Tuesday, July 31, 2007

It's only Tuesday?

Wow, we've had a long week and it has only just begun.
The children started a Jazz camp yesterday. On paper, it sounded like a terrific opportunity to learn how to play Jazz on their respective instruments. So, I hauled them out of bed at 6am, threw breakfast in their general direction, made lunch and included all their favorite goodies, drove 45 minutes to have them there by 8am, and returned to pick them up at 2.

When camp was over, #1 came out into the hallway where I was waiting with a few other parents and started to complain as loud as he possibly could, "Mom, why did you sign us up for this?! It's SOOO BORING! He lectured for 4 hours! Do I have to come back?"

My thought, "OMG! You are kidding, right? All that effort and you hate it?"
I said, "#1 don't be rude. Say hello to Mrs. Smith. Say hello to your Grandmother."

When we got to the car, I let him tell me everything. I had 45 min, you know. I found out that LLB didn't mind the lecture - and it wasn't 4 hours, but she said it was long. She would have liked to have played more than 5 notes all day. Lunch was the best part. They hung out with the kids from their school (there are 4 in all) because the other kids didn't want to have much to do with them. They were both fine with that. They liked the sandwiches I made and the camp provided bottled water.

When I got home I sent the teacher an email. It was nice. I just asked if the children were going to be playing more as the week went on because that's what they wanted to do while they were there. He emailed me right back - imagine that?! Yes, they would. I guess I will be driving 45 minutes each way again today...

They darned well better play more today!!!

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Just Stuff...

Yesterday the children volunteered at a farm that operates solely on volunteer power and feeds many needy people. It's the kind of mission work I like. They don't have to go far, it doesn't cost me, and it helps local people.

The kids were pooped when they got home. It was 95 in the shade yesterday! The children said farm work isn't fun, but that they would do it again - at harvest time. Yesterday they weeded the watermelons. I'm sure it was a hot, miserable, and dirty job, but they did it without complaint. I heard from #1 that LLB worked really hard. He was pretty impressed with his little sister - called her the Energizer Bunny. I heard the same thing from one of the parents. This particular parent told me that she was quite impressed with both of my children and their work ethic.

Mr. and I must have done something right :-)

We can't get them to pick up their rooms, but they will go out there and do what needs to be done to help others. I guess I can't ask for anything more than that. Although, a picked up room would be nice...

Friday, July 27, 2007

I got a prize!

I got one of these:
I am touched that Renee thinks I'm a thoughtful blogger.

I am now going to award this to 5 more people who I think are thoughtful bloggers:
Nicole She's my sister and I adore her. Her pottery is wonderful, too! (Think this award will endear me enough to get some more potter??)
Mrs. Who - I love this girl. She's real. She's so normal. And man is she funny!!
Kels She's the sweetest thing on 2 feet and she's so fun! She'd be more fun if she shows up at Polo tomorrow... hint hint!!
D is just an all around terrific lady! Go say hello, k?
Mir - Man this girl is so NORMAL! She just moved to the South and she's still sane! I'd love to be able to sit and have a long chat over a glass of wine with her. Unfortunately, we live too far apart for that...

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

I'm finished!

I finished the Harry Potter book.
All I'm going to say is that I loved it!

Now I can get back to my regular life... you know... catching up on all laundry, vacuuming, dishes, etc. that I let slide while I did nothing but read.

Monday, July 23, 2007

The documents you requested...

Here are a few of the photos I took while we were on vacation.
In Montreal we went to Saint Joseph's Oratory. Yes, it's a long way up...
Climbing the stairs: They ran... I walked.
In line at the confessional...
When we went to DC, we hit this museum. If you ever get to DC, you've gotta go here. You'll never look at people the same way again... Anyone can be a SPY!!! Now you know why I never show faces on this blog.

After lunch we decided to see this:
And this...

We also hit the air and space museum at the Smithsonian. They were having a paper airplane contest. LLB watched from the balcony.
It was a fun vacation, but now we are ready for a week of rest and relaxation. Okay, so we will all be fighting over umm.. I mean reading the Harry Potter book...

