Nov 12 - 25, 2012

What?!  It's been two weeks since I did my weekly diary!  Yup!  Just been busy.

I do have (and have had) some PL pages completed, photographed and ready to post.  But I will do that in another post as this one will probably be long enough.

On Monday, Myron sent me an old news article of him that his parents sent him.  It was funny because we are unable to help Tamara with her math.

Wednesday (Nov 14th) I took a nice walk towards downtown and met up with my friend Jen C for lunch.  Then walked home again.  That was my exercise for the day!

The next day I got my hair cut and look who greeted me!

Buster!  And I got a bunch of doggy luvens and kisses.  :-)

The same evening, Tamara had Youth Singers and they needed extra help back in the wardrobe department, so I went back there to help for the night and at the end of the night I became the volunteer co-ordinator for wardrobe support (on top of being the admin desk co-ordinator)  and then things were off and running and I got super busy.  Hence, why I'm playing catch up now.

It was a Youth Singers workshop weekend and I ended up volunteering most of the weekend trying to get the senior high's wardrobe ready to go.

On Thursday it was getting really cold and snowy.  I had to leave in for my bowling league in a hurry and forgot my travel mug.  I came home about 2pm (left at 9am) and my coffee was still warm!

Hoar frost and frosty city:

And as silly as this is, I took a picture of my favourite hairspray.  I've used this one for years and I've tried others but I keep coming back to this one:

The next week was pretty busy but otherwise normal week.

On Tuesday I was out and went into Chapters, where I saw this:

I had to photgraph it because a couple of weeks back Myron said this to me when I was a bit stressed and he had no idea how popular the sayings of 'Keep calm..' are.

As I was out & about, I saw this car parked beside me and I had to take a picture of it because this year in Second Chants, one of the songs we will be performing is 'Build Me Up Buttercup' and when I saw the license of the car, I had to take a picture.

On Wednesday I met a friend, Rene for coffee.  She's going through a bit of a tough time and later that day when I was reading one of my favourite blogs, Ali Edwards, I saw this quote and thought of her and sent it to her.

Friday (Nov 23rd), I decided to head to Spruce Meadows for the International Craft Fair.  Took some pictures to share:

And I found Santa's reindeers!

And a few other snapshots:

Friday night, Tamara went to her school's Snowball Dance:

On Saturday we met up with Jen B & Warren for dinner & drinks!  And Sunday we went to a Gey Cup party and watched our Stamps lose the grey cup!  :-(

And now I'm caught up.  (almost)  Cheers!  =) Lisa

So cool, being lifted.

My simple layout of Tristan was 'lifted' by a designer from Scrapbook Circle.  So cool.

http://www.scrapbookcircle.com/2012/11/lifting-you-lisa-2/comment-page-1#comment-6768

It certainly brightened my day!  =)  Lisa

Nov 5 - 11th, 2012

This week Tamara got her new pair of glasses.

 There was a snow storm on Friday and as I was shovelling snow, 6 or 7 formations of geese were flying overhead, 'honking' as they flew - I don't think I've ever seen so many at one time.  I tried to grab a picture of them but it was hard with grey skies, snow and moving geese.

 Friday night was the Westpower Pig Roast.  Last February at the Youth Singers Hearts4Arts gala, Myron bid on ONCUE for a free performance and they were at the Pig Roast performing.

 Tamara's theatre class.

And that's a quick recap of the week.  =) Lisa

October 29 - Nov 4th, 2012

What happened this week?

On Monday we were recovering from a workshop weekend.  Since it was close to Halloween, the kids dressed up.  Tamara was Daphne from Scooby Doo.  She borrowed my sweater, wore one of her tops as a skirt and borrowed a scarf from a friend:

Monday evening I helped Myron remove a sticker that was placed on his boss' reserved parking sign that he placed there from the movie 'Gettin' In.' He thought I was smart in getting it removed and had to send a picture to his boss:

Hmmm.....  on Tuesday I drove Tamara to school for an early morning test (7:30am) and had a talk with her over an issue.  As per our usual teenage daughter/Mom talks it ended up being frustrating as she tries to break free of any parental ties and I try to keep them there, at least loosely.  After I got home, I sent an e-mail to Myron explaining that I wasn't stressed or upset that I just wanted him to know what had happened and he expressed to me to, 'Keep calm & carry on!'  Which I thought was kinda of funny because the 'keep calm & .....' expressions were hitting the scrapbooking industry and he never even knew it!  :-)

I bought a pumpkin for Tamara to carve and she carved a Harry Potter Deathly Hallows symbol.

Then I looked at the pumpkin we grew in our garden an realized it had turned orange & thought why don't I carve that too?

Halloween night was really cold.  We don't get many kids, perhaps 12 - 15.  This year we got 3.  Disappointing.

A couple more snapshots of our Halloween decorations:

Tamara did not go trick or treating this year.  She went over to a friends house & watched a Halloween movie instead.  I guess she's growing up.

