Boy am I ever behind!

Alright, I admit it....I suck at keeping this thing up. I shall try to do better in the future. In the meantime, lets put the berating aside and I will catch you up on a few things happening the LaFrance abode.

So we have finished the little bathroom upstairs as much as we can for now. The shower rip out/replacement will have to be a spring job as I don't have it in me financially or energy-wise. But I have fixed the vanity, painted it a beautiful chocolate brown, installed a new countertop, sink and faucet (YES ME!! lol) new fixtures, lighting and painted it. To cover the HIDEOUS shower we painted the outer tile white (we aren't using it so it shouldn't scratch) and hung a shower curtain to hide the awful 80's glass door. So now it looks like a beautiful spa getaway. The mood is so much calmer than the old yellow and blue theme. I love those colours but the tones were harsh and made you feel anxious. Just glad it is done for now and hopefully it won't be too long until we have a new shower in there.

In other house news we tore down the one shed and now have much more lawn. Turns out there was a HUGE dirtpile hiding behind the shed so we have turned that into a new garden that will have some pretty annuals but will mostly be a fruit and veg garden. My dinnerplate hibiscus is out in bloom and I am so excited! I wish I had pictures to download. Soon I promise! While the vast amounts of rain were crappy for our social lives, our basement (ugh...don't even get me started) and our pool time; it did wonders for our plants. Next year we plan on builing nice retaining walls around the beds and raising the dirt level to ammend the soil so that they can do that much better next year. I never thought I would be that into plants....go figure!

The master bedroom remains undone. I think Shawn and I are just exhausted....maybe at some point this month we will tackle that one. Maybe by then I will have some photos! LOL

My sister Sarah came up to visit for a few days. It was great to see her again. We hung out by the pool, went shopping, got my haircut and went to the Winona Peach Festival. It was an all round good visit. I often wish she lived closer so we could do things like that more often. It's hard not having family close sometimes.

We took the kids to St Jacobs the weekend before school started. The Lego store there is one of their most favourite places in the whole world. Got some yummy veggies at the market and toured the stores in the village. Then we took a quick juant to Waterloo where there is a great park with a zoo of sorts and a splash pad. It was a fun visit made all the more fun by our travelling companions the Thompsons. Their kids went to our kids old school and over the last few years we have been fortunate to become friends with them. We love our visits and the kids really love seeing the people they miss.

We have been given Church callings now too! Shawn is now the gospel doctrine teacher and I am activity day leader for the girls (formally known as achievment girls leader) I just got called this last Sunday so I have yet to do anything as far as my calling is concerned, but I am so proud of Shawn and how well he is doing in the calling. Think I would get in trouble for flirting with the teacher??

The kids started their new school on Tuesday. So far things are going well. Jenna has adjusted well (as if there was any doubt) and Ethan has had a few bumps but it hasn't been a bad transition. The teachers are very involved and are easy to work with. It's always nice to know that you have someone with a vested interest in having your kids succeed and be happy working with you. The LRT has been FABULOUS. She spends time with him every day so far. I hope that she continues to have a close working relationship with him. I am not sure how much of that he got before.

As for me, I started a new job this week at Quiznos. Now I know this isn't anyones idea of a dream job but it's something to keep me busy while the kids are in school. I work from 9-2:30 Mon-Fri so it is perfect as far as letting me be the mom I want to be. We will see how things like holidays and PA days go, but for now it suits me. I feel a little overwhelmed still. There are over 20 sandwiches I have to learn how to build, and learning the routine has been interesting. I never get to sit down which is bad in one way and good in another. I hate being bored on the job. We had a lot of that post Christmas rush at the portrait studio. But man I am exhausted!!!! It's go go go all day long. I am having the hardest time remembering things and getting the hang of it. I am sure it will come. The boss said during my interview it takes about 3 weeks to a month and I am only on day 2. So hopefully it won't be too long before it all kicks into high gear and I become a sandwich making phenoem! Wish me luck!!

In other news....my bro in law and his lovely wife, and our friends Rob and Victoria are buying a house (not together obviously! LOL)!!!!!!! I am so thrilled for all of them! I know how happy we are to finally have a home of our own, it's nice to see others have the same kind of happiness.

Anyway, after a long day or work and kids that's about all I have in me for now. Sorry I haven't been doing my blogging duty. I will try to make it up to you soon! Thanks for reading!