Grammie Camp Part 1

Imagine... a lake.... a cottage... a wraparound deck with part shaded and part sunny... for all your relaxing pleasure. Imagine sunshine, warm breezes, yellow Adirondack chairs and a cool drink.

That was my week last week at my sister's first annual "Grammie Camp".

A little history.... My sister and her hubby have been blessed with 6 wonderful grandchildren. At the time of Grammie camp they are aged 11, 9, 8,8,8 and 2.5! I have been extremely blessed to be a part of their lives as "Auntie Donna".

Sometime this winter, my sister came up with the idea of having a summer camp at the cottage for her grandkids, and do fun stuff like crafts and games. We talked about it over MSN while she basked in the sun in South Carolina... and I shivered here in the snow. The thoughts of the warm breezes of the cottage just warmed my bones and the thought of being surrounded by those kids, there... excited me for such an event.

Gail and I planned things on and off all winter and spring, and the final weeks before the camp was filled with Google and Youtube searches, looking for ideas, techniques and recipes....

Now, Mitchell, the only grandson in the pack, chose not to go to camp. He felt it would be too girly. Grammie let him in on all kinds of secrets (of what we were planning, to reassure him it wouldn't "be "girly") but he stood his ground. No Grammie Camp for him. Because we were down one participant. I invited my 14 year old niece Caleigh to come along and be a help and a surprise guest!

I know I painted a relaxing picture in my first paragraph... and we did have all that... but dispersed in amongst that was....... tie dying shirts, paper mache, string art, balloon art, flower pens, treasure hunt, scavenger hunt, spa night, movie night, campfires (with smores of course)!

Not to mention fun camp food, water balloon fights, and playing in the lake!

On each of the 4 days of camp we wrote a schedule on the chalk board by the bathroom. The kids loved knowing what was in store for the day, but we didn't let them know any more than that day. So, on top of knowing what was happening, they were excited to anticipate what was going to happen the next day!!! After the kids unpacked and had a fun lunch (and said good bye to the parents), we got right to our schedule.... Tie Dye our camp shirts... Gail and I came up with three techniques that the girls could chose from. Some chose one technique, and others chose all three... Not one of our shirts was the same as the other.... it was a blast!

Once the shirts had soaked in many colors of dye, left to dry for a couple of hours.. we unwrapped them to discover their design secrets.

While waiting for the shirts to dry, we started to talk about and design our Paper Mache projects. I have paper mached about 5 things in my life.... a snake, a pig, a giraffe... a fish.... ugh.. I don't remember... but I didn't feel that confident when it came to making all sorts of animals. But I didn't want to limit the kids either, so I was going to help them with the creation part, as much as I could. .. It didn't take long for them to decide what to make... A pig, a fish, a cat, a whale and an elephant! I sort of know the concept of how to make things from balloons, tape, newspaper, etc and it didn't take much to get them going on the right track. The kids started by drawing what they wanted to make... and then we began. What a blast... we taped on legs, feet, tails... ears.. noses... and giggled and laughed about how funny they looked. Our paper mache project was going to last for 3 days. Construction on the first day... papering on the second day and painting on the third day... Below are just a few of the fun pictures of the actually constructing and papering. Aurora made her own fun with the balloons, since she wasn't really invited to make an animal! Its amazing how much fun a balloon can be!!!!

After the first layer was put all over each animal.. the kids helped me put on a batch of old fashion ice cream. Flavor of the day... Oreo cookie Vanilla!!! While that churned away in its bucket, the kids made a bee line for the lake..

We had a very hot and very big camp fire after supper and evening play... and when we all went to bed later in the night, it was pretty darn easy to fall asleep... we had a very full day and it only started at noon!!!

Ah Saturday.... how I love Saturdays...

Yesterday... a glorious sunny Saturday morning, was spent with Robin and Bill on an adventure to Annapolis Royal. We started off at the market where we saw some amazing crafts, fantastic fruits and veggies and a whole lot of people! I bought some organic garlic and green peppers for some bruchetta I am making today... and some amazing chocolate rice krispie squares (that have coconut, walnuts and two kinds of chocolate drizzled on top)... yum.

