Email withdrawal

My home email has been down since I got home from work. Boo-hoo. I finally phoned my ISP and I was greeted by a polite, but slightly testy voice recording saying...

We are currently experiencing techinical problems with some email accounts timing out and not accessible through webmail. Our techinicians are working to fix the problem. If you are calling regarding this technical issue, please hang up NOW!

Ok.

Apparently they've had a phone call or two already...

In the meantime I shall just keep hitting refresh. Sigh...

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me! Happy birthdaaaaaay...

Ok. So it's not my birthday.

I can still celebrate. Especially since hubby got me my birthday present early.

He bought me a brand new Mac Book Pro.

I've wanted a Mac for a long time, so this was so exciting. I'm typing this on my new laptop!

Of course, my hubby's ulterior motive is to give me more freedom to do my writing - specifically fiction writing.

So I guess I have no more excuses for not getting that book written!

Pending assignments: 4 (eek!)

Listening to: The History Channel

My latest obsession aka Eating healthy part one

I'm currently waiting for company to arrive. Actually, they won't be here for about another two hours and I've prepped supper as far as I can for now.

So I thought I would post about my lastest obsession - cooking.

The obsession started a few years ago when I got introduced to a weekly email menu. This weekly meal planner (with grocery list included) became the highlight of my week, as I couldn't wait to try the new and innovative recipes.

They were innovative in that they didn't use ingredients I was used to. Some of them used techniques I'd never heard of.

Eventually, I found myself substituting more and more ingredients and recipes on these weekly emails. And my family was less enthusiastic than I about the recipes.

Then last year I was asked to write a profile of cookbook author Sandi Richard (seen on Food Network's Fixing Dinner). Again I found myself inspired to try new things.

This time I was armed with her cookbook, The Dinner Fix, which contained many recipes with ingredients like garam masala, fengugreek, curry paste and (I've yet to try) lemon grass.

I loved her bent towards Indian and Asian foods.

I used many of her recipes and a few of my own favourites collected over the years to construct a six-week meal plan - including grocery lists.

Oh. My. Word.

It's become like a lifesaver for m! I refer to it constantly.

Plus, I'm finding my kids turn up their noses far less than they used to. Partly because the meal plan gives each of them a dish to create (or help create) for everyone else. They love that part.

And to make this health conscious mamma even more happy... we're all eating more fruits and vegetables than ever before. I even make salad several times a week!

Last weekend I realized I'd had no time to plan meals for the coming week and I was nervous, because I didn't have much time to dash to the grocery store. Imagine my relief when I pulled out my menu (with five nutrious, balanced meals) complete with grocery lists in a plastic sleeve. I took out a dry erase marker and checked off the things I already had on hand.

Quick as that I was off to the store!

When hubby came to me to suggest on Monday that we invite our friends over tonight I immediately panicked. Then I remembered what we were having. Mentally, I added another quick sidedish. And I realized a quick stop at the grocery store to buy fresh mangos and naan bread, and we'd be set. Instead of allowing my panic to rob me of a wonderful opportunity to get to know these friends, I immediately responded, "Sounds lovely."

So tonight we are indulging in one of my favourite Indian menus (so far anyway!)...

Chicken with butter sauce
Basmatic rice
Aloo Gobi (curried cauliflower and potatoes)
A recipe I call Chunky Salad (cucumbers, carots, red pepper, celery all marinated in Italian vinaegrette)
Naan bread
And for dessert chopped mangoes or blueberries on icecream.

Not bad for middle of the week fare by a working mama, if I say so myself.

All because of planning.

Which brings me to the point of my post...

Eating healthy doesn't come naturally to those of us raised in North America. We've been conditioned to believe we don't have the time or skill to prepare delicious nutriously sound food.

Instead we stuff ourselves with pre-package meals... things I like to call... non-foods. It might be edible, but the real food has been processed so much it's largely a chemical-ladened cocktail. And the nutrients we should be getting from our food get lost in the processing.

So what's the best way to eat healthy?

Plan. Plan. Plan.

It's not going to happen by accident. It's going to happen by purposeful decision-making and a commitment to doing more than opening a can or ripping open a package.

