Monday!

That was a busy weekend!

Friday was my big sister's 30th Birthday party, and I made

 

this for her. :)

It was lemon cake with marzipan & butter cream icing, and it was awesome. So awesome. 

I was quite happy with how it turned out! But it took forever to decorate. Almost all afternoon. And you should have seen the mess! I wish I had taken a picture of it.... it was a disaster in my kitchen!

Rachel's party was super fun, it was a wine-tasting party, and everything was fantastic! Especially the jalapeno poppers. Mmmmm.

Then, Saturday, I had the morning to myself to clean the house and exercise. At noon, I had to rush over to the bush to bring Ty and his Dad some lunch, then I had to rush back to make sure the door was open for my sister-in-law Lesley and Ty's cousin Nicole! They were using my house as an impromptu salon so Lesley could do Nicole's hair, nails & makeup for her grade 12 prom.

Isn't she pretty?

They weren't done until 4:15 (you can't rush these things, after all... it's hard work getting all beautified) and so by the time we had the house to ourselves, it was time to make supper! Oy!

So that was Saturday.

Sunday, we went to church in the morning, and after church we went to see Ty's brother & sister-in-law, because we haven't seen baby Brianna since she was 6 days old! She's 6 weeks old, now. So far too long.

I hugged and kissed and snuggled and rocked and loved loved loved her up, while Ty went to help Wayne & his Dad down at the bush.  We were there much longer than I had anticipated, so by the time we left we were starved! Michelle had offered us lunch, but I declined because we did have lunch waiting for us at home. So at 3:00, when we finally got home, we were pretty hungry!
 

And that was my weekend. How was yours?

This just in...

.. My son took his first steps today, at 5:57 PM. 

That is all.

Goodbye.

I have 6 points already.

You heard me.

Or, read what I wrote.

That's right, I have SIX points, before anyone else has any points at all. Two of those points are bonus points because I was the FIRST overnight guest at Creekside this year! Boo yah!

The next overnight guest only gets one point, and the next one gets MINUS 2 points. So ya'll better bring your A game!!

(Adeena, I have a sunburn. And I don't know how that possibly could have happened, because we spent all day in the shade... except for walking to the house and back. I must burn very, very quickly.)

(Oh, but, it doesn't matter that I have a sunburn. I had a BLAST. And I will come back, sooner than later. :D )

Too True Tuesday

I know all of you are dying for another of my "Is it true?" Tuesday stories, but I'm not going to do those anymore. 

Why? Because I hate guessing games! I don't like to guess whether something is true or not, so why would I put you through that? Besides, it's not like it's really hard to figure out if it's true or not. I'm not all that good at making up stories about myself.

I'm just going to tell it like it is, straight up, truth and nothing but the truth.

Henceforth, Tuesdays around "Not About Me" will be known as Too True Tuesday(s).

----------------------------

I'm sure everyone has them, those experiences from their childhoods that have left scars on their psyche, twisted ugly shiny white scars that they don't want anyone to see. Well, at least I hope I'm not the only one. 

Ever been to Summer camp? I went once, I think I was about 10 years old at the time. It was Forest Cliff Camp, a Christian camp that all the young peoples from our church loved to go to. I only went once, and once was enough. 

My sister Linda and I went for the week, and I remember I signed up for a bunch of activities months before we actually went. I wanted to go horseback riding, I wanted to go hiking, canoeing, and I wanted to try archery. Yet somehow, the only thing I ended up doing that I wanted to do was canoeing.  I think they tried to keep girls out of the more "tough" and "manly" things, and I got stuck in the bracelet weaving and other "girl bonding" things that were dumb and I hated. 

I was (and still am) a bit socially awkward, and it wasn't because I was home-schooled, I was just oblivious to the fact that certain habits of mine were "uncouth". Such as wanting to hang out with my little sister, who was in a different cabin than I was. The other girls who shared my cabin thought I was a "loser" because I actually liked my sibling, and didn't tell her to get lost when she'd come and knock on our door.

Now, I did make a couple mistakes.. like changing clothes in front of the window. I was just barely starting to develop, and I was not shy at all about it yet, but the other girls were horrified that I changed my top in front of the window -that had curtains, and was only about 5 inches wide- instead of hiding at the back of the cabin.  Their horrified gasps were humiliating, and the thought of them laughing at me still stung years later.

Only one of the girls was really nice, she was truly kind to me when everyone else was either indifferent or cruel. For the life of me, I can't remember her name! She gave me her address at the end of the week, and I promised to write her, but I LOST it and since then I've wondered what happened to her, how her life is now... I'm sorry, girl whose name I can't remember! I just want to thank you for being nice to me! 

Oh, oh, then, there was the big dumb lovestruck ugly doofus that wouldn't leave me alone! I guess he thought I was cute or something, because this 13 year old kid kept following me around for the whole week, him and his tiny little gnome of a friend (no wonder I hate gnomes). They would cat call me, and whistle, and tell me I was hot, which was mortifying because I wasn't even interested in boys yet and it was truly, truly shocking to me! The second to last day we were there, I was walking to the bathroom and they followed me, the big dumdumb saying he wanted to kiss me, and I gave him the finger. It was the first time in my life I ever gave anyone the finger (I didn't even know what it meant, I just knew it was bad!).  I told him if he kissed me I'd kick him in the crotch. He laughed at me, but he left me alone! I was fed up and I think he knew it.

