Pied Piper Jenny...

Speedy and Cookie nibbling the grass...

however, if Jenny moves...


they follow!

Art Gallery

My niece, Katie, is going to be a famous artist one day.

She is already well on her way; taking a specialized art program at a distinguised school.

I attended her first art gallery showing last weekend on Father's Day. It was superb! I especially enjoyed the exotic hanging display of bead accent French (literally-she went to France in March) forks. Of course, my favorite was the silk screen wall hanging. Then again, I was impressed with the pottery aspect of this program. Back off girls...my order is already in (after she makes her first set of dishes for herself, of course!)

The visit to the art show was in between painting and redecorating our master bedroom for Henry (okay...me) for Father's Day.

This is the only work I made Henry (and his brother, Rob) do on Daddy's Day...he likes to put holes in the walls himself (I don't know why he doesn't trust me?)

The rest of the day he spent on my lounger outside with the rest of us doing the beer runs for him. (makes him sound like a lush...I know ~ that is the beauty of doing this blog, he has NO control over it)

I think he was impressed...anything must beat the purple we lived with for the last decade! He thought Ty Pennington and the Extreme Makeover Home Edition team had dropped by for a weekend project! Good thing he didn't see the bus round the corner of the block as he returned home!

Here is the finished product.

He finally has a masculine boudoir...not that that makes sense, but well, you know what I mean!

As you have probably noticed (I'm surprised y'all haven't chewed me out in the comment section), I am having a hard time with my new routine of working all day, coming home for five minutes and then going back out to work for free (i.e. work placement - 105 hours for my library diploma). I am coming home late in the evening and going straight to bed.

However, the routine is starting to mesh, and I will endeavor to move the blog up on my daily 'to do' list.

Hint, hint...comments might motivate me to post more frequently!

Birthday girl!

Here I am 37 years ago...

Happy Birthday to me!

Thanks to y'all for all the treats sent my way (chocolate, cake, DQ etc.)!

It is the simple things that are the most appreciated!

(I can rationalize my treats now that I have my treadmill)

Fifteen Years ago...

This guy...



and this girl....


were wed!

Chiefs (not ice hockey)

Michael's friend, Drake, put together a team for the ball tournament held at our arena last weekend. All ages from 8 - 15 played games against their own age groups.

Four games were played at a time on the concrete arena floor. All was fine until lunchtime. With the humidity, the floor decided, it too, had to sweat!

The kids were sliding all over the place...not great when Michael's team played against the older 15 year old division (there weren't enough teams for their age group). There is a big difference in size with some of these boys!!!

Michael held his own though.

Here are the 'Chiefs' after a hard-won game...

They made it to the finals to go up against the 15 year-olds again (whom they beat earlier).

With so much sliding, I was just glad they ended the game without any broken bones. (unfortunately, they lost).

A great hot, sweaty, friendly, competitive day for these boys.

Henry also spent the day sweating his ...well, you know. He helped a neighbor reshingle his roof. I'm sure this neighbor was very grateful to have Henry helping, as he does not like heights!

Here they are lounging around...

Me...I did the usual...drive everyone around...keep everyone up-to-date with scores and such...feed everyone...do laundry...plan for company that evening. Just another day for me.

We ended the day with friends from Kitchener coming for dinner and a visit. Brett thoroughly enjoyed the campfire and subsequent marshmallow eating...

light on the horizon...

For our Canadian Long Weekend, we go exploring Michigan.

This time, we decided to visit an area we had not been to before.

Tawas State Park is located on a sandy peninsula with Lake Huron on one side and Saginaw Bay on the other.

Our campsite backed on to Saginaw Bay. Therefore, we anticipated wind. What we got was WIND! However, the dismal weather forecast of rain held off for the most part. Rain fell Saturday night.

The best part about this park...is the lighthouse!

You know me...I love lighthouses!

We lucked out while walking the trail to go see the lighthouse; it happened to not only be open for viewing, but we were able to sign up for a tour! I was in heaven.

Up eighty-odd metal circular stairs to the lantern at the top of the light. Nut that I am, I videotaped our 'host' that informed us of the story of the lighthouse and light that came from France.

Henry barely managed to maneuver the space to take a picture of Colin, Sue and I in the very tiny place at the peak of the light.

Even though he went on the tour for me, Henry ended up enjoying the tour almost as much as I did!

