Thursday, April 30, 2009

Unfortunately Gillian.........

Saw this meme over at Cathy's and decided to give it a go:

What you do is, do a google search for "unfortunately (Your name here)" ... don't forget the quotation marks!

Here are just a few of the ones that came up for my name:

"Unfortunately Gillian"

From: http://www.gillianmckeith.info/gillianmckeithfaq/gillianmckeithconsultation.php

Unfortunately Gillian is extremely busy trying to get her message out everywhere she possibly can, and through as many different Medias as she can, to change the way people eat for the better. It is therefore unfortunate that Gillian cannot take on any new clients.

(on a side note, I find Gillian McKeith, very intimidating!!)

From: http://www.gilliananderson.ws/news/news-archive-8-2007.shtml

Unfortunately, Gillian is no longer attached to the film "Helen" due to a conflict in schedules. She had to make a very difficult decision but the project remains close to her heart and she wishes it well.

From: http://www.amazon.com/Key-Conspiracy-Gillian-ParaDoc-Book/dp/044101576X

Then Gillian is called to England to handle a house known for its supernaturally-induced deaths, and uncovers a truly horrifying entity there. And in France, they're attacked by a Loup-Garou -- who is actually a suicidal nobleman whose Fey wife is seeking a cure for his curse. Unfortunately, Gillian has attracted the attention of Jack the Ripper, and Jack intends to kill her no matter where she is.

(I won't be reading that book!!)

From: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Olympics/2006Turin/TeamCanada/Hockey/Women/Ferrari/

Ferrari made her debut for Team Canada in 2003, but much to the chagrin of many, the World Championships -- set to take place in Beijing -- were canceled due to the SARS outbreak. However, Ferrari and the team bounced back in Halifax at the 2004 World Championship and captured gold in front of over 10,000 fans. Unfortunately, Gillian's play may not have been as good as expected as she was later named just an alternate for the 2005 silver medal winning campaign.

From: http://everything2.com/title/New%2520Order


'Get Ready' has now been out for some time. It's a bit like 'Low Life', but rockier and more guitary. 'Crystal', the lead single, is superb, although the rest of the album follows the New Order formula perhaps too closely. Unfortunately, Gillian Gilbert appears to have left the band, at least temporarily, in order to look after her and Morris' child. Time will tell as to whether the group remains together.

So it seems, I am a character in a book, an actress, a dietitian, a member of a band and an athlete.

Why don't you play along!!!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

50 + 1 recipes for Limes

This is not a fruit I buy very often, probably because I am not sure what to use it for.

1. Key Lime Pie

2. Kiwi Lime Marmalade

3. Lime Marmalade

4. Key Lime Cheesecake

5. Caramel Shrimp

6. Cheesy Chili Lime Gold Potato Wedges

7. Ceviche

8. Lite Guacamole

9. Veal Scaloppine with Ginger and Lime

10. Tuk Trey Salad Dressing

11. Tropical Couscous

12. Lime and Mascarpone Torte

13. Ginger Key Lime Pie

14. Lime Biscuits/Cookies

15. Citrus Mousse

16. Lime Shortbreads

17. Peach and Lime Sorbet

18. Dhal Potato Curry

19. Sweet Potato Fry

20. Phad Thai

21. Chili and Onion Sambal

22. Mexicano Pear Salsa

23. Citrus Garlic Marinade for Pork

25. Roast Honeyed Duck

26. Medallions of Lamb with Lime

27. Khmer Coconut Pork Skewers

28. Crusted Lamb Chops

29. Caribbean Grilled Chicken

30. Ambot Tik

31. Black Bean Burritos

32. Lime Chicken with Cilantro Cream Sauce and Roasted Zucchini

33. The Real Mojito

34. Key Largo Key Lime Pound Cake with Key Lime Glaze

35. Rum and Lime Prawns

36. Cilantro and Lime Butter - like how they suggest serving it with corn on the cob

37. Lime Pineapple Jam

38. Lime Muffins

39. Key Lime Cookies

40. Lime Chicken Picante

41. Lime Sandwich Sugar Cookies

42. Honey Lime Chicken Wings - makes a change from honey garlic chicken wings

43. Coconut Lime Sorbet

44. Lime Cheesecake Pie

45. Spring Lime Tea Cookies

46. Honey Lime Fruit Dip

47. Lime Tart

48. Lime Glazed Pork Chops

49. Honey Lime Fruit Toss

50. Ginger Lime Dip - this would be a good thing in the summer

51. Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Nutritional Info.

There are some really yummy recipes there. I didn't realize how versatile limes were.

Next week its: Watermelon

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Thanks.......

for all your good wishes and advise regarding the move. We are just getting ready to disconnect the Internet.

Will be back hopefully on Monday.

Gill :0)

Moving house and having no internet...........

Well as you know we are moving house and today we close on our new home. We don't close on our present house until Friday May 1st. We are having to change internet providers, so by later on today (Tuesday 28th) we won't have internet. They are coming to set up the internet at the new house on Saturday May 2nd.

So for those of you who have my "home" email address, I'll email you my new email address when I get it set up.

As you also know I moderate all my comments, so as I won't have access to the internet, you won't see your comment, until my internet is back up and running.

Please check in every day though, as I have prepared posts for everyday when we are moving.

I should be posting on the move and the new house on Monday May 4th........I hope!!!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Guess what we were up to on Sunday......and it wasn't packing!!

We actually played hooky and went to the Green Living Show in downtown Toronto. It's the first time we have been to this show, and I printed a two for one entrance coupon, so saved money there. It was actually funny when you walked into the hall and they had dimmed the lights, obviously to save on energy. Once you got acclimatized to the hall, you didn't notice how dim the lights were.

Dh saw a hybrid car he was quite taken with, however the $35,000 price tag took him aback. The car was a Saturn Vue Hybrid and it did look nice. One thing that would be cheaper to run were electric bikes, I mean there were boothes everywhere for those. Can't say I have ever thought about an electric bike, but I suppose if you live in a city an electric bike may be useful?

They were giving out free copies of Green Living magazine and so I was all happy, happy to get that, as you know I adore magazines. It looks like an interesting read with a lot of great info in it. Some featured links were http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/ http://www.foodkm.com/ http://www.waterfootprint.org/ I can see me ordering a subscription to this.........now don't groan!!!

