Fashion Friday, lets look at Fall~

Oh Friends, I am beyond tired and its really late. So I am going to keep this short and sweet. I wasn't even going to blog but like I had mentioned previously I am going to do my best to keep this consistent.
Its Fashion Friday so lets look at some fashion. I picked up just a couple ideas from Pinterest, some outfits that I know I can do this fall.

I do sort of have a hard time just pulling outfits from Pinterest and uploading them to my blog. So please know anything I share is something I am going to try and pull off this fall. For example, with the outfit below I LOVE the scarf, I wanted one last year and didn't buy one. This year forsure I am going to follow through with it.


Who doesn't like big oversized slouchy sweaters? This color burgundy is totally for fall/autumn. I just love the grey with it as well, not to  mention those boots. The whole outfit is something I will strive to achieve.

On just a slightly different scale, I do love the color scheme in this outfit. I have most of this all ready in my closet, I just need the scarf to complete it. SO cute, and something I can pull together.

Well my lovelies, I had a hard time uploading last  night, so this one is a bit late. Sorry~

Stay tuned for Dog Dayz Saturdayz...:)

Throwback Thursday~

This throwback Thursday goes back to one of my most favorite days in my life. On this day, many years ago my guess maybe June/July 2001? We as a family went out on our boat with Sue, Dustin, Selena and Brianna. You see the reason it was one of my favorite days is because previously to these pictures, Susan's son Dustin had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and on this day...that just didn't matter. Now I am going to struggle with dates and ages but I will do my best. The boys must have been 7/8 years old, Selena probably 6 yrs,  Kailey and Brianna were about 5yrs old.

Paul had drove down to the boat with Braden and Dustin that day and Sue and I took the girls. Paul remembers when he was driving with the boys they were doing math questions, Paul was quizzing them on math. Dustin was a smart boy especially for his age, he was on top of his class. He liked doing math, that my friend was right up Paul's ally.

 

Susan was going through a time in her life when mostly all of the parenting and hospital visits were completely on her. I don't want to go into specifics as I want to respect her privacy as well as her daughters. Sue was fortunate enough to have a support system to help her out where ever they could. But I want to make it very clear when I say..she was on her own. Although some may have been available during the day, watching the girls or assisting with Dustin. But at the end of the day when the sun set and the moon shined bright in the sky...that's when the alone set in. Those are the moments you know this battle is yours, she knew that and she did one hell of a job fighting it.

Sadly over time, Dustin lost his ability to walk and he was having to use a wheelchair for mobility. I could understand how Sue would have been feeling at that time. Its the hardest thing to see you child deteriorate right in front of you. Not to mention how much more difficult it is to go out on excursions by yourself with a special needs child and their siblings. Paul and I could totally get that, so we decided it would make a nice day to invite Sue and her gang to our boat. That way, Paul could do the lifting of both those special little boys.  

What an amazing day it was, one of my favorite memories of Dustin is watching him sitting there so calm, so peaceful just relaxing. I could see him taking in the rays of the sun and loving the warmth on his face. The picture below, the one of Sue and Dustin was a moment they shared together. He loved his momma, and I know he knew she loved him and she was doing her very best at that time. There's my hubby letting each kid drive the boat, Dustin loved it. He had complete control and he felt pretty special being Captain for the time.

Look how little the girls were, so sweet. I miss these days, it just seemed so much easier back then.

Can you see the bottom right picture of Braden and Selena...I mean could those two be any cuter!! ;)

After our boat ride we had a picnic at our dock. We had a small bbq, so we made some hot dogs and had salads and sweet treats as well. The boys played in the grass,  laughed and carried on like little boys should.

It was a day I will never forget, it was a day in my life that reminded me to take each day as they came. How quickly things can change, how fragile life really is. Dustin had a short time here with us on earth, and I still wonder today what life would have had in store for him.

