Cade is at his grandparent's for a few days. Jer and I have been having a grand ol' time getting things done and having a chance to hobby, stay up late, and go out on dates.
Last night we ate dinner out (no cooking for once, hooray!) and checked out Tron Legacy in the theatre. I really liked it. I was only so-so on the original, but really enjoyed the effects and artistic treatments in this film. The plot was about what I expected, but it was still a fun little show to go see. And it was great to get out for an evening. How life changes once you're a parent!
Anyway, it's past my bedtime and I'm off to work in the AM. Catch you in the new year!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
A noteable experience
On a side note, we went to NOtaBLE restaurant for our work Christmas party. It was amazing. The decor was lovely, the restrooms well-cared for (a rarity among restaurants, and so worth mentioning). But most importantly, the food. The food was fabulous, mouthwatering, utterly scrumptious. From the entree to dessert, everyone loved their meal. I had steak, since I'm somewhat of a steak lover. It was tenderly grilled with just the right amount of slightly crusty edges, and topped with a dollop of flavored and spiced butter. The sides were nothing to sneeze at either, with roasted potatoes and perfectly done veggies. I was just so impressed. It was gourmet food in a casual atmosphere, which we loved. So the next time Jer and I have a whole bunch of money to blow on dinner, we're definitely going there!
They also have a lovely website. Check it out: http://www.notabletherestaurant.ca/
They also have a lovely website. Check it out: http://www.notabletherestaurant.ca/
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The work bathroom
I've been pretty bad at blogging lately. Things have been crazy what with Christmas planning, the new job, and a sick kid. He's mostly better, but now I'm the one coughing and grabbing kleenex like a klepto. Oh well. C'est la vie.
My car stereo no longer plays CDs. This is really sad for me, since that was my main music mode. I've been radio-ing it for several weeks now, and am happy to say Jer brought home an FM transmitter for my ipod the other day, and it works great! So although I can't bring CDs along, at least I can load the ipod up with music. It would be so sad not to have Snowed In in my car for the holidays!
Since I've been sick and not sleeping enough, I've been pretty casual about cooking real meals, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and pretty much anything I can avoid in favor of doing almost nothing. I've had to play a bit of catchup yesterday and today, but it's been worth it.
This past weekend Jer asked to go to the mall. This is the first time it's happened in the 6 years I've known him. He wanted to see the clock in the floor in Chinook Centre, so we went Christmas shopping there with Cade on Saturday afternoon. I must say I do enjoy that mall: the food court is pretty, and they have a fairly good selection of stores. There were also people 'statues' dressed up as nonsensical Christmas figures at most of the mallway intersections, which were fun to look at.
I'm also happy this evening because Cade went to bed without a fuss. He asked me for his bottle, snuggled down to drink it, and went to sleep without a peep. It's been weeks since that happened, and I've missed it! I'd almost forgotten what it was like to comfort him for a good hour or so to try to get him to sleep. Those sleepless nights are one part of having a baby I don't miss at all.
We've finally settled on a church to call home. We've been pretty happy with it so far, and Jer made friends with a skater guy our age with a young family, which is good! We're both missing our friends now that we're a few months into the move. It makes me look forward to going home for Christmas just that much more. 2 weeks and counting! And only 2 presents left to buy. Booya.
My car stereo no longer plays CDs. This is really sad for me, since that was my main music mode. I've been radio-ing it for several weeks now, and am happy to say Jer brought home an FM transmitter for my ipod the other day, and it works great! So although I can't bring CDs along, at least I can load the ipod up with music. It would be so sad not to have Snowed In in my car for the holidays!
Since I've been sick and not sleeping enough, I've been pretty casual about cooking real meals, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and pretty much anything I can avoid in favor of doing almost nothing. I've had to play a bit of catchup yesterday and today, but it's been worth it.
This past weekend Jer asked to go to the mall. This is the first time it's happened in the 6 years I've known him. He wanted to see the clock in the floor in Chinook Centre, so we went Christmas shopping there with Cade on Saturday afternoon. I must say I do enjoy that mall: the food court is pretty, and they have a fairly good selection of stores. There were also people 'statues' dressed up as nonsensical Christmas figures at most of the mallway intersections, which were fun to look at.
I'm also happy this evening because Cade went to bed without a fuss. He asked me for his bottle, snuggled down to drink it, and went to sleep without a peep. It's been weeks since that happened, and I've missed it! I'd almost forgotten what it was like to comfort him for a good hour or so to try to get him to sleep. Those sleepless nights are one part of having a baby I don't miss at all.
We've finally settled on a church to call home. We've been pretty happy with it so far, and Jer made friends with a skater guy our age with a young family, which is good! We're both missing our friends now that we're a few months into the move. It makes me look forward to going home for Christmas just that much more. 2 weeks and counting! And only 2 presents left to buy. Booya.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Cold Cold Day
The other day, when I took the photo attached, was freezing: something like -40 degrees with windchill. Brr. The photo is taken out of my car window. When it's that cold, exhaust makes this beautiful fog near stoplights.
I've been staying indoors a lot, due to the weather. I make my daily trek(s) to and from the car to get to work and back, but other than that I try to stay in. Monday night I went to get groceries, and threw on some headphones and my ipod to keep me company while I shopped. I got out of the grocery store, packed the groceries in the trunk, and discovered it was too cold for my car to start. I was in the middle of calling Jer when I tried to start the car again (for the 5th time) and it started. Huzzah! Now we plug our cars in at night.
I whipped up some french onion soup tonight, so tomorrow when I get home from work we can just reheat, add bread/cheese, and serve. It'll be lovely.
We went to a dinner party at the Deane House this past weekend, a murder mystery, for Jer's work Christmas party. We really enjoyed the party, and I had a great little chat with Sarah, Jer's coworker's wife. I hope we'll get to chat again sometime - or maybe hang out. She seems pretty great! We both love reading, and she's easy to talk to. It was nice to meet someone new!
We haven't found a church we're ready to call home yet. This coming weekend we'll check out another new one, or maybe revisit the one we went to last week. We'll have to see how it goes! It would be good to be in a small group again, and to meet some more possible friends. Hopefully we'll find the place we want to settle in soon.
I'm half done my Christmas shopping now - I only have to find the hard presents now. Wish me luck with that!
I've been staying indoors a lot, due to the weather. I make my daily trek(s) to and from the car to get to work and back, but other than that I try to stay in. Monday night I went to get groceries, and threw on some headphones and my ipod to keep me company while I shopped. I got out of the grocery store, packed the groceries in the trunk, and discovered it was too cold for my car to start. I was in the middle of calling Jer when I tried to start the car again (for the 5th time) and it started. Huzzah! Now we plug our cars in at night.
I whipped up some french onion soup tonight, so tomorrow when I get home from work we can just reheat, add bread/cheese, and serve. It'll be lovely.
We went to a dinner party at the Deane House this past weekend, a murder mystery, for Jer's work Christmas party. We really enjoyed the party, and I had a great little chat with Sarah, Jer's coworker's wife. I hope we'll get to chat again sometime - or maybe hang out. She seems pretty great! We both love reading, and she's easy to talk to. It was nice to meet someone new!
We haven't found a church we're ready to call home yet. This coming weekend we'll check out another new one, or maybe revisit the one we went to last week. We'll have to see how it goes! It would be good to be in a small group again, and to meet some more possible friends. Hopefully we'll find the place we want to settle in soon.
I'm half done my Christmas shopping now - I only have to find the hard presents now. Wish me luck with that!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Kitchen update!
Wow, things have been busy. I haven't posted in a good 3 weeks! Let's see, what's new...
The photo is of my kitchen update. I got the OK from my landlord to purchase shelves, cupboard handles, and 'stuff hangers' for the suite, and he reimbursed me for said items. After several hours' measuring and installation, we now have some kitchen storage and more light. The kitchen is now a place I can live with - which makes me happy. It's worked really well for us (or as well as can be expected with such a small space) with the extra storage.
I started my job. I am officially a Web Designer again, full time. My first day, today, was pretty good! We'll have to hope it continues on as it started. I found a dayhome for Cade to stay at while I'm working. He seemed to love his first day there - he was cheery and having fun when I went to pick him up, and he just chattered away to me when he saw me. I think it'll work out really well for us.
We just got word from our realtor - we have a potential house viewing this coming weekend, so we're really excited about that. I just know there's someone out there who would love to live in our home. That will very possibly let us buy our own place here, instead of renting - which would also be lovely.
I haven't had time for much other than visiting the fam on weekends and getting everyday things done during the week. So that's it for now!
The photo is of my kitchen update. I got the OK from my landlord to purchase shelves, cupboard handles, and 'stuff hangers' for the suite, and he reimbursed me for said items. After several hours' measuring and installation, we now have some kitchen storage and more light. The kitchen is now a place I can live with - which makes me happy. It's worked really well for us (or as well as can be expected with such a small space) with the extra storage.
I started my job. I am officially a Web Designer again, full time. My first day, today, was pretty good! We'll have to hope it continues on as it started. I found a dayhome for Cade to stay at while I'm working. He seemed to love his first day there - he was cheery and having fun when I went to pick him up, and he just chattered away to me when he saw me. I think it'll work out really well for us.
We just got word from our realtor - we have a potential house viewing this coming weekend, so we're really excited about that. I just know there's someone out there who would love to live in our home. That will very possibly let us buy our own place here, instead of renting - which would also be lovely.
I haven't had time for much other than visiting the fam on weekends and getting everyday things done during the week. So that's it for now!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The new digs
Things have been crazy busy, what with packing, moving, my birthday, my mom's birthday, updating my portfolio, looking for a job, unpacking in our rental place, trying to sell our house, finishing up some design work, and learning a new city.
We've had no luck on the house-sale front so far, so we're going to lower the price again and see if we can entice someone to buy it. That would be really nice. We've had one viewing in the past month it's been on the market. It's a bit discouraging to not have anyone want our house, since I liked it so much.
I was Ikea shopping for a few pieces to make our basement suite liveable when I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in several years. I now have one friend to hang out with in Calgary, which is much better than none. Huzzah for friends!
Jer's new job is going well. The first week was quite difficult, but it's apparently getting better as he gets used to job expectations and figures out how everything works there. I'm glad it's going well, and hope it continues to get better.
That's all for now. I'm going to have a snack and get all cozy with a book in bed. Mmm. Bed.
We've had no luck on the house-sale front so far, so we're going to lower the price again and see if we can entice someone to buy it. That would be really nice. We've had one viewing in the past month it's been on the market. It's a bit discouraging to not have anyone want our house, since I liked it so much.
I was Ikea shopping for a few pieces to make our basement suite liveable when I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in several years. I now have one friend to hang out with in Calgary, which is much better than none. Huzzah for friends!
Jer's new job is going well. The first week was quite difficult, but it's apparently getting better as he gets used to job expectations and figures out how everything works there. I'm glad it's going well, and hope it continues to get better.
That's all for now. I'm going to have a snack and get all cozy with a book in bed. Mmm. Bed.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Geese take over the pond
I was driving home today and saw a flock of geese converging on this pond. Apparently they're resting before the rest of their southern pre-snow flight. I'm sad they're leaving, because it means the cold is coming soon. But it was fun to run home to get my camera and have a quick photo session. You win some, you lose some.
I also went to Jos' baby shower tonight. It was really quite lovely, in a laid-back-visiting sort of way. There was this fabulous light cheesecake, an espresso machine, and a lot of visiting. I just wish I'd remembered to take my camera for a few photos!
I also went to Jos' baby shower tonight. It was really quite lovely, in a laid-back-visiting sort of way. There was this fabulous light cheesecake, an espresso machine, and a lot of visiting. I just wish I'd remembered to take my camera for a few photos!
Friday, October 1, 2010
crazy but true
Cade and I were hanging out at the park today. And a moose walked through the playground. Seriously. This massive brown animal with antlers. Or horns. Or whatever they're called on a moose. It was crazy.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Moving?
Our house has been on the market for about a week and a half, and we just had our first viewing. We'll hear back from our realtor on how it went in the next few days. While I don't expect the first person to ask to see our house to buy it, it's encouraging to know someone thinks it's worth checking out.
I've managed to come down with a cold - my first in quite a long time, actually - probably a year. So I have all the joys that go with sinus problems, achiness, fatigue, and a general sore-throat-cough kind of thing. Fabulous.
Jer's got this week off, which is great. He starts his new job next week, so he's using this week to get things done and get packed up. He's also helping me around the house and watching Cade a bit, which is lovely.
We woke up to a thick fog, not so unusual, but it's stuck around most of the day - which is definitely unusual for here. I had fun going to a few spots in town and taking some photos. The fog was starting to lift by the time I had a chance to snap away, but I'm still happy with several of the pictures I got. Huzzah!
I've also been working on a logo for Colin over the past few weeks, as I have time, and as drafts get sent back and forth. I think it's pretty close to finalized, which is great! After that I'll get to fix up the rest of their website and add the logo. It's been really good doing work for him so far. He has a clear picture of what he wants, and was able to give me samples to show me what that is. That makes my job as a designer a lot easier, and also makes him much more likely to be happy with the finished product. I'll post a link once the site is done.
I haven't had a chance to do much else lately, other than prep for moving and watch Cade, so that's about it for this post!
I've managed to come down with a cold - my first in quite a long time, actually - probably a year. So I have all the joys that go with sinus problems, achiness, fatigue, and a general sore-throat-cough kind of thing. Fabulous.
Jer's got this week off, which is great. He starts his new job next week, so he's using this week to get things done and get packed up. He's also helping me around the house and watching Cade a bit, which is lovely.
We woke up to a thick fog, not so unusual, but it's stuck around most of the day - which is definitely unusual for here. I had fun going to a few spots in town and taking some photos. The fog was starting to lift by the time I had a chance to snap away, but I'm still happy with several of the pictures I got. Huzzah!
I've also been working on a logo for Colin over the past few weeks, as I have time, and as drafts get sent back and forth. I think it's pretty close to finalized, which is great! After that I'll get to fix up the rest of their website and add the logo. It's been really good doing work for him so far. He has a clear picture of what he wants, and was able to give me samples to show me what that is. That makes my job as a designer a lot easier, and also makes him much more likely to be happy with the finished product. I'll post a link once the site is done.
I haven't had a chance to do much else lately, other than prep for moving and watch Cade, so that's about it for this post!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Wowzas. What a lot of work.
In the past week I've painted the entryway, cleaned/organized/staged and photographed the whole house, and done a few little upgrades (hardware, removed the glass shower doors) to the upstairs bathroom - with some help from Jeremie and a babysitter, of course. Phew. I'm glad that's done.
Oh, by the way, J got the job he wanted, so were moving to Calgary. That would be why we were getting the house ready this weekend. I meet with the realtor tomorrow, and our house will be on the market ASAP. This whole move seems to have come out of the blue. J found a posting for his dream job about 3 weeks ago and applied. 3 weeks later we're getting ready to sell the house, looking at real estate down south, and throwing our whole lives upside down. But hey, you've got to do a bit of that for a dream job!
That's about all I've had time for lately - working, working, and more working. I think it'll slow down for the next bit though, until we sell the house - at which point packing begins and the work picks right back up. Fabulous, no? But all the work does mean that I don't have much more to blog about. C'est la vie.
Oh, by the way, J got the job he wanted, so were moving to Calgary. That would be why we were getting the house ready this weekend. I meet with the realtor tomorrow, and our house will be on the market ASAP. This whole move seems to have come out of the blue. J found a posting for his dream job about 3 weeks ago and applied. 3 weeks later we're getting ready to sell the house, looking at real estate down south, and throwing our whole lives upside down. But hey, you've got to do a bit of that for a dream job!
That's about all I've had time for lately - working, working, and more working. I think it'll slow down for the next bit though, until we sell the house - at which point packing begins and the work picks right back up. Fabulous, no? But all the work does mean that I don't have much more to blog about. C'est la vie.
Monday, August 30, 2010
computering like crazy
Life has been good over the past month - and a lot going on!
The basement is painted, and the other night Lyndsay came over to help me move furniture around the house. I haven't got all our stuff organized yet (there's still a pile left in one corner of the basement), but once I do I'll be sure to post pictures. It looks great - all I have to do is figure out what to hang on my walls now. It sounds like it's time for me to do some more artsy-paintings!
We headed down to Calgary this past weekend for a quick trip, and managed to visit with my sibs, help Maria move some stuff into her new place, and hang out with my parents for an evening. Jer also had a job interview, which was the original reason for heading down. It seemed to go really well, so we'll have to see what happens from there!
I've been working like crazy on updating/reinventing my portfolio site in case we have to move, and I have to find a job. In the past few weeks I installed wordpress, found a decent portfolio theme, wrote content, took screenshots and added lots of them to my site. I still have a lot more content to add, but at least now my portfolio is worth visiting. http://boulianne.net/design/ - pass it on if you know of any web design companies in Calgary looking for someone ;)
Other than that, I'm mostly just planning out this coming week - I want to mow the lawn, paint the entryway, and add some new hardware to my bathroom. As well as watching Cade, getting groceries, and organizing the rest of the house. Sounds pretty low-key, huh?
The basement is painted, and the other night Lyndsay came over to help me move furniture around the house. I haven't got all our stuff organized yet (there's still a pile left in one corner of the basement), but once I do I'll be sure to post pictures. It looks great - all I have to do is figure out what to hang on my walls now. It sounds like it's time for me to do some more artsy-paintings!
We headed down to Calgary this past weekend for a quick trip, and managed to visit with my sibs, help Maria move some stuff into her new place, and hang out with my parents for an evening. Jer also had a job interview, which was the original reason for heading down. It seemed to go really well, so we'll have to see what happens from there!
I've been working like crazy on updating/reinventing my portfolio site in case we have to move, and I have to find a job. In the past few weeks I installed wordpress, found a decent portfolio theme, wrote content, took screenshots and added lots of them to my site. I still have a lot more content to add, but at least now my portfolio is worth visiting. http://boulianne.net/design/ - pass it on if you know of any web design companies in Calgary looking for someone ;)
Other than that, I'm mostly just planning out this coming week - I want to mow the lawn, paint the entryway, and add some new hardware to my bathroom. As well as watching Cade, getting groceries, and organizing the rest of the house. Sounds pretty low-key, huh?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Cade's first haircut
Cade got his first haircut this week, since the back was getting all scraggly and hard to keep tidy. I buzzed it all to about 1/2" except for the top, which I left long. It just wouldn't be Cade without that almost faux-hawk.
I'm supremely relieved and pleased to say that my work in the basement bathroom is now done. The shower was ripped out, drywall reinstalled, mudded, taped, the bathroom painted, shower reinstalled and siliconed up the wazoo, new hardware put up. I think that's about it. Now I just have to wait for the silicone in the shower to dry, and then it'll be ready to use again. Lovely.
The painting in the basement is coming along nicely. I have one wall and touch-ups left to do. After that I'm on to the stairwell. And then, possibly, trim. Depending on if we decide to stay here or not.
Jer found a posting for his dream job (building robots, what else) at Solarbotics in Calgary. He's applying and will probably have some sort of interview at the end of August. If he gets the job, and it pays enough for us to live on (with or without me getting a job, if necessary) we'll be moving to somewhere around Calgary. It's fun to think about moving and trying on a different lifestyle, whether it happens or not. The biggest challenges will probably be finding a home we can afford, and selling this one (it's a darn slow-moving house market right now).
That's all for now, folks!
I'm supremely relieved and pleased to say that my work in the basement bathroom is now done. The shower was ripped out, drywall reinstalled, mudded, taped, the bathroom painted, shower reinstalled and siliconed up the wazoo, new hardware put up. I think that's about it. Now I just have to wait for the silicone in the shower to dry, and then it'll be ready to use again. Lovely.
The painting in the basement is coming along nicely. I have one wall and touch-ups left to do. After that I'm on to the stairwell. And then, possibly, trim. Depending on if we decide to stay here or not.
Jer found a posting for his dream job (building robots, what else) at Solarbotics in Calgary. He's applying and will probably have some sort of interview at the end of August. If he gets the job, and it pays enough for us to live on (with or without me getting a job, if necessary) we'll be moving to somewhere around Calgary. It's fun to think about moving and trying on a different lifestyle, whether it happens or not. The biggest challenges will probably be finding a home we can afford, and selling this one (it's a darn slow-moving house market right now).
That's all for now, folks!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Mmm. Meat grinding.
This past weekend we went up to Prince George to visit some family, they were having a 25th wedding anniversary and vow renewal ceremony. It was pretty much a family reunion, and we had a blast. Cade got passed around a lot, which was nice to give me a break, and we shared the camper with J's parents. It was a great 2 days of catching up and hanging out, and I was really glad we got to go. The drive wasn't even too bad.
Christine and Jeannie came and stayed with us two weekends in a row (before and after horse camp), and it was nice to be able to visit and show off Cade's new feats since Christmas. We had a lovely Sunday of visiting, naps, and Tony Roma's together.
I've had several painting sessions in the basement, some with friends to help, some without. It's going to take longer than I'd hoped it would, but it's definitely coming along nicely. I've done all the easy parts, and am getting close to the point where I'll have to do the harder things: touch-ups on each color transition (why did I pick so many colors?), painting the entryway (I'll need to use a huge ladder, yuck), and re-installing the shower (coming along nicely, but just a lot of picky details left). I guess I can't complain too much, since it's coming along nicely, but it's always easier for me to do the sweeping changes that look like a huge improvement than it is to do the little changes that don't get noticed once they're done properly.
I went to see Eclipse with Lyndsay the other week. It was... about as good as the others, to me. Everyone else I talked to thought this was the best movie of the 3, but I think the novelty of the series is wearing off for me. It does give me a good conversation starter for people I don't have much else in common with, though!
Anyway, Jer's home and I'm heading off to veg for awhile. Ciao!
Christine and Jeannie came and stayed with us two weekends in a row (before and after horse camp), and it was nice to be able to visit and show off Cade's new feats since Christmas. We had a lovely Sunday of visiting, naps, and Tony Roma's together.
I've had several painting sessions in the basement, some with friends to help, some without. It's going to take longer than I'd hoped it would, but it's definitely coming along nicely. I've done all the easy parts, and am getting close to the point where I'll have to do the harder things: touch-ups on each color transition (why did I pick so many colors?), painting the entryway (I'll need to use a huge ladder, yuck), and re-installing the shower (coming along nicely, but just a lot of picky details left). I guess I can't complain too much, since it's coming along nicely, but it's always easier for me to do the sweeping changes that look like a huge improvement than it is to do the little changes that don't get noticed once they're done properly.
I went to see Eclipse with Lyndsay the other week. It was... about as good as the others, to me. Everyone else I talked to thought this was the best movie of the 3, but I think the novelty of the series is wearing off for me. It does give me a good conversation starter for people I don't have much else in common with, though!
Anyway, Jer's home and I'm heading off to veg for awhile. Ciao!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
new paint in the bathroom
Wow, it's been awhile. Another several insanely busy weeks, to be exact. The picture featured is the new colors for our basement bathroom. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, especially since the colors were all gleaned from leftovers from a few rooms I've painted other years. Huzzah for a cheap room facelift!
We spent three days in Tumbler Ridge, BC at the Lions Campground with some old friends and their baby. I felt like I spent most of the time cooking, sleeping, baby watching, and being cold - but we still managed to get in two small hikes, a swim at the rec centre, and several lovely bonfires at our camp site. It was great to get away from the stress and busyness of renovations and such.
As usual, I've put a whole lot on my plate and then get a bit antsy about trying to get it all done. I've felt really energized this summer, what with getting a lot more vitamin D (sunlight) than usual, being relatively fit, and having some great projects Jeremie has OKed after several years of discussing. I've got to take advantage while I can!
I went to the dentist on Wednesday, and now have some lovely-smooth teeth again. I love my annual cleaning and checkup. I also got to try out some cinnamon flavored tooth polish, which is definitely my new favorite. Try it if you get a chance, you won't regret it!
We got a lovely load of new books and media for our church library a few weeks back, and I spent an afternoon with a few ladies at the church cataloging it all. I'm getting excited about the new software we bought for the church library - a digital self-signout system, so that we won't have to mess around with a card catalog system anymore. Hooray for that! Jer is fixing up an old PC this evening, then I'll be installing Windows and the software, before we add all the books, CDs, and movies in the library to it. That's going to be a huge task, but it will be amazing once it's completed.
There was a girls' movie night the other night, and we ended up watching Charade. It was fun to see Audrey Hepburn in something other than Funny Face. Did I like the movie? I don't really know if I'd watch it again, but I did have a good time watching it with the gal pals.
We're having my brother-in-law's mom and her friend crash at our place for a few night at the end of this week, and then again the next weekend. I'm happy they're coming up, but it's making the mudding-sanding-cleanup-painting (before I can move the junk out of the guest room for her to stay in) on a really tight deadline. I'm not sure how we're going to work it now.
And a whole bunch of basement reno news:
I'm of mixed feelings about the guy we've got doing our mudding and taping in the basement. He (and his minions) are doing a good job, and are very friendly... when they show up. He said the job would take a week, maybe two, and we're in on the third week. It's not a big job, but he keeps having things pop up and not coming some days. At first it was an employee in the hospital with a stomach ulcer. Ok, that was fine. These things happen. Then he only made it in once while we were gone, because his other job was busy. Another day I called him at 8:30am and left a voicemail asking for an ETA so I could plan my day out. I stayed home all day and called him again at 4pm for him to say he wouldn't be making it because the home builder needed him there to do touch-ups before they painted. He would come the next day, for sure. Then called me the next morning to say he wouldn't be able to make it, his minion wasn't feeling good (might have drank too much the night before). It's just a few times too many, you know? That being said, he IS doing a good job, and only has 2 sessions left to do - a major sanding & touch-up mudding bits, then a final sanding. So I'll let him finish the job, but it's wreaking havoc with my schedule.
And, before I forget, let's talk about paint for the basement. It's going to be great! I have the colors purchased, and love most all of them. I'm still not quite sure how the green is going to turn out in the hallway, and am hoping it will be a more sedate-apple version instead of a flourescent-eye-popping version of green. We'll see what it turns out like in the lighting. And hey, if worst comes to worst, we'll just paint over it in a better shade. I have three friends booked to come over different days and evenings to help me paint, so that should make the process a lot more fun and speed things along. Huzzah for help!
Oh, and in other reno news - did I mention we had to tear out some of the drywall in our basement bathroom? I had it all prettily painted and ready to go. I was stripping off the old silicone to waterproof the shower when I noticed some water sitting behind the shower wall. I peeled it back to discover a lovely swatch of black mold. And here I thought the bathroom was almost done! So right now the shower is torn out, the drywall removed, the mold bleached away, and it's waiting to dry. I'm hoping to add the drywall tomorrow, and put some corner bead on so I can get the mudding done over this coming week. Then I'll need to sand it, paint it, and re-install the shower. I suppose it's good that we found it while we're doing all this stuff anyways and have the materials to hand, but it is definitely a bit of a pain in the rump. Ah well, c'est la vie.
I think that's about all for now. The next few weeks are full of renos and company. I'll check back in a few weeks to let you know how it's all turning out.
We spent three days in Tumbler Ridge, BC at the Lions Campground with some old friends and their baby. I felt like I spent most of the time cooking, sleeping, baby watching, and being cold - but we still managed to get in two small hikes, a swim at the rec centre, and several lovely bonfires at our camp site. It was great to get away from the stress and busyness of renovations and such.
As usual, I've put a whole lot on my plate and then get a bit antsy about trying to get it all done. I've felt really energized this summer, what with getting a lot more vitamin D (sunlight) than usual, being relatively fit, and having some great projects Jeremie has OKed after several years of discussing. I've got to take advantage while I can!
I went to the dentist on Wednesday, and now have some lovely-smooth teeth again. I love my annual cleaning and checkup. I also got to try out some cinnamon flavored tooth polish, which is definitely my new favorite. Try it if you get a chance, you won't regret it!
We got a lovely load of new books and media for our church library a few weeks back, and I spent an afternoon with a few ladies at the church cataloging it all. I'm getting excited about the new software we bought for the church library - a digital self-signout system, so that we won't have to mess around with a card catalog system anymore. Hooray for that! Jer is fixing up an old PC this evening, then I'll be installing Windows and the software, before we add all the books, CDs, and movies in the library to it. That's going to be a huge task, but it will be amazing once it's completed.
There was a girls' movie night the other night, and we ended up watching Charade. It was fun to see Audrey Hepburn in something other than Funny Face. Did I like the movie? I don't really know if I'd watch it again, but I did have a good time watching it with the gal pals.
We're having my brother-in-law's mom and her friend crash at our place for a few night at the end of this week, and then again the next weekend. I'm happy they're coming up, but it's making the mudding-sanding-cleanup-painting (before I can move the junk out of the guest room for her to stay in) on a really tight deadline. I'm not sure how we're going to work it now.
And a whole bunch of basement reno news:
I'm of mixed feelings about the guy we've got doing our mudding and taping in the basement. He (and his minions) are doing a good job, and are very friendly... when they show up. He said the job would take a week, maybe two, and we're in on the third week. It's not a big job, but he keeps having things pop up and not coming some days. At first it was an employee in the hospital with a stomach ulcer. Ok, that was fine. These things happen. Then he only made it in once while we were gone, because his other job was busy. Another day I called him at 8:30am and left a voicemail asking for an ETA so I could plan my day out. I stayed home all day and called him again at 4pm for him to say he wouldn't be making it because the home builder needed him there to do touch-ups before they painted. He would come the next day, for sure. Then called me the next morning to say he wouldn't be able to make it, his minion wasn't feeling good (might have drank too much the night before). It's just a few times too many, you know? That being said, he IS doing a good job, and only has 2 sessions left to do - a major sanding & touch-up mudding bits, then a final sanding. So I'll let him finish the job, but it's wreaking havoc with my schedule.
And, before I forget, let's talk about paint for the basement. It's going to be great! I have the colors purchased, and love most all of them. I'm still not quite sure how the green is going to turn out in the hallway, and am hoping it will be a more sedate-apple version instead of a flourescent-eye-popping version of green. We'll see what it turns out like in the lighting. And hey, if worst comes to worst, we'll just paint over it in a better shade. I have three friends booked to come over different days and evenings to help me paint, so that should make the process a lot more fun and speed things along. Huzzah for help!
Oh, and in other reno news - did I mention we had to tear out some of the drywall in our basement bathroom? I had it all prettily painted and ready to go. I was stripping off the old silicone to waterproof the shower when I noticed some water sitting behind the shower wall. I peeled it back to discover a lovely swatch of black mold. And here I thought the bathroom was almost done! So right now the shower is torn out, the drywall removed, the mold bleached away, and it's waiting to dry. I'm hoping to add the drywall tomorrow, and put some corner bead on so I can get the mudding done over this coming week. Then I'll need to sand it, paint it, and re-install the shower. I suppose it's good that we found it while we're doing all this stuff anyways and have the materials to hand, but it is definitely a bit of a pain in the rump. Ah well, c'est la vie.
I think that's about all for now. The next few weeks are full of renos and company. I'll check back in a few weeks to let you know how it's all turning out.
Friday, June 25, 2010
testing the new pool
We've had a busy past few weeks! We finally got a chance to test out Cade's pool, since the weather has been so nice lately. We've had 2 days where we've had his friends over to play in the yard & water, and I've been loving it. J doesn't love it so much that the house is still really hot in the evenings, but I like it. Mmm, heat.
In renovation news, I've bought our paint. We've got a mudder coming hopefully next week, after which point I'll be painting like a madwoman. Well, actually, I already am. I painted for about 3 hours last night after Cade went to bed - I'm repainting J's bathroom. I've always hated the bland butter yellow walls, so I'm re-doing it with leftover paint from a few other rooms we've worked on in the past. I'll post a photo when it's done! Tonight I'm hoping to paint the doors so they'll be dry before the mudders come and easy to clean up after. Mudding drywall is a messy business! Our budget won't stretch to carpet anymore (we spent more on vacation than we thought we would), so we might just have to leave the floors for now. I'll have to figure out some way to raise the funds. I'm not working right now, so it's going to be tricky!
I got the new Hanson album (shout it out) in the mail last week. I'm really happy with it, and am heading over to Robyn's tomorrow night with it to give it a spin at her place!
We're also going camping in a few weekens, so here's to looking forward to that!
In renovation news, I've bought our paint. We've got a mudder coming hopefully next week, after which point I'll be painting like a madwoman. Well, actually, I already am. I painted for about 3 hours last night after Cade went to bed - I'm repainting J's bathroom. I've always hated the bland butter yellow walls, so I'm re-doing it with leftover paint from a few other rooms we've worked on in the past. I'll post a photo when it's done! Tonight I'm hoping to paint the doors so they'll be dry before the mudders come and easy to clean up after. Mudding drywall is a messy business! Our budget won't stretch to carpet anymore (we spent more on vacation than we thought we would), so we might just have to leave the floors for now. I'll have to figure out some way to raise the funds. I'm not working right now, so it's going to be tricky!
I got the new Hanson album (shout it out) in the mail last week. I'm really happy with it, and am heading over to Robyn's tomorrow night with it to give it a spin at her place!
We're also going camping in a few weekens, so here's to looking forward to that!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
framing in the basement
Well, this has been a busy past couple of weeks! We had a 'free' week after our trip to the States to get everything packed away. And by packed away I mean that not only did we unpack our trip items, but we also packed up, recycled, and did away with the old stuff from our basement to make room for.. the renovation!
It could also be called the finishing, depending on how you look at it. My parents came over for a week. Mom cooked and babysat, while Dad and I started in on the reno. We framed in a storage room, did a bit of wiring (outlets, lights, and switches), and drywalled the hallway and family room. I'm really pleased with how it's coming along, and super excited to see it get finished. We can't afford carpeting for now, but we'll get paint up.. and maybe trim if we're lucky. We'll see how the finances go. But either way, it's exciting exciting! I really love design, art, and visual stuff, so getting our home to be 'ours' in style is really a big thing for me. It's going to be great! We'll have more liveable space, which will be great for those winters where we're stuck indoors for months at a time (minus the 'run to the car and back' for groceries and such). Gotta love living in the north!
It was great to see my parents again. It had been about 5 months or so since we'd had a chance to visit, and I really enjoy spending time with them. We chatted, projected, played dice, cooked, and just hung out in each others' general vicinity. There's nothing like spending time with someone who is comfortable enough with the way you are that you don't need to explain why you do things.. because they understand. It's lovely.
Oh yeah, and if anyone can recommend a mud & taper for our drywall, I'd love to find someone!
It could also be called the finishing, depending on how you look at it. My parents came over for a week. Mom cooked and babysat, while Dad and I started in on the reno. We framed in a storage room, did a bit of wiring (outlets, lights, and switches), and drywalled the hallway and family room. I'm really pleased with how it's coming along, and super excited to see it get finished. We can't afford carpeting for now, but we'll get paint up.. and maybe trim if we're lucky. We'll see how the finances go. But either way, it's exciting exciting! I really love design, art, and visual stuff, so getting our home to be 'ours' in style is really a big thing for me. It's going to be great! We'll have more liveable space, which will be great for those winters where we're stuck indoors for months at a time (minus the 'run to the car and back' for groceries and such). Gotta love living in the north!
It was great to see my parents again. It had been about 5 months or so since we'd had a chance to visit, and I really enjoy spending time with them. We chatted, projected, played dice, cooked, and just hung out in each others' general vicinity. There's nothing like spending time with someone who is comfortable enough with the way you are that you don't need to explain why you do things.. because they understand. It's lovely.
Oh yeah, and if anyone can recommend a mud & taper for our drywall, I'd love to find someone!
Monday, May 31, 2010
The anniversary of Two(s)
We just got back from a week in San Francisco and area. It was a lovely get-away vacation, a great time to revert to 'dating us' instead of 'married with a kid us'. We really enjoyed spending the week together, checking out some of the sights of San Fran.
The trip started out with a visit to Maker Faire. We spent both days there, and J said it was even better than he thought it would be. He got to meet the makers with the online robotics equivalent to rockstar status, and felt encouraged to keep on truckin' with his making. There were some amazing exhibits, from steampunk (I loved it, Jer didn't at all) to a life-sized Mousetrap game, lots of electronics things, a few bands (we missed OK Go, who I would have liked to catch), some awesome cartoons, and a great local crafty-type market. I loved the market, and splurged on an original silkscreen print, a hat, a vintage-look feather headpiece, and some really well-designed cards that I'll keep in my trunk for inspring me on a gloomy day. I got to design and crafted a mini-treehouse, which reminded me strongly and pleasantly of making dioramas as a kid. I also sat out and learned how to knit (of all things) while Jer hit up an electronics session.
We checked out the SF MOMA. I was awed and dazzled and inspired by the architecture of that building. You can just feel the loving craftedness of the whole building, and everything feels like a seamless, planned whole from the benches and elevator buttons to the stairwells. It's an amazing building. That doesn't even get me started on the art, which I really enjoyed checking out & learning about. There were a lot of cool pieces, but my favorite was a photographic one of 101 photos, each of 101 gumboots in different locations, doing different things. It resonates with me because it felt like a grander-scale of the spoon photos I took one evening a few years back.
We checked out some of Golden Gate Park, and went into the Conservatory there. I must say that I think the Muttart had a better exhibition, but the SF building had a lot of lovely character. Plus, it's always fun to take pictures of pretty flowers. It rained while we were in the park, so we didn't check out any more of the exhibits there.
We caught two movies in theatres: How to Train your Dragon (which was really good, even for those not totally enthralled with animation, like me), and Date Night (really funny, and a bit inappropriate)
We went surfing twice. The first time Tommy was our instructor in a private lesson, and showed us the ropes. I found it really hard to do, and was exhausted after an hour of battling incessant waves. J caught on faster, like I thought he would. The next day we went out again for about 45 minutes or so, which I found a lot more fun. I had a general idea of what to do, and was rested enough to show that ocean who was boss. I'd definitely like to try surfing again if I get a chance.
We checked out the redwoods at Muir Woods. They were smaller than I thought, being the 'merely tall' type, rather than the 'drive your car through this' type. That being said, the trees were often too large for me to reach around (read: big compared to what I'm used to) and were quite lovely.
And with that abrupt end, I'll leave you to dream away about your perfect surfing trip, flowers, redwoods, and modern art.
Which reminds me. I had this dream last night where I could fly. It's the first time I've ever had a flying dream, and it was pretty cool. I had this rune of light etched into my hand one day, and I had to open my hand to lift off, or close it to go down. I turned my hand to steer. It's a crazy way to fly, but it worked for me!
The trip started out with a visit to Maker Faire. We spent both days there, and J said it was even better than he thought it would be. He got to meet the makers with the online robotics equivalent to rockstar status, and felt encouraged to keep on truckin' with his making. There were some amazing exhibits, from steampunk (I loved it, Jer didn't at all) to a life-sized Mousetrap game, lots of electronics things, a few bands (we missed OK Go, who I would have liked to catch), some awesome cartoons, and a great local crafty-type market. I loved the market, and splurged on an original silkscreen print, a hat, a vintage-look feather headpiece, and some really well-designed cards that I'll keep in my trunk for inspring me on a gloomy day. I got to design and crafted a mini-treehouse, which reminded me strongly and pleasantly of making dioramas as a kid. I also sat out and learned how to knit (of all things) while Jer hit up an electronics session.
We checked out the SF MOMA. I was awed and dazzled and inspired by the architecture of that building. You can just feel the loving craftedness of the whole building, and everything feels like a seamless, planned whole from the benches and elevator buttons to the stairwells. It's an amazing building. That doesn't even get me started on the art, which I really enjoyed checking out & learning about. There were a lot of cool pieces, but my favorite was a photographic one of 101 photos, each of 101 gumboots in different locations, doing different things. It resonates with me because it felt like a grander-scale of the spoon photos I took one evening a few years back.
We checked out some of Golden Gate Park, and went into the Conservatory there. I must say that I think the Muttart had a better exhibition, but the SF building had a lot of lovely character. Plus, it's always fun to take pictures of pretty flowers. It rained while we were in the park, so we didn't check out any more of the exhibits there.
We caught two movies in theatres: How to Train your Dragon (which was really good, even for those not totally enthralled with animation, like me), and Date Night (really funny, and a bit inappropriate)
We went surfing twice. The first time Tommy was our instructor in a private lesson, and showed us the ropes. I found it really hard to do, and was exhausted after an hour of battling incessant waves. J caught on faster, like I thought he would. The next day we went out again for about 45 minutes or so, which I found a lot more fun. I had a general idea of what to do, and was rested enough to show that ocean who was boss. I'd definitely like to try surfing again if I get a chance.
We checked out the redwoods at Muir Woods. They were smaller than I thought, being the 'merely tall' type, rather than the 'drive your car through this' type. That being said, the trees were often too large for me to reach around (read: big compared to what I'm used to) and were quite lovely.
And with that abrupt end, I'll leave you to dream away about your perfect surfing trip, flowers, redwoods, and modern art.
Which reminds me. I had this dream last night where I could fly. It's the first time I've ever had a flying dream, and it was pretty cool. I had this rune of light etched into my hand one day, and I had to open my hand to lift off, or close it to go down. I turned my hand to steer. It's a crazy way to fly, but it worked for me!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My pears!
It's been a bit too long since my last post. A lot has happened! I've been wanting to creative it up the past while, and have done two paintings and sewn a new duvet cover for our bed which I'm absolutely in love with.
The painting shown here is the first one, of pears. It's the first painting from my Intermediate Oil Painting class. The next is a rooster, which is currently drying downstairs. I'll want to do a few touch-ups, and then can share it with you as well. I'm really happy with how my paintings have been turning out.
Yard Sale day was great, as expected. I didn't really buy that much - just several different toys for Cade, since he grew out of his old ones, and some face wash and such from a BeautiControl host who was selling out all her product for really cheap. I just love going around and looking at possibilities in everyone's stuff, regardless of how much or little you actually take home.
Jer went to the Western Canadian Robot Games last weekend, and won 1st in the innovation category for his metal-detecting robot, built out of an Xbox case. You can check out his youtube if you want to see more.
I got my hair cut recently, it's now short and platinum blonde, with bubblegum pink parts. It's cute and girly, and I'm really loving it.
Today is the 'get everything done before we leave' day. I'm doing laundry and dishes, vacuumed, am working on a 'baby manual' for Cade, who's staying here with Jer's mom while we take off for a week. It's fun to go on a trip, but sometimes it's a lot of work before and after to get ready!
We also went to check out Spring Lake the other day. It's pretty enough, but had some really bumpy gravel roads to get there and not too much in the way of amenities. I don't think we'll head back there, but it was still fun to go check out somewhere local that we hadn't been to before.
Anyway, I'm off to pack my suitcase and get ready to go!
The painting shown here is the first one, of pears. It's the first painting from my Intermediate Oil Painting class. The next is a rooster, which is currently drying downstairs. I'll want to do a few touch-ups, and then can share it with you as well. I'm really happy with how my paintings have been turning out.
Yard Sale day was great, as expected. I didn't really buy that much - just several different toys for Cade, since he grew out of his old ones, and some face wash and such from a BeautiControl host who was selling out all her product for really cheap. I just love going around and looking at possibilities in everyone's stuff, regardless of how much or little you actually take home.
Jer went to the Western Canadian Robot Games last weekend, and won 1st in the innovation category for his metal-detecting robot, built out of an Xbox case. You can check out his youtube if you want to see more.
I got my hair cut recently, it's now short and platinum blonde, with bubblegum pink parts. It's cute and girly, and I'm really loving it.
Today is the 'get everything done before we leave' day. I'm doing laundry and dishes, vacuumed, am working on a 'baby manual' for Cade, who's staying here with Jer's mom while we take off for a week. It's fun to go on a trip, but sometimes it's a lot of work before and after to get ready!
We also went to check out Spring Lake the other day. It's pretty enough, but had some really bumpy gravel roads to get there and not too much in the way of amenities. I don't think we'll head back there, but it was still fun to go check out somewhere local that we hadn't been to before.
Anyway, I'm off to pack my suitcase and get ready to go!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Totally bummed.
I'm totally bummed. The hosting company I use had a big mail server blowup. And their backups were corrupted. Since I was using IMAP, I lost all of my stored emails. Most of them I don't mind SO so much, but I had saved all the emails Jer and I sent back and forth while we were dating. And those are no more. They were my favorites. :(
Friday, April 30, 2010
Best design book I've read in ages.
I read the "more not so big solutions for your home" this evening. I took it out of the library today and only planned on skimming it, but ended up reading 90% of the copy as well. It had a ton of great ideas on how to use the space you have better, how to make rooms that feel 'too big' feel like the right size, and some great suggestions for trim & built-ins. Love it. I just might have to scrounge up the others in the series now, to see if they're as good!
This past week my favorite band, Hanson, has been playing their past 5 studio albums, one per night, at a club in New York. And streaming the shows, live, for the fans who can't travel there. I was impressed with the show I did watch, but sadly enough somehow forgot to tune in tonight to catch the new album. Which hasn't been released yet, so the preview would have been awesome. At least Maria said it was!
On the upside, I'll be checking out some yard sales with Jos in tomorrow's AM, which should be really fun. And to make it that much better, Jer will be watching Cade, so I won't have to drag a 1-year-old in and out of the car every 10 minutes. I'm really looking forward to it!
I booked our surfing lessons yesterday, for when we're in San Fran. It's made me really excited for the trip. Hopefully I can swim some before we go to work out those muscles so I'll be ready to hit the waves. I'm already nervous and excited, all in one!
This past week my favorite band, Hanson, has been playing their past 5 studio albums, one per night, at a club in New York. And streaming the shows, live, for the fans who can't travel there. I was impressed with the show I did watch, but sadly enough somehow forgot to tune in tonight to catch the new album. Which hasn't been released yet, so the preview would have been awesome. At least Maria said it was!
On the upside, I'll be checking out some yard sales with Jos in tomorrow's AM, which should be really fun. And to make it that much better, Jer will be watching Cade, so I won't have to drag a 1-year-old in and out of the car every 10 minutes. I'm really looking forward to it!
I booked our surfing lessons yesterday, for when we're in San Fran. It's made me really excited for the trip. Hopefully I can swim some before we go to work out those muscles so I'll be ready to hit the waves. I'm already nervous and excited, all in one!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Transcend coffee. Pretty.
I wrote a letter for the grandparents tonight, and thought I could re-use some of my typing here, since I don't feel like re-writing what's been going on when I've already written it all out so nicely...
We’ve been having some lovely spring weather here, often with a high of 15-20 degrees celsius. Which is amazing for here. I’ve managed to sneak out a few times once Cade goes to bed to do some yard work: clearing out the flower beds, moving some bulbs, and raking the yard. It's been great.
Cade has been growing up so quickly. He’s walking like a pro, running sometimes, and loves to chatter away at whoever will listen. He’s super friendly, and will smile at anyone who looks his way. He really loves other kids, and tries to give them hugs and trails around after them when he gets a chance. His favorite activities of late are taking everything out of cupboards, drawers, bins, and boxes. I do a lot of putting things back. We’ve just started to teach him about putting things away, and I get him to help me put toys in the toy box before bedtime. Cade also has two teeth (both in the front, one top and one bottom), and is working on the other front top tooth. I’m guessing it will be out in 2 or 3 days. He’s quite clingy when he’s teething, but is otherwise a really content and happy baby. Cade’s birthday is also coming up soon. Should be fun!
At the end of May J and I will be celebrating our anniversary. We're going to fly off to see the sights of San Francisco, sans-kid. We’re hoping to try surfing and visit the Maker Faire, a big showcase of all kinds of home-made things, from electronics to furniture to decorations and bikes. We want to check out the redwoods, too. Is there anywhere we shouldn't miss going while we're down there?
Mom and Dad are coming up for a week in June to help us with some framing, electrical, and drywall work in the basement. I’m hoping to hire a guy to come mud the basement, and get paint and carpet by fall so that we have a safe space for Cade to play inside as he grows. We get a lot of winter up here, and it should hopefully help with the cabin fever to have a bit more livable space in the house. At least that's the plan thus far!
We’ve been having some lovely spring weather here, often with a high of 15-20 degrees celsius. Which is amazing for here. I’ve managed to sneak out a few times once Cade goes to bed to do some yard work: clearing out the flower beds, moving some bulbs, and raking the yard. It's been great.
Cade has been growing up so quickly. He’s walking like a pro, running sometimes, and loves to chatter away at whoever will listen. He’s super friendly, and will smile at anyone who looks his way. He really loves other kids, and tries to give them hugs and trails around after them when he gets a chance. His favorite activities of late are taking everything out of cupboards, drawers, bins, and boxes. I do a lot of putting things back. We’ve just started to teach him about putting things away, and I get him to help me put toys in the toy box before bedtime. Cade also has two teeth (both in the front, one top and one bottom), and is working on the other front top tooth. I’m guessing it will be out in 2 or 3 days. He’s quite clingy when he’s teething, but is otherwise a really content and happy baby. Cade’s birthday is also coming up soon. Should be fun!
At the end of May J and I will be celebrating our anniversary. We're going to fly off to see the sights of San Francisco, sans-kid. We’re hoping to try surfing and visit the Maker Faire, a big showcase of all kinds of home-made things, from electronics to furniture to decorations and bikes. We want to check out the redwoods, too. Is there anywhere we shouldn't miss going while we're down there?
Mom and Dad are coming up for a week in June to help us with some framing, electrical, and drywall work in the basement. I’m hoping to hire a guy to come mud the basement, and get paint and carpet by fall so that we have a safe space for Cade to play inside as he grows. We get a lot of winter up here, and it should hopefully help with the cabin fever to have a bit more livable space in the house. At least that's the plan thus far!
Jonny Lang
Went to see Jonny Lang at the Jubilee in Edmonton with Maria. Fabulous. I really enjoyed the acoustic version of Lie To Me, and it was fun to see him improvising with Buddy Guy. It was a fun mix of a crowd, a lot of middle-aged men in either black tees and long hair, or in business wear. Maria and I spent the intermission taking stupid pictures of each other, which turned out to be great fun. We missed the tour bus by about a minute after the show. It would have been fun to get an autograph. Ah well, them's the breaks.
My weekend in good ol' E-town just flew by. I managed to visit with all the fam, catch the Jonny show, have a fabulous outdoor meal with Maria, let Cade to play with his little cousin, hit up the Duchess Bakery on 124th (a must-go-to-place), do some yard sale-ing (how the heck do you spell that properly?), catch the Transcend coffee house opening, and do a whole bunch of shopping - some clothes for Cade, fabric for a new duvet cover, and a new light fixture for our entryway. Though I have no idea how I'll install it, since we don't have a ladder that high.
All in all a great weekend. It was good to be home, though.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
dressing up for a party
Cade and I went to a 'retro' party, and did some quick clothes borrowing to suit him out with his 80s gear. I already had all the stuff for my costume in the magic wardrobe, so that worked out really well.
This evening it was so nice that Cade and I went to check out the park behind our house. We tried the swings and slide, but his favorite activity by far was picking up gravel, trying to eat it, and piling it up on the bottom of the slide. Who knew?
I'm also getting excited about my Edmonton trip. I get to see Jonny Lang (wahoo!), meet up with the fam, and do some shopping. Cade is outgrowing his clothes, and I also want to get a few things for the house. Although, I always have a few more things I want for the house. It never ends!
I registered for the intermediate painting class on Mondays, so now I just need to find a sitter for Cade. J is busy that night. But I'm looking forward to the class - more oil painting, yeah!
This evening it was so nice that Cade and I went to check out the park behind our house. We tried the swings and slide, but his favorite activity by far was picking up gravel, trying to eat it, and piling it up on the bottom of the slide. Who knew?
I'm also getting excited about my Edmonton trip. I get to see Jonny Lang (wahoo!), meet up with the fam, and do some shopping. Cade is outgrowing his clothes, and I also want to get a few things for the house. Although, I always have a few more things I want for the house. It never ends!
I registered for the intermediate painting class on Mondays, so now I just need to find a sitter for Cade. J is busy that night. But I'm looking forward to the class - more oil painting, yeah!
Friday, April 9, 2010
town at night
Tonight was a baby shower for Izzac at the church. We had a grand ol' time, opening presents and eating snacks. I didn't feel like heading home after said event, so I headed over to Jos' place. On the way there I saw this beautiful sunset going on, and snuck home to grab my tripod and camera. This is the shot I like best. Mmm, sunset.
One week until I go to see Jonny Lang - can't wait! It's going to be great. I'm not really looking forward to all the driving I have to do, but other than that it should be a lovely weekend. I'm hoping to do some shopping for Cade and find some good deals on cute clothes for his next size up. I've also been drooling over a duvet cover from Urban Outfitters, so we'll see if I can squeeze that in my budget too.
Robyn came over last night and we whipped up some awesome curtains for her place, I can't wait to see them in action!
Monday night we went over to Megan's for a baby shower for Britt and Evrest (I know, there are way too many babies around here right now) where we had high tea and a nice intimate gathering and chat. I've had a good week, looking back on it all!
Not much else to say, except that I should probably get to bed. It's something I still haven't learned to be good at. Aah well, there's always tomorrow...
One week until I go to see Jonny Lang - can't wait! It's going to be great. I'm not really looking forward to all the driving I have to do, but other than that it should be a lovely weekend. I'm hoping to do some shopping for Cade and find some good deals on cute clothes for his next size up. I've also been drooling over a duvet cover from Urban Outfitters, so we'll see if I can squeeze that in my budget too.
Robyn came over last night and we whipped up some awesome curtains for her place, I can't wait to see them in action!
Monday night we went over to Megan's for a baby shower for Britt and Evrest (I know, there are way too many babies around here right now) where we had high tea and a nice intimate gathering and chat. I've had a good week, looking back on it all!
Not much else to say, except that I should probably get to bed. It's something I still haven't learned to be good at. Aah well, there's always tomorrow...
Saturday, April 3, 2010
little dunebuggy
I've finished my sunflower painting. The edges are still wet, so it'll have to sit for a few weeks to dry. Nonetheless, I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It's a bit edgy, but not too much, and I love the vibrant colors it has. I'm not sure where I'll put it yet, but it's nice to have something done that I'm proud of.
These past few weeks Cade has decided not to nap, so I can hear him chatting to himself in his crib right now. He still goes to bed, he just doesn't sleep. I'm happy that he's chatting right now instead of crying, though. It's just so much easier on the ears!
I tried indoor rock climbing with Lindsay a few nights ago. I haven't gone for years, and it was fun to try again. I still enjoy doing it, so I might have to take Jeremie next time. It's $15 per person for a drop-in fee, including shoe and harness rentals, so it's a pretty good deal.
Last night Cade and I stopped by an art show that Janet, who teaches my class, is putting on. It was neat to see some of her finished work, and also to see all the people who came out to the show.
Jer has been off gallivanting all day, so this evening he's going to watch Cade so I can do some sewing. I've been wanting to get at our living room drapes for ages, so I'm quite excited about that. I'll let you know how they turn out.
Anyway, I'm off to figure out what we should have for dinner. Hmmm...
These past few weeks Cade has decided not to nap, so I can hear him chatting to himself in his crib right now. He still goes to bed, he just doesn't sleep. I'm happy that he's chatting right now instead of crying, though. It's just so much easier on the ears!
I tried indoor rock climbing with Lindsay a few nights ago. I haven't gone for years, and it was fun to try again. I still enjoy doing it, so I might have to take Jeremie next time. It's $15 per person for a drop-in fee, including shoe and harness rentals, so it's a pretty good deal.
Last night Cade and I stopped by an art show that Janet, who teaches my class, is putting on. It was neat to see some of her finished work, and also to see all the people who came out to the show.
Jer has been off gallivanting all day, so this evening he's going to watch Cade so I can do some sewing. I've been wanting to get at our living room drapes for ages, so I'm quite excited about that. I'll let you know how they turn out.
Anyway, I'm off to figure out what we should have for dinner. Hmmm...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The sunflower
This is the progress on my sunflower painting, from class this evening. I'll hopefully finish it up next week in class. Then it will need a week or so to dry, and I'll add a few embellishments. It's shaping up a lot better than I thought it would - I was worried that I'd end up with your typical 'country sunflower' painting. Huzzah for turnout out all neat and stuff!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Amy's nursing cover
This is a picture of the nursing cover. Pretty, no?
Today has been exhausting, in the best way. I watched Cade for the morning, sewed our area rugs together to make one big one during his nap (it's now downstairs and looks great!), then got him up in time to get a sitter to come hang out with him for 4 hours while I did a thorough clean on the ol' house. It had been too long, and I walked around each day going 'eww' mentally. That's fixed, and I even cleaned the front windows. Huzzah!
I'm off to oil painting class in about 10 minutes, so I need to get Cade up from his nap and bring him along, to drop him off for a visit with Matt & Kate while I paint. I'm a bit apprehensive about the coming class, since I missed last week and will be madly playing catch-up. The last time I was at class my teacher asked me to please be on time, next time. It made me feel like I was in grade 4 and being scolded, which wasn't really cool. Though I was late, which isn't cool either. The next class I missed. I'll let you know how much (or little) I get scolded. I wish I could just not care about it, but it bothers me. Poop.
My grandma turned 80 on saturday, so I called her and had a lovely phone conversation with her yesterday. I need to do that more often! Cade and I also skyped with his grandmaman and grandpapa a few days ago - it's great that they can see him every so often online, that way they don't miss quite as much of his growing up. It would definitely be nice to live closer to the fam!
Anyway, a tired me needs to vamoose. Here I go - roadrunner style!
Today has been exhausting, in the best way. I watched Cade for the morning, sewed our area rugs together to make one big one during his nap (it's now downstairs and looks great!), then got him up in time to get a sitter to come hang out with him for 4 hours while I did a thorough clean on the ol' house. It had been too long, and I walked around each day going 'eww' mentally. That's fixed, and I even cleaned the front windows. Huzzah!
I'm off to oil painting class in about 10 minutes, so I need to get Cade up from his nap and bring him along, to drop him off for a visit with Matt & Kate while I paint. I'm a bit apprehensive about the coming class, since I missed last week and will be madly playing catch-up. The last time I was at class my teacher asked me to please be on time, next time. It made me feel like I was in grade 4 and being scolded, which wasn't really cool. Though I was late, which isn't cool either. The next class I missed. I'll let you know how much (or little) I get scolded. I wish I could just not care about it, but it bothers me. Poop.
My grandma turned 80 on saturday, so I called her and had a lovely phone conversation with her yesterday. I need to do that more often! Cade and I also skyped with his grandmaman and grandpapa a few days ago - it's great that they can see him every so often online, that way they don't miss quite as much of his growing up. It would definitely be nice to live closer to the fam!
Anyway, a tired me needs to vamoose. Here I go - roadrunner style!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
the sneakers
The photo is some size 5 sneakers Cade got for his baby shower. He's still a size 4, so they're a bit big, but they're so cute!
Monday night we threw a shower at the church for Heather and her baby Maddison. I happened to be the MC and games planner, and was happy to say I did pretty well. The games went over just fine, and we had fun getting to know a bit more about Heather and the little one. Who knew that she wants to have 6 kids? Wow! The dessert was lemon pie filling over pie crust with whipped cream. I loved the tangy factor: I think I might have to make that as a dessert sometime at home.
This coming Saturday my grandma turns 80 years old. I have to figure out what to get the lady who has everything and wants nothing! Mom suggested writing her a letter, so I'll definitely be doing that. She saves the letters we write her to pull out and read again and again. Is that a generational thing? This generation seems to rely on facebook and email mostly.
I sewed Amy's nursing cover this evening, and I really like the fabric. It's quite vintagey and cheerful, and I quite enjoy it. Here's to hoping she does too!
I think I'm going to talk to Jeremie about converting our spare room into my own play place. Right now I have to take out & put away any craft/sewing/art/design stuff right after I use it to keep it out of Cade's tiny but determined reach. A lot of it is kept in Cade's room, and so I can only use it when he's awake - which ususally doesn't work. I would just love a room to store it all in and have a workspace handy whenever I need it. That, plus a reading lamp and cooshy chair, would make for my perfect room. We'll now have to see if we can make it happen!
Monday night we threw a shower at the church for Heather and her baby Maddison. I happened to be the MC and games planner, and was happy to say I did pretty well. The games went over just fine, and we had fun getting to know a bit more about Heather and the little one. Who knew that she wants to have 6 kids? Wow! The dessert was lemon pie filling over pie crust with whipped cream. I loved the tangy factor: I think I might have to make that as a dessert sometime at home.
This coming Saturday my grandma turns 80 years old. I have to figure out what to get the lady who has everything and wants nothing! Mom suggested writing her a letter, so I'll definitely be doing that. She saves the letters we write her to pull out and read again and again. Is that a generational thing? This generation seems to rely on facebook and email mostly.
I sewed Amy's nursing cover this evening, and I really like the fabric. It's quite vintagey and cheerful, and I quite enjoy it. Here's to hoping she does too!
I think I'm going to talk to Jeremie about converting our spare room into my own play place. Right now I have to take out & put away any craft/sewing/art/design stuff right after I use it to keep it out of Cade's tiny but determined reach. A lot of it is kept in Cade's room, and so I can only use it when he's awake - which ususally doesn't work. I would just love a room to store it all in and have a workspace handy whenever I need it. That, plus a reading lamp and cooshy chair, would make for my perfect room. We'll now have to see if we can make it happen!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
We won!
I've been feeling so ambitious and creative lately. I love it!
This is a sketch I did of a girl who was rooting hardcore for our olympic Hockey team. Jer found a picture and mentioned it would make a great cartoon. I'm really happy with the way it turned out!
I also made the "8 month old" video for Cade this evening (only 1.5 months overdue, oops!) and am uploading it to Facebook right now. Hopefully the 10-month one will be more on time!
Also, Cade is now walking on his own! He tries to take between 3 to 5 steps on his own to get to wherever he wants to get to, the same places he crawled to last week. What a fast learner he is! He's also bored with the main floor and where he's allowed to play, and has started going straight for all the things he's not allowed to touch. When I move him from one, he goes straight to the next. Some days it's enough to make me crazy!
This is a sketch I did of a girl who was rooting hardcore for our olympic Hockey team. Jer found a picture and mentioned it would make a great cartoon. I'm really happy with the way it turned out!
I also made the "8 month old" video for Cade this evening (only 1.5 months overdue, oops!) and am uploading it to Facebook right now. Hopefully the 10-month one will be more on time!
Also, Cade is now walking on his own! He tries to take between 3 to 5 steps on his own to get to wherever he wants to get to, the same places he crawled to last week. What a fast learner he is! He's also bored with the main floor and where he's allowed to play, and has started going straight for all the things he's not allowed to touch. When I move him from one, he goes straight to the next. Some days it's enough to make me crazy!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
I'm working on my portfolio. Finally.
So, in 11pm news, I've been a busy bee tonight.
I've been wanting to re-create my portfolio for awhile now, and finally figured out that I wanted to try making it in WordPress. I managed to install WordPress (pretty easy, actually) on my web server, customized the content, and added a few posts. I officially have a new portfolio!
Now comes the fun part: creating my own theme (graphics and layout), then populating the site with all the content I think is worth keeping in my portfolio. I'll be working on this over the next few weeks. Wish me luck!
PS - you can check it out here, though there's not much to see yet: http://www.boulianne.net/design/
Computering together
The past couple of days have been busy with Cade-ness, since he's decided that naps are for babies. He's also teething and switching to solids, so we've been having a bit of a time keeping him entertained and myself sane. On the upside, I haven't thrown in the towel yet. Hooray for that!
Jeremie is off in Jasper today, snowboarding with the guys. I hope that he has an amazing time - you don't get to head out to the mountains every weekend, so you've got to enjoy it when you can.
In digital news, I made a nice robot logo for Jeremie's robot club last night, and am attempting to install wordpress on my server - both to test out the CMS, and to start (maybe?) a design blog, to be updated mostly when I want to rant about such things or have something new to show off. We'll see how that goes. I do want to see how easy Wordpress is to design for, and to use. So far my favorite is Joomla, though there are a few things I'd like to see made easier for the average joe. And for lazy me.
I bought a ton of groceries today, and also picked out some great fabric for a nursing cover for Amy. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Jeremie is off in Jasper today, snowboarding with the guys. I hope that he has an amazing time - you don't get to head out to the mountains every weekend, so you've got to enjoy it when you can.
In digital news, I made a nice robot logo for Jeremie's robot club last night, and am attempting to install wordpress on my server - both to test out the CMS, and to start (maybe?) a design blog, to be updated mostly when I want to rant about such things or have something new to show off. We'll see how that goes. I do want to see how easy Wordpress is to design for, and to use. So far my favorite is Joomla, though there are a few things I'd like to see made easier for the average joe. And for lazy me.
I bought a ton of groceries today, and also picked out some great fabric for a nursing cover for Amy. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
a new blog layout
Hooray for a new background graphic on the good ol' blog! I got the idea from Hot bliggity Blog, who has some lovely backgrounds you can use for free. I decided to customize/redo one of their graphics for my background, and quite like the new look. Huzzah and all that!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
visiting the hospital
There are babies popping up all over the place in the cabbage patch! I know of 3 new babies, and 2 more to come next month. It's baby shower time again! That reminds me, I need to plan some games for an upcoming shower. Any suggestions?
Tomorrow night is our date night - Jeremie and I are hiring a sitter and going out without Cade. It's been quite awhile since we've done so, and I'm looking forward to it.
Cade took 2 steps on his own yesterday for Jeremie. I wasn't paying attention, but I'm sure there will be more steps in the near future! He's crawling now, not all over the house but mostly just to get into the next room or over to the next toy when this one seems less interesting. He loves to play with cords, the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, and garbage cans - in short, what he's not allowed to touch. He's eating 3 meals a day now, but it's hard for me to figure out what to feed him. He's not good with a spoon, and only likes finger food, so he's eating a lot of peanut buttered bread and oranges, plus some of whatever we have for dinner. He's been fussy the past few weeks, and I hope it's just teething, and not a new personality phase! On the upside of that though, he cuddled with me for about 20 minutes after his nap this afternoon. That was great.
Tomorrow night is our date night - Jeremie and I are hiring a sitter and going out without Cade. It's been quite awhile since we've done so, and I'm looking forward to it.
Cade took 2 steps on his own yesterday for Jeremie. I wasn't paying attention, but I'm sure there will be more steps in the near future! He's crawling now, not all over the house but mostly just to get into the next room or over to the next toy when this one seems less interesting. He loves to play with cords, the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, and garbage cans - in short, what he's not allowed to touch. He's eating 3 meals a day now, but it's hard for me to figure out what to feed him. He's not good with a spoon, and only likes finger food, so he's eating a lot of peanut buttered bread and oranges, plus some of whatever we have for dinner. He's been fussy the past few weeks, and I hope it's just teething, and not a new personality phase! On the upside of that though, he cuddled with me for about 20 minutes after his nap this afternoon. That was great.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Our photo book has arrived!
The photo book turned out to be lovely, and I'm very happy with it. Hooray for My Publisher!
Last week Gwen came out with me to the church to add all the books donated in the past several months to the church collection. I just got a new order of books in yesterday (hooray!) and so we'll be doing it again this coming Monday. Here's to hoping Cade is in a better mood when we go next. It's hard to get something done when he insists on being played with and held the whole time. Aah, the joys of being a mom.
Jer went to the dentist to get a consulation about his wisdom teeth, and he'll be getting them removed this coming summer. I remember getting mine out. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't exactly fun either. It's like pulling teeth.
Saturday evening was the birthday party for a two-year old of our acquaintance, so we all bundled up to head out to a local hotel pool for a swim, a chat, and some birthday cake. We had a great time, aside from poor cold Cade. He wasn't a big fan of all the echoey noise, nor did he like the temperature of the big pool. He was abnormally silent and still for most of the swim, until we warmed him up well in the hot tub. I happily took part in a "see how long you can swim underwater" contest with the guys, and was pleased to fair as one of the better contestants. All those swimming lessons finally paid off!
Tonight is my 'night off' from the kid. I'm thinking I'll head into town and do some shopping. Maybe mall shopping, maybe grocery shopping, maybe just a lot of browsing. I don't want to spend much this month since I did end up buying that lovely coat I had my eye on - it was half off and I decided not to pass it up for that price. Thus the window shopping. Window shopping is good for you, right? Wait, I wonder what's on at the movies? I'll have to go check that out as an alternative. I never mind catching a good flick!
Well, I'm off to play with Cade for awhile. His mom has been incommunicado on the computer for long enough!
Last week Gwen came out with me to the church to add all the books donated in the past several months to the church collection. I just got a new order of books in yesterday (hooray!) and so we'll be doing it again this coming Monday. Here's to hoping Cade is in a better mood when we go next. It's hard to get something done when he insists on being played with and held the whole time. Aah, the joys of being a mom.
