Scrapbooking my life...one page at a time

A Canadian Visit, B-Days, Sleepovers, Golfing & Sunrooms ...

Bloggity Blog Blog ...

I am so far behind in my blogging ... better grab a cuppa tea & a snack or fast forward because this is going to be a long one ...
 
The 'Another Day Older' Gang!
Mike & Sandra

Mike & I drove up to Canada on Saturday morning to visit everyone and I am planning on staying until next weekend.  We had a B-Day party for Mike & Sandra on Saturday at Mom & Dad's house & I am staying to visit everyone until Thursday.  I was going to stay until Saturday when Mike was going to come back up and get me but Katy has decided to drive up Wednesday and visit.  We drove home together on Thursday afternoon.

Look who came for a piece of cake & some  party fun on Saturday...

Ice-cream cake with an attitude!

Wayne came over for some ice-cream cake!

Cathy came too!

Jen & Livy came.

And Bella too!

Oh, look here's Max & his Daddy

Aidan & his new Webkinz 'Lovey'

Jessica

Brent

Claire

Gavin

And our Wonderful Hosts

Mom

Dad

On Sunday afternoon Sarah came by with the kids for a visit and to drop Hannah & John off for a sleepover at Granny's.  We ended up with Aidan, Jessica, Hannah, John & me all sleeping over at Granny's and we had LOTS OF FUN!!! 

The original plan was for Hannah to sleep over at Granny's with me and for Jessica, Aidan & John to sleepover at J's house but it was so hot out that day that Jessica decided to have herself and the boys sleep over at Granny's because her basement stays so nice & cool.  

Before Mike went home he joined us all at 'Going Banana's' so the kids could play for a while (AKA: tire themselves out).  They had a great time - they played for about 3 hours! 

They had a so much fun pelting Mike with balls - didn't seem to matter that they were the ones inside the cage!

 

Hannah was THRILLED when she won her fish in the 'Claw' game.

 

The Supervisors

After playing we decided that took them to Dairy Queen for some dinner and an ice-cream treat and then headed back home to Granny's & Grandpa's.

 

 

Hannah & John having some 'Lip Smacking- Chocolaty Good - 'Dairy Queen' Fun!

Earlier in the day, Jessica & I had gone over to Walmart and bought a tent for the boys to set up in the basement so they could Camp Out .  Brilliant Idea!  They had such a good time 'camping' out!   We bought them each a flashlight and they were in heaven.  They dragged their little plastic chairs down from upstairs to have some 'outdoor' seating around the tent.  Too Funny!  They played in that little tent squashed into the hallway all afternoon, night & next morning too!.  

After the boys had gone to sleep Grandpa needed to go into his shop which is behind the tent and so he squished past the 'campers' and when he finished in the shop he left the door to his shop open - well, the next morning Aidan & John were convinced that a ghost had dropped by for a visit sometime during the night.  
What could be more fun than a 'Camp-Out' complete with flashlights & ghosts!!

Hannah's dance along with the 'So You Think You Can Dance' performers
Hey Hannah - "What's that on your head?"

Hannah stayed up until 11pm  watching 'So You Think You Can Dance' with us.  Check out her performance - she can dance & scrapbook!  She made 2 really, REALLY BEAUTIFUL pages at Granny's.  She is very creative & so patient ... she did an excellent job.  And what a BEAUTIFUL smile!

We got up the next morning and Granny treated us all to breakfast at Ricky's and then we headed out to Cultus Lake for a round of MINI-GOLF at 'Giggles Ridge' Golf course.   It was hot out but the kids all had a blast!

 

Tiger Boulanger - missing a 'hole-in-one'  ... Grrrr.

Aidan 'Fishing' his ball out of the creek! 

Oops ... looks like one went over the waterfall!

John enjoying the shade!

Giggle Ridge Mini-Golf is much like the RipTide Lagoon Mini Golf in Parksville.  Super Cute!
Look at the Old Man Tree - the kids thought he was very cool.

And Look!  3 Gnomes came out of their little Hobbit House to say, "HI"

After our round of golf Granny treated everyone to an ice-cream treat.  Yum!

And that concluded the Sleepover.  I hope a good time was had by all - I know I had a great time!!!

I am so excited because they have begun installing my sunroom / scrapbook room.  Yeah!

They should be finished on Tuesday & then I need to hire flooring & electrical contractors to finish it up.  And maybe a painter too!

Whew ....  finally caught up.

Have a great day

 -N -

This is me ... 'Wondering ... What do You Think?'

The Tale of Two Dirty Little Bunnies

Yuck!  These are Katy's beloved Bunny Slippers.  They are so lonely & sad looking  ~ won't you agree. 

They are a token of love & devotion from her boyfriend, Cory & Kate won't let me wash them - even by hand - in case they fall apart. 

So, everyday these two little bunnies wait by the front door for her to return from work and she will put them on and they will once again travel the world with her. 

Yep - all the day long ~ they just sit there and stare at me with those sad dirty little faces! 

Sometimes I swear I can hear them asking me to wash their furry little cheeks but .... do I dare? 

What do you think ~ should I wash their dirty little faces?

The Tale of A Wayward Gnome!

OMG - Look what I found hiding my garden this morning.  Okay, call me a sap but it's he the cutest little
 'baseball playing gnome' you've ever seen!  I didn't want to scare him so I just took a quick picture & left him alone - maybe tomorrow I will ask him why he's hiding in my garden. 

It can't be because the M's are the losingest team in the league - because they aren't anymore!! Yeah!  We were for a while & we are still just about in last place but San Diego has taken that honor from us - humm...

What  do you think - should I let the 'baseball playing gnome' hide in my garden?

The Tale of 'The Never-ending Backyard Remodel'

Contractors - Yuck!  Nathan came last night at 7:45pm and finished up the post in the middle of the deck and started cutting the capstone for the side planter. 

I hid in my bedroom & didn't go downstairs because I didn't want him to see me ~ every time I see him lately we end up sparring over his final payment which I have told him he won't get until he's finished.... EVERYTHING!  He always smiles & says, Nancy - you have any money for me... and then the money dance begins.  I did not feel like getting into it with him last night.

If he was doing a bad job, or just didn't ever show up at all I would fire him but when he comes he does a good job & I like him ~ he's a nice guy! 

But ~ I want the yard finished, done, completed, over, old news and I am starting to feel like I will need to threaten to fire him, not pay him his last payment & hire someone else to finish the work to get him to finish this week!

What do you think I should threaten to fire him?

The Tale of Things I'm Loving This Week

I'm loving the beautiful 'Black & White' quilt Mom made me!  I love it and think it looks so nice with my green bedspread!  Thanks Mom ~ I love it!

 

I'm loving cute little 'Welcome to my Garden' pillow Mom bought me for my new backyard.  It looks perfect sitting on the twig chair that Sandra bought me for my birthday - I think it was for my 4somethingawhileago birthday!  I love them both - thanks Mom, thanks Sand!  ~ I love them!

I'm loving these post-it-note that Therese gave me on Monday.  She bought them for me because we often sit & talk about how much we 'don't want to ever be part of the 'Work a Day' world again.  Thanks Therese - I love it!

I'm loving this recipe box that Jessica made ~ the paper is gorgeous, very retro.  I can't wait to see it in person.  Beautiful Jess ~ I love it.

I'm loving this Birdie mini-album that Jessica made for me!  How cute is it - Jessica is so talented & creative.  It is full of pictures of birds & babes (as in Aidan).  It sooo cute ~I Love it Jess

I am loving that Mike will finally be able to hang his Dart Board that I bought him for Christmas up!  We are excited to be able to start playing darts & drinking some ale out on our deck in our new backyard ... soon.  I love it!

I am loving the Magnet Note boards that I made for Dana & I.  I started them when we went to Parksville and I have been poking along with them but they are finally finished.  Yeah!  The black one is mine and I am going to give the pink one to Dana. 

The only problem with them is that the metal edges are sharp - I sliced myself on one this morning.  I will try to sand them down to make them less deadly ... but I love them!

