Mostly Pictures

{Because I am too tired for words}

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{Because it was a beautiful, but early, morning}

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{Because it is Tuesday}

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{Because the fish in this canal needed rescuing}
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{Because Steven could get a scout badge out of it}

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{Because I don't want you to think all the fish were little}
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{Because this was the only way I could crop the friend and publish Steven}

We're working on Halloween Costumes and practising Christmas music . . .



It must be September?

SPT: Because of a blogger

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Because of a blogger I have a photo wall.

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Because of a blogger I hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for my neighborhood.

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Because of a blogger I'm going to make a knotted tulle skirt with Chloe for a birthday party gift.

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Because of a blogger I've got some new french recipes, and a daughter who knows how to make them.

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Because of a blogger, I take self-portraits!
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That's a lot of KD

Yesterday, the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank set a Guinness World Record for the most food collected for a food bank in a single day.

Our church has been working locally with the food bank for the past 4 years on a special collection drive day, and each year we've collected more and more. This year the food bank made it a goal to set a new world record and had people in place to verify the quantity of food collected: about 500,000 pounds.

Earlier in the week each of our 4 kids delivered plastic bags and flyers with a request to leave food on doorsteps Saturday morning to be collected by volunteers.

Saturday morning Carmen, Steven, and Chloe jumped in the back of the truck (we took pity on Jaclyn who has had more early mornings than the other kids and we let her sleep in).

We drove our route and stopped when we spotted a plastic bag on the doorstep.

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Then we delivered our load to the church, where missionaries packed the food for delivery to the food bank.

Because our church is organized geographically we could canvas every street, and every neighbourhood in the city was able to participate in the city-wide food drive. On an individual participant level there couldn't be an easier service project, but it was satisfying to be part of something big like collecting $1M of food in one day.

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Why did we have to run our route so early?

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Why else?

What do I do when I'm not blogging?

With the way I've been tearing around in my car the past 2 weeks, I should have a speeding ticket by now - I'm a little concerned about the lack of police presence in my city.

I tell myself I'll save my planners and calendars to look back on, but maybe not. (I'm a chucker)
So, here is a sample of my upcoming week:

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Things look like they're slowing down a little the next week . . .

No more Monday night practises

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We are down to football only 5 days a week,



and we couldn't be happier!
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(It's as if the coach consulted with me because Carmen rides on Mondays, and Chloe won't let FHE slide.)

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But yes, Kelly, Steven is having fun. He's also growing at a rate I can't believe. Football has been great for him and worth all the time and dedication. Steven is tougher mentally as well as physically, he's grown in confidence (which I didn't think was possible), he's a better worker (I didn't think he was lacking here before, either). It's been so positive for him, I now feel that football is the ultimate team sport.

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p.s. Hockey registration is this Thursday.

I was kidding

When I told Jaclyn I wanted to walk her to her bus stop on her first day and take her picture getting on the bus for the very first time (because I have driven or carpooled her to school from K-9) I was only kidding.
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But then the bus didn't pick up Jaclyn, or any of the other would-be passengers standing there, 3 out of the 4 days she tried to catch it. I phoned and emailed city transit customer service each of those 3 days, with no resolution. The advice on day 2 was to wave down the bus like a taxi - maybe the driver doesn't know she wants on.
(What else does the bus driver think she is doing at the stop?)

Day 3 she waved down the bus and the driver motioned back to her,
"Too bad, I'm not stopping."

Day 3 customer service suggested maybe the bus was too full to stop. Well, Jaclyn told me that the bus on the way home is more full than the bus when it drives on by her in the morning, so I wasn't buying it. I took a new tactic and phoned the Calgary Board of Education and got the name and number of the supervisor at City Transit responsible for students riding public buses, and made another phone call.



Then today I really walked her to her stop with a camera around my neck.
Or rather, we walked separately on opposite sides of the street so that no one would know I was her mom, though I fear the synchronization of our arrival still gave me away, and I stood back between the trees on my side of the street to obscure my view from the eventually arriving bus. I was going to get a picture of how full that bus was(n't) to email to transit customer service.


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Only it stopped and picked her up!

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When I got home I had an email from customer service telling me that the area supervisor rode Jaclyn's route this morning and ensured everyone got on.

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And that is the story of how I got a picture of my baby taking the bus to high school.

Back in the Saddle

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I'm back in the saddle again.

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Out where a friend is a friend.

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Whoopi-ty-aye-yay,

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I go my way.

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Back in the saddle again.
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I'm back in the saddle again.

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Five for Friday

1. It's been an expensive couple of weeks. School supplies, school fees, start-up costs for fall activities. Ken likes me to alert him when I write a *big* cheque, so I've been doing a lot of financial reporting. The other night I started to tell Ken about yet another large cheque I'd written and he said, "It doesn't even matter anymore." I don't want to know what that means.

2. School is going smoothly, except for Jaclyn's transportation. We bought her a city transit pass, she researched the routes online, and the first day went well. The second and third day the bus drove right past Jaclyn, and several other students, waiting at the stop in the morning. I contacted city transit and they say that the bus driver must have thought the kids were waiting for a charter school bus which also stops there. But he didn't stop to check? So now Jaclyn is going to try flagging her bus down like a taxi.

3. Way back on September 1st (so 4 days ago, but it seems longer than that) the boys in the family went to the Stampeder's Labor Day Classic, and the girls and I went to Heritage Park for Lord Strathcona's Musical Ride. Carmen has done a bit of dressage in her riding lessons and she was very keen on seeing the musical ride. In fact, Carmen's planned Halloween costume is to dress as a member of the RCMP Musical Ride. (Amanda: check out that RCMP link, they are coming your way.)

4. Ken's sister has cancer. Christy had cancer nearly 17 years ago in her right eye, which was removed, and as far as cancer goes, a straight forward fix. This time around the detection of cancer has come very early. So early that all the bad news is wrapped up in the good news of early detection, the key to treating cancer in general. So early that it traces back to her doctor making what can only be described as an inspired decision to call for an un-indicated test at her last physical. The big *yeah, but* is of course that we wish she didn't have cancer at all.

5. Yesterday and today I babysat Christy's dog while she went in for surgery. I stayed home all day, not for the dog's sake, rather to be close to the phone I guess, and it is nice to spend a whole day home. I've been wanting to try canning little cakes for a long time now and finally got to it yesterday. I threw canning lids on these babies while they were still hot, and they sealed up no problem. I have no idea if they'll keep, and around our house we'll never find out, but it is a cute way to give a cupcake. Twice the cake of a cupcake, too.