Waiting Mommies Dinner # 6

O.k. let me see if I can name (and connect) everyone. Starting in the back left is ME, Dolores, Kathy, Doris, Bev, Lisa, Leslie.

Front row from left to right:

Catherine, Liz & Ava, Julia, Suzanne, Deb with Mercy and Lori.

Wow - there have been 6 Waiting Mommies Dinners so far! I have not missed one of them! I am not sure if that says that I am dedicated or that I don't have another part of my life that would interfere with the dinners!!

There dinners are wonderful and Saturday's was no different! It was actually EXTRA special because Doris was in town and was able to attend this one and meet these great ladies!!



We had a couple of babies in tow at our dinner - Ava and Mercy. How wonderful to see them both. For us waiting mommies, I think it is great to see that there ACTUALLY IS a baby at the end of this (SLOW) roller coaster ride that we are all on!

This is how good Doris' dessert was!!



The weekend in general was FANTASTIC! Much time spent with AWESOME friends - more on that later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RHONDA!!

Today is Rhonda's birthday...I DO have a picture of her and I have met her in person!

I will NOT be sharing a picture of her here, but for a small fee, I can e-mail one to you...Oh was that said in my outside voice??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RHONDA - head over to her blog and wish her a happy day!!

ENJOY YOUR DAY!

9 Months Today...

Today is our 9 month anniversary...yeah...

It seems these days that our LID anniversary comes very soon after a VERY crappy and small referral batch. It is hard to get excited about things these days.

The CC*AA is only up to November 25th - 2005!!!! They are still 376 LID days away from our referral - very discouraging.

Sigh...

On that happy note, I would also like to wish a happy 9 month LID anniversary to Dolores and Shawn. They are our friends and travel mates.

Thank You Secret Buddy!!

Have I mentioned that I have the BEST SECRET BUDDY EVER!!!!!

Last month I was in a slump and didn't post my WONDERFUL present. So today I am going to post my July AND my August gift from my Secret Buddy!

Here is my July gift! Are those shoes the cutest thing EVER and that beach coverup is going to look SOOOO good on Pumpkin! She is going to be one rockin' chick!



Thank you Secret Buddy!!

Here is my August Secret Buddy gift that arrive today! I tell you, my Secret Buddy is the BEST!!

Check out the PUMPKIN shirt!! I have been playing with the toys too and dreaming of a day that I will be with my little one playing!



Thank you once again Secret Buddy! You are just amazing and my sanity is once again saved...

Miscommunication

I have come out of my self imposed blog hibernation to share a cute story that happened today.

This morning, Mark and I were getting ready for work. I then see Mark rooting though the sewing kit.

Me: what are you doing H (my pet name for him) looking through the sewing kit?

H: I need a button sewn on my pants that I want to wear today.

Me: I sewed the other pair of your pants last night, why didn't you bring me these pants.

H: I don't know - I just decided that I want to wear them.

Me: O.k. - sew away.

H: I don't really have time to sew them…

Note: Mark and I both started work at 7:30 and right now it is 6:55…

Me: o.k. I will sew them, leave them on the bed.

H: Thanks SS (his pet name for me)

Mark then gets the thread and button and pants and puts them on the bed and then jumps in the shower.

I then go in the room and see this:



I think it odd that he want the 'pocket button' sewn on his pants and that it HAD to be done before he went to work. I guess he is more particular then I thought. So I get the button all sewed and started gathering my things for work.

Mark gets out of the shower and asks if I have sewn his button.

Me: yes I have left them on the bed.

H: I thought you said you sewed the button.

Me: I did sew the button right where you left it to be sewn.

H: I didn't want my pocket button sewn, I wanted my button button sewn. WHY would someone get all out of shape over a pocket button.

Me: I don’t know - I thought that was what you wanted as you left the button right there with the thread and the needle.

H: I guess I did leave it there, but I didn't mean that was where I wanted the button sewn.

Then we both started laughing at the absurdity of it all!

THEN - I had to get another button and QUICKLY sew it on as it was time for BOTH of us to leave or we would be late.

Happy Birthday Dolores!!

Today is Dolores' birthday!! Pop over to her blog and wish her a great one.

Mark and I are very lucky to have met and become friends with Dolores and Shawn. They are wonderful people and and we are so happy that we will share such a special part of our lives with them in China.

Enjoy your day - YOU DESERVE IT!!!

Look at my present!

Today is my birthday - as many of you know gaging by the wonderful wishes I have received today! Thank you so much!

I wanted to share this beautiful present that I received from Mark this morning. Probably in May, I saw this ring and casually mentioned that I thought it was really pretty and different and that was the last thought I gave to it. I never mentioned it again. Well Mark has a great memory and he remembered that I liked the ring and bought it for me for my birthday. Isn't it so pretty AND it fits PERFECTLY!!!

I am alive

Just to let you readers know that I am alive.

I have not been up to blogging lately - don't know why, just haven't.

Perhaps it is because there is no news in the adoption community.

The outlook is bleak with a LONG time between us and our baby...sigh...

I will get back to it - just not today!

Catching up...

I am going to try and catch up on the past week and a half. In that time, I had company for a couple of days and I was out of town. There were only 2 days at home - lots of laundry done on those days!

I spent the weekend two weekends ago with my friend Ronni and her family at their cottage. What a great place that is and wonderful and gracious hosts her family is. Mark and I have been there before and always enjoy it. Ronni has two GREAT kids - they are 9 & 8.

I remember the first time I had spent time with Ronni and her kids and the first thing I noticed was how great she was with them. She parented the way I did in my head - if that makes sense. All the things that I said I wanted to do - she was doing, the way I would react was the way that she reacted, the way I think I would discipline the kids is the way that she disciplined her kids. All round, I think she - and her hubby - are fantastic parents and wonderful friends.

Here is Mark enjoying is H*arry Potter book and his Caesar by the water - life doesn't get much better then this!



Here are a couple of pictures that me and the kids took over the weekend. They asked if they could take some pictures for themselves and here are some samples of them.

No weekend away is complete without good friends, good food and good times and this weekend accomplished all three, plus some good weather and good swimming!




Apparently the kids enjoy landscape pictures!! They did take a couple of pictures of each other, but I don't want to post them here.


Part II

Mark and I were home and working for 2 days and then Dianne and her daughter Jordyn came into town. Dianne was one of the first friend I had in university. I was living away from home and NOT on campus but in a basement room with an odd lady. I was the only person from my high school to go to this university and I was feeling lonely and sorry for myself. I decided that this was NOT the university life that I wanted or envisioned. So one day while I was in line at the cafeteria, with my back to the 'eating' area, I said to myself "after you pay you are going to turn around and find a seat beside someone and sit there and introduce yourself" and I did!! Dianne and I became fast friends and she was my roommate (along with 3 other girls) the next year. We lived together for a couple of years and during our last year in university, her parents moved to Calgary. When we finished school, her and I packed up her car and hit the road and drove out to her parents new place in Calgary. Dianne was convinced that she was only going to stay for 6 months until she got organized and came back to Ontario...MANY years later and she is still there!

Two years ago, Dianne adopted a wonderful little girl who is almost 6. She is lovely and Dianne is a GREAT mom. When I picked them up from the airport and we were driving and Jordyn said MOM and I MELTED! It was so great to hear Dianne referred to as mom!

Dianne too is a FANTASTIC mom! She is SO great with Jordyn and they just compliment each other so well! Dianne too is the kind of mother that I want to be with my kids!

Here we are - Jordyn took the picture of Dianne and I - she might have a future as a photographer!




It was GREAT to meet Jordyn and to see Di again.

More to come on catch up...

8 Month LID Anniversary

Today is our 8 month LID Anniversary!

I am so far out of touch in blogland! It has been almost a week since I have been on the computer. Mark and I have been away and just got home this afternoon. Prior to that, we have had friends from out of town here - there is SO much to I have to say!!! I will get organized and put together some posts!

Happy 8 Months to Dolores & Shawn - our Friends and Travel Mates!

Curtain 4

Yesterday started off like any other day. I went to work in the morning. At lunch, Jenn and I met and ate together. Then at about 2:00, I started get a pain/ache in my shoulder. I was conscious of it but it wasn't TERRIBLY uncomfortable. I finished my day at work and headed to my mom's house. I was in DESPERATE need of a hair colouring…

So I drove to Mom's house. The pain was a bit more intense, but still 'handleable'. Mom got my hair coloured (and it looks wonderful if I do say so myself) and then we were sitting outside while the BBQ cooked our dinner. The tears were just streaming down my face. I was in AGONY. The pain was indescribable. Since the pain was INSIDE my shoulder, there was nothing I could do to make it feel better. Rubbing the shoulder didn't help. Ibuprofen didn't help. Crying didn't help. Not having a clue as to what it was didn't help either. We all initially thought it might be muscle related. However, I soon discovered that moving my arm around, up and down or whatever way I was moving it, didn't affect the pain at all - in a good way OR a bad way.

I couldn’t take the pain any longer. It was just HORRIBLE. Mark insisted on taking me to the hospital. I didn't want to go. It seemed silly…

We went.

I was in the waiting room for about 10 minutes before they took me in. They tested my blood pressure and it was THROUGH THE ROOF. Apparently that happens when you are in pain. They were thinking that I MIGHT have a blood clot in my lung. I don't know how to spell the words that they actually used. They kept asking me if I had had recent surgery, if I had been on a plane, if I had recently been on a long car ride or if I had had a history of blood clots.

I was in a bed quickly - Curtain 4. SEVEN vials of blood were quickly extracted, an ECG (I think - I get them mixed up with an EKG) was done. Chest x-rays and a visit from the doctor.

Then the waiting…

I must say that the time goes faster when you are in a bed in the ER rather then in the waiting room. Mark, luckily, has his Harry Potter book in the car so he got lots of reading done. I dosed in and out. They had given me something for the pain.

4 1/2 hours later, the tests came back and everything was fine. My blood pressure was back to normal and the pain, although not gone, had subsided significantly. I felt stupid...

The ER explained that they are just there to 'rule out the big things' and NOT to diagnose me. Since it wasn't any of the 'big things' they sent me home. I am going to have to follow up with my doctor to try and discover WHAT is wrong.

Today the pain is there, a dullish ache or so. Unless I inhale deeply, bend over, hiccup, burp, yawn, laugh or sneeze it is not too bad - I am aware of it, but it is 'dealable'.

I am starting to feel like I am falling apart...

Today when I went to pick up my prescription - an anti-inflammatory - just in case - this is what the 'package insert' read on the FIRST LINE: This drug may infrequently cause serious (rarely fatal) bleeding from the stomach or intestines...

I am glad it is only RARELY FATAL!

So how was your Wednesday?

Catching up!

On Saturday Mark and I attended a family BBQ. What a beautiful day and an excellent time! It is always a good time when we all have the opportunity to spend time together. We played horseshoes as a family and had a riot! What made it even better was that Brad - my partner - and I WON THE TOURNAMENT!!! How exciting was that!! Last year we were the runners up, but this year we took home the trophy!

WE ROCK!!

The troublemakers!

Measuring out the point

My Mom!

Watching the match

Family shot!

Action shot by Mom!

Sunday was a beautiful day spent in Niagara on the Lake. Every time I go there, I forget how pretty it is! Mark and I participated in a potluck picnic lunch with Dolores & Shawn, Nic & Tim, and our organizers Rhonda and Josh.

We were a bit worried at the start of the day. Mark and I found everyone and went to park our car. We unloaded and we walking towards the picnic site. Well there was an ADULT and his kid (say about 18) horsing around - perfectly acceptable in a park. However, they were not paying attention and as Mark and I were walking one of us on each side of the cooler and a bag in our other hand, they basically ran into Mark. I should say that we were also on a 'hill' at the time. Well down went Mark, over went the cooler and mud was a pile we made.

What a MESS! All our ice and the water from the melted ice went everywhere. Since he went down in the dirt, we had INSTANT MUD!! EVERYTHING was covered in mud. Our potato salad container broke and I was ready to scream and turn around and go home. I was so pissed at these guys.

HOWEVER - the day only went up from there! After a GREAT picnic, we took a wander around the town and then down to the lake. The weather could not have been more perfect!

To top off the already wonderful day - there were presents. I was shocked. I was not expecting this! Do you all remember when Rhonda was talking on her blog about how she ordered something from New Zealand but she wasn't revealing what she had purchased...Well she had purchased something for PUMPKIN! Check out this picture. It is ADORABLE!! This wonderful little 'pumpkin' toque - I LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much Rhonda for this EXCELLENT gift!

And then as if that wasn't enough, Nicole MADE us this wonderful print. It is stunning! The picture doesn't do it justice. It is a representation of our blog with the pumpkin in the lap of the lady. I just don't have the words...
Thank you so much Nicole. You have a wonderful talent and I thank you for sharing it with us. I can't wait to put it up on the wall.

You will have to check out Dolores' and Rhonda's blogs too as they were also lucky enough to receive this great gift!

Another EXCELLENT weekend!

The Tournament

Last night, Mark and I went to Jenn (Mark's Jenn) and Paul's for dinner and a Wii. Tournament that is!! Also in attendance was Leslie. You might remember that Leslie was the one who sent me the CUTEST quilt square!

We also got to make our own 'players'. That was cool - I made myself as SKINNY HOT CHICK IN A BLUE DRESS!! What a FUN night we had. We bowled, we played tennis, we did cow racing and shooting! What a riot!

I forgot my camera, but I took some pictures with Jenn's camera - I will post them later. I have to wait for her to send them to me.

So much laughing and jumping around we did!

It was WONDERFUL to meet Leslie and thanks the Jenn & Paul for the great night!

Bloglines?

What's up with Bloglines?? I got home from work today and it said that I have 511 UNREAD posts!!

Now I am PRETTY SURE that Jill didn't make 25 posts today. I am also pretty sure that Dawn didn't post 24 entries and Dolores 23...

Odd I tell you, just odd...

For Waiting Parents

For those Waiting Parents out there…

Do you ever get the impression that:

You don't have a brain.

That your opinions don't count.

That you can't POSSIBLY know how to handle a situation involving kids.

Do you get the 'you won't say that when you have your own'.

Or the 'Just you wait'.

And just the general overall feeling that you have nothing to offer when there is a situation involving kids…

There was one time that I was with a group of people and we were talking about kids and this one woman turned to me and asked how old my kids were. I said I didn't have kids. She literally turned her back to me and didn't address me or acknowledge me for the rest of the event.

This is just one example but there are MANY situations - both from friends and family alike…

I just don't even know how to put into words how that all makes me feel. It is a horrible feeling and I am sure (I hope) that the people making me feel this way don't even realize what they are doing or saying.

I'd just like to point out that I am QUEEN of biting my tongue when other people's kids are involved. I don't say anything UNLESS they are asking me about it, the kids are going to hurt themselves or the kids are in my home.

I want to scream at all these people and say - don't you think I wish I had my kids too.

Then there is the group of people who say things like:

Enjoy your freedom now - you won't have any when you have kids

Travel now - you won't be able to when you have kids

Get your socializing in now - you won't be able to do it when you have kids

Do you want my kids for a night - that will curb your desire of wanting to have kids

I want to scream to these people: Do you not think that I want to experience these things for myself and decide home much we are going to do with our kids. Where we are going to travel as a family and perhaps, don't you think that I am MORE THEN READY to EXCHANGE my 'freedom' (I hate when people say that because it implies that your children are a 'chore' - I like spontaneity) for parenthood.

AAGGGHH!!!

Venting on this topic completed...for now!

BTW - I am good now with the meds - all is well!!

A Visit to the Clinic

For those who regularly read this blog, you will remember last weekends post when I told about how 'something' had bitten my elbow and it all puffed up and was red hot to the touch and there was some kind of infection or something in the elbow.

I was also lucky enough to have a doctor there with us and she called in a prescription for me to the local drug store and I had some antibiotics to help in the healing process of my elbow.

The elbow is doing MUCH better. Not to where is was, but HUGE improvement from last week - that is for sure.

For the ladies out there, you know what happens when you take antibiotics...I personally have NOT taken antibiotics in YEARS and YEARS so I guess it slipped my mind about what 'could' happen when you take them.

Well let me tell you - there was NO forgetting today!! I thought I was going to die - the infection is driving me crazy!! I was beside myself wondering how I will survive. The last time I had this infection was about 20 years ago - didn't like it then either.

Today I was e-mailing Doris and I told her about my dilemma and she asked if I could get a prescription for Difluk*n a one shot deal - I was not aware of such a thing, I needed to check it out. THANKS DORIS!! I didn't think I was going to have enough time to do anything about it, but then it comes to a point that you don't care HOW late you are going to be for the evenings events, you MUST take care of this before ALL else.

