BOO!

The Halloween costumes that made the shortlist for this year were....

A monk and a snowman. The monk came about because of our studies of the middle ages and because it was apparently a cool thing to be for a teenager. Our snowman has a great history... Having been made by my mother many years ago. It has been resewn for it's new dancer. Kids these days though don't find humor in not knowing who it is inside the hat and so he took a beating by the kids at the ward chili cookoff/halloween gathering. The hat suffered a few dents thanks to some pirate swords and after a fair bit of poking and prodding the snowman lost his 'cool' and told the kids to beat it! He also found it difficult to enjoy any chili so he hid behind the couch in the foyer for the remainder of the evening and Patrick showed up a bit late for the cookoff.
Duncan and Elowen are pretty much each other's shadows. They either play here or there but they are together. So Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head was perfect for them. A little alteration on the costumes and voila an adorable award winning costume at our ward party! My chicken costume, which I made this year for a plethera of reasons...to celebrate the year I got my own chickens, to reminisce about my chicken hat morning rituals of days long ago, to recreate the adorable costume that kenzie wouldn't wear 6 years ago, and to of course create a unique Halloween costume for myself to wear this year! Again an award winning costume!

Last minute costume changers! ughh... I think I'll have them sign a contract next year! Both Duncan and Elowen, after winning their award at the party, decided NOT to be potatoes for Halloween... So for a week, I questioned him on what he would be instead. He said nothing until Halloween.... I was assuming if he didn't come up with anything that he would be a potato again... but OH NO! At 4:00 p.m., we visited the costume trunk for inspiration... He decided on a knight... great, I have that!... 4:30, I've changed my mind... I want to be a doctor. Fine, I have that!... 5:00, I don't want to be a doctor (by this time I'm curling Sarah's hair and sending Caleb for safety pins for Miles costume which also wasn't decided until this afternoon!) I think... a clown. Good, I have that and it's already ironed since you wore it the birthday party last week. Thankfully, Patrick showed up at this point with pizza and costume changing was finally forgotten. Once pizza was done we were heading out the door. Miles had decided to be a missionary... but his companion opted not to go, so we tried a few other things. He was a bull fighter for a Halloween party last saturday, and then for Halloween he decided on being a pumpkin. Good thing I like the colour orange and had some clothing on hand and just had to pin on a face!
Duncan just doesn't have any stamina... after only a few houses he was waning. He let us know that the problem was out of his control..."my feet are bored," how can they be bored in the great froggy boots?

Miles decided to serve his mission at the ward chili cookoff. His companion became a pirate and he did splits with the chicken? It actually was an interesting choice because it happens that the young men in our ward were serving mini-missions this week... there were missionaries that were staying the weekend at the ward mission leaders' house, who sat at the same table as us. he felt really important throughout the evening and didn't even flinch when he didn't win a costume prize like the rest of us did.
Sarah, from the beginning of October had decided she wanted to be something pretty... I think we satisfied her! She also had an award winning costume the night of the cookoff.
I don't know whether to be excited that we won 4 of the 6 costume awards of the night or feel badly that we didn't let many others take home some winnings...

When we were planning our Halloween we didn't realize that Valerie and her girls might be here. But that just made it all the more exciting! Audrey as Bindy Sue (crocodile hunter) was adorable... and as authentic as could be with animal facts to share! They had ordered a special crocodile hunter badge to complete the ensemble, but it hadn't arrived in time for them to travel here. I was soo impressed that Audrey didn't let that sour her trick or treating experience... It will be waiting for her when she returns.
Valerie agreed to dress up if I had something that would fit her.... I gave her a few options, so there was no way out... She made a great hoot owl. The girls treated for almost an hour before they had their fill...

Halloween is over.... November is here... Time for the next activity...

Pumpkin Guts

Time to carve the pumpkins was talked about and looked forward to. When dinner was done and the counters cleared off, I called the kids in with the announcement that it was time to carve the pumpkins. They came running and cheering... they donned painting smocks and talked excitedly about their plans for their pumpkins.....

But.... when it actually came time to de-guttify... and carve!!! Miles dug right in! Caleb and Sarah dealt with the gutting so they could get to the creating but Duncan and Audrey.... I didn't know I had squeamish five year olds on my hands... I agreed to pumpkin carving because they do the clean out!!... I can't stand it but I know better than to show my distaste for things and influence my children... I was accused of that before when it came to bugs and beaches!! But I was very good about the pumpkin gut dislike not being obvious! In the past I've had a baby to keep out of the way or photos to take so couldn't get slimy... but this year no baby... Alyssa was way too cooperative... sitting in the highchair enjoying a snack and then going easily down to bed. To top it off, Patrick wasn't home to help... Thankfully Valerie was here... and whilst she didn't really enjoy the idea of carving... she was almost excited to get to scrape the inards out of a pumpkin... So I took the photos again this year and then only had to help with designing and some carving.

Daylight savings

can you opt out? I mean... some states opt out... but if you opted out at the individual level ...

I hope the farmers are enjoying their extra hours?? Couldn't they just get up an hour earlier instead of all the rest of us losing sleep over it?? Obviously I just don't understand all the implications for daylight savings... but I know it's affecting Halloween...

We have gone trick or treating and been home in time to put the kids to bed by 8:30 in the past... tonight it won't be dark until almost 7:00PM... and then I have to lose an hour this weekend!! Actually the fall back one hour isn't as challenging as the spring ahead one hour because we'll 'gain time' this weekend and not be late... but I can remember that one hour really does a doozy on napping kids and hungry little tummies!

Maybe we can head out this year at 5:45 anyway... and not have to take the flashlights.... maybe I just need to change my perspective.. enjoy that they've made it a brighter endeavor to go trick or treating!

Edit:
So... it has been nice to have the kids fall asleep as their heads hit the pillows... but 5:30am is coming very early for this mother who didn't take advantage of the extra hour and go to bed early... oh no ... I've been staying up way too late and the kids are raring to go when they wake in the morning!! ahhhh.....

The Candy Witch

In our home, we have braces, red dye allergies and nut allergies. Halloween is a great fun dressing up, trick or treating holiday with some definite drawbacks!! It can be depressing to come home after all the treating is done and learn that 75% of your candy has to go so that someone in the house won't die!

Last year however all of that sadness changed for excitement! We 'learned' that we had been missing out! You see there is this witch who absolutely loves to eat candy. She likes it so much that she has been tempted to steal it! But she does want to be a good little candy witch so she came up with a plan. You see, she has all this stuff at her place... toys, games, books, cool clothes, jewelry.... stuff that she just doesn't care about and wishes she could get rid of because all she wants is candy... Her plan is to visit neighbourhoods after Halloween and look for bowls of candy sitting out on the porch that she can trade some of her useless stuff for the candy!

