according.to.kim

PI 40/52: Grateful

I'm grateful for safe travels and for my husband doing the driving! I took this picture using the Hipstamatic app on my iPad, on our way to Brandon last weekend. I really like how it turned out, especially the repetition of curves and how the window frame leads to (or from) the top left corner. (Can you tell I love the composition class I'm taking?)

What's next?

Somehow, I managed to post every day last month.

Just before the new year began, I read a Reader's Digest article (thanks Erin!) based on Thank You Power by Deborah Norville, and I decided to list three things I'm thankful for each day. At the same time, I was thinking about getting back in the habit of blogging (recording) more. Both of these ideas provided impetus to start posting daily, but I hadn't really intended to write as much as I did in January. Apparently, it was a good month for this exercise as I had a lot to say, and the girls' birthdays provided a natural topic several times. I'm glad I captured all of that. I'm also glad I took the time to think of things I'm grateful for. Doing this took longer than I wanted it to sometimes, but it probably helped me maintain a pretty good mood through a very busy and somewhat stressful month. And I have 96 things listed to date! I like that.

All of that was good and worthwhile to me, but I can't keep it up! I just have too much to do to continue spending so much time at the computer. For sure, this is one reason I'm so behind on so many other things right now. I don't regret what I have done, but I'm going to let myself off the hook now. I'm pleased to have a month-long record of my/our life and a great gratitude list, and I will leave it at that -- except I have to make my list an even one hundred! So close.

So, what's next? I don't know. I'll keep posting (of course), but not so regularly. Not only do I need to get more done around here, I need to get more sleep!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• a great group of parents at the school of Irish dance
• works of art
• great teachers
• the love of my family

Highlights of the week

• having lunch with my friend, Felecia, at Siam Authentic Thai restaurant on Tuesday. Great company and great food! (The lunch buffet is excellent and inexpensive.)
• starting to get the hang of a few steps in my hard shoe lesson. I'm working on a dance called St. Patrick's Day.
• attending part of Sophia and Madeline's Skate-n-Sing event on Tuesday evening. I enjoy seeing them participate in their activities, but I don't get to their meetings much anymore because of my dance class. It was nice they were at the same location this week.
• getting Sophia's dance dress ordered through one of the other Moms. It'll be exciting for this group of girls, now in their fourth year of Irish dancing, to have new dresses for performances. They've worn the same white blouse and blue skirt combination the past three years.
• receiving a call from Oriental Trading out of the blue. I had not had time to write or call them sooner. It was nice to get this out of the way, and even better to receive a good credit for my troubles.
• receiving iLife '09 in the mail (ordered from Apple) and playing with the face recognition feature in iPhoto.
• seeing the girls play outside in the back yard and make a snowman on Friday afternoon. Perfect weather for it!
• working on Georgia's first-year scrapbook album again. I will get it done this year (hopefully, in the next month or two; I now have a good start on the last step -- adding some words).
• finishing up various things (like cards I started a year ago) and tackling other things (like sorting hundreds of old photos) at Cheryl's on Saturday. It's easier to do these things away from home, where I'm not facing my to-do list and surrounded by distractions.
• getting my Organizing 101 project done today. I love the result! I also love that I only spent $8 total for all 16 containers in my office supply drawer (Dollarama).
• going out to McDonald's for an early supper today with Grandma Louise, Rhonda, Laurel, and B. It was Grandma Louise's treat for our girls' birthdays. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the play structure (except Sophia hit her head and she's very unhappy about the bruise in the middle of her forehead). I think it's been two years since they played there.
• being reminded of my grandparents' barn (especially the hayloft) this evening when I was reading a Pony Pals book to the girls this evening. Good memories!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• grandparents (Neil and I are both lucky to have known ours, and our children are lucky to know their grandparents -- and great grandmothers, too)
• all of my extended family (on both sides)
• childhood memories

Scrapbooking day

This is my grid of 12 photos from January 12. It depicts a pretty typical Monday for me/us -- work and the girls' dance class in the evening. The only exception was Sophia getting her birthday party invitations ready to distribute.

