Farewell to a dear friend

Yesterday I lost one of my best friends. She was 94 years old.

My heart is heavy but I also know that she is with her Lord and Saviour and that is where she has longed to be for many years.

I owe credit in bunch loads to this woman for inspiring and helping me to grow into the person I am now. She taught me so much about unconditional love and acceptance and grace and patience and dedication and has for the last 10 years held a very deep and special place in my heart.

I don't even know where to start with describing what she meant to me. I know she wouldn't want the world to know all her trials so I'll just brief a bit of it.

She was amazing! Done.

Ok, well, this is tough, (swallowing hard) I just know words wont get out what I feel.

Marion lived a very full life. She had office jobs and dental nurse jobs, was a technician (just like me) and was an artist. She painted around the world and I LOVE her work! Especially this one of the ocean, it is so raw and endless. Oh and the one that she did overlooking a bay with a building on the cliff in the distance, she captured the warm sun glow perfectly! She never raved about herself and was so meek about it but she really was so talented. She did silk screening and did her own dark room developing of photography. She created stunning pergamano cards and had the most incredible unique stone jewelry.

She raised her two children while traveling and being a busy forces wife and still managed to be creative.

In her 70's or 80's, I cannot remember now, but she walked the wall of China and went to the Amazon! She grabbed moments and took trips. She did things she wanted to and pursued her interests. She never let herself get 'old' and was always active, even driving her own car up until a few years ago. I want to be like her!

In so many ways I felt that we were kindred hearts. We would sit and talk about growing up in the meeting (church) and read and sing together. Then over a cup or 4 of tea and cookies we would and talk and talk about anything from marriage and relationships to art techniques, child raising, flowers and politics.

There was not a topic we didn't broach, well, ok, maybe a few but what I am saying is that we had an open relationship. It was so liberating and relaxed. I never felt that there were over 60 years between us. It was just a really easy friendship. Gaaa, I loved that woman!

There is more but I am a little emotional so that is all for now.

Tonight I am raising my glass to Marion!

xoxo

Home schooling and laundry

I know, I know, I swore I would never do this to my children. Home school.

When I look back on the years that I was home schooled I really have a hard time pushing ahead with it. I loved school as a kid, especially the lower grades. I loved the projects, the experiments, the recourse's for learning, the books, crafts and the field trips. Didn't care much for all the kids but loved my teachers. Sooooo, deciding to home school was a tough decision.

My home school years were not my favourite. However looking back I guess going back to school after that wasn't my favourite either but I do have fond memories of the private high school I went to.

What I am getting at is well, it will be a year to year decision for us and I am pretty sure that they will go to school I am just not sure when.

So we decided to recreate the fun things at home and make sure we are very active in social activities. Turns out that with the home schooling group here we will be seeing more kids more often then if Kaitlyn were in the private school for pre school so I think this year will be all good! Ya, know what I am sayin.

Anyway we ended up turning a corner of the playroom into a class room and it has been a hit.

We are now almost two weeks into our schedule and it is a blast. We start the day with putting the date on the calendar and then map the forecast. Next up we do a work book or two. Working on letters and numbers, mazes and puzzles. Then we have story and snack time and then recess.

Next up we do a craft. Sometimes this is just coloring or building stuff with play dough or we dig something out of my surprise craft box. (the favourite) Those creations are up on the wall to show off to daddy later.

Next up is singing and then free play.

Not much really but Kaitlyn loves every moment and begs to do school throughout the day. So rather that following the 1-2 day/2 hour public school schedule we are doing it every day and suffering through begging and pleading on weekends to "Please lets do more school!!!"

For some reason I think this just might change over the years into moping and whining about not wanting to do school so I am going with it!

The reason we didn't put Kaitlyn in pre school outside the home?

Well, hmmm. We almost did. I even went to the orientation and met the teacher. The reason in the end that we didn't was because it was going to cost us almost 4 figures to put Kaitlyn in for two days a week and if we only did one day (2 hrs) a week it was half price but still quite hefty. (this is at the private school a few blocks away) Then there was fund raising on top of this and I DO NOT DO THIS!

I hate it!

So rather than pester family and friends to buy home stuff, magazines, books, chocolates and whatever else (I am totally ok with being pestered by others for this stuff though....bring on the mag subscriptions, I'll buy!) I would rather spend a tiny amount of money and not miss the moments with my kids.

Moments like watching Kaitlyn open and close her mouth with every chop to the piece of paper she does with her scissors. chomp, chomp, chomp............

Ghaaa, I could just squeeze her!

And I really want to be a part of their early development, all of it! I am not ready to let them go and they love to be together and I think they will be away from me enough with bible class and sunday school and, and, and.....

Anyway, that and also that our kids are small still, really they are, I cannot imagine them out of the house already!

And I get to go on ALL the field trips and nature walks!

Even if they sometimes only take us to the laundromat.

We did turn it into a teachable moment.

Kaitlyn and Ethan took turns counting the money and putting it in the machines. Then they got to put in the detergent and start them up.

Then the machines started to spin and a vortex opened up....

.....and Kaitlyn and Ethan were standing so close.....

...it sucked them right in...

....AAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.........

and we got to learn about the dimensions of laundry!

Just kidding, these photo's were just me messing with F stop and ISO settings, I couldn't help but post them and make something up.

Really we learned a little and after sitting around board and running around with blankets for capes we walked next door to the grocery store for a few things.

When we came back the laundry was done and K and E helped to fold their blankets.

So that is how we started our homeschooling adventure. Something I swore I would never do and here I am with preschoolers eating my words and having a blast.

chomp, chomp...........

Art and mindless chatter

I have a lot of posts swirling in my head. You know how you talk to yourself in your head but it is like you are telling a story to a friend?

Am I the only one who talks to imaginary friends in my head?

It does make me sound smart...to myself anyway.

I guess I could talk directly to myself but that would probably just sound arrogant in my head.

I used to talk to friends in my head when I was younger. I would just pretend they were there and chatter on inside. Then I got the blog. I get to talk to anyone who cares or dares to stop by now. It is kinda neat, kinda fun and creepy all at once.

So when I go for long stretches without getting on here and getting it out I find that the dialogue in my head once again starts up.

No relation to what I have just said, written, whatever, I was really going to say a bunch of other stuff but got interrupted by my daughter who got the badminton birdie stuck in the rafters downstairs while on her home school lunch break.

Whew! That was long winded!

So now that my mind is blank never mind whatever I was going to say and here are a few projects of late completed.

The one above is 6" x 6" and was just something I doodled up with some left over paint from the project below.

30" x 30" custom order.

10" x 20"

Finally the boot painting is done. When I paint for myself it seem to take a year to get the finishing touches done.

And that is it.

Questions to throw out there.

How does your inner dialogue work?

Do you talk directly to yourself?

Do you have an imaginary friend or just talk randomly into the air?

Or do you talk to your friends in your head as if they were in the room with you?

Am I the only one who thinks about this mindless stuff?

Pirates, mermaids, a Barbie and cake.

With all the pictures accumulating here faster than I can think I decided to break the last month down in no particular order.

Up first. Birthdays.

Ahhhhh.......they are finally over!

Not only did we celebrate Kaitlyn and Ethan and Dave's birthdays there were also celebrations for other family and friends. It got to the point that it felt like we were getting together with people every other day and singing a lot of "Happy Birthday..."

So here are the highlights of the kids days.

Kaitlyn's actual birthday.

The night before I broke out the icing a Barbie and the cake I had baked earlier in the day.

And the quickest and easiest cake ever was done!

All I did was carve and stack the cake to resemble a dress shape. Oh and it was angel food so it had a hollow centre.

(I totally recommend this if you are tired, it is midnight and you have a little girls birthday the next day.)

Then I slathered on some white icing. Fondant would have been nice but would have been way to heavy for this light cake.

Then some squiggles, a few bows and flower dabs and ta-da, done!

I hid it away in the cupboard and went to bed.

The next morning we had a very excited little girl.

"Mom, I'm not little anymore, I'm a bid (big) dirl (girl) now, I'm 4!"

4 and growing right out of her pants.

We ate breakfast, her choice. Pancakes with peanut butter and jam and sliced bananas.

Then we gave her her gifts.

A new shirt from Dave, and a black leotard with a pretty flower stitched on last minute and pale pink tutu from me.

From the boys Polly pockets. I now have a love hate relationship with those little things. Can their clothes not be any more difficult for me to get on?!

