Life, Birthdays & AVON

Tons has happened since I last posted... LOTS.  More than I can squish into this post, more than I can squeeze out of my overflowing brain right now.

Still living in, and loving, Blaine, Washington.  It never fails to take my breath away every time I come around the curve on Peace Portal as I'm heading south and Mount Baker is there in all its majestic beauty... I immediately thank God for bringing us here!

Rick is working seasonal for TC Trading again, though we're crossing our fingers that when they asked him to choose between the morning shift or the swing shift, that it meant that he'd be getting hired on year-round.  They are such a wonderful company; the owner is so nice, the managers rock, the office ladies are so nice, and most of the guys Rick works with are awesome.

I am finally working again, after more than 6 years!  I'm working at the Dollar Tree in town, and I am absolutely loving it!  I only work 4-hour shifts (unless you're a manager, that is all they offer), but, honestly, after not working so long, 4-hour shifts are hard enough! LOL

Kiera is a big 8th grader!  I can't believe she'll be 14 in January!  She is such an awesome girl, I am so proud of her.  She's been such a huge help with her sisters on the days I work, for which I am so thankful.  Her grades are spectacular... last year she missed the Honor Roll by .05.  Yeah, she finished out 7th grade with a 3.95 GPA!  She's looking to repeat that, if not bypass that this year.  She's involved with GEAR UP, a group that gets kids interested in college early, and she's already toured UW and fallen in love with it.  Kiera is still kicking butt in choir, her voice is just so sweet!

Emmaline is in 5th grade this year, but reading at a high school level... I'm so proud of her!  She got super lucky this year, she really likes her teacher AND her bestest friend is in her class again!  She & Lyric were fairly inseparable during the summer, and that hasn't changed through the school year.  Emmie took a couple free karate classes this past month at Shayne Simpson's Martial Arts & Fitness, and she'll be starting up actual classes in November.  She broke a board with her foot AND earned her white belt yesterday!  I really think this will be the perfect thing to help her self-esteem, and just totally boost her confidence.

Abigael is a KINDERGARTNER!  She is so in love with being in school: her teacher, new friends, playing on a big playground, school lunches, scissors... there is nothing that she doesn't love, except maybe the days she isn't in class LOL She turned 6 yesterday.  SIX.  I just can't believe all my girls are in school and so big.

In even more recent news, I've become an AVON representative.  More specifically, an eRepresentative.  For the main part, I wanted to help my neighbor out, but the upside is that I can buy AVON products at a discount :)  So, you know, if you're interested in AVON products, hit up my personal site ~ http://dpiccini.avonrepresentative.com

More soon... (much sooner than last time!)

Filming locations hunt... Supernatural & Psych...

Rick and I thought it would be a lot of fun to head up into Canada to check out where a couple of our favorite shows, Supernatural and Psych, are filmed. After dealing with yet another annoying border guard, we were on our way to hunt down some better recognized locations.

First stop, White Rock, BC, Canada. The White Rock Museum & Archive (14970 Marine Dr) stands in as the outside of the Psych storefront. The girls thought it was pretty cool getting to see it, they are big fans of the show... though the sundial definitely drew their attention :o)

From the show:
From there, we headed over to Surrey, BC, Canada to check out Shawn's dad's house (2756 O'Hara Ln). To see the front, you have to park and then walk down a beachfront path... whoever lives there has an awesome view!!

From the show:

...back to the car, and on to the Supernatural locations! :o)

The first place we went was Delta, BC, Canada. Dead in the Water (S1-Ep3) The church that the little boy draws in his picture, and the Winchester boys later visit, is the Ladner United Church (4960 48 Ave).

From the show:

We didn't go inside, we just drove past and headed onward to Vancouver, BC, Canada. Almost all Supernatural filming goes on in BC, and TONS of it is in Vancouver!

