Sarah @ Barefaced Approach asked “What is your favorite thing to do when you get me time??”

It kind of depends. I often go through periods of interest in one hobby, then put it on the shelf for a while and fall back to an old hobby or pick up a new one {yay ADD}. Lately I’ve been reading, writing, and {no lie} cleaning. I don’t know what’s come over me with the whole wanting to clean thing, belated nesting maybe? Not that I’m complaining. Anyway, when Lucy gives me enough time for the set up and clean up I’m looking forward to painting again.

One Cluttered Brain asked:
“Have you ever considered vlogging?”

Ummm…I dunno. I’m not familiar with it. I don’t really know what it would entail. But now I’m intrigued. So yes, I have considered vlogging, just now at least. I guess I never really considered it before because I can’t imagine anyone wanting to watch me.

“How long have you been blogging?”

A really long time…at least, it feels like a really long time. I think I started my first personal blog in 2004. This blog began as a family blog back in April of 2008. I’d say I really started making the transition from family blog to a “blog blog” {whatever that means} last year.

“Why Domestic Dork? And WHO designed your blog header and gal at the top? It is fabulous! Did you pay them to design your blog or do you just know people?”

“Domestic Dork” because I’m a SAHM, but I’m not particularly good at keeping house. I’m very ADD which is just not conducive to order and cleanliness {just ask my mom what my room looked like when I was a kid}. I am a lot better than I used to be. But “dork” also applies to the fact that I’m just a big geeky, dweeb overall. I always have been. I never fit in growing up. But it’s gratifying these days to see that people like me for who I am, weird, geeky quirks included.

As for the design, I did it all. I try to be modest about it, but the truth is I’m really freakin’ proud of myself. I drew the cartoon of me and Lucy on paper first, then turned it into a digital illustration. I used to have a different design, also by me, but I like this one much better.

“I must know. Twitter or Facebook? Which is better?”

Ooooh, that’s a tough one. I think I enjoy Twitter better.  I do like uploading photos to Facebook. But overall, I think I’d have to pick Twitter. People seem more engaged on Twitter. And there are no annoying Farmville or Mafia invites, so that’s a plus.

“And it's random I know, but who WAS your fave Sesame Street character and WHY?”

Wow, it’s been so long since I watched Sesame Street. When I was a kid I think I remember liking Oscar, Big Bird, and Snuffleupagus best {no idea why}. I was more of a fan of the Muppets I suppose. But anything Jim Henson is great. Random fact: I actually used to do puppetry when I was a teen. It was a blast and something I miss doing.

Jessie Kaitlin asked “This is sort of a question about you and Mini-Dork. What sort of activities do you do through the day?”

Really? Not much. I probably spend too much time on the computer {something I’ve been working on changing}. I also like to read. Lucy’s going through a pretty needy stage right now so she doesn’t let me get a lot done. She likes to dance, and explore and whine {lots of that lately}. I do try to read to her daily, but she’s not quite got the attention span needed to listen to a book most days. Adam takes the car for school and work so we spend a lot of time at home, just enjoying each other’s company. But since moving there’s a lot more to do within walking distance {such as the library}. I’m looking forward to warmer weather so we can go more places, like the park.

Casey asked “Why do you consider yourself a ‘dork?’”

Well, I partially addressed this above. But let me put it this way:
Hermione Granger’s nerdiness + Ron Weasley’s laziness & scaredy-cat nature + Hagrid’s housekeeping skills + Neville Longbottom’s social ineptitude + Luna Lovegood’s quirks = ME.

“What has been your best parenting decision?”

Breastfeeding. Aside from the financial factor {we’re students, so money is tight}, and the fact that I don’t have to wash bottles, it’s been a very special experience. It kind of sucked at first {no pun intended}. But with time and support we got through the rough spots. The health benefits of breast milk vs. formula are awesome, of course. But there’s more to it than that. It’s an almost spiritual experience. Maybe it’s just the hormones that make me love it so much. But it’s been wonderful for Lucy and for me.

“What vacation destination do you recommend to people when they talk about going on vacation?”

