Thievery in the Country

I never expected to be solving a crime when I visited my mom this afternoon. On the way to her house, I bought a couple gallons of milk. I set them outside the car in a snowbank to stay cool. They live in the country, and I didn't think that anything would happen to them. After a couple hours, I came back to the car and there they were. Gone.

I found the gallon jug near the car, and from the teeth marks in the plastic, I immediately knew the culprit - Bernie! My parents' big ol' Bermese Mountain dog has a thing for inanimate objects. He'll make off with anything that isn't tied down, especially if it's plastic. So, we sent out a search party. My dad went one way, I went the other and we looked. And looked. And looked. Mid March, it's very difficult to walk outside with all the snow and ice. I should have rethunk the black stiletto boots...

Anyway, I did find the milk after a while. It was down the driveway, and not anywhere near Bernie's special treasure spots (He does have special areas where he deposits his loot. The areas change according to the seasons). Now, all is well. Graedon has his milk - as long as he doesn't mind the dog slobber and teeth marks on the jug.

Family Visit

A visit with family...

We all went to the local amusement centre. The kids played their first game of bowling. Maddie and I were tied for points for a while!


We tried out the new Montana's restaurant. We told the waitress it was R's birthday and he got to wear the very cool moose antlers!


Part of the crew.


We went for a walk and stopped at the local cafe for white hot chocolates. Maddie is sporting a dashing moustache!


Family bonding time!

Sew-Sew

Maddie has been asking me to teach her to sew for months now. I'd been putting it off until I felt her dexterity was up to snuff. I didn't want her to get discouraged and turned off from the whole idea if I introduced it too soon. Finally, though, I thought she was ready. Here's our first project - Tank Top Tote



Take an ordinary tank top and turn it inside out. The spaghetti strap ones are better, but any top will do. Then, sew a straight line across the hem of the shirt. We used a darning needle and darning thread (yarn) because it would be easier for five-year-old fingers to handle.



Make sure the stitches are small enough that what you're carrying won't be able to fit through the gaps. The stitches will be hidden, so if they aren't perfect it's not a huge deal.



Make a knot at the end of the row. Cut the thread, turn the bag inside out and Voila!

Tax Time

Yep, it's that time of year again. Tax time. For weeks, I've been scrounging under car floor mats, chasing dust bunnies from under the printer and shooing the moths from my wallet in the quest for any extra receipts I can claim toward Noble Electrolysis. I've filled out my spreadsheets, I've organized and filed, and I've raced to the mailbox everyday in hopes of my long-awaited T3s, T4s, Twhatevers. And today, I made my annual trek to THAT PLACE. H&R Block.

In the waiting room, all they had to read was Maclean magazine, and the TV set was on CNN (no remote in view). Not only must you wait an eternity, you also evidently must learn about politics and finances while you are there, and make idle chit-chat with strangers who are asking themselves the same questions as you...just how much are we being screwed for this year? Or, hmmm, since I didn't make enough money to pay my bills on time this year, maybe I can escape bankruptcy with my tax return!

So, finally, my name is called and I trudge into the office. I do my best to look innocent and somewhat financially responsible. My hands tremble, my eye twitches, and I can't wipe the stupid grin off my face. I might sweat a bit. I sit on the edge of my seat trying to decide whether I should look casual or concerned. I am an uptight business owner, and I go out of my way to be entirely on the up and up. No receipt for this expense? Too bad, can't write it off. Got paid? Sorry, no under the table. And, yet, I can't help but wonder - what if there's a rule I didn't know about? What if I made an innocent mistake and they catch it and sue me for tax evasion? Oh my gosh, what was that amount for??? Am I going to jail???

And that's why I pay way too much to get it done by professionals.

My Hair is On Fire!!

Last night, I was in a blah mood, hashing about how I don't go anywhere, do anything, blah bla bla. Then, I remembered - Holy crap! I could have died today!

The day started out normally. Went for a walk in town with my bro and SIL and had white hot chocolate at a café. Already, the day was more exciting than most, since I rarely get the car during the day. Then, once the kids were in bed, I went to stoke the furnace and MY HAIR CAUGHT ON FIRE!!! You heard right - I leaned over to poke at the embers, and of a sudden there was this weird crinkly, staticky sound and my bangs shriveled up! I don't know if it was aflame, since my eyes can't see the top of my head, but after smacking my scalp with my hands and pulling at the crinkly locks, I was convinced that I was no longer in danger. It doesn't look bad, I just don't need to go for that haircut afterall.

Then, I loaded up the kids into the car and headed to Rich's work to pick him up. We live on a secondary road (not a highway, but it's well used. Speed limit is 80, but most go 100 km/h). The truck in front of me slowed down, so I pressed the brakes and...nothing. NO BRAKES!! There I was, 3 kids in the backseat, me in the front and no brakes! Then, the cell phone rings! I'm answering the phone, trying to think ahead to where there was a big driveway or parking lot to swing into, the kids are yelling at me to turn up the radio since they couldn't hear it...AAAHH! Long story short, I pulled it into 2nd, coasted through the intersection without killing anyone, manoeuvred the car between vehicles in Rich's parking lot and came to a full, safe stop in front of a snowbank. Fiew. Safe.

I think my life might just be more exciting than I give it credit for.

They's Here!

They made it - one day late! R & N were meant to leave on Sunday night but a major snowstorm that dumped a foot of snow on the Maritimes closed the highways and forced them to delay their bus trip until Monday night. Dad picked them up from the bus stop this morning, and they spent a few hours with the kids and I before lunch.

Maddie and Eva were very excited. They had the whole morning planned out before R & L even got here. First, they were going to play Barbies. Then, they were going to play play-doh (purple, and pink play-doh). Or, they might do play-doh first. Or, maybe, Barbies AND play-doh all at once. Big plans!

Anyhow, we're gearing up for a great week!

They's Coming!

I am very excited! We're having visitors this week, so I've been trying to move my schedule around to allow me some free time to spend with my brother and sis-in-law. They're taking the red-eye bus from Montreal and should be here some time tomorrow. When they visit, we cram in as much family time as we can. That usually means playing games, hanging out and generally doing nothing special in an effort to recreate what it would be like if they lived here all the time. No convincing them, though. As my sis-in-law once said, "I like knowing that if I want to have coffee at 3 am, I can just go out and get it."

One of the local women replied, "well, you could make coffee", but that wasn't the point.

I love visiting Montreal. I like Chinatown, public transportation, cafés, different cultures, the free festivals, the port, the markets selling everything from durian fruit to baklava to fresh fish and everything in between...the last time Maddie was there, she raved for days about taking the bus and the train (metro). On the car ride home, I entertained her for hours by drawing pictures of the subway.

I can't wait!