Henry, being the devoted husband he is, bought me a replica lighthouse for our lighthouse bathroom from the little gift shop.

Sunsets were fabulous...I enjoyed my drink in the trailer out of the wind.

I know that this post is all about what I enjoyed and what I did all weekend...but, yes, Michael, Jenny, Ben and Andrew WERE there! They spent most of the weekend playing lacrosse, playing at the playgrounds, combing the beaches, digging craters in the sand, and watching movies when the wind threatened to lift them off the ground and cart them off down the yellow brick road to OZ.

The 'hole'...

"Mom, do we have a blanket we can use outside?"

"For what exactly?"

"Just outside, to play with."

"No."

The outcome of this conversation...Here is the homemade lacrosse net: two picnic tables and Jenny's Scooby Doo bed sheet!

Jenny and Ben...

Michael ...

Andrew...

Sue and I went into town shopping for groceries and had a hard time not spending more money on alcohol than food! I was SOOO tempted to get the Bailey's Mint Chocolate, but I decided to spend the $22 dollars on steak for dinner to feed my family instead! This was a very hard decision for me! I opted to try the new International toffee caramel creamer. I am still regretting that decision, especially since my brother Colin and Henry spent most of Saturday on a bike ride together (i.e. scoping out the bars in town and watching hockey on t.v.) While the boys were MIA, we were beachcombing...

Even our dog knows a good view when she sees one!

At least one T.V. cable station knows how to make me happy! CBS has helped redeem my faith in T.V. season finale results.

I am very happy that my favorite team won on my favorite show, the Amazing Race.

Yeeesss...that is why the blog has not been updated. It is season finale time you know! (not that you aren't a priority in my life, but well, no comments...no incentive for me to be quick at it, you know???? Get with the program people and let me hear your so-called voices!

After racing across five continents, through nine countries, and for more than 59,000 miles, The Amazing Race 9's final three teams ended up right back where they had started, where hippies BJ Averell and Tyler Macniven were able to outwit, outplay, and outlast (sorry, wrong show) "frat boys" Eric Sanchez and Jeremy Ryan and long-distance daters Yolanda Brown-Moore and Ray Whitty to cross the finish line first and win the show's $1,000,000 grand prize.

What can I say? I have already been up for a 2-mile run, I have done the blog, I am off to work early for a staff meeting, and I will have showered and be at the Timmy's in twenty minutes.

For those of you that know me (I am not a morning person), this is "Amazing" in itself!!!

shower time...

On Saturday we all got together to celebrate Katie's upcoming marriage. The Roefs' girls threw a bridal shower for the first niece to be getting hitched.

Showers are all sweetness and light socializing until it comes time for games. It's funny how everyone grumbles and complains about these silly games, but once started...lookout!

I, too, readily admit that I am one of 'those' people. After all, why not give it your all to win that beautifully wrapped prize of toilet paper at the end?

The claws come out of even the nicest people when playing any type of game. Women will find a way to reinvent (i.e. cheat) the game in order to win. After a few alternate 'ways' were shown during one game (Colleen), I knew I had to step up my game. Michael may have been playing hockey that day, but that was nothing to the tournament I was in. Bring it on!

Ah ha. The unscramble a word game. I had it made. After all, I am an English major. Never mind that my sisters-in-law are pharmacists, nurses, mathematicians, hair stylists, and figure skating coaches. Nope. I had this one in the bag. Or so I thought...

Can you believe that there was a three-way tie? And I was not one of the winners????? I hang my head in shame. Well, not quite...I was only one word away from being in the winning circle. I conceed that the bride-to-be, who is up to her eyeballs in wedding plans, quickly picked out all the wedding words and descrambled them faster than I did.

On to the next event. Ladies were leaning forward in their chairs now. Not one person said, "Oh, I don't want to play this game." Noooo...our ears and eyes were wide open to the instructions (notice I did not say rules?) of the next game.

Rolling of the dice...doubles...grab a wrapped prize...once prizes are taken...steal from each other.

GLOVES ARE OFF! GILLIAN NEEDS TO REDEEM HERSELF...

No mercy is given to anyone...there are three prizes in all (roll of toilet paper, pez, and a lovely vase).

Lovely, is it not?

deflated!

How is it that T.V. shows create a sense of 'control', when in fact, the audience has absolutely none.