They were also giving away White Pine saplings, so we have four to plant at the new house. Granted we will be dead and buried before they reach any great height, but at least we are making an effort. I also got some info on a tree planting subsidy from Trees Ontario I need to look into this more as they are wanting you to plant 400 trees per acre........which seems an awful lot to me????

Dh wanted to find out more about solar and wind power and came away with a number of pamphlets on those. Plus we wanted to see what was what on insulation, as that is one of the first jobs we have to do is insulate the attic.

I got a full package of PC Green Dishwasher Detergent free, and I gave them to dd to use, as we rarely ever use a dishwasher. Got some more reusable bags for free, which honestly I could live without, as I have so many of them. Plus we got a couple of rolls of toilet paper made out of recyclable paper.

We were only there a couple of hours, but have to say we had a good time and will probably go back again. Now will we live to regret it that we took the day off from packing.....probably but it was a nice break!!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The day after........

the garage sale. It wasn't as busy as last week, but we got rid of another pile of junk/stuff!!! Both dd and I made $75 each which made it worth while. I still have to take a couple of boxes of stuff to the Salvation Army on Monday but overall I am super happy with how it all went.

Have to say though it was super hot and humid on Saturday, it was shorts weather. So needless to say I have the face the same colour as a boiled lobster. I do so wish I would tan, instead all I do is go bright red and peel.

Then to add to everything, I am sure I have suffered a slight concussion, what are you saying I might be exaggerating.......who me....nnnnnnnnooooooooooooo!!!! We went to Rona on Saturday afternoon, as they had a scratch and save, where you could save a minimum of 10% which is better than nothing. So dh wanted a larger grass trimmer, as the one we have is useless. So we go to the cash out with it in the trolley. I am standing behind the trolley looking at something, when he lifts up the trimmer so the cashier can scan it and bops me on the head with it. Which of course had everyone laughing.......oh except me!!

We go out for supper, as I am pooped. The heavens opened and it poured down, so I threw my coat over my head and ran to the car, got into the car, but didn't duck enough and whacked my head on the door..........now have to say that hurt, meanwhile dh is rolling with laughter at that one. I am sure I have a lump on my head now, plus a headache......oh and NO sympathy from dh!! So you see I could possibly have a slight concussion.......listen it gives me something to whine about!!!

When we were at Rona I picked up some seeds and one packet was spinach seeds. Not too keen on spinach, but thought I would try to grow it and maybe I would learn to like it mixed with regular salad, and its good for me as its high in iron, which is something I am lacking. I also picked up more butternut squash seeds, I just love butternut squash. The some sunflowers seeds and sweet pea seeds, both are flowers I adore.

I am so excited about moving to our new place and getting the garden started!!!!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Another Saturday, so it must be a garage sale day again!!!

We are going to do another yard sale again today to try and get rid of the rest of the things. Dd came up last night with a bunch of stuff to add to our pile, so fingers crossed we will be able to get rid of all our things!!! The forecast is good for today, so that is a blessing.

I have to say I am getting excited now, as this time next week, we'll have spent our first night in our new home!! So the final countdown begins. I have got most things packed, but a lot of it is last minute stuff, plus we are still using a lot of things.

One thing I am finding hard though is not gardening. I would normally be tackling the garden now, and I was looking at the back garden bed, and with all the rain we have had it is full of weeds. However, I can't do any gardening as we have packed all the gardening tools, and dh would not be impressed if I unpacked everything!!!

I was given some Canna Lilly bulbs this week, so am looking forward to planting those. Here is some information on them, though not sure what variety they are or what colour.

Otherwise nothing too exciting is happening around here, oh and I got the mortgage sorted out so that was good!!!!

I must say our meal's are getting pretty different, as I clean out the pantry, fridge and freezer. I had a red pepper, half a red onion, and half a packet of frozen small potatoes, which I fried in a pan. We had that with a turkey breast that I had in freezer as well, for Friday nights supper. Everyday it's a case of looking in the fridge, freezer or pantry to what we can use up next.

I have some chicken pies in the freezer, a couple of casseroles, some bacon, and I bought a cooked ham today. We have plenty of eggs, along with pasta and soup, so I should be able to make some quick meals over the next few days, while we are busy with other things.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Buddy Friday - Different uses for Dryer Sheets

1. All this time you've just been putting dryer sheets in the dryer! It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.
2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.
7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket. 15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the loose hairs.
16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet! In their back pocket to keep the bees away.
21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

For more Buddy Friday posts pop over to Margaret's Ramblings.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Skywatch Friday....

It was an active sky last night, but there was a hint of pink that made it sort of calming. This will be my last Skywatch Friday post for a couple of weeks as we are moving.

(as always please click on the photos for more detail)


For more Skywatch Friday photos, please click on this link

Catch up time again..........

I have to say I am glad I have pre-done some day's posts, it is giving me a break to get on with other things.

The packing is coming along, and the garage sale pile is also growing!!! I will be glad when it's all over.

We went to the lawyers on Wednesday to sign all the paperwork, and have to say it all went well until he reviewed the mortgage papers and that's when things went pear shape!!!! So what we sorted out at the bank and what they sent to the lawyers is night and day. They do agree though on the amount of the mortgage, so that is something I suppose!!

I am going to the bank for 9am this morning to try and sort this mess out. I swear if its not one thing, its another!!! Also discovered the guy who we are buying the house from is nearly $7,000 in arrears for his property taxes!! Don't worry our lawyer has got us all covered so we won't be liable for that. However, we can't get over how he has managed to get away with not paying his taxes in the past 18 months......must say it makes me nervous about what we are walking into.

So a week tomorrow we will be moving. Then I guess the fun will begin!!

The weather has been miserable this week, cool and rainy. You know I do believe the weather affects your mood as well, as I have been totally fed up with everything this week.

One thing I did do this week is donate dd prom dresses (grade 8 & 12) to the Salvation Army Women's & Children Shelter, as they often have teenage girls who have to stay in the shelter with their mother and siblings and if they have a school prom, they can't afford a dress, and prom season is coming up, May & June over here, so they were really pleased I had dropped them off.

Anything I have left over from the garage sale I am dropping off at the Salvation Army store, as I am sure they will be able to sell some of the things.

