So we had the greatest Jigg's dinner on Tuesday night. After several calls home, I managed to cook the salt beef and vegetables to perfection. (Dad was a wee bit disappointed that I didn't make his stuffing but I have not yet gotten his recipe right.) The turkey was moist and delicious and the company was divine!

 

I went all out and set the table with the china and silver ware, lit the candles and dimmed the lights. The mood was set for overindulgence with great friends (who just happen to be family). We ate and laughed and ate and laughed some more. You just can't get any better than soaking up life in the warm glow of Christmas lights and candles. My bucket is getting past full and moving into over flowing this week!



One of the few pictures of G without a tissue up his nose!



  

Laura and Austin playing wih the cracker prizes

Naturally there were lots of leftovers (we Newfies' never know how to cook for a small crowd. If there isn't enough for 20 then we have failed in our job to be ready for everyone in the neighbourhood to drop by unexpectedly for dinner). This evening I made a favorite Jigg's after dish- Hash. It starts with a generous tbsp of butter in the bottom of a frying pan. When the butter melts and the pan is good and hot you add the left over vegetables and salt beef. If there happens to be any dressing you can throw that in there too. Mash it all together and voila! Hash. Serve with turkey and top with gravy. So very, very good!

Miss you guys...come back soon!

The most wonderful time of the year!

It's oddly quite in our house at the moment. There are no toy Black & Decker drills drilling, no cars crashing, no Santa on a motorcycle singing Born to be Wild. Austin and his daddy are having a nap while I sit here looking at the Christmas tree, listening to Kenny and Dolly. I just put the turkey in the oven and the salt beef is simmering away. Tonight Laura and Dan will be joining us for a visit and we'll sit down to a good ol' Newfie Christmas dinner. I even have the beets (but no mustard pickles). I cannot wait!

It's a very weird experience trying to establish your own traditions when I'm so used to the traditions that I have been entrenched in since I was a little kid. The pace of Christmas is very different here than it is back home. But I have to say that it has been nice. We' ve had a couple of stay in our jammies-watch Toy Story 2-eat Christmas brunch left over days. It's been nice to catch up on life with my boys.

Austin has been hilarious this year. He gets the whole Santa thing. Christmas Eve we made Santa rice krispie treats and when we put them on the table, Austin declared he was hungry and that Santa had to share!

Two cookies down and a phone call from the big man himself and Austin finally went to bed.

I was like an over excited kid Christmas morning. I woke up at 6am, can down to the living room and put cinnamon rolls in the oven, got the coffee/hot beverage station ready and took this picture to prove that Santa really came:

Austin was stirring at 7:30am of course I encouraged him to wake up. Next thing I know he is bouncing on his Dad declaring "Santa brought da pwesents daddy! get up! get up!" So we scurried downstairs where he met  Rudolph and then his new favorite toy....a Santa on a motorcycle just like his Poppy has.

Our house was soon full as G's parents arrived and RyLee, Clay and Oskar got out of bed. The day was hectic, brunch was served and then we all settled in for a nap.

Our adventures continue but right now I have to tidy up my very lived in home and check on my boys. I love Christmas break!

Only two more days!

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

-Mary Oliver

I don’t know about you, but I plan to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of life this holiday season. I will have 10.5 days of at home time with my boys and my ever expanding belly to just enjoy life and each other. Austin has been such a blessing for us and he is so excited for Santa’s visit tomorrow night. He walks around the house in his little bare feet (not sure why, but he hates socks this holiday season) “talking” to Santa on the phone, hangs up and says “Ho, Ho, Ho, Merwy Kissamas!” Gordon and I laugh and smile and just soak up the moment of happy bliss brought to us courtesy of our first born child. This will be our last Christmas as a family of three and I plan on capturing each and every moment…. (my slight photo addiction is the reason we require an external hard drive….Austin is just 2 I have taken over 2000 pictures so far….)

Oh?! You didn’t hear the news? Austin is going to be a big brother! Gordon and I are expecting our second child in June….Telethon weekend of all times! I’ve already been asked if the Foundation could schedule me in for a rover hit…..normally I wouldn’t want to go late but, in this case, fingers are crossed that the only thing I’m doing at the IWK on Telethon weekend is taking cash!

It’s been a tough fall and my positive attitude has taken a bit of a blow, hence why I haven’t been blogging as much as I would like. And I should have been. Blogging feeds my soul. It’s great to share the happiness that we have and to keep our family and friends informed, especially given that our village expands over several provinces and three American states. And while we aren’t able to spend our evenings personally calling each and every one of our family and friends to tell them our life adventures, this blog gives us a place to do that en mass. (Very helpful when your two year old is opening the fridge, taking out a juice box and sneaking the cake balls that were meant to be Christmas gifts into his cheeks as if he was a squirrel getting ready for winter…)

The Christmas lights are up, the tree is decorated and its warm glow is inviting and ready for company to come together to share in the Christmas spirit. The gifts are all wrapped, packages and cards sent and 90% of the baking has been done. I am ready for Christmas and anticipate the memories that we will be making this year.

I didn’t ask for much this year, I don’t really need anything. I have great family and friends, a wonderful husband, an extraordinary little boy and I’m growing another tiny human…life could not get any better than this and I am grateful for all of those blessings (and for the food saver I know is sitting under the tree waiting for me to rip the brightly coloured paper and ribbons away and start vacuum sealing leftover turkey!!!)

