more daily life

Hello.I forgot to mention these things in my last post:

Andy and Sarah sorted our recycling. In our town (living out of town) you have to sort your own recycling (or maybe everyone in town does too...not sure), colored #2 plastics, glass, tin etc. So, we have boxes in our kitchen closet to do this. Sometimes they get overflowing...sometimes life happens and after our 2nd child died we never got around to sorting the closet. We had friends over and I'd put a sign on the door that says, "Do not open, unless you want to sort our recycling." Sometimes it would be cascading down and out of the closet and I would slam the door shut on it. So, last Sun. Andy started sorting it. Now we have the sorted stuff in the garage and we are taking it in trunk loads to the dump, when it's open and I have energy. Andy has not gone in to town on an open dump day yet. It is nice to have the closet clear again after half a year or so of recycling added up. So fun to recycle now...hmm, which box do I throw this into?

I also got a call last week that I won hockey tickets to our team's home game. I entered a contest in the local paper before Christmas. I picked up the tickets and we won 4 tickets so we'll either go twice as a family or invite another family to join us. Cool.Last week at skating Sarah and I got to see our sopped (made to look cool, industrial like) up Zamboni do it's magic on the ice.

Things from this week: Sarah has been enjoying making bugs out of construction paper. I found a story/craft book that shows how to do this at the library.

Andy has been researching cheese making. He got a book before Christmas and is getting set to order some bacteria starter packs. We're thinking goat's milk cheese I think.

Go to Kelowna tomorrow for the midwife appt.

We had a fellow stay at our house last night...he did a bit of plumbing on the guest cabin at camp today and talked with the building inspector who also came out today. So, that means the guest room got cleaned and organized too and the house tidied.

The upper bathroom is now siliconed and dry so now all our tubs (all 2 of them) have no old unscrubbable black mold showing it's ugly face from the crevasses of peeling silicone. I bought some new tub and tile cleaner (spray bottle, natural stuff) and 2 new scrubby sponges so cleaning is fun with those.

Been having some good naps lately as well as some good sledding times with Sarah.I outgrew my jogging pants and dug through my maternity box to find a nylon pair of athletic pants from my Mom or Dad that I wore when preg. with Sarah and I took to Crowsnest for hiking and such. To bundle up for sledding the other later afternoon I wore my stretch pants, maternity cords, and those spiffy (think 1990s) Brook's athletic pants, 2 sweaters and my down coat, thick socks with my boots...I was much more comfortable and warmer than other times when I have the wind whistling through my jogging pants.Sarah's been enjoying sledding down the field. Near the highway she starts. I stay on the driveway, because I sink down to my knees in the deep snow out there, but Sarah, being only 36 lbs, stays above. We are borrowing a 'snow surfer' sled that is more slippery than the toboggan and she goes down on her stomach.

Speaking of lbs., we are hoping Sarah will be the required 40 lbs by the time our next baby is born, because then the baby can use Sarah's car seat and she'll get a booster seat. We are thrilled that she's gained the weight she lost during her Dec. sickness back. Her little arms have something to them again. If she's not 40lbs, which I think she'll be, we can get another convertible type car seat...and we need to make sure they'll fit in the back of the car too. The babe will be in the middle facing backwards and Sarah next to him/her.

We have a lot on the agenda for tomorrow including seeing a place called the Baby's Inn - a B and B that people from out of town can use for a home birth. Also, the thrift store (to make a big drop), Michael's, couple stops for camp, save-on, health food store.

Today is Chinese new year (we had fortune cookies at Strong Start) and I wish I could cook Chinese food, but we were at the grocery store...I just have never cooked Chinese before, so I don't know where too start...another food to look into.

Andy completed the home-made memory game for Sarah, made with pictures we've taken and they've played it. She loves it. It's called 'Family Memory.'

We had potluck Sunday at church yesterday and Andy made a big potato salad. I was very tired in the evening and my family delivered kisses to me as I laid on the couch...one from Andy, multiples from S., during 1/2 hour.

Sarah's been enjoying drawing on her paper on her easel lately too...especially when I'm napping. It's upstairs in our bedroom right now.

The temperature has plummeted here and it was minus 25 this morning.

The craving for this evening would be Chinese or samosas again...but leftover turkey noodle soup and/or pasta and tomato sauce (that I made:) will have to do.