Friday, November 29, 2019

"Bloody" pain..........

Went to have blood work done this morning, had an 8:30 am appointment.  Got in right away and it was the nurse who had tried to take blood from me last time.  She had so much trouble last time she had to get someone else to do it and they managed to get blood from me right away.

I mentioned this too her, saying you had trouble last time, but decided to give her another chance, plus I drank more water than I did the time before.  Anyhow, she tried my right arm with no luck, then tried my left arm with no luck, so back to my right arm this time using a child's needle and managed to get some blood flowing.

However, the pain was awful, I mean bloody awful, you would have thought she was jabbing the needle in harder and twisting it around.  It got to the point I couldn't stand it anymore and said enough.  She had one vial full, but the other was only maybe a quarter full if that.  I told her at this point she had to get someone else, as no way was she touching me again.

I broke out in a total body sweat; like a hot flash on steroids.  I was nauseous and did not feel well at all.  Another nurse came and took blood from me no issue............meanwhile my right arm looks like this:

It is so sore; I am not happy. Told the second nurse that in future I will be asking her to draw blood.................

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Another craft show, want your thoughts.....

I have another craft show coming up this Saturday November 30th.  I am only participating on the Saturday, as I have mixed feeling about participating in, in these types of events.  

Here is my "photo collage" I had to submit to get approved for the show.  My daughter did it for me and I do love how it looks.  Everything in this poster is available to purchase.

I have found there's a 50/50 chance of it being a total washout or a success with a craft show and there are pro's and con's to them.

Pro's:

  • you get to meet a lot of lovely people........and I have met some great people
  • you make a lot of contacts and get your name out there
  • you sell your things
  • you get to see what other people are selling/making
  • you go to places you have never been before
Con's:
  • you sell nothing (thank goodness it's never happened to me....yet!)
  • you meet some very strange people
  • it's tiring, especially if there are not a lot of people attending
  • it can be demoralizing when people hum and ha over things and nit pick
  • it's hard being nice and smiley when you know for a fact people have no interest in buying anything
As this is my first year doing this, I am making notes about various places and make notes of what I sell at each event.  The verdict is out yet on what I will do in the future regarding craft shows.  

Do you like going to craft show?  Have you been a vendor at a craft show?  I would love to hear your thoughts about this.........

Friday, November 22, 2019

The art of distraction.......

I was at the dermatologist's the other day.  He's a tiny little man and a chatterbox.  One of the reasons he's a chatterbox is that it distracts you from what he is actually doing.  This is how it went with me!

Doctor had to take another mole off my body this time on my rib cage.

I mentioned we lived in the "snow belt" area; which means we get bloody snow whether we like it or not😕

Doctor getting ready for procedure........

Doctor: "are the ski hills open yet?"

Me: "I don't know?"

Doctor: "Do you snowboard."

Now this is where a video of this conversation would have made me millions on YouTube.....

Me: "The only bloody snow I have any contact with is when I shovel it!!"

Now what you don't hear me say to myself is:

"Is he a doofus or what, do I LOOK like I snowboard?????  I am a woman the wrong side of 50, with not at athletic bone in my body.........I have the grace of a fairy elephant.  Put me on a snowboard and I may as well have the ambulance all ready and waiting to put me in at the bottom of the ski hill.......that's if I can actually make it up the hill in the first place!!"

By the time I had processed all of this he had taken the mole off.............perfect art of distraction.......well done Dr. Chang!!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Still doing it many years later............

Back when I started this blog in May of 2008 I wrote a post here about how I put money away for various things on a weekly basis.  All these years later I am still doing it, albeit some things have changed slightly.

I still put $20 per week in each of my birthday and Christmas boxes.  This is something I do religiously and now I always have money in those boxes ready to use.  It also helps that quite often, especially for the adults, I give cash gifts for their birthday's and Christmas gifts.  As cash is always welcome I find!!

I have a third box and I put $50 away each week in that.  Now that box isn't earmarked for anything in particular, but we'll use that money if we go away as spending money.  Or we emptied out the box just last week to put towards some new furniture we have bought.

Over the years I have seen many savings schemes come and go.........this one works the best for me though!!

I go to the bank once a week and take out a set amount of money, and after many years I have had to increase the amount I take out, as I can't seem to make it last through the week.  There are a couple of reasons why.  Groceries have gone up a lot and we are trying to eat a lot more healthier.  However saying that we don't eat a lot of meat.  I am now spending $100 a week on groceries, sometimes more and there is only two of us.

Since we got the Ford Escape I am using a little more gas/petrol than I did with the Fiesta.  Also since moving to the city I am out and about a lot more; spending money.  So I can see where the extra money is going.

We are fortunate we can afford these extra expenses.  I often wonder how young families with daycare expenses, mortgages and more groceries to buy survive/manage?

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Looking at other people's lives........

I was doing a show on the weekend and at the next table to me was an older lady with a table full of her old Christmas figurines and porcelain Christmas trees.

My initial impression of her was that she had, had a hard life,  She was all of 4 feet 10 inches (she told me later how tall she was), had a huge hump on her back (due to various surgeries, again told me about that) and looked around 80 years old.

It turned out she was much younger; don't know the exact age, and had a son in his mid 30's that had tested her throughout his life, especially through those high school years.  What he got up too was lots of stories, and he was in and out of trouble throughout those years.  He'd turned his life around though and was a manager at a local business and she was very, very proud of him and rightly so.

She had gone through numerous life altering illnesses and as I told her, "I am quite sure you should have been a cat, having nine lives."

Despite lots of set backs she was a positive woman, who made a point of helping out others, and had an open door policy for some of the neighbourhood kids that she had unofficially adopted as her grandchildren.  She had two dogs, both rescues and one had numerous neurological problems due to abuse and a cat.  She loved them to the moon and back.

The more I talked to her the more I admired her.  She had made the best of what life had thrown at her and still had a smile on her face............we all should take a leaf from her book I think........

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Christmas Cards...........

It's that time of year again, and as always I am torn...........I have also just let out a big sigh.

I have cut way, way back and will again re-evaluate who I will send too this year.  I personally don't see the point of sending someone a Christmas card if the only contact I have with them is once a year through a Christmas card?  

Remember how I used to agonize over the yearly Christmas letter, when most people couldn't be bothered to write a letter back?  Why should I bother if they can't be bothered?

Then there is the postage, it just goes up and up.  I was fortunate this year, as I was able to send my immediate family's cards through a free mailer that Canada Post was doing, so saved a little money there.

In this day and age of social media and emails, I know I can reach out to them if I want, and they can reach out to me, but will admit I do miss getting and reading a newsy letter.

Yeah or nay with Christmas cards?

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

I will be following these instructions word by word.......

Or maybe not!!!!  I will however be sewing for a bit of the day as I do have a show again this coming weekend, and do want to replenish some stock.  I did finally get a couple sets of soup bowl cozies finished yesterday:
I love both patterns.  Which one do you like the best?  I sell these in the shop for $15 a pair.

I also picked up my Christmas arrangement for the outside from a local home business yesterday and it is gorgeous:
I just love the galvanized pail its in.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Learned something new this weekend, handy tip.....

We went and bought a new dining room set and had it delivered last week.  The only problem we had was we had to sell our old set:


So I put it on various online selling sites as a set.  Nothing, no interest at all other than someone asked if the chairs were available separately?  I had never thought of selling the chairs separately from the table.  

So I ended up listing the 6 pine chairs, the two end chairs and the table separately and ended up making $100 more than if I had sold them as a set.  Who knew?  It turns out chairs on their own are harder to find..........

Here is our new set, totally different from the old set and it fits better in the area:

Love the frosted glass top and the chairs are actually comfortable!!

Sunday, November 10, 2019

The grand children

Have the kids up on Sunday for Daughter's birthday, made them brunch.  They had to leave before 1 pm as the girls were having their photos taken for Christmas.  So here they are all dressed up in their Christmas dresses.  Nora will be six next week and Paige is 3 1/2 now.

 Here they are with their cousin who is growing like a weed!!  He is coming up to 18 months old already.

 The girls love him too bits, and he is starting to interact with them now.  Both girls have gorgeous long hair.  Our little man's hair is looking a bit lighter as he grows.  He is teething so his cheeks are extra rosy at the moment!
So lucky to have the best grand children ever.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Nursery Rhyme.......

The other day I was at the grocery store with my grandson.  Had him in the shopping trolley buckled in and while we were waiting to cash out I was singing him this nursery rhyme:

Clap hands for daddy to come,
Give (child's name) a cake and a bun,
One with sugar and one with plum,
Clap hands for daddy to come.

The guy in front of me turns round and says:

"Did you say sugar and plum?"

Me: "Yes, why."

Guy: "No reason."

Cashier in broad Scottish accent: "Never heard of that one."

Woman behind me in a broad Scottish accent: "Me neither."

I thought this was a common nursery rhyme and British.  Am I wrong?

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Had a good cry on Tuesday......

was glad I was on my own.  

Now why was I crying..............you're going to think I am daft but I was watching Coronation Street and it was the episodes where Sinead dies.


I am well aware that this is not "real" but have to say it was well written this story line and the actors portrayed the situation so well.  I have been watching Coronation Street for years, and despite having a love and hate relationship with it, I always keep watching it.  Some storyline's seem to drag on, but this one with Sinead was a heart breaker and a perfect length.

Well done to the actors and the writers on this storyline; I wouldn't be surprised if they won awards for this.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Season 5 Peaky Blinders THERE IS ONE SPOILER IN HERE!!!

I have to say I LOVE this show.  Just finished watching season 5.  There will be a season 6 but not until late 2020/early 2021.  

This season was jam packed full of action, staring my beloved Tommy!!
I can never get enough of that face.......such a tortured soul.

Though Arthur is just getting more and more crazy........and skinnier.
 However after Tommy my most favourite character has to be Alfie........I am sorry but what comes out of his mouth is the dry wit we British love.
*****SPOILER*****

My favourite line from the series was when Alfie asked how did Tommy figure out he was alive?

Tommy replied, "because you wrote to me from hospital asking how your F***ing dog was."  LOL

Alfie was that drugged up he had forgotten...........

The ending episode of series 5 was so good and action packed as usual.

Without giving anything away I am thinking Michael and Gina are behind it all, as we haven't been given too much info about Gina's background and I think there is more to her than meets the eye?

Now there's the wait.........for the next series!!

***One tiny criticism though I wish they would speak a bit clearer, I am going to have to put the subtitles on as I keep missing what they are saying.***

Oh and Polly celebrated her 45th birthday in this series..........I am sorry but 55th would have been more like it....LOL  She looks an old 45 in my opinion!!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Scrunchies.........

Been busy sewing scrunchies this week........well not all week, I was being a lazy bum when it came to sewing this week and didn't do much.


Anyhow, I decided to make these ones in baby corduroy, which means it is a finer corduroy.  Not sure if they will sell, but if they don't I have four grand daughters who will put them too good use.  I love the floral fabric the best; which one do you like?

I bought the basket they are in to put on the table at the next show I am in from the dollar store.  I can think of a couple of uses for it when not using in shows.  I bought another basket for the Xmas Pocket Tissue holders:

Do you shop at the dollar stores.........which by the way half the time things are not a dollar, but that's a whole other story😊

Friday, November 1, 2019

Furry Slippers type of day.......

Woke up this morning to this, first snow of the season:

 ðŸ˜ŸNot impressed

Luckily I have just received my new slippers from Marks and Sparks.....
They are so furry and warm, plus they had 20% off which made it worthwhile in ordering them.  You can see more colours here.  Have to say great service and delivery when ordering from Marks..........

Hotel Stay - Dinner

As part of our hotel stay the kids had booked us dinner, breakfast and afternoon tea. Here is what we ate at dinner.  Everything was spot on...