Fall is my favourite season.

Yes, I ignore this blog and use it only sporadically for my own whims. So be it.

I had a very busy summer with working full time and squeezing in camping trips and beach days where we could where we could. We also made it to the island for my niece's grad.

I finished my first year of guitar lessons and I have to say I improved quite a bit. I go back next week after a summer of less than disciplined practicing. I am still learning every day though and that is a plus. School is started and I am in regular work for the next couple months. It should slow down around Christmas, but that is fine for me, I like being home in the winter. I will have more time to practice my guitar.

We just had Smokefest again. It was so nice to see some of my family. I had so much fun singing and playing music. There was also a performer this year which was a very nice addition to the party.

Here are a couple of gems:

Don air drying the fish before smoking it.

Jake holding her niece, Willow, 6 weeks.

Jerry and Howie at work.

Ed the performer. Last name has too many letters. An amazing musician.

The weather is rainy and we are headed for one last trip to a cabin on the lake before we settle into work routines. All of our extra activities are starting up again, so I expect to be on the run for a bit. I won't even pretend that blog updates will be regular. Just take what you get.

Catch you on the flip side.

 Bean.

Mother's day and 12 free minutes.

I have 12 free minutes! So I thought I'd write a blog post while my laundry is washing. I have my timer set and the machine is going, so let's see what we can accomplish. I seem to work best with a deadline. Hmm, where to begin...Mother's day was fabulous! When you are asked first thing in the morning whether you would like to start the day with presents or wait until after your coffee, you know it's going to be a good day. I was proudly presented with a paper flower with folded petals, which, when placed carefully on the surface of a pan of water unfolded, petal by petal, to tell me how wonderful I am, in both French and English! My heart melted. Then, I received a wonderful hand painted frame with a family drawing, which I promptly displayed in a place of honour. I also received a plant, which is either rosemary or lavender, he forgets. Either way, very sweet and it tells me I am doing something right with this boy; He is generous, kind and loving That, by far, is the best gift a mother could ask for. we spent the rest of the day doing what I wanted to do, which was to buy a long awaited bedframe, shop for summer clothes and use my Groupon for H2O in Kelowna. We topped off the day with pizza at BP. I couldn't ask for more! Of course, my husband has a huge role to play in spoiling me on Mother's Day. It is his reasoning that since my birthday is so close to Christmas, I need another day is that is just all about me. I won't argue with that! Well, my 12 minutes are at an end. Until next time, my faithful readers!

Happy Spring! WOW! 225 posts!

I like to celebrate these little milestones because it reminds me not to give up writing this blog. back when I started I had delusions of grandeur, thinking my frugal and homemade ideas would revolutionize the blogosphere and that no one could repaint a thrifted patio table from freecycle like I could. Nowadays, I'm a little more realistic about the scope of these types of blogs, but rather than give up entirely, I decided to keep my trusty blog and use it for my own personal enjoyment. Who says you have to be famous to write a blog? Not me, that's for sure.So, rather than my usual black and white, all or nothing attitude, I decided to give myself a break and just write this blog for fun. Is this a sign of maturity? Or am I admitting my limitations? Who knows, but it applies to many areas of my life. I recently started guitar lessons because I have always wanted to learn and as a child we did not have money for such extras. Now that I am an adult, I do find the discipline required for practice a constant challenge. When I was a kid, I did not have to worry about making dinner, working, doing the laundry and not being able to play after 8 p.m because people

are sleeping. When I do practice, which is most, but not all days, I feel as though I should be further ahead than I am and should be able to play better. Then I remind myself that last September, I could hardly play two chords together and now, I have a repertoire of easy songs that I can play adequately. This is progress! No, I am not a professional musician playing in front of adoring crowds, flawlessly executing every note on time, but I enjoy myself when I play guitar and that is reason enough to keep on doing it. Therefore, in the spirit of doing things for the sake of enjoyment I will add some photos from Easter weekend to add a little colour to this post. Happy Spring!

I heart Groupon (and family fun)

Seby and Simon fishing 2008

No, they didn't pay me to say that, but it's true. Once in a while I will purchase a Groupon and then we treat ourselves with deals. One time I got a luxurious pedicure! Something I wouldn't regularly do, but since I had the discount, I thought why not? It made for a fun day on the weekend for the family. I had two Groupons that I wanted to use, one for Lazer tag and one for the aquatic center, H2O. We thought, why not make the day of it and have some discounted family fun? I woke up congested and wasn't sure I was up to all this fun, but once I got rolling and had some IHOP pancakes in my belly, I was good to go. We hit the Lazer tag and learned about the vests and guns. We laughed at our glowing teeth and phosphorescent lint on our hoodies. Our opponents were two other school age boys who, as siblings, decided to team up against us, even though it was supposed to be every man for himself. They put the lazer hurt on us for the first 17 minute game ( much of which I could be found panting in a dark corner, trying to hide my glowing teeth and other vulnerable targets). By the second game, we wised up and, though the Terminators united, I am proud to say, we lazered the heck out of them. Take that, school age kids! Then, a strange thing happened; I ignored the team thing and became Renegade Mom, mercilessly lazering my hubby and son and those other two at every opportunity. Must have been the Buckley's cough syrup or something. We passed the afternoon swimming, hot tubbing and water sliding, followed by an early dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. What a great family day!

A couple more...

I decided not to take this coral home, and took a photo instead. So beautiful and just laying everywhere!

This lady (whom I did not know) kept the birds hovering while she fed them, looked so cool!

This trip was inspired by our beloved sister Cynt, who left us two years ago today. We brought you with us when we went to Mexico, we love you and think of you often. We always remember your funny stories and it was so fun retracing your steps. I felt you with us, along for the journey .

Mexico 2013

We were more than blessed to be able to travel to mexico for a week long vacation. It was an amazing experience to swim in the warm water of the ocean and see the tropical fish while snorkeling. It was a once in a lifetime trip, one I won't soon forget. The pictures don't even do justice to the turquoise color of the water. We were pampered and spoiled the whole week and it was difficult to come back to snow on the ground at home. Still, I longed for my comfortable bed and a home cooked meal. So, even paradise doesn't compare to home sweet home. But it is sure a great substitute!

The Tragically Hip

Last night was Date Night! And what a night it was! We had tickets to The Tragically Hip in Kamloops, B.C. We started the evening at The Keg which is right next to the arena and had a delicious meal, just the two of us. This almost never happens to I enjoyed it as the rare treat that it was. My wonderful Aunty had charge of our son, so I knew he was in good hands. We had the good tickets which allowed us in the arena a half hour before the general public to buy T-shirts and drinks and find our seats. We were on the floor, third row! I had a great view of the action the whole time. The opening act was a band called The Arkells, who were unknown to many of the fans my age and older, (I thought I recognized a few bars here and there) however, I noticed a few of the younger kids knew who they were and were rocking out. This, and the fact that I had just come from the Keg and held one of the best tickets in the arena made me feel momentarily middle aged, but I soon got over it when The Hip came on.
Those kids had no idea where they were! At least they were getting an education and there is something to be said for that. Gord Downie is a performer that's for sure, every fiber of his being is in performance mode. He has a way of acting out the lyrics in a sort of mime so that even the new songs from the album were understood and were completely the band we all know and love. They started the show at full volume and you almost wondered how they would keep up the pace. It was like night and day; the energy in the arena just surged when they came on. They doled out the older hits sparingly, just tastes at a time, while leaning heavily on the new material. It was a nice balance that didn't end up feeling like a reunion tour.
My favourite song from the New album Now for Plan A has to be Good Night Attawapiskat. It brings awareness to the issues and it's just a damned good Hip tune. Even the teens could dig it. The encore started with Little Bones (yay!) and they calmed us all down with Fiddlers Green, which was amazingly beautiful. All in all it was a perfect evening and I was sad when my coach turned into a pumpkin. Oh well, back to real life, I guess, but an experience I won't soon forget!

Happy Ninth Day of the Year!

There is a ton of snow on the ground and I am in full hibernation mode. Thank goodness for those pesky things called work and school, otherwise, I know I'd be in bed right now and for a while to come. As it is, I am waiting for the kettle to boil and the boy to accept that it is, indeed, morning. It's a tough one to accept in the dead of winter, when it feel like night. I haven't made any goals or plans this year. seems to me the dead of winter is not a time when I feel inspired to make changes. I just want to hole up in my living room and keep warm. Alas, it is not to be. I must get on with it and go be cheerful at work. I wish I could bring my blankey with me, but they might not appreciate that too much! If I were to make changes, they would be financial. I am steadily working on paying down consumer debt and I know, with each payment I am closer to freedom. I charge things next to never and when i do, for online purchases only, I pay it immediately. I am considering furthering my education, but I also want to own a bigger home. I don't think the two will be possible in the same few years, so I have a decision to make. Why can't I be independently wealthy? You hear of those celebrities who use their wealth to get university degrees? That would be me. Lots of people would go on fancy vacations and buy lots of cars, I would get educated. Next month will be three years since I quit smoking! My life has vastly improved since I made that decision, so if you are on the fence and that Jan 1 deadline has past, please, don't smoke for another year. Go through withdrawal in the ugly months and by summer, you will be free!