But I'll save that for another post.

Back in the saddle

I am preparing right now to do something I haven't done in a long, long time...

write.

Like in a freelance sense.

I write every day for my job, true, but it's completely different when it's just for me.

I have been contacted by four different editors recently asking for stories.

How nice.

To be wanted. Missed possibly.

Not that I've turned down work since starting my job, but there just wasn't much room for freelancing anyway.

The adjustment to almost-but-not-quite-fulltime work and all the crap that followed... like lice, not once but twice, grandma getting sick and passing away, all the craziness they call Christmas, followed by Richard getting sick, then me having an allergic reaction, and then Logan getting stitches in his head...

Yeah, freelancing wouldn't have fit in there. Good grief, sleeping barely fits in there!

But now I'm feeling at a better rhythm and adding freelancing sounds like a welcome adventure admist the normalcy my life has managed to achieve. In truth, I've been itching to get back at it for weeks now.

Since my job has started, for instance, i've honed my skills in my latest passion/obsession: mealplanning and cooking.

I'll have more on that in a later post.

Pending assignments: 2 with what sounds like 2 or 3 more on the way!
Listening to my space heater because it's rather chilly in our basement.

What the crap?!

Okay... did Tillman take leave of his senses?

Quick check his coffee, cuz I think someone slipped a little stupid in his cup of joe.

Tomorrow, Riderville will officially confirm that Kerry Joseph... so lovingly referred to on this blog as KJ... will be packing his bags and leaving for the Argos.

What the heck? Did he like the city so much when he won the Grey Cup there, he decided to go back...?

Seriously... what is up with that?

Granted we do get a first round draft pick, a running back and some other dude...

But... but... for KJ?

I ask you, are three players of dubious caliber worth giving up the league's MVP... the most athletic quarterback in the CFL? ... the man who rallied the troops through thick and thin and... dare I say... aside from Kent Austin himself was probably one of the main reasons Saskatchewan fans will celebrate Christmas November 25th from now on?

I don't even know what to say.

It's just so sad...

Clearing the rubble

I'm back!

I survived the remainder of the month which included several trips to the doctor and an afternoon spent in the emergency room with my son while he got two stitches in his head.

So far things seem to be returning to a semblance of normal.

Right now we're in the midst of a study on Nehemiah in church. And I have to admit I am really enjoying it.

I got to thinking about rebuilding in my own life and how it can parallel the story of Nehemiah's efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Despite all the heartache and the past failures, Nehemiah convinced the people of Jerusalem to give it one final shot. They get organized, they have a plan, they have a fearless wise leader, they're ready to dry their tears and begin the work. In spite of their brokenness they found hope in his words.

I can't imagine how good it must have felt to see the progress as they went.

The first order of business was clearing the rubble. You can't build on top of unsteady crumbled walls, you've got to scrape away the rubble and find a solid, firm place to plant the foundation.

I thought of my own life and my efforts to rebuild... they've kind of started and stopped over the past month.

But it does start with clearing the rubble that I've clinged to...

... the discouraging words I still hear in my head from an old teacher, friend, or relative whose message of was clear: you're not good enough.

... the message of a culture who tells me in every medium possible day in and day out that my value should be measured by how I look and what kinds of toys I own.

... the pain of past failures... the writing career I've never quite succeeded in launching, the novel I'm never brave enough to write, the many failures in understanding and motivating my rather complex, high maintenance son, the educational goals I've never accomplished.

... the perfectionism that robs me of enjoying the NOW and sucks the fun out of everything. Life will never be perfect, I should stop expecting it to be and learn to be ok with "good enough".

Rubble. It's everywhere.

It's easy to feel as overwhelmed as the Jews as they looked at miles of walls and chunks of charred wall that had to be cleared away. They must have looked at their own two hands and thought the task was impossibly huge. Like where's a backhoe when you need it?

But they weren't alone in their task. They had each other and they had a heavenly father cheering them on, too!

It's good to know He's there when we need him. For the big projects and the little stuff.

Addendum to stressful week...

I should have mentioned our stressful week included our car dying in the extreme cold.

