Friday night...

And what did I do? Shop, of course. For the past few weeks I have been doing my errands on Friday night. Marc has been busy with seminars for different school districts, leaving me and the kiddies home alone... So instead of having to shop Saturdays with all the other crazies, I decided to try shopping Friday night instead. MUCH better!! There is no one around (probably because everyone else is out having a life while I am shopping for pork roast and veggies and milk... he hee). I was in and out of Costco in under an hour! Have to say, that was pretty thrilling. Tonight I even got to the Bay and bought the CUTEST stripped tights and argyle tights and leggings. Then I went to Sterling Shoes and bought new boots. Cute huh?!! Made by Roxy. Super soft inside too. They will be a welcomed addition to my wardrobe. So now tomorrow it is just gymnastics with Bella and then home to do whatever I want!!! Friday night shopping is a good thing.

Ciao all.

Now THIS is a house!!

$1.18 million. Come on over to Cloverdale!!

LOVE it though. Sigh.

Ciao

It is beginning to stir...

The moving bug - that is. On the weekend we went to an open house. Loved it. But the lot is not big enough. I need more land. The listing price was what I expected - which is sad. Bonus was that the GST was included in the asking price. That is rare. Other things that were included were all window coverings (real wood blinds) and all the closets had organizers in them - beautiful built ins - not the crappy wire stuff. Also real hardwood floors throughout and granite counters in kitchen and bathrooms and undermount sinks and huge mud rooms and crown mouldings. It really was a nice surprise to see all these things included, and not listed as "extras". But having said that, I heard this morning that Vancouver is THE most expensive place to live vis a vis housing to salary ratio. We beat Sydney, Australia and London, England and New York City. Well, I could have told you that!! I was looking at a $600,000.00 home that had 4 bedrooms and a finished basement and tons of indoor room, but NO outdoor room. So was that house worth $600,000?? No. Not even close. And according to the study, the median housing price for the GVRD is $544,000.00 while the average income is $54,000.00. Something is not right here. As I said, the moving bug is beginning to stir. So I think I will harness that energy and finish our basement and get more room in THIS house and then look at next Spring putting it on the market to see what we can get. I know now that our next house we have to build - from the ground up. This is the only way I am going to get what I want and what I need and maybe not have to sell my first born for it. Maybe.

Ciao all.

Really trying to catch up

Getting there... I am almost caught up. Good Friday night for me.

Now I am off to bed.

Ciao all.

New Addition

What I came home to. Marc bought me a present - a new chair for the living room. He has good taste. I am going to keep him!!

Ciao all.

Check it out!!

1989. Me and Marc. Grad. My dress and jacket were custom made. I still have them... The jacket is back in style now. Chinois - brocade, emerald green. I rocked!! Oh ya, and look how cute Marc is all matching me!! hee hee

Just catching up

With some scrapping for Ethan.

Ciao all.

Why do I feel...

Like the entire world is at my door looking for money these days?? Marc and I do not believe in unnecessary debt. We NEVER go into debt for stupid things. Our motto is if we have the cash it can be bought. If we don't, then it can't. Simple as that. And we definitely do not go into debt for Christmas. We bought everything with cash. We owe nothing to the credit card companies (well, nothing new that is - just an old balance to pay off - which does not seem to be disappearing as fast as I would like it to. Why is that?? Sigh...). Yet this past week has felt like everyone and their dog is at our door for money. What is up?? Did ALL the utility companies decide to bill at the exact same time?? Did the credit card company gang up with the utilities? Did the dentist decide it was necessary for Ethan to see her this week also? Absolutely necessary? And then there is Passport Canada. Did all of our passports need to be done this week? Oh, btw, WHY is a passport $87??? WHY?? And the business GST is due at the end of the month... Really. I need to breathe and relax - otherwise I am going to explode.

I need food. Ciao all.

January Stuff

I don't know where this month is getting to?? January so far has found the O household doing the following:

*Getting back to Taekwondo and Cubs for a new year
* Building robots out of simple machines to make one big complex machine (and having the robot ending up being 3.5 feet tall)
* Making marketing posters for the robot to "sell it" to the class
* Going through THOUSANDS of photos to find pics for a time line for Bella
* Making up the time line and presenting it to the class
* Studying for Spell A Thon and raising money
* Beginning gymnastics for one little girl who has found her calling in life - she is fearless!!
* Working, working and more working
* Getting our passports ready - we are heading to Italy for the summer
* Celebrating family birthdays
* Having friends over for dinner parties

And we still have a few weeks left. Whew. I am tired.

Have a good week all.

