My mission: To knit a Gryffindor scarf by Halloween.

Dun-dun-dun-dunnnn!

Yes. I am 1) stupid for waiting this long and 2) stupid because I knit really slowly.

BUT!

Insomnia won't let me down this time, I'm sure of it!

I got off my lazy buttocks and re-vamped the ol' blog. Huzzah! I think it looks pretty snazzy, no offense to the "Ms. Moto" template I was using before but it didn't really fit with the title.

What does really fit with the title is my current beverage. Mmm. It has been a very long time since I've had one.

SO & me and the kids had dinner together @ home last night, SO picked up some steaks and barbecued them up, we made some rice and veggies and we all got to drink from wine glasses just because it was a "special occasion". The kids were amazed that they were "invited to mom and dad's anniversary dinner!" but hell, we like their company and neither of us have been in the mood to get away or anything lately.

K woke up crying his head off at 4 am, complaints about a sore neck abound. We did the typical paranoid mother at 4 am testing of "move your head around please, let's take your temperature, hurrah you don't have menengitis, stop sleeping on 60 pillows already" and then of course he had to come in to bed with us to cuddle because he was hurty and grouchy and wanted cuddle time with mom. At 4 am who am I to argue, I just want some sleep.

So I ended up sleeping in and missing my final exam and that's ok because I talked it over with the prof and she's fine with it as long as I can make it up by either coming in during the week to take it or writing an extra research project. I am thinking the latter, but we'll see.

Bleh. So tired.

I picked up an interesting book from the library, "A Feast of Poisons" by C.L. Grace. It's pretty good actually, it takes place around the time of Henry the VI and Louis XI. There is murder and intrigue and gruesome stuff all over the place in this book, a very good read.

That being said, time to go read said book.

Can you recommend an author? Why are they your favourite?

Today marks 5 years with SO as husband and wife.

C became a brownie "officially" on Wednesday and she couldn't be more pleased with herself.

K and I went to Let Them Eat Cake yesterday and had a muffin each for breakfast. We then went to Breadworks because the smell was driving us crazy and we bought two loaves of sun-dried tomato bread. MMMMMMM.

We also went out to the library yesterday to get more books and we also borrowed Dinotopia. We watched all 4 hrs of it and then it was time to get C.

Last night we went to the in-law's to celebrate my brother-in-law's 25th. Dinner was sweet and sour meatballs and pineapple rice and of course chocolate cake & ice cream.

I have a Final exam tomorrow. Yow.

JG is gone. We helped him move out yesterday. I'm sorta happy, sorta sad.

Happy = hooray! I get to walk around in my underwear again!

Sad = now who's going to watch Spongebob with me when the kids are asleep and I'm waiting for SO to come home?

JG says fear not, we will see more of him as he has to eat eventually. :P

I didn't sleep a wink Friday on account of my having a test Saturday morning, so at 4 am I threw together a chili in the slow cooker for the boys for after the move. I also wrote down the recipe for JG so he can do it himself. The recipe is simple as all get out, and went thusly:



Hooray for Chili! A Recipe
(a.k.a. I have insomnia, let’s waste time before I have to go write a dumb test!)

You will need (food):
1-2 lbs. burger meat
3 small cans of beans and 2 small cans tomato paste
mushrooms, sliced (fresh or canned)
½ a small onion (diced)
water (2 tomato paste cans’ worth)
Cajun spice
Mexican chili powder
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Ground peppercorn (what? No pepper mill? Fine. Be that way. Just use normal black pepper then! See if I care!)
Salt
Hot sauce

You will need (not-so-foodlike):
A frying pan
A slow-cooker
Various utensils (mostly spoons)
A can-opener
TIME.

Cooking instructions:

Ok. So. Fry up the burger meat in the pan. If you feel like it, fry the onion @ same time as burger. Or wait and put in pot. It’s really up to you. Now while the burger is frying (you can multi-task, can’t you?) open up the cans of beans and tomato paste, and empty them into the slow cooker. (Don’t forget to plug the damn thing in, and yes you know you probably will, so do it now. NOW.) Fill up two tomato paste tins’ worth of water. Add to the mix. Put in mushrooms (drain them first if canned pls) and diced onion. Get a big wooden spoon and try not to break it stirring all the stuff up. DON’T FORGET THE MEAT! YOU ALMOST BURNED IT YOU PUTZ. Ok, back to the slow-cooker. Here’s where it gets tricky because I’m not much of a measuring type. So here are some estimates. Toss in:

1-2 tsp ground peppercorn (or black pepper if you insist)
4 tbsp Mexican chili powder
2 tbsp cayenne
1 tbsp paprika
1-2 tbsp Cajun spice
a dash of salt
2-10 drops of hot sauce, use your discretion here.
If you can’t stand the heat, get rid of the spices that start with a C. Add and subtract spices as necessary.

