see kim knit

Two Month Recap

2008-10-18T16:27:00.006-05:00

So in the last two months, we've done a few things.

We had the first day of Kindergarten.

My nephew turned one. Olivia even begrudgingly shared the spotlight with him.

Kind of.

I made some pyjamas for Olivia. And, I found a great way to mark the buttonholes.

I use wash away stabilizer. I trace the buttonhole markings, and pin the stabilizer on top. Because it's pretty much see through, positioning is easy. After stitching out all of them, I tear away the excess, and then throw it into the washing machine.

I used regular stabilizer on the bottom, since the pattern didn't call for any interfacing in the facings, and this was a really slippery satin. I didn't want it jamming in the machine, or sliding around. All in all, it worked out really well.

About that "see you in a week thing"...

2008-08-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

So, it's been a month since I've written anything. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. Ok..I do know. I have a husband who doesn't work during the summer, and we've been enjoying a lot of family time. If anyone ever proposed that the schools here should go to the year-round system without the big, long summer holiday, I think I would find that person and club them over the head. Not that I'm a violent person, I just think that if you have to deal with thirty 14 year olds for a good portion of the year, I think you have duly earned two months off.

Our honeymoon was amazing. I love Paris. Even when no one could understand what I was saying and looked to Don to translate. We managed to eat for a week, not get lost, and see everything we wanted to possibly see. We had exactly one guided tour (on our second day), and we quickly learned that we are not tour people. For the rest of the time, we did our own thing. We didn't go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, mainly because I don't like waiting in long lines. We didn't do a tour of Notre Dame, for the same reason. We did happen upon Eglise St. Sulpice, and marvelled at its quiet magnitude.

Now we have to sort through the thousands of pictures that we both took.

We're all getting settled into a ritual of normalcy. I've moved out of the front line at work, and I do reception. It's better all around...it's less stress and less random. I know when I'm scheduled, I have my lunch break at the same time every day, and I know what I have to do on any given day.

Olivia will be getting used to a set schedule too. She starts Kindergarten in September. It will be so good for her, but the first few days will be rough -- they go full days, every other day. The two hours of preschool that she had wore her out. But, she's ready -- she has about half a dozen words that she can print without any help, and she's starting to read on her own. Ballet will be starting up soon, too.

School will be starting up soon too for Don -- both teaching, and attending. He's decided to start his master's this year, so that will add a little more busyness to our lives, but it will be so worth it.

So, not much has happened in the last month, but as Don says...it's the little moments where life is lived.

Off on our honeymoon...see you in a week!

2008-07-16T10:51:00.002-05:00

Wedding

2008-07-13T21:17:00.004-05:00

The wedding and all the parties are over, and it was incredible. We had the most amazing photographer. Here's how good she is...she was with us from 11:00 in the morning, until after 9:00 at night, then went back to her studio and posted a few pictures on her blog. She also wrote the nicest posting about her day. Check it out here.

Ring bearer pillow

2008-07-08T11:57:00.002-05:00

I found a pattern online for a ring bearer's pillow with a really neat feature. I didn't want fake rings tied on the top, but I also didn't want our rings just tied on with ribbons.

See the three flowers on top? Look underneath...

The flowers hide a ring box, or in this case, a hinged box a necklace came in. I just lined it with leftover pink silk dupioni from the girls' dresses

I may have to change my avatar picture

2008-07-05T22:32:00.004-05:00

I finally got my hair cut. I've been growing it out for over a year, and I haven't seen a hair stylist since March of last year. So, figuring that my mop of hair needs some help before the wedding, I got it cut. I found a great stylist, AND she offered to straighten my hair. I don't think she fully realized how much work it was, because my really curly hair doesn't like to be anything but curly. She got a really good tip, because she did an amazing job.

Now, of course, I want to have straight hair more often. I'll have to start at 5 a.m. to make it to work on time.

Just as a frame of reference, this is what I looked like on Valentine's Day, 2007. Ignore the double chin. That was also twenty-five pounds ago.

The Dress!

2008-07-02T10:50:00.003-05:00

So, the dress is almost done. Which is good, since the wedding is next Saturday. I would have been done sooner, if I hadn't messed up and forgot to flip over the one back skirt piece. It's pretty hard to do anything with two left back pieces. So, a frantic fabric order was placed, and thankfully it arrived in time. I'm really happy with it, but I don't know if I would tackle such a huge project again.

Donnie has standing orders to thump me on the head if I do.

Look what we got!

2008-06-08T11:32:00.004-05:00

We're trying to get our back yard whipped into shape for the day before the wedding. And the day after. We're having a rehearsal dinner barbecue at our house the night before, and the gift opening outside the day after. So, we had an excuse to get some more plants.

Donnie picked out the John F. Kennedy rose. Because white roses are beautiful, and he can say that we have JFK in our back yard.

And, we both love calla lilies. I couldn't pass up the canna lily, because of the colour of the leaves -- a dark purply-red.

Ok...make that three sizes smaller...

2008-06-06T00:35:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm done my second version of my muslin for my dress, minus the sleeves. I ran out of bobbin thread, so I took that as a sign to call it a night. The first one was a tad, um, big. It literally fell off me. Probably not the effect that I would like. So, instead of ripping it all apart and recutting it, I went and got some more muslin and started from scratch. So, since I did my inital tissue-fitting in January, I'm down three pattern sizes.

Since I've basically made the entire dress twice, it'll be a snap to make for real. Of course, I think I'm going to take more than two hours to make it.

There IS a good reason for the following pictures...

2008-05-31T23:40:00.004-05:00

No, I don't make it a habit to make my child look like a fifty year old transvestite. They have a particular way that they want the stage makeup to look like for the year end dance recital, and this is it.

Scary, isn't it?

Shoes!

2008-05-27T10:22:00.006-05:00

I love me some shoes. And of course, since I'm going to be wearing this spiffy new dress for the wedding (which I had to cut out the TWO-sizes-smaller pattern! -- the ban on junk food has worked!), I HAD to get some new shoes. So, I found these. I love, love, love them.

AND, since we are going on a honeymoon that is going to involve a lot of walking, I broke down and bought some walking shoes. The most non-walking-shoe-looking walking shoes I could find.

I usually take cute shoes along on trips, get blisters the first day, and am miserably uncomfortable the remainder of the time. It's really my own fault, because I have this thing where I refuse to wear runners. If I found some that didn't look like runners, that would be fine. So, we'll give these a try.

I'm still taking my big box of bandaids, just in case.

Flowergirl dress #2 is done!

2008-05-22T23:45:00.002-05:00

The pettiskirt is drooping a bit, but Olivia had just done about six spins to test out the dress.

On the other hand...

2008-05-19T15:34:00.002-05:00

...Sam, the ring bearer looks more apprehensive about the whole 'dressing up' thing. He actually likes the suit, he's just worried about getting it dirty.

Flowergirl dress #1 is done!

2008-05-17T21:24:00.003-05:00

Donnie had a conference in Saskatoon, and took the dress and my camera up with him. It fits perfectly, though it may be a tad long. That's an easier fix than if the bodice was too tight, which was my worry since I did the initial measurements in December, and kids can hit a growth spurt at a moment's notice.

Judging from the expression, I think she likes it.

Seventy five yards of tulle later...

2008-05-13T11:31:00.005-05:00

I'm knee deep in flowergirl dresses. They are ivory silk dupioni with accents in pink. The highlight is the smocked inset, with pink freshwater pearls scattered over the smocked design. This is what Arielle's dress looked like a week ago.

Here's what it looks like today. I just have to finish the bodice lining, and do the buttonholes and buttons, and it's done.

I'm also doing tulle pettiskirts to go underneath, to keep the dresses poufed out. And, also, because I am insane. The bottom ruffle on each layer is about 75 yards of gathered tulle. I tried it on Olivia just to get an idea of what it would look like, and I had a devil of a time trying to get it off of her.

It is done! Well, almost...

2008-04-23T02:29:00.004-05:00

The front...

The back...

I just have to handsew the lining to the zipper tape, and that's about it. I had a bugger of a time with the invisible zipper. I had to rip it out and redo it, but I am happy that I did...I got the stripes to line up perfectly in the back. All told, the dress probably took me about 75-100 hours to do...but well worth it.

Books by mail

2008-04-15T10:08:00.005-05:00

We live about an hour and a half away from a decent bookstore. That may be a good thing, since the both of us collect books, and although we have two seriously large bookcases, space is getting tight on some of them. Of course, I have them all categorized on the different shelves...one shelf is for art history (almost full)... one is for history (almost full)...another is for our favourite authors (not quite full enough)...and so on.

I found this book online, and I had to have it. I've always loved the look of the Project Alabama clothes, and now there's a book showing you how to recreate your own $1,200 skirt? Click, click, mine.

It's a beautiful book, with its linen binding and heavy pages. I picked it up at the post office after I dropped off Olivia at her ballet class. There's nothing like opening up our mailbox and seeing the little card telling you that you have a package. I paged through it while Olivia practiced being a rainbow flower. It is written in a very familiar, chatty style, and it makes you feel like you are almost there. Interspersed with the sewing projects are some of the author's favourite recipes. I really enjoy the Alabama Chanin website. It is absolutely beautiful. The Fall/Winter 08-09 catalogue is an absolute work of art. Its imagaes are amazingly powerful. Check it out.

Dress in progress

2008-04-10T00:37:00.003-05:00

I love my dress. It's been so long since I've sewn anything for myself, that I've forgotten what it's like to create something that is custom-fit for you. I'm about three-quarters the way finished. I wanted to try and get it done for tonight...it was our staff awards bsnquet, and the theme this year was the Academy Awards, so they wanted people to wear something fancy. But, I didn't want to rush the process, plus there's a lot of hand sewing to do. Oh yeah...and that part that's missing between the bodice and the skirt. Still have to cut that out.

Plus, I still have to figure out how the skirt/lining gets attached to the inside. Hotpatterns has no schematics for their patterns, and sometimes, I really, really need that picture to help me visualize. But in all actuality, it's not a hard pattern. I made it harder on myself by slicing off the seam allowances included so I could add whatever width seam allowance I wanted. Since I'm not used to doing that, I found that challenging. So, what I ended up doing was taking apart the muslin that I made, and using those as my pattern pieces. Then I didn't have to bother trying to alter the paper pieces...the muslin was already altered.

Another thing I did differently than what the pattern recommended was making the inner mounting piece out of muslin, instead of lining. I didn't think that the silk habotai I was using for the lining would support the bodice pieces much. I'm glad I decided to do that.

Oh yes, ignore the mess in the background of the picture. I don't realize how disastrous my room gets when I work on something, and I am spoiled by having my own dedicated room for my sewing stuff.

A funny thing happened when I was looking through my pattern pieces...

