Hiatus...

Wow..it really has been sometime since I blogged. To be honest I just did not feel like it. I have been on hiatus with the entire blogging thing and anything creative to boot. Summe has quickly passed. If you want to even call it that. The weather was horrible this year. With the nights getting so darn cool, you just don't want to swim during the day. The pool is like ice now. We definitelyt should have thought having a heater with the pool. Oh well. Nothing to new happening over the summer here. Did our normal week holiday down in Windsor. Which I must say was very relaxing to get away from work. The only problem though was once I got back to work I felt like I had no clue what was going on...did not like that too much. I am now once again on holidays starting today. I was supose to start Monday but I just did not want to feel as lost as last time. Plus I had a bunch of stuff to do, and looks like I will be doing work at home..if time and girls permit me to. So with this time I am suppose to try and get the girls ready for school on Tuesday. I think we are almost ready on the supply end, just need to find orange and white duotangs for Ab...I really hate the specific colour thing...grrrr...In Ab's school supplies alone I have spent $150 it is getting crazy. Thankfully for Hadley all she needed was school bag, lunch kit and indoor shoes. The older they get the more thay need. Hadley is super excited to start school, Ab not so much..lol. I cannot wait for them to go, they are starting to bicker non stop!!!! Mommy needs a break:) I have a list as long as my arm as to what I want to get done on my childless days before I must go off to work. Hopefully within the next few months I will have the house in order and decorated how I want it. I have fallen in love with the used ottawa and kijiij sites:) My morning routine now consists of grabbing my coffee and searching the sites for the newest ads. This week I bought a pub height table and chairs in an espresso finish for my kitchen, and absolutely love it. It has some scratches and such, but I figure with my girls they will just add to them anyways. Tonight I am going to go pick up a treadmill. Really excited about this one. It will make it more easy to run when I cannot get out because the girls are home. I was running in the evening after work, but it is now getting darker much quicker as of late. So I am only getting a run in here and there..my level has definitely declined due to this. I am still hunting for a double loft bed, entertainment unit for my big screen tv and then perhaps I dining room set. My next goal will be going through my stuff and putting it up for sale. I have tons of baby stuff and clothes coming out of my ying yang:)

On a creative note, I actually went and tried to put away some of my scraping supplies from when I went away in April. I also went and visited a scrap site online too. Who knows...maybe I will get back into doing it. I figure maybe exposing myself slowly back to it will maybe make me want to do it again..lol...that or I will seriously have to think about selling alot of stuff;) Perhaps in Jan. I will have more time to think about it since I will be off of work for 3 months.

On another note...we were asked to go to Cuba in Nov. The neighbours and some of their friends are heading down there. We can go for $2400 7 nights all inclusive for the 4 of us...which is a pretty darn good price. The girls would have a blast with all the other kids. The only thing John is not too keen about is that it is in Nov when it is not too cold yet. I did remind him we started having snow in October last year:) I think the only thing really keeping us from jumping on and going is that we will be going to Florida for 2 weeks in March. We will see. John keeps on joking with me about it..so who knows...maybe we can wait and get a even better last minute deal:)

Well I blabbed enough for now...time to tackle things around here!

Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey.

It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.

Quite some time has definitely passed, and with it I am definitely cherishing every moment.Family life has definitely been very hectic with very little breaks. Abigail has finished with yet another year of school and will be heading into grade 5 in September. Hadley graduated from a little pre-school program and is well prepared to enter into JK. She adores her teacher and gets excited to see her out and about in town. The past few weeks has seen Hadley to blossom into a very outgoing little girl. She is chatting up a storm with anyone these days. A little social butterfly.

Sadly we had to say our final goodbyes to John's grandma a week and a half ago. She will definitely be sadly missed but never forgotten. She holds a large part in all of our hearts. SO with her passing we found ourselves down Cottam way. It was nice to have the whole family together, only wish it was for happier circumstances.

Work is going well. I think we are all starting to get into a routine of things now. I am collecting more hours, and hopefully can stay that way for July. I really enjoy getting out and going through the entire process involved in selling a home, to the finished project. I think I am fitting in well. My boss has told me how happy he is to have me on board, how he feels secure knowing I am on the job. I definitely became full of pride there:) Last Thursday John and myself attended my first job function.....a boat cruise on the Ottawa river. We had a nice dinner, drinks and casino fun.

Our pool is finally in. There still needs tro be some repairs done, but we are able to swim in it. Hadley began by hanging off of us, and now she goes in all by herself with floaties on. She is a little fish! The girls are loving the pool. I have even been in it quite a bit, shocking to JOhn. I have enjoyed having it here after I finished my runs. Still keeeping up with it and can run a couple kms without a break, just need to get passed that now. I think I am running too quick of a pace and need to slow it down a bit. All that really matters though is I am running.

