HAPPY to me!

Life really does go in a direction for a reason. I am so content. My job is fantastic! Almost 3 months there (so I will have all my benefits soon). They are so accomodating with me having to leave early for the kids activities.
I find it hard to believe we are having this fantastic weather, but Christmas is less than 3 motnhs away! Will need to start shopping soon.
Justine is really enjoying her Cheerleading, and she looks so adorable to boot! Can;t wait to see her in her Cheer uniform :)
Cordell starts his swimming next Tuesday, he is super excited to finally have something of his own to do. He definately needs a haircut too, we will do that next weekend he is with me.
Tate has finished placements scrimmages for Pee Wee, we find out in the next week what his team will be. Hope he is on either Riley or Shale's team. He is in his 3rd week of the Parkland Hockey Academy. Him and I went and got him 2 new sticks, hockey pants, tape, and new shin pads, so he is pretty much set.
When I went for meet the teacher the kids' teachers said it was as if they had always gone to school with these kids. Yeah, what can I say? My kids are fantastically wonderful.
We have definately settled into our cute little house. We had to down size quite a bit, but it is freeing to get rid of things you don't need. I have done this on so many levels. I have to go through my scrapbooking stuff and donate some things I know I won't use (I wonder if my sister in law Lisa could use some of it?) I have about 5 boxes of stuff that I need to organize and wade through and purge. I will do that next week while the kids are at their Dad's.
We got 2 new kittens Oliver (Olly) and Lilly. They are super cute, but cement the reason I enjoy cats over kittens; the running and playing at night while we are trying to sleep, being woken up by tiny sharp claws, and the tripping over little bodies underfoot. Soon enough they will be cats,and I will enjoy their company more.

First Day of School and an Update.

Well it was the kids first day of school in Spruce Grove. I was so nervous for them, but they all said they had great days!
I had the day off work so that I could make sure they got to and from school, got them their bus passes, and be here when the cable/internet got hooked up.
Umm, yeah... HOT cable guy! too young for me, but he has been saved in the fantasy memory bank.
Kids are all set with their programs, daycare is set up, we are settled into our new place (not totally unpacked, but close).
I am hoping that Trevor will agree to switch weeks soon here; otherwise I have to put in a new application to the courts to have an order in place for this. Seems like a waste of time for both of us, he needs to just agree with the change.
Other than that life seems to be pretty good.
I am single, again... Seems to be a theme that I am not paying attention to. I plan on avoiding the opposite gender for awhile. I have more than enough things to deal with without having to work on a "relationship" on top of it all.
Its weird I never thought I would not have a desire to have a relationship, but I really don't, not at this point anyway.'

New Home

Yeay! Me and the kids will be moving into a new place for the end of August, just in time for school :)
It has a wood burning fireplace and a huge kitchen! We night even get to keep the cat that is presently living there. A calico who is comparative in size to Calvin and Hobbes (30-35 lbs!)
AND a friend of mine from highschool has the sectional I have always wanted from IKEA for sale for 1/3 of the original price (all I have to do is buy a new cover!)
Work is going really well, they have already offered me a raise!
Steve is so sweet. We are thinking that we will meet each other's kids soon. I find it amazing how perfect he and I are for each other. I am hoping this is THE one, although we both are much more realistic about relationships since we have both been in ones that didn't work out.
Me and the kids are gonna be just fine.

Street Performers & Upcoming Taste of Edmonton

While I was downtown Registering with MEP, I took Tate, Cordell, Justine and Noah to the Street Performers.We saw 4 shows. The first one was a bit of a dud; he took so long with his "crowd warm up" that we lost interest. We went and grabbed some snacks. Tate and Noaj had Elephant Ears (at first Tate thought they were actual Elephant Ears, lol) Justine had popcorn, and Cordell and I had frozen coconut and pineapple-sicles. People kept coming up to me saying it looked so good and asking where I got it. I was embarassed, thinking maybe I was eating so glutonously that made them come to that conclusion:(
Then we watched this AMAZING guy who is from New York. He was really funny, juggling etc. but had incredible stage presence and knew how to work the crowd!
Cordell went up during one show where they had two British women who were dressed in Girl Guides Unis. Tate joined in the Hip Hop group performance, it was pretty cool. I got pics and a video on my phone; so I will have to get Jenn to show me how to do mobile upoads. Noah and Justine were having nothing to do with the idea of getting up there.

I have wanted to go to the Taste of Edmonton for probably close to 10 years now. Looks liek this year it will finally happen! Here are the restaraunts that are participating this year! I am so excited! I don't plan on eating at all that day until I get there! I have highlighted in green all the foods I want to try. YUMMY!
(S) Menu items containing Seafood
(N) Menu items containing nuts
(V) Menu items Vegetarian approved
(C) Menu items Celiac approved
Beijing Beijing - Ginger Beef & Pork Dumplings
Blue Willow Restaurant - Chicken Chili Puff Pop & Apple Chocolate Roll (N)
Brewsters Brewing - Sweet Chili Beef LoMein & Spicy Chicken Cibatta (N)
Canadian Brewhouse - Steak Bites & Chili Lime Prawns (S)
Century Resorts Alberta - Grilled Beef w/ Sweet Rice & Wild Blueberry Cream Tart
Chef’s Grill & Bar -BBQ Beef Ribs & Sno Cone w/ fruit & cream
El Rancho Spanish Restaurant – Pupusa & Mexican Fried Ice Cream
Fairmont Hotel Macdonald - Mac Scones w/Saskatoon Berry Compote & Wild Mushroom Bisque (V)
Firestone - Bacon Wrap Scallops (S) & Triple Layer Chocolate Explosion
Globe Tap Bar & Grill - 3 Flavor Chicken Wings (C) & Bailey's Mocha Pie (C)
Hawkeye Too - Lemon Grass Chicken Wrap & Wasabi Beef on a Bun
Hoang Long Restaurant - Beef Lemongrass Skewer (C) & Veggie Spring Roll (V)
Hong Kong Bakery - Green Onion Cakes & Chocolate Mousse w/ Cocoa Crisp
Hudson’s Canadian Taphouse - Atlantic Butterflied Shrimp (S) & Alberta Beef Mini Cheddar Burger
Japanese Village - Bean Sprout w/ Ginger Sauce (V) & Sirloin Beef Bowl w/Special Sesame Sauce
Khazana - Butter Chicken & Rice Pudding (C)
Korean Village - Vegetable Tempura (V) & Dakabi Bat (Korean French Fry-coated Chicken Dog w/ Hot Sauce)
Krua Wilai - Pad Thai & Stuffed Chicken Wing (S) (N)
Kyoto Japanese Restaurant - Canada Maki (S) & Green Tea Ice Cream
Lee Gardens - Szechuan Beef & Vietnamese Spring Rolls
L’Espresso Café - Lahem Mishwi (Halal Beef) & Baklava (N)
Lingnan - Dry Spicy Chicken & Beijing Style Kung Pow Chicken (C)
New Asian Village - Chicken Ticka w/ Garlic Naan & Channa Masala w/ saffron rice
Noodle Noodle Rest - Cracking Shrimp Balls (S) & Home Style Chow Mein (V)
Old Spaghetti Factory - Chicken Penne & Strawberry Cheese Cake
On The Rocks - Beef Taco & Apple Crumble w/ Jack Daniels Carmel Sauce
Padmanadi Vegetarian Restaurant - Vegan Curry Chicken w/rice (V) & Vegan Salty Chicken (V)
Palace Banquets - Chicken Caesar Pita & Maple Devine
Panda Hut Express - Lemon Chicken & Deep Fried Wonton w/ Crab meat and Cream Cheese (S)
Pazzo Pazzo - Jumbo Garlic Shrimp (S) & Canoli (custard filled pastry dipped in chocolate)
Roma Bistro - Chicken Enchiladas & Cheese Empanadas (V)
Sutton Place Hotel - Chocolate Dipped Strawberry & Cappuccino Chocolate Shooter Cup
Taste of Ukraine - Potato Onion Varenyky (Pyrogy) (V) & Ham Garlic Sausage (Koubasa)
That's Aroma - Garlic Chicken Satay (N) & Garlic Tomato Salad (V)
The Creperie - Croustille Au Fromage/Deep fried cheese crepe & Crepe Glace au Chocolat
The Gas Pump - Coconut Ice Cream with Fresh Fruit & Stuffed Mushrooms
The Hat - Crab Cakes w/ Cajun Mayo (S) & Deep Fried Mars Bar
Traamici Café - Veggie Panini (V) & Seashell Pasta
Zen Sushi & Grill - Teriyaki Salmon on Rice (S) & Sweet Potato Fries (V)
Zucchero Cappuccino Bar - Pizza Grillo & Caffe Affogatto

Looking Back... Moving forward!

I friend of mine prompted me to go back and read some of my past posts. I find that I am still in the same kind of limbo mode as even a year and a half ago. It seems that over the past few years my life has been a continuous circle of nothingness. I think I will be making some changes in the near future...

TAXES!

I am not an organized person... I could be a professional organizer, cause I have tons of ideas, I just have a hard time on the follow through part. So when it comes time for taxes, I have several systems on the go that I have to bring together at the last minute, because I am a procrastinator as well!
So, this being said, I have most of my stuff together, kids sports reciepts, both mine and Trevor's T4s, all my grocery reciepts and util. bills from when I was doing dayhome, and my stuff from school, but I feel like I must be missing a pile somewhere because I justy don't feel done, you know what I mean?
So today I am gonna go through my scrapMESS, it can no longer be classified as a studio - it is a MESS! Then I need to clean out the bottom of my closet. Trevor always tosses my stuff there, when he "cleans". So, wish me luck in my endevors today.

Hmmm, where do I start?

