I will be travelling abroad next month. And I still can't believe that I just said that sentence. This is huge for me. It is taking all I have not to shout those words, using bold, upper case, underline and a larger font size. I'm trying to keep it low key for those of you who may be thinking ... "so, big deal".

My extremely generous sister has offered me the opportunity to visit her in the United Kingdom. It feels like the past 10 Christmases have landed in my lap and I must be good and sleep or else the fat man will not deliver the goods. An odd feeling for one in her forties.

The whole passport experience has been one equivalent to birthing stories. Once you mention the word "passport" people feel obliged to share heart rendering stories of pain, suffering and sacrifices which they have experienced. While waiting in the line-up this last time I was tempted to shove my fingers in my ears and repeat "la la la" over and over to make them stop. Honestly.

My story has a happy ending in that I will be picking up my passport two days before my departure. Really really. The nice man said that it was guaranteed and I believe him. I have to.

Now I will get all of my jobs done and call Pam before my departure to get my list of what I should bring. Then I'll pack. Then, I'll be going abroad. Next month. I'm counting the sleeps already.

Hands down huney....you are my favourite!!!

As we approach the end of March Break I honestly can't remember how I spent my days home from school while on the farm. Perhaps most days were spent back in the bush (in fair weather) or at the end of the driveway, playing in the township's largest puddle ever. That puddle and I were best buds for many years.

Now that I'm a practising Mom, I have mixed emotions about "staying home days". No longer can you let your child(ren) freely roam, alone, within a 5 acre radius of your home. Puddles are still alright with my 7 year old but, the 11 year old girl doesn't find puddles to be fun anylonger. There is a certain amount of guilt involved with parenting and keeping the offspring entertained is a tricky matter indeed.

Suffice to say that we've been experiencing a chillin' atmosphere in our home this week. One of waking up, staying in pajamas as long as possible, watching television until ones' I.Q. has been taken down a notch then, diving into what we "have" to do for the day. Yes, we did spend a day shopping in Ottawa which I'm happy to say was a delightful experience for all.

I raise my glass to other work-from-home parents who are/may be enduring March Break in their homes as well. I even feel for the offspringless souls out there just trying to do a quick dash into a drugstore or such to be faced with high numbers of short people in their paths.

Starting next week....I'll begin MY break!

Here I am! This has been a long and arduous journey of sorts which began for me with a creative sister and, unfortunately, a computer on crack. Now it is the same sister (thankfully), the addicted computer in the other room now and a fresh opportunity with the acquisition of a sleeker and way sexier keyboard.

Ahem, ahem....where was I?!

The creative juices from within have been seeping out of my pores for such a long time now that I'm glancing at my pillowcase each and every morning, searching for brain matter left there during my sleep. This has not happened yet and the ability to blog could not be at a better time in my life.

I need this.

I will return shortly to begin releasing my energies through my fingertips and, hopefully, entertain you along the way.

Prost!