I'm ba-a-ck (say it like Ricky Ricardo...)

I haven't blogged for ages.  I'd like to say I purposely took a blogging hiatus, but the truth is that I've had blog-block.  I think that is a real thing -- it surely is a serious diagnosis.  Ask Freud.

The picture has nothing to do with anything except that looking back through my photo log I found it and it made me want pancakes.

I can't have pancakes because I promised myself that for two weeks I would strictly follow Canada's food guide.  If you have ever tried to do that you would see that there is no room for big stacks of pancakes with Maple Syrup.  Not even if the maple syrup was home made by your own children, from your own maple trees, and finished in your kitchen so that  your ceiling is still possibly sticky.  The maple syrup story can wait for another day, though.  The issue with the food guide is fitting all of that food into one day -- 8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables?  8 servings of grains?  I can't eat that much -- and it doesn't leave any room for the stuff I have been filling up on -- cookies, ice cream cones, popsicles, chips.  Bad stuff.  I'm trying to clean up my habits before fall -- hopefully that will help the waist-line too.  I'll let you know how I make out.

I think my blog-block is over.  Maybe because it finally rained -- the oober-dry recesses of my brain are swelling up and feeling refreshed... I've got lots and lots and lots to share.   Hope you'll drop back to visit and see what we've been up to at Shady Lane.

The teasers:
-LOTS of organizing and cleaning has been happening here
-getting ready for a yard sale...
-the kids decided to plant a garden -- let's talk about potatoes and tomatoes!
-new recipes -- let's talk about a spinach smoothie!

So glad to be back, energized and inspired.
K

How you know...

Conversation with Grade 3 student today:

Child (male child, not that it matters, but I suspect male children notice physical appearance less than girl children -- that's stereo typical of me, I know):  Mrs. Boyd is it humid out?

Me:  Yes, I think it is.

Child:  Like really, really humid?

Me:  I haven't been out, so I can't say for sure.  Does the humidity bother you?

Child:  Well, it's just that your hair is really, really frizzy... (at this point I stopped listening, 'cause I wish I'd worn a pony tail)

So that's how you know it's a bad hair day....an 8 year old (boy) tells you flat out.  Nice.

Signing off

Big (frizzy) Red.

A quiet Sunday supper

Once upon a quiet Sunday supper we heard a gobble, gobble, gobble from the yard.

It seems some turkeys had come to visit.

Turkeys are ugly!

They gobbled and pecked all around the yard.

Until...

Brave Boy gobbled back and chased the turkeys away.

Then Boy and his mama went in and did dishes happily ever after.

(Nope, I don't know where the turkeys came from, but Boy chased them to the neighbour who has the rooster...)  

New obsession

Hello friends!
Sorry I disappeared for awhile.  I have been busy researching and writing a paper, doing DH's book work for taxes (my FAV job ever! said with EXTREME sarcasm), plus work and the usual mom stuff.  Oh! and some stuff that isn't usual -- like Maple Syrup (I'll tell you that tale another day.)

A teacher friend of mine told me about a great website.  She has found some great craft ideas, but raves that it has everything.  Now, I mentioned this site to a few people and it seems I am new to the planet-of-web because everyone has already heard about it.

In the event that you are from the same too-busy-to-surf planet that I am, allow me to introduce you to Pinterest.

This comes with a serious warning.  Serious.

This is addictive.

Completely addictive.

I have been on 3 times today -- and I don't have time -- remember I am from the real life planet of too-busy-to-surf, so my laundry is waiting as is the shower stall that screams "clean me, Boy has been here!"

The idea of Pinterest is that of a sort of scrap book.  You can "pin" pictures and ideas you find on the web to your own board (I haven't done that -- a little worried about copyright...) to keep ideas organized.  I said, "organized," so you know already why I love it.  I just snoop around the home page, or choose a category I like such as home decor.  The great thing about Pinterest is that the photos are either beautiful or inspring, but also that you can find everything there. I mean everything -- quotes, recipes, crafts, organization tips, photos, hair and nail ideas, clothing... Truly everything.  And it's addictive because a) there is so much to look at and b) it changes all the time as people pin up new items.

Check it out

But be warned -- you'll get totally absorbed.

You might get knocked off your planet for awhile....

But that's okay, it's nice to visit a happy universe once in awhile.

the remote

My school was broken into for the second time in 3 weeks.  Same guys likely...
What a pain.
This time they broke a window and they stole a TV.

But ha!  I still have the remote.  If they wanna watch TV they're gonna have to get up, cross the room and change channels the hard way.

Ha!  Like that (I am flicking my hand from under my chin -- gangsta style).  I get a wee bitta joy from thinking that the thugs might be missing the remote.

Juicy

JUICY
That is what was written on the rear end of a lady I saw walking down the street.  In my early days of blogging I posted that words on rear-ends was a pet peeve of mine.  It's several years later and it's still a pet peeve because, well, it's gross.  Only now it's out of style too.

When I wake up in the morning and think "what statement do I want to make to the world today?"  "JUICY"  would most certainly not be it.

I think there should be a rule -- you can't have anything written on your behind that you wouldn't want written on your tombstone.  Would you have "juicy" on your grave stone?  I think not.

On second thought, that wouldn't work either.  RIP wouldn't be good on track pants.  Nor would "Here lies Kate" although if I were lying down it would be accurate.

Just a blanket law then.  No letters on your arse.  None.
It's not cool.  Especially if they are stretched over a wide load.

Not cool at all.

whole pile o' stuff

It's been awhile.  I keep apologizing for that...

Partly I've been busy, honestly I've been a bit flat (figuratively, that is) and had writers block.  Hear me whine, "I got nothin' to say.  Nothin's going on.  My life is boring.  Who wants to read about boring..."

I think I'm depressed 'cause there's no snow.  Though usually in  February I am depressed because there is....

This photo is from when we had snow -- in December

Same tree.  Same time.  Just different camera setting.
Cool huh?











My friend, B, wanted me to post the photos from the fancy Gala I went to in December.  Boy took the photos.  I blame him for my issue.  I can't post the photos of the world's greatest dress, because the world's greatest dress doesn't hide the fact that I look fat in the pictures.  I want to believe that Boy used the wide angle lens, but I fear it's all me....

This is the lawnmower Boy has been working on for weeks.  This is the better of the 2 he has on the go -- the other one doesn't have a hood (clarification, it has a hood, it is just on the shop floor) and it has a snowplow blade on the front.  This mediocre White is for sale.  All reasonable offers accepted.

This is Rocky.  He has a new trick.  He goes out the back door, runs around by the pool, climbs up the picnic table and jumps into the kitchen window.  Then he knocks on the window for us to let him in.  He won't come in the door if you call him, he just likes to come in the window, through the plants, into the sink and then back out the door again.  I am not sure if he is confused... or we are.  Who lets him in anyway?