Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I went tobogganing with my girls this aft: beautiful weather. We purchased a sleigh, went for coffee and then hauled ourselves up the mountain. Pip loved being pulled in the sleigh. M&D arrive within the hour--fondue tonight,sweets, games and skating on the pond in Wilden--if my ankle can handle the skate touching it. So far I can't wear my winter boots against it. I really hurt it snowboarding--I have no idea how or when. All I know is it feels like someone took a hammer to it. Big girls decorating ginger bread as I write this and Pip asleep. Peter due home from work soon. We have so much snow--it looks amazing outside, except it is warm so all the snow has melted from the trees.

Superlatives

Whoa..a crazy time at good old Starbucks. Misty dumped my venti hot tea all over her lap--I dumped a cup of ice water onto her immediately.I was at a jam-packed mall during Christmas rush with 4 kids--insane, I know. She suffered only 1st degree burns--thank God.But needless to say, after I shouted out a few choice & panicked superlatives, we exited the mall immediately, sans the tea. Going snowboarding all day tomorrow. Must get bay sitter for at least 3h. Wolf painting coming along. Mom and Dad will arrive for Christmas next Monday??? I will go to Nelson on Friday or Saturday. Peter is unsure of his plans due to his usual--PHD. Will make the traditional gingerbread cookies with the girls on Sunday. Pip looks so adorable in two little pony tails--like a big girl.

Buttocks

The Mist, Tabs and I had the most amazing time yesterday. We went tobogganing on our private mountain. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, we could see the lake through the trees. The snow was new and deep. My mini luge was awesome. It was so fun. A winter wonderland. I took Mist and Maddi to "The Golden Compass." I really liked it--the best kid's movie I've seen in a long while. Tabs went to a Christmas party at a friends while we attended the movie. A social butterfly. She wore her black sheer 1920's style dress--so adorable. I need as sleigh to pull Pip up the mountain next time--she's too little to walk all the way to our secret toboggan run. Will attend a Christmas party at the Arellano's this afternoon with the entire family and then get our tree and decorate the house. Decided to stop editing "Sugar Shack" and move on to writing "An idiot's guide to Sasquatch tracking" while it's bubbling in my mind. Will continue on with the paintings as well. Decided to start a painting project I've been wanting to do for a long while--as soon as I've done my illustrations. Get ready...Butt portraits. Yes, I want to paint portraits of bottoms for a series in black and white. I believe every one's bottoms are as unique and as recognizable as their faces. So if you'd like to be part of my series, I will eventually make it around to painting your portrait.Be brave. It should be a fun series that I will do in my own spare time. Eventually I'll have an incredible collection to exhibit. Maybe a famous buttocks or two in there as well. Who knows.

Cordelia the 3 legged Lynx

Tell me--does this work in the context of "photos" the characters took of Cordelia. I felt Biscuit worked--I need input on this one. I am at a crossroads.

Rock Concert

Skating again tonight. Tabs will teach me how to stop hockey style. Tabs bumped her head at school yesterday--both Peter and I were called. I was down town. We both sped to the school. Tabs is OK, mainly shaken up. Her head banged between two desks. Misty's rock concert tomorrow night. I can hardly wait. She'll be performing an ACDC and Mika's Lollypop. Mist says she now wants to study classical ballet and train. So we'll see about next year--she's enjoying her lyrical ballet but stil I was surprised as she's always said she dislikes ballet. Pip is getting over her cold and as frisky as ever. I finished my Lynx painting and will start the wolves today. 2 more paintings and then I'll concentrate on writing again. Don't know what I'll do this x-mas and New Years. Sunpeaks booked solid. Peter planning to work all holiday. So perhaps a visit to Nelson, Vancouver and Kamloops? But when and how--do not know yet. Or maybe a flight out to Guelph--better wait until after Texas for that.

Kamloopa

The girls and I have been successfully holding our tea ceremony/meditation time each night. I play buddhist meditation music, turn on the fire place and pour the tea. The Tabs and Mist are becoming quite the meditators. However, Weldy is definately NOT invited tonight. All he did was click, click his nails all around us, sneezing into our tea and trying to lick us. We got the flu shot yesterday--took the girls out to "The Bread Co," for coffee afterward to relax. Will take them skating tonight. All our winter wonderland had melted--no more tobagganing for while. The mini luge I bought was so fun! Went to "Dejarlling Ltd"--enjoyable.The brother's relationships were familiar.I am so excited about my masters--it is so timely. Just when Stats Canada announced they are desperate for English Literacy research as 1 in 5 Candians are immigrants--and I will be tutoring immigrant women who want to write the English test to get into university--the perfect study group!Will take Tabs and Pip to Kamloopa to hear Gran sing on Friday. Mist has a baby sitting course and sleepover party so she will stay with her Dad.