2008-04-04T10:29:00.002-05:00

...I found these curious pieces labelled "Skirt Lining Front". And "Skirt Lining Back". As in...the skirt lining is cut into a nice A-line shape. It does not even closely resemble the outer skirt, and it does not need 200 inches of fabric like I initially thought. Ack.

So, the good news is that I can get the entire dress done with the amount of lining that I have, without having to wait for the extra stuff that I have on order.

So, I was working on my dress today

2008-04-01T21:00:00.005-05:00

Well, I got the lining preshrunk and pressed. Then, I was doing the preliminary sussing out of where the pieces go, and since I've had the world's longest run of the flu/cold/Black Plague, I thought that the problems that I was having was just based on my fuzzy brain. I bought the lining fabric based on the measurement that the pattern gave for sari fabric...4.5 yards. Not realizing, however, that saris are about 6.5 yards. Yup...I'm short. Dang it.

Oh well, on a happier front, I am wearing pants today that I haven't been able to wear since before Olivia. I came to the realization that the statute of limitations on the excuse of "Well, I DID have a baby" expired about four years ago. Yay me!

All my fabric came!

2008-03-14T15:49:00.005-05:00

All of my dress fabrics arrived! All of it is absolutely gorgeous, and the cost of the silk fabric for the three dresses turned out to cost way less than the average polyester wedding dress.

This is a picture of the bundle that arrived from Farmhouse Fabrics. The ivory and pink silk dupioni were tied up with a pink silk satin ribbon. In terms of the most nicely wrapped bit of fabric that I have ever bought, this wins, hands down. But first, I have to get this exam for work out of the way. So, this weekend, I'm going to be busy, busy, busy studying all there is to know about mutual funds, and RRSPs and exciting stuff like that...yawn.

Weekend getaway

2008-02-27T21:03:00.003-06:00

We went into the city this weekend, and had a great time. There was an Andy Warhol exhibit at the Mackenzie Art Gallery Olivia loved it, and it was nice to get to an actual gallery. It was also nice to try and explain some of the paintings to Olivia. As she gets older, she should have more of an appreciation for the work.

My swatches for my dresses came, and now I just have to order the fabric. I am so happy that I found some great resources online. The fabric stores around here are a little lacking in high-quality fabric. I chose silk dupioni for the girls' dresses and the swatches from Farmhouse Fabrics are amazing. There are minimal slubs, and the surface doesn't have that abraded, fuzzy look. Plus, it was half the price of the stuff that I found here, which had big lumps woven into it. Not very good for running through a pleater. I'm excited to get started.

I'm also working on another dress. We're going to Phantom of the Opera in April, and I need something to wear for that. I wrote about it earlier, and now I'm finally getting around to doing it.

Back to our regular programming...

2008-02-07T19:17:00.000-06:00

I've been out for a bit over the last week...between my back giving me grief, and the weird, blowing up/taking off sounds that my hard drive is doing, I haven't even thought about writing anything. I didn't know that spines can be twisted. Or ribs could possibly be 'out'. Or, that they can be popped back into place. My heating pad is my friend. And so will be the 160GB hard drive that is due to arrive any day.

The beaded fabric for my Dress arrived the other day. I actually put off opening the box for a bit. It was one of those things, I thought it would be beautiful, because it looked good online, but I didn't get a swatch beforehand. I just plunged it and ordered it. So then, I was worried. What if it wasn't as perfect as I had imagined it in my head. I didn't know what I would do if I opened it up and just went, "Oh. So that's it."

So I put some papers away, and wiped off the top of the stove, swept the floor, and looked at the box on the table. Then I read some junk mail, put away Olivia's drawings from school, and looked at the box. I decided to bite the bullet and finally open it, and I tell you, I don't know if I was happier that it exceeded my expectations, or that I wasn't crushingly disappointed.

I can hardly wait to start working with it.

Dresses in the works

2008-01-26T20:45:00.000-06:00

So, because I am crazy, I have decided to make my own wedding dress. I have a little less than six months to do it. I cut out all the pattern pieces and pinned them together on my dress form. I think I'm off to a good start. The fabric for the upper part is on its way...it should be at customs now. The accent part is going to be ivory hand beaded silk georgette, and the bottom is going to be ivory silk duchesse satin.

I'm also doing Olivia's and Arielle's flower girl dresses. They are going to be ecru and pink silk dupioni, with hand smocked and beaded insets on them.

As I re-read this, I do believe that I am insane for tackling this, but it will be worth it.

I'm home from work today. I've been having some issues with my back, and I had a deep-tissue massage on Monday, and I have been so sore ever since. Today, I woke up with a tingling in my hand, which means a pinched nerve, so it's a day of rest for me.

Happy 5th Birthday Olivia!

2008-01-10T00:38:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that Olivia is five, but she is. We had a little party with just family for her actual birthday, and Saturday is the big party. We're renting the indoor playground at the community center, and all of her class is invited. If they all show up, it would be fifteen kids. Yikes.

She got a couple of new Barbie dolls, some puzzles, some clothes, some dress-up stuff that her cousin Arielle will love when she visits, and some Little Pet Shop animals, but the present that wowed her the most was the camera that we got her. Every time I have my camera out, she asks to use it, so I thought one of those kid's digital cameras from Fisher Price would be a great idea. Not surprisingly, it was. She took sixty pictures, filling the memory card. I'll have to snag one of our extra ones, so that she can take more before having me upload them on the computer. She took this one. That's my dad at the end of the table. I think it's a pretty good shot for someone just learning the fine art of photography, but then, I am a little biased.

It's the first time we actually ate in our dining room. Well, for the longest time, we only had four chairs for our table instead of the six that it requires. It's a long story, but now we have them, and we have a functioning dining room, not just a place to put the mail.

Photographic evidence of FO, plus bonus

2008-01-07T10:15:00.000-06:00

I love my new slippers. It took a few cycles to felt them down, because I had them in a pillowcase initially. After they shrunk down to about half the size that I needed them to be, I took them out, and had them loose in the washer. Of course, now that I've got them done, after, oh...three years, and I'm wearing them, they don't match my robe and pyjamas, so I'll have to make a red and black pair.

This is Pink. (I don't name the animals, I just make/buy them.) Pink is from Bernat's Animal Farm. Again, it was something started an eon ago, and finally finished. I think it took longer to sew it together than to actually knit the pieces. I didn't have any animal eyes kicking around, so I made two bobbles out of black lopi, and felted them down. Now, I really want to make the bunny from the book, since it is so cute.

A finished object!!!

2007-12-30T18:39:00.000-06:00

I'm working on reducing the number of UFOs at my house, so take the Fiber Trends Felted Clogs off the To Do list!!! I finished them yesterday under my orders of sitting and doing nothing (since the doctor said that I have a throat infection, and Olivia has both an ear AND sinus infection), and I felted them today. They are downstairs in the laundry room drying right now, and that room has the worst lighting ever.

And, out of it, I found something that I can knit for Donnie. He's not a sweater kind of guy, since he's always about twenty degrees warmer than I am. He said that my slippers are pretty cool, and he would wear them, but not in the colours I chose for mine (plum 8415 and the burgundy quatro 9440 from Cascade 220).

Recap of Christmas

2007-12-29T10:51:00.000-06:00

As I said in my last post, we had Christmas early, which worked out well, because with a combination of stress, lack of sleep, and everyone I work with is sick, I finally crawled out of bed at 11:00 am on Christmas day. Olivia came back last night, and the two of us are both going to the doctor today to get checked out. I've had a cold that I haven't been able to shake, and hers isn't getting any better.

So to recap Christmas 2007 in pictures, we:

Made a gingerbread house.

Attended our first school Christmas concert.

Wore fancy Christmas outfits

And of course, made cookies to leave for Santa, with a thank-you note for making an early appearance at our house.

Ack...it's been a month....

2007-12-23T21:23:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been a month since I last posted. Bad blogger.

Well, we officially had our Christmas today...Olivia won't be here for the holidays, so we improvised. She opened up her presents, and loved everything. She really has the best expressions. It's nice though, that she gets that Christmas is more than just getting presents...that it's a reminder that we all have to be good to each other. One day, we were both at home, having a relaxing day. She was playing in her room, and I was across the hall having a bath. Out of the blue, she bolted in shouting, "MOMMY, MOMMY, I have to tell you something!"

I sit up, all worried, and asked her what was wrong.

"Mommy...there's POOR PEOPLE. And they don't have TOYS! That's NOT GOOD!"

I explained that yes, some people were not as fortunate as us, and had to use all of their money on housing and food, so they could not buy toys like we could. She mulled that over for a while, and I thought I could use this as a great teachable moment. And, that if I want to get some privacy when I have my bath, I should have it at night.

Independence day

2007-11-23T12:49:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I thought I was going to be stuck in an office all day. Instead, I was stuck in a marketing meeting in the conference room. I heard my name being paged for a call, but missed it, so when we had our break, I went upstairs to get my message from Marilyn in teleservice. After she gave me my message, she said the Lynn, the receptionist needed to see me. So, I went over to Lynn's desk, and as I approached, she pulled out a wrapped bouquet of flowers. "I didn't know it was your birthday," she said. "It isn't," I replied, rather confused.

Some days, that doesn't take much to do.

I unwrapped it, and found a bouquet of mini roses, with a card attached.

You see, yesterday was the one year anniversary of my divorce. I had totally forgotten about it, but in the past, I had joked that instead of the fourth of July, I considered the twenty-second of November as Independence Day. It's been a year of huge changes: Olivia and I moved two time zones, and twelve hundred miles; I went back to work after being out of the work force for nearly seven years; we moved twice while here...once out of my parents' house to our own apartment, and then to our own house with Donnie; I got engaged to the most wonderful man in the world, who not only accepts the idiosyncrasies that make me me, but loves me because of them, It has not been easy sometimes, especially when it was just Olivia and I living on our own, but I would not trade it for anything.

Repeat ad nauseum

2007-11-22T07:51:00.000-06:00

Last week, I had my annual review. And again, last week, I told the powers that be that I only want to work a maximum of three days a week. I got my schedule yesterday, and it has finally sunk in. Previously, I was usually doing five days a week. It just got to be too much for Olivia, my mom, and me. This will be a lot better.

So, I was looking over the directions on my Cable/Twist/Bobble coat, and I saw a curious thing that I hadn't noticed in my zeal to get it done. There was this line that I don't remember seeing before.....

"Mark for buttons on left side, and work corresponding buttonholes on right side."

Buttons....hmmm....

Olivia's tree

2007-11-17T21:13:00.000-06:00

The other night we went to Walmart and while wandering through the Christmas aisles, we happened upon this little tree. I thought it would be perfect for Olivia's room, and she agreed. We found just the right ornaments, and a star for the top, and we set it up today. She absolutlely loves it, and had a blast decorating it. We had some extra ornaments, so we strung them on some crochet cotton and swagged it across her window.

I kept looking at her tree, wondering why it looked kind of familiar to me. Then it hit me...what it reminded me of. But, she loves it, and it's nice that she's of the age where she can really get excited about the holidays.

Birthday party

2007-11-10T20:17:00.001-06:00

Olivia went to a birthday party for one of her little preschool friends. It was held at the local kids' indoor playground, so it was great. It has lots of toys, and a huge space to run around, so you don't have to worry about a pile of kids bouncing off the walls at your house. There was even had a Transformers cake. With sparklers. That was a big hit with the kids.

After the party, we went out and picked up some Christmas lights for the front of the house, and had lunch out. All the excitement required a nap. Mostly for me, but Olivia was easily convinced. I even worked a few more rows of my Cable/Bobble/Twist coat. I'm nearly done all of the main body pieces, only I'm not sure how I did the shaping at the top of the left side. I was all smart and changed the "bind off xxx stitches at the beginning of every second row" shaping to a wrap and turn shaping, so that I could do the three needle bind-off at the shoulders. I'm really going to have to pay attention when I do that. As in, not work on the shoulder shaping and watch ER at the same time.

Halloween

2007-11-03T11:45:00.001-05:00

Halloween went off without a hitch. I was one of the parent helpers at Olivia's preschool that day, and I was a little worried about helping to wrangle 15 over-excited four year olds. But, the party went well, and everyone had a great time. I finished the final touches on Olivia's witch costume the evening before, so we were able to get ready at a leisurely pace. We went out Trick or Treating right after school, and she got a ton of candy.

Olivia got a bigger kick out of seeing all the costumes, and had to race to the door when the doorbell rang. She didn't have much time to sit down between visits, since we got probably over one hundred kids at our house.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T01:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from our house to yours!

We finished off the decorating of our house for Halloween. Olivia drew out the sketch for the Jack O'Lantern face, and I rendered it in the medium of pumpkin. The ghost is something that I did years ago, and just found tonight. With a flashlight aimed from the bookshelf illuminating it, it makes for a nice effect.

I finished her costume tonight, just in time for her big party at preschool tomorrow. She's going to be a witch. As always, it was down to the wire, but it's done, and looks great.

I knew there was a reason why I like the colour of the tree in the front yard...

2007-10-22T10:38:00.001-05:00

It's a boy!

2007-10-06T00:05:00.001-05:00

Xander David was born at 1:18 pm, weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs, 4 ounces, and measuring 22 inches in length. Mom and baby are doing great, although the labour came on so quickly, there was no time for any meds.

Ouch.

The waiting is the hardest part...

2007-10-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

My brother's girlfriend is currently in the hospital, willing their baby to make an arrival. She was admitted on Friday, and has been through four inductions, each of which has been unsuccessful. Last night, the doctor broke her water, and put her on a pitocin drip, and still, this morning, no baby. Every time the phone rings, and I see that it's my mom, I think that this will be the call that we've all been waiting for, but no.

It's hard to just wait, and wait, and wait, but I can't imagine how stressful this must be on both my brother and his girlfriend.

Leaves

2007-09-20T17:26:00.000-05:00

Olivia is fascinated with the leaves that fall from the trees in the front yard.

She wanted to make a big pile of them, so we pulled some together with our feet.

We didn't have to work very hard -- they were dropping pretty fast. Every time another leaf fell, she'd say, "Thanks, trees!"

Is there anything better than this?

Second Day of School, Also, Cleaned up my Office

2007-09-12T10:34:00.000-05:00

So, today is our second day of school. It's a non-profit, cooperative preschool, so it relies heavily on parental involvement to make it work. The board has hired a teacher to run the class, but the parents are used on a rotation basis to act as teacher's aides. Today is my turn. It's more work than a preschool where you drop off your child and then just pick them up a couple of hours later, but it will be nice to see how they're progressing in the actual class setting. There's fifteen kids in the class, so roughly every fifteen classes, I get to go to school with Olivia.

Every so often, I get this overwhelming urge to organize. A couple of weeks ago, I did my room. Since we have a four bedroom house, I get one room for all of my stuff.

I love these wire mesh cubes that I found.

It makes my yarn stash look just like my own personal yarn store.

When I was constructing these, all smug with my little find, Donnie happened to wander in to see my progress. He was a little scared by the amount (I have a matching one in the other corner). I told him that if my yarn stash scared him, he should see the fabric collection. By its sheer volume, it transcends 'stash'.

This is the usual view of my computer desk. I think I can count on one hand the amount of times the door has been actually closed, because I keep it running most of the time, and it just gets so hot with the doors closed. I painted the inset panels with blackboard paint, so I can write notes to myself. Olivia also likes to add to my lists. I might change one side to a bulletin board, so I can tack up things that I collect along the way.

I needed a place to store my knitting needles. I can't remember where I saw this idea, but I liked it. Now, it would probably look nicer if all my needles were bamboo, or those ones with the fancy ends on them, but I think it's a lot nicer than having them stuck in a box in a closet.

First day of preschool!

2007-09-11T09:39:00.001-05:00

We had a very momentous day yesterday: it was Olivia's first day of preschool. She was so excited, and has been talking about nothing but school for the last week. She packed her knapsack with her 'homework' (a page to colour) and tried to get me to pack her a lunch. She was only going to be there for two hours, but you can never be too prepared. They made handprints with paint, read stories, had a snack, and played with toys.

When we dropped her off, she was busy checking out the place -- sizing up what kind of toys there were, and doing that four-year-old way of making friends with some of the other kids...standing there, staring at each other and grinning hugely. After a couple of minutes, when she decided that all was going to be okay, she came over to me and said, "Mom, I'll be fine. Really."

And she was. So now we get to do this again tomorrow, and then on Friday is our first foray into ballet lessons.

She's back!

2007-08-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

Actually, Olivia's been back for over a week now. She was gone for six days. We've been fighting through two nasty infections she came home with. She's on four different types of medication, poor girl. But, she's been a trooper through it, even though I tasted one, and it had to have been the absolute worst-tasting stuff I have ever encountered. It's great to have her back; our house was definitely not the same without her.

In less than two weeks she starts preschool. I attended the Annual Meeting the other night, and joined the Cleaning Committee. It's a co-operative, non-profit preschool, which relies heavily on parental involvement to make it work. Every parent has a turn to be teacher's aide, so every fifteen classes, I get to see what it's like to handle fifteen four-year-olds. I really have to hand it people who are called to teaching, and do it well. I remember a couple of month ago, we were looking after two of Donnie's nephews, Sam and Isaac, who are four and eight. Ok, I say 'we', but really, I was laid out with the flu, and not too useful. Donnie had to run out for fifteen minutes during lunch, so I looked after the kids. I'm used to just one child, so having three was quite a change. And challenging. Especially when you've just gotten up after being asleep for 32 hours straight, and they all needed something at the same time...

"Can I have a napkin?"

"I need a juice."

"Can you cut mine up into smaller pieces?"

"Are you getting a puppy?"

On an entirely other note, I've actually started sewing some stuff. I've had a pair of pyjamas cut out for Donnie for the last several months. It was supposed to be a birthday present, but it didn't really get off the ground. His birthday was in May. But I tell you, these are going to be worth waiting for. Burgundy silk charmeuse piped with this.

There's even a monogram on the shirt pocket. He can channel his inner Hugh Hefner.

Olivia's been helping me, too. She sits on my lap and presses the buttons on the machine. When she tires of that, she takes a scrap of fabric and creates 'shirts' for all of her dinosaurs.

It's going to be a long two weeks...

2007-08-15T23:27:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Olivia and I were having breakfast. It was an ordinary day, and we were talking about just ordinary things. Probably T-Rexes. It seems to be the topic of choice around here.

Out of the blue, she looked up at me and said, "Mom, I remember your bad years. At the blue house."

The house we lived in the States was blue.

I was stunned into silence as she explained, "It made you sad, and it made me angry. But I take that bad stuff out of my brain,"

She moved her hand toward her forehead and made a grabbing motion.

"And I throw it away."

She moved her hand away from her head and shook it open.

She is on a two week vacation with her dad right now, so I don't know if I'll be writing much for the next little while. I'm finding a lot of things to do to keep busy.

It helps a lot that I am with an incredibly patient, caring man who understands that this is a really difficult time for me, and supports me even though this is a really hard time for him too.

August is supposed to be a hot month...

2007-08-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

Apparently, not.

For the last two days, it's felt more like a late September or early October day. It's been overcast and cool, and nothing like the sunny, hot days that I normally associate with August. It was a perfect morning to sit and read the paper, drink coffee and listen to some jazz.

Along with the cherry tree, and the raspberry canes, we have two apple trees in our yard. These are just the apples that blew off the tree in the last windstorm. The really do look pretty sitting on the counter in my grandma's bowl, but they really do need to be used for something. Olivia and I used two of them in apple scones. It was so nice to actually use the oven, since I don't do a lot of baking in the summer.

After the mixing and tasting were done, and the scones had been put in the oven, Olivia ran to her room.

"I have a great idea, Mommy!"

She ran back to the kitchen with her tea cups and saucers and teapot. "We can have a tea party!" So, the three of us sat at the kitchen table, sipping milk from her tea set, and enjoying our scones.

It's nice that we can enjoy the simple things in life.

Back from vacation!

2007-08-09T13:35:00.000-05:00

So now we're home from our vacation. Actually, we got home Monday night, then I had to go into work Tuesday, and yesterday everyone felt crappy, so I haven't done much.

Our vacation was great! This is a picture of the first display you see at the Royal Tyrell. It is pretty amazing, even more so if you are as obsessed with dinosaurs as Olivia is. And, Donnie and I even learned stuff...like lions and camels were indigenous to North America. Who knew?

The day after the dinosaur museum, we did the Calgary Zoo. Again, very cool, but by the end of it, my feet hurt, and I couldn't wait to go back to the hotel and put my feet up.

We stayed in Calgary for a couple of days, and exciting me was asleep by 9 o'clock every night. We hit some really great bookstores, and Olivia found a copy of my favourite book from when I was her age...Robin Hood (the Disney version), complete with the record in the back to play along with the book.

After Calgary, we went up to Edmonton for a wedding. Olivia loved getting dressed up, and her hair done. I think I used about half a bottle of hairspray and a dozen bobby pins to get her hair to stay in place. The dress is one that I made last year (to go to a wedding), and it still fits. Actually, it fits better this year than it did last, and it will probably still fit next year. It's nice to get a few wearings out of something that was a fair bit of work to do.

I took two of the sweaters that I'm working one with me, thinking that with all the driving, I'd get a lot done, but that didn't really happen. Oh well.

