Procrastinator's Countdown to Christmas

I know I've mentioned this previously, I'm a less than enthusiastic technology user.  I've recently learned how to access my e-mail on my smart phone...which is apparently much smarter than I am since I've had the phone for a couple of years.

In fact, I'm eligible for a new phone but as I told my son the other day, I've only just gotten familiar with this one, why would I want something new?

Is it only me, or is this world getting more complicated?

This post wasn't supposed to be about my limited tech knowledge.  Oops, I guess I got sidetracked.
Anyway, after all the bragging I did about being ready for Christmas a couple of posts ago....it seems I'm not nearly as ready as I thought.

I should be finishing up the snowflakes I made for my staff.  Instead I'm writing this post.  It won't take much time but I've been putting it off all weekend.

I did get a little Christmas baking done (and I mean just a little) last evening.  I made a small batch of shortbread cookies which I expect will be all gone in the next of couple of days. The butter is softening on the counter as I write, but I haven't decided what else I'll bake.  Time to dig out the cookbooks.

On the other hand all of the gifts are wrapped and under the tree....with the exception of the Santa gifts.  It has been a tradition for many years that Santa brings socks.  I picked them up while shopping on Friday so all it will take is a little wrapping paper.

The turkey is out in the sun room resting in the recliner.  This might seem like an ought place for it to hang out, but we've had frigid weather here for what seems like forever but was likely 7-10 days.  This morning the temp was a balmy -29C (-20F) not counting in the windchill.  It must be warming up slightly though as we're starting to get a few flakes of snow.  By Thursday we're forecast to have temperatures closer to freezing.  I guess I'll have to find room in the freezer soon for the bird.

At this point, I'm not sure who will be here for Christmas dinner.  I informed my daughter, that while her on-again, off-again boyfriend is welcome, his roommates are not.  As a result there is some potential neither of them will be here.  I did invite a long time friend C to join us.  She currently does not have custody of her youngest child, will spend the morning with him and his dad, and then join us in the afternoon.  She's been part of our lives since my son was just a baby and while we don't see each other as much as we once did, she's part of the family.

In other words, there are still a lot of things to be done or determined before Christmas gets here.  Perhaps I'd best end this post and get at it before the list of things to do gets any longer!

Are you ready for Christmas? Just seven more sleeps!

Have a great week everyone!

Vacation complete

I posted this yesterday on Facebook about mid-afternoon. "Three loads of laundry done, one more to go. Got my nails done, bought groceries, made my bed, did a few dishes, cleaned the cat litter, took out garbage. Huh, I guess the vacation is officially over."

Amazing how quickly one gets back into the routine of home....whether one wants to or not.  My son did a great job while I was away, he had kept the cat litter clean, done a load of dishes, and kept my flower containers watered.  I do need to get out there and do some dead-heading and mow the lawn and the house needs vacuuming.  He did do the basement so I only have the main floor to do.

But before I get back into the here and now I want to share a few more photos** from my trip.  The first two are for you, Kim, as I thought of you immediately when I saw it.

This is the new home my cousin B and her husband G moved into this spring.  It's a park model, just over 500 square feet of living space. It is a mobile home, but looks and feels like a house with drywall and siding.   It has a lovely front veranda, with a view of the mountains across the way.

I was so impressed with the interior as well.  You enter into the home into an open plan living room, kitchen and dining room.  The large windows on the right side are in the living room and dining room.  

The kitchen is well equipped, with a full size fridge and gas stove, a decent amount of cupboards, as well as a lower set in the dining room to act as a sideboard.  

Beyond this space is a nice sized bathroom with a large shower (the space would fit a bathtub) and it has a window as well (it is to the right of the dining room window).

Beside the bathroom is an alcove for the stackable washer and dryer.  Across from the bathroom is the side door entrance and beside back door is the furnace. Then finally, at the back of the home is the bedroom, which fits a king sized bed, a closet and built in dresser/cupboard. 

After living in an RV for 8 1/2 years, this new home is a welcome change for B and G.  They are living in a new development (you can see the owners home in the background) so there is still lots of construction going on.  There a few neighbours, all of whom are currently living in RV's. By the time all the work is done B expects there will be a dozen residents, some permanent and some who live there only in the summer.  

Shortly after they started building their shed (12 X 12 for storage) they discovered a momma bunny had made a nest and delivered a batch of bunnies.  We call them B's bunnies as she has been caring for both mom and babies.  The little ones recognize her voice and come when she calls to feed them.

Aren't they just adorable?  Unfortunately I don't expect they will all survive as there are hawks, eagles, and owls in the area, plus they live just off a busy highway. But perhaps they way they procreate, it is likely for the best.  

In fact, we suspect momma bunny recently gave birth to another litter.  This one is located a ways away from B's home in a pile of construction materials.  

I really enjoyed my visits with my cousins and uncle.  This photo was from our dinner on Thursday evening.

That's Uncle Gordon with his girl-friend Judy.  I'm to his right, with cousin B beside me, and her husband G beside Judy.  G's mom is next to B, and G's daughter S and her boyfriend are at the end of the table.  

Uncle Gordon is the last of his generation.  He's 84 years old, still golfing and bowling once a week.  He's an incredibly sweet man with a wicked sense of humour.  

Just how sweet is evident with the gift I received yesterday.  

I had been out shopping, when I arrived home I found a note on the front door from Flowers Direct informing me that a delivery had been made to my neighbour's home.

The note attached from Uncle Gordon, Judy, B and G saying they missed me already.  I shed a few tears....I miss them too!


And finally, I'll wrap up this post with one of the last photos I took on my trip.  After dinner on Thursday I headed back down to the beach to see the sunset.  What a way to end my vacation!

** For those who follow me on Facebook, you've seen most of these photos previously.  

:)

Phew...made it!

Before I get into a re-cap of Christmas, I'd like to ask for your prayers and kind thoughts for Rian and her family in Texas.  The recent storms and tornadoes in their area caused a lot of damage, and while thankfully, no one in her immediate family was harmed it has been a very frightening and worrying time.

While there was potential for a different kind of storm here on Christmas Day, I'm proud to say I behaved myself and didn't even make any snide comments.  Oh my, the end of my tongue was near bitten off but I did it.  I picked my daughter up about 10 a.m. from her apartment; she, my son and I opened gifts together before it was time to start dinner.

This is a mug my brother gave me.  It says "I'm older than the internet".  I reminded him later in the day that this would apply to him as well. I also gave him a mug...but it simply said "Tea".  Hmmm...next year may require payback.

For dinner we had turkey and all the trimmings...stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, turnips, coleslaw and homemade buns.  The only thing I forgot was cranberries, and since my kids and I don't care for them I'm not surprised.  We picked up D's boyfriend J and their roommate B about 4 p.m.  It was pretty apparent J was pretty nervous but by the time dinner was in full swing he relaxed and was telling stories about growing up.  Later, his mom told D that she's glad I make him nervous...he deserves to feel that way.  I agree!

About that time, B had a bit of an allergic reaction to the cats so we cleaned up quickly and headed back to the apartment to drop him off.  And then I did something I never thought I'd ever do.  I drove to the local jail to drop J off so he could serve another weekend of his sentence. This is not the life I envisioned my daughter would live but she seems resigned that this is her fate.

After we got back to the house, I needed some fresh air to clear my head.  I took my camera to get a couple of shots of the full moon and of my neighbour's home.  He lights it up every year, has music timed to the lights.  This year he added a candy cane dispenser with a donation box for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The quality of the photos aren't great but I hope you can see some of the color.  The moon was so lovely and bright and the air was crisp and cold.  (about -25C).  Just what I needed!

It certainly wasn't the Christmas I would have wanted, but it wasn't as bad as it might have been.  There were no arguments or bitter words and for that I am grateful.  I'm grateful too for those of you who stop for a minute and provide your support through your comments.  Thanks for being there.



Have a wonderful week everyone!

Countdown to Christmas

Another busy week is behind me, thank goodness.  Four more sleeps to Christmas, and in two weeks I'll be able to take my first walk on the beach in Parksville.   Oooh...I'm so excited.

I spent the week in our Saskatoon office.   The plan to work with my staff there was nearly thwarted when two were ill,  another was in a training course, a fourth was out of the office working so there was only one person actually in the office on Monday and Tuesday.  But by mid-week, with the exception of the one working away, the rest were in the office.   Thursday we all went for our Christmas lunch to a local restaurant.


In addition to a Chapters gift card, my staff gave me this lovely five piece calendar set.  It has the large calendar, a mini calendar, list pad, bookmark, and four note cards with envelopes.

They've come to know me well.  I made a stop at Chapters on Friday evening and spent the gift cards on a couple of books for me, a cookbook for my daughter and a set of ice-cube trays for my son. (I can tell you this knowing neither of them read my blog!)

Friday morning there was heavy fog in the area.  I left the office about 10 a.m. and it was starting to burn off.  I never had less than 1/4 mile visibility and the roads were clear.  Still I was glad to get home.

I  had planned to have my brother and his family over for dinner on Friday, but their plans changed so we arranged to get together on Saturday instead.

My niece, L will be 12 in January, while my nephew K was 14 in November.


They're fairly close in size and both were excited that they are taller than aunty now.

They came from L's basketball game, had lunch with me and a short visit, before they had to head over to their Granny's house before the next basketball game.  I'm glad I don't have their schedule!

Today, I'm trying to get caught on housework.  I did some laundry yesterday and loaded the dishwasher  The last of the gifts are wrapped and under the tree (except Santa's because he doesn't come until Christmas Eve!) and the kitchen counters are clear.  I still have to scrub the floor, vacuum the upstairs, clean cat litter boxes, and take out the garbage.

This morning I mixed up a batch of these crackers.  I was supposed to use Ritz cheese sandwich crackers but I messed up and bought the original.  The recipe is very simple, add two tablespoons of dill weed, two teaspoons of garlic powder, a package of Ranch dip mix (dry), and a cup of canola (or veg) oil to five 180 gram packages of the crackers.

Mix in a large bowl and stir every 20 minutes to half hour until the oil is fully absorbed. They are yummy whether you use the right crackers or not!

Before I get back to my housework, I'll leave you with some photos I took in the yard this morning. The hoar frost is sooo beautfiful!

 Have a great week everyone!

A gift to myself

Every year I plan to take the day of my birthday as a day off.   In my opinion, I think one's birthday ought to be annual statutory holiday.  But since I can't convince my employer to make it so, I schedule some leave in order to have my day.

Frankly, I don't like have a fuss made over my birthday.  It's always nice to hear from friends and family, but I'm not into birthday parties or even going out for dinner.  It probably sounds odd, but those things embarrass me....I really don't like hate being the center of attention.

So the one year when I did go to work on my birthday, and found my team mates had decorated my cubicle with balloons and streamers, was excruciating.  It firmed my resolve, never to ever, ever, ever, go to work on my birthday.

It's my first gift to myself.  

Today I want to show my other gift. (No, not my hair color...you already saw that!).

I've had a blank space above my bed for the entire time we've lived in this house.  That's more than 4 years, 8 months...but I could never find anything I liked or was inexpensive enough to bring home.  

While I was out shopping on my special day off, I finally found it!

I got lucky because I almost didn't see it in the store.  It was hanging on the end of an aisle, behind a pole.  Perhaps someone had tucked it away, planning to come back for it.  

But I found it!  It's unique and interesting, and best of all it was only $25.

I hung it yesterday; I've never good at that sort of thing, and it's probably hung too high. But then again, it's supposed to be a eye-level and it probably is...if you're six feet or taller. :)

All that doesn't matter, because I love it.  I like how it fills the empty space. I like how it makes me think of spring.  And I love how it reminds me of my special day off!

How about you?  Do you do something special for yourself on your birthday?

Catching up

I'm still a day behind but this post will catch me up...you'll understand why shortly.

Sunday was, of course, Mother's Day.  Guess how my day went!  If you guessed I woke up to breakfast in bed, the house clean, and my kids giving me hugs and kisses.....you'd be wrong and I'd be dreaming. 

What I did do was spend more time out on my deck and go shopping for MORE plants. 

This time I got petunias and mums, carnations, more callibrochoa (apparently I like these - a lot!), german ivy, and ....can you see it in the picture to the left of the carns, and to the right of the ivy?

It's cat mint!  According to the label it's supposed to attract cats.  Now this is a dumb question, but is cat mint the same thing as catnip? I guess I could check with the cats but I know some of you will know for certain!

I also picked up my tomatoes, the only vegetable I bother to grow, and a few bags of potting soil.  I'm all ready for the long May weekend, the traditional time for planting in Zone 3.  Now I just have to get my son to move some containers around for me and I'll be set.

My children gave me this lovely candle holder for Mother's Day.  Each of the sides is magnetic and be changed out.  So besides the geometric shape and the branch you can see, I also have the plates for winter (snowflakes) and Halloween (jack-o-lantern) as well as a couple of other geometric plates. 

My daughter D, thought it might keep Saku from dipping his paw into the wax.  So far, so good - it seems to be working.  Of course, she also broke my washing machine this weekend but that's another story!

Finally, we come to Monday.  All I can say is....eight more sleeps to my mini-vacation!!!  And that, my friends is how I catch up two days in one. 

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day and a great Monday too!







Twas the night before Christmas

Not very original but it's the best I can do! The day has been great - it started out with sleeping in. None (that's right), none of the cats woke me up to feed them breakfast so that when I woke at 8:30 a.m. they were still curled up on the bed sleeping. After feeding them, I started a pot of coffee and headed back to bed to read my book. It was wonderful!

After a lazy morning, I made mini-quiche for tomorrow's breakfast and cooked up macaroni for tonight. Our tradition for Christmas Eve dinner over the past few years is homemade mac & cheese and cocktail weiners. It's not very fancy but it's something my adult children ask for year after year. My daughter and I just ate, my son is working until later (he's works retail) so I'll warm up a plate for him when he gets home.

I hadn't planned to do any shopping today, but when my daughter asked me to help her wrap her brother's gifts today, it dawned on me he probably hadn't gotten her anything. So it was back to the stores, which, as it turns out weren't nearly as busy as I thought they might be. I managed to keep the gifts hidden until I could get them wrapped and put them in my son's bedroom for tomorrow morning. He owes me big!

Now I sit here with a glass of wine on the end table beside me, a Christmas movie on the television, and cat curled up on my lap. My life is truly blessed!

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and all the best of come here by choice or circumstance. I hope that Christmas 2011 is the best ever for all.

Perfect Christmas gift for the recently divorced woman in your life

No lie...this is available on Amazon.com. Not only that, but it comes in 7 different colors! There truly are people in the world with a sense of humor more sick than my own!

I cannot tell you how happy knowing this makes me feel!

Thanks to Dr Grumpy for sharing this find.