Ciao

To prove I am not exaggerating...

When I said that ALL my decorations in my house for Christmas were either trees or balls, I was not exaggerating. I put everything away today, and I was gathering it all in the formal living room, I was struck by the collection of trees and balls. Well, at least I am consistent.

Ciao all.

Ohhh, big mistake...

Okay - there is a new bakery that has opened up in my neck o' the woods. It is called Big City Cupcakes. I stopped by on the way home from work today to check it out (my curiosity has been killing me for weeks now) and to pick up some treats for the kids. Well, I thought they would be for the kids... Oh no. With flavours like New York Cheesecake and Truffle and Red Velvet and Almond Joy (think of that chocolate bar with coconut and almonds - now put it on a cupcake)... My tummy is not feeling very good right now. I could not even eat the whole cupcake. It was huge and it was rich. Big mistake. I see a long night ahead of me. Not a fun one either... Did I ever tell you that my system CANNOT digest sugar/fat combos?? NO?! Well it can't. Sigh.

Ciao all.

My NEW Project

I am always looking for a project. I can't sit still. Ever. So I was surfing blogs and found Shanty 2 Chic and found this GREAT project. Over sized distressed dominoes for the wall!! How fabulous!! I love things that are unique and a bit quirky in the house. I love things that make people stop and look. Check out the blog. They have a fabulous tutorial. Seems I will be off to Home Depot this weekend to pick up some lumber and some paint and some antiquing glaze. Ohh, and I know just the place for these dominoes - my master bath! My main wall has been bare now for 4 years. I have not been able to find anything I want in there. This will be perfect. Something to make me smile each morning.

Ciao all.

Catching Up

Played catch up over the weekend. Scrapped a few Christmas pictures. I really liked how this one turned out. Nothing really "Christmassy" about it, but the colours all work and that is what I was looking for.

Ciao all.

Capturing Bella...

SOOOO easy to do. This girl is a joy to scrap. Really. She is full of wit and sass. Never a dull moment when she is around.

Ciao all.

2010

Happy New Year to y'all. I have been spending the morning reminiscing about the decade that has passed. It was filled with wonder and sadness; extreme joy; fretful moments; lots of excitement and fear.

We welcomed my daughter; my nephew and my niece into our families. I honestly cannot remember life without these characters. They are full of energy and love! And they seem to be kindred spirits - the four of them (Ethan has the great honour of being born in the previous decade - 1999 - and the last millennium!). I am excited for this next decade where they will literally grow up with each other. I see bright futures for them all.

We said goodbye to my Grandfather Vito, my Grandmother Paola and our dear Manjit. My heart still aches. As well as various great aunts and uncles who all were a part of my childhood.

We bought our very first house, sold it for more money than we had ever seen, built a new one, sold that one, and built another one. Now we have been in our current house for four years... This next decade will see us build our dream home. And I am grateful for all the experiences I have had with the previous homes - they have really solidified in my mind what I want; what I need; and what I can do without.

We opened and closed two English schools; made a lot of money and lost a lot of money; and then realized that this is not what we wanted. Marc went back to school and got his PDP and now he is doing what he has always wanted to do and honestly what he was born to do. Of course that meant that I had to pull up my socks and go back to work full time - NOT what I wanted to do, but someone had to pay for that new degree. But the sacrifices have paid off. And we are ever closer to reaching our goals. It is wonderful. Now. Two years ago, not so much...

I gained too much weight in this last decade. I did not take care of myself at all. No more. I am well on my way to a new and better me. Which is a good thing as I am getting ready to celebrate my last year of my 30's... Sigh. This next decade will see me live in my 40's. I have to stop before I begin to cry.

My marriage grew stronger. Marc and I are good together. We are a real team and we shoulder the burdens well. We also give credit where credit is due. And we laugh. Boy do we laugh. It has been an honour watching Marc grow and mature and mold himself into a truly outstanding man.

Ethan was blessed to travel to Italy with my parents and meet the rest of his family. They all formed a bond stronger than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. Now we are getting ready to go back together as a family this summer and spend time in Italy and rekindle those bonds and form new ones as my daughter and my husband meet their family - many members for the first time ever. I can't wait!!

My mother had too many health challenges this past decade. Scared me - more than a few times. I am praying this next decade will see her in better health and see the medical system better able to care for her when she does have her challenges. We are on a good path now. She has been able to find a good therapist to help her muscles work for her and this has made a huge improvement on her overall ability to move relatively pain free. Miracle. We will keep working on that - all together.

I hope you are able to look back on the 2000's and see happy memories.

Ciao all.