Ok - Who turned Off the Heat

Just cause it is fall, and just cause it is October already does it have to be cold? And Wet?  Yuck.  Our parking lot at the shop is a complete and utter mudhole.  The one week paving job is now going on week 6 and we still have nothing but dirt - right up to the door now - no sidewalks even.  My carpet is a disaster, my car looks like it went off roading and I am weary of it.  And everyone is sick.  I have a cold and in my mini group (BEST) which was to meet last night, all but 1 person had cancelled due to sickness or other obligations popping up.  First time that has happened.  So I was hoping to get home fairly early and pop into bed with a nice neocitrin and  watch some educational TLC but no - HH called and asked to meet him at Home Depot for colour selection for the cottage bathroom.  So that took awhile.  And a new vanity light. Can't wait to see the finished product.  Next on my agenda for that room is finding a new mirror.


On the family side,  I am pleased to announce that my daughter is having a boy!  That is so nice for her and Andre.  Now the nursery planning is in full force.  Colours are mostly selected - we just have to pin down the fabrics.  I think my cricut will definitely be used and now I have to sit down and learn how to use the gypsy properly.  Why can't I get my head around that I really don't know.  Should be easy enough.  Others use it quite successfully so bring it on!  Maybe if I lay in bed with my neocitrin and my laptop and my gypsy I will figure it out.  Maybe...


My lovely ex-niece (does that make sense to you?) had a baby girl (Lola Jayne) just over a week ago.  I have to say she is probably one of the most precious little babies I have seen in awhile - ok I am a tad prejudice but it is true.  The ex-niece seems deliriously happy and I am so enjoying following her blog as she learns about being a mom for the first time.  I wish all three of them lots of love and joy.  The bonus to all of this is that my daughter lives in the same town as my ex-niece and they can go through all of this together and learn from each other.  That is a big bonding experience as anyone of us can attest to having kids at the same time as a close friend or family member really cements the relationship for always.  I was lucky as I had my own sister and a SIL having babies at the same time as me.  The order goes something like this SIL 1 girl in Jan., 2 months later my boy, 2 years later SIL 1 girl in Feb., Sister 1 girl in March, me 1 girl in June.  And in between my other SIL had a girl as well.  So between the 4 of us we had 9 kids in 4 years.  As both my sister and the other SIL had another baby roughly around the same time but 4 years after their first.  Confusing to you but it made for a lot of babies getting together at the cottage and family functions and they are all incredibly close cousins.  How wonderful that all is.  So I wish that for my daughter and her cousin.  Much closeness - forever!  Just a note - out of the nine babies - 3 are boys and the others are all girls - how about those odds.  I have added a few pics of my BB and 3 of her close cousins.  I will post more of the others when I can access those pics.


So I am feeling nostaligic and warm and cozy about babies and cousins and family....so I guess that turned up the heat.  


TTYL - should be sewing.




  

Hayley & Tori fooling around 2004

Hayley & Jill 2008

Hayley & Lindsay 2008

October Has Arrived I Smell Turkey

Ok, so it is here. Fall. Without. A. Doubt. Crap I hate winter and it is just around the corner. How do people enjoy this time of year. Yeah the trees are heading towards beautiful but right now everything is just grey and blah and cold and wet. Yup, don't like that. But there is Halloween just there at the end of the month. Waiting. It is not like it was when the kids were small. You would anticipate Halloween. Plan costumes, sew costumes. Buy candy. Plan the pumpkin carving. Add to the Halloween decorations for the scary front porch. But now that the Beautiful Butterfly (BB) is 18, does it really matter any more? I feel like just sitting inside watching Rocky Horror Picture Show and having apple cider with a bit of kick to it and cuddling with my Handsome Hubby (HH) Let the door bell ring. Let the furkid go ballistic. I can enjoy that. I can get my head around that. Let's do that. But nope....BB will not let that happen. She still wants all the trimmings. Not that she helps or anything. Or even stays for the whole night and hand out candy - nope. Well I have 26 days to work up to that.

However, in the mean time we have Thanksgiving. Now thats a holiday - yeah right. Usually we spend it at our lovely cottage. What do we do there? We close up. And in between all that closing up entails I make a 20lb turkey with all the trimmings and try to figure how to get the left overs home. This year we are hoping to make it a big family weekend. My mom and dad are on their way here from their home in Nova Scotia to see BB get her diploma on Friday (why the h do they have to have that on a Friday at 1pm - cripes) and spend some time with the Tutu Much Family (TTMF). I am looking forward to seeing them - havent seen them in 1 year! Also my darling sister and her 2 kiddos will be joining us so the cottage will be full and happening. What a great idea right? Well throw BB's boyfriend into the mix and it suddenly gets complicated. He wants to spend turkey time with his family, BB wants to spend turkey time with his family & our family - which will be at the cottage. Coming from NS & Ottawa to see her get her diploma. And have Turkey. Not sure how this is all going to go down. Have 2 days to figure it out or convince BB to abandon said boyfriend to his family and join all of us at the cottage. Wish me luck!