The last embarrassing thing I remember was being kissed goodnight by the camp counselor. She was nice and all, and she was just trying to make me feel at home, but I was TEN. My own Mom didn't tuck me into bed and kiss me goodnight when I was TEN! Stupid lady.

Well, that was my experience with Summer camp. It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good. I definitely never asked to go back.

That's it for this week's edition of Too True Tuesday! 

~Sarah

"Yellow" Photo Challenge!

This week's challenge at i heart faces is the colour YELLOW!

"We have done other color themes in the past. This week's theme is going to be bright and cheerful! Your photo entry should have a human face in it and the color yellow."

For this challenge, I'm entering an old photo I took of my son Ducky when he was 3 months old. 

It was a very mild November, there was no snow or rain, and hardly any wind so all of the leaves were still crisp and crinkly! 

I piled a bunch of them together and put Ducky down on top, and the sound made him giggle! It was one of the very first times he laughed. It was so amazing to be able to capture that moment! :)

Go to i heart faces to see more bright and cheerful pictures!

Gratuitous Eyelash Photo

 

 Just because. 

It's Sunday Morning, and I'm lazy.

The kids are watching "Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Squeakwel" and I want to run away far far away but I can't... I have to be the "responsible" "adult". 

So I am hiding in the kitchen until it is over.

And I'm not getting out of my pajamas.

And I just may make pizza dough.... maybe.

Happy Sunday, Everyone! Isn't it some dead Queen's birthday? Or is she still alive? I don't even know. :P

~Sarah

The Second Day!

Friday was also a beautiful day, so we spent a lot of time outdoors! Most of the morning, and a lot of the afternoon. We stayed in around lunchtime because it was just too hot.

Beautiful Emma

Sisters!

Beautiful Ava

Guess what I went and bought in town on Thursday.

Sidewalk chalk!

The kids had fun drawing and colouring in what I drew for them.

And D-man had fun....

Taste testing.

Sidewalk chalk is non-toxic... at least that's what the container says.

I love Ava's eyes. They are so gorgeous!

It really is non-toxic... really!

Even Quin had fun colouring... he drew a rainbow.

With a pot of gold....

And a little leprechaun.

Friday was a super fun day! Today is a little more boring for the kids, because they're stuck inside. Darn rain! But I see the sun starting to peek out of the clouds, so maybe after lunch they'll be able to go out and play!

~Sarah

The First Day

Heather dropped off her kids Thursday at lunchtime, and after a quick lunch of peanut butter & jam rice cakes, we went outside to play. Because it was gorgeous!

Emma took the job of watching Ducky, in between doing cartwheels all over the place.

The big boys wrestled and played hockey, and were getting a little bored until I found them a ball to play soccer with.

Emma and I played "tag" with the camera... she had to run around and try to escape from being "shot", and she eventually got tired so I got this good pic. :)

The boys playing soccer....

Ducky was fascinated!

It kept them busy for a while, they were waiting for Uncle Tyler to get home so he could play with them! Uncle Tyler is MUCH more fun than Auntie Sarah.

I LOVE this picture of Emma. She is the definition of doe-eyes. Just look how beautiful her eyes are!

Those were all pics from Thursday, because Ducky is napping right now I'm going to post some pictures from Friday, too, a little later on. :)

Okay...

... so I didn't post pictures today.

I know.

I have just sat down after getting half of the children bathed, clothed, and in bed, the other half showered, their clothes in the wash because they were disgustingly grodey, and now I am going to grab a Growers and the mint chip ice cream my dear husband brought home for me and I am going to park myself in front of the TV and watch hockey, because honestly I do not care anymore. I still have a baby to nurse, and he's probably going to get pinchy. Just because.

To all the parents who currently have more than one child: I salute you. For just surviving. And if you manage to blog, with pictures, while caring for more than one child, I freakin' sing an anthem for you. 

Goodnight, everybody.

It's Thursday!

At approximately 12:00 noon today, a van-load o' kids were dropped off at my house. They're going to be here until Sunday afternoon. 

We've been playing all day!

In the hot, hot sun!

Well, not all day in the hot hot sun, we did spend some time indoors and in the shade. It would be silly to spend ALL day in the hot hot sun... a silliness that I have partaken in, in my past, which resulted in very serious cases of sun stroke. Sun stroke is not fun, people... I don't recommend it. Take a siesta in the shade, instead. Much better for your brain and stomach, plus, you get to nap! Win win.

Anyways, I have NO energy left to do a good blog post today. 

Especially since I still have supper dishes left to do... and I'm not used to doing dishes for more than 3 people anymore. I know, it's pathetic. Especially since I used to do dishes routinely for at least 10 people! Well not every time. Mom did them most of the time, I'm saying I helped. 

