Is it Really October??

Wow, from May to October, that's... horrible!

We're settling nicely into fall. Carson began JK in September, and Hayley is in SK. They are in different classes, but both in the morning, which I am really enjoying! Carson is still unsure how well he likes school. He was eager to go, but once he realized that it's more than just playing and doing what you want, he wasn't so enthusiastic. He's adjusting. Hayley still loves school.

I'm still working at Shopper's, but only on weekends now. It was getting kind of crazy, I was working most nights during the week, and it was just too much. Working weekends is much better.

Still scrapbooking, too. I've gotten into digital scrapbooking lately, which I really enjoy. I still like the tactile nature of scrapping with paper, though.

I've decided that I'm not going to follow the editing track. The revelation that it wasn't for me came in the form of an opening for an editor at Torontoist, a local blog. I was considering it, and then I thought, "that would be so boring." Well. Besides, the nature of editing seems to be a lot of freelance work, and don't think living job-to-job is for me. Next week I begin one of two computer courses that are pre-requisites for a medical office assistant program at the same college (George Brown). I think it's the better option for me, and I think it's something I would enjoy. I'm looking forward to it.

Carl is still plugging away at his job at Quartet. Not much to say about it.

I'm a bad blogger

I update so infrequently that I don't think anyone remembers that I even have a blog! Anyway, even if this is only going out into the blogosphere, this is what I've been up to lately.

I've been working two or three times a week at Shopper's. It's going fine, except that I hurt myself on Saturday. Stupid really, I just tripped over a shopping basket and pulled some muscles in my neck, shoulder, and back. I work tomorrow and I think I'll be ok for that. The doctor gave me the go-ahead.

My favourite thing to do these days is to scrapbook, and to chat about scrapbooking at ScrapCentral. It's a great community where there's always lots to do, like challenges and contests. If you're a scrapbooker, I highly recommend you come and join us! It's Canadian, but we have American scrapbookers on there too. This weekend we're having a National Scrapbooking Day (Saturday) online crop. There will be lots of challenges and prizes. I can't wait! I have to work for 5 hours on Saturday, but I'll still be able to fit some scrapping in. :D

I'm also really addicted to facebook now. I've gotten back in touch with so many people I went to school with (grade school through university), people I worked with, people I played ringette with, and so forth. It's really great!

Carl and I are doing our best to go green. We still have our SUV ::cringes::, but are buying credits to offset our carbon footprint. We also don't drive very much. Carl's work & Hayley's school are within walking distance, and I take the subway to work. That's all we can do until it's time to buy another car, and then we hope to go hybrid. I can't wait until all the farmers' markets open for the summer, because it makes it much easier to eat locally, which we're also trying to do as much as possible.

Paige

Oh my God, I can't believe I haven't blogged about Paige yet! Paige Madison Lees was born on February 17th. She was 7 lbs, 1 oz, and 19 inches long. She has a head of thick black hair, just like her daddy did, and I'm told that her mommy did too. She's beautiful.

We were supposed to go up north this week, but Hayley has a cold that is really holding on. We've postponed our trip until next week. It's killing me to wait! I want to see my niece now! At least I've got pictures. Greg opened a flickr account, which you can find here.

In other news, I started work on Saturday. It went well. The people I will be working with seem like a good group. The day was a little dull, but I think the time will go more quickly once the store opens. I was very sore on Saturday night and Sunday. We weren't doing anything too taxing, but I was standing, squatting, or knealing all day; I'm not used to that.

I have a test tonight in my editing class. It's just a little test, so I'm not very concerned. The class is really interesting. The copy editing marks can make your head spin, but I will be taking a whole course in copy editing, so I'm not really worried about having them all memorized by the end of this short introductory course.

Love, Love, Love!

Happy Valentine's Day!

As a Valentine's Day treat, Torontonians received a heap of snow. Yay! /sarcasm. It's actually still snowing, but the kids and I are snuggled up and cozy in our apartment. We're waiting for friends to come over for a play date, and I don't envy them the walk.

Hayley was so excited about going to school today for Valentine's Day. She came home with a paper bag full of valentines, and it really took me back. I remember taping paper bags to the sides of our desks, like little mailboxes. It was so exciting! My mom always made Valentine's Day special too, giving us chocolates or stuffed animals and cards. We gave the kids little boxes of chocolates and hand-made cards today. I made cards for the kids and had intended for them to be from both of us, but Hayley made it clear to Carl that she wanted him to make her a card himself. So there he was last night, drawing pictures for their cards. It was cute.

Valentine's Day can be a little sad for me too. In 1989, my poppa died right before Valentine's Day. I remember my mom giving us our little teddy bears early to help us feel better. Not that anything could have, but it was nice. We all knew we wouldn't really be celebrating it anyway. So I always think about that when Valentine's Day rolls around. It's been almost twenty years (how is that possible?!), but it still makes me a little sad.

This and That

I've been working on a scrapbook layout of the NDP convention I went to, but it's not going very well. It's just not speaking to me, so I put it away and I'll look at it again later. So, time to move on to a new page. I really need to get some new photos developed, though.

I found out that my first day of work is the 24th, as I suspected. We'll be doing store set-up and training. I think I'll only be working weekends until the store opens, and then hopefully I can pick up an evening shift or two during the week. I'm going to really enjoy this coming weekend, since it will probably be my last free one for a while.

I'm excited about this weekend for another reason too. My niece is going to be born on Saturday (or Sunday if it's a long labour)! Pam is being taken off the blood thinner and induced on Saturday. I'm so excited! I'm still not sure when we'll be able to get up north to see the baby, but it won't be too long. I want to wait until they're out of the hospital because the kids can't visit them there. Hayley and Carson are both excited about the baby.

Another NDP MPP at Queen's Park!

Paul Ferreira (NDP) is the new MPP of York South - Weston! I'm very excited because I went out and canvassed for him. This is not my riding, but it is in Toronto. It's actually the riding in which Carl grew up. The other two ridings in the byelection were held by their parties (one Liberal, one Conservative), but one more NDP MPP at Queen's Park is great news. Congratulations, Paul!

I'm Still Alive

I can't believe I haven't posted in over four months. I'll be surprised if anyone will read this.

So, it's been a year since we left California now, and I think I'm finally adjusted. I'm not loving the snow, but we haven't actually had it for that long. It wasn't until after Christmas that it actually turned cold. Global warming scares me. The kids love the snow. Carl and the kids went sliding with Carl's brothers Mark and Ryan, and our niece Gemma on Saturday. They had a great time. The faster they could get down the hill, the better. I hear that Uncle Ryan was pretty tired of trudging back up the hill because the kids always wanted to go with him. Hey, he's the one who wanted to be the favourite uncle!

I wasn't with them because I spent the weekend at the Ontario NDP (New Democratic Party) convention. I was a delegate for my riding, St. Paul's. It was really great to be there. I really felt like I was part of something. Howard Hampton, the leader of the provincial party, gave a really great speech on Saturday, revving everyone up. Jack Layton, leader of the federal party, wrapped the weekend up with his rousing speech. I'm glad I got to see them.

The most exciting thing right now is that I'll have a new niece in about a month! Poor Pam (my brother Greg's fiancee), she hasn't had an easy time of it. She's hospitalized right now with a blood clot in her leg, and though they're (finally) treating it, she's still in a lot of pain. Prayer and positive thoughts would be appreciated.

I've been really enjoying scrapbooking and card making. I made all my Christmas cards this year, which ended up being a bigger job than I planned. I was happy with the result, though. I've got two layouts posted here at Scraptivity, and I'll be uploading a couple more tomorrow. I find it really relaxing to just sit down and lose myself in creating a layout. It's not a cheap hobby, but it's worth it.

I don't know how much time I'll really have for scrapbooking once I start my new job, though. I will be working part time as a cashier at Shoppers Drug Mart. I'm not sure yet how many hours I'll have a week. Most likely both days on the weekend and an evening shift or two during the week. It's a new store and doesn't open until March 15, but I'll have a couple of training shifts before then.

Hopefully it won't take me another four months to update this. :)