The Advisor Advises

Earlier this week, I found myself setting off the security alarms at nearly every single retail outlet I walked into at 2 different malls, and some other stores.
As I was preparing to do some laundry this afternoon I found that my new pair of jeans still had this tag inside. You can probably guess what I wore to the mall... 

Well, I made a piece of functional furniture this week - and I didn't even use duct tape. We decided that this Christmas break would be a good time to move Z from his crib to a 'big kid' bed. He will be 1 of 2 kids this spring - so it has to happen sooner or later. I thought I'd be creative with the bed and make it myself. (insert chuckle here) I bought a 'handyman's' cart load of miscellaneous furniture pieces last fall that contained siderails and 28 pieces that would serve as slats (for mattress support). I also had a wooden fold down table top that was attached to the kitchen wall when we bought this house, and various pieces from a futon frame that I took apart a while back. Combine this with a bunch of screws and the appropriate use of a measuring tape and carpenter's square and VIOLA! I actually impressed myself. I still have a garage full of IKEA pieces that are just itching to become functional, but I think it might take another week off for that to happen.
The Nemo bedding was a present for Z... (I had to order it from someone in Florida, but that's another story for another day.) 

We went to the Museum yesterday. A and Z came along as a kind gesture when I said I wanted to see the exhibit of classic toys based on the 1996 book by David Hoffman: Kid Stuff: Great Toys from Our Childhood - but it turns out they enjoyed as much as I did. There were all kinds of hands on things...hula hoops, yo yos, View Masters, LEGO, Colorforms, Magic 8 Balls, Etch-A-Sketch, etc. etc. etc. All of the toys, of course, were partnered with a funky display and history/story of origin. Z thought the kid in this picture was him at first... It was well worth the $20 for the 3 of us to get in - if you are interested check it out soon, as it's only here until Jan 9. (If you go on Saturday or Sunday between 9 and 11 it's half price.) Z also enjoyed the Wild Alberta section of the museum - I never really noticed before, but the physical layout of this section is really well suited to exploring toddlers, I was impressed. And so was Z.

check out Kid Stuff, it's the link with the Mr. Potato Head. 

We went to IKEA yesterday morning - surprisingly unbusy for the day before the day before Christmas. Their $1 breakfast is hard to beat, and that's all we spent - can you believe it?
We just wandered around for a bit, and then I had to pick up some miscellaneous hardware for the bed I'm attempting to make for Z.
In the afternoon, Z's uncle John came over for a visit. He brought supplies for decorating 'Merry Christmas' cookies, and presents for all of us. Z's present was a kid's bible - really cool. Our present is pictured on the right. That's right, he brought us items that made us think he was heading to the food bank when he realized he hadn't got us a present :) When I looked closer, I saw that the actual gift was the 'Cooking' theme magnetic poetry kit. He did also mention that the French Fried Onions are for the green bean casserole that can be found at most quality potluck buffets - but A pointed out that they're also the secret ingredient in many of Red Robin's gourmet signature sandwiches...
Tonight is Christmas Eve service at church, and then the local family is over for appetizers and presents. It should be fun - I'll have to remember to bring out the Vienna Suasages.
For now, I'll leave you with the first complete sentence from the magnetic poetry kit:

never eat oyster flavor ed pickle d egg s 

The best part of my job is that we're completely closed down for 2 weeks over Christmas. It started last night at 4pm, and it feels so good! A & Z and I went to Edmonton's Candy Cane Lane with the Burns family to kick off the holiday. We spent almost 2 hours walking down the street and looking at Christmas/holiday decorations. Some were blatantly 'Christian' (not that Jesus instructed his disciples to deck the halls) and others were blatantly not. One house had an art installationthat took over their whole living room. It was over the top, but really well done. I tried a Starbuck's Eggnog Latte to keep my hands and tummy warm for the walk. A little too much nutmeg, and a little pricey, but we didn't feel guilty leaving the car in their parking lot, since we had bought our 'customer' status.
Today...IKEA breakfast and a bed building bee!