Friday, April 29, 2011

Proud to be British born today........

The wedding was just beautiful.  The couple looked so happy and in love.  The dress was lovely, very classic and not over the top.  Loved Pippa's (maid of honours) dress as well, again very classic and classy.

The little ones were so cute.  The amount of organization going into this ceremony must be overwhelming, but it seemed to go without a hitch.

So pleased that the weather was lovely and it stayed dry for them.  Had a tear in my eye during the actual ceremony and when they played the National Anthem it was such a proud moment for all in Britain.

I ended up watching CNN and CTV for the coverage.  I found CNN to be better as it had Piers Morgan on there and he knows his stuff about Britain. 

I had no desire to be there, but was glad to watch it on the tv and I think this was the boost both the country and the Royal family needed..........

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Update on "the fire," and being a "ninny"

So "my" fire made front page headlines in our local paper; gosh it must have been a quiet week around here!  If 50 people read our local paper I would be shocked, infact I must ask the lady next time I see her at church how many people subscribe to it.  It's only by online or you can pick up a copy in the local store I think for 25 cents.  Along with the headline news, was my letter to the editor thanking the emergency services for their promptness and efficiency and warning people about putting out ashes that aren't fully "out."

The editor of the newspaper is in the fundraising department of the local volunteer fire department.  I wonder if he remembers my short note I included with my donation about not wanting their yearly calendar as it is too depressing with all the accident scenes on it?  Must try and remember to drop off a donation at the fire hall in lieu of them sending me a bill for Monday's trip out to our house!!!

Also, got a note on Facebook from my cousin calling me a "NINNY," regarding the fire.    Now I must say I had to stop and think for a second what the word ninny meant, as it's years since I had heard of that expression.  It means "IDIOT," and is a very British expression.  It's obviously not an expression we use, as even dd hadn't heard of it, and she talks to her Nana in Britain a lot along with her grandparents over here and they don't use that expression.

Must admit though I rather like the word "NINNY," as it makes it sound a bit nicer that calling people an idiot.  I have a habit of calling people a "TWEET," instead of an idiot, as I think that softens the expression slightly, and they are not as offended when you call them that.  Mind you half the time folk don't know what you mean anyhow!!!  Oh the joy of using British expressions in a foreign country!!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bits and bobs, plus the Royal Wedding.....

was pooped yesterday when I got home from work.  I had a terrible headache and the drive home was miserable with the rain and the fog.  So after supper other than doing a load of laundry I sat down in front of the tv and just vegged out.

Molly let me sleep until after 6:30am this morning, so I feel a bit better, plus my headache has gone.

Have a few things to do today and one of them is to go into town to get my hair cut.  The girl who cut it last time did a poor job and I don't like it.  It's my own fault, as I refuse to pay full price at a regular hairdressers and go to a discount chain place, so I guess its a case of you get what you pay for.  Anyhow one side of my hair is pouffy and it is driving me potty. 

While in town though I have to get gas for the car and call in at an upholstery place to see about getting the window seat cushion made, as I want it all piped etc, and I know I am not skilled enough to do a professional looking job.

The daily poll question on Swagbucks this morning, was will you be watching the Royal Wedding.  Now this is a USA based company and 50% of the people answered no.  I find the people in the States are not "into" the Royal family as much as we are in Canada, which I find interesting.  I of course will be up at the crack of dawn to watch it.  I am thinking around 4:30 am will be soon enough.  Not sure which channel though will be the best coverage?  Any ideas?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

A bit of excitement at the Acreage.......

Around 4:30pm on Monday I was in the kitchen when I popped my head into the family room and saw what I first thought was fog outside the window.   It turned out to be smoke and we had a grass fire out the back.

I had put what I thought was cold ashes out by the fence line a couple of days ago and they couldn't have been cold, and must have been smoldering, before the wind caught it and started the fire.  It was too much for us to handle so we had to call out the fire department.  They were hear in just a few minutes and had it out in no time flat.

All in all three fire vehicles arrived, along with various other cars and trucks as it is a volunteer fire department.  Two OPP police officers in their cruisers and an ambulance..........not sure why the ambulance came???

These photos were taken after the fact:



That truck below carried a large four wheeler quad vehicle with a big water tank on the back, that went into the field........
Here is where the fire did the damage in the field.


Our property wasn't badly burnt the damage was basically to the field behind us.
I popped over to the neighbours to apologise for burning down their field.  They weren't upset, as that field isn't used for anything. Infact no doubt the grass will grow like crazy now!!

We were fortunate as there was very little wind and it was blowing away from the house.  Also the police didn't charge me with burning down a field, as they could have and also fine me$300.  Told then to put me in jail for the night, as I could do with a decent nights sleep!!!  When dh wandered over to talk to them even he told them to take me away for the night..............which I thought was charming!!!