Sorry 'bout the blog vacation... its all about Facebook now. I will try harder to keep up with this blogging thing.
We had a really great Christmas.
College is not going well for me right now. I have too much going on, having a hard time focusing. I work eve and weekends, I have my practicum, I have the house and kids, and then there is school (honest in that order!). I had to drop 2 classes (will have to do them during summer/fall?), so I WILL get my diploma for Educational Assitant, even if it is a bit later than previously planned.
I LOVE working at the Loft in Calmar. I get paid to hang out with everyone each weekend, and I don't wake up with a hang over!
The kids are doing so good in school, at least their report cards say so! Justine and Cordell just had their Skating carnival this Saturday and Tate's hockey team came in 2nd in their division this season. Next the 3 of them are taking golf lessons.
Trevor spent 12 days in Atlanta at a trade show for the BBQ company he works with.
I have decided tht even, no especially with all the stuf I ahve going on I need to MAKE time for scrapbooking. Lexanne and I usually go on our trip to Blackcat once a year, but it didn't happen this year, and we are both feeling the negative effects of not having that break. I think we should go for our birthday weekend, which also happens to be Mother's Day weekend --- and not having a mom, why not take off and pamper me instead?
Anyway, gotta get going on some assignments for school, talk to everyone soon, I hope...
Tawnja

This is kinda funny (thanks to Michelle G)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)-Casper Caravan
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)-Capuccino Oatmeal
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) T Nys
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)-Green Kitten
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)-Cheryl Rae Medicine Hat
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) -Tawny (whoa that one is kinda odd, its a real name!)
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)-Blue Latte
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)-Earl August
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)-Lilac Chocolate
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )DeLayne David
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)-Kennedy Kentucky
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)-Autumn Lilac
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now)
Kiwi Slippersocks
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)-Bagel Willow
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)-The Papercraft Rain Tour

I'm Still Here

I am still here, Facebook has become my latest obsession, although, it just isn't the same kind of pouring out of you heart like here. I am hopeful for commetns, but really this is more for me than anyone else. I love going back and reading my old posts, remembering... realixing how unimportant some of my comlaints were, how some are still the same, and reliving the fun moments.
I plan to post on here more regularly, for me, but maybe for anyone else who just might be interested.

Although not official yet,

I am going to college in September. I have my student loan approved, and just have to get official acceptance into the program after submitting my work experience and personal reference papers.

This bun looks so much like Sam

I suppose this is what ehr babies would've looked like.
:(

Sam the Rabbit is in labor...

The kids told me that she has pulled her fur out to line her nest with, so I thought I would take apicture of the newly fluffed nest.
I found her with one little guy half way out. Since she seemed to be having quite bit of trouble and the baby wasn't movign at all, I gentle held her and pulled him out.
Now she Is just laying down, she doesn't seem to be in labor anymore but still looks as though she has more inside.
I guess now I wait...
I gave her some rapsberry leaves that is supposed to help rabbits when they are pregnant/giving birth. I hope she has at least one that survives.

I will update when I have any news.

video didn't work

so here are some

pics of Sami!

I am going to try to post a video of my rabbit, Sam preparing her nest. She is due tomorrow, really they could be here anytime now...

Justine graciously loaned her bin to Sam for her nest.

Sunshine, Lollipops, Rainbows...

I don't know how the rest of the song goes... it just fit the pictures.

Trevor got these great pics of Cordell and Justine while I was at work last night.

Bethel Bible Camp, Tate's 1st Year!

I am so jealous! I would love to be able to go back and relive Bethel Bible camp. It was a place where you felt like even if you didn't "fit in" (cause you family didn't go to church on a regular basis), people still accepted you. This was a place that I felt true unconditional love. Tate, you will have such a wonderful time here. Knowing this was the only way I was able to leave you for 6 days! I am excited to hear your stories and happy that you get to have this experience. See you on Firday.

Tate's 9th birthday, Bowling

We went bowling for Tate's ninth birthday party, the cake was even bowling themed. Tate got $95 cash, a Gameboy game, a sleeping bag, and he will be getting a new bed from us. We hope to have all his stuff moved down the the downstairs room
by Friday, the day he comes home from camp...

HAIRSPRAY

OMG! This was such a fantastic movie! I never realized when I had heard of hairspray in the past that it was such a political movie. The message of discrimination racial and against overweight/imperfect people was one that I can really appreciate. I DO NOT want my daughter to grow up with the message that someone is less than others because of their appearance.

Okay, that said.... Check out Zac Efron,! He plays Link (the hero), who falls in love with the "fat" girl.

I had the hardest time sitting still in my seat. I was dying to start belting out the songs and groovin'.

You need to make sure you go see it! Even if you don't like musicals, go see it!

Michael Bublé - Everything

Lvoe how smooth his voice his! Soft but so masculine!

Quading

I think it would be so great to be able to save up for Trevor and get him one of these for next spring. Might not be exactly what he wants, but there is NO WAY I can see us affording a
$10, 000 machine that is purely recreational. So it is eitehr this, nor nothing... http://www.offroaddirect.ca/product_kazuma250.php?colour=BLUE