Just Remember

It will be hard, but it will be good. It wont be hard forever.

Today's Classified Section

Wanted: Maid. For immediate hire. Female.. but must be ugly. Salary negotiable-- extremely flexible pay: ranging from nada to zilch. Duties include dishes, vacuuming, laundry, changing bedsheets, picking up toys, and any other job that the boss decides she doesn't want to do right now.

Personal Ads: Married, White Female seeks more time with Married, White Male for occasional conversations and walks along the beach. Bringing female to beach within the next month or two a must. Female desires more time with specific male; blond (slightly going grey a MUST), tall, great body, painter/drywaller extraordinaire, answers to the name of Will E. McSpanky. (PS- where in the heck did the McSpanky part come from anyways?! lol)

Found: time between homework and housework. Interesting how those are so similar, yet not. It's wonderful finding time... To have a shower. To bath my kids the way kids WANT to be bathed-- including toys, bubbles, and a mother who sings songs about washing hair.

For Sale: As- is. One nasty pristine blue carpet from the front room. Still like new: Never been washed! Owner no longer needs it as new flooring has been (and is still currently being) installed. Carpet has seen much love, including two sets of kittens who, apparently, REALLY enjoyed a hidden corner behind the couches. Cat-pee smell and stains included. Limited time offer, as male-owner will be using it as a border for the outside icerink. Available for theft removal from backyard immediately.

Free To A Good Home: Set of teenage daughters. Both sets include: Fantastic singer, incredibly beautiful. Enjoys phones and boys and clothes. Comes with accessories (great sense of style, piles and piles of makeup, superb sense of humour) Set A: Good child. Happy, slightly eccentric. Good older sister. Talented. Set B: verbally confusing, often prone to leaking from the eyes. Set A: Smart child. Set B: Smart mouth. verbally vomits on parents/boys/whoever's listening. Set A: Able to achieve top grades in school. Set B: failing classes because of apathy. Set A: Plays piano. Set B: Plays boys. EDIT After Publish: Set A no longer available for sale. Set B price reduced!

SWS- Nursing

I was totally made for this!!!


(play along with Cate at showmyface.com and put down YOUR Six Word Saturday post)

What the "deuce"?!

So, I'm bound by these crazy things called "ethics" and "FOIP" and junk like that, so I can't tell you all the totally cool things I'm doing in my clinical for school. Rest assured, I am loving it. Sure, we aren't technically DOING anything yet; I've seriously spent a month of school learning how to properly wash hands, and, just today, how to properly make a bed.

Washing hands seems soooo easy, but I honestly have a midterm exam on doing it properly! I know, right?! My poor 'bingers' (Mimi's word for fingers) are cracking and dry from the antiseptic hand soaps and junk, but I tell ya, they're clean enough to eat off of! ;P
har har

You know, you'd think I'd be all nonchalant about germs and junk when I'm so obviously clean from washing my hands so often, but it's getting super wierd how paranoid I am getting about everything. I sit at a desk and instantly wonder what nasty pathogenic cuplrits sat there before me. The whole idea of going to clinical and touching a freaking PEN scares the ship out of me! What is ON that pen!?!?!?! ew.

And making a bed?! DONT GET ME STARTED. Now I'm all grossed out that I probably haven't washed my sheets in a week or two (whatever, judgy Mc Judgersons, I've been a bit busy lately and the last thing I think of when I fall INTO that germy bed is NOT about the germs.).... besides, even if I DID clean the sheets... Will and I...well...you know.... do I honestly have to finish this sentence?! And don't even-- I know LOTS of couples that are like that. For reals, peeps, what is the dealio with the need to be dirty in a clean bed?! Good times.

Yep. I'm officially beyucked (new word. Patent) by what could possibly be residing on this keyboard. Or the lightswitches. Or...

OH.

EM.

GEE.

the toilets at the college.

It is a sad moment when I realize that I have to use it. I leave my house by 7am most mornings (earlier some others) and don't get back home until after 4:30 or so. I am NOT the "poop-once-a-day" girl. I am happy to report to ya'll that I am a proud pooper. Apparently, Paul Plakas thinks poopin' a few times a day is healthier anyways, so, Paul, this poop's for you. I can NOT wait until I am home. I know a few 'paranoid poopers' who seriously would rather injure themselves than use a public pooh-pot, but me? Nope. When there's a turtle, I let it hit the fan. (okay, so there's no fans in the bathroom.. and I am NOT the only public pooper at the college, so some days, there really SHOULD be a fan. Seriously. light a match.)

Only in the nursing program will you be studying for a test with your girlfriends and the topic of pooping will come up. I mean, defecation.

that us.

jealous, aren't cha?!

Music that makes me smile

Most people know I'm a music-girl. I like all sorts of music, I know a million songs about a million things that are usually totally random and rediculous, but still. In fact, just the other day, Em made up something on Facebook like, "writing my own story", and, believe it or not, I broke into a song in front of her with those exact words. She sat at the table dumbfounded, probably thinking I was making it up as I went or something. I also like to think that her laugh was of sheer joy at my amazing skillz, and nothing whatsoever to do with the dance I broke out into. Whatever that dumbfounded look was for, it didn't go unnoticed. Which in itself entertains me, as I used to think the same thing of my father when he'd sing ridiculous lyrics that I didn't believe were real. And no, I was never laughing at anything he did-- it only encouraged him! ;) (love ya pop-sicle)



I mean, who knows a song about chewing gum that loses its flavour? Well... I do!!! *YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE*



Or, without my father, would I have known a song about playing with a chainsaw? Like this one: *YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE*



Country songs are classic for funny words. Like this one!



Yah. I know songs about blue kleenexes, camels named Clyde, and even 'historical' songs about Colonel Custer! ;)



Some silly songs I relate to times in my life. Some I relate to people. Some songs just bring a smile to my face...

A new song I relish:



*YOUTUBE HERE*

So, when you hear a funky song with recockulous lyrics, just sit back and smile. Think of me. Imagine the dance. You HAVE to imagine the dance.

Yay and Boo - 2010 fall edition

Okay,
Nay. seriously, I have NO time to be here on the computer. But I hate not posting for so long! And really- there isn't much 'news' to put up anyways.

Nay AND Yay! I've been so occupied with readings and homework that blogging or all the good, fall TV shows are taking quite a backseat. I have too much to do like laundry and all that. Thankfully everything I'm reading is fascinating and exciting to me.

Yay. Thankfully, I am no longer a 'psuedo'mother to 5 adorable kittens. We managed to off all of them on unsuspecting poor fools who took them from us FOR FREE from the front of the grocery store. Nothing says "take my adorable kitten" like my three little monkeys at the doors, holding them. So yay for no more kittens.

Yay that I'll be taking the cat in this week to be 'fixed'. er.... broken... whatever. Potatoe potahto.

Yay that I handed in my first nursing paper. It was on people of a different culture, so Will to me out to the Hudderite colony where I interviewed a family on their health and cultural beliefs. After writing the paper, I got it back. The teacher gave me 100%!! And even asked to use my paper as an example for future classes! I am relieved that my being out of school for 12 years or so isn't totally kicking my trash. BIG YAY.

SUPER yay that I got out of that horrid English class I disliked so badly. And hopefully there's another Yay coming up in a day or two when I should find out about the Biology. Less work = more time with my family.

Nay. My home renos are stalled, currently. It's a work-able kitchen, with appliances and running water, so I'm doing fine with that right now. Since I'm not home all day, it's not really getting under my skin anyways. And Will has SOOOOO much work right now that I'm happy when he just comes home and chills with me.

Yay. I got a new calling for my church. I am the music director in the Relief Society (women's organization). Will is the secretary for the Elder's Quorum, so he has his hands full with that too. House renos will have to wait.

Yay. I have this gym class at school. They're making us do 21-days of change, where we have to change something about our health, journal it each day, and report on is after the 21 days are done. You guys know me-- I'm a juice junkie. Me and my Redbull have quit our love affair and my 21-days of change is about me drinking WATER and only WATER. Boo. I miss flavour and carbonation. But I know it's a really good change for me... even if it sounds ridiculous to most. You guys know I do NOT drink water. ew. I'm on day 9. .... it's going to be a LOOOONG 21 days!!!

Nay. When I went to get my readings done last night, my little Em came into my room to talk about boys and all that. A few hours later, Will and I were feeling copious amounts of anxiety and frustration and fear.. It is NO fun having a teenage daughter. She's such an amazing young woman, though, I just hope she figures that out about herself sooner than later. I remember being her-- EXACTLY like her, at that age, and my heart hurts just knowing what she's going through. Heartache sucks. Finding a personal testimony with so much opposition sucks. Giving into peer pressure sucks. Feeling like you're all alone sucks. As parents, Will and I are realizing more and more each day our role in developing our children's spirituality. As I heard in church yesterday, these children born to us already have a stronger testimony than we do-- it's just our job to help them unwrap it.

Forget school papers and assignments and all that-- dealing with the knowledge that I'm building a spirit is FAR more work than I'd imagined. And, lucky for me, I have a SUPER partner to do it with. Yay.

A New Love

I am SOOOO in love.

yah yah, of course I love Will. And the kids. And my progressing kitchen with the gas stove...

But, really, I am unequivically IN LOVE with school. I really can not express how happy I am to be learning things I've ALWAYS wanted to learn, trying things I used to pretend doing with REAL equiptment and not Fischer Price toys. I get super excited over my nursing courses, and am, somewhat surprisingly, enjoying the communcations and biology courses too. Perhaps, most surprisingly to those who know me best, the class I am liking the least is my English composition course. (which, I have taken before, but they STILL don't have my transcripts.) I'm an "english" girl, but this course--- BLAH BLAH BLAH. And honestly, when I have a patient/client with an issue, I highly doubt that my knowing how to write in APA format will come in handy.

I feel like a thirsty sponge-- LOVING the things the teachers are teaching, and wishing I could jump ahead a few years and just START. Let's all be grateful that I'm NOT, as I'm sure you'd like me to have a bit of further knowledge before I try being your nurse, hey?!

It has been a major adjustment in the house--
Will and I don't get a lot of 'us' time anymore. It feels like we have to physically SCHEDULE time to spend with each other, and I'm usually the one to blame. And really, how 'special' are...ahem..snuggles when they're planned EVERY. TIME?! With homework and a million books I need to read for class, by the time the kids get into bed at night and I get my work done, I'm absolutely exhausted physically and mentally and just ready to crawl into bed. My poor muffin is getting the raw end of the deal, with me not home to prepare meals every night and up and out the door before the kids are even up. He's left to do the early-morning seminary driving and the lunchbox duties, and, like this morning, he's in charge of finding winter coats and boots and gloves that match.

We got our first 'snowfall' today. Thankfully the roads weren't brutal, and the snow was polite enough to remain on the grass.

The drive is about 45 minutes, depending on weather and how many dumb trucks I'm stuck behind. I have been spending the drive there listening to scriptures, thereby doing my own "early morning seminary" like in the highschool years. On the way home, I'm mentally going back over the day's notes and lessons, singing Wicked songs in the process. Although I stress about getting home and fulfilling the other 'jobs' of taxi-cab mom, chef, maid and psychologist, Will and the children are usually very self-sufficient and have often made my job easier.

Although I feel like the old-lady in class (which, surprisingly, I am not even CLOSE to the oldest student in nursing), I am happily finding my grove and LOVING the courses.

Now, to figure out how to add more untired hours into my day to spend with Will. :)

Six Word Saturday= Worse than Christmas Time!

Six word Saturday-- when you describe your week/life in six words only. Play along with Cate at showmyface dot com!

September is costing arms and legs!

I have put out money for my kids' school fees. I spent money on singing lessons, dance lessons (including dance attire required), basketball lessons, Girl Guides, my OWN school fees (you know, just a few thousand in tuition), money for school clothes for kids, money for books (me... only another thousand), money for scrubs and stethoscopes and immunization records and criminal record checks, parking passes for the year, ...

when did September start costing MORE than a Christmas with 7 children!?

An Update While I Ignore The Homework For a Second

School is two days in, now.

I still feel like a chicken with her head cut off, as I wander around the campus like the biggest "minor niner" with her map and the most confused look ever. I spent tuesday with Will running around buying books and registering. And then, a few hundred dollars later, I went home with absolutely NO idea what I was getting into. When the first day of school actually happened yesterday, I arrived in the class, realizing that everyone else in the course knew what to expect and where to go and who the professors were, etc. Not me.!!! Apparently, they all went to the orientation that I quite obviously did not attend! For good reason-- I hadn't gotten the call by then.

I have had to get paperwork and medical records and criminal record checks...all stuff that was due-- uh-- last week!!! YIPES.

Lucky for me, I went to talk to the lead nurse in charge of the program to ask her where this elusive 'package' was that everyone else had but me. When I told her my name, she nodded her head and said she knew where my package was. She returned with a manila envelope, addressed to me, and sat at her desk with a smile. Then, politely, she smiled and shook her head.

"YOU, Debbi, are SOOOOO LUCKY!!!!"

It was overwhelming at that point, because she was then the THIRD teacher to have said that to me during the day. I was PENCILED into the bottom of every class list. I was the "after thought". I was barely even there! I was in the program by the hair on my chinny chin chin.

One teacher had told the class that there were over 100 people in the program. Now, currently there are still around 109 people on the waitlist!! I BEAT 100 people for this spot?! WOW!

And another teacher said that for the first year, there is usually one (OR FEWER) spots that open up at all.

But when the head nurse said it, it really struck me. I knew I was lucky, but the sudden feeling overwhelmed me and although I felt it before, I am feeling INCREDIBLY blessed for this opportunity to be back in school, doing what I've only ever imagined doing. It all just came together in a mere 20-second phone call, but with Mimi getting into kindergarten early and the school magically finding me a seat, it seems like God opened a window.

I sat in my classes, sponging everything up. Like a child on Christmas morning, just uber excited and hardly able to contain a smile. Everything they said, I wanted to do. Everything they taught, I was ready to learn. I've done two of the courses before (English and Biology) so I may even be able to drop them once the college gets my transcripts. And if not, I already know the material and could use a bit of a 'bird course' to pull up my GPA.

I am overwhelmed to come home each night and be a mom and wife, but the kids are adjusting alright, and after a bit of a 'growth' period, we'll all figure out how to make the cranks turn smoothly. Will helps immensely. Dinner and homework and cleaning and scriptures and lullabies and prayers and then I crumple into bed to begin again the next day.

And I am so happy to do it!!!!!!!!!!

Not JUST for kids!

Yesterday, Will and I were talking on the cellphone about the past year of our marriage. I had slept in until 11 am, and he had called me from work to be my wake-up call so I didn't miss picking up Mimi from kindergarten. I felt guilty for being SO lazy while he was off working, but he simply understood that this week was crazy busy and I was understandably tired. We laughed and sighed, and realized the entire YEAR was crazy busy. I smiled, and replied, "Let's make this year a quiet, calmer year, mkay?"

The phone beside the bed rang. It was the 'big city' college. I told Will I'd call him back, and answered the phone.

You see, I applied to school for this year, but I was on the waitlist, and they told me that they'd let me know if a spot opened up before yesterday. So, seeing as it was now the day after the 'deadline', I knew why they were calling. We're sorry to inform you that you are not able to attend this year. Please reapply next year. And the year after that. And the next 4 years after that until you give up and get a job at Subway. Yah, yah, I know the drill.

The lady in charge of my file was on the other end of the line, and told me that "a spot had been made available."

?????

"Are you still interested?"

UM!!!! IS THE POPE CATHOLIC!?!?! Heck ya, I'm interested!! "Yes, absolutely!" I calmly replied.

So, she tells me that I have to go to the college AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to pay fees and pick up my registration stuff, buy my books and get my supplies, because, you see, SCHOOL STARTS TODAY!!!!

I hung up, and called Will back.
"So, ya know how I said we should have a quiet year?!"
He just chuckled, and said, "I guess it's not going to be so quiet, hey?!"


So, I am now a full-time student in the Practical Nursing program at the college! And you thought my blogging routine was bad this past year... just wait for THIS year!! It is going to be awesome. What amazing things lay ahead. I am starting a life-long goal (no word of a lie on that one, I've wanted to be a nurse since I could talk!) and I'm scared to death but even MORE excited.

I will miss picking up Mimi from kindergarten every day. I will miss being home when the kids are getting home from school. I will be the crock-pot queen. I will have an even MESSIER home, LESS laundry done. I will be stressed about assignments and grades. I will be spending an arm and a leg for gas to and from the 'big city' every single day. I will have to travel in snow and blizzards and days I want to just stay in bed. I will not be able to run during mornings while Mimi is in school.

But, I will be living my dream. I will be on the road to financially securing our family with a steady income, health benefits, and options for Will.

First time back in a school fulltime since High School.
What should I wear!!!!??? ;)

If Someone Had Told Me It'd Be Like This.....

What Anniversary are you Celebrating?
Our first! The premier. The maiden. The initial. The Foremost. The Ichiban.

What Will You Be Doing To Celebrate?
Um. That's kinda personal! LOL No, we're headed into 'the big city' to eat dinner. Funny enough, Will's sister called us this morning while we were still groggy and in bed to sing the "happy anniversary" song to us and asked us if we're going to do anything special. He answered, coyly, "we're doing it!" Funny, she laughed and said goodbye quite quickly after! LOL

What Significant Thing Happened This Year To Make You Fall More In Love?
Honestly, when it's the first year, EVERYTHING is significant, because everything is the 'first'. First Christmas. First fight. First trip. First funeral/wedding. (no, not at the same time, obviously) I'd probably venture to say that our trips to the states to buy appliances was a big one for me. We had no 'plans'. No time schedules. We were JUST US, and in love and it recharged me immensely.

What Do You Wish You Did This Year As A Couple?
Well, finishing the house woulda been nice, but we had sooo much of 'life' happen that I wouldn't want to miss those moments either. We talk about going away... FAR AWAY... somewhere hot, so maybe we'll get to that this year?

What Was The Biggest Fight You Had and What Was It About?
We had probably three good ones that I can recall. I mean, when you ask what they're about, it's not usually just about ONE big thing. For us, it's usually stemming from a series of misinterpretations and assumptions and hurt feelings that bottle up and then somewhat explode. One was about a sweater I owned. One was about Jeremy not going to bed. And one...sadly... is about something I can't even remember. It has a soundtrack, though, and two of our kids witnessed us being absolutely childish. Sad day.

What Did You Learn About Your Spouse That You Never Knew Before?
LOTS!!!! I mean, I go back to the whole 'first year' thing. Bathroom habits and eating preferences and which lights of the house to leave on and what NOT to say at certain times....
But, for the first time in BOTH my and Will's married lives, we told each other our 'deepest, darkest secret.' Something neither of us had ever told another spouse. It was a very scary moment, opening up a recessed corner of our pasts so vulnerably. But maybe that's why our previous marriages didn't work so well-- maybe we didn't let the other person have enough dirt on us to scare us into NEVER leaving for fear of blackmail!? lol

What Was The Biggest Challenge You Faced Together?
Raising our children.

What Would You Have Changed About This Year?
I would have changed nothing-- I am happy about where I stand today, and I am happy about the progress personally and as a couple we have made financially, emotionally, intellectually and especially spiritually. I look forward to the next year as a tough, busy year, and would want NOTHING to change about what I see. So, if changing one thing made anything else change, I don't want it.

What One Specific Thing Do You Love About Your Spouse Today?
One???? As if! Alright, alright, I'll play along. I love that he makes my happiness come above his own.

So, if someone had told me it'd be like this, I would have done it a million times over. And so we shall.

Six Word Saturday= It is Finished

Nothing Says Wedding Like Vancouver Canucks!


(For more 6WS, visit Cate at showmyface. com)

*their wedding colours are Vancouver Canucks Blue and Green.

Uncle Kannie and Auntie Bree are getting married just about now. Kannie is the last sibling of 8 to get married, and so, God willing, this is our last wedding! It has been really fun having everyone in town again for the past week, and we have 2 more days of fun before we all return to our corners and start 'life' again.

After the long weekend, and after Will and I celebrate our annual "start of eternity" (aka first anniversary), I'll post pictures and goodness from the week of fun!
Until then, enjoy the long weekend, you fellow "Canucks". (And for my American peeps, enjoy an early monday morning back at work or school. muahahaha)

Brackets are the new Elipses

Oh Mylanta.

It has been only, like, THE busiest week EVA!!!!

Not ONLY has our awesome, ridiculously NEW desktop computer received a frikken VIRUS again.... (Note to Will: that is enough of the nudey downloads) (*haha TOTALLY kidding- it's usually from the kids' game site (which I hate).) (You know what else I hate?? Too many brackets.) And because of this, uploading photos of our fantastical week has been, well, uh, challenging.

