Spoiled by "Santa"

Since we're talking about gift exchanges, here's some pictures of the "other" (grandparents)Santa's visit this year.

On December 23 Jess and I joined mom in making croquettes for the day. The day before Mom and I had prepped the dough, so on Thursday we just had to do the rolling and deepfrying. We made our normal big batch and were finished by supper time.

The rest of the family gathered at supper time to have a chinese-food supper together. We were missing Nathan this year, but were thankful for the amazing progress he had been making and that Aileen and the kids could join us for the evening. After supper the kids were finally able to dig into the pile of presents :)

Rebecca received another spoon for her spoon collection





















All excited as he rips open another present




















After our last experience with Matthew just being thrilled by unwrapping presents, I (I wrapped some of the presents for mom as they were hidden at our place) got smart this time and wrapped each of the trains and "Thomas items" individually to give him lots to keep him busy.


















Mom and Dad sitting back and watching the grandkids ... oh and the kids as well seeing as there was a bit of a wrapping paper war going on between the "men".



















Aiden and Matthew examining Matthew's next present ... and in the background is the misbehaving Mark who spent the evening throwing wrapping paper at people ... safe to say he had a few other participants to encourage him to keep going.




















Another Lightning McQueen puzzle

























































Marietta and (Aunt) Jess disappeared for a bit in the afternoon ... this was the result of their mysterious diappearance - a present for Dad.
















A new hat!!! Don't you think it suits him well? Jess helped Marietta sew a tea cozy for Rob. Rob has his own teapot and sugar in his office, so he doesn't have to take those 10 steps to the kitchen to get more each time :) But he did not have a nice tea cozy to keep the tea nice and warm like I have in the kitchen. Now he's all set for yummy warm tea.
















The girls thought it was pretty interesting that everyone received a present that evening ... except Mom ... who happened to be celebrating another birthday that day. (Just to clarify ... I did receive a gift, it just came inside a card and was not an actual present that I had to unwrap)

Family Gift Exchange

Okay, enough of the summer pics, lets move forward a bit a little closer to the present ... but still not quite the present.

As a family we do a gift exchange in December. Last year we picked names and got a gift for the name we had picked. This year we decided to purchase $5 gifts for each member of the family. While staying in the $5 area is a bit challenging, being second hand, garage sale, freecycler and Kijiji shoppers it does make it possible to find some nice gifts in this area ... and there's always Dollarama. It's fun to see the girls getting to an age where they can partake in the giving as well.

The girls had each already found gifts for Matthew earlier in the year. Here is Rebecca's gift, a puzzle, and recently Matthew has very much been into puzzles, and very very much into Lightening McQueen, so the timing was perfect.




















My gift from Marietta - a rolling pin. I lost the handles on my old rolling pin ... a rather perplexing thing, and I'm sure some little fingers had something to do with it. I thought for sure when we moved we would find them back hidden in some corner or something , but they never reappeared.




















Rebecca got Marietta some basic sewing items - scissors, pin cushion, measuring tape, needles, pins.















Marietta found a new tie for Dad




















The girls received the books series of Road to Avonlea from Mom and Dad (that wasn't part of the $5 gifts as we did give the kids a few extra things also, but it wasn't too much over $5 :)















Marietta found this present for Matthew back in the fall at a garage sale. This is something we actually already had in our house before. James received the same gift for his second birthday, but when it did not cooperate and work properly we returned it as there was no way we were going to pay that kind of money for a gift that just frustrated James instead of entertaining him. Now at the $4 Marietta found it for it's a bit more worth the hassle, and this one seems to work a bit better. Matthew is just as content to colour on the mat and play with the train seperately (driving us nuts with it's constant whistle because it can't find the track to follow)

You simply fill the "pen" or "track drawer" with water and draw with water on the mat, slowly the water dries up and you can keep drawing over and over. You use the "track drawer" to draw a train track and then Thomas is suppose to follow the track ... he has a bit of an issue with curves if they are too sharp and when he has trouble finding where to go he whistles insistently for you to fix the problem.






























It was a fun evening as a family. Matthew couldn't get enough presents and couldn't care less about the present he opened as long as there were more wrapped ones as he just wanted to open more and more .. ah ya, just a bit selfish isn't he! But once they were all gone he settle down into enjoying each of his new gifts.

