Grounded AGAIN!!!!

My hoodlum daughter has done it again! I got the call last night from the school computer...."a student attending grade 11, named Hoodlum Brat, was absent during period 5 on September 28th. blah, blah blah!"

Again we go through the ...."I did not skip" she said..."Get a note from your teacher" I said.

Today the note came home. Apparently, she thinks I'm an IDIOT Savant! She actually tried to bring me a note that she or one of her hoodlum friends wrote! Well, the handwriting was different and the second word of the note "To WHOMM" was spelled incorrectly...considering it was English that she skipped, I figured the Teacher should probably know how to spell WHOM!

So, I did what any trusting parent would do, I called the school. While on the phone, Hoodlum admitted that she lied! Surprise! Surprise!

Here we go again! Grounded, no cell phone and now she will need to produce a signature from each of her teacher's indicating that she's attended class that day and what homework she has and when the next test is!

I have reached the precious end of my limits! Next step....CONVENT...Mom, what was that convent you were gonna send me to?

Meme Fun

I stole this from AmyD, who stole it from someone else. Actually I was hoping that this would provide something for me to write about….since I’m always looking for ideas and nobody cares about what I had for lunch I’m told!
ARE YOU:
1. A Cuddler? Not so much…
2. A morning person? Yes, Yes I am and proud to admit it!
3. Are you a perfectionist? All the time, and it gets me into so much fricking trouble!
4. An only child? Nope, a younger brother
5. Catholic? Yup, not practicing though…
6. In your pajamas? Not so much….
7. Currently suffering from a broken heart? nope
8. Okay styling other people's hair? Why ever would I want to do that? I have problems with my own hair!
9. Left handed? Yup!
10. Addicted to MySpace? Addicted to what? MySpace??
11. Shy around the opposite gender? Again, not so much. In fact, probably more comfortable around the less smart gender
12. Loud? Sometimes a little too loud I’m told!

DO YOU:
13. Bite your nails? Not right now, that’s what acrylic nails are for!
14. Get paranoid at times? Are you talking to me?
15. Currently regret something that you have said/done? Regrets….I’ve had a few…
16. Curse frequently when you get mad? Potty Mouth Linda is my other name!... ;o)
17. Enjoy country music? Ewww!
18. Enjoy jazz music? Some
19. Enjoy smoothies? ummm! Smoothie goodness! Joy of the Magic Bullet!
20. Enjoy talking on the phone? Hate the phone
21. Have a lot to learn? TONS
22. Have a pet? Two dogs, Pitbull and Yorkie
23. Have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" person? Story of my life until I met Hubby! Ask my kids!
24. Have all your grandparents died? Sadly yes! I miss you Grandmaman!
25. Have at least one sibling? Didn't we already discuss this?
26. Have been told that you are smart? It’s been known to happen on occasion!
27. Have had a broken bone? Broke my wrist tripping over an extension cord! Can you say DUMBASS!
28. Have Caller I.D. on your phone? Of course. Allows me to pick and choose who I want to talk to!!

HAVE YOU:
29. Changed a diaper? Lots of them,Thankfully the kids are fully potty trained! ;)
30. Changed a lot over the past year? not so much, dropped a pound here and there
31. Had friends who have never seen your natural hair color? Maybe?...
32. Had surgery? The usual childhood stuff and then a couple due to children and wanting to stop that nasty process!
33. Killed anyone? Many times, over and over in my dreams!!
34. Had your haircut within the last week? nope

LAST PERSON WHO:
35. Slept in the bed beside you? My Hubby, oh wait, does the Yorkie count?
36. Saw you cry? Probably one of my daughters, Aimee can you confirm this?
37. Went to the movies with you? Aimee
38. You went to the mall with? I hate the mall! But I guess that would be my girls as well.
39. You went to dinner with? The whole damn fam, unless chicken strips at pool counts as a meal and that would be Aimee again…do we see a pattern developping?
40. You talked to on the phone? Company President
41. Said 'I love you' to you and meant it? Hubby and kids this morning leaving for work!
42. Broke your heart? You have to have a heart to have one broken!
43. Made you laugh? Co-worker that said something stupid in a meeting…you know who you are!!!

WOULD YOU RATHER?
44. Pierce your nose or tongue? Neither!
45. Be serious or be funny? Funny, of course!
46. Drink whole or skim milk? Skim, if I have to drink it!
47. Die in a fire or drown? This is an AWFUL question!!!!!
48. Spend time with your parents or enemies? Hello?! Parents, of course!

ABOUT YOU!
49. What time is it? 11:03 am
50. Name? Linda
51. Nickname(s)? Lin, MamaDukes, Bitch, Wifey
52. Where were you born? Kapuskasing, Ontario
53. What is your birthdate? March 5
54. What do you want? What a stupid question!, who gets what they want anyway!
55. Where do you want to live? Exactly where I live now, except with all the renos done and the backyard cleaned up
56. How many kids do you want? Want?? Are you kidding, I have 3 fabulous daughters, refer to question #32 where we stopped that!

Gone, Gone, Gone!

Can I tell you that despite his many faults, the neighbour from hell has some good qualities!

One of them is that he's very submissive to the power of suggestion! (on some things!)

The TREE IS GONE! Well okay not the whole tree, but the important part...the part that anyone passing by would see. That means that anything above the fence line is gone and sitting in my backyard in a bloody mess that now we have to clean up. The balance of the tree(below the fence line) meaning the trunk and stump are still there and will be removed next year when they replace the fence!

This will save us cash in the long run. Now we will not have to pay a certified arborist to tell us what we already know....that the root system will damage our foundation if allowed to grow much bigger and we won't have to get a permit to cut the damn thing down, Total savings, $750-$1000. That will go a long way to a big ole fence that will give us privacy from those bad people next door!

I have pictures of the mess but I can't find my cordy thing to get the pics off the damn camera...when i find it I will post them so you can volunteer to come and help get rid of the mess in my backyard!

TTYL!

To Heat Or Not To Heat...that was the question...

Dammit, Dammit, Dammit~ This has been one of those weeks where nothing seems to be going good. I'm trying desperately to remember if I forgot to forward one of those stupid emails that get sent to you and if you don't forward it to a million people you will have bad luck for a lifetime or your penis will fall off...since I don't have a penis..well you can guess how my week is going!

I've always thought of fall as a good time of year. The kids go back to school, restoring some semblance of order to routine, I myself find it easier (usually) to get up and go to work since it's cold and there is less pull to sit and soak up the sun in my backyard. You know what I mean! I know you do!

This week has been an exercise in patience. The old saying that "Patience is a virtue" has been replaced with the other more modern bit that claims that "Patience is no longer a virtue, it's a damn necessity!" Everything is trying my patience!
Work has pushed me to limits unknown to even the most dedicated slave! I can't go into detail for fear of being "Dooced", but you better believe that if you know me and speak with me in the next 48 hours it may be all you hear about despite the noose around my neck blocking my air passages and making any sound from my vocal chords sound like "UGHHHHH!"
Home has it's challenges as well. In an attempt to maintain the standard and care required to keep the dwellers within our home in some sort of good health, Hubby and I decided that we should take steps to improve the air quality of our home. This has happened mainly because the company we subscribe to maintain our furnace, informed us that our furnace was poisoning our family with carbon monoxide. We didn't feel that this was a good thing and decided to go ahead with two things. Firstly, we hired a company to come in and clean our air ducts. Secondly, we got the furnace maintenance company to come back and attempt to clean and reconstruct our furnace so that we can get at least another year or hopefully two out of it! Last night we had the ducts cleaned. At the same time we had the coil to our furnace cleaned to assist in better air flow. It was fricking dirty! Cost $600!!! Friday, the furnace guys will come and hopefully grant us peace for another winter, sans cost! (we pay a monthly maintenance plan) We've done alot on the house this year. The reno's we've done have pretty much usurped our total budgeted amount for the year. What's left will go to painting that still needs to be done. Earlier this year (January) we made a conscious decision that we would forego real holidays for this year in order to enjoy our improved home for the rest of the year! Made sense to us. (at the time) Now, Hubby and I are rethinking our position in hindsight. After everything that's happened this summer...we need some time together! Alone, in the sun, drinking lovely beverages adorned with umbrellas and unfortunately we have now faced the truth, it ain't gonna happen this year or probably next!! We will definitely need that new furnace if we make it through this year on our 28 year old Lennox! Alas, the neighbours from hell also approached us on sharing the cost of a new fence between our properties. I checked it out and apparently not only is it law that I MUST pay something towards it, they are in total control of when it happens. I told them that this was a project that we would review next year, since this year we are officially BROKE! If they want it done faster, they can pay for it and send me an invoice of which I will pay in installments...their choice! At the same time they must get rid of the maple tree that is on their property and threatening to damage my foundation with it's ever growing root bed! Hopefully, it will be two feet taller than the existing fence...

My Mommy's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday Dear Mom....
Happy Birthday to You!

Super Mom

Mom, you're a wonderful mother,
So gentle, yet so strong.
The many ways you show you care
Always make me feel I belong.

You're patient when I'm foolish;
You give guidance when I ask;
It seems you can do most anything;
You're the master of every task.

You're a dependable source of comfort;
You're my cushion when I fall.
You help in times of trouble;
You support me whenever I call.

I love you more than I can express;
You have my total respect.
If I had my choice of mothers,
You'd be the one I'd select!



I don't know how Joanna Fuchs knows you, but she really did a lovely job of writing this lovely poem! It is a perfect little diddy about how I feel about you!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Finally it's working!

Yay, we are up and running! This is my catch up post on pictures. Let's start with the cottage!



Pretty little thing isn't it! Okay so it doesn't have a flushable toilet or an on demand shower but it does have this view!



and it has this for amusement!



and these are the people we get to share our time with...They are the best!



Dawn



Hubby and Mark

Fun and relaxing times at the cottage and aside from the road in..not a bad little trip for a long weekend.

So wanna see pics of the 16 year old... okay, here are some shots she took of herself. She loves DRAMA I tell ya!



and this one...


Now last but not least, this is Iris. Since Mark and Kate don't/won't update I'll post some of the pics I have of their little beauty! These were taken at Ribfest on Labour Day Monday.



Mark and Kate with the little Princess



Aimee and Iris



Such a cutie!

That's all for now folks!
Have a great day and SMILE!
TTYL

Happy 16th Birthday Baby Girl!

Today is the day my Baby girl turns 16. I wanted to do a whole tribute to this kid but Blogger sucks and I couldn't post pictures.

So here it is without the photos.

16 years ago, on this day, my youngest child decided it was finally time to make it's way into the world. I was extremely happy that the day had finally arrived. For this baby I went into labour every Tuesday for a month. My Mom, God Bless her, would make her way out to the city I was living in to be there with me in labour. This was my biggest desire....to have my Mom there! Unfortunately, Mom was only able to come after the fact when I lived 500 miles away in Northern Ontario. This time only a 35-45 minute drive, depending on traffic and speed, I figured no problem. Well after a month of false alarms, we weren't banking on this time being the final time either. In fact, I went in at my normal morning time and the doctor was ready to send me home at 4 o'clock telling me there was nothing happening and this was gonna be another false alarm.

Forget that! I wasn't having any of that...This baby was going home in my arms not in my stomach! I sent baby's dad home to check on the older siblings and pick me up a coffee (Timmies of course)and I insisted that they put me on the monitor to see if there were any contractions. The doctor reluctantly agreed, hooked me up and proceeded to ignore me for a couple of hours. When the nurse checked back things had progressed and I was ready to push! "Call my Mom!" I screamed. "But it's long distance" they proclaimed. "Call her collect for christs sake, really she'll accept the charges I know she will! I want my Mommy!"
They called, Mom came, but by the time she arrived less than 40 minutes later, our lovely sweet little girl had arrived! In fact, while I was pushing the little bundle of joy out, her dad was arriving with my coffee (which he threw out when he heard I was delivering the baby without him! I should have known then-another reason we aren't together anymore!)

She came into the world with DRAMA and she continues to keep me hopping!

She's adventuresome, loves people and I don't think she's spent a weekend at home (except when she was grounded) since she was 4. She can make me laugh and cry in mere minutes! She's learned some valuable lessons from her big sisters(how to manipulate the adults in her life) and other lessons she's just ignored(like never lie to your Mom, she'll find out, hunt you down and apply punishment). She loves all things girly and small children just like her big sister Jen and she has her sister Aimee's sarcasm and sense of humour. She love's Rob's music and all other music. And me, well I'm her Mom and she has to love me!

I love you Baby Girl! Happy Sweet 16!

BLAHhhhhhh!

It's only Tuesday and I'm wishing it were Friday at 5pm. Then I could just be hanging out at my Mom's shooting the breeze.

Has it been a long week for you so far??

Thought I would do some blog cleaning today. I know I owe some pics of hubbie's tattoo (he and I are temporarily not speaking over vehicle issues) I also owe some pics of my backsplash...
Voila!


and another view



What else have I got outstanding to you guys??? Oh yeah pics of the cottage we went to back on the Aug 1 long weekend. Well Blogger Photo's are being persnickety and not allowing me to get the photos....we'll try again later!

I Do....but does it have to be today?

Saturday morning began with a telephone call to my friend Christine..."okay, so how you doing?"
"I'm out getting the bosses Mercedes cleaned so that we have a clean car to use for this wedding! It's almost done and so am I. It's only 9:30 Linda! However will I get through this day?"

Well, true to fact it was 9:30 and it was going to be a long day. I picked her up at 10:30 to have hair and makeup done. Back at her house by 1:15 to have some time to rest, relax a little and get ready for a 3:00 wedding.

Can I tell you she looked BEAUTIFUL! Her hair was perfect, her makeup was perfect!



From the moment the Beautiful Bride was walking down the aisle...the Groom was an emotional mess. He said after that he was just overwhelmed by how beautiful she looked and once he started he couldn't bring himself to stop.

The day was not without it's pain and suffering...for the groom.



Bryan has been suffering from diverticulitis for some years now and approx. 10 weeks ago he had surgery done to remove a piece of his bowel....unfortunately he had a flare up on Saturday morning, partially due to nerves and lack of food and Father Coughlan laid his hands on Bryans belly to try and alleviate the pain. Well, I guess God was looking down on Bryan for a short period, he made it through the service before having to heave up what little was in his belly. Unfortunately, all through pictures, and reception, until he was forced to leave by his wife, he was chilled, feverish, throwing up and miserable. He was a trooper though!



After much needed rest he seemed much better on Sunday morning and today Monday he goes to see the surgeon to make sure he's okay before they leave for their honeymoon on Friday.

It was an honour to be standing up for a couple that are so much in love!
I wish them all the best in the years to come!

Countdown...2....1...Marital Bliss?

You know I told you how I got asked to be Maid of Honour in this friends wedding....well, I'm glad I decided to accept.

Friends can be challenging. My friend Christine is VERY challenging. Christine is that friend that grates on everyone's nerves. Hell, she grates on my nerves sometimes, but Christine is probably the kindest, deepest caring and sympathetic person I know. For things of the heart she's pretty considerate in her own kind of way. In times of need all that would be required is a phone call. When Rob's dad passed away, she was over at the house before we finished the phone calls with a warm hug and offers of assistance where required. She truly wanted Rob and I to know that if we needed anything she would be there. This however, is not the side that most people see. Most people see the brash, outspoken sometimes bordering on rude, cocky person that she is in public. She is that person that if you go into a bar, she will be sitting quietly at the end of the bar reading the newspaper, doing the crossword having a beer and GOD HELP YOU if you interrupt her time! Especially if you are a stranger trying to strike up a pleasant afternoon conversation. She will look up, respond briefly to your comments and return to her newspaper. Bug her again and she will be abrupt and tell you that you are intruding on her personal time and if she wanted to speak with a stranger she would have continued the conversation when you addressed her the first time. Christine would not think that rude. To her that would be just the facts...you are a stranger and her plan was to spend some time having a beer, reading the paper...not getting to know some stranger in a bar. If she had wanted to get to know a stranger, she wouldn't have wasted her hard earned dollar on the paper!

Anyway, I'm kind of wandering off topic here and the reason for the post got lost in that little rant....

Last night was the rehearsal at the church. Christine is 45 years old and this is her first marriage. Her husband-to-be Bryan, is one of the nicest guys I've ever met (next to my Robbie). Bryan is kind and considerate and socially adept. This is the counter-balance to Christine's social ineptitude. This is Bryan's first marriage as well. They make a perfect couple.

Last night at the church, standing at the alter, I witnessed great love! All joking aside (and there was a lot of that going on!) they looked each other in the eye and spoke their vows (which they had memorized!) and it was wonderful. It reminded me of how I felt walking up the aisle on my wedding day. I cry at weddings, it never occurred to me that I should bring Kleenex to the darn rehearsal!

The dinner afterwards was held at Christine and Bryan's home. Everything was homemade with love and care. It was wonderful. As I was leaving, I asked the Bride-to-Be if she was okay, if she needed me to do anything last minute and her words to me reminded me of why she is my friend. She said to me:

On Saturday I will marry the man I love and my good friend will stand beside me....that's all I need! I'm actually looking forward to the wedding. It's gonna be beautiful! There will still be stories of frustration and strange happenings..this is Christine's wedding after all!

Damn...I just remembered, I think I have to have a speech!!!

Holidays are over and Synrevoice kicks in!

My holidays are over. We didn't do anything of noteworthiness after the weekend. Brianne started school on the 5th and on the 11th I got my first email saying she had missed period 4 and 5 on Sept.11th. Perhaps she was in mourning, I'm not sure. I called her this morning and although she swears that she didn't skip, I advised a note from both her teachers would be required to prove that she was there. I'm serious this year!

She will provide the note or she will be grounded!

No cell phone
No computer
No phone calls to the house
No going out

I've had it and she's not making things easy!

I sent her English teacher a note telling her I needed an outline of what she should be working on and what homework she should be turning in, when tests were happening etc. I told her that Brianne had mastered the art of lying over the summer and I was counting on her to help me whip her in to shape. Haven't heard from her yet....we'll see what that brings!

Any ideas on how to bring a 16 year old to her knees? I welcome all your thoughts!
Anyone??

First day of VayK - wet and rainy but fun!

So today was my very first day of a 10 day vacation.

We awoke early to a fresh pot of coffee tanks to hubby and nce everyone was ready, hubby headed out to the trailer of the neighbours from hell in Shirkston Shores (where he is currently sitting in a boat, on land, drinking beer) for the weekend. The girls and I had decided to take a couple of days and do some day trips. First stop the CNE. Our plan was to visit the buildings for plenty of shopping and fun! That's my kind of shopping, new never before seen items that assist in making the household chores easier, cooking/chopping more fun and many tried and true products and tons of good deals on clothing if you shop at stores like Faireweather, Stitches and Urban Behaviour. We thought we'd check out the air show but that bastard Ernesto reaked its havoc and it rained all fricking day. The planes still flew and we managed to catch some of it when we were walking between buildings. The girls shopped till they dropped and Mom could take no more!

We decided that some chinese food and a movie at home wrapped in blankets was next on the list of need to do items and here I sit waiting for delivery.

We returned home to find that Ernesto is destroying my daughters ceiling with his fricking downpours...gonna have to call a roofer! Then we're gonna have to focus on fixing that mess! We're not the only people having this type of problem, I know and really I guess the damage to our house is slight compared to what has happened to the South of us....but really come on! I hate this!

Our plan was to go to Buffalo NY U.S. of A tomorrow, but oldest daughter left her purse at the cottage three hours away and has to wait till Monday to get it back when Matt's brother brings it down. No problem, afer all the walking we did today...I think everyone is olay staying closer to home..maybe even staying at home!

Anyway, hope your first day of the last long weekend of the year is treating you good!

I'll keep you posted on the many adventures of the next 10 days, hopefully they are eventful, relaxing and rejuvanating (except for the 2 conference calls I have this week..cause they can't live without me, the bstards!)

TTYL!

I Love it!! My Wife's gonna hate it!

Did I tell you my husband is my best friend? He's the love of my life, my soul mate, my life!

He's also very skid! His taste in music is somewhat diverse. He listens to Death Metal, Thrash, Punk Music and to make me happy, Michael Buble, Elton John, The Eagles...you get my meaning. Where music is concerned our tastes are extreme opposites.

This is also the same in our taste in tattoos! I have none other than "Pooh" being carried away by balloons on my ass.

He has this....



He is SKID!!! ....but I love him!

The artist that put this on his arm did a fabulous job, despite my lack of interest in this type of design work...it looks great! The detail is amazing and as soon as the healing is complete I will take a photo and replace this Slayer album cover picture.