Picture Dump

I'm tired, this morning started out early, 4am, just woke up and was unable to fall back asleep, then for some reason had a power outage for a couple of  hours, came back on around 7am.  The house actually looked pretty all lit with candle light while it lasted.  I did notice that I really don't have alot of options for candle lite things to do. I considered wrapping Christmas presents then realised that although it isn't taxing work, gathering all the necessary items to wrap is tricky in the semi-dark (involves heading down into the basement abyss).

We got D. a little guitar for Christmas because he is doing a lot of this, supervised, since the instruments we have aren't intended for his extreme rock star kind of handling. this is him playing Todd's while Todd watches apprehensively close by. I bought his own guitar at toys r us for $30- after pricing out the smallest ones available from a music store cost $130-. Surprisingly toys r us offered some kind of guarantee for breakage to the guitar if it becomes damaged.  We'll see if the stand by it when this happens.  Not if.  Declan subscribes to the school of rock and roll and punk like this:

Here is our other little guitarist in action, singing while Todd plays is really more her thing, but anytime she asks about a note or wants any direction on her guitar I think it's awesome.

Our little kitten is turning into a big kitten, please excuse all the dirt in the sliding door frame, I didn't even know it was there until I looked at this photo.  Honestly the floors are cleaned annually. 

Another cat photo ('cuse I'm a cat weirdo) of the cat helping decorate the house for Christmas.

Claire got her hair cut short and we are donating it.  Here is her newest hairstyle.  She loves it.  The photo was taken last night at her school's Christmas concert.  Which is oddly a very lacklustre event.

The last photo is a very untimely Halloween shot.  Claire was Frankenstein's bride.  We looked on youtube to get insight into cosmetic and hair tips.  It is an awesome place, the internets.

Christmas Gift Ideas

http://img1.etsystatic.com/il_fullxfull.266482957.jpg

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeatherMattoonArt?ref=seller_info

from Heather Matton Art on Etsy.  I actually love this quirky cat art!

Play Groups

We've been attending play groups hosted by http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/oeyc/locations/index.aspx the Ontario government.  I'm always torn about going.  Little D. is strictly home with me and due to our extreme age difference...I'm not really his peer group.  So I think it doesn't hurt to go to group things that he can witness other kids and their antics.  Problem is...I'm not big on going.  I end up following him around playing with him...basically what we do at home together (although I have lots of play breaks interment with mundane things like cleaning and laundry).   I never talk to other mamas, well not any kind of real talk.  I just don't have it in me to talk about teething, cloth vs. plastic diapers and nursing.  It's not like I'm above all that kind of stuff.  But well....D. is my fifth...and frankly I'm just not interested in talking about it a lot.  I mentioned this to my oldest daughter and she told me that I don't have a friendly face (who knew!!).  I'm going to keep going because D. loves the circle time, he spends his time dragging mini chairs to the parameter of the circle...and claps his hands a lot.  I think he might be a musical clapping prodigy.  Anyway.  Guess we'll keep going...and I'm going to work on my friendly face.   A completely unrelated photo...except don't beluga whales have lovely faces?  Half of my Marineland photos are of the belugas, they were extremely engaging, not sure if we need 25 photos of the belugas for our personal photo collections though.

Matthew Mead Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fs08ocTDFk&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1

Really pretty holiday stuff with Matthew Mead...found through blog http://asoftplace.net/ .
Could my house look like that for the holidays, please?

I wish all days were like today!

I am trying to enjoy and soak up days like today..a beautiful warm fall day.  Not letting it feel like the doom of winter is approaching!  It feels so wonderful to be out today.  We went to a play group this morning.  Then came home, had lunch and enjoyed the back yard.  The last of the flowers have bloomed, the giant sunflowers are going to seed (the squirrels and birds haven't discovered them yet).

On Declan's birthday he was thrilled to be able to ride a backhoe (think that's what it was) with a guy that has done the renovations and landscaping at the place where H. works.

Although C.'s birthday isn't till the end of October a couple of weeks ago we went to Marineland with a friend of hers.  They had a blast.  It was a wonderful day.  The weather was great, the girls were nice all day and it was just a lot of fun.

The Craft Area

The Craft Area (yes..it's capatalized...because it's A Very Important Area), doesn't actually exist right now.  It really never has.  In my old house I kept craft stuff in boxes in a designated spot in the basement.  It was always a pain.  I never knew where anything was.  Go figure.  The box system was unsuccessfull.  Really not much of a surprise.  Now in the this house, I still don't have a craft room.  I will eventually.  When my oldest daughter moves out.  That will be the room.  It's an upstairs attic room, with charming sloped walls and white painted floors.  Todd and I had many heated debates about that floor, I really really wanted white floors.  The floor is actually just the subfloor and is a rough grade of pine.  The slats aren't tightly spaced and stuff collects.  Still I won the white floor debate, I told Todd that it was going to be "my" room and that if he didn't want me to decorate the garage he was going to have to give in on white floors.  I'm in no hurry to have my daughter move out.  So it could be quite a while before I have an area.  I embroider.  I want to start quilting.  I have lots of really neat stuff to do tons of other crafty stuff.  But I'm still on the inefficient box system.  I would show you pictures, but I'm too embarrassed.  I've decided I'm going to set up an area in the unfinished part of the basement.  I have a large desk and there is shelving available.  Posting this will (hopefully) help motivate me to start working on this.  Pinterest and a million blogs have such inspiring rooms to drool over!  Here are a few I've been collecting for inspiration.  I am under no delusions that my own area will look half as pretty as any of them.  I'm setting up in an unfinished basement.  However, there isn't any reason not to try!

Time Moves at Warp Speed

How does that happen?  It's the end of June when last I posted and now it's edging into fall.  I meant to...I thought about it...I wanted to...but summer got the best of me.   I feel like this is one of those the dog ate my homework moments.  I'm going to stop apologising because really...it was a busy summer.  We had a lot of fun...and did a million things and I'm going to do a mini photo journal of what we did this summer.  So I can remember at least some of those wonderful moments!
On the animal front... The cat that I rescued from the busy road?  Has gone back to live with my son and his girlfriend.  I'm happy to say that she is adjusting quite well,  and the quiet pace of their home has allowed the cat to relax and become pretty social. So after  a lot of turns and twist in that cat's life, all is good, on a side note the cat went to the vet to get spade...and low and behold...the operation had already been done...!
We have expanded our animal family with a new cat of our own.  We couldn't have gotten a more loving little guy than Sam. Kittens are hilarious...we haven't had such a little one in so long I had forgotten just how crazy and energetic they are.  The mile high jumps and dashes throughout the house...well...he is very entertaining. 

This is the first day we got Sam (we got him from kijiji).  Kind of a weird thing...when browsing through the ads there was one warning of a person that was trying to get kittens for consumption purposes.  I didn't know if it was some kind of bad joke...horrible...I sure hope it was a joke. 

Here is Sam on the cat shelves.  We put these shelves up a couple of years ago for our older cat, Louise, but she never really liked sitting on them.  The new guy can watch the animal wild life (squirrels, birds) from this prime location without being bothered by the kids.  He doesn't seem to mind all the mauling he gets though.
I went to several plays this summer in Stratford too.  Some with Claire, most on my own.  I saw Camelot, Jesus Christ Superstar, Twelfth Night and  The Homecoming.  Do you know the book, The Book of Awesome, well one of the things considered "awesome" is that moment just before a play starts, the anticipation and excitement and how great it feels (sorry can't remember the exact words)...but that's exactly how I feel about seeing a play...they just take you somewhere else...and hopefully if well executed to somewhere worth going! My Mom has always loved the theatre and I can thank her not only for getting me the tickets to all those amazing plays but for watching the little guys while I actually went! Apparently Stratford's production of Jesus Christ Superstar  was so well received it's going to Broadway this year, after it's run in Stratford.  Another cool Stratford outing that Claire and I did was to go to a behind the scene tour of the festival (their main theatre) no pictures aloud there though and then we went to another tour at the theatre's prop and wardrobe location.  Very cool furniture and amazing amazing costumes.

The flower pictures were taken in front of the main Festival Theatre.  They have beautiful gardens there.  Have to stop here...this is part one of summer holidays...the natives are restless!

Teeth and other stuff

The littlest guy is teeth obsessed, he wants to continuously all-day-long brush his teeth, which really means he wants to stick his tooth brush under running water and suck on the wet brush.  So there is lots of time spent in the bathroom right now. 

Notice the two ikea step stools stacked, even then he barely reaches, which is good, since he is getting quite adapt at turning the taps on if he is on a higher stool or chair. 

In other news, on Father's Day, which began  initially as a really nice low-key day turned, Todd was taking Claire to a walk-in clinic because we decided that the pain she had in her ear was legit (sometimes she exaggerates) and backing out of the driveway he ran in Oldest Son's jeep.  Fortunately the jeep wasn't injured, the car hit the monster tire, but our little car was.  The back light, panel and bumper were damaged.  Big Drag.  Car is currently in shop getting beautified.  It's amazing how weird it feels not to have wheels.  I'm a homebody, but I always have the option of taking off somewhere.  I'm seriously thinking that a walk down to Giant Tiger to pick up milk(there isn't many interesting places in our neck of the woods to walk to) just to get out.

Tomorrow is Claire's last day of second grade, and then she'll be off for the summer!  Looking forward to lots of fun with her.  We have the summer list (like lots of families!) stuck on the fridge waiting to be checked off.  On Thursday Claire and I will be going to Stratford to see Camelot (while my mom watches
Declan).  Will continue to look for the Bieb while there. 

Also on the weekend we attended this, http://www.wienerfest.ca/ which is a "festival for dachshunds", with my Second Oldest Son and his girlfriend.  The kids enjoyed it.  People are really into their dachshunds there.  Really into them.  I have to say, that I do have a new appreciation for their breed.  I generally am drawn to big dogs.  The little dachshunds we witnessed even in very large groups are a peaceable bunch!  Very little snarly interaction at all. 

My Oldest Son has been staying with us until he moves into his very own first home.  Today is his closing.  I can't believe my baby (he is a 6 foot giant baby) but my baby none the less has bought a home.  Can't wait for the tour tonight (I saw it when it was up for consideration a couple of months ago). 

Lots going on.