And now an Emma is standing beside me looking for something to do, since her big brothers and Stinky Uncle are commandeering the T.V. Those boys and their hockey games.

Tomorrow I should be able to post something in the morning... hopefully. Something with pictures.

~Sarah

Little Foot

His feet are little in comparison to mine, but when I tried to fit a size 4 sandal on his foot today, it laughed at me. Figuratively speaking. Just my luck, there were no size fives. Durnit!

I just love his feet. I love to kiss them, and tickle them, and I love how he's learning to balance on them... he's getting so brave, one of these days I just know he's going to take a step without holding onto something. 

One thing he's using his feet for, that I've been discouraging, is kicking Mommy while I change his diaper. He really doesn't like his diaper being changed, and he's realized that he can kick my hands away and prolong the torturous event.  

Anyway, that's really all I have to say today. I love my baby boy's feet.

I just sat down after a long, busy day, and I'm not even really done because I'm in the middle of making supper. So, seeyalater!

~Sarah

"Is it True?" Tuesday

Every one in a while, because this is a new blog and when you start a new blog you should try to incorporate a few new features, I will be sharing "Is it True?" stories about myself. They will almost undoubtedly be extremely embarrassing, almost true or entirely true tales. It's up to you to decide whether I'm telling the truth, or making it up. 

When I was about eleven years old, I got invited to a birthday party. Or maybe it was just a sleepover, I don't know. It was a gathering of girls at my friend's house, that I know for sure.

I'm almost entirely certain it was a birthday party, because I brought a present.

At any rate, I was young, it was a night over, and there was cake. It must have been a Birthday.

Around suppertime, I started to feel sick. Because I was a tough kid, I just kept it to myself, and continued to take part in the festivities. 

Just before bed, a visit to the bathroom revealed why my stomach was in knots.  I was surprised and horrified, because I did not expect it to happen, so I did not have anything with me! 

So I balled up a bunch of toilet paper and stuck it in my panties, and went to bed. 

I can't remember how many times I went to the bathroom that night, I think it was about twenty. Each time, I flushed the toilet.  At last, I was able to fall asleep, hoping against hope that none of the other girls noticed anything.

In the morning, the toilets were backed up, and the sinks were overflowing. APPARENTLY, some people have very small septic tanks, and they can't handle an excess of toilet flushes.

My friend's Mom was very perturbed, but she had NO idea what had happened. Nobody had any clue that it was ME! I was the one who had overburdened their system!

I was horrified, but determined to keep my mouth shut. Especially because it had rained throughout the night, and everyone was convinced that was what has caused the problem. Perhaps it was.

I went home, mortified... and never breathed a word of it to anyone.

SO!

True, or Not True? 

~Sarah

"Faces & Flowers" Photo Challenge

I'm not much of a gardener. I have two black thumbs, and my Mom can attest to the fact that I will do almost anything to get out of weeding. That being said, I love flowers. There are a few perennial flower patches on our property, thanks to the dear lady who lived here before we did! I'm glad she had a green thumb, because I get to enjoy the fruits of her labour. 

Unfortunately for me, the daffodils are gone and the fire lilies aren't blooming yet. So for this week's i heart faces challenge, the only flowers handy were dandelions! 

I actually like dandelions. They add such bright pops of colour to yards! I know some people hate them, but I think they're nice.

This photo is of my nine month old, getting his first taste (literally) of dandelions. I think he liked the blossom, the stem not so much. ;)

Go to i heart faces to see more flowers & faces!

9 months old!

My little man is 9 months old today!

 

Isn't that the cutest thing ever? He's giving you a thumbs up! "Ehhhhh!" 

 

 

Look how well he's standing. He does that all by himself, he'll be crawling along and then out of the blue he'll stand up for no reason, and throw his hands in the air with a big smile on his face! He's such a show-off. :)

 

 

 

I LOVE this pic. He was laughing at me, playing peek-a-boo with him on the hay wagon. 

 

 Of course I can't have a blog post without the obligatory ridiculous eyelashes shot.

 

D-man, you are 9 months old. You are in such a hurry to be big, please slow it down just a little? For Mommy's sake? If you grow up too fast, I won't get to enjoy it as much. One day I'll blink and you'll be 10 years old! (shout-out to my nephew Quin, who is ten today! Happy Birthday!)

Bottom line is, you are awesome. We love you so much.

Until Tomorrow, 

~Sarah

Boys!!

Wrestling matches....

With no clear cut winner...

Hockey tournaments...

With only one lonely goalie (who did AWESOME!).

Actually, that's not entirely true... I was the other goalie for a little bit. I didn't have any equipment, and my goal was an upturned wheelbarrow, but still. And any and all goals that did manage to slip by me were totally my teammates' faults. Defense, boys, DEFENSE!

And the Referee! He did good, except he could have called a LOT more penalties on Uncle Tyler. That guy is a goon!

I don't have any more pictures to post, unfortunately, because I was busy having fun with the boys, not taking pictures of them!

Next time I'll have to try to take more pics. Hopefully Deklan will be in a better mood and let me put him down for two minutes! :P