In a couple hours, I'm going to a friend's house for a day of scrapbooking. I thought I'd post now since I may not get home before midnight. I still have quite a bit of work to do to gather my projects and supplies, as well as food to share, so I'd better get moving! My goal today is to finish or at least get further ahead on projects I have already started, so even though I'm behind on a lot of regular household stuff, it will be great to get these things done too.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• my hobby
• Photoshop Elements
• Neil's willingness to do laundry

I'm impressed!

On Tuesday, I received a phone call from an international supervisor at Oriental Trading Company. She left me a message apologizing at length for the problem with my order failing and then having to re-order -- and I hadn't even complained about my bad experience yet! It was GREAT to hear from them first.

I finally had a chance to call her back this afternoon. She had given me her direct number. Again, she was extremely apologetic and immediately offered to credit me the entire cost of shipping. I was pleased with that, but then I also mentioned that two of the items had inexplicably dropped off my order. She apologized again and gave me a credit for those items as well even though I hadn't paid for them (which she knew). Over $60 back on my credit card! I'm happy with that.

I will likely order from OTC again; however, I will probably place the order by phone -- apparently, they have some problems with international orders placed through the website. I will order further in advance next time too!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• music
• good customer service
• my blog/record keeping (I'm in the process of gathering what I wrote about Georgia during her first year of life)

A bit of randomness

You may recall it was my goal this month to drink a glass of water for every cup of coffee I drink. I think I am drinking more water than before, but I haven't been paying enough attention to know for sure. I'll have to keep working on this.

I'm itching to get started on my project for my Organizing 101 class -- the catch-all drawer in our island/desk. I have just managed to keep up with the reading material in this class, and Neil has even done some of the homework for me (he put together an organizing tool kit), but this weekend I will work on the actual organizing.

We upgraded our iLife software suite yesterday. I love the new face recognition feature in iPhoto. So cool!

I'm feeling behind on a lot of things right now. I think I'm going to need a month to catch up and recover from this crazy month (or two).

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• books
• our PVR (the only way I can watch TV now)
• food (we are so fortunate to never worry about going hungry)

How great is eight?

At eight, this sweet and sassy kid:

• says her favourite classes are math and science.
• likes to practice her hand-writing, but does NOT like doing book reports -- except the part that involves drawing a picture.
• reads well in both English and French, and has started enjoying reading on her own, but still likes me to read to her (and Madeline) at bedtime.
• does everything she can to avoid doing homework, preparing for badge testing, taking a bath, getting ready for bed... (we need to work on this!)
• enjoys doing crafts, making cards, drawing, playing computer games, watching anything on Teletoon Retro, playing outside, and doing activities such as Irish dancing and skating.
• jumps up and down a lot -- very often when she's telling us something. I think we might say, "STOP jumping," to her more than anything else!
• has a big appetite and a big sweet tooth (which is not easy to keep in check). She likes to eat and eat and eat. (I guess she needs fuel for all that jumping!)
• loves to help in the kitchen and prepare foods by herself, when possible.
• is honing her selective listening skills. ;)
• still loves bugs, snakes, lizards, fish, and dinosaurs.
• has a great deal of enthusiasm for things she likes and she expresses it with great big smiles and actions.
• is starting to grow out of her shyness and reluctance toward new situations, people, and places.

So, how great is eight? It's supercalifragilisticexpealadocious! (That's what I told Sophia right before I took this photo.)

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• Sophia
• a free evening
• all the benefits I receive through my employment

Eight short years ago...

I had a leisurely day off before going into labour with my first baby... and today (in stark contrast), I made Rice Krispies treats for the Sparks and Brownies Skate-n-Sing annual event, went to work, had lunch with a friend (that part was leisurely anyway!), ate supper in about five minutes flat, went to half of my dance class, attended the Sing part of the Skate-n-Sing (Neil -and Georgia- attended the Skate part), put the older girls to bed, and baked cupcakes for Sophia's classroom birthday celebration tomorrow. And I still have things to do before bed... but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• the miracle of babies (I think they're all miracles, but if you want to read a particularly amazing baby story, check out "The Cole Creation" posts on manontheinside.com -- Kolette and Jason Hall received their little miracle early this morning!)
• hugs and kisses from my children
• friends

Backwards UNslumber party

Invitations:

• homemade cards in the shape of a bear hugging a pillow (made from this colouring page), printed on golden yellow card stock
• Sophia coloured the pillow red on each one
• we asked Sophia's guests to come dressed in pajamas and bring their favourite teddy bear

Decorations:

• white paper on the table
• a banner made by Sophia that said "S O P H I A"

Arrival, goody bags, and group photo:

• as each guest arrived, Sophia greeted her, "Goodbye. Thanks for coming!" and handed her a goody bag (she really enjoyed this part!) -- because it was a backwards party, of course (backwards idea from the internet)
• the goody bags were translucent bags covered with snowflakes, filled with snowflake notepads, various girl/friend-themed tattoos, some retro candy (wax syrup sticks and gum balls), and a Looney Tunes mini tissue pack. Sophia had stamped white labels with a blue snowflake, printed the girls' names on them, and stapled them to the bags
• the children coloured on the table while they waited for more guests to arrive
• once everyone was here, we assembled the girls for a quick group photo session with their teddy bears
• there were 11 children including ours

Cake:

• we had cake right away...
• the cake was a homemade ice cream cake with chocolate cake on the bottom and vanilla ice cream on top (each layer was the about the same thickness), and the sides were covered in vanilla ice cream as well; topped with red and pink heart-shaped sprinkles, and eight very tall rainbow candles (the cake was messy to assemble, but worth it! I would make it again)
• we all sang Happy Birthday to Sophia before eating
• we served the ice cream cake with homemade chocolate sauce (yum!)
• we served the girls ginger ale in little plastic wine glasses after we finished eating cake (only because we forgot to serve it sooner!)

Gift opening:

• we put the girls' names in a hat and Sophia drew a name to determine which gift to open next
• this worked well and (again) gave me a chance to jot down what came from whom

Crafts and games:

• scarf craft: blue fleece snowflake scarfs (from OTC) were ready made with fringes cut at each end; the girls needed to tie each fringe pair together and then tie ribbons around the knots to embellish the fringe; a generous number of various pre-cut ribbons were supplied. Unfortunately, it was going to take much too long to finish, so we decided the girls should finish their scarf at home. I had a bunch of old gift bags ready for our guests to keep track of/take home their scarf, goody bag, bookmark (see below), and their own teddy bear. This worked well to contain all their things (especially the loose ribbons) and made it easier to get going when it was time to leave. (I finished Georgia's scarf tonight during dance class and it's very cute!)
• sleeping bag game: we had one large sleeping bag in the living room; one child would leave the room while another child got into the sleeping bag so she was completely covered; when we called the one who had left back to the living room, she had to guess or figure out who was in the sleeping bag. I wasn't sure how this would go over, but the girls seemed to like it; they were all very eager to have a chance to be the one guessing or the one in the sleeping bag. For the first few turns, we let Sophia pick who would go and who would hide, and then it came down to who hadn't gone out, etc. (game idea from the internet)
• bubble-wrap freeze dance: we had prepared a bubble wrap dance floor before the party -- we cut a 24"x25' roll of bubble wrap into four 6' lengths, then taped them together with packing tape to form a 6'x8' sheet of bubble wrap; we laid the sheet down on the hardwood floor in the living room so the girls could dance on it. Earlier, Sophia and I selected 10 songs from our two Crazy Frog CDs and made a playlist in iTunes. I played about a minute of each song, and each time I stopped the song, the girls had to freeze; after a few seconds, I would start the next song in the playlist. This activity was a big hit! The sound of the bubble wrap popping along with the dance music was great! And if anyone didn't stop moving when the music stopped, you could still hear bubbles popping. Good fun! (bubble wrap idea from the internet; we added the freeze part)
• penguin bookmark craft: we developed this craft ourselves (based on the items we didn't get from OTC -- penguin thermometers and snowflake bookmarks): before the party, we cut light blue card stock into 2.5"x7" strips and punched a hole at one end; cut black satin cord into 15" lengths (5 yards = 12x15"); and selected letter beads (white with black letters) for each of the girls' first names and put them into little zip-top bags. At the party, the girls decorated their bookmark with penguin stickers and then made a tassel with the cord and beads. They turned out well! One child purposely made her name backwards because it was a backwards party. :) Laurel and I checked all the bookmarks to ensure the knot holding the beads was secure and then put them in their bags.

