Halloween night 2016

Started out with the best picture of Ellie!!!

She is amazing!!!!

Once it was time to get rolling, we had 5 excited Burlinko's ready to rock. 

These kids were hilarious to watch with their pillowcases, running from house to house together. 

Done trick or treating the 2 roads and now it's time for hot chocolate at the community hall. 

Waiting for the kids costume contest. 

The Viking won 2nd place and Link one first place in his age category!  Fireworks and then home!!

Chris fell asleep while we watched my favorite scene of "Nightmare before Christmas", when Jack Skellinton discovers Christmas town!!  Best. 

Happy kid ....

Elliot passed out among his spoils. 

The evening was definatly better than the day. But I'm happy Monday is over. When's December 3rd???

Brutal Monday ....

Chris and I couldn't fall back to sleep and were up for hours....finally around 6, I think, we fell back to sleep only to be woken up by Elliot at 6:30 since we always wake up this early on Mondays to workout and hit the day. However, I fell back to sleep (as did Elliot) and didn't wake again until 7:35! To be heading out the door at 8am was going to be impossible. Waking everyone up, but still in my pjs, making popcorn for the boys lunch because I was too sick this weekend to get our groceries for the week, so we had no food.... Brutal way to start the day. I didn't eat....I didn't even comb my hair!!  Had to get the kittens packed up as they were due back at the SPCA.  Awful morning. 

Buttons stole my heart. We had one last cuddle before bringing them in. I cried on the way back to work. I really grew attached to her and JoJo. 

Linda came with me....I wish she'd take buttons. Then I could still visit. 

Work was brutal ...nobody knows what they're doing, caseloads are so out of whack, I was happy when it was time to go...(I want this shirt)

but I had to race to see Elliots teacher and tell her that he'll be gone for December. She had to pee once I got there, so here I waited. 

She's a great teacher and was very encouraging. Elliot likes her, I'm so glad. But I didn't have long as I had to get the boys to self defense as they were being tested today.  So while they were in class, I went to superstore to do my weekly shop. It was nutty in there! Screaming babies, lots of loud and abnoxious people there today but I held it together and got through my till will a huge pile of (well thought out) groceries, when as I was about to pay, the whole till shutdown!!  I couldn't walk away (I couldn't do that big shop again!), but the boys were done and I had to get them!! I deep breathed and watched it all play out. She was planning on re-running all my groceries back through again!! Did I mention I had to pay for and pack all my bags already and they were all already in my cart?!  Deep breathing .... I was about to lose my mind. But I didn't. I texted Chris to grab the boys, the till ended up rebooting with the whole order, and I left. But I was shaken...and hungry...and pretty robotic by now. 

Chris suggested white spot for an early dinner since he saw I probably couldn't make it home ...and white spot had just reopened its doors after burning down last year, so we've been wanting to go for awhile.  Good plan: eat, get home and just trick or treat.   Well.... Food didn't come for an hour. An HOUR!!! And when it arrived it was SO BAD. 10 minutes before it arrived at our table, so we'd been there for 45 minutes already with nothing....I start to deep breath again. I lost it and bawled. Isaac crawls under the table to sit next to me....everyone is trying to make me feel better. I think I'm fighting something, plus I'm tired plus starving, plus super sad about giving up Buttons and JoJo. Perfect storm. I cried throughout dinner...cried all the way home. Wow. 

Once home, we had 15 minutes before zalinkos were due over to start trick or treating. Chris said we should have a hottub. That cures everything. And I felt much better. What a brutal day ....

Low key weekend ....

I wasn't feeling too well over the weekend, so I laid low for much of it.... However Chris, the ever lasting bundle of energy, bones out of bed in the morning and goes metal detecting. Here he is showing the boys his spoils of coins from his treasure hunt.

My sweet little Buttons in for morning cuddles ..... It's Tuesday and I am still thinking of her. Missing her ....

Nicole and her family came over for Sunday afternoon. They brought dinner!! Which was such a gift considering I had gotten out yet to buy our groceries for the week yet this weekend.

After we all went for a little walk through Mesachie, the men went quading, and we hung out at the house while the kids played upstairs. After dinner we actually did an hrm workout.  Here is Isaac taking a picture of us from outside, trying to be all sneaky. But we caught him.

