Back in the Valley

100 Mile Thanksgiving Challenge

2010-09-17T16:57:00.002-03:00

Okay...so I haven't blogged in a really long time so I guess I should make it worth while.

Mike and I have undertaken a challenge! We have decided on having a 100 mile Thanksgiving dinner this year. All food consumed must have been produced within 100 miles of our house...right down to the nitty gritty - poor Graham, no Heinz allowed.

We are off to the Wolfville farm market tomorrow to try and get things organized. I will keep you up to date on our progress on everything from salt to flour to of course, turkey!

As only my life is...

2009-09-10T09:56:00.002-03:00

Do you ever wonder if your life is cursed?? Sometimes I do...not in a bad way but in a funny sort of sick sense of humor way.

We hosted the provincial tournament for Graham's baseball league. Watched the weather for almost two weeks and everything looked great until TS Danny decided to descend on us...here's a little article about the weekend in the paper:
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-373405-Mosquito-A-squad-battles-opponents-weather-at-provincials.html

Aside from the weather issues, the weekend went well until the very end. The kids were sliding down the hill on their butts and one of the boys from Sydney did as they were leaving and the poor little thing broke his femur when his leg caught. He ended up having surgery at the IWK but his father says he's doing well and thankfully is expected to make a full recovery.

We had a great visit with Tracey, Kaylie and Hannah visiting from BC. My dad took the opportunity to visit all his grand kids at once and he showed up as well. It was a great surprise.

At the end of the visit, I was at mom's house with a couple of the kids. They had wanted ice cream sandwiches from the freezer downstairs...no problem you would think. Only mom's freezer had broke and everything had thawed. If you have ever seen my mother's freezer (the stand up kind) you will know just how full it is. All the meat had thawed and the blood had dripped through all the levels. Of course with all the garbage "laws" you cannot simply put the stuff in a bag, you have to open it all and put the garbage in the appropriate place - GROSS!! There was no cold coming out of the freezer so I decided to un plug it...big mistake...my hands were wet. Yes, you know where this is going...if my hair wasn't curly before it certainly would be now. I got the shock of my life! I screamed, Elysia came flying into the room to check on me...all in all, an eventful day. I cannot imagine what my mother's green bin smells like right now. I also told her she is grounded from the club pack meat section of the grocery store.

911 Again!

2009-08-12T10:43:00.003-03:00

What is it with the men in my house and calling 911...? We have this old phone in the kitchen, Graham pressed one of the buttons on it that holds a preprogrammed number...well, guess which number is preprogrammed in...yes, that's right, 911! They called back and he answered and told them it was an accident but of course, they still have to send someone to the house to make sure he's okay. He was in a panic, so he told his sister and then I pulled in from work and he told me so we waiting for the RCMP. The officer was great, she explained that he was not in trouble that she just wanted to check on him and to tell him not to be afraid to call 911 should he need it. The drama that is my life!!

On the weekend we went to Risser's beach with the Ross family. It was the most spectacular beach day, the sun was shining, the waves were awesome, the company was great...only problem was the temperature of the water...holy freaking cold!! I have never been swimming in water that cold! It was that painful type of entry into the water, the type that goes right into the bones and takes your breath away! David Ross thinks they used to take prisoners to Risser's to throw them in as a form of punishment! Perhaps we will try warmer water elsewhere...the hint should have been the wetsuits on the lifeguards. Mike and I have decided we are no longer packing a big cooler to listen to : "can you get me this" "can you pass me that"...each person will get a cooler pack and be responsible for what they put in it (it will have to pass the mother inspection) and they will have to carry it.

Sunday was soccer. Graham has his last soccer of the year, he scored a couple of goals and had lots of fun.

Now it's back to baseball. Apparently we may be having two double headers this weekend that were not scheduled...as the lady who runs the canteen, from buying stuff to packing to loading the car to running it to unloading it, I am not thrilled!

Mike left for PEI yesterday, he is in charge of the food service for the Canada Games...good thing we are not there with him because he is full out until they get this thing going. We are heading over on the 22nd to meet him and spend a few days there.

My husband is 40!!

2009-08-03T08:59:00.003-03:00

My husband turned 40 on Saturday...that's right, I am married to an old man!! Just kidding honey, you're still the 20 something I first met in my eyes. We had a lovely dinner out, just the two of us, we went to the Port Pub in Port Williams. Poor Mike had to work on his birthday, two wedding to cook for and another one on Sunday. I think he was feeling his 40 years last night after working all weekend. Happy Birthday!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-07-29T13:43:00.002-03:00

Okay...I have been a bad blogger, I admit it!!
No defence, could try the busy thing but it really does not take that long to do.
We've enjoyed alot of baseball. Last weekend we were in Dartmouth for a tournament. We were suppose to camp in Dartmouth on Friday night and play as well, but guess what...it rained. In fact, it poured!! Our game was delayed and we did not camp until Sat. We had a great camping trip. Sarah was able to come and keep Elysia company. They even set up the tent for us (rather than watch another game of baseball). We had all the camping players and their families to our site for a great campfire that included smores, Jiffy pop popcorn, fire crackers and mystical fire. It was a super time.
I have no problem camping and sleeping on an air mattress but I would prefer my own air mattress...nothing against my husband. But once Mike lays on the air mattress my soft squishy bed has now risen several inches and is rock hard. I wonder if they have a double air mattress but with each side having their own air baffle...hmmm....have to look into that.

A few weeks ago, Mike's family was able to visit. We had a great time, and Elysia and Graham love when they get to see their "Cape Breton" family. We had some good food and lots of great chuckles. Sheila's girls, Hannah and Kenna are getting so big and grown up.

We are off to Dartmouth for another baseball game tonight. Their is a big commitment to playing rep ball but Graham really enjoys it so it's worth it. Elysia is even getting into it, as long as I bring my camera and let her take pictures.

What are Hooters?!

2009-07-09T09:48:00.003-03:00

Yes...that's right...my son asked "what are Hooters?" last night while I was driving the car and drinking tea...I near spit the tea onto the windshield. I could not look at Mike and Elysia and her friend, Kieran were dying laughing in the back...I didn't say a whole lot so Graham's answer was "that's okay, I'll look it up on the internet"...OMG, can you imagine the search results on that? So we had a little discussion about the restaurant and what the slang was for, we will have to keep a watch on his internet usage over the next few days.

Last night Graham played ball in the city, they won their game and did well. We have a double header on Saturday, three soccer games on Sunday and a ball game in Dartmouth on Monday...busy few days to say the least. In the middle of all that, Mike's parents, sisters, brother in law and nieces are coming for a visit. It will be nice, the kids don't often get to see their grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins and they are quite excited for it. They are landing in the middle of our mayhem but that's just the way it is...they will come out and watch some ball on Saturday and for those of you who know Graham, know that he will be busting for a hit while they are watching. Elysia will be dragged out of bed again on Sat to work the canteen...not sure if she is loving this whole baseball experience or not.

I got myself a Credit Card...I had given up my credit card a few years ago to be "fiscally responsible"...it had not bothered me to this point. Not until my grandmother passed away and I was unable to rent a car in my name to go to her funeral. Apparently to rent a car, you must have a major credit card and it must be in the name of the person leasing the car...needless to say, the card is in the mail on it's way to me. If something happened to Mike while he was away I would have no way to get to him...

Goodbye Grandma!!

2009-07-03T09:11:00.002-03:00

Talked to dad early this morning, my grandmother passed away. Lillian Roy lived a long good life...only the last few years had she started to "get old". I'll always have the picture of her fishing in my mind. My grandparents had cottages on Lac Gatineau in Quebec that they rented. We would go visit and swim during the summer at the lake and snowmobile in the winter. After my grandfather passed away, Grandma kept the cottage by the boathouse...and always had a line in the water and would go running down the dock if the bobble went under water...bye Grandma!! Love you!! She's somewhere now with her line in the water, waiting for a big pike to take a bite!!

Double Digits

2009-06-28T15:53:00.003-03:00

Graham has turned 10!! Hard to believe it but he is now in the double digits. Graham's highlight so far has been the wrestling belt Grandma gave him, he liked it so much he went and bought a second one...he is having a wrestling themed party tonight...8 boys and Mike is in NFLD...God help me!

I sometimes get a little emotional on his birthday as I realize how easily this could have marked a solemn occassion...then I get over it and remember that he's happy and healthy (well, reasonably so :)) I had my "moment" this morning while I was talking to Josee on the phone. I was telling her that I had a hard time keeping it together while we sang him Happy Birthday at mom's last night. Well, enough of that.

Yesterday Graham had a double header, they won both their games...our canteen did well. Elysia even got up and helped out all day and I had a great day with her.

Mike is NFLD...he is in a cooking competition with all the different food service companies...he was the captain of his team. They took silver but more importantly they got the people's choice award...to me that means more because that's who they are trying to please in the long run...of course, I asked him if they were cash prizes...not so lucky!!

Elysia

2009-06-28T15:38:00.005-03:00

It's been a busy few weeks...Elysia had her grade 8 prom and graduation. The night of the graduation it was humid and hot and you can imagine what that gym was like. Each student had to stand on the stage while someone said a blub about them...needless to say, Elysia did not enjoy this part, she was shaking. Next year it's off to Central Kings High School...my soul, where did the time go.

R.I.P. Sebastian

2009-06-24T07:39:00.002-03:00

So poor little Sebastian met his demise. He was my yellow budgie bird that Mike gave me for Christmas one year...he was sunny side up in the cage this morning, sounds callous but I cried none the less. He was not feeling well the last little bit, they tend to get all puffy and sleepy when they are sick. Yesterday, Antoine (the white budgie) was not being very friendly to him, I think the instincts were kicking in. Bye little Sebastian, I know Mike in particular will miss your lovely squawking!!

Graham's Checkup

2009-06-17T14:25:00.002-03:00

Yesterday Graham's cardiology visit went well. He does has some extra ventricular beats, more than last time, so they will do another exercise test to make sure his heart rate is speeding up and slowing down when it needs to. He can still continue with his sports. His heart function has not gone down any but it hasn't gone up, so he's still on the low side of that but he tolerates it well. His valve shows some calcification (hardening and narrowing) but no worse than last time. He explained that if they only have to replace the valve they can do that through a catheter in the leg if it's the whole root (which it may well be) then it's open heart. He said that we have at least a year before that but he cannot give exact numbers.and he needs to start wearing a medic alert where we are not always with him now. Graham said it was a little freaky to hear us talk with the dr about his surgery. It's funny because they ask all the questions to Graham now and you know him, he's more than willing to answer questions. He lists all his medications, talks about the heart beats, he's learning. I want him to always be comfortable when he talks to the dr so that he will continue to do it even when him mommy is not in the room (we don't talk about that day)

Elysia is thrilled to be coming with us to Dartmouth tonight for Graham's baseball game. It's just too long for her to be by herself, not that we don't trust her but we don't want to give her too long of a leash that she chokes herself on it. We remember what it's like to be that age (okay, maybe we think we remember that long ago). Bribed her with telling her she could take my laptop to watch a movie...

Off yesterday to take Graham to the dr, leaving today at 3 to go to the ballgame and then again tomorrow at 3 for Elysia's prom...these hours are great!!!!

Did I mention my husband Mike...he gets upset if I don't mention him...Mike, Mike, Mike!!!

Birthdays Birthdays Everywhere!!!!

2009-06-12T09:24:00.003-03:00

My beautiful niece Sarah is 16 today...16...that's freaking me out!! She could actually drive a car now. Seems like only yesterday, Tracey and I were playing cards in the waiting room, greatly anticipating the arrival of our new niece or nephew. All through Josee's pregnancy, I had held firm that we were getting a girl and when Jeff came out, he looked at me and said "you better be happy"...of course, I was thrilled. She was the newest baby I had held at that point in my life. Tiny, wrinkly and screaming...and she looked perfect. Unfortunately for Sarah, I honed my baby handling skills on her. She's had a tough year, having surgery on her jaw and has come through showing her toughness...

My twin sisters, Vanessa and Patricia turn 10 today...that's double digits!! They are twins who are so different in appearance and personality. I called them bright and early this morning to wish them a Happy Birthday...they were excited to head off to school as the birthday girls. I wish they did not live so far away!!

Tonight I am heading to the Relay for Life in Kentville...it's an all night relay to raise money for cancer research. This year it has hit close to my heart, only 2 months ago, young Christopher Coady lost his battle with cancer...I bought a luminary in his memory. I'm sure I'll shed a tear or two but that's okay, I can handle that.

Tomorrow is Graham's second double header. I am running the canteen again...yes, that's right...walking all night and then running the canteen...sometimes I forget that I am not 18 anymore. I think Elysia told her grandmother she was going to sleep at a friend's house Sat night for safety. I think Mike and Graham may hide somewhere as well. Did I mention the forecast?? Rain until midnight tonight...just what this old girl needs-rain and cold!!

Mike and I went to see Russell Peters the other night. He's a comedian...he was funny. He was up for two hours and well worth it.

Life is a Whirlwind

2009-06-08T08:49:00.004-03:00

Life seems to be a whirlwind lately...

Graham had baseball this weekend, his first double headed and their season opener...they lost but made a decent showing...Graham said it was his best day of baseball ever. He made some good plays, caught a few balls, pitched a little...

Elysia managed to squeak out of working the canteen. She spent the weekend in Halifax at her friend, Kaylee's house and was quite excited to see the girls. It's been two years but they are still as tight as ever. I'm sure there was some squealing and giggling going on.

I have volunteered to run the fund raiser canteen. A fair amount of work to set up but the on going part seems to be okay...between ticket sales on a small draw and the canteen, we sold over $400...couldn't believe it...BBQ was the big hit and those cursed ring pop candies (I hate them).

I have joined a book club...that's right, I am getting intellectual in my old age. I am reading the book Rockbound by Frank Parker Day. It's set on NS's South Shore...very different than my normal read but I am enjoying it. Took a while to get into and was a little hard at first because it is written the way the people on the island would be talking...not so good English...it's a very diverse group of ladies in the book club so our first discussion should be interesting...oh yeah, it's this Sunday after I do the Relay for Life on Friday night, and then run the canteen at baseball on Saturday. I told Josee if I fall asleep to just prop me up in the corner.

Mike had a great time at the Chef Master's competition in Toronto, I think it was a little more relaxing as a judge.

Connor's a Teenager

2009-05-22T09:29:00.004-03:00

My only nephew, Connor is a teenager today...he is now the big 13!! He's a great kid...loves hockey and golf...4H farming and of course, his Auntie Annie :)

Elysia is at her practice day at CK...yes, that's right, my daughter is at high school today. I know, you are thinking that I'm not old enough to have a daughter in high school but I am, I just don't look old enough!! It's the Oil of Olay!

It's been a busy week. Graham has had lots of baseball practice/try outs and made the "development" rep team. Basically it's the rep players for next year and after. They will play against the other rep teams...may lose alot of games but it's about the development and as the coach put it, it's more about learning at the practices this year than winning the games. Should be an interesting summer. Graham is thrilled because his best buddies are also on the team.

Elysia and Graham had their band/choir concert last week. Being the inept mother that I am, I hope sort of forgotten about the day and didn't even remember to tell my mother (so mother...if you are reading this...sorry). I was a great concert! Ms Quinton does an amazing job with those kids.

Mike heads off to Toronto next week to be a judge at the Chef Masters competition (the one he won last year). I made him a book about it through Creative Memories as an anniversary gift. He really liked the book. Mike has a busy summer...in June, he's in another competition in NFLD and then in August he's in PEI for quite a while, he's in charge of the food service for the Canada Games. The kids and I are going to go over for a week while he's there.

The flower gardens are coming along great...lots of pretty tulips. Had these beautiful double tulips that got too heavy with the rain and the heads snapped off...how rude!! Guess I won't plant more of those. Spent a few hours at the garden centre, spent the gift certificate I got for Mother's Day (and maybe a few pennies more...Mike ignore that part). Got the baskets done and just need to fill some more planters. Still need to plant the veggie garden, have some stuff started but need to get my poop in a group.

