Time keeps on tickin'....

Ray starts school on Thursday. Greta follows the next week. I had to take time off work to account for the difference between preschool not taking them and school starting. I brought work home with me, though, and I have two courses to start to keep me busy.

I've been purging since Sailor has left. So far, I've done the dining room (not that it's noticeable, but I know it's done), the linen closet (ditto), and the 'office' portion of the living room. Since I made room in the linen closet, I could move the MK stuff up there, and the text books into the spare room (because I moved hardcover books off the bookshelf in there). The scrapbooking stuff has also gone into the spare room until I can figure out where my scrapbooking stuff is going to live full-time. So now one shelf is tidy, the top of the large shelf is clear (I still have to go through magazines and recipe books), and I've actually done all the filing today too! 6 months worth...!

Then, I went through the entertainment centre and culled the videos and some dvds too. This opened up space on the shelves to move the kids ones around a little and make it look less crowded.

Next up, the rest of the kitchen - I removed some vases already and the baker's rack looks less crowded. Next up - shelves, cupboards, and recipe books. Those are going to be hard to let go of.

Some pictures, I suppose, eh?

Went to a wedding last weekend. They had a wicked sweet table.

I haven't taken a photo since. I suck. I've wanted to. I've planned to... and then life hit and I haven't had a chance to.

I'll start up again tomorrow.

This week's flex:

Sat: return slippers to Walmart (they were a hassle to get in the first place, so this ought to be fun), meet with a prospective employee. Hope the girls get to hang with their friends instead of with me.

Sun: Church.

Mon: I was thinking of taking them to the Forest Museum. We'll see how the weather behaves before deciding.

Tues: I have to go into town and pick up tickets for work, so the girls are coming with me. I'll drop the tickets, answer some emails, then we'll head back home.

Wed: I have to go BACK into town to get the girls' uniforms from the tailor shop. The smallest blazer the Unicycler had was 4 sizes too big, so I asked the tailor to take it in as much as possible. The woman who is doing the job was rude and kept saying, "50 dollars... maybe more!" when I was talking to her boss about it. Skank. Whatever, it's STILL cheaper than paying $185 for a new one.

Thurs: Ray starts grade 1!! I'll for sure take pictures of THAT!

Fri: Greta gets to hang at her old preschool for the day because she really misses one of the teachers. Ray has her second day of grade 1. That night I have a fund-raiser to go to for a friend with a brain tumour.

Back to the grind

Bah. Work. Ick. Church camp was fun last week - except for the yelling and screaming and tantrums. And Ray had some too, ha. Here's a few photos from our trip.

Why we went.

The first full day's schedule.

The house called Hennage. We stayed at the back, in the same room as last year.

Greta found a great dress in the Tickle Trunk and wore it nearly all week. Too bad the thing was SO large! She had to walk around with her skirts up all the time. Too funny.

We went on a canoe ride. I was in the bow, getting splashed by Ray's paddle, while she was getting bonked in the head from Greta and her paddle. Fun. Anyway, this is where we will have lunch the next day, Lady Godiva Bay.

Ray went on that slip and slide about 5 times. I made it down once (took a great tumble at the end!), but Greta just watched. Next year I'm sure she'll go for it.

Wednesday's Schedule

Hanging out at Lady Godiva Bay after our picnic lunch.

Ray got her face painted at the "carnival". So did Greta.

This was our priest for the week. Pretty cool guy. This, of course, was Skit Night.

Thursday's schedule.

How much did she love getting in a tube and floating in the water? Nearly as much as her sister did!

The last night, the staff makes the adults an amazing supper. We all dress up and have a lovely dinner, without the screaming of the children to distract us. Nice conversations and this year, we included the preamble to the Eucharist that we celebrated together in the outdoor chapel.

There were many fires burning on the lower mainland. The haze hit us this day, and the setting sun burned red in the sky. Spooky.

The last night, a cross is lit and taken onto the water. We sit and watch the candles burn down, sing songs and reflect on our faith. Kinda pretty, and cool this year because we were on the dock instead of watching a canoe go around in circles with it.

The sign posts when you arrive. These were taken before we boarded the ferry home.

This week's flex in case you're interested:

Mon-Fri: Sailor at sea. I'm at work. Girls at daycare.

Sat: Dunno, but I'm getting a Brazillian Blowout in the afternoon! Wheee!

Sun: Church.

What a week that was!

Holidays, last week. Four days in Qualicum Beach where we did TONS of stuff.

This giant turtle was in the playground across the drive from our room. This is where the girls gravitated to upon our arrival.

Our apartment as seen from the pool. We overlooked the pool and playground right beside. It wasn't too bad, but it did get a little noisy at night once or twice before the teenagers were chased away by the management.

A stop sign at the Double R Bar ranch.

The Sandcastle Competition in Parksville! This was my favourite entry. The detailing was amazing on both front and back. Note the giant dino tracks at the bottom and the amazement on the discoverer's face when he sees prehistoric man (in his plaid pants yet) plot his golfing move. Love it!

Sailor and Ray into the ocean. My father took a similar photo of my mum and me when I was about the same age as Ray, going into a lake in Nanaimo.

Greta had been asking me since June if she could ride a pony. Looks like I might have a rider on my hands. She loved this ride and wanted to go again and again.

Ray FINALLY got on a pony after 5 years of wanting to but not. She loved the ride and probably next year, if we have the money, we might put her into the horse camp at her school for a week.

This is the Cheeseworks we went to (as you can see). They had these lovely signs up all over the place that made us laugh. I picked up squeaky cheese (free thanks to a coupon Sailor found in a tourist booklet he picked up), Caerphilly cheese, brie (natch), and a Peach Wine (with a 15% off coupon in the same booklet). Deeeelish!

Ray's favourite hole on the course. We did the bumper boats after the game, and we had a RIOT!

This week's flex:

Sunday: Leave for Camp Columbia.

Monday-Friday: At Camp Columbia. Sailor's at sea Tuesday-Friday.

Friday: Come back from Camp Columbia.

(I sense a trend)

Saturday: Two family BBQ's. Let's see how I get to both without hurting feelings.

Sunday: Church. Uniform prep for the week back to work.

I'm slack and idle

I didn't take a single picture all week. Bad bad bad. I made up for it this weekend though.

A deer catching a rest in the neighbour's yard.

A hummingbird came to have his/her dinner at the Malahat Mountain Inn.

My dessert at my friend's birthday dinner.

The view from our friend's house. Not too shabby, eh?

Greta, hanging around. She was so happy to be hanging from her knees again, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Hera, the young Bald Eagle. She caught Lady Gray's lure (the Peregrine Falcon... who was NOT impressed at all!).

Duck, the Harris Hawk. Fast as lightning.

This is Cleo. She's a three year-old Barn Owl. Such a cutie.

This is a Gyrfalcon (Merlin).

This is Manwe, a Bald Eagle.

This is Storm. He's a Golden Eagle. His legs were HUGE!

This week's Flex:

Mon: I'm at work, Sailor's on leave. Ray has piano lesson #2.

Tues - Fri: I'm at work, Sailor's on leave.

Fri after work - we go to Qualicum Beach for our vacation til Tuesday. YAY!

Catch-up photos

1. This beautiful dog enjoying a summer's day in the car.

2. Daisy, our neighbour's chihuahua. The girls LOVE her!

3. Greta and her chalk hands.

4. Canada Day!

5. Pretty flowers at our friend's house.

6. Greta as a kitty.

7. Someone inventive in the neighbour-hood with the stump and flowers. Love it!

8. Greta and her first day of gymnastics camp

9. The new Base Commander's Pennant

10. Greta as the wolf telling us what time it is.

11. The Three Amigos watching Greta's class.

12. Ray at the water park.

13. Greta at the water park.

*sorry about the weirdness of the placements*

That was a close one!

So I mentioned last time that my card wouldn't read. The camera couldn't read the card, and the card reader had bent prongs, so I thought I was hooped to get photos off the card. London Drugs came to the rescue in a BIG way!

Not only did they manage to get the pictures off, but they burned them to disk and charged me only $20 instead of $20 plus print costs. They're amazing.

So now I'm busy downloading photos from two cards (a 256 plus a new 4Gig!) and my point-n-shoot. This means there'll be a bunch of new photos coming soon.

Niece A is here and things are going great with her. She's a little disappointed I'm not paying her $1K for 23 days work, but I'm paying for other things too - just bought her a new dance coat, so I'm not such a bad auntie. We're taking her to Salt Spring Island, the Pacific Northwest Raptors, and our holiday at Qualicum Beach, so perhaps it'll all even out in the long run.

I have one more day of studying - of which I've done about 1% so far - before I write my exams. Saturday is Economics. Sunday is Accounting. I have to get some good marks on these so that I don't have to do them again. I got pretty good marks on the Econ assignments, so perhaps it won't be all that bad. The Accounting though... yeesh. I'm not so sure about that one at all.

Anyway, more photos next post.

The week that was...

is finally over. I can't stand having a holiday on a Thursday. I don't know how the Americans do it every year at Thanksgiving. I didn't get Friday off, so having two days (one for academic leave and one for the stat), then going back to work, really sucked. I only went back because I'm not in all next week and I felt guilty just blowing it off. Besides, I'd probably get into trouble if I didn't go back.

I've managed to finish my Accounting Assignments, but there's a couple things that I got wrong, so once the tutor has returned from his long weekend, he will hopefully help me out in time for me to get good marks on the exam I'm writing this weekend.

ARG! I just tried to get the pictures from the week off the camera and there's something wrong with the card. The reader has two prongs that are cockeyed and the camera can't read the card, so until I can get a new reader, we're picture-less. Just believe me when I tell you - they're GREAT! hee.

This week's flex:
Sun: Church, niece A arrives, movie night with L to see Eclipse!
Mon: Academic leave for me. Sailor goes to work. Ray to dance camp (9-10) and Greta to Gymnastics camp (9-12).
Tue: Sailor is duty. I have to attend the Change of Command ceremony (as a guest but still in uniform). Ray has dance camp and Greta has gymnastics camp. My friend N is going to pick up Greta and Niece A from camp and I'll meet them at home. Ray will spend the day with her friend from dance camp.
Wed: Academic leave still. Sailor home. Dance and gymno camps.
Thurs: same as Wednesday.
Fri: Academic leave. Sailor home. Camps.
Sat: Sailor is on duty. I write exam #1 in the forenoon, and then I have a bridal shower in the afternoon (note to self: make tortilla twists and get wine on Friday). Niece A to watch the girls for me.
Sun: Sailor back home. I write exam #2 in the forenoon, and then we have the annual country party at our friend's place in the afternoon. No church today. Niece A to come along for the party.
Monday: back to work for me. Sailor off. He's working on refinishing the deck surface as the weather's supposed to be super nice all week.