Five's a Party

I have been looking at some blogs recently that tell how different people celebrate their Christmasses around the world. It's really quite interesting to read about how vastly different our traditions are! I guess we get into this little space where we think that everyone celebrates just like we do, so we don't share how WE celebrate. On that note, here is how my family and I celebrate Christmas here in Ontario, Canada. To us, Christmas is all about family. We send Christmas cards to family and friends, and shop for gifts to give our loved ones to brighten up their day. These gifts are all wrapped in bright paper and put under our tree! We have a 7 1/2 foot fake tree ( I don't like the idea of killing a living tree so I can put it in my living room and burn it after I am done with it) which my boys decorate each year. On Dec 24th, we have tourtière for supper. This is a meat pie. I read somewhere a long time ago that it was the traditional French Christmas eve dinner, so I ...

My Uncle passed away yesterday. He had a brain tumor, and really didn't linger that long after it was diagnosed, only a few months. Uncle Randy was the fourth born, only a year older than my Mother. He was 58. He had very blue eyes, and a red beard. I didn't really know my uncle, as he lived in a different province than we did for many years, but I am still sad that he has gone so soon and so quickly. My boys when we went to visit him last Friday: In Memoriam Randy Charles Bradley 1950- 2008 http://www.loganfh.ca/Obituaries/

I am trying to lose some weight. When I started, I put my goal at 50 pounds. Well, I am officially over halfway! As of this morning, I've lost 26 pounds. It feels so great! (well, not the jiggly loose belly skin part, but that'll go away) Before I started: Last week:

Yesir, I've made 100 posts! I still have no idea where this blog is going, but I'm having fun getting there! We still have an overabundance of winter here. It's been quite cold and snowy. I've been spending lots of time inside keeping warm, doing wintery things like baking and quilting. The boys have been having lots of fun outside playing in the snow, building snowmen, igloos, and sledding. I don't really have much to blog about today, seeing as how I've been indoors most of the time! The christmas Concert is at the school tonight, so I guess I'll be going to that. Hope you've had a good week!

Ok I guess today's post is a political opinion post. I know that there are many, many political opinions out there, and each one is probably right. I don't claim to follow politics all that closely, and didn't even vote *gasp* until the last two elections. I was raised in the belief that God chooses the powers that be, and we have no business trying to out- vote God. Which is true, God WILL choose our prime Minister, and he still leads each country, even if that country does many, many wicked things and rejects him. But I get side tracked here. I started voting when someone said to me "it is true that God will choose our Leader. But he doesn't expect us to let our voices be silent and allow sin to rule. He put us in a free country with the right to vote for a REASON" All of this does have a point, I promise LOL. As I am sure you know, the world is in a time of economic turmoil. People are losing their jobs, homes, vehicles, and struggling to feed their famili...

We broke out the tree! G put it up, and the boys decorated it :) I know by Dec 26th, I'll be sooo ready for it to be gone, but today I am really liking it!

This was the huge rock in my yard at around 1:30 pm today, when it started to snow: and here it is now, at 5 pm: Seriously, it's coming down like it's going out of style, and we've gotten about a foot of snow or better. It's kind of hard to tell, I guess.

Since I am going to be away tomorrow, I'll blog about Samuel today! My nephew Samuel is going to be the ripe old age of five tomorrow!It barely seems like last week when my sister phoned my from South Korea and told me she was expecting. She came back to Canada to have him, so I was able to be there as Samuel came into the world. He was born at on Nov 22, 2003, with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma B and I in the room to great him. He has grown so much, and is always so happy to see me when I visit him. He's is Sr Kindergarten now, and can print his name and knows his letters and numbers. He is a great singer, too! he sang to me on the phone today the song he'll be singing in his sunday school christmas program, and he did a fabulous job! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAMSAM!!!

A blog I read almost every day, http://inashoe.com/ , is hosting a book giveaway. You should go check it out! (The blog AND the book LOL) It looks like a very interesting book.