Happy Anniversary

2009-05-14T09:02:00.001-03:00

Today, it's our wedding anniversary!! 15 years and I haven't killed him...haha, just kidding Mike...love you!! Just think it's only another 50 years of putting up with me!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T09:13:00.002-03:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!!

Yesterday...Mother's Day luck was on my side. My safety is due on the black car...it's going today. Yesterday coming off the highway into New Minas, they are doing a spot check...well, when I saw that I near crapped! Graham and his friend, Connor are in the car with me and I'm telling them to keep their little yappers shut about anything I may say. I haven't decided whether I will play stupid or tell them I have the appt today. The first officer waves me to the second officer because alot of cars are coming off the highway. There is one car in front of me when I get to the second officer...the guy in the car is reaching for his license, etc and the cop is trying to wave him on...he's already checked the tags, etc. The guy took so long and the line up was getting longer that the officer just waved me through...OMG! I could not believe it! Connor, Graham and I were highfiving it!

Saturday, we went to Halifax to get Elysia's prom dress. We were all malled out by the time we got done. We accomplished what we set out to do though...she has a cute little dress, that according to Mike required more material...guess that's the father in him.

Graham made the first cut for the rep baseball team. Their practice was yesterday at 2, guess what time the rain and wind arrived at...yup...2! The field was already flooded so we tried the other field...the kids went out to throw the ball around while the parents and coaches huddled in the dugouts. Needless to say, they cut it short.

After baseball we went for a visit to Grandma's house. Mom had her bathroom redone a while ago and the guy just kind of biffed everything into a pile in her garage. Well, it was big garbage day so mom and I went through the pile, got it all bundled, bagged and out to the curb...what a mess!!

Did I mention my breakfast?? Yesterday, Graham was bound and determined he was going to make me breakfast in bed. Mike was working, it's convocation at Acadia and there is no way Elysia will rise that early. When I got out of bed, Graham sent me back. Mike had gone to Tim Horton's in the morning and bought some tea and donuts. Graham made me toast though, really dark toast with jam...mmm...and an apple, and a yogurt and two exta large teas, and a box with 3 donuts and two croissants in it...he somehow managed to carry this all upstairs in one trip. I had trouble taking it downstairs, not sure how he did it.

Movies I Should Only Watch Alone!

2009-05-03T15:11:00.004-03:00

I have determined that there are certain movies I should only watch alone...because I turn into a blubbering idiot...no matter how many times I see them. The Notebook is one, I will watch the whole thing except that last five minutes and anyone who has seen it knows why. Steel Magnolias, when the mother is in the ICU with her daughter and has to turn the machines off...need I say more?! So last night, being the fool that I am, I decided to watch all of A Walk to Remember...it was pitiful! I had snot and tears down to my armpits and it starts half way through the movie and keeps right on going. I know it's going to happen but being the sappy fool that I am, I watch it anyway.

Graham has started his baseball, he's really enjoying it! He's pretty intense as anyone who has seen him play can attest to...so we practiced some in the yard yesterday. Elysia spent Sat afternoon and night with her cousin, Sarah. Who is doing amazingly well. She looks great, almost all the swelling and bruising is gone, she's allowed to eat real food but she still has to take it somewhat easy...definitely no chewing gum!!

Started a new flower bed on the side of the house, this side is south facing and gets lots of sunlight. I "recycled" my existing plants. Split some hostas, lillies and irises and some other green things that I can only figure out once they start to really come up, who knows, I may have transplanted weeds....eventually I will continue the bed right to the chimney...here's a picture...

I have also included some pictures of my tulips...these are the first ones to show their flowers. Tulips are by far my favorite flower, they seem like the sign of good things to come!

I drove to Kingston today to pickup Elysia and as I was driving down the highway, I heard this funny noise on the windshield...I could not figure out what it was...it was bugs hitting the windshield...the blackflies are coming out and they are hungry!! The bugs will be enough to make my husband hide indoors!

So being the organized mother that I am...haha...I had it all arranged to take the kids for their appointments in the city on the 14th. Elysia for her breathing test and visit to the allergy specialist and Graham to get a monitor put on for 24 hours. I had put in the request for some bond money for shopping for all of us. Had made the necessary arrangements with the school so the kids could still participate in the spring concert that night. It's amazing how much difference a 1 makes...the appointment is for the 4th...Monday...so I had to scramble to make sure I could get the day off, rearrange Graham's monitor. The bond money is not here yet so the kids and I are going to go back to Halifax on Sat this week to get shorts, etc for summer. My great day of organization has gone to the crapper!!

Spectacular Weekend

2009-04-27T09:57:00.003-03:00

What a gorgeous weekend we had!! The weather was great and there was really no where that we needed to be! I got to play in the dirt alot...there's lots of green in the garden coming through.

Saw a 2 million dollar barn on the weekend. In Berwick a family built a new barn and milking parlour...lots of stainless steel in the parlour, cha-ching!! I think my brother in law, Jeff has "barn envy" now. In the barn there are these spinning brushes that the cows rub up against to get a scratch...lovely to see one rubbing her face on one side of the brush while another cow is rubbing her ass on the other side.

Had the Ross family (and mymother) over for BBQ Sat night, the evening was lovely, the weather was great, sat on the deck after supper, watched the kids have a water fight. But then the mosquitos came out...yes, the mosquitos...they chased us in the house.

Mike has headed to the city to cook. El Divo is performing this week at the Metro Centre...they offer packages that include a dinner or reception before hand so Mike goes up to cook for that. Don't worry Mike, I won't sleep in the middle of the bed!!

One Tough Cookie!!

2009-04-17T21:00:00.003-03:00

My niece, Sarah is one tough cookie...yesterday she had surgery to have her jaw broken and wisdom teeth removed. Today she is home! I knew she came from good stock!!These are before and after photos of her xrays that I "facebooklifted". She's much cuter in person, although right now she says from the neck up she could compete on the Biggest Loser show because of all the swelling.

When it's all said and done and she's allowed to eat solid food again, Uncle Mike has agreed to cook her whatever she wants!!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-13T07:37:00.003-03:00

The weekend was busy and action filled...Friday started with the annual subdivision egg hunt. Each child has 20 plastic eggs filled for them by their parents. The dads go into the park and sandpit to hide the eggs and then the kids are let loose (see the little gang in the picture). After the egg hunt, we had a pot luck brunch and for some strange reason...Mike and I agreed to let it happen at our house. All I can say is thank goodness for the sunshine, there was no reason for the kids to be inside the house. We set a table and chairs up outside for the kiddies...although they did tend to sneak in...I heard a bunch upstairs and my kids had already left to go to a movie so there was no reason for them to be up there...three little "Christers" as my mother would call them were up in Graham's room...they were properly expelled!

Mom came over for supper of pan fried haddock...she brought her little dog Sofie over who was not looking well and ended up in the hospital that night...she's doing better now but she was pretty sick.

Sat was Graham's last baseball in the indoor soccer facility...they had a little pickup game and he really enjoyed that.

Sunday was Easter...the bunny bought treats for the kids...then Graham took his eggs from the egg hunt on Friday and used the "candy he didnt' like" and make an egg hunt for Mike and I...it was pretty cute but he doesn't just open the closet and set an egg in there...no he hides it in a shoe and then hides the shoe. Took us a while to get all the eggs.

Rough Weekend

2009-04-05T20:09:00.003-03:00

Well...let's just say this is not a weekend I would like to repeat...although it did have some highlights. Graham had batting practice Sat morning with Ian Mosher of the Kentville Wildcats and he was great and Graham batted really well afterwards. Elysia had a soccer game last night, made some beautiful passes and they won their game. That's the highlights.

Sat was Christopher Coady's funeral. He had only turned 13 a few days before. The church was absolutley packed, there was no more room left in that place. When I first got there the first person I saw was one of the Russel Metals truck drivers. He is very close to Christopher's parents and to have that man grab me and hug me and cry on my shoulder...phew...that's a hard one to take. He was also a pall bearer. They all had a Montreal Canadiens jersey on with Coady on the back and his favorite player's number. Little things get to you...as Tim walked by the hearse with his son's casket in it...he rubbed his hand on the window. I gave Tim and big hug and he said "you came"...of course I did. Christopher had already been ill when Graham became ill and Tim was always my sounding board at work about the doctors and the hospitals. I hope that I never have to see the funeral of another child, or to see parents in that much anguish.

Sat night, Mike was at the Relay for Life at Acadia. When I went to bed, my stomach started burning...I ended up in the bathroom in the least favorite position...you know it, we've all done it...sat on the toilet with the bucket between the legs because there are things coming out of everywhere. Only lasted about three hours but it was violent...I don't think I have ever had it that bad. The last time I was in the bathroom, I started to pass out. It started going dark...saw stars...hearing clouded...arms heavy. I fell off the toilet onto the floor and laid there for a minute and thought what a lovely picture that would be. Got back up on the toilet and managed to get my head down between my knees and with all that was going...not the best place to put it...haha. Sorry, had to interject some humor. Mike got home about 2 and I told him what was going on and he said "don't be offended if I sleep downstairs" and I said "don't be offended if I want you to". Had two naps today but managed to stay out of the bathroom. My stomach is rotted out though, still burning but certainly better. Sorry for the shi&&^ story but that's my life this weekend.

The good part is most of the snow is gone and there are green things sprouting up in the garden everywhere!!

Angel in Heaven

2009-04-01T08:43:00.003-03:00

Today there is a young angel in heaven and his name is Christopher Coady...he passed away early this morning at the age of 13. He fought a long and hard battle with cancer that started before he was even 2 years old. I know his parents Tim and Dana are heart broken.

Kaylie's Birthday

2009-03-29T20:40:00.002-03:00

My beautiful niece Kaylie, turned 11 on Friday...careful...she's a Karate student and could kick butt!! I love her dearly and miss her terribly...it's a long way to BC but the ties are tight!

Busy Days

2009-03-29T13:24:00.002-03:00

This was a busy weekend. Friday night, I had a Digital Scrapbooking get together with Creative Memories...my good friend Reta is a consultant and I asked her to come up and give a demonstration that was based on the digital products that CM sells. She brought along her "trusty sidekick" Patti and away we went. I had some friends over and Reta was able to tell them all about the digital side of things. I am highly addicted to it and love it and really wanted to share how great it is. The evening was great, we had some good laughs, some delicious brownies (what my daughter didn't manage to eat) and we all learned alot. Sales were good and I think everyone realized how great the products are! Reta and Patti were spending the night so we stayed up past our bedtime for a few more giggles...Graham was so kind to come down and tell us that we better be done by midnight...

Saturday morning started with baseball of course. I think it's great that they have this little spring training program, Graham is learning alot from it. After baseball they were having a football practice in the indoor soccer facility, it's great to see it used for other sports as well. Elysia was at her friend's house, Mike was working so I had a babysitter for Graham and off I went to the Old O for a day of scrapbooking with friends. I only take my laptop with me...the cruel part of me gets a chuckle out of people carrying in their bags of stuff and I show up with my one or two bags...plug in my computer and away I go. Patti, Reta, Alice and Sonya were all there. Sonya has just begun to finally see the "scrapbooking light", of course being the technical person, the light is from her computer screen. I think she really enjoyed it!

I only stayed until about 5 and then the kids and I went to see Grandma. We stayed for supper and a quick visit. I wanted to see all the work she had done in the bathrooms. Yes, I forgot to tell you about my lovely Friday night at mother's house last weekend. Mike and I had striped some border off mom's walls in the rec room. We were unable to get the border off in the bathroom by hand. So I called my mother on Friday and ask what she's doing and she says she's rented a steamer and intends to take the border off that night...agh!! Mothers!! I "volunteered" my services...had I only known. I will never, ever in my entire life strip wallpaper that has to come off with a steamer (unless there are copious amounts of cash or alcohol involved). Three hours later, it was off. I am sure her painter still had quite the job to do taking the paste off before he painted but I don't know him and I didn't have to do it...so I don't care!

We had a great visit with Maria! She was suppose to head out on Tuesday morning but the 20+ cms of snow put a stop to that, so she didn't end up going until Wed morning...do you know how early you have to get up to make a 6:30 flight in Halifax?! The sun wasn't even coming up until I was almost home! Maria had alot of fun and saw some things she doesn't get to see in Ottawa...Hall's Harbour, a calf autopsy, a mink farm (she did not like that smell!)

Hall's Harbour

2009-03-17T16:42:00.004-03:00

We decided to take the kids up to Hall's Harbour today. Maria wanted to see the Bay of Fundy. Connor was off skiing with his cousin so he was unable to go. Let me just start by saying it was the most pristine of spring days...the sun was shining, the water was calm, it was absolutely perfect (minus the dead dear Sarah found in the rocks-agh).

The kids had fun climbing on the rocks, taking pictures...

Maria in Town

2009-03-16T13:46:00.002-03:00

The kids are on March break this week. They are quite happy, I am having a bit of a March break myself, I am off for 3 days and it's glorious!! Elysia went to Halifax for the weekend to visit her friends. We picked her up this morning on our way to pickup Maria (my sister) at the airport. Dad and Evanice have allowed to come down for the week. As Graham says "we get her first". We explained that she's not a dog! We are at Josee's house now and I am on her little MacBook, rather liking it I must say, may end up in my car...:) Just kidding, Josee.

Sign of Spring

2009-03-07T17:55:00.003-04:00

Yes...I saw it and here's the proof!! Crocuses are coming through the ground...we have one patch of garden that is not covered with snow and gets lots of sun and they are starting to peak through!!!

This is a picture of mom's dog, Sofie, she loves to curl up on the back of mom's couch and watch out the window...or course, she's well dressed.

We went to mom's to help her take down some border...yeah, sounds like fun doesn't it. Here's a great picture of mom and Elysia...there was a better one of both of them with their tongues hanging out but I thought my mother would kill me if I posted it.

We then went to Connor's hockey game and boy, was it exciting, they were down 5-2 with only about 12 minutes to go and they ended up winning 10-5, what a turn around. I may have screamed once or twice.

Here's a picture of Graham collecting kindling in the woods in the back...it was such a great spring day today.

Back Door Barf

2009-03-04T19:11:00.002-04:00

So this is some of our back door barf and trust me it sure looks better with a dusting of snow flakes on it. Of course now, it's frozen solid.

The Ever Continuing Saga of the Ice, Snow and Rain

2009-03-03T10:42:00.002-04:00

So...last night when I got home from work, it had snowed and rained and was continuing to rain...and the snowplow had gone by and made a mess at the end of the driveway. Rather than drive over it, I shovelled it away and let me tell you, it was heavy!! All fine and dandy because we had invested the money in paving the driveway last summer so it wasn't too bad...hmm...should have seen that as an omen of things to come!

Last night, Mike and I relaxing in the tv room, nice fire going...watching the Cosby show...enjoying the evening. Then I say "I think I hear water running"...we opened the back door and realized that it was quickly filling up with water that was gushing down the side of the house and filling in the concrete area and was about to overflow in our back door...our EMO plan kicked in :) What that means is panic and running, Mike pulled his rubber boots on and I ran upstairs to get my boots and the shovel. We went out side in the pouring rain to bail out the water. In the water is a lovely collection of leaves and sand that the water has washed away. This is all being thrown in the back yard.

At first we thought the gutter had overflowed as it had done once before, I went up the hill to look and realized that was not the case. Since we paid all that money to pave the driveway, it had a created a smooth surface for all the water flowing down the road to come down, it was pooling at the end of the driveway and it's quickest was down was under the steps on the side of the house, along the foundation and around the corner where it ran to the back door. I ran next door to get the ice beater upper thing and another shovel. I managed to carve out a path in the ice and snow with Mike (oh yeah, there was an ax involved in there as well) to redirect the onslot of water away from the back door down into the yard.

We then decided to get the sandbags out of the shed to reinforce the back door to keep the water out...guess what? The door was blocked with ice again...in between bailing and carving a path, we now had to get the ice away from the front of the doors to get the shed open. I think there may be some dents in the bottom of the door as our rage and frustration had mounted at this point and I was damned if I would unscrew those doors in the pouring rain. We finally managed to get the doors opened and hauled up the sandbags, sandbagged the back door.

We both went into the house exhausted and soaked to the skin...but the disaster was averted! Mike went out once more to bail that night but our tactics seemed to have worked for now but we have to find a better solution until it all thaws and we can have someone come in and find a way to permanently redirect the water.