It's such an adventure getting all four of us to where we need to go and home again without a car. Happily good friends were able to drive us to work/school and pick us up when the day was over!

Last night, our stressful week was capped off with a visit from the Saskatoon Fire Department.

No worries. It was just our carbon monoxide detector giving a false warning.

The firefighters came. Tested the air throughout the house and all is well. There is very, very little CO2 in our house.

Sleep after that was rather fleeting.

If y'all don't mind, I'd like to stop the planet and get off for a while...

Another stressful week gone by...

Last week I played single parent while Richard recovered from a major infection.

This week Richad got to wear all the hats, while I was sick.

Apparently, I reacted to the drugs Richad was taking. Though my exposure to them was probably very limited (kissing, possibly sharing a cup - though Richard and I went out of our way to avoid both), I reacted very strongly.

When my doctor looked panicked at the sight of me, I figured that was a bad sign. He only calmed down once I told him it had been 24 hours since the onset. Under four hours and anaphylaxis becomes a major worry and I'm sure he would have bundled me up and sent me to the ER. He looked tempted as it was!

I had been trying to fight it all day with Benadryl, but it was getting worse.

When the pharmacist filled out my prescription, he told me I looked awful. I also figured that was a bad sign. When I added I had already taken an antihistamine, he was horrified.

Ok. So I looked bad. Covered head to toe in an itchy red swollen rash. I felt like my skin was on fire. That's when I wasn't so itchy I thought I'd go out of my mind.

After taking the prescription steriods and a stronger NON-DROWSY antihistamine (geepers Benadryl is a space trip!), I looked almost normal Friday morning. But by Friday supper I was covered partially in hives again.

Saturday woke up feeling not bad - itchy, but not bad. Just waking up is a good thing at this point.

Here's hoping the next dose of drugs finishes the job.

In the meantime, I'm beat. And this is as good as it gets for a blog post.

Re-building

There are times when the building blocks we've so carefully assembled in our lives are shaken apart.

Some things, obviously, will shake them completely down to ruins. Major traumas like the death of a loved one, or a divorce, for example. Others will be like a one-hit explosion that takes out a few blocks but leaves the majority intact.

I feel like I've been through both recently.

As the "blitz" season, as we call it at work, came to a close I dealt with the death of my Grandmother.

That was followed by an intense shaking this last week with my husband's illness. He developed a severe infection after a tooth extraction. He experienced intense pain and swelling on one side of his face. To treat it he had to visit the hospital every eight hours to get IV treatments of antibiotics.

It took several days before we saw any improvement.

Due to the illness, the painkillers and sleep that was often interrupted by yet another trip the emergency room, he slept an awful lot.

Which meant much of everything in the day-to-day happenings of our lives were up to me.

I managed as a single mother for less than a week and I was pretty much exhausted. (How women do it on a regular basis is beyond my comprehension... and ability apparently!) In addition to the normal pressures of my fast-paced life, my son had a major school project I needed to help him with.

School homework is a major source of conflict for both of us, so the fact that we could even finish it at all without screaming at each other was a major accomplishment.

Friday came, hubby was released from his IV therapy and able to care for the kids as I went to bed at 8:30.

I slept for almost 12 hours.

When I awoke I felt like I'd just gone to bed. Then the tears started. I found the instructions for the school project and discovered we'd pretty much done the whole thing wrong. Then I found several unexpected bills.

I felt like the whole world had just crashed. I felt like such a failure. I crawled back into bed and slept off and on for most of the day. I cried a lot, too.

After a day of sleeping, a nice hot shower, and another good night's rest the world looked a better place.

Then my dad called to give me the news that his dad had passed away last night after a lengthy illness. While relieved his father isn't in pain or discomfort any longer, he's grieving the big gaping hole left by this beloved father and husband.

I found myself in tears again, for a grandfather I'd never met, for the grandmother I dearly loved and for a week that stressed all of us to the endth degree. It was like the darkness became palpable.

"It's too much," I told God. "Too much of everything."

But after a few more tears, it was like God put his arm around me and whispered... "It's all gonna be alright. Even this will pass. Tomorrow will come at last."

In addition, I realized after some very gentle, but stern self-talk that my psych prof would be so proud of! Grief takes it toll both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And the healing takes time. Time, of course, takes patience.

Healing doesn't happen in a moment. It's like rebuilding after a massive storm. It takes time. The debris has to be cleared. The holes mended and boarded up. New building materials assembled and slowly eased into place. The building blocks rearranged.

The best part is, we have the Master Carpenter working with us. Swinging the hammer long after we've lost the strength. Wiping the tears away when we think we've messed up beyond all grace.

We are truly blessed. The foundation my grandmother gave me continues to give me strength. I had many friends step up to the plate this week to help us out in ways that were invaluable!

And above all I had a Saviour waiting for the storm to pass, rolling up his sleeves ready to rebuild.

Looks like we'll be at it for a while.

The sad goodbye

Hearts were breaking all over Rider Nation tonight as the news trickled out this morning that Austin would be leaving as headcoach of the Riders to take a position as offensive coordinator of Ole Miss - his alma matter.

I had known for a week that it was a possibility, but for some reason denial served me better than trying to understand the inevitable.

I get it.

I really do. He's from there. He went to school at Ole Miss. Austin is Ole Miss's second all time passer. He was inducted into their school Hall of Fame.

Even more significantly... he's from Nashville... just down the road from the school. I know he didn't just leave for money. He's going home and most importantly he's taking his kids home... to a home they can have for many more years to come.

I'm certain he'll find room to advance. And the big pay raises that go with it.

Ole Miss's gain is our... gulp... loss.

I give my blessing. Grudgingly, I'll admit.

This, of course, brings us to the scariest question of all... who do you see behind the bench come training camp?

How can you replace Kent Austin? The man is responsible for two-thirds of the championships our fair franchise has won.

...

I know.

...

I've been batting that one around all day and I've come to three conclusions about it...

1. I'm glad it's not me doing the hiring.

2. Not all is lost. We would have been rebuilding this year anyway, as many of our veteran players became free-agents during the off season. Whether Austin went or stayed we still would be rebuilding our team. Now we just get to include a headcoach as part of the mix - which might not be a horrible thing, mainly because of 1 and 3.

3. Eric Tillman is the one doing the hiring. Given he's hired one headcoach so far since coming to Saskatchewan and that person gave us our first championship since '89, I'm going to trust his instincts and say that he appears to know what he's doing.

He's the one that brought Austin to town last year, one can only hope he can have the similar success for the Guys in Green this year.

Cuz there's only two words Saskatchewan Roughrider fans have on their minds right now...

Say it with me... RE...PEAT!

Helen Meidinger Jacoby 1913-2007

That's my grandma, my aunt Faye and me last Easter in Wilkie.

Grandma passed away today and I am missing her already. It was the end of a long difficult downward spiral of her health that began on Halloween when she fell and broke her hip.

My mom kept making plans for when her mom would be well enough to go home. Unforuntately, she was only home for two days before she had to return to hospital.

Soon it became obvious, her time had come.

She was an amazing lady. Talented and creative - always knitting or crocheting something for someone.

I spent many many of my Saturdays at their house while my mom worked. I would help grandma bake bread, buns, kucha (fruit topped bread-like coffeecake), donuts, and other yummy treats.

And no matter who else was there she'd always make sure to make three different kinds of butter tarts for the two in the family who didn't like raisins - mainly me and my mom!

Each year she'd plant a massive garden. She absolutely passionate about her flower garden - insisting more and more of the lawn be torn up for flower plots.

As the years passed though, she had a difficult time indulging in her favourite pursuits. So she spent her time doing puzzles and playing cards.

I am grateful to have her in my life. She was always a steady strong, though quiet, force. She had a will of steel. She often instigated the jokes and shenigans her children carried out - despite the fact that she denied this!

I am also grateful my kids got to know her on their many trips to my mom's.

As her health deteriorated these last few months I remembered the many blessings of my youth of being in her care. I'm so grateful I have such a rich heritage.