So off I went to the Walk-In Clinic. The first one I went to, they said at least an hour wait - crap - too long. Off to the next one - it was closed - today only...great. Then to the third - I was starting to feel like Goldilocks as this was just right - approximately a 20 minute wait. So down I sit...

There was a lady there with her son - he was about 2 1/2 I would say. There was another lady there with her daughter again, about 2 1/2 and 2 other people other then myself.

Well the boy was bored - and I can see how waiting is not fun. The mom sat in her chair, read her magazine and BARKED orders to her son. J - stop doing that. J - Come here. J - Stop touching the people. J - Don't drop that on the ladies foot. J - I SAID come here. J - Sit down please. J - That's not nice. J - Come back here - DON"T go thorough there. Well it wasn't until the final one that she actually got off her butt and retrieved her son who had disappeared into the back where the exam rooms are. You wonder how I rmemeber all these...I actually wrote them all down. Yes I am an addicted blogger when I am writing stuff down to report on later!! Back to the lady, when I say she barked - she did. At one point, this kid started smacking my leg. I was SHOCKED - the mom said - J - that's not nice. AND THAT WAS IT. He kept doing it! I think I was stunned and didn't quite know how to react. The kid did stop, but the mom just kept barking. It was odd...

To even make the wait better, the other mom with her daughter kept singing to her daughter to keep her calm. AHHHHH that's nice...NOT SO MUCH - the song of choice was Barbie Girl...yes you know it: I'm a Barbie girl in the Barbie world - Life in plastic, it's fantastic! Well she sang it over and over and over and over again...

Someone get me and my itch OUT OF HERE!!!

Finally - Prescription received, taken and fingers crossed that I feel better in the morning!

Nickname Tag!

I have been tagged by Crazy Lady to reveal our nicknames...

Wow - this could prove embarrassing! That said, this is my place to chose my openness and we will see how many names I reveal here!!

I guess over the years, my nicknames have changes and evolved (I suppose the evolving part is a matter of opinion).

I do remember when I was younger I WANTED a nick name sooooo bad. It seemed EVERYONE had one and I did not. I was sad :( However, as time went on and I became cooler and cooler, I did develop some nicknames. They were not particularly 'cool' names, well not as cool as me, but they were nicknames all the same. LOL!

Speaking of nicknames, it is nicknames or nick names? One word or two? But I digress...

Having the name of Michelle - there were many ways to shorten it or change it. I have been (and am still) called: Shell, Shelley, Mitch & Mickey.

Other nicknames (this is the version of nicknames that I chose for the rest of this post) that I have had over the years are: Mitchymoo & BooBoo (from my sister!). There has also been PomPom (this comes from my last name).

The name that Mark calls me I will NOT reveal here! Some of you MAY have heard him call me by the name, but we really try and avoid using those names in public!

As for Mark, many call him by his last name - again, not saying that here. I have been known to call him Cupcake - don't really know where it came from or why, but it used to stick. Now I have another name for him, but again, it is not being said here! Just not ready to open that up to the WHOLE world!

Now I MUST tag 4 people and I chose: Dolores, Rhonda cause I wanna see if she will 'print' Josh's nickname, Doris and K1

Friday & Sunday

The above photo is: Back Row: Tammy, Karen, Suzanne, Kelly, Chris, Andrea and Paula.
Middle Row: Nicole, Cari, Tracey, Leslie, Karen, Dolores and Julia.
Front Row: Catherine, Liz & Ava and Me.

Friday night I attended our 5th Waiting Mommies Dinner!! Can you believe it? We have been doing the dinners since last November, every other month, and this was our 5th. It was great to see everyone again and to meet some new people! It is a wonderful way to get together with others who are also adopting. There are mommies there who already have their kids home all the way to paperchasing.

Sunday afternoon Dolores invited some adoptive mom's to her house for 'Scrapfest'. I am NOT a scrap booker. I have NEVER done it. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't have any 'tools'. I didn't even know there were 'tools'. I had only MINIMAL supplies (what we bought the other day at Michael's).

Well boy did I ever learn a lot. First off, I can't believe how FAST the time passed. It just FLEW by!! Nicole and Cari are seasoned scrappers and I certainly learned from both of them. Nicole is incredibly creative and can organize a page in her head and produce it on paper in about 15 minutes. Quite amazing to watch. Nicole and Cari also had lots of 'tools' which make scrapping MUCH easier. They both also brought some books that they had already completed. It was amazing to look at them all!