For years the girls believe in Santa and so they want Matthew to believe in Santa also and were very careful not to give away any indication that Santa is actually Mom and Dad. We'll see how long they're able to keep it up :)

Guest Editorial: Float #T703

Since we're going way back in time ... here's another post from even further back that Rob prepared in July after he finished building the float and was so proud to finally be done ... but he never got around to adding comments to the pictures, so now it's finally done.

It's Rob at the helm this time. First time maybe for this blog?

I'm proud to present to the world the final product which took 10 months to modify and finish. It's a long story, but the frame was built, unpainted, and sat for 6 years. It's a trombone float to carry the modular office buildings we haul. All shrunk up, the total length is 53 feet, the deck is 42 feet. Stretched to it's maximum length, the deck is 66 1/2 feet, making the total length 77 1/2 feet long. It is hydraulically controlled to lift off the bogy (frame which contains the suspension system only) and the goose neck. Lowest height is 30 inches, tallest height is 54 inches.
When it was first built, the wheel spacing was 4 feet between each axle. However, after it was built, MTO weight regulations for that wheel spacing changed so that the a triaxle could carry only 3000 pounds more than a tandem, which is basically its own weight. So we had to stretch the bogy to a 6 foot spacing, which changed the dynamics of the WHOLE REAR FRAME!!! Everything was affected by this. I essentially stripped the rear frame of all its outriggers but one, and all the inner cross members but one. There was no blue print for this, but all custom made. For such a big float, it's amazing how many things fit with less than an inch to spare. We also made several upgrades and reinforcements, which also took considerable time.

What makes this unit the Cadillac of our floats is that we can stretch the trombone section of the float 15 feet by using a winch, and close it up again using the same winch! (winches typically can only pull things together, but not push them apart). Normally we release the locking pin, pull the spike (hand lever for trailer brakes only) and drive the truck ahead to pull the float apart. But this is a rather frustrating experience on loose gravel, and even worse on ice!

There's so much detail that went into making this float the thing of beauty that it is, but I won't bore you with it. I'll simply share some pictures of it.

Both my pride and joys

These are the typical buildings we haul.

Float minimized........................................ Float maximized




















All the way down (when backing under a building)















All the way up (when taking stands from under a building)















Bogy and frame together















Frame lifted up from bogy. Note how the bogy has come forward in relation to the frame. Note as well how the hoses have to miss the orange pulley. Can the keen eye discern the engineering flaw with the pulley? It has since been modified!















A bird's eye view onto some of the intricacies















We also move uncle Tim's mobile stores, which is always exciting. If only I could fill all the orders I received on the CB. Sometimes I just say that I have such an addiction that I need to take this kind of a lunch box. One time (pre 105 km/hr speed governor regulations) I had another trucker hanging out at my back door in the hammer lane for miles, which was frustrating me. So eventually I thought of a polite way to tell him to get lost: I told him that the drive-thru was closed, and either to proceed to the next Timmies or get in behind me to lett others the chance to do so. He didn't say anything. He did slip back in behind me though. :)

Filling

Since I am rediscovering some pics that didn't get posted, here is a couple more of Matthew's 2nd dentist appointment. The first was when they discovered he needed a filling, this is when he went to get his filling.

Not quite sure what to think




















Ready to get to work ... so little in that big chair















They did the filling without any freezing. It was on the border of whether they could get away with it, but the felt it would be less traumatic if they could do it quickly without any freezing. I could just see Matthew's eyes behind his sunglasses ... he looked pretty terrified and unsure, but he sat still and did exactly what they said.















The dentist was so impressed with how he did and kept asking how old he was and saying he would had bragging right now to tell about this little boy who sat so still and did so good. Whatever the case, once it was done Matthew didn't seem the least bit fizzled by the process and hopefully that means when we take him to the dentist again next week for a cleaning he'll do just as good.

Picking a treasure from the treasure box.

