URBAN FARMING!

Well, I really havent got enough hands for everything I want to do and lord knows, with two kids you need 4 hands and that's 2 less than I already have.


I want to blog, and work, and game, and farm, and garden, and go garage saling! Where do I fit it all in?


This spring I am going to go ape shit in my yard and do my best to grow us a nice little harvest of food. Last year I made an effort but it was a poorly thought out effort and I grew a copious amount of useless food that didnt even thrive. This year I have to make PLANS. I have to figure out WHAT i want to grow and have a better system for WHERE I want to grow it. I also plan on cutting out some more grass and putting in a few more beds. Prefereably along the deck.


In the mean time, I am furiously awaiting the spring. I'm getting itchy green thumbs, my hands have been DIRT and SOILLESS for MONTHS and I'm dying to see the colour green again!

So I will try to post more, and I will try try try to take more pics. I would really like that. If anyone can spare a few hands or arms this spring and summer, I sure could use the help in the yard, come on over, I've got a fridge full of beer!

MY BOY!!! HE WALKS!!!

This morning when I got up to head off to work, I went downstairs to find Bean and Daddy hanging out in the living room. They had been up since 5! UGH!

For the last few weeks we have been working on getting Hunty to take some independent steps, or to just stand on his own. He is doing FanFrigginTastic! Yesterday in the garden he was pushing HIMSELF to a full stand from a crouching position and then standing for a while all on his own. He is getting REALLY good at this.

WELL! This morning Daddy held out his fingers for the Beany to hold on to and turned him toward me so that he could go greet his Mommy! Dave let go with his fingers and HUNTY TOOK THREE STEPS TO HIS MOMMY ALL BY HIM SELF!!! I was so excited! I wanted to call Nana right away but I had to wait as it was only 6 am in Nanaworld. So I called her at 7 am Nanaworld time! LOL I just couldn't wait to tell her! This kid will be walking in a month!


I have 12 days off starting June 26 - July 7th. Daddy, Mr Sam, Hunty and my self, are going to Great G & G's for a few days next weekend. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and possibly Monday if D takes the day off. We will get to do some relaxing, possibly some horse back riding, definitely some pool swimming, possibly some wiener roasting! I'm excited! Mind you I'm easily excited. But to top off this fabulous time away from home, Nana will be arriving on Monday night and Nana, Beany and I will spend some time doing some touristy things in and around the Cranbrook area. Then she will come back here to Calgary with us for a few days. I intend to change as few diapers as possible that week! WOOT!

Even D is looking forward to seeing Nana. He is actually quite sad that Nana wont make it for the beginning of our Cranbrook stay. She has a quilting engagement that she has to attend on Saturday, therefore she wont be able to drive the 14 hours to Cranbrook till Monday. I don't blame her. But this seems to sadden David. I think he really likes having a Momma, even if she is my Momma. I think the most important think for him is that Hunty has a Nana, as Samuel didn't get to have his Nana around for as long. :( Plus,my mother isn't like your typical Mother-In- Law Monster like some. She's fairly chill. Her only down fall is she is always right, but being my mother, I find this hard to accept, AND, She is a Grandbaby Mollycoddler! Hunter goes into withdrawal for a week after she goes homes from a visit with him.


"What do you mean no one wants to hold me?! Why isn't anyone picking me up!? I Grunted!! Where's Nana!!?"

We will have to get some more pics of Beany with Nana. This is the best one I have and I have posted it before. I also don't really have any pics of ME with the Bean, so I should get some of those too. Yay!


I was thinking the other day how ironic this trip to Cranbrook is. I was born and raised in Cranbrook until I was 13. When we moved to Vancouver it was the happiest day EVER! Finally some culture! And then for all of my teen years and a good portion of my twenties, I pretty much abhorred Cranbrook. It was a stinky, small town that had no class, no culture, no colour and nothing of interest for a young woman who wanted to experience the world. The irony is, now that I am 31 and have Hunter and a new baby on the way, Cranbrook is like this Ideal Vacation Get Away Spot.