I'm sure she's dealing out the cards for crib right now in heaven and regaling Grandpa with stories... "Oh Father," she'll exclaim as she shakes her head... "you'll never guess what the kids have been up to...!"

Destiny

It just felt right, didn't it?

From the moment the Roughriders took to the field on Sunday, you could just tell it was going to be a magic day.

And why not? It has been a completely magical season.

Take the bottom of the barrel team - a team who despite having talent on their roster don't have enough chemistry to light a candle - add in a salary cap, a new rookie head coach, a new general manager and enough injuries to make even seasoned coaches wimper - and well, you have a recipe for a bucket-ful of disaster.

Instead, the combined guts and faith of Tillman and Austin managed to inspire this incredible green machine to take their game to the next level. And it started by marking one date on the calendar... Nov. 25.

They did it. One game at a time.

That's not to say it was easy. Winnipeg didn't go down without a fight.

[Aside: And huge kudos to Dinwiddie for starting in his first professional game and having a stellar night. Had he not kept his head about him, the scoreboard could have told a vastly different story. Now if they can teach him some patience and a dash of humility he might come out of this a darn-fine QB!]

In fact, it looked downright scary for the first quarter as the boys in green felt the full weight of the hopes of Rider Nation bearing down on them.

But a couple of key plays and they all managed to shake off those nerves and looked what happened.

James Johnson's FIRST interception run back for a TD would certainly be the first turning point of the game.

After that, as one of my friends noted, Kerry Joseph threatened to run the ball every play and holy cow... some football happened!

Even though the score was probably too close for most Rider fans... (We like our point-cushions big and fluffy, thank you! Too many times we've seen sure victories turn into defeat in the dying minutes of a game...!) ... but really the end result was never in doubt.

You could feel it.

Rider Nation would not be denied.

The Roughriders deserve every accolade we heap upon them. For the years of drought and doubt they've played through... for the years of stinging losses... for the years when hope seemed a cruel joke... they deserve to be 2007 Grey Cup Champions.

Now, the only question I have is... how many more days til training camp?

God bless Rider Nation, wherever she sleeps...

Banjo bowl, part II

This is baby Eve in her Rider gear. (Source: www.greenzonefootball.com) That about sums up the eager anticipation gripping the province from border to border, doesn't it?

I'm sure by now Toronto-ians are getting a first class lesson in football prairie-style. Can't. Wait.

Like Schultzy said after the game last week... Watch out Toronto... this is a Big friggin' deal!

I won't be watching this game between any fingers! I'll need them to grip the edge of my seat.

It's a full on rush as the Green and White will take for the field for what is being billed as the Banjo Bowl, Part II - in an historic first Grey Cup meeting with their long time rivals the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

My prediction: Saskatchewan by 14 points.

Sweet Relief

Do you hear that?

That's the sound of Toronto bracing itself for an invasion of Green!

By the end of the week, I predict someone will decorate the CN Tower with a Green and White flag.

We're headed to the self-professed centre of the universe, where we will spar off with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for all the chips, all the marbles, for the big honking trophy and bragging rights that come with it!

The game against B.C. was very well played, well executed and oddly enough well officiated.

Here's my picks for top three players of the game:

1. Wes Cates - Most consistent performer on the team. And he did so with a broken foot. He was a question mark for most of the week, but his named turned up on the roster yesterday. He managed to out-perform Joe Smith the league's leading rusher today... 70 yards to 35. Now that's what I'm talking about!

2. Kerry Joseph - He is one of the most athletic quarterbacks in the league and today he really shined. Took four sacks, btw and kept on ticking. Not only that but managed to toss for two touchdowns. He also didn't give up a single turnover. Which is part of the reason we won. B.C. on the other hand gave up seven sacks and four turnovers.

3. Andy Fantuz - Number 83 was definitely one of the most popular choices at work this week where Rider jerseys were being purchased for all on-air personalities. Very effective receiver with that long reach, but more than that... he can gain an extra eight or nine yards after a tackle before going down. Now that's the kind of grit that wins football games!

A sombre pack of Lion's said after the game... The Riders just wanted it more than we did.

The Riders came into this game banged up, but hungry.

