I want a tattoo...no I dont...yes I do...

Shit...I dont know if I do or not. Jerry's cousin is in Newfoundland (from Toronto) for another week and is doing tats on family members. She does awesome work.
I've always wanted a tattoo....something small and hidden but that was back in the good old days when all of my hidden spots were still skinny and stretch mark free. I hate ankle tattoos, tramp stamps and anything on a womans arms/shoulders/hands. This really limits me. I've decided on the back of my neck..something small. I like these designs....probably play around with the colors a bit. Decisions, decisions.
It doesnt help that I'm still afraid of my mother. I think she'd kick my ass. lol.

To Do List

Since Nuclear Mom is getting back at her projects I figured I'd do the same. There's no time like the present.
I cut back my hours at work so I now only work 7 days in a pay period (2 wks)...this should give me more time to spend at home getting things done. The kids will be back in school next week and Miss Abby is going to preschool...only for 2 half days per week to start.

The bathroom off the master is a mess. I tore off the pine panelling, removed the built in shelves and medicine cabinet and sink while I was at home radioactive. Hubby has since taken out the toilet and started tearing off gyproc. Nothing has been touched in weeks though. Right outside my kitchen there is a little room where i have been piling stuff. New vanity/sink, pretty accessories, a toilet in a box etc. I am all ready to finish this and it wont cost much...just need to find the time. My goal, by the end of Sept. this will be done.

Next up is my nice living room. It was finished a few years ago and now needs to be touched up (plaster) and repainted and the ceiling needs work because of a leak in the upstairs bath. I'm thinking I might try and do this in Sept. as well, while I wait for hubby to do the plumbing and electrical in the bathroom...but I'll set my goal for Oct. just in case I lack the enthusism that I'm feeling right now.

The main hallway is in desperate need of a paint job since Miss Abby scribbled all over the walls in pencil 2 freaking years ago!!!! It isnt very noticable and I scrubbed most of it but it still looks bad. The carpet in the hallway and up the stairs needs to be replaced too...before I paint...so I'll be generous and set this goal for anytime before Christmas.

There are plenty of other little things that need to be done, smaller paint jobs refreshed, furniture rearranged etc. that I dont need to set goals to do. I know they'll get done in between bigger jobs.
Now, all I need is to get hubby out of the vegetable garden and into the house....and willing to work.

Camping in Hell =o)

Spent the weekend camping at a nearby campground. If it wasnt for the company, I would have packed up and left the first night. Folks singing kareoke til 4am, as lovely as it was, makes it a little difficult to sleep. Plus they wouldnt let me sing so I was pissed off . =o)
It wasnt all bad...the kids had some fun at the pond and I had a much needed few drinks. I wont take the kids there again but the place is definetly in the running when we plan a Pammy/Tammy/Jo night in the woo!

Here are a few pics...Tammy's boy Christopher and nephew Austin. Chris is on the right.
Abby and Eric playing in the water and Abby with her fish in a bucket. She named the fish Freddy Jones. Cute.

Double Digits!

My little boy turned 10 yesterday! Ten! Where did the years go?
He is so much like me...very shy and quiet. What??? Quit laughing! Ok, so he's exactly like his dad. I've been told he looks like me though...and he loves to read like his momma. Here he is blowing out his candles and with his bestest present...an air soft pellet bb gun, 2 of 'em actually. He didnt have a party because everyone is off on holidays so we're having a fun day on Saturday while we are camping. More pics then.

Happy 10th Birthday my buddy! Love you lots!

Photo Shoot!

I saw this cute idea with a picture frame the other day and figured I'd give it a try. My kids are pretty photogenic, just not at the same time. These are the good ones, the others were scrapped...except for a few that were just too funny.

Family Night Out!

The whole clan went out on Friday night for a family reunion of sorts. It was a simple get together with anyone (aunts, uncles, cousins etc) that wanted to go. The club that we went to was owned by a family member and was the biggest dive I have ever set foot in...and trust me, I've been in some seedy places. After several drinks the squallor was barely noticable.
It was nice to see people I havent seen in years...no one recognized anyone....and I met at least 20 relatives I didnt know I had.
Here's a pic from last night...many were taken...most were deleted.
From left: my sister Jen, Dad, Stepmom, other sister Andrea (she and Jen are twins) and Moi.

Abby-Girl

Just a few shots that I like. We spent the afternoon in Bowring Park yesterday. I should really start taking pictures of my other kids. lol. Ok, so the next two entries will be Eric and Emma pics...for sure. Stay tuned.

Moi

Yet another pic of me. Eric took this one today, along with several others. Perhaps I'll get him to take pics more often. So we didnt get Abby and I both smiling but I look ok and thats what counts. Everyone already knows that Abby is adorable...one or two bad pics of her is ok...one or two good ones of me is nothing less than miraculous.

