resolutions

I was just reading the resolutions that my favourite blogger made for 2015 and I thought I would record mine as well. In prepping I quickly went back to read my 2014 resolutions and I didn't completely fail. For instance I wanted to take the family more Paleo and I did, for months but then later in the year after having consulted with an sports nutritionist she made a strong case why that wasn't a great approach for active people. Done. Happily, done. I wanted to learn to rug hook. I did start a project - I was quickly going blind so I pretty much abandoned that one. Three strict pull ups. Well I can kip some but no strict. I can however do three strict chin ups. Last one - learn to do double unders skipping. I have in fact learned to but am still at the point where I skip a double then a single, then a double and a single. It's a start.

So on to 2015. I think I'm going to throw the double unders and pull ups on the list again. Followed by a dedicated family night. We regularly do popcorn and a movie but I'd like to do popcorn and a board game with the kids now that they're old enough. Next - read more. I'm nearly done my second book of the season so I'm starting strong. My last is to simplify - shop less, keep less, decorate less, donate more, organize more.

Then there's Cody - his two from 2014 were to learn French and participate in a weight loss challenge. I'll let you guess how those turned out.  This year he's looking to read more and work less. He's getting off to a very good start as well.

Cheers to a grand 2015!
CAKE

twenty fifteen

Happy New Year everyone - here's to a healthy, peaceful 2015!

We ended 2014 very well. Our trip to Ontario was wonderful thanks to clear weather, great family, amazing hosts and two very good kids.

The drive that I have admittedly been dreading for a month wasn't even half bad.  On the way there the kids and I were together following Cody in a customer's truck. And for 18 hours Kate and Elliott entertained each other, themselves and me. There were one or two hairy moments - in particular sounding out and spelling words with the kids.  If we could have, we would have been slugging it out in a fist fight as I was not able to - in Toronto 401 rush hour traffic - describe clearly enough to either how to write a "b" versus a "d".  I bet you're saying to yourself, "what, a fist fight over a b versus a d? She's exaggerating?" I am not. It didn't matter that 2 out of 5 letters in each of her words were backwards she had to get a b versus a d nailed down. "Which side of the circle does the line go on?" Just typing those words sends me into convulsions. Three people screaming at each other as Papa chilled out in his truck quietly listening to stories on the CBC.

Once at the house, we stayed busy: visiting, eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, walking, unwrapping, cleaning, washing and even a little biking. We took the kids to a boxing day movie and to Niagara Falls for a big walk in some crisp misty air.

The kids were spoiled with goodies, gifts and love from their multitude of grandparents (3 sets). Not a bad gig to be the only two kids with a nine plus adults doting.

So on to the festivities...

Two very tired travellers - plus one lazy Boo.

Me and my babes

We've got some serious Nutcracker envy.

Great Grammie and Great Grampie Jorgensen - I know the kids fell hard for both of them.

Our four kids on the night before Christmas. Two snug in the Christmas jammies and blankets.

We had a serious thunder and lightening storm on Christmas Eve and then this was our Christmas morning view. Strange to say the least.

Our cup runneth over. 

Our Christmas Angel. She was a trooper as she had to be taken to the clinic Christmas Eve with a cold and a very painful ear infection.

 Elliott with one of many Christmas zombies.

Pirate Kate sitting amongst her sizeable booty.

Zombies are strangely photogenic. 

 Crocs too.

 Getting some fresh air.

Another pretty shot of Kate.

Sitting down to a beautiful Christmas dinner.

 Kate, a rainbow and the Falls.

 Quiet contemplation.

 Me and my little lady.

Cody and Kate with a very good replica of Heath Ledger's Joker that fascinated Elliott.

Two days left of the kids' Christmas holidays and about nine more episodes of Breaking Bad season five for Cody and I; the possibilities are endless.

March on and much love - CAKE

over the hills we go, laughing all the way (ish)

I blame Elf on the Shelf. I truly think he has sucked all the creative juice from my body leaving me tired and uninspired to write. However it has finally hit me that we depart for our Christmas in Ontario Monday morning so I best do an update before this blog gets even more out of date.

It has been a whirlwind of a Christmas season. So much has happened with our little family that I scarcely know where to start. The biggest change being that Cody has started another company - Reset - which opened its doors in November and has been pretty much booming since then. I'm super proud of him but it has meant that Cody has been on the road a pile with his Dad and very busy again when home. The bonus this go around is that I'm learning to be his admin assistant/bookkeeper. It hasn't all been smooth sailing but I must say I love working again and this time with numbers.

So let's take a look:

Cody in action.

Christmas baking and decorating with the Bests.

I love the way Josie frosts cookies.

Best, most dense decorating of the day - Roman Best!

Elliott was so proud.

 Our workshop - we made some cookies!

Kate started gymnastics. Yahoo! She's the youngest/tiniest in her group but I think she'll learn fast.

Speaking of learning - she seems to have made major gains this month in reading and writing. Half of it is confidence and she has renewed confidence in herself.

Unfortunately Cody's flight got grounded in Toronto and Kate came down with a G.I. so it was just Elliott and me on Christmas Concert night. Without a doubt Elliott with his class stole the show!

Earlier this week it was our annual gingerbread house decorating evening.

Cooperation was the name of the game - they were awesome.

And this weekend we're preparing for a couple more family get togethers with friends. Sunday its an ugly Christmas sweater disco party with the kids. Can't wait! This creation will be Kate's.

Today marks the last day of school for the kids - they had a great week. I can't believe the effort some teachers go to. Unreal. They're thrilled all around, but tired. Perhaps they'll sleep a bit on our 17 hour trip West.

Happy week before Christmas to all. CAKE

a sixty year spread

Tomorrow is our Grammie Donna's birthday. How old is she turning? Well I thought I would turn the question over to the kids to answer. And perhaps their answers will be funnier to me than Grammie, but likely not, I'm pretty sure she has a great sense of humour.

So first the good news...

And the not so good...

Whatever the truth may be we hope you have a lovely day and we hope our card arrives on time and we hope you have cake and we're there in spirit.

Happy 20th old lady! Love - CAKE

thumpity thump thump - over the hills of snow

It's December eve and Christmas has officially arrived in our home. It's been a day of relative merriment  as we got the tree up and the kids got busy decorating. There has been egg nog, hot chocolate, crafts, activities and playing in our fast melting snow. 

Speaking of snow, this past Thursday the Maritimes received our first snow storm and the kids their first stay at home snow day. In the past five years I have been watching our neighbours with admitted jealousy as they snow blew the heaps of white stuff from their sidewalks and driveways. We have always chosen a tractor service. Though convenient, it has never been entirely gratifying.  For years I have always imagined snow blowing to be the winter equivalent of mowing your lawn and I sincerely love mowing the lawn. Since Cody is officially done at Terra Nova we have finally purchased our own  blower and Thursday marked its inaugural job, and in typical Jorgensen style, Cody was MIA. So, the honour fell to me. I fired it up and went to work on the 21cm of very wet snow that covered everything. Well, not really.  It turns out I had it on the lowest throttle setting and moved very little snow. Oops. My neighbour sensed I was a little out of my comfort zone and he came over and pretty much cleared our whole driveway in the time I managed to do our sidewalk. Two hours later and two passes of the neighbourhood grater I had a cleanish work area, a sore body, cramped gripping muscles and one very bad attitude. Poor Cody. I wish for his sake we could record the crazy calls I have made to him over the years so that I could later listen to them, apologize for them and just possibly learn from them. Alas, we have not and thus I have not.

For the record, when Cody flew home yesterday, before he even set foot in the home he had been away from for five days he fired up that snowblower and got it going beautifully in order to prove to me that it wasn't a piece of poop like I had alleged!

 Cleaning off the 4 Runner was almost as difficult as the blowing.

 My famous sidewalk cleanup.

 At least the kids are loving the great snowman making wet stuff.

Our snowbabies.

My Christmas dunces. 

Their handiwork.

So tomorrow the official countdown begins for us all... concerts, cookies, cards, crafts, carols, parties, gingerbread houses and a little bit of shopping. I wish you and us all good luck! 

Lots of cheer! CAKE

in loving memory - shirley eva mary rau

Monday evening I returned from a quickly planned trip to Calgary - home. This trip I was reminded that Alberta was and always will be my home. It's where most of my memories were born and all of my family reside.