We both looked outside this morning to see how our work looked in the light and to be quite honest, it now looks like our back door threw up!

Website

2009-03-02T09:09:00.002-04:00

My friend from work, Don has launched a new website...www.scotianhiker.com...see the link on my blog page. He is having a photo contest, you could win a digital camera, etc. Check it out!!

How NOT to Spend a Night

2009-02-24T09:42:00.002-04:00

So, we have been trying to teach Graham all about his medication and his condition. When we went to Heart Talk last year they talked about how boys in particular did not know enough about their condition, etc and as they turned to adults and they no longer had their mamas there to take care of them all the time, they stopped taking meds and going for checkups...so we are determined that does not happen. Graham helps me sort his weekly medication into one of those weekly AM/PM sorters...I sometimes get him to call in his prescriptions as well and we are quite frank with him in our discussions about his heart condition. So last night I said...Graham go get your medicine...my fault for not going with him and watching. He accidently took the AM medication for this morning as opposed to the PM for last night...what that meant was he doubled up on two of his medications for the day. So I called the Kentville hospital, they referred me to Poison Control...so I called them and they said that the doses for each individual medication was fine, but I still didn't feel all that great about it, so I called the cardiologist on call at the IWK...he was great. He said that it was no one dose that he was concerned about but a combination of all the higher doses. We took his pressure at home and the dr felt it was a little low so he said he would feel better if Graham was observed at the hospital for a couple of hours...so off we went...the nurse at Emerg was the one I had talked to earlier and she was great with him. We went right back and they hooked him up to a monitor for a couple of hours, checked his pressure and did a couple of EKG's...anyway, long story short...he's fine, it was after midnight when we got home so he was tired this morning.

He was upset with what he had done but I told him we were to blame for not helping him with it and that he was very smart to realize he had made the mistake and very brave to tell us. Anyone who knows Graham knows how much of a ham he can be while he's dealing with this sort of stuff...answered all the dr's questions about his medication...the names etc and the questions about when he has his checkups etc. I think they were slightly amused with him and it was a good break from what they were dealing with there. They were excellent and treated us very well.

Calm before the Storm

2009-02-22T19:27:00.003-04:00

What a great day!! The sun was shining and the sun was warm...sat on my swing for a while today, the sign of things to come. Pulled some wood out of the shed, gotta be ready for the big storm. I talked to Tracey and her girls and they are wearing t shirts in BC! Nor so much here.

Elysia had a soccer game today. She played well, had a beautiful cross for goal...almost got one herself but her and the keeper had a bit of a collision...she ate some turf, Elysia said if it had been grass, she would have been eating some.

Graham had an off weekend but next weekend he plays in a little basketball tournament and then the following weekend he starts his "spring training" for baseball. They are holding some indoor training for the upcoming baseball season.

Josee is coming to stay for the night. She works at 7 am tomorrow and it's a quicker drive from our house...especially if we get alot of snow...who knows how much we will get, sometimes the predictions are soooo far off.

Our cold water tank had a small leak the other morning. Our Mr Fixit neighbor will have a look at it for us. May have to replace it, there's always something to be done. Last year we put new rain gutters on the front, could use them on the back too. We need to recaulk a windown in back that leaked a little when it rained really hard...

We are still trying to get Graham to clean his room...it's a slow process but I want him to be responsible for it. I cannot imagine what it would look like without us nagging at him...it would require a shovel.

Migraines

2009-02-18T16:53:00.004-04:00

What a day...I get migraines...not often, about 3 to 4 a year...in some ways I am fortunate...my follow a very specific pattern. It starts with an aura...basically an aura is a freakout of the nerves in the brain that usually cause visual symptoms. Mine is usually just a spot at first, like when someone takes your picture with a bright flash. It gradually grow to obstruct my vision about 50%, usually always the vision on the left side...the edges of the "blind spot" flash, I cannot read or drive at this point (it did happen once while I was driving and that was not pleasant). It does make me quite nauseaus (can never spell that word). Once the aura stops (usually lasts about half an hour), the pain sets in. It does not last long but it's usually quite intense and completely wipes me out. I came home today after the aura had stopped, thinking I would put a fire on and lay on the couch...by the time I got home, I was beat, I headed upstairs and buried my head under the pillows and went to sleep, I woke about two hours later when the kiddies got home. I felt much better, not 100%, but certainly better. Now it's time to feed the animals at the zoo.

PS...for my birthday I asked for money so I could pool my resources and buy a new camera...it arrived yesterday...Canon Power Shot SC 10 IS, 10.0 mega pixels and 20 x optical zoom...I now need a tutorial to use it. Played with it last night for a while, maybe some more later.

Snow coming tomorrow, my goal is to have the snowblower up from the shed tonight...and guess what, Mike is working later...hope I won't need the Manwich can!! Shouldn't need it, Mike went down and beat up the ice last week.

Lies of Ommission

2009-02-15T17:43:00.002-04:00

My daughter learned a lesson in Lies of Ommission today. Friday night she slept at her friend's house and apparently they went to see a movie...no big deal, right...but when you don't tell your mother before you go, or call her when you are going or tell her when she calls to say good night and she has asked you what you did...that's a lie of ommission. What's the worse thing you can do to a 14 year old...take her cell phone. It's in a "safe place" for a few days and hopefully lesson learned.

Graham had a bball game on Sat against the other KMBA team...big rivalry, so apparently there had been a little trash talk at school between the boys. Testosterone kicking in early! Anyway, Graham's team pulled out a win...they were pretty excited. To tell the truth I was a little excited as well. I admit that I stacked the last line but I did that first and worked the rest of the game around it. So no one played extra.

Elysia had a soccer game today and her team got creamed. They did not play their best but as I pointed out to Elysia, every time she battled for the ball, she won it and did something good with it.

We went to Josee's last night for candle light Valentines dinner...yummy roast beef and some birthday cake for dessert...guess when you turn 39 for the second time, you get two cakes...works for me!

Did make it to Halifax on Wed (yes, my birthday)...what a great day! Took the day off work and headed to Halifax wit Josee and mom. We had some retail therapy in mind. We met Patti and Reta for lunch at East Side Marios and I had some Linguine Chicken Tetrazini...Mike and I use to go there for lunch when he was off when we lived in Halifax. It was delish!! Josee and mom had the same and thoroughly enjoyed it. Reta even went back with her husband that night for his birthday supper and had it. Bruce (Reta's husband) and I share the same birth date...certainly not the same birth year :) Bruce is much older than me! I like to remind him that he's the same age as my mother.

Gotta go and eat some ham and potatoe salad...mmmm...my favorite!!

Chapped Lips

2009-02-08T10:10:00.003-04:00

So this week, I ended up with chapped lips...who knows why. So I thought I would put some cream on them, the only thing I could find was this Spectro Gel I use for Graham's eczema...yeah, big mistake! It burnt my lips and I ended up with the worse chapped lips of my life. Not only are they chapped but they swell in the morning so I look like a cross between a trout and Angelina Jolie. Now I am getting a cold sore, I think the smooching on Valentine's Day will be kept to a minimum unless something drastic happens. Right now I am the Blistex queen.

Graham had a basketball game yesterday and they played well and won their game. Elysia had two soccer games last night with only an hour in between. They won both their games and she played really well in the second game. She was fairly pooped at the end of it and I don't think it took her long to fall asleep last night. It's kind of nice now that all the weekend activities were on Sat, Sunday will be fairly quiet...Man United plays today at noon, so it will be enjoyable to watch it then as I usually end up watching the replay.

Had to have bloodwork done...I've had it from the summer. Just some baseline stuff now that I am the big 4-0. It's great to have a sister who is a lab tech. I was able to sneak in on Sat morning and go right to the lab so she could jab me. Graham thought that it was Auntie Josee's greatest wish...to jab her sister with a needle.

Last night Graham was telling his friend Connor a story and was talking about being at his "second aunt's" house...I asked who that was...you know mom, Auntie Diane...he thinks Diane, Kathy and David are his second aunts and uncles...too cute! The kids are close to them and all the Morse cousins and have a special place for Grammie and Grampie Morse.

The Saga of the Snowblower

2009-02-03T22:02:00.003-04:00

So when I got home tonight about 20 cms of snow had fallen and it was starting to get dark, I thought it was better to get the snowblower out of the shed...oh...good idea in thought. First I had to get by the ice at the bottom of the doors, I could not open the doors as there was ice holding them shut. So I took out the ice breaker in the McKinnon house...our hammer. There I was on my hands and knees after I had walked through the knee deep snow to get the hammer. I am pounding the ice away (yeah, I thought it was going away), shards are flying in my hair. I could not get the doors open, the ice was too thick, so then it was time for plan B. I came back into the house and got the power drill only to realize it was not plugged in and was dead. So I grabbed a screwdriver and went down and took the doors off the shed (not exactly a great security system). I discovered after I had the first door off that the front of the snowblower would not fit through so I had to remove the other door.

So now I have the snowblower out...I follow the instructions for a "cold" start, but I cannot make it start. So back up to the house I go to get the extension cords to try a "warm" start. The cords were outside so they were frozen in a tangled mess. I managed to get them untangled enough and plugged it, get back to the shed and then realize I do not have the removable cord that goes into the snowblower...I look all over the shed by flashlight, look in the house and cannot find it. I guess my rage at that point paid off as I was able to pull the cord hard enough at that point to get it started. So I now have to go back and get the extension cord out of the way...so I have to go back up the hill in the snow. Now I have to go back down the hill to get the snowblower so I can blow my way up the hill into the driveway, I cannot come up the side by the door because the well cover is under snow and the Christmas tree which has never made it's way down the back bank is somewhere under the snow and I don't want to try to turn the snowblower into a mulcher.

I had to come in and change out of my pants. I still had my jeans on from work and they were frozen solid from the knees down. Elysia helped me untie my boots because my hands were frozen from trying to get the screws out of the shed door. My legs were red from the cold. So now I put on snow pants and headed back out.

Snowblowing the driveway was easy once I remembered which handle made the snowblower move and which one threw the snow, takes a little coordination. I get it all blown out and now want to keep the snowblower up and locked to the deck. The locks are frozen from being left outside so I have to bring them back into the house. I also need the tarp which is back in the shed at the bottom of the hill. Back I go down through the knee deep snow. When I had changed my pants, I lost my socks in the exchange so now I have snow going into my boots under the snowpants. I manage to get the tarp but have to screw the doors back onto the shed. Well guess what? The snow that has been fallen has cemented itself to the ice where the doors were so I am unable to properly attach the doors so I put in enough screws to prevent the doors from flying away (I hope). I go back up the hill with the tarp and go up on the deck to get the extention cord out of the plug and put it in the basement so it can thaw. I then go up around the house with the tarp to cover the snowblower...we do this with a bungee cord...well, to add injury to insult, the cord is frozen to the cement by the deck. Guess where the ice breaker/hammer is...in the shed that has just had the doors screwed back on. Well, I am not going back down the hill and unscrewing the doors to get the ice breaker/hammer out. So I use the next best thing...a can of Manwich sauce...that's right, Manwich sauce. I ended up on the hands and knees by the side deck with a can of Manwich sauce, pounding the ice so I can get the bungee cord out.

At this point, I am fairly frustrated and pooped but feeling slightly accomplished. I come in the house and strip off my coat and snow pants and run up the stairs in my underwear (not a pretty picture). I cannot get the head band I wear to keep my ears warm off because it is frozen in my lovely beast of a hairdo...well at least that would melt.

All in all, if I had been smart I would have recorded the events of the evening and made one of those time lapse photography videos and posted it on Youtube and I would have had millions of hits--40 Yr old vs Snowblower.

February 1

2009-02-01T19:32:00.002-04:00

Well...it's a new month. January went by fairly quickly. Lots going on.

Graham's team played Port Williams in Bball yesterday and they got creamed. The coaches from PW were a little intense, their players were good for sure. I told Graham that the sign of a good player is not how he wins a game, but how he loses Connor played hockey and his team did not do their best so it was a one sided affair also. Elysia's soccer was an off weekend for some reason again but next Sat she has two games.

We went to watch a soccer game today. One of Elysia's friends Adam, made the U14 boys tier 1 this winter...what a good game, it's so fast.

Mike has a few friends over for Superbowl, chili and wings...yeah, throw some beer in that...those are not mating scents to say the least.

So work has been interesting. I am attempting to do the year end...we have made some great changes over the last while but I think the owners expect that to show in the numbers in the first month...one didn't want to talk about it on a Friday afternoon...okay, so stick your head in the sand for the weekend. I even worked at it a little today and I cannot make it look any better. They told me they want me to "own" the inventory, I really don't think they want that. I told them that someone could park their truck outside the door and load up and they probably wouldn't know the difference....any time they have discrepancies they just adjust the inventory...Agh! I gave them my ideas about how it should be handled...we'll see how that goes over and then how long it will last.

I have to take our financials to the accountants, I wonder if it would be obvious if I slipped my resume in there in between the balance sheet and income stmt. A girl can always try.

I am going to take my birthday off. I have to, I turn 39! As you recall, last year when I hit the big 4-0, I decided that I would start working my way backwards from now on, so 39 it is! Josee and I are going to go to Halifax for the day. I need some retail therapy...

Heard of this great website the other day...okay, so I admit, it was on Oprah...anyway, it's the largest on line shoe store~http://canada.zappos.com/ I ordered red Sketcher sneakers for Mike to give me for my birthday. I know he would want me to have something I liked...:)

I Had Better Blog

2009-01-25T10:56:00.002-04:00

Okay...so I have been a little lax lately in my blogging...I would like to say it's because I have been been so busy but I cannot say that...when I think of it the computer is somewhere else in the house and I cannot be bothered going to get it at that point...I'll do it later I think...and then it doesn't happen. So I guess the reason is laziness, guess at least I am honest about it.

Not much going on. Graham had basketball yesterday. Mike and I ran the scoresheet and the clock and we think we are bad luck...they lost and the only other time they lost was when Mike and I did the scoresheet and clock...hmmm...

Elysia has an off weekend for soccer but next weekend she has two games on Sat night, should be a busy evening.

My kitchen is a scarey mess, I am hoping if I ignore it long enough the kitchen ferries will clean it...maybe, Mike will. So today it's laundry, laundry, and more laundry and the kitchen. I blame my mother for the kitchen mess, she hired Mike to make ribs and bruschetta for her get together, he's a great cook but he's use to not cleaning up after himself. He's a piler...as long as it's a neat pile, he thinks it's clean. Actually usually he's pretty good about cleaning the kitchen, maybe he's hoping for the kitchen ferries too.

Did go to a couple of basketball games at Acadian...great basketball. I like watching the ladies play, I find they dig a little harder for the ball. Graham's team was invited to play during half time, they didn't get alot of play because the radio stations were having some promotions but they had fun and enjoyed the crowd cheering for them.

Mike and Graham are heading off skating today, Elysia doesn't want to go but she "offered" for me to take her to the movies...how kind of her. Her and her friends went to see Marlie and Me the other night. They bawled, Elysia said there was a man behind her crying.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T21:35:00.004-04:00

Wow it's 2009, I remember (barely) 1980 and how odd that seemed...now it's 2009...it does happen in the blink of an eye. We had a great eve, we went as a family to our friends' house with most of the neighborhood...it was great, we could walk there and not have to worry about driving, babysitters, cabs...

We were invited to a New Years Levee in the Chester area but needless to say with the weather we did not make it out...somehow 30 cms of snow will do that...but Mike did have fun with his new toy. We broke down and bought a snowblower, neither one of us is getting any younger but I swear the driveway is getting bigger. I did get the opportunity to use it for a couple of swipes but Mike looked like a kid who had his new bike taken away.

So it's back to "normal" life. The kids head back to school tomorrow and are not particularly thrilled about it. Elysia was given the first two of the Twilight series of books for Christmas, well, following in her mother's reading footsteps, she has read both, bought the third and should be done that tonight. So tomorrow evening it will be a trip to New Minas to the book store. I told her I hoped she would put that much effort into studing for her exams in January :)...yeah, deluded aren't I? Elysia says she doesn't know how she will be able to get out of bed so early for school, I told it's nothing a cold glass of water won't cure, not so funny to her.