Of course, we could totally do the whole "first day of school" blog, which everyone and their dogs do. (And dogs go to school, so that sentence actually makes more sense than you first realized, hey?! I am so smart. SMRT.) But our first day went like this:

yah. Too cute. Mimi started kindergarten this year. Can we tell she's a bit excited!?
Or, I could blog about the fact that this is only THE BEST EFFIN' WEEK IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE YEAR!! (and by Effin, I totally mean F.... For FAMILY!!) That's right, folks, it's freakin' FAMILY WEEK! A.K.A- little bro "Uncle Kannie" is getting married tomorrow to Auntie Bree, and all the sibs are in town for the wedding partay. Oh, and Auntie Kiki is 9 months prego, so we celebrated "Baby Boy Gaseous's" impending arrival. And lemme just say, that baby can pass gas like it's NO ONE'S business!! He seriously made our eyes water! Good thing Auntie Kiki is so cute-bellied! (She wants to make it known that she, of course, is a lady, and that lady-farts smell like roses, so it's OBVIOUSLY the male-species growing and flatulating inside of her that makes whatever come out with such a potent aroma NOT her fault!) riaaaaghtt.
Yep.

And in the midst of all the celebrations, shopping, singing (Video to accompany next week's follow-up blog) and eating, there were pickles. And peaches. And kittens. Oh my.
WAY cute kittens, no? Want one? Or five?

And yes, as mentioned above... when last weekend I spent watching my sister's 7 kids, I tried to jar pickles for our food storage. 100 jars later- I am SO ready for pickle-eating season. (don't ask WHEN that is... it's sometime between Hallowe'en and Easter, I'm pretty sure.) Well, when you spend that much time pickling cucumbers and bottling peaches, you end up with a food storage room that is phenomenally AWESOME. Other than the resident Mighties. (And, for those who aren't all Debbi-vocabed, Mighties is my name for mice.)

Yah. (haha I just typed yag. Which, is obviously a mixture of yah and gag. TOTALLY how I feel about the whole Mighty sichee-ation) this mouse was no different-- we have two types of traps in the storage room -- the As-IF-you-have-a-hope traps like this:

And the who-are-you-kidding traps. Like this failure:
And guess which one caught a mouse first? Yah. The failure trap. What? Why call it a failure trap if it caught a mouse, oh Debbi, the wise one? Well, young grasshoppers, because Mr. Failure-trap decided that once it caught said mouse, it would then let it go. I KNOW, RIGHT?! I went to the storage room, and saw the mouse in the trap. (first off-- moment of sheer PANIC as you reread that sentence and realize that *I* saw a live mouse in my house!!!!! Do you not remember how I use a shovel to pick up the dead ones?!) I see the mouse, but there's no chance in Haiti that I'm gonna do anything about it! We're all getting ready to leave for church, so I tell Will to take care of the mouse. He leaves to church with us, putting ridiculous amounts of faith in that trap.

We get home from church, and I (ahem) kindly remind him about the mouse. He takes the boys into the storage room to take care of it. (whack it.) (take it out)(exterminate it)(annihilate it)(assassinate it)(liquidate it... although, that makes me conjure really nasty images of ew-ness of liquid mice) Then Taylor comes out to the car, (where I'm still trying to get far enough away from the mouse issue) and tells me, with a giggle, that the mouse got away. NATURALLY, I think he's just trying to play with my tender emotions. It IS Taylor, after all. Twelve-year old boys think making their mothers scream is funny.

Nope.

It really got away. Will apologized. *smiling*

And I really freaked lost it kept my cool and didn't step into that storage room for another month. (okay, a day, tops, but still)

So, alas. I have another Mighty Mouse to seek and destroy. It's on, sucka!!

But, I have a freaking awesome food storage that mice can't get into. And I have family around all week. And I get an entire morning to myself everyday while all the kids are at school. And..
if you didn't remember... it's Will's and my first anniversary in 4 days. :D *bliss*

So, I gots things ta do, homeboys. Laters.

(As a post script-- I'm pretty sure that some sort of top-secret government official is gonna knock down my front door any second because I googled "other words for killing" and sent off some sort of alarm. If I don't show up tomorrow...you know why...

I AM AT THE WEDDING, hosers! Sheesh. you don't listen, do ya?! ;) )

See ya tomorrow!

Moving to the Country, Gonna Eat Me A Lot o' Peaches

My girlfriend (and SIL, Sin) thinks that song ISN'T about peaches.... and, after listening again, I tend to agree. I mean, as much as the whole "coming from a can" part sounds all officially "peachy", that's not what the song is about. Liars.

Besides, everyone knows peaches don't come from no cans! Peaches come from the hudderites down the street.

And for a REALLY great price too! ;)

I got a case of peaches the other day, and decided that me and my best friend, Jean Pare, would try out a few less-known peach preserve recipes. My mom was a huge Company's Coming Cookbook collector, owning every.single.book and frankly, ALL of us daughters are hooked too. We grew up with her awesome and simple recipes, and are now cooking for OUR families the same things we tried and loved. And, what's not to love with an old lady whose clothes always matched the cover of the book!?

So, I did this. Start with THIS:

Then, decide on this recipe:

And also this one, since you think you'll like both:

Then, after slaving away, on a hot day, in front of this *......(moment of reverence for the beauty and awe that is my gas stove!!!)......*

you end up with this:

Love it.

But, like EVERY year, (remember this LAST year? No, I am NOT making more salsa or zucchini this year!) I caught the canning bug and went to the farmer's market today and bought three more cases of peaches, AND pickling cucumbers. Not to mention the tomatoes growing in our garden. And, the loser that is me is totally excited to try out new peach and pickle and stewed tomato canning recipes. Me and Jean's gots a HOT date, baybay, me and Jean!

Today is Two's-Day

I like the number two. Even in reference to 12-year-old boy mentality conversations about bathroom duties. (haha, duties. Doodies. HAHA. See? 12-year-old! ooooh, it never gets old. Reminds me of THIS Friends episode. ROFL!)

I really do miss my dayhome sometimes. Most days I think about those kids in some way or another. I think about how much more I got done around the house-- for who knows WHAT reason. I think about the money. I think about the friendships I still have with their parents. I had so many kids at different ages, but two-year olds are my favourite. They are spunky and fiesty and terrific. They say funny things, they do funny things, they eat really funny things... they are just fun fun fun.

(Jeremy at 2 years old)

We have two hands for holding.
Two lips for kissing.
Two ears for nibbling.
Two arms for hugging.

Two legs for ... um.. nothing G-rated comes to mind so let's skip this one, shall we?!
Two eyes WITH PERFECT VISION!!!
And two cheeks..
er...
cheeks.

Two is awesome.
Two, as they say, is better than one.
I am glad to have my second chance, too. My number two is my first choice!

Six Word Saturday= Where Did I Go Wrong?!

Expecting the Fashion Police ANY moment!

(To play along with Cate, visit www.showmyface.com and sum your week up with six words only.)


Okay,

Yesterday, Will and I had to drive to Cowtown again to drop off my kids for Chris and also for another eye-exam. First note: the eyes? Yep- perfect 20/20 vision and still improving, AND soon I may even be able to go outside without plastering my "granny" sunglasses to my face.


We went shopping at a new mall in Balzac. (ha ha. Yes, I'm practically a 12-year old boy... whatever, it still makes Will and I laugh. Yes, that's an actual place north of Calgary, for all you who don't believe me. And yes, *in OUR home* it IS pronounced Ball Sack). lol
ANYWHOODLE, I broke down and bought them.
The shoes.
The oh-my-freek-those-are-so-darned-ugly shoes. The DO-NOT-TRY-ON shoes. The once-you-try-on-you-want-a-pair shoes.

Yep.
I did.


AND I LOVED IT. I am wearing them today and although mine are super cute white and silver shoes, I am darn proud to have such odd-looking shoes on my stellar bod. ;)

So, in short, now my shoes match my granny glasses! :)

7 years ago, and the ever-important 8 days later.

When people ask me about a moment in my life when something REALLY made a difference, one of three things come to mind. And the first, is August 1oth, 2003.

You see, I gave birth that morning to a strawberry-blond fuzz-covered baby boy. Nameless, he was quiet and a month early, and was in MUCH of a rush to get into the world, as I NEARLY gave birth in the car. We got to the hospital at 6:20 am... but I was already fully dilated. By 6:41, my beautiful boy arrived.

We had a homebirth with our first baby, LL, so we decided to be informed of BOTH options, and had a planned hospital birth with our second.

It was a great day.
Family came to visit. Everyone adored this little munchkin. I introduced LL to her baby brother, and the pride and love on her face was as radiant as my own watching the two of them together. We received gifts.. balloons, flowers, and even a little tiny blue stuffed teddybear. Amazingly, the bear was the EXACT size of my boy. We took a picture.

Chris and I had two names we liked. It was either Ryley or "Bear". When he asked which name I wanted, I was a little afraid to admit that I liked "Bear" better, because we already HAD a family member with the same name. Looking at the baby, I told him I thought he looked more like a Bear, and Chris smiled a relieved smile-- apparently, we both felt the same way.

Bear was sleeeeeeepy. He didn't wake up for ANYTHING. He didn't want to nurse. He didn't want to play or visit the world around him. He just wanted to SLEEP.

By the end of the day, the nurses were getting concerned that he wouldn't eat. They were bringing in lactation consultants to teach me all the million things they thought would help, and then all the million things they concluded I MUST be doing WRONG...
blah blah blah.

Turns out, my boy just wanted to SLEEP!

After one nurse came in, I was past being frustrated. The rest of the family had gone for dinner, and I wanted to join my little man and take a nap. But they were relentless-- enforcing a nurse-period for 'baby'.

At one point, I had one very annoying and pushy persistent nurse come in and try to feed him. She took a bottle of formula, trying every WITCH which way to get him to swallow it. I got up to go to the bathroom, leaving her with her futile attempts.

When I returned, Bear was back in his bassinet beside my bed. She looked at him, and asked me, "Is he always that colour?" I stared at him, thinking... Uh, I've known him for less than 12 hours... I have NO IDEA what colour he's supposed to be. I mean, when he came out, he most definitely WASN'T that colour, dumbnuts! She checked his heart rate, and suggested that he's probably tired and needs a bit of oxygen to perk up.

She didn't freak out or anything, just informed me that she was going to take him to the nursery for a second, and she left with him. Not worried, I took a minute to locate my shoes. It was then that I heard the intercom through the halls. Panic-stricken voices were calling STAT and NICU and CRASH CARTS...and feet were racing through the corridors. It was at that moment that my mothering instincts clicked in and I knew that the commotion was because of my baby.

I walked out into the hallway, watching running nurses and doctors and specialists with carts get wheeled into the nursery. I stood in that hallway, frozen. Not with fear...just..frozen. Holding my arms around myself, I looked and saw a lifeless, bluish grey body. A perfect little strawberry-blond fuzz-covered six pounds of an angel. I knew my boy was not alive at that moment.
And in my grief, I found something amazing.

I don't think I've ever tried to tell someone on paper the significance of that moment. I don't think I'll do it justice here. But, that very moment that I felt POOR ME, and asked God not to take my baby...I felt IMMEDIATELY lucky that I had been his mother for even just the day. That I was SOOOO blessed to have been given such a perfect soul that it only needed a body, and went back home to heaven to wait for me. I didn't 'convince' myself of this. In this type of moment, you don't get to "convince" yourself of much of ANYTHING. This, gratefully, was a gift that God gave to my heart, knowing I needed it most right then.

Mothers were all leaving their rooms to stand at their doorways to watch. Some holding their newborns in their loving arms, some with their terror-stricken faces just stood there, hands over their mouths in shock and pity. They weren't pitying the baby...I realized they were pitying me. They were bonding with me. Supporting me.

A nurse looked over. I must have had that look. She approached me, asking if I was "Mom". I could only nod. Holding me, she took me inside to watch this continue. I know she said lots of other things.. but I didn't hear her.

Eventually they wheeled him over into the intensive care nursery, and somehow I walked behind his bubble, supported by the nurse who literally held me up.

It was a long night.
He didn't move. He was poked and prodded. And nobody knew anything. What was wrong? What happened? What tests could we run? Will he make it through the hour? Through the night?

When Chris returned to the hospital, we stood at his bedside, crying. Bear was covered in machines. He was lifeless, were it not for the monitors that told us otherwise. I tried to sing the lullaby my mother sang to us for him, because the doctors didn't know if he would survive the night, and I knew he needed to hear that song at least once before he left. But I choked on the tears, and Chris just held me.

At two in the morning, I called my home teachers (church men). They arrived at the hospital, dressed in suits and ties, and gave a blessing to my little baby, touching his heel-- the only part of his body they could get access to with all the bubbles and tubes around him.

I went back to my room, where everything was exactly the way I left it. Balloons. Flowers. And a blue teddybear that was the exact same size of my baby. I held that bear in the crook my arm, and cried.


......

8 days is a long time.
8 days were the hardest 8 days I had ever had to endure up to that moment.
But, in the blessing, I was assured that he would grow to be a great man.
8 days after being born, my baby boy, Bear, came home. And although he wasn't healthy, and it took many months of nearly daily visits to doctors and clinics, today, he's out with his cousin, riding bikes with popcans on the wheels, making dirtpiles for their trucks, and eating whatever they find in the kitchen.


This is his 7th birthday and 8 days later. I am sooooooo glad that I have him still.

Bear is so incredibly sensitive. He's sweet, and goofy, and even sometimes a little 'slow'.. in a cute, shake-your-head kind of way. And I love him. He has had more near-death experiences than I would ever wish a mother would experience, but he always comes back to me.

He's healthy. He's cute. He's into cars and tractors and skateboards and lego.

And I am soooo lucky to sing him one of our lullabies every night, to cut his strawberry-blonde, fuzzy hair, and mostly, to be his Mother.

In Case You Were Also Curious...

My sister asked me the other day how my BALLS were, chocking back a laugh. Well, my "balls" are just fine...eye-balls, that is.

ISH.

I mean, my eyes are capable of looking at the computer screen for more than a few minutes at a time, which is a HUGE improvement from a week ago! But I'm still SUPER light-sensitive, so it's usually a bit tough to stare at this white screen and type.