Great G & G will be there. I wont have to do a bunch of packing, cleaning, cooking, spending of money. There is a pool on the family property, a nice fire pit, lots and friends and family to visit with, and it will be really warm and quite. I can go for a walk with Hunter and not have to deal with traffic. We can hop on a bus and go for ice cream and it will only take 30 minutes. We can go up to the lake and have a wiener roast and do some swimming and it doesn't have to be an all day event. There are cousins and kids for Sam to hang out with, Great Gram makes the best meals I have ever eaten, they are always the same, and ALWAYS exactly what a person needs on vacation. Homemade potato salad! Buttery Pancakes swirling through the house, waking me up with the scent of Fresh Syrup! OI! Walking 1/2 a block to the family pool knowing that we wont be late for lunch! Knowing there is no one I don't know staring at my pregnant belly in the pool! Even D feels more comfortable going for a swim there.

As you can see I am very excited. I probably wont have time to upload any pictures when I'm there. Although I will take a bunch. Actually, if I find time I will upload a bunch of pics to Great G's computer so that she can have copies, so if I can squeeze in time for a blog post as well I will. We leave on Friday afternoon next week. I have my 18 week Ultra sound that morning as well. So there will be a lot of catching up to do when I get back!

YAY! Vacation FTW!

Mmm Dirt

I'm pretty sure Nana is gonna Love this post! And I'm pretty sure she will call me and tell me not to let her poor baby boy eat dirt, but if I recall correctly, ERIC was a big dirt eater as a kid.

So here is My perdy yard starting to look all colorful and bloomy!
Picture of Tweak in all her glory! Laxing (as SHE calls it) on the back deck, watching the goings on.

There's My boy, feet first in the muck!

And here I thought he was just innocently playing in the garden!

Obviously, I'm new to this motherhood thing!

^Best Picture Ever^



I gave him a bottle of water to wash down the dirt. He seemed to have a some in his mouth.

And what better way to clean a baby then a BABY POOL!

Working Weekends Makes Me Whiny

D told me yesterday "Don't tell yourself this, but I'm starting miss doing stuff with you on the weekends. I'm kinda looking forward to you being on Mat leave again so we can just pack up and go do stuff. But Don't TELL yourself that!"

I miss having Saturday's and Sundays off too. If we want to do anything like go to the Zoo or The Flee market, it's just not possible. Anything we do has to be on Friday night or Sat Sun Night. UGH! And The Calgary Zoo is only open till 6 pm. So I think that we are going to plan to go to the Zoo on May 18Th which is a Monday and Dave and I both appear to have the day off. Yes it's kinda sad that I have to plan a one day outing to the zoo a month in advance. :'( We no longer have the luxury of just picking up and going somewhere on the spur of the moment. I'm a spur of the moment kinda person. When I was still on mat leave I called Dave on a Friday and asked if we could go to my G & G's for the weekend. "This Weekend?" "Yes, like, as soon as you get home from work, we can just... go?" He He He. I had all day to pack our stuff up and off we went to Cranbrook to see the family for My Grams Big Birthday! That was a fabulous weekend and My Gramma didn't even know we were coming till we were 30 Min's from her house. It's about a 4 hour drive, with kids.

And !!! The All the good Frigging concerts and Festivals and events happen on Saturday and Sunday! I wont be able to go to Lilac Festival this year. And If I do get tickets to the Calgary Folk Music Festival I wont be able to go till 4pm. Which will probably be OK because then I still have 6 hours of Fest left to enjoy! But what a crappy shift! Granted it was my choice but my option was to work Mon - Friday 4 pm - midnight having Saturday and Sunday off with family but no week nights at all. Or Mon, Tues, Wed, 4 - 12, Thurs, Friday off, Sat Sun Day 8 am - 4 pm. This way I have two weeknights and the evenings on weekends off. I think I see the family more this way but I sure don't get to do a whole lot on the weekends.

