the last day

Today was the last day of school. It is done.

What is there to say? Except.....

we had three showings today and one yesterday and one the day before. My nerves are so shot I want to puke.

My house is wicked clean though.

Two more months and all four kids will be in school all day long.

I do declare......there should be some celebrating tonight.

The kind that doesn't involve me messing up my pretty kitchen. The one no one wants to buy.

Today was my last day of kindergarten.

Forever.

the skinny got jacked

So the skinny this week is real quick-like. Just like last week. Nothing. I didn't formally work out and I don't formally care.

I spent some time working on the house in a reno regard and also a yard work regard. Both made me sweat so I'm going with that.

I'm taking July and August off and not posting the skinny. Not that I won't work out but...... well, we'll see. My goals for July and August will be to enjoy the summer and my children. To see my house sell and to move??

Should I be so lucky? If you're the praying sort maybe you could send a shout out on my behalf. I really feel like this needs to happen.

Real soon-like.

Youknowwhatimean?

My head is somewhere else right now. I don't know where it might be but I'll find it and when I do I'll send it, and my bum, back to the treadmill, or the gym or wherever my little heart's desires take me.

It's all good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is Jack. He thinks he runs the joint. I came home the other day at 1:30pm and he was making himself a 'snack'. I say snack because he'd already eaten the full lunch I made for him. He decided he needed an entire box of macaroni as his snack.

Which is just plain gross.




Not only he did he eat the entire box but he ate it out of the pot in which he cooked it in, with the biggest spork he could get his hands on.

Whose kid is that?

snotty birds and the never ending golf weekend

The man left me. He went golfing. He went on his annual two day golfing/eating extravaganza that is actually more like three days since they golfed yesterday as well. They had to warm up, so he tells me.

I do not begrudge him his golf weekend because he works hard and we have a deal. The deal is he golfs and I scrapbook. Every year he takes an allotted amount of money and golfs. I take that same amount of money and scrapbook. He goes away for a weekend. I go away for a weekend.

Sounds fair right?

It would be totally wicked if it was true. See I haven't been away on a scrapbooking weekend for three years and he hasn't missed a golf weekend since........ever.

This is mostly my fault since I up and decided one day that scrapbooking was a giant waste of money and I would rather do fun things with the man, like go to Italy, than scrapbook.

Obviously, he doesn't feel the same way about golf.

So now I have no weekend. And this is a problem since two of the four kids don't have a scrapbook. I may have to suck it up and do one for them so they don't need therapy in their older years. Scrapbooking their albums may be the more frugal choice in this matter.

Back to golf. The man is a workaholic. If he's stressed he's a double workaholic. What is a double workaholic?

I don't know. Maybe someone who works more that a workaholic because he's stressed?

Sure.

So all week he's been working late because he's stressed about not working on the weekend. Yes, I know, this makes all kinds of sense. He comes home tired and a wee bit cranky. He eats, showers and falls all dead-like into bed just to get up and do it all over the next day.

Yesterday, Thursday, he went to work. Then he went golfing. He needed to warm up, remember? And then he went back to work. He didn't bother to let me know this and why not? Because he's the man. But since I thought he was going to be home at a decent hour I allowed MY babysitter to go babysit elsewhere. Which left me without a babysitter. Which made me an hour late for book club. Which turned out not to be too much of a problem since I only read 82 pages of the 600 page book and they talked about it before I got there.

Yes, my book club talks about the book.

So, the moral of the story is...... this two day golf weekend will actually be more like 6 days when all is said and done because I haven't seen my husband since Monday. Or was it Sunday?

I feel some begrudging coming on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Tuesday I did some touch up painting and patching in one of the bedrooms and when I was done I put the ladder out on the patio. Later that night, as I was washing dishes in my oh so dutiful wifely happy way, I noticed a Robin flying to and from the ladder. I went to investigate because that's what I do. I investigate things because I'm nosey.

Yes, I'm nosey.



Pretty cool, huh? Pretty fast too. That talented bird did this in a matter of hours. It was all perfect and round and muddy inside. The quintessential bird's nest.

Sadly though, I needed the ladder so we moved the nest near by in a safe stable place but that snotty bird decided it wasn't good enough for her so she never came back.

Whatever. Snotty bird.

Tonight is Gwynnie night. I'm going to rent me some Country Strong and enjoy a Diet Pepsi and some sugar-free chocolate because I am the woman and I can.

mummy time

Yesterday I bought some milk.



The expiry date says July 4th.

Um....excuse me?? What? July! Isn't that like two months away? Won't the milk be nasty by then?

This happens to me every year. All of a sudden the kids are like "Only 6 more days of school!!"

And I'm like "What in the beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep are you talking about?!?!"

Yesterday I took the kids to school and as soon as I got home the phone rang and it was Jack telling me he didn't have school. So I had to go back and get him. What kind of school has a PD day a week before school is over? And what kind of grade 6er doesn't know he doesn't have school?

It's obvious what kind of parent doesn't know their kid doesn't have school. That was made plain and clear a long time ago.

Sigh.

Anyway, summer time. It's coming. It's all good baby. I think I'll go do some of this.......






Rotting by the lake with a book and a drink. I'm going to go to the Okanagan and let my mummy take care of me for a bit.

That sounds nice, no?

a random assortment of things on my mind and in my body

I forgot my skinny again for last week. And it was a good week so that's too bad. And, I didn't call this post the skinny because I think people don't read it if it's got the word skinny in it. I felt as though a bit of trickery was in order.

You're reading this aren't you?

Consider yourself tricked.

June 6 5.1 on couch to 10k = 4.30 miles
June 8 I tried to do 5.2 but it wasn't happening to my satisfaction so I walked at an incline. 3.2 miles
June 9 elliptical 7.72 miles in 37 min
June 10 elliptical 7.86 miles in 40 min

Not a bad week. But the next, this past week? Not. So. Good. Picture me making the oops face.

June 13 elliptical 8.63 miles in 40 min. Good workout but the only workout.

I had a busy week and for some reason I have the mentality that if I don't work out in the morning then the window of opportunity has closed. Which it sort of has if I have showered and gotten ready.

Okay, no it hasn't. But I was busy and it was a good busy and I had a really good week and I ate really well and I got lots done and I felt happy and so.........there.

But then Friday came and.....

holy mother of meat!

Bolero's for dinner. We had a reservation for 6 and the man walked in the door at 5:57 and took the fastest shower known to mankind and I was hollering from the hall "shower faster! Hurry up!"

Honestly..... men.

See I had sent him a text saying I needed some ant spray and could he please stop and get me some. I guess he thought that meant at the risk of our reservation because, after all, we have ants now in the house and who needs meat by the bucket full when there are ants to contend with?

However, I thought the "if you have time" part was implied. I guess not.

You'd think after all this time I'd have it figured out. Or he would have. Or someone would have and explained it to me by now, but alas, we don't and we were late for dinner but it turned out not to matter.

I called the restaurant and they were all "Oh yeah, you have tons of time. Your reservation is for two hours."

Fret for nothing. Other than the fact that he was still not home 3 minutes before the reservation but whatever.......

Dinner was amazing but I actually I thought I may have OD'd on meat. I started to feel real strange-like and I wondered if my stomach had burst and delicious meat juices were oozing into places they shouldn't be oozing into.

It was like man vs. food and not only did man win but man took that meat to the centre of town and opened up a can of youknowwhat on it and showed it who's boss and...... I could go on, but why? I think you get it.

I felt like this guy when all was said and done.



It occurred to me later that night that I hadn't eaten meat for a least a week and then I started to panic that I was really actually going to die, on my 16th wedding anniversary, a slow and painful meat-type death because I hadn't prepared properly.

I'm still here though.

I hear you sighing your relief.

We went to see The Lincoln Lawyer and I didn't like it but I'm not sure if it was because it was stupid or because I was so full and high-like from the meat that I couldn't concentrate and I didn't get it.

Either way, Marisa Tomei is looking old. I still think she's beautiful though.