Graham had basketball today, he had new shoes and a new mouthguard to try out. He had the mouthguard in when he got out of the car, maybe he felt the driveway was slippery or something. Anyway, he had a good game, scored 5 baskets, which is almost triple his season total so far. The team did well with their passing and rebounds and at this age, it makes all the difference.

My husband was off for two weeks and the day before he goes back he starts a cold...sniffling, coughing and generally not feeling well. So his first day back was a short one. With his blood pressure medication, he's limited to what he can take for relief, I always like those night time cold remedies that make you feel all wonky.

So Happy New Year to all, I hope 2009 is happy and healthy for all!

The Christmas Blur

2008-12-28T20:49:00.004-04:00

This Christmas as many others in the past was a bit of a blur! You always want to try and visit everyone and their dog during the few days you have.

I was off Christmas Eve...thank goodness! Work has been a bit of a nightmare for me...yeah, I know, big shock. My boss quit and I have been promoted...yeah, promoted by default I like to call it...something like frying pan into the fire. Then my back up has decided to leave the company. We turnover a person about every three weeks there and since the company only has 20-25 people (depending where you are in the three weeks) it makes it quite busy, at least on the HR side of things :)

Christmas Eve, Mike and I did our "gift analysis" and ran out to get our "panic gift". Graham was attending a basketball clinic put on by the Horton High coach. He and his buddy, Connor had a blast. Mike and I were in New Minas when Elysia called us from Josee's house to say she wasn't feeling well...so we left New Minas to get her, and as you can imagine, leaving New Minas on Christmas Eve is easier than it sounds...took us about 15 minutes to get out of the parking lot, so we headed to Wolfville rather than go through town. We managed to get Elysia, get home, scarf down lunch, get Graham at his camp, scarf down supper and make it up to Josee's for their annual Christmas Eve bash. Every Christmas Eve, they attend church and then have all their family and friends over for a little get together. In the past we usually were not able to attend as Mike was working Christmas Eve but since we came back to the valley, we've been able to make it.

Christmas Eve, Mom and her crazy little dog, Sofie spent the night. Mom slept in Elysia's bed and Elysia slept on the cot in the room with her. Sofie kept trying to sneak over to the cot with Elysia. We told Graham he was not allowed out of his room before 6 am...apparently he woke up at 5:20, went to the bathroom and then sat on his bed and stared at the clock. Christmas morning is the one and only time that he is allowed into Elysia's room to wake her up. Graham was in our room at 6 on the dot and ready to roll.

So Christmas morning, we came down and opened our gifts. The Wii from Grandma was the big hit as was the Guitar hero from us for Graham and the "Bench" sweater from us for Elysia. We had fun watching the kids and the dog open their gifts...took Sofie a few minutes to get into the gift giving but she did.

This is a picture of my living room after the Christmas Tree threw up!!

After the opening of the gifts, we headed up to Josee's to see them open their gifts. Here's a picture of Josee and I in our matching pj's from Mom, I am sure there was another set out in BC under Tracey's tree.After their gifts were open it was back to the house for some lunch and some R&R...Mike worked on our dinner we had planned for Boxing Day then he had a nap. Mike was upstairs on the bed, mom in our big chair and me on the couch. Elysia had her friend, Adam in for a while and Graham had his friend, Connor in and the four of them played with the Wii of course, lots of noise coming from that room. After our little nap we went to Josee's for some kid play time and supper of Christmas Eve party left overs. Elysia and Graham brought their controllers for the Wii and played on Sarah and Connor's, the four of them played tennis...definitely need to stay out of the way of that.

Boxing Day was a big turkey lunch at our house...I am just there for the cleaning, this is Mike's deal. We had a beautiful meal, lots of laughs (gotta love those Christmas cracker hats).

My friend, Janet had a terrible time with her turkey this year. Her mother bought a fresh turkey that didn't turn out so fresh. She asked Mike to make gravy for her (not that she can't but Mike's is soooo good) so he asked her for the neck and the other gross things that end up in that little bag inside the turkey. So when Janet opened up the turkey to get it, it was rotten inside...this happened at about 6 on Christmas Eve...thankfully one of our neighbors had an extra turkey and so Janet also ended up with her meal on Boxing Day (with Mike's gravy). They didn't want to keep the rotten turkey in the house, so I guess they put it out in their shed and some animal go into it and tore it apart...we figure there is a dead raccoon around somewhere.

Last night, our neighbor Jackie had some an open house...so Graham and I went over for a while, good company and good eats....and Jackie makes the best slushies ever!! I had three and I still think there was no alcohol in them...that's my theory anyway.

Went to watch Connor's team win their tournament today and then off to Elysia's soccer game. She scored a funny goal off one of the other defenders, they don't have to be pretty to count. Then Janet, Graham, Connor and I went to watch the Horton Basketball game...which was quite good, although we ended up leaving early because Graham had scarfed down two burgers before we left and then had a bottle of water and a bottle of juice, I think it was all sloshing around in there pretty good so he was feeling a little green. He's in bed now and feeling better...I didn't want him to yack all over the stands in the gym...

Anyway...a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Bad Blogger

2008-12-22T18:31:00.004-04:00

Here's a picture of mother's poor dog after she had to walk in the rain...and no, I am not choking her!!

My name is Annie McKinnon...and I am a bag blogger! I have been a bad girl this month and barely blogged...not to say there hasn't been much going on.

We've certainly had a good share of snow. They even have snow in Nanaimo...Tracey said the roads are terrible, they don't have much snow removal equipment and they concentrate on the main roads. Last night we had another dumping here. Drive to work wasn't too bad, I seemed to hit a good window but as soon as I got to work it was a white out. There was this little bird that tried to take off in the wind and got hit by a gust, he ended up in the other direction pretty quick. Drive home wasn't so nice...when you work in the middle of nohwere, you drive along roads that go through alot of farm fields, nice open farm fields. You know the ones that the wind loves to travel over and then deposit the snow in the road. Josee said it was so windy up on the mountain last night that she has a new address on the valley floor!

We have our Christmas decorations up, inside and out...the tree is done and the village is complete, although I didn't have the right snow for it...so I improvised and used some pillow stuffing I had...looks like there was either a major snowfall or alot of fog, or being in Nova Scotia, it could be a lovely combination of both. Mike and I want to name the village and we need something with a "Hollow" attached to it. Elygra Hollow, McKinnon Hollow, MikAnnie Hollow...not sure.

Mike and the kiddies are making a gingerbread house, I had better take a picture before the fight breaks out...you're copying me, your part is not the same, that looks stupid, you're using all the candies...aw, the Christmas memories. I'll post pictures of the masterpiece tomorrow. The kids actually want to eat it, it's one of those cheapy superstore kits. Some year, we will actually make a real one...Martha Stewart I am not, oh yeah, I married a chef!

The Christmas preparation is pretty much complete. There's a package on the way to BC, one on the way to Ottawa and one on the way to Cape Breton. I have a bag of gifts for the mountain, one for Halifax, one for Cherry Lane...still have a little wrapping to complete.

Mike and I did our Christmas grocery shopping the other day, it included a turkey, all the trimmings, the Christmas crackers for the table, plus the regular shopping and lots of marked down pork and chicken (gotta make the trip there at 7 am worth the while). Anyone who knows my husband knows how much he hates to spend money. I told the cashier to be prepared to perform CPR if necessary when she gave him the total, she thought that was funny and I think she took a little pleasure in giving him the total.

Busy Couple of Weeks

2008-12-14T18:09:00.002-04:00

We've had a busy couple of weeks...lots of soccer and basketball, Christmas parties and snow.

The weather has been whacky...one day it snows, the next day it rains and it's 18 degrees...the water levels in the river in Kentville is high. Had a power outage for a couple of hours the other night and I think we should do it every few weeks...we had a lovely family evening...playing board games and just hanging out. Sad that it takes an act of nature to have quality family time.

Went to a ladies Christmas gift exchange in the neighborhood the other night. Thought it would be a good idea to take some cream cheese and red pepper jelly for a snack...so did Janet and Shelly...and then Lisa also had some ready to go when we got to her house. We had quite a laugh about that. It was the red pepper jelly Christmas party. We actually had quite a laugh about alot of things that night. Before I knew it the time was 12:30 so I headed out because we were going out again Sat night...so Sat night we headed to Halifax to the Russel Metals Christmas party. We had a great time...what a great bunch of people. Reta was kind enough to let us crash at her house and served us a lovely breakfast this morning. I think a few people were feeling their celebrations this morning but it wasn't me.

Graham and Elysia both won their games this weekend, Elysia scoring a nice goal and Graham and his friend Connor performing a successful "pick" in basketball...yeah...not quite so sure about it but Connor's mom (a bball player) was impressed by them.

We were going to get our tree today but the kids were tired and so were we so we are going to put it off until tomorrow...a little Scrooge, I know but didn't feel like losing my mind over a tree. Two tired adults trying to wrestle a tree into a house, does not happy memories make.

My mother had her birthday yesterday. She's now 61, I told her now she's gone from turning 60 to being in her early sixties...don't think she liked that. Josee had dinner for her and some cake with the kiddies.

This week should be a busy one, band and choir concert is Tuesday (it was delayed due to weather last week) and tree tomorrow...Wed seems free, maybe I'll wrap stuff...

Reading with a Saint Bernard

2008-12-03T10:10:00.002-04:00

This is in the Chronicle Herald today about my friend Patti's son, Keegan and reading to a Saint Bernard!

Dog teaches new tricks One-on-one sessions a treat for kids, volunteers involved in library’s free Paws to Read programBy LOIS LEGGE Features Writer Wed. Dec 3 - 6:01 AM

Mark Grant and his partner Hercules, a St. Bernard, reads with seven-year-old Keegan Martin in the Paws to Read program at the Halifax Library on Spring Garden Road. Herc visits the library every Saturday to help children master reading skills. (INGRID BULMER / Staff)
THE LITTLE BOY’S hand meets the big dog’s paw.

The second-grader gently pats the 86-kilogram St. Bernard, moving from paw to head to neck, wrapping his arms around the retired championship show animal turned teacher.

Soon, seven-year-old Keegan Martin, shoes off, relaxing on a blanket on the floor with Hercules and his owner Mark Grant, starts reading books about other big dogs and boys and volcanoes, cheerfully moving through his weekly Paws to Read session. It’s a program of Therapeutic Paws of Canada that helps children in grades 2 to 5 who struggle with reading.

The free program provides a comfortable, non-judgmental atmosphere where reading flourishes and friendships form, says Grant, a Paws to Read volunteer at Halifax-area libraries for three years.

That’s the secret of the one-on-one program’s success, adds the volunteer, who leads Saturday sessions at the Spring Garden Road library in Halifax and Wednesday-night classes at the Tantallon branch.

"He’s focused on the dog," Grant says of Keegan, one of seven students he and nine-year-old Herc see on Saturdays. "And that’s the (core of) the program. It’s not about me. It’s not about the library. It’s the bond (between) the child and the dog."

That bond has helped Keegan’s reading skills soar, says Grant who first worked with the child last spring.

"His reading has increased 10 times" from what it was, and that’s also a tribute to his parents, who read with him nightly, Grant says.

"He just needs some extra help with reading, and to read with Herc it’s more of a pleasure," says Keegan’s mom, Patti Martin. "He’s very attentive . . . and Keegan would read to Herc every day."

"I’d never stop reading to Herc because he’s nice and he doesn’t interrupt," the Prospect Road Elementary School student chimes in as the St. Bernard nods off and starts snoring. "I didn’t like it as much, but now I like reading it with Herc."

His interest is obvious as the session unfolds, starting when Grant opens a book about Clifford the Big Red Dog.

"The boy sees the dog," Keegan begins. "Excellent, excellent," encourages Grant. "The dog sees the boy," Keegan continues, leaning on the sleeping pooch and smoothly reading through the book as Grant encourages and prompts when needed.

Then it’s on to a new book about volcanoes, Keegan easily tackling words like "erupted" and "scientist."
"Holy smokes, those are big words for a little guy like you," Grant praises at one point. "Excellent, excellent."
Keegan is keenly interested in the subject, stopping to fill in Grant on his extensive knowledge of volcanoes.
Herc gets up and walks away.
"Look what happened," Grant says. "You stopped reading and your buddy went away. You better go get him and bring him back."
And he does, guiding the large, lumbering animal— "so gentle," says Keegan’s mom — back to the blanket, where he flops down again.

Even though he’s getting on in years, Hercules still gets excited when Grant puts on his Paws to Read vest and gets him ready to go to the sessions, held at about seven local branches.
The library ( http://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/) recommends calling your local branch to see whether the program is offered there.

The Bedford man, who has worked with more than 50 children through the program, is enthused too.
"It’s very rewarding for me personally to be able to give back to the community," he says.
"The dog and I, we’ve had a wonderful show career. (Now) we just get so much enjoyment out of helping folks move forward with their reading skills."

Keegan’s mom says her son has moved forward with skills and confidence since starting Paws to Read.
"It’s a great program," she says.
"I don’t know why there’s not more children banging at the door to come in and do this. For one it’s free, it’s short, it’s only a half an hour. Mark’s excellent. . . . He’s super with the kids and it’s such a treat for them. It’s not work; it’s just a pleasure for him to read to Herc."

Keegan is now finished his session. A Hercules pin in hand, which is also ink-stamped with paw prints, he agrees.
"Herc," he says, "is like the best friend in the whole universe."

The Paws to Read program is looking for more volunteers.

The Lights Are On!

2008-11-30T20:36:00.004-04:00

Got the Christmas lights up on Saturday...wanted to take advantage of the good weather. Mike and I were having guests for supper and I wanted the lights on the house for when they arrived. So while Mike toiled in the kitchen, I did the lights (some may say that's a bit of a role reversal but it works well for us). I had bought some new LED lights...colored ones, per Graham's request. I had great intention of hanging them on the gutter...so I sat there and attached all the plastic hangers to the lights, then got up on the ladder and it was then that I realized that the wonderful new rain gutters we got to keep the leaves out will not allow the clips to attach...okay, plan B. I pulled all the clips off the lights and hung then on the railing with the garland, and then used the old icicle lights on the top. I thought it looked nice, but Elysia informed me that they don't match...she liked it better when they were all white, Graham likes the colored ones...I think it's actually a good comprimise.

We also have the polar bears that I love and the little Christmas tree on the step. This year we added these little LED snow flakes that change color along the path...I think it looks nice, with just a hint of tacky (not too Griswaldy).

Elysia spent a couple of nights in the city with her friends from Halifax, they still keep in touch. She came back last night with Josee...who was picking up Jeff and Connor from the airport. Their flight was very late, so my tired little daughter arrived home at 1:30 in the am...stumpled into the house, up the stairs and fell into bed...hmmm...sounds like something I used to do in my youth.

Graham had two birthday parties to go to yesterday, which he loved. He was out while we had our little dinner party. As usual Mike pulled out all the stops. We had a lovely meal and apparently some good wine (I'm not much of a wine person). My husband did partake in the wine consumption and was feeling a little glow last evening which was evident in his snore volume!

Today Elysia had a soccer game and scored the winning goal. She did really well, especially considering she was ready to have a nap, this late night thing is not for her.

Oh yeah...the worst thing happened...the dishwasher is on the fritz! Not exactly what you want to happen when you are having guests for supper...I was up until 11:30 last night cleaning the dishes...all the while hearing my husband snore...not exactly a mating call! Just kidding honey, you know I love you. He did say he was sore this morning, I may have "nudged" him a little to try to get him to stop. He says I snore but let's be honest, it doesn't bother me because I don't hear it!

Pretty Snow!

2008-11-23T16:25:00.002-04:00

Yes...it snowed and it snowed and it snowed! Not sure what the tally is but it seems that the snow started Friday night and did not stop! Mike said "That's it, we're getting a snow blower!" We were going to last year but by the time we decided they were all gone...then you forget what it's like and think it won't be that bad...well it is! Shoveling snow sucks! We did not see a snow plow in our subdivision until 10 last night. I was able to get the car in and out, only because we spent a small fortune on studded snow tires this year. One guy asked if our Caliber was four wheel drive...I told him no, but I was! We invited mom to stay Friday night, did not want her home by herself if the power went out. So her and Sofie moved in and were only able to leave this morning. Once we got the driveway cleaned and mom's car on the road for her, she wasn't long in leaving...come to think of it, she almost ran out the door...hmmm...should I take that personally?

