Life is just moving too fast!

I am only sitting on the sidelines as my family scurries around me, and yet, I am feeling completely overwhelmed with life right now.

My daughter and family have moved from Calgary and are staying in my house right now (add 5 to the supper table - lol). They are waiting to see if their house will be ready March 1 or later. They may stay for a couple of weeks while they paint and update some of the rooms in the new place before they fill up the rooms.

My second daughter just got back from a free week on Mexico. She is relaxed and happy to be home and has lots to catch up on. Her sister moving the week she got back meant she had to jump into life at full speed after her holiday. But this weekend she gets to have girl time since her fiance is off ice fishing. (Watch out Calgary! The city may never be the same.)

My third daughter and my son are renovating - yes their new house is getting a kitchen & bathroom upgrade and changes to the living space as well. The contractor has been there for 2 weeks and should be done by Friday. Their new appliances arrived and they are awesome. My daughter got the new stove for upstairs and is sending the old (ie. newer glass topped, black, self cleaning one) down for that kitchen. The new one is an induction stove. WOW and double WOW! They cooked on it last night and my son in law has a new mistress - the new stove!!! In their downtime, my third daughter and hubby are dividing one of the huge bedrooms upstairs into 2 sleeping rooms for their 2 oldest girls. With more drywall and some mudding it should be ready to paint next week. (That one they are doing themselves with a little help from their friends.)

My son is staying with us in the suite in our basement while we have him on painkillers and anti-inflamatories. He sneezed and collapsed on Saturday and pulled muscles in his back. After a shot of morphine at the hospital Saturday, we have him on meds every 4 hours added to his meds for the ulcerative colitis and schlerosing cholingitis and the calcium and Vitamin D for his osteoporosis. Yes, I do have a spreadsheet to track his meds!

So I don't have time to have a life - LOL! Just standing on the sidelines and watching it go by is about all I can handle right now. Oh yea - I was home sick last week with muscle spasms in my back and Saturday was my first good day. I am now home with my son this week. Go Office Staff! Go!

52 Weeks Update

So after a delay in starting my 52 week plan, I am finally on track and ahead of schedule. I purchased an address book that is about 5x5 inches so I can use each title page for that particular letter - ie. A is for a lower case and then upper case can be on the facing page.

I managed to finally beat the letter a in Chancery cursive - it proved to be more difficult than any other letter since it is more rounded than I normally write. But it is finally in the book and I feel better every time I use it in a word. The letters b, p, and d were easily mastered, as were c and o. Then I was able to rush into the i, j, and l letters that again were mastered in a day. So that a was not friendly to start with. I hope that I will now be able to get through multiple styles in my 52 weeks. The capital letters will be right after I finish the lower case of this Chancery Cursive.

I discovered a pack of journaling note papers that are beautiful and covered in roses with light lines for journaling. I have used them to title each page and then write out the particular letter I have mastered. They look rather nice. I now have to find a similar design or color for the upper case letters facing each page.

But since it is week 6 I feel rather good having completed 20 letters - whoo hoo!

Bad week

Since last Saturday (Feb 13), I have been suffering with severe back spasms. I managed to work on one day (Monday) and teach Tuesday and Thursday night, but that is the best I could do. My worst day was Thursday when I went to the emergency and got a prescription for pain/muscle spasms. I saw the Dr. on Wednesday and had a locum for my regular Dr. He was useless. His response to my back spasms was that I should exercise more. RIGHT! I could hardly take a breath and he sent me home to take it easy. My blood pressure went up due to the pain so they couldn't give me a shot to releave the spasms. What a waste of a week.

But on the good side, I did get a week off before My Oldest Baby, Spouse and the boys arrive on Monday or Tuesday. Then life will speed up significantly. Hubby left this morning to take a trailer down with his truck to drive back on Sunday with a load. He isn't feeling very good about the whole thing - he says he is worried about me, but I think he is just tired. Hopefully the drive will go well.

My mind is whirling with ideas for scrapbooking with My Oldest Baby. I honestly can't wait to have her here. Having someone that is so very encouraging is amazing. I hope I can keep up with everyone and not disappoint people.

Dman is such a good young man - sensitive and caring. He needs to gain some self assurance and know that he is respected. I hope I can help with that. I haven't had the opportunity to follow his growth since he was 3 or 4 years old - it is fascinating to see what a good person he has become.

The Unleashed is going to be a challenge. He is bright and fast, but emotionally he doesn't know what to do with those emotions. He tends to shut down and withdraw. I hope he can find a "safe place" with his grandma and grandpa. A place where he is loved and cared for as he is without expectations.

My Oldest Baby's Baby is young and maleable. He wants to be older, but tends to fall back on baby behaviour to get attention and power. Hmmm - calm and submissive is the goal here. I hope I can help with that.