Also for those of you in Canada, you can get a free magazine subscription by buying certain General Mills Cereal's, here is the link You can also get $5 in coupons from them as well. The magazine/book promo is under current promotions. I got a package of cereal that I like for $3.99, and I am getting 4 copies of the Canadian Workshop Magazine for free, so I am all happy about that!!

I just signed up for a subscription for Mother Earth News, and got an email from them regarding another magazine they have called GRIT. I haven't heard of this magazine and haven't seen it in our stores. I still can't figure out how to get a subscription to Prima magazine here in Canada, so if anyone knows let me know, please???

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

50 + 1 Recipes for Peaches

I love peaches but am not too keen on the furry skins. The smell of fresh peaches though are just delicious, and it says summer. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. We do grow peaches here in southern Ontario, so during the summer we can buy them by the basketful, I may try canning some this year if I have the time.

1. Baked Peach Pudding

2. Creamy Peach Pie

3. Champagne Poached Peaches - very decadant

4. Fresh Peach Cobbler

5. Fresh Peach Sundae

6. Peach and Walnut Spice Cake

7. Peach Blush Neactar - non-alcoholic

8. Peach Chicken

9. Peach Ice Cream

10. Peach Melba

11. Peach Pie

12. Peach Slasa

13. Raspberry and Peach Smoothie

14. BBQ pork and peach kebabs

15. Balsamic-glazed peaches, arugula and chèvre salad

16. Chilled Coconut Rice

17. Fast berry-and-peach brûlée

18. Garden Tomato and Peach Toss

19. Grilled Peaches with Honey-Vanilla Cream

20. Italian Peach Salad

21. Late summer fruit soup

22. Peach & prosciutto salad

23. Peachy Basil Chicken

24. Poached peaches in cinnamon-ginger syrup

25. Roast Chicken with sage stuffed peaches

26. Sautéed burgers with devilled peaches

27. Southern chops with fresh peach salsa

28. Sparkling Peach Sipper - alcoholic beverage

29. Spinach Salad with honey-grilled peaches

30. Thai Peach Salad

31. Tomato-peach gazpacho

32. Warm peach sundae

33. Wild rice and peach salad

34. Chicken, Peach and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

35. Curried Chicken Salad with Peaches

36. Curried Rice, Shrimp and Peach Salad

37. Field Greens Salad with Peaches and Herbs

38. Grilled Peach Melba

39. Grilled Tex-Mex Chicken with Spicy Peach and Plum Salsa

40. Grilled Thai Chicken with Chunky Peach Pepper Sauce

41. Peach and Pear Mini Trifles

42. Peach and Honey Omelette - this is different

43. Peaches Almond Sortbread Tart

44. Peachy Grilled Salmon Fillet

45. Roasted Peaches with Cinnamon Custard

46. Rum-Glazed Peaches with Almonds

47. White Sangria with Peaches and Coronation Grapes - Alcoholic beverage

48. Peach Muffins

49. Peach Cake

50. Peach Pie

51. Farm Stand Peach Jam

Nutritional Info.

Have to say this was one of the easier fruits to find recipes for. It seems peaches and chicken is a popular thing, didn't know that? I think I will try the jam, as that sounds so good.

Next week it is: Limes

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Watery Wednesday

This will be my last post for Watery Wednesday for a couple of weeks, as we are moving. So I pulled a photo from our vacation in Charleston, South Carolina, last year. This is a photo of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston. By the way, those are not flying saucers in the sky, but a reflection of the lights from the tour boat we were on!!!!



For more Watery Wednesday photos, please click on this link

Catch up time again..........

Its one of those a bit here and a bit there posts.

It poured down all day on Monday. I know I am British so I should be used to the rain, but honestly it gets into my bones nowadays when it pours down. I must be getting soft or old!!!!

Monday morning seemed to go by in a blur, the phone never stopped ringing, so I suppose that could have been why!! I did get a bit more packing down and added some more things to the garage sale pile!!! The way things are going, I can see me having as much as last week to sell!! As I was out running errands on Monday, I saw where the Salvation Army drop off point was so on Monday of next week, I will be dropping all what is left over there.

Had a bit of a weird experience on Sunday. We were just leaving the house when an SUV pulled up and the guy rolled down his window and shouted hi to me. No idea who it was, but shouted hi back. He then said he was the guy who had bought our house and had brought his friend by to show him the house. So I stood and talked to him for a minute. I commented on the dog he had in the car, and so he got out and let his dog out, a huge German Shepherd, who immediately went and peed up a storm all over the neighbours yards.

His friend got out at the same time and we stood and talked about the dog for a minute. He then asked me if the garden was greening up, and I said yes, and they proceeded to walk into our back yard with the dog, without asking permission, while I stood there with my mouth open. Dh is wondering who it is, and figured as I was talking to them, I must know them.

So I go into the back yard, and try to steer them out of the our garden, as they pass the dining room, they stop and peer into the window!!! The dog has meanwhile ran out of the yard, and dh is petting him, as there were some young kids out, and this dog was big enough to knock them over.

Now for those of you in Canada and probably the States, what these guys did is a no, no. It's written into the contract that they can visit our house one more time, no later than a week before we close. Our lawyer says under no circumstances do we let them look around the house when ever they please. It's such a lot different to how you sell houses in Britain. No where near as informal and friendly. I talked to our real estate agent this morning and told her what happened, and told her to remind these guys if they want to come over to measure up etc, they have to make an appointment before this coming Friday. So we'll see what happens next.

I think I have mentioned before that one of the neighbours has a Chihuahua. I love dogs, but that rotten dog is always yapping, as the owner is forever leaving it outside. Well Monday morning, along with the incessant yapping, the geese were honking very loudly. When I looked out of my spare bedroom window, the geese were on my neighbours roof, and they back onto the Chihuahua's house, so the poor dog was going mad. Wasn't sure which animals neck I wanted to wring first, with all the going's on.............LOL

Are you still putting your $1 away each day in the Daily Savings Club? IF so you should have $21 in your pot today!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

For all of us Canadians.......oh and everyone else...LOL

Had this forwarded to me, and thought it was amusing!!

Forget Rednecks; Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Canadians.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, You may live in Canada.