Free time, food, and home time:

• there was a little time left at the end for the girls to hang out and have a snack
• I forgot to put the food out earlier, so it was late -- just 10 minutes before the end of the party -- but that seemed to work fine anyway. Besides, it was a backwards party so it was appropriate to bring it out at the end, right?! The girls dug in...
• ripple chips
• carrots, cucumber, celery sticks, and dip
• more ginger ale and water
• as each girl was leaving, Sophia said, "Hello!" (carrying the backwards theme right through!)

All in all, it was good. I think all of Sophia's guests enjoyed the party, and Sophia did too, but not all of it. She was having "one of those days" in which she was grumpy from the first minute after getting out of bed, and Madeline did something to upset her in the middle of the party (which may not have been so bad on another day)... Sophia cried... then she made Madeline cry... and then she said one of her classmates was being mean to her (I have no idea what happened; Neil says they don't always get along at school either)... basically, there was some mid-party drama I wish we could have avoided, but what can you do? I hope everyone remembers the fun stuff more than the tears!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• Cara Cara navel oranges with pink flesh -- my absolute favourite oranges (only available this time of year. get some!)
• ibuprofen (actually, I was most thankful for ibuprofen yesterday after Sophia's birthday party, but when I was writing my list at the end of the day, I was feeling fine and had forgotten all about having a splitting headache earlier in the day!)
• the ritual of chatting with Sophia and Madeline every night before they go to sleep (they always ask me, "what's fun tomorrow?" or "what are we doing tomorrow that's fun?")

Highlights of the week

• participating in a couple BPS chats -- for A Life Well Crafted (with Kolette & Jason Hall) and Red Letter Days (with Elizabeth Dillow).
  
• beginning to form the habit of 15 minutes a day of organizing or decluttering. I didn't manage to do it every day this week, but I'll keep working at it. I can see this will be very good for me and my house.
  
• listening to Obama's Inaugural Address online (the next day because I had no opportunity on the 20th) and seeing/reading Elizabeth Dillow's inauguration photo album -- interesting to see the view of someone who attended this massive and historical event.
• having hor d'ouvres and drinks with my coworkers on Thursday. We used the surplus from our 2008 social fund to pay for the food.
• celebrating Georgia's potty training achievements. Neil had promised her a DQ treat for a certain accomplishment and she earned it (yay!), so we all went to DQ. (I love DQ ice cream!)
• playing Blokus Duo with Sophia -- a great game we picked up on sale after Christmas. Sophia's getting very good at it. No doubt she'll be able to beat me soon!
• starting to make my January 12 of 12 scrapbook page. I love playing with the photos digitally to put them all into a neat 3x4 grid.
• having well-behaved children at both the doctor's office and in church. They're growing up and becoming more patient (in public, at least!).
• seeing Georgia's eagerness to go to Children's Liturgy with Madeline and then her excitement to show us the page she had coloured when she came back to sit with us in church.
• seeing Sophia's smiling face when she opened her gifts from us: a nightgown, a super soft bathrobe, and a Solar System Mobile. She loves them all.
• giving Sophia a fun Backwards UNslumber Party to celebrate her birthday with her friends this afternoon. Again, many many thanks to Laurel for helping at the party! (Unfortunately, Neil had to leave after the first hour to attend a Mosaic meeting.)
• being well-prepared again to host a birthday party at our house. It's so good to have everything ready before guests arrive. (But sheesh, it's a lot of work getting there!)
  

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• the end of birthday party season!
• wellness (feeling well)
• moments of silence

Today in a nutshell

1. Housework.
2. Errands, lunch, and shopping.
3. Sophia to a birthday party in White City at 1:30 p.m.
4. Madeline and Georgia to L&B's house.
5. More shopping (mostly to replace the items for Sophia's party that we didn't receive from OTC).
6. Pick up girls.
7. Attend 5 p.m. mass in which Sophia was enrolled in first eucharist (communion) preparation.
8. Bake birthday cake.
9. Supper.
10. Put kids to bed (unfortunately, Sophia wasn't feeling well when she went to bed; hope it's just indigestion.)
<<Write this post.>>
11. More birthday party prep.
12. Go to bed (not too late, I hope).

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• our dishwasher
• our girls' good behaviour in church
• the convenience of cake mixes

The girls' checkups

The girls had their annual checkups with our family doctor today. No concerns. They were all well behaved for the appointment and Sophia was considerably less shy than she has been in the past. She actually smiled and spoke to the doctor without burying her face into me!

Their weights and heights were:

• Sophia - 30.5 kg (67 lbs) and 130.4 cm (51.3")
• Madeline - 19.1 kg (42 lbs) and 111 cm (43.7")
• Georgia - 15 kg (33 lbs) and 95.8 cm (37.7")

I wanted to see their growth since last year, but apparently I didn't record their stats in 2008 -- except Georgia's from her annual heart checkup. Georgia has grown five pounds and four inches in the past year.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• online banking
• four-day work weeks
• universal health care (not merely because my kids can have an annual checkup, but because everyone in Canada -- such as Neil's cousin who is currently in critical condition after an ATV accident -- can receive the best possible care without suffering financially on top of the tragedy)

Cowgirl birthday party

Invitations:

• homemade pink cards in the shape of cowgirl boots (made from this colouring page)

Decorations:

• brown kraft paper on the table
• sisal rope draped around the room and over the window
• chili pepper lights draped over the window
• Mexican blankets over the couch and chair
• two cowboy hats hanging from the lamp (I tried wearing one and was much too hot, but Neil wore his)
• four plastic barn door panels over the TV and on the wall (from Gale's on Dewdney)
• all the plush horses and dogs from our house placed in clumps around the living room (the girls' idea and actually very cute)

Arrival and group photo:

• as each guest arrived, we gave her a child-sized cowboy hat and tied a pink bandanna around her neck
• once everyone was here and wearing their hat and bandanna, we assembled the girls for a quick group photo session
• there were 11 children including ours

Food:

• we set the food out right away, so the girls could snack on it throughout the party...
• ripple chips
  
• carrots, cucumber, celery sticks, and dip
• Pigs in a Blanket (made with multi-grain crescent dough, cheddar cheese, and mini sausages from Sobey's -- double smoked turkey and bacon & cheese; they turned out great!)

Games:

• the children seemed to enjoy all of the games we planned...
• pin the tail on the donkey (from Bazarre & Novelty)
• find the cowgirl boots (I printed 20 boots (same as invitation) on pink card stock (four to a sheet), cut them out roughly, then hid them all over our main floor using tape to stick them in various places -- not too difficult, but I had to give hints for the last few and we didn't find one... Madeline found it three days later!)
• rodeo roping (idea from Sophia and Madeline; Neil tied a sisal rope lariat and used some wire to reinforce the loop shape; each child sat on Madeline's little horse, Butterscotch, and then tried to toss the loop over Scooby Doo's head (stuffed animal about two feet tall); it wasn't easy, but they liked trying and there were a couple successes!)
• cow, cow, horse (played just like duck, duck, goose)

Gift opening/hot potato:

• we had the girls (still sitting in a circle from the last game) pass the gifts around slowly while The Devil Went Down to Georgia played on the computer, and then Madeline would open whatever gift she was holding when the music stopped (Neil controlled the music)
• this worked pretty well and gave me a chance to jot down what came from whom

Cake and ice cream:

• we had the girls colour on the table (kraft paper) with wax crayons while they waited for their drinks and then cake (it was great having them occupied at this time!)
• beverages were water and caffeine-free root beer served in little plastic wine glasses
• the cake was a rainbow confetti cake baked in a bundt pan, frosted with pink (vanilla) Dream Whip Fluffy Frosting; and topped with six cowgirl candles (two each of white horses, pink cowboy boots, and purple hats)
• we all sang Happy Birthday to Madeline before eating, of course (and the kids coloured on the table again while they waited for their cake and ice cream)

Free time and goody bags:

• the children played for about 20 minutes before parents started arriving
• each guest received a goody bag as they were leaving...
• a plain brown paper lunch bag filled with western-themed notepads, horse stickers, a little plush horse, and a pack of sugar-free Juicy Fruit. The top was folded down and secured with a horse sticker and we used hemp string to attach a white label with the child's name (printed by Madeline)
• everyone got to take their cowboy hat and bandanna home as well

That's it. It was a great party if I may say so myself! I will try to share some pictures soon.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• laughter
• smoking bans
• extra strength gel eye drops (my eyes are horribly dry right now)

Madeline at six

At six, this dear child of mine:

• practices printing her name often, and likes to print words we spell out for her. She uses a mix of upper and lower case letters, and has NO sense of space (yet!) -- often running out of room at the right edge, or printing words on the very top or bottom edge of the paper (despite having plenty of room). It's funny!
• enjoys watching The Smurfs, Alvin & the Chipmunks, and Scooby Doo, playing with her stuffed animals, playing Webkinz on the computer, listening to bedtime stories (those of her choosing in particular!), saying French words, and singing.
• resorts to whining and shrieking (and occasionally turns into a blubbering mess) when she doesn't get what she wants. I'm confident she'll grow out of this.
• sleeps on the top bunk with Sophia now (a decision they both made), but still climbs into bed with us once in awhile. She does it so quietly, I often don't notice until I get up (which is nice!).
• dances around the house practicing Irish dance steps.
• insists on choosing her own outfits, which almost always include a skirt, and are often not colour-coordinated or weather-appropriate (which aggravates her father immensely!). She can be incredibly defiant when it comes to her clothing. If she wants to wear a certain something, it is next to impossible to get her to change.
• plays well with her sisters, cousin, and other children. She is very easy going and amicable in this department -- almost to a fault when it comes to her big sister! When she and Sophia argue, it is always Madeline who gives in or gives up. (I often tell her to stand up for herself and not give in.)
• is very quick to say sorry when she's done something she shouldn't have, or hurt someone by accident; and, on the flipside, says "that's okay" if she has been hurt by someone -- even as she's crying.
• has a wonderful way of telling stories and expressing her enthusiasm. If she's excited about something, her face and voice are so bright and bubbly, you can't help but smile and be lifted up -- no matter what kind of mood you were in! It's a gift.

She's a gift.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• popcorn
• my coworkers
• time to reflect and record*

*Jan 22: I have to add that I don't have time in the sense that all the chores are done, the house is tidy, I'm prepared for upcoming activities... nothing could be further from the truth! But when I want to write something like this (i.e., what my child was like at this age), I just make time or take the time because it's important to me. I just ignore everything else and do it. (That's my secret to "having time"!)

Simplification is hot

I saw an interesting presentation today called "Where in the World the World is Going" by Trends Analyst and Business Strategist, Warren Evans. He described a trend toward simplification that resonates with me more than anything.

This evening, my dance class was canceled, so I enjoyed a little unexpected free time. When I learned it was canceled, my mind flooded with the possibilities -- far more than I could accomplish in just a couple hours -- but at least I was able to do a couple things I needed to do.

Oh yeah, something historical was happening today too -- Obama's inauguration. I haven't seen, heard, or read a thing about it. I will try to catch up tomorrow.

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• curb-side recycling pickup
• e-bills (less paper in my house)
• bedtime snuggles

Highlights of the week

• taking photos for 12 of 12. It reminded me how much I like capturing "everyday life" in pictures. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to do the scrapbook page yet.
• braiding Georgia's hair and getting some cute pictures of her admiring herself in a mirror.
• starting Organizing 101. I think this class will really help me, but in order to see results, I absolutely must devote TIME to doing the work involved (obviously). I will probably have to scale back on blogging again to accomplish anything.
• eating yummy navel oranges all week. (Sunkist)
• receiving a letter about Georgia's Holter monitor appointment already. I just like this because it gives me confidence in the system; it tells me they're on top of it. The appointment is July 13; quite a bit earlier than we expected.
• receiving comments on my blog. This is a perpetual highlight for me; I always appreciate them very much. (I'm sorry I can't keep up in the other direction though!)
• finding that cool poster from 1948.
• receiving our order from OTC. Despite all of the problems, I am VERY happy it arrived before Madeline's birthday. The items were a big part of her party and I really doubt that I could have purchased them locally, especially at the prices I paid (including shipping).
• cheering on Georgia as she used the potty successfully twice in one day. We'll have her trained soon, right?!
• meeting Mom and Dad for lunch when they were in the city on Saturday.
• making and eating my quick winter fruit salad: apple, orange, and banana cut into chunks and topped with maple spice yogurt (plain yogurt flavoured with VE Maple Spice Fruit Dip Mix).
• seeing Madeline's face when she opened her birthday gift from us: new black and blue western boots. She was delighted! I was worried she might not like the colour, but she seems very happy with them.
• seeing Madeline give her pink cowboy boots to Georgia immediately after opening her new ones. Georgia was delighted too!
• giving Madeline a special Cowgirl Birthday Party. I think she and her friends really enjoyed it. There were lots of smiles and giggles!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• our favourite super-quick frosting recipe: Dream Whip Fluffy Frosting*
• our family calendar (More Time Moms) +
• Things (tools I use to keep track of everything)

*Fudge, chocolate, and vanilla are great. If you use vanilla pudding, you can tint it into lovely pastel shades. You can use cake decorating tools and it holds its shape nicely. Not too sweet and so easy!

Too exhausted to write...

...highlights of the week, a recap of the birthday party, or a proper tribute to the birthday girl, so I'll write about those things during the upcoming week.

Today was full. We worked hard this morning getting ready for Madeline's party and our efforts paid off. It went very well! I'm pleased. After the party, we cleaned up, helped Madeline get some of her gifts out of their packages, and then went to a potluck supper -- sort of a kick-off of the joint venture between the Irish Club of Regina and Prairie Gael School of Irish Dance to host an Irish pavilion at Mosaic this year. Neil had made a marinated vegetable salad yesterday for the potluck, so it was no effort today. It was nice to have such an easy and delicious supper after a busy day. When we got home (shortly after 7:00 pm), I made cupcakes for Madeline's classroom birthday celebration tomorrow. I will frost them in the morning before work, so I'd better not stay up too late!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• Madeline (everyday!)
• Laurel (I'm always grateful for my sister-in-law, but her help at the party today was invaluable!)
• great communities

Party prep in full swing

We've been busy getting ready for Madeline's party tomorrow. It seems hosting a theme party at home is quite a bit of work, but it's also a lot of fun. The kids are very excited and I like working on the details. (At the same time, I remember exactly why we elected to have parties elsewhere the past four years!) We have already put up some decorations and I will bake the cake tonight after the girls are in bed. Tomorrow morning will be filled with party prep as well, but I'm confident it will all be worthwhile!

***
Today I'm thankful for:

• help from my family
• enthusiasm
• coffee

Too close for comfort

December 31: I discover OrientalTrading.com. The girls and I enjoy browsing the website and choosing fabulous things (at great prices too) for Sophia and Madeline's birthday parties. We're all very excited about it. I place an order for 12 things -- practically all of the favours for both parties, cool candles for Madeline's cake, and crafts for Sophia's party. I select expedited shipping (and pay extra) to be sure everything will arrive in time for Madeline's party on the 18th. Upon ordering, I receive in the browser an "Order Confirmation" from Canada Post BorderFree with an itemized list of everything I ordered. I save it as a PDF.

January 3: I receive an email from Oriental Trading that says there are still items in my shopping cart. I don't think so. I click the link in the email to see my shopping cart and there's an error message indicating the account doesn't exist. I call Oriental Trading to confirm that my order is being processed. The rep says yes, my order was received and is being processed. (Note: I was unable to provide a customer number for him to look up because I hadn't received one, but he asked for my name and address.)

January 6: I receive an email from Oriental Trading that says there was an error, the website did not process my order, and I will have to place the order again. (Ack!) I call the toll-free number provided to discuss the situation. The rep assures me several times that if I re-order, it will only take four business days to arrive -- yes, to an address in Canada -- even though the website says 6-10 business for the expedited shipping option. She says the website is wrong. I re-order the items over the phone (using the PDF I had saved on Dec 31, thankfully, to recall what I had ordered). Later, I receive an email confirming my OrientalTrading.com order with an itemized list of everything I ordered.

January 9: I have not yet received the email I'm supposed to receive that says my order has been shipped. I call Oriental Trading to question this. The rep says my order was shipped on January 7. She doesn't know why I didn't get an email about it being shipped. I ask why my credit card hasn't been charged yet (I checked online) and she says it won't show up on my card until the package crosses the border.

January 14: I receive a shipping confirmation email from Oriental Trading that includes an itemized list and a Canada Post tracking number. I eagerly check the package's whereabouts online. An order was "electronically submitted" in Mississauga, ON at 12:20 on January 13.

January 15: I check the package tracking several times. It was processed in Mississauga at 19:38 on January 14, but there is no change throughout the 15th. I try to figure out exactly what "Priority Courier" means. I try not to worry too much.

>>January 1-15: Sophia and Madeline ask almost daily why the stuff for their parties isn't here yet. Fun.<<

January 16: I check the package tracking again. It was processed in Regina at 02:20 January 16. Much relief. I check again a little later. It went out for delivery at 09:46. Yay! I call Neil and tell him to stay home as much as possible. The package arrives at 11:15!!! So relieved to have this stuff in time for Madeline's party, despite the fact that it took eight business days, NOT FOUR. I look through the package when I get home from work, and... two items for Sophia's party are missing. OMG. They are not listed on the packing slip/invoice and I wasn't charged for them. I look back at the shipping confirmation email from Jan 14. Sure enough, they're not there either. (I guess I didn't notice because I was so thrilled to have evidence the package was in Canada.) However, they were on the previous itemized list I received! I call Oriental Trading and explain everything. I'm told these items are not being shipped separately, and they weren't out of stock. The rep has no idea how or why a system that generated an email with an itemized list of 12 items would suddenly drop two items for no reason. She has never seen a problem like this before. Would I like to order them now? No, they would not get here in time for Sophia's party on the 25th. I break the news to Sophia that two of her items (one craft for the party and one for the goody bag) did not come and we cannot get them. She cries her eyes out. She had her heart set on the penguin thermometer craft and had told her friends about it. Wonderful.

At this point, I'm just glad we have the stuff for Madeline's party on Sunday. The items were pretty essential to the theme of the party. And the things we received for Sophia's party look good. But holy crap, what a brutal experience. Oriental Trading advertises "100% Satisfaction Guarantee" and I hope they mean it. They will hear from me in writing.

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Today I'm thankful for:

• my ability to crank out Rice Krispie squares in under 10 minutes (for Hot Lunch Day at school today)
• another afternoon off work
• chocolate

Rising temperature

This winter has been awfully wintery. We've had bitterly cold temperatures for the past five weeks, with very little relief, and quite a bit of snow fall as well. Last night, the wind chill hit -53 C (-63 F) (actual temperature -40 C) and it wasn't much better during the day. This is getting very old! Thankfully, the forecast for this weekend is great... highs at zero (32 F) or near zero for the next four days! It will feel so warm by comparison.

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Today I'm thankful for:

• flexibility in my job (I took the afternoon off today with little notice)
• my warm coat, hat, scarf, and mittens
• Neil (everyday!)