the best thing you can do is hang around a while

back at work. back into routine. busy but different busy than being off with the kids.

I'm sitting admiring my new coffee table and buffet (pics below). so happy with how they turned out.

I have to work super late tomorrow night to do a bunch of HST program testing so we're ready for Friday. As sucky as it is, I'd rather stay tomorrow night than have to go into work on Thursday.

contemplating a trip to Deacon this weekend if the weather is going to be good. We'll see how the next couple of days go. (Pen, I'll keep you posted)

and now

I just got the lamp for $25 online from these guys who specialize in mid-century mod stuff. The shade I got at Walmart - not entirely perfect but for $15 it will do for now.

I also kind of wish the buffet was a little longer and this mirror (which is actually supposed to go with the vanity for the powder room which we bought last year and have yet to install) was a little larger but it all works enough for now.

On to the family room - though that will require some new (new used) furniture so that will have to wait a little longer. For now I`ll probably just do up some new pillows etc.

And of course, all of this will look so much better once we have beautiful hardwood floors. Probably a darker mid-tone walnut colour. Don`t want to be too pale (though I love the bleached oak that is currently popular) or too dark which I also think will start to look dated very soon.

All in good time. Must learn to be content with what I have which, really I am. I`m just happy I seem to be able to create some pretty decent stuff out of not much and with very little cash.

that trailer trash pedigree is calling

Its Sunday evening and my week of vacation is over. It has been a good but crazy busy week a and in some ways, the vacation will start when I'm back at work tomorrow.

I've enjoyed the extra time with the kids for sure but wow they wear me out! I'm pretty sure Jay is also sort of looking forward to going back tomorrow.

On Thursday we took Maggie to daycare and spent the day with Nate. We took him to see his first movie - Toy Story 3 (kids love Toy Story). He was actually very good and more or less sat still and quiet the entire time though he was getting a bit antsy at the end. When the credits started to roll he bolted. Then had a melt down and we had to pick him up off the floor and carry him out screaming and trying to choke and/or bite me.

So embarrassing! Luckily there were very few people there and most were parents of small children as well. I would have felt better if one of their kids was also having some sort of meltdown.

Went to church today. Was a struggle to get the kids out the door as usual and they were cranky and out of sorts for the rest of the day because of the screwed up naps but its just a temporary inconvenience...I hope!

Also got news about work. I had applied for a National Database Leader position at work about a month ago. I have an interview on July 14th. I'm surprised but in a good way. If I get it, it would mean a new department and a new boss even though I would still be at the firm. Will have to pray about it. I'm kind of in a comfort zone right now that could be hard to let go of. Anyway, we have to get past the interview first and I have no idea how many applicants there are.

Well, in between our various activities I also managed to re-stain the coffee table I picked up at a yard sale and paint a small table for our entry which I forgot to take an after pic of but here's the coffee table before and afters also, note all of the lovely pillows I've sewn (not the brown and white ones, those were store bought). I am now repainting our buffet. The room is finally really coming together - for the second time but this change is more permanent.

It's solid oak and was that yellowish "oak" colour (and in terrible shape), now it's "walnut"! I'll have to work on my table-top arrangement but for now I'm just working with stuff I've got.

Pillows! I still need to do a few more in turquoise and maybe hunt down some striped or patterned fabric that's not floral but its a start.

Ok and with that I should be getting to bed because 7:00am is not exactly sleeping in but its still 1.5 hours past tomorrow's wake up call.

I like to move it move it, I like to move it move it

In an effort to change up our video rotation I picked up Madagascar 2 a couple days ago. We've pretty much watched it 4 times a day every day since.

Been a good week thus far. We had planned on taking the kids to the Biodome in Montreal on Monday. Luckily I checked the website on Sunday evening for the opening time and saw a notice that it was closed indefinitely due to a labour dispute. It must have happened within the last couple of weeks because I checked admission prices not that long ago.

Disappointing but we ended up going to Parc Safari instead which was great though Nate has now developed a life long fear of ostriches after a pecking incident!

It was a good day despite getting stuck in rush hour traffic in Montreal on the way home.

Yesterday we went for a hike in Gatineau Park. We chose Pink Lake because it was "wheelchair" accessible and therefore, stroller accessible. Well, perhaps the top observation point was accessible but that's it. We must have dragged the stroller up and down about 400 stairs. The 2.5k trail took us almost 2 hours to do! Oh well, it was neat and Nate seemed to enjoy it.

Today we went to the Museum of Science and Tech. Again Nate seemed to enjoy it but of course, still has a very limited attention span. He spent the longest time at the coin well thing where you start the coin out at the top and it slowly spins around and around and around finally making its way down the funnel. I finally had to tell him I was out of change.

Mags enjoyed the crooked kitchen immensely. She did the loop about 10 times.

Then the earthquake happened. The kids were at the table finishing lunch when we heard the rumble and then things started to shake. Jay made a move for Maggie but mostly we just sort of froze and waited. It lasted long enough for me to think when is it going to stop? is it going to get any worse? should we go under the door jam?

Fortunately, no damage here at all and more importantly no one was hurt. In the grand scheme of things it wasn't a huge quake. I bet if it happened in Cali they wouldn't bat an eye but I will admit it certainly rattled me.

I am going to unwind with a beer shortly!

Tomorrow we're going to take Maggie to daycare and Jay, Nate and I are going to go and see Toy Story 3. It will be Nate's first movie theatre experience.

And I think that's pretty much it for this week.

I'm also working on some more projects. Got a coat of primer on a couple pieces I'm painting. Got some new pillows sewn. Things are slowly coming together. Will post some before and afters again soon.

I've got a date with the night

bit of a rough day.

Jay and I went to a wine and cheese at one of his colleagues last night and though it started off very civilized it did sort of end in debauchery.

Because Jay and I are not big drinkers I was over my limit fairly quickly perhaps this is why with true wine tastings you don't actually drink the samples!

It was fun though. Nice to meet some of Jay's work people since I hear about them all the time.

I did some laundry and got some groceries today but I also had a lovely 2 hour nap in the afternoon with Jay who got off work early.

Ok, time for Friday Night Lights!

well that's one less founded opinion, one less cause for a dispute

worked until 8 on Monday and 7 tonight trying to get our system at work up to speed for the HST implementation on July 1st.

It's been a pretty huge project.

Now I'm tired and I'm going to go to bed pretty soon...I think...I've actually had trouble sleeping lately which is kind of weird for me. Normally I can crash from even 8:00pm if need be but lately I'm lucky if I can fall asleep before 11 and sometimes I'm up half the night.

I think that I'm a little more stressed about impending events than I'm consciously aware of.

But, as of Monday (hopefully even Friday) I will be on holidays for a week and though we don't have huge plans we do hope to do a series of day trips with the kids to the BioDome in Montreal, Sandbanks Provincial Park and maybe Parc Omega.

And, Toy Story 3 opens this weekend so I think we'll be taking Nate to his first movie in the theatre.

I'm debating on whether I should start watching Friday Night Lights or just go to bed...I think FNL is going to win.

it was in a foreign hotel bathroom i baptized myself in change and one by one drown all of the people i had been

fever finally broke, no shakes or sweats for 12 hours now.

i'm a tad bored and missing my husband right now.

forgot again, that Friday Night Lights is on at 8 and not 9 (what would i do without On Demand or online video?).

my high-school boyfriend requested to be my friend on Facebook. I accepted. That's not bad is it? I did clear it with Jay first.

Off to Deacon tomorrow - Niall's baptism is on Sunday.

Bedtime it is then.

i have a friend who's mostly made of pain

ok - here's the before and after's of my yard sale finds.

The mirror cost $5 and the decorative thingy cost $0.50. Can of glossy black spray paint $5.93.

Apparently i suck at adding photos to blogger because the before is after the afters. oh well, i'm sure you can figure it out.

in any event, i'm thrilled with the result - they make our bedroom a bit more "finished" though there are still a few little things I would like to do.

I also scored a brilliant yellow mid-century lamp for $25 that I just need to find a shade for. I have a couple other little painting projects and i've started sanding the "new" coffee table. I should probably take a before of all these things too.

ok, my tea is finished and i'm going to bed.

and you come and crash into me

crash indeed.

am alternating between shivering and sweating and my whole body aches. i ended up going to work and pretty much coming straight home yesterday. had to let my boss give the HST presentation.

still feeling miserable so i'm at home again today and i have a doctor's appointment for 10:40. hopefully can rule out any sort of underlying infection.

and of course, Jay is gone for a couple days. Jay gone = Dana sick, there is definitely a pattern here.

ok, enough complaining for one day.

i don't know when but a day is gonna come, where there won't be a moon and there won't be a sun, it'll all go black, it'll just go black....

sort of dreary lyric i know.

i feel like poop right now. i'm achy, i'm cold and my stomach is off, or at least it was but the soda crackers have helped.

i think i must have what the kids had on Friday, if so, not so bad since they were a-ok on Saturday

work is crazy busy this week. i have some Jay stress which i can't really talk about - except it is work related as well.

not to mention all of my house projects. when i'm stressed it seems as though i go nuts trying to distract myself.

i sort of just feel like i'm crashing a bit.

i also just caught up on the new episode of Friday Night Lights (best show on tv) which made me absolutely lose it. totally, and i don't want to spoil it for anyone (Penster!) that may not have seen it yet but it made me think of Jay.

this too shall pass.

"From the end of the earth i will cry unto You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2, this seems to apply to me a lot lately)

would you come for my bangers, my beans and mash

Jay and I went to the movies tonight. Get Him to the Greek. Hilarious. I think I kinda love Russell Brand.

Good weekend, busy weekend. Didn't do anything overly exciting but I did get some cleaning done, and Maggie's bed posts painted and two coats of spray paint on my mirror and this other wall hanging thing.

I actually took before pics so I'll post them after so you can all see the glorious transformation of my yard sale finds that cost a total of $5.50 ($11 if you count the price of the spray paint).

Kids both had to leave daycare on Friday - they were sick and had fevers. Nate puked in the car. gross. fortunately i was at work and Jay was on parental duty. Weird though, they were both pretty much fine the next day which is a good thing.

Mom is down for a course tomorrow so she babysat while Jay and I went out for wings and then the movie. good end to a good weekend.

"God is greater than our heart"

meanwhile I'm a joke that you'd probably enjoy

i'm working on a business case right now and its hard and after a long day at work its kind of the last thing i feel like doing so i'm procrastinating by blogging.

had an absolutely fabulous weekend in the GTA with Chantal and Colleen. Friday night Chantal and I hung out at her place and drank a lot of wine (well, a lot for me). I would have probably slept in but Jay claims that Nate called me on his password protected Blackberry at 8:30am. suspicious isn't it!

on Sat Chantal and I drove into TO to Colleen's and headed down to Queen West to do some shopping. First we went for sushi and they had a lunch special - 12.95 for all you could eat but you had to order everything before 3 (at this point it was about 2:45). So we ordered, it arrived and it looked like more than enough but they did last call and Chantal and Colleen thought we should get some more. I was like, I don't know guys, we have a lot.

well, about 30 min later we were gagging down sushi so we didn't have to pay for it. at least we all had a good laugh about it.

we shopped until about 8 and decided we should really probably think about dinner. we were kind of sweaty and gross from walking in the heat all day and we wanted to go somewhere nice so we got to thinking, we had all bought dresses so we did an impromptu change in the car on a side street and then hit up Shopper's Drug Mart for make-overs with the Benefit and Smashbox testers and we were good to go!

Who says I can't be spontaneous and just roll with it?

Dinner was good - got back to Whitby about 12:30 and pretty much went to bed. unfortunately, i woke up at 7:00am and did I mention Chantal is not a coffee drinker? that's right, a house without coffee. I made do with black tea but it was just not the same.

Was a great visit, lots of fun and made me realize that I really should do it more often.

Ok, back to my business case.