Tulip's Tantrums

Have you checked out Facebook ? It reminds me a lot of Nexopia . I don't think I'll be a facebook addict as I have trouble enough keeping up with my email and blog, I can't really handle having something else to update and check. I have hooked up with some family and friends, and it would be great to get in touch with more. Speaking of updates, some birthday wishes are in order: Happy Birthday to Daig (6), Kristina (31), Ryan (11) and Jessica (8). Hope you all have/had great days! Time for bed already. Toodles!

I think I spend too much time thinking about things sometimes. Do you ever wonder why things go the way they do or why people are the way they are or why .... well, anything? I guess those are questions that are answered by our beliefs - whatever they may be. I currently believe that things happen because of cause and effect, not because of fate or any gods. A seed drops to the ground and becomes a tree, or it doesn't; two people have intercourse and create an embryo, it becomes a person or it doesn't; someone steps out into traffic and is killed instantly when struck by a vehicle, or lives with whatever disabilities he sustains. Just because. That isn't really where I planned to go tonight. I wanted to talk about why some people are the way they are, and how one can deal with the challenges some people present? Unfortunately, any train of thought I had has since derailed. Speak openly and honestly with respect for each other. Toodles!

Good evening, (I say in my most vampire- ish voice) LOL Today Braunt's team played the Rams. While it was a little brutal in score, it was more brutal in the fact that the referees, yes the blessed zebra officials, we're taunting and teasing our players. Now, our team isn't such that we can't take some verbal abuse, but when it comes from the ones who are supposed to be non-biased - that's just not right. Let it go ... let it go. I snapped off almost 1K pictures and I think I got everyone on the field at least once or twice, at least. :-) Good game team! What else? Well, a friend of mine - we'll call her Cathy - wrote to me last week to ask about some weight loss program I had successfully used in the past ( WDD ). No, it obviously didn't work continually, but it did work for a while. Anyway, she wanted to know what it was and what you had to do and if I had heard anything about O.A. and she is thinking of that. I pondered her message for a da...

Here is the link to the pictures I took at the first game. You can catch all the Wolverines pictures I take at 2007wolverinesfootball on photobucket. Here is a link to the team's website . Braunt is #52 and is already leading in tackles. Woohoo! Team Snippet: Offensively, Matt Haunn led the team with 43 yards on 5 carries and the touchdown. Mitch Richter led the passing attack, with three catches for 45 yards. On defense, Braunt Pierce led the team with nine solo or assisted tackles, with Brandon Patterson right behind with eight and Ian Lysak with seven. Colton Reider and Geoff Piper had six tackles each. On special teams, Fife punted six times for 202 yards, averaging 34 yards a kick. We face the Edmonton Eagles tomorrow, April 7th, at 10:00 AM at Clark Park. Dress warmly! Toodles for now!

Cancun was incredible. Anniversary was awesome. Kids are all healthy teenagers. Football has started for Braunt . We are looking at some changes with Dadum's work. What else, what else? Oh, the green beamer is for sale. Links to Craig's List and Kijiji are included. #1 question about Cancun pictures: "Where did Kiershyn's bruises come from?" Kier was wearing slippery socks that morning and fell in the hallway at approximately 3:40 AM. She almost fainted and got physically ill, so I was pretty certain she did something major, however we had to leave for the airport by 4AM (according to Dadums ), so I was not able to take her to the hospital. Her knuckles swelled and the other bruises were all out by that afternoon, and she wanted to document her injuries through film. She had it x- rayed when we returned and learned that she had done some pretty severe tendon/ligament damage, but nothing a little physio won't help. She's doing better al...

We are back from our trip and it was incredible! There are so many things that we saw and did - it was an amazing experience; one I'm sure none of us will soon forget. Here are our pictures. Talk to you in a bit. I've still got unpacking to do. Toodles!

