Swan Creek = Sweet Goodness.

If you all have never ever smelled the scents provided by Swan Creek Candles, you are missing out. They are made out of soy, and so last longer and burn cleaner than wax.
I bought some when we were in Calgary at Bass Pro Shop, and they are my new favorite candles. Anyone who knows me knows about my love for candles, and in fact I sold Partylite while living in Moose Jaw.
The candles I got came in a reusable enamelware jar with a lid, like above, in a Gingerbread scent.
I'm telling you, I never even had to light it for the first two weeks. It smelled that good in my house...not overpowering, but enough that the kids always wanted to know what I was baking.
Now that I've burned out the one on my window ledge, I have one more in Cinnamon Bowl in my bathroom. I can order more from the Calgary Bass Shop, but the experience of shopping for yummy scents like Lemon Meringue or Cinnamon Buns will be sorely missed.
Check them out at http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?hvarSearchString=swan+creek+candles&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&CMID=TOP_SEARCH_GO

P-A-R-T-Why...Because I've Got To, Mister!

The kids are gone.
Wait...what was that?

Yes, The Kids Are Gone.
To school.

Mike: Did you know the kids are gone to school? All day? And Jacey goes everyday this year? All Day?
Me: HELL YA!

We have been (quietly as Charlie is still sleeping) partying ever since 8:30 am. Drinking coffee, reading the paper, blogging...yes blogging at 9:00 am; never been able to say that before. Eating a bowl of fruit and just staring at each other across the table.

Me: Can you believe this?
Mike: Oh, ya baby, I can!
Me: It's so quiet!!!!!!

We love our kids but we love them more when they are at school.



Even tho Mike looks all nonchalant in his walk home from the school this morning, I missed his happy dance he was doing as he came down the road.



Dusting Day...NOT an audition for Canada's Got (No)Talent

I'm not too sure why there are way too many theatrics involved in this video, other than the excuse that I just really, really love this song.
This is a typical Saturday housecleaning here at home...loud music, lots of singing, and the kids dancing around. You know what they say: sing and dance like no one is watching!

Here comes the Bride

This past weekend we went to my cousin Sheena and Dan's wedding in Biggar. It was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, and she was beautiful too. We stopped in the next morning to watch them open their gifts before they went on their honeymoon in B.C.

The ceremony was nice and short, and could have also ended up on America's Funniest Home Videos if my aunt hadn't seen that the junior groomsman, my cousin's son and her grandson, was puffing his cheeks out like he was going to hurl. Leslie, his mom, rushed to the front to quickly lead him down the aisle to the bathroom, and he did indeed faint while in there. Poor guy..he wasn't well the night before and was pooped out to boot. And then there was my daughter, miserable with a throat infection, yelling, "my eye, my EYE" after she poked herself in the eye. I was so embarrassed. I hope it was still perfect for her anyways.

And the hall was so simple and elegant...exactly what Sheena was going for I imagine. She and her mom made all the decorations, and the feather bouquets, and the centerpieces. It was all just so dreamy.



the cake and toss bouquet. loved the grey/purple theme and feathers.



They danced the night away and when it came time to toss the garter, Dan, blindfolded of course, had his head under Sheena's dress...only to find out the garter was missing! Everyone laughed but Sheena was left wondering where the hell the garter had gone to, or fallen off at. Later that night, an hour or so later, it was found and the toss was repeated. It was a great time with lots of laughs.

We wish them all the best as husband and wife.



here comes the bride...



rose balls and crystal chandeliers



the head table




one of the centerpieces, which was what the tossed bouquet looked like




Sheena's feather bouquet...so unique I've never seen one before.




the cards box my aunt made...so quaint and cute





the happy couple



the bridesmaid's bouquet

Calaway or Bust...Part Troix

We are all back home now, safe and sound, and getting back on track after all the unpacking and laundry. Trying to eat healthy while on the road was a bit challenging, and we packed the electric cooler full of things like fruit, yogurt, and Mike's beef jerky he made before we left. We always take those little boxes of cereal and paper bowls on trips like these so the kids can have cereal or a muffin for breakfast in our hotel room, saving money for us on one meal for the day. Needless to say the van was packed full of our back to school supplies and clothes (oh, lord, the clothes! new wardrobes all around!), the electric cooler and the dry goods cooler, the stroller, luggage, and extra paraphernalia that a family of 5 needs to have to survive a week together.