I told Tracey I would post some pictures of the snow in case she forgot what it looked like to have more than 5 cms fall at once (and shut down the city of Nanimo).

Graham has been enjoying the snow. Him and his friend, Connor were out almost all day yesterday, trying to tobaggon in the back yard, or making a fort, or shoveling. He's out with Connor now. Elysia was at a sleepover on Friday night, took me two tries to get her, wasn't a problem with my vehicle but the three pickup trucks blocking the road to her friend's house because they were stuck! Last night she slept in our room on the cot...told her she had three choices: sleep on the cot in the room with Grandma, sleep in the bed with Grandma, sleep on the cot in our room...she wanted another choice, so we mentioned the cot in her brother's room...she slept in our room...apparently she was concerned about the snoring from her Grandmother and her father (okay...maybe me too). She said she had to get her Ipod to drown out the noise. She had two soccer games today, an hour apart. They won one and lost one...she played well, nice cross in for an assist on a goal.

On a sad note: Mike's uncle Lester passed away last night. He had been battling cancer for a while...so if there is a God in heaven, that man is perched up there with the best seat for every Nascar race!

Ode to Mike

2008-11-20T19:37:00.001-04:00

Well, apparently I did not mention my poor, poor husband, Mike in my blog today...as he was so kind to point out...

MIKE
MIKE
MIKE
MIKE

Flu Shots!

2008-11-20T09:45:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. It's time for flu shots. We've received since Graham was born, so his sister blames him for it...I told her she has it because of her asthma and that I blame both of them for it! It's not that bad, about every 3 years though I think they leave the needle in...there's no way around it, it does sting. The kids know that they are allowed to cry after the fact if it hurts but not before...they've been really good about it the last few years, I usually bribe them with ice cream though.

We had our first snow of the season last night. It was a pretty good one too. Elysia and I had hair appts in Wolfville and quite honestly, the drive there was not that great. We have spent a bloody fortune this year putting studded, winter tires on both cars but unfortunately not everyone on the road has done that. I found both cars have worked well in the snow. Graham was very excited about it, Elysia...not so much, she was worried it would still be snowing in the morning and it would curl her straightened hair. The woes of a teenage girl. Elysia and Sarah had died Elysia's hair black on Sat night, I really liked it but Elysia did not and kids at school were making comments, the hair dresser was able to soften the color a bit last night so she seems happy with it now. I was there to remove the skunk stripe from the top of my head. How did I get so much freaking grey hair?!

Mother is heading out Sat night so we will be babysitting Sofie...sorry Sarah and Connor, I offered. We love having the dog, she's pretty cute. Mom said she loved the snow last night, ate about a pound of it and was having fun slipping in it.

Guess I best head back to work...haven't checked my lotto ticket yet so I have to work!

Mammogram

2008-11-19T14:43:00.002-04:00

Yes...that's right...now that I am the big 4-0, I have to have an annual mammogram. So I called the 800 number today to get an appointment and guess what, they had one today at noon...so I thought, okay, I won't be able to work myself into a state so I took it and went. It was painful but was not the horror I had imagined. The nurse/technician was awesome, although I told her when I was done that I wasn't staying any longer because she was no fun! She chuckled.

Got Graham's head beaned (sp?) the other day, some kid in his class has lice and we are not taking any chances. I was only going to get the sides done with the clippers and the top cut with scissors but he said "nope, get it all"...I like it on him but I worry about his little coconut getting cold.

Elysia and Sarah dyed Elysia's hair black the other night. I like it alot, I think it looks great on her but some of the idiot kids at school have been making comments (skunk, goth)...AGH!

Mike has been working at Capital Health in the city the last couple of days. He's home tonight. I will say that I may have slept in the middle of the bed for two nights with no fan to freeze me and there was no snoring beside me and no one to complain if I snored...but, of course, I did not enjoy it.

My dad had his hernia repaired last week and all is well...he started to tell me that it was a little stiff and swollen and I told him those were words he could never use with me to describe his "nether regions".

Work as always is interesting. My boss is leaving...which I am not happy about. She's my buffer and my saving grace in this place and she has taught me alot and I will miss her! Had a meeting with the big bosses yesterday to kind of lay things out there and told them I hate meetings, that most are a waste of time (especially depending on who is running them). God, I hate when people ask my opinion cause I have to give it. Not always what they want to hear.

Remembrance Day

2008-11-11T09:44:00.003-04:00

Today is Remembrance Day. It has a special meaning in our house. Yes, we remember those who served. My father was in the airforce over 20 years. My great uncle (my Grandma Roy's brother) is buried in France.

But nine years ago today, our son Graham received a gift of life! Actually our whole family received the gift of his life. Graham received a heart valve transplant 9 years ago today...we also remember that today! Some days it seems like yesterday and some days it seems like an eternity. Some days is so very real to us and some days it's like it was a dream. I have very specific memories of that day...the nurses taking him early in the morning and thinking we just saw him alive for the last time...I was hopeful but really didn't think it was going to work...he was so sick and why should we be so lucky...anyway, enough of that! We are thankful and happy and he has some souped up parts in him that we cannot keep up with all the time.

I am not working today...that alone is a miracle, I am sure if they could have they would have made us work. Yesterday about four the boss brought it up...yeah, that's the time to make a decision...good management skills as always. So what do I do, I wake up at 6:15! What's up with that??

We had a pretty busy weekend. Watch Connor play a couple of games of hockey, they were in a tournament, won all their round robin games but lost a tough battle in the cross over. The game against Dartmouth though Sat night was pretty exciting. Elysia had a soccer game on Sunday, they tied but it was a good game and Elysia is having a great season.

Josee and I are heading to the city on Thursday to do a little Christmas shopping, would like to actually be organized this year. Ah, who am I kidding, I'll still be out there at the last minute!

Halloween

2008-11-03T20:18:00.005-04:00

We managed to carve about a dozen pumpkins this year...and yes, lady, we used stencils. Some lady made sure to inform her husband and children who were admiring our pumpkins that we used stencils like it was some crime against the Great Pumpkin...buck up lady...!!

Oh yeah and another thing that bugs me...when your child is so small that they cannot walk to the door, do you really think you should be trick or treating when their bag is full and the bag in the wagon too...do I really think the 18 month old is going to put away two bags of candy?? I'm not really fooled by that.

We had a super Halloween this year. Thurs night was the family dance at the school...I dressed up in all my batty splendor, much to my children's dismay. I told Elysia the only thing missing was my sign that said "I'm Elysia's mom". I took Graham and his friend, Connor to the dance...Elysia is too cool for the family dance, of course. Graham had to meet his "date" Nina there...she was there, I wasn't introduced. Not sure why, maybe it was the two foot bat hat I was wearing. I don't know why they call it a dance, when it's the family dance, it's all the little kids and all they do is run. Graham was the character from the Scream movies. Worst part was that his costume was equipped with a blood pumping heart, that when he squeezed it, blood would run down the mask...yeah, enough to bring a tear to a mother's eye, what happened to the good old days of sports heros and animals??

Elysia and her friends dressed up as a pajama party, they were pretty cute in their pig tails and pj's. Elysia trick or treated with her friends, while Mike or I took Connor and Graham around.

Sofie was with us for Halloween. She came equipped with her own Halloween costume, she was a pumpkin. She didn't like the hood part, if it was over her head, she wouldn't move...poor thing, it had come down while she was coming down the stairs and she just stayed there, not sure how long she was there, but I found her in the middle of the steps with the hood down. She managed a couple of turns around the block and then she sat on my lap giving out candy but she was pretty pooped so I put her in the house and she passed out on the blanket on the couch still in her costume, she wouldn't even open her eyes when I came in the house.

Sunday, it was leaf day...we had to clean up the yard, I think the skunk was looking for grubs and slugs hiding in the moisture under the leaves...oh yeah, skunk made an appearance during the trick or treating, he did retreat back under the culvert next door before he decided to "trick" anyone. Back to the leaves...best thing we did this year was buy a mower with a bag attached. We just mowed over the leaves and dumped them into the green bin. Our back we blow them down the back bank. Something that took us two days last year, took us a few hours this year. Elysia had her second soccer game. She did really well, set up some nice passes and even scored a goal. It was a little anticlimatic as we all thought it went in behind the net, but it was a goal none the less.

Oh yeah, and my mother, who seems to think she has some claim over the dog, came and took her back last night, we miss the silly mutt!

The Nocturnal Beast!!

2008-10-31T08:49:00.003-03:00

This week we have had mom's dog, Sofie for a sleepover while mom was visiting Tracey in BC. I get up early in the morning to take her for a walk/pee/pooh before I get ready for work...it's the only time that works for me and I kind of enjoy it. It's still quite dark at 6:15...this week has been especially frightening as people decorate for Halloween and all of a sudden you notice the ghosts and skeletons hanging in the trees. It's also been windy so you don't hear anything until it's right on you...like the lady running with her dog the other morning, I didn't hear her footsteps, I only heard an animals footsteps running towards me...I jumped! This morning though was the topper...let me back up a little though...yesterday morning I thought I saw something scurry into the culvert when we left the house, I flashed the flashlight but didn't see anything. So it's been in the back of my mind. This morning we went out the door, Sofie and I. I lock the door and start to turn around just as Sofie barks (she's never barked outside unless there's been another dog). Low and behold...a freaking skunk, in my front yard, not 15 ft from where I am standing and the door is locked. I grabbed the dog, not sure if I actually picked her up or hauled her up by the leash (sorry, Sofie). Grabbed my key from it's "hiding" spot and went back in the house. Then I tried to get the skunk to go away..."go away little skunk" "shoo little skunk" and then "GET OUT OF MY YARD SKUNK!" It kind of gave me that look like "you do not scare me, I only have to lift my tail and you'll be gone" (oh yeah, in my head as I am typing, I am doing by best fake French Pepe le Peu voice)...so Sofie and I went out the side door and I carried the first few houses away. Pepe was still there when we got back...Sofie sat on the back of my couch watching it for quite a while. It was gone when I had to go to work and it didn't leave any scents behind!

October 27th

2008-10-26T18:08:00.005-03:00

On October 27th, my baby girl, Elysia turns 14...boohoo!! My baby is growing up! Way too fast for my liking...here's some pictures of my little baby...I love the picture of her on the beach, it's one of my favorites. You can also see how curly her hair is, you don't often get to see that because she feels the need to straighten her hair all the time or put it up. She had her first game of the indoor soccer season, she had a good game, and they won their opening game against a team that is known for being quite good. I tried to be quiet but it's soccer so you can imagine. I drive her nuts but that's my job as her mother.

We went to Patti and Tim's house last night for their annual Halloween extravaganza...they are a little nuts when it comes to Halloween. I told her she's the only person who can tell me there's a casket in her dining room and I don't think it's odd.

Right a Wrong!!

2008-10-23T11:10:00.003-03:00

While mom's little dog, Sofie was at Josée's house, they scarred her soooo deep, I don't know if she will ever recover! They put her in a Toronto Maple leaf shirt and sent the picture to my mother...my poor mother has not recovered...so here you go mom...your favorite daughter has made right the wrong that Josée made!

We finally got the dog last night, I think Josée will miss her. I know the kids will. I took her for a walk last night and this morning and it would have been much faster had she not wanted to chase every single leaf that blew in the wind. I cannot believe I pick up dog poop! I know it's not big but it's still sh*&!

Moncton

2008-10-19T18:29:00.006-03:00

This year myself and my friends from high school turned the big 4-0!! We decided to mark the occassion with a little gettogether. We all boarded a van and headed to Moncton...Kathleen (Katie) Naylor, Shawna Lynk, the crazy Proctor girls, Debbie and Darlene and myself (Annie Roy) jumped into Shawna's van and drove to Betty Belliveau's house. We chatted all the way there, eating Shawna's fresh made fudge (which apparently was missing the vanilla...yeah, like we would have known). Made a few wrong turns causing Shawna's GPS system to "recalulate" but we made it there.

We bombarded Betty's poor husband, Tony and her daughter Hannah...sat around the table eating too much junk and drinking a few drinks. I still do not know how Tony and Hannah managed to fall asleep with the racket we were kicking out...cathing up with our lives, with other people's lives...who is where...what they are doing...etc. It was great. It's soo funny, you can not see some people for soooo long and when you do, it's like it was yesterday. We are all at such different places in our lives, whether it's in school, home with kids...kids off at school...so different but still so much the same. I always find when I finally see someone I haven't seen in a long time, that I forget how much I miss them and want to have them in my life more. We talked about making this an annual gig and I sure hope we stick to it.

Saturday we did a little shopping...cause what group of women does not do that?! We also went to the Old Triangle Pub for some supper and entertainment...I had a wakeup call when Debbie was looking for something in her bottomless purse and doused me in ice water...brrr... We listened to the singer for a little while and then our age showed a little. We were out of there by ten, I remember a time when our night didn't start until ten! How the times have changed!

I almost forgot, yesterday morning, Betty's husband, Tony made us breakfast. He's from Nfld and he made us toutons (sp?)...basically, it's fried bread dough with butter and molasses...holy yumminess!! Nothing like a lot of sugar and fat to start the day off.

This morning we got up and did some pictures and then headed out...it's okay, Betty we saw you crying...that made me misty eyed! We stopped at the Masstown Market and had lunch and looked around...you know, because there was so much room (not!) left in the van for more stuff. I think we all need a little nap! I know I will be heading there soon.

My house survived while I was gone...the bluejays attacked my Indian Corn on the front door and scared the kids so Mike biffed the corn into the yard. Mike ran the dishwasher but we were out of dishwasher soap so he decided to use the liquid detergent...yeah...you know where I am going with this. Soap out the door of the dishwasher out past the fridge....wish he had taken a picture of it!

Life

2008-10-15T20:07:00.002-03:00

Life...that's what we've been doing...

Sunday night, Elysia and I headed off to Halifax to see Carrie Underwood...she's quite the singer. We met up with Elysia's friend, Kaylie and her mother. Had a quick bite to eat at Swiss Chalet and then off to the Metro Centre..."little big town" was the opening act...they were good. Elysia and Kaylie took their seats first and then half way through thought ours were better so they switched. I enjoyed both spots but it was more about them. Kaylie's mom, Kathy is crazy. I think she would run right up on stage given the opportunity (I don't think it would take much of an opportunity).

While we were at the concert, Mike and Graham enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with the Ross family. Apparently Janet makes the best potatoes for a non-chef, according to my son. They had a great meal and lots of fun. Graham even said he was thankful for his family and friends...but he was also thankful for ketchup so take that for what it's worth.

Monday I had to work...I don't have one of those nice jobs that gives more than the days required by law. Not much a girl can do though. We went to mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Josee and the family were also there. We only have to make sure we bring Mike's gravy and we are allowed in.

Yesterday Graham had his first basketball practice, he really enjoyed it and seemed to have no problem keeping up with the other kids, you can really tell the kids who have played for a while.

Today we took Graham for his cardiology checkup. We had his holter monitor put on two weeks ago and they still don't have the results for that...pitiful! Anyway...went well...heart function numbers are the same as last time...valve narrow but he's still tolerating that well. Dr Finlay indicated that the valve is fine for a few more years...we'll take that!! Have to go back in six months. Dr Finlay asks Graham questions about his abilities in sports. Anyone who knows my son can imagine those answers. Graham has alot of pride in his abilitities and has no problem sharing it.

Colours of Fall

2008-10-12T12:26:00.003-03:00

If anyone ever asks me how we deal with the humidity of the summer and the cold and snow of the winter, I think the answer has to be fall...there is nothing quite like it! The colors of red, orange and gold...the pumpkin fields...these pictures are all around our house...we have a little guest who had moved in under our basketball net...

Tonight we (Elysia and I) are headed to the Carrie Underwood concert...this was part of Elysia's (upcoming) birthday present. She is quite excited about it...she has made a CD to listen to on the way there so I will know the songs (I do know a few) and she said her camera is fully charged.

