When you are frustrated...

BAKE! Yes. Just bake. It is productive. It is rewarding. And you have something delicious to consume when you are done! Well, I can't consume what I have produced, but my sweet sisters on Sunday will consume what I have produced. Have to say, making 200 sugar cookies really did take my mind off of "stuff" going on. And I don't have the camera to take a picture... Marc has it. He is going to the RUSH concert tonight and took it with him. Crazy kid.

So I have mentioned that I am searching for a position with a new firm, much closer to home. All was well. Notice the past tense verb... Apparently they are having "staffing issues" which are out of my control and affect my position directly. It has been 3 weeks now that I have been neogiating back and forth. I think it is time to let this die and move on. I am frustrated; I am annoyed; I am angry; and I feel rejected. How can that be?? They don't know me from Eve. I have never done work for this firm. They loved my interviews. And yet I feel I was not "good enough" for them to be able to take me on, even though there are circumstances out of my control. Why does that happen? Why do we get so personal about these situations? And then to top it all off, my sweet agent had heard through the grapevine about another posting that would be good for me, and when she contacted the firm, they said they had already filled the post with a "great gal who could start at the end of June". My agent thought I had gone around her and fought for the position myself. Ummm, NO! They hired someone who had the same background and time issues as me! But it wasn't me! So after clearing that up with my agent (who sounded very hurt that I would betray her - but I didn't!!), she laughed and said she would get back to searching for me. Glad someone laughed. I was again annoyed and felt like I don't measure up. I am beginning to question whether or not I really want to leave my small firm in New West... Things out this way are proving to be more hassel than they are worth - so far... I don't know.

I am off to bring Ethan to school and then I am heading to the salon to get an awesome hair cut and forget my annoyances!

Ciao all.

One Question...

WHY do things in life have to be so difficult?? I mean really. Why can't things just work without too much effort... That is my question to you. Hopefully you have an answer for me.

Thursday Stuff

Well, it has been a very busy few days. Here goes:

1. I am still negotiating my new position. This is a slow process. I am not sure if it will work in the end, but I have not given up hope. We will see. What is meant to be will be.

2. Marc has been accepted to his program! Yeah! We got the phone call yesterday. It was very exciting and absolutely terrifying all at once. Now I really need to work full time for this next year and I really need to pull in the big $$. Between Marc being back in school and not working and paying for this program, our account will take a hit. But we are prepared. Short term pain for long term gain. I am just scared that I won't be able to buy shoes or handbags this next year... That is a real concern here! Not joking... hee hee

3. My cute invitation above is for our upcoming enrichment event at church. I am in charge. It is a self-defence theme. The invitation is the Chinese symbol for "strength/power". We are actually learning physical self defence and then having a speaker in to teach us spiritual self defence. And of course there is always food! Can't have anything without food... I am trying to keep the food on the oriental theme also. I think it will be fun for everyone to attend. I have made 75 invitations. You know, they always sound good in my head - but then when I start doing these things... Another story... But I so live for these challenges in my life. I am really sick...

4. Bella's 5th birhtday is coming up in a few weeks. We are having a "Garden Party" for her little gal pals. I am totally excited about this. We have a gazebo in the back yard and I am going to hang paper lanterns in there and flowers from the ceiling and have all the finger foods in little flower pots. The girls are all getting feather boas to wear along with hats and gloves. They are going to make necklaces for their activity and have flower cupcakes for the cake. I love LOVE having little girl parties. They are soooo easy. The following week we are having our families over for a family party. Just a bbq. Super simple. Our families just like to come together and eat. They really don't need an occasion. hee hee For the family party I am ordering a St. Honore cake from this bakery in Cloverdale. Can't wait for that!! Busy busy time ahead.

I am off to eat lunch. Ciao all. Have a good day.

Happy Long Weekend

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. We sure are. Well, this part of "we" is as I gave a list of chores to my sweet hubby and he got them all done - already!! First on the list was the fence and pergola. Marc got it all painted and it is gorgeous!! It just radiates now... I am so thrilled with the results. I chose a colour called "Swiss Coffee" - just the right amount of white and off white and taupe. Next was the front garden. I have done nothing with it since we moved in almost 3 years ago. It was full of "builder" grade plants = not enough of anything to make it look like something! So I got Marc to pull out plants and re-plant a few on the side of the house. The rest ended up in the garbage. Now, don't go freakin' out people! I do NOT have a green thumb. I am not a plant person. I really don't care. I should live in Arizona where I could have a zero scape lawn... But I do care about symmetry and beauty and my front yard had neither. Now with all the plants gone and a clean canvas, I can bring my mama out with me next week and properly landscape. I am looking forward to that. In my mind I see heather planted everywhere - the big, white heather. I think it will look stunning against the khaki green of my house and the bark mulch and the pea gravel that is replacing the front "lawn". NOTE: there is no lawn. It is all moss and clumps of grass. I hate it. Truly HATE it. My end goal - think gardens of Versailles. Clean. Symmetrical. LOW maintenance. I am looking forward to that.

I also did some re-arranging with my decor outside. Much better. I got my geraniums all planted in my cast iron urns and I am pleased with the pop of colour - red. Always red. I don't stray too far with colour - red/white/shades of green. Hey, this is miles ahead of where I started from - NO plants of any kind ever! This is progress!

So now we are off to see Narnia - Prince Caspian, and then head out for chinese dinner - Ethan's request. Not a bad way to end a productive day.

Hope y'all are having fun. Be careful this long weekend. Remember sun screen - it is 31 degrees here today! No joke. Yesterday was the same. But tomorrow we may have rain. Welcome to Vancouver....

Ciao all.

Divas!

Just to put a smile on your face. My niece Emelia and my Bella. Two true DIVAS! Look out world. hee hee

Back to life

Well, these past few weeks have been crazy hectic, but I survived and I am back to life now. I have a lot to catch up on. Here goes:

1. Ethan is going to Italy with my parents. They bought the tickets. I am beyond jealous of this experience he will have!! Sigh. I wish I could run away with them, but alas, my committments will not allow it. So my baby boy is going away for 5 weeks and I am going to miss him soooo much! I don't know what we will do without him around here - or more to the point, I don't know what Bella will do without him!! Yikes. I haven't even thought about how I am going to handle that. Anyways, he will be gone September/October. He will miss school but who cares! Come on! Big deal - the beginning of grade 4... What a wonderful opportunity for him to travel and visit my home land and meet the rest of his family and learn the language and tour and see all the sites and eat all that yummy food and the gelato... I had better stop before I begin to cry.

2. We are landscaping our front yard this upcoming weekend. About time. It has only been 2 1/2 years that I have been saying to Marc how much I truly despise the front yard. So I am excited that the work is going to start and it is a new project for me to focus on. I need a project to keep me occupied.

3. I have been interviewing with a new firm in Surrey, but I don't know what is going on. My agent called and said the firm is having "staffing issues" that are out of my control, and so that puts my position on hold. But on hold for how long?? A week? A month? More?? Well, too bad for them I guess. I am not going to sit around and wait for them to realize they let me get away. So I guess I will continue to look. I am tired of the commute I have now, and it is time for a change anyways. We will see what happens. I am always up for a challenge.

4. We have been quilting at church for a new transition house that is being built in our area. We have been asked to provide 5 quilts by December for this house. Last Wednesday night we finished 3 quilts. Yeah! I am quite excited about this. You see, I am NOT a quilter and this has been quite a thorn in my side honestly. And we have not had the help we really need to get these done. Although, last Wednesday we did have a dozen ladies out quilting and that made all the difference in the world. But as one of them said to me, "Carmen, you put the fear of God in us! We knew if we did not show up we would be in trouble!". Darn straight!! I told them they had another thing comming if they thought I would make these quilts on my own. Again - I am not a quilter of any sorts! Nor do I sew - except for on layouts! But now there are only 2 more to go and then that committment is done.

I think that is about it for now.

Have a great night. Bella needs a bath now as tomorrow is the Kindergarten Welcome tea for parents and kiddies starting K in September. We are quite excited to attend tomorrow and Miss Bella needs to look (and smell!) her best!!

Ciao all.

Happy Mother's Day

To my mom, and my mother in law, and my sister, and my sister in law, and my aunt and all my dear friends. Happy Mother's Day. Hope you have a wonderful day, doing what you want to do, being with whom you want to be with!

Much love.

14 Years

How can it be that 14 years have passed since our wedding day?? Where has this time gone??!! Happy Anniversary my love! Thank you for being my best friend and always understanding me and supporting me (and buying me handbags!! hee hee). I love you.

Quickly running out of steam...

What is the quote: Man shall not run faster than he has strength?? Well, not the case in our house these past few weeks. And now I am out of steam. Literally. I am physically and mentally and spiritually exhausted. But I am not done yet - and I don't know where I am going to get the strength to do what is required of me over the next week or so...

I am interviewing with a new law firm in Surrey. They are a big firm with all the perks. I have been to two interviews with them so far. They have agreed to my terms in principal (which is a miracle in itself - I have some pretty strict terms regarding my wages and my time), but now I wait and see if I have managed to secure the spot. I hate waiting. It is exhausting waiting. It also wreaks havoc with your mind waiting... This process has challenged me, and I am not sure it is in a good way. But because of this, other committments in life have taken a back seat, and now they are all piling up on me. I have a lesson to teach this Sunday and next Sunday I have a speaking assignment in church. I have a baptism to prepare for somewhere, and a Spring concert to help organize, and that is on top of my job at my current firm and ballet and taekwondo and keeping my house the way I need it to be kept. So if I am not around for a while, you know why.

Off to Cubs.

Ciao all.