Anniversary, Both Marriage and Blog

Well, I am happy to say that I we all survived the first full week of school! I wasn't as tired yesterday as I was last Friday! Yay! We were alls sure wanting and needing the break, though! The class is a very sweet class, and I think we will have a wonderful year together!!!

Also, can anyone else believe that it is almost the middle of September!!??? Whaaat??

At the end of July, Anker and I celebrated 12 years of marriage! I usually do an anniversary post each year, and I did a combined post (with my bday) entitled "Things about Me/Us", which you can view here. We didn't do much on our actual anniversary. Anker made us brunch, and then in the evening, we went for a drive. It was nice to spend some time together. The day itself was very quiet and relaxed.

The next day, my church had a "beach day" up at a local provincial park/lake, that I ended up going to. It was cool, but I had a fun time with visiting, eating and relaxing! I even ended up going for a swim! Some of the adults played games, and some when kayaking. Anker wasn't feeling well, so he stayed home.

We ended going to my family's B&B for 48 hours at the end of BC Day/ Civic Day Long Weekend (which was the following weekend). I had asked Mom if we could have it on our Anniversary wknd, and she said that it was full. She said that she had two nights after the long wknd open, so we took them! We had a lovely 48 hours (sort of) alone. It was heavenly! Funnily enough, we found out a few weeks afterwards, that were some issues regarding our annoying neighbour that happened while we were away. We were very glad that we weren't around to see that!

Anker and I had gone out there on July 31st. I visited my cousin for a few hours, and I left Anker there to work on a few projects that needed to get done. I came home in time to go to my SILs bday supper at a local Irish Pub, and then I was alone for a few days, and it was heaven! I got to watch things on the Big TV, and Calico and I had a couple of girls' nights :) Anker had been there for a few days, when I had arrived on Sunday afternoon. We had a deli-roast chicken for supper (I had stopped to grab some food along the way), and we had a nice evening, relaxing and talking.We enjoyed looking at the stars with very little city lights in the evening. Monday, we had our coffee out on the patio, and I had breakfast. I think I read, and Anker played his game. He went to work on something, and I had a visit with my childhood friend who was visiting from Alberta for a few days. When she messaged me to tell me that she was coming up, AND when I realized that we would be out there at the same time, well, I knew that it was perfect timing! She and I swam, ate, and visited for a couple of hours. Then, it was time to get ready to go out fo our anniversary dinner at The Gateway Grill, and it was SO GOOD!!! Mom sells her veggies to them, and they also will sometimes carry our lamb on the menu. We had never been there before (sad, I know), and it was delicious! I had the salmon burger, and Anker and the Jager Schnitzel. We were going to split a piece of chocolate cake, but we decided to grab some donuts from the grocery store bakery instead. Yum! We stopped in one of my family's fields on the way home, and ate more than our share, and then visited with my aunt and uncle for about a half hour. We looked at the stars again, and I think I sat outside and read for a bit, and I read inside, too, I think. The next morning, we ate breakfast, cleaned up, and shared our leftovers with Mom for lunch. We left in the afternoon (I think he came home with me...I can't remember!), and well, I think that's all!

                                 Anker made us a lovely brunch on our anniversary morning!

                                                     Brunch always tastes better outside.

                        Not sure if this was the first or second night...reading and drinking pop outside :)

                                               The sunset is always better in the country!

I have more pictures on my IG and FB from our getaway, if you are interested.

It has also been twelve years since I started our blog! You can read the first entry here. I have gone a few different directions with in over the years, but I generally like where it is at now. I "met" a lot of people through blogging (and Social media), and I have enjoyed writing a bit our lives. I wish I could say I made money with it, but it is for my writing journey and pleasure only, it seems! I only have 30 or so followers, but I know that I get a fair amount of traffic monthly, which makes me realize that it isn't an entire waste of time!

Sauce, Starbucks, Sliders, Smoke, Storm(s), Sunflowers, Sunsets, Sushi, & Sleep

Here is a compilation of all things starting with the letter "S" in my life! Please note, these are not necessarily in chronological order!

Sauce:

Anker made spaghetti sauce the other, and it was not good. We think it was b/c he put in parmesan cheese (which the recipe had told him to do), which made it gritty. We will add it to some store-bought stuff, and it will taste great (hopefully!)

Starbucks:

Yes, I went to SB a few times...I had my first PSL (which, normally I don't have until after Labour Day), even though it was 30c outside! It was ok..but I found that I didn't enjoy as much..maybe b/c it was 30c outside! I did go and have a PSL frap (pretty good), and a Cinderella latte (which, on IG got a lot of views on my stories, but not on my feed), and it was REALLY GOOD!!! Half PSL, and half either white mocha, or white hot chocolate. YUM!

Sliders:

I was given a few. buns after our BTS lunch last week, and we decided to make sliders out of them..they were really good!

Smoke:

As I had said in my last post, a local school burnt down....and smoke could be seen from almost everywhere in the city. I love that our city got together and rallied around this school community. Our local first responders were (and are!) amazing, and our local 7-11 supplied free water for those fighting the fire. People on/in our local neighbourhood group offered free babysitting to those kids who were displaced. A few local business put on free camps for kids; some stores accepted donations...the list goes on. Our city is small, but mighty!

Storm (s):

We had two storms last week! One was on Tuesday, and one was last Saturday. A friend and I went for a drive, and as we were coming home, we could see the storm clouds gathering. We found a place to watch the lightening. We sat in my car with our chips, and had a front row seat to the best light show in town!

Sunflowers:

Our sunflower plants ended up getting to me 8 or 9 feet tall! Anker said that they finally fell down the other day. I love sunflowers!!!

Sunsets:

Labour Day Monday, there was a a beautiful sunset, so naturally, I had to take a picture!

Sushi:

Last Friday, my friend and I went for sushi at Hatsuki Sushi, and it was SO GOOD! We ended up realizing that it had been over a year since we had been out together! The meal and the visit were good :)

Sleep:

I have been having some trouble with sleep again. Even if I take my sleeping pills, I sometimes take awhile to get down. I think it has to do with being back into routine, and knowing that I have to get up in the morning...and also b/c of our (sometimes) annoying neighbour. Sometimes he/they get a bit loud, and it gets frustrating!

Five on Friday: BTS Edition

****I had hoped to post this LAST Friday, but I never got around to it...it is now September 14....but I am going to leave it as if it were for this last week****


Oh my! The first week of school hit all of us H-A-R-D! I am T-I-R-E-D! It didn't help that I am anxious about getting enough sleep at night, due to one of our neighbours being loud (or not being loud). Anyway....it was a great first week back, I gotta say. BUT, I did not want to (or should I say, I couldn't) leave after school yesterday....I was SO tired! And it wasn't just me, y'all. My teacher even felt it. The children...ooh, the children! By 11 on Wednesday, the kids were asking to go home! Ha! I think some of the staff were too! #schoolemployeelife! Our teacher was great at easing us all into it, though. We did some printing, and some fun activities. I think we will hit it hard on Monday! Lawd! I don't know if I can do a full week! Ha! It is really a sweet and fun class, though, and I am learning all of their names! I think they know mine...or not...who knows? :)

1) The teacher moved into a "new" classroom, that used to be the staff room until the year I started. It has its own bathroom, and kitchen. Did I mention that it has A/C!!! The room itself seems bigger, and not as stifling, and the teacher has her own little "nook", which is kind of cool.

2) I found a fun Fall Craft for the kids to do (she asked me look on Pinterest for an activity for them to do), and it was a howling success! Even I wished that I had done it. I will post the link here.

3) So this isn't exactly BTS-related, but it happened this week, so I am putting it down...Mom came in on Wednesday, as she was headed to Calgary the next morning, and she had meetings that evening. We ended up having a slumber party, complete with Pizza and PJs, and sharing a bed! We watched a very complicated Murder, She Wrote.

4) A local school (like, really local) burnt down on Thursday, which was a complete shock and surprise. We aren't sure exactly what happened, but 350 kids have been displaced, including our Land Lord's and our nice neighbour (the family of the really annoying neighbour!) were slated (and had) to start there this year. I drove by it today, and it is in SHAMBLES! I thought at first that it was only a section of the school...but we all realized very soon that the whole school is, well, burnt. I am thankful that our community is so caring, offering up free day camps, babysitting, etc. There has been a GO FUND ME page for some of the teachers. There were about 30 years' worth of resources, as well as kids' belongings, and their own school supplies! A local toy store is offering a discount to/for teachers for their class "wish list". I am sure that our school will be doing something to help.

5) Again, this doesn't really have to do with school, but I am running out of school-related things, so I am going to document this here...my (very nice) neighbour (not the one who is loud and annoying) and I have watching movies and hanging out. She is a single gal a few years younger than me, and is a kitty mom too (she just got a kitty earlier this week!). I love that she is close enough for me to walk (duh!), and even though we don't gab a lot to each other, we have fun just relaxing and watching movies.

....and on another completely different note...my Mac laptop now has me "export" my pictures, instead of saving them. It seems to be the same thing, but it now asks me if I want to "export" instead of save. Weird. Anker doesn't even know what that means. Usually, export means to send them somewhere....has this happened to anyone else?

The 3rd Annual April and Jill's Day of Fun!

Happy Saturday, Friends!!!

This last week was our first week back at/to School, and it hit us all H-A-R-D! I am T-I-R-E-D! I have 10 posts that need to get written and published, and I will try to do them in (sort of) chronological order! I STILL have to write about Christmas 2018! Ha! I know it does get confusing when a person is reading about things someone has done, and the events "are all over the place"!