The surgery wasn't bad itself.
I am there for a total of, like, 5 minutes.
They lay you down on a surgical table, and after a few numbing eye-drops, they put some nasty thing in your eye to keep your eyelids apart. THANKFULLY, they also give you stress-balls to squeeze. MUCH APPRECIATED.

I didn't have LASIK surgery, which is the most common surgery. No, I had something called PRK. (don't ask, I don't know. Look it up in google). Apparently, I have soft corneas, which makes LASIK a no-go for me. And, to top it off, I also have 'abnormally' large pupils. Will keeps telling me that he LOVES my large brown...pupils...and giggles like a 12 year-old boy. typical.

So, Lucky me gets the slightly easier surgery, but the harder recovery. Instead of a simple cut and seal type of surgery, they SCRATCH MY ENTIRE EYEBALL with some weird dentist-tool looking device. Then they laser, then they put a 'bandaid contact' over my scratched eye, and send me home.

TO. DIE. A. LOOOOOONG. DEATH!


Oh.
Em.
Gosh!

It was the most excruciating pain I have EVER been in. Worse, a MILLION TIMES, than childbirth! At least labour ends quickly (for me, max 3 hours). But allllllll night I was drugged on some pretty heavy painkillers and it was NOT helping.

My theme song became: *THIS*. For about 4 days I slept/ate/showered with sunglasses on. And stayed in a VERY dark room. I hated the light- making me feel much like Mad Madam Mim: *WATCH ME.* (From 4:45 on)

It's been a bit of a slow recovery-- some days I'm not too bad, and other days I'm back to wearing sunglasses everywhere.

But I'm happy that I can wake up and SEE. I wasn't that blind to begin with, but I love being able to look across a football field and SEE the things on the other side, knowing I don't have contacts or glasses on.

Hopefully soon I'll be back to 'normal'. When I can wake up and not have to PRY my weeping eyes apart before I can see. When eyedrops aren't more important for me to have on me than my bankcard!

Six Word Saturday= These Granny Glasses Are Quite the Sight!

Sis Word Saturday:

Move along- Nothing to see here!



(play with Cate at shomyface.com for your week summarized in six words)

My eye surgery is done.. I technically shouldn't be on the computer anyways, since it doesn't help the healing. But lucky for me I took a typing course in high school that makes it so I feel confident enough that I can type without looking at the screen. (so ignore the typos, kay?)

I'll blog about it next week, once I'm not in a dark room with shades on, and once I'm able to wean myself from the T3s and numbing eye-drops in order to function normally. I'm hoping that by next Wednesday I can get back to 'normal'.

Till then- enjoy being able to rub your eyes!

When Your Eyes Are TRULY Opened

Today I'm having eye surgery. Where, for some weird reason, I'll be staring STRAIGHT INTO A BURNING BEAM OF LIGHT... when my whole entire life I've been told NOT to stare at bright lights! And THIS? This is a friggen LASER!! The thought of smelling my eyeball flesh burn kinda sickens me, but hey, at least I will have pretty, contact-less eyeballs when this is all over with.

In the meantime, I get to wear GRANNY glasses for a day or two. That's gonna be the best. I may convince Will to take me out shopping JUST so I can be seen with him. I mean, seeing as how *I'm* wearing the Granny glasses, and he's so much older than me-- we'll be a cute couple! :)

I'm fairly blind as it is once the lights turn off. I can function without glasses and contacts, but in the dark-- I stumble like a drunk sailor. All the things people use their eyes to see- such a darkness to be put into without them.

Today, I am thankful for the gift of my eyes. To see the beautiful colours, the flowers, the animals. Wentworth Miller. (haha).

What if the surgery goes wrong?! What if I never see again? What would I miss most without my eyes? My family's faces. Their smiles. Their goofy-ness. Even their silver eyes when they cry. Seriously-- with faces like these-- how could I ever want tolook at anything else?!

I Once Made A Video About Humps!

OOOH! My absolute FAVE day of the week! HUMP DAY!!!

Grab your nearest Willy, and ....

okay okay. Just kidding. I mean...seriously... My Mom and Dad read this. ;) Besides, you have to grab your OWN Willy. Mine is already grab-ed. (Darn, this is STILL not sounding right).

Quite honestly, however, I *DID* make a video all about 'humps' once. Believe it or not, it was 100% clean and G-rated. I think. Maybe 95%, but still. AND-- it was for a Mormon Missionary. Worse yet (or better, depending on how you think), it was for my BROTHER!!! Actually, it was in honour of his 1/2 mark out on his mission, and so I took my video camera on a road trip and looked for "HUMPS". It included mountains and...um...cows.... um...possibly a haybale? Best part was the worlds largest tour, including the world's largest wind turbine (well, it's the same size as ALL of the ones in Southern AB... but it looks friggen HUGE when you stand close to it!). The World's Largest Crow. (Turns out the REAL World's Largest Crow is NOT in Crowsnest Pass, although I totally fibbed and told him that it was. THIS is the World's Largest Crow, in like, Minneapolis or Missouri or Mississippi or some other M place). And the World's Largest Truck. (True attraction!)

And yes, because it's HUMP DAY-- Today is 'Word Verification Wednesday'. So, play along-- include your word verification in the comment box, and your own personal dictionary explanation of what it is. :) Have a great time!!!

Tuesday Tunes- They stole a radio AND my sanity!

Although it FEELS like a Monday, (since Canadians had a long-weekend and yesterday was a holiday,) today is TRULY Tuesday. Which, here at the Nine Peas means it's TUNESday.

I'm so music-denied lately.
When the van got taken into the shop to be fixed the other week, they took the radio apart and then found out that there was more extensive damage than first anticipated. So, they needed to order parts that are STILL not here. In the meantime, they gave the van back to us so we wouldn't have to pay for a rental for three weeks plus.

Except-- they didn't put everything back together, and now I have NO radio or CD player or ANYTHING in the van. Which, for a musically-inclined family like mine, doesn't make a big difference for short trips which are usually spent singing goofy songs at the top of our lungs.

LONG trips, however, are tougher. My three little monkeys are fairly good travellers, and can somewhat entertain themselves well. They start yodeling singing. Or they RAMBLE FOR HOURS!! tell stories. And I have driven back and forth to Calgary more times in the past month than perhaps the entire year of '10 combined! Needless to say, I am music-less on those treks. And, even MORE needless to say, I AM GOING BATTY!! Not an iPod, not a radio... NADA!!!

I have only a few songs to share. I'm kinda sad-- I used to come across a LOT of new, good music. But lately, I just listen to whatever the kids are listening to, or whatever is already on my OWN playlists. Hopefully this week, Will and I will get around to replacing the stolen iPod, so I can run and have my music again. These aren't NEW songs, so you may know them already. Whatever-- newer to me.

• In honour of my endearing children, THIS SONG is kinda sweet. (It Won't Be Like This For Long by Darius Rucker) No... it WON'T be like this for long-- cuz soon the shop should have my music back into the van! ;)
• The benefit of living with teenagers is being introduced to music you don't already know. Like THIS ONE. (Dear God by Avenged Sevenfold)
• Today I stumbled across this song. I am reminded of SO many people in my life. LOVE IT!!! If you listen to NONE of these, at least listen to THIS ONE!! (We All Need Saving by Jon McLaughlin)

And, as usual, feel free to introduce me and the others (via comment) to songs you're liking right now.

