looks a ton better now, and I can't wait to see it when the backsplash is finished.

One side Before

Other side Before

One side - after

I can't seem to find the picture I took of the other side, but it was cleared of the three totes I keep with the kids schoolwork. flyers, bills, mail, etc. Hopefully I can keep it somewhat clear from now on.

I also printed off some more Christmas Subway art. (I may or may not have a new addiction.)This is now sitting on a table in my formal livingroom.

Day 23 & 24

2011-11-24T15:53:00.001-04:00

I'm getting lazy. I let the tilers do the work for me again. On Wednesday, (Day 23) it was a snow day, so all the kids were home. Needless to say, not much got done. The tilers came and finished laying the tiles on the ends, and then came on Thursday (Day 24) to grout it all and finish up. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! So pleased with how it turned out. I loved my kitchen before, and I love it even more now. It just looks so much more...what's the word....finished? Yeah, I guess that's the word. Now it's finished.

Day 22

2011-11-24T15:50:00.001-04:00

I've decided to let the tilers do the work today. They did most of the backsplash today. Coming back tomorrow, to finish laying the rest of the tiles, and then one more day to grout it all. It looks pretty good. I'm very pleased. Check it out.

Without grout

and electrical covers

full view

Day 20

2011-11-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

Even though it was Sunday, I did do a bit of tidying up in our bedroom, while the kids were brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed. I got on a mini roll. There is stuff everywhere. We're not done furnishing it yet, so it kind of turns into a storage area sometimes. I'm not done by any means, but I put a bunch of stuff away, suitcases in the attic, and some stuff in my donate bag. Here's are some before and during pics. I swear, I must be ADD or something. I just can't seem to stick with one thing and get it done before I move on to something else. Anyone else have this problem?

Before- stuff to go up to the attic

After- there really is less stuff there.

stuff

We also got our annual family portrait taken for our Christmas cards. As usual, it was a freak show. Last year Brian was so fed up, he vowed not to do it again. (Last year we set the timer on our camera and took it ourselves) so this year, we just went to my sis in law, and she took it for us. Wasn't a whole lot easier. She ended up taking over 90 pictures. They are all pretty much the same, but at least one person in each photo wasn't looking, or had a stupid expression. I mean really, is it so hard to sit still for a few seconds and have a decent look on your face while someone clicks a button? Apparently so. I don't think we'll do it again for a couple of years. Our nerves can't take it anymore. We'll just do some sort of collage thing next year. Here is a sampling for your viewing enjoyment.

Nice. Real nice. And this is only the beginning.

Look AT the camera, please.

Sit still, Jake!!

Maybe this pose wasn't such a good idea. Yes, Logan is actually in mid cry/scream

Fake smile Bri?

Seriously? Sit still Jake!

This is getting ridiculous

Losing patience

This is the winner, but even it had to be doctored a bit. Can you tell where?

Day 19

2011-11-23T15:56:00.000-04:00

Today I tackled Izzy's room. Well, I started to tackle Izzy's room. This was not a one day job, at least not for me. If you don't have five kids, perhaps you could do it in one day. Oh my. Where to begin. I had Izzy up with me, (she was not getting off scott free) and I asked her where she wanted to start. The dresser, the desk or the night table. She chose the desk. First we cleaned off the top and the shelf. Went through what books she wanted to keep in her room, and which ones should go downstairs with the rest. Opened up her drawer, found a $5 bill, along with so many little things I can't even list them all. I even considered nominating her the show "Hoarders". She shoves things in so many places, but yet keeps her floor immaculate. She thinks as long as the floor is clear, her room is clean. Never mind the piles upon piles on every horizontal surface in there, not to mention under her bed. I didn't even go there yet.

After the desk, we tackled her bedside table. The two drawers were stuffed full, mainly of papers and "envelopes" she had made by hand with paper and tape. Speaking of tape, I found three roles of it in her room. Three. In various stages of usage. No wonder I can never find the tape when I need it. Anyway, we threw out a ton of stuff from her drawers. Stuff like all the beads from a necklace that had become unstrung, rocks, wrappers, tiny papers, etc. I was very proud and pleasantly surprised that she threw stuff away. Next was the dresser. I had been thinking about moving it to the closet, but that required adjusting her closet organizers, so I got Brian on board. He did the handy stuff, while trudged on through the clutter. It freed up some floorspace, so I think we will rearrange the furniture when we're all done. It's coming along though. Hopefully one more day will do it. The plan is for her and Meghan to share a room when Meghan is big enough. Izzy has a double bed, so they can both sleep in it. Anyway, here are some before and "during" pics.

Okay, so here are some during pics, because apparently I didn't take before pics like I swore I did. Can't find 'em on the computer. Anyway, you'll just have to take my word for it, it was a mess.

got to make more of a mess before it gets better

closet, after the dresser moved in

desk

Day 18

2011-11-23T15:54:00.000-04:00

I did nothing today. Nothing. I was going to tackle Izzy's room, but it just didn't happen. Maybe tomorrow. Well, I did clean out one corner of my kitchen counter. I guess that's better than nothing.

Before

After

Day 17

2011-11-23T11:42:00.000-04:00

Today all I did was make a Christmas centerpiece. It wasn't on my original list, but I felt the need to be creative today. I really like it, so here it is.

It was so easy, and pretty cheap too. Here's how I made it. I was envisioning pine comes. Maybe glittery sparkly pinecones. I went to Dollarama and found some garland with pinecones, leaves and berries bought two of them for $2 each. I also bought a package of twelve mini gold ornaments for $1. I already had a glass hurricane vase, (but I know you can get them at Dollarama) so that's all I needed. When I got home, I removed all the garland "pieces" and just plopped them into the vase, dropping the mini ornaments as I went, so that they were distributed somewhat evenly. I love the result. Christmasy, but not overly so.

Day 16

2011-11-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

Messy buffet.

Today I decluttered the fornal diningroom and livingroom. They weren't too bad, but there was a lot of stuff from Izzy's birthday party that never got put away.

Presents still not put away

Piano books aplenty

Naughty napkin drawer

I feel as though I am kind of procrastinating. I seem to tackle rooms and places that make the least amount of impact. For example, I've cleaned out closets, the garage, but have yet to tackle the kitchen full on, or the familyroom. I guess I don't want to start something, and then end up having to pause because something comes up, or I have to leave to go somewhere, which seems to happen frequently when you have 5 children. Somebody always seems to need something, or to go somewhere, or is fighting, or you name it, when I least need it, it happens. sigh.

The pile of papers that went to recycling.

There aren't many more"safe" projects I can tackle. I am going to have to confront a major traffic area really soon. Help! Well, here are the after pics. Not too dramatic, but a definite and needed improvement.

From naughty to nice

Empty piano top

Presents went to their new home - Izzy's room

Beautiful Buffet

Fall table - time to bring out the Christmas decor?

Tidy tablecloths

I'm really glad this is done, especially so close to Christmas. I went through every door and drawer. Things are where they should be, and garbage is thrown away.

Day 15

2011-11-18T15:24:00.001-04:00

Totally cleaned up the garage. Well, mostly anyway. I went through all the shoes, boats, flip flops and crocs. I sent two bags upstairs to the attic for storage, that included summer footwear, and shoes to store in my closet.I threw out a pair or two, like Jacob's rain boots. Now I know why he won't wear them. They are totally cracked all up the back. His feet get wet. Just wish he would have told me. I could have thrown them out weeks ago. I also put a few pairs of old sneakers in my donate bag. It looks a ton better. Again, I am so bad at taking before pics, but here are some afters.

You couldn't even walk up these steps before.

All neat and tidy

Everything in it's place

I swept out the garage too. We have a lot of trees that shed a lot of needles. So annoying. So everytime we drive in and out we track needles in. I also cleaned off the staircase. That was seriously a hazard. There was something on almost every step. From life jackets, to coloring books, papers, a mini cooler, shoes, old skate and helmet boxes, you name it, it was there and now it's gone! It just looks so different. I'm hoping we can keep it clear. Brian will be thrilled. Hopefully it will soften the blow when he sees the wainscoting and hooks.

Day 14

2011-11-15T16:32:00.000-04:00

The weekend may have been a wash, but I think I made up for it today. My dear mother came home with me yesterday, to help out while Brian is away. I had told her a few days ago that I had a project for us to do, and bought all the necessary stuff. She's pretty handy, and offered to bring a few tools.

All hanging in a row.

We had some "lockers" built in the garage when our house was built, for coats and shoes, etc., and I just thought that backpacks would go there too. It just hasn't turned out that way. The door to the garage is heavy and it's awkward to go out and get their backpacks to do homework. Not to mention it's quite a few degrees colder out there come fall and winter. I saw something like this on the latest season of "Sarah's House" on HGTV when she did the mudroom. (LOVE that show) It just hit me. "Yeah. I should totally do that in the back entry." It's really a hallway, but only family and close friends use that entrance, so it wouldn't be visible from the front door. It would keep backpacks off the floor and accessible. The wainscoting will help preserve the walls, and I just love how it looks. I am so pleased with this project.

Two more hooks

I had planned on hanging 5 hooks on the one wall, one for each child, but felt it looked too crowded, so I opted for just four. I hung two more hooks on the opposite wall. Meghan can have one of those when she needs it, and I'll just hang my purse, or reusable shopping bags, or use it as a something-I-need-to-bring-with-me-the-next-time-I-go-out hook, so I don't forget it.

Izzy's cute backpack.

Full view. Laundryroom on left, playroom on right.

Now I need to come up with something to put above each person's hook. A calendar, schedule, etc. so we know what's going on when. i.e whose library book is due when, who has gym class, you know, stuff like that. I've got some ideas (thank you pinterest), just need to figure out the best way. Hopefully Brian will be just as thrilled with it as I am when he gets home. It's a surprise. Wish me luck!

Days 10, 11, 12 & 13

2011-11-15T15:59:00.000-04:00

We were out of town for a wedding/ visiting my family, so not a whole lot got gone. But, I did do one thing I've wanted to do for awhile. I printed off some Subway art. I did it at my parents house, because our color ink cartridge is just about kaput. I am so excited to change the picture with the seasons. I had a frame already. It was a cream color. I spray primed it, then painted it white, to better match the existing millwork in the entryway. I kept the mat the same, and simply inserted subway art. Easy peasy. Here are the results. Sorry for the poor quality pics. Brian is away at a conference, and has the good camera.

