Everyday life!

Knitting Video and Audio podcasts

2012-01-22T13:49:00.001-05:00

My daughter has passed on her love of knitting video and audio podcasts to me. She was telling me about them way back in the summer so I started watching/listening and really got hooked on them as well. I have a few that are my favourites and tune in most every week or play catch up when I miss them. I will make a list to share with you.

In December my daughter decided she was going to try her hand at video podcasting as well. She is doing great with it although since Christmas she hasn't had time to record one. Christmas was busy, busy with little kiddos and of course the flu made its rounds through their home and everyone got it there. I'm hoping she will record again really soon as I enjoy seeing them. One episode she had her sister on who is the blogger behind a wonderful book blog called Krystal's Stellar Book Blog. Anyways, Kandice did her knitting segments and Krystal did her book segments and it was great! They are pros at video podcasting! Be sure to stop by Tangledknits blog as well. If you are on Ravelry she also has a group there called Friends of Tangledknits that you can join. Kandice recently had a giveaway going on in her group and plans to have others so check it out!

So as promised here is a list of the podcasts I watch/listen weekly or as often as possible.

Tangledknits also on iTunes! Kandice is a busy mother of 2 kiddos who loves to knit and shares her love for knitting in her video podcast. She has had a giveway and plans to have more as she gets her videocast up and running.

Knitabulls also on iTunes! Dianne is so much fun to watch. She shares her love of knitting and spinning and has giveaways as well.

The Knit Girllls also on iTunes! Leslie and Laura keep us entertained while sharing their love for knitting and of course spinning. They have giveaways and do book reviews as well.

Dramatic Knits Steve and Callie are the personalities behind this videocast.

Stockinette Zombies Megan and Amy are the personalities behind this videocast.

KnitPurlGurl Karrie shows off her knitting, crochet and sewing projects, she also has giveaways and does book and product reviews.

There are others I am just starting to watch/listen and I will add to my list as I get more into them.

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-15T19:23:00.000-05:00

Wow, we are at the middle of January already. Christmas was wonderful with time spent with family and enjoying the excitement of our grandchildren. Watching the smiles and hearing the giggles of the girls while they opened their gifts and played with their new toys was wonderful. Watching Everett opening his gifts which he seemed to catch onto very quickly and enjoyed doing so was super fun too. His excitement with seeing new cars and trucks and books makes Christmas so special. The kiddos certainly got lots of new and fun toys that is for sure.

I rec'd lots of wonderful gifts including gift card for Old Navy, panties, Iphone, a sweater, handknit fingerless gloves, ornaments, knit project bag and pattern holder, a gift card for hubby and I to go to a very nice restaurant in town, gift cards for Shall we Knit (LYS), Timmies Gift Card, some items from Lush and then for my birthday I got a new coat and boots!

Since Christmas we have all had a bout with the stomach flu with the exception of my husband who somehow missed it (lucky him). It wasn't as horrible as other flubugs but still not something you want to go through. Now, we are hoping that the rest of 2012 will be free of any sicknesses.

My husband had been laid off from his job in Dec and man it has been a struggle so far. He picked up a job with a framer who also did work for the company he was working for so that helped and he also does weekend work with another guy as well. It's been stressful for both of us but certainly on my husband. He is not one to sit around doing nothing and he likes the stability of knowing he has a good job and one he enjoys going to although as with any job there are always the stresses that come with it. Hopefully, in Feb he will get called back to his original job. Fingers crossed!

This year I am hoping to spend more time knitting and posting more here about my passion. I would like to try new and challenging patterns this year, maybe try my hand at using my daughters drop spindle, do some crocheting (christmas ornaments). I am starting the year off by choosing to knit a really nice pattern that I won as part of giveaway from Friends of Tangledknits, a group on Ravelry. Along with the pattern which was gifted to me by Kandice of Tangledknits I also won pattern magnets from Slipped Stitch Studios and a skein of handspun from The Wacky Windmill. I was so excited to have won a great prize like this. Yay for me! So that pattern I choose was The Hitchiker by Martina Behm. I went to Shall we Knit and used one of my GC's from Christmas to get some beautiful Fleece Artist yarn in a gorgeous colourway and started knitting today! I'll take pictures and show my progress here. I'm so excited!

I'm looking forward to a great year after the ending of 2011!

It's the weekend and i'm...

2011-12-10T19:17:00.002-05:00

resting in bed after having a knee scope done yesterday. Everything went well, and i've been able to get around more than I thought I would be. I'm only putting a limited amount of weight on that leg and they had me start exercises today as well. I've done those only 1 time today but will do them again shortly. I know they want me to start with 3 times a day but I tell you they take a lot out of me to do them. I'm icing it lots too to help with the inflammation and taking tylenol 3 and ibuprofen as well. I'm trying to stay on top of the pain so it doesn't get out of hand but today I ended up sleeping for a couple of hours and when I woke I knew I had missed a dose.

I will be working on my knitting this weekend hoping to get this project done as it is a Christmas gift. It seems to be taking me a while but I've never done something like this and therefore I'm still learning. It seems to be turning out pretty nicely and I know if I continue to work on items like this I will get better at them.

I'm almost done our Christmas shopping although there are a few things yet to get. I had hoped to be done before my surgery but it didn't work out that way. I'm more worried though about my husbands family christmas get together at my daughters house next Sat. I feel bad that everything got switched to her place due to not knowing how I would be feeling and how much I will be getting around by then. I will have to try to get out with her this week sometime if possible so we can get the groceries we will be needing and help her with as much as I can. Thank you Kandi for doing this on such short notice, I really appreciate it!

Well, just wanted to stop in and do a quick post! Have a good weekend and great week!

It's almost Christmas

2011-12-04T21:15:00.000-05:00

Here we are already the 4th of December. Where did this year go? Where did the last month go? Seems like we were just giving out candy at the door on Halloween and now we are headed towards Christmas.

The little ones are getting so excited with each passing day. The decorations have been placed, the trees are decorated and the gifts are being bought. With all this happening they can't help but get excited. Today we did our annual Family Christmas Tree decorating here at our house. It is so fun to get together and enjoy each others company and talk and joke around and just have a lot of fun. Everett is only 13 months old and taking it all in. He helped to decorate the tree today even though he took a few decorations off the tree too! LOL...what a cutie. Hannah and Keira love to place the ornaments in just the "right" spot and sometimes forget that the top of the tree also needs some ornaments as well....talk about sweethearts. These are all precious moments that we will look back on in years to come.

I wonder sometimes if it is time to set this tradition aside being the family is growing and it becomes harder to arrange time with so much else on the go but then, I stop and think of the girls and how excited they are when they ask nana "when are we going to your house to decorate your tree?"

I got some pictures of the tree decorating that I want to post here

Grandpa, Kandice, Everett, Adrian, Keira and Krystal

Chris and Hannah

Grandpa and Everett placing the angel!

I've been busy working on a couple of knitting projects for Christmas gifts and babysitting the kiddos each day. Having fun with them but realizing I'm not 20 anymore. They sure do keep me busy. I am almost done babysitting until the new year as Kandice managed to get some time off with vacation time that added up for her while off on mat leave. I am having minor knee surgery on Friday (9th) to help repair a tear and hopefully relieve some of the knee pain. We are having our Family Christmas on Boxing Day this year and the Veltkamp Family Christmas on the 17th. Looking forward to both of those days but Christmas morning is what is exciting when grandpa and I head over to the kids house to spend the day there while we celebrate our Christmas.

I think today it is time for me to change my blog background to a nice Christmas one as well.

I am still around...

2011-10-28T10:57:00.000-04:00

Wow, where does time go? It has been ages since I last posted here. I've just been busy with life and even though I stopped in many times to write a post I just didn't do it. Call it lazy, busy, bored, not that into it I"m not really sure. I think mainly because I just don't have a lot to write about that when I do get in here it's like "what do I post?"

I am starting to babysit for my daughter next week. Everett has turned 1 today (Happy Birthday Ev) and that means it is time for mommy to head back to work. Actually, she took a weeks holidays already so she extended her mat leave. So I will be spending most of my days over there and not so sure how much computer time I will have after that, coming home and getting dinner ready and doing anything that needs to be done here at home before heading to bed. It will be fun spending time with Ev though and on monday, wednesday and friday I will also have Hannah too. Not sure if I will be watching Keira after school or not but really when you think of it her daddy will be home anyways by the time we get home from school most likely.

Krystal has started working at a new job which for the most part I think she enjoys it! Seems like a good place to work and she has gotten lots of perks with the job which is GREAT too. Good luck Krystal! You will do awesome!

As for my knitting, I"m working on a pair of Thigh High Socks for my daughter (shhhh dont' tell her...lol) yep she picked them out so she knows!!! They are going well, although I question whether I will get them done being I'm slow and not always knitting when I should be. There are other things I wanted to knit as well but unlike Kandice I can't seem to be working on more than one project at a time.

Our trip to Tennessee was the best! We had such a great time and absolutely loved every part of it! The cabin was unbelievable, beautiful and large. The kids loved it and the first time Keira spotted a bear lurking around our cabin she reacted as a little girl would....she went running into the cabin screaming that there was a bear outside, which of course got everyone out on the deck checking it out and sure enough there it was looking up at us! At the time mommy, nana and grandpa were just getting back to the cabin from the grocery store so we missed her initial response but got to enjoy the bear anyways.

We toured Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Cade's Cove and saw lots of bears. The guys got out fishing with no luck unfortunately but enjoyed it just the same. We shopped at the outlet mall or should I say the girls did and the guys shopped at Pro Bass and of course enjoyed that. They took the kiddos so that the mommies could enjoy relaxing shopping time. Then Kandi, hubby and I all bought new cowboy boots. Love that store...Stages West!!! Awesome array of boots for every member of the family and the lady that waited on all of us was great! We also did the Ripleys Aquarium in Gatlinburg, which was really cool. Everyone loved it as well.

We are planning a very large family vacation in Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg area for August 2013! So looking forward to that trip.

I have a few pics I will try to add here later from our trip. Have to see if I can do it right this time!

where did the summer go?

2011-09-01T11:48:00.001-04:00

So, it's Sept 1st and the last long weekend of the summer is upon us. Wow, where did the summer months go? Seems like we just got started and here it is almost over. The kids are getting ready to head back to school on Tues and moms and dads getting ready to change back into the daily routine that will keep them on their toes for the next 10 months. I know my granddaughter who is heading to grade 2 this year is looking forward to getting back to school. My other granddaughter has been attending pre-school all summer long and will continue on starting Tues. I can only imagine the excitement in that household (they all live in the same house) when Tues morning rolls around and both of them are getting ready for school at the same time and possibly heading out the door together as well. Won't that just be the cutest?

So we had a beautiful summer although it took a while to get it started. We had heat like you wouldn't believe for the month of July and several storms that ravished areas around us. Of course the biggest one hitting Goderich (previous post). The girls experienced their first bigger storm at the trailer that managed to send them running to the concrete building that is the public washroom for our area of the park. The lightening from this storm had to be the worst I have ever seen. It was scary. Part of Cambridge got hit that night with an F1 tornado which of course isn't as severe as Goderich but still it affected a lot of people.

We are all looking forward to our trip to Pigeon Forge, TN to the mountians. We have rented a cabin for a week and are so excited to hit the road and start our adventure.

Hope you enjoy your long weekend, stay safe and have lots of fun.

A week of destruction, sadness and loss for Canada

2011-08-24T17:04:00.001-04:00

	Why is Goderich called Canada's Prettiest Town? Legend has it that a relative of Queen Victoria once visited Goderich and told her what a beautiful town it was, whereupon Queen Victoria stated, "Surely that must be the prettiest town in Canada!"

A very sad day on Sunday for the town of Goderich. A tornado ripped through the downtown core and obliterated almost the whole town square. I'm not sure if you are aware of what the town square looked like before the tornado but to see it after the fact you would wonder if it is the same town. Here are some pics of before and after.

Look at all the beautiful trees surrounding the court house

and after the tornado ripped through!

