Catching up - again....

Where is this summer going? I've been such a slacker at getting these blogs written and it's not that I don't have something to say - oh, I've got lots to say - it's just that I've been out and about and can't get to the computer. So, here's the last two weeks in a nutshell:

1. The Pierogi Off was a great success - it was a 3 way tie. A little bit of a bummer because I was hoping to get out of making pierogies but alas, it was not too be. Fun was had by all. There was even a moment of Proud Motherhood when my son and a friend were playing Bocce ball and declared the game a tie; even though it really wasn't. *sigh*

2. The bathroom is not fixed. The plumber came out and took a look at where it was leaking and unfortunately for me it had nothing to do with the plumbing. Jeremiah was great however and gave me loads of useful advice in case I wanted to renovate (which I do, just not yet). If you're looking for a great plumber here in Columbus I would recommend Drain Openers (614-238-9250). They were considerate and efficient. Not sure what else you'd look for in a plumber but one perk was there wasn't a lot of plumber butt.

3. I've been drinking Blue Moon beer these days. I know it's not wine but thems the breaks ladies and gents. Put a slice of orange in it and voila, instant happiness (I'm easy to please). I did attend the last wine tasting at House Wine and I have to say I wasn't won over. It was a Sweet & Sticky list that was more on the Icky than Sticky. My Riesling was listed and I'm sorry I didn't copy the name down but Donnie does blog about everything so perhaps you should take a little hobble over to his blog and see what you can see (I'm feeling lazy...- www.winejoy.net). I was there and I didn't see anything new listed but I didn't scour the site that hard so good luck.

4. I've adopted a new favourite television show - aside from my Monday Night Line-up of course - Warehouse 13 on the SyFy network. It's on Tuesday nights at 9pm and I'm totally hooked. I didn't watch last nights but it's taped so don't ruin it for me. I'm quite excited that it's on Tuesdays. I hardly ever watch tv on tuesday nights - just me?

5. We broke down and bought an umbrella for the patio set. After watching my friend Ser (Just Another Mama Blog) move her seat around the patio to get out of the sun I thought it might be time to bite the bullet and make the afternoons on the Oasis bearable. It's been cloudy every day since. Darn Karma.

6. The garden is doing fabulous! I've pulled out jalapenos, lettuce, cucumbers, peas, potatoes and I can see blueberries, tomatoes and pumpkins. It's really taken off and provided me with constant irritation and fascination. I know the summer isn't over yet but I'm already planning next years garden! I'm pretty sure I'm going to break up the vegetable garden and move some flowers in instead then plant the tomatoes over in one of my other areas and the pumpkins and cukes to the back gardens - maybe I'll even put some in the front of the house (oh, I'm such a rebel).

And that's all I can think of for this evening. It was a bit of a rambling on wasn't it? Hope you're caught up just the same. It seems like I should have so much more to report on though doesn't it? Just how have I been spending my time and why does it seem like I've just been hanging around doing nothing? Ah, such is life I suppose.

Edit: Thought I should add that our neighbourhood loved seeing Jim Masters and friends on the green on Sunday. It was fabulous!!!! His 16 year old nephew wowed the audience with his fiddle playing and his daughter turned out to be quite the sultry singer. You can google Jim and a ton of stuff comes up - enjoy!

The 1st Annual...

Mark your calendars. Book your plane tickets for next year. Today is the 1st Annual Bocce Ball Pierogi Off in Worthington. What is that you say? Why, it's a bunch of neighbours getting together to cook pierogies and have fun - you too can join in but not until next year for this years ticket is all booked up!

If you don't know what a Pierogi is than you should google it and find out and quite frankly, if you don't know what it is then we really aren't that good of friends are we? I've made pierogies for several of my friends though probably not for those living in my home town as I never needed to cook when I lived there (I lived with my mom). And I'm not the best pierogi maker - it's some polish lady, of this I'm sure, but I may be the best pierogi maker this side of 161. That's what today is for. I think there's 3 of us making them and a whole lot more eating them! Should be a great evening. We're all capping it off with a trip to the Worthington Green to listen to Mr. Jim Masters and his friends sing out the weekend.

Hope your Sunday is filled with potato, cheese, onion and bacon and a little diddy being sung by someone you know!

Another phone call was made...

Well, I used the en suite shower on Sunday. It seemed like it was going to be okay. All of a sudden I hear a shriek, a HUGE sigh, and a "Tracy TURN THE SHOWER OFF!!!!". It was A noticing the stream of water pouring out of the hole in our living room ceiling (oh, yes, there's a hole in our ceiling - about a foot square). So, after a few towels became sopping wet and A sighed again and worried for a good hour or more I called the plumbers. They are coming out this afternoon to look at what's causing the torrential downpour. I've got my fingers crossed and I'm hoping for the best. I'm thinking that the hole in my ceiling is going to be a lot bigger by the time they leave this afternoon...

Mid-summer catch up.

I decided at the beginning of the summer (ie. the last day of my son's 1st year of school) that I needed a break. I wasn't sure what it was that I needed a break from but I knew I was tired of getting up and yelling and rushing and stressing and not knowing what was going to happen with my day in general. And it's not that I even lead a stressful life - I'm a stay-at-home mom remember, and I only have 2 kids! For heaven's sake, I should be completely sane, and yet, most days I'm not.

I find the little things stressful - like playdates and getting together and having to be somewhere at a specified time. I think I was always this way but so much more now that I have kids because kids don't get that you have to be somewhere and that they have to "behave" the whole time you're there and that even though I said so it actually means "I SAID SO" and they don't get why other kids get to do things they don't get to. Phew. And I don't always want to be there either and so I end up getting more stressed out... It's a vicious circle.

What I've discovered this summer is that if you take all the running around and hanging out and playdates and programs out of your life and out of your families life you might actually become just a little more sane. It's been wonderful. I like my kids (I always have loved them but I don't always like them - it's a fine, fine line) and I'm liking having them around. And we've really done nothing. They get up, snuggle with me, play with each other, go outside and play until lunch, come in, play, play, eat a snack, read, play, eat supper, play and hang out and then, bed. It's just freakin' fabulous. I'm probably more relaxed and more in love with my family than I've been in years. All because I stopped the running and I've stopped worrying about offending people by saying no.

I still see people but not all the time, not every day, not even every week. We have unplanned parties and get togethers with neighbours and friends and it's more than enough for the whole family. No one has complained. The kids don't ask to be running somewhere and on days when we do they often just want to stay home. My husband and I are laughing and joking again. I feel like we're enjoying just being a family in a great community. And I'm hoping that my kids are getting a summer like I remember having - the kind where you just get to be a kid.

The phone call was made...

I can take it no longer. Having one bath - which is fine, I'm not going for snob of the year or anything - when you have two is driving me bonkers and I was content and living in denial but then, last night, my ceiling fan stopped working in the kitchen. If ONE MORE THING happens in this house I might just throw myself down on the floor and start screaming and kicking like a two year old. I've flicked the switches, pulled the little knobby things and swore until I could swear no more and the darn fan still won't go on. That's the techinical way to fix it right?

I've called the insurance company to see if they would fix it. They gave me some claim numbers (different ones for each project), some phone numbers and the little automated voice bid me a good day. I called the numbers, left messages, scheduled appointments, was told I would be charged whether or not the insurance company paid anyway and then, they bid me good day. Perhaps one day the items will be fixed and all it will cost me is an arm and a leg and a fraction of my sanity - which is holding on by a thread, a teeny, tiny, little thread...

Perhaps more on the loss of sanity tomorrow but if I forget (oh, that's bound to happen) remember I have two children. One is four and four year old boys are just, I don't want to say awful but they are definitely trying. The seven year old is mostly lovely, except for the constant back talk which I hear last some 20 years so I might as well just get used to that.

Anyway, I'm babbling again. Cross your fingers and please say a little prayer, the plumber comes tomorrow and with any luck my shower will be all fixed and ready to use by tomorrow night. If not, I may just have to go buy a sledge hammer - any one up for some remodelling?

Hoser

I have a confession. Are you ready? Are you bracing yourself? Alright, here it is: I'm Canadian! It's true. And so I wish you all a Happy Canada Day (it was yesterday but I was so busy enjoying it I didn't have time to blog). On Canada Day everywhere Canadians wake up to a busy day of BBQ and beer. There's probably a parade, some fireworks and inevitably, more beer. It's a grand tradition and one I miss terribly. One year, when I was young and probably stupid, I even flew home early from Europe so I could spend Canada Day with my friends. It's true and it was lame. I'm pretty sure we did nothing exciting and there probably wasn't even beer.

Now that I'm older and not living in my country I'd like to say that I'd never do that again but I would. I miss my home - not always 'cause there's no Target there - and I miss all those things that make Canadians Canadian - though I don't think you miss those things unless you do without them. So, I've compiled a list of things that I miss....

1. Canadian chocolate.

2. Canadian beer

3. cough medicine

4. persians (a hometown favourite)

5. the Hoito

6. RCMP

7. The Big Nickel

8. French/English bilingualism

9. Metric

10. BBC's Coronation Street (yah, I know it's British but we get it in Canada and it's sort of an icon just the same).

And no mention of Hockey? I believe it is understood. I love, love, love Hockey Night in Canada (or at least the old anthem) - it's a Canadian tradition if ever there was one. But, I'm married to a hockey player, I have two sons that play hockey (in the yard) and I live in a town that has an NHL team - it's still in my life so I won't bore you with it...