Mix all that stuff in. The meat should be done by now. Toss that in too and stir it all up. Smells good, huh? What? No? DID YOU REMEMBER TO PLUG THE COOKER? DID YOU REMEMBER TO TURN IT ON? Jeez. I have to do everything myself, don’t I? Cook this concoction until it smells like you must eat it RIGHT NOW.

Cooking instructions (alternative method):

Buy all the ingredients. Call G. Beg her to cook it for you.



So yeah, JG's gone, and SO and I have to go to his cousin A's wedding today (yes, on a SUNDAY, no, I have no idea why).

C is loving Brownies and has already sold a case of cookies and is looking to sell more and I bet she will because she's quite the little salesperson.

She calls up my Dad and says "Vavu (portuguese word for grandpa) guess what! You won't believe it! I FINALLY got my Girl Guide cookies! So how many did you want? They are only FOUR dollars a box, so three boxes would be TWELVE dollars! Isn't that great?" and he totally went for it and bought them.

Then she calls up SO's Dad and says "Granpa! Guess what! My cookies finally came! I know you LOVE cookies! And Vavu already bought THREE boxes, so how many do you want?"

So yeah, he got three boxes as well.

JG bought three boxes, I told him he didn't have to and he said hells no it isn't to be all helpful, it's because he loves cookies and I bloody well know that. Bwaha.

I have no idea what to wear to A's wedding. Damn.

so um.

I went to the library today, to return three books. These three books? They were over 2 years overdue.


They only charged me $30.00. My conscience would not let me let it go at that, so I donated a nice sum of money to them in lieu of their accepting payment.

Then I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote my damn essay. Take that, essay! Now I have to type it but I have no motivation to do it from all the writing and writing and writing and writing.


I then borrowed fifty bajillion CDs as their policy is you can take as many as you can carry.

And put the CDs in a nice burlap bag they gave me as thanks for donating money to them.

So now I am listening to one of the CDs now. Can you guess what I got?

FYI at Tim Horton's the new apple toffee danishes + butter caramel hot smoothies = a winning combination

Also the treasury for the school council is really crazy, I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Also also I am doing my research project on managing stress in the workplace for my organizational behaviour course.

Also also also C's friend Z is coming home with us after school for a play date. C is tres excited about this but I have a feeling K's nose will be out of joint, so a rousing game of Uno may be the only hope to keep all parties happy. Should probably consider baking something too for their snack. Banana muffins, perhaps?

Also also also also it's Girl Guide cookie time! It's the minty kind! C already sold a case of 12 and she's only had them home for 36 hours. WE RULE

L: I sent you directions on how to post images in your lj.

Ok time for a shower.

ta.

Soooo tired.

School Council meeting was last night... as I have inherited the Treasurer position, my presence was mandatory, since the Board rep was coming in to tell us how to direct our money.

It was an ok meeting, but man! Some parents. So uptight!

Then I went out for chicken wings w/the boys. Tuesday nights my kids go to grandma's because she takes them to Thunderkids (some sort of evening program at her church) and then likes them to sleep over. I'm not complaining.

SO of course worked till 3 am so he wasn't there, but that doesn't bother me much as I get along with his friends just fine. JG was kind enough to buy my portion, even though I had my own damn money, because he said SO & I have done so much for him, and he needed to take every opportunity to do something nice for us when he could. Cindy (their regular server) was in fine spirits and sporting a penne necklace one of the cooks made her out of boredom. JE tried to steal it on more than one occasion which landed him in the doghouse with her, meaning no more beer for him! JG's cousin (the same one that is now living with his now ex wife, don't even go there) was out too but he hates beer so he kept drinking rye & coke, which was fine but upped the bill significantly.

