Nicknames

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately and have notice that people have nicknames for their kids. Justine was easy she is so a DIVA. Cordell is the Golden Boy - as close to perfection as a 6 1/2 year old can get. But then there was Tate, I was having a hard time with him until...
Diva proudly noted that she had snuck into our bed last night. I then went through the explanation of how it is unfair to do that as then "Daddy and mommy have a bad sleep and then we are grumpy. And if we don't get enough sleep for a long time we can get sick".
Tate asks "what is the sickness called?" So I explain that there isn't one specific sickness, it just makes our bodies tired and we can get a cold or the flu more easliy.
So Tate says "I know what is could be called. Didntgetenoughsleepitis!"
So Tate's name is now Seinfeld (he is such a comedian, and adores Jerry Seinfeld and his type of comedy).
So there we have it.

IQ Test

Here's a one-question IQ Test to help you decide how you shouldspend the rest of your day......

There is a mute who wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing one's teeth, he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done.
Now, if there is a blind man who wishes to buy a pair of sunglasses, how should he express himself?


Think about it first before scrolling down for the answer...
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He opens his mouth and says. "I would like to buy a pair of sunglasses"If you got this wrong please turn off your computer and call it a day.I've got mine shutting down right now

Golden Boy strikes again!

So I ask Trevor, " Am I just really cute or do I look super smart?"
Cordell without a pause "Both!"
BTW...
the reason I asked Trevor this was 'cause this guy stopped me at The Source (Computer and Electronics Store) and asked me for help. I had on my coat, it wasn't like he confused me for an employee of the store.
It must be the glasses.

I have been broadening my horizons...

Lately I have only been reading famous scrapbooking blogs and my sister and sister-in-laws blogs. But tonight I have been searching then linking from blog to blog.
I have really been missing out on a lot of people out there!
Is it just because we communicate better or have the need to communicate with each other that the majority of bloggers seem to be female?
Anyway, although I really ought to leave a better post, I need to get back to making blog friends.

Don't Get a Job...

Tate has been playing gaolie a bit on his hockey team. He seems to really enjoy it. So thinking ahead, I explained to him that if we were thinking that he might want goalie equipment he could help to pay for it by getting a job this summer, maybe delivering flyers or the local paper.
He was quite excited about this, and was telling Cordell about it in the van on the way to the pool the other day.
"A real job. " Tate says.
Then Justine chimes in and says, "Don't get a job, get a career!"
She was quoting a radio commercial that was just on. She is too funny.

more pics of Carmine...

really can you blame me?

Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny Messer) from CSI New York

OMG! I have found so many yummy picture of him while wasting time on my computer.

I SO need all the Seasons on DVD.

He could just read me the paper (in bed ofcourse) with his hot New York accent and all. I am such a sucker for accents.

Well mostly for my benefit (but anyone who gets to see him will obviously benefit) here are some pics of my new Sweetheart...

50 Best Chick Flicks of All Time

This list is according to www.imdb.com Some I have to say I don't really agree with. I will highlight in pink ones I like.


50-Sweet Home Alabama
49-Mystic Pizza
48-Mean Girls
47-Bring It On
46-10 Things I Hate About You
45-Waiting To Exhale
44-Father Of The Bride
43-How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
42-Never Been Kissed
41-Chocolat
40-Splash this is not only a dumb movie, I wouldn't call it a chick flick
39-A League Of Their Own
38-Moonstruck
37-The Bridges of Madison County
36-Untamed Heart
35-St. Elmo's Fire good movie not really a chick flick
34-Muriel's Wedding
33-Wedding Crashers
32-Pretty In Pink
31-Friend Green Tomatoes my all time favourite!!!
30-Romeo & Juliet
29-My Big Fat Greek Wedding
28-First Wives Club
27-Joy Luck Club
26-Notting Hill
25-Wedding Planner
24-Clueless
23-Bodygaurd my friend and I went to the Theatre for this one and laughed through most of it!
22-Sixteen Candles
21-Four Weddings & A Funeral
20-Pride & Predjudice
19-Working Girl
18-Love Actually
17-My Best Friends Wedding
16-Jerry Maguire
15-Legally Blonde
14-Say Anything
13-The Way We Were
12-While You Were Sleeping
11-Bridget Jone's Diary
10-Thelma & Louise
9-The Notebook
8-Terms Of Endearment
7-Ghost
6-Dirty Dancing sorry I still like Patrick Swayze, really could've done without the Demi and Whoopi kisss though
5-Sleepless in Seattle
4-When Harry Met Sally
3-Steel Magnolias
2-Pretty Woman
1-Beaches

Wow, the 80's sure brought about a lot of Chick Flicks, huh?

Instant Snow

This year, although quite mild temperatures we have had a lot of snow!

So for those of you who do not get snow in your area, or if you feel the need for snow indoors here is a little something for you....

Definate fun to be had!

This year I will LOVE more

As a challenge from Ali Edwards blog (www.aliedwards.typepad.com) my word for 2007 is LOVE. I have decided that I need to show love more often. These are the people I want to show love to:
my kids
my husband
my sister
my brother
my nieces and nephews
my in laws
my cousins
my uncles
my aunties (even the one who refuse to let me call them auntie)
my friends
the kids I work with
my co-workers
my neighbors
and myself!

The ways I plan on showing love to myself and my family for this month will be to to something daily to keep the house orderly (that is a BIG one for me).
So I will keep you posted on the ways I have shown love to myself and others. I encourage you to find a word for 2007 to help keep yourself focused on what you feel is important in your life.

Nystrom Grandchildren

Somehow we managed, at the last minute to gather all together the 13 Nystrom (Great) Grandchildren.

This was the best picture. I like it in black and white best.

Holiday Summary 2006

Well, we all had a wonderful Christmas! Although Cordell was quite sick there for awhile. He had a temp. of 103', and was throwing up on Saturday morn. On Christmas morning we had to coax him to open his presents, 'cause he just wasn't up for it. I was lucky enough to get tickets for Evanesence (Stone Sour and Black Maria are opening). Lisa and I are going. Sadly the last concert her and I went to together was Def Lepard "Do You Wanna Get Rocked?" tour.

Trevor said that he was gonna get me my Eternity Pendant that I wanted, but decided not to.

I told him that was okay, he could still get it for me for our 10th anniversary in April.

This is what it looks like... Yeah, I think I am worth it! Now to convince Trevor.

We will be heading to Chris and Lexanne's for New Year's Eve for a sleepover! Oh the caos that will reign!

I had two holiday phone calls that I missed, my cousins Brad and Glen, as well as my Auntie Joan. Since Brad and Geln will be at Lexanne's for New Year's Day (probably hung over...) I'll cathc up with them there. And Auntie Joan I will have to ring her back I suppose since she is on the Island and I won't see her until maybe the summer.

Summer, oh sweet summer...

New Pics of All of Us...

This is a picture of Cordell in his jammies playing with Army men.














Here is a picture of Trevor, Justine, and I at Lexanne's for Thanksgiving.

In November Tate had a hockey tournament in Drumheller. They lost all 3 of their games, but man did we ever have fun!

His coach is really great! He knows how to motivate them and give them that push that thye need to give a bit more.

Here is our little number eight playing defence.

closer to Christmas...

Okay, I am feeling a little better about the whole Christmas thing. Tree is up and decorated, concerts are over, gifts-90% bought.
Now, to clean the damn house! How do neat people do it. I find that I have a hard time keeping up with the basics like feeding everyone, making sure they have a least one full set of clean clothing, and clean dishes to eat off of. The other areas get so neglected! Like I would die if someone were to see the state of my master bathroom, my computer room, and my scrapbooking studio. I know, I know... I should be cleaning those places instead of being on the computer. But there are people out there (I won't mention my SIL's name she knows who she is...) who have kids, keep their house spotless, and still find time to play on the computer.
I do know it is lack of motivation. I look at the stuff and think, nah... I just don't want to. But then one day I look around me and think where the hell did all this mess come from! Well, I suppose it didn't accumulate in one day so I'm not gonna get it cleaned in one day either.
I have got follow through with a daily tidy system.
Anyway, I give up... I'm turning off the computer and I'm gonna get some done.
I'll let ya know how it went.
Tawnja

So not ready...

It is the kids' Christmas Concert tonight. I have been out of comission for the past 3-5 days as I had Strep, and I had it bad. Everyone wheo spoke to me during the time I was sick was quite concerned as I sounded as though I was dying. On Friday I had a temp. of 104! I was close to delirious.
Anyway that was the weekend I was hoping toto get the tree put up, so we didn't. Now I wanted to decorate it tonight, but forgot we would be busy tonight. So we HAVE to do it tomorrow night 'cause Sat. morning Tate has a hockey game in Spruce Grove and Trevor works that whole day.
Anyway, in between getting 'caught up (yeah right) on housework tha tgot left since I was sick and getting ready for the whole Christmas thing I figured I better drop a line to everyone.
And NO I am not done all my shopping, but I am done stockings and those are the hardest!
Well, Merry Christmas until I post again...
Tawnja

Curse be Non-School Days!

Today is a no school day, meaning all my kids are here (even my dayhome kids). So what that also means is that every so often during the day I feel the need to hide. So where is the best place to hide in my house? The computer room! So you get to be my accomplice to ignoring the children/keeping my sanity (for a bit longer).
The school division here got smart and makes the day after Halloween a PD day. The teachers don't want them the day after a candy binge, right?
My kids did pretty well last night, they each got a Safeway bag full of candy. I have been letting them go at it hard today. 'Cause, by next Wednesday the have to throw away what they haven't eaten. Beleive me it isnt' as cruel as it sounds. They usually have the majority digested by then. There are just a few remnants. mostly things they don't LOVE but will eat in a pinch.
Tate was a Tae Kwando guy, Cordell was a majician and Justine wore her Unicorn costume from last year. She had originally been a toaster box, no really she wore a box to school ofr her costume. She decided that she was a garbage droid from Star Wars, but when nobody else knew what she was she decided to go with last years more obvious cotume.
I'd post pics along with this, but my comp. won't let me get my pictures from my camera.

Anyhoo, talk to you all later!

My Worst Personality Traits

in no particular order
1)I am not a very good housekeeper
2)I am a procrastinator and time waster
3)I tend to yell at my kids when they have pushed it too far, or I am extra grouchy
4)I have had trouble with money in the past
5)I like to flirt (good or bad, depends on your perspective)
6)Need my coffee
7)Can talk for hours about nothing with my sister
8)Know that I need to be more health conscious, but hardly ever do anything about it
9)I am a little on the paranoid side (think everyone dislikes me, or talks about me; maybe that is self centred more than paranoid)
10)don't have the best work ethic. Love my job (as far as jobs go) but would ratehr be doing something else.

An Ode to BRAD!

I am supposed to get my comp. back from the fixers tommorow, so I will start giving you interesting things to do with your time. Until then, this is an Ode to Brad.

I remember us dancing in your mom and dad's lvingroom to One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater. (I attempted to describe the dance move we used to do, but I couldn't find a way to write it without it sounding very inappropriate!).
I also remember that it was you who taught me how to tie my shoe laces. You taught me the bunny ears and around the tree and into his hole method. (How adorable is that!).
I always remember you being so quiet and passive, God, how you've changed. But that's okay I like both Brads.
Had so much fun at your recent 29th Birthday. Man, you look better every year. Why is it that I don't have any single girlfriends to set you up with?
Well the library is closing so, I'll have to go now.
Later!

One Hundred Things About Me

1. I am the baby of the family, older brother and sister.
2. I look most like my mom
3. I adore cats (I really want a Devon Rex, the almost hairless ones, or rats as my sister calls them)
4. I was born on my sister’s 5th birthday.
5. Even though I got married at 19, I don’t believe anyone should be married before 25.
6. Even though I had my first at 21, I don’t believe anyone should have kids before 27.
7. I love to scrapbook!
8. I a, learning sign language, slowly but surley.
9. I want to take some photography classes
10. I want to learn Carpentry.
11. I started dyeing my hair when I was 14.
12. I used to be a librarian.
13. I used to work at McDonald’s.
14. I used to teach Playschool.
15. I don’t exactly adore the colour pink.
16. I do adore the colour green, esp. lime green!
17. I have 3 best friends, my husband, my sister, and my sister in law (she was my best friend before she was my sister in law)
18. I have green eyes, but when I was a kid they were bright blue.
19. I wanted to be a journalist.
20. Would like to learn about Graphic Design as it would help in the scrapbooking area.
21. My engagement ring was my maternal great grandmother’s.
22. I have VERY short toes. They are almost square, like Fred Flintstone.
23. I have hearing loss in my left ear. I never use that ear for phone calls.
24. Had a hysterectomy at 27, guess it was a good thing I had my kids before I turned 27, huh?
25. Went to 3 different schools in my 6th grade year.
26. Never actually graduatedHigh School, I still need 3 credits.
27. My best friend and I planned on working on a cruise ship after we graduated, never happened.
28. The farthest I have travelled is Spokane, Washignton.
29. I travelled on an airplane for the first time ths summer, to Victoria with my sister.
30. Had my ears pierced 7 times on each side, now there are just 4 hole son each side.
31. Got a tattoo when I was 16.
32. Would love to get more tattoos, but the ones I want would be too much $.
33. Plan to get a navel ring, when (not if) I loose my belly fat (see #86)
34. I chew my lips.
35. I used to chew my finger nails.
36. I have never smoked.
37. I now have 2 tattoos
38. I think my best feature is my full lips.
39. I love 80’s music and movies! Jessie’s Girl/Breakfast Club
40. I have a hard time believing that I am a good enough mom.
41. I love to sing, I am mediocre at it. No, I’m not being modest.
42. I have been smitten with my husband since I was 15.
43. I have been told that my name means “water” in Hawiian, only there is no “j” in the Hawiian alphabet, so it’s obviously spelt wrong.
44. My name is rarely pronounced correctly. You pronounce the “j”. It rhymes with lasagna.
45. If I were to have another baby (see #24) I would name a boy Rowin Christopher Kyle and a girl would be Nadine Elizabeth Marie.
46. I have crazy dreams, that are very detailed, usually about people I don’t even know, and are usually violent or dramatic. Nobody can top my dreams.
47. I can barely use my computer. Trevor just taught me how to cut and paste!
48. I have a book fettish! Love ‘em especially kids classics. I guess that ties into the whole librarian and Playschool Teacher things.
49. I have two middle names (as do all 3 of my kids, my husband, and my brother and sister)
50. I love the Company’s Coming Cookbook Collection, but only have about 7 of them.
51. I am a great cook/baker, but not so great at the cleaing up part.
52. I don’t talk to my mom or dad. Long story, like 29 years (or 34 in my sister’s case, or 36 in my brother’s)
53. I have three kids, not even 2 years between the next.
54. I love working out, I just don’t like to start working out.
55. I am pro life, but I do understand extreme circumstances.
56. I not only took Automotives I had the best grade in the class. I did so well on the tests, it drove all the guys crazy, ‘cause they really knew how to do all this stuff I just studied the material.
57. Regardless of #56, I have never changed oil or a tire.
58. I am not believe in a specific religion, but I do believe in a God(dess) type being.
59. I was baptised into the Mormon church when I was 15.
60. We have a rabbitt, a guinea pig, a newt and some fish.
61. I dream of going to Australia some day.
62. I have a thing for guys with British or Australian accents.
63. I love quotes. I think a book of quotes would make a great birthday present!
64. I went to 2 schools for my grade 12 year (partially why it was hard for me to get my credits, but mostly ‘cause I never attended classes)
65. I failed Math 23 twice, the third time I got a 49% and the teacher begged the principal to just pass me.
66. Regardless to what #64 and 65 might make you presume, I am NOT a complete idiot.
67. If Justine moves out by the time she is 20, I will be an empty nester when I am 44 years old. (not rushing anything, just a thought)
68. I have never broken any body part.
69. I am a little over obsessed with the stars. I watch Entertainment Tonight as often I can, and I know who dated who, who is related to who, watch movies they were in, and with who. It was a good thing when I worked in a movie rental place.
70. I am ¼ German, ¼ Russian, 1/4 British, and ¼ Irish, at least that’s what I’m told.
71. I have had the same email address for the past 7 years.
72. I believe in past lives and reincarnation.
73. I am addicted to blogs.
74. I can flip my tongue upside down, and can tie a cherry stem with my tongue.
75. I can sew quite well, but don’t really enjoy it. I don’t like to be told what to do. To me a pattern is being told what to do.
76. I LOVE live music and live theatre but rarely get to enjoy any. Last concert I was at was over 5 years ago and the last play I attended was when I was a teen.
77. I never cried when I got married or when any of my kids were born, but I will cry at a sappy commercial.
78. I am a major wussy-pants!. If I watch a scary movie I have to run and jump onto my bed so nothing grabs me.
79. My favourite numbers are 3, 5, and 7. I have 3 kids, Trevor’s hockey number is 55, and all of us have a 7 in our birthdays, except the party crasher Diva J. But she has acool b-day # 10, 10, 01.
80. I love the plain M&Ms, not the peanut, I don’t mind the almond.
81. My favourite season is definitely fall. I sometimes think I should’ve named Justine Autumn instead.
82. I think the concept or vegetarianism is so right, but I couldn’t live without meat. I guess it is a choice and what you become accustomed to.
83. I have always wanted to dye my hair smurf blue. Maybe this summer.
84. I shoplifted when I was in the 4th grade, and was mortified that my Grandmother found out. 85. My teeth, although relatively straight, so need to be bleached!
86. If I could change 1 feature right now, I would get rid of my belly fat.
87. I am very flirty.
88. Love coffee.
89. I like Coke more than Pepsi.
90. I would love to go the spa/salon if I had more expendable income, and a babysitter.
91. The school where I went for kindergarten, grade one, and part of two was torn down about 10 years ago.
92. I have been told that I am a kind person.
93. Lilacs are my favourite flower and my favourite scent.
94. I have been doing childcare off and on for the last 11 years, 18 if you count when I started to babysit when I was 11 years old.
95. Next year will be my last year doing childcare (other than my own)
96. My complexion is so pale, that I am almost transparent.
97. I would love to take a martial arts/kickboxing class.
98. I have never had a garden of my own.
99. Wanted to be a Solid Gold Dancer when I was little.
100. I am working on gettting the $ together to get my Bachelor of Arts in Pyschology online, then moving on to my Masters.

What have I DONE!

OMG! I was purging my faves list. I was on my 40 + list of scrap blogs and I inadvertantly (ooh, big word!) erased my whole list of scrap blogs! If you are unlike me, you don't care about blogs, esp. not scrap blogs. I am devastated right now. All my time finding the right blogs to ignore my children with! Grrr. Oh, well, bakc to the scrap blog drawing board I suppose.