Lets hope today is a bit quieter.....I'm off to work for the day.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Beautiful sunset.


Although Saturday started out as just plain bloody miserable, with rain and fog it turned out to be a gorgeous day.  I think it got up to 20 oC, so no wonder people are sick, with the weather going from hot and cold overnight.

Talking of sick people, you'll be pleased to know I am going to live!!!  Still not well, but I can actually see light at the end of the tunnel.  I have discovered  Buckley's Caplet's and they seem to be working a charm.  I actually got a good nights sleep on Friday night.

Poor dh is struggling with his CPAP machine/mask.  He had another overnight sleep study and they turned his machine up from 9 to 12; since then he has been struggling.   We are now looking into the Mirage Liberty mask to see if that would work, as he is struggling to keep his mouth shut............and that is why this would be no use at all for me!!!!!  He needs the machine turned up that high for it to work properly on him.  So I need to ring around next week to see where I can find this mask without importing it from the States and it costing a fortune in shipping and duties..........

I must be feeling a bit better as I really want to get out and about in the garden, however our forecast is for rain all week, so don't think I will get anything much done for a couple more weeks.  I hope to get caught up with all your blogs over the next few days as well.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

A couple of dreams and what they mean.

Like all of you I dream most nights, but most of the time never remember what I dreamt about.  However on Thursday night/Friday morning I had a couple of dreams that I can actually remember.  One I figured out what it meant, the other one not so sure.

Dream number one:

I was in Britain, don't remember who with, but I was taking photos of spring flowers, but couldn't get the focus right on the camera.

Meaning: Well I talk to my mother in Britain a couple times a week, and I know she has been saying how nice the weather is, so I am guessing I want to be somewhere were it is warm and the flowers are blooming?  Am I right?

Dream number two:

I was in the subway and had a bottle of pennies that I was trying to feed the machine so I could get a token to go on the subway.  However I couldn't get it to work, so had to go to the person working there to see if they could do it for me.  For some reason it cost 57 pence, again British money to purchase a token?

Anyhow, the train was on one side of the tracks and I had to wait for it to come around the corner so I could get on it.  My cousin "C" was there and she was getting herbs and garlic in the Subway???  I finally got on it with someone else, but don't know if it was dd or my cousin "W."  I woke up at that point.

Now for my cousins to be there was strange, but the three of us have just all been contacted to one another through Facebook, so maybe that is why I thinking about them?  No idea what the garlic and herbs "C" was going to get????  It would make sense to have dd with me on the Subway, as that would be normal, as when I get on the Subway I lose all sense of direction and she wouldn't trust me to be by myself.

Why I thought it would be 57 pence I have no idea, I just remember the person giving me a 50 pence piece and 7 pennies.  We don't have a 50 cent piece in Canada, so that confused me as well.  Also cousin "C" lives in Canada, whereas cousin "W" lives in England.

Love to hear what you think..............

Friday, April 22, 2011

Second day of work.....

Called in sick!!!  I did however offer to go in and cough all over them!!!  Just not well, and then to add to the fact it bloody freezing cold.  The snow plow went by in the morning, sanding the road as they must have been slippery.  We had a sprinkling of snow on Thursday morning and kept getting bands of snow coming in from the lake.  Luckily it didn't lay though.


I've fallen in love with this song:





Granted it has been out for a long while.......but I am just hearing about it now!!!

Spent the day in front of the tv on Thursday and was still tired.  Dh is working today, so will be spending a quiet day by myself.

Hope you have a lovely Easter.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

"The Watcher, " and a blah day.....

The Watcher ~ by Sara Davison




"Kathryn Ellison’s life is nearly cut short when she is abducted and brutally assaulted in a case of mistaken identity. A mysterious light saves her life as one would-be killer flees and the other lets her go. When she meets Nick Lawson, the brother of the intended victim, at the courthouse, they both know they are meant to be together. The timing is not right, though, as Kathryn needs time to heal before she can be with anyone, especially a man who reminds her of everything that happened. Twenty years later, when Nick shows up at her door again, Kathryn realizes she needs to finally close all the doors she has left open and asks for some time. Over the next six days, she burns the letters she received from one of the men who abducted her, lets go of her first love, and faces a growing threat – the other man involved still considers that unfinished business and is coming back to finish the job he started. The Watcher is a story about understanding what one needs to hold on to in life, what one has to let go, and the unseen forces that help along the way.  
Copyright © 2010 Sara Davison"

This book is really interesting, because it's narrated by a "person/thing" that you have no idea who it is.  I guessed numerous times and each time I was wrong, it's not until the very end you get to know who it is.

It does take a while to really get into the book, but it really is worth persevering, as you will not be disappointed.  You may end up guessing the odd thing but the story is complex enough you never quite know what will happen next.  It's one of those books where you do have to concentrate on what is going on, as there are many layers to the story which all relate to one another.

I know I couldn't figure out why one character was in the book until closer to the end when their part of the story was told.

Stars out of 5: A very solid 4.  The only thing that let it down was the beginning, as it wasn't an easy story to get immersed into.  However when you get past that point its well worth the read.


"Book has been provided courtesy of Word Alive Press and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available now from your favourite bookseller."


It was a blah day on Wednesday with rain and fog for most of the day.  I just didn't feel well at all, and I even had the fire on in the morning and wore a thick sweatshirt all day, so I must be sick as I never feel the cold.  I actually must be really sick as the kids were coming up Easter Sunday and I called and cancelled, as I have very little energy and I don't want them picking up what I have.

This is so unlike me to get a ear/nose and throat thing again so soon after the last dose I got.  I must be run down or something?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Good news, bad news......

Good News - I am back to work two days per week.  Tuesday's and Thursday's at my old work.  They are busy and I need the money.....I wonder what for!!! Yep, the wedding.

Bad News - "They," not sure who "they" are, are saying that by Summer the price of our gas/petrol will be up to $1.50 per litre.  So they will make a bigger ding in what I earn as it's an hour's commute for me to work.

Bad News - I have an ear, nose and throat thing going on.  It's actually more of an ear and throat thing.  So I am topping myself up with Buckley's to try and prevent it from getting worse.

Good News - Due to the fact I can only concentrate on one ailment at a time, my tooth isn't bothering me as much.  We'll see what happens when the head cold thing clears up...........

Bad News - The weather sucks........I mean it really sucks.  As I am typing this on Tuesday night around 8pm it's bloody well snowing again.........

Good News - Nothing in it's right mind wants to grow in this weather, including the grass!!!  Which means I won't be cutting grass any time soon!!!

Bad News - I am going to have to cancel the installation of the attic carpet and push it back a couple of weeks, as we have run into a couple issues with the attic, the latest is that the half wall has a bow in it making it impossible to put the wood on the top of it like we had hoped {SIGH}

Good News - With that happening, I am not as stressed trying to figure out when I will have time to decorate it, which is a blessing as I feel about as much like decorating as flying to the moon.......

Bad News - When I was in the city last week I passed the Lindt store and HAD to buy a big bag of chocolate, as I thought it may go off if I didn't buy it.

Good News - The 10 pounds I put on eating all the chocolate I lost when I shaved my legs.......YEAH!!!!!

Notice how I was creative with the blue for bad news words and the red for the good news words, isn't it amazing just how creative I can be.........LOL!!!!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The new T-Mobile Royal Wedding video

I first saw it over at Karine's blog.  I had to watch it a couple of times to click who was who.




I had another whining session with the post office on Monday, with the supervisor of the area, as I am well and truly fed up with it all.  This time my Bell Canada bill didn't come in until the 15th, and it was due on the 13th.  Why you ask; well Bell Canada didn't put RR #1 on it and the mailing address city.  They did however have the correct emergency number, street address, and postal code, but they had no idea where to deliver it too.  Now if you think that Bell Canada changed my address on me, no it's the same address they have used for the past couple of years???  There was writing all over the envelope that is how I know they didn't know where to deliver it to.

It's just plain bloody stupidity.  I get a local newspaper delivered via the mail, it took TWO and a HALF weeks for it to come, we live 20 minutes away from the place.  Who wants a newspaper that is 2 1/2 weeks old???

I could go on and on but honestly it is not worth my time and energy.  This guy reckons he'll monitor my mail, no idea how, and go from there.  As I pointed out to him, the letter he sent around to RR #1 when we got the new postal lady was to be patient as there will be teething problems until she gets settled into the route.  It's been 16 bloody months.........when will she be "settled" into her route????

Monday, April 18, 2011

First time making spaghetti/tomato sauce from scratch....

I had a big bag of tomatoes in the freezer from last fall, so figured I would attempt to make my own spaghetti sauce.  I softened a couple of sliced red onions and a couple of chopped green peppers in some olive oil, with a couple cloves of minced garlic.  Added my skinned tomatoes, a can of tomatoes as I thought there wasn't enough of my tomatoes.  Five ice cube size portions of tomato paste, salt and pepper, and Italian Seasoning.  I let is simmer for the morning.

I pureed it with a stick blender and voila tomato sauce.




I decided we would have some for lunch.  So I chopped up three slices of bacon finely and finely chopped half a red onion.  Fried them in the pan until they had softened, then added a couple of ladle spoons of sauce and seasoned to taste.  I cooked the bow tie pasta and threw it in the pan to mix it all up.


Sprinkled some parmasan cheese on top and a quick and easy great tasting lunch.

I could eat that every day as it was just so good........I want to try and make fresh pasta next.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Creativ Festival and a new to me recipe........

Went to the Creativ Festival on Saturday.  This one was at the International Centre in Mississauga, and both me and dd thought it wasn't as good as the one at the Convention Centre in Toronto in the Fall.  However we all did very well and I picked up 5 yards of this Amy Butler fabric from the August Fields collection the light was terrible when I took the photo because of the rainy foggy day we were having:
It's for the attic.  Dh has made a window seat so I am going to have a cushion made for the seat to sit on and matching throw cushions.  Plus I want to make a valance for the window as well.  I also got dd a couple of yards of material that she is going to use for the wedding.  All seven yards cost me under $80 which was really, really good.

I was home by lunch time.  Later in the afternoon I made both Raspberry Yogurt Muffins and Strawberry Yogurt Muffins, using this recipe.



Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 carton (6 ounces) raspberry yogurt
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup raspberries


Method

Preheat oven to 400˚F.  Spray, grease or put paper liners in 12 (2 ¾ inch) muffin cups.  In medium mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients.  In small bowl, beat together yogurt, oil and egg.  Stir yogurt mixture and raspberries into dry mixture until almost blended.  Add raspberries and stir until batter is just blended.  Do not overmix.  Spoon into prepared muffin cups.  Bake until nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

As always I made a couple little changes.  Our yogurt comes in 100g cartons, so I used two of them, as I thought the batter was a bit too stiff for me.  I made 9 of each muffins (Raspberry and Strawberry).  If you notice you're only using 1/3 cup of sugar, so I sprinkled around a 1/4 tsp of granulated sugar on each muffin before I put it in the oven to bake.  They only took around 18 minutes, so watch the timing.

Overall really nice.  I have some more yogurt that wants using up and some more strawberries, so I think I may make another batch today.

One of my goals for Sunday is to get around to visiting all your blogs.  I have been super busy lately and haven't had time, sorry......

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Another cold day....

with the wind Friday morning it was minus 17 oC at one stage.  It certainly felt that when I was hanging out the washing.  However it was dry by mid afternoon and as it was sheets and towels they smell so good when I was bringing them in.

Had to put the fire on as well as it was nippy cold.  Didn't burn much wood but enough to take the chill out of the air in the family room.

Dh had to go for an overnight sleep study on Friday night, as a follow up to see if his CPAP machine is doing it's job.  It will be interesting to see what they say.  He has good nights and bad nights with it, so at this point we are not sure if it is making any difference at all.

I am out and about for part of the day today, as I am going to the Creativ Festival with dd and her maid of honour this morning.  Had the tickets for ages, so will report back tomorrow how it went.  Don't have much in the way of money to spend, but can still enjoy seeing what products there are out there.

Enjoy your Saturday and hope it's warmer than here where you live!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

It was a "flaps down" type of day...

on Thursday, as the wind was bitter outside.  So out came the John Deere hat with the flaps down to protect my ears.



Also guess who woke up and decided to do some work after the long winter.  Mind you the tractor did cough and splutter to start with but once it got going all was fine.

The tractor and trailer were kept busy raking up the fallen leaves and branches under the willow tree by the entrance to the driveway.  By the end of it all the firepit was stacked high.
If the wind would die down then I could have a fire to burn it all.  Mind you I don't have a fire permit, so I applied online for that Thursday night.  Should have it by the beginning of next week at the latest.

The raspberries are so overgrown with weeds, I am not sure where to start there.  I think I will tackle a little at a time so not to get overwhelmed with it all.  Now lets pray and hope we get some good weather so I get all the clean up done!!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Got flipping toothache again......

I hope this isn't another round of me visiting the dentist every five minutes!!!  It's been bothering me for a few days now, but haven't thought much about it.  However it isn't going away.  It's one of my upper teeth around the same place I had my root canal done.  Though it can't be that one as it has no nerves left in it?

Then dh has pink eye AGAIN.  It was only in February when he had it last.  He was at the doctors yesterday and he confirmed it was pink eye and the only way he is getting it is from someone else.  There's a manager that has to sign paperwork for dh each week at work who often has it, so we are wondering if it's via him?

Luckily for me and everyone else I haven't got it, as believe me if I had to put drops in my eyes you would all hear about it!!!

Short and sweet today as I have nothing to talk about for a change!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Out for a walk......

Me and Molly went to visit the horses yesterday afternoon.  The farmer has a little pony now, as well as the two Belgians.  Maybe the little one belongs to one of his grandchildren.  Next time I talk to him I'll have to ask.

The Belgians wouldn't come over to the fence to see me and Molly, so this was the best photo I could get.

I did call to see if the farmer was in but he wasn't.  Molly though decided to leave him a gift, she pooped on his lawn {SIGH}  Of course I didn't have a bag with me, so was scratching around looking for some plastic to pick it up and dispose off.  His farm dog was there, it's a boy and he was very interested in Molly, but Molly wasn't overly fussed about him!!

I finally have some flowers in my garden, so Spring MUST be here!!


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

You know when it's windy when....

It only takes half an hour to dry the clothes on the washing line, and that included towels.  We get some blustery winds up here, but Monday's wind was very, very windy.  Our hydro/electricity also went out for a while.  I guess that had to do with the wind also.


It was also humid on Monday, I had to put the de-humidifier on in the basement to clear out the humidity in there. We got up to around 20 oC/68 oF.  It just seems like yesterday that I was complaining about how cold it was.


To answer a question from yesterday, the llama's are all on farms.

As you know I am a member of Swagbucks.  Every day I go to the site and get swagbucks for various things.  You get 1 swagbuck per day for answering the daily poll question.  Today's question was:

Do you wash your hands after using the washroom/toilet?

Can you believe some people answered NO?  I find that hard to believe that people would not wash their hands after using the toilet.  Isn't it something that you were taught from an early age, both male and female?  I can't think of a reason not to wash your hands, can you?

Monday, April 11, 2011

I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants.......

This is so funny........please excuse the language in it though......thanks to Linda for posting it on Facebook





I went to church on Sunday, but between me and you I think God was a bit ticked off with me for not going to church in the last six weeks, as the big claps of thunder over the church while the service was going on was enough to rattle the whole church!!!  So I reckon I had better start going more regularly!!

While out and about over the past few days I have seen a number of turkeys out and about.  All females though no male turkeys.  Did you know the male turkey is called a Tom or gobbler or a cock or a stag (in the UK).  The female turkey is called a hen.  Young turkeys are called poults.  Just thought I'd throw that into the mix.......

I have also seen a few llamas.  I didn't realize how popular llamas are, here is a link about them.  They are cute looking creatures, maybe that's what I should raise on our field?  Went to let Molly outside on Saturday night but we both stopped in our tracks when I opened the patio doors, as it sounded like all hell was breaking loose.  The farm dogs were barking like crazy; the coyotes were howling like crazy and the dogs on the next line were all barking.  The farm has cows so I am hoping that the coyotes didn't take one of the calves?  Told Molly to get a move on, as I wasn't too crazy about hanging about outside.  Never a dull moment around here!!!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Wedding Dress Shopping and a surprise in the mail......

On Saturday we had to go to Downtown Toronto to meet dd and her bridesmaids at the Bridal Store.  As we had never been there before we decided to use Daisy  Daisy is our GPS system.  She never talks to us now we have her voice switched on as all that re-calculating drives me potty.  However thanks to Daisy, we saw parts of Toronto that we had never seen before, as she took us through town, which was awfully nice of her.  However with the traffic and the fact all the people driving in Toronto are colour blind (don't know what a red light is for) and just stop when ever they feel like it, it makes for difficult driving.

We finally got there and as I said before dd and maid of honour had been there before and had scoped out a couple of dresses.  She did try one on that was just plain bloody awful.  It had pick-ups (bridal term!!) that looked as though a three year old had sewn them.  So she tried the two on that she liked and looked lovely in both of them.  However she is having a custom made dress as she is having the skirt off one dress and the top off the other dress, which makes it really easy for me to say I can't show you a photo, as the dress has to be made.

What I can tell you is that it is not white; not sure what to call it but it's an off white/ivory colour.  Dd is so pale that a true white wedding dress would make her look so washed out.  They are making the bodice of the dress "in-house" and shipping in the skirt part.  We were in and out of the store in an hour, can you believe that?  I didn't cry and neither did dh when we saw her in her dress, but she was lovely and we're very proud of her.

After leaving the store the girls went out for lunch and we headed for our next port of call, again with the aid of bloody Daisy, which meant another scenic route through Toronto.  I have to say it sucks when you have no idea where you are going.  Our next destination was to a place called "The Door Store," which is in "the heart of Toronto's Castlefield Design District!!"

We need a floor grate to cover a cold air vent on the floor and I am having a heck of a job finding the right size as it is large.  The one on there at the moment is tacky and dropping to bits, plus it is a modern one.  So I ask to guy to show me them and to cut a long story short it is going to cost $600 plus 13% taxes to buy two to fit the hole.  My reaction, "You've got to be kidding..." No he wasn't!!!  I need a new door that fits properly in the dining room $400+, the period door knobs and lock for the door to match the rest of the ones in the house $165.  Both dh and I decided they were charging Toronto prices!!!  If I can find a guy who does iron work I think I'll get the grate custom made as it has to be cheaper than those prices.

Anyhow, we went to the store across the road called Gingers and Summerhill and once again it was so overpriced......HOWEVER I did find a front door handle and lock set on clearance that we ended up getting as it was a good price and good quality, so all was not lost.

Then it was back to Daisy to get us out of Toronto and back home!!!  So again another tour of the city to get back onto the highway and back to our country home!!!  Driving in the city is a pain!!

I took part in a swap that was held over on this blog  I received my parcel on Friday from Kim and this is what I received:


Wasn't I lucky and what a talented person Kim is.  Luckily for me I don't have to get my parcel to Kim until Easter, as mine isn't quite ready yet.  I will post photos of what I send Kim when she receives hers.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Gardening season and wedding dresses

granted we still have patches of snow on the ground, in places where the sun hasn't been hot enough to melt it, but gardening season is here.  So I decided to take down the snow fences.....so of course that means we can't have anymore snow.  The posts still have to be taken down, but I am not strong enough to do that.


I also started to do a bit of raking and have got a lot of piles of twigs and leaves from round by the willow tree to pick up, but to do that I need to get the tractor and trailer out.  So are you prepared to hear me start and whine about the lawn tractor!!!!  First let's hope I can get it started!!


I think the blasted voles and mice have eaten my daffodil bulbs by my hydrangea bushes which sucks.  There are holes everywhere where I planted them.  I do see the odd bulb popping up in my flower gardens though, so hopefully by the end of the month I will see some spring flowers.

We are going wedding dress shopping this morning.  It should be pretty straight forward, as dd and her maid of honour were "regular" shopping a couple of weeks ago and stumbled upon this store and decided to pop in.  She ended up trying a few dresses on then, and has basically made up her mind what she wants.  She wants to try a couple more on just to make sure though.  So this time she has an appointment.  Her dad and I along with the bridesmaids are going.  Mind you she is "late" ordering her dress as it takes six months to get her dress and another two months for alterations.  No idea why it should take that length of time?  If anyone is "into" wedding dresses maybe you could fill us all in.  Otherwise I will ask the lady about it in the store today.  For those of you in North America, I wonder if it will be a " Say Yes To The Dress," moment?

Will report back tomorrow about our experiences........

Friday, April 8, 2011

Not feeling 100% at the moment.....

my poor shoulders are hurting me again, especially the right one.  When I was at the doctors last we talked about getting both of my hands x-rayed again as the carpal tunnel is back in both hands, again more on my right side.  I had the carpal tunnel operated on the right hand back in 2002.  Thought it was a once only operation, but I guess not.

Was just looking through Wag-Jag again this morning and picked up a restaurant deal for $10.  It's an Italian restaurant and I love Italian food.  There is also a deal for 4 hours of gardening for $69 which I may get, as I will get them to do the hard work for me, saving my shoulder and back.  If anyone wants to sign up for Wag Jag here is my referral link  I would really appreciate it if you would sign up through me.  There really are some great deals on there.

Mind you I think I am going to have a problem with my veggie patch this year as we still have our resident rabbit, so you know where he/she will be feeding from!!!  So I am going to have to figure out a way of rabbit proofing the veggie patch.

We saw the coyote again yesterday morning, but as yet haven't seen it this morning.  Spoke to both my dad and farmer friend about it, and both said shoot it............my response, "I don't think so!!"  I think both of the guys think I am potty, but I have never held a gun and have never shot anything and I am not going to start now!!

Short and sweet this morning, as I have a bit to do today.

Enjoy your Friday,

Gill

Thursday, April 7, 2011

It's coming up to that time of year again....

when we go to the Station Gallery in Whitby for the fund raiser and in turn we get to pick out a painting.  We went last year and I wrote about it here and here.  It doesn't happen until the end of the month, which is just as well as this year I think I am going to have a hard time narrowing down my selections, as there is more that I like this year.  Here is a link to the ones for this year, are there any that you would go for?  I am a floral/landscape type of gal, and prefer watercolours over oils.  As always the sculptures leave a lot to be desired, so hopefully they will all go in a flash as we wouldn't appreciate them. 

I am hoping there is the chocolate display again, as they were yummy last year.........I know I am supposed to be on a diet!!!

Molly had a busy morning as first we had a coyote in the back garden quite close to the deck.  It was the closest one has been to the house.  Molly went crazy, thank goodness she was in the house.  She had only just come back in from outside.  I do not like them coming that close to the house.  Then a rabbit turned up by the shed, so that kept her out of mischief for ages watching that.  All the time she was wagging her tale.  Then she went downstairs into the basement where a chipmunk was sitting outside beside the patio door eating bird seed.  Obviously that drove Molly crazy.  So with all that activity she had to have a rest....


She looks comfortable doesn't she!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

No more snow until December 2011.....

How do I know that.....well I changed the tires on the car, from my Winter tires to my Summer tires.  So it can't snow until I get the Winter tires back on in December.

Now I must admit, I do find going to the garage quite stressful, as it's not knowing what else could be wrong with the car, and if they do find something wrong with it, how much is it going to cost.

Tuesday I took it for a Spring tune up which includes changing the oil and changing my tires.  I sure it includes other things, but I have no idea what.  I know pretty sad, but I totally trust them, which is a good thing.

Anyhow, they came back with me needing to have my ball joints changed.  They may as well have told me I needed to fly to the moon, for what that meant.  Anyhow after much explaining they are like the hip joints for a car, so I need to have that seen too but it will have to wait until next month, as it's over $500 to have them fixed.

I also need some more things to be done, but again that will have to wait for a couple more months.  All these things are due to the age of the car, as it is nearly nine years old, but as it only has just over 117,000 km's on the clock I have no desire to change it.

Do you know a lot about your car?  Are you mechanically adept?

It was bitter cold on Tuesday.  When I hung out the laundry on the line it immediately froze.  However I did manage to get the laundry dry outside and just hung it on the clothes horse to air in front of the fire.

I haven't been able to get upstairs in the attic this week yet, so am hoping that today will be the day to get some jobs done in there.  Namely sanding the nail holes I filled with putty, and then hopefully painting a primer on all of it.  Dh is busy building a window seat in the attic, so we will have storage under it.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

A Dogs Diary vs a Cats Diary.....


Linda a dear friend had this posted on Facebook, so I thought I would share it with you.
 
‎8:00 am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favourite!
9:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favourite!
9:40 am - Oh Boy! A walk! My favourite!
10:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride! My favourite!
11:30 am - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favourite!
...12:00 noon - Oh Boy! The kids! My favourite!
1:00 pm - Oh Boy! The yard! My favourite!
4:00 pm - Oh Boy! The kids! My favourite!
5:00 pm - Oh Boy! Dog food! My favourite!
5:30 pm - Oh Boy! Mom! My favourite!
6:00 pm - Oh Boy! Playing ball! My favourite!
6:30 pm - Oh Boy! Sleeping in master's bed! My favourite!

EXCERPTS FROM THE CAT'S DAILY DIARY:

Day 283 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Cretins!* There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

Monday, April 4, 2011

Ds birthday and a book review

It's ds birthday today, he is the grand old age of 27 today.  We went out for lunch with him and dd and fiance on Sunday, to a place in Barrie called Big Chris BBQ Smokehouse Now I have to say we all walked out of that place stuffed to the gills.  We all had the half pulled pork sandwich with fries, baked beans and coleslaw.  There was no way we could have eaten the full pork sandwich as there was so much food.  I of course forgot to take my camera but there are some photos here of the food.

They also have something called the Ultimate Dirty Burger. 
 "Last Friday of the month we dare you to eat the ultimate DIRTY BURGER!!!!! .. Its 7,,, yes that's SEVEN lbs of prime rib burger so six 8oz prime rib patties,cause we only use the biggest and the best, 2lbs of of our finest pulled pork covered with a poutine in a 12 inch bun of goodness.. Oh YA each patty is covered in Medium Cheddar and at least three strips of bacon per pattie.( do the math )..As far as we know its is the biggest best and BADDEST burger in all of CANADA.. It is SIX of our normal dirty burgers and of course 3 of our double dirty's..NO ONE has a burger like this and so far, and as of today, It is UNDEFEATED.....( closest to finish,,, left 1.5lbs on the table ...thanks Randy)...See you next month ..Only for the brave..lol.. PS.. you have to finish it in a hour..good luck "

If you are ever travelling up or down Highway 400 it is only five minutes off the highway, if that.  I would like to try the chicken next time, as I did find the pork not as tender as I would have liked, but it was good.  As it was ds birthday they brought over a corn bread muffin with a candle stuck in it, so we could sing happy birthday to him.  Dd also brought us mini cheesecakes as a dessert.  She called ahead to see if that was alright, as there are no desserts on the menu.

Ds discovered it when he was doing an audit at a company close by and has been a few times with his friends.  It is very well priced and no one leaves the place hungry.  We went for opening for 12 noon and including us there was 17 people there during the first hour, so its pretty popular.

After we left there we popped into Tim Hortons for a coffee.   I actually had one of their new fruit smoothies, I just love them.  I am also in love with the strawberry banana doughnuts, and the sooner they take them off the menu the better, other wise I will be the size of a house soon!!!

"Lady in the Mist," by Laurie Alice Eakes

"By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, why he, a British aristocrat, is on American soil working as an indentured servant.

In a time when relations between America and England rest on the edge of a knife, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths, leading them on a journey of intrigue, threats, public disgrace, and . . . love. But can Tabitha trust Dominick? Finding true love seems impossible in a world set against them.

With stirring writing that draws you directly into the story, Lady in the Mist takes you on the thrilling ride of love's discovery."

