Thursdays always feel a little rushed to me – it is Ken’s gaming night with the guys (luckily over here) so his evening is booked solid and I am on my own for prep and finishing work. So I am thinking a late night for me  to get a move on the tidying of all the school supplies.

The boys started their morning nice and busy – more insect time on the computer with daddy – this time to watch a spider weave its web! Not my sort of thing (I am so NOT a fan of spiders of any size or variety) but the boys LOVED it! I think the time with Ken working on this has been so wonderful for them and has Ken already thinking about the next Daddy and kids only lapbook – this one I think penguins with the intent of budgeting in enough to go to the local zoo mid November.

This moved on to choosing pieces of paper for the finishing of their colours and shapes lapbook (sorry no completion yet as other things interfered and drew interest away). I want to have a large portion of the yellow/brown folders covered with colourful paper to brighten up the book a bit. I do have a lot of scraps and random pages from our crafts and my own projects. Ken figures he will sit down with each boy tomorrow and finish them on their own. This is a week past when I WANTED it to be done but I have a definite policy that we FINISH what we start!

After that the boys got to try out the game we picked up at the Reuse Centre – Connect 4! Definitely a success fun wise – not so much in the actual game rules and theory but we gave it a go. It was rather hard to play with Trinity arbitrarily dropping red and black pieces in as she pleased. Definitely great for working on taking turns, counting, patterns and good sportsmanship…

Connect 4! (Gavin left)

That was about it for our morning as the call of clean white snow in the back yard was just too much! So we bundled them up and sent them out until they were too cold and damp to play any longer. This has brought the mitten situation to a climax though! Emanuel has a nice pair of mittens we got him from Children’s Place last year on clearance at the end of the season, but the twins have only cloth ones my mom found us and yarn ones that are now too small… So if anyone knows of a knitter with extra mittens or where I can get them at a bargain price please let me know! It is enough to make me with I knit! (It is one of the crafts on my “to learn” list!)

Boys In the Snow (Zander blue)

Speaking of crafts and learning, tomorrow I meet up with a member from a local crafting ladies egroup to get okayed for my membership! I am a little nervous as well as excited. This group meets twice a month IN PERSON so it is definitely a great opportunity to meet more people involved and interested in some of the same stuff I am. They actually meet next on Sunday but with Ken’s birthday next week and our pumpkin carving party I just don’t have the time to spare. It is exciting to find something for myself outside the house again though.

This has been a busy week for us with the holiday Monday and to add to the library trip and the snow was a visit to the Art Gallery of Alberta. It was the pay what you may evening so we were able to get in for free. It was not exactly what we were expecting – all architectural models and pictures of the finished buildings. The boys did maintain some level of excitement as some of the models had trees, people and even cars but it was certainly not the ART we were expecting to see. Luckily it only cost us the 5.00 for an hour of parking (OUCH!).

No Photos IN Gallery so This is All We Got

Before we made it to the Art Gallery we stopped at my favourite local needle store. I did some reconnaissance for my advent exchange person and drooled over some patterns and checked out buttons. I am looking forward to when we can return next week with my survey money and do some shopping (Ken is going to advance me the money hehe). I am bursting with ideas I just need to spend a wee bit more time wandering to be sure I get the best options possible! They had a little corner in the store with a playhouse that all 4 kids made great use of! So it definitely is in the realm of possibility to drag everyone back in there with me and get Ken’s opinion!

Gotta Love a Playhouse! (Gavin sitting)

Mail today came with a PLEASANT surprise for once! (not so the phone which had a bank who holds one of my student loans call barely 3 business days after a payment demanding the payment we made FRIDAY instead of waiting 3-5 days like they are supposed to – oh well) A lovely lady gifted us with a year’s subscription to the magazine Family Fun. I had only a few minutes to look through it today but already have found ideas! Recipes, craft activities… ideas galore! So I will be sure to share any and all that we use!

Thank You!!

I do not have any beading to report that I, myself have done, BUT the boys each made up a pumpkin for their pumpkin lapbook we are starting on Monday. Emanuel decided HIS needed a face so Ken helped him make a jack-o-lantern style pumpkin. Very cute! And a great small motor control practice.

Pumpkins Ready for the Lapbook

Ken sat down last night and finished off Zander’s sled for him last night! Very cute, though with the Ikea beads it definitely does not feel as sturdy as with the Perler. I am hoping he and Gavin can sit down tomorrow and finish the tree (it really is a much more difficult pattern and Gavin has a hard time looking at the pattern and reproducing, we really need to get some clear pegboards for him!).

Completed Sled

There was one other package that came today – one I was waiting on! Trinity’s puppy is here from Etsy and I am overjoyed with it! So cute and so well made, I am definitely going to post it for one and all to see and before Christmas no less! I think she will adore it (though I am not sure it will take the place of her soft heart blanket that suddenly she won’t go anywhere in the house without! It was a gift from my dad, his wife and my sister). I am very happy with the entire purchase and would definitely recommend buying from wwoodbury.

Isn't He Adorable??

With tonight being the boys only gaming night I have a lovely pile of laundry with my name on it as well as some shows on my dvr to watch and a brand new stitch to work on. Sadly I can’t talk about it since it is potentially a gift for two different people but I CAN say it is going well and will eventually be on the pattern page though as a free pattern since it refers to a specific part of a well known movie. Ken is really getting into pattern development and starting to talk about more difficult pieces. He is going to keep me busy and I am glad! Hopefully by tomorrow night our patterns will be back up with the new paypal pay scale. They should all be VERY reasonable around 2 or 3 dollars depending on whether or not it includes an alphabet or the pattern itself needs to be personalized for you!

But the laundry is calling me as is  the homeschool corner for me to clean. I am determined to make some sort of order out of that always moving clutter. That means banishing our dvds and some of my books to the basement. OUCH And sitting here writing in my blog is certainly NOT getting these things done!

Teaching Her to Make Lists Young!

You know it was a hot weekend when you start thinking about wishing it would SNOW… but the truth is it is a heck of a lot easier to WARM UP than to COOL DOWN! With the temperature hitting the 30’s (celcius) it was hard enough to stay motivated let alone active.

Friday was a warm day to begin with. I had to limit the kids’ time outside and spent most of our day with them in the basement and us upstairs in front of the fan. Even then it was far from cool and comfortable.

Daddy and His Little Girl

Sharing a Giggle

We moved the pool to under the tree so at least the time the boys were allowed out was spennt in the shade. And of course a nice cool and LONG bath after for all 3. Trinity as has become somewhat of a routine ended up in her baby bath in the livingroom… something she has come to expect and REALLY enjoy! Though this time we had to dump out and refill after an “accident” in the bath…

Beating the Heat!

Chris and Chris stopped by with all the fixings for dinner the next day… including condiments (so smart since we are low on those) and DEER burgers! Homemade of course! Something I have never had before. So we also got in a little visit, adult company is ALWAYS nice. Especially with people who share Ken’s sense of humour (that can be FEW and FAR between!)

Saturday Ken slipped out of the house before Trinity and myself had awoken leaving the boys watching a cartoon. With the day projected to be blisteringly hot I sent the boys out straight after breakfast (and my bath) to play in the backyard taking Trinity with to pick raspberries and enjoy what little shade there was. After lunch when the heat REALLY hit we all went down to the basement (bliss) where we all pitched in – some to a greater degree (ie. ME) and cleaned the basement… well the toy room and bonus quiet room. It took over an hour and a nice lecture about how things will have to GO BACK to where they were EVERY TIME or toys may just start disappearing! We shall see how long it lasts… to date they have been beyond excellent with putting their toys back in order with minimum fuss. Trinity found some baby dolls to play with that for some reason wouldn’t do exactly what she thought they should so she spent most of HER time yelling at them! It was quite entertaining and she still seemed to be having fun so we left her to it.

BEFORE the Clean

AFTER the Clean (Gavin in blue)

All of that added to my earlier work on the livingroom and the kitchen (clean counter tops and stove and everything!) and I felt quite accomplished! On the other hand; Chris, Chris, Ken and Chris (female)’ daughter Amanda and her boyfriend Sheldon (who is Scottish) were hard at work moving. They actually had to stop mid afternoon just because it was so hot and leave the rest to go back to on Sunday.

So around 3pm everyone showed up here at the house with beer and tired people. After a bit of gaming on the Xbox 360 (thank goodness Chris and Chris had 2 extra controllers we only have one) Chris (male) set to work making the deer burgers… which apparently have to be mixed with regular hamburger as there is so little fat and alone they don’t stay together! We also had chips and dip and watched Hogfather the movie. Rested, drank beer and visited. Talk about fun!

Chris and Ken Dishing Up

DEER Burgers!

So I have tried Deer! Add that to my trying of Sushi and I am feeling quite experimental! We have made plans with Nathan and Ada to go to the Heritage Festival next weekend where there will be food from all over the world as Ken has told me he will “make it happen.” We have been so tight with our budget I have basically not done ANYTHING that cost extra this month (besides parking at City Hall) so I feel this treat would be well worth it – 10.00 for the bus both ways and then 25.00 for 30 food tickets… of course bring snacks as some items are more than one ticket. But fun! And with a fun couple too! AND my first  tine on a bus! ANYWAY…

Saturday night did NOT cool down so the boys asked to sleep in the basement and actually were VERY good about it! All 3 of them down in the quiet room on the futon though Gavin came up late in the night saying it was not soft enough (it IS a very thin mattress) and slept the rest of the night in his room. Emanuel thought it was the most AMAZING treat! And they only came up 4 times to say good night lol.

Sleeping in the Basement (Gavin in blue)

Ken, Trinity and I on the other hand were up way past our bed time. It was creeping up on midnight before Trinity went to sleep as we did not want her laying in the room screaming in the heat. Myself I PLANNED on going to bed before midnight but was up until near 2 am just waiting for it to cool down. Luckily Ada and Nathan were also online so there was someone to talk to. Though the lucky ducks had their balcony to go onto that eventually had cooled down a bit. Finally at about 4 am when Ken went to bed (figures) there was a rather major storm. I remember hearing wind and for some reason jumping almost a foot when Ken went to bed but missed the whole thing! And of course all the cool weather THAT brought in was gone by lunch time today!

Sunday dawned relatively cool. Ken didn’t have to head over until 9 as Chris found a flat on their truck last night (darn you Murphy!) and was the first one to their old place. It took them a little longer than expected to get the move done as the cable man showed up to hook up their internet and all but it all got finished.  lucked out – I made the boys scrambled eggs with cheese and ham and then trucked everyone outside. I got a nice sized bowl of raspberries this morning and another this evening. Half are in the freezer. The boys got in some play time and then played in the basement before lunch  (more deer burgers)… Nathan and Ada came by in the afternoon so I even had some adult company! And then when Chris, Chris and Ken got home everyone had burgers and more visiting. I think I have gotten more adult company this weekend than in the whole month and it has ROCKED!

The boys had time in the pool, freezies, and spent hours downstairs without major fighting. Although as soon as I called my mom to say happy birthday Emanuel bit Zander andGavin started arguing with them – figures – phone is like a magic switch for my kids to go BONKERS! Ken and I have decided we will take the family to a family gathering for my mom’s Morse side. They have yet to meet Trinity and the last time we were at a family get together was when my grandma died. Sadly this means going to my cousin’s wedding on my dad’s side may not be possible (though it was dicey to begin with – they are over 3 hrs away where as this is only an hour) BUT we DID see them at Christmas… I hate to miss a Reinsch gathering but what can you do? Gas is pricey and budget SUPER tight… I am hoping on a mini miracle on Monday which would allow us BOTH trips but am not getting too optimistic. If nothing else I am already working on a wedding sampler pattern… he suggested leather and skulls, the colours are teal and chocolate brown… I am thinking maybe go a little gothic style (not GOTH but gothic… period style) and sneak in a skull but do it in those two rich colours with a more feminine alphabet… I just need to source it all out! This is a rather special date for my mom as it is a memorial for her aunt who passed away last year AND a celebration of the family owning the same piece of farm land for 100 yrs!!! Amazing huh?

Right now all 3 boys are bunked down in the basement – this time with an air mattress on top for extra “soft” to keep Gavin happy. I figure as long as they are good and it is hot what a treat right?

Our plans for tomorrow aren’t too shabby either – we need to go back to the H & W… there is a sale on grapes, carrots, peaches, etc… drop off some library books sometime that day, pick raspberries, talk about farmers and play outside. And… if I can keep Ken motivated and the weather stays hot – back to the Leg this time EVERYONE in bathingsuits and Trinity in the floaty thing we bought way back when to SIT in the bigger fountain – BLISS! So stuff to look forward to to be sure!

Of course we are still hoping on forward movement with all of our stresses right now.. as well as some sort of response from our MP on our government problem (boo). So who knows Monday could be a really good day or…. more of the same? Lets shoot for really good and if my calls don’t come through I will MAKE it good!

Backyard Berries

After all who can be blue when there are so many yummy raspberries around? Oh… Best line of the weekend – Trinity was standing in front of the tv blocking the boys’ view… Zander stood up with a toy for her – a cup with a suction cupped ball stuck in it: “Trinity ball… stuck in a cuppy…” and the moment she took it “…now go away…” all in the same sing song tone lol!!!