James' Hospital

Considering we our having the first blizzard of the century right now, I think the clothes in this picture are an indication that they are from a long time ago. I found these while wandering through my drafts. At the time it was just neat to see how Matthew did in a hospital setting. We always said we were so glad that Matthew had not been in James' shoes as he was nothing like James' calm cooperative nature ... but the times he has been in the hospital for testing, his broken arm and such he has always impressed me ... there is more of that same blood in him also :)

Matthew is part of a Family Study looking at obesity and diabetes in children and the connection of these two. Once a year shortly after his birthday he and I goes in for tests of some assort, as well during the first and fifth year Marietta also has tests done. Each year they do measurement and such and I have to fill out a piles of questionaires about our diet. This year he also had a bone density test as well as a couple other tests and some blood work.

So here we are back in August after Matthew's 3rd birthday. For the bone density test he had to lay completely still while the scanner went over him a few times. He was extremely cooperative and we had no issues at all.
















I can't remember what this test was about, she did some measurements and then hooked him up to this machine for a couple minutes. He was rather fascinated by it but lay still.

And then the blood work. I have never been one to bother with using EMLA patches/cream before blood work or procedures. This is mostly because we are a family with small veins and they always have trouble finding a vein so I would never know where to put a patch in the first place. On this day they used a different type of cream which they said was more effective since the EMLA cream constricts the veins making it harder to get them (oh ya, so it really would never work on us) but this one is suppose to enlarge the veins making it easier. I figured it wouldn't hurt if they wanted to apply a bit of cream .... but as I guessed, they couldn't get a good vein and in the end had to go to a non-cream spot anyways.

And again, he sat and cooperated

Matthew took along his favourite teddy Mac (short for McMaster). He got Mac last year when he went for the appointment after his 2nd birthday. Mac became Matthew's buddy and has gone to many places with Matthew, including to OR to have his arm fixed just like Matthew's after Matthew broke his wrist. Each year he gets a teddy at his appointment ... well this year they had another Mac for him. We told them it was okay, Matthew already had one, but Matthew wanted another Mac and they insisted he take it. So now we have Mic (Mc from McMaster) and Mac (which is what everyone calls McMaster).

As you can all imagine, trips to McMaster are filled with memories. I actually enjoy going, it's a bit of a therapy, even if the place has changed a lot in the past 3 years and so much is different from our time there. I can't explain why I like to go. It doesn't make me sad, it just makes me think. It brings back all that has happened and makes it more realistic again. So often I can look at pictures and I can talk about what happened, I can vividly remember it all like it just happened and yet I feel like "did that really all happen? that seems like sooo long ago?" or "it seems like a dream" I think only those who have "lived" in the hospital for many days, weeks, months or over many years, can relate to how someone actually misses that life. It sounds crazy but at first I missed it, it wasn't just James' second home, it was also my second home. I had met people and made connections there, it had become a way of life for me. Would I ever want to do it again or wish it on someone ... of course not, but I still missed it.

When we have to go to McMaster time is taken to revisit the Children's area and the areas familiar to us. Too bad many aren't so familiar because of the remodelling and updating, but I am glad that it is being updated. 3C is still the same and that is where we spent the majority of our time. It's amazing that we still bump into people that remember us, whether it's doctors, therapists, nurses or cleaning staff.

Marietta had commented on how this was James' hospital. Those words struck Matthew and stuck with him. When we arrived in the Children's area to have a look around (Marietta had not been back since the renos had been done) Matthew kepts looking for James and asking for him. I could not figure out at first what triggered this, until I remembered how Marietta had said it was James' Hospital. Matthew is fully aware that James is his brother and whenever he hears the name James he will say "James' is my brother". He recognizes James in pictures and knows that specific items in our home belonged to James. Matthew checked out several rooms and asked if James was in there. It took me a bit to get him to understand that James was at this hospital when he was sick but that he is no longer here. Matthew does know that James' is in heaven, but all these things he knows about James' are not realistic to him. I wonder what was going on in his head and whether he thought he was going to finally meet this brother James' that he always hears about. What I have noticed is that ever since our trip to the hospital James became more real to Matthew. He talks about James regularly making me realize that we also must talk about him regularly for Matthew to have picked up so much about this special brother he had. I have heard him call James on the (play) phone and he has asked for James to come over. Since Matthew really doesn't understand death or heaven he also doesn't really understand what it means that James is in heaven. I am so thankful that while Matthew has never truly met James he has met him through us.

Back to our Mac visit. When we arrived at the Children's area they were just about to begin a clown/magician act and Marietta wanted to stay to watch. Matthew was interested for a few minutes and then decided the ride-on cars were more fun, so while Marietta watch the act I watch Matthew ride around and had a few chats with familia people I ran into.

This is a pretty neat car that I'm sure James would have loved and would have quickly mastered. No feet required (altho Matthew did find it quicker if he just used his feet, but with time he would have gotten the hang of it), you make it go by turning the steering wheel back and forth.

My heart always goes out to the children and their families who are in the hospitals. It's always hard to understand why some must suffer and others go through life so oblivious to sickness and hardship. When I see a sick child I see not only the child but the whole family and I feel for what that family is going through. Holidays and long weekends often remind me of the hospital since we spent several of those in hospital. I still struggle with a guilty feeling that I can go on with my life and have fun or do stuff with my family on a holiday while the hospital remains full of sick children (or adults) and families affected by this. I know I can't put my life on hold to mourn what others are going through, and I would never want anyone to have done that for us, but I also know how it feels to be inside those walls when everyone else is outside of them going on with their life. I suppose my prespective also comes from a chronic illness prespective versus a one-time corrective or helpful surgery. And yet I must remind myself of how thankful we can be for the healthcare and medical care that we have in this country, without it where would these children (adults) be? I thank God time and again for allowing us to live in this country where we can receive such wonderful care (don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware of the issues within our healthcare system), what a blessing it is.

FOUND: Dutch Teacher/Instructor

This post orginally read: WANTED: Dutch Teacher/Instructor. But as of yesterday that seems to have changed, but seeing as I took the effort to put the post together I figured I'd finish it and post it as it says it all anyways and update at the bottom where we're at now.

Looking for individual who is (preferably) experienced at teaching dutch to a novice/beginner. Would be needed from June 2011 to September 2011, hours and wages to be set at the time, as needed. Willing to teach at an intense level so that student has aquired a good reading (and hopefully speaking) ability of the dutch language by the end of the summer, should be equivilant to a 1-2 year college/university level course.

Ever since Rob decided he would like to enter the ministry he has had the desire to learn the dutch language. He feels that he is missing a wealth of reformed literature that has not yet (and probably never will) been translated into the English language. He has often heard of ministers or students who have been "saved" by being able to read the dutch language and so getting a better understand of what they are working on. Or for those who are not proficient in the dutch language who say when stuck they will take the time to translate from dutch. Our heritage and our history is dutch and lies in the dutch language. While we have much that has been translated there is still so much more out there that could be helpful for him as a minister D.V.

Way back in 2005 when he first entered University but was only going parttime and working full-time he purchased dutch cd's to try and listen and learn while he was driving. Well I'm afraid that was not very successful ... okay it wasn't the least bit successful. We often talked about how the best way to learn it would be for him to immerse in it and spend a summer working in the Netherlands. He has spoken to ministers who have done this and found that this was indeed adequate for them to speak and read the language and those whom he has spoken to have said that it was definitely worth their time and they would recommend doing it.

Over the next few years life took a difference focus and learning dutch was not high on the priority list, although the topic continued to arise from time to time. In the last couple years he has again spoken of it ... until his dear wife finally said ... "stop talking about it and do your research to see if it is possible to accomplish" So in the fall the research was begun and the thought began to formulate that if he was going to do this the coming summer of 2011 was his last option as the summer of 2012 D.V. he will be doing his three month practicum.

He has decided to go a head with learning dutch, which would mean he would not be working and there would be no income this coming summer. That part we at least know, the bigger decision was how to go about this decision.

So the options were looked at and are being weighed out:

Option Number 1:

The family relocates to the Netherlands from June to August while Rob takes University courses to learn the language. These courses are intense language courses that have 5 hours of class each day and require approximately 2-3 hours of study/prep each day. On top of this he would be in the actual country and so able to use the language outside of school as well.

