the joys of teething. actually, so far it hasn't been too bad aside from all the slobber. an extra snuggly baby who wants to nurse every hour= a mama that gets to lounge around drinking tea and playing on the computer.
talk to me in a few day when they start really popping through and she's crabby.
Welcome....
- Mrs Shymanski
- Prince George, BC, Canada
- Mr and Mrs Shymanski were married june 23, 2007. They adopted an equally crazy jack russell terrier- "The Dog" in april 2008. They just built their first home, and welcomed a new addition to their family on March 31, 2010: a darling baby girl- " Little One"
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
cheeky monkey
i've got a busy body on my hands! If I turn away for a minute, she's into something!
I just pulled Lexi away from the wii ( after she turned it on and took out the disc) and said " No!" and shook my head. She smiled and nodded and crawled right back over there! Naughty girl!
And I thought the dog was bad!
I just pulled Lexi away from the wii ( after she turned it on and took out the disc) and said " No!" and shook my head. She smiled and nodded and crawled right back over there! Naughty girl!
And I thought the dog was bad!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
sister craft
well.... my sister and i love copying craft ideas that we find or trying to make expensive things for a bargain. at studio fair, we saw these magnificent pieces by SHI Studio, so we made our own. The pendant that we were copying retails for $52.00 plus tax. Ours is TWO sided, and cost us about $3.50!!!!!
I also made some little wine charms because I gave up trying to find the perfect charms. I think that they turned out pretty well.
I also made some little wine charms because I gave up trying to find the perfect charms. I think that they turned out pretty well.
Day 3- Something To Forgive Myself For
I think I've forgiven myself for most of my major regrets in life already.
Honestly, I'm really not sure what I need to forgive myself for these days. I know that I'm hard on myself a lot of the time. I guess maybe I need to remember to forgive myself for the days that I don't get out for a run, or the days that I eat like crap. But then again, I shouldn't have to forgive myself for those types of things, should I!
Short one today, folks.
Honestly, I'm really not sure what I need to forgive myself for these days. I know that I'm hard on myself a lot of the time. I guess maybe I need to remember to forgive myself for the days that I don't get out for a run, or the days that I eat like crap. But then again, I shouldn't have to forgive myself for those types of things, should I!
Short one today, folks.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Day 2- Something I LOVE About Myself
After reading Day 1, you probably think " Does she love anything about herself?". Yes! As many things as I hate about myself, there are an equal or greater number of things that I love about myself. And I love that.
I love my freeness of speech. I don't mean the fact that I live in Canada and can voice my opinion freely ( although I most definately love that, too). I mean that I am able to speak freely about things other people find difficult. This means that I've had many friends open up to me about tremendous losses ( babies, young children, parents), illness, abuse and depression. This ability to speak freely has brought me close to so many people. Complete strangers will even open up to me about things. This one person came to one swimming lesson with her young child. After the lesson, it was just her and I. She ended up telling me about her rocky relationship with the girl's father, her recent diagnosis of cancer and much more. It makes me feel great that people can open up to me about these difficult, often taboo topics. Hopefully it helps them along their path of recovery. I know that talking about my trials has made it easier to get through them. So in part, my thankful for my past of disordered eating, as I'm positive that it has made me more able to discuss difficult things. And has brought me many wonderful friends as a result.
Even though in a thousand ways, our society is decrepit and falling apart, I AM so thankful that our society has come so far in one regard, that no longer are we sweeping feelings ( and discussing said feelings) under the rug as it were. For instance, in the past, if someone's baby was born a stillbirth, the baby was whisked away, sometimes the mother never even caught a glimpse of the little one, and everyone expected the mother's feelings to similarily be whisked away. Now? The silence has been broken. People talk freely, write blogs and books about their sweet babies that have been lost and other terrible losses/ difficulties.
I have read several blogs on things like this, but one that I follow diligently is this
http://jacksonparkcity.blogspot.com
Molly and her husband Vic lost their sweet baby girl, Lucy when she was just two years old and aspirated a pea size piece of apple. What they have been through is heartwrenching. I don't know what more to say, but please go have a read.
Knowing about other people's trials makes us so much more aware of the fact that we never know what other people are dealing with. That snappy clerk at the grocery store? Maybe she just lost her grandchild this week, or her husband to cancer. Or maybe she's just a bag, but we don't know, do we?
Molly started this site, A Good Grief for others to share their stories.
http://www.agoodgrief.com/blog.php?id=28
I think I got a little off the topic of the " Something I Love About Myself", so I'll end here.
Angela
I love my freeness of speech. I don't mean the fact that I live in Canada and can voice my opinion freely ( although I most definately love that, too). I mean that I am able to speak freely about things other people find difficult. This means that I've had many friends open up to me about tremendous losses ( babies, young children, parents), illness, abuse and depression. This ability to speak freely has brought me close to so many people. Complete strangers will even open up to me about things. This one person came to one swimming lesson with her young child. After the lesson, it was just her and I. She ended up telling me about her rocky relationship with the girl's father, her recent diagnosis of cancer and much more. It makes me feel great that people can open up to me about these difficult, often taboo topics. Hopefully it helps them along their path of recovery. I know that talking about my trials has made it easier to get through them. So in part, my thankful for my past of disordered eating, as I'm positive that it has made me more able to discuss difficult things. And has brought me many wonderful friends as a result.
Even though in a thousand ways, our society is decrepit and falling apart, I AM so thankful that our society has come so far in one regard, that no longer are we sweeping feelings ( and discussing said feelings) under the rug as it were. For instance, in the past, if someone's baby was born a stillbirth, the baby was whisked away, sometimes the mother never even caught a glimpse of the little one, and everyone expected the mother's feelings to similarily be whisked away. Now? The silence has been broken. People talk freely, write blogs and books about their sweet babies that have been lost and other terrible losses/ difficulties.
I have read several blogs on things like this, but one that I follow diligently is this
http://jacksonparkcity.blogspot.com
Molly and her husband Vic lost their sweet baby girl, Lucy when she was just two years old and aspirated a pea size piece of apple. What they have been through is heartwrenching. I don't know what more to say, but please go have a read.
Knowing about other people's trials makes us so much more aware of the fact that we never know what other people are dealing with. That snappy clerk at the grocery store? Maybe she just lost her grandchild this week, or her husband to cancer. Or maybe she's just a bag, but we don't know, do we?
Molly started this site, A Good Grief for others to share their stories.
http://www.agoodgrief.com/blog.php?id=28
I think I got a little off the topic of the " Something I Love About Myself", so I'll end here.
Angela
Monday, November 8, 2010
30 Days of Truth- Day 1
So I saw this " 30 Days of Truth" idea on heymrswilson.net and thought i'd play along. We'll be on holidays during the next 30 days, but I will resume it when we return until I complete the challenge.
here are the prompts in case you'd like to play along.
Following are the writing prompts for 30 Days of Truth, should you be interested in doing so yourself.
Day 1: Something I Hate About Myself.
Mrs. Wilson couldn't have put it better for me! http://heymrswilson.net/thirty-days-of-truth-day-1/
I hate my compulsive tendencies and perfectionist ideals. My black or white thinking. All or nothing attitude toward things. It's so frustrating to be driven crazy by the ( seemingly ) little things. Like the milk not being the right way in the fridge, or things not being just so, or having to have the blanket folded just right and the cushions in the right direction and a million other things. Worse, it drives Mr. Shymanski crazier that I'm like this.
Oh, and I hate that I continue to battle the monster in my closet: my history of disordered eating. Over the past few years, the urges to fall back into my past have been few and far between, but ever present. As of late, they rear their head monthly, if not more. I hate that I need such control in my life. Why can't I be content with myself? I refuse to take the bait, but its always there. Haunting me. The little voice inside my head that first thinks of the caloric value of food, and then calculates MY value based on what I consume. So far, I continue to be victorious over this monster.
Mskes you wonder....Can someone ever be 'cured'? Over the past 8 years, I've gone through stints of thinking so, thinking I'm cured, but then like a big old slice of humble pie, the thoughts resurface. It's so sad that I've wasted over half my life even paying attention to these types of thoughts and compulsions. I HATE that.
I'm learning to just have small goals for each day, take each day as it comes and ENJOY life. But its hard. Having a (mostly) understanding husband, adorable baby and crazy dog make it easier.
But having dieting friends and family, clothes that don't fit right and a stretched out post partum belly make it harder. And having a baby who crawls around on the floors makes me mental trying to keep the house perfectly clean and sanitary.
A very important part of my battle is being open about my past. I've found that knowing that others know makes it more difficult to fall back into a secretive life that disordered eating demands.
So, in short, I try to eat healthily and exercise moderately. My goal is just to be balanced. I yearn for the day when I can use my brain to full capacity, without it being filled with these types of useless thoughts.
Pondering on how far I've come from the 112 pound mentalcase that I once was makes me proud. But, as much as knowing how far I've come encourages me; wondering when I'll be free of this is SO discouraging.
Oh boy. I should've stuck with something cliche like " I hate my stretch marks" ( Which I do, by the way. I try to tell myself that they are a badge of honour, but really I hate them. I feel just awful every time I look in the mirror. The minute I'm done having kids, I WILL have work done. )
So, tell me. What is something that YOU hate about YOURSELF?
Wow. That is an upbuilding first prompt. Should be an interesting 30 days....
30 DAYS OF TRUTH PROMPTS
Day 01: Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02: Something you love about yourself.
Day 03: Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04: Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05: Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06: Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07: Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like crap.
Day 09: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days.
Day 14: A hero that has let you down.
Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19: What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21: (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs.
Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30: A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself
- Mrs. Shymanski -
here are the prompts in case you'd like to play along.
Following are the writing prompts for 30 Days of Truth, should you be interested in doing so yourself.
Day 1: Something I Hate About Myself.
Mrs. Wilson couldn't have put it better for me! http://heymrswilson.net/thirty-days-of-truth-day-1/
I hate my compulsive tendencies and perfectionist ideals. My black or white thinking. All or nothing attitude toward things. It's so frustrating to be driven crazy by the ( seemingly ) little things. Like the milk not being the right way in the fridge, or things not being just so, or having to have the blanket folded just right and the cushions in the right direction and a million other things. Worse, it drives Mr. Shymanski crazier that I'm like this.
Oh, and I hate that I continue to battle the monster in my closet: my history of disordered eating. Over the past few years, the urges to fall back into my past have been few and far between, but ever present. As of late, they rear their head monthly, if not more. I hate that I need such control in my life. Why can't I be content with myself? I refuse to take the bait, but its always there. Haunting me. The little voice inside my head that first thinks of the caloric value of food, and then calculates MY value based on what I consume. So far, I continue to be victorious over this monster.
Mskes you wonder....Can someone ever be 'cured'? Over the past 8 years, I've gone through stints of thinking so, thinking I'm cured, but then like a big old slice of humble pie, the thoughts resurface. It's so sad that I've wasted over half my life even paying attention to these types of thoughts and compulsions. I HATE that.
I'm learning to just have small goals for each day, take each day as it comes and ENJOY life. But its hard. Having a (mostly) understanding husband, adorable baby and crazy dog make it easier.
But having dieting friends and family, clothes that don't fit right and a stretched out post partum belly make it harder. And having a baby who crawls around on the floors makes me mental trying to keep the house perfectly clean and sanitary.
A very important part of my battle is being open about my past. I've found that knowing that others know makes it more difficult to fall back into a secretive life that disordered eating demands.
So, in short, I try to eat healthily and exercise moderately. My goal is just to be balanced. I yearn for the day when I can use my brain to full capacity, without it being filled with these types of useless thoughts.
Pondering on how far I've come from the 112 pound mentalcase that I once was makes me proud. But, as much as knowing how far I've come encourages me; wondering when I'll be free of this is SO discouraging.
Oh boy. I should've stuck with something cliche like " I hate my stretch marks" ( Which I do, by the way. I try to tell myself that they are a badge of honour, but really I hate them. I feel just awful every time I look in the mirror. The minute I'm done having kids, I WILL have work done. )
So, tell me. What is something that YOU hate about YOURSELF?
Wow. That is an upbuilding first prompt. Should be an interesting 30 days....
30 DAYS OF TRUTH PROMPTS
Day 01: Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02: Something you love about yourself.
Day 03: Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04: Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05: Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06: Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07: Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like crap.
Day 09: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days.
Day 14: A hero that has let you down.
Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19: What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21: (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs.
Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30: A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself
- Mrs. Shymanski -
not just a yogurt making mama
i like to make my own yogurt, but last night, i ventured into a new homemade item: wine jelly. after tasting some delicious wine jelly at the studio fair ( http://www.winejelly.ca/ ) , but having spent all my money on other things, we decided to try to make some ourselves!
first.... a trip to the big green store. got certo, but they had no jars! put Little One back in her carseat, and headed up the hill to the big grey store. got jars (and an external hard drive for the computer- but that's another post in itself!) and headed home.
Recipe:
1 package of certo, 4 C. of wine, 1/4 C. lemon juice. Mix and bring to a boil.
Add 4 1/2 C. of sugar and bring to a rolling boil ( Boil that cannot be stirred down) for 1 minute.
Skim off foam and pour into sterilized jars.
Screw on lids.
It's really THAT easy!
Some recipes/ tutorials on the internet said to use a boiling water bath for the jars after, but they seemed to seal fine without it, and we followed the instructions on the certo package, which didn't tell us to do that!
Enjoy!
first.... a trip to the big green store. got certo, but they had no jars! put Little One back in her carseat, and headed up the hill to the big grey store. got jars (and an external hard drive for the computer- but that's another post in itself!) and headed home.
Recipe:
1 package of certo, 4 C. of wine, 1/4 C. lemon juice. Mix and bring to a boil.
Add 4 1/2 C. of sugar and bring to a rolling boil ( Boil that cannot be stirred down) for 1 minute.
Skim off foam and pour into sterilized jars.
Screw on lids.
It's really THAT easy!
Some recipes/ tutorials on the internet said to use a boiling water bath for the jars after, but they seemed to seal fine without it, and we followed the instructions on the certo package, which didn't tell us to do that!
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
sunday morning
we have a little routine on sunday mornings.... I take Little One downstairs while Mr. Shymanski sleeps in ( he plays hockey on Saturday night, and gets home LATE), do a little laundry, clean and make breakfast while Little One plays/ jumps in her jolly jumper. Then Mr. Shymanski comes down, and we all have breakfast. He brings the bedding downstairs when he gets up so that it can be washed, then he gets dressed and packs up Little One and The Dog and heads to either home depot or the garbage dump to give me a few minutes to myself! I love it......
Saturday, November 6, 2010
the disadvantage to having a baby who is a marvelous sleeper is mornings like today. long story short... we all overslept! i guess that's not REALLY a bad thing, though. what new parents can't benefit from a little 'extra' sleep?!?! and babies always need lots of sleep. but it doesn't put a RUSH on things when you have somewhere to go and not enough time to get ready!
anyways, we had a (almost too) leisurely morning in service. we had plans to go to another annual tradition, the SPCA Dog Fashion Show at CNC, but after lunch, Mr. Shymanski, Little One and The Dog all decided to have a 2 hour nap, so that nixed those plans!!
We brought Grandma a booster juice to the hospital ( Little One really liked stealing sips of THAT!), and then had a yummy dinner at Earls. Yum...
we stuck to our favourites:
hunan kung pow w/ 4 peppers ( for Mr. Shymanski)
fig/apple/brie chicken ciabatta sandwich ( for Mrs. Shymanski)
we all shared pan bread and oil and sticky toffee pudding, although Little One definitely loved those the most!
Our Little One is a good eater!
anyways, we had a (almost too) leisurely morning in service. we had plans to go to another annual tradition, the SPCA Dog Fashion Show at CNC, but after lunch, Mr. Shymanski, Little One and The Dog all decided to have a 2 hour nap, so that nixed those plans!!
We brought Grandma a booster juice to the hospital ( Little One really liked stealing sips of THAT!), and then had a yummy dinner at Earls. Yum...
we stuck to our favourites:
hunan kung pow w/ 4 peppers ( for Mr. Shymanski)
fig/apple/brie chicken ciabatta sandwich ( for Mrs. Shymanski)
we all shared pan bread and oil and sticky toffee pudding, although Little One definitely loved those the most!
Our Little One is a good eater!
Friday, November 5, 2010
the traditional family
Even though we have only been married for 3.5 years, we have a few little traditions in our little family.....
one of those annual traditions was tonight: Studio Fair!
http://www.studio2880.com/Default.aspx?PageID=74
Its open tonight, all day Saturday and Sunday. I hope you have a chance to go!
for those who have never been: its less of a craft fair, and more of an art/ fine food/ jewelery fair. its a wonderful venue and we enjoy going every year.
last year, we bought a mally bib, some honey, buttered rum drink mix, white hot chocolate drink mix and garabaldi fudge.
this year, we bought:
some spicy pickled asparagus from Thelma's Goodies
http://www.goodiesbythelma.com/
blackberry honey from Creighton Valley Apiaries
http://www.creightonvalleyapiaries.ca/
Sampler pack of dip mixes from Ultimate Gourmet
http://www.ultimategourmet.com/canada/main.htm
AND raspberry fudge from Garabaldi Fudge
It's $3.00/ person to get in, which seems a little stupid, but its a fun night of sampling things, and of course, living in a small city means that you run into lots of people that you know!
Off to have some fudge...
The dip mixes call for 1 c. of mayonaise and 1 c. of yogurt. I've never bought mayonaise, so I had to quickly whip some up with the BAMIX
http://www.oceansales.ca/our-products/kitchen/bamix.html
Recipe:
1 room temperature egg
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 C. oil
I used an Omega 3 egg and grapeseed oil, so at least we'll get some of our essential fatty acids ( important for brain development)!
You use the "B" blade, and it takes all of 12 seconds!!!!! Amazing. I love the BAMIX!
one of those annual traditions was tonight: Studio Fair!
http://www.studio2880.com/Default.aspx?PageID=74
Its open tonight, all day Saturday and Sunday. I hope you have a chance to go!
for those who have never been: its less of a craft fair, and more of an art/ fine food/ jewelery fair. its a wonderful venue and we enjoy going every year.
last year, we bought a mally bib, some honey, buttered rum drink mix, white hot chocolate drink mix and garabaldi fudge.
this year, we bought:
some spicy pickled asparagus from Thelma's Goodies
http://www.goodiesbythelma.com/
blackberry honey from Creighton Valley Apiaries
http://www.creightonvalleyapiaries.ca/
Sampler pack of dip mixes from Ultimate Gourmet
http://www.ultimategourmet.com/canada/main.htm
AND raspberry fudge from Garabaldi Fudge
It's $3.00/ person to get in, which seems a little stupid, but its a fun night of sampling things, and of course, living in a small city means that you run into lots of people that you know!
Off to have some fudge...
The dip mixes call for 1 c. of mayonaise and 1 c. of yogurt. I've never bought mayonaise, so I had to quickly whip some up with the BAMIX
http://www.oceansales.ca/our-products/kitchen/bamix.html
Recipe:
1 room temperature egg
1 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 C. oil
I used an Omega 3 egg and grapeseed oil, so at least we'll get some of our essential fatty acids ( important for brain development)!
You use the "B" blade, and it takes all of 12 seconds!!!!! Amazing. I love the BAMIX!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
MO-vember
Well folks. It's MOVEMBER! Mustaches abound on the blog front. Thankfully, Mr. Shymanski won't be growing ( errr attempting to grow) his annual mustache until we head to Mexico later this month...
I have taken a break from facebook for the month, so thought maybe I'd start updating my blog again.... Of course, its been 4 months since my last post.
Highlights of the last 4 months....
In August, we went to Vancouver for MICHAEL BUBLE and CIRQUE DE SOLEIL. What a fun, yet FAST ( read: 2.5 days, 17 hours of driving!) trip. We got some stuff from IKEA for the playroom. It looks just like smaaland in there, now...
Well.... now that you're all caught up.... here's what november has brought so far.
November 2nd: GINGERBREAD LATTES ARE BACK! I welcomed in the new season with a grande, non-fat, no whip one.... mmmm..... worth the wait! Lexi had a teeny weeny strawberry frap. She loved it.
November 3rd: I made wool dryer balls! How's that for excitement?!... They were pretty quick and easy, although my thumb hurt from winding the ball of yarn so tight. I used some tutorial that I found on the internet. ( google " make your own wool dryer balls") and saved myself $ 24.00, might I add!!!! They are really cute, and no more wrinkles!!!!
November 4th... oh, that's today.... well. took Lexi to be weighed. She's 16 pounds, 5 ounces. Then a trip to Costco.
Yep. Just another day in the life of a " Real Housewife of Prince George".
Ciao!
I have taken a break from facebook for the month, so thought maybe I'd start updating my blog again.... Of course, its been 4 months since my last post.
Highlights of the last 4 months....
In August, we went to Vancouver for MICHAEL BUBLE and CIRQUE DE SOLEIL. What a fun, yet FAST ( read: 2.5 days, 17 hours of driving!) trip. We got some stuff from IKEA for the playroom. It looks just like smaaland in there, now...
Well.... now that you're all caught up.... here's what november has brought so far.
November 2nd: GINGERBREAD LATTES ARE BACK! I welcomed in the new season with a grande, non-fat, no whip one.... mmmm..... worth the wait! Lexi had a teeny weeny strawberry frap. She loved it.
November 3rd: I made wool dryer balls! How's that for excitement?!... They were pretty quick and easy, although my thumb hurt from winding the ball of yarn so tight. I used some tutorial that I found on the internet. ( google " make your own wool dryer balls") and saved myself $ 24.00, might I add!!!! They are really cute, and no more wrinkles!!!!
November 4th... oh, that's today.... well. took Lexi to be weighed. She's 16 pounds, 5 ounces. Then a trip to Costco.
Yep. Just another day in the life of a " Real Housewife of Prince George".
Ciao!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
June 2010
I have got to be the worst blogger ever. How EVER will I rise to the ranks of Dooce or Dutch Blitz at this rate??!?!?! Augh! Oh well, rather than give up, I figure its as good as any time to restart my blog. Darn facebook took away my blogging initiative. I joined facebook in July 2007 just after our wedding. At that time, it seemed like I was the ' last person on the face of the EARTH to join' and I wondered if I would ever really use it. Oh my. I am sort of addicted to facebook. Its pretty bad. But I Love it for posting updates, especially ones about my DARLING baby girl, Alexis! Yes. Last time I posted, I was still pregnant with her ( about 7 months along).... Lets see, what has happened since then???
January- We went to Mexico for a babymoon (?). It was glorious! Relaxing! Ahh. So nice to have one last holiday before baby arrived! I continued to teach aquafit, swim and do the UNBC hill up until the end of my pregnancy.
February- I went into 'preterm labour' and was put on a gentle 'bedrest'.
March- We moved into our new house! Hurrahhhh and then a few days later, our sweet Alexis Emme was born. 7lb, 13oz on March 31st, 2010. Boy, has life gotten crazier!
April- A busy month of showing off our little darling
May- Getting settled into our house. I took ' a photo a day for the month of may'.
June- Alexis is just 2 months old, but I started working a little bit. Its a welcome break from being with a newborn all day, everyday and gives her some special time with aunties, grandma and Daddy. Just a few hours here and there.....
Are we all caught up? Sorry for the vague overview of the last few months. My goal for the remainder of 2010 is to BLOG MORE OFTEN!!!!
P.S My goal for 2010 ( to not cut my hair) is going well.... I've made it 6 months!!! I'm super proud of myself. Next year? Nix my nail biting habit once and for all!!!
January- We went to Mexico for a babymoon (?). It was glorious! Relaxing! Ahh. So nice to have one last holiday before baby arrived! I continued to teach aquafit, swim and do the UNBC hill up until the end of my pregnancy.
February- I went into 'preterm labour' and was put on a gentle 'bedrest'.
March- We moved into our new house! Hurrahhhh and then a few days later, our sweet Alexis Emme was born. 7lb, 13oz on March 31st, 2010. Boy, has life gotten crazier!
April- A busy month of showing off our little darling
May- Getting settled into our house. I took ' a photo a day for the month of may'.
June- Alexis is just 2 months old, but I started working a little bit. Its a welcome break from being with a newborn all day, everyday and gives her some special time with aunties, grandma and Daddy. Just a few hours here and there.....
Are we all caught up? Sorry for the vague overview of the last few months. My goal for the remainder of 2010 is to BLOG MORE OFTEN!!!!
P.S My goal for 2010 ( to not cut my hair) is going well.... I've made it 6 months!!! I'm super proud of myself. Next year? Nix my nail biting habit once and for all!!!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
2010
Whew! Its been a long time since I've posted! And what a year 2009 ended up being!!!
In April, we had to move out of our little house on the river, as our greedy landlords wanted to rent the house to their son. We had 2 days to pack up and leave. We ended up just throwing stuff into boxes. It will be a real mess to unpack!
We moved into the motorhome on our property: no electricity, no running water, no refrigeration. What we did have were lots of MICE!
Our brand-new CRV was stolen in June ( along with lots of valuables and brand new clothes/ groceries). Some of our belongings were found on some 4x4 trails a few days later, and the vehicle was recovered a week later. It was a write off.
Our other car sold a few weeks later, leaving us completely vehicle-less, so Travis bought a truck from the auction and then flew to Calgary to buy me a Toyota Venza.
In July, we started building our house! And what a project!
On July 31st, we found out that we were expecting a baby!
We lived in the motorhome for the rest of the summer, until the mice situation became too terrible and was endangering the health of baby and I.
The rush to get the house done was on- we had a deadline now, as our baby was due in MArch 2010!
We housesat for friends throughout the summer and into the fall.
In November, we moved into my parents house.
Its now January 2010!
10 facts for 2010.....
Our house is being drywalled. Next up: paint, flooring, kitchen cupboards/ appliances and MOVE IN! Can't wait
Our baby is now due March 30th, 2010.
We're having a GIRL!
We're off to Mexico for our last vacation before baby arrives!
Chloe is learning some new tricks that will prove very helpful once baby arrrives, like "Go get us a diaper"
Travis is still at the refinery.
My swim school ( Splash Swim School ) had the busiest year ever in 2009!
Our house has heat! electricity! highspeed internet! a phoneline! Its been so neat to watch it progress....
We're having a GIRL! Already mentioned that, but oh my! are we excited!!!
2010 is going to be a year full of adventure and memories and we are looking forward to every minute of it! Even the poopy diapers!
In April, we had to move out of our little house on the river, as our greedy landlords wanted to rent the house to their son. We had 2 days to pack up and leave. We ended up just throwing stuff into boxes. It will be a real mess to unpack!
We moved into the motorhome on our property: no electricity, no running water, no refrigeration. What we did have were lots of MICE!
Our brand-new CRV was stolen in June ( along with lots of valuables and brand new clothes/ groceries). Some of our belongings were found on some 4x4 trails a few days later, and the vehicle was recovered a week later. It was a write off.
Our other car sold a few weeks later, leaving us completely vehicle-less, so Travis bought a truck from the auction and then flew to Calgary to buy me a Toyota Venza.
In July, we started building our house! And what a project!
On July 31st, we found out that we were expecting a baby!
We lived in the motorhome for the rest of the summer, until the mice situation became too terrible and was endangering the health of baby and I.
The rush to get the house done was on- we had a deadline now, as our baby was due in MArch 2010!
We housesat for friends throughout the summer and into the fall.
In November, we moved into my parents house.
Its now January 2010!
10 facts for 2010.....
Our house is being drywalled. Next up: paint, flooring, kitchen cupboards/ appliances and MOVE IN! Can't wait
Our baby is now due March 30th, 2010.
We're having a GIRL!
We're off to Mexico for our last vacation before baby arrives!
Chloe is learning some new tricks that will prove very helpful once baby arrrives, like "Go get us a diaper"
Travis is still at the refinery.
My swim school ( Splash Swim School ) had the busiest year ever in 2009!
Our house has heat! electricity! highspeed internet! a phoneline! Its been so neat to watch it progress....
We're having a GIRL! Already mentioned that, but oh my! are we excited!!!
2010 is going to be a year full of adventure and memories and we are looking forward to every minute of it! Even the poopy diapers!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
the new facebook changes prompted me to try to quit facebook. ( after i posted that as my 'status', i got umpteen requests to not leave) so i stayed. i really find the new changes have made facebook boring. whatev.
the purpose of this new blog ( moved from atshymanski.blogspot.com) is to record the adventure of building our new house and our future life 'atop the hill'. we bought a 5 acre plot on a well liked 'hill' in our city. perks: it's above the dirty, polluted air that i so detest about our stinky city. there are TREES! this has made living in the detestable city not so detestable. in the city ( calgary ), we would never be able to have a 5 acre piece of property and there probably wouldn't be any trees. plus, we can afford to build. we are so excited. interest rates are the lowest they have ever been, there are tons of trades people needing work and lumber is cheap cheap cheap. ( well cheap compared to what its been in the past, but not entirely 'cheap'). We have ordered our house plan
http://www.tynandesign.net/plan.php3?id=
the purpose of this new blog ( moved from atshymanski.blogspot.com) is to record the adventure of building our new house and our future life 'atop the hill'. we bought a 5 acre plot on a well liked 'hill' in our city. perks: it's above the dirty, polluted air that i so detest about our stinky city. there are TREES! this has made living in the detestable city not so detestable. in the city ( calgary ), we would never be able to have a 5 acre piece of property and there probably wouldn't be any trees. plus, we can afford to build. we are so excited. interest rates are the lowest they have ever been, there are tons of trades people needing work and lumber is cheap cheap cheap. ( well cheap compared to what its been in the past, but not entirely 'cheap'). We have ordered our house plan
http://www.tynandesign.net/plan.php3?id=U_-1191 we modified it slightly, moving the master to the front of the house where there is that nice window ( thus creating changes for en suite/ walk in closet/ 2nd bathroom, more cost) and it will have 9' ceilings and a walk out basement. i would love to have laundry upstairs with the bedrooms, but you just can't have it all, i guess.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
intro to life atop the hill.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
MAN, I feel like a woman!
I'm almost scared to post that I'm home alone for the next three nights. What if those crazy movies ( which i am too scared to even watch previews for, so who knows if this is even a story line) where some creep ( obviously ) reads this married girl's blog, then totally plans to get her on the one ( or three) night of the year that her husband is away. what if he totally stages it so that it looks like the couple's adorable jack russell ( or other breed dog) has killed the wife. then the husband comes home devastated to have lost his wife and lost his love for/ trust in/ friendship with "man's best friend". guaranteed i will not sleep tonight. not a wink..... because my imagination runs WILD. and i start having heart palpitations at the mere thoughts that are concocted in my head. ahhh.... it would probably be worse if i had caffiene. i should really think twice about drinking this pot of tea that is steeping. But alas, my husband is working nights. for 3 nights. this schedule is RIDICULOUS. i simply cannot imagine how families cope who have this kind of backwards ( in my opinion) schedule. these have been the worst 2 weeks (schedule wise). aughmonday marked the 2 year anniversary of the tragic car accident that took my best (school) friend's life. i think about geoff weekly. sometimes daily. he was a brilliant, sweet friend. we went to school since grade 1 together. we were 'rivals' ( with grades ), but great pals. we were neighbours and spent afterschools and summers canoeing, bikeriding, trampolining, boating. every morning in grade 8 and 9 we sat on a heater and did the wonderword in the newspaper (which we both delivered and would cover for each other's routes for holiday coverage etc). the last time i saw geoff was in may 2005, a few days before i moved to medicine hat for college. we talked and hugged and cried. i never knew that was the last day i would see him. he helped me (tremendously) through a great illness that consumed me in junior high. he would bring me homework and most of all he brought me comfort. i adored him for it. travis (starving student himself) bought me a very expensive plane ticket ( which i still haven't paid him back for) to ensure i made it home for geoff's funeral ( which was one of the hardest things ever). that was among the things that made me sure i loved travis.travis' dad also died just a few months after we started dating. the fact that we helped each other through such difficult times (in the beginning of our relationship) makes me so confident that we can get through anything that is thrown at us. i love him so much.even a few nights apart while he is on night shift.so i'm gonna get out my hair curler and girlie music dance around the house singing....
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 8:58 PM 1 comments
Sunday, September 28, 2008
pukey pukey and monica's closet
mr. shymanski has had a disturbing change to his work schedule for the past 2 weeks. he has been working 10 hr days x 7 days/ week. he usually has a nice mon-fri 8-4 gig. these 10 hr days run from 7-5. It is now 10:37pm. The 10 hour day has officially come and gone, but Alas, Mr. Shymanski is still at the plant fixing problems. He may be there all night. Perfectly appropriate that he is stuck working for the first time, on the day/ afternoon/ night that Mrs Shymanski has been headachey, pukey (is that a word?) and down right feeling awful ALL DAY. Mrs Shymanski went to a friend's house this evening ( even went against the 'no night driving rule' - a temporary aftermath of the lasik eye surgery), and upon returning home, puked her guts out. Thankfully, she was able to get out of the new car smelling CRV in the nick of time. Augh. I should really take advantage of these long days by scrapbooking, but Mr Shymanski's hockey stuff, our golf bags and everything else that makes this tiny house rip at its seams is cluttered in that room. Its becoming much like Monica's closet on Friends. The rest of the house? Immaculate. But don't enter that storage room. Augh. Chloe and I are missing Mr. Shymanski. Boo Hoo.
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:36 PM 1 comments
Friday, September 26, 2008
margarine. ( you know the old lady who prounounces it MAR-JA- REEEN)
PLEASE. if you never read another blog again...... read this one.( and my comments that i posted on it)http://alifeinprogress.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/smooth-as-butter/#comment-218
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:32 PM 2 comments
pictureless blogs are boring.