We wandered through some antique shops as well, and although I am not very interested in antiques, I was enjoying the nostalgia of objects in the stores (sadly, I remember some of them from my childhood, ugh). My dad would have died to see some of the prices that he could have got for some of the "junk" that was in his barn!!! This piece you see below was all carved wood and it was about 6 feet high, and 8 feet wide. It was stunning, I must say. The red you see is the side of the shop..... it was like a privacy scre

en!

After a quick slice of market pizza and a basket of organic blueberries, we headed off to find a lake to kayak in... We ended up at a place called Grand Lake Flowage, and for anyone who drives to Digby often, its on the left, and it looks like a hundred trees died in it.. and certainly not a welcoming looking lake.

But what a beauty it turned out to be... Deep and quiet.... lots of big green dragonflies and an eagle or two as well.

The waterlogged trees were only at the start of the lake and after we got past those, it was glorious!

We took a small break on a little beach, and looked for paths and portages... of which there were none! Bill has a reputation of falling out of his kayak as he tries to get in it, or get out of it, so I had my camera at the ready several times.. but he disappointed me!

Enjoy some pictures of the adventure.. and just know that this Saturday was just a little bit of heaven for me.

Do your kids behave when they have a babysitter?

We were away for 10 days on a trip that took us to New Brunswick, Quebec and Ottawa. While we were away, our young neighbour Ashley, her little brother Patrick and their dad, Rob... took care of the house and the cats.

Now Meet Tonks...

Scared of her own shadow. She is just starting to enjoy sitting on the deck, while we are with her and while the door stays OPEN... at all times. She sits for quite a while in the door before she ventures out.

She often checks for the door while she is sitting in the grass, or on the deck (to make sure its open in case there is an emergency)

We were gone for 10 days and we have never been away from the house for that long so I was worried about the kitties. I had Ashley over and explained about each cat (over protective Mother, you know) and how they like this, or that, and about Tonks being shy (which she already knew). I asked that she make sure that Paralax was in before dark every night, and Pika could stay out for the night, since he seems to like to cause trouble in the middle of the night, trying to get out (usually knocking stuff off the dressers or ripping up toilet paper). Ashley had all her instructions typed out on the fridge... Tonks stays in always, Paralax can go out anytime but in before dark.. and Pika out all night..

After we got back and I talked to Ashley.. she explained that the black cat kept getting out of the house.. by the window... and I knew she was mixed up and meant Paralax or Pika, so we giggled over how bad they were.. and I left... wondering how they got out.

That evening Terry comes home after visiting Ashley's dad... with a real tale. Rob reminded Ashley to go and put the cats in or out each day and evening. One night he told Ashley to go feed them and make sure they were all in for the evening. Rob went out and came home 2 hours later and one of our cats was sitting on the door step, outside. He asked Ashley if she had put them in.. and she said she did.. but somehow one of the cats got out. He went over and put the BLACK cat back in. We only have one black cat... and that would be TONKS!!!

Same thing happened 2 more times..... but it wasn't just Tonks getting out, it was Paralax too. After the third time, Rob walked all through the house and couldn't figure out how they were getting out.. until he went to the back yard to water our garden.

That's is when he saw.... the screen that is in the window off the deck was pulled over... and with the lawn chair perfectly positioned... any cat, brave or otherwise, had a soft landing spot! What Terry had to verify was that it was TONKS who was out in the front yard for probably an hour each time... with no door open... quite happy to sit there... Now, we are not sure who actually opened the screen..... but we do know who took advantage of the situation~

You know.. you just get use to them... right?

We put things up at Christmas... and decide, they are "wintery" and leave them up after Xmas. Then.. you just get use to them....

Guess what I just took down last weekend....

Winter garland...

Well, at least its not Christmas lights on the outside of the house... right?

Glad that's over

I am really glad that I got all my cleaning done in the morning yesterday. By the afternoon I was feeling pretty nauseous and light headed. Of course, I have been known to dream "symptoms" up when my mind gets going. Some day I will tell you about my varicose vein story!

I am sort of thankful for the nausea because I certainly wasn't hungry.. which is mostly what I was worried about. I was shocked and dismayed at how fast the Pico-Salax worked and for how long. It certainly was gentle, as described by many, but man oh man... it lasted forever. My second dose was not really necessary but I had to take it... and it worked all night.. although it produced no extra product from my bowels... just the urge to try...... every half hour through the night.