The B.C. Lion's might have had the stats, the talent and the big name stars, but they didn't have the certain something something that wins. The attitude, the poise, the confidence, the grit, the Green Magic.

And ultimately the team of destiny got their story book ending.

The boys in green did us proud tonight. Enjoy the sweet taste of victory boys. It won't be your last.

Party on!

Heartbreak vs Destiny

Tomorrow the sun will rise and bring with it, the hopes and dreams of Rider fans across the country.

The Saskatchewan Rough Riders face their nemisis in enemy territory in what has to be a story book plot line for the perpetual underdogs.

It's fitting, isn't it? The Cinderella team having a Cinderella year faces their darkest foe... one more obstacle to football's highest glory.

It's even more fitting if B.C. loses. They haven't lost since early September, and I, for one, think they're due.

And wouldn't it be fitting for the Cinderella team to knock off the top ranked team?

I'm telling you... it's like Murray Wood said in his column yesterday it feels like destiny.

That feeling could quickly give way to heartbreak, I fear. So like many diehard fans I will be watch some of the game with my hands over my eyes.

As I told someone the other day, I've never so eagerly anticipated a game I'm not sure I want to watch!

I do want to watch. But the game I want to watch might not happen. I want to watch a game where KJ moves the ball skillfully, and Fantuz and DJ Flick have the game of their careers, and the defense stand up the Lions on every play.

So what will it be a heartbreaking loss after a season of renewed hope, vision and determination? Or the storybook ending with the underdogs handing the over-hyped top-ranked team a playoff-ending defeat?

My prediction: Saskatchewan will come out strong in the first half and B.C. will be fat and lazy after a week off. After the half the Lions will be down by several touchdowns and have to mount a comeback. But ultimately... Saskatchewan wins in the dying seconds of the game with a field goal by Congi. Conjuring up comparisons to Dave Robokicker Ridgeway and the '89 Grey Cup Victory.

Of course, I am a writer and a story book ending is what I live for!

For those that like numbers... Saskatchewan 34, B.C. 32.

GO RIDERS!!

WE WIN!

Well, Rider Nation has waited a long time for this...

19 years since their last home play off game.

31 years since their last home play off win.

And they did it!

Game comments:
If the D shows up for an entire game like they did in the first quarter, B.C. better order some extra stretchers for game day.

Corey Holmes rocks! Takes a beating and keeps on ticking. What a potent force he was yesterday! Even after taking a hard hit to the injured shoulder, he takes a breather for three plays and comes back in. On the first play he grabs the ball again.

Andy Fantuz is da man! Breaks four tackles to grab an extra nine yards after reeling in a pass from KJ. Takes five guys to bring him down and he still goes an extra yard with a guy hanging off of him! He looked very much like a young Matt Dominguez with his height and his reach.

Kerry Joseph... Impressive. He is tough, strong, and as effective as another receiver out there! But most important he has been the leader this team has needed. His attitude is humble, but positive. And he never says die. He had an outstanding day. Impressive, indeed.

Officiating... I will never understand how a league that has trouble defining what is and IS NOT a catch with the hands can award a catch to a guy that snagged the ball in his knees. Seriously!

And my second comment on the officiating... How in the world does Holmes get called for a penalty for passing a ball to a Calgary player after the whistle, but when that player rifles the ball back at him in anger it's not? Please, someone, save the CFL... get some decent officials!

Luca Congi... is awesome. Two field goals from 48 yards and 49 yards? Rock! Is it just me or did it remind you of another kicker from a long time ago... do we? ... is it possible we have another Robo-kicker in our midst?

And DJ Flick's opening run into the end zone is something Rider Nation dreams about!

Oh yes... and a special thank you to Scott Schultz for making Burris eat turf a couple of times. That was just so much fun to watch!

It was certainly a magical night, indeed.

Now the Green Magic gets ready for B.C.

Bring.

It.

On.

Oh yeah... and one more interesting tidbit... Last week Saskatchewan voters kicked out the NDP after 16 years of being in power. This is good news for Rider fans... The Riders have never won the Grey Cup with an NDP government in power.

Coincidence?

You decide.

