grumpy people

annoy me!! its seems like now that the christmas season is over, more people are just grumpier than ever. and pushy. and shovey. not sure why that is. even driving down the street earlier today, got to the corner and just about got smoked by the guy that lives a few doors down because he cut the corner turning onto our street. or the lady that comes zooming down the alley, only to be surprised that someone else is coming down the road. the dirty looks are amazing. or the pushy people at costco. couldn't even stop anywhere in there today for fear of being run into from behind by a cart. and when they stop dead in the middle of the aisle, with no room on either side to get by, there is a dirty look from them for trying passing them. bleh. grumps go home!! LOL

the boys and i had a good day today, and quite productive. dh had to work today because he let his guys take a break over the last 2 weeks, so he got stuck working today. he was able to come home early, however, and was back in the house by 3.

we went to costco in the city, got a few groceries to tide us over for the next couple weeks, the boys had a hot dog and fries, and we were back home by 1pm. then the kids went to dinosaur hill to toboggan for a while. the weather finally warmed to a balmy -6, enough for them to enjoy some time out there. i got the fridge cleaned out and diswasher emptied while they were gone, and then enjoyed a bit of quiet before all of them were back home. dh got dinner prepped, so all i had to do was cook it, so that was nice. a lovely chicken stirfry with brown rice.

hoping when i go in tomorrow to weigh in, i'll be down a bit more. hopefully only another week (or less!) before i can start my stabilization program, which means i'll have a bit more for food allowance once we go on holidays.

todays photo was taken by ds1 while we were driving on the highway to the city. check out that gorgeous blue sky!! and we could see the mountains as well. if you click the picture, you can enlarge it, and you can make out part of the downtown cityscape of calgary.

have a great night!

quiet saturday

the boys were planning on playing d&d today, so we really didn't have anything on the go. there were no major things to do today, so we went for a tan, and then hung out at home for the rest of the day. again, bitter cold with -40 windchills, makes life outside not pleasant. and that's ok. the boys are enjoying having downtime before they go back to school on monday.

chilly

didn't get too far today, just the necessary grocery run. paperwork day, expense reports, payroll, yada yada.

ds1 is house sitting until sunday - he has been entrusted the care of a lizard (yuck), a cat, and a goldfish. he had to battle a snowdrift that hit mid-leg height to get into the house today, so i shovelled a path in the freezing cold while he tended to the animals.

it is bitterly cold out there, a good -38C windchill. and the snow keeps coming. it sounds like we're in for a bit of a break in the weather by sunday or monday. until then, we'll just keep bundled up.

today's photo from my office looking out the front window...

a quiet start

to 2009

we went to a friend's house for an evening of cards and laughter, a toast at midnight and home around 2am. didn't sleep in too long, but got our projects out of the way mid-afternoon. took the tree down and got laundry folded. dinner out was the highlight of the day, there ended up being 10 of us for dinner at the super chinese food restaurant in town.

weather is miserable, its snowed most of the day, and the roads in town were nasty when we were out earlier.

i'm going to try to do the picture of the day starting with today, although it isn't really a picture, just a simple scan of our fortunes from the cookies tonight. note: if you add the "in bed" clause to our fortunes, dh's is the funniest of all!

happy new year!

its almost over

and quite glad that it is.

its been a fairly busy christmas season for us, and i'm not too sad to be heading back into the routine of everyday life once more. the kids are back to school on monday, and i'll return to a much more normal work life as well.

the weather here has just been something else over the last month. i don't remember having this much snow since i was a kid. and it just keeps on coming down. the streets in town are not in great shape, and i almost got myself stuck in our back alley this morning when i was just a bit too far over off the packed snow. i really need to take a picture to document this abnormal weather. it is just odd!

in other news, and another almost over topic... i am down to my final 3 pounds of my weight loss journey. even over christmas i lost 1.6lbs, which i was totally not expecting. i still had a few glasses of red wine, ate turkey, and had a few bites of holiday baking. no deprevation happened here! i think the big thing for me was that food was not a focus. because i've been eating so low-key for months now, it really wasn't a big deal to not stuff myself until i was uncomfortable. and i still enjoyed it. but i am enjoying my size 8 clothing far more!!

we also in the final countdown for our winter getaway. we're heading off to mazatlan in 20 days. i'm so looking forward to the sun and warmth, its not even funny. i've had a very hard time staying warm the last while... i guess its when i no longer have 37 pounds of fat on my rear end, there is no longer the polar bear effect! the kids are pumped, they only have 2 weeks back at school before we head south.

and, of course, the year is almost over. there have been good things for us the last year, and i hope that the good karma continues. both dh and i have jobs we both love, and that financially has put us in a good position. we should have our reno starting soon on our house. (oh no, that STILL hasn't begun!) the kids are happy and healthy. we're blessed to have great friends in our lives, as well as other positive people surrounding us.

so, to you and yours, a very happy new year, and thanks for taking a peek into my life (as sporadic as it may be). may you also be blessed in the new year.

