One Last Kick at the Can

I find it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that another year is almost behind us. It is so cliche to mention that every year goes by faster than the previous one, but facts are facts.

I always like New Years. It makes me feel like I have a chance to start fresh. This year I only have two resolutions: to run for the enjoyment of it, getting in 4 workouts a week and the second is to make an effort to be more green. I worry about what we do to the mother Earth and I am going to work harder to see that my little family does our part to help her out.

Here are some pictures of the kids opening the gifts that Santa Claus left under the tree for them:







This picture of Q is so funny. "What cookie? I didn't see any cookies."

Sleepy Christmas Faces

We made if safely back to the Loops. We had a wonderful Christmas with Jodie and Ryan. I am going to share our trip in a couple of installments for you.

We arrived in Trail on Christmas Eve. Aunt Jodie popped some popcorn for the kids to string into holiday decorations. I am not sure but I think more ended up in their bellies than on the tree.



Following the family Christmas tradition the kids hit there stockings first thing. I tell them ever Christmas they can have their stockings first thing, but they always come and wake up us first. Fine by me, it is one of my favorite parts of Christmas.



This year I heard the kids awake and checking to to see if Santa had been here yet at 4:00 a.m. It is the earliest they have ever been up. Sebass woke up and woke up the rest of the crew. I sent them back to bed and they all went sleep pretty quickly.



There is something so sweet about Christmas morning pictures. I don't know if it is the pajamas or the sleepy faces or the great hair everyone has. Maybe it is the sparkle of excitement in their eyes.



Here is a blurry picture of Aunt Jodies Christmas tree after Santa's visit. I love the kids blurred in the photo with excitement.



And the traditional posed picture. Look at Q's face, could a kid be more excited?

Big Boys and Little Toys

We headed off to Kelowna yesterday for Christmas, it was our first stop on the Way to Jodie's place in Trail. We had a slow but safe drive into Kelowna and then we got to have diner with Paul's Aunt and and Gran and family. It was a great start to the holiday.

There was a little mix up at the hotel we were booked into. They had us booked into the Honeymoon suite. When they realized their mistake they let us keep the room for the price of of a regular room. What a great Christmas gift.

Our room had 3 T.V.'s, two bedrooms, two bathtubs, a kitchen, two decks and a living room with a hide-a-bed. PJ and I had a jet bath in a bathtub so big I could lay out in it without touching my feet or head to either end. It was so cool.

We had breakfast with Gran today and then headed out for the long drive to trail. It took us 4 or 5 hours. The roads were pretty good and the scenery beautiful.

Due to the fact we were heading out of town we let the kids open a couple of presents early:



What are those two boys playing with. Paul went crazy and got the kids a dirt bike for Christmas on E-bay. It cost next to nothing and the kids are in love with it. I am a bit worried about them riding it, but I have seen kids smaller than ours tearing up the local dirt bike track.



I guess it is better to teach them now and teach them safely. The look on Sebastian's face says it all.



We wish you all a merry Christmas. We will set our web cam in the morning for anyone who wants to take a look at what we are up to.



Pretty drive:

Isn't She Lovely?

The week before Christmas is a bit of a whirlwind isn't it? I had everything done except for a bit of wrapping to do and my Christmas cards to get out.

Every Christmas I wish I had a wife. Maybe I will ask Santa for one next year.

What is the deal with the married thing? You know the part where once you exchange vows the wife is all of the sudden in charge of Christmas? Don't get me wrong, I am not bitter about the whole thing, just a little fruit for thought.

Here are some pictures of this years angel. She is so pretty, I think Yvonne outdoes herself every year.



Several pictures of the same sweet angel, I could not help myself. I was having fun with my camera and she was so willing to pose for me.



I am on my way to bed. We are always busy at work the week before Christmas, I expect I will be hopping.



Workouts: 3
Posts: 2

Mirrors Don't Lie

I think body image is a funny thing.

I feel good about my body most of the time. Of course there are parts that I would lift and tuck if I had a magic wand that would do such things. (I would share the magic with all of you if I had it) I have very little in the way of aches and pains and so far my body does everything I want it to. That is really all I can ask of it.

