1. Wow, how did it get to be 3 pm already?
2. There is so much to do, but multi tasking has its limits
3. Three people can generate a lot of dishes in a two day period
4. Websites require a lot of change
5. I think I need to wash laundry

Kathy H. is so nice. Last night when she and David came to give Tam and I a ride to Dancing on the Air she brought us a sewing machine to use until we get mine back. Looks like it should be able to handle the heavier fabrics so that's great. :D So yeah, we'll call Mr. Sewing Machine Man and let him know that if he cares to fix mine, in his own time, he's welcome to. So yes, everything is good.

Dancing on the Air was great. We listening to a duo violin performance by Spindel, now if only I could read Norwegian. I think it was the most beautiful violin music I've ever heard, which they played on Hardingfele violins, which are really beautiful as well.



After Spindel we heard a group called..ok, so I don't remember their name. It was kind of a Spanish guitar sound mixed with a jazz sound and the guy on the guitar was amazingly skilled. And then in between/here-and-there we heard lots of folk type music played by the Dancing on the Air group, that hosts the show. So yeah, a lot of fun.

Ok, gotta to go sew some hats. :D

Jode

I will title this post "the sewing machine repair jerk" I don't think I've ever been yelled or ranted at like that before in my life, and had no idea that repairing sewing machines could be such an embittering job. Or maybe he's just naturally a jerk. So what happened? The Friday before last I called this guys to see if he would be able to fix my machine. He was rude when he answered and said I could bring my machine out, but I figured oh well I can meet a few rude people in life and live through it. So Tam and I drove out there to drop it off, and I mean "out there". If we had realized how far out he was we wouldn't have bothered, but by that time we were already over half way there. He hadn't mentioned on the phone that it would take him 2 weeks, but in his parting comment when we were getting back in the car he said to call him if we hadn't heard anything from him in two weeks, and we stressed that the sooner the better if he was able.

So today I called him to find out whether he'd had a chance to look at it, at least to know what the problem is and a general time frame for how soon it would be done. He responded by informing me that he "HAD" not even touched it, that he's a very busy man and that he might get to it by next week. I then attempted to ask him a couple more questions, but was kinda dumbfounded by his tone so I said, "Okay, thank-you, good bye" (yeah, thanks for nothing). So this would have been an "ok whatever" to me, but that he gave me no certain time frame, and I've been needing my machine in working order for the last several weeks. After thinking about it, I resolved to call him back, and be more firm (but polite) in simply asking him if he thought he would be able to look at it by Friday, and if not I would be willing to pick it up on Friday unfixed.

I proceeded to do this. I called him back, and said that I had talked to him a few minutes earlier, but after getting off the phone I had considered my schedule and that I needed my machine as soon as possible, etc etc. He flared up at me, and was yelling at me about how he had a ton of people before me, and that it had only been three days (try a week and 1/2), yada yada. And I responded that I was sorry, I hadn't realized how long his waiting list was, but that I needed my machine, so I would be able to pick it up on Friday. Then he started yelling louder, that if it was left with him there he would charge me the repair price if he even touched it, and that if I wanted my machine back I would have to come get it that very minute because he was going to take it out to the end of his driveway and leave it there. I tried to to explain how far away we were and that I wouldn't be able to, and he reiterated the same thing and hung up on me.

Yeah, I cried after. I don't know, I just don't take that kind of mistreatment very well at all..but I'll live through dealing with this jerk as well. We'll have to see if I can say the same for my machine, as it's raining out, and there's no way we could make the trip out tonight. Sigh..

Jode

1. Oh boy, I am tired
2. Had a great visit with Darren and Laura (thanks guys :D)
3. Vermont roads are twisted, or maybe that was only the one on the way home?
4. Darren can make one great lasagna (very cheesy) and Deeders has a great laugh
5. The Church is always an interesting topic, at least to me. :)
6. Tomorrow is bible study again, yaaay! :D
7. Ok, going to try a power nap right now
8. Tam and I are having a Scarlet Stitch fall sale, and it's not winter yet, woohoo! I just love being on track. The site has been fixed a little further, changed a little bit more than needed, and the advertising education continues.

