These are the Snowmen

in my neighborhood in my neighborhood in my neighborhood...

I made a biscuit man.

I apologize for the miserable lighting but night seems to be the only time when I can do this.
This guy is actually HUGE. The dark doesn't do it justice.
This is an 'Igloo' climb in through the mouth. Today the mouth started to close up with the melt.

Quick Stuff

Quickly I would like to say:
Megan- I can't see your recent pictures?
Shannon I can't see yours still/yet too?!
Could these things be related because you guys have virtually the same template? What can I do to see again?
It's snowing more so just get over it! Can I get a babysitter for tonight so that I can got to the meeting that was postponed 2 weeks ago due to power outage? Nope, y'all seem to be afraid of the snow.
Is there anyone out there who needs books by/before Christmas? By books I mean Usborne Books, from me. Kathy, you mentioned something some weeks ago but we have both been quite busy so I haven't heard from you. We have some great specials and fabulous books for children of all ages I will be putting an order in sometime before the 4th of December so please let me know. If you are not familiar with Usborne please check it out online @ www.usborne.com or ASK ME! The catalogue is www.usborne.com/catalogue .
Also if you would like to have a party in the month of January and you choose your date before Dec.15th you will qualify for twice the amount of FREE books! So call me, e-mail me & comment to me ASAP.
Thanks
M

Gingerbread...Train

This is the kit that we bought at the store for just under $10.
This is what we were able to do with the kit and some leftover Halloween candy.
This was all started by being at Jennifer's and got Gabriel hooked on eating icing. Naturally I have the desire to go out a buy one that I can do alone and make it just right but this one screams 'I did it all by myself!' by Gabriel and Chris.

Sleeping Arrangements

I was going to write about this differently but I am doing this instead. It doesn't really matter since you don't know what I was going to do.
Pop Quiz- Who is really asleep in their designated sleeping spot and who isn't?




You don't get a prize if you were there or live there, sorry that'd be like cheating. It's not that hard to figure out anyway. Just funny. :)

My snowman's better

than your snowman neeneeneeneeneenee (I hope I got that right).

Actually I had nothing to do with this I was asleep (read: hungover) while this happened in my backyard.

And this is just one of my baby angels, they are all over the 'lawn'. :)

Bread

Bread you say? yep that's right. Last week (1 week today!), while at my sister's place we were having Turkey dinner and the question came up of where to put the bread to dry as it could no longer be left in the oven since we needed the oven to cook and her kitchen is...poorly designed (by a man no doubt). So I said put it up there...he's good with bread you know... we had a laugh and there the bread stayed for a while longer.:)

Plan B

Plan B was go to Japan and teach English. Chris still has contacts there and we would have needed a break from accounting had he not passed.
Really there was no option he had to pass and maybe that's why he did, he works well in high pressure environments.

Chartered Accountants

So like yeah some details eh? There aren't any really you are either competent or you're not.
On Friday morning we checked the computer listing, the results are released by # at 7am and then by name at 9am on the CASB website. The number is like a lottery ticket that you get on the cover of your exam in September and are expected to not loose it or at least memorize it for months. 2596. At 6:59 Chris hit refresh on the screen because he was up because the kids were up, and the page came up new and there was the list. He scrolled down, holding his breath the whole time not doubt (he was also holding my hand). I didn't have my glasses on and I was too far away from the screen to see it before he jumped up, started crying and talking about how we don't have to go to Japan! (long story about plan B). I looked at the list and sure enough I felt like we had won the lottery. We printed the page and checked the # again as we started dialing phones and waking up family and friends.
At the office in the city there is a champagne toast at 11am then a 3 hour lunch at the fancy restaurant and a reception at 4pm at the office again. I have the privilege of having excellent friends who were able to take my children so that I could be the proud wife for the champagne and lunch. I chose to go gather my children in the afternoon and meet my husband the CA at home around 7pm.
It was surreal for our entire family. We can now begin the rest of our lives. Planning and the future. Top 3 moments in Chris' life are the births of our perfect sons and this. There is a grin on his face that won't soon disappear. It is just a wonderful feeling.
Saturday was the company winter party where he was able to stand and be recognized for his achievements. I don't think I spoke to a single person last night who didn't say something along the lines of 'we didn't care if anyone else passed, it was all about Chris this time'.
I celebrated a bit hard, Chris' coach (mentor) was in charge of the drink tickets and we definitely had 'the hook up'. I had the pleasure of nursing my hangover with most of the day off, as I was in rough shape. Well deserved day off. I wish I could have let Chris have one too. :)

As for other things my outlook inbox is sending me 9 copies of anything in my inbox. And I intend to post pictures soon.

I feel

Nauseous. And I'm not even the one out at the 'piss-up'. Does anyone else feel nauseous?

About time

So it's about time I posted something eh? You might think that I have all kinds of wonderful stories to tell about a trip and how driving in the car for 8+ hours with family and kids is a good'ol fun time. But I can't really think of anything that hasn't already been said about it...I might come up with something, just not today.
The main part of this blog is one thing....I don't ask for much, I haven't ever really asked for this before but here it is....please pray for Chris' exam result to be COMPETENCY ACHIEVED.
Part of me feels the need to justify to you the necessity of it and the other part of me feels that it is nobody's business but my own. So, if you're the praying kind of person as I know many of you are, if you believe in some higher power, some sense of yin/yan, some sense of karma, some type of anything beyond yourselves please please please pray to it that this year will be the one where he passes. I don't know what he'll do if he doesn't.
M
P.S.The tension is tight around here. The result will be known by 7:15am Friday November 24.

I Still cannot get the video to load the way I want it and it's really annoying. Why isn't photobucket as easy for me as it used to be? Is this one of those damn beta things?
In any case I will have lots more pictures to load when I get home.
I feel like I need to blog even though I haven't really got anything to say.

Out to Lunch

I am going to my sister in less than 24 hours I will be there. The vids won't load properly so, you won't get them.:( sad for you.
Chris will be here reading a book and working, results are 8 sleeps away.
I am freakin' out.
Might post while I'm out...if I get a chance.

I've got it

all lined up and as soon as I can get it working there will be something new.

11-11-11

Not that there is anything much to say but I thought I'd let y'all know that between me and the table I won...by not smashing into it.
I am feeling slightly better as we are 'renting' a TV to watch my shows.
Gabriel really does have bronchitis to Dr. said his lungs sounded like a combination between bagpipes and old velcro, so he's on the amoxo.
My business might be REALLY picking up in a HUGE way. (but we'll see).
I have a super cute video of Michael to post...maybe I'll get it from the camera now.
It's almost 11 on the 11 of 11.

Fantastic day

I just wanted everyone to know that today was so amazing and great. I know that you can't feel the sarcasm seething through your computer but oh man it's thick.
The computer crashed in the middle of the book order!
The TV is way more broken and the prognosis isn't good.
I finally caught that damn cold these sickies have been harbouring for weeks.
I don't even know anyone near by who watches my shows so that I could go watch with them.
I have had pretty steady thoughts about smashing my head into the table to see which would break, me or it?
I can't really imagine life feeling much worse (I know it could be but, this is about me).
I have a friend and her worst problem right now is that she got a boob lift and can't do anything for 3 weeks. WAAAHHH. (If only it were that hard for us all)
There is more and I have already said too much.
Send money now.

Brush your Teeth

While I was out the other night I guess Chris took these pictures. I found them here on the computer. I think I should get one framed and put up in the bathroom. They are sweet when they want to be.

Currently they are not so sweet, they are SNOTTY!!!! And worse than that they are whiny! ( I have no idea if that's spelled right it sure looks wrong though)

Halloween

Tuesday October 31 2006. It was cold day, it was a long day, it was Halloween. Gabriel had been 'sick' for a few days on and off with a fever in the nights and runny nose, cough and the usual stuff. I took him to school because there was no way he was missing Halloween at school, I once missed Valentines day (Kindergarten?) and have had the left out feeling ever since. So I wasn't going to let that happen to him. After school we came home, he had fallen asleep in the car on the way home. I woke him asked him if he wanted to lie down or stay up, he said stay up and fell asleep on the couch as soon as his shoes and coat were off. I put him to bed where he continued to sleep for 2 hours. Let me remind you here that he has stopped regularly napping for sometime now. During the 2 hour nap I called other parents, my mother, my sister and Flo to see if Halloween is something that can be cancelled for 3 year olds. The unanimous decision was NO it cannot be cancelled, he has to do at least a few houses. When he woke up he ate (for the first time in 24hrs.) Toast, a banana, a yogurt, and chicken noodle soup for dinner. After that I decided we were out of the woods and he could go out.

We went to the K residence and we did the cul-de-Sac and 4 neighbouring houses.
Michael walked to nearly every door, we didn't bring the stroller, if you want candy then you walk. We wanted candy so, he walked.

2 kids' stuff.

We sort not only because of the EVIL of peanuts but because I like it. :)

Mushrooms

Ok I know, you were hoping for cute kids and their candy but instead I give you a small sampling of what I have seen in my backyard in the last 2 weeks.

This is in the yard alone, not including other peoples yards. Since the rain has increased substantially they are now gone.

Sandwiches

Strange that this title for a post would come up more than once....
One day I asked Gabriel what are we having for lunch. (This is usual since I am creatively sapped for healthy lunch kids will eat). He said he'd make the sandwiches. I laid out the bread and this is what we got...

Cheese on every piece and sparse amounts of tuna. I love that he tried and wouldn't let me help.:)

P.S. Are you just itching to see costume kids? I am prolonging it just to bug you.

P.S. It didn't take too long to pick a pumpkin b/c I wasn't walking forever with them and once you see a decent not rotten or kicked in one then you take it.

Pumpkin Patch

This is what I get when I say look at me and smile....nice eh? All the kids wore the green vests so we knew they were ours.
The line up behind him doesn't even describe how long the line-ups were. To add to that there was some confusion about being given a letter of the alphabet and having it mean NOTHING.

It was a good experience but next year I will NOT carry Michael in a back pack and 2 large pumpkins.
At the end of it all I did call Chris and tell him that next year he would be taking the day off work to participate in this wonderful time with his children.

The important part is that he had fun and I got the pictures to load into blogger.

Pictures

they will come...when it lets me. Right now it's not letting me so you will have to read stories without pictures for this one.
I went to a 'Hanky Panky' party on Thursday night at E.D.'s house and it was great! ha! I will be having my own in January so keep your calendars open for the 27th, you don't want to miss it. If I can add a link for it I will. There was some really great stuff and umm...conversations all with the strictest confidence. A fun time.
I am having 2 book parties next week and hope to make the rest of the money to pay my portion of the van rental to go to Oregon.
I am babysitting tonight for E.D. it's their anniversary. Dinner isn't made at it's 5pm. it is supposed to be my day off from that kind of thing.
G and I wen to a birthday party this afternoon and had a good time, made and excellent craft I will post a picture when it's dry.
gotta go.

Settings

So we got a new hard drive and it works and all my stuff was here! yay! but there have been some updates that have taken place and that means I have to learn new stuff and get used to seeing different screens when I ask for the same old junk. Make sense? Change. Which as I have said before I don't do too well with. Currently the area of change that concerns me most is that my blog favorites are alphabetized and I like them in a different order, I don't go seeing blogs based on letter of the alphabet. Anyway... Now I will work on resetting my settings and figuring out where to download pictures off the camera so that I can blog them.