Soak up the day and live each day knowing that once that day is past you don’t have the chance to go back and change it. Cherish it, live it, love it!

Merry Christmas!

'tis the season!

We're all running around trying to get things done and rushing to get packages in the mail, baking in the oven and non breakable ornaments on the tree.  Weekend before last we took Austin to see Santa and he was so excited! It gave me a burst of energy and helped the spirit find me. He was upset that he couldn't just walk up and see Santa, but he was a trooper, peered over the "wall" and pointed "Mama, That Santa!!! that Santa!!!!"

Finally it was his turn. He ran up to Santa, stopped short right in front of him and said "Hi Santa. I want an airpane. Fank you." and just stood there. Santa laugh and asked him to have a seat. Austin happily went up with Santa, said "Cheeze" for the lady (hence the picture...but I couldn't get her to retake it...it's just so Austin) and then he and Santa had a conversation. It made me so happy to just watch him. Love, love, LOVE my boy!

Oh Jan! Congrats on your new baby!

My friend Jan had her baby in a rather unsual way! I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else I know expecting a baby!!! (You look amazing by the way!!!)

Baby's birth at gas station surprises parents

Baby Paige Bosch, seen with mom Jan McEachern, gave her parents no time to reach the hospital before her birth. (CBC)Paige Taylor Bosch entered the world Wednesday in an unusual way: she was born at a Halifax gas station.

Mother Jan McEachern, who was at full term of her pregnancy, started the day feeling cramps. She decided to go to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, where she also works, just to be safe.

McEachern and her husband, Kenny Bosch, piled into their Subaru hatchback and got on the road. That's when things sped up.

"About two minutes into the drive, my water broke," McEachern said. "Then another two minutes, her head came out. So he pulled over and called 911."

Bosch pulled into an Esso gas station on Kearny Lake Road to make it easier for the paramedics to find them.

McEachern was sitting in the front seat, and with two child car seats and bags in the back, there was no space to manoeuvre.

As it turns out, there was also no time.

"I could see the baby's head crowning," Bosch said. "I'm talking to the 911 operator, and not 15 seconds later, Paige had jumped out into my arms, and that was it."

McEachern had assumed she'd have plenty of time to make it to the hospital.

"With my first daughter, I pushed for five hours, because she was facing the wrong way," she said. "I had a lot of back pain, and I thought it was going to be the same thing."

Bosch agreed.

"Thought we had hours and hours," he said. "Even when her water broke in the car, we still thought we had plenty of time to make it down here."

Bosch said the ambulance arrived within 10 minutes of his 911 call.

Mom and baby went to the hospital in the ambulance and Bosch followed in the family car as soon as he washed up in the Esso bathroom.

The bewildered couple spent the day telling family and friends about their new bundle of joy.

McEachern had only one piece of advice for pregnant women and their families: "Leave earlier."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/12/02/ns-babys-birth-at-gas-station-surprises-parents.html#ixzz173SZks5p

Rest in Peace- John Delaney Coleman Sr.

The past two days have been emotionally draining. My heart broke to see how it all ended. While we may not have been close over the past decade, that doesn't take away that for 17 years he was a wonderful grandfather, giving when his family needed him and creating so many wonderful memories. He was a business leader in Corner Brook and gave much back to the community. If he had been home, it all would have been done so differently, it would have been done right. As I put my hand on his coffin and laid one rose for each of his grandchildren, my knees went weak, not with regret but from an overwhelming sadness that it all could have been so different and because a person's last moments before being laid to rest with God should have more dignity. There should be a program for Mass with a proper dedication, the coffin should have been level over his grave site, not tipped several degrees to one side. Some how I managed to keep my balance and turned away, thankfully Aunt Helen was right there to catch me. And she held me as I wept. I wept for all of the wonderful memories, I wept for the man who deserved to have more than just the past 12 years of his life honoured, I wept for all that he has missed and for him being buried so far away from his brothers and parents, for being buried so far away from home.

Good bye Pop. Thank you for the good years, thank you for my Dad, Aunts and Uncles. We love you and will miss you.

John Delaney Coleman (February 5, 1934 - November 30, 2010)


It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved Husband and Father, John Delaney Coleman Sr. on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at the age of 76 years at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital surrounded by his loving family.

John was born in Glace Bay, NS on February 5, 1934 and at a very young age he moved to Corner Brook, NL with his family. He spent many memorable years there before moving to Sydney River, NS. John was a member of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Sydney River. John had a gentle heart and was willing to give in all his capacity. He was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, M.M Coady Council 9476 and was a forth degree member of the Knights of Columbus in Corner Brook, NL for numerous years.
John is survived by his wife Coreen, his nine children: Anne Marie (Tony), Paul (Helen), Gerard (Debbie), Barbara (Tony), Helen (Todd), Sheila (Eric), Mary (Arnie), John (Arlene), Christine (Gary), 18 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, his 2 brothers Gerald and Joe and his only sister Helen Nellie, stepdaughter Janine Carroll and 2 step-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Arthur and Margaret, three brothers, Edward, Eugene and Harold.

