Facebook is awesome

Ok, so I've neglected bloggin' .... but can you blame me??? the facebook phenom has totally replaced blogging for me..... it is very cool!
if you haven't checked it out go to www.facebook.com and sign up..... I'm talking to my very first boyfriend form grade four!!! it's so adorable.... catching up with people from school and various times and stages in my life... it's really interesting!
well.... I turned 35 in May and my hubby turned 33 in june, the kids are almost done school and we tke posession of our dessert lounge on July 1st.
WISH ME LUCK!

where have you beeen????

ALONG time......

phewf!

well I made it back to blogger ....

I can't believe I haven't posted since December 31.

Anyways so much going on. My passion lately has been trying to get a Dessert Lounge up and running here in Victoria. The concept is fantastic, my partners are great, locations however are REALLY hard to come by. I have developed the concept, developed a menu have had meetins up the whazoo about financing, lease breaching, health inspections,.... mostly about financing. What I've learned so far is ALLLLLLL those gov't programs you hear about starting small business are for the benefit of looking good on paper. They don't actually help. Lending organizations would send me to various gov't level financial groups only to find out their criteria is WORSE or more extensive than normal lending institutes. SO, between our partners and my husband and I , we are financing it ourselves. CAHRAZEEEE

My twins turned 6. ( and got their ears pierced )I can't stand it. I am really a kid person and the idea that my kids are getting older and aren't going to be around soon totally bugs me. My oldest boy turns 15, FIFTEEN, auugghh. It doesn't help that for the last 4 years I've wanted another baby. ( I'm waiting for that to go away) SO my husaband is getting me a puppy. He's hilarious.

WE took a family vacation over spring break to Mt.Baker resort area. It was really nice, but a little bit creepy. There were no phones out there and your cell phone didn't work and I have a WILD imagination. It was the perfect place for an axe murderer to have his way. I know I'm sick in my head, but I thought of about 100 scenarios that totally creeped me out. It also the perfect place for someone to be watching you in your condo, I mean who are going to call. You'd have to drive into town 15 min, just to use the phone. ( you wouldn't make it....)Oh I'm terrible!!!

ANYWAYS, it was still nice; pools and indoor gyms, hikes, falls, rivers, pool tables, pingpong... the kids had a great time. Zac and I relaxed alot.

SO more recently I am working on the Hearts and Hands Cake-off contest again. http://belo.theplace.ca/ check it out.

Having lots of fun with that. It was fantastic last year and I'm praying this year will be just as good if not better. There were 98 cakes last year, cake fest oh-rama! There was also LOTS of milk.

there fully updated.

I LOVE the HOLIDAYS

I had a WONDERFUL Christmas and I hope everyone who reads this has as well.

The kids slept until 8 am and although Zac and I were quite sick we didn't let that dampen our spirits.

We started by opening our stockings and talking. We then prayed as a family giving thanks to God for how blessed we all felt and for sending us the best gift, Jesus.

Our family observes Advent throughout the whole Christmas season, and on Christmas morning we lit all the candles, finally lit the Christ candle, and let them burn all day until they burned out. Reminding us of hope, peace, joy, love and Jesus. THEN we opened presents, had ALOT of laughs, reminisced, played, Zac and I even snuck in a nap while the kids played, got dressed, and headed over to an awesome Christmas dinner at Grandma's house with family.

WEll this is the last day of 2006, and I for one will be sad to see it go. I am completely excited for what 2007 will bring, but I can't complain about 2006. It was a good year. Infact a very good year. I had a great time with my husband and all my kids this year. Many adventures, lots of family gatherings, quiet love times, inspirations and successes. God continues to show me how faithful and loving He is, and as long as I continue to be a willing student He will teach me marvelous things.

Happy New Year everyone! May you be blessed in all that God has to offer, may you continue to follow Jesus, and may you be an example of love in all that you have and all that you do.

amen.

My favorite Christmas Movies

so I recently had the privilege of "preaching" at my church last Sunday, I got to give a "meditation" on Christmas and I was deeply honored and a bit troubled,....