It is Over - Summer That Is

Can You Feel It??? Summer is over. The air has changed as of this morning and we are no longer in a heat wave with high humidex. And yet I sit here at my computer, in my shop, with the door wide open to catch the breeze. And what else will I catch? Hopefully the sounds of airplanes flying in and out of the airport as they participate in the air show at the CNE. This is the last weekend of the CNE and thus the last weekend of summer. Already I have seen the Snowbirds arrive in perfect formation yesterday and this morning as I was driving in saw another formation of jets leaving the airport but not sure of their markings (Drew would know but he is not here). Very cool to be under this particular flight path. In past years I have seen (and heard) some pretty amazing air machines. All on my doorstep. Funny this - when we were in Florida the first 2 weeks of July, their was a mini airshow right on our beach. One day as we bobbed in the 86 degree water, the American jet precision team (name escapes me? Thunderbirds? Blue Angels?) flew over our heads and went out to sea and back a few times while waiting for the flyby at whatever function was going on. It was really neat. Also one day we had the Goodyear Blimp fly by. And daily there were helicopters, ultra light aircraft, small planes and we were also directly under the flight path for the Miami airport so lots of big planes coming and going - Drew was in heaven!

So today is Orientation Day for my lovely Hayley. She is down at the campus as we speak with her two friends from the studio - Alexia and Sierra - getting all the information and having a tour of the facility where she will be dancing and studying for the next 4 years. What an exciting time for them. And I am glad that there are the 3 of them. Its nice to have someone you know when you start something new. I predict they will become great friends in short order.

Is it Really Over??

Ok - So where the heck has summer gone. Yes I know we are having record temps but we are sitting on the cusp of September 2010. Gawd, that went wayyy too fast. So lets recap - did we do enough over the summer? I went to Florida for 12 days the beginning of July. When I returned I spent 2 weeks cleaning my shop. Yes it took two whole weeks and I cant really say it is done but thats the way it is. I know I will have some more time coming up and will tackle that jungle under neath the cutting table. Then we were at August and had 15 glorious days at our cottage. Did lots there - yup we did - swimming, drinking, golfing, swimming, drinking, eating, drinking. So that took some getting used to. Then the last few weeks have been a mix of family visits, working, back to the cottage, running my lovely daughter Hayley around and here we are - on the cusp of September.
Did anything spectacular happen over the summer (I would normally insert a question mark there but my keyboard is inserting this instead É - what the H É ) well lets see, my son & his fianceé have moved along in their wedding preps - booked the venue (Vegas - the Wynn) , she has picked her dress (nope not making it :( ) and thats great stuff. Also Hayley has completed all her requirements for entry to Ryerson (Performance Dance) and thats great. My husband`s aunt Joyce - who we loved so very dearly and had the cottage next to ours - passed away - not great at all - miss her lots! But the one very spectacular thing is - my daughter Crystal and her husband André are expecting. I am going to be a grandma. This is the best news of all. But how did i find out.. someone else told me cause Crystal and I - though it pains my heart - do not communicate. This is the way it has been for 15 years now. Whenever I try to bridge the gap something or someone slaps it back down. So yes this is all very exciting news for our family I just wish I could be excited and included. I want this grandbaby very much and already love it but will I be allowed to have any contact with her or him I do not know and that breaks my heart. I follow her cousin`s blog. She is expecting a little girl very soon - Sept 29th. And I so enjoy reading all about her ups and downs and the pics she posts of her growing belly and the plans they have made, the nursery and the baby party as she puts it are so delightful. I remember very well when Michelle Tiffany was born - such a big name for such a sweet little girl - I quickly nicknamed her Mimi. Her sister who followed was Didi (Danielle). I envy Lyne`s participation in this blessed event. Will I be able to have this too - I have 6 months to fix this but in my head I don`t believe it can be fixed. 15 years is a lot of water under the bridge. I have all my hopes pinned on this.

Almost There

Well it is getting realllly close to the end of the recital season (for me). All costumes for my big school are done and ready for pickup. Now I just have to clean up, put away, reorganize, pay bills, lay people off and then breathe. No wait... I still have 3 prom dresses to do! And a small order for 8 Elvis jumpsuits, and a Christian school play costumes and period costuming for a boat launching. So yikes, I guess I can't breathe yet.

I must say that this is the slowest recital season I have had in over 10 years. Why? More reusing of costumes from previous years? More use of street clothes? Perhaps. Hopefully this is just the end of that trend and next year will be bigger. Dont even want to look at the bottom line this year. And I hired 2 new girls anticipating having more orders and that didnt pan out. So what to do? I couldnt very well NOT hire them. I have had bad experiences in the past where I relied on one person and they - due to circumstances beyond their control - were unable to carry through. When my one returning sewer suggested she may not be able to work for me this year I panicked and placed an ad and had 2 great responders. Thinking I could just hire each one part time thus creating 1 full time position I hired them both but now I have 3 sewers and not enough work to go around. Live and learn. Good thing they are understanding! But I think that is where all my money has gone. Next year the prices will have to go up a bit I think. I did raise them some this year but still not enough. What a tough thing to work out.

