chilly march day

What a foggy morning! And I was running late so I didn't scrape my car windows.. I was definitely a hazard on the road! So this weekend was my birthday and I got a sewing machine! I'm excited to start using it and see what fun creations I can experiment with. In more unpleasant news, Dad has been in the hospital since Thursday due to kidney failure. It was pretty scary, but he has come along way since then and is looking so much better. It's unbelievable. God has definitely worked a miracle in his life.
I'm going to post a few pictures from the weekend and some crafts to catch up from my days away.

Birthday BBQ!

My dear husband with his "new rack"

Birthday ribbon :)

And... what Emily does in her spare time:

Two Photos for Today

Here is my completed blanket! I made this for Jason (my husband) who wanted something large. It ended up being 4(ish) feet wide and 11.5 feet long. I guess I got a little carried away. But it doubles over quite nicely and is super heavy and warm. He loves it, so that's the main thing. I chose two pictures to post because I like them both.

i remembered!

so after seeing my brother's picture posts on facebook, i remembered again today (two days in a row!) to take and post a picture. this one's minimally creative (i didn't even leave the comfort of my computer chair, except to unplug a cord behind the cradle). here she is:

this is a hand-me-down cradle that my grandpa fashioned for my brother and his wife which is now ready for our baby. and just this past sunday grandma gave me the crocheted blanket seen inside the crib which she just finished making. it's pretty wonderful having such creative grandparents! i'm looking forward to seeing the baby room when it's all set up.













in other news, today was my first day of work at a middle school downtown. it's grades 6-8 and my job is to help the learning assistance teacher with whatever she is working on. the principal and vice principal were away at meetings so there wasn't anything actually set up for me to do today so i just had a tour of the school and then read up on autism from a teacher handbook. apparently tomorrow they will give me my schedule and i will have a better idea of what i'm doing. but it was a good day, everyone seems friendly and i'm hoping it will be fulfilling and challenging. i haven't met any of the students yet, so that will definitely add a different aspect to the job experience.
and.... i took june out for a walk again today! two sunny, warmish days in a row. it feels good to get some exercise and i think june is loving it.
yesterday i got a FREE! library membership at the local library. i guess someone sponsored the library to give out free memberships all year, which is a pretty great deal. i'm excited to sign out lots of artsy books to give me some project ideas. i took out a few on jewelry making, embroidery, and watercolour but haven't had a chance to open them yet. i also got a biography called 'riding in cars with boys' by beverly donofrio which was pretty depressing actually, but an interesting read that i finished today already. it definitely shows you a different side of life from what we become used to in our urban working-class canadia. i think i'm going to go online to find some more novels to read..

already slacking

So my plan to take a picture a day has already fallen off the wagon, so to speak. But I had a feeling this was a good possibility since I have lots to think about these days, so I'm not going to feel bad, I'm just going to do it when I remember. Here is my picture for the day:

This is what awaits me after I'm finished blogging. However, it speaks of fond memories, so this picture is more a testament to good times with family rather than chores left undone. Mike, Danielle, Ethan, and Alyssa came over for a bbq last night and it was so great to have them. It's definitely been far too long since we've had them over for dinner. Our life was in sort of a hold pattern for a while after starting the business, but things are levelling out a bit so I'm looking forward to the return of some normalcy. 

And once the dishes are done I am going to take June out for a walk!!!! This deserves so many exclamation marks because I can honestly not even remember the last time I took her out. It's a sunny day, still nippy, but blissfully sunny so today is the day! I could definitely use some exercise myself and I think she will be endlessly happy with me. So it's definitely worth it.

And tomorrow... I start my new job! Will post more details soon.

"The Bump"

Ok.. so one more for you Christy! Clearly you can have any number of posts dedicated to yourself if you request something.. so keep the requests coming :) PS. These are never before seen (either than by Jason and I, because I find them kind of awkward) photos.. so feel special :)

Week 10 (ish)

Week 12 (ish)

Week 14 (ish)

365!

So.. I actually remembered to take another photo today and post it.. it's a miracle! Here it is:

Exhibit B: Our other dog.. the completely "camera oblivious one." So yesterday we had June, today we have Luke, see the difference? Luke's a wonder behind film because he's not at all intimidated by the mysterious black box (unlike black bum over in the background) and so he poses with wonderful puppy faces. Too bad he can be so rambunctious, otherwise he's pretty much the perfect photography subject.

In other news, today was actually quite productive. I finally got the dusty mound of paperwork off the floor in the office and into files and binders and folders in a somewhat recognizable order. Phew, that feels good. Now to get the floor swept, laundry folded, and pretty much the entire rest of the house clean. I guess that's what the weekend's for!

From the Desk of Mrs. McNichol

My dear friend Christy told me she stumbled upon my blog and encouraged me to keep writing, so this one's for you Christy! Now that it is nearly a month after my last post.. my attempt to keep track of daily happenings has not quite panned out. And my excuse: hmmm, laziness? Disinterest? I don't really know. It's freezing cold outside and I'm currently working super part time for my husband. So I'm going to just go ahead and say I have no excuse. Aside from that.. some exciting news! I got an orchid from my brother about 2 Christmases ago and it only lasted through one bloom, so I was worried growing orchids in Alberta wasn't possible. Which is sad, because I think I had three in my room when I was living in Ireland. However, now that I'm living in Blackfalds with my husband and we have an awesome en-suite bathroom with huge windows (and also the possibility for a more humid climate due to periodic showers) I have been able to have an orchid bloom twice already! And after cutting it back I was worried transplanting it would do some harm, but the other day I noticed TWO new stems, which means two new sets of blooms. In some relation, Brad was here for the weekend for his birthday and told me about a photo challenge him and his friends are doing called Foto 365. I thought this was a great idea and have always meant to do something similar. So my picture for today is the following:

Not the most brilliant or inspired photo ever, but there is one of my little buds that I'm so proud of. You can do it little buddy! The other one is on the other side of the plant, and they say not to move them around too much, so I'm leaving it alone. I didn't take this picture today.. so I guess I should maybe take another one and attach it as my photo of the day. I will be right back..

Ok, so this is what you call the "camera-shy dog." I thought what better subject for my pictures than the creature I spend my days with. She is my little companion and follows me from room to room. I feel guilty that I haven't taken her out for a walk in so long. It's just so cold! Clearly I haven't spent enough winters in Alberta lately and have become a softy. I think I'll have to throw the ball around for her in the basement for a while. Anyways, the brilliant thing about taking a photo a day is that they don't have to be a masterpiece, but it forces you behind the lens and makes you see the world as you truly see it. And if something brilliant results, wonderful! 

And then there's the title of this post. The other day I went to LCS to help Mrs. Vandergrift hang and display her students' art for art night and was thinking that if I was a teacher the kids would have to call me Mrs. McNichol. Crazy! I have never thought about that before. It's a pretty weird thing to think of yourself as a Mrs. Not that it's weird to get married, but becoming a Mrs. seems like a huge rite of passage. Soon I will have a kid and then their friends will come over and call me Mrs. McNichol, and some day I will be trying to encourage them to call me by my first name like my friends' parents are now doing. Ah the sweet cycle of life.

Musings

Well, I've fallen under the weather the past week and a bit, and so haven't done a whole lot. Having a cold can really knock the wind out of your sails, but I'm so blessed to be feeling better. I'm looking forward to trimester two of the pregnancy and hoping the levelling out of the hormones will result in feeling much better all the time ie. energy, no headaches.

Anyways, there are lots of things I would like to do around the house here since I'm home all day everyday (just about). I'm still waiting for things to get into a routine with the company so that we have a regular paycheque coming in each month because I'd really like to spend sometime doing finishing work around the house. We still need to have shelves installed in all the closets, which I think will increase the organization factor around here a lot, and I want to get hardware on all the drawers, and tile for the backsplashes in the bathrooms and kitchen. And I would also LOVE some window treatments! I love the sun, but every once in a while you just really want darkness.. especially when you're trying to sleep at night with a street light shining in the window. But I guess we take all these things for granted, so it's a good lesson in knowing that we don't NEED them, but they are really nice to have.

I also want to start working on some art projects. I have a large canvas that I would like to paint to hang on the large wall above our entry way, I think it could be a great focal point. I would love to do something in shades of blue and maybe green and yellow, in acrylic, but with a watercolour effect. I think I need to solidify this idea a little more before I start or it may turn disastrous, or I guess could be even more fantastic than I hoped.. you just can't always tell with paintings. I also have this dream to do a cityscape using mixed media. I'm thinking a magazine collage on canvas with the sky painted, and splashes of colour added on top. I just get thinking about city life sometimes, and I kind of miss it, not that I don't love living in a small town, but every once in a while I feel nostalgic about the city and I feel like this would be a good way to have a piece of city life with me.

