Random act of kindness

Wow no one has been on here for awhile!! anyhow you hear about random acts of kindness but rarely see them, so thought I would share this one, at work yesterday I had two young mums with 4 kids, I took there order and went into the kitchen, Emily (our cashier) came in and asked me for there bill, I was confused as they had only just ordered, I asked her if something was wrong, nope just give me there bill, I went out front after a few minutes to see what was going on and a lady who had been eating lunch there had randomly paid there bill for them, and left me a $10 tip, how nice, I told the girls and it made there day, and we all vowed to "pay it forward" what a nice thing to do.

We won

Wow just checked the lotto numbers, we have won something big!!! not sure what yet, have to check it all out, looks like a few MILLION though!!!!! yahooooooooo.

Teeth!!!

Well, it's official.... I no longer have any wisdom (teeth) left. Wednesday I went under the knife and had the final two removed. They were under the gums so I opted to sleep through the process. All I remember from the surgery is the Dr. talking non stop before (to see if I was awake). During I hazily recall him saying, "Aww, isn't she cute, she snores like my 8 year old daughter". Then, as if I were hypnotized, he said "Okay, you can wake up now", and I DID!!! How weird is that.
I was soooo hungry & thirsty due to the fact that I couldn't eat or drink for 8 hours before the surgery. I really, really, really wanted to eat some eggs as soon as I got home (nice & soft, easy to eat). So as we walked through the door my Mommy made me a couple of eggs (Jeremy was at work already), I tried so hard to eat them......... However, when you have absolutely no feeling in your tongue, lips, mouth area, it is very difficult to know if you are chewing anything. After a few minutes of trying I gave up & went to bed, passed out, and woke up about 2 1/2 hours later. Just in time to say good night to the boys. Thank God my mom stayed for a "sleepover". I tried eating my eggs again around 9:30 pm, still no feeling in the mouth area. I was a little freaked out how long the freezing was lasting. Went to bed again & slept until Jeremy got home after 2:00am. By then the freezing was all gone & I had the most glorious eggs in the whole entire world!!!! I almost heard the angels singing.
The next day I was relieved that I only had swelling, looked like Cojo with the big jowels going on. And now, I'm sad to report that there is some bruising going on. I feel like wearing a big scarf around my face instead of looking like a fight victim. Thank goodness for Ice Packs, painkillers & family, otherwise I don't think this would have gone as well as it has.
Can't wait to see what next week brings!!!!

Buttons

Well my worst fears have surfaced about our girl, we found a lump in her throat today, so I guess the inevitable is here, I dont want to take her in, oh boy.
She is still eating and playing and doing all her regular stuff, but is obviously losing weight and her coat is started to look tattered, and with cats you cant tell if they are in pain or not, going to do all we can for the old girl, but fearing the worst.

Gotta love animals

So today, im in the line up at the car wash when I notice a prairie dog, so I started watching (had a half hour line up) so Randy Andy, as I named him was racing around like a madman, then I noticed there where tooooooons of prairie dogs, so good ol Randy had to check out everyone, he didn't care if they were male female or indifferent, he was giving them all a try lol, he would approach them chirping like a bird and then go in for the kill, the "targets" would stand on there hind legs and box with him, either they were female and said " get a life buddy I just woke up" or male saying " you moron" either way it was a delight to watch, he would take off across the field with his tail in the air and almost do flips when he saw a "prospect" just the cutest thing, and just yesterday on breakfast tv, they were saying Prairie dogs are a nuisance, give me a break, they keep to themselves, dont wreck lawns like moles, and provided me with a ton of entertainment, and on the one day I dont have my camera with me....sigh.
Im telling ya, it was wonderful :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEEEEEEEESTER, HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD ONE, CANT BELIEVE ITS NOW YOUR LAST YEAR OF YOUR 40'S "OUCH" HEHE
LOTS OF LOVE JACKIE AND CARL XOXOXO

Merritt trip

Going up to merritt tuesday to meet my sister and lose my wife and kids for THREE days
woohoo
Andrew

Alec, Sherri,Owen and Parker

We Have entered the 21st Century, sort of. How do you put pictures on this thing. Never mind.

Oldham 1 Millwall 1

Taking A Bath.




Lookin for Eggs

Eating the Eggs
.

Happy Birthday Kalli

Happy Birthday little leprechaun

May you have a Mindbending day!

Could I have not picked a boring job??

So work today, first I was to be working with a casual employee who I have never worked with before, her name is Judi and she is "Caitlin" but 20 years older, very sweet, but they told me she has had the odd panic attack, so we opened the doors at 11am and within 15 minutes were packed out, I noticed Judi take off for the kitchen, so went after her and sure enough she is having a panic attack along with hyperventalating, I sat her down, got her face in a paper bag and went back out to face the masses ALONE, I wallked out on to the floor and I hear a lady say "Wilf are you ok" I turned to look and the man has his head down on the table, I ran over and realized that Wilf is having a full blown heart attack, OH NO...........time for my panic attack lol, this poor man was gasping holding his chest and was a horrid grey colour with eyes closed, now his wife starts to panic, arrrrrgh, I then ran to the phone dialed security and asked for an ambulance and any store medical staff we may have on duty, I went back to Wilf, he now looks worse and has a very weak pulse, I asked around me if there were any medical staff in the restaurant but every one stared at me like they were watching a movie, great, finally Darren showed up and took over, he has had paramedic training, thank god, and then shortly after Edmontons "calendar" firemen showed up, and stabalized him until the paramedics came, whew what a day, at this point I remember poor Judi in the kitchen, thankfully she is looking alot better and came back on the floor once I promised that I would take care of everything else if she just looked after the small 5 table section, needless to say I closed the friggin place an hour early, cleaned up and bought a 6 pack on the way home!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and Calendar firemen!!!! oh my god, I may have been busy but not to busy to notice that they were all "tens" haha, welcome to my world ;)
Hey Joanne is your net down again?? our scrabble is almost done and I am waxing your but dont forget hehehehe.

Go ahead make my day!!

I just have to tell you about work on Saturday, crazy crazy busy day, we didn't stop running (literally) for 5 or 6 hours straight, just two of us on, full restaurant!!! People can see that there are at least 100 people seated and yet you bring there food to them and they snotily say, oh you found the kitchen, or did the chicken lay any eggs yet, comments that make you want to push them off there chair and say, look asshole you get up and try this, anyhow, things finally started to wind down and I had a table with 3 older ladies and another table with 2 ladies, I started having a little fun with them, like saying things like, forget the salad as a side its Saturday, fries all around girls and then dessert, anyhow you get the jist.
So finally Lucy and I get to start our clean up and these girls stayed quite awhile chatting and drinking coffee, as it was both tables got up to leave at the same time and went to cash, Lucy was ringing them through and called me over, the one old lady came over to me gave me a huge hug and said all 5 of them were standing talking at cash about what a wonderful lady I am, she then put $10 in my hand and said I cant wait to see you again, they all agreed and said there goodbyes, my moral of the story is, no matter how bad and miserable my day was, it took a couple of people to put a smile on my face and make me forget all the negative, thanks girls :)

LORDY LORDY LOOK WHOS

40

ITS ABOUT TIME YOU CAUGHT UP TO ME!

worms

Long thin slimy ones,
short fat fuzzy ones,
gooey, gooey, gooey, gooey,
worms!
We may have to recognize that this posting business is just a girls game! The Duggan fellas don't seem able to grasp the concept! ha ha
If you need me, you will find me in the garden eating wormsicles!

King Duggan

I was talking to "king Duggan" today, he asked me how to post on here and get his own account, I see by the lack of post he didnt get it..........do we really want him as out king girls?? also " the Queen" told me she talked to Alec and Sherry and they said they have looked at our blog, but I guess they dont know how to type as I dont see anything posted on here from them, sigh, nobody loves us
everybody hates us
were going to the garden to eat worms.......
finish it off Jo lol.

Here is the diet contract I came up with for the girls I work with. Our diet so far has failed pretty miserable, the contract will give you a clue as to why it isn't working! If it looks too small to read, you can click on the picture and you will see it in a larger form.

Holy crapola!!

I just did a quick search on cottages for rent in the Muskokas, they all have minimum people allowances, so one allowing 14 or so people goes for $4800 a week, wowsers!! but holy are they beautiful and come with lake boat and not sure about beer ;)
On a sadder note, our baby girl Buttons, might be sick, I am terrified to take her to the vet, but going to have to, she lost her voice about a year ago, but now every time she purrs she starts choking as if she is trying to get up a furball, its so sad as she loves her pettings but gets all panicky and leaves when it happens, she is still eating as normal and kicking the crap out of Rocky as needed, but im so scared, will let you know, going to go in next week, giving her the week in the hopes that she just has a sore throat, do cats get them??? SIGH.

JEREMY'S BIG NEWS

I'm not sure if you all heard yet, but Jeremy has found a new job!!!
He will no longer be bored at his job, nor will he come home all filthy (some days I want to hose him off before he comes through the door). Jeremy will be the Evening Shift Supervisor at a local company here in Saskatoon - only a 5 minute drive from home. He is so happy - this is more of a career move, as opposed to just a "job". I think that the fact he's turning 40 next month gave him the extra nudge to find something that is more than just a paycheque. A step up, rather than just a step. He will be in charge of the night shift employees, training, etc. Bonus for him is that they have the same machines he worked on in Abbotsford.
He gave his notice yesterday (came home with a HUGE grin on his face). Jeremy was told by his foreman that he is a great employee, extremely good at his job (even better than some of the people who have been there longer) & has a great work ethic. Then he asked if it was the shift that made him decide to leave. Those kind words were a great pat on the back for Jeremy.
Needless to say, I am very proud of my husband and excited about the new adventure that awaits him.

Heaven!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh that was amazing, if you have never had one, get one.
I was hooked as soon as she massaged my triple chins into my forehead lol, she spent an hour and 20 minutes on my face, WOW.
I was kind of weirded out when she said strip down and put on the wrap thingy, ummm for my face?? but I did it, then she came back in and covered me with hot blankets and it was game over, holy I visited heaven girls lol, I learned that the red spot between my brows that has been there forever was not dry skin but a nice little cluster of blackheads, cute!!
But many hot towels and serums and lotions later I was wishing for more blackheads!!
The clothing removal was so she could not only massage my face but my neck and shoulders, I want to marry this girl haha.
LOVED IT, SOOOOOOOOOOO NEEDED IT, GO GET IT ;)

I cant wait!

Today I am doing something that I have wanted to do for the majority of my 40's, im getting a facial, not just any facial, its the full service package, they even do the brows and moustache, then scrape of layers of Alberta induced dry skin, then erase wrinkles (that I have to see) then steam me mask me declog me and massage me and hopefully leave me with baby bum soft skin, and if I can escape without being guilted into buying a $100 worth of product "I really should have" I will come home one happy girl.

It has happened again. There I was, minding my own business, and it just showed up. I didn't invite it, I don't even want it here, but it came anyway. It creeps up slowly at first, and is barely noticeable. You find yourself thinking, "I don't remember these pants being this short" or "I must have the dryer on a setting that is too hot".
Suddenly, even the fat jeans have no extra room. The skinny jeans have been lost at the bottom of the closet. And the uninvited guest is there at every turn. I feel it wobble when I sit down and I hear it in the extra effort to stand back up. The winter spare tire has yet again made it's way on to my body!
I casually mentioned to my beloved that I would like to lose it before spring. He immediately jumped in to male mode and had all sorts of suggestions, one of which is that we join the Y!!! Poor deluded man, he has only known me for almost 32 years, he can be forgiven for not knowing my fear and loathing of all things sweaty. He must not have noticed over the past 32 years that I have joined him at the gym fewer times than I have fingers.
I prefer the solitary approach to weight loss. Start the day with a healthy bowl of cereal. Eat a low fat lunch. Open the jar of jelly beans for a mid afternoon snack, followed by toast and cheese. Eat a huge portion for dinner and snack on chips and dip before bed.
I will start jogging as soon as the snow goes away in June of July.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SHERRI
HAPPY TO SHERRI
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SHERRI
LIKE YOU EVEN LOOKING AT THE SONG
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

Happy Birthday Sherri!

Happy Birthday Sherri! We all hope you had a great day!

We are jumping for joy - it's Alec's Birthday!

All the Bakers hope you have a wonderful birthday Alec.

Stick your nose in a book for the day - it appears that Magic School Bus catches your attention!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALEC

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALEC

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ALEC

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

the opinionated one here! Re: Grammy's

So, Amy Winehouse was the big winner of the night. Her performance was, well, odd! Her loving tribute to her incarcerated husband, her song Rehab, and her bizarre acceptance speech (and I use the term loosely) were strange to say the least. For a woman who is supposed to be recieving treatment for substance abuse, she sure seemed out of it! By honouring her, it seems to me that the grammys are glamourizing drug abuse and law breaking. I am well aware that drug addiction crosses all socio economic lines and once it has hold of a person, it is very difficult to kick. But, with all the wonderful musical artists out there who promote clean living, good morals, decency and honesty, why do we honour the antithesis?
Kanye West performed a tribute to his mother who passed away recently. It was very nice, although not my style of music. But, here again, he is one of the big winners, when last year he whined and stomped his feet and threw a tantrum that would put any two year old to shame. This year his blatant self promotion was sickening! Yuck.
There were some fun performances with some very talented people - very much enjoyed the Tina Turner and Beyonce duet of proud mary.
Lest you think I watched the entire broadcast, nothing could be farther from the truth. I actually watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition - much more inspiring - and only turned to the grammy's during commercials. Just happened to catch Amy, Kanye, and the proud mary duo.
Tell me what you think? Am I way off base?

Finally Made It

GUESS WHO.........I FOLLOWED JACQUELINES INSTRUCTIONS AND HERE I AM. MUM IS TALKING TO ME FROM HER GAME PLAY CONSOLE, TELLING ME WHAT TO WRITE ETC, I WILL INVEIGLE HER INTO HAVING A GO....SHE DOENT KNOW IT YET BUT WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT A CAR FOR HER TOMORROW, I HAVE ALMOST PERSUADED HER TO GIVE IT ANOTHER GO, PROVIDED I DONT TRY AND TEACH HER OF COURSE!!! I POSTED MY FIRST FOR SALE ITEM ON CRAIGSLIST TODAY, ITS THAT ROLEX WATCH I BOUGHT IN THAT ESTATE SALE IN SASKATOON, AND ALREADY I HAVE AN ANSWER FROM SOMEONE WHO SAYS HE WILL DEFINITELY BUY IT! NOT TOO SHABBY EH? WE ARE MOVING AHEAD WITH SOME INITIAL HOLIDAY PLANS, BUT SOME PEOPLE WHO DONT HAVE PASSPORTS YET WILL BE MISSING OUT I THINK...STILL LATER IN THE YEAR WOULD BE OK, ITS JUST THAT MUM AND I DONT LIKE TRAVELLING MUCH AND WE WOULD HAVE TO DO IT ALL AGAIN!!! SO SORRY TO HAVE LOST DEAR OLD DON SINCLAIR, WE HAVE A CALL IN TO JEANNIE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED RE AN OBIT ETC, BUT SHE HASNT CALLED BACK, SHE MAY NOT HAVE GONE OVER TO THE ISLAND AGAIN YET. I AM SO PLEASED I CALLED HIM FROM AUSTRALIA ON HIS BIRTHDAY, I DIDNT KNOW IT BUT IT WAS THE LAST TIME I WOULD TALK TO HIM. FIRE SERVICE IS GOING WELL WE HAVE NOW RAISED OVER 46000 DOLLARS WHICH WE WILL HOPEFULLY BE USING TOWARDS A NEW FIRE TRUCK LATER IN THE YEAR, HAVING OUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING IN TWO WEEKS, AND HAVE A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS TO PUT FORWARD, MUM IS GREAT AS TREASURER, BUT SHE COMPLAINS ALL THE TIME PRETENDING SHE DOESNT WANT TO DO IT, BUT REALLY SHE LOVES THE FEELIGS OF POWER IT GIVES HER. WE ARE BOTH IN GOOD HEALTH TRYING TO GO WALKING DAILY, WE REALLY NEED A DOG, BUT THE TRAVELLING MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE, IF JACQULINE LIVED NEARER WE WOULD DO IT.HEAR CARL IS A BIT UNDER THE WEATHER, SOUNDS AS THOUGH HE MIGHT HAVE WHAT JIM NEILLY HAD, AND AFTER HIS TREATMENT HE IS IN FINE FETTLE NOW. PAM NEILLYS MUM DIED LAST OCTOBER, AFTER HAVING HAD ALZHEIMERS FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS OF HER LIFE, MISERABLE ISNT IT. I HAVE A PRIZE FOR THE FIRST PERSON WHO CAN TELL ME WHERE WE SHALL BE HAVING LUNCH TOMORROW...CLUE WWE ARE GOING TO VANCOUVER111cluck...cluck...cluck LOVE TO ALL, FROM THE FAR WEST.

Ah, now I get it!!! Thanks Joanne.

Since our new addition (Betty Boop), our home has turned into utter chaos. I should be committed due to the fact that I thought having another pet would be a good idea. 2 cats, 2 dogs (Cody HATES Betty), 2 sons, and only one husband (that I know of). I think I shall have a sign made up for the front that either says "Duggan Zoo" or "The Nut House". So Jackie, please do not encourage Riley to get a snake, hamster, fish, lizard or anything else that requires feeding or requires someone (me) to clean up their poo. If he asks, tell him HE has to clean up the "treasures" in the backyard for a month before even considering getting another pet - that should put him off.

People grrrrrrrrrr

What is wrong with people?? yesterday Carl and I did some cleaning out, so I put an ad on Kijiji giving stuff away for free, the ad states clearly PICK UP ONLY! so we have a computer monitor on there great shape, probably could get 50 bucks for it!! so I get a reply last night and gave them a call, first she says she is new to Edmonton and can I meet her somewhere, I said im going to the mall tomorrow how about there, she agreed, so we just talked again and agreed on the doors by sears, oh and do I have a computer power cord she can have and a copy of windows xp?? I said no sorry just the monitor, we arrange a time I hang up, not 5 minutes later the husband calls and says, well seeing as you are going out anyway just drop it off here is my address, I said well I have to see what im doing, im on a crunch for time today, I then map quest there address, its over 40 blocks away, holy moley, so free for pick up only, is now costing me gas and an hours drive through traffic to drop it off, I DONT THINK SO, I have blocked there number and moved on to the next ad reply, jeeeeeeeepers, where are peoples heads at??

kudo's to Carl

Joanne here:
Thanks to Carl for posting! It was about time someone other than Jackie and I put fingers to keyboard.
Are the rest of you stumped? Don't know what to say?
What did you do today?
What was the stupidest thing you did today? (I can't be the only one injuring myself!)
Who was the most interesting person you met this week?
Was there a news story that interested you?
Do you have a favourite Duggan memory? Any Duggan memory?
I am happy to keep blogging - goodness knows, I seldom run out of things to say! You could even write about that if you like....Joanne never shuts up......
I would keep writing now, but my bum has gone numb from sitting on a wooden chair.

Hey whats up

Hi everyone

my name is carl and im jackies waaay better half. So i guess that makes me a member of this fam damily. dont really know what to add hear, finally got out of fort mac or crack as everyone calls it. Now working in edmonton where i plan on staying till we pull the pin on this ab sooo loot ly ba eeeeeeeeeeewtiful province of siberia, oooops silly me alberia, doh! ALBERTA! Ah its not all bad though. Since we've come out here we've, gone from living on Poggie 9 months of the year, to actually being able to afford BEER. Now i havnt collected poggie for three years and am completely worked to death. I dont even have time for BEER! :( But on a good not we did buy a place we can call home, and ive even managed to find a little shop to work on my projects. It's always nice to know you'll never run out of beer too! even if i dont have time to drink it grrrrr! I am enjoying buying thousands of dollars worth of STUFF that i dont need and watching it never be used and collect dust to. Its sooo cool haha, take that case of beer in the fridge for instance..... (Jackie put that down i was kidding) oh too late its gone lol. Hey shes right though there are no preservtives! anyway that enough of me for now, hopefully a couple a more will chime in (if they can put down they're giunus <---- spelt wrong and honey ale mugs :) and tell us alittle about themselves hahaha.

P.S. Sorry guys jackie made me say it!

Rocky loves Babe

Love knows no boundaries - even Rocky the cat loves Babe the pig!

Seniors Bingo!

Once a month the restaurant does a seniors bingo, all free and free prizes from the store.......great I think, what can go wrong, hmmm
First lesson learned, never ask if they would like more coffee while numbers are being called, this causes disgruntled old girls to yell out comments like " what the hell was the last number" and "would you please shut up" and definately do not take there meal out to them while its nice and hot, as they will push you out of the way to see the goings on, then you carefully slide the plate on the other side of them and walk away, not good, they yell out things like "I asked for ketchup" and "what the hell was the last number" haha, actually in all fairness the majority had a good time and I did get a few hugs, not tips, after it was all over!!

there oughta be a warning!

There should have been an additional warning on the pot of warm hair removal wax. It should say, "if you are of a certain age with eyelids the texture of wet toilet paper, use extreme caution".

This was going to be easy, warm the little pot of wax in the microwave, use wooden spatula to spread wax, place fabric strip over wax, and pull off in a smooth motion. Upper lip went very well, so I decided to also do my eyebrows. This is where things got a bit tricky. With my glasses on in order to see said eyebrows, I began to manipulate the wooden spatula as it dripped wax on to my nose and eyeglasses (couldn't resist that one - are you humming the tune now?....these are a few of my favourite things...).

Got the wax on to the offending hairs, smoothed the fabric over it, and pulled. Everything seemed ok, but then I notice a red dot in the middle of my eyelid. It grew and became purple. By evenings end, one third of my eyelid was purple! It looks a bit better this morning. I have learned a few things from this experience. There is a reason some older women have hairy eyebrows. Some things should be done by professionals - or at least a friend who can see. And, it is tough to get hardened wax off the sink.

figured it out!

It was driving me crazy that my posts were coming up as jan 31 every time I posted. I went to bloggers for dummies - yes there is such a thing - and found out there is an option at the bottom of the post page that says "post options" click that and you can change the date and time of posts.

Today!

I started the new job yesterday, its great, except the poor feet are already sore and she has me booked on for the rest of the week, the customers are mostly old folks who are all regulars and all sweet as the pie we sell, im a sucker for old folks and there antics so going to love it lol. talking old folks, by bosses father is 104 wow, had to add that tidbit, thats amazing!
Carl headed off to work this morning too, he has taken a midnight shift job at Petro can refinery, he is there for days today doing what they call indocrination, showing him the ropes in other words.
Have left at least a million calls for the buggers who are supposed to be fixing this place and have received zero replies, unbelievable! I just want my stuff that is still strewn all over the house, back in its place, grrrr.
This cold snap is supposed to break today, and going up to -3c, think I will wear my shorts and sandals hehe.
Sad to hear about Don Sinclair, he has been in our lives more or less since we moved to Canada.
Well thats about it for today, have a great day and we need to motivate the other Duggans to get posting, I will have to mass email them all again!!

Just stuff

I just got home from the Bay, I locked Carl in the waiting room of doctors office on way in, will get into that in a second!! anyhow the Bay, I got the job, start at $10 an hour which is great for waitressing and get to keep all my own tips, no sharing, the girls are all about my age and I already know that the manager and I are going to hit it off like were old friends, I start on monday morning and my shifts will be 11:30am to 7:30 pm, perfecto!
Back to Carl, he has been complaining for a long time about his innards, wont get into details as there not that pleasant, so today I finally dragged him in to see a doctor, after my interview I found him still waiting to go in so I got to go in with him, they are sending him for a Berium enema on march 18th and the doc kindly informed him that it is not at all pleasant, after that the doctor hopes to find the problem and get him on some treatment, if not further tests will be required, I will keep you posted.
Now that the emergency work has been done on the "flood" its like pulling teeth to get the buggers back here to fix up the mess, so the house is still upside down and yet to hear back from the "boss" after numerous phone calls, grrrrr.
Just got a call from Darcelle she has an extra ticket for Yuk Yuks tonight, I am soooo going, I need a good laugh, other than the one I got from Joannes post hehe.

grandsons and the Duggan Curse!

Joanne again:
The Barrie waterfront was the place to be. Ice sculptures, an ice maze and even a fun fair. This was to be the perfect outing for Craig and I, Caitlin and the two grandsons. It was fairly late in the day when we arrived at Tara and John's house to pick up the adorable duo. By the time we had car seats installed, bags packed and kids strapped in, it was after 5:30. We eventually neared the waterfront and could see the bright colourful lights in the distance. Mittens were put on to tiny hands, hats pulled over ears, scarves wrapped around necks. We were ready for some winter fun. We started our walk viewing the pretty light displays and made our way to the huge snow/ice sculpture on which the children could slide. Except......it was fenced off and guarded by a very bored looking young security guard. The ice maze had a similar fence and clone in a black uniform. He barely seemed to notice the people around him, he was too busy scuffing his feet and rubbing his hands trying to keep warm. The Duggan curse was in effect, we had arrived less than one hour after the displays had closed! The boys enjoyed sliding on the ice of a small pond, taking long runs and dropping to their tummies. Aiden said he was a penguin. When we neared the end of the trail, we found the beautiful ice sculptures, not only fenced in, but also inside a large tent. Thankfully this time the young security guard had a personality and chatted with us.
Aha......all was not lost.....a fun fair appeared before our eyes! We could smell the cotton candy and there appeared to be a number of people milling about. Hey boys, we can go on some rides. .....again with the Duggan curse.....The fair was just setting up, it would not be open for at least another hour! We decided not to wait, opting instead to go to Swiss Chalet for a chicken dinner. We seemed to be in luck, it was not busy. A chatty young lady took our orders, brought the boys some crayons and went off to the kitchen. About ten minutes later she returned to our table.....you guessed it....Duggan curse, yet again! Swiss Chalet had run out of chicken! If we didn't mind waiting for an hour, they would have a fresh batch ready! That's like Tim Hortons being out of coffee or MacDonalds running out of burgers. We changed our orders and eventually ate a less than wonderful meal.
The evening was rounded out with a movie at our house - Craig and I both fell asleep!

The Duggan Curse!

Have you ever dealt with the "Duggan Curse"? It can manifest in many ways, but the it often comes by way of ruined plans. Plan a trip, and the place will be closed when you get there. Plan a renovation, it will cost double and take twice as long as it should. etc etc.
Post a blog on here and tell us all about it.

and down she goes!

Joanne here:
I woke before the alarm this morning after a good nights sleep. Toast and tea to start the day, while watching the morning news and weather forecast. So far so good, a routine morning. I walked up to Caitlin's bedroom in our little cottage to get dressed as my clothing is in her bedroom. As I was leaving the bedroom I spied the full basket of dirty laundry and thought I might as well take it downstairs with me. In retrospect, I should have simply chucked the stuff over the railing, it ended up in a heap anyway! The staircase is very narrow and I think the steps are a little short. I briefly thought to myself that I should be careful as I balanced the basket out in front of me, unable to see the steps. I felt my right heel hit the edge of the step and come out from under me. I am sure it would have been a comical sight as the basket flew, my arms went up and my back came down - hard - on the wooden steps. All air escaped from my lungs in a big WHOOSH! There I lay, sprawled in a most inelegant fashion, gasping for air. The noises that came from me can only be described as a beached seal barking! It is amazing the things that rush through your head in milliseconds. Would the kids wake up and help me? I had to work, there were too many dogs booked for me to be hurt. There is no way I am seeing a doctor in this outfit, especially with the Christmas weight I have gained. Will my lungs please take a breath in? I hope none of my makeup is broken. (my makeup bag was in the laundry basket)
Devin and Caitlin did wake up. Devin said he heard a loud crash and came running. Caitlin was worried about the weird noises I was making. Devin asked if I could move. I wasn't sure for a few moments. But, slowly, and noisily, the breath returned to my lungs and I started to pull myself up. I am fine, I assured them both. I just need a couple of advil and all will be well! And, truth be told, I was okay. I went to work. Groomed a ton of dogs and lived on advil for the day. I must admit that now, 12 hours later, I am pretty sore. I am sore in places I wouldn't have imagined, like my sternum! How come?!? My right thigh hurts! And, most of all, my pride!
When I got home from work, Caitlin showed me that she has put a basket at the bottom of the stairs and we can just throw our laundry in it. I like that idea a lot.

Thats great to hear about Devin, hopefully he will go to college, heck if I knew then what I know now, I would still be in school, and im on board with Caitlin and hating the dentist, I think I will look into the gas thing next time as the freezing is what drives me bananas the most, good luck to her next week, it will all be over soon!
Still cold cold cold today, but managed to time the busses dot on so that was good, I did go to my interview only to find out the manager was elsewhere, she did leave apologies and asked another girl to get my resume and availability, I bet she calls me in over the next day or two to start work as everywhere is desperate for help here.
Carl made it home today bringing 5 times more stuff than he went up there with 18 months ago! how does that happen, its the same no matter where, I had a good cleanout before we moved in here and already im getting rid of junk!!
Anyhow thats all and we need to see more bloggers on here.

How to have fun on a day off!

Craig and I both had the day off yesterday. We began the day at the school board office to get the results of some testing Devin had done recently. It may seem a bit odd to have educational testing done when he is nearing the end of grade 12, but it has important implications if Devin decides to take any college courses. They were able to remove a couple of the original diagnoses that were made when Devin was 10. He has outgrown the adhd! This can happen in high school, particularly to boys. He still has some specific learning disabilities to contend with in the area of memory. Having this officially documented means that the college will be bound to offer various supports to help him, which could include a laptop and a person to take notes! Of course this is all somewhat dependent on Devin passing grade 12 and expressing a desire to go to college.
We next had some time to kill before taking nervous nellie (Caitlin) to the dentist for the first of a series of appointments to fill many cavities! We killed the time in a book store and then had a light lunch. Caitlin requires goofy gas at the dentist and for this reason she was not able to eat in the morning. So, she had the pleasure of watching her parents chow down.
Dentist appointments have always been an adventure with Caitlin. They have varied from outright screaming and kicking to hand clutching and crying. Yesterday went very well. The goofy gas was strapped on, her mp3 player attached firmly to her ears, a death grip on the assistants hand and then dentist was able to fill 4 teeth! She even dosed off briefly!
Next Monday we get to repeat the whole procedure.
As far as the weather goes, Alberta and Saskatechewan are out of order sending their arctic blast on to us! It is due to arrive tonight with very cold temps, tons of snow and strong winds! Yippee, can't wait. Bye for now - Joanne

I get to go first :)

I had this brainwave today to start a blog where we can all make entries, a great way for us to write down our daily antics and also gives us something to read everyday, and I will personally tutor Mum and Dad on how to use it, and they can then phone Joanne and curse that the bloody thing doesn't work right and she can tutor them again and so on and so on.
So im going to start by saying its way to cold and I was in sheer agony by the time the bus picked me up today, im going to a job interview tomorrow so will have on the long johns which make me look even fatter, a hat that once I take it off will have sticky out static hair and my huge boots, should make a great impression, I guess you lot in Toon town have it just as bad, yuck.
Carl is coming home tomorrow and staying here in Edmonton to work, yahooo first time in about 3 years, will be strange having him home every day, I guess I will have to cook more than just a baked potato for dinner.
The flood repairs are coming along and had the cement put back in the floor today, he had to smooth it out twice as Rocky had to leave his footprints in the first round.
Anyhow thats all for me for now, please add stuff, write whatever about whoever, whenever :) ttfn Jac.