It's been HOW long?

Oh wow...talk about a MAJOR blank in time...I didn't realize how long it's been until I sat down down and actually thought about how many MONTHS it's been since I sat here...wow....

Anyhow, I'll try to keep this short and sweet with ample pictures...lol

First of all I started back at work...was given a terrible raise by corporate head office...realized how depressed I was that I was handing over more than 2/3 of my paycheck to a woman that also got to play with my baby all day...and then I was exhausted at the end of each of those days...so I couldn't even thoroughly enjoy my time with my little bean. And then to put salt on this terrible wound...our finances started to REALLY shift downwards...I was officially bringing home the same amount of funds as I did when I was living in Fernie...in LOW INCOME HOUSING. So I wrote my resignation letter..and asked to be let out of my 1 month contract (which each employee is required to sign upon being hired by CBI)...and left it at that. The next day I was told that I would have to abide by the contract that I had signed (which would be fine if I wasn't financially SCREWED...and if I hadn't been told, when I first started back, that I wouldn't be held to it should I decide it wouldn't work out) so I was devastated, as was my husband. HE was SO devastated, that he wrote a nasty letter to head office. It was intended for them....it was intended to let them know how stupid these rules are...it was intended to explain to THEM how bad our situation is....and yet it still circulated around then entire corporation, and back to my manager within about 15 minutes...she hauled my butt into the board room and lost it on me... understandable since after reading it, it looked like it was a nasty letter about her....unfortunately...I happen to LOVE my manager...and my administrator...and this was in no way supposed to involve them...too bad for me....it does...and it got them in hot water...and they were upset with me...sigh....what a mess.

As in true MIREILLE style...well...if you're gonna do it...do it with a bang. She let me leave that day...that afternoon...that minute. She told me she doesn't hate me but that she'd be lying if she said she wasn't cranky. And who could blame her? BUT as with everything..I tried to turn it into a good thing. This place has a HUGE staff turnaround...ALL the time....for the very same reasons.....$$$$$$$
So  I came home that afternoon and wrote a HUGE email to corporate....I told them everything I thought about them. The positive thing about what I wrote is that I had told them everything that EVERYONE thinks of them...It just so happened that I turned into the representative for all the staff that had left in the past. I don't really think that my little tiny letter will have any real affect on the way they do things, but maybe it will open their eyes and keep them aware for future staff...and maybe in the end my old boss and administrator will get a big fat RAISE!!!! How awesome would THAT be!?

Now as for cakes etc....Tony turned 31 in March, I turned 29 this month...again...and coincidently...SO DID MY MOTHER!!!! ahhh yes.....29..such a lovely ring to it, dontcha think?

Anyhow...there was NO WAY I was about to make and decorate my own cake...so we went to Safeway and bought a vanilla sheet cake. It tasted terrible...too dry...turns out, they don't even make these cakes anymore...they ship them in from Edmonton...sad.... we used to LOVE those cakes...they used to be soft and fluffy.....light and sweet...now they're dry and stale...damn. Oh well...the message on the cake was WICKED...so I had fun anyhow. For my birthday I got tickets to go eat at a Gala in June hosted and COOKED by Chef Michael Smith HIMSELF!!!!!! SWEEEEEEET!!!!! mmmmm....YUMMMMY!!!!! I'm stoked.

We also did a bit of renovating this past week. My parents were up as was my uncle and they went nuts around the house...new taps in the bathroom, laminate in the basement around the kitchen sink, wiring for a new stove....you know...basic things...but the piéce de resistance is the entrance...ceramic tiling...no more grungy carpeting....ahhhhh...a girl can BREATHE in this entrance!!!! Now...the sides aren't finished...but that's to be finished later...they only had X amount of time and so they did the hard stuff while they were here and we'll finish up when we get the chance...cause we have LOADS of spare time ya know....lol

As for my other cakes...I made some birthday cakes here and there...one is made with Guiness...and SOOOO good!!!!!

and I have a few orders for this coming weekend hopefully I can pull it all off with the new job that I just got...WHAT AM I DOING TO MYSELF!!!!! hahahahaha!!!!

Good thing it's actually a stress relief thing for me! hahahaha!!!!

Anyhow here are some yummy photos for you!

Zee entrance BEFORE...yuck.

Gross, disgusting, OLD carpet

Old Linoleum going to the basement

NEW CERAMIC tiles!!!! YAAAAY!!!

Zee entrance upon completion (sort of)

Zee view of zee stairs to zee basement (from the basement, looking up)

Strawberry cake with fresh strawberry frosting for a coworker that LOVED a cake I had made last year...I made note to remember her request a year ago of the flavor she would want...lol

Vanilla cake with vanilla bean frosting covered in marble fondant with fondant roses

the view of what my cakes look like once opened

For Tony's birthday, I had pizza delivered to his office for lunch. I asked them to decorate the box...and they even cut the pepparoni into heart shapes for me...How cool can Fort McMurray be sometimes hey???? YA!!!!!

Our favorite wine.....

Tony's birthday cake and dinner....it was SOOOO good! The cake is vanilla bean cake with chocolate mint buttercream and fresh raspberries

Zee GUINESS cake! This cake has Guinness beer as one of the main ingredients and the fondant is chocolate flavored....yummy!

Although my freestyle leaves something to be desired...I must say that I did a pretty good job on this...NICE!

This guy is made from gum paste and modeling chocolate....SUPER good!

I LOVE how his shoes turned out! lol

And on the inside of this beauty is green  cream cheese frosting....His birthday happens to be on St Patrick's day and his favorite beer is Guinness...What better combination really?? hahaha!!

MY birthday cake....Can you tell? hahahah!! Can you see how my face is all discombobulated from crying all day? hahaha!! WHAT A MESS!!!!

Joey's soccer team had a last game...so I made them bubblegum cupcakes with vanilla frosting and bubblegums on top

For my mum....Guiness chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting roses...YUMMMY!!!!!

As a thank you to my family and a happy birthday dinner for my mum....The best part is the huge rib-eye steak that's hidden underneath...SOOOO GOOD!!!!!!

This is my family...(missing joey) The night before they left after working their butts off...My mom was here to help with Nathan while Tony and I were at work as our nanny is in the Philippines for a month...It was a good 2 weeks of family goodness.....

And They're Off! Resolutions Here I Come!!

Alright everyone...it's confession time....I am not perfect. hahaha!! Ummmm....soooo....why are there no shocked faces out there?? huh...really? hahahah!!!

Anyhow...down to business and here are some of my issues:
~I swear
~I have a TERRIBLE temper (at least once a month I do anyhow)
~I LOVE sleeping (my favorite place in the house is my bed)
~I DO NOT want to go back to work! (which brings me to my next confession)
~I LOVE being lazy (at least while at home)
~I don't stand up for myself NEARLY enough
~I have anxiety issues.....BIG TIME
~I have an eating disorder


Interesting...she really IS screwed up! And if you are wondering why in the world this girl is coming out and confessing these terrible things...well because they are things that need to be fixed...for me and my family.

If you don't know me very well...I'll give you a quick recap of the last 4 years...
I met my (now) husband online while trying to stay a far distance from men as I had recently discovered the guy I had JUST broken up with was big into drugs. I was a single mum living in low income housing at the time and had absolutely NO interest in being with someone like that...and therefore...ANY man at that time...He had lied to me over and over again trying to hide that fact (among other things I'm SURE) and I had a little boy to protect...so momma bear kicked in...he was kicked away and I decided to start fresh. So I joined lavalife and thought I'd play the computer game..but strictly with men from REALLY far away to avoid ANY potential of it turning into anything other then jokes on the internet. Then I met Tony...from Fort McMurray which is 12 hours away from where I was living at the time (Fernie BC)...and crap...the rest is history...Funny thing though...HE SAVED ME. He is my everything and I can't imagine my life without him. He teaches new great things everyday, believes in me, respects and treats me like a princess. He NEVER lets me fall and goes out of his way to make sure I feel loved everyday. He kisses my forehead in the mornings before he walks out the door, trying really hard to not wake me up (but I know he does this because he half wakes me simply by leaning over...mum ears...it's instinct...but I LOVE that he tries anyhow). He calls me within seconds of finding out I'm awake just to hear my voice and most days has coffee ready for me when I wake up. And HE'S the one that goes to work. I am a princess...no, scratch that...A Queen...or at least that's what he wants me to feel like, and just knowing that he wants this for me makes me want to make him happy everyday. He's is my everything.

Ok...so that wasn't so quick...but it was necessary...The rest is pretty crazy...but I'll keep it short & sweet:
My sons' father & I came to an agreement 2 years ago for me to move to Fort McMurray to be with Tony...and to take our son Joey...The agreement was alternating primary residence for 4 years and then when Joey turned 14, he was to decide where he would live and finish high school. A respectful choice I think. This was something that kept everyones best interest in mind. I was able to relocate to be with my fiancée, Joey's dad finally had the opportunity to have his son live with him, and Joey was given the option of choosing where he felt the comfortable after spending reasonable time in each home...win/win/win. Then, 8 weeks after we moved up north, Joey's dad was tragically killed in an avalanche along with 7 of his friends. It was devastating. It happened on December 28th 2008 and was something that destroyed the entire town. Joey still has issues which will be a lifelong struggle, I'm sure. Worlds were altered and destroyed...lives were forever changed and a small town was shifted into a world of pain, which it likely didn't know could be humanly possible. It's a small town...and most people knew EVERYONE...but even if they didn't know all that were killed, they at least knew some...And so a town mourns...We just passed the second anniversary. It was hard, but life moves on and so must we.

So as a result of this life altering experience, Tony and I decided that staying on birth control was really stupid...What's it for? To keep me from having a baby...something we wanted to do right after we were married, which was only months away anyhow...what if something happened in that time and we lost out on that chance? So we decided to go off birth control and take our chances. What was the worst that could happen? I got pregnant? Oh darn!...and...well...I did. In April we found out we were expecting and that meant I needed a different wedding dress! Got one...got married...had a blast...good times. (PS...the dress I replaced my original with, was never shown to me...she said she had an empire waist but in a size 12...I said I would take it...but I was a size 6...and then the seamstress FORGOT to alter the dress. Ya...that's right...I'm THAT kind of cride...lol...good thing I have 2 awesome aunts who do that sort of thing too! haha!)

Then we found out that Joey has ADD...and ODD...so that means Attention Deficit that had not been dealt with in time therefore resulting in oppositional defiance disorder. Awesome. But it explained a lot. He wasn't very nice sometimes....and so we rectified the situation with medication. The reasoning behind this decision was the fact that he still hadn't started grieving his fathers loss even months after the accident, he suffered from anxiety and he had twitches to top it all off. OH...and by the way...my son has NEVER slept through the night...he's 12 years old...have you ever seen The Machinist? That was my fear....So this medicinal therapy will help him concentrate on things in a manner which is manageable and he can focus on getting things done. So far so good. I'm happy..but more importantly...HE'S happy.

Then I had that baby of mine....The little bugger couldn't wait to get back to the hospital...I gave birth to him in my doorway with my jacket on and the car running. Tony delivered Nathan with a wonderful 911 operator on the phone...then minutes after we gave birth to our healthy baby boy, the paramedics showed up and we made our way to the hospital...It was the CRAZIEST 10 minutes of my life...awesome....simply awesome. On our way to the hospital, I realize my infant had a DOUBLE thumb..I freaked out...lost my cool...then Tony saw it later while bathing him at the hospital...he freaked out... lost HIS cool...and we were faced with the chaos of not knowing what that meant. In the end it only meant that he was like us... doing EVERYTHING the hard way...He goes for surgery next week to have the extra little tip removed and then he starts physio to retrain himself how to use his hand (good thing he really only just learned how to use in the first place...so it shouldn't be too bad...lol) Lucky for all, this was a freak thing thing is completely isolated...apparently it happens to 1/1000 babies...and after telling a WHOLE bunch of people...I started to realize that (something like) every 4th person I was telling, knew someone or OF someone that had a similar situation...it was really neat...and comforting...By the way...the birth in the door way thing? We were front page news...it was epic...hahaha!!!

That's really about it...oh wait..no it's not....
The eating thing. ok...so I am NOT anorexic...nor bulimic. I have a phobia of vomiting...and that, coupled with anxiety means I am on a downward spiral to badness of pandemonium. I am currently in very big trouble as I can't control the weight loss. When I got pregnant, I weighed 130lbs..a healthy comfortable weight. I was fairly fit...running every so often (a habit I had fallen out of since moving to Fort McMurray...I used to run 10km a few times a week...it felt WICKED to be in great shape!) Then after I had Nathan something triggered inside me and everything fell apart. I stopped eating...almost entirely. I've had this issue since I was 15 but was always able to keep in semi-check by staying active. I lost the feeling of hunger years ago and it can only be triggered if I exercise...it's weird...Anyhow...I feel nauseas ALL the time...I never feel hungry...I can't eat a full meal and in recent months I have increased my caloric intake to about 700 per day...
The other day I weighed myself and I am now down to 106lbs (my most recent pair of pants  that I purchased is a size 2!!)....It's really scary...so I started antidepressants and am DETERMINED to get back to a healthy weight...and size. I HAVE to...there is no alternative...unless you consider death an alternative...I have better things to do then die..like pick my nose....And so I will eat. and I will exercise again...and I will become healthy again...and I will be happy....

ummm....but I'm also probably going to continue to swear....likely like a trucker...cuz I'm badass like that...check it..huh...BAHAHAHAHA!!!

Oh ya...I made a few cakes last week too...but after reading all that chaos...who really cares about cakes hey? lol

This is Nathans little heart shaped thumb. He has 2 days left with it...Tony and I are having a hard time with the idea of surgery...but things like dexterity and gloves will be an unnecessary challenge for him in the future...so we are going ahead with the surgery...

The outer thumb tip will be the one removed. The surgeon is unsure of the extent of the surgery. Either he'll simply snip and sticth back together, or he'll have to reattach nerves, muscle tissue and tendons from one to the other...There's no way of knowing until he opens up my little baby's hand...

This is what my wedding dress looked like...turned out pretty good considering I bought it without even seeing it, and had it altered 1 week before the wedding (by half it's original size!!)...ya, I like to do things the hard way...Can barely tell I'm nearly 6 months pregnant too!

I just wanted to show this one off! hahaha! It was actually featured in the Halifax issue of Wedding Bells Magazine!!! 15 minutes of fame BABY!!! woo hoo!!

This just shows the baby bump...thought I'd prove I really WERE preggers! tee hee hee!!!!

And, well...since it was his birthday last week...why not pay homage to my baby boy born in the doorway??

So...ok...the towel on my legs....placed on me by the paramedic closest to me..."to make me a little more comfortable" (personally...I think it was because nobody really wanted to see my wide open vagina that had JUST been ripped apart by the baby right in front of me...not the most attractive thing in the world I'm thinkin....) OH! and the EMT that's closer to the door facing me...his name is Adam...I JUST met him YESTERDAY!!!! we were at the doctors office and he was there with his lovely wife and HIS new addition. A beautiful baby girl...and just a side note...THEY made it to the hospital in time...lol

This is my baby boy...just a few minutes old....

this is me crying in the doorway....literally 10 minutes after I gave birth...WTF DUDE!?

A little baby being wrapped up...tee hee hee!!!

annnnd the view from my front door...230am...our poor neighbors!!! hahahahaha!!!!

TINKERBELL!!!

Not the most creative title...but let me tell you this...the amount of time it took to decorate this thing makes up for it! haha!

One of my friends has a BEAUTIFUL little girl who turned 3 last week and is absolutely in LOVE with TINKERBELL, so naturally twas a Tink sort of PAR-TAY!! She made the cakes, I made the fondant and frosting, and we tackled that thing like it were the Dallas Cowboys football team! It took us over 8 hours of decorating time...not to mention all the stuff before hand...I think there were a dozen different colors of fondant to make all the different colored leaves and flowers...then there was the waterfall (courtesy of a FABULOUS cake on the web) which took nearly 2 hours to make just on it's own. The flower on top was a beautiful touch by Melinda (my friend) and she had all the pretty little fairies that are friends with Tinkerbell...INCLUDING the big 'ol mouse...It was EPIC. My best efforts by far (in my opinion) with only the borders between the 2 top tiers that were flawed. Everything else was a masterpiece.

It seems like a perfect end to this cake decorating thing...sort of...I have a couple more orders to go and then I shall be taking a small hiatus simply to allow me brain the necessary space to add "jumping back into the workforce" to it. Maternity leave is ending, and as much as I LOVE decorating cakes, finances are calling and bills need to be paid, so the hobby must be put aside temporarily until I am back in the game. I DO have a few more cakes to make (including my little baby's very first birthday!!!) so tis not over!! and who knows...I am constantly finding myself going against what I say and so I might just end up giving in...and taking an order for a cake I simply CAN'T refuse...for example...ANYTHING...but that's because I'm a dummy and have ZERO will power. Making cakes is like drinking coffee to me...if I go too long without it, I start having withdrawals...headaches...mood swings...that sort of thing...lol

Anyhow, that was Tinkerbell, then one of hubby's coworkers called the other day asking for a last minute birthday cake. So naturally I said yes...tee hee hee!!! It was a super yummy 4 layer carrot cake separated with sweet, thick cream cheese frosting....DEE-LISH!!

Here are some yummy photos!!

At the party, the mouse was added, which was a perfect addition to this wicked work of art!!!

We had to put little bunches of cling wrap under the petals to keep it stable as it dried.

Between to 2 top tiers: the borders are flawed, but it's an easy fix. Next time I just have to remember to cut the bulbous part of the cake off...creating a flatter top...

Close-up of the waterfall. I LOVED the chocolate rock effects...they were tasty too! :) And the leaves turned out wicked as well!!

This was just a simple carrot cake made to order for a coworker of my husband.  TONS of cream cheese frosting between 4 layers of moist, delicious carrot cake!! mmmmmm.....