It was funny, mom stayed with the kids while we were away and the bag she had for Sofie, her little dog was bigger than the one she had for herself!

Ottawa

2008-10-12T12:03:00.005-03:00

Our visit to Ottawa was great! My dad met us at our gate when we got off the plane...guess there are some advantages to working at the airport. I cried of course, sometimes you forget how much you miss a person until you see them. Mike headed to the hotel because he had a tour to go on with some of the other chefs who were there. Dad and I headed to his house and had a nice breakfast with Evanice. Dad needed a little nap as he had worked all night. Evanice and I went for a walk, in behind their house (within a ten minute walk) are all the box stores...agh...I would be broke! Evanice wanted to make little gift bags for me to take back to the kids. It was nice, gave us a little chance to chat.

After dad's nap, we picked up the twins, Patricia (Patchy) and Vanessa (Nessa) and then we headed to the high school to get Maria (Ma-e-a)...they have grown!! We went out for lunch and Evanice's sister, Rosie came along...she is quite the hoot! Her and dad like to tease each other alot. It's that Evanice has her here as the rest of her siblings are in Brazil. After lunch we headed back to the house and looked at some photo albums. Dad showed me the master bathroom he redid...OMG!! I soooo want that bathroom, it looks like something from a magazine. Dad drove me back to the hotel where I had to say goodbye to the girls...only had a few hours with them...short but nice. I think I waited until I was inside before my eyes gave me away...

That night Mike and I went to the big gala...they outdid themselves. It was their yearly meeting and awards dinner. They had it at the Museum of Civilzation in Hull...if you ever have the chance, go and see it. The First Nations Hall makes it worth while. The room is hundreds of feet high and filled with the largest indoor collection of totem poles...part of me thinks they should still be outside but part of me sees why they are there, they were spectacular....most of my pictures are quite dark but you may still see them.

The whole gala had a Mardi Gras theme, complete with a band and people dancing on stilts...okay, there were also beads but you didn't have to "earn them"...there was alot of great food and wine.

After dinner was served the awards started and Mike's was first...he got the coveted green jacket and a nice picture of his original presentation. My first thought was "where's the cash"...haha...he even gave a little thankyou speech, which I will honestly say was very good and heart felt...although he forgot to mention his wife. It was funny though, we were seated with the CEO of Pepsi Canada (beside Mike), the CEO of Compass Group Canada, the CEO of Compass Group North America (beside me)...when the rest of the awards were announced, they said there was a 3 grand prize with them. The CEO of North America looked at Mike and said "all you got was a picture??", said he would have a chat with Jack (CEO Canada)...come on baby, momma needs new winter tires!!

Long day but lots of fun. The next day we got up and rented a car and headed to my dream place...IKEA...we were limited in what we could get though as we now had this picture to take back. We met dad and Evanice for a nice lunch and then headed back to the airport. We were both pretty pooped when we got home. It's nice to go away but there is nothing like the feeling of crawling into your own bed (which by the way is very high...just ask my mother who stayed there with the kiddies while we were gone).

Ottawa

2008-10-10T16:48:00.001-03:00

Ottawa was great!!

We had alot of fun, the ceremony was excellent...got to see Dad and the family...got to Ikea...more later. Here's a picture of my honey and the big wig chefs from his company.

Bad Blogger

2008-10-06T09:00:00.002-03:00

Okay...so call me Josée, I haven't been the best blogger...

Had a busy weekend, the weather was fabulous...even managed to get a little more reading done on my swing. Read a good book, not my usual Nora Roberts smut...called the Kite Runner. Little difficult of a read, but all in all a very good book, who knows, maybe I am getting into the "Oprah" reading as I get older and wiser, okay, maybe just older.

The leaves are so pretty right now, I must take a picture. Graham is hoping for lots of leaves in the front yard. Poor Mike, he tried and tried to get the lawn mower started the other day with no luck, the yard really needed that one last mow. Anyway, I came along, kicked it in the spark plug and pulled the cord and it roared to life...I am woman, hear me roar!! So the yard got done and was looking soooo nice. Graham decided to rake some leaves out back and dump them in the front yard to get ready for his leaf fort~AGH! They are back where they belong.

We went to "cousin" Connor's hockey game yesterday, he is playing AAA this year, quite a big difference from last year, lots more checking and much faster. They pulled off a win so of course, that part was good. Elysia loved me lots, cause she only wore a sweatshirt and brought a small blanket, so mommy kept her warm.

On Saturday, we went to "friend" Connor's football game...as much as Graham is baseball, Connor is football. It was a suprisingly good game, did not expect it to be that organized (you know...men in charge and all). They pulled off a victory as well.

Mike and I are heading to Ottawa on Wednesday to get the Green Jacket!! I will be visiting with Dad on Wednesday...Wednesday is the big do...Thurs we want to Christmas shop and then back to the valley Thurs evening. Two days off!!!!!

No Elton

2008-09-29T18:14:00.002-03:00

Well...the weekend has come and gone and no Elton for me! Mike was unable to get tickets...he had to work two functions at the time and was at the metro centre both days, but it was only the uppity ups who got the seats. Did get to hear the sound check though...Mike called me at work on Friday and we played it over the speaker phone...the piano was being played and Elton was singing and then talking to the people...kind of cool. Mike got to drop off some food to his dressing room. White plush carpets...40 pairs of the same type of shoes, in every color imaginable. There was a big wooden armoire with shelves for piles and piles of glasses. Sir Elton wasn't there but his dog dishes were...another time, another place!

Words no Parent wants to hear

2008-09-23T09:20:00.002-03:00

..."I threw up"...yes, that was Graham last night. He was sitting on the toilet (thankfully), too bad his head wasn't in it though...he power puked all over the bathroom floor. As I am cleaning it, he feels a need to describe it...no thanks, don't need that please. I had been eating antipasto before it happened, needless to say, that was done.

Seemed like it was just a one timer, he went to school this morning, who knows?!

é

2008-09-22T15:03:00.002-03:00

I finally got my revenge this weekend...you see my parents were kind enough to give my sister an accent in her name...Josée...growing up, I was soooo jealous of this...I use to practice writing my name Année, but those of you who know the pronunciation know it would not sound right...when mom got Josée's birthday cake, of course it had the accent. So before we gave it to Josée, I ate the accent off the cake!!

15 innings

2008-09-22T09:22:00.003-03:00

Yes...that's right...I am a good mother, I sat through 15 innings of baseball to watch the Wildcats lose...in case you were wondering how long that takes...it's 5 freaking hours. I couldn't leave, Graham and his friend Connor were too into the game. It was midnight by the time we got home and it was about 5 degrees at that time as well...brr...half the crowd that was left was wrapped in sleeping bags. The only ones not bundled up were the teenagers and the rowdy crowd in the beer area (that area got noisier as the night went on, imagine that).

Yesterday we went to the Acadia men's soccer game, they ended up in a 2-2 draw with UCCB but it was a good game, the best they have played and it was getting pretty rough towards the end. Graham and Connor were quite into that as well. I am trying to convince Elysia to come to the games, it's quite different to watch a live game when the crowd is into it.

My nephew Connor (not friend, Connor) made the Valley AAA team for his age group...we were quite excited for him. Congrats Connor!

Mike has not been feeling well...I think he has the cold I had last week. He's like a little boy when he's sick...something like this...

Happy Birthday Josee

2008-09-19T09:37:00.005-03:00

My oldest sister, Josee is 42 today...you've come a long way baby!!

Oh yeah, it was me who called your work to make sure everyone knew!

To top it all off, it was freaking cold this morning and I had to scrape off my windshield. That's not a good thing to wake up to.

Elysia got her IPOD back yesterday, it had been stolen out of her knapsack from her locker. A boy in her class is now suspended as a result. The VP had paged her to come to the office to ask her about it (see, it had gone through the washer this summer and had a water stain on the screen and the screen flickered so it was quite distinctive)...anyway, she said while she was walking to the office, she was really nervous because she thought they were calling her there because something had happened with Graham. Sometimes we forget how the fears we have for Graham are the same she has...I told her that deep down, she must love him, she said not to tell him.

Busy Weekend

2008-09-14T20:59:00.002-03:00

Let's see...Friday night, Graham and I went to the Acadia soccer game. He really enjoyed it for a few reasons...it was under the lights...the crowd was really into it (I think half of them were drunk, but it made for entertainment on his end) and St FX scored a goal on themselves. Elysia had gone to her friend Taylor's house. She wanted to spend the night but mean old mom said no...I do not know her parents so it's a no for sure, she wasn't thrilled with my answer but my job as a parent does not include saying yes to everything. Mike was home by himself with Sofie...that's mom's little dog. We babysat Sofie for mom this weekend, she a good little dog and we can certainly wear her out.

Sat, Graham had his baseball tournament. They played two games...he did quite well. Did some pitching, hit he ball a couple of times, only got out once on a pop up and did some catching. Sat night, Mike, Graham and I went to watch the Kentville Wildcats play...they managed to squeak out a win to keep the series alive. Needless to say, Elysia was not up for a ball game. Graham's friend, Connor was suppose to come with us but as his father put it, he was "serving sanctions"...I think that's a polite was of saying he got in crap.

Sunday it was back to the ball diamond. Mike and I had volunteered our time in the canteen and on the BBQ...guess which part Mike did. Josee, Jeff and Connor came to watch. Sarah and Elysia spent some "cousin" time together. Graham was putting on the show for Auntie Josee and Uncle Jeff...he has picked up alot of the mannerisms from watching baseball on tv...like putting his hand up to the ump while he's "setting up" at the plate, and staring down the pitcher when he almost gets hit with the ball, I thought for a second he might charge the mound...just kidding but the look was menacing. He pitched the last inning and he had to hold them for a win or tie...Graham's team was only up by one and he manged to hold them off for a tie...and if anyone has watched much mosquito baseball, they know that's saying alot for a pitcher at that level. All in all I think he had a good tournament...oh yeah, to top it all off, we went and watched Acadia soccer again...they got their butts whooped.

Soccer registration for the kiddies is this week...I find September such an expensive month...gotta go, my husband informed that So You Think You Can Dance Canada is on...not that he watches it of course.

Morning Visitor

2008-09-08T19:24:00.003-03:00

This morning after my shower, I thought I would check to see if it rained on the clothes I had hung out the night before...imagine my surprise when I saw our visitor. A lovely skunk was sniffing around our back yard. Quite honestly I have only ever seen them squashed on the side of the road. Graham got out of bed to take a peak. I checked to see if Mike had left yet so he wouldn't freak it out...anyway, Mike threw a rotten pear at it and it kind of looked at him like "ah, you throw like a girl..." so I yelled out and told it to go home...off he scampered into the woods...hope he's not there tomorrow...I'm not much of one for wildlife in the yard.

The kiddies headed back to school last week. It's their last year "ever" (as Elysia informed me) in the same school. I think the school gods were laughing when they assigned them the same lunch hour, so they are both in the cafeteria at the same time..."shoot me now" is how Elysia voiced her opinion of it...she seemed to have no problem sending her lunch container home with him though, so I informed her that Graham was not her mule and I discussed respecting each other's spaces...yeah, right, good in theory, I am sure I will hear more of it as the year goes on.

They both seemed happy with their new teachers and the kids in their classes.

We went to Heart Talk on the weekend. It's a conference put on by the Heart Centre at the IWK. There are programs for the kids during the day (Graham's group went on the Harbour Hopper) and then they have lectures, etc for the parents. We learned a great deal, they talked alot about transitioning from a children's facility to adult care and how alot of times, men in particular don't take proper care of their condition, so they gave us ideas of how to prepare them for that...I said that I cannot imagine the day Graham goes to the cardiologist and I am not allowed in the room and I ask him how it went and I get a simple "fine"...AGH! The Heart Talk can get to you though because I find it's a little of the "my kids was sicker than your kid"...some parents tend to dominate any discussion with what went on in their case. They had a few younger people talk to the parents, adults and one teenager to discuss what it is like from their perspective, they were really good.

On Friday night we went up to stay with Patti and Tim so we didn't have to leave so early for the Heart Talk. It was alot of fun. It gave Elysia an opportunity to visit some of her Halifax friends. Mike, Graham and I had a nice visit with Patti, Tim and the boys. Keegan and Hayden are getting big and they seemed to enjoy having Graham there. Mike and I had a good laugh when we went to bed. Patti had been so worried about us being cold sleeping downstairs, we had to tell her not to turn on the electric stove and then we realized there were polar fleece sheets on the bed (Mike cannot stand them)...I think Patti and Mike are on complete opposite ends of the hot/cold scale! Wish our visit had been longer, I think we will have to do that again.

We hustled back to get ready for the big storm on Sunday, made sure we had propane and there was water in the cooler...anyway, the storm was a bit of a dud down here, sure we had some rain and thunder but nothing near what they had predicted. I was more worried about my sunflowers getting knocked down than anything. I have grown alot of sunflowers this year, some are as high as the gutters on the house (see the picture).

Mike hates them, he thinks they are too tall for the front of the house, I love them. Maybe next year I won't grow them as high out front but I will sure plant more varieties, I think they are like a ray of sunshine.

Work is still the same...YUCK! Aw well, it makes me laugh so that's a good thing!

2 More Sleeps

2008-09-01T10:51:00.003-03:00

2 more sleeps and then the teachers get them! It's time for my kiddies to go back, they are tired of looking at each other. Elysia has been up for 5 minutes and I have yelled at them twice. They cannot be in the same room together. Good luck to the teachers! Of course, they are in different grades so they won't see each other much.

Graham went to the Berwick Gala Days last night with Connor and his family. They went on the Tilt a Whirl (otherwise known as the Hurl a Whirl) and the Zipper (otherwise known as the Squasher)...they had a great time and watched the fireworks, which according to Graham were "awesome" and lasted, like, half an hour...most likely 10 minutes but it made them happy.

We had great hopes of spending the day at Blomidon, but Mother Nature has other plans. She apparently wants me to spend one of my only 5 statutory holidays indoors...kids, you better get the rain coats out! I think we may still go after lunch. High tide is around 2:30 so we may go after that. Rain, rain...go away! I have some clothes out on the line and trust me, they are well rinsed. Lots of thunder rolled through yesterday, lots of noise and rain.

We had mom out for supper the other night...nice pan fried haddock, I love it. Mom brought Sofie out and we wore her out. Graham took her for a walk and of course, she did a number 2 and Graham did not have a bag with him, so we had to retrace his steps afterwards and pick it up. Always said I would not do it...I am a sucker! We have offered to keep her while mom is in BC this year, the kids are looking quite forward to it (I am a little too).

Friday at work we were quite short handed. The owner was not happy because people were taking time off at the end of the month, imagine the nerve of tying in vacation time with a holiday...how dare they?! Now the policy is that he has to check every single vacation request. Way to micromanage! Still hoping for something else, have been sending out resumes, don't know what bothers me more, being stuck there or no one else calling me! Boohoo! Well, lets see who makes it through this week.

Summer's Almost Done

2008-08-24T20:20:00.002-03:00

The days are numbered for the kiddies. Graham and Elysia head back to school on the third. They are tired of each other day in and day out, it will do them good to see other people all day. Elysia may have some problems getting up early as she's had lots of sleeping in this summer. I think we willhead up to the city one evening this week to do our clothes shopping for school. Graham definitely needs new sneakers, he is merciless on them, we do get our money's worth out of them. Elysia is at that age where her feet don't grow anymore so her shoes last much longer...but she's a girl and of course, one pair is never enough.

This week at work was interesting to say the least. Earl was let go...I've sat wtih him since I started and will really miss him. Was told he was laid off because of economic conditions, I don't really believe that...I think they made a big mistake because he did so many things there and I don't know who is going to do it all...should be interesting to see...all this happened Friday morning right before the big Come to Jesus meeting and lunch. We were having one of our "town hall" meetings, which honestly have become a bit of a joke...everytime they have one, someone has been let go, even goked about it with Earl when the notice came out. Too predictable! Then at the meeting I bring up the fact that the owner/manger likes to kill the mesenger...had not planned on it bu the did it in the middle of the meeting. Needless to say it went over like a lead fart! Who knows, maybe I'll be let go because of 'market conditions'...yeah, like I would cry over that.