A mass of Christina burial was held on Tuesday, November 30, 2010 at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Sydney River with Rev. Will MacPherson officiating. Interment was at the Holy Cross Cemetery, North Sydney, NS. Donations may be made to Loaves and Fishes, Charlotte Street, Sydney, NS or the Canadian Cancer Society. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.chantfunderalhome,com Arrangements are under the direction of Chant’s Funeral Home, Sydney, NS.



Country Haven Funeral Home: Obituaries

Saying Good Bye

Early this morning my grandfather lost his battle with cancer.

The really sad thing is that I haven't had a relationship with him for the past 10 years. He missed so much of my life. He didn't see me graduate from high school or university, he missed seeing me walk down the aisle and he has never met my amazing little boy. There were many reasons why we became estranged and I'm not going to go into it here because somethings just don't need to be put out there for the world to read about.

All of those reasons aside, he is my dad's father. He brought many of the people that I care about most deeply into this world and for that he deserves my respect.

I have so many memories of spending time with Pop and going on adventures with him. I'm sorry that there have been so many memories that he isn't a part of but I can't do anything about that now. What I can do is go and pay my respects to the man that I choose to remember.

Pop used to take me to the farm to see where food comes from and on drives along the coast. After my grandparents divorced and Pop got his own house, I remember many a family dinner in his home. Pop was a great cook and I looked forward  to dinners at his place with much anticipation. He always had this enormous glass jar in his living room and it was filled with jumbo jelly beans. Mom and Dad would tell my brother and I that we couldn't have anymore, and Pop would sneak baggies of them in our pockets as we left. His house was always warm and he always had chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies on hand anytime we were there. I have to say that it was one of the best chocolate cakes that I have ever had and it paired perfectly with a glass of ice cold milk. I'm sorry that I never learned how to make it from him.



Pop, I hope you have found peace.

Lessons learned when G works late

Gordon has had to put in some extra hours at work recently and last night was one of those “pick Austin up- bring Austin home-eat some leftovers for supper-back to the office” kind of evenings. I hadn’t anticipated that it would be much of a educational experience to be home in the evening with Austin, but in the end it was….


Three things I learned last night:

1) DO NOT BLINK! Don’t turn your head away from a toddler for one brief moment! Austin was colouring at his table, I answered the phone and was speaking to my sister in law when I turned my head back and my beige (almost white) chair was covered in magenta crayon!!! Austin was quite proud of his mater piece…Mommy was in shock. Naturally I was too shocked to give him a time out, and besides he just laughs at me when I try to be stern and runs around the main floor until I give up on trying to catch him anyway….
2) Spot Shot carpet cleaner takes magenta crayon out of beige (almost white) fabric…. (and its biodegradable cleaning solution- win/win)

3) The dishwasher repair man is my new best friend- the sad thing is that G almost had the dishwasher fixed a couple of weeks ago…all he had to do was unclog the pipe that connects to the faucet…oh well.. $69 dollars later I awoke to clean dishes and tonight I will finish the ones still in the sink (by putting them in the dishwasher of course!) Not really sure where my loathing of washing dishes came from, I certainly have no issues making dirty dishes but I would rather scrub floors than wash a dish…

Tonight I will be flying solo again and I have a small mountain of laundry and diapers to wash. I’m putting extra paper out on his play table and hoping that the Monkey doesn’t anything he shouldn’t.

I don’t have those eyes in the back of my head yet that every mother supposedly has…..any idea what I need to so to get those to come in?!

sentimental moment...

I haven’t been blogging lately. So much going on and by the time I put the monkey to bed I’m wiped! I need to write though. Someone asked me today if they could give someone an update on me and my family. I told them fine but they had to share the following: We’re fine. Austin is an amazing kid and that I am blessed to be me. I am happy and feel blessed to be me and to be living my life. I’m lucky and I know that. I try not to take anything for granted and am I thankful for what I have and for the people in my life.


And I am.

I have an amazing husband who loves me no matter what. I have an incredible little boy who lights up a room with his personality and is so smart it makes me wonder where his brains come from (“be just like Aunt Janice!”). My family is fantastic, supporting and a great source of strength. My friends (old and new) are incredible and “get” me. I don’t need to try to fit in or be someone else. I am just me and they accept that.

I am lucky and as people on Facebook are doing the 30 days of Thanks leading up to American Thanksgiving, I don’t think it is inappropriate for me to blog about it.

Don’t get me wrong, life is by no means perfect. We all have our ups and downs, our grays and our colours. I try to see the colour because the colour is what brings us happiness while the gray reminds us not to take the colour for granted and to appreciate the colour. And when a moment of gray comes, take comfort that colour will come too and draw strength and learn the lesson that the gray is there to teach you.

(J…want me to write that philosophy paper for you?…I seem to be on a roll!)

My Prayer

I do not wish for you to suffer


The choices that you made are yours to live with, to die with

I made peace with your place in my heart a long time ago

I love you for all of the wonderful memories that I have

I love you for brining my loved ones into this world

I learned hard lessons, the hard way at your hands

Now that the end is near I pray that peace finds those who seek it

I pray that family can come together and not be divided

I pray that you find comfort in God

I hope that you can find peace before you go

I do not wish for you to suffer

There has been enough suffering and pain to last a lifetime

It is time for it to end

Find peace…

My baby is TWO!!! How did this happen?!?!