Most of you know that I have been a runner for many, many years. Well, the truth of the matter is, this past year I have logged the smallest number of miles in about a decade. (It hurt to type that sentence.) I just could not seem to stay consistent this year. I could rattle off any number of excuses for you, for myself. But I think ultimately I just lost some of my passion for running. I have been logging only one or two runs a week on a good week three.

I was getting to the point where I wanted to get faster. I was racing every year and wanted to shave a little off time every race. I found that I was not enjoying myself as much as I was when I would just go out and leave my watch at home and relax. Running has always been something I did because I enjoyed it. Never was my primary goal fitness; the fitness part was just a perk.

I walked by my bedroom mirror the other day...naked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw it...cottage cheese. It jumped out of the refrigerator and landed on my ass and the backs of my thighs. Now my weight has not changed, not one pound. But this once a week thing it has made me soft and squishy.

The moral of the story: It is time for me to find my passion. To run for the sake of running and relaxing and if it lifts up that sag and smooths out some of that cottage cheese that will just be win win wont it?



I am going to set an easy goal. 3 runs and week and the boot camp class I do on Wednesday nights should get rid of some jiggle. Boot Camp is a weight training class, we do lots of weights and lots of abdominal work and then we stretch for 20 min. I really enjoy it.

As long as I working out 4 times a week I am going to get on this computer and keep you posted. You can keep my honest. That means I will blog a bit more too. See, two birds with one stone.

This week: One 3 mile run yesterday
One Blog post.

Christmas Cheer

The kids and I decorated the tree Tuesday. We had such a great time the kids did such a good job.



We broke down and bought a fake tree this year. We normally go into the bush and cut one down. With B.C. forests being what they are right now, suffering so much loss due to the bugs we did not have the heart to cut down one of the few green trees left.



We bought a beautiful 9 foot pine with lights already on it and I so happy with it. No mess and no need to worry about watering the thing.

Copping out with a Link to another Blog.

I did a medicine wheel workshop this weekend. It was good for me. I find that the work helps keep me grounded and reminds me to keep things in perspective. Signing up for a workshop forces me to take a little time to work on myself and I feel that is important.

I have some pictures to post for you but my camera is a home and I am at work. So I will give you a link instead. I stumbled across this blog a few weeks ago and I have to confess I am addicted to it. I show it to the kids every time he posts something new and he posts often. Check it out Ugly Overload

Yum

I am happy to report that I shipped Christmas to the States today. Canada Post said it should get there within the next ten days. I have tracking numbers if anyone wants them email me.

I sent one package to Dad one to George and Judy and one to Mom's house. Everything is sent except for Taylor's gift, it will be arriving to Shannon's place I ordered it online and had it mailed directly to Taylor.

Mom please call me before you open the box when it gets to you.

Random photos for you. I liked this picture of Sebass playing in the snow until just now when I realized I cut Q's head out in the background. I think I might play with it and try making Q disappear for a better picture.



Paul took the kids to Chapters where they had a craft morning with the Blazers. I love that they send these great big hockey kids to make penguins with little children. Most of the kids were in school so PJ and Q pretty much had 8 Blazers to themselves.

Here is Leclerc, (I don't know if I spelled his name right) he is the goal tender, reading The Grinch to Q. I love that Q is more impressed with Leclerc than with the story.



Somewhere in that pack of hot young hockey flesh PJ is helping them find Waldo. I will just save this photo for her and she can take for show and tell when she is 15. See number 11 there? Oh my does have a nice hockey butt. That dude is HOT.



I know this is not the most artistic photo ever but I wanted to show you these hedges. I think they look like great big muffins dusted with powdered sugar. They are all over town and they make me crave a piece of chocolate cake with sprinkling of powdered sugar on the top. Yum

Snow Angels

We have had a bit of wonky weather these past few days. It snowed all day Saturday and Sunday and was as a cold as -12C. We had more than a foot of snow on top of what we already had.

Monday the sky cleared up and the sun came out for a bit. We reached 12C and all the snow melted off. I don't think I have ever seen that much snow melt so fast.