One good thing is that I have had some of my requested Vacation days Approved. I have Wednesday July 1st off for Canada day and then the Thursday, Friday as usual. I put in for VA days on the Sat Sun so I have a 5 day weekend in July! WOOT! Now to figure out what to do for that 5 days.

I did request 2 Days off in August for the 8th and 9th so that the family and I can join Up's and Down's at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch (Previously Called the No Ka Oi Ranch). This is a special Equestrian Summer camp where we get to sleep in TEE-PEE's ! "The Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch is a recreational facility designed to provide a FREE outdoor experience for children with life challenges" That's gonna be super cool. So far, it's our one family vacation this summer that we are all looking forward to, and by We I mean ME! There is a lake, a swimming hole, a fishing hole, Hiking trails, Horses for the kids, Teepee's for sleeping in, Sport's field, wagon rides, playground. Man, I'm glad I have kids. I would never be able to go back and do all this cool stuff if I didn't. Can you imagine Dave and I going off to summer camp for the weekend and playing on the playground and riding horses by our selves! LOL


oooo! Folkfest will be fun.. I just finished talking to Dee and she wants to come with Bean and I. May 14th is when they announce the official line up and the early bird tickets go on sale. I will keep you posted about who the headliner is this year. If you are interested in joining The Bean, Dee and Myself at this years folkfest let me know! Can't sneak any Red Wine in this year though. Gawd I'm a lush. Constantly lamenting the fact that I can't drink! LOL

One cool thing is that Hunter will be big enough to enjoy the kiddie pool this year. Last year I took him to Riley park with Sam and Beany was just so tiny. He couldn't even sit up so I just floated him around in the shade on an air mattress and splashed him once in a while. This year he will have a blast at the kiddie pool so that's something I can look forward to doing on Thursday's and Friday's. Daddy bought Bean a little shaded kiddie pool for the backyard which will come in handy for those hot days when I'm feeling too fat and lazy to take 3 buses to the park! LOL I <3 Daddy! He's a smart man. And I bought Hunter Boy a fancy schmancy Lil Sunscreen swimming outfit to keep him from being sun burnted! So I think we are all set for Summer! If Only I had more time for Camping! /cry!

WANTS TO GO CAMPING PLEASE KTHXBAI! ! ! !


Kerry! Hi! Lets Plan a Camping Weekend for July 1 - 5 TH! Dave can't say no to his big sister! That's Sacrilage!

Sun, Surf , Sand and Salsa

I am pretty sure I have Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). I am a miserable cur most of the winter, I absolutely abhor the cold weather and refuse to go outside and I'm predominantly depressed most of the winter. I always have a deep longing for anywhere south, where the sun is always shining and it's never less than 20C.

So I want to move somewhere hot and sunny! It's something I have wanted for I can't even remember how long. I recall once when I was probably about 20 or so, my brother Eric and I wanted to take the Scubaroo (It was a Subaru with a Scooby Sticker in the window) and pack up and drive the Baja. We were just gonna leave. I don't know if we were even going to leave a note. In fact, I don't think we were because we wanted a head start and we didn't want to have the cops called before we hit the boarder. We figured that Mom or Jimmy would call the Scubaroo in as a stolen vehicle. We were totally willing to take our Lil Brother Andrew with us but he was crying and so we never did go. Even before this I have had dreams (read; Pipe dreams) of moving to Baja California. Owning a cute, quaint little clay house. Raising my children in the sun and teaching them Spanish. Sending them out to play in the mangroves or on the beach.

I want to live in Baja California, in the tiniest little town where a person has one choice or grocery store, beer store, pub, restaurant, or doctor. Where you have to drive for an hour to get to a city that has a grocery store big enough to carry radishes.

It is 26.11C in Todos Santos, Baja California right now.

This house is for Sale right now.

