Superfluous Fluff

World Events

For members of our church (and anyone else who wishes to participate) it is General Conference weekend.  We get to listen to the Prophet and Apostles and their wise council for us. 

When I first joined the church, I would have to travel the 45 minutes to the nearest chapel to watch the Conference Broadcast.  5 two-hour sessions over two days meant no travelling home in between sessions.  The days were long and I was grateful for them.  Especially when I listened to older saints talking about how they used to have to wait for the print edition to reach them.  What a blessing to be able to see and hear an actual prophet!

Today I am further blessed by technology to be able to listen online.  My children can play in the other room and I can actually HEAR what is being said.  Tomorrow we'll all travel 45 minutes to the nearest chapel just as an exercise in getting the children to sit and listen (hard to do at home) but they're young to sit through all the sessions yet. I'm so grateful to be home. 

And as someone who has never been good at JUST sitting and listening, I'm also happy to celebrate a lesser-known holiday today....WORLD CARDMAKING DAY!!! 

(unless you're a paper crafter, you've probably never heard of it)

The very cool design team at Skrap N Chat has come up with some challenges and I'm having fun knocking out cards.  I've never really spent time making cards before and had no idea it could be so fun!

Here are some cards I've made today:

This one has what's called a "gate fold" (just learned that today!) so I'll show it to you open and shut:

And lest you think I'd given up scrapping all-together AU CONTRAIRE!!!

I just happen to think that summer is the time for making memories and the cold of winter is the time for preserving them. 

It's not a world event per se, but there are participants from around the world in Lain Ehmann's LOAD (LayOut A Day) contest happening this month.  That's right, a scrapbook page every day! 31 Layouts by the end of the month.  I'm already up to 4 (but there's no sense rushing ahead because the point is to MAKE a LO every day--get those creative juices flowing!).

So fun!

Here are a few I've done so far:

(I think I'll have to do one of the Boy tomorrow!)

As you can see, I'm having fun with the 1-photo LO right now, but don't worry, I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of multis this month!  I actually already did one for October 1st of the Princess and her cross country meet (I was that excited) but you don't get to see that one unless you're part of the LOAD group (too much personal info on the LO).

Now if you'll excuse me, I still have a Birthday card to make!

****

And yes--I know that there are much more important and devastating events happening in the world right now.  My heart goes out to all those in the South Pacific who are suffering so much this week.  They are not forgotten, even as I choose to highlight the fun things that are happening in my life right now.

Flashback Friday: Bye-bye Baby!

Has anyone seen my baby?  He was just here a minute ago...

(though, wow, check out that tired skinny hag in the background.  someone should get her some help.)

(that would be me, for anyone who is now upset that i'm insulting a friend.  no, it's friends entertaining my baby while I sit in a daze in the corner.  thanks friends!)

Where'd the chubby baby go?

It seems he grew when I blinked.  He grew and grew and grew. 

  

On Tuesday I kissed my sweet little 4 year old good-bye and welcomed a 5 year old in his place.

I miss 4. 

I'm sorry, but with all of my kids, 4 has been my absolute favourite.  4 is a great year.  Anyone out there with a 3 year old?  3 is great, but WAIT FOR FOUR.  Four is freaking fantastic.

And now it's gone.

I have nothing against 5, five is fine, its just not four.

Sigh.

Anyway, the five year old requested story time and cupcakes for his class.  I brought in my sprinkles and let the kids go crazy (I'm sure that endears me to the custodial staff). 

Then it was the usual in the evening: meal chosen by the birthday kid (hamburgers, sour cream and onion chips, and applesauce), cake, presents.  Except it all had to be done in triple time because all the girls in the family had Guides/Brownies/Sparks that night.  So the birthday boy got to enjoy Daddy time until bed.

It was fun to party, and we have more than enough cake to go around, but I'm afraid I was a little melancholy for this one.  Wasn't I just a stressed out mother of 3 under 3?  Wasn't he that little cherub with the infectious giggle and the ear-piercing scream?  Where's the toddler who wrapped his arms so tightly around my neck and never wanted to let go? 

He let go.

And now I'm the SAHM with no kids at home.  I'm the one having trouble letting go.

My babies are gone. 

I love the children they have become, but I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the last of babyhood.

That might be okay though, because that crazy 5 year old?

He used his birthday wish to wish for a baby brother.

Lord give me strength! 

We'll have to count on Hubby hold firm against temptation.  I'm feeling too weak right now.

(maybe I should keep looking at the exhausted woman in the first photo?)

I Spy

Wow, this girl has totally been the blog hog lately, hasn't she?  I actually have a Flashback Friday post planned starring a DIFFERENT kid (finally!) but I'm having the hardest time choosing photos.  I'm just not sure I'm going to be able to knock it out today.  We'll see!

In the meantime, we'll let this one rule the place a little longer.

Pride with a Disney-esque Twist

Today our Princess ran in her very first Cross Country meet. 

To say she was nervous would be an understatement. 

To say *I* was nervous would be an understatement.

I gave her the pep talk.  You know the one, the "I'm proud of you no matter where you place, just for getting out there and doing your best".  And you'd better believe that I meant every word.  She's so much tinier than everyone else her age--and did I mention that she's the only Grade 3 from her school running this season?  As far as I was concerned, she was already a winner and I was already crazy proud of her. 

The day started gray and rainy.  I wasn't sure of the exact location of her meet.  I mean, I know how to get to the town, but after that I had NO idea where I was going.  I tried Google Maps but "campground in X-town" didn't yield me any directions.  I figured I'd get to town and drive around a bit.  If I got really lost I could always stop at the elementary school and ask for directions.

As it turned out though, there was plenty of signage and I was there in plenty of time to wish my runner luck and find a good vantage point.

It actually might have been worth it to get lost.  The entire drive I had to be careful not to go off the road, I was spending so much time gawking at the scenery.  Once I got there I was in love.  I MUST do some portraits here.

But I wasn't there for the scenery!  Time for the race!

They started the run by going up a hill that would have had me quitting right there.  She was cheered on by her schoolmates though and kept those little legs pumping.  Actually, the advantage to being the only representative in your race is that the entire school then gets to chant your name.  Heady stuff, though she was blushing from the attention. 

Then they were away around a big loop...

(We're the green shirts, other school is the blue shirts.)

When they finally came into view of the finish line I was shocked to see her, right there in the first pack of girls.  She'd not only run the entire course (which was frankly all I had hoped for), but she came in THIRD!!!

The buttons on my coat almost burst with pride.

I had her hold still for a moment so I could get a photo of her with her ribbons and her bright red face, then let her go be congratulated properly by her peers and guzzle some water.  I noticed that she went straight to one of the other girls who raced with her (from the other school) and that they stayed together from then on.  As I watched them talking and giggling I was so very, very proud of her for not only running a great race, but getting a new friend from the deal. 

It almost sounded like the plot for an after-school special.  You know the ones!

But then it got downright Disney:

After the races were run, I went over to see her and congratulate her yet again (still bursting with pride).  I told her she ran a truly amazing race and she told me that she actually started feeling tired about halfway through and started to slow down.  That's when her new friend, M, smiled at her, told her she could do it, and took her by the hand. 

They ran holding hands for the last half of the race.

Once they rounded the last curve and the cheers of their schoolmates rose up to meet them, with the finish line only a few meters away, her friend squeezed her hand and said "Come on!" and let go.  They sprinted to the end, coming in second and third and well ahead of the next group of runners. 

Go on, have a little sniffle and a big "Awwwwwwwwwwww".  I'll wait. 

Isn't that the sweetest thing EVER!?  I'm about as proud of M as I am of my Princess, and I'm writing her Mom a note right now to tell her so. 

Here's to races run and friendships gained.  Here's to compassion and sportsmanship and little girls that show us what true winners look like, no matter what colour their ribbons.  Here's to the Princess and M for making me cry on the drive home.

A photo for Grandma

Because she wants a print of the Goldenrod close-up from Friday.  I'll send it to you Mom, but I have to say that I like THIS one better:

The Princess loves posing for me.  I need to concentrate on Sweetpea for a while though or I'm going to have more photos of one girl than the other, and that will NEVER do!

The First Day of Fall

Actually, Autumn sounds better, doesn't it?  

Either way you say it, it sounds PERFECT to me! I want to be among the first to welcome my favourite season of them all.  Fall is a majestic lady, a feast for the senses.  The sights, the sounds, the smells, the feel in the air....

Ahhhhhhhhh.

Dear September and October:

You guys know I love you best.  You're really much too good to me.  Please, keep being you.  You bring me nothing but happiness.  You know in a perfect world I would hang out with you guys non-stop.  I dedicate every love song and sappy poem to YOU.  You rock!

Love and rainbows,

CanadaCole (especially happy about that Canada part today!)

(Ok, these are technically last morning of Summer photos, but they all say fall to me.)

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to find my fall wreath to hang on the door. And I might need some mums....because it's a little early for the pumpkins, right? Right?

Flashback Friday: My Home Studio

Around this time last month a couple of things happened at about the same time.  First, several of the photographers I follow had updated their studios and were giving blog tours of the updates.  Second, I attended a late night crop at the LSS and got talking photography with Vicki, who I've done photos for before.  We were talking fall photos and she wondered if I knew of any place that had those cool old barn boards. 

As a matter of fact....

This is our barn.  Handy, huh?  Once I started thinking about it, I took the Princess around the property with me to highlight some of the great features of my all natural home studio.

Features like the big field of goldenrod that looks so pretty near or far:

Or how about the money-sucking, headache-inducing building?  It's got to be good for something, right?

Of course life got crazy and I never got around to posting the tour of MY "studio", and now Mother Nature has redecorated it.  The goldenrod seems like some 70's flashback.  Harvest Gold appliances anyone? (I grew up with them thanks!) 

Anyway, apparently red is in right now.   I really like the new scheme, and I'm dying for an excuse to do some portraits with my new and improved backdrops.

(The above photo courtesy of my morning walk--and look--still some leftover harvest gold!)

If you're in the neighbourhood, I'd be happy to have you over any time. (Early morning and later afternoon light is the yummiest though!) It's that or trick one of my kids into being a model again!

Accidental Athlete

On Tuesday the Princess came home with information about Cross Country and a permission form, since practices are after school and if a child wishes to participate then the school needs to know who will be picking them up.

I confess, I didn't give it more than a cursory glance.  In my mind, my Princess is not my athlete.  It's not just that she's so very, VERY girly.  I know lots of girly-girls who make great athletes.  It's not even that she's so incredibly petite (at a recent bus orientation for Kindergartners, she slipped into the line with all those little 4 and 5 year olds and everyone assumed she belonged there--she was the same size as most of them!).  It's, well, her build.  She's not overweight at all, but she is solid.  She's built a little like a barrel.  Maybe I've labeled her to myself prematurely, but when I look at her, I just don't see a lot of sports meets in my future. 

Sweetpea, by contrast, is all sleekness and length.  She looks like she's built for speed and moves like a racehorse eager for a run.  I fully expect many the cross country, track, volleyball, etc. meets for her in my future.  

I thought I had time. 

But the Princess surprised me.

"Sign it!  Please sign it!  I want to go!"

Really?  Really?  I asked her if she had read the form.  She said she did.  I asked if she understood what it was for.  She said it was for cross country and she really, really, really wanted to join. 

"Do you even know what cross country is?"

"I do!  I really want to do it!  PLEASE!"

So I signed the permission form.  I LIKE being surprised by my kids, and who am I to pigeon-hole them so early?

Yesterday was her first practice.  She came home full of light and chatter, stories about how the boys kept running around when they weren't supposed to and how she's the ONLY girl in Grade 3 to have signed up.  She came in last when they ran but then she IS the smallest and the youngest, and she's determined not to STAY in last place. 

She was so very pleased with herself, and I was so very, very proud of her.

And as we headed into the house she surprised me again though:

"Mama, did you know that cross country has RUNNING??  I didn't!"

She seemed pleasantly surprised, like her mom had been to learn that she wanted to sign up in the first place, so I held the laugh in and told her that I did, indeed, know that cross country has running.

We've both learned lots this week.

You guys are GOOD

Thanks to you the bird has been identified! It is an Immature Great Cormorant.  Many of you got Cormorant right off the bat and it was a matter of figuring out what type.  For a couple of hours on Friday I thought it might be a White Breasted Cormorant, which would have been a bit rare for these parts, but I was wrong.  There were also a couple of people who suggested that it might be an Immature Double-Crested, but apparently they were also wrong. I submitted the photo to a bird watching group on flickr and they and my in-laws got back to me at about the same time with a definite on the proper ID.  I had forgotten that my in-laws are bird watchers, so it was fun to get their email.  Now I know who to ask next time!  My Dad also chimed in a few hours later to let me know that he believes that these guys may be considered a nuisance here in NB and appear on varmint licenses (which means you can shoot them any time).  Perhaps they're a nuisance to fishermen but I kind of liked him, so he's welcome to hang out at my lake any time.  The only shooting I'll do is with my camera.  It was a fun little game though and I enjoyed the participation.  Also?  I keep looking at the photos on the internet and I'm afraid that all the cormorants look pretty much the same to me.  I guess I don't get my bird-watching badge just yet. 