2007-07-29T19:57:00.000-05:00

We went to a family reunion this weekend, and you couldn't ask for a better weekend, weather-wise. The sun was shining, and the kids could soak each other in a water balloon fight.

I am truly amazed by the pictures my camera takes...when you click on the picture to see the large version, you can see every drop of water.

Besides meeting new people, and visiting with ones that we already knew, and eating a ton of food, we also won two handmade afghans with our bingo-playing skills.

One of the afghans has a lot of purple and green in it, so it looks just right in Olivia's room.

Olivia also has a new purple washcloth. Aunt Eileen finds cotton sweaters from thrift stores or garage sales, cuts them up and crochets an edging around them. I'd take a picture of it, but it is hanging up to dry. It was put to the test when we got home.

On Holidays!

2007-07-27T22:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I am now officially on holidays for a week. Actually, it works out to more than a week, because of the August long weekend. Canada loves its holidays. I think every month has a long weekend of some sort in it. February didn't have one, so the government created Family Day. Just because. So, on Tuesday, we set off for Drumheller, Alberta, to go to the Royal Tyrell Museum, because Olivia is obsessed with dinosaurs: the girl was a stegasaurus for Halloween. I tried to get her to be a fairy, or a princess, or something that was an elaborate, girly costume. Nope. Dinosaur.

Sigh.

But, anyways, we are off to see the dinosaurs, and then we'll hit Calgary and then Edmonton for the weekend. We have a wedding to go to up there, so it should be nice.

My idea of roughing it...

2007-07-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

We were at the cabin for the last couple of days. It was so relaxing and peaceful. Well, when this is the view from the upper deck, how can it not be?
It has all the amenties that you want in a cabin: electricity....running water....indoor plumbing, it just doesn't have a phone, television, or an internet connection.
Years ago, my parents had a cabin at this same lake, but on a different beach. It was one of those things that I didn't appreciate then...I hated going out there and being away from my friends. But then, when we were out there, there was a never-ending list of things to do, which completely defeats the purpose of having a place whose purpose is to be an escape: to get away from it all and to relax.

Last night, we all sat on the deck and watched the birds in the trees. We had some prosciutto and melon, and drank some champagne. Just because it was Friday. Olivia told stories about the sandcastles she built that day on the beach in front of the cabin. It was a nice get away, if only for a few days.

Our Adventures in Kool-Aid Dyeing, or Why My House Smells like Grapes, Limes, and Sheep

2007-07-15T10:40:00.001-05:00

So, a long, long time ago, I won a contest on Laura's blog. I was the winner of one skein of dye-your-own sock yarn from Knitpicks. I've been meaning to do something with it for a while, and since it's been so nice out, we could do it outside. Plus, Laura's done some amazing dyeing, so we were inspired. Ok, I was inspired. Olivia's just game to try anything new. So, this past week, we finally did something with it. They were going to be my football socks...since Donnie is big into football, I figured that wearing hand-knit socks in his favourite teams' colours would be my contribution to the game.

So, Rider green and Cobra purple was the plan.I wanted the colours to be very intense, so I used eight packages of each flavour.

It's looking stripy. And bright.

Except I forgot that the excess dye would pool underneath. Next time, I would do this on a cooling rack, so the excess could drip away. Our bright green and purple got a little mixed up, and the end result was a mottled purple and olive green. Not the exact look I was initially going for, but I like the result. And, Olivia absolutely loved it. The only bad part was steaming it to set the colour. The combination of grape, lime and wet wool is a little nasty. I think next time I'll zap it in the microwave.

2007-07-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

Everything is slowly getting back to normal around here. We've all run through a nasty round of the flu, and so things have been at a very slow pace. Yesterday, I felt well enough to go out and hack at the weeds in the garden, and cut some flowers for the kitchen table.

There was a little boutique-y type store in Monroe, Washington, where we used to live, that sold some really neat things. I can't remember the name of the store, and it's since closed up, but it was the kind of place that sold handmade soaps, and fancy pillows, and various other neat things. I remember hanging in the window one time was this linen 'gardening jacket'. It was rather expensive, made of different coordinating floral prints. It was the type of thing that I would imagine ladies would wear out into their exquisitely manicured gardens to cut roses, or pluck the lone, errant weed that dared to appear. I was thinking about that jacket yesterday, as I hacked away in the hot sun, sweat pouring down my dirt-spotted face, that maybe when I get old I will be one of those little old ladies.

Maybe.

Almost done the first sleeve...

2007-07-02T10:50:00.000-05:00

I've actually done some stuff since I last posted (well, a real post, that is...). I made my rhubarb strawberry pie. Wow...it was good, although after I made it, I said we couldn't eat it....it was too pretty to cut into.

Donnie said I should take a picture.

So I did.

I've almost finished the sleeve on Olivia's coral cardi. We watch one of the bazillion Law and Orders that I Tivo'd, and I plug away at it. I was worried that since I started it last year, it would be too small by now. And I've only had to rip back six rows to correct a mistake.

It still fits. It needs to be blocked, with a button band, and sleeves, but it will fit her for a while. She can still wear a sweater that I made for her when she was 18 months old...it's a little shortish, but the body width is still fine.

Happy Canada Day

2007-07-01T01:21:00.000-05:00

2007-06-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

So, I'm still plodding along, fighting the same cold I caught two weeks ago. It's nasty. But, I have to slog myself out into the garden today and pull a million weeds. We have four large Chinese Elm trees along the back of the yard, and I think every seed pod that they dropped has sprouted. Olivia can help...she loves digging in the dirt, so we can both be in the shade working. She takes such pride in the little (ok...not so little...it's 20 feet by 40 feet) garden we planted. "Look, Grandma...look at our rutabaga!" "Psst..Olivia...that's rhubarb." Which reminds me, I should pick some today to make this, because someone at our house really, really likes pie. We also need to plant the remainder of the plants that we bought for our newly-enlarged flower beds.

In the whole working/new house/cold that lasts forever, I am seriously behind in my blog reading....so I apologize, and now I know what I'm going to be doing after Olivia goes to bed tomorrow night, and I am at home by myself. It's a Riders home game, and Donnie and some of his friends are going.

Backyard pics

2007-06-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

I have this sort of love/hate thing going on with the great outdoors. I love gardening, but I hate all the bug spray/sunblock that I have to pile on to do it. I have a combination of pasty white skin, and apparently really tasty blood to the ravenous mosquitoes here. I love the backyard at our house. I'm amazed more and more each day how beautiful the flower beds are that the previous owners put in. Speaking of which, I am totally procrastinating right now finishing off the upsizing of one of the back ones, which I should do before I have to go to work this afternoon.

So, I thought I'd share some pics of what the place looks like.

This is the little bed along the back of the garage. I have plans to make this bigger too. It's edged be some pieces of wood that are all rotting away, and I'm not fond of the very straight rectangle shape that it is.

But I love the huge bleeding heart, and the hostas, and the columbines. I can't remember what the plant is in the middle...I had one in a garden a long time ago, and it is really bugging me, because I should remember.

Olivia found this little garden objet d'art and we had to bring it home.

Flower bed behind the back deck.

Irises and white-flowered shrub by the garden shed.

I DO actually remember how to knit...

2007-06-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

So I got the living room painted and all the books unpacked in time for my visit on Wednesday. And then I came down with the mother of all colds.
No energy...coughing...sore throat...the works. So, Thursday, my wonderful fiance Donnie said, "You have worked so hard...I want you to do nothing today. Just sit and relax." So, I pulled out some projects that have been sitting around forever. Like Olivia's coral cardi, which has been languishing in my trunk for a year. Good thing I size up the piece that I'm working on for her, because by the time I finish things, she's significantly older. I'm working on one of the sleeves, and it's working up quickly. I may even finish it this year.

I was working on a different project...I've ripped back the sweater that I was making out the Endless Summer Lara. This is now the third different project that I have started with this yarn. Maybe I've found a winner yet. I keep ripping it back and trying something new with it. So, anyways, I found a pattern for just a simple ribbed shell, and I was sitting on the couch with Donnie, watching some variation on Law and Order. He was watching me intently.

"Wow...that's amazing," he says.

"What is?"

"That...that looks so...hard. You're doing that thing with the needles and the yarn in front and back...It looks complicated." (He is looking at me like I am splitting an atom.)

"Football is complicated, sweetie, this is not."

Took a break this weekend...

2007-06-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

We've been doing a lot of work around the house, and decided to take the weekend off again. Last weekend, we went to the Cathedral Arts Festival, and then out for dinner with some friends at Earl's, which is one of my favourite restaurants.

This weekend, we went to Mosaic, and hit a few of the pavillions. We ended the night at the Scottish pavillion. The picture quality is not the greatest, since I took it with my cell phone, but that was one of the bands playing at the Scottish pavillion. Two guys on guitars, and one on bagpipes, playing things like AC/DC, the Bay City Rollers, and the Ramones.

On the bagpipes.

And, we got to hear a lot of music from our University days, stuff that unless you lived here, you probably have never heard...like Captain Tractor.

But now, I'm not scheduled this week at all, so it's back to work around the house. I'm planning on getting the living room painted, since Stacey, the loans officer who did our mortgage, is coming by on Wednesday to visit and check out the house. After I get some more stuff done, I'll take some pictures, and post them.

Long time, no post...

2007-05-30T10:44:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a while since I've posted anything. The house and yard are coming together slowly. It's a bigger house, and a bigger yard than I'm used to, so there's a lot of work. Especially when I think up these insane projects like moving the arbor, and up-sizing the flower beds. Ripping up sod hurts just a little bit. I'm getting less hours now, because two summer students have been hired, so it's nice that I'll have some time to finish things off. Like painting. And unpacking.

I've put a condition on myself. I can't work on anything fun until all the major projects are done around here. Kind of my motivation to get the place in order. The only thing I made in the last little bit were a pair of silk boxers for Donnie. This is a swatch of the fabric I used. He absolutely loves them, and now thinks that he needs about seven more pairs.

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-12T08:19:00.000-05:00

Finally...in the house....

2007-05-02T00:04:00.000-05:00

So, the move went well. Not like moving in general is a great thing, but I'm out of that apartment. Actually, it was not an original idea...two other tenants had moved out in the last month, and one of the apartments upstairs was soon to be vacant also. For the price of them, they just weren't maintained very well. Well, I wasn't ever planning on being a long-term tenant. And now, I don't have to listen to the lady shuffle around upstairs, or the people from the third floor clomp up and down the stairs.

As great as it is to be in the house, it has been rather tiring. We planned on repainting the three bedrooms upstairs, and actually accomplished that goal kind of before we moved in. Kind of, because I was doing the second coat on the third room Monday night at ten o'clock, because the cable guy was coming Tuesday morning, and I had to get my computer set up for that. Here are the colours that we've painted. The top colour is in Olivia's room, then the office, the master bedroom, and the bathroom.