travis and i out on our FIRST anniversary!our sweet little baby, Chloe. She loves stumps. Lucky for her, our backyard is full of them.Me and my adorable little dog.the whole fam. back row (left to right). rachel (sister in law), philip (brother), travis (husband)front row (left to right). ryan (brother in law), leah (sister), myself (3 days after lasik), hazel (mother), jack( father)
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:20 PM 0 comments
sushi and costco
today was the day i work my one day/ week job at the optometrist office. it was 'jeans day' ( we get to pay $2 one friday per month to wear jeans. the money goes to the charity of our choice. i chose cystic fibrosis. i got reading this blog www.confessionsofacfhusband.com Also, I had a schoolmate die well before graduation from it. after work, my sister and her husband and travis and i went out for some delicious sushi and headed to costco.oh costco......costco is our weakness. this was our FOURTH visit this week. its pathetic. the workers recognize us. my friend Gen works there, and sometimes it feels like we work or live there with our frequent visits. its mental....we usually visit 1-3x/ week.augh! and if you are at all familiar with costco (or anything like us....) a visit = minimum $90.00 (ok, usually $150). the deals rock, it just adds up way too quickly. this week, we bought some groceries, a book, some candy, 2 hoodies, some PJs, an I Pod touch, cheese.... its ridiculous.anyways. the $17.00 hoodies absolutely ROCK and i'm loving my new PJS. We live in a crappy town which we hate, so blowing our money is justified?? Augh.i watched 'baby mama' and it is pretty darn funny. if you LOVE SNL..check it out.i'm off to make travis' lunch for tomorrow and head to bed.
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:15 PM 0 comments
Thursday, September 25, 2008
get to know me
who am i?my name is angela. i am the third born child in my family. i live in a small, dirty city which i detest. it is the city that i grew up in, dreamed of leaving. i finally did ( to attend college in another province), but somehow ended up back here. my family lives here. other than that, we are here strictly because of my husband's job (which for the time is a very good one, especially for someone just out of college)my parents live on a lake in the city. they are building a new house which is turning into a quite an adventure. my brother ( 4 years older than i) and his wife ( she's from england) recently bought an adorable little house in this city. they have a sweet little min pin/ chihuahua. my sister ( 6 years older than i) and her husband moved back from living in vancouver for the past 6 years. they bought a beautiful new house a few blocks away from my brother.i am a lifeguard/ swimming instructor ( I run a small swim school in my spare time www.freewebs.com/splashswimschool ).i live for photography, swimming, golfing, scrapbooking, music.i love to cook and wish i could devote more time to sewing projects. my friend charissa is an amazing seamstress.... http://billygoatdesigns.blogspot.com/ (buy some of her stuff. its awesome and made in canada. i LOVE the headbands. way the heck better than any lululemon)i also really love this blog.... ( I'm all about going green, saving the earth and being healthy and find my opinion very similar to jen's. ) http://alifeinprogress.wordpress.com/i've always loved photography. it enables me to express myself, create art, preserve memories and have great photos to scrapbook with. i took photography throughout highschool, and recently bought the CANON REBEL XSI. I'm now dabbling in the world of digital.One of my great loves is TRAVEL. I have been across canada, many of the states, germany '03 england ( twice '04,'06), ecuador/costa rica ('05), mexico ('07), dominican republic ('07), hawaii ('08). My husband and I are planning an extended holiday to Panama/ Costa Rica this december. Next year, we hope to drive the oregan coast to California and possibly head over to europe. Its great to have a husband hooked on travel.On the topic of my husband..... We met in spring '04. We started dating in spring '05. Got engaged at the end of '06. Married june 23, 2007. I love him to bits. He's quiet and thinks before he speaks. These things... I am not.Together we have the cutest dog ever. We adopted her in April 2008. She is a short haired, long tailed, jack russell terrier named Chloe. We have affectionately given her about 10 nicknames and taken 2000+ photos of her. We are obsessed.I am an optician/ optometric assistant. I do this job one day/ week. Travis works fulltime as an Instrument Technician at the husky oil refinery in our town. They are partially to blame for the stinky smell/ pollution which makes me sick and makes me detest this town.For our 1st anniversary, we bought ourselves golf clubs and got quite into it this summer.We love The Office. its on right now. so see ya!
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 9:58 PM 1 comments
MAN, I feel like a woman!
I'm almost scared to post that I'm home alone for the next three nights. What if those crazy movies ( which i am too scared to even watch previews for, so who knows if this is even a story line) where some creep ( obviously ) reads this married girl's blog, then totally plans to get her on the one ( or three) night of the year that her husband is away. what if he totally stages it so that it looks like the couple's adorable jack russell ( or other breed dog) has killed the wife. then the husband comes home devastated to have lost his wife and lost his love for/ trust in/ friendship with "man's best friend". guaranteed i will not sleep tonight. not a wink..... because my imagination runs WILD. and i start having heart palpitations at the mere thoughts that are concocted in my head. ahhh.... it would probably be worse if i had caffiene. i should really think twice about drinking this pot of tea that is steeping. But alas, my husband is working nights. for 3 nights. this schedule is RIDICULOUS. i simply cannot imagine how families cope who have this kind of backwards ( in my opinion) schedule. these have been the worst 2 weeks (schedule wise). aughmonday marked the 2 year anniversary of the tragic car accident that took my best (school) friend's life. i think about geoff weekly. sometimes daily. he was a brilliant, sweet friend. we went to school since grade 1 together. we were 'rivals' ( with grades ), but great pals. we were neighbours and spent afterschools and summers canoeing, bikeriding, trampolining, boating. every morning in grade 8 and 9 we sat on a heater and did the wonderword in the newspaper (which we both delivered and would cover for each other's routes for holiday coverage etc). the last time i saw geoff was in may 2005, a few days before i moved to medicine hat for college. we talked and hugged and cried. i never knew that was the last day i would see him. he helped me (tremendously) through a great illness that consumed me in junior high. he would bring me homework and most of all he brought me comfort. i adored him for it. travis (starving student himself) bought me a very expensive plane ticket ( which i still haven't paid him back for) to ensure i made it home for geoff's funeral ( which was one of the hardest things ever). that was among the things that made me sure i loved travis.travis' dad also died just a few months after we started dating. the fact that we helped each other through such difficult times (in the beginning of our relationship) makes me so confident that we can get through anything that is thrown at us. i love him so much.even a few nights apart while he is on night shift.so i'm gonna get out my hair curler and girlie music dance around the house singing....