Abby's bedroom...before

I didnt go with any of the bedding options I posted a while back. After noticing me browsing ebay a coworker mentioned that she had similar bedding that I could have. Never turn down free stuff. This is the only pic I have of her room before it got done..except baby room pics but its changed very much since then.

The girly garden room

Paint. $25
Bedding. Free
Dollarama accessories. $20 or so.
Curtains. $2 at a yard sale.
Desk chair. $5 at a yard sale.
Abby wall letters. $20 on ebay.
Picket fence. Free

Delighted little girl. Priceless.

Family Room...finally

It's been finished for a while now but I never did get around to posting pics. I love my purple couch...the fabric is chenille and oh so soft. Got it at a yard sale quite some time ago, reupholstered the cushions and voila. Got the paint free and my mom did the roman blinds...which I love. I am now trying to talk my sister into giving me an old square teak coffee table she has in her basement. The nice thing, the kids dont even mess this room up. They rarely watch tv in it since the living room in the apartment is still set up and all the toys are there..plus they cant eat in here. Will take pics of Abby's completed bedroom and post later today.

Money well spent

This is summer number 3 for the pool and we have definitely gotten our moneys worth. We'll upgrade to something bigger once Miss Abby learns to swim but for now, its great. Just thought I'd share a few pics because I havent posted any in a while.

Roughing it?

Ha. Not quite. I spent the weekend camping in my fathers yard. We had planned on going to a campground near his house but he talked us into staying in his yard...to save money and allow everyone to have a few drinks without having to travel. Sure, not problem. We figured we stay in the camper, do our own cooking and not impose. LOL. Woke up Sat. morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. My stepmother actually set the table and served ham, bacon, toutons, eggs, toast and fresh fruit...plus tea, coffee and juice. It was awesome but we had set up our camp kitchen outside for nothing. She promised to let hubby do the Sun. morning breakfast and I was given the task of preparing the Sat. night supper. Too funny. She started cooking Sat. evening...but did allow me to help a little. We had tbones, cedar plank salmon, cheddar smokies, twice baked potatoes, bbq ribs, broccoli, corn on the cob, mushrooms and onions and I think thats all..no wait, fresh rolls and asparagus. Ok, thats it. She was a little upset that no one wanted to eat the cheesecake she had for dessert. A few hours later, while we sat outside by the fire with drinks, out she comes with crab legs, shrimp, nachos and salsa and a tray of cheese, polish sausage and crackers. I'm almost done here...fast forward to Sun. morning where hubby had planned to cook breakfast...she got up before everyone again and made steak and eggs (from the leftover tbones because you know it all didnt get eaten) and then there were other leftovers that needed to be cooked. God forbid you should have half a lb of bacon, or a hunk of unused frying ham in the fridge...and then there was that bit of touton dough that went unused the day before...and wait, whats a Sunday morning breakfast without fresh cinnamon buns?????

I will never be hungry again AND that 12 lb loss from the low iodine diet, is back...and then some.

The return of Radioactive Girl....

I'm home. Discharged from the hospital yesterday. It was hideously boring. I truly thought I'd enjoy a little break from life. I mean c'mon...48 hours alone, in a quiet room with a ton of new books, movies and portable dvd player...sounds like heaven right? I was bored to tears! Every surface in the room was covered with some sort of plastic backed paper...tables, chair and even the floor. I spent a bit of time doodling...ok, so I totally redecorated the place. I'd sprawl out on the floor and draw pictures, house plans and little notes that prove I almost went insane. NO PEOPLE AND NO SALT MAKE JOEY GO CRAZY! lol. The guy from nuclear medicine thought it was amusing.
Anyhoo. I didnt get sick...just a few hours of nausea and the shakes. Now I have wicked stomach cramps and a sore neck (with a new bruise that just seemed to appear before my eyes) but as long as I'm not vomiting...all is well.

I am staying at home for the weekend since hubby has the kids camping. I'll leave before they return tomorrow...I can come back home on Wednesday for some much needed hugs.

FYI. This superhero thing doesnt seem to be working out. No powers yet. Perhaps I got one of the lame powers....like the ability to vaccuum really good or answer the phone before the first ring. Sucks..I really wanted invisibility.

I am not a potty mouth!

Created by OnePlusYou

A day from hell

Woke up at 6am (even though my alarm was set for 7) because I was soaking wet. It seems a wee one woke up sometime during the night because she wet the bed, and since I heard nothing, she crawled in with me and went back to sleep. Got up, stripped the beds, got dressed and rushed to the medical clinic for bloodwork. Rushed into the city for my thyrogen injection only to learn that I'm part of a study and will have to return several times a year for the next five years!!! Just for follow ups but still....I knew it was an experimental drug but not that I was taking part in a study...should totally make them pay for my gas. Anyway, the shot itself burned like hell but that was it. Left there and rushed, again, to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. No rush there....it took 40 min...pure hell. After that I took my computer to the fix it guy...my face was swollen, still numb and I had a wad of gauze in my mouth...I think the guy felt sorry for me because he said he'd have my computer ready tomorrow and he's never that fast. Yay.
I'm having severe face pain now so I'll probably leave work early. Back to the hospital in the morning for another injection and I plan on spending the day with the kids doing fun stuff since I wont see them for 8 days. =o(
Thats gonna be hard.

Viruses suck! and other stories.

I am without a computer at home for a few days. I have a virus and nothing works. Grrrr. I plan on bringing it to the computer guys in the morning but they never have it ready on the same day...so if all goes well, by Tuesday. After that I dont care as long as its back in the house by Fri. evening when I 'hopefully' return from the hospital.

Tomorrow I have to be at my Dr.'s office by 8am for pregnancy tests...blood and urine. Why cant they just take my word for it? Then off to the hospital for an injection of some sort...then to the dentist for an extraction, then grocery shopping, home for an hour or so, then off to work. Not looking forward to it. I hate being busy. Back to the hospital on Tues. for another injection (note to self: find out what they are injecting me with. lol) and then I'll be admitted on Wed. Not sure how the radioactive iodine is administered.
Got my radioactive time all worked out. Hospital for 2-3 days, home for 2 (Jerry will be camping with the kids) and then off to my sisters for the remainder of my sentence. If I'm sick, she'll leave me alone...if I'm not sick, I can forage through her store and find goodies for me.

***Jay (aka Gertrude), I got your card today! Thanks so much. =o)

Blanche...hope you're feeling better. Try not to miss me too much.

Paloma...I know you'll miss me terribly. Hope you can survive during my absence.

Worried, me? Nah.

Perhaps a little. The teenager caused me some stress this evening. She asked to be dropped off at a friends at noon today and I was to pick her up around supper time. Called on her cell and she asked if she could stay later..sure, no prob. I told her I'd call around 9 as I had to go somewhere and would get her along the way. No answer. Called again and again and, well, you get the idea. She has NEVER not answered her phone...it's her lifeline. Sent hubby out to find her and she wasnt at either of the 3 friends houses she'd said she 'might' be at. Still no answer. So, for a little over an hour I had the pleasure of worrying myself sick....not a nice feeling and I have got to call my mom and apoligize for doing this to her so many times. Finally the little bugger calls...she was swimming at another friends and left the phone somewhere. I'm a tad pissed. I know there will be many many many more nights of worry over the next few years (and according to my mom, forever since the worry never ends) so I might have to start drinking now.

6 days til I go get radioactive. I'm trying to arrange life before I go so that things run smoothly in my absence. This isnt working as well as I had planned. Hubby is working 2 jobs...5am-10pm most days. Trying not to take advantage of the teenager/babysitter but I think we might have to. There'll be big bucks in it for her if she does it without complaint but it's still too much to ask....6 very long days of babysitting. I just realized that the 16th isnt that far away...must get something worked out.

Thats it. Well now, I dont have as much to worry about as I thought. Yay me.

Partay!

Abby's actual birthday was June 25th but we waited until yesterday to have her party...good thing too because the weather last weekend was horrible and yesterday was perfect. We did a little mini carnival with lots of prizes. There was a fish pond, tattoo parlor, inflatable jumpy castle, trampoline, guess the jellybeans,penny toss game plus regular backyard toys. The kids all seemed to enjoy themselves. Here are a few pics..in random order since I uploaded backwards. lol. The tattoo on Em's leg is drawn on with a sharpie

We're Back!

Ok, so we actually got back on Monday but I havent had the time, or inclination to blog. I'm here now though. =o)
The weather on our camping trip was horrible....cold and rainy all.the.time. The nights were fun as the rain usually stopped and we could sit around the campfire with marshmallows and weiners....and wine! lol. Daytime was a tad hellish in my opinion. Hubby and the kids had fun...myself and Em holed up in the camper most of the time with books. I did manage one hike and a visit to the marine interpretation center...pics to follow...but it seemed like a waste of gas to me. I got sick on Monday and basically whined until we came home. lol. So thats it. I'm quite busy now with party planning..Abby's bday is on Sat and I havent got a thing done for the party yet. Stay tuned for tons of pics in the next few days.

A camping we will go...

Off to Terra Nova for the Canada Day weekend. Back late Tues. with a ton of pics to post. =o)

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My little baby is 4 years old! How can this be? Where on earth did the time go? I swear I just had her. I didnt have time to find and scan pics but I found these few baby pics in my kodak gallery...awwwww. Looking back I remember thinking that was the perfect age, so small and sweet and that baby smell...ahhhhh. I miss it. Right now however, my little 4 year old is at the perfect age. She is a joy to be around (most of the time) and never fails to make my day with kisses and cuddles and hilarious comments that I keep meaning to write down but dont. Must start soon before the funnies run out.
Happy Birthday Baby Girl! Love you all the world and the stars. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo