Online Auction...........

I have had a super busy week and now I have set up an online auction on my Facebook page Appleby Lane for the weekend.  It started last night and ends on Sunday night at 6:30 pm EST.  Everything listed is at least 50% off, so some great deals to be had.  Here is a link to the site

I plan on catching you all up on what has been happening.  Which will include the weather, bathroom renovations (it's finished😄), visit to the hospital and lots of other things!!

Have a super weekend, you'll know where I will be.....on Facebook!!

Just a warning swear word fabric will be shown!!

I had an order for a toiletry/wash bag the other day, so I made a couple of extra ones for the shop.  Thought I'd share with you the fabric choices.  Both bags have a laminated cotton lining, so waterproof that I get from Dailylike Canada.  Very high quality fabric and well worth the money.

I fell in love with this fabric when I saw it, but didn't have any idea what I was going to make with it.  Just love how it all worked out, reminds me of the 1920's.

Now this one has swear words on it and says, "Where's My F**king Wine!"  Would be perfect for that wine lover in the family.  They both sell for $25 each, plus shipping if needed.  For more swear word fabric products click on this link.  I will be making more products using the fabric.

This is the one I made for a custom order.  The Llama fabric is so flipping cute, don't you think.

I also make all the zipper pulls myself.  So after not doing much sewing for the past month, I am back into it again.

If you want to see what else I make please click on this link for Appleby Lane.

Finally a make for me..........

Since we got our new dining room table and chairs I wanted a new table runner; as our old one was way too long.  I saw this Robin Pickens fabric for Moda and fell in love with it.  It's called Sweet Pea and Lily.  The pale green solid fabric is a Kona solid.  It is ages since I have done any quilting, and I know why, it's kills my hands.  Very happy though with the final product; it's 64 inches long by 14 inches wide.

 The back is the large floral pattern, the binding is the butterfly pattern.

Dealing with bills that spiral upwards, and upwards........

Got our Rogers bill in and it was over $60 more 😮than the prior month because the "promotional prices" they had applied to the account had all expired........

I HATE, HATE, HATE having to deal with this sort of thing.  Now "this sort of thing" involves our internet, home phone (yes we are old fashioned and still have a landline) and tv bill.  My cell phone bill is in place until the end of November of this year.

So I call Rogers and go through everything with the guy and after explaining I want the same service but back at the other price, he put me on hold, and never came back?????

Finally someone else in Halifax (east coast of Canada) picks up and we are back to square one.  No he cannot transfer me back to the guy in Toronto; he will deal with it {{{SIGH}}}  The only good thing about him picking up the call, is I do not have to go all over my info again as at least the first guy had put in my notes he had verified all my information.

After 46 minutes, yes I said 46 LONG, LONG MINUTES...........my bill will still be $30 per month more expensive.  That is the best they can do.  😠

So now what do I do?  I have no idea at this point.  We could reduce our tv channels I guess and go down to the basic?  Otherwise I don't want to touch the rest of our services, as we use them and need them.

I need to look into ways of reducing this bill as now we are paying just under $310 for the tv, internet, home phone and my cell phone.  We also pay for Netflix and I think that is $13.99 a month and we pay for an internet sports package which is $152 a year (saved a lot by paying for it yearly Dzan .  So all in all, we pay around $335 for everything per month.

2nd best country in the world to live.........

Canada.

We were beaten by Switzerland.  I think it's the best country in the world, until I have had to shovel snow 7 days in a row, then not so much!!😒  

See where the country you live in ranks by clicking on this link.

Batten Down the Hatches........

Looks like we are in for a nasty ice storm on Saturday and Sunday.

(image credit)

I so hope they get this wrong, but I don't think so.  Here is a link to an article about preparing for an ice storm.

Pillow and sheets....

In all the flyers it seems as though it's the time of year to replace your linens in your home.  I googled it and the best time of year to buy them is January/February.

All of this works out well for me, as I have been suffering with chronic neck pain and knew it was time to replace my pillow.  As per this article you should replace your pillow every couple of years.  When I went to look for a pillows I was overwhelmed with the choices, so had to narrow down what I needed in a pillow.  The one I had was this type of pillow:

It wasn't working for me anymore, so I decided to go a different route.  Here is what I needed in a pillow:

• It had to be firm, I like a bit of body in my pillow.
• I suffer from hot flashes, so having the cooling gel in it was a priority
• I did not want to spend over $100 on a pillow

I was shocked to say the least at the price of some of the pillows I was looking at, but couldn't justify paying over $100 for a pillow, despite the fact I am desperate for a decent nights sleep.

After looking around for the past couple of weeks, I stumbled upon this one from Bed, Bath and Beyond and best of all it had 20% off the price:

You can read more about it here.  I woke up after my first night sleeping on it, without neck pain.........YEAH!!  It's a bit stiff but overall I am happy with it.  If you are looking for a pillow with similar features, this one may be worth a try?

I was in Home Hardware of all places the other day and I stumbled upon a display of microfibre sheet sets.  They were only $19.99 a set; so I picked up two sets.

Now I personally think that cotton sheets are the most cooling fabric to sleep on.  Whereas microfibre sheets are a warmer fabric to sleep on; and due to the fact that hubby finds it cold in our bedroom, it's the least I can do is buy the sheets that feel warmer.  

Also the microfibre sheets are easier to look after, and dry faster and don't need ironing!!  Which I think is a major bonus.  We have been using these types of sheets for a few years now and love them for their durability and price.  

I also saw similar sheet sets in Canadian Tire for the same price as well.  The ladies in Home Hardware were saying they had all bought multiple sets, and why not at that price?

Do you prefer cotton sheets over other fabric?

Not sure how I feel about this?

One of the latest headlines on Wednesday is that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are "stepping back" from their royal roles.

(image credit)

Now as I am not an "insider" to their life nor do I know them personally really I have no say in what they do or how they lead their lives.  However as a tax payer in the country of Canada and a citizen of both Canada and the UK, I do have a vested interest in how tax payer money is spent.

They want to be financially independent, which is all fair and good, but because of who they are they need 24 hour protection and regardless of whether they decide to live in the UK or in North America, someone has to pay for that, at a cost as per the newspaper article below of over $1 million per year.  

At the end of the day, Prince Harry was born into a royal family, he is expected to work for the "firm," whether he likes it or not.  Megan knew this when she married him, so it can't have come as a surprise to her.  They both have a good heart I am quite sure.  Both want to do charitable works; all very admirable.  But at the end of the day, he was born into the royal family, he is the brother of the future king and needs to step up and do what is expected of him.  

They may not like it; but the more they fight the situation the more peed off the general public are going to be.  The more secretive they are, and the more they hide from the press and general public, the more interested everyone is going be, it's human nature.  I am not sure who is advising them about dealing with the public, but they seem to be going about it all wrong.

With Megan working in entertainment she is not daft when it comes to publicity.  So all this commotion they are causing with this stepping back and not wanting to deal with the public and press, is a great way of pushing their image to the forefront.  

I hope at the end of the day, that they get to live their lives how they want; but you can't court publicity on one hand and then spurn public interest on the other hand.  It doesn't work like that......just saying.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7865387/How-life-Prince-Harry-Meghan-Markle-look-renounce-HRH-titles.html

New Restaurant..........

When we went to the DIY store this weekend, we noticed a new business had opened close to it.  This one:

I was so excited to think there was a new Vegetarian restaurant opening.  I hadn't heard of this one, so Googled it to see what was on the menu.  

Imagine my surprise to discover it is a Cannabis store😲  So I guess I won't be getting anything to eat there!!

Mind you according to the press blurb they maybe could supply frozen yogurt!!

"One Plant was created as a joint venture between cannabis company Aleafia Health Inc. and the Serruya family, who are best known for creating the Yogen Früz yogurt outlets."

Photos from the UK

Now none of these photos are anything special but all held some meaning for me and I'll explain why.

We travelled through the Yorkshire Dales one day and were reminded constantly how narrow the roads were.  This was one of many tight squeezes on the roads!!  

This is so British I had to take a photo.  The iconic red post/mail box.  This was in Skipton in the market.

 Oh those traffic cones.........miles and miles of them with never a workman in sight.........so familiar; nothing has changed in all these years!!

 This the street our last house in the UK was on.  We are about a third of the way up the hill.  It's as steep as it looks and I made dh park at the bottom of the street.  I was out of puff by the time I walked up to our next door neighbours house.  Yes even after nearly 31 years they are still our next door neighbours.  And you know it was as though we had never been away, we were that comfortable with one another.  We have had many wonderful and some not so wonderful neighbours over the years but I have to say J was the best one ever and we do still write to one another even after all these years.....

No regrets moving to Canada though.  Canada is home and the UK is where we were born.

Nespresso Vertuo Chrome

For Christmas the kids bought me a Nespresso Vertuo Chrome and Aeroccino  I had tried a sample of coffee at Canadian Tire and fell in love with it.  It has a lovely "Froth/Crema" on the top which I enjoy.  I was also lucky they included the Aeroccino with gives me the frothy milk, again which I enjoy.  I got the mug for Christmas, and it's perfect for that lovely big cup of coffee, don't you think?

Part of the package I received with the machine was a sample package of coffee.  When I was looking at it I noticed the package had an expiry date of the end of November.  So I called Nespresso and they sent me another package right away which arrived on January 2nd.

Inside there are 12 different coffee types to try which will give you an idea of what you do or do not like!  Will say great customer service on their behalf.

I will say I was a little surprised at how expensive these pods are, but in the scheme of things they are cheaper than buying a take out coffee, so that's good.  Does anyone else own a Nespresso machine?  Are there any do's or don'ts?

Model Railways and Liam's haircut

Last weekend our local library hosted the local model railway club and they set up a display.  As I had the girls and we always go to the library this was an extra bonus seeing this display.

Unfortunately none of the photos are very good but it will give you an idea of what there was.  I personally know nothing about trains and model railways but do like to watch them.

This display was not child friendly and making sure two sets of hands didn't touch anything; plus making sure they didn't fall off the chairs they were standing on so they could see was not an ideal situation!!

The guys (they were all men) although pleasant were not used to dealing with women and children I think.  I mentioned something and then got a very detailed explanation lasting at least five minutes or more; most of which flew over my head I'm sorry to say.  However it was very kind of them to set up this display for the general public.

I went and got my hair cut on Christmas Eve morning and when I had finished who should be there in the waiting area but Liam and his dad.  As they were next in line I waited with them and helped keep Liam occupied while he was getting his hair cut.  He has had his haircut numerous times, so doesn't scream the place down!!  He has just turned 19 months old.

He's still a red head..............

First Walk of 2020

I went for my first walk on Friday.  It was a balmy 5 oC so figured this was as good a time as any to do some exercise.  I walked round the perimeter of the subdivision three times and it took me around an hour and I walked around 6,500 steps.........though that doesn't seem enough?  Regardless I at least hit the 10,000 steps on Friday for the first time in ages.

I found this on the internet and thought I might give it a try:

I have a goal of losing 15 lbs by the end of February.  I really must try and get off these diabetes pills as they are killing my stomach.  The gas and general overall upset stomach is awful.  I don't know how people put up with it?  I don't think it helps I seem to have inherited my dad's stomach issues.  His dad also had stomach issues, so at least I come by it honestly as they say!!

As we are in January and the brunt of the winter weather will be upon us soon enough I am going to start using the treadmill also when I can't or don't want to get outside, as another way of exercising.

I think I will try this when I am on the treadmill, as this seems doable as well:

Do you have a plan of action for exercising during the winter months?

This is what I bought and why..........

Do you ever wonder why people buy what they have in their grocery carts when you're in the grocery store?  I do, so I thought I'd do a post of what I bought and why when I popped into Zehrs yesterday morning.

When shopping at Zehrs we get points and they are called PC Optimum points.  Those points you can use to pay your groceries among many things.  My goal when going to the store was the pick up the frozen fruit and the crackers, but then I got a deal emailed to me and I could earn another 3,000 points by spending $30.  With the price of groceries I knew that wasn't going to be difficult.  I have lost my receipt but ended up spending just under $32 and earned I think 4,200 points which is worth $4.20.  Below is what I bought (all prices in Canadian Dollars):

 I bought the potatoes as I find it super simple to give either a baked potato or potato wedges to dh with the salad and main we have on a night.  They were on sale for $2.99 for 10lbs.  The Ranch flavoured croutons were $2.79, I like a handful of those on top of my salad sometimes.  The rice krispie squares were on clearance for under $1 per packet and thought I could add one to dh's lunch everyday for a change.  I generally make one quiche per week, and prefer to use a pre made pie shell.  This package of two was $2.99.  The ground turkey in the photo above was on for $3.00  with the 50% off and the Greek flavoured pork loin was on for $4.50 with the 50% off.  Both went into the freezer for future meals.  We eat very little meat, but I thought the pork loin would go well with salad and potatoes and the turkey would make a veggie shepherd's pie with a root vegetable mash on top of it.

