Read A Thon

Thank you to all who donated to Evelyn's read-a thon. It went well! Evelyn raised $81 toward the class field trip at the end of the year.

My 'Little Sister' and I read a few books to the class. She did a really great job reading and kept the kids involved and interested. This was the best I had ever heard her read, so I'm very proud of her.

One of the community members who has a small menagerie brought in a de-musked skunk! She (the skunk) was named 'Stinkerbelle' and she had just come out of hibernation. I learned that once a skunk sprays, it takes several days before they can do it again. Also, during the winter, they hibernate but will rouse for short periods, go outside to forage, and will empty their musk glands before returning to hibernate. That explained the occasional skunk smell I'd encountered over the winters!

Evelyn was really into the skunk and could explain what hibernation was, and could name some of the things that skunks eat. She is my little science buff - I love it!

On another topic, the snow is beating a hasty retreat now (even in our yard!) With temps in the 10 - 14 range all week, I think it may leave for good! I took Ethan for a walk when I got back from the school. We saw some pussy willows starting to bud, and one neighbor is starting to set up his green house.

Ethan is determined to start a rock collection. He had not yet clued in that I toss whatever rock he brings into the house back outside as soon as he's lost interest in it.

Tomorrow is the 100th day of school for Evelyn's class. She needs to bring in 100 0f something. I thought about pennies (our babysitter Serena's idea) but decided to do gummy bears instead. The highlight for Evelyn is that the class will now have a pet fish. She has been telling me about the coming fish for months. I think it will be a guppy.

Tomorrow is also the Easter Party for playgroup. So, anyone who knows anyone in the Boyle area with pre-school kids, tell them to come and join us tomorrow!

This past Friday, I went to Bonnyville to do an exam for certification in ACLS. That was very stressful! 2 of my co-workers also came and we all were exhausted by the end. At least I managed to pass (just) so have my certification for another 2 years.

Over the weekend, I painted all the burgundy out of the house. Now, everything is primarily tan/beige coloured. The entrance look so much brighter, and the dining area looks more modern. My trim has arrived and the counters come at the end of next week. I still need to paint the kitchen a darker gray and paint the kids rooms, finally, install the trim and counters then I WILL BE DONE!

We are still waiting to hear about jobs for us. Waiting.... I got a few names from an old friend who knows someone who works in Nanimo. I'll investigate further tomorrow. So, we are preparing, but are not definitely going anywhere as of now.

This weekend we plan to head to Lloydminster to visit the Brands for Easter. That should be a lot of fun.

That is pretty much all the news from Caslan!

Once again, winter sticks around at our house.

This happens each year. Every other house in our area is thawed and grass, except ours. It's right at the property line too! It is so funny to be out driving, seeing nothing but brown grass, then, as you turn into our crescent...Bam! It's winter at the Cracknell's!

The plus side of this phenomena is that we get lovely warm temps and snow to play in. So, that's what we did yesterday.


Of small note, look who went inside and got his own mittens! I guess he DID learn from past experience!





















Evelyn pretended she was a superhero standing on top of a tall mountain. Daddy diligently worked at shoveling out the snow under her, creating a large overhang. Eventually, she did fall through.



















She has been trying out some model poses lately too. It's really amusing to watch her slip and fall and cover it up perfectly by striking a pose and smiling.

We went to a salon on Friday to have our bangs trimmed. What a mistake! I do a better job than they did. Ethan's hair is uneven and needs touching up, my bangs are not well curved . I am trying to thin out Evelyn's bangs a bit, so will need to pin aside the longer portion for a while. Since she's cut her hair short, she loves to wear her hair with a side part and a barrette holding her hair to the side. I find I gather some of her bangs into the barrette anyway, so hopefully the process won't be too awkward.










I also spent much of the day cleaning our bedroom, tossing papers, packing books, dusting etc... It looks much less cluttered. I de-cluttered the kitchen and took photos to see how it would present. I will need to pack away all my displayed china and move most of the appliances off the counter. It's surprising how even a little 'decoration' looks like clutter in a photo.

I have floor and window trim on order. It should arrive this week. I have tried to order counters, but the guy at the store who orders them is off sick. I have to wait until he returns before I can order it....Small towns!











I have applied to a few positions in Nanaimo, but, discouragingly, have not heard back. I had felt confident that they would jump at the chance to hire me. I fit the position perfectly. So, we can not move forward until one of us gets a FT job. No mortgage approval, no selling, no moving until that happens. I feel like I'm sitting still, rocking back and forth, twiddling my thumbs and waiting... I think this is the sort of situation where I will learn a lot about myself.

A couple days in Edmonton

While Ryan went to a conference in Edmonton for a couple days, the kids and I took advantage of his hotel room and spent the days exploring the attractions. Though we live fairly close, we tend to spend our days in Edmonton doing errands and not sight seeing.

So, we visited the Zoo and saw the Harbor Seals and Sea Lions having a training session. We also saw a large snake that was in the process of shedding it's skin.

At Science World, the kids thought the exhibits were all pretty cool. Their favorite part, however, was the interactive play area. Ethan LOVED the water table, and Evelyn spent most of her time in the construction area. The kids also put on a short puppet play and explored the world of forensics as they tried to solve the mystery of the missing weather dog.

Other highlights were visiting the pool at the hotel and simply staying in a hotel. By the way, should you need a place to stay in Edmonton, the River Cree hotel by Marriott is excellent.

An Update on March

I'll start out this post with some photos to make you laugh. Evelyn and Ethan dressed as Dora, dancing do her 'dance party adventure'. They are making a silly face to make the grumpy old troll happy again. They also had to shake their maracas, wiggle their hips, do a pirate dance etc... It's good entertainment for a cold day.




Next up is a photo of Ethan in his most recent of bizarre sleeping places. He fell deeply asleep on top of the heating vent in the bathroom. I think he's starting to enter that phase where shadows and other things become very scary. He seems to seek out places in full light to settle in for the night. Just so you know, we moved him back to bed after taking this photo :-)













Some final photos from the winter of 2010. Overall, we had much less snow fall than the past few years. The temps were milder too. Only one prolonged cold spell, and the rest of the winter was around -10 to -18. Not too bad!

Now, one of these kids is wearing their mittens, the other is not. Which one do you think will be melting into tears the next time they fall into the snow?



If you guessed Ethan, you're right! Yes, son, the snow IS cold. That's why I told you to wear your mittens!

Evelyn, responsibly wearing her mittens, had a blast being buried in the snow. I had hoped we could try making a fort or a snowman, but the snow was more like white sugar. It felt like free-flowing tiny ice crystals. No forts or snowmen with that snow!

Read A Thon

Evelyn's kindergarten class is having a Read A Thon on Tuesday March 30. From 1230-1530, they will be reading as many books as they can. Community members, Friends and Family are all welcome to come out to read with the students.




Money raised will go toward a class field trip and party for the end of the year.



I encourage you to come out and participate. Spend a little time reading with Evelyn's class!




She will be collecting pledges over the next couple weeks. Please consider supporting my budding reader, and her classmates.

(First picture is from summer 2008. Evelyn is around 3, Ethan is around 18 months)

(Second picture is from Spring of 2006. Evelyn is about 18 months old)