If I told you...would you believe me?

Would ya??

I haven't written in my blog in well over a week! AS I told you in my last post I got bitten by the renovation bug and I can't seem to shed him! It all started with my friend,  Rachael's idea to renovate her laundry room. I was inspired to do my laundry room like hers as well. We bought the paint and I was ready. Hunk was on board and we had a plan. Tiny problem is...we haven't done A THING. NOT.A.THING. Sad right? :-(

So let me make the long story longer....Our kitchen faucet was leaking under the sink and we found a puddle of water in the basement. Uh-Oh! Hunk called our friendly Fix-it Man, John to come and fix the problem. Weeelllll....that problem turned into a COMPLETE basement build! Yep, you read it right. We were having a tiny leak fixed and today, 3 men are busy chopping and sawing and nailing and sweating down in my basement as they complete the family room, guest room, new study, storage area and bathroom! So what have I been doing you ask?

I am the FOREWOMAN! I get to make all the decisions and choose all the decorating ideas while Hunk works his fingers to the bone to pay for all of this. I do feel kinda bad for him as I think what I am doing is much more fun than crunching numbers and balancing books and all the stuff accountants do. Am I being biased? LOL! I helped design the floor plan, picked out bathroom fixtures, paint colors, carpet and tile and soon enough the lighting and then the decorating fun begins!! Now here's the drama of it all...

...In 2007, before we were married, we decided to build a new home instead of buying a pre-owned home. Hunk's idea and I somewhat concurred, was that older homes have problems and a new home would have a warranty and no problems. WELLLLL....we had our new home "roughed in" for a bathroom in the basement because we knew that at some point we'd complete the basement. Problem #1: where they "roughed in" is not feasible for a bathroom! After the foundation was poured and the roughing in was done, the other trades decided to put all the HVAC venting and water pipes on the wall and ceiling where the bathroom would go. So there is not enough head room for a shower or really anything onvce you intall the ceiling and walls around the venting and pipes. Soooo..plan two was to move the bathroom to an adjacent location and cap off the roughed in pipes and relocate them. Welllll, Problem #2: the main sewer line from the house to the city sewer was laid properly and does not have enough slope to carry the sewerage out to the street completely so there is always water "backed up" to the elbow of the main drain line. BONEHEAD builders! How on earth this passed the inspection, I'll never know. So our contractor has been busy chopping the cement floor to fix the problem which is no simple or inexpensive fix. But...it HAS to be done. Even if we weren't finishing the basement we would have eventually had to do this. *sigh* I just want to know...why is there always a problem when you want to do something that seems simple?

I mean I knew it would take 5-6 weeks, not over night but, I had no idea that it would be one thing after another. It has been a whirlwind of activity here. I am trying to stay focused on the big picture. I am a want-it-done-now person and all these setbacks are not sitting well with me. On another note...John has done a little work with my kitchen. I think he's trying to keep me happy! He turned my island around to face what will be by new breakfast room. He also put in my new kitchen faucet in. I LOVE, love , love it! So thats good news and surely makes me happy.

So the laundy room is on hold. I hope that we will paint it on Sunday and Monday, (it's a holiday weekend here). That means I can "decorate" next week. Speaking of that, I have been fretting over where I can get a bird's nest.I shall fret no more. I am actually get one for free right off my front porch wreath! A momma robin has made a nest and will soon lay her eggs. Once she is done with her "maternity ward" I plan to use it!

In other news, BG has been accepted to 4 universities. Soon she'll have to make her decision and declare her choice of majors. She is leaning more towards University of Ottawa with a major in International Developement, but she definitely still has Nursing on the fore burner. No preference from us. That's her decision. B3 is knee deep into baseball now. We have games 2 nights a week and practice on Sundays. I love this time of year! B2 will be home from RI and university on June 3. I can't wait to see him. Seems like forever since January. B1 and his friend are driving up for the Graduation/Confirmation festivities the end of June. I haven't seen that son in 10 months. That would be 10 months too long in my book! And our youngest princess is keeping us sane with her sweet demeanor and busy social calendar. Between play dates and birthday parties, she is one busy little almost nine year old!

