8 random reasons to be pleased:

the title says it all:

8) charles' dad doug arrives on thurs and details of his visit are falling together nicely. he's going to shanghai with charles for some father son time and plans to do some independent sightseeing when not reading, cuddling and being grandad to four excited kids.

7) i contacted the enlighten for epilepsy group in hong kong today and offered to volunteer. this isn't exactly the best season in my life to volunteer, but i want to be more involved in this group for the obvious reasons. they asked if i could help this sunday. if i can, i will. i want to spend time with doug while he's here and my schedule is packed enough as is without taking more on. but, we will see. i'm not sure why i made the call to enlighten today.

6)i am organising the book table for the kennedy night market (dec 7) and it is falling together nicely. i think i have thought of most of the issues that need to be covered in my friday morning meeting. can you imagine....two classrooms filled with second hand books. and i get to organise them (as well as carry them up two flights of stairs, find 40 plus volunteers and a few other choice tasks). but just to be around so many books and organise them, well that is my passion.

5) i bought the girls new nightgowns today. i was going to save them until Christmas but i didn't have the heart. when they saw the nighies they began jumping up and down, arms high in the air. and then they pulled off their school clothes and pulled on their nighties. and then the twirling began. they grabbed each other's hands and started turning faster and faster like they were doing a reel.

4) we are successfully de-cluttering our home. when changing styles of their home, painting a wall a new colour, do you ever throw away paintings, or what do you do with excess art? we have art in storage in vancouver that we received from our wedding, and then we have art we chose and bought years ago that we will never put on our walls. we have art that we first had on our walls when that was all we could afford and is now faded but still sentimentally loved. we have expensive impulse buys that we regret but still have.

3) i have heard quite a bit from lita and she is happy. her employers are really kind and going out of their way to accommodate her. my heart is so much lighter every time i hear from her. she's cheering for the wrong team on the amazing race, but no one is perfect.

2) i have found my dad a Christmas present which he will like very much. as frugal blake is a blog reader (it's free!) i will not go into details until 25 december 2007, but let's just say for now that i think he will be very pleased.

1) last night sela woke me up squealing loudly, "wee! wee, wee wee wee!" i ran into her room (which is also carys', jasper's and sebastian's room) and found her holding her crotch and sitting upright in bed.

"do you need to do a wee?" i asked her

"yes", she confusedly confirmed

"fantastic job, sela" i congratulated her and led her to the toilet. the knickers were dry, the bed linen was dry.

waking up to do the wee is a monumental step. the bladder overruling the urge to sleep is huge. i still have dreams that i am sitting on the toilet doing a wee and i wake up only to find that i am still cosy in bed with a bursting bladder.

Comments

[Dad aka Grandad Blake]

Is it bigger than a bread box????
Love to all...Dad

[Jazz]

why not do an art sale? or sell to a gallery? or hire a space and sell it and have Christmas drinks at the same time. or take a pic of each with details and email out. you never know - there is someone out there that will love what you no longer want. cheers, jazz

[lita]

it would be nice if you go to shanghai also. i am very proud of you sela and i am not cheering for the wrong team.

[knobody]

you would love our biannual book sale. twice a year an entire warehouse of books, movies, records, posters, etc. get sold to the public to benefit the local library. people wait in line for hours before opening day just to be first. it's not an event, it's an adventure. and i won't even mention dime day!

[Jill]

For my sentimental art, I took digital pictures of it for myself and then either gave it away to someone who would love it or sold it. I still have lots of 'surplus' art and am looking to again 'spring clean'. I am thinking of an online ad where you can attach photos - but first I will advertise amongst family to see if anyone is interested. Some art, although I will not hang, I have decided to keep. But I equally decided I can't keep them all....

Good for Sela! Yip-ee! We are at the same stage with the boys...the bladder vs the dreams....

And I am glad to hear Lita is well and her employers are kind. I knew it would work out - they were asking all the right questions of you.

XO J

[Boulder]

Well, look up there *pointing to top* Lita commented!

I must know which team she is routing for and decide which of the three votes I've heard cast thus far I will align with. :)

All of your 8 are great reasons to be pleased. And happily, none really more than another one.