The trip rounded out with a visit to Calaway Park, and it was a beautiful day for riding the rides. Charlie had been quite miserable the entire trip, with sleeping in the hotels being a bust for her and a weird, unexplainable rash she picked up the day we left home. So I was at my wit's end with her since she wanted up the entire time and wouldn't leave my side. She could only ride on about 4 rides, so if we ever go back it will be when she's old enough to really enjoy it all...and so will Mike and I when we can watch the kids have fun rather than have to join in ourselves!
Of course my camera battery crapped out at the beginning of Calaway, so we had to rely on Mike's, Brad's, and my Blackberry's for the pics...not so good but oh well!
The kids rode all day, finally tiring out after Mike and Brad took Brandon on the roller coaster...dragged him to the roller coaster I should say. He was freaked out, but glad at the end of the day that he went on it. It was all he could talk about.
One thing mentionable about Calaway was the absolute absence of adult managerial supervision. Not once did we see anyone over the age of 20 operating any kind of ride, game, or just walking around supervising the park. So odd, but we felt like the place ran very smoothly regardless of the presence of adults. The nice thing I liked was the lack of  "carnies" around to operate the rides; you know, the ones that leer at the teenaged girls in their tank tops and short shorts.
We went back to our hotel in Airdrie that night, and the kids swam with Mike in the pool before bed. We packed up so we were ready to go the next morning, and after breakfast headed to Edmonton for a few more stops before going home.

One of the stops we made was to Chuck E. Cheese's for the kids to have one last hurrah. They had alot of fun playing around, and Charlie liked it more than anything the whole weekend. Even though it was noisy there, I'd definitely go again. They had a neat system at the door where you got stamped with a number assigned to your family that could only be read under ultraviolet light, making kidnapping almost impossible as no one could leave without being "scanned" first. A good thing to have with 'x' number of kids running around and I didn't worry as much about Charlie wandering away from my side. It was the most relaxed I had been after being in huge crowds all weekend long.

Now that that's all over we have a wedding next weekend to go to in Biggar, and some visiting to do at the lake before summer is over. Some of the flowers in the yard have had it so I'll get rid of them as well, and clean up the front a bit, when it's not so hot that is!

Calaway or Bust...Part Deux

On Saturday morning we decided to head over to the mountains, an hour's drive from Rocky Mountain House. Brad took us to Crescent Falls, located off the highway and on a grid road up the foothills of the Rockies. I found it odd/neat that we drove for so long, and on a seemingly deserted grid and then all of a sudden there were campgrounds, hiking trails, and picnic areas hidden in all this dense forest of evergreens. As soon as we stepped out of the van we could hear the water; it made quite a loud noise for such a small waterfall that it must have been rushing very quick.

We got some good pics, had lunch at a picnic site, and made our way back to Rocky. Mike and I bought the kids' school supplies in the afternoon and then relaxed the rest of the evening.

We got up bright and early this morning so that we were able to be ready, packed, and all set to leave by 9:00 am...the mall at Balzac outside of Airdrie opens at 11 on Sundays and we needed the entire day to shop.

And shop we did! For 7 hours straight, with a bit of time at 1:00 for some lunch. I didn't think I would like the mall as much as my beloved West Ed, but I gotta say it was pretty frigging amazing. So well planned out, all on one level, and the shops were nestled in different themed hallways that were so quaint and picturesque. I had to snap some pics for you all who haven't been there so you can see what I mean...it meant announcing to everyone there that we were tourists, but what the hey...I was!!

After dropping serious dough, and me finding my little black dress for my cousin's wedding, we called it quits at 6:00pm (the mall closed anyways), and we headed back to the hotel to unload before supper.



I loved this huge 'campfire' in the middle of the western area...the huge over sized chairs were situated all around it, and every one was occupied by people taking a break and taking in the view. It was like being in Paul Bunyan's campsite. Lol!



We swam with the kids for a bit in the hotel pool, and now, as I'm typing, everyone is sleeping like little babies. I'm tired, but I'm enjoying my alone, quiet time much much more.

Tomorrow is D-Day, Calaway day, or Puke day for me as I like to think of it, and the kids are burning with excitement. Me, I'm longing for my own bed and slippers, and I miss my kitties too.



A still life in the Bass Shop




Bass Shop 2...there were huge fish swimming in the pond




Huge fresh water tank with different species of fish native to North America



Charlie couldn't resist touching this deer...Bambi, she called it.



Yep, still in the Bass Shop. This shop was seriously humongous.