It is hard to believe when you see the damage is destruction throughout the town that only one person, a man working at the salt mines was killed. I worked in Goderich for 6 months and visited there often when we lived in Kincardine. A favourite place for us to go was The Bedford Hotel and eat at Paddy O'Neils. Looks like it has been very badly damaged as well.

A look here will give you an idea through photos what damage has been done.

Truly a very sad time for the Town of Goderich.

On another sad note we lost a truly great Canadian this week. Jack Layton, leader of the NDP party in Canada. I've never much been into politics but Jack Layton had a way of talking to Canadians and getting their attention. In 2011 Layton became leader of the largest Official Opposition in 31 years—and the first formed by New Democrats. With 59 Quebec MPs, Layton’s team emerged not only as a credible government-in-waiting, but as a force for Canadian unity.

He had hopes and dreams of one day becoming Prime Minister aof Canada and I believe he could have done it! Two days before Jack Layton passed away he wrote a letter to Canada, not just any letter but a very strong letter of love and encouragement for us to become better people and work towards a better Canada. If you haven't already read the letter you can find it here. Even during his last days he was thinking of Canada and her people. We should find encouragement in his strength and work to make Canada a better place for all.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

Great Back to School Giveaway at my daughters blog...

2011-08-10T12:43:00.000-04:00

What a great giveaway just in time for school. It is open to Canada and US. Check it out and enter, you may win this great prize!

http://gethealthymomma.blogspot.com/search/label/Giveaways

Click on the comments link to take you to the entry section.

Almost the long weekend!

2011-07-27T20:24:00.000-04:00

Do you have any plans for the long weekend? I know it is only a civil holiday so not all get it off but just wondered if you do, do you have plans?

Of course my favourite place to spend any weekend is at our trailer. So to have a long weekend at the trailer just makes it that much better. They are doing helicopter rides which should be fun. I'll be watching from the ground. Not sure a helicopter ride is something I would want to do...call me a scaredy cat but it's enough to just get me on an airplane without feeling sick and scared. LOL!!

As far as I know i'll be heading up tomorrow. Just have to stop and get some food and other items that we will need up there.

Today I babysat my grandson Everett. What a handsome little dude he is...here is a picture of him while he is sleeping and then a picture when he woke up from his 10 minute nap.

I swear he wakes up from his cat naps like he has just had a 2 hour nap.

We had fun playing with the toys, singing, playing patta cake and just spending time together. He is such a mommy's boy that he doesn't let his mommy out of his sight for long and after about 40 minutes realized mommy hadn't been around. Silly boy! Sure is a handsome little man don't you think?

Knitting

2011-07-26T09:10:00.001-04:00

Knitting is one of my favourite past-times as is crocheting. I've worked on many things over the years as I posted in a previous post. Sweaters, socks, blankets, wraps, barbie doll clothes, hats, cocoons for babies, christmas items, dishcloths and much more. Right now both Kandice and I have been working on items to put into a craft sale at the trailer next summer. We have both been making dishcloths but have other ideas to work on as well.

My grand daughter Keira is waiting for some barbie clothes which I have just started working on again. I have really slacked with these things while knitting dishcloths but I have decided I need a change from the dishcloths. So now Keira will get some new barbie doll clothes very soon.

I enjoy reading blogs and tweets from other knitters which provide hints and tips as well as free patterns. Kandice got me started with a subscription from Knit Simple for Christmas and along with that the company also sent me a Vogue Knitting subscription as well (to make up for all the trouble we had with the subscription). I've really enjoyed the magazines so far and they have even sent extra once in a while so I'm able to share with Kandice too.

I find knitting to be very relaxing although there are times when I question why I bother...especially when I just can't make any sense of the pattern for whatever reason. Kandi has just started knitting less than a year ago but I tell you she has a great knowledge of knitting and patterns. She has taught me some new things and tries (lol) to encourage me to take challenges with my knitting.

Today, I plan on sitting with my knitting after I get some housework done. Enjoy your day no matter what you may be doing....

summer is here

2011-07-07T20:52:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that summer is here and the kids are out of school as well. Where did that school year go? We have been spending some time up at the trailer but have had some other commitments as well on some weekends that we have been doing as well. This weekend coming we have a family pool party at my sisters. Guess what I forgot to do though? LOL...I forgot to bring my bathing suit home from the trailer last weekend. Not sure yet but maybe tomorrow the girls and I will all go up for the day, spending some time at the beach while up there.

I've been following the Casey Anthony case over the few years (on Nancy Grace) and recently catching up on it since the verdict was brought down. I CAN'T believe that she is going to be free on July 13th. NOT GUILTY? What were they thinking? The jurors say that the prosecution didn't prove without a doubt? OMG, I would say that there was lots of proof. They got this one dead wrong that is for sure. The jurors believe she lied to the police throughout the search for her daughter and found her guilty of that but what did they think she was lying about? I believe she knew all along where her daughter was so yes she was lying. I just don't get it at all.

Are you going to watch Big Brother this season? I've never gotten into the show but I know my daughters watch it (at least one daughter does for sure but I think they both do???they can correct me here if I'm wrong) I was thinking that maybe I would try to catch it tonight and see if it is something I would want to watch for the season.

I'm looking forward to the new season of Biggest Loser which doesn't start until Sept...and Greys Anatomy! I guess that time will go fast enough without thinking about it...lol!

June 18th is WWKIP day!

2011-06-09T21:16:00.002-04:00

This is the first time I've actually heard of this and when I read about it I was so excited. Unfortunately, we are at the trailer on the weekends and therefore I can't go to the one close to us at Shall We Knit I always do some knitting at the trailer whenever I can so even though I can't be at the get together I will be Knitting In Public at the trailer. I'm sure if my daughter is up at their trailer she will be too!

Here is a little history of WWKIP day which is actually a week long celebration. Here you can find out if there is a KIP event in your area, find out about hosting a KIP and promoting your KIP with fliers.

Will you be attending a Knitting In Public get together in the city where you live?

summer is here

2011-06-09T10:42:00.000-04:00

and the weather is hot, hot, hot! Way too much humidity too. I love summer and wish that we could just have the heat without the humidity. With the humidity comes thunderstorms of course and we have had many of them lately. Wild and crazy weather systems causing havoc all around. Power outages, wind tossing things around and rain that just keeps on coming and flooding streets and rivers all around.

We have been going to the trailer on the weekends again and there has been a lot of rain up there as well. Last wednesday there was quite a storm go through doing some damage to the awning of a trailer right behind us. We always get so nervous about the wind picking up while we are there that we always keep an eye on the awning. It is such an expensive loss and therefore we are vigilant on bringing it in if we think the winds are picking up. We never, ever leave it up when we leave the trailer for the week. Besides I'd be a nervous wreck worrying the whole time. We see that some people just lower the awning down to the deck but still the wind can grab it even when it is like that. I just wouldn't want to have to deal with lossing the awning. When I got up there last thursday the patio furniture was upended and all over the deck so I know if the awning had been down or out we likely would have had some issues too.

It was a quiet weekend at the trailer being out of the 3 families (our daughter and her family, and her in-laws and us) we were the only ones up in our little triangle. LOL! In fact right around us there were 9 families that weren't up which made it even quieter. I sat outside on friday and worked on my knitting project. I'm working on some blocks for my great-nephew who is due in July! The baby shower is this saturday and I'm hoping to have them ready for that....good luck Lynda! I better get moving so I have time to work on them again today! It took me some time to figure out the pattern but now that I have it figured out it is coming along much better.

I just finished reading a great book as well. A Nicholas Sparks book. A Safe Haven. It was great! I love reading any of his books but this one really kept me reading and not wanting to put it down. If you enjoy his books then don't pass the opportunity to read this one! I'm now reading a Kristen Hannah book called On Mystic Lake. It has been a great read so far as well but it is taking me a bit longer to read it. Not because it isn't good because it is. I just haven't gotten to the point where it is hard to put it down. I've never read any of her books before and when I found it at a garage sale the lady had many of her books and she said they are great books to read. I probably should have grabbed a few of them at that time!

Well, hope you are having a great week and enjoying the weather! Leave a comment and your site and I will drop by and check out your site as well.

Trailer time again!

2011-05-25T10:56:00.001-04:00

It was a terrible weekend for many people in the States with the tornados that went through especially In Joplin, Missouri. So devastating! This has been a spring of so much devastation throughout the US and in Slave Lake Alberta where the major wildfire destroyed 40% of the town. I can't even imagine what these people must have gone through and what they are going through now. So sad!

Well, we enjoyed a beautiful sunny Victoria Day weekend at the trailer. Early in the week they were calling for rain and terrible weather but thankfully for us things changed and it was wonderful. Krystal, Adrian and Keira came up on Friday evening but unfortunately, Keira got sick and they ended up having to leave Saturday right after dinner. Poor girl was running a fever, coughing, stuffed up and just not feeling well at all. I wondered if it was an allergy but it seemed to continue on for a few days with the cough. Now Hannah has it but along with it she has been throwing up as well. Let's hope it makes it stay short and doesn't affect everyone in the household.

I'm hoping to go back up to the trailer again tomorrow after I am done work but I will wait and see. We want to scrub the outside of the trailer this weekend as well as the awning weather permitting. When I got home on sunday afternoon I was ready to get the lawnmower out and cut the grass knowing it was going to be quite long after all the rain we had had last week. Well, you talk about long! Wow! Adding a spring fertilizer and all the rain we have had through April and May sure made it grow and quickly too. In fact we have had to cut it many times already and it seems like every 3 or so days it needs to get done again. The nice thing is that it looks really nice for the most part (except the side where it grows weird stuff) but overall it looks great! Come the hot dry weather and it doesn't look so great then so we enjoy it while we can.

Today is National Fibromyalgia Day

2011-05-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

Objective:
National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day aims to increase awareness of FM and provide support to those coping with the illness.

May 12 is National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, a time to increase awareness of this chronic and life-altering disorder by educating the general public, healthcare professionals, government officials, and legislative bodies.

About Fibromyalgia: Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Fibromyalgia symptoms include chronic pain in the muscles, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points at certain parts of the body. Fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms can be sometimes be relieved or eased through medications, lifestyle changes, stress management, and other fibromyalgia treatment.

For me, I absolutely dread mornings. The pain is horrible. The headache, muscle aches and stiffness that makes me just want to roll over and go back to sleep to avoid having to deal with the pain. Most mornings I lay in bed and wonder why? Why do I have to be in so much pain? Why can't I just have 1 morning where there is no pain? Then I roll out of bed and start my day one step at a time.

It would be easy to say "forget it, I'm not getting up" but what would that do to help me? I get up and start my day whether it be going to work or doing some housework. I take it slower then I used to and take breaks throughout the day just to sit and let my body rest. I've been finding my left knee and hips are feeling the brunt of things right now and the pain in those 2 areas by the end of the day leave me exhausted and non-motivated. I usually end up back in bed by 7pm resting and knitting or on the laptop.

Do you know anyone who has Fibromyalgia? Are you supportive and try to learn as much about Fibro so you can support them? There are some great websites out there explaining Fibro and how you can help support those who do have it. Here are just a few!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001463/

http://www.medicinenet.com/fibromyalgia/article.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079

supporting your friend or loved one

http://www.everydayhealth.com/fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-emotional-support/helping-a-friend-with-fibromyalgia.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3P7m3Xly2U

Do what you can to learn more about Fibromyalgia.

What a beautiful wedding indeed!

2011-04-29T09:54:00.001-04:00

What a beautiful wedding and a beautiful bride. I absolutely loved Kates dress. Very simple, elegant and perfect for her!

Look at that look of love as they leave Westminster Abbey!

I decided to only get up a little bit early this morning. So at 4:15 I went to the other room to see what was going on. Guests were arriving at Westminster Abbey and people were lining the streets to watch. Of course the most anticipated moment was to see what Kate had chosen to wear. Kates sister looked absolutely beautiful as well.

I wish the couple love and happiness and may they live a long and prosperous life!

Diana would have been so proud!!!

Royal Wedding

2011-04-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to catching the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate tomorrow morning. I know that so many people wonder why I want to get up and watch the wedding and to that I guess I would say it's just to see the pomp and pagentry.