I can hardly believe that at this very moment 2 years ago and was putting the last few items in my hospital bag and getting ready to go to the IWK to meet my little man. And just a year ago I was squeezing every last moment of joy out of my last day of maternity leave. Gordon and I took Austin to the park and spent the day doing the things that the little man enjoyed most, sliding, running around, tossing him up in the air and then between naps we cuddled, read his favorite books, finger painted and took him out for a quite family dinner, just the three of us.

This year I am spending his birthday at work because we are just back from a weeklong vacation and I couldn't get away for the day. I know he will be having a great time at Kelly's with his firends today and we're having a birthday supper tonight, complete with Lightning McQueen birthday cake! Monkey's big day started when he climbed into bed with us at 5:30am. G and I held him close and sang him "Happy Birthday". He looked up and sleepily said "Again!" so of course we sang again. He had a birthday candle on his waffles and a birthday button on his jacket (yes I want the world to know that today is a special day!) He is growing so fast. I try to relive the moments of his life in my head so that I don't forget one single precious second of it!

I know a few of you are expecting a slide show like the one I did last year. To be honest I am in the process of doing one but I have over 5000 pictures to go through and I am also working on another very exciting project so I wasn't able to finish it for today. I slacked off and used my time in NL to relax instead of to work on a bunch of projects! Stay tuned for good things.....

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Andrea (a budding photographer) came with us to an apple orchard in the Valley and took a few pictures. I will have more to share tomorrow as I capture tonight's moments but in the meantime enjoy!

Pumpkin bread, hockey helmets and puppies

There is something about the adventure of travelling with a toddler. I just love watching Austin's eye grow as he sees plains, trains and helicopters up close. He gets that "holy crap these things are REAL!" look going on and it is beyond cute.

After some careful planning for our trip we managed to navigate the airport fairly smoothly. I had put Austin in the backpack right out of the car so he was content to watch all the activity from the safety of the Beco. I had check us in and printed off our boarding passes the day before so that was one less line that we had to wait in. We bypassed the line at security (travelling with kids in like a golden ticket to the front of the line...it helps when the child is super cute, looks at the security guard and says"Nice to meet you police man"...now the guard was a woman but she thought it was beyond cute). Things got a little hairy then because we had to take him out of the Beco to go through the metal detector and he wasn't too happy about getting back in.

Once upstairs I was so excited. I had plans to get my coffee (one last Starbucks fix) before hitting the rock and then I had planned to take a bunch of pictures of my monkey watching the plans and observing the busy-ness of the airport. Well only have that plan happened. We got my coffee, got coffee for G and a cookie for Monkey. We walked down to the gate and as soon as we sat down and I reached for the camera, they called preboarding for people with children. We went through the gate and onto the plane. I regret not having taken my camera out anyway to capture the moment that he say the plane and when he got settled in his seat. He played so well during the flight and kept looking out the window and exclaiming "Wook Mama!". He was very entertaining and made the flight so enjoyable.

We spent most of yesterday afternoon sleeping (that's what we get for being up until 2:40am doing laundry and packing!) and then we were pretty low key last night. I baked pumpkin bread (only 2pts a slice!) and Austin chased Bailey (my sister's dog) around the house all the while wearing Mark's old hockey helmet and saying "Baiwee- what do you fink?" I love it!

I'm so excited that we have three more full days of enjoying my family and watching my family enjoy my boy. I can't believe that in a week he will be 2.... where did the time go?

Happy Thanksgiving

(And this is yet another reason why I love our friend Kelly!)

You spin me right round baby right round!

You know, there was a time when I would dance to that very song in the middle of the street for just some good relaxed fun (usually when a certain Follett was dropping me off from a night of gallivanting about town). Today I'm thinking about all the ways those words still apply. Seriously my head is spinning!

My new job at Dalhousie is awesome! I love having a new challenge and a new project to sink my teeth into. Actually I should say new projects! Anyway I am sorry I have been neglecting updating the Babblings but I literally have not had time to sneeze at work and I don't go near a computer at home in the evening. I promise to catch up on my emails next week!

This past Saturday was a bit of a crazy day. It was the first Saturday I have not worked in weeks and, because Austin had a cold, it was relatively free. I went to WW in the morning (down 1.2lbs thank you!), then came home to decorate a birthday cake. I was frantically trying to finish up Olivia the Pig when out of nowhere G's sister RyLee showed up! It was a nice surprise and I'm hoping that we'll get to see her a bit over this coming weekend.

Maybe it was because my life has been so hectic but I just felt like doing homey things on Saturday. I hauled out a new cooking magazine and made pumpkin mini chocolate chip mini loafs and  mini pumpkin muffins (notice a trend?). Mini muffins have two major advantages...Austin will eat a whole mini muffin but not a whole regular muffin and making them mini makes them ridiculously low points. I also replaced half the butter or oil in each recipe with unsweetened apple sauce. I used half sugar and half splenda only to learn today that half a cup of splenda for baking has 1.5 points MORE than half a cup of sugar...there is something to be said for using the real deal!

I also craved the comfort of fall soup. I roasted butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots, celery, onions and garlic in the oven (tossed with a bit of sea salt, pepper and olive oil). Then I added them to some chicken broth and coriander seeds that I warmed up on the stove. After I blended the pot of roasted goodness together I stirred in some fresh parsley. My kitchen smelled incredible and the soup just really hit the spot that night at dinner.

G and Monkey spent the day outside playing. Monkey helped his dad mow the lawn and they went for a bike ride around the neighbourhood. After his nap he helped me in the kitchen and I need to get more pictures of those moments.

Fall is here. Soon my house will be decked out with fall decor, home baked goods in the freezer and my slow cooker will get a daily workout.

Oh and if filling my "down" time with comfort projects isn't enough...we're going to NL in 13 days for a visit. I can not wait!!!!

mompetitors- too funny!

Laura- I loved these videos! I really did LMAO!!!!


http://blog.myviewfromhere.com/2010/mompetitors/

Because Neil Patrick Harris is cool....

Thank you Krista.....

This addict is looking for help...

I have a problem. It is a very real addiction and I need help....

My problem smacked me in the face yesterday morning as I was trying to get my little Monkey to wake up. After the usual tummy tickles and the good morning song, Austin did his morning stretch. Arms up over his head, back arched, butt out and face scrunched. I asked him is if wanted to go potty. Mid-stretch he replied "...coffee..." in a groggy, just waking up tone. I burst out laughing and then he open his eyes, rolled over, pulled his knees into his chest, butt up in the air and said "no Mommy...coffee now" Where is a video camera when you need one? That will totally be a story told to every girlfriend he brings home!

(BTW-That's just water in his cup)

And that is when it hit me....I have a problem

I love skinny vanilla lattes and chocolate dipped oatcakes. I have had a least two oatcakes a week since starting my job at Dal....and these oatcakes are not for the faint of heart. They are delicious and think and have this chocolate coating that isn't of the highest quality but my god it tastes good.

The latte isn't really an issue...it's 3WW pts, not a whole lot ion the scheme of things and I enjoy it so much! My day just doesn't feel right without one. Now the oatcake...THAT'S a whole other issue. It must be at least 9pts, more likely it is more than that....so if we say 12pts and add the latte then I'm using over HALF of my daily pts on my carb and caffeine obsession...

I need to conquer my comfort food issues if I am ever going to reach goal. Maybe I should try being hypnotised or ask the Second Cup ladies (who now say "Good day Lisa! Do you want your usual?") not to serve me....or maybe I should just learn some self control. There's an idea....

And the week begins!!!

So it's check in craziness here at Dal. The line ups outside the house that I work in have begun. The next few weeks will be crazy so I took some time yesterday to plan my meals for the week. This is what we are having this week:

Monday:
L- Turkey, carrot & raisin salad (3pts)
S- Slow and low sloppy joes & salad (7pts)

Tuesday:
L- Chicken & nappa cabbage salad (4pts)
S- Mexi bugers & potatoes (10pts)

Wednesday:
L- Turkey, carrot & raisin salad (3pts)
S- Thin crust pizza & vegetables (8pts)

Thursday:
L- Chicken & nappa cabbage salad (4pts)
S- Chicken drumsticks & rice (10pts)

Friday:
L- Turkey wraps (4pts)
S- BBQ pork & vegetables (8pts)

I'm throwing in fruit and yogurt at lunch too so lunch will be 6pts or so by the time it's all said and done. If I can stick to my running /yoga schedule for teh week then I should be able to get down more than 0.6lbs this week.

I promise I will post some pictures of all our summer adventures as soon as I can!

Transition...

I'm writing this blog from my new office. I have two windows and a door. A door may not seem like a big deal to most but when you live in cubicle hell (a well designed, warm and comfortable cubical hell but still), a door is a very, VERY, big deal.

Wednesday was a hard day for me. I attended meetings and went out to lunch with my coworkers. After returning from lunch , I clued a few things up and wrote a status report. I feel good that I was able to complete almost every task that I had and that I didn't leave behind a huge pile for my replacement. The last thing I wanted was for someone to arrive and be buried by the oodles of paper that I am know to have hanging around. I looked at my empty walls and empty desk and started to cry. What am I getting myself into? I really did love my job and I enjoyed going to work and socializing with everyone but I know that I needed more.

Saying goodbye to Gena, Oneta and Robbie was not fun. I know I am going to see them and that I can call them for guidance when I need it but it didn't make it any easier. They have been my mentors and have taught me so much.

Wednesday night I was a bit nervous (okay a lot nervous). I honestly felt like I did every year before my first day of school. I barely slept thanks to a case of the hives that I have recently developed from an allergic reaction. Thursday morning I took too Benedryl (can you see where this is going to go???) and headed out the. The woozies set in just as we pulled into Natalie's road and I slept most of the way into the city. Not a great idea on the drugs...I mean I wasn't itchy (good thing) but I was slightly buzzed (bad thing). I sat in Starbucks, sipped on a Venti and tried to wake myself up! The caffeine seemed to do the trick.

I walked into the office and  immediately started to feel at ease. The staff are really nice, my predecessor is happy to help me out and Lynda and Heather are going to be great to work with.

Today is day two and I'm feeling pretty good. Only 3 weeks until frosh week and I've been warned that Labour Day weekend is Dal's Telethon. We shall see how I feel about the job after that!

It's not easy to leave something you love for the unknown. I needed this. I need to push myself out of my comfort zone, come to think of it maybe the hives are from my nerves and not a reaction to the medication...

Oh well tonight is Friday night and I am going to sit back with a Mojito and enjoy my weekend!

