A Spot of T

I’m writing this blog tonight as I watch the US democratic convention. For some reason, I have this secret (but not so secret now) addiction to the coming election, and to be more specific, my pal Barack.

However, as most of you know, we take every opportunity we can to spend time with our teenage kids having fun. It’s getting tougher all the time as they’re each so involved in their own lives. Summer jobs, concerts, sleeping in, and hangin out friends often take understandable priority at this stage in their lives.

This past weekend we had some of the best weather of the summer and took advantage of getting out on the boat to explore more of our river system. We also took our dog Molly with us… she seemed to enjoy herself too!

This is our first summer on the water with a boat. We named the boat after the movie, Life Aquatic. We wonder whatever took us so long to realize just how much we enjoy being on the river. It’s makes for great family times when you have teenagers.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I have a tremendous need to complain about the weather. The last post in this blog was the last time we saw sunshine, and it was probably even a week before that that we had a decent day. This weather is really getting me down. It’s been cloudy and gloomy with rain off and on for days now.
And then there’s the fog. On a nice day it may burn off by noon, only to return long before dusk. You can actually *see* the fog rolling in most days by late afternoon.
We moved back east from southern ontario about 4 years ago. During our time there, I LOVED the weather. OK -the heat was pretty intense, but being from the east coast it was a real treat for us. Especially the evenings. We adored being able to sit outside (by the pool) at midnight. Sometimes, the kids even swam at that time of night. Gosh, it was fun. Only a memory now. People just don’t do that here. Evenings are for wearing jackets. Warm ones.
Tonight, it’s windy and cold. There’s so much fog, no planes are landing at our local airport - a common occurance.
I hope and pray that I’ll be eating these words this time next month… but somehow, I doubt it.
These are common symbols on our weather guide:

cloudy with showers and

FOG!!

Right after work tonight we went out on the water. The weather has been horrible so when the sun shines, you have to take advantage of it. It was a gorgeous evening and we all had a great time, but now I’m in excruciating pain. My back is killing me - must be from the weird position I was sitting in right at bow of our boat when we were going fast. I was sort of holding on for dear life, yet it wasn’t uncomfortable at the time.  How will I ever sleep tonight? What’s it going to feel like in the morning? Will I even be able to get out of this chair? It’s getting worse by the minute!! Ouch!!

Here’s a picture of Jeff enjoying himself just a little over an hour ago:

It’s late but if I don’t record this day now, I never will. I think Rick had one of the best Father’s Days he’s ever had. And he worked almost all day!

Actually we went to church this morning first and really enjoyed the service so that started the day off on the right foot. Now, I joke about the fact that if I want to make Rick happy, all I have to do is put on my apron. Its so true!! Then, he knows I’m cooking (or have been cooking) and such a simple thing, even in this day and age, really DOES make my man happy. So, when we got home, I said “would you like this to be an apron day?”. He just laughed… knowing darn well that I knew he did.

Anyway, I made him a delicious lunch served to him on a tray while he sat in front of the TV watching a fishing show. The weather was terrible, cold and cloudy - so our boat plans were out.

For Father’s Day I bought him two trees to replace two other tress that he hates. For years he has been complaining about two huge shrubs that we have on either side of the front deck walkway. They are impossible to shape and in his view ugly - I don’t mind them. But I thought, what the heck, if it makes him happy - so be it.

To make a long story short, he spent the whole day outside puttering around in the yard getting a lot done, including digging up the old trees, replanting them, and planting the new ones. Our sons, Jeff and Bobby, were with him every step of the way, and Rick’s comment at dinner was music to my ears: “What more could I ask for for Father’s Day than having my two sons helping me all day”.

Of course, I was on hand with the camera:

Here they are digging out one of the shrubs with Rick wearing his *Old Guys Rule* 50th Birthday T-Shirt:

and here are the boys carrying it to the back yard to be replanted:

I should have taken a picture of the news tress planted for a true Before & After. Next time.

If you’re still looking for an update on the adorondak chairs, please don’t ask. But I’m not complaining and definatly NOT nagging.

