1. READ
- an Arthur story (K to M&G; I like Arthur! it's been a long time)
- Sophia must have read something - but what?
- Neil is working on Book 7 (Malazan series), but it's 1280 pages...
A very familiar place.
2. WATCHED & LISTENED
- TV
- Rider games and Grey Cup game (Neil)
- DVDs/Movies
- Amazing Spider-Man (N; free on Max)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (N; free on Max)
- The Rise of the Guardian (Sophia at Southland)
- Podcasts (K)
- The Digi Show
- Dishing Up Nutrition
- Other
- Neil and I watched some of Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Life: Healthy, Wealthy and Wise on CreativeLIVE while it was free
Sophia and Madeline performed in the Remembrance Day liturgy at school.
3. EVENTS & OUTINGS
- I attended 4 set-dancing classes (one was canceled due to weather); learned the Plain Set (continued from the spring), started learning Ballyvourney (fast and fun!), and learned a little Sean-nós - the oldest type of dancing in Ireland - I loved it!
- I went out for drinks with coworkers (Four Seasons) to say farewell to one leaving our group
- Neil took the girls (and Mattea) to a Rams game
- Neil and I attended the Remembrance Day Liturgy at school - Sophia and Madeline performed a special dance; all three participated in pinning a poppy while the names of family veterans were displayed on a screen
- we ordered Houston Pizza for supper
- the girls went to K4J; Madeline dressed up as St. Hedwig for her group's celebration of All Saints Day
- Georgia went to the Festival of Trees with her friend Elise
- all three girls went for supper and a sleepover at L&B's
- Sophia saw In Flanders Fields at the Artesian theatre with her class
- Sophia went to EDGE (youth group) a couple times
- Madeline went to Alex's for a sleepover
- Georgia had her friend Victoria over for a playdate (they also enjoyed playing at the rink during Sophia's ringette games as her older sister plays on the same team)
- I went to the first meeting of Prairie Snappers, a small local photography group organized by my friend Mary - we took pictures at the Regina Floral Conservatory and then met at Sweet on Broad Street to chat and make plans
- all three girls went skating with their school classes
- Dana and I went to East Side Mario's for lunch
- Neil went deer hunting with friends Todd and Darren, and their sons, Zack and Gabe - they didn't get one
- Madeline went to Mattea's one afternoon
- Sophia and Alissa went to a movie at the Southland
- we all attended Luca's (and his cousin Brooklyn's) baptism and lunch at Ali's parents' new house - it was great to see everyone - it had been too long
- Sophia went to Chuck E. Cheese with one of her ringette team mates
- 12 Activities with Mom:
- Georgia and I went to the Science Centre on the holiday Monday, late afternoon - she didn't like how few people were there
- Madeline and I went to a grocery store, then made blue Jello "plates" on which she arranged candy - and then I proclaimed that our activities in 2013 will be sugar free!
- Sophia and I went shopping at Zippity Zoom and Southland Mall for her to buy Christmas gifts for her sisters
One of my pictures from the Regina Floral Conservatory. More on Flickr: Prairie Snappers
4. RECIPES TO REMEMBER
- Pork stir-fry with Hot-and-Sour Sauce (Real Simple)
- Basque Pork Stew (Canadian Living's Best Soups & Stews)
- Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice; Texas Cooking)
- Alton Brown's Dill Pickles (fermented)
- Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Chicken
- Sophia's Smoothie
- Chicken and Corn Chowder (Big Book of Soups and Stews)
- cream kefir (made with 10, 18, or 35% cream, or combo) with frozen fruit on top - great snack at work
- bison broth soup with broccoli, lentils, and sausage
- leftover roasted broccoli sauteed with eggs and more parmesan
- Ali's quinoa salad with figs, almonds, and cilantro (I don't have the recipe, but I need to get it!)
Whole milk vanilla steamers, a new favourite treat for wintery evenings.
5. GIFTS
- Barb at set dancing gave me a pair of used leather set-dancing shoes from Ireland! They were given to her but didn't quite fit. I was always wearing dance runners which are comfortable but make no sound - so happy to have these!
- Harry Potter Christmas ornament and Houston Pizza gift certificates from friends
Sunrise on my way to work (Wascana Parkway over the Ring Road).
6. SPECIAL PURCHASES
- parka, ski pants, gloves, toque, and boots for Sophia
- ski pants and mittens for Madeline
- jeans for Neil
- warm toque for me - perfect for the paper route!
- Martha Stewart Office binder and page protectors for my 2012 Yearbook project
- combustion air blower for the furnace (Neil changed it himself)
- hooks and buckets for our front entrance - they work wonders for keeping our hats, gloves, and other stuff organized and off the floor!
New buckets in the front entrance. / Layout with pictures I took in November.
7. HEALTH
- started making kefir with real kefir grains (and Neil has really kept it going for me; I'm lucky)
- Neil made fermented pickles - which are mostly eaten by Sophia (and me occasionally)
- Sophia complained of a sore throat one morning, but went to school and was fine; nothing more
- I had some mild cold symptoms; hardly bothersome
- Sophia had a couple of bad nose bleeds - one during a ringette game, so she missed half a period
Georgia at the Science Centre on our monthly date.
8. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- I received a gold recognition award from my manager at work, and I chose this Lug bag (Grass Green) - love it!
- we learned how to deliver papers smoothly and efficiently
- I made 550 tickets for the Mojo Ringette Raffle (refreshment fridge) and tracked ticket sales/returns
- I made a digital scrapbook layout (November)
- in my performance review at work, I received the highest rating - my first time achieving that level :)
- I cleaned Sophia's room; 7 months since I last did it - blech; Sophia actually helped this time - and she didn't like dealing with the garbage on the floor - ha!
- I gathered many photos for my 2012 Yearbook - big project
- I refreshed the banner, background, and layout on my blog - makes me happy
9. DISAPPOINTMENTS
- the furnace needed a new fan
Some of the snow we received in November.
10. GOALS
- backed up the computer
- processed September photos
- processed October photos
- printed photos from June through October (8-cent sale at Costco!)
- completed our 11th family photo
Sophia playing in the Buffalo Plains tourney.
11. SPORTS
- Sophia and Madeline both had much success in ringette - with their teams and individually (both play forward and occasionally, center)
- Sophia is proud to hold the title of fastest skater on her ringette team - established by several races
- Madeline scored her first (and second) hat trick! - quite amazing since she did not score her very first goal until March last season
- Sophia's ringette nickname is Shooter; Madeline's nickname is Maverick
- we enjoyed getting to know other parents at practices and games
- Sophia gets quite a few penalties (one or two almost every game) which we attribute to her being big, strong, and steady on her skates (others fall while she doesn't); her coach says they're "good" penalties - she's just trying hard; Sophia thinks the refs don't like her
- Neil, Sophia, and Madeline participated in the bottle drive for Sophia's ringette team (while G and I went to piano)
- we all attended Sophia's ringette tournament in Pilot Butte and Emerald Park (Buffalo Plains), and their team brunch at Perkins; Mojo won all four of their games in the tourney
11. NOTEWORTHY
- crazy, crazy weather! freezing rain (almost pouring one day) and lots of snow; extremely icy road conditions - driving and walking (flyer and paper delivery) were challenging at times! (I got the winter tires put on the van after the first rain)
- through UsedRegina (I had posted a want ad for dairy kefir grains), I met a new friend with similar food interests from Langenburg; I gave her a SCOBY when she was in Regina for a meeting
- dogsitting: we hosted little Yogi during weekdays for a couple of weeks; and big Chloe for 10 days
- Costco started selling gas and then our inflated gas prices went down all over the city - finally!
- Neil's Columbia winter boot split open, and for the third time/second winter (same problem), the Shoe Company replaced his boots immediately with a new pair, no problem, free of charge
- if you need a special-occasion cake, the Cinnamon Cake from Sweet Ambrosia Bakeshoppe, served at Luca and Brooklyn's baptism lunch, was exceptional!
- report cards came home and we attended parent-teacher interviews:
- Georgia is enthusiastic, helpful, and excelling in grade 1
- Madeline does very well in most things but needs to work on her French reading comprehension
- Sophia's biggest challenge is being disorganized and untidy (I recently read her grade 1 report - same thing! also, Neil said he was the same in school - no surprise there)
- Georgia started reading English words - so exciting!
- Sophia started making bracelets with craft/embroidery string; she works on them often and has learned several different patterns and techniques