Jer went to the dentist to get a consulation about his wisdom teeth, and he'll be getting them removed this coming summer. I remember getting mine out. It wasn't too bad, but it wasn't exactly fun either. It's like pulling teeth.
Saturday evening was the birthday party for a two-year old of our acquaintance, so we all bundled up to head out to a local hotel pool for a swim, a chat, and some birthday cake. We had a great time, aside from poor cold Cade. He wasn't a big fan of all the echoey noise, nor did he like the temperature of the big pool. He was abnormally silent and still for most of the swim, until we warmed him up well in the hot tub. I happily took part in a "see how long you can swim underwater" contest with the guys, and was pleased to fair as one of the better contestants. All those swimming lessons finally paid off!
Tonight is my 'night off' from the kid. I'm thinking I'll head into town and do some shopping. Maybe mall shopping, maybe grocery shopping, maybe just a lot of browsing. I don't want to spend much this month since I did end up buying that lovely coat I had my eye on - it was half off and I decided not to pass it up for that price. Thus the window shopping. Window shopping is good for you, right? Wait, I wonder what's on at the movies? I'll have to go check that out as an alternative. I never mind catching a good flick!
Well, I'm off to play with Cade for awhile. His mom has been incommunicado on the computer for long enough!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
books and tiles and books
I've read a few stunningly good books in the past few months, and wanted to share my book joy. The first book is called 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the pie' by Alan Bradley. It has got to have the best first chapter, bar none, that I have ever read. It's just great. The rest of the book is well done too, though not quite to the same level as the first chapter. It's a quirky, amusing light read about an 11 year old chemist and amateur sleuth whose shenanigans keep the whole mystery of 'who killed for the stamp' a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
I also had the pleasure of picking up one of Terry Pratchett's books on a lark. I haven't read any of his work thus far, and was happily surprised by this book. It's clever, it's witty, and it's a bit ridiculous at the same time. It takes place in a well-orchestrated world where some things are the same as here, and some things are normal there that we don't exactly go in for. Like a wizards' university. A kind orc. And a one crazy game of soccer / kick the can. Suspend your disbelief, put your uptight glasses on the shelf for a more serious read, and enjoy this delightful romp through literature.
PS - the photo attached to this post is the updated tiles in my kitchen. I still love them dearly, though they're now several weeks old and the ultra-new-shine has worn off, replaced by a few kitchen spatters.
I also had the pleasure of picking up one of Terry Pratchett's books on a lark. I haven't read any of his work thus far, and was happily surprised by this book. It's clever, it's witty, and it's a bit ridiculous at the same time. It takes place in a well-orchestrated world where some things are the same as here, and some things are normal there that we don't exactly go in for. Like a wizards' university. A kind orc. And a one crazy game of soccer / kick the can. Suspend your disbelief, put your uptight glasses on the shelf for a more serious read, and enjoy this delightful romp through literature.
PS - the photo attached to this post is the updated tiles in my kitchen. I still love them dearly, though they're now several weeks old and the ultra-new-shine has worn off, replaced by a few kitchen spatters.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Martha is:
- thrilled that she just bought 2 tickets to see Jonny Lang
- feeling like she'll have to cull a child as she sorts through her photo book looking for the least longed-for page to remove
- super excited that cousin Kate's furniture is finally arriving
- sad that with buying the Jonny Lang tickets, she will no longer be able to afford the beautiful coat she tried on a few weeks ago
- happy to have wasted an hour reading Robin McKinley's site and blog. Her writing never fails to amuse. I also have a love/hate relationship with her need to italicize
- wanting to start about 5 different projects tonight. It's a pity there's only an hour 'til bedtime. And that's stretching it.
- internally laughing that Cafepress has a customized landing page for a design I've never sold a shirt for (and yes, I realize it's just a page populated by tags. But it's still funny!)
- pigging out on cupcakes. They're just that good.
- wasting precious time on Shelfari. Oh, for the love of books!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Monkey Monkey Underpants
I've been designing more logos and pictures for t-shirts again lately, for my cafepress shops. This picture is a Gilmore Girls reference, where Lorelai is talking about her stream of consciousness, and ended up with "Hockey puck, rattlesnakake, monkey monkey underpants". It was really funny at the time.
I had a movie night with the girls on Thursday, we watched Harry Potter 6 and played Scene It. It was good to have some people over again.
I'm also working on our 2009 digital photo album. I'm making it using the MyPublisher.com software again. I've made two albums with them so far, and have been really pleased with both the print quality and the software's ease of use. My mom is trying it out now too, and she's also enjoying the program. Basically you add your photos and text, and get a coffee-table quality book of all your pictures printed off and mailed to you. Hooray for photo books!
Cade is currently sick, with a runny nose, a bit of a fever, and a dry little cough. He's not feeling too bad though, which is nice. It means I still get my sleep! Cade has also discovered that he can push his stand-up toys around the house, and we had to install a child gate at the top of the stairs after I found that he'd gotten himself to the other corner of the house by pushing his piano! He's still a happy kid, and is very clever and brave - he'll figure out how to get places you didn't think he could. He will take chances on moving between his toy and the couch or TV stand, and just kind of lean forward to whichever object he can't quite reach. He falls a lot, but doesn't usually mind too much. I'm happy about that!
Tonight I'm heading off to Jess' birthday party, so hooray for that!
I had a movie night with the girls on Thursday, we watched Harry Potter 6 and played Scene It. It was good to have some people over again.
I'm also working on our 2009 digital photo album. I'm making it using the MyPublisher.com software again. I've made two albums with them so far, and have been really pleased with both the print quality and the software's ease of use. My mom is trying it out now too, and she's also enjoying the program. Basically you add your photos and text, and get a coffee-table quality book of all your pictures printed off and mailed to you. Hooray for photo books!
Cade is currently sick, with a runny nose, a bit of a fever, and a dry little cough. He's not feeling too bad though, which is nice. It means I still get my sleep! Cade has also discovered that he can push his stand-up toys around the house, and we had to install a child gate at the top of the stairs after I found that he'd gotten himself to the other corner of the house by pushing his piano! He's still a happy kid, and is very clever and brave - he'll figure out how to get places you didn't think he could. He will take chances on moving between his toy and the couch or TV stand, and just kind of lean forward to whichever object he can't quite reach. He falls a lot, but doesn't usually mind too much. I'm happy about that!
Tonight I'm heading off to Jess' birthday party, so hooray for that!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The headband snap
It's been a long time since I've bloged. A long time. Close to a month, in fact! I'm trying to remember what's happened.
The biggest thing that happened was, of course, Christmas. We started by heading down to Edmonton to visit J's family - Cade's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a great-uncle or two as well. It was a busy, enjoyable time. It was great to see everyone again. Grandpapa taught Cade how to play soccer - or at least kick a ball, toddle after it, and kick it again. It's his new favorite game. Cade managed to fuss enough that he also spent about half of each night sleeping with Mom and Dad, which meant that none of us got very much sleep. We got our traditional family photos taken, and are hoping to have our sets of prints by the end of January - a shot of Cade, one of our family (the three of us), and one of the whole family. It was more fun than usual this year trying to get a good photo, since we now have two babies in the mix. We also went to see Avatar, my first 3D movie since Michael Jackson in my teens. Avatar was really well done, and I had a great time watching it. Go James Cameron!
We then stopped by the Elves' for lunch and a little visit, and to show Cade off. He was introduced to the first dogs he'd ever met, and did pretty well - he wasn't scared, but did pull a bit of fur.
We still had an extra four days or so left, and were halfway to the Snips' place, so we figured that we'd drive on down and surprise them. And surprise them we did! Everyone was thrilled to have us visiting, and we managed to get two visits with the now great-grandparents in. I got a chance to buy a new swimsuit and swim some rowdy laps at the pool where I grew up swimming, and had fun trying to teach Maria elementary back. I think she's got the basics down. Now it's just the final product finesse-ing that's left to be done.
Oh, and we all got riotously sick over New Years. It turned out to be a stomach virus, so we all threw up, blew out the other end, and slept several days away. It was gloriously horrible. Thank goodness we're all recovered now!
Well, I'm off to continue working on my digital photo album for 2009 - this will be my third year making one. Great print quality, good price and good service - check out mypublisher.com. And no, this was not an endorsed advertisement. I really do love the product! Huzzah.
The biggest thing that happened was, of course, Christmas. We started by heading down to Edmonton to visit J's family - Cade's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a great-uncle or two as well. It was a busy, enjoyable time. It was great to see everyone again. Grandpapa taught Cade how to play soccer - or at least kick a ball, toddle after it, and kick it again. It's his new favorite game. Cade managed to fuss enough that he also spent about half of each night sleeping with Mom and Dad, which meant that none of us got very much sleep. We got our traditional family photos taken, and are hoping to have our sets of prints by the end of January - a shot of Cade, one of our family (the three of us), and one of the whole family. It was more fun than usual this year trying to get a good photo, since we now have two babies in the mix. We also went to see Avatar, my first 3D movie since Michael Jackson in my teens. Avatar was really well done, and I had a great time watching it. Go James Cameron!
We then stopped by the Elves' for lunch and a little visit, and to show Cade off. He was introduced to the first dogs he'd ever met, and did pretty well - he wasn't scared, but did pull a bit of fur.
We still had an extra four days or so left, and were halfway to the Snips' place, so we figured that we'd drive on down and surprise them. And surprise them we did! Everyone was thrilled to have us visiting, and we managed to get two visits with the now great-grandparents in. I got a chance to buy a new swimsuit and swim some rowdy laps at the pool where I grew up swimming, and had fun trying to teach Maria elementary back. I think she's got the basics down. Now it's just the final product finesse-ing that's left to be done.
Oh, and we all got riotously sick over New Years. It turned out to be a stomach virus, so we all threw up, blew out the other end, and slept several days away. It was gloriously horrible. Thank goodness we're all recovered now!
Well, I'm off to continue working on my digital photo album for 2009 - this will be my third year making one. Great print quality, good price and good service - check out mypublisher.com. And no, this was not an endorsed advertisement. I really do love the product! Huzzah.
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