5:30am came pretty early and we were at the hospital by 7 and I was comfortably settled into my Day Surgery Chair by 7:30... dressed in my cutsie paper slippers, my lovely nightgown and wedge wood blue hospital housecoat. One by one the other chairs filled up over the next half hour.. and by 8:00 all 6 chairs were filled with ladies, dressed the same, waiting for different procedures. As we all sat in silence, I expected to be called at any moment.. since I was first in line... but by 8:15 when nothing happened, I started to wonder if there was a problem. No, not really said our friendly nurse... "the Doctor doesn't start til 9:00am".

At this news we all sat in silence for a moment until she left... then I commented... Well if she doesn't start til 9:00, why did I have to be here at 7am. At this, we all chimed in, chatting about our lack of coffee, how cold it was in the hospital and hot outside... We laughed and giggled, sharing miseries and stories, and we became fast friends sharing in an unpleasant situation. I was first, and the only one to be getting a full colonoscopy... the others were all getting some other thing that only takes 10 minutes and no drugs... I was first and I had the longest procedure.. which I felt bad about since they would have to all wait for me to be done to get their 10 minutes of discomfort over. When the surgery nurse came to collect me.... I was sent off with well wishes and jokes!

11 years ago, when I had this procedure done, I was filled with fear of the unknown, not only of how this whole thing would go down (or up, for that matter) but also wondering if I had bowel cancer like my mom did... 11 years ago, the procedure was truly a piece of cake, not hard, only a little discomfort and with wonderful results ... perfectly healthy bowels. So, as I walked into the room today, I wasn't nervous one bit, and when I was explained to about the procedure, I could picture everything that was going to happen. The nurses were funny and helpful and after getting my Blood Pressure checked, my needle thing put in and a clippy thing attached to my finger, we waited for the Doctor. We laughed about my cupboard cleaning event yesterday, and they shared stories of 3 and 10 year old food items in their own cupboards.

I must say, once the doctor came it, things moved pretty quickly... happy drugs administered, moved into the proper position and then she began. Well, let me tell you... I have not experienced pain like that in a very long time.. if ever. I was shocked and scared. I did a lot of deep breathing, let me tell you.. and one of the nurses was right there at my head keeping me focused on my breathing. I really didn't think I was going to get through it. They even had to give me more happy juice... which I thanked God for... right there and then. Once she got to where she was going... all things were better, and smooth sailing after that... and as soon as she was done.. the pain was gone... sort of like childbirth. She pronounced that everything looked clean and healthy and it made it all worth it... I guess.

The best part of the day was after the 40 minute procedure, getting back to my room full of my ladies, to recover for an hour. The nurse brought me a carrot muffin, cheese and a coffee... and I was heckled and harassed by my cell mates and I noisily slurped my yummy coffee! Each one of these ladies went in and came out of their procedure.. got dressed and left... while I lay there "recovering". I was the first to arrive and the last to leave. Terry picked me up at a 11:00 and I was home and sleeping by 12 in my own bed. Lunch was a juicy tomato sandwich with ham... and cherries for dessert.. I actually nibbled all afternoon, making up for lost time.

The peace of my garden, was wonderful company for me this afternoon, while I read outside on the deck.

It's a start!

So, how do you start blogging again after you haven't blogged in almost 2 months. I think I will just start.

Today... my first day of official vacation time. Its actually my last day of work, but I am taking a "sick" day and I am not sick. But I am home today preparing for a routine colonoscopy which will take place tomorrow morning at 7 AM. When I booked my appt 3 months ago, I chose the first day of my vacation so that it would be done and I wouldn't have to think about it the rest of the summer. BUT, I didn't realize I had a whole day of fasting and "cleansing", the day BEFORE! Well, no harm done, I worked longer days to get everything done in 4 days instead of 5 and I am not only ready for vacation, but I am all ready for the start of the new school year, as well!

So, in honor of my "Cleansing" day, I dedicate today to cleansing my house. Not the normal dusting, cleaning, laundry stuff... this is the deep depths cleaning. I have cleaned out my pantry, my food cupboards and I am moving onto my linen closet and Tupperware and dish cupboards next.

