Fun with the grandkids

The blackboard in the kitchen got a workout from Joey & Alex. Joey's newest favorite character is Turok...and he printed it out so I know exactly who he's talking about...and I think there was mention of a shopping
trip to EB G*mes...not sure what system...but we'll consult with parents before any such purchase.

Alex could use some new Play D*h...my colours are all that muddy gray tone from too much inter mixing. And I need a need box of chalk for the blackboard, which itself should be re-painted. This is still the initial 3 coats I put on how many years ago????


Jonathan and his Mom made good time on their trip up. Jonathan was a bit hesitant around me and Cody. But eventually he came around and almost touched Cody on the nose...the jury is still out about Nannie! But we made fast friends when Papa showed up...who is that big guy????

Jonathan helped unpack his Go Bag...diapers, food, snacks - all the essentials a little man needs in an average day!




I guess I wasn't quick enough offering up snacks...Jonathan resorted to raiding the kitchen on his own and came up with a very nice potato!!!!!! Maybe we'll cook it up for dinner tonight!

Got my fundraising done!

I'm happy dancing around the house since learning that Joe's company helped to nudge me over my goal! Thanks Travers Food Service/Aramark Remote Service for your generosity! Now to help the rest of the team meet their individual goals and then...try and surpass them all with even more!

Berta's Team Crockett webpage!

Great weekend

The big boys got their mixed martial arts' night in...but no camera! One of Herb Dean's assistants took a photo of Joe & Herb and it should be posted on Herb's website to grab.

The ladies did some shopping, but alas...no wedding outfit for me. But I got a nice grey skirt suit!

The young ones kept us hopping most of the time...that Wii game system is very addictive. But I did have a great golf game...makes up for my poor bowling skills. I stopped counting my fouls!

Lyla enjoyed having some snow to walk around on...her yard is wet grass!

All in all...it was a great weekend. Sorry, no photos...too busy to take any!

Awesome Night

We had a lovely dinner at a German restaurant with the Fraser's before the show. Our seats were centre stage, first balcony. The show was sold out and for good reason...it was unbelievable!

Today is a new day, filled with crocodiles nipping at my heels. I'm looking forward to lots of down time over the next 8-10 days! First wave arrives tomorrow evening and the second wave sometime Monday afternoon!!!!!

That should get my blood pressure back down to normal.

Riverdance night

We will be enjoying some great footwork tonight....now to keep my feet still and not bother folks beside me!

Freecycle went well...I feel better for ridding myself of 'stuff'. I have more to sort through but that can wait. I have to get things in order...company is coming Thursday!

Les & Company will be here for the weekend (mixed martial arts for the guys, shopping for the ladies). Then a quick change of sheets and Heather & Jonathan arrive. We'll work out some wedding issues and such. It should be a fun time!

Of course we will be eating yummy stuff for the next 10 days or so. I just don't know what to eat when! Oh, that reminds me, I have to get groceries!!!!!

So much to do, so little time!

Does the FreeCycle Fling count as exercise?

It was worth a try, right?

So far I have flung all my stencils and supplies. Although it was tough to release my favorite - geraniums & pots...I did it. I hope Rachel enjoys them as much as I did. I even included some of my best tips to get her started.

Today I've posted some fabric...sorry Brenda...I didn't see that you were COLLECTING before I posted...this is all new stuff with enough yardage to make something great. But I know I'm not going to...cuz...if I was...it would have been done by now!

My hobby tastes have changed over the years. Although these aren't burning passions of mine, I do hope that someone else will experience the adrenalin rush of discovering something new, and at little or no cost. I'm being tough...if you want something on FreeCycle - you figure out how to pick it up!

Light Bulb moment

This is my current read, another of the Chicken Soup Series but with a twist...the author inputs her point of view and then has another's experience that coincides with the topic.

This morning's 'lesson' was entitled "Willing to Walk Away". Everything that I read hit home to me on something I've been toying with in my mind for about 6 months or so. I now realize that I so want to do this to free myself from an unseen burden.

Don't everyone hit the panic button and pick up the phone...it's nothing that dramatic and won't have any bearing on my life as it is today except I will feel better. Okay...you don't quite buy it, do you????? Would you feel better if I say that I'm going to admit defeat in one of my undertakings and move forward? Not enough? Okay already....I'm going to purge some of my not so successful crafty items that I thought I wanted to get into and/or that phase of my life has passed!

So stay tuned for 'whatever' I'm going to release into the wild...sort of like Book Crossing but not quite. I do want to know that 'it' goes to a good home. I will offer it up to family first,then to my crafting blog friends second and so forth...my last choice will be Freecycle, because I know someone may score big by getting it for free and then selling it on eBay or in the Bargain Finder.

How to kill a romantic feeling in easy steps!

Legal documents!!!!! Oh my head is spinning around and around and there's no immediate resolution in sight!

Not sure if it's because I'm re-applying for the trustee position or if it's because there is someone new auditing the records or what...but I just had to go through my achieved records of 2003 to respond to a question that I thought had been dealt with.

It's like reliving the past and some of the not so happy stuff that went with it...and wondering...are we getting any closer to this being passes by the courts? I've had this in the back of my mind since submitting these very documents in October of 2007.

I may have been more 'open' to these question/comments/requests for clarification etc had they come in November/December or even January. It was my understanding that we had a 'pass before' date of 8 February 2008. I was ready, willing and able...but someone has dropped the ball and I'm not feeling very 'complying'!

There, I vented...not sure how long this post will remain but here it is in all its glory!

Happy Valentine's Day

And Happy Birthday to both Paul and Matt! What a great gift Cheryl gave Paul 26 years years ago...a son! Hard to top that! Hope everyone has a wonderful day filled with love and hugs from that someone special...even if it's from a furry friend!

What was I thinking?

Obviously I got side tracked enough not to blog for 3 whole days!!!!! But I'm back. I have a few too many projects underway...and to top it all off I got the biggest email yesterday...yes the legal stuff finally arrived and now I have to fill everything out and then venture out into the snowy wonderland to find my Commissioner of Oath. Why couldn't this happen last week before the snow storm?


We did manage to get some sunny days so I could work on Frederick. For those not in the know, stitching on black is very difficult unless you have lots of strong natural sunlight...and something light underneath so the little holes show up. I'm trying to get this done completed before the 1 year mark...sometime in May.

Still quilting the bow tie quilt...something that tortures challenges my carpal tunnel hands. Oh well I have found that a couple of over the counter type painkillers and warm soothing heat will abate most of the 'wake me up in the middle of the night' excruciating pain.

Next week is going to be busy as well. Just learned that our provincial leaders are debating the election issues on the tube Thursday...as if that day/evening isn't busy enough! Garden meeting @ 7 pm, a lot of great watchable TV shows and the arrival of Alex & Joey and his parents! I may send regrets to the Garden Club executive and stay home and try and get a better idea of who should get my vote!

Why does my head hurt?

Tres moderne for the Big Guy, don't ya think?

Looking for a dinosaur!

We went into the city yesterday to pick up Joe's new glasses...only 1 was right so we wait another wait for the Porsche frames. Joe looks pretty darn hot...maybe GQish?! Will post a photo once he's up and about and the sleep wrinkles fall away!

Anyways, while they were fine tuning the glasses, I went looking for regular stir your spaghetti sauce or stew wooden spoons. You know the type...3 in a bag, different length handles. If I could find ANY spoons they were these huge exotic wood SHOVELS! Please, I lived through designer jeans and now designer eyeglasses, but I don't want designer wooden spoons! I'll be heading to all my favorite dollar stores as soon as I can get my car unfrozen! That's another cold story for another day!

February 9 is a special day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE!!!!!!

Hope you have a marvelous day with your loved ones!



Love Berta & Joe

Don't forget this deduction!

Did you know you should be claiming all those monthly payments - usually payroll deducted - of private health insurance? You work, you opt in with their benefits programs ie health and dental. CRA has only 1 line mentioning this often overlooked deduction.

You don't get a T4 type of slip for this...so you have to do the work. What I do is photocopy the last Late Dec) pay slip with all deductions outlined. If they don't have a Year to Date (YTD) column, I simply highlight the monthly amount and below that, right on the copy do my calculations by multiplying the monthly deduction by 12 ....and add that number(and the highlighted photocopy) to all those other bits of medical papers I've been keeping for the whole year.

It's your money, if you don't ask for it back via a medical deduction, foolish you! FYI - I have a file labeled Upcoming Tax Year and all my slips go into there - medical, charitable donations and publication clippings that may affect us at tax time.

Team Crockett Update

Well yesterday was a very promising day, donation wise! Seems that Dan & Sally (former Amazing Chase team members) have promised to sponsor either me or Joe in the
Uncover the Cure: The Underwear Affair race in June. How does a 100 clams sound???? Pretty sweet to me!!!! Happy Dance!!!!!

Also, through a chain of events, it seems that someone's company is obliged to make a charitable donation of a sizable amount...and Joe has requested that $250 be allotted for the cause under the Team Crockett name! Another Happy Dance!

And I was speaking with a certain niece and she & her Mom, my dear sister last night. They are considering making a donation to our worthy team. How great is that?!!!!

Joe & I have yet to realize some more money from the 2 Alan Jackson's Edmonton concert tickets we are donating to the cause. They have been spoken for but with everyone's crazy schedules it's a matter of getting all the right people in the same room to iron out the details - like hand over the money and we'll hand over the tickets!

OT - Dad's audit is finally getting some much needed attention. I submitted all my financial reports last October and technically they are supposed to be passed by Feb 8. Gee...isn't that THIS FRIDAY? Oh well, I'm not responsible for the delays...even though I just learned last night I need to sign the application to renew the trusteeship and have it notarized and returned. Also the courts want to hear from my sisters to get their stamp of approval...whether verbal is good enough or if they also have to sign something is beyond me. I'll be so glad to get this all finished so I can file this huge stack of papers. It's a waste of resources to start more file folders when I have a perfectly good system in 'flux'. When I do get them back, I will package everything up from the audit, tuck them in the back of the file cabinet and start again.

And how is your day looking?

I fried my brains this morning!

No, not drugs...forms from CRA aka your friendly federal tax forms!!!!! This was not a pleasant morning...at one point I lost track of which schedule I was on and who's! YIKES! I'm not usually intimidated with forms, not even when I tackle Dad's complicated ones. However this year we have quite the opportunity to split Joe's pension. So I worked so far on his forms, put them aside, did the extra schedule, put my numbers on my forms, go back to Joe's...recalculate...SEVERAL times...and Bob's your uncle. I see a light at the end of the tunnel...and just think how happy I'll be when I get the real forms and use the actual numbers...not my educated guestimates! Ha ha...what a practice round! At least next time I will have a better idea on how intertwined this forms are. I hope I get just as happy numbers on the real deal!

Well our bitter cold weather has broken temporarily...we are almost balmy at -13.7'C but it won't last more than today...cold again tomorrow.

Joe is off on the road, heading east to SK for another big dinner with the brothers. I just hope his crackberry doesn't rang the whole time he's dealing with the dinner. Looking back I can't remember Joe having this many balls up in the air all at the same time since his days as Field Supervisor for the other company.

We'll all be ready for some R&R in March....Totally 80's and perhaps Jubilations with the kids and the Fraser's. Prepare to party and let your hair down!

I have another sponsor for Team Crockett That makes me so happy...the word is slowly getting out there and that is one of the main reasons for Uncover the Cure: The Underwear Affair. Money is needed to keep the cancer research going and we all need to be more aware of cancers below the waist.

Thanks Rebecca! You ROCK!

Go out on a limb or stay safe?

Joe has a slight change in his glasses so we are hunting for new frames today. With all the selection available, do you think they will have some funky ones big enough for wide tetes? Joe's been talking about breaking out of the safe wire frames and getting some thick plastic types. Hey, I thought the same thing but only went half way...my sunglasses are beautiful Anne Klein frames...everyday indoors ones are half rims..again!

Stay tuned for updates on our search. I still like the navy blue Porsche frame ($700 for the frames alone 5 years ago!) but they may be too worn to re-use.

Heavy Heart today

Hamlin (Hammy) Lorne MacDonnell
Hamlin (Hammy) Lorne MacDonnell, beloved husband of Lucy Davis of Calgary, passed away on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at the age of 44 years. Hammy was born on April 7, 1963 in Springdale, NF and was raised in Miramichi, NB. He has worked throughout the world as a mining engineer. In 2000 he moved to Calgary where he met Lucy and they built a life together. Although Calgary was home, Hammy continued to work abroad. Besides his loving wife Lucy Davis, Hammy is survived by Lucy's sons, William of Toronto, ON and Brian of Calgary, AB; father Angus MacDonnell of Miramichi, NB; brothers, Audie MacDonnell, Troy and Ann MacDonnell; sister Cheyenne Poirier; two nephews, Patrick and Cole; and a niece Jessica. He was predeceased by his mother Ethyle MacDonnell; and brother Ricky MacDonnell. Funeral Services will be held on Monday, January 28, 2008 in Miramichi, NB. Forward condolences through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In living memory of Hammy MacDonnell, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES Fish Creek Chapel, 14441 BANNISTER ROAD S.E. Telephone: (403) 256-9575.

To say I'm numb would be an understatement. Someone I used to babysit shouldn't be dead of a massive heart attack at the tender age of 44! It's beyond comprehension. My deepest condolences go to the family. Thanks to M & H for letting me 'borrow' Hammy's obit...and taking care of him before his journey home! Hammy...I'm so sorry I never made the time to meet you for that beer at the Kilt & Caber! Rest in peace