I highly doubt

My little diva will ever be on that show....the one that designs clothes...Project Runway (I had to look it up, as I don't watch it...) where they have a sense of fashion....





My beautiful darling could model the clothes....oh shoot what show is that? America's Next Top Model...again, don't watch that one either!

But design them or better yet, put pieces of clothing together to make an ensemble....she can not do!!

I offer exhibit A:

She has started showing stubborn insistence on what she wants to wear...and today she came out of her room with this skirt...so I tried suggesting a pair of leggings to go with them and she took each pair out of my hands and put them back in the drawer and slammed it shut! 3 times!!!

I grabbed the baby legs she hasn't yet had a chance to wear yet, and she grabbed them out of my hand and hugged them...so approval finally.

The grey sweatshirt was my choice since we were obviously having a stay at home day with what she's chosen to wear!

Isn't she priceless?!?!?! She'll hate this picture in years to come!

The noses are starting to dry up...the coughing is starting to lessen...and now I'm getting a sore throat and been sneezing all day....lovely! I thought I'd skipped this round!! I won't count myself out just yet...but I know I'm not 100%! yuck!

I did serious laundry today!! 4 washed loads...3 dried...and 2 folded so far...gotta get back on it so at least the load in the washer is dried! Oh, and the two folded loads are put away even!! I still have 2 more to go, and might find a 3rd what with sheets and what not! I even got a load of dishes done...and should have another to do (pots and pans) before I go to bed.

My mind is consumed with thoughts of my friend Tiffany...she's due this Friday and I just can't wait to get the okay to go snuggled a newborn!!! There's nothing like the smell of a new baby!!! For guys it's a new car smell...for women its the smell of a new baby!! *easy labour vibes* babe!!! Hope it goes as smoothly as you want it to!!! Know I'm prayin for ya!!

Now, I'm off to do that laundry switch before sittin and veggin! The Bachelor is currently recording and this way I can skip all the commercials! Speaking of commercials...has anyone else seen the advertising for Avon's new lipstick!!?!? I've caught it a couple times! YAY!!

Til next time...ciao!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm cheating today....enjoy the view!
Sam would NOT go near the cow for anything!!! Cracked me up!

The ducks were just fine tho...

the horse too....

Good thing we've got a few years before she's driving...

building blocks

The guy with his arms open wide had built a huge L wall and the kids knocked it down...

Malorie and Sam at the water table

SamSam spraying water at the chimes...the smock didn't work in keeping her dry...

DJ flying a plane...maybe one day...??

Sam playing with trains...

My two beauties sittin in the rocking chair...

I put decals on SamSam's wall...

The full view...I just love it!

Can't leave DJ out tho...he loves the ones on his wall too!

Til next time...ciao!

A day in the life of SamSam!

Waking up on Mum's bed...happy girl!

DJ wakes up and immediately goes to where Snickers sleeps!
This is what happens when left unattended in the bathroom....DJ is dangling his toothbrush with the last of the dental floss in my container....

Sam enjoying the whole living room to herself!

Enjoying the couch to herself!

Ah yes, part of her chores...helping me unload the dishwasher!!!

I hate adding pix to a post...rearranging them isn't easy! So...these pix get their own post!

Til next time...ciao!

Our day....

In pictures....but first, I'd like to wish the woman who bore me (and 4 of my siblings) a VERY happy birthday!!!! Hope you got our message! And that you had a fantastic time at the show with Joanne!!!! We love you!!!!! And miss you!!!!!!!

Guess where we went today...

and while we were gone....

this is it!

This is the life!!!!

Oohhhh daddy!!!

Walkin in the trees

Would you stop already!?!?!

Took the long way home and this is what we saw!!! Wild turkeys crossing the street!

I thought the were peacocks!

This a statue of Sultan John...

Howie on the ice for the first time in a LONG time!

Warmin up!

We were there for this guy's 40th birthday party!

SamSam thought this was great

DJ on the ice for his first time ever!

Unsteady as he goes!!

Oops!!!!

And again...

Sam out on the ice with Daddy

He did a "whee" and she loved it!

Ready to go home!

Til next time...ciao!

