Change

Fall has come to the Loops and brought that special feel in the air that only Fall brings. It is one of my favorite seasons. I must confess that I feel a bit robbed of summer, it feels to me like we only had about two weeks of warm weather and already it is 40F. Brrrrrr.

Picture below is more cause for celebration: I have worn a hole in my own knitted socks. They are favorite pair of mine. Cherry Tree Hill yarn, washed and dried about a million times, they have served me well. I am so glad I get to knit up a new pair! (Not yet, a few things to get off the needles first)



I took this picture today from the deck in our back yard. We get quite a bit of fog in the Fall. I like the contrast of the yellow trees in the foreground.



The changing colours of the neighbors tree. I am glad to see the change. I am ready to shed the past few months and change a few things myself. I feel like I have been a glass in half empty kind of person the past few months. This is out of character for me, I usually a happy optimist. I am going to make a conscious effort to change my attitude as I watch the world change and brighten around me.



This rainbow graced our neighborhood just a few days ago. It was big I could not get the whole thing in my viewfinder. You see it from end to end. It was double rainbow, but you can not see that here.



The End.

Bye Bye Skype

I uninstalled Skype and I my computer is back to its normal self just like that. I think Skype is a great idea, I need to learn how to set up my Firewall and my IP settings (or something like that) to make it work with Blogger and Bloglines.

I am going to share a few more pictures from Dad and Corinne's visit and show you some knitting and spinning in my next post. I am hoping to post again this afternoon. Shocking, I know.



Funny picture of the kids stuffing their faces with banana muffins. Yum.



As the kids have gotten older they remember everyone better. When they were really little they would make strange when family came to visit. Now they climb right up on laps and are more comfortable visiting with family they don't get to see very often. (The crappy side of living so far away.) It is nice to see them enjoying all of their grandparents more and more as they get older and more confident.

(Whoops I should have trimmed Corinne's feet out of the picture. I was so happy to be able to post more than one photo that I forgot too.)

Give it a Go

I have been trying to post a second picture for a half hour now. That is enough time in my book to call it a day.

I am not sure what is going on, but my computer shuts me out as soon as a photo is posted. I really think it is related to the Skype download. It is not just Blogger that Skype is messing with. I am having trouble with Bloglines and with Hotmail. Anytime I want to move from window to window I get an error and all my windows close.

I looked on the Skype website to see if anyone had complained about the same problem and I could not find anything. Could it be a computer setting? Or do I need to delete Skype off my computer and hope the problem goes away?

Ack!

I have been trying to post a few pictures but blogger keeps booting me off when I try to post more than one.

I am not sure, but I may have been having this problem since I downloaded Skype? Is anyone else having trouble?

Here is a cute a picture of Dad reading a book to Q. I will try to post more Monday.

Company

We have been enjoying out visit with Dad and Corinne. The kids have had lots of fun with them. Here is Corinne reading a book to them at bedtime.



We have been shopping and even went out to dinner last night. I can't tell you what has made us feel so busy but I am feeling a bit pooped out today.

I think mostly we are still getting used to the school schedule, I clock watch all day worrying about which kid I pick up at what time. I know we will slip into a routine, I just hoping it happens soon.

Sebass had a great day at school today, it is the first day he was not in tears when I dropped him and off and also the first day his stomach was settled enough to eat his sandwich all up. He was asking me at dinner how many sleeps he has has until he gets a day off school. I hope Friday ends the week with a good day for him.

There has been little knitting happening but I have been working at the spinning wheel a bit. I have some plying to do but I am not sure if it will happen tonight. I am kind of ready to veg. out with a book or a sock.

Happy Post

I think it is more than time for a happy post. As the kids back into the routine of school and things settle down a bit I am trying to settle in a routine of my own. I am working blogging back in as part of my regular routine so I am going to catch up on some camping trips and try to keep up all up to speed once I get there.

These pictures are from our camping (really it's not camping if you are staying in a cabin is it?) at Okanagan Lake three weeks ago (maybe a month, I could be that far behind myself). Doug and his 2 kids came with us, this pictorial should give you a good idea of how we spent the weekend.

Here is the beautiful cabin we stayed in. I think it is one of those you buy already built from Home Depot and then plunk on the prettiest little spot you can find. The cabin had a loft that all the kids slept in, Paul and I took the bedroom and Doug slept on the fold out couch. It was cozy and everything a cabin on the Lake should be.



Here is the view from the beach, it was overcast with a little drizzle, but still warm enough to swim and sit outside.



Our kids get along really well with Doug's girls, here they are playing by the water, Doug's youngest is hiding behind the PJ and Riley.



There were a lot of Canadian Geese on the water. I don't know if I have ever seen so many in one pace before. They were quite noisy when they all started honking and took flight. It was pretty neat to see.



Here are a few them in flight.

You can't really tell here, but this flower is the size of a dinner plate. It is the blossom of some sort of squash, I thought it was so pretty with a bit of sunlight reflecting off of it.

One more for you. This is my "sucker hole" picture. One of Dad's favorite sayings. When you see a bright a blue in an otherwise cloudy sky, Dad calls it a "Sucker Hole", because you think it is going to clear up to be a beautiful bright sunny day and it never does.

A Lady

I know I have told some of you a little about Lisa. I am going to share a little more of Lisa's life with you today.

Lisa is a friend and a patient of mine. About a year and half ago Lisa was diagnosed with Uterine Cancer. Lisa has been fighting an incredible fight this past for year and half. With surgery and chemotherapy she was doing very well and her tumor markers were going down.

She was doing so well in fact, that her oncologist took her off the chemotherapy after six months of treatment. She had about six really good months after that. Her hair was growing back, she was getting stronger and was full of hope and life.

After doing well for six months or so Lisa's tumor markers started to creep back up. Lisa was very brave and she decided to be part of a new cancer treatment study in Vancouver. A study that worked with treating cancer on a DNA level. She stayed with the study for a about two months and her tumor markers continued to climb.

5 to 6 weeks ago Lisa called me from our local hospital. She was not doing well. I went up and visited her a few times a week. Lisa was always full of hope. I would see her in severe pain and she would smile at me and tell me about her horses and her plans when she got home.

Lisa passed away last night. She did make one trip home to see her horses before she passed away. She was 46 years old, she was a cowgirl, she was a runner, a dancer, a wife, a sister, a friend, she was so full of life I am finding it hard to believe that she is gone. I am glad that Lisa was able to go with so much dignity and grace, Lisa was a Lady to the very end.

I am so sad for the people she left behind, her husband, her sister, her brother...myself and many more. Goodbye Lisa.

Taxi

Summer has wrapped up with a last camp out for the long weekend. I will post some pictures of that later.

The kids started school on Tuesday and it was a bit of a mess. PJ and Q do a gradual start for the first 3 days, they go from 10 until 11. What's the point you ask??? I don't know. Friday they will go the normal time 8:30-11:00.

Sebass started his first day of first grade at 10:30 and went until 12:00. They use the first day to place students who did not register prior to June '07. The Montessori students going from kindergarten into first grade are considered new students even though they have gone to this school already. I don't know why. It made things a bit confusing and Sebass hung in there but he was a bit nervous.

He did really good on day two (today) where he attended his regular hours 8:30-2:30. When I got there to pick him up he was in tears. The teacher said he did great until 2:20 and then he fell apart. She said this is normal and this usually happens to about 1/2 the class every year. They are not used to the long day and are asking to go home around 2:00 she said.

Sebass told me he liked school and he wanted to go again tomorrow, but he missed PJ and Q and that is why he was crying. He said he wanted to have lunch with them and when he found out he couldn't his stomach hurt so he did not eat at all. I thought it was sweet that he misses his bother and sister instead of his mom, but I feel for the kid. I wish I could make it easier for him. I know that he will be fine in a few a days when he makes some more friends in the classroom and gets comfortable, but I still wish I could make it easier for him.

I did not realize that first grade would be so emotional for Sebass and I! I don't think his experience with the long days of Soccer camp and heat stroke helped him out much here. I keep explaining to him that soccer camp was 2 hours longer than his school day is. It will take a few weeks to get into a routine and then things will be fine.

Funky Heel

I think this heel is called a Forethought Afterthought heel. It is kind of funky and I am not sure if I like it. I wanted the socks to be a little on the short side so I did not knit them very long. The heel seems kind of short and is making the sock look to me about 1/2" shorter than I want it to be.

