Another Surprise!

I love surprises! Especially when I'm the one doing the surprising :))) Last year our pool was on its last season. The leaks just kept coming and I couldn't keep them all patched. It had been well used and loved for at least 4 seasons and had stretched and was losing water and height! Murray received a little inheritance this year and we thought this would be a good opportunity to upgrade our pool, unbeknownst to the kiddos!



As the weather turned from snow to sunnier days, the girls got to thinking about that pool. They wondered what they'd do without one! They asked if we could get another pool so I mentioned that pools were expensive and we'd have to wait and see. Sweetie asked if we'd consider just even getting a wading pool so they'd have something. I assured her we'd get them something to slash in and that we could definitely manage a wading pool. I did warn them that a new pool would definitely NOT be the size they had last time. They nodded and seemed to understand. They did keep asking occasionally, usually on a hot day, when we would have a new one.
I went to a home show several weeks ago and checked out pool companies and got some info. Then I put down a deposit and picked one out. They came to check the yard while the kids were out and then yesterday, they came back to do the installation. It was a bit tricky keeping the secret all day with guys working in the backyard and boxes of pool materials all over. But I am a master of secret keeping!!! muahahahha!!!

They only had a half day of school so were home well before the guys were finished. I'd warned them all that the girls had no idea and that they weren't to mention anything and if anyone asked, they were just doing some landscaping. The girls came off the bus, instantly curious. "what are they doing Mum???" I said "well, they're fixing up the lawn where the pool was. It got all messy and muddy there." (TRUE!) "now come in and get washed up, it's lunchtime." (TRUE!) "But Mum, aren't we getting a wading pool!?!??" (ooh good question!) "Well, a new pool won't take up the same space the other one did so we still have to do something about all that mud." (TRUE!)

Luckily, they're easily distracted and we had lunch, finished homework and they played and watched tv the rest of the afternoon. Then I was in the backyard taking Checkers to pee when Honey had a question and came to the door to talk to me JUST as they were putting the pool walls up!!! She was turned in the wrong direction so I answered her question, silently willing her NOT to turn around. It was all fine until she started to shut the door and something caught her eye. I could see the guys all freeze in position, wondering what I was going to do now. Honey, miss inquisitive, of course wanted to know what they were doing. I could only reply "ummm, not sure, I guess they're blocking it off or something so they can work in there." and then I asked her something unrelated as I scooted her back inside to finish whatever she was working on.

The guys looked at me and said "pretty good. but what are you going to do when the water truck shows up???" I replied "well don't you have to water new lawns????" They laughed and shook their heads and went back to work. At supper time the water truck came with the first load but the girls were watching tv and didn't see or hear a thing. Murray wondered if they'd even notice a difference or know that this was a "big" pool. I was dumbfounded. Had we just blown the bank on something they wouldn't realize was any better than the previous one? Surely they'd be wowed??? Finally, I couldn't stand the suspense anymore and told Murray to call them for supper and then to say "hey let's go see how they're doing with the backyard." while I set up the video and regular camera out on the deck. Just as they were about to come out, the water guy comes over to ask me questions and distracted me!!! I missed their initial reactions but they were definitely surprised and very excited!!!

We're looking forward to some sunny weather now!

 

We were floored!

One of the highlights around here lately, and loooooooooong overdue, was getting new flooring for the kitchen! Once it was done, we couldn't believe we hadn't done it sooner. It was a bit hectic getting everything moved out of the kitchen and jammed into the living room but so worth the effort! The store hadn't told me to anything other than empty the closets and furniture so the installer wasn't very impressed when he arrived and found the baseboards still in place! I'd thought about removing them but didn't want to ruin them if he had better tools/skills than I did! He made short work of that and was less grumbly once he realized I hadn't been told to have the boards off and the rest of the day went smoothly.

Good bye cracking, dingy dull floors! Hello gorgeous new stuff!

Cousin Time!

I'm playing catch up with some old photos! We visited Murray's parents back in March and spent some time with the family there. The girls got to dig through their great Nana's old jewelry and play dress up, have a sleep over with their favourite cousin, Mr. Bojangles and there might have been a little spoiling by some grandparents but I couldn't say for sure since I spent some time with my bank friends and didn't actually witness any of that. ;)

It was a busy but fun weekend and we did get to see quite a bit of our nephew which was also great. The girls just dote on him and it is so adorable to watch them with him! They have the cutest conversations and let him do whatever he wants and never get bored or impatient with him. Nanny & Grampy set up bunkbeds so they can all sleep in the same room when we visit. Listening to them chat & giggle themselves to sleep is priceless, hilarious and adorable all at the same time! I wish we could have these get togethers more often! Hopefully with summer coming, there'll be more cousin time in our near future!

More music!

More performances for Lovey! She competed in 5 different events and got first place in 4 of them and 2nd place in the other. She had 3 solos, a duet and a trio to prepare. All her pieces were performed within 36 hours! It was a lot of running, a lot of practicing and a lot of sparkle hairspray but she loved it and was so pleased with her marks and comments from the judges.

She looked and sounded fabulous and she enjoys her spotlight moments! She got in trouble from her teacher because in the middle of one of her performances, she posed for the camera while I was grabbing a shot of her playing. She never missed a beat or bow stroke but made sure to look right at me for the shot (I was only going for an action shot and did NOT tell her to do that, I don't mess with serious violin teachers!!!)

She also appreciated everyone who made it in to watch her play. She loves her fans so thank you to all who came!

Choral Competition

 

The girls' school participated in a choral competition last week. They've been going to practices every week for months now. Almost all their friends are in the choir. Honey hadn't joined in the fall and was the only girl left in the classroom at lunchtime. Her teacher felt bad for her and let her go eat with her sisters next door. Once the Christmas concert was over, Honey and Lovey didn't hesitate, they wanted in on this choir business! Since they returned in January they've been working on their pieces. The music teacher emailed them the songs so they could listen & practice the words at home.

Their french immersion classes sang a French song together and the choir (90 kids!) did a separate number that compiled a bunch of songs from the sixties.

The music teacher is a choral competition pro! She always adds simple yet effective touches for wardrobe, actions and music that consistently impress the judges. This year, the judge told them that they'd made him forget to that he was judging and instead found himself just enjoying the performance. Their school won all their categories! They were flushed with pride at their placements and the high marks they received.

Grammie was able to change her work schedule and come watch the shows and Shirley made it too! They were excited to their fans. Unfortunately Murray was away for a work trip and couldn't make it. Please take note of Lovey's last minute pencil skirt! We bought the materials and being the master seamstress I am, I figured I could just use heatbond for the bottom hem and glue gun the back seam and elastic waist band and Velcro closure. WRONG! As soon as she started walking, the back seam slowly started peeling apart. We were 2 seconds away from a traumatic wardrobe malfunction when I called in reinforcements and got Penny on the job. She quickly zipped around with her sewing machine and saved the day. Note to self: glue gun NOT ideal for load bearing seams!!!

Fire When Ready!

Never waste a warm sunny day! (although I'm sure that has happened here once or twice at least somewhere along the line)

All day the girls talked about having a water fight since the weather was so nice out! I figured they'd change their minds by the time evening came and it started to cool off. Nope. They were bound and determined. They loaded up their weapons and charged out to battle it out in the yard. I watched from the moderate safety of the deck. Once they realized I was up there, they safety part went out the window  and I got fired on! Luckily I was able to regain what little authority I have left around here and forbid them from shooting at the camera!

They raced around the yard for a good long while, chasing each other, giggling like mad and getting good and soaked. Good times and listening to the laughter was such a treat!

Birthday Boy!

Another year down and lots more to go! Murray's birthday was on the weekend and his parents came to spend it with him. The girls had a great time preparing for their arrival and turned the house into a hotel! There were signs all over "Welcome to the hotel"  "Hotel Information", a check in desk, room numbers, do not disturb signs, room keys, the whole works. It was very serious business getting it all done. You should have seen housekeeping turning the guest suite from a hockey storage locker into deluxe accommodations. I should tell them we're having guests every weekend!


Friday night was pretty low key and we just stayed home but Saturday there was gymnastics and a violin rehearsal and Rick & I went to check out home building projects at a local event. Saturday evening we got treated to dinner out and Murray got his favourite salmon dinner! We came home afterwards for birthday cake and it was yummy! Once dessert was out of the way it was time to get the popcorn for family movie night. We watched Doggie B. or rather we suffered through Doggie B. Guess who's turn it was to pick? Yep. Lovey. I can't remember the last time we saw a non dog movie on her night. It's getting to be pretty slim pickings! It was the longest drawn out boring story I've seen in a long time. It was so lame at times that I thought for sure even the girls would be complaining but nope, they thought it was great! Well except for the part when the little dog did the triple aerial somersault, that might not have been totally authentic but everything else was great!

The next morning we got everyone cleaned up for church while the hotel guests were left to fend for themselves. (this might have negatively affected housekeeping's tip haha!) We managed to arrive with a couple minutes to spare and found the whole congregation assembled in the hall instead of the sanctuary which threw us off! I thought we'd somehow missed an announcement and were late for service or something. It turned out the boiler wasn't working properly and the sanctuary was too cold. Whew!

After worship, Lovey, Sweetie and I ran around picking up the last of Murray's gifts and got back just in time to grab some lunch before Lovey had to head off to her recital. Honey, Sweetie and I stayed home to prep for the birthday dinner while the others went to the concert.

We tried out our new beer butt chicken roaster. (official name unknown, just go with it) The bbq needed some parts replaced so Murray got those taken care of and we fired it up and roasted that bird to perfection. Ok so I stayed inside toasty warm while Murray worked the grill but I did the seasoning and assembly!

Murray's parents had to get back home for their next birthday celebration so the kids gave them a big sendoff, chasing their truck down the street and hollering and waving. Nothing says love like that does it??? Just as they lost sight of the truck, Grammie & Grandad came along and they hitched a ride back to the house. Perfect timing!

Lots of celebrating & lots of fun with family!

Our latest hair creation, the princess crown of hair!