Monday, July 16, 2007

Touristas!!

We have been playing tourist while up here in the Great White North. Today we went to Mr.'s Alma Mater - McGill University. We had a great time wandering the campus and visiting one of the museums.

Then we went to Saint Joseph's Oratory at the top of Mount Royal. It was a picture perfect day and I will post once I am home and can download the pix. I got some really neat pictures!! We were way up on the top of the mountain and the sky was perfect! Those of you who know me personally can expect a huge folio on Snapfish!

Tonight we are doing burgers and dogs at the BIL's house. Tomorrow we head south of the city to the other BIL's house for drag racing and more excellent chow! We are also going to pick up some pastry for Gram and Grandpa as they have been holding down the fort at home and deserve a little something for their efforts. :-)

We start the long ride home on Wednesday morning. Everyone has had a wonderful time, but we are all ready to be back in our own beds with our own pillows. LLB has been a pretty decent bed-mate, but I am really getting sick of being kicked in the butt every night. I think Mr's tossing, turning, and snoring is going to be a welcome change (for the first night anyway...)

So.. I should be back to some reading and writing by Friday. My SIL is coming back with us. It seems she didn't get enough exercise while biking PEI for 10 days and she and her significant other want to pedal through northern VA for a few days. We found them a wonderful bike trail that starts close to the house and finishes at our favorite winery. Mr. and I will NOT be biking with them, but we will be sitting on the veranda sipping wine while we wait for them to arrive. They also want to tour DC and since we never go to the city, we thought we might actually take the children and see some sights. Polo is also on the agenda. I can't even wait to see what they think of that!!!

I best be going. I have used as much bandwidth as I can without making a total pig of myself....

See you all soon!!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bird...

That's what we sing to celebrate birthdays in our house... Yes, we are odd and we know it.

Today is Mr.'s birthday! He celebrated with his Mom and his siblings. He has been eating all the things he loves - smoked meat sandwiches, Labatt's Bleu, and the barbecue chicken that is nothing like the BBQ we serve in the states. (It's so much better!!)

Happy Birthday, my sweet husband!!

We spent the day shopping til we dropped and even had time to hit my favorite dollar store. FYI: I only spent $24 in the dollar store!! That's good for me up here where the dollar store is huge and has totally different things in it than dollar stores in the US. I got a few things for #1. I got some earrings for LLB - to replace the very expensive one she lost somewhere in the car on the way up... (Don't ask... Just know I was NOT happy to find out that one half of a $80 pair of earrings was missing...)

I'm currently ensconced in my BIL's computer corner happily typing like a maniac! The rest of the so-called adult gang is watching the CFL and having a great time hollering at the screen. I like football, but I would much rather tell you what is going on...

My BIL has a humungo dog, Einstein the mastiff, whose head is bigger than LLB's! Einstein and LLB are up on the roof deck sitting in front of the fire pit and relaxing. They are hysterical. I'd take a picture, but the camera is in the car two flights down... You know the minute I head out to the car, Einstein will figure out that someone is moving and will investigate thus ruining any chance I had at a picture.

Tomorrow we are meeting Mr.'s high school chum and his wife for lunch. We haven't seen O and P in years - like since #1 was 2 and LLB was a tiny infant. The children have changed in that time - well, they've gotten a little taller... It should be a fun lunch full of laughs and chatter.

The game is over and I need to run!

Friday, July 13, 2007

We're Off

Like a herd of turtles...

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Thursday 13


Thirteen Things LadyBug Is Thinking About Today


1. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done.

2. I'm catching up with the scrapbooking. I'm up to June.

3. I realized that I'm missing the pictures from #1's award ceremony and Cinderella.

4. I have no idea what I did with the film...

5. Now you all know why I went digital.

6. We are off to the Great White North.

7. We are off to the Great White North provided I get packed...

8. I got the laundry done, but the packing... not so much. Ok, so I haven't even started. I've thought about it... That's got to count for something, right?

9. I've been busy scrapping to get the album up to date so we can bring it with us. The relatives like to see what we've been doing. I was up until almost midnight last night and I'm still not done. I just dunno if it is going to happen this year.

10. What am I going to do while I'm up there? I have one goal: Shop until I drop and eat until I'm stuffed.

11. I have every intention of getting the children's school clothes shopping done. Everything from shirts to shoes. :-)

12. I am also going to eat all the things I can't get here like french pastry, poutine, and smoked meat sandwiches. Yes, they are all health foods... of course they are! Poutine is this wonderful dish made of cheese, french fries, and a yummy sauce. I can't describe it so here is a picture:

13. If you decide to drop in while we are gone, say hello to the Grandbugs, feed the animals, and fill the fridge, k?

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Wordy Wednesday

Mr. and I picked up the kids at camp on Monday. When we dropped them off, we had one girl and one boy. When we picked them up, they gave us these:

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Email Woes

I have a big bucks Hughes satellite internet service because I live in the middle of nowhere. I have a Hughes email account like any other person who has this ISP. I use this particular email account for family, close friends, and other essential things like bill paying and banking. I have not had access to the email account for 2 days now - due to an "email degradation" and to say that I am NOT happy is an understatement.

I feel so lost -- cut off from my friends and family. How could this happen?

So, those of you who usually email me at the hughes address, may want to use the ladybugxing at gmail dot com address to contact me.

Monday, July 09, 2007

No more film for me...

Mr. bought me a new digital camera. See that little number on the left? Yup, he bought me that one. Okay, so I chose it after much research. I'm trying it out today! Mr. and I are picking up the children at camp. The kids are putting on a musical based on the bible story in Ezekiel about the bones -- Them Dry Bones. I'll be snapping pictures left right and center. The children are going to be mortified at the number of pictures I can take. I'm not limited by the number of frames on a roll of film any.more... Just when they think I can't take more pictures... I'll snap some more! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Letter from Camp

LLB and #1 are at summer camp.

#1 told me not to pack any writing supplies for him as he was not going to write a note, a letter, a word... In other words, "you won't hear from me because I'll be too busy having fun with my friends..."

LLB sent us a note - a two pager thankyouverymuch.

The two sentences that said it all are these:

"The food is turific!" (She still can't spell!)

"I'm having the best time of my life!!"


BTW: There is nothing in there about her brother, so I'm assuming he is fine.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

It's getting there...

Ignore the dust, okay??

The painting is almost done. I have to do the crown molding today. That stays white, so you can get a feeling for what it will look like. Once the painting is done, I'll put pictures on the walls and take some more photos for you.


This is really pretty boring -- except for that gorgeous rug that I got on sale!!!

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Thursday 13

Today is the 100th edition of the T-13.
I was supposed to link to my favorite TT's...

Alas, I did not do that. I don't have time for that. I am a busy woman with two children at summer camp. :-)


Thirteen Things LadyBug Is Thinking About Today


1. I went to my favorite store - IKEA - yesterday. I got a few little lovelies, but nothing overly dramatic -- Unless you consider a duster thing exciting...

2. On the way home, Mr. picked up some spackle so that we could repair the walls that the wallpaper ruined. It is wicked cool! It goes on pink - HOT pink - and turns white when it is ready to be sanded.

3. My new camera is arriving today via UPS.

4. I got up at 6 this morning and put the first coat of paint on the window and door trim. Did I mention that I hate to paint trim...

5. Mr. and I have a band meeting tonight. This is when they tell us the jobs we signed up for at the drum and bugle competition are the worst jobs and no we can't switch... (Yes, I am paranoid.)

6. While I was painting this morning, I realized that I haven't finished the scrapbook and I have to have it done by next week when we go to Montreal to see family...

7. One should not think while one paints. One should just paint.

8. I have to give the baseboard trim a coat of paint, but I need to tape the floor first.

9. I paint funny. I give the trim a coat of paint first. Then I do the 2 coats on the walls. Then I give the trim it's final coat.

10. I can't wait to see what the walls look like. I have two shades of one color for the top and bottom of the walls. The color? Oh... it's Benjamin Moore Shaker Beige.

11. The bottom is the full fledged color and the top is half strength. The trim color is White Dove. It's lovely...

12. I know it's lovely because I have it all over me...

13. If you don't have anything better to do today, come on over. You can help or you can watch and keep me company. Your choice.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Wordless Wordy Wednesday

So, I intended to paint...
But the (insert expletive here) pink wallpaper took 3+ hours to remove. I have removed all kinds of wallpaper in this house (and the last one) and it never took that long to remove that little bit of paper.

The wall paper was only on the bottom of the wall under the chair rail... It was so frustrating (read: I whined so much) that Mr. helped me out. That puky pink paper must have been installed by an overzealous paper hanger 21 years ago when the house was built. It was so stuck in a couple of places that I have to repair the wall!!!

Oh and did I mention that it also had some kind of a coating on it, because it had to come off in two layers. The pink layer and then the paper layer. You all remember that I don't DO wet paper... it's one of my "issues".

Fortunately, I have the sweetest husband in the world. He picked up all the wet paper for me.

We finished the paper stripping, wall washing, and cleaning up at 3:15 yesterday afternoon. The paint is currently sitting in cans on my kitchen counter.

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

When the kids are away...

The mom goes shopping!!
Yes, I do! Yesterday I went to the rug outlet and purchased two new rugs. One for the dining room and one for the living room.
Today, after my Jazzercise class, I'm going to purchase the paint for the dining room.

Why would I paint when the children are gone?
Besides the obvious - that it is easier without ten million interruptions...
I have no choice.
The rug is burgundy and black. The walls are 80's pink. My SIL is coming to visit in a couple of weeks and we are going to be gone one of those weeks...
I work much better under pressure...

Oh and I can't paint tomorrow because I'm going shopping to my all time favorite store... IKEA!! So, I'll be painting today - like this afternoon. If you need me... you know where to find me... Yup.. the dining room.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Perfect Post

I just love to read Crystal!
She makes me laugh. She makes me cry.
She's real!!

This post and this post had me rolling on the floor laughing.

Go give her some love, k?

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Polo, Potties, and People

We went to polo again last night.
I do love to go to polo on a gorgeous cool night.

The polo matches were very exciting this week. The ponies were fast and there were some really terrific shots (and misses). One poor girl couldn't hit the side of a barn, but ended up getting the last goal of the evening.

LLB told us she wants to try polo. Of course she does.

Anyway... #1 was standing just behind my chair asking me a question during the break between matches. He hadn't said a complete sentence when this white haired gentleman came over and asked if he could sit down. #1 was very respectful, apologized, and knelt down. (Not that there was much to see at that point... The "zamboni" was in the process of cleaning up the arena. Maybe the guy likes to watch the tractor go around...) We thought the man had a chair right behind us. Alas, when we looked, his chair was to the left and a little in front of us... Then we noticed that there were people standing all over the place. He didn't ask them to sit down... #1 isn't that tall... What.ever.

Note to self: Purchase another folding chair so that #1 will have a place to sit when he wants to ask me a question.

The porta potties were wonderful... Just so you know. They usually have the ugly green ones, but this week they had silver ones. They had lights and fans that went on automatically when you stepped inside, real porcelain bowls, TP, sinks - complete with soap, and paper towels. Well... let me rephrase that... The first time I used the potty, it had soap and water but no paper towels. The second time I went, I used a different potty and it had paper towels and soap, but no water. I discovered it had no water AFTER I covered my hands in soap. Yup.. that was pleasant.

Note to self: Put hand gel in pocket - do NOT leave it in the car.


We had excellent snacks, complete with sushi. Yummm!!! The mimosas flowed freely -- almost too freely. At one point, my cup was empty. I asked Mr. who was driving home. He assured me that he was. I then handed him my cup and asked him to fill it. When this Ladybug got home, she did not pass go... she did not collect her $200... she went straight to bed. Thankyouverymuch.

Note to self: It's okay NOT to finish that last mimosa...