We tried it last year... and it worked! We put out our bowl of banished candies and in the morning there was the game of 'Kerplunk' in the bowl instead of the candy! We had a crazy Nov. 1st day of Kerplunking. Miles is so excited for Halloween... and not necessarily for any of the candy this time. About two weeks ago he wrote to the candy witch and found some candy to put out on the porch ... just to see if it might work any night or if it had to be Halloween... (it does!) But he asked if she would look to see if she had a PSP lying around by any chance... (Sure hope he isn't disappointed when she brings him a new book!!)

We've learned of a few great helper witches and fairies over the years and this one sure helped out in our little sugar, dye, nut laden predicament.

Seein' Things

We were always memorizing a poem, story or a song for some play, roadshow or other such thing when I was growing up. Mum was always having us memorize something. The following poem was one I can remember being recited so often that although I wasn't the one who was to memorize it, to this day I can quote many of the lines by heart. This was Jim's poem if my memory serves me correctly.

Seein' Things

by Eugene Field

I ain't afeard uv snakes, or toads, or bugs, or worms, or mice,
An' things 'at girls are skeered uv I think are awful nice!
I'm pretty brave, I guess; an' yet I hate to go to bed,
For, when I'm tucked up warm an' snug an' when my prayers are said,
Mother tells me "Happy dreams!" and takes away the light,
An' leaves me lying all alone an' seein' things at night!

Sometimes they're in the corner, sometimes they're by the door,
Sometimes they're all a-standin' in the middle uv the floor;
Sometimes they are a-sittin' down, sometimes they're walkin' round
So softly an' so creepylike they never make a sound!
Sometimes they are as black as ink, an' other times they're white—
But the color ain't no difference when you see things at night!

Once, when I licked a feller 'at had just moved on our street,
An' father sent me up to bed without a bite to eat,
I woke up in the dark an' saw things standin' in a row,
A-lookin' at me cross-eyed an' p'intin' at me—so!
Oh, my! I was so skeered that time I never slep' a mite—
It's almost alluz when I'm bad I see things at night!

Lucky thing I ain't a girl, or I'd be skeered to death!
Bein' I'm a boy, I duck my head an' hold my breath;
An' I am, oh! so sorry I'm a naughty boy, an' then
I promise to be better an' I say my prayers again!
Gran'ma tells me that's the only way to make it right
When a feller has been wicked an' sees things at night!

An' so, when other naughty boys would coax me into sin,
I try to skwush the Tempter's voice 'at urges me within;
An' when they's pie for supper, or cakes 'at's big an' nice,
I want to—but I do not pass my plate f'r them things twice!
No, ruther let Starvation wipe me slowly out o' sight
Than I should keep a-livin' on an' seein' things at night!

Chicken Love

Bock Bock!!
So... my little nostalgic trip down memory lane through a photo of myself at two, prompted my decision to recreate the chicken costume that we made for Kenzie 6 years ago and alter it... slightly... to fit me!(I required a few extra feathers) Now I have a chicken suit that I can visit my ladies in once again!

Halloween Treat

Caleb's first Halloween was in WY. He was only three months old, but of course we took him trick or treating... sort of. Since we were living on the Ranch and the neighbours we could see from our house were chickens, horses, sheep and cows, we ventured a little further to Grandma and Grandpa's house, where Patrick and I enjoyed a caramel apple (Caleb hadn't grown any teeth yet so we enjoyed the goodie for him). We met up with cousins there and drove to the next haunt - (house). It was about two hours of trick or treating that night... although maybe only 10 houses, but we had covered the entire neighbourhood! When they say there was a chill in the air... in WY... that would be an exageration! It was frigid. I can remember being ushered in at each house to warm up by the fireplace while cupcakes were eaten or hot cocoa prepared -- none of this candy nonsense! Each stop was a nice visit with a 'neighbour'... a real 'treat'... no tricks!

The following year we were in 'town'. (population then, 1,600) It was already snowing and below freezing! The idea of driving between homes or walking up to a few neighbours doors was enough to make one shiver! So, instead we headed over to the Retirement Center and trick or treated our way up and down the hallways. I think this is my favourite Halloween, visiting with the elderly in the center (and not just because I was warm or because I had made Patrick dress like a court jester... including tights!!).
We also went to a Halloween Birthday party as Peter Pan, the Crocodile and I (the photographer), was Wendy. I think this may have been Caleb's first chocolate bar... poor first child, I was a really stingy mummy!


Our last Halloween in WY, we dressed up cousin Neal and went to a town carnival. We met up with friends Perry (pic. below with facepaint, Princess Jasmine costume) and Madalyn (not pictured). We played carnival games, won a few cupcakes in the cupcake walk and had ourselves a nice little evening. We tuckered out our little dalmation and pirate.

So I wonder, with us enjoying only Halloweens treats, does that mean someone else had only tricks?

Spicy Chicken Bock Bock

The tablecloth on the kitchen table at the ranch currently has a chicken print. Many breeds of chickens in lifelike pictures all over the table. Something about it sparked a little excitement in the little boys, Cooper, Duncan and Derek. Ever since then... if chicken is mentioned in any context... a chorus of little boys can be heard somewhere singing... "Spicy chicken... bock, bock"

Now I don't know if this began as a commercial jingle they overheard or if they came up with it on their own... but it's really quite funny, until they don't quit and they just get louder and louder and they say it over and over and over again... and it gets stuck in your head!

Prompt: Favourite Halloween movie.

We've had weekend movie theater' chez us' for many years... but recently we began the behaviour game again and this time the prizes were tickets... (We really printed up and laminated some tickets, that made it even more exciting!) Now you have to earn your ticket to the home theater, a ticket for a beverage, a ticket for popcorn, a ticket for a cookie etc... During the week if you behave well you move forward on the game board and every four squares earns you a ticket. Sometimes if you behave poorly you move backwards... then you have to return your ticket. It's amazing how well the game is really working for something we used to do anyway!

So the Noble Theaters presents Halloween favourites:

• It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown -- A classic every child enjoys.
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks -- Although not a halloween theme... spooky incantations, a witch and things coming to life... always a good time.
• Casper the friendly ghost -- There are a few remakes of this one, I think.
  
• Monsters Inc. -- It's all about scaring and monsters.. great for this holiday.
• The Wizard of Oz -- Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my! Wicked Witch of the West, Flying monkeys, Tornadoes, ahhhh
• The Nightmare before Christmas -- Love it or hate it.
  
• Corpse Bride -- If you liked the nightmare before Christmas, you'll like the corpse bride.
  
• The Adventures of Ichabod Crane or The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Disney)-- A classic halloween tale.
• Meet me in St. Louis -- Again not really a halloween movie but it has a great halloween scene and I get to sneak in a great musical.
  
• The Adam's Family -- Great series of such a typical family.

For the later show or (older) crowd:

• Hocus Pocus -- A little older audience but enjoyable.
• The Worst Witch -- This is a series of shows about apprentice witches ... sort of Harry Potteresque... but no evil villain who can not be named.
• Harry Potter -- If you have a potter fan.. plan on requests for all available movies!
  
• Practical Magic -- Mature audiences only.. but witches of the likes of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman... make halloween romantic?!?..
  
• Edward Scissorhands -- Are Halloween movies supposed to make you cry?
  
• Pirates of the Carribean -- Another Johnny Depp and three of them to boot! Again not Halloween, but sure fits the bill for a good skeleton run pirate ship scare!
  
• The Phantom of the Opera -- A more mature musical spook, BUT a definite favourite of mine.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, "There is no terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it." So go ahead, pop your corn, snuggle up under the blanket and enjoy the eery anticipation this Halloween.

Zip it!

Getting many excited children to settle down at night and go to sleep doesn't always happen quickly or easily. Some nights it can really try your patience. On one of these such nights when the girls were giggling in the dark, I had already made several trips to the room to settle them down and firmly insist they 'go to sleep'. Well after a few times, I sent Patrick in to deliver the 'go to sleep' message.... He didn't wish to return so he rather gruffly said, "Girls enough! Now zip it and go to sleep!"

Although the girls thought that Patrick and I had returned to the kitchen, we had actually stayed in the hallway for a minute when we heard a whispered voice "You zip it, Pat!" Coming from a 4 year old Kenzie, I almost fell down the stairs I was trying so hard not to laugh out loud. Patrick wasn't all that impressed with her or me, but when he said "I heard that"... suddenly the girls were very quiet for the rest of the night!

Uncanny

It's often been said that I look a lot like my mother. And there is a photo of my Grandparents wedding where my brother and I look a lot like my Grandpa and Grandma Stonehouse... but I think the resemblance between my daughter Sarah and my Great Grandmother is uncanny!




Anything is possible at Halloween with digital photo manipulation software.... :-)

Rio Tinto Stadium

Earlier this month Patrick and the kids headed out to the grand opening night at the new Real Salt Lake teams stadium "Rio Tinto", thanks to some tickets from work...

In much the way that we shop at the 'Wal-Mart that Daddy built'.. now they play soccer in the 'stadium that Daddy made'... hmm... I wonder if the bubble will burst when the children learn how much of the construction Daddy is really involved in and that just because he builds something doesn't give him any ownership.... I suppose it stemmed from when we lived in Wyoming and we pointed out many of the log homes that Daddy built... only then he really did build them... from the ground up... completely... of course still no ownership...

Anyway it was a very chilly night so they bundled up and took off. Not knowing how long they might be, I googled how long a game should last... low and behold I found a guy who was at the stadium that night blogging from his seat every few minutes about the game, the stadium and the feeling in the air!! So I grabbed my hot cocoa and enjoyed the play by play! Needless to say I sure wowed them with my psychic ability to know exact events when they returned home. There were a lot of "How did you know that?".. and "Were you there?"... "Did I leave my cell phone on?" When I described how things looked during the opening ceremonies and half time, and what vendors were selling, that took the cake. All three jaws hit the floor!

What can I say... I just couldn't resist. But I do know that I should get Daddy his own camera... since I'm unwilling to send mine off with him... Cell phone pics just aren't going to cut it!

100 BLOGS!!

So do you commemorate your own 100th blog or let it just pass by...

100 blog post title teasers of blogs waiting in my Draft folder

1. Lucky Days
2. Gang Tags...
3. Prompt: Hot or cold
4. LOL
5. Home Sweet Home
6. The Dining Room
7. Traditions
   
8. Prompt: What to do with the spare room...
9. My mother always said...
10. If DaVinci can quit
11. Addictions
12. Caleb's room
13. Sarah's room
14. Boy's room
15. Caleb the teenager
16. Ikea adventures
17. New house construction woes
18. whimsical garden
    
19. Electronics ban
20. Prompt: Chores
21. Forties File Returns
22. Game Time
23. Reading Week
24. What's in a name
25. Chili time
26. Soup du jour
27. Bonfire and Firehall memories
28. Trick or Treat
29. Fireworks
30. WY Halloween
31. Boo
32. Chicken Love
33. Attention to Relevant Stimuli
34. Seein' Things
35. November
36. Alliterating names
37. My Japanese Teacher
38. Audrey
39. Coop Coop de Doop
40. Joe Roy
41. Christmas is coming
42. B.C.
43. To Katie and Paul
44. Book Club
45. Modern Day Cowboy
46. Elections
47. Rush Hour -- Noble Style part 6
48. Right kind of snow
49. Tennis
50. Schultz
51. Pickled Beets
52. Opus
53. Best Candy
54. Where oh where has my little dog gone?
55. In flanders fields
56. Playdough Patrick
57. Great Grandmother Genevea
58. Natural History Museum
59. Zoo mania
60. Baby it's cold outside
61. Windows upgrade... Sarah style
62. This I believe
63. Sturgis
64. Nobles Needs
65. Laundry room longings
66. Dream calling...
67. Canal walkers
68. Molino de Viento
69. Spicy Chicken bock bock
70. Zip it!
71. Novemeber Novels
72. Daylight Savings?
73. Lord Carnarvan
74. Can you believe what day it is?
75. Scarecrow Masquerade
76. Witches Haunt
77. Haggis Anyone?
78. The Cache
79. New Water Please
80. Skills
81. Up from the ashes grow the roses of success
82. Egg production
83. Turkey Trotting
84. Sesame Street 39
85. The Candy Witch
86. Nuts
87. My library shelf
88. Super Heroes
89. Like a good neighbour
90. Prompt: Friends
91. Aeroplane issues
92. Dungeon
93. Routine
94. Best Intentions
95. Out of Town
96. Hawaii 5-0
97. Rio Tinto
    
98. Wish List
99. Frosty Morning
100. Anyone's Guess
     

I guess the next one to commemorate is the 1000th post... See you in 2 years at this rate!

Children's Programming

Growing up in Canada I remember watching a few children's shows that no one here has ever heard of. Of course nowadays there are so MANY more shows for children but I remember some of the ones we watched... back in the day....

We had Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers but we also had The Friendly Giant, The Polka Dot Door, Fraggle Rock, Passe Partout, and Mr. Dress Up.

At this time of year I begin to think of Mr. Dress Up. He was just a kind old man who did crafts, talked to his puppet friend, Casey and puppet dog Finnegan, in the back yard treehouse and he always had a costume, to help tell a story, in his old dress up trunk or as he called it "the tickle trunk". Fabulous costume ideas and a great imagination.

He was originally Mr. Roger's puppeteer but then he began his own show and became a Canadian icon for 29 years. He died at the age of 74 but his memory and legend still live ...

Casey and Finnegan live comfortably in a suitcase on Hornby Island enjoying retirement with their creator.

Channa is reformed!

An October Night
(Anonymous)

The wind whispers
A wary warning
There was plenty, still
Early this morning

These primal urges
Are hard to fight
An unholy diet
A dark appetite

The pavement scrapes
With scuttling leaves
I'll pull the drapes
And hope to deceive

The moon suffocates
In ominous clouds
Shut off the lights
Heartbeats too loud

Then the neighbor's gate creaks
But it's not the wind
That seeks to feast
On fearing humans

Red brake lights
A car crawls by slow
The shadowy shapes
On my dark doorstep know

That the empty window
Of my house lies.
The horrible truth
Hides deep inside

Everything tonight
Could have been just dandy
But now the demons have wrath -
Cause I ate all the candy!

I think the anonymous author of this poem I found may be Channa.... she used to buy Halloween candy the first week in October as do I but she would put her's in her spider bowl on the counter while I would tuck mine away in a secret hiding place and by Halloween... she had an empty bowl and had to rush out to refill it for the treaters.... I on the other hand... spent time trying to remember where this years great secret hiding place was.... however... she is now a reformed Halloween candy purchaser and waits until much closer to Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

Frank

When Miles was an infant he required surgeries for his Craniostenosis, a birth defect. For the first six weeks of his life he had a misshapen head that earned him the nickname of Franklin... for Franklin the Turtle. (O.K... so we should have been more caring and loving since we weren't sure how or even if the surgeries would turn out .... but that's just not our style.)

Although the month of surgeries was a touch and go time and an emotionally draining time due to all the unknown... we continued to refer to him on the sly.. as Frank... but now for a new reason.... Post surgery he had a very obvious scar zigzagging from ear to ear... so now he was Frankenstein.

Last year in October, my book club decided to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I wasn't too keen. I've never actually cared for being frightened and the images I'd seen so far hadn't lent to a favorable Frankenstein image. But I did read it and am so glad that I did. I don't wish to give away any spoilers, but it really isn't at all the story that most think it is and I enjoyed it... actually cared for the characters in the story... both Frankenstein and the monster... oops...small spoiler there... Regardless I didn't feel quite as much guilt six years later about referring to my poor defenseless infant as a horrible monster figure anymore.

It's a good thing Miles has a great sense of humor... He actually thinks Frank is a cool name... His Primary teachers' name is Frank and he thinks that's so cool. He's really not so 'Franklike' anymore though. The ever smiling Miles.

Pumpkin Head Harvey

My kids favourite Halloween Song this year!

Derek Dares to turn Three

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!!

How dare you turn three and leave the toddler stage forever... Leaving us without a baby to enjoy... next thing we know you'll be potty training, riding on a two wheeler, pumping your legs on the swings and buckling up your own seat belt, maybe even tying your own shoes!!

So we'll just try to capture all the essence that is you Derek... the adorable toddler and keep the memory forever entombed in a blog and we grownups will muster forth with the knowledge that you are growing up and there's really nothing we can do about it!

Autumn Colours

Today we attempted to take a lovely autumn photo shoot. A real one. With a real photographer! Channa has been doing some web design work for a lady and in exchange she would do a photo shoot on location. She chose a location that neither Channa nor I had ever been to before and it was a lovely spot... With seven children to get ready it was a good thing it wasn't scheduled until noon. We started early... like the night before... choosing clothing color schemes, trying things on and making sure no one would be naked. This morning directly after breakfast we started the get ready procedures. We trimmed some hair on five boys, we combed out the girls, we ironed 9 outfits, we arranged for John and Grandpa's outfits, we bathed children and we dressed them... We even got ourselves ready. We were there on time and waited for the photographer... She was about 15 minutes late... children asking if we were done yet was not a good sign... We trekked up to her favourite place to snap shots and posed for a few shots... added people... took away people... stood, knelt, squated, stood again.. smiled and smiled some more and then she was done! It hadn't been too painful... maybe 40 minutes. We went through one bag of bribery sour gummy worms, and a big MacDonald's lunch promise if they would persevere.

As we slowly left the Memory Grove Park downtown we sauntered about a few little areas and I snapped a few candids...(O.K. ... 96) hey the kids were there.. they matched... sure they were untucked now... I need instant gratification. Besides as Channa and I discussed the photo shoot... We've been spoiled... Our cousin Charlie is a fabulous professional photographer and did our families photos two years ago and we LOVED them. Today as we left the park... we both just knew that even not having seen the photos yet... we were already disappointed at the lack of poses, naturalness, and variety of backgrounds. It was a beautiful setting and the kids looked great but a photographer can make a huge difference! We both lamented our lack of ability to understand our own cameras. I suppose if we didn't really know any better we would just be thrilled with these...or these...

We might even settle for ones like these...


I'm definitely curious to see if the professional captured any of that fun! But in truth it has me wanting to read my cameras manual again and see if I understand anymore of it this time.

Don't mess with Derek!

As parents, having an extra body show up in bed at some point in the night seems to just happen. In the sleep deprived state that we typically live in, I'm not always right on top of putting them back into bed and starting the fiasco of tucking in the half asleep child. Especially when it's almost morning anyway... and I'm a rather heavy sleeper so until I'm being literally kicked, punched or pushed off of my side of the bed, I'm not always even aware that we've been joined by a small, pesky, wiggling, sideways sleeping child!

In our old house I was much more diligent about walking them back across the hall, but now in the new rambler, they've trekked the length of the house, up a flight of stairs and down the hall to my bedroom...
Three things could happen if I attempted to return them to their beds...
1. Child could be WIDE AWAKE by the time they've walked that far!
2. Child or I could certainly trip and fall and break our necks in the dark (I'm not turning on lights to avoid the waking)
3. I could actually wake up enough that it would be difficult for me to fall back to sleep by the time I've finished the trek!
4. Oh.. there's four! In an effort to encourage my children to like their rooms, the thought of moving when they liked their old home, and accept smaller bedrooms, we built space saving furniture... as in... only top bunks for all three boys... and the idea of lifting them up and over the safety railings or attempting to climb ladders with a child in my arms really encourages me to just stay in the comfort of my own bed and deal with the wiggling!

I accept that children arrive at the bedside from bad dreams... can't sleep... don't feel well... I just want to sleep with you... or still asleep and fumbling overtop of me. At our house children sleep in the middle of our bed. I didn't nurse sleeping in bed for fear that a large man on the other side of the bed would definitely spell certain doom for a tiny infant but as they grew and he hadn't squished anyone thus far I was more concerned about them falling out of the bed and onto the floor. (I better explain that Patrick had built our bed in our last home, and that I almost needed a ladder to climb into my own bed each night, it was so tall, and I didn't have a safety railing!) Old habits die hard and although I have a bed I don't have to 'climb' into in this house, the children have already been trained that they sleep in the middle.

So Patrick was out of town a lot last year..... A LOT LAST YEAR!!... OK Patrick was out of town LAST YEAR!! I became lazier than ever about encouraging children to return to their own beds!! Sometimes I woke to discover two, three and sometimes four children had joined me... sometimes a few kittens had even been coerced into my bed as well!! Some children are easier to sleep with than others. Miles has been told on several occasions that he is welcome to make a little bed on the floor in my room but please don't climb in with us... Duncan was instructed to respect that I like covers and that if he wants a bed without covers to go back and kick off his own... Thankfully Caleb only joins the bed when I'm trying to sleep in (ok.. read a book and not get up), Sarah much like her Mother is a heavy sleeper and if she is in my room in the middle of the night you better believe I'm out of bed because likely she is about to be sick!

But what I wasn't quite prepared for although probably should have been... was that I happen to be Mummy to another set of children who truly aren't my own. Kenzie, Cooper and Derek have 'on occasion' spent a great deal of time at my home... (both the new house and the old)... So they have their own beds and a dresser but that's not the point of this post! The point is... I wasn't really sure how to handle the arrival of a little pitter pattering little boy who wanted to 'sweep wid him Mummy wove' (that would be me). Kenzie has always been the big girl who doesn't need my snuggling... Cooper, would accept any snuggling, even from complete strangers, during the daytime, but never requested me at night... He has been known to arrive as the sun is coming up but it's usually to wonder where everyone is... until he finds us all in bed together. But this little pitter patter that came down the hall one night quite late... (only a few minutes after I had finished my book and turned off my light) wanted to climb in with me! He's adorable and he needed me and I gave in!... Remember Patrick is not in town.... I had the space and he's not really mine... training him is his real Mother's problem! I created a monster! Any time he slept at my house and during this time period there were 2-two week stays while Mummy was away on trips... He started off in his bed and after a few hours.. I would hear the pitter patter and the request... "Pwease I sweep my Mummy wove?"

Now remember... real Mummy isn't around.. Patrick is out of town... I was getting away with something that I normally chastise my sister for and Patrick gets frustrated by and no one was the wiser!! .... Until last weekend. .... The kids normally come over Sunday morning to go to church with us and haven't spent the night in a while. So last Saturday night while waiting for Kenzie to be done at a late night birthday party, Derek was getting tired at my house and we decided he could just spend the night instead of driving across town, transferring into his bed and getting up the next morning just to come back here for Sunday pancakes! Around 4:00AM... pitter, patter boy showed up and climbed into the bed. Patrick gave me a strange look as I nestled back into my covers trying to act like this was normal. Derek snuggled in for a while and then he started to toss and turn... he fiddled with the covers... he sat up and he layed back down... then he turned to Patrick... "Go to wurt Unter Pat!"(work)

I was left laying there trying to explain to Derek that this really is Patrick's bed and that he didn't have to work today... I was left laying there trying to explain to Patrick that this is Derek's and my little arrangement when he sleeps over and that he isn't really included and hence, kinda in the way... We did our best to make it until 7:30AM... but by then well...

"there were five in the bed and the little one said.... 'Go to wurt, NOW, Unter Pat!'"

Some things you just can't fight!

I have encouraged the acquisition of many pets for my children. If I hadn't said anything I'm positive Patrick would not have brought it up! My children.. well Sarah and Duncan would be begging me... but Sarah wants a horse and Duncan wants .... everything furry! We've had many types of fish, hamsters, cats, dog, rabbits, ducks and now chickens. I don't think I could go the amphibian route and I'm not an indoor bird fan ever since my teen years and some experiences with a few cockatoo's..... still not ready to relive those!! I don't really know why I have been so vocal about acquiring animals.... I dislike their upkeep... stinkiness.. I'm allergic to the furriest of them... I wonder if it is just a subconscious thing that since we had pets growing up, my children have to have some of their own also?? I'd have to delve into my psyche for that answer. As far as my preference goes now that I've experienced a few is that the cat is the only one I might repeat... The dog is too much work and I end up with all the dirty work... the rabbits are largely ignored and fish just don't do the trick to satisfy cute and cuddly.. I can't handle escaping hamsters EVER AGAIN!!! The cat is quiet, relatively tidy, satisfies cute and cuddly.. allows being held (some manhandling), and is pretty easy to care for... even if we go away for the weekend... a little extra food and water in the dish and we're off... no biggie! That said.... I feel pulled toward one... inexplicably... it goes against everything I like... but....... well, read on....

I do believe that one animal has been a long time in coming and that has been destined from formative years!! As a toddler I used to escape from my bed at the crack of dawn and attire myself in a feather hat and attended to my duties with the ladies out back! I'm sure at first I caused a small panic in my mother who didn't know where I was but she didn't scold me for it instead she took my photo in my ensemble, out conversing with the ladies at their waking hour!
To this day when I go out to feed my ladies and collect my (SO FAR!!) one egg a day I'm compelled to observe them, to converse with them... I don't have my feather hat anymore but even without it... my children know that if I'm missing from the house to come check the chicken enclosure and pull me out of my trance....

Perhaps it should have been for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health and with chickens... but really Patrick I can't fight the higher power here!! I'm still not a fan of the smell, the poop... being pecked at, cleaning them out... (remember I like the cat because she is self cleaning... I'm not one to pet an animal normally!) I'm sure they cost more than they will produce in eggs or soup... (I'm still not completely to terms with that aspect), another Patrick task, but they seem to be a part of me.... I just can't explain it! Perhaps in heaven I had the choice... be a chicken or a girl... and I'm still not quite sure if I made the right choice!! I'm just glad it wasn't spiders or snakes!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!!

Never a dull moment with Halloween costumes! I've pretty much let my children choose their costumes as long as they weren't completely impossible and they gave me enough notice to find what we 'd need or make the costume.

My favourite ones typically are the ones that follow a theme... they aren't as inclined to let me influence their choices anymore... Fortunately the star wars year was a hit with everyone... except it really wasn't fair that Patrick was out of town because I had to be Chewbacca .. Thanks again dear! It was intended for him... I mean he does 'meanacing looking' without any effort!!... I really should have been C3-Po ... I mean come on... I can speak more than one language and I know a lot of useless stuff!! The owl costume has been a hit with multiple children.. and personally I think Sarah made a fabulous Madeleine. Crabs, Snowman, tigger, dalmation dog, holstein cow, yoda, ewoks, R2D2, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker X-wing fighter, pirates, monkeys, Princess Jasmine and Padme in the fight scene of Attack of the Clones...

The year we went as Toy Story was fun... with lots of characters to choose from and extra people to dress up we filled out the cast quite well... I surprised myself with my Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head at the last minute... if I recall Sparky and Valerie ended up joining us at the last minute and I made their costumes on Halloween day. Patrick and I thought we'd make a perfect Jolly Green Giant the year we were first married... of course I wasn't into painting my face... and no one knew who we were... trees? Kenzies chicken costume was precious for the.. 5 minutes that she tolerated wearing it... and I couldn't get her to look at the camera at all... we've had clowns, jesters, parrots, fairies, lions, peter pans, dragons, the human pylon, rodeo princess, gorillas, mario, a hershey's kiss, superman, rabbits and panda bears..


So this year I suggested a few themes... Gilligan's Island characters anyone (Sarah and I fought over who should be Ginger and who should be Maryann... sorry... we didn't give Mrs. Howell a second thought!) Then we thought about going as Nobles... you know not without costumes... but as renaissance period Lords and Ladies in waiting and knights etc... because of course that's what we've been studying in History... King Arthur has been a huge hit as a school subject with my knight loving boys! But it would appear that my children have their own ideas of what is cool and want to do their own thing. I suppose there's still two weeks left for me to work my brainwashing magic! But time is truly running out if I'm to have time to make any costumes this year! In the past I've allowed multiple costumes if we had multiple events to attend over the Halloween season... and this year there are 4 so far!! I think I'll stick to just one costume each for my sanity this year... Patrick as always is pushing to just be the pylon again... It's a tough one to argue... it's nice knowing that there's a fluorescent safety cone walking around in the dark with the kids... but maybe this year with all my traffic experience I should be the pylon.... hmm... more ideas are brewing!!! Two weeks yikes!! I better go get busy!

Roquefort

Thanks to IKEA, Duncan and Cooper have new favourite stuffed animals... Matching grey rats. Cooper and Duncan can however tell them apart. Cooper named his 'Cheese' and Duncan named his 'Roquefort' after the mouse in Aristocats. These rats have had some great adventures with the boys... having cardboard houses built for them and getting to sleep in the favoured spot next to the pillow at night.

Cheese and Roquefort even were the "ONE TOY" that was selected to go with us to the Ranch. As luck would have it... James asked Duncan what his rat was called... Duncan who quietly answered 'Roquefort' wasn't prepared for James laughingly returning with... "Rock Fart!"... The name has forever been changed!

As we packed up to leave 'Rock Fart' was missing and no matter where we looked we couldn't find him. We left with Tina promising to keep her eyes open for him. It was only a few days later that Tina called with remarkable news. 'Rock Fart' had been found outside in the yard where the boys had been 'helping' Neal practice football. What is remarkable is that horses, cows, dogs, coyotes, other mice and rats that roam freely in the area, didn't discover him first!


Duncan was most excited to receive Roquefort in the mail a few days later!.... He still insists that the name is Roquefort. Even if everyone around him snickers as they say it.....

The Dress Up Trunk

Growing up we had a coffin in the upstairs hallway... Keep in mind that in our old victorian house the hallway was likely 12' wide so it wasn't as though we had to step in and out of the coffin to go down the hallway.... I just pictured putting a coffin in my narrow 3' hallway and it struck me as rather amusing.
Yes this is a great Halloween time post!!

It was a huge trunk.. not a real coffin but we referred to it as either the coffin or the dress up trunk. We had a huge assortment of dress up clothes and they lived in this coffin. It was large enough that an adult could comfortably lay down in it and I believe my mother mentioned once that to save burial costs she would be willing to just be buried in it... hence it is a coffin... Dad put little tinker toys on the corners of the lid so that fingers wouldn't be pinched but I wonder now if all the talk of it becoming a coffin made him want it to have air space in case someone wanted try it out with someone inside..... We weren't really that malicious as children....

We always had a lot of fun dressing up... many hours of entertainment were stored in that coffin. Almost all children enjoy dressing up and my children are no exception... I have been fortunate to inherit some of the costumes from the old dress up trunk. I don't know what became of the trunk. The costumes came from many places... some were just old clothes, others old Halloween costumes and some from the many costumes made or put together for a skit, play at school or roadshow at church.
I've tried over the years to know how to store my dressup clothes. I don't have a coffin laying around and any trunk I've come across hasn't been large enough to store my costumes... (Purging some costumes wasn't really a consideration until recently... I'm not a quick thinker) Recently I tried hanging all the costumes so they would be visible to the kids and they could play with them... but they aren't great at hanging them back up so I end up with a sea of clothing on the floor of the playroom... a large trunk is going to be the only way to go.... or a coffin.... I wonder where I could scare up one.... hee hee.... Regardless of where I find to finally house the costumes they are a hit no matter what time of year!

Prompt: October thoughts

Obviously the kids all said the reason they like October was because of Halloween. That's like saying the reason you like to read a book is because you like the last page!! There are 30 other days in October! Although I will admit that Halloween does seem to begin long before Halloween... at least around here it does... I suppose I'm partly to blame for that also! I love to decorate for any and all holidays. I start begging for Patrick to join us in decorating about the 1st of October and generally we go ahead without him by the 5th. This year with all the craziness of going to the ranch, Paige burning in TX, and all the cold ... COLD weather here, we didn't get to decorate until today... and I never even bothered Patrick... but we will when he gets home tonight... There are a few things I can't do without his help... but everything else has been done! I should mention that although I like to decorate for holidays I don't like to do gory stuff even for Halloween... so we have to be more creative. I focus on jack'o lanterns and black cats and other not so frightening things... I'm a party pooper...

But we started something two years ago that has become such a fun tradition. I had read a Dr. Seuss story "What was I scared of?" and from there our Halloween pants decor was born.


We'd like to thank Patrick and the boys for wearing out knees, zipper and backsides over the years to make all of this possible!

Rush Hour Noble Style -- part five

On one particularly busy morning for me, I was madly trying to put a roast in the oven, for a dinner party I was hosting that night, in between the time that I put the pylons out and the time that I needed to be back out to the cross walk to cross children.... I was rushing so fast that as I was trimming some of the fat off the roast I sliced the skin off the top of my left index finger! (Not sure if I want to thank Dad now for giving me a set of knives and sharpener for Christmas... I keep them sharp thanks to Dad.... hmmm) Fortunately nothing serious... no stitches or anything would be required... but oh how it smarts!... another time I'm reminded how important every little inch of the body is and how often you need and use each body part! But I digress....