I better sign off and get some real work done. Our fur baby had surgery on his "parts" and toes yesterday and I need to make my way to our vet to pick him up. I ahve several other pesty errands to tend to as well.

Have a super Thursday and Friday and I hope to post pics of at least some of the renos either over the weekend or on Monday.

Cheerio!

A Hode Podge Of Busy-ness

                                                                                                  

It's already May 9th? My oh my where did time go? I knew we were busy but WOW! I feel like all winter we store things to do and when those first warm and sunny days roll around...we're up and at 'em!  I have this swamped feeling all of a sudden and need to seriously take some time to sit down, organize my May calendar and make a SERIOUS "to-do" list before I feel like a tidal wave has swallowed me whole! You know the feeling, right? I mean it IS May 9th...WOW!



Courtesy of http://camerasandchaos.blogspot.com/2011/02/laundry-room-redo.html



This past week I decided to take a Facebook vacation. I thought I definitely needed to focus on a few projects that needed to get done here. You know like laundry, ironing , cleaning the cupboards and the like. Well I should have included taking a blog reading vacation too because something very bad good happened!  I have a routine in the early morning after the kids leave for school. I READ BLOGS. And while reading my bloggy friend Rachael's blog, I became inspired. Oh Lordy....She had listed some "Home Improvement" blog links and I was in...hook, line and sinker! One of her inspirations was a laundry room re-do. Well folks, I too was inspired! So much so that Hunk and I made our way to the local Home Depot and I too bought a gallon of River's Edge paint! Next on the list...wood for the board and batten! I don't think Hunk understands the magnitude of what has happened here! Check out this inspiration. It's beautiful and I'm hoping to maybe have my laundry room beautiful by the middle of the month!

                                                         

In other busy-ness, I have been consumed with graduation announcements and party planning. This is such a busy time of year. BG graduates the end of June but since her announcements have to go to friends and family in the US, that requires they be sent in the next week or so. Now I've had them for about 3 weeks and I put the box away thinking I had plenty of time to get to folding and addressing them, but I realized the other day that they really need to get done and mailed. I also have been planning the big party to celebrate hers and B3's graduations. B3 graduates from Grade 8 in June as well and both of them will have made their confirmations. We have family coming in from the States so I wanted to plan the party while they are all here. Well...no Velasco is ever small potatoes or simple. We don't have them that often and I LOVE to be Hostess with the Mostess so I have begun planning away. I have the invites ordered and an idea of food and the caterer. Now just to get some music going and we'll be all set!

Mother's Day 2011 has come and gone and boy was it a great one! Hunk started the weekend off right! I didn't cook one single meal on Saturday! We went to breakfast (just the two of us) and while we were there he asked what I wanted for Mother's Day. He opened the can of worms! I have been admiring stunning magnolia tree's/bushes in our subdivision for 3 years. This year I finally got one! We made our way to our local garden shop and Hunk had it panted by that afternoon! It is gorgeous! I am happy!! On Mother's Day I was showered with gifts from LG, BG and B3 and phone calls with loving sentiments from B1 and B2. We went to church, then an awesome brunch and spent the rest of the day out by our still covered pool enjoying the rays and warm temps while the younger kids played in the yard and I stared at my new tree! BG's gift to me was cooking dinner. I truly had the best Mother's Day WEEKEND and I am thankful and love all five of my children and feel in awe when each of them call ME "Mom.

                                                             
Speaking of mothers...I have been truly blessed to have 3 Mothers who are great role models and women of faith. My mother lives in SC and though we are far apart we remain close in heart. We have long chats on the phone several times a week and enjoy coffee breaks via the distance and the telephone. My Mother-in-law lives about 40 mins. away and though we don't see her as often as we'd like to I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with her andto her often for cultural and cuisine inspiration. My late husband's mother is really my second Mom. I am blessed to have her in my life. She keeps me grounded and truly inspires me to be the best wife and mother I can be. When she was free to turn her back on me after Bob died, she held me closer and supported me and I will be FOREVER grateful to her for her unselfish acts of kindness. Today she has embraced our family as an extension of her own and the love is truly felt from her heart.

Thursday our pool is finally getting opened. Hip hip hooray for summer! I have looked at that awful green cover long enough. I long to look out my back windows and see the crisp blue of the water and some beautiful flowers. I can't wait...cold drinks and hot sun and a cool dip after some yard work...ahhhhhh SUMMER!

Tonight we have a contractor coming over to re-visit our basement completion. We have toyed with this forever. It has been rolling around in my mind for a long time and I have really just prayed about it. The prices have been so expensive and we just couldn't even comprehend how we could ever get it done. But I knew that I needed a pace for our company and we truly wanted to move our family room there so we are again re-visiting the idea tonight. Hooray! An answer to prayer or pure persistence? Either way I will be happy. By the way-I'll have 4 more rooms to decorate Honey!!

So, I guess it's now time for me to move my bones and get some things done here before the kids are walking in the door and I realize that, even without Facebook, I'm still as behind as I ever was! But before I buzz off upstairs, I think I'll organize my May calendar and make that "To-Do" list. Yes Honey,  it does include the laundry room and yard work!

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday!!





LOST

                                                          

SPRING. Yep, we lost her. I thought she was here. The calendar said she arrived on March 21, but we haven't seen her around in weeks and frankly, I miss her. I miss her warm sun and gentle breezes. I miss her array of color and her sweet aroma. Seems she's left behind the grey ugliness that winter brings and the cold temps as well. I said goodbye to Old Man Winter long ago, but he just won't leave. Do me a favor. If you happen to run into Spring will you tell her she has a very important appointment in Oshawa Ontario and we are counting on her to show up? The sooner the better. Thanks.

                                                     

And speaking of loss and since this IS a blog about blending families, especially after loss, I think I shall address loss and how we deal with the ebbs and flows of grief here in this blended family. It's not all bad!

So tomorrow marks the 5 year mark of Bob's death. Now that potentially means 4/7 of our family could be impacted tomorrow. I always set myself up as the mother and, really, the chief emotion detector and prepare for the worst case scenario, but I have been very fortunate that thus far it hasn't been too bad. I guess the worst year was obviously the first year, and at that point we weren't a blended family yet so not as many were affected by the thrashing grief. We celebrated that year with a trip to the cemetery and we laid a wreath as well as a balloon release to heaven. It was bittersweet, but truly more sweet than bitter.  In subsequent years we have really not "celebrated" at all. We remember and pray but that's about the extent of the celebration. (Should one celebrate a death? I'm not too sure about that idea. At least for our family) I think the kids all really pick up on my vibe and I decided with my late husband (LH) that we would never intentionally make it a sad event. His death was inevitable, we had to deal with it, we couldn't dodge it and to make it an eternal sad event would just prolong the healing process. So, we didn't. That's all...we.did.not. And I believe we have ALL done a remarkable job of healing at the 5 year mark.

I have to say too, that it could be that because we are not close enough to visit the cemetery often, it might be better. We do live close to Hunk's late wife's (LW) burial place and we do visit a few times a year, but LG and B3 are young enough and BUSY enough that terrible grief just doesn't happen. We go, we pray, we change the flowers, and we leave...usually happy. Like LH, Hunk's LW's death was inevitable, had to be dealt with and could not be dodged. And, like LH and I, Hunk and LW decided that it would not be an eternal terrible event. We marked LW's first year with the traditional Filipino Anniversary dinner for the extended family. BG and I did not attend. We also had a balloon release and visited the cemetery. It was a day that was more happy than sad for all of us. We remember and we pray, that's all that's required.

Once I came into Hunk, B3 and LG's life, grief hasn't been a cause for sadness. You see, we bonded. I mean we all became one family and as is true always, "the speed of the leader is the speed of the pack."  I am generally not a sad person.  My glass is almost always 1/2 FULL. Now that's not so say that I am not human and don't have bad/down days. Just ask Hunk, he'll tell you! He can detect my mood faster than anyone ever has. Over these almost 4 years he has learned to leave me be on those days and just let me muddle through. They don't happen often anymore, but once or twice a year, I do "fall down." LG so eloquently told me sometime ago, "There is no reason to be sad that someone you love has gone to live with God." Children are so precious in that they see things so clearly and simply. But you know what? SHE IS RIGHT! EXACTLY.RIGHT!


So...once again I am preparing for the storm tomorrow, but I can almost bet that it will be a sun shower. And maybe Spring will come back and join us for it and then decide to stay awhile. That sure would be nice!

                                                                    

On another note...Canada held Federal elections yesterday, I am happy to report that our candidate is not LOST. In fact, he'll be in office again with a Majority government. Yay!

The Royal Wedding-Velasco Style



The Royal Velascos
Prince Ferdinand and Princess Laurayne

 
Every one's a buzz over the royal wedding. In less than 24 hours the world will have a new princess and the British Royal Family will inherit a new family member. We are excited too!

I agreed about a month ago to relive my love for Diana and Charles' wedding by allowing my girls to stay home from school and celebrate the momentous occasion. We bought hats to wear, planned out a high tea menu and decided the appropriate time to go to bed so that we can watch from 3am until the last airing. We can hardly wait.

If my girls are anything like me they will be taking careful notes of everything from flowers to vows. I made mental notes of it all so that when I got married, my wedding would entail a 25 foot train just like Diana's!  I noted the beautiful flowers and the tiara, oh the tiara! She was a princess and I was a definite Princess-wanna-be! Take note sweet girls, if you don't I will because your weddings will certainly have princess touches one day!

As for my princess weddings...I have been MORE than blessed to have TWO princess weddings. My first wedding saw the long train. Now I don't think I wore one 25 feet long like Diana's, but I searched out the longest one I could find and I think mine was a bit over 15 feet. To me that was long! I didn't get the tiara because I wore my mother's pill box veil, but I felt like a princess in a tiara. My flowers very closely resembled Diana's, big and elaborate and I made sure that the music was full of the pomp and circumstance just as hers was! At the end of the aisle was a man in a uniform complete with white gloves and while she made the celebratory kiss on the balcony, I made it under the swords. It was a fairytale day for sure! (I don't have pictures on my computer, but I'll try and scan some in so you can see the very young princess bride of 1983! lol!!!)

My second wedding was complete and udder royalty. This time I wore a gown for a Queen. It was not adorned with intricate beading and crystals but it was simply and royally embroidered and had a beautiful train that followed me down the aisle to my Prince Charming. This time I wore the tiara and carried the most beautiful cream hand tied roses I have ever seen. We had the royal music and I even had royal Paige's as attendants! We were whisked away in an amazing limo to our reception where we were joined by our closest friends and family. It was a magical and perfect day in every way. The paparazzi were plenty, the weather was perfect and we were glowing in happiness.




At the Royal Reception



The Royal Couple with the Royal Paige's as attendants


Weddings are magical. They are infused with the personality of the bride and groom and tell the story of the love that they share. I rarely attend one where I don't shed a tear at some point. While Kate and Will will have their own vows and this wedding will be far more "modern" than weddings of past Royalty, I am certain that many little girls and young women will be taking notes and oohing and ahhhing over all the smallest details. I'll shed a tear I'm sure, but my notebook won't be too far away.

Our blended family experienced our Royal Wedding on September 22, 2007. Tomorrow we'll take notes for our daughter's and son's future royal weddings. I can't wait!

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and a...Volvo

Well it's upon us folks...baseball season in the Velasco house. Yesterday we received the official email drafting B3 on the Pirates Bantam League. He wasn't too happy only because he said the colors stink! Go figure. I think the hidden message is really that he is a HUGE Yankee fan and he had secretly hoped to be drafted on the Yankees. Oh well...  This is his first year in the bantam league so we have a lot to look forward to. The new league will be comprised of 13 and 14 year olds. B3 is a very young 13 year old being born in December and he is, shall we say "petite" if you can call guys petite! But he is SMART and he can field that ball like no body's business. He's also a pretty good hitter and pitcher. He's a lefty!  His "spot" is best played at short stop though. He'll get the jersey on May 4th and he has already asked to be the first one there so he can get #2, ummmm yeah Derek Jeter! Pack up those folding chairs, blankets and a cooler, it's BASEBALL TIME in Ontario!
                                                        
                                                        

So last night I had a taste for a dish I hadn't made in a while. Blending cultures in the kitchen is serious work! I tend to either cook Asian or American food and I forget about some of the tried and true dishes from my repertoire.  I decided as I perused my favorite grocery store, Sobey's, that I wanted sausage, potatoes, onion and peppers for dinner. I was the only one shopping so I got to choose! I love when that happens. I picked out a bag of the tiny white new potatoes and hit the sausage cooler. I literally stared at all the varieties of sausages for 5 minutes. WOW! Did I want Italian, Polish, Hungarian, or German? I finally laid eyes on a package that read " Bacon and Cheddar" and that was exactly what I wanted. I threw them in the cart and wheeled away. Once home the kids began putting the groceries away. There is no protest anymore. It's their chore and they do it. (I did have to explain long ago that if I had to buy it and cook it and if they wanted to eat it, then they could put it away. Now the only thing that this causes is my pantry to be in a perpetual state of disarray.) BG was late coming home from school. Once in the door and down the  hall, she wanted to know what we were having for dinner. When I so proudly announced my delicious dish choice, I was met with a loud "YUCK."  Okay then...you know my policy, "if you don't like what we are having, feel free to hit the McDonald's up the road." As I went to remind her of that she stopped me and said "Mom, you don't get it. If you watched the movies we watch in Nutrition class, you'd never eat that stuff again. Sausage (and hotdogs) is made from the hooves of pigs." Well then...thanks for sharing, we're still having my delicious un-nutritious dinner and I hope you like it! She ate 2 sausages and a healthy serving of the fixings! AND...there were no leftovers in the pan!
                                            

                                                    


I've been thinking about what I could take to our multi-cultural potluck at Church this weekend. Actually, I can't even decide WHAT culture to choose. B3 asked me to make Lebanese food. There are not many Lebanese families in our Church so that is a possibility. There are quite a few Filipino families and our Nuns are Filipino so I don't think I will make Filipino food. With 7 of us attending, I think I need to take more than one dish. Ahhh Hahhh.....my still-to-be-made-famous apple pie. That always brings raves so I will dig out my NoFail Pie Crust recipe and bake away on Friday along with some delicious Lebanese stuffed grape leaves. Maybe I'll make my sausage, potato, onion and pepper dish again too. That way BG can tell everyone where sausage comes from! LOL!!!


    



It never ends in our family! We go from one activity to the next...just rolling along. Tonight though we're at home with a roasted chicken and noodles and American Idol on the tube. Just another Wednesday night and I like it. No wait...I love it!


   


Only 2 more days till the Royal Wedding, but whose counting?? ME!! (Yes, I'll be up at 3am WITH my hat on and in my jammies to partake in all the festivities via many TV channels. How about you?)

I think they forgot my name:
Lady Constance Laurayne Velasco
But I'll be there anyway!

                                             



~~Have a wild and wonderful Wednesday!