1. Baking powder biscuits are where it's at..for hungry people and those who have a profound appreciation for flakiness.
2. Cold coffee at 11:00 pm mmmm
3. Filtered water, even better
4. Brown turtlenecks for kids are extinct, if they were ever in existence. Maybe I should become an archaeologist and dig some up. On the bright side, cute brown sweaters are still in style.
5. I love cooler weather

Five things about our trip to New York City, a post for Dor.

1. The top Culinary Art School in the USA smells like cheeseburgers, good quality ones. This wafting smell is a form of torture, similar to Chinese Water torture, to those who have been looking forward to breakfast since 7:00
1. CMB stands for Campus Mail Box, it is not the initials for a dorm, do not try to use this to find culinary students (we were to meet Shawn's cousin there and go for breakfast). Don't try to seek help from other students to find the CMB dorm, because they'll be sure they've heard of it, but not know where it is. Can't expect much from students on their first day on campus
1. Breakfast at 11:00 tastes a lot better than breakfast at 7:00
2. I was greatly impressed by the amount of trash and filth around the subways and train tracks on the way in to NY City, ew
2. You can do a whole lot of walking, and feel like you're doing something, but then when people ask what you did in NY City, you don't think walking qualifies as a "yeah I had an awesome time walking in NY" "Did I see the Empire State building? Nope" "Did I see Central Park? Nope, but I did see a lot of traffic! :D" Yup, walking I guess isn't the same as seeing the sights, but for the most part it's my preferred pastime. I like to study the atmosphere in the different areas of the city more than...hm, Nintendo World.
3. The thoughts of what would happen if everyone on the street started to panic was entertaining. Broadway is a very busy street. :)
4. Madison Square Park is not close to Madison Square Gardens, oops
5. You can find a great gyro on nearly every corner, soo yummy. Hmm, now if only restrooms were so plentiful/easy to find.
5.Train Stations and Subways are confusing, I can understand how people can get on the wrong train, but thankfully we didn't have that experience.

1. Go-Karts are a ton of fun, provided you're driving one that actually has some power. Getting bits of tire rubber on your face and in your eyes isn't fun, but it was still worth it.
2. Rock wall climbing is hard on the toes, and other muscles you never knew you had
3. The intermediate level is fun..advanced is a lot harder than it looks, owwie :)
4. The after math of riding the Space Ball lasts a lot longer than the ride, just ask Clint
5. Why is five always the hardest to fill in? Perhaps I should rename it 1. and then it'll come easy..
1. I'm procrastinating on updating our inventory, so enough is enough, adieu

Happy Birthday Dorry! :)

1. House shopping can be fun "ooh pretty" "eww stinky"
2. Card games can be violent
3. Sugar and I lack of sleep makes everything funny (and is also the number one cause of typos, if you don't believe me check out the "I" where it should be "the")
4. I wish my sewing machine didn't break right before we left Albany, wah
5. I wish the AC was working right now, because it felt great when it was

1. HTML is still beyond me
2. I can never ("never" used in the loose sense) think of what I need to do next when I have the time to do it. :)
3. It is hard not to make noise when some one is sick, everything likes to make a racket and the moving of cutlery is similar to the sound of crashing cymbals (sorry Tammy)
4. Headaches can cause vomiting
5. Poor Tam

Heya, ho-ah, me -ah posta. :D

So I'm in Albany, and thus far having a great time visiting, cooking for people, meeting other Christians, hanging out with Manda, Tam, and Shawn, bible study etc. etc. :)

As for the work side of things we're getting there. So far we've organized all of the closets and cupboards which should aid in our ability to find what we're looking for. ;) We've started the search for ways to advertise Scarlet Stitch, and we have a bunch of hats that are primed and ready for sewing. Have a few site bugs I need to iron out, but so long as I have them in mind, I'll get them into motion (ie fixed, eh heh) . So yes, I agree that this is a very slovenly post, but a post never the less.