The girls are still busy with soccer 3 nights a week. Ab cut of all her hair and is donating it to Locks for Love. She had about 13 inches taken off. She now has a cute little bob..I still need to take a photo of the new do. Oh I am now a lifetime member with weight watchers. I have gotten down to my goal and then a little bit. It took me a full 3 years almost(off and on of course) but I did it!

Well that will be all for now...really tired, and I have to start work early tommorrow, and Ab is going away for a week, so I have to make sure she is packed fully.

Here is our latest family photo, taken when we were down in Cottam

So..........

I have definitely been lacking in the blogging world as of late. Things are still in a bit of turmoil. Onto week three of the new job and the family is slowly starting to get use to the change of routine, though this week things have definitely been put to the test. Soccer has now started which means 3 days out of the week John and the girls must have diner, homework done, and out of the house by 6:15 to make it to their games. Thankfully I will be able to catch the last half of the girls soccer. It would have saddened me if I could not see any of it. Hadley looked adorable in her oversize uniform on Monday. It also appears that she has a knack for the game. She definitely has a good kick. I missed Ab last night, but she was happy because she was goalie for the entire game(she grabbed her sister's cleats instead of her own so all she had were her crocs to wear) and they won 4-0.

I have had to put the running aside for the past week and some. It appears that I have the common "runner's knee" injury. Which means my knee cap went off track and now the knee aches horribly. I have been icing it, taking ibuprofen an now have a patellar sleeve to keep the knee cap in line. I hope to try and ease back into the running within the next few days. Still nothing done in the creative side. By the time I come home from work, I am just too tired to do anything, and my mornings consist of doing all the needed housework. Speaking of which I have a ton of laundry to get put away and some bathrooms which need scrubbing. I just realized the time and I will soon be heading to work and I have yet to shower....

..dogs ages

...well it simply has been a dogs age since I posted anything on this blog. Things have been busy in the Gibbs household. As I wrote in my last post that there was possible changes on its way....well they have come. Just before Easter weekend I took the plunge, did up a resume(not an easy task since I have not done one up in ah....almost 13 years) and applied for a job with Corvinelli Homes. I interviewed a few weeks ago(and told no one about it....did not want to jinx myself) and then went on my merrily way. I really thought that I did not get it since quite some time went by since the interview. But then last week, I got the call and was offered the job. I beat 5 other applicants...woohoo... So what does my job entail....a little of everything. I will be doing sales, admin work, scheduling, a small publishing project, design(helping clients pick out their exterior and interiors). It is a part time position where I work 4-7 on evenings(mind you I did not get out last night until 7:45 last night) and will do every few weekends. I will also have to cover the other day shift when the other employee cannot do them. So far there are 4 weeks where I will be doing that. It looks like I may also have a Tuesday day shift(we are still trying to figure out all the scheduling) Now this is only a seasonal job which means it will run till the middle of Nov. Then I will be layed of and brought back next April. Right now it is taking a bit of shuffling around and trying to get someone to watch Hadley every once in a while..It will be much better once she is in school full time in the next few years(yes I am hoping to stay in this position for sometime). Must admit I am only into the middle of the week and I am a wee bit tired. It does not help that I have come down with an awful cold(what a way to start a job huh) Hopefully by next week I will feel more on top of things. I am not the only one feeling the shift of things. It is now up to John to deal with the girls after school and to cook the dinner...(must admit it is nice to come home and not have to do that...though I am trying to get things done before I go to work in the afternoon...which is not easy with Hadley constantly sneaking out of the house...so I am running after her more that anything else)...Hadley is also having a wee bit of a hard go. I went to take her to get watched from a friend and she would not let me go....this was a first time ever...I think it is just a real big change for her and within a few weeks she will be better. So right now I am feling like I was just thown into the water and I either sink or swim(no real training given...though I have been through this as a client when I built so I have a bit of an idea as to how things go) I am content.

On a creativity note..I went away to NavCan a few weekends ago and worked on a few things with nothing really accomplished. I think things will definitely be on a hiatus until we get our new schedule in place. I am sure I will get back to it soon...I can never leave it for too long.

Well today will be a busy day of trying to clean, wait for our pool to be delivered and then off to work.

L8R;)

OMG....

I cannot believe in a few hours I will be a mom to a 10 yr old...... how quickly time flies by. She is a pretty lucky girl, for at school tommorrow is their easter dance. So in a way she can celebrate her birthday with all of her friends. Then in the evening she will be going to guides and we will be sending cupcakes along for everyone to enjoy.

