Writers Workshop

Today I am going to share a photo of what Thanksgiving looks like in my neck of the woods.

In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving in October. We just can't wait until the US's to celebrate! This year, it was gorgeous. Above normal temperatures. And no snow.  The boys filled up the pool on the deck this year...

Now, it is November and this is what we see:

Yes, there is a deck under there...

driving

I have a lot of pet peeves and today it involves driving. Some just don't know... And so I will comprise this post of helpful tips. Maybe someone will learn something today!!

- When making a left turn onto a double lane road, ensure you turn into the farthest left lane possible. This is especially important when it is a double turning lane, although if you are on the right side, you must turn into the 2nd from the left lane!  Also helpful to those trying to merge into that right lane.

- That said, when a car's intention is to make a right turn, merging into a double lane, if there is no one in that left lane, pull over so that the car can merge! It's all about courtesy people. You be a jerk, you will get treated like one. 

- Leave a 3 second space between you and the vehicle in front of you when driving in a town/city and 5 on highways or higher speed sections. How do you do this? Take note of a marker such as a yellow line on the road or a road sign that the vehicle in front of you passes, then count - 1 - mississippi - 2 - mississippi - 3 - mississippi...  until you pass it. If you pass that marker before the specific time then slow down!

- On double lane highways, the right lane is often reserved for those who choose to drive at or below speed limit, where as the left lane is for those [like me] who choose to pass those pokeys. Therefore, do not drive in the left lane if you are going slower than the vehicles around you please.

- Taking turns. We learn this in pre-school, again in elementary. Tim Horton's expects you to use these skills in their drive thru in order to not make the coffee craving customers any grouchier before that first daily java. Two lanes. Merge appropriately. If dude1 gets there before dude2, dude1 gets to move ahead first. dudette3&4 pull in behind dude2, then dude 5 goes on the side at the beginning of that line. So who goes first now? This means 2,3 and 4 go, NOT 5 because he is first in line on his side. If he had a heart he would let 2, 3 and 4 go since they were their first. And if, I say IF 3 or 4 woke up on the right side of the bed they may let dude 5 in to be nice. Just sayin... Here's a rough doodle to help you with a visual. [click to enlarge]

- One more for today - texting, smoking, drinking and driving. Oh and doing makeup behind the wheel. [Yes! I have seen it happen!!] All things you really shouldn't do driving a vehicle, especially with kids in there. The texting thing just came into law here in Manitoba, so a lot of people are still getting used to it. Understandable. But if you swerve while doing it - for pete's sake pullover man!  Talking on a cell phone is prohibited too, although doing so with a hands free device makes it okay :)

Happy driving all!

snow & chocolate

The snow has finally arrived and stuck around these parts of Manitoba. So much so that it has made me lose my blogging mojo. Where did it go?

With the arrival of snow has also come a full front closet, an overfilling bench that jackets get thrown on, and boots [and still shoes] galore all over the floor. Socks get wet because the snow off the boots melt into puddles all over the entry. Little feet aren't yet wise enough to step over the puddles instead of walking through them...  Snow shovels, broom, car brushes - all made sure they are in the right place as to gain easy access when needed!

Oh yes, and I am giving up chocolate for a week. What???? A friend on facebook put a call out for others to join her in her pepsi free week, while others offered to sacrifice chips, pop, smoking, eating after 7pm, I said I would stay away from chocolate! Starting today no chocolate for 7 days. I am hoping this will be an easy feat for me, especially to stay away from the Halloween candy... 

sports nut & more

boy2 to me: 'mom i'm practi-fing my vah-we-ball. maybe one day i will be good and can play at your (s)kool with you!'
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boy2 wailing: 'noooooo don't go downstairs'
me: 'why don't you want [boy3] to go down?'
boy2: 'he's gonna play on my foccer field!'
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boy1: 'i don't want to be goalie anymore' [after a 12-2 loss this weekend...]
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boy3: 'tur-tle' [from the boy who has only one syllable vocabulary and usually not the last sound like mom - ma, dad - da etc...]

we're ready...

we're ready for the snow to come! hurry up now :)

immeasurable...

are the 1000gifts... #59-66

of ONE person bringing a community together to collect hundreds of items for new babies in need...

the words of a friend that reassures me even though she didn't comment on or about the confession... [it seems a few other people i know IRL were speechless too?!?]

the cuddles that momentarily makes a little boy feel better, despite the runny nose, crankiness and cough.

of just asking.

of opening up the lines of communication again...

the excitement of something new.

...of many new happenings!

neige

Remembrance Day

Veteran's Week - How will you remember?
November 5th to 11th.
Check out the Veteran Affair's Website.

Here is what they suggest you can do to remember:

-Pin a poppy above your heart.
-Attend the local Remembrance Day ceremony.
-Talk to a friend or relative who has just returned home from Afghanistan or who served in other areas of conflict.
-Listen to Veterans talk about their experiences.
-Create a mashup and share it on the YouTube Channel and on our Veterans' Week Remembrance Feed.
-Visit the Veterans Affairs Canada Facebook fan page, write on our wall and share how you remember.
-Change your Facebook profile picture to a poppy.
-Blog, tweet or update your Facebook status about the importance of remembrance.