I would also like to start on some baby projects. I'm not sure exactly what yet, but something I can make for the baby to use after they are born, like a toque or blanket or something. I think I will knit a baby blanket for starters as I already have an idea for that. The rest is left to inspiration...

There's a Little Heartbeat in My Belly..

Well, it's been quite some time now since I last posted on here. 8 months! And a lot has happened. But first, as promised, I need to post some pictures from my PEI trip:

Wow, it was hard to choose.. I have so many pictures and it was so beautiful there. Everything is so cute and picturesque. I would love to take my husband someday! Speaking of which, I got married this past September, another reason the posts have not been so frequent. It was a beautiful fall day we were able to share with most of the wonderful people in our lives, we are truly so blessed. 

And... since then, we got a new puppy! He is truly the most adorable little guy, but definitely a puppy! I don't know where he gets the energy from. His name is Luke, and he tries my patience daily, but we love him.

And since Luke, even more news! My husband has recently started his own business! It's definitely been a learning curve and a lot of work, but we both feel like the Lord is leading us and will bless us in this endeavour. It has been a leap of faith! However, we are looking forward with great anticipation to all that 2011 holds! 

At the moment I am not working. My contract at RDC ended at the end of last June and in the summer I worked for Jason's dad doing reno's. After the wedding I worked at Michael's for the month of November, but decided it wasn't my dream job, and now I am hoping to learn the in's and out's of office management in order to help Jason out with his shop. I'm a little nervous about the prospect but I think it will be good for me to acquire new skills, meet some new people, and to have some more challenge in my daily life. I do enjoy learning, so this will definitely be a lot of new things to learn. 

And more great news! On Dec 15, 2010 we got some of the best news of our lives... a baby! This is where the title of this particular post came from. I had my first ultrasound today, determining that I am almost 10 weeks along already! And we saw our little baby "bear" (the baby looks like a teddy bear because of the large head and short little limbs.. so cute!) I could have watched the screen all day, it was so amazing. And so amazing to hear the heartbeat as well! I could have cried. We also saw the baby nod which was so surreal. Hard to believe that tiny thing in my belly can move! I will perhaps post the ultrasound photo at some point. I just feel like it's so personal so I didn't want to post it on facebook before I've told everyone the news. I know that this blog doesn't have a huge following, it's just a nice place for me to write down my thoughts. I thought about erasing it and starting a new one, but I think I will just change the focus. It started as a blog about business, but now it's just going to be about life in general as I haven't put too much energy into anything business-related as of late. But since I'm not working now it's nice to spend some time reflecting on all the blessings in my life. God I am so thankful for all you have given me! Forgive me for taking life for granted too often.

travels

so excited!! on thursday my cousin amanda and i are embarking on an east-coast adventure. we are going to be spending 13 days in prince edward island at my oma's house. (my mom's mom) she is 88 years old and full of life. quite frankly, she's probably one of the most hilarious women i know. i can't wait to see her. she lives in a mother-in-law suite at my aunt's house so amanda and i will be sleeping in my oma's camping trailer out in the yard. oma's already had the trailer cleaned and the linens prepared for a month or two now. she's so sweet.

i haven't been back to pei for 13 years, so i'm wondering how much of it will be familiar. i'm looking forward to going back and rediscovering my roots. also i'm just really looking forward to having a holiday. i'm hoping for sunny, fresh-smelling spring days. i've been looking at tourist websites to see what there is to do, and it seems like it will be a quaint holiday. there's a lot of fishing, walks, gardening, folk craft-making, and other such delightful things to do. we were really hoping to go see the anne of green gables musical, but sadly that only plays during the summer months. but i'm hoping that going in june will allow us to still have some nice weather but to be able to avoid the tourist season.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/images/photos/photo_lg_princeedwardisland.jpg

http://at-communication.com/upload/Image/Prince%20Edward%20Island%20DX%20News.jpg

http://photos.igougo.com/images/p340097-PEI_Canada-Lighthouse_on_Prince_Edward_Island.jpg

i'm hoping to do a lot of journaling while i'm there, so perhaps i'll post some entries from it later on so you can see what i've been up to :)