Wednesday, December 31st - Happy New Year's Eve!

Conditions at 4:50 am: clear and COLD - it's currently -16' but feels more like -24' with the wind.
Expected later: more of the same  moving only a couple of degrees to -12' later

The family got away just in time  to miss the sudden plunge in temperatures. Yesterday was the same, very

First test drive

cold that we are just not used to yet.   After spending the early part of the afternoon at the pool on Monday, everyone converged at the airport to try for a direct flight at 5:45 p.m.. No such luck. There was a flight leaving for Montreal at 6:30 and Greg, Meg and James were able to get on that one. The next option was one to Halifax around 8:00.  Patti and Tristen made that one and had planned to stay  over till the wee hours of the morning to get back to Toronto. Fortunately for them, they got to Halifax just in time to sprint through the terminal and catch a flight to Montreal. They didn't get home that night but the other three did. Fortunately for Patti and Tristen there's a crew centre in Montreal where they could get comfy on some nice couches in a locked, private room, with a TV to entertain them until time to go to sleep.  It was definitely worth getting that far and saved a hotel room. They were catching a flight at 5:30 the next morning so a hotel room would have surely been a bit of a waste of money for such a short time.  Finally later in the morning I got a text message advising that all people, dogs and suitcases were where they are supposed to be.

Just a little twisted at the airport!

It seemed like they had just gotten here and it was time to  leave again. Realistically there wasn't a lot for the kids to do. There's no snow, and it was muddy part of the time they were here so playing outside wasn't really very much fun. But then they were all pretty much plugged into electronic devices for a large part of the time, so they didn't mind. At least it gave them something to do. Next year, we'll all be in Williamsburg where there will be lots to do, no matter what your interests are.

No big plans for New Years Eve tonight. Very low key - snacks and a couple of drinks with great friends - does it really get any better than that anyway? I think not.




Happy New Year everyone, see you in 2015 (aka Friday!)

Monday, December 29th - an early end to our christmas visit

Conditions at 6:15 am: -1'
Expected later: -2'  with a mix of sun and cloud and maybe a few flurries, before the colder air moves in later in the week

It's been a combination of busy and relaxing over the past couple of days. The weather has been mostly wet so outdoor activities have been non-existent.

We had our turkey dinner on Friday evening. I had invited an elderly lady who lives down the road but she had company and wasn't sure she could make it. We had given her a time but we turned out being way behind schedule. It all worked our because in the end, she arrived, expecting us to be all finished, and we were just eating when she arrived. We had a lovely visit with her and she mentioned several times how grateful she was for the invitation. We really need to make a point of inviting her a little more often.

Saturday was busy as we were expecting company in the evening. Mike from work, his wife Willow and daughter Lilian came over for supper.  We set everything up in the craft room upstairs in the garage (they knew that's where they would be eating) and it worked very well. There was much more room for 10 people up there than there would have been in the house. Lilian really liked the dog and the kids enjoyed keeping her entertained as well.  A good time was had by all, I think, although there was a huge pile of dishes, for the second night in a row.

Sunday was a little more relaxed as the only plans we had were to take in a movie in the afternoon.  James and I went to see "Unbroken", based on a true story and it was quite good, while Patti and the other two kids went to see the new "Night at the Museum".  They also enjoyed their choice. Before leaving town we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a couple of things we needed.  Then it was home to set up our supper. We put together a cheese tray with all the various cheeses Patti brought from Europe, as well as some shrimp, pate, crackers and steamed mussels.  We filled our plates then went into the living room to watch a couple of kids movies that were Christmas themed. A pretty relaxing way to end the weekend.

This morning, Patti is looking at flights and they're pretty full for the rest of the week so they're going to try to get out this afternoon.  That's the trouble with traveling this time of year - so is everyone else. We've decided to do something different about that next year. We're booking a resort in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. We can all drive there, a day for the Ontario folks, two for us, but that's okay. No worries about catching flights, as long as the weather cooperates, of course.  We'll have lots to do while we're there and there's even an indoor pool and hot tub for those who would just like to relax. There seems to be something for everyone - history for those into that sort of thing, Luray Caverns to explore for the adventurous, and an outlet mall with 120 stores for those in the group who love to shop! It will definitely be a different Christmas vacation next year.

Friday, December 26th - Happy Boxing Day!

Conditions at 7:00 am: 4'
Expected later: sun but moving down to 2' - quite a change from the 14' we experienced on Christmas Day. We did receive some rain but I don't think it was anywhere near what they had predicted.

The worst of the rain, for us, came in Charlottetown just as we were picking everyone up at the airport. It was barely raining when we left home at 4:45 but by the time we got to town it was really pouring. Everyone was soaked by the time we got in to vehicles. Poor Greg was near drowned, waiting for the skychecked bags! We were fortunate  everybody was able to make the same flight - you just never are sure when it's standby. But the odds were in our favour being  it was the actual day.

As everyone dried out or put on drier clothes, we put some appetizers in the oven and pulled out the cheese and veggie trays I had put together earlier in the day. As we nibbled, we opened presents. Lloyd and I were extremely spoiled with a huge basket of goodies that Patti has put together during her travels over the past few months - cheeses, pates, exotic mustards, wines and champaign from France, Geneva, and various other spots that are on my bucket list, that she's flown to over the last little while. Needless to say we look forward to sampling over the next little while.

Everyone was very happy with their gifts, and the look on James face when he opened up the ceremonial dagger for his kilt kit, was priceless. He loved it, and a while later, I was out in the kitchen and he came out and gave me another big hug and another thank you, Grandma. I have to enjoy these moments, as soon it won't be cool to do that, but I hope that's not for a very long time. The younger two were pleased with their robes I had made for them, as well as various other little things. Everyone did very well. Lloyd was happy with his gifts and really liked the warm sweater I got him last week at Roots. I also got him a small binding machine for putting together documents and he said he was wondering the other day how much they cost, so timing was great on that one. I'm getting a remote starter for my car but I also received an electric throw to put over me when I'm watching TV cause I always seem to be cold, no matter how warm the room might be. The man knows me too well!

It had been a busy day so it was off to bed fairly early for some of us - me at least. No idea how late it was for the others but they can sleep in this morning as there's nothing going on for the rest of the day - just our turkey dinner later but that's about it.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank the Van Gaals for a lovely time on Christmas Eve. We were treated to delicious homemade lasagna, salad and sweet treats. Three out of four of the kids were home, but we did talk to Caitlin on her phone via facetime. The Baird family was there, along with their little grandson Austin. It was a lot of fun having a small child there, it really made it enjoyable as little kids really do add something to all the Christmas excitement, even though he's a little too young to fully appreciate it all yet.  Just wait till next year!

Happy Boxing Day everyone, hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoy the upcoming weekend!

Wednesday, December 24th - One more sleep!!!

Conditions at 5:15 am: -1 and overcast
Expected later: the temperature will gradually go up and we should start getting rain this evening, that will be heavy into tomorrow along with strong winds, and temperatures will rise to anywhere from 12 to 14'
Perhaps we should be celebrating Easter instead of Christmas. The 25th is certainly going to feel more like that.

Hopefully the weather won't impact air travel tomorrow. One more sleep till all my babies get here. I can't wait to see them. It's been a long time. I saw James in the summer but Meg and Tristen I only saw for a few short hours back in the spring, on my way back from Victoria.

Other than some cleaning and making up beds, I'm all ready for Christmas. The presents are wrapped and under the tree, the cookies are baked, the turkey is in the fridge and the liquor stock is full. Time to bring on the holidays!

Half a day at work this morning, while Lloyd sleeps, and then I'm off till Monday morning. I'm picking up the last few things at the grocery store on  my way to work this morning (gotta love those stores that are open 24 hrs a day), then Lloyd will pick everything up from my car at 8:00 and bring it all home. It will be much faster doing it that way, rather than waiting till noon. I imagine things will be a little crazy by that time and I'd just as soon miss all that, thank you very much.

This evening Lloyd and I will be attending the Salvation Army Christmas Eve service, which is being combined with the Baptist Church and held in the Ballroom at the Delta. Then when it's over, it's off to the VanGaals for their annual Christmas Eve event. We're very fortunate to have good friends who include us in their holiday celebrations.

So, since I really have nothing else to report, a very  
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU, 
who have hung in there for yet, another year and continue to read my drivel.
 We'll connect again on Friday morning, as I'm getting ready for our Christmas Feast!

Monday, December 22nd - two great reasons to celebrate today!

Conditions at5:30 am: overcast and -3', feeling a little more like -6'
Expected later: -2 with a chance of some flurries throughout the day

As mentioned in the title, there are two really great causes for celebration today.

1) Grandson James is 14 today - how is this possible?
2) The longest day of the year has passed so today the days will start getting longer - spring must be just around the corner.

Hope you have a really great day today James. Some years they're finished school for the holidays on his birthday but this year he'll be able to celebrate with his friends at school.

It was a somewhat productive weekend. Friday was pizza night as it was our last chance to get together (or so we thought) before the holiday craziness starts. I picked up the pies on my way home and the rest of the crew convened at our house for beer/wine and pizza - always a great way to start the weekend.

I worked on a few little projects around the house on Saturday morning while Lloyd was sleeping. Before he went to bed, we spent a few minutes working on a shopping list for the  grocery store. I came up with a cunning plan while he was sleeping. Someone in the VanGaal family had to go to the airport to pick up Meghan (1) at 11:30. Brenda and I chatted and decided it might be to both our advantage to go into town to get groceries later in the evening, when the crowds had gone home. By the time we were done planning and all parties had been consulted, it was decided that  I would pick Brenda up on my way into town, and drop Lloyd off at their house. Then the guys would go into town for a beer and when we were done our shopping we would join them. It worked just too well.  We left the VanGaals at 8:30, went into town, shopped at two different grocery stores and ended back at the bar at 10:00 pm - just a perfect amount of time to have a beer and a snack and then they could leave for the airport.  It looked good on paper, and it actually worked really well - assuming the flight arrived on time! When we got home and put the groceries away, it was around midnight. A great end to a productive day.

Sunday was even busier. I had to package up the cookies for the lady at work, as well as some for the staff, as it's my turn to bring in the treats (we're taking turns every day this week).  I also had to make some peanut butter balls to go with all of them.  Lloyd was working out in the garage. Around mid afternoon I realized I needed more chocolate chips. I made the decision to go up to Morell, and Lloyd decided to go with me to take a break.  We got what we needed and headed home, but first we took a couple of little side trips to check out where some of the roads went in that area.

We had just gotten home when a car drove into the yard. It was our friends Jens and Linda. They had been

here earlier and we weren't home but on their way to Mount Stewart, passed us on the road. So they came back, and with them was a beautiful Poinsettia. They stopped by to wish us Merry Christmas.  They came in for coffee and spent a little while visiting. It was really nice to see them and we had a pleasant rest of the afternoon.

The rest of the day was spent pretty much just relaxing, as the laundry was washing and drying.  We're pretty much ready for Christmas, except I still have cleaning to do, but still time for that. Lloyd has been working out in the bunky and has made some improvements out  there. It's looking pretty good now. There were holes in the walls where we had taken out the kitchen area, but now those are covered nicely with beaded pine boards with trim along the top. Then he made a base for the second bed to sit on. Now it's all ready for anyone who might want to sleep out there. I know Lloyd will sleep out there the mornings he comes home from work, while our company is here. It's quiet for him and everyone else doesn't have to be tip-toeing around the house - a win-win for all concerned!

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Friday, December 19th - only 5 more days to HO HO HO

Conditions at 5:30 am: 0' with very light snow falling
Expected later: 2' and up to 1 cm of snow

Our mild weather is still continuing but now there is a chance of a bad weather, either heavy rain or snow, on Christmas Day in southern Ontario area, and maybe here as well. This could impact flights coming out of Toronto. But it's too early yet to panic. They've been wrong before and they aren't really sure just what's expected, so we'll just have to wait and see.

Yesterday was spent picking up gift boxes at the $ store to facilitate wrapping those hard to wrap items. I also have to package up cookies for the lady at work on Monday. Sunday may well be a wrapping day.  Then the flyers came out. Now it's time to go through and make my grocery list for the holidays. Now we're getting down to the crunch.  Of course if we get a big storm and the family can't get here, we'll be inviting all the neighbours in for something to eat! But I'm confident it will all work out.

Lloyd isn't sure yet just what days he'll have off and he may well be working some extra hours. We don't know for  sure, as no one has told him anything definite, so we'll just have to wait on that too. We'll plan all our meals for 4:00 in the afternoon in case he has to go to work every night, but hopefully that won't happen.


Other than getting everything ready, not a lot is going on. Brenda has been busy at home as well, so we've not had much chance to get together. Meghan(1) is arriving on Saturday so they're hoping to have most things done by then. I think some of the baking will be saved for Meg to help with and I'm sure she won't mind that. That's one disadvantage of living so far away from Patti and the kids, we can't get together to do those kinds of things. But I'm sure there will be some quality time with the kids in the kitchen while they're here.

We've recently acquired a colour copier to use for a while, that will also do double sided documents. I have a few thing I need to print, some of those being three years worth of blogs. I'm going to spend the next little while making sure they are all up to date and formatted so they can be printed. It will be nice to have those finished.  I also have some recipes I'd like to print off and put together. We'll be making good use of this piece of equipment over the next little while.

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Wednesday, December 17th - Little more than a week to go

Conditions at 4:30 am: overcast and -2 with absolutely no wind at all
Expected later: moving up to 1' and a chance of showers this afternoon, then rain overnight

It's still pretty mild for this time of year but I'm not complaining. I have to admit it makes life so much easier when you're running around trying to get things done - no slippery roads and not so cold getting in and out of the car. And we're not even going to talk about the price of gas. It's been insanely dropping over the past couple of weeks and as of yesterday, we're paying 99.9 cents per litre - pretty good compared to the $1.36 we were paying not so long ago. Doesn't it just figure - this year the family has chosen to fly down when the price of gas is the lowest it's been in years, and there's no snow! But all of that could change in a weeks time. Right now the weather network is predicting 5 to 10 cm of snow for Monday, so well see - it might be a white Christmas after all.

Helping write Christmas Cards

Christmas plans are coming together. I have most of my gifts now assembled under the tree, all waiting to be wrapped. Other than a couple of little things I still need to buy, I think I'm almost done.  The baking is done, although I could probably use a few more cookies. The cards are in the mail,  e-cards have been sent to those I can't find addresses for, so I think we're in good shape. All that's left is some grocery shopping and cleaning the house, and I still have a whole weekend left. What is wrong with this picture??? I must be overlooking something really important!

Talked to Patti yesterday afternoon and apparently she won tickets to see "One Direction" on the radio yesterday morning. Needless to say, Meghan was beside herself with excitement. That will be a pretty awesome birthday gift for her, come August, when the concert takes place.

Tonight is the Montessori School's annual Winter Play. This year they're doing Lion King, and Tristen is one of the Lions. Watch for photos in coming days. Once again I'm sure Patti has worked her magic in the costume department. I know they will have costumes from the last time they did this play, but  she's never happy with just using the old costumes. She'll likely have made a few changes. Good luck tonight kids!

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Monday, December 15th - what an insane weekend

Conditions at 5:15 am- overcast and 1'
Expected later: a  mix of sun and cloud and 2' with a small chance of either showers or flurries

Some of our weather has been a bit unseasonable but Saturday really took the prize. I spent part of the morning out in the garage cleaning up my craft room from doing Christmas cards.  I was going to do some other projects but the sun was streaming in the window and I thought I should really go outside. Oh my gosh, when I did, I was totally surprised to find the temperature was around 7' or 8 ' and with the sun it felt much warmer. I was outside with just a long sleeved shirt on and I was very comfortable. It was like a beautiful spring day!   I brought a planter outside to put Christmas greenery in, something Brenda and I do each year

 and we had talked about maybe going out on Saturday afternoon to look for stuff to decorate with.  So I took a walk around the yard and found a couple of small trees that have been damaged and will need to be cut down in the spring, but still had some green branches. I took my trimmers and a bucket out with me and after traipsing around the back field and the flower beds in front I was almost finished. Then after I went inside, I saw that Brenda had called.  I went and picked her up and we headed out  to pick up some more colourful branches and things to add to it. We came back here and she helped me finish off mine. Then she was off home to start on hers. I'm quite pleased with the results but I do need a large bow to finish it off.  I'll pick one up at lunch today.All in all a beautiful day to be outside.

The back wall is one massive waterfall

When that was done, it was time to grab a bite to eat then get ready for the Christmas party. We both got dressed up in our finest party wear, despite the fact that we were probably going to be overdressed for the occasion (I was right!) but I like to think we got dressed up for each other, rather than for everyone else.  I wore a sequined and beaded top and dress pants and Lloyd wore his suit and tie. It's been a long time since we dressed up to go out together so it was kind of nice.  Our party was at the Claddagh Oyster House at the Old Dublin Pub and it was really nice. The space itself is lovely and a good time was had by all. We had passed appetizers first as we all sat and socialized before we had our meal. We had both ordered the steak and it was cooked perfectly, or in our case, undercooked perfectly as we both like it blue, which grosses out most people.  The steaks were quite large and it was a lot of food, so much so, that I couldn't finish it and I didn't have dessert. Now that's a lot of food.  After dinner, we were all welcome to go upstairs to the pub, but we headed home instead.  Lloyd had worked the night before and didn't have a huge amount of sleep so he was starting to fade. All in all, it was a really nice evening.

Sunday wasn't quite as warm but it was still pretty mild in the morning. I headed out to the craft room quite early and spent most of the day out there working on a couple of projects that I'm pleased to say are finished. More on that at a later date! I came inside around 4:00 and the rest of the day was spent watching Christmas movies on TV, a glass (or two) of wine and some cheese, crackers, hummus, etc for snacking as we watched, and that ended up being supper.

All in all an enjoyable, and productive weekend.  And speaking of productive, I just went in to update something and learned that this is my 1,000th post! Wow, that's a lot of drivel about not much of anything!

Friday, December 12th - it's not looking like a white Christmas, but that could certainly change

Conditions at 5:30 am: 6' with patches of fog
Expected later: 7' and a slight chance of more showers

Well, after buckets and buckets of rain on Wednesday, Thursday turned out to be a pretty dandy day. While some parts of the island didn't fare too well, our end wasn't really too bad. On Thursday morning, as I was driving into town, the morning show host on the radio was talking about the sad state of the roads. While our area wasn't too bad, the west end of the island really was hit with heavy flooding that washed out several roads and covered multiple bridges, compromising their underlying structure in some cases. I was driving along Grafton Street in front of Holland College and there was water across the road. Unfortunately you were into the middle of it before you realized it was almost a foot deep. I just got through and was glad to not run into any more spots like that, as it was still raining quite heavily.

Then part way through the morning the rain stopped and the sun came out and warmed everything up to a
balmy 10'.  It was indeed a glorious afternoon. I talked to Patti at lunch time and it was -4' and snowing in southern Ontario. So sorry!

The only snowflakes in sight in our area were the plastic ones on the windows. But we know that could soon change.

Brenda and I had a lovely evening on Wednesday. It was the series finale of Republic of Doyle. I hadn't been watching it but she'd seen quite a number of episodes. We decided we may as well get together to watch and make an event out of it. So I put together some snacks for us - fresh veggies and hummus, warm sausage rolls dipped in Thai sweet chili sauce, along with a glass of wine. We followed that with tea and fresh baked cookies (okay, they were a day old).  All in all a really pleasant evening.

Thursday morning, Lloyd mentioned to me that we have a week of timeshare that we need to use before the end of May, 2015, or we'll lose it. What to do  and where to go. I spent part of the morning checking on air fares to various points of interest that we would both like to visit. Trouble is, even with our discount through our connection with Air Canada, it was still going to be very pricey. So I looked at things within driving distance and, gosh, why did I not think  of this before? I've ALWAYS wanted to visit Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard.  Turns out, upon further investigation, there are two resorts on Nantucket, but neither was available, which wasn't surprising. Instead we opted to book into a resort in Hyannis, which, coincidentally, happens to have ferries that run to both islands.  End of discussion - book it! So the 7th of May we will be motoring south!  Can't wait - it's a long time dream come true.

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Wednesday, December 10th - it was a festive sight

Conditions at 5:30 am: 3' heading for a high of 6' later with LOTS of rain - maybe up to 60 to 100 mm with high winds up to 90 km/hr

Brenda and Bernie were coming home from New Brunswick on Monday afternoon and had to pick up her school bus. Fortunately I'd seen in the paper that morning that it was the Christmas open house at Fanningbank, the Lieutenant Governors residence in downtown Charlottetown. The timing worked perfectly with me picking her up at her bus when I was done work, so we could drive over together. I was surprised to learn that she'd never been inside. And even more surprised (although I shouldn't have been) that she had a much more personal connection. Turns out she drives the esteemed resident's granddaughter to school every day. So after being introduced, she had something personal to add to the greeting. 

The house is impressive on the outside and even more so inside, especially all decked out for the holidays. I took some photos with my phone but they certainly don't begin to display it's beauty.

Just inside the front door, where you are greeted with a massive double staircase, to the left is a beautifully appointed sitting room, with huge trees on either side of the working fireplaces.

It seems that every horizontal surface was treated to holiday decorations.

What I wouldn't give to have a dining room like this for the holidays!

The large tree in the dining room was decorated with dried orange slices.

Something we found interesting on a sign inside the residence:

Could this explain the origin of 'Fort Augustus?'

Last night I did some laundry and baked  some cookies I just had to try.They were a spritz cookie but what makes these different is the addition of Pomegranate Molasses, which I just happened to have in my fridge. They also contain a bit of grated orange zest and they turned out quite well, I think, but I'll have to get Lloyd's opinion They're a pretty red in colour but have a tart flavour to them rather than the usual sweet we associate with Christmas cookies. I'll be making these again. 

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Monday, December 8th - anothe successful dinner.

Conditions at 5:30 am: -9 that feels more like -14 with the wind, and a light dusting of new snow on the ground
Expected later: mix of sun and cloud and a high of -5'

What a great weekend!
It all started with pizza on Friday night with the VanGaals. They were going to New Brunswick for the weekend for a family Christmas celebration and Brenda wanted to try making a cake that I've made a couple of times in the past and she really enjoyed. I had all the ingredients we needed at my house so we picked up pizza on the way home (she was in town on Friday afternoon and needed a ride back) and we all converged at our house for wine, beer and pizza. What a great way to start the weekend.

Lloyd had taken Friday night off so there was no rush for him to go to bed. After eating, Bernie went home and Brenda and I started in on the cake. It's not a difficult recipe but a bit time consuming so as we waited for our filling to chill, and the cake layers to cool, we watched some TV.
Once final assembly was complete, and the cake was put in the fridge to set overnight, she was off home.

Saturday morning I was up early with a bit of a to-do list. Lloyd was also up early and we set to work. I had more to do than I had expected and it was great that he was here (I always underestimate home long things sometimes take). One thing added to my list was baking rolls - 7 dozen to be exact. I had come across a recipe to make yeast rolls in half an hour. Sounded impossible so I tried a test batch first thing and they actually worked out well. So that took up a bit of my morning that I hadn't planned for. But it was all good and Lloyd  had time for a short nap and I had time for a quick hot bath before we had to leave. Then it was time to load up and head to the fire hall.  The vegetables were all peeled and chopped, thanks to Lloyd who did all that on Friday afternoon. The stuffed pork roasts were ready to go into the oven at the fire hall and the turkeys were roasting in the oven at home.

After unloading everything at the hall, and dragging it all upstairs, Lloyd returned home to debone the turkeys once they were cooked, and pack the meat into a large roasting pan, and make the gravy. I tended to the veggies, coleslaw and rolls. Brenda arrived shortly after I got there and we got everything organized.

Everything went very smoothly and the guests all thoroughly enjoyed their meal. We served Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce for dessert and a number of people asked "What was that dessert - it was absolutely delicious".

Guess we might get this gig again next year!

It was cold out when we got home, but not frigid, so we left everything in the car and the back of the truck. Brenda had tea with us and picked up her cake to take with her in the morning.Sunday morning we set about bringing in all the dirty pots and pans and trays, from the car and truck and washing them all up and putting everything away. Once that was done it was time for something to eat.  Fortunately for us, there was lots of leftovers so no amount of cooking need be done this week.  We sat and watched a Christmas themed movie while we ate, then Lloyd headed out to the garage to work for a while. I used the opportunity of him and the dog being outside to wash the kitchen floor that had gotten pretty grungy over the previous two days. When he came in he headed up for a short nap and I tidied up in the living room area and put some stuff away that had been hanging around in piles on all the horizontal surfaces around the place - books, magazines, pieces of paper, etc.

When he got up from his nap, we pretty much spent the rest of the day and evening reading. Then a light supper, some more reading then off to bed. A very relaxing day after a fairly hectic week - just perfect!

Friday, December 5th - it was a lovely day

Conditions at 5:45 am: breezy and -11'
Expected later: sunny and -5

We had a lovely time on Thursday. The Salvation Army took all of it's employees out for lunch at the Rodd Charlottetown. This year spouses were also invited, which was a really nice gesture on their part. I took a double lunch hour so I wouldn't have to rush back.

We were the first to arrive in the banquet room, which was decorated beautifully for the holidays. I'd been in there before, as our admin group hosted our administrative professionals day event there several years ago. (Gosh have I really been here long enough to refer to something that happened 'several years ago"?)

It was a lovely spot for a holiday lunch. The buffet was set up in the front lobby and featured a huge selection of various salads as well as hot veggies and turkey with all the trimmings - very nice. I really could have used a nap after lunch, rather than returning to my desk. Lloyd, on the other hand, was really ready for a nap as he'd worked all night. He slept for about an hour when he finished work, then was wide awake. He had a few errands to do in town then it was over to Toyota to pick me up.  Fortunately, because we'd had such a big lunch, there was no need for him to get up to make supper, so he had just woken up when I got home. Then after watching the news, it was back to bed for him.

My evening was busy making several batches of sticky date pudding, for Saturday's firefighters Christmas party on Saturday evening. This morning they are well wrapped and in a cold area to hold until tomorrow night. We're actually in pretty good shape for this event. Lloyd is off tonight so will be home all day tomorrow, as will I. He's going to peel and chop the vegetables today and get those ready. Then tomorrow we just have to make the stuffing for the turkey, stuff and roll the pork roasts and make the sauce for the dessert. Easy peasy! 

Wednesday, December 3rd - a great time was had by all

 Conditions at 4:35 am: overcast but calm and -5'
Expected later today: 9' and rain

It was very cold yesterday. At least it certainly felt that way after the 12' sunny day we had on Monday.

Strange up and down weather we're having. It was below freezing all day yesterday but that was a good thing for some. When I was on my way home last night from Community School I saw large pieces of farm machinery in the Van Gaals field harvesting soy beans. The conditions were pretty much perfect - everything frozen to allow the equipment onto the fields so the hope was to get as much of the crop off before it turns mild and rains again today.


It was our last night for school and therefore, our pot luck. There was a vast variety of items to be chosen from. Unfortunately our table was called last so some pots were empty but there was still plenty to go around. A very tasty variety I might add.  When the meal was finished we were entertained by the guitar class (only one student made it to the end of the session) and a very large contingent of fiddlers. Vince's class proves to be the most popular one every year. 

Prior to eating, everyone had the opportunity to view the rugs that our class made as well as the quilting classes projects were on display in the library for all to see. The quilters were very busy and had some pretty impressive wares to display. All in all a lovely evening.

Two great examples of ways to use photos in your quilts - beautiful

Some of the braided rugs

Two guitars strumming

Many fiddlers fiddling

 I was even lucky enough to win a door prize and came home with a lovely Christmas ornament.  I think that's the first time I've ever won something.

I had taken some cupcakes for dessert and had a few left over so dropped in for tea at the Van Gaals on my way home. Of course you're always welcomed with open arms, especially when you bring treats! 

Monday, December 1st - a productive, of not exciting weekend

 December 1st - only 21 more  days and the days will start getting longer - spring is just around the corner!

Conditions at 5:10 am: overcast and 9'
Expected later: 10' and maybe a few showers

The warm temperatures are making short work of last week's snowfall. Much more should be gone by the end of the day, especially if we get some rain.

The weather really didn't matter too much this weekend. I picked up a couple of pizzas on Friday after work and dropped in to the Van Gaals. What a great way to end the week - good company, a glass of wine and a meal that no one had to slave over. It was a nice evening. Great suggestion, Bernie.

Saturday morning I was up relatively early and started in baking more cookies. I pretty much spent the whole day doing that so now I think I'm finished. I have enough in the freezer for the lady I'm doing a tray for, as well as ourselves.

Sunday was nice and sunny and after my morning coffee I headed out to the craft room. I had snowpants to be shortened for someone at work, as well as a couple of pairs of Lloyd's pants that needed mending. After that it was on to Christmas cards. I managed to keep myself occupied out there till well after 2:30.  It was a great day. At one point Lloyd came upstairs bearing a tray laden down with cups of hot tea, cheese, crackers, salami slices and some cookies ( the few that are not in the freezer), so a big thank you for your thoughtfulness.  I still have a bit of work to do on my cards but that requires a computer. My desktop in the craft room is somewhat ailing and needs a new part. Lloyd will pick it up on Tuesday morning after work so Wednesday evening I should be set to go.

Tuesday if our final community school class. It's time to put our efforts on display and enjoy a pot luck supper with everyone. I will bring my rug to put on display, after which I will have to take it all apart and re-stitch it. It seems I was a little over zealous when I was stitching and pulled the threads too tightly so now it won't lie flat. At least I won't have to do the braiding again. It's just a matter of pulling out the stitching and re-doing it. Oh well, as I always say, there's nothing like doing something wrong, to learn how to do it right! 

Got a text message from Patti this morning. She just returned from a flight to Geneva and a TV chef from Toronto was on the flight. Apparently he wasn't fond of the chicken pot pie that her airline served. She wasn't sure that's what it was, but that's what the catering report claimed it to be.   Everyone's a critic!   Guess he would know.