Day 9

2011-11-15T15:57:00.000-04:00

Today was an exciting day for me. I got some end tables!!! I had ordered these end tables back in June, I believe, from Wicker Emporium. They were having a 50% off furniture sale, so I looked at their website, and decided I wanted these tables. They didn't have them in stock, but were getting some in August, so I paid for them, to get the sale price, and waited. They didn't come in on the August shipment, and said they would be in on the October shipment. They offered me a refund, but I really liked them, and said I'd wait. Well, finally, they arrived!!! I was a little worried that I wouldn't like them anymore, because it had been so long since I had seen them. (I tried their website, but since they were completely out of stock, they took them off their website for awhile) I do love them and think they look great. Not much of a project, but it's one more step to beautifying my home.

I know my lamp needs a shade. Another day, another project.

Day 8

2011-11-15T15:41:00.000-04:00

Today I worked on the chairs I'm refinishing for my livingroom. I recovered the seat today.

A tale of two chairs. They both looked like the left chair. The right chair, is in transition.

The back of the chair will be done in the same fabric as the seat, and the other back (what you see from behind) will be done in the red fabric shown, as well as a small pillow, which is underway. I have stripped this one chair, and have bought the stain for it. Just hoping for a few more unseasonably nice days in November to finish the task. I am really enjoying this refinishing and reupholstery project. I think it may become a new hobby.

Day 5

2011-11-08T15:05:00.001-04:00

Today was Saturday. I find it hard to do much when all the kids are home. I did accomplish some baking. I made Zucchini orange loaves, and cranberry loaves, to put in the freezer. We did eat one of the Zucchini Orange loaves though, but the rest are put away for future use. I felt as though it was an accomplishment, albeit small.

Day 7

2011-11-07T16:35:00.001-04:00

Today was unseasonably warm, so I FINISHED the painting outside. Yup, the doors are DONE! I even gave the garage door a glossy coat. It had been painted a flat black, but now it gleams like the rest of the doors!!

Day 6

2011-11-07T15:06:00.000-04:00

Today was Sunday. I'm going to give myself this day off every week. It is the day of rest after all, and again, I find it difficult to do much when all the kids are home. Brian and I did talk about Christmas presents for this year, and he wrote down everything in the armoire in our bedroom, which is where I keep my stash of future gifts, so I can cross that off my list.

Day 4

2011-11-05T14:23:00.000-03:00

Floor

Top shelf

Today I added pics to previous posts, and decided to clean out the front entry closet, because it was too cold to paint outside. This is where all the painting stuff is stashed. Here we have the before pics.

I found all kinds of stuff shoved in here. A plethora of pens and pencils and colored pencils that I had put in a plastic container one day while doing a fast tidy up. We must have been expecting guests or something. I also found a marble, a missing tap shoe lace, plastic page protectors I had been looking for two months ago, passport size photos of Brian, which was actually perfect timing, because he needed one for an ID, and a Santa hat, among other things.
I ended up with a nice pile of garbage, a pile to go upstairs to assorted places, a pile to go out to the garage, and a little bag of goodies to give to my sister. I have cleaned out this closet before, but never to completion. There were always stuff that I wasn't sure where to put or that I just didn't want to deal with at the time, but not this month. This month things are gittin' done!

Garbage pile

Pile to go to the garage.

My garbage pile contains an old pair of shoes, a hole nearly worn through at the toe, a used paintbrush and two paint trays I had preserved by wrapping them in plastic bags, because I wasn't quite finished with them yet. One of them still had some wet paint in it from June!! Not enough to bother with though.

A paint can I am done with, goes to the garage, as well as some sandpaper, a fly swatter and an umbrella.

Stuff to go upstairs

Okay, now. Years ago, probably six or seven, I got a bunch of these file folder games and activities for small children, to keep them occupied and what not in church or wherever. I did do some, but not all, and now most of my kids are too old for them. They are in various stages of completion, and I just don't have the time to finish them, nor do I really want to, to be honest. So I called my sister, and she said she'd take them, and/or give them to friends. So I put them in a bag for her and will give them to her next weekend when I see her.

After: Top Shelf

I moved the remaining painting paraphernalia to the top shelf, so as to be out of reach of children. I will put them in the garage as I finish with them. Also up there on the top shelf are a couple of pairs of boy's size winter boots that I just posted on kijiji to sell, some board games that have lots of pieces that I like to keep out of reach, and a stash of printer paper.

After: Front Closet

The items hanging are my baby carrier/wrap, and a snowsuit and winter coat I just posted on kijiji. Hopefully those will move out quickly!!

Day 3

2011-11-04T11:01:00.002-03:00

Today was a nice fall day too. Thought I could get the painting done. First though, I had to drop Logan off at pre-school, and take Izzy to the dentist for 9am. After the dentist, took her to school and then finished my grocery shopping that I wasn't able to finish on Tuesday. I also went to Kent, to pick up some screws and toggle anchor thingys, to fix the garage door myself. Then I picked Logan up at 12 noon, and came home, (to a clean house I might add. I love Thursdays) and got some lunch.

Diningroom doors in progress

Back entry door, done.

Then the doorbell rang. It was the guy who built our house, coming to fix the garage door.Yay!! Figures, after I had just bought some screws. Oh well. I can return them. He was able to fix the door without much difficulty, so I am pleased. Anyway, I didn't get around to painting until after the kids came home from school and Meghan was sleeping/crying in her crib, and I put in a couple loads of laundry (Mondays and Thursdays are my laundry days) which was about 3:30pm. I finished the inside of the front door, the outside of the back door, and put another coat on the diningroom garden doors, and also taped off the guest room door.Then I had to come inside, warm up leftovers, beg, plead, and tear away from the TV, my children, so that we could eat supper, and be at the rink for 5:30 for CanSkate. One more day ought to do it, and then that task is DONE!

Guest wing door taped off.

Day 2

2011-11-03T14:05:00.002-03:00

Before, the front door is white.

Today it was a beautiful day. So I decided I'd better do some outdoor painting, since it's not getting any warmer. I put Meghan down for a nap mid morning, and got out the black glossy paint I bought last spring to paint the exterior doors. The outside of the front door and the garage door had been painted black once before, but I needed to spruce them up a bit. I put one coat on the outside of the front door, and then had to do 2 + coats on the interior side. Looks pretty dramataic, if I do say so myself. Then I headed to the back entry and painted the exterior of that door black. Had to tape off the window first. (I forgot how much I hate taping) Then I moved onto the diningroom garden doors and sidelites. Lots of taping there. I got most of one coat on and then I had to go and get Meghan. I had let her cry long enough. It's a good start. I am very pleased.

Inside the front door.

After, the front door is black.

Before: Diningroom garden doors.

Day 1

2011-11-02T14:35:00.002-03:00

Our Garage door opener broke. Again. While waiting around all morning for the guy who built our house to show up to take a look at it, (said he'd be by about 9:30am) I decided I had better get started on this challenge. Since it's getting pretty chilly, thought I clean out the back entry closet and bring down all the hats and mitts and boots, coats, etc. I found a couple of interesing things, marble, paperclip, dust, mashed Baby MumMums, etc. I Put a couple of things in my "Donate" bag, recycled a bunch of papers, went through the diaper/church bags and condensed them, washed spring and summer coats, changed some light bulbs, and went through the cubbies in the garage. He never did show up, but at least I feel that I made the best of the situation. Sorry for the poor quality pics, and I forgot to take a "before" pic.

Fabric baskets hold hats in one, mitts in the other

All tucked away.

The central vac on the bottom left, Mine and Brian's longish, dressy coats above. The smaller kids fall/spring/rain coats on the bottom pole, while the bigger kids and adults coats up above. Mine and Brian's gloves, scarves and hats are in the seagrass basket above the blue one, the diaper bag and my bag above that, and our emergency radio and shoe polishing stuff on the top shelf.

November is William Morris Month

2011-11-01T14:52:00.004-03:00

" Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful" - William Morris

After coming across this fun blog last month, I have been totally inspired. She made a list of stuff that she'd been meaning to do around the house, or things that should be done to make it more beautiful, got rid of a lot of stuff, plugged away at it all month and blogged about it. Every year (usually spring or fall) I try to do something like this, but never make it all the way through. I am hoping that by making myself accountable to this blog, I will actually finish this time. Here is my list, it no particular order. It will not all get done in the month of November, but but most of it should. Perfect timing to get the house all dolled up, with Christms not far away. Or maybe it's a nervous breakdown waiting to happen. We'll see what happens.

~~-clean out back closet and garage cubbies, and put winter stuff in baskets, coats on hooks, etc.~~
-go through laundry/sewing room Re-evaluate mending projects, etc.
- finish stripping chairs, stain them, recover them
- ~~go through toy room. Be brutal.~~
- fill in holes, retouch paint in toy room
- ~~paint exterior doors black gloss~~
- paint powder room wainscoting white semi-gloss
- paint bench and trim in entryway white semi-gloss
- paint Diningroom half wall and pillars and coffered ceiling white semi-gloss
- ~~clean out family room shelves~~
- fix family room couch and ottoman
- ~~clean out front entry closet~~
- clean out kid's schoolwork, transfer to attic
- clean out fishtank, put in attic or on kijiji
~~- re-post stuff on kijiji~~
- wipe down all kitchen cabinets, ALL of them
- go through each cupboard, reorganize and purge as needed
- figure out valance or curtains for guest bath
- ~~figure out what to do about moving around kid's rooms~~
- ~~go through Izzy's room~~
- go through Avery's room
- gothrough Jacob and Logan's room
- go through Meghan's room
- make profile silhouette picture
- clear out all the STUFFfrom me and Brian's room
- ~~go through armoire in my room (stash of future gifts)~~
- finish going through our closet, get a valet hook?
- finish putting frosted window stuff up in garage windows
- ~~clean out and reorganize gargae~~
- ~~put up wainscoting and hooks for backpacks in back entry hallway~~

Pretty big undertaking. Hope I'm up to it.

My Sweet Deals

2011-09-23T11:07:00.001-03:00

I love a good deal. Who doesn't, right? I just felt the need to share two sweet deals I managed to get this week. First off, Wal Mart had Pampers on sale this week. A great big box for $32. I had a $5 off coupon which would expire on 30 Sep, so I thought, why not? I use cloth diapers during the day, but prefer disposables for night. Plus, we're going to Disney soon, and I just use disposables when we travel, as well. It's just easier, and less stinky. So anyway, I go to WalMart, and all they have left is sizes 5 and 6. I'm looking for size 2, maybe 3. I wasn't too upset, because I had seen people walking out of Superstore, (just next door) with Pampers boxes, so I figured I'd just get them there. It wasn't as good a deal, but I felt the need to use my coupon. So I go to Superstore, and saw their sign for $29.99 a box, (though not quite as big as Wal Mart's box) and then another tag over that one for $24.99, and with my $5 coupon, I paid just over $21 with tax for 180 size 2 diapers, regular price, over $40.00 WooHoo!! I was pretty pumped.

