Who's Frozen Solid?

Our pipes are!!!!

 

Thermometer got down to -30 last nite and it froze all of our pipes! It's been colder here and only some of the pipes froze but we always had water in the downstairs bathroom which is close to the pump downstairs but now all are frozen sold.

 

Good excuse not to do dishes, lol!!

 

Does anyone else's pipes freeze?

 

We have to be careful not to leave the cellar door open or it gets too cold and freezes up that part of the basement which is normally always fine and can be used like a root cellar.

 

We've been very lucky to not have them bust on us that's for sure! Mike just takes the big huge kerosene heater down for about 15 minutes and that usually unthaws them.

 

Last nite I stayed up late and had my shower before going to bed for fear that when I got up early this morning they may be frozen but all was well.....well except the terrible case of bedhead I had cuz I went to sleep with wet hair!!!lol

Hope everyone else if doing well in the cold weather. 

I'm Hibernating Today!

 Will it never end???

I am hibernating today. It's way too cold to go outside even though there are some fantastic baskets on sale at Canadian Tire today. And you can't beat the price at 40% off!! But I have managed to talk my son into having a look for them when he goes later on with his dad.

Mike has to pick up a U-Haul van to truck some baby lambs home tomorrow. He's afraid with these freezing temps that they will get too cold in the back of the half ton with just racks on.

So I've spent my morning just sitting here reading the third book of the Mitford series by Jan Karon. Nothing too exciting, just about life in a small town told centering around the life of the minister there. It's great reading though.

An Imposter

 Alright, who did what with my hubby while I was gone to work today???lol

 

I got home and he had a casserole in the oven that he made from a recipe in one of my cookbooks. Then come to find out that he had made an apple crisp from scratch for dessert!

 

So we have supper and now's time for a little puter time for me and my 6 y/o walks by with his towel. "I'm going for a bath", he says and I hear the water running upstairs and Mike is giving Hannah and Colton a bath as we speak!!!!!!

 

This is wayyyyy tooooo strange!!LOL

 

So I wonder what he wants!!!!Or what he did!!

Pampering Me

I only ask because just yesterday I bought myself a little something and even though it only cost me $11.29 all together, I am still on a high because it made me feel great!

 

I have a spot in the spare bedroom (where the computer is) that really needed a small fancy lamp. I had a tall lamp in here that needed to be moved to the living room for more light so the boys could all have a lamp beside their seats to either read or play gameboy!

 

Anyway, I was out doing grocery shopping yesterday and I knew that Canadian Tire had them on sale for 14.99 or something like that. I went right by it the first time through town, thinking to myself that it really wasn't something I needed, and I could better use the money for something else that the family needed. By the time I was done in town, I actually had to make a u-turn and go back the long way to get to Canadian Tire again and I am soooo glad I did.

 

In I went to have a look at the lamps and also browse while I was there.They had tropical plants on sale and I got a beautiful ivy in a 6 inch pot for 5.99 that I knew would go perfect on a hanging shelf that I have in that same room. Over to the lamps I go and though they were out of all the lamps on special (which didn't surprise me at all, our Canadian Tire is always out of any great specials they have).  But there was the cutest little victorian lamp with little fringes hanging from the shade, that had a tiny cheval mirror on it's base, and the lamp only stood 16 inches tall. Perfect for what I wanted. And bonus it was on sale for 11.99!! I never would have bought it at the regular price of 24.99 but I could not resist that priceWhat a deal!

 

At the register my bill came to $24 or so, as I had picked up oil and some lightbulbs also that we needed. I gave the cashier the Canadian Tire money that I had in my purse and my final bill was only $11.29!

 

I came home and cleaned off that hanging shelf and put my plant on it right beside the window. I put my old anniversary clock in front of it on one side and a pic of the kids on the other and it looks gorgeous hanging there. I put my new lamp together and sat it on the short stand beside my grandfather's old windsor chair right in front of the tall stand that holds my boston fern.