I've been unpacking the kitchen, and cleaning everything before finding a place for it. This is how I spring clean: I move. It forces me to deal with clutter and dirt. However, as I have said a million times before, I am not moving ever again. And I mean it this time.

Olivia is really excited about the new house. It's nice for her to have a room that is big enough for all her stuff. Plus, I can make her bed without having to crawl into the closet to fix the sheets at the foot of it.

Our new house...

2007-04-16T08:33:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was great. Saturday, we went shopping. We picked up some painting supplies and finally found a store that was not sold out of Nintendo Wiis. I'm not really a big video game person, because I can never figure out all the button combinations, but this was really fun. Even Olivia got in on the fun, and actually, she did really well. She tied me one time in the boxing game. She has some amazing coordination.

Sunday, we took possession of our new house. We went out for brunch first at the same place we usually go. Olivia was cranky and tired, because she has this idea that if the sun is up, she has to be up too. So, after brunch, we went for a drive in the country.

Olivia fell asleep within moments, and missed all of the scenery. It was an overcast day, and it was just starting to rain. Willow trees bordered both sides of the road. It was one of those times that I wished that I had my camera, but I don't think it would have captured the entire mood.

We've been busy prepping the walls for painting. The previous owners painted just for the sake of painting. They watched one too many 'how to sell your house' shows. In the master bedroom, they painted flat paint over a semigloss. The paint is literally peeling off the walls. It's too bad that they did paint; the colour under the peeling paint is very close to the colour that we picked.

So, all this week, I've been working, then going home, loading up the car with stuff, hauling it over, and then prepping for painting. It's tiring, but it's going to look so good in the end.

What I learned at work this week....

2007-04-13T20:03:00.000-05:00

So this week, I had a meeting with my supervisor to go over the goals that have been set for me.

Apparently, I have goals at work. Beyond showing up and not being surly with the members.

Who knew....

So, yesterday, Donnie and I went into the city to buy paint. Yes, there exists stores that sell paint here, but we wanted to go to Home Depot. And, we bought some new furniture, since we have more rooms than we have furniture. Before we did that, we went out for dinner with some friends of his from University, and my brother. My brother is a brewmaster at one of the local brew pubs, so we went there. It was really good, and it was pretty cool to try some of the beer that he actually makes.

Math wasn't ever my strong suit...

2007-04-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

Days until we get possession of the house: 5

Boxes packed: 0

~~~

Time is just flying. It seemed like I always had about a month to get things ready, but here we are, getting our house in less than a week. The people who were selling it had a garage sale this past Saturday, to sell off their gardening stuff, so we went to see what we could find. We bought their lawnmower, hedge trimmer, and a few other little things. This Thursday, we buy paint, to start working on the bedrooms.

More on the new house...

2007-03-28T23:42:00.000-05:00

So a few Sundays ago, we went over to our new house. The owners are in the process of moving all their stuff to their new home, which is a condo in the city. They called to see if we were interested in buying their lawnmower and other outdoor things. After we decided that the deal on the lawnmower was too good to pass up, they invited us in to look at their freezer. They have a very large freezer, and I have a rather smallish one, so we are going to possibly trade. While we were in the basement, sizing up said freezer, the Lady of the House was telling us about all the fruit trees and such in the yard, and did we like raspberries?, because she just happened to have an extra container in the freezer. She also gave us a jar of the cherry jam that she made last year, too.

After that, they invited us upstairs for coffee. Now, before we went over there, we went out for brunch, and Olivia basically ate her weight in breakfast sausages. And then she got really excited about the new house, and ran around.

Are you sensing where this story may be headed?

So, we're sitting there, drinking our coffee, making pleasant small talk, and Olivia says, "Mommy...I'm not feeling well."

Yup.

Fortunately, we learned how easy it is to clean up the floor in the kitchen.

Olivia felt really bad, and kept saying, "I'm sorry..I'm sorry...", but everyone reassured her that it was okay, that these things happen. So, she brightened up, smiled at me, and whispered, "Mom...I looked like an orange juice fountain."

Things just keep getting better...

2007-03-25T20:18:00.000-05:00

So which picture has the happiest face in it?

This one...

Or this one?

Yup...we bought a house. It's a four bedroom, two bath house on a huge lot....it measures 75 feet by 135 feet. In the back yard, it has two apple trees, a cherry tree, and raspberry bushes. We take possession on the fifteenth of April, and I really don't know who is the most excited. There are a ton of kids in the neighbourhood, which will be really good for Olivia. The funny thing is, there are five people I work with who live on the same street.

We're thinking of petitioning city council to rename it.

Of course, I pretty much unpacked everything here. I was down to about six boxes. But, really, for the amount that I pay in rent and laundry, in relation to what I make, it just makes sense to buy something. Plus, where we live, houses like the one we got, on that particular street, don't come on the market very often. Plus, as an extra bonus, it was hugely underpriced. Gotta love that.

And it's only Tuesday...

2007-03-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

So, after much oohing and aahing over The Ring, and numerous telling of The Story of how I got said Ring, I finally got see how much I could actually remember from my marketing classes. I'm working in the marketing department all this week, and I'm already worn out. In the morning, I designed the ad that is going into the high school yearbook this year. After lunch, I stared at Excel spreadsheets, compiling this year's marketing budget until I thought I'd go blind. So, tonight, I am dead tired, and I still have three more days left this week. And, I do a full week next week.

My parents have had quite a few surprises lately. Thursday night, my brother and his girlfriend called to say that they are expecting their first baby in September. We're all really excited. My mom, however, is going through that whole, "My baby is having a baby" thing, since my brother is the youngest. However, he will be thirty three this year, so I think he's ready.

My treasure hunt...

2007-03-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

So, Friday evening Donnie said that he had a surprise planned for Saturday. Olivia and I were to be ready at 10:30 exactly, and to wear stuff that is appropriate for walking in the snow. I thought it was a trip out to his cabin at the lake, so at 10:30, we were ready with boots and snow gear, snacks and drinks packed. At 10:30, he knocked on the door, and when I opened it, I was surprised to see him standing there, grinning widely. He was holding a small florist's bundle. Inside were two red roses: one for me, and one for Olivia. Then, he handed me two cards, and told me which one to open first. He kissed me, and said, "Ok...I'm off...the cards will explain what is going on. See you later."

I was slightly confused, and at this point, I was thinking that this was a strange way to head off to the lake.

Ok...I'm not exactly sharp in the morning.

The first card read:

Good morning, my love! Your goal for today's adventure is simple; find me! Ten minutes from now, you may open the envelope labelled One. Inside that envelope is a clue that will lead you to the first stop in your search for my location. The clues, along with your memory, should lead you to that final place, and though you may encounter several people along your journey, they may not assist you other than to provide you with the next clue envelope. Good Luck! Hopefully, I will see you later.

You don't know how much I cursed that whole 'wait ten minutes' crap. After pacing for nine minutes and fifty-five seconds, I ripped open envelope One. Inside, it told me to go with Olivia to my parents' house to get my second envelope. I got to my mom and dad's place, and saw the envelope tacked to the upstairs door. My mom was there in the kitchen and said, "Well, open up your envelope, and leave Olivia here." So, card Two read:

The next stages of this adventure are for you alone. Your young companion will remain here as you journey on. Travel now to the place where we often happened upon each other accidentally when you moved back to town. This key, and the number XXX are all you need when you arrive there.

So, of course, it was off to the post office for me. There, I found my next card.

Go now to the place where we rent movies to entertain us on cold winter nights. At the counter, ask the clerk for a copy of the movie we saw on our first real date, some three months ago.

So, I went to the local video store, got my copy of Casino Royale, and found my next clue:

Think back to the day we first met, more than twenty years ago. Go to that spot now. Find my car, and park behind it. Follow the trail through the snow to get your next clue.

We met at the swimming pool at the Regional Park, so I drove there, and found his car parked on the street. When I got out of my car, I saw a trail of footprints through the snow, marked with rose petals. I walked for a ways, and came across a small table, with a long-stemmed red rose and another envelope on it. Inside, the card read:

Your journey is nearly complete, here is where I first saw you, and first fell in love with you. I knew on that day that you were the perfect woman for me, and you are even more perfect now. I am so happy that after all of these years I have found you again.

The last step you have to take to find me today is...turn around!

At that point, I turned around, to find Donnie. He said, "Well, there's only one more thing you have to do. I have a little question for you to answer:

Will you marry me?"

Then he got down on one knee, in the snow, and opened up a ring box, which held the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen.

Of course, I said yes.

He has said before that he will never be super-rich, but he will always keep things interesting.

And our life together will always be an adventure.

So....about those pants I was talking about...

2007-03-16T19:54:00.001-05:00

Yeah...they didn't get done. Or started. I have the wearable muslin fabric all ready to go, grained up and all, I just have to sit down and do it. I should put quotation marks around wearable...Olivia and I were at Walmart, in the next town over, and I was looking for a cheap stretch fabric. Found some. The colour is gorgeous...a rich dark brown. Too bad it's a polyester/lycra blend. It has a decidedly plastic hand to it.

For the next week at work, I am going to be assisting the Marketing Director. The big annual meeting is coming up at the end of the month, and she needs help doing stuff with that. My supervisor, Rachael was a little sketchy on the details. Well, it seems that to have the meetings at all five branches, several hundred annual reports are needed. So, guess what I got to do. All day. And, apparently, every day for the next week....sort, collate, and staple. It was mindnumbingly fun.

Good thing I am sometimes prone to non-procrastination...

2007-03-13T09:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, when I know that I have a few days off in a row, I decide to divide up my days, and not do everything all in one day. Yesterday, I decided to do all four loads of laundry, clean the bathroom, and trace off the pattern for the pants that I want to make. I decided against the pattern I initially thought about, even though it is an exact replica of one of my most favourite pairs ever. The fabric I'm using is a plaid, and with the pockets, and the back yoke, I decided that matching all that would be an exercise in ultimate frustration. So, instead, I found these. Except, I borrowed the pant leg draft from another pair, because I didn't want them to be cropped.

So, last night, as we were finishing dinner, I got a call from my supervisor, and I have to work a few hours today. Which is probably a good thing, because I have some things to get when I'm out.

On a totally unrelated note, I found this on Karen's blog, and I thought it was pretty cool.

Look at the list of books below:
* Bold the ones you’ve read,
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Not bad...but I definitely need to read more. And I know where I can find a really good copy of The English Patient.

My Little Mini-Vacation

2007-03-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

I don't work again until Wednesday, so this is just like having a little vacation. The last time I had four days off in a row, a did relatively nothing. I had a little bit of a cold, so I didn't accomplish much. I need some new clothes for work, and I only have a six foot cabinet that is bulging with fabric, so I need to get to work. I've noticed something shopping here: fabric is bloody expensive. I'm used to my cheapo Joann's prices, and when things are about double the price, it makes for some sticker shock. Fortunately, if I only used what I have on hand, I'll be set for a while. A very long while. But, I had to pick up some cheap stuff to do a muslin, since I'm using a new pattern, and I'd hate to ruin some of my good fabric by doing the wrong size.

I've even worked a few rows on my Cable/Bobble/Twist Sweater. I may even be able to wear it this year. Good thing I don't go for fads...by the time I finish something, it's usually a good while later. Which is why I never, ever, got into the whole poncho thing. Plus, I had one when I was four. It wasn't a good look then, and I didn't think adding thirty years would improve on that.

I also got some new fabric to make Olivia some things. The girl cannot get enough purple at this moment. I bought her a pair of windpants to wear over top of her regular pants, and she has not taken them off. It's starting to melt here, and the streets are really slushy, so they should keep her somewhat dry. Plus, they're purple! Which makes them great, in her books.

I had my probationary review at work, and it went really well. I am now an official employee. I met with my supervisor, and we talked for an hour, and she had some really nice things to say about my performance. Which is good, because now I'm down to one job. I kind of like knowing that every Saturday is free now. Olivia really likes that too.

Ok...so it's been a while...

2007-03-05T19:49:00.000-06:00

I've neglected posting anything for a while...things have pretty much been uneventful around here. I finished my socks, and still have to take a picture. I wear them to work, and with the vibrant mix of colours, they endlessly amuse me. They're nice to wear, especially on a dull, dreary winter day.

Speaking of nice, I had an especially nice weekend. Donnie took me to the Regina Blues Festival Saturday night. We got into the city early, so we hit the bookstore. We visited my brother and his girlfriend for a while, and got to see their house. They bought a house last summer, and it is absolutely beautiful, with its original hardwood floors, and arched doorways. Plus, it's about two blocks away from the river, so you can't beat that.

We went out for dinner at Golf'swith his sister and brother-in-law. It was the first time I've met any of Donnie's family, and it was a little nerve-wracking at first, but Noel and Braden are so welcoming and fun, that all my nervousness quickly disappeared. After dinner was finished, we then went to the concert. It was absolutely amazing. I haven't really listened to much blues music, besides what would be on NPR every Saturday and Sunday nights, but I have to say that I really enjoyed all the performers. It was really nice just to have an evening out.

It was also quite a surprise that Donnnie reserved us a suite on the fifteenth floor of the Ramada. It was bigger than my apartment. On Sunday morning, we were meeting Noel, Braden, and one of their sons for brunch. When the alarm went off, Donnie said, "There are two alarms; I've set the second one for thirty minutes from now. You sleep. I've made coffee, so it'll be there when you're ready to get up."

He had to laugh, because apparently, my muffled answer (it's hard to be understandable with your face mashed into your pillow) was, "I am so keeping you around."

Somebody didn't want me to work on Friday, hee hee...

2007-02-25T09:07:00.000-06:00

So, I didn't end up driving down to Wolseley to work. A winter storm was supposed to come through, dumping a ton of snow. I hardly slept Thursday night: I was too busy getting up every hour checking to see if the blizzard had rolled in. We didn't get any snow, but there was a really strong wind that just blew around all the snow that we had, and the highway down there was reported as having slippery/icy sections. I took that as a sign to stay home instead. Besides...I was worried that I would get there, the storm would hit, and then I'd be stuck down there. So, instead, I got some groceries, hit the liquor store for a bottle of wine, and planned to make dinner that night. I do miss having wine in the grocery store. In Canada, liquor stores are generally run by the government, and are their own separate stores. So, even if you want a bottle of wine, you can't just snag one when you pick up some last minute groceries. Oh well. Don't even get me started on the lack of selection.

In the afternoon, I got some stuff ready, and talked to my friend Ilaria for about an hour and a half. We mostly griped about ticked we were that no one bothered to phone us that the jewelry store was closing...that we had to find out on our own. Olivia and I had to run back to the grocery store later that afternoon, and ran into another friend from the jewelry store. But, for as much as we complained about the place, one good thing came out of it: I met some really neat people, whom I can call my friends.

So I have this theory...

2007-02-22T07:08:00.000-06:00

Call is strange...call it some weird superstition that I have, but I have this idea that bad things happen in threes. After you've had your third bad thing happen, only good things can happen. Until, of course, a bad thing happens, then you have two more not-so-good things to look out for.

I have an alternate theory that goes with this. If your day starts out good...nothing but really good things can happen. I woke up really early this morning, so I've been able to get ready for work, and now I can sit here, drink my coffee, and listen to my new Norah Jones cd. So far, it's a great morning.