 These are the items I wanted in the first place.  I got four packages of rice crackers at $1 per package and the large package of frozen blueberries for $9.99.  I will say I wanted the mixed fruit blend as I like that the best, but there wasn't any.  I like the no name brand the best for frozen fruit and they are normally $11.99 a package, so saved a couple of dollars there.  I use it on my overnight oats.

Everyday for lunch I have half a package of rice crackers, with the small tub of hummus.  I buy the hummus at Wal-Mart and you get 12 small packages for $6.  Dh also takes half a package of crackers and hummus for part of his lunch as well.  I have worked out the difference of buying regular containers of hummus and the smaller ones, and this is a better deal.  I am not a fan of making my own hummus, it never tastes as good.

While I was checking out, I saw another lady buy some Christmas bags and they were only 54 cents each.  That is a good price, so I decided to go and pick some up.  I bought three of the large bear bags and one large llama bag (there were no more larger bags left).

 I bought a 12 pack of Christmas crackers for $4.14 and two each of the medium bags.

All in all 12 git bags and the box of Christmas crackers came to exactly $12.  Very happy with that deal.  I am now sorted for wrapping paper, gift bags and Christmas cards for next year.

So there you are, why I bought what I did!

Just like Hansel and Gretel......

Do you remember the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, where they leave a trail of breadcrumbs so they can find their way home?  You can read the synopsis of the fairy tale here.

Last week the girls came for a sleep over and amongst all the things they brought (they do not travel lightly!!) were their new slippers.  Paige had lovely little bear slippers, which were really cute and Nora brought these ones:

Aren't they gorgeous all furry and glittery.  I thought they were lovely; 24 hours later not so much!!!  This is where Hansel and Gretel comes in, unlike them though there was no trail of breadcrumbs, there was a trail of glitter where Nora had been...........all through the house.  A week later I am still finding glitter.....LOL

We had the following conversation about her slippers:

Nana: "I love your slippers Nora; I wonder where mommy got them?"

Nora: " Mommy didn't bring them, Santa did!"

Nana: "Oh well I guess I won't be able to get them if Santa brought them for you?"

This as Nora wanders off to do her own thing..............

In with 2020.......

Guess that says it all, and onwards we march into the 2020's.  Not sure about you, but I remember all the hype about going from 1999 into 2000.  Everything was going to crash and nothing would work.......but 2000 arrived and everything was fine.  I hope going into the 2020's it will be the same.

We will all be a little older, but with age I hope comes wisdom, so hopefully we're all a little wiser.

Our plans for this year are all still a little sketchy, but do have a couple of things we want to achieve.

House: finish renovating the downstairs bathroom.................that was only supposed to be a titivate the downstairs bathroom job, that has spiraled out of control...........more on that when it is all finished.

Titivate the upstairs bathroom.............HOWEVER...........after our experience with the downstairs bathroom I am truly afraid it will turn out to be a bigger job than we initially thought.  Also unlike the downstairs bathroom, I can't won't have it in an uproar for weeks on end........so hubby may have to take a week off to get the job done faster.

We will probably do other things around the house, but nothing planned yet.

Health: I must exercise more and lose weight to try and get me off these diabetes pills.  They are killing my stomach and I am not happy with them AT ALL!!  So it's all up to me to get off them......if I don't do the work it's my own fault.

Appleby Lane: I need to promote it more.  Make it's presence known on social media.  I also like the idea of podcasts, so may take a course in February at our local library.  I need to come up with new ideas and focus on what I like to do more, rather than what other people want me to do.  Which I guess is say no more often....LOL

Hubby is now working until he is 65, so four more years, so need to keep saving for his retirement.  I still use my savings pots for Christmas, Birthday's and my other pot.  Just used money out of the other pot towards buying a new vanity for the downstairs bathroom.  

Grocery shopping and menu planning..............grocery prices have just shot up I need to keep more of an eye on that and will do a blog post on that soon.  Menu planning has always been a weak point for me, but will will try and work on that this year as well.

Vacation..........not sure where or when we will be going away this year.  It will probably be in September (like always) but not sure where.......if anyone has any suggestions, we like to rent a cabin/cottage so we have kitchen facilities and have somewhere comfy to sit at night if that helps, we are open to suggestions?

One other thing I MUST MAKE AN EFFORT TO LEAVE COMMENTS ON OTHER PEOPLE'S BLOGS!!  I read blogs but hardly comment, I must remedy that this year!!

Happy New Year everyone!