Various

We finally are going ahead with our plans to build an extension to our cottage which will accomodate my dream mudroom... the mudroom that I have been thinking about and designing forever. So needless to say, I am more than thrilled that this will begin in October to be ready for the ski season! Along with this addition, we have also decided to change all the siding and the windows and doors of the cottage. Not a small project but a really good one. Anyway, now that this dream will soon be a reality, I went off to Ikea a couple of weeks to buy my PAX wardrobe, a wonderful system that will house all our winter ski stuff etc.





This mudroom will have room for 2 PAX of 5 feet long which equals LOTs of storage. Also, I need to mention at this point that the mudroom dimensions were based on the PAX. Anyway, part of the system I wanted has more than likely been discontinued so I will have to modify things slightly and since I was afraid that the rest would also be discontinued I ordered it immediately eventhough construction has yet to begin. Fast forward to last night as I lay in bed watching TV (and was nearly asleep), I saw a commercial for Ikea and their newest promotion. 20% off all PAX! What? I just spent oodles of money last week and now there's a sale. Well, this AM I was on the phone with them ready to pick a fight but lo and behold, they said that all I had to do was to go back with the bill and they would refund. Thank goodness!

Other news, I just signed up for yoga classes for the fall as well as get this.... piano lessons for myself! I've always wanted to play and this week when Cara-Li was trying to pull the wool over my eyes, I decided the only way to combat this was to actually take lessons myself. And really, why not?

There's the Finish Line!

It is Sunday and it is the end of my silly diet. Let me back track.

Day 5: I woke up this morning feeling almost as bad as the day before sue to my wild cold. So I stayed in bed pretty much all day. Well, actually, I got up at 2PM and was in a car at 2:15PM making my way to the Cirque du Soleil. Yah! Just what I wanted to do today... I WAS a great show and did feel better afterwards. Mostly especially because we were allowed to eat chicken. Plain roasted chicken and tomates. So that is what we did right after the Circus and within minutes my belly started to ache. Not used to eating something so solid, I guess.

Day 6: Today was going to be a great day. We could have steak and veggies. The biggest part of my day was going to Loblaws to prepare for our feast. I got a honkin' piece of filet mignon at god knows what price and a huge variety of veggies to stir-fry. Did not enjoy my trip at the grocery store as I couldn't buy anything else and I was light-headed. But that. steak. was. some. good!

Day 7: And the final one. THANK GOD! Brown rice and veggies. OK. Not bad as it is the first carb in 7 days. It actually was pretty tasty.

Tomorrow: I have been thinking for a few days what I would eat on my very first day of real eating. Breakfast is a toss up between an english muffin and peanut butter or vanilla yogurt and berries. Hell. I might just have both! Lunch is for sure gonna be pizza. I have craving pizza since day 1 and if you know me well at all, pizza is not ONE of my favorite foods. Wierd! Dinner I think is going to be fish but I haven't figured out what sides. There. That's what I'm gonna have.

Through all this Gord has been painting the main bathroom from bright orange to a more subdued straw colour. Perhaps I'll have some pics tomorrow. It is still completely upside down.

Coming up for air!

I haven't really had the time nor the energy nor the desire to make any posts of late but today, due to the snowstorm followed by ice rain that we've had, it is REALLY quiet at work.

So here's a summary in bullets of what we've been up since my last post.

• A few weekends ago we headed up to the cottage to prepare it for the winter. Bringing in firewood, winterizing the windows, turning on the heated water line etc. I was in charge of feeding everyone and playing with the girls, of course!
  

• A few weekends ago, we went to see the Santa Claus Parade downtown which I have never done even as a child. We also took the girls to see the Ogilvy window. It was, however, really, really cold!







• On Friday the 28th, I had a doctor's appointment so I decided to take the entire day off and take the girls to see Santa Claus at Complexe Desjardins. This has been a yearly tradition since Cara-Li's arrival in 2003 with our dear friends C. & J. Needless to say, the girls played hooky from school :) We had lunch at Baton Rouge, saw Santa Claus, played and shopped in the mall. A great time was had by all!