I am starting to see the end of my unpacking, and now, the phone just rang. Nobody calls me at 7 in the morning. Except, apparently, moving people who need to deliver some bookcases. I found two bookcases for a steal at Home Depot ($60 each, with 10% off that day), with shipping a whopping $10. I'd spend more than $10 on gas driving into the city to pick them up. I am so sick of looking at that stack of boxes up against the wall, it is not even funny.

Tomorrow, I'm off on a little adventure. One of the bank's branches needs a replacement worker for the day, so, off I drive to the little town of Wolseley. I've never been there, so I'm kind of looking forward to it.

It's good that I've been getting more hours at the bank. The jewelry store where I also work is closing down, which is sad, because it's a business that has the potential to do very well, but the owner's husband suffered a serious stroke several months ago, and since then, her heart just hasn't been in it. So, now I will make less money every month, but I will have more time with Olivia, so that is worth it.

They like me...they really like me...

2007-02-16T08:51:00.000-06:00

My three month probationary date with the bank is coming up next week. It's one of the scary things that they told me when I got the job...I am given a three month test-run, and after that time, if things are not working out, they can let me go. No pressure. Since, with my other job, it's fizzled out to maybe one or two days a month. Yup, a month. You can really pay a lot of bills with hours like that. Oh well, at least I have the bank job. So, anyways, I was hired on as a casual teller, but I saw an employee listing sheet, and beside my name is Part Time Teller.

Not even there three months, and I've already gotten a promotion. I've also gotten a lot of extra hours added to the schedule, which is ok. I get between 15-25 hours a week. That's the beauty of living in a small place. The cost of living is so much less than the city. It's better for Olivia, too, because I'm not gone all the time.

Valentine's Day was incredible. When Donnie called me up, he said, "Be ready by 7:15, and wear something nice."

"As opposed to those crappy clothes that I normally wear?" I laughed.

"No, no....that's not what I mean...it's just...," he sputtered. We're both really sarcastic, and have pretty much the same sense of humour.

So, we went out for a late dinner at a very nice restaurant. I got twenty long-stemmed white, pink and red roses, and a diamond bracelet. It matches the diamond earrings I got for Christmas, and the diamond necklace I got for New Year's.

Yes, he spoils me.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T07:51:00.000-06:00

Perfect day...

2007-02-11T12:46:00.000-06:00

I've had this song go through my head a lot lately. I've been happier lately than I thought that I could ever be. Work is going well, and every few days, more empty boxes hit the recycling bin. But, besides that fact that I have learned a lot about banking and I am slowly getting organized, there's a further reason to the smile that graces my face these days. I have found someone who shares my sense of humour, my values, my beliefs, and above all else, he respects me. He knows my flaws, my weaknesses, and my fears. We can talk for hours without running out of things to say, and it always feels like we haven't talked long enough.

It helps that we've been friends since we were fourteen years old.

We hung out together in high school in a very large group of friends, and then after we had all moved away to go to University, and we would all come home during summer break, we still all hung out together. We would sit on his back deck and half-listen to our friend Marla muse about things like when you are up in an airplane and look down at the ground, are the provinces the same colour as they are on the map? [In defense of Marla, this observation may have been made after several drinks.] And, we played on the worst slow-pitch team in the history of Killaly Sports Days.

I read a lot of Crazy Aunt Purl, and I love this post especially, with the line,

I just need a real warmth, some good laughing, and loving, someone who can adore me in the manner to which I would like to become accustomed.

It is truly amazing when you have someone who looks at you in such a way that it makes you feel like you are the only woman in the world. Someone who you really be yourself with, and not have to edit anything.

And that's what makes me smile.

Just don't get into writing greeting cards...

2007-02-08T08:03:00.000-06:00

So, my mom mentioned one day to Olivia that my birthday is coming up. It's well over a month away, but for the amount of excitement building around it, you'd think it was next week. Every day, she wishes me a Happy Birthday, and oh, by the way, when are we making that cake?

The other night, while the two of us were having dinner, she was talking about it again. She was going on about how we were going to have a party, and a chocolate cake, and we had to put candles on top. So, I couldn't resist...I had to ask:

"Olivia...how many candles do you think we have to put on my cake?"

She looked down, with a very serious look on her face, and started silently counting on her fingers...first on one hand, then on the other. After a few moments, she looked up, and answered...

"Many."

More notes on living in a small town.

2007-01-31T09:16:00.001-06:00

I may have mentioned before, but the place where I moved is small. Really small. The local paper published the vital statistics, and there are a grand total of 4600 people living here. And, most everybody knows everyone else. Like I've said before, there's a real sense of community here. The other day, I was leaving to go to work, and one of the residents at the apartment here was sweeping the snow off the sidewalk. We exchanged pleasantries about the weather and such, and while I was getting Olivia buckled into her car seat, the man brushed all the snow off my car.

I'm starting to get to know the regular customers who come into the bank, which is nice. One guy comes in and the running joke that we have is when it's free money day. As in, he asks, and I always tell him that he just missed it, it was the last customer...or Free Money Day is the second Friday of the month, and it's the third Friday...stuff like that. Or, there's another woman who comes in and chides me for not taking my vitamins, because it would clear up the eczema on my knuckles. Then she tells me about her boys who are in University, and asks about Olivia.

I have fun at my other job too. Especially when I'm working with Ilaria. She's about my age, and a lot of fun to work with. The other day, we had the day from hell. Neither of us are very competent at replacing watch batteries, and it seemed that every second customer wanted one replaced. We could either get the back pried off and then couldn't get it back on, or couldn't get it off to begin with. At one point, after trying for about 10 minutes to get one watch back together, we were both pretty frustrated. Ilaria got a devillish look on her face, and said, "Ok...hold that f&#*@%, I'm going to fix it". She grabbed the jeweler's hammer, and commenced to try to put the back on. And, since I was the one holding it, I had to throw in, "Jesus Christ, Ilaria, those are my fingers there!"

We both started laughing, and needless to say, that watch did not get its back on that day.

I'm in the middle of having four days off. It's a nice, much needed break. I've been able to unpack some more things, cook real meals, and even work on the same pink/orange/yellow/white sock that I've been working on forever.

2007-01-23T01:18:00.000-06:00

I was trying to think up a witty, catchy title for this, but it's early in the morning, and my mind hasn't completely woken up. Plus, I have an awful cold, so that doesn't help. I don't think it's a good sign that I'm counting down the days until the weekend again. I didn't really have much time off this past weekend; it was one of the weeks where I worked six days, and the store where I work is so slow that the days that I work there are very, very long. So, I had just Sunday to do everything administrative around my house, but Olivia and I had to take a break and watch The Fantastic Four on Movie Central. She has this thing for superheroes now. She thinks she is one.

I'm still unpacking stuff, and I've come to a realization. The more I unpack, the more it costs me. Let me explain...the more I unpack, the more stuff I have to deal with, and find a place for...which usually involves some sort of container, or shelf, or large piece of furniture that needs to be assembled. Furniture that comes in a large box, with ninety thousand pieces, and an instruction manual where I think they were charged extra for using words. It's quite liveable in here; it's just that I'm tired of seeing the few remaining boxes sitting around.

Greetings from our new home!

2007-01-14T11:12:00.000-06:00

This is my first post from my new apartment. As much as I absolutely hate moving, and the work of unpacking, it is so nice to be in our own place. It's a little two bedroom apartment, but it has a massive in-suite storage room, which is nice. A bit of our stuff is still in boxes, but I've been working on it slowly. Olivia's taken really well to the new place, which is good.

It's really cool to actually have our own space. I even missed cooking. It's something that I enjoy doing. Yesterday, Olivia and I braved the cold, went grocery shopping, and I made my first 'real' dinner in a long time. It's doing things like that that really makes a place feel like home.

Happy 2007!

2007-01-02T23:12:00.000-06:00

A lot is happening here. I bought a car. I found an apartment. My stuff comes out of storage and into said apartment tomorrow. Like I said earlier, it would be nice to live in a house, but I process a lot of utility payments at the bank, and when I see monthly heating bills of $250, that's a little steep. It's Saskatchewan. Winters are cold, and this one hasn't been even particularly cold.

I took Olivia over to our new place the other day. I had to do some cleaning, and I wanted her to get acquainted with the idea of moving again. She tried to claim the master bedroom as hers. She's a funny girl...

While we were leaving, we met our new neighbour, Karen. We introduced ourselves, made some small talk, and then left. When I went back the next day to move a few boxes in, waiting outside our apartment door were two gifts. There was a box of chocolates for me, and a hula hoop and a container of M&Ms for Olivia, with a note from Karen, welcoming us to the building. It was such a thoughtful gesture, that I can't help but think that I found the perfect place to live.

I had lunch at one of the local Chinese places today. My fortune cookie was quite apt:

Contentment is just around the corner for you. Look forward!

I couldn't have said it better myself...

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T15:47:00.000-06:00

Here's wishing everyone has had a Merry Christmas; that everyone has stayed safe, and well. And here's hoping everyone got what they wanted for Christmas.

I know I did.

Tag...you're it...

2006-12-20T21:36:00.000-06:00

So, Sarah tagged me with a meme. And it has some rules...

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Six weird things about me:

1. I drink coffee and diet coke all the time. At night, I make my self a cup of coffee, and I drink about three quarters of it. Then, I open up a can of diet coke, and add it to my cup. Yes, it sounds awful. But, I like it.

2. I cannot sleep without Vicks Vaporub. I went to a party that Michelle's mom had, and forgot mine, and I almost had to go out and buy some.

3. I am cold all the time. I routinely wear the hood up on my hoodie. In the house.

4. I never wear shorts. I will wear cropped pants. I will wear skirts. But I will not wear shorts.

5. I have some sort of balance thing that gets set off by elevators...as in, when I get off the elevator, I can still feel the movement. It's a very strange, disconcerting feeling.

6. When I find something on a menu at a restaurant that I really like, I will only order that. Yes, it could be considered boring, but I think of it as not messing with success...:D

Now I'm supposed to tag six people. Ok...I'm not tagging six people. I'm tagging Michelle, Laura, and Sarina.

So, let's try this again...

2006-12-17T21:23:00.000-06:00

What a difference a week makes...

Last Saturday I took Olivia to the local drug store, where they were taking pictures with Santa. Olivia did much better this time...she sat on his knee, and told him the things that she wanted for Christmas, which is basically a remote control T-rex, and a Barbie horse. Fortunately, Santa got the order early, and they just have to be wrapped.

After Santa, we went out for lunch. Olivia loves to go out, and any time it involves a cheeseburger and fries, it's a good time.

I've been alternating working five days one week, and six the next. This past week was a six-dayer....those are a bit tough, but yesterday at my one job was pretty easy. I've made a new friend at work, and she and I hang out and drink coffee between helping customers.

This week, I'm going to start looking for both a car, and an apartment. I would love to have a house, but I'm not keen on all the snow shovelling involved, and the utility bills would be pretty steep. So, it's another exciting week coming up, plus it's amazing that Christmas is next week. I still have a bunch of stuff to do...

More on living in a small town...

2006-12-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

...I have a three minute commute to work. Sometimes I exaggerate for effect, but not this time. I have timed myself several times, and from the end of my driveway, to the staff parking lot behind the bank, it takes me exactly three minutes to drive to work.

This week went by quickly. I worked a full 37.5 hour work week. Gotta love banking hours. I've picked up this whole banking thing a lot quicker than I anticipated. Or, actually, the supervisors. I trained for only two days, instead of four, and now, I'm actually working with real money. Almost on my own. I just have a teller behind me, that I can ask questions when I get stuck on something. Like cashing in Savings Bonds, or something like that...

Of course, now that I'm making money, I'm getting some subtle hints that maybe Olivia and I should get our own place. Like the other day, when the local paper came out, my dad had it opened to the classified section. He casually pointed out, "Oh, look...apartments for rent."

Ok, not so subtle...

Seeing the Man in Red....

2006-12-04T22:11:00.000-06:00

So...this past Saturday, Mom and I took Olivia to see Santa Claus at the local theatre. They had a free screening of The Polar Express, and then Santa made an appearance after the show. I had to leave early, because I had a last minute shift addition at work. I'm sure Olivia wasn't quite like the little girl in the picture, but she apparently wasn't too keen on getting too close.

Working 9 to 5...

2006-11-29T21:37:00.000-06:00

...Actually...make that 8:45 until 6:30. I've only been at the store for a week now, but obviously, I've caught on quickly enough that today I worked with only one other person, to cover both sides. The job is easy, and fun. The only thing that is hard is the standing all day. I tend to choose shoes for looks, over comfort.

There's a lot of really nice things. I'm a sucker for jewelry, both real and costume, and there's tons of it in there. Some of the costume pieces are created by my one boss, which is neat. A little boutique has some of their clothing in the one corner. Some of it is nice...but some has a little too much sparkly stuff for my taste. Also, Hip2Knit has a little area there, right next to the coffee stand, so that is a very tempting thing. Hmm...jewelry, clothing, a yarn shop, and all the free coffee I can drink....yup...I found me the perfect job.

I also got another part time job. I'm going to be a front-line teller at one of the local banks. Actually, it's not going to be part time, but just casual, but between the two, it should be ok. It'll be a bit more busy, especially around the end of the month when the pension cheques come out, but it'll be fine.

Settling into life here...

2006-11-26T16:28:00.000-06:00

So, earlier this week, I paid an inordinate amount of money to the movers to get my and Olivia's stuff here. The greater part of it went into storage, since I haven't found a place to live yet. That will be soon, but the rental housing market is interesting here. A lot of rental owners don't advertise, so, I basically tell everyone I talk to that I'm looking for something, to get a lead on a good place.