Eau de Chienshit

Is now my new most hated smell!!! Oh she's awful!! STILL!!!!!! According to other doggy moms its gonna stick around for a week or so...lovely!!!!! She slept out in the hall last nite...until DJ came into my bed at whoknowswhattime and left the door open...so I had the extreme pleasure of waking up to a whiff of Eau de Chienshit! That's french for dog sh!t...just in case you weren't raised in Canada with French as your second language!



After waking up and clearing my nose out the plan was to do breakfast, get dressed and then go to the library...but Mr DJ was fooling around so bad and NOT listening that by the time we were ready to leave, story time had already started! So he missed out again...and doesn't like the cause and effect theory at all!


Instead, I got my mom's envelope ready to go and put together a little box of Avon stuffs for her, my sister Tori and two nieces...nothing big, and taped it up to go with us. Our first stop, obviously, was the mailbox place....and O M G it would have cost me 26.00 to ship this small box....so I opened that sucker up and took out all the Christmas cards (everyone emailed me their addresses in time! Whew!) and opened up the envelope and added them...that alone cost me 8.95! Sheesh! Now I just hope it gets there before my mom and dad leave to do their snowbird thang!



After escaping narrowly from the mailbox place we hit up Albertsons....I do NOT want to go there tomorrow...or Thursday for that matter!!! An hour later I had everything on my list and managed to get two of Jake's gifts too! Sweet!!!!



Remember when I said that I was getting off easy that Howie was cooking the bird....that was til today when I realized that's ALL he's doing!!!!!! OY! During nap time (outside play time for DJ) I started getting the menu organized and figuring out what needs to be done today/tomorrow/day of. Today I got the eggs hard boiled...the yam/marshmallow pie done...the cheesecakes made...and the butter tarts are in the oven as I type! Let's hope this set turns out better than the first set!! I learned the hard way NOT to PAM spray the bottom of the muffin tin....makes the bottoms of the pastry soggy...grrrr AND I inadvertently doubled the recipe by having double the butter I should have had...at which point I should have stopped!!!! LOL



DJ had a lovely time playing outside this afternoon...in the rain!! I had no idea it was raining til he came in the house SOPPING wet!! I ran and grabbed a laundry basket and we stripped him down on the stairs landing...he had SO much fun that he was muddy UNDER his clothes!!!!! So, off to the bath he went!!! He thinks it was neat to wear pj's to dinner! No sense putting on clothes for 2 hours!



I actually shed a few tears this afternoon watching him and Kristopher playing outside...running together, talking to each other....I couldn't have asked for a better playmate for him than that of the next door neighbour!!! Perfect! They better not move!!!!



This morning brought a smile to my face...once DJ heard SamSam talking in her room he went in there to see her...this is what I found!

They were giggling away!!! So very sweet!! Made me think we were gonna have a good day!!! And all in all...aside from the Eau de Chienshit...it was a good day indeed!!!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Just call me

Susie Q Breadmaker!!! Today I took my bread machine out of retirement!! I couldn't tell you the last time I used it, it was that long ago. Maybe even before DJ was born....no, it can't have been that long ago! Oh, that's sad!!!

In any case, I broke it out and made rolls to go with dinner, which was the Wednesday predictable spaghetti...or as we say here in the Hughes house, sketti! Then I got inspired and made a cinnamon raisin bread...needs way more cinnamon AND raisins I'd say! The recipe called for a 1/3 of a cup of raisins...this is a pound and a half of bread and it only called for 1/3 of a cup!??!?! HA! I put a half cup in, and it still could have used another half cup...easy!!! It was still good tho! Reminded me of malt bread from back home! YUM!!!

Speaking of recipes....my recipe for Acorn Squash Apple bake was featured over at my friend Tiffany's blog its really yummy!!!!!!!!! I'm drooling now just thinking about it! In fact...I think I may just make it for Sunday's dinner!!! Sweet!

Know what else is sweet!?!?!?!

DJ playing outside with his friends ALLLLLLL day!!! The sun was shining beautifully this morning!!! So about 10:30 I got a message from Lara that she was sending Kristopher out to play...I responded that DJ would meet him out there!!!!!

I had to call him in for lunch around 12:30...and back out he went! He finally came in about 3 and had a snack and some quiet time.

While he was out playing....Samantha and I had so much fun in here...she really likes being tickled...and up in the air...so I'd lay on the couch, lift her up in the air and sway her, then let her lay down and tickle her. Oh she thought it was fun!

