... funny things are everywhere

home again

... and back to the grind! The alarm went off at 6:15 EST, which is like quarter-past-fricken-three-ay-em PST. Ugh! Let's just say I drank a lot of coffee this morning.

On my mind this evening:

1. My boys were so cute when they showed up at the airport to pick me up last night. And when I got home, I had to hide my eyes while they prepared their surprise for me... when I opened my eyes, they were standing together, each holding one side of a giant sign they had made for me. "Welcome Back Mommy!" it read. Thomas told me he drew the fat letters, and James coloured them in. And James drew the hearts and Thomas drew the stars! I will take pictures of it tomorrow when there's some natural light in the room.
2. What a thing to see, walking down the hall after a week and a half away from the office... my computer was sitting in the hallway, just outside my door, and there was a sheet of paper taped on it, saying "PC Defective." My computer ... it's dead. Some virus wiped out a good chunk of computers around the department. Good thing everything work related is saved on our network drives. Blah!
3. At home, my scrap desk has a pile of nsbr stuff on it. Plus all the scraps and supplies from the last three pages I made. Must clean desk. Must download photos from trip. Must scrap.
4. Hey, did you know that yesterday was Family Literacy Day? (or at least I think it was yesterday...) What better way to celebrate than to bring a pile of books home as gifts for the boys? Some kids might have been mifffed that their mom went on a trip and only brought books (and a t-shirt) home for them, but not my kids. :)
5. Ummmm... my To Scrap list (just so I don't forget) includes: what you love about me, weeks 3 and 4 of my 2007 week-by-week album, a sisters page, conversations from today's dinner, and why I scrap.
6. A big shout-out to one of my favourite scrappers in the whole world! Nic Howard, a gal I've been stalking online for almost two years now, has joined the design team for a GREAT scrapbooking kit company. Too bad Tarisota ships from half-way around the world! Click here to read about Nic! :D
7. We never get invited to anything. Seriously. So why is it that we have been invited to two parties in February, but both on the same day? Why?!
8. I'm not used to cooking for myself... after hanging out with my sister, Betty, for 10 days, I feel so spoiled. She cooked every meal we ate in her home. I joked with one of her friends that she wouldn't likely eat anything I cooked, but I seriously believe it to be true. She is a great cook and loves being in the kitchen. I suck at cooking and only do it because we have to eat something.
9. Like I said, no pics are available from my camera yet, but Betty e-mailed this to me from her camera phone:

Well, that's it from my little part of the world today. I hope you had a great day, whatever you were doing. :)

last day in San Diego

Well, it's my last day here... I fly out tomorrow morning to head home to the cold, northern climate. Wow, what a different world it is here, where it never rains and is always sunny and warm. Not that I would want to live in a desert, but it sure is a nice place to visit... especially in January!

Funny... Betty wanted to do so much when I was here, but the reality is that she is still recovering from major surgery. She's definitely on the mend, but she still needs to rest every afternoon. When she started talking about all the things she wanted to do on my last day, I had to keep reminding her I'm not here to sight-see.... I'm not here to shop... I'm here to keep her company and make sure she rests.

So today, we will likely do a bit of shopping (I need postcards!) and try to meet up with some more of her friends. We will try to stock up her fridge and pantry... and I will try to clean a few more things around her house. I am SO not the housework kind of gal, so she knows that, if she sets her standards low in this respect, she will not be disappointed. ;)

Some parting thoughts near the end of my trip:

1. I'm so glad I came. I'm glad Mike talked me into it (I hesitated to leave the boys behind for more than a week!), and I'm so grateful to him for willingly and ably taking on the parenting duties for the duration of my trip.
2. Doing the dishes by hand isn't so bad, especially if you get them done right after you dirty them! We'll see how long that attitude lasts when I get home! LOL
3. I have only had two cups of coffee since I arrived. I don't really miss it, although I've polished off a box of my sister's Oriental Delight tea. I'm sure it's a LOT less caffeine than I usually consume though, so that's a good thing, right?
4. We painted birdhouses! Well, I'm not done yet... but I've discovered the therapeutic effect of doing stuff with my hands... any craft will do, apparently. Scrapbooking, painting wooden structures... it's all good.
5. I feel so blessed to have such a deep and rich relationship with my sister. This week together has helped me realize the history that we share and the bonds of family and friendship hold us closer than I remembered. I'll be so sad to leave tomorrow and will be a sobbing mess on the plane as it taxis down the runway.