I really don't want to rip and I can't try the socks on, my feet are way to big for them, so I think I am going just going to follow the pattern and see what happens.




I like that this heel keeps the stripe pattern going, it creates a bulls eye pattern around the heel and I really like the look of it.

Maybe the sock is not small, maybe I just have big hands. Is it me or do your hear the fickle knitting goddess busting a gut right now?



Occasionally (when he remembers), Paul waters the ceder trees in the back yard. When he does he forgets to turn the water off. This results in flooding. Our back lawn is about 6"of top soil laid right onto the clay that the area is known for. So the top soil absorbs what it can and the rest sits on top or runs off down the retaining wall to the driveway.

When this occurs it floods the rock pit that kids play in. Often (when he remembers) Paul will drain the rock pit when this happens. This time he decided to leave it and let the kids play in their 'swimming hole'. They are having a great time.

We are headed out camping this weekend look for a post on Sunday evening.

Mojo Baby, Mojo

I have not posted something knitterly in so long that you may have forgotten that I had misplaced my Knitting Mojo.

I think I have finally found it.

Here are my Solstice Slip socks, I think I finally have the right size and the hang of the pattern. I am to the point now where I actually want to knit them. That may sound funny but the pattern kicked my butt for a couple of repeats, I had thought about ripping the whole thing and picking a different pattern for the yarn. I managed to stick it out and I am happy with the results. I don't think these socks will be done anytime soon, the cable pattern is slow going but I am now enjoying the knit.



I have been having fun with these socks. The sun is a little bright in this picture and the colors appear a bit washed out, they are a little brighter in real life. This pattern is in the back of the Sensational Knitted Socks book. I love it, it is easy to knit after a phone call to mom for advice (not even advice, all she did was read the pattern out loud to me and it made more sense than when I read it myself)

I had started the pattern with Judy in mind, I thought they might make a good Christmas gift for her (I don't think she reads the blog). She loves yellow so I thought she might like the yarn. As it knits up the orange (Shannon, just for you) seems to call out to me more than the yellow and I am not sure if Judy will like them at all. They will be to small for me, but I imagine I can find another taker if I decide they are not Judy's colours.

The little bag it is in was a purchase from Knit Picks, a good price and just the right size for a sock on the go.



I have even done a little spinning. I am trying to spin just a little bit every day, even if it is only 10 minutes. I think it might surprise me how much yarn I can spin up with just 10 minutes a day. I will let you know how it works out.

Isobel Lake

We decided a few weeks ago to take the kids to Isobel Lake on Sunday. We wanted to take Shannon, Will, Taylor and Morgan when they were here, but we just ran out of time.

Isobel Lake is a small Lake that is stocked with trout. Fishing on the lake is restricted to children under the age of 15, handicapped and the elderly. It is only 20K from the West side of the Loops.

The kids had been excited about going to Isobel Lake the entire week prior. They had even been digging in the backyard for worms to fish with. They found a few but we stopped by the bait shop and picked up a few more before we drove out on Sunday.

Sunday dawned and we had three very excited kids and rain! The rain did not dampen the kids excitement so we decided to drive out there anyway.

The Lake was so beautiful.



The water was warm and the air was quite cool so there is lots of steam coming off the water, it made for wonderful atmosphere and good pictures too!



We took a little walk before the kids got their poles in the water. There is a 2 hour hiking trail around the lake that I would love to go back and do sometime. It is an education site so there are makers on the plants and stuff that tell you what kind of tree it is, very cool.



Here are some fun pictures of the kids all bundled up against the wet day:

PJ and Q fished from the shore while Paul and Sebastian rowed out in a little blow up boat that was well over its weight limit with the two of them in it.

They look like they are having a great time, don't they?

After a while PJ got too cold, so she sat in the truck for a bit to warm up while Sebass and Paul fished and Q and I went on a frog hunt. He was thrilled to catch this little frog, which we are sad to report was the only catch of the day.

Don't worry the frog was left in its natural habitat, it did not come home with us. Come to think of it...I did not check Q's pockets when we left.

Long Time No See

Whew! I have been totally overwhelmed over the past week or two. When we got back from Alberta I was feeling pretty tired. I had not been sleeping well for a while and the trip was fun but really made me feel pooped out.