I managed to create a couple of pages and I am quite proud of my first attempts so I thought I would share. I had to take a picture of the pages as I didn't know another way to get them on the computer.

Here they are:





More pages to come as I am trying to complete some pages of our wedding/honeymoon in Cuba.

7 Month LID Anniversary!!

Today is our 7 month LID anniversary!

If you can believe it, it had slipped my mind until Doris sent me some anniversary congratulations!! Thanks Doris!

I don’t know if forgetting is a good thing or a bad thing…

Either way – today is the day!!

Congrats also to Dolores and Shawn on 7 months – our friends and travel mates!!

Speaking of Dolores, last evening Dolores and I dropped by the BRAND NEW Michael’s store that opened yesterday…how disappointing! We were psyched up and hoping for some really good deals but there were NONE to be found…Apparently the grand opening isn’t until Saturday and THAT is when the deals are. They actually announced that we should come back on Saturday ‘cause they will have the specials then…

Thank You Secret Buddy!!

I would like to thank our Secret Buddy for our June gift!

Once again she did a PERFECT job!! Our SB ROCKS!!

Thank you so much for the adorable outfit, the Rainbow Book and the Nemo bath toys!! Once again you outdid yourself.

Our October DTC Yahoo group is going through a change and there have been many problems with people not receiving gifts and others not posting a thank you on the DTC group board and others not happy with what they have received. Our moderator is trying to keep it going and re-shuffle everything so that the people that have been following the rules and want to continue can do so - but perhaps with a new match.

Note to my SB: Just in case you are no longer my SB after the big shuffle, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that you have been AWESOME!! If someone else gets you as their SB, they are going to be VERY lucky!!

If you want to see the other fantastic items we have received from our SB, click on the SECRET BUDDY label at the end of this post and all the great presents will be there for you to see!!

Thanks again Secret Buddy!! You have been GREAT and I hope you are still there next month!!

The Weekend...

Early Friday morning, Mark and I escaped the city for a long weekend at a friends cottage. Mark and I had a great time and were very relaxed! I wish the weather could have been warmer and the wind less, but just getting away to such a pretty place, was rejuvenating!

We had a great time with our friends. There was no swimming due to the weather, but there was LOTS of card playing, reading and gabbing!

Apparently on Sunday, 'something' decided to take a taste of my elbow. It must have left something behind because it is VERY swollen, hot, red and super tender. I can't actually move my left arm out of a 90 degree angle. Makes getting dressed, cooking, driving etc a little more difficult, but I survived. Luckily for me, one of the cottage guests was a doctor and after observing the 'spot' for a day, she called me in a prescription and I picked it up in town today. I am hoping that soon I will have mobility back in my arm and I am keeping an eye on the swelling as to ensure it doesn't get any larger. I tried to take a picture of it, but it just doesn't translate.

Thanks to L for having us and here are a few pictures of the wonderful view that we had all weekend.







Purse meme - coming up soon!!

**UPDATE** Thoughts, Reflections and Snippits of my Day!

When you are in line to pay for something, have your money or piece of plastic ready. You ARE going to have to pay for it. It is NOT going to be free. Don't be surprised when the cashier asks for the money.

If you chose to drive slow or slower then the posted limit, do so in the SLOW lane. NOT in fast lane. MOVE OVER!!!

If you are in any sort of CUSTOMER SERVICE field - WANT to be there - OR - find a new profession.

When you are in retail - talk to your friends on your own time - NOT when you are supposed to be doing something for me.

Make sure that if you are bitching about a customer, who is only aksing for what the sign says, make sure she is OUT of ear shot before you start.

Serve food in ALL food service areas as it should be. If it should be hot - serve it hot! If everyone returned or complained about the wrong food, companies would soon learn to stop serving it like that.

DO - put a space after a comma and TWO spaces after a period at the end of a sentence!

For Ontarians - Don't EVER lose your Red/White Health card. The Green ones are a PAIN!

Don't buy a car that doesn't have the horn in the middle of the steering wheel.

Don't let the 'blood sucker person' tell YOU which arm to take YOUR blood from 'cause they don't want to change the arm rest to the other side.