My friend Celine at My Life, My Hopes, My Future gave me this award! The Snazzy Blog Award This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. (Sorry, I don't know of eight bloggers LOL) Here are the bloggers I pass this award onto: 1. Laura at Life's Sweetest Blessings 2. Mashelly at Joyful Homemaker

Kyle and Liam tried out their new skis today, courtesy of the wonderful (can you hear my sarcasm?) snowfall we are STILL enjoying. Liam took to it like a duck to water, but Kyle had a bit more trouble They skied for about a half hour before they got too cold (and tired of falling ha ha) and came in for some pizza and hot chocolate. Wally the wonderdog had a grand time, racing through the snow, tongue out, with a huge smile on his doggy face, if that is possible. It seems he likes the snow! Ryan took out the GT racer and tried to sled a bit, but the land around our home is really quite flat, so he wasn't very successful. He got cold much faster than his brothers due to the fact that he is a tough teenager wanna be and didn't wear his snow pants, mitts, hat, or coat out and missed out on lots of fun as a result. I think maybe next time he'll wear his cold weather gear. I do hope that this snow isn't here to stay, although since it is the middle of November possibilities...

2°C Light snow Feels Like -3 Well, not officially. That's December 21st. But the snow doesn't know that! It was raining all day and the rain gradually turned to hail and then snow. It's been snowing a few hours now, and the ground is starting to turn white. I guess maybe we'll have a white Christmas this year again haha. Just as a side note of interest, you know how in the old fashioned movies and stories a white Christmas is usually depicted in England? the truth is that England has only had 7 white christmases in the last 100 years. ( A "white" Christmas is when one snowflake falls on the London Weather Center roof) I like having a white Christmas but the snow can go away the day after that!

Yes, I know it's really early, but it was warm out so I put them up now instead of freezing later. There's lots of burned out bulbs which I'll have to fix, but here's a quick shot of the front of the house!

In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. — Lt.-Col. John McCrae

I went away for a week! Flew out west to visit my two other sisters, brother, and Mom. I left last Saturday, and arrived in Edmonton late, so I got to where my Mom lives early Sunday morning. She was SO surprised to see me! She didn't know that I was coming, and when she saw me, she just kept staring, as if trying to determine whether I was real or not! So, on Sunday, we got up, went to meeting, and after meeting it was off to the ranch to have lunch and ride horses! My bro Terry and I have been talking about riding horses on the ranch for, oh, about four years, and we finally got to do it! Terry, Jenn and I set out on our horses for a good old western prairie horseback ride. Rebecca doesn't enjoy riding so she didn't come with us. It was a gorgeous ride, rolling golden hills, sun in the west, water sparkling to the right, and then we turned down a tree- lined lane about a mile from the ranch. My horse decided to run away. My bro chased me, and I finally got my horse stoppe...

I was tagged by my friend Laura over at http://lauraperic.blogspot.com/ (at least I THINK I'm the Kim she tagged haha) So I am going to post this :) Highlight the things you have done 1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland/world 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hi...

I am trying to lose weight. Yup, me, the anti- diet, be who you are person has given in to the pressure of the clothes rack and have decided to lose some pounds. I am following the weight watchers plan, although I didn't actually JOIN weight watchers. I have a handy dandy scale upstairs that keeps me in line. so far, though, I still haven't really gotten off my lazy behind and worked out, although as the weight is coming off I do feel far more energetic for things like running through the woods with the boys or walking far distances. I was doing well until BAM I hit a day out. and well, it's harder to count points when you don't have your slidey point counter thing, or your book to tell you how many points a taco is worth! (It's three, in case you were wondering) and it's hard to eat your garden salad and drink your Dasani (bleeeech) when the kids are eating southwest chicken burgers and fries and sprite! so I took nibbles and then ate my salad (dressing on the ...

It's arrived in full force now. The leaves are falling thickly and fast, and there's a distinct chill in the air for sure. The boys had to wear toques to school today! Well, the two younger ones who haven't decided that being cold is cool anyway. I like fall, with it's brilliant colours and cooler temperatures, but I don't like thinking about what comes next~ winter. The maple trees in our yard provide us with a lovely carpet of red, orange, yellow and brown to rake up, jump in and then burn or compost. Well, last year there were far too many to compost, so we burned a few bags. I love the smell of the burning leaves. It just makes me feel like making a big pot of chili and some homemade bread! Wally likes to chase the leaves, roll in them, and bark at them too. Well, ok, he'll bark at almost anything hahaha. He really needs a haircut but I am not sure if I should this close to winter! and one final picture of the three guys and the pup off to the bus stop.