Not Me Monday- Quiet Summer

It's NOT ME MONDAY.

Where I surely talk about the things I DID NOT do this weekend.

Like, I did NOT do NOTHING! ;) Will and I drove out to Bearfoot Beach to help my grandmother rebuild the dock. Okay, so Will rebuilt it-- I did NOT cheer him on. And, no, I was NOT the 'counter-weight' for the screws he couldn't get in...
don't start, VL.

Other than going to church, I did NOT go over to my S-I-L's house where Sin, Bell and their spouses and us did NOT play cards until WAY past my bedtime!!! Will and I did NOT get to bed last night at 3 am- and did NOT sleep in until 10:45! It's NOT been nice having summer, and having the kids with Chris for the weekend.

Today may be a BIT more productive-- I am off to Cowtown to go pick the kids back up.
Yep. I'm NOT super awesome like that that I do NOT have NOTHING I *HAVE* to do!!! :)

Letters say it Betters

Dear Dave.
Firstly, I curse you with a thousand curses of hot grill pans and burning vegetable oil. I am VERY unimpressed with you for STEALING the recipe for a McDonald's Big Mac, and selling it here, in this tiny town of Mo. You may have called it something else, sure, but you're not fooling this fat-prone chick-- I KNOW it's a Big Mac! Which is why I curse you-- I moved somewhere to get AWAY from my horrible obsession with Big Macs, and then, the love of my life introduces me to your yummy 'Biggy D'.
Curses,
Mrs. Likely-to-gain-400lbs-this-week.



Dear Toilet Paper,
I am so glad that you, my favourite Purex brand, are on sale at the local store. Do you know how happy that makes me and my bum? (and making my bum happy is no easy feat!) Honestly, TP, I only let YOU that close to my behind, and you've got to know that's saying a lot!!! I love you so much, that I bought THREE TIMES the 'limit' amount yesterday, coercing my hubby to go through the lane behind me, JUST FOR YOU!!! I can't get enough of you! To all your friends on the shelves still, you can reassure them that I will be there shortly to ensure a hearty year's supply of softness.
forever thankful,
soft bummed me.


Dear Kitchen,
it has been my joy and my bane to watch you progress. I am loving having cupboards again, having running water, having a countertop that isn't made out of wood. Someday, I will enjoy floors I can clean, and electricity!
-Your OWNER

Dear Lovely Daughters of Mine,
To the two of you who share a room here at this house. I really truly appreciate when I can use the "if you're room isn't clean, you can't go see Chris Daddy" bribe (although, only me and your fathers know that threat isn't ever going to be followed through). But, what I don't appreciate is when I go to pack your "Chris Daddy" bags, you, my lovelies, have shoved ALL THE CLEAN LAUNDRY that was on the floor, into the dirty clothes hamper! This, in spite of it seriously irritating me and Daddy Will who knows how much work it was to clean them in the first place, wouldn't be so bad if I could just gather them out of the hamper and put them away. But what REALLY gets under my sunburnt skin, is that you've USUALLY put some dirty, wet towel or swimsuit ON TOP of these clothes. Making them stink. And wet. And NOT clean, yet still freaking folded! I am NOT sorry for this last time making me SO irate that I then threw the clothes all over the room.
No. I am not 4 years old.



Dear Laundry,
GO *4-letter F word* YOURSELF!
(fold, obviously!)


Dear Tropical Island.
You've been a penpal long enough, and it's apparently NEEDED(from the letters above) that we meet in person. SOON. If it isn't too much of a hassle, can I please request a few things? First of all, I would really like it if you found some extra room at your place for Will, too. And NOT ENOUGH ROOM for anyone else. If you decided that children aren't allowed on your island, that would be okay with me. Because, I don't want to bring mine since they annoy me so easily, but I SURE AS HECK don't want other people to bring theirs!!!! Secondly, I want to ensure that there is FULL room service (including laundry!). Third of all, I do NOT want to see any renovations going on in the ENTIRE island. It must be perfect, finished, and functional. And I want to ensure that there are NO McDonald's nearby. Thanks.
Sincerely,
A Deteriorated Woman!
PS- You needn't stock the bathrooms with toilet paper- I'm bringing my own!

When it all comes together, it's freaking awesome

okay, before I hear about it--

LIFE IS BUSY!!!

I've got lots of little things going on, and, frankly, it's summer and I am outside working on my skin-cancer. (okay, I'm NOT-- I am outside, gardenning and sitting with the kids at the pool and occasionally getting more sun than usual)

There's not much to report to the masses anyways.

I took engagement photos for my brother and his fiancee, my first time doing something like that. I'm no photographer, but it was an honour that they'd ask me and trust my abilities enough. When you're this good looking, though, how hard is it to take good looking photos? Fun kids, I tell ya.

I went to parades and family reunions over the past few weekends. Good times, and Will's family is great.

Went to a lame circus. I am getting laser eye surgery next week-- so I DEFINITELY won't be around a computer to be able to blog. No worries, peeps, I'll either find a ghostwriter or I'll pre-post my blogs. OR, I'll just make Will take funny photos of me in my granny glasses.

In house news,

My countertops came. They're nice.

The installers broke my sink. Not so nice.

The pantry is done, and I've started putting food in it. REALLY nice!

I finally planted something that will flower non-noxiously in my front garden. Maybe my yellow house will look less ghetto next summer! :)

And, that's me.

Off to drop off kids with Chris, play with friends, shop...

you know,

just enjoy the summer.

Six Word Saturday- Hard Hats required

I Live In A Construction Zone.


Sculpturing children, marriage, kitchen and waistband. :)





Play with Cate at www.showmyface.com and share your own 6 words of life.

"Sum it up. Write it down."

How do you number the Stars, the Sands of the Seas, or the Possibilities

Last night, Will and I drove into town and had an impromptu date-night. We headed to the movie "Prince Of Persia".

It's a good movie- you will probably like it if you like either romance movies or action flicks or fantasy films. Or maybe all of the above.

But, after our movie and a stop to play at my parents' home, we went for a walk, admiring the fact that it was one of the first nights that the wind was warm enough to keep us at a comfortable temperature without the mosquitoes getting at us. The stars, way off in the sky, mirrored the infinite possibilities of our course of life from that moment on.

A few days ago, we talked about how all the events in our separate lives have truly led us to where we are; together. How two very opposite youths, two people separated in a million ways, could possibly have found each other at the precise time that it was. Any other time in our lives, we would have never even met, or never have fallen in love, and possibly, never have wanted to.

Is it "destiny"? Is it just part of "The Plan"?
If it IS destiny, then, perhaps, no matter what OTHER choices we had made, we still would have been on THIS spot today? That, somehow, God (or whatever force you believe in) would have moved us pawns into our exact spots, no matter what 'force' played the other half of the board. We were meant to be standing in this path, this square in the proverbial chessboard, at this moment.