Such a nice visit .... They even brought Finn along .... 

Beware: Kitten Post!!

After big nanaimo day, brought home 4 boys:

They all had a good play until it was time to leave for Rentons. JL outdid herself again on a healthy chicken souvlaki dinner with greek salad .... 

After we got home from family dinner last night, I was so tired and cold, I just crawled into bed .... And was soon followed by the rest of the family, including the 4 kittens!!!  We took some pictures.  They are so cute!!

These sweeties were given to us last Friday to socialize after they had been found abandoned in a box in town. Very scared and very hissy .... We no longer know which one is MissyHissy because she doesn't hiss anymore and the 2 all black ones look identical!!

Isaac fell asleep .... As did the kittens. 

Early dismissal ...

Early dismissal at 11:20 on a rainy Thursday results in typewritten letters from Isaac.  Slid carefully in front of my bedroom door!! 

It was tempting. Very tempting. But I had already spoken to his friend Noah's mom, who was also trying to get out of going to school today .... And we agreed both boys should go. So .... I made them a streamed milk for the road to ease the pain (that along with a threat to a sour faced Elliot that if he wasn't walking out the door with me at 8, that he'd take a bus home after enstead of me waiting around to pick him up....)... As you can see, he perked up fine with a special steamed milk:

And the ever classy Isaac:

And me with my protein shake, prepping for stairs with Nicole after drop off!!

Sunday Afternoon ....

Retreat is over .... we all went for a walk after everyone left the site ..... don't you just love Elliots new (to him) rubber boots?  So cute ....

Only half the family was wearing the proper foot attire!!

These kittens were so skittish and hissy and after only 2 days, here they are just hanging out with us on the couch ....

I love Jo-Jo .... he is pretty sweet ....



Jo-Jo and Buttons seems to be the best of friends within the 4 kittens ....they are gladiators with eachother and then they groom eachother like crazy ... its pretty sweet...


These two slept beside me for much of the evening ... so cute ... purring away ... loved it!!



Isaac plays with Buttons ... she likes his necklace ...

Pretty sad to realize this is their last week all together with their siblings before they all get adopted out to families .... they are such little sweeties ...

Friendship Community Church retreat

Well, on this rainy weekend, I decided to join the Friendship community churches women's retreat. I helped out with some of their activities last year and felt so welcome, that I offered to help them again this year as well.

I lead 20 women up the mountain, including encouraging their Director (named Sharon Baerg) to come along as well because she had never been.

I always love it when I can bring somebody who has never been up to the top of the mountain. It's just fun to see somebody else's fresh eyes.  Sharon and I had to rush back down to the main camp so we left another leader in charge to bring the group back down. I had a coffee shift and she had to prepare for her message so we pretty much ran down the entire mountain, which was fun!!!  But it's always such a kick to meet interesting women who talk about real stuff with you. We seemed to have a lot in common and she had insight I found fascinating.

Heidi is another woman who I met years ago at the WOA retreat ... since then she has volunteered in the kitchen and the craft hut during summertime and her kids now come, and now she helps to run this weekend retreat with her church.  She is also 40, has a 12 and 10 year old son, loves to be healthy, and is just a real happy light.... we were able to carve out a few conversations through the weekend!

I don't often put myself in situations like these types of retreats. I prefer, probably a little bit like Chris, to set up situations for other people to have experiences.  But the weekend had a handful of conversations with a few Godly women that I really respect and came away with a lot more to think about about my own life. I find that I feel quite starved for a mentor type relationship of my own.  So I think this weekend was wonderful timing. You really do get what you need, when you need it and God knows it.  I was able to go home to take various breaks. To check in with my kids and Chris, sleep in my own bed, skip out on the evening chapel but go back down for the dessert buffet. I dragged Rachel down with me for the dessert buffet last night and we arrived to a room full of puffy eyed tear stained women's faces. I silently thought I was glad I went home. 

 

I am glad I was invited to come along on this retreat ... it was nice to see how other retreats run, and how thankful I am to be involved in a retreat like WOA, because church retreats, like this one, are often a little 'too much' for many women .... myself included! ;-)