Backyard Crash...day 3

Sherry drives the bobcat, removing all of the sod

To bring you all up to speed with our backyard crash, the last three days have looked like this:



pallets of paving stones





levelling the patio area



Today the patio will hopefully be finished, and topsoil and rock are being delivered this morning. We have been looking at different distributors for recycled rubber tires that have been ground up into mulch for the play area. We found one in Saskatoon and they deliver 2000 pound bales to your house, and we also heard of a lady in Unity that has rubber mulch by the 50 pound bag. We'll be giving her a call later on today.

As you can see things are shaping up nicely, and we very excited to have it finished soon. Sod is priced right now at 31 cents per square foot if you pick it up yourself, and luckily we have a few friends with big trailers. We picked up our trees yesterday at the nursery as well; Brandon Cedars, Dwarf Norway Spruce, potentillas, and Japanese Barberry bushes. I'll intersperse rock garden plants like ornamental grasses, hens and chicks, and creeping thyme around the dry creek bed later on. In a few years it should start looking fuller and more mature.

Can't wait to start planting!

For the love of Sod

We rented  a sod cutter from the city on Sunday and Mike spent an hour cutting the sod. I followed behind, rolling some of it to make it easier for the landscaper to take away. Today when we went out after supper the sod had dried so much that I couldn't roll it up, and it blew around like hay when I shoveled it. Good sign...it's ready to be hauled away. Hopefully the round up Mike sprayed last week will stop the sod from rooting again, especially if we are supposed to get rain this week.



panoramic view of backyard



The kids were right in there, rolling up the sod...they petered out pretty fast though when the job lost all it's glamour. We are waiting for the landscaper to call us back to give us a start date. Mike is going to take off some time when they get here, so that we can pitch in and get dirty to cut down some of the labor cost. The entire quote for the yard, including new sod, rock garden along the above left fence and all the extras was reasonable, until we saw the price jump after adding on the labor. Hoo, boy, we just couldn't do that this year so opted for backyard demolition, and we will do the rest ourselves. Sod, deck, flagstone paths, rock garden with dry creek bed along one fence and a hosta garden along the other. Wow, looking at all of that is a little daunting...we are in for a lot of work. I guess we aren't taking any holidays this year either!! :)



I spent the day at the school today watching track and field. It felt a little different this year with two kids to watch instead of one! The kids had an absolute blast, and the weather was perfect for an outside day. I always get a kick out of the kids running the 400m. Even the kindergartens do it. A full lap around the track is enough to make anyone puke. Both kids did great, and managed to get around the track in one piece.

The kids love days where they can eat hot dogs, licorice and chips, and Popsicles, without mom ever saying "no". I was so jealous watching them eat yummy bbq'ed hot dogs, my summer favorite, while I ate my chicken spinach sandwich. Which is delicious, don't get me wrong; I load it up with deli sprouts, cucumber and tomatoes. I just know that my will power will only stretch so far, and if I even have a bite I'm a goner as I'll stuff more in my mouth. So far I've lost 28 pounds since April 26th, and once I started seeing results I stopped putting that kind of stuff into my mouth...just to be on the safe side!!

But boy did I wish it was a Snickers bar I was enjoying, rather than my little baggie of cauliflower and broccoli.

Move Over Mike...I've got 2 new boyfriends now!

The two new men in my life are amazing!
They are constantly fighting each other for my attention.
They talk to me so sweetly when I turn them on; sometimes I even turn them on at the same time!
They always satisfy me at the end of the day and I never complain as they're always there for me when I need them.


My Lovely Pair.

I love them so.

On Saturday Charlie turned two, and here was her reaction to us singing her Happy Birthday:

Poor girl. She got over it soon enough and enjoyed her cake daddy made her. She got nice gifts and likes to play with her new toys. The time is going too fast for this mommy.



Happy Anniversary...To Us

Eleven years ago I married the man of my dreams.
Through the years we have been up, down, sad, happy, overjoyed, mad, and ready to throw the towel in.
We leaned on good friends and family when times were tough, because that's what you gotta do to stay tough together. And through those tough times we found love renewed; we made each other remember why we came together.
And honey, I'm so glad we found our rhythm in this sometimes crappy and turbulent sea that we all call life. Because no matter what happens out there, we got it goin on, babe.
Forever in my heart.
I love you.

