Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas to all our friends, family and fans and all the best in 2013.

These past few months have been filled with firsts for Furia and Anomantia both, the changes in Gurneyland have been huge and I feel like life has been passing me by.  I have missed several developmental steps for my girls because my job has been so demanding.  I have so little time with my family I had to sacrifice a few little things in order to spend more time with my girls and L. 
This year we kept Christmas small because with all the Stuff we are slowly losing sight of the real meaning of Christmas and feeling like the walls are closing in on our small home.  So we kept things manageable this year.  My house is slowly becoming more and more girlie with 2 tea party sets and way too many fairies and pink and purple wings and tutus everywhere. 
For 2013 we will be giving the gift of experiences for our girls to try to veer away from the materialism that most holidays are leaning towards. We are looking forward to seeing and doing as much as we can in the next year and hope to discover some new traditions in the wake. 
All the best to you all,
The Gurney Clan.

Halloween

This year we all dressed up as pirates for the holiday.  It was way too cold out so we only managed to trick-or-treat at 13 houses.  The weather was cold and snowing with a nasty north wind. 

The atypical morning.

I have come come to really appreciate the mornings at home.  My alarm goes off at 4 am.  On work days, this is when I get up and get ready to go for work.  I have to be out the door around 5 am on those mornings.  Today is a holiday and I get to enjoy my morning.  So far I have turned on the lizard lights, turned on the kettle, and sat down with my book but decided to blog while pumping excess breastmilk for Furia.  The girls are both still sleeping and Furia has slept from 9:30pm last night and she probably won't wake until close to 10 am.  Anomantia however will be up within the hour.  I still haven't made curtains for her room but light doesn't seem to bother her when it comes to napping or bed time. 
So here I am in the living room sitting in my usual corner with my current knitting WIP next to me calling for my attention.  I am thinking of activities that we can do as a family and still keeping in mind I have two terrariums to clean out today, plus the usual laundry, dishes and vacuuming.  And to top it all off, I have to get the girls clothes laid out for tomorrow afternoon.  We have another funeral to attend tomorrow.
Now I am feeling rather discouraged!  After pumping for twenty minutes I only got a measly 60 mL of milk.  My supply has taken a huge hit and I am no longer producing enough for Furia.  I am just glad that I have frozen stocks for while I try everything to get it back up.
Well to end this these are updated photos of the girls from this weekend.  Anomantia now calls herself Ano-ta and has figured out her last name too.  Furia is still a growler and has taken the nickname monster by all of us.  Anomantia is still the beast so for now the beast and monster are both still caged but will be released soon.

Long gone

Today is the tenth anniversary of my mum's death. Over ten years, I have lived my life and changed my course several times knowing that I have to keep moving to keep myself going. My memories have faded but I still wake with the nightmare replaying over and over in my mind.  I was not ready to have her die but she was ready to go.  I can't remember her laugh, but I remember her aura, warmth and unconditional love.  I remember the sound of her kettle whistle and her brown teapot.  I remember the sound of her running shoes on the living room floor as she got ready for a run.  I remember her excitement for spring and the flowers and gardening plans she had in mind.  I remember her hugs and the way she tucked her hair behind one ear.  Her voice has faded from my memory but her lessons remain.  I miss her more today than I did ten years ago but time does not heal everything.  If I could go back and say two things, it would be thank you and I love you. 
She gave me life and with her memory, I live it and try to be the best parent I can be to my own daughters.  I will love her forever and miss her more by the day.

Beat the heat (SBC#53)

What I do to beat the summer heat is hang out in our back yard pool and avoid the public chaos that occurs when temperatures exceed 25 degrees Celsius.

Best Gardening tip (SBC#52)

It is simply fertilize! We used raw chicken poop this year. We covered the garden in it at the end of last harvest season and left it to sit over the winter and turned it in by hand as soon as the snow melted.  Our vegetables are three times larger and have already noticed a larger yield.  It works awesome!

Freebee fun with mini-me (SBC#51)

A fun free activity I like to do with Anomantia is a toss up between two things. 
The first is the toddler activity time at our local library from September to June.  It gives her the opportunity to interact with other kids her own age. They listen to stories and do crafts and it is all funded by our local Rotary and Kinsmen Clubs.
And secondly the Kinsmen Club also sponsors a wonderful outdoor area called Discovery Canyon.  They diverged a section of the river to create a mini tube run for kids shaded by trees and away from the city's hustle and bustle it is a little oasis from the concrete jungle where we live.