If someone in the Home Depot Offers you assistance and they don't work there, You may live in Canada. (HAD THIS HAPPEN MANY TIMES, IF I AM ON MY OWN I LOOK FOR PEOPLE SHOPPING IN THE SAME DEPARTMENT AND ASK THEM, AS NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN THEY KNOW MORE THAN THE EMPLOYEES ANYHOW!)

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, You may live in Canada. (SEEN THIS)

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation With someone who dialed a wrong number, You may live in Canada. (DONE THIS!!)

If 'Holidays' means going anywhere South of Detroit for the weekend, You may live in Canada.

If you measure distance in hours, You may live in Canada.

If you know several people Who have hit a deer more than once, You may live in Canada.

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' In the same day and back again, You may live in Canada. (THIS IS SO TRUE!!!)

If you can drive 90 km/hr through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, You may live in Canada..

If you install security lights on your house and garage,But leave both unlocked, You may live in Canada.

If you carry jumper cables in your car, And your wife knows how to use them, You may live in Canada. (I CARRY JUMPER CABLES, BUT HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO USE THEM!!, COME TO THINK ABOUT NOT SURE WHY I CARRY THEM THEN?)

If you design your kid's Halloween costume To fit over a snowsuit, You may live in Canada. (DONE THIS MANY TIMES, IN FACT IT WAS A TREAT FOR THE KIDS NOT TO HAVE TO WEAR THEIR SNOWSUITS!)

If the speed limit on the highway is 80 km -- You're going 90 and everybody is passing you, You may live in Canada. (PERSONALLY THIS APPLIES TO ALL OVER THE WORLD, NOT JUST CANADA)

If driving is better in the winter Because the potholes are filled with snow,You may live in Canada. (THEY HAVE A POINT HERE, THE POTHOLES ARE WICKED THIS YEAR)

If you know all 4 seasons: Almost winter, winter, still winter, And road construction, You may live in Canada. (OH SO TRUE!)

If you have more miles On your snow blower than your car, You may live in Canada.

If you find minus 2 degrees 'a little chilly', You may live in Canada.

If you actually understand these jokes, And forward them to all Your Canadian friends, You definitely live in Canada.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Today's Flower.........

A little bit of Spring in the garden........with more to come.....




For more Today Flower's Photos, please click on this link.

A very tired British Woman....Garage Sale Update..

Well I have to say that was the most successful garage sale we have had in a long time. We made just over $360 and we got rid of a pile of stuff. The signs said we started at 8am, but people started turning up by 7am. We had packed everything away and I had taken down the signs by 1:30pm.

The weather was good, a bit cloudy but warm, infact I think I got sun burnt on my face, as I am so fair skinned. We got rid of all the big stuff, including our kitchen table and chairs, a couple of stereos. Some book shelves, two old tv's, and a pile of what I would call junk!! I sold a number of the VHS tapes, and some of the more expensive Disney VHS tapes. A dealer came by and bought all the cd's, and the ones he didn't want he left and I sold a couple of those as well.

One woman took a bag of giant bouncy balls for 75 cents, she said she was sending them to Ecuador, whether she is or not I don't care. The guy who took the two stereos is sending them to Africa??? I had a big boxes of clothes hangers, you know the metal ones, I had FREE on the box and a pile of them went.

As always the things that you think will sell never do and things that you would normally throw out sells. Dd had some shoes and although I only got 50 cents per pair, it was money in our pocket, as she didn't want them. Same with the books I was selling them for 25 cents as we have no use for them. One woman took my box of drinking glasses, ones we never ever use, for 10 cents each, it came to less than $2.00 but I am better off having that money than a box of glasses I never use.

So I will give it a go next Saturday and see if I can get rid of some more stuff, as although we got rid of the bulk of the stuff today, dd is coming over and if she brings a pile of stuff between us we could/should make a few more dollars!!!

Have to say though I am pooped its hard work doing a garage sale and people who frequent garage sales are hagglers, which can be annoying at times.

Most of all I am thrilled to have got rid of a pile of stuff that we didn't want and/or use.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Garage Sale Day today.....and other bits and bobs..

So I spent Friday bringing things up from the basement and pricing things. Needless to say by Friday night I was aching all over. I then had to wander around the neighbourhood and put up signs on Friday night advertising it.

The pricing of things is difficult I find as what I think it might be worth, other people may not. I am charging $4 each for the Disney VHS movies or 3 for $10. The rest of the VHS movies are 50 cents each or 10 for $4. Music cd's I am charging $1 each, music tapes 50 cents each. LP's $2 each and singles $1 each. I have a lot of drinking glasses I am charging 25 cents each for those. All books I am going to charge 50 cents for in the hopes of getting rid of them. The list goes on and on.

I was a happy camper yesterday afternoon as I discovered my rhubarb poking its head through the soil. I thought the voles had eaten it, so I dug that up and put it in a bucket to take to the new house with us. I don't think I told you the other day, but there is a veggie plot up at the new house. Now the woman did say she did nothing with it last year, so I am hoping to rent a rototiller/rotovator for the day and that should sort that out, so it may not be as hard a job to start a veggie garden this year as I thought it would be.

Also have you seen this on You Tube, it's really funny!!!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Buddy Friday - Do you pay more for certain grocery items?

I know I do. One example is paper towels. The cheaper ones just don't work for me and I end up using twice as many as the more expensive brands. The same goes for baked beans, we are a Heinz Baked Beans family, no other brand will do, although we have tried the Bush Baked Beans the vegetarian flavour and must say they are nearly as good.

Always had to buy Heinz ketchup for the kids when they lived at home, as they wouldn't eat any other brand. Did try the switcharoo, you know when you fill an empty Heinz Ketchup bottle with the cheaper brand and pass it off for the real thing, but that never worked, and to this day, the kids will only eat Heinz Ketchup.

Black garbage bags are another thing, I find the cheaper ones burst open so easy, that's its worth the extra pennies for them. However we hardly have any garbage, so I generally use oversized grocery bags. Though with me using my cloth bags at the grocery store, I don't get many plastic bags. So I generally only buy one box of 40 garbage bags a year, so it's not a big expense for me.

I also prefer the name brand (Kleenex) paper tissue (to blow your nose with), as there is nothing worse that having a cold, and cheap scratchy paper tissues. Same with toilet paper, I like the cushy type to wipe my royal butt with, not the cheap stuff. Do any of you remember the toilet paper that was like greaseproof paper? I think it was called Izal toilet paper, that was the worst toilet paper ever.......