In 1981 when Princess Diana was getting married to Prince Charles I woke up to watch it and stayed glued to the TV to catch it all. Diana was such a beautiful person inside and out and to see her in her beautiful wedding gown was just a wonderful thing to take in. I followed as much of Diana as I could without going to the extreme but I loved looking at her in magazines and reading about her. It was so sad that the paparazzi would chase her down and not leave her alone but then again if they had we wouldn't have been able to follow her and what was going on in her life. It was such a tragic day when I woke up to the news that Princess Di had been killed in an accident in Paris. How could a Princess have died so tragically?

I truly hope that with Prince William and Kate that the paparazzi has learned from the past and that they let them have some private time....not chasing Kate all over the place, looking for her to make mistakes. Let them be! I know, if they do we won't see much about them. This is true but then again I think they should be given the chance to make this marriage work and give her the time she needs to learn everything she needs to.

Will you be watching? Have you watched any of the specials that have been airing on TV this past week on the Royals and Kate?

it's been quite a week!

2011-04-22T13:59:00.000-04:00

On sunday my hubby, myself, the girls and their families and Krystals in-laws all went to the Vaughan Mills Mall. The guys were wanting to go to the Pro Bass Store and the girls we wanted to go and just walk around and check everything out. Well, just as we were about to leave I was bent down in the front entrance and something happened to my back. Just like that, wasn't doing anything that would have brought it on it just happened! I figured it would go away as fast as it came on but WRONG! So off we went. I drove there and back, walked around for hours looking through stores and having fun with the family. The guys doing the Pro Bass thing and shopping for their fishing needs. We all met up for lunch and then walked around again for a bit. The little girls got pics taken with the Easter Bunny which were so cute and then we decided it was time to leave.

We all came back here for dinner which we ordered in (chinese) and then off to bed I went. It was an awful night trying to get comfy and free of pain. Nothing worked. By morning I was worse than I had been. My parents came over for a bit trying to convince me to let them take me to the hospital but I had called the orthopedic surgeon I am seeing for my back and was waiting to hear back from them to see what I should do. Little did I know that the doc wouldn't see me again until I had another MRI done. WHAT??? Are you serious? So needless to say I haven't seen a doctor yet except for the doctor that does my back injections and thank goodness for him. I had an app't to see him yesterday (thurs) and he was able to give me an epidural to hopefully relieve the pain. The epidural was the worst but today I am feeling the slightest bit better. The injecion site is tender and the back is still sore around the lower back/hip area but today I was able to get up and have a shower, wash and do my hair and do a little around the house. Hubby is doing the laundry which is a huge help being the laundry room is way downstairs so looks like everything is under control for now. I even managed to wash the hall and kitchen floors. Also, through the week the girls came over and they helped me out with changing the sheets on the bed, and doing some laundry. Poor Hannah and Ev didn't get much time with Nana but I just wasn't able to hold Ev for long and I couldn't get down on the floor with Hannah and play with her like I do other times. She kept asking me to but in the end she helped Nana make lunch which she was quite happy to do.

So now I'm up in bed resting and taking it easy. Going to do a bit of knitting now and put some heat on my back and see how that makes it feel.

I hope that this situation is almost over with my back and that I'll be back to normal in no time.

what is your favourite TV show right now?

2011-04-19T20:56:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of The Biggest Loser (have been for many seasons). I enjoy watching and cheering on the people on this show. I generally have my favourite that I really want to go all the way. This year it was Arthur, mainly because he really needed to be at the ranch. He was 510 lbs when he started on the show and when he was sent home he weighed in at 393. I know when they do the "what do they look like now" at the end of the show Arthur was doing well with continuing his weight loss. I hope he has been able to keep it up and when the finale comes along maybe he will win the at home contest.

Another show that I am really into right now is Parenthood. I really enjoy this show. At first I wasn't sure but then my daughters would talk about it and how they found it more like real life than a lot of shows. I would watch it once in a while but then started to see it every tues night right after The Biggest Loser. Sometimes the talking over each other really gets to much for me but overall the show is excellent.

I can't think of any other shows off hand that I love to watch other than my NASCAR on Sundays. If we can't be here to watch it we like to PVR it. Go Dale Go! 88 all the way!!!

What are your favourite shows or do you watch TV?

If you could go anywhere in the world...

2011-04-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

all expenses paid, where would you pick to go? NO, i'm not offering any great giveaway! Sorry! I'm just curious to see where you would choose.

I've been asked this question before and I've always had major trouble deciding if that is at all possible. There are so many places that I would want to experience which would include: Australia, Holland, Peru, Argentina, Ireland, England, Turkey, Italy, Bora Bora, Bali, Norway just to name a few. I look at pictures of these different places and cities. beaches, buildings etc. that are located there and I am in awe of the beauty and the tranquility!

I've been on a few cruises and thoroughly enjoy boarding the ship and being pampered to the max while on board so that is another option that I would look into. 30, 40 even 60 day cruises would be high on my list for sure.

So, I still have no idea which one of these places would be my choice or if I would choose somewhere else altogether or do the cruise option. I mean, if it were all expense paid how could a decision like that be an easy one?

Would you want sunny beaches, busy cities, bed and breakfast, resorts?

What are you thoughts? Where would you go? What is your list of "would love to travel there" places?

Knitting

2011-04-11T11:31:00.002-04:00

Knitting has become a favourite pastime of mine over the years but lately having one of my daughter Kandice knitting as well has made it more fun. (we have tried to get my youngest daughter Krystal to knit with us but she is an avid reader and has a book blog that is her passion) Please check out her blog and let her know I sent you! Anyways, for me knitting is a way to take a break during the day even if it is only a few rows done and it is a relaxing way to wind down from a busy day. The only time I find it stressful is when I can't make hide nor hare out of the instructions and I sit there reading it over and over and over and working it the way i'm reading it until finally it sinks in.

My MIL was a knitter as well. She actually knit socks for extra income for Philosophers Wool, Inverhuron ON. She did some amazing work with colours and she could knit socks like no one I've seen before. Some of her socks were featured in the book Sock Hop. (half way down page)

I inherited a whole lot of wool from her stash when she passed away which Kandice has since used some of it to make a hat. One day I will attempt to make socks like my MIL with all the different colours but until then I'll just make the ones that have only a couple colours.

Right now i'm working on a really cute pattern from the Child's Play magazine (from Creative Knitting) that Kandice had found and thought I may enjoy. There are so many adorable patterns just waiting to be knit in this magazine but the first one I have picked to do is the Nautical Stripes Onesie for my great nephew when he is born in July.

This shouldn't take long now that I have it started and then I should have some time to make some cute little knit toys to go with it as a shower gift.

Do you find knitting relaxing or is it just something you pick up and do just because? What are you working on or do you have many WIPs?

some of my favourite pictures

2011-04-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

These are just a few pictures I have on my laptop. They are of our grandchildren at different ages.

(no order)

Grandpa and his 2 girls at the trailer summer of 2010

Keira at our house

Hannah only a few months old

Hannah in 2010

Grandpa and his favourite kiddos just after Everett was born

(Oct 2010)

This was taken on our way back from London Childrens hospital after Hannah had her app't with the doc about her hips. We had to stop so Kandi could feed her...she was hungry!

Everett just a couple months old

Soap nuts!

2011-04-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

A while back I posted that I had won some a Yore Laundry Trio package from Yoreganics which included the Soap Nuts, Stain Remover and Whiten and Brightens powder. I have used all 3 products and I have to say the clothes have come out clean and stain free (we don't have many stains usually)! My husband works for a Home Builder and gets quite dirty (esp. this time of year with all the mud) and he says his clothes are as clean as they were with the detergent that we had been using. I didn't think he really noticed the laundry but when I decided to try a cheaper brand of detergent on time he was quick to tell me that his clothes just didn't appear to be washed well. Yep, he noticed!

Anyways, when i first opened the package I thought "what the heck, with a smell like that it can't possibly get the clothes clean and fresh smelling"! But it did clean the clothes and has continued to keep them clean and fresh. I just recently refilled the bag with a new round of the soap nuts. You use approx. 5 nuts in the mini bag that comes with the nuts and depending on the water temp and the softness/hardness of the water will determine how often you change them. Usually 4-6 loads is what you would expect to get. To check and see if the nuts are still good to use put them in a bottle with some water and shake. If you still get some suds then they can still be used if not it is time to change them. They can be put in the composter which is another plus. I have really enjoyed using them and will likely order some when I am getting low. The soap nuts are actually berries that come from the Chinese Soapberry Tree, or Sapindus Mukorossi, in India. So for anyone with nut allergies these are safe because they are berries!

For more information be sure to check out Yoreganics website!

Your knitting and crocheting time - 2KCBWDay7

2011-04-03T00:00:00.005-04:00

Your knitting and crochet time.

Write about your typical crafting time. When it is that you are likely to craft – alone or in more social environments, when watching TV or whilst taking bus journeys. What items do you like to surround yourself with whilst you twirl your hook like a majorette’s baton or work those needles like a skilled set of samurai swords. Do you always have snacks to hand, or are you a strictly ‘no crumbs near my yarn!’ kind of knitter.

Most of my knitting is done in the comfort of my bed in the evening while watching my favourite shows on TV. Most times I have my laptop open and ready in case I need to pull up a video from KnittingHelp.com which has been a godsend to me. I try to take my knitting with me if I am heading to the hospital for my back injections so I can work on it while waiting my turn but to be honest I'm not sure how comfy I am knitting in front of strangers especially if they are knitters. I always worry that they will look at me and wonder what on earth I'm doing...who taught her how to knit?, why is she doing that? and so on. So for the most part my knitting is done at home.

When I'm knitting I have my coffee and of course I get the urge to snack as well. Chips, ice-cream, yogurt, muffins, rice cakes...yummy! I can't imagine not having my snacks while knitting or crocheting.

Something to aspire to – 2KCBWDAY6

2011-04-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

Something to aspire to – 2KCBWDAY6Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have.

The one thing I would love to attempt is Fair Isle. I'm not sure if it is something I would want to use often but I would really love to attempt to give it a try. Why haven't I you ask? FEAR of not being able to do it! To much going on all at once, holding more than 1 strand of yarn, making sure the yarn isn't pulled too tight, carrying the yarn and so on....

Entelac is something else I aspire to do one day!

And now for something completely different– 2KCBWDAY5

2011-04-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

And now for something completely differen? – 2KCBWDAY5

experimental blogging day to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create.

There are no rules of a topic to blog about but this post should look at a different way to present content on your blog. This can take one of many forms, but here a few suggestions: Wordless, photographic post Video blog post Podcast Cartoon/sketch of an idea Write about a subject from a different perspective (for example, you could write about a day in the life of a knitted sock from the point of view of the sock). Interpretive modern dance (why does someone always suggest this? A poem or piece of rhyming verse Stop motion animation .

So being this is experimental blogging day I thought I would post this video I came across one day. I enjoyed it in a strange way and watched it right to the end. Had a good laugh and really never gave it another thought until I read what day 5 was about. So I set out searching for this video without knowing the name of it, the author of it in fact nothing more about it other than it was a "funny knitting video". Hope you enjoy it.

Where are they now? 2KCBWDAY4

2011-04-01T15:38:00.001-04:00

Where are they now? – 2KCBWDAY4

Whatever happened to your __________?
Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.

Over the years most everything I have knit or crocheted has been given away as gifts or just made to give to someone out of my home. So to be honest I really don't know where things end up over the years. I guess I hope that they will be passed on and on until of course they are wore out. I've made baby sweaters, afghans, baby blankets, scrunch socks (always a favourite of mine) that were given to nieces for gifts and of course I made them for my own daughters when they were much younger. I would love to find a pattern for these again so I could make some for my grand daughters.

Anyways, I guess I'll never know where these items are now! I am embarassed to say that a couple patterns I've attempted have been set aside for a long time only to be unravelled when I couldn't figure out where I was to try and pick up on it again but really that has only happened 2 times that I know of!

Wouldn't it be nice to know though if the items we make with love and anticipation for gifts to loved ones be handed down the line to others who will wear and enjoy or play with and enjoy? I sure hope so!

Tidy Mind, Tidy Stashes2KCBWDay3

2011-03-30T09:46:00.004-04:00

Day Three: 30th March. Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry.

I try to be organized with my knitting by using plastic containers/Rubbermaid bins for my stash of yarn. Mind you I have bags of yarn in my closet, my spare closets beside my bed and in the office closet. This sounds horrible as I type it (and makes me think I should think about collecting it all again and putting it back in the bins where it belongs). My books are in a plastic bin as well again for the most part with some being in those bags I just told you about. My needles and other tools are in a plastic bin in my living room waiting to be organized in a binder that I bought myself at the beginning of the new year. My biggest problem is when I print a pattern off and I am finished with the pattern I tend to just fold the pattern and set it aside. I bought this binder and a whole pile of page protectors to put my loose patterns into it so I would always have them but I haven't completed that task yet.

To be honest here it really doesn't sound like I'm all that organized after all. I have 2 or 3 knitting bags on the go at times and sometimes still grab a plastic shopping bag to carry my knitting with me. Why you may wonder? Why grab a plastic bag rather than my knitting bag? I really have no idea.

I will take some pics of my stash and post here later today then maybe when I see it here I will make that move to get MORE organized!

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2

2011-03-29T21:14:00.003-04:00

Skill + 1UP – 2KCBWDAY2

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?.

Over the past year I have worked on baby hats (for my daughter to use as props for photography), baby cocoons, baby sweater, baby blankets, a couple snuggies for my grand daughters, a vest (as shown in previous post), barbie clothes, afghans and I'm sure there were other items as well. Each of the items I worked on were basic made with basic stitches or close to it. I've always picked projects that I KNEW I could do without a huge challenge just because I was afraid of starting something only to have to give up because I just couldn't do it! I have a fear of failure I guess! I was afraid to work with Wool because of being allergic to it...I have found out that I can knit with it and be ok. So one fear knocked off the chart! LOL...

As for new skills and more knowledge I haven't pushed myself to learn any new skills. For example just this past week I had a pattern picked out to work on and it entailed "intarsia" I shyed away from it when I got to the store to buy the yarn because the lady there told me she hated doing intarsia and that it was difficult if I had never done it. Therefore, I changed patterns just like that. I told myself though that this particular pattern I would eventually try but not right now being this was going to be a baby gift. So I need to keep that in my head so that I do go back to it and make the item.

My daughter who is also part of this Knitting & Crochet Blg week (this is her blog) has just started knitting this past Sept and she has learned new stitches, and gained such a talent for knitting since starting that she is working with me to help me get over the fears of new things and learn to push myself when it comes to my knitting. So this time next year I hope if asked this question I will be able to proudly tell you all the new tecniques and skills I have learned. The one thing I want to give a try is "Entrelac"!

Here are a few pictures of things I have worked on this year....yes the hats are crocheted ( i enjoy crocheting as well)

A Tale of Two Yarns

2011-03-28T20:34:00.001-04:00

A Tale of two Yarns - 2KCBWDay1

Part of any fiber enthusiasts hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose 2 yarns that you have either used or have in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is that you love or loathe about them.

I've been knitting for several years and have used many varieties of yarn. I have a stash that consists of Patons, Lion Brand, Bernat, Red Heart, Caron, TLC, Cascade 220 Heathers, Baby Weight, Worsted Weight, Fingering, Sock you name it. Plus I also have many, many balls of wool that used to belong to my Mother-in-Law that is from Philosophers Wool (Inverhuron, ON). Without going down and checking I'm not sure what else may be there.

Only recently have I tried the Cascade 220 and to be honest I would have to say this to date is my Favourite! I loved the way it worked with me. It didn't ball and pill like some yarns that I have used (this is frustrating when you are making a gift). It is a wonderfully soft, 100% Wool and very nice to use. Although this was a gift to me from my daughter and her family for me to knit myself something for a change (which I have) the price is very economical and the colourways are perfect for choosing just the right one. I recommend this to anyone!

As for my least favourite? Wow, I'm not even sure if I have one. Now that my daughter has gotten me more into the luxury natual fibers I would tend to choose those over other yarns if at all possible. I have found that some of the cheaper acrylic yarns pill as previously mentioned so with that in mind I would say that those would be my least favourite. As for one particular make I couldn't really say.

I'll be blogging for the....

2011-03-27T13:39:00.006-04:00

I've been knitting and crocheting for many years and although I have enjoyed it I've never really taken any risks or challenges with my projects. My daughter has recently started knitting and has been doing projects that I have shyed away from due to the fear of difficulties in the patterns.

I'm here to be part of the 2nd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week to help me ease away from those fears and blog about something that I am passionate about even though I fear it at the same time. For the week of March 28th-April 3rd bloggers within the Fine Arts Community blog together about the same topic each day. Each day brings a new topic to blog about with a brief discripton as well there is a Wild Card if you opt to use it if the topic doesn't apply to you or you just aren't into it.

If you are interested in taking part check out the post at Eskimimi knits and watch for updates.

Thank you to my daughter who brought this to my attention and with my reservations she managed to convince me that I really should give it a try and be apart of this fantastic idea. I'm looking forward to blogging next week!

Amber Necklace

2011-03-21T16:25:00.002-04:00

I just ordeed my amber necklace and bracelet today. I'm so excited to have done this. My daughters told me about them after they had bought for their kids. It has truly been a godsend for Kandi when it comes to Everett. He had been wearing it for quite a while and then one day for whatever reason he wasn't wearing it. This little guy cried and fussed and wouldn't sleep, wouldn't even lay down for much more than 20-30 minutes at a time. Night time was not easy either, they were up with him many times. Kandi was near exhaustion and found his necklace one day and put it back on him and wow, a totally different child from then on. Is it a coincidence? I dont' think so! I now believe there is healing benefits from the Amber for teething and any discomfort that our little man was going through and I tell you I'm looking forward to seeing if it helps me with my pain level and constant discomfort as well.

I'll update here when I get mine in the mail and how I find it is working for me! Check here for more info for yourself. There is also a link near the bottom of the page for where I purchased mine in case you are interested.

meeting with some Canadian Moms

2011-03-17T10:19:00.006-04:00

(from left to right...Debbie, Michelle, Lynda(me) and Tonya)

Yesterday I got to meet some women from an MSN group that I had joined back in 2004. I know that MSN is no longer up and running but we moved our group over to Aimoo (a lot of moms never moved over with us unfortunately) which really isn't even similar to MSN but we really didn't have much choice in the move. Anyways, yesterday 4 other moms and myself were to meet at Williams Coffee Pub. Unfortunately, 1 of the ladies was not well and wasn't able to join us. We had a great time talking and meeting. Tonya joined the year before me and the other 2 ladies joined a couple years later. It is hard to believe that we can build friendships like we do over the internet and be in different parts of the country in our case but in other peoples cases across the world. It was so nice to get together but we have several other women that we haven't met yet. The one lady I am so looking forward to meeting one day is Angie. We have a really good friendship I believe and I look forward to that opportunity one day. Angie is in Nova Scotia.

Twitter Parties

2011-03-12T14:10:00.004-05:00

Both of my daughters enjoy twitter parties so one night I decided to stop by one and see what all the fuss was about. I had fun!!!! I learned lots of things from it and even WON! Yippee me, I won some soap nuts (actually I won the Laundry Trio and a Lip balm to go with it!) which I am so looking forward to getting so I can give them a try. I've never heard of them before this twitter party and when I started seeing others talk about them I thought...wow, I wouldn't mind trying them out. So, the win was wonderful and now I will give them a try. Here is the link to check them out. This twitter party was through Holistic Moms Network, with Yoreganics. I'll let you know what I think of the soap nuts when I start using them.

Now, the other night my daughter and I were at an IKEA Twitter party. Wow, was it busy and hard to follow. So many people there. We tried to win one of the 6 $100 gift cards but no luck. Saw some pretty awesome kitchens renos done with Ikea cabinets, appliances etc. Beautiful kitchens that is for sure.

If you haven't checked out a Twitter party maybe you should. They are fun, informative (as long as they aren't too busy and fast moving) and you can meet new people as well.

Do you like to read?

2011-02-27T10:32:00.003-05:00

If so check this out! My daughter has a giveaway going. Click here to go to Krystal's Stellar Book Blog! Great giveaway.

What a week!

2011-02-25T21:41:00.003-05:00

I can't wait for this winter to be over. I've had a cold and flu bug again this week. It kicked my butt this time around like it did last month. This is what I get for not getting my flu shot. I've gotten it every year for 10 yrs and haven't got sick like this and definately not 2 times in 2 months. Now my hubby has it too. The worst thing is my little grandson (almost 4 months old) got quite sick too. In fact, his mom took him to the doctor who gave him an inhaler but told Kandi that if things got worse or he got a fever to take him to the ER with it being a holiday weekend. Well, on sunday he ended up at the hospital. Thankfully after a chest x-ray and a saline mask they sent him home with mommy. The doctor said it was a bad respiratory cold and to keep giving him his inhaler as needed. Poor little guy, there is nothing worse then a baby who is sick and there really isn't much you can do for them. He seems to be feeling better, but still has quite a rattle in his chest.

I got to see all three of the grand children this week which was great. I was feeling somewhat better yesterday so I was able to go to "Dancers for Smiles" to watch Hannah in her fundraiser dance. What a cutie she is. Keira, is so excited because she has her first lose tooth! She was there last night wiggling it and wiggling it trying to lossen it! The cutest thing is she had her mommy bring her tooth holder just in case it did come out. It will be so exciting when she does lose it.

Sunday was my husbands birthday, we went out for breakfast and spent a quiet day at home. (other than the couple hours I was at the hospital with Kandi and Everett)

We watched NASCAR-Daytona 500, which was just what he loves to do this weekend every year!

It's been a quiet week here at our home...how about yours? Leave me a comment and I'll be sure to stop by your site and do the same for you.

Check this out!

2011-02-11T18:58:00.002-05:00

My daughter has just finished her first video review of a Wee Ones Cloth diaper from JaJoC, a WAHM from Whitby ON. Be sure to check out the review and enter to win a cloth diaper in a colour of your choice while there.

This is open to Canadian and US residents!

Valentines Day

2011-02-08T12:24:00.002-05:00

Do you do anything special for Valentines Day? We generally exchange cards but that is really it for us.

Our very first Valentines Day was 2 days after our very 1st date. Arend had gone back home to Kincardine (we lived in Cambridge at the time) after a weekend at his brothers (and my sister who is married to Arends brother).

We had had our 1st date at Lil Big Horn in Cambridge and spent some time together on the Sunday before he left. To my surprise the next day when I got home from work there was a note on the door that there was a package for me at the florist. We actually thought it was for my daughter who was dating a guy at the time too. But SURPRISE, it was for me and it was the most beautiful dozen long stemmed roses that I have ever seen!

I guess I must have made some sort of impression on our date to have been so lucky to have gotten such beautiful flowers so soon!

I certainly fell in love with a wonderful man who is the love of my life!

so what do you think?

2011-02-04T15:47:00.003-05:00

Let me know what you think of the design of my blog. Are the colours too much or the font to fancy? I'd love to know what you think if you stop by leave me a comment please. I know I don't have many people visit here but please let me know you were here and leave your blog so I can check out your site!

I WON!

2011-01-29T09:10:00.003-05:00

I entered into the Chapters Twitter trivia on monday and guess what? I won! I can't believe it. I won this cool Flip Ultra HD video camera! I never win a thing! We had just finished dinner and was sitting talking to Kandi when I checked my email and there it was a message from Chapters asking me to confirm my so they could confirm my elegibility! Yippee!

I'm so excited and can't wait for it to arrive. I just have to read up on it and learn how to use it. Maybe then I'll have some videos to post here....

Blogging

2011-01-29T09:01:00.003-05:00

i'm trying to figure out what I can do to make my blog more interesting. What can I write about? What can I do to make it more exciting and maybe get a few more people to drop by. My daughter Krystal does book reviews on her blog and she has done a giveaway with more in the future she has said. My daughter Kandice does reviews and has done a giveaway with more to come as well. There are so many really nice blogs out there that make you want to go and visit and look around and read but then they do a whole pile of giveaways too so that makes people want to come and check it out.

Blogging is supposed to be fun not stressful is it? So why can't I think of things to do or write? LOL!!

a fun day

2011-01-28T18:52:00.003-05:00

The girls and Hannah and Everett came over today for a visit. It was really nice to have them here. We laughed lots and had fun watching Hurricane Hannah come through nana's house. She just loves to play and get things out of everywhere. It really is cute sitting watching her and wondering what next she is thinking of doing. Everett was happy and talking and smiling like crazy too which is great.

It was PJ day for them as well as for Keira at school today. When they got here Krystal, Hannah and Everett were in their jammies. Hannah wanted me to go and get back in mine but Kandi convinced her that nana was in her comfies which is almost like being in PJ's. Kandi had gone to the chiropractor so she was dressed in comfies too but Hannah was ok with that I guess.

So overall it was a lot of fun. Too bad my little Keira couldnt' have been here but she had her PJ day and was so excited about it Krystal said.

knitting

2011-01-27T21:06:00.002-05:00

My daughter (actually my grand daughter who had my name for christmas stockings) got me a subscription to the knitting magazine Knit Simple. It is a great magazine with lots of patterns and info in it. Well, for my birthday Kandi and Chris decided to let me pick out some yarn for me to knit something as long as it was for me, so off we went to the Kitchener Market to Yarn Indulgences and we picked out some beautiful "Heathers Cascade Yarn". The pattern I picked out is in the Holiday Issue of Knit Simple. The problem is, the pattern is sort of messed up and the magazine has issued some corrections for it but I'm not getting it at all. So I'm at a standstill with my vest! I'm waiting for Kandi to come over or me to go over there again so maybe she can read it and see what she comes up with. I've just finished emailing the magazine to see if someone can get back to me to help me as well.

Wish me luck because I really just want to get this finished so I can wear it!

my dad's 75th

2011-01-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

We celebrated my dads 75th birthday yesterday. My sister and her hubby hosted the celebration. It was really nice. It was just family there including dads sister and her husband. We all really had a nice time. As usual there was lots of snacks and yummy food for dinner. Unfortunately, I had another one of my attacks (something I ate? who knows) so we ended up leaving a little before others. We missed out on dad opening the cards and gifts but by the sound of it he got some wine, several lottery tickets and lots of good wishes!

It is so nice that dad and mom get to see their kids, grandchildren and great-grand children and have the opportunity to spend time with us. 75 years old...well we see that I often wonder? I sure hope if I do that I am as young feeling and looking as my parents are. Mom will be 73 next month.

Ok, so the start of....

2011-01-14T15:52:00.002-05:00

a new year. 2011, is already 3 weeks in and I'm just getting around to posting now. Not that I've been that busy that I couldn't get in to post it is just I have been sick with the flu/cold and just haven't felt up to it. I was also trying to find a new theme for my blog and when I would start looking around I just didn't feel like continuing. I felt horrible with this flu. The respritory part of it wiped me out big time. But, i'm here now and want to make this year a great year for posting to my blog. I hope to get some followers somehow so if you do stop by follow me and please let me know so I can check out your blog and follow you!

I've started to work on The Biggest Loser Challenge for Wii. Its been fun so far, challenging for sure. Yes, even when I was sick I tried to get on and do some exercises even if it was only for 15 minutes. A little is better than none. I'm done 1 pound which may not sound like a lot but for me it just shows that even though I was sick I was still able to accomplish something. Yay for me!

I'm also back to using Sparkpeople.com as well. I'll track my calories and exercise there and see my progress! I'm so excited to be honest and really want to see the results in the end.

The other really good thing that I am happy about is my husband has decided once and for all (i hope) to quit smoking and put the money he was spending on cigarettes away for his big payoff. He is hoping to save for a cruise! How much better is that? He has something to look forward to as well. I wish him all the best and know that if he really wants to do this he will! WTG Arend, I know you can do it!!

Ok, so Christmas is just a week away...

2010-12-17T21:22:00.002-05:00

where on earth did the month go? I have almost all the shopping done although I look and wonder if it really is enough. I have no baking done at all. Arend went out tonight after dinner and got some ingredients I need to do some baking but when he got home I just didn't have any energy left to think of baking. So I went and had a bath (even though I felt too sore to even do that) and then I came up to knit for a bit and relax before going to bed.

Tomorrow (saturday) is our Veltkamp Family Christmas at my sisters (who is married to Arend's brother). We take turns having Christmas each year. The guys other brothers will be coming down from Kincardine for the day as well. I'm not sure if our neice and her boyfriend are coming this year but I guess we will find out tomorrow. It is always a nice day!

I really can't believe that 2010 is almost to an end but I look forward to starting a new year and seeing what the new year brings for us. I know that both Arend and I need to work on our weight and our health. I really hope that we can start and stick to a routine of walking and exercise this year. I have gained too much weight this past year that it is just horrible to think of it. I'm not drastically overweight but I definately need to lose about 20 - 25lbs. I am hoping that the injections I have been getting for my back will continue to work well and that the fibromyalgia doesn't get any worse.

I look so forward to watching Keira, Hannah and Everett continue to grow and learn new things everyday. Enjoying the time we have with them and cherishing every second! Watching them and spending time with them has always been so important to me. Listening to them singing, watching them dancing, swimming, playing and having so much fun brings such joy to my life. Seeing the changes in each of them especially Everett ( he is only 6 weeks old) is so wonderful. Today I was saying to Kandice that he changes everytime I see him. He is now smiling, cooing, laughing and watching him and cuddling with him is so sweet. I feel so blessed to have a beautiful family with gorgeous daughters, wonderful son-in-laws, and the most beautiful grandchildren ever and the most wonderful husband that deserves so much praise for all he does for me and for our family! I love each and every one of you!

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to anyone who may stop by and check out my blog. Maybe in the new year I will have more people stop by and leave a comment or 2!

Do you or someone you know use cloth diapers or be interested in trying a great laundry detergent?

2010-12-11T19:50:00.005-05:00

If so then check out my daughters blog. She has done a review of Rockin' Green Soap and has a 45/90 load bag of detergent to give away. Top load allows 45 loads and frontload allows for 90 loads per package. Rockin' Green is great for all laundry not just diapers. This is her very first Giveaway! Be sure to check it out. You never know you may be the winner!

http://www.gethealthymomma.blogspot.com/

If you like to read then be sure to check out this giveaway!

2010-12-03T15:14:00.006-05:00

My daughter has her first ever contest on her blog. She is an avid reader and has a copy of Becca Fitzpatrick's book HUSH HUSH up for grabs. (Canada and US only)

All you need to do is follow her and leave a comment on her blog.

Krystal's Stellar Book Blog

Be sure to check it out!

the joys of being a female

2010-11-18T21:03:00.002-05:00

Today was my physical which of course would include the dreaded PAP. Everything went well, we discussed a few things and I made it through the app't just fine. The doctor says she is convinced that it is Fibromyalgia that I have although we never did follow up on that discussion. I guess that means I will have to make another app't to discuss that. I'm not convinced that this doctor really believes that fibromyalgia actually exists. She also isn't convinced that the pain I'm having in my side is from my gallbladder. She seems to think that it may just be gas and has said the next time it happens I should go to the hospital and be checked there. They will likely do an ultrasound and run some other test she mentioned.

I have gone shopping with the girls a couple times this past week. Christmas shopping has begun!! I haven't done much but have managed to get a couple things. It's been fun and hectic at the same time. The little girls can be very excitable over Build-A-Bear and the toy dep't of stores...LOL but then again what child isn't? Everett takes to shopping so easily...he sleeps the time away, waking long enough to eat, get his diaper changed and take in a few sites along the ride. Gotta love the life of a 3 week old baby.

Today I got the Christmas Tree up and ready to decorate on Saturday when we all get together. This has been a family tradition, getting together for an afternoon or evening of fun, laughs and decorating the tree. I look forward to it every year and hope it will continue for many years!

Tomorrow, Hannah is coming to visit with nana and gramps for the night. Her parents are going to go to Toronto shopping on Saturday morning. Arend is going to a hockey game so Hannah and I have the evening to ourselves. What to do, what to do? Whatever we do, we will have lots of fun.

Introducing our Grandson Everett....our little prince

2010-11-10T21:25:00.007-05:00

Everett Christopher Alfred born Thurs. Oct 28th, 2010 @ 9:11pm. Very proud parents Kandice and Chris and big sister Hannah!

This is a picture of Hannah holding her little brother Everett. He is just around 18 hours old here and was just home from the hospital a few hours. Now does that look like a proud big sister or what? She has been showering Everett with hugs and kisses and "I love you's" like crazy!

I had the honour of being at the birth of Everett as was I with Hannah and Keira. There is absolutely nothing more beautiful, then to watch the birth of my grandchild who I know is coming to a family who will not only love him or her but to cherish him or her forever!

My daughters are my pride and joy but now they share that spot with my grand children.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Fibromyalgia/CFS

2010-10-06T08:49:00.006-04:00

Many years ago I was told that the pain and fatique I was feeling was likely the start of CFS (chronic fatique syndrome) and Fibromyalgia. I had 10 of the 11 out of 18 tender points that are used to diagnose fibromyagia. This is a syndrome that is still very often misdiagnosed or misunderstood because people including doctors still don't consider it a problem or believe that it actually exists. This is not a disease it is a syndrome! I have an app't with my family doctor in November for my physical so I will be talking to her again about this and seeing what she says at that time!

People with fibromyalgia (men and women alike) are often referred to as lazy. That is usually far from the truth. With the pain that is involved with this syndrome it is not easy to get out of bed in the morning or continue the day without having to rest. This syndrome is real and is widespread!

I got a link today on Facebook from a friend of mine who also suffers from fibromyalgia and wanted to post it here as well for anyone who may stop by, to read it and try to understand more about this syndrome!

Women in Chronic Pain

After reading this I hope that you have more understanding on how a person with Fibromyalgia goes through everyday life!

Autumn is here as of...

2010-09-22T14:53:00.002-04:00

11:09Pm!

Can you believe it? Where did the summer go? I have to admit I do love this time of year although summer is still my favourite season. The smell of fall makes me happy! Yesterday while up at the trailer with a friend from work we were mentioning that we could smell the fall air. It was hot, in fact very hot the last couple of days and while we were up at the trailer I got a sunburn. I do of course have another reason to be excited that fall is here too....our new grandson is due to make his arrival on Nov 2nd. Where did that time go? Seems like it was just yesterday we found out that Kandice was expecting again.

Kandi reminded me that I hadn't updated my blog in a very long time and so I thought I should get to it today! The problem is that I just don't have a lot going on in my life to be blogging about.

I'm working on a new knitting project for "baby brother" (grandson). It is a beautiful blanket that Kandice picked out but man am I having some issues with it. I have to admit I have never really attempted any project that had much of a pattern to it and really I have to say this doesn't have much but I seem to have some troubles with it. I haven't given up on it although I have taken it out almost as often as I have started it...lol! But, I think I have finally conquered it or at least conquered the first set of patterns. I was determined not to give up and walk away from it and so far so good!

I am a self taught knitter and never really worked on learning all there is to knitting, just always picked something out that looked like I could do it. This has been a challenge for me and I'm sure if others were to look at it they would laugh and ask me what my problem was...with that said I just never did patterns before!!!

Kandice has now started knitting as well and is very excited to be picking it up. She is working on a sweater for Hannah. I wonder, well we ever get Krystal interested in knitting or crotcheting? I hope so but Krystal is an avid reader and enjoys sitting reading a good book in her spare time. Krystal has her own blog where she reviews books and gives honest opinions and reviews so be sure to check out her blog.

This weekend we are celebrating Keira's 6th birthday with dinner at King's Buffet and coffee and cake back here at nana and grandpas house. Her birthday is actually on the 29th. I can't believe she is going to be 6 yrs old. My little sweetheart is growing up and getting to be such a big girl. Which means nana is getting older too...oh dear!

so sleepy yet so wide awake

2010-08-26T02:45:00.002-04:00

I have just started to get this cold or whatever it may be so tonight Arend went out and got me some Drixorel which I have taken for a while now whenever I get a cold but lately, if I take it at bedtime I will only sleep for about 1-2 hours and then I am awake and my legs just won't hold still. So tonight I thought I had taken it early enough so that it wouldn't bother me at bedtime. WRONG!!!

I slept for just 1 1/2 hours and WHAM there I was laying in bed actually tossing and turning trying so hard to just fall back asleep but couldn't do it.

I'm so tired and trying to stay awake here but yet when I crawl back into bed I'm awake again. It is driving me nuts.

So that is it...no more Drixorel at or near bedtime!

On a better note I have started to knit a really cute sweater for "baby boy" otherwise known as "baby brother" to Hannah and Keira. (Can't wait until Kandi and Chris decide on his name, although I'm sure he will quite often be called "baby brother" by the girls and all of us being we have been calling him that since we found out he was a boy!) I've been having a really hard time finding cute baby boy sweaters and even some that say they could be unisex tend to look to fancy for a boy. It wasn't this hard finding stuff to make for the girls that is for sure, but this sweater is just the start I hope. I've actually never had to make for a boy I don't believe or at least not in the last 6 yrs. I hope this one turns out ok and fits "baby brother" like it should.

Of course I will post pictures of it when I finish.

Shopping in the States

2010-08-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

The girls and I left friday morning at 10:30 and eventually got to the hotel at 5pm friday evening. The drive should have only taken about 4.5 hours but the border was very busy and we were there about 1 1/2 hours or so. The drive overall was good, we listened and watched Cat in the Hat, The Wiggles, and Toopy and Binoo and when the little girls fell asleep for a bit the radio came on. At the border we played lots of "eye spy". Lots of fun!

We stayed in Saginaw and the Fairfield Inn by Marriot. The room was great. Clean and very comfy. The last trip we took to the states for shopping was to Buffalo and the room and hotel we stayed in was the worst, but we did get ALL our money back after a lot of fighting with the hotel and head office. Anyways, this was really nice. We went for dinner at Denny's on friday night then came back to the room and got ready to go swimming. That was lots of fun. Hannah and Keira love the water and played lots until it was time to head back and get ready for bed.

Hannah was so excited to be going "shop, shop, shopping" on saturday and Keira was very excited to be going "back to school" shopping. And boy did we do lots of shopping for the kiddos. All 3 (even "baby brother" as he is known as at this time) got lots of new things. I think they are all set for a while now.

Birch Run Outlet Mall in Michigan is very nice but not so suitable for kids in strollers and tired kids. It is a lot of walking and it is all outdoors. The sections are spread out over a lot of space and we found we had to get in and out of the car a lot with the kids. I really think i like indoor malls better. There were restaurants near but again you needed to walk quite a ways or get in and drive. We choose to walk to Bob Evans but then it looked like it was going to storm really bad so I headed back to the car to get it so we didn't all have to walk in the rain. Turns out though it didn't rain after all...just got really dark and looked like rain.

Overall we had a great time and would do it again but maybe without the kids next time? Mind you the kiddos make it lots of fun too. Especially when they are supposed to be going to sleep but would rather sing, laugh and giggle instead. Eventually though they went to sleep and we got to watch the funniest show about the 80's.

Can you believe someone can go shopping in the states at an outlet mall and still come home with absolutely nothing for herself? Well that is me! Kandi called me a "lameo"...LOL! She bought herself a beautiful diaperbag from...COACH! woohoo Kandi and Krystal bought herself a cute little clutch or whatever you calll it from....COACH! woohoo Krystal. I just carried the big bag for Kandi as we headed back to the car looking like I bought something from Coach....LOL!!!

Thank you Kandi, Hannah, Krystal and Keira for a great weekend. Lets do it again sometime!

Pictures from Driftwood Beach Park

2010-08-20T07:45:00.000-04:00

this is looking onto the lake where we can go out in the paddleboat. Not sure who this is, Kandi and I were out taking pictures. She is helping me learn to take better pics.

Arend and I had headed out to go fishing and I thought this was a nice pic to take. Way off in the background you can see the lighthouse.

Where we go fishing. As you can see from the clouds a storm was moving in.

Looking at the storm clouds in the water. A beautiful reflection!

Sun Aug 15th...storm moving in! Just as we got back from fishing the skies opened up and it rained for quite some time.

2010-08-20T07:31:00.000-04:00

As Promised here are some pictures of our Summer Get together.

Girls weekend away!

2010-08-19T21:41:00.002-04:00

Well, it really will depend on how Kandi and the girls are all feeling in the morning. We have a weekend planned in Birch Run Michigan for Kandi, Krystal, Hannah, Keira and nana (me)! Back to school shopping and baby shopping. I'm just going alond for the ride! LOL! I'm hoping to get each of the kids a new outfit or something that they might need. Yes, including my precious little grandson that is due in Nov.

I'm excited to go but on the same hand worried about Kandi. She has put in a terrible month with kidney stones and urinary tract infections. It has been a rough time for her. The pain has been horrible and she has even ended up in the hospital a couple times due to this. Finally, the family doctor ordered an ultrasound yesterday to see if there are stones. Don't ask me why no one ordered one a long time ago, but anyways she is now waiting for results from that that were supposed to have been sent to the doctor ASAP. I guess next day (hopefully) is ASAP to some people. I know that they are busy and I had the same thing happen when waiting for results from my mammogram. So I'm hoping and praying that if we do decide to go that all is well with her. The girlies have a bit of a cold each too. Keira just found out her adnoids have grown back in again and therefore she needs to see the specialist again this week too. Not sure yet what they will do but most likely remove them again.

We had a great family get together up at the trailers last weekend. Lots of fun! There was 25 of us. Lots of yummy food, fun and great times were had by all by the sound of it. I'll try to post some pics here tomorrow before we go or when we get back.

For now my McFlurry is melting away. My wonderful hubby just went and picked them up for us. YUMMY!

well I finished the...

2010-07-15T12:10:00.002-04:00

throw I was making for Kandice. Turned out pretty good I think. There are a few spots that I noticed along the way that I made a little oppsy but unfortunately, I had many rows finished before I noticed. I forgot to take pics to post again but I know where it is and can get pics when I go over! I really need to remember to take pictures of everything as I finish just so I have them and can look back at what I have done.

I am looking forward to heading back up to the trailer this weekend. I'm sure it is going to be a warm one so maybe we will spend some time at the beach cooling off. Last weekend it was just Arend and I up there and we did some fishing (being it was National Fishing Week and I didn't need a license). Not much luck but I did manage to catch a 14" large mouth bass. The park we are in asks you to release any that are 12-14" back into the water so that is what we did, besides neither of us know how to fillet a fish. LOL!!! I also caught a snapping turtle and 2 other fish. Arend caught 3 nice size ones but again we just released them.

where is the time going?

2010-07-07T21:38:00.002-04:00

I can't believe we are already into July. The summer is slipping by quickly. It has been so super hot here in Southwestern Ontario. With the humidity it was 45 degrees again today. Talk about a scorcher. I feel horrible for my hubby and anyone who is working outside on days like this. I know Arend comes home from work totally exhausted and wore out from the heat and humidity.

We had a beautiful long weekend at the trailer. Arend took thurs and friday off which was great. We really had a nice time. The weather was the best you could ask for even though it was warm there was a nice breeze which kept the humidity down. I loved it!

At night we had campfires and roasted marshmallows and we even did Smores and bologna the one night. Bologna on an open fire, yummy nothing like it!

So we are having a family get together at the trailer in August which i'm looking forward to. I'm sure hoping for some great weather that weekend too. The next weekend Kandi, Krystal, Hannah, Keira and I are heading to Michigan to do some shopping. We are going to the Birch Run Prime Outlets. I've never been there but sure sounds like we will enjoy it! Kandi knows several people who go there and they have all good things to say about it. We are going to be staying for a couple of nights. I'm excited!

Well, I guess that is it for now. I know it has been way to long between posts. I really need to smarten up and get posting more!

finally an update..

2010-06-09T11:41:00.007-04:00

but to be honest I don't have a lot to write about. Seriously, do I really have such a boring life? No, not really it just seems like the only person reading this is my daughter Kandice and being we chat several times a day usually then she already knows everything!

So, how do I get people to come and check out my blog? I wish I had some ideas but until then I guess maybe I shouldn't talk to Kandice and tell her everything....LOL! That won't happen because like I said we chat several times a day!

We have been enjoying our weekends at the trailer since opening it for the summer. The weather for the most part has been very nice with the exception of this past sunday when it rained and was cool and damp pretty much the whole day. The park really cleared out early it seemed. This weekend isn't looking all that great either...rain, thunderstorms but warmer temps.

We have some issues with a light switch in the trailer that Arend has been trying to figure out without luck so far but after talking to a couple people I think he has a few more things to try. Everyone keeps asking if there is another lightswitch in the trailer that controls those same lights but if there is I sure haven't found it that I know of but when I go up again this weekend I'll double check. If that ends up being the problem I'll scream! LOL!

I'm lookiing forward to Kandi's ultasound on June 18th to find out (hopefully) what sex this baby is. I've flip-flopped back and forth so often that I really don't know anymore! I"m getting so excited to find out though! Maybe we will be buying for a boy this time? Hmmm....I just have to be patient for a while longer.

Getting ready for the long weekend...

2010-05-19T08:26:00.003-04:00

It started out that it was going to be a beautiful long weekend but now they are saying rain! Of course, what else is new? Seems like the May 24 weekend is always wet and yucky! I hope it doesn't take in the whole weekend though. the last I heard was rain on Saturday and nicer on Sun and Mon. Please let the weather be nice!

I got my cleaning all done up there the past weekend which I wanted to have done ASAP. After it being closed up all winter it just felt better to have it done. Arend got our sign up that he made. I looks so good! He really did a great job. I'll have to remember to take my camera this weekend and take some pictures. He put lattice around the deck too which makes it look finished now. Again it looks really nice too! Kandi gave me some of her hostas to put around the deck which look really good. Thanks Kandi for sharing with us! I may put some flowers there too but haven't fully decided if I am or when I am.

Kandi and Chris did lots of work with their flower beds and man what a difference it makes. She has some beautiful huge hostas around her trailer. In fact I have never seen such huge hostas. I hope they come up this weekend but if it is going to rain all weekend then I don't blame them for not wanting to....although it won't be the same without them! :)

Krystal and Adrian and Keira were going to come up too so not sure what will happen if Kandi doesnt'. They are still more then welcomed to come and stay with us but then again if it is going to rain the whole time it isn't that fun for the kiddos.

weekend is almost here...

2010-05-13T08:14:00.002-04:00

and we are going to the trailer! I hope the weather is somewhat like they are predicting. Sunny and warmer. All I care is that the sun is shining being we haven't seen it too much this week with all the rain and clouds we have had. It's been great for the sod Arend put down but enough is enough already!

Well, it appears that my healing is going along well, as I took the steri-strips off yesterday being they were curling at the edges and looking terrible. I'm not sure how long they were to be left on but I'm sure it was ok to remove them. I'll see the doctor on the 25th and I'm sure he will be ok with it!

I finally finished the afghan that I was making for Kandi. I've posted some pictures here. I've quite happy with the finished product except for the edging which you will see in the pictures. But, overall I think it turned out quite nice! Kandi seems to be happy and much warmer at work so that is what counts!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Grandaughter!

2010-05-04T11:22:00.007-04:00

Kandi and Chris had Hannah's 2nd birthday party on Saturday. Wow, I can't believe my Hannah is already 2 years old. Where does the time go?

We had a great time helping her to celebrate! She got lots of nice clothes, toys, and surprises! Mommy and daddy got her a playset for the backyard with a swing, slide and such. Titi, Uncle and Keira got her lots of cool things including a scooter for her to use...although I didn't get to see it being it was a special surprise waiting for her for yesterday I'm sure she is loving it. She had tried them at the store apparently and enjoyed it! We got her a sand and water table for outside and by the look of things saturday evening she was enjoying it as well.

She had her grand parents, great-grandparents, aunt, uncles, cousin and Keira's avo and lolo (grand parents) there as well. Lots of yummy food and lots of pictures taken.

what has been happening?

