The Simple Life

I was doing some hunting around for release dates for Alex's new 'love it' series Captain Underpants and I came across this gem at the end of the author's comic version of his life:

I swear, I'm going to see about having that printed on a shirt!! Sometimes you can just have enough of educator's flip outs over any behavior that isn't perfect and not be a 'neglectful' parent who doesn't care. It should be ok to support our children with their homework but let them make a mistake without people presuming that we could care less. It should be a right to take back family time and let our kids be kids after the recommended 10 minutes of homework per grade level and not feel like we're setting our children up for failure. With the number of commercials now that promote the message 'Just be' it would be nice if we could revert back to simpler times when children were allowed to 'just be'!

A Wedding Meme

1. Where / how did you meet?We met at a Computer Science Beer Garden, he thought I was dating my roommate (obviously male)
2. How long have you known each other?9 years
3. How long after you met did you start dating?After running a couple back ground checks on him we were dating within a month
4. How long did you date before you were engaged?6 years, 5 months, 6 days
5. How long was your engagement?8 months 24 days
6. How long have you been married?21 months 8 days
7. What is your anniversary?May 20th
8. How many people came to your wedding reception?60+
9. What kind of cake did you serve?Irish Cream fondant cake with wild berry butter cream
10. Where was your wedding?Fredericton, NB
11. What did you serve for the meal?Wild Mushroom Ragout on puff pastry, Turkey dinner, chocolate mousse cake
12. How many people were in your bridal party?3
13. Are you still friends with them all?I hope so!
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?bah!I don't think I've ever seen him cry
15. Most special moment of your wedding day?I can’t think of any thing that was more special that anything else. Although I did like it when our son joined our first dance
16. Any funny moments?Definitely. A certain groom didn't listen to where he was supposed to get dressed and when we arrived at the hotel my matron of honor kicked him and her husband out...when we got upstairs we found her husband's pants and she had to run after him. Then there was the misfiring of the champagne on our way to the picture site...I think my poor matron of honor is still deaf.
17. Any big disasters?Waking up VERY sick
18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?Still planning it
19. How long were you gone?I'll let you know when we go
20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?Not a thing, although maybe I would have gotten a pick of our get away vehicle
21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?Left
22. What size is your bed?Queen-Just like me :P
23. Greatest strength as a couple?We are polar opposites so we've got everything covered
24. Greatest challenge as a couple?Division of duties
25. Who literally pays the bills?I do, then I bill him
26. What is your song?We played Amazed by Lonestar at our wedding. Although I Love You Then I Hate You may have been more appropriate :P
27. What did you dance your first dance to?At our wedding Amazed, at a club Believe by Cher
28. Describe your wedding dress.White, double beaded spaghetti straps, train, organza wrapped at the waist in the front openning over a smattering of crystal beads. Simple and whimsy
29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?NO CARNATIONS! Other than that the ladies had white Callalillies, DH had a double mini callalilly pinned to him and the rest of the men had red roses.
30. Are your wedding bands engraved?No, mine is an eternity band and it's next to impossible with the channeled diamonds

Are We There Yet??

Thank goodness March break is around the corner! I think I used up all of my fun time on Cathey's Pink Party Saturday :)

Alex got home safe and sound from a trip to Matt's parent's shortly after I arrived home from the party. He had Thursday and Friday off of school so I had suggested that he could go up with Matt to work, meet his grandmother and spend the night and come back with Matt the next day. However the words 'next day' were completely LOST on someone, he must have tuned me out in shock after I even suggested the issue. Thankfully it was Baiden Powell day at church and he had to be back by Sunday at least. I figured it was a short visit, that didn't involve us having to drive all the way up there and me ending up with a migraine, it scored some brownie points with DH and it should relieve the 'we're not coming for Easter' blow ;) Alex informed me that he only cried 3 times, so I guess we'll hold off for another year on a full week of summer camp. However we have been looking at a 'mini' camp that only runs two nights for him to try out.

This week has just been a nightmare, Alex's snowpants didn't come back from his visit which involved having to stalk the SMT station. He forgot his homework at school Tuesday and due to a snowday yesterday and beaver's tonight goodness knows when he's going to study for his spelling test. DH has been on the lazy side and it's NOT the week I need to have to spend extra time picking up his slack, especially where this has NOT been the funnest week in the office, arghh...

However there is a small silver lining ;) Avoidance of those who drive me nuts has led to a bit more stitching and definitely reading time. I was soo relieved when I got to putting the first colour into the top of the border and both sides matched up on Miss Vicki. I'm really hoping I can wrap her up over the March break. Then maybe I'll be able to stitch up Bent Creek's Easter Snapper in time for Easter.

Speaking of March break, what's on the agenda?:

-Finish touching up paint in craft room
-Sanding headboard for craft room (as I have to return the sander)
-Hopefully move Alex's play bins down to the play room to free up some closet space
-Disassemble change table
-Stitch
-Family Trip to the Clay Cafe
-See The Waterhorse at the toonie movies
-See The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything at the toonie movies
-Head to the Miramichi
-Read :)

Fired!

Well not me but my plate :) Here it is back from the kiln

Got A Plan Stan?

Omigosh, I think I finally have some idea just what I want to stitch this year! It's not that I don't have the bug but last year was soo goal oriented with the completion of the family set of
stockings that I seemed to be going through a commitment rebellion of sorts.

So here it goes so far...
1) Victorian Christmas Eve by Nora Corbett (heading in the home stretch)
2) Pumpkin Hill by Shepherd's Bush (seeing as I started it the night I forgot Miss Vicki)
3) Far Far Away by Shepherd's Bush (started last year while waiting for Miss Vicki's fabric)
4) Crescent Dreams by Mirabilia/Nora Corbett
5) Toss up between A Dragon's Garden or Fairytale Sampler by Dragon Dreams (Alex's Christmas present)
6) Ornaments!!!
7) 1/3 of Snowman Trio
8) Easter and Halloween Snappers by Bent Creek

Now that's the list for now although it leaves plenty of room for other projects. One I'd really like to do would be MLI's Isabelle's Garden although Firefly Fairies, or even finishing Guardian Angel would be neat as well.

Crafty Photo Session

Nora Corbett's Victorian Christmas Eve ~ aka Miss VickiCeramic dragon painted for Alex

Alex's new pencil holder for his homework space. Painted by one Alex Côté :)

Confessions of a Negligent Blogger

Omigosh, it's been how long?? I guess it's just been one of those months. Since I last blogged Matt had a week of on call work that disrupted my sleep to no end. I figure I don't get bonus pay for the phone waking me up so the next rotation one of us is sleeping elsewhere! Mom and dad had an extended visit due to the snowstorm but it did make for a nice relaxed celebration of her *number censored* birthday. By wednesday all of the excitement and the cold Alex had been
harboring caught up with me and now I'm stuck with a miserable cold :(

Needless to say however all of the downtime has led to a bit more stitching (progress pic coming soon) and alot of reading. If someone had told me this time last year that I'd be picking up a new book series in the summer and be pretty much done all 16 books this time last year I would have laughed at them. Now I'm trying to go between what books to read next. I'm halfway through Sue Graton's Kinsey Milhone series which I really like, I have a new Laura Childs scrapbook mystery to read (but that'll be quick), Monica Ferris' latest paperback stitching adventure or maybe I'll try out the new Joanne Fluke book I picked up the other day. Say what people will about Walmart but if they're going to offer new books to me at 6 dollars and change I'm in ;)
In our Miss 'Vicki' SAL I have digital scrapbooking to thank for letting me pull ahead a little (perhaps). I really like working on this piece and can't wait until the main stitching is done so I can stitch in the whisper and play with the beads. After that I have a number of potential projects but goodness only knows what'll be next ;) 2008 is plan free year, maybe a gift here and there but otherwise I'm plan free....maybe because I desperately need a weekend of finishing!!

On the family side of things Alex continues to grow up before our eyes. This weekends revelation? He no longer wants characters on his underwear!! Omigosh, I think I was his age when I finally got to the US and got a pair of Underoo's as Canada seemed to be lacking in the cool underwear department. I mean years of Saturday morning cartoons brainwashed me into thinking they were a must ;) Mind you it's probably cheaper this way but still, not nearly as much fun. Part of my time this past couple of weeks has also been alotted to creating a new book blog for Alex. I kind of wanted a 'check out' spot to send friends and family to if they ever wanted to pick him up something without having to do a mental inventory of what books he likes and has everytime, I have it over on my sidebar to actually catch a glimpse at what I was doing. This weekend we also went over to Faith Ann's DS' pirate party yesterday which Alex is still talking about, if I didn't know how exhausted she was I'd hire her as my next party planner ;)

Deja Vu

Wasn't I just posting about visits from the tooth fairy??

Alex pre-tooth loss ;)

A Little Update

Victorian Christmas Eve - Nora Corbett Progress as of Feb 3/08