Tuesday, April 29, 2008

TAXES!!

I hate income taxes...Mike and I were working on that last night...we pay in a little so why do it early...then this morning I hear the billions the gas companies made last quarter...not last year...last quarter...AGH!!

Yes, I am cranky today and I admit it~so stay out of my way!

PS Did I mention my husband, Mike...see yesterday's blog about his trip to Toronto!!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Mike

This is an email Mike received today...

Good Morning

Thank you all for your creative entries to the 2nd Annual Chef Masters Culinary Competition. Ninety-eight cooks/chefs registered for this years competition. Your hard work and dedication is appreciated.

The panel of judges had a difficult time choosing from all the entries. All entries were judged based on their ability to meet real Compass needs, such as: innovative new recipes for our current programs, presentation, food is the focus, and product cost / selling price. After much deliberation the six finalists were chosen.

We are proud to announce the six finalist for the 2nd Annual Chef Masters Culinary Competition!

Michael Mckinnon - Chartwells - Local Wild Honey and Cilantro Crusted Chicken Breast - Acadia University
Samon Grero - Eurest - Pork Roulade – Simply the Best - Procter & Gamble
Tim Lentz - Leisure - Mumbai Flutes - Western Fair
Wolfgang Leske - ESS - Pollock Poached in Coconut Milk - Albian Village
Robert Hong - Morrisons - Szechwan Seafood Stir Fry - C&W Hospital
Pascal Born - Quebec - Orient Green Tea Salmon - Sobeys


The six finalists will arrive in Toronto on Monday May 26th and will prepare and present their award winning dishes to a panel of judges on Thursday May. 29th! The six chefs will partner with our corporate chef of culinary development Stefan Jacob for coaching and support. Their agenda will include a tour of the Compass Culinary Studio Lab at Humber College, as well, platinum level supplier sponsors will have an opportunity to present their own innovation solutions for our business to this group of highly talented and motivated chefs. A special guest chef will also present on molecular gastronomy.Thank you and congratulations to our finalists.! Finalists...Sharpen your knives for round 2!

Thanks, Chef Wayne

Monday

Spent a lovely day outside yesterday blowing leaves down the back hill...I said the day was lovely, not the chore, the backyard looks so much better though. Shame to be here today when I could be playing in dirt.

Tim Horton's has recalled their steeped tea...what's up with that?! I asked the girl why and she said she didn't know, I asked if I was going to grow a third ear or something?? I did look on the internet and the only thing I can find is that there was a mixture problem and to quote the guy "the tea tasted like ass" How does one know that?? Maybe I don't want to know. Needless to say my day has not started out quite right...

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Birthday Girl


My sister, Tracey, turns 37 today! Happy Birthday Old Girl!!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Friday

Oh...thank goodness...for my sanity, it needs to be Friday...

Mike and Graham are on their way to Halifax this morning...and there was snow showers up there so Mike was not impressed...those who know him will realize that the roads will be "treachurous"...

Elysia is having friends over tonight to watch a movie...one girl and two boys...hmmm...I'm pretty good at math...I asked if this was a boyfriend/girlfriend thing and she gave me that look~like I am a complete and utter idiot for even asking~and said no. Whatever~I am still going to put a huge roaring fire on and make the room really hot and hide all the blankets! Mike was a little freaked about it, my point is, if I said no, then they will go somewhere else, so at least at my house I can delude myself into thinking I have some control over the situation...yeah, I know...deluded!

Grampie Morse is still stable, they did have to move his chest tube yesterday because it kinked...but he's still doing pretty good considering the beating he took.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Grampie Morse

Grampie Morse had a set back yesterday, his lung collapsed and they had to put in a chest tube to drain off some blood, he has been moved to the ICU in Kentville but he's stable and doing better, needless to say he's in considerable pain. Told Elysia and Graham last night and Graham said that we would visit him in the hospital, so I told him we couldn't go to the ICU and he said "well, they let family in..."

Poor Elysia is battling a cold and also had her last set of needles yesterday at school...she was asleep at shortly after 7, the poor thing needed a good sleep. My honey also has a cold and he was feeling fairly miserable last night. I made the trip to the store for Gatorade, Halls and Kleenex...Mike even put vicks on his feet with socks over top because Josee said that helps. He didn't cough much through the night so maybe it works.

Mike and Graham are heading to Halifax tomorrow. Mike is having his blood pressure checked and I'm sure, his knuckles wrapped...maybe I should call Dr Robinson to give her some tips for lecturing him...Graham is having the 24 hr monitor put on...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Baseball

Well sat through another baseball practice/tryout last night. He really loves it. The list went out through the night of the kids who will continue to try for the rep team. Graham's name was not on the list, I didn't expect it to. I told him this morning and he said "you know last night when I told you I wouldn't be disapointed...well, I lied". One of his friends made the list so I told him to go up to him and say "congrats and good luck"...that's what being a man is I said. Graham says he's never heard of a man being nice on purpose...agh!

Elysia has her soccer tryout tonight at 7:30 at Acadia...that's almost past my bedtime. I told her that her skills were good, she just needs to go harder to the ball and that if she really wants to make it, she has to play her guts out...

Grampie Morse had an accident chopping wood yesterday...anyway, short story is that he had a bloody nose, black eye and a few broken ribs and spent the night in the hospital last night. My kids adore Grampie Morse, he's not their "true" grandparent but Mr and Mrs Morse have always made our kids feel that they were part of the family...so get well Donald.

PS Did I mention my husband, Mike.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

MTL 5 BOS 0

Well Montreal won the series against Boston last night...thank goodness, made for a good morning at my house once my son saw the highlights...I even checked before he was awake so I could be prepared!

Last night Graham had his first baseball practise/tryout. It's his first year in Mosquito and they have a rep team. I told him not to get his hopes up because you spend three years in Mosquito. He did pretty well though, he won this little infield competition and snagged a really good one doing it. Another practice tonight, we'll be more prepared as in me...I'll have blankets for when the sun starts to dip...brr...it got cold last night...Mike and I were snuggling...my neighbor said if it got any colder, she was coming over...Mike was a little freaked out.

Poor Elysia is starting a cold and with her asthma it goes right to her chest...she wasn't feeling so hot this morning so being the good working mom that I am, I got her some Hauls and sent her off to school...parent of the year material!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Weekend

What a spectacular weekend! Busy though...

Sat was baseball registration in the morning, then we went to Liz's house for Emma's birthday party. Of course we walked to mom's house and kidnapped her dog, Sofie...no reason she should miss the party just because Mom was working. Mom said the little dog was beat from all her partying when she got home later that night. Watched the movie Juno with my friend Janet and Elysia and my niece Sarah. I thought it was good. Both Janet and I cried and Elysia and Sarah thought we were strange to cry, it was the mother in us.

Sunday was all about raking! I hate it...I even have blisters today. Mike gave Janet's husband, David a rib cooking lesson. So we had a nice supper with the Ross family. Connor loved the ribs, that's all he wanted to eat but his mother managed to get three carrots into him to balance it out.

Graham's baseball starts tonight...so much for that lovely lull between winter and summer soccer!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Survivor

For those of you who are not Survivor fans...ignore this part...OMG!! That was one of the best tribal councils in a while...completely blindsided Ozzy...loved it!!

Last night the school had their Family dance...which is basically an opportunity to sit there and watch the young kids run around for two hours. Elysia, of course, was not going because the queen would not possible want to socialize at a dance where her brother might be. Graham decided he didn't want to go...what a wonderful child, neither Mike or I wanted to go...so we were able to opt out of the dance...

Cleaner was at my house yesterday...wonderful!! They were amazing, the cleaned dirt that I didn't even see (actually, that I didn't even look for). The house looks great, now if I can just keep us out of it for a week, it will stay that way.

Happy Birthday Emma!! My friend, Jane's youngest has her birthday, I believe she turns 8 today! Considering the fact, that last week, I turned my calendar ahead two weeks rather than one and already called last week to wish her a Happy Birthday because I only noticed the day and not the date on the calendar.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

9:00 Meeting

It's the nine o clock meeting...time for me to blog...

It's a beautiful day today...the sun is shining, the birds are singing, it's going to be 20 degrees and the best part, I have cleaners in my house today!! Yahoo!! My house will be clean tonight, best time to drop by unannounced, you won't see the clothes folded in the living room, the floors in desperate need of a scrub...just clean, clean, clean! Of course, we had to do the "preclean"...not that I am worried about them seeing my house dirty, that's kind of what they do, but I would like them to be able to see stuff to get it cleaned. Graham and Elysia were not thrilled with the "preclean" part, Graham asked me why he had to do it...wasn't that the cleaners job...I told him I hired (sorry Mike..."we" hired) the cleaner to clean "our" house, not his stuff. When I left the money out for the cleaner, Elysia informed me she would clean the house for that money...yeah, right, imagine me saying...Elysia you forgot to clean the toilet--Elysia you forgot to clean the shower...hmm...

Elysia's team lost last night. Their regular keeper was ill and another girl played, she did a good job but she wasn't comfortable with it, poor thing was crying at the end because she felt she let them down. I don't think any of them really cared that they lost, they were too busy signing each others shirts.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

19 degrees

It's suppose to be 19 degrees tomorrow...hmmm....I think I'm feeling feverish...although I shouldn't joke about it, there is a stomach bug going around here, guess I could still lay out on the deck between bathroom breaks. That's how wonderful this place is, I would rather be home sh*&&*%$ than be here...

Mike has his next checkup for his blood pressure in less than two weeks, so last night he says "lets go for a walk", I think he's pulling the "floss before the dentist" rountine. That's okay, a walk won't hurt either one of us. Graham's going with him because he has to have a Holter monitor put on and it's a five week wait to have it done in Kentville, so he may as well get one at the IWK. We just mail it back. It's a Friday too because Graham doesn't like to wear the monitor to school, the kids were calling him "robot" and he didn't like it.