Let me tell you, in the time we had with him he was one of those children who made a difference. Before his diagnosis he was one of the strongest supports Braden personally had, they were only little boys..and sometimes I do get angry, he was just a boy why did this happen to him?. I remember Sue and her ex husband and Paul and I going on day trips with the kids. Dustin being so young, always accepted Braden and seemed to understand Braden's needs better than most adults. He was always encouraging, I loved him (still do) for all he did not only for Braden but for me. A sad mom, just wanting her son to have a childhood, someone to play with. Dustin was just that, he was perfect and I will forever be grateful for the young brief friendship they had.

I am so happy I have these photos too share, I look back at them and smile. I am so blessed today to have Sue in my life, its a friendship that is honestly like no other. We connect, there's an understanding between us that I don't have with anyone else. I have to say thanks to these two little smiling happy boys on that boat...we are forever bonded.

Well my lovelies, I am wishing each one of you a wonderful Throwback Thursday. Until tomorrow goodnight and god bless~ xo

Wednesday's Ramblings...

So I need to come up with a system here. I keep screwing around with this idea of having a blog that can be predictable. Each day I try to think of what I want to write about, for the most part I am a day ahead of the game. But honestly some nights I feel lost, what do I write about?

I use to do a day of "Ramblings" where I just wrote off the top of my head. I think I will go back to that. Mondays I use to do "Monday's Menu" so I think I will return to that. I seem to get a lot of hits on my Friday Fashions, SO maybe I should go back to that. I feel when I have a plan I can be more creative.

It seems I have a plan of action now lets see if I can keep it going. That will be the challenge. I'm really not any sort of fashion expert, so basically I'll be winging that. I still want to keep some sort of content that's my own to my blog, so I think I'll do some throwbacks. I really do like sharing my life from back in the day. I hope I have maybe inspired or at least given some advice to those who may be reading my blog and living in a similar situation.

You all know I love my dogs, I absolutely love including them in my writings. They are so important in my life. I might go back to Dog Dayz Saturdayz...

I feel like I should explain why I blog its been awhile since I've discussed that. 

 

I may have been a bit shy in previous years while blogging, you know I don't want to "toot my own horn" per say. 

But I've grown a nice air of confidence and I'm not going to hide the fact that I have a story to share.

Most of you may know that I am working on writing a book, I can't lie about this...it is hard for me to share some aspects of my life. I guess maybe I'm still coming to terms with some of it.
I find blogging is helping me find my words. I am learning my own style of writing, and I am taking my time while doing it.
I am the mother of a special needs child. I am a survivor of a catastrophic life event, and I am much stronger than I ever thought I could possibly be. I have seen many doctor's, therapists, counsellors, psychologists and many other health care providers who specialize in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have come out the other side of hell with a continued growth for life, happiness, peace and love.
There could have been any time in my life where I could have stayed down the path of darkness. Having my children and husband by my side every day gave me a reason to persevere  (To persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficult, obstacles or discouragement, continued steadfast.)











I was not alone, and I was not the only one suffering. Paul and both kids had moments, weeks, months and even years of uneasiness. Each one of us suffering from some model of affliction.

But we made it and as we grow older in our family of four I see us taking shape. Today I was speaking to someone about my kids going off to Montreal together and how Braden treated Kailey with this trip. She commented on how wonderful that is especially at their ages, Lisa had said 'You and your husband must have done a great job".
I did agree with her, I am so proud of my kids and the relationship they have. I love how as they become adults they become friends. I will continue to nurture that, they need one another.
I also wanted Lisa to know that their relationship has not always been perfect or for that matter easy. Both had moments of resentment in their childhood, and during all those stages Paul and I took action to help both of them deal with their feelings. Let me tell you, we were very busy. We certainly didn't take the easy way out with raising these two.
Braden struggled with each milestone Kailey reached, walking, running, skating, driving...etc etc it goes on and on.
Kailey naturally suffered much grief when Braden received any special treatment from people in public. Do you know, there were moments in Braden's childhood that people would stop us in the mall and literally hand Braden money...just for being in a wheelchair! HA.
I'd then have this blue eyed little girl looking at me wondering where her money was, why didn't that old man give me 5.00 dollars to buy a treat.
I'm not kidding when I say it happened, and frequently. We had a rule, he had to share the money with Kailey. Typically they'd get a treat, OR I would turn around and give the same amount to Kail. Eventually we would have him put it in a charity box, he didn't need the money there was always someone worse off than him.
I could go on and on, stories filled with parenting challenges. We had to brainstorm a lot. It wasn't easy and it was a lot of work. We never took anything related to their feelings or emotions lightly, we never brushed anything off. I was always aware of acknowledging how they were feeling, and we did our best to come up with a solution.
I remember there came a short moment in time when Kailey couldn't understand that Braden was older than her. She was very young at the time but because he couldn't walk she thought of him as a baby. It took some thought on how to keep their ages in check, lots of talking and discussing.
So my friends, the reason I blog is because I do eventually want to tell my story. I do not think I am an expert or a therapist, but I do have a lot of knowledge and life experience that I want to share.
Even after all the sh*t we have been through, I still absolutely, without a doubt love my life. I wake up everyday and choose to be happy, I want to share that~
Well my lovelies, Until tomorrow goodnight and god bless~ xo

100 things I want to teach my daughter #89 ~ Always Have a Little "Eff You Money" tucked away~

Make sure you always have a little "Eff you" money tucked away. You never know when you'll want to get out of any given situation.

This is something I never had, especially as a young woman. My life just didn't require anything like this. Probably because I got married so young and had a baby so quick. Then I had a terrible accident that left your brother severely injured. For me, there was never ever an Eff you time that I could walk away from.
But as a young woman, always remember if/when you are ever in a situation whether it be a shitty job with a even shittier manager, or maybe an idiot boyfriend or even possibly having to live with a shit storm of a room mate. Always have some money stashed away so that if you are being treated with disrespect or you find yourself in a sticky situation, you will at least have the option to jump ship.
It may not even be something related to a bad relationship with friends or family, it may be something you need really bad. Maybe your big screen TV breaks and you are lost without it, Eff you money is something that could help you get out of that Eff'ing situation.
Maybe your friends are going on a trip and your boss decided to give you the time off, sadly you don't have them money to join them. BUT oh look at that...mom said to have some "eff you" money put away...low and behold, there you go..guess who's going to New York City to party with the girls ...You are! Sex in the City..here you come!

It will never hurt to have some money stashed away for emergencies. Be careful though, only use your "Eff You" Money when you are in a real predicament. Don't go throwing it away on new clothes, and travel. Unless of course you REALLY need a holiday due to stress, then go away...as far as you can go~
Well my darling this one is for you, Eff You Money....it will save your sanity more than you'll know~
Love you baby,
 

Just a glimpse into our holidays~

Hi Friends, well there was a break out of depression today in the Martz home. Daddy went back to work after 2 wonderful weeks. Baby Ella has a hard time when Paul goes to work just after a weekend, not alone after 2 weeks. She was so sad, laid around all day waiting for his return. On a happy note, the kids came home. Was so nice to have them back, safe return from Montreal. They had a great time together, overall it was a huge success with some pretty wonderful memories made with great friends.

Paul and I actually had a lot of alone time these two weeks, something we are not use too. Well we are use to spending time together and we have had week vacations together. We just have never really had this much time without anyone home or even at the cottage. It was nice. Something we could get use too.

Our first couple days at the cottage was spent relaxing, spending time together. We both read books, cooked dinner and walked the dogs. Lots of beach time, bike riding and ice cream eating.

 

                 Lounging on our back deck~

Paul's dad and his wife Suzanne came for a lovely visit. They played some corn hole, and they treated us to a lovely lunch. It was a nice day spent.

The first week of holidays we spent some time in Toronto. Cruised the night lite streets with the kids and had a couple drinks on a patio. We hit up a Jays game and that was fun, sadly it was the game they lost. That part sucked but every thing else was great!

You have to have popcorn at a Jays game

Before the Jays game we went to Wahlburgers, we devoured some epic burgers. Each one of us was pleasantly surprised with how good it was.

                                Paul and Braden

                                     

                                 Kailey and I

Just getting crafty with my phone camera, kinda liked the nail color against the tan..

Colleen and Steve came down for a night and brought their puppy Kessel. It was his first time on a beach. At first he wasn't too thrilled with the water but in time he inched closer. Didn't take him long to find his comfort zone, he was too cute!

              Colleen and Kessesl

We had a very enjoyable time with them. We had the chance to get caught up on life, shared some drinks and laughs. Colleen and Steve treated us too dinner, I certainly didn't expect that from them. It was such a nice surprise, but my friends the next time its on Paul and I. xo

Just a group picture of the kids in  Montreal, it was their mini holiday away from parents, work and upcoming school entry. They attended a three day heavy metal rock concert. Not really my thing but all of them said it was an experience they'll never forget.

It was so nice to see these two bonding over heavy metal. lol..they had a great time together. Braden actually treated Kailey to this little trip, it was her "going away" gift from him. He's so proud of her and all her accomplishments. I love them!

Paul rode his bike a lot when we were the cottage, and he found all these little private beach areas. He was so artsy in this picture. Thought of it all himself and sent me it, I was disappointed I didn't go with him for this ride. Looked so peaceful~

This was a beach day, we had such great weather. NO rain at all...so we shared lots of time on the beach. Kailey got Paul this book for Fathers Day. Its called Sick in the Head and its by Judd Apatow. Its a book that features a whole bunch of interviews he has done with comedians. Its a perfect read for Paul, its nice to see him relaxing and reading. I love him too~

On the weekend we attended my nephew's mom's wedding. She married a great guy who is very good to her, but more importantly SO good to Ethan. We think he is awesome and we love to see Ethan with a family, and possibly more siblings in the future. He has two men in his life who love him dearly. His dad and his step-dad..lucky boy~

Look how handsome my nephew is...love him~

Lastly we had a wonderful dinner with my parents. They asked to take us out to dinner, and what a lovely time we had. We are such blessed people, we are truly surrounded with amazing people. Thank you mom and dad for this lovely treat, the food was so good! Your company was even better...love you guys so much!

 

Well my lovelies, that's it in a nutshell. We had two glorious weeks, the weather was perfect and Paul and I had the chance to connect and make some new memories. Memories of middle aged parents coming into a new world of adult children. It makes me sad, it makes me excited all in the same minute. We did a lot of talking, a lot of reminiscing. I love my life, and it was so nice to connect with that again.

My In Laws came for a visit today and the kids made it to Montreal

Good day my lovelies, I'm hoping everyone is enjoying your summer holidays. Paul has had the last 2 weeks off and we have had a wonderful holiday. I'll eventually do a post summarizing the events from our holidays. We had so much time together this summer, good quality time that was much needed. This is the first summer we have shared so much time alone, and you know what? I quite like it!!

 

Braden and Kailey took a road trip this week and made it too Montreal successfully yesterday. They are at a 3 day concert with some friends. I'm so excited for them, they are going to have a great time. Spencer sent me this picture of them toasting at dinner last night, thought I would share it with you.

Yesterday my inlaws came for a visit. They came at around 11:30am, and we had a nice chat out back on our deck. Paul and his dad shared in a few games of corn hole.

His dad really enjoys that game, it was nice to see them having a good time together.

Later on in the early afternoon we took off to Port Dover and Dad and Suzanne treated us to a lovely lunch at Callahans. It was a lovely treat, Thank you again :)

We really do love spending time with them, Suzanne and I seem to be able to sit and chat like ol'school buddies. It's just easy with her, I love listening to her live stories. She has been a very fortunate woman and managed to travel a lot through her life.

Paul and his dad are sports guys, so they chit chat non-stop about baseball, hockey, and whatever else grabs their attention in the news.

It was a lovely day, weather was perfect, lunch was delicious and the company was wonderful.

We had a great day, after they left in the early evening hours Paul and I were exhausted. Honestly it was like the last 2 weeks just caught up with us and we crashed.

Well friends, unitl tomorrow good day and god bless~

Throwback Thursday~Halloween is my favorite

Hello my lovelies, still on holidays but decided to put up a Throwback Thursday. Lets look back at last Halloween. I'm not sure if you know this or not but Halloween is my all time favorite tradition. Its not technically a holiday but its my favorite time of the year to decorate and celebrate. I absolutely love preparing my home every year, and the past few years we have been hosting a Halloween party. I look forward to this night all year.

We decided last year to do a theme Halloween party and decided on Zombie's, considering how big The Walking Dead is. It was a hit, everyone showed up a zombie. Well almost everyone lol Candy came as a witch, I think she didn't read the whole invitation. Regardless she looked great and fit right in. Hopefully this year she make it in costume related party theme. ;)

I don't want to give away what this years theme is just yet, not until we send out the official invitations. But we have something really cool planned.

We have to be careful too when planning and changing theme's each year cause decorations have to be interchangeable. Don't want to be spending hundreds of dollars each year just to coordinate the decorations.

Thankfully we did come up with a really easy fix on how we can use the animatronics we already have. I'm getting pretty excited, I have shared some pictures from last years adventures.

This is a cake that Sue made so we could celebrate Braden and Bruno's birthdays. It was amazing, she did such a great job. It was definitely the highlight of the party.

Here we are singing happy birthday to the guys, everyone gathered around the table. Such a great night.

The birthday boys~

Long time friends below, 3 zombies and a witch lol Sorry Candy..I still think its funny ;P

Paul invited some friends from work, so here is Mike and Paul. He and his girlfriend came and stayed the night cause they are from Hamilton. The next morning we all went out for breakfast, it was nice.

Kailey and some of her girlfriends came to the party. They originally had plans that night, but things changed and they ended up here with us. Me and Kailey below~

Semone had the best face and hair costume, check out her eyes...so cool!

 

The two Colleen's below, whooping it up~

Steve and Colleen had great costumes as well, they had those colored contacts as well.

Me and Susie sharing a shot together

Nicki and Steve having a good time, Steve totally taking his Zombie role seriously~

Bride and groom Zombie's. Sue and Jeffy~

Mike and Nadine, I believe Mike was a zombie slayer...which was a good idea considering all our zombies!

Kailey and some of her friends, all the girls were dressed as zombies and looked great. We had fun with them, great group of girls~

Here's Colleen, she worried about coming up with a costume that she'd be happy and comfortable with. When she showed up with this homemade one I was floored. It was amazing, check it out. She is a pregnant zombie with a baby trying to get out of her stomach, the baby is holding a pumpkin lantern. How amazing an original is that...so great!!

Mom and pop's below, my mom was a zombie killer and my dad was a zombie. It was hilarious, my mom had a chain around her zombie's neck and dragged him around the whole house. Classic~

We had a great time with them too..they certainly know how to have a good time, my friends love them and so do we ;)

Just some decorations, like I said this is my favorite part...I LOVE the decorating.

My slaughter wall....gross isn't it?

This is a creepy doll that walked around the house humming a scary tune...I love her~

Last but not least..Paul and I took a selfie before everyone got there. I was a Zombie nurse and he was zombie doctor. It was a great night, I started out with the dogs upstairs. I didn't want them out with drunk people walking around the house and people dropping food etc, But Ollie wanted nothing to do with that and he made way to much noise. So we let them out and actually they were really good. We didn't have too much problems with them, I mostly worried they'd get stepped on but everyone was aware they were there so they were careful.

Well friends, I am looking forward to sharing with you this years Halloween party. After holidays I will start too plan, although its still some time away..it comes up quick. Until tomorrow have a wonderful day xo