Weekend Already?

Tabitha , Mistaya and their collection of Webkins for the pleasure of a certain little girl in Ontario--Anemone.

Friday night--Tabs seems better. I have wrangled peter into accompanying me to "Sex in the City." Beach weather--tomorrow we'll go hang out for awhile. Nearly done my buffalo painting.

Pip said "cute kitty" to Silver. Gotta go put together a grilled-chicken, Caesar salad.

IN MY BACKYARD

Black widow male in our garage--soon to be placed in the forest.

Possibly the most beautiful wild flower ever, found in our front yard--notice the spiral tendrils. Both discovered by my budding biologist, Mistaya.

Worried--Tabs got back from soccer and complained her lungs feel stuffy and it is hard to breath. She's on sulfa for a bladder infection. Peter has taken her into the medi clinic.

Pippi--Wonder Girl.

A beautiful night tonight. I suggested a picnic in the yard for supper and said we could just put a blanket in the grass. Then I started to make sandwiches. Mean while, unbeknown to us, Pip slipped downstairs, turned on the garage light, whipped inside and got down our Mexican picnic blanket and brought it upstairs. She is a genius! And now that I am full-on bragging, (not about my parenting mind-you) today she and Tabs were in the yard and I went into the kitchen to make them lunch. I left Tabs colouring at the table and watching Pip. Then, Ding-Dong 2X--the front door. Sure enough, the little dickens had ran around to the front yard and rang our front door bell!

Tabs is home with a bladder infection--unusual, Mist's best friend also has one--must be spring allergy related. Anyway, the doctor asked Tabs "do you have to get up at night and pee?" and Pip answered firmly,"No." Tabs amused herself making paper mache jewelry in the kitchen.
Mist is at Maddi's. Any minute she will arrive home and we will all go and play tennis and then an evening bike ride as my bike is fixed and ready to ride.

Up since 4am this morning. Pip has a nasty habit of throwing all her blankets from her crib and her soother and screaming for us at inhuman hours. Gotta break her of that.

Peter did an awesome intro job for Dr. Willinski at UBC. It's on the net--will post address soon.

Big-Daddy is looking good.

You Gotta Love This Billboard:

Yes, this is for real. It greets those entering Kelowna via Vancouver. Mist was the one to first read it. She thinks it's "revolting."
I think it's hilarious.
Hard workout day:run and Bear Creek hike with Pip on my back. It was hot out.
Pip and I are both addicted to Blue October's "Hate Me."
Just got back from Tabs dance lessons and now Mist has just left with her dad for ballet.
My I Pod dock isn't working very well and it is interrupting my painting! I need my music to paint to.
Man, I crave an adventure lately. I need to travel somewhere exotic.

Home Alone

Rained all night and this morning we're hidden in a low fog creeping up from the lake. Walked across the new bridge yesterday to celebrate its grand opening. Fireworks last night but it was raining too hard so we didn't walk to the top of the mountain to watch.
Peter and the mole in the back yard are experiencing similar life styles: the mole digs through dirt and builds mounds of soil; Peter digs through literature and builds mounds of dissertation. Hope one of them surfaces for air soon.

Big Daddy--my buffalo painting--hopefully will be finished this week. I love painting buffalo, they are such a big part of my childhood identity: any kid raised on the open prairie in western Canada can relate--discovering old buffalo rolling pits in the fields, old buffalo trails in the dirt, searching for buffalo skulls.

Need to get back to meditating--too busy this weekend. My mind is suffering.

WEEKEND--KELOWNA, BC

Family and friends congregated in Kelowna this weekend. We partied hard: Mom, Theresa, Kyran, Miranda, Aunt Penelope, Uncle Sephton, Gloria and Carmen, Archie and Hermie. And PJ, MJ, Mist, Tabs, and Pippi.

Manteo Beach Party

Pip in the dress Gran made for her.
Party tonight at the Manteo Beach Club--I'm bringing my disco ball and I-Pod station. Most of us will be knackered--Miranda from a day of gruelling interviews, Theresa from the long drive and the rest of us will just have to rise to the occasion and rock the UBC suite. Here's hoping I get some great pics of us dancing the night away...

You Know You're Knackered When...

I put psoriasis cream all over my face this morning thinking it was my face cream. And what is worse is that I didn't even catch on until about a half an hour later when I went to clean up my bathroom and found the tube of cream with the top off, just where I put my face cream. I kinda wondered why the texture was a little different. However, my skin was actually really smooth and even toned all day.
Must find some time off each week to relax. Believe it or not I have zero down time. Zero. I have no time to even read.It is this society. Up at 5:30 and I go all day until I crash at 10:00 p.m. Often I am awoken several times in the night by Pippi crying out, or Peter coming and going or the other girls needing me or some vermin chewing in the wall. Not to complain, but I am feeling past tired this week and am considering a day off a week that I don't paint and only run-- skip the 6 am gym. I so need Queen MJ veg time so I can be more productive.
Mom is here and we are awaiting the arrival of Miranda. She escaped the secret service and a dinner date to sneak up the mountain to see us.
We just got back from soccer practice with the girls and brought home Taco Time take out as the chicken I was going to cook smelled fowl. I am very picky about any meat I consume. If it smells a little strange--me no eat!

Fuzzy Buzzy is Back!

Will start to paint in a minute despite supreme exhaustion. Up through out the night with a flash light, trying to locate the exact spot an intermittent gnawing sound was coming from within my bedroom wall-floor. Some creature has moved in, I fear! Backing a massive wilderness park has some interesting consequences. We have a mole that lives in our yard, a pack rat that lives in the rock wall, visiting quails, raccoons, deer, coyotes, and the rare bear or cougar. Who knows who's moved in with us. Our house was built only 8 years ago. So this is a new uninvited guest.

Pip and I enjoyed story-song time at the library this am. She is getting more independent and insisted on sitting by herself on a stuffed toy, rolling about in her pink tulle dress, flashing her diaper on occasion while grabbing her toes.

Mom arrives tomorrow, Miranda flies in early evening. Theresa and KW on the weekend and Aunt Penny and Sephton some time Friday I think??? Miranda is going to be whisked away by the UBC secret service and guarded fanatically her entire 2 days here. Even a promise of a Zombie three-some with two hot zombie boys hasn't broken through their guard (JK!!!).

Perhaps an early morning breakfast on Saturday at Monteo resort will be our only chance to meet. Shall we say 7am at the Wild Apple Grill?

Mist and Tabs have a little cold or bad allergies but are in school today. Tabs has a soccer tournament this weekend and the girl's big dance recitle for the Canadian School of Ballet is June 14th for all you fans out there.

PS Darling Fuzzy Buzzy will be making a debut on facebook for all you friend wanna-bees out there. Yes, it is true, at the tender age of 41, she does qualify as a cougar--Mr. Enchilada.

Summer--Penelope Scarlett Style...

Pippi with a robin's egg she found in Granny's back yard.

Pippi and her hat.

Kamloops, BC

Mistaya Tabitha Melissa(me) Kyran

Summer fun in Granny and Grandad's back yard. A beautiful hot day in Kamloops yesterday. Lazed around, went to Zack's for coffee, enjoyed Granny's cuisine.

Brain Games

Busy days. I've been getting the Mist up early with me to bike and run. Running is going great and biking is coming--we've had flat tires, broken gears slowing us down.
KW and Tess and dogs visit. T moved on to Vancouver and I will take KW and Mist to the bus station today as they prepare to visit the gang in Kamloops:Gran, Grandad,Cat, Brad,Hen and Sask. Hot weather lately 30 o weekend. KW and I and Pippi will volunteer for hot lunch in Tabs class today.
Tabs hurt her foot so missed soccer practise.
Buffalo coming slowly.
Summer holiday plans still in limbo as Peter tries to finish dissertation.
I've designed a three step program for Tabitha to deal with her anxieties. All based on reprogramming her brain. One is meditation with me. One is roll playing (she as dentist/doctor etc), the other is DS Brainage games to relax her and exercise the math side of her brain. This, I found has always helped my anxiety. When I'm anxious, I get the girls to either play chess or mastermind with me. It is my personal research that has convinced me of this: Math cures anxiety. And in my family we all have strong math brains and anxiety. Go figure.
painting is actually math--puzzle building. Not many people realize that unless they are a painter themselves,but painting does exercise the math side of the brain. Gotta go wake up Mist for our run...

Meditation for the Nation

Neuroscience may explain the Dalai Lama
A new study reveals that meditation may increase empathy, benevolence.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23829470/

Tabitha Twitchet

Tabitha looks like an angel...just don't put her in a dentist's chair. I took her to the specialist--a pediatric dentist who specializes in behavioural problem dental patients. Well, he said laughing gas is out of the question in a case like this as she wouldn't even let his assistants take dental x-rays of her back teeth. So, she requires sedation and won't get in to have her teeth filled until July! And I had to hold the appointment with a 450$ deposit that my insurance company won't pay until after she's had the "surgery."

Went on the Mom and Tot hike down to the lake again. Pip fell asleep once again--something about that lake air...
Blocked in my buffalo painting. Decided to go back to colour to keep things interesting.
Bought Mist an awesome new bike today--powder blue Giant--I love it. Lots more to report but supper is ready and I haven't eaten in 7hours.

Family Photos

The new monkey baby with her parents and grandmothers(Nicole and Mistaya).

My little Tabi the soccer star.

Me at work in my studio--note :I can do it all--one hand writing, the other painting!

Happy Mother's Day

Sandra Patricia

Mary Elizabeth

FINTRY

A great morning in Fintry. This is me and my 30 pounder after a hike straight up to the falls.

Mist had a sleep over last night. She and Nicole's "Pet" monkeys got married and had a baby--they celebrated with a baby shower for the wee monkey--cute and crazy!

Peter took the am off to hike with us.

Tabs feeling better after a week complaining about her "tummy-tum."

Tennis tonight. Tomorrow perhaps the Kettle Valley Railway hike and Peter's BBQ dinner and the Mexican movie "Bella" or a German movie "Counterfeits." The scientist excavating the old Kettle Valley work camps has invited us up to his sight this summer. Should be wonderful as I am a bit of a Kettle Valley fanatic ever since I wrote the book "Peter Notpizzaface and the Decrepit Caboose."

PS: I just got the most fab camera in the world! A Canon Rebel XTi with two lenses--now I have lenses to cover 15-300mm. Thank-you to: Peter, Mistaya, Tabitha and Pippi.XOXOXXO!

PS II: I must confess, I am turning into a coward. I actually payed Tabs ten dollars to capture the alive and well mouse Silver was playing with and release it into the wilderness behind our house.

PS III: That ****ing School of Rock most politely dumped my entire family from their ****ing school. Just because Mistaya quit they suddenly had to rearrange all the bands and had no room for Tabitha as she was suddenly too young for the school. Sour grapes I'd say. Anyway, the kids were really learning squat and private lessons are now in the works.

--gotta go meditate and then tuck myself in bed early to read my Rebel manual!

FIDO (Peter as Zombie Cop)

A still from the movie "Fido."

This is Peter staring as a Zombie Cop arresting some man for harbouring his Zombie wife. Note how hot he looks in that Zombie Cop uniform...

Peugeot Classic and Me

Followed Mist and Maddi down the mountain this am. They biked to school. 5 km of steep mountain road--not the safest journey.
I caught the girls sore throat--*#%**! My asthma has been acting up the last few days and now I know it's because of the virus. However, managed a run and a mountain hike with the Mom's and Tot group at Bear creek. Creek and falls swollen with chocolate, foaming water. Quite breath taking. A big male deer blocked the trail on my run and would not move--I decided to give him his space and ran through the bush to avoid a possible charge from him.
Peter pulling 12 hour days so not too much family time happening lately. He's always rushing our the door to pick up some keynote speaker from here or there. Finally got a still from the movie FIDO--will post Peter's acting debut soon.
Will take the girls out for supper tonight--where at when? Don't know as Tabs has band from 5:30-6:30 and Pip isn't feeling that great with a bad cough so I don't want dinner out at 7--too late for the Pip.
Will shop with mist for a new bike as her legs are super long and she is ready for an adult bike. My15 year old Peugeot was a hit at the bike shop--a classic, all the mountain bike fanatics were crazy about it. It was a 4000$ bike 15 years ago so maybe it is sweet.
A break from painting as I plan my next portrait: Buffalo or moose.
Silver's mouse toll at three and counting.