I also started a job this week. It's just part-time retail job at the local jewelry store/crafter's market, but there are a lot of really nice people who work there, so I'm starting to meet new people.

I definitely have to get a better winter coat. My very light black and white plaid wool coat definitely doesn't cut it, and my black London Fog trench coat will not really work if it gets much colder. It's bad enough right now that I shiver constantly whenever I'm outside. Oh well...I guess I have to face the fact that I now live in a place that actually has a winter.

When it rains, it pours...

2006-11-21T22:19:00.001-06:00

So, the week so far has been interesting. Busy, but interesting. I had a job interview today, and I think it went well. It was at one of the local banks, and it lasted 30 minutes. They asked a lot of questions, and I think I answered them pretty well. I really have to watch out, because the more animated I get, the more I wave my hands around when I talk. But, I made them laugh, so that's always a good sign. And it was because I was charming and amusing...hopefully....

Also, tomorrow, I get all my stuff. And, boy oh boy, is there a lot of it. The first time I read the email from the movers, I thought that I had just shy of 3000 pounds of stuff.

Nope...

I initially estimated my stuff at 2200 pounds. However, after all was said and done, I have 2900 pounds MORE than that...so...more like 5100 pounds of stuff. Wow....Of course, that includes 14 boxes of books. So, tomorrow, I have to go to the customs office and clear my stuff.

Looked at a couple of places today. One place was not bad, but I'd really like a yard. The other place would be somewhat ok, except for the chain-smoking old lady in the basement apartment. And it was a tad small. I'll have to look at tomorrow's paper. Wednesday is a big mail day around here...the local paper hits the mailboxes.

But it's a dry cold...

2006-11-18T23:29:00.000-06:00

Actually, I was really scared about coming back to Saskatchewan. We're not known for our balmy winters. I remember one year when I still lived in Saskatoon, we had over thirty days that were under -30 Celsius. One day, in particular, I had to be at work for 8:00 am, because it was the day we kicked off the one sale we had per year. It was -50 with the windchill. There was a lot of whining that day.

Fortunately, it's been reasonably warm. I had hoped that El Nino would come through. So, HA HA MICHELLE....it's not quite the Frozen North that you kept taunting me with. Olivia does love the snow, though. She's quite upset that it's all pretty much melted away, but there's some left in the shadowy areas of the lawn so that she can chip away a bit and fling ice balls at me.

She's also discovered hockey. We were driving home yesterday after lunch, and she saw some boys playing street hockey.

"What is that", she asked.

"Oh, those boys are playing hockey", I replied.

"Olivia play hockey, too!"

So, a small souvenir stick from the local team was found, and she used that, while I used my brother's old street hockey stick. Now she wants to go out at eight in the morning to play.

A very big thank you...

2006-11-14T17:20:00.000-06:00

...goes out to all the people who have extended their kind words and encouragement. Olivia and I are settling in well, and eventually everyone in town will get used to me being around. It's still a tad disconcerting to be stared at, though...but I'll live...

I thought I'd share one little note that I got the day before we left. I was upstairs, packing our suitcases and heard a knock at the door. It was my friend Cacey, who lived next door. She gave me a little card, and a big hug. I've read it quite a few times, but then, that's what I do when I have something that I find comfort in. (Click on letter to enlarge it.)

See Kim Knit...the Canadian Version...

2006-11-08T22:20:00.000-06:00

We are here...we are here...we are here....

Yes, just like the Whos in Whoville, we are here. We have made the trek back to Saskatchewan. The trip went well...and now we are just adjusting to a much slower pace of life. But what can you expect from a place that has only two stoplights.

Olivia has really enjoyed the snow. There's not much of it, but there is enough for her to scoop together into a snowball (or iceball, in some cases), and fling it at me.

The next couple of weeks are going to be the hardest for her, I think, when it finally sinks in that we are not going back. But, there is a little girl next door who is exactly one year younger...(they share the same birthdate), and she and her mom came over to visit and the girls played together.

I've gone out a couple of times...once to the grocery store, and once to find some hangers, and gotten a few strange looks. I guess new people are a novelty around here, and I don't exactly blend into the crowd.

But, we are here, and now we just have to settle in....

Still packing...

2006-11-03T01:25:00.000-06:00

The movers came and took away all the big stuff. And now, I'm still packing suitcases.

I haven't showered in two days, and I'm beginning to be all Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch....

Minus Marky Mark....

Happy Halloween!

2006-11-01T15:15:00.000-06:00

So, it's been a while since I've written anything. The movers are coming tomorrow. Daemond graciously helped me pack some stuff, since I readily admit that packing is not my strong suit. Ok, fast packing is not my strong suit. I get easily distracted sometimes.

We had a ton of kids come by for Halloween last night. It was almost like that scene in Night of the Living Dead when all the zombies are walking down the road. Someone said that one year, they stopped counting kids after they hit 350.

Olivia was a Stegasaurus. Initially, she was going to be pink with yellow accents, but she had a major colour change once we hit the fabric store. So, instead, she was green and purple.

While the dads took the kids around collecting candy, the moms sat outside in sub-arctic conditions handing out treats. Ok...so I think it was only about 32 Degrees Fahrenheit, but we sat out there for three hours.

Here are some other pictures, if Blogger will be cooperative...

Denby as Joe Dirt...and he really did grow out both sideburns and the mustache for the occasion...
The girls from the cul-de-sac

The insomnia bug has bitten me again...

2006-10-24T05:49:00.000-05:00

So, again with the no sleep. Well, that's not true. I've fallen asleep and woken up about one hundred times already. So I decided to get up and do something useful. Like read stuff online. And attempt to type with no lights/contact/glasses on. The contact and glasses is not an either/or thing. I wear both. At once. The glasses are to correct the vision in my left eye, and the contact is to help correct my awfully nearsighted right eye. So that I can wear cool glasses, because waaaaaayyyyyy back when, when I didn't wear contacts, my glasses were a nasty combination of one normal-sized lens, and one coke-bottle lens. Very attractive. There was a point to that whole story. Let me try and remember what that was. Oh yeah...I'm seeing how proficient I am at typing. So far, so good, but if I make any huge cutting-and-pasting corrections, my face will be up close and personal with the keyboard.

So a date has been set for Olivia and I to leave. We are going on the fourth of November. We're flying, because it's getting further into winter, and I just don't want to drive through the mountain passes. Been there, done that.

I was talking to my mom on IM today, and she made one comment that totally pushed me back into my chair. And made me cry. She wrote, "It's really amazing how strong you can be, when you really have to." Words are very powerful that way. I consider my mom a pretty strong person, and for her to see that in me, really meant a lot. Because I don't see myself that way sometimes. I get so scared sometimes that my voice cracks, and one of my legs starts shaking. Shaking so much that I feel like I can't support my own weight.

Mostly, I get scared about the future. I haven't worked in nearly seven years. And there's some other things I haven't done in that time, either. I haven't paid a bill. Balanced a cheque book. Done the primary grocery-shopping. Gotten an oil change for a car. Remembered the tires need balancing and such.

But, there have been things that I have gotten the courage to do. I can jump five lanes of traffic on I-5 in less than a half mile to make the exit. I can take Olivia out to Seattle, just because she loves it. I can figure out online banking. I can call the same Human Resources person repeatedly, trying to actually get her at her desk.

I can find my voice. And maybe a greater sense of myself, not only for me, but for Olivia.

And I will be okay.

Spa day...

2006-10-23T00:02:00.000-05:00

Michelle and I went to InSpa today. It was amazing. I had an hour long massage, and it was amazing how many knots were in my back. A long time ago, I used to go monthly for half-body massages. I worked in a high-end retail store, and standing for eight to twelve hours a day in heels did a number on my lower back. Go figure, right?

Well, the woman working on my back today suggested that I not wait eight years to get another one. I didn't fall asleep during my massage, like I used to. Instead, I fell asleep during my facial.

I have the unnerving ability to almost fall asleep anywhere. If I am warm, and comfortable, and the least bit sleepy, I can be out instantly. I can be sitting up, lights on, and still fall asleep.

Anyways, it was a nice surprise, and one that will be treasured for a long time.

Day at the Zoo

2006-10-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

Olivia's been wanting to go to the zoo for a few days now, and since today was a really nice day, the two of us went. We saw all the animals that she wanted to see. Well, all she really cared about seeing were the elephants. We got a really close-up view of one of them, so that totally made her day.

Since it was such a beautiful day, I got some really good scenery shots. Autumn is definitely my favourite season, because the light makes everything look better. Richer. More golden.

So, after we walked around for three hours, we decided that it was time to go home. Olivia fell asleep as soon as we hit Aurora Ave. Since she needed the sleep, I took the very scenic route home.

Took the 520 bridge across Lake Washington, and drove up Lake Washington Blvd in Kirkland. It's one of my favourite streets to drive along.

Then, I drove up the 202 through Woodinville. (I said it was the very scenic route.) Woodinville has a bunch of wineries there, and they give tours and tastings. One day, I'd like to go to DeLille Cellars. I haven't tried any of the wines from there, but I like the building. Makes sense, right?

All in all, it was a nice little adventure that we had.

Hee hee...

2006-10-20T00:32:00.000-05:00

http://www.myheritage.com

Well, this boosts my ego just a tad...;)...

Packing...

2006-10-19T01:14:00.000-05:00

So 'professional mover' is one job that I don't think I'd be good at. I average about two boxes of stuff a day. I just like to think that I'm very...I'm looking for a word...hmmm...meticulous? Okay...it's late...I'll settle with that.

So I was watching Ghost Hunters on SciFi tonight, and one part just cracked me up. They were investigating the O.K. Corral, and in the museum, they had mannequins dressed up and posed as the people who lived there during the time of the big gunfight. It totally reminded me of a summer job that I had years ago. I worked for the Tourism department in my hometown, and they ran a Railway Museum. And an Information booth. No one wanted to work at the museum. There were two other workers besides me, and I had to do the scheduling. Everyone had to do equal time between both, and it was like pulling teeth to get people to do the shifts out there. It was in a very isolated spot, and on a good day, you'd get maybe a couple of people. Plus, the building was old, musty, and kind of creepy. Okay...I admit...I hated it out there too.

To top it off, they had the mannequin thing going on too. The building was an old railway station that was set up to look like it had when it was operational. So, of course, the Tourism people thought it would add character to it to have life-sized mannequins dressed up, posing as people waiting in the lobby for the next train.

There was nothing like sitting at the desk, all by yourself...reading...waiting for someone to show up, and catching a glimpse of one of those things out of the corner of your eye.

So, one day, I came up with the brilliant idea of making my younger brother, Paul, go out there with me. Keep me company.

Part of the opening procedure was to unlock all of the outside shutters on the windows, open them up, and latch them to the building. So, as I walked around the building, and opened all the shutters, my brother was inside the museum, looking around.

Or so I thought.

Paul is an interesting character, with a ~~twisted~~ ~~warped~~ different sense of humour. As I opened up the last set of shutters, I happened to look up. He thought it would be funny to take one of the mannequins and prop it up against the window.

I don't know what was louder: my scream, or his laughter.

Funny guy.

Rainy day Sunday...

2006-10-15T23:58:00.000-05:00

I finished The Hungry Tide while I drank my morning coffee. It was raining steadily, so I was content to curl up in the chair by the fireplace and read while listening to the rain.

No, this is not a picture of my house, just something that I found that I liked...hmm...it would be nice, though...

Yesterday, I read another book: How to Be a Canadian by Will and Ian Ferguson. That was truly one of the funniest books I have ever read. I seriously laughed non-stop throughout the entire thing. It's not often that I laugh continuously like that; but when you find something that affects you like that, it's pretty amazing.

I went out today to Barnes and Noble, looking for it. And after aimlessly wandering around the store, I found that I'll have to order it online. But, I settled on a Pumpkin Spice Latte, so all was not lost.

I'm currently reading Red Azalea by Anchee Min. Min's writing is more sparse than Ghosh's: where his descriptions are lush, compelling you to slow down to take it all in, her descriptions are rather matter-of-fact, and I've found myself breezing through three-quarters of it in a matter of a few hours.

I also went out in search of bubble wrap, to wrap up my paintings. The local Fred Meyer has undergone a massive remodel, and every day they move everything around. Found the packing supplies aisle, but no bubble wrap. I have a very large box in which to ship them, but nothing to cushion them.

I do not paint small things. There are two canvases that are three feet by three feet, one that is three feet by four feet, and the smallest is two feet by three feet. This is my favourite...a copy of a Louise Cook painting.

It would be much easier if I did paint little eight by ten inch canvases.

Good things come in small packages...

2006-10-12T01:37:00.000-05:00

Technology is an incredible thing. As much as I curse it sometimes, because I don't understand how to do a lot of complex computer things, it is amazing. I can chat with my friend Michelle, across the cul-de-sac, or my mom, halfway across the continent.

As I've mentioned in a much earlier post, I have some unique fitting issues, so I like to have custom-made clothing. Plus, I don't like to look like everyone else. Hard to tell that by the inch-long orangy-blonde hair, and cat's eye glasses emblazoned with rhinestones on the sides.

I came across this pattern, and absolutely fell in love with it. So, a few mouse clicks later, this pattern was en route from Florida, to my house in Washington state.

Because, my lifestyle screams that I totally need a silk party dress. And, while we're going with this...we may as well go all the way.

A Google search on sari fabric came next. So...another few mouse clicks, I had ordered myself a coppery-brown silk sari with a sumptuous amount of gold work on the borders. And where did this gem come from? Nagpur, India.

It arrived today in a smallish envelope. Five yards of silk really folds up to basically nothing.

But it is beautiful.

So, it is amazing, to be able to order something from halfway around the world. The package arrives at my door, and totally makes my day.

Technology is an incredible thing.