We checked out a house from Phantom Traveler (S1-Ep4)... can't remember exactly, but I think it was the home of one of the victims. (4334 W 8 Ave, Vancouver, BC)

From the show:
... checked out the CNR Bridge (near 21113 River Road, Richmond, BC), which was where the Hook Man (S1-Ep7) left a date dangling :o) Not only did this bridge make appearances in Hook Man, but it also made an appearance in Salvation (S1-Ep21)

From the show:
... checked out the awesome house (3689 Selkirk St, Vancouver, BC) that stood in as a bed & breakfast in Playthings (S2-Ep11). The girls thought the house was cool, but bound to be creepy because of those freaky dolls :o)

From the show:

... then we took a quick run by the Royal Bank of Canada (685 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC), which stood in for the City Bank of Milwaukee in Nightshifter (S2-Ep12)

From the show:

And, from Houses of the Holy (S2-Ep13), we went by one of the houses that someone was murdered because "an angel told me to". *LOVE* the dinosaur! (750 Princess Ave., Vancouver, BC)

From the show:

...also, from Houses of the Holy, we went by St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church (1022 Nelson Street, Vancouver, BC). THE church where Sam summoned Father Gregory so he could be allowed to rest. I was just planning on driving past, maybe taking a couple pictures of the outside (it IS Sunday, after all!), but Rick wanted to go in. I am *SO* glad we did, the stained glass was gorgeous!

So, here is the picture from the show, outside & inside...

And here are the pictures I took of the outside and inside...

Vancouver is such a big city. It never fails to amaze me how these *HUGE* apartment buildings and office buildings grow up and overshadow these historic buildings!

All this is within an hour drive of our house, so our day trip was really only half a day :o) Crossing the border north was pretty quick, despite the border patrol guy wanting to know if we were looking for work in Canada (why?) or if we had permission for Kiera to travel across the border (her birth cert. has a different last name). Next time we want to go to Canada, I need to have our custody order or a enhanced ID with her real last name on it LOL But we had a lot of fun. Coming HOME across the border was LOONG... the wait was 40 minutes! That is actually not too bad, seeing as some days it's more than 70 minutes... now *THAT* is nuts!!

Actually, I lied. Our first stop was Tim Horton's :o) Must have a honey cruller to start the day... and THEN we went on our way :o) Can't wait to take another film location hunt up in Vancouver... Once Upon a Time is filmed up there, and of course, the Twilight films! :o)

Kiera Through the Years

My baby will be thirteen tomorrow, January 11th. I cannot believe it! Who the heck gave her permission to turn thirteen? I think I'm gonna have to have some words with someone! :o)

In the meantime, in honor of her turning into an actual TEENager...
some pictures of Kiera from the beginning :o)

My momma took me to the hospital around 1130P on January 10th, 1999, and after about 19 hours of labor, my baby girl was born. I know she is destined for great things because when she was born she wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped, but not even 12 hours later they were having to put a hep-lock in her HEAD because she kept kicking it off her foot! :o) I have never seen what she looked like at that moment... only my doctor, the nurses and my momma saw her. Before taking Kiera to the NICU, the nurse brought Kiera to me and had me kiss her... twice. Once for hello, and once for good-bye. I only found that out later. My momma threw out the disposable camera that she took pictures with, she didn't want us to have those memories.

I love to show Kiera this picture to let her see how wiped out I was after giving birth to her LOL I was 19 years old and so completely lost... thank God for my momma and Greg!!

Kiera is 3 days old here. I LOVE this picture of her!

Me and Kiera at about 3 or 4 months old.... I just want to squish those cheeks!

There is NOTHING like the sight of a sleeping baby, especially your own :o)

Kiera used to make this awesome face when she was happy...
she'd snuffle through her squooshed up nose :o)

Kiera's ears were my favorite when she was a baby :o) I couldn't tell you why, but I loved them!

Kiera, about 18 months, hanging out with her Uncle Jon at her grandma's Post Office.

Rick, me and Kiera... she's about 18 months.

At SLO creek, not quite 2

2 years, 11 months :o)

Kiera's 3rd birthday (hi, mom!!!)

2004, Kindergarten school picture

Christmas 2006... such a proud big sister (with her sassy Emmie & floppy Abi LOL)

7 years old... already looking so much bigger!

Christmas 2007 ... she's almost 9 years old!

9 years old... I love this girl!

Skipping a few years (can't find the pictures!!)

February 2011... 12 years old

My rocker... she LOVED going to the EMP/SFM... it was so her thing!

So, now she'll be thirteen. I absolutely LOVE who she is becoming! She has her own individual style, the funkier the better seems to be her theory. She has developed her own taste in music, taking a little of mine, a little of Rick's and quite a bit of her own. She likes R&B and pop, but you'll find her singing along with Queen, Brian Setzer, Zac Brown Band or Bob Seger. (oh yeah, I'm a proud momma!) She's an avid reader of fantasy. Harry Potter? Percy Jackson? She's read all those series... three times! And now, she's reading Michael Crichton. (yup, prouder still!) And she LOVES to help out with cooking and cleaning (seriously!!!).

Yup, she's destined for amazing things...
and God has given me the blessing to be a witness to them all!

Happy birthday, Kiera!!!

PAM Cooking Spray

PAM Cooking Spray: Thanks PAM for my free can of cooking spray! Be sure to check out #PAM on Facebook. http://on.fb.me/od4C5b *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.

Music

Many moons ago, I can remember my life having a soundtrack. There was rarely a time when there wasn't music playing, even in school.

When I went to bed, I'd usually have on something quiet, maybe Tchaikovsky or maybe even a tape of some slow jams. When I'd wake up, I'd throw on something upbeat, always something 80s. Usually my 80s CD of choice would be one of the Living in Oblivion compilations. :o) On my way to school, my headphones could be found blasting some Skadaddyz because they were fast and loud. During school, I was at the whims of my teachers, but many of them would have something playing...

After school, it would depend on my mood, I guess. Or just some random music I hadn't heard in a while. CDs that got a lot of play were Chris Isaak, Harry Connick, Jr., my Living in Oblivion collection (yes, I'm a big 80s fan, deal with it). Or I'd just turn on the local classic rock station and turn it up as high as I was allowed to go.

Music is my release. I can't play an instrument to save my life, apart from being able to pick out the beginnings of some tunes on the piano. I tried to learn to play the clarinet once, it sounded like I was killing a goose... and after a month of it, I felt like killing the clarinet. I don't know what I'd been thinking. I like to THINK I can sing, but I know I can't. I do sing along to the radio though, and it used to seem like I knew every song that came on! :o)

Now, my radio is tuned into Kiera's hip-hop/pop station. Some days I can be caught singing along with Lady Gaga or Usher, but I'd rather be listening to some Def Leppard or Aerosmith or Van Halen cranked way loud. If we don't have on her station, it's the country station. Rick & Emmie love country music, and I can tolerate it just fine, but it just doesn't get rockin' enough for me very often. Every once in a while I get to turn on the classic rock station, but it doesn't take long for one of the girls to ask to turn on the TV. And my iPod? Forget about it. It's filled with stuff that will please everyone. Music I like, but not music I love.

Sometimes I crave just being alone, with my radio cranked up real loud and MY music pouring from the speakers. Only when it is so loud, can I drown out the voices in my head telling me that I should be making dinner or someone has homework due or the bills haven't been paid. Only when it is so loud that you can feel the bass traveling through the air, can I finally relax and just exist. No dinner, no homework, no bills, no cuppies.

Just me and my music. That is where I worship, that is when I worship, that is how I worship.

It's been so long.

Soon, but until then...

Soon...

Soon I will have more time to blog. Soon I will stop being sucked into FarmVille, FrontierVille or CafeWorld on Facebook. Soon Abigael will stop getting into markers, chapstick and the refrigerator. Soon Rick will have a job instead of having to report to WorkForce in Bellingham. Soon we won't have to rely on TANF to get by. Soon our car will probably die completely. Soon I will pull myself away from my computer long enough to get lost in a good book again (any suggestions?!), or to start crocheting again!

For now...

We finally made the move we've been dreaming of. We finally live in Washington, on the Canadian border, to be exact. We finally have rain and moisture instead of sun and dry skin. We finally sigh of contentment instead of frustration. Our girls finally have friends. I finally get to cook at sea level instead of trying to adjust my baking to high altitude. Finally my cookies don't burn on the bottom! :o) Finally we are settled, even without employment. Finally Abigael gets to have her momma to herself, just like her older sisters had. For now our car runs, and for that we are blessed!

We have been so amazingly blessed in our new home. Blaine and its inhabitants have welcomed us so warmly! I don't think I've ever been told, "We are SO glad to have you here!" by so many people, let alone people we have never met! We have lived here just over a month and we've already met 6 of our 11 neighbors, an amazing feat in itself! :o) We have WILLINGLY walked more in the last month then (I think) in our adult lives. We have discovered a love for libraries; not only for books, but for work searches and movies. :o) It has only been a month, and I can't wait to see what life has in store for us!

Clan Piccini's Day Out

We used to have days out quite often, but now that Rick's new job has him working 4 10-hour days (W-Th-F-Sun) and the girls are back in school... we don't get to take off as much as we like. Today was the PERFECT day for an outing, a random head-where-the-wind-leads-us outing :o) And the wind led us lots of places!!