On this Day in History ... in 1927
Charles A. Lindbergh landed his Spirit of St. Louis near Paris, completing the first solo airplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean

Have a Great Day
- N -

OMG - I hear movement outside - I think Nathan is here ... 

This is me ..."Backyard Blues"

I can't believe how long it is taking for them to finish up my backyard - well, actually yes I can since they show up about once a week for a total of 10 - 15 minutes.  Just enough to keep me from firing them.

Nathan, Nathan - (that's the landscaper I hired) ... we are having such a love/hate relationship!   I hired he back in the beginning of April [or was it the end of March] to do some work in my backyard. 

Do you remember ... I used to post pictures of the progress as it happened.  Why did I stop?  Why no new pictures - you ask?  Well - because nothing has been happening ....

I swear - I am starting to think that it will be sometime next summer before we can use the deck or yard!  I am getting so frustrated! Arrrggg......

Before I left for Parksville he told me he had ordered the wrought iron fencing and it was being made as we speak - Hah!  I' thinks that's contractor speak for "I'll put the order in when I have time"

I come home from Parksville - phone him on the Monday

Monday
Me: Nathan - is the fence ready?
Nathan: it will be ready Tuesday & I will be there to put it up.  It will be great - trust me Nancy (he always says that).

Tuesday - no Nathan, no fence
Wednesday
Me : Nathan, I thought you were coming yesterday? 
Nathan: Nancy - you know that fence isn't ready.  You know the contractors - they never have stuff done when promised.  I been to see him 3x already - I yell at him.
Me: [thinking - Oh Really - it's like that is it?]
Nathan, when will the fence be ready?
Nathan: Nancy, I will pick it up tomorrow - you see - it will be beautiful - trust me Nancy (he always says that)
Me: So you'll be here tomorrow?
Nathan: yes, yes.

Thursday - nada

Friday - Morning-zippo, afternoon - nothing
4:30pm Nathan shows up with the fence.  It looks great - it's perfect -  I love it. I forgive him instantly!
Nathan: I told you it will look beautiful - I told you I will make it good for you.  [he's all smiles - I'm all smiles - everyone's in love again] I will put the fence up for you today Nancy & come back tomorrow morning to finish the deck.
Me: That's great! I love it - I've gotta go right now but I will see it finished when I get home - right.
Nathan: Yes - I will put up the fence today & be back tomorrow morning to finish everything.
Me: You'll be here tomorrow on Saturday?
Nathan: Yes - I will finish everything for you.
Me: Promise - cause you know I'm starting to think this yard will never be done Nathan.
Nathan: Yes, Yes, I come back - I always come back... Look I leave all my expensive equipment here all the time - I be back.
Me: (thinking  - yes you certainly do leave your equipment all over my deck- we can hardly walk across the deck because of it) Great - see you tomorrow Nathan.

Okay, seriously - I went back into the house, grabbed my purse & coat and went into the garage, got in the car and back out of the garage .... His truck was already gone.  He had just sneaked around the side of house (he must have been running to beat me) and left.

Fast forward one week later I still haven't seen him!!! He's turned into a freakin' ghost ... I never see him - I only see things appear or moved around  ...

• part of the fence has been put up but not all of it (don't know when that happened...
• next a box of screw and a screwdriver were left sitting on the deck by the gate ...
• another day I noticed a pile of bark mulch has been left outside my yard ...

Also - I am starting to think that not only do contractors rule the world - they can control time!

I now realize that part of the problem is they have their own time zone.  There's EST, PST & Contractor Nonstandard Time - they come when they want, stay only as long as they want & leave when they want.  We are at their mercy -

Two days ago I made Mike call Nathan.  I told him to get very mad & bulldogish with him and insist he come and finish the backyard up NOW!   Well, Mike calls him - chats with him and reports back to me that Nathan was on his way over to our house as they spoke (Yea, right) and he would finish up today everything but capstone on the planter that he is still waiting for.

I tell Mike, 'you didn't yell at him'.  Mike, 'I didn't need to he is on his way'.  Me - ha!

Monday - no show
Tuesday - no show
Wednesday (today) two guys show up - spread a few feet of mulch, take all his expensive equipment (which is supposed to be guaranteeing me his safe return) and leave.

Well, Anyhoo - the dogs are happy - they are loving the fact that the fence is propped up and they are now 'free-range' dogs.  Buster really thinks he's in the big leagues now!  Too funny - I watch him trot in & out all day long (I leave the slider open just enough so they can go in & out).  There's a big stick in it to keep the big dogs out!

I am loving everything he's done so ... I guess I'll just have to wait for him to return ...

Have a great day
- N -

This is me ... "Watching the Sunrise & My Backyard Grow"

I woke up at 6am this morning to catch the sunrise. and as I stood on the deck (shivering) a little bird landed in the tree beside the deck & began to serenade me - it was so beautiful & cheerful.  We watched the sun come up and then he flew away - to begin his busy day no doubt.  A perfect start to the day!  I am going to actually going to put on some shoes & socks today and go for a nice long walk around the beach - just me & my camera (after I finish posting this entry - which could be around 3 or 4 this afternoon because the internet connection is so slow & iffy.  We borrow the wireless connection from a Winery down the road & it is often not working probably because all the 'hitchhikers' here on vacation are jamming it up.)

Dana & I are enjoying our vacation - yesterday we stayed in all day - we are just relaxed, chatted & I did a bit of scrapbooking.  We both slept in & then had a nap in the afternoon (isn't that what vacations are for).  I never slept in the afternoon but laid down and read - I have just started reading, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852.

It was a bit of tough go at the beginning because of the language & style of writing - but, actually - I think it is going to be a hard read throughout because of the subject matter.   

Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best selling book of it's century surpassed only by the bible & it is said that when Abraham Lincoln meet Harriet Beecher Stowe - he shock her hand and said, "so this is the little lady who started such a big war" I don't know if that is true or not but it was definitely a book that provided fuel for the growing abolition movement in the United States.   

This is a book I have always known of but never read!

On Sunday - Dana & I wandered over to the Mill Bay Casino and she won $20 on the penny slots.  We were so excited! 

When we got home from the casino we saw some California Quail out roaming around the front grass - they are so stinkin adorable.  It was too dark out by then to get any good pictures but hopefully they will be back.  I have seen them around here before - they are always walking around with that little thingamajig on the top of their heads bobbin up & down.  I have only ever seen them walking about but I read online that they can actually fly at speeds exceeding 58 mph.

I wonder if you can buy them - I would love to have some wander around our greenbelt out back?

I am so excited & happy with the work that Nathan (the landscaper) is doing back at my house.  Mike is taking pictures every night and sending them to me so I can see what happening - here are some pictures of the transformation of my itty-bitty backyard.  Remember - if you click on the pictures you can enlarge them:)

We removed all the shrubs & the tree from under the family room window & put in a slate patio.  I love it!  Nathan also removed the small bench that was along the edge of the deck to open it up and is building a set of 3' wide slate stairs down onto the patio.  It's small but beautiful - under the window is the only area of the yard that gets the morning sun. & I want to be able to sit out there with the dogs & have my morning coffee.  Hence - the small patio!

Here Nathan is starting work on the fence & trellis.  The bottom of the fence is just cinder blocks right now but they will be faced with a stacked stone veneer eventually.  The trellis along the deck is going to continue along the new fence and I am going to grow some Clematis along it (to help block out the house behind me)

Here you can see the patio & fence.  Mike says the doggies are getting awfully excited watching Nathan & his crew work on the fence every day.  They are so looking forward to be able to go out on the back deck - catch some rays - and just chill with Mike & I.  (Truth be told - I'm getting more excited than the dogs about being able to just open the door and let them go without having to gather shoes, coats, leashes - poop bags and wander outside early Saturday morning in my jammies!)

I have always hated the skinny little post in the middle of the deck and so Nathan widened it at the bottom and with add the same stacked rock veneer to it as will be put on the fence.  At the top he is going to put ceder to add width and texture. 

Have a great day - whether the sun finds you today or not!

-N-