On Saturday, we were invited to a children's treat at some friend's house. They were having the whole Sunday School over, and even though my children aren't part of that particular sunday school, they were invited anyway! The congregation G and I are part of is VERY small (7, total, not counting the kids!) so therefore it's a Sunday school of three. So our boys are often invited to join in other Sunday school's activities. The couple that hosted it live in the country, so plenty of space for all the kids to run around. They played soccer for awhile, and while us ladies were busy preparing the meal and dessert, the children had a scavenger hunt. Liam was completely overjoyed to find the plastic easter egg with the twonies in it! and I HAVE to blog about this~ I made brownies, oodles and oodles of brownies.......and........THEY TURNED OUT!!!!!! I have never before in my life been able to make brownies that were harder than pudding or softer than rocks!! I was so happy...

I was sooo sleepy last night that I fell asleep just after 8pm! It's a good thing I did too, because my sleep was interrupted many times. he first time, it was Liam knocking on my door to tell me that he couldn't sleep, which I could not help in any way, so he was trundled back off to bed. Next, the fire alarm went off! it blipped, beeped, and then BEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP it was off like a siren. It was absolutely NOTHING. I guess it just felt like a test run. so we get nicely snuggled in and asleep again, when BEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP it went off AGAIN! again, absolutely nothing. Then, the alarm clock went off way too early, a whole hour early, and hubs being too sleepy to properly fix it, just hit snooze. so the alarm went off every 15 mins for the next hour. I hope tonight is not quite as eventful!

Kyle turned 10 today. It's really hard to believe that my chubby, blonde happy baby boy has stretched into this thin, brown quiet ten year old! I couldn't ask for a better son, he's really a great kid :)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everyone!

I don't personally believe in the global warming theory. I know that we humans are making it a unpleasant place to live, but that isn't what this post is about! Here it is, your proof of global warming!

I haven't been this sick in well, I don't remember how long. It's pretty awful~ headache, hot and cold, achy, my teeth feel like they will shoot out of their sockets at any time! Last night was the worst, with hot and cold spells keeping me awake for much of the night. I hope I am feeling much better by Friday, because G has booked the day off and I have plans for the evening! We have a bit of a busy weekend planned for sure. The St Thomas conference is this weekend, and thanksgiving is on Monday. Friday is my Mom's birthday, Monday is Cindy's, and next Thursday my lil guy Kyle turns TEN!!!

I succeeded in capturing Ginny the wild cat! I have a few battle wounds to prove it, but at least she's safe and sound in my bathroom, cozied up on a warm blanket with plenty of food, water and kitty litter to keep her comfortable. She's growing more and more friendly as each hour passes, and she comes purring out to see us when we open the bathroom door! I don't want to let her out until I am sure she is litter trained. I don't want any nasty surprises on my bed or anything! There's also a Ginger Tom hanging around, which we thought was Baby, until we got a good look at him. we're putting food out for him, but that is the extent of it.

As I am sure most people who read my blog know, I had a cat called Baby. I say most, because most people who read it actually know me and therefore would know all about Baby going missing. She is not home, although we did have one episode where we THOUGHT she came home. We drove in our yard after dark and saw an orange tabby and assumed it was Baby. It may have been, but if it was her, she's a scaredy cat and ran away from us and did not show herself again. That doesn't seem like our friendly attention seeking pet Baby. I miss her terribly, but I think I have faced the fact that she probably isn't coming home. Yesterday, I went out to feed our fish, and saw a grey shaggy lump on the lawn. I wasn't sure if it was alive or just a bit of a log, but I meowed at it, and it meowed back, loudly! It was a small grey and black kitty, probably about 4 months old, and very very skinny. I talked to her and she talked back, but she was pretty nervous, and any advance I made toward h...

My brother Terry got engaged on friday! He called me on Saturday and sounded pretty excited :) It looks like the wedding might be in February. I sure hope I can make it!