I was remembering a story from my childhood.  I believe it was my brother's first Halloween and he must have been 2 (maybe 3) years old. It is also the first Halloween that I remember. I was about 5 (or 6). I believe I was a princess (of course the mask was of a princess with blonde hair!). I don't remember what my brother was. My Mom took us trick or treating and my Dad stayed home to hand out candy. Mom started us out by giving us a treat from our house and when we were done trick or treating, suggested that we ring the bell on our house and trick Dad into giving us another treat. It almost worked except my brother had a very distinctive laugh at that age and he couldn't hold back, he laughed and it gave us away!!

I put that story on facebook and Cindy told me how when trick or treating, my nephew Ayden kept asking if this house or that house was where Tamara & Auntie Lisa were.  Must have been his first time trick or treating.  Cindy tried to explain that we lived out west but at 2 1/2, I don't think he quite gets it.  Cindy sent a picture of him, he was a little scarecrow:

My Mom was moving on the 1st to her new place - a 3 bedroom townhouse.  I was excited for her and thought that this year would be a great year to go see her for Christmas and she would now have the room for us.

On Friday I had a big discussion with Myron on where to go for Christmas.  I wanted to go to Ontario because it had been awhile since we had gone plus my Mom now had room for us.  Myron also suggested that we ask David to join us.  On Sunday when I was looking at flights for the four of us, I couldn't believe the price.  Flights to either Hamilton or Toronto and comparing Westjet & Air Canada ran from about $4000 to $4800.  We'd also probably would rent a car for the week and that would add to the expense.  I couldn't believe it.  

Just out of curiosity, I checked to see the cost with both airlines for the end of January & again in April for the four of us (times David & Tamara may be off school).  The cost was almost half of what it would be at Christmas.

We also looked at flights for us to go to Manitoba.  They was about $400 higher than we paid in the summer but we would be booking 4 people not just 3.

So Myron, the good husband that he is, asked me what I wanted to do.  I knew that if I had wanted to go to Ontario that we would book it.  We would manage the cost but I just couldn't justify the expense.  We've had a bunch of expenses lately, brakes for my car, tires for Myron, high dental bill, glasses for Tamara, etc. etc.  We really can not afford it, at least not at that cost. 

So I decided that we would go to Manitoba for Christmas and then we'd look at going to Ontario in the new year.  Not ideal as I do not know if David or Myron would be able to go then, but Tamara & I should.  Myron said that we would book going to Ontario next year for Christmas but we would look at flights in May so hopefully the cost wouldn't be too high.

So I was happy but sad.  Happy that David will be with us this year but sad that we are not going to Ontario.

Haven't told my Mom yet but as she just moved and it was late & not sure which schedule she is on at work, will call & tell her on the weekend.

Well when I started this post, I didn't think I had much to share.  Surprised myself!  =) Lisa

October 22-28, 2012

Hello!

Summing up this week:   SNOW!

Tuesday, Tamara wanted me to drive her to school as she had to go early for a field trip.  The problem is that I made an appointment to get my snow tires on but not till the beginning of November and it snowed (On the 23rd of October!) a half foot after it rained so that turned to ice underneath the snow.

Well I got to her school okay but I knew getting back to the house would be a problem as our house sits on the side of a bowl.  It doesn't matter what direction I go in, I eventually have to climb a hill to get home.

I thought that if I drove on a street that was more travelled that I would have a chance on making it home.  I took a street that is a bus route so the sanders/plowers usually take care of those roads.  I couldn't make it all the way & over the hill on Bus Route Street.  So I tried to come around from the 'bottom' of my street.  I made it to about half a car length from the end of my driveway and I got stuck.  I thought if I reversed and got a little run I might make it into my driveway.  I slid a little sideways and I was even further from the driveway.  Tried it again.  Same result.  So I reversed down my street and saw an empty parking spot and thought the pavement might be a bit drier that I could get a run at it.  Nope.  And my car insisted on sliding towards the car that was parked behind me.  So I decided to park & give up on it for awhile.

Then a couple of hours later, the car that I parked in front of moved which meant I could back out down the hill. I made it all the way around to a Bus Route Avenue (sliding all the way) to the street above my house, down my avenue to the drive way, but managed to slide past it.  I could not reverse and go back as I would just slide.  So I continued down the road, turned left to head to the Bus Route Avenue only to get stuck, sliding into the sidewalk at that little intersection before it.  Again! Really stuck! Then I had three guys plus myself push my car sideways so that I could go back down the hill (an avenue between mine & the bus route avenue and I turn right on a couple of streets down, pick up speed and make it up to the avenue behind my avenue.  Can not drive up it.  Spinning out.  I'm thinking, how the H E double hockey sticks do I get up the hill high enough that I can approach my driveway?  Gotta try Bus Route Avenue again.  Turn around on the street that I was on and I took a little run and made it to the Bus Route Ave.  (YEAH!) - still spinning my wheels every foot. Finally made it to the street above ours again. This time approached the driveway extremely slow and MADE IT!!!  Whew!!

 What an adventure!

We went to Yuk Yuk's on Thursday.  A fundraiser for one of Myron's co-workers.

On Sunday it was a Workshop Weekend with the Youth Singers.

I'll be so glad when next Friday comes and my snow tires get put on my car!  =) Lisa