What a looooooong but absolutely fantastic day! It all began at 6am as we juggled time in the bathroom for showers, hairdos (Kazi's obviously not mine!), makeup etc. I managed to snap one photo of Kazi before her friend whisked her away to the university to pick up their regalia. About 30 minutes later Michael, our neighbour Alma (Kazi's adopted gramma) and I made our way to Western U as well. It was already about 30c (90F) and HUMID! I dashed around looking for Kazi as I had to hold everyone's purses during the proceedings. It took a while but finally I made my way back to Alumni Hall where the convocation was taking place. Kazi's boyfriend Steve had also arrived by this time so we took our seats and waited....

At 9:30 the grads and faculty processed in. See that blond head dead centre in the lower third of the above photo?  Yup, that's my girl!

Getting hooded...

 Ta da!  We did it!! Another major milestone reached!

 Then...out into the crazy heat for a few more photos of course!

 Proud momma!

 I get to show you Kazi's cute boyfriend - Steve!

Michael and Kazi - great smiles you two!

Showing off Western U's colours! Go PURPLE!

This is what $30,000 gets you?

My favorite photo of the day - I prefer candid shots. Oh, and that's the dress I helped pay for (that's what $250 gets you!)

She's not really that much taller than me...she had on platform sandals....it's true!

I'm stopping here for now as it's getting late...I'll let you know about the rest of the day tomorrow!

Dad Life Rap

Thanks to my friend Sluggy who pointed me in the direction of the "Dad Life Rap" videos on Youtube - they are hilarious but oh so true!  Enjoy! And visit Sluggy's blog for more!

Happy Father's Day!!

Had to share with you my Father's Day Card.  This isn't the first time Kazi has given me a Father's Day card and I have to tell you it really warms my heart that she acknowledges the challenges of single parenting. 

My little baby is graduating from university on Tuesday! I'll post pictures of her in her $250 silk dress that I helped pay for. I gave her $150 towards the cost of the  dress - I decided to NOT give her the whole amount because if she's going to make such expensive choices then she needs to pick up part of the tab! 

It's rather ironic (or perhaps mystifying would be a better work, or stupefying) that she has developed such expensive tastes. For the first 10-12 years of her life all of her clothing came from second hand stores. Even as a teenager she would come with me to the second hand shops occasionally and make a purchase or two. But somewhere along the way (perhaps when I started buying her $100 jeans for her birthdays) she adopted the old adage of "PAY TWICE AS MUCH MONEY FOR HALF AS MUCH CLOTHING"!!

She now only shops at the best stores and buys only top quality items. Personally, I find that hard, no impossible, to do.  I was raised by parents who grew up during the great depression and learned to re-use, recycle, redevelop every item that they had.  Flour sacks were turned into quilts, empty juice cans held nails, nuts and bolts, scrap lumber turned into a chicken coop and so on. This generation is different - AND I do admire her "less is more" approach.  Instead of having 10 second hand dresses she has 1 or 2 really good ones.  Once I retire I want to practice that strategy...Anyhoo I digress....

I am very PROUD of my daughter. It couldn't have been easy having an absentee father. She has never complained about that, instead she acknowledges the fact that I've been both mother and father to her. I've been working on a MEMORY ALBUM for her as I have saved every scrap of paper she ever wrote or drew on, every art project, every report card, every award, every EVERYTHING she's produced or received over the past 21 years. I thought one album would be sufficient but I've filled the whole album and have only gotten as far as GRADE ONE!! YIKES!! So I purchased some insert pages so I can at least get to highschool by her convocation date!

These two photos were taken Friday night. Can you tell Kazi didn't want her picture taken?? The young man she is with is Michael's son, Dane. He kinda forced her to get her picture taken...she can be a bit of a grumpus from time to time lol! She reminds me of my mother who never wanted her picture taken unless every single thing was perfect: hair, makeup, clothing, lighting, angle etc etc!! My poor dear - she doesn't realize that she's absolutely breathtaking even first thing in the morning with NO makeup, NO hairdo, NO amazing outfit! 

Anyway, the step-siblings usually get along great and even though he works as a firefighter on the airbase in Trenton they stay in touch by texting and calling. He's a lovely young man and was raised in a single parent family too - Michael was the main custodial parent so both kids grew up as only children of single parents - and they have turned out just FINE!!  thank you very much! (That's a slam against all the studies that show kids from single parent homes grow up to be serial killers!)

I sure am rambling on and on today. What was my point?? Oh yes, Father's Day. Celebrate the men (or women!!)  in your life and appreciate their vast contributions to our lives. Even the negative experiences can be great teachers. 

What are you doing to celebrate Father's Day?

One day last week Michael and I spent a day at the trailer. Yes, the one I sold last summer. Happily we still have access to it as we sold to friends.

It was wonderful to do all of the things we love to do: go for a bike ride, check on the growth and health of our many plants (well, technically not MY plants anymore but since I bought and paid for them, planted them and tended to them they still feel like they're mine), have a campfire, watch the sunset, eat outside etc

This fern that Michael transplanted is doing very well!

 However, the "dance floor" we installed two years ago is looking a bit uncared for!

 We forgot to bring our music with us so no dancing...just as well I guess.

The day lilies are close to blooming and the huge piece of driftwood that Michael carried up from the beach now has a solar light to illuminate it at night - we approve!

 The plants that Michael transplanted around the lamp post are doing extremely well - everything is way ahead of its usual growing season.

 The spirea really needs some trimming - I can't believe how much bigger these two bushes are from last year, but they are looking a bit spindly.

 The clematis is doing well - its almost to the top of the porch which is higher than it's ever grown before.

 The last item that I purchased and planted is this lilac bush - it looks to be thriving in this location.

 The virginia creeper is doing its thing - concealing the neighbour's trailer!

 I regretted not keeping the words "Hope" and "Inspire" to take out east with us. So Michael being Michael he hopped on a bike and rode to the gardening store where we'd purchased them. They had ONE word left and sold it to us for 30% off - our new word is DREAM!  We brought it home with us and now it's on our patio fence.

 I love the rays of the sun reaching down to caress the surface of the lake.

 No day at the trailer is complete without a meal (steak and lots of veggies), a summer beer and a good book.

 The last time we had visited the trailer in March we purchased several bags of wood so we enjoyed a good blaze.

 The sunset was especially  glorious just for us.

 The coastline looking towards the pier on the public beach.

Lookout point - such a gorgeous night! Hopefully we'll get back for another visit before heading east in a couple of weeks.

This post is about me avoiding the topic of WORK. I'm really good at avoiding things....once it has all been processed and worked over endlessly in my brain then I'll get it down on paper...so to speak....but don't you like my pictures? (changing the subject...)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to a Meeting I Go!

Well, in a few minutes I'm off to a "Return to Work" meeting to see if any of the recommendations brought forward at the previous meeting have been implemented.  Thankfully I am accompanied by my union reps who are some pretty tough women, let me tell you. They want to make sure that when I return in September it will be to a "safer" environment. No one can guarantee 100% safety though, I know that.

It's a nerve wracking process.  However, I do feel like I am turning a corner with regard to my emotions. In the first couple of weeks I was anxious, depressed and felt like a failure. Now I'm angry. Angry that I had to go through most of the school year unsupported even though I sought help for my classroom innumerable times. Angry that when I had to intervene with a student because his primary EAs FROZE, I was injured and NO ONE came to my assistance. Angry that only when a parent complained did the administration listen. Within hours I had another male EA to help out. Angry that when the EAs had to restrain a student to prevent him from biting them the parent called it physical assault. Angry that aggressive students are placed in classrooms which are not suited to their particular needs. Angry that I don't have the resources, equipment and staff to adequately serve these students. Angry that I had to take what I consider desperate measures in order to make something happen.

So I'll see what this meeting brings. I have applied for another teaching position but with so many teachers declared surplus this year it will likely go to someone who has NO job right now.

Wish me luck!

Friday Folderol

folderol - Trivial or nonsensical fuss, nonsense, or a useless trifle.


Feel free to pass on by this post. It is mere folderol! 


