ducky house

peanuts for thanksgiving :)

Happy be-lated Thanksgiving Canada from the duckyhouse and family! 

And just because no buddy does thanksgiving better than the Peanuts gang!

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

Hello hello... 
I'm at a place called Vertigo...
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel...  

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

U2 was in town on Sunday evening and of course I had to take them in, my own hometown?  No brainer, right?  

Check out the awesome spectacle (courtesy of iPhone - which also means don't judge the clarity of the photos - iPhone only goes so far). 

Last year when they were on tour we seriously considered taking a road trip to take them in. We've done it before, in 2005, they were not making a stop anywhere near us so we packed the van & kids and headed over to Vancouver. Crazy trip, crazy long drive (2400 kms), crazy young kids, the boys were 6, 4 and the girls were 4 months old. We brought my mum with us so she could watch the wee ones while we danced the night away to familiar tunes. So worth it.  But last year the voice of reason (which sounds the same as my voice) put the reins on travelling last year. With the reno eating up our finances I talked the hubby down with an off the cuff "maybe they'll go on tour again and hit our lil' ol' city". They were due after all. The last time they made their way to the 'Peg was in 1997. 

When they announced the second leg of their tour and Winnipeg was on the list, I knew there would be no question that we would go. The hubby (member of the fan club) got pre-sale tickets for his sister, himself, me & our 11 year old son!  Yes indeed, our son wanted to come so bad that he used his own cash to pay for the ticket. Sweet!  Our seats were great, 4th row off to the side.  At the concert Ben was so excited to hear and see the band that he has listed to since he was a little guy. He managed to stand on a chair the whole concert without fatigue - what a trouper. Of course he is now be ruined for life as any other concert he attends in comparison will have a really hard time living up to a live U2 show. Rock on Irish boys!   

off, in all senses of the word...

As I write this post I am thinking that it would be lovely to tell you that my absence has been due to mr. duckyhouse whisking me away for a week long adventure to some far off exotic land. Alas, it is not true. Instead I have falling off the blogosphere radar for family doings and general unwellness. 

Mr. duckyhouse's parents arrived a couple of weeks ago for a surprise visit and left yesterday to return to their homestead. It was nice to visit and break from our daily routine. We enjoyed extended family time, visits and eating out for Easter - oh boy, it was nice not to cook a big meal this time around - thank you mom & dad, xxx. 

The girlies took a while to get over their spring colds but not without sharing with me first. I was dragging my feet all last week but with a little help from vitamin D, I'm feeling back to normal.

Mr. duckyhouse was away on business for a few days, he headed off to the east coast for a conference that lucky bugger. He wanted me to join him, but I'm still stuck on the logistics of travelling and leaving kids behind. One day...

     

My beloved B-meister, Benjamin, turned 11 and we had his customary birthday party over the weekend with some crazy weather to match, it snowed again. Thankfully it is all melted and I hope I won't have to type the word snow again until November. His outdoor soccer season just started as well and that looks to keep us hopping a few evenings a week (or maybe that will be a dad/son deal). 

Birthday's and such make me realize things are spinning fast and the kids are growing up too quickly for my liking. I can't spend a lot of time thinking about it or it does a number on me. Life is all about moving forward and embracing the stages and I especially need to remember that this week as I feel a bit in a funk. Rationally I know it isn't real, I always tend to feel a bit off during/after being sick, it will pass as it always does but sometimes it really does kick me down.

Thankfully I believe in being gentle with myself, loving myself at all stages - all moods. I believe life is what you make it and when you can't make your day into anything special, that is when being gentle with yourself really helps. For me that means not getting much done beyond being with the kids, some stretching & exercise, reading and lots of hot baths. If you're wondering where I've been, that pretty much sums it up. I'm embracing my week of non-productivity and I write in optimism that the ol' funk will lift. Thanks for listening, even if you don't understand, it helps. Be back with a fresh perspective soon. xxx

80

news flash: I'm taking the day off from blogging to celebrate my mum.  She turns 80 today and I hope I look and feel as good as she does when I roll around to that age. Here she is a couple of years back. 

Happy Birthday Mum! Now off to eat cake. 

go team go!

Our indoor soccer season to came to an end on Wednesday evening. Ben, also known as the B-meister, (yes I've admitted his real name on the internet now that my hubby's last movie announced all the kids' names in the credits thus making aliases a moot point) played indoor soccer all winter long. The season lasts October to March and they went all the way to the b-side finals, yay! 

I wanted to make the day a little extra special and so cookies were in order for him and his team. We made sugar cookies and decorated them like soccer balls. Don't look to closely as my icing talents are not on par with martha & the like.  I need a lot more practice and while that is a good idea, it is not so good when watching your waist line - cookies with yummy icing need to be eaten afterall.

As for the game, I'm really proud of my soccer boy, he has improved so much over the year. He played a good game and even scored the final goal of the season. Congratulations Ben! 

;

rainbows are for everyone

A leprechaun visited the house while the children slept...

... he left behind pot a gold at the end of a rainbow ♥  ♥  ♥

I hope you find a pot of gold somewhere today.

Happy St. Patrick's day!

ten

I can't believe we are already here.  Another son in double digits, my baby boy.  Where did the time go? Ready or not, he is ten and it looks good on him, don't you think?  

The B-meister is my (cake &) hockey lover. And oh boy, does that boy love hockey. It almost rivals his addiction love for the Canada goose. I never thought I'd see that happen.  But this one, my second son, he surprises me all the time.

From the time he rises in the morning until his head rests on the pillow, it's non-stop chatter about the game.  I'm fairly certain he dreams about it. He immerses himself completely, and those around him, in his latest venture.  It's the way he learns and in turn we learn with him.  

It's a gift really, to learn from your children, and I have, learned... So many good and wonderful things.  Happy Birthday B-meister, I'm happy to be on this journey of life with you, xxx.  

in the beginning

there was an apple.

granny smith to be exact all crunchy and tart, the perfect combination.

and then a celebration

for my long lost apple-peeler-corer-slicer now found, remember I'm a simple girl. 

followed by another celebration

for my mum who turned 79. Yup, I love it when the stars align.  Happy Birthday mum! 

we are hunters

of a different kind: eggs and chocolate are our game - which suits this girl just fine.

How was your weekend?

ding dong the witch is dead

goodbye t-fal

no longer will you spit your venomous water on my freshly laundered fabrics.  no longer will you shut off, just because - you're not related to the windows operating system are you?  no longer will you temperamentally not heat up.  you are dead. ding dong the witch is dead.  you must of known your days were numbered.  you must have felt my animosity.

i contemplated buying your brother last month when costco reduced his price by $ 10, but i'm no fool. they say doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is the definition of insanity.  strange i may be, but crazy i am not.

i suppose it isn't entirely your fault. you were probably never made to withstand the endless work that I put you to. oh the cottons and the linens, you had a difficult time coping at best.

last night you showed me what you were made of. you heated up for our last battle and then you sparked and smelt of burning wire. i thought you were going to shock me or worse. i reacted quickly and unplugged you. i didn't even shed a tear. instead i threw my jacket on and headed out the door minutes before dinner where my journey landed me at a local store.

after a quick assessment of my options i chose the Shark. ooo, even the name sounds like something to be feared. were you jealous when i plugged the Shark in t-fal? were you jealous of all it's silvery splendor, it's powerful steam bursts and endless heat? were you jealous that not once did the Shark turn off when I put it to work for 2 + hours last night laboring over freshly laundered cotton? don't get me wrong t-fal, i do not love ironing. but it's a necessary task when you are a pre-washer. believe me, only quilting could draw me to the iron, that and weddings or funerals. 

speaking of funerals, i won't be having one for you. i won't even wish you a RIP. i think you are the last of the t-fal products to leave my home. yes, i have moved on and i want to shout it into the far corners of cyberspace.

my apologies to all those who have the t-fal and are still in love