Happy Friday!!!

Can a miracle be found in the bottom of a DQ cup?

Yesterday was Miracle Treat Day.

After supper Gordon and I took Austin to the Dairy Queen in Lower Sackville and I was thrilled with the scene that we walked into. The store was packed! Just as we squeezed in the door, a group of soccer players (young girls around 10-12 years old) started a rowdy rendition of "Happy Birthday Blizzard" people joined in and even clapped when they were done. The staff behind the counter were clearly overwhelmed but kept on smilling as they moved throught their assembly line approach to making the delicious frozen treats. The line of people went around the store, circled to the front door and then to the checkout. I had never seen DQ so packed! In addition to filling up on frosty goodness, people were also buying Miracle Balloons like they were going out of style.

Austin enjoyed his first Mini Orea Blizzard but he was far more interested in his Dad's Banana Cream Pie blizzard, so they took turns. Austin would eat his, then G's and then mine (smartie of course!). After we devoured our treats, we walked out of the store in a much better mood than we arrived. We had eaten ice cream (how could you not be happy after that?) and we had helped the IWK. It was an awesome night.

Closing my eyes and leaping into the unknown...

I love my job. I love the people that I work with and I have the ideal work environment. I am so proud of everything that I have accomplished over the past four and a half years.

I can't believe that I am about to say this but . . it's time for a new challenge.

Two weeks ago, an opportunity came across my desk that I could not ignore. I spoke with Robbie about it (and burst into tears just thinking about what I was about to do) and he told me that I would be an idiot if I didn't apply. So I updated my resume and cover letter, had Robbie look it over and then clicked Submit. I'm sure I broke into a cold sweat as my finger let the arrow hover over the button before I took the leap.

That was on Monday, Friday I was sitting in the office of the Assistant Vice President of Ancillary Services of Dalhousie University, talking about my job, my experience, my responsibilities and my approach to life. We talked about the job and what I would be doing. I wasn't nervous, I have a job that I loved and no one knew I was there so I almost had nothing to lose...almost. They asked me why I was interested in the job if I loved what I did and the people that I work with. The answer is simple, it's time for me to grow. I'm in need of a new challenge with more responsibilities.

I am about to take a huge step outside my comfort zone. In the next couple of weeks I will taking on the role of the Administrative Coordinator of DAL's Ancillary Services department. I'm sure I will ask myself "what was I thinking" when the semester starts and the students come back to campus and I face my new responsibilities without knowing what I am actually doing....I'm sure I will catch on.

And do you want to know what I am really worried about?

Who am I going to eat lunch with....

Guest blog part 2

Another guest blog for the IWK Foundation

Welcome to the world

I am very blessed in my life to have amazing friends. Friends that I can call on to celebrate little victories and cry about things that just aren't going my way. Friends who knew about the second line on the pregnancy test moments after it appeared and before I was ready to share the news with the rest of the world. Friends who sat and consoled me when I didn't think I could feel more sorrow and friends who welcomed and celebrated my little boy's birth and supported me as my life changed forever.

Laura is one of my amazing friends. She and her husband John moved to Alberta a few years ago and I desperately miss her. I'll never forget the day she called and told me that she too was going to become a mother. It has been hard sharing this with her from afar and supporting her from Halifax when ever ounce of me wanted to be in Alberta holding her hand and telling her everything would work out.

Her precious little one arrived just after midnight on June 21st. I had asked him to arrive before 9:30am or after 2pm because I had our AGM during that time and wouldn't be able to answer my phone, and Elijah, being the sweet child that he is, graciously obliged. I wish I could hold him and be there to help Laura out and I am counting down the days until their trip home in the fall.

Laura is a great writer and she encouraged me to create a blog a few years back. Here is the story of Eli's birth, written so well by his adoring mother.

I miss you and can not wait to see you!!!

Love,
Scoob

Guest blogging this week

Check out my blog post for the IWK Foundation.

And now for some pictures!!!

Without further delay....

The New Deck! (Great job hunny!)

Austin melting in the heat (rocking a lulu headband)

The Great Ice Cream Capper 2010

Back in June we went to Kelly and Daniel's for a BBQ one day after work. Like responsible mothers, Kelly and I were watching the children like Hawks...until the wine started to kick in. We thought the kids were being a little too quiet... We looked down and saw that Austin and Aislynn had gotten the ice cream out of the freezer (note to self...bottom door freezer bad idea) and were eating it out of the container with their hands. It was incredible cute!

Running. I love this picture. I took it on my birthday while watching Austin and Clare kick the ball around the yard. I wonder if I have a little David Beckham on my hands...

More pictures tomorrow!

Out of my zone

Tonight I ran for the first time in about three weeks. I made it four laps before my legs just wanted to give out and my lungs almost exploded. I walked for 30 seconds before picking it up again. I'm mad at myself for letting my endurance suffer over the last three weeks. Between the heat and the rain I haven't been braving the elements to hit the track. This week I will get back on track (so to speak!)

Monday- run...done
Tuesday- mojitos (A visit from Annette trumps running!)
Wednesday- run in the forcasted rain
Thursday-yoga
Friday- run
Saturday- yoga?

We're planning on heading to NB for the long weekend and that means we'll be hitting up Magic Mountain and that means I need to wear a swimsuit in public. So the next two weeks I will be hard at it!

