Correct Change

Last week I was visiting my parents in the States, and the kids and I did a bit of shopping.  I was using my American cash as much as possible, and I wanted to have the least amount of change after every transaction.  It seems that the art of making change has been lost.  I had three confused employees in one day!

The first was at Goodwill.  My total was $47.47, so I handed over

$20

$20

$10

$1

$1

25¢

10¢

10¢

1¢

1¢

(that's $52.47)

She tried to give me $10 back, and got really confused when I would only take $5.  She had to call her manager over, and I had to explain it all to her as well.  All was good in the end, and the kids and I got a chuckle out of it.

________________________

The second encounter was at Hobby Lobby.  My total was $33.17, so I handed over

$20

$10

$1

$1

$1

25¢

1¢

1¢

(that's $33.27)

She tried to give me my pennies back because the quarter already was more than the 17¢ I owed.  When I refused to take them back she was mystified, so I just told her to punch in what I gave her, once she had done that she understood. I only wanted 1 coin back, not a bunch of pennies!

__________________________

The third encounter was a short time later, also at Hobby Lobby (we forgot something), with a different cashier.  My total was $17.43, so I handed over

$20

$1

$1

25¢

25¢

(I had run out of pennies at that point)

(that's $22.50)

He tried to give my $2 back, and when I said no, he said, "but the $20 covers it."

I knew that, but please, "just trust me on this."

So, he punched it into the till, and viola! I received $5.07 back so I wouldn't have a bunch of $1 bills.

MATH TEACHERS, can we please work on money, and correct change so people can understand what they are doing on the cash registers?  I know most people pay with cards, I do most of the time too, but this is an important skill!

Shopping Cart Sally

 I went shopping a few weeks ago at the thrift store.  I always look in the Tupperware aisle. I'm on the hunt for more canisters, I don't know if I'll ever have enough!

So I was in the Tupperware aisle, and there was a woman ahead of me who was looking at all the Salt & Pepper shakers.  She'd pick up a set, examine them, put them down, grab another set... She was taking her time, & I was ok with that. It's very important to have GOOD salt & pepper shakers!

There was another woman who came up behind me, and started looking as well.  We'll call her Sally. Sally was probably in her late 50s I'd guess.  Suddenly I felt a shopping cart nudge my bum.  At first I ignored it. I figured it was an accidental nudge, perhaps Lily had been so engrossed with what she was looking at on the shelf that she didn't notice she had pushed her cart into my bum.  But the cart started pressing harder!  I turned to look at Sally. She was now pushing her cart into me quite insistently. I figured if I made eye contact, she'd stop for sure. Instead, Sally looked at me, then craned her head to look around me at the Salt & pepper lady, and kept pushing me with the cart.

At this point I'd had enough. So, I looked Sally in the eye, and said, "You can see that this lady is in front of me and I have nowhere to go. You don't have to keep bashing me with your cart."  Sally replied, "oh, sorry." Then she backed up, and went down the small aisle beside her. Unbelievable!  Perhaps too much time being cooped up at home is making people forget their manners...

Salty Salt

Last week I had to return a thermometer to Canadian Tire, & since it had been opened, I received a store voucher rather than a refund, so I wandered the store afterward looking for things I could use it on.  I noticed an employee (we'll call him Ed) stacking bags of road salt.

There were a few different piles of salt bags, & I wasn't sure if there was a difference between the stacks, so I asked Ed, "What is the difference between the big bag of salt & the small bag of salt?"

Ed replied, "The big bag is bigger, the small bag is smaller."

Thanks for that Ed!  "Ok then, can you please put a big bag in my cart?"

"I was afraid you were going to ask me to do that!"  But he nicely put the 40kg bag of salt in my cart, then told me, "Make sure you ask for someone to load it in you car when you check out!"

"Ok, I will!" I told him, but when I checked out there was a long line, & my checkout person was an older lady, so I figured I could manage myself.  I got to the car, opened the trunk, put down my purse, took off my coat & turned to the cart to heave out my gigantic bag of salt...

My cart started moving away from me, it didn't want to give up it's prize of salt, so I put my foot on the front of the cart to make it stay, & tried again to no avail.  I realized I was not making the proper sounds, so I said aloud, "1, 2, 3, hrrrggghhh!"  But all the sounds in the world were not going to make that 40 kg bag of salt, jump from my cart to my car.  A nice man in the parking lot (we'll call him Pat) saw my predicament & came to assist me.

Pat said, "That is a heavy load!"

I replied with a smile, "Yes, & I just can't get it to budge!"

Pat graciously offered to help me put it in the car, so I held the cart, & he hefted the bag into the trunk.  As this was happening, I noticed an employee over by the front of the store on a forklift.  It was Ed!  Ed cheerfully yelled across the parking lot, "I TOLD YOU YOU WERE GOING TO NEED HELP!"

The Thrift Store Find

A few years ago I was in a thrift shop & one of the volunteers was stocking the shelves.  We'll call her Mary.  Mary turned to me & said, "What section of the store do you suppose I should put this ceramic bathtub in?

It was similar to the one pictured here, & I suggested, "I'd put with nicknacks, as it's clearly meant to be put in a place visible to all!"

"But where would you put it, & what would you put in it?" Mary inquired of me.

"Well, if I were you, I would put it on a front hall table, & when my grandkids were leaving I'd say, 'don't forget to get some candy from the bathtub!'"

I don't know why, but I did not purchase that little bathtub that day.  I was living with regret for the past 2 years, always on the hunt for a little bathtub of my own, despite the fact that I have neither a front hall table, nor grandkids.  A few weeks ago, as I was thrift shopping with a friend, I perused the nicknack aisle as I always did, in search of a little bathtub, when lo & behold, I found not one, but TWO!  One was black & yellow & a little too loud for my taste (little candy bathtubs should be elegant after all).  I gleefully deposited the cute bathtub into my cart & took it home to be put in a place of honour...

It's only logical, isn't it?

Samples!

Friday I had a few errands to run, & it happened that I was at Costco over lunchtime.  I was pretty hungry, so I was looking forward to having some samples to tide me over until I got home!  I roamed the store filling my cart with the few items I needed, & about halfway through my trek, I got my first (& sadly, also my last) sample.

Needless to say, I was still hungry!

House Tour -Basement Kitchen & Living Area

After you have survived walking through the storage room you enter the basement suite!

From the storage room door you enter the hallway.  Straight ahead is the door to the main bedroom, & you can see the living area to your left.

There is a separate entrance to the suite as well. 

I had been searching for a small rectangular table for this area & happened to stop into a charity shop.  I found this table in the back corner priced for $25, & figured that was a good price. When I got to the register there was a sign that said all furniture was 1/2 price that day!  What an awesome deal! 

There is a full kitchen... 

complete with washer & dryer!

We are hosting an international student, so she will be living in this area during the school year, but joining our family for meals & family interaction.  Furnishing this area for her has been really fun!

Grocery Store Prices

After 3 months of living in BC & always wondering if the "closer, more convenient" (Save-On) grocery store was THAT much more expensive than the "seems cheaper, but farther away" (Superstore) store I decided it was time to make a list.  And make a list I DID!  I wrote a big list of the regular type things that I buy from the store, sometimes I get these groceries from Costco since it is so much closer than when we lived in PEI, but here's what I found...

On my list was:

Broccoli
Cranberry Juice
Veggie Juice
Dr Pepper
Milk
Coffee Creamer
Pilsbury Biscuits
Eggs
Butter
Margarine
Yoghurt
Magnum Ice Cream Bars
Vanilla Ice Cream
Cream Cheese
Bread
Bagels
Coffee
Coffee Filters
Tortilla Chips
Salsa
Flour
Sugar
Brown Sugar
Ketchup
Soup for Cooking (cream of mushroom)
Soup for eating (Italian Wedding)
Pasta Sauce
Butter Chicken Sauce
Oatmeal
Granola
Peanut Butter
Nutella

I compared the same sized items, & priced according to the brand I would normally pick if I was shopping at that store.  I only put the full price of the item on the list so I wasn't comparing sale prices  I then added all the prices as if I had bought one of each item at both stores & compared the final cost.

The results were...

Save-On-Foods (with 6 store brand items)  $203.04

SuperStore (with 5 store brand items)  $168.64

Individually, the only items cheaper at Save-On were bread & broccoli.  I did not compare other produce, but I'd be interested to know if that is cheaper.  I don't really like the selection at Save-On for produce though...  I was shocked at some of the price differences!

Brown Sugar       Superstore $4.98          Save-On  $6.49
Peanut Butter      Superstore $8.97          Save-On  $11.88
Salsa                    Superstore $6.99         Save-On $12.89

I'll still shop the flyers since I know Save-On have good sales on some of my regular items (Magnum Ice Cream Bars!), but I definitely will aim for Superstore more often now!

Bye-Bye, PEI!

Friday we set out in the afternoon aimed for Moncton.  We stopped near the bridge for coffee, because tradition demands it, & also stopped at the visitor area.  It was my first time stopping there, but better late than never, eh?

 PChad & I had spent the day packing the van & trailer, & doing some last minute things like getting the phone & internet disconnected, bringing my car to be shipped, & going shopping while some people came to look at our house (I got a new skirt!). 

By 1pm we had an offer on the house, which we accepted, & by 3pm, we were gone!  We prayed (& many others did too) that our house would sell for a good price before we moved, & it was pretty close, but God made it happen!  We will miss our island friends, the only home our kids have known, & the beautiful summers, but I will glad to avoid the winters!

Couponing the Easy Way

Couponing was all the rage in the States a few years ago, but it has never been as easy to save using coupons in Canada.  There are a few reasons for this...

1. There just aren't as many coupons available
2. Most stores don't allow you to use more than one coupon per item
3. Unlike the States, there are no "Double Coupon Days"

Recently, however there have been a few apps that have coupons you can use after you have shopped.  You simply buy whatever product they have listed, take a picture of your receipt, & choose which coupons you qualify for.  Once you   Since you are getting paid after the shopping trip, with multiple apps, it is possible to save more than what you spend on certain items if they have coupons on multiple apps!

Without further ado, here are the coupon apps I use, & how they work, listed in order of what I use most.  (In all cases, you must view the app before you shop so you know which products are listed.  Though sometime I have lucked out & unknowingly purchased an item I could get cashback for)

"PC Plus" - Superstores have a free loyalty card which you scan each time you shop.  Register your card online, & make sure you 'Load Your Offers' each week (agree to the weekly email to remind you to do this!).  The store has points offers every week, but your offers are specifically tailored to what you buy.  1000 points = $1.00.  When you have saved a minimum of 20,000 points you can redeem them towards your purchase.  Save them throughout the year & you can have free groceries at Christmastime!

"Coupgon" - This is an app that lets you save at the checkout.  You choose which coupons you are using today, then scan the QR Code at the checkout.  So far only certain stores are participating, but Atlantic Superstore (where I get most of my groceries) is one of them, check to see if one of your local stores participates.

"Checkout 51" - After you shop, take a photo of your receipt, & select the coupons which you qualify for.  After you have saved $20, you can cash out at anytime.  They will send you a check for your balance.

"Zweet" - After you shop, take a photo of your receipt, & select the coupons which you qualify for.  After you have saved $20, you can cash out at anytime.  You also collect points, & they have offers available you can use your points for like gift cards to Starbucks, Amazon, Tim Horton's, etc  They will send you a check for your balance.  What I like about Zweet, is they often have offers for "Any Milk", or "Eggs", so it's not a specific brand, but something I buy every week anyway.

"Snap by Groupon" - After you shop, take a photo of your receipt, & select the coupons which you qualify for.  After you have saved $20, you can cash out at anytime.  They will send you a check for your balance.

"Save.ca" -  After you shop, take a photo of your receipt, & select the coupons which you qualify for.  After you have saved $5, you can cash out at anytime.  They will send you a check for your balance.

"CartSmart" - I don't know how much you need to have saved before you can cash out, but you can get paid through PayPal, or a check.

**************************************************************************

"EBates.ca" - For online shopping, you can find coupon codes on the EBates site, as well as earning cashback on all purchases that you make with the stores on the site.  All you need to do is go to ebates.ca then look for the online retailer you want to buy from (ex. Old Navy).  Any valid coupon codes will be listed.  Then click the link to go to that site & you will be redirected to Old Navy.  Once you check out on Old Navy's site, eBates will let you know how much you have earned.  Once you have earned $5.01, every 3 months they send you either a check, or pay you via PayPal!

Good luck, & happy savings!

Wandering London

Friday I decided to walk around Oxford Street just to see the sights & perhaps do a little shopping.  I was amused when I stopped for a sandwich, by all the choices that I was not used to.

 

After awhile I thought I'd head to Brent Cross to a shopping centre I had heard about.  I wanted to take the Jubilee Line, but it was closed for upgrades, so I had to take the Northern Line.  When I got out at the station I decided it wouldn't take too long to walk to the shopping centre, but the area is really not set up for walking.  Every time I thought I was making headway getting closer to where I wanted to be, I'd find that the walkway ended, or there was no way to get from here to there.  At one point I was on the street below the shopping centre, & all that was between me & the shops was a brick wall of about 10 feet.  Unfortunately I could not figure out how to get from point A to point B, & at that point Fiona texted to see if I wanted to get together for dinner.  So, I wandered around for about 2 hours pointlessly, but I definitely got good exercise!

 I was glad for a rest after all that walking!

And I was happy that Fiona had thought about meeting up again!  Wandering around by myself was starting to get really old!  We spent a few hours talking about our families, & I even managed to get another invitation to hang out again Saturday!

Meeting Up With the Old Crew

Wednesday morning I headed out to try to get my phone sorted out.  I had brought along the pay-as-you-go phone we had bought in Ireland when we visited in 2008 hoping it would work, but it said there was no service.  I took the train to Liverpool Street & stopped into a phone shop nearby.  The told me to go to a different shop where they could see if the phone was unlocked.  At that shop they told me that the phone was sadly locked & sent me to another shop to get it unlocked.  The third shop was closed dispite it being 10am.  I asked at the shop next door, where they directed me to a fourth shop to get the phone unlocked.  The fourth shop was also closed, so I gave up & headed to Tottenham Court Road to see how I'd fare.

I quickly found a phone shop & asked about getting a new pay-as-you-go phone.  They had some cheap phones I could get for around £25, but that would be about $50 Canadian.  I decided to head to the nearby Starbucks & see about adding a travel plan on my phone from home, which I discovered I could do for $5.  It was a lot of running around, but it used up some of the extra time I had.

After all that fun I headed to Covent Garden for some shopping!  I picked up some souvenirs for everyone & then it was time to meet up with my old workmates from when we lived in London.

 

As I walked to the pub where we were supposed to meet, I took a few pictures of the street signs

Apparently there were a few people I worked with who do not check their facebook very often, & they had no idea I had named my daughter after the street!

This is one of my favourites!

Fiona & Mora worked on the Reception desk with me, & were always fun to work with.

Ian & Pete

 I had not seen these people in over 12 years!  It was far too long & we had  a great time catching up.  We had planned to meet up at 3 in the afternoon on Wednesday, figuring that the pub would be dead & we would have the run of the place.  Strangely, there was a power cut, so all the nearby businesses had been let out & everyone had the same great idea to head to the pub!  Despite having no power, the pub carried on serving drinks.  After a few hours the lights came back on & everyone cheered.  At the end of the night you could see that the dishwasher had not been working, as the entire bar was stacked with glasses!

Hanging Out in Toronto

We were given a free night in Toronto, & it was a great chance to catch up with friends I hadn’t seen in  a long time.  Janene & I used to get together at least once a week when we lived in Ontario, despite living an hour apart.  We were both PWives, our husbands were both doing 1 year internships, & our boys were only a few months apart.  It’s hard to believe we last saw each other 6 years ago, but it was like no time had passed at all!

I knew a few of the other girls from our time at seminary, and they all get to live around each other in Ontario.  Now, I love PEI, but it sure would be nice if there was another CRC church here so one of them could come live close by!

We had a great evening of shopping, & dinner, & conversation.  And we laughed a LOT!

I had a great time with great friends, & hopefully we can all make it to the next conference in 2 years!

The Long Goodbye

PChad left yesterday morning for the Shore 2 Shore with a Roar motorcycle ride.  Thankfully he had decided not to leave too early since he wanted to stop in Moncton & buy some waterproof gloves.  He had been gone for about an hour when I happened to look in the place where we keep our passports.  I knew he was planning on driving through Maine, so he’d need his passport, but I wondered if he had remembered to take it.  I looked, & there it was.

 

I tried to text & call his cell phone, figuring he might stop & check his phone before he crossed the bridge, or maybe he even remembered about his passport & would take his phone out to call me.  After about 10 minutes I knew I either had to follow him, or he’d have to just stay in Canada…

 

I quickly told the kids to get their shoes & coats on because we had to bring Daddy his passport.  Of course I also had to stop for gas!  We tried calling PChad’s phone every 10 minutes, hoping I’d get ahold of him before I crossed the bridge & had to pay the $45 toll.  But we had no such luck.  I got to the bridge, & figured I might as well keep going & keep trying his phone.  Chancery had to go to the washroom, so we had another small detour, then soldiered on!

 

We started calling his phone every 5 minutes instead, knowing that we were probably just going to end up making his phone go dead.  Then I got the bright idea to call the motorcycle shop where I knew he was planning on stopping.  I described PChad to the sales guy, & PChad happened to still be there!  PChad was a little confused when the sales guy told him, “You can run, but you can’t hide!  Your wife’s on the phone for you!”  At that point I was only about 45 minutes behind him, so PChad decided to wait for me at the nearby Tim Horton’s.  So, the kids & I got to say goodbye to PChad twice!

 

I had left the Henry & Vincent (our Taiwanese home-stay students) at home since I can’t take them out of province without prior notification, so now that I knew I was going all the way to Moncton & back, I called Miss Geesje to see if she could go pick the boys up & take them to the farm.  Thankfully she agreed & it all worked out!  Then since I knew the older boys were taken care of, & I had driven the 2 hours & spent the bridge toll to get to Moncton, I figured I should make the most of it, so we stopped at Costco & Value Village before heading back home!  The roads were not the nicest, with lots of rain, & mist the whole way, so I also treated myself to a Starbucks for all my troubles!

 

At bedtime we always ask the kids to say their 3 favourite parts of the day & then we pray about them.  Asher said, “Lunch at Costco, right now, & definitely not driving to Moncton!”

Grocery Shopping Can Be Exciting!

Yesterday I had to take the kids grocery shopping, since we have been running low on several items, & they were not in school, so I was unable to roam the aisles alone.  I prepped the kids for the impending shopping trip, which they responded to with moans of disappointment.  I figured they were at about the end of in home entertainment & would be glad for the outing, but I was wrong.  Then I reminded them about the free cookies, & they were raring to go!

 

In the store they helped me get some produce, then begged to go see their lobster friends.  Then it was on to the bakery!  While the kids had been distracted by the lobsters I had perused the 1/2 price bakery rack, & found a box of macaroons.

 

The kids got their cookies, fought over whose torn it was to hang on the front of the cart, helped me get juice & yogurt, then Asher noticed the macaroons & exclaimed, “Oh yay!  You got those coconut things that I don’t know the name of!”

 

We ended up with 3 pretty happy shoppers at the end of it, & they also helped me put stuff away!  Maybe summer grocery shopping won’t be so bad after all!

My 35th Birthday

Yesterday was my 35th birthday.  I had a wonderful day celebrating, in the most unusual manner.  Had someone told me a few years ago that I would be celebrating by spending the day shopping with 3 ladies who are twice my age, & having the most delightful time, I don’t think I would have believed them!

 

I have been part of a cross-stitching group through my church for a few years now, & the ladies & I have become quite good friends.  We were scheduled to have a stitching day on my birthday, but then Ellen (one of the members) called me & asked if I would like to go to Moncton for the day with the ladies instead.  I thought that sounded fun, so I agreed, then Ellen said, “That’s great… would you be able to drive us?”  Well, I do love to drive, so I agreed to that too!

 

Our first stop was Timmy’s; after the long drive we had to get our caffeine fix!  Then we went to the cross-stitch store, & spent a good amount of time there re-stocking supplies, & browsing.

Then it was off to Montana’s for lunch.  I think I was the only one who had been to a Montana’s before, so I showed them the ropes.

 

Gonda was surprised to be given a Mason jar to drink from!

 

Since it was my birthday I got to wear the birthday hat!

 

And Gonda’s birthday is the day after mine, so she got a hat too!

 

We then headed to Costco, and ended the day walking the mall.  By the time we decided to head home I think we were all shopped out, but it was one of my most fun birthdays!  I’m really glad to call these ladies my friends!

January Trip

Since December is always a very busy time for us, we try to take a weekend away in January.  This year we headed to Moncton.  We stayed at a hotel with a waterslide, & happened to get a room with bunk beds!  I will definitely be requesting bunk beds again!  Had I known this was an option, I would have been asking at every hotel we have stayed at for the past few years.  (It is a lot harder to kick your sibling when you are in bunk beds!) 

 

The weekend was great.  The kids had a fun morning swimming, the parents had a fun afternoon at Costco & Princess Auto, & we all had a great time at Crystal Palace!

 

The Jumpin’ Star is very exciting!

Asher is pumped for the roller coaster!

 

Chancery really enjoyed mini golf this year.  She played the whole course twice!

 

Back on the roller coaster for another ride!

 

And the kids enjoyed a final ride on the Convoy.

More Stripes

Asher picked out a new church shirt when we went shopping a few weeks ago, & it reminded me of a shirt he had when he was little.

 

Only now, he’s got a few more stripes!

Narrowing It Down…

…kind of.  If you have been following my coat conundrum, you will know that I have already purchased 4 coats trying to find a new winter coat that will keep me warm, has a powder skirt, & thumb holes.

I thought I should include a picture of my old coat so you know what I’m working from.  I really like this coat, it has served me well for 10 years, but it is getting ratty looking, & I’m starting to worry about the water-proofness of it.



After getting some feedback, I had narrowed it down to the blue Columbia coat.

(I tried to look happy in all these pictures since people were saying I should not choose certain coats because I looked less happy in the picture)

  






And I checked one more store & found this Liquid (I can’t find the exact one) coat.
  It’s a little longer coat, but it was only available in a Medium…











…so I called the store back & asked if they could order it in in a Small.  They told me the purple wasn’t available, but they could get the pink version in.  (Hello, my name is Sherilyn, & I may have a shopping problem)





I really like the length of this one, & I am confident that it will keep me warm.  I also think it looks nice, so WE HAVE A WINNER!!!
(and I have 5 coats to return)

Travel Trials

I took a quick trip to Michigan last week for a planning meeting.  When I travel to the States, bad things usually happen with my flights (like this, & that, & don’t forget this!) & this trip was not exempt.

I had heard that the US had eased their regulations on flying with small pocket knives, so I opted to bring my ever present  small Swiss Army Knife.  In Charlottetown, I put the knife in the x-ray bucket & it was returned to me, no problem.

I had a nice itinerary, a 6 am start, followed by a 9:30 flight landing at 11.  My meeting started at 5, so that gave me plenty of time to do a little Stateside shopping first.  When I was given my boarding passes, I noticed that my second flight was a 17:55 departure.  I brought it to the gate agent’s attention, she said the 9:30 flight had been taken off the schedule & that was the only one from Toronto to Grand Rapids.  I’d have to check in Toronto for an earlier flight through another hub.

Toronto’s security took my knife away.  I asked about the new regulations, but they said that only applied to flights within the US, not international flights.  When I told them that it hadn’t been a problem in Charlottetown, they couldn’t verify other airports’ policies, but for Toronto, knives are not ok…  Good to know.

In Toronto I was given a flight to Chicago, & was told there were 2 flights to Grand Rapids.  One at 11:30, & one at 14:00.  The 11:30 flight was full, but they told me to try for standby.  I would land around 10:45, so it would be cutting it close.  We started the flight by sitting on the runway for 30 minutes for our turn to take-off.

During this flight I was told that since I was flying so many miles in one day I qualified for a free snack item!  I had never had that before, so I was quite pleased to get my free bag of trail mix.  I ended up not eating it since I was full, but PChad & the kids seem to really enjoy it!

Of course when I landed in Chicago, it was in a different terminal & I had to wait for a shuttle to take me b/w terminals.  Once I arrived in the right terminal, & found the gate for the 11:30 flight, the plane was just backing away from the gate.  I just missed it by minutes!

I walked around choosing the best lunch option…  An Auntie Anne’s pretzel & Dr Pepper.  It helped soothe my wounded spirit.

I arrived in Grand Rapids around 5 & met another member of the team at the airport who had been on the same flight.  At least I wasn’t the only one arriving late!  We made it to the hotel only about 25 minutes late, & it wasn’t a problem, but I sure missed all the shopping time I had planned on!  After the meeting wrapped up that night I did have a chance to nip out to the grocery store next door & grab a few essentials like Pay Days & Milky Way Midnights!


Day 2 was full meeting day…  and I got the stomach flu.  It was joyous.  One of the perks of the trip was a Chinese meal at one of the best restaurants in Grand Rapids, but instead of going, I went to bed as soon as the meeting was over & slept 14 hours straight.  I awoke in the morning feeling a bit better & wondering what my travelling day home would end up entailing.

In Grand Rapids I was treated to a full body scan & they found the penny I had neglected to remove from my pocket.  The flight was on time with no problems to Cleveland.

I got a message from PChad’s cousin, who was also at the meeting, that her flight from Grand Rapids had been cancelled & she had 3 hours to kill.  I guess I must have passed on my bad luck to her!

Cleveland to Montreal, no problems!  But surely I’d be held up in the long lines at customs & miss my next flight…  Boy, was I surprised to find that our flight was the only flight in customs, & my little detour to the washroom meant that everyone ahead of me had already cleared out & I had a choice of which lane I could go through!

The Montreal to Charlottetown flight was super exciting, as we got to fly on a propeller plane, which is something I do not enjoy in the least.  It’s bumpy & noisy, but it was on time.  I also sat next to a fairly famous DJ, & despite having a conversation with her, in which she told me her name was DJ Kiss, & that she was coming to Charlottetown to spin at one of our top clubs, I had no idea just how famous she was until I saw in the newspaper that she’s quite the celebrity!  Well, I hope she enjoyed the anonymity I afforded her as I treated her as just another gal!

So Much Excitement!

Asher had last Friday & this Monday off of school while the school staff moved everything into the newly built school building.  Chancery was in school, & I had my regular errands to run, so Asher came along with me.  He was very excited to see what I do when he’s in school

 

Friday started with a few stops to pick up items from people I had bought items from off Kijiji.  After that I we had a coffee & donut at Tim Horton’s, then we were off to Zellers for the last week of their closing sale.  We also managed to look around the dollar store while at the mall, & then Asher requested we stop at Value Village to look at books.

 

Monday is grocery day, so the two of us headed to the grocery store.  Asher wasn’t all that excited about this errand until I reminded him that kids get cookies from the bakery section.  We came home & I let him play his DS while I put all the groceries away.

 

Tuesday morning was full of excitement as it was the first day in the new school building.  As we were walking out the door Asher asked, “Mum, during March break, can we do all the things you normally do when I’m at school?  I want you to show me what you do.”

 

I think he has this notion that I go & do all kinds of fun things while the kids are gone.  I answered him, “That’s what we did on Friday & Monday, Asher.  All those errands that  we did, those are the kinds of things that I do when you kids are in school.”

 

It is safe to say he was extremely disappointed, but maybe now he won’t be so eager to stay home from school in the future!