Some photos from yesterdays post.........

I should have left these photos for another day. As I am fed up of fighting on with them.  Not sure what is going on with Blogger at the moment, but I do know other people are complaining about it. Enlarge them all for more detail.

Hopefully I will be in a better mood for blogging tomorrow.  It doesn't help I am on day three of a headache.  The joys of being a woman and suffering every month!!!

Hot and humid around here.....

which in turn kills my head.  I ended up in bed on Monday afternoon sleeping off a nightmare of a headache.  Got up feeling a lot better though so that was good.

I saw this video over at John's blog last week and couldn't believe it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZP4Ugev82I 

I am having trouble embedding videos in my posts now, all I can add are links.  Any tips?  Also when I put a new photo on my header, although I click shrink to fit, only the top left quarter of the photo is published.  Any thoughts on that?

Got ds coming over after work to help dh carry the window air conditioner unit upstairs to our bedroom, as I can see we are going to need it if it carries on being this warm.  The poor boy never gets a home cooked meal, he eats out most of the time, so will make him something he likes for supper. 

Molly is having a hard time in this heat and her allergies have been playing up, so she is chewing herself a lot more than she normally does.  If it gets any worse I'll increase her pills.  There isn't too much on squirrel tv as the poor old squirrels are also finding it a bit warm.

As I got nothing done in the garden yesterday I may go out after breakfast and shovel a few barrow loads of soil into the new garden for a while before it gets too hot and before my head starts to pound.  Roll on the weekend when its supposed to be cooler.

Here's the link to my column this week at the Eden Valley Messenger.

Burnout?

I knew it would happen and it all finally caught up with me on Wednesday.  I woke up with a headache, bad sign.  Plus my heels on my feet are just killing me; that started last Thursday night after being on my feet for three hours straight.


Anyhow, I decided I had better go to the doctors and see him about my feet.  I got an appointment for 3:10pm, and decided to potter around the house, doing some odds and ends.  Then after my 10 o'clock tea break, I figured I would cut some more of the lawn.  Got back in by 11:30am, and my poor head was pounding.  So I did some more tidying up, then decided that the 45 minute drive to and from the doctor's, plus the hour sitting in his office (as he's always an hour behind) with my head pounding wasn't a good thing.  So I cancelled that appointment.


Meanwhile the phone rang and it was the local town's health centre.  I had put our name on the waiting list for a doctor closer to where we lived.  Did we have a doctor, yes we do, so back on the list we went.  They were only taking patients with no family doctor.  However, when I put our name on the list in April we were five hundred and something, now we are three hundred and something, so we are moving up the list quite fast.


Anyhow, after I had something to eat I went to bed for an hour or so to try and sleep off the headache.  By 4pm we had a major thunderstorm pass through, which cleared the air a bit, thank goodness.  Luckily I had brought in my laundry from the line, and got it ironed when I got up.


Oh and I had a groan/flipping heck moment after lunch.  I am a taste tester for a company and today the courier brought me two packets of these new ice cream bars, covered in chocolate.  All I could think of, is I have a blasted headache, I shouldn't be eating chocolate!!

I managed to hold off from trying one until after supper.  I had one of the white chocolate ones, and it tasted like Milky Bar chocolate, so it got a big thumbs up for me!!  I can't tell you anymore as I am not allowed to disclose any information.


So all in all Wednesday wasn't as productive as I would have liked.


We pass this house on the way to one of the towns.  I have long admired it, I love the look of it; and now it has come up for sale.  Don't worry we're not moving, at the price they are putting it up for, I could probably only afford the garage!!  It's still a lovely house though.........

The Photo Shoot...........

So on Wednesday, in between my sanding, staining and varnishing, I had to pop to town for a photo shoot.

Must admit I was a bit worried, as I hate having my photo taken, but these were professionals taking it, so how bad could I look???  Then there was the slight problem of what should I wear.  I mean is the world ready to see me in a swimsuit?  The phrase "beached whale," comes to mind when I think of me in a swimsuit.  So maybe evening dress would be a better option, again another phrase comes to mind "mutton dressed as lamb."

So in the end I opted for jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt.  However I could have gone stark naked if I wanted as at the end of the day they only wanted a head shot of me!

Who are "they" you ask, well "they" are the local paper, and I am going to be writing an online column/blog for them just like I do for the British paper.  There are still some bits and pieces to sort out but it should be all up and running shortly.  My first column is written, and this one will have a more "British take on Canadian life," sort of feel.  So fingers crossed it works out well!!  Of course I'll post a link when it's all up and running.

As I said earlier I have been busy with the sanding, staining and varnishing of the doors and trim or the closet.  Sort of hoping this part will all be completed by sometime next week, as I am not sure how many coats of varnish I will need to put on.  While I was out I stocked up on headache pills, as with all this stain and varnish my head will no doubt be killing me.

Did you remember to put your money in your daily savings pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Think back to the last time you cleaned out the refrigerator. Be honest. Did you throw food out? Everyone has busy days when they don’t have time to cook. Next time you’re running late don’t spend a fortune on takeout. Have a home cooked meal. Spend a couple of dollars on some nice individual serving freezer containers. (The ones with the separate compartments are great). The next time you have leftovers use these containers to store and freeze your meals. Then, when you do have one of those days you can simply pop one of your “tv” dinners into the microwave and your family can enjoy a homecooked feast in minutes. You’ll save time and money in the long run!

Oh no I'm in trouble again!!!

So on Thursday I had to take Molly to the vets to get her blood taken for her allergy testing, $410 later!!  Anyhow they weighed Molly and she has put on 6 1/2 lbs since we got her.  She is now 45 lbs, and she has to lose weight.  The problem this to my mind she is always hungry, and  I have started making her the chicken breast, with brown rice and veggies, which she adores.  She gobbles up her breakfast and supper in minutes, so I have been giving her a little more to eat.  As its cold she's not out as much and not getting the exercise, so all this adds up to her putting on weight.

So she is going to go back on the bought food as I can monitor how much she eats better, and I know she is getting all the nutrients she needs.

I still have a horrible headache.  I have never had one this bad in a while.  I am blaming it on the fact that I have been varnishing part of the floor in our bedroom, on Monday through Wednesday.  I went to bed on Wednesday night at 7pm and slept right the way through until just after 5am on Thursday morning and as I am writing this on Thursday night at 6pm I am so tired and could go to bed now.

Also my mouth isn't healing properly from last week.  I have ran out of antibiotics, and have got a blister on the inside of my cheek.  I have been rinsing out my mouth with warm salted water, but it still stings like crazy when I drink anything too hot or too cold.  Orange juice about kills me with the stinging.  I will see how I feel after the weekend, if I am no better then I'll have to go to the dentist again.  Where they pulled the tooth that seems fine, its all around the tooth, the gum and my cheek which is still so sore.

That is also the reason I haven't been visiting anyone's blogs, as I my poor head is killing me.

Did you put your money in your pot today for the Daily Saving's Club?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

Trade Plants with Friends and Neighbors. One of the best and cheapest ways to get plants that you know will do well in your area is to trade with nearby friends, relatives, and acquaintances. Many species, such as iris, daylily, and hosta, can (or even need to) be divided periodically, while you can collect seeds or start cuttings from others.

Quiet day at the Acreage.......

I had a horrible headache on Monday and it wouldn't go away.  Not sure if its a migraine or its sinuses?  All I know is it's so annoying.  Despite that I did manage to get a couple of little jobs done around the house.  We had snow flurries on and off all day, not amounting to much, but have to admit its starting to look more and more like Christmas.

Since we have got this new internet I have decided to enter more competitions online.  So far haven't won a thing, but have high hopes I will one day!!  Do any of you enter competitions and how much luck do you have?  What's the best thing you have won?  Do you have any tips?

No Christmas Party is complete without this tune playing a dozen times!!

Feliz Navidad!!!

Friday am; are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper........

I tend to prepare my posts the night before and have them publish at 1am in the morning. That system works for me and people who follow the blog, know when to pop by and have a read.

However last night I drew a total complete blank as to what to write about, so I figured I would sleep on it and do a post first thing this morning. Didn't come up with much but figured you may be sort of interested in the following.

Yesterday my dad came over to help dh some more in the attic and they accomplished a lot. (I will try and take some photos today) Meanwhile I had two men playing the drums very loudly in my head all day. By 1pm I was about past myself, and to cut a long story short I ended up going to bed just before 2pm.

I told the guys just to get on with things I would sleep through it all. Outside our bedroom door, dh's compressor is plugged in, and if you have a compressor you know what sort of racket it makes when charging, I slept through that. The guys were working directly above me, with the nailing gun, a chop saw and other tools and I slept through it all. I woke up at 3pm, feeling slightly better and they couldn't believe I had been to sleep.

Now on some nights the slightest noise wakes me up and I can't get back to sleep, so how I managed to sleep through that is really surprising, but when I have one of my headaches, I seem to be able to sleep through anything.

Are you a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? Once you are awake in a morning, can you go back to sleep again? I can't and have to get up.

Back home, and I was nearly rich today!!!!

Well we made it home. Infact we were home by 3.30pm today, we made good time. Helped in part by the fact that Canada customs, wasn't even interested in looking at our passports, never mind anything that we bought. We must look honest. Either that or I had a face like thunder as I had the headache from hell all the way back home. I even slept both in the morning and the afternoon which did not help at all.

We arrived home to rain, and according to my dad the first rain we have had here since we left two weeks ago.......typical!!!

So how was I nearly rich today........well as I said I had a horrible headache, it was probably a migraine, but as I am so used to them I generally call them headaches. So we decided to have an early lunch at Bob Evans, so I could take some pills. Well we stopped between Erie and Buffalo at what turned out to be the busiest Bob Evans ever. Anyhow to cut a long story short, we eat and I go to pay. Well the woman mixes up our bill with someone else's, so I sort it out for her, but she wouldn't listen, and got a supervisor involved, again I tell them what's what, and again to cut a long story short I am right!!! So I give her a $50 bill and she enters it into the till at $50,000, so my change should be $49,xxx.xx The guy behind me says forget about who's bill is whose, just take the change and run!!!! If only I could have.....oh well!!

So the house is all in one piece. Nothing overly exciting in the mail. Nothing too important on the phone messages. All in all everything seems to be fine here. I got unpacked, done one load of laundry, the rest can wait until tomorrow (Sunday). Will sort out the presents etc also tomorrow (Sunday) and hopefully get some grocery shopping done.

I am so looking forward to having a good nights sleep in my own bed.

Thanks for all your comments while I have been away. I am looking forward to catching up with all your blogs.....