new years

So now that Christmas is over, I've been thinking about what I would like to see happen in the new year, now some of the things I can control but most are out of my control!!! Here's my list anyway, I wonder how it'll all turn out!!! Sometimes I wish I knew in advance, but really I'm so glad that I don't!!!

1. I want my niece/nephew here safe in our arms!!
2. My sister's wedding to go off without a hitch!!
3. The kids to stay "healthy" like they are now!!!
4. LOSE WEIGHT (now I started last year and did really well but then the kids got sick, so it's time to start again)
5. Heal the relationship between my hubby and his family
6. Heal our finaces
Those are my top 6 wishes for the new year!! As I said somethings are in my control like the weight thing!!! I have NO will power and am totally addicted to Coke, so hopefully I can get this back in control!!!

this time of the year

This year has been tough, Christmas for anyone who has lost a loved one is a little bittersweet (although I find mother's day is the hardest) Christmas is VERY close. Everything I do at this time of the year is for the children and because of this I am forever reminded that there is one child missing. For Christmas every year we bring our baby angel bear a Christmas tree!!!

For whatever reason, this year has been twice as hard, maybe it's because of the news we got about the middle two bears this summer and how it seemed for a while we may also lose them. Or maybe it's the fact that it has been REALLY cold out here where we are and the truck has decided not to start, it has already been towed out of here on a flat deck trailer and put in a heated shop over night, only to have it not start again the next week. I missed my turn lighting the advent candle at church and I also missed the Christmas get together at church, both because of the truck!!

Then this week the van got REALLY stuck, and we had to borrow a truck to try and pull it out, in the process we ripped a bunch of hoses on the van (now we can't drive that either) and the bumper came off. Hopefully we can get one of them up and running soon.

So there are 2 days till Christmas, I'm missing my angel baby, and really wish a vehcile would go so that we could actually get to some of the places we are to be this week.

This is one of those times that I could remember that God really does love us, but at times it feels as though he has it out for us!!!

A Mom's work

As most of you know I am a Mom of four children, some days it seems that the work never ends.

Here is a timeline of events starting with ending my shift last night!!!

12:31- got into the van at work (it was so cold because the van still doesn't heat)
12:35- stopped to get gas, had to Prue-pay because it was after midnight, again so, so cold
1:02- walked into the house at home
1:05- checked my face book
1:15- went to get ready for bed (barely in the bathroom and lil' sister bear was calling said she dropped her pillow, in fact the pillow was on the other side of the bed)
1:20- went to bed, only to realize that baby bear was asleep on my side of the bed, moved him over and crawled in, don't know what time I actually fell asleep.
6:20- woke up to Daddy bear trying to get big sister bear out of bed
6:35- Had big brother bear come crying to me (I don't even remember why)
6:40- crawled out of bed
7:15- started bugging the kids to get their things on (only to have lil' sister bear start crying that her ski pants were still in the van from last night)
7:18- ask big brother bear to please go get them (he was dressed)
7:19- Big brother bear starts crying
7:25- big brother bear finally goes to get them
7:30- big sister bear goes outside to let the buss driver know that yes in fact the kids are coming
7:32- big brother bear goes out to the bus (gift for his teacher in hand)
7:35- Lil sister bear finally ready also goes outside (just in time to get on the bus)
7:36- Quiet again!!!!
7:37- sit to watch some T.V with baby bear
7:40 Baby bear wants something to eat
8:00 the house work starts
9:14- get a call from Daddy bear could you please go pick up a veggie platter to bring to big sister bear at school (he was gonna go but the have him doing something besides hi usual job and he can't leave)
9:16- run out to start the van
9:17- ask baby bear to please put on his socks
9:18- try to deiced what to do about the mess I call hair
9:19-Ask about the socks again
9:20- Go find some jeans (figure big sister bear would not like it if I show up at school in my jammys)
9:21- Again about the socks
9:22- figure if I'm leaving may as well pick up the things I need try to find something to write on
9:23- Find baby bears socks and put them on him
9:24- realize lil'sister bear left her gift for her teacher at home, and know she's probability VERY upset.
9:25- finally got what I need head for the van.
9:50- Get to Wal Mart
9:52- stand in line to return a dish bought as a Christmas gift got it home and it promptly broke
9:56- Get on with the shopping
10:30- leave and head to market place
10:40- leaving market Place fruit platter and veggie platter in hand
11:00- Get to lil sister bears school, teachers gift in hand
11:03- Lil sister bear comes into the office yells Mom gives me a HUGE hug, grabs the gift and runs off ( the hug was worth it all)
11:05- get into the van to head over to big sister bears school with the veggie platter
11:06- leave the veggie platter in the office for big sister bear
11:30- arrive home, try to finish the house work
11:32- start a fire to burn the garbage that daddy bear was to burn yesterday but didn't
11:35- Start a load of laundry
11:36- Want to put the drinks in the fridge for big sister bears Christmas party and realize the fridge needs to be cleaned first
11:37- clean the fridge
11:50- throw more trash on to burn
11:55- change the laundry
11:58- wash some dishes
12:00 get baby bear his lunch
12:05- clean the fish tank (baby bear fed the fish this morning almost all the food and the water is now brown
12:10- wondering why I am cleaning the house for big sister's party
12:15- change the laundry, add more garbage to burn
12:20- put pop in the fridge
12:25- Finish this and get back to work, wonder if I can fit a nap in today??? Having 5 teenage girls over for a sleep over thinking sleep may not happen tonight!!!

twas the week before christmas

Twas the week before Christmas
and all through the house
all the creatures were stirring,
probably even the mice.

The stockings were thrown
all over the floor
knowing that Mom
couldn't take it anymore

The children should have
been nestled in bed,
but were running the
hallways instead.

Mom with her quilt
and Dad with the toys
were trying to enjoy
each other company,
despite all the noise.

When out on the lawn,
all was quiet
it was to cold and
the truck didn't like it.

Next week all the holidays will be done
and then we'll wait and entire
year to again celebrate
all that God's gift has done!!

the over due post!!

I just realized that it has been almost 2 weeks since my last post and what a two weeks it's been. For those of you who know me you know that trouble seems to follow us!!!! :-) Anyhow these last few weeks have been no different, it all started when I wasn't feeling well, everyone knows that Moms CANNOT stop to get better, the laundry waits for no one!! (hehehe, and there are no laundry elves contrary to what the family may think) Anyhow I spent a whole day lying around and only doing what was ABOUSTLY necessary, so then of course once I felt better I had ALOT to do.

Then last week lil sister bear had an upset tummy, there were a few times that myself and Daddy bear saw horrible things about to happen and yelled run!!! The messes were all avoided and she is now feeling much better!!! She has since told her Grandma bear that she wasn't sick she just missed me and didn't want me to work ( the Mommy guilt set in big time then, but the reality is that I HAVE to work or we don't eat it's as simple as that!!) I'm hoping she'll get used to it soon, and next week they are all off so she'll be loving that!!

This week it has been VERY cold here in Manitoba, Saturday we got home late, plugged in the truck (ford f-250 diesel) or so we thought, turns out the extension cord was broken so the truck was not getting any power. Needless to say once a diesel is that frozen they just don't go!!!! So Sunday morning I was to light the advent candle at church, Daddy bear went to start the truck (the van does not heat) and nothing, So I did not make it, but I had to work that night so we worked on getting the van going, and finally were able to!! Then the hubby turned his attention to the truck, he ended up going and getting new extension cords, and an Oil pan heater (was to be his Christmas gift) anyhow it all didn't work, so last night a dear fellow from our Church came over and towed out the truck, put it on a trailer and took it home to his heated shop overnight and this morning the old girl fired up again!!!

Oh and did I mention that on Monday morning not only was it -42, and the truck wouldn't go but we woke to frozen water as well, now since we live in a trailer this happens quite often (usually just when it's REALLY cold) so Hubby's a pro at thawing them and has it down to a science so it usually doesn't take long, but does require him to be out doors to watch so that things don't catch fire (we use a halogen work lamp). Needless to say we now have water again, the truck is going, the van is also going (but still not heating) and the children have gone back to school ( they stayed home Monday and Tuesday because of the cold they have a VERY long bus ride (about 1.5 hours) and I just don't feel comfortable putting them on the bus when it's that cold, our school only closes at -45, Monday it was -42, and Tuesday -40) so all is right in the world yet again.

One last thought our baby bear learned a very hard lesson this am he climbed onto the counter yet again (which he has been doing for many years now, he learned to climb before he learned to crawl), but today he knocked down the sewing machine which in turn feel on his head, yup you heard right hit him in the back of the head, he won't don't that again, at least for today I think..........

Quilting

As anybody who knows me, knows I LOVE QUILTING, fabric, needles and thread are a HUGE passion for me!!! I never knew it when I started bugging the family for a sewing machine about 7 years ago, but here I am now. For what ever reason 7 years ago for Christmas I decided that I would like a sewing machine for Christmas. I got a brother sewing machine (it was second hand, but that's okay, my mom didn't want to dish out a pile of money on something I might not like!!!) I love it, in fact I got a brand new machine and the old one works better (in fact the old one works and the new one not so much), but with the new job I have not had much time to use the machine, I miss it!!! But truthfully I just don't have the energy or the time, it has been getting better, as I go but I still do not have the time they way I used to. If only you could see my house you would understand (oh wait I don't want anyone to see the house :-)) So I have a pile of quilts waiting to be "finished", One of them being a snow flake quilt done in blues which my big sister bear has already said is hers, it is only a lap quilt but I would like to make it longer to fit her bed, it seems the fabric to finish it has disappeared though (what was that about cleaning? hehehe). Then of course there are all the new projects waiting to be done!! Tomorrow is my second day off this week I will spend the am cleaning and the afternoon playing?? (hopefully)


Now I have always cross stitched to in fact started that when I was about 15, it is the one of many things that got me through the loss of my angel bear (something relaxing about have to count out the stitches doesn't leave alot of time to think about the things going on around you). So I also have a pile of stitching that needs to be done, including a stitching I'm doing for lil sister bears room of a girl on a swing ( it reminded me of lil sister bear as soon as I saw it and I knew she had to have it) oh to find the time!!! :-)

You know even though I don't have as much time to do those things I am enjoying my job not that it doesn't have it's headaches, I really like the people I work with/for. It is a good fit for me and my family, I'm glad I now work and it sooo nice to talk to big people every now and then. Don't get me wrong I love my family, I just never realized how much I did for them (I don't think they realized it either) before and it's nice for them to have to help after all most of my kids are old enough to help around the house. That and we really needed the extra money I could bring in!!! Now at least the kids will get pizza day and hot dog days at school again, for the last few years it's been hard to find the money for those things!!

So today will be a slow not so productive day (keeping baby bear out of trouble is a full time job trouble seems to follow him) so I've been busy trying to keep him for destroying the place all morning, maybe at nap time I'll sweep and wash the floors!!!

sick

I am wondering why is it that kids are "sick" then the bus leaves and suddenly they feel fine??? Yup that's what happened this am big brother bear was "sick" so sick in fact that when I questioned him he cried. What a crock he is not sick, in fact I'm about ready to take him to school , and I should be baking ginger bread men!!!!

Now me on the other hand, my belly is doing flip flops, oh well live goes on, yesterday the water froze, so I didn't get the laundry done, so today is a work day and a catch up at home day!!! I'm on the computer so you can imagine just how much catching up is actually getting done. Not only that but I'm gonna be an Auntie so last week while I was out I found a sweet little sleeper with duckies on it that I was eyeing when we knew the baby was on it's way but was only 5 weeks along, was now on sale. So now that baby is 16.5 weeks I bought it!!! Then I headed over to the fabric section (my FAVORITE part of the store) and promptly found matching flannelette's to make a receiving blanket, I stitched a ducky dancing in the rain on it sewed it together no I'm in the process of finishing the edge on and I hear it calling to me.Wonder how much catching up I will get down today? Theres always tomorrow!!!