Things have been pretty chaotic around here. John's grandma has gotten a wee bit better, though she is still in the hospital. She is now talking eating and doing physio daily. John's mom arrived here last night to help Ab clebrate her birthday. She will stay with us till next Tuesday. On friday Ab will be having a sleepover with her 2 best friends..I am looking forward to finally doing just a simple small party. It will be just pizza, nachos, DQ cake, popcorn and movies. Then on Saturday we will be heading out to a local suger bush to partake in an easter egg hunt. Should be a blast. Our neighbours and also Ab's best friend's family will be attending. I just hope it is not too muddy. Then we will be having family and perhaps some friends over on Sunday for a big Easter dinner and birthday celebration which will include more cake. NOt too sure what Monday has in store for us...perhaps a bit more home reno stuff. Speaking of which...we finally went out last weekend and ought a pool. By the end of May we should have a 24' pool installed in our backyard...woohooo.

We are finally just getting over the nasty rotavirus...I would say it has hit our house middle of March and I was the last to be hit with it. It did not matter how much disinfecting I was doing, it just seemed to stay around. Our poor neighbours are now plagued with it. Here is hoping this is the last of it.

I have been on a bit of a creative hiatus as of late. There just seems to be too much other stuff going on right now, and to be honest I am just not feeling it. I think I just need a little break from it all.

It was a pretty good weight loss week. I went down 2.5 pounds. I am sure the running had something to do with it. I ran 5 kms one day and then almost 4 another last week. I have been lacking in the exercise department this week..this cold and snow just does not help. Who wants to run when it is cold and windy...not me. Hopefully I will get in a couple runs though by weekends end. So for the weight loss I am now within my range and I can set on becoming a lifetime member....which means no more paying...yippeee...of course I still on plan on striving to loose another 10 or so pounds.

Other changes may be happening in the life department, but I will talk about those later on sometime.

Now I must go sleep...very tired here..thank god tommorrow is the end of the week for school and work:)

been MIA...

Well I have not been around on the www much since my last post. I must say it feels really nice to take a break from it all. Last week John was home on holidays and we tackled a bit of home reno's. We(well John..lol) laid a tile floor down on our basement stir landing(that would be the sideways pic...forgot to rotate it) We still have to finish putting up the corner round and painting the one wall. We will also be carpeting each individual stair and have oak risers( I felt the carpet was needed for slip factor with all the kids that go up and down them). OUr next project to tackle was the kitchen backsplash. I choose to do it in a tumbled travertine with a travertine/marble mosaic tile to accent. I am extremely pleased as to how it turned out. I finished up the last bit of it yesterday afternoon. We have 3 out 5 of our basement doors put up(just waiting for the other 2 to come in) and they are still waiting for me to finish painting them( I have one coat done so far) I am really wanting to finish our inside projects so we can start on the outside ones. Hopefully by the end of this week we will have a pool bought so we can have it installed by end of May. We are also wanting to do interlock in the front walk and perhaps fencing and decking in back.

I have been lacking on my running as of late and I definitely have a love/hate relationship with my weight loss progress. It is definitely not going as well as I hoped.

We have been plagued with more bad news. On this past Sunday night John's Grandma has had a massive stroke(in my opinion) and as of last night she was still unresponsive. I am awaiting any news of changes as we speak. After telling Ab you could see the hurt in her. My grandma's death last month definitnely saddened her and she was not as close to her as she is to Gram. I cannot believe how incredibly strong my girls are through everything that is happening in the past month. Abigail is definitely showing maturity(at times..of course) and I can see her as the 10 year old that she will becoming next week. So now all we can do is pray and know it is within god's hands. Here is a photo of them from our last visit at christmas time.

So with all that is happening, I think I will be MIA for a while longer. Emotions are just everywhere right now, and both scrapping nor computer is on my mind as of late. I am hoping to go out for a run tonight just to help me put everything in check.

Day 2, and a layout.....

Well I did my second run yesterday. It was an absolutely beautiful day to go do it also. I started with a brisk warm up walk for 5 minutes, I then would jog for 1 minute and then walk for 1 1/2 minutes for a total of 20 minutes and then just did another cool down walk around the block. I ran for a total of just a little bit over 2.5 kms. This is amazing for me. I have never liked running, and pretty much sucked as it..lol...but yesterday even though it was tough at times, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and cannot wait to go out and run again. Found this cool website mapmyrun after seeing Donna Downey write about it on her blog. It is the coolest site ever. I can map out my runs and it will tell me the distance of them, I can also see other maps of people in town who have mapped theirs. It keeps track of all my workouts, calories burned, weight...etc... I am very determined to stick with this, in hopes of maybe doing a run sometime in the future. I have finally decided I am going to do myself right. Sure weight loss is great but my body needs to be stronger. So my next run will be tommorrow. I am going to sit down soon and try to make up a training schedule....I picked up a book today to help me with easing into the running and all the ins and outs of it.

Now onto the layout. I actually had this finished the other day, just did not get around to taking a picture of it. Nothing special, but it is a page done.

I started playing around with something that I wanted to do as a home decor project, but it is not working out as well as I hoped, perhaps I will gain some patience to do it today.