July 29 06

Last Saturday in July
I love July. I am SO going to miss July. I hate having to wait another year for it to come again I think I like it better than Christmas.
So Saturday. Supposedly a nice peaceful day. Not so much most weeks.
It rained overnight which apparently did nothing for the plants because I still had to water them. This caused a rain delay in Scott's baseball games he had to umpire. Still we didnt do a lot in the morning. The kids fought a lot, and Scott started putting a cabinet up in my scrap room. Started LOL. The power drill/screwdriver lost it's charge and he had to charge it before he could continue the job Dont get me started. After he left for his games I tried very hard to keep peace between the feuding three. We had plans to go visit their friends who just HAD to move 45 minutes away, and all the fighting put those plans in jeopardy. Its not like you can just skip 4 minutes down the road to visit, a 45 minute drive takes planning and much more time. So by the time we actually settled on going, it was almost noon, and they were so SLOW about getting things done, we didnt get there until 130. Sad when we had to leave by 330 to be home again.
So we had a yard tour and then descended on the pool, it was Extremely hot and sunny. The kids played in the pool until we literally dragged them from the pool and into the van to go home.
On the way to this little playdate the Cruise Control on the Van stopped working. I tried it again on the way home, and it worked for about 3 minutes then kicked out again. I think this van is dying to completely fall apart before we trade it in, in the fall.
We rushed home to babysit for friends who were heading off to a wedding, we looked after Lane, friends with the girls, and little Sage who is almost 2. The kids went in the pool while Sage and I played in the sand box and made a salad, and when Scott came home earlier than expected we headed off to a BBQ with some other friends. They happened to be looking after the Cole, the oldest brother of the two we were watching. Funny how things work out. After eating (YUM CORN!) we let the kids ride bikes and scooters on the road outside. They set up a ramp and spent a couple of hours out there til it was too dark to see.
Jessie and SageLane and TaylorHolly on a really little bikeAnnika shortly before she banged her head and went home with ice...
and once we came home and got everyone into jammies and in front of a movie, Scott finished the cabinet hanging
The kids all went to sleep except Taylor, and she and I played Webkinz until after midnight!

July 28t 06

Friday the End of the Week
Yay it is Friday! Scott was away most of the week so he stayed near by for Friday! It must be wonderful tho, to be able to come and go as one likes. He comes in and says "I'm running out to here or there ALL the time, and I never have that freedom, I have to make sure there is someone for the kids (even if it's him, I always ask) and I usually end up dragging one or more with me
So it's Friday morning and we dont really have anywhere to be. There are a few things I need to get done, like take some books back to the library, and get the wash done, but nothing too pressing.
Scott comes in "I have to run out for milk". Off he goes and returns with the much needed coffee. We eat cereal. Scott comes in "I have to go get gas". He wants to mow the lawn before it rains. He goes out and returns an hour later. With gas and pool stuff and a bunch of stuff he needed from Canadian Tire. Now if I had known he was going there,I had about 4 things I needed to get. But he just goes when and where he wants. Now I am going to have to go and drag all the kids along too. "sigh" What did I do while he was gone?? Dishes, laundry, swept floors, and picked up in bedrooms.
"Sigh" sometimes its easier if he's just gone to work.
So he mows the lawn and Annika and I deadheaded some of the Petunias. I hate deadheading. I really thing Petunias are one of the easiest and better looking of the flowers we can hang around here, but I hate to deadhead them. I get sticky, hurt my finger nails, etc. But we deadhead all the same.
While Scott finished the lawn Annika and I wandered around pulling some weeds and looking at some of the plants. We got some Sunflowers to grow this year! Usually they are dead by now, but this year we got quite a few to grow. We planted some fancy ones and only one grew, but our tall ones got tall! Thinkin about 8 feet.
PLaying with my little camera and I have realised that the aim is SO totally off. I cant get anything in the middle unless I aim for it to NOT be in the middle...it's really bad when taking photos up close. Thank goodness I have my big fancy camera LOL Im having an awful time with the little one.
Was the best I could get.
So after the lawn was done (nothing was put back yet) we went to do some errands, Taylor won a draw at the Library again so we picked up her prize while dropping off books, she got a book, a book of postcards, and a Travelling Pants zipper pull which she GAVE TO ME!
We went to Scott's mother's to get some shelves and a cupboard for my scrap room, and the kids played with their cousins.
We stopped to visit Aleah for a minute then headed home for supper, and the kids went out to play while scott was off umpiring again.
The kids have enjoyed playing with Cassidy and her collection of friends
They swam in our pool while I was finishing cleaning up the yard after the lawn mowing replacing BBQ and things like that, and then I cleaned the pool (they stir up all the floaties
For some reason they went to bed really late. Annika went to sleep by herself in her bed (it was not pretty) but she did it, and Holly and Annika both ended up in our bed overnight so again, little sleep was achieved.

July 27 06

Thursday is a Busy Day YAhoo!
I do love a busy day! Thursday was hot hot hot (think 100F) and we didn't stay inside and waste the heat! LOL
First thing in the morning we went for coffee at a neighbor's house and the kids played together. This is the friend with the 2 little boys and beautiful Ella of the photos! LOL Coffee is such a nice way to start a day!
at 1030 Holly had her turn at the Youth Program at the Library. She really had fun, they did stories and a movie and made crafts, such as her stylish Visor and a little foam bird hanging thing.
Taylor and Annika played upstairs with me and a friend who has a daughter Natalie, Taylor's age (her daughter Amy is Holly's age and was downstairs with Holly). They coloured and read until they discovered that OMG they ARE allowed to go on the computers there (I had them convinced they could not) and voila I had them all over the computers. Annika was on a little one with games and it had headphones so she kept yelling to me MAMA I can't do it! LOL And Taylor and Natalie played Webkinz together.
So after the library we went to the NS Agricultural College Open House. That is where I did my BSc and met Scott. There was so much to do and we got there a little late, so kinda rushed around a little to see what we could!
first we were near the Ag engineering building so we stopped and they had trees there for the kids. They are some sort of Fir trees. Then we walked over to the Admin building where there was tattoos and if we'd been earlier, ice cream LOL. There was a spot to plant a seedling, so we have 3 new Hosta babies to plant,
Eventually we made it to where the food was and we had hamburgers,
then we caught the hay ride down to the Animal Science and Aquaculture building...
excuse my wretched appearance, it was 100 F. LOL
At the Haley Institute we headed for the aquaculture department. There were fish to see and touch,
They pretended to fish for styrofoam fish, they say all sorts of salmon and trout, and some really large Koi )somehow I neglected to get photos of all this...maybe all the bags I was carrying around with trees and plants and papers??? Oh and the water bottles...)
So we checked out the exhibit on the Genome Project and they got to get a little too much info on how babies form LOLOL the questions OMG LOL!
then we caught the hayride back to near our car and went home. I was about had it with a headache LOL and they were tired too. Into the pool they went. and I layed down for a few minutes while the little ones climbed on me LOL
Scott came home for supper and watched some of Holly's soccer game before he went off Umpiring and when the soccer game was over we went to the ball game, which ended somewhat badly, and Scott left us sitting there looking for him. So home and off to bed.
Did anyone see the Andrea Yates interviews on Primetime?? Sheesh....unbelievable.

July 26 06

Wednesday July 26
I cant believe we are so close to the end of July! Where has my July gone? this is the best month of the whole year and it's nearly over!
wednesday started a little shakey for some of us who didnt get any sleep, due to there being 2 bodies sleeping in the bed with us. Scott's been away, and the two older girls slept in the Mommy bed. I try not to mind but they dont let me sleep and I hate changing beds, I dont really sleep well anywhere else...so it was a little early out of bed. Holly decided she was awake and I took her out rather than let her wake Taylor. Tuesday they played with a friend Cassidy and her two friends, and they were told to come right back out after breakfast to play again. Holly couldnt wait to eat! She changed into her swim suit and the next thing I knew, the door banged shut and she was gone! I hopped up the hill to check her, and then got Taylor up and fed, got Holly home, and took them both to the library where it was Taylor's day for Youth Program.
Holly and I enjoyed some nice time reading and talking to friends upstairs while Taylor played Library Jeopardy downstairs.
We headed home where the kids ate the teeniest lunch before running off to play up the hill again! LOL I cant keep them home! I went up to check them and that's when Nanny came to bring Annika home...we almost missed them! They dropped her off and I stayed cool in the house with her.
Obviously this pool is just so much nicer than ours
After a quick supper of hotdogs we rushed off to ball practice. The kids really were not into it, it could not have been the heat, maybe boredom, but they preferred being silly and wrestling to actually playing ball!
We came home and cleaned the pool, Scott came home at bed time with Mr. Freezies (wish he would clue in that they get hyper when they eat those things) and so the kids all went to bed late, and then we just went too. Too tired to do anything else !
Ive decided that the kids are ruining their summer by fighting all the time. How much fun can that possibly be??
OK And Andrea Yates...did anyone follow this second trial?? Sheesh how could anyone find her not guilty? I sympathize with her, all those little kids, home with her allll the time...seemingly little support from her husband who must have been fairly oblivious...but to chase down and drown 5 little kids>?? I dont see how that can possibly be brushed off! I believe there is PPD and PPP, but to blame the deaths of 5 little babies on it is beyond me. I guess Im missing some crucial part of the evidence because I read every transcript I could find and I dont have much understanding of how they can eventually let her go, ever.
Off my soapbox.

July 25 06

Ahhhhhhh Tuesday
Tuesday is almost always better than Monday! It certainly was busier and I like busy days
hmmm I am wondering HOW MANY photos can I fill this post with? LOL
Got up pretty early and Scott went away for the night. We had a leisurely morning of cleaning bedrooms, then had to get to the Library for 1030, Annika had Youth Program-Dinosaurs. We stayed for a few minutes then went upstairs with Taylor and Holly to look at books. They picked some out and took them.
We went to the Mall for a walk and I got a new Mop, a Magic Blue mop. So we came home, had lunch, then I mopped the floor. It was...ok....the thing tipped a lot but I am not sure I did it right Anyway the floor looked really good.
The kids and I went to see neighbors with little kids and they ran through the sprinkler for a little while
Taylor didn't go in the sprinkler much, she preferred playing with the mommies
we came home for supper and then off to soccer again I dont know how I will go back to not coaching
We went out for ice cream with Nanny after soccer, who was taking Annika home for a sleepover. Apparently she fell asleep on the way home so it was not much of a sleepover
On the way home I saw this cool Sunflower growing out in the middle of a wheat (barley??) field. I had to do that silly mommy thing where I pulled over, ran out to the middle, and proceeded to take the photo of it. Was thinking, about perseverance and against the odds and all that HHAHAHAHAHA!
And a photo I took this afternoon at my neighbor's had to be scrapped so I used Doris Castle's Pure Love Page Set for it!

Youd think with one less kid I would get to bed earlier and sleep better. Nope. The two older ones did not want to go to sleep, and they both ended up in my bed, where there was no sleep to be had for me

July 24 06

Monday Blues
NOT my favorite day of the week. In fact Monday is my least favorite day of the week. I'm usually tired from the weekend and there's a whole week to be gotten through. Scott has someone from a supplier company traveling with him this week which means he's going to be gone more than usual.
Which the way he's been fighting with the kids is a good thing. Monday is our 4rth rainy day in a row. The kids are so tired of being inside, they went out and played. In the rain. I remember doing that, it was loads of fun! What a mess they made
Laundry Day! At least I had a reason to get outta bed. Although the kids really made me want to climb back in! I mean LOL when there was no Dad to fight with they fought with each other! And demanded an awful lot from me, such as "take us to the Library" and when I explained the library is CLOSED on Monday's they had temper tantrums. What is up with all that??? I dont Control the Library! I dont even control my house!
Baseball was cancelled for Monday night for the rain. When I was a kid, we played ball in the rain
So I cleaned my scrap room some more. I think I am almost done. At least for the cleaning and finding the floor part. The organising is going to be an ongoing forever and ever thing, ya? LOL But it is an improvement over what it was and I can now get in there and do stuff!
The Room:
The table showing scrapping evidence.
My 12X12 Paper Storage:
My Stamps and Card Paper:
My Retired Stamps and others:
Miscellaneous and tonnes of embellishments:
Now it will be obvious when I make wonderful changes! And I did 2 pages! To be shared when I can

July 23 06

Sunday

Another rainy day, another gloomy day here.
Not even laundry to do to keep one sane.
LOL
Stayed in bed late in the morning, not sleeping just there. We had a big brunch then Scott took the kids for a drive to his mother's. There was no one there LOL.
I cleaned up some in the scrap room then Scott went Back to his mother's (and she was there) and left the kids while he got gravel for our doorstep! FINALLY after about 2 years of me asking, he got gravel from his father's to fill the hole around the bottom of our steps, which filled with water with every little rain fall.
Back to cleaning in the scrap room. Til a phone call announcing my brother and his wife and niece were popping in for a visit. They arrived at about the same time that the kids and their Nanny came in with supper, and brought their dog to play with Dylan.

after they left the kids went to bed pretty soon, and we just did a little work then went to bed.My Not So Exciting Life continues on monday.

July 22 06

Saturday
Ive just had such a bad few days. I'm tired and totally not myself, maybe it's the weather or feeling a little overwhelmed but whatever it is I am not having a great weekend.
Saturday was a muggy, rainy day. It was one of those sticky days that you are better to do very little or get wet.
It was laundry day so we did it.
The kid played and had a little swim in the pool in the morning, and I spent the morning finishing off a little Christmas Planner, and being at the Untamed Online Crop for the Grand Reopening of the site. This is a really good time to be thinking about Christmas cards, since November is a little too late. LOL. I meant to do some scrapping as well but have been a little uninspired. We all have to have a down time once in a while.
This is my desk where I spend most of my computer time. It needs tidying
In The afternoon Scott burnt some wormy branches and cleaned out HIS car LOL inspired by my cleaning of the van.
the kids were bored and played on the computer some, played in their room, and reconfirmed that PlayDoh is not only the most Favorite long lasting toy, but also the hardest to clean up.
They were tired after supper and ready for bed. They all climbed into their new Jammies made by Nanny and spent some time playing with dad.
I braided Annika's hair, the best the braids have managed to go in yet! Her hair is still Baby-Fine, but long enough for little braids.
AND Just before sleep they are cheery and a little hyper, making a really NICE photo OP

July 21 06

Friday July 21
It's Friday! The weather is not supposed to be good as Post Tropical Storm Beryl is supposed to come right across us! The kids and I were supposed to go to the Beach at New Glasgow again today but either we go and it rains or we have to drive home in a storm, I dont want to spend the day stuck in a cottage with 5 kids, I just have too many things to do!
So I did get up early to watch the weather, Scott was up and gone very early, apparently for a golfing date he neglected to tell me about. The kids cleaned up their rooms a little and took the dog for a walk. They went in the pool for a while And I cleaned out the van. It gets really messy and for some reason one of the small people decided to take a PEN to the back of the seat in front of them...not once but twice! I vaccuumed then used a bucket of water and soap to clean the carpet, walls, and seats of the van. I dont think it's been so clean since we got it! And surprisingly a lot of the pop and coffee cam off the carpet with just a rag! I neglected to take before photos...but I got after!
I finished this just as the rain was starting! I quickly cleaned up the yard and went in to make lunch for the kids. Taylor made sandwiches for everyone for me!
The kids wanted to play on the computer for a while. They have Webkinz, these little stuffed animals that have a code you put into the web site and they become virtual pets. These pets need a tonne of attention too! LOL I do like to play some of the silly games So I figured they had earned their time, and set one upstairs on the computer and one downstairs so they could play together.
While they played Annika and I made some cards for a swap I am in! We made 12 of these little froggy cards!
By now the rain is really coming down.
The 2 older kids went to their grandmothers' for the night, and Annika stayed home with us because she fell off the couch and banged her head and I wanted her to stay here. We ran some errands and she fell asleep so we came home and I spent the rest of the evening finishing and sending off a Stampin Up order. And then wandered off to bed.