Well, it has been so busy around here for the past couple of weeks, I haven't made time to blog. I've just made other things a priority.
We held a bridal shower last Sunday for Connie's dd20 who is getting married on June 21, 2008. It went very well and everyone seemed to have a great time. I took me TWO days to get the house ready! I'm a perfectionist and if everything's not perfect, it just won't do. It sure adds a lot of stress, but that's the way God made me (hmmmm, I'll be speaking to him about THAT one!!). Connie & her niece Grace, did an awesome job with the food and there was LOTS left over! I must admit that I'm glad it's over. I am enjoying a very clean house and have been careful to keep it that way! It gets difficult with the birds as they really require a lot of cleaning, but I love them, so it's worth it. A special thanks for my DH for his help in getting ready for the shower - couldn't have done it without him!
Monday afternoon, Connie & I took my dd10 and her African dd13 to get fitted for their dresses for the wedding. The dresses are so cute! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Ouch! It really hurts to spend $200 on a dress my dd will probably only wear once! YIKES!
So, on Tuesday, Connie & I went out to (hopefully) buy our "mother of the bride" outfits (I'm considered Connie's children's SECOND mother!! LOL!). We were anxious about not being able to find anything what with our weight (yes, both of us are the same) being a little more than we want. We were, however, pleasantly surprised at finding a wonderful store in Langley that was able to outfit both of us!! That is a big load off our minds. The sales lady there made it fun for us and we had a "rack" we took around the store to put whatever we chose onto. We also had some dressing rooms to ourselves so we could model our many outfits and combinations of outfits until we chose the ones we liked! We had a blast, although I spent WAY more than I had planned! Of course, it seems wherever we go and whatever we do, Connie & I ALWAYS have fun - EVEN in Africa when the heat and humidity is killing us!!
Wednesday we went BRA shopping. We wanted to feel as good UNDER our wedding outfits as we did on the outside. Now, you have to know that I've been putting this off for literally YEARS! I didn't want to spend the money on a new one because I thought I'd lose weight - etc. etc. - you know the story. I had never even been properly fitted for a bra. Well, Connie suggested we go to the Bay in Langley to get measured properly and look at bras. Am I sorry I put this chore off for so long! The lady there was so professional, sweet and knowledgeable - I wish I'd gone in years ago! I got fitted PROPERLY and bought THREE new bras! My old, worn, too-small bras are gone now. It is so important to have a bra that fits properly - it makes all the difference in the world AND if you have a proper fitting one, you REALLY shouldn't feel it at all! A huge bonus for me was that they didn't cost as much as I thought - that's why I ended up buying three.
I have to say that I'll be glad when this wedding is over. I'm getting to the point that when I hear the word "wedding", I just want to barf! I would never tell the bride that as this is her special day, but it's true - the groom's family has been very difficult about the whole thing and has made it awful for everyone else involved. Funny how people who profess to be Christians can act in such a way - certainly NOT the way I understand followers of Christ to be and I'm a baby Christian..... Oh, well! We all must be accountable for OUR OWN actions and will have to stand before God someday.
On a tragic note, one of the Canucks' up-and-coming defensemen, Luc Bourdon, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Thursday morning in his native New Brunswick.
He was only 21 years old and had only had his motorcycle for a few days. What a terrible thing to happen to someone who had his whole life ahead of him. He was the no. 10 draft pick in the NHL in 2005 - only 9 back from Sidney Crosby. Very, very sad. Just another reminder that we should live each day to its fullest as we never know if it will be our last. Rest in Peace, Luc. I really feel for his poor mother - this lady raised Luc by herself and he was her life. She could really use your prayers.
I am enjoying the gardens right now. A lot of things are in beautiful bloom right now. I'll try to get some photos later today. I love to look out and see colour in the gardens. I also bought two hanging baskets this week along with my annuals that I will be planting in my oak barrels. I hope to get out today to get it done.
Friday afternoon I took both kids to the dentist for check-ups and cleanings. They both did well and have no cavities. Ds's baby teeth are all out and the lady said his 12-year molars and poking through. They seem to grow up so fast (well, it seems so fast some days - other days, it's jut taking WAAAAAY too long - LOL!!!).
Oh, I almost forgot! Ds12 was in a chess tournament last Saturday. Out of 200 kids in grades 6-8 (he's in grade 6) he came in SECOND! He got a trophy and everything - great work, hockey boy!! Dd10 also participated and won 2 games!!! We are very proud of them both!!
That's my quick update. I hope to post some photos later. Have a great day everyone!
Have a look at THIS article. Pretty scary stuff - makes it very apparent who's side the Government is on.
Just a quick reminder to enter my blog giveaway here. REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST MENTION MY GIVEAWAY ON YOUR BLOG TO BE ELIGIBLE. That's the only requirement. I will take entries up to noon on Thursday, May 1, 2008 (this Thursday), so don't delay! Good luck to all who have entered!
Well, I have to be honest here. I am SO disappointed at the response to my giveaway! So far I only have TWO entries and well, that's nice for those two ladies, but it certainly was NOT what I was expecting! Perhaps my blog isn't read as much as I thought, although by the looks of my Stat Counter numbers, it's not THAT bad. I was going to have another giveaway soon after this one, but not if this is the response I get. How disappointing! UPDATE: OK, participation is coming along - slowly!
Well, today was the first day I've been to Curves in THREE WEEKS! This was the first day that I felt really well enough to leave the house with the distinct purpose of EXERCISING! I have to admit, it felt really good! They have a new electronic tracking system in place now where the machines track how you are performing and keep you accountable to use your cardio and energy levels properly!
I'm attaching a photo of the eggs we are being blessed with daily now. With the addition of three new laying hens to our flock (one is a bantam, meaning small), we are way up from the one egg we were getting every three or four days! I've even given Connie a dozen already 'cause we had plenty.
This is Ebony (below). She is the latest addition to our outside flock. She was found wandering the roads of Delta and the Delta Animal Shelter asked me if I wanted to take her and, of course, I said yes! She's a bantam and is a real cutie-pie! The nice bonus is that she is now laying eggs!!! She wasn't the first few days she was here, but now that she's settled into a routine and knows how things work around the yard, she seems to be laying regularly. Her eggs are about half the size of a normal egg - oh, so cute!!!
Well, that's all I have time for today. Have to get spaghetti sauce going for supper.
Blessings to all, and don't forget to enter the giveaway HERE! ** YOU MUST MENTION MY GIVEAWAY ON YOUR BLOG IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE **
Last weekend was the Pet Expo - we had a great weekend. It was busy and tiring - standing on cold concrete sure takes its toll on you after two long days. I took Maya, my Quaker, on Saturday and she was a very good girl. She stayed on my shoulder most of the time - she's a mama's girl - and is pretty well potty trained, so I didn't get pooped on at all! On Sunday, I took Theodore, my Timneh African Grey. He was quite stressed by the whole ordeal, but towards the end of the day, he had settled down quite a bit. You can never tell how they are going to be - they are little beings too and we have to respect how they are feeling. I did put him back in his travel cage a couple of times with his blanket covering him so he could just rest and relax during the day.
On Tuesday evening, DH, dd, ds and I all went to a seminar put on by the Langley School District. It was a seminar by Terry Small, an expert on how we use (or don't!!) our brains! The seminar was entitled "How to get better grades in school". It was very interesting and Mr. Small kept us captivated the entire 2 hours. You can visit his website here. He had lots of great tips on how to keep our brains stimulated and how important it is to keep using your brain as you grow older. Did you know that the #1 brain food is PRUNES and that eating just ONE a day can help cut your chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease by 93%????? Just one a day!!! Amazing! You can also sign up for his "Brain Bulletin" on his website. It's a free, monthly e-mail that give you lots of tips and information about your brain.
Wednesday I went to Curves and convinced Connie to join me even though she didn't feel like it. After our work-out, the three of us (Connie, Stephanie (Connie's dd22) and I) went to Tim's for coffee. We had a nice chat/visit and then went our separate ways. Of course it's always nice to spend time with my dear friend!
Ds had his public speaking competition on Thursday night. He had been chosen from all of his class along with 3 others to compete at the District level. We went to watch the competition and all of the kids did really well. I should mention that ds is in a late French immersion class, and so all the speeches of the evening were in French. It was difficult understanding some, but I did understand more than I thought I would. Ds did very well, coming in 3rd place. We were very proud of him - I even passed up a chance to go to the Canucks game in order to watch him - can you say "Mother of the Year"?
Speaking of the Canucks, they lost their chance at any post-season play Thursday night. In a must-win game, they lost to Edmonton 2-1. It's very disappointing as a fan - I can only imagine how the players must feel. It was heartbreaking to see Roberto Luongo's (our goalie - see photo below) emotional post-game interview. He has worked extremely hard this season, and has been through a lot personally, so it must be especially difficult for him. Such is life in the NHL. I'm looking forward to watching the playoffs and seeing what develops even if the Canucks aren't there. Also, I hope that the team does some much-needed housecleaning in the off-season. We need some goal-scorers. Our Defence is pretty good, but we need some more energy and talent at the front end. On a brighter note, congratulations to Roberto and his wife, Gina, who celebrated the birth of their first child, Gabriella, on Thursday, March 27, 2008!
Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo
Yesterday was dd's 10th birthday (incidentally, Roberto Luongo's as well - he turned 29!!). We all went out to dinner last night - me, DH, ds, dd, Grandpa Tapp and Oma and Grandpa from Chilliwack. We went to Apple Betty's - a wonderful buffet-style restaurant in Abbotsford. Afterwards, dd went to have a sleep-over in Chilliwack for the weekend with Oma & Grandpa. DH will pick her up on Sunday evening after ds's hockey practice Sunday afternoon.
Yesterday (Friday), I took my Dad to have some blood work done at the Cancer Clinic at Surrey Memorial Hospital. He is a prostate cancer survivor, but has to have check-ups at regular intervals. He has to see the Doctor next Friday.
Dad and I picked up two ISA Brown hens from the Delta Animal Shelter while we were over in that area. They seem very friendly and according to the young lady at the shelter, they have left a couple of eggs as appreciation over the past couple of days! We got home and let the two out in the chicken pen and our own brown hen was trying to check them out and wasn’t too happy with their arrival. The roosters were both trying to herd them as roosters do. Here’s a photo of the two new arrivals (extreme left and extreme right) scratching around with Elvis the rooster (second to left) and our hen, Juliette (second to right). The two new girls are pretty thin – I could feel their keel bones very prominently when I carried them to the barn. I’m sure they’ll be plumped up in no time – just LOOK at Juliette!!!!
Below is a photo of Kitty the white broiler hen we picked up from the Delta Animal Shelter about a month ago. She was found wandering around a construction area and I was asked if we could take her. She spends a lot of her time inside the barn, but on occasion she wanders out and basks in the sun. She hangs out with Forrest, our Special Needs rooster. They are buddies and sleep side-by-side at night. Broiler chickens like Kitty are bred for one purpose – meat. They are not known for any life longevity. Kitty will, however, have a wonderful home here for the rest of her life. She already has troubles walking as the feet cannot handle the heavy weight of the body. Ds and I discovered yesterday that she has a bad case of lice. We dusted her heavily with some de-lousing powder. As you may or may not know the lice suck the blood and the poor bird suffers immensely. I think she may have come with it because none of my other chickens have it. Anyways, she’s dusted and so are all the nesting boxes and the floor of the barn. We will re-do her in a couple of days. Poor Kitty – I feel so bad for not checking her out sooner! She sure wasn’t too happy being held upside down and powdered. This is the best way to get full coverage between all the feathers. When we got back inside, we had some of the nasty brown creatures on us and both had to strip down and take showers – YUCK! All our clothes are in the washing machine. Are you itchy yet??? The joys of living on the farm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, that was our week. It's Saturday morning now and I'm about to uncover all the parrots and get them their breakfast. I have some cage cleaning to do today as I was busy most of the day yesterday.
This is post #99. Check back soon as my 100th post will be a bloggy give-away that you won't want to miss!
It's been a while since I've posted. It's been a difficult week adjusting to the time change. I've been so totally exhausted this week and don't know why. I think it's due to the time change, but who knows? I think there are others having troubles too as I've seen some comments on other blogs that are similar. Perhaps it's because the time change was three weeks early this spring? Any ideas? Anyways, suffice it to say that I HOPE this exhausted feeling passes quickly.
I've been up since 4 a.m. this morning. I was jolted awake by what I thought was one of the parrots squawking. I quickly awoke and listened intently, but it was nothing - I guess I was imagining things! Do you think I could get back to sleep? NO! Very frustrating when you just want to get back to sleep but can't. I laid in bed thinking until 5:40, when I normally get up. So, today I was feeling a bit more exhausted but for good reason!
Yesterday the parrot rescue organization I volunteer with had a Pet Therapy session in one of the Seniors' homes in Langley, about 20 minutes from here. I was supposed to take two parrots, Maya and Theodore, but Theodore has been grumpy lately and biting me a lot, so I decided to leave him home. Maya (that's her photo in my avatar) was a very good girl and there were five of us volunteers there. We usually just explain what Greyhaven does and talk a little bit about our birds and then walk around and interact with the seniors and let them look at our birds. Some birds are friendly and can be held by people, but none of my birds are like that. I usually just hold them and talk to the people as I don't really trust them not to give someone a good bite! It's so refreshing to see these elderly people brighten up when they see the birds. The usually have lots of good questions and lots of comments. It's a very rewarding experience. I don't have any photos of yesterday, but I do have one of Theodore and I from a couple of years back. This was also a Seniors' Home we went to.
I will have to remember to get photos next time. This particular Seniors' Home we were at yesterday had us in back in September, and then we were there again yesterday. They really loved our presentations and it's nice 'cause it's close to home for me.
So, hopefully, I'll be blogging a little more regularly. I've had a bit of writer's block, so hopefully that's passed.
Oh, I almost forgot!!!! Some bloggy fun - I'll be having a giveaway for my 100th blog entry (this is my 93rd). I have no idea what I'm giving away yet, but I'll work on that in the next week. So, remember to visit again and join in on the fun!!!!
I'm still keeping up with the exercise. Went to Curves three times this week.
Today DH, the kids, Lucas and I went for a walk around Mill Lake in Abbotsford. We walked around TWICE - each time is 2.5 km, so we walked 5 km total. It felt good to get out and go for a nice walk. The weather was cool-ish, so it was perfect walking weather. Lucas really enjoyed it, too.
Speaking of Lucas, now tell me - how many times can a dog pee on a walk???? I swear that he lifts his leg at EVERY tree we come to - that's a LOT of peeing!!!! And I am very careful to carry little bags to clean up after him, too!
Yesterday and Wednesday, Connie & I went to work out at Curves. It sure feels good to get back at exercising. Early this morning, Lucas (our oh-so-cute Jack Russell Terrier) and I went for a walk around Mill Lake in Abbotsford, which is a beautiful 2.5 km walk. The sun was shining and it was lovely! My muscles are sure feeling a little sore and are probably wondering what's up with the new activity this week??!
I've been nursing a sore throat for 7 days now - I'm wondering what's up with that? Yesterday I had a bit of a fever on and off, so it's annoying. Yesterday I tried to get an appointment with my Doctor for today, but it seems HE'S sick this week - I thought that Doctors weren't ALLOWED to get sick! Ha! Actually, I'm surprised they don't get sick more often with all those sick people breathing all over them! Anyways, I do hope that he gets better. I can live with my sore throat over the weekend - hopefully it'll be gone by Monday, but I'm worried about Strep since it's been a week now. We shall see. I'm normally not a whiner - honestly - it's just that this bug doesn't seem to want to leave me!
Here's a photo of my little walking companion, Lucas. Is he not THE cutest?!!
I have a new favourite treat that I like to order with my Tim Horton's coffee. It's their low-fat yogurt and berries. Mmmmmm! At only 160 calories, it's a nice snack/breakfast once in a while. Sure beats their donuts (calorie-wise), although it's more than twice the price of a donut. The price of watching our weight!
So, today I took our Jack Russell Terrier and walked 2.5 km around Mill Lake in Abbotsford. It's a beautiful walk, and the sun was shining and we had a great time. The only thing I wished I had taken were a couple of treats for Lucas as he was so well-behaved!
I'm tired of being overweight and not having much energy. I'm going to take my life back and regain control! I'm tired of sitting and thinking about it, so now I'm doing something about it. Hey, nobody else is going to do it for me are they?
I also met up with my dear friend, Connie, while I was out and we both went and signed up for Curves. I plan on doing this for me and it's always nice to have someone to go with when exercising. So, my plan now is to go to Curves perhaps 3-4 times a week and go walk around the lake on the off-days when I can or when I don't have a lot planned for the day.
I really want to make this happen. People who don't or haven't had a weight issue in their lives really have no idea. It can become overwhelming and I think about how I'd like to be thin again, but it doesn't just happen on its own. I used to be a skinny little thing until about 12 years ago. When I had our son, it changed my metabolism and I think my activity level dropped - in any event, something changed and here I am. I'm about 30 lbs over where I would like to be, but it would still be nice to lose more than that.
And so, if you think of it, I could use your prayers. I love food and it, apparently loves me too! I truly hope to make some headway in this weight loss journey this time.
Well, my computer is fixed. Many thanks to my DH and to Connie's DH for their hard work in getting me back up & running. I was actually only without my computer for 4 days - I just have been busy focusing on non-bloggy things!
Today has been busy already and it's not even noon. I have made a big pot of Split Pea and Farmer Sausage soup along with a nice, fresh loaf of Light Oat bread. Mmmmmm! I've also just taken two loaves of my Banana Bread out of the oven. I have to admit that it smells pretty good in this house right now!
On the coffee front, I bought the new coffee maker, but unfortunately, it doesn't live up to my expectations. The first cup is great, but the second is yucky unless you get it within 15 minutes. I'll continue my search for that perfect "second" cup of coffee! Sigh...
It's SNOWING here again today. We have received about 8 inches of the white stuff overnight. A lot of schools in the area were closed today, but not Abbotsford schools - needless to say our kids weren't very happy about that!
That's a quick update. I must go check on the bread and soup. Mmmmmmm!
I love country living. I'm a stay-home mom of two children - one biological and one adopted from Thailand. Wife to a wonderful hubby. Also Mom to 8 parrots, 1 Jack Russell Terrier, one cat, 3 goats, 2 guinea hens, 2 roosters, three plump brown hens, a wee black bantam hen and one oversized duck. Daughter to the King only by His grace.
Of course, it seems wherever we go and whatever we do, Connie & I ALWAYS have fun - EVEN in Africa when the heat and humidity is killing us!! 
Rest in Peace, Luc. I really feel for his poor mother - this lady raised Luc by herself and he was her life. She could really use your prayers.
Last weekend was the Pet Expo - we had a great weekend. It was busy and tiring - standing on cold concrete sure takes its toll on you after two long days. I took Maya, my Quaker, on Saturday and she was a very good girl. She stayed on my shoulder most of the time - she's a mama's girl - and is pretty well potty trained, so I didn't get pooped on at all! 
Very frustrating when you just want to get back to sleep but can't. I laid in bed thinking until 5:40, when I normally get up. So, today I was feeling a bit more exhausted but for good reason!