Today we started with rain and it turned to snow. It snowed for hours and the wind howled. The streets are pretty icy and there is plenty of snow for the kids to play in.

They played in the backyard for over an hour. They called me out to see their snow angels. I think this first one belongs to PJ.



Sebass made this one:



Q is making his on the bench. They had such a great time they did not want to come in out the cold. I had to drag them in so I could get to my boot camp class.



You would think with all this snow I would have been snuggled inside knitting but I have not even knit a stitch.

Fun Stuff

We have had a fun couple of days.

Last night we took the kids Disney's Live Production of Beauty and the Beast. It was done right here in the Loops by a local theater troupe, it was incredible.

Paul bought our tickets early and we were in the 4th row from the stage. It was one of the best productions I have seen here and we have seen some good ones. The kids had a great time, I sure they will remember it for the rest of their lives.

We have been a getting a bit of snow of the past few days. Not a whole lot but a bit here and there. Yesterday we had the prettiest snow flakes I have ever seen. I did my best to capture them with my camera.



If I ever decide to buy another lens for my camera I would purchase a macro lens. I really enjoy taking pictures of small things up close and that would be the best lens for those kind of pictures. First a flash....



Fillet and The Giggle Queen are town for the weekend. I got a baby sitter for the evening and Paul and I are off to dinner and hockey game and then we are going to meet them for a few drinks at a local pub. I told you we were having fun these days!

Let it Snow

Monday night I got to drive home from work in this:



Yup, that is the first real snow fall of the season. The roads were really good so don't worry. I also have some really good winter tires on the van and Paul had some winter tires put on the truck today. We got a couple of inches of light snow. Uh, for those of you that are not in snow country there are about 500 different kinds of snow. Light snow is the best to shovel but not good to make snowmen out of. It doesn't stick together well enough to make a snowman.

If The Giggle Queen reads this post she may correct me on my snow knowledge. I bow to her, she lives where it is way colder and much more snow than we do. She has also lived in Canada her entire life so she has a bit more snow experience than I do.

Tuesday morning was so pretty. The clouds lifted and the sun shone off the snow in a way that lifted the winter blues. It reached 7C, warm enough to open a window and get some fresh air in the house.



Today we are back to -5C so all the melt has turned to ice and things have gotten a bit slippery and not in a good way.

It is funny how natural getting stuck in the ice or the snow on the side of the road has gotten for me. I saw a guy driving a van get stuck pulling out of a parking lot today. Without a thought the two guys in the van behind him hopped out and gave him a push while he spun his tires for bit. I waited patiently behind them. A bit of pushing and the tires caught the pavement, the first van sped off with a thankful wave out the window. The two helpers got back into their van with great big smiles, I waved and we all went on with out lives.

The thing that struck me about the whole incident is how normal it seemed to me. I really do like living where we enjoy 4 seasons. Indeed I can't imagine living where I did not have snow for a few months of the year.

Wardrobe Malfunction

He wore them like this all day never realizing they were on wrong.

Made me laugh so hard when the kid got ready for hockey.



Ever have those days when you realize your underwear has been inside out the whole day and did not realize it until 3:00 in the afternoon? About a month ago I wore a new skirt to work and did not realize it still had the tag on it until after lunch. For the record the tag was on the inside of the skirt so no one but me realized the error of my way.

Happy Monday. I had better get back to work.

Up For Air

I have not fallen off the planet.

More like I have fallen in a few cans of paint. A few months ago we had the entrance way re-tiled. I love the new tile and it went just fine with the existing paint colour.

Paul however patched a whole bunch of spots all over the entrance way and then left it that way. I waited a couple a weeks to see if he was going to sand down the patches or open a can of paint. Nothing happened.

The walls did not paint themselves. (old colour pictured behind the cute kid)



I figured it was up to me to get the job done. Fine, I would pick my own paint colour and to heck with that Paul guy. I picked a pretty gray that goes great with the tile.