She also thought the dog was fun! She laid on the floor nose to nose with Snickers and kept saying Nayer (she's getting better) over and over...Snickers just looked at her and sighed...she's not afraid of Sam! Here's a few pix to document just how cute it truly was!!!!

As soon as she saw my camera she started saying "cheeeeeeese" so I snapped that too!! lol And of course...the close up of that cheesy grin!!!

OK...off to go watch some more dvr stuff...my bum's numb....and then to bed to read! I totally figured out before I was even done page 1 that I'd already read "K is for Killer", but until "L" comes in, I'll read to refresh myself with the style of writing, and the main character!

Til next time...ciao!

That extra hour

Has just about killed us!!!! We really feel it this year! As in one more hour to get lots of work done!!!!! Really all it meant was that we got started that much earlier today than normal! I'm not sure what time DJ woke up for the day at, but I do know he was in our bed at the new 3 am, so 4 am by our body clocks, and he tried valiantly to stay there and snuggle back to sleep, but I wasn't having anything with that thought! So off we went to the bathroom and then he went back to bed easily (one day last week, I heard him a half hour after I'd put him back in bed with a cat in his room!!!) and I crawled back in bed. I guess I got to sleep in, but it was just about the new 8 am when Howie came in to wake me up, trying to tell me it was 9:30 (his clock is a half hour fast) but I knew it wasn't April Fools day!!!

I chose today to do a crock pot meal as I knew we were going to be BUSY doing housey things...and boy were we ever busy! Howie first tackled the computer (which I'm typing on right now) and got it all up and running in a couple hours, we put it in the kitchen at the end of the counter with the tower and the printer and whatever else we use, down underneath (kid proof) in the cupboard. Its already got a child proof latch on it, so it's PERFECT!!!

After lunch I put SamSam down for her nap and sent DJ out to play with his friend, Christopher (you should hear him try and say THAT name!) and then Howie got to work getting the big screen TV up on the wall...oh what a chore that was!!! He asked me to help, but with my hernia and knowing how heavy it is, I declined! So he went next door and asked Christopher's dad to come help. Whew! I supervised....hahaha Really, all I did was clear a pathway for them to walk thru. Once the TV was level (I'm even better than a level at this job, and it drives Howie NUTZ!!) he started reattaching the cable and then set up all the speakers....for that, I stayed out of his way and jumped on the computer, and watched DJ play outside, and did some laundry, and when needed came to his aid. He shifted the living room around a bit and it looks much roomier now! DJ came in after almost 3 1/2 hours outside, and we got to work placing pictures and whatnot on the walls. I've had 2 weeks to think about where I want things, so it went well. We also got the book shelf unit up and it is the perfect room divider between the living room and the dining area.

Walking down the hall when I was putting Samantha to bed was really homey...just seeing our lives and our family up on the walls now makes it feel good! Not to mention I was putting to bed a clean girl who smells of such wonderful lavender!!! I bathed the kids, and Howie bathed the dog. I got the better end of THAT deal! Earlier today Snickers was outside hanging around on the deck...she was content, so we let her be. I looked out later and she was downstairs doing business in the grass...and then she came back upstairs. Still, very content to be outside and just watching the street. Next thing I know, Howie's grabbing his sweatshirt and running outside to "go find the damn dog!"...so while he was out walking, I just kept calling and clapping for her....she came! From the opposite direction that Howie had gone in...but I'm loud enough that he knew when she came home and came back home himself. In her travels, she got into something STINKY!!!!!!!!!!!! And its stuck to the fur on her face....oh it was AWFUL! Putrid is the word that comes to mind! All afternoon we had the running joke of how bad she smelled and how she was sleeping on my side of the bedroom (where she normally sleeps...) so, when I got done with the kids bath, I left the water in and gently (ha!) suggested he go bathe Snickers. He had about as much fun as I did bathing the kids! Actually, he had to go change, I didn't! lol

Now, both kids are in bed, and Howie's watching baseball and I'm blogging. DJ didn't even make it thru his books tonite, he passed out in the middle of Beauty and the Beast. He was a tired puppy!!! And there was no fight in Sam either!!! I'm thinking once I'm done here, I'm sending Howie in to bed too...he's tired as well!

Til next time...ciao!