Well, this summer marked the 3rd year of April and Jill's Day of Fun! We started planning in June this year, and we ended up doing an overnighter at her parents' new place east of the city. You can read about our first day here, and the second day/year here. I am not exactly sure how it came about, or who brought up the idea (I think it was me), but when I found out that her parents bought a new townhouse by Kamloops Lake, AND when I found out that they would be away, I (we?) suggested an overnighter! After going through our calendars with a fine-tooth comb, and our veto'ing each other's choice of dates (#busysummerlife), we finally settled on the night of July 6/7!

It was SOOOO fun! I never wanted to leave! I mean, if they ever need a house-sitter, then they can call on me. Just sayin'! We left (as we usually do) later than we had planned. Originally, I was going to go in their car, but after the dog, kids and stuff was packed, Jill messaged me and asked if I wanted to drive out in my car. I didn't mind, as it wasn't a long drive.. We drove out together, and I apparently, drive like an old lady (umm...speed limit?? Hello?)! The weather wasn't fabulous, but who cares when you don't have to worry about swimming (we probably could have, as there was the lake, and there is a pool that residents can swim at/in), and when you have a lovely house to hang out in! As soon as we got in, I didn't want to leave. Seriously! After finding our rooms, and figuring out if we can get WIFI (yes!), we got everything organized, and we started making supper. We each Brough a few things...snacks, food, drinks (ok, I think she brought more than I did, but oh well). They also brought games, but we didn't end up playing any.

I can't remember if we ate first, or if we all went for a walk first...anyway...I think we went for a walk first. We let Murphy (their dog) for a run, and we explored around Kamloops Lake (well, close to their house!). We took some pictures, found rocks, and enjoyed ourselves. The lake was SO QUIET! It was actually eerie! I know it didn't help that it was a yucky day out, either.

We came back and made dinner..lasagna, salad, and garlic bread...and we also found a half-opened bottle of wine....we helped ourselves! We had a had a lovely evening...we read magazines, talked, sat poolside while her kids swam, then Jill and I watched A Star is Born. It was pretty good, except for a ton of swearing...and the ending. The songs were really good, though! We went to bed around midnight.

Sunday, we slept in, and I can't remember what we had for breakfast, but I remember that it was really good! I didn't take any pictures of our breakfast :) I think it was probably eggs and toast, or maybe oatmeal, or something. I also remember being hungry ALLLLLL day! We just relaxed and visited on the deck for quite awhile. Both Canadian Train lines pass by there (one on the other side of the lake), so it was fun to see them go by. We started getting ready to leave at around 3, and then we got hungry, so we had some quinoa salad. I think I have finally jumped on the quinoa bandwagon. It was so good! We left at around 5 Sunday evening. It was a wonderful 24 hours, and I am looking forward to do something next summer :)

Five on Friday: The End of/What I did on my Summer Vacation Edition

Happy Friday, Friends! I am trusting that you are having a wonderful FINAL week(end) of summer!!! I am looking forward to school starting, but I am sad, b/c the days are no longer my own. But, as my dad says.."most people do not have 2 months off"...so, basically, I have to get over it :) Ha!!!

Here are a few things from the last few weeks:

1) First off, I am SO HAPPY that I had a bit of $ saved up for the summer! I am hoping and praying that I can do it again this year...maybe I can put even more $ away!

2) I loved babysitting the boys! We had such a fun time, and though we didn't do anything, crazy, we did make some memories!

3) I got to meet my little niece earlier this month, which was a definite highlight of the summer. I will try to blog about that soon.

4) I got a few days alone in the house, which was awesome! I got to watch movies on the big tv, and Calico and I had a couple of girls' nights.

5) I am pretty much already for school! We have a new classroom this year, so that is kind of fun. It is bigger, with its own bathroom, and small kitchen (it used to the staff room).

                         I went out and bought a few supplies for my desk. Love the dollar store!!

Yes, I keep makeup, lotion, wipes, and hand sanitizer at work :)

6) We had our first ever day retreat up at Sun Peaks. It was so fun!! I always love going up there. It was great to see all of my friends again (yes, I am just like a kid....I get to see my friends!), and we had a yummy lunch! Oh, and we learned some stuff, too! I didn't take any pictures, which is kind of sad.

7) We had an all staff BBQ at one of the teacher's houses on Wednesday, and again, it was fun to see my friends. Two of the families (including my boss) just had a baby, so I was able to see them :) They are so adorable!

8) I loved housesitting this summer as well. I am actually doing it again this wknd. Yay!!! Last wknd, I house sat for some friends, and I watched a bunch of movies, and I didn't even feel guilty about it.

9) What is a summer holiday without SOME sort of sickness??? I got not one, but TWO ear infections! I know, I am a poor muffin. The last one was while I was house sitting last wknd, and I didn't want to drive to the doctor, as they were really sore, so I asked my teacher friend to drive me. I am pretty much over it, but I am still putting in the drops. The drops that I have didn't seem to work (I know that I am prone to them, so I have a bunch on hand, and I had started using them, but they weren't doing the trick). I also have a bit of a cold, too. I am thankful that I don't feel horrible right now.

10) There was NO SMOKE (ok, very little) this summer, for which we are thankful! There have been a few small fires, but nothing of significance (yes, I realize that any fire isn't good, and we have had a few around here, but we are thankful that there weren't any out of control/large ones!). I am thankful to the firefighters for all that they do!

There are a bunch more things...going to the outdoor play, starting on my goal setting...the hours and hours spent at Starbucks and the library, a 48 hour getaway for Anker and I, and it was hard narrowing it down to 10!

Here are some memes...and yes...this speaks to me...

Makeup Monday

Yes, it is I again....and again, not on my A game, with these MM posts. Oh well :)

I don't know if I will do a Makeup Monday Blog post EVERY week, as I tend to use the same products, but I will see how it goes...if I am getting repetitive in the products and their shades, I will have to either revamp how I do it, or just not do it as often (but, don't worry, I will probably do my LIVES, and the IG post :)

 So, I have found a new favourite foundation (not to be confused with having a Firm Foundation in Christ!!), from Maybelline! The one I use is 115, and it is light, and it doesn't make me look like a corpse! I also tried their Translucent powder in 100, and both are from the FIT ME line.

 For my eye shadow, I used Avon's Smokey Nights (and of course, I don't remember which two I used, but probably the two on the left [top and bottom]). I also used their lipstick in Toasted Rose (the thing about lipstick, is that I put it on, then it gets rubbed off the moment that I drink something, and I will usually put on another one during the day). I used their smokey diamonds (or smokey grey), for my eye liner, and my mascara is from Rimmel London, and my primer (which I don't use every day), is from Catrice.

I don't really have a skin care regimen, but I have used either Drunk Elephant cream, after I have put on my May Kay Time Wise, which I don't love, b/c the smell is quite strong), or my Saje Lavender Love soap. I know that a lot of these companies do test on animals, which I don't love, but I can't really afford (and right now, I chose not to) the expensive brands that don't. At least they aren't testing them on children, right? That was my MM for this week :)

Makeup Monday!

Happy Friday! Clearly, I am not on my game for the #makeupmonday post (my first!)! Oh well....it is a work in process, right? I won't plan on a long, boring post on this subject each week. I only plan to post a few pictures, and tell you what I wore! I know...exciting, right? I am not expecting a great new following, or collaborations, or companies to come calling (but, I won't say no if they do!). and I might even get some not-so-nice comments, but I wanted to try to see how 1) If I actually do this once a week (both the makeup and posting about it), 2) To see if and how people respond. Hey, I might even get some new makeup tips! In case you missed this post, I am planning on doing a Makeup Monday every Monday. I would like to say that I would do an IG live of my putting on makeup every Monday, but I doubt that is going to happen. However, I would like to post about it every Monday. So, without further drivel, here is what I wore last Monday:

 For my foundation, I am wearing May Kay Ivory 7. I don't love it, but it isn't too bad. I am also trying a new primer from Catrice called Correct My Red. It goes on Green/blue, but don't be scared! It will disappear :) I like it, actually, and I found it at Shopper's Drug Mart here in Canada, but it may be in other stores. I also see that it is on Amazon :) I noticed when I Googled it, that it was sold at/in Target (I miss, Target, btw. It was in Kamloops for a hot minute, and I actually liked it, even though their deals weren't quite as good as in the US). For the eye shadow, I used Avon's True Colour Eye Shadow Quad called Attraction Quad. I don't know what colours I used (I usually only use 2 or 3), but I think it was the two on the left. I have also started using a translucent powder to help with sweating and my makeup running/coming off. I have a bronzer/ing powder that I use from Avon, and I like that as well. I have started using Maybellilne's, and I really like it. For my eye liner, I used Avon's Glimmer Sticks (I can't tell what it was that I used, b/c the name of it wore off...it was probably Smokey Diamond, or something). I also used Avon's Pink-A-Boo Lipstick (I just checked on their site, and I don't see it there anymore!). For my mascara, I used Sephora's LashCraft Mascara, and I really love it!!

 I used to be an Avon Rep, and I miss selling/using it sometimes. I just checked on their website, and I didn't see it there, so I don't think they sell it anymore. Sadness!!! I might get back into selling/using Avon again :) I really do love most of their stuff!!!

                                                     How I looked when I was finished!
That is what I wore for this week!!! Tune in again to see what I wear for my next #MM.