In honour of the itchy and burning eyes we in Edmonton are experiencing due to smoke from the B.C. fires.

This is part of my garage.  Half of my house has been in the garage since May while we do some fixing in the basement. I tried to plan ahead.  I closed my family daycare at the end of June, knowing it would be impossible to truly keep my home up to dayhome agency standards while we were under construction.  (And plus my new kids just needed more Mommy-time.)

My hubby and my kids are not very adaptive to change.  A doctor's appointment kind of alteration to their routine throws the whole day off.   I knew a home remodel was going to be a lot of work, but I thought, we'll finish by the end of the summer.  But then of course, life got complicated.  My mother-in-law moved in at the start of June and then has been in a local hospital 2 months.  My folks decided to come for a week.  My body decided to play kidney stone rock again. 

So, here is where we are.  The boys room is demolished down to the foundation wall and they are sleeping out in the rec room.  It needs electrical, fiberboard insulation, framing and wallboard.  The girls room needs one whole wall of wallboard replaced. The entire basement needs ceilings and light fixtures replaced.  Four doorways have been framed and need doors. 

And here August is almost over.  My brain is starting to feel like the clutter piles in my garage.  If we don't make some progress on the renovation this weekend, my cluttered brain may just overload.

Here are some things from my week that made me smile:

• seen on a house's door in my neighborhood. "Cats are like chips, you can't just have one."
• 30 mins of dancing in the gloom doom and rain with my kids. Holy raincoats and rainboots Batman! 
• "Nobody should smoke cigarettes. Not even cars." My 5 yr old son tells his 2 yr old brother.
• http://www.youtube.com/user/gunnarolla 
• Having Make-your-own peanut butter, jelly & ritz cracker sandwiches for lunch
• the dead silence of naptime 
• a dill pickle and a Popsicle for afternoon snack 
• My 3 yr daughter hands her 5 yr old brother a softball. He says, "Thanks for making my life so cool."

What made you smile recently?

For the last couple of years, I keep getting hexagram 8- Pi in answer to all kinds of questions and usually as the future hexagram. I've looked at civic and church groups to see what I'm supposed to be joining up with and nothing has felt right. Today I was looking at Lillian Too's "The New I Ching" using the plum blossom method and some of the interpretations she lists really hit home.

I realized that I had already been joined through adoption.  The group, the union is my new family.  After all the years of trying to start a family, my wish has been granted times three.  It is time to just focus on being Mom.  Finally.  What do you need to focus on in your life?

My 3 year old daughter was running around the house this morning singing, "This time baby I'll be the whipped cream."  I said, "What are you singing?"  She said, "I don't like to sing about bullets."  And I realized she was singing Bulletproof by La Roux that we heard on the car radio.  So I pulled up the youtube video.

It is so 80s.  Totally reminds me of a picture hubby did a long time ago. 

So are the 80s back or what?

My birthdad and stepmom own a run-down, but beautiful campground just a ways north of Yellowstone Park.  Each year some renaissance group visits.

Yes, my father's hat says "Quantum Physics."
That IS really what he is into.
Sample at http://wbabin.net/physics
When I retire, I aspire to be just as crazy.
WHAT ARE YOUR RETIREMENT DREAMS?