 

Now when I turn on the little lamp with the 20 watt bulb, it lights my fern up from below and also lights up the two old two foot tall oval picture frames on the wall behind that hold pics of my grandmother when she was a young girl of maybe 2 or 3 and the other a pic of her mother with her high collared lace dress on, her hair high up on her head and a locket hanging around her neck.

 

We have to walk through this room to get to the downstairs bathroom, and of course I spend alot of time here on the computer, lol! Everytime I look at that little lamp giving off it's glow and the aura it has created here in this room it brings my heart joy. It makes my heart warm and I feel peace, like I'm in my own little world here.

 

All of this for just $11.29!!!!!!!!!

 

We definitely need to remember to feed our souls, to do something that is just for us, just because! Even if no one else in the house can understand why it is special, it doesn't matter. We know 

Anyone Watching the Mole?

 It's premiering tonite at 10 on ABC.

We watched the last celebrity mole and it was a hoot! I'm glad to see that Stephen Baldwin is back, he loves to make trouble, lol!!

 

I really don't like Ahmad Rashad as the host though, Anderson Cooper was MUCH better. Too bad he's too busy with the news now at CNN

It really is the pits that it's on so late

 

Thank goodness I was taping it for the kids cuz I fell asleep during the last ten minutes and didn't see who got the boot! I woke up at 11:10 and had to rewind and see it even though I had to work the next day, lol!

 

We watched the first two also and thought they were much better than the celebrity one.

Feb 7..update!!

Well I'm not very good at detecting a Mole, LOL!!

 

I had Tracey Gold or Keisha Knight Pullam pegged as the Mole and they are both gone!!!!lol

 

There are only 3 left and next Wednesday's episode will be the last and the Mole will be revealed!

Checkin' In

 I have to type so quickly as my time is almost up already!!

 

We did have a wonderful Christmas! The kids were so excited and my 13 y/o came up the stairs blowing his tuba to wake us all, lol!! Scared the dog nearly out of her skin though, lol!!

 

I had to work for New Years but we all stayed up till midnite playing  our new game we got for Christmas 'Cranium' and playing 4 handed euchre and eating lots of goodies, lol!! I would recommend that game to anyone, it is excellent!! Soooooo much fun for the whole family!!

 

I am now on vacation and will have the next 12 days off so I hope to get in later this week too!

 

Bye for now!!

Christmas Pics

 First ones were taken at my sister Sherry's on Christmas Eve

Our place Christmas morning

And Hannah absolutely adores her new dolly from Dollywood and their matching dresses! lol

Wayyyy too cute! BTW..she named her new doll 'Emily'


If you wanna see more you can check 'em out HERE 

Flu Shot Update

 Well I'll try to make this a short update, lol!

 

Amantadine is an anti-viral drug that is used quite frequently in flu outbreaks. It's also used to treat Parkinson's disease!! Just some of the side effects are Restlessness, Jitteriness, Inability to concentrate, Irritability, Psychosis, Insomnia, Tremors, Confusion, Depression, Hallucinations, Congestive Heart Failure, Orthostatic Hypotension, urinary retention. Incredible eh??

 

Normally ever year I am approached about getting the flu shot and when I refuse I am asked to sign a paper which states that in the event of an outbreak I will be asked to stay home from work. No one approached me this year yet and I didn't sign anything but my union rep says we can't go on that because it's common practice and I could have approached them about it!

I e-mailed a letter to the Minister of Health, Dalton McGuinty, my local Member of Parliament (Ernie Parsons) and to my union asking what recourse I have and just what is the legality of what my employer was doing.

 

I was surprised to say the least to get a phone call from my MP bright and early Monday morning telling me he was sorry he had bad news for me and that what they were doing was totally legal and there was not much to be done about it. He didn't get my vote in the last election, but I was very impressed that he would actually take the time to call, so he will be getting my vote next time around!

 

Yesterday I got a call from the union steward at work who said none of the other 4 girls it affected wished to put in a grievance and that we really didn't have a leg to stand on. This morning I got a call from one of the UFCW big guys telling me to go ahead with my grievance because he feels this is going to become a big issue, especially with all the flu outbreak this year, and that it would be best to have it on the books for future grievances. So I guess I am going to go ahead and do that.

 

Then you won't believe this but my supervisor at work called this afternoon and told me that the outbreak had been lifted and that they would be opening their doors on Christmas day and that I could come back to work then (I am supposed to work Boxing Day, and Sat. and Sun.)!!! Mind you my two week waiting period for my flu shot to kick in is still not up!! It won't be until the 30th!! They were so concerned in the first place that I may infect everybody and I was told I couldn't come back till the two weeks were over and now they have changed their minds!! Give me a break!!!! Where did their concern for the residents health go??

 

I haven't got back to them yet. I want to talk to my union rep first and find out what the heck is going on. And I think I will call the health unit and see what their stand is on my going back before the two week period is up.

 

I am so confused!!!!

 

I will let you know what the next few days bring!

Rant About My Flu Shot

 K here goes my little rant!!

 

Got a call from work on Monday nite. 'We've had a resident diagnosed with Influenza A and because you have not received your flu shot you will not be allowed to return to work on Wednesday unless you have your dr. give you a prescription for Amantadine'.

 

O.k., alright, so I call the dr. the next morning; get lucky enough to hit a cancellation and we get in for 1 that same day, Tuesday. Dr. says 'I don't like the drug, I won't give it to you, I wouldn't even want you to go home and look after your young daughter while on this drug' 'What I will do is give you and Hannah a flu shot right now'.

 

So I ask 'what will I tell work'? 'Tell them your dr. wouldn't give it to you and they may still make you stay home for two weeks till the needle takes effect' he says.

 

I call work and am booked off for Wednesday as I have not started taking Amantadine and am instructed to call the local health unit to see if perhaps the drug epiflu will be a reasonable substitute and be acceptable as an option for thier requirements of my predicament of being allowed to return to work. The health unit tells me they do not recognize that drug as a substitute that has been proven to work and that my company finds it acceptable and I will need to call them and see just how long I need to be on that drug before I am allowed to return.

 

OK>HOLD ON>did you catch that?? Work led me to believe that it was the health unit that would not let me return and the health unit led me to believe that it was my company that would not let me return.

 

I have spent all day on the phone to no avail because everyone, work included keeps giving me the run around. I have already worked through the scenario of me being off the two weeks and we can afford it because of all the stat holidays in that period, so that I am prepared to tell my employer that they better go ahead and fill my shifts because I will not be back for two weeks.

 

WAIT!! That is UNTIL I talk to my union rep who informs me that I will not be paid for those stats because one must work the scheduled day before and the scheduled day after the holiday in order to receive the holiday pay unless there is a verified personal illness. 

 

Man, oh man, it's just on principal alone now that I want to tell them they will have to find someone else willing to work during the Christmas break because I have had enough of their bullsh!t and runaround!!!!

 

I still do not know what I will be doing and you may suggest that it's all my fault in the first place, because why didn't I just get the flu shot, RIGHT??? But the thing is not one administrator had approached me yet at work to come in to their office and get the flu shot (which is the common routine every fall) and when I normally refuse (which I have for all 10 other years I have been there) I am asked to sign a paper and told that in the case of an influenza outbreak, that I may be asked to stay at home until it is over (again normal protocol)

 

But I am refusing the flu shot under the pretense that there will need to be an outbreak of influenze, not a single case!! I was under the assumption that outbreak meant that there was an increase in the disease and there were many people breaking out with it. Guess I was wrong!!!!!!!

 

They have advised me that I could go and get the prescription from a dr. in a clinic or emergency, but again the principal of the thing is that my dr. advised me against it!!

 

Or am I just being stubborn??lol

That could very well be

 

Thanx for listening!! Any and all comments would be greatly appreciated in the hope that I can take the words out of your mouth and along with mine, use them all in my rant against the administrator, LMAO!!

We're All Sick

 I've got two boys home from school today. Colton has been home two days now, not too sure how sick he really is, though he does have a cold.

Colin has had a sore throat for 2 days now and can barely speak this morning.

I've got a sinus headache like crazy, and last nite I didn't eat supper and slept off and on on the couch till I went to bed at 9. I had to sleep with my warm woolies on and my socks, which I never do! I just couldn't get warm all evening.

Hannah had quite a fever last weekend, and it has turned into a nasty head cold now.

I have to work tomorrow and this weekend, so I hope this doesn't get any worse!

 We got to attend 2 parades this weekend!!

 

It rained all day Friday so we kind of waited it out to see if we would go to Bloomfields nite time parade. They were the first in the area to have nite time parades and now all the surrounding areas are having them too. It is a very small little town filled with thousands of people that nite. It's crazy!!lol

 

Turns out the rain stopped just in time and even though it kind of misted for part of the parade, we had a great time! Not a whole lot of candy though, probably because of the rain and the dark. If you have never seen a nite time parade, I encourage you to do so if you can. You absolutely will not be dissappointed. It is beautiful the way all the floats are lit up and even the horses have lights on them!

 

Saturday morning we had got a little bit of snow so it was picture perfect for a parade. The kids came away with tons of candy and Colton and Hannah even got two little stuffed animals!! I love small town parades, cuz you get to see so many people you know in them. A young girl that Cody goes to school with (our mechanics dd) rode one of our horses in the parade too!

Hannah's Cast Come Off

 Well Hannah had her cast taken off yesterday and after applying pressure on her wrist and feeling around a little he decided she didn't need another cast 

 

I was a little surprised and a little concerned and he could tell. I just wanted to make sure it was fine and healing well. He said she would probably be using it within the next day or two.

 

Well when we came out she was holding it against her belly as she did when she first hurt it, but I am thinking now that she was afraid to use it. Today seems much better and she was feeding herself her soup with it at lunch. I even caught her with her fingers in her mouth again at naptime, lol!! So things must be better!!

 

I am keeping a close eye on her though, the last thing I want is for her to fall on it or something right now.

Colin Gets Stitches in His Head

I got to the sitters tonite after work and she tells me that Colin, who was at a pool party today celebrating the last day of school, is in the hospital with a brace on his neck and a head wound he got doing a back flip off of the diving board!!

 

They had called Laura and she was there with him. I called the hospital right away to see if they were still there and no, they had just left and were on their way to the sitters house. So I waited there to find that he had to get 3 stitches to his head. Thank goodness it wasn't any more serious! This is the second time he has had stitches to his head. 3 years ago he pulled a cement block down from the hay wagon onto his head and required only 2 stitches to close that wound. We were very lucky then also!

 

So if these things tend to run in 3's I definitely need to keep a close watch on Cody and Colton! Do you think tying them to their beds is enough, LOL!? 

Cody is Graduating with Honours!

Way to go Cody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

 

We were at an event at the school last nite and the principal came up to sit with us. He informed both me and Cody (who didn't know before then) that Cody would be graduating on Monday nite with honours!!!!!!

 

He is 1 of only 8, in the group of over 60 Grade 8 students who will be receiving honours!!!!!

Update on Hannah

~An update on Hannah~

 

Dh took her to our family dr. yesterday on his lunch and the dr. wants to put another cast on next week. A lighter fibreglass one because he says when they are young they tend to lose a lot of muscle tissue fast and her arm will shrink and the cast will become too loose.

 

I'm not big on the idea of them having to take the cast off and go through putting another one on. That was the only point of discomfort she had last time was when the cast was setting and her arm starting getting hot. I also remember when Cody had his cast changed after a couple weeks of a broken ankle and it was painful when they started tugging and pulling at the cast. I hope all goes well.