You can also:
-Observe a minute of silence.
-Thank a veteran.
-Visit a cenotaph.

So how did you remember?

Confessions - Writer's Workshop

Confessions

Just last week there was a horrible accident in Winnipeg that shocked the community. You can read an article about it here. Two young women lost their lives after being hit by a drunk driver. A 17 year old drunk driver. This driver faces charges such as impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm, criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Just hearing this gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes. A little more than ten years ago, I was the 17 year old girl on May long weekend that chose to drink AND drive.  I had the ego the size of earthX1000 and thought that a 2 liter bottle of Grower's cooler wouldn't phase me enough to not be able to drive smart.  We chose to leave the campground just outside of town, to go for a beer run. Car full of people. Bought the beer, started heading out of town again. I was speeding. Going 70 in a 50, that 70 sign was just half a mile ahead of where we were stopped by police.

What a night! There was also open alcohol in the vehicle, which another 'of age' friend took that charge. I was put in the back of the police cruiser [big EYE opener and sobering moment there]. Mom's car was towed and the other four got a ride to where ever.

My parents never came to get me from the drunk tank that night. I was mad.  Livid. Lesson was only partially learned. I wasn't going to drink and drive again. But I was also going to not make my parents lives any easier. We lived 1/2 hour away from the little city. Bussed an hour to school. Drove or was driven to work. That drivers license was gold to me and came the day I was 16.

Despite what my license was worth to me, I still thought I was superior to the alcohol that entered my system. I deceived my own thinking to feel capable enough to drive that car after I shouldn't have. Above the alcohol, above God. I didn't think that anyone could be harmed. Do you think the car full of teens with the intoxicated 17 year old thought anyone would get hurt that night last week?  Did I know that it would cost me hundreds of dollars and too much heart ache for going through the courts system, having a legal aid lawyer, crying on stand talking to the judge, explaining my story, that I was sorry. Having my license, my precious precious gold, being taken away from me for a whole year.

No lives were thankfully harmed in my incident but it doesn't always work like that... People drive drunk ALL the time. Every day. A lot of those people live to tell about it. I really hope that 17 year old girl has opened her eyes and is going to make some changes in her life. I know living with her consequences for the rest of her life will not be easy. But I pray that she can turn this around for good and perhaps tell her story to other teens who may choose to do the same thing that changed her life forever...

This is my confession. Go to MamaKat's to see more. These are the prompts for the week.

Portrait

scarf season

new do

[color and all yipeee!]

ready for the weekend 

of

hockey

pizza

friends

church

&

RELAXING...

Writer's Workshop - What I would be doing.

If you had made a career out of whatever you were passionate about when you were ten... what would you be doing?

When I was ten, I loved to read. Love, love, loved it. Like now, I was never a fast reader but I read a lot.  I also journalled a lot.  "Dear Carly" or "Dear Diary"...

If I were to have made a career out of that, I would be a professional & successful writer!  And in the past five years I would have also had a super successful blog as well... It would have paid advertising by well-known, and not so well-known companies that you wouldn't mind clicking and perusing :)

For now, I suppose I will settle for being a amateur blogger who thinks she knows what she's doing...

Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and GO TO Mamakit's to add your name to the link list below. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1.) Look up a favorite childhood actor and tell us where they are now.
2.) A post you regret publishing.
3.) If you had made a career out of whatever you were passionate about when you were ten…what would you be doing?
4.) A hair disaster.
5.) Describe a moment when you saw someone hit their breaking point.

mess

We got into a chocolaty mess and it was oooooooh sooooo good :)
Hope to finish up our project this week and will show you how it turns out!!

another name...

Could there be another name for fatigue, exhaustion? As I sit here contemplating today's blog post I am accompanied by droopy eyes... tired feeling... along with my all too common feeling of ditching.it.all. That to do list that includes responses to a handful of emails, figuring numbers, more numbers, dishes, laundry [one in the washer is a start! then more to fold & put away...] *sigh* It really exhausts me and stresses me out. I am thankful that it is not hockey night... so very thankful that husband is around tonight to aid in the evening routine [esp since boy2 is feverish this evening]. And I am so very thankful that I am able to get away from the stress of it all to join a few ladies for our prayer group. 

I have this proverbial bucket [two actually!] that are in my entrance way. The purpose? You come in, put all your stresses, worries, anxieties, problems of the outside world, bothers etc etc into said bucket. Don't leave all that stuff on your shoulders to dwell on. It's God's bucket. So he takes the contents of the bucket and deals with it as he sees fit! He will strengthen you, he will help you with all that you require.

1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

Psalm 55:22
Give your burdens to the Lord and He will take care of you.

I am going to give it all to you Lord!
Thanks God :)

Giveaway

Go to Tiny TreeHugger's BLOG to enter the giveaway that ends tomorrow!!
Don't think of this being just for yourself, if you aren't a cloth diaper-er perhaps a friend or relative is... you never know :)