It's actually over a month away, but I know I need to plan something. He's desperate for cash, since he's opened a bank acct and is saving for ................. a lawn tracter. yes, honestly, a lawn tracter. I have no trouble giving him cash for his bday, but should I have a party? would it be rude to put on the invites "no presents, please, but donations to the Kyle's lawn tracter fund accepted"? He's also said that he wants a firebelly toad, which are small and fairly easy to care for. They can live in a 10g aquarium, which would be just fine for one toad. This is probably a far more practical gift for him, but he wants both! He wants a lawn tracter sooo badly b/c we went camping at a friend's house, where they had a lawn tracter. They have a farm with lots of different tracters etc, and Kyle was allowed to drive the lawn tracter for hours! He LOVED it, and I think he's finally found something he is into besides bugs/ reptiles/ amphibians. I am N...

A blog I visit just about everyday, is hosting a giveaway. It sounds like a very interesting giveaway! check it out: http://inashoe.com/2008/09/08/gotw-alba-gu-bra/ They are giving away CDS all about the Scottish heritage of Christianity called How the Scots Saved Christendom: Tales of Bravehearts and Covenanters. Even if I don't win this contest, I will probably try to buy these CDS anyway~ if you have read my blog at all you will know that things Scottish always catch my interest!

We have many beautiful old maples on our property. They line our driveway on both sides and there are two on the opposite side of my house. We came home after meeting yesterday to find that one huge branch had somehow been broken off and was lying across part of the driveway! It had fallen off a high part of the tree, and was actually part of the main trunk that branched off at the top. It left some pretty big gouges in the ground. I figured that we would cut it up with the chainsaw and burn it in our fire pit, but G had other plans to impress his sons. (and his wife!). No sissy chainsaw for him, he lifted that giant, heavy maple log and CARRIED it over to the burning pit!

A critter dug under our composter last fall, and apparently dragged out some squash seeds, because about halfway through the summer, I noticed something. A small spruce close to the composter was growing leaves. Three or four squash plants were growing, and they have completely taken over the tree! and there are five or six squashes growing out there on the spruce tree.See the tree behind Liam? It will be nice to have some "free" squashes this year!

~ got TWO couch covers for the loveseat today at a yard sale (only 5$!), which match my existing couch and chair covers, so no more white sheet on the loveseat! ~ the boys spent a good portion of the day baking cookies and coffee cake in the easy bake oven with no argueing! ~ walked again today with G, the boys, and Wally. I hope we can keep this up! ~ I made Liam a "coonskin" cap today, which he has been wanting for aaaaaages- ever since we read "Where the red fern grows". He still wants a REAL one, but one made from funfur will do for now. ~ We had some cloud cover and rain and wind yesterday from Hurricane Gustav (ok, ok, so it was a storm depression by the time it reached us) but today was marvelously sunny and warm. ~ glo sticks make for really neat pictures

When I read Laura's books as a child, I loved them. I read them over and over again, until even today I could tell you what happens in each book and even quote many parts of the books. They captured my imagination and I have loved most things pioneer since then. Now, I am reading the series to my children. They are greatly captivated by the descriptive flow of the events and places and people, even though the books are about a *GIRL*. There is complete silence as I read, no fidgeting or whispering at all. I am so glad that they are enjoying them as I did! They've even taken to playing "Little house" with their webkinz hahaha. They watched a few episodes of the TV show, but they've denounced them as "That didn't happen in the book! and Ma's name is CaroLINE, not CaraLYN!" etc etc etc I love the Garth Williams illustrations and I am sad that the newer editions don't have his illustrations, which make some of the longer more "foreign to us ...

Liam got some canvas shoes for school. He keeps asking me "are you SURE these are 8 year old's shoes?" We got his in the US, and no other kids in his class are wearing them. He's seen teenagers wearing them, but no kids his age. Because nobody else in his school is wearing them, he is unsure about them. He loved them when he saw them and tried them on and was pretty excited about them. I hope that he can get over his "peer pressure" anxiety and just wear them because he loves them! He has camo ones for out door use and a spider pair for indoors at school. His camo pair is like these, except green with no red stripe. I think they are pretty cute on him (can I say that about an 8 year old boy? cute?) and Liam has always been his own unique person and worn what he likes so it makes me a bit sad that at only 8 he's worried if the other kids are wearing the same things. Ryan and Kyle both got regular sneakers that they are happy with, so no worries there!