As I hurried out with my bandaged finger a little late for crossing kids, my kids started excitedly telling me, "look at the pylons"!!! Sure enough they had multiplied since I had put them out only 30 minutes earlier. Now there were 11 tall pylons and 4 short ones, instead of our usual 2 tall and 4 short. There were also some odd paint markings on the street. If these were gang tags... it was a safe gang (not that I'm looking for a gang to join). I didn't have much time. After the kids were safely at school we had to hurry home to get ready for an orthodontist appt. I was just brushing my teeth when I heard noise in the hall and came out to see Gina... my partner in crime... She was excited about the extra pylons too only she knew why they were there! The city was painting today! We were about to see some progress! Hooray! They were painting a red line for a safety zone around the crosswalk so it would be more obvious to the drivers where they could and could not stop and park!

I wished I could have stayed to help the guy paint I was so excited... and to think I helped in some small way to make those street edges get painted! It was a very gratifying and encouraging moment. But we had to go... we would be late!


When we returned home 1 1/2 hours later.... we were excited to see how the curbs were going to look. We saw as we turned down our street a new sign!!! a NO OUTLET sign... I didn't know we had won that issue also! WOW... and then we saw the red curbs... they had painted the entire gutter area... So these red lines are over 1' wide! VERY VISIBLE Have I got friends at city hall!

During afternoon pickup time that day the city was back. This time over by the other crosswalk. They were repairing the road in preparation of the next weeks projects... We will be getting bike lanes and a yellow line painted on the big road! Have we made a difference or what?

XIV

Happy XIV Adriana!

I could mention how challenging it must be to have a birthday amidst the ashes... but I won't.

I could mention that I wish we could be hiding somewhere tonight to yell surprise for you, which of course we can't be physically but we hope you will feel us there anyway... but I won't.

I could mention that ironically this year there are 14 grandchildren younger than you... but I won't.

I could mention that since I'm not the favourite Aunt... maybe someone else should be handling this post.... but I won't.

I could pretend that you aren't turning fourteen and reminding me of how old I'm getting and how quickly you're growing up... but I won't.

I could go on and on about how grown up you are and mature you've become and what a lovely young lady you are... but I won't.

I could reminisce about our summer of fun going to concerts and movies in the park and bike rides and so much more or our recent summer escapades, slurpees, lemonade stands, watching movies... (27 dresses) watching movies...(Anne of Green Gables) watching movies...(A Knights Tale) watching movies... (Anne of Green Gables the sequel) watching movies... (Enchanted) watching movies (Anne of Green Gables the continuing saga) and wish that it could always be summer...(did I mention watching movies?) ... but I won't.

I could just call you on the phone like I normally do and count that as wishing you a happy day... but I won't.

I could plan to call all week and then forget the actual day of and have feelings of guilt and call stupidly the next day... but I won't.

I could tell about what I remember being fourteen was like and how you should just enjoy being this age and be yourself... but I won't. (and I know you're thanking me for that one)

I could give you fourteen things to annoy your mother about on your birthday... but I won't. (I might if I wasn't so scared of her)

I could come up with 14 different ways to say Happy Birthday, like Feliz Cumpleanos (spanish), Sun Yat Fai Lok (Cantonese), bonne fete (French), alles gute zum geburtstag (German), suk san wan keut (Thai), fortuna di es natalis(Latin), co' latha breith sona dhuibh (Scottish), Otanjou-bi omedetou gozaimasu (Japanese), Quchjaj qoSllj (Klingon), kia huritau ki a koe (Maori), eytyxismena genethlia (Greek), Manuia lou aso fanau (Samoan), llanga elimndandi kuwe (zulu - South African), dogum gunun kutlu olsun (Turkish)... but I won't.

I could just let this birthday slip away without a birthday blogging post.... but I won't.

Instead I'll just come up with 14 different ways to blog you a Happy Birthday.

Gratitude for frustrations

It's Thanksgiving in Canada and since here it won't be Gratitude week for over a month and I prefer to relax during that week and enjoy my birthday and just make macaroni and cheese and pie... I'll post what I'm grateful for now.

• First and foremost is that I can just have macaroni and cheese and pie for Thanksgiving and enjoy the rest of the day.
  
• for dirty dishes... I have enough dishes that just because one is dirty doesn't mean the cupboard is bare ... dirty ones mean that I was able to feed my family... dirty ones also means that my family is fed.
• for a long to do list... I am a capable individual with aspirations and am only limited by time and money... not by physical means... I can do what I desire with diligence and perseverance.
• For children who tell me that I'm mean... I've managed to set up limits and boundaries and they are being followed... they understand what is expected of them and how to make choices.
• unfinished household projects.... things to look forward to (stretching for a positive spin)... maybe this is better... I'm getting the satisfaction of doing them my way and paying cash.
• So grateful that although I am generally at home for long periods of time without going anywhere (sometimes weeks at a time!) that I can be pretty self sufficient at home without going too mental!
• I can home school my children even if it means I don't have much time left over for... anything else
• I get to hang my clothes out to dry... rain and cold do present a challenge for me, I have to think about it if I'm not home and it starts to rain but all in all I wouldn't have it any other way
• I can eat leftovers for breakfast and have pancakes for dinner and my family thinks I'm cool not weird!
• I have a mountain of dirt, a mountain of rocks and a sandpit in my backyard with big plans and intentions just no time to implement them and my children have found these to be great play areas instead of being frustrated that their yard is still in limbo a year later....
• my sweet husband hasn't deserted me when I bring home chickens against his wishes, and kittens and bunnies that I'm allergic too and expect him to make a fabulous new home for our additions! (which he always does!)
• having to drive an old, ugly VW Vanagon that breaks down and looks like a streak of poop driving down the road... it is spacious even while seating nine... it has a great heater in it in the winter (we won't talk about the summer temps. ... this is about being grateful!), it has comfortable seats and enough leg room for Patrick without having to hit his head on the ceiling either... and that's in any seat!, the seating arrangement is fun for kids to travel and play games on a card table, I never worry about being broken into or having it stolen.. since seriously most people think it isn't worth it..., I get a wide berth on the road since I guess everyone assumes I'm about to break down, it makes plenty of noise and now that Patrick is driving it and I have the new car... I have a few minutes forewarning when Patrick is arriving home so I can be anywhere but sitting in front of the computer when he walks in, it gets us where we need to go 90% of the time without breaking down, it's completely paid for! (Who knew how grateful I was for the van)
• sick kids... no not glad when they're sick just amazed how great they are... I've only had to clean up one sick bed in 13 years... they just always manage to make it to the toilet or get to a bowl! (Now I have had to clean up a few car messes including on our last trip to the ranch... so I suppose that might even it out)
  