I will keep you up to date on the prom dresses. My neice's is almost done to the fitting stage. She will be here Friday to try it on. Hope there is not too much to alter - keep your fingers crossed! And then I will begin Hayley's and Maddy's. Just got to pin Maddy down on a few details, like fabric!

Gotta go sew - ttyl!

Happy St. Patricks Day !

Today is a big day in our household. 29 years and 20 years ago I had babies. Crystal Ann Patricia and nine years later Nicholas Thomas Gerald. I could not have planned it if I had tried. Crystal was born 4 weeks early by induction and Nicholas was 9 days late!! She was 6lbs 1 oz and he weighed a hefty 9lbs 4 oz. I wish I could say they are close but unfortunately that is not the way it has turned out.

I could write a book about the trials and tribulations of having 2 families. The way that people use others as a control or revenge mechanism. My ex seriously and purposely ruined the relationship my daughter has with me and my 2 younger children. For whatever reason this was done - whether control, revenge, anger, jealousy, money - it is a very very sad situation. I have tried to cross the bridge with her but it keeps crashing down. Her anger and manufactured memories against me will not allow her to grow up and go on. I cannot keep opening up myself to the hurt and pain she continues to inflict on me. I only pray that someday, somehow, she will reach out.

Nicholas is in Calgary for his birthday - first time in 20 years he has not been with me on this day. It feels very strange. I have not been with Crystal on her birthday since she turned 14 (wow 15 years...:( ) but I still think of her and miss her especially on this day. Sharing a birthday with her brother has been both a negative experience for her (initial jealousy ) and later a bonus. I am not sure what Nick will be doing today but I am sure that it will involve being at a pub! Last year for his 19th we joined him at a pub for his first legal day of drinking (that sounds bad doesnt it?) with his close friends and then left them to their own devices for the rest of the night. We will be off to the Mad Hatter tonight. My sister being in town we will walk over and have a great time.

Yesterday I took my niece Lindsay and my daughter Hayley shopping on Queen Street for fabric for their prom dresses. Surprisingly it only took 2 hours. We were totally succesful and hopefully they are both happy with their choices. Now for the sewing! Both girls are such complete opposites and their dress/fabric choices reflect this as well. I will post pictures after they are finished in the near future.

Almost There

Today I am seriously pooped. My lovely dancer has to be at school for 7am on Tues and Thurs for dance team - of which she is the captain. For some reason no matter what time I hit the sack the night before, getting up at 6 throws me all out of whack. Brain function is very low. Oh well - next year I wont have to worry about that anymore - I think I will really miss it!

This past weekend was her first competition of the season. Her pointe solo and her ballet group did very well. Although - never as well as she would like. She is sooo hard on herself. I guess that is why she is such a great dancer! This coming weekend is her first official competition in Salsa with her partner Kevin. She has been performing salsa for 6 years but has decided to start competing as well. Should be fun and a great opportunity for her and Kevin.

Nick is off to Calgary on Thursday. He has no sense of humour when I nicely suggested that he required more funds in order to pay first and last months rent when he got there. Am I wrong to think at 20 he should be thinking of moving out??? I am such a bad mom. Anyways, he will be visiting a friend and his 2 uncles and their families while he is there. Of course I am sure snowboarding is also on the agenda.

While he is away, my sister Kathy and my niece Lindsay are coming for 4 days. Lindsay wishes to have me make her prom dress so her and Hayley will be doing research/shopping while here. I am looking forward to spending time with the both of them, I will keep you posted on the dress research.

Over the course of this week I have 3 dance schools costumes to finish - that is why I am not good at keeping this blog up to date :(. I am sure you understand. One school I was sure I was finished but the jacket (dont we hate sewing jackets in lycra!) has issues and has to be addressed before the end of the day tomorrow. I also have Hayley's dance team and new salsa dress to be done by end of day Thursday. Yikes - I should be sewing - not blogging!

Signing off for now...

First Day - First Time

Well, this should be interesting. I have been following a few blogs for a little while and am intrigued by their simplicity and human interest. They keep me in touch with a few people that I may not have the chance to keep up to date with otherwise. I am going to try and use this forum for many areas of my life. My life as a mom, wife, business owner, cottager, costumer, scrapbooker, miniaturist, etc. I hope to share funny tales of my day to day life, rememories of past moments and dreams for the future. Now where to start?

Perhaps I should start with my life as a Mom. I have 4 beautiful children: Tyler (30) engaged to beautiful Tess, living in a highrise condo nearby; Crystal-Ann Guindon (28) , married to Andre, going to University and living in Ottawa; Nicholas (Nick - 19) at home working for his Dad; and Hayley (17) in her last year of high school and my dancer. I guess you could also say I am a mom to a furkid known as GeorgiaBelle - a rowdy, sweet tempered 10 yr old Jack Russell.

Hayley - dancing through life

Nick - always smiling