I am absolutely heartbroken that American Idol rocker Chris Daughtry was voted off last night. (If this is news to you, then I don't feel sorry for you...you should have watched it by now if you are really a fan)

How the hell can the American public be so stupid...no don't answer that.
They just voted off their best person to be their next American Idol.

I am so pissed that I don't feel like watching it anymore. If I didn't like Taylor Hicks so much as the next contender, I would follow through with my feelings.

A damn shame...this guy will hopefully get an even better music deal for NOT winning Idol.

You rock Chris! (After all, when you see someone in your home twice a week ~ this is more than I see some family members ~ you feel like you know them and can control their destiny by simply watching, dancing, yelling, and clapping)

This guy will be on the radio soon, you mark my words!

adult games

Last weekend, Michael was playing hockey in a tournament in Sarnia. We met new hockey parents and quickly proceeded to party at their home after our last game on Sunday.

The children played football, tore down a treehouse and burned it, put cans of beans in the fire and waited for them to explode, and pretty well had fun doing what they do best...being kids.

You may wonder where the heck the adults were?

Well, it seems that my husband does not take a dare lightly. We were all in the huge garage playing games of our own. Now, now...this is a family blog (more or less)

Here is Henry in net with our 'Superman' host determined to score on him...

Coach Matt tried to get me to reveal Henry's weak spot before shooting...

Us adults had a great time! It's fun being a kid again! (Even more so after a few drinks)

live, love, laugh...

Tackle football...brother/sister style!

'Remembering Mother's' luncheon

There are a group of women that I get together with every year on the Saturday before Mother's Day.

Our group is special in the fact that we are all daughters of deceased mothers. We get together to remember our mother's so that Mother's Day is a little more emotionally focused.

This year, we gathered at Cathy's. Her home is out in the country and comes complete with peacocks (including an unusual white one!)

Here is the group of us, minus the few that were unable to make it this year...

What is a group of women getting together for an afternoon of bonding without fabulous food???

Scrapbooking photos of our Mothers' was on the agenda for this year.

Here we are gluing, cutting, and reminiscing about our wonderful mothers...

Of course, everyone else's page looked professionallydone. Mine...well, I had more glue on my fingers than the photos (my mother's creative genes skipped a generation). And, of course, I was too scared to cut or trim my photos (in this...I take after my mother!)

Katie, my niece, takes after my mother (her Nana) and is very artistic...hence, her photography and her scrapbooking page looks fabulous...

It is always a beautiful day that we share. It let's us all relax and enjoy Mother's Day just that little bit more, instead of being sad that our Mother's aren't with us any more.

My mother would have loved this group of women...I'm glad in a roundabout way that she is one of them.

My Mom (and Dad) with Michael...

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Olive and Popeye...

Henry and I are thinking of turning our guestroom into a workout room. The over 40 middle-age spread is creeping up on us (okay...me) and we want to nip it in the bud so to speak.

Advertising is a powerful tool, and why shouldn't we believe that we will both look like this if we purchase the product?



Yaba Daba DOOOO!












We'll just add one of these to our list to start with....(Henry's telling me to get my runner's on and enjoy the outdoors!) Oh well, someday maybe we can have an ultimate workout room in our basement (AND outside, Henry).

Blast from the past...

Someone who knew me well, sent me this...this is truly amazing!

I'll have to hunt down some pictures that confirms much of the following.

If you were a little girl in the 70's...

1. You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscopethat actually worked. YEP
2. You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plasticbasket with flowers on it. YEP
3. You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that hadmetal wheels. YEP
4. You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!) OH BOY...YEP
5. You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island or BattleStarGalactica. YEP
6. You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days. YEAH! YEP, I DID!
7. You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "DorothyHamill" because your Mom was sick of braiding your hair. People sometimesthought you were a boy. YEP
8. Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession. DON'T THINK I HAD A HOLLY HOBBY sleeping bag...but I DO REMEMBER HER
9. You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers. I HAVE A PICTURE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE...WEARING A MAUVE/WHITE PONCHO THAT MY MOM MADE ME!
10. You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon. YEP
11. You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satinyshredded outfits. I ADMIT THAT I DID NOT HAVE THESE!
12. You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with thetrapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. NOPE...DAD MADE STUFF THAT LASTED FOREVER (I DID HAVE TO HAVE A SWING, THOUGH)
13. You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. Oh yeah.. FOR SURE!!!
14. You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole &the buckle). RED SANDALS, BUT YEP!
15. You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that LittleHouse on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in atleast one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson! OH BOY...YEP
16. You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink. FIRST KISS WAS IN A SWIMMING POOL, BUT MY BROTHER AND SISTER-IN-LAW MET AT THE ROLLER RINK!!! (THIS IS A STORY I TELL MY FAMILY EVERY TIME WE DRIVE BY THE BUILDING)
17. Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and youkept it "pretty" with the comb you kept in your back pocket. FARAH FAWCETT, LOOK OUT. I HAD A COMB IN EVERY COLOR!
18. You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, BlueberryMuffin and Huckleberry Pie. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE IS MAKING A COMEBACK (NOT COMB-BACK)
19. You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, notplastic. With the thermos inside! YEP (SWEDISH CHEF IS MY FAVORITE)
20. You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzardwas your boyfriend. NAW...LIKED THE BLONDE ONE.
21. Every now and then "It's a Hard Knock Life" from the movie, "Annie"will pop into your brain and you can't stop singing it the whole day. HATED THAT MOVIE/SONG
22. YOU had Star Wars action figures, too! YEP
23. It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz"would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags! NIGHTMARES ABOUT THE MONKEYS.
24. You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry.Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or Rick Springfield?" NOPE...ALREADY KNEW THAT SHAUN WOULD MARRY ME, AFTERALL, I DID MAIL HIM MY SCHOOL PHOTO!
25. You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Famesoundtrack record album. DID I EVER...
26. You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stickGod's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom.Pot holders - I believethey were called loom loopers. OH MY GOD...
27. You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts! BUSTED!
28. You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portabletape player up to the speaker. STILL HAVE SOME OF THOSE TAPES!
29. You couldn't wait to get the free animal poster that came when youordered books from the Weekly Reader book club. Double score if it was ateddy bear dressedin clothing. YEP
30. You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from JudyBlume books (Are you there God, It's me,Margaret.) FOR SURE!
31. You actually thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" wasabout aerobics. HENCE, MY BECOMING AN AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR! HELLO????
32. You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaceswith heart or rainbow designs. YES TO ALL OF THESE. I MUST HAVE MADE A GAZILLION FRIENDSHIP PINS!
33. You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. OH YEAH! (CAME REAL CLOSE)
34. You had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side, and a Sit-n-Spin. NO, BUT MY FRIENDS DID! LOVED THAT BIG WHEEL!
35. You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat. TIGER BEAT, TIGER BEAT. I AM SO PROUD THAT JENNY IS FOLLOWING IN MY FOOTSTEPS.
36. You spent all your allowance on smurfs and stickers for your stickeralbum! GOD HELP ME...I DID!

Let me just add that watching the 'Dynasty' reunion last night set me right back.
I truly miss Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys (there's Shawn Cassidy again...of course, Parker Stevenson wasn't so bad either!
Again, Jenny is living my life all over, as she is hooked on Nancy Drew books. (Those of you that garage sale...you know what to do for me now)

Employee of the month...

This is the conversation that took place last night (8:50 p.m.) at the McDonald's drive-thru when pulling up to the FIRST window to pay for our order...

Employee: "How's life?"

Me: "Great. How about you?"

Employee: "It could always be better."

[Gave him the money for Michael's bedtime snack...]

Employee (just before taking the next person's order, mutters quite clearly): "Why can't people just eat at home?"

Michael and I looked at each other in amazement and just roared!

We laughed all the way home...

I'm lovin' it!

100th Post!

The 100th post to this blog should be something special...and it is.

We went camping on the weekend to the Pinery and Michael and Jenny went in Lake Huron up to their knees! Michael commented that the water was as cold as Lake Louise (fed by a glacier - go figure).

The weather was just spectacular for camping (especially for April).

We biked, walked, and biked some more. Yes, I used my new bike and was quite taken with it. Henry breathed a sigh of relief that I did not go near his bike the whole weekend!

Colin and Sue's dog, Leo kept trying to dig his way into the guinea pigs outdoor condo (yes, Henry loves them almost as much as the dog!). Bailey did not appreciate him trying to eat her 'babies'.

What the dogs did appreciate was feeding time at the 'zoo'...

Henry loving his new bike...


At the lake...

Me and my bro...

Bailey and Leo swimming around...

Our campsites...

It felt as if we were camping in July (and we enjoyed every minute of it)