ducky house

minted

They arrived! A sweet package from minted. 

I ordered Thank You/New Year cards last month for those who attended a big famiy birthday party that we had in late 2013. Besides the "thank you" portion, I owe family & friends updated photos of my growing crew. 

I've been waiting to get them all addressed and sent out before I committed to this post. No sense in spoiling the snail mail surprise for the recipients who are reading my blog. 

My thoughts: The photo is 5 x 7 in size with a nice matte finish. It will be easy for people to frame later on, if so desired. I ordered 25 cards plus envelopes and I didn't bother with their proof reading service so that saved me a bit extra cash. Shipping to Canada was via FedEx and cost $9.95, great for over the border. 

Overall, the process was simple and delivery was quick. I really enjoyed my minted experience and I will definitely be ordering from them again. 

september/october highlights

Happy Be-lated Holidays and New Year!! I'm popping in to finish up my last update on our summer/fall happenings. I originallly started this post back in early December but then I got caught up in a whirlwind of activity and BAM, here it is the new year. How did that happen? 

A week after the big wedding we loaded up our minivan & small trailer and headed down south for 3 weeks. Destination: Walt Disney World Florida with a pit stop in Tennesee to drop my mum off for a visit with my sister - who had recently relocated with her family close to Nashville. 

Wow, let me say that again "WOW, what a drive". I should have ordered t-shirts that said "I survived 3 - 12 hour days of driving with 7 people in one vehicle". Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad roadtrip by any means. I just have pre-twins memory when we would make 3 or 4 long road trips per year into the US (the boys & us). Things seemed to be simpler and there were way less bathroom stops - lol! I guess it is pretty unreasonable to expect everyone to have "to go" at the same time but when you know you got a deadline you don't want to be stopping everyhour if you know what I mean. So as you can imagine after the first day this mumma got a little more militant and threw phrases around like: "you'll just have to hold it", etc.  Crazy I tell ya! 

By the end of the 3rd day we arrived in WDW late in the evening in time to crash into our beds. The next morning we woke up and headed out to the parks. We had a 10 day hopper pass including water parks & more. We couldn't have asked for better weather, in fact it was a tad bit too warm some days but I think that had more to do with the humidity - it was relentless. Side note: It feels a bit ridiculous writing those words right now as the local temperatures here are -17 celcius and I would love to be too warm ;) 

Well what can I say about WDW that hasn't been said. It was 29 years since I was last there and the rest of my family were first timers. We stayed on site at the All Star Music resort recommended by a couple different people - Krisite, a new bloggy friend who had recently taken her brood down there (and who happens to live in the same city/neighborhood) as myself and another friend who treks to WDW a few times a year (lucky/crazy duck - she lives in Louisiana so her trekking is a little easier). Another local friend of mine does the time-share thing with her family every Christmas at WDW so we had a plethora of helps and recommendations to make our trip great (and yes we did the dining plan). 

Some of our favourites were: Typhoon Lagoon - alas no pictures as we spent our time in the water doing the big wave, water slides and snorkeling. Our family favourite restaurant was Teppan Edo in Epcot and eating at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom with the Winnie the Pooh Characters. The Haunted Mansion still remains one of my personal favourites. We really enjoyed the Hall of Presidents, American's really do a much better job with patriotism and honouring their past than us Canadians. We loved Animal Kingdom and didn't get enough time to see everything - we were supposed to go a second time on our last day but one of the girlies passed out in the hubby's arms and needed to sleep off her exhaustion. Miss Abby's personal favourite was Tom Sawyer's Island, I'm going out of my way to put that part in so I don't forget. I'm pretty sure there are more things I'm forgetting to add to this list but that'll have to do. 

After WDW we headed over to Universal Studios for a couple of days. I had a mission: to see Hogwarts. I have to admit that I was probably more excited than my kids at this point - big HP fan :)  The ride at Hogwarts was probably the best ride I've ever been on. I'm not much for roller coasters and turning upside down so for me the ride combination of virtual reality and movement was just perfect. We ate at 3 Broomsticks, tried butter beer and went to Honeyduke's Sweetshop. All in all it was a pretty satisfying experience and I did get the sweatshirt! 

The rest of Universal was just okay for us. We enjoyed the Indiana Jones show, Jurassic Park & the Spiderman rides. I think if you aren't a big roller coaster lover Universal Studios runs out of stimuli pretty fast. I'm glad we went because we had some great fun at a few attractions but overall I don't think we would visit it again if down in the area.

Okay, enough said I think that sums up our summer/fall: a relaxing summer, a big wedding, a family trip of a lifetime/road trip (next time we are flying), and since then we have settled into homeschooling and winter.  Now if you made it through this l-o-n-g post congratulations and thanks! Here's to hoping my next update will include something a wee bit crafty now that the days of being indoors have arrived. Woohoo, lets here it for winter **brrrr**

september celebration

I'm back with another update and this time I'm covering the earlier part of September and I have one word for you *wedding*

My niece decided to tie the knot with her secret highschool sweetheart. It was a big deal for our family since a) we haven't had a wedding in a while, b) it was my sister's only daughter, c) I've watched this girlie grow up from a wee girl to a big girl (insert 'where have the years gone' & tears), d) she was my flower girl some 19 years ago and e) my twin girlies were her flower girls. 

Well weddings along with being fun, require a fair amount of organizing & spiffing up as you can imagine. Thankfully my niece, my sister & bro-in-law took care of all the organizing and we as guests were left to making sure all were bathed and properly clothed for the event. My shopping started early when I found some awesome flower girl dresses in spring for my girlies which my niece approved of *sweet*. Buying early meant I didn't end up having to spend hundreds of $$ on their dresses later or panic that time was running out. Shoes on the other hand were a completely different story. I could not find anything suitable in this fair city of ours so I gave up and went to the internet where Zulily saved the day. After the girls were set to go I had to turn my focus to the two scraggly teens that seem to be growing faster than a golden retriever in his first year of life. Since dress pants & ties are not required homeschooling attire in our home, the boys needed the whole 9 yards, pants, shirt, ties, socks & shoes. I cut the fellows some slack and did not make them wear a full suit. As for the hubby, he was pretty good in the dress up department, though he did get a new shirt, tie and shoes. Me on the other hand, I needed a whole new ensemble. I went with an strapless formal gown, shoes, etc. Okay so the reason why I'm spilling all the details in print is because that's pretty much all you are going to get. Yes, I forgot to get a family photo (of us) except for a wee instagram shot on the way to the church in our chariot (minivan) *ugh* - you'll have to cut me some slack as I had more important things on my mind like making sure the girlies were good to go down the isle. Enough said, lets take a peek at the day's events starting with the rehearsal.

 

~ rehearsal night where the girlies get their walking practice.

~ on the way to the church, all dressed up and nary a picture to show - no I am not naked - remember strapless gown.

~ the girlies doing the stuff for real and doing a fabulous job at it

~ my niece and her daddy taking that walk

~ the bride - so beautiful

~ the happy couple cutting the fantastic cake my sister made! 

So ends the day and they begin their journey. I'm sure they will make a wonderful life together. I'll be back with an end of September/October update soon. xoxo

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, xoxo. 

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. xoxo

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.