We are going on our first ever official Family Vacation!!! We are heading to the Mayan Riviera for 7 days of exploring and fun. Our resort, Barcelo Costa Cancun, looks incredible and is all-inclusive. We definitely want to tour one of the many ruins sites, and have heard that Xel -ha and Xcaret are both a lot of fun. Right now I think we'll go to Chichen Itza and Xel -ha, but we're waiting until we're down there to decide definitely. We're learning Spanish, which is proving easier than we thought thanks to the French some of us sort of know. :-) We probably sound like a group of toddlers trying to talk, but it's fun! We'll see how much we actually understand when we get down there. Anyway, I've got some things to do today that can't wait so it's toodles for now!

Vivienne Anne Lemery Schapansky Kozakevich September 13, 1949 - February 13, 1991 Another year has passed. In reading my post from last year, it feels like I just wrote it. I continue to be amazed at the passing of time and how it seems to get quicker and quicker each year. What has happened that we would have shared in the past year? The kids are getting so big and mature and show more of themselves and the adults they're going to be every day. You would love them so much. Drey is graduating this year! Can you believe that? When I looked at his grad photo proofs, I was astounded at how much he looks like me - especially in the goofy hat one. I immediately focused on that one - remember how much I hated that pic of me and you loved it? Remember you got one copy (or was it a couple) made because you were so proud and had to have the cap and gown pic? I know you would ask for one of those in Drey's for you. :-) Dad and I picked a really nice pic of Drey in his gown, starin...

I think our pug is stressed. Why? It all started a few months back when I discovered my Alberta Mental Health Board stress cow was missing a portion of its head. That tipped me off to the fact that Sasha may have some issues beyond teething. She left more subtle hints like gnawed off corners on the baseboards, rounded edges on the coffee table and neat little nip marks on cross bars of our dining room chairs. Is there something wrong with Sasha? Is she suffering from some mental anguish of which she is trying to tell us? As I observe her rotund form stretched out on the couch, her wide chest rising and lowering in sync with thunderous snores, I come to the realization that Sasha is just a dog, in the adolescent, rebellious phase that the 2 leggers in our family are going through, and she is likely bored. Time for more exercise! So, out to the park we go with Daig in the lead, Sasha in the centre, and Lucy in the jacket (she makes it about 50' when it's -15C), to have fun romp...

I am home sick today with the flu. All was perfectly fine until about 6pm last night when I suddenly got very nauseous, everything became incredibly loud and I knew I was going to be ill. I went toward the bathroom but Drey was having a shower, so I laid down in bed to use labour breathing and self talk to keep whatever was wanting to come up down. I fell asleep for a bit but was nauseous once I awoke. The night was spent up and down and all around, and by 5:30 this morning my body was sore from being in bed too long. After putting the pets out, I discovered the cause of the foul odor by the front door and cleaned it up, which I think helped land me back in the biffy. I called into work around 6, grabbed a blanket and hauled myself onto the couch. I dozed on and off until Darrin got up at 8, shocked to see me home, still in my pj's and surrounded by sleeping dogs. The phone rang at 8:15 and Dary got called into work OT. Editor's note: That's as far as I got in this post on...

Note: My sincere condolences to my friend Susan on the passing of her mom, Gerta. I have not been on here for a few days now, but I see the counter has flipped! Woohoo! I remember back when the nines turned and the counter saw 100. Things have changed since then in some ways, but stayed the same in others. Some things that make me go hmmm: Why is it we live where the gas is but we pay the highest prices? $0.67 in Toronto and a jump from $0.78 to $0.85 overnight here - one of these things is not like the other. The Sun's editorial today is about not painting all foster parents with the same brush, discussion arising from the death of a 3 year old allegedly killed at the hands of his foster mom. A child dying has nothing to do with the foster care system; it has to do with one person killing another, in this case one who is young and still in need of protection. So long as people continue to have unprotected sex, we will continue to have unwanted children. So long as we have unwante...

Hi there. How are you doing? How has your weekend been thus far? Ours has been interesting, as they usually are with teenagers. We always have a variety of kids around and coming and going, and there is always something in the house that needs to be done. We spent some time with Dadums' siblings, parents and Opa and Oma at a brunch this morning (Christmas present from O&O); it was nice having time together to chat and visit. We stopped off to grab a couple things at the store, and now we're having a relaxing afternoon. I love getting together with Opa; we have such interesting discussions. I think it is very important to be able to discuss and debate issues without feeling the need to force the other person into accepting your beliefs. Isn't that a sign of intelligence - the ability to listen to and contemplate an other's opinions without having to take them on yourself? Opa just loves to talk about different things and his experiences. He told me he would...