Now it's time to brush my teeth etc. Mmmm. Cinnamon toothpaste!

What is your favorite kind of tooth paste?

I've had the worst bout of insomnia I've had in a long long time. I'm averaging about 15 hrs of sleep per week for the past two weeks. Yowch. Don't know why... I guess it's just that time of year.

I've purchased The Sims 2, which is more fun than it probably should be. I like designing homes... I am also a bit sadistic and enjoy finding new ways to kill them. In any case, the kids like the game too, C is pretty good at being caretaker to their whims...

We have been playing a lot of Uno lately too, I have a Dora the Explorer version and the cards are bigger and I laugh and laugh when K shouts "HAW HAW C I PUT DOWN THE SWIPER, YOU HAVE TO PICK UP A CARD" or C says "NANANANANANA I GOT THE WIIIIIIIIILD CARD SO NO PUTTING DOWN THE BLUE BOOTS CARD FOR YOU". I have to find a copy of Candyland at some point and Trouble because they love Trouble and we lost ours somewhere (no idea where, magic goblins maybe?).

I've enrolled the kids in a bi-weekly catechism class which is nothing more than making crafts but also sneaking kid versions of the scripture in. C really wanted to go and wherever she goeth, there be K. I have also been suckered in to volunteering my time for children's liturgy (fancy term for Sunday school) every Sunday I can go. I don't mind really since at least it gives them a chance for exposure in a friendly manner and also gives them something somewhat fun to do on the weekends. Sunday school ain't what it used to be... they do a ton more stuff than I ever did.

SO & I got to spend some actual time alone together yesterday as my mother-in-law invited the kids over for a sleepover, and JG is spending the weekend at his folks' house. So we went to London because we both really miss it. We both love that city and we are considering moving there when the kids are done high school. Which seems like a long time... but it really isn't. Time seems to be going in fast-forward in that respect. And sadly enough, housing and taxes are cheaper there. We passed by gorgeous homes that were HUGE and cost about as much as the one we now own... and they weren't semi-detached like ours either. Nice neighborhoods, too. Hmm.

We had dinner at East Side Mario's, which was a big deal to SO as he hadn't eaten there since the last time we did, which was sadly 2 years ago. Yes. I had the Hell's Kitchen Chicken... daaaaamn, son. So good. SO had the Chicken Parm and we talked and took our time eating and people-watched as it was Homecoming weekend there so there were people literally in every damn corner of the city.

Ok, breakfast time.

I'm the treasurer for the parent council at my kids' school this year. Last year's treasurere whooped with delight when she heard someone was interested in an executive position; she'd been doing the job for the past 4 years. Then she tossed a binder in my lap and told me the GST report is due Wednesday, so chop chop. Heh.

C joined Brownies last week, she is *very* excited. The uniforms have totally changed. I guess even Brownies need to be hip these days.

My Organizational Behavior class is really interesting, but man oh man does she pile on the homework.

K has been having issues with the same little boy as last year. I told his teacher and she had a very long talk with all of her class about personal space and safety.

To make K feel especially loved and safe, she let him be the Happy Helper yesterday even though it wasn't technically his turn, and he got to take hom Kiki the Kangaroo, which is a little stuffed Kangaroo with a little Joey in her pocket and everything. K gets to take care of her until next class and write down all of her adventures in her "journal". K was proud as a little peacock yesterday when I went to pick them up because of Kiki.

THAT is a good teacher.

Yesterday I also stayed at the school for most of the morning setting up all the books for the Book Fair they are having this week. This is more difficult than you can imagine because I have to sort of "censor" some of the books and not put them on display. My kids go to a Catholic school and while most of the grades have books that you don't really have to watch, it was the teen section that gives the most grief. There is an actual list of books we aren't allowed to sell them. They can purchase these books from other places, and read them during their spare time if they choose, but we cannot sell them said books.

Mostly the problem is that scholastic sends us a lot of books that aren't age-appropriate for the 11-13 crowd. A lot of the books are targeted towards 16-18 year olds. Which is fair enough.

