Jamie, Elton & Mr Clean

On Tuesday we are going to our concert!!

(Wa-hoooo!!!)

*singing* I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words....

I've been listening on Youtube to all of Elton John's tunes so I can be all prepared to belt out all my fav songs. I love Elton...I hope I can convince Guliano to dress up in Elton's 70's glory days.

Anyways, since the concert is on a weekday, we needed to find a non-teen babysitter to come keep our kids from 4pm - 12am. Or...around that time. Its quite a long time we'll be gone...we have to drive to Regina early enough that we can get decent parking...and I have to waddle myself to the concert building..than the concert itself & the craziness of leaving the grounds after wards & trying to get out of congested traffic & drive back to our small town. So....its a bit too long for our regular 14 yr old babysitters.

We found Jamie to babysit. She's the pharmasist at the drug store here. She volunteered. Thats one of the few joys of living in a small town....you just need to put the word out & you can usually find what/who you need. So Jamie is coming to sit for us. Jamie has never been to our house.....we don't really know her....but she was in weight watchers with me about 2 years ago...and her husband works with my husband....and of course....she fills our prescriptions. So we know her...in that small town kind of way.

Sooo...the key words above were: Never been to our house.

We have a SMALL house....with 5 people living in it...3 of which are kids...and 3 pets. You know that saying "Cleaning your house while your children are still growing, is like shovelling the walk while its still snowing"? Well.....who ever said that quote...obviously was at my house at some time.
If you are here between 4pm & 4:30pm, you will see my house nice & clean. Thats right after chore time....if you're not here...you're gonna miss it. Usually our house is a bit....well....crazy.

The living room doubles as a family room & play room so it usually looks like a crate of polly pockets & a crate of barbies blew up around us. We're expecting a new baby soon, and his change table is in the living room as well..because we havent' figured out where we are going to put him yet. Sooo...his change table is in the living room...and all his clothes & diapers are stacked on the shelves under the change table. Our TV stand doubles as a DVD/VHS holder & a book/magazine shelf.

Our kitchen is tiny....and our table multi-tasks as a computer table, sewing table, & temporary storage place for my canning supplies. Since we don't have enough cupboard space our counters hold all our big appliances: microwave, stand mixer, bread maker, slow cooker, toaster oven....and...well.....it doesn't take long for our place to be messy.

Since its fall, I have been going through all the kids fall/winter clothes & I have half filled garbage bags of too small clothing in the hallway waiting to be filled & donated & baskets of shoes/socks to be donated to the school.

So this worries me.....Jamie has no kids & I imagine a spotless house. I've been a little panicky about having her come over and be alone with the craziness of our household.

Enter Mr Clean.

I plan to douse the house with Mr Clean & set everything on fire & start fresh.

Just kidding....sort of. I do plan on having everyone & everything sterilized before she comes & dousing down everything with Mr Clean & spraying everyone & everything with Lysol spray...that way....if it doesn't look clean...at least it will smell clean.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I'm forcing everyone to help hide, I mean clean, the majority of the mess & hopefully come Tuesday, we can do a "10 second tidy" and have it look/smell half decent for when Jamie arrives. Pray for me people.

Signs you live in a small town

There is a big difference in people's version of 'small town'. Some people think North Battleford, Sk is a 'small town'. But really...its a city hanging on for dear life.

If you live in a small town....you know it. If you have to think about whether the town you live in is 'small town', than most likely it isn't.

So I've comprised a list of things that should clue you in as to whether or not your town is small or not.

The list:

1) You refer to things as: THE high school, THE elementary school, THE park, THE drug store, THE grocery store....as there is only ONE of each.

2) You're at the post office and you see Jason the plumber across the street & you call over to him and ask him to come repair your toilet. He shows up 20 mins later at your house...without having to ask where you live.

3) Jason the Plumber is also known as Jason the electrician, Jason the handyman, Jason the (fill in the blank).

4) You don't even have to give your Co-op member number to the girls at the grocery store, because they know it by memory.

5) The ladies at the post office call you at home to let you know a parcel has arrived.

6) If you become pregnant...everyone in town knows about it within 3 days.

7) If you get married, everyone in town assumes they are invited & show up...and your wedding is at THE church & your reception is at THE rec centre....just like everyone else's wedding.

8)If your kid skips school, you can rely on the people around town to call you & inform you.

9) If you move to a small town, you are like a celebrity. EVERYONE talks about you for months.

10)You know who a kids parents are just by how the kid looks.

Millions of peaches...

Being a 'house-wife' has turned me into a lunatic. I never would have admitted this before.....but after yesterday's fiasco...I have to admit it. I'm plain crazy.

It all started with living in a small town. People here are 'canning' crazy. Every late summer/early fall....its all I hear people talking about...and since I am such a follower...I decided that one day I would attempt canning. I mean really....how hard could it be? You take fruit, put it in a can, pour stuff over it and seal it & stash it away. Easy-peasey.

OMFG....someone should have just hit me on the head and told me I was crazy. I don't know why I keep convincing myself I can do these crazy tasks. Remember my 'chocolatier' moment. Yah. Don't ask me about it. As you can see....I didn't it into a successfull business. I'm still not a millionaire.

Anwhoo....back to thise crazy-canning. We bought the jars. We bought the fruit. We bought the canning equipment.

My first sign that I should turn back....should have been when I couldn't even identify what a 'screw band' was. *rolls eyes* But I plowed ahead with naive confidence.

I dug around online looking for step-by-step instructions and found some with pictures...(a-ha! it also identified what a screw band was). So I went step-by-step. I started at 5pm.

Lets just not go into the hell I ventured into. All I'm going to say is:

1) When canning for the first time, don't do it on a whim...& be sure your first attempt is with someone who knows how to do it...or..at least just don't attempt alone.

2) Its not as simple as "putting fruit in a can".

3) If you are determined to try...don't start late. Its a time consuming process.

4) Just BUY the canned stuff from Co-op. Its easier. Trust me.

The light at the end of this tunnel was that around 1am....I ended up with 100 pounds of canned peaches and I realized that I am not a homesteader.....I'm a home-maker. There's a BIG difference. I think that might be my new daily mantra.

What is this??

Okay, I saw this on another blog....and I had to share. Can you guess what the sign is about??

My list of melters...

I was doing some lurking on my favorite site, and I came to a girls request for most memorable romantic quotes from movies. It got me on a roll...I was originally going to do my top ten...but...you just can't pick ONLY 10. It was hard enough narrowing it down to these:

My list of most Romantic Movie Quotes:

Dirty Dancing:
".....I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life... the way I feel when I'm with you!"

10 Things I Hate About You:
"I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots, and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate it, I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all." (bawling)

Casablanca:
"Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time."

City of Angels:
"I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss from her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it. One." & "When they ask me what I liked best, I'll say it was you."

When Harry met Sally:
"I love that you get cold when it is 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle in your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Forrest Gump:
"I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is."

As Good as it Gets:
"You make me wanna be a better man."

Lord of the Rings:
"I would rather spend one lifetime with you-than face all the Ages of this world alone."

Last of the Mohicans:
"No matter how long it takes, no matter how far...I will find you."

The Notebook:
“So it’s not gonna be easy...we’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want you, forever, and every day.”

Titanic:
"I'll never let go."

Notting Hill:
"I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her."

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
"I want to tell you, with my last breath, that I have always loved you." (I have the biggest crush on Chow Yun-Fat since he uttered this line!!)

Shakespeare in Love:
"You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die."

Bridget Jones' Diary:
"I like you very much. Just as you are." (Colin Firth stole my heart in this movie!)

Love Actually:
"I left Elton John's, where there were a hefty number of half-naked chicks with their mouths open, to hang out with you, at Christmas. It's a terrible mistake, Chubs, but you turn out to be the fucking love of my life. And to be honest, despite all my complaining, we have had a wonderful life."
&
"Beautiful Aurelia, I've come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I seems an insane person - because I hardly knows you - but sometimes things are so transparency, they don't need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England"

Jerry Maguire:
"You complete me." & "You had me at hello."


*sigh* So there you go.....the moments in cinematic history that melt my lil dried walnut of a heart...

Say Crack again...

As the head of my own research team I realized I hadn't done any field work in a few weeks & it became imperitive I go out & do some research. I needed Guliano to come home early today so I could do some field work.

He is being unsupportive. He refused to come early & said I just have to wait until this evening when he gets home. Augh....by the time he gets home it will be to late to do my required research & studies.

You see....I need to go to the city to compare the differences between McDonalds breakfast McCrack-wich & Tim Hortens breakfast crack-wich. Both are equally addictive....and I felt it was time to do more research on this via taste-tests.

I live in a small town and while we do have an A & W.....they just don't compare.



What is it about these fast food places that make these sinfully delicious crack-like addictive breakfasts??? I mean....I'm going insane here. They are all I can think of. I even imagine I can smell them. If we lived in the city......I'd be pawning off our stuff just to have these every day. I'd be there paying for them in pennies I found & begged for.



Have you had these?? OMG......McDonalds has the sausage & egg Mc Muffin.....heaven in itself. Tim Hortens now has a tea bisquit with sausage & egg....*drool* such lil packages of delite...so different....yet so much alike.



Augh....I'm going crazy here. Its times like these where I think we REALLY need to discuss having a second vehicle.

Speaking of addictions.....when the hell is Starbucks going to bring out Pumpkin Spice Latte's again? I asked the kid serving me last week for one and he looked at me like I was stoned. I mean come on....YOU work there....surely you can check if one can be made. But I did get an answer, a different worker informed me that they won't be in until maybe October.

OMFG....OCTOBER. I have to wait until October for their version of crack?? I don't know how I am going to handle it. I already have a plan formed out.....I can drop off the kids at school by 9am, head into the city....grab a Latte....head to Timmies or McD's grab a crackwich & head home....all in time to pick up the kids again for lunch.

*sigh*.......I'm feeling bitter. My homemade crackwich...just tastes like ass. Which is not the same category as fastfood crackwiches.

All by myself.....

Well....I'm here...all alone. The kids are gone to visit grandparents for about 10 days and Guliano is at work all day. I'm sitting here....on the couch at 2:40pm in my PJs...with my glass of rootbeer and feeling all lonely. A la Bridget Jones.

I can't believe how quiet the house is. There is literally NO NOISE but the click of the keyboard as I type. To be honest, I had thought that perhaps we had a noiseless keyboard....as I had never heard it before. I guess we're just too noisy on a regular basis to even hear it.

I had big plans to clean the house, read my emails & play on the internet all day, sleep in....but on Monday.....I slept until 10am....and woke to find that Guliano had:
-gotten up, fed the pets
-took Bugzy for a walk
-went to the gym
-came home, ate
-did a load of laundry
-left for work...all before 7:30am.

Thats not all this sick early bird did. He also came back from work, and left me a take out coffee on the counter sometime between 9-10am.

So, feeling like a lazy-ass...I got up, drank my coffee & cleaned the house. Without the kids here.....instead of an all-day job...this took 45 mins. OMFG.....45 mins. When the kids are home, it takes all day!!!!!!!!! So much for my big plan to clean the house all week. It was done in in less than an hour. I decided to do my computer time.....again....an all day mission with the kids home. But with no one interupting me, I read my emails, read my blogs, checked out my sites...i was done in 30 minutes.

This was MONDAY. I was done everything I had planned to do all week....all within 1 hour and 15 mins of my waking up. What the hell was I going to do with myself all freaking week????

So Tuesday came and went in painstaking slowness.....and its now Wednesday. I now understand why some housewives are closet alcoholics. If I wasn't pregnant, I'm sure I'd be drinking here by myself all day.

I know, I know.....I should get out and do something right?? Whatev....you don't live in Fort Qu'Appelle. Once you browsed the drug store.....there's nothing else to do and I already did that 4 years ago.

I guess I'll liven things up around here & turn on the radio & have a shower.