Update

It feels like fall around these parts.

The summer was amazing. I only worked two weekends a month with the odd shift sprinkled here and there. Spending the whole summer being mom was awesome. We bought a cheapie camper and parked it at my mother's and spent a lot of time out there. The three littlest Makers even got to go to Vacation Bible School out there, which left me with my mornings free for a week. I went and visited my grandma, and was actually able to feel useful. I love it when people you love are able to humble themselves enough to ask for help. It really is a blessing to be able to help someone. To know that their day was made just a little easier by your being there.

I was blessed again with being able to grow some of our own food, but the garden was not as plentiful this year. I did get all of the tomatoes pulled before the frost came, and have hopes of making dilled carrots in the next few days. I've started putting the garden to bed for the year and it is almost cathartic.

The chickens are getting so big! We moved them out to the country and spent so many summer days with them. They knew that whenever we came, they'd get to come out of their pen and visit and eat treats. So all I had to do was call "chickens" and they'd come barrelling out of the coop so fast they'd hit the wire and clamour over each other to get to me. So sweet. That is happiness in my humble little opinion. Sitting in the shade watching the chickens be chickens. Its better than television.

School has started once again and the return to routine is fabulous. I am getting so much done around the house and have the opportunity to bake everyday. I do have to think about starting to work more though. I had a small buffer in the account to facilitate me being here with the kids while they were home for the summer, but its been depleted, so back to work I must go. Now that the little ones are in school I feel way less guilt about leaving, as I can work the bulk of my hours while they are away....which kind of gets me to the next update blurb.

I am ALL finished my licensing exams and am expecting my ambulance operator's license in the mail any day now. The process of waiting for all the necessary paperwork seemed so dragged out. So my advice to anyone needing a child abuse registry check in the province of MB is to do it 8 weeks before you need it! That is how long mine took, and I sent it away the day after I graduated. It was required before I could even book my provincial written exam. And then once you pass the written you can apply for the practical. And each test is only offered once a month. So the whole thing seemed to be really drawn out. It kept me going back and looking at my books though! Once I have my license in hand I can start work! I'm totally ready and even got myself a nerdy pair of steel toe shoes. Hopefully I will be able to work days.

Still single. Still loving it. While I would love to just be able to go out casually on dates, I just really don't think it is going to happen because;
a) In a small town every guy that I am seen with I must be 'fucking'. Ya, its heinous.
b) I like to go out and experience new things, but ultimately I want to come home to my kiddos alone. I love the gesture of a man walking a lady home and going his separate way. It seems so pure. But really in this day and age what guy thinks he should go home alone?

That and the last time I tried to be with someone, I picked the wrong someone and it ended in a peace bond! And bruises on my arms and him admitting to things I can't even bring myself to repeat on my blog with a good friend of mine while we were together. Gross. He was so quick to accuse me of sleeping with all my guy friends, and my ex, but turns out he was the one being insincere. Let me tell you, once I forgot him and this supposed friend my life has been drama free.

And a side note to the baking everyday...Yesterday I made muffins out of some banana nut instant oatmeal packets. It was going to expire and my kids didn't like it. I just substituted half the amount of flour for the packets and the kids LOVED them. Yeah, the oatmeal they HATED. Fickle little children.

So that's life in a nutshell here.