in my corner...

...summer is officially here and that means so many, many good things:

...the weather is giving us beautiful warm days of sunshine sprinkled in with overcast days of shade and even a sprinkling or two of rain.



...our friends have returned and they have brought with them new little ones to love and admire.







...our school year is ending today and now we turn our attention to some serious outside play - bring it on!



...the garden has been planted and the veggies are growing, the flower pots are blooming and green is always our favourite colour.



...soccer season has ended for the summer, bike riding is a daily occurrence, we've made one trip to emergency so far and popsicles continue to make an appearance in the grocery cart.



...I am excited that mr. duckyhouse will officially be on holidays for almost all of July in which we will soak up his goodness with lots of play, beaching, day trips, and yes even some more renovations.





...I am picking up my camera again after a couple difficult months and realizing that it is through the lens that I am inspired to live a more grateful life.



...hoping your corner is filled with grateful memories too!

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

Hello hello... 
I'm at a place called Vertigo...
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel...

♫ ♪ ♫ ♪



U2 was in town on Sunday evening and of course I had to take them in, my own hometown?  No brainer, right?

Check out the awesome spectacle (courtesy of iPhone - which also means don't judge the clarity of the photos - iPhone only goes so far).



Last year when they were on tour we seriously considered taking a road trip to take them in. We've done it before, in 2005, they were not making a stop anywhere near us so we packed the van & kids and headed over to Vancouver. Crazy trip, crazy long drive (2400 kms), crazy young kids, the boys were 6, 4 and the girls were 4 months old. We brought my mum with us so she could watch the wee ones while we danced the night away to familiar tunes. So worth it.  But last year the voice of reason (which sounds the same as my voice) put the reins on travelling last year. With the reno eating up our finances I talked the hubby down with an off the cuff "maybe they'll go on tour again and hit our lil' ol' city". They were due after all. The last time they made their way to the 'Peg was in 1997.





When they announced the second leg of their tour and Winnipeg was on the list, I knew there would be no question that we would go. The hubby (member of the fan club) got pre-sale tickets for his sister, himself, me & our 11 year old son!  Yes indeed, our son wanted to come so bad that he used his own cash to pay for the ticket. Sweet!  Our seats were great, 4th row off to the side.  At the concert Ben was so excited to hear and see the band that he has listed to since he was a little guy. He managed to stand on a chair the whole concert without fatigue - what a trouper. Of course he is now be ruined for life as any other concert he attends in comparison will have a really hard time living up to a live U2 show. Rock on Irish boys!  

off, in all senses of the word...

As I write this post I am thinking that it would be lovely to tell you that my absence has been due to mr. duckyhouse whisking me away for a week long adventure to some far off exotic land. Alas, it is not true. Instead I have falling off the blogosphere radar for family doings and general unwellness.

Mr. duckyhouse's parents arrived a couple of weeks ago for a surprise visit and left yesterday to return to their homestead. It was nice to visit and break from our daily routine. We enjoyed extended family time, visits and eating out for Easter - oh boy, it was nice not to cook a big meal this time around - thank you mom & dad, xoxo.



The girlies took a while to get over their spring colds but not without sharing with me first. I was dragging my feet all last week but with a little help from vitamin D, I'm feeling back to normal.

Mr. duckyhouse was away on business for a few days, he headed off to the east coast for a conference that lucky bugger. He wanted me to join him, but I'm still stuck on the logistics of travelling and leaving kids behind. One day...

     

My beloved B-meister, Benjamin, turned 11 and we had his customary birthday party over the weekend with some crazy weather to match, it snowed again. Thankfully it is all melted and I hope I won't have to type the word snow again until November. His outdoor soccer season just started as well and that looks to keep us hopping a few evenings a week (or maybe that will be a dad/son deal).

Birthday's and such make me realize things are spinning fast and the kids are growing up too quickly for my liking. I can't spend a lot of time thinking about it or it does a number on me. Life is all about moving forward and embracing the stages and I especially need to remember that this week as I feel a bit in a funk. Rationally I know it isn't real, I always tend to feel a bit off during/after being sick, it will pass as it always does but sometimes it really does kick me down.



Thankfully I believe in being gentle with myself, loving myself at all stages - all moods. I believe life is what you make it and when you can't make your day into anything special, that is when being gentle with yourself really helps. For me that means not getting much done beyond being with the kids, some stretching & exercise, reading and lots of hot baths. If you're wondering where I've been, that pretty much sums it up. I'm embracing my week of non-productivity and I write in optimism that the ol' funk will lift. Thanks for listening, even if you don't understand, it helps. Be back with a fresh perspective soon. xoxo

a new banner

that is screaming "spring" to me. You wouldn't have known if you were here last Saturday. I awoke to this...yeesh.

on the other hand, crazy weather like that doesn't last very long this time of year and it was well on it's way later in the day. but still...I like it when things more like this in April.

I'm signing off for the weekend. Tomorrow is Good Friday and with Easter around the corner I still have to find the Easter baskets for filling. Hope you have a lovely weekend and I'll be back in this space on Monday.

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Happy Easter!