Don't forget to do a Purse meme when you are tagged.

DON'T ask me to fill out a satisfaction card when I am in this mood!

How was your day...

***UPDATE*** - Today I got home from my weekend away and my sister had brought in our mail for us. In the mail was a book of Tim Horton's gift certificates from 'The place that asked me to fill our a satisfaction card!' I must also mention that they called me at work the next day to see if there was something they could do better next time make my visit better!

Advice please...

Mark and I are looking to get a new camera. The first time around I did all sorts of research and looking and trying and lots of stuff and that was great, but there is SOOO much more on the market now and it can be a bit daunting.

I found a wonderful camera - at the time. This was about 4 years ago. The camera was great and has performed wonderfully. It is a 3.1 pixel, Cannon A70. The view screen is about 1 1/2 inches square. One day I was NOT 'wearing the strap for safety' and I dropped the camera on the concrete floor...

The camera still worked (amazingly enough), but I was unable to 'view' the pictures on the camera. I had the remove the card and plug the card into the computer in order to see the pictures. This has (sort of) worked and has been o.k. up until now, however, we are now in the market for a new camera.

I thought what better place then all my bloggy friends who ALWAYS have their cameras on hand and use them frequently!

We are looking for a good camera (obviously).
We want to be able to switch to Black and White or colour.
Easy to use.
Something that is still available.
Good sized view screen.
Decently priced.


What do you like/dislike about your current camera?

What is the battery life / style of battery? Do you like the power system?

Is it easy to use, download etc.

Does it have a self timer? Self timer is EVER so important.

Would your recommend this camera? If so why and if not why?

I would appreciate any input on your current camera, would you re-purchase the same camera. Likes, dislikes etc. You can also e-mail us from the link on the right if you don't want to write stuff in the comments.

I thank you in advance for all your advise, pointers and tips.

Thank you's all around!!

It started out as any other day. The alarm going off, me getting out of bed and getting ready for work. Mark getting ready for work too.

Like some days, Mark leaves water on the bathroom floor after his shower. Many times I walk in the bathroom in my sock feet - getting ready to leave for work and step in this water...

Today was no exception. Today I hadn't put on my socks yet and was in bare feet (can you be IN bare feet???). I walked up to the sink to brush my teeth and was quietly cursing Mark under my breath. AGAIN he left water on the floor and I stepped in it.

I quickly grabbed the shower floor towel (??) and placed in on the water on the floor so that it would be absorbed and didn't think about it again until...I started feeling water dripping on my foot. Hmmm - water dripping on my foot can't be a good thing.

I finished brushing my teeth and opened the cupboard under the sink and there was DEFINITELY more then a drip that came out on me!!

This is what I discovered:




The drain pipe in the bathroom sink had come disconnected! How the heck does that happen?? In the picture on the right, you can see my pen that I put down the drain to confirm it all! Very scientific of me!!

So this has all happened before 6:30am!!

I waited until the appropriate time had passed and I called Phil - He is just amazing!!

I came home from work today and this is what I discovered:



A brand new - WORKING - drain pipe!!!

THANK YOU PHIL!!!!

Also today when I got home from work, there was a package for me. Inside was this and a CD:



HOW CUTE IS THAT!!!! Thank you so much Nicole for the wonderful gift!! We are going to have one rockin' kid!! I LOVE IT!!!

Music on CD to be reported on later!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!

What a great day today is/was!!

The oven is not just for cooking anymore...

...it can also be used for melting your fridge magnets, warping your kitchen artwork, curling the edges of your pictures drawn for you by your nieces and nephews and even heating up a pie!

Yes - I did all of those in one day!

Remember the last post when our appliances were in the dining room? We had NO space for anything and there was so much stuff on top of the stove...I thought a good place to store it and get it out of the way would be to put everything IN the oven and then we would have more space...

Well when the kitchen was 1/2 done, we were able to put the oven back in there. My aunt was in town and she was having dinner with us as was Phil. We BBQ'd and ate outside so it wasn't a big deal that we had no kitchen cooking space or no dining room to eat in.

Since we had the oven back in the kitchen and that happened JUST before dinner was ready. When it was time for dessert, I thought I would warm up the pie that we were having as it just tastes nicer that way...

