IS IT JUST ME OR ........?

Is it just me , my hormones , my age, my thyroid gland that is going crazy or is the daily routine stuff just too much to handle lately ?
I am seriously questionning my sanity.
Here are my symptons.
Do you want the whole list or the top 10 on the billboard ?
Here we go:
1- Get headaches more often
2- Having a hard time getting out of bed.
3- Have a major attention deficit ( what was I saying ? ).
4- Am so grumpy I can`t stand myself ( P.M.S 30 days out of the month )
5- Put the dirty laundry in the garbage and the trash in the dirty laundry basket ( seriously, I did that last night ) ! THANK GOD PIERRE WASN`T THERE TO WITNESS THAT.
6- Can`t focus more than 3 seconds.
7- I could sleep under my desk, the recycling bin left in the school corridor.
8- I run all the time like a dog running after its tail.
9- I repeat myself.
10- And finally, I repeat myself.
You get the drift.

So I Googled my symptoms because I will Google ust about anything and got a phone call from my doctor:
The diagnostic is mixed:
According to my doctor, my thyroid gland is going nuts..... again.
And according to Google : the fall blues.
I`m so happy I am not alone.
I listen to many of my co-workers and students and the fall blues is extremely virulent this year.
I sympathize soooo much.
We need sun, vitamin C and artificial sun ( lighting ) to combat it.

And I would add, a good laugh.
There`s nothing like a good chuckle to chase the blues away.
Try it.
I swear, lately, a stupid joke is the best remedy .
Five minutes of laughter is the way to cheer up and revitalize your spirit.

Well, since you`re here, click on the following links and tell me it`s not hilarious and did not soothe your soul.
The first one is in French but the other ones are in English.
Enjoy !

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=nVpO26t61fU
Make sure you watch up to the 59 seconds mark.
HILARIOUS !

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=WrpaCOb_BGk

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vT9wAUKGrO8
my kids` favorite and mine.
In my opinion, people falling is just the most hilarious thing in the world, if there are no injuries involved, of course.

On that, have a great rest of the week and as promised, Iwill post new pics very shortly.
No rest for the wicked,
Tata darlings,
Annie

SÉBASTIEN

Who is the handsome young man following me around school lately ?
That`s Sébastien Duhaime, my student -teacher, my rookie, the relief pitcher of the future ( man I`m poetic this morning ).
But he`s not just that.
He`s also an ex-student of Jean Nicolet, graduated in 2004.
He`s a musician in a band .
Watch him on Musique Plus after Christmas.
He`s from St.Francois Du Lac.
He`s very friendly and soft-spoken.
He laughs at all my jokes so I like him.
An English teacher who plays in a band ?
I love musicians so if he teaches English on top of that,how can I not like the guy ?

He looks very quiet and calm, which he is, don`t get me wrong, but the guy has guts too.
He actually pleasantly surprised me last night.
As some of you know, last night was the Grade 6 visit at school.
Every year grade 6 students and their parents of the school board come and visit our great school.
We teachers present tons of stuff we do at school to our guests.
I , like every year, present the English Concentration Program to the parents in the auditorium while my English co-workers present the program to the students.
I always prepare my 10 -minute presentation in advance.
Sébastien was going to be there for the evening at the auditorium not knowing he would actually take part in it !
Keep in mind you are talking to hundreds of parents in one big room while you`re up on the stage .
It can be very uncomfortable for a rookie !
But I had warned Sébas yesterday that I would push him out of the nest very soon to test his wings and flying skills.
I did reassure him that I would be there to support him and pick him up if he crashed.
But he thought that wasexclusively for the classroom.
Little did he know I would push him out of the nest right on a stage.
Obviously, I knew he could handle it, I`m NOT that mean !

So anyways, I show up at school at 6:00 p.m , all ready and share the presentation with him.
First thing he says :
" You`re not thinking of making me talk in front of all these people are you ? "
You should of seen his face : deer in the headlights look.
And to that I answer : " Well kind of, I`ll go grab some coffee downstairs , I`ll be back in a few minutes and we`ll talk about it "

I figured 3 things :

1-He`ll run and won`t be ther when I come back.
2- He`ll be crying when I come back.
3- He`ll smack me behind the head and then ask me what he has to do in the presentation.

