Canadian Pride

How about those Canadian athletes!? I was so impressed with Joannie Rochette and her bronze medal - what courage. She has amazing poise and compusure, not to mention skill/athleticsm, to be able to skate in front of the world despite her enormous personal loss this week. I am proud of her. I wouldn't have been able to do it, and not just because I'm not great on skates (I need a wall to stop). In any case, she did her country and fellow Canadians proud.

And proud we should be! Bobsleigh, ice dance, women's hockey, curling, speed skating (even if our men didn't quite make the grand finish we all hoped for) and so many other sports have been so exciting to watch while cheering for our athletes. I don't know about you, but I've been pretty addicted to the Olympics...and I plan on watching quite a bit more tv cheering on our teams this weekend!

Here's hoping for a golden finish!!

Happy Friday all!

Penny

Worry Wart

Something amazing happened last night. After a really long run of horrible sleepless nights, Annika slept 8 hours...straight!! In fact, it was so amazing that I woke up at 1:30 and couldn't sleep because I was worried something was wrong! I gently pushed her door open at 2 and crept into her room and paused to listen for breathing. After a minute I could hear her soft breathing and so with a sigh of relief I went back to bed. And awoke again at 3:12 with a start, shocked that I hadn't been awaken by my little night-monster baby! Finally at 4, she woke up needing a bum change and something to eat. She was back to sleep by 4:10 and didn't get up for the day until 7:20. WOW! It's a good thing, because I was beginning to think that selling her on the black market wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. I'M KIDDING!!

Honestly, yesterday I was a complete grump and didn't feel very "in love" with my precious munchkin. Exhaustion had set in and I was finding it hard to focus on much of anything, and was irritable to say the least. Thankfully, just when I needed it, my baby girl came through and gave Mommy a great night! Even though I was awake for an hour or so in total through the night (worrying and wondering why she was sleeping so long), that was my own fault and wasn't the result of a screaming child. Haha, it's kind of ironic that I was awake during the night because there wasn't a screaming baby breaking up my sleep.

I do wonder what helped her sleep longer. I tried to feed her a bit more during the day and may have been able to up her solid intake just a little. She went to bed around 8 - same time as usual, and she went into her crib awake and didn't fuss at all. The one different thing is that when I went in to get her at 4, I found her sleeping on her tummy. She normally sleeps on her back...so that could've been a help. Plus, maybe she was just as tired as I was!

We're going to LA next week!! Scott found out on Monday that he will be attending a business conference and we decided to go along for the ride. The conference is being held at the Hilton at Universal Studios, so should be great for stuff to do and see while we're there.

Monday and Tuesday were spent running around like crazy getting our passports done - I had to get my name changed to my married name and Annika needed her very first passport. (Incidentally, her passport photo is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen! She was wearing her shirt that says "I Love Daddy"!) We finally got everything done with relatively few mishaps and I'm due to pick up the passports Friday afternoon! Yay!

Now I'm off to worry about a whole new batch of things. What to pack, can I take her cereals on board the plane, what do I do about a stroller, etc. I come from a very long line of fretters...it's what I do!

Have a good one!
Penny

Don't Get Fresh With Me!

Here's a little photo story for you all to check out, starring two six month old troublemakers, Jovan & Annika.

Playing nicely by themselves

Sitting together, checking each other out

Jovan: "Hey, how you doin'?"

Annika: "Watch your hand, mister"

Annika: "I warned you!"


Separated into their corners



Friends again


I must add that at the end of our visit these two were on the floor hanging out when Annika leaned over (fell over) and planted a big, sloppy, wet one on Jovan! Hmmm...I think we have our hands full with these two!

Penny

Reality TV, Anyone?

I am not into reality tv...and I think I'm in the minority. So many people are captivated by the different reality shows out there. Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, American Idol, America's Next Top Model, and of course, The Bachelor(ette). I better not get started on The Bachelor...I could wax away on how silly I think that show is (not to mention immoral and shallow). But maybe I'll save that for another day and instead just blab away on the other shows that don't offend my delicate sensibilities! ;)

I read somewhere that Survivor is in its 20th season on the tube - I watched the first season of Survivor and thought it was somewhat interesting; however, the novelty soon wore off and it was my first and last season of Survivor watching. Apparently there are enough viewers out there in North America to keep producers happy! But to be honest, I won't be sad when Survivor's torch finally goes out (if it ever does).

As far as reality goes, these shows don't particularly reflect any version of reality that I know. But, I can see how people get interested and caught up in the competitive spirit of the programs. The Amazing Race involves lots of interesting challenges and world-wide travel, and I enjoyed watching the few times I checked it out. I think it would be fun to be a part of the show and try to be the first to crack a bunch of clues in a desperate effort to come in first place in a mad race around the world.

I've never seen Big Brother, but I assume it also has some type of competition involving a bunch of poor saps stabbing each other in the back to try and win a moment in the spotlight. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.

I do appreciate the vocal skills sometimes displayed on American Idol - some of the contestants have serious talent! And some of the seriously-not-so-talented can provide a good laugh. I'm still not a follower, mainly because I just have other things I'd rather be doing.

All of these shows (excluding the bachelor), while perhaps a waste of time (what tv show isn't though, really), are ok in my books. I prefer to waste my time surfing the net, and escaping into a great book, but every now and then I love sitting down and just vegging in front of the tv (usually when there's an enormous pile of laundry that I should be working on). My show of choice is House...my PVR is scheduled to record every new episode, just in case I miss it. Oh, and I also enjoy the HGTV/Food Network versions of reality tv (house renos and Iron Chef).

Whatever you enjoy doing in your spare time - hope you have plenty of it this week!

Penny

Missing You

In memory of a beautiful person...my mom, Dawn Seabrook de Vargas. Today is one year since we lost her to cancer, and I miss her all the time. She was a fantastic mother and my friend. Here is a poem that expresses how I feel every day about my mom.

We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new,
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence
We often speak your name,
Now all we have are memories
And your picture in a frame.
Some may think you are forgotten
For on earth you are no more,
But in our memory you are with us
As you always were before.
A million times we've thought of you
A million times we've cried,
If loving could have saved you
You never would have died.
You left us beautiful memories
Your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you
You are always at our side.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you did not go alone,
Part of us went with you
On the day God called you home.
Forgive me Lord, I'll always weep
For the Mother I loved, but could not keep.

I miss you Mom...so very much.



Penny

ColorQ Challenge #20

Thought I'd do a card challenge today...I found another challenge blog on Sandy's blog! The colour combo is nice and bright and I found it interesting. I also love the way she lays out the colour challenge - so bright and fresh, and inspiring!

Here's what I pulled together for the card. I weaved together the two blues while I was watching the Olympics yesterday and then coloured the butterfly stamp with markers and just did a bit of layering.

I love looking at all the entries - there are such fabulously creative people out there! Hip hip hooray for the right side of the brain!
Penny

Toothless Wonder

I've had some strange dreams in my time, but one of the weirdest (and most disturbing) recurring dreams is one where I lose my teeth!! I honestly think I've had this dream around 4 times in the last year (and each time I woke up in the morning and reached frantically for my mouth to make sure I still had my teeth!)

Just for fun, I searched this dream online to see what are common "interpretations" for this dream.
*Please note that I do not believe in astrology or dream interpretation or any other mumbo jumbo (no offense intended)* There were a number of results to my search, and I read over them to see how these "interpretations" (I use the term VERY loosely) could possibly tie in to losing teeth in a dream. Here are some of them and my thoughts on how tooth loss could fit in:

1 - Fear of death/growing old, Poor health, Financial instability
Death is a certainty for us, it's just a matter of when. I welcome growing old together with my family - I hope and pray my family lives a long, healthy life. If it means losing a few teeth along the way, I'm ok with that. However, I see where the financial instability comes into play...I would definitely get some teeth done up at the dentist to plug my gaping gums and I don't think it'd be cheap. We'd need a second mortgage with the outrageous dental costs! ;)

2 - Feeling of powerlessness
I guess there's a certain feeling of impotence that would come with losing teeth - you can't just stick 'em back in, can you?

3 - Fear of change, Fear of failure/embarassment
It may be a bit embarassing to lose your teeth, particularly if you're in a group setting like I was in my dream - awkward! But as for fear of change, I dunno, it'd make brushing my teeth a whole lot easier. I'd just pop those suckers out and brush them and floss them - no more reaching for those hard-to-get molars!

4 - Abandonment
Really? Other than my teeth abandoning me, I don't see a connection. Scott's seen me at my absolute worst, and he's not the abandoning type (he loves me despite my horrible dragon-like morning breath!) In fact, having those teeth out overnight sitting in a glass may actually improve my breath!

5 - Loose lips sink ships
Haha! I thought this was funny...I guess all those secrets I've been telling are coming back at me through dreams? Just kidding...your secret is safe with me! :)

Now, the most logical connection I found online said that grinding your teeth during the night may lead to dreams about teeth falling out. This makes a bit more sense to me, particularly since in the last year I have definitely had things to grind my teeth about. I noticed in the fall that my jaw was sore and my teeth/gums hurt and that I was grinding my teeth. It happens.

Nevertheless, I believe dreams just happen, and more often than not they relate to something that's happened or that you've thought about recently. In any case, I think I'll floss extra long today and be thankful my choppers are where they should be!

Penny

Dream Bathroom

Boy, it's been so long since I've posted anything! I'll start this post off with the promised picture of Herman, may he rest in peace.


Although I haven't cut off his arms yet, I don't think he'll be bouncing back from this. It may be time to say goodbye. I have to check his roots to see if they're still healthy; if so, I'll repot. If they're looking as sickly as the rest of him, it's time to say goodbye.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! We did! On Sunday night Scott came home with a beautiful long-stemmed rose and a bottle of wine. He cooked up a delicious supper for us and we took it easy. I was pretty pooped but managed to stay up to watch a movie before hitting the sack. Then on Monday we spent the day downtown and checked out the Family Day festivities at Churchill Square before hanging out at the Hotel Mac. We had a swim (Annika's first pool swim) and relaxed - it was a great way to finish up the long weekend. Hubby gets full points for a wonderful weekend! :)

Now, on to our house hunt. Last week we checked out a couple of show homes, which was pretty interesting. So far we've visited homes by the following builders: Landmark Homes, Jayman Master Builders, and Homes by Avi. They were all very nice homes with great features (except the price of course). Some of the homes were in the outskirts of the west end (way out past 200th Street) and I'm not sure if I like that idea. The problem with new neighbourhoods and brand new homes is how they all are placed so far outside of central Edmonton. We read an article by Scott McKeen last week about the urban sprawl and how Edmonton's older, core neighbourhoods seem to be shutting down. Schools are closing and public facilities such as pools and parks are not maintained while the city spends its money on developing new roads and infrastructure for brand new neighbourhoods that are quickly spreading Edmonton into what the author calls a "fat and-happy, plus-size city with no plans to diet". To read this very interesting article, click here. The comments that follow the article are also worth a read.

It's true, unfortunately. It's cheaper and less of a headache (usually) to purchase a new home in a suburban neighbourhood. Scott and I would love to live in an older, mature neighbourhood (such as Laurier Heights) close to the river and downtown, but the price tag on existing homes is just as rich, if not pricier, than purchasing a brand new home. And for the price, you'll more likely than not purchase a home that requires quite a bit of love and attention to bring it up to snuff. Frankly, I'm not excited about buying another renovation project. We're still putting the finishing touches on this house and we started the renovations almost 3 years ago. It takes a lot of energy, patience, and TIME to renovate a home.

I love the idea of buying a house that already has the accoutrements we're hoping for in our next home, instead of stepping into another project that means we'll be living in a demo zone again! It will take time for us to figure out where we'll move to and what kind of home we'll purchase and we're not in a rush, thankfully. We plan on taking our time and making sure we're comfortable with our next move.

I'll leave you with pictures of the nearly 500 sqft bathroom in one of the Jayman Master Builder show homes. This bathroom was an absolute dream. If we were ever to purchase a home with a bathroom like this, I think I could probably rent the bathroom out to friends and family to subsidize the cost - trust me, it'd be worth the $50/half hour! Haha!
This bathroom features a beautiful, full-length closet space (wow!)

This tub is a waterfall tub...you fill it up right to the brim and it overflows into the surrounding tub. Very cool. Of course, there's a tv/dvd for your viewing pleasure while you relax in the bath with a glass of wine. Wine?? Oh yes, there's a bar in this bathroom.
This shower is programmable for up to 6 unique users. It remembers what temperature you like your water at, which jets you prefer, and the pressure. Sigh. My goodness, this bathroom would encourage laziness!

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Have a great day...I'm off to get ready for salsa babies!

Penny

"Suite" Surprise!

My sweetheart surprised me with a wonderful Valentine's Day surprise! He's booked us a suite at the Hotel MacDonald for tomorrow night...how exciting! I'm really looking forward to my first stay there...it's such a beautiful hotel. I've been there for tea and for a wedding reception, but I've never had any reason to stay until now. He got us an early check-in and late check-out so we're going to really enjoy our stay as long as we can! The three of us (Annika is coming too, of course) are taking along our swimsuits so we can paddle around in the kiddie pool for a while - it will be Annika's first swim outside of the bathtub! We may have a nice walk downtown and may even take advantage of some Family Day festivities on Monday. It's going to be a great day...hope you are all enjoying your weekend as well!

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Family Day everyone!

Penny

Herman Follow-Up

It's been a while since I've posted, due to a combination of being busy and nothing on my mind to post. I made a card last night, but forgot to take a picture and it's already in the envelope ready to give away! But, I liked the card so maybe I'll do another one and post it. Perhaps I'll enter next week's card challenge, or try a different challenge.

Well, I think Herman is at death's doorstep. I'll post a picture of him later on - he's looking awful. My friend sent me some advice that she'd been given on a plant that may be from the same family, so I'll see if that helps...but it's not looking good. First step will probably be to chop off all his arms (they're all folded over now). Picture of deathly ill herman to follow.

Oh, and I do want to blog about our visits to showhomes...very interesting! There are some gorgeous homes out there, but they're WAY out in the boonies. Scott and I read an article yesterday about urban sprawl (I'll link it up on my next blog) and found it quite interesting. It raised several valid points on the poor civic planning here in Edmonton.

Anyways, it's a short post...gotta get going!

Penny

Craft Room Crazy

Yesterday morning I was surprised by a text from Sandy announcing that she and Jamie and a couple people from work were going to Denny's for brunch for a FREE Grand Slam! So...I waited for Annika to wake up from her nap, then quickly changed her, dressed her, got her in the car seat and out the door we went! (Hey, it's not healthy, but it's FREE!) :) Anyways, as we got there Jamie, Jinnee, and Newell were just leaving (well, we kind of rudely took their spots at the table) and Sandy and I sat down and visited while I had my brunch. It was pretty good and the food was delivered quickly. After stopping by for a visit at work to see my coworkers (and boy, did it ever feel good to just be able to leave whenever I wanted) Annika and I stopped by at Sandy's for a while.

As we discussed stamps and card making, Sandy pulled up a blog on her laptop to show me a stamp pad organizer sold by Renee Van Stralen on her blog Stamping for Sanity, which is pretty neat. I would really like one...I wonder if Scott could make me something similar in his garage with all those wonderful tools of his?! Then Sandy showed me the wonderful craft room this lady has displayed on her blog. Oh boy. I want it.

Or how about this room...found at Deck the Halls of Home with Joy

I want something like this...badly. SO...I really must continue my quest for order in this house. Declutter, dispose, donate...it's my new motto. One day I will make the basement into a crafty zone.

Penny

The Gift of Sam

Yesterday Annika and I went to visit my very dear friend Jenna. While I enjoy every visit with Jenna, yesterday's visit was a special one for us, because we got to meet Jenna & Eric's beautiful daughter, Samantha. Samantha is an energetic, bubbly, 10-year old beauty, with shiny long brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. She joined Jenna & Eric's home - her "forever family" - just 10 days ago.

As we sat around the table drinking tea and having an afternoon snack of cheese and crackers, I thought about how blessed Sam is! I know she is absolutely thrilled to bits with her Mommy and Daddy, and with her Grandpa and all of her lovely Grandmas - it's so exciting for her to be such an important part (daughter/grand-daughter) of such a loving family. As Sam was showing me the beautiful necklaces she received, some for her birthday and some as "just-because" gifts, I felt so happy for this little girl who now has a home giving her the nurturing love, support, and security she needs. The first years of her life were filled with hurt, sadness, and disappointment (to say the least); it's a blessing to know that the rest of her life will be filled with comforts she was denied in the early years.

After watching Sam, I took a look at my friend. Jenna is so happy! She sparkles and glows with a happiness and excitement that remind me of Christmas day after opening the most wonderful present under the tree! Jenna and Eric have been given such a precious gift...the gift of Sam. The long road called the adoption process brought many twists and turns for Eric and Jenna (if you'd like to read more about their adoption process, go to Jenna's blog here). I'm just so happy to see them as parents - they've waited for this for so long.

Our visit was short, but sweet. We got to play a great game of Chutes & Ladders and I got to learn a bit more about Samantha. I also enjoyed letting Sam know about some of the silly stunts her mother and I were involved in over the years...I can't wait to share more! Jenna and I have known each other for around 25 years, and it's such a joy that we've both become mothers! I loved meeting Sam and even Annika was quite taken with her - she especially loved Sam's long hair and kept reaching out to touch her face.

Here's Annika with Aunty Jenna

Welcome Home, Samantha Mary Grace Hoff!

Penny

Sunday Hat

Look what I made yesterday! It's such an adorable little hat with a shell border (found the free pattern at The Crafty Tortoise's blog which I've been enjoying thoroughly!) I'm loving how sweet the little floppy shells are and how they cover Annika's pretty brown eyes.

I also love the crocheted flower - so cute!! I added a couple extra petals than the pattern had (probably more a mistake than by design) but I think it turned out pretty decent. {I love how Annika struck a Vanna pose to show off her new hat!}


I think I would like this a bit more with a solid colour yarn for the hat, so I may try and make it again in brown with a pretty pink flower - or maybe a big daisy! What do you think?

Penny

Poor Sick Herman

We have two plants in our home: one is named Gertrude; the other, Herman. Don't ask me why these plants have names - they're my husband's plants from his bachelor days.

Gertrude is a lovely flowing ivy plant that seems to be flourishing in our kitchen, draping nicely over our window and sprouting healthy little leaves. She is a low-maintenance plant that just requires regular watering and some light to thrive. Just my kind of plant. I enjoy plants, but I'm not very good with indoor plants. I much prefer working with outdoor plants...I love digging in my flower bed in the spring and summer months.

I digress. Our other plant, Herman, is a strange looking potted corn plant of some sort. He's ugly and is very needy. He can't be by a cold wall, can't be in a drafty place, needs light (but not too much!), and is a downright nuisance. BUT, he's Scott's plant and he's been around for probably close to 10 years! So Scott isn't very impressed with my plant tending because Herman is simply very sick looking. His leaves have been growing progressively yellower and have begun to droop. In fact, a couple of his arms/shoots/whatever you want to call them have fallen off. I've been trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong with him...anybody have any ideas? Any guidance for someone with an apparent black thumb?!

Here's Herman. He's seen better days.


Penny

We are a Costco Family

We love going to Costco!! I think we usually head there once every week or two to check out what's new and interesting...and yes, we indulge in Costco samples as well!

Costco has figured out the recipe to keep customers happy (well, our family at least). I've never had a problem with returning any items - even without the receipt or a year or two later. The items they stock are usually excellent quality and are always backed by Costco's great customer service.

My favourite stops in the store are usually the clothing and the books/movie area. They have great lines of clothing (Pekkle & Carter for babies are my faves) at excellent prices. From time to time I'll pick up a great sweater or t-shirt for half the price of a mall store. Being a bookworm, I rarely pass up the chance to see what books are out on the table. Although I have a library card and use it frequently, I still like to buy books to throw on my bookshelf for that rainy day when I need a good read.

We're in the market for a new dining room set since ours is literally falling apart chair by chair - it's a set Scott bought second hand in his bachelor days and its certainly on its last legs...haha! I'm thinking we'll make our dining set purchase an online Costco purchase. Even better than visiting Costco and buying quality items, is having those same quality items delivered directly to your front door! Super handy when you're buying bulky items that are a real pain to transport.

Although we could use the new dining set now, I think I may just hold off on the purchase until we find a bigger house. We're beginning our house hunting efforts - wish us luck! :) When we do find our new home, we'll have lots of fun filling it with all sorts of Costco treasures!

Penny

Happy Six Month Baby!

My baby's six months old today! This is a fun baby stage...lots of learning and exploring. It's so neat to watch Annika look at new things - makes me wonder what's going on in that little head! She is definitely quite sociable and likes to visit and check people out (especially other little babies). She's such a happy, alert little baby and a real joy in our lives. :)

It's about time for us to start baby-proofing the house I think! Before we know it, this little munchkin will be crawling and getting herself into all sorts of trouble! We bought a couple plug thingies this weekend and some door locker doo-dads. I guess the best way to see what we need to change is to get down on hands and knees and look at the room from a baby's angle. I think I'll have to do that and see what types of hazards we have laying around. I'm sure there are a few!! I wonder what I do with our big potted palm we have...I guess I should find a way to make the dirt inaccessible, otherwise I'll have to be prepared to clean up dirt off the floor (and out of her mouth!)

I took her in for her shots this week and she did so well! She cried for the second shot for just a couple seconds - what a trooper. While we were there I had to get my tetanus shot as well...and let me tell you, my arm hurts!! Yowzers...it bothered me all night and it's already been 2 days since we had our shots. I guess Mommy's a big wuss!

Have a great day!
Penny

SPCC #33 - A Cheery Card

Well for this week's entry for the SP colour challenge, I decided to use my new Cricut...just to see what it can do! Took forever to glue together all the little bits, but I like the way it turned out. I only used one stamp on the pink square behind Me & You...so a little light on the stamps, but it worked.

Certainly a bright and beautiful combo of colours to bring us out of the winter ho-hums!

Penny

Out With the Old

I think it's time to go through clothing again and get rid of all the stuff that doesn't fit or has never been worn. I think Annika's pile of too-small clothing will definitely be the biggest!

It's amazing how fast babies grow out of stuff. She has so many cute little outfits and sleepers. I have a box full of clothing she's grown out of that I want to keep for the next Baby Nabozniak. I also have a stack of clothing I've started giving to my friends who are expecting, and another stack for Goodwill. Our little kidlet has a massive wardrobe! I have taken pictures of the stuff for Goodwill in case I decide to sell them on Kijiji, but I'm thinking I may not. Anybody out there need some baby clothing ranging from 3-6 months mainly?

What would be really handy is if I can loan out large items like the baby swing and baby chairs to those same friends expecting little ones...they can use them while their babies are young enough and then give them back after. It would be a perfect storage solution for us, and that way we'd get the baby stuff back...maybe just in time for Baby Nab #2 (at some point in the future)!

I may try to hit up a Fabricland today to get some items so that I can begin my sewing! I have a bunch of pants/shirts that need fixing, and who knows, maybe I'll try to sew something for Annika!

I'll leave you with a picture of our special delivery!


Penny

What a Weekend

Aside from falling down the stairs, this was such a great weekend! Scott didn't have to go in to work at all which was really nice. We went to the car show on Saturday night with some friends and then had a good visit at our place afterwards.

Sunday we did a bit of shopping and took it easy. We had Scott's folks over for supper and had yummy steaks. I was completely taken aback when his parents came in the house bearing gifts....for me!! What a wonderful surprise when I opened them up and found a brand new sewing machine and a Cricut Create!! YAY!! I'm going to have a lot of fun playing with my new toys. I'm sew excited (haha!)

The whipped cream and cherry on my sundae of a weekend is that Annika is doing fantastic sleeping in her crib! Last night she slept from 8 pm to 3 am, woke up to eat, and then went back to sleep until 6:30. She had a bit more to eat and is still sleeping! How fantastic is that?! And she didn't cry at all when I put her down in her crib. Sigh...we have such a precious little munchkin. :)

Wow, it's February already. Amazing how fast January went by...have a great week everyone!

Penny