• On the Sunday, we were invited to G's Christening. It was a beautiful ceremony followed by a lovely lunch. The whole Church thing was cool because Cara-Li is doing Religious Studies at home with moi and so much stuff that we've covered was being talked about during the ceremony. Cara-Li kept looking over at me with the look of 'I know what he's talking about!'. She's much better that I was at her age where I'd just sit there and daydream.

• Last weekend was a real busy one! We fell out of bed on Saturday morning and rushed out to get a tree as we were going to trim it that evening. We walked over to Alex's around the corner and picked up the nicest one he had and wheeled it home in our wagon. The girls were not impressed as they had to walk home.






• Next, Cara-Li had a Gingerbread workshop to attend with her friend C. at the library. Their houses turned out to be works of art!

• Upon her return it was off to the hairdresser's for their Christmas haircuts.



• Alexia then went for nap while Gord took Cara-Li for their annual Skate with Buzz the Bee event at Concordia University. It is a fundraiser where they collect canned food for the less fortunate.





• And finally, after dinner, we decorated our tree. I must say that by this point, I was spent and just wanted to get the whole thing over with. But a couple of glasses of wine did take the edge off :)




• On Sunday, we attended the Adoptive Families of Quebec Holiday Party. It was held at a Dim Sum restaurant. Yummy! And of course, Santa came around and brought gifts to all the kids.






• Once home, Cara-Li changed and was off to a birthday party at Loblaws where they had a Gingerbread House Workshop. Anyone need help with their houses? Cara-Li has become an expert!

• And finally, I have taken pictures of my finished master bathroom. So here are the before and after!

BEFORE

AFTER

Oh so close!

But yet, oh, so far! We have been living the bathroom renovation from hell. It was to be a minor overhaul of our en-suite bathroom as we were keeping the tub sink, toilet and wall tiles. Basically we wanted to change the vanity, the tub surround and the lighting. We started it back in May when the fellow came to take measurements for the vanity. Then we had some work done on the ceiling as I wanted recessed lighting. That took a while. Then we waited for the specific granite tiles to come in, then it was a wait for the heated floors to come in. Then we ordered the granite countertops (which were returned once due to wrong colour). During this time, the existing tub (which we are re-installing) was living in my bedroom. Yes, right next to my side of the bed for app. 3 months! One wrong move during the night and I'd end up in it. So much to my excitement, the tub left the bedroom last Sunday (yes, hangover Sunday as it was the day after Gord's party) and returned to its rightful place. If you ever feel that your room is too small, place a large tub in the little free space you have and live like that for 3 months. Let me tell you, right now, I feel like my bedroom is the size of a football field! Which brings me to last night. The boys called me up to decide the height at which I wanted the mirror at. All seemed OK and I returned back to my dishes. Lots of hammering and lot of noise later, I hear, Oh SH*T! I'm not exactly sure what happened as no one is speaking but there was suddening a large hole in the wall above where the mirror was supposed to be. So instead of posting pictures of the before and after, I can only post a couple of the process instead with hopes of having it all complete very soon! Oh and did I mention that poor Alexia has been bathing in the kitchen this entire time. She doesn't even remember what a bathtub is for, I am sure!

This and That

It has been a busy few days.

On Saturday mornings, Cara-Li plays soccer and dad coaches. Last year, all she did was pick dandelions. This year, she is somewhat more interested for the first 30 minutes with a decline in the next 30. However, this past weekend, Cara-Li was the star! She went after that ball like a pro and scored several times! Where are the photos you ask? All cameras were at home comfortably resting in their cosy camera bag. Next, Cara-Li had a birthday party to attend for one of her classmates. They had a blast at a local party place that took as good care of the parents as they did the children. And to end the day, we had a lovely evening and dinner with Mortimer's Mom and her family. The girls just love getting together and they are just too cute together!

I know, I know... my kids need a haircut!

We spent all of Sunday morning shopping (right after a hearty breakfast, of course) for accessories for our master bathroom that is getting a facelift. The only things staying are the tub, sink and toilet. That means new vanity, new granite floors (heated) and countertops, new lighting, new towelrack and acc. The big stuff has been decided, it's the little stuff that is so time consuming. We were not very successful at purchasing such items but we did buy flowers and plants so back home we went to get them into the ground. We ended our day with a hamburger dinner on the BBQ with Auntie Loula and that was that!

Today was a big day in our little town.

They finally started the repair of the entire infrastructure of our road which, believe me, was in dire need! We bought our house in December so we did not realize the condition of the road. Let's put it this way, we try to do all our inviting of friends during the winter months so that no one sees the third world country that we live in! There is a catch however. Our street consists of 4 blocks and they are doing 3 blocks his year. Guess which one is not getting redone? OURS!! The work is not slated until 2010! God help us!

And lastly, Cara-Li lost yet another tooth yesterday which brings us to 4 while Alexia is getting another molar which brings us to 11. Funny, one is losing teeth while the other is getting them. Cute!

Flash Gordon to the Rescue!

Flash Gordon, otherwise known as my other half, came to my rescue today. Just as I was at my wits' end with the bedroom painting, he came through and finished up for me. When I started this days ago, I remembered that I am the cutter and detail painter. Gord was the roller. I had never rollered before. I managed somewhat but it took me a LONG time and I used LOTS of paint. But it is all done now and everything is back to its usual place and it looks great! My next project is painting the kitchen cupboards which are oak to white and replacing all the brass hardware with brushed nickel... a quick makeover before the complete kitchen overhaul that will happen one day.

A few of you asked for the recipe for the No-Bake Peanut Butter Toblerone Cheesecake that I made last weekend. It was delicious, by the way, especially if you love Reeses Pieces. Here is the recipe from the great folks at Kraft Kitchen.

Supermom

Go ahead... you could call me that! Especially after a day like today. Woke up early since Gord had a 7AM flight, got Cara-Li to school and bought some plaster at Reno-Depot. Once Alexia was down for her morning nap, I plastered the cracks and nail holes in the bedroom walls. By this time, it was time to pick up Cara-Li and her play date at school and proceed to make everyone lunch. While they were eating, I started the crust for my No-bake Peanut Butter Toblerone Cheesecake for tomorrow night's dinner at C & P's.



Once Alexia was down for her afternoon nap and the older girls busy playing dress-up, I painted the first coat on one wall. Once completed, back down to the kitchen to make the filling for the said cake. Then off to get Alexia out of bed and start supper. The girls eat supper while I call all the soccer players about tomorrow's game (Gord is coach and he's out of town - gotta find a replacement!). It is now 7PM, everyone is fed and everyone is in their PJ's. Oooops! Forgot the baths. Oh well... tomorrow is another day! Oh... and I have to make the chocolate topping for the cake. Will this day ever end!

5 Years Ago

5 years ago to the day, we were extremely busy removing walls, removing wallpaper, putting in hardwood floors and painting the house we are in now. We had our referral for Cara-Li in hand and needless to say, we were extremely stressed about the SARS situation in China. Would we receive our TA in the next couple of weeks or would the situation worsen to the point that we would not ever be able to travel to China for our little girl? These were some of the unknowns at this time 5 years ago today. And what we didn't know as of yet was that all travel to China would be banned on May 15th. This would mean that we wouldn't receive our TA and had to continue staring at the pictures of our daughter until June 26th when we did finally receive our TA. We did finally travel to China on July 22nd and the rest is history.

However, this was not the point of this blog entry. 5 years ago today, I was painting our bedroom and today as I was standing atop of a ladder (which freaks me out!) filling cracks and nail holes, I realized that I am doing the exact same thing again! Where is Gord you ask? Well, he is St. Louis. He was there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. He made a quick return home for a day and now he is back for 2 more days! While his wife is painting the bedroom. Something is wrong with this! Gord, if you are reading this (which you should be if you want to know what is going on around here), be ready to hold a paint brush on Sunday. You have been foreworned.

Oh! And it is exactly 8 months today that Alexia Yun Xia joined our family! Seems like she's been here forever. Speaking of which, I gotta wake her up if we will make it in time for Cara-Li pick-up at school...