Last month, my Aunty Shirley suffered a brain aneurysm at home with my Uncle Mike. Over the days that followed she showed signs of real hope but then suffered a massive stroke that essentially killed her. She was 60 years old. A year younger than my Dad and one older than my Mom.

She was a good woman - hard working, loyal, active in all her kids' and grandchildren's lives and a fine host. She, my Uncle and my cousins hosted Rhonda and me over weeks at their farm during our childhood summers and holidays.  Some of my fondest, most acute memories are from those times: swimming in the rivers, berry picking, collecting eggs from terrifying chickens, marshmallow roasts, sledding down their back hill, dirt biking through their woods, taunting cattle, helping to birth pigs, butchering chickens, eating fresh garden peas, wrestling and exploring. In looking back I remember my aunt led most of those outings and was eternally patient with a house bursting with children and noise.

I do not consider myself a sentimental person but in this case I have to admit that I can hear her voice clearly and see her bright smile. I feel very sad for my cousins and Uncle. Ten years ago they lost our cousin Michael and now their matriarch. I wish them all peace, comfort and love.

I wish I had taken photos at the gathering that followed the funeral. It evolved into quite a happy one. I spoke to cousins and in laws that I hadn't had the chance to in years, decades and some ever. I got to see my cousins' children run around like we used to. As my Mom and I walked to the car I had a final hug from my dear cousin Elizabeth and remarked that it felt like Christmas. Like we were leaving a joyful family gathering from our childhood. So for that I thank you Aunty Shirley. I thank you for bringing me home and for the reminder of what a big family feels like.

This was taken that day by my Dad's cousin Geraldine. My mom unfortunately was chatting across the hall so we missed including her.

All my love, Aimee

still waiting for the treat

Aimee, this is your conscience calling... I'm worried about you. About your health. About your will power or lack there of. The candy cup will over floweth today and for the next days. The chocolate is not for you. It is for the children. Let the children have the chocolate. The children, they burn it off, they can deal with it, you do not and cannot. A moment of high will certainly lead to misery as your sugar levels climb and plummet. Be strong Aimee, I'm counting on you.

'Tis Halloween again. A joyous day that to be honest has started less than joyously.  As I sit here typing, enjoying my morning coffee the pain has lessened but I'm still going to record it so that I can read back on the highlights of this morning in years to come and maybe I'll be consoled that our kids are grown and off having their own adventures (mommy-less).

Elliott was over the moon this morning as he woke to the carved pumpkin and bags of candy for this evening's trick or treaters and his classmates. Though sweet, his energy can get a little grating with the endless requests: can you light the pumpkin? can I have gum? where is Kate's witch nose? can you spray my hair black right now? how about now? where are Octopus' mouths? are these my treats for my class? did you pack me swiss cheese for lunch? are you done yet? can we now?

When we finally finished arguing over what clothes he would wear under his costume, I got to spraying his hair black. Upon the grand reveal - the tears erupted. "Can you get it out of my hair? I don't want it." Great, no worries let's get undressed and get showered. More tears erupted when I said we had to actually use shampoo. What is with this kid? This was not his first hair wash. Then I started to cry when he put on his costume and it was revealed to me that the dog had played tug of war with it. Hey no worries. Let's adapt and get sewing. I may not have had pants on yet but I am a mom of action.

Not to be outdone by her brother, Kate hated her first pair of tights - they just didn't feel good on her toes. No she didn't want black hair spray (I couldn't blame her after her brother's hysterics). She wanted green freckles - no not on her nose!!! Oh, ok. Yeah she liked them. And yeah, she wanted black hair now. Ahhhh! It got in her eye a bit. No she's ok. In the car, down the street - "Oh Mommy I didn't bring my broom. Yeah I really want it."

No problem. No issue.

So, I'm going to admit it, it was gum in the car instead of a toothbrush kind of morning.

Bless them. They were full of light and life when we finally made it in to the school. Things of beauty.

Happy Halloween eveyone! Can't wait to see everyone's Trick or Treaters' costumes.
I'm off to eat chocolate. AJ