Such expectations I have of myself. I hope I can live up to most of them.

Stop the spinning . . .

So much has happened today that it is hard to put it down in words. To summarize:
Shane met with the Trades rep from the province today and was told that he should challenge both year 1 and 2 of the elctrician's exams. If those go well, and he can get a letter of reference from Bruce (his former boss), he can challenge year 3 of the Electrician's exams. That would only leave the 4th year that he would have to put in time and studies before qualifying as a Journeyman Electrician. WOW!

That is even better than we had hoped for. It is just amazing what doors are opening for him right now. The transfer of his EI is a simple matter of changing addresses and he is ok to meet with local EI counsellors that appear to be making themselves available immediately instead of the 2 week delay we were warned about. The College is offering study materials for the Electricians course and the Trade rep offered to send him the practice exams from Calgary to use to prep for the exams.

Ok so all that in one day. I feel as if my head is spinning - I can't even imagine how Shane is feeling. Add this to the fact that the boys are registered for school and Roarke has been registered to join the Chess club to challenge his "scientific" mind. Demetris attended his first Cadet's meet tonight already. They have a home to move into (small, a duplex) and all they have to do is pay for the utilities, no rent.

Dianne is busy working on 3 different websites, all for pay! She has a brochure to work on and other leads already. An old friend has offered her $100/mon to write blogs 2/week. She is also looking for website development. A monthly magazine is available that is looking for submissions - she may be able to start selling memberships on a celiac website support. and again - Wow!

My life seems so mundane and yet my heart is just fluttering with excitement. I will have my oldest daughter and her family moving home! HOME! to Quesnel!!! OMG! It is amazing to me. I have always had faith that when something is supposed to happen everything falls into place to make it so. That certainly seems to be the case here.

Wow - and Wow!

52 Weeks Update

So this is not so easy eh?

I thought I could catch up with week with 6 letters completed. Hmmm maybe the letter style is tougher than I thought. I love the sharp angles and the variation of thick and thin that ink can give. The font I chose is very rounded. My hands don't go that way it seems LOL!

I have pages of the letters a, o, c, p, b, d and they still don't come out the same twice in a row. ERRRRRGH!

Back to practice some more!

My 52 Week Project

Ok, so I have now given this project more thought. I am very pumped with the idea of actually learning script writing. I am going to start a small notebook to "publish" my finished letter of the week. The idea being that I will scrapbook that letter into a 2 page spread using the letter as the theme. The notebook will be a small one - nothing too big or demanding since the scrapbook effect is not to override the letter successfully learned and mastered that week.

So now - I have researched the various scripts and have definite likes and dislikes. For my first venture into writing I have chosen Chancery lettering. I am using the training materials on the following website:

http://cmcgavren.home.sprynet.com

So far today I have been battling the letter "a" with some little success. How come it looks so easy, seems like a reasonable motion and flourish, and doesn't look the same as the template? Hmm - more practice before I can say complete.

52 Weeks Project

Ok so my whole family is taking on this idea of 52 . . . something. Well it is my turn.

I have found a marvelous link to Calligraphy styles, guilds, groups etc. Since I have always wanted to learn proper script writing, and I have decent handwriting, my 52 weeks will be *drum roll please*:
52 letters of the alphabet x 2 using calligraphy styles (that will be 26 lower case and 26 upper case letters).

OOOOh more details to follow.

I am so excited to start this one.

http://www.cynscribe.com/canada.html

Yeh for Friday!

I am soo very glad it is Friday. I feel as if I have been on a rollercoaster all week. With the decision made for D & S to move here, now we have to arrange meetings to facilitate the entry for S to the electrician course at the College on February 28th. Just a few government hurdles to navigate.

The thoughts of my grandsons being here are soooo heady. Helping with homework projects, helping with hobbies and fun times - wow! And the fear - BOYS!!!! I know how to keep up with Princesses, but Princes that are 1/2 frog - not so sure.

But, off to bed to dream of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails and of my exciting day tomorrow - scrapbooking. Whooo hooo.

Nite all.

Excitement reigns supreme

Ok, is it ok to say I am really excited to have D & S & boys moving home to Quesnel??? As bad as the unemployment is in Quesnel, the attitude about the job situation is so different here to Calgary, that it doesn't even seem possible.

Even the gloom and doom people say that the current shut downs and layoffs are just temporary and things are going to get better.

I believe that with all my heart!

I have always believed that if someone wants to work, they will find work. It may take longer and be really depressing looking, but that person will work!! Just staying "out there" and talking to people honestly about being out of work and looking, means that the chance of something happening is so much higher.

By tomorrow we should have some complete plans made for the move. What a relief that will be for D. I can only imagine how hard it is to be living day in and day out waiting for SOMETHING to happen, and yet, hoping nothing does.