After a little play time I brought out her cake.

She was so quiet.

And so happy and confused and excited, it was hilarious!

Back in the cupboard it wend until family came.

After dinner she blew out the candles.

I look like I am attacking her with the cake but really she was leaning back like that all along.

And we dug in.

Kinda creepy once the Barbie was pulled out. But it was good.

That sums up birthday #1.

Next up was the party day. This was the day that both Kaitlyn and Ethan shared for the party. It happened to fall on our wedding anniversary so we invited the parents to stay.

Well, they were invited anyway since the party was out at the cottage but it makes it sound good and we really did want them there!

This was the themed party. We invited guests to come dressed up and planned to do so ourselves. Of course in my rush out to the lake earlier in the week I forgot our bandanas, ripped up clothes and eye patches.

Oh, didn't I mention it was an 'Under the sea pirates and mermaid adventure party.'

Then to top it off I forgot to paint the kids faces and decorate ourselves with stitches and seaweed. I even had the body paint, sponge and brush there!

I totally need an assistant with an organized brain!

Anyway, the party went on.

The pinata was hung. (a story in itself)

The kids and I started to make our own with a few balloons, newsprint and flour paste like how we made the pig last year.

Halfway through the pasting part the balloon popped and drooped goop everywhere. Since we were out at the lake and I did not want a candy filled store bought one I just kicked the idea.

Until midnight the night before the party when I decided it would just be too fun to have one!

So I found an empty diaper box, tissue paper from old gifts last year (I save everything. Comes in handy but is rather cluttery and drive my husband up the wall) and recycled some old craft paper into the fins and eyes.

Inside I stashed all the goody bags.

The house was then decorated.

And the cake decorated.

Snacks laid out and we were ready to party!

Then half an hour before the party we decided to tackle a craft. What?

Don't you do this? Nothing like a little last minute stress!

Confetti cannon poppers were thrown together and hung. One for each guest. (once again thanks to SAJ for the idea)

As the guests arrived I ran out and hid the scrolls for the treasure hunt. Each one was rolled and tied with a red string then hidden in places around the yard. (click image above to see the sequence of hiding spots.)

Once the kids were assembled off they went chasing down clues.

Then as the boys looked on and were completely enamored with the dirt and shovels the girls dug up the buried treasure.

Out with the bounty and they got busy.

Inside the treasure box was a roll of hemp and a box full of beads to make their own jewelry.

Treasures were created.

Then in they went for cake. This was the cake for Ethan. On his actual birthday he had cupcakes and I forgot to upload his pictures.

Candles were blown out and cake devoured.

Then the cannon confetti poppers were popped and there was confetti everywhere! Everywhere!

(Thank you Charity for vacuuming!)

On to the pinata!

Round one.

Round two.

And then a few million whacks and 11 kids later it was finally broken open and the pirate and mermaid loot bags distributed.

The day was winding down, festivities over and there was time to sit!

Thank you everyone for coming and making our day so fun! We were so glad to share it with you!

The next day Kaitlyn went around as a pirate. Go figure. Then I remembered the face paints.

Yup, I ALWAYS forget something!

So we dug it out had had a little post face painting party.

Summer, summer time.....

Ok, I know!!! Almost a month, a whole month!

Shy a few days but I know!

Not intended at all but it was a needed break. Seems this time last year I did the same thing and I remember it felt good then too.

Truth is that I really needed to sit back. Reevaluate and just be. I soaked up moments, tones of em. Over 2000 photos worth. This has made the idea of getting back on here and starting the editing process rather daunting. Down right scary!

I have missed you my deer ol internet and people in there but I needed the reality break.

I needed to breath. Although this break was not a break in business, that never stops.

We had birthdays and parties and BBQ's and an anniversary and life decisions made and dreams dreamt and festivals soaked in. Dull moments were kept at bay while we finally put all aside to have a summer.

OK, not all but the Internet anyway.

Well, truth is that if I could have gotten the free wireless connection to work faster than molasses in January (I don't really know if that is fast or slow but I am picturing the most agonizingly slow drip ever) I would have been on here updating as we went along. I have SO much to share!!

So once the photos are edited I will get em up and then get back to the grind. Back to what is really going on here!

For now I just wanted to say "HI!!!"

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!