Peeping Friday

Well the day is fast approaching...
What day you ask? Moving day of course. House is piled high with boxes.




Fridge is getting more bare by the minute. I have a large assortment of items for the Canadian Diabetes Association They take small household items like dishes, linens and knick knacks and sell them to a local thrift store for money for their cause. Also have junk guys showing up any minute to take away all the stuff that can't be reused.

Moving is definitely a way to clean house...LOL
And I am saying that in the new house everything will have a home. Sure hope I can stay true to my plan.

Even our inquistive kitty is helping by packing herself...LOL


However I cannot say the same for our little ray of sunshine.
She is getting tired of the process. Always asking "how many more days?"
Her treasures are disappearing daily. Her playdates are dwindling as I don't want kids over and her precious trampoline is being dismantled by the end of the weekend.
Moving is NO FUN in her opinion!


I am sure the smile will return once the day is over and she starts feeling at home in the new place.
5 days left....but who's counting? ;-)

A to Z meme

I saw this on another blog and just couldn't resist.....

A = Age: 40

B = Birthday: August 1st

C = Career: Wife, mother, reflexologist and front desk service at drycleaner

D = Dad’s Name: Donald Raymond

E = Essential Item to Bring to a Party: Dessert...anything sinful!!

F = Favorite Songs at the Moment: Rhianna (SOS and Unfaithful) or

G = Goof-Off Thing to Do: Watch movies, read...just veg out

H = Hometown: Raymond, Alberta

I = Instrument You Play: Nothing...always wanted to play the piano or guitar...just never had the time or money

J = Jam or Jelly You Like: Peach jam

K = Kids: 3...one walks with me and two walk with God

L = Living Arrangements: Moving from a 2 storey to a bungalow backsplit with my hubby, dd and zoo of animals

M = Mom’s Name: Dorothy Ann

N = Name’s of Good Friends: Cindy, Peggy and Nadine...plus some online buddies who touch my heart

O = Overnight Hospital Stays: When I was born and for the birth of my children

P = Pets: Siberian Huskey= Scout, 2 cats = Sierra and Patches, Beta fish = Ming and soon to be a hamster

Q = Quotes You Like: Maya Angelou

One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

When you know better, you do better.

R = Relationship Status: Happily married to the man that befriended me and captured my heart.

S = Siblings: 7 half/step brother's and sister's....long story LOL

T = Tea: Jasmine green tea

U = Unique Trait: compassionate heart

V = Vegetables You Love: Corn on the cob, beets, kalurabi

W = Worst Traits: pushy and emotional

X = X-Rays You’ve Had: Yes on my knee

Y = Yummy Food You Make: Cheesecake, fudge brownies, doughnuts, lefsa

Z = Zodiac Sign: Leo

If you'd like to do this, consider yourself tagged.

Gratitude Monday

This week's affirmation
It is not the cards you are dealt but what you do with them that counts.
-Anonymous

I am grateful for.....
1. the small things that re-remind me why I feel in love with that special someone over and over again
2. empathy and an understanding ear for friends when they require it
3. the ray of sun that appears after a hard rain
4. a couch, 3 blankets, 3 people snuggled in and the peace of the moment
5. boxes
6. the time with my 2 boys even though it was a blink of an eye in this world
7. visiting with family from far way
8. the ability to understand other's points of view even when I don't agree
9. creative urges
10. time moving along quickly until the day we move to our new home :-)

Birthdays, scarey bikers and big hearts

Raining again :-(
Hopefully this isn't a return of last year and all the floods...sigh

Indoor play always leads to computer time and what fun I am having.

Check this out....

Your Birthdate: August 1

You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet. You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily. Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail. You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details. Your strength: Your supreme genius Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity Your power color: Gold Your power symbol: Star Your power month: January

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

What a hoot! A leader? Me???? Everything about my birth sign says yes. Leo's are supposed to be leaders...stand out in the crowd...loving attention. And while this is true sometimes, I often avoid the limelight. Does this mean I need to grow into who I am??? Hhmmmmmm!!!


This past weekend there was a Charity ride in Lethbridge, Alberta. Bikers were to gather stuffed animals that were to be donated to the local hospital. Since we acquired our first motorcycle, hubby and daughter have participated. Great family tradition.


This is Clay's and his dad's bike loaded up for the ride



One guy challenged all those at his place of employment to donate. This is his bike showing how generous his workmates were.


After riding thru town from the Harley Davidson Shop to the hospital all participants gathered to collect the precious toys.



It always amazes me to listen to people talk about bikers. When you hear the name the mind conjures up images of scarey looking men, nasty personalities, and people gone wild. But my experience has been much different. While many may look scarey (LOL) or different from the norm, they can have some of the biggest hearts you will ever encounter. This is just one of many events that occur thru the biking season. As you can see many children will be made a little happier because of the generosity of those scarey bikers :-)

Peeping Friday

Can you believe another week has flown by?
And it is time again to peak into my humdrum life...LOL

Firstly this week began with the celebration of a milestone. Yup! That is so true. A milestone :-) My cousin's little boy turned 2....so difficult to believe. he is now a walking, talking little person and no longer the baby that we so affectionately called him. And to make his daddy proud, he is so much a little boy. Things with wheels are awesome! Outside is grand!

Happy Birthday Cole




Next glimpse is something dear to my heart.
Something that just melts my heart is to see an adult who is able to be responsible and grown up but comfortable enough with themselves to let that "inner child" shine. Such a person is my hubby. He has a high stress job which means he is in adult mode much of the day...however he knows how to enjoy life :-)
The other day he came home from a long day and went to say hi to our daughter who was in the backyard playing with some friends. Moments later I was hearing squeals of delight. I went to investigate and this is what I found.....





Now how can such a sight not melt a girl's heart...LOL
They all had a blast! And Sheridan had to grab these pictures to remember the day :-)

Beware the man of one book

One of my new year's resolutions was to increase the amount I read.
When I was younger it was not necessary to make a conscious thought to read, it was just something I did. I read kids books, novels, mysteries, romance, and my favorites (biographys). Eagerly I anticipated the journey that I would take with each new discovery I found at the library.

Then my university years hit, I stopped reading for pleasure because I had so much to do for the structured classes. When I married and became a mother, no time could be found to take these escapes and so my book reading was confined to Green Eggs and Ham or Barnyard Dance. Now don't get me wrong, these are great for the age I was reading to but a bit boring come the 200th time it was read.

Now that the rugrat is 10 and taking her own journeys thru books I have rediscovered my joy of years gone by.

You can imagine my disappointment, when reading various blogs, I discovered a reading challenge and then found that sign-ups were finished. Sigh!
Late again!!!

Disappointment turned to pleasure as I reminded myself that I don't need to be signed up to make the challenge for myself. SO I am challenging myself to read a book every 2 weeks for the complete summer...June 1st to August 31. And I am challenging anyone who reads this to do the same. If this is my goal then I need approximately 7 books for summer reading pleasure.

My list is as follows.....
1. Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy.
I cheated a bit and started yesterday at work.

2. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Loved the movie...time to read the book

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
June's selection for Knitting with the Classics

4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Always wanted to read this but never have found the time

5. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
First big novel I remember reading without encouragement. Time to revisit this pleasure.

6. The Davinci Code by Dan Brown
With the movie being talked about right now....I think I want to see what all the fuss is about.

7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Saw the movie and loved it. I make a practice of not reading a book until after viewing the movie if possible. That way I can enjoy each for themselves and not compare. Borrowed the book but have yet to open it.

That list should keep me busy while sitting by the river while the rugrat is tubing or sitting in the backyard with a glass of ice tea. I think I should also include Sheridan in the challenge...therefore keeping up her reading skills. Any suggestions of good but simple girl books? She is 10 with some reading difficulty.

Good news on the resolution front too...I finished 3 more books in May.

First I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. When I first got this book, I had no clue what to expect. Had never heard of it at any time before the book club chose it for a selection. I must admit I found it quite enjoyable! Kept me reading and really thru me for a loop at the end. If this story is true as the write hints, all I can say is life does make you stronger.

Next I re-read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This was the first "classic" book I ever remember reading. It has been a great pleasure to re-experience the silliness of a more stuffy time in history. This is a romance without the heroine being anything but true to herself.

And finally I was in the mood for a romance (happens from time to time), so I chose a Gothic Romance. Deception by Terri Lynn Wilhelm It was a good read but not too challenging. The heroine is in trouble and of course ends up crossing paths with her hero disguised as an rebel and outcast. Gasp! Who would of thought!! LOL
However, it was nice to see the characters develop and the story progress without too much escape from realism. It was a fluff book by some standards but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

So to date...in 5 months I have completed 9 books. Almost 2 a month...so I would say my resolution is being met.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss quote