Stetson!

Ok - so it isn't a hat!

Please help us welcome our new addition to this crazy house - Stetson! He is a 16 month old English Golden Retriever. We picked him up from a great couple in Williams Lake that couldn't keep him due to health reasons. They had only had him a few weeks. He originally came from a farm in Prince George.

Stetson is a marvelous dog that deserves kids! (no that is not a hex!) He loves to follow and join in and race and lay and just BE with G the Babe, R (the Leased)and Dman. G the Babe has found a forever friend for sure. Every time he would come in the house because he was tired or had to go to the bathroom, he would meander back to the door and whoosh - be off out to his dog again!

Stetson's bark is a deep heavy WHOOF! and we get to hear it lots. We have all this new stuff around us so he has to check out what to get upset about - the neighbors' dogs, squirrels (YEA!), black birds (must be chased away), and wildlife must stay out of the yard!

So far we have not invited him into the house, however, come fall he will definitely be in and out.

BTW - Dolly, our Mini Dachshund, is not as happy with Stetson as we are. He keeps smelling her butt and she is tired of that! She does rule him, however. He can't get to rambunctious around her or she gets really upset.

Long Weekend Plans NOT!

Ok so the gods are not in our favour!

Dman is off to a long weekend sports event with the Cadets at Terrace. Ok, so it is a little cold (down to 1 last night). He is young and will survive!

Our well pump decided to come off the water pipes last night and we have no water in the house of 6! Repair man to be here at 9am.

This was to be our Saturday to go garage saling - brrrrr! Dress warm.

This afternoon is our Creative Memories party at 2pm - only 1 other confirmed guest.

Can you see the pattern happening here???

I'm Healthy!!!!

Just got back from my Dr.'s office and he had nothing but great news for me. My cholesterol is WAY, WAY down from last year. My blood pressure is down. All blood and urine tests are showing only good good good. Whooo hooo!

I was one step away from serious lifestyle changes - ie. even more food avoidance and lots more exercise, far less work, more medications etc. - last year at this time. Thanks mainly to Dianne and Shane's arrival this year, my health is tons better. I am eating at home more, working so much less, doing less housework and enjoying my hobbies much more! All thanks to Dianne!!!

It is so great to have my health turning around!

Busy times (Part 2)

So how come when I get 2 great days in a row, I want a 3rd? Why can't I be grateful and happy and ready to settle down and do some housework? Instead, all I can think about is having more fun! Does this make me selfish? self-centered? unappreciative of those around me that made my 2 great days possible?

Friday afternoon I got to go to PG with T & D and have a great afternoon and evening shopping (first time in almost 2 months). For a shopaholic, that was heaven. Spent way too much money, but got groceries, clothing, summer stuff for outside, gifts for the boys, etc. It was great to spend the time with 2 of the people I love, doing something together that we all love to do.

Saturday I went scrapbooking with D & all my friends (except one). It was absolutely great! We laughed all day and I got 6 pages completed. It was a great day of creativity and friendship. After packing everything up and coming home (to a house with nobody in it!), D and I played Civilization IV on the computers as a team. We made our own supper (hot dogs that screamed and their heads popped off - in the microwave) that made us laugh, then more Civ IV till almost 1 am. I had to stay up for an hour to calm down since I was so wound up in the battles on my computer I couldn't sleep.

I was up at 5am to get Demetris up and ready for Cadets (going gliding in PG today). I headed back to bed at 6 and slept in till 10. Now - wouldn't you think I would be grateful to my family that is all up and moving and working . . . They are all busy cleaning out my breakfast nook and turning it into a coffee/computer station and running new water pipes for my laundry room redo. Now isn't that enough to get me going - get me out of my chair and working?

Here I sit, writing in my blog and my mind is completely submersed in working on blogging for D's Coveted Cutz blog site and playing more Civ IV. I am a bad person. I am going to H E L L. Up, I am. (Flog, flog, flog.)

Busy times

I guess this is my life . . . busy all the time, even when sitting still at my computer. Yes, my life is surrounded by busy. Now, I don't think that is a bad thing. In fact, that is what makes my down and out times feel ok. But, everyone else seems to think that the "busy" is what makes me stressed. Hmm, nope, I don't feel that way. I get stressed in the dark of night when my body is too tired to do anything and my mind is going way too fast to sleep. I get stressed when I am being withdrawn and "into" myself. I get stressed when I have to deal with my office for more than 4 hours. I get stressed over money issues (particularly the lack of money). I get stressed with the "I should have" statements in my head.

So, having thought this through (at least the stress part), let me "think through" the busy part. My basic, core self is somehow based in being the centre pin of my family, (hence The Matriarch). The name means to me the strength and head of a family both mentally and physically. It does not mean tyrant, master or authoritarian. It means mentor and leader - a leader that encourages each member of the family to become their own leader and master. I struggle with the image of the Italian Matriarch. I envision that person to be dominant and self serving to the detriment of any who raise their head above ground (ie. smack the gopher image). I am more the Canadian Matriarch who is in the process of training up the next generation of leaders to take over when I die. In order for succession to work, you must guide each heir to be a strong and confident leader in their own right.

There are many times when I don't agree with my family's decisions or actions. That was true when they were in preschool and will be true till I die. My role is to observe, encourage and support. To support a decision or behaviour you don't like or agree with is the most difficult to deal with. Not because of the need to support the other person, but because my inside voice says "I must be weak not to take and stand and tell them off or set them straight." But, to learn valuable life lessons, I believe you must experience them, not be told about them.

Hmmm - now, is that where a new "stress" enters my lifestyle? Whenever you have to internalize or hold back a reaction, there is a "stressor" involved, but I honestly don't believe that this is a significant one. If it was, I would have been on high blood pressure pills since my first child reached 4 and had to make her bed, dress herself, clean her own teeth etc. because I know I could do them all for her better than she could do them at 4 yrs old.

NOPE - I don't buy into that stress.

Ok - enough heavy thought for this morning. LOL. Need to get some work done.

Opinions welcome!

Scrapbooking

What a great weekend!

After the post tax time dinner at Ben's West Side Kitchen on Friday night, I got to attend the rest of the 3 day scrapbooking weekend by Wanda at the Vasa Lodge. It was amazing.

I sat with friends and scrapbooked my heart out. I went for supper with D. and shared some of the fun. By Saturday evening I had learned 5 new techniques and completed 8 pages and 2 cards. By Sunday afternoon (left at 3:30) that number was 14 pages and 2 cards and another 4 new technique demos.

I laughed and joked for 2 days. Everyone was happy and thrilled to be there. What a great feeling to be in a room with such creative mojo working! I have some of my best creations from this weekend.

Now I remember what got me so caught up in this beautiful orchestration of art, skill and creativity.