I will try cheaper brands of everything but if they don't work, I won't use them again.

This is more for the British Expats. We did a taste test (blindfolded, very scientific!!) on Cadburys chocolate from both Britain and Canada, and there is a difference, the one from Britain tastes a whole lot better, even though they are supposed to be the same!!

For more Buddy Friday Posts, pop over to Margaret's Ramblings

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Skywatch Friday

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago, when we were travelling back from North Bay on Hwy 11 (info for Canadians!!) Both were taken from the car (I wasn't driving!!) The sky was spectacular, the photos don't do it justice. That night and next day we had snow.

(as always click on the photos for more details)


For more Skywatch Friday photos, please click on this link

Busy couple of days........

First sorry for not being about these past couple of days.....thank goodness I have pre-done the recipe posts, as it gives me a day off from blogging!!!

Tuesday was a busy day, that included us going up to the new house for a final look and to measure up for bits and bobs. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how clean it looked. It seems as though the woman has been cleaning the place up as she is packing. It still needs a good clean but its no where near as dirty as it was. There was a little snow left up there, but it is looking like Spring. Have to say I am getting pretty excited about moving there, and before you know it, it will be here.

On Wednesday I spent the morning doing errands, which included ordering the blinds for the bedrooms in the new house. Had to go to the post office (finally got the address situation sorted out) and submit the form, and was charged $70+ for that (including taxes), but that means for the next year if any mail comes addressed to our old address, Canada Post will forward it to our new address. I have to say it is worth every penny, as we have a lot of International Mail, especially near Christmas.

Then I had to go to the bank and get a money order, as we got the bill for this years pension contribution for the British Pension. The bank was super busy, which was strange, even the tellers were surprised at how busy it was.

I got a couple of address change letters done up ready for dh to sign and I'll mail out today. I also got more stuff packed up and cleaned out a couple of kitchen cupboards. I am finding it is easier to clean cupboards out as I clear them out.

We moved some things up from the basement into the garage that we are going to sell at the garage sale. Did a bit more prep for that as well.

Have to have a small whine...........it's bad enough that I have to watch Eastenders at either 12 noon or 4pm, as they have removed it from the 7:30pm time. Now because of the rotten NHL Hockey playoffs, they have moved Coronation Street from the regular 7pm slot, to 3:30pm, which of course I forgot about, so missed Wednesday's show. I suppose I should be grateful that they have moved it to the afternoon, as last year they only showed it on a Sunday, when it's an omnibus edition.

By the way I can't justify sitting for 2 1/2 hours watching Coronation Street on a Sunday morning. I could of course record the programme, but I would never watch it.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

50 + 1 Recipes for Kiwi Fruit

Other than eating these raw, I have never thought of eating them any other way. So it will be interesting to see what recipes are out there for this fruit.

1. Banana Kiwi Spring Rolls

2. Banana Kiwi Pudding

3. Blood Orange and Kiwi with Pralines

4. Kiwi Fruit Cream

5. Kiwi Fruit Muffins

6. Kiwi Jam

7. Kiwi Lime Sole

8. Dessert Pizza

9. Kiwi Pie

10. Kiwi Pork Midora

11. KIWI CACCIATORE

12. Kiwi Frozen Yogurt Pie

13. Kiwi Fruit Muffins

14. Kiwi Lime Marmalade

15. Kiwi Fruit Jellies

16. Kiwi Cheesecake

17. Kiwi Fruit Sorbet

18. Kiwi Fruit Cream

19. Kiwi Chutney

20. Kiwi Cranberry Fool

21. Kiwifruit Bread

22. Kiwifruit Yogurt Whip

23. Kiwi Chicken Salad

24. Kiwi and Orange Sabayon Gratin

25. Pomegranate, Orange, Papaya, and Kiwi Green Salad Recipe!

26. Kiwi Lemon Cheesecake

27. Kiwi Lemon Breeze Smoothie

28. Chicken Breast with Kiwi Sauce

29. Mint Flavoured Kiwi Sorbet

30. Kiwifruit Syllabub

31. Kiwifruit and Banana Pavlova

32. Kiwi Bulgar Salad

33. Kiwifruit Dressing

34. Stir-Fried Kiwi Pork

35. Kiwi Lamb Skewers

36. Kiwi Fish Curry

37. Avocado with Kiwifruit

38. Kiwi Glazed Camembert

39. Kiwifruit Ginger Spiced Squash

40. Gingered Prawn and Kiwi Brochettes

41. Strawberry-Kiwifruit Jam

42. Kiwi Fruit Gelato

43. Upside down Pineapple and Kiwifruit Cake

44. White Chocolate Mousse with Kiwi Sauce

45. Kiwifruit and Pineapple Ice

46. Kiwifruit Breakfast Split

47. Kiwifruit Stacks with Cinnamon Mascarpone

48. Kiwifruit Shortbread Tart

49. Layered Peach and Kiwi Trifle

50. Mango Under Kiwis

51. Roast Turkey Tenderloins with Kiwi Slaw

Nutritional Info

I didn't realize there was so much you could do with Kiwi's. They are a relatively cheap fruit here, I must make more of an effort to eat more of them.

Next week it's Peaches

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Watery Wednesday

It's Spring in Canada, and here is a bit of Fall caught up in the ice. Took these photos when we were up North at the beginning of the month. The leaves were suspended between the layers of ice in the lake, pretty neat eh?

(as always click on the photos for more detail)


For more Watery Wednesday photos, please click on this link.

Give me strength...........what I was up to on Monday

I swear if its not one thing it's another. So a month ago I did this post about the problems we were having with our new address, and we finally got it all sorted out. So yesterday I decided to do the change of address/forwarding our mail on the Canada Post website and get that done. I think I get to step 3 and can't go any further, as it's not recognizing our address. What the heck, I am using the correct Canada Post address {{{SIGH}}}, I mean give me strength!!!

So I am having to go to a Canada Post station and pick up a paper copy of this form, and I think I will take it to the post office closest to where we are going to live and get them to fill it out, as surely to goodness, they must know what the correct address is???

The weather forecast has changed for the weekend, and it's supposed to be nice on Saturday, so it looks as though the garage sale is a go. While I was in the basement today, I found some sturdy boxes, that were no use for packing, so I cut them up to make signs for the yard sale, so that was a good job, done. We have to put signs up, as we are on a side street, so no through traffic.



