Grrrrrrrrr # 2

I am so mad at Mother Nature today! I nearly broke my back trying to clear the ice a little while ago and what does she do? Rains! Now my 3/4 clear sidewalk is going to be all ice again.....sigh.....I give up and I think that I will go and get some sand....

Diet...who? Not me!!

Edo....yummy Edo...when we cheat on our diet, we usually cheat with Edo. It is one of my favorite treats! I would prefer this over a fast food burger any day!! I think that I was Asian in my former life! I was very happy today to cheat...but I wondered what the workers thought of me taking a picture of my food ( all by myself). And yes, as Shayne says, it does taste better using chop sticks...not sure why though!!

GRRRRRRR

When we lived in Calgary we travelled back to Edmonton often. Every little bump that went by I was convinced that we had a flat tire. Shayne always told me, " don't worry, you will know if we get a flat tire". I have never been in a vehicle that has gotten a flat tire while driving until today. I thought that there was something wrong with the car, so I thought that I would pull over and check, even though I was about 2 minutes from home. When I discovered that it was a flat, I thought that I could change it myself because I have seen Shayne do it once. So I took everything out and then I didn't know what to do! So I said forget it and called my Dad to change it for me. He was not very impressed with the "terrible jack" that we had and was very thankful that he had his own jack with him. Needless to say, it only cost $25.00 at Canadian Tire to fix, but it was just a hassle. It was a rather good lesson though, because now I DO know what it feels like to get a flat tire!

The Perfect Reminder

We initially got this Dell Pocket PC to control the whole house audio. Now it pretty much has become a reminder system because Shayne has figured out a way to use our laptops. We have various reminders on it and it will turn itself on and light up. I should have set a reminder to hang the picture.....it sure would have been done then!

The perfect example of procrastination

This picture was waiting for a little while to find a home. We finally remembered to get a frame for it about a month ago or so. Then I finally put it in the frame and set it on the half wall beside the upstairs living room so that we would sure not forget to hang it. Well then it sat there for a few days and then one day...when I was playing with the dog and his toy....I hit the frame and it broke! So then it took a few more days to go back and get a new frame and then a few more days for it to get hung. What a process just to hang a picture! But I think that it looks great there.

Angie's Birthday

Today we celebrated my sister Angie's 33 birthday. Right now her family is a little crazy in terms of hair. Angie and my oldest nephew dyed their hair pink in order to cut it off for charity. They will do this on February 14 and it is for the Stollery Children's hospital. Then you have my niece Izabella who decided to see what my Dad's razor would do to her hair a month or so ago. She gave herself an inverted mohawk! One specific memory that I want to always remember is the card that my oldest nephew picked out for his Mom. I was with him when he picked a card that was sooo touching that it made all of us cry. He is such a special and compasionate boy!

The unused bike

Over Christmas we put the bike in one of the bedrooms and it did not get used at all. Yesterday I decided to put it right by the stairs so that we will see it all the time. Now we have no excuses, it is right in front of the T.V. I don't want to put it downstairs with the treadmill just yet because we will NEVER use it then! Wish us luck!

Tucker's Toy

Tucker is a very active dog and he loves to play with his toys. He constantly brings them to you and then sets them in your lap to play with and he will play for hours. If you don't play with him ( as in this picture) he will give you those puppy eyes and nudge the toy more towards you. We have tried other options to aleviate his energy such as frizzbee, the laser, remote control cars, and I even taught him how to play hide and seek! I wonder if he will ever slow down.

The Sidewalk Made of Ice PT2

On Wednesday January 21 I decided that I was bound and determined to lift this ice up. I went to costco and got a huge bucket of de-icer and away I went. After almost 2 hours, 4 blisters and an aching back, I gave up for the day. Some of the areas were over 2 inches thick and it was not easy. You really cannot see, but I am about 3/4 done. I think that I will probably finish up this weekend.

Oilers vs. Blue Jackets

On Tuesday January 20, we went to the Oilers game against the Blue Jackets. It was an exciting game and we won 4-3 thanks to Ales Hempsky. To our surprise the DJ was playing great music and the crowd was really into it. The atmosphere was more like a Friday game with cheering and the wave.
This picture was taken after the last goal was scored by Hempsky with only about 35 seconds left. It was exhilarating and Shayne was very proud of his Oilers :)

In competition for my new favorite player.......

Last night we watched the game in HD on the big projector screen. Our captain got his first hat trick. For those of you who don't know....my favorite player is Cogliano ( because of course he is the best looking!!!). Moreau was in my thoughts, but never really made the top three until last night. The upgrade was not because of his hat trick but because of his interview afterwards. While he was in the middle of a conversation with Gene ( I think thats his name).......he stopped to keep the rhythm of a song playing in the background with a couple of clapping motions! If you watch this you will understand what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXGEXrz7EU . When we first saw it, Shayne and I said to each other, " Did you just see that?". Hahahahaha....how fun is he.....now he moves into my top 3!!

A Sidewalk made of Ice

Today I was very mad!!! Shayne was telling me last night that there was a very big build up of ice on our sidewalk. Of couse I didn't believe him and and today I set out with the pick to clear it. He was right...there was up to 2 inches of ice in certain spots! I tried to clear a little bit, and when I realized that I couldn't, I set out to get some de-icer. Would you belive that I could not find any? I think that I will have to get some sand or something! I'll post when I have it cleared.

Grandma's recipes

My recently deceased Grandma's recipes were borrowed to me quite some time ago. I thought that it would be a great idea to scan them so that I would have her recipes with her original writing. It's funny that she never had any sort of filing system...they were all just sort of kept in this folder. I took this picture right before I was going to get started and then....I got distracted. So now it is on my list of things to do again!

Henkel Knives

These knives are in my top 5 favorite things. We got them from Darlene for Christmas this past year and I am soo happy with them. They are Henkle knives and they are the best knives that I have ever used. I am still shocked every time I cut something. The other day I spent about an hour chopping vegetables for the week and I did not even mind much. You all know how much I hate cooking, but these knives make it just a little more fun! I have alot to learn about when to use what knife and how to chop fast! Pray for my fingers!!

This is 2008's Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Last year I threw it out, but this year I decided that I would try to grow it and see if it will make it until next year...wish me luck!

The forever lasting light bulb

I took this picture because this light under the stove is the most amazing light ever! We keep waiting for this light to burn out but it never does! It has been on for 24 hours 7 days a week for 3 years now! When it fianally burns out I will have to look and see what type of bulb it is so that I can put them all over the house!

I have been having really great sleeps lately and I am attributing it to my new favorite pillow spray. It is from Bath and Body Works which is also my favorite store. When I was taking the picture, I decided that I should get the tripod for a better shot, but as I was setting it up, the camera fell over and knocked the pillow spray on the ground and broke the spray part. So now I have to buy a new spray bottle before I go to bed tonight!

I cannot believe how much snow that there has been lately! I am really getting tired to clearing the driveway and driving on the terrible roads. The drift was so high on January 13, 2009 that it covered a good portion of one window!

I was going through our medicine cabinet and found out that my inhaler was expired. I had not even realized it because I have not had to use it since we quit smoking on April 22, 2008. At that moment I took a deep breath and remembered how I used to wease and take my inhaler and yet continue to smoke!! How crazy is this?

The Big Sleepover

Tonight Shayne and I had my Niece Izabella and Nephew Lukas over for a sleepover for the first time. For those of you who don't know, our dog Tucker loves to chase lasers. So I brought out the laser for the dog to chase and then the kids started chasing the dog. What a great way to kill 2 birds with one stone!! The dog got tired before they did though!

Cold Pop Guy

Tonight we went to the Oilers game against San Jose. We lost, but at least I got a picture of my favorite cold pop guy! I look for him every time I go and will often be caught by Shayne scouring the stands for him instead of watching the game! Now he sells cotton candy, but he used to sell "cold pop". He inherited the name because of the way he yells cooooold POP. He sort of scrunches his face like a rabbit while he says cold and then....when he says pop.....his eyebrows raise and his whole face lights up like he is soo relieved that something popped out of him! Shayne and I burst into laughter everytime we see him! He did not come near our seats so this picture is a little blurry, but at least I have one!

I have always wanted a bonsai plant ever since Karate Kid. To me they represent patience and longivity. For our Anniversary in 2008, Shayne bought me this bonsai. I did end up finding out how much it cost...so I was really afraid of touching it. I eventually did some trimming of the roots, which was fine. But I also trimmed the top....it did not like this, but it is recovering. Needless to say, I have not killed it, and it has made it through half of the winter. I am still scared to even water it! There are all sorts of bonsia cults on the net, but with love and attention, I think that this plant will stand the test of time.

Tucker just had to get his nose in there....he could not have the bonsai being the center of attention!!!

In 2008 Shayne and I decided to buy a DS from my Nephew. Shayne was soo excited about the mods that he could make and he spent alot of time researching how to do it. He "got" a few games for himself, as well as some games that he thought that I would enjoy. That was pretty much the last he saw of it. I was, and still am addicted to this little device. Eventually we decided that I needed my own so that Shayne could play as well. So this is a picture of my own DS with my own games on it. My favorite game right now is Brain Age. It is a game that is supposed to make you smart...I'll let you know how that goes......lol

I received this sewing machine as a Christmas present, which is a really great idea. I have a new appreciation for everyone who sews because it is not as easy as it looks. I decided to take one of Shayne's old shirts and see what I could make of it. I made Tucker a pillow and a shirt. I don't think that he even realizes that it is a pillow, because it is so hard and uneven. His shirt....well lets just say that I measured without thinking how he was going to get into it!! However, I am sure that this machine is going to be very fun and challenging!

Awhile ago Shayne and my Nephew started this xbox360 game which of course they had to continue when he was here on January 3, 2009. It was really funny to watch because the two of them were glued to the tv and were in sync with every lip, arm and leg movement!

Happy New Year from Tucker to everyone!! He just had to try on the hat when we got home and he looks sooo impressed doesn't he?