If we could really turn the sands of time backwards, where would we take our lives to? What point would we revisit, hoping to transform what happened into something new? What would we be willing to 'change'?

Because, in reality, changing one little thing could make very serious repercussions and consequences. The butterfly effect. There may be no children. There may be less knowledge. There may be different careers. Different loves. Different perspectives. And, for me, the only thing I would change would mean that I couldn't be married to Will... and the prospect of that makes me realize that, instead, every tear that was shed was worth it. I can't go back in time to change something 'bad' that brought so much good. Will and I talked about what we could and would change for his life. There's a few things, yes, but there were essential lessons to be learned from that which have enabled OUR marriage to succeed. Together, we learn from our individual pasts EVERY day.

He once said that there are just so many 'What Ifs'. But, I concluded that, while there are one MILLION What Ifs, the What IS is one in a million.

What I Learned When I Was NOT Instructed.

One time, my Creative Writing (grade 12) and English teacher, Mr. Metcalfe instructed us to "start writing".

He was a phenomenal teacher, and I remember more of his classes in that creative writing course than I remember from ALL my teachers combined. He, unfortunately, retired that year, leaving his legacy with my graduating class.

So, as I sit here with a million thoughts and yet thoughtless, I am reminded of that lecture that day.

"Start Writing", he said.

We all sat there, dumbfounded. We didn't know WHAT to write about. I mean, in a course where EVERY DAY he told us to "write about your favourite family member" or "write an addition to a Robert Frost poem" or "write a sonnet" or "write a letter to a child about death"...
in a day where we arrive and he says, "Start Writing", we all just sat there, looking at him.

Smiling, he said, "I just want you to write ALL the things that come into your head. No matter if it's a poetic or nostalgic piece, or nothing at all, just write it down. If your thought changes, change what you're writing to match. Just. Start. Writing."

So, we did.

It was really a fun, memorable lesson. A lesson that sometimes our "muse" can daydream, too, and sometimes what's in our heads makes perfect sence. And other times, our thoughts can flee with the wind.

For ES and GEEs, I wrote this:

Whatever you want to say,
say it so the man down the street can dance when the moon is only square.
And if you try to run,
don't step on your shadow's heels cuz he'll cry and so will I.
How come
winter only comes at the ends of years
but summer lasts the whole time?
I think if you drink 'till you see straight
and swing 'till you can feel yourself gliding even when you're laying in bed,
then you'll finally dream your wishes but wish you'll dream
of other, more inportant things instead.
And that's how I feel when I walk away from you.
I still feel your arms around me, but sometimes I can't sleep
because the motion is kinda making me sick.
I don't think you listen to me with your whole toe
like all those dumb poems try to analyze me into doing.
You need to learn to give up
on piddlely little card games.
I went for a trip tomorrow,
met a dog with one eye pointed at you
and the other eye was looking at you.
He 'moo'ed, and I kissed his hoof.

So, today, I challenge you bloggers, you journal-keepers, you daydreamers, to just Start Writing. To think nothing about what comes out on the page, and just let the beautiful English language flow out of your head. You may want to share with your readers, and perhaps you may just be surprised at what you're truly thinking.

Being THE BEST at something, also means someone else is the worst! Which means, you're ALSO the best at hurting the loser's feelings!

I love awards.

I should totally be the recipient for so many awards, it's not even funny.

I married the HOTTEST dude. Yep. I win the award for "Best Catch!" although, people who frequent my trophy-case have made comment that my trophy of a fish could mean SO many other things. I assure you, it does not. Sickos. THAT award has already been given out to someone else, so I've been told by Will.

I have received this award because I live in the "Most Comfortable Home"! As everyone knows- a clean house is unlivable. Therefore, my home is VERY "lived-in". To the point that I even have a blanket as a doorway. My hardwood floors are IMPORTED from across the sea. Stamped with the word "Plywood", which, obviously, means they came from Plymouth, UK, or "PLY", as the locals call it. :)

I have already shown myself as many things, yes, but one that is permanently ENGRAVEN on the television, is my "Best Wife" award. X-Weighted was very kind to have awarded me this one, as they so eloquently INSISTED I use the phrase "trophy wife" in every sentence for the 6 months of filming! Charmed, I'm sure.

And finally, I am THE BEST at being charitable (and humble, although I can't seem to understand why every time I look for that award, it's missing!). I don't want to leave you guys without ANY awards. I have two here and I leave this award to a few of you.

And this to a few others. You can title it as you like. ;)

Because I'm seriously THE BEST at so many things, I thought I'd give you guys a little help in achieving such accomplishments as above.

First: Buy this book. It's definitely worth every American penny you own. And then some. Read it, cover to cover, and then look at yourself in the mirror and say this mantra: "I just wasted a lot of time, and I was the BEST at it!" Repeat it three times.

Second: Buy this book. It's definitely worth every Canadian penny you own. Before you give it to your man, rip out all the pages. Insert a page with the inscription "the woman is always right". This will ENSURE that when you SAY you're the best at something, people in the household with all agree.

Lastly, start practicing now for the day you receive THIS award. It's fairly easy to acquire-- most husbands are quick at both acquiring it AND giving it out to their wives and mothers. I assure you, you've probably already been given this award by your man, he may just have forgotten to give you the certificate.

In all seriousness, though,

I *DID* receive a cool award from M at The Woodchips. She said it was because I brought her sunshine! YAY! I like knowing that my ramblings are filled with skin-cancer-inducing love! ;) Thanks for the award, M!

Like all great awards, I want to share it with 5 of MY favourite bloggers of late.. people who bring ME sunshine.

1. Jae at No More Mom Jeans. I found Jae on facebook and then again on a friend's blog, and funny enough, Jae and I actually KNOW each other. We were in the same church congregation for years, and her brother and I were great friends. She's very funny, and today her blog was about wedgies and wedges. I mean, bums and shoes??? Clearly, what's not to love?


2. Pooba at Grand Pooba. I have loved 'poobs' for a while now, and I'm grateful for "Internet BFFS." She's a great blogger. Go find some sunshine over there!


3. Andy at Finding Fairy Tales. Sure, she's got a mouth of a drunken sailor, but Oh Em Gee she makes me laugh every day. The ONE person I didn't "know" whom I invited to my wedding. She's super. Probably because she doesn't care that you think she's crazy. And, those of us who know her best (you know... all 8 of us "Internet BFFS") will adamantly declare that she IS. What other friend do you have who'll hand out Ativans at Hallowe'en. I can't make that stuff up! It's crap like that what makes her great. :)


4. Alison at Inner Thoughts Of A Woman. She writes it as it is. And, I see me in her, just a year or two ago. Although it's a sad tone- she does bring me sunshine, though, as I love honesty and emotion-- both of which are exuded in abundance on her blog.


5. Marci and Andrew at As Newlyweds See It. Sure, we're related-- easy award to give out. But no matter what goes on in our lives or how far apart we are, having a hot sister like her is sunshine to my soul. Andrew is awesome too. I'd cry at his funeral. ;)

So, there you have it. The First Annual Pretty Peas Award blog. Stay tuned next time for the latest one-of-a-kind awards, and the nominee for it. :)