I also made a chocolate zucchini cake as I have discovered I had five bags of shredded zucchini in the freezer left over from last year. So used a bag in making the cake. I am pleased to say I can see me emptying out the rest of the chest freezer by the end of the week......
I was sitting watching the programme called "Build A New Life In The Country," which is on BBC Canada and HGTV, and thinking that will be us in a couple of weeks, can't wait.
Meanwhile the sun is shining and it is a little warmer.....YEAH!!!
For those of you participating in the Daily Savings Club, you should have $14 in your pot today........keep up the good work!!!

ALSO, AS YOU KNOW I EVERY WEDNESDAY I DO THE RECIPE POST, IS THERE ANY FRUIT OR VEGETABLE THAT I HAVEN'T DONE YET, THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE? I HAVE POSTS DONE RIGHT UP UNTIL THE END OF MAY, SO WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE SPECIAL REQUESTS AFTER THAT...........

Monday, April 13, 2009

{{{SIGH}}}

Well here we are just over two weeks until we close on the new house (April 28th). We move out of our present house on May 1st. I have to say I am totally fed up living in a state of untidiness. There are boxes everywhere and stuff for the garage sale also everywhere. You just don't realize how much stuff you accumulate over the years........

I pride myself in keeping the house as tidy as possible......it just isn't possible at the moment, and honestly other than the basics, its not worth while cleaning the house.

I am panicking as if its miserable weather on the 18th and 25th of April, when I hope to have my yard sales I don't know what I will do, as we have so much stuff I want to get rid of.

I tried to dig up my magnolia on Sunday, but it is rooted in so much that I would have just made a big mess trying to dig it up, so I'm afraid that is going to have to stay. I did however manage to dig up my three poppies that I wanted. There are no flower gardens to speak of as far as I am aware, so it'll be all to start from scratch, so I am looking forward to doing that when the weather warms up.

I guess I just want this moving lark to be over and done with!! Sorry for whining and {{{SIGHING}}}

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Today's Flower......

Another little bit of colour in my garden, not much but it's better than nothing. It's still nippy cold up here and again this morning we woke up to frost on the rooftops. Everything is starting to come alive in the garden, but if these cold temperatures continue, it will be a slow start to the season I think.

(as always for more detail just click on the photos)
Check Spelling


For more of Today's Flower photos, please click on the link

Packing and a new cell phone, oh and Happy Easter

to you and your families. We don't do much as Easter is concerned. I had a turkey in the freezer, so had to cook that, so invited my dad and step-mother over on Friday night. Then on Saturday we had the kids over for turkey wraps and pitas at lunch time, the kids were busy for the rest of the weekend, so this was the only time we could all get together.

The turkey was only a 10 pounder, but it did us for supper on Friday night, lunch for five on Saturday and two casseroles for the freezer, which will come in handy over the next couple of weeks.

While the kids were here I got them to go through the last of their stuff, which in dd case was a lot of things. Ended up with two big garbage bags full of stuff to throw out. Another huge pile of stuff for the yard sale, two bags of clothing for charity, a couple of boxes dd took with her and a couple of more spaces in the basement. Dd said all I invited them up for was to clean out their junk..........YOU DON'T SAY ;0)

Dh has worked like a trooper these past couple of days and has got the shed cleared out, and most things packed up in the garage. Which has resulted in the being barely able to move in the garage.........and we wanted to put the stuff we have in the basement in the garage also.......

Dh has a couple of jobs to do around the house today, including taking the fan down in our bedroom and replacing it with the original (icky) light fixture. I also want to dig up my magnolia bush (the one I am hiding behind in my profile photo), as that was an anniversary gift from me to dh, and three of my poppies. Not sure if that is technically allowed, but at this point, I don't really care. I am betting the people who are buying our house aren't gardeners.

Now for my cell phone saga. I don't use a cell phone that often, but due to the fact I am mechanically challenged, dh feels its necessary for me to have a cell phone in case I break down in the car. So as we are changing companies for our home phone, Internet and TV, I cancelled my cell phone as well, as it was with the same company. I had a useless phone, which I could never hear, despite me turning up the volume all the time, so I destroyed that. So on April 3rd I had no cell phone service, and you know what I wasn't bothered.

Dh however was, so on Saturday, while we were in the mall, I got a new cell phone from Koodo One of the reasons I went with them, as it's only going to cost me $15 + taxes per month. For that I get 50 anytime minutes and 50 text messages per month, which is more than sufficient for me, as I only want it for emergencies etc.

Now along with me being mechanically challenged, I am also technically challenged. So for some reason when I rang my new cell phone to make sure it was working, it tweeted like a bird???? Who wants a phone that tweets like a bird? I know I don't. Couldn't figure out how to change that, so got dh to sort that out, but there is no ring tones that sound like a telephone. He picked out a ring that was the least offensive!!!

So when I was in the "store" she offered to give me a new "skin" for my cell phone, in a blue camouflage print. I said no thanks, and she said why not, so I said to her, do I look like a blue camouflage person, which when she had a better look at me, she said no I don't think so!!! I won't take something just for the heck of it, not when I have no intention of never using it.

I did manage to put in three contacts in the address book, no idea how I managed that, but I did. Now I have to figure out how to send text messages, that should be interesting. Between me and you, life would be so much easier without cell phones!!

Well that's enough of me rambling on for another day!!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Odds and ends.........

Had a couple of things to mutter on about. I was in Zellars (department store) on Tuesday and a woman in front of me spent just over $117 in Easter chocolate. I was astonished, I mean who spends over $100 on chocolate? I asked the cashier if she had seen people spend that sort of money on chocolate before and she said yes. All I could say, "and they say there is a recession." By the way the woman, paid by credit card. I know I am sounding pretty judgemental but even so........

On Frugal Shopper, there was this post on tacky weddings, click on this link Let me know what you think!!!

On the packing front, it's coming along slowly but surely. The garage sale pile is getting bigger and bigger!!!

The downstairs freezer is starting to look more empty. The goal is to have it cleared out by the end of next week....we'll see.

On the blogging front, I have all the recipe posts completed until the end of May. Plus the week we are moving I have posts for everyday, so that's good.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Buddy Friday - My weakness..