2010-05-04T11:11:00.003-04:00

Well, I was in and had my surgery to remove the lump I had in my left breast. As far as we know it is a cyst but has been sent for a biopsy just to be sure. I'm good with that, that way I know for sure. I have complete confidence in my doctor but it never hurts to double check right? The surgery went well, although I thought when I woke up friday morning that maybe it would be cancelled just because the lump appeared to be smaller than it had been. I mentioned it to the surgeon before being put under but he checked and still recommended going ahead with surgery. Turns out it hadn't gotten smaller just moved deeper in I guess. When the surgery was over he talked to my daughter Kandice and let her know that is was large and deep. So needless to say I'm glad it was done too!

Krystal and Adrian were a big help watching Hannah longer than usual that day being Chris was busy at work so I really appreciated that they were able to help Kandi out while she was with me. I never got home from the hospital until close to 630 or so that evening.

I have been doing well since then, with very little pain. I'm very surprised with the lack of pain actually but I'm not complaining trust me! The outer dressing is off now and there is still lots of swelling and some bruising but as long as I don't use the left arm too much it seems good. I did go to work today thinking I'd give it a try and see how things were but it certainly swelled up more using the arm like I did. I tried not lifting the arm too high but when you are at work you have to do what you have to do. I can't have someone else doing it for me, as it was, they were asking why I didn't do the upper shelves even though my DM should have let them know. Oh well what can you do! I did close to 1/3 of the store as it was....almost all the centre racks and part of the one wall...what more can you do?

whats been going on?

2010-04-22T20:58:00.002-04:00

Obviously nothing too much because I haven't had anything to write about...LOL! I'm still so excited about the news of another grandchild but am worried about Kandice being she hasn't been feeling well lately. Work seems to be stressing her big time. I sure hope she is feeling better soon.

Today I picked up Krystal, Keira and Hannah for the girls to see the doctor. Hannah has an ear infection (poor babe...I hate to see them sick) and Keira needs to go back and see the ear, nose and throat specialist. She is just having some breathing difficulty again and night time seems to be hard on her again. Hopefully they can get her in soon and get things fixed up one way or another.

Well i'm off to work some more on the afghan and guess what? I'll be done very soon! Yippee....Kandi will be happy!

I have such great news to let you in on...

2010-04-14T21:03:00.003-04:00

I'm going to be a nana to a 3rd grandchild! I'm so very excited and have kept it to myself for a while now. Kandice, Chris and Hannah are opening their arms and hearts to a new baby who is due Oct 28! She had an ultrasound on Tues and everything is looking good.

Hannah is so cute saying she is going to be a big sister and kissing her mommy's tummy. Kandice will have so much fun with her over the next few months as her tummy grows and hannah gets to feel the baby kicking. She is going to go to some midwife app'ts as well with her mommy and daddy! Keira may even get a chance to go as well so she can hear the baby's heartbeat.

Since we first found out I've had a feeling that it was a boy but today as I was filling out her "baby poll" I all of a sudden had a hunch that it is another girl! Can't wait to find out although I have several months until then!

So for now I'm just so excited for them and of course "gramps and I" too!

A great weekend!

2010-04-06T13:05:00.002-04:00

Well we certainly couldn't have asked for a better Easter weekend that is for sure. With temps hitting in the mid 20's and breaking all records it was the best! The sun was so nice and being able to sit outside just made it a wonderful weekend. We managed to get some yard work done on Saturday and then we got to sit and enjoy some time with Kandi, Chris and Hannah for the afternoon.

On Good Friday we went up to the trailer to check things out and to open the popout and just see what it was like up there. Everything is great...lots of leaves so I guess next time we go up we should take a rake and some bags and gather them all up. The trailer and deck survived the winter although I guess this one wasn't so bad. We had lots of flies and ladybugs in the trailer and while Hannah was there she kept saying talking about the "eweys". That is what she calls bugs.

On Sunday we were all over at my parents. Again we sat outside in the beautiful sunshine although it was a bit cooler then the other days. We had lots of fun, laughter and of course food. It was nice to get together again with family. We even set a girls day date again. My neice is having a "spa day" on the 26th of June! These days are always fun when us girls get together. I'm looking forward to it! Hannah and Keira enjoy them too which is great!

it's a long weekend!

2010-04-01T15:40:00.002-04:00

So we finally have a long weekend and it sounds like the weather is going to be amazing! I think maybe we will get a bit of yard work done if hubby is up to it! We aren't doing too much with plants this year being we now spend most of our time at the trailer in the summer. In fact I think Arend wants to either lay sod or plant grass seed. I'd rather do some plants and stuff at the trailer to enjoy up there.

Trailer time is getting so close now, in fact Chris (SIL) was saying the gates are now open and we can go in anytime! Wine and cheese get together is in Apr and the water will get turned on sometime there after unless the owner decides to before then! That would be nice although it will still be cold at night so not likely too many overnight stays for a bit!

We are having an Easter Egg/chocolate hunt for all the kids at Mom and Dads on Sunday. Keira already asked me if there was going to be one this year. Seems they look forward to it come Easter. There is always so much chocolate and candies for them when we do this. Way tooo much in fact.

Well, not sure if anyone will be stopping by here this weekend being I don't get much traffic at all...LOL I can only wish, but if you do stop by please say hi and let me know you were here and if you have a site then I can return the favour! G

Happy Easter to you and your family!

weekend

2010-03-28T14:11:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I didn't get to see Hannah in her Kindermusik class yesterday as they all slept in! That is ok, glad that Kandi got some needed rest! We did spend the afternoon together and went to the Home Show before dinner. Not a whole lot going on there but Chris was able to get some information that he was looking for! Then we came back here and ordered pizza and had some more fun with Hannah. While the guys were out getting the pizza Kandi, Hannah and I were playing around with the laptop video camera. I don't think I laughed so hard in a long time. We had fun playing around with the extras that come with the video feature! Adding hats, mustaches, glasses, different voices and so on.

Today I haven't done too much other than my knitting. I have to work tonight and I guess I'm having a lazy day. Arend isn't feeling well and he is just taking it easy so I might as well too!

I wonder how Keira made out with her daddy at the Syrup Festival? I haven't heard anything from her yet. I guess when I go tomorrrow to watch Hannah and take Keira to school I'll find out! I'm sure they had a lot of fun!

Well, I'm off to do somemore knitting before getting ready for work!

new update!

2010-03-27T07:51:00.004-04:00

So here it is Saturday again and I haven't posted in so long. It was bit of a busy week working a couple of odd shifts. Starting later in the day and getting home later but that is the way it goes when you do inventory! You go when the customer wants you there. This week was a couple of days at the University of Guelph bookstores. I enjoy doing these each year. The manager that we deal with is very nice and easy to work with. They certainly do a lot of prep work which makes it much easier to do our part!

So today I'm going to go and meet Kandi, Chris and Hannah at Kindermusik for Hannah's class. I'm not sure what all they do but it sounds cute and she seems to enjoy herself.

Kandi has a couple of maternity shoots to do this weekend so Krystal is helping her out with those while Keira and Adrian go to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. That should be lots of fun! She loved it last year although it was cold and yucky out. Today on the other hand is supposed to be a better day for the festival. Lets hope so! Have fun Keira and daddy! Yummy pancakes...have one for nana too!

I had a great afternoon yesterday visiting with a friend and going for a nice long walk with her. It was cool but sunny. We did a lot of uphill walking which takes a lot of of me but I enjoyed it very much! I love going for walks if I have someone to walk with. Maybe I just need to start putting on the headphones for the IPod and going off during the day now that the nice weather is starting to show!!

long time since I posted!

2010-03-19T20:29:00.003-04:00

So it has been a while since I was here to post anything. I peeked in a couple times but didn't really feel like posting for some reason.

Well, I finally heard back from the doctor with the results of the mammo and the ultrasound. I have a 5cm benign cyst. This is great news and certainly puts my mind at ease. Now I wait and see the surgeon on the 29th and go from there to see what he wants or thinks we should do about it.

The other day I took Krystal, Keira, Hannah and my neice Addison to the mall to look for shoes for Keira and Hannah. They each got a new pair from Nana and Grandpa. Keira needed new indoor shoes for school and Hannah just needed new sneakers for everyday. So this will be part of their Easter gifts. They were both so very excited about their new shoes. Keira has been wearing them all day while in the house!

Yesterday we went to the dinosaur exhibit at the university. At first Keira was a little nervous about the dinosaurs but eventually she decided to go a little closer to have a look at them. The display was very small and not much of anything really but the girls enjoyed it and that is all that counts. It actually took us longer to park and walk to the building then it did to look at the display. LOL!

Well, I'm off to work on my knitting for a bit before bed. I'm getting there slowly but surely. Kandice is patiently waiting for her afghan and has picked out a few other things for me to work on as well. She saw some alphabets done for her photoshoots. This is so exciting! I love making things, I find it is relaxing most times! LOL!

2010-03-15T06:57:00.004-04:00

I was supposed to have gotten the results from my Mammo and ultrasound on friday but unfortunately for me the mammo never got read by the radiologist therefore I didn't get the results. I was so upset when I talked to the doctor that I think I ended up hanging up on her. It is so frustrating because she told me that being she was going to be away until thursday this week that she had asked that the radiologist had been asked to read and report to her friday so she could let me know. I just find it frustrating being I had to wait and worry all weekend and who knows how long this week. The doctor did mention that maybe there would be someone at the office who could possibly let me know the results otherwise it will be thursday. So wait I will until I get the results, which I'm sure are going to be just fine but still not knowing is very hard. Not only on my but for my family as well!

So today Kandice is picking me up and going with me to the hospital to get my 2nd injection in my back. I have just been noticing the last week or so that I'm starting to get the pain back slowly. I have to say the injection that I had a month ago has been working well for me! I was pain free for a few weeks and able to be up and about with much more comfort. Thank goodness for Dr Moamar for listening to me about the pain and discomfort. It took many years and finally sitting in the family doctors office crying and letting her know what I've been going through for so many years.

Friday evening we enjoyed a fun filled visit with Hannah and her mom and dad. She is quite the little ham I tell you. She keeps us laughing and having so much fun with her. She sure is learning so much and talking nonstop these days. Putting so many sentences together and the cutest is when she is telling us something and we just can't figure it out and we are repeating what we think she is saying only for her to say "no", "no" "no" and finally a "yes" when we get it right. She is just a sweetheart and hard to believe she is going on 2 yrs old already. Wow, where does the time go?

Yesterday then we had a visit with miss Keira and her mom and dad. She is a sweetheart as well and man can she read. She is now reading at a 6-8 yr old level and she is not even 6 yet. She is doing so well with the reading. Definately like her mom and her aunt for reading. They were both reading well when they started kindergarten. She is another ham too....she was so silly yesterday but I think some of it was the chocolate she had eaten.

We are truly blessed with 2 wonderful little grand daughters. They are such a joy to us and bring so much happiness to both Arend and I. Being a nana is the best thing!

2010-03-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

Ok, so it has been a while since I was last here and posted anything. I guess I just lead such a boring life that I really just had nothing to post! LOL!

It seems like the only thing that I have to post about is the sickness or the pains that I have been dealing with lately and that just gets depressing and boring after a while. I'm dealing with a few issues right now though and just want to get through them and be feeling better again. I went for a mammo and ultrasound today for a lump on my left breast that is quite large in size. It suddenly appeared out of the blue a couple weeks ago and it was a struggle getting into the family doctor while I was waiting for the app't with the surgeon. The surgeon looked after me a year ago when I found a lump. He had a mammo and ultrasound done then and then I had a biopsy done to be sure it was ok. That was a very small lump in comparison to this one so this concerns me even more! It's funny how you worry about the what if's even though you try to tell yourself not to worry until you know that there really is something to worry about. I'm sure this is just a lump and everything will be fine but still the thought of a lump where there really shouldn't be one scares the heck out of me! So tomorrow I will know what they think and whether the family doctor thinks I should see the surgeon sooner than later!

On the bright side! The weather here is absolutely beautiful. Sunny, warm and springlike. I have been driving with windows down and actually have had windows open in the house to air out the sick germs that may have been lingering in the house since being sick! I love this weather...not only does it make me feel better it makes me excited to know that with the nice weather comes TRAILER TIME!! Yippee.