Well I have to say I enjoyed this book despite it not being an easy read.  I found it a bit slow to get into, but when I did I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  The love story  is such that you are not sure if they will or will not get together, right up until the end.  Also I liked the mystery side of the book, as for once I didn't guess "who did it," which is always a plus.  I also liked the fact there could be a sequel to this book....infact I hope there is a sequel as there is a lot more that can be told from this book.

I loved the history of the book and I loved that I learned new things in this book.

Stars out of 5: a resounding 4.  It was a bit of a slow start but once it got going it was good.  A good book to buy, or to borrow from the library.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Spring might just be here......at long last!!

Why, well I got my first load of laundry hung outside to dry on Friday. Love the smell of line dried sheets.


As you can see our main log pile has nearly gone.  There are extra logs around the corner, but it looks like we have burned at least 3 bush cords of wood this year.  We actually didn't light the fire on Friday as I was out until 3pm, and we had to leave the house by 6pm to go to a visitation, so it wasn't worth while lighting the fire.


Mind you there is still some of this white stuff hanging around!!!  We are in for a wet day on Monday, so hopefully we'll see the back of it then!!  Although I haven't been out to check on them, it looks as though the raspberries have survived the winter.......remember I have 100 pots of raspberry jam to make as wedding favours this summer, so they had better be alright!!!




Have you heard of Amanda Marigold?  Well that's the name of a new blog created by our own dear Star, as an outlet for her writing.  She has a new e-book published on Amazon called "Murder In The School."  Pop by and wish her luck if you have a minute.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Some good deals.......

I had to go to Barrie on Friday as I sold the range hood/extractor fan that I had listed on Kijiji, no interest in my lights though :o( .  The woman that bought it lived in Orillia so I agreed to meet her half way in Barrie, as I had a couple of errands to run there.  Anyhow, very pleased got $25 for it which paid half of what it cost to fill my car with gas :o( 

I called in a the dreaded Wal-Mart while I was there as I had to get a new hairdryer, as mine went pop and sparks flew.  Turned out the wire broke and as I didn't want a perm decided to throw it out.  Paid a whopping $14 for a new one, as with the amount of hair I have it takes all of five minutes to dry. For those near the dreaded Wal-Mart they have all the Swiffer products on sale at a great price........

Called in at Michaels as dd wanted some more glass votive holders for the centre pieces for the wedding and had cleaned out her store.  Can't say anymore.......did use a 25% off coupon so saved a little money there.

On the way home I called in at Zehrs and I got some great deals.  How much do you think I paid for that little lot below?

Well if you guessed $38.08, then you are a mind reader and can you tell me the winning numbers of the lottery as well!!!!

I picked up:

1 x tub icecream $3.99
1 x 8 pack cheese strings $2.99, dh loves them
2 x cans peas @ 84 cents each
2 x chips/crisps, both dh and Molly love those......don't ask.....it's not me that feeds her them!
Deli meat for dh's sandwiches for a total of $5.35, luckily for me dh loves the cheap meat!!
1 x 8 pack hamburger buns $1.99
1 x loaf bread $1.99
1 x margarine $1.99
3 x Hair Dye @ $2.94 each, yes I am back to bloody well dying my hair again!  It was "suggested/mentioned" that maybe I should dye my hair for the wedding.......enough said
1 x 4 pack Olay soap $4.64
2 x 2 pack Olay soap @ $2.34 each
1 x fully cooked chicken @ $6.99 - 50% = $3.49 can't beat that price.
4 x Old Spice body wash @ $2.34 - 50% = $1.17 - $1.00 coupon = 17 cents

I had a pile of coupons which meant the hair dye came out to around $1.00 a box, and the 8 bars of soap cost around $3 for all 8 bars I think.  Couldn't get over the body wash price though, and am going to put it in ds birthday bag, along with the other body wash and deodarant I got him!!!  Don't worry his main gift is money.  However I did get him a gift certificate for two hours of bowling for 4 people through Wag-Jag and paid only $14 for that for him.

I have put the Wag-Jag link on the bottom of the blog as I have to say that there are some great deals on there, and for a lot of good things. 

Friday, April 1, 2011

A blast from the past and more carnival glass





The reason I am psoting them, is that I see Top of The Pops is coming back on the air in Britain starting with programmes that were first aired in 1976, which will be neat.


Here is a really funny site: Awkward Family Photos..........which should be renamed....."What were they thinking!!"


This is another song by The Wurzels,





Eddie Stobart is one of the biggest trucking companies in Britain, and is from where we come from in England.  My brother drives for them.  I noticed that some of the trucks have names, I must ask my brother if his truck has a name next time I talk to him.

On Thursday I went to town as the fumes in the house were horrible and my poor head was pounding.  Anyhow, I had a look around a couple of stores and I picked up this carnival glass Blackberry Marigold  Two Row Open-Edge Ruffled Basket for $10.  It's worth between $35 to $45.
There looks as though there is a scratch on the base, but it's part of the firing process.

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...