The general store had ice cream in waffle cones, and everything inside it was antique from the early 1900's.





These statues were everywhere in the mall...pretty amazing, and I wish the mall wasn't so far away from home.




Every "neighborhood" in the mall had a theme, and I can't remember all of them but there was a Hollywood theme, a western, pictured above, dinosaurs, and agriculture, to name a few. The mall was so easy to get around that shopping was actually a pleasant experience. I can't wait to go there again.



Calaway or Bust 2011 Part Une

I am officially on holidays, and so is Mike...and his phone has only rang 2 times!!! I was so proud of him for forwarding it to his partner, which, in 6 years, he has never ever done. Even at Christmas time. That showed me that he really needed this holiday.

Yesterday we left bright and early for Edmonton, and we used a gift certificate for Fantasyland Hotel to stay in the Polynesian Room... and did things we normally don't do at West Ed because normally we spend our time shopping there. We mini golfed, played games in the huge arcade, and wanted to go in the submarines but they were shut down for the night, as were the bumper boats. Of course we shopped a bit, because, hey, it's West Ed, how could I not (I am a self-professed closet shopaholic). But we are headed to the new huge mall in Balzac outside of Calgary, and that is where my money will go. School supplies, and stops to a few specialty stores that we love for the kids are at the top of the agenda. Anyways, I digress.

The Polynesian Room. Wow that was an experience. We used the gift certificate and our room only cost us 5 bucks. Which was great as it was a 400 dollar gift certificate. I told the kids to enjoy the room as it was the nicest one they were ever going to see. There's no way I would spend that much on a hotel room on my own dime, but it was nice to experience at least once. The only bad thing I will say is that Internet is not free there, as it is at the 150 dollar a night hotel rooms. The Internet charge was 8.95 for 3 hours! Which is why I'm updating my blog at my brother in law's in Rocky Mountain House right now.

Before we left the city though we had to stop at the Telus World of Science, which we just love to go to. This year they had a Sesame Street display about how the body works and goes, and the kids had so much fun that we had to tear them away from it all. Definately a high light for the trip so far.

We stopped here for a visit for the next few nights, and will move on to the mall at Balzac on Sunday by 11:00am when it opens.

From there we will head to Airdrie to our hotel room, and then off to Calaway Park in Calgary on Monday morning for a full, loud, nauseating day of fun.

Yes, I hate going on the rides. I used to love it, and for some reason after I had Charlie I just can't stomach them anymore. One reason is my fear of heights, and I usually only went on babyish rides like the Scrambler or the Tilt a Whirl. But lately it's the barf factor of the dizzying rides that really gets me now. Last year at Galaxy Land Mike convinced me to go on those dumb swings that fly you around and lift you 30 feet off the ground. I seriously white-knuckled it the entire time, and met Brandon's ear-splitting grins with smiley grimaces. Mike had a good laugh at my expense and said the look on my face was priceless. Little did he know that the chains dug grooves into my hands while silent tears rolled down my face. I was terrified...I envisioned the chains breaking off and me flying out into the big metal statue of that huge smiling alien that's all over Galaxy Land. My hands are sweaty now remembering it, that's how much I hate heights.

I'm trying to con my brother in law Brad into meeting us there and then I can miss out on the rides that brings such delight to Brandon. I just can't break his heart by not going on them when he asks. I'll send Brad instead.

And after all of the fun at Calaway, we'll head back to Airdrie to zone out for a while, and either head back to the mall at Balzac, go to Medicine Hat to see my uncle (who hasn't returned my call so must be on holidays himself), or just go home...which is what I'm leaning towards.

Thus will end our holidays of 2011...until Mike and I leave the kids with my mom or Mike's parents and head to Edmonton for our annual Christmas shopping spree. That, my friends, will be my real holiday, with no kids hanging on me with a case of the 'gimmes' and the 'mom-can-I-haves'.

Jacey learning about how a tornado forms



Brandon pokes his head into a pond to watch the fish swim by

Charlie looking at a gross pig's heart...she didn't clue in.



She also didn't know she was learning about what goobers are made of.



The kids on the steps of a popular house on Sesame Street. Yes, that's Oscar the Grouch to the right.

Mr. Hooper's Store. So cool for Mike and I; the kids not so much as Sesame Street isn't up there on their list of shows to watch. When we were kids that's all there was to watch...besides the Flintstones.



Elmo's bedroom. Charlie didn't want to leave this one.



Stay tuned for Part Deux.