I have absolutely fallen in love ! ! !
BAJA COTTAGE

/Sigh At least that killed some time here at work. I think I like it the most because it looks the most like a real, comfortable, cozy family home. With the dog laying in the driveway out front.
Anyone care to join me in Todos Santos ?

Summer Time And The Living's Easy!

Quick Update!

I finally have the knitting thing figured out! At least I have the basic knitting down, not so much the purling or the increasing or decreasing or color changing. So! Essentially I can make a scarf, as long as it's one color, and doesn't have any fancy design in it, I'm good to go.

Who wants a scarf?!

:P

So I have been trying to do more extracurricular activities, such as knitting, reading, scrap booking, blogging, or making hemp necklaces. So far so good. I'm half way threw a book I started last Wednesday and I brought my hemp and beads to work so that I can have time to make Bean a new necklace. The shell fell off the last one and then it broke shortly after. He definitely needs a new Momma-Made hemp necklace.

I can't wait for the summer! I think I have been feeling crappy lately cause of the crappy snow and cold weather. Well, there are a lot of reasons why I have been feeling crappy lately but I know that summer always makes me feel better. If I can go outside, sit in my grass, crank the reggae and have a beer while my cats play on the fence, it would sure put a dent in the crappy funk I often get stuck in. Best part about this summer is I will get to sit in the grass and listen to Bob Marley with my Lil Bean this summer. :D :D :D I wont let him drink tho... That's just crazy! Waste my beer!

And summer always brings great festivals and concerts! Last summer Mr. Sam and I went to the Canada Day Festival in Prince's Island Park.





Then in July I took the Bean to the Calgary Folk Music Festival.

We got to see Ani Difranco in the pouring rain.

We had fair warning that the rain was coming!

Now, Bean was born April 2nd and Ani played on July 27th. That means that Beany saw his first concert at 3 months 25 days old. We had an absolutely fabulous time dancing in the rain.

The funny thing about Ani Difranco is that twice I have seen her here in Calgary both times it started to rain just as she was coming on stage. The day would be nice, just a little overcast and not too hot and Ani hits the stage and down comes the rain. Itsy Bitsy Spider! But we were ready for it. I brought a big picinic blanket and a couple of baby blankets and put Bean in a really warm fleecy PJ onesie. The I carried him in the Snuggly on my chest and wrapped him in baby blankets and draped the picnic blanket of my shoulder so that he could just look up at my face and get fresh air. It was a good thing I was prepared because it really poured. We tucked all our stuff into the stroller and covered it with the stroller slicker (plastic cover). Then we snuck off, all bundled up, and made our way to the very front right near the stage. I danced and Bean snoozed and people smiled and chuckled and pointed when they saw us loving the music in the rain.

One of the most ingenious ideas we saw that day were the folks in the beer garden drinking UNDER their tables, trying to stay dry. :D

Ani was the last main stage act of the entire 4 day festival and after her set it was very dark. There were paper lantern totems set up in the park and a paper lantern light parade came out and wandered around the people like a colorful snake. It was absolutely beautiful and such a nice way to end the evening. Fortunately by then it had pretty much stopped raining. D picked us up at around 11 and what a wonderful adventure for the Lil Bean!

So needless to say, I am very sick of the snow and looking forward to the summer again. Calgary has a host of great summer events every year. Jazz fest, Expo Latino, Carifest (Caribean Fest) (actual site is currently down), Reggae fest, Shakespear in the park, Lilac fest, Salsa fest!

In fact here is a really good link to Events and festivals in Calgary for any of you who might be interested! This site lists pretty much every upcoming event from this weekend till the end of the year. It's my guide to living in Calgary basically. Ohhh Calgary Beerfest is in May! And YAY for The 2009 Calgary International Children's Festival! That's a huge 5 day event that's hosted in a few different locations around Calgary.

