This n' That

-October. I simply love October. Fires, in the fire place/pit. Cozy under blankets watching movies. Long walks in the crisp air. Peaking out the window every morning wondering if this is the day we wake up to our first snow fall. Our annual weekend trip to Banff to hike up to the tea house at Lake Louise and just be there! Meeting all the parents and possibly new friends on the children's latest sport teams. Going to Value Village to spend hours putting together Halloween costumes and accessories.Pumpkin carving....last year I even tried and was successful at making pumpkin pies from scratch..from a real pumpkin! Never in my wildest dreams (or the dreams of anyone who knows me) would I have thought I would do that.

-Renovations. We (mostly Terry) have been in constant renovation. We decided to take it nice a slow so that we never feel rushed to finish a project or over extend our budget. Do one thing at a time, pay it off, complete it before moving on to the next thing..Bwa hahahaha...that was a thought.
We tried but it seems that things come up and life gets in the way and all we end up doing is stressing over how that one thing (there are a few of those 'one' things) isn't quite finished yet. It's always there, calling out our name, never ever letting you feel quite at rest at home. Then we start something else due to a deal in product or necessity at the time. We just bought and started the process of laying down laminate flooring upstairs in our house. It will look and feel sooo good and clean and fresh. Terry is such a hard worker and very meticulous so I know it will look fantastic. You can see though he is getting tired of always having to work at something at home and never relax and enjoy it. Once this laminate is down that is it. Renovation hiatus. But you know, that laminate looks so good it makes our kitchen look old and worn out...just kidding Ter...just kidding. (just a little)

-Slow Down. This whole slow down thing that I have been focusing on in my world seems to be working. It does still have a waaaays to go but I can feel the effects already, little reminders go off in my head when i feel like i am rushing. Why are you rushing? I can't believe how effective that is. I am just about halfway through my book but I find that I am latching on the little things in in such as looking around when I am driving. Sounds scary that I am just realizing that huh?! LOL I mean REALLY looking around. I have slowed down and am less stressed getting places...AND...I am still getting there with plenty of time!

-House hunting. We have decided to look at houses for sale. Ever see that show Love it or List it? Yeah...that's where we are. ( we neeed to get on that show) but in doing this, in looking at other houses and how they have been renovated (or usually a lack of) we find that coming home,our house is pretty great...it just needs....*sigh* you heard it already. But seriously, we are looking within our city, but this house has to have it all, has to be move in ready, HAS to give us what we want with out to much effort. I cannot believe how much they want for some of these house!! Blah...In the mean time, we will keep updating our house.

-Banff. So our annual Banff weekend get away this year (the wedding doesn't count!) will be Thanks giving weekend. Words cannot express my excitement for this. We have pre purchased tickets to go see Leela Gilday at Banff Center. We are going to check out the tea house...not the one we usually do but the other one. I can't remember the names but they are cool. And we plan on hiking up sulfur mountain which is one of the most popular mountains for tourist around Banff, its the one with the gondolas, and we have never been. We always end up off on some crazy hike in the deep woods where you expect the bears are all hanging out having their picnics. So this hike should be nice and relaxing.
We will find some cozy restaurant who will be serving up a Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixins and treat our selves to some good eats and wine. The drive home will be slow and with stops along the way to take in new places and experiences.

-Children. I don't think I have enough time or words for this subject. With them spending their time between two homes and us not having 100% input or influence on how they are being raised and the morals they are being taught and feeling in complete control of the environment in which they are living I am in constant worry about them and what their future holds...the kind of worry that keeps you awake allot of nights. Its kind of painful actually, that may be the best way to describe it..painful. When they are with us we try so hard to instill a balance of respect for one self, their property and others, we try to teach them empathy and and compassion and goodness. The importance of expressing thought and emotion. We try to allow them to experience life away from the house as well as give them the gift of being home. safe and relaxed to get acquainted with imagination and down time. Terry and I are on the path of learning and discovering all this ourselves so we are hoping that we are teaching by example in life , love, health. All this and more condensed into one week intervals every second week. Painful.


I could go on and on right now....but I will spare you (that is if you are still reading this after that long long blabber)