Yesterday...

I went to the most amazing place! A girl I work with has a cottage in Bear Island. She & her husband bought it about 8 years ago and have been renovating it back to it's roots. There is no electricity, no running water, no plumbing - and it is stunning! He is very handy and has built several of the pieces in the cottage (island, dining table, chest, etc.). Also, they have visited several auctions and antiques shops between here and Nova Scotia. There are no matched sets, nothing was purchased new and everything is very simple and rustic in style.

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But when you walk through the door, it takes your breath away. I felt like I was walking into a page from Saltscapes or Country Living magazine. The front porch overlooks the upper end of the Saint John River so there is a constant breeze and minimal mosquitoes.

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What a wonderful getaway - relaxing, comfortable and well-loved. I only wish I had taken my camera.

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It's not 007...

I can try, but I can't disguise it.

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I don't have a green thumb. Even with a Sharpie, it's still not a "green" thumb.

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I love pretty gardens and landscaping. I would love to have pretty gardens and landscaping. But, in all honesty, I don't like doing pretty gardens and landscaping.

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Why? Well, there's bugs. Lots of them. Most of them flying around me, but several actually in the dirt. And there's dirt. Lots of it. I wear gloves and they help. But, as soon as the gloves are on you can lay money on it my nose will start itching. Oye. And there are critters. The occasional *shudder* snake and slimy things like slugs and worms. Ick. And, the icing on the cake, there is sweat. My sweat. I don't like sweat. Any sweat. Gross.

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But, still I try. Yesterday morning it was cool and breezy. No bugs, no sweat. Good. I didn't come across any slimies (well, one worm, but I just dropped him back in the hole). Good. And I wore long sleeves so I could scratch my nose at will. Good.

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And here are my results. Before:

And after:

No more pesky weeds! All ready for cucumber & tomato plants!
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Our babysitter loves to garden. Hmmm, maybe I could invite her over...

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On being a Mom...

It's the most demanding, challenging, difficult, all-consuming thing I have ever done.

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It's the most rewarding, fulfilling, amazing, all-consuming thing I have ever done.

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I have two children, Adrianna and Tanner. They are truly the light and love of my world. Somehow, all the best qualities of my husband and I have found their way into these two amazing individuals.

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In many ways, they are so similar - blond hair, blue eyes, sunny dispositions, huge laughs and wacky senses of humour. They are always ready for an adventure, they love travelling and spending time with us, their favourite holiday is Christmas and they love family time.

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We are definitely a 21st century family - my husband and I both have demanding careers, we often keep strange hours and therer isn't a lot of "down time". But somehow, we have managed to build a strong family connection. One of our favourite things to do is to snuggle up on the couch (all five of us, including the dog!) to watch a movie and munch on some chips and pop. Even when we are on vacation in Florida, at least one evening is spent this way.

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Our kids talk to us. And we listen to them. Even though Adrianna is hitting the teen years, she still shares her life with me. When her friends come over, or we are going somewhere with them, hubby and I are always included in the conversations and silliness that happens. We are very lucky that our house and vehicle tend to be the "gathering" place for hanging out and travelling.

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Of course, we butt heads and argue too. Sometimes we get frustrated with each other and pick at each other instead of saying "I just need some space right now". Hubby & I have firm rules and high expectations that they sometimes test, try to get around or just break. But they are honest, admit to fault and apologize. And we do too. We are all only only human and we all know that. Forgive and move on.

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But more often, we laugh. A lot. We play practical jokes on each other, we tease, we act silly, we sing (very poorly, but very loudly!) and we tell funny stories. When one of us is down or in a grumpy mood, it doesn't take very long to find a grin or a giggle to lighten things up, allowing us to talk it over, work it out and let it go.

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And, above all else, we love. A lot. We hug, we snuggle, we love. Every day.

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On being a Mom ... there is absolutely nothing else in the world I would rather be.

Frustrating Update...

So I go back out to the blogs that I have been visiting every day although they haven't been updated since April 22nd. For some unknown reason tonight I decided to hit the refresh button and WOW!! these blogs actually HAVE been updated - several times!

Maybe I should rename my blog "Groundhog Day".

Frustrating!!

I seem to be having problems with my blog. Somehow, I am stuck on April 11, 2010 at 2:35 pm. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get off this day! Also, my autosave keeps failing. AND, when I go to other blogs, I see no updates after April 21!!

Technology. Grrr!!!