Purse # Two and Bonus Crazy Kid Pictures

I went down to our free-cycle spot this week and found a great score! There was a man's leather coat that I brought home and promptly cut to pieces. So much fun. I made another purse last night and it turned out so cute. Thanks for advice on the first purse everyone. I think this one turned out much better.

The pictures don't quite do it justice as to how cute the purse is. I was able to do most of it on my sewing machine. I still need to get some longer, nicer zippers so I can make some more.
And now on to the bonus crazy kid pictures.

Cavan insisted on wearing his brothers (clean) pull-up on his head.
Such a lunatic.

Future Farmer!

Hillbilly with a capital H.

While I usually refer to myself as coming from a family of rednecks, most days I think the term hillbilly is much more suitable. Here is Cavan showing off some of his hillbilly fashion sense:

Mental Block

The last couple of weeks have been busy and fun, however they have not been productive on the weight loss front.

I think I have hit a bit of a mental block (and the large quantity to birthday cake didn't help either). I have been overweight pretty much my entire life. There has never been a point where I have liked my body. Over the last few years I have grown to appreciate it more for what it can do, such as grow another human being. Does it sound odd when I say I like me, but not my body?

The dark part of my brain keeps telling me why bother? Why will things be better if you lose 50lbs? Or 150lbs? You have hated your body at every weight you have been at, so what is the point? I feel as though I am sabotaging myself in little ways each day.

Now the brighter, smarter part of my brain knows the truth- getting this weight off will improve my health, I will live longer and I will be able to keep up to my kids. Even though I know this, why can't I stop the excess eating?

I think this is where the dark side of having an addiction comes out. I am a diagnosed compulsive over-eater/binge eater. Having a food addiction isn't much different than any other addiction such as alcohol or drugs. What I need to do is go back to the lessons I learned in my year of counseling and put them back into practice and I need to do this every day. It is just too bad that people realize that giving a beer to a recovering alcohol is bad, but offering a big piece of cake to me is fine. I dream of a world without food!

And ending on a good note- even though I haven't had the best couple of weeks, I haven't gained back any of my thirty pounds. So everyone, keep harassing me every day. Tell me to walk out of my kitchen, that my quality of life will improve, that it is all worth it. Thanks everyone!

In Love

Cavan with his love interest- the adorable Lilou:

New Sewing Projects

With the birth of Cavan a year ago, my favorite hobby was put on hold. I was a mitten making machine last winter and have missed sewing so much! Friends told me that in time I would get back at it as the boys started to play more independently and they were right. I have been getting down to my sewing room every couple of days. I throw a movie on the big tv downstairs, break out some toys that they haven't seen in a while and disperse some goldfish crackers around for them to find. I can usually get about 45 minutes at a time!

I have a lot of little leather and fur scraps that I wasn't sure how to use. Last summer I saw a little change purse at Value Village and thought I could probably make something along those lines. So this week I gave it my first attempt. It turned out not too bad! I need a zipper that is probably two inches longer though and I want to attach some kind of wrist strap that comes out of the end of the zipper. Please give me some feedback on it folks! All suggestions for improvement will be much appreciated. I also don't know what to call it. I think it is a bit big for a change purse and a bit small to be called a purse. Any thoughts??

Black seal and elk hide mini purse:

Next time I need to measure better for the zipper- I have a bit of a gap at the end.

A pen in there to show how big it is:

I also finally finished a pair of beaver mittens I had been working on since November! In my sleep deprived state I cut the fur out wrong- it is facing the wrong way. But they still came out pretty nice! They are fleece lined.

I started these seal mittens on our trip to Mayo and finished them this week:

Hunter is going to be devastated.

For Christmas we bought Hunter a fantastic train table and wooden train set. It looks like this:

Okay, not my kid, and a few different pieces, but you get the idea.

However, with a brother who is also referred to as Captain Destructo (No, we never use his real name. Ever. That would be silly.) the train table usually looks like this:
Captain Destructo finds immense pleasure in grabbing pieces of track and dispersing them around the house, much to Hunters dismay. We tried a suggestion from a friend- gluing the entire track down. Matt spent an hour and a half setting the track and gluing each piece down to the table. The next morning Captain Destructo had pulled off the first piece in under five minutes. I thought Matt was going to cry, or pull his hair out in frustration, or give Captain Destructo to the gypsies.

Today Captain Destructo spent the day climbing onto the train table, getting right to the centre, and then playing Godzilla:
Tonight, Matt and I decided to put away the train set for a while. Probably for a few months at the least. I feel so bad for Hunter; he really loves the train set but just gets so upset when Cavan destroys it. Plus I am so tired of chasing Godzilla away from it. I thought of setting it up in the spare room downstairs, but he is still too young to go down and play by himself. We left out all of the trains so he can still drive them around on the floor and hopefully he will be content with that. At least this a toy that they will not outgrow quickly. Thankfully spring is here and we spend a lot of time outside playing now. Maybe it will just be a winter toy.

Happy Birthday Cavan!

How is it possible that a year has already gone by?

Milestones:

• grown from 9lbs 2oz to 24lbs
• running fast enough to almost stay ahead of his big brother
• not much hair than he was born with
• can say: pup-pup, ball, mom, dad, ma-bub (bottle/boob), no, at (cat)
• can crawl up stairs
• enjoys the taste of sand/dirt/rocks/anything found on the kitchen floor
• knows how to turn off the tv during morning cartoons to piss off his big brother
• 14 teeth (six are coming through all at once!)
• has yet to sleep through an entire night
• favorite toys are balls
  
• favorite thing to do with a ball is throw it down the stairs and then scream for its return
• knows what "NO" means but chooses to ignore it
• screams with glee when he sees the quad
  

Two days old:

361 days old:

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY CAVAN!

Tackling the Hill

The community of Faro is spread out over a hillside and I live at the top of that hill- Upper Bench. The positives of living at the top are the great view, larger and newer homes, and bigger yards. The only negative of living at the top of the hill is the walk home. I love to go for walks around town, but I absolutely hate walking back up the hill. That hate had turned almost to fear that I might not be able to do it while pushing the stroller with the boys. It seems so silly that I would be scared of walking up a hill now doesn't it?

Finally last week I told myself to get past that hate and fear. Instead of just doing my usual 1km loop around the Upper Bench, I did a 1.5km loop that involved going down the hill and then back up again. I hadn't walked up that hill in over a year and for some reason it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it to be. I was pushing the double stroller filled with 55lbs of boys and a metal dump truck that a certain someone got sick of pushing. It didn't even take me that long and I only stopped a couple of times to catch my breath.

Then the next day a friend asked me to go for a walk with her brood of five (she runs a dayhome). So off we went with seven kids, two pedal bikes and two strollers. We did 4km in an hour and a half, not bad considering all of the stops we had to make. And I went up the hill on the way home! I was elated that I did that walk with no problems (other than a damp foot after rescuing Hunter from a snow bank with slush hidden underneath).

This morning I headed out and did my 1.5km loop with the boys and I am hoping to get out this afternoon for another walk. I am so glad I got over my hate of the hill. I am sure pushing that stroller uphill is good for downsizing my ass and boosting my esteem. Now what irrational fear should I conquer next?

Nap Time

Power napping during lunch:

Booby!

**This post mentions boobs a lot and nipples a little! Consider yourself warned!

Cavan will be a year old this week and he is still in love with the boob. I cut Hunter off when he was just eight months old because he would not stop biting. At times I thought he was going to tear my poor nipples right off. Sometimes I had to wedge my finger in between his jaws to pry his chompers off. It was pretty painful. He happily latched onto a bottle when I offered it as an alternative and he never looked back.

Cavan is a completely different story. I have been trying to coax him to take bottles and sippy cups for the last six months and he has refused right up until the last couple of weeks. Now he screams with anticipation at the top of his lungs for the entire process of me filling up and warming a bottle or sippy cup for him. But he still keeps coming back for boob. I want him weaned in the next few weeks, so there are no longer any more nighttime visits with the booby. During the day he is only allowed visits with the booby two or three times. I am not sure how I am going to get him completely weaned. Perhaps he will have to go cold-booby.

One area I know is going to be hell is bedtime. I still boob him to sleep and then put him in his crib. It is just so much easier since we are dealing with a toddler who has bedtime issues of his own (those damn tigers are still out to get him). Hopefully he will turn to the bottle for his evening comfort instead of my boob, but I think a lot of screaming is going to be in my future.

I am finding it a little hard to stop boobing him just because he is so darn cute when you say the word, "Booby!" He waves his hands, starts to giggle, stamps the ground impatiently and just gets so excited. I took some video so I can torture him later in life.

Please share any weaning advice you have!!

Booby! from Kara Went on Vimeo.

Photo Comparison

I was asked to get a picture up of myself to show off my awesome 30lb weight loss. I had Matt take my picture this week and am comparing it to one that was taken in early January where I was pretty much at my heaviest. And even though I haven't lost anymore weight over the last two weeks, I have still maintained my 30lbs through eating chocolate and peeps at Easter and having a number of meals out during our week in Mayo. I am happy with that!

I am grinning because I am fitting pants that I could not just a few months ago:

Here I am in January. I really notice the weight loss from my face in these pictures!

Thanks to the Mama-Bear

This spring marks eight years since I graduated from UNBC with my first degree. I still get greeting cards from the mother of one of my dearest (and evilest) friends from university even after all this time!

Recently my friends mother, Mama Bear, asked what sizes the boys were wearing. Soon after two gorgeous, hand-made sweaters arrived in the mail for them. The spring weather makes for perfect sweater time!

Thank you Mama-Bear taking the time to make such lovely sweaters for my boys even though you have three grand-kids of your own that keep you busy. Hand-made gifts just ooze love and thoughtfulness!

Handsome in Handmade:

Marvelous Mayo!

My one week all expenses paid vacation to Mayo was such a blast! I am so glad the kids and I decided to accompany Matt while he had to work there. The weather was above zero and sunny almost the entire week. I felt so relaxed hanging out in Mayo, avoiding my large to-do list back in Faro.

I finally got the chance to meet a woman and her husband whom I have been corresponding with for about half a year but had yet to have a chance to meet in person. What great people! They fed us a huge turkey dinner when we arrived there last Monday. Hunter was in love with their little dog and was calling for him in his sleep a couple of nights! We got in a number of visits over the run of the week and I cannot wait to go back there for a visit this summer to do some camping so we can chat again!

We also had supper out with some folks who just moved there from Faro. We had take-out Chinese food from the restaurant with them that was so delicious. I drank a few glasses of red wine while visiting and even the kids were quite well behaved!

While Matt was working, the kids and I would head out for at least two walks a day. We also made a couple of visits to a free-cycle store and found some spiffy items to take home. The library was nice to visit even though I am pretty sure we have more kids books in our own home than they have. I was hoping to take in a beading/sewing class, but Matt got called in to work so I had to skip that one. We played on playgrounds and splashed in every single puddle in Mayo. Twice. At least.

I also survived an entire week with only checking my email once! However, I did take in a lot of shows on the satellite (even the bad talk shows in the afternoon while the kids napped). I finished off a pair of beaver mittens and got a good start on a pair of seal mittens.

The community was friendly and quite quiet. I am really looking forward to future visits to the area with the camper and maybe the quads for more exploring.

Matt trying to convince Cavan to walk in his boots. Not much success yet!

Heading out for another walk.
Hunter pushed that dump truck all over town on our walks.

Puddle Exploration

An accidental shot that turned out pretty nifty!

Spring thaw in Mayo:

Taking the leap:

Loving the splash!

Looking goofy:

**Sorry Ann- no pictures of me! I will get one up soon though so I can show off the thirty pound weight loss!

Thanks For The Outfits, Grandma!

Thanks for the Easter outfits, Grandma! We look so dashing in them.

Well behaved when apart....

Attacking monster monkeys once in arms reach of each other...
I love this picture! A true representation of how they act every day.

Off to Mayo

The blog might be a bit quiet over the next week as we will be hanging out in Mayo. We are all packed, house-sitting is arranged, and I just need to fill the cooler with some food.

I am looking forward to exploring a new community. Hopefully the weather stays nice so I can walk off the flock of Peeps, mound of chocolate, and ass of pig I scarfed this weekend!

**Next weight loss goal has been set! I plan on having ten more pounds off by the time my in-laws arrive on May 16th. That would give me a total of forty pounds... I am still shocked that I have lost thirty so far.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Easter!

Homes for Sale in Faro, Yukon

I notice from my stat counter that a number of people end up on our blog by searching for information about homes for sale in Faro. One of the real perks to living in Faro is the extremely reasonably priced real estate. No where else in the Yukon has home prices like this!

Today I went around town and took pictures of homes that have for sale signs in them. I think there might be a few more that are unofficially on the market, but I have not included any of them here. I have included links to homes that are up on actually real estate websites. If any of the others interest you at all, let me know and I can get you in touch with the owner.

Lower Bench. Click HERE for more info.

Lower Bench. Bed and Breakfast. Private Sale.

Middle Bench. Bed and Breakfast. Click HERE for link.

Upper Bench. Sign says Coldwell Banker is selling it, however I cannot find a listing on their website.

Upper Bench. Private Sale.

Upper Bench. Click HERE for more info.

Upper Bench House. Click HERE for more info.

Upper Bench. Private Sale.

Upper Bench. Click HERE for more info.

Upper Bench. Sign says Coldwell Banker is selling it, however I cannot find the listing on their website.

Upper Bench. Private Sale.

Upper Bench. Private Sale.

The Easter Bunny Will Be A Bit Late....

I think the Easter Bunny may be a few days late hiding eggs this year. He is going to need a few days to sleep off his hangover! It looks as if him and a couple if his good buddies got a little rowdy last night, had a bit too much to drink, and passed out on some outdoor gym equipment here in Faro. But at least they didn't try to drive home in their intoxicated state.

The incriminating pictures of the Easter Bunny. I might use it for blackmail to get a few more chocolate eggs this year.

Frog and Tiger have been known to party hard...

I decided to let them sleep it off instead of calling the RCMP and having them put in the drunk tank. Although, next time I might not be so kind.

**Thanks to whoever did this! Lots of people have had a good laugh at it today, and it really made our day! Brings back some memories of crazy-ass stuff I did as a teenager.