Here is some information I would like to share: Weightloss I really hope that link works. If not, here's a bit: Health: Weight Loss - Make a significant and lasting lifestyle change. By Angie Kocsi, creator and co-founder www.spasincanada.ca 1-888-688-8338 or spas@spasincanada.ca Losing weight can make a significant and life altering change in how we live our everyday life. After losing weight many people experience better sleep patterns, increased energy levels, improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels. There is renewed vitality and self-confidence after weight loss that improves life in general and health in particular that cannot be overlooked. However, statistics show that 90% of people who undergo a weight loss program regain the weight within two years. Why? One reason is that most diets are unrealistic and simply cannot be maintained in the long term. They almost always set you up for failure because they do not take into account real life - stress, eating out, a hect...

Exciting news on the down south friends' home fronts . There is a new wee one on the way - a new little Kiki , shall we say, although very few of you will understand what that means. Congratulations D on your upcoming arrival and big hugs to you and yours!!!!! I have been designing a second blog type site - this one called Tulip's Tales . It's a place not of truth but fiction, and is based on no persons living or dead, or otherwise on the planet, regardless of similarities or resemblances . (I'm not sure that makes much sense.) Anyway, have a read and let me know what you think. By the way, did you catch Oprah today? I rarely turn the channel to her, but I'm glad I did today; it was about those two boys who were kidnapped - the one held for 2 or 3 days and the other for 4 years. Interviews with the families. It was very interesting. Toodles for now.

Happy Birthday to Grampa and Auntie Karen, and a belated HB to Uncle Randy on the 7 th !!! How are things with you and yours? It's been a tad bit nipply here, although today it warmed up to almost -10C so that is a real treat. Braunt and I took the dogs to the park for a run, but Lucy and Sasha both got very cold paws and ended up being carried while Daig ran around like a mad dog having a blast! The temp seems to be on its way up, or so we hope, and I trust there won't be too much more snow. We had an ouch with the brass beemer in the parking lot of the ATB ; just a light little touch and whamo - fibreglass just isn't made like it used to be. LOL . Anyway, no one was hurt and no airbags deployed, so that's good. The other guy's truck is perfectly fine so that's good too. After some body work, the little car will be back to new. What else to chat about? Well, the elliptical went really good ... once. Then Drey used it a couple times and now it...

Good day! How are things in your world? Things with us are well. The kids are back in school after the xmas break, Dadum's is on days for the next few months and I'm still enjoying my job very much. I have been on the elliptical, my food intake has decreased and I'm more conscious of what I'm eating and portion size, as well as hungry/full. Moreso than waiting until I'm hungry, I'm eating small portions more often. Yesterday it was oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt and dried fruit for coffee, various veggies and a small piece of ham for lunch, then ham buns for supper. Maybe not ideal but certainly a lot less calories than I was intaking; I think it's a good start. We had a shooting in town yesterday at high noon. A meth head with $8K cash and $10K in meth in his car got shot in the face, then drove himself to the hospital. His passenger was so high on meth that the hospital kept her overnight. No word on the shooter being captured. I would love to say...

Hi there! How is your day going? Ours has been pretty steady since 9:00 AM. We've been cleaning house like crazy and surfing and turfing things like mad. It feels good to get the dust up off the floor and the crap out of the cupboards and the old into bags to go to the Twice But Nice. Feels good to get things in order. Out with the old and hopefully NOT in with any new. We've got enough. :-) The boys brought in the elliptical. They wanted to tuck me away in a small room in the basement with a 13" television with peasant cable (now that sounds funny!) to do my workouts. "Oh, this will be better. We will be able to set you up with a tv and then we could use it too. It will be best." Ya right! I want that puppy in front of Dadum's 57" HDTV on one of the HD channels so I can enjoy the damn thing too! LOL! Imagine how fit Dadum's would be if he went on the elliptical every time he was watching television! Hell, even half the time and I bet he'd drop ...

Last weekend was sure fun! So many people came and I think everyone had a good time. I really enjoy having friends and family over - it's makes our house a home. And the grandbabies ... Drey is such a sweetie and Twyla's belly is getting so big - only a few more weeks and we'll get to meet our wee one! It's so exciting. Well, I think I'm ready - Judy, Judy, *whistle* oh there you are! I think you should go outside one more time. Come on Jude; don't want to go? Okay, well you'll have to wait for Bernie to get up then. Here's your treat. Purse, keys, jacket, alright, just shoes and I'm set to go. I'll just grab my runners, sit down and ...... ..... I am retching and vomiting all over the floor ... why am I on the floor? What has happened? ... I need help ... I ... I just need to lay down ... NO! Stay awake ... get to the bedroom ... oh my god my head is going to explode ... I can't stop vomiting and crying and I can't get up these damn sta...

Just a quick post during lunch - did I mention I'm Time's Person of the Year ? Seriously, they've named You person of the year, based on all of the things we do. Interesting concept. More later tonight. Toodles!

Good day! How did your day go? Ours started off kind of shitty - someone egged the green car. Have a pretty good idea of the culprit(s), but ce la vie. Life goes on and Dadums said he needed to wash the car anyway. Food today was a complete disaster, as was any attempt at getting near the elliptical. Actually, I'm not sure where exactly the elliptical is, but I have thought about it and considered it and procrastinated about thinking about where it is. Tomorrow is another day. What did I learn today? Don't put off until tomorrow is one thing. Just do it is another. Wait 10 minutes after the supposed hunger twinge to see if it happens again. I can have anything I want - but only when I am truly hungry. I can put away anything I want and save it for whenever I am hungry - no problem. Anyway, measurements were going to be tonight, but I feel like crap and so am just going to hit the tub and then to bed. Have a great night! Toodles .

Good day! How are you this beautiful day? I hope that things are well and that you no tragedy affected your life overnight. After reading the Sun , it appears there were no major mishaps during the night and that all is well in our area of the province. The teens are safe and accounted for, and all made very good choices last night. Drey maybe have imbibed a few spirits; Braunt stayed at his buddy's and Kiershyn was with her friend MS chillaxing into the New Year. I received text messages at midnight wishing us HNY, but I slept through the initial sounds until I finally woke at 3AM and read them. Before I knew it, the dogs needed to go out and it was 4:30. Then I crashed back into bed only to be awoke by Dadums and the critters at 9. Crazy! Well, I haven't stepped on the scale - in fact I'm kind of scared to go near it. It's been a great few weeks of celebrating. LOL. I can tell by how things are fitting that I'm really not going to like the numbers. Okay, here goe...

I've decided to change up the colours a bit. Make things more funky ... what do you think? Like it, hate it, can't decide? Let me know. What are you doing this evening? Anything specific to ringing in the New Year? We had supper with Dō and then Dary picked up Braunt , who was supposed to be at the farm this evening but there was a change in plans and he is now chillaxing with some friends in town. Drey's gone to Ardrossan to be with his friends at an acreage party (complete with adults, thankfully) and Kier is with her friend in town and they're hanging around the house. All in all a pretty quiet evening. After Dary's hockey game is finished, then I think we're tackling some of the Sopranos. We're only in the middle of Season 3 and Dary just received Season 6 for Christmas. We've got a lot of watching to do! Other than that, it will eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we haul the elliptical upstairs and confess all our fatness to the ...

Good day! How are things with you this fine day? In preparing to write my pre and post New Year entries, I re-read some of the posts from this time last year. Some things old, some new, some changes but lots of the same. Let's compare: 1) Spend More Time with Family & Friends Like last year, there were friends we didn't get to see. We kept in touch with some phone calls, emails and blog followings, so that is always good. This year my views of family have changed yet again and I find that I wanted to spend a lot more time with our relatives. It has been very nice seeing the kids growing and changing and spending quality time with our nieces and nephews. I didn't see anyone from my mom's family but did see a few from my dad's, so we'll have to see about that this year. It's so nice that our family is back together; I think sometimes a break is the only way to fix things - actually, to see if things are able to be fixed. I certainly don't want t...

Click on the title to hear the song, and have access to a bunch more! How is your day going? Ours is going very well. Our morning was full of fun and ripping open presents and comparing and quality time with each other. Dadums made a great breakfast and now we're waiting for turkey to be finished so that we can haul it over to Karen and Randy's to feast with them, Mom, Dad, Opa and Oma . Auntie Bonnie was supposed to come out but her niece has asked to spend time with her and so they are settling in at AB's house to enjoy the evening with Kaylssa and her dog-friend (whose name has escaped me). I'm also uploading all the photos from last night at Sean and Kim's. It was a great night with lots of hugs and love and laughter and food and fellowship. From my Santa (Rob) I got a pair of slippers, a bracelet and a necklace. The slippers are incredibly comfy and the jewelry will look great to wear to work. Dary got a very nice Oilers fleece pullover from his ...

Have been busy the past few days and haven't had a chance to write. Figured I had best do it now or it won't get done until who knows when. For those of you interested in the pictures that led to Ms. Nevada being stripped of her title. I don't think she should have lost her title however I don't think she should have went for the title in the first place. While she is a beautiful young woman, one would have to question her intelligence in posing for the pictures knowing the incredibly public goal she had in mind. Oh, but she's a beauty queen, so that like explains everything, like right? Well, a girl's gotta have fun. We have been running around getting last minute holiday things finished up and that included picking up the Sting jackets. Wow! They look so nice. Thank you to Mr. Tang at Alberta Sportswear for how they look. What do you do during the holiday season? Do you celebrate Christ mas or Santa-mas or Eat Drink Be Merry-mas or nothing-mas? All...

I will be here . Off to have a bath. Toodles!

Okay, so I'm still sitting on the computer, reading Kevin's blog and seeing if Tang's written anything new. Came across these incredible toys . Wow! I could definitely see myself buying one of those for a grandchild. :-) Yes, I'm going to be a loopy Nana! In reading Kev's blog, I find myself having to share this one lady's comment from Boss Tip #1 -Get Out From Behind Your Desk . Pat Fowler said... I remember many years ago, taking a course in university--Management 401 or some such name. Anyway one of the "tricks" they taught the class was to put three loonies in the left pocket each morning, then each time you complimented an employee on a job well done etc. you were to move one loonie to the right pocket. By the end of the day you were to have all three loonies in the right pocket. I now (after many years and much life experience) wonder why we need a "loonie" to remind us to let a person know they have done a great job. As adults we...

Dec.12 th - Happy Sweet 16 Kiershyn ! Tonight Dadums has taken her and 2 friends to WEM to get new piercings. We do not have problems with our children getting things pierced, however that is not the opinion of many others. That's okay - differences are a good thing. Kier has had her nose, Monroe, ears, lip and tongue done ... now she's headed just a slight bit south. Not too far just to the chest region. She originally wanted her sternum done but I believe she is going with the um ... er... cough cough ... nipple. There, it's out. Everyone knows. Well, at least anyone who reads my blog knows. So, now that all 4 of us know ... lol ? Oh, my attempts at humour. Most likely it falls on deaf ears or perhaps those who silently stalk their way through my and other blogs? So, here's my rant of the day: Why can't a certain newspaper run a spell checker before printing their paper? (Note the spelling of their .) For the love of whatever you consider to be true to your ...

Well, we've decided to put Dadum's baby up for sale. It's been fun to have it and we'll gladly keep it, but we've got a couple of other ideas and need to free up some funds to make them a reality. So, if you're looking to buy a very nice car, check out kijiji for our ad . We'll get a little puddle jumper for me to use for work; something that can handle the 4.5 minute drive four times a day. I know, I know - we need something super reliable that won't let us down and won't nickle and dime us to death. :-) Yes, I'm being a tad facetious. I'm sure we won't have trouble finding something when the time is right. Dadum's brother and his wife just bought a beautiful home and will be taking possession in April I believe. We continue to search at houses, as we always do, however we have work to do to our house in order to make it more sell-able and that will take time. Although I've found a couple of houses I really like, they va...

I made the most incredible pie last night. Lemon pie filling with cream cheese and freshly whipped cream into a chocolate graham wafer crust popped into the freezer for a couple hours and voila .... lemon cheesecake fluff to die for! I think I'll make it into tarts for my turn of the 12 Days of Christmas at work; this is where two people get together each of 12 days to provide the snack for morning coffee. I know I certainly don't need it, but man everything is sure tasting good! Like Shelley's pickled garlic and Roberta's trifle ... too good! :-) Jennie and I are sharing, so she's bringing home baking as well. I've uploaded some more photos onto photobucket so if you want to have look just search tuliptwy 68 and that will show you all the albums I am attempting to organize. I plan on taking pics of the b-ball games and of course more of the family. We're getting ready to do our family pictures - I'm quite excited about that! I just have to find some ...

You know, sometimes you just have to wonder. You give 150%, be a team player, try your damnedest to keep things running, even while they flounder. You do all this without becoming one of the brown nosers of the bunch, without giving good head and learning to swallow, you do this while being honest with everyone, with a smile and an attitude that fosters happiness and good working conditions rather than helping to feed the waiting negative office beast. The one that lurks around each corner, waiting to hear someone complain about something, it then drags another victim in ... okay, maybe I'm going a little too far here (not enough sleep, I'm thinking) ... My evaluation ended with me receiving an outstanding rating. Of course, outstanding ratings always have to go to a couple of people above for approval, but when it comes from a director's recommendation, one would assume she speaks for her group and they are good for their word. Well, the email and phone calls come thro...

If you go to http://photobucket.com/ and search Sting Football Banquet , you will find all the posted pics. Toodles for now!

Having a house with 5 people and 5 critters and numerous fish - it makes for an incredible amount of noise among other things. Right now Drey and Braunt are serenading their sister in an attempt to tick her off. They've successfully ticked Dadums off a few times (oh, now Braunt's onto the What Child is This humfest ) ... and I can understand now why Grampa was the way he was when I joined the family - a quiet man sitting in the corner, shouting SHUT UP every so often. He had listened to so much bickering and nattering and jousting amongst the kids that it had driven him batty! Our Dadums seems to be at that point as well, so it just goes to prove that 17 years of raising kids can send one around the bend. My apologies to those of you waiting for the football banquet pictures. I have to get them sized down so that I can post them all online, and I haven't made that a priority this week. I am going to try to get them all finished today and posted, with the email...

Raffi is missing from this set of pics. He was too busy hiding in the basement.

Well, this whole O.J. interview/book thing is just fucking freaky. That man needs help. Now I'm wondering how much the copies of the irretrievable pre-sales books will cost on eBay ? Or will they be seized by the publisher based on some law? Hmm... How was your day? Mine was very good again. It's nice to have such relaxing days; I realize I don't have to run like crazy to get things done just to wake up to the same insanity tomorrow morning. There are more "normal" paces of jobs and they are great. I had a co-worker over for lunch today; we had at least 40 minutes at the house where we snacked on our lunch and chatted about family things. Very, very, nice. Okay, here are some more pictures. I'm not sure how many I can get on one post but we'll soon find out (I think it's 5). I'll be doing more posts, so you're bound to have seen most of the pics before you read this part. :-) Toodles!

Once again I'm late on submitting. This was written last night, but when I started having trouble with sizing the pictures then I got off track on that and never got back to this. It's Nov.20 th today. Enjoy... Last night was the infamous football banquet. I got an early xmas present - a Nikon Coolpix S10 VR . It's quite the little toy. I was still figuring out how to use it, so lots of my pictures have those annoying little white spots ( if anyone can zip those out and send the pics back to me, that would be great ). I'm also having trouble getting the pictures down to a reasonable size. They start out at 1MB and when I crop and cut them, they're 2MB!? What's up with that? Anyway, I'm posting pics of kids first, then pets, then whatever comes next - probably football. Dre, Kiershyn and Braunt looked particularly good (if you ask me) - although Dre did look like he was attending a funeral during his pic with Braunt . Too funny! Have a look and let me ...