I also got a couple of comments on my wood-pecked telephone pole that I posted on Friday, pointing out that it looks like a face.  I totally missed that when I posted it, but as soon as you mentioned it I saw it!  You guys are so imaginative! My Mom thought it looked like it was singing, and my funny Hallowe'en obsessed Caligirl thought it looked appropriately Hallowe'en-y.  I had a little chuckle at her ability to see everything as fitting into her favourite holiday BUT

When I went for my walk this morning, I noticed that that pole isn't the only one that has been pecked into a home.  There are actually 3 in a row and THEY ALL HAVE EYES!!!!

That is TOTALLY Hallowe'en spooky and now I'm going to have dreams about them coming to life at night and wandering around.  Thanks a lot Caligirl!

I have some photos from the weekend to share, but I really need to hurry and get off the computer.  I have shopping to do (kids need fall/winter wardrobes filled out), laundry to sort, a lesson to prepare, and a house that exploded over the weekend. 

Before I go, I just wanted to welcome my newest little sister into the world!  She was born on 09/09/09, at 9 minutes to 9, weighing 9 lbs 2 ozs.  I'll let the numerologists go crazy with that one! 

They say good things come in 3's and it must be true!  I now have 3 full brothers, 3 half sisters, and 3 step-sisters.    Then of course I have my own 3 kiddos!

Here are my 3 little sisters:

Five on Friday!

1. I went for my walk this morning WITH the camera, thank you very much.  Now there weren't any cool birds hanging out waiting for me to walk by**, but I did see this:

That is one SERIOUSLY determined woodpecker!  That pole is in use (live wires!) and those things are SOLID, but this one now has a cozy looking home drilled away in it.  And it's about 3 poles down from my house.  And I never noticed it before today.  I love these little surprises!

Anyway, I decided that, as long as the weather co-operates, I'll carry my camera with me.  I'll walk as fast as I can away from the house for 20 minutes and then turn around and walk home.  On the way home I'm allowed to stop and take photos.  I agreed with myself that this was a reasonable compromise.  Today the sun didn't even clear the treetops until I was almost ready to turn around, so Mother Nature is working with me on this one.

**I'm playing a fun game of what was that bird?  Anyone able to help?

2. As part of my plan to get fit again, I'm trying to eat a better breakfast.  I've been enjoying a bowl of granola with chia seeds and vanilla yogurt, and then I have a piece of fruit (banana today!).  Problem--those chia seeds are sneaky!  They stick in your teeth like nobody's business!  I seriously have to floss after breakfast, brushing misses a few of the more determined ones.  This morning I ate at the computer and was determined to ignore them while I read everything in my reader but there was one that was bugging me.  I picked it out with my fingernail and it had already started sprouting!  Ewwww!  (Probably TMI but I had to share with somebody!)  Actually, this probably makes them even better for my health because my dental hygenist wants me to floss daily, and now I DEFINITELY am!

3. Typepad has a couple of new features.  One is awesome sauce and the other is super crazy annoying. 

The awesome one is that I can now check a box when I publish a post and have it link to facebook.  Fun!  Except that I'm not sure if it's showing up on anyone's news feed or if it just goes to the links page.  Could one of you facebook pals let me know?  Thanks!  

The annoying one?  Well, when I hit reply to reply to your comments (I try to always do so!), typepad now sends them back to the blog so they show up in the comments box.  How obnoxious!  And I only noticed it this morning.  Grrr!  So from now on I'll try to remember to change the address in the "to" section of emails so that YOU get my reply and not the blog. 

4. Our elementary school's PTA (only they call it something else here, but it's the PTA) has vacancies.  I've been trying to decide whether or not to volunteer.  I think I probably will.  I mean, I do have 3 kids attending that school now.  I just don't know how much time it's going to take and I don't want to spread myself thin.  Plus I'm very disagreeable when it comes to fundraising.  I have almost as many reasons reasons for as against lined up in my brain.  Are any of you PTA veterans?  Can you offer advice?

5. Next week I'm going to start something I'm calling "Flashback Friday".  My family has done a LOT of fun stuff that I've never shared just this summer alone.  Plus I have some really old family photos that I may feel prompted to share.  It'll just be something fun that I've never blogged about that I decide I want to talk about.  Cool?

I'm not starting today because of the date.  I do have flashbacks to another September 11, one that looked much like today, but I'm not going to share them today.  Instead I'm going to encourage you to have your own remembrance in your own way.

BONUS:  I just wanted to share another photo, because it made me go awwwwwwwwww