Self Portrait

Hike last night was so beautiful it seemed like I was walking in a dream. The hills were covered in yellow--Oregon grape flowers and balsam root. We picnicked on a large rock island in the lake.

Painted all day. Yes, I took advantage of my dear daughter Tabitha who was home sick with a bad cold: I had her entertain Pip in the morning so I could paint.
Watched "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"--well done.Will have a giant party in August to show all my portraits--use my house as a gallery.Black Tie, so I can wear a floor length gown of course.

We Call him the Lion King

has her first sleep over it was fun melissa***j.k. tabitha did this

Little Tabs was messing with my blog...anyway... Silver, formally thought of as a 'community liver' has outdone himself and caught his first mouse. He came barreling into the living room the other night as I was meditating, and I was about to chastise him for interrupting my zen moment when I realized that he'd brought a little critter friend with him. The whole thing was rather horrifying and the mouse ended up dying from fright, I presume. But at least now I know that Silver is a real cat. He was so proud of himself that he strutted around for a few days with a giant Cheshire grin on his little white face. Even Peter noticed the difference in his demeanor.
Some crazy, bitter woman barked at me and Pippi in the grocery store yesterday am. "Hurry up! Grab your kid and get out of the way!" she yelled at Pip, who was walking into the store just behind me in her little girl steps. There are a lot of really bitter and twisted people out there. Just a few months ago we were yelled at in another store and I was told I was "an ignorant bitch!" for not getting out of some nasty woman's way fast enough. I guess it's a little bad karma I must endure for all the really nice compliments we often receive from strangers.

Party was a raging success--four friends over last night. Man, there wasn't any space for me to retreat to--children in every nook and cranny.

Tennis tonight and coffee out.

Pippity Pop--Looking for Mischief

Tot Terror

Pip vanished yesterday--I prepared a tea party for her and Tabi and when the tea was ready, I called Pip and asked Tabs to go and get her (I'd left her watching Lion King). Tabs appeared saying she could not find Pip--unusual as Pip is the kind of a girl who would never miss a tea party and a chance for snacks. I searched the entire upper floor--closets, under beds, everywhere. No Pip. I ran down stairs and searched the entire lower foor. Nothing. I got Tabs, Mist and Mist's friend Maddi to keep searching the entire house as I searched our yard. NO sign of Pip. My voice was hoarse from yeling her name. At this point I realized she was either: trapped somehwere in the house and couldn't call out, or had wondered out the front door and was somewhere in the neighborhood. I needed a bigger search team and fast. I called 911 "I can't find my baby!" I yelled. As I was on the phone with them, something possesed me to go into my bedroom yet again. I ripped back my douvet, in despiration, and there she was, flat as a pancake lying with her eyes closed and a smile on her little face. I told the dispatcher, "I found her! She's hiding on me!". What a Shock. She was completely flat and undetectable under my douvet. And she just turned 2! How does a child that age deliberatley hide, still and silent after 15 min of the entire house searching for her and calling for her??? My adrenelin high crashed and I needed an early night last night, let me tell you.
So, today sunshine and spring dresses.Bear nearly complete--So into my portraits. My focus is clear and strong: "In your face" portraits of humans and other animals--close and a little unusual.
Sliver still in my thumb since weekend. Not pretty. Mist decided to quit the rock band. She wasn't into electric guitar.Tabs soccer tonight, then a sleep over party at our house on Friday--to make up for her birthday sleepover that was cancelled due to her 41 oC temp.
Buttoning down the hatches in prep for a day with the Pip. Will take her to Mission park, Chapters and then the healthfood store this am--excitement awaits! Peter insanely busy with conference he's hosting for the next week.