How did it get to be Sunday?

This poor blog has been sadly neglected!  Fridays' posts are easy, I simply have to find a funny e-mail someone has sent me, or something I've found on the net and I'm done.  The rest of the week though I'm struggling to find time for much more than work, a little relaxation with the cats, and sleep.

Glorious sleep!  That too is elusive some nights, especially after a overly full day at work when the thoughts churn through my mind and will not stop until I've written a to-do list for the following day.

Not last night though, I was in bed by 11 p.m. and woke shortly after 9 a.m.  I know I was up once or twice in the night but only for brief moments.  In a corner of my memory, I recall hearing my son feeding the cats their breakfast but even that is a hazy moment.  When I did awake, the cats were all piled on the bed around me, and for a few minutes I thought about staying there for the rest of the day.

Logic (and mother nature) overcame that notion pretty quickly.

In addition to the blog, housework has taken a backseat as well. Yesterday was a full day of catching up, with laundry, dishes (thank goodness for a dishwasher), clearing out clutter from kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator.  I cleaned cat litter boxes, gathered the garbage and the recycling and took those out to the bin.  The bed was remade with clean linens, and I tidied my bedroom and bathroom.


By that point I was exhausted and ready for something different.  A couple of weeks ago Deniece brought her mom's sewing machine with the request that I teach her to sew.  Well, I haven't sewn anything in many years but I said I'd try though I needed to learn to use the machine first.  Wow - just learning the thread it was a challenge, but I got it done. Deniece had left a book with patterns for me that included a Christmas stocking, with some red fabric I'd picked up and some embellishments turned into this.

I used the glue gun to put the felt on it and had a bit of an accident...so this one is definitely not a keeper!  I'm also going to play with the pattern as it looks a little off to me.  Deniece and I are planning for her to have a sleepover so we have lots of time to play together.

While I was in the craft store the other day I came across some yarn on serious discount, from $9.99 per skein to $2.99.  Better still it was my daughter's favorite color teal.  So I brought it home too, not entirely sure what I would do with it.   The internet came through again, and I found a pattern for a cowl scarf.

The Rider football game was on, so I cast on and started knitting.

As you can see it knit up quickly, and I had only a few rows left to go when the game finished. Unfortunately our team did not win but they gave it a good try and had take the lead until the last few minutes of the game.



I spent the rest of the evening watching television and finishing the cowl.  Here is the finished product modeled by my daughter D.

She was thrilled with it!  I like the fact it was so easy to make and quick to complete.  I still have enough yarn to make another cowl and a headband for her to wear this winter.  All for less than $20 and some time...not bad!

Today I'm back on the housework track, got the vacuuming done already, cleaned the bottom drawer of the stove, and washed a sink full of dishes. Seriously, I think dirty dishes multiply like rabbits overnight!

On the other hand since I'm got all that done, I think I might just relax for the rest of the day and get caught up on reading blogs, maybe do some early on-line shopping for Christmas (at least look for ideas) and hang out with the cats.  That definitely sounds like a better idea to me!

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Friday Funny

One word Monday

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Time flies

It's been another incredibly busy week and today I'm feeling it in every muscle of my body. Probably because I've finally gotten to a point where I can sit down and relax.

I spent three days in our office in Saskatoon, assisting with the review of applications for employment.  We're running a process in our region but candidates can apply from anywhere in Canada.  We're only managing a small portion of it but the numbers are still incredible.  Next week brings the interviews and reference checks.

While in Saskatoon I was able to have dinner with a cousin I haven't seen since her mom's funeral over a year ago.  When we met at the restaurant we both mentioned how nice it was to get together for another reason.  We had a wonderful visit catching up on family news and each other's lives.

The second night I was there a coworker and I went to dinner to the Ivy...definitely an upscale restaurant.  I had the filet mignon with sauteed button mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled peppers....OMG was it good!  I normally don't care for mushrooms, I find them rather tasteless and rubbery, but when they are sauteed, then I can't get enough.  We both decided against dessert and the next morning, we greeted each other with a "moo".

I was in our office on Friday catching on things there and though it was supposed to be short day I was there for almost a full day.  In the evening I met still another cousin for a drink and a visit at a local hotel.  She is here for a trade show and had texted me on Thursday to ask for advice on a hotel.  The last we saw one another would have been a year ago at the same trade show.

It was another awesome visit, catching up on family news, and laughing at things that have happened over the years.  P gave me a ticket to the trade show so I went by this morning and took a look around before having another quick visit with her.  She had pictures of her grandbabies to share with me - cute as can be - but doesn't mean I want any!

While at the trade show, we met up with a woman I went to high school over 35 years ago.  We didn't have much time for a visit, but it was neat to see someone I haven't seen since our graduation.  We have been in contact on Facebook but until I saw and spoke with her I couldn't place her.

Today I also went for my first tanning appointment.  In only four weeks I'll be flying off to Jamaica for a week for a friend's wedding.  I can't believe it is nearly the end of October already.  This year has truly flown by.

Of course the end of October also means we're heading into winter.  On Thursday morning I went down to my car and found a little bit of that four letter word.  You know the one, it starts with s, ends with w, and has NOOOOOOO in the middle!  Today I spent part of the afternoon removing the rest of the plants from the containers.  The fact they've lasted this long is wonderful, but I'm going to miss the green.

Hopefully the winter will pass as quickly as the summer has done!  I'm not ready for this just yet. (note this is a picture from last year...today we had rain)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Funny

Air show disaster - a shitty situation


This is tough to see. It just shows the dangers of attending these events.


Amazing photo below shows great detail. 








The pilot at low level had no control over his aircraft. 
It narrowly misses a crowd gathered for the air show and slams into four buildings. 

No one was killed, but it probably scared the shit out of them. J


When you stop laughing send it to someone else who needs a good laugh.

Thankful Monday

Today is Thanksgiving Monday in Canada, which means a day off work!  I'm truly thankful for an extra day at home to get caught up on a few things....and to watch football.  Our team played on Saturday (they won) but I still like watching the other teams.

Having the day off also meant a chance to sleep in and did I ever.  The cats got me up for feeding time about 7 a.m. but I went back to bed and slept until 9:30.  It's been so long since I've slept that late!  I feel refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the day and the upcoming week.  Another reason to be thankful!

We'll have our turkey this evening.  I purchased one of those combined dark/white meat turkey roll since a turkey for just the three of us is far too much meat.  I went out for awhile yesterday afternoon and before I left I put it in the oven. My daughter and her friend were busily making pierogies and somehow managed to shut off the oven.  I came home two hours later to find a partially thawed turkey roll in the oven! It was nearly 8 p.m. before it was finally cooked, we had tacos instead!

I was thankful though to find they had washed all the dishes and tidied up the kitchen.

As you can see, I'm on the road again this week.  I'll be away early tomorrow morning to the office in Saskatoon.  I've got several meetings planned and will have the chance to meet with two of my staff who were out of the office the last time I was in Saskatoon.

While I'm there I've made plans to have dinner with my cousin J Tuesday evening.  This will be the first time in many years we've seen one another except at funerals. That's something to be thankful for as well!



I'll be back Thursday evening.  I won't have my personal laptop with me so unless my connection works with the work laptop I won't be around to visit until then.

Have a marvelous week everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends!  Have a wonderful day however you choose to spend it.

*comments off

Friday Funny

A young man with his pants hanging half off his ass, two gold front teeth, and a half inch thick gold chain around his neck; walked into the local welfare office to pick up his check.

He marched up to the counter and said, " Hi . You know, I just H A T E drawing welfare. I'd really rather have a job.. I don't like taking advantage of the system, getting something for nothing."

The social worker behind the counter said "Your timing is excellent. We Just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a chauffeur and bodyguard for his beautiful daughter. You'll have to drive around in his 2012 Mercedes - Benz CL, and he will supply all of your clothes."

"Because of The long hours, meals will be provided.  You'll also be expected to escort the daughter on her overseas holiday trips. This is rather awkward to say But you will also have, as part of your job, the assignment to satisfy her sexual urges as the daughter is in her mid-20’s and has a rather strong sex drive."

The guy, just plain wide-eyed, said, "You're bullshittin' me!"

The social worker said, "Yeah, well... You started it." .....

No rest

Another crazy busy week has come to a close.  It's nice to be home for a couple of days though as I look around me there is a lot of stuff to catch up on the home front too!

We've had a couple of nights of hard frost so my containers are looking quite sad.  The potato vine and coleus are done and won't be coming back.

The vinca is looking a little sad too, but the ivy for some reason is still hanging in there!

It's time to start clearing out the containers, and put things away. However today is still quite cool, so I'll wait until it warms up, either this afternoon or tomorrow.

In the meantime I have lots of housework to do, vacuuming and laundry.  And it's time to tackle the front closet too to find the mittens and gloves, and put away the spring and summer items.


Although yesterday was supposed to be a day off work, I went in for a couple of hours and ended up staying much longer.  On the way home I stopped at Walmart and bought myself a blower/vacuum to pick up the leaves.  Won't be using the rake on the front yard!  As you can see the tree is dropping its leaves rapidly.

The potted mums in front are intended to go into the containers once I pull the other plants.  They should last through to the end of October, I hope, as they are quite hardy.

I picked up a couple decorative items for Halloween too, but no candy. I don't want that temptation in the house just yet!

Last night I had Deneice and Denephew over while their parents went out to dinner and theatre.

She is 10 now, going on 15...and quite the character.  She brought a sewing hoping I would teach her how to use it and was disappointed when I told it would take me some time to figure it out.  The machine is on my dining room table with the instruction manual beside it.

She and my daughter decided to bake brownies instead!

Denephew still enjoys the box of Lego I keep from when my son was young.  He says he wants to be an architect when he grows up, and if his buildings are any indication he certainly has the aptitude.

Saku was quite interested and hung out nearby, but heaven help anyone who tried to touch him.

Their Dad came by to get them just before 11 p.m.  By that point I was exhausted and ready for bed.  They are good kids and fun to be around...for short periods of time.  I know I slept well last night!

Have a wonderful Saturday everyone!