Advantage:

• three full months of complete focus on the language at school as well as outside of school accomplishing a good understanding, speaking and reading ability of the language in a short amount of time.
• together as family
• an amazing adventure and experience for the whole family, and with the kids a bit older they would be old enough to remember and take with them a lot of what they learned and seen

Disadvantage:

• The obvious: cost, cost, cost. Even if we were so fortunate as to be able to do a house exchange or to house sit and cut our costs down that way, there would still be the cost of getting the family there and the many "little" expenses and unexpected expenses that arise with moving half way around the world temporarily with a whole family and making adjustments to a new country/culture. (And of course who wants to travel that far without doing at least a bit of sight-seeing :) which of course is another cost)
• With the whole family along what language do you expect Rob would speak when he got home??? English of course! So he would not be as well immersed as we would like. (We do realize that almost everyone speaks English and would want to "try-out" their English on him, but if he made a point of speaking dutch and letting people know he wants to speak dutch that could still be beneficial.)

Option Number 2:

Rob goes on his own and spends June to August in the Netherlands taking University language courses and immersing himself in society to learn faster.

Advantage:

• more fully immersed in the language to learn it more quickly
• not "tied" down by his family making him more flexible to do volunteer work or other items that would help him to use the language regularly
• less living cost as it would be easier to find a place for one person to rent or room-and-board
• only one plane ticket to purchase :)
• lots of fun and adventure for Rob :)

Disdvantage:

• Three months away from his family! Now he felt that this would be workable if I would come for a month. And I felt that I could not leave my children behind for a month. So it was suggested I just go for two weeks, which would be a bit more doable, but he still doesn't see the kids for three months and that still adds and extra expense
• not quite so much fun and adventurous for the rest of us :(

Option Number 3

Purchase the Rosetta Stone learning package and self-teach during the summer months.

Advantage - well these are pretty obvious

• less costly - no plane ticket(s), no second home costs, less costly or at least not more costly then university fees
• together as family
• Rob would still be able to work the odd hours here and there (side jobs, piggy-sitting :) to bring in a small amount of cash. He of course said he had to work at least couple weeks in the truck (can't get that diesel blood out of him), to which I said "that depends on your progress report" :) - but he could be a occasional (key word) relief driver.

Disadvantage:

• "self-discipline" would be the key word! Would he stick to it and learn it efficiently and effective on his own?
• not immersed so would it stick long term if not using it regularly?
• hmmm ... that's not near as much fun as travelling :)

Option Number 4

Try again to find a good dutch teacher in Ontario (even if it means relocating) who can teach at an intense level and devote the summer months to this. While I can speak English, I cannot teach it, so he's not just looking for someone who knows the language but someone who is able to teach it properly. We did look into this previously and inquired at the dutch embassy but there were no good options that we could find, the few available were not during the summer and Rob has absolutely no time to add another course during his school year. So it appeared if this were to be an option it would have to be a private tutor who could accomodate Rob's desire to learn during the summer.

Advantage - some of these are going to look familiar :)

• less costly - no plane ticket(s), no second home costs, likely less costly or at least not more costly then university fees
• together as family
• a teacher to keep him on track and guide and assist him better
• Rob would still be able to work the odd hours here and there (side jobs, piggy-sitting :) to bring in a small amount of cash. He of course said he had to work at least couple weeks in the truck (can't get that diesel blood out of him), to which I said "that depends on your progress report" :) - but he could be a occasional (key word) relief driver.

Disadvantage:

• not as immersed so would it stick long term if not using it regularly?
• again ... that's not near as much fun as travelling :)

So that sort of gives a rough idea of what we are weighing out. We were leaning strongly towards Option Number 1 or 2 at first but as the time came to make a decision and actually consider handing over those precious $$$$$$'s it was beginning to get harder to see our way clear on these options. (We promised the kids by the end of January we would make a decision about whether we would be spending the summer in the Netherlands) Rob had originally said that he felt the benefits of learning the language justified getting a loan to accomplish the goal, but ... ya ... that's a lot of money to accomplish a goal that is nice and an advantage but not a necessity.

So at this point, unless something magical happens, Option Number 1 is off the list. Ah man ... no fun adventure!

This week we discovered there was someone we knew (not well, but still not a stranger) who had actually taught dutch before. A phone call was made ... it would appear we're going with Option #4. The best option overall, just a bit more boring and less adverturous :) We are hoping that this option will work out, there are some issues that might hinder the situation, but suffice to say that at this time it would appear we've found an answer.

There is some consideration to still apply Option Number 2 with a bit of a modification. Instead of Rob taking the complete 3 intense language courses offers through the summer he could just take the first course to get a good basis and grip on the language and then return to spend the rest of the summer doing Option Number 4. This would be a three week course, so he could go for 3-4 weeks on his own, still a bit of a cost, but not quite so in depth.

And if necessary Option Number 3 can always be applied to compliment (or would it complicate?) Option Number 4.

So anyways, Option Number 4 it is. We are staying here this summer!

Dear Marietta and Rebecca

Hello Girls, how was your day today? I know that each day after school you come and check your e-mail and a few blogs, including ours. And each day I get a comment about how I have not updated the blog. So here is a blog post just for you! :)

I said that once I was caught up on the paperwork and my book club and society study stuff I would post something ... and this morning you reminded me that I was done those things and so I no longer have an excuse. I agree with Marietta that if I just posted something every day ... like "everyone" (really how many people is everyone?) else does ... then I wouldn't get behind. While I am sure you think blogging is a very important task for me to do each day, I'm afraid it is not that high up on my priority list when there seem to be so many other things that I could be doing. But I realize that it is very nice to keep up-to-date on the little tidbits of life and this is a fun and wonderful way to do it, so I keep trying. I'm afraid I am always behind, when I work hard to catch up on one project I let others slide behind and then I need to catch up on them and it's a vicious circle. I haven't yet figured out how to stay caught up and maintain everything on a consistent basis. I really need to learn better time management, I'm afraid I'm not a very good example to you.

So while I do not think you will be finding a post a day, I will try to entertain you a bit more often with some updates. I think I still have a few updates to do from the end of 2010 and then it's on to 2011. I am sure if it is a problem to find pictures to post you girls will likely have some to share with me, especially you Marietta, as you try to learn how to use our family Santa gift that we just received - Photoshop Elements (so you can teach me, right:). Once you get that mastered then you can learn how to use Photoshop Premiere and fix up our home videos. Just like mom, you always complain that there so many things you want to do and not enough time (cardmaking, scarpbooking, loom knitting, photoshop, various other crafts, cooking, baking, playing outside) ... I'm glad you can relate a little to how I feel :)

Well I hope you had a good day today and now I must get back to my other important tasks ... like making lunch :)

Love,
Mom

From Our Family ...

To Your Family

We wish you all the Lord's blessings in the year 2011!

While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

Cold and heat,

Winter and summer,

And day and night

Shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22

Odds and Ends

This year a group of mom's organized a Summer Soccer Program for the students of the school. Our girls loved this program, especially Rebecca who is more sports minded then Marietta. While we are not very sports oriented, we do like our kids to partake in some fun sports and have an opportunity to learn the art of cooperation and playing together, as well as how to include everyone and have a good time.

As mentioned in the previous post, Marietta had planted zucchini in her garden and we had zucchini coming out of our ears. Since zucchini is another good low-fructose food this is a good thing, but we still had far too much. Our freezer is loaded with zucchini and I tend to throw it in many different recipes now since it hides very well in foods and gives us the veggie nutrition we are lacking in our limited diet. Marietta spent many days sitting faithfully at the end of the driveway trying to sell her zucchini's, but finally gave up when she had no success. She had another bright idea ... selling zucchini bread and muffins at a garage sale ... that was sure to draw people in and then she'd be able to sell some stuff. So I told her that was fine, I had lots of things to create a garage sale, but she would have to man the sale and do the work. She was eager and went to baking and prepping.

Garage Sale #1 at our house - unsuccessful ... she sold nothing, and I sold close to nothing. What a waste of time.

Garage Sale #2 was a combined garage sale at a different location - pretty much unsuccessful for us. Marietta baked again and this time sold one zucchini loaf, and one muffin (and then ate lots between her and her friends). I sold one raisin bread loaf (I had just baked bread the day before and figured if it sold fine and if not yummy for us), we sold no other items and I took home again all the things I really wanted to get rid of.

I'm not sure what possessed me to try again for Garage Sale #3. I know I debated it for a bit and then thought that #3 would be the best attempt and if it failed I'd really and certainly be able to confirm that garage sales are a waste of time. Now if I started with Garage Sale #3 it wouldn't have been so bad because I wouldn't have been frustrated with the time I had previously wasted and would have just thought it as fun. Garage Sale #3 was a Community Garage Sale. I figured I was going to go anyways to have a look at everything, and since Marietta was so eager to try sell again we'd give it one more shot. Time was a bit limited so Marietta was not able to bake as much as she would like, but she learned that if she's going to do it again she's going to have to bake more. Her zucchini bread was gone in no time. I also baked some raisin bread which quickly disappeared. The regular homemade bread and muffins did not sell, which was fine as then I could just put them in the freezer. As for the other items .... none of my boys clothes sold, even with the price very low. Some of the girls clothes and other items did sell ... garage sales aren't really worth their effort, or I just have really bad luck!

It is when I want to sell things that I miss the city. I miss Kijiji where I sold off the clothes the kids outgrew to buy them new clothes. Where I sold many unused items in the house and had a decent pot of Kijiji cash. All cash made from the items I sold on Kijiji went into a pot and from that pot I could buy things off Kijiji. Moving to the country put an end to this as nobody wants to drive way out for clothes and small items. The last of my Kijiji pot was spent when we purchased our dog and doghouse. I still buy off Kijiji when I need things, since we are regularly in the city at least it is still possible to do that, but I no longer have a pot that I can get my money from.

So, some pictures from Garage Sale #3. Marietta also sold school chocolate bars at the garage sale, she did okay in t his area as well.

Snuggles with Daddy

Matthew loved to crawl up on Daddy and snuggle/snooze with him this way when Rob was having a quick power-nap.

On October 1st Rob turned 35 and I decided to try my hand at a surprise party. It was almost successful, until about the last hour when Rob became a bit suspicious as to why everyone was suddenly so interested in having a game of air hockey downstairs.

Princess Vivian with her handy man hubby, Matthew the Builder :)

OUCH!!! Another one of Muddy's faults (we're trying hard to find some good things about this dog but he's not making it easy). Muddy gets far to hyper and has absolutely no brains. In this case we will say it wasn't completely Muddy's fault since everyone was outside playing and he was included in the play, but again he's so jumpy and energetic that he just bowls things over and this time it was Matthew, from the top of the cement porch stairs down to the bottom, scraping his face along the way. Poor guy, it was sore and swollen and turn an abundance of colours, but it was also amazing how quickly it healed.

The girls still like getting their hair done. This time Marietta managed to convince Rebecca to leave her hair in ringlets after I took the rollers out instead of having it in an updo. This is the morning picture

And here she is at supper time ... the curls gained some length during the day, but stayed in nicely ... actually they stayed in very nicely for several days after that also ... I love those kind of hairdos!

Matthew and Rebecca decided to have some fun one night and sleep in the tent. It being winter outside wasn't really an option and so they set it up in Matthew's room.

Took a bit for Matthew to cooperate and actually go to sleep ... much to Rebecca's frustration as she didn't want to get sent back to her room but couldn't get Matthew to behave. But he finally settled down and they went off to sleep.

And since I got a picture of them sleeping I figured I'd get one of Marietta also. She's always trying something new with her hair. She has been growing out her bangs the past year and here she is trying to see if curling them would make a new creative style ... it wasn't all to successful, but she's always trying new ideas.

Well that pretty much catches me up to the beginning of November when I first started trying to get caught up but never got past the part of uploading the pictures. Now I have to have a peek through my November and December pictures and see if there was anything worthwhile during those months ... but that may just have to wait a few days ... we'll see how energetic I am ... right now I'm off for a nap so I can be alert and awake at midnight tonight seeing as I'm not feeling totally clear headed (head cold/congestion setting in, ears clogged and noises funny sounding). Matthew is also not feeling well (fevers). At least we made it almost all the way through the holidays being relatively healthy (Rebecca had the head congestion/ear thing last week and weekend).