I had a hard time sorting through alllllllll the things that came to mind when it comes to Christmas. ( you can read how I was inspired at http://www.theplace.ca/ )

But what I came to realize is that movies played an important part of shaping a balanced Christmas view in my life. The bible story is the best and the most important, but it's been movies that remind me that the story of Jesus is the best and most important.

Here is my list of favorite Christmas movies in order :

1. One Magic Christmas ( 1985 -Disney/hallmark, starring Mary Steenburgen)

2. Elf ( 2003 - New Line Home, starring Will Ferrell )

3. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965 - Bill Melendez Films)

4. Joyeux Noel ( 2005 - Sony Pictures,Director Christian Carion, starring, Benno

Furman) * fantastic movie set in WWI

5. A Christmas Story ( 1983 - Warmer Bros., starring Peter Billingsley)

6.Scrooge ( 1970 - 20th century fox, starring Albert Finney )

7. Miracle on 34th Street ( 1947 - 20th century fox, starring Natalie Wood)

8.How the Grinch stole Christmas (1966 - Warner Bros.,starring Boris Karloff)

9. The Bells Of St. Mary ( 1945 - Republic Pictures, starring Bing Crosby )

10. Love Actually (2003 - Universal Studios, starring Colin Firth)

You may be wondering where your favorite is or why I haven't included some... I love ALOT of Christmas movies, I like even more.... but this is my top ten for this time in my life. There are some that will always remain in my top 10, they'll just move around. AND still others that will be replaced and move down into my top 30 :o)

Merry Christmas!

**if you have favorites tell me about them!

First Snow!- And I'm the only one with Christmas lights up!!

I know, I know
all you Easterners
don't feel sorry for us at all... oh boo hoo Victorians have to deal with a bit of snow. Well let me tell you, being a prairie girl I don't mind a bit'o'snow at all, what I do mind is a City that has NO RESOURCES to deal with it. OMG, work and school was cancelled due to 20 cms of snow, gimme a break! That is a joke everywhere else in Canada.
The good thing is I got to teach my kids the art of superior snowball making, the techniques required for successfull snowman building AND expert engineering necessary for snow forts. ALSO given that I am a Christmas freak, my house was the only house on the block with Christmas lights and decorations up! YAY!!! I must say my house was the prettiest house all lit up at night, in the snow, in November, in Victoria.

yesterday was FUN!

so I know I know....
Christian in a position of quasi leadership at church encouraging the celebrating of a heathen holiday........
but come on!.............
FREE CANDY!!!!!

we had a lot of fun yesterday! we made spiders from oreo cookies, devilled eggs made from real devils :o), frankenstein rice, blended brain punch,and bloody cows tongue for dinner!
We decorated pumpkins, hung plastic ghosts from our rose bush and hung spooky lights from our deck. Also the twins and I designed some monster candy pails to go trick or treating with.
The kids laughed all day and even our oldest (14 yr. old -after finding out all his friends wanted to do was spend all night trying to scare people ) "dressed up" and told people his costume was "his Dad" - hahahahahahahahah, the littler boys would introduce him but be sure to tell people it was a costume so he wouldn't miss out on the candy. It was hysterical!
My daughter dressed up like Kat VonKat from Miami Ink, we even sprayed her Golden blond locks BLACK. I had fun "tatooing" her with black permanent marker which turns out isn't so permanent ( thank the Lord) Wow 13 year old costumes sure have changed I remember being a gypsy......
My 8 year old was the HULK, he wore 8 shirts to bulk up under his "green" skin, and the twins were a mummy and an "atomic wrestler".
Even my husband wore all black with an orange collar to work.
I wore a pirate mask all day and was praised for being "festive".

It's all fun! I love making "holidays" memorable. Making stuff with the kids, encouraging my kids (and adults) to participate, it's a good lesson no matter what the holiday.

BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY

YAY!!! EXACTLY 1 year ago I started bloggin'
People said this relationship wouldn't last
that the honey moon period would be over
and I'd lose interest
but here I am
still blogging away
I made it
:)