Makin' Bacon

Oh boy.  There is no other way to say this - I am baconed-out. Not sure how it is possible either, but it is the truth.  Bacon, some call the meat of the gods, was the guest of honor at my house last night for the first Wemindji Bacon Party.  I am considering making this an annual thing, it depends if I will regain my taste for bacony goodness (who am I kidding, I'll probably have it with breakfast tomorrow). 

So as I mentioned, it was the Bacon Party last night, clearly the social event of the YEAR.  The instructions were simple.  Bring a dish of the bacon persuasion.  People really got creative and the offerings to the bacon gods were delicious!  On the menu was:

Bacon Chili Fries
Bacon Dip
Candied Bacon and Ice Cream
Loaded Bacon Potato Skins
Bacon Brownies
Bacon-wrapped Scallops
Bacon-wrapped Hot Dogs
Bacon Cups filled with Scrambled Eggs
Bacon Cinnamon Buns
Bacon Chowder
Bacon Peanut Brittle
Bacon and Prosciutto Salad

Needless to say it was a delicious night and I immediately got the meat sweats hardcore.  I think I woke up in the middle of the night in a bacon rage and hallucinated.  Anyways, it was great to catch up with people from school and the community as we all spend a nice time unwinding after the first week back at school from Goose Break!

My Goose Break, after car repairs and what not, was relaxing but went by very fast.  I squeezed in the requisite shopping and trips to the storage unit (where I grabbed as many of my books as I could to bring up with me, what can I say I am sucker for a paper page!!)  I was happy to be able to spend an early Mother's Day with my mom and Eryl as I would be travelling back to Wemindji on the actual day.  We went to our favorite Thai place in Burlington and had a nice time.  I got to see my sister Hilary a bunch which was really nice as well!  I went to a wine-tasting party at my friend's Kelly and Ryan which was a new experience and very fancy!!!! I may have missed the point but in the end I tasted some great wine and got to catch up with some of my oldest and closest friends.  I was really happy to pitch in a little and help Katherine and her mother do a little prep for her upcoming summer Bridal Shower.  Things are picking up and I am soooo excited to take part in all the upcoming festivities!!! I am particularly excited for the Bachelorette Spa day I have planned for Katherine and a handful of our friends.  We are heading to the Scandinave Spa in Blue Mountain area.  A day of pampering is just what the doctor orders after a long year of teaching (I have asked for a male masseuse LOL JK..) Since it is a little pricey and not everyone is able to make it, I will be arranging an alternative celebration for those who can't make it.  This summer is already gearing up to be busy as ever but I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with my best friends and family. The ride home was uneventful (thank god) and we made it in one piece with fairly decent weather for half of the trip and just rain and some snow for the rest (I know, I don't want to talk about it).

Until the summer however I am back at school in the full swing of things.  I am dreading having to teach multiplication and division to my students in the upcoming weeks and am procrastinating like a beast on planning for that.  Math is not my strong suit lets say.  I will be scouring the Internet for fun and interesting (and Aidan-friendly) ways to teach this to my grade 2s! I will also be embarking on a rather ambitious project involving writing a how-to manual of sorts for planting and growing bean plants.  I have mason jars (see-through so we can watch the roots grow), tons of potting soil, bean seeds, gardening gloves, mini trowels and a watering can.  I am pretty excited to get started and teach the kids how to take care of a fragile living thing and learn some responsibility!  My class is already really good at taking responsibility for classroom jobs and for their own belongings so it will be fun to see how they transfer that into being responsible for a living thing!  It will also be very cool to see the growth of our bean plants in the classroom.  The soil in Wemindji is very sandy since we are right on a river and not much grows here, that and the cold temperatures for most of the year make growing things outdoors difficult.  We are getting a lot of sunlight now though so growing in our classroom windows should be no problem!

We also got our placements for next year finally!  I am SO happy to announce that I will be teaching Grade 1 next year with Monika and Marsha!!! There will be 3 grade 1 classes of about 17 each due to an explosion in the population several years ago so we have our work cut out for us!  It will be just a little taste of the South and I am up for the challenge after a year of only 13 kids.  I have two awesome teaching partners who are imaginative and creative and so much fun and I am super excited to work with them.  We will be joined in our cycle by Karen and Meredith who will be teaching Grade 2.  Overall our cycle will be pretty rocking.  I will be sad to say goodbye to my current partner Stacy as we have had two good years together.  I really wanted the chance to move around and get experience in different grades, and I am earning my Primary Specialist qualification this fall so it was just a good opportunity for me to take and I am pleased with my placement. 

Monika's look-a-like sister Raquel has joined us in the Great White North to work and play in the wilds of Wemindji.  The kids are mesmerized (some traumatized) by how similar they look but nonetheless its great to have her up and be able to show her around this great town and all of its awesome people! 

Anyways, I have promised myself a night in (while my tummy heals itself from last night's bacon abuse) and have tomorrow booked for planning in the classroom, a follow-up visit to the physiotherapist to check on my healed butt, a brunch with the ladies and the season premier of THE BACHELORETTE!  Hey, everyone gets their one "trashy" show, that's mine. 

Beautiful class artwork! Recreations of Van Gogh's Sunflowers

Mosaics of Eric Carle book covers!

Add caption

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Brookdale Crew!!

Little Prince and I

Fam Jam

My empty van waiting to be filled.  Oh and filled you shall be.

Halfway done!

Tada!

FINALLY got my rolly thingy built!  All I had to do was almost have a nervous breakdown trying to build it myself, wait 4 months, drive it back down to IKEA, return it,  buy a new one and pay IKEA to built it for me in my house! It took one guy 30 minutes what I couldn't accomplish in 4 months!  I AM A WINNER!

My delicious bacon chili!!!!!!!!

FRONT YARD IS NO LONGER COVERED IN 5 FEET OF SNOW!

Got my BBQ and deck furniture out!  BBQ season is almost upon us!!!

Vincent's bacon brownies

Meredith's bacon and prosciutto salad

My Epicure Bacon, Cheddar and Chive dip

Monika and Raquel's bacon cups with scrambled eggs

Sam's bacon-wrapped hot dogs

Karen's bacon-wrapped scallops

Marsha and Jeremy's loaded bacon potato skins

Danielle's bacon and peanut brittle

My bacon table!!!!!

Marsha's opinion of Carmen's cinnamon bacon rolls

Songza app was not helpful in choosing music for the night.

Precious boy who I miss so much.

The Wheels on my car go POP POP POP

Well well well. I hate to sound overly pessimistic and negative but I am seriously starting to take inventory and try and figure out what I have done in my life to invite the kind of bad luck and evil karma that I experience on a daily basis into my life. I feel that I am essentially, in my core, a good human being. I don't torture small animals, I use my indicators, I hold the door open for old ladies. But then after all my "good works" I get slammed with life rattling events that make me question: Is it even worth it?? IS ANY OF IT WORTH IT?? I kid, but seriously.  

As the kids say, let me backstart. Friday April 25th was our last day of school before Goose Break. I had a quiet and uneventful day, the kids were excited about the break and the teachers even more so! There was a buzz of positivity and hope in the air, the anticipation of a two-week break was palpable!! My mom and I had packed the car the night before and were pretty much ready to go! Snacks prepared, podcasts downloaded and overnight bags packed. Ready. To. Go. Well my dears it seems the open road had other plans for me. 

We (Carmen and Monika and dogs in one car) and I and my mother and Bobo took off at about 4 and hit the road. I got a nice tasty rock chip within the first half hour of driving the freshly graded access road which was a big bummer. I got over it and kept driving. Things went pretty uneventfully for the next few hours as we travelled along the James Bay Highway into the evening. Then the best thing ever happened. At around KM30 (thankfully within cell service range and very close to Matagami) I somehow managed to hit a pothole about the size and depth of a FIAT and explode my tire, also breaking my rim. It was late and I was already exhausted from a full day of work and needless to say this set me into a whole new level of rage. Calm-like-a-bomb rage. So I checked it out, decided rather than wait for help I'd just drive slowly to Matagami and figure out what to do from there. 

We got to Matagami about 20 minutes later and called my roadside assistance number and arranged for a huge flatbed tow truck to take me to the nearest covered by policy service station which was conveniently located in Amos, our destination for that night anyways.  The tow driver was really quiet (probably because he spoke NO English and we spoke NO French) but very helpful. Luckily my friends were staying the night in Matagami and came out to keep us company while we waited and Vincent helped translate which was extremely handy given the circumstances. Jeremy offered some sage advice and all around they tried to lighten the mood in a very upsetting situation. 

Hamsters securely confined to the van, we were on our way to Amos. So my mom, Bobo and I spent the next 2.5 hours in the truck driving to Matagami in absolute silence (except for the blasting of "Eye of the Tiger" on the radio). We arrived in Amos at about 2 or 3am I can't remember really and we were pooped. Carmen stayed awake to pick us up from the lot and drove us back to the hotel which was really appreciated!!!

The next morning I waited at the closed Chrysler dealership where my van was dropped off for CAA to come pick me up and take me to the only known open car repair place on a Saturday morning waayyyy up north, Canadian Tire. WELL guess what Canadian Tire had no appointments available and we needed to be out of our hotel by 1pm so I had to make some quick decisions. I bought another new tire (my old one was destroyed) and drove (temporarily pumped up) to a no-name gas station where a CHILD worked on my car for what seemed like a decade. Inbetween pumping gas and working at the register, Justin Beiber over there appeared to be having trouble trying to get my tire off my bent and broken rim. So he called who I can only assume was his father to come bail him out. Once Daddy arrived we were singing. He popped off the wheel and used a SLEDGEHAMMER to bang my rim back into a temporarily driveable shape and put my new tire on. At this point it was noon and I was about 4 hours behind schedule but relieved to be able to drive safely back to Ontario where I could get some real repairs done. Of course none of this was covered by my warranty so it was allll out of my very shallow pockets (I am taking donations in tender of any form).

So we drove all day and most of the evening making it back to Oakville on Saturday night just after 10pm and tired as could be. We didn't even bother unpacking the car, just grabbed our overnight things and crashed. I spent the next day deep cleaning my filthy car (earning a paper cut from my WINDSHEILD WIPER BLADE) running errands and yesterday buying a new rim and making the necessary repair arrangements! Needless to say I am pooped still but happy to have zero teaching responsibilities and being in a metropolis while all this is going on so that I can get things taken care of quickly and professionally. 

I really hope nothing else scary happens in the next few weeks because I tell ya my poor heart can't handle the stress!! Pray for me!!!!!

It hurts. 

Vincent: King of Communication

I tell ya that better be secured, my Hamily was in there still. 

My poor baby. 

In the truck. 

Wah wah. 

Side note: renos at Amosphere Hotel not quite finished... 

Getting pumped up for a short trip. 

Ouch

Justin trying to work his magic. 

Thank goodness father arrived. 

When in doubt, bang the crap out of it! A philosophy I follow closely myself. 

Before and after! 

Oh and Carmonika pulled her usual escape stunts so I made her sleep in the bathtub that night. She tried to build a nest in the drain. I have one smart hamster... 

The open road! Before all hell broke loose!

My rock chip (1 of 5 from the trip).. IM DONE. 

HE IS BACK

He is back.  I have seen him two mornings in a row now running from my house to a house across the street.  This can only mean one thing.  I need reinforcements.  It might be time to get a cat/lead panels for my windows.  Don't let his cute, furry exterior fool you.  This squirrel wants in my house and could certainly cause a ruckus while I am away for Goosebreak! 

The squirrel is back.

Read:
http://wheninwemindji.blogspot.ca/2013/06/my-house-has-been-broken-into.html

Greatest Weekend Ever

I am truly blessed. I am blessed for many, many reasons. I have a great job, I have a lovely house, I live in an awesome community, I have amazing friends and a loving family. Lucky and grateful I am. But I am also truly blessed because I had a 4-DAY WORK FREE WEEKEND!! That's right people. Not only did I get Good Friday off but I also got today,

Monday off as well!!! A 4 day unadulterated weekend reserved solely for sleeping, cleaning and eating a delicious Easter dinner! I accomplished all three like a boss. 

Thursday night, after a successful Easter classroom party AND Spirit Committee-organized Pirate Day, I was treated to an incredible steak dinner cooked by a fellow teacher in honor of my mother's last day of teaching grade 2 next door. It was a night full of good conversation, good company and good eats. Lots of fun! On Friday night I went to another teacher's house for a great night after a few hours in the classroom prepping for the week we come back from Goose Break (keener). Saturday... I can't remember much but I feel like I slept in and had a couple of naps? Oh wait! I went to Carmen's house and enjoyed yet another night of homemade sushi! We are becoming REALLY good at making homemade sushi (I refer to them as sushi burritos because honestly I just throw all the stuff in there and roll it up hoping it stays together). Sunday was a day of cleaning house and watching my mother cook a delicious turkey dinner for a handful of friends! It was a great night with excellent company and a nom-tacular meal. Today I woke up, ate leftovers, went right back to bed with a renewed turkey coma, woke up again, went to the gym in a sad attempt to work off said left overs and then puttered around aimlessly while thoroughly enjoying doing nothing at all - my favorite thing to do!!

Tomorrow is the start of a fresh 4 day week which is jam packed as I try and get as much covered before we all take off for my beloved GOOSE BREAK. Carmen and Monika in one car and my mother, Bobo and I in mine will be taking off on Friday afternoon AT THE BELL and driving straight through to my third home Amos, staying the night in Casa Del Amosphere and then on to Oakville the next morning. I'm super excited to not see snow and feel the warm breeze on my skin and hear the rustle of leaves - SPRING people. I wanna experience some spring!! We come back to a bunch of (you guessed it) standardized testing for grade 2 and I want to experience for myself, a few weeks of calm before the storm! Anyways, Goose Break, I love you and cherish you. 

Awesome Time in Awesome Land!

There ya go Marsha. 

2 weeks until Goose Break! 8 teaching days! 2 4-day weeks! 1 extra long weekend!! Do I sound excited? IT'S BECAUSE I AM. 

Don't get me wrong. I love my class to pieces, love my job, love Wemindji, love my school, love my home. So much love. But nothing tickles my fancy like a nice extended holiday in civilization. And a trip to Dollarama. And Costco. Oh boy. 

It has, however started to worry me a little that thanks to some modern advances and services, life waaaaaaay up north is beginning to look a lot like life down south. I shall elaborate. The grocery store here, while has come a looooong way since the Foodpocalypse '12, still leaves a lot to be desired as far as variety, selection and prices go. Recently, a group of colleagues and I have started ordering groceries from an online IGA store in Amos. We place an online order every two weeks and this order comes in a nice big magical truck right to our front doors!!!! WHAT!! And basically anything you can get from a real life IGA, you can also get from their online grocery store. It is truly an experience and a marvelous one at that. There is a small packing fee and shipping is reimbursed by the school board but otherwise the prices are pretty comparable to southern grocery stores and you really can't beat the selection and variety of both fresh and non-perishables!! I ordered MASON JARS this week! Tri-coloured carrots! And a 24 of diet Pepsi for $9.99! What the heck!! Anyways. This makes me realize that life isn't so hard when you are resourceful and have access to the Internet!

Another wonderful event took place this week! Marsha, Monika and Carmen and I have booked our summer trip to Florida in July! We were going to go Vegas but there were too many cons: (Britney Spears wasn't performing in the month of July - the only reason I was going) the average temperature for July was literally 120 degrees, and we couldn't agree on how many nights we wanted to stay either. SOO we decided to take advantage of Carmen's parents home in a gated community in Fort Myers and fly down!!! We plan on shopping, relaxing, and re-energizing on an obscene level. We have also planned an overnight trip to Miami in our rental convertible (..maybe) and plan to feed some gaters on the way over. It is going to be an epic trip and I CAN'T WAIT. 

This weekend has also been particularly productive. I got tons done around the house which felt nice. We celebrated Sam's birthday on Friday night which was DELICIOUS (people should really have more birthdays you know). The snow is starting to melt (despite a blizzard and epic windstorm on Thursday) and I can see most of my driveway now!! Bobo has been enjoying the last few days of leash-free freedom that only Wemindji can offer and while there is still literally feet of snow on the ground, Spring might be just around the corner! This week at school we are starting our money unit which I am particularly excited about because I managed to find some chocolate coins in Radisson which will help celebrate the end of our unit hehe. A joint class Easter party on Thursday followed by what looks like will be a gorgeous Easter long weekend. 

Time is flying by and I will be seeing all of my southern friends and family soon!

Even my bird wants to die from all this snow. 

Happy Birthday Sam!!

<3

Ugh 

Boring time in Boring Land

LOL JK I'm the boring one not Wemindji. To be honest, if I wasn't such an avid indoorsman, I'd be enjoying all the splendor and magic that this glorious land has to offer. But like I say, the great indoors call my name far more often than the outdoors do, and when your name is called it is rude not to answer. 

So life has been chugging along quietly the past couple of weeks. My mom arrived back in Wemindji last week and picked back up in the other Grade 2 class next door so it's business as usual! School is keeping me as busy as ever and we are working as hard as ever to get as much curriculum covered in the weeks of April before the sweet, glorious GOOSE BREAK!

Yes ladies and gents Goose Break will soon be upon us and I have to say I am quite excited. It has been a loooooooong bunch of months up here in eternal winter-land and I am looking forward to going home, relaxing (aka sleeping for 12 hours a day) seeing friends and family and perhaps enjoying some real life spring weather!! Living in the world's biggest snow globe can get a teensy bit annoying at times so I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing break. 

So let's see what has happened since I last got on this thing. Well when I got back from family time down south a couple of weeks ago we had the first MES Winter Carnival organized by the School Spirit Committee (of which I am a member). It went swimmingly and the kids really enjoyed it! Another evening I enjoyed a nice fire at one of the school's teepees with some other teachers and literally froze my buns off but still managed to have a nice time. Last night was Marsha's husband Jeremy's rock star-themed birthday party which was incredibly fun. Jeremy, among many other things, is a super profesh photographer with his very own green screen so you only have to use your imagination to picture the shenanigans that transpired last night! Lacking appropriate rock star attire, I borrowed a flannel shirt from a friend, threw on my Converse sneakers, dabbed on some black eyeliner and dark eye shadow, let the hair go au naturel (aka frizzy mess) and embodied the "grunge" look. I maintained the "tortured/depressed/unimpressed/disaffected-youth" expression for much of the night. I take my dress up roles - when I engage, very seriously. In all it was a great night and I had a ton of fun. 

So anyways today my mom, Monika and Carmen and I drove to Radissson to visit the craft store and of course eat at Chez Mika. Well big fat bummer because the craft store was CLOSED (for an entire month) and we were quite literally devastated. So basically we drove for a total of 4 hours to eat a hamburger. Now don't get me wrong, At desperate times I wouldn't scoff at driving 4 hours for a delicious French cheeseburger but this was upsetting as I had things I needed to get!! Oh well. They reopen on April 30th so we will definitely go back ASAP! Anyways we did see two caribou on the way back which had us all screaming because they were just hanging out in the middle of the road around a blind corner. We quickly recovered after almost killing them and took tons of photos. Super cool!

Anyways tomorrow is a student-less day at school since the provincial elections here in Quebec have made it necessary for the Cree School Board to give the kids the day off (to vote??) LOL. Who knows. I don't get it but I am not arguing with an entire day of planning in the classroom!! Yay!! 

Well enjoy some photographic gems from the past couple of weeks!

Glorious paaaaint!!! 

Pavement!!

Beauty!!