And now for your viewing pleasure... check out the pandemonium at field level after the final gun...

Video here.

Seasons and taking a step back...

Since moving to our new house in July, I feel like I've been on a nasty unforgiving treadmill. One that keeps speeding up!

It seems like it's been one thing after another after another.

Especially this last month. Here's what we've dealt with in the month of October alone...

1. Got a new kitty.
2. Kitty got colitis and pooped bloody stools everywhere.
3. Hot water heater broke.
4. Spent one week with no hot water.
5. Spent money that would have been better used elsewhere to fix the thing.
6. Got laid off from a job.
7. Got hired at a new one.
8. Mikaela got head lice.
9. Washed everything we owned in hot water.
10. Logan got head lice.
11. Washed everything we owned again in hot water. Bagged a few extra things and put them in the freezer.
12. Kids got reinfested and I got a minor case of it.
13. Washed everything we owned again.
14. Treated everyone in the house.
15. Gave everyone hair cuts.
16. Grandma fell and broke her hip.
17. Happily hosted family here for a week.

Oh yeah and somewhere in there our downstairs toilet got plugged.

I'm so tired now I can barely see. I've never felt so spent.

There are seasons in our life that are like that, aren't there?

During them, no matter your plans, life keeps throwing you curve ball after curve ball.

And it's tiring. It's not fair. But there's no use whining about the things that are beyond our control.

God is still God. And we're still his children. Through all the drama lately, I've felt his calming hand on my shoulder. I've felt his arm around me as I've cried on his shoulder. And I felt him carry me, when I didn't have the strength myself.

I've felt his presence as I laughed at some of our adventures. And I felt his whisper on my ear when I needed encouragement to take just one more step.

He's calmed the fears. He's held my hand.

I will be attempting to take a step back over the course of the next few weeks. Stealing moments alone. Curling up on the couch with a blanket and overdosing on TV and movies. Planning time for some creative pursuits like writing, carding, and drawing.

And mostly just planning time for nothing. savouring some peace and quiet. Slowly, piece by piece, rebuilding my energy stores again.

The seasons of life - the ebb and flow...

Phooey...!

That was an ugly way to end the season. 41-13. Ick.

The game against Toronto this afternoon at Mosaic stadium, might have been meaningless, but still... the Green and White played like they were just starting the season and ironing out the kinks, not ending the season and heading into the first playoff game in 20 years.

Having said that here's something to consider...

The Green-machine is battered, beaten, with their fender draggin' on the ground. With so many injuries to key players, I'm really not surprised our defense had trouble gelling on the field this afternoon.

Half of them haven't played the entire season.

And it showed.

Zone defense wasn't working and oh boy... man-to-man coverage leaked like seive.


Back to the actual game. My notes:

1. I have become a full-fledged conspiracy theorist when it comes to games the CBC televises. It seems those games go spectacularly bad for the Roughies.

2. Definitely some of the worst officiating I've seen for a long time. Since when do they arbitrarily place the ball on the one yard line after a penalty. What happened to half the distance to the goal?

And what was that call just before the half?

I'm grateful Bruce didn't catch the ball for another Toronto TD, but I highly doubt the tackle from the Saskatchewan player was "unnecessary roughness after the play". Nor do I think it meritted a 15 yard penalty on the first play after the half. What the Saskatchewan player did was tackle Bruce. If Bruce can't hang on to the ball... I believe in football we say... Suck it up, baby. If that hit was penalty worthy then they're going to have to create a penalty box to house the numerous culprits each game. And while we're at it, each team had better add a few more to their defensive lines.

Pullleeease!

Another thing... CBC has got to have the WORST commentators in all of professional sports. Ho. Lee. Cow.

After KJ ran the ball for a brilliant pick up of 10 or 11 yards, the commentators offered glowing praise for what an athletic QB we have. One in particular went on and on about how we need to use KJ as an extra receive because of his speed and agility. Use KJ more was the general gist.

Very next play, KJ under pressure called his own number again, but this time it didn't work so well. The commentator then says that KJ shouldn't do that so often as it doesn't work and he can't be the only working man on the offensive line.

Seriously.