I ran inside, turned on the oven to warm it up and then went back outside. About 10 minutes later I came in to pop the pie in the oven. I opened the back door and thought - "HMMM - WHAT is that smell..." It didn't take long to remember (what I wasn't going to forget) all the stuff that was in the oven.

I RAN to the oven, turned it off, opened the door and grabbed the mitts...

It was too late for most things...

I am kicking myself now that I didn't take a picture of the carnage - but trust me, it wasn't pretty...

Lesson learned - the oven is NOT a place for storage...

A job well done!

We have been wanting to get our kitchen/hallway floor done for a long time. I kept looking at it and thinking that it was really starting to deteriorate. It was peel and stick and the 'stick' was becoming unstuck! The edges were starting to curl and then you would walk on them and snap off the corner of the tile - NICE!! It's time had come!! The floor was here when we moved in and other things were the priority. Well it was finally time for the floor to be replaced.

Mark and I hummed and hahed for a while as to WHAT type of floor we wanted and how we were going to do it. Well an opportunity fell upon our laps.

My mom and sister Tracey were going to England for a week and Phil would have nothing to do to keep him busy while mom was away - enter floor replacement!! The timing was PERFECT!!

Mark got everything ready for the new floor. He put everything from the kitchen to the dining room. He ripped up the old floor and took off all the baseboards and whatever else Phil asked him to.

In that dark mess in the corner, you can see a bit of the old 'peel and stick tile'.


Here are some other Pictures of the Before/during phase.




Here is our dining room that has been taken over by the kitchen appliances.


And now for the unveiling of the BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, PRETTY, AMAZING new kitchen/hall floor!!!





A close up of the floor - Amazing isn't it!!


Thank you SOOOOOOOO much to Phil for doing such a great job with the floor AND all the new baseboards!! WE LOVE IT! WE LOVE IT! WE LOVE IT!!!

Tagged Again!

I have been tagged by Nicole and Sharonfor the below - 4 thing about 4 things...

4 FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I used to live in Australia – for about 3 years.

2. I have had a LOT surgery and ‘work’ done on my mouth and teeth.

3. I have been skydiving – it was INCREDIBLE and I have a video to prove it.

4. The sounds of clipping nails sends me over the edge – I can’t stand it! It sends chills down my spine.


4 HABITS I HAVE:

1. I have to rub my feet together to be able to get to sleep. I rub them until the last second before I fall asleep.

2. I guess I could say that I am becoming quickly addicted to the computer and blogging.

3. I am NEVER late for work - ever! In my entire work career, I cannot remember a day that I 'slept in' or 'slept past my alarm'.

4. I never shut the cupboard doors or close drawers after I open them. Drives Mark NUTS!! Apparently my dad did the same thing!

FOUR NEW THINGS I HAVE LEARNED OR EXPERIENCED IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS:

1. Marriage – although not new – it is right. I have been married to Mark for 3 ½ years now and couldn’t imagine a better life.

2. House renovations. It seems just about the time you finish one job, it is time to start the next one. I don’t like living through renovations. Something new that I have experienced and I don’t like it!

3. Loss of control – or a realization that you are not in control of your body. When you want your body to make a baby and it can’t - it is an experience that I don’t wish on any woman.

4. To go with number 1, I have gained a GREAT sister in law (Hi Jenn) cause the first SIL I had was the BIGGEST B&*%H EVER!!!! Glad she is gone. Out with the old and in with the new (and improved). My first set of ‘in-laws’ were so bad that when Mark and I started dating, I said in general conversation, that IF I ever got married again, I was marrying an orphan because I was NOT going to put up and deal with another ‘in-law’ family. Mark’s family quickly won me over and I am lucky to have the ALL in my life.



FOUR THINGS I WANT TO TRY OR DO IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS:

1. Be the best mom EVER! I really hope that I get the opportunity to be a mom by then! I’ve had a most excellent role model so I think I should be o.k.

2. FINALLY finish our basement. It has been in LIMBO for so long now it really deserves a completion…

3. Think about moving to our ‘dream home’. Right now it is just a dream, but in 4 years I hope that is it either a reality or a ‘closer’ dream.

4. I want to try and not let my stomach sink when I find out yet another friend is pregnant...

From here I tag someone who has not been tagged to do this one. I have not really been blogging too much so I don't know who has or hasn't.