64 cups, 2 hours and 1 doorknob

for a quiet wednesday, tonight was a good night.

the kids have curling each week, so after making cheese panini's for 3 hungry little boys, i dropped them off at the rink. j doesn't curl until 5:30, so he stayed home to get his homework done. b always brings his buddy from out of town to walk with him,and today there was an extra little boy, but given the weather, i thought a ride over was a good idea.

so anyways, after having wrestled with getting our back door open and closed all day today, i was getting frustrated. when dh wandered in the back after picking j up at 7pm, he closed the door and the knob came right off in his hand. oh yes, that doorknob has been giving us issue for months now. and we had an extra one we had found at a garage sale in the summer as well. it just hadn't been replaced yet.

now it has. after dh couldn't find it in the garage and had a bit of a meltdown (i think he was hungry!! and dinner was sitting on the table!) he replaced it. yay!

so there's the doorknob.

2 hours - the time it took dh to complete a normally 35 minute drive to work in the city. i'm quite glad i stayed put today. the wind and blowing snow were just a bit much for me this morning going to the dr's office, let alone taking on the highway and the treacherous city streets. something like 360 accidents reported between 7pm last night and 10 am this morning. craziness!

after a phone call last week from the school about supplying some treats for the bake sale tomorrow while the christmas concert is going on, i did up a few plates of goodies from my slowing growing stash of baking. i ended up baking off the refrigerator ginger cookies i had put together last weekend as well. and then i thought i should make some caramel popcorn.

now i must say, this is my downfall. and i've been putting it off until now for that reason. i love love love sweet salty food. caramel. oh my. and now that i am so close to my goal, i didn't want to have that temptation in the house.

so i made it. 64 cups of ooey gooey luscious carmelly goodness. and i was good. i only had a taste. ok, maybe 10 single pieces. but that's all. no more for me. some will go to school tomorrow, some for the neighbour, and the rest will end up as snacking goodness over the next week.

but that 64 cups will not end up on my a$$...

i've worked to hard for that!

randomness

oh yes, again, its been a while. so, to update, here are the points of interest in no particular order:

- its freaking freezing outside. gotta love alberta in the winter, although it is far earlier for a winter storm and wind chills of -45C than normal. brrrrr!!

- i am nowhere near started OR finished Christmas shopping with only 12 days to go. i am never this late getting at it!

- a personal journey started about 3 1/2 months ago, i'm working on losing the 40lbs that has been hanging off my a** for the last 13 years. i'm so close, but seeming rather stuck the last couple weeks. down 2 up 1, repeat. less than 10 to go, but its a bit frustrating.

- christmas related, with work, christmas was SO over for me by the beginning of november. i've been working on superbowl and family day weekends for the last month. really. that's probably what half my shopping problem is. i'm already in the future. my sense of time is somewhat warped!!

- 36 days until we head to mazatlan for 10 days. so looking forward to it. we'll be going with the kids, another couple and another mom and her 3 girls. it'll be a fun trip!! we've been talking about another family vacation to mexico, maybe in the summer again. we had such a great time in cancun, and my mom would also like to go there again too...

- my parents are off to puerto penasco for 6 weeks at the beginning of january to officially kick off my mom's retirement. they're driving down, taking grandma, and their molly dog is going as well (oh yes, a 5 day trip with a 160lb rottie will be FUN!)no, she's really a great traveller (the dog) and i'm sure it will be just fine.

- our next non-family trip i'd like to go to either huatulco or acapulco. just that little bit further south. although the beaches in the mayan riviera are far better. and the water's warmer. dream a bit with me!

- i won! really! $500 smackers in a work "contest". for a display. i never win anything, so it was a BIG shocker to me. just in time to buy ridiculously outrageous new bathing suits. like really - $100 for a little piece of material?? drives me crazy. its not cash, but for a gift certificate. i chose the mall. gotta love it.

- still loving work. its going well, and i think our company will ride out whatever recessionary issues there are with few problems. everyone has to buy groceries, and the little food luxuries are things people don't tend to skimp until things are really bad.

- oh yes, the battery died in my beast today. despite all the coddling we've given it up until now, this cold snap was its demise. so dh will bring one home for me tomorrow. oh happy day!! then all the crazy lights won't flash at me in inopportune times any more!

- 3 christmas parties in one week last week. need i say more? diet havoc. cleanse starting tomorrow. come on 10 pounds!!! go away!! LOL

- the boys both had bits to do in the last community theatre project. j had a great part, and b did the lighting. it was really cute, a production of "father knows best" or for the newer generations, the original of the movie "cheaper by the dozen". well done, well attended. and it was a family affair in all - dh and numerous rounded up friends help build the set, and i became part of the costuming crew, sewing one of the girl's outfits. (i *DON"T* sew!)

- attended a family reunion/birthday party for one of my aunts the beginning of november. my dad's side of the family is huge, so lots of visiting with various relatives.

- my parents went to egypt in november. trip of a lifetime. its on my list.

ok, i think that's it in a nutshell...

and once again, i really need to get on this again. life prevails...

mexico adventure part 2

so to continue (albeit 2 months later!!! its been sitting in my draft box awaiting journalling!) we went up the road from the resort one afternoon to visit a crocodile zoo. well, it was that and much more! it was on the pricey side ($70US for the 4 of us) but we had a guide just for us, and a personal tour along with lots of animals to touch and feel.

first, a welcoming kiss from one of the parrots. notice the slightly squinshed up faces on all of us as that parrot was coming in for a smooch...





and then it was right on in to the thick of it - starting with holding crocodiles.


those were some awfully scary looking creatures - i personally think they'd make a nice pair of shoes. but these little ones were kind of cute in a don't touch me kind of way. the boys did think it was cool though.



and then on to the boa constrictors. fortunately for us, this one was just a little one, only about 2 months old.



this one seemed to quite like dh... alot... especially around his neck!


and yes, i did hold this one. amazing how much power you could feel in such a small animal!!



now, if anyone has ever seen one of these and knows what it is... please tell me! we can't remember for the life of us, but he did belong to an exotic dancer... apparently... a herbivore, he was not out for anything but some lovin'...





b was the only one that was brave enough to hold him. he was a pretty cool animal once you got past his looks! they store food in the pouches on either side of their head, similar to a hamster.


iguanas...


vine snakes...


and the cutest little turtles!! we could take a couple home in our pockets!


oh the thrill of the hunt... LOL


and just when we thought we had seen all the lizards we could, *these* were in the next enclosure that we walked through... no barriers, and less than 5 feet away. just a little bit on the intimidating side!!



and then we visited the deer. and fed them. b seemed to be the deer whisperer for the day. every time we turned around, he had more of them around him!


ok, so NOT attractive! LOL but it was quite hilarious at the time... the deer were coming up to me and sniffing for the goodies i had. so i sniffed back at them!


these were quite the funky animals, a cross between a raccoon and something else. and quite vicious the way they were fighting over their food!!


this was monica, a rescued monkey. she was quite sweet and was quite happy to eat the treats we gave her... no really good pics, all blurry as she was a twitchy little thing!

and this pretty kitty was just so cute! a cross of an ocelot and something else, she was no bigger than a housecat. no petting her though!


and a final goodbye from the parrots.


really an amazing experience when there is just not the same opportunity to touch/feel at a traditional zoo here. we did like that they also take in rescued animals, the place was spotlessly clean and all the animals were well cared for. so our money did go to a great cause. the website is http://www.crococunzoo.com. it is just south of cancun, at km 31. IMHO, a great trip for the whole family. just take bug spray, lots of it, no matter the time of day. trust me on this one!!

mexico adventures - august 2008

this is where we stayed - the ocean coral H10 just 15 minutes south of cancun, mexico. if you want hot, try mexico in august. it was amazing - about 38C plus the humidex bringing it up to close to 50C. less than a day and we were very happy with the heat!
just a bit blurry!! my dad and i
a beachside buffet was a great way to spend our second to last evening. there was a live band, and fabulous food!
always on the lookout for clamato - we found it in a little groceteria in puerto morelos
another blurry-ish one, (thanks donut for taking pictures!!) of my mom and i. the italian restaurant was the best of the bunch!
on the end of the pier in puerto morelos, mexico
las isla mall in cancun (oh yes, we were hot and cranky!!)
my mom, the donut (ds#1) and dh on the connecting walk at the H10 ocean resort just south of cancun
yes, that is exactly what you are seeing - really!! the fine sand had gotten jammed up between the mesh lining and the outer material of his shorts - so what better way to get it out than get nekkid in the ocean!!! LOLOL
just one of the huge beautiful pools at the resort!

more to come....

just for tammy...

funny how you bump into someone that you haven't seen in - what? - 18 years or so?? so, this one is for you tammy - because you'll have to snoop pretty darn deep to find more like it!!


this was our annual family photo day the weekend prior to thanksgiving. so this is us - left to right - dh, ds#1 (12 years old), ds#2 (10 years old) and myself.

the 12 of us went down to kinsmen park to do the deed... makes life interesting with all of us - my grandma is 90, all the way down to my little niece that turned 1 in may.


it was nice that the trees still had leaves, it made it much prettier than when we did this last year.

so here's some more:














boy - you'd think we had no teeth!! LOL









my sister, brother in law, and their little monkeys



my mom and dad - gotta love 'em!

then there's the whole gang - the guys vs the girls! loved these pictures, but too bad about me looking like a somewhat sad daydreamer!!

just goofing around





so there's the goods for you!

i really should get some of our trip pictures up from mexico in august. that was one amazing trip. well heck, posted one set, now i should be motivated to do the rest...

life is busy, but a good busy. ds#1 is in yet another upcoming theatre production, curling season is here again for both the boys, and halloween just a couple days away.

thanks for taking a peek!