Jack o'lanterns!

Jake was scared to touch the goo...he's such a girl sometimes LOL. I did the majority of the work, but he did some. I used a metal measuring cup to scrape a lot of the guts out and it worked really well. We had those pumpkins scraped out in no time.


Kylie de-gooing her pumpkin. She doesn't mind getting all gooey.


Carving the pumpkin. We used a pumpkin saw, it's safe enough for even Jacob to do on his own.




The finished product!

Monday.

Well, it was a pretty boring weekend. Hmm...

Friday night, Kylie stayed over at a friend's so we had a movie party at home, just the 4 of us. Scott took Jacob out to rent a few movies, and they came home with Robot Chicken Star Wars and Don't Mess with the Zohan. Was either movie suitable for Jacob to watch???? No, not really LOL...but we let him watch the Robot Chicken one, anyway. I know, bad mama. It was really funny though.

Saturday morning we went to Costco to get some meat and a few frozen items, and then Scott picked up Kylie from her friend's house. We mostly just farted around the house for the rest of the day. We were going to go swimming, but no one really felt like it so we just laid around and watched TV. Saturday night, Auntie Sheri came over to babysit while Scott and I went to a pub to attend our friend's 100 Pound Party...she had bariatric surgery and has lost 100lbs in something like 7 months. She looks great, but she can't eat more than a couple of bites of food at a time, no sugar, rarely carbs, etc. If she eats too much she gets really, really sick. She looks great though. The pub was airing a UFC fight, which was interesting...there was a lot of blood in some bouts. We stayed for a couple of hours and then we came home. You know, I haven't been to a bar in 7 years...and since then, smoking has been banned in city bars. I have to say, it was really nice to sit and chat without gagging on cigarette smoke...and my coat and hair didn't stink when I came home. Cool.

Sunday morning, we took Auntie out to breakfast to say 'thanks' for all that she's done for us. She's a great Auntie, always making the kids feel special by spending a bit of one-on-one time with them. Breakfast wasn't the greatest, but it was fun. Then we came home and I made a couple of pots of soup while Scott worked on some Halloween decor for the front yard...it was chilly out yesterday, about -3C. I hope Halloween is decent, I remember one year where it was about -35C during the day, and it was absolutely unbearable at night. I don't think it will be that cold this year.

So Today is Monday and Scott and I are meeting later today at Sears to look at some treadmills. There is one on sale that I have my eye on, and we have a bit of $$ kicking around...I don't like these big purchases, but I would really like something to do while I watch TV at night and I'm bored of my stationary bike. Besides, the seat hurts my bum LOL.

Later, dudes.

Some pics.

Jabba the Hutt, caught in mid-air as he is hurled down the laundry chute. Sammy's favourite activity while I'm in the bathroom.


Sammy's Halloween costume - she's a sock monkey. I saw the costume in a store and no way was I going to pay $20 for it...so this one is made out of fleece from the bargain section at WalMart (I think I paid $1.99 a metre). After Halloween, I'll take off the tail and she can wear it as pj's.


Jake, trying on Sammy's hat :) .

Thursday :)

I've spent 6 hours over the last two days at the kids' school, selling lollipops and Grey Cup Pool Tickets for fundraisers at the kid's school. It's fun, I really enjoy it. Tonight, Kylie came with me while Scott stayed at home with the younger two. There is also a Scholastic book fair, so Kylie took a few bucks and bought a Jonas Brother's book. She sat beside me at the table, reading Jonas Brother's trivia to me...trying to figure out, is Nick taller than Daddy LOL?

There is one mom who comes to the Parent Council meetings...I don't know why, she doesn't do anything. Well, she does do something actually...she takes on jobs and then decides they're too much work so she either doesn't do the job at all or does it halfway and then forgets about it. Such a pain in the bum. While another mom and I were selling raffle tickets today, she hung around the table, just getting in the way while she yapped on her cel phone. That is how she helps (insert eye-roll here).

I think I am just about done Sammy's Halloween costume, just a bit of hand sewing left. Today we bought pumpkins at WalMart...I was really surprised they had them, as they don't sell much for groceries (no produce at all). But they were a great price and freakin' huge! I wonder if we carved them this weekend, would they last until Halloween? Does putting a bit of Vaseline on the carved bits help??? Hmmm...I wonder.

Later, dudes :D .

Tuesday night :o)

This is the latest I've been up in the last year, I think LOL...it's 1110pm, and everyone else has been in bed for hours. Scott's got my cold, I can hear him coughing every once in a while.

Tonight was the Parent Council Annual General Meeting at the school. I've taken on the monumental task of treasurer, because I was sure that no one else would want it (and I was right). The previous treasurer has moved on to junior high with her daughter, so she came over the other day and dumped a box full of loose papers and bank statements on my kitchen table...then smiled and told me, if you need any help just let me know!!! Oh my gosh, you should see the mess that these papers are in...I have to sort it all and compile a financial statement for the annual report. I was a fool to give up the post of secretary, a fool I tell you! Oh my gosh, I think I'm punch-drunk now, time for bed.

But the joke's on PAC because my math skills suck worse than my secretarial skills. Ha, that will teach them for entrusting all of their financial records to me LOL! You know, all I wanted to do was cook a few hot dogs when I signed on to this PAC stuff a few years back...

Birthday Pics.

This was our pinata, if you can believe it. I had left the pinata up to Scott, all he had to do was paper-mache a giant balloon from Dollarama and paint it grey. That was to be our Death Star pinata...the balloon was 4' across when fully blown up. But it didn't work out, and I know my poor hubby tried his hardest, so that's ok. In the end, we bought 2 extra-large Batman gift bags from Dollarama, put one inside the other, filled it with candy and stickers and taped the top shut. It worked out pretty well, although it didn't last as long as a paper-mache pinata (which I know I could have bought, but I couldn't see the reason for spending $15 on something that was just destined for the garbage). But everyone got a couple of turns on whacking it, when the biggest kid at the back of the line smashed it *but good*. I think I will use this idea again when Sammy is a bit older, I think it would be perfect for pre-school kids or even kinders.


Jake's cake. It was his idea...he wanted me to make him a white cake with white icing, and he wanted to decorate it with his Star Wars characters. It was tasty...junky white cake-mix cake is my favourite.


The little blonde Batman in the picture, his name is Scott...which just makes me what to 'quish him even more when I see him LOL. Hee hee, I wish he was mine!!! Oh my gosh, he's the cutest thing *ever* .


More Star Wars Lego!!!

Oh. My. God.

OK, I'm still shaking...recovering from the party from hell LOL. Never again in my house...never again. Next year it's Jake and 2 friends at Chuck E Cheese. I don't care how freakin' expensive it is, I don't ever want 9 seven-year-olds in my house. One is enough, thank you.

I'll admit, they were good...individually. But put together, are you aware of the carnage that a group of 7 year olds can pull off??? My God, I cleaned for 2 hours yesterday, and 2 hours his morning...and my house still doesn't look the same.

The games went well...we did DJ Freeze, musical chairs, Stick the Wart on the Witch, made witch's brew, whacked the pinata and then popped balloons on the trampoline. Scott got out the air compressor and blew up 2 packages of balloons (40 balloons). We thought it would keep them busy for a while...all 40 balloons were popped within 3 minutes. Unreal LOL.

Kylie and her friend, M, set up a tent in Sammy's room for fortune telling, which was fun...kept kids occupied in between games. The older girls also did face-painting and temporary tattoos for the little kids.

But it's all over for another year...next birthday isn't until Kylie's in mid-July. Now we can focus on Halloween and then Christmas! Yay!

It's about that time...

Dear Crazy Crack-Head Lady;

I think you're crazy. Not the good kind of crazy, but the totally twisted, off-your-rocker kind of crazy.

But I enjoy your antics. You're crazy and entertaining, all wrapped up into one :D . Don't ever try all those silly pills you've been prescribed, ok?

Yours truly;

Kylie's Mom.

Jake's Party Itinerary

Sounds good to me. Right now, the item at 4pm has the most appeal.

Not having a good day LOL.

I'm sad :( .

Isn't this stupid? I'm sad that I can't sew any more diapers LOL. That's just stupid, really, when you think of it...I have a giant wicker basket full of diapers sewn from cast-off blankets and flannel pj's and I generally don't wash diapers more than once a week because of how many I have...and here I am looking at stupid cloth diapers on the internet, pining to sew *more*. When I have Halloween sewing that needs to be done.

But I can't sew at this moment, because Sammy is napping and she is such a light sleeper lately that the sound of my sewing machine in the next room wakes her up. So I have to sew when she's awake, and try to trick her into staying in the same room with me LOL. If I close the door she just screams!!! LOL...gawd, I should go sweep.

Ok, that's what I'll do. I'll sweep...right after I finish looking at fabric on the 'net.

My boy is 7!

Happy Birthday to my little man, all 7 years of him :D .

Where on earth has the time gone? I remember the day he was born, thinking, I don't know how to play with a boy! I hope he likes Barbies LOL.

He has the best sense of humour, is so silly and builds the best Lego space ships. He knows everything there is to know about Star Wars, loves to eat salad with chicken in it, and gives the best early-morning hugs.

Happy Birthday Jacob! Hope you have a great day!

A few recipes.

I meant to post the fondue recipe a while back, and forgot...so better late than never, right? I've also included 2 great Thanksgiving recipes. I make the pumpkin dessert every single year...this was the first year for the potatoes, but the way they went over, I'll be making them every year too!

CHEESY MUSHROOM FONDUE

condensed cream of mushroom soup, 2 ten ounce cans
grated sharp cheddar cheese, 2 cups
Non-fat sour cream, 1/2 cup
Chopped chives, 2 tbsp

Dippers: bread cubes (we use a baguette), wiener cubes, cooked potato cubes, steamed broccoli (cooked tender crisp)

Put all four ingredients into a double boiler or heavy saucepan. Stir often as cheese mixture heats and smooths out. When hot, pout into a fondue pot over low heat. Makes 1L.

***you can use low-fat cheese and low-fat soup, and we just actually mix everything right into our electric fondue pot.

GREAT PUMPKIN DESSERT

1 15 oz can solid-pack pumpkin (works out to 1 7/8 cups)
1 12 oz can evaporated milk (works out to 1 1/2 cups)
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

In a mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Transfer to a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350F for one hour, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
***if you don't have pumpkin pie spice, substitute 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp cloves. White cake mix works in place of the yellow cake mix, as well.


CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

6lbs Yukon gold potatoes
one brick lite cream cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes into large cubes and boil in salted water until tender.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese and stir in the sour cream, milk and spices.

Drain and mash the potatoes in the pot, then stir in the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into a casserole dish or mound into a 9x13 pan. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, or proceed to baking right away. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350F (increase the time if the dish comes straight from the fridge). Serves 12.
***excellent dish for a potluck!!!

Monday :D

It's been a busy weekend :D .

I spent most of Saturday sleeping, and I felt much better by Saturday night. Scott wanted to take the van for an oil change, so we all piled into the van. While we were at Lubex, Jacob played in the backseat with Sammy, and kept yelling out the window, "Can I have a cheeseburger and a cream soda, please?" LOL...such a ham. Saturday night I mashed 6lbs of potatoes, and made Creamy Mashed Potatoes for Sunday's Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's. I pulled out my potato ricer, which I haven't used in years...it makes the potatoes nice and creamy :D .

Sunday was Thanksgiving at my mom's. It was nice, I haven't seen my SIL for a long time so it was nice to catch up with her. The kids all ran around like their bums were on fire, as usual LOL. We had cupcakes for Jake's birthday (which isn't really until Tuesday) and then Jake opened his cards...lots of money and a Wii Batman Lego game from Scott and I. After we got home that night, I made a giant butterscotch chip cookie to take to the in laws on Monday for another birthday celebration. I realized that I had run out of butterscotch chips so I had to run to Safeway...$3 for a bag of chips, and that's on sale!!! Nuts!!! They're $2 at Walmart, but it's my own fault that I forgot to buy them there the other day.

Today is Monday, and another Thanksgiving dinner....today at Scott's parent's place. Sammy is sleeping and I just sent the big kids to their room because they are both being excessively annoying and acting like asses. I think the pressure of the holiday and all of these birthday celebrations is starting to get to me LOL.

Still blech.

So I was in bed by 730 last night...lol, I know, I'm a real party animal on a Friday night.

Jacob had his first friend-sleepover last night, but I was too sick to partake in the festivities. He arrived at 6, and like I said, I was in bed by 730, completely knocked out, so Scott supervised. I didn't hear them playing Wii sports, I didn't hear them making popcorn and getting ready to watch a movie...and I didn't hear R's mom come to pick him up at 11 because he was crying and missed his mom :*( . Poor kiddo, he was very sad. Oh well, we'll try again another day.

We woke up to a good ground-covering of frost this morning, and temperatures of about -8C. Yuk, it's cold now!

I was supposed to be at the West Edmonton Mall Breastfeeding Challenge, which I believe is world-wide, but I just couldn't hall my bum out of bed this morning. That makes me sad, because there is a chance that Sammy might be done nursing by this time next year (she'll be 2) but who knows? We'll have to see what she decides by then ;) . Tomorrow is Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house, and also a birthday celebration for Jacob. So tonight I need to make sour cream potatoes, a pumpkin cake, slice some crudites, and make some sort of birthday cake or cupcakes for Jake. Although, at the moment, I'm leaning towards buying a cake at Safeway because I'm just feeling too cruddy to imagine baking and decorating cupcakes right now. But at least I'm sick this weekend and not next, as it's Jake's birthday party with 10 of his friends. Yeesh...10 6-year old boys. Am I nuts???

Scott has taken Jake over to my mom's heated garage to work on the pinata for his party, and Sammy is in bed. She's crabby this morning...I'm sure she's coming down with my cold :( . Poor kid.

Have a good weekend, everyone :D .

Blech.

I am sick. Yuck. Started with a sore throat, runny nose and now I feel like crap. It was -5C when we got up this morning...fall is basically over and winter has begun.

The kids are walking themselves to school this morning, which they don't like, but I just can't do it. Honestly, if they complained enough I would let them stay home with me but looks like they're getting ready to go. Kylie is scared to even play in the yard lately, after that horrible abduction last week of a 7 year old girl...but that disgusting-excuse-for-a-human is in custody, which I explained to her. It will take her a little while to become comfortable outside again.

Tomorrow is the Breastfeeding Challenge at West Edmonton Mall and I'm taking both girls with me. Kylie is just looking forward to snooping through the T&T Asian market.

OK, I'm going to get some more coffee. If my throat is still sore later, I'm going to get Scott to bring me home a Slurpee.

Meet Owen :D

Owen is the name that Jacob almost got...Owen is the boy that I don't think I'll ever have...but I really like the name :D. So we named our new family member (even if we only see him for a few weeks out of the year) Owen.











We got the plans from here: Family Fun . It calls for a shoebox and a bunch of other junk you could find around your house, but Scott made the body entirely out of wood so that it would last forever.

My goal is to scare the living crap out of the mailman, with Owen peeking out from behind one of my massive pine frees in the front yard. He looks so real in person...it's really quite creepy. I wanted to hang a bloody butcher knife on the other side of him (Owen's left hand side) but Scott said no...he didn't want to scare any of the neighbourhood kids. Shh...I'm gonna do it anyway though LOL.

I want this!!!

I saw this on another board today:

Trolley Dolly

Click here to see what's inside

What a great idea...although I can't see colour coding everything I bring home, I'm more of a toss-it-all-in-a-bag-and-figure-it-out-at-home kinda girl. I love the clear pocket on the front for a grocery list, and I uber-love that you can attach the whole shebang to the grocery cart.

Hmmm...how can I make one???

Fall Pics

All pics were taken by my hubby in Rundle Park :D . I was worried we wouldn't get any fall pics this year, as that last hard rain took away all the pretty leaves around here...but then we got a second summer, with temperatures in the upper 20s and everything went from green to golden! It was beautiful this week!

Ack!!!

I hate clothes shopping!!! Why does it have to be so freakin' difficult???

I dropped Kylie off at a birthday party and left Sammy at home with the other 2, and figured I would take a bit of time to go shopping. Since I have lost a bit of weight, every top I own looks like a potato sack on me, so I figured it was time to get busy (I can take in pants...tops--not so much).

What a horrible experience. I thought it would be fun, now that I can shop in 'normal' size stores...no freakin' way. If I found something I liked the look of, the fabric was crappy or it was so ridiculously over-priced that it turned me right off. Not to mention that it had to fit my criteria: it had to lift easily for nursing, the arms couldn't be too fitted (hate things touching my upper arms), and no frilly stuff. The Bay had a good sale today...but everything was ugly. Not most things...everything. Ricki's, Bootlegger, Cleo (super-huge thumbs down), Army&Navy, you name it!!!! More crap than you could shake a stick at!!!

I guess I'll stick with my baggy t-shirts and jeans for a little while longer. Winter is coming, and I'll just cover it all with a hoody anyway :D

Wednesday :)

Sammy is sitting, looking out the screen door and yelling at the birds. And waving at them, saying "Haaa!!!" (hi). Egads, she's so cute!!! I can barely stand it!

Well, we skipped our usual Wednesday morning Sing and Sign class to go to the Medicentre instead. Because I have pink eye. Ew. The drops from the pharmacy aren't working, but at least the copious amounts of handwashing seem to be doing the trick...no one else in the house has it. The dr told me that it will go away on its own if everyone keeps up with the handwashing...but I asked for a Rx anyway. He gave me the teeniest bottle of drops *ever* and I was on my way.

Then Sammy and I trotted off to meet Scott for lunch. We had planned on meeting at Boston Pizza, but they are under renovations and wouldn't let us in to sit on the pub side, as Sammy was with us. Bummer...so we made our way to Timmy's instead. Holy crap, the Timmy's downtown is busy at lunch!

We discussed the possibility that I may look for a job in January, possibly in a Medicentre or at the hospital. I will only work evenings and weekends, and now that Scott can be home before 430 most days, I think it will work. I don't really think Scott wants me to work out of the home...he really enjoys our care-free evenings and all the free-time we have to do family things together. But we knew it wouldn't last forever. And quite honestly, I've been at home for 10 years...it's time for a life change. My goal is to work part time for the next 4 years, and then look for full time work as a clerk in the bodily injury department of an insurance office. Scott has plenty of connections and he says that all of the transcription clerks are close to retirement age so there is potentially lots of work. I think it would be fascinating work...I would still be dealing with medical terms and transcription, just in a different area. Scott thinks I'm nuts, no amount of money could lure him from property insurance into a BI department, there's just too much fraude and too many scammers.

So now Sammy and I are home, Sammy is going down for a nap soon and I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon before school lets out dusting, I believe. Tonight is Scott's evening to work late, and then I'm going to send him into the attic to get the Halloween decorations. Have I ever mentioned that I am deathly afraid of heights? Well, I am, and no way am I going up that ladder on my own LOL. That's one of the reasons I got married.

I should go get some soup out of the freezer for supper. Have a great day, everyone :D .