The wee girlie loves her new pool, and here she is to say “Thanks”. 
Category Archives: BlackBerry
Photographs taken with my BlackBerry Pearl
I Love Sundays!
Another fabulous Sunday with the family! Ever since we started setting aside Sundays to do something special with the family they’ve become awfully wonderful. And while it’s not always easy coming up with something we all want to do, AND that sticks within a small budget, it’s worth a little work finding things.
Today we headed down to the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market for some early afternoon treats. Baked goods, home made ice cream, and greenhouse produce – always a hit with our family. Then we hopped in the car and headed out to the Forestry Farm Park and Zoo for an outdoor adventure. Because, let’s face it… taking a four year old and a 17 year old to the zoo together is ALWAYS going to be an adventure. LMAO Especially with Damon and I along for the ride. 
We made a snowman (yes, at the zoo). Made a whole row of snow angels. Had an hour long snowball fight (it lasted nearly the entire time we were there). Found a huge branch on the ground buried under the snow and made a bunch of wands from it. We wrote in the snow. Cast spells on one another. And giggled at the baby lion cubs as they climbed on their mother.
In the face of injustice, will you sit or stand?
Another evening spent at my parents place, going through boxes. Got grades six, seven, and eight finished… and started on my boxes from high school. One little treasure I felt was worth sharing was this:
If you can’t read it, it says:
The ultimate question.
You can sit in silence and just watch as things happen
and have no friends, save a few.
Or you can stand up and make people take notice
and have a few friends, and a few enemies.
To sit or to stand – that is the question.
That little tidbit from a very young yours truly, was dated June 1992… Almost twenty years ago.
I’ve never been the type to sit quietly by. I speak my mind. I make sure I am heard. And yes, my refusal to stay silent, my refusal to disappear definitely earns me a place on a few “naughty” lists. But it’s just who I am, apparently it’s who I’ve always been. Though, thankfully, my spelling and prose have improved greatly since then.
I remember writing articles for our school paper, things that got me in trouble with some teachers and faculty. Writing about discrimination within the school, perpetrated by staff. I just couldn’t keep quiet. I couldn’t sit on things that needed to be said. No-one else seemed to have a problem watching things happen, but even back then I’d call people on their actions, make them be accountable. I figured someone had to. It’s something I made a habit of, and while it may have gotten me into some trouble, it’s a habit I still have. I simply can’t abide a bully.
So… to sit or to stand? It’s not really a question for me, and I wish it weren’t a question for others. Our voices are needed. If anything is ever to change, our voices are required.
The Multi-Vehicle Collision
I think the title pretty much sums up todays post. It doesn’t always. Some of my titles can be a little cryptic. But today? Today the kid and I were involved in a four vehicle collision.
We had dropped off Damon at work after his lunch break, and proceeded to Lawson Heights Mall where we picked up part of his Yule gift and grabbed a couple eggnog booster juices. We hopped into the car with a couple more destinations we needed to hit so we’d be ready for our Yule celebrations tomorrow.
Driving down Warman/Wanuskewin road towards the turn off for Circle Drive East we noticed an accident blocking our turn. So I drove straight on, with the intention of turning onto Hazen where we’d be able to get turned around and still get our exit. Well, traffic was a little backed up – gotta love holiday traffic – so we ended up stopped part way between the turn we’d originally planned to use, and the turn onto Hazen Road. We were at the back end of the line of traffic, and sat stopped for a few seconds when IT hit the fan. Or rather, when the vehicle that came up behind us drove full force into the back of our car.
The airbags deployed, our car hit the one in front of us, and jumped the curb. The car in front of us hit the one in front of him… After being smacked in the face, hands, and arms with the airbag the cabin began to fill with what I thought was smoke (I learned later from one of the fire fighters that it’s actually a dust or powder that is packed in with the airbags to keep them pliable). Lily-Ann was screaming and crying, and I was in a panic. All I could think was that I had to get her out of the car. Serious adrenaline!
I jump out of the vehicle and run for her door, get there and realize that everything has locked. I run back to my door and try to take my keys out so I can hit the “unlock door” button on the remote. Can’t get them out. They are stuck in the lock. So I (completely panicked so not thinking clearly) struggle to find the right button on the door panel to unlock everything. I find it and rush back, pull her out, get us onto the meridian and start checking her over. She’s crying and scared, but besides a bump on the head, she’s unhurt.
After that, most of the hour or so we were out there is a blur. Kid was cold so I pulled her car blanket out and wrapped her up. I got her to stand next to a tree on the meridian so I could talk to the fire fighters and police officers. After a while one fire fighter said that she would be welcome to go hang out in the fire engine, and pointed us over to it. So I took her over and another gentleman got her up into it and settled in. I was able to leave her there, knowing she both FELT safe and WAS safe. They offered to let me sit in there too… but I was far too stressed, there’s no way I could have sat still. So I paced, and stopped repeatedly to explain what happened to police officer after police officer, fire fighter after fire fighter… At one point I pulled Damon’s present out of the vehicle and put it in the engine with Lily-Ann – who had been given a couple “junior fire fighter” stickers (in the shape of badges) and was enjoying the adventure and her visit with a couple of the firemen (they were talking about what she wants to be when she grows up). I’m glad I did, because it wasn’t long after that that our vehicle was towed away to who knows where, while I was talking with another police officer.
The woman who hit us is new to Canada, and so I spent a lot of time talking her through the process of an SGI claim, and how it all works. She was really stressed out, and while I was equally as stressed (if not more so, because I also had to worry about kid kid) I did my best to be pleasant. After all, it wouldn’t help the situation to get angry. No reason to add more tension to an already bad scene. She was quite worried about Lily-Ann, and was thankful that she was okay. I have to admit, I kinda wish she’d have just left me alone – as I was feeling a huge amount of stress and anxiety… but I can’t blame her for feeling a need to connect. We all deal with situations like that differently. I wish she’d had been paying more attention (to hit a car that is stopped in front of you, full force??? Come on. All I can think is that she was distracted by the accident that had occurred a 1/2 block from where we were) but we all make mistakes. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, and honestly? There are worse things in the world.
Eventually we got things cleared up. I was given a card with a reference number on it, and my Grampa came to pick the kid and I up from the scene. He took us to my parent’s place where I was able to borrow my mom’s vehicle and go pick up Damon from work. From there we headed to a mediclinic to get checked out. I’m in quite a bit of pain (my right hand is partly unusable, and my left forearm is the same). Lots of aches and pains all up and down my neck, shoulders, and back… but the arm and hand are the two things impacting me most right now.
So, the kid is in bed beside me. She still wanted to sleep in her up high bed… but with everything that happened today, Damon and I insisted she stay in the family bed. We said she could go back up to her bed tomorrow if she wants too.
Crazy day.
And it leaves us unprepared for Yule tomorrow… and with a whole lot of UNfestive things that need our attention right away. Things could have been a whole lot worse, a WHOLE lot worse. So I am very grateful we generally made it through unscathed. We’re whole, unbroken, and the kid has a cool experience with a bunch of great fire fighters under her belt.
And hey! If you’re watching the local news you just might see us. At one point there was a news camera there filming the kid and I.
It really was the scariest experience of my life…. those seconds right after it happened? When the car was full of “smoke” and my daughter was screaming… Until I got her out and checked her over you don’t even want to know all the things that went through my head. I was so beyond terrified. The relief I felt that she was safe and without major injuries? Yep. Adrenaline… it kept me going.
Happy Birthday Damon!
Sending out birthday wishes to my husband, the best looking guy in the province, on his 33rd birthday!
And while I have nothing but love for the man, and wish him nothing but good things… I do have to send out a reminder as well. For while I may be the older of the two of us, HE’S the only one with grey hair! Love you honey! You and your salt n’ pepper locks. 
Blowing out the Candles
Time for a Hair Cut and a Donation!
For the last couple of years now I’ve been caring for hair that I didn’t really consider my own. From the time I got my last cut (when the wee girlie was a lot more wee – and still chewing on my hair at every opportunity) I knew I’d be growing it out for the sole purpose of donating it.
The length was a lot to deal with, a lot to take care of. My hair may be fine, but there is a ton of it. It was heavy and uncomfortable. But I kept on growing it. Kept on caring for it: no styling products, only organic shampoos and conditioners with no phthalates, no sls or sles, no parabens. Apple cider vinegar every so often to rinse away any build-up. No colour rinses. No dye. No lemon juice and sunshine treatments. My hair was boring – but it wasn’t mine to tease or play with.
Today, I took back my hair. Well… I cut off what wasn’t really mine anyway (and that is sitting in a foot long baggy next to the bed waiting to be mailed). It was incredibly freeing. I feel really good. And although it was a bit of a pain, I’m glad I did it. For the next little while though? My hair is MINE. Will I keep up with some of the good things I was doing for it? You bet. But I won’t be so crazy about it. And I’ve already bought myself some pomade. LOL Will I do it again? Probably. But for now, I’m going to enjoy my hair and have some fun with it. 
The braids are between 19″ and 20″ long – so I can only guess at their length unbraided (probably two feet). As soon as I put the package together they will be going off to A Child’s Voice Foundation, and their Angel Hair project. I figure it really is a small thing that I could do. My hair grows pretty quickly compared to some. And having a wig, can mean a lot to some kids. One less thing to make them feel different. One less thing to make them feel self conscious. One less thing to make them feel as if they are set apart. Soooo looking forward to getting these braids into the mail.
And hey! For the first time in my entire life? I have SPIKES! LOL
My thanks to Chop Chop Salon for their generous donation of time and talent.
Thank you Yolanda!
I think we have a winner (in the cool two-wheeler category).
I’ve been out sick for the last several days… so I actually have a legitimate excuse for the lack of blog posts lately. LOL It was pretty miserable, so I’m very glad to be on the other side of all that nastiness.
We took the girlie out looking for bikes. With the snow still covering everything, we aren’t in a big rush. But I’m full of Spring thoughts and warm weather wishes… and looking for a two wheeler was a fun springy thing that we could do indoors (where the blowing snow couldn’t get to us).
We visited a couple different stores, and had to have tried out nine or ten different bikes. But I think we may have found a winner. Unlike all the others that piqued her interest, this one has no tassels, no pink or purple, no fairies or princesses, no doll bike seat, no basket, no flower vase… But when she saw it her eyes lit up and she exclaimed: “Wow!! It’s just like a car for racing!!!”
The Winner!
And, the coolest part?
While I know she’d get the hang of any bike after a little practice, all of them were stop and go. Push one peddle down, wait, push the other down, wait… Well, all of them until she tried this one. She needed a little help to get started, but then took off like a flash! She went about 40 feet without any hesitation or signs of slowing. LOL
So I called her Daddy over to help her out so I could pull out my BlackBerry to take a quick video.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150130011992353
And yes, if I could figure out how to embed a fb video here I would. LMAO But, for now you’ll just have to click on the link.
Ginger Kids
When I saw this bag of biscuits I just had to take a picture. No one would have believed me otherwise. LOL
Ginger Kid Cookies: because Gingers weren't creepy enough already.
The upcycled cardboard dollhouse, fit for polly pocket sized princesses.
The last two mornings the girlie and I have been working on a craft project. I see a sturdy, unused, cardboard box and all I see are possibilities. So, this time, we made a three level dollhouse for all of her little princesses and polly pocket dolls.
The first day I found a box with a flap I could cut off to create the second floor. Folded the ends under and trimmed a bit off, while the girlie painted wall paper and designed flooring. We also washed out some juice boxes and set them out to dry.
Today we glued in all the flooring and wallpaper. Wrapped up the beds, and cut out headboards and foot-boards…. glued them all together and glued the beds into place. We made a table from a fruit cup container and a round piece of paper. The girlie cut out plates and glued paper food onto each plate, which were glued onto the table (which was also glued into place). A couple finishing touches – like the construction paper pool filled with tissue paper water. And it was complete.
All in all, a pretty easy little project that I know Lily-Ann will enjoy playing with for quite a while. Who knows how long it will last… but hey! It was made entirely from repurposed trash and paper, so however long it lasts is good by me.
Here are some pictures of her new dollhouse:
first floor diningroom, second floor bedroom
three beds and a rug/bed for the cat
rooftop pool and "grass" covered patio