Here are my five things for the week:

1. Having the ability to fellowship with other believers is a gift of God.

2. The future is uncertain, but hopeful.

3. Swimming pools that don't allow the wearing of tank tops stink, but free admission over rules such qualms.

4. Humidity is a reality I have to face, whether I like being sticky or not.

5. I have the cutest family, if you don't believe me look at the latest pictures of all of my nephews and nieces. :D

Jode

Haven't been blogging much, too busy getting ready to go I guess. :) So tomorrow we're off to Jasper to meet up with Dor, Jord, and Co. I've managed to stuff everything in the van
which includes but is not limited to 1 watermelon, camp stove, bible box, stroller, box of food, and cooler; 2 citronella candles, 3 foamies, 4 citronella lamps, 5 bags (which includes my sewing machine) 6 sleeping bags, 7 camp chairs, and now we just have to squeeze in tomorrow morning, and we're off. Then it's to Edmonton, Red Deer, and Albany.

Well, time is up for the blogging while brushing my teeth. Yeah, I like to conserve...I conserve time, space, water, plastic bags, paper plates, interesting news, and interesting blog posts, but I don't want to conserve on sleep, nor do I want to start drooling, must go! :D

Chow,

Jode

Okay, so I had to try it after Tam did it, right? Doesn't make a lot of sense, but I guess that's as much like a person's life as anything. :)

Opening Credits: On the Bound – Fiona Apple

Waking up: Girl Sailor – The Shins

Falling in Love: Salamandra – Sarah Harmer

Fight Song: Same Thing - Pete Yorn

Breaking Up: Swallowed in the Sea – Coldplay

Formal/Prom: On the Bound - Fiona Apple

Life: A Moth is Not a Butterfly – Hawksley Workman

Mental Breakdown: So Say I – The Shins

Driving: Hundred – The Fray

Flash Back: Looking After You – The Fray

Getting Back Together: How Deep in the Valley – Sarah Harmer

Wedding: I Know – Fiona Apple

Birth of a Child: Trouble - Coldplay

Final Battle: Over My Head – The Fray

End Credits: How to Save a Life – The Fray

Part 2.

So where did I leave off.. I think we were on the way to Auntie Debbie’s. We got to visit with Debbie and co. till they had to leave Monday morning, after which the pet care-taking commenced, as well as the sewing. As it’s already been over two weeks, most of the weekly details are missing in my mind. I remember that I didn’t kill the fish, the hamster only escaped once, and Tam and I shaved the dogs (and when I say shaved, I mean shaved). :D We drank lots of coffee, sewed lots of things, did some cleaning, and visited with all of our relatives.

I will now expound, although somewhat briefly, on the relative part, as it was a highlight. On Friday Uncle Jamie and Auntie Val had Tam and I over for dinner, we had a lot of good conversation, and good food, we got to see all of their kids, but for Judah who was with his choir in Ontario, and I even obtained some artwork from a couple of them. :) They also had us over for breakfast and dinner on the Lord’s day. Brad was back (he’s been boarding with them) as well, and so we spent the day well, in more talking, music, and a pleasant time all around.

On our last weekend there we had Uncle Danny, Vera and co. stop in (when we heard they were coming we knew it was time to stop sewing and start packing), and while Danny and some of the boys went to the Forestry Show, Auntie Vera, Tam, the little girls and I went shopping, big surprise huh? I think it’s only because the guys aren’t willing to shop, so someone has gotta do it. Thankfully we live through it better than most men. This is something that should make guys happier, they shouldn’t criticize women who shop, but be thankful they have something to wear often because of it. Have to think about that one more to myself, how nice would it be if someone else always found what I wanted to wear, and what would look good on me, and I never had to go through the tiring, hot, and stressful process? :D So as I was saying, we went shopping, and had a nice time of it, as shopping and multitasking, in the form of visiting, worked very well together.

After coming back for lunch Tam and Vera went out, while I stayed to keep an eye on the kids, and to make dinner. After popping some lasagna in the oven, and prepping a few other things, the kids and I took a pleasant walk/race/hop-skip-and-a-jump to two of the neighboring parks. Got to enjoy the feeling of gravel, and sand in my shoes, but helping Pearl on the slides, and Blossom and Joel on the bars made it well worthwhile. After the allotted space of time passed we had to return (yeah, another race) home to save the food from the oven. Danny and Vera left to a dinner, and Uncle Steven, Auntie Lovella, Bethany, and a friend of hers joined us for ours. Then Danny, Vera, and some of their friendly neighbors from Fort Nelson came back to spend the rest of the evening in conversation, and cake eating (it was Auntie Vera’s b-day).

Then after going to bed later than was good for any of us, after doing some scheming for next years family reunion, at about 5 or 6 am the sleepy homeowners returned to reclaim their home, Poodle-Pointers, fish, and Pie. They were so sleepy on their drive that tale has it, that they all fell asleep on the road, and drove right through the ditch and out again, while hardly waking up during the performance. They didn’t however reclaim their beds, as we all got up, and stayed up, except for Uncle Danny, who wouldn’t wake for love or money until he was well rested. :) We looked at pictures of Mexico, and felt very sleepy. Tam and I finished packing. For this part you must picture bags packed twice over, containing twice what they should normally hold, with one girl sitting on them, while the other is closing them and it'll be about right. We commenced with more talking , drinking of more coffee, and were on our roads to our two different destinations.

So now it's off to bed, so the process of living can begin again, while continuing as it has. :)

Jode

PS Yeah, I'm tired now. :D

Yo, what's up my blog? Nothing, because I haven't been posting, oh soo sorry..although not really. Been pretty busy since I arrived home from Auntie Debbie's, although I admit I was pretty busy before that as well. I also admit that if you always let business get in the way of other things, the other things will never get done. Thus I'm here to blog, and I don't intend on being busy again until I'm done. :)

How did everything go? It went swimmingly. Tam came to PG, and we got to visit everyone, and we were also able to hear Calvin and Baillie recite at the Speech Festival. While listening/watching them and their competitors we multi-tasked. Nothing like quilting while relaxing to the sounds of poetry. :) The rest of the time was spent talk, laughing, and all the wonderful things that are so nice about having family around.

On Friday we packed everything up that we could possibly fit into our bags (I even brought my two sewing machines) and boarded the bus for Dawson. Upon arriving in Dawson we were picked up by my Uncle Tim, and taken to Grandma's for a very enjoyable pancake breakfast (as only Grandma can make ;) ) After visiting with Tim and Grandma, Tim's boys, Troy, Jordan, and Jeffrey were dropped off. Then Grandma took the boys, Tam, and myself to pick up Tommy who was going to spell Grandma for awhile with watching the boys. Then it was over to Sundae's to see her new baby girl Abigail.

Thus far it seems my trips to Auntie Debbie's are continually marked with occurrences that make them memorable. Last time it was some lady running into Clint's car with her truck, just before they were to pick me up at the station, and this time it was one of the boys locking Grandma's keys in her car. After a few attempts by various individuals armed with hangers, Debbie, and Deanna (my cousin Brett's fiancee, they came by to visit us at Sundae's) managed pull on the door, which although locked, was ajar. Brett then inserted the hanger through the crack, and click! Thankfully Grandma had already received a lift home from a friend of Sundae's, because not only did the ajar door aid in the success of unlocking the door, it also aided in the killing of the battery.

So from there we traded over to Debbie's Truck, and then it was off to Grand Prairie..which is where I will leave this as a "To be Continued" post, for it is now too late for both business, and recreation, unless that recreation is sleep.

TTFN

Yesterday welcomed into the world my new little niece Natalie Elise Dohms
Eight pounds one ounce
Born at 12:22 AM

And boy is she a doll. :)

More photos here

Well, I guess it's that time again, although it shall be brief. :) What have I been busy with? Most things spring. Need to get the gears going for spring cleaning. Already did the yard, but the nooks, crannies, and windows leave much to be desired. After that I'll need to turn my mind to the garden. Wanting to try this out this year, so..we'll see how that goes. Tam is coming at the end of this month (yaay!) and after a few days in Edmonton she'll come for a visit here and then come with me to house/dogsit for Auntie Debbie for a couple weeks. We're going to use the opportunity to visit some of our relative, and in the rest of the time allotted we'll sew, sew, sew. So that should be splendid. :) Trying various new things with the sewing, I'm not sure where I'm going to direct my next efforts, but I'm sure I'll figure it out as I go.

Yeah, brief. :D

Jode

Here's a video of Geneva I forgot to post the other week, although as a matter of fact it's a couple months old.

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-2060328235528429353


This can't be that comfortable, yet we find her sleeping like that all the time, haha.

Just had to laugh. :)