Later that morning, I went to Payless, to get Izzy some dance tights. A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't find white dance tights, so I just bought regular white tights. Well, after two classes, there was a pick in them, and of course she had to pick at it, and lo and behold, a huge hole appeared. Tights. Ruined. I wasn't all that impressed. I had a $4 off coupon for Payless from when I had bought sneakers for the kids for school, so I decided I might as well use it for her tights. When I go into the store, the clerk tells me it's BoGo (Buy 1 get 1 half price) So I did. I got two pairs of Dance tights, (regular price $4.99 each) for $3.68, taxes in!! A savings of 68% Yay for coupons!!!!

Teeth

2011-08-02T12:40:00.002-03:00

It's sure been awhile since I've posted. A long while, but we've had a busy weekend of sorts. No pics because Jacob broke our camera. He pushed some button and now my lense stays stuck out, and the camera won't even turn on. Even with new batteries. So if anyone has the slightest clue as to what to do, let me know.

So as the title may suggest, teeth have been the theme in our house lately. Avery lost his twelfth tooth (a molar) on Saturday night. After much drama, Isabella lost her first tooth Sunday night, Meghan finally sprouted her first tooth Saturday night, and Jacob's third tooth (one of his front two) is extremely loose, and may fall out at any moment. But nobody's allowed to touch it. Logan's the only one without teeth growing in or falling at the moment, but all in due time.

Update: Jacob lost his tooth today!!

Baby blessing and two month old Meghan

2011-02-16T09:53:00.002-04:00

Meghan was blessed in church on Sunday Jan. 2nd. I'm a bit late at posting, but better late than never. We had lots of family on hand and it was a great weekend. Here are a few pics from the day.

The girl of the hour.

Meghan with her cousins, Finley(left) and Emmy.

Meghan is now two whole months old. She went for her shots the other day, and did pretty well, considering. She weighs 10 lbs 3.5 oz. and is now 21.5 inches long. She is at the 28th percentile and has been staying on her curve nicely. I still can't believe how small she is, compared to the rest of my children, but it's been fun being able to put her in cute little tiny clothes more than once.

Cutey in her jean dress.

Meghan is a very happy baby, and when she does get upset, she's pretty easy to console. She has lots of smiles for everyone, and is still the best sleeper around, which makes her mommy and daddy very happy as well.

Smiley girl

Sisters

Mediterannean Cruise Part 2

2011-01-31T09:07:00.000-04:00

This post is long overdue as well, but I just need to do it to make a record of it. I've more trips to blog about, before I forget the details, and more trips coming up this year, so here goes. To read Part 1 of the cruise, click here.

http://theredc.blogspot.com/2009/07/trip-pics-recovered-part-1.html

Thursday June 11th

Today the port was Villefranche, France, which is right near Nice. It was a beautiful view from the ship.

In the square where the royal palace is.

We had decided to take the train to Monaco, which is practically, right next door, and we had heard how beautiful it was, and we were not disappointed. Monaco is so clean and well kept. Breathtaking, and very hilly, but the views were worth it.

The famous Monte Carlo Casino.

|Monaco's Harbour

Then we headed back on the train to Nice, got some crepes for lunch at a sidewalk cafe, and walked along the beach. Holy cow, was it HOT! It was soooo hot. 41 C if I remember correctly, and humid. The water was so blue. I know I took some pictures, but they might have been lost.

Friday June 12th

(Please ignore my back fat)

We were at sea today. I hadn't gotten much color on the trip so far, so I made the foolish decision of laying out by the pool without any sunscreen on. Just for a little while, I told myself. I thought I was doing alright. I kept checking my skin to make sure it wasn't burning, cause it felt hot, but it still looked white as anything, when I took my sunglasses off. I thought I looked a bit pink when I looked through my sunglasses, but thought it was just the tintedness of them, playing tricks on me. (Is tintedness a word?)Anyway, as soon as I walked back inside, I looked in a mirror, and whoa, was I burnt!! Guess the sun was too bright for me to see correctly. I was so sore that night. I asked our waiter at dinner for cider vinegar, because I knew it would help the pain, but he came back with white vinegar instead. I don't think he quite knew what I meant, and there was a bit of a language barrier, so I had to suffer. My own fault though.

Saturday June 13th

Today we were in a port called Livorno, Italy. In the morning, we booked an excursion to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. It was really quite something to see in person. Unfortunately no one is allowed inside the tower anymore. They were doing some restoration work. Here are a few picsof Brian being silly.

Bracing the tower.

|In the afternoon, we had booked an excursion to Florence. We spent the afternoon in and around a famous square, trying to squeeze in as many tourist attractions as we possibly could. It was almost unbearably hot there too. On the bus ride back to the ship, the busdriver stopped on side of the road, beacuse there was a teenage guy vacationing with his family, who needed to use the bathroom. He must have been pretty desperate to want to go on the side of the road. Anyway, while he was gone, his brother told everyone on the bus to clap for him when he came back on the bus. It was pretty pretty funny, but he was a good sport about it.

These are of the Duomo. It is a massive cathedral. I can't even begin to describe how utterly huge it is. We didn't have time to go inside, unfortunately.

Sunday June 14th

We got off the cruiseship today in Civitavecchia. It's about an hour's train ride from Rome. We got on the train, and went a few stops to a place called Santa Marinella. One of Brian's friends has a brother who married an Italian girl from Santa Marinella, and they run a hotel there. We had made arrangements to stay in their hotel overnight and went out to dinner with them that evening. We just lazed around all afternoon, went for a swim in the Mediterannean, it was a lovely end to our trip.

The view out our window.

Logan's 3rd Birthday

2011-01-29T12:17:00.000-04:00

I know this this post is way overdue, it's been in "draft" form for months because the pics were on Brian's laptop for awhile, but better late than never, right?

Logan turned 3 on August 18th. We celebrated with family on Friday the 20th with cake and ice cream. I made him a John Deere tractor cake. He was very proud of it, and even helped to make it! He loves "helping in the kitchen" If he hears me making supper or getting ready to bake, he comes right in and says, "Whatcha making mommy?" And then proceeds to get out a mixing bowl and my electric beater and puts them on the counter. What a good helper. He'll often ask throughout the mixing process, "Is it yummy for me yet?" Even if there's only butter and sugar in the bowl. He just wants the beaters to lick off.

Opening presents!

Blowing out the candles!

Meghan Jayne

2010-12-12T11:10:00.003-04:00

She's finally arrived!!! Meghan Jayne Moses was born at 8:01pm on Thursday December 9th. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs even,(a new record low!)and was 19.5 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great, and the rest of the clan are quite taken with her. More pics and details to follow.

Baby stuff!

2010-11-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

I have been busy getting ready for baby. I found a crib that I LOVE, on kijiji for $40. Yep, $40. I was so excited!! I had my heart set on a mini crib, that converts into a twin bed, but we'd have to order it from the states, and the shipping was a little ridiculous, so Brian put the kybosh to that one. It's okay though. I'm very pleased with my super deal. I love the turned spindles.

I am in the middle of redecorating the nursery with these fabrics. Can't wait to take the after pics!

I discovered "Sleepy Wrap". My sister, Keah purchased one, and I really liked it, so I made my own. Mine is beige. Didn't want to go too crazy with the color. Beige will match everything.

Also made myself a new portable changing pad. I copied the "Patemm" pad. I think they're pretty cool. You can check these out at http://www.sleepywrap.com/ & http://www.patemm.com/

I've gone through all my girl clothes, and have washed and put them all away. Now I just need the baby!!

Baby Update

2010-11-23T16:22:00.002-04:00

Last week at my 38 week appointment, baby was in a breech position. Booooooo! She was bum down, so I was referred to an OB-GYN. I really, really, really, didn't want to have a c-section and was willing to try a breech delivery if the doctor agreed to, so I was booked for an ultrasound and assessment that took place today. I am thrilled to say that the little bugger decided to turn around the right way, so she is head down, for now, and doc says there's an 80% chance she'll stay that way. The head isn't fully engaged, but it's down pretty far. I have been booked for another assessment next Tuesday November 30th at 9am, to see if she's still head down. If she is, they will induce me then, (if I don't go into labour before then). Only one day shy of my due date. I'm measuring a bit small, which is unusual for me. I've been measuring 1cm smaller for weeks, then I caught up, and now I'm back to 1cm smaller. The ultrasound today estimated baby's weight at 6lbs 4oz. I don't believe it though. My smallest baby was 8lbs 4 oz, and I feel I'm about that big this time around too. Time will tell though. Still have a week to grow, and still have so much to do. The nursery is pretty much done. Just one more quick project, and then I'll post pics. I just decided to make a rag quilt. I've never made one for myself before. I always give them away.

On another totally unrelated note, we're planning a trip to Utah at the end of February. Brian has a medical conference in Park City, so we're making a family vacation out of it. I am looking for suggestions of things to do while there, and the names and locations of some awesomne fabric/crafty stores and just general good shopping. I know there's a great outlet centre in Park City I've been to once before. I want to stock up while I'm there. We'll be in Park City from the Feb 27-Mar 4, and in and around Salt Lake from Feb 23-27 and Mar 4-7. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Keep in mind I'll have 5 kids aged 0-10 years. Oh, and in case you think I'm entirely crazy, we are bringing our mothers along to help out. Not doing that alone! We'd love to meet up with friends while we're there too, so we'll have to plan a get together of some sort!!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T15:03:00.003-03:00

Check this out! It's hilarious!!

http://http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/8tK6whG0MnMEU2BM

28 week belly pic and other stuff

2010-10-02T10:37:00.006-03:00

Holy Blog slacker! I don't know why I have such a hard time uploading pictures onto the computer, but for some reason, I do. Even though I'm at 31 weeks now, I'll post my 28 week belly pic. Not a great one, but as you can see, I'm definitely growing.

I guess I'll start where I left off last time. I visited my family in Bridgewater in mid August, while Brian took Avery and Jacob to Orlando, for the Star Wars Celebration 5 convention. Nope, I'm not kidding. I asked him to do a post about their trip, so hopefully that'll happen soon. They had a great time. I, on the other hand, did not so much. Izzy and Logan had had a cough a few days before we went to Bridgewater, but were pretty much over it. I started with a sore throat, got a cold on top of it, the day before we left, and felt just wretched. I woke up the next day with chills so bad I was shaking, and my fingers were tingly and nails were half blue. I put on a sweater and my Mom made me some hot chocolate. I thawed out and then got a fever and body aches, while I still had a sore throat and sinus congestion. Thank goodness for my neti pot! And Tylenol. (Iwould have much rather have taken some good cold drugs, but being pregnant and all, Tylenol was the only thing I could take) I felt a fair bit better the next day, and even better the next. And then I woke up with an earache. It was just one thing after another, and I was sick pretty much 80% of the time I was there. I had so many plans, but most of them fell by the wayside. I barely got to see my twin nieces, but toward the end of my stay, I was able to go and visit them. I made one trip to Frenchy's and scored big time! I got Avery a brand new "Columbia" winter coat. I was pretty excited. I also went to dinner with two high school friends and we had a great time catching up!

The kids got to finally meet Finley and Emmy in person. Izzy held Emmy for a few seconds. She started to squirm a bit, and I think that scared Izzy, so she kind of threw up her arms and didn't want any more of that. I don't think she has ever held a baby before. She was so young when Logan was born, and just wasn't all that interested in him. Logan didn't hold them, but he was always right there, observing. He said a couple of times, "I wuv dat baby" and would blow kisses to them. It was pretty cute. Ave and Jake held them. Jacob couldn't get enough. He thought their tiny little hands and feet were amazing and was very inquisitive as to why things were the way they are. Avery was paranoid that Finley would spit up on him. It was kind of funny.

We celebrated Logan's 3rd birthday on Aug 18th. I'll do a separate post on that later. I also did up some Italian stewed tomatoes. I was pretty proud of myself. Most of them came from my mom's and grandparent's garden. Aren't they pretty! I also made some rosehip syrup from rosehips I picked from our front yard, but I didn't take a pic of that.

We headed back up to Bridgewater on Sep 5th for Finley and Emmy's blessing in church. It was a big family event, with some good food afterward. Mike gave them both wonderful blessings, and a ton of pictures were taken to mark the event. The girls behaved exceptionally well.

That's Emmy on the left and Finley sleeping on the right.

Seymour family.

Moses Family

One big happy family

Then school started on the 7th!! Jacob had a rough morning. He had gotten his hair cut before they went to Florida. If you know Jacob, you know that he has always been sensitive around the head area, and therefore haircutting is nearly unbearable for him. He has gotten a lot better the older he's gotten, but he still does not like it. Anyway, at the time, he felt that it was too short, and wore a hat constantly for the next week or so. It didn't help that Avery made a comment about him being bald either. He got over it, until the morning school starts. He gets on this thing about him being bald again and doesn't want to go to school. He says he's sick so he can't go, he's says he's going to barf, and makes theses gross gagging noises. Wouldn't get his shoes on, so I left him in his room, and I walked out to the bus, because Izzy was starting school for the first time, so I wanted to be there for her. She did great. I meant to take a picture, but discovered my batteries in the camera were dead when I tried, so I took one on the second day, instead. She turned and waved like three or four times as she was climbing up the steps to the bus. Avery was fine. He couldn't wait to get back to school because he was so bored at home. So I went back inside, and Jake was in the hallway. I told him he missed the bus, so I was going to drive him in. It took awhile, (had to get Logan dressed, had to forego my shower, as I was going grocery shopping and the school is 3 minutes away from Superstore, so I wasn't about to make two trips, and I wanted to get him there before school actually started) but we got in the car (Jacob sans shoes) and drove. I called Brian on the way there, and explained what had happened and got him to talk to Jake on the phone. He told Jake that we'd cut Avery's hair that night, so he's have short hair too. (He was due for a haircut anyway) That seemed to make him feel a bit better. I was able to get his shoes on when were stopped in road construction, but he still was making up these excuses as to why he couldn't go to school. It had started raining, so he couldn't go to school. Maybe an elephant would step on the school and crush it, so he couldn't go to school. Seriously, where does he come up with this stuff?! We got to school, and he didn't put up a fight at all. We walked in and met his Star Program teacher in the hallway so that helped. Got his shoes changed, hat off (thank goodness) etc., and he was taken into his classroom, just as "Oh Canada" ended. Once he got there, he was fine. And Izzy's classroom is right next door to his, so that was a bit comforting, as they can walk to their classrooms together. They play together at recess all the time. Haven't had any "not going to school" issues since, thank goodness.

It's a ........!!

2010-08-16T21:36:00.004-03:00

It's a GIRL!!!!!

Here's a look at her. It looks like she's rubbing her eye. Pretty cute, huh? The ultrasound tech said she was 500% sure it's a girl. Seems like a pretty safe bet. Bring on the pink again!! Isabella is thrilled, as am I, but the boys didn't really have much of a reaction. I'm sure they will in time.

Hello Baby

2010-07-23T15:11:00.000-03:00

Here's a sneak peek at the newest "Baby Moses" (that sounds so funny) in profile.

Well, I'm 21 weeks now. Went for my ultrasound last week, with high hopes of getting to know the gender, but the little bugger did not cooperate. Legs and knees were practically fused together, and the cord was dangling down between the legs. I really wanted to know, so that I could start making more decisions, know which gender clothes to get rid of, etc. They may reschedule me for another scan in a few weeks, (the tech had a hard time getting some of the pics she needed) so hopefully we'll have another chance. If not, Jacob has an appointment at the IWK in mid to late August, so I'll book myself in at UC Baby or whatever it's called now. I will know the sex of this baby. Brian and his mom think it looks like a boy. Personally, I can't see it. In any case though, it looks like a good healthy baby, so that's all we can really ask for.

Poor Izzy was really looking forward to knowing if it was a "girl baby". When I told her that we weren't able to tell, she said, "When you push it out, will you know what it is?" Yes, Izzy we will know. Kids are funny sometimes. The other day Izzy was asking me why I pushed Avery out first, and not her. I think she thinks everyone was in there at the same time.

In other news, Izzy spent the first full week in July, Mon-Fri 8:30am-2:30pm at "School". They have this program called "Ready, Set, Go" for kids starting school in September, to give them an idea of what to expect in the fall. She loved it! I loved it too. It was so much quieter with her gone, and a fair bit less fighting too. Am I a bad mother for saying that?

Avery and Jacob were gone to camp this past week. They went to Camp Peniel, which is a Christian camp. We dropped them off on a Sunday night, and picked them up on Friday night. They had fun. Avery was a littlee homesick toward the middle of the week, so we paid him a little visit. He got over it. Jake hardly gave us a second glance. It kind of breaks up the summer for me, and them. In mid August, Brian is taking Avery and Jacob to Orlando for "Star Wars Celebration V", and I'll take the other two to Bridgewater to visit with my family. My little twin nieces finally came home last Saturday!! Can't wait to see them again.

16 Weeks and other stuff

2010-06-22T15:58:00.007-03:00

I know I'm nearly a week late on this, as I 'll be 17 weeks tomorrow, but better late than never, right?

So here's the little paunch at 16 weeks. I heard the heartbeat at my last appointment, so that was exciting. Izzy and Logan were with me, and when Izzy heard it, she asked "Do you know what it is now Mom?" Nope, sorry kiddo. The heartrate was 160 bpm. I can't remember. Does a fast heartbeat means a girl? I don't hold much stock in that stuff though. Time will tell.

In other news, Isabella got to go to her Grade Primary orientation on June 3rd. She's so tiny. Hard to believe she'll be starting school in September. She also had her preschool graduation. She's pretty shy up in front of people. Here are a few pics of her special days.

Hard at work!

Nice sock Izzy!
Izzy on the far left, not singing with the rest.

Jacob celebrated his 7th birthday on June 7th. No party again this year, but he did contemplate it. Maybe next year.

This was the best shot, out of the eight that I took. That's cousin Nathan, and AVery's arm in the background.

We also spent a night out at our cabin two weekends ago. The weather was beautiful!! Brian and the kids actually went swimming!! Logan and I stayed dry though.

Izzy frolicking in the water, and Logan digging in the sand.

The boys in the lake.

Look out!!

Oh, it's only Avery.

Brian has been away in Norway for a conference, the last five days. He gets back late tonight. Thank goodness. My Mom was so gracious as to come down from Thursday til Sunday to keep me company. We got a lot of stuff accomplished too. I finally got my clothesline up (Yay!), shampooed the carpet in the family room, went through the playroom and got rid of two grocery bags worth of stuff, hung up a couple of clocks, mowed the lawn, planted a couple of plants, tidied up the bookcases in the computer room, got my whirlpool tub fixed, attended Avery's piano recital, prepared a talk for church, and hosted an Enrichment Spa night. (I mean a Relief Society Activity.) It was a pretty full weekend. I am still tired and my poor mother probably is too.

I was supposed to go up to Halifax today, as Jacob had a dental appointment, but it got rescheduled. Boo! I was really looking forward to visiting my twin nieces, and my sis too, of course. They are doing really well now. They're breathing on their own. They just need to get the eating thing down pat, then they should be home in no time!! Yay!

Star Wars starring the Moses family

2010-05-30T19:37:00.003-03:00

We made a video with JibJab from Star wars, starring us. Check it out at http://starwars.jibjab.com/view/r1jWm1mHbv2Zhjz4?cmpid=sw_fb_self

#5. . . . .

2010-05-19T10:56:00.006-03:00

#5 . . . . . will arrive on Dec 1, 2010!!! Yep, I am twelve weeks pregnant, today. Yes, it was planned. Very carefully in fact. Izzy starts school in September (yay!!) and Logan will be starting pre-school then too (yay!!) and I didn't want to miss the school year, and wanted some space between the barage of late September/October birthdays in our family and extended family (six of them, to be exact), and I 've always wanted a winter baby to bundle right up, so December 1st it is. Just in time to ruin Christmas instead. (just kidding) I think I am feeling better now. I've been the sickest with this one. Hard to remember though, but I threw up for the first time in my pregnancy "career" this time around, and I felt nauseous a lot, and all the time. Whereas in my past pregnancies, I was nauseous starting late afternoon and all evening. Glad that's pretty well over now.
I am fully counting on Dec. 1st. I have this weird pattern in my pregnancy "career." I have always been due on Wednesdays. Avery was born right on his due date, Jacob was 3 days late, (Saturday) Izzy was right on her due date (and the only sensible one to be born at a half decent hour) and Logan was 3 days late,(Saturday) so this one should be right on it's due date, right?
The kids are pretty excited. Izzy is rooting for a girl. I don't care either way. I've got at least one of each, so whatever. I just need to know in advance, so UC Baby, here I come.

This will be the fifth and final, in case anyone's wondering. I feel satisfied, even though my original intention was to have six, that's not the case anymore. Five is good.
And just in case you think I haven't totally lost my mind, (which is debatable) I want to use cloth diapers. (If there was any doubt, it's gone now, right?) So I am asking if anyone out there has used them, knows anyone who has used them, and what their experience has been. I've been researching some, and am thinking about a couple of different brands, including "Apple Cheeks", "Fuzzibunz", "Bummis". So, if anyone has any info, I'd greatly appreciate it.
I will take belly shots and make a conscious effort to keep this thing updated more regularly. Comments really keep me going, hint, hint.

Updates & re-caps

2010-04-09T08:20:00.006-03:00

If anyone out there still reads this blog, sorry for being a slacker the last few months. No that I haven't had anything blogworthy to say, but I was waiting for myself to put pics on the computer, waiting for a few spare minutes without kids to bug me, or just plain forgetting. No excuse, really. I have loads to blog about. Part II of our Mediterranean cruise we took last June, Christmas, Mexican cruise, Disneyworld trip, etc., so it;ll take a few posts to get me caught up. First though, I start with general updates and the baby shower I threw last week, for my sister, Keah.

Christmas was good.We didn't have any power outages like last year, so Christmas dinner went better. Santa Clause surprised me with a"Magic Bullet Express" I saw it on an informercial and fell in love with it. So did the younger kids who were watching it with me. We sat mesmerized by it's effortless slicing and dicing and the promise of a meal, ready for the oven in 8 minutes or less. What housewife wouldn't love that? Here's a visual for you. Anyway, it saved me Christmas morning when I made scalloped sweet potatoes. Took me 30 secondss to sclice those bad boys up, instead of almost an hour by hand. I'm a sucker for those "As seen on TV" products. But this one actually works! Anyway, the kids enjoyed themselves, as usual.

Below are some pics of our tree, Logan with his stocking, Izzy on her trunki,and Logan on his trunki. trunkis are are carry on sized, luggage for kids. They can ride on it, or there's a strap, and you can pull them, through the airport. One of the best inventions ever!! I bought them from target.com, and had them shipped(free shipping!!) to Brian's hotel, when he was at a conference in San Diego, last October. He brought them home in the large suitcase I insisted he take. I had our upcoming Disneytrip in mind when I bought them.

Brian's whole family came to our house for Christmas dinner, and then my parents, Keah and Mike came to visit on December 28th for a few days. It was fun, and I got to go through my itty bitty baby clothes to give some to Keah for the twins she was expecting. So fun!
So I'll skip ahead to Keah's baby shower, and fill in the blanks later. So Keah found out she was having two girls, and the colors would be pink and brown. Well, I'm sure that those of you who know Keah, know she's already had them. Finley Anne, and Emmy Jacqueline arrived on March 12, 2010, at only 24 week gestation. Finley weighed 1 lb 5.5 oz. and Emmy weighed in at 1 lb 4 oz. Things are going as well as can be expected, they are gaining weight now and taking milk. As I am writing this post, they are four weeks old today. I've been to see them in person once, and they are just precious. Absolutely perfect, just in miniature. I had started plannig Keah's baby shower even before she got pregnant. I was just too excited. We had planned to have it at our Mom's home in Bridgewater on April 2. Sent out the invites, and went to work. Fortunately, Keah was still willing to hold the shower on the original date, even though the girls had already been born. It was a huge success. We had about 40 people show up, and let me tell you, it got hot and it got hot fast in that livingroom! Keah got some great stuff, and everyone was excited to see her and pics of the girls. Here are a few highlight pictures.

A random shot of the livingroom, jam packed. Izzy was helping auntie Kiki open her presents.

A shot of the food table.

And the piece de resistance, my diaper cake. I'm a little proud of it. I think it came out great.

Here's another view, just so you can take a better look. These are before I decided to add the pillars.

We played three games, which I did up on the computer and printed off on cardstock. Name the baby animals. There were 16 names of grown up animals, and the guests had to write down the what the animals are called when they are babies. The second game was a Baby Food Tasting game. I had six different baby food jars labeled #1 through #6 and the guests had to dip a popsicle stick in, take a taste and try to guess what it is. In retrospect, I think I made it a bit too hard, as I bought all combinations, not just single foods. And the third game was Baby Bingo. Pretty self explanatory. It was a good time, and Keah got a good haul.

Christmas Can Can

2009-12-19T20:45:00.001-04:00

My dad e-mailed me this and I think it is really cute. Go ahead, check it out.

PEEK and giveaway

2009-12-04T13:25:00.002-04:00

I did a guest "PEEK" into my kitchen, on my friend, Kristi's blog today. Her blog rocks! Also, I'm sponsering a pretty cool giveaway to enter on there too. Check it out here.

Landscaping: Before, During and After

2009-12-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

**Beware: This post contains numerous pictures**

Our landscaping is done now, well, for this year anyway. The difference is huge!! We are very happy with the final results. We did A LOT of work. Well, not us personally, but a lot of work was involved. The results are astounding, to us anyway. First of all, we had nothing but rocks and dirt all around the house. A lot of dirt. We moved our trampoline to the septic bed or septic field, whatever you call it. Then, we set up the playground we had purchased last year, also on the septic bed. Don't worry, we asked the septic guys before we set anything up there, to make sure it wouldn't wreck anything there. We enlisted the help of local company R&D Harris to do the rest. They leveled and graded all the land, hydroseeded it, put in a stamped concrete patio and front walkway, built a rock retaining wall, cut down two trees, planted two apple trees, four high bush blueberry bushes, put in the front gardens and mulched them, and because we weren't completely satisfied with the rock wall, they offered to level, grade and grass the sides of our driveway, on the house! Here are a few before, during and after pics.

BEFORE:

This is the front "yard"

This is the out building. We kept it, but the foundation in front of it is gone.

This is a view of the old driveway, lawn, and how many trees there were. Wow, I thought I had a lot more "before" pictures. Guess not so many of the outside.

DURING:

Finally, nice flat land that the kids fall and trip over anymore.

More flat land, and a bit of a view of the playground. Trampoline is on the right, behind trees.

Rock retaining wall. We were expecting round rocks.

Side yard and top of rock wall, or as Jacob likes to call it, "the cliff"

Outlining the front walkway and gardens.

AFTER:

A view of the patio.

Another view of the patio.

The side yard.

The play area. Yeah, I know it needs to be mowed. This was before we got a lawnmower.

The driveway and newly grassed on either side, done for free! If you look closely, on the right of the driveway, you can see Brian on the John Deere.

A view from one side. The little tree planted, (left) will eventually hide the post.

A view from the other side. The front gardens are all perennials, so they'll only get bigger and better every year. I'll plant colorful annuals to fill it in til then.

You know you live in the country when......

2009-11-30T20:31:00.004-04:00

Here is what I saw when I looked out the window the other day. It's not uncommon 'round these parts.

Stupid animals.

Don't they know it's hunting season?

I HATE LUNCH !!

2009-09-23T18:56:00.002-03:00

I'm glad the kids are back in school, however, I hate having to pack lunches, every blessed day. And not only that, I just hate making lunch in general. I often just skip it, or snack it. Anyone else feel this way? Anybody have any cool tricks or great ideas for school lunches. I once got an idea from the blog of a woman with seven children (5 of them are quintuplets) and she makes sandwiches for her two school aged kid's lunches in bulk.(Like 2 weeks worth at a time) She does PB & J or PB & Nutella, wraps them up and puts them in the freezer, and when she needs one, she just pops it in a lunchbox, and it acts as an ice pack as well. Pretty neat idea. I should try it. One problem though, my kids aren't allowed to bring PB to school because of nut allergies. Has anyone ever tried freezing a ham & cheese sandwich? A jam sandwich? Did it taste okay when it thawed? HELP. It's only September.

You may be thinking, why not get them to buy their lunch at school? Well, I usually send money for them on pizza days, but honestly, they wouldn't eat half the stuff on the menu, so that's not really an option. They're kind of picky. Occasionally I will, but not on most days.

Catch up

2009-09-03T21:36:00.006-03:00

It's been awhile. A lot has happened in August. Guess that's why I've been a little slack lately. Keah and Mike and Kiel and Derick came for a visit, the first of the month. Good times were had by all. We made the six hour plus, round trip on the 7th to see Sid the Kid and the Stanley Cup. Long drive for a two minute parade, but it was pretty neat. I'm glad we went. We all had dentist appointments, (our first since we moveddown here), we went to Annapolis Royal and visited Port Royal and Fort Anne, Logan turned 2! Avery started piano lessons the branch corn boil, and I made a diaper cake.

Here are a lot pics of the aforementioned events.

Brainchild that I am, somehow had set the camera to B&W. Oops.

This is Maxime Talbot, one of Sid's teamates.

Sidney Crosby with the cup.

Front and back.

At Fort Anne. Jacob and cousin Ellie on the cannon.

Port Royal. I don't know what this is called, but the kids really liked
pretending to shoot people.

Jacob, playing dead in a wooden coffin. Freaky.

Logan's birthday cake. He loves trucks of any kind. I wanted to make a schoolbus cake, but i couldn't find
a cakepan, so the fire truck was the next best thing.

Not too sure what to make of the candles, so Brian had to
blow them out.

Yum!

Presents! Logan is a boy's boy if ever there was one. He loves to get into Brian's tools, so we thought we get him his own. He was pretty
pumped! Yes, I realize he is in his jammies. Halloween jammies
at that. He loves to wear pajamas, and I just don't fight with him anymore. Could be worse.

Here's Jacob getting in on the action. Isn't that hilarious?
Oh, he looks so funny.

Here's the fun diaper cake I made for a baby shower.
I think it's my new favorite baby gift.

My "Polished" young children

2009-07-30T22:58:00.010-03:00

This is what happens when it's too quiet in the house. Kids get into stuff they

shouldn't, and make a mess.

I was getting supper ready today when Brian came home. He asked where the kids were, and I told him they were upstairs. Two seconds after he got upstairs, I heard "Tamara, could you come up here please?" All I could think was "uh-oh. What have they done now?" Jake and Izzy had been in Ave and Jake's room coloring, the last I knew. Avery was at his cousin's house and Logan was attached to my leg. As soon as I got to the top of the stairs, I said "Do I smell nail polish?" Sure enough, that's what it was. A bit of back story: I painted Izzy's toes the other day. After I was done, she informed me that she wanted red. I didn't have any, so when I went grocery shopping this week, I picked up a bottle of red and a bottle of pink nail polish.

Izzy admitted to climbing up on the counter and getting the bag which it was in. She had wanted to "paint". As you can see, they "painted" their legs and arms.

They even painted their Webkinz!!!

And Jake's bed sheets, which, I might add, where just changed, TODAY!

We stuck them in the bath and scrubbed with my loofah and facecloths and hand sanitizer, (Brian, Hon BSc in chemistry) said the alcohol in it would help get the polish off. It did come off. Thank goodness.

The moral of this story is: HIDE anything and everything you don't want your kids to touch, even if you think they won't get it, you'd be surprised.

Trip Pics Recovered!! Part 1

2009-07-18T21:43:00.016-03:00

Thankfully, our cruise pictures were able to be recovered by the photo guy at Shoppers Drug Mart. Yay! Also Jacob's 6th birthday pictures were on there too, so I'll start with that. Jacob turned 6 on June 7th, which, unfortunately, was while we were on our cruise, so we celebrated early. With Jacob, less is definitely more, so we just had some family over after supper for some cake and ice cream. On his 4th birthday, he started crying when we sang "Happy Birthday" and brought his cake to him, so we've kept it pretty low key since. Jacob is really into Pokemon right now, so I made a cake to look like his favorite character, Gastly. He seemed to enjoy himself.

Jacob and Dad

So onto the cruise. Be aware that this will probably be a long post, with a lot of pictures.
We left on Thursday June 4th after supper. Our flight to London Heathrow left Halifax at 11:45pm, and since it was international, we had to be there early. In case anyone didn't know, Brian's a big Pittsburgh Penguins fan, and game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals was being played as were driving, so he got me to slowly go through all of the FM and AM radio stations to see if we could find one that was broadcasting the game. Brian realized that XM radio (which we don't have) had exclusive broadcasting rights, but we did end up finding a very staticky AM sports station that was giving regular updates, so that's what we listened to until we got to the airport. Pittsburgh was up 1-0, I believe when we parked the car.After we checked our bags (what a difference when you don't have kids with you!) we went to our gate, and Brian got out his laptop and went on NHL.com to see how things were going. I, being the good wife that I am, took a little walk down the hallway to see if there was somewhere that had a TV with the game on. I found a bar showing the game, and I raced back to tell him, so we watched it til they kicked us out. (Bar closed at 10:30 but there were lots of people watching and we didn't leave until almost 11pm. The waitresses were ticked.)) Pittsburgh was up at 4-2 by that point. We went back to wait at our gate and boarded the plane. Brian had enough aeroplan points so he booked me a first class ticket, and since this was a conference for work, and airfare was a business expense, he booked himself a first class ticket. Can I just say, if you ever have the chance to fly first class, DO IT!! It was awesome. Especially on this particular airplane.
We each had our own personal TV, the flight attendants kept offering us OJ and champagne in glass glasses, not plastic. We got the hot towel, a little goody bag with travel socks, blindfold, lip balm, lotion, etc., and the best was that the seats could recline and lay down flat so you could actually sleep. Oh, and we got a substantial pillow and a heavier blanket. It was heaven. Brian actually asked the flight attendant if she could find out who won the hockey game, and she was able to find out that Pittsburgh won it 4-2. Brian and I both watched "Taken", although I regretted that the next day when I was so tired from staying up too late and the four hour time change. Above: Brian relaxing in first class.

Friday June 5th

We took the tube to St. Pancras Station, where we boarded the Eurostar train to Paris, where we were going to meet up with Brian's Mission President and spend the night, and catch a flight the next morning to Barcelona Spain, where our cruise departed. We met his Mission President at a fountain near Notre Dame, but we got off a stop too early and got lost, and couldn't figure out how to use the phones to call his cellphone.
Well, that's not entirely true. Brian knew how to use the phones, but for some reason, it wouldn't accept his credit card, it didn't take cash and we didn't have a phone card that they use over there. So finally, we just started walking and asked some guy at a cafe where this fountain was, he told us, and away we went. The fountain was in this square, where there was a hundred people milling about, but we found him, 45 minutes late. We waled, talked, well, they talked, I listened mostly, we got a crepe and he put us on the right subway to take us to our hotel. I wanted to walk around more and buy cheap Eiffel Tower souvenirs, but alas, it was not to be. Guess that's what happens when you're late. You'e short on time. Brian had originally wanted to leave a few days earlier and stay in France for three nights to visit more with Prez, visit a few places from his mission, and I have always wanted to see Versailles. But I talked him out of it. I was already having a hard time with being away 10 days minimum, because we had never left all of the kids before, for that lenght of time, and going halfway across the world. What if something happened? We couldn't just come home at a moments notice, and my Mom wasn't able to stay for 2 weeks, although Brian's parents had offered to stay with them when my Mom had to leave. Well as it turned out, it's a good thing we didn't go for longer. Brian's Dad needed a kidney transplant, his Mom was to be the donor, and we found out less than a month before we left, that the surgery would take place while we were away. I felt bad that I was cutting the trip short, but we'll just have to go back sometime. It all worked out. The surgery went fine, in case you're wondering.

Me, by the fountain.

Saturday June 6th

We caught a flight to Barcelona, hopped in a taxi (we don't speak Spanish) and showed the driver on our itinerary, the port we needed to get to. It was hard not to miss it. The cruise ship was absolutely humongous!!

Here's some pics of our stateroom.
It was bigger than I was expecting,
not that it was huge, but it was cozy.

Bathroom had a tiny shower.

The rest of it. Our window
overlooked the "Royal Promenade" which was the mini mall, and the windows were incredibly
soundproof. We didn't hear
a thing at night.

We walked around the ship, saw two pools (one was adult only, and I forgot to take a picture), a mini golf course, a sports court, rock climbing wall, spa, gym, different kids areas by age, mini mall, ice rink, 2 level theatre, 3 level formal diningroom, massive buffet, etc. Boy, they had everything! It was amazing. Our dinner time was at 6:45 pm every night and at the same table, which was quite nice. We were seated with a doctor originally from Russia but working in Hamilton, ON and another doctor from Niagara on the Lake, ON, his wife and their 12 year old granddaughter. We only ate with the Russian doctor that night. He went to the buffet every other night, but it was nice to be able to talk to people about what we each did during the day, what excursions we did, etc. All the staff were so nice. They couldn't do enough for you, and they came from all over the world. Our Head waiter was Italian, our waiter was from, oh, I forget. Somewhere in the Caribbean I think, and our assistant waiter was from Mauritius. Brian spoke french to him. He liked it. The waiter did, I mean. But everyone spoke pretty good english.

Sunday June 7th
Our first port of call was Valencia, Spain. I didn't love it. It was nice and all, lotsofhistoricarchitecture, huge, old churches. Oh, funny story. We were in this one church looking around. They had all the 12 sons of Israel going around the whole chapel, so we were looking at all the incredible detail, and were were getting close to the front of the church, and Brian was considering going up front, like really really up front, to look at something, and all of a sudden we heard this weird singing, sort of chanting, and this Catholic priest was coming out followed by all the altar boys I guess, and then it hit us. It's Sunday. Mass is about to begin. So we hightailed it out of there. It was embarassing because we were on the opposite side of the exit, so we had to cut across a row of pews to get out. We looked around, and it was bloody hot out, so we headed back to the ship about mid afternoon. There really wasn't a whole lot to see. I was super tired too. I kept nodding off.

We laid out by the pool and read until dinner. I brought "Twilight " with me to read for the third time. I actually saw a fair number of people reading the Twilight series. Brian had to check who had won the hockey game the night before. Pittsburgh got smoked. Not good. Tonight's dinner was formal dress. I had gotten a cute little black Evan Picone dress on e-bay before we left, for CAD$31, including shipping, exchange, everything!! I was way excited to wear it. Everynight had a different dress code.

June 8th
Today we went to Palma de Mallorca (pronounced My-orca) It's an island off the coast of Spain.
This was probably my favorite port. Either that or Villefranche. I can't decide. We had booked an excursion that took us across the island to a place called Porto Cristo, where we stopped at the beach, and visited some underground caves.

Me at the beach. We stuck our feet in the Mediterranean Sea, and it was COLD!

I think the caves are among the largest in the world. We weren't allowed taking pictures down in the caves. There was the largest underground lake in the world, and we watched a classical concert where the performers were plaving their instruments on little boats while they were moving. It was kind of weird, but pretty cool too. After the caves, we stopped at a Pearl factory. Mallorca is world renowned for their pearls, which are manmade, but apparently they have some top secret formula where you can't tell the difference between their pearls and real pearls. I love pearls. They're classic, timeless really, and I was looking forward to purchasing some. I thought that since we were going to a factory, that the prices would be quite reasonable. Well, they weren't so much. Well maybe they were, but I'm kind of a cheapskate, so we didn't really think they were such a great deal. Brian remarked that of course if we were on a tour, that they would probably mark things up 'cause tourists would buy them anyway. So I had planned to go to a couple of pearl stores in Palma, that the cruise's shopping expert recommended. So after we got off the tour we got some lunch, and looked around the capital city, Palma. I really liked it.

There was a massive Cathedral. I think it has the longest aisle in the world, for real. No joke. We found an internet cafe, and checked our e-mail, and then we were going to call home. But then I realized that I forgot our calling card back in our room on the ship. Oops. Big oops. We headed back toward the shuttle bus to take us back to the ship, to get the card. It was starting to get a bit late, and we didn't have time to get the card, come back to Palma and finish shopping. Sucky for me.

Me in front of the main door. Huge, isn't it?

Left: Brian in the guard's post.

Tuesday June 9th

Today we were at sea, on our way up to Marseille, France. Brian had his conference all day, so I went to a seminar on how to boost your metabolism, at the spa. I laid by the pool and read, met Bri for lunch, and then laid by the pool some more and just relaxed. It was awesome. I saw lots of people with kids, and was grateful that mine weren't with me. I heard babies crying, and could say with absolute surety that they weren't mine. I almost didn't want to come home to reality. Does that make me a bad mother?

Wednesday June 10th

Today was Marseille, France. It's a dirty city. Very industrial. My brother in law, Mike served his mission here, and he told us not to bother spending any time in Marseille itself, so we planned to hop on a train and go to a town called Aix-en-Provence.

We got to the train station about 5 minutes after a train to Aix left. We bought tickets for the next train, an hour and a half later, and set out to find an internet cafe. There had been a hockey game the night before, so we had to check the score. For all we knew, Detroit might have won the Stanley Cup. Ol Eagle Eyes (that's me) spotted a cafe, so we went in and checked. Brian told me not to look, jokingly, in case I jinxed them. But the Penguins won. YAY!!! All tied up at 3 games a piece. We checked e-mails, I got some pics of the landscaping going on at home, (post about that later)and then we went to wait for our train, which was delayed, so when we actually got to where we were going, it was lunchtime. Half the day was already gone. Aix-en-Provence was a pretty town. We saw some churches, cool buildings, busted our butts walking so fast to make the most of everything, and on the advice of my sister, Keah, I got a 1 litre YOP. 1 whole litre! It was awesome. I should have taken a picture. I love YOP. I must say though, it did get a little much toward the end. We got some french pastries to eat on the train ride back. YUM-O! So good. And they came in the fanciest little boxes. I hated to throw them away. They looked expensive. I'm weird like that.

The ceiling of a cathedral. Beautiful.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Potty Training

2009-06-22T09:51:00.002-03:00

I know, it's been awhile. Brian and I went on a Mediterranean Cruise earlier this month. We were gone from the 4th to the 15th of June. Brian downloaded our cruise pics as well as some from Jacob's birthday, onto his laptop the night before we left, and erased the memory stick. The next day, he left it on a train that was bound for Rome, so it's as good as gone. I took the erased memory stick in to someone who can hopefully recover the pics, so I'll post on the cruise later, hopefully with some visuals.
Anyway, the purpose of this post, is to find out if anyone out there has tried Lora Jenson's 3 Day Potty Training method. I just purchased a few minutes ago. I guess I should have asked before I bought it, but I am desperate!!! Avery took forever to train. I think he was 4 before he was really and truly "trained". Jacob has Autism, so it's been a real challenge with him, but during Christmas vacation, we just did it, and he's been doing pretty well, but lately, he's been having a lot of accidents. Isabella was nearly trained before we made the move to Yarmouth, but we were nomads for a couple of weeks, so it got abandoned. We trained again a couple of months ago, and she too was doing quite well, up until lately. You may think it's because we went away, but it was happening before that. Actually, they did quite well for my Mom, who was watching them while we were away. So that makes me think it's me. But anyway, this 3 day potty training is supposed to be amazing and guaranteed, so if anyone out there has tried it, or knows of anyone who has tried it, please, PLEEASE tell me how it worked out. Logan will be 2 in August, so I'll be trying to tran him soon. He has a real fascination with all things toilet, and even sits on the potty sometimes if Izzy is on the toilet, so hopefully he'll be no problem, right?
I am eagerly awaiting your replies.

TupperWare Party!!

2009-05-18T21:42:00.013-03:00

Wow, I'm on a roll. Two posts in one day. I just downloaded some pics off my camera, that's why. I figure I might as well. So on Friday May 8th, I hosted a TupperWare party. I LOVE TUPPERWARE!!!! I can't even tell tell you how much. I addicted to it! You should see my cupboards, in fact I'll take a pic right now and show you.

Here is the stuff that I got from my party, this includes stuff I ordered, stuff I got free and
severely discounted. (Note: the orange pitcher was a free replacement for one that had cracked. Love that lifetime warranty!)
The four green bowls with lids was the attendance special, I'd been wanting to get the small spice containers for ages, and the Super Oval 5 Modular Mate for some tall pasta.
Holy cow, I just realized I forgot to put something in the picture! I also got a set of five vent 'n serve containers, all different sizes. They're for storing leftovers in the fridge or freezer, you can take them to work/school to warm up for lunch, and you can even cook in them, in the microwave.

Here's the stuff I got for free. (I forgot to put the bag in the first pic) I love reusable shopping bags!! So I was super excited. I got it for agreeing to host a party. I got the big green bowl for actually having the party, the fridgesmart (on top of green bowl) and the season 'n server (under bag, it's for marinating meats. It has grids on bottom so liquid flows around, and then you flip it over to get the other side) with my hostess credit, and the two little green pieces and the blue topped piece, (aren't they so cute and little?) for having a conversation about TupperWare (which lead to hosting a party), having my party on the original scheduled date, and for having 10 or more adults in attendance. How fun is that? I meant to take pics of the party, but I forgot.

I met the consultant, Sheri, at the Home Show in Exhibition Park in the spring of 2005. (We go way back.) Anyway, I put my name in for a draw, I didn't win, but she contacted me about having a party, so I was all for it. Almost three years later, in January 2008, she contacted me again, about perhaps hosting another party. The clincher was that Modular Mates were on special, big time. (They're probably my favorite product, see cupboard pics below) so I was all for it. I mentioned that we'd be moving soon, and she said that she'd love to come to Yarmouth to do a party down there once we got all settled in, so I said, sure. Anyway, a few months ago, after I had attempted to reorganize my kitchen (still working on it) I began thinking about TupperWare. I even had a dream about Sheri having a TupperWare party in my house, (weird, I know) so I e-mailed her, and said that it was that time again and the rest is history. So about my cupboards, I have been collecting TupperWare for years now. I had attended and hosted parties with other people before I met Sheri, so I have quite a collection. This isn't even all of it. I even have TupperWare not in use yet, but don't worry, I'm still unpacking our house and I will find a use for all of it. So, here they are.

This is my "baking" cupboard. These are Modular Mates, for anyone not familiar. I love them because they keep everything where you can see it, and they fit together so perfectly. Brown sugar does not go hard in the babies. I even labeled them with the labelmaker I got for Christmas. (Thanks again Keah!)

Man, I still have trouble making pictures go where I want them to go. Sorry, this is all scattered about.

This is my "Pasta/Rice cupboard" It still needs work, and I don't have my new Super Oval 5 in there yet.

This is my "cereal/breakfast/whatever cupboard"

The cereal storers are way fun. They keep your cereal fresher, longer than if just stayed in th eopened box. And, on the right near the top, I have ice-cream cones stored. They won't go stale in there!

And this little jewel is my "TupperWare cupboard", even though there are a few Rubbermaids, no names and the stack and twirl thing at the top right of the cupboard, it's still called "TupperWare" cupboard. Oh, and in the middle left, you can see some of the vent 'n serve containers I left out of my picture above.

My name is Tamara and I'm a TupperWare-aholic.

At least I can admit it. And the crazy thing is, I still want more!!

Crazy kids

2009-05-18T21:16:00.004-03:00

Isabella got one of those "Little Tikes" cars for Easter, and loves it, as I knew she would. We don't usually make a big deal, presentwise, for Easter, but this year I wanted to get them stuff to do outside, as we actually have a decent sized yard that they'll actually have room to play with toys in. (More on Landscaping in another post) We go to a play group in town sometimes, and she just mostly likes to drive around in the cars. She actually hoards them. When it's snack time, she tries to bring the car over to the table with her, and just doesn't want to let it go. It's kind of funny. She's so afraid someone else will take, which they usually do, but that's where sharing comes in. Anyway, I caught my crazy kids pulling this stunt the other day (well, actually the other week, I'm a bit behind).

Yes, Logan can actually move the car with her on top. He really does have fun, even though it doesn't look like it.

And yes, Izzy can move the car with Jacob on top of it.

Some of you may think I'm a terrible parent for allowing such dangerous behavior. In my defense, I say this: they are having fun, they are not fighting, and we've only had one fall. Izzy fell on her butt, but didn't hurt herself, so I don't think it counts. She only laughed harder. Just thought you'd enjoy a glimpse into daily life.

The House Chronicles Part 2

2009-04-25T21:19:00.006-03:00

The next most exciting pictures come at the beginning of January, 2008. Two stories on their way up, and rooms are starting to materialize!! Over Christmas, we had gone down to Yarmouth, and I had contacted an interior designer down there to help me out a bit, but there was a snowstorm and she lives pretty out in the country, so she couldn't even get out of hew driveway to come and meet me. I was pretty disappointed. So we planned to get together in January when we came down. We usually made trips every month. It was fun to see the progress. The workers were getting tired of having to shovel off the roof everyday, just to get some work done. Note to self, never build a house in the winter. We didn't actually plan to build it that late in the year. We thought they would start in October, and have everything tight by the time the snow started to fly, but obviously, that didn't happen. Here's a few of the roof going on.

It really looks like it might be a house now. Although, I have to share a few humorous stories we heard through the grapevine. Brian's sister, Sarah, and her family came to visit from Saint John, NB around this time. They took the Digby ferry across, and my sister-in-law picked them up there. Before she drovthem home, she stopped at our house so they could see the progress. When they started to drive up the driveway, my seven year old nephew said, "Woah! Are we staying in a hotel?" We really laughed when we heard that. Someone at work asked my sister-in-law, Coralee, "What is that "facility" they're building near your house?" I heard this one third hand. My mother's friend's old neighbors from the valley,(did you catch that?) went to Yarmouth to visit the husband's mother, I believe, in a nursing home. While there, someone suggested to them that they should go and see this house that's being built. They gave them directions, and off they went. This is what they said to my mother's friend. "You should have seen this house! It's huge! A doctor and his wife and FOUR children are moving in." The funniest part is, that these neighbor's have no idea who we are, and my mother's friend just assumed that it must be us, and so she told my mother about it. Boy, there aren't many secrets in small towns. Too funny. This next pic is one of a truck that slipped off the driveway. Wooops. I thought it was kind of comical. The second is our infloor heat being laid down. Oh yeah. I love it. We have in-floor heat on both levels.

So by mid to late February, we have a floor poured, rooms are being framed up, we have windows and doors in, and things are looking good.

HELP!! I'm computer illiterate.

2009-04-24T08:58:00.002-03:00

As you can see, I tried to post a family photo at the top of our blog. How do I make it smaller to fit nicely? I seriously can't figure it out. Can anybody help me?

The House Chronicles

2009-04-21T21:23:00.006-03:00

Since people have been asking to see new pics of our house, I decided I'd do a series of posts on the building of our dream house, from start to finish. So here goes. Brian and I have been planning on building this house since shortly after we got married. It has taken a couple of different forms through the years, but we couldn't be happier with the end result. It has been extremely challenging at times, especially with being three hours away from the construction site. Brian's dad lives a few doors down, so he was able to keep his eye on things for us. We met with an architect in the spring of 2007. Logan was born on August 18th, and ground broke in mid November, 2007. So I had a newborn to deal with as well as three other children while we were planning, shopping, overseeing, etc. So here are some pics of the groundbreaking.

We built the outer walls of our house out of Insulated Concrete Forms.(ICF) Nudura was the brand we chose. Anyway, it's these hollow styrofoam forms, and then they pour concrete down the middle. It's pretty fireproof, hurricane, proof and very energy efficient.

Here's a few of it going up. It's starting to look like a house now. Dec.2009

A view from the road.

Well, that's enough for one night. More to follow.

March Break trip to Pittsburgh

2009-04-07T21:11:00.014-03:00

Let me first begin by saying that I still have a lot to learn about posting. I can't make my pics go where I want them to go, etc. Please be patient with me.

One evening in January, Brian's says "I've got a great idea!" My reply was, "Oh yeah, what's that?" I had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with hockey, as he had just come out of the room where he was watching a Penguins game. "We should go to Pittsburgh for March Break!" He then went on to explain that they had 3 home games in 4 days, and that there were tickets still available. I said I'd think about it. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Not for the hockey aspect, but for the fact that I'd get to shop in the states. Not that I don't like hockey, it has grown on me, but I love shopping in the states. I really started watching when Sidney Crosby got drafted. Just 'cause he's a Nova Scotian and he's actually really good. I was a little hesitant, however, and suggested we take some help with us. If he was going to go to hockey games with Ave and Jake, that would leave me with the younger two, who aren't really big fans of shopping yet. So I suggested my youngest sister, Tangye (pronounced Tan-gee) and perhaps her boyfriend, Ryan.

Here they are in the matching shirts they bought for the game.