I wanted to throw something at him. Either KJ is brilliant or we suck. Mostly we suck.

This game anyway. Let's shake off this icky, sticky loss and set out sights on Hank and Co. next week.

Nothing would be better than to feed Henry Burris and crew a serious helping of humble pie on Sunday.

I want to end by saying God bless Toronto's left tackle Pearson who left the game with lower leg injury. The CBC described it as a broken ankle. It looked like a broken ankle. Like a very seriously broken ankle. They started IV right on the field - apparently to keep him from going into shock. Thanks be to God they didn't have the reverse angle on that play. (Shudder...cringe... wince...)

Yikes!

So God bless Pearson and his wife Melissa. Godspeed for a quick recovery.

Oh yeah! And GO GREEN!!

(For Grandma) If I ever change careers...

There is a fun game we have discovered over the last week at our house. This is a game where you torture your family members by making them stand for hours over a sink while you pull at hairs on their head and douse them with insecticide.

And then just for fun we washe every thing we own in super hot water and then dry it at extremely high temperatures. Or toss bags of stuffed animals into the freezer.

This fun games repeats itself once every five to seven days.

Whee what fun!

Yes. We have had an infestation of lice in our house.

Within the last 24 hours everyone has gotten treated again. Some of us for the first time.

Tonight we topped off this fun game with a hair cut. Mik's hair was starting to show damage and I decided scoping through tons of hair to find nits and lice for hours was getting to be not so much fun. Shorter hair is much easier to deal with.

So here is the result of their first hair cut by their mommy!

Logan looks rather glum, but he was really excited. I like to touch his head now.

And Mikaela "Loves her new haircut!"

Not bad for an amateur, eh?

Unpretty

Well, it certainly wasn't a pretty win at Commonwealth Stadium... in fact, in some spots it was downright ugly.

As I was watching with a bunch of friends last night, we began to debate whether or not we deserved to win.

So I've decided to address that here... because truthfully this is solely a Roughrider phenomena. You don't see Eskie fans wringing their hands in worry... did we deserve to win the Grey Cup?

Yeah, right!

Did we deserve to win that game last night?

P-shaw! WHO THE HECK CARES?

We won, didn't we?

Winning games we don't deserve to win is something new for us as a team and as fans. It's also the hallmark sign of a championship team.

That my dear green friends is not only a sign of character, grit, heart... green voodoo magic... whatever the heck you want to call it... that is a sign that we are right now cheering for a winning team.

GASP!

Did all the oxygen just leave the province?

It isn't always going to be pretty. Believe me, Edmonton in their day won more than their fair share that they didn't deserve. Quite a few against us, I might add!

So drop this perfectionistic attitude. It doesn't have to be a well-played, executed, planned or officiated game to be a good win. It still goes in the win column. And I for one, am not sad that Edmonton can now dust off their golf clubs and head south, while the rest of us dig out our parkas and mitties for the post season. Sign me up.

Now here are some other thoughts from the game...

1. While I feel for Flemming getting his 47-yard field goal called back due to holding, I've always said if it come down to your kicker for the win, the rest of your team has stepped on you.

2. Love, love, love that TJ Stancil hit on LeFors hit in the second quarter. Pops the ball lose - right into the hands of John Chick who ran 70 yards for a TD. Bet LeFors is feeling that hit today! And John Chick is having a friggin' fantastic rookie season, no?

3. Michael Palmer... where in the world has he been? Comes out of nowhere for over 100 yards rushing last night. Sweet!

4. Marcus Crandell makes me nervous, but he certainly won some brownie points this game. He never said die. He never caved in. He stayed in the game both mentally and physically and in the end saved the day.

5. To the D for holding Edmonton on 3rd and 1, not once, but TWICE... a great big hu-ha!

6. I love DJ Flick. This guy can come up with the plays when needed and take a beating and keep on running. He is the real deal. He has certainly stepped up to the plate since the Dominguez injury.

Speaking of Matt D... word is he had knee surgery on Friday here in Toon Town. Let's all send our thoughts and prayers to him for a speedy recovery and unremarkable rehab.

One more game to go, boys! Make Toronto feel it!