First an update on the water barrel situation, that I talked about on this post last week. Dh is getting us the water container below for free, they throw them out, so that should work a treat once we get the attachments, and is a lot bigger than the 50 gallon barrels, so that's good news. It also comes with the metal cage around it, making it more stable.

Now for my weakness, I am a magazine junkie, I adore magazines, I can't get enough of them. I would rather read a magazine over a book. I just did the change of addresses for my magazine's and I subscribe to 10 magazines!! Now before you all fall over and say that must be costing you a small fortune it isn't. Some of the subscriptions I get free. I have just started to get Canadian Gardening, and I got that free when I purchased some pasta. Sent in the UPC codes and for some strange reason, instead of getting it for one year I am getting it for two years???

When we went to the Women's Show last fall I filled out a form and now I get Viva magazine free for a year......I actually don't like it, so am glad I am getting it for nothing.

I just signed up for Mother Earth News for a year, for $15.50 USD. I just paid $7.99 CDN in the store for it, so I am getting six issues for just over the price of two. If I have to pay for a subscription, I try and get a better deal by subscribing for two or more years. I know with the Country Woman magazine my subscription is good until 2012!!!

One magazine I can't get a deal on is the Prima magazine, which really sucks. I had wanted to get a subscription for it, but as I can't save any money by doing that, I may as well keep that money in the bank and just buy it monthly. Plus all the freebies you guys get in the UK with the magazine, well they don't make it over here for us :0(

So what is your weakness, and how do you make it affordable for you to submit to it?

For more Buddy Friday posts, pop over to Margaret's Ramblings

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Skywatch Friday

This weeks photo's were taken around 6:30am on Sunday morning, as the sun was thinking about rising!!! Both were taken in the car, the first one when dh was getting gas and the second on Hwy 7 heading to Hwy 400 (info for the Canadians!!). It was a nippy cold morning, but turned out to be a nice day.

(as always click on the photos for more info)



For more Skywatch Friday photos, please click on the link

Congratulations to DD

It's not often I mention our kids, as honestly what they get up to generally is only interesting to us and the family. However I couldn't let this go by without "bragging" about it.

Dd has finished her graduate studies and has officially completed her university education after 6 years. She now has a Masters degree in Information Studies (I hope that's what it is...LOL) Regardless she's done.......

She has got a 12 month contract in Records Management with a large Insurance Company in downtown Toronto (corporate office), she was also offered another job with another company, but again it was a 12 month contract with no prospect of it turning into full time after that. With this company there is a good chance they will take her on full time after the 12 months.

She is the only one of her friends from school to walk out of university with a job, so she did well.

Her boyfriend is taking her to Mexico for a week to celebrate, and have a break before she starts working full-time on May 4th. They also are moving into a larger condo before the end of the month, so she is a busy girl.

So "Cons" I just wanted to tell you that your dad and me are ever so proud of you. You have worked so hard over these past few years in school and deserve all the success in the world.

With lots of love, Mam and Dad

("Cons" is her shortened name, as when ds was a toddler he couldn't pronounce her full name and it has stuck, close family call her that)

For those of you who are participating in the Daily Savings Club (is there anyone participating?) you should have $9 in your pot now, keep up the good work!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

50 + 1 Grapefruit Recipes

I love grapefruit, so am looking forward to seeing what different recipes are out there.

1. Grapefruit Pecan Cream Cheese Topper

2. Angel Food and Grapefruit Lush Cake

3. Warm Citrus with Brown Sugar

4. Grapefruit Creme Brule

5. Grapefruit and Celery Salad - I'll be giving this one a miss!!

6. Grapefruit and Chicory Salad

7. Grapefruit and Tomato Mayonnaise

8. Grapefruit Baskets

9. Grapefruit Cocktail

10. Grapefruit Sorbet

11. Grilled Grapefruit

12. Grilled Spiced Grapefruit

13. Hot Ginger Grapefruit

14. Hot Yogurt and Grapefruit

15. Microwave Grapefruit and Rum Possets

16. Pink grapefruit, raspberry, wasabi and pumpkin seed oil dressing

17. Tangy Grapefruit

18. Grapefruit Cheese Jelly

19. Chicken and Pink Grapefruit Salad

20. Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

21. Grapefruit Cake with Grapefruit Cream Cheese Frosting

22. Grapefruit, Onion, and Basil Salad

23. Grapefruit Zabaglione over Mixed Berries

24. Grilled Red Snapper with Grapefruit-Thyme Mojo

25. Roasted Beet and Grapefruit Salad

26. Ruby Red Grapefruit Cake

27. Tuna-Pesto Melts on Rye with Romaine Salad with Candied Walnuts and Grapefruit

28. Grilled Shrimp with Grapefruit BBQ Sauce

29. Grapefruit Pie

30. Grapefruit Sabayon Gratin

31. Salmon Kebobs with Quinoa and Grapefruit Salad

32. Orange - Grapefruit Marmalade with Ginger

33. Salad with onions confit and grapefruit vinaigrette

34. Blushing Grapefruit Marmalade

35. Warm Grapefruit and Baby Spinach Salad

36. Pink Grapefruit Ice

37. Hot Fruit Dessert - Slow Cooker/Crockpot recipe

38. Grapefruit and Cucumber Salad with Feta - this sounds pretty good

39. Citrus Salad with Ginger Yogurt and Grapefruit Ambrosia

40. Spiced Grapefruit Crepes with Cream Cheese

41. Pot Roast Chicken with Grapefruit and Grapefruit Juice

42. Grapefruit Tart

43. Grapefruit Granita

44. Grapefruit Key Lime Pie

45. Citrus Roast Chicken

46. Grapefruit and Jerk-Grilled Chicken with Arugula Salad Recipe!

47. Boston Lettuce, Radish and Ruby Grapefruit Salad

48. Rhubarb Grapefruit Marmalade

49. Frozen Grapefruit Mousse

50. Red Grapefruit Chiffon Cake

51. Five-Fruit Marmalade

Nutritional Info.

There is quite a nice combination of sweet and savory recipes there, hope you are able to try a couple.

Next week its: Kiwi Fruit

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A rant.......

First the rant. So on Tuesday we went for our six month check up at the dentist. Have been going there for nearly 20 years, so they are used to me. I hate having x-rays they make me gag, anyhow she used a different holder thing and for once I didn't gag.

I love the girl that cleans my teeth, granted it takes twice as long for her to clean my teeth, but that's because we keep chit chatting. Anyhow after she is finished and the dentist comes in to have a look. Now the last couple of times I have had to have fillings replaced. He reckons they are old, and are worn and need replaced. I have said the last couple of times to dh, I swear he's just trying to make more money. So fast forward to Tuesday and he says, oh you may have a cavity........I say where? He prods the offending tooth and I say, I have never had a problem in that area. He says, oh, well maybe it's just the way the x-ray picture took. I say again I don't have toothache or a problem. I ask him how old the filling is and he says its 7 years old, so I ask how long do fillings last, he says they can go after six months and last up to 40 years.

He then says, well make sure you come back if you have a problem. So I say, listen have you ever known me miss an appointment??? I go regularly every six months. I honestly think he is trying to make money by replacing old fillings. I am not a happy camper, plus now I have toothache, and not where he said the iffy tooth was!!!

Watery Wednesday.........

We went to North Bay on Sunday to see ds, and I took a photo of the Chief Commanda II cruise ship on Lake Nipissing. It had snowed the day before so the lake was covered with snow. It was half ice and half water the lake.



(as always click on the photo for more detail)




Oh, and yes it was nippy cold with the wind coming off the lake!!

For more Watery Wednesday photos, please click on the link

I took your advise.............

and didn't do another post yesterday. I did however prepare this post last night, just like I normally do. I just didn't have time to do a post through the day, not because I was busy packing, because the phone didn't stop ringing all morning!!!

So here I am Monday evening, feeling as though I got nothing done today and honestly I don't feel any more rested.............oh well never mind.

So back to what we got up to on Sunday. It was ds birthday on Saturday and so as he was working on Saturday we went to see him on Sunday. Now he lives in a city called North Bay, which is a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive north of us. So we have to set off early to get there. One thing we do is skip breakfast at home and stop and have breakfast at Tim Hortons. Dh a coffee and breakfast biscuit combo, me a green tea and a raspberry muffin.

We had only been driving an hour when we encountered some white stuff called SNOW.....aaaahhhh!!!!!! The further north we went the more snow we encountered, and more Wintery it looked. It turned out they had a nasty snow storm on Saturday, as prior to Saturday all their snow had gone.

Regardless it was good to see ds and we called in at Tim Hortons (again) to pick up coffee and donuts to take to him. We sat and talked to him and his room mates for a while, which I am so glad we did, as I was mentioning to them about the yard sale we were having and got on about all the VHS videos we were going to sell, for probably around 50 cents each. They then mentioned how the Disney ones in their plastic cases, are worth a heck of a lot more on Ebay. Didn't know that did you? So ds is going to sell them on Ebay for me. Along with a number of records I have, as they are apparently worth a little bit of money as well.

Anyhow we took ds out for lunch at a restaurant called Average Joes.



It overlooks Trout Lake, and it is a great place to have lunch or dinner, and the view is great. In the summer people arrive by boat from their homes and cottages to come for a meal. The food is also good. I had the crab and veggie crepes with a salad, it was yummy and very filling.

The photo below was taken in the restaurant:

This one was taken outside:


After we left the restaurant we drove down to Lake Nippising so I could take some photos of the lake, you will see them in the Watery Wednesday post. We then drove back to the house, calling in at Tim Hortons for a coffee and tea to take back with us and drank it at ds home and did some more catching up.

All too soon it was 3pm and it was time for us to head home. We did a slight detour heading past where the new house is and we were home by 7pm. All in all a great day, but a long day though.....

Monday, April 6, 2009

Monday morning.......

as most of you know I prepare my posts the night before and they post at 1am of the day.

We were away most of the day on Sunday, when we got back we were pooped. So I will do another post later today..........

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Today's Flower

Finally I have a hint of colour in the garden, with these two flag irises. The poor things are bruised and battered though, as Friday it poured down all day and on both Friday and Saturday we had gale force winds. I also included the last photo, just to prove to you and myself, that eventually there will be a number of tulips flowering in the front garden........eventually!!!

I have no idea why the first three photo's all have their corners cut of....strange?






For more Today's Flower photo's please click on this link

Saturday, a busy day around here......

As you read this on Sunday, we will be up north celebrating ds birthday. Its a long day for us but enjoyable, as we get to spend some time with ds.

We finally got a lawn tractor purchased, we bought this one. It never goes on sale, but this weekend at Sears they had a save 5% GST (tax) on things, so we ended up getting a 5% discount which is better than nothing. We are having it delivered on May 6th to the new house, so that's good. I know its not the best one, but its what we could afford, and we haven't seen a second hand one that we like.

We spent the morning doing more packing and clearing out. Plus dh did maintenance work on the pressure washer, lawn mower and whipper snipper (cuts edges of grass.)

In the afternoon I popped down to the grocery store to pick up some odds and ends. When I drove into the parking lot there was a police cruiser parked outside the front door, with its door's and trunk (boot) wide open and all the lights flashing. So of course my first thought is, now what!!! Anyhow the closer I got, all I could hear was loud music, it was music from Grease. So figured it couldn't be anything too drastic. What it was they were filling a cruiser with food for the food bank. So I picked up some lentils, cereal and pudding snacks for them. They gave you a list of what they were looking for.

Now one thing they were looking for was baby food and cereal. As you probably know my guys are too old for baby food, so can't say I am familiar with the prices etc. I was shocked though when I walked down the baby food aisles to find that a small jar of baby food was 77 cents, a larger jar was 99 cents. Baby milk powder was $25 a can. That is very expensive, add to that your diapers and all the other things babies need and it all adds up.

I did breast feed ds for around 10 days and gave up. Didn't even bother with dd and she was on solids at six weeks old, as we couldn't keep her full. I did use baby cereal and the odd jar of food, but I remember making my own pureed peas and carrots, or apple sauce etc. I still do make my own apple sauce for dh's lunches. I pick up the reduced apples 6 for 99 cents and cook and puree them myself.

We had cloth diapers for both kids and it didn't do them any harm. I suppose today is all about convenience isn't it?

Hotel Stay

First of all thank you for all your birthday wishes.  Each and every one of them was greatly appreciated.  The kids bought me/us an overnigh...