Regardless, it is really hard to keep the goofy grin off my face. One friend said, "Hilma, your face is glowing!" and she was right. to have my 3 grandsons in town where I can visit regularly, help with homework and just be part of their lives . . . well, that is heaven!

Night all.

High blood pressure day!

Ok so I slept in, then got the call that I had 20 minutes to be up and at a clients. Made it!

Had a super morning with my client. One of those rewarding times where your previous instructions and suggestions have been taken to heart and the client has struggled to make it all work. Make a few changes, fix a few entries, and prep the data for the client's year end to go to an accountant in Vancouver. Client is appreciative and loves my work. What could be better????

Yea - then I go to the office.

An insurance salesman that supplies extended benefits to a client that we do payrolls for, takes a strip off my hardest working, dedicated staff. He asks her if she finished her training? Could she do her job? and on and on. OOOOOOH I was so mad!!!!!

Contacted the client to let him know I was about to take on his insurance rep and got his ok. I was to tell the rep to F..O.. Hmmm maybe not quite that much oomph.

Called the rep and he said he didn't say anything that should have upset her - that she must be mistaken. He would never be rude or unfair. HUH! Told him he was WRONG and that he did not have permission to take out his attitude on my staff. Finished the call with him asking to apologize to my staff.

OOOOOh I was so churned up. Called my staff in and reviewed the situation and what elements could be misinterpreted by idiots that sell insurance. Settled all and office was happy and I was still burning.

Retail therapy helped the surface, but my blood pressure was still high 3 hours later. I hate that part of the job!!!!!

To call 911 or not

Leaving the College tonight there was a group of young guys building a "ramp" at the top of the stairs from the parking lot to the street below. They were all lined up with skiis and snowboards to take a few jumps. The problem was that there is not enough snow at the bottom of the stairs to safely land. I called 911 only to be advised that I should be calling the detachment line not emergency. Ok - so I don't have that number in my cell phone. I will definitely get it there.

They did agree to send someone over, but since it is not posted that there is no skiing or skateboarding allowed, then the kids are not breaking any bylaws. Just being stupid isn't enough, I guess.

I ended up calling the Director of the College and she said they had done something like this before. She is going to call the janitor to go out and make sure all is well. I can't believe that the risk of a teenager doing serious damage to themselves on the College grounds is worth the good will of letting them do whatever they want there. I know the College is working on an open campus concept where the community needs to feel welcome, but is it really ok? Wow, I didn't feel good leaving the kids there making stupid plans to try to break their necks going down 8 cement stairs (each one is double wide as well) and landing on less than 1/2" of snow/slush on the cement road 6 feet down. Idiots!

The mother in me was screaming to get them to not jump, but I calmly drove away and let the authorities take that responsibility for me.

Coward? Probably.

Fun Times

Ok so I skipped out on work today - I know, I know! It is my own business and I can do that if I want - but - and this is a big but! - only if I don't NEED to be there. I should have been there. I have an office that is messy with unfinished work, administrative jobs, lots of bookkeeping for my company and Tom's, etc. I also have a number of billings waiting to be done up and my time to get entered for more billings. With cash flow at a negative, well billings are important. Enough guilt! Move on, Hilma.

I got to spend the better part of today with SC and her girls. Holding AC for the mosts of the day just about filled my baby meter for the week. It was awesome. Watching IS play with DC at the table at snack time was priceless. As was the statement IS made about the snowman they made in the back yard made her so "proud of them" (SC & IS for building it yesterday). It is an awesome snowman, btw. Complete with back top hat, scarf and button front!

Excitement rains supreme with DP and SP. I have my fingers crossed that there is a future for them here in Quesnel! Whoo hooo! My mother cup runneth over!

Class was rewarding tonight. My students seem to feel that they are learning and getting lots out of the classes this semester. Having access to the computer software for teaching is great!

Now I just have to get some energy in the morning rather than the evenings! LOL

Hello Blog

Ok, so I have wanted to do this for years - post thoughts and ideas in one common place. Having purchased numerous journals (because they are so pretty and make me feel good) and never having filled a single one of them, I should have years of "blogging" ready to go.

So why haven't I journaled before?

Because to journal correctly you have to have your personal fountain pen for every item you jot down. No personal fountain pen, no writing.

Okay, even to me that sounds silly, but I love the fact that a journal is written in one color, one ink, one pen/pencil etc. It lends itself to the concept that the writer is of one common mind - not the scattered thoughts that seem to make up my minutes. I want that sense of cohesiveness. I need to "present" myself (even in my personal blog.)

So I am ready to present myself!

I am using one single font - one single design - one common place for my thoughts to take over. My family has been singing the praises of gmail & google for a long time so I am going to make the jump.

I promise myself to keep the postings short and regular - nightly would be nice. How personal or detailed - well that remains to be seen.

Wow - feel better already.