• Even though my family is all over the whole world... technology helps us feel closer together, we're able to feel like we can do something in the midst of tragedy through the internet, and thanks to cell phones we can keep in touch even though we're all still living our lives a mile a minute! (We were able to conference a call together with Paige in TX, Mum in Canada, Dad in CA, and myself to organize some plans and comfort... we can make arrangements for food and lodging, have simple items ordered and delivered to give comfort from our distant locations, book flights and rental cars... even access Paige's business accounts for her so she can continue to work)
  
• Although Paiges house is a black sooty mess, they're living in a small RV, don't have power or place to turn around, but they are as Carlos says "Still better off than so many".(This is very profound coming from the guy that never talks!) They have shelter, food, clothes on their backs, jobs, money in the bank, insurance, transportation, wonderful friends, family and support and good attitudes (most of the time... but hey... the house did just burn up and one truck did get totalled!!...) What more do you really need?

Words can be kinda funny sometimes....

Apparently there are a few errors in the ditionary!!

Mardy (rhymes with 'hardy') adj., n.; colloquial, dialect

Uses

'Mardy' is a word that, although extremely descriptive and very useful, is not widely known outside the Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It should be.

Because it is not widely used, 'mardy' is difficult to describe to non-users, its meaning being quite elusive. Context helps, though:

• One can be a mardy cow
• One can be in a mardy
• And no one would want you to have a mardy on them

Definitions

Any clearer? Well, 'stroppy' would be similar, as would 'to have a strop', but it's a bit too aggressive and sulky. Mardy has much more of a whine to it. 'Tantrum' isn't really applicable, since mardies are more likely to be ignored/shoved into the corner than to cause a scene.

Whining, sulky, snivelling... all have their merits, but none quite capture the soggy mix of petulance and patheticness that mean someone's got a mardy on them.

Happy Birthday Mardy! You're nothing like the definition!

Slow and Steady...

Today, shortly after lunch I got a message from Paige that her house was on fire. 1, 500 miles away I felt completely helpless to my sister. Once it was determined that no one was home at the time the initial panic was gone and then the little thoughts of how much impact this will have started to set in. I couldn't reach her for many hours. I was able to contact Adriana after a while and learned from her that the kids were all at a friends house and that their Mum and Dad were still at the house with all the firefighters, the red cross and many concerned friends and neighbours.

Amongst the losses in the fire were some special pets; Aslan, Lumpy and Gussy, three african sulcata tortoises and Adriana's pets the sugar gliders. Clyde the parrot is being checked out by the vet due to a high amount of smoke inhalation. Still missing is Hello Kitty the cat.


The kitchen, living room and office are gone. Everything else is black and stinky. The recovery will be slow and steady much like the motto of the tortoises. Our thoughts are all with you Paige, Carlos and kids.

Conference Swim

Our weekend at the ranch was full of great conference addresses and fabulous food! Saturday night we took off for town as soon as the afternoon session ended for the 'PAC'. A new facility that was built in town. My kids want to go back to the ranch so they can go back to the PAC. We went for the swimming, but we'll have to check out the rock climbing wall, ping pong, and other activities on another visit. What a great pool. The squishy floor got most of my attention since I detest the grainy floors of normal swimming pools... but the lazy river and super slide were pretty cool as well! Duncan loved the submarine play area and the water squirter's. We dropped off our men at the chapel for the Priesthood session and we went home for fantastic soups, homemade rolls and a movie! "The Underdog"

They may not ever be willing to have a general conference weekend at home again...

And the Due Date is.....

TODAY!!! OUR FIRST EGG!!!

Now if we only knew which hen to reward.....

Rush Hour Noble Style -- part four

The next morning though... after two weeks of putting pylons out morning and afternoon and keeping track of traffic violations, observing loading/unloading procedures, and assisting children to school safely, I was back out at 7:15 in the morning as though the meeting hadn't taken place. Low and behold there was the Mayor! He wanted to observe with me this morning. He left after 15 minutes of observing... resolved to get the ball rolling on this and to see what he could do about the school board's lack of involvement.

Later that day, just before lunch, the phone rang again. This time not a curious neighbour wanting to know what was going on for a change, but instead it was the member of the city council who had attended the meeting with us. Apparently she had been in a meeting that morning and had been able to find out some information for us regarding the possibility of sidewalks in our neighbourhood. The city owns the easements which meant that it was just a funding issue now. Sometimes if the city has to buy the easements it can be a very long process. However, the cost she said is roughly $1500.00 per home on the street. There are 30 homes on the street... quick math says $45,000.00. Not exactly pocket change! So she shared a few creative ways to move our sidewalk project up on the city docket!

• If we chipped in half it could be done almost immediately. (because $22,000.00 is just a walk in the park!)
  
• We could do some of the actual labor and try to find a company who would let us have the actual concrete at cost and the city would be able to finance that better and again move us up on the docket.
  
• We could get the support of the neighbourhood in doing what they refer to as a Special Improvement District Project. Essentially spread the cost out over all the homes affected by the sidewalks...not just the homes on the street getting them but also to the neighbourhood to the north whose children would effectively be using them to get to school. In spreading it out over 200 homes as an increase in property taxes over 5 years it would only cost each home $45.00 each year for 5 years and we could realistically have the sidewalks put in as soon as the ground can be prepped!
• Meet to discuss any other options with the neighbourhood. She recommended we do this regardless. So we have scheduled another neighbourhood meeting. This one for early in October. (It was difficult to find a location right away to host the meeting)

Within two hours of my phone call with the city councilwoman, I received another interesting phone call. This call was from the school board liason for our school. She had just been brought up to speed on the situation and wanted to know more and what would we like from the school. We had a great half hour conversation. She agreed that the school should be more involved in this situation for the safety of the children. She agreed that parent education would be paramount to making this work. She would need some time to discuss this further with the board and decide how they can best resolve the concerns. Unfortunately, we haven't heard back from her since. (of course it's only been 10 days.)

Progress is progress no matter how small... and for us as long as it continues to progress.
We were in a waiting game... Everyone had to meet with their people.... including us... but meetings we've learned aren't always that easy to schedule! For us we still had to continue with our already busy lives and now squeeze this important civic task in wherever we could.

We continue to do the pylon and crossing guard duties each morning and afternoon while we wait for a little more progress.... We sure hope for a long fall... We're not looking forward to cold winter weather pylon and crossing detail!!