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 8:58 PM 1 comments
Sunday, September 28, 2008
pukey pukey and monica's closet
mr. shymanski has had a disturbing change to his work schedule for the past 2 weeks. he has been working 10 hr days x 7 days/ week. he usually has a nice mon-fri 8-4 gig. these 10 hr days run from 7-5. It is now 10:37pm. The 10 hour day has officially come and gone, but Alas, Mr. Shymanski is still at the plant fixing problems. He may be there all night. Perfectly appropriate that he is stuck working for the first time, on the day/ afternoon/ night that Mrs Shymanski has been headachey, pukey (is that a word?) and down right feeling awful ALL DAY. Mrs Shymanski went to a friend's house this evening ( even went against the 'no night driving rule' - a temporary aftermath of the lasik eye surgery), and upon returning home, puked her guts out. Thankfully, she was able to get out of the new car smelling CRV in the nick of time. Augh. I should really take advantage of these long days by scrapbooking, but Mr Shymanski's hockey stuff, our golf bags and everything else that makes this tiny house rip at its seams is cluttered in that room. Its becoming much like Monica's closet on Friends. The rest of the house? Immaculate. But don't enter that storage room. Augh. Chloe and I are missing Mr. Shymanski. Boo Hoo.
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:36 PM 1 comments
Friday, September 26, 2008
margarine. ( you know the old lady who prounounces it MAR-JA- REEEN)
PLEASE. if you never read another blog again...... read this one.( and my comments that i posted on it)http://alifeinprogress.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/smooth-as-butter/#comment-218
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:32 PM 2 comments
pictureless blogs are boring.
travis and i out on our FIRST anniversary!our sweet little baby, Chloe. She loves stumps. Lucky for her, our backyard is full of them.Me and my adorable little dog.the whole fam. back row (left to right). rachel (sister in law), philip (brother), travis (husband)front row (left to right). ryan (brother in law), leah (sister), myself (3 days after lasik), hazel (mother), jack( father)
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:20 PM 0 comments
sushi and costco
today was the day i work my one day/ week job at the optometrist office. it was 'jeans day' ( we get to pay $2 one friday per month to wear jeans. the money goes to the charity of our choice. i chose cystic fibrosis. i got reading this blog www.confessionsofacfhusband.com Also, I had a schoolmate die well before graduation from it. after work, my sister and her husband and travis and i went out for some delicious sushi and headed to costco.oh costco......costco is our weakness. this was our FOURTH visit this week. its pathetic. the workers recognize us. my friend Gen works there, and sometimes it feels like we work or live there with our frequent visits. its mental....we usually visit 1-3x/ week.augh! and if you are at all familiar with costco (or anything like us....) a visit = minimum $90.00 (ok, usually $150). the deals rock, it just adds up way too quickly. this week, we bought some groceries, a book, some candy, 2 hoodies, some PJs, an I Pod touch, cheese.... its ridiculous.anyways. the $17.00 hoodies absolutely ROCK and i'm loving my new PJS. We live in a crappy town which we hate, so blowing our money is justified?? Augh.i watched 'baby mama' and it is pretty darn funny. if you LOVE SNL..check it out.i'm off to make travis' lunch for tomorrow and head to bed.
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 10:15 PM 0 comments
Thursday, September 25, 2008
get to know me
who am i?my name is angela. i am the third born child in my family. i live in a small, dirty city which i detest. it is the city that i grew up in, dreamed of leaving. i finally did ( to attend college in another province), but somehow ended up back here. my family lives here. other than that, we are here strictly because of my husband's job (which for the time is a very good one, especially for someone just out of college)my parents live on a lake in the city. they are building a new house which is turning into a quite an adventure. my brother ( 4 years older than i) and his wife ( she's from england) recently bought an adorable little house in this city. they have a sweet little min pin/ chihuahua. my sister ( 6 years older than i) and her husband moved back from living in vancouver for the past 6 years. they bought a beautiful new house a few blocks away from my brother.i am a lifeguard/ swimming instructor ( I run a small swim school in my spare time www.freewebs.com/splashswimschool ).i live for photography, swimming, golfing, scrapbooking, music.i love to cook and wish i could devote more time to sewing projects. my friend charissa is an amazing seamstress.... http://billygoatdesigns.blogspot.com/ (buy some of her stuff. its awesome and made in canada. i LOVE the headbands. way the heck better than any lululemon)i also really love this blog.... ( I'm all about going green, saving the earth and being healthy and find my opinion very similar to jen's. ) http://alifeinprogress.wordpress.com/i've always loved photography. it enables me to express myself, create art, preserve memories and have great photos to scrapbook with. i took photography throughout highschool, and recently bought the CANON REBEL XSI. I'm now dabbling in the world of digital.One of my great loves is TRAVEL. I have been across canada, many of the states, germany '03 england ( twice '04,'06), ecuador/costa rica ('05), mexico ('07), dominican republic ('07), hawaii ('08). My husband and I are planning an extended holiday to Panama/ Costa Rica this december. Next year, we hope to drive the oregan coast to California and possibly head over to europe. Its great to have a husband hooked on travel.On the topic of my husband..... We met in spring '04. We started dating in spring '05. Got engaged at the end of '06. Married june 23, 2007. I love him to bits. He's quiet and thinks before he speaks. These things... I am not.Together we have the cutest dog ever. We adopted her in April 2008. She is a short haired, long tailed, jack russell terrier named Chloe. We have affectionately given her about 10 nicknames and taken 2000+ photos of her. We are obsessed.I am an optician/ optometric assistant. I do this job one day/ week. Travis works fulltime as an Instrument Technician at the husky oil refinery in our town. They are partially to blame for the stinky smell/ pollution which makes me sick and makes me detest this town.For our 1st anniversary, we bought ourselves golf clubs and got quite into it this summer.We love The Office. its on right now. so see ya!
Posted by mrs. shymanski at 9:58 PM 1 comments
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