First we went to breakfast at one of our favorite places, Great Scott's Eatery, here in Broomfield. The girls love the 50's diner atmosphere, and the food is awesome! Rick & I had corned beef hash, Emmie had French toast (she eats like a bird, but she'll eat all of her breakfast at Great Scott's!!), Abi had eggs and Kiera had Bavarian stuffed French toast (with caramel syrup and bananas!). So yummy... if you are ever in town, you should try it out! :o)

After breakfast, we headed off to the little mall, Flatirons Crossing, to see if we could find Emmie a minion from Despicable Me. No luck, but we did find me the coolest hoodie at the Disney Store, on sale! To be saved for cooler weather, of course (seeing as it was 90 degrees today)!

That's right, a sweet Jack Skellington hoodie... I'm in love! I tried it on when I got home, and almost died of heat stroke, but it fit! :o) Very soft and cozy, and on sale (did I mention that? LOL).

We hightailed it out of the mall, because, let's face it, malls are no fun unless you have a LOT of money to spend. :o) From the mall, we took a backroad (I love backroads! So much to see!) into Golden, our favorite city... and one we haven't been to in MONTHS! We thought it would be cooler in Golden, but it wasn't. There was a breeze though, and that helped. A LOT. We figured we'd stay away from actually walking around the shops, so we headed for the Clear Creek and the Clear Creek History Park. We were lucky enough that we came on a weekend where they had one of the buildings open. They do this randomly in the summer, last year we lucked out and the house was open and they were baking cookies! This year, it was the old schoolhouse! We ventured inside and found old desks, slate & chalk and old readers. The girls loved it!

Here, Abi is checking out one of the old desks and playing with the slate. I thought it was so cool how the desks were laid out... there were smaller desks at the front (for the 1st grade) and they continually got bigger (up to 8th grade, which sat in back). The lady in the schoolhouse told us that the teacher would tend to give attention to one grade a day, and the other grades would do work they were assigned and could do on their own.

There was also this cool list of rules for the teachers, dated 1872. They are as follows:

1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys.

2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the days session.

3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.

4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.

5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.

6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.

8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.

9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay providing the Board of Education approves.

oh... kay.... :o)

Right next to the History Park is Clear Creek. We just wanted to walk next to the cooler water, we had no clue that people LOVED to tube down the creek! But there were TONS of people on the water today... and the girls wanted to join in. Having no inner tube or raft, we settled for getting our feet wet...

Emmie kept telling us it was really cold (well, yeah, it comes off the Rockies!)

Kiera said her feet were numb LOL

And Abigael just kept trying to wade further out toward the center. The creek is pretty shallow, but deep for Abi, so we kept having her come back.

Here is a little clip of the girls playing in the creek... by this time, Abigael had fallen on her butt and her skirt and bottom of her shirt were soaked. She thought this was funny, and kept being silly...

Now. After this video was taken, a couple had shown up with their BIG dog (to catch their girls after tubing down the creek)... Abi loves dogs. She was walking toward Kiera and the dog, toppled forward, and fell face first into the creek! The creek was moving pretty fast, way too fast for my baby, and she was being swept away! Kiera was lunging for her and, at the same time, the man caught her by the arm as I was going for her, too. Here is Abi's after picture...

Funny thing. We had her sitting with us, out of the water, and she kept begging to go back in :o) (now, rest assured, this all took place on the side of the creek, where it was only up to Abi's calves... but once she fell down, it was moving too quick for her. We were about a foot away, her sisters even closer... not expecting it to happen. I'm explaining for all the people who will say that we were being negligent. We weren't, it just happened. We decided on the spot that next time we go to Golden we are 1- packing swimsuits & towels for the girls and 2- packing trunks for Rick) :o)

After our trip to (and in) the creek, we had to find dry clothes for Abi (since this was unplanned). Off the the BIG mall, the Colorado Mills Mall... it has a Target attached :o) We wandered the mall for a little bit, to appease Kiera's pre-teen need for a mall fix.... this must be either genetic or maybe ALL pre-teens & teens have this gene... Kiera is constantly asking to go to the mall. She can't even tell me WHY, she just wants to go! :o)

That was our big exciting day LOL Nothing too exciting, but fun for us... thought I'd share :o) I hope the wind leads you in some fun direction soon!