All Else Aside, How ‘Bout Twenty-Three Photos From The Past Thirty Days Taken With Kelly’s Old iPhone 4S, As I Need To Order A “Micro-Switch” Off Ebay For My Kodak EasyShare Z981 Which Is On The Blink Again But Really Is A Great Little Camera When It Actually Works.

This past Saturday and Sunday our awesome gymnastics club hosted a meet for 575 athletes.

It rocked!

And I got to do iPad score entry for all 5 sessions!!!

For our “Wizard of Oz” theme I designed and painted that 7′ x 7′ 5″ mural. Started it Monday and finished Friday, painting sometimes long into the night, mostly because I had no idea what I was doing 🙂 but I think it ended up fine!

Part of me wants to now cover the hills completely in poppies.

But most of me just wants a long long nap. 🙂

A late night Toe Selfie — my right big toe tapped the button.

(Yes, my left hand was covered in green paint. Parts of me still are. And may be for a long time.) 🙂

Sponged on and swirled the sky first.

Many awesome parents, coaches and gymnasts lend their time and talents to pull off this annual event.

(Sorry about the yellow brick road tape residue. My partial bad. Never again tape on the floor, I super-promise.)

Other artistes helped decorate too…

In Other Gym News… a couple weeks ago Kelly made major progress on the uneven bars!

Took that through the left gym door window at the end of practice. She was beaming.

Yay, Kelly! So proud of you for trusting yourself and your coach to fly away, perchance to land on your feet each time!!

In More Other News… I’ve begun home-schooling her in French.

I told you I am a certified French teacher, right?! I actually taught kids Kelly’s age 25 years ago in Nova Scotia!

Bought a good used curriculum for pennies on the dollar, off eBay and Amazon.com.

We will probably home-school Kelly entirely starting next year, so she can focus even more on gymnastics while allowing her a continued schoolin’ / sleep / Instagram / family / friend time balance.

This year “we” do homework 30 minutes daily before gym.

Luckily we have a PE waiver, which allows her to leave school at 2:40 instead of 4:00.

On the Home-Improvement and Organizing front of my life…

I turned a Goodwill pile into this…

And with simple denim panels and a rod (yard sale finds totaling $10…)

I transformed my eBay storage nook into this…

Notice the cat on the shelf 2 photos above?

Here he is again…

“Ceviche” likes to sleep on the Medium Flat Rate boxes.

AND FINALLY…

In Other Big News, someone in our house recently turned 13!

THIRTEEN!

It was a sleep-over party on a rainy Saturday night where they painted each others’ nails and laughed a lot.

Bought that custom banner off eBay for $20 for her 6th birthday.

On her actual birth day Thursday morning I snapped the following a nano-second before she turned to notice the banner on her way to the school bus stop…

I guess most everybody on the bus saw it and cheered for her, and the driver announced her birthday over the PA.

Pretty awesome.

xooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxo

P.S. You ALL rock!
P.P.S. I have not visited any blogs in 5 or 6 weeks, sorry. Hopefully soon I will!
P.P.P.S. You rock even more than the last time I told you so.
P.P.P.P.S. I am going to sleep now.

What Do These 5 Summer Vacation Photos All Have In Common?

(my feet at my parents’ cottage.)

If you’re thinking “Hey… Jannie is in every one of those,” you’re absolutely right! And you win a prize!!

The prize is… I’ll write you a short poem on any topic you want in a comment below.

So give me a word or short phrase, and I’ll totally write you a poem. Totally, totally!

And even if you weren’t thinking “Hey, Jannie’s in all those” you still get a poem if you want!

🙂

xoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo from Jannie, who recently had the privilege of going HOME with Kelly and Jim!!

Off To Canada…

Just a few random pix from since last we met.

And we’re off to The Home(and native)land tomorrow, eh?

i’ll think of you there
on all of the shores

but i probably won’t be found
eating any ‘smores.

for i have been dreaming
for manys a moon

of the Extra Special Treat
i shall savor, and soon.

MR. BIG BARS!!!!!!!!

Best Chocolate Bar Treat Known To The Planet!!!

You have a favorite candy bar?

Thanks for popping in. See you when we get back!

oxoxoxxoxoxooxxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

P.S. The red shoes. She’s a size 3, but the smallest available is a 5. (TG!!) Heels can so wait, like, when she’s 18.

if you’re wandering

if you’re wandering
down the shore

still looking for
half of yourself

and for that
little cottage with
the yellow door,

come on in.

i’m standing at
the kitchen counter
folding photoberries

into pies
for you.

i’m stuffing the
crusts with armchairs
you can sink into

to drink your tea
here by the sea.

if you’re
wandering

please
come
wander
with me.

~~ end of poem

xoxooxoxox

What She Does…

She rainbow looms.

She sews.

She shops for fabric.

She sings.

And sings.

And sings.

And sings.

She parties.

And parties.

She gyms.

She photographs.

She water musics.

She toy store musics.

She relaxes.

(Her dog relaxes too.)

She bakes bread.

It is good.

So very very freaking good.

Yes, she looms…

laughs…

and loves.

And she IS love.

notes…

1. Where Kelly and Sweety relax was the first addition to our house, which Jim and I designed and he built with his own two hands from 1994 to 1996.  He built all the woodwork in our dining room too. Built that corner cabinet.

2. Her sewing machine currently has a lower thread tension problem but we’ll get it sorted out.

3. She photographed that lantana with her brand new iPhone 5S as I was photographing her. Then she added in a filter effect, and Instagrammed it.

4. In the close-up of the choir she is the shortest girl (purple shirts) in the front row, just above the piano. That theater is actually in the high school she will attend here.

5. Yes, Jim is known to eat family dinner in his pajamas. Shhh, don’t tell anybody.  🙂 🙂 🙂

6. You are AWESOME. Today is awesome — enjoy it.

7. I love the number 7.

8. 8 is enough.

9.  That’s a heartbeat monitor on Jim’s wrist. He was rear-ended months ago and is still needs pain management. He’s trying to remain chipper, but he sure is looking forward to feeling 100% again, and hopefully soon.

Jannie
xooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoox