Will you accept this rose...

HAPPY VALENTINE"S DAY

I hope everyone was blessed with time together with their loved ones! Today was a nice day, Kailey played an awesome game against Missasauga, our girls really turned on the heat and made Missisauga work very hard for the win. They didn't get it easy that's for sure. It really was anyone's game today, very close game 2-1 for Missisauga. We have been tied with them all season, both teams have won 4 out of 8 games, but today Missisauga pulled ahead with another win...that's ok, we'll get them in the provincials.
Paul and Braden were off to Toronto where Braden scored 2 goals and got one assist...great job Braden! He won 8-1, wished I was there.
Once they got back, Paul surprised me with a dozen beautiful roses..they are so pretty..thanks babe, I love them!!

I want to bring to your attention that a couple weeks ago I was blogging about valentine's day and saying that I didn't want to go out for dinner on that day. Well, I must admit that today we DID go out for dinner on Valentines day! Paul booked a 6:00pm dinner at Cafe 13 here in Cambridge, he figured that Valentine's day was for us...and family day which is tomorrow is for family!

I couldn't agree more, i was pleasantly surprised to have a dinner out alone with just him. We enjoyed a nice glass of Chardonney, and the meal was amazing and the company was by far the best! We are just settling down for the evening with the move Whip it, starring Drew Barrymore...it was a great day!

Valentine kisses..

Twenty one valentine kisses with the love of my life! That's how many we have had since we met, I still remember my first valentine's kiss with him. It was wonderful, although I was sick at the time he still came over to my house with cinnamon hearts, chocolate and a stuffed bear just for me. It was actually my first real valentine's day with a boyfriend, I had never had anyone else he has always been my valentine! I do believe we haven't missed one yet, may have been close a couple times...but I do think love has always prevailed and we still ended up with eachother,...I am lucky, and I know that!!

My whole heart for my whole life.

To all the wonderful people who read my blog, Happy Valentine's Day, may you be blessed with love today, tomorrow and forever!

Functionality..

Below is a picture of Paul putting together a bathroom trolley that I have been searching everywhere for. I have been looking gor about 3 months for this trolley.I finally found it at Zehrs. So today Paul decided to put it together for me which then led to the finalization of Braden and Kailey's bathroom being completed.

This picture is the old bathtub, it was a good one, very deep which gave the kids the best bubble baths.

The next picture is the small vanity complete with the sink. The reason for the small counter space was to provide more room for Braden to manouver around. It wasn't that functional but it did the job while they were little.

Here is the new floating sink and mirror, it is so much better for Braden he has way more space and can access the sink easier. I am so pleased with the colour of the paint choice, it turned out so masculine. No need to worry about the lack of female presence, soon enough Kailey will have her own girlie washroom to make into her own lady like spa.


As you can see to the left is the little trolley that I bought for Braden, it has wheels on the legs so that gives him the choice to move it to a position in the bathroom that makes it easy for to use.

Here we feature the absolutely amazing walk/roll in shower. I have waited years to have this luxury. It makes life so much easier for us and for Braden. He has all the privacy and independance that he needs. It is beautiful and I am more than happy with the ceramic tile choice. It is easy to keep clean, but mostly I love the accessability. This little corner of heaven makes a part of our day just a little easier, no lifting, no lugging and no complaining!!

The many faces of Ethan....and that darn witching hour!

This is his spiderman web shooting pose..you can almost see the web shooting out from his wrists..
Today we had Ethan for the day because he was sick. I felt so bad for him, he had a slight fever, cough, sore throat and red, sore eyes..probably due to pink eye. When he first showed up he was pretty quiet and just lied on the couch and rested, watched a movie with me. By lunch time he came around and ate a good lunch, he perked up after that and we could see his colorful personality shine.


The picture above is one of his favorite stances that he uses while playing spiderman. He has loved spiderman for probably 3 years and his love for that super hero is still going strong.

Ethan is the most brightest, loving, good hearted little boy you would ever meet. He has the gift to gab and loves to talk about everything. He truly does have a love for life. He is always asking questions that broadens his quest for knowledge. He is an observer from afar but when he is interested in something he will take the time to learn, study and figure out everything there is to know about the that topic. I admire his innocense and his abiltity to engage in any conversation whether it is with another child or a grown up who wants to be challenged.


Boy is he a lover, he has so many wonderful people in his life who love him and are so eager to leave an imprint in his life just so they feel like a little peice of them is involved with the wonderful man he will grow up to be. We as a family were blessed the day he was born, he has brought so much to our lives and we love him unconditionally.

He has the best sense of humour you could ever imagine, the boy is quick. Sometimes he surprises me with his quick wit and catch phrases. He is no fool, and you can never get anything by him. He has the best ability to make you laugh, and the best part is he has no idea how funny he actually is. He is definately set in his ways, there is no changing him. He has to have things done when he is ready and it has to be his idea. He can be challenging, opinionated, but when he turns around and smiles..he lights up the room. His smile is infectuous.

I will take the opportunity to brag about his talent, this child has the strongest artistic strenghs I have ever witnessed in a 6 year old. He can draw better than many 13 year old I know, and recently we found his writing skills to be way above average. Not only can he draw and write, but he can dance! We took him to a wedding a couple years ago and without any lessons, the kid hit the dance floor with rhythm like no ones buisness. We had young adults 20-23 years old approaching us on his talent. Many of them commented on his natural ability to pick up a beat and feel it. I will say he does have talent on the dance floor.

Times have been a bit rough lately for him, and it breaks are hearts to see him hurt. We cannot understand how he feels, but we can stand with him and hold him and let him know that we love him feircely and we are always here for him. I know in time things will get better for our little man, until then....all we can do is love him, and we are experts at that!!

So, today was kinda funny. I haven't had a little one in the house for awhile during the day. Once he started to feel better, he was on my hip in the kitchen..i'm bored aunt Sissy, what can I do? I want to paint, I want to play with clay, can you play tic tac toe?? Of course, i do! But it was 4:00 in the afternoon and I was needing to get dinner made. It was then I remembered "the Witching Hour". Oh my goodness it all came back! I had vivid memories of trying to get dinner ready, being tired, being hungry and having 2 young tired kids driving me crazy around the kitchen. It was funny, I have not had a moment like that in years...from 4pm till 5pm I would struggle waiting for Paul to come home to entertain the kids so I could finish dinner..that was called "My Witching Hour" its been so long since that hour resurfaced..where did that come from? Actually it wasn't that bad...i called Kailey to come and set up the Wii for him, it took care of him for an hour! Overall, I loved every minute of today..he went home after dinner tonight and I already miss him!

He'll be back, won't be long and I'll have him rooting through the cupboards looking for cookies and a kool aid jammer. Once that's been done, he usually makes his way over to the movies pulls out a spiderman one or Harry Potter, then plunks down on the couch. Soon summer will be here and he will be happily running from the pool to the hot tub, excitedly yelling..."aunt Sissy watch my flip", "aunt Sissy watch me dive", Aunt Sissy wears the Spiderman goggles"..aunt Siss....
and then I'll be tired!!

Meet Maggie...cute, cuddly but so damn demanding!

I just love my kitty cat! She really is very cute, loving and adorable. We got her 6 years ago when we had promised Kailey her own make a wish. Braden had a wish granted which included a trip to California to watch a Anehiam Mighty Ducks NHL hockey playoff game. At the time his favorite hockey player was Paul Karya so we had the privelidge of flying down and seeing the 2nd playoff game between the Mighty Ducks and the New Jersey Devils. On top of all of that we had a private meeting with Wayne Gretzgy and a day in Disneyland. It was a wonderful memorable trip, we were very thankful and appreciative. However there was always an underlying sick feeling associated with the reason's we were there and the fact that we qualified for a Make A Wish, deep down we knew the reality of the situation and for that, at times it was hard to swallow! Well let me tell you how out of joint our little Kailey bug was..she was disgusted with the fact that her brother was recieving so much attention and so many gifts. Natually she didn't understand the whole picture, she was only 6 years old. To her it just wasn't fair, she only knew Braden as her annoying, bratty older brother...special needs or not!! No sympathy from her..
I had to do something for her...god forbid she feels less important, or less loved! We had some making up to do...we gave her, her very own wish. She chose her own kitty cat, she wanted her very own pet something she could take care of. This wasn't going to be easy considering Paul dislikes cats and I am allergic to them. Honestly I knew I was getting away with it easy, she could have chosen so many other things that could have costs alot of money. So without telling Paul (not the best decision) I took Kailey out to the Humane Society and she picked out the tiniest, scruffiest, blackest little kitten you could ever imagine. Was she cute? No not really, her fur was matted, she wasn't soft, fluffy or clean but for whatever reason Kailey fell in love. We picked her out, went through the adoption process and took her home. I had no idea what to expect out of Paul it didn't really matter as long as Kailey was happy and feeling like she was equally important as her brother.

In time Maggie did get cuter, and her little personality began to shine. At the time we only had one dog and she quickly let Harley know who was in charge.
Ok well for being so small this cat can drive me more crazy than pretty much anyone else in this house. First of all this morning, we woke up a bit later and we were rushing around trying to get out the door of course all I hear is Maggie meowing and meowing and meowing to be let out of her sleeping room. We have to lock her in the laundry room or she'll come upstairs to my room and keep me up all night walking all over me and demanding that I get up to feed her and let her outside. Even the dogs know to wait until we have time to feed them and let outside to pee.
Maggie continued to meow until I finally let her out, immediately she runs to the back door and demands to be let outside, when I say demand I mean MEOW MEOW MEOW! There was no time to let her out I had to get Kailey to school. So she waits intently until I get home and walk through the front door, she runs through the house to get to the kitchen counter inorder to voice very loudly that she is hungry and would like her food, MEOW MEOW MEOW..OMG, leave me alone! Finally I begrudgingly feed her. Another thing she does frequently, is whenever I want to snuggle with her, forget it! She wants nothing to do with me! She runs, hides and stays clear of my voice. But, when she wants to cuddle and purr her little heart out..she is all over me, demanding my attention. So this morning I am typing out some stuff for Braden and up she comes on my lap...doesn't seem to care that there is a laptop sitting on my lap, up she comes and down goes all my typing. She hit a something which deleted the page I was typing on..yes I had half of it saved but still I had to redo alot of the work.
I don't get it, how can something so small drive me so crazy. Yes I love her, and I am glad that she is ours...but somedays, I wish she'd go easy on me!!

Uneventful evening..

This evening was BORING!! Actually I spent most of it helping Braden with homework. He is trying his hardest to prepare for the co op placement that he wants to get into. Surprisingly there is alot of work to be done, alot of soul searching and trying to figure out who you are and what you want to do! Its certainly interesting but its tedious, and you kinda feel like your repeating yourself. Anyways he did a cover letter, and while preparing he did get a boost in his confidence because he realized how much experience he actually has with communication and public speaking, All you have to do is google his name and a whole bunch of stuff comes up, he has been very busy over the past few years with fundraising and volunteering.
Other than that, this evening I made a really good dessert for the family, and we watched American Idol.

Not sure what I think of Ellens contribution just yet! We will see in time! I thought to take a picture of my dessert, i was pleased with the visual turnout! Good night all..sweet dreams!!

Easy Baked Manicotti

Well the other night I made this Manicotti for the family, I was so surprised to see all of them clean their plates with smiles..
This recipe is easy and yet..scrumptions!! I will certainly be using this one at future functions, potlucks and ringette get togethers, I served it with garlic bread and cesear salad. The picture that is shown here is not my manicotti, I didn't think to take a picture of it...I should have, mine looked better!
1 can of Primo Thick and Zesty original recipe Pasta Sauce
1 egg lightly beaten
1 3/4 cups of ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups Kraft Mozzarella Shreds
1/2 cup Kraft Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup basil pesto sauce (optional)
12 Primo Manicotti,cooked, rinsed in cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce onto the bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Mix egg, cheeses and pesto sauce until well blended. Spoon cheese mixture into large resealable plastic bag . Using scissors, cut small hole in one of the bottom corners of the bag.

Fill:manicotti shells, 1 at a time, squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of shell. Place manicotti over sauce in dish; pour remaining pasta sauce over manicotti. Cover with foil.

Bake:40 min. or until heated through.

Hope you try it! Let me know who does and what you think?