Elysia's soccer playoff is tonight...Go Team!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tuesday

Well, it's Tuesday, at least that means it's another day closer to the weekend...haha...Elysia has her playoff game tomorrow night, I dreamt she scored the winning goal and I wasn't paying attention...how horrible! I always pay attention, I'm not one of those parents who feels it's social hour...I actually watch the game.
Thoroughly enjoying the warmer weather and the lighter evenings. Kids are playing alot more outside, I did notice them cleaning the dirt off the road in our subdivision this morning, it was quite slippery under the bikes.
As far as the job goes...nothing good to say about that...just because a person "runs" a company doesn't make them a good manager, just because someone can sell something, doesn't make them a people person...AGH!!
PS Did I mention my husband, Mike...

Monday, April 14, 2008

White Crap!!

There was white crap coming out of the sky this morning...not sure what it was...must have been an alien invasion. Very strange!

Laundry, laundry, laundry...I did soooo much laundry this weekend that I had to go and buy more soap just to keep it going. It's all folded in the living room...my little slaves will bring it up when they get home from school today...I love it when children get older and can do more things, knew I had them for a reason.

It's garbage day today, I think you need a spreadsheet to figure out the new regulations in Kings County, clear bags, but you are allowed on black one for personal garbage, you can have 8 bags in total but only a max of 4 garbage...God forbid you have an extra bag of recycling, I had my one clear bag, my one personal bag and 7 bags of recycling...I had to put one at the neighbors house. I am all in favor of the clear bags but I say take as much recycling as there is there.

PS Did I mention my husband, Mike, who has the new car with him...it's just me and the Cavalier.

Friday, April 11, 2008

It's Friday!!

Thank goodness!!

I have the new putput today...the kids have decided to call it Max (our truck was George, my car in Sally), that way when I get a new one someday, it'll be red and we'll call it Ruby...all figured out.

I worked really hard on this digital scrapbooking and made my pages 8 x 8 because I have a great little 8 x 8 album to put them in...only problem is printing them...tried at Walmart last night, I wanted to print the 8 x 8 on an 8 x 10 and then cut off the blank space...not working though...any suggestions...the girl at Walmart kept telling me to go home and resize them, I almost resized her!

Have to register the kids for soccer and baseball this weekend, there goes any savings...

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Sofie


Here's a picture of mom's puppy Sofie...we just love her, to the point of acting like an idiot with her...Mike thinks I've gone nuts!

Good bye George


George is our Dodge Dakota truck...which has been traded in for a new Dodge Caliber...trying to be practical...gas in a little engine or a great big V8...although I'll miss the V8 getting on the highway. Here's a picture of a Caliber, ours is black though...

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Thumper

I think I am going to pull a Thumper today (the little rabbit in Bambi)..."Mama always says if you have nothing good to say, then say nothing at all".....leave it at that...

PS Work sucks!!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Monday

It's Monday and the sun is shining and it's suppose to shine all week...God, I wish it was last year and I wasn't working...I miss EI!

Elysia got her hair cut this weekend and loved it until she had to try and do it herself...it's too short, it won't go in a ponytail, it's sticking out....AGH! I tried the "it will grow back" line...no help. At least her mother gave her money for lunch today, so she didn't have to try and fit it in her bag.

Graham had a fever Friday and Saturday but seems fine now, I do think the poor kid was tired. I still don't think he's sleeping the best...lots of talking in his sleep.

Did I mention my husband, Mike...for the record he didn't watch movies all day Friday, he cleaned and did laundry.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Happy Children

Both of my children left in a snit today...I'm such a good mother...!! The eldest was ticked because I made her a lunch (I know...how horrible), she wanted to buy lunch because there was no room left in her postage stamp sized school bag...boohoo! The youngest was ticked because I made him dress for the weather (I know...how horrible). He got a new sweatshirt yesterday with Coldbrook School on it and wanted to wear it and not have it covered, it's still cold out though so I made him wear a vest over it...mother of the year I am!

On another note, Elysia's team played soccer last night, she had a beautiful shot on net and the keeper made a wonderful save...what's up with that, the ones she let in were easy shots but she just has to stop Elysia's.

One of the ladies I work with wanted Elysia to babysit last Sat night, overnight. I said no, I needed her for my scrapbooking expedition...thank Goodness!! They just found out they have lice in the house, I know it happens but I don't want it to happen in my house...so my scrapbooking saved us hours of picking nits!

PS Did I mention my husband, Mike, who is off today and I am sure will watch at least one Clint Eastwood movie...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Work Work Work


No...it's not my desk, but it feels that way...lots of work to do, should keep me out of trouble!
PS Did I mention my hard working husband, Mike!

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

April Fool's Day


Happy April Fool's Day...got the kids good this morning. Elysia was just getting her coat on and I told her the bus was going by and she freaked out....hahahahaha....then Graham was upstairs brushing his teeth and I yelled up the bus was coming early, he threw his brush in the sink, spit out the toothpaste and started running down the stairs...when I yelled out April Fool's to him he told me "mom, you're genius"....I know...hahahahahahaha....
PS Did I mention, my husband, Mike!