We're getting there...

Well we've had a busy week. I've been busy mostly with helping my girlfriend Barbiedoll organize our Scrapping Retreat in September. There are 20 ladies going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a week. There is alot to do to make it the best week for everyone. This week we finally got commitments from drivers and vehicles. Now we can take care of all the fun stuff! Here is a link to the lodge we have rented, we have it all to ourselves :-) Check it out!

http://www.cabinsofthesmokymountains.com/gatlinburg-cabin-rental/Waterfall_Lodge.html

Rick is finishing the deck this weekend and I'm going to attempt to redo the brick edging around the garden around the house...hopefully I won't be burnt to a crisp. I'll post pictures when we are finished.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It's HUMP Day.....

and I'm glad for that. It's been beautiful out, nice and hot, sunny all around. The birds are loving it and so are the flowers. I took some pics of my flowers around the yard...I couldn't resist chronicling them.

Last weekend Rick went away, Deb came over and we had a great evening together, great food and great chats :-) We made marinated lamb, salad in Parmesan cheese bowls and gee, I think that's all we had! Til we brought out our own individual Ben and Jerry's ice cream containers! Deb had Tortoise Soup and I had Chunky Monkey, neither of us could finish it but it was fun. We lit the fireplace inside because it was freezing out Saturday night.

Sunday we went over to my girlfriend's Claudia's to make a scrapping project, mine isn't finished so I won't show pictures yet...met up with Jenn, Bev, Amanda there...they loved Deb, it was such a fun afternoon :-) I've stole some pics from Amanda's blog and posted them here.

I've been working this week, my work piles up and I get behind when I take a day or two off here and there... Got plans to redo the brick edging around my garden this weekend and Rick is very anxious to finish the deck. It's been dragging on and he doesn't like that.

Cheerio for now!

Howdy!

What's new? I've been working a little, not alot. I enjoy housework so I've been finding something to clean every day. The other day I cleaned our storage room and am fairly happy with it. I am going to take out all our family photos and get those sorted out, we still have nothing on our walls and have lived here for almost two years! Two years!! My how time flies when you're having fun.

Last weekend Rick and I put mulch on our gardens, almost 5 yards, that's alot of shovelling. They look great mind you but it sure was alot of work. Rick is putting an extension on our deck, an additional 6 feet, it is going to be so nice when he is finished. We want to make some shade, it's just too hot in the direct sun in the afternoons out there to enjoy it. Looking forward to sitting out there :-)

Rick is going to Jimi's for the weekend to help finish the plumbing. I've got some scrapbooking plans and some jobs I'd like to get done. I want to plant vines around the deck, hopefully fast growing ones! My girlfriend Deb is coming out on Saturday night for dinner and to spend the night, maybe we'll have a campfire :-) On Sunday we are going over to Claudia's to make a scrapping project, have dinner, some wine and enjoy the hot tub! Monday I have some work to do in the garage (ya! clean the garage while Rick isn't here! yeah!)

Have a great long weekend everyone!

That he not busy being born, is busy dying.

All our lives are too busy...so busy that busy gets in the way of life. How can we enjoy our lives when we are so busy? Over the last week or two, even the last month, I've pondered over this for hours. I'd like to try to take a few steps back where I can and do less outside of the house, take more time to enjoy my time together with Rick and to do some things I love around the house. Less computers, less errands, less plans, more conversations with family, more cuddling with Rick, more rest.

Lots of things have been going on, lots of fun things with friends, not so good news with my brother. At the end of April he thought he had a heart attack but what happened was he pulled and tore all his chest muscles severely. Good news but lots of pain for him. My sister is treking across Vancouver Island to Tofino with hubby. The live just north of Victoria. Rick and I went to Tofino in 2002 and have been telling my sister about it ever since. I'm glad they are on their way, can't wait to hear their take on it.

Bryan, Hiba and Layla are doing well, they've been over for a campfire with friends Maria and John. Layla fell asleep at the campfire, Bryan and Rick had spiderdogs and roasted marshmallows.

Shane and Jen are doing fine and Shane is working a lot of hours. Good for him, the rich guy :-) They got a new puppy in March or April and have been very busy with him. I'm not sure when we'll be seeing them. I'm afraid of dogs and they don't want to leave the dog alone. So we'll see.

I'm off to Argyle tomorrow morning real early, the town is having a garage sale! I'm looking for things for all the grand kids who are visiting this summer for a week, to celebrate Rick's 50th birthday.

Ciao for now!

The Scrappin' Cabin Retreat

I went away last weekend to Jackson's Point to scrapbook with the gang. We celebrated our heritage and decided to pick the 50's to play with. We had Grease playing on the DVD player, a costume night Saturday night with popcorn popping and smores bar! It was fun to see who dressed up and what they did, we had Danny from Grease with Sandra Dee, the bad girl from Grease, two Mouskateers, a perfect Olivia Newton John, poodle skirts, hairbands! We had it all. My girlfriend Claudia and I dressed up as Laverne and Shirley...what a hoot! The weekend was fun and we all headed home Sunday with not very many hours sleep under our belt. Til November, have a great summer girls :-)

Howdy everyone, remember me? I'm baaaaaaccckkkkk! I've completed another season of taxes. I'm going away tomorrow until Sunday with 40 ladies to the Scrappin' Cabin. To a few clients I said I was going to a seminar....well I might learn something so that wasn't a complete fib. I am so looking forward to this weekend, we have a lot of fun planned. The theme is Roaring Through the Ages, Your Family Heritage...we picked the 50's to play with, music, costume and contests. I'm scrapping the two uteruses book once again...it's getting done a layout at a time, and if I don't say myself, it's taking a long time....I'll be sure to post pictures when I get back.

In the middle of April I was off to a weekend with a different group of scrappers. We had a good time, brought some old friends to meet new. The weekend as it was organized was lovely, our group in the kitchen had a blast....laughed so hard my back hurt...can't say much for the rest of the gang though. No idea what they did in their room. We didn't mix much. I'm not used to that. I much prefer a big group where eveyrone is kind and considerate of each other. Myself along with Claudia, the organizer, were glad that weekend was over....it's supposed to be fun. We had our own fun though. Checkout the crazy broads in the picture above!

Other than work work work, I don't have much to talk about. I look forward to visiting with you all. I can't wait to get to my list I've been making the whole month of April. Can you imagine how long it is? I'm looking forward to some lunches with my friends in the next few weeks. And visiting with Hiba and Layla too. I'd like to plan a day to hang out.

Thanks to my family for their patience and to my friends for keeping me real in the most dreaded month of all, April.

Love to all, Mech

"To tax-deductible charity organizations"

Well, it's tax season. Need I say more. I'm tired and under alot of pressure to finish all the files on time. Our deadline is April 30th and I have alot of work to finish before then. I always enjoy the first few weeks of May, soaking up the sun and sitting outside once all the pressure is off.

I'm preparing to go away with the girls this weekend to Claudia's Cropping Camp in Crieff. It's just south of Guelph. There will be 13 of us and I'm going to work on the Two Uteruses book once again. Soon it will be finished...soon like 4 months soon. We've got some great meals planned and are all looking forward to spending the time together.

And two weeks after that it's the semi-annual Scrappin' Cabin. I never used to go to the April Cabin because of the tax season but have the last couple of years. That weekend shaves a few work days out of April for me and that's danger. I've never gone away twice at this time of year...so I'm nervous. I can't work til all hours of the night like I used to.

I'm off to clean up my desk for tomorrow.....

signed...the blogger who doesn't update often enough...

"Drinkin' man listens to the voice he hears"

You have to check out this link my sister sent me....it's a freakin' hoot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1lDBx1gBww

"I can't help it if I'm lucky"

I can't believe I won something! Last Saturday my girlfriend Claudia and I went to a Stamp Camp sponsored by a group of Stampin' Up consultants. It was a fun day even though I had a wicked headache all day. And I won one of the draws! I just finished having a conversation with Jennifer at our table about how I never win anything and the only thing I've ever won was bowling balls with my name inscribed on them...she laughed and said she never wins anything either. So you can imagine my surprise when they called my ticket number. I even remember my number, it was 0705106. I won a stamp set which I love. Later on that day Jennifer had to leave and when she was gone she won a draw also...so we both won. I'm sure she will be so surprised. The power of The Secret!

Today I got a phone call from 570 News and I won 2 tickets to The Music of Led Zepplin playing at the Centre In The Square, Kitchener tomorrow night. How cool is that? I should go and buy a lottery ticket :-)

After the Stamp Camp Rick and I went downtown to Roy Thomson Hall to see George Carlin with my brother Jimi and his girlfriend Lynn. It was a good show, very funny and I don't think he is nearly as crude as he was back in the day. But very very funny!

Rick and Bryan repainted my basement on Sunday, I absolutely love the colour this time :-) Hopefully we'll get it all done for this weekend. Layla is doing wonderful and gets cuter by the second. We had a nice dinner, Hiba Bryan Rick and I.

Have a great week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

to two lovely ladies in my life....

Happy 30th Birthday Amanda! Amanda is my stepdaughter, living in Windsor, Nova Scotia. Hope you have a wonderful day and you don't feel too 'old'. (Wait til you get our age)

Happy Birthday Bonnie! Bonnie is my exsisterinlawsisterfriend.....hope your day is amazing and you get to spend it with all the kids.

Love ya both, Mich