Mike's work has certainly been picking up as they prepare for the students coming back. He's hoping to get weekends off this year...this is why we made the move...more time at home and better time at home.

The garden out front is looking pretty good. Lots of sunflowers, some short ones, some red ones and a few really tall ones. A few are over 8 ft high and Mike thinks they are ugly...guess I'll have to plant more next year...haha!

Spent most of yesterday up at Josee's. Elysia spent the night with Sarah and they babysat Sarah's cousins, Keighan and Rylan...they are funny kids. Rylan puts on quite the show. They looooove mom's dog, Sofie. Think they need a puppy...have to mention to David (Jeff''s brother).

Hey, if I post early tomorrow, you'll know that the economic conditions were not in my favor (or maybe they were).

Soccer is done!

2008-08-19T19:03:00.002-03:00

Soccer is done in the McKinnon household for the summer. Elysia's team did not make the playoffs and Graham's team had their parent game (I may have let in a goal or two before I left). Elysia moves up to the U16 level this winter, I may coach. Sarah said she would play if I could coach her, Sarah and Elysia have one year where they play the same level so it would be kind of neat to have them on the same team. Graham still has a few baseball games done...

...then it's back to school...according to my daughter it's only 15 more days. We did the school supply shopping last night...cha,ching. It sure adds up quickly. It's funny though how easy they throw the stuff in the cart when it's on mommy's dollar.

Slightly hooked on watching the Olympics. Mike and I watched Michael Phelps win the other night by .01 of a second...how do you even measure that? It was pretty exciting to see. I was also excited to see Ian Miller win a team silver...60 years old, that's amazing. Watched some of the trampoline...I would puke doing that, ten jumps with all the twists and turns in a row. Anyway, it's excited and the coverage has been good.

Took Sarah to her last soccer game last night, they lost their playoff game, the team they played was good, I heard one of the parents saying they had won all their games this year, minus the first one, they have won all the tournaments they had entered...it showed.

Connor's is winding down, he has two more league games and then they will have playdowns...should be interesting to see.

Mike is getting busier at work...the sports teams are starting to arrive back and then the frosh and then the rest of the students. I think he was getting used to the reasonable peace and quiet of the summer.

It was pouring rain when I left work today, only drove 40 with the wipers on high...it was raining "to beat the band" as my mother would say...

I vow to be a better blogger again!

My Garden

2008-08-10T19:13:00.003-03:00

I wanted to post some pictures from our garden. We planted some sunflowers, some have red in them and they look like sunset...we also planted some that will be 10-14 ft tall but they haven't flowered yet. I also got some African sunset climbing Black eyes Susans that climb up the posts out front and look great.

I haven't posted in a while, it's been busy. Tracey, Kaylie and Hannah were visiting so between their visit and the kids' activities, there was alot on the go. Tracey managed to make one soccer game for each of her neices and nephews. It was sad to see them go, we may have shed a tear or two but it was great to see them. Elysia and Graham were both quite upset, Graham wanted to know why we couldn't just all live in the same province...things are so simple to a nine year old.

Friday night Janet, Steve, Owen and Parker were in the valley. Janet and Owen came to Elysia's soccer game (we got a little wet) and then they spent the night. Janet and I went to Joe's in Wolfville to relive some of our Acadia days...some scot skins, which were delish and then a walk and drive around town...we saw the old "pink" house (which is now blue) where our husbands once lived together...actually they lived more at our house but had you seen the pink house you would have stayed at our place too...it was a landfill in the making.

The weekend was busy, both kids were playing in the New Minas soccer tournament. Elysia played one Friday night (yeah, it rained) and two on Saturday (it poured during the second game...1 win and two losses and two wet parents and two soaked kids. Graham played three games today, they lost all three but they sure have come a long way. Their passing and their thinking about what to do with the ball has greatly improved. Their coach, David (Connor's dad) told them if they played hard, he would go down the soap/water slide that was set up there and he did. The kids got quite the kick of it. Needless to say we are soccered out. Graham only has his closing night and Elysia has one practice and one game left. Graham still has some baseball to keep us busy though.

Perfect picture

2008-08-03T21:00:00.002-03:00

I love this picture!! The kids have pure happiness on their faces...isn't that what being a kid is all about. They had run to the water to test it out and apparently it was a little cool.

Sat night in the valley

2008-08-03T09:49:00.003-03:00

This is a picture of all of us in a place called Cathedral Grove in BC...where they have the biggest trees...note the new family picture from the same site.

We had a great Sat night in the valley. We all went to Grandma's house for a get together. Grandma had rented a bounce kingdom, which apparently she got in when it was just her and Tracey there, Tracey laughed so hard at the look of terror on mom's face that she almost peed her pants. The kids all had alot of fun in the bounce kingdom and their little legs should be tired. Poor Elysia ended up with a migraine yesterday, she gets the whole aura of a blind spot before hand...after the second ibuprofen she was feeling better though.

Tracey's friend, Jackie explained to Graham, Mitchell and his friend Dylan how to play Nicky, Nicky Nine door...so they waited until Mitchell's grandfather had gone home and played it on him....they laughed the whole way back to the house.

We had some good laughs, some good food and some good drinks--Beerguerita's, which are a jug (yes, cause only a jug will do) of marguerita and then you put a Corona upside down in it...cause apparently the Tequilla in the Marguerita is not enough alcohol...

Hope it doesn't rain too much today cause I have laundry to get done up to the ying yang and of course, my not so generous company that I work for does not take tomorrow off! AGH! And to think the owner once said that he wants the company to be one where people are proud to work there...yeah, not so much!

Long Beach

2008-08-02T10:57:00.002-03:00

While we were in BC, we rented a house on the west coast of the island not too far from Tofino. We spent two days on a beautiful beach called Long Beach, which is aptly named. The first day it was quite windy (actually we kind of got sandblasted), so we spent most of the day in the shelter of the logs, just relaxing in the sun...did however, learn that the lens on a camera does not like beach sand (always wanted a new one anyway...haha). The second day wasn't so windy so we moved onto the beach and played soccer and the kids swam in the water and played in the waves. Just the two most beautiful days and now I have put my toes in both the Pacific and the Atlantic (and both were just a little too cold for me).

Bad Wife

2008-08-02T10:34:00.003-03:00

Yesterday (Aug 1) was my husband's birthday and I didn't blog about it...what a bad wife!

Mike turned 39 yesterday, he's still a young puppy. We had a little BBQ and cake for him last night. Tracey and the kids are down so they came over, me mudder came over, Josee, Jeff and the kids...they were all excited for uncle Mike's birthday. These are some pictures we took in BC...the totem pole was on the way back from Victoria and the beach is Long Beach, close to Ucelet where we rented a house for three nights...

Week Almost Done

2008-07-24T17:35:00.002-03:00

Thankfully the week is almost done...AGH!! It's 39 degrees outside with the humidex...that should not be legal! Thank goodness for the air conditioner...best money we ever spent!

Not much on the go this weekend. I still need to weed the vegie garden, did a little last week until the deer flies chased me away.

Graham is heading to daycamp in Wolfville next week, him and Elysia need some time apart. Which means my phone won't ring at work so much...

I promise I will blog some more pictures from BC, I just need to get my poop in a group!

Bad Blogger

2008-07-21T18:15:00.002-03:00

I have been a bad blogger...we got back from BC last Sunday (no...not the one that just past) and then had to head right to work the next morning. Kids got the sleep in but there was no rest for the weary.

My friend, Jane's son Mitchell turned 10 while we were in BC...Happy Belated Birthday Mitchell!! That's double digits!!

We had an amazing time in BC...after we went to Victoria we headed to the west coast of Vancouver Island. We stayed in a beach house in Ucelet. The house was amazing...will try to post some pictures later...all windows, right over the water, private beach (if we don't count the bears...didn't see any on the beach, just their pooh!). We spent two days on a place called Long Beach, absolutely beautiful white sand beach. The first day was pretty windy and your legs got a good exfoliation from the sand blasting so we hung out in the drift wood at the top of the beach where there were little shelters made in the wood, kind of cool. The next time we went to the beach it was a perfect beach day, the kids had a soccer game with Tracey and I as subs. Lots of fun. We watched some surfers, kite surfers and wind surfers. We went into Tofino, nice little town, lots of shops and restaurants. Mike and I found it very California...lots of people just hanging out discussing the surf...very rad! Thats my cool hip surfer dude talk...

On the way home we managed to sit in the wrong seat on both flights...once cause of Mike and once cause of me...I had to swallow my foot cause I had given him a really hard time about making a mistake on the first flight...then I kind of tried to oops thing but he gave me the look that kind of said "haha..." The landing in Toronto was quite bumpty and we felt a little green, but Graham did see the Roger's Centre on the way over Toronto so all was not lost.

I had made arrangements for someone to clean my house while we were gone...how wonderful is that? Come home to a clean house...not!! They forgot! I was sooo disapointed, they came in last Friday instead so thankfully no one came over until then cause it was nasty.

I had to head right back to work on Monday, took me a while to get to sleep the first couple of nights, my body was still on BC time.

Anyway...it was a great trip...we saw so much of the island (PS...Josee, your kids would have hurled on the drive from Nanaimo to Tofino!) and we had a great time with Tracey and the kids...managed to see dolphins while on the ferry and a bear on the side of the road. On the ferry they had a "man over board" drill and Graham thought that meant we had to get in the life rafts...

Elysia managed to wash her IPOD...let it in her sweater when she put it through the machine...believe it or not, it still works, took a couple days of drying though and the light is not 100% but it plays music. We both got sand in our cameras at the beach and the lens is stuck on both...even tried to get the "geek patrol" at work to fix them but no go...

Would love to go there every year, it's great to see Tracey, Kaylie and Hannah in their "natural" environment and it is beautiful there. Every turn in the car is a postcard.

Now I have to go and figure out why Elysia is breaking out in hives...Lord only knows with that child. She's in the shower and I am changing her bed and she's taken Reactine...it's only her so it's not some bugs or something.

Website

2008-07-14T21:55:00.001-03:00

Check out this website, it's all about my honey...http://www.dineoncampus.ca/acadiau/

I'll post more about the vacation later...

Off to Victoria

2008-07-08T22:01:00.003-03:00

We headed into Victoria today...Elysia's only goal in life was to get a LuLu Lemon sweatshirt...well she's happy now...Graham on the other hand wanted the only BlueJays style of hat he did not have (did you know there was 5 styles??) Yesterday the kids had some fun, they played Clue, played in the sprinkler on the trampoline, played dress up (I just cannot post the pictures of my son in a dress with "honken" boobs...that's what happens when you leave a boy alone with a bunch of girls.

We went out for lunch at a TexMex place in Victoria and we all had Marguitas (Mike a beer and Tracey a Mojito) but the kids were quick to tell the girl not to put alcohol in theirs.

Tracey had all the kids in her car so they could "pump up the music". Mike and I took our time and stopped at one of the look offs on the way back and took some pictures. We took the picture of the totem pole cause Graham looooves them. Then Mike and proceeded to have a longer tour of Nanaimo than we were suppose to but we made it to Tracey's eventually.

We are heading to the west coast of the island tomorrow, close to Tofino so I won't be able to blog until we are back in NS cause I am unsure of the internet connection where we will be...tata for now!

BC Day 2

2008-07-07T13:06:00.005-03:00

Well the kids are happy...we spent part of the day in the mall where they were able to burn through some of their cash. Graham got himself a new BlueJays hat and jersey. Elysia enjoyed the Lotus Wear store and then some. We still haven't made it to BC time yet so by the end of the trip to the mall we were done!

We went to the marina to meet the girls in the afternoon...they were pretty excited. It's funny it takes the "cousins" a minute to get acquainted with each other and then it's off they go. They played on the trampline, they climbed the tree...yes, that's Hannah's hand in the top of the tree in the picture (told my kids no way were they going up there and giving their mother a heart attack, it was hard enough for the auntie to see it), there was of course, some computer time--Elysia showed the girls some of her many pictures on Facebook. They all (inlcuding Graham) played Polly Pockets, there is actually some boy polly pocket characters.

We had great intentions of hitting a beach last night but Kaylie has a bit of a cold and the McKinnons have not adjusted to the time yet so we were pretty pooped after supper. Supper was a lovely meal of shishkabobs (see photo).

Tracey is working today only and then tomorrow I am hoping to hit the Goats on a Roof store and maybe see the big trees. Wednesday we head to the Ukee house on the west coast and we are very much looking to three days of nothing but sun, sand and water!

In BC!!

2008-07-06T13:05:00.009-03:00

We are here!! After a long day of travel (that went really well) we are at Tracey's house in Nanaimo. The day started at 2:20 when the alarm went off after a restless night's sleep, I was worried about sleeping in so I kept waking up. Had to get the kiddies up...one was easy and one not so much...and it's probably not the way you think, Elysia popped right up (well, maybe not right up) but Graham was rather P.O.'ed that there was a 2 on the clock because I said 3:30...but that's the time we needed to leave by. I think we timed everything pretty good, we hit the highway at 3:30 am, with my tea in hand (and I know that was not a steeped tea, don't try to fool me by taking the bag out Tim Horton's, I am on to you). We got to the airport and tried to park close to the terminal but there is no long term parking there, as we went by the drop off area, Mike had to get out, his diuretic pill had kicked it, so the kids and I went to the park and fly. Both flights were on time--Mike and Graham on one and Elysia and I on another. We bought two tickets with points and then we couldn't manage to buy two tickets for the same flight (without paying $200 each ticket)...

We arrived in BC within 15 minutes of each other, got the car and made the first ferry, we were in Nanaimo by 3, we met Tracey on the side of the highway, I jumped out grabbed her and yes, maybe I did shed a tear, just sooooo good to see her. Needless to say my kids dumped Mike and I to ride with Auntie Tracey in her new Jetta, I would love to have had a microphone in the car because I am sure they talked her ear off.

Kaylie and Hannah are with their father and will be back tonight (Sunday) at 5. I talked to them yesterday and I cannot wait to grab the two of them. I know Elysia and Graham are anxious to see them as well.

Tracey's house is so nice, there is so much of her and Kaylie and Hannah here!

It was an "early" night last night. Mike was the first to go around 7, Graham shortly after. Elysia and I made it a little later but I know I kept dozing off on the couch. With the early morning and the four hour time change we were all a little beat. The kids were up before 6 here (yes, even Elysia) but we all had a great sleep.

The kids want to head to the mall this morning...after supper when Kaylie and Hannah are here we are going to go to a beach to collect shells and rocks...maybe take a picture or two so I will post some tomorrow...

Bye for now from BC!

In BC!!

2008-07-06T13:05:00.001-03:00

Getting ready

2008-07-04T07:52:00.000-03:00

Well I didn't do anything indulgent while the family was away...I did laundry and cleaned the house, we are leaving tomorrow morning at 3:30 am...agh!

Mike and the kids are on their way back, talked to him this morning, left them a list of do's and don't's for when they get home...haha. They had fun visiting Mike's family.

Damn...the washer stopped, means I have to hang out clothes and then go to work...AGH!!

They left...

2008-07-02T07:03:00.003-03:00

My family has headed to Cape Breton this morning...Mike, Elysia and Graham left at about 6:30...good thing I got up, Graham didn't have "Scratchy" (his blankey) packed. Elysia had a blanket packed since her father will have the air conditioner on high and there may be frost on the windows. The kids were very excited to see their Nan, Papa, aunts and cousins. Graham wanted to wear his bathing suit so he could jump right in Auntie Collette's pool.

Since Mike and the kids were leaving early this morning, we didn't do the fireworks thing last night. Our neighbor had given Graham some sparklers for his birthday so the kids played with those in the front yard...they didn't last long though.

We took Graham for some batting practice yesterday, he was backing out of the box as he was afraid to get hit (he got beaned a couple of games ago and has been afraid ever since). He did really well, also worked on his pitching. I explained that everything in baseball is about a routine...all the players have one. So he was pretty psyched for his game last night and it ended up being cancelled due to the CND day celebrations. I was trying to convince Elysia to come to the game...don't think it was going to happen.

My house it too quiet already...gotta head to work in a few minutes. Have lots to do at work and at home to get ready for the trip to BC...we leave on Saturday.

Birthday Party

2008-06-30T21:12:00.002-03:00

Yesterday was Graham's birthday party, he wanted a big street hockey game. We set up the nets in the driveway and he drew a crease and a face off circle. Good thing we didn't rent anything...we probably didnt' pick the best weekend (lots of people camping) and we only had Connor (his best friend) another boy, Chris show up. We made the best of it though, Graham didn't really care, he just wanted to play. So mother laced up the skates...not really, she just tied her shoes and we played. Then Mike and David (Connor's dad) and two boys (the grandsons next door) joined it...we had a pretty intense game going on. Maybe Chris left with a new bruise or two, not sure. We had fun and the rain held off.

Then we went to watch Connor's soccer game (cousin Connor), they anialated (sp?) the other team 10 to 1...then we came home to watch the Euros final and Spain won, then it was off to Graham's baseball. He made a good out in the first inning, tried sliding in his new sliding pants, he slid well but not quite far enough and was out. He gets pretty upset when he stikes out so we are doing a little batting practice tomorrow. He got hit pretty hard the last game and is very paranoid of getting hit again so he steps out of the batter's box when the ball is anywhere near the plate.

Elysia ran for 25 minutes on the treadmill today...not sure what was up with that...maybe cause I told her to exercise more and get outside and that was her comprimise. She had soccer practice tonight as did her brother. Graham's coach was away so I ran the practice with another fella. Not as easy as it looks...we made them sweat though.

Mike and the kids head to Cape Breton Wed a.m....what am I going to do by myself?? I know I can read a bit...haha...do that anyway but I not sure about sleeping alone in the house, I may have to leave a night light on...

Birthday Boy

2008-06-28T09:34:00.004-03:00

That's right! My baby boy, Graham is 9 today...how did that happen?? He said he gets two of the best presents for free, no more school and he doesn't have to sit in a booster seat in the car anymore. He wants to throw the seat down in the hill in the back or have Uncle Jeff drive over it in the tractor but we are doing to put it in one of those donation bins.

Mike is working today so we are having Graham's party tomorrow, he is having a street hockey game with his friends...I love the "free" party. We gave Graham his presents...he got his own baseball helmet (don't like the idea of sharing helmets, where little critters could be living), a new glove and sliding pants (which he wore to bed last night and still has on). Elysia gave him one of those little baseball counters, where you can keep track of base, stikes, etc so he used it while watching the bluejays play.

Mike is heading to Cape Breton with the kiddies on Wed morning. I am unable to go because I have limited vacation and we are going to BC the following week. My kids have never really travelled without me, so I may be somewhat lost here in the house by myself...not to say I won't sleep in the middle of the bed...but my whole life will get in a car without me on Wed morning and I will be worried until they pull in on Friday.

Had a ladies night last night. Jackie had the girls over, her sister was in town from NFLD. We ended up in Jackie's hot tub last night. I had to run home to get my bathing suit on and Mike could not believe I left the house after 10 wrapped in my bathrobe...the hot tub was nice and I'm sure we made the picture running around the neighborhood in our bathrobes.

I have been having trouble getting to the blog, I used to post while I was at work but it has since been blocked...and it's hard to remember to get it done at night, there is always something on the go...soccer, baseball, something...

Crrrraaassshhh!

2008-06-25T20:00:00.005-03:00

Wanna know what $650 looks like...this is the bumper of our new car.

This is what happens when you park at the end of my driveway, that's right, don't mess with my man...

Mike didn't see the car parked across the road at the end of the driveway...until he felt it that is. Anyway, nice dent in their new Nissan Versa...we left a note in the window cause no one was there and she said she didn't even notice the dent until she saw the note in the window and got out to look...looks like insurance rate is going up...

Anyone who knows my husband knows how calm and collected he was at the time and that his blood pressure would not have gone up at all (HA!). I'm just shocked the top of his head didn't blow off!

Graham managed to have two baseball games the last two nights (losing both) and he proved himself a decent pitcher. Elysia had a soccer game and won that on Monday night. Thankfully on Monday night they were both playing at the Lockhart Ryan fields. So it's been a busy couple of nights. Tonight Elysia is playing in the band for the graduation at the school...gotta remember to pay that for next year. Kids are done school, they just have their gratuitous half day, where they go in, do nothing, get their report cards and come home. I doubt Elysia will be wanting to get something for her teacher--no love lost there. Graham of course, still thinks the world of his teacher, she was excellent though and Elysia's was a bit of a ding bat! I know...teachers work hard, yada yada yada, but this one really was a ding bat (and Elysia, if you are reading this, I am saying that your teacher was fair).

Rained out!

2008-06-22T20:39:00.002-03:00

Graham had a ball game tonight but we got there and the skies opened up...thankfully we had the golf umbrellas with us, Mom and I huddled under one and Mike under the other one, the kids were in the dug out. Thunder and lightning arrived and I went and pulled my son out of the dugout and put him in the car. The game was cancelled because the field is on clay and the field flooded in a matter of minutes, they would not have played in the lightning anyway. I wanted to get home because I was concerned about Elysia being home by herself in the thunder and lightning...we didn't get a drop at our house. Strange weather weekend. A quick storm came through yesterday and hit the Michelin plant in Waterville and a house in Port Williams.

We got the lawn mowed and whipper snipped today so it looks nice. Need a new rain gutter in the front though, it spills over and makes quite the puddle in heavy rain.

Both kids are playing at the Lockhart Ryan field tomorrow, Elysia has a soccer game and Graham has a baseball game...need to be there for 5:30 for Elysia so it's a quick run home and grab the kids and go type of night...fun, fun.

Mike starts his vacation next weekend, he's off for two weeks. He's taking the kids to Cape Breton to visit the family. Elysia and Graham are very excited about it. I will be by myself, which never happens and I am thinking I will not like it a whole lot. There will be a whole lot of my life travelling without me...

Goooooaaaaaalllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-21T14:07:00.002-03:00

Went and watched Sarah's soccer game today...she scored a goal and almost got another one...she was right on top of the keeper, the got the shot and then they collided. I don't know why the keeper was upset Sarah fell on her, she doesn't weight a whole lot. It sure was exciting though.

We are getting ready to head to one of Connor's games but we are waiting for the thunder and lightning to pass. There was one just up the road, hopefully didn't hit the house it did last year, gonna go by and check...Connor's game will be delayed for certain...Graham and I were on the front deck when the one hit so close and I practically threw him through the door. He told Auntie Josee that it was so close he almost fainted...tad dramatic that one.

Elysia's teacher called and told us she got an A on her math exam...way to go, Elysia!

Tommorrow's Friday

2008-06-19T20:46:00.002-03:00

Well...thankfully tomorrow is Friday. I think my ability to blog from work has officially been blocked...aw well, it was fun while it lasted.

Last night Elysia had another soccer game, she played really well, she is playing forward now and really coming into it...she had two great crosses for goals and had about four shots on net, the keeper had to make good saves on two of them.

Graham played tonight, he had a great shot on net and the keeper felt a need to stop it, what's up with that. He took two good hits also but got up and kept playing, took one for the team as he would say and got a free kick out of it.

My good friend, Reta Hayes has her birthday tomorrow (I won't say how old she is cause she'll kill me). Suffice it to say she looks much younger than she really is...how's that, Reta??

My mother is in mourning because Tiger Woods is out for the year, she will be wearing black on Sundays now. She really enjoys watching him play, I don't mind it much myself.

Picture

2008-06-17T09:02:00.002-03:00

In celebration (yeah, I know, a little late)...here's a picture of my dad at work...he works at Air Canada and is a mechanic on the planes, hard to imagine being responsible for something that is soooo much bigger than he is. I thought it was a great picture.

Elysia writes two exams this week and I told her there would be no computer until they were done...OMG, apparently I have removed an appendage from her body.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-16T09:35:00.002-03:00

Happy Father's Day to my husband, Mike...my father and Mike's father!! I know my husband had a great day...golfing...BBQ...doesn't get any better than that.

Had to get a new bank card on Friday. The Centreville QuikWay had a security breach on their line so anyone who used their card there had to either change them or get a new pin number...I had to get a whole new card and pin number...do you realize how many times I entered the wrong number at the machines...AGH!

Elysia went to the year end dance at the school the other night, she was really pretty in her little sundress and hair all done up, brought a tear to the old girl's eye.

Graham had some sort of rash on his legs this weekend, don't know what he came in contact with, called the pharmacy to see if we could give him reactine (cause of his meds) and they said it was okay. Who knows what he was into...that child never does things the easy way.

Went to Connor's soccer game yesterday, pretty good game, it was getting quite chippy but Connor holds his own out there and can really turn the ball and clear it out.

Birthdays All Around

2008-06-11T19:49:00.002-03:00

June 12th is a busy birthday day! My youngest sisters, Vanessa and Patricia turn 9!!

My eldest neice, Sarah is 15 (one year away from driving...doesn't that make me want to puke!)

Chef Master

2008-06-10T15:04:00.001-03:00

Here's a picture of my Chef Master in his green jacket...

Rough Day on the Course

2008-06-10T09:03:00.002-03:00

Mike went golfing yesterday with a vendor...he thought they would be renting a cart...so he didn't bring his pull cart. Guess what...they didn't rent a cart and he ended up carrying the golf bag for all 18 holes and it was hot and muggy out and the bugs were thick. He was happy though that he only used one ball all day...that's a good thing!

Kids both had soccer last night...Graham's team looks pretty good, his friend, Connor's father is coaching...he's a teacher and also guard at the youth facility so he should be able to keep them in line...he doesn't let them mess around. Elysia was happy because her coach said she will give them a chocolate bar for scoring goals...what more could the girl want for an incentive!

Weekend

2008-06-09T09:02:00.002-03:00

What a great weekend we had...the weather was great...so aside from the blackflies, it was good. Friday night was Elysia's soccer team's first game...see Friday night blog for the update...it was a little chilly watching the game but that's what blankets are for.

Sat I exchanged the lawn mower (they had given us a front wheel drive when we bought a rear wheel drive self propelled)...it works great, the "hay field" is down now. Got alot of work in the flower beds done, it's starting to look nice. We went to Josee's for supper and the kids played cousin soccer which got a little physical (a little too physical) between some of the Morse/Rafuse cousins, so much so that one of the helpers on the farm stopped to break up the fisticuffs. Elysia, of course, spent the night with Sarah (they are funny together)...

Sunday, Mike was off so we got the rest of the lawn mowed and the vegie garden planted...we'll see what grows, not doing pumpkins this year, they take up too much room. Josee and the kids came over for lunch and then we all went to Connor's soccer game...great game, they played really well in the second half. They lost 3-1, Adam from around the corner scored the only goal for their team, Connor played really well, I don't think Connor realizes how well he plays. Needless to say, his mouth is always going...Mike, Graham and I went to the Kentville Wildcats game, they got creamed (Elysia is not a baseball fan). The highlight was that some of the players let Graham and his friend play in the bullpen and even caught a few of their pitches.

All in all a great weekend!!

Goooooaaaaaalllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-06T21:16:00.003-03:00

Elysia has been playing soccer for 6 years now...and I think I have seen almost every single game...she used to play defence but this past winter she was moved up to midfield and then on occassion, she was forward. She has never scored in a regular game (only penalty kicks)...well that is until tonight...she made some really good moves playing forward tonight and put a beautiful ball up into the net...I was sooooo excited, I screamed, I even had tears in my eyes. I was the last one clapping...! Way to go girl!! Oh yeah, they lost 3-1, it was their first game so I told her she's the team's high scorer.

Blogging

2008-06-04T08:58:00.002-03:00

I tried to blog yesterday but it didn't work...and I was very deep and inciteful...yeah...right!

Busy week with the kiddies this week. Baseball and soccer on Monday, Baseball on Tues, two soccers on Wed, Baseball on Thurs and soccer on Friday...shouldn't always be like this.

Just found out that I get to go with Mike to Ottawa in the fall for the big gala for the Chef Master competition...(look out dad-I'll let you know the dates).

Apple Blossom

2008-06-02T09:35:00.003-03:00

We had a busy Apple Blossom weekend. Graham and I went to the fireworks on Friday night...you park and walk and wait for an hour and then in ten minutes it's over...then you walk and wait to get out...aw well, he enjoyed it. The fireworks were good while they last but maybe they shouldn't shoot so many in the air at once if they have a limited budget...make it last a little.

Sat, our friends from Halifax came down. Lynn used to babysit the kids, so her and the family came down. We all went to the parade and as the first float rounded the corner the rain started and as the last one came by the rain stopped...then we had a BBQ and Elysia went back to Halifax with them to surprise her friend Kaylie for her birthday.

Yesterday was family fun day at Scotian Gold...so we walked over to that...bought a few things, ate a few things...came home and then I went to get Elysia in Halifax...I left the valley and it was about 25 degrees out, I hit Halifax and it was quite cold in the fog. Graham and I planted some flowers and seeds last night for the garden.

Graham informed me how his father cleans out his car...he puts everything into mine...you've been ratted out, Mike!!

Email

2008-05-30T15:56:00.001-03:00

This is the email that was sent out to all of Compass Group:

Congratulations to Chef Michael McKinnon on being awarded the 2008 Chef Masters Green Jacket!

Congratulations as well to First Runner Up, Chef Wolfgang Leske, Executive Chef, Albian Sands Village, Fort McMurray, B.C.

The Compass Group Canada 2008 Chef Masters competition ended with a deafening round of applause for its newest Chef Masters winner, Michael McKinnon who joins the 2007 Chef Masters recipient, Chef Eric Evers. Chef Michael is with Chartwells at Acadia University, Wolfville, NS, as Executive Chef.

There was a lot of heart and passion in the Compass Culinary Lab Studio at Humber College North Campus, yesterday, where the 2008 Chef Masters 2nd Annual Competition took place. The six competing chefs began sharpening their knives at 12:55 p.m., and as the clock struck 1:00 p.m, Corporate Executive Chef Wayne Nichol's words rang out "let the competition begin!" Our talented chefs had just three hours to prove what they could do -- and then go beyond!
At 4:00 p.m., Chef Wayne called "time!" and the cooking and preparation part of the competition was over. Next came the tasting by the 25 judges who were focused on a wide range of scoring criteria, which broke down into technical and creative components.

At the end of the day, it was all about these six amazing chefs and the food they had created. Our competitors made Compass proud by entertaining and delighting us with their skill and culinary talent. They poured their hearts and souls into the competition, which was clearly evident to all who had the privilege of attending the event. Six incredibly delicious dishes were presented for everyone to taste and enjoy.

As contestants in the Chef Masters competition, all of the competitors are winners. Congratulations are also extended to:
Pascal Born, Chef Manager, Sobey's, QC
Robert Hong, Chef/Retail Manager, PHSA, BCCWH, BC
Percival Morier, Executive Chef, Steelcase Inc., ON
Tim Lentz, Banquet Chef, Western Fair, ON

Congratulations, again, to Chef Michael on becoming the 2008 Chef Masters Champion and to Chef Wolfgang on his first runner up position. Our sincere thanks and congratulations to all of the Chef Masters competitors. You are all true winners in Culinary, symbolizing high standards of excellence and great passion for what you do.

Great people! Great Service! Great Results!
BRAVO Chefs!
Cindy Harris Director of Communications Compass Group Canada

Chef Master

2008-05-30T09:02:00.003-03:00

OMG!!! Mike won!!!!!

He is now the Compass Group Chef Master of Canada...over 100 entrants and my little honey won. I am so excited for him, this just proves that they know what I have known all along...Mike is a cooking talent and hard worker. He has only been with the company a little over a year...this is really big for his career (I'm still not moving to Toronto though). The kids were so excited last night, I'm sure everyone at their school will know.

On a side note...as I was driving home from work last night, I noticed all the green, the lilacs blooming (sorry Patti, know you hate the smell) and the crab apple trees in bloom and I thought...this is why I wanted to be here, then of course I drove by a freshly manured field, I guess you gotta suffer to be beautiful.

When Mike gets home, I will pilfer his camera and post some pictures...