If you can afford it, Paris. I was lucky enough to get to go with a relative my senior year of high school and I’ve been dying to go back ever since. The French are charming {the only rude people I met were Americans, be polite and you’ll be treated politely in return}. The city is beautiful. The food is amazing. And the art! Oh, the art! I could spend weeks and weeks just visiting museums.

Vyckie said “I'm curious to know who did the design too ~ did you do all this yourself?”

I did. :)  It took a lot of banging my head against a wall to figure out the coding bits. But there are lots of great websites out there with tutorials. I prefer the drawing part of the process.

Brittany asked “as an American who has had a desire to move to Canada since about middle school, I'd love to know: 1) What is your favorite thing about life in the Great White North? and 2) What do you miss most about life in the US of A?”

Honestly? The health care is why we originally moved here. Knowing my family will be taken care of medically no matter what financial position we find ourselves in is very comforting. But I’ve also found that Canadians, in general, are great people. They seem more laid back than a lot of Americans. Also, having a Tim Horton’s on practically ever corner is awesome {though perhaps bad for my waistline}. I also feel like Canada has taken some steps in the right direction that people are still fighting about in the US {like marriage equality}. 
What I miss most is my family, of course. But I also really, really miss Target. I also miss the USPS {I am not a fan of Canada Post}, and the price of cereal in the US {it’s really pricey up here,and the selection isn’t as good}. I also miss feeling like I know what’s going on. I mostly follow US news because I still don’t have a good grasp of how the Canadian government works.

Jenn asked “How do you decide what to write about/How do you narrow down your ideas?”

You know, I just kind of go with the flow. I just write about what interests me at the time. I narrow things down based on what I lose interest in. I sometimes come up with a bunch of ideas at a time, but by the time I get around to finishing the list I don’t necessarily feel excited by all my ideas anymore and they just fizzle out.

Insanitykim asked “When can I join your club and have a hat like that? And, can the hat ties be made of licorice?”

If you’re a follower, consider yourself in the club. And I don’t know about the licorice part but you can get a hat here or you can get one of many different similar hats and matching gloves {moose, owls, lobster, orca and more!} in adult or child sizes here.

Thanks for your questions! If you missed the last post and have a question just leave it in the comments and I’ll answer it there.

part 1

Other

Humor Me (comics):

• http://news.yahoo.com/comics/fminus;_ylt=Arge6iLM5v5Pmdb6L_UIKJwDwLAF We don’t get the paper, so I read my funnies online. I never miss F Minus, For Better or for Worse, Stone Soup, Get Fuzzy nor Pearls Before Swine.
• http://www.questionablecontent.net/about.php My favorite web comic, Questionable Content. It does, in fact, have questionable content just as a way of warning.

O Canada! (links related to moving to and living here in the Great White North):

• http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/index.asp Evil-evil-hardly-helpful-at-all website for immigrating to Canada.
• http://www.healthlinkalberta.ca/default.htm I can call Health Link and talk to a nurse about pretty much anything. And that rocks.

Trip (links related to our upcoming vacation):

• http://www.phdinparenting.com/2008/08/25/cover-up-airline-breastfeeding-policies/ A guide to different airline’s policies on breastfeeding (many of which are lame).

Running:

• http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeplus/ I <3 Nike+. It tracks my runs for me.
• http://running.about.com/ A very good resource for newbs like me.

101 in 1001:

• http://www.actsofkindness.org/ Inspiration for doing good deeds.
• http://www.thrilltheworld.com/learn Learn the Thriller dance. Heck yes!

LoLs (a series of sites that make me laugh out loud):

• http://dontjudgemyhair.com/ Ridiculous hair.
• http://icanhascheezburger.com/ The famous “LOL Cats.” Don’t miss their sister sites (i.e. Fail Blog, Lol News, etc.).

Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing just some of my bookmarks. Don’t forget to leave me your favorite links in the comments!

July 1st is Canada Day! As if in anticipation of the holiday I received my permanent resident card in the mail yesterday! Finally! I’m so happy to have it, even in all its “oh-my-Google-that-picture-of-me-is-awful-glory!” I also finished Lucy’s red and white tutu and made her a matching shirt. The shirt was a big let down. The wax paper stencil did not iron on properly so I had to paint the design more or less freehand (hence the asymmetry).

I used a metallic, red fabric paint for a little extra shimmer. If you want to make something similar don’t forget to put a piece of card board inside the shirt to prevent bleed through to the other side. And if you’re thinking of making a tutu I recently learned this helpful trick…tie the in-progress tutu around a chair or your leg (depending on the size) to keep it from moving around while you’re tying on the tulle.

I’m super excited to get Lu all dressed up. Check back tomorrow for part 2 which will include photos of the tutu in action, a recap of the festivities, and some of my thoughts on Canada!

What do you think of Canada (US citizens feel free to answer)?

Yesterday we made the long drive (but not as long as this drive) to Lethbridge. I had a late morning appointment with the immigration office. They weren't entirely clear ahead of time about the nature of the appointment. So imagine my surprise when the woman interviewing us casually turned to me and said "As of today you are a permanent resident of Canada."

Oh!

Well, AWESOME!

In 30 days I can expect my PR card which will finally allow me to leave the country and be permitted to enter it again. And I'm done giving them massive amounts of money (yesterday they required another $490). And I'm allowed to get a job or enroll in classes if I so choose (maybe some day, but not anytime soon). And I don't have to worry about losing my Alberta Health Care coverage. So, yeah, kind of a big deal (despite the casual manner in which we were informed).

As soon as we get our massive tax return I will so be on a plane to Ohio because a certain somebody needs to meet Grandma.

PS: Why in the name of all that is good and sane would a government building not have a single restroom available to the public?

Well, Monday we drove about three hours for the privilege of paying doctors and technicians to poke and prod me and evaluate various fluids. The results? I'm healthy and will not pose a threat to the health of Canadians if the government lets me stay here.

I could have told them that. But I guess they don't trust me.

All in all it wasn't a bad trip. It was inconvenient, sure (Adam missed class, I got blood drawn, it was a long drive). But it went pretty smoothly and it gave us an opportunity to stop at Ikea. We now have bookshelves, a desk chair for me, a cheap, simple high chair for Lucy, and an even cheaper potty (which she won't be needing for quite some time, but who knows when we'll get another chance to go to Ikea), and a few other odds and ends that had been on our shopping list for quite some time.

If I wasn't already in love with Ikea (and I certainly am) I would have fallen in love after using their nursing room. I don't mind nursing wherever I happen to be (though I prefer to sit in a chair of some sort). Usually it's easiest to just feed Lucy right on the spot so she doesn't get too upset to eat while I'm looking for someplace nice to sit. Sometimes I can anticipate a pending feeding session and will find someplace cozy. Ikea has someplace cozy. The nursing room is furnished with Ikea products (just like the cafeteria) including a real changing table (not one of those plastic things that folds down from the wall) and a super comfy leather chair. There are even toys in case baby has an older sibling who needs something to do while mum's nursing. And you can even control the volume of the store radio. And the room was clean. I was very pleased. If I could have I would have just chilled there for a while after Lucy was done because it was so nice. But I had to go sacrifice blood to the Immigration Gods.

ETA: So, Blogger decided to get all wonky on me and isn't loading the pictures correctly. To see them in all their glory you'll have to click on them. Sorry.

A lot has been going on recently. So here's a random collection of mini-updates and pictures.



Here's a shot of the "apple pear" I got at Safeway. I'm not exactly sure if I ate it "correctly" (am I supposed to wait for it to get soft like a pear?). The texture was OK but the flavor was pretty bland. I'd rather just have a regular apple or a regular pear. But at least now I can say I've tried one of these newfangled hybrid fruits.







Here's a close-up shot of the craft area. The lump on the left is my semi-functional sewing machine with a pillowcase to keep it dust free. This window looks out on the front


To the left of the desk is the closet (the only walk in closet in the whole house...too bad it's not in the master bedroom).


It's still pretty messy in the closet but I figure it doesn't really matter at the moment. We keep our linens (towels, rags, sheets, etc.) and my fabric for sewing in the drawers.


And here's one more shot of the bed. I just wanted to make sure you got a good look at the beautiful quilt Adam's mom made and gave to us as a wedding present (she also made us an incredible pottery set). At some point well get a bed skirt for the bed and put some storage underneath it. But the room is done enough. We've been making progress throughout the house but more needs to be done before I post pictures of the basement, kitchen, master, bathrooms, and Lovey's room.

I won't delve into the nitty gritty details (because really...my brain is already melted and I don't want to cause anyone else similar suffering). Suffice it to say that the processes involved in moving to Canada are confusing. And by "confusing" I mean "make you curl up in the fetal position and cry." And this is coming from an individual who:

* speaks English as her first (and only) language
* simply wants to be a legal resident (as in...not seeking citizenship and the right to vote or any of that jazz)
* is, by all accounts, a pretty smart cookie

So...what on Earth do people from Djibouti who speak- ok...Djibouti might be a bad example seeing as one of their official languages is French. Let's try again. What on Earth do people from Tanzania who speak Swahili do when they want to immigrate to Canada? That is...assuming someone from Tanzania can even afford the fees that go along with the paperwork (which are great and not refunded should you be rejected).

And riddle me this:

Why bother having a hot-line for immigration questions if you're never, ever going to answer it?

Why repeatedly instruct someone to apply for permanent residence within the first six months after entering the country but fail to inform said someone that they'll need to apply to extend their temporary status 30 days earlier than that?

How on earth am I supposed to figure out if I need to apply for "extension of temporary resident status as a visitor" or for "another temporary resident permit?" What's the difference? And if you answer with "why don't you ask immigration services" I will either refer you to my first riddle (if I can contain my rage) or completely lose it and smack you upside the head.

Are the forms, processes, etc. this confusing on purpose (to keep all but rocket scientists and brain surgeons from immigrating) or is the government really just that bad at keeping things relatively simple?

Is there someone, somewhere who, after years of slaving away in a government cubicle, grew bitter and made it their goal to make everyone else equally miserable by making this process as confusing as possible? If so...someone should get in touch with him. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to hear he made a pregnant lady cry.

Can I please have a word with whoever is responsible for the Canadian immigration website? I promise not to cause bodily harm. Honest!

And finally...

Seeing as I'm:

* not a terrorist
* not a criminal of any kind
* married to a Canadian and having his child in 3 months or so
* a pretty decent person
and
* not a burden to the Canadian people

Is it so much to ask that I just hang out here with my husband (without having to navigate a labyrinth, jump through flaming hoops, and walk the line of painsticks to complete the Rite of Ascension) while we wait for my permanent resident application to be processed?

PS: Can I please have a giant slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a big tall glass of milk and then curl up in a blanket and sleep until December?

This is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to be a morning person! But, here I am, wide awake. Not sure what woke me this morning...possibly the very loudly purring fur ball curled up on top of me. Lily (the usually anti-social cat) sleeping happily on top of you makes for a very sweet moment once you get past the uncomfortable parts. But it isn't exactly sleep inducing (particularly when she's sleeping right on your big pregnant belly). *sigh* Oh well.

So, a project I've been working on for some time now is my "Mama Book." It's basically a collection of articles and such on parenting topics such as breastfeeding, attachment parenting, circumcision, babywearing, and much, much more. In addition to being an excellent resource for me (for those moments when I say to myself "dang it! I KNOW I read about this somewhere...") it will also come in handy should I be one of those unfortunate mothers that gets criticized, ridiculed or otherwise treated shamefully for my decisions about how I raise my baby. Nothing like having page upon page of research to back you up. Of course, I don't know who I expect to give me a hard time. Certainly not my mother or mother-in-law. They're way too cool for that. But I've heard too many horror stories from other women to assume I'll get by without incident.

But, like I said, it's a great resource for me. By the time I'm done it'll basically be the best child-care manual ever. And I've started including some "motivational" materials as well, such as talks given by Church leaders. This one in particular meant a lot to me. And I've got some funny little cartoons and stuff to throw in there as well.

Adam and I have been meaning to get some sort of oil lamp for a while now (mostly in case of power outages which seem to be relatively common here but also just because they make a beautiful, warm light source). We've settled on getting a hurricane lantern (like this). They're just a lot more cat-proof than the all glass ones (like this). It's too bad the cats can't be trusted because I love the old lamp style. At any rate, we hadn't been able to find one in town. And in addition to wanting to avoid shipping costs Adam was anxious to get our lamp ASAP. So he pulled out the phone book today and called around to see who might carry them. Canadian Tire had hurricane lanterns for about $13 (score!). What they failed to tell Adam is that they were going to be closing in about 5 minutes because of Labor Day (which is weird since typically retail goes crazy on Labor Day). So we got over there only to discover a deserted parking lot and locked doors. Adam was quite forlorn and understandably annoyed at the guy on the phone who didn't think that the early closing hour was pertinent information. At least we had other errands to run at nearby locations so it wasn't a total waste of gas.

I've been told that papaya enzyme is a great way to kill pregnancy heartburn. You can get little capsules or (so I'm told) dried papaya works great. Since I've been battling heartburn a little bit lately (and the Tums just aren't cutting it) I've been looking forward to getting some dried papaya (and hey, the yum factor is a definite plus). So while we were out running errands that was on the list of items we needed. Adam spotted a bag at Wal-Mart but it wasn't a particularly well priced bag. And the papaya slices had added sugar. Believe me...I get plenty of sugar in my diet already. So I passed. After all, Superstore (where we were headed next for our groceries) has a pretty awesome selection of dried fruits...


...except papaya.

I think I might be the world's first invisible pregnant lady. I keep hearing stories about how when you're pregnant strangers treat you differently. Some treat you wonderfully: holding doors open for you, letting you cut in front of them in lines (especially for the bathroom), that sort of thing. Others treat you not so wonderfully (and if you find yourself in the following description you should know that the utter disdain and loathing the pregnant population has for you is quite strong): making comments about your weight, passing along old wives' tales and labor horror stories, touching your belly without first asking for permission, inquiring as to the state of your cervix, breasts, or some such body part, etc. But so far I've got nothing. No nice stories about helpful individuals and no horror stories about people who seem to think a pregnant woman's body is open to discussion or touching. Now, I'm not too disappointed about the latter (although I'm sure such incidents would make for PRIME blog material). But I do find it odd that no-one seems to notice the big round thing attached to my front. It makes me wonder if I could get away with smuggling basketballs under my shirt. It also makes me wonder if maybe I just don't get out enough to be running into these people.

You know what's sad? My cat (Girla) is so fat that I can hear her clump clump clumping long before she actually walks into view. She's not exactly lazy. She gets plenty of exercise chasing specks of light and shadows. But somehow she's just big. She's always been big. I guess she'll always be big. But even fat cats are supposed to be graceful right? Even fat cats are supposed to walk silently (in order to sneak up on their prey) right? Girla would starve to death if her food posed any more of a challenge than walking to the bowl and munching.

I've discovered some added bonuses to living in Canada (besides the whole universal health care thing):

* I still get enough news about the election to know what's going on, but not enough to be driven entirely insane.
* Drivers here actually seem to care about pedestrians. Provo drivers could learn a thing or two from their neighbors to the North.
* People don't think I'm a total hippie because I care about the environment and like to eat organic food.
* We can use the word "eh" without anyone batting an eye.
* I can get poutine.
* People have some seriously awesome (but strange) garage sale hours (this may be a local thing rather than a Canadian thing). Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me how many people keep their garage sale running until 5pm!

And, in closing, I have provided a link to Medicine Hat's Wikipedia page. You know, just in case you were interested or something. (Disclaimer: the teepee is, in my opinion, not just highly overrated, but not really a teepee - if it doesn't keep the rain off or the wind out it shouldn't count).

Monday was one of those days that makes you want to stay in bed the next morning. Along with the house still not being ready for us our old landlord is trying to cheat us out of $200 of our damage deposit (we checked and he has no legal right to do this). We went bowling in the evening to try to relax, have some fun and not think about this landlord (who we have had about a million problems with) and in addition to me being horrible at bowling I pulled a muscle. Then when we left we had a flat tire which Adam couldn't get off (even with help) because one of the nuts was stripped. So we had to walk back to the motel (which was uncomfortable with a pulled muscle) and wait for someone from Church to come and help. The next day we got the tire patched (for free) but then discovered yesterday that the stupid thing has to be replaced anyhow to comply with the Canada import inspection. We're going to be dropping $350 for repairs to satisfy those requirements (and that doesn't include the hundreds of dollars it takes just to get the inspection, import the car, and register it). Of course this is after weeks of trying to work with the government who lost our paperwork, and then wanted something different when they finally got it. Oh, and did I mention out car battery died and had to be replaced? I also managed to pull another muscle last night. The bowling injury healed very quickly but whatever I did last night is still painful. Walking and sitting is not pleasant so I'm stuck lying down or sort of half lying half siting. Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.

The good news is we are now out of the motel! We have lots and lots of unpacking to do (which is hard when walking is painful) and there are still a lot of little things that haven't been finished but the house is livable. Once all our furniture is put together again and we're settled in I'll take some pictures. It's hard to believe this is the same place I posted pictures of a few months ago. It's so nice! And the colors are so happy!

The cats are handling the move pretty well. Girla spends a lot of time hiding in the basement but did spend some time in our bedroom last night. Lily has discovered our high definition big screen TV for cats (a.k.a. the sliding glass doors). She's been laying in front of the back door almost ALL DAY.

We're going to have to get some things for the kitchen (mainly something that can function as storage and extra counter space). The few cabinets we have in the kitchen are really difficult for me to access (because I'm short) and there is just not enough counter space for cooking and baking. Adam will probably build something and we found a used freestanding pantry-thing for a great price. I really want to paint the doors on it with chalkboard paint but Adam isn't convinced that's a good idea.

Our new address is available on my Facebook profile for those who are on my friends list.

We're hoping the internet will be up and running by the end of the day (I'm piggybacking on someone's wireless right now...shame on me). We'll be doing our home phone through VOIPGo (and yes, we'll also use the free Skype for those of you who have that). Since our phone is going to be through our internet service which is still not ready I can't yet tell you what the number is. But it should be all squared away soon and we'll then have unlimited long distance for Canada AND the US.

And in 13 days I will hopefully be able to tell you if this little one is a girl or boy! Either way he/she is growing! Once the cord for our digital camera is unpacked I'll post some new belly pics.

Well, things are finally falling into place. Adam got a job today with a construction company in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Because of his experience he's getting $16 and hour starting with time and a half for hours worked over 44 each week. He'll also be getting paid for driving time to get to the construction sites. And there is definite potential to move up and become a team leader (which could net him $24 an hour). And of all the random coincidences...the owner of the business who offered him the job is a member of the Church! Adam will be working long days...but that means he'll be getting 6 or more hours of overtime a week! And if he decides to take and classes to get carpentry certification the company will pay half the cost!

Now we just have to find an apartment. We've made a bunch of inquiries today. The most expensive apartment we've "looked" at is $800 a month (which includes utilities). And even if I can't find a job (highly unlikely by the way) we can actually afford that on Adam's income alone. But I'm hoping the 600-something and 700-something apartments will suit our needs (all of these are two bedrooms). It's a little nerve wracking picking a place we can't look at first but if worse comes to worse we can always move when our lease is up. Medicine Hat seems like a really nice town and I'm looking forward to this move immensely.

Paperwork is going to cost us a fortune ($1040 to get a permanent resident card) but it looks like everything should work out just fine. Apparently I can get Alberta health insurance before I even get a worker's permit or the permanent resident card! Things are looking quite nice right now. God's really taking care of us lately.