A Whole lot of Nothing to Say

I logged into my blog tonight because I felt bad that I hadn't posted in such a long time. I hoped if I started writing that words would just flow from my fingertips. But all I want to do is crawl into bed, snuggle up with Mike and watch Criminal Minds until I fall asleep.
I watched 8 kids today, and the last ones left just after four. Then I trotted into Lloyd with mom and Jenine so she could buy her flowers. Of course I had to buy more too...the downfall of any gardener's passion. Some of my perennials passed away over the winter and needed replacing. I also picked up some rock garden-friendly cuties to plant around the pond.. I hope they will be happy there!
Our yard will be torn up in a few weeks, so Mike and I want to prepare it by rounding up all the grass, renting a sod cutter and making passes over the yard so the grass will be scooped easier by the bobcat.
We have been searching for a great privacy tree to line our fence with, and we found a few but aren't sure which one to go with.

This tree to the right is called a Swedish Aspen, and grows 4 to 5 feet a year and can get up to 40 feet high and 7 feet wide. Too big for what I want I think. Plus I really don't want to start raking leaves, as I don't have to now and don't want to start. The trees will be at the back edge of our rock bed, and it's not fun cleaning leaves out of rocks.

Another option is planting cedars, but unless the roots take hold the plant is too vulnerable for our cold winters and they usually end up dying. But if they do take hold they are so beautiful and green, and effectively block out neighbor's prying eyes.

I will continue to do research on the trees and see what we can come up with.

Our washer and dryer came yesterday, and while I was in the city Mike tore apart the laundry room and ripped out some of the lino to get the floor ready for the new stuff. (The lino is another story entirely as the ugly black slate is discontinued and Mike couldn't get any, meaning I have yet ANOTHER color of floor coloring in this house. I'm hoping that someday soon I can rip out the ugly black stuff and put in whatever it is Mike got for the laundry room and carry it down the hallway.)

The entire kitchen and laundry room now smells like..I can't even explain it! Like old glue and cat piss. I don't know why. And the Mickey Mouse set up the previous owners had for the dryer hook up had lint compacted under the lino under the dryer. Talk about a fire hazard. The 220 plug needs to be moved over to the other wall and the walls need to be patched and painted.

And I thought all we were getting was a new set of machines!

Well, now that I've been writing/watching Criminal Minds for the last hour, I guess I can put the laptop away and catch some sleep before the kids all come again tomorrow!

Good night!

I Brought a little bit of Elton Home to YOU!

Last night was fantastic! I mean really great.

Firstly we met with some great friends who live in Warman and had supper, and drove to the concert from there with them...they have a parking pass and thought we should take advantage of that as well! It was nice to see them again.
I've listened to Elton John since I was a kid and know all the lyrics, but I was still blown away by the amazing talent that he is. I bought a t-shirt and a program to frame, and wore a hot pink feather boa while Mike wore big red glasses. I sat and danced in my seat for the first half, then everyone was on their feet from then on.
Wow...the way his hands made that piano sing made me tear up a few times, especially when he sang my favorite song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Mike was waiting the entire 2 1/2 hours to hear his favorite Crocodile Rock, and finally got his wish at the finale. We were impressed he sang the entire time with no break, and came out for and encore to sign autographs and sing another song who he dedicated to someone in the sky boxes above us, saying "I love you and don't you ever ever forget that".
I'm so glad we went, as he announced to the audience he's finished making albums, and who knows when he'll tour again. Even though he should be sick of playing the same songs he's sung since 1969, he still jammed on that piano like it was his first concert...you could see he just loves to perform. The fact that we were close enough to play catch with him on the stage just added to the surreal feeling of being in the same room with such a legend.
No fancy pyro-technics or gaudy backups for Elton either, his piano was all he needed to stay a classic in my mind forever.
I could go on and on, but I'm sure you all get the idea...nothing he could have done would have been wrong in my eyes.

I am trying to post video, but blogger is sending me error messages. I'm uploading to You Tube right now and will post some video when they finish, it just takes forever for You Tube to upload stuff.
Take Care All!

Oh Elton...I love you.

I wish I had time to blog today, or wash dishes or do the laundry or

clean all three toilets...

but I don't because I'm spending the evening with

ELTON.

Oh. My. God.

A cup of soup and a good book

Amid my search and trial and errors in creating new and exciting recipes that equate into low Weight Watcher's points (long story, but yes I'm doing Weight Watchers), I have created a very delicious soup recipe I just have to pass on.
I started Weight Watcher's a week and a half ago, feeling depressed about my weight, wondering where the hell all the extra fat came from over the last 3 years. I surmised the unwanted pounds were a crappy bi product of motherhood. And, while some mommies look fab after 3, 4, or even 6 kids, it's just not in my genetic makeup to be like them. But I could lose at least 40 pounds, and the last 10 I know I'll have to either accept is never going to leave my body, or work like a mad man to get rid of it. That all-knowing 'spare tire'.
So I joined. And the first week I lost 7 lbs. Excited and interested in tracking my meals now, I read every article that they sent me, and read and learned the ins and outs of the website like I was reading the bible. And when I weighed in this past Sunday, I nervously peeked at the numbers between my feet: I lost another 8 lbs. In addition to the pounds, inches are falling away as well. I ran to my closet and dug out clothes that were better left way in the back, or up on the top shelf. They fit.
I knew that some pounds would come off fast, as the water weight is easiest to lose. But, jeepers I felt elated at knowing I lost 15 lbs, just by changing what I ate. I can still enjoy my snacks whenever I want, I just have to track them into my points tracker.
And while I won't say what I weighed when I started, I will say that I need to loose 5 more lbs to get to my milestone of losing 10% of my body weight...and 40 more to get to my goal weight. I don't know if I'll ever make it there, but being a size 4 or 6 (pre Jacelyn weight) would be fantastic. Unrealistic, maybe, but I'm gonna try!!

This soup, in a category of other negative-calorie soups, is hearty, filling, and loaded with vitamins and nutrients. Also, one serving is equal to three servings of vegetables!!
I love negative-calorie soups..they are so good for you and you can eat them whenever you want and not gain a pound!

Tomato Basil Veggie Soup
1 large can of tomatoes
2 cups of cauliflower
2 cups of broccoli
1 cup onion
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1 yellow pepper
3 tsp dried basil
2 tsp tarragon
1 tbsp chicken base

Saute veggies in one spray of olive oil for 10 mins.
Add tomatoes.
Cover veggies with water.
Add herbs and base.
Cook for half hour...I like my veggies a bit crisp, but just test to your liking.
Done.

Add in whatever you want for veggies...I like the Italian feel to this soup, but you can add mushrooms, cabbage, or even pre soaked navy beans.


Oh, yeah, and I'm going to Elton tomorrow. Yay!!

One Week

I can't believe how fast one week can go!
I spent the last one watching kids, getting the pond and fountains out front cleaned up and filled, doing general yard clean up and housework.
Just the basic daily chores of keeping the house clean behind 3 children keeps me busy enough, but adding in watching kids for up to 7 or 8 hours keeps me hopping! So far I'm not overtaxed with it, and actually like keeping myself going...until nap time, that is, when I can catch my breath and go outside for a bit.
I find that I fall into bed at night before 10pm, making me feel like a fuddy-duddy even while I can't seem to help it! :)
Mike and Brandon left for an exciting, snowy excursion this weekend...yes, they were trapped in Maryfield by the Manitoba border by a raging snowstorm and blizzard that brought over 30 cms to the area. He and his family were packing up his grandma and helping her move down to his parent's home town. They were storm stayed Saturday, when the highways around the town were shut down. They left this morning before 6 am, at a speed of 40 or 50 km/hr, and called me at 12:00 to say they had just left Regina after a quick bite to eat. Since the winds were supposed to pick up again in the afternoon, they wanted to make a break for it as early as they could as they were pulling a U-Haul.
Needless to say, the girls and I had a quiet weekend...we went to the city, BBQed, cleaned house, stripped beds and did the laundry. We enjoyed walks and played a few games, as well as playing outside until dark. Mike and I have only been apart a handful of times, and I hate being alone, though I handled it well...I only double checked the locks twice, rather than three times. But I did leave the hallway light on downstairs, and a few night lights burning upstairs. Silly, really, but times have changed enough to make me nervous about being alone. Anyhow, all will be right again in a few hours, when my men get home safe and sound.
Here are some pics that Mike sent on his Blackberry to mine:

......Crazy!! Welcome to Saskatchewan in the Spring!!

I made some time to scrapbook a little, I feel bad that I haven't been doing well in that area, but I haven't had time to take many pictures and therefore don't have any scrapping to do!