I love the colour but it made the entrance way pretty boring with all the neutral. You know how one project tends to turn into another. Well I am in the throws of the snowball effect as we speak. I decided we needed a pop of colour. I stripped the bench:



Then I painted/stained it:



I made the coat hangers the same colour red and today I painted the weight room the gray. I am having a picture that Jodie gave us for Christmas last year framed and I will put that up to add some more colour. I am looking for a small nude table I could paint to put a key bowl on and then I think I will be about done down there.

Then I am thinking of painting all the ceiling upstairs...and I bought new lights for the kitchen...and I have picked a paint a colour for the front room and the hall ways are looking pretty beat up and did you know the front bathroom is the only room in the entire house that has not had a coat of paint since we bought the place. The snowball effect...great.

Lanolin Soup

I washed some of the fleece over the weekend. I just wanted to give it a try and see how it would look washed up. I did not document the whole thing, I followed the technique the Yarn Harlot uses and it seemed to work well.

I laid the fleece out on the garage floor to get an idea of how dirty it is. My plan was to pick out the plant matter and then wash it, I did not pick out the plant stuff as there was so little in it. I was surprised at how little oder it had even when laid out. Not smelly at all.



I laid some of the locks out as the Yarn Harlot suggests. I weighed out 6oz. I will weigh the clean fleece when it is completely dry, I am curious how much weight is lost in dirt and lanolin.



I warned Paul and the kids I would be cooking a bit a sheep and the house might get stinky. Paul kept asking me when the lanolin soup would be ready. Funny guy.



Here is the washed fleece:



I was surprised at how clean it was. Portions of it are still a bit dirty on the tips. I did not separate the locks very much when I placed them in the pot. The part that are still a bit dirty were in the middle of my bundle, I think if I had spent a bit more time loosening up the fiber before I cooked it that the middle would have faired better. I may wash the portions I am not happy with again.



The good news: none of the wool felted during the washing process. Whoot!

Remembrance Day

We took the kids down to the park for the Remembrance Day service. It was quite moving. I must be getting mushy as I get older, I got all teary eyed a few times during the ceremony.

The Canadian Flag at half mast for the day:



Wreaths are placed here in honor of those that have gone to war for our freedom.

It makes me long for peace in this world.



The local pipe band is a class act:



I cold not help but notice that the leader had hand knit kilt hose on. Either someone loves him very much or he is one heck of knitter. I apologize for the fuzzy photo the man was on a mission



One of four Sentinels that stand over the service and the wreaths there is one from each branch of the service: Army, Navy, Airforce and one from the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)

The words on the monument behind him read, "We Will Remember Them."

Sheep for Ewe

Blogger is a fickle mistress. An hour ago it would not let me post a picture apparently now she has changed her mind. I won't look a gift sheep in the mouth and will carry on.

A picture of pretty girl, don't ewe think so?



A bit of flora to warm you up. (I was going to throw in another really bad sheep pun here bit I don't want to ram to many down your throats) I am done with the photo class it was so worth it. The last class we played a little with photoshop and learned enough to help me with my photos. Here is my before:



Here is the same picture I after I mucked with it. I could have just posted the after photo and you would have thought I was a vastly improved photographer. I figured there was no pulling the wool over your eyes and I should just post them both.



I have patient who raises sheep to train sheep dogs. I am not sure what uses the sheep other than training purposes. When she shears the sheep she sends the fleece to a place in Vancouver that pays her by the pound and she does not care where it goes from there.

Sometime ago she raised a few Romneys. She had a Romney fleece that she had saved for years. She said it was to nice to send to Vancouver but she was not quite sure what to do with it as she is not a spinner herself.

When I started spinning Paul mentioned it in passing to her. She came in to me see and offered the fleece to me. She told me I could have it for nothing if I could make good use of it. She would mention the fleece every time she came in for care, months went by and I thought nothing of it.

Now she is selling her home and acreage and purging all her stuff. She came in on Monday and told me she found two more Romney fleeces in her basement and wanted to know if I could use all the fiber. I replied that if she wanted to get rid of all of it I would see that it found good homes and I ensured her that it would be spun up with love.

Today this came home with Paul:



Holy sheep shit batman that is a lot of fleece.



Cute 4 year old added for scale: