Sweet Somethings by Lois

Goodbye Gus

2011-12-30T00:34:00.004-05:00

Gus, who was a wonderful man and grandfather to my dear daughter by marriage passed away on Christmas day. He was in his nineties. He led a very adventuress life and always had a funny story to tell me whenever I had the honour of seeing him. He was very much loved by his family and all of us who knew him. He was so full of life that it is hard to believe that he is no longer with us. Gus was a wonderful wood carver and water birds seemed to be his speciality. He always made us laugh. He was a flirt and a great tease when the ladies were around. He made my mom blush, and that in itself was a real undertaking. Gus was a good person and he will be missed very much. I have no doubt that he is entertaining the angels with all his daring deeds and adventures. He will be missed by us all. Goodbye Gus, we will think of you often and always with a smile.

Goodbye My Brother.

2011-11-29T13:43:00.008-05:00

My brother Scott, passed away, suddenly and unexpectedly, early Monday morning.
Scott was two years younger than me. He was only 56 years young.
Although he had been distant from the family for many years, he was still, my little brother.
I remember him as very quiet, one to stay in the background, as a child, funny and quick with a joke, the one to wear a lampshade as a young man and quiet and not easy to get to know as a mature man.
He was a son, brother, husband, father and grandfather.
He will be remembered in many ways and will not be forgotten by anyone who knew him.
Goodbye Scott, rest easy.

Goodbye Benjamin

2011-10-03T23:36:00.005-04:00

Monday, October 3, 2011
The world has lost a wonderful little boy tonight.
He fought bravely for the last three years; with dignity and his wonderful
sense of humour always showing.
He will always be loved and remembered.
Goodbye Benjamin.
You will be missed.

Out in no-blog-land.

2011-07-04T21:56:00.015-04:00

Wow....I've been off in no-blog-land since March and when I come back to do a quick post I can't remember how to do it. I mean really....I had to log out and come back in to figure out how/where to go to do a new post. Man, my mind is just too busy! My body has been busy too. It seems there are not enough hours in a week let alone a day, to do everything that I want to do. I have been very neglectful in posting anything and also in reading up on any of my "Blogs that make me go Ohhh". I am hoping in the next few months to be able to remedy this problem. To show how behind in time I am.... I just got the planters on our back deck filled this weekend and we are already into July! The pool just got opened in the last week and the two sheds have been more organized than they were. HJ and I have been trying to get everything that needs to be done....well....done. April was nothing too exciting. I slept a lot. ..and do i mean a LOT! I just couldn't seem to get my act together that month. Every time I sat down I fell asleep. Weird huh? I'm fine now but boy was I tired then. I spent time gathering and putting together prizes for the raffle table for the June golf tournament. That kept me busy for a while as well. I was also busy organizing an upcoming anniversary party.
May was not a really good month. A too-young husband and father of a 4 year old and a three week old passed away. Alan, also left a wonderful wife, parents, grandparents and brothers grieving. Three months from his Cancer diagnosis to his passing stunned us. That was and still is, a hard death to come to terms with. We had 2 funerals that same week. One was for my mom's younger brother Buzz (78 years young) and two days later was Alan's. My Uncle Bert (another of my moms younger brothers), lost a grandson and a brother within 2 days of each other. How very sad for him....and for the rest of the family members of both men.
I know that both Uncle Buzz and Alan are missed very much by a lot of family and friends. They are all in my prayers nightly.
It seemed that May just went so fast. It was such a whirlwind of activity for us. A lot of May was sad but it had some happy events too. At the end of May we had a surprise 25Th anniversary party for Hubby Johns' sister Nancy and her husband Mark. Shannon and Chantal, their girls put a lot of work into this event. I helped where I could. I designed the invites around a "movie" theme. Popcorn was on the tables and the posters we put up had Nancy & Marks faces imposed on them. I must say that Mark made an excellent Alvin the Chipmunk.
Yes, it was a lot of work but it was a big success. M&N were surprised, everyone had a good time, the band was excellent, we had lots of food and people went home happy! What more could you ask for?
Next thing we knew May was gone and June was here. We had 3 events that we were invited to for the first Saturday in June but we had promised way back in the fall of last year to help at a golf tournament fund raiser that our son John Vincent, had organized and headed.
It was for Neve's day care (next year she will go to the after school part as she will be in grade 1). It is a not-for-profit organization. Hubby John and I donated time and raffle prizes. HJ went golfing, enjoyed it very much and then we had a great tasting dinner afterwards. There was a raffle table and silent auction too. There were, as always,some really good prizes and donations. They had a good turnout. This year they let me out of my cage for an hour or so. I was out on the course to oversee the "closest to the flag" chipping thingy. I enjoyed it even if only 5 people tried it. Next year they need to advertise that it is a no charge -try to win a prize event and then maybe more golfers will come over to my side of the course. The event raised a lot of money to be used on playground equipment. We have already booked the first Sat of June 2012 to do it all over again. Whoo Hoo! The following day we spent a wonderful afternoon with our good friends Karl & Virginia. We missed Ginny's 60Th Bday party (which had been held on the day of the golf tournament) so we were able to see all of their gang who had come into town. We had a lovely lunch and spent a few hours just enjoying and visiting with everyone. Happy Birthday again Ginny!
June also saw us both doing a lot, but not enough, babysitting of both grnadbabies. We attended Cutie Patootie's kindergarten graduation ceremony. She is now officially a big girl who will, in September, be able to go onto the big kids playground. CP told me that this is a really BIG deal for her. She will no longer be in the baby playground at school. She is very excited about this. June also saw us going to the Cutie Patooties year end dance review. As always, she did an excellent job (all the kids did). I found it a long night and I was only there from 6:30. Neve had been there from 1:00PM that afternoon and by 9:00PM she (and all the other kids) was totally wiped. Good Dancing Neve! You Rock!!! June saw the Wee Fiend, Kian, learning how to crawl and trying to walk (without help). He is one busy little man. His first Bday was the 24th and although he did get new cars from us his main gift came later. A swimming pool with an umbrella to keep him shaded. He likes the pool. Wow.....I can't believe it has been a year already. Time really does fly! He is sooo cute! A Bday party for our Wee Fiend was this past weekend. It was a great party and the birthday boy was in fine form. All the immediate family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were there for a very HOT afternoon. Great grandma was there too as well as friend Rosie who was visiting from BC and her mom, Aunt Cara. A great time was had by all and the birthday boy got some very cool gifts! It was a wonderful long weekend and a great way to start July!
So, Hubby John and I will be getting away to the USA for a few days, both this month and in August. I am sooooo looking forward to both trips. This month we go to Erie PA for a few days of shopping and then we drive over to Darrian Lake(Sp?) for 2 days of water park wet fun and amusement park rides. We are travelling with John Vincent, Sarah ,and of course, my Cutie Patootie, Neve. It will be lots of fun. This way we get extra cuddle time....well at least one of us will...won't we Papa? (But she does like my macaroni salad and tells everyone that her Gram's make the best macaroni salad, so I can't complain.)
When we get back from the US I get my favourite Wee Fiend, Kian, to cuddle, chase and spoil for a few days while mom Jaime is at a course and dad Mike is working. Then we have another 25Th anniversary party. This one is for my baby sister Alison and her hubby Dave. That's been a busy party to ready for. I had the invites all designed and ready to print then I decided at the last minute to change the design. Why do I do that to myself? Oh well....I am very pleased with how they turned out. Mind you, having to deal with a postal strike was not the greatest but we managed. It's all good. I am sure that everything will come off smoothly. I know that it is a fun crowd of people that have been invited and they will have a good time no matter what! I just have to have everything ready before we leave for Erie. I won't have time the week I get back. So I am checking and rechecking my lists and emailing furiously to my niece Beth and making sure I have all the supplies ready to go. No problem...organization is the key to smooth running events. It will be OK!!!
The Saturday following Ali's & Dave's 25Th,we have a fundraiser dance (for Alan's family) to attend. It's out of town but I look forward to seeing everyone. I haven't seen Wendy and Dave (Alan's mom and dad) for a few weeks. We have talked on the phone but I think they both need some hugs. I've missed not seeing them.
Then there is a week of holidays/babysitting/fun times ending with a long weekend mini family reunion in Ohio. Both HJ and I are really excited about that event. His crazy canuck cousins from the North will be there too so it is sure to be a fun fun time for us all!
I, of course, will want to check out the craft stores in the area. HJ will buy a book and read a lot. He's good that way....let's me wander while he reads....it works for us.
Getting back from the states takes us into the 2nd week of August and I will be crazy busy at work. Sheila, my office cohort, will be gone on holidays for three weeks. I will be by myself in the office. August is always a busy time there anyway and with Sheila gone I know it will be a zoo. I just have to remember to take deep breaths and repeat my mantra.... I AM WOMAN...I WILL SURVIVE! Hmmmm......I'll just keep telling myself that...hee...heee...hee....
Anyway, I've got to go....I will post soon....or maybe not....depends when I can grab an hour or two for myself.
Take care everyone and have a great summer!

My favourite blog of blogs...

2011-03-08T23:20:00.004-05:00

One of my very, very favourite "Blogs that make me go Ohhh....." is written by my daughter Jaime. She is an amazing young woman: wife to Mike and mother to the wee fiend, Mr. B. aka Kian. Her blog, Gingham Skies, is filled with all kinds of things she makes and stuff she does. She is a sewer, knitter, baker, crafter and all around really nice lady. Of course, it goes without saying that she must get her talent from her mother....LOL! Not really. Anything that Jaime has learned to do has been self taught. Well maybe she did learn a few things from me but mostly she learned by herself or with the help of other family members. She is a very talented person. Jaime had an Etsy store for a year or so and closed it down while she is on maternity leave. Hopefully she will have it up and running again this summer.
Of course this whole post is very biased. But that's OK! Jaime really is a special person!
So why not grab a cuppa whatever, go over to Jaime's blog....Gingham Skies....and read her posts, both past and present. I am sure you'll find something that will make you smile and I am also sure that you'll be glad you stopped by.

Sweet Bee Buzzings-A New Blog To Read

2011-02-23T20:50:00.004-05:00

I just have to stop doing this. Every time I go to one blog I end up following a link to another blog and then .....well....I get hooked! I could easily spend all day, just going from one blog to another, reading the interesting posts and then getting side tracked by following a link left by a blogger comment or by following one posted by the blogger whose blog I originally went onto to read. Sigh.....so many blogs and so little time. Anyway, I have added another blog to my "Blogs that make me go Ohhhhh" list on my sidebar.
Bethany at Sweet Bee Buzzings is a crafty person who likes to work with material. She has done some lovely projects and has posted all about them. Make a cuppa whatever, go over there and read away. I bet you will get hooked too!

WHAT'S THE USE?

2011-02-23T07:28:00.021-05:00

..............INSERT REALLY BIG SIGHHHHHHH HERE..........

I have turned out to be my mother. I never ever planned on doing that. Now, I can remember a time when I cried and repeated my mantra of that particular day," I don't want to be like her...I don't want to be like her...". Mind you, that was a very long time ago, I was very upset and angry with her and I was very young. Lots of time has passed since that day. Now, as a more mature woman, I have come to realize that my mother is my mother and that she is who she is and that she is not going to change at this time in her life. Not even for me. So I have come to accept her as she is. My mom is a good, kind hearted, party animal who is also mother, grandmother and great grandmother to sixty-six odd people (and in some cases I do mean really odd). So my Mom is loved by a lot of people, me included. I am sure that there is a special place set aside for her in heaven and I am so sure that she will ruffle a few feathers and bend a few halo's when she gets there. I hope that is not for a long time yet. She has too much life to live down here still. So it's OK if I have turned out to be her....in some ways!

But I digress....... I have turned out to be my mother in that ...I am a pack rat. I am different than mom in that she is a pack rat of everything. I AM NOT! I am only a pack rat of craft items: stickers and embellishments, buttons and old greeting cards, paper and envelopes, spools of ribbon, coloured string and bits of twine and lace to be used as craft items. I especially love boxes and containers. I must admit to a special fondness for them and will buy them whenever I come across them. Of course, the price has to be right before I pass over my pennies....even for one of them. Almost anything and everything that can be used is saved, stashed and/or snagged by me, in my pursuit of craftiness. I try to keep my craft supplies together but sometimes they do overflow into our daily living area. Hubby John is quite patient and understanding when this happens and if it bothers him he doesn't say anything about it. I guess he knows that sooner or later, in most cases, probably later, I will clear up the overflow and delegate all of it back to the bins and boxes where it belongs. Whenever possible I like to stop by my favourite second hand shops and do a quick run through. You never know what your going to find in an impromptu search for craft supplies. Of course I aways keep an eye on Michael's and the Dollar store because they always bring in new stuff. Michael's is especially good with their sale items. If you wait long enough it will most likely go on sale for a much more reasonable price. Patience is a virtue and I can be oh so virtuous when I need to be. I also find that Home Sense has a good clearance sale area where you can find some cool stuff for crafting. Just last week I snagged 2 hand painted glass fish for twenty nine cents each. I was very happy! Anyway, give me a good pair of snips and I can remove berries, flowers and glimmer stuff from almost anything.

One thing I have collected for the past few years is old calendars. Originally I was given the calendars as Christmas presents. They are mostly Jim Daly copies. He paints awesome pictures of children and their activities. He does beautiful work. The calendar pictures are so nicely done that I hated to throw them out. The pictures are large - 13 1/2" X 12". I had no use at all for them but I just could not destroy such beautiful reproductions. It seems such a waste that they are just sitting here year after year. They are not in my way at all. I have them stashed in an old bin. You know the old saying...Out of sight out of mind? Well that was me and these. The other day while looking for a particular item I opened the bin where the old calendars had been placed. I took a few minutes to look at those beautiful pictures and I was reminded that I should do something with them. They are too nice to just leave hidden there in the dark. They are too big to mod-podge (sp?) and anyway it would be a shame to cut them up.

So here I am asking myself" What's the use?"

Shape Moth: Fabrics Giveaway!

2011-02-21T09:28:00.016-05:00

Shape Moth: Fabrics Giveaway!
Click the link above and go over to a giveaway by Kirie who has a blog called "Shape Moth". Once there, you will see her giveaway of lovely material & ribbon. You have a choice of green or pink. Both are very pretty. If you look on my side bar you will see I have added Kirie's blog as one of the "Blogs that make me go Ohhh." So grab a hot cuppa whatever and go over to Shape Moth and see what Kirie has be sewing. And don't forget to enter the giveaway. Good luck to you...and me too!

Grosgrain: SIZZIX BIG SHOT GIVEAWAY!!

2011-02-19T13:09:00.001-05:00

Grosgrain: Shoe Sugar Month: Day 13 SIZZIX BIG SHOT GIVEAWAY!!
Just to be nice I am sharing this giveaway with my blogger friends, but Ohhh....I so want to win this Sizzix Big Shot die cutting system for myself! I have a small one and like it...but I would LOVE to win this one. My fingers, toes, eyes and whatever else that can be crossed are. I HOPE I WIN!!! Oh......yah......good luck to you to!

Glass Beads.

2011-02-19T09:14:00.005-05:00

Another one of my favourite "Blogs that make me go Ohhh...." is called
"Women, Art, Life, Weaving It all Together". Tammy Vitale who posts this blog is a talented artist extraordinaire. Tammy's was one of the blogs that I stumbled upon when I took my first tentative steps into cyber space and I have been reading her posts ever since.
Over the past 6 months or so I have been neglectful in reading my fave blogs and I have missed what everyone has been up to. When I went over to Tammy's space I found out that she has been busy working with beads, something that she has been keen on for quite a long time. Tammy posted about a site, called Artbeads.com where you can get beads....lots and lots of beads... NOT FAIR!!! It's like the comment that I left Tammy on her post: now I have another site to drool over......So many beads and no money....SIGH! This just gives me something to look forward to. One day I shall have money and will order beads, lots and lots of beads! SIGH!!!!!!
Anyway, when you have a few minutes or a half hour or so...stop by and say hi to Tammy. Tell her Lois sent you. Take a few minutes to browse her posts, both old and new. Then go over to here and see all the lovely beads. I only ask one thing....if you decide to buy any of those beautiful glass beads please save a few for me. Cause one of these days I want to get some too.
P.S. Don't mind if the beads look a little wet. It's just my drool. Not to worry though...I've had all my shots.

Tolen Treasures Tutorial

2011-02-11T20:42:00.016-05:00

I have always wanted to do Tole Painting. Unfortunately, paint, brushes and I do not get along very well. I always tend to overload the brush and get paint everywhere but where it is suppose to go. My technique applies to all types of painting....exterior house, interior house, crafts or whatever....it doesn't matter....paint and I are not friends. This being said, I was and still am amazed that I could work with ceramics and have my painted and stained pieces come out looking so nice. I do miss working with ceramic pieces. It was one art form that I was good at, even if I do say so myself. I have a few boxes of bisque pieces packed away, waiting for me to take up my brushes again and hopefully I will get to working on some of them this year. As for Tole painting I have, for years admired anyone who could do it. Judy, my ceramics teacher did beautiful Tole work. I loved it when she would bring a piece to class to let us see what she was working on. I miss my ceramic classes with her and I miss seeing her latest art projects, be it ceramics, making beads, working with glass or tole or oil painting. Judy you are one very multi-talented lady and I miss working with you.
With Tole painting, I love the way the colour gets blended and played with to give depth and a 3D quality to the piece that is painted. I really do enjoy looking at that art form. For the past few years I have been following a blog written by a lovely lady named Cathy. It is called Tolen Treasures and it is on my list of "Blogs that make me go Ohhhhhh". I love Cathy's work. She is such a talented artist. I enjoy reading all about her hectic life as a woman, wife, mother and grandmother and I love it when she posts pictures of projects that she has done or is doing. Cathy.....you ROCK! Cathy has posted a "HOW TO" project on her blogs side bar. If you go here you will get a tutorial on tole painting a Chalk Message Board. That is one project that I am definitely going to try to do this year. There is also a tutorial on a Snowman Board that is another project that I am keeping in mind for this year. I can hardly wait for summer to come. I have to wait till then to try any painting because me and paint do best outside. It keeps Hubby John happy too that way. So go and grab a cup of tea or coffee and drop by and take a look at the tutorial. Then sit back and take a few minutes to read what Cathy has been up to in her hectic life. I promise that you will enjoy every minute of reading her blog.
By the way, don't forget to let Cathy know you dropped by and tell her that Lois sent you.

A New Crafty Blog Site & Giveaway

2011-02-11T00:00:00.006-05:00

If you go here you will be able to read a great crafty blog.
It is called Fabulessly Crafty and it is just up my ally.
Tara does lots of crafts. She is very talented and is kind enough to share what she does
and how she does it. She is also thrifty. Just my kind of blogger.
I am now a faithful follower and Tara has been added to my list of "Blogs that Make Me Go Ohhh...." Thanks for the giveaway Tara....I hope I win.
By The Way....
I have added Tara's vinyl sign site to my "Let Your Fingers Do The Walking" sidebar that has great sites you can go on and buy from.
Tara makes and creates vinyl signs Go check out Fabulessly Custom
She has great designs to chose from and you can also have custom orders made up.

Another blog that make me go "Ohhhhhh"

2011-02-10T23:36:00.004-05:00

Here I go again.
Another givaway....this time from Lauren.
I am not good at home decorating. I figure if you can
see the floor or the table it's all good. SIGH!
I like Tara's blog. She has so much style and she
does it so well. I have read her blog from the side for a while now
and have finally decided to show myself.
I hope I win her giveway.
Wish me luck!

Get Organized Giveaway

2011-02-10T23:26:00.003-05:00

Another givaway?
Yes....don't you just love it?
I do!
If you go over to the "A Little Bit of Us" blog, Mary has a
giveaway for Carolina Pad. This store features all kinds of
organizational items.....perfect for me.....and you too!
So drop by and say hi to Mary and enter the contest.
Good Luck!

Racks and Mooby Giveaway

2011-02-10T23:07:00.003-05:00

Want a chance to win a giveway?
You could go here to a blog called Racks and Mooby and enter to win
a gift certificate for CSM store.
Well....what are you still doing here?
Get over there and get entered.
Good Luck.

2011 Year of The Rabbit & a Thrifty Find

2011-02-07T19:47:00.006-05:00

Holy cow....another month has passed by already! Where does the time go? I have been busy, busy, busy getting raffle packages all done up for our Bamboo Bunch Chinese New Year celebration. I have been hopping around like a bunny, here, there and everywhere trying to get everything finished up. The celebration is in another 2 weeks and I still have one more prize to wrap. Not to worry though, it will be done tomorrow night. What a relief that will be. Once the 31 prizes are gone I can have my living room and family room back. I'm not really complaining. I really enjoy doing up the prizes. I collect stuff all year round, both new and renewable items. I keep a keen eye out for really great bargains and for unique containers and then early in January I start wrapping everything up. I love collecting the stuff....I HATE wrapping it up. I'm not good at that and I find it a chore that I tend to put off as long as I can.
Silly me! If I just wrapped a prize up as soon as I had everything collected for it, it would be much easier. But that would make sense wouldn't it? Nope, I have to wait until the last possible moment and then drive myself nuts trying to meet the deadline. Oh well......I'm done for this year and I think that next year I might try something different. We'll see what happens. I do love to watch peoples faces, especially the kids, when they see something that they hope they win and they put their tickets into the box. When the winning ticket gets drawn there are always lots of smiles and that makes me happy. I enjoy that day/evening so much and am looking forward to this years celebration. Someone asked me last year why I don't do this as a business and I told them that then it would become work while now it's just fun for me. I already have a job and this is my down time. So you see, I really do like making up prizes for the raffle table.
Right now I am off to read a few of my favourite "Blogs that make me go Ohhh.....
It's been a while since I have done that and I do miss all of those blogs a lot! Hopefully I will get more time to do it this year. Last year was very busy for me and I seemed to be tired all the time. So far this year things have been much better. It will still be a hectic year I think...a lot of stuff coming up in the next 6 months or so. But not to worry....I feel like I have a lot more energy so I am hoping that it continues on for the rest of the year. So I won't post again until later this month. I will let everyone know how the "2011 Year Of The Rabbit" Chinese New Year celebration went/goes at a later date. Till then have a great February!
PS Speaking of prizes, I just have to tell you about the BEST bargain I have gotten in a while. The other night I was at Walmart and was heading to the checkout while clutching the bottle of shampoo that I had picked up. Hubby John was waiting out in the car and was explicit about instructions of 'DON'T BE IN THERE ALL NIGHT" or he might not be there when I came out. So I was a woman on a mission. There were a bunch of people blocking the aisle while they had a family reunion or something like that and so I veered off into a another aisle and once around the blockage I veered back into the main aisle that leads up to the checkout. Thank goodness I did that or I wouldn't have seen what I did. HOLY COW! There on a shelf.....right at eye level.....were beautiful Disney keepsake boxes filled with 40 individually wrapped cards. Birthday and all occasion.... 2 of each design. There was a box open already so I took a quick peek inside because I figured they were just cheap crap that I wouldn't want. I was stunned! They were absolutely beautifully made. I could not believe that these boxes of cards were only $5.00 each. I grabbed one and continued on to the checkout. I didn't know if I had enough money in my account but figured I could put the shampoo back if not. Anyway long story shortened; I got out to the car with my great find and then called my daughters and had Hubby John turn around and go back to Walmart. Once there I went back inside and grabbed three more boxes of cards. That left only the open one on the shelf and I am kicking myself for not grabbing it too! I was/am one happy thrifty lady who scored an awesome prize.

All I wanted was a new TV.

2011-01-09T10:12:00.015-05:00

Happy New Years Everyone! I hope all had a great Christmas!
My goodness......I cannot believe how time has flown by since my last post in November.
I have been busy, busy, busy. It seemed that one day just flowed into the next and then all of a sudden it was Christmas and then the new year just appeared out of no where.
Where did all those days go?
Hubby John and I have been busy with redecorating our family room. It was not planned....especially with the holidays coming up.... We decided to buy a new TV for Christmas. Our old one had a habit of turning itself off every once in a while and we figured it just might be a matter of time before it stopped altogether. We had been talking about the idea of a new TV for the last year or so. So I suggested that for Christmas instead of buying gifts for each other that we get a new TV instead. HJ was happy with the suggestion and started intensifying his research on what kind he wanted to get. It didn't matter to me so I told him to knock himself out and go crazy.......but not too crazy...... We needed to keep money boundaries in place. As it turned out everything but one item, was bought on sale or at reduced pricing. I love when that happens!
As always Hubby John was very thorough in his research. After investigating, pricing various models, talking to TV experts, measuring the space available in the family room, getting information on what and how much wiring for the TV and sound system would be needed, checking to see how he would need to install the wiring, looking at and comparing the hardware needed to mount the TV and comparing the pros and con's of everything on the Internet, HJ was ready to proceed with the purchase. He decided that we were to get a flat screen and that it would be wall mounted.
Great!......that wasn't too hard was it?...easy smeezy! .....Yah....Right! I should have known better!
Since we were going to wall mount the TV we decided that the wiring would need to go in behind the wall....what a job that was. Nevertheless HJ did an wonderful job in feeding the wiring down from the top of the wall and out the bottom. It seems when they built this addition onto the house the wanted to make sure the walls never moved. They put cross pieces in every eight inches. So instead of just being able to drop the wires straight down, it left HJ drilling a lot of holes to hand feed the wiring through....and there was a lot of wiring. Unfortunately that little episode left a few holes where the drywall was cut. No Problemo! He just patched the drywall.... twice....Did you know that hands on wet drywall patch tend to go right through and leave another hole?,,,,,But it all worked out smoothly....pun intended....get it? drywall mud....smoothly..... oh never mind!.....In the end it was all was good. Well.......sort of. The wall would need to be repainted which was OK. It hadn't been done in a very long time and was very overdue for a paint job. Deciding on the colour took time and I needed samples painted on the wall to make sure I could live with it. Man, what fun that was...NOT! It's true that the "third time's a charm" and it took us that many paint sample colours to come up with one we could both live with. HJ applied a base primer to the whole room in preparation to the final colour coat. But before we painted the actual wall colour we decided that the ceiling tiles should be replaced as they were pretty grungy looking. So there was another project to be done. While we had the ceiling pulled apart and the painting not done yet, HJ installed a light over the area that I sit in and read on weekends. It is right beside the patio door and I just love sitting there reading my book and drinking my tea on the mornings that I don't have to go into work. That's my peaceful place in the house. I have always had a floor lamp standing there but a swag lamp was always on my wish list. We went and bought a pretty inexpensive hanging light that was set up for hard wiring, with the intention of installing an off/on switch on it and converting it into a swag lamp. HJ assured me that it was an eay thing to do and wouldn't take too much time. I already had a clear hook to use in the drop ceiling to hold the light so once it was converted it would be ready to hang. One day I came home from work to find that HJ hard-wired and installed the light with a wall switch instead of what he had originally planned on doing. I was so thrilled and pleased that he did that for me. To me, it looks much nicer than having wiring running down the wall to the plug. It was extra work for him and meant more drywall patching for him to do. Thanks again HJ! Finally the ceiling tiles were installed and the walls got painted. Of course with everything else brand new we needed to do something with the floor. It was covered in linoleum. I am sure it was from the 60's. It definitely needed to have something done to it. Hubby John bartered services for the lovely wall-to-wall carpet that now covers part of the room. He installed special waterproof flooring (Alure) on part of the floor that is the walkway from the patio doors to the deck and pool. HJ also put on new trim all around the room. Next, new curtains and rods and some new-to-us end tables completed the room. I am SO happy with it. The renovations were done and the tree up in time for Christmas.
Whew....what a relief that was!
Hubby John stood in line at 5:30 in the morning on boxing day to buy our new TV. He brought it home and we installed it that same day. HJ and I were very happy campers!
It is very nice to have a TV that doesn't turn off on you. We moved HJ's lazy boy to a different spot from where it used to sit before the renovations. It is now directly in line with the new TV. He has perfect viewing and with the sound system (that,thank god,was compatible with the new TV and didn't need to be replaced)it's just like being at the movie theatre. But now we have a different problem to deal with. Hubby John complains that he falls asleep every time he sits there now.
Hmmm.....could it be that the TV is making his eyes tired? Heee....hee...hee... The problem is now he lays back in his chair to get "optimum viewing" and in that position his eyes automatically close. Poor HJ........he never gets to watch his new TV because he is always sleeping. As for me, I am really enjoying it.....the TV not HJ sleeping.....because I know I won't miss anything on any of the shows I watch. This TV only turns off when I want it to!

I M LAZY

2010-11-09T21:43:00.003-05:00

Hmmmm.....it's been a while since my last post. I haven't been too busy......more lazy than busy....I have been content to just lie on the couch after supper clean up and watch TV until time for bed......I've cleaned house when I absolutely had to.......when I noticed the dust bunnies carrying baby cat Oscar down the hallway........Hubby John is great.....he doesn't complain about the mess......he helps makes meals and helps with clean up after them.......I am slowly coming back to life.......I have a bit more energy.......so hopefully I will be back blogging full-time sooner than later......I have missed reading my blogs that make me go ahhh....so I will try to read at least one a night and leave a comment to let them know I was there.....I will try to post at least once a week........no promises but I will try...I have lots to write about....Cutie Patootie Neve, Mr. B. aka Kian....kids, job and Hubby John......so I will try harder........

A tale of two turkeys.

2010-10-11T12:56:00.010-04:00

Well, here it is....Thanksgiving....again.....I can't believe that a whole year has already flown by since last years turkey dinner. This is one of Hubby Johns favourite holidays because he LOVES turkey! I don't mind turkey but it tends to give me ....how can I say this delicately and lady-like?um...well, it gives me .....gas. So although I do like turkey it doesn't like me. But I eat it anyways and I excuse myself a lot. Last year I insisted on a smaller turkey so we wouldn't have fifteen tons of it left over and be eating it for three weeks. BIG MISTAKE! We ended up with just enough leftovers to let HJ have one or two sandwiches. He was NOT a happy camper. This year Hubby John insisted on a larger turkey so there would be plenty of meat left for his midnight raids on the refrigerator. I agreed. Thursday evening while doing our holiday grocey shopping we debated as to whether we should buy a fresh or frozen one and because of lack of fridge storage space we bought a nice sized frozen turkey. No problem! We took it home, packed it in an ice cooler and left it outside in one of the vehicles to thaw. It was cold enough to keep it from going bad but would defrost in time for Saturday morning. Or so I thought! Come Saturday morning stuffing time I got a rude awaking when I realized that half the turkey was still frozen. Great....just great.... I have eleven people coming that evening for dinner and the bird can't be stuffed. Well, it could have been stuffed but I couldn't get at the end of the bird that the neck, liver and all those goodies were stuffed into. I had no way of knowing it they were loose or in a bag and if there was a bag was it paper or plastic?
Grrrrr......I was not a happy camper. Down went the bird to the laundry tub which HJ filled with cold water in the hopes that the bird would finish thawing in an hour or so. No such luck! I couldn't wait any longer so Hubby John and I went to off to the store to pick up a fresh turkey that I could get into the oven right away. HJ dropped me and the bird off at the house and off he went to buy me a burger for my lunch. I got into the house and put the groceries away and then went to stuff the fresh....not frozen.....turkey. What a surprise for me when I realized that the so called fresh turkey had been and was still frozen in some parts. In fact it was frozen in the in the same place that the turkey in the laundry tub downstairs was still frozen in. Grrrrr.....To say I blew a gasket would be an understatement. I am sure there was a blue cloud hanging in the kitchen. I did the only thing I could do. I chipped at the frozen parts while running water over them until I had a big enough hole to get my hand in to check for the extra parts and the bag, if any. No bag had to be pulled out and I stuffed the turkey, cranked the oven up to 450 and put the bird in the oven. By that time, HJ was home with A&W teen burgers and root beer. That definitely helped and I had a smile back on my face by the time I was done eating. Yummy! Then HJ took the half frozen turkey from the tub downstairs, put it into a plastic bag, packed it in ice and cold water in the cooler and set it outside, in the shade, to continue thawing. The turkey in the oven did get cooked in time and nobody knew it had been slightly deformed from being hacked. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. That evening, as company left, almost everyone took turkey leftovers home. In fact we didn't have any turkey for HJ to make a sandwich for himself later that evening. Poor Hubby John. But it was all good because on Sunday morning I was up early and put the second, now defrosted, turkey in the oven. (And yes, there was a plastic bag in it.) Because I didn't stuff this bird it cooked faster and we had turkey sandwiches for a very late lunch and a later supper and as a snack for HJ really late last night. At his request, there is turkey in the freezer for Hubby John to make turkey soup. We had turkey sandwiches for lunch today and will probably have them for supper tonight too! I will be taking turkey for lunch all this week and HJ will munch on it all week as well. We should be growing feathers by the end of the week. LOL! So there you have it. The tale of two turkeys. Hubby John won't complain about a turkey shortage again....at least not for this year. And believe me when I say this....
next year I'm doing a ham.

September...here and almost gone.

2010-09-18T20:36:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that half of September is gone already.
How can that be?
I am not done with summer yet!
It's true!
I haven't had enough time with either Cutie Patootie Neve or Mr. B. Kian.
Where have all the days gone?
I didn't even get around to buying or planting any marigolds or snapdragons in my deck planters this year. It has been way too hot to work outside and besides I have been, as always, too tired once I drag my butt home at the end of the day, to do anything more than make supper and sleep. I was only in the pool 2 or maybe 3 times at the most this summer. It has flown by way too fast!
Sigh.......and now it's done and gone and we have moved into autumn. The good thing is, the cooler weather, the lovely fall colours that have already started in our area and the abundance of root veggies. Can you tell that I love squash? Yummy! So hopefully my lagging energy will return and I can get down to some serious blogging and house cleaning. Both have suffered since the spring. The bad thing is that we are getting closer to the snow season. Well, bad if you don't like winter. I don't mind it so it really isn't so bad for me, but like I said, to those who don't like winter the end of summer must really suck!
I am looking forward to the end of September only because we are going camping up in Algonquin Park for a few days. Ahhhh......nothing but trees with pretty leaves and the odd moose (if we are lucky) and cute little chipmunks running here and there.Reading a good book or two and going biking around the nature trails. Nighttime will bring out the raccoons but we have learned from experience to leave nothing outside. Everything gets packed into the back of the van for the night and that discourages those cute little pests from hanging around our camper for too long. Once year Hubby John had a pack of wolves run by him while he was out in the early wee hours of the morning answering natures call. He said it very unnerving and I don't think he cares to repeat that incident again. There is never a dull moment when we go camping that's for sure! We both enjoy it very much and are looking forward to those few days away. But for now the farthest I am going is to the couch in the family room where I plan to lay down and play with my IPad (A gift from HJ. He won it from Giant Tiger. How cool is that?) while HJ and CP watch a Barbie Princess movie. Geese.....I don't know if I can stand this much excitement, at night, at my age. No wonder I'm tired all the time....LOL!

We would have had them first.

2010-08-21T23:35:00.007-04:00

Hubby John and I were lucky enough to have my Cutie-Patootie Neve, sleep over last night. Her mom and dad were going on an overnight trip to celebrate their anniversary which is coming up this week. After mommy dropped Neve off, the three of us went out to do a bit of shopping at Walmart and the dollar store and then went over to one of our favourite restaurants for supper. Except for the chicken dumpling soup, which is always good, the rest of the meal was quite disappointing. We haven't been there for a few months and I was so looking forward to a good meal. I was not happy with it, but the three of us did enjoy the soup anyway. We went straight home after the restaurant. Neve had gotten a new Hannah Montanna CD so that was put in for her to watch before bedtime. We were all falling asleep early and shortly after nine PM I declared it to be bedtime. Neve didn't even argue. We were all that tired. Saturday morning everyone was up and out of bed shortly after 9AM. Hubby John made a good breakfast for all of us and then off we went to buy Neve's mommy and daddy an anniversary present from her. Neve wanted to buy them each a picture frame, but not the same one. I have no idea where she came up with this choice. She picked out two very nice frames and then she got a sparkly rose that unzipped to become a shopping bag for mom and some mixed nuts for her dad. When we got home she printed a note to go in the card. Hubby John and Neve went into the hot tub for a few hours while I washed and blow dried her dog, Charlie (we were dog sitting too). He had jumped into the hot tub when they were not looking and he smelt like wet dog......which I hate. So I gave him a bath and then read for a bit while watching my Hubby and Cutie-Patootie get all wrinkly from the water. When they were all done and HJ declared the hot tub closed, I whisked CP into the house for a shower and hair washing. Then the three of us snuggled down with the newest Barbie movie, which was an excuse for Hubby John and myself to take turns dozing and for Neve to have some quiet time. Neve's mommy and daddy were home around 6:30 to pick up the dogs and the Cutie Patootie. She presented them with the gifts she had bought them, and after all the oohs and ahhhs and kisses and hugs, we all went out to W town for supper. It was our anniversary gift to them and we all enjoyed the meal very much. We all said goodbye and after more hugs and kisses, off went Hubby John and I back to KW town. Sigh....so far it has been a great weekend! We just love having Neve stay over, which isn't often enough for us. Grandchildren are the best! It's like Hubby John always says, if we had known grandchildren were this much fun, we would of had them first!

The 10 Commandments for modern day.

2010-08-19T22:49:00.005-04:00

If you get offended by religious based ideas then please, read no further.
Have a great weekend and drop by another day to read another post.

If you do continue reading then please don't get your undies all in a knot by me referring to God, as She. I don't think She minds that I do that so you shouldn't either.

The following article was emailed to me a long, long time ago. Even though about 10 years have sped by since I first read it, I feel that it still applies today.
(Please note that I have made word changes to #6 and to #10, only to be more unisex and to #2 with changing the word Honour to Respect...same meaning just more updated.)

I want to give kudos to the Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas for sharing and posting this on the web.

So after all of that here I go with the actual post:

People here in Texas have trouble with all those shalls and shall nots in the 10 commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch" language: These are the Ten Commandments, cowboy style.

1: Just one God
2: Respect yer Ma & Pa.
3: No telling tales or gossiping.
4: Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
5: Put nothing before God.
6: No fooling around with another fellow's gal (or another gal's fellow).
7: No killing.
8: Watch your mouth.
9: Don't take what ain't yours.
10: Don't be hankering for someone else's stuff.

These are good, plain and simple words to live by no matter what your religion is.
I wish you all blessings in your lives.
May God watch over you and yours, bless you and keep you in Her care.

CutCardStock.com Give-A-Way

2010-08-18T23:27:00.008-04:00

I love paper. I love to work with it. I stand in stores feeling it and drooling over it. I go to speciality stores and spend too much time looking at paper. I work with paper everyday and I love when new swatch books come in. I almost swoon when full size sample sheets arrive.
I am a paper addict. Text weight, bond weight, card stock, linen finish, satin finish, which colour of the rainbow to pick....oh so many, many decisions to be made when you work with paper.
One of my favourite things to do at home, is to go to CutCardStock.com and browse through their on-line store and make wish lists. Someday, when I have lots of money, I am going to go crazy buying as much stock in as many colours as I want to. Sigh........ that is one of my dreams.
For now, I will just enter CutCardStoc.com's free give away. I won once before and oh my, I was sooooo thrilled. So I'll enter again and keep my fingers crossed. Why don't you go HERE and enter to win? You have until August 28th to enter. I hope you do and I hope you win....but I hope I win more!

Early Morning Crunchy Bites

2010-08-15T11:09:00.005-04:00

It’s 5:00 o’clock on Saturday morning and here I am, wide awake, sitting half naked at this stupid computer while asking myself, “WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER”? All I wanted was a glass of water. At this time of the morning I don’t care if the glass is half full or half empty. As long as it is cold water, I just don’t really care. When I woke up, I must say I was surprised. Pleasantly surprised that is. Yes, it was 5:00 AM but that is better than 3:00 AM which is my usual “wake up in the middle of the night” time. Baby Cat Oscar meowed to question what the heck was going on. Even he knew this was not our middle of the night wake up time. 3:00 AM is the time for us to haul our butts out of bed to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water and get a tiny handful of crunchy bites. Um….let me clarify that statement….the crunchy bites would be for Baby Cat Oscar, not me, and he gets them only if I am awake enough to maneuver the basement stairs and I am not too cranky. Then he gets lucky. Stupid cat.....smart me. I know, I know, you all think Baby Cat Oscar is the smart one because I go to the basement to give him crunchy bites, and that I am some kind of idiot to do that at three AM. You all think that I should just pee, get my drink and then stumble back to bed. And sometimes I do that. BUT sometimes I have flashes of pure genius in the wee hours of the morning and I think to myself……if I give Baby Cat Oscar some crunchy bites now, then he will let me sleep in an extra 10 or 15 minutes in the morning when I hit the pause button on the alarm. Because when that alarm goes off he does not stop…..meow...meow…meow….meow…push paw…push paw…push paw…meow…meow…meow…. and after being told, in a not so nice way, to buzz off….he will find something to make noise with, whether it is the door, the carpet or just purring loud enough to wake the dead. So you see, crunchy bites at 3:00 AM are pure genius for my part. It's sort of like giving a baby an extra ounce or so of milk in the wee hours because you know you’ll reap the rewards later that morning when the baby sleeps in for an extra half hour or so. So I really am one smart crunchy…I mean cookie.
But I digress. So let’s forget about the crunchy bites and I will get back to the clock. It has been, for years, that I wake up at 3:00 AM. I must have had something happen in that time frame,in a previous life, that has scarred my psyche because it is so very rare that I wake up at any other time during the night...um I mean morning.. So, for me, seeing the clock say 5:00 AM instead of 3:00 AM. is quite a pleasant surprise. Sigh….life is so good! Now falling out of bed ….well that was not so pleasant but it’s still all good. I am fine. Nothing got broke and I made it downstairs in one piece. I know I really should put on my nightgown when I go downstairs but who’s going to see me naked? Baby Cat doesn’t mind and if Hubby John saw, I know he wouldn’t mind. And if the neighbors are looking in the window, well I really don’t care if they mind. A bad scare like that would serve them right for looking in my window, wouldn’t it? In the back of my head though, that little voice of reason, and I do mean little, keeps saying over and over….”What would happen if you fell down the stairs hit your head and were unconscious and HJ found you and called an ambulance and they came to take you to the hospital? HJ would not think to put your nightgown on you before he called for help. Strangers would be looking at you….naked at the bottom of the stairs…..How embarrassing would that be??? So when I got downstairs I grabbed a towel and put it around me before I went down the basement stairs to give Baby Cat Oscar some crunchy bites. That explains my half nakedness…one large bath sheet wrapped around me which is making me feel hot….but I think the AC is kicking in so that should help cool things down. As for the water, I grabbed my glass from last night, checked for spiders, took a sip and decided the water was too warm and so I fed it to my spider plant that hangs in the kitchen window. Isn’t that odd? I hate spiders but I do like my spider plant. Huh…go figure. So after the plant, Baby Cat Oscar and I had our water and BCO had his crunchy bites and we both used our own loo’s, we were on our way back to bed when I started having a sneezing attack. Great….just great! I grabbed a handful of tissues, came into the office and started to try to blow my nose quietly so as not to wake up Hubby John. Now I know that that is one of the stupidest things I do….really…..it is! HJ snores so loud that a bomb could go off beside the bed and I swear he wouldn’t hear it. So me sneezing and blowing my nose downstairs in a room on the opposite side of the house from where he is sleeping is not going to wake him up. I know this……but I still go into the office, every time an early morning sneezing attack starts. Just so I don't wake him up. Aren’t I a good and caring wife? Take note HJ….see what I do for you and you don’t even know it. I certainly hope you think of this at anniversary time…hee..hee..hee!
I just now looked at the time and realized I have been drinking, peeing, sneezing, feeding Baby Cat Oscar and typing away for over an hour. Baby Cat Oscar is sleeping and snoring on my feet. So I’ll wake him up and then the two of us are going back to bed. Hopefully I will fall back to sleep….right away. If not I’ll count sheep….or better yet, crunchy bites.

The best part of our summer.

2010-08-13T21:40:00.013-04:00

There I go again! Weeks and weeks since my last post! I have not been motivated to turn on the computer to even read my "Blogs that make me go Ohhh!". Well, that’s not quite true....I did sneak on to read a few of them....I'm not saying which ones because it might be taken as showing favoritism and it shouldn't be taken that way. I didn't even leave a comment on the few I quickly read and I hate doing that but I was just too tired to do more than get a quick blog fix. Both Hubby John and myself have been busy....at work and home. But we are still trying to spend time with Cutie-Patootie and Mr. B. as often as possible. Hubby John and I took Cutie Patootie Neve to the beach twice this summer. We had a great time (both times) and played and ate and jumped in the waves. Good memories for us all. Papa (Hubby John) and Grams (that's me) go over to spoil Kian (aka Mr. B.) at least once a week and I know we would both be there every day if we could. He's just so cute and cuddlable (is that a word?). He's only six weeks old but he changes a wee bit every time we see him. So we see him as often as possible without intruding on his mommy and daddy too much. I can hardly wait for sleepovers…..although I know that is a looong way away yet! The summer has flown by so quickly and I did not even go to one garage sale OR to Michael’s. THAT is saying a LOT! I love to do both so it just goes to show how busy I/we have been. Mind you, last Thursday I booked a day off work. HJ was having some dental work done up in E town and I went along for the ride. While there, I managed to get some great deals. E town just happened to have a sidewalk sale and the annual book sale at the local library that day. It was great! I got to spend a hour or so browsing and buying some used books. Then I went into a thrift store that I didn't even know existed, picked up a few things and when I went to pay for them, was told they were all half price. HOW GREAT WAS THAT?!?!?! Needless to say, I was a very happy camper for sure!
HJ and I haven't taken full holidays this summer. I get every other Friday and Monday off so it hasn’t been too bad. Hubby John books his appointments around my time off whenever possible so it’s all good.
I am hoping to maybe get away camping up north this year....in the fall.... Maybe......we'll have to wait and see how the money and work (for HJ) goes. He needs to take work when he can get it. We've had a lot of expenses this year with one thing after another. Now my car is in the shop to replace the door latch assembly on the driver’s door. $700.00 plus dollars for a door handle? I don't think so! That cost was so ridiculous that I told them to find a generic or a used one instead. The generic one does not exist apparently, so I am now waiting for them to procure the used part. Had it been one of the back doors I would have just left it, but crawling through the passenger side and over the gear stick thingy is just too much of a pain.....literally.....Do you know how high you need to lift your legs to do that? Trust me....it's higher than it looks! You need to be double jointed or a Zen yoga master to do that without hurting yourself. I can definitely say that I am not either one of those. LOL!!
Anyway, time just flies too fast at our household. I am hoping that HJ and I will have some down time in these last few weeks before September descends on us. There are thrift stores, garage sales and Michael's stores just waiting for me/us to spend time at. And we both definitely need lots more Cutie-Patootie and Mr. B time too! After all, spending time with those two grand babies is by far the best part of our summer.

Well Done John Vincent!

2010-07-20T21:30:00.025-04:00

Hubby John and I raised our son

John V. as best we could. We taught him to chew with his mouth closed, say please and thank you and to respect his elders.

It seems we did a good job. On Monday, July 7Th,

he met Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II of England. She was taking a tour of Research In Motion in Waterloo and John V was one of the employee's chosen to meet her. Queen Elizabeth shook his hand, asked John V. what his name was and what he did at RIM. Then on she went to the next person. I don't know what she thought of him, but John V. though the Queen was a very tiny lady, not as tall as she looks on the telly. He remembered his manners and gave Queen Elizabeth the respect she deserves.

I say there old fellow,well done!

Well done indeed John Vincent!

Picture: John Vincent is next in line to greet the Queen.

He is wearing a black suit, peach coloured shirt and a stripped tie. What a handsome fellow he is.

All faces except the Queen & JV have been inked out for privacy reasons.

Welcome to the world!

2010-07-15T12:34:00.006-04:00

My tongue is sore from biting it.
I had to wait for the go ahead, although there have been a few little hints in the last few posts. However now I have the official go ahead. I can finally, after all this time, spread the news.
I am a Gram's...AGAIN!
Mr. B, aka, Kian John was born June 24, 2010

and I am blue with excitement.
Go here and read all about his royal highness.
Thank you to daughter Jaime and her hubby Michael.
Kudos's to you both for our new grandson.
Welcome to the world Mr.B.
We're so glad your here!

In the picture, my Cutie Patootie (Neve) and Mr. B (Kian),

are shown in their first meet and greet.

What a busy Friday.

2010-07-09T15:52:00.013-04:00

Today was Neve day. It was my Friday off of work so I got to spend with with two of my favourite people....Hubby John and Neve. We had our Cutie-Patootie overnight, which is always a treat for us. After a very late and lazy start to our morning we went off to visit with the newest addition to our family. We has a really nice long visit there and then off we all went to the mall looking for a few items. We got the most important items on my list, chocolate from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and cheese popcorn for CP and a bag of salted buttered for Papa from Kernels. I wandered through a new shop in the mall that sold all kinds of really neat odds and ends while CP and papa grabbed a fresh squeezed OJ and a banana yogurt smoothie. A very short time later we went back out into the warm, muggy, overcast day. This was the type of weather that made you want to stay inside in the bright lights and air conditioning. We stopped and ate lunch at a brand new restaurant that had just opened on Thursday. Papa had wired this particular establishment and since we always try to patronize businesses that he does work for, it seemed like the perfect day to eat there. My goodness.....that was a very good lunch.! The coleslaw and french fries alone are worth going back for. Cutie-patootie had a child's portion of Fettuccine Alfredo and she has enough left over for another meal. Papa tried it and pronounced it to be very tasty. I took a sip of her apple juice, which turned out to be apple cider, and it was very good too! Papa and I shared a roast beef sandwich, fries, coleslaw and a Caesar salad. We had way too much food and next time we will know that this restaurant serves large portions and will adjust our orders for sure! While Papa drove the car, Neve and I walked across the street to the outlet mall. We all met in the parking lot and then went inside to the Lego store. Neve had never been there and was amazed at all the things that had been built out of lego's. Papa and Cutie-Patootie built a Lego car and ran it on a race track. The car fell apart a few times but eventually, after a few adjustments by both Neve and papa, the car did make it to the bottom of the track in one piece. It was a great way to spend a half hour or so. After the Lego store we had to make a stop at the dollar store. That is where I buy my zip lock bags and I needed to pick some up. I also picked up a Canadian flag bumper magnet that I will ship off to Switzerland next week. It is for a transplanted Canadian teacher, who orders one of the teachers plan books every year, from the company I work for. I spoke to him last week and he had asked if it would be possible for me to send him a Canadian flag decal for his new car. He has offered to pay for it but I will just send it to him as a small gift from Canada. Anyway, we left for home after Cutie-Patootie decided on a treat for herself. A pink hair extension wig with built-in hair band. You can see her a mile away when she has it on. She also got a package of stick-on earrings because Papa promised the earrings to her last time and forgot to pick them up for her and a promise is a promise right? After we got home it was time for one of the Barbie movies to be put on. Neve and Papa cuddled up in the big chair with her blanket while they watched the movie....again....for the 100Th time at least. Lucky Papa! He got to snuggle her for a good long time. They both also got a much needed nap. It was a really good day and we are all tuckered out. Cutie-Patootie will sleep good tonight for her mom and day. Gram's and Papa will sleep good tonight too!

A stones throw away.

2010-07-08T22:34:00.007-04:00

I have a very low pain threshold. I get a hang nail and it's enough to make me want to take a Tylenol. Not that I whine or anything like that. I usually grit my teeth and suffer in silence until I deem myself sick enough to have to go to the hospital. This has not, thank goodness, happened very often. Hubby John, on the other hand, could cut off an arm, loose all his blood and tell me to go get him a band-aid. Needless to say he has a very high pain threshold. He is rarely sick. With that being said I must tell you what happened this week. The other day HJ and I said goodbye in the morning and off I went to work while he finished getting ready to go a job over in G town. He had casually mentioned that he had a sore back and had not had a very good night. He was feeling tired but there was nothing to raise alarms of any kind. I got into work and was checking my schedule for the day when I got a call from Hubby John who asked me to come home to take him up to GR hospital emergency. Hmmm....that call told me he was really sick. By the time I got home HJ was on the phone speaking to his doctor's office who were telling him to go to emerge. So with HJ doubled up with pain off we went to the hospital. I drove....that confirmed that he really was sick. It only takes a few minutes for us to get to the hospital. Within a hour or so HJ was in a bed, and hooked up to an IV filled with anti spasm and antibiotic medication. Thirty minutes after that he was given a shot of pain medication. HJ promptly fell asleep. After having an exam by the doctor and an ultrasound the verdict came back....probable kidney stones. A prescription for two kinds of pain meds was given and we were sent home with instructions to come back to emergency only if the pain came back and the medications didn't work. I dropped Hubby John off at home. He went to bed for the rest of the day and I went back to work. Whew.....what a whirlwind day that was! Lows and highs....Good and bad. The low part was how fast it happened....the high part was how fast it was over. The bad thing.....Hubby John was really, really sick.....the good thing .....Hubby John is now all better.......the best thing .....help was only a stones throw away.....kidney stones that is.

Taste "good to the very last drop"!

2010-07-03T20:50:00.019-04:00

How many of you can remember that commercial for Maxwell House coffee that had a single drop of coffee coming out of the cup? The announcer would say...."Good to the very last drop!"
I rarely drink coffee. I love the smell of it, before, during and after brewing. For me, the smell of coffee is a comfort thing that brings back very fond memories of my childhood. As a little girl, when I stayed at my Uncle George's house he would take me down to the grocery store and would get a bag of fresh ground coffee. Mmmmmm......that smell........I loved it then and I still do to this very day. Waking up in the morning and going downstairs to the kitchen where Aunt Cecilia would be brewing coffee with the coffee burping up to the little glass cap on top of the peculator while the bread was toasting in the electric toaster with the sides that came down. I remember it like it was yesterday rather than fifty years ago. That smell of coffee will always be a good one in my memory. My Aunt Cecilia and Uncle George always kept their brown bag of coffee in the fridge and my mom and dad and my Grams did the same. And we all know the expression....Monkey see....monkey do. So that is why I have done the same for all these years. Up to this past Christmas our coffee usually came in a can rather than a little brown bag. Once in a while Hubby John would want a bag of fresh ground coffee, but mostly when we needed to restock our supply, we bought a can when it was on sale. Regardless of can or bag, once we got it home, into the fridge or freezer it went. Imagine my surprise then, when I read on MSN news that I shouldn't have been doing that. It seems that it was the worse possible thing I could do. Here is what the article had to say about this subject:
To Store Coffee Beans
The worst place: The refrigerator or freezer
Think that you're preserving freshness by stashing it in the fridge? Think again. Every time you take it out of the fridge or freezer, you expose it to fluctuating temperatures, which produces condensation. "The moisture leeches out flavor—it's like brewing a cup of coffee each time," says John McGregor, PhD, a professor in the department of food science and human nutrition at Clemson University.
Best place: Store your beans or grounds in an opaque, airtight container kept on the counter or in the pantry.
Go figure......who knew?? I am sure that coffee drinkers all over the world were boggled by this news article. But change can sometimes be a good thing don't you think?
The good thing is that I rarely buy canned coffee anymore since Hubby John and I got a new coffee brewing system as a gift from John Vincent & Sarah, this past Christmas. It takes these little pre-filled pods and brews a cup at a time. We love it. HJ can have all the coffee he can drink and I can have tea and hot chocolate or even a speciality coffee, like butter pecan flavoured or whatever, in less than a minute. I try to be green conscious while using our new pod system. After we are done using the pods I clean them out....the coffee grounds and paper filter go into our green composting bin and the plastic pod and the tin foil lid, into the blue recycling bin. The bad thing is that there are still the odd occasions where I buy a can of coffee, for large parties or family gatherings. But I promise to all my friends and family that I will try to remember to keep the can out of the cold and damp. After all, I do want the coffee to taste as good as it smells. And I do want it to taste "good till the very last drop"!

Take me out to the ball game.

2010-06-28T21:07:00.004-04:00

I am not a real big sports fan. I do like to watch the occasional golf game even though I don't play it myself. I also enjoy a good boxing or Judo match. And once in a while I like to watch a tennis match even though, again, I don't "do" tennis. Sometimes when your a Grams or a Papa you do and watch things that you normally would not do or watch.
For the last month or so Hubby John and I have been going out to "W" Town to watch our Cutie Patootie Neve play soccer. The teams consist of Jr and Senior kindergarten children. It is a non competitive sport in that it's meant to be an hour of activity for the kids and an opportunity for them to learn a new sport and how to be part of a team. No scoring is kept. It is the funniest thing to watch. Last week in the middle of a run to the opponents end of the field, CP who is on the burgundy team and her her best friend, who happens to be on the yellow team, both stopped to compare their shoes. Then another girl stopped to find out what the conversation was about and all three were showing off their fancy footwear. Needless to say, parents of all three were shouting at the girls to "go get the ball!". HJ and I did not yell with the other adults. We were too busy trying to hold each other up so we didn't fall down laughing. Would I miss one of my Cutie Patootie's games? Not for a million dollars! Where else can I go and laugh all evening and not have to pay for it? We get the best seats on the field. We get to laugh all evening. We get to cheer for the other team when they make a goal OR block one. We get to see coaches trying to keep some kind of order. (Note I said trying.) We get to see soccer players stopping to watch ants doing whatever ants do, while they, the players, are in the middle of a game, and we get to watch everyone stop to go and help someone who has fallen down, even if he or she is not on their team. Last week we spent half the night watching a little guy take 2 steps, stop to pull up his pants, take 2 more steps and stop again to pull up his pants and then run all the way down the field while holding up his pants. Finally we got the coaches attention and the pant problem (ties not tied) was fixed. The little guy ran the rest of the game with his pants staying put.
Silly me......I always thought that soccer was a very boring game. Boy, or should I say Girl, was I wrong! I am starting to think that "W" Town Monday-night soccer, is a game I could watch every night of the week.

Baby by Stevie Guest Giveaway

2010-06-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

Awwww....these are just too cute. Go over to
Baby by Stevie Guest Giveaway and see what is there.
I just happen to know a little someone, who would look even more handsome than he already is, if he were to wear one of these spectacular bow ties......no HJ not you.

I'm Back!

2010-06-26T20:11:00.006-04:00

It's been a little over a month since my last post. A lot of really great things have happened during that down time. But I can't discuss them because someone else hasn't discussed them on her blog yet and it would be mean of me to do so before she does so for now I will just say........I'm back!

Busy May

2010-05-24T20:19:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I last posted anything.
May has been quite busy for me......two baby showers for daughter J and Mr.Bump (and of course Daddy-to-be M) with another one coming up soon.
I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.
Shower #1, which was two Saturdays ago, was a small intimate shower for friends and grandmother to be. Jessy, our hostess, and her new baby boy Reid, kept us fed with homemade salsa & guacamole, cheese and crackers, dips and veggies, along with a fresh fruit platter and chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake. A punch with floating strawberries kept everyone coming back for more to drink. Baby Reid made the rounds of women fussing over and holding him while Mommy Jessy kept us all fed and happy. When we left we all got a miniature baby bottle filled with blue jellybeans. Very cute! Jaime got so many lovely outfits and onesies and baby things given to her. I am sure that Mr. B and daddy-to-be M were both happy too. Thank you Jessy for being such a good friend and hostess. It was a very laid back relaxing day and I know that I, for one, enjoyed every minute of it!
Shower #2, which was this past Saturday, was so different. The invitations were based on a "Sweet Prince" theme. What could be a more perfect celebration for a prince than a "High Tea"? The tea party was held with 13 ladies in attendance. Most of us were related to each other in one way or another. All of us ladies were all dressed up, and some even wore hats and gloves. It was so elegant looking. The food was almost too pretty to eat. Homemade scones with heavy cream and jam, crust-less sandwiches of butter, Havarti cheese, thin sliced cucumber and sprouts..... ohhhhh.....so good... they melted in your mouth. Tea was served in a selection of Aunt Phil's antique cups with matching saucers. Such thin porcelain and china. Most, I think, were hand painted and some had 18 carat gold trim. Very pretty! Pink champagne was served to those who wanted it. A mango/citrus punch was available and tasted very nice. Dessert was a chocolate cake (decorated to match the invites) that was so light tasting. Sweet tasting cantaloupe was on the fruit tray and there were strawberries and blackberries that were HUGE. They were also so sweet tasting.....yummy! Everything was absolutely delish! Bridie & Joanne, our hostesses with the mostessess, did a most excellent job of keeping all of us well fed and laughing. A wonderful afternoon was had by all. Oh yes.....Jaime and Mr. B and dad-to-be got some very nice gifts. And also, I must mention, baby Reid was there with mom J, and again he made the rounds with mostly grandmothers and one great grandmother vying for his attention. None of the ladies present, except his mother, were related to him but all wanted to claim him. I hope he slept well for his mom and dad that night. As we left the tea party we were given cupcakes (that matched the dessert cake) along with a little box with four chocolates wrapped in blue paper.
Oh My Goodness.....those chocolates were so good that Hubby John only got to eat one.
Oh well......
Family get-togethers are always so much fun and this one, even though it was for a baby shower, was no exception. Thank you again B&J for such a wonderful afternoon!
Shower #3 will be this coming Sunday. It's going to be a very large shower. We have a lot of family and friends coming. A luncheon will start around 1:30. There will be special treats for the 30 plus guests that will be attending. There will be a receiving blanket decorating station set up. It should be a lot of fun. It will be a relaxing, eat and talk day with no games being played. Cutie-Patootie Neve, mom Sarah and I will be the hostessess for the day. I think everyone will enjoy themselves. We'll just have to wait and see. I'll be sure to post about it once it's all done.
Well that has been my May to date. Like I said, I have been busy. Be sure to let me know how your month has been going so far. I'd like to read what you have been up to!
I hope you all have awesome week.
Take care everyone and I'll read you all sooner than later I hope!

Kidnapped

2010-04-30T11:21:00.012-04:00

The trouble with getting older is that your brain cells start shrinking and disappearing. When that starts to happen you will find...if you were to look....that your gray matter...no, not your hair... your brain...tends to delegate cell usage to the more important duties that you need to take care of on a more or less daily basis. That is: not drooling while you are eating, where you put your teeth if they aren't in your mouth, breathing, walking and remembering to wake up after you have either intentionally or unintentionally fallen asleep. These things, to the young, are trivial and funny matters. That's OK....let them laugh now....we'll see how much they are laughing in another thirty years or so. Well....that's if we still have eyesight that works....even if it has to be while using a 160 watt light bulb to be able to see what we need to see. HA! You young whippersnappers....just remember....she who laughs last laughs best. The joke will someday be on you!.........oh.....yah.........where was I? OH! I remember!....so with this background intel that I have just given you, I am sure that you will appreciate the statement that keys, can sometimes be left in the lock, of the front door, after you have come home from an evening of shopping. Left there ... all night long... to be discovered when you open the front door the following morning. Hubby John did it....not me. I must say that I trembled a bit when I saw the keys in that door. What if some handsome...rich...really rich... stranger came along and absconded with me during the night? Hubby John would never hear anything. He snores too loud to hear anything once he is asleep. I could have been kidnapped and he wouldn't know I was gone until late morning......or evening.....depending on when he realized I wasn't around, if he did realize I wasn't around. Even then, he would have probably thought I had just gone out thrifting for a few hours. I sometimes think I am too unappreciated. Just think.......I am gone....away from my loving family and dirty house....and nobody suspects anything. SIGH! When I finally walk in through the front door. late at night, after I have wrenched my sobbing person from the handsome, rich.....very rich...absconder and made my way, in the dark, in the pouring rain (Murphy's Law applied here) back to my dirty house and family, HJ would look up from watching Bones or Two and a Half Men on the TV and say, "So....did you get any good deals?
SIGH.......... I am off now......I need to go check and see where HJ left his keys.

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-04-25T22:51:00.010-04:00

I know it's been almost two weeks since I have posted anything, but I have been busy with lots of birthdays, movies, family visits, rock hunting with my Cutie Patootie, a baby shower for the newest addition to the extended family, shopping, work and the occasional bout of sleeping. We had an Open House this past weekend for my mom's 80Th (actual was Feb.25) and I feel that it was a successful event. Lots of friends and family stopped by to wish mom a HB and to visit with her. There was lots of food....and I mean LOTS....great music with all my mom's favourites being played, thanks to my little brother K and a slide show of family pictures from past to present, thanks to my sister-by-marriage J. The decorations for the tables were designed by my niece B and lots of picture boards by SBM C, daughter J and myself too. My other SBM did up the gift table with balloons and butterfly's. Another SBM got mom to and from the event (and all her BD gifts & flowers that she was given), arranged for the drink table and brought food and pictures too. Another niece,MA, was in charge of the food and made sure there was enough to feed a small army. She has been sick this past week but she stopped by long enough to make sure the food was being taken care of and visiting for a while before she, her hubby J and their 3 little ones,went home. Hopefully she made it to bed for a well earned rest. My SBM C, had a cake and chocolate suckers made with moms picture on them. Very nicely done C! Of course some of my brothers, C & K, were there as well and helped where needed, being gofer's rather than goofers. They are usually really goofy so it was a nice change....LOL!!! Just kidding! My little sister, A, made sure Hubby John and I got brekkie before we got to the hall that morning, helped to load and unload more food and helped to get food from the pans, to the trays, to the tables and did whatever I asked of her. It sure saved me a lot of time. Hubby John set up and took down tables along with son JV. They unloaded lots of goodies, supplies and ran here and there as needed. Everyone helped clean up afterwards and we were out of the hall by quarter after five, or around that time anyway. It was a great day and my mom enjoyed herself very much.
Without the hard work and effort on everyone in the family this would not have been such a success. SO....thank you to all of you for your hard work, donated food and drinks and for taking time to work on pictures, music, decorations and delivering invitations and emails, setting up and taking down. Thank you to the people who stepped up and headed up the various committees that made sure what needed to be done got done. To all of the immediate family THANK YOU for making mom's day such a success. We all worked so hard and I know mom really appreciates it.
Thanks to all the extended family and friends and neighbours, both old and new, who made the time to drop by and visit with mom (and the rest of the us). You made my mom so happy.
And last but not least, a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY mom.

It Was Good While It Lasted.

2010-04-14T15:12:00.013-04:00

Tuesday night is Neve Night. We take or pickup supper and go out to her house. The five of us, Neve, Mommy Sarah, Daddy John Vincent, Papa and Grams eat together and after supper is done Hubby John (aka Papa) and I (aka Grams) spend time with Neve (aka Sunshine Pal or Cutie-Patootie). We play a game, read or just cuddle together on the couch watching Tree House on TV or just talking about her day. Mommy and daddy take advantage of the free time to do housework or watch a favourite program on TV or whatever.
Mostly it is Papa and my Cutie-Patootie who cuddle on the couch. They are best buds and do everything together. CP completely adores her Papa. If the Cutie Patootie is even the least bit tired, Grams is a second class citizen that can only lurk around the edges waiting for the odd smile, hug or if I am really lucky, a kiss. SIGH! Sometimes it's hard being a Grams.
Well, last night I hit the buried treasure. For some reason that only a five year old can justify, Papa was on the outs with my Cutie Patootie. She decided that something he did or didn't do, while pushing her on the swing, wasn't right and that he was not to be blessed with her company for the evening.
Awww.....poor Hubby John.... hee...hee...hee....
Lucky Grams!!!!!!
Papa tromped off into the house, disappointed that his adorable granddaughter was not spending time with HIM. Poor Papa!
Now mind you, I had to work really hard to get to a level where my Cutie Patootie would actually smile for me. I still had to be the meanie Grams that she knows and loves.
The conversation went like this.
" I don't like Papa.
"Yes you do Neve, your just upset with him. You really don't "not like him. Your just upset with him at the moment."
"Papa really aggravated me Grams".
"I know he did, but he really loves you."
Yes, she really does use the word "aggrivate". Now while this conversation was taking place Neve is trying to shrug out of jacket.
"Neve, put your jacket up on your shoulders. It's chilly out here."
She turns her body so she is completly turned away from me.
" Neve, please do it now."
" NO, ...I don't want to!"
" Neve, you have two choices. You can put your jacket on, properly now.... or you go into the house."
"I am hot, I don't want it on!" (With this she proceeds to take it off completely.)
"Neve, you can be upset with me if you want to but put your coat on properly....NOW!"
The coat reluctantly got put on.
Then came the "if I don't look at you, you aren't here" stage. While that was happening I continued on chattering to her, asking her what kind of mud pie she was making, if Papa was going to get some, how Charlie, the dog, was so funny looking, and Oh!...look there is a robin on the fence. My Cutie-Patootie pointedly ignored me and continued making mud pies. After I saw the robin I asked her if she remembered the nest that the robins had started and abandoned last year. I went over underneath the deck and made a show of looking for it.
Curiosity is a great pacifier in a five year old and within minutes she was over beside me and pointing it out. I complimented her on her good eyesight and asked if she would like to see the nest. With a smile and a "Oh yes, please" my Cutie-Patootie watched while I eased the nest down. The next half hour was spent answering questions:
Why did the mommy robin leave the nest?
Because there were too many little girls, dogs and grownups coming and going all the time and getting too close to the nest.
How did the mommy take the egg with her?
There were no eggs.
How did she get it to go like this?
Well, see where she started at the bottom with mud? She how she built it up and then took twigs and grass and string and more mud and wove them all together? Then she just kept adding more and more until she had it just right. Dooesnt't it look just like she braided everything together? But see how smooth the bottom is and how round the sides are? Then the robin took really soft grass and put it inside the nest so when the eggs were ready to come out of her they wouldn't break.
Won't she use this nest again this year?
No, she'll make a new one somewhere else.
Grams' I wish she would make another one here.
Well maybe some year when your bigger and the dogs are more quiet she might.
I would like that Grams.
So would I Cutie-Patootie.
Grams, can I go see Papa now?
Of course you can.
Sigh......it was good while it lasted.

Who Wants To Do Housework?

2010-04-13T13:00:00.006-04:00

I was eating my lunch at work today and trying to figure out when I will do my housework this week. I thought that maybe I would do it Friday on my day off but the Cutie-Patootie will be here and I would much rather spend time with her. I was thinking that a rock hunting expedition might be a good thing to do that day. I think that is a MUCH better plan than just doing boring old housework, don't you? The bad thing about housework is that it has to be done.....eventually. The good thing about it is that it isn't going anywhere and will be there whenever you get to it....eventually. Anyway, where I was headed with this whole post was, that while I was debating about housework and rock hunting I opened up my junk mail account and guess what? I am rich....again....! It seems that I just won the UK Lottery in the amount of a few hundred thousand pounds Stirling. So now I don't have to worry about the housework.....I'll just get a maid or a really big dumpster....that would work too wouldn't it? But right now my lunch hour is over and I am back to the grindstone. I need to type up my resignation. Oh....silly me!...I'll just hire a manservant to do it for me. I might as well spread the wealth around to the less unfortunate people. I wonder if there is a "Manservant's-Are-Us" site on the Internet? I guess I will have to go and look. Sigh.....really...with all the money I have just won you would think that my life would be so much easier wouldn't you?

Easter Adventures of Lois, Hubby John and the Cutie-Patootie.

2010-04-10T09:00:00.013-04:00

I have been so busy lately that I just remembered that I forgot to post about my wonderful Easter weekend. Duh! I will post about what's keeping me so busy at a later date. It seems the days are just flying by and I forget to let everyone know what's been happening in my life. Anyway, I had a wonderful, busy, looooong Easter weekend. It started on Thursday. This was my long weekend off at work and I got Thursday off in lieu of Friday, which of course, was a statutory holiday. So like I was saying, I didn't have to work on Thursday but Hubby John did. I had a list of to-do things that needed to be done. There was banking, house cleaning, grocery shopping and errands to run for HJ but I also wanted to to take advantage of a free day and get some thrift shopping done as well. I dropped by a few of my favourite thrift stores between doing the other errands. I bought the prettiest little cut glass bowl for $0.35 and some pretty paper dollies for a $0.10. I also got a pretty little basket that had butterflies on it for $0.25 and another small pale pink basket that had a pink-white-washed one inch metal rim around the top of it. It will make a lovely gift basket with maybe some flower seed packets and a pair of garden gloves or garden tools in it or maybe some nice soap with a pretty hand towel and hand cream. The best part was the price at only $0.25. I bought a little ceramic dish that will eventually be used as a soap dish. That cost me another whopping $0.25. I also bought a certain something that will be part of a certain Mr. Bump's gift at one of the three Bump Showers that are coming up in May. I fell in love with it and thought that it was perfect for the occasion. That cost me a whole $2.00. Only the best for our soon to be baby boy bump! The last item I bought was a lovely stationary box full of Christmas cards and note paper. It was brand new and I paid $3.00 for it. That item is destined for a hostess gift come November/December of this year. Pretty and inexpensive. I love finding really good deals. Thrifting was one of the most relaxing parts of my day. I got to slowly take my time poking around some of my favourite thrift stores and I got some really good deals to boot! All those pretty items for $5.20 with tax included. How great is that???? Very great I'd say!!! I was a very happy camper! I was also a very tired camper after my thrifting, grocery shopping, banking, and stopping at the pharmacy, Bulk Barn and Dollar stores to pick up Easter candy for all my kids, both big and small. I had one more errand to run for Hubby John and then it was time to head home. I didn't get the cleaning done completely because I only had a half hour or so before HJ got home from the job he had been doing. Geese...the day had just flown by. There was enough time for each of us to take a quick shower and then we were off to pick up the Cutie-Patootie from day care. We were very excited because she was staying overnight. We went out for supper at one of our favourite restaurants had a long quiet dinner while CP told us all about her day. Afterwards we stopped in for a few grocery items that had been left off the list and then made another quick stop at Zellers and the Bulk Barn and then we went home. While Cutie-Patootie and Hubby John cuddled in the easy chair to watch a movie (Mermaid Barbie) I got all the housework but the vacuuming done. It had been a good day...long, but good...and we were all in bed early because we were going to have an even busier day on Good Friday. That story will be coming up in my next post, so stay tuned for the further Easter Adventures of Lois, Hubby John and the Cutie Patootie.

Congratulaions Jessica from Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping!

2010-04-01T23:23:00.008-04:00

I was checking out one of my "Blogs that make me go OH" today. Button Floozies have various bloggers' posting about....well....buttons. I was very excited to read that Jessica from
Kids Napping? I'm Scrapping! is one of the newest bloggers' to post on Button Floozies. I have lurked around her personal blog site for quite a long time and have always enjoyed it. She is a excellent blogger who makes me laughs, gives the occasional cooking/baking lesson and has advise and tutorials on lots of things. With Jessica being so talented I was not surprised to see that she took the opportunity to post on Button Floozies when an opening came up. She loves buttons and she is a very crafty lady! Jessica is having a give-a-way to celebrate her 2ND year of posting her blog. So go here and check it out. Thank you Jessica! Congratulations on your 2 years....and may you have many, many more!

OLD FOOL ON APRIL 1st.

2010-04-01T22:09:00.010-04:00

It was so warm and sunny outside today that I wasn't at all bothered by the fact that I had to park some distance from the bank to deposit my pay cheque this morning. As I got out of the car and was grabbing a reusable carry bag (just in case) I heard whistling. "What is that??!!??" I thought to myself. "It's really a catchy tune". First I thought it was being blared over a broadcasting system by the mall and then I thought that is was from one of the trucks that were blocking a lane of through traffic . As I was walking toward the mall, the driver of the small van that was parked in front of the big truck, got in and started up his vehicle to drive away. The whistling stopped and I thought that he had some music playing while he had made his delivery in the mall and when he started up his very loud truck it drowned out the whistling. Who knew? Who cared? Not me that's for sure. There was traffic all over down there today. With so many delivery trucks and vans illegally parked so the drivers could make their deliveries in the mall, other drivers were playing chicken trying to get around the parked trucks and keep the traffic flowing. It was like playing a game of dodge ball when I tried to get across the road to the other side. Both myself and another lady ran like heck to avoid being hit by a senior that seemed to have lost her ability to read the STOP sign. Why stop?? The pedestrians will move....one way or the other. Anyway, I did make it across to the road in one piece and got into the bank ATM area and was able to get one of the machines without having to wait. Lucky me. The line up inside the bank was insane, and it was only 9:30 in the morning! So I'm at the ATM and pulled out my bank card and put it in the machine and I wait.....and wait....and wait.....and.....OH!..it probably would help if I put it in the right way wouldn't it!!??!! That's what the beeping was. I never realized that those machines made so much noise. So I turn my card around and put it in the machine correctly and punch in my code when I hear that whistling again. I looked beside me thinking it was the guy over there but he was looking at me with this look that said, "What' that?". What is that noise from??? DHUH....the noise is from my purse, or to be more exact, my new cell phone that is in my purse. . So I dig out my phone, say hello, and start laughing as I tell my dear Hubby John what an idiot I am. I just know he was rolling his eyes and yes, I am sure, laughing at me, but all he did was ask me, "Well what did you think the noise was?" I am still laughing at myself. That ring explains why the woman walking by me in the parking lot kept looking over at me. I guess I am still not used to having a cell phone and I think this is only the second call I have received on it. I am sure that eventually I will get used to my purse making noises. It's all good. Besides, today is April 1st and if nothing else, I proved that there is no fool like an old fool.

It's a wrap!

2010-03-23T12:30:00.007-04:00

I love bread! It doesn't matter whether it is brown or white, sweet bread or sour dough, with or without nuts, raisins or other add-in's. As long as it is bread I am a happy person. This morning however I was not a happy camper. There wasn't enough bread to make a sandwich for my lunch. There was, however, a package of whole grain wraps in the fridge. RATS!!! I don't like wraps. I will eat them IF I have to. Hubby John, on the other hand really likes wraps. He actually orders them when we go out to a real restaurant to eat. Jeez...what a Weirdo!
SIGH.......
Anyway, back to this AM. What was a girl to do? I had to make wraps. Did I mention that I DON"T LIKE WRAPS? So I attempted to make roast beef wraps with lettuce and cheese for our lunches. Stuff was falling out all over the counter when I tried to roll them up. So I took everything back off and smeared mayo on the wrap to act like a glue. It seemed to work. Did I mention that I am also not real fond of mayo on my sandwiches? I prefer mustard but I thought the mayo might stick everything together better. So I re-wrapped the wraps and rolled them up again, or should I say, attempted to roll them up again. I wrapped the wraps in wax paper and then in a bread bag to keep them rolled tight. At lunch time mine stayed together when I went to eat it....sort of...I don't know how HJ fared with his.
So guess what I am doing tonight? Buying bread. It won't matter what colour or kind it is. It won't matter what brand it is. It will be bread....yummy bread...I can hardly wait. I'll walk into that store, go to the bread aisle and take my time choosing one of my favourite things to eat. Then I'll pay for the bread and take it home and tell Hubby John that I am now a happy camper: I bought the good stuff....the job is done....it's a wrap!

An Irish Blessing.

2010-03-17T10:52:00.005-04:00

Hubby John is wearing the green today.....that is to say he's not feeling well at all....he still has "THE BUG". He is slowly getting better but I think he has a ways to go before he is in the pink.
With this being St. Patrick's Day and me having Irish in my blood (both Mother & Father's side) how could I not celebrate with a bit of green humour? I must admit that I stole this joke from the Bonnie Hunt Show and Bonnie's lovely mother Alice. And so, without further ado and a bit of added flourish from me, here it is:
Paddy O'Brien was showing his best friend, Riley O'Neil , the ring he had bought for his hopefully, soon to be fiance, Margaret.
"Would you be looking at this beautiful emerald diamond I bought for my wee lassie. She'll no be turning me down this time I'm thinking!
Reilly, looked at the ring but only saw a cheap piece of clear glass bling.
He turned to Paddy and asked,"Paddy, are ye daft man? Tis not an emerald diamond...it's not green!"
With a smile and a knowing wink Paddy replied, "Ach, give it time boyo and it will be".
Stop Groaning!!!! It wasn't that bad....really! Well maybe it was....LOL!
So OK, I shouldn't tell ethnic jokes because it is in bad form and all that......but really, if you can't laugh at yourself then why shouldn't you laugh at someone else....What??!!??...Naw....I'm just kidding!!! Really!!! However as today is a special day and because my great great grandparents came from across the big pond, I wanted to leave you with a bit of the green. This Irish blessing is one I came across years ago. I use it when giving house warming gifts for friends and family who have bought new or have moved into another home.
I hope you like it as much as I do and I wish it for each one of you.
AN IRISH HOUSE BLESSING.
God bless the corners of this house and all the lintel blessed,
And bless the hearth and bless the board and bless each place of rest,
And bless each door that opens wide to strangers as to kin,
And bless each crystal window pane that lets the starlight in,
And bless the rooftree overhead and every sturdy wall.
The peace of man. The peace of God. With peace and love for all.

Just in case I forget.

2010-03-15T13:45:00.027-04:00

Some days I surprise myself with the simple act of remembering not only my name but what I had for breakfast......yesterday. What did I have yesterday for brekkie? Hmmm...let me see....Hubby John made the food and my Cutie Patootie Neve and I ate it...now what was it???? Oh yes, I remember. Eggs over easy, bacon, brown toast with apple jelly and milk. Yummy...it was very good. One of the nice things about having Cutie Patootie sleep over is that when it comes to food, she doesn't like bread crusts but I do....so I get hers...WHAT???!!!??? Oh... it's only a few crusts.....it doesn't hurt her not to have to eat them....and besides Cutie Patootie pretty much rules the roost over at our place. No food is wasted and everyone is happy. My mother, who turned 80 in February, has never, to my knowledge, eaten bread crusts. It didn't do her any harm,. She's normal....well as normal as my mother can be...so there you go! Crusts are optional at Grams and Papa's house. However, I digress. I started this post stating that my memory, or lack of, sometimes surprises me. Some days it is really bad and that's when things get put where they shouldn't. But it's all good. Mostly everything gets found....sooner or later. The voices in my head will eventually remind me of where I put that bag of milk....check the fridge freezer....yup, it's there. LOL!
Carolyn, who is Sarah's (my daughter by marriage) mother and a lady who I think of as a good friend, has a Game Boy(or whatever it is) that has a Brain and Memory Tester game. She plays this game everyday for 15 minutes or so and swears that her memory has improved. I always thought that was a good thing to do, but since I don't have the money for the game I have done without.....UNTIL TODAY!
Well anyway, Carolyn sent me an email about going onto a site to enable companies to donate free kibble to another site for animal shelters across the USA. Even thought it does not benefit Canadian shelters I will support sites and programs that can help anyone or anything that is needful. This was a free site and would only take a few minutes of my time so off I went. Well, of course,while I was there I got sidetracked because I just had to check out the various tabs. While doing so I came across a program of brain food games that is free for all to use. How great is that??!!?? I get to do something for myself and it's free too! My thrifty side was very pleased.
So when you have a few minutes and want to do something good for yourself go and enlighten your brain cells. The site is called Care2..make a difference and there are all sorts of things to read about. Like...did you know that if you run a metal hanger down pant legs (turn the pants inside out first) it will get rid of static cling? See.....you just did your brain some good. You learned something new! Anyway, go over to the site, click on the Health and Wellness tab on the left side, then click on the "5 Ways To Boost Your Memory " and scroll down to number 5. There on the second paragraph (the "Work Your Mind" sentence) you just click on "these online exercises" and get started on your brain food. Now don't worry! It really is brain exercises not body exercises. OH NO!!!!! I don't mean to scare you with the "E" word! It's OK! It won't hurt you and you won't get sweaty. I'm sorry.....I didn't mean to bring on a heart attack or anything like that! Whew.......be calm......think sunny thoughts....breath deeply...that's it.....it's OK........think yoga thoughts......breath in....breath out....breath in....breath out.......Are you OK? That's good! So, now that I have averted any possible heart attacks, allergy attacks or panic attacks, I just wanted to let everyone know that I did go over there and I did do some brain exercise and I had fun!
Oh.....and I also bookmarked the site..........just in case I forget.

Pass the Kleenix.

2010-03-14T21:03:00.005-04:00

Sometimes one shouldn't speak up until one is completely sure that what they are about to say is 100% accurate. I last posted that I was on the mend.....and at the time I thought I was. Hmmm....it seems that I was not....I had a bit of a back slide......Friday I woke up and I felt really lousy again. Saturday and Sunday I felt pretty much the same.
Hubby John has also now come down with the same thing and is hacking and coughing too.
Being the big spenders that we are we have decided to put our money into Kleenex.
I really mean that.....we bought ten boxes this weekend and have gone through 3 of them already. I must also say that the Benylin Mucous & Phlegm syrup that the pharmacist recommended to Hubby John for me (and now him) is really doing the trick.
Yes, it is gross with the yucky stuff flowing but it is not settling into our chests and that is exactly what we wanted to avoid.
If HJ never has another bout of pneumonia like he did last year, we will both be quite happy.
So anyway, there are lots of Kleenex being used and lots of hot drinks, water and Benylin being consumed in this house.
Eventually this sickness soon shall pass.....sooner than later I hope, for the both of us.
This setback has made me realize that there is something worse that having a sicko in the house.
What could be worse than one sicko in the house, you ask??
That would be two sickos in the house.
Groan.....I know, I know, I'm reaching.......and right now I am saying goodbye so I can go find another box of Kleenex.

On the Mend

2010-03-10T23:25:00.005-05:00

I am still upright and breathing, which in my opinion, is half the battle.
I have hours at a time now,where, I am not trying to cough up a lung.
I have no fever and it seems to be gone and not coming back.......knock on wood.
I can actually taste some things now. Not everything tastes like cardboard.
That is surely a good sign isn't it?
Thanks to all for the good wishes and advice.
Life is good......I am on the mend.

One Happy Sicko

2010-03-06T09:11:00.006-05:00

My Hubby John a very caring person.
He is always so thoughtful when I am sick. Making sure I get fresh air (aka freezing in the car), making sure I have medicine (aka get better so you don't make me sick) letting me hog the box of Kleenex (aka I am not using those if your touching the box) and making sure I have plenty of nourishment during my sickness (aka if I don't get better he will have to do ALL the cooking).
LOL!!! JUST KIDDING!
HJ really is a good hubby and he does tend to baby me when I get sick.
Yesterday, when I got home from work, I was greeted with the words, "I made chicken noodle soup". Yummy! Hubby John makes the best home-made chicken soup.
Yep....from scratch!
Pun intended ... hee..hee..hee... ...do you get it?...scratch....chicken..... I know...I know....it's a stretch....but then I am sick and not in my best form.
Anywho, thanks to my Hubby John I am feeling a bit better and actually went out for a bit of sale shopping last night. HJ came along and we got a certain Cutie-Patootie some Easter basket goodies (no, not candy) and Mr. Bump, some baby shower goodies. We also picked up some draw prizes for a fund raising event that John Vincent is involved in.
Everything bought was on sale.
Yippee!!!
So yes, I am feeling better.
How could I not be? Home-made soup AND thrifting? How great is that?
I am one happy sicko!

That's the way it should be.

2010-03-04T18:17:00.026-05:00

My office cohort, Sheila, is gone on holiday to sunny Mexico, where word has it, she is enjoying every minute of her muchly deserved holiday. The last two years have been especially hard ones for her and I am so glad that she is away, in the sun, getting some well deserved rest and relaxation. That being said, I, of course, have come down with a cold bug. Isn't that always the way? Murphy's Law decrees that when you can take off time to be sick you never get sick and when you just can't take time off to be sick, you get sick.
See the picture? That's what I feel like.....cranky, sick and miserable!
I am sneezing and coughing and feeling yucky but I am still valiantly going into work. I am the only one in the main office while Sheila is gone. That office would grind to a stand-still and shut down if we were both gone at the same time. So I keep my Kleenex and hand sanitizer on my desk and I try to stay away from everyone in the plant and other offices. There are times when all I want to do is crawl under my desk and sleep....but I can't, so I don't. There is nothing I can really do about it except drink my hot drinks, blow my nose a lot and take a Tylenol every six hours or so if I start feeling even more yucky. My boss, who I really do like, hovers around me when he hears my having a coughing fit. Do I need anything? Can he go and get me a tea? Coffee? Hot Chocolate? Is there anything he can do? Isn't he just the nicest person? It's like having your mommy there isn't it? NOT!!! He is just worried that I am going to get up out of my chair, turn off my computer and make the announcement that I am too sick to work and I am going home. Who would run the office then? HA! I love having this power over him. Mind you it would probably be more effective if I wasn't coughing up a lung and blowing my nose every few minutes. Nevertheless, I am in a power play position and I could be really mean and go home instead of staying at work. But then .....who would flutter all around me, offering me hot drinks and making little noises that mean....awww poor Lois..... Hubby John? No Way!! When I am in the car with him he wants me to keep my car window open a bit "to suck out all the bad germs"...never mind the fact that I am getting frost bite. Jeez! I will get no sympathy from that side of the car. So I'll be a good girl, go into work, use my hand sanitizer, my Kleenex and Tylenol and not breath near anyone. Sigh....poor me....sniffle, sniffle...no, I'm not crying....my nose is running and I have run out of Kleenex. I am just so happy that Sheila is back on Tuesday. But you know.....with Murphy's Law and the way that always goes, I should be all better by then. With no sign of sniffles or lungs being coughed out, Sheila will think I have had an easy smeasy week and she won't feel guilty about being gone. And that's the way it should be.

I am a sicko.

2010-03-03T17:03:00.003-05:00

I am a sicko......
Cough....cough....cough....
Sneeze...sneeze....sneeze...
Yuck!
I am sick and I feel lousy.
That's all I have to say today.

Welcome ToThe 21st Century

2010-02-26T09:03:00.006-05:00

I am not exactly what you would call brilliant when it comes to technology of any kind. Oh I'm OK if there is an ON and a OFF button, but give me anything with more than that and I will probably screw it up. Like the TV remotes....notice the S at the end of the word? All I want is one, yes I said just 1; one, um, ein, un, ένας ,одно....No matter what language you write or say it in, it still means ONE! I hate having to push a hundred buttons on three remotes to turn on the DVD player. Then HJ comes in and gets all growlee because I screwed up his remotes. GEESE!!! If we had just ONE there wouldn't be a problem right? OFF & ON. Can it get any easier and simpler? No, well not unless you have a manservant who could do it for you. And don't think for a second that that isn't on my wish list for when I win the big one...hee...hee...hee..... But I digress. I started saying how I am technically challenged.....BIG TIME..... and with that being said I have an announcement to make. It appears that I have formerly entered the 21st century. Yep. I never in a thousand years thought I would have this happen to me but I am no longer century challenged. Just because of one little incident I can no longer be called an"old fashioned type of girl". What's that you say???? What's the BIG News??? Hubby John bought me a cell phone. It's a KOODO and it's small and has a little cover on it so I don't scratch it all up. Someone told me it is called a skin, not a cover...sorry.... The phone is for emergency use so it doesn't have call display and I have very limited monthly time on it. With such limited options it doesn't cost a lot. But being cheap like I am, that makes me happy. I learned how to turn it on, turn it off and plug it in to recharge. I can take pictures and video with it.....cool huh? It has ever so many ring tones to choose from and I can even do a custom tone if I want to. Hmmm....I am thinking of doing a custom ring where all my family yells..."IT'S YOUR PHONE MOM...ANSWER IT!". That way when I am shopping and hear voices talking to me I will know it's not JUST the voices in my head again, but it's my phone. (That will be a huge relief to me I can tell you!) HJ and all the kids have my cell number so they can call me anytime they want to. That's a good thing. So there ya go......I am now a modern woman....TA DA! I have entered the 21st century, I am strong, healthy, smart and no longer technically challenged. What a woman I am!!! .....Ummm.....I do have one question though.....what's my phone number?

How to have a heart attack in the kitchen.

2010-02-24T23:41:00.017-05:00

I have always maintained that domestic chores will someday be the death of me. This true story proves my point. This is my way of having a heart attack in the kitchen.
1: Decide, at 8 o'clock in the evening, to make strawberry milkshakes while watching the Canada/Russia hockey game playoff for Team Canada to be able , if they win, to go to the final game for a chance at gold in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
2: Go down to freezer, change the laundry over to the dryer, hang up wet jeans....while checking for sneaky spiders,... then put another load of laundry into the washer, feed baby cat Oscar again, go back to the freezer and get the ice-cream which was your whole point in going downstairs to start with, start up the stairs, go back down and over to the freezer.....again......to turn off the light....yell upstairs to Hubby John who is in the back family room and is yelling something to someone, .... "John if your yelling at me I can't hear you....
John,I Can't Hear You .... JOHNICAN'THEARYOU!!!! ..... get distracted and feed Baby Cat Oscar for the third time this evening.....and then ....finally.... go back up the stairs and into the kitchen.
3: Go to the fridge freezer and get frozen strawberries and ice cubes out and then open the fridge to get milk out and set everything on the counter by the microwave....go back into the fridge to get some strawberry jam and set it on the counter too. Yell back at Hubby John, who is still in the back room, and who is yelling at me or someone else, something about missing the game or the net ...."OK I heard you!" ..... "Yes I Heard You!".... "YESIHEARDYOU!!"
3: Move the blender from the counter by the window to the counter by the microwave because it's easier to move just the blender rather than all the ingredients for the shakes.
4: Double check to make sure you got everything you need and discover the ice-cream scoop is missing. Check out both drawers and find the scoop in the back under a soup ladle. What the heck is it doing there??? Close the drawer and open up ice-cream container and then dump melted ice water out of the bowl.
5: Notice that you haven't plugged in blender.
6: Plug in blender BEFORE you REALIZE the lid and lid plug are inside the glass bowl of the blender and the speed control button is NOT in the OFF position.
7: Jump 4 feet in the air while clutching your chest and saying to Baby Cat Oscar (who has come into the kitchen to see what you're doing), """Cheese on bread.... Oh my god.... !!!!!**&&%%++##@@!!%%$$******" then frantically pull the plug on the blender out of the wall socket while still clutching your chest.
8: Lean against counter with shaky knees, while trying to get your heart beat down to a more reasonable rate so you can take out and check over the lid and plug that you always leave in the blender bowl but usually remove BEFORE you push the speed control button.
9: Rinse the teeny, tiny plastic pieces that got ground off the lid and plug, out of the glass blender bowl, then also rinse the "still-almost-like-new-except-for-a few-nicks", lid and plug.
10. Check to make sure blender is on OFF position, plug in, add milk, mostly melted ice-cream, frozen strawberries, jam and more ice-water than ice-cubes. Put plug in lid and lid on blender and hit the start button.
And there you go! Yummy strawberry milkshakes to sip while watching Canada ....finally.... after 50 years, win over Russia, in the Olympics. Along with one pair of knees that have stopped shaking and one heart that is still going strong despite having a heart attack in the kitchen....life is good.

I wish you a tank full.

2010-02-21T09:46:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago my car broke down at a very busy intersection. It just stopped. I didn't know what to do. I was on my way to meet my daughter Jaime for her doctors appointment. I was going to get to listen to my soon-to-be-born new baby grandson's heart beat. I was so looking forward to that. That was one thing I had never done before. Just imagine listening to a heart that hasn't been born yet. How cool is that? Anyway, I had no way of contacting Jaime to tell her I wouldn't be able to make it. I didn't want her worrying. I had no way of calling CAA or Hubby John for help. What was a poor old lady to do? I didn't know if I should walk the few blocks to the mall to find a phone. I didn't have cash on me but I did have my phone card. I didn't feel comfortable going to any of the nearby houses to ask to use their phone. You just never know what kind of weirdo your dealing with, and why should a stranger not think the same about me? What to do??? Should I just leave my car locked up while I went in search of help? What if the police came while I was gone and had it towed? What if someone hit it? It was a very busy corner with traffic, both car and pedestrians, everywhere. I asked a few people as they walked by if they had a cell phone I could use. Some said no, some ignored me completely. I was very upset because I just did not know what I should do. Then a very nice young man stopped his vehicle. He got out of his SUV, asked if I was OK, asked what happened to my car and then let me use his cell phone to call Hubby John. HJ said he would be there shortly and that he would contact Jaime so she wouldn't be worried about me not showing up at the doctors office. Then the young man positioned his vehicle to be used as a barrier behind mine. He had all kinds of emergency lights flashing, to warn other drivers of a problem. He told me to try to see if I could get my car to start. Back into my car I went. After what seemed like forever but was actually just a few minutes, I was able to get the car started and moved out of traffic. A few minutes later Jaime showed up to make sure I was OK. She couldn't stay or she would have been late. Off she went and a few minutes later Hubby John showed up. He diagnosed the problem as a frozen gas gauge. HJ was driving his work truck and it has a gas can in it that is used for the company generator so he was able to fill up the tank enough to get me moving. The car had enough gas now so that I would still make it in time to the doctors office (2 blocks away) and then home afterwards. I felt so dumb! I knew the gas was low when I left for work that morning. It was Thursday and payday and I had planned on filling up the tank that evening. Now don't get the wrong idea. I am not in the habit of letting the gas in my car get down too low. Sometimes I just forget to check during the week. I have never run out of gas before in the 25 odd years that I have been driving. But like the saying goes...NEVER SAY NEVER! Usually, if the gas indicator light comes on, if I have to, I can drive from my house to work and back again with no problem. This time when the light came on the car just stopped. Anyway, everything turned out OK. I am so thankful to that young man for his help. When it was all said and done and he knew help was on the way, that young man just got back into his vehicle and with a wave of his hand disappeared into the traffic flow. He was my knight in a dirty black SUV but his kindness shone through all that mud. Thank you kind knight wherever you are. I wish you a long life filled with happiness and joy and may your gas tank always be full.

Happy Birthay Baby Girlz

2010-02-20T13:27:00.012-05:00

On....off...on....off....on...off....on....off....on....off...on...off

Thirty two years ago today I was fed up. I had had enough! Yes I was definitely not a happy mommie-to-be. Two weeks of on-again, off-again labour had worn off the "maybe this is it!" glow that I got whenever the labour pains started......again. I was more in the "Ignore it as it's only going to stop again anyways so don't get all hyped up about it" mode. Yep, two weeks of starts and stops had made me a very tired lady. Mind you with dealing with a 3 year old that never stopped, would make anybody tired. Back then we used the term "overly active", now days they use ADD, HDD, and any another "DD" description they can come up with. Anyway, with an active little boy and a Hubby John who put in long hours at work, a house to take care of and snow shovelling to do because HJ was working, I didn't have the time or patience to deal with on again, off again labour. My due date was within a few days and my doctor was not inclined to do anything more than let nature take it's course. That was ok by me but it sure would have been nice to get a full nights sleep without those false pains starting again....and again....and again....
The morning of February 20,1978 I got up with Hubby John and got him off to work. I was in an "on again" labour mode. HJ said he would call later that morning to check on me and off to work he went. Back to bed I went for hopefully another hour or so of sleep. John Vincent was good enough to crawl into bed with the mommie for some quiet morning time until he decided, 20 minutes later that he was hungry. So up we both got and brekkie was served. Around 9:00 that morning I decided I best take a shower, just in case and JV was delegated to answer the phone. HJ was calling on his break to see how I was doing and I didn't want him to worry if I didn't answer. JV did answer the call and told his daddy that mommy was in the bathroom and that the baby was still in her tummy and that mommy said daddy was not to worry. HJ stayed on the phone until I got to it and I assured him that I was OK and would phone if he was needed. All was right in the scheme of things. The day was quiet enough and at 4:30 HJ was home and took me up for my scheduled doctors appointment. Dr. McAdam took a peek and said, "Well Lois, I'll see you tonight at the hospital." I was getting "on again" labour at this point. From the doctors office we drove out to my mom and dads house to pick up my sister who was staying with JV for the week. We picked up her stuff but ended up going out to the school to pick her up as she had stayed for a volley ball game. Home to make supper and wait. While Hubby John ran over to our friends and neighbours, K & G, to ask them to keep an eye on things I got ready to go to the hospital. After 20 minutes or so I phoned over to K&G's to ask them to send HJ home. It was just a little after seven and I was ready to go. Hubby John came home, and with pains now five minutes apart he got me loaded into the car and off we went. At the hospital, I paced back and forth as much as I could before the nurses got all bent out of shape and insisted I lay down before I dropped the baby out on the floor. LOL....they were quite concerned about this happening. At 10:32 I delivered a beautiful baby girl and promptly named her after the Bionic Woman (Jaime)and my mother-by-marriage (Jean). Big brother John Vincent had insisted we call the baby after Jaime Woman on TV. It was one of his favourite shows. So we did. By the time everything was done and over with I was starving and the nurses scrounged me up an egg salad sandwich and a hot cup of tea which I promply ate. Then it was time for new daddy again to go home to bed and the new mommie again to get some much needed sleep.
Welcome to the world our baby girlz....we're so glad that your here.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAIME!

Summer's looking good.

2010-02-17T12:40:00.016-05:00

Today the office is freezing. My office cohort Sheila,

and myself, are both wearing sweaters and we both keep checking the thermostat to see if it is still working. It is, but Sheila's legs and my toes are still cold. Could it be that we are both getting old? Is this a senior moment for us? We're both too young to have those. Sheila is only 58 and I am the junior at almost 55. THAT'S NOT OLD!!!! Really, when you think about it we are both JUST middle age. Conceivably we both could live to a hundred or more so we each, hopefully, have quite a few more years to go. With that being said, my toes and her legs are both still freezing. I plan on hobbling over to the thermostat one more time and turning up the heat and if my toes haven't fallen off from frost bite I will go out to the kitchen and make myself a nice cup of hot chocolate. If nothing else it will warm up my hands. Sigh.......It's really a shame you know. I like winter. I really do. I like snow. I like the crisp, cold, fresh feeling that you get when you go outside in the winter. I like seeing the snow on the trees and bushes, sparkling and shimmering, making everything look like a winter wonderland in the sunlight or the moonlight. Winter is refreshing and invigorating. Winter renews my spirit. I really do like winter. But today summer's looking really good right now.

Hop-Scotch and the older generation.

2010-02-16T21:22:00.005-05:00

Being a Grams of almost 55 years young, I have come to a stage in my life where there are some things I can't do like I used to. At least not without certain safety guards in place. This evening was Neve night and Hubby John and I went out to Neve's house and had supper with her and John V. and Sarah like we always do. After supper Neve decided that she wanted to play with her new indoor hop-scotch game. It's a cute little thing with foam tiles cut out in the design of a hop-scotch game and it has two foam discs that you throw instead of rocks. HJ decide that Grams should play it with Neve as he was too tired. I was more than happy to play. The good thing was that the squares were very close together and the couch was right beside the squares. That way I had support to get back up without killing my knee caps completely. That was safety guard number one. I did OK with the game until square number seven. Seven hops forward and seven hops back.....think about it ladies.....do the words "occasional incontinence" mean anything to any of you? You get my drift right??? Neve announced that another game was in the plans and Papa agreed that yes, Grams would play again. I stated quietly to HJ that I didn't think I could play another game without wetting myself. At that comment, Neve piped up with, "Well Grams, if you have to go to the bathroom just go"! At that HJ started to laugh as I tried to explain to Neve about old people and bathrooms as I headed in the direction of the nearest one. HJ was good enough to explain to Neve that Grams was too old and tired to play more hop-scotch and by the time I got back they were putting away the game and getting ready to read some books together. If in the future Neve asks me what I need to do to play hop-scotch again I'll just say, "Depends".

Thars gold in them there hills....

2010-02-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

You should read this post while while listening to our National anthem, "Oh Canada". Why not go and start it while I get out my soap box and clear my voice to ensure perfect screaming at the top of my lungs....ahem...........testing...testing......ahem........
YAHOO!!!!! WAY TO GO!!! YOU ROCK!!!!
Canada got their first GOLD medal EVER,
in Olympic games being hosted in Canada.
History was made tonight!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS to ALEX BILODEAU
for taking 1st place and winning GOLD in the men's moguls (aka bumpy skiing).
Canada is so proud of Alex.
Skiing in the mountains of BC has paid off for this talented young man.
I always knew there was gold in them thar hills.

Gung hee fatt choi.

2010-02-14T03:05:00.000-05:00

Whew......it's done....they're gone....and another thing is stricken off my "2010 To Do" list.
Thirty one raffle packages assembled, wrapped, labelled and shipped off.
One of the groups that we support is called "The Bamboo Bunch". This group is comprised of families that have adopted children not born in Canada. China, Thailand, Korea and Vietnam, are the countries where most of our forever family children were born. We are the lucky ones to have been privileged to bring a child from there to here. The adoptive mothers and fathers want to ensure that their sons and daughters are aware of their birth heritage and so they celebrate the various cultural holidays by getting together and having Chinese New Year & Harvest Moon celebrations, summer picnics and Christmas parties. They also do many other events during the year that Hubby John and I don't participate in. One of the bigger events is the Chinese New Year party. They have a raffle table to raise funds, a craft table for the kiddies, a yummy Chinese Food buffet, Chinese fan and scarf dancing performed by some of the little ones from the "Bunch", and a martial arts display along with the Chinese Dragon dance. Very dramatic, noisy and a lot of fun, especially for the kids. We love being able to see the children changing as they are growing up. Look how this one's hair has gotten so long, did you notice how that one's teeth have come in or out, look how tall he/she is getting. Getting back to my opening statement, Hubby John and I have donated raffle prizes again this year for the Chinese New Year celebration. I work really hard on collecting items during the year and then putting together the gift packs which are used for the raffle table. I really enjoy doing this. It is a true labour of love. It's fun getting something like a large previously used bowl, (of course it is clean and not cracked and is food safe) adding a new wooden spoon, a cake mix and some new cupcake papers, a previously owned cake cookbook and glass cake plate and putting it all together in clear wrap then adding some ribbon and ending up with a great raffle item. This year I am very excited to see how the raffle packs are received. I think the biggest draw will be the two "Girls Surprise Treasure Boxes". They are meant for girls 8 years and older and have all kinds of goodies stuffed into a pretty little box. I had a lot of fun finding new and gently used items for some lucky little lady. I even did a "Boys Only" bag this year. I am sure that it will also be a hit. There are items geared more for Mom and Dad too, like the cake and popcorn packs along with a beauty basket pack and a dish washing pack that contains tea towels, dish cloths, dish soap and scrubbies. (That one always is a big draw). I will be watching to see which items are well received this year and 'will be taking notes for what to do or not to do for next years raffle. (I have already got a few things ready and in the holding box for the 2011 celebration.) There are lots of raffle packs to buy tickets for and I hope that means they will raise a lot of money. This year they hope to raise enough money to sponsor a child from China for a year (and hopefully longer) through "Love Without Boundaries" . This is such a wonderful organization that helps in making a difference in the lives of orphaned children in China. So lets hope it all goes well and that the raffle does even better than last year.
"Gung hee fatt choi......Congratulations and be prosperous" or as we say here in Canada, "Happy New Year!"

Little Miss Heirlooms: Giveaway

2010-02-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

Why not go over HERE to Little Miss Herlooms and enter to
win a personalized pendant.
They are really cute and would make a most excellent gift
for yourself or someone special that you know.
Better be quick....it closes tonight at midnight...Hurry!
Good Luck!

Only the Best of Etsy Sample Packages GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-13T22:14:00.000-05:00

Ooh......I am really excited about this giveaway. I want to be greedy and not share the link, but it's worth an extra entry so I am reluctantly sharing it......good luck to you......but I hope I win! If you don't want to go over...that's OK...less competition for me... : )
Only the Best of Etsy Sample Packages GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Overnightprints.com Free Business Cards GUEST GIVEWAWAY!!!!

2010-02-13T22:09:00.000-05:00

Do you need business cards printed.....free?
Then get over to the link and enter the contest.
Good luck!
Grosgrain: Overnightprints.com Free Business Cards GUEST GIVEWAWAY!!!!

Sew Much Ado Ruby Lou Doll AND Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-13T22:03:00.000-05:00

These hand made dollies are just soooo cute!
Go over to the link to enter to win either a doll or
a pdf of the doll pattern.
Go on.....what are you waiting for....just click and enter.
Good luck to us both!
Sew Much Ado Ruby Lou Doll AND Pattern GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Covet Antiqued Copper Charm Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-13T21:56:00.000-05:00

Go to the link and enter to win a handmade necklace from Covet. They have some beautiful designs.
So why are you still here? Get going over to:
Covet Antiqued Copper Charm Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Strapped Belt GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-13T21:46:00.000-05:00

Strapped Belt GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!
Go there and enter for a beautiful belt.
Good luck to you....and me too!

Win a gift card.

2010-02-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

You still have time, a few hours a least, to go over to
Fantabulously Frugal and enter to win a Safeway store gift card.
So why are you still here? Get over there and
enter to win!
Good luck to you....and me too!

It's a girl thing.

2010-02-12T16:43:00.000-05:00

I still haven't figured out how to import a video to my blog.
Mind you, I haven't actually taken time to do it either.
It's on my "One Of These Days" list.

You know what I mean don't you?
Like....one of these days I'm going to

learn how to import video's to my blog, or skydive, or make stained glass creations or whatever.

You get the idea.
So anyway this video is a girl thing.

It's hot stuff...hee...hee...hee.....
Ladies, go HERE, turn on the sound and watch the video.
It's one that will make you laugh, or blush, or maybe both.

Thanks to Lexi at Potty Mouth Mama for finding it and sharing.

Let the games begin!

2010-02-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

I am looking forward to the Olympics, which start tomorrow. All those athletes from around the world converging here in Canada to go for the gold. How exciting! I wish them all good luck!!! I wish they could all win...don't you? I just hate it that someone has to loose...don't you? I also hate that they can't do the winter sports in the summer when it's warmer....don't you?
And I just hate it when you think everything is just hunky dory and then.... BHAM!!!! your perfect little life is thrown into complete disarray......don't you?
I was smug in my thinking that the spiders actually listened to me when I went downstairs to the basement. I would announce my presence and remind them all that if they approached me in any way, shape or manner, it would be taken as an act of aggression and I would be forced to defend myself to the death....their death that is. I was smug in my thinking only because I haven't seen anything scurrying out of my path for some time now. I was smug in thinking that Baby Cat Oscar was keeping them in check for me. That somehow that little purr-ball was actually doing something useful and contributing to the household. That he was making up for all we do for him, like buying special anti fur-ball food....which, I might add, costs a small fortune. I also thought that maybe, just maybe, Hubby John had killed them all for me as a "just because your so special and such a nice person and you deserve this" present.
BOY.....WAS I WRONG!
Last night I went down to the basement to change a load of wash over to the dryer. I always hang my jeans up to dry. I was standing on my little stool to reach the line with one pair of wet jeans dangling from my hand and one pair thrown over my shoulder, when a piece of thread brushed my face. I brushed away the thread away twice and then tried to see it again so I could pull it off the jeans. I couldn't find it so just I finished hanging up the jeans and went back upstairs. No big deal right??? Little did I know what was lurking down there......waiting.....patiently....knowing I would be back to put the second load over.
Contrary to what some people think, spiders are NOT STUPID. They know when to hide and when to dive and they do it very fast and efficiently. Do you see where this is going?
Yes, a little bit later, silly me did go back downstairs and as I walked over towards the washer disaster struck. I don't know who moved faster....me or that stupid spider. I didn't even get a chance to scream, yell or faint. I went to take a step and BHAM!....there is was... hanging on a thread... right in front of my face. We were eye to eye and nose to nose....do spiders have noses?......and I reacted without even thinking. I reached down, grabbed a towel off the pile and
SQUISH!!!.....ONE DEAD SPIDER.
So there you have it.....they're back.......ready for the fight.
But that's OK.....I have a few tricks up my sleeve too.....so they had better not get too cocky....
Hit me with your best shot you icky spiders...I'm ready and waiting......
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Thrifting, Laziness and Salad for Supper.

2010-02-03T19:39:00.000-05:00

I have been tired, again, lately and have just not bothered with posting anything. It is pure laziness on my part. I have done a very little bit of thrifting over the past few weeks and gotten some REALLY REALLY good buys. I will try to post about them in the next few weeks. I have been very good and haven't gone to Michael's since mid January.....and for me that's really good stuff. I did get out to the dollar store, once or twice and have gone to the thrift stores a few times. That's all been done on the weekends and my days off though. On the days that I work, once I am home and supper is eaten and dishes are washed up, I start a downhill slide to tiredness. Once I park myself in front of the boob tube, all I do is fall asleep until it's time to get up and go to bed. So that's why I have been too lazy to post on the blog. I have managed to read a few of my "blogs that make me go Ohh" but have not really left any comments on them either. Now that I have slept most of January away I thought it would be a good idea to get my butt in gear and do something constructive. So, here I am, back on the blog and ready to post. Not necessarily every day but a few times a week at the least.
I do want to thank Hubby John, for making suppers most of last month and this. We are trying to eat more healthy and so we are eating a lot of salads at supper. That's OK because we both love salad. The good thing is that HJ usually makes enough so that I can take leftovers to work for lunch the next day. Yummy! Some nights we don't have a meat dish with supper and that's OK too! There is nothing wrong with just veggies. They are good for us! We both need to shed some pounds for sure! So now I am going to sign off. I am going to read a few of my fave blogs and then I am going to watch some TV. I promise not to fall asleep in front of it tonight. If I start drifting off I'll get up and go to bed. So watch for me......I'll be posting more regular... I promise!

A warning to Etsy users.

2010-01-17T22:17:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note for those of you who use Etsy to buy/sell items. Here is a problem that one of the blogger's that I read on a regular basis had. Lisa from Fantabulously Frugal had a problem with a service that she bought. She is quite upset with Etsy and is out forty bucks to boot. Take a minute and go over and read the letter she sent to Etsy. It might save you a hassle in the future.

Hubby John you're my hero.

2010-01-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

I had the week between Christmas and New Year's off and I really enjoyed it! I got to do some thrifting, some visiting and some just doing nothing. I did a little reading, a bit more of sleeping and a lot of eating. Mmmmm....mmmmm....... Like I said....I really enjoyed it! One lazy evening Hubby John was hunkered down in his lazy-boy chair, in the family room at the back of the house, watching some movie on TV. I was in the office, at the front of the house, catching up on my blog reading and playing an on-going game of Spider solitaire. I was thoroughly enjoying myself when I became aware of this very loud screeching noise. "What is he up to now?" I wondered to myself. The noise continued for a few moments with no indication of it getting less loud. "Turn down the TV", I yelled to Hubby John. A few seconds went by and that annoying noise was not getting any softer. "JOHN!!! TURN IT DOWN!!! ARE YOU DEAF????" I had to yell because the shrieking was not going away. Meanwhile as I am muttering to myself about deaf old men HJ was yelling at me, "LOIS...WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING??? TURN IT DOWN!!! I CAN'T HEAR THE TV!" With that I got up and headed towards the family room and at the same time HJ headed towards the office. We met in the middle of the hallway and both yelled at the same time, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NOISE?" It sounded like a smoke alarm. HJ ran upstairs and came back down to say it wasn't coming from up there. Then he ran down to the basement and back up to report it wasn't coming from down there. Where in the house was it coming from? We checked the office and the living room. We checked the back room and the kitchen. We double checked upstairs and the basement. Hubby John kept asking if I had put a smoke alarm or carbon detector somewhere else on the main floor. We checked the linen closet and the bathroom. We looked in all the cupboards and the pantry. I yelled at HJ that although I was going a bit senile that I knew for a fact that I hadn't hidden a smoke detector on top of the china cabinet. After about ten minutes of putting my ear up against everything I could think of, I decided that the noise was coming from the stove. Hubby John figured out how to take the top unit of the stove off. It only has the clock and timer on it so we didn't have to worry about knobs for the gas being moved. Once HJ had the unit off the rest of the stove he disconnected the wiring from the timer and......nothing.........I mean, the noise stopped. Ahhhh.......... Then HJ touched the wiring back to the timer and that screeching started all over again.. GRRRRRRRRR!!! TURN IT OFF!!!!! He did. We have quiet now......no timer on the stove ... but we do have quiet. We have no idea why the wiring went haywire like it did. The stove top and oven are working fine. I just don't have a timer or clock on my oven. That's not a problem as I have three clocks in a kitchen the size of a postage stamp so I really don't need the one on the stove. One of these days I am going out to buy a timer so we have one if we need it. And one of these days when we have some extra money, in a few years or so, we will have a repair person come in and fix the stove. It's on the "TO-DO" list and like I said, one of these days it will get done. It's all good. My ears have stopped ringing and if I never hear that screeching sound again I will be one happy lady.
Hubby John.....you're my hero.......thank you for saving my ears!

That's gonna leave a mark.

2010-01-12T18:04:00.000-05:00

Grrrrrr.......You know....it really makes me mad when I get emails that send blessings my way and ask me to continue the circle and not break it.....and then in little tiny font size at the end of the email, it adds that something bad, evil, not nice, or nasty will happen to me if I break the circle and I don't forward the email.
This really upsets me!!!!
Today I got this email...three times:
THIS IS PRETTY NEAT. 93 % won't forward
A small request. Just one line
Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer. Amen
I thought that this was a nice little prayer and that anyone who has half a brain would agree with it; even if they are not a person who believes in the power of prayer.
After all how could anyone not want to hope, pray, ask or wish for an end to cancer?
But then I scroll down and I read this:
ALWAYS REMEMBER : "WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND"
What the heck???!!!???!!!
Now, why on earth, would I want to send this out to any of my family, friends or anyone else for that matter? Why would anyone forward this on?
This is just rude.
Why would you send a curse to anyone?
What kind of person does this?
This is like saying God (or whomever or whatever it is that you believe in) will get you if you don't pass the prayer on.
It's like saying: "I really like you....
"but only if I am your only friend" or
"but only if you buy me presents and my friendship" or
"but only if you do what I want when I want" or
"but only if you are a Christian or a Jew or a Baptist or a Lutheran, or whatever" .
GRRRRRRRR!!!
I do not understand why people have to add that little curse at the end of a perfectly nice email request.
I got an email last week that had a beautiful poem with a wish for my happiness and contentment in my every day life. Nice graphics too! It was a lovely email.
But at the end, yep you guessed it, there was another warning about having something terrible happen if I didn't pass it on.
So, needless to say, I did pass it on....
after I had deleted the dire warnings of terrible consequences.
And something did happen to me that day.........
I won a gift certificate for a contest I had entered online.
So if you are reading this post please do me a favour.
Next time you get one of those emails, please delete the curse and warnings and then forward away! A nice poem, saying, blessing or special thought just might brighten someones day.
If you already do this...GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
You are my kind of person! :)
Oh and by the way, if you don't do what I've asked;
may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits.
Ewww.......that's gonna leave a mark!

I like winning better!

2010-01-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

If you read my post of January 4Th
you know that I entered another
free-give-away contest for a
$15.00 E-Gift certificate redeemable
at Cut Card Stock.
Guess what????
I WON!!!!!
I'm sooooo lucky!!
So, all of you non-believers of the "you don't get something for nothing" venue should start entering the free giveaways. It usually only takes a few minutes, sometimes more, and you don't have a chance to win if you don't enter. You'll have fun trying to win and you'll get to see lots of sites with beautiful things to buy or just look at, that maybe you normally would not go into. It's always interesting to see what's available in cyberspace. There are so many talented people out there. So GO ON AND TRY IT!!! It doesn't cost anything and you just might win. Heck, I enter free-giveaways all the time and no, I don't always win. In fact I loose more times than not. That's not so bad. I don't mind losing.........but I like winning better!

Wait for the fog to settle.

2010-01-06T20:39:00.001-05:00

Jeez! I feel like I am thrift-shopped out.....almost....well....not really! LOL!! Don't you just love "after holiday sales" sales? I LOVE EM!! Tonight, while hubby John waited patiently in the car, all alone, out in the cold and dark, I slipped into Michael's just to take a quick look see. Oooooooo......so much good stuff on sale.....only thirty, forty and fifty cents for things that cost you sixty, seventy or ninety percent MORE just a few weeks ago. The best thing of all is...dare I say it?...GIFT CERTIFICATES!!! With GC's you always have money in your pocket. They are the best!! I got two Michael's GC's for Christmas and just had to go and see what I could get... if anything. Yah right! Like I could walk out of that store without just a little something. hee...hee...hee... For me it's like this.....given a choice of an all-you-can-eat dessert table or a trip to Michael's......hmmm...let me see.... I need to really think about this....NOT!! Michael's will win out any day. So in I went tonight and look what I came out with. I got this lovely box with a magnetic closure on sale at 30% off. Isn't it pretty? I plan on using it for holding my larger sized card and paper stock. This way, my stock stays flat and the edges of the stock are protected. It will look so pretty on the shelf once I get my little corner of the office organized. (this is one of my New Years "hope to do" list items). I also got some rub on transfers, some stick on rhinestones and some Christmas envelopes. Plus a bonus 50% off any regular priced item coupon that I can use on my next thrifting foray. (funky picture frames here I come) So thank you to Jaime for my Christmas gift certificate. I had fun spending it. I have another GC for Michael's from Hubby John and plan on slipping by there again on my way home from work tomorrow night . I want to have another look at the Christmas themed rub-on transfers. I want an hour or so to really look for some more of the good buys. Then poor Hubby John doesn't have to sit all alone in the car in the dark and cold. Of course he could always come in and guard my basket for me...HA! John stop rolling your eyes like that ....they'll get stuck one of these days.....and stop saying what your saying....even if your not saying it out loud. I can tell by the blue fog around your head that you are being very derogatory towards me and Mike's in your unsaid comments. Be nice or I will buy you a GC for a certain store that starts with "M" and ends with "ichaels" for your b-day. Right now though, I am off to take down a few more Christmas decorations and to drool over my fabulously thrifty finds. If only I could get through that darn blue fog a little faster. Oh well, they say that good things come to them that wait. And since tonight I got some really good things I don't mind waiting for the fog to settle.

Giveaway

2010-01-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

I subscribe to a site called Cut Card Stock.com through Feed Blitz. Cut Card Stock sell paper and envelopes and crafty things and they showcase card creators. They are having a free giveaway here . One of the promoted creators/blogger's is Jami Bova from Stamp Happy. She is such a talented lady and creates the most wonderful cards. Just go there and look at her hippo.....isn't he just the cutest little thing you ever saw? You can see more of her creations there on previous post. Her cards are just awesome!
If you go here and there and follow the directions you can enter to win. Good Luck to you......and me too!

My free cheese.

2009-12-31T13:40:00.000-05:00

I am cheap! I don't care if certain people laugh at me (and you know who you are) when I get excited over saving a penny or two or ten here and there. Those pennies add up one at a time eventually to a dollar or two or ten. I like rummaging through shelves looking for that special deal. It's fun....and yes at times it can be frustrating. But it's the thrill of the hunt....that moment when you get to say "AHA!!!!" that makes it all worth it. When you unearth a treasure that puts pennies, or if your lucky, dollars in your pocket is makes you smile knowing all your hard work paid off. Mind you, depending on how many people are around you at the time you're hunting, you might want to use some proven strategies. Talk and mutter to yourself as you are looking for the treasure. People tend to move away from you when you talk to yourself. Using key words like 'doctor', 'medication' or phrases like, 'I not going back to THAT PLACE' will definitely aide in your treasure hunt. People will move even farther away if you can cough, sniff or make weird twitching motions while talking to yourself. Drool helps as well, but I don't do that as it makes my chin itch. Anyway, if you mutter out loud or to an invisible person beside you, then the area around you will be cleared with nobody to bother you or worse yet, find a treasure with a bargain price before you get to it. I know, I know......those are greedy, rude, selfish and underhanded ploys to use.....but IT WORKS! I always say, all is fair when it comes to thrifting. There are no real rules. Well, except for the one that everyone who thrifts knows about. If somebody has their hand on something, you are not suppose to take it. However if they move their hand off the said item, then dive right in and grab it before they reposition their hand on it. Once contact with an item is lost then said item is fair game for anyone within the reach area. Anyway, regardless of whether it is a new or used treasure, you have to be ruthless and cut throat or you risk loosing the prize to someone else. This week I have found quite a few bargoons that have made me smile. I bought card making kits, at Hallmark, at 70% off. Each kit has items in it to make 8 cards. I got them so I can use the card stock and embellishments along with my own stock and will double or triple how many cards I will eventually make. I am so pleased with all my purchases this week. At 60% off I, of course, bought a few items for use next Christmas. Oh, not to worry! I won't forget about them. I have a few special drawers dedicated to items that I pick up during the year for use as hostess gifts, B-day gifts and as Christmas gifts for the family. Ooops! Listen up family members.....stay out of the drawers! They are off limits to all but me! I also got quite a lot of craft supplies at 60 and 70% off. So I am good to go in 2010. So as far as being thrifty I had a good week BUT today was the star at the top of the tree! I had gone in to Zehrs to buy some cranberry goat cheese for use at our gang's potluck New Year's Eve party that we are attending this evening. There was a little yellow sticker right underneath the display that had the UPC code on it and a sale price. Regular price was $7.99. The sale price was $6.99 BUT to the right of this little sticker was a large sign stating that there was an additional price reduction bringing the final sale price down to $5.99. I was a happy camper at that price. I bought a few more things, keeping it to eight items in total so we could use the express lane. I paid for the goodies while Hubby John bagged everything up and off we went. As I was walking toward the doors I glanced at the receipt. WHAT???? For Pete's sake!! They had overcharged me a dollar for the cheese. Now I know it was only a dollar. But it was MY dollar. I took my bill and bag and went to the courtesy desk. I explained to the young lady at the till what had happened and she sent me and a price checker over to the display. There I showed him that the cheese had been further marked down from the price that came up on the register. They had indeed overcharged me. When we got back to the till with the sale sign in hand, he told the girl that yes, I was due a refund of $1.00 plus tax. A lady who had just finished her paying for her purchases turned to me and said, "Lucky you! You get it free!" I told her that yes, I would get it at the sale price. The young lady at the register said, "Yes, you get a refund." The lady beside me then said very loudly, "No, she gets it free!" She turned to me and said "There is a grocery law that says if the price at the register rings in at a different price than the one posted at the shelf, they have to give it to you free." Now I really thought this was someone who might be a bit of a nut case so I just smiled and said, "Well, I am happy with getting my dollar back." The girl at the register started working on the receipt and said again that it would just take a minute to get my refund. The price checker said to the girl that it was a dollar plus tax that I needed to get back. The lady next to me said to both of them, very loudly and firmly, "No!....She gets a full refund. She gets it free!" The cashier looked at the woman then looked at me and then back at the woman and said," She's right! You are entitled to a full refund. You get it at no charge." I couldn't believe it! I turned to the lady beside me and thanked her for telling me (and everyone else within hearing range) about THIS POLICY. She replied that she was glad to help. I thanked her and the teller again as I was given my cash refund of $7.00.
So for all you who laugh at me about being cheap and thrifty and frugal, I really don't care! I am smiling right now as I type this post and I will be smiling tonight as I munch on my free cheese!

PS: The link that I provided is for a Canadian site. I have seen USA sites that deal with frugal buying but I don't know if they have the same policies or not.

She's a real doll.

2009-12-23T01:32:00.000-05:00

Priscilla of Little Miss Heirlooms is having a give-a-way.
You can to to my side bar and click on the
button to get to the Miss Heirlooms site. What's the prize? It's BlaBla Gaga. She's such a doll! I know of a few little ladies that would be more than happy to have her. Go over here to get the details of her current giveaway and to enter to try to win. I do hope you win but I hope I win too! Good Luck!

The best Christmas present ever!

2009-12-22T12:43:00.000-05:00

Thirty five years ago, on December 21, way back in 1974, I had a toasted egg-salad sandwich for breakfast. Now, truth be told, I knew better than to eat eggs...any kind of eggs. Back then they didn't like me very much and tended to give me heartburn and an upset tummy. But what was a girl to do? Hubby John had to work that day and I made egg-salad sandwiches for his lunchbox. There was some left over. I had to eat it didn't I? I couldn't waste it! And besides, why have peanut butter on toast when you have perfectly good egg-salad just waiting to be used up? Once HJ was gone, I had my tea and a toasted egg-salad sandwich and then I did the dishes and the vacuuming. Then I went back to bed for a short nap. My dear mom by marriage was picking me up to go out for a bit of shopping that afternoon (I didn't drive then) and my mom and dad were coming in for dinner and a few hands of cards that evening. I really needed some extra energy that day. When I got up from my nap I had another egg-salad sandwich for lunch and then I got dressed to go shopping. Mom S. and I had a good afternoon together. We went from the department store to the grocery store and then home. She had me back home by three. I had time to do a load of laundry, have a shower and another quick nap and I had enough time to get supper ready to pop into the oven before Hubby John got home. I remember how very tired I felt that day. My mom and dad showed up around six. We had pizza for supper (another not-so-smart thing for me to eat) and then we all settled in to play a few hands of cards and have an enjoyable evening. By eight o'clock I wasn't feeling so great. Those yummy egg-salad sandwiches combined with the sauce on the pizza started to do a real number on me. My tummy was not a happy camper. After an hour or two or three of complaining about not feeling well, trying to get comfortable with my sore back and chewing down a half a bottle of Tums, my mom said, "Hmmmm.....maybe we should time these gas pains. I think your in labour." What???? Ya sure, I was pregnant and yes, I was really, really overdue, but I had just been to the doctor the day before and he had done an internal and declared that I was not ready to go yet. As of yesterday the baby was not in the right position to start getting ready to be born. The baby hadn't dropped and I had not started dilating. Dr. M. was making arrangements for me to go into the hospital on the day after Christmas so they could put me on a drip and hopefully start labour. So how could I be starting labour now? No way! Well, I should have trusted my mom. After all she did have 11 children, so that made her somewhat of an expert on labour. As my pains started to get more intense, dad's green colour also deepened, so mom took him home to put him to bed. Sympathy labour....apparently he had it with most of mom's delivery's. After 20 hours or so, on Sunday, December 22rd, 1974, around 4:30 in the afternoon, my dad started to feel better when he was informed that he was a first time grandfather to a beautiful, bouncing baby boy. (Did he ever bounce...all the time...and he has never stopped) Grandpa D., first-time mommy and the new baby were all fine and first-time daddy John had a grin on his face that stayed there for a long, long time.
John Vincent, you were the best Christmas present ever!
Happy 35Th birthday, my baby boy.

I am a High Priestess.....of course!

2009-12-19T00:47:00.000-05:00

It seems that a reading of the Tarot Cards pegs me as a High Priestess. Huh.......who would of guessed it? I am sure some people would disagree with me being a High Priestess.....not that I am mentioning any names.......Hubby John and assorted children, both by birth and by marriage can all stop their laughing, gagging, groaning and sounding off of rude words that are probably spewing from their mouths as they read this. Smarten up all of you or I will use our Christmas Eve dinner as a sacrifice. And no, there is no rule saying I can't use pork schnitzel as a sacrifice. Well....not unless you are using the Old Testament of the Bible as a source for reference. Then there may be a problem. Maybe I should forget about the pork schnitzel.

Mind you, I don't need any special reason to burn anything. Carrots for some reason are one thing that I have as burnt offerings for dinner quite often. .... Hubby John....STOP LAUGHING! High Priestesses don't get any respect around this house. Maybe I should start my own cult, coven or congregation or whatever it is that High Priestesses are the bosses of. I could make them all do my bidding.....clean the toilet, vacuum the house....make the dinner and don't burn the carrots. Sigh.....it might be a good thing. Maybe then I would get the respect I deserve. Of course if the Big Guy Upstairs knows about this post, and I am sure She does, She knows that I am just kidding. The two of us have already had a little discussion about stuff I do and She knows that I have a strange sense of humour. After all, She gave it to me. Anyway, I will stop complaining about my lack of deserved respect so you can go to the Tarot Card on my side bar, click on the picture and take the test to see what Tarot Card character you are. Who knows?

You just might be a wizard, a gypsy, a warrior or a magic fairy.

Just don't set your sights on being a High Priestess. That position is already taken.

Christmas came early. Thank you Wanda!

2009-12-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I was visiting one of my "Blogs that make me go OH!". Needlewings (AKA Wanda) from A Frayed of Fibers, is not only a great blogger but a very talented artist. I love her posts! I get to read about her family, her kitties, her cooking and her art. She often gives tutorials on both the artwork from her studio and her kitchen and they both always look good! I really do enjoy her work. Anyway, back in November Wanda officially became a senior at the great age of 55. (her words not mine and you can read them here) Silly Wanda! You are not a senior. You just got tuned in to the middle ages. Compared to, oh let's say, 85, you are still just a baby. Age is relative and we all ignore some relatives, so it's OK. Nothing to worry about. It's all good! And like you say, now you can get a senior discount. And what's not to love about money staying in your pocket? Nothing wrong with that at all. No mam! Happy Birthday again Wanda!

But I digress...sort of.... as I was saying, Wanda had a

birthady and had a free giveaway to celebrate. Guess what?

I WON!!! Woo-hoo for me! I was so excited when Wanda emailed me and I have been waiting oh so anxiously for my package to arrive. It did last week. I had to wait till later in the week to open it. But it was so worth the wait. I was so excited! I love opening presents and getting to see what the surprise inside is. I was very happy with the gift that was in the envelope. It is a hand made ornament. Right now I must apologize for the picture I posted. Camera's and I do not like each other. I do not take good pictures. This picture does not do it justice. Wanda, it is just so cool! Even Hubby John was impressed and when I showed him the pictures of the other ones you made that you had posted on your blog he said the pictures definitely do not show the hand work, detail and beauty of these ornaments. From the arms and legs that all move and the quilted backing, to the pretty earring charm she is holding, my ornament is just wonderful! Like I said, the pictures that both you and I posted do not show the detailed work that went into this piece of art. My gift is now on our Christmas tree for all to see. I am so lucky! Christmas came early for me this year all because of someone A Frayed of Fibres. THANK YOU WANDA!

Just add water.

2009-12-07T23:26:00.001-05:00

Last year for Christmas the kids bought Hubby John an electric ice maker that sits on the counter and pops out ice cubes. HJ loves his ice maker and thinks it is one of the best gifts he has ever gotten.
This past Saturday evening we had "our gang" in for our annual Christmas pot-luck and gift exchange. We also had my Cutie-Patootie Neve staying overnight.
As usual the evening ended up with us playing a card game called, Pay Me The Money, It is played with 13 quarters and as many decks of cards that are needed depending on how many persons are playing. Our gang usually uses 3 or 4 decks. There are 11 rounds to the game. You collect runs of the same suite or cards of the same face value. As soon as someone can lay down their whole hand on their turn, they yell, "Pay Me The Money", and the other players give him/her a quarter. The play goes around once more until it gets back to the person who called the hand. They lay their hand on the table and everyone else can lay cards down on the winners pile(s) and in front of themselves as well (but not on any other players piles). You add up any cards that you couldn't play and that score is marked down. At the end of the game the winner with the lowest score gets two quarters from each player. With nine of us playing that made a pot of $4.50.
People always whine when they are playing cards and winning rounds. You would think they would be grateful and say "Thank you, you are too kind." But no.... You should hear them. They are such "Meyer The Criers. You know the type, the ones that whine and complain.....poor me!....what do you mean someone called it?.....give me a break!...you are such a jerk!...I don't care if it's legal tender or not, take back the pennies and give me a quarter...... alright, who tried to pass off a peso?......hey! there are only 8 quarters here who didn't pay?.... NO you can't pay me later!...buzz off and give me my money(or something along those lines depending on who was complaining and whether Cutie-Patootie Neve was within hearing range) The winner of the final pot is very sly and sneaky. They divert every ones attention to someone else...."Oh look at so and so that's the third time they called it!" They do this so that you don't realize how low their score is. You think they are just such a nice person. Then BHAM! They zoom in and hit you right between the eyes....the little sneaks! My baby brother KD won the final pot on Saturday. The little toad! That pot should have been mine and even thought I am older and a little bit slower and fatter now (Who am I kidding? I should say a lot older, fatter and slower.), I probably could still take him if I tried. But it is Christmas and I was the hostess so I let the little wiener have the money.
I am such a good big sister to him. hee....hee...hee...
Anyway, I digress. I was talking about the ice maker. It was chugging away doing its' business when it just stopped. It didn't do nothing. Zero, zilch, Nada. Hmmm.....what could be wrong? HJ and I moved it, unplugged it, plugged in into another outlet and NOTHING......Oh no!...." The lights were on but there was nobody home. "Well maybe it takes a fuse." said Hubby John, "I'll have to look up the instruction book tomorrow".
Now I know that some of you ladies are now gasping for air, so just take slow even breaths until you heart rate settles. Yes, I know, HJ actually said he would read the instruction booklet. But he really loves his ice maker and ya know, sometimes men just have to break down and read the manual rather than just standing there and staring at the broken thingy while holding a screw driver or ice pick in their hand and putting the lid up and down and saying " I wonder what's wrong with it?"
It's OK....are you feeling well enough to read on now?
Good!
Where was I? Oh yes.....the reaction to the broken ice maker.
Awwww......disappointment was all around the table and lasted until we all threw quarters at HJ when he said "Pay me the money!" after just 3 times round the table on the fifth hand. I told him to leave the money that landed on the floor for the sweeper (that would be me) but his partner in crime, my Cutie-Patootie Neve , was his official money picker upper for the evening and made quick work of gathering up stray change. With this game we quite often throw money at HJ or PB and sometimes CD or SD, depending which one of them says "Pay Me The Money" too many times.
So while we continued playing cards, eating and threatening to break fingers and accusing some people of cheating, I eventually got up to make a pot of coffee. I don't usually make the coffee. HJ does. But really, how hard can it be?
The coffee maker was on the counter and I carefully counted the number of spoons of coffee into the filter and hit the MANUAL ON button. NOTHING. Hmmm....did I do something wrong? I hit the button again. NOTHING. I unplugged the machine, plugged it back in and hit the AUTO ON button this time. NOTHING. Oh for Pete's sake! Maybe this explains the ice machine, maybe it is the outlet after all. I move the coffee pot to another counter and plug it in. Still NOTHING. Grrrrr.......I unplug it and try a different plug....and still no success with my endeavor. Just Great! I turn to tell everyone that there will be no coffee,when it hits me......and five minutes later...ta da!....there is a lovely pot of coffee.
What did I do? How did I fix it? Did I read the instruction booklet?
No I didn't read the book.
But did you know that if you don't follow all of the steps, your coffee maker won't work?
It is amazing what can happen when you just add water.

PS The ice maker started up on it's own a short time later. HJ figured that the kitchen was just too hot and it stopped to cool down. Isn't that sort of an oxymoron? ....An ice machine needing to cool down...hee...hee...hee

Christmas is coming.

2009-12-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

Christmas is coming! Just 24 more days to go! Christmas is my very most favourite holiday of the year. I love it! The tree and lights and decorations and presents and food.....oh my....the food....wait a minute....I need to get a napkin....I am drooling.....just give me a sec......
OK, so anyway, with it almost being Christmas and listening to the radio at work ,I get to hear lots of carols. That makes me happy! I like carols. So today, while I was taking a very late lunch and listening to the carols on the radio, I decided to check out my personal emails. My aunt sent a link to me and I have spent the last 10 minutes entering Christmas carol titles. It's too funny! So go ahead and try it. Just type in a carol title and see what happens. Better still after you have listened to a few go ahead and put in a non Christmas song title...I used "Black Sunday"...and then hear what happens. It's too funny! I hope you get a laugh or giggle out of this. I know I did.
Happy caroling!

I thought and I could have sworn.

2009-11-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

If I had a penny for every time I uttered the words "I thought..." or "I could have sworn..." I would be a rich woman right now. It seems that my days are a wasteland of lost things. Maybe if I was a bit more, OK who am I kidding?...let me re-phrase that line.....maybe if I was a LOT more organized, I wouldn't waste half my days and nights going through cupboards, drawers and closets muttering "I thought....I could have sworn..". Geesh! It's enough to drive a woman insane and a Hubby John crazy. I am sure he must sit in his chair, with his feet up, watching his TV show while I run around the house looking for another whatever that I thought and could have sworn I had, thinking to himself, "Well if you would get all your crap together in one place and labelled you'd know where it is....if you even have it." See, this is why I need a craft room. Then I would only have to be in one room saying, "I though I had or I could have sworn.". I wouldn't be driving Hubby John crazy. HJ if you are reading this, and I am sure you are, we need to move to a bigger house. I need a craft room. Hey don't even go there! Never mind....you want a heated garage, I want a craft room. Fair is fair! Naw......forget it. Just the thought of packing up all my stuff to move it and then having to unpack it again exhausts and depresses me. If I actually had to do all that packing I would probably die of exhaustion and mental stress. Ha! Yes, people can so die from exhaustion. I saw it on House and CSI and Dr. Oz. Oh sure, I can take Happy Pills for the mental part but the actual work would definitely kill me I am sure. Stop smiling HJ! Can you imagine me trying to pack up this house? Running around with scissors, string, tape and a marker looking for stuff to pack? While you supervise from the chair yelling at me not to run with the scissors because I might fall and poke my eye out. Yah right....who are I kidding? We both know I don't run so that would never happen. But still if we did move you would really go crazy listening to me repeat over and over....."I thought...", "I could have sworn"..."I thought".... Yes, it really would drive you crazy. Hmm.........this is a thought to myself and I should write it down before I forget, (where is a post-it note when I need one?) if HJ went crazy and got put into the insane asylum I wonder how long it would take to convert the office to a craft room. Well there you go! Perfect solution to my problem! No need to move.
Hubby John.....your Nuts! A wild and crazy guy! I need to call our lawyer and have him get started on the paperwork. Now if I could just remember where the Rolodex is. Hmmm...let me think about this for a minute......I thought it was on the desk, or maybe in the office, was it the kitchen? no... aha! the living room.....nope, you know I thought and I could have sworn..............

You did smile a little bit didn't you?

2009-11-20T06:53:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how, when you reach a certain age group, your memory starts to fail. What you knew just a year or so ago, or even last week, you can't, for the life of you, remember it today. You are, whether you like it or not, getting old. It happens to all of us and can cause some pretty funny (and not so funny) moments. It sure does keep your life interesting. I have a few words of advise that may help....POST-IT notes. You should see my desk at work. I should have bought shares in 3M. I would be retired by now and be able to have a man servant to remember everything for me. What am I saying? I do have Hubby John don't I? Hmmm...now if I could just retire. Just kidding....well....not really. hee....hee...hee....
When I read this joke I laughed because it could be any one of the many ladies (or men) I know...especially me!

Three old ladies sit in a diner, discussing their health.
One lady says, "You know, I'm getting really forgetful. This morning, I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I couldn't remember whether I had just come up or was about to go down."
The second lady says, "You think that's bad? The other day, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and I couldn't remember whether I was going to sleep or had just woken up!"
The third lady smiles smugly. "Well, my memory is just as good as it's always been, knock on wood," she says as she raps on the table. Then with a startled look on her face, she asks, "Who's there?"

Aw come on.....admit it....you did smile a little bit didn't you?

Pillow Talk

2009-11-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

The problem with weekends is that your internal clock is still on the work day time line.
Unless I am sick, I usually wake up between 6Am and 7Am, seven days a week.
Not fair!
Some weekends I feel lazy and just want to sleep for an extra hour.
That never works.
For the most part I wake up at my regular time.
Today was no exception. I was awake shortly after 6Am but wasn't ready to get out of bed right away. I fluffed my pillow, changed position and closed my eyes.....for about 3 minutes, then opened them knowing I was not going to back to sleep. Hmmm........ I didn't want to get up. I was toasty warm under my blanket and the room was icy cold (furnace turned way down and window open a crack year round) and it wasn't completely light outside so my room was still fairly dark. Mind you, having blinds that are designed to keep out daylight helps too. Anyway, I had the perfect conditions for sleeping except that I was wide awake. What's a girl to do? I was too lazy to turn on the light and grab a book to read. I didn't want to turn on the radio for fear of waking up Hubby John, next door, who had finally stopped coughing and was getting some much needed sleep, and I was feeling too darn lazy to crawl out of my toasty warm bed and officially start my day. Sigh.... But then I heard it.....a tiny little squeak....Baby Cat Oscar.....where was he? Lifting my head without letting cold air get under the blankets, I could just make out his chubby outline at the very bottom end of the bed. Using my best coaxing voice and keeping it to a whisper I called him. "Hey Baby Cat....come see mom!" There was no answer. Hmmm, maybe he was more asleep than I thought. Speaking a bit louder, in order to wake him up, I called out, "Oscar, come here, come on Baby Cat, come see mom." Still no response. I was thinking how nice it must be nice to be able to sleep like the dead. And then I thought... "Oh, no! Maybe he's not sleeping....maybe something has happened to him. Maybe he is sick or.... dead. Eww....not on the bed Baby Cat! So I called loudly this time..."Oscar...come on...come see mom....Baby Cat come here....come see mom... Baby Cat wake up.....NOW! There was no movement from the bottom of the bed so I sat up to crawl down to check him out when I heard it...........the sound of Velcro being ripped open...coming from the hall way.....along with the noise of a cat complaining about being disturbed. That would be Baby Cat Oscar walking up the stairs while complaining that his food dish has not been filled yet. Hmmm.......if Baby Cat is not in my room, then what the heck is on the end of my bed? Dhuh......turns out it was one of my round log pillows.......silly me. I need to start taking my glasses upstairs at night so I can see what I am doing in the morning. Baby Cat Oscar came into my room complaining and sounding like Velcro (his nails will be trimmed today) and crawled up onto the bed and laid down beside me for his morning pets and scratches. I scratched behind his ears, rubbed his belly and, with him purring loudly in my ear, told him all about my day coming up. It was nothing special, just another normal morning, well maybe a bit different with that extra pillow talk.

2009-11-08T22:23:00.001-05:00

Gee.....I have to start staying caught up with what is going

on with my favourite blog sites.

Priscila from Casa Bella Chic has just moved her blog to

a new site called Little Miss Heirlooms.

Go over and check out her site as she is going to be having

a lot of giveaways.

But finish reading my post first.

To catch up on her newest giveaway, which is from

Little Diva Tutus go the CHECK IT OUT section

on the sidebar of my blog.

Click on the Little Miss Heirlooms button

(no...not the one on this post the one on the sidebar)

and ta...da...! you'll be transported right over to

Priscila at Little Miss Heirlooms with all her

goodies and giveaways.

Just follow her directions and you'll be entered before you know it.

Hurry though.....the draw is on the 15Th of November

and that is coming up really fast.

Thank you Priscila and Good Luck to everyone....especially me!

What's New On My Blog?

2009-11-08T18:14:00.000-05:00

What's new on my blog?

A blog site that is....well...Fabulous!

Go look for yourself ...after you've read

this post of course!

CHECK IT OUT

is a new item that I have

added to my sidebar.

It is where I will be posting sites

that I find, and that you may find,

fun, fabulous and fantastic.

My first addition is a blog called

Fabulous Fun Finds. It has a lot of

free giveaways and is always showcasing

new and exciting Etesy shops and Blogs by

Creative people with things to sell.

To get to Fabulous Fun Finds,

just go to the Check It Out section

on my sidebar and click on the pink

bag (don't click on the picture on this post).

Once you click on the picture it will

take you to a fabulous site where

you can find some, well.... fabulous fun finds.

You might win something for free!
Never say never.
Try it....you just might like it!

PS For those who read this post earlier

when I was having technical problems...

(aka Lois doesn't have a clue about computer stuff)

I want you to know that I did this all

by myself and didn't have to get help

from anyone.

And I didn't even blow up the computer. LOL!

PITA's and my corner of the office.

2009-11-05T20:35:00.000-05:00

I love my desk area at work.

I have my very own corner that

gives me lots of room.

I have a window. A big window.

It doesn't matter that it looks out on a grey brick wall

of the neighbouring building.

It is a window and I get sunshine on my shoulder and that makes me happy. Hmmm........that could be a song....ooops!...

sorry Mr. Denver.....it is a song!

However I digress from the subject at hand. I was saying how I like my corner of the office. I have a movable partition that I hang my coat and purse on and that give me and my office cohort, Sheila, some privacy from each other. I am happy in my little corner. I have everything I need and if ever I should need anything more I need only to ask and the boss says, go ahead and order it. My life at work is good and has everything I want. Everything is just peachy. Except for one teenie, tiny, little thing that really bugs me. I have an infestation of fruit fly. No, I didn't make a mistake in not pluralizing the word fly. I don't have fruit flies, more than one, a flock, herd, swarm or whatever more than one is called. I have a SINGLE.......ANNOYING....PITA (pain in the ass) FRUIT FLY. Now, it could be that I am wrong and that there is a tag-team of fruit flies that come out one at a time simply to annoy me. There is that possibility. But since I am only seeing one fly I must conclude that the infestation is of fruit fly not fruit flies. That little sucker defies gravity. I pounce on it and it is gone before I can say "What the.....?" . It waits until I am typing in full fledged data entry mode to attack......flying back and forth, up and down, in and out of my line of sight....and it never is dead when I hit it...or at least I think I've hit it. It is very annoying. My desk is clean, my garbage is clean, my apples are kept in the fridge for the weekend so there is nothing there to attract the pesky little gnat....oops sorry...wrong bug...I mean to say the pesky little fly. I would hang up some of those sticky manila coloured house fly strips but I don't think the boss would appreciate it hanging there for all the world to see when it (the world) comes tromping into the office. I don't want to spray noxious bug spray because of all all my desk pads, post it notes, hundreds of memo sheets that are glued, pasted and pinned to my bulletin board. How would I de-noxicify (is that a real word?) them? Maybe I should take clear tape and tack it across my computer screen or I could write on the back of a post it note on the side where the sticky line is and then tape it up with that sticky side facing out and the boss would think it was a regular post it note to myself. I have hundreds of them, the post it notes not the fruit fly, and the boss wouldn't even realise that I have them taped and pinned up backwards. Hmmmm that is definitely a possibility. I am not sure what to do. This infestation of fruit fly is a very annoying thing. Sigh.....what's poor girl to do? I could try a dish of vinegar left out. I read that this works very well. Maybe some honey on a dish to lure the little bitty fly. Then....BAM! once that little PITA lands it would be gone so fast it's head would spin. I will have to try something that is more successful than my hands, which, it appears, are too slow. Any suggestions out there?

Bring them on! As long as it doesn't involve small children, body parts, pets or spiders I am open to ideas of any kind. Let me rephrase that...I am open to most ideas of any kind.

The office is now open....let the suggestions um...er...fly.

Forever and Always and a Happy Gotcha Day!

2009-11-01T19:38:00.000-05:00

(Pic to right...1st time Papa held Neve .... China 2005)

Today we celebrated

"GOTCHA DAY".

This is the day that Neve officially became ours.

We are so very blessed to have this little girl in our lives.

Every night in my prayers I thank God for all the blessings

He has given me and I ask for protection and blessings for

my Hubby John, John Vincent, Sarah and Neve, Jaime and Mike,

along with the rest of our extended family. I also ask God to bless the woman that had the courage to give Neve life and I ask that somehow this brave woman knows that the baby girl that she had to leave, has grown into a healthy, happy, well adjusted,

beautiful little girl that is loved by her forever family.

I thank her for her bravery and I ask God's blessings in her life.

To my Cutie Patootie Neve....Happy GOTCHA DAY!

Grams & Papa are so glad that you are here and that you are ours.

Forever and always no matter what.

(Pic to Right....Grams & Neve, exhausted after a day of sightseeing.

We slept in this position all night.)

Feel better my little sicko.

2009-10-22T00:17:00.000-04:00

My dear Hubby John is a sicko.

No, he's not some kind of weirdo or a pervert,

regardless of the fact that my sister has called him that for years.

No, he's just a sicko.

He has a virus that has him coughing, hacking and feeling tired and yucky.

Poor him.

I hope he gets better......real fast.

It's no fun with him sick.

His coughing keeps interrupting my television shows....

aww....just kidding.

I feel bad that he feels bad.

But seriously..... there is a new movie that I would like to see...

and hear...so get feeling better my little sicko.

You did smile a little bit didn't you?

2009-10-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted a giggle in a while so here's one to brighten your day.

A string walks into a bar with a few friends and orders a beer.
The bartender says, "I'm sorry, but we don't serve strings here."
The string goes back to his table. He ties himself in a loop and
messes up the top of his hair.
He walks back up to the bar and orders a beer.
The bartender squints at him and says, "Hey, aren't you a string?"
The string says, "Nope, I'm a frayed knot."

Aw come on.....admit it....you did smile a little bit didn't you?

Tired with soft hair.

2009-10-14T19:36:00.000-04:00

I was SO tired last night.
I kept falling asleep and finally
at 9:30 Hubby John told me to go to bed.
I didn't even get through my prayers before
I was asleep again. I slept right through
until the alarm went off at 7:00 this morning.
I reluctantly got out of bed.
I was still really, really tired.
How tired was I?
So tired, that as I was washing my hair in the
shower and mumbling to myself about being
really tired I didn't realise that I was using
body wash and not shampoo on my head.
Duh.....
Then I had to use the shampoo twice to get the
extra moisturizing body wash completely rinsed out.
Grrr.......I hate mornings like this.
I am still tired.....but I do have really soft hair.

Family, Friends and Turkeys

2009-10-12T19:26:00.001-04:00

This was/is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
A time for families, friends and turkeys.
Hubby John and Cutie Patootie Neve, had spent Friday afternoon making peach and apple pies, and the pies were baking in the oven when I got home from work. So while Neve and I played restaurant, she was the waitress and I was the customer, Papa cleaned up the kitchen. Sounds OK to me......hee..hee...Then there came a phone call from John Vincent informing us that he, Sarah and Neve were taking us out to dinner. It was their treat to honour our 37Th wedding anniversary that we celebrated this past Tuesday. That sounded OK to me too!
We went to a local Chinese food buffet and it was yummy! Afterwards, down to the mall and while we girls shopped the guys were busy getting Hubbie John's new Blackberry on line.... in sync, turned on or whatever it is that they did. Sarah and Neve bought new place mats and I picked up a package of assorted paper. One can never have enough paper. Even though I work at a printers and can get paper whenever I want, I am still a sucker when it comes to pretty paper with prints on it. Sigh.......so many designs and never enough money to buy them all. l love paper... but I digress....so anyway, after the mall outing everyone went home and to bed, well at least I went to bed after falling asleep on the couch for an hour or so. Saturday I was up bright and early and did absolutely nothing until noon at which time I made a macaroni salad for the surprise 60Th birthday party that we were attending that evening. Around two that afternoon Hubby and I got our act together and went out to do a bit of grocery shopping, birthday present shopping with a side trip to A&W as I had a root-beer craving. Man.....was that ever good! That evening we went to the party where the birthday girl, Brenda, was so surprised when she came into the hall that she started crying. Almost all of her family were there (and there are a lot of them). Even her brothers and sisters who live out of province, arranged to fly in for the party. Brenda was speechless.....and that's saying a lot for Brenda! It was a great party! Happy 60Th Brenda!! Sunday, I was up early again, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner at Jaime and Mike's. John Vincent, Sarah, Neve, my Mom and cousins/dear friends, Wendy & Dave all came along and we had a wonderful dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes,all kinds of veggies and salads and desserts. There were all the trimmings and extras that go with a special holiday meal. Mmmm, mmmm good! It was another wonderful party. Thank you Jaime and Mike! Then holiday Monday arrived and up early again. Hubby John and I closed down the pool and got the yard all ready for the white stuff to come. We have donated pumpkins to Neve's kindergarten class and her day care so we took an hour to wash and dry 60 pumpkins and now they are ready for delivery. It was a labour of love. Eaves were cleaned out and a final cut of the lawn. It was a full day outside and we both enjoyed it very much. Very late this afternoon we took a quick drive up to Listowel, which is about an hours drive from home, so John could check out a job site. When we got back to town we picked up a pizza for supper. Right now I am just finishing up the laundry and my blog and am ready to go watch House and Lie To Me in a few minutes.
So all in all it has been a very full but very fun weekend.
A weekend of family and friends and turkey.

Shades of Gray

2009-10-10T13:32:00.000-04:00

To all those non-belivers that think you never get nothing f0r nothing,
I want to tell them that that statement is not always true.
Sometimes things in life are not just black and white.
Sometimes they are shades of gray....
as in a Dappled Grey Hoodie,
....which I got for nothing.
How did I do that they ask?
I WON!!!
How exciting is that???
VERY EXCITING!
Sweeter Than Me had a post about
a free giveaway on her blog.
Rebecca from REPLICA
is a talented lady who had donated a hoodie to the give-away-contest.
I entered my name, followed the rules and my name got picked.
Rebecca informed me that I won the beautiful Gray Dappled Hoodie from her shop.
THANK YOU Rebecca.
All my readers should go over here and check out her beautiful
creations. She is very talented.
So there you go.......something for nothing.
That's one more thing that I have to be thankful for on
this wonderful Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

Things I find in the morning.

2009-09-24T07:48:00.000-04:00

At the end of our deck is a wild area that has never been filled in. I would like the pool heater to be put down there or maybe the hot tub. My dear hubby John, would like to finish the area with more deck. It has been, for many years, an ongoing discussion between us. Right now it is a wild area that has golden-rod, raspberry bushes and assorted wild plants growing in it. None of these were planted on purpose. It was just lucky for us that we have this pretty and wild green spot. One day it will be something else....maybe.
This morning after my morning rituals were all completed I opened the patio door blinds to let Baby Cat Oscar get a better view of the great outdoors. I noticed that I had not put 2 lounge cushions away and I thought I should take care of it before I forgot about them......again. So out I went, armed with my spider web stick,(everyone should own a spider web stick) and I grabbed a cushion to take to the end of the deck to the bin that holds all the deck cushions. While wildly swinging my spider web stick and being careful not to fall into the pool, I made it to the bin in once piece. I put the cushion in and was closing the lid when I spied a bit of colour off to the side. Hmmmm.........what is that I thought? (I really need to start putting on my glasses before I do stuff.) Was it a large spider in a web? Those sneaky little things do that overnight you know....they just spin away and then presto!......they get you when you least expect it. I side-stepped to my right and that brought me to our lovely stolen raspberry bushes. No, no, we didn't really steal them. You see the house next door has always been rented. Over the last 20 or so years there have been many different people in that house. Each time someone new moves in they rip out the back and front gardens and replant them. I bet that over all these years hundreds if not thousands of dollars have been spent on plants in that back yard. Lucky us got the best of them. Up to this last year when the newest people ripped everything out...again...we had lovely morning glories on our side of the fence. For a few years we had tea roses...very pretty. And sometime along the way we got raspberry bushes. Lots of raspberry bushes. Lucky us! Anyway can you guess what that colour that I saw this morning was? Yep....late growing raspberries....lots of them. I guess all this lovely hot dry Indian summer weather we are having has extended the growing season. I grabbed a handful of those huge berries and brought them in for HJ. There are lots more that will be ripe enough for my Cutie Patootie Neve to pick Friday afternoon when she is here.
Mmmm....yummy!
Who would have thought....summer berries in the fall?
Life is good!
There is nothing more I could want or need.
Except to have that hot tub or heater moved to the end of the deck.

No matter how you add it up.

2009-09-15T14:44:00.000-04:00

There are two things in life that I really do hate,
Spiders and Math!
They both scare me....a lot!
They are both mind numbing to me.
They both make me crazy.
Spiders are easier to deal with only in the fact

that I can squish them and l am done with them.
Math on the other hand is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy ..... if I had one.

I can check and recheck my figures and I get a different count each time.

Grrr........
To show how scary math can be just watch the video below and you will see what I mean.
No matter how you add it up it comes out the same.....this time..... at least to me....

spiders and math are two subjects I should avoid at all costs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgHxlreao9A

You could enter to win a Dappled Gray Hoodie.

2009-09-13T22:32:00.000-04:00

Wow......Sweeter Than Me has a great GIVE-AWAY

featuring this funky Dappled Gray Hoodie

made by Rebecca at Replica.

Go over HERE and take a look at what you need to do to win,

then do it and keep your fingers crossed.

Sorry to sound rude, you know I like you..... but I hope I win.

Rules were made to be broken.....sometimes.

2009-09-13T18:00:00.000-04:00

I am not a gardener. I love flowers and have lots of them in pots on my deck but when it comes to having flower beds to take care of....no way! They are way too much work and I don't have a green thumb. That's why my garden beds in the yard consists of flowering bushes only. It's really hard to kill bushes. I hack them down every few years and they always come back.....so far anyways.
I do however like to plant flowers in my deck planters and pots. They always look so pretty and bright. Last fall I took my last flowering geranium into the house thinking I would winter it over. I dug dirt out of the back garden mixed in some potting soil and put it along with the plant in one of my favourite pots.
It seems I was wrong to do this. Apparently there are certain steps you need to take if you want to overwinter any outside plant inside, with the hope that it will re-flower the following year. You have to have the right amount of light, coolness and water after you have cut the plant down to a specific size, with so much plant and leaves to be removed and blah...blah...blah.......
Of course with my knowledge of gardening, which would be a big fat zero!, I just stuck the potted plant in the front room and happily watered it during the winter and early spring season.
It died! There was no green left on that little sucker. It's stem was hard as a rock. It had no leaves but it did have wet soil. I think it died sometime in early January but I never got around to getting rid of it. I am a bad gardener. That poor little geranium didn't die from lack of water BUT because I didn't follow the gardening rules.
Oh well.....nothing ventured nothing gained, right?
Ah ha!! Not so!
This past May I finally got around to taking the pot with the dead plant in it and putting it out on the back deck with the thoughts of emptying the whole mess out. I had good intentions but I just never got around to actually doing it. With getting the deck set up for the summer the dead potted plant got moved around a few times. The final resting place for the pot ended up being behind some deck chairs. It wasn't bothering anyone and a green weed starting growing in the pot so I decided to just leave it until I cleaned out all the planters when we closed the back yard down for the winter. At least the weed gave a bit, and I do mean a little bit, of colour to that area of the deck.
Last week I looked out my patio door early one morning. I didn't have my glasses on so things looked a bit fuzzy. I saw a splash of colour and I thought a bathing suit had fallen off and in behind a chair.
Imagine my surprise when I went out to pick up the suit and instead found not one but two red geraniums making a beautiful late summer show.
Huh! So much for following rules.....sometimes they are made to be broken.

Dance To The Music.

2009-09-12T09:24:00.000-04:00

In my mind I have a list of favourite things. Family, friends, food, music and a whole lot more. Spiders are not on the list. I hate spiders....I killed two this week, they made me do it.... but I digress....sorry....
So one of my favourite things on my list is dancing. Just getting up and moving around to the music makes me feel good. I also like to watch others dance. My cutie patootie Neve dances all the time...especially if Hannah Montana is singing. Neve takes dance lessons on Saturdays; ballet, tap, jazz and this year she will be doing hip-hop as well. Oh dear, I hope she doesn't have to wear her pants with the crotch down to her knees. Her knees are so close to the ground that she will fall over if she wears pants like that. Doesn't that "look" make you want to grab the kid and pull their pants up to where they should be? Sigh.....I guess the mother in us ladies never takes a holiday....LOL!!! Anyway, the reason I mention dance is because a good friend, Judy, my ceramics teacher, is not only starting ceramic classes again....I LOVE YOU JUDY!!!!, she also sent me this little gem of a dance video. I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEli2rrrJwI

Root Beer

2009-08-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

I don't drink alcohol. The closest thing I drink to beer is root beer.
I have fun drinking my non alcoholic beer and watching the silly things that some people do while under the influence of the "real thing". Man, some people out there should not drink alcohol. So go get yourself a cold one, click on the following link, turn up the sound and have a good laugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEoprEk4Hjk

My wild night life.

2009-08-22T03:08:00.000-04:00

I hate getting up in the middle of the night or should I say in the wee hours of the morning.
As I am typing this post is is now almost 4 A.M. It is my own fault! I know better! I made the mistake of opening my eyes after I got up to get a drink and go to the bathroom. I felt my way downstairs in the dark and made it down okay with no broken body parts. I did the bathroom thing with closed eyes no problem, but when I got to the kitchen to get a drink from the water cooler I opened my eyes. There is a night light in our kitchen that goes on when it gets dark. That way, in the evening, we don't have to keep turning the overhead light on every time we go into that room. I swear the kitchen is the most popular room in our house. Anyway, the reason I opened my eyes was to check my glass before I took a drink. A few years back I didn't check and I almost drank a spider. It seems spiders like to crawl up into the cooler spouts to nest. Even if you use it a lot...and we do. Ha! Is this going to make you go and check your water cooler out? I can tell you for sure that that was a very traumatic episode in my life. YUCK!!!! I had a spider in my glass and if I hadn't seen it move I would have drank it down. I HATE SPIDERS!!! So now I always check my glass before drinking anything. (This is also the reason I don't like to drink from cans.) So anyway, I opened my eyes to check the glass against the night light and because I thought something moved in the glass I turned on the overhead light on to double check. BIG MISTAKE!! Stupid move on my part! Thank goodness there was nothing but water in the glass. It must have been a shadow from my finger. But of course now that my eyes are open with full light hitting them my brain has gone into wake mode.
I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS!
Just hunky dory!
Now I am fully awake and to top it off my body decides to throw in a hot flash just for the fun of it.
Whoopee!! I don't know how I take all this excitement in my life. I have such a wild night life!
Of course being a woman and since I am now wide awake why wouldn't I do a load of laundry, fold and put away a basket of towels, play a game on the computer, which I won, and type this post? What woman wouldn't? We multi-task regardless of what time of day or night it is. I hate that too! I am now going to finish drinking my third glass of water (which I know I am going to regret later) and then I am going to go back to bed to try to get back to sleep.
Sweet dreams to me.......I hope.

Cyberspace Junk Email

2009-08-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

Hmmm......it seems that I have been chosen to be the receiver of 30 million British pounds sterling, which is something around 56 million dollar Canadian, give or take a few million. All I have to do is give them all my banking information. Of course this is all top secret and I can absolutely trust them. Don't be silly!!!! Of course it's true!!! Once the transaction is complete I plan on burying the money underneath a maple tree in the back yard. I read in the Internet cyberspace advertisements, that if you bury enough money under the roots of a tree, give a certain someone from that particular cyberspace company,the location of said tree and then not bother that tree for, um, say a hundred years or so, the tree will start growing money. Honest!! It's true!!! The nice lady in the cyberland ad said so. Isn't she nice? Now I just have to email this information along with a blessing to a hundred or so of my email friends so nothing bad will happen to me. IF I don't, I understand that something terrible like foot fungus or worse will grow on me. Can't let that happen can I?
Boy I love how people are so kind as to want to make sure that I am not taken advantage of, cursed or ill treated in any way. How thoughtful! Sigh.......isn't the Internet great?
Oh wow! I have to go..........apparently I can turn a five dollar investment into a job that will earn me five thousand dollars a week....guaranteed. All they want is my firstborn. Sorry John Vincent....I love you but I have to think of the family legacy that I will be able to leave my gandbaby(ies).
Whoopee.......look out cyberspace....here I come!