Last night we had our first Lobster feed of the summer. Our friend, who is a captain on a large ferry that operates between NB and NS had them delivered to us live, caught just that morning. They were crawling around on the deck, much to our dog (Molly’s) horror. We cooked them in a big pot outside. Correction: The men cooked them, we stayed inside and prepared everything else… it was freezing out there!

What did we have to go with it? Melted butter (of course), crusty bread, and a huge ceasar salad. Yummy, yum, yum! Finger lickin’ goood! Here’s a pic of hubby (Rick) with the cooked lobsters right before we chowed down:

Update on Adorondak chairs: Ha - not much. We bought the paint. Rick pressure washed them to remove old paint, they sat on the driveway to bake in the sun and dry. Then it rained. Sunday - well, we got sidetracked… what can I say?

So, it’s Friday night and what’s going on in my life? This week we all suffered from a bug that lasted 2 or 3 days. It slowly made it’s way from person to person in this family… some sort of flu… sore all over, chills, total exaustion, stomach cramps, and a constant feeling of nausea without going over the edge (of the toilet). My stomach noises were LOUD! Anyway, glad it’s over and everyone is now on the mend.

As I write this, by husband Rick, and our son Bobby are downstairs watching the Blueman Group DVD. It’s so loud I can hear it all up here at my desk. I’m not complaining, I love their music. Here’s a picture from the fall of 2006 when I took Jen (pictured on the right), with Sydney (on the left) and her mom to NYC and we saw them live in concert.

Well, wouldn’t you know that the big Blueman group show is coming here to our fair city this summer… and of course we have tickets to see them! This concert will be a lot different than the one we saw in NYC - I hear it’s the whole orchestra. Should be interesting.

The weather is suppose to be sunny and warm this weekend for a change. Among other things, we’re planning on painting our 4 adorondak chairs. I’m thinking of some bright colours… like yellow and orange?? Right now they are lavender and green… we shall see. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product

This is cool and shareworthy. Plus, it’s tres simple for both windows and mac users. I have so many digital pics hiding away in files. Now they can be seen!

How to do it:

In Windows, click the Start button, and then choose Control Panel/Display. In the Screensaver tab, choose “My Picture Slideshow.” You can then choose the folder you wish to feature. Took me 5 seconds to set up.

If you use a mac; in System Preferences, click Desktop & Screen Saver, and then choose the “Pictures Folder” screen saver.

To all mother’s and mothers-to-be reading this - Happy Mother’s day today and all days. As we know, motherhood is a 24/7 vocation and we need all the help and encouragement we can get!

For me, today is turning into a day that is about being a daughter just as much as it is about being a mom. First, we went to church and now we’re just leaving to go and visit my mother-in-law who just got out of the hospital. My hubby and kids just made a huge pot of seafood chowder - We’re taking some to his mom - and then having my mother and father over for dinner and a celebration with my kids.

Just wanted to share this image. These are the words my daughter wrote inside her card to me last mother’s day. They really mean a lot to me. I am certainly a very lucky mother - in many ways.

Yippers. My middle child Bobby has arrived home from university for the summer. If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes and given him big hugs, I would know anyway. Why - you ask? Because he has dumped all his belongings everywhere in this house. And I mean everywhere. The laundry room is piled high with I swear a whole year of dirty clothes (my dryer just got repaired thank goodness). The kitchen and mudroom are full of Bobby stuff too… Jackets, papers, luggage, etc. For years he’s tried to get away with using our kitchen island as his dresser, and the laundry room as his walk-in closet…. You’d never know he has his own big bedroom with all the trimmings… He’s up to his old tricks again! I’ve got his number and I’m not letting him get away with it this time. No way!

Oh - did I mention how much I love him and how glad I am that he’s home with us?

Not to change the subject but the Idol results were on tonight. I was sorry to see Brook leave but I guess her time has come. I was hoping Syesha would get the boot tonight instead. Everyone says that Bobby looks just like Jason Castro, the guy with the dreadlocks. I’ve posted two pictures of Bobby here. Let me know if you agree.