We brought George and Judy home with us from Alberta and Jodie, Paul's sister was here waiting for us when we got home. (Did I tell you this already?) I stressed myself out trying to be a good hostess, I had some bad news about a friend of mine that has been hospitalized, I felt really pushed by family and was over tired to top it all off.

Here are some pretty clouds we saw one evening while George, Judy and Jodie were here for their visit:



One evening Paul and George went out to use the hot tub and George almost stepped on something. Paul flipped on the lights and this little toad was there! I have never seen any toads up where we are. It is very dry in the Loops, I would think the toad would be hanging out on the golf course where there is more water. I think it lives under our deck.



Once the house emptied out I spent a couple of days getting the kids rooms cleaned out and the house in order. I had the best intentions of blogging in the evenings but I was so done in I would fall asleep as soon as the kids did.

I am feeling rested now, there is still a lot going on, but I feel more capable of handling what life offers up now that I have had a few good nights sleep.

Last Saturday we had a wonderful homemade Chinese food dinner at Rump Roast's and T-Bone's house (barking cows). Let me tell you Rump Roast can cook! The food was wonderful and the company relaxing, it was just what I needed.

When we were invited to dinner (Ground Beef and Lean Beef went too) we were not told the whole story. We learned after dinner that it is their tradition to play Charades after Chinese food. I have never played before and was nervous to play! It was really loads of fun once we started to get the hang of it.

I took this picture of Paul while we were horsing around, I like it, it makes me laugh.



Paul took this one of me, you know the camera is a good one if it can take a picture of me that I like.



The kids made a banana cream pie for desert tonight. Here are Q and Seabass putting on the finishing touches.



PJ is grown up that she has been styling her own hair in the mornings. She is quite happy with the way it came it out today.

Alberta

We are enjoying our trip so far. The drive here was pretty good, we left Thursday night and drove for about 5 hours. We tried to get a hotel room in Valemount on the edge of British Columbia there were no hotel rooms available there, every thing was sold out.

We were pretty tired at this point but we had no choice and so we drove another hour to Jasper, Alberta. We drove into Jasper and all we saw was no vacancy signs, Paul was ready to get back on the highway and keep going. I suggested we go just a bit further down the main street and wee if we could find a room. There was one hotel without the "No" light on, I ran in and they had one room left. By this time it was 1:00 a.m. our time and 2:00 Alberta time.

I grabbed the room and ran back to the van. "Paul!!! they have one room left!" Paul said, "How many beds?" me: "I didn't ask!" We all slept in one room with a queen sized bed and we were happy to have it.

After living in Kamloops, where you are surrounded by mountains, Alberta sure has big sky, so here are some big sky pictures for you:



I am so proud of Paul who said, "That's a hella big sky."

We are having great time. The wedding was beautiful the reception was fun.

Phil and Leanna are spoiling us with wonderful meals, good company and a cozy bed. I will post more later.

Camera Fun

I have been running around all afternoon trying to get everyone ready to go. I am just about feeling caught up, but not quite. I love the part of the trip where you pull out of the driveway and you wonder if you packed everything. I figure if I forget something there are stores in Alberta.

Here are some pictures for you, I have been playing a little bit with the camera.



I love this picture of PJ, it makes me grin with her!

The pictures of the kids were taken last night, they were playing in the water in the evening and that is when I took them.

This one is taken looking out the front window one evening.

This one was taken in Norm and Helen's yard, they were out of town and went over and took some pictures.

PMS

We have had a busy summer, lots of wonderful company, lots of camping and lots of fun stuff.

I am having a great time and I am pooped out. I am feeling a little stressed today, PMS is not helping.

I have to get the kids and I packed to drive to Grande Praire and stay there a few days for a wedding. We get to visit with the Linfields while we are there, Yeah! We will in fact be staying with them. (Leanna should be the one stressed! LOL)

I can't even string a thought together here, bear with me. I have to pack up the kids and myself. We are bringing George and Judy back with us so I feel extra pressure to have the house clean before we go.

I have to leave an empty fridge when we go, so nothing goes bad and then when we get home late Tuesday night I have to figure out how to feed 7 people a nutritional meal. I will need to get groceries immediately upon returning home and then deal with getting the kids unpacked and settled in. Have I mentioned that I have PMS and I feel overwhelmed? I will get over it.

Paul ate all my PMS chocolate, this I will probably never get over.