They were game, but the clincher for me was that the Yarmouth airport was going to become operational again, starting in February. There was a small airline coming in to do 2 daily flights to and from Halifax and 2 daily flights to and from Portland, Maine. YAY!! I'd been waiting for this. So the plan was to fly from Yarmouth to Portland, Me. on the morning of Friday March 13th, (scary, I know) spending the day shopping in Freeport (LOVE LL Bean) and Portland, spending the night (we stayed at a LaQuinta for $49 USD/per room-can't beat that!) and then caught an early (6am) flight to Pittsburgh (via Newark) on Saturday morning.

Here are Ave and Jake in front of the big boot in Freeport. How cool is that?

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. Very clean, and it has a lot of history. I was very impressed, and would definitely go back. Here's a couple shots of the city.

The first Penguins game was at 3pm on Saturday. Ryan, Brian, Avery and Jacob went to that one, while Tangye, Izzy, Logan and I went to Burlington Coat Factory, which, by the way, was a disaster. The kids were both tired and cranky and just wouldn't go to sleep in their nice double stroller they were being pushed around in. I'd gladly go to sleep if someone was pushing me around in a stroller. They don't know how good they have it. So we tossed in the towel and got in our rental van and headed to IKEA!!! I had made a list of all the stores I wanted to go to, as well as a list of specific items I hoped to purchase, to keep my spending in check and to use my time wisely. I printed off directions to these places, so I was all set, right? Sure, if you know which way is north, in a city you've never been to before, driving a rental van you've never driven before, and are scared to death you 'll put even the slightest scratch on it. So when the directions said to start out going North on ......, I was like, what the heck? So with cars beeping behind me for me to move, I picked the way I thought, and went for it. Unfortuntely, it was the wrong way. Somehow we got in the lane that is reserved for vehicles with two or more people in it, which was between the right and left lanes. Tangye was freaking right out. After going about 11 miles the wrong way,we were able to find a way off the crazy lane, and got off t an exit, turned around and get going back the right way. It was a little stressful, and it cut into my shopping time at Ikea. Something that's very precious to me. (Anytime we go away on vacation, one of the first things I do is check to see if there's an Ikea nearby. Brian can't stand Ikea, and on past trips has given me 30 minute time limits in the store. He usually stays in the car. As anyone who's been to Ikea knows, 30 minutes just doesn't cut it. It's a tease. You might as well not even bother.) Well, the kids both fell asleep, so it was a pretty good trip to Ikea. Thanks goodness for my list to keep me in check. I also spotted a JoAnn Fabric store, so I nipped in there for a few minutes, to feed my new obsession of bowmaking. Izzy was not a happy camper, so it was shortlived. In hindsight, that was probably a good thing. The next day was Sunday. We had looked up the nearest church, which started at 9am, so we go up got breakfast (which was included with the room rate) and left. Just before we left our room, I said, "I think Logan pooped." Brian said, "You'll have to change him when we get there. We're going to be late as it is." So off we went, and we were only 5 min late. So after the opening song and prayer, I took him out to change him. What I beheld then, I hope to never ever see again. I took off his overalls and there were "chunks." Oh, and for the record, they were nice overalls. Churchworthy overalls, not denim, in case anyone was wondering. There was poop on his shirt, so I whipped that off. Unbuttoned his onesie, and all the way up to his freakin shoulderblades, there was a mess. That kid had the biggest poop of his entire life. Why he had to do it while we were on vacation, and at church (where I didn't have an extra change of clothes) is beyond me. So I folded up the soiled clothes, and brought poor Logan back into church in only a diaper and his socks and sat down. Fortunately, we were seated in the second to last row, so I didn't have to make a big production coming back in. I tucked the poopy clothes into the front pocket of my bag, (which thankfully had a zipper), which I hope diffused the smell somewhat. I felt bad for the poor missionaries sitting right in front of us. So Brian whispered, "where are his clothes?" and I whispered back, "They're full of poop" to which he made a funny, wrinkled up face. I put Logan's coat on, so he could be a little bit more decent. The rest of the meeting went well. There were some great talks. We just stayed for Sacrament meeting and then went back to the hotel.

Mellon Arena from our hotel.

The second Penguins game was at 3pm that day, and we were all going to it. We couldn't have picked a better game to all go to. It happened to be their 100th consecutive sellout, so we all got a special program and the kids all got a stuffed penguin to commemorate the occasion. When we actually had a good look at them, we saw that they were actually Webkinz. Pretty cool. Avery named his "Piplup" after some penguin Pokemon character, Jacob named his "Malkin" because his favorite player is Evgeni Malkin, Izzy named hers "Iceburgh" after the Penguins mascot and Avery named Logan's "Crosby" for obvious reasons. Wow, this is turning into a really long post. I hope I'm not boring anyone.

Monday, there were no games, so we headed up to Grove City, which has Prime Outlets. It was about an hour drive, but if there's anything I love more than shopping, it's outlet shopping. Everyone got some good buys. Can I just say how much better Payless Shoes is in the states. Love it! And I was reminded of how much I love J.Crew and Bath and Bodyworks. Thanks to my sis Keah for turning me on to B and BW.

Tuesday's game wasn't until 7:30pm. Brian and the two older boys were supposed to go, but Jacob insisted that "Three hockey games is too much!", so Tangye and Ryan offered to stay at the hotel with Jacob and Izzy while I went to the game, but I had to bring Logan.
Our seats were wicked!!! Four rows from the ice, right next to the middle section. Awesome!! And they won too!! It was a great game. Oh, I forgot to mention the scores of the other games. The first game the penguins lost in a shootout, 4-3 I think. I say it was because I wasn't there at the game, as they won the next two, 6-2 and 6-4. So during the day on Tuesday, we decided to check out the Heinz museum. Yup, that's right. Heinz ketchup's birthplace was in Pittsburgh. The exhibits weren't as good as I thought they would be. We got a late lunch, or early supper (depends which way you look at it) at "Olive Garden". Holy cow, how I love "Olive Garden" I want to open one in Canada. More specifically in Yarmouth, so I can go whenever I want to. We had some real good eats.

We headed for home early Wednesday morning. And I mean early. Our flight left at 6:18am. I checked the website to see what the recommended time was to be at the airport, and it said between 1 and 2 hours. We checked in online the night before, so we had our boarding passes, we just needed to check our bags. We had alarm clocks set for 4:30am and wake up calls too, just in case. But we didn't end up leaving til 5:15am. I forgot to account for the time it would take to get everyone awake and dressed. I was freaking out when I looked at the clock in the van as we left the parking garage. It was about a half hour drive to the airport and we had to return the van too. I was praying the whole way there, and Brian drove as fast as he safely could without drawing unwanted attention to us. Boy it was close, so without going through all the stressful details, they were doing a final boarding call for our flight just as we got to the gate. But at least we made it. We arrived in Portland at 10:35am but out flight back to Yarmouth wasn't until 7pm. So we hopped on the city transit and took the roundabout way to the Maine Mall, then walked to Target. Another one of my reasons why I love to shop in the states. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Target. It was a bit of a hike, but soooo worth it. Unfortunately for me, it was raining when we came out. I had wanted to go to Burlington Coat Factory again, since my first visit didn't go so well, and I wanted to go the Maine Mall to go to this store called Forever 21. Nobody else wanted to humor me. They all wanted to take a cab back to the airport(which was only 3 miles away) and just wait til our flight and get something to eat. I finally caved, (after actually considering walking the 3 miles back to the airport, pushing a double stroller in the rain by myself) and took one for the team. We went to the airport and ate supper, paid way too much for it, and went to the building where our flight was to leave from. Since it's a small outfit, and the airline departs out of the same place where private plans leave. We didn't have to go through security or anything. It was great. And the airline service was superb! We will definitely fly with Skylink Aviation in the future. Well, that's it. It was fun, overall, but we won't be taking any family vacations again anytime soon. It's a lot of work and very stressful at times. Maybe next year.

-Tamara

Corker Bows!

2009-04-03T11:37:00.001-03:00

I am officially addicted to bow-making. I love them!! Unfortunately, Isabella, my one and only girl (so far) does not share my passion. I have to fight with her to allow me to put them in her hair. They're growing on her though. Anyway, I just found a website that gave instructions on how to make "corker" bows. Love them! So I had a small victory on Sunday, and took some pics of my second set of corker bows in Izzy's hair. She looks thrilled, doesn't she?

Fancy Shoes

2009-04-03T11:16:00.000-03:00

This is priceless!! I just had to take a picture. Isabella had her Cinderella dress up clothes out, and Logan just had to try on the shoes. He cried until she let him try them on. If only I knew how to work the movie option on my camera, I would have made a little movie of him walking around. Oh well, guess the pics will have to do. Too funny. Love the chubby legs. I could just eat them up!

Starting out

2009-02-09T21:21:00.000-04:00

I don't really have anything to say yet, but I am just getting this set up so felt like I had to type something. Life is really busy right now, and so I don't know when we will have time for this, but we'll give it a shot.

In brief, here is a summary of what the Moses family has been up to lately:

Logan is about to reach his 18 month-aversary. He is doing great, although he has had a viral illness recently and it has totally disrupted his (and his parents') sleep routine. He is full of fun and laughter, though, but has a propensity for falling on his head.

Isabella is "Jeckyll and Hyde" according to her grandmother, and it's not far off. She can be as sweet as can be, and when she is, she can get whatever she wants. But she has quite a temper at times, and sometimes poor Logan gets the brunt of it, as he is the only other child at home for much of the day. She loves the movie sleeping beauty, and has taken to calling nanny "Wild thing". She refers to herself as marshmallow puff...

Jacob started school this year, and is doing great. As most of you kow, he has autism, but he is very loving and quite sociable, and he has quite good reading and writing skills. He stil occasionally has melt downs, but much less often than before. He is a great big brother to his younger siblings, and looks up to his older brother as well.

Avery is now in grade 3 in French immersion, and is doing well. His organizational skills are lacking, but he makes up for it in sheer brilliance. He sometimes gets carried away with his DS (when he is not banned from it), and enjoys playing sports, especially soccer.

Tamara is busy looking after the house and the children. She is excited to have two in school, and one in preschool two mornings a week. Life is hectic, but she is enjoying the new house and life in general in a small town compared to the big city.

Brian is getting settled in with his new practise. Work is going well, but he mostly enjoys the time at home in the new house and with the family, including the extended family (we live next door to his younger sister, Liz, with her husband and two children. The next house is where his parents live, and the next one is his sister Coralee, her husband, and two children. His brother, Jamie, his wife, and the quadruplets live about a mile up the road. Only Sarah is not nearby, who is currently in Saint John, NB but is moving to Halifax this year).

That's all for now. Hopefuly I'll have something better next time!