What...the end of summer? Already

Somebody once told me you shouldn't wear white after Labour Day weekend. The fact that Labour Day weekend is upon us has got me thinking about that. I don't think that I wore white as my main article of clothing except for twice this summer. Both times was the beautiful new white skirt I bought for myself on sale this month. Now, 3 days before the weekend, I'm feeling sad that I didn't wear white more often. Pretty dumb isn't it! I'm actually feeling melancholic about a stupid rule that I don't even think exists for the younger more well dressed and prettier crowds!

Should I give up the rules that I really think apply?? Should I don a mini skirt after 35 years of age? Should I go ahead and wear those stripes/polkadots/flowers that accentuate the not so positive?

Man...who'd have thought I would be so sad about something so silly!

This has been a summer of many emotions. The girls returned home after 5 long stressful years away at University. The adjusting began for those of us that remained at home. Bri suddenly had 3 Moms instead of one. Rob suddenly had to share the washrooms with 4 girls instead of 2. In July, Rob met his BirthMother and buried the man he called Dad. In August we renovated...new fence, new tiles and some still unfinished projects. Brianne tested her wings and got grounded. She began volunteering and that became a memorable summer experience.

September brings the end of summer but the beginning of many new things to come. Jen will continue her search for a teaching position, Aimee will start a new study path...that leads to a wonderful brilliant career in research and hopefully Brianne will find herself and succeed in grade 11. Rob and I will attempt to finish those projects and win the lottery!

Fall is a great season and with the cool temps comes the warm woollies, the sweats, warm fires and Baileys and Coffee!!

No reason to be sad! Load me up with that Bailey's and Timmies Coffee next to a nice little fire in my chiminea and things will be all good!

The tans will fade, but the memories will last forever.

Hope your summer was a great one!

TTYL

OOOOW WEEE!!!! It's Done and it's sooooo Beautiful

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL!

Se7en you rock! Thanks for working with me on this! And yes, I did scroll to the bottom! (make sure you do too folks....scroll to the bottom, you can do it!!!!)

Thank you Se7en! Okay so I'm repeating myself again...but I just want the world to see it!

TTYL

So very excited!

I have officially made the commitment to love my blog! So much so, that I have requested the services of a really talented guy to do me up "a new skin". TeeHee, I love saying that! According to Se7en a "skin" and a "template" are interchangeable words...see he's very smart! Actually, I've been admiring his work for some time now because he did Brianne's designs and they have been very reflective of her personality. So to me that means he actually takes the time to get to know you a bit. Maybe someone should warn him to run....LOL
You should go check out his stuff over at Blogs Gone Wild!

I'm hoping he will put a little or maybe even a lot of Pooh in my blog!

Are you excited? I'm EXCITED!

Happy 8th Anniversary to my BEST Friend

This is the man that I love!



He is my best friend, my strength and my happiness. After eight years, I still get butterflies in my tummy when he looks into my eyes and tells me he loves me (sometimes its adrenalin when I want to maim him for some fool thing he's done LOL) and I can't imagine spending my days with anyone else.

Happy Anniversary Husband! I love you!

Your Wife

Rubber, Bronze and Linen?

Our 8th wedding anniversary is upon us...yes folks, I made it passed the 7 year itch without even thinking about scratching, maiming or stabbing my husband! Okay maybe I thought about maiming him once or twice or twenty times! This is the first year that we ever considered buying each other anniversary gifts. When we started to discuss it I told him that I wanted a new gold bracelet! I've never asked for jewelry before and the look of surprise on Rob's face was enough to make me choke on my Timmies coffee! This led to a conversation about what were traditional 8th year gifts. My middle child broke out the laptop to check it out. Yeah, for this fabulous year we must consider items of bronze or pottery for traditional gifts or linens or lace for more modern considerations. Honestly, I don't know who thought of the gifts that one should be showering on their loved one for their special anniversary. And for goodness sakes, WHY! I mean really this year is not that bad but...in traditional times you had to be married along time before you got anything really nice.

Anyway, on another note....I must say there are very times when my overwhelming pride in my husband and family just overtake me! This weekend was definitely a shining example of this.

We are no longer that family that sits around and talks about it!

I have a new fence and gate and boy is it lovely! My husband and his buddies put their heads and hammers together and created a masterpiece! It is done and it provides another 6 feet of sideyard. It is complete with new latch and privacy lattice! The extra space led us to the decision to buy a combined anniversary gift. The town we live in is supposed to be changing the by-law on open fires within city limits and if they do we will be purchasing ourselves a chiminea. A nice full grated one that will provide warmth on those spring and fall evenings and yet maintain full safety! Husband is PUMPED! He has wanted one for so long...but I have adamantly refused, maintaining that they are currently illegal and our house insurance would probably end up null and void if anything ever happened! I have been the voice of reason! Happy Anniversary Husband!

Thanks to Aimee, I also have a new backsplash in my kitchen! It is absolutely FABULOUS!!!! It has added warmth and beauty and colour to my stark white kitchen! If I had known what a difference it would make...nah, who am I trying to kid...ceramic tiles are way to expensive and we got lucky finding them on sale the way we did!
Aimee and I had a wonderful day measuring and scoring and breaking tiles (okay, it was me that broke them....Aimee figured out the damn machine and she really is the Queen of Cutting Tiles!!) We needed to get some special cuts done for tiles that went around the electrical outlets...it turned out to be almost as expensive getting those four tiles cut as it was for all my tile! Thanks Aimee! It loooks fantastic!!!

So next time you are in the neighbourhood drop by to admire our handy work!! We'll either be in the kitchen feeling warm and cozy, surrounded by beauty or in the back yard keeping warm by the fire, admiring our new gate that opens sooooo easily!

TTYL!

Half a Fence and other unfinished projects

We have become that family....you know, the one that starts projects but never seems to get them completed!

We didn't mean for this to happen, life and laziness just seem to get in the way. Last year, my wonderful husband and children gifted me with a fabulous new family room in the basement...you know the one, I blogged about it. Well it isn't completely finished, in fact, it still really has quite alot that needs to be done. We are basically cheap. Baseboards are expensive. We got a lock on some 4 inch oak baseboards from a demo way up north for free from my future son-in-law Greg. He's bringing them down in his next u-haul trip, just as soon as Husband measures the room to tell him what to bring. The desk I want built to finish my office is still not done and it looks like I might have to bite the bullet and actually go out myself, get the wood and build the damn thing myself if I want it done! Currently we are using an old table and the boxes are piling up..the room is starting to look like the U-Stor-it down the street!

A couple of weeks ago (okay maybe more!) I got a great deal on ceramic tile! It is absolutely fabulous! On Saturday morning Aimee and I went to Home Depot to take a How-To course on how to lay it and the guy there was absolutely FABULOUS! So Aimee and I bought the stuff to start the backsplash in the kitchen. He felt this would be a great place for us to start, followed by the bathroom floor and then the piece de resistance...the kitchen floor should only be started when we felt like experts! We haven't moved on that project since!

While we were learning how to lay ceramic tiles, Husband was digging new post holes to replace the gate and fence at the side of the house. Three new holes and posts cemented in and that is where that project sits! Still no fence or gate! It looks like that project might not get finished this weekend either. We are busy people you know and we all have previous commitments that we just can't get out of!

Man we suck! So much to do....so little ambition!

TTYL!

Long Sunny Weekends

We decided to give ourselves a little holiday this past weekend. Friends invited us up to their cottage/camp/bunkie??? I didn't really know what to expect. On my last visit to the property, that is exactly what it was, just a property with only one building...you got it....a storage/outhouse! I mean really, who stores shit besides shit, in their outhouse?...my friends do!

So, for two years now I've been listening to my girlfriend tell me what a great setup they have. Last time I was there the drive in was enough to make you wonder if you'd ever make it out in one piece...you would but who knew about your car? So with much convincing that the road in is much better, we were off!

Friday's, Rob arrives home at around 6:45 am and in order to beat the long weekend traffic we decide he will sleep till noon and then we'll begin our adventure. I shopped, packed, made sure everything was good at the house for the girls (Aimee got her license so we left her the keys to the car and with that the ability to hit the grocery store, movie store, mall or whatever!) At noon I arrive and make my first attempt at waking "The Grump". Hey! no kidding, I would be grumpy too if somebody was waking me after 5 hours of sleep, but this was his choice and I will not be abused verbally by any ASSHAT no matter the occasion!

12:40- trip in jeopardy of being brought to an abrupt halt!
12:43-apologies accepted and we hop in the van

Okay, so the trip is supposed to take us 2.5 hours according to our friends..we allowed for 4 taking into account who these people are that made the statement.

There was volume on the way, but nothing that would make us cranky! "Sirius Radio" gave us good music all the way through Northern Ontario and we arrived in the town closest to our destination....5 pm. Yup, four hours, not bad you are thinking and so were we. As we approached Perry Sound we saw that the highway was backed up but we knew we had to exit soon so we remained undaunted. We decided that a quick stop at the Timmies for my last civilized coffee of the weekend and a few last minute things at the grocery store before we headed back onto the highway was in order. As we moved onto the off ramp we saw folks pulling out chairs and coolers, playing catch with their kids/dogs...something very strange happening here!

Into the local grocery store we go to get those last few items and we ask what's going on with the highway. A fatality occurred on the highway and it is expected to be closed for a minimum of 5 hours. I was driving so I asked for an alternate route (I am not afraid to ask for directions!) The first lady told me you couldn't get there without hitting the highway and I chose not to believe the little blue hair behind the counter woman, whom frankly probably never went farther than the store she worked at and probably didn't have a clue!, and continued asking until I found someone that quite ably gave me an alternate route. You know there has always got to be more than one way to get someplace!

With Timmies in hand we set off on that route and thanks to the kindness of another local it actually only took us another 3 hours to get into and comfortably set up at the camp! The detour route was also very heavy with traffic and that added 2 hours waiting to go 3 blocks. Once the kind native found us and told us to follow her we were there and unpacked within the hour!

Upon arrival, we found a washed out road that was a little difficult to get through, but slow and steady we got through..we found a nice little cottage with a triple level deck, dock, boat and that same storage/outhouse! A VERY GREAT IMPROVEMENT!

A great weekend was had by everyone, we played crib, we boated, we tubed, we snoozed, we met new folks, we swam! All in all it was a really good time with good friends!

Rob and I chose to leave on Sunday and try and beat Monday's holiday traffic (Canada's Civic holiday Monday for any American friends visiting) Trip back 3 hours!

I'll post pictures if I can ever find the camera cord!

TTYL!