Twice a Days +

Well, we are back it. Morning swims and after school swim is the schedule with Jill. She woke up this morning giddy and excited. Totally wears me out. Good thing I just have to drive.

Actually, today was a super workout day for Jill. Two hours of swimming in the morning, then sports pro for an hour and a half, then two hours of swimming/dry land in the evening. That is five hours of working out!

I packed her an extra sandwich. I'm a good mom like that.

There will be no problems going to sleep early tonight! 

Apple Sauce!

Lots going on today. In between swim practices and the football game I got some applesauce made. This little press is an amazing thing!! I borrowed it from a lady at church. I think I need to get one. You can make amazing applesauce with even the smallest crab apples! It separates all the seeds and skin and core and you just get the sauce. I have always thought I should ask people in our neighbourhood if I could pick their trees. So many of them just bag up the apples and throw them out. Next year I will!!

They weren't very big apples. I just quartered them. I didn't try to core them at all.

Boil them to soften the apples.

Put it through the press.

Beautiful applesauce!!

I froze some and processed some. I will use it for baking....but it is delicious enough to just eat by itself too. Love it!!

Life is Hard

Tomorrow is a new day
As long as we show love
Beauty will reign supreme
Beginnings will present themselves
You will conquer

Keeping faith
Always shows that
You will
Live strong
And rise from the challenges

I just finished reading Awake and Dreaming. Breaks my heart.

Fabulous Day and a Lovely Night

Today has been a great day. I love PD days. I love being able to have more time with the people I work with. They are great people. I also love learning. Today we got to spend some time working too. We are changing report cards slightly and so we did some work to prepare for that.

Tonight I took the kids to their mutual activity. I had a wonderful evening. I made a phone call to the bank that I have been dreading doing for a while (why do banks get my stomach all in knots?) I said a prayer, then did it - and it went famously. I would even say the guy I talked to was nice! After that, I did a  little marking and then a lot of reading. There is nothing like sitting and reading for an hour or two straight.

I read a book called Awake and Dreaming. It is tearing up my heart!!

Love My Boy

Sometimes teenage boys are a little tricky to get along with.

And sometimes you pick them up at the pool and they grab your hand and hold it all the way to the van like they used to when they were little.

Love that.

Roller Skating Fun!

The swim club decided to start the year off with a big bash at Lloyd's. I love going there. It has hardly changed at all since I used to go there every Saturday when I was 12!! Of course, my kids are way cooler than I ever was.

Well, sort of. Who is that kid in the piggies anyway?!! No self-esteem issues there!

 

 

Peirce and all his girls.

New Swim Season

HLast week swimming started. It feels like it never stopped. Well, sort of. This past summer was a harrowing one in our swim club.

Story summary: 

1. The board fired the coach

2. The members said, "Hey, why'd do that?"

3. The board said, "We're not telling nor are we going to answer your questions or meet with anyone. Our minds are made up and we are going forward."

4. The members fired the board.

5. We have a new board.

6. We have our coach back.

There seems to be a few changes in the club too. As much as I have a lot of poor feelings forwards the previous board for the mess they created, there are some good things that appear to have come out of  the potential NCSA slaughter. We have some great communication going on these days. There are some extra things happening: more dry land training by experts and physiotherapists being consulted to make sure kids don't get repetitive strain injuries. Coaching is being shared around and kids will be coached by more people. All in all it seems like some really great moves.

So, perhaps there was some good in it all.

Busy Saturday

We have had a busy Saturday, which isn't too unusual.

Peirce was in a scout camp. They travelled by canoe to their camping spot. Peirce said it was the best trip ever!

I love the fall colors in this photo. Fall is my favorite season of the year!

Jill and I gathered food from the routes we delivered food bank flyers. It is so fun to be part of this city-wide food drive. It is a great lesson in how just a few can make a big difference. Probably 1 in 10 houses we delivered to donated something. With that, huge amounts or food are collected. Imagine if everyone donated just one can?! It would be totally overwhelming.

Jill, in the midst of gathering up the food, said, "This is my favorite church activity of all!" When I asked her why she said it is because she loves it that everyone is sharing.

So true!!

Unloading cars full of food at the stake center. This happened at all six stake centres in Calgary.

I found this pic in a facebook. The food bank shelves are full and the rest is in the aisles. Awesome!

In the afternoon Jill and I went to storybook theatre and saw The Wizard of One. It is a play written by a Calgarian who also did all the acting. He played every part. It was quite brilliant!

It is a take off in The Wizard of Oz, only Dorothy is an old man in a rest home. Sounds weird, I know, but it works!

Tonight Jill had a trek reunion. Allen and I were back at the end of the reunion party where they showed a video with pictures from trek. It cracked my crusty heart! (I am not a big trek fan) I am really grateful for amazing youth leaders who plan things like this though, and remind them of the important things they have learned. At the end President Bester bore his testimony to them and pronounced a blessing on them that they would be strong and remember the lessons they learned on trek. It was quite powerful.

While Jill was at the trek reunion, Allen and I went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. We went to a new trendy restaurant called The Block. It was fun to go out for dinner. Maybe we'll go somewhere else next time though. :)

Tonight Jill went to the youth dance. Peirce and I went home to get to bed early because it has been a long day. Allen toughed it out and drove Jill and her friends. Of course, it always has to end with Peters. We should buy shares in that place!

Saturday....the fun never ends!!

Scout Camp

He is off! He is looking a tad excited too.

He almost didn't make this one. He was sick yesterday and missed school. Mom's rule always is if you have to stay home from school you probably aren't well enough to do the fun weekend stuff. He worked very hard to convince the parents that he was in fact well enough. Then, it turns out we misunderstood the meeting time. We thought it was 4:00 when it was actually 3:00! Good thing for missing keys and a run home by a leader or two.

They are canoeing to some island where they will camp for the night. It is everything every boy loves!

Cutting Losses

I am behind.....really behind.

 Keep telling myself I need to catch up on the end of summer.  I never seem to find the time though....meanwhile more keeps happening that I want to record. 

Let's just say, I am calling this past summer the summer the swim club stole. The drama in the club took a lot of energy and time. I am a little bitter about it and determined to guard my own time and happiness a little better.

So, summer ended. We all lived happily ever after....pretty much.

School started for me on August 18.....the day Jill turned 16. She celebrated by planning two dates for that week....one of which turned dismal but was saved by a nice boy in the end. Jill and Peirce are both back in school now. Seminary has been going for a few weeks and swimming is gearing up. Life is swinging into high gear, and I am okay with that. 

I should try to catch up on recording so many things...but I think it is time to cut our losses and just do better going forward.

Here is to new beginnings!!