Top Ten Thoughts on My Mind Today (TTToMMT):

1. I'm thinking about buying Michael a chainsaw for Father's Day. Copp's Buildall has electric ones on sale for $99.99! Hmmmm, might need an awfully long cord though to reach into our little forest!?!
2. Giant Tiger has my brand of hair clippers on sale. Currently Michael and I share my old one. When he discovered he could achieve the same effect as his barber did with the clippers for FREE instead of $30 + tip every couple of weeks he was CONVERTED!  By doing our own hair we've saved thousands of $$$$$!
3. It's GIRL'S NIGHT tonight!!  What should I take to drink??? I'm leaning towards a bottle of rasberry Sourpuss and 7UP, a drink I was introduced to at the Albert and Crown in Alberton last summer. A nice tart summery drink - YUM!
4. As it's my bestie's birthday today (mine 2 weeks ago and my other friend's in a couple of weeks) I've decided to offer them a beach day next week as a gift (neither of them own a car). SO.MUCH.FUN!
5. Don't look don't look DON'T LOOK!  Oh crap, I looked....I'm going to have to do some weeding today on my back patio. Lots of little weedy plants are growing up between the concrete patio stones.....
6. The Euro Cup starts today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go England!!!!!!!!!!!!! (note to self: find and install St. George Cross flags on the car)
7. What should I eat for breakfast? My choices are: Vector cereal on vanilla yogurt, sour dough rye toast with PB, oatmeal, eggs and chicken bacon. 
8. Three weeks tomorrow morning I'll be headed east to PEI!!!!!!!!!!!!
9. Twenty-two years ago this week I graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honours degree in Visual Arts. I was seven months pregnant and Kazi kicked up a storm all day long; soon she will be receiving her own degree from the same university. Momma's so proud!
10. Visited with one brother yesterday and the other one this afternoon - I love my bro's!

Financial Uber Notes (FUN):

1. For Kazi's graduation I am doing the following: helped her pay for her new silk very expensive dress, putting together a memory album dating back to her time in daycare, buying her flowers and taking her out to lunch after with her boyfriend, her uncle, our neighbour who has been like a gramma to Kazi since she was 4, Michael and myself. Oh yes, and at her suggestion I'm letting her use the car next Tuesday to take some friends to Canada's Wonderland.
2. I have paid in full the cost of my new fridge and stove for PEI, and have paid off our new TV before incurring any interest charges. I just need the cheque from school to cover curriculum materials I purchased and my credit card will be back to ZERO! I love the feeling of a zero balance!
3. The one area I am struggling with this month is gas for the car. I (no WE) have used almost two week's worth of gas money in ONE WEEK and I don't get paid again until the 15th. My dear daughter said she would put gas in last night but she didn't so I'll have to remind her and she hates that! Oh well...
4. We are under in the food budget by $16 so I'll direct that to the gas fund. We are also under in electricity by $2 and natural gas by $2.  That ain't much but I'll take what I can get! It's better than being OVER budget!
5. The only misc item purchased so far this month is a journal (for me) and a memory album and extra page inserts for Kazi's gift. (and icecream-shhhhhhh!)  I am really trying to rein in my spending, so far so good.
6. From my next pay I will have $1200 to allot to savings. It will go into my PEI Maintenance Fund to help with costs that may occur while in PEI this summer like any small repair or rebuilding our fence.
7. Next months savings will rebuild my Christmas/Birthdays fund in full ($1500) and the rest will go towards rebuilding my TFSA. (I owe it close to $20,000 after paying off my line of credit - it will take me til at least the end of this year to repay that account!) 
8. I have no other EXTRA expenses this month to worry about - thank goodness!  May was a killer month! June looks to be "steady as she goes".  I noticed that Mr. Murphy is at B-Kat's house so the coast looks to be clear for the rest of us!

And that about sums things up. I have $$ in my wallet plus another $160 in my account for any misc items that may pop up. Like that chainsaw. The sale goes until the 17th so I have a while to think about it. If I can tighten the belt even more and save in some other areas (food), then maybe. 

So what do you think I really had for breakfast??

Bad Bad Blogger

I'm such a bad blogger. I hadn't even changed my header photo since APRIL and I usually do it weekly! I'm really out of touch with you all and I haven't posted in like a WEEK!

I can't help it though, the weather has just been so darn nice! And while Michael can somehow squint and see his laptop screen outside I can't. All I can see is a reflection of my face staring back at me. So I read a book or paint my toenails or go for a walk or a bike ride. So, forgive me for not sitting outside with my laptop and a blanket over my head so I can see the screen. I'm such a bad bad blogger.

And right now Michael is pacing back and forth because he wants to go for ICECREAM! He figures that since HE is ready I should just stop what I'm doing and be ready also. Men....though icecream does sound awfully tempting :)

So here's the deal. Tomorrow morning after my walk I will catch up with you all and let you know what has been happening around here.

Me walking...duh...

My walking partner, isn't he cute?

One of the streets I walk upon...but now...

Icecream beckons...