My apartment is CLEAN!! I put off cleaning for weeks and on the day before my party I got it ALL done. It was a long day on Saturday but it was definitely worth it to get the place organized. It feels like such a relief!

While I was cleaning though I started wondering how other people clean. Corey tends to focus on one room and anything that belongs in let’s say, the kids’ room, gets thrown into the kids’ room. By the time the living room is done all the other rooms are 50 times messier than they were before we started. That drives me NUTS. I kicked him out of the living room and did it myself.

My method is to focus on a small area and do it all in one shot. I take the things that don’t belong and find a spot for them, tidy the area up, move furniture if I need to sweep or vacuum or wash the floor. I do this same thing all around each room working in a circle.

It works well I guess because my place was tip top for my party on Sunday. I had a nice bouquet of flowers set out, and my family photos arranged on the big window sill just so. I was pretty proud and made sure to point it out to all my guests…especially my Mom. She was even impressed…and when it comes to cleaning it’s hard to impress her.

The party went great! Everyone with the exception of one couple showed up, but that was because they do not drive and I was unable to pick them up. A few people were late, but not too late and they were still able to play the party game and learn about the great products Epicure has to offer. My wish list is so long; I wish I could try everything! My favourite treat was the Extaordinary Cheese Dip with mini pita for dipping. Delicious!

The party was pretty cheap to host. I provided a veggie tray, a bag of chip, a bag of popcorn, a package of mini pitas and a beverage and the consultant provided all the dips, chicken breasts with a yummy BBQ rub and a lemon chiffon loaf. The best part though was that I got to keep all the leftovers!

This was my first home party that I ever hosted and I have to say that I really like the product moreso than any other type of home party I have ever been to. Candle parties, tupperware parties, Fantasia parties…they can all be fun but I think the difference was that even if you don’t buy anything at an Epicure party you still get to try some great food and get some GREAT recipe ideas.

And last but surely not least, I am happy to annouce that Lily has FINALLY said “Mama”!!! She’s been saying “Hayden” for a couple of months now and started saying “Didi” (for Daddy) a few weeks ago…and then last night after I put her in bed she was calling for me. Usually this means she just yells and makes noises but last night she actually started calling out “Mama”. I was so proud mf my baby girl. I can’t believe how big she is. And Hayden too…my goodness next year at this time we will be getting him ready for school!!!

Maybe it’s time for another one. You think??

Today as I browsed the market I really began to wonder why more people don’t shop there. There were fresh fruits and vegetables that were not only cheaper than the grocery store but also better quality than what you get at the grocery store. The meat is all local from smaller farms–no factory farms and the price is unbeatable. I got 10 lbs of lean ground beef for $20 and at the supermarket that costs me about $3.99 per lb. There are cheeses, milk, butter, ice cream, breads, nuts, grains, baked goods, homemade jams, soaps…all for much cheaper than at any grocery store. I also bought a bunch of freash lavender for a buck. I absolutely love the market.

We also went out this morning searching for yard sales but did have much luck. I did end up finding a juice pitcher and a cookie jar for $2 and an Alladin VHS for $2. Hopefuly tomorrow I will make some more deals!

My sister is finally here visiting. I am so glas to see her. She is not staying for very long, but any visit is better than nothing. I am still secretly hoping her man and her decide to move this way before her baby is born. Oh well…I have a couple of weeks at least to convince her…LOL!

We are still looking at homes. The one we had been interested in has a conditional offer on it and another we looked at was a major fixer upper. We don’t mind doing some upgrading and whatnot, but we want to make sure whatever we buy is structurally sound and sturdy. There is not an awful lot in our price range and what does come up usually doesn’t last very long on the market so I am sure we aren’t going to find something too easily. Luckily for us, we are in no hurry to find something and can wait till the right house finds us.

My party is next weekend and my house still isn’t up to par…and with my sister visiting I am not sure if I am going to have the time to get it perfect. It’s looking pretty organised though and I am managing to keep the toys in the kids’ bedroom. We have decided we are going to clean Friday and then go camping so we cannot mess the house over the weekend and it will stay clean until Sunday.

Have a good weekend everyone!!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!

Another long weekend came and went and I feel like I need a whole regualr weekend just to recover! Long weekends always seem to do that…

Friday Corey was home but we watched our friend’s DD for the day. She’s a cutie and I love her but was it ever a busy day. By Friday night I was really glad that there were still 3 days left in the weekend.

Saturday we got up early and went to some yard sales. I was looking specifically for a smaller kitchen table and shelves to hang on the wall. I found neither, but DS got a skateboard and DD got a little kitchen playset.

Later that day we went to an open house. The house was in an area that wouldn’t be my first or second choice but it a pretty quiet neighbourhood. The house itself was small and not much bigger than my apartment now and only 2 bedrooms. It didn’t have a basement or laundry hook ups…but despite the negatives there was still something very charming about this little house. I loved the old claw bathtub and the kitchen was really outdated but quaint with butcher block counter tops. We talked about it and think it’s probably the best we are going to get in our price range…so after much consideration we have decided to put off the home buying until we have saved up a larger downpayment. It’s pretty obvious that there isn’t going to be much choice in our price range and we don’t want to have to settle for something just because it’s all we can afford.

On Sunday we went to our city’s Canada Day celebration. DS was miserable beause he hates crowds of people about as much as I do but once we sat down at the live performance of Big Comfy Couch he changed his mind! He kept scooting his way closer and closer to the stage and by the end he was standing right up front singing and dancing. It was a great show and even I enjoyed it. Later that night we took a walk down by the river to watch the fireworks show. Finally at 11:30 we made it home and put the kids to bed.

Yesterday (Monday) we went on a picnic/fishing afternoon with friends of ours. Hayden wasn’t feeling that good but he still had a fun time playing with his various beach toys in the rocks. We were there for a few hours but they guys didn’t even catch any fish. Well besides some minnows and a crayfish. It was a beautiful day though and it was a nice way to wrap up the holiday weekend.

Here’s DS, still having fun even though I am pretty sure you can see his nose running right in the picture

My quest to do a clean sweep on the apartment is kind of on a standstill. What I have done is staying organised but I haven’t felt motivated to do anything else yet. I think tomorrow I am going to work on the bedrooms. I will take all the laundry to get done and go through the kids’ toys to see if there is anything to give or throw away. I also want to clean out my front closet. That’s not too much so hopefully I will get it done.

I bought a new organiser from the dollar store for bills and receipts. Maybe that’ll help me keep the finances more organised…and make it all a little easier.

There is only 2 more days till my sister comes to visit from Thunder Bay!!!!! It’s been 2 years since I last saw her and I can’t even wait. Hopefully during her visit I can convince her to move back down this way…hehe. I don’t want to go another 2 years without seeing her…especially now since she’s going to be making me an Auntie!! Which reminds me…I need to get a gift for my sister who’s birthday was last week. Hmmm…

So my list for the next couple of days is…
-to do all laundry and wash the bedding/curtains etc in the bedrooms.
-to go through the kids’ toys and get rid of toys that aren’t age appropriate or are broken.
-to clean out the front closet
-to get my sister’s birthday present
-to take DD in for the blood tests I forgot to do last week

I think that’s all. Let’s see if I can manage to complete that short list!