I have FILLED a blue recycle bag with boxes from old crackers, cake mixes, rices & garbage bag boxes. I have discovered that I must have an addiction to buying crackers... using half the box and then leave the rest to get stale and old. But while I have this weakness, I think Terry has the same sort of addiction but for garbage bags. We have several opened, half used boxes of blue, clear and black garbage bags!!!! The other thing I have a lot of is dusting supplies. I have swiffer hand dusting thingies, I have floor swiffer sheets, I have "Endust" dust sheets... geesh! I think I better start using them. I threw out several popcorn flavorings.... I don't remember ever buying... and when you need a knife to get the "powder" out of the jar... its time to throw it out... I threw out sprinkles from Home Sense... dip mixes and flavored tea powders... YEAH!!! And the best part about today is that its GARBAGE day... and all my composted "old and Stales" as well as my blue bag of boxes is out at the street.... waiting for the next stage of their existence!

So while I suffer the trials of Jello, Gatorade and gas bubbles, my cupboards are feeling the refreshing results of a good cleanse (a lot sooner than I do)!

One Funny Day

I have so many blogs to write... but I had to pop this one in today. It was just a funny day.

First off, I was very determined today to accomplish a lot. I will be away from school for the next three days due to some in-servicing for a new Data Base program for next year. This is very stressful for me.. since I like to be in total control of my world and everyone else's! Linda and I were quiet, heads down, hard at it... plugging away at little projects and big ones. On a normal day there is a constant flow of little ones coming in the office for snacks, for bandaids, for calls to home. Some bear little notes from teachers who are looking for something. Others come because of behaviour issues, either in the classroom or on the playground. But today, the morning was unusually quiet. We forged ahead, heads down, both in our own little worlds. Recesses came and went with a few interruptions but then it was quiet again... awesome day!

It was shortly after the noon hour recess began that we had our first incident.. with a young fellow falling on a pole and receiving one of the biggest goose egg bumps I have seen in a while. He arrived at the office with his brave but scared face covered with his hand.. and we quickly sat him down, and applied ice. This young fella had a constant round of visitors from the playground to see if he was alright.. Next came several normal scraps, bumps and bug bite needs.

Just as I was about to sit down for the 10th time.. I hear coming down the hall... yelling... and it was coming fast. I got up to see what was happening.. and before I could take a step.. a young blond boy flew in the office, rounded the corner down my hallway and headed into the STAFF washroom... all the while yelling. He was going so fast, I couldn't really make out what he was saying and only understood once he had completely gone by me.

He was yelling... "I have to PEEEEE"... "I have to PEEEE". Once it registered, I rushed down the hall to be of assistance... but just like the Streaker Song..... I was too late. And so was he. The entire front of his little jeans were dark blue with "wet". I redirected him back out to the hall and to the children's bathroom and asked him if he still needed to pee.. and he indicated yes.

I got him safely to the washroom, but by the time I got to my desk, I heard this ungodly yelling, coming from the bathroom.. so off I go. The poor little guy couldn't get his belt undone... geesh.. so I stood in the boys washroom door and helped him get his belt undone.. and I watched him make his way into the stall to finish what he needed to do. Before he rounded the corner of the stall I was treated to the view of his little butt as he unceremoniously yanked down his jeans, undies and all.

He spent the next 30 minutes with me, sitting in a plastic chair, coloring and singing, while he waited for his Grammie to come with new clothes! I would like to add that this little guy from grade 1, came in the doors from the playground, passed his classroom which has a bathroom, ran down a long hallway, to make it to the office to use our bathroom.. for whatever reason.!

The afternoon was not nearly as quiet, but flew by, just the same.. and then it was bus dismissal. One little one couldn't find her sister, and as she reported to me that her sister was not where she was suppose to be, her lip quivered with bravery and fear. We called the classroom, we called the bus lines outside. She explained to me that she and her sister always walk home together. They were in Primary and One. She and I walked outside and walked to the crossing guard to see if he saw her sister. Just as we got to him, the little girl spotted her dad, driving a van towards us. She bolted from my grip and ran out on the road.. giving me, the crossing guard and her dad heart attacks. Apparently, her sister walked home without her today. GEESH!

Got lots done today.. but had to stay until 6:00pm to get it done...