None of those happened
We sit down, I show him my outline of the presentation.
I ask him if he could talk about a specific point and he agrees to do it.
After a few minutes of dicussion he tells me with a mischievious smile and a twinkle in his eye :
" It `d be fun if we did a little skit or something ."
" You mean like a mini-play ? "
" Yeah, like that " he says.
Keep in mind , it`s 30 minutes BEFORE we get on stage at this point.
" That`s a great idea ! " I say.
And we worked on our skit .
30 minutes later, we were presenting it at the auditorium.
I thought I was going to surprise HIM with having him aprticipate in the presentation, but as it turned out, he surprised ME with his guts to go all the way !
And he was so good during the skit too.
He improvised a little and almost had me crack up during the skit so much he was funny.
So ladies and germs, he`s not just cute, he`s got brains and guts and he`s my student-teacher.
Mommy was proud of her rookie.

So Sébastien will teach my kids this week .
I thought of having him start gradually on Monday but you know what, he`s ready for the major leagues now .
He proved it.
Oh, I`ll be on the side ( side-show Annie ) watching, but after yesterday, he proved me I may not have to pick him up in little pieces after class.

Here`s the link to Sébastien`s web site for his band.
Go and listen :
www.myspace.com/fictioninmotion


Sebastien is the last one on the right in the picture.
Lucky me, I got the c.d of their music to play in my truck.
Thanks Sébastien.
Love the name of the band by the way.
Enjoy.

Here`s AC/DC official website :
http://www.acdc.com/home.php


I`ll have pics this week to post so swing by later .
No rest for the wicked.
Tata darlings
Annie

PS : Sec.4 : November 27th
Muséee d`Art Contemporain de Montréal
Exhibition: Sympathy For The Devil
We leave at 8:30 and come back for the buses 3: 45.
My helpers : Katherine Bourgeois, Paul Lachance and Pierre Bergeron.
Can`t wait.

40 going on 17

There !!!
I said it !
I `m 40 !!!!
40 !
Forty !
30 + 10
25 + 15

After years of lying about my age ( only Pierre and my doctor knew),
deceiving my students, avoiding the question, I`m coming clean.
I even threatened Pierre NOT to organize ANY surprise party for the big 40 this summer.
After many threats, Pierre and Caroline, my sister , cancelled all the plans they had going since the previous November.
I had no intention of celebrating such a number.
You celebrate 18, 21, 30 but anything after that you simply want to drink a lot of Jack Daniels or tequila and get it over and forget about it.
I had dreaded the birthday in question when I turned 39, last July.
I tried to forget about it as much as I could .
Only when I had trouble getting up in the morning, or getting up period would it cross my mind.
Last June, Caroline tells me many teachers were asking if she was the oldest or me.
That my friends pleased my ego !!


And this summer, my thyroid gland was working overtime so I had tons of energy, jogged every day,sometimes twice a day, cleaned the whole house EVERY DAY, moved the furniture around in the house, went to bed at 1 o`clock in the morning and woke up at 7:00 a.m fresh as a rose.
40 ?
I can`t wait for 60 !!
But lately, I `m telling you, I feel like I`m 70.
My back is killing me despite treatments, my thyroid gland is too slow despite medication, I could sleep like a newborn baby and need so much more make up in the morning !!!
I need WD40 in my joints and plastic wood to fill up the cracks .
How much is Jigaloo again ?



But that`s physically.
Mentally, I feel like I`m 18 with the wisdom of a wiser woman.
Would I go back to 18 ?
No way.
I was soooo naive and earned minimum salary at the time !!!
I truly beleive we make more money when we`re older only to pay the facial creams and the more expensive make up you need to use.
They don`t call it Clinique make up for nothing. Call the doctor.



This summer, I took a small holiday with my sister and gal pals and told them :

Me : I `m turning 40 in a few weeks, I should start acting my age and not like a 15 year old !
The girls : why ?
Me : because I should act my age NOT my shoe size .
The girls : you couldn`t last an hour even if you tried.
Me : I know, I tried a few days ago and didn`t last a day.
The girls : don`t do that, we love you like that.
And THAT ladies and germs was the best birthday gift ever ( besides giving birth to my healthy kids ) !!!

So besides the fact that the mechanic reminds you of your age once in a while, it`s really not the end of the world.
I `m having more fun than when I was a teen , my twenties and thirties altogether.
I`m dead serious.
I sometimes look like an idiot but I learned a long time ago that ridicule does not kill.
If it did, I`d been dead a loooooooong time ago.
My siblings can vouch for that.
So my kids are more mature than me sometimes.
So I embarrass them at the store whenever I can, ( " Mommy, stop doing that ! " ), hey, it`s payback time.
They `ve embarrassed me in public when they were younger more times than I can remember.



How immature am I ?
I had to renew both my driver`s license and my medic card.
Had to have my picture taken.
Go to the government office to get the official picture taken, just 2 days before my birthday.
Now, I hate having my picture taken.
Before I go in, I figured, let`s make it a picture to remember.
Let`s freeze this darn 40 in time.
Let`s make a stupid picture.
So I stand there, ready to have my picture taken.
When the lady isn`t looking, I give it my best supermodel pose, my Zoolander look like I like to call it.
But at the last minute, I choke when I see the lady looking at me with this awed look on her face.
Too late.
Flash, click, I `m an idiot.
You should see the picture on my id cards !
Paris Hilton, step aside honey.
The only downside to this is that I `m stuck with that picture for 2 years.
Last thing I want now is getting pulled over by the cops and show them proof of my insanity.
Next time though, I `m getting my hair and make up done, wear a new sweater and won`t choke.
I `ll go all the way , life is too short.


If you want to see the picture in question , just ask, I have no shame.
Ask me to show you the one on my Costco card, even funnier.





For your information, AC/DcC have a new album coming out next Monday : Black Ice
If the album is as good as their single, I`ll be deaf by the end of October.
I am no longer allowed to play Rock N Roll Train at my house.


My kids`eyes roll over inside their heads and make strange noises.I must admit I did go a bit overboard and loud with it.
Less is more sometimes.


Want to listen :


http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/08/28/listen-to-acdcs-rock-n-roll-train/


Crank it up .
Warning : content highly addictive when listened to loudly.





So I`m off on the runaway train, looking for some Black Ice.........
No rest for the wicked .


Here`s a pic Pat Bernier took during the race.
I was at first aid helping out .
Looks more like I needed the first aid.
Paris Hilton pose: school version .

Do Not Feed The Animal !

I`ve been gaining a few pounds since the beginning of the year and it`s all your fault !

You know who you are .

And when I least expect it, you creep up on me and display your trap under my nose.

You know my weak points: anything sweet.

Besides being tight around the waist, some of you have seen, live, the results of my sugar rushes.

Here`s how it goes down.

Before I begin, I gotta say, some of you are sneaky.

I walk down the corridor and there you are : the predator.

You spot me : the prey.

I see the bag, the Tupperware and even though I haven`t seen the merchandise yet, I `m almost drooling.

It`s not pretty.

You walk slowly towards me, you`re going in for the kill.

" Hi Annie, want some ? "

You open the recipient and display the goods.

"Oh my that looks delicious !"

As quickly as you hand me the sample, I`ve had a taste of it.

I smile, already enjoying the instant sugar rush .

And so do you : mission accomplished !

Some od you are more direct and bold.

You stand in my doorway while I`m teaching and offer the goods right then and there.

It`s not the interruption I mind, I never dislike a moment I get to see you, it`s your motive.

You KNOW I can`t run.

If only what you gave me was terrible, awful or salty.

You know I`m a sucker for sweets.

But it`s not the being trapped by your sweets that get me.

No, It`s the effects of it, but by then , you`re loooooong goooooone !

"Sugar rush : the temporary effects of sugar on the brain and body.

Example : bouncing off the walls. "

Annie Webster Fröhlich - science test subject #25 489

So, let me inform you of the results of the sugar rushes.

I usually have a list of things to do once you`ve vanished.

Usually it`s teaching a class or go to my office ( correct, plan my classes, organize stuff etc.)

If I`m in class, my students can tell right away.

Is it my eyes going in all directions, my hands shaking, my mouth twitching, my body which can not stay still one second ?

Probably.

And the brave ones ask me " You had chocolate didn`t you ?"

" Could you repeat the question " I say.

I can NOT focus .

There`s a baseball, soccer and football game happenning in my brain and there are no time outs.

Then when I speak, I talk 100 miles per hour.

I go from one idea to another while the rest of you squint at me wondering what the heck I`m saying.

Some of you are even wondering : Is she on crack ?

It`s a sugar fix, that`s what it is.

The worst part is you think I`m hilarious on a sugar rush.

Heck, I think I`m funny too.

Well my co-workers and my family surely don`t .

They can`t wait for the sugar level to drop.

In the meantime they have to endure my singing and dancing in the office, my trash music on the computer, my getting up from my chair every 2 seconds and all the stupid jokes and remarks imaginable.

Don`t believe me ?

Ask : Katherine, Paul Lachance, Luc Leblanc etc.

And there`s a new student-teacher coming next week ( Paul`s ) who`ll sit just across my desk !

I MUST WARN HIM BEFORE THE NEXT FIX !

And when school is over, it`s not over.

I dance in the truck ( Pierre is driving ) and his secret wish is to open my car door and push me out.

My kids constantly saying : Mommy stop ( stop repeating a crazy sentence over and over - my favorite : parler plus fort je n`vous vois pas from Le Coeur A Ses raisons ) or because I decided to speak French with a French accent while they`re watching their favorite t.v program or dancing in front of the t.v WHILE they are watching it.

They actually want to send ME to my room.

Sounds funny ?

It`s crazy and not pretty.

I turn into a 5-year-old !

My point is :

thank you every one for the cookies, muffins, caramel in a cone ( man, that was divine! ), jams, cakes, chocolate and candy but I gotta stop or consume in moderation.

You offerings just warms my heart, I`ll still accept but eat it slowly and spread it out during the day, so if I don`t eat it right away, don`t be offended.

Otherwise, I`ll have a divorce or lose my job, get a feuille de route ( I `ve been threatened before ) or all of the above.

As you can see, I don`t need drugs, never had to, I get high on life......and sugar.

Speaking of sweet and crazy, here are a few pics of my sweet treats.

Friday night : Rosie`s ballet night ...........and for the other two obviously.
Look, a totem pole.
Sweet Rosie, my eye- candy.
Mommy, being an idiot and setting the right example. I `m surprised my kids haven`t fired me yet. ***** Rosie is showing the PEACE sign over my head......********
While Rosie is taking a picture, Pierre does a very idiotic thing in the kitchen. Félix-Antoine thinks his daddy is hilarious, evidently, I don`t.Mom and Filou. See mom pinching filou`s ear to have him do a straight face.

No animals or children were injured during this picture.

Gotta go make some cookies.....kidding.

See y`all at school.

To my kids in Sec.4:

I`m so thrilled that you totally enjoy your new novel.

Some teachers heard you talk about it in their classes.

Ther`s proof right there.

Welcome to S.E Hinton`s world.

May it be the first of many.

For those who haven`t completed it yet : happy reading.

I told you it was that good.

No rest for the wicked,

Annie

ODE TO SPECIAL LADIES

Told you it wouldn`t take so long.
Actually, I hadn`t plan on posting so soon.
This is therapeutic posting.
I need to post this before I implose.

I `ve just come back from my second parent-teacher meeting at Curé Brassard.
I met my daughter`s teacher Monday night and my son`s teacher this evening .
What a show tonight !
Now I remember why I quit teaching elementary school.
Yes ladies and germs, I once taught elelmentary , I have a group picture to prove it.

The evening started very nicely.
Let it be clear my son has a wonderful teacher ( AGAIN ) this year and has my outmost respect and collaboration.
The show started at the end of the evening when the teacher explained that she would bring her GRADE 4 class ( they are 9 years old ! ) to the Lac en Coeur at the end of the year.

You should of heard the parents complaining how bad the idea was.
"Going to the Lac en Coeur is way too boring, there could be so many things better, my kid won`t want to go, couldn`t you do better ? and why don`t you bring them somewhere and sleep over like at Valcartier ?" and so on , and so on.

I was sitting at the back , at my son`s desk, almost eating my son`s pencil on his desk.
So I `m sitting in the back, biting my tongue, almost hitting the roof, doing my breathing exercises my doctor taught me so well when I wanna harm someone for their stupidity.
Who the HECK ( that`s not quite the exact word I had in my head ) do they think they are these parents ?
I have 2 bachelors degree in teaching and would NEVER, EVER tell my kids`teacher HOW to do her job !
After 6 minutes of this nonesense ( I timed it ), I had to speak.

" Your son is blasé already at 9 years old ? "
Total silence in the classroom.
" Do you have any notion how much work it is to ORGANIZE and COORDINATE this whole shingding with 24 9 year-old kids ? "
" She is a TEACHER, not a G.O at Club Med ! "
And finally to the teacher : " I`d rather you be a G.E - A GENTILLE ENSEIGNANTE than a G.O ( Gentille Organisatrice at Club Med ). If you don`t bring my kid out of town for a sleepover , I will appreciate you anyway. "

My son`s teacher laughed, but,needless to say, I didn`t make friends with SOME of the parents there.
The teacher did respond that it was NOT in her job description to do any trips whatsoever.
AMEN.
Because she is right.
Bottom line, a teacher is paid to TEACH.
You want your daughter or son to go to VALCARTIER for a sleepover ?
Bring him/her yourself.
Bring the rest of the class while you`re at it since, according to you, sounds so simple.
Why not reserve it now ?
And if your only priority is your kid`s minimum choice of activities, you got your priorities all screwed up lady.
Like fractions, French verbs, history,reading, you know what I mean ?

And my point also is : I`m so sick of parents telling teachers HOW to do their job !
I have no right to tell any parent how to do their job, why should they ?
How about I show up my a parent`s workplace and tell them how to do their job more productively?
I`d get a kick in the behind, let me tell ya.
Well that`s exactly what I wanted to do to SOME of the parents tonight.
I don`t tell them HOW to parent their kids either, and seriously, some are in dire need of advice in the domain.

My son`s teacher is near retirement.
She has lots more experience than me.
That would explain why she kept her cool, stayed open, and respectful.
She was a professional.
I`ve been in the same position not too long ago.
But to see a fellow colleague being under the axe like this was too much for me.
Especailly to elementary teachers who do so much.
They practically give their students a bath and put them in their pyjamas before they get on the bus now !!!!!
Give them a break will ya ?

It is YOUR job as a parent to take your kids to activities, museums etc.
Not the teacher`s.
Teachers TEACH, the rest is extra.

Oh my God, I feel so much better !
Better I vent here than in my son`s classroom a few hours ago.
I really would have been in the orbituary.

On that, I`m off planning my next activity for my students.
Just kidding.
That`s later next week.

Peace out before I hit someone.
( that was meant to be funny too )
Enough,
Tata

Annie `s Got Her Groove Back !

It`s been a month today.
Some of you were checking the orbituary in the newspaper to see if I had kicked the bucket ( died ).
Then you saw me in the school corridors.
" It`s been a while Annie ! "
" I know, I don`t have much time lately ( back to school and all ) and I really don`t have anything to write about, when I do , I will promise."
I figure, although most of you are loyal readers and commentors, if I bore you once, you won`t come back, right ?
Who would puposely want to bore their reader ?
Speaking of, let`s move along shall we .

I`m having a ball since I came back to school.
Seriously, my 2 groups of Sec.2 and both groups of Sec.4 are grrrreat .
I have nothing to complain about : they are eager, respectful, perfectionists, polite and cute.
I wanna bring them all home.

I have new material ( réforme style ) and am a bit nervous since I`m used to doing my own thing .
I`ll just have to take the new material and do it à la Annie.
Big year.
My kids in 4 chose a new novel.
From the 4 I proposed and exposed, they chose : That Was Then , This Is Now by S.E Hinton.
The other group is reading the also classic The Outsiders from the same author and by the looks on their faces, they`re really liking it.

So as you can see, life is grand.

Today, Paul Lachance and I got some special visitors :
Intensive graduates from last year.
My babies ( although 18 now ) , my darlings, my sweethearts.
Now obviously the 64 of them weren`t ALL there but 3.
Hey 3 is better than nothing AND besides it wasn`t JUST any 3.
Félix Mailly (I promised to hand deliver a jar of caramel on the job at IGA ), Joël -Jean Coutu Chassé and Etienne- Petite Vallée-I`m a great musician-Thibeault.

I seriously thought my mind was playing tricks on me again.
I sometimes see them in the corridors while I stand at my class door to welcome my kids before class, the only thing, it`s NOT them !
IT WAS TODAY !
THEY WERE MY AFTER LUNCH DESSERT.
We hugged, kissed, spoke very fast because we had a class coming up, smiled, told them I missed them, told me their plans at Cégep and off they went.
They`ll be back for sure they said. And they will.
What a great job I have.
How many of my students from last year ( sec.2 and 4 ) come in my doorway while I teach or at the break to say HELLO ?
Lots.
How many smile in the corridor on their way to their English class with ANOTHER teacher ?
Lots.
But you know what ?
You`ll be mine next year.
And to my Sec. 4 :`s I say : I`ll savor every second I have with you this year and will visit you as much as possible next year, and that`s a promise.

Am I lucky to teach English Concentration ?
Darn straight I am .
Do I appreciate it ?
Every day I teach you and every time you stop by and say " HELLO "
Do I miss you at the end of the year and when you graduate ?
You bet.
And I got proof again today .
When you come back, it`s like family you haven`t seen since last Christmas, a family reunion.
Maybe just to us the teachers, but then again, it`s them that come back to visit, that come back home.
Is it a compliment ?
Probably, what matters is seeing them in THEIR new ventures and starting a new life and somehow sown a seed somewhere.
In other words, there`s a little, little , little bit of your heritage somewhere in that person.
You helped them grow as they helped YOU grow as a teacher, and as a human .
Name me a job that does that ?
You don`t do that by working at Wal-Mart !
Do my students EVER get on my nerves ?
Sometimes, like my own kids get on my nerves, we all have our limits.
So if that`s not loving your students, I don`t know what it is.

Some of my darlings from last year have told me they`d visit during their Fall break.
Bring it on, the door is always open.

On that,
I promise my next post won`t take so long.
I`ll have pics to show you too.
Give me till the weekend.

Peace out !
Groove is in the heart baby !
Annie xx

SUN WHERE ART THOU ? TAKE TWO

Like the rest of the province can see, this summer is reallly turning out to be crappy, to say the least and keeping it polite.....

If I stay one more day indoors, I swear you`ll see me on the front page of Le Journal De Montréal because I`l have cleaned the house to death.

There isn`t a spot I haven`t cleaned in the house.

Boring boring boring.

I need to get out of the house YESTERDAY !!!!

I no longer ask myself in the morning IF and WHAT TIME I will run today but CAN I run today ?

I hate being at the mercy of Mother Nature.

But what the hay, what doesn`t kill ya makes you stronger they say.

I`m one heck of a strong Momma.

Not to mention the kids are getting bored and lately, I wish I could exchange them for a case of beer ........for about 5 seconds.

So what do you do when it`s raining out and you`re ouot of ideas of what to wash next ?

You get addicted to Facebook ( thanks Pat B )

You bake cookies and muffins with the kids like there`s no tomorrow.

You take stupid pictures ( just scroll down , you`ll see....)

You unwillingly listen to your kids argue ( they`re actually doing this at the moment.....gotta go stop World War 3).

I`m back.

No one was injured. Yet

Did I mention my son who`s turning 10 in 6 months is giving a glimplse of how he`ll really be like when he`s a teen ?

It`s not pretty.

How pretty is it ?

He reminds me a lot of myself when I was a teen.

Let`s not go there shall we.

I still have 2 years before he hits puberty and I- hit the ceiling.

Let`s just say my claws are pretty much out these days and it`s not just because of this crappy weather.

I need a road trip.

Far far far away.

On a brighter note.

Marie-Luce St.Onge and Emmanuelle came over to visit.

Pierre and Kat`s husband are working on their cars : Daniel has a 1972 Duster .

They also went for a test drive to Québec together and from Pierre`s grin when he got back, really enjoyed it. Pics below.

I`m falling in love all over again with Jack Kerouac.

Thank God he`s dead because I would propose to this man and beg him to marry me and have his children.

I`m going to bed sooooooo late because of him.

Cannot stop reading.

Next road trip : the ultimate one : ROUTE 66, Jack`s famous road tripS for" On The Road ".

The more I research on this dude, the more I adore him.

On an even brighter note: WE ARE LEAVING FOR THE WOODS !

Yep, rain or no rain, we`re leaving, taking a hike, hitting the road, we are outta here baby !

Where ?

To the famouse log cabin in the mountains.

The one we go to every year ( twice a year ) with Nadia, Tonton Sébest but with the kids this time around.

We`re bringing the new tent we bought last week so the kids can try it.

By the looks of things, with this weather, it`ll be the only occasion to try it.

I`ll take lots of pics also to post.

Speaking of here are a few:

Rosie and my godchild Andréa.

This Cardinal was in my backyard . I was baking when I heard him. I run out and there he was. I run inside for the camera and he was gone! He had me run in and out of the house 3 times before I could take this pic. My kids thought it was hilarious.

You know you`re bored when you catch yourself taking a picture of an ant on your kitchen floor.

Dan`s 1972 Plymouth Duster, a 1981 MG and my 1973 Mustang baby.

Pit stop on the way to Québec city.

Now that`s what I call a grrrrrrreat view !

Pierre at Katherine`s house working with her husband Dan on their cars. Dan is helping Pierre out.

I`m concluding with one of my favorites quotes by Jack Kerouac:

"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars, and in the middle, you see the blue center-light pop, and everybody goes ahh..."from On the Road

Speaking of, we`re off on the road to the chalet way up in the mountains.

I`ll be taking lots of pics.

Take care every one,

Groove is in the heart !

Annie