ALAS!!! SUMMER!!! COME TO ME SOON! I NEED THE SUN AND SALSA! THE REGGAE AND RUCKUS! THE BEER AND THE BBQ'S! THE HAMBURGERS AND HOT DOGS! THE KIDDIE POOLS AND KAOS!!!

Summer Time And The Living's Easy

UHG! So my last post reminds me of the holiday trailer! What to do? What to do?

So this is our DUTCH SWINGER! And I don't know what to do with it. I absolutely love the swinger. It was purchased in 1973 by my grandparents for roughly 2000$ and has been handed down through the family and has wound up in our hands. It's never had bugs, mold, or rodents. It's in mint condition considering it's age. The stove, fridge, furnace, sink and electrical all still work perfectly. There are tons of little cupboards and closets and drawers for storing all our dishes, utensils, pots, pans, books, games, toys, linens, towels food, beer (can't forget beer) and any other useful or useless goods we decide to drag along with us on week long camping trips. It's Ugly! I'll give you that. And it weighs more than our truck (see diagram 2.0).

But I DON'T WANNA GET RID OF IT!!!!
(To be read in a really whiny temper tantrum-y sorta voice).

There is a nice lil bunk bed for Sam that he loves snuggling into, kind of like his own private penthouse. The lower double bed is uncomfortable compared to our queen at home but I would prefer that to sleeping on an air mattress on the ground ANY DAY! The kitchen table is great for cards or for entertaining. For crummy, rainy nights when eating at the picnic table just isn't pleasant. The storage alone keeps me sane the whole time we are camping. I hate storing things in Rubbermaid bins and duffel bags all weekend. Just knowing where everything is and having a proper place to put things make the whole domestic aspect that much easier. And to be able to boil a pot of water and wash dishes at a proper sink is really nice especially when you are cooking and cleaning for four people. The security is nice when you have a baby. I don't have to worry about "What will we do if it starts raining?".

Well! The issue here is that D would rather sell the Swinger and get a nice tent so that we can do some more off the beaten path camping. Every time we take the Swinger out it's an event! The cost of gas last summer was frigging ridiculous and it was costing us upwards of 500$ for gas, camping site and extras every time we took it out. If we don't use the Swinger we don't necessarily need to stay in Official camp sites and we wont need to pay the stupid gas prices to haul it. As I said it weighs more than the truck and it's not cheap to pull!

Diagram 2.0

My Boys Camp in Style Yo!
This is a pic of the Bean May long weekend 2008. This was the weekend we picked up the Swinger and used it for the first time at Wasa Lake in BC. Beany is lounged out in the shade. It was a very hot weekend. He was about 6 weeks old here.


Ha ha! Sam took this picture below of the Bean's Belly button. I should do a post of some of Sam's better pics. He takes some really good pictures. He has a totally different perspective on things. I think this is partially due to the fact that he is 11 and still has an imagination! He He He.

And this is one of my fave pics ever! Sam holding his lil baby brother. They both look so peaceful and happy to be in one anothers arms!! /cry



The Lil Bean slept in a laundry basket that weekend. He was still so tiny and it was pretty cold at night, but the laundry basket was a perfect lil bed for him. Nice and cuddly and warm for him. See his Sleep Sheep! :D It makes white noise like a Mothers heart beat, Whales, The Ocean or Rain. Nice night time sleep pal.

All Snuggled up!
Ha ha! Momma and her Sleepy Bean!
Another Great Pic of Sam and His Lil Brother Bean!
DADDY and The BEAN! Laxing!! Look how big D is compared to the Lil Baby Beany!




So I really don't know what to do! Financially, it makes sense to get rid of the Swinger. I see D's point completely. It's not the most convenient beast of a trailer to haul around but I don't know if i want to give up the convenience that it affords us when it comes to storage, security and sleeping arrangements. I suppose I will have to make a decision before too long. I want to get started camping this May again! If only we had a nice newer holiday trailer that wasn't so god damn heavy and old! Perhaps D would be more willing to haul it around. I'll keep you posted.