Annette is coming for the day tomorrow and I am excited to spend a few hours with her. I can't wait to head to St. John's for a weekend this fall!!

Lazy summer my @ss!!!

So I haven't stopped since the beginning of June. I'm sorry I haven't written much. There is no way I could catch you up on everything in July but I'll give you a few highlights:

Happy Birthday Ani, Dad, Erin, Brad, Aislynn and the birthday twins RyLee and Clay  (I'm sure I am missing someone...)

Happy Anniversary Gordon! Thank you for 6 wonderful years. I am looking forward to all the years to come.

Austin's words are coming along so well. He is very articulate and then he rambles and we make guesses about what he is saying...sometimes we're right...mostly we're wrong. He is thrilled with his Handy Manny Tools and last night we all spelt with Pat the Hammer...so much fun!

I've got lots of pictures from our adventures and I will share them soon! I'm off tomorrow so perhaps while I wait for my friend's flight to land I will spend my morning blogging!

Fireworks

My favorite blog is play “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry as I sit down to type this out. What a perfect summer weekend/4 day mini-vacation we just had! It started out with this:

Austin’s first Sackville fireworks. We didn’t have a great view but he was thrilled with the lights and kept saying “More piddy momma!!”

G and I made a vow to video tape as much as possible before Austin starts talking like a grown up. He has already gone from saying “Tome, tome mommy” to “Come, come mommy” (This is especially cute when he runs up to me and grabs me by the hand and leads me to look at a bug or to reach his bubbles and chaulk…)

Thursday was Canada Day and we were up and at ‘em early…well okay 7:30 so really it was a sleep in. We took Austin to the Canada Day Parade on Sackville Dr., Austin loved the bubbles and music. After a pre-lunch nap, we hung out in the backyard “helping” daddy build the privacy fence, chasing balls and laughing at everything and anything.

(yes that is a sucker....)

Thursday night brought more of this:

And of course this:  Canada Day dessert with supper: I'll share the recipe later...so good!

Friday morning Austin woke up at 5:30am and called out from his room. I would love to say that I heard the pitter patter of little feet but let’s face it…my child is a rugby player in the making. His little thuds soon led to two little hands on my mattress and then that beautiful blond hair peeking up over the edge. I pretended to still be asleep until I heard his little whispers "momma?? Up, bed?” The BEST way to wake up.

Monkey and I got up and made breakfast and coffee for daddy. He helped and tasted the raw pancake batter, declared it to be “dewishshis” and then was upset when I cooked it! We spent the whole day outside and it was glorious!

Saturday brought a nighttime campfire with new friends:

G completed our new deck on Sunday and we had our first company for a bbq:

It was so hard to get up this morning to go to work. Oh how I would love to be at home soaking up this amazing summer with this little guy!

Happy Day Canada- love Austin!

Thirty is treating me well!

Sorry to have been such a Debbie Downer on my last post. I let my “glasses” (as in rose coloured) slip for a bit and I was in a little funk. I have so much to be happy about and thought that it was high time I shared with you some great pictures and stories about my fabulous husband and my fantastic friends!

You know from a few posts ago that I was not all that keen on turning thirty. I decided to embrace it, I mean seriously, I could NOT be turning thirty and so thirty is a good thing!

I woke up nice and early on June 19th thanks to my adorable son who felt it necessary to get up at 5:45am to talk to the birds. He helped me open my gifts (a yoga gift certificate and the book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller- READ IT!) and then we got up for breakfast and showers. By the time my mother and sister called, Austin was in full-blown melt down mode and I was reduced to tears (serves me right for staying up until 1am knowing full well Monkey doesn’t sleep in!). Needless to say a cup of coffee and a car ride to the market later, Austin woke up a new child and I was a happy mommy!

We wandered around the market taking in the smells of the fresh fruit, veggies and home made goods that fill the building. We stopped at my favorite bread kiosk, the Boulangerie for bread and pastries. As we were paying, Austin reached into a basket and took a pain au chocolate. The boy has good taste! The flakes of croissant dough were all over his shirt and my back and chocolate was smeared all over his face. It was too cute!

After picking up some peonies we headed to the grocery store and got some lunch. We arrived at Point Pleasant Park and walked along the path until we came to the perfect picnic spot. It was so beautiful at the park. We were sitting on the ocean’s edge and breathing in the salt air. I love the rocky beach, littered with shells and driftwood. It reminds me of home. We chased Austin and soaked up the sun. It was pushing 2pm and I knew another meltdown would soon follow if we didn’t pack up and head home for a much-needed nap. (I could have used one too!)

A few picks from the Boardwalk and Park

We finally got home just after 3pm and, still clueless about what was about to happen, I raced into the house to run to the loo. As I was unlocking the door, I caught sight of balloons in my living room window. I opened the door and my house was full of friends and family. I couldn’t believe that G pulled this off right in front of my eyes. He never surprises me because I am way too nosy and I always guess.

At the end of the day I fell into bed with Austin and G, exhausted and grateful to feel so loved. I could not have planned the day better myself. It truly was as close to a perfect day as I could have ever ordered up!

Thank you to everyone who helped G pull off the surprise and for all your birthday wishes. It’s going to be a great decade!

Run...

Sunday I ran.