SO anyway, about that bomb I wasn't supposed to drop until I was told I could: My friend ME is splitting up with her husband. He's moving out on the 15th, leaving her the house since she'll have main custody of their four kids. She told me on Saturday because she couldn't keep it from me anymore, and she needed someone in her corner when she told all her other friends at book club last night. She told me in particular because she knew I would not interrogate her, I would not prod at her, I would let her say whatever she wanted to say and leave it at that. And because I wasn't very surprised when she told me. Not at all. I've seen this coming for a long time. She said they had officially discussed the separation in January and that BE was more or less sleeping on the couch since then, trying to save up money to get an apartment. ME finally told him that he may as well move back to his folks' home and save there, because you can't save money in a house full of kids when there are bills to pay, etc. Every time he had almost enough saved up, was when someone needed sports money or the car blew up or whatever.

She hasn't told her children yet. She wants to wait until closer to the time BE moves. I give her a lot of credit for knowing when to call it quits. What sense is there in staying together and being miserable? People who "do it for the sake of the kids" really don't have their kids' best interests at heart, because kids are not stupid and they know misery when they see it. Why raise them in a miserable home? Why raise them to see mom and dad fighting all the damn time? Yeah. No thanks. It wasn't anything either of them did, the just grew apart. ME married BE at 18, pregnant out to here with her first son NE. She has said herself, had she not had kids with him, they'd have split up long ago.

Tonight's wing night. Mmm, chicken wings.

Avast ye landlubbers! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Nothing says Sunday Morning quite like getting trounced by your kids at Uno.

Went in to work and picked up my letter. Here's what it said:



To whom it may concern:

Re: Employment Reference for G.

G was an employee with our organization from May 1999 to August 29, 2005 at which point she was affected by an organizational restructuring. During her tenure with our organization, G held positions of increasing responsibility. Most recenty G was employed in a dual role encompassing the responsibilities of Receptionist and Customs Coordinator for our Canadian facilities.

During her employment with our organization G maintained an untarnished employee record. G conducted herself in a very professional and courteous manner and displayed an ability to work with multiple employee groups to provide prompt and sound support. G approached her work with a positive attitude and demonstrated the ability to manage the day to day challenges presented by our dynamic working environment. G was able to manage the complexity of her position while at the same time displaying an open and inviting demeanor.

Had we not been faced with the necessity of restructuring the organization, G's employment would have continued into the future. I believe that G's strong work ethic and personality will serve a future employer well.

I wish G all of the best in her future endeavors. Should you require any further information, feel free to contact me at

bla bla bla bla bla.

Nice huh?

so i had bought this crazy fabric a week ago with the intentions of making something out of it...



pillows! i've got plenty leftover fabric too. hmm...





K & i also went to mcblah's because he wanted to play in the ball crawl a while, and i figured what the heck, why not?

now to toss together a meatloaf & pick up C...

SO could only too easily get used to me being home.

this week's menu:

monday - bbq burgers, sausage, hot dogs, coleslaw, potato salad, and corn
tuesday - chicken wings
wednesday - pineapple rice, ham slow-cooked in honey & brown sugar, green beans, home made sweet n sour sauce
thursday - spicy spicy chili
today - home made lasagne & home made garlic bread & caesar salad

tomorrow however, will be leftovers day, sucka!

it's nice having time to actually cook the way i'd like to.

they all gobbled up the lasagne today like it was going out of style, and JG has begged me to teach him how to make the chili because he hadn't eaten chili that good in a long long time. the boys took the leftover chili to lunch today only after i assured them i wouldn't want any.

the truth is i am not much of a chili eater. plus last night they threw together a dinner party for all of us rejects that got laid off at falstaff's, so after i'd made the chili i left the boys to their own devices and went to that instead. i had the luau chicken & rice. deeeeelicious. it was nice to see everybody again, and there were some co-workers who were very distressed that i was gone.

today my dad dropped off a rose that was delivered to me at work from a vendor that wanted to thank me for my gracious company and constant help during the transition from soliciting our business to becoming our main supplier. i was rather surprised but also had a bit of a chuckle over it because i guarantee you the lady that is doing reception now looked at the card and i can also guarantee you that everyone there knows about it now. which is probably exactly why the vendor did that, because he knew i was gone.

he also left his business card for me in case i wanted any help.

i can honestly say i haven't felt this free in a long time. it's such a precious feeling, i want to wrap it up and savour it. i have sad moments too of course, because i put a lot of myself into my job, and i miss some of the co-workers, and because i'm a big sap. but mostly i feel better than i've felt in a very long time.