the salon (said in a hoity toity voice)

There is a really nice salon in Whitby that I get my hair cut at, and Craig used to when he wasn't growing his. Sterling has had his hair cut there a couple of times as with all the hair he has he needs it properly cut. Yesterday was Kaedo's first time. The atmosphere is great and the stylist that I always use for Sterling is terrific. Whether she truly does or not, she always seems genuinely interested in what is going on in their lives. She asks lots of questions and the boys just loved it. They even get their hair shampooed and a little head massage. Kaedo went first and he had a picture of a specific haircut he wanted. Joe Jonas - anyone with kids around the ages of mine, know the Jonas Brothers and love them. Kaedo loves Joe's haircut, so he took a picture to Candace and she went for it. The picture above is from about 2 hours after it was cut, so he looked like a ragga-muffin again, but it was fantastic when it was done. He doesn't have the kind of hair that actually holds a style for very long. He had lots taken off and he just looks so awesome. It looks so healthy and the length that was cut off was much needed.
Sterling asked for a trim, "only an inch" (I don't know if he knows exactly what an inch is) and "thinned". Can you tell he is a veteran? He has the most gorgeous hair, so it looked just awesome. Candace always straightens it and they loved that. Kaedo was especially thrilled with this as he had seen Sterling's done before. Now apparently, he needs to go to "the salon" the morning of his school pictures to get his hair done. He cracks me up!
Anyway - it was a lot of fun and it's always nice to have your haircut before a big event - school starts on Tuesday!

all is well in the world

They are home! After an agonizing day, we finally got to see the boys. They looked a bit ragged, but awesome and were thrilled to see us. Not as thrilled as we were to see them, but you know what I mean. Their flight was delayed 30 minutes and it was the longest of my life. We snuck into the baggage pick-up and waited none too patiently for them to come down the stairs. With 5 pieces of luggage, 4 carry-ons and 2 bikes, it was a lot to push out to the van. We got home at 1:45am and once the boys had played with Ketchup, snooped around the house, checked out all their school gear and said goodnight it was going on 2:30am.
When I checked on them this morning at 8, my heart just sighed. My boys are home. All truly is well in the world.

hip hip hurray!

Today is the DAY!
The boys are coming home.
Finally.
11:53pm

House semi-stocked with food? $224
Sheets changed and set up ready for them to slide into? $1 in electricity and water
Van filled with gas? $115
Plans to be there an hour early? $30 in parking
Welcome home signs made and in the van? $1 for bristol board from Dollarama
Camera at the door? $400 to replace after I crush it if I forget it!

The anticipation of that first hug?
priceless

boohoo

So,
my neighbors, the backyardigans, are moving. We will no longer be the sideyardigans. Do you think they will think we are stalking if we move near them? No, we are not moving, but boy it is worth thinking about. The kids are such good friends, and while I know they will still see each other, the instant gratification they receive of ringing each other's doorbell within 1 minute of talking on the phone will forever be history.
They have played together so much and have really grown up together these last four years. A currently attends our school and the boys sometimes see her in the hall, etc. N will be starting at our school on Tuesday and so the boys will get the chance to meet up with him and introduce him to their friends. We've also made plans for them to walk to and from school together. I should clarify. They will be love RIGHT across the street from the school, and I will have access to worry free parking for drop offs and pick ups. Right, Laura? Better stay on her good side or she is going to put up pylons blocking her driveway!
I will say this, I know that a friendship like ours will not be diminished by a few miles of distance, but the ease of which we have been able to spend time together will be greatly missed.
Who would have known 5 years ago in October, that our families would be so close? Not me. I am, however, so grateful. It made our transition here so much easier.
They are the best.
Good luck my friends.
We will be camped out on your new doorstep soon.

back to school?

With school starting for our kids on Tuesday, I thought I might throw out a little "school days quiz". I'd love it if you'd join in. Here goes:

Name of your school(s):
St. Mary's Elementary School, St. Francis Jr. High, CCH
How did you get to school?
Mom drove me - I HATED the bus - that's why the boys don't take it
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Mme. Paquin - she saw the real me and gave my mom some of the best advice ever! Second would be Mlle. Glavina - she was so sweet, third would be Mrs. Whimpster - she was so not sweet but she rocked!
Favorite academic subject?
English
Favorite extra subject (option?)
Library
Most embarrassing thing that ever happened at school?
Got caught skipping school by my mom and the principal came to my class and asked for me in front of everyone and then gave me hell in the hall - with my mom still there!
Most memorable field trip?
Waterton with Mme. Paquin and walking to St. Patrick's Church on Mass days - it was great to be outside and know that you weren't doing school work that morning. Then again, you did HAVE to go to church!
What kind of lunch did you eat?
Sandwiches, etc. Especially remember ants-on-a-log
Favorite things to do during recess?
Play on the playground equipment/chase boys

You know you are missing your kids when you sit down by yourself and watch the

Suite Life with Zack and Cody

pitiful, absolutely pitiful

so I lied

Thought I would post some pictures about what is going on here this weekend:

Ketchup "locked" in the kitchen - poor dog

Floor of the office (only somewhat due to renovations)

Office with all the stuff from the hall

Front entry

Lovely art - created by us for a hell of a lot less that $1000 ($24, actually)

All the furniture stuffed into one end as we finish the floor on the front side of the house

The big sexy painting - AGAIN!

I LOVE this picture. I don't know why exactly, but here are a few ideas:

You just know he is going to make the shot (he did make the shot, didn't he, mom?)
It looks like he has jumped a mile out of the water to score the final point before the buzzer
I can see his long hair hanging behind him
He looks like he doesn't have a care in the world
He's mine - all mine (except for that tiny bit I share with Craig)

Love pool shots - although they never seem to turn out as good as one would hope for.

No blogging this weekend, as we are trying to finish off getting the house done before the munchkins come home on THURSDAY!!!

So, a special 60th birthday tomorrow to my wonderful mother-in-law. Have a great day.
We love you.
Also - happy birthday to my great friend Laura who will also be celebrating her birthday tomorrow. Big things are happening for you my friend - this is your year!

unhun i rock, unhum, i rock

Nice blog header, man! I have been trying to build one of those damn things for months. Finally Craig and I put our heads together and got it figured out!

Love this picture - have I posted it yet? The big burly cousins watching over their little buddy!

One week. Countdown. This time next Thursday I will have an unbearable stomach ache and will probably be doing my grocery shopping. 6 weeks, already. I can't believe it. It has gone remarkably fast. There have been slow, teary days, but overall it has been fine. Craig and I have been to the drive-in once, the movies twice and out to dinner once. Not too much, eh? People kept telling us that we would be out living it up. I don't think they realize that life goes on. We both work, are both tired at the end of the day, and have had a lot of plans for the house - which has severely crimped our entertainment budget! The house is looking great - if I do say so myself! We have more to do this weekend, and then, at least for now, we will be done. We replaced all the light fixtures last night - I really like them. It is so bright in the house, now. Between that and no curtains, the sun just shines in here. The no curtain thing is OK because we don't have a TV on our main floor so there are no people to look in on in the evening.

The boys's school supplies have been bought - except for the paint, and everything is laid out in their rooms. A couple of shirts, a couple of jeans, new backpacks and lunch bags. I love all that back to school shopping. So fresh and new for a new beginning.

The boys will be busy upon their return. Someone asked me if I had something fun planned for them when they got back. My reply was, "hell no - they've had that all summer". We won't arrive home on Thurs until after midnight and Sterling has to be up and to the football field for his pre-season weigh-in at 10:30 Friday morning. They have eye appts in the afternoon and are getting their hair cut on Saturday. Mom - you will be dying Kaedo's hair on Friday (please).

That's about it. Blah, Blah, Blah - boring, I know.

Click on for larger image

Kaedo's room

I know Craig promised long ago that we would post photos of Kaed's room reno. He wanted a Maple Leafs room (gasp!), so Craig got to work through the Christmas Holidays.

Kaedo's bed with TML blanket (and new school supplies)

Poster for the "front door"

Light switch plate - who knew?

Maple Leaf Craig painted on the wall

Another of Craig's creations

Curtains - my only contribution

Bed - lots of pillows - he usually uses five but we had to remove some for Amma and Baba

Collection of dollys - one of his most favorite things!

That's it. It is his place and he can do with it what he wants - until Sunday when Craig makes him clean it.

gratuitous ass shot

Nice ass, man!
My gorgeous husband spent the weekend with a brush and roller and for that I am eternally grateful. Our house looks awesome! Well, our walls look awesome, the house looks like a bomb went off in it. Craig spent 13 hours painting yesterday and another 6 hours today. He still has more to tackle but won't even think of looking at a paint can until next weekend. The big stuff is done now and we have actually returned the 12ft ladder that was lent to us.
This afternoon we went to the movies - Tropic Thunder - SUCKED!
We've had enough of each other now - too long in the house with no kids to break up the monotony. Craig is working from home tomorrow but trust me - he wishes he wasn't!

reality or not reality???

Found this on another blog and it made me laugh.

I don't know if any of you watch Reality TV but I usually don't. I do, however love "So You Think You Can Dance". The dancers are amazing and they dance so beautiful. It makes me sigh. They are so young and eager and thrilled to be performing. I love it. Saying that, I never watch the results show. Taking that one step further, I never watched the finale.
Why? you may ask. I have come to the realization that whether I like the competitor or not, my heart hurts to see them leave. Especially these guys - they are so young.
I often wonder what makes people decide they want to be a part of these shows. Aside from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars, there is drama, drama, and more drama. The good girls, the villains, the sluts (both male and female), the predators, the nice guys, the undefeated, the perpetually defeated. In the end, no matter which category they fall into, they are all needy, attention needing weirdos. I just don't get it. Deserted islands, begging to get a rose, sleeping with a rockstar, being in rehab in front of the world, being a semi-celebrity locked in a house together. Once all is all done and they get home and watch all the episodes they have TiVo'd I wonder what they think. Are they proud? Embarrassed? Mortified? All I know is that I pity them. They seem so pathetic.
I must make one confession - I love to hear Brett Michaels say "will you be my Rock of Love?" Ugh, no - but will you please say it again?

trading spaces

That's what I wish we were doing - Trading Spaces with someone who would finish all this work for us! Things are shaping up but there is still a ton of things left to do. We are giving the house a new paint job - minus the area leading to the office - unless we have time. The railings are being painted as we speak - well, before and after I write this, and if all goes well the floor will be fixed up. I am anxious to see how it all looks. Craig is the smart one in the family and therefore has taken on the task of doing the painting. Maybe smart isn't the right word - maybe it's that he is the only one able to do it. He has, however, given me the opportunity to paint spindles, sweep, tidy, make supper, wipe his damp forehead, and feed him peeled grapes. sigh. He has done a great job painting so far and will spend the entire weekend painting the main walls. I will be finishing the spindles, painting the table, chair and the rocker, cleaning the boys' rooms and whatever else Craig can give me to do to keep me from complaining about how much this all sucks! Well, it is much needed and I am looking forward to the changes - which may even include new light fixtures. Yeah me!

just couldn't stay away

Hello all -

Just had to get back at it. All is well here. We are on the countdown now for the boys to come home. Always cool when you are past the half way point. Lots going on here. The boys will be surprised when they get home. A couple of new paint colors, the railing being painted and hopefully the floor being done. We are excited about the changes and have even gotten rid of some of our stuff - going for a more streamlined look. Last weekend we took the vanity from in the front room (that held the computer) and put it outside at the curb and wouldn't you know it, someone came by and picked it up! Yeah, one thing we don't have to take to the dump. We also pulled out all the carpet going into the basement. Two reasons - we are painting all the spindles and it was not going to work with the carpet, AND this will motivate us to not wait until next summer to get this done. Craig is busy at work and I too am busy. Things are not dragging on too much, so that is good. The end of last week was much harder for me than any yet, but after a few nights of good sleep I am feeling much better and more motivated.

I thought I would add in some pix of what the boys have been up to. Hope you like them.

1. the handoff
2. working for their money from uncle ken
3. the boys
4. winner at the racetrack
5. winner at the ball game
6. buildin' stuff
7. the babes
8. my boys
9. boys, water and rocks - nothing better

The boys will be busy upon their return - Sterling's football weigh-in, eye appointments, and haircuts are on the agenda. I'm sure they would rather just jump on the trampoline, but too bad for them!

Talk soon,
s