I got out of the house before I lost my mind at my little monkey who just refused to listen to me or to do anything that I wanted him to do or behave the way I wanted him to behave. I’m not sure when exactly my patience started to wear thin…during our morning trip to the park he ran out into First Lake to catch the ducks, he pulled at Stanley’s leash the whole time I was trying to get him in to, he tried to put his fingers in the kitchen aid WHILE the motor was running, he wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t nap, he wouldn’t let go of the hammer, he wouldn’t keep his shoes on...and on and on the list goes.

Somewhere between his bath and trying to wrestle 32lbs of defiant toddler boy into PJ's I just gave up. I admitted defeat and told G that he had to take him and I needed to run.

Hitting the track felt good, I played Macy Gray’s Beauty in the World over and over as I ran trying to escape my day, trying to put it all in perspective. By lap 4, I had to talk to myself and push myself to get to lap 6. And then I realized how much better I felt when I got my run in and how far I had fallen in two weeks.

I’m not all that used to getting compliments and I realized that when I start to see changes and I start to get compliments and other people notice that I am changing, I fall off track. I think it’s no big deal I can have a cookie. One cookie probably would be fine…but I had three. Just that kind of stuff. I’m trying hard today to stay on track.

As much as I wish that one day I could just wake up skinny, I know that isn’t going to happen by itself. I hate that I have to take each day as it comes, plan and think about my choices. It sucks that one cookie can make such a difference in my day, in how I feel about myself.

I don't mean for this post to make it sound like I had a horrible weekend or that I don't love my life. I had a great weekend that included a challenging Sunday.

The magic of a pencil skirt

Let me start by saying that I had the MOST wonderful weekend! My husband, family and friends pulled off a great surprise party on Saturday afternoon (and let’s face it…it is not easy to pull one over on me!). And the day was perfect. I will post about that as soon as I upload pictures from my camera.

Sunday I had to go get some clothes…I was actually shopping for shoes but I ended up in Ricki’s and then realized that none of my clothes actually fit me well anymore. I found this great hot pink shirt and decided to try on a pencil skirt just for the hell of it. Those of you who know me well know that I don’t wear skirts all that often, but something about this skirt just had me. I tried it on and it was too big. They didn’t have any on the next size down so, on Monday G ended up at MicMac picking up the skirt.

This morning I wore the skirt to work…I don’t know if it the Spanks sucking me in or the way the skirt fits but I feel a little more professional and am sitting up straighter. When I walked down the street for a coffee (thanks to the multiple Starbucks giftcards that I got for my birthday) I walked a little differently too…I think most of that is because there isn’t a lot of room in this skirt to walk like a normal person…I feel a little more confident today. I’ve been getting compliments left, right and centre and even noticed a guy giving me the up-down when I was walking to the bank on my lunch hour. That hasn’t happened in awhile...accept from my hubby of course!

I have to say that I feel fabulous today! I think I need more pencil skirts…and while I’m at it maybe I will revisit the stilettos….maybe….

A birthday tribute too funny not to share!

At work we have a little things where we provide some information and Elizabeth Smith (or me in the event Elizabeth isn't around) writes a birthday profile to share with the staff. This was in my inbox this morning and I thought that I would share it here! Thanks for making me smile today Elizabeth!!! (I especially love how she interjected with her stories!)


On June 19th, 1980 our dear little Lisa was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Good Lord, I was in college in Ottawa then and partying in Hull, Quebec every Friday and Saturday night!! I am getting OLD.


Anyway, back to Lisa!

Little Lisa was a bit of a performer when she was growing up. She’d sing and dance for just about anyone and would make any piece of furniture a stage, get up on it and perform. I think I saw her doing one of her performances at the Holiday Party at St. Mary’s Boatclub last December. She was definitely up on a table.

Lisa performed in Fiddler on the Roof and Charlotte's Web with the NL Theatre Company.

In high school she went to Ottawa for Forum for young Canadians and met Jean Chretien. In 1998 Lisa was the Corner Brook Winter Carnival Ambassador. I went to Marble Mountain in the late 90’s for a ski trip and there was no snow!! We spent a night in Cornerbrook at Gary’s Place dancing and drinking rum. So, it ended up not being a ski trip for the IWK that year, it was a drinking trip. When I see the commercials for Marble Mountain and how much snow they get, I usually fall over laughing!! Oh, back to Lisa!!

Lisa loves to travel and has done the whirl wind tour of Europe, been to Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal & Nashville.

She used to be quite the groupie with many bands and is seen below hanging out with a very notorious playboy!!

Forrtunately Lisa met Gordon at Bluenotes in the Bedford Shopping Mall while being stocked by one of his friends. It was love at first site and they got married on July 10, 2004 (which happens to be my birthday!!). It was time for her to stop hanging out with the likes of Gene Simmonds and other bad boys like him – thank goodness for Gordon.

I’m no expert (I use to be!!) but Gordon looks like he was smoking something a little funny in this photo!! (I should clarify that this picture was taken in the wee hours of the morning in the Ottawa airport on our wy to Nashville....G didn't smoke anything! lol)

Then on October 14th in 2008, the light of Lisa’s life was born.

That little boy is getting so grown up and is going to keep his mom and dad very busy.

Just about time for another one I think!!

Lisa, hope you have a wonderful birthday on Saturday.

Happy, Happy Birthday!!
From your Foundation Family.