 

Dr. also said she broke it in two places

 

She can tell us just who's name is where and she is having fun making her own little scribblings all over it Also, it was her right wrist that was broken and of course she is right handed or should I say was right-handed because she is doing very well using her left hand to do everything now, even feeding herself really well with it already! Mike and Colton are both left-handed and we may just have 3 in the family by the time her cast comes off

 

About the only thing she is having trouble with is her independence. A very big deal for a 3 (almost, lol) year old! The first time I went to get her jammies on her she said 'No, I can do it myself' and then found much to her chagrin that she couldn't. She almost has the undie thing mastered, as in pulling them up and down when she has gone to the bathroom, lol!

Hannah Broke Her Arm!

 The kids were out playing soccer on the front lawn last nite and I was mowing the lawn. Well Hannah came over crying saying that Cody kicked the ball and she hurt her arm. Her forearm was a little red so I gave her a hug and off she went. But she was back a while later saying that it hurt but I couldn't see anything wrong.

She came in and watched a movie with the boys and fell asleep in the chair. She woke up around midnite and said it still hurts and I thought I could feel swelling just above her wrist I gave her some Tylenol hoping if nothing else, it might help her sleep and if nothing was better by morning I thought I would take her to the hospital. She said she was trying to catch the soccer ball and hurt it.

Well Hannah and I slept in the double bed in the bottom bunk last nite and when she woke this morning she was all smiles and wanted to go and get Daddy his breakfast in bed. She still wasn't using her arm at all but there were no complaints, not even to say that it was sore.

After Mike opened his gifts I asked her if it still hurt and then she said yes so I took her down to the hospital just to be on the safe side and make sure it wasn't broken. Thank god I did, because even though the doctor played with it and asked her if this hurt ('no'), did that hurt ('no') and she could squeeze his fingers, he still sent her for x-rays and found that it was broken, just above her wrist What a brave little girl, no complaining at all except for one point just after they had applied the cast and her arm started to heat up inside the cast, she looked at me and said 'Mommy, it hurts', brought tears to my eyes 

Needless to say Mike and the boys were very surprised when we pulled in and she had a cast on her arm. I can't believe I got her to sit still as long as I did in the big recliner where she could put her arm up. She fell asleep there shortly after we got home and stayed there to eat lunch and finally around 4 she came outside with Colin who pushed her in the swing for awhile. I didn't want her arm to get uncomfortable so we fashioned her a sling out of a Tigger/Eeyore pillowcase and she has been wearing that since. She loves it and she is milking this for all it's worth, the little rascal

One of A Kind Wedding

 One of A Kind Wedding

I finally got a chance to drop in to this thread and tell you all about the wedding we attended a couple of weekends ago. The invite said 'Very Casual' and I just wore cotton pants and a nice warm sweater. We sat in lawn chairs in front of the house (a log cabin they built themselves) most of us with some kind of booze in our hand that was graciously supplied by them. The front porch adorned with all kinds of flowers and planters most from guests as a wedding gift.

Around the corner they came, after someone cued up the wedding march on the c.d. player, both of them decked out in a brand new pair of bib overalls! His black with a white shirt, hers tan with a long sleeved tan shirt. 

The vows were their own and were short and sweet. It started with "My wish is to...share the good times and the bad....My wish is to... wake next to you every morning for the rest of our lives...and so on, to end with "My wish is to...spend the rest of our lives growing old together" It was beautiful

Then we were off to the back of the house with a view of the Black River where the smells of pork, ham and roast beef, grillin' in the homemade spit, filled the air. I am not a big meat eater but those roasts were every bit as good as they smelled and maybe better! We helped ourselves, on paper plates from tables set up in the garage/workshop, to buns and potato and macaroni salads and pickles. The dessert table was filled with homemade blueberry, rhubarb, apple, cherry and PECAN pies!! yummmmmmmm....not to mention at least 20 different kinds of squares and cookies and butter tarts.

After they cut the wedding cake, they served a piece to everyone while some of the men in the crowd tried their darndest to get the huge bonfire going. Once dark set in, the fireworks started and they went on for at least an hour while we all sat around the bonfire enjoying the heat. Music was piped from someone's car stereo.

We had a wonderful evening and it was a once in a lifetime experience I am sure!!

 GoodNite

I worked all weekend and Monday also. Come to find out that I am off now until next Monday!! Woohoo!! Lots of time to clean house before my mom and sister come this weekend for Colton's 6th b'day party, lol! We will be going to the mall on Thursday (his birthday) so he can spend $20 he got in the mail from gramma and Poppa Jack and so I can pick up the pics I had done of Hannah.       

We have a wedding to attend on Saturday at 4. Very casual outdoor wedding, with a BBQ and bonfire afterward. Sounds like fun!! I just hope that the weather holds out and warms up some. I would love to get to the drive-in this weekend too for the all-niter. The boys love to go and X-Men 2 is playing along with Daredevil and 2 others. Half the time I fall asleep through them but Cody usually lasts the nite. Need lots of munchies to keep us awake!

Summer Picnic

 I can't believe the wonderful weather we have been having on these weekends!! I just came in from the patio where I had my second cup of java and wrote a little in my journal. That is one of my favourite things to do on a sunny morning! Colin and Colton have gone off to church and Cody is playing his brand new Gameboy Advance he bought with his birthday money. Hannah is watching Dora and is waiting for her favourite 'Max and Ruby' to come on when Dora is over.

Yesterday Mike went out to the back of the property to cut down some trees to make way for the dozer that is coming this week to clear the trail to the back pastures. We need more pasture for the cows and there is plenty of it way back there we just need a laneway so we can get a truck out there too. So the kids and I packed a picnic lunch and went for a hike. It's over a mile and 1/2 to the very back of the property but we only hiked half way. We found a beautiful spot where we got out of the wind and ate our lunch, I swear I could have fallen asleep on that blanket if given the chance! It was so warm and cozy! Of course Hannah couldn't make it all the way back so Cody gave her a ride on his shoulders. She loved that.

No plans for today, just come what may. Though we really have to get out and mow that lawn as I still haven't tackled it. Tried to get the mower going the other day and couldn't and wouldn't you know it Mike gives it one tug and it goes. Grrr....I hate that thing but still haven't given in and purchased a more environment friendly push mower though the grass-cutting season is still young, lol!!

Hannah Gets Her Pics Done :)

Man that weather outside just has to put you in a good mood doesn't it?

Gotta be quick cuz Hannah is waiting for me to watch Monster's Inc. with her for about the seventh time, lol!! But just wanted to tell ya'll about my day!!

Nothing special but we finally went and got Hannah's pics done. Remember we couldn't get them done before because she broke out with those darned chicken pox!! I see a few scars on her but only one on her face above her eyebrow and perhaps that will fade in time.

So I put her little pink frilly dress on with her little pick crocheted hat and we were off before 10 on Friday morning. She loved posing for the camera and each time a pic was done she was up and ready to prepare for the next pose, lol!

I can't even begin to count the people who smiled and commented on her little dress! Especially all the mom's at the park where we stopped after picking up Harvey's for lunch! Yep, I said Harvery's, yummmm, haven't had one of their burgers in so long!! It was dripping all over the place. Heaven, lol!! Anyway the mom's wanted to know if she had been somewhere special or if that was what she had picked out to wear for the day and I was nice enough to let her wear it!! Even the little boys and girls were telling her how cute she looked. I swear by the time we got home at 3 her head was beginning to swell and she was telling us how cute she was, lol!!! I'll post a pic soon and you'll see what I mean bout this dress. Pretty frilly, it is!! Just wish I would have had a pic of her sliding down the slide with it on!!