*sniff* Okay, gotta go paint! I'll be sure to take a picture of all the little birdhouses we Wong women have painted. Have a great day!

All Smiles...

I'm a happy gal today...

1. I got to watch Grey's Anatomy with Betty last night. What an awesome episode! Who would have guessed?!
2. We've had a good chance to chat and reconnect. I'd forgotten how good it feels to laugh like we did when we were kids. I really do miss having her live just down 16 and the 401 from us.
3. I finished an 8x8 scrapbook for my sister. I scrapped her kitty's pictures, from kittenhood to grumpy old cat (just kidding!), and it came together quickly. I'll share one of my favourite pages with you below...
4. Mike tells me the boys are behaving pretty well. I'm glad they're no longer stressed out by my being away.
5. The sunshine in this city is just plain good for my soul. I love it here and can see why she has made this her home. I'm so glad I'll always have someone to visit here. :)

Well, I'd better run... I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Thanks for popping by.

Finally!

I've finally managed to shake my cold, and the weather has really warmed up as well... so I'm back on track for the last part of my visit with my sister. We're taking it easy and just getting a few things done around the house. AND I'm scrapping! Totally at Betty's request... not because I'm a total addict. Really. Honestly. But I have to admit that I'm enjoying it. :)

So I had another visit with my friend, Tracy, this afternoon... and she took me to a scrapbook store! She had to pick a few things up before heading off to the big CHA trade show this weekend, so I got to go shopping with her. What a HUGE store she took me to - Cool Scrapbook Stuff... that place has everything! I didn't get much of a chance to browse (thank goodness!) but I did pick up a few sheets of paper that I'd never seen before... and some American Crafts thickers (foam letter stickers). Why can't I go into a LSS without buying letters of some sort?! *sigh*

*blush* I know, I know... another cheesy posed picture of me and some chick standing at a scrapbook store. I collect these things, you know! Soon I will be able to do an album called, "Good Friends and Stores with Pretty Paper" or something to that effect. Hey, I think this one marks only the ninth scrapbooking store I've visited. Apparently I'm not making enough detours when we're on vacation. *ahem* Mike...

Anyway, I've got tons of pictures, a few stories, and lots of little lip balms, hand creams and a new pair of pants to show for my trip so far. And lots of laughs and good memories. That's the important part. I'll be sad to see this week come to an end, but I'll be glad to get back to my boys. Man, I miss my three boys back home!

Random Thoughts from California

Well, here I am... in sunny California. It's beautiful here. The palm trees, the sunny skies, the valleys, the beaches... it's all breath-taking. My sister's house is lovely, situated in a beautiful neighbourhood, with a fabulous view from the window on the second floor. Her garden is lovely... apparently our mom did a lot of work on it when she was here in the fall. Anyway, I'm so glad I'm here... so very grateful that Mike talked me into making this trip.

I miss my boys though. Every time I see something, I think, "Oh, Thomas would LOVE Betty's tropical fish!" or "James would be climging onto that swing chair and asking me to push him." I was so sad when Thomas asked me, "Mommy, if I'm really good, can I go on your trip with you?" *sigh*

Anyway, here I am... no kids in tow. Nothing planned. Just reading for enjoyment and hanging out with my sis.

Random thoughts, San Diego edition...

1. I am the world's slowest reader. I never used to be, but I am just out of practice now. Maybe I'll be able to hone my reading skills during my week down here.
2. Why is it that I managed to stay healthy all fall and winter, only to wake up the day I was to fly out here... with a sore throat, the beginnings of a cold. Ugh!
3. My sister's house is full of stuff... just like my house... it's a family thing. We like to shop, and we don't like to get rid of things, you know, just in case.
4. Talked to my mom and other sister (in NS) using webcams today... man, my nephew Gabe is getting BIG! He's so cute... very handsome and looking less and less like a baby and more like a little boy. They change so fast at that age.
5. I watched a bit of football on TV this past weekend. I'd forgotten how much I LOVE football. Once a fan, always a fan.
6. Super Bowl LXI in less than two weeks. Forty-one! Wow, I can remember the first Super Bowl I watched. XVI - sixteen. San Fransisco vs. Cincinnati. That was like 25 years ago.
7. I can't wait to meet some of my sister's friends. She talks about them to me a lot, and I, being the bad-with-names, bad-with-details, need to put some faces to the names and stories she's been telling me for years and years.
8. I met my friend's girls for the first time last night. Yes, I got to hang out with the fabulous TracyAustin and her daughters... and I told Tracy that her girls were exactly as I'd imagined them to be, based on the photos and journalling on her scrapbook pages. Tracy does such an amazing job, capturing their personalities on film and in words... and that, my friends, is what scrapbooking is all about. (Luv ya, girl!)
9. It's amazing how much our lives focus on eating and shopping when we're not working!
10. Final thought for the evening... eating, reading, watching TV and shopping... and NOT exercising... a very bad mix. I promise to go for a run tomorrow!

Okay, I've written this over the course of a few hours. I'd better publish this before the day's through! Thanks for visiting. :)

so incredibly busy

I have a zillion things to do before I leave for San Diego tomorrow, but the one thing I did manage to do yesterday... I picked up my passport at the Passport Office, just as the commissionaire was about to lock the door at closing time. Geesh, why do people call me just as I'm about to head out of the office?! LOL

Actually, it was a very important call. When I saw on my call display who it was, I was relieved that she'd reached me. It was our speech-language pathologist. I'd left her a message about the difficulties Mr. T has been having in core French. Poor guy... so bright and so eagar to please, yet I'm certain he doesn't understand 90% of what's being said in French class, now that his teacher has switched to all-French, all the time. Ugh! We will meet with his teacher today to discuss his learning style and hopefully we can amend the IEP and start supporting him at home.

On my To Do list today:
- laundry (can't go on a trip with dirty clothes!)
- go to Costco and then the mall
- burn a CD of photos
- grocery shopping
- call furnace guy (relative humidity way too low)
- pack for my trip

See, that wasn't too bad. Somehow, no matter how crazy or stressful the situation is, a list makes me feel better. ;)

No time to create mcuh lately, other than a mess on my desk. But I do have this to show for my efforts.

Can you believe it? I'm starting to work on volume 3 of my Book of Me. Since January 2005, I've created over 60 pages about my memories and thoughts and ramblings... not too shabby, considering I wasn't so sure about the concept of scrapping about me. Up until then, it had all been about my kids. Now the truth comes out... it really IS all about me! :P

Off to the races. I have 45 minutes before the alarm goes off. Maybe I'll make a cup of mocha and tackle the heaps of laundry before they wake up. Happy Friday, my friends!

coffee is my friend...

I never thought I'd be this addicted. Honestly. And it's one of those acceptable addictions to have because everyone around me has the same issue. I see addicts on the bus... in meeting rooms, no matter what time of day... at the kids' gymnastics club... and of course, there are addicts at the source... Starbucks and Tim Hortons, purveyors of that most awesome caffinated beverage, coffee.

It all started when I was in grade 9... on the return flight from our band trip out to British Columbia. I had my first coffee on that red-eye flight... just to be cool more than anything else. It seemed like a cool thing to do.

I drank my coffee black for the first year or so... until my father lectured me about getting an ulcer from drinking  black coffee. I now realize that too much coffee will irritate my stomach no matter what... cream or milk does not neutralize the acidity, so the myth of black coffee being worse for me is just that... a myth. But I did discover that milk or cream will mask the ickiness of bad coffee, rendering it somewhat palatable for those desperate situations where I need coffee but have to drink whatever's on hand.

(For the record, I'm still not convinced that what McD's tries to pass off as coffee is anything other than hot water with a bit of brown crayon stirred into it. Ugh!)

Yes, I did manage to give up caffinated coffee during my first pregnancy. And I stayed on decaf during the time between babies, only to realize during pregnancy #2 that I could not handle the smell of coffee, let alone the taste of it. Eeeeeeek! My coffee break buddies at work found it a bit disconcerting to suddenly have a herbal tea drinker in their midst.

Fortunately, my love of a good strong cup of coffee came back after I returned to work after mat leave #2, and I am fully addicted once again. These days, I have a cup or two in the morning, and then I switch to something else... sometimes with caffeine, sometimes without. Depends on how high my edgy factor is. I wouldn't want to inflict too much edginess on my family in the evening.

Okay, I'm off to get another cuppa... gotta have that second cup before lunchtime. ;)

happiness is...

- a big task done... out of the way... and it actually went well too!
- a trip to sunny California, just around the corner
- being able to help out when people need you to
- scrapping with older supplies and being pleased with the results
- listening to 80s music on iTunes
- watching Grey's Anatomy last night... thank goodness it's back!
- a coffee date with a good friend
- sending out fun mail to surprise people
- having people tell me they appreciate my hand-made cards
- reading with my boys
- learning about photography
- holding a fresh new baby
- hugs and kisses
- an entire weekend ahead

Have a great weekend, my friends!

This weather is CRAZY!

Okay, so it's true. In Canada, we like to talk about the weather. It's one of the things that holds us together as a nation... our love of hockey, Tim Horton's coffee, and complaining about the weather. In the summer, you'll hear us ask, "Is it hot enough fer ya?" when it's 32 degrees out (43 with the Humidex), and in January, we're usually suffering from frostbite at the bus stop, commenting on how cold it is, "... but what'd ya expect? It's winter after all." This year, though, it's different.

We've hardly had any cold weather in our part of the world. There's been very little snow... but being a true Canadian family, we celebrate with what we have. This was taken in the last week of December:

And then a week later, this was the scene in our front yard... our poor snowman was gone and all that was left was this:

It was so warm last weekend that the boys were drawing with chalk and playing hopscotch on the driveway. And today... it's cold again. Not cold by January standards, but cold compared to the past few days. My fingers are still a bit numb from waiting at the bus stop.

I hate to admit it, but I miss the snow. I don't miss scraping ice and snow off the car or the shovelling and the brutal driving conditions, but I do miss the snow. It got me thinking that my friend, Chris, is right... I've always worried about global warming and the effect of our lifestyle on the environment, but this warm weather really is bringing it home. So this morning, I rinsed out a plastic bread bag so we could reuse it. It's not totally out of character for me to do this kind of stuff... after all, we use bins at the grocery store, compost all our kitchen waste and try to minimize what we put out in the garbage bags... but today, I consciously thought about Chris' words... about starting small and making little changes that might make a difference in the big world.

last day of vacation

Today was the last day of Christmas vacation for the boys. Tomorrow, all the Porter boys will go back to school... and not soon enough, as far as I'm concerned. Well, maybe not poor Mike... I don't think he's ready, but the younger Porters are sick and tired of one another's company and are in need of some structure and routine in their days.

Here are a few random pictures I've taken since the new year began.

I hope you had a good weekend, whatever you ended up doing... enjoy the rest of your Sunday! :)