Just Jordan

1.  I am thoroughly enjoying my new closet organization. I have worn approximately a weeks worth of shirts and like this new system more and more everyday. One of the unexpected loves of this organization is that I have all my "layers" organized by color in one section of my closet. I have all my layering tees together and then all my blazers/cardigans together. Once I have my top in hand, it is easy to see the pieces that will go with it.  I also pulled all of the seasonal items from spring and summer that I thought I 'might' use in the winter out of my rotation. This is partly because I unexpectedly have way more tops than I thought (about 30). The number I have actually made me think I need to start getting rid of some of the tops I just like rather than love.  If I don't eliminate some, it will be too long between wears of some of the items I love. Boone wouldn't model with the book for me. Lawson was happy to ;-) 2. One of Boone's favorite boo...

Where to begin? It has been too long since I updated Lawson's growth. Lawson is typically a content baby. The photo above isn't a great picture, but she isn't a smiley baby, so her pearly whites (all four of them) are hard to catch on camera (and you actually can't see any of them in that picture!). Lawson loves to be carried around and for the most part is quite happy to sit on anyones lap. She took her first steps at the end of December and this last week is choosing walking as her preferred mode of transportation. We have really noticed how much happier Lawson is now that she is walking. Lawson's favourite places to be in our home are the basement and in her bedroom. She likes to be around others, so as long as someone is hanging out with her she is typically happy. Lawson LOVES a bath. She splashes and plays as long as we'll let her. Calder has started feeling "too big" to bath with her and Boone, so Lawson and Boone have started a new ...

1.  We just subscribed to Shomi  . You can set it up to be billed through your cable service provider or through your credit card. I chose credit card because that way I could easily use it on a second device. Hugh and I have gotten into Vikings and I have fallen in love with Jane the Virgin.  Boone fell in love with Bubble Guppies!  There is lots more content I am excited to explore. I will let you know what else I find! 2.  Deena wrote a fabulous post about receiving a Hall of Fame award at the Shellbrook Sports Awards on Saturday. Our team, the Ganza, won 9 provincial titles in a row and in the tenth year went up a category to attend Westerns winning silver at provincials. I was with the team for the last 5 years.  Ganza was truly special.  I am #4.  3.  The back to work countdown is on. I head back next Thursday for a half day (unofficially) and Friday for a full day (officially). I am starting in a new building and have 2 new mat...

My automatic timer. What is it? It is a programable timer. It plugs into the wall and its side has an outlet that you can plug any device into. It can be programmed to turn things on and off at a given time. Its manual describes its use to include having a lamp go on and off at different times which could be used to make it look like someone is home. I use it for my slow cooker. Why do I love it? One of my biggest pet peeves with using the slow cooker is that typically things get over done. Meat can get dry and thicker sauces can burn. When working I am gone from the house for 9 hours. This is way too long to set something in a slow cooker to cook, even on low. I had family members search for a programable slow cooker for my birthday this year. I wanted one with a delay start. After much searching, my sister, Jes, and Hugh proclaimed that a slow cooker with that feature does not exist. You can find slow cookers that flip from a cooking setting to a "keep warm" setting...

Calder has been thriving at school. We had parent teacher interviews in November and were so proud of the behaviour we are told Calder exhibits in class. More recently we attended his school's mass and Christmas concert. It got a bit long. Like a lot long. It went 1.5 hours before the cookies and hot chocolate social. For our young crew it was a bit much. (And quite frankly, for most peoples' crews it was too long.  That analysis is based on the sheer chaos that ensued after mass during the Christmas concert portion. ) Calder's class, along with an older grade, sang "Angels We Have Heard on High". We spoke to Calder prior to the event about using his voice and having fun. Although they aren't singing in the picture below, this is what Calder looked like while they were singing. I could not stop laughing. Calder will tell you he didn't sing because Hugh was at the back raising his arms and singing during the "Gloooooooria" part, but we all know h...

Last week I got the news that a former teacher, Mrs. Degenstein had passed away. She taught me grade 5. She was wonderful. Mrs. Degenstein was the perfect middle years teacher. She was caring, firm, and liked to laugh. Looking back, I truly have the sense that she enjoyed spending her days with us. I have a number of very vivid memories from Mrs. Degenstein's classroom. I remember her standing at the front of the class with a bucket of water. I was completely flabbergasted when she swung the bucket around in circles and the water stayed in it. There have been a few moments in my adult life where I have thought back to that moment when thinking about something related to inertia. Mrs. Degenstein was a fit, athletic woman. I remember her teaching us what speed walking was and how annoyed many of the boys were that they couldn't go as fast as she could. She told us there was speed walking in the olympics and I honestly thought she should go out for it! Mrs. Degenstein also taug...

I hate New Year's goals. Like really hate them. As I read through my Facebook feed January 1st I actually felt annoyance. What was the point of a resolution? Who actually keeps them? And there it was. The root of my annoyance. I don't like New Year's resolutions because they make me feel guilt. I don't keep them and then feel bad when I don't. Prime example. My Fit Bit. I haven't worn it in months. Why? Isn't it obvious? I failed at it. I constantly felt like I had busy, productive days, but when I looked down at my step counter it would say 7000. I couldn't figure out how I was ever to make the 10 000 mark when I had spent the entire day on my feet. For a while I actually convinced myself that my Fit Bit must be faulty. In the summer, Hugh and I would both do about the same amount of activity and somehow he would be thousands of steps ahead of me. My Fit Bit probably isn't faulty. It just makes me feel bad about myself. With My Happiness ...

The following paragraphs are the events of October 28. It will give you a taste of what our boy, Boone is all about. Calder HATES it when the bus arrives and he isn't ready. This should be a good thing, except the bus always arrives 5 -10 minutes before the pick-up time. We are the first stop and our bus driver doesn't want to be late. She has made it very clear that Calder doesn't have to come out until the designated time, but Calder will have none of it. As I went down to help Calder that morning and avoid "The bus is here and I'm not ready meltdown", I carefully shut the gate as I left Lawson playing at the toy box. A couple minutes later the bus arrived and we were rushed to get Calder's mitts and toque on. Right on cue and in the middle of the panic, Boone arrives in the entrance way to give Calder a send off. We tell Calder we love him as Boone helps close the door. I turned around and grabbed Boone's boots to put away and I heard a thump. I q...

Today we are officially out of Christmas holiday mode. In fact, I think I am already in treat withdraw having not had a snack last night before bed. We had what could have been our best Christmas season yet, save one case of the flu that forced us to cancel plans to head to the Clarkes. We always plan for some outdoor fun at my mom and dad's. This year we went tobogganing. I am glad we chose it over skating as Tisdale has a lot more snow than we do here (which isn't much, mind you) . Also, as it turns out, Calder put in some serious hours on our backyard rink. When we were home and minus the two days it was -30, Calder skated a minimum of 2 hours a day and probably averaged up around 3 hours a day.  We had a beautiful afternoon tobogganing. Boone loved the GT racer. I was a bit fearful for him the first run or two, but Boone has no fear and both him and Calder are tough as nails (not just saying that either). Hugh got a work out dragging the sled back up for Boone, b...