So yesterday I went to our second annual Peaceful Warrior Tournament with my boys. Both boys participated this year and so it was double the fun, right? A three hour tournament that turned out to be more like four hours is ALWAYS fun. Especially when I'm alone and trying not to doze off in a meat induced hangover whilst also trying to pay attention to who is doing what and where he might be doing it.

Four hours is too long.

I sent the man many texts so as to not feel so alone in the world.

Text one: Meat hangover+ brutal cramps= one rough mamacita

Text two: There is a kid here named Magnus.

Text three: Instructor Ian and the demo team. Mm mm mm

Text four: I just got hungry (I sent that one at 1:11 pm)

Text five: Jack is owning at kumite.

Text six: Why can't stuff end on time? We are now 45 minutes over time.

The man did not respond to single one of those. And why not? I'm sure it wasn't annoying to him at all that I was doing that while he was trying to work.

Despite all my effort I guess I really was alone in the world.

The point is: Jack got Gold for Kumite (sparring) in his division and both boys got the 'thanks for coming out' medal.

I'm proud of them. They are great little ninjas. And it was their last day until we figure out what is happening with our house and where we are moving.

I am so done with that ridiculous drive.









I took 65 pictures and they all look like these.

I really am very good with my iphone........

a little before and a little after part 2

These first two pictures speak for themselves.





The dining area....obviously.





Looking down from the master bedroom stairs.





Stairs to master.





The new railing.




The view into house from front door. The stone post you see was one of the two walls we tore down.





The back of the fireplace BEFORE chore time.





The basement still to come. This is exhausting.....

the custody agreement

Okay, I don't feel like before and after pics today. It's raining.

What? That doesn't make any sense??

Maybe next week, if the sun comes out I'll find my love of searching through itty bitty pictures and I'll post the rest. See now, it's lost it's zest for me, you know?

But here is my favourite before picture.



It is a picture mural on the far theatre wall. It was dressed on either side with some truly delicious nude coloured curtains. It was sad to see it go and for whatever reason it was the only 'thing' in the house in perfect condition.

Now it looks like this:


Less flare....sadly. But also, less distraction. It's a trade off, I guess.

So anyway..... moving on. Tomorrow is the big day. Number 16. Remember number 15? Good times.

All we have planned this year is dinner and a cheap movie and, in all honesty, I'm completely happy with that.

The other day we were reminiscing about when we were dating and we went into HMV to look at CD's. It almost seems unreal that there was a time when you had to physically get off your duff and go buy a cd.

Ohh, those 90's.

Anyhow...... we wanted to buy a Green Day CD and we actually had a conversation that included this sentence:

"Who gets it if we break up?"

We ended up buying two, we each paid for one and decided that we would each take one if we broke up. It only seemed fair that we each get custody of one.

Our custody arrangements now, 16 years later, have taken on a whole new meaning, youknowwhatimean?

Based on previous experience, am I to assume that since there are four children we would each get two? Because I'm pretty sure I know which two I'd take........

You still haven't answered my question. In fact the comment love around here lacks in a lugubrious way. Did I use that right? I have no idea how to use that word.

Where am I going for my anniversary dinner? Here's a hint:

meat

a little before and a little after, part 1

Every now and then I get an email from someone who wants to see some before and after pics of my house. I think you probably know which house I'm talking about.

Right?

Well..... if you don't then clearly you are not paying attention.

After I did the after pics I lost the before pics. So that's been a battle all on it's own. I found them finally so here goes........

Some of the after pics are dark, which is annoying but I'm not doing it again so suck it up princess.

The little brown house


otherwise known as Willacy.



It's a little blurry. Sorry.

The master before........







The master after.......






We added an ensuite in the master. This did not exist before so there are no before pics....capiche?





It's hard to get in there with a camera. It isn't a huge bathroom but it's a bathroom and sometimes, at 4 am, that's all that matters.

The kitchen. Dun dun dun......





And after, they're dark. iphones are just not that wicked.






We knocked out two walls to make it open concept.





That's all for now. I'll post the rest tomorrow.

Guess where I'm going for my anniversary dinner? Can't wait........