A Weekend To Remember

Keith and I had our first weekend away from the kids in over a year and a half! It was much needed and every moment was much appreciated. I have to first of all say thank you to my parents who took our kids and loved them and cared for them just as well as we would have. They say the boys all had a fabulous time and Liam was a gem so it was great to know all went well.

The main purpose of our trip was to attend the Family Life Marriage Conference in Whistler. We attended this conference about six years ago and decided to come back for a refresher. It's a good tool for us as we felt like we needed a 're-set' on what our priorities and focus for us as a couple and a family are. I know there are many fabulous books out there to help with marriages but getting Keith to read a book doesn't work so well. He likes to learn by listening and as much as I love to read, learning by listening is something I enjoy as well. As being alumni to the conference we were able to leave the main group and go to another session. We did some really neat personality assessments and got to learn how to mesh with other personality types. What Keith and I were very surprised to learn is that out of the four categories we fell into the same one! But under that umbrella we had opposite traits. Really neat stuff.

The conference was held at the Chateau Whistler which is a beautiful hotel. We love it there. One of the first things I like to do when we go to posh hotels (which is NOT often) is look at the room service menu. It's all about food, y'know! What I love to do is oogle at the ridiculous prices that these places charge for common place items. Such as $37 for an order of Eggs Benedict or $16 for a six pack of Coke. And even better was this menu had a page for dogs. Sheesh!

We didn't have a ton of free time between sessions but we did make it a priority to hit the Rocky Mountain Fudge Factory on the first night. We dodged big fat rain drops all the way from the Upper Village to the Main Village to get our treats. We each chose an apple as our indulgence. Keith's was called an 'Avalanche' and mine was a Skor Bar apple. Excellent choices and we enjoyed every bite!

I couldn't even wait to take a bite until Keith had framed the picture. Patience is something I need to work on.

Yes, we even had a bit of homework. I got Keith to do mine :)

The Chateau has a fabulous little casual restaurant called Portabello's. It had some many wonderful things to chose from. For breakfast one morning Keith brought up a piece of breakfast pizza. The sauce was salsa and then it was loaded with bacon, scrambled egg and cheese.

The view from our window was lovely. After the first rainy night, it snowed pretty much the whole time. It was beautiful!

On our way to grab a quick lunch between the morning and afternoon sessions. We had quite a walk from the hotel to the village so it was nice to be able to really stretch our legs and get some fresh air after sitting on our butts for hours at a time.

Saturday is 'date night'. We had decided the night before we were definitely going to the Mongolie Grill for dinner. I had heard about this place forever and couldn't wait to try it out. It was even better than I imagined it would be! You get to load up a bowl with all sorts of raw veggies, noodles, and meats. Careful to not fill it too full because it adds up fast! Then you select a sauce (I chose one that was a bit too spicy but my Mongolini Martini cooled it down nicely!). After that you get it weighed so they know what you charge you at the end of the night. Then on a massive round grill they stir fry it up for you as you watch. It was a great experience! When you walk back to your table they will have a nice bowl of rice waiting (white or brown) and you just dig in and enjoy.

Blackcomb was set to open in a few days. They were servicing the lifts and grooming the runs. Made me a bit itchy to do a bit of skiing!

On Saturday night we walked around the village after dinner and found a fabulous candy shop called 'The Great Glass Elevator'. It had so much candy to chose from. There was candy there I saw from my childhood that brought back memories, imported sweets from the UK and plenty of unique treats. We found some yummies to bring back for the kids. We can't go away and not bring them back a little something!

Nate loves sour and Chad loves Pop Rocks!

And also a few sour and gummy treats for us all to share.

It was a good weekend. It's not just enough to attend these conferences though. One must put into practice the good things they have learned. So that's what we aim to do!

Crime Scene?

Last night we listened to raccoons rummaging in our yard. We don't know exactly what happened to this little guy but the time we got out there with our flash lights there was a HUGE raccoon dragging a dead raccoon around the garden. I guess he decided to leave him behind and go back home. Thanks....super.....just what I wanted to wake up to!

Crazy to think this is what city living is like around here. It's not like we live on a greenbelt or anything!

Beyond Spoiled

I've come to realize that working at my new office has many perks. One of them being the wonderful parents. They really treat us like gold. Many of them come into the office regularly for chat and a laugh.

Today the PAC was so kind to welcome me to the MEI family with a little gift. There was a beautiful handmade bag and card. Inside the bag were several treats from Milsean (a wonderful Irish tea shoppe in Aldergrove) and a bookmark.

Those ladies sure know how to make a gal feel welcome!

Wednesday

We had all planned to attend the Remembrance Day ceremonies this morning but things changed abruptly. Just as Keith was getting into formation to practice marching with his peeps he got a call from his chief that there were two major fires to investigate. So he came home, changed out of his dress uniform and off he went. Since I was up dressed and ready to go as well I decided to go grocery shopping with the kids. After lunch I thought it would be a good idea to put the kids to work raking leaves. No need to spend the entire day indoors playing video games! They were good sports about it and got a lot done. I spent the afternoon washing out my cupboards...I didn't realize just how filthy they were.

If you don't read the Pioneer Woman's blog you really should go and take a gander. She's an excellent blogger, photographer, story-teller, mom and wife. She just published this amazing cookbook that Kori's ordered for me. I have already made one recipe for dinner tonight that was very delicious.

When I cleaned out my pantry today I found some mini ice cream cones. They are the perfect size for little people since they only hold about a tablespoon of ice cream. Liam was thrilled to get his very own dessert and finished it in short order.

Deals!

I love love love a good deal. Paying full price is sometimes necessary but mostly I like to buy things on sale.

I received an email last week from Old Navy that all their outerwear was going to be 50% off this weekend. Bonus! Nathan and Chad both needed new winter coats so this morning, I set off to Langley to see what was on offer. I found that most of the boys winter coats this year have a fur trim on the hoods and Nate was adament that was only for girls. Thankfully we found a rack with some coats without this 'feminine' adornment. Only one style left with sizes for both of them so once again my kids have matching coats. They really don't care about that though!

All the scarves were priced at $1 so I picked up a few for myself.

After leaving Old Navy I decided to pop into the Adidas outlet. I had wanted some new casual sneakers for a long time now. I had checked them out a few months ago to find their prices were not that great. I had hoped to get to the Seattle Prime Outlets to pick up a pair but it seemed like that just wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. As I got closer to the outlet I noticed that there were some big signs that said '40% Off ENTIRE Store'. I liked the sounds of that. I headed straight to the ladies shoes to see a very cute pair for only $39.95! What? They were $69.95 last time I checked. They didn't have my size though. Isn't that always the case? I did see a size 9 though and decided to just give it a try and they fit perfectly! I'm a size 10 generally so these shoes were definitley meant to be mine. To sweeten the story further, once I got to the till, they marked them down another 40% and then ended up costing me $23.97. Now that my friends is the best deal I have found in ages!!!

Scenes from My Day Off

It doesn't get more exciting than this!!!!

I made pizza buns. If you don't make these, you oughta! Tossing these in the lunch box beats making a sandwich any day of the week!

I chased my little toddler all day. He's walking and into EVERYTHING. As you can see he's heading for the forbidden master bedroom. I often forget to shut the doors behind me.


I did my best to stay OUT of the Halloween treats.

I tortured Liam with a puffer and breathing treatment. He's not really 'sick' persay but he is sounding rather chesty and it's not going away on it's own. Better safe than sorry.

I vacuumed the whole house. I find that it needs it twice a week for sure. This is a chore I don't really mind.

And lastly, several loads of laundry. Also, a chore I don't really mind too much. The washing machine does most of the work :)

Tonight's menu is corn chowder and fresh biscuits. A good day with plenty accomplished!

Halloween

This was Keith's year to do fireworks patrol so it was just me and the kids. Nate didn't really want to go out but I certainly wasn't going to leave him home alone on Halloween. Chad is still pretty keen to go trick or treating.

I thought it would be cute to get Liam in on the fun. Since he loves to roar like a lion I did my best to give him a few whiskers. Sadly he face planted on the kitchen floor shortly after and had a bloody nose that messed up his look pretty good.

He's had a cough all week so thankfully my mom offered to keep him for the evening as it was very chilly tonight.

We headed over to Kori's to meet up with the gang for our evening of fun. Nate and Karli didn't consult on their costume but were certainly cute cowpokes.

Keri showed up a few minutes later with her 'freaks' and we were off!

We walked for 2.5 hours! That equals a ton of candy which Keith and I will have to do our part in helping 'get rid' of it :)

A good night had by all. It was cold but dry which was great. Now, excuse me while I make sure my kids floss and brush properly tonight!

Dress Up

Both boys have dress up day at their schools today for Halloween.

Thankfully MEI doesn't do anything so I don't have to dress up! Although today is jeans day and that my friends, makes me very happy!

Home Away From Home

This is my new home for four days a week.

I like my new desk.

Today I felt like I actually knew what I was doing for the most part. It was a great feeling! What's even better is that Marilyn (who's position I took over) is on 'email stand-by'. I email her my questions and she answers! How luck am I to have 'online' help like that. Marilyn...I know you'll read this so here's a BIG THANK YOU!

Cozy & Warm

I received a most lovely gift from my mom when I went to pick up Liam after work today. A brand new 'bean bag'. Even though I call it a bean bag it isn't filled with beans...it's filled with wheat or barley. Warm it up for 3 minutes in the microwave and you can say bye bye to icy feet in bed. It's my best friend in winter! My exisiting bag was very old and somewhat worn out so my mom made each of us one of our very own. Thank you Mom!!!

Onto the health report. Keith, Nathan and Chad all had the flu (regular variety) this weekend. I played nurse and did my best to keep myself and Liam healthy. Nate and Chad should go to school tomorrow I think. Their eyes still have that ill look but I'm hoping a good night's sleep tonight with erase that. Keith will also head back to work tomorrow. It hit him the hardest as he was sick for almost a full week. It's a wicked flu.

Keep healthy out there blogger-friends...wash your hands lots!

Ole

Supper tonight was good, if I do say so myself. I'm just ticked I forgot to add the kidney beans to my meat mixture. It adds some fibre and makes the meal go further!

Long Time No Post

I haven't been bringing my camera with me anywhere lately. A post without a picture isn't much fun so maybe that will excuse my absence?!

Liam loves toys that aren't specifically toys! He can be happy with a jar and lid. A fridge magnet. A whisk and wooden spoon. Isn't it just the case? He's got a basket full of lovely things specifically for him in the living room yet he wants MY stuff! He knows which cupboards he is allowed into and routinely pulls out all the plastics or all my pots and pans. Thankfully he has stopped trying to get under the sink where all the dangerous no-no's are kept!

I'm not one to put childproof locks on the cupboards. I'd rather teach them to stay out and also keep them closely supervised. I'm sure others would call that haphazard parenting but it's worked for me so far.

Although you wouldn't know to look at me there has been a high level of anxiety right under the surface. I've even been waking up at night with panicky thoughts running through my mind. Next week I start four days a week at my job. Gone are the days of leisure....here come the days of being extremely organized. Gone is my co-worker/trainer....here come the days of having no one to ask what to do when I'm stuck! Of course, I'm sure it will all work out as it usually does but I am a bit stressed. A lady I know in the elementary school has told me that it took her 5 years to feel like she really knew what she was doing! I hate making mistakes and not feeling confident in my job. It wouldn't be as bad if the other ladies knew my specific tasks but they don't. I am taking over the budgets, spreadsheets, and money side of things that was all specifically done by Marilyn. She has assured me that she is only an email away so I am going to hold her to that. She's been so patient with me and I'll miss her very much even though I've only known her a short time. She has told me that she thinks my abilities are quite suited to the tasks so I do appreciate her vote of confidence! DEEP BREATH. Just going to take one day at a time.

Otherwise everyone in our house is healthy and doing well. I am getting a bit worried about this H1N1 flu though. I had poo-poo'd it last month and then I heard about a healthy young mom dying of it in Mission and my radar went up. A scary thing indeed. I'm doing the best I know how to keep us all healthy with plenty of hand washing and not touching anything in public. This is a challenge for my older boys who like to run their hands along rails, walls, checkout stands etc. I've also decided not to put Liam in shopping carts anymore either. They are full of germs and even though I generally wipe them down first, he's got his hands all over the thing! I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Ramble, ramble.....perhaps my next post will be a bit more exciting!

Thank You Weekend

Just a small fraction of the things I am super grateful for!

Friends such as these

That all four boys like to play Lego which gives me time to read in the quiet livingroom!

A park close by that entertains all the kids!

Sunny blue skies in October

Healthy, able-bodied children

Brotherly love (most of the time)

Family...especially a mom that makes the most delicious turkey dinners

Relatives that inspire with their zest for life at 90 years old!!!

Laughter!

And making good memories!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend reflecting on all your blessings!

Shouting Out...

...a Happy Birthday to my besties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forever 16 year old ski bunnies, right girls?!

PS. Very poor picture due to my scanner kicking the bucket. I had to take a picture of a picture. Doesn't work so well :(

Bittersweet

One of the fabulous posters that was made in my honor! Thanks ladies...some pictures are horribly embarrassing though!

Oh I had talked about changing jobs for years. Talk is cheap....easy....but reality is another thing altogether. In actual fact it is quite sad to change jobs. Maybe not all jobs but my job was a 16 year career. I had made some excellent friends, had some big learning experiences and pushed out of my comfort zone to grow up. I started off as a teller in 1993 ...a single girl with a boyfriend. I ended as a TSR2 with a husband and three children! So much happened and all those wonderful ladies saw me through my life changes. We chatted about families, life, recipes, dieting, religion, money and anything else we wanted. That's hard to leave.

As my manager said tonight at my farewell dinner, I stepped out of the box. It's been scary but in my heart I know that I have made the right decision for me and for my family.

I had a great time tonight at my farewell dinner. It's a bit surreal that I am done at the Contact Centre. I do know that I will remain friends with many of the ladies there and intend to visit them all lots!

How many people get to work with their very best and longest friend? MEI hasn't been told yet that we're a package deal :)

Yippee! A very generous gift certificate to Harrison Hot Springs....can't wait to go!

Margo! She's awesome. She took a chance on a very young, shy and inexperienced girl so many years ago. She's always been someone I could respect and trust completely.

Will miss you!

The lovely ladies at Paliotti's! Thanks for coming out and making my evening so special!

Cleaning Up Messes

I just got these fabulous bibs from a local business. I'd encourage you to check out her site. The bibs are very well made and you can chose the fabric!

I had booked a carpet cleaner a few weeks ago to do our house. It had been two years and they really needed to be freshened up. The day after I made my appointment, my mom emailed and let me know she had just bought a steam cleaner. She did her house and was very impressed with the results and told me she would do mine! I really didn't want to drop $300 on carpet cleaning so I was happy to take her up on the offer. Today she just did the stairs and my mats from the entry. They are sparkly clean and the carpet isn't very wet at all. She said she'll be back tomorrow to do the upstairs. Thanks Mom!!!

A Dessert to Impress

I had Andrew in for dinner tonight. He takes dinner in lieu of payment for his painting services! How lucky for us. He and Keith had stained our new fence last weekend and it's looking very spiffy now. I made his favorite chicken Neptune, Gruyere scalloped potatoes, and veggies. Dessert was meringues with homemade fudge sauce, fresh strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate shavings. I have to thank my friend Delayne for inspiring this dessert and Aretha for the fudge sauce recipe. If you ever need a VERY easy dessert to serve company, this is it!