2010-03-08T19:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it was an interesting week last week. The kids got back from their vacation as I had said in the last post. Everyone who didn't get sick while they were away got sick when they got back home. I babysat Hannah on Friday being Krystal who is her caregiver was sick. Actually, both her and Adrian were home sick that day. Keira has been sick off and on throughout the week as well. So then Sun morning I got my turn at it and have been sick since. Sure hope my hubby doesn't get it and that it has now made its rounds and has decided to leave for good now. The one good thing about this bug...I lost 7lbs! Not the greatest way to lose weight that is for sure.

I just realized today that I still haven't added a picture of myself here. I'll have to see if I can make it downstairs to upload a picture from the computer down there.

While babysitting Hannah the other day we made several videos of her acting silly and having fun. She was having lots of fun watching herself on the screen.

2010-03-04T22:11:00.000-05:00

So I've been very busy working on the afghan for Kandi. It is a fun pattern to work on but it is going to take me a while to get it finished. I'm excited to be working on it and can't wait for the finished product. As I continue with it I will post some pictures of it!

So what are your thoughts on the government talking about changing the words in the Canadian Anthem to make it more gender appropiate? I personally say "Leave it alone and work on getting this country fixed!"

what a weekend that was!

2010-03-02T16:49:00.000-05:00

So as I last posted I was going to be heading to the airport to meet the kids and share in all the excitement of thier Dominican vacation. Well, that did and didn't happen!!!

When I arrived at the airport I waited for what seemed like an eternity for them. Eventually after an hour and 20 minutes from the time they arrived I see Brenda and Ken. They come over to talk to me and inform me that "they wouldn't let them on". Wouldn't let who on I wondered? At first I thought she was joking with me until she said it again this time with tears in her eyes. Now I'm scared. The story is long and it is best to read it here http://www.gethealthymomma.blogspot.com/ This is Kandice's blog where she describes what happened in a shortened version.

So that night I brought Krystal, Adrian, Keira and Hannah home from the airport thankful to have them home safe and sound. We talked the whole way home about what happened and about their trip which by the sound of things they all enjoyed very much. We get home and head to bed being it is now 5am. At 830 I just can't take it any longer and I start trying to reach Kandi in the hospital in the DR. I have no luck so Kyrstal who is up now tries. After many attempt she is able to get in touch with Kandi and lets me talk to her right away. It is so good to hear her voice although she sounds so tired and not well it makes me so happy of course though the tears start to flow.

So now with Krystal and everyone else ready we leave to take them home so that they can change and do whatever they need to so they can head out to pick up their dog who was staying at Adrians parents.

That night I talk to Kandi again at which time she is sounding much better. I get the word that they will be on a flight out that night at 11:40 and would be landing here approx. 4 hours later! So I get a couple of hours sleep that night, wake at 2am and head back to the airport! Not much of a wait this time and finally there they are! Home safe and sound! Thank goodness!

Picking the kids up in a few hours!

2010-02-27T22:11:00.001-05:00

Well, shortly I'll be heading out to the airport to meet the kids. Sure hope they had a great vacation and everyone is doing well. I'm excited to see them all! Sage will be so excited to see them too I"m sure or else she will give them the cold shoulder. LOL she has been so good this week. So has Buddy (hamster) although what trouble could a hamster cause? Other than escaping and not finding him? Well that could have happened the other day being I forgot to close his cage door! Thankfully he didn't get out because I would have freaked i'm sure!

As for the Olympics...what a great group of athletes! Canada's athletes ROCK! WTG...at this point Canada is tied for the record of Gold medals 13 which only Norway (2002) and Soviet Union (1976) have also managed to get. We have surpassed the USA by a couple as well. Awesome job!

Friday already!

2010-02-26T13:12:00.001-05:00

Well here it is friday already although the week seemed to go by slow or at least the first part of it did with being sick. Tomorrow night I go and get the kids from the airport. WOW, i'll bet it went super fast for them too.

Kandice had asked me before they left about making a couple of afghans for her...1 for work and 1 for on her bed now that they are redoing their room. So here I had plans on getting the work one started but with being sick I didn't get out to get the yarn until yesterday so I haven't got much of that done. I also wanted to go over and paint for her what I could of her room but that never got accomplished either. I feel bad for not being able to do it but I just wasn't up to it and now here it is the end of the week. :(

This is the afghan she choose to have me make for her to take to work....

http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/aran_afghan_with_matching_pillow.php

It is very nice and I love working cables so it is a nice one to work with. It may take me a bit but I will accomplish it! I'll post pics once it is done.

i guess i'm wrong!

2010-02-24T15:02:00.001-05:00

The Canada Russia game is tonight! Grrr...oh well i'll watch it later. They always have reruns of these games on different channels.

decluttering

2010-02-24T14:47:00.001-05:00

So why is it we seem to collect things and hide them away in closets and drawers as if we never really needed it in the first place? While making the move from room to room I found purses, clothing, knick knacks and other things that were just hiding away never being used or noticed?

So today, while reorganizing the closets and drawers I'm disgarding things we don't need. Mind you this is only in the 2 rooms that we are dealing with right now. Later, as I start feeling up to it I'll work on other rooms.

I have a bag of clothing to take to goodwill or talize tonight on my way to work, which I was thinking was tomorrow night not tonight. But this is good...then i'll be home for the game tomorrow night! Yippee!

today we moved into...

2010-02-21T19:48:00.000-05:00

the bedroom we have just finished working on. The only thing left to do is get a nice ceiling light. I'm not sure yet what I want for a light but I do know anything is better than what is here. It took a while to do the moving as I have been quite sick today with some sort of flu bug. I was up through the night a couple times which didn't help me sleep. Oh well I think I'm on the mend now. This afternoon I slept for a few hours and when I woke the last time I was soaked with sweat so I guess I was sweating it out. I had to toast for dinner while Arend took Sage for a walk and now I'm just going to relax and lay in bed.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. I was supposed to do laundry today which I never did and now I've added to it with sheets too. I have cleaning to do in the other bedroom so I can get the furniture moved into there too. So as you can see I have to be better tomorrow!

Well, i'm off to watch the Hockey Game now.

Tomorrow I take the kids to the airport!

2010-02-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

So tomorrow is the big day for the kids. They are heading to the Dominican Republic. I'm so excited for them but will miss them all very much. This is the first time that they are all going away together and we are staying home. We've done family cruises before but this time mom and Arend are staying behind. Actually, we are dog sitting and hamster sitting which will be fun! Today was the first day with the hamster and yes I was able to take Buddy out of his cage and put him in his ball to run and then put him back in his cage again. I wasn't sure if I could but I told Keira not to worry that Nana would make sure she would give him the exercise he needed.

Tonight Kandi, Chris and Hannah brought Sage over for us to watch. She is going to miss her whole family and Rocko (krystals dog). They are good friends and being they all live in the same house the dogs are together everyday. Arend is going to take her for walks every night he says when he goes for his walk so she'll be getting lots of exercise for sure. Who knows, maybe if I get ambitious I can take her out during the day being I'm supposed to be doing things to help me loose a little weight too.

So i'll be picking up my friends van in the morning and then going over and picking everyone and everything up! Let's hope we can fit everything into the van and have room for everyone to be comfy!

bedroom colour

2010-02-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

This is the colour of the bedroom, although it just doesn't show up the true colour. It is called Coastal Villa!

Our Bamboo floor we installed. Again the pics make it look more reddy/orange which it really isn't.

The floor turned out really nice. This was so easy to install once we figured it out!

Canada is doing awesome at the Olympics!

2010-02-16T21:32:00.004-05:00

5 Medals and still many more to come I'm sure. The second GOLD today was awesome. I was so nervous for her while watching it. A couple of times I thought she was going to fall but she held on to take Gold.

I'm watching some of the Canada/Norway hockey game right now. We are leading 4-0. At least it isn't like the womens game the other night. That was so lopsided it wasn't even funny.

Well, the bedroom is getting closer to being done. Arend and I installed our new Bamboo flooring yesterday (family day holiday). It looks great. I'm going to post some pics but it will have to wait till tomorrow. Tonight we put up the blind...that was frustrating. Have you ever read the instructions on putting up a blind? They never make any sense at all...and Arend was getting so ticked with the whole situation. I couldn't help but laugh but that only makes him more ticked.

So the paint is done, the floor is done, the blind is up...now to find a nice light then once we figure out what to do with the wheels on the bedframe then we can move over I guess. Maybe we will have to look into getting a new frame.

I forgot to get a before pic but I will get some after pics. I'll have to see if I have any from in there but I really don't think so. That is on my todo list for tomorrow!

Olympics have started!

2010-02-13T21:05:00.002-05:00

I was just laying here watching the Canadian womens hockey team playing against the Slovakian team. In the first 12 minutes of the game Canada had already scored 6 goals. The first period ended at 7 - 0. I tell you I felt terrible for the goalie of the Slovak team but good going Canada!

I was also watching the Womens Mogels (sp?) and the last I saw before they changed to the hockey was Jenn Heil was in 2nd and Kristi Richards was in 4th. This of course is just for qualifications. 20 of 27 woman will qualify to go for the medals.

Now I'm watching the womens speed skating short track qualifications. Looks good for Canada there too!

well, i've been slacking

2010-02-09T20:59:00.001-05:00

for a couple days now recording what I've been eating. I usually do this on SparkPeople but for some reason I just haven't been doing it. I need to have someone kick my butt and get me back in there again. Yesterday I was painting the bedroom and didn't go on all day and then last night I just didn't bother and then today I was gone to the hospital for my injection and didn't really eat much all day just because of being nervous. I've always been that way....never ate much if I was nervous or stressed because my stomach always bothered me and I felt yucky if I ate.

I should get over there to SparkPeople now and fill in what I did eat today even if it was only a couple things.

Painted our bedroom

2010-02-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Today I painted our bedroom. Well actually it is the one we were in up until a year ago and then we moved to the room at the back of the house. We have decided to move everything back to the Master again. I know it sounds strange but we just found that during the summer evenings it could be quite noisy with a certain motorcycle that would go by every night at 9pm and then come back later in the night. It was annoying. Well now all this past summer there was no sign of the motorcycle or the man that drove it which is weird (hopefully nothing happened to him).

The room looks great in the new colour. Hmmm...can't remember what it is called though. I'll have to have a look and post the colour later. We are going to put in new carpet or hardwood so it will be a while before we are ready to switch rooms. I'm anxious now to get everything back to normal and have the room looking all so pretty and cozy!

Well, I guess now I should tidy myself up and start to get dinner ready.

Nascar is starting!

2010-02-06T22:01:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the Budwiser Shootout! I wonder how Dale Jr will do this year? I really hope big things happen for him. He had a pretty rough year last year. Another one of my favourite drivers is Mark Martin.

2010-02-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

The Amazing Cucumber

This information was in The New York Times several weeks ago as part of their "Spotlight on the Home" series that highlighted creative and fanciful ways to solve common problems.

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc..

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finished a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

I'm glad it is FRIDAY!

2010-02-05T19:04:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness it is friday and I don't have to wake up at 5am for a while now. I don't know how Arend does it everyday. Just way to early I think. I was working early morning shifts doing inventory the last few days and it has once again totally exhausted me. Those cement floors and up and down the ladders are killing me. Oh well it is all done for now and I can sleep in tomorrow. Yippee!

I did the treadmill on hills at a 3.3 speed. The incline went in intervals of .5 from 5.0 - 7.0 and back down several times. I did this for 17 minutes today! It was a nice workout for me. I really didn't feel up to it after being at work but I told myself to just do it and so I did!

Well, off to play Super Mario for a bit with Arend once he gets back from his walk.

My first attempt at a blog!

2010-02-04T21:26:00.004-05:00

So today I decided I would attempt to set up a blog and see how successful I am at posting and keeping it up to date. I have had a family website before and worked very hard at it and enjoyed it very much but for some reason it went on the wayside and now it is gone. I hope that